"Yeah. Our boy is growing. And he is growing fast." The 4th sighed. Although he rarely spoke to Mane, that didn't mean he didn't like the boy. On the contrary, he rather adored the blonde haired boy who was always itching for a challenge.
"He is truly talented. I reckon that in less than half a year his body wielding abilities will be on par with his energy wielding." The 5th was full of confidence concerning his prediction. It was confidence that the others didn't share.
"How is that possible? Don't just make stuff up." Even the 2nd, who was Mane's most diehard fan found it hard to believe what she was hearing.
"It is true. If you don't believe me, you can ask 4th." The 5th wasn't in the mood to argue. He quickly referred the 2nd to the more trustworthy 4th. Since he loved to boast of his strength, it was no easy feat to get the others to believe what he said. But the 4th was different. He was quiet and seldom spoke, yet whenever he did his words were laden with the truth and the truth only.
"It is as 5th has said. But even that is just an estimate. It may take longer than that. Or he might even get there faster. It all depends on the kind of stimulus he gets." This was the most the 4th had said in years. The silent ascender usually spoke in single word phrases and rarely sent out a lengthy sentence. But his words were staggering. They were so impressive that all the masters remained silent. Well, excluding the 5th who was too proud to tell them 'I told you so', and the 4th who had chosen to remain quiet because he didn't see the need to say anymore, the others were stunned.
"It took him almost 5 years to get to this level in the energy wielding arts. Yet you're saying that he can catch up in six months?" the normally composed 8th said. He wasn't really asking a question. His surprise had led to his statement, and his composure had been stripped off mercilessly.
Mane was almost eleven years old, and his wielding journey had only began five years ago in a solitary cultivation chamber where a complete novice had joined the ranks of those who could hold their destiny in their own hands. His growth was remarkable, and highly impressive even to the masters who before then, thought that they had seen everything the universe had to offer. Yet Mane's outrageous growth was nothing compared to his body wielding talent. The boy had transformed from a complete noob in body wielding to one who could go head to head with peak mortal realm experts in just a month! They had been numbed by his feats since they had seen the boy perform several miracles over and over again. Yet the words of the 4th and the droning of the 5th had reminded them that Mane's growth was anything but normal. Now that they thought about it, the predictions of the 5th made a lot of sense. This was because, even when Mane was learning to energy wield, he didn't grow so rapidly within a single month.
"But even with such staggering progress, it still seems inaccurate to say that he would be as powerful a body wielder as he is an energy wielder in nothing but a few months. There must be more to it." The 9th questioned. He was right. Even when one considered his rapid speed of progress in body wielding, it still wasn't enough to boldly proclaim that he would be much stronger within a few months. After all, the higher one ascended the ranks of strength, the harder it was to continue climbing at their usual speed.
"He is Asgardian. Don't forget that." The 3rd intelligently replied. Her answer was enlightening to the others, reminding them of what they had thrown aside in their amazement. It was embarrassing that they had forgotten Mane's roots. Mane came from two powerful bloodlines, and his bloodline was formed from the coalition of the two. It may be that his improbable bloodline was a mix of the two powerful bloodlines, and that was why destiny picked him out as the Supreme. For people who fought to control their own destiny, destiny sure did like to play the cruelest of jokes on wielders. The two families were powerful, but different. Ray came from a family that possessed a powerful bloodline which also boosted the soul. It was because of this special soul based bloodline that his family was filled with a wealth of spiritualists. And it was because of this bloodline that Mane had so simply stepped upon the enviable path of spiritualists.
The other side of the family was different. His mother Alexis, came from a proud warrior race that were strong in energy wielding as well. But their energy wielding paled greatly in comparison to their body wielding. Asgardians were able to train their bodies to the extent that most of them were just like the 4th and the 5th. They were purely body wielders. It was the gods who were skilled in the energy wielding arts. Yet even they were no slouches in the realm of body wielding. Only a few gods didn't enter the gates of physical training. So on Asgard, it was rarer to see someone who practiced energy wielding solely, than it was to see a pure body wielder. Their bloodlines weren't soul based like Ray's, but it didn't lose at all to it. Not only did their bloodlines provide excellent regenerative abilities, but they also rapidly improved a person's connection to outer energy. In other words, they were born body wielders. This was why Mane could start practicing before his time. Initially his masters had taken into consideration that he may not possess all the major attributes of both bloodlines. This assumption was further enforced when the blue eyed boy was found to have a strong spirit and soul, meaning he was talented enough to walk on the path of spiritualists. Yet they had been proven wrong after Mane's body had revealed that it was not at all inferior to his soul, or his spirit. And his regenerative abilities made it possible for him to train every single day, as long as he was willing, without any risk of injury. And Mane was always willing. Even the injuries that seemed like they would require a week of rest on average had all been wiped clean following a goodnight's rest. Even among Asgardians, such regeneration speed was enviable. It wasn't like there weren't any with that level of talent. Rather, there were several who possessed far superior regeneration among the Asgardians. In fact, Mane would look very average in their midst. But regeneration was a growth type ability. It didn't just improve with constant practice just like other skills, it did with age. So even if Mane didn't train his regeneration, it was bound to grow much stronger as he himself grew. But even before Mane had done a week of practice, his regeneration was comparable to a 15 year old Asgardian! That was five more years longer than he had lived! And every year caused a massive increase! And now that Mane had been constantly chasing his limits, his regeneration had grown even stronger, and was now comparable to a 15 year old kid who was halfway through the 16 year mark. It was amazing progress. It was for this reason that Alexis and Ray had been stunned at his rate of improvement, for it was unprecedented.
"Besides, Mane has reached his first growth spurt." The 1st was kind to add. "You mean-"the 2nd was dumbfounded, so much so that she didn't even finish her statement.
"Yes. You can call it coincidence; you can call it fate; you can refer to it as anything you want. But it has indeed began. Mane is experiencing his first Olympian surge." The 1st stated. The others finally understood what was going on. It was no wonder that the 1st wasn't quick to rebut the words of the 5th. It was no surprise that he didn't rebuke the 4th for his confident assumption. The kid was experiencing his first Olympian surge! And he didn't even know it. None of them were going to tell him though. They would only inform him after the surge had ended. If he was informed now, he may become very conscious of the special state, and wouldn't be capable of bringing out his best. Even among Olympians, this was the practice. The surger would only be told about his/her special state once it was over. This way their training could go on unhindered.
The Olympian surge was a special state that all Olympians go through when they are young. It was a period where their talents will receive a massive boost, allowing them to do in months, what they would only have been capable of doing in years. It was a once/twice in a lifetime experience for an Olympian, where their entire being would undergo a baptism of a torrential rain of talent. This boost didn't only apply to their spirit and souls, but their bodies as well. It wasn't understood why Olympians who weren't body wielders, also received such a benefit. But it was welcomed anyway.
This was why Ray, who had no experience with body wielding was described as a pseudo body wielder. It was also during his Olympian Surge that the Brute King had unlocked once of his greatest defenses ever- Diamond Body. The talent of an Olympian was centered on the number of times they could experience the surge. Although it was usually described as a once in a lifetime happening, there were occasions were this truth was broken and beaten down mercilessly. Truly talented Olympian heroes had experienced the surge more than once. With some of them going on to experience it three times, or in the case of the Brute King, four times!