IRONWILL 2
638 Words
Mo-hi’s foundational Qi roared to life. The blue barrier shimmered above him like a protective dome, steadily absorbing the crushing spiritual pressure and converting it into pure fuel. Strength flooded his battered body. The pain in his cracked bones dulled to a throbbing ache. He wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.
*IRONWILL: FIRST STAGE, SUCTION!*
His body began to absorb the spiritual pressure bit by bit. His meridians widened as the rich energy flowed through them, pushing into his muscle fibers, bloodstream, bones, and brain, strengthening every part of him.
*SECOND STAGE: FORCEFUL SEALING.*
Sweat drenched his robe as blood continued to slip from his lips. The energy was forced downward into his lower abdomen, striking his dantian like a powerful punch.
The pressure transformed into misty energy that compressed massively inside his dantian, like chilled coke reacting with Mentos. The buildup was incredibly fast.
Mo-hi grunted, clenching his jaw tightly.
*I have to hold on for a minute,* he thought. His hands trembled as his body continued absorbing the spiritual pressure.
*THIRD STAGE: ICE AND LIQUID.*
The energy exploded outward like a shockwave, forcing the nearby disciples—who had been watching from the temple in shock and confusion—crashing to the ground.
Yang smiled, the violent energy playfully whipping his hair and robe.
The immense pressure slowly froze within his dantian, while his body kept absorbing more spiritual force. His bones, brain, meridians, and bloodstream continued to improve.
After hours of condensing, the energy in his dantian completely froze solid.
Mo-hi powered up even further. His foundational Qi surged higher than before.
Inside, the shattered ice slowly began to melt. After one hour, the frozen energy had completely turned into liquid form.
*FOURTH STAGE: CONDENSE AND HARDEN.*
He suddenly coughed out a mouthful of blood. His eyes widened as red marks cracked across his skin.
*I don’t think I can complete this stage.* Tears ran from his eyes.
---
Sometime, 50 years ago…
“Remember, Mo-hi,” the Grand Elder said as he and young Mo-hi sat across a field of green grass in the mountains.
“Before using the family’s passed-down technique, one must have a large enough energy supply. Without it, the result is death. And you have a low supply of energy."
“I understand, Grandpa.” Mo-hi smiled, showing all his teeth.
“Good.” The Elder nodded. “Now, if you can win me in this next game, I promise to teach you the Ironwill’s third stage.” The elder smirked, gesturing to his perfectly arranged chessboard.
Little Mo-hi stared deeply into his grandpa’s eyes, his small face etched with annoyance.
“You always win this game, Grandpa!” He stood up. The cool breeze rustled his red-brown robe. “This is cheating! I’m going to tell Grandma!”
The Grand Elder’s face suddenly twisted in fear. He quickly grabbed Mo-hi’s right hand.
“No, no! Don’t do that, my dear. I will teach you, I promise—no need to inform Grandma.” Sweat rolled down the Grand Elder’s chin and dripped onto the earth as his heartbeat quickened.
Excited, Mo-hi leaped into the air. “Yaaaaa! Thank you, Grandpa!” He wrapped his arms tightly around his grandfather’s neck.
“That’s my boy.” The Grand Elder chuckled softly.
---
Present day.
*Sorry, Grandpa. I failed once again to listen to your instructions,* Mo-hi thought.
His eyes darkened as his vitality burned out rapidly. The red marks were already spreading across his entire body.
*Fuuuuuuu!*
The air suddenly grew cold as a streak of golden light shot through the sky and crashed into Mo-hi’s body.
*So this is the drawback of using Ironwill,* Yang thought, his right hand stretched forward. Golden Qi poured into Mo-hi. *Better not die on me, you bastard.*
- Writer
