Ninth, huh? Said Horo.
Then he looked up to his master with squinted eyes, "Did you set this up?"
Elder May smiled brightly and responded, "Of course not, but I surely hoped for it. Hahahahaha"
Horo face-palmed, and after a couple of breaths, he cracked his neck and fist and said, "Alright, I guess it's time to truly let loose, huh?"
Xiang Hi chimed in and said, "Oh, please do. Let's get well acquainted, and the best way to do so is through battle, isn't it?"
She smiled broadly after speaking, and Horo did the same hearing her.
He had an even better impression of her seeing that she truly had good intentions. He became even more eager to spar with her.
He said, "Well, let's begin."
After speaking, Horo didn't budge. He waited for her to make the first move.
He always countered better than he attacked, but he also wanted to see what her strength was truly like. If she couldn't back him against a rock and a hard place, she wasn't "worthy", as his master always says.
Before he knew it, his black cloud instinctively shrouded the entire stage as if it had a consciousness of its own. Thanks to his special trait used to create it, it actually did.
The true cloud technique allowed one to form a true cloud based on a trait closely tied to the user, and it also allowed one to engrave another technique into the cloud like advancers could do with skills and techniques into their physical body. The only thing is the technique had to be compatible with the chosen trait and the true cloud. Depending on the stability and strength of the true cloud, as well as the user's talent, more than one technique can be engraved into the true cloud.
Horo's chosen trait was actually his negative energy. He hadn't done this himself, instead the tree of tragedy did it to help him out when he was struggling to form his true cloud. His negative energy naturally negated, repulsed and suppressed everything on the opposite spectrum of its existence. The pure cloud technique could be considered such a thing, so his true cloud gave him a slight edge when facing pure cloud users.
Even though Horo's true cloud was extreme stable and even dense, he had only engraved one technique into his true cloud so far, and that technique is called heavy suppression. When used with a true cloud this technique gave it the ability to make others feel the weight of mountains on their entire existence including mind, body, and soul. This technique was so compatible with Horo's true cloud their effects multiplied each others by at least ten times.
Even though outside of the cloud could somehow feel the heaviness and repulsion coming from the cloud.
Horo's cloud reacted instinctively because Xiang Hi moved quicker then Horo's eyes was able to perceive, but his instincts and skills allowed him to still sense her mostly.
Yet, just because he was sensing her didn't mean that he could match the speed she showcased, so his black cloud acted.
His black cloud was also a part of him, and in turn also a part of his instincts.
The moment it was released, it slowed her down tremendously. Xiang Hi was dumbfounded, and for many reasons. The crowd was as well.
The moment his black cloud made its debut, it sent shivers through majority of the crowds spine.
Everyone's Pure and True Clouds nearly lurched out of their bodies. This black cloud they were witnessing was the first of its kind, and will mostly likely remain the only of its kind.
Everyone else's clouds acted as if Horo's black cloud was their arch enemy, better yet the bane of their existence.
No one felt this more than Xiang Hi did at the moment.
She was bewildered by how her pure cloud became uncontrollable the moment she was surrounded by this, this atrocity. She came to a complete stop the moment it shrouded her. It didn't suppress her completely, but it suppressed her to the point where her speed was reduced by three times. That on top of her pure cloud acting like it wanted to escape a leash, she chose to come to a full stop and access her options.
At least that's what Horo thought for a second.
Xiang Hi, was actually mobilizing her true cloud that had a special technique. And just like Horo, her trait and technique used for her true cloud was so compatible that its abilities were enhanced many times over.
Even with its own uniqueness, her true cloud couldn't escape Horo's senses within his domain, the black cloud.
Her true cloud had appeared behind him and in the same instant it exchanged places with her, but with her speed reduced Horo easily made the first move.
....
No one on the outside of his cloud could see what was going on. None, absolutely none had the ability to see through his pure negative energy, but of course the powerful can see with their senses.
And Elder May held a broad grin after sensing what she did. She thought her disciple was a true expert, an artist at work
....
The moment she appeared behind Horo, Xiang Hi was hit with a devastating kick from the strangest angle possible.
Horo performed a flip kick while one leg was still on the ground, and that kick landed from a diagonal direction resulting in her left hip breaking and that was only the beginning of it.
Her left leg, being attached to her left hip was detached from the rest of her. It smashed to the ground nearly turning to mush.
Before Horo could do anything else, she switched places with her true cloud again. It had already exited Horo's dark cloud.
Horo raised his brows after having a realization.
He now understood why she was the ninth ranked core disciple, she is a true expert.
Every action she took was to exit his cloud which was suppressing her strength tremendously in addition to exerting a heavy pressure on her being. She even sacrificed a leg. She most likely knew she couldn't do anything within his cloud without him noticing.
Horo retracted his cloud back into his body because he understood there was no use for it now. She already experienced the effects of it and he was sure she'd keep her true cloud outside of its range in order to not end up back in his domain that weakened her.
They were now about thirty meters apart, as she stood on one leg while eyeing him intensely, she stunned Horo with her next actions.
Her left hand began to glow with a smooth soft white light before being shrouded by a fog or the same soft white color. She then placed it at the point of injury and her leg began growing back quickly as if she was a salamander.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry for the long hiatus, I have been hospitalized due to surgery and wasn't able to write.