The pupil ability, originally belonging to Zhu Qingfeng, had not only expanded its range but also strengthened considerably under the infusion of the masked man's powerful inner energy.
More importantly, the more powerful the caster, the better they could resist the negative effects of the pupil technique.
For instance, the masked man would only experience a less than twenty percent reduction in strength, which was within his acceptable limits.
With green light surging like a tide, fallen leaves swirled around, and grass swayed like waves. The masked man seemed to already envision Ren Yuanhao collapsing on the ground, unable to recover like a turtle on its back.
But as he was momentarily distracted, he felt a sudden heaviness, as if struck by an air cannon, sending him plummeting headfirst into the ground like a missile!
This abrupt change sent a jolt of terror through him.
The previous Ren Yuanhao had already struck him as peculiar, and now being hit by an even stranger technique, he understood that this must be the boy's ability!
The masked man used several more 'Shadow Steps' during his descent to escape the crushing weight.
"Two little ones, hurry and run, as far as you can."
Ren Yuanhao stood with his saber planted, streaks of thick blood oozing from his temples, making him appear even more uncanny.
"Thank you, big brother."
The two youngsters helped each other and left.
"To think an ability user would care about the lives of such ants. Truly disappointing."
Although the masked man's abilities had been reduced by twenty percent, seeing that the opponent also seemed to have suffered a backlash after using that strange ability, his heart calmed considerably.
"Ability user? Hmph, that's merely a failed product of God. What's there to be proud of?"
Ren Yuanhao wiped the blood from the corner of his eye, his mouth stretching into an exaggerated grin. The colder his sneer, the more chilling it felt to others!
"You're completely different from before. Could your ability be that dual personality that has reached the A-rank threshold?"
The masked man had heard of ability classifications. Abilities included manipulating natural forces, pupil techniques, elements, summoning, psychic powers, and so on. Among these, natural forces and elements were ranked at the highest S-class. To this day, the masked man had never heard of, nor witnessed, such abilities.
However, the ability his opponent had just used, resembling an 'air cannon,' made him faintly feel it was entering the realm of S-class. In the Middle Ages, elements were categorized into five: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether. Correspondingly, they were Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Aether!
Plato believed the world was composed of these fundamental five elements, and within abilities, those that mastered these basic five elements were classified as S-class.
The masked man believed that what his opponent had just used was the pinnacle ability of the five great elements, existing in gaseous form – the Air element!
This not only represented S-class, the ultimate supreme ability, but also endless slaughter!
With this ability, and his current power, he wouldn't have to fear even the esteemed head of the Dongfang family, who was rarely seen and highly arrogant, let alone a mere sect leader of the Chi Xiao Sect.
At this thought, the masked man's body trembled uncontrollably. His heart filled with an immense longing for this pinnacle ability. Desire surged like the tides at night, engulfing everything!
"Seeing you like this, you seem quite interested in that ability just now? However, I'm very sorry to tell you, this isn't the S-class elemental ability you think it is, but rather—"
Ren Yuanhao's eyes flashed. The masked man reacted swiftly, instantly disappearing into the desolate moonlight.
"What impressive displacement and acceleration abilities. They are quite suited for an assassin, or perhaps a coward. But don't you think it's a bit presumptuous to show off such child's play in front of me?"
Ren Yuanhao sneered and tossed his saber into the air. It stirred up a gust of wind that spiraled upwards, striking the hidden masked man with unerring accuracy. The masked man naturally couldn't understand how this fellow could pinpoint his location so precisely, and could only return with an equally fierce and overbearing slash of his saber.
However, at that very instant, the masked man felt a blockage in his chest, as if two invisible walls of qi were pressing in on him from front and back. In his utter shock, he instinctively tried to escape the technique with 'Shadow Step.' But it was then that Ren Yuanhao let out an incredibly chilling laugh.
"Your Shadow Step ability was originally an excellent assassination skill. But precisely because you are a cultivator and rely too heavily on the 'qi' within your body, every time you move, you habitually stand from a cultivator's perspective, drawing upon the qi in your dantian to increase your movement speed. As a result, not only is the characteristic of Shadow Step not fully utilized, but it also allows me to clearly see your movement trajectory. And now, your qi tells me you are about to move to the location of those two little brats. Hmph, if you have the guts, try moving there?"
Ren Yuanhao suddenly released the ability he had imposed on the masked man and stood there, motionless, coldly watching the masked man whose movements had been exposed.
The masked man descended with Shadow Step, saber in hand, abandoning his pursuit. His face displayed a complex mix of excitement, tension, desire, and fear, but unfortunately, these expressions were hidden beneath his mask, unseen by Ren Yuanhao.
"You are indeed strong, worthy of being my opponent. But the stronger you are, the more excited I become, because it means the unparalleled satisfaction I will gain after killing you. Isn't that what life is all about?"
Ren Yuanhao snorted, "Unfortunately, you will remain a coward who dares not show your true face until the day you die."
"Say whatever you want. However, it's not yet decided who lives and who dies. Do you really think I have no confidence in defeating you?"
"Words are useless. Draw your sword. What's the point of having so many abilities? In the end, won't we still decide the victor with blades?"
The masked man had not expected to fight this man to such an extent, nor had he expected him to hide so many secrets.
However, compared to him, such an opponent still lacked depth. After all, the resources of the entire sect were almost exclusively open to him; he was a being second only to the Sect Master. If his master, the Sect Master, was the only man in the entire sect to successfully achieve Foundation Establishment in such a weak spiritual energy environment, then he would now be the second!
A person's cultivation path begins with body tempering. A strong physique allows one to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, which is called qi cultivation. After reaching a certain level of qi cultivation, a golden lotus can form in the dantian. This golden lotus contains the five qi, corresponding to the five elements, determined by one's cultivation path and physique. Within the five elements, there are thousands of variations, and mastering them to the extreme can lead to achievements, which is called Foundation Establishment.
The path to Foundation Establishment is extremely difficult to advance on in this world where spiritual energy has almost dissipated. The past saying of 'Foundation Establishment in broad daylight' has become a fantasy.