Chapter 21: Combat Techniques

Yee Rhys could not use small techniques in public. But in a crisis situation or out of the shadows, there were no restrictions. And trivial curiosity simply demanded to at least try out such pretty toys.

The young man concentrated. The beads of gems on his wisps of Qi flashed and began to collect Qi, and the collected and transformed energy rushed to his palm, enveloping it with a bluish aura. Under Yee Rhys' keen control, the aura stretched forward, forming a palm-length blade. It had to stop there, as this was the limit for his one wisp.

Taking a stance, the young man made several lunges, trying to feel the blade. The bluish blade was weightless and met no air resistance. That's right, blue was the color of Air, the first Gem.

Yee Rhys was a little surprised that the technique worked the first time, but he quickly figured it out. Besides the fact that he had already cultivated Qi and knew how it should work, he now had the support of improved concentration from mental energy. There was also an already formed understanding of the sword path. Yes, the latter was not insignificant.

The young man had spent three years in the Cunning Sword sect. Although their technique had only three levels of development, they could compete with the higher-level sects in the Sword's legacy. Naturally, the understanding of the sword path after such a tempering was at a decent level.

Yee Rhys swung his blade, remembering sword fighting techniques until his Qi dried up. Then he sighed sadly. This technique had really good potential: one could adjust the shape and size of the blade, and with the right skill, even throw it. But for now, the limitation of cultivation prevented the technique from being used in full power.

After restoring his Qi, the young man moved on to the second technique: the Gem Scatter. The technique allowed him to form a series of gem-runes and use them as a foothold when moving. Distantly it resembled the technique of steps, but had its own specifics: runes were formed all at once, and originally they were supposed to throw in a chosen direction, and then move along a predetermined route.

The obvious disadvantage of the technique was that the enemy could calculate the intended route. However, the creator of the technique had provided for this: the one using the Gem Scatter was not restricted in his movements, he could easily interrupt the route in the middle without any kickback. Unused runes would remain in place for a while, and they could be used at any time.

At higher levels there was an opportunity to drag a part of the gem-runes or move the already established, which created a complex mosaic game not for the average minds.

Further complication of the technique was the qualitative difference between the gems. For now, only the Air Rune was available to Yee Rhys, and its unique property was to provide a momentary acceleration. And this acceleration could be summed up by stepping on a new gem before the effect of the previous one had expired. All of the gems also had the ability to hover in the air, allowing you to use them as a foothold to dash up and down. In the Wisp Creation Sphere, when cultivators were not yet able to fly, this was a serious advantage. Later on, other gems with their unique features were discovered.

He liked the technique. A puzzle that made the entire battle a lot more difficult. Exactly what the mentalists' strengths are. Without a certain skill, the Gem Scatter was a trap for anyone who used it. But lovers of multidimensional chess would be able to unlock the beauty of the technique.

Having created the standard seven Wind gem-runes, Yee Rhys hung them in the air and began practicing. Yeah, - he decided as he crashed into the wall, - it's not worth using this technique without proper practice. Experience had shown that he had to step on the gems at a certain angle to determine where he would fly next. That was if you could hit the rune at all, and your foot would not slip off it in the breeze. Yes, the gems were slippery enough.

He discovered another advantage of the Gem Scatter in the process: it could be used in conjunction with the usual movement techniques. And if he could also hang a Flickering Star on top of it, it would be even more interesting. The only disadvantage of such a combination was that he simply didn't have enough Qi. And after reaching the Soaring Core Sphere, most of the techniques will become useless and have to be replaced.

Having restored the level of Qi, Yee Rhys started the third technique, the Gem Shield. The technique also turned out to have a twist. It, just like the Gem Scatter, required gem-runes, only this time there was a shield plane formed between them. In the classic version the runes flew in a circle, forming a circle-shield, or around the caster, creating a sphere or cylinder protection.

It was also possible to control the movement of gems and set the protection for any chosen object. Initially there were only seven gems, but later there would be more, widening the user's options.

With practice, the young man quickly mastered the basic forms. In addition to the classic variants he could freely create shields of three or more runes, which already gave two shields at the same time. Yee Rhys also discovered that the surface of a shield could be used in other ways. For example, to stand on it. Or to cut something with the edge of the shield. A kind of flying blade.

As the young man realized, the Gem Shield was essentially a combination of the Gem Blade and the Gem Scatter, combining them into one system. Perhaps at higher levels, the three techniques merged together, allowing the runes to function as both movement and shield techniques.

As a disadvantage, the shield consumed more energy than the preceding techniques. Especially if you hit or stand on it. Rubbing his bottom, hurt by the sudden disappearance of the shield while trying to stand on it, Yee Rhys decided to keep the shield as a last resort. It consumed too much.

After restoring his Qi once more, the young man considered the secret training to be over. At the tournament he would have to fight newcomers of one, two, three, or at most four wisps. No matter how much geniuses they are, they simply don't have enough time to master a truly serious technique. They also don't have enough experience in cultivators fights. Those who were serious cultivators would have to be at the level of five wisps or higher, and he simply couldn't compare to them right now.

Stepping out into the courtyard, Yee Rhys stretched out. The neighbors from the first cabins hadn't returned yet, and the others hadn't settled in yet. It was perfect, no one would be in the way.

Standing in the center, the young man thought. To attract unnecessary attention now is not worth it. So he will hit the opponents no more than two levels higher than his. And only show lower level techniques. Two or three, no more. As simple and common as possible. What do we have?

Techniques of the Cunning Sword sect are not suitable due to the lack of a sword. Only some of the movement techniques can be taken from here. "Dash" allows a dramatic increase in speed at short range. Just what you need. A simple but effective technique.

Concentrating, Yee Rhys began to circulate Qi in his legs along a certain route. Feeling that the technique had been activated, he took a step, covering two meters at once. It was perfect. And most importantly, minimal energy consumption compared to multi-step techniques.

Now for the punch. After searching through the known techniques, the young man settled on the "Golden Palm" and the "Kick of the Crooked Monkey".

The Golden Palm is a strong palm strike with no special tricks. Good for knocking enemies out of the arena.

Kick of the Crooked Monkey was more difficult. First it required a few blows just to warm up the technique, no matter where, even in the air. And only then a real strike was made, not so much by force as by unpredictability of trajectory. It was very useful when one needed to seize the initiative if one encountered a difficult opponent.

Having tried all three techniques, Yee Rhys decided to stop. That should be enough. It is difficult for poor beginners to get even one technique, while those who have a decent background probably have a decent level as well. And if you meet an exception - there always remain increased characteristics of the body and intelligence.