PERILOUS LANDS, ANTHONY

"The second one is a movement technique. It's called the ghost steps technique. Don't look down on movement techniques. Most times, speed and precision is everything in a tough battle, especially for masters below the god realm. Assassinations requires stealth, speed, precision, intelligence and being observant of what's happening around you. Ever heard of counter ambush and counter stalking? It's a skill most devilish assassins have. They can tell when someone is following them, make that person disoriented and confused. Then, the person would inadvertently reveal their location and end up being the one captured by them. However, counter stalking isn't a skill you can learn right now. You can only develop it through real life experience. All this theoretical knowledge doesn't matter much. When you will know the true extent of your cultivation and skill is in a life and death battle, competing with other people, surviving assassination attack, out smarting ferocious beasts, skillfully navigating through dangerous situations and coming back unscathed. That's the mark of true skill. And don't say you don't have an enemy that would want to assassinate you. No, it doesn't work that way. The cultivation world is cut throat. As long as you are talented, all eyes will be on you, which will increase your chances of having a quarrel with other cultivators, either because you struggle for the same resources, in a competition, or an issue of honor. Battles cannot be avoided. And to survive, you need a great movement technique that can give you an edge over your opponent."

Anthony nodded, carefully digesting the old man's words.

"In a battle if you can trick your enemy by changing positions without warning, avoiding their attacks while unleashing yours at unexpected times and positions, you will have a higher chance of emerging victorious. Unless, of course, you meet someone that's way more powerful and experienced than you are. Then, the tricks would be useless. However, it's still important to learn it. It will always come in handy and increase your chances of victory. Even if you can't emerge victorious, you can at least escape fast. When you're being pursued, with a nice movement technique, you can avoid them and even hide right beside them, because they won't be able to hear the sound of your footsteps."

"Alright, teach me already." Anthony said impatiently, not really seeing the need for all the long lectures.

"You little brat. Is that the attitude you should have towards your teacher?" The old man asked, exasperated. If not because he quite liked Anthony, he would have disappeared a long time ago and leave him to learn the hard way.

He sighed helplessly and looked at him.

"Watch me carefully and repeat. The ghost steps have three levels. The first one is soundless steps. You can run without making the slightest sounds, very good for outrunning pursuers. The second is phantom steps. This is the one that is useful in battles. It allows you to move at the speed of light, change directions, twist your body into any shape and move with speed that defies the norms. With this, one can avoid attacks at any angle, zap past an opponent, and even appear behind them. When trained to perfection, one can teleport with it as long as it's still within the same approximate space. The final one is the qingong steps that defy gravity. It lets you rise mid air, hover mid air, float to the top of a tree or a building, as the case may be, and travel through the air."

"Mmm? The phantom and qingong steps look like what Kaiser used. It means that he already practiced ghost steps. Or are there different variations?" Anthony muttered.

"Ghost steps is not the only movement technique in the world, nor is it the best. However, for someone at your level it's very appropriate. As you go higher in your cultivation, you will develop it more, till you get the version that suits you best. Or you can develop your own movement technique with the knowledge you got from this. You can also find a higher one in the future. But this is the one that suits your current self. However, learning ghost steps is not as easy as the fist technique. It takes most people two months to learn it. For the ones that are talented, it takes two weeks to learn the basics and start improving or using it."

"Two weeks? I don't have that much time. I must learn everything today." Anthony said nonchalantly, making the old man's manifestation angry.

"Being confident is good. But over confidence, arrogance and impatience can only lead one to doom, genius or not."

"That others waste so much time to understand and use a technique doesn't mean that it would be the same with me." Anthony immediately argued.

The old man nodded and huffed out in anger.

"Fine. If you can learn it within two days, I will add a bonus technique to you. I will show you the aura masking or camouflage technique that allows you to blend in with the environment. You will choose any of them you prefer."

"What if I do it within a day?" Anthony asked with a smirk.

"Dream on!" The old man shouted, his beard shaking with the force of his anger, despite being a mere apparition.

"I'm beginning to think that offering you a brief mentorship was a mistake. You're indeed a genius, but if you're arrogant and impatient, you won't go far in life. You will end up crushed by people more powerful than you because of your bad attitude of overestimating your own capabilities."

"That others can't do it doesn't mean I can't." Anthony said in a low voice, seeing that the old man was truly angry.

"Fine. If you learn all three of the steps within a day, I will personally teach you two more techniques. I will list, you choose when the time comes. That's if you can manage to do it." The old man said through gritted teeth.

'Hmph! This young boy is pretty arrogant and doesn't know the immensity of the world. That's to be expected, most youths are hot blooded. Only a few failures would make them humble and straighten out their temperaments. Let me see your face after you fail.'

****

After ten hours, it was the man's turn to be shocked. Not only did Anthony learn it in less than half the time, he even added a slight modification to the Phantom step, adding another move to it. Although his skill was not at the highest level yet, he agreed it was already pretty good enough. And the only way Anthony could perfect it was to use it in a real life battle.

"Old man, how is it?" Anthony asked with a smile as he floated to the floor with sweat dripping down his body.

"Good, not bad at all."

"How about the two techniques you promised?" Anthony asked with a smile that reminded the old man of a greedy spiritual lion he once met.

"Hmph! This old man is not the type to go back on his promises. Speak, what do you want?"

"Weren't you supposed to list them out before I choose? Just call out those that are not among the ones I took from the shelf." Anthony quickly answered.

The old man gave him a side eye and faced the ceiling.

"I will list three out for you, you choose two. The first is the aura concealment technique to hide your spiritual energy level and cultivation, the second is camouflage technique that can help you blend in with the environment, as long as you're close to something with the same color of cloth as you're wearing. It could be useful for avoiding stubborn and powerful pursuers. The third is a shuriken assassination technique. There's a box containing shurikens / killer discs among the weapons on the table. You can actually learn it. It's good for medium distance attacks."

"I choose the shuriken assassination technique and the aura concealment technique." Anthony quickly replied without hesitation, excitement boiling through his veins.

The old man's apparition pointed to the table and a huge wooden box flew towards Anthony.

"Open it and take two shurikens. The aura concealment must be done individually, you need to personally find your own variation. However, I will teach you the basics so that you can practice and learn it on your own. The shuriken needs more hands-on guidance. This apparition has expended too much energy showing you all those techniques. I'm afraid I won't hold on for much longer. Let me teach you the shuriken technique first. Hold one shuriken in either hand and assume this stance."

Anthony obeyed, following the man's actions and quickly replicating it.

*****

After two more hours, Anthony had learnt both techniques, but the old man's apparition was flickering like a candle in the wind. As if it would go out at any moment.

"Old man, are you alright?" Anthony asked, taking a few steps towards the platform.

"I'm alright. It's just that I have expended too much energy. This door leads to an elixir pool. Cultivate in there, it will help your cultivation improve a lot." The old man said, pointing to the small wooden door between the now destroyed book shelf and the northern wall.

"You're talented and destined for great things, do not let pride and hot headedness of youth cut your journey short. Be wise in all you do, be careful and don't trust people easily. It's also important to make good friends on your journey. A strong team made up of powerful and trust worthy members is an unshakable tower of support. Do not act rashly or be quick to create trouble, and do not intentionally stir up trouble. Don't let yourself be bullied either. If one person successfully bullies you, more will come to try their luck. In all you do, tread carefully, be decisive and discerning. I hope you make it to the top and be a name that would echo through the nine heavens." The old man said, before the apparition finally disappeared.

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