Over the next few days, Baki spent all his time and energy mastering Xiaoli.
Learning a new technique and creating one were very different. After days of adjusting, practicing, and readjusting, he had finally completed Xiaoli.
Xiaoli was a unique skill that required both Technique and Endurance mastery. Endurance mastery was needed to absorb the blow, and Technique mastery was needed to guide it back.
Now that he'd completed it, he just had to test it.
Ever since he'd joined Hayan Taekwondo Dojang, not a single session had been held. Literally no one visited the dojo.
So the dojo had become Baki's personal training ground.
In an open area, Baki stood in a fighting stance with no opponent before him. But Baki didn't need one.
Shadow boxing is a combat training exercise where you punch and move as if fighting an invisible opponent to practice technique, footwork, and combinations.
But for Baki, shadow boxing meant something different. When he shadow boxed, he didn't fight against an invisible opponent—his opponents manifested before him. Though he didn't know how it was possible, Baki could do it. If he had to guess, he would attribute this ability to his Demonic Brain.
What an irony! Because of this Demon Brain, all the tragedy in his life had occurred, but it had also been one of the abilities he'd relied on most.
After a long while, today Baki was finally going to shadow box. His opponent this time would be someone with the strongest striking force he'd ever encountered: Dragon of the Heavens, Long Tianho. In terms of physical power, Baki hadn't met anyone who could surpass Long Tianho.
As Baki concentrated, a vague silhouette slowly appeared before him.
The outline solidified. Seven feet two inches of pure muscle. Long Tianho.
The shadow moved first. A massive fist shot forward.
Baki's body went completely limp. His shoulders dropped. His knees bent slightly. Every muscle relaxed.
The fist connected with his chest.
The impact was real. Baki felt the weight of it crush into his ribs. Pain exploded through his torso. He stumbled back three steps, gasping.
His chest throbbed.
"Damn," Baki muttered, rubbing the spot. "Forgot how hard he hits."
The shadow Tianho didn't wait. It stepped forward and threw a left hook.
Baki forced himself to relax again. But this time, he activated Defensive Xiaoli properly. His body became completely weightless. The punch slammed into his side.
The force absorbed into him—then immediately dispersed downward into the ground beneath his feet.
The floor cracked slightly.
Baki felt nothing. No pain. No impact.
"There it is."
The shadow pulled back and launched a straight right at Baki's face. Baki didn't dodge. The fist crashed into his guard.
Again, his body absorbed the tremendous force. He released it instantly into the ground. Small fractures spread across the wooden floor.
Zero damage taken.
"Good."
The shadow Tianho stepped in with a powerful uppercut aimed at Baki's chin. This time, Baki didn't release the force into the ground.
Instead, he absorbed it and immediately threw a counter punch at the exact same moment.
Offensive Xiaoli.
His right fist exploded forward, releasing all the absorbed impact directly into the shadow's chest.
The sound was like thunder.
The shadow Tianho flew back like a broken kite from a punch that seemingly packed no power at all.
Baki grinned. "That's the difference."
The shadow recovered and charged with a wild haymaker. The punch came at Baki's head like a wrecking ball.
Baki went completely limp. The fist smashed into his temple.
He absorbed the force—released it downward. The ground beneath him cracked deeper. His head didn't even move.
Defensive Xiaoli.
Before the shadow could pull back, Baki absorbed another incoming jab to his ribs. But this time, he didn't release it into the ground.
He pivoted and drove a left hook straight into the shadow's liver.
Offensive Xiaoli.
The absorbed force detonated on contact.
The shadow buckled and slid back.
Baki stepped back, breathing hard. His body was sore, but not from damage—from the strain of constantly tensing and then loosening his muscles.
The floor around him was covered in cracks.
"Defensive Xiaoli disperses the impact. Offensive Xiaoli weaponizes it."
The shadow Tianho stood back up and launched another assault. A right straight. A left hook. A knee strike.
Baki absorbed the straight—released it into the ground.
He absorbed the hook—countered instantly with an elbow strike, releasing the force into the shadow's jaw.
He absorbed the knee—dispersed it downward, cracking the floor again.
Each decision had to be made in a split second. Defend or counter. If he took too long contemplating, the force would affect his body like a normal punch. So he had to make decisions in a fraction of a second every time.
The shadow came at him with a final devastating attack. Both fists pulled back, then launched forward together in a double hammer strike.
Baki absorbed both impacts. The force was massive. His entire body felt compressed for a moment.
Then he released it all in one explosive counter.
His fist drove straight into the shadow's solar plexus.
The shockwave blasted through the dojo. The shadow Tianho flew backward and slammed into the wall before dissolving into nothing.
Baki stood alone, chest heaving.
But he was smiling.
"Xiaoli. Complete."
His smile vanished as he looked down at the cracked floor beneath him. "W-Well... The old man won't be too angry, right? After all, the dojo is always empty... Let's leave for today. (─.─||）"