Akatsuki was stunned as Zhang Ergou pointed at her with a foolish grin.
What was this brat up to? Did he think he could break her defenses with just a finger?
Zhang Ergou charged towards Akatsuki with full confidence, muttering to himself, clearly pleased with his latest discovery.
"Ah!"
"Bang!"
Imagination was beautiful, but reality was cruel.
The spiritual energy shield surrounding Akatsuki did not shatter as Zhang Ergou had imagined. Instead, he was sent flying again by a slap from Akatsuki.
"Master, you promised not to hit my face, why did you hit my face again?" Zhang Ergou climbed out of the mud pit, his face filled with resentment as he looked at Akatsuki.
"It hurts my hand to hit elsewhere, so I had no choice but to slap your face."
Akatsuki completely ignored Zhang Ergou's complaints, dismissing the young man's resentful gaze.
Zhang Ergou was furious, but he was helpless. In terms of status, Akatsuki was his master, and in terms of cultivation, Akatsuki was far superior to him.
He couldn't win a fight, and he couldn't argue back, leaving Zhang Ergou feeling incredibly stifled.
Yet, he was powerless. The idea of concentrating all his strength into a single finger had not produced the expected results.
Something must have gone wrong, or perhaps he hadn't managed to channel all his strength into his finger.
Zhang Ergou pondered deeply, not rushing to launch his next attack.
Akatsuki waited patiently. Having lived and cultivated on Spirit Jade Peak with only her sister for so many years, it was a lie to say it wasn't lonely.
Now that she had taken Zhang Ergou as a disciple, besides teaching him, she also had someone to spar with when she felt the urge to fight. This was a significant change for Akatsuki, who was accustomed to a monotonous cultivation life.
Of course, she wouldn't reveal these little thoughts to Zhang Ergou. Every time she "beat" him, she would use the excuse of helping him consolidate his cultivation.
This way, the brat would have nothing to complain about and would even feel grateful towards her.
Seeing Zhang Ergou lost in thought again, a peculiar expression flashed in Akatsuki's beautiful eyes.
This was not the first time Zhang Ergou had stopped to think after an attack. Clearly, the boy was summarizing his previous moves.
This was rare for cultivators. Many relied solely on their master's guidance and the methods described in cultivation techniques.
They lacked the ability to think for themselves and were overly reliant on their techniques, making it difficult for them to break through their limitations.
They believed that what their predecessors left behind was infallible, which was one of the reasons why it had become increasingly difficult for powerful cultivators to break through on the Yin Continent in recent years.
Only those who were good at thinking and brave enough to tread unconventional paths often managed to break through their limitations and become renowned figures on the continent.
Watching Zhang Ergou ponder with his head bowed, Akatsuki did not interrupt. This boy's comprehension had always been good. She wondered what discoveries he would make through today's training.
Zhang Ergou sat on the ground, recalling his previous moves. The techniques of his finger, fist, elbow, and other strikes flashed through his mind one by one.
Frowning deeply, Zhang Ergou found no connection between them.
Suddenly, Zhang Ergou had an inspiration. He had been too focused on a single aspect. To break free, he had to first go back to the core.
His thoughts had deviated from the core of Lion's Roar. He was only thinking about how to concentrate all his strength into a single point, which was an almost impossible task for him at this stage.
After all, concentrating his entire body's strength into a single point was akin to creating a new cultivation technique. For someone who had only been cultivating for over six months, it was nothing short of a pipe dream.
But he had the Six Paths Reincarnation Eyes! How could he forget this treasure?
With this thought, Zhang Ergou brought the well-memorized cultivation principles of Lion's Roar into his mind and then replicated them using the Six Paths Reincarnation Eyes.
The great wheel of time slowly turned. Those mysterious characters transformed into streams of light, and their movement significantly slowed down.
As the great wheel of time deconstructed, Zhang Ergou's previous understanding of Lion's Roar's moves gained new insights.
After being broken down by the great wheel of time, it was evident that his strikes could be more subtle and his power more concentrated.
"It works!" Zhang Ergou rejoiced inwardly and continued to observe.
As the principles of Lion's Roar were broken down and evolved within the great wheel of time, the characters gradually transformed into figures.
The figures that appeared in Zhang Ergou's mind were not human but a colossal beast, a majestic lion.
In Zhang Ergou's mind, a scene unfolded: a lion hunting. It first spotted its prey in the distance, then silently crouched on the ground.
No matter how the prey struggled, the lion remained motionless, lying on the ground as if asleep.
But its two large, bell-like eyes stared intently at the prey.
Suddenly, the lion, which had been lying still, moved. With a leap, it pounced towards the prey that had already finished eating.
All its strength was concentrated into one point. It seized the moment and attacked without hesitation, its massive maw snapping towards the prey's neck.
Pounce, bite, tear – a series of fluid actions, without any delay. By the time the prey reacted, it had already become the lion's meal.
Zhang Ergou seemed to have an epiphany, yet he was also puzzled. Something flickered in his mind, but he couldn't grasp it.
This feeling made Zhang Ergou uncomfortable, evident from his furrowed brow.
The young man meticulously recalled the lion's every move. From the moment it attacked to the successful hunt, the lion took only a split second.
This starkly contrasted with the long period the lion spent crouching on the ground.
Time!
Suddenly, a thought flashed through the young man's mind. Yes, it was time.
The lion used the least amount of time during the pounce, yet the effect was astonishingly good. It was the extreme coordination of speed and power that achieved this efficiency.
The young man's furrowed brow relaxed. He seemed to understand the direction he needed to strive for.
With his current abilities, even if he used all his strength, he couldn't break through Akatsuki's defenses. This was still because his speed was too slow.
Understanding the principle, the light in the young man's eyes grew brighter.
Slowly standing up, he glanced at Akatsuki, not far away, and grinned foolishly.
"Hehe, Master, I don't think I can break through your defenses today. Your spiritual energy shield is just too thick. Even if I use all my strength, I can't break it."
"It's good that you realize that. I am very pleased that you have gained this insight. Don't aim too high, and don't look down on other cultivators just because you've made a slight breakthrough."
Akatsuki did not reprimand Zhang Ergou. Instead, she praised him when she heard him say such things.
"The path of cultivation is a defiance of heaven. Do not become arrogant with the slightest achievement. The Yin Continent we inhabit is but a corner of this world."
Zhang Ergou nodded silently, keeping Akatsuki's words firmly in mind.