Yin Xiu's arm slightly trembled as he finished another downward stab before stopping in exhaustion. As he exited his state of focused practice he warily observed his surroundings. Night had fallen not long ago, and the only illumination he had left was the flickering starlight, and the dim light of a crescent moon. The amount that reached the ground was even less satisfactory. Not noticing anything amiss, Yin Xiu slowly retreated back towards the mountain.
Observing every detail closely as he journeyed back, with frayed nerves. Every rustle of leaves left him on edge, subconsciously expecting to be mauled by Hu Meng in the next second. As he approached closer to his destination, his wariness slightly decreased. His nerves weren't as tense and even his grip on the needle wasn't as forceful as before, but before he could relax completely he noticed a slight movement to his left. In a panic he tried to turn around to face his foe, but found himself once again sprawled out on the ground.
"Young one, don't fully relax until you are definitely safe." Hu Meng said in a pretentious voice before grinning down at the dejected Yin Xiu.
"I was one edge all day today." Yin Xiu sighed dejectedly "It was honestly more exhausting trying to stay observant against you than it was to stab so many times."
"I know it's really exhausting now, but this will be immensely beneficial for your future Yin Xiu. Both of us should know the value of surprise attacks, as that will be our main fighting style. As they say, no one knows a thief better than another thief." Hu Meng said wisely.
Yin Xiu nodded in agreement "I know, I'm just tired. By the way Hu Meng what did you do with that elk carcass from earlier?"
The tiger was slightly confused but answered "I'm keeping the antlers because they and the plants that grow on them have some medicinal purposes, but I discarded the rest into the forest. What do you need it for?"
"If I want to truly improve my proficiency, I feel like I need a flesh and blood target to truly master the best ways to actually use it against an enemy. Stabbing the empty air can only take me so far." Yin Xiu expressed his thoughts.
Hu Meng nodded thoughtfully "That makes sense... how about this, I'll catch you two training dummies to practice with first. After you've destroyed those, you're on your own for a bit. You'll have to hunt for your next target yourself which I think will also be beneficial to your understanding of weapons. Actually killing something with it will improve your proficiency drastically. Besides, you can use the opportunity to find some more poison for your bone refinement." Hu Meng quickly perfected the plan.
"Great point! If I can advance once more before we attack the stone-armed apes, my self protection ability will be much higher. I was considering this earlier, but I wasn't sure how much time to set aside to search for more materials. This way I can do two things at once." Yin Xiu agreed enthusiastically.
Yin Xiu said goodbye to Hu Meng before deciding to sleep for the first time in a while. At the foot of the mountain he collected a large pile of leaves, and used it as a makeshift bed. It wasn't exactly the most comfortable but to Yin Xiu it was heavenly. He stared blankly at the night sky through the trees in a daze. 'Sometimes I can't believe how much has changed in such a short time.' The memories of the past month quickly flashing through his weary mind as he drifted into slumber.
As, the sun rose higher in the east, the birds in the forest of the four season stirred to life, welcoming the new day with melodious songs. Yin Xiu's closed eyes trembled slightly as he felt the change in the surroundings. Slowly he opened his eyes to find a gaping maw closing on his head. In panic, his hand punched forward as quickly as possible, only to meet air as a grinning Hu Meng observed Yin Xiu's comical appearance.
"I think the new look with the leaves all over your hair is a nice touch." Hu Meng casually joked.
Yin Xiu still overcoming the shock of such a wake-up call glared at Hu Meng for a second, before starting to clean himself up. After calming down, Yin Xiu felt refreshed and more clear headed after his rest. 'The lack of sleep was more detrimental than I expected.' he mused before looking at the black tiger who was still smiling slyly a few meters away.
"Hu Meng, let's get started with our routine for today." he smiled benevolently, 'When I'm stronger than him I'll pay him back double.' he resolved inwardly.
"Alright, I'll go hunting for your new training dummies now... or will I?" Hu Meng laughed as he disappeared in to the shadows nearby. Yin Xiu's smile turned stiff while once again heightening his senses to the extreme, cautiously making his way back to the clearing.
After checking around the clearing tensely for a few minutes Yin Xiu started his training for the day. 'Alright, I'll try utilizing my enhanced flexibility and see how to catch my opponents off guard. I'll practice my basics when I have a target.' Yin Xiu made a quick schedule in his mind.
The lusterless black needle once again appearing in his hand. 'My wrist is much more mobile than a normal cultivator so we can start from that aspect.' Acting on his idea he made a downward stab when just before it reached his imagined enemy his wrist rotated in a bizarre manner, imagining that his needle pierced the hand of the assailant's weapon holding arm. 'Just trying to bypass the opponent's weapon isn't very useful if I stand still. So, in actual practice I need to dodge simultaneously, or I'm just going to get hit with no defense.' He once again made the same stabbing movement except this time just as he changed the direction of the stab he simultaneously sidestepped.
Yin Xiu nodded internally as he determined the feasibility of the motion. "The force I'll be able to apply to the attack will definitely be reduced significantly as I'll lose the momentum of the stab itself, but the main goal of this move is just to introduce poison into the bloodstream ideally... If I had another needle that I could use in my left hand as well, my combat ability would definitely increase a lot." he mumbled to himself. "That's another thing to put on the agenda for later."
He practiced that motion repetitively for a few hours, randomly changing the direction of the sidestep and the stab. 'If I always do the same thing it'll become predictable, and I'll end up dead.' After feeling comfortable with that, he decided to make another attempt at making a more complex attack method, this time focusing on his elbow. He first swung the needle from above as if aiming for the face of his opponent before rotating his elbow one hundred and eighty degrees downward. Changing the target of the attack directly to the chest. After testing his ability to perform the movements both in the natural direction, and the opposite way of the elbows usual range of motion.
'Going the opposite way is a little unnatural... I don't think I'll be able to fully develop using my stabs that way before my arms are fully refined. It's placing too much stress on my bones... the normal direction is fine, and the increased maneuverability that my body refinement allows me to change the direction extremely quickly.' Just as Yin Xiu finished the thought, a tingle rose up his spine, as he subconsciously tried to dodge away. Unfortunately, he once again found himself face down in the dirt.
"You actually almost reacted this time!" Hu Meng exclaimed in surprise. Yin Xiu got back to his feet shakily before smiling back ruefully "I'm not sure why, but I felt a tingling sensation right before you attacked."
"It looks like I've been not taking this game of ours seriously enough. I actually leaked a bit of my aura it seems." Hu Meng muttered with self reproach. "Don't worry Yin Xiu I'll be completely serious from now on!" Hu Meng assured with a sense of mission practically radiating off of him.
Yin Xiu smile shook slightly before slowly stabilizing. "I appreciate it a lot Hu Meng." Quickly trying to ignore the ominous feeling in his heart Yin Xiu asked "How did your hunt go?"
Hu Meng replied "I got an unranked frost-coat weasel, and a rank one ox beast of some sort that smells delicious." Hu Meng's saliva dripped in anticipation "I'll save a bit of the meat off of the ox, so you have something to stab, but I've gotta eat the rest. It's been a long time since I've tried a new delicacy. As for the weasel you can just use it as you see fit." Hu Meng then quickly pulled out the two beast corpses from the shadows.
The weasel was almost a meter long with pale blue fur, and lingering cold air surrounding its body. The unknown ox beast was massive, as it was at least twice the size of Hu Meng. It had a deep brown coat with horns that glowed like polished crystal while its body exuded a sturdy aura. It was covered with claw marks, showing its resilience under the onslaught of Hu Meng.
Yin Xiu observed it appraisingly before picking up the weasel and hanging it on a nearby limb. While Hu Meng happily began feasting on the side. Yin Xiu focused intensely on the body of the weasel. Once he determined the location he wanted to attack he moved, the air hissing as the needle was thrust forward. Yin Xiu felt the initial resistance before it was plunged directly into the weasels chest with a crunch. Yin Xiu reviewed the sensation for a moment before doing it once more in a slightly different section of the weasels chest cavity.
As Yin Xiu continued testing various motions he mentally mapped the amount of force needed to achieve the effect he was looking for. Seeking weaknesses with every stab. Accumulating experience to make the correct choice when it truly mattered.