Book 15: Chapter 6
No Constant State
Bai Ju gave his Enlightenment blue energy the form of a spider and octopus, except each leg could morph into tough as steel or flexible as strings of water similarly to how he wielded his whip.
Shen Yiren indulged Bai Ju in a few exchanges before being forced to back off. Her limit was taking on one leg at a time. She had witnessed the special abilities that Enlightenment granted before, but she had never seen anyone manipulate their Enlightenment so proficiently that they could use it as limbs.
Bai Ju wasn’t able to use his Enlightenment as his whip because he learnt some unique or sophisticated discipline; he simply refined and improved every technique in actual combat. There was no way he was only at He Kanyu’s level. While both of them were blessed with similar talent for martial arts, the gap was a product of training methodology. He Kanyu took the conventional route of progress, while Bai Ju, being someone who valued real combat most, pressure tested himself to grow. When he advanced into Quasi-Divine and grasped Enlightenment, instead of treating it as a martial arts realm, he treated it as a supplementary tool. Since then, he tirelessly experimented with imbuing his techniques and reactions into his Enlightenment in actual combat.
Upon glancing at the eight tentacles again, Shen Yiren saw the remaining tentacles targeting Yi Ya. Based on the nature of Bai Ju’s ability, it was clearly most apt for team fights. Even alone, he had the ability to take on a hundred men. It was apparent, then, that, regardless of where he built it up, he had far more experience than one could’ve imagined. When he said he wasn’t holding back anymore, he didn’t mean it in the sense that he was going to kill them. If that was the goal, then he could’ve just overwhelmed Shen Yiren with eight tentacles and killed her instantly.
“You think you’re just going to be able to keep your distance, kid?!” Bai Ju ignored Shen Yiren to single out Yi Ya, which didn’t make sense when he no longer had a reason to avoid fighting them both at the same time.
Yi Ya, once again, retreated away from Bai Ju’s attack without telegraphing, but he wasn’t able to create as much distance as prior.
Shen Yiren discerned that, given Bai Ju’s power and weapon, he could still hurt his opponent with dozens of metres between them. If Yi Ya went any further, with Bai Ju at the centre, Yi Ya would’ve had to travel a hundred metres to reach Shen Yiren. Accordingly, he’d have to be twice as fast as Bai Ju if he were to assist her. They couldn’t just join up because neither of them could predict what sort of assault they’d be subjected to once they were close to Bai Ju. Fighting a Divine Realm adept required careful deliberation each step to avoid the predicament they were in.
Yi Ya propelled himself towards Shen Yiren. Alas, without Bai Ju even having to lift a finger, his blue eight tentacles intercepted Yi Ya. Yi Ya managed to slip past the first three, but the fourth and fifth trapped him. Bai Ju subsequently had the remaining tentacles attack Yi Ya, too.
Bai Ju got the inspiration to name his Enlightenment “Celestial Spider’s Eight Bandits” from a big hot shot. No matter how skilled and crafty you were, there was no way you’d be able to take on eight Bai Ju’s simultaneously. Despite how impressive it was, he was still unable to subdue Yi Ya.
Had Bai Ju not recognising Yi Ya’s techniques, he would’ve had to assume Yi Ya had ten legs.
The man who trained Yi Ya at the frigid northern border once said, “There is no such thing as an enemy that can be predicted and no enemy who never changes. Remember that.” Even though he was only told that once, Yi Ya never dared to forget it because the consequence was far worse than mere death. His thousands of brothers buried beneath the frozen earth was a reminder. Yi Ya never wasted time, including when it came to training. The “No Constant State” discipline was a symbol of it. Its essence was to change as one’s opponent changed. As a defensive method, people who mastered it were virtually untouchable.
Yi Ya didn’t lie when he said he didn’t learn any new skill. It wasn’t that he wasn’t capable of learning a new one; he simply saw it as a waste of time. He created “No Constant State” in his younger years, but he never had the opportunity to use it.
Although Bai Ju could see exploitable flaws in Yi Ya’s techniques, it was impossible to spot any openings while attacking because that’d the same as finding his own openings. In terms of technique alone, Yi Ya had outclassed Bai Ju.
This kid’s style is going to make him the next Wang Muren.𝐛𝗲𝐝𝐧𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝗼𝐫𝗴
Upon feeling a sting on his cheek, Bai Ju was forced to summon over two tentacles to defend him from Shen Yiren’s sword attack that he couldn’t determine the target of. Yi Ya immediately jumped on the brief lull in pace, back tucking out of the tentacles’ range.
These two runts are so annoying! Why can’t you just quiet?! I’d spank the both of you if it weren’t for Master!
“Being ferocious is one thing, but you lack brute strength.”
Bai Ju finally used his whip, summoning a tornado more dangerous than the eight tentacles.
They call me “Disaster” in the Western Regions because I’m considered one of the four worst natural disasters. If I let you kids still wet behind the ears stop me, I’ll never live down the shame! I’m laying you both out!