The hours blurred into days as Aaron and Mark sparred and played mental Chess and trained Chi and Calisthenics. They even used Chi in novel ways, like channelling to various body parts to put even greater strain on their minds. They didn't try enhancing their muscles, though.

When Mark asked why, Aaron looked at him like he was crazy.

The technique was called Chi-burst, and it was the only way to enhance your strength aside from passively accumulating Chi. It was one piece of an advanced technique every Chi master knew, but very few had the control to use. The full technique required you to allow the accumulated Chi to explode instantly to devastating effect.

Time it wrong, and you could lose a limb. Chi flow was a safer alternative if you needed a momentary boost, and Chi reinforcement was another choice, even if it wasn't as safe.

Their new technique, while unusual, gave Aaron the control and motivation to practice Air Stinger and Windblade more. They were his bread and butter now; if he could elevate them, he could become even more formidable.

Aaron imagined how much more dangerous both skills could be if he could invert their uses—using an air stinger in tandem with a thrust attack or a Wind blade with a single flick of his wrist.

After mastering both, Aaron would need to maintain One-with-the-World, without losing sight of everything else around him. Only then could he move on to more advanced chi-bending moves and spiritual training.

So, Aaron sat in a lotus position, breathing and out as he connected with the ambient Chi permeating the world.

The smells, buzzing, shifting leaves all threatened to overwhelm him. Instantly, he could feel the world breathe as one, every little detail laid bare for up to 12 meters around him. Once again, he was reminded of how much of a burden it was to be connected to it all.

Rather than let everything in, he reduced his sphere of influence and drew on his burgeoning spiritual sense. It had let him sense Chi and drastically improved his circulation speed. What other wonders could it perform?

Sinking deeper into the sensations, he found even richer flavours in the Chis around him. The trees and leaves were not just a singular blend of earthy green. They saw emeralds, mud-green, and hues so soft; they bordered on Teal.

Expanding it further, he sought the Chi of people instead. He found Mark easily enough. His stubborn and brawny earth chi mixed with the shifting white of the unnatural spirit attached to him. Then he moved on to Katara, warm and bubbly; her Chi was deep and blue like the ocean. Aang was like the mid-day sun. He shone so bright all Aaron saw was white.

Settling deeper into their auras and chis, he found that everything else almost faded away. The sounds and whispers of nature became muffled and low; all he could see with his senses was them.

Aaron opened his eyes and rose to his feet, and though they all stood behind him toward the outer edges of his senses, he felt movement in their Chi.

Aaron vibrated at the realization. He'd figured out One-With-The-World. He let out a long laugh. He'd just mastered what had taken his Father and Uncles nearly a decade in an afternoon.

A sense of euphoria pooled from his chest and spread through him. He struck out with a fierce jab, then ducked and weaved as if he was fighting an attacker. His senses honed in on Mark, imagining how he'd respond to each move, how easy it was to anticipate where he'd place his foot from the stirring in his Chi.

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Aaron imagined Mark's next move was a kick instead of the casual step that it was and side-stepped it, lashing out with a blast of wind.

And suddenly, the connection went taut and snapped, his head ringing.

"So, this is my limit for now?" Aaron clicked his tongue, but he wasn't disappointed. He'd not even begun to practice combat with One-With-The-World. There was still much room for growth.

Everything was going to change when Mark taught him the parallel processing skill. Some resistance was expected. Still, he smirked.

For the next few days, Aaron did nothing but practice one with the world, forgoing it for mental Chess occasionally while he and Mark trained. His martial arts and swordplay improved when they sparred, so much so that Mark began to look at him suspiciously. Aaron sometimes couldn't help himself, cackling maniacally as he lorded his new-fond power over his weaker opponent.

All was as it should be again.

He knew they'd be neck and neck once he figured out the trick. And with how quickly he improved, Aaron knew it'd be no time, but he enjoyed his moment in the limelight nonetheless.

"How the hell are you doing that?" Mark demanded.

"Your parallel processing training is doing wonders for my instincts," Aaron grinned. "It's like I have just a little more room to think and react."

"Uh uh," Mark narrowed his eyes, and Aaron only shrugged.

While he and Mark had come a long way, they still had quite a distance to go before he was ready to trust him with the knowledge Dopi had given him. Aaron doubted he could awaken Mark's spirit and help him learn Astral projection and all the other spiritual skills he was stumbling onto, even if he wanted to.

"So, I'm back to chasing after you."

Aaron smiled. "All is as it should be."

The message Mark was looking forward to came two weeks after they started practice, just before they began their evening session.

(R)Parallel Processing Lv1: Grants the ability to process and maintain multiple streams of thought and mental calculations. (Adds 1 smaller mind with a quarter of your mental capacity. Performance increases by 0.5 percent per Lv. Lv 25 grants a second mind, Lv 50 grants a third mind, Lv75 a fourth mind, and Lv100 a fifth mind)

Immediately, Mark demanded they sparred, and the difference was apparent. With one notification, Aaron's advantage disappeared, but a new one presented itself a moment later.

As the skill description read, Aaron tried splitting his mind, tasking the lesser one to focus on maintaining one with the world, and suddenly a burden lifted. It was made up of a clump of spirit energy propped up by a chunk of his Chi, wrapped around his brain, but he could use his bending again.

Mark lowered himself into a horse stance, standing across from Aaron, who lowered his chi signature until he sunk into One-with-the-World.

A punch sent two rocks rocketing forward instead of one, throwing Aaron off completely. He'd started ducking left before the first stone even left the ground, but he was forced to use chi flow and Airflow to master his body and weave under the second stone.

The attack highlighted the first and biggest weakness of the One-With-The-World technique. You couldn't predict or avoid an attack if you were slower than the attacker.

Aaron couldn't help but admire the voracity of Mark's attack regarding the young man in a new light.

He'd come a long way since their meeting in the village.

The rock beneath his feet exploded, sending him barrelling forward. Mark capitalized on the distraction, unsheathing both batons, channelling Chi flow. While he hadn't been able to keep up with Aaron since his advancement, his system guaranteed he was right on the Airbender's heels. He'd more or less mastered Chi flow, but he still struggled with One-with-the world, but thankfully, Chi-reinforcement was still beyond him. But even the basics were enough.

In a blink, he was in front of Aaron, swinging, forcing him to constantly push and pull Chi and air to dodge and weave through dozens of attacks.

Aaron leveraged the skill harder than he'd ever done before, channelling and burning Chi in quick flashes as the pressure mounted, all while anticipating Mark's attacks before they came.

Aaron endured through it all, but the battle tempo flipped when his swords cleared their scabbard. Aided by his connection to Chi, Chi flow and more than five years, he pushed his eager student back, powering through the sting of each blow, scoring light cuts that ran up and down his body.

He fought with the same viciousness his student… no opponent fought with. Though the winds of battle shifted more than once during the exchange, it was clear Aaron was winning until Mark managed the unexpected and bent a random chunk of rock under his foot and sent him stumbling.

His baton came down hard on Aaron's femur, cracking it. It sent Aaron's blade wide, and he screamed. It was more from the surprise than actual pain.