Free Web NovelChapter 16: Chapter 16—First Supernatural Ability
Chapter 16—First Supernatural Ability
’They were holding back.’
Lei Cheng’s frown deepened. ’Even while holding back... they were far stronger than Mo Ming, the Head Guard of the Lei Clan.’ He clenched his fist tightly.
While he was still digesting that thought, Lin Mei’s voice cut through the cave.
"You can do it, Young Miss! You must win!"
She was jumping up and down with barely contained excitement. Nie Hua walked forward to the front of the sparring ground and faced Nie Han. The referee’s voice rang out.
"Fight."
The next bout began—yet the audience fell silent. Only the sharp sound of claws colliding broke through in steady bursts.
Boom! Bang!
"What? They’re not giving it their all either. How can this be?" A wave of disbelieving murmurs broke out through the crowd.
Lei Cheng set aside every other concern and fixed his full attention on the fight.
Thud! Boom!
Nie Hua’s claw collided with Nie Han’s again and again. Neither was channeling any energy into their strikes—no golden glow, no technique activation. Pure physical strength, measured and deliberate.
’Basic strength comparison,’ Lei Cheng noted. As they pressed harder into each clash, both were pushed back a few inches with each impact—perfectly matched.
Then—
"Celestial Fox Mirage."
Both foxes locked eyes simultaneously. Golden light ignited within their eyes.
"Ugh—another illusion match." A few foxes in the crowd groaned. "It’s boring watching statues."
’Damn it,’ Lei Cheng raised a brow. ’I can’t gauge their abilities if they retreat into illusion.’
But his frustration didn’t last long. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
Both Nie Hua and Nie Han bled from their eyes at almost the same moment. They shook their heads and lunged at each other simultaneously, bodies erupting with brilliant golden energy.
"Celestial Fox Enhancement!"
"Celestial Twin Fox Strike!"
Lei Cheng slowed the illusion deliberately to catch every detail. Through his slowed perception, both foxes split into two versions of themselves—main body and clone, each lunging at the other. Four figures collided in a tangle of golden light and flashing claws.
Bang! Boom! Thud!
Neither gave an inch. frёewebnoѵēl.com
Then—
"Celestial Fox Ice Breath!"
Nie Hua’s main body opened her mouth. A chilling blue wind surged outward. The attack came without warning or any visible build-up—Nie Han had no time to react. The blue breath struck his face and claws in an instant, and a layer of ice spread rapidly across his head, creeping downward over his body with each passing second.
’An elemental attack,’ Lei Cheng noted quickly. ’Can she shift between elements? I need to record that.’
He paused. ’My illusion cannot interfere with reality in the slightest. A single one of her attacks—even without any enhancement—would slice me into multiple pieces.’ He was painfully aware of the gap.
"Yes! Yes, Young Miss—keep going!" Lin Mei cheered from below, still bouncing.
Then, from the side of the sparring ground, Nie Han’s clone didn’t slow down at all.
Nie Hua’s eyes twitched. The body directly in front of her—the one nearly fully frozen—suddenly broke apart into pieces of golden light and vanished without a trace.
"It wasn’t the main body!"
Several foxes in the crowd exclaimed at once.
Nie Hua cut off her Ice Breath and spun instantly, lunging toward the real Nie Han, who was busy blocking strikes from her clone. She closed the distance instantly. But as she drew near, she caught it—a playful glint in Nie Han’s eyes as he deflected the clone’s blow.
’Something’s wrong.’
She reacted instantly and pulled back.
"Celestial Fox Barrier!"
She curled her nine tails around herself, wrapping her body from head to toe—cocooning herself completely until she resembled a glowing golden orb, her entire form radiating warm golden light.
On the thrones, the elders finally reacted.
"Such a pity, though." The elder sat on the right corner throne, sighed.
"Indeed." The elder on the left nodded.
The elder on the second left throne dipped his head in quiet agreement.
Then the fourth elder stood up fully. "It seems he is close to reaching Level One: Awakened." All four elders rose from their thrones simultaneously, expressions turning sharp and serious. A ripple of unease spread through the entire cave.
"It is time to witness a supernatural ability of the Celestial Nine-Tailed Fox race." The left corner elder grinned.
Nie Han glanced between the clone and the glowing golden orb that was Nie Hua. He muttered calmly, "Illusionary Switch."
His first tail began to shine with a brilliant, concentrated golden light.
Lei Cheng’s ears rang. Ring! Ring!
Everything went silent—not the silence of a quiet room, but the absolute silence of time itself ceasing. He looked around him. Every fox in the cave was frozen mid-motion—mid-word, mid-gesture, mid-breath. Lin Mei hung suspended a few inches above the ground, caught in the middle of a jump. Even the drifting dust in the air had stopped moving.
’What kind of ability is this...?’
Time snapped back to normal.
’It’s not time, but my illusion’s reaction to that ability.’ Lei Cheng figured out a bit. ’What can be that strong?’
Nie Hua’s clone burst apart, scattering into fragments of golden light that dissolved in the air. Then—her main body, still curled inside the glowing golden orb of the Barrier—suddenly erupted with slashes.
Blood fell like rain from her body.
Not a single fox cheered.
The golden light vanished. The orb collapsed. Blood spread outward in a growing pool as Nie Hua crumpled to the ground.
Thud!
She coughed and slowly pushed herself upright. "Incredible," she whispered, voice barely holding together. "To think you have already comprehended a supernatural ability of our race." She drew a thin breath—her vision was fading fast. She needed the answer quickly. "What ability did you comprehend? Is it the first—the same as everyone—or a random one from the nine abilities available to our race?"
Nie Han smiled. "Since you lost—to honor a fellow nine-tailed fox, I will tell you."
He paused as an old male voice cut in from above.
"It is the first supernatural ability of our race. Illusionary Switch—the ability to convert injuries sustained within an illusion directly into reality."
The male elder answered as he leapt down from his throne onto the ground. The other three followed immediately. All four stood before Nie Han, eyes wide and bright.
"Good. Very good."
"The young generation always surpasses the old."
"You might even reach the heights of our ancestors."
They nodded—slowly, reverently.
’I need to counter that ability,’ Lei Cheng mused grimly, his entire focus still locked on the supernatural ability. ’If injuries within an illusion become real—then every illusion I cast is a weapon pointed at myself as much as my enemy.’
Before the referee could even announce the winner, a bright golden light flashed on the center throne.
