The narrow path offered no escape.
Only pressure.
Only movement.
Xu Tian stood in the center.
Four opponents around him.
Close.
Too close.
No distance.
No space to retreat.
"…Good," he thought.
If there was no space-
Then he wouldn't give them any either.
The man in front moved first.
A direct strike.
Fast.
Heavy.
Xu Tian stepped forward.
Not back.
Their arms collided.
A sharp impact echoed between the stone walls.
The force pushed outward.
The man didn't stop.
Another strike followed immediately.
Then another.
Relentless.
Xu Tian adjusted.
Block.
Turn.
Redirect.
But the attacks from the sides came at the same time.
Coordinated.
One from the left.
One from the right.
Xu Tian moved.
Barely.
Avoided one.
Blocked the other.
But the pressure increased instantly.
"…Tighter than the arena."
No room to reset.
No room to breathe.
The fourth moved.
From behind.
Xu Tian felt it.
A shift in the air.
He turned sharply.
His arm rose.
Blocked.
The impact landed.
Heavy.
But not clean.
Xu Tian stepped forward again.
Breaking their formation.
His strike landed first.
A direct hit.
The man in front staggered back.
Half a step.
Xu Tian didn't stop.
He moved into the gap.
Closing distance.
Forcing them closer together.
Forcing them into each other.
The man to the left attacked.
Xu Tian turned.
Countered.
The impact pushed him back.
The man to the right followed.
Another strike.
Xu Tian stepped inside it.
His counter landed cleanly.
The man's stance broke slightly.
The pressure shifted.
But only for a moment.
"Now," the front man said.
The others moved again.
Together.
Faster.
More aggressive.
Xu Tian's eyes sharpened.
"…So this is your rhythm."
The attacks came in sequence now.
Not random.
Not chaotic.
One after another.
No pause.
Xu Tian moved.
Step.
Turn.
Block.
Counter.
Each motion precise.
Each movement minimal.
The margin was small.
Too small.
One mistake-
And it would be over.
The next strike came.
Xu Tian avoided it.
But the follow-up-
Connected.
A sharp impact against his side.
Not deep.
But enough.
His body shifted.
Half a step.
The formation tightened again.
The man in front pressed forward.
"Don't give him space."
Xu Tian understood immediately.
"…They're learning."
The pressure increased.
Faster.
Closer.
More controlled.
Xu Tian's breathing remained steady.
But his focus deepened.
The energy inside him moved.
Clear.
Responsive.
The next exchange came.
Strikes collided.
Faster now.
Sharper.
The air cracked with each impact.
Xu Tian stepped forward again.
Not back.
Breaking the rhythm.
His strike landed.
Clean.
One opponent staggered.
This time-
A full step.
The gap opened.
Xu Tian moved instantly.
Closing in.
Another strike.
Then another.
The man fell back.
The formation broke again.
This time-
Longer.
Xu Tian turned.
Another attacker came from the side.
Xu Tian blocked.
Redirected.
Countered.
The impact pushed him back.
But not enough.
The third came.
Xu Tian stepped into it.
Their arms collided.
A heavy impact echoed.
The man's stance broke.
The pressure shifted.
For the first time-
Xu Tian began to control the flow.
But-
The man in front moved again.
Faster.
Stronger.
His strike came down.
Xu Tian reacted.
Blocked.
But the force pushed him back.
One step.
The balance returned.
The fight reset.
For a moment.
Silence.
Then-
They moved again.
All four.
At once.
Xu Tian's eyes narrowed.
"…Enough."
The energy inside him surged.
Not outward.
Inward.
Condensing.
Sharpening.
His next movement changed.
Cleaner.
Faster.
More direct.
The first strike came.
Xu Tian avoided it.
The second-
He blocked.
The third-
He stepped into it.
And struck.
A clean impact.
The man staggered back.
Two steps.
The formation collapsed again.
Xu Tian pressed forward.
Relentless.
This time-
He didn't stop.
Because now-
The advantage was shifting.
And if he let it go-
It wouldn't return.