Chapter 10: There's a Possibility of Death
After Su Xiao paid seven Soul Crystals (Small), Sha agreed to teach him the "Beast Instinct" ability.
"To master Beast Instinct, you must have the resolve to die in the process of mastering it."
Sha walked to the side and searched through a miscellaneous box. Soon, she found a strip of black cloth, thick in texture.
"Put this on."
Sha tossed the black cloth strip to Su Xiao. The moment he caught it, his expression changed. Upon touching the cloth, his perception was completely suppressed within his body. This suppression was thorough; when he closed his eyes and tried to sense his surroundings, his perception vanished entirely.
"Let me make this clear—if he dies, don't blame me. This is part of the deal, just like the dozens who died before."
Sha seemed to be speaking to someone, perhaps Alice.
Su Xiao gave a subtle signal to Bubu Wang beside him. Bubu Wang understood immediately. He didn't know Sha well enough; if she harbored murderous intent while he wore this thing, he wouldn't be able to sense it at all.
After a moment's hesitation, Su Xiao covered his eyes with the black cloth. His vision was blocked, his perception suppressed. He hadn't experienced this feeling in a long time.
"To master Beast Instinct, you need a process. For most people, sensing an enemy's attack relies on basic perception. Compared to sight, basic perception is indeed much faster, but it still involves a process: you first capture the enemy's attack trajectory, then transmit it to your brain. The brain issues a command, and your body makes the corresponding defensive move. Beast Instinct is different—it skips this process entirely. Once you master Beast Instinct, you'll find that basic perception is too slow. Beast Instinct omits the brain's reaction process. When it captures an enemy's attack, your body immediately makes a defensive move. That's Beast Instinct."
Sha stood behind Su Xiao, cracking the knuckles of her fingers. Unlike the slender fingers of ordinary women, her knuckles were thick, and the skin on her hands, though fair, was exceptionally tough.
"Back."
The moment Sha spoke, her fist was already slamming into Su Xiao's back.
Bang!
The fist struck Su Xiao's spine squarely. A dull, swelling pain spread through him. Sha's fist had reduced his physical defense, the force penetrating muscle and bone to directly impact his internal organs.
Su Xiao stumbled forward a few steps, a sweet, metallic taste rushing to his throat. He nearly coughed up blood from that punch.
"Hmm? Did you just dodge?"
Sha looked puzzled.
"Of course. Your fist was coming. Isn't it normal to dodge instinctively?"
Though his sight and perception were sealed, when Sha's fist approached, Su Xiao felt an instinctive sense of crisis. This feeling had occurred many times before—it wasn't sensing the opponent's attack, but an indescribable intuition.
"You've mastered an ability similar to instinct? No, that's not right. In your previous fights, you relied entirely on basic perception."
Sha was somewhat confused, but hearing her words, Su Xiao suddenly recalled that he did indeed have a perception-type skill.
[Heart's Eye: Lv.10 (Passive) Max Level]
Effect 1: Greatly enhances perception and perception range. 65% chance to sense attacks from behind.
Effect 2: 10% chance to capture an enemy's flaw during attack or defense. Upon successfully capturing a flaw, enter 'Ultra-Limit' state.
Ultra-Limit: Temporarily release all potential. Effect lasts 3 seconds. Cooldown: 12 hours.
...
Su Xiao had mastered the Heart's Eye ability for a long time, but after extensive practice, he found it utterly useless. The 'Ultra-Limit' effect of Effect 2 had never triggered even once. Aside from enhancing perception sensitivity and range, this skill had no other effect. He had long suspected he'd learned a fake skill.
Su Xiao roughly described the Heart's Eye ability to Sha. A few minutes later, the room echoed with Sha's laughter.
"Hahaha! You have an ability like this, and you've been using basic perception all along? Who's your teacher? If he's already dead, he must have died from an enemy's sneak attack."
Sha sat cross-legged on the bed, laughing while slapping her thigh, with no trace of ladylike demeanor.
"I have no teacher. Is there something wrong with this fighting style?"
"Very wrong. This ability of yours—it's never actually worked, has it?"
"That's right."
"It would be strange if it did work. Perception comes in many forms. What you've been relying on all along is basic perception. It's like fetching water: you've already bought a bucket, but you keep using your hands to scoop. Can the bucket do anything? I'm being blunt, but that's roughly the idea.
When your mental strength grows, perception appears. Perception is the most basic ability, and it's the one you subconsciously use—it's instinct. As for this Heart's Eye ability, it's a crude application of perception. Whether it's your ability or Beast Instinct, both are advanced forms derived from basic perception. Compared to your Heart's Eye, Beast Instinct is far superior."
Sha was experienced. In the world she once lived in, combat was a discipline—a major one at that. Moreover, before she was imprisoned in the Demon Castle, aside from necessary rest, she spent most of her time fighting or fleeing.
"Now that your basic perception is sealed, and you can't instinctively use it, you'll subconsciously rely on this ability called Heart's Eye. This ability can speed up your mastery of Beast Instinct. Don't resist it. Continue."
Sha jumped off the bed.
"How long will it take me to master Beast Instinct?"
This was Su Xiao's most pressing concern. He had less than three days.
"If you can take a beating, one day is enough—provided you don't die. When you can dodge my attacks using your body rather than perception, you can formally practice Beast Instinct. For now, we're just laying the foundation."
Sha swung her fist. Su Xiao calmed his mind, striving to capture her attack.
At that moment, his Heart's Eye ability was fully activated—a perception distinct from basic perception.
In Su Xiao's senses, a fist rapidly approached the back of his heart. His body began to shift sideways.
He could dodge it!
Bang!
A heavy punch landed on Su Xiao's back, sending him flying toward the wall ahead.
Bang. Another dull thud. Su Xiao's forehead slammed into the wall, his mind dazed and groggy. Just as he instinctively reached to tear off the black cloth, Sha shouted.
"Don't take it off, or you'll have been beaten for nothing. Only when you can dodge one of my punches can you remove this thing. Then I'll teach you the knowledge about Beast Instinct."
Su Xiao's hand stopped mid-air. In the end, he chose not to remove the blindfold. If Sha truly harbored murderous intent, that first punch wouldn't have been aimed at his back but at his head. Moreover, when she threw that punch, she had called out the target location in advance and used only thirty percent of her strength.
"You've adapted to two punches. Next, I'm going for your head. Only when your life is threatened will your potential fully develop."
Hearing that Sha was aiming for his head, Su Xiao's expression turned serious. With Sha's punching power, if she went all out, three punches would be enough to severely injure him. As for dying—the possibility of death while training Beast Instinct was no joke from Sha.