The man groaned as he charged towards Lin Feng, his hand glowing faintly.
Lin Feng tensed, he knew he was stronger now, but was it enough to face off against a cultivator? Well, he was going to find out now.
The man was even quicker than he looked, and despite his drunkenness, he could still move with precision. He swung his arms forward, aiming for a clean strike at Lin Feng's chest, if that's move connected, Lin Feng might stop breathing.
Feng reacted very quickly, he stepped backwards and tried to dodge, but the old man's hand grazed his shoulder, leaving a shocking amount of impact.
Lin Feng felt his body get thrown off by the impact of the blow, in a second, he was sprawling on the floor, rolling across the dirt.
"What the...!?" Lin Feng muttered as he spat, breathing heavily on the floor. It had only touched his shoulder.
The drunken man stared at him, a small grin on his face. "Still weak, huh?"
Lin Feng coughed even more, struggling to get up, he was getting tired and annoyed at all these bullies. He had never done them any wrong, why couldn't he just be left alone, he didn't even care for their company, he just wanted to be left alone?
Lin Feng slowly stood up, steadying his breath. His chest heaved as he spoke in a low tone.
"What did I ever do to you?"
The drunken man laughed in a silly manner, then he stepped towards Lin Feng. "The world is cruel, kiddo. You didn't need to do me anything. Better grow strong! Hahahaha!!"
Lin Feng was just irritated by the man's answer and his attitude. "Really?"
The drunken man laughed, then he spoke again. "But of course, I know what I did to you...in a minute, the spirit vein in your body would turn on each other, they would revolt, causing an unbearable pain to go through your body, blocking your abilities for at least thirty minutes.... Hahahaha!!!"
Lin Feng gritted his teeth, anger coursing through his body.
The tattoo on Lin Feng's hand suddenly glowed, it seemed to spread out a little, covering the entirety of his palm and turning it into a totally black fist.
Lin Feng's feet flickered, and he burst forward, the tattoo grew at light speed, covering the right part of his body. He was in front of the man in an instant. The intoxication clearly went of the man's eye in that same moment, just before he struck.
"Q-qi Burst!" The man shouted, putting his hands together with blistering speed. The moment his hands met, a strong explosion of internal energy was released, it was very powerful and intended on pushing back enemies.
Lin Feng swung his arm forward, his hand seemed to be invisible to the qi burst attack, his punch went right through it, landing on the chest of the man.
His face tensed up, his muscles twitching as his earlier smile turned into a painful grimace, the blow sending an overload of signal into his pain receptors.
Time seemed to slow down in that instant. Feng's punch had made a clean connection.
The drubk man let out a painful roar as he was sent flying, going even farther away than he had initially sent Lin Feng. Lin Feng paused as he watched the man fly through the air. He couldn't believe that he was the one that had done that just now.
Lin Feng stared at his hand, watching as the tattoo drew in on itself, going back into the little jade shape it used to be on his palm.
This was forbidden arts...he had done this much damage without even possessing a spirit vein. So what would he now do if he possessed one? Was this why that cultivator turned into dust?
Lin Feng shook his head as his thoughts ran wild. He had to find the old man, he had to heal his spirit vein, then he won't ever use this forbidden arts again.
He couldn't lose his soul to the darkness.
****
Lin Feng watched the drunk man crash into the dirt, groaning, then turned and bolted toward the forest.
His legs burned, but he didn't stop—bushes scratched his arms as he pushed deeper, the orphanage fading behind him. He needed space, away from Scar, the matron, everyone.
The tattoo pulsed on his hand, warm and alive, urging him on. He reached a clearing near the waterfall from yesterday, the roar of water filling the air.
Breathing hard, he stopped and raised his hand. The jade tattoo glowed faintly, runes sharp against his skin. "What are you?" he muttered.
He had to know how strong it was, what it could do.He clenched his fist, focusing on the heat from the fight. The tattoo flared, dark qi spreading over his palm like ink. He stared at it for a moment, feeling the power coursing through him, it needed a release.
He swung at a tree—his fist hit, and the trunk cracked, splinters flying. Lin Feng stepped back, eyes wide. That was no normal punch.
What was happening to him exactly?
A thought crossed his mind. Can it move? Like a thread?
Feng steadied his breath, he tried moving it. He pointed his hand at a rock, willing the qi to shoot out.
Nothing happened.
Then he did it again.
And again.
He paused, then he calmed himself down, and he tried again.
The tattoo burned, and a thin stream of dark energy blasted from his palm, hitting the rock. It shattered, pieces scattering across the ground. His arm shook from the effort, a dull ache spreading up to his shoulder. It worked—but it hurt.
He grinned despite the pain, adrenaline pumping. "This could change everything."
He aimed at another rock, firing again. The qi stream was stronger this time, smashing it to dust, but his head throbbed, and a trickle of blood ran from his nose. He wiped it, frowning.
"Too much, too fast." A voice broke the silence, dry and sharp. "Now, would you mind telling me where you managed to find a forbidden art? And in less than a day? Not to mention your appearance—unlike the last time we met, which was just just a few hours ago."
Lin Feng spun around, heart jumping. The old man from yesterday stood at the edge of the clearing, leaning on a gnarled stick. His wrinkled face held a mix of curiosity and suspicion, eyes locked on Lin Feng's hand.
Lin Feng shrugged, catching his breath. "It's a long story."The old man snorted, stepping closer. "I've got time, kid."
Lin Feng hesitated, then sat on a fallen log, wiping the blood from his nose. "Got jumped. Beat up. Then some dying guy forced this on me." He held up his hand, showing the tattoo. "Turned to ash right after. Said it's forbidden arts."The old man's eyes narrowed, studying the runes. "Huh. That's no small thing. Explains the mess you're in." He tapped his stick on the ground. "And you're already swinging it around like a toy. Brave or stupid?"
"Desperate. That's the word." Lin Feng said. He leaned forward, voice firm. "You said I could heal my crippled spirit vein with forbidden arts. How? I need to know."
The old man scratched his chin, staring at Lin Feng for a long moment. "It's not simple, kid. That tattoo's got power—dark, messy power. To fix your vein, you've got to channel that qi into it, refine it. It would be painful, and might demand blood too. But it's a gamble—push too hard, and you'll end up like that ash pile."
Lin Feng nodded, jaw tight. "I'll take the risk. Tell me how to start."