Chapter 73 - Opening Doors! (2/2)
Utilizing Doors could be likened to traveling. The moment one utilized a Door was like running for the first time. Running was much faster than walking; unfortunately, humans couldn't run their entire lives: they usually walked. The same principle applied to the Doors. Once opened, they offered immense strength- at a price. The energy in one's body would run out at a much faster rate.
Will had understood how to use the Doors a few days ago, but in order to avoid qigong deviation, he wanted to make sure he understood everything thoroughly before attempting to open a Door. The current situation had forced his hand, but fortune favored him.
Will immediately felt invigorated because opening the Door also awoke his mind. His concentration doubled, and his senses sharpened. Will took a deep breath as he quickly shifted a large portion of his brainpower into controlling his body. His yuan scrutinized each and every muscle fiber, molding them into an incredible harmony with the rest of his body.
Ignius was no longer as impressed as he had been a few moments ago after finally remembering who he was dealing with. Stabbing forth with incredible speed, a spear blurred at Will from an awkward angle.
”Clang!”
Ignius gasped because Will had barely moved an inch. Will merely sidestepped, deflecting the spear with minimum force. After realizing his plan worked, Will smirked and sprinted forward.
”Impudent!”
Shua!
Shua!
Shua!
Shua!
Ignius stabbed forth multiple times, targeting the approaching Will from all sides, only to be met by incredibly concise movements from Will followed by deflections using only minimal force. The waves of strikes that had seemed to inundate Will began to fall apart.
No matter what Ignius did, the same result occurred. In fact, as time went on, Will's reaction speed actually increased!
'This bastard has achieved Martial Harmony!'
Ignius shivered.
Martial artists trained for countless years in order to gain control over their entire body. For example, most people were more familiar with the use of one hand than the other. This example continued across the human body as there were many muscles not used at their full potential. Martial Harmony was when a martial artist controlled their entire body perfectly. Ambidexterity, faster reflexes, increased flexibility were only some of the boons of achieving Martial Harmony. Even Ignius, an incredibly talented Martial Artist, was barely able to touch this threshold. As far as he knew, there was only one mortal who had achieved such a state.
Genesis!
By the time Ignius snapped back into the fight, Will was only a few steps away. Instinct told Will to cautiously halt, so he stood, quietly observing Ignius.
'I refuse! I refuse to believe he has achieved it!'
Ignius stepped forward, infuriated by the sudden turn of events. Since Will was now in reach, he did not need to employ his space-warping ability. Will had even dissipated his bloodlust aura. He simply felt that it would be unnecessary because his senses were now sharper.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
A resounding cacophony echoed in the empty hall. Ignius attacked from a myriad of angles, seeking an opening, but a well-timed counter from Will always met him.
'He is only around level 50! Since he opened a Door, he won't last for long! I only need to hold 'til then!'
Such were Ignius's thoughts. Unfortunately, Will displayed no signs of tiring. To the contrary, he quickened.
Imagine two puppets. Two strings controlled one puppet while ten strings controlled the other. Which one would have better movements when each and every string was fully utilized? Such was the state of Martial Harmony.
It normally required years of specialized training and monstrous talent in cultivation, none of which Will had. Will was a monster when it came to intent, the soul, and the Dao of water/sword, but he was only above average everywhere else. Innately having 6 open doors was far from being talented enough to achieve Martial Harmony; however, he had unique circumstances.
Yuan had the qualities of both mana and qi. Mana strengthened the mind and qi strengthened the body. Dual mind propagation coupled with synergy from having both his body and mind nourished by the 1st Door led to this situation.
In addition to one's body-movements, Martial Harmony also made one's usage of energy more efficient. Thus, even though opening the 1st Door was taxing, it was not as bad as Ignius thought. After exchanging a few more rounds with Will, Ignius finally reached this conclusion once his head cleared. He finally begrudgingly accepted what Will had achieved.
He jumped back a few steps and surprised Will by bowing slightly with clasped hands.
”You are indeed an impressive warrior. I was wrong for assuming you were only a pampered child under Modus.” Will scratched his head in surprise and didn't know what to say. He could sense Ignius's sincerity and was caught in the mood.
Suddenly, an overbearing qi oozed from Ignius' body. The qi was as heavy as a mountain and as brutal as a tsunami. It almost made Will retreat in fright.
”I will now use 5% of my qi. Peerless Dao Master, prepare yourself! I am the Dragon of the West, Ignius Skye!” Ignius settled into a stance, his face showing a severity the likes of which Will had not seen before.
Will nodded and took his stance. He also decided to kick things up a notch for the upcoming battle by utilizing the 2nd Door!