As he activated [Tempest Steps], his body becoming a blur of motion as he launched himself toward Master Lorcan with a burst of speed.
Lightning crackled around him as he closed the distance in an instant, his halberd raised high for a devastating strike.
The crowd held their breath as Lassim struck, the air hissing with the force of his swing.
But Lorcan was ready.
He showed his battle intuition as he twisted his body, sidestepping Lassim’s strike with effortless grace.
The halberd sliced through empty air as he performed a [Slam], the force of the swing sending a bolt of lightning mana surging into the ground with the weight of water behind the halberd creating a crater where it struck.
Before Lassim could recover, Lorcan’s hand snapped up, and a ring of lightning shot out from his fingertips, spinning through the air with terrifying speed.
Lassim barely had time to react.
He swung his halberd up to block the ring, the blade sparking as the lightning connected, but the force of the impact sent a jolt of electricity through his arms, causing his muscles to tense involuntarily despite his natural lightning resistance as a lightning cultivator.
He staggered back, his feet skidding against the stone floor of the training ground.
"Fast," Lorcan remarked, his voice steady as he launched another ring, this time from a quick kick where his foot did a small swirl motion that sent the lightning spinning toward Lassim’s legs.
Lassim leaped back, narrowly avoiding the ring, but as he landed, Lorcan was already on him.
The older cultivator moved with precision, his hands and feet launching a flurry of lightning rings that spun through the air.
Lassim gritted his teeth and swung his halberd in a wide arc, releasing a wave of lightning-infused water with a follow up [Hydroburst] aimed directly at Lorcan’s midsection.
Lassim controlled the blast to trigger early, causing the surge of plasmafied water to explode, sending a blast of superheated water and crackling electricity hurtling toward his opponent.
Lorcan’s eyes narrowed, and with a small, yet swift twist of his foot, he left a glowing ring of lightning on the ground.
As the [Hydroburst] crashed toward him he stepped backwards and the ring shot up and intercepted the attack, absorbing much of the energy before dissipating in a crackle of sparks.
"You’ll have to do better than that," Lorcan said, his tone calm as he launched another ring from his hand, this time aiming for Lassim’s right arm.
Lassim swung his halberd up to block the attack, but Lorcan was already in motion again, sending two more rings—one from a spinning kick that came dangerously close to Lassim’s torso, and another from a quick open clawed jab with his left hand.
Lassim dodged to the side, but the second ring caught him, latching onto his wrist with a sizzle of electricity.
The lightning ring clamped down with an unyielding grip, its energy buzzing against Lassim’s skin.
He winced as the current coursed through his body, but he didn’t have time to dwell on the discomfort.
He swung his halberd again, this time aiming to knock Lorcan off balance to gain some breathing room.
But Lorcan was like a ghost, his movements too fluid, too practiced as his battle instincts were on another level compared to Lassim.
He dodged the strike with ease and retaliated with another ring that shot from his left foot, wrapping around Lassim’s ankle.
The binding seemed to pull at Lassim’s leg, making it harder to move.
"You’ve got the power," Lorcan commented as he circled Lassim, his eyes never leaving the younger cultivator. "I’m definitely surprised with how strong you are. I’d say you probably match Spirit Transcendence level 4 or 5 cultivators."
"But your technique is severely lacking. I see why he sent you out to see others’ techniques now. You’re still relying on brute strength much and every movement of yours is so easy to predict. That won’t work against someone like me that can read your movements like an open book."
Lassim grunted in frustration, trying to shake off the rings that now bound his wrist and ankle. He could feel the lightning constricting him, making it harder to move and starting to cut off the blood circulation to his extremities. But he wasn’t about to give up.
Focusing his energy, Lassim activated [Tempest Steps] once more, using the burst of speed to break free from the ring on his ankle somehow.
He twisted his body, swinging his halberd in a wide arc [Slash] that crackled with a combination of lightning and water. The blade whistled through the air as he aimed for Lorcan’s chest.
This time, Lorcan didn’t dodge.
Instead, he raised his hand and summoned a triple stacked ring of lightning that expanded outward, forming a barrier in front of him. Lassim’s halberd struck the barrier with a sharp crack, sending sparks flying, but the ring held firm, absorbing the impact.
Before Lassim could react, Lorcan twisted his wrist, and the barrier rings shot toward him, latching onto his torso like a constrictor. The energy wrapped around him tightly, binding his arms to his sides and forcing him to stumble backward.
"Too slow and simple," Lorcan said calmly as he advanced on Lassim, his movements smooth and controlled.
Lassim growled in frustration, his muscles straining against the binding as he tried to move his arms.
He channeled more lightning into his body, trying to break free, but the rings were too strong. They didn’t just try to shock him—they restricted his movements, making it harder to move and breathe.
He probably could’ve exposed his space element, but he felt the need to see the fight through without the boost from it. He was here to learn from the spar and using it would’ve felt a bit like cheating, so he ignored the temptation.
Thinking quickly and trying to use his limited creative brainpower, Lassim gave a somewhat reckless charge to try and headbutt his opponent as he summoned his [Aegis] barrier of ice into a sharp pointed dome with the spikes facing outward.
The older cultivator then twisted his foot, leaving another lightning ring trap on the ground as he stepped back.
As Lassim rushed forward, hoping to capitalize on the momentary distraction, the ring snapped up and latched onto his other leg, pulling him to the ground with a sharp tug.
Lassim hit the ground hard, the wind knocked out of him as he struggled to regain his footing. But Lorcan wasn’t finished yet.
With a quick series of movements, Lorcan unleashed a barrage of lightning rings, each one aimed with precision at Lassim’s limbs and connecting them into a series of links with the ones on his torso. The rings latched onto his wrists, ankles, and chest, locking him in place with an unbreakable grip.
Lassim tried to resist, but the more he struggled, the tighter the rings became.
His body was now covered in the glowing bindings, each one pulsing with energy as they tightened around him. He could feel the continued sensation of the rings pulling him down, restricting his movements, making it harder to breathe.
"Whelp, Lassim," Lorcan said, his voice calm but firm as he approached the bound cultivator. "I’m a tad confused with how simple your techniques are to be frank with you. How did you even reach your current cultivation without developing even a simple series of techniques in the last thousand years? What have you been doing all this time?"
Lassim panted heavily, his chest rising and falling as he struggled to catch his breath. His entire body was bound by the lightning rings, the bindings tightening with every second.
He gritted his teeth in frustration, trying to summon more power, but the rings sapped his strength, making it impossible to break free.
Lorcan stood over him, his expression calm but stern. "Alright, time to get up." With a snap of his fingers the lightning rings dispersed into the air and freed Lassim from their bindings.
Lassim coughed a few times as he took deep breaths, still catching his breath as he accepted Lorcan’s hand and stood up.
"Thank you, Master Lorcan," Lassim said, his voice filled with gratitude. "I’m actually still just 15 right now, but I’ve learned a lot from this spar."
Lorcan’s smile froze as he clapped him on the shoulder. "You’re wel—WHAT?! 15? Oh lord what have they been feeding you? Are you some sort of array experiment or reincarnated clone of a senior? You know what, I don’t actually want to know!
I’ve done well minding my business and keeping my own problems to myself. I’m glad I could help show you a thing or two, but now, go ahead and get some rest. I recommend the Stormwatch Inn in the city—it’s got the best beds in Fogbeach, and you’ll need it after today."
Lassim chuckled, already feeling the stiffness from being nearly crushed by the rings. "I’ll take your advice, Master. And thank you again for the lesson."
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As Lassim made his way out of the training ground, the crowd gave their applause with shouts that followed,
"Nice effort boy!"
"Keep your head up! There’s a reason the pirates and bandits affectionately refer to him as ’The Ringmaster’!"
"You did well! Try again when you have a few more tricks up your sleeve!"
Lassim just waved his hand in acknowledgement and made his way somewhat stiffly into the town as he rubbed his neck.
The fight had given him an interesting new way to use lightning mana and on how to approach lightning combat that wasn’t just full on power and destructive lightning bolts.
It was eye opening and only just the beginning of his journey to find inspiration for his own fighting style.
He still had a long way to go, and a city to review and double check, as promised to Master Lorcan, but for the first time in a while, Lassim felt like he was having fun instead of facing a life or death situation.