Path Of The Dragon (A Dark Fantasy Cultivation Wuxia Xianxia Progression Series)

Chapter 28 Elder Shi

When Jie returned to her residence, Ming was deep in concentration and she dared not disturb him. She didn't want to lose him... not now. Not ever. She'd just have to make decisions without his advice until he was better.

Perhaps if she became stronger, she might even be able to help him heal.

That thought intrigued her, and it lay in the back of her mind as she sat in the lotus position and cultivated within her residence.

She didn't take another of the medicinal pills, not wishing to unbalance her cultivation as Ming had warned, and choosing instead to cultivate as she always had before.

Before she knew it, the sun had just barely risen and the door flew open to reveal a beautiful fox woman.

"Right then! Let's go!" Elder Shi said.

Jie flinched and spared a glance at Ming, but he remained impassive, his concentration seemingly unbroken.

"Please lead the way, Elder," Jie said softly.

Elder Shi frowned at Jie's soft tone but didn't comment and instead left Jie's residence and moved across the academy grounds at a brisk pace. But, Jie knew the older woman must be taking it easy as she kept up with the elder without any issues.

They came to one of the many buildings that Jie knew nothing about. Though calling it a 'building' was somewhat inaccurate as it more closely resembled a walled cluster of several buildings. With a carefully tended pond serving as a moat around the outer walls. Lily pads dotted the pond's surface and colorful fish darted around beneath them.

Elder Shi led the way over a red painted bridge and through a set of polished red metal gates that the Crimson Academy seemed so fond of.

"Welcome to my residence. I expect you to be here at sunrise each and every day unless I give you special permission not to attend," Elder Shi said as they stepped into an open courtyard filled with cherry blossom trees.

The trees had relatively weak cultivation auras, but their bright red blossoms looked beautiful and stood in stark contrast to their white bark. Lotus petals swirled around in the wind, littering the ground of Elder Shi's residence.

Elder Shi guided Jie into what looked like a dojo straight out of a movie. Complete with wooden pillars supporting the ceiling and thick fibrous mats covering the floor.

"Now then, first things first... I want to see what you're capable of," Elder Shi said.

Elder Shi then sprang at Jie in a blur of motion. Jie activated lightning step and barely dived out of the way in time. Elder Shi followed with repeated strikes, all of which Jie dodged much easier with her movement technique activated. But Elder Shi gained speed at a profound rate and soon Jie was struggling to keep pace.

As she was forced back around the room, continually kept on the back foot and made to evade rather than attack, something inside Jie stirred.

Ming's words about how lightning did not retreat echoed not just in her mind, but her very soul. And, being forced back grated on her.

Lightning qi crackled over her knuckles and formed into dragonfists with barely a thought and at Elder Shi's next attack, Jie struck out.

Elder Shi's eyes widened with astonishment as Jie forgot all about running away and instead focused on attacking while slipping between Elder Shi's attacks like water. Not unlike the way Chen Ai used her movement technique against her not fully a day before.

Elder Shi's mouth then split into a smile as she increased her speed yet again, forcing Jie to push herself harder and harder just to maintain her attacks.