.....
The next morning, Shin woke up while it was still dark outside. Because of the strict schedule at the camp, his body had gotten used to waking up early in the morning.
Shin took a shower before going to the backyard garden of the villa. He almost got lost in the house because there were a lot of corridors. He got confused about which led where, and if not for the head-butler being awake already and telling him where to go; he would still be going around in circles.
...
Shin was doing his training regimen when an old man happened to pass by the garden. At first, the old man thought it was Arthur, the young master of the Springfield Family, but that kid had been taken along by his mother to his maternal grandparents. He got curious as to who the boy was and watched Shin for a while.
The more he observed Shin, the higher his frown got. Until he couldn't take it anymore and shout at Shin, "Hey little guy! You are going to destroy that solid foundation of yours if continue this kind of training".
Shin got irritated because of the interruption. His was about to scold whoever it was, but moment he saw who it was, he froze in his place and cursed in his heart 'D*mn! Are all old men in this place, monsters? That old butler earlier also gave out a strange aura.'
He was looking cautiously at the old man that was walking towards him, because he couldn't even feel the old man's presence. It was as if he was a part nature. If Shin wasn't looking at him then he wouldn't even know the old man was there.
"I don't know where you found that crap training, but you should stop doing that if you don't want to be crippled", said the old man as he got nearer to Shin.
"Hey old man, don't you know that there is an unspoken rule that spying on others' training is a crime? And interrupting them is even worse! And how about introducing yourself first before criticizing someone else's training? ", said Shin while taking a few steps back.
The old man smirked when he saw Shin's action, "Heh... You're right kid, but what you are doing is randomly throwing your fist and feet in the air, and that is not training at all".
Shin frowned when he heard that. He had been doing this regimen for the past 6 years, so he didn't agree with what the old man said.
As if he could read what was on Shin's mind, the old man smiled and said, "The training method that you are using is commonly used by some kind of the underground organizations. It is used for forcefully building a solid foundation but it also destroys your body because it overworks your muscles."
The Old man sat under the tree before continuing, "Because it stains your body, if you don't use the special serum prepared by that organization, your body will eventually collapse. But if you use that serum, you will become dependent to it. So the best option you have is to stop right now since you already built a very solid foundation which is quite rare at your age".
Not being moved by the old man's word, Shin asked with caution, "You're telling me to stop training with the method that I've been using for six years? Just who are you old man?"
The Old man clicked his tongue when he saw that Shin did not believe what he had said, "Tsk! What a skeptical and stubborn young man."
"I am called 'Professor Plum' in this place. And, as I said, that so-called training method of yours is a poison that's going to destroy your body. A real training method not only trains your body, but also trains your mind. Tell you what, I will teach you a real training method and you should stop using yours. How about that? "
Because of the iron-clad rules of the camp, Shin knew that there was no such thing such as a free lunch in this world, so he asked skeptically, "And with what condition?"
'Quite cautious too, huh?' Professor Plum looked satisfied by Shin's performance so far, so he replied coolly, "Simple, just become my disciple."
Shin looked at Professor Plum, speechless, when he heard what the old man had said and thought to himself, 'Why me?'
As if he could read Shin's mind, the Professor explained, "You have a very high potential, you know? Even though your talent is average, you have covered up for it with your effort. And for me, the most important thing is diligence". He looked like a thief that had spotted a rich target, and then muttered in his heart 'And you also have a very strong willpower, which is too abnormal for someone at your age.'
Without waiting for Shin's reply, the old man started teaching. "Listen kid, what I'm going to teach you is the Yin-Yang stance. This stance has different parts. First do a *'Horse Stance' and put your arms parallel to the ground. Face your palms away from your chest and regulate your breathing."
"Next, empty your mind to enter a deep meditative state. If you can't blank your thoughts, then just think of something that you can focus on. Anything is fine as long as you can calm your mind. Then, move your body side to side without lifting your feet from the ground. Do it slowly and feel each movement of your body. Now it's your turn". After his demonstration he asked Shin to redo it.
*(Horse Stance: A standing position that resembles riding a horse)
Shin couldn't even react before the old man continued explaining, "This stance will help you relax your mind and remove the strains in your body caused by your previous training method. Do this stance training for two weeks and your body will be back to its perfect condition. It can even give you a very nice surprise".
All that Shin could do was follow the old man's instructions while cursing in his heart. 'What a shameless Old Man'.
...
It had been two weeks since Captain Bernard brought Shin into the Villa of the Springfield Family.
Shin was performing his daily routine, while Professor Plum and General Springfield were chatting on the sidelines.
"Tsk! Old Monster Plum I didn't expect you to accept a disciple this way ". General Springfield clicked his tongue, mocking Professor Plum.
Professor Plum kept fondling his beard as he continued to watch Shin, as if he hadn't heard his old friend's remark. A few moments later he smirked and turned towards him. "Heh, Old Demon, if I were you, I wouldn't underestimate that kid. Because that kid has a secret that even he himself is unaware of ".
General Springfield frowned and said, "Do you think I haven't noticed? That kid's willpower is too abnormal and I'm pretty sure that it is not caused by that organization. But I don't have any idea where it came from."
Professor Plum smiled mysteriously and spouted out one word, "Bloodline ".
The general was taken aback by that word and asked him, "But that kid shouldn't be part of that Clan!"
"You're right about that kid being not part of that Clan, but they are not the only ones that have that kind of willpower." Old Plum replied.
"IMPOSSIBLE!!!", the old general rejected the idea right away. "That man shouldn't have a child. No. No. No. That man can't have a child! What's more, it is impossible for him to mix his blood with others, so it's impossible for that kid to be his son or even his successor".
"You never know what's running in that guy's mind. And who can testify that he can't really have a child?" Old Plum rebutted.
....
Meanwhile a *'Yellow Bumblebee' arrived at Springfield Villa. A young man with blonde hair and golden colored pupils got out of the car with a huge smile on his face.
*( An expensive car in this world )
"Arrived at last! Thank you Uncle Berlin, just tell Mom that I got bored over there." said the young man before running to the Villa.
While he was passing through the corridor along the garden, he noticed a kid the same age as him practicing Martial-Arts.
At first, he just wanted to take a look, but then he suddenly thought of something. He grinned as he moved towards the kid stealthy.
.....
Shin took a deep breath indicating that he was done with his training.
All of a sudden his face turned solemn because of a malicious intent directed towards him. Then he heard a whistling sound coming from behind his head.
He hurriedly turned his head and threw a punch at whatever was coming from behind him.
His fist came in contact with his assailant's foot, forcing him to take two steps backward to relieve the force from the impact.
He took a look at his assailant and saw that it was a boy of a similar age as him. The boy smiled at him and said, "Hey, you look strong! Let's have a match!"
Shin frowned and said, "Do all people in this house really like to interrupt others while they are busy? Much less introducing themselves first?" while remembering all the encounters that he experienced so far.
"Ah! Sorry about that. It's just too rare to find someone as good as you. What's more, you are at a similar age as me. By the way, I'm Arthur Springfield. Now let's have a match." said the boy in one breath.
Then he took his battle stance and the aura he was emitting suddenly changed. It looked like he had transformed from a mischievous child into a majestic eagle that looked down at everyone from the sky.
Shin still looked dissatisfied with the kid's reply. But he didn't reject the challenge, since it had been a while since he had had a sparring match. He believed one would only know their improvements if they applied what they learned into practice.
He gave a traditional bow before taking his own battle stance. Suddenly, the aura around him also changed. If Arthur was a majestic eagle, then Shin was a vicious vulture, ready to take on his prey.
Arthur looked excited when he saw Shin take his stance. Then he took the first move, since he believed that the one, who attacked first, dictated the rhythm of the fight.
In just a blink of an eye, he was already in front of Shin. He threw a straight punch with his right fist targeting Shin's face.
'Fast!' Shin thought when he saw Arthur's fist, but he did not panic. He calmly raised his left arm and turned counterclockwise. His action seems so slow to a spectator's view, but this slow movement of Shin's successfully deflected Arthur's fist with the back of his hand.
The moment Arthur's attack was deflected by Shin; Arthur felt an immense threat coming from him, so he hurriedly jumped backward and retreated.
But how could Shin not seize that opportunity? So he gave chase. The moment Arthur landed on the ground; he was greeted by Shin's uppercut coming straight at his face. He leaned his body backwards and did a backflip, barely avoiding the fist. And while evading, he kicked his right foot upwards, targeting Shin's chin.
Shin was caught off-guard by the sudden counter, but he still managed to lean his head sideways, narrowly avoiding the kick.
....
The two old men were discussing the fight as if they were commentators of a boxing match.
"That first attack of Arthur's was a little rash. Although he believes in the saying 'Offence is the best defense', that doesn't mean he can always attack recklessly." criticized Old Plum.
"But he still managed to regain his footing, didn't he? The result is still what matters the most." said Old Springfield defending his grandson.
"Hmph! Old Demon, if you keep spoiling your grandson like this, his future growth is going to become limited," said Old Plum. He paused for a few moments before continuing, "Don't worry, since even I am not that optimistic about my disciple winning this match. At his current strength, even though he has more experience than Arthur, that grandson of yours is still a Martial-Art prodigy."
Old Plum sighed because he knew that a Martial-Art prodigy could not be beaten by experience alone. They were the kind of geniuses that had a lot of trump cards up their sleeves. They had a very high comprehension ability and they could even learn a lot of skills even if they only saw them once.
So no matter what Shin did, he still couldn't beat Arthur once the latter became serious.
....
The two kids were still exchanging blows back and forth. Fists against fists, kicks versus kicks. Then Arthur's eyes suddenly turned fierce, he clenched his right fist and threw it with a speed that couldn't be seen by the naked eye.
'Military Arts: Meteor Fist'
Shin was caught off guard by the sudden change of tempo. He tried to cross his arms in front of his chest, but the attack was too fast for him to block. The fist managed to land on his chest and he was thrown backwards.
Shin did his best to twist his body in the air to decrease some of the force of the blow, but Arthur was already above him and launched an axe-kick at him. The power coming from the kick was even more powerful than the previous attack. It felt as if a real meteor was descending from the sky.
'Military Arts: Meteor Descend'
Shin's face turned even more solemn because of the incoming attack. He put more force into turning his body in midair while throwing a kick, trying to redirect the course of Arthur's attack.
'Black Serpent Martial-Arts: Aerial Twist'
Even though Shin managed to deflect it, his balance was still off. So when he landed on the ground, Arthur had already begun his onslaught. And he was thrown into a passive state because of it.
.....
Old General Springfield frowned at first, but he felt at ease when he saw that his grandson had the upper hand. "That Aerial Twist earlier was a little forceful, if he had released it a little later, it would've been perfect".
Old Plum can't help but agree with his old friend, "Well, that Meteor Fist of Arthur's was perfectly executed and it even managed to land it cleanly. Maybe that kid's chest was hurt, resulting in a rushed decision".
Then Captain Bernard suddenly popped out beside the two old men, with a cigarette in his mouth and smiled saying, "Since that is the case, then I guess this match..... is ... almost... ove-..." Before he managed to finish what he was saying, his expression changed and the cigarette in his mouth fell to the ground.
Because he saw that, as the match progressed, Shin became stronger. The execution of his skills was becoming more perfect and he managed to break away from his passive state. He even managed to counter a few times until their fight went back into a deadlock.
Even the faces of the two old men changed when they saw what happened. They looked at each other and spat two words out.
"Battle Genius!!!!"
Battle Geniuses were different from Martial-Art Prodigies. They didn't have a very high comprehensive ability but they had a very strong battle senses. They could improve themselves through fighting.
A Martial-Art prodigy had a lot of aces up their sleeves due to their ability to learn different kinds of skills, while a Battle genius became stronger as the battle progressed because the more experience they had, the better they became.
When Old Plum regained his composure, he smiled mysteriously and said in a satisfied tone, "This is going to be interesting an interesting battle."
...…