Luo Lao, however, advanced slowly, speaking deliberately, "When I heard you learned a bit of the Yu Step technique from Xiao Xian, I felt some regret. Her own mastery is lacking; she'll only mislead her students. Since you've come today, and in light of your Talent, I'll give you a proper demonstration—"
Saying that, he stopped fifteen meters away, twisted his neck, bent slightly at the waist, and assumed a sprinter's stance, preparing to rush Huai Shi, who was on high alert.
"Watch closely. This is..."
Huai Shi's vision blackened as a hurricane-like force slammed into him. Then, amidst an explosive roar, the aged face that had suddenly appeared before him lifted its gaze and slowly announced,
"—Yu Step!"
A distance of fifteen meters, covered in a single leap, at a speed so extreme that not even his lightning reflexes could perceive it!
The old man grinned, countless purplish-green muscles rippling and overlapping. Though his eyes held a joyful ease, as if he were on a leisurely stroll through a forest, his face erupted with the solemn majesty of a mountain and the cold, stern fury of iron.
He looked like... one of the legendary vajra-wielding Wisdom Kings!
In his astonishment, Huai Shi subconsciously stepped back.
"Wrong." Luo Lao shook his head in resignation, sighing. "How could you retreat at a time like this? Retreating only gives the enemy an opportunity to press their advantage. Since the enemy has delivered himself to your doorstep, you should have committed to an all-out "Offensive", right? You missed it, the only moment you could have struck, just to gain a mere meter of dodging space? Was it useful? Do you think it was? Let me tell you, it wasn't."
The old man reached out to Huai Shi, but his movement seemed slow, his hand stopping a hair's breadth from Huai Shi's clothes. However, Huai Shi felt no joy, only a deep chill and a potent danger emanating from the old man's hand.
"Watch carefully..."
In that instant, Luo Lao's outstretched hand, thirty centimeters from Huai Shi with fingers splayed, suddenly clenched, and he yanked his hand back!
This was—Drummer!
Sparks flew as his fingers rubbed together, Power comparable to the deep Sea surging into his palm.
In a flash, a colossal boom resounded.
Between those fingers, an airwave erupted, blasting outwards in all directions, transforming into a ferocious gale. It was like a Shock Bomb exploding in front of him; Huai Shi's vision went dark, and his ears rang.
I'm done for!
His heart sank. He wanted to use the gust of wind to retreat, but then he felt the turbulent gust, like a deep-sea undercurrent, actually push him forward as Luo Lao's fingers tugged, pulling him towards the old man three steps away.
Luo Lao smiled like a Buddha.
He was reaching out to Huai Shi.
It was as if he had truly grabbed the void itself.
Then, as Huai Shi watched in a daze, Luo Lao raised his other palm, covering his right fist, the one that had seemed to grasp the void.
Rock, paper, scissors.
CLAP!
The two collided instantly. His open left hand enveloped his right fist. The movement was light and gentle, yet it unleashed a heart-stopping roar and a colossal boom.
It was as if he witnessed heaven and earth slowly closing before him.
The Vault of Heaven collapsed, shattering the endless earth.
The Moon fell, burning to a scorching red in the atmosphere before sinking into the deep Sea, raising cosmic-scale tidal waves and radiating tangible Destructive Power from the epicenter.
Huai Shi's heart raced, his face deathly pale.
In that instance, as his palm covered his fist, the combined hands, now like a hammer, lightly pushed forward.
It pressed against Huai Shi's chest.
A light touch, instantly withdrawn.
The brief collision sent the roaring Power coursing through the old man's body and veins flooding into Huai Shi's frame, suffusing his limbs and core. It distributed the unparalleled Power evenly across every fascia, muscle, and vertebra in Huai Shi's body...
And so, he heard it: heavenly thunder rousing, the earth's drum resounding.
This was—
—Thunderbolt!
Huai Shi was left in a stupor.
He felt no pain; in that instant, he only heard a savage, deafening boom, the likes of which he had never experienced.
Following that, he entered what felt like a third-person mode.
It was as if the blow had knocked his very soul out of his body. He could no longer feel his physical form or control his limbs; he could only stare rigidly and sluggishly at the world through the eyes of this shell.
In that immeasurably long instant, he saw the smiling yet ferocious old face slowly moving away as he flew backward.
Flying backward.
In the silence, he lifted smoothly and effortlessly from the ground, spiraling through the air with a dazed expression, tracing a long arc.
He soared thirty meters, flying over countless burly men working out, dancing, or sparring. He finally landed on the smooth tiles at the entrance, bounced once, then fell, his remaining momentum causing him to slide backward.
Like a heap of soft mud.
DING! As the elevator doors opened, the upper half of his body slid limply inside.
It was a long while before Huai Shi roused from his daze. He still couldn't feel his limbs, only an excruciating pain and an unbearable sense of misery.
"Hmm? A rare visitor."
When he raised his eyes, he saw a pair of exquisite sandals before him, then delicate, slender toes, and well-shaped, toned calves.
Looking up, he saw a grey long skirt, an impressively endowed chest, and a familiar face.
Her eyes curved like crescent moons, and her smile was as refreshing as a spring breeze.
"...Luo Xian?"
Huai Shi asked incredulously, then retched, spewing a large mouthful of blood faintly tinged with green.
"Mm, long time no see, Huai Shi."
Luo Xian bent down, looking at the youth. His face was a mess of broken capillaries, and blood streamed from his nostrils. She raised her eyebrows slightly.
"Have you come to visit?"