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CG C105: Aerial Battle
🕑 Added 2024-08-12 22:05:43 +0000 UTCThe Thunder Bird's beak snapped shut, and the ball of lightning it had been forming shot towards Kai.
He tried to maneuver his flying sword out of the way, but Kai wasn't used to aerial combat. The lightning grazed his shoulder, and even with his lightning resistance, it sent a jolt of agonizing pain through his body.
"Okay, not off to a great start," Kai muttered.
He focused on his Qi Condensation skill, rapidly forming a shield of solidified qi in front of him. Just in time, too, as the Thunder Bird launched another attack.
The lightning bolt splashed against Kai's shield, dissipating harmlessly. But the force of the impact sent him tumbling backward on his sword. He struggled to regain his balance, his feet slipping on the narrow blade.
Aerial battle is much harder than it looks. Maybe I could avoid fighting, I did want to fight a Qi Refining Stage 9 beast but definitely not in the air.
"Hey there, big guy," Kai said, knowing that with his Spirit Beast Communication skill the beast could understand him. "How about we talk this out?"
The Thunder Bird tilted its head, its glowing eyes fixed on Kai. It opened its beak and let out another ear-splitting screech.
Kai winced. "I guess that's a no on the talking."
It seemed unlike Zhi-Zhi, this beast's intelligence was very low. It seemed to operate on pure instinct, with little room for reason or negotiation.
The Thunder Bird dove towards Kai with its talons extended. Kai managed to dodge, but just barely. He could feel the wind from the creature's wings buffeting him.
"I need to get back to the ground," Kai decided. He angled his sword downward, aiming for the rocky terrain below.
But the Thunder Bird wasn't about to let its prey escape. It swooped in front of Kai, blocking his path. Its wings released a stream of electricity, creating a barrier of lightning.
Kai pulled up short, nearly falling off his sword again. "Okay, I guess we're doing this up here."
He took a deep breath, centering himself. He needed to adapt to this new fighting environment quickly if he wanted to survive.
Kai activated his Swift Wind Step skill, hoping it would work in the air as well as it did on the ground. To his relief, he felt his body become lighter, more agile.
When the Thunder Bird lunged at him again, Kai was ready. He sidestepped the attack, landing on a qi platform and then using it to leap over the beast's back.
As he passed over the Thunder Bird, Kai channeled qi into his palm, preparing a Flame Palm Strike. He brought his hand down on the creature's back, and a burst of fire erupted on impact.
The Thunder Bird screeched in pain, its feathers singed. It wheeled around, eyes blazing with fury.
"Looks like that got your attention."
The beast retaliated with a barrage of lightning bolts. Kai weaved between them, his improved agility allowing him to dodge more effectively now.
But he knew he couldn't keep this up forever. The constant movement was draining his qi reserves. Flying, while exhilarating, was not qi-friendly at all. One misstep could be fatal.
Kai needed a plan. He glanced around, taking in his surroundings. The storm clouds above, the jagged rocks below, the electricity in the air...
An idea began to form in his mind. It was risky, but it might just work.
Kai turned to face the Thunder Bird head-on. "Alright, big guy. Let's see how you handle this."
He raised his hand, palm out, and activated his Static Charge skill. Sparks danced between his fingers, growing in intensity.
The Thunder Bird, sensing the buildup of electrical energy, responded in kind. It opened its beak wide, a ball of lightning forming once again.
Kai waited, timing his move carefully. Just as the Thunder Bird was about to release its attack, Kai shouted, activating his Thunder Voice skill.
The sound that erupted from his throat was deafening, a perfect mimicry of a thunderclap. The shockwave hit the Thunder Bird just as it released its lightning bolt.
The creature faltered, its aim thrown off. The lightning bolt went wide, missing Kai entirely.
Kai didn't waste the opportunity. He charged forward, his flying sword propelling him at high speed. As he neared the disoriented Thunder Bird, he leaped off his sword, using Swift Wind Step and a qi platform to close the remaining distance.
His fist, charged with both fire and lightning qi, connected solidly with the Thunder Bird's chest. The impact sent both of them plummeting towards the ground.
Kai gritted his teeth, fighting to maintain his hold on the thrashing creature. The ground was approaching fast, and he knew the landing would be rough.
At the last moment, Kai activated his Iron Skin skill, reinforcing his body against the impending impact. They hit the rocky terrain hard, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris.
For a moment, everything was still. Then, slowly, Kai pushed himself up, his body aching but intact. The Thunder Bird lay beside him, stunned but still very much alive.
Even though, he was now on the ground, Kai knew he couldn't let his guard down yet. He quickly retrieved his sword, which had fallen nearby, and readied himself for the next round.
The Thunder Bird struggled to its feet, shaking off the impact. Its eyes locked onto Kai, filled with a mixture of pain and rage.
"Round two," Kai said, raising his sword.
The Thunder Bird spread its wings and it quickly launched into the air and began circling above Kai.
Kai kept his eyes on the beast, tracking its movements. He knew it would be more cautious now, having felt the sting of Kai's attacks.
The Thunder Bird dove, its talons extended. Kai raised his sword to block, the clash of metal and claw sending sparks flying.
Kai pushed back, using the sword to create some distance between them. He needed to end this fight soon, before exhaustion set in.
He thought of another idea. Kai focused on his Qi Condensation skill, but instead of forming a shield or weapon, he created a network of thin, nearly invisible qi threads around him.
The Thunder Bird attacked again, this time with a barrage of lightning bolts. Kai dodged and weaved, letting some of the bolts hit his qi threads. The thread caught and held the electrical energy. It was like he had created a web of lightning.
The Thunder Bird, oblivious to the trap, pressed its attack. It swooped in close, aiming to overwhelm Kai with its size and strength.
Kai waited until the last moment, then activated his Heart of Thunder skill. A powerful shockwave erupted from his chest, catching the Thunder Bird mid-dive. The creature screeched in pain and surprise, its momentum carrying it forward into Kai's web of electrically charged qi threads.
The effect was immediate and devastating. The Thunder Bird's own lightning, combined with the energy from Kai's Heart of Thunder, created a feedback loop. Electricity coursed through the beast's body, amplified by its own conductive feathers.
Kai shielded his eyes from the brilliant display of light. When he looked again, the Thunder Bird lay motionless on the ground, wisps of smoke rising from its singed feathers.
“It seems being a lightning beast doesn’t come with lightning resistance…”
Only high-rank cultivation methods or more noble beasts typically possessed elemental resistance. Kai's knowledge of beast types was limited, but he knew this Thunder Bird was just a Qi Refining beast and didn't seem particularly special. There were many of its kind in this realm, after all. It was cannon fodder.
The lack of lightning resistance in a lightning beast might seem counterintuitive, but it made sense from a cultivation perspective. These lower-rank creatures hadn't yet reached the level where they could fully internalize and resist their own element. It was a reminder that true mastery and resistance often came at higher levels of cultivation
Kai approached cautiously, sword at the ready. But there was no need for caution. The Thunder Bird was dead, its once-glowing eyes now dark and lifeless.
You have gained 100 XP!
Kai let out a long breath, he had won, but it had been a close thing.
He knelt beside the fallen creature, placing a hand on its still-warm feathers. "You should have taken me up on the offer," he said softly.
The Thunder Bird's body shimmered and disappeared into his inventory space.
As the adrenaline of battle faded, exhaustion hit Kai like a wave. He dragged his body over to his little cave and sat down heavily on a rock, his muscles aching and his qi reserves nearly depleted.
But despite the pain and fatigue, Kai felt a sense of accomplishment. He had faced a formidable opponent and emerged victorious. More importantly, he had gained valuable experience in aerial combat and creative use of his skills.
Kai took a few moments to catch his breath and assess his condition. His clothes were singed in places, and he had a few minor burns and bruises, but nothing serious.
He pulled out a Qi Replenishing pill from his inventory, one of many he had prepared for this expedition. He popped the pill into his mouth, feeling it dissolve instantly. A cool sensation spread through his body as his qi storage was replenished.
As he rested, Kai reflected on the battle.
That was quite the learning experience, he thought. Fighting in three dimensions is a whole different game.
He pondered the ways he had combined his skills, particularly the use of Qi Condensation to create the lightning web.
That lightning web trick worked better than I expected. I need to explore more creative applications of Qi Condensation. There's got to be so much more I can do with it.
His mind then turned to his performance in the air. While he had managed to hold his own, there had been several close calls that made him uneasy.
He knew that epic battles between high-level cultivators often took place entirely in the air. Some fights even extended into the upper atmosphere or space itself.
My aerial maneuverability needs work, Kai admitted to himself. If I had better control of my flying sword, I could have avoided some of those near misses. I can't always count on luck in a fight like that.
After about an hour of rest and meditation, Kai felt recovered enough to continue his exploration of the Storm Peak Realm. He stood up, stretching his muscles, and retrieved his flying sword.
This time, when he stepped onto the blade, his balance was much steadier. The recent battle had forced him to adapt quickly to aerial movement, and he could already feel the improvement.
Kai pulled out the teleportation token from his inventory, turning it over in his hand. He had accomplished his main objectives - breaking through to Qi Refining Stage 9, battling a Stage 9 beast, and learning to fly. It seemed like a good time to return to the sect.
Just as he was about to activate the token, a notification popped up in his vision:
New Quest: Tribulation Challenger
Defeat a beast undergoing breakthrough to Foundation Establishment Realm.
Reward: 2500 XP
Kai's eyes widened at the quest description. It sounded like he would be part of the beast's tribulation. He had heard of humans being part of tribulations for cultivators, but he hadn't considered it might be the same for beasts. It made sense, though - beasts had their own cultivation path, and humans were certainly their enemies.
He hesitated, weighing his options. The safe choice would be to return to the sect now. But the 2500 XP reward made him pause. He still needed almost 8000 XP for his own breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, and this quest would provide a large chunk of that.
Kai glanced at the mark on his wrist, reminding himself that he still had two extra lives. The potential reward seemed worth the risk.
With a deep breath, Kai stored the token back in his inventory. He rose into the air on his flying sword and activated his map function, scanning the area for any unusual energy signatures. Almost immediately, a bright marker appeared on the map, pulsing with an intensity that the other markers couldn’t compare to.
He focused on the marker, and additional information appeared:
Tribulation Beast
Cultivation: Pseudo Foundation Establishment
Status: Preparing for breakthrough
"Pseudo Foundation Establishment," Kai muttered to himself. "That's definitely going to be a much tougher fight than the Thunder Bird."
He understood that a beast at this level would be significantly more powerful than the Qi Refining Stage 9 Thunder Bird he had just faced. It would likely have more advanced techniques, greater control over its qi, and possibly even some spiritual techniques that weren't just a bolt of lightning.
The thought of facing such a creature made Kai pause. This wouldn't just be a harder battle - it could be downright dangerous, even with his extra lives. The gap between Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment was substantial, and this beast was on the cusp of crossing that threshold.
Still, the potential reward was tempting. 2500 XP would be a significant boost towards his own breakthrough. And the experience of facing such a powerful opponent could be invaluable for whatever was to come next.
"Well, I can’t keep playing it safe, I need to take some risks."
With that, Kai angled his flying sword in the direction indicated by the map and set off.
