Raja Kint opens his eyes, eats some food and leaves his cave. Knocking on Kyoot Kint’s cave.
“Hold on.”
After a few minutes, Kyoot Kint appears in a pale yellow outfit. Covered by a brown bear coat. The two begin traveling to the woman’s hut. On the way, they watched as the disciples of the academy were going to their classes, talking and sparring. Soon, the two reached the hut.
The early morning smell of flowers offset the coldness in the air. Kyoot Kint bent down just to take in a few whiffs of the flowers. After smelling the flowers Kyoot Kint knocks on the door. The door opens to the woman in a light gray taoist robe. They both cupped their hands, “Senior.”
The woman gestured to the floor and the two sat down. She grabbed a small plate with a few cut slices of bread and jelly. She offered the two some, they enjoyed it so much that Kyoot Kint swindled a bit more. While Raja Kint let her pinch his cheeks for some more. Soon everyone finished eating and the woman spoke.
“Follow me.”
The two followed as they left the hut and went around the back. Behind the hut was a grass plane and the woman sat in the grass. She gestured toward the field, “Create an array.”
The two nodded their heads and walked over. Raja Kint decided he would show the Great Earthly Palm. Maybe I can get some tips from her. The two finished within five minutes and the woman walked over. She looked at Kyoot Kint’s array first. Then she walked to Raja Kint and looked at his array. While looking she continuously took glances toward Raja Kint.
“How old are you?” she asks Raja Kint.
“Ten.” Raja Kint smugly said.
The woman walked toward Kyoot Kint and said. “Attack me without holding back.”
Kyoot Kint nodded her head. She sat down inside her array and placed her hands on the ground. Two baseball-sized ki spheres appeared and flew toward the woman. The woman lifted her right hand and faced her palm toward the approaching ki spheres. The spheres hit a wall of ki about a foot from the woman’s palm. The spheres still spinning. Her eyes darted between the spheres and the array for a few moments.
“You are quite talented at arrays. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were chosen at the competition. Make sure to improve the fundamentals. Yours are lacking. How about bringing forth a third ki sphere.”
Kyoot Kint nodded her head and concentrated. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. Soon a sphere about a third of the size of the first two appeared. After a moment it fell apart. Kyoot Kint tried over and over before stopping with furrowed brows. Her first two ki spheres dissipated. Raja Kint could see she was mumbling to herself but didn’t know what she was saying. After about ten minutes Kyoot Kint attempted the third ki sphere again. She created the first sphere and the second sphere. This time, the third sphere reached half the size of the other two spheres before falling apart again. She could only sigh.
“Senior, it seems I need to focus on fundamentals as you’ve said.”
Raja Kint walked over to Kyoot Kint.
The woman said, “I need you to show me your array too.”
Raja Kint turned around, “Senior, I would like to try this as well.”
“Go ahead,” said the woman.
Kyoot Kint moved out of her array as Raja Kint sat down. He placed his hands on the ground. Suddenly, two spheres appeared and a third one was slowly forming. After a few moments, the third sphere formed and a fourth one was forming. In the end, Raja Kint formed seven baseball-sized ki spheres before stopping. He looked toward the woman and sent his ki spheres forward. The woman put her palm forward and the ki sphere was once again trapped by a wall of ki.
Raja Kint brought back his ki spheres. Kyoot Kint’s eyes sparkled as she watched Raja Kint. Raja Kint turned to Kyoot Kint and asked, “How many ki spheres for complete mastery?”
Kyoot Kint thought for a moment, “Nine is considered mastery.”
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Raja Kint immediately focused and two more ki spheres appeared making it nine ki spheres present. The woman was a bit shocked by this. This technique was predicated on the ki control one had. For someone to bring forth nine spheres was supposed to only be possible at the peak of the outer ki realm. What happened next caused her eyes to widen.
Raja Kint looked at his nine ki spheres with a smirk. Nine? Only nine, hmph. The nine ki sphere grouped up into three groups of three. The first group began fusing and became the size of a soccer ball. After the first group the next two followed. Then Raja Kint brought the three soccer ball-sized ki spheres together. At this moment sweat began beading up on his forehead.
The woman was shocked while thinking. Is he making a new ceiling for this technique while only at the sixth stage? This should only be possible for those in the limbo realm. Who even thinks to push a technique beyond its boundary? Most are trying just to touch its boundary. Is this what it means to be a genius, breaking the old and establishing new?
Kyoot Kint couldn’t believe what she was seeing at this moment. The level of control needed for this was extremely high. She couldn’t help but wonder if Raja Kint’s ki control was unrivaled beneath the limbo realm.
Raja Kint brought the three spheres together and began trying to fuse them. At first, he attempted all three at once but noticed that he wouldn’t be able to do it. He quickly stopped and went for two at once. This was still a great burden but he took his time. After five minutes he finally finished fusing two. Now the sphere was twice as big as before. Raja Kint didn’t focus on this as he went for fusing the two spheres into one.
Raja Kint became soaked in sweat as he attempted this fusion. Everything he was doing after creating the nine spheres was pushing his ability to adapt to the fine changes occurring and his willpower to wield such strength. The strengths of the ki spheres weren’t additive but instead were multiplicative. Hence, the pressure he was feeling was something Kyoot Kint couldn’t imagine. Raja Kint let out a low growl as the fusion was nearing completion. Soon, what appeared before him was a single ball the size of a bean bag chair.
Raja Kint looked at the woman and sent this attack toward her. The woman harrumphed as her palm flew forward. On contact, the huge ki sphere forced her to slide back a few inches. Her palm stood strong and the ki sphere began dissipating. After a few moments the ki sphere had completely disintegrated. Raja Kint lay on his back heaving up and down.
The woman narrowed her eyes while looking at the few inches of misplaced dirt and then looking at Raja Kint. Kyoot Kint rushed over and moved Raja Kint over as she activated the array again. This time she brought forth four ki spheres before struggling on the fifth one. Even the fifth was over halfway to a full ki sphere. She looked at Raja Kint and thanked him.
Raja Kint walked over to his array and said, “Senior, I need a bit of a break. I’m really, really tired.”
The woman replied, “I’ve seen enough, Kyoot, take your junior brother to his cave abode for rest and come back to me.”
Kyoot Kint nodded her head as she walked with Raja Kint. The entire way Raja Kint had a splitting headache. Once back in his cave abode he collapsed into a cold sweat and fell asleep.
At the hut, after the two left the woman was sitting on her bed in deep thought. “I bet he has no idea as to what that was. It didn’t seem as simple as enhancing a technique at some point. No, it was like he was fighting something. A person, power… or.” She shook her head. “Whatever it is doesn’t matter. The sooner we can be back together is good no matter how. Plus, that girl isn’t too bad. She’ll probably be picked solely for array skills.”
Inside Raja Kint’s cave abode. He was sound asleep with his face in pain. Inside of his ‘dream,’ he was witnessing a powerful force far different than anything he ever knew. Not only that, the force seemed to almost be too strong for him. He looked up and roared, “I will never bow my head! I am Raja Kint, I am the strongest! I am unrivaled to all!” As he roared the force became even stronger. Soon, Raja Kint felt as if he was drowning but didn’t fall back.
A soft voice sounded, “Quite the talent.”
Raja Kint couldn’t turn his head as a person appeared in front of him. He couldn’t tell what age or gender the person was. He could only hear their voice as a haziness shrouded their body.
“You won’t remember me being here. I’ll seal your willpower for you until you ascend the first step.”
As the person came closer, Raja Kint felt a bit of familiarity as his eyes widened. A pointed finger closed in on his forehead and he tremblingly said. “Mother, you’re protecting me even now.”
The finger trembled and the haziness disappeared. It was his mother with a pale face.
“Mother, what’s wrong?”
“That daoist did a number on us. I’m so weakened that I can barely help you. Don’t worry, you’ll be safe. It’s just your will is awakening a bit earlier than would be liked. I can pretty much guess why this is. He would push you down such a path. Well, seeing how weak I am, I'll be honest. Your father doesn’t know I put a piece of my soul in you.”
“Why keep this a secret?”
She began slowly disappearing. “It was such a simple move too. I’ll use the last bit of my strength to give you the full turtle array.”
She placed her finger on his forehead as Raja Kint wanted to say something but couldn’t force anything out. Before she disappeared she looked into Raja Kint’s eyes with sorrow, it’s as I feared.
She disappeared and Raja Kint also disappeared.