The masked figure exhaled slowly, his gaze fixed on Kai. His robe barely showed a trace of dust from the impact, as if he hadn't just been blasted across the room.
Kai flexed his fingers, feeling the energy coursing through his meridians. I landed a clean hit… but he barely flinched. His opponent was still a full realm above him in cultivation. A direct confrontation would end in defeat.
But speed—speed was his enemy's greatest strength.
The masked figure's posture shifted slightly, a coiled predator preparing to strike again.
And he vanished.
Kai's instincts screamed at him—Left!
He barely twisted aside as a blade-like palm slashed through the air, missing his neck by inches. The attack was so fast that the air itself seemed to cut, sending shivers down Kai's skin.
I can't dodge forever.
The next strike came instantly, a downward chop aiming for his shoulder.
Kai didn't block—he flowed.
Flowing Shadow Step!
His body twisted, his feet guiding him along the momentum of the attack, allowing him to slip just beyond the strike zone.
The masked figure's eyes narrowed slightly. He's adapting?
But adaptation wasn't enough. Kai needed to force an opening.
So… how do you beat someone faster than you?
Speed was only an advantage if it could be used freely.
Kai's eyes flickered to the room's layout.
The weakened floorboards. The collapsed wardrobe. The remnants of the threads from the capture net left behind by the trap.
That's it!
He moved toward the broken remains of the wardrobe, his mind calculating the next move.
Kai forced a smirk, stepping back toward the center of the unstable floor.
Come on… just a little closer.
The masked figure followed—just as he planned.
"You look confident for someone who's losing," the masked man remarked.
Kai rolled his shoulders, feigning a relaxed stance. "Yeah, well… I've figured something out."
The masked figure tilted his head slightly. "Oh?"
Kai's grin widened. "You rely on speed too much."
Kai's foot struck a piece of shattered wood from the wardrobe, kicking debris into the air.
A split second distraction.
The masked figure's focus flickered toward the flying debris—just enough for Kai to make his move.
Eclipsing Palm!
Kai's palm lashed out—but not to attack.
Instead, he struck the ground.
Boom!
The force sent a powerful shockwave rippling across the floor, blasting broken furniture and shards of wood into the air.
The masked figure instinctively shifted, his feet gliding to avoid debris.
That was exactly what Kai had counted on.
He's too fast—so I have to control where he moves!
The instant the masked figure adjusted his footing, Kai was already moving.
He darted left, forcing him toward the unstable wooden boards near the collapsed wardrobe.
The masked figure stepped into the trap.
A small, near-invisible thread wrapped around his ankle.
The moment his weight shifted—
The floor beneath him buckled.
For just a fraction of a second, he was off balance.
That was all Kai needed.
He surged forward.
Eclipsing Palm!
His Qi-infused palm struck the masked figure's exposed ribs—redirecting his own force back into him!
Boom!
The masked figure's body twisted mid-air, crashing hard against the weakened floorboards.
The wooden floor gave way beneath him.
Kai staggered back, breath heaving.
The room went still.
Dust and debris settled. The masked figure had fallen through the broken floorboards, vanishing into the darkness below.
Crash!
He plummeted into the lower level, wooden planks and debris collapsing with him.
A thick cloud of dust rose from below.
Kai staggered back, his breath heavy. His whole body ached from the battle, but—he was still standing.
He peered into the darkness below.
The masked man was buried beneath the wreckage, his body partially pinned by the broken wooden beams.
Kai exhaled. Did I… bet him?