Chapter 24: Six Techniques
After awakening her spirit, Huo Rui, now calmer, could clearly sense the increased vitality and energy in her body.
"Yes, it's true," Huo Rui confirmed with a nod.
"Then my theory is correct," Ye Wen continued. "When blood flows faster, it indeed makes people feel more energetic like the rush you get after sprinting. Usually, that's no big deal, but for someone like you, who has awakened the Heart as your spirit, this boost is exceptional. If you keep training, you'll gain the ability to control this state and use it to continuously strengthen your body.
"This effect is like certain self enhancement techniques. As you learn to control it better, you'll be able to modulate the strength of this boost to further enhance your physical power. From what I understand, the average person can only use about thirty percent of their physical strength at any time, since going beyond that risks injury the body's natural safety mechanism. But once you master this control, you could reach triple or even ten times your base strength. That's the talent your spirit bestows, and the mark of a Super Spirit."
"If not for my research into spirit cultivation, this unique boost of yours might have gone unnoticed. If you trained as an ordinary spirit master would, you'd have missed out on your true potential," Ye Wen added with conviction.
Impressed by Ye Wen's explanation, Huo Rui nodded. Though high level spirit masters might view this boost as minimal, missing out on her spirit's latent abilities would limit her future.
"So, Master, how exactly should I cultivate my spirit?" she asked.
With a confident smile, Ye Wen replied, "Beyond the usual spirit cultivation, your main focus must be on training your body. By constantly breaking through your physical limits, you'll increase the control and power of your spirit. The cap on your future power rests on your physical strength, so push yourself until you reach a point where it feels like you can't progress any further.
"As for the rest," he added with a mysterious smile, "I've prepared a special surprise for you. When your spirit power reaches level ten, and your physical strength reaches its peak, I'll reveal it. Work hard, Huo Rui your future is bound to be extraordinary."
Huo Rui nodded resolutely. This newfound sense of purpose and support, something she hadn't felt since her father passed away, now resonated in her bond with Ye Wen.
As time went by, Ye Wen celebrated his tenth birthday, and it was time to prepare for a new term at the academy. Meanwhile, Huo Rui exhibited remarkable talent for physical training. In just two months, she had already neared her physical limit, with her recovery rate even surpassing Ye Wen's. Testing her strength, Ye Wen found she could lift over 800 jin, well beyond his initial limit of 600 jin.
Her spirit power growth, however, was slower due to the damaged potential from her initial awakening she had only reached level eight. It would still take some time before she was ready to become a true spirit master. As for Lan Lan, with Ah Yin's help, she had quickly reached level three, which, while unimpressive to a prodigy like Ye Wen, still indicated promising growth for an average spirit master.
It was finally time to take the two girls to Notting Elementary Academy. While Ye Wen hadn't taught them the foundational knowledge of spirit masters, the academy could easily cover the basics, allowing him to focus on advanced training.
Regarding tuition fees, he used the village quota for Lan Lan and the Holy Spirit Village quota for Huo Rui. Though he had 100,000 gold coins from his lucky winnings, he was cautious about overspending. After a life of frugality in his previous life, Ye Wen had a natural inclination to save and, when possible, to benefit from any subsidy he could access.
Upon arriving at the academy, students and teachers alike were surprised to see such a young boy with two disciples. But looking up at his towering 1.7 meter height at only ten years old, they fell silent Ye Wen's presence alone spoke volumes.
A few students, hearing rumors of his success mentoring the City Lord's son, Xiao Lie, approached him to become disciples themselves. Some were nobles, while others were commoners hoping to learn from someone who'd helped another student improve so rapidly. But Ye Wen declined, citing his own demanding training. He neither trusted them enough nor wanted to risk exposing his secrets.
Meanwhile, Ye Wen trained Huo Rui in combat techniques and had two small blades custom made for her. Since her spirit had limited offensive power in its early stages, she would rely on skill and agility. With refined spirit control, Ye Wen once again contemplated creating his own spirit techniques.
Avoiding overly complex techniques, he settled on a series inspired by the "Six Techniques" from another world, as well as water walking and tree climbing exercises:
Finger Spear: A point based piercing technique to shatter defenses.
Steel Form: Inspired by the "Iron Body," allowing localized reinforcement without the drawback of immobility.
Swift Step: A burst of speed for close range attacks.
Sky Walk: A brief airborne technique for evasion.
Tempest Kick: A powerful sweeping kick to attack at range.
Life Return: Currently just a theory an ultimate control over one's body. Ye Wen entrusted this idea to Huo Rui, who immediately grasped its significance.
Although Ye Wen himself couldn't fully master Life Return, he believed that Huo Rui, with her natural physical control, could unlock its potential one day. The other five techniques, however, she quickly embraced, though her current strength allowed only limited use.
In time, Huo Rui also mastered water walking and tree climbing techniques simple, once she understood the principles behind them.
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