It was a risky move to take the Spiders head on, but Sage wanted to push himself. The Spiders were only a stage or two weaker than him, which meant one on one, especially when he had the initiative, the Spiders were easy to beat. With the Spiders no longer on the run and also having him outnumbered, Sage actually felt some pressure. From what he read about Cultivation, and what he heard about life and death experiences from earth, the stress of near death would draw out the greatest performance and ability. A Cultivator could pull out their full potential, and if they survived they would have improved rapidly. Sage wasn’t facing death, he still had quite a secret weapons to call upon if he needed them. Instead, this was just a chance to put himself in danger, the threat of taking serious wounds was enough to push him to his limits. Not quite exceeding his limits in the face of death, but it was far better than training by himself.

A trio of Crystal Spiders converged upon him at the same time, giving Sage no time to strike first. One of them leaped into the air, lunging towards him, while the other two darted towards his legs from the sides. It was hard to see what their transparent bodies were doing, only their general position was easy to make out, the blur of motion obvious at close range when they moved at high speed. The 2nd Step of Falling Leaf Step, Leaf Gently Falling, was put on exhibit. Sage stepped forward, seeming like he was going to take the jumping attack head on. The two Spider’s from either side started to change their aim to strike where Sage had just moved.

In the next moment, the jumping spider flew over the other two spiders and hit the ground. The spiders to the left and right swiped out with their sharp legs. The pointed crystal limbs smashed into each other. It sounded like some dishes had fallen and shattered on the floor as each of them broke the other’s leg. Meanwhile, Sage appeared a couple yards away from the three Spiders and drew in a quick breath. The spiders turned towards him, not knowing what just happened, but darting towards their target once again. Sage pursed his lips and released the mass of air he’d quickly drawn in and compressed, a burst of air blasted out, forming into a pressure vortex and blasting the Spiders away. The three making more cracking sounds when they smash against some of the trees.

Another pair of Spiders had taken this chance to approach Sage from behind, striking him as he released a gust of Divine Breath. Sage quickly took a Tree Spring Stance internally just before one spider struck the side of his knee with a leg while the other leaped onto his back and bit his shoulder. His knee bent inwards, then quickly sprung back into place, slapping against the spider’s leg and sending it spinning off into the distance. The one on his back made him bend forward before his back straightened again. The rapid motion launching the spider upwards, but not before it’s bite tore out a chunk of Sage’s flesh.

The five spiders had all been knocked off balance in one way or another, so Sage quickly made use of his advantage. The 2nd Step of Falling Leaf Strike was inspired by the motion of a leaf falling unpredictably. Even without a shred of wind to help, a Leaf could twist and spin as it fell, trying to catch one was incredibly difficult. It could even use the wind caused by a hand to help it dodge away from being caught. Sage used the unpredictable steps of Leaf Gently Falling to close the distance with the Spiders. It wasn’t the fastest movement he was capable of, but he didn’t need it to be. Instead it looked like he had moved towards one spider, but ended up near a second one. He started to attack the spider, but then ended up in front of a completely different one. Finally his leg swung down, and the first spider he’d moved towards got its head smashed in.

Sage was able to finish off two of the spiders before he had to stop and grow some more vines, five more Spiders rushing into the enclosure and sending attacks at him. Sage took a couple more hits before he gained his footing again. More of the Spiders flooded into the small area. A dozen of them in various states of capability, a half dozen dead and scattered between them. Sage released his Twin Soul and dashed into battle again. Leaping into the air and taking the Tree Spring Stance in the middle of a spin. Using the centrifugal force of his mid-air spinning to load up a strike.

He came down against a pair of spiders, his leg smashing into one body and booting it towards a second Spider. Almost at the same time, another of the Spiders attacked him from behind, only to stop mid-swipe when Sage’s Twin Soul flew into it. The Spider’s soul battling with the naga shaped Twin Soul internally. Sage’s kick smashed two of the Spider’s to death while the Twin Soul handled another. The other nine Spiders quickly rushed to join the battle, turning things into a huge melee. Sage started to accrue wounds at a startling pace, enough to make him a bit light headed. He killed a few more spiders, but he couldn’t keep up with the rate at which they joined the battle.

Falling to one knee, he gave in and called in some reinforcements. A Charming Lance Beetle flew out of his Beast Bag, appearing just over his head. The Beetle had a concave depression underneath its belly, which gave it room to expand when it fed on blood. It was also an area the size of a tent that Sage could stand and be protected from danger. Sage used a scent marker to make the Beetle hold position, the big bug just spinning in circles and batting the Spider’s away with its legs and horn. Gaining himself a quick breather, Sage pulled out some of the pills and ointments from his Storage Ring and started to treat his wounds. Blood Clotting Pills to slow his rate of bleeding, Energy Sustaining Pills to help him keep fighting, and Second Skin Ointment which was like adding another layer of skin. Second Skin Ointment was particularly useful, it not only sealed up his wounds, it also made the underlying skin a bit thicker. It was of course a bit more expensive, since it wasn’t just good to treat wounds, but a bit of a defensive boost. At this point, Sage didn’t care about the extra expense.

Sage’s wounds were no longer bleeding profusely, so he send the Charming Lance Beetle into battle and started to fight again himself. Seeing the Lance Beetle rush into battle against the Crystal Spiders was like a truck crashing into a glass shop. The Spiders were scattered everywhere, the glass breaking sounds seeming to multiply even if most of the spiders pulled themselves back up and returned to battle. With the majority distracted, Sage moved about the battlefield, executing lone spiders or battling them two or three at a time. After a few minutes the rate of destruction finally surpassed the rate they entered the battlefield and Sage took a minute to rest. The Charming Lance Beetle stabbed its long horn into the Spiders as they climbed through the gaps between trees, near completely blocking them out now.

Seems my Bugs are much stronger than me. I still have a long ways to go.

Putting a hand on the ground, Sage focused on sealing up all the gaps in the tree walls, completely blocking them with thick and heavy wood instead of just a few layers of vines to slow them down. A moment later, he willed some of the trees to part, creating an opening that the Charming Lance Beetle could rampage through.

Meanwhile, the spiders that had their entrances blocked were confused on how to attack, some starting to climb upwards where the leaves would be easier to breach. Then trees started to twist and bend, opening a huge doorway. The spiders in front of it called out, a sound like glass scratching glass brought over their comrades, the more than fifty Crystal Spiders gathering up. All of them seeming to stare down that huge bug that filled the huge gap between the trees.

Sage threw out a scent marker, telling the Lance Beetle to ‘be aggressive’. Anything that didn’t have a friendly scent marker would become its target. The Lance Beetle stamped its legs, kicking up clods of dirt before taking off like a freight train, barreling towards the huge crowd of nearly transparent Crystal Spiders. Sage let it go before he closed up the gap once again, this time leaving at about the size of a doorway and quickly standing in front of it, setting himself up in a choke point to take on the spiders in small groups.

Let’s go. Round two!