Suddenly, King Ape appeared between me and this monkey and said, "Stop! That's enough!"
Instantly, both of us fell silent and didn't continue our training. King Ape invited us to go somewhere farther and deeper. Along the way, I could hear the sound of water growing louder as we approached. And indeed, we arrived at the healing waterfall.
There, I saw Adrian meditating beneath the rushing waterfall from above, completely absorbed in his concentrated state, unaware of our arrival. Suddenly, the monkey leaped into the natural pool formed by the waterfall.
As the monkey jumped into the pool, its fallen scales slowly began to regenerate, and it started to heal. "What kind of pool is this? I've never seen a pool that can heal wounds instantly!" I asked King Ape.
"This is a waterfall blessed by the power of the Elves, enabling its water to heal all kinds of injuries and illnesses. However, the water's efficacy only affects those with a good and pure heart," King Ape explained.
"So, you mean those with evil intentions cannot be healed?"
On the contrary, if someone with malicious intentions touches this water, they will experience pain. That's why this serves as a test before we continue our training tomorrow," King Ape said as he entered the pool.
I slowly walked into the pool, and I could see my wounds gradually closing and instantly healing. "So, did I pass?" I asked King Ape while showing him my healed hand.
King Ape glanced back at Adrian, who was still deep in meditation, and then instructed me to go home and rest. I decided to follow his guidance and went home to rest.
The next day, I returned to the waterfall location and saw Adrian and King Ape waiting for me. King Ape directed us to a place behind the waterfall, and he explained that my next training would focus on the power of the mind and concentration.
The mind and concentration are the initial steps to using your Soul Resonance. Adrian explained that through meditation, you can relax your mind and body, allowing you to concentrate better when using your powers.
"Is that all? I need further explanation on how to use Soul Resonance!" I said to Adrian.
"Didn't they explain anything about it to you before?" Adrian asked.
"Only Victor explained it, and that was during my training in an empty field, but his explanation wasn't clear," I said.
"Never mind, you'll understand it later," Adrian said as he sat down beneath the rushing waterfall.
"Why don't you try meditating with him? I think you'll understand," King Ape suggested to me.
I observed the two of them sitting side by side beneath the powerful waterfall, and I felt like I had no other choice but to follow their guidance. I joined them and sat beside King Ape, attempting to meditate and calm myself.
"....."
"....."
"Hey, King!" I called out.
"What is it?"
"I don't feel anything, and my head hurts because of this waterfall."
"You have to feel it, my dear. Try to calm your mind."
So, I tried to calm my mind again, following King Ape's instructions.
"Feel the pain, my dear."
"....."
"Imagine the pain as a cluster of needles piercing through your head."
"....."
"Go deeper, until it penetrates your heart."
"....."
"Collect all the pain in your heart and spread it throughout your entire body."
Second by second, I began to feel it...
I sensed the energy gathered within my heart spreading throughout my entire body...
What is this? It's a new sensation for me...
Slowly, I opened my eyes. Amidst the powerful waterfall, I noticed that all the hairs on my body were standing on end, despite being wet from the cascading water.
"King, what is this?" I asked.
"Do you feel the sensation flowing through your entire body?" King Ape asked.
With the sensation I was experiencing, I felt a sense of joy when I felt it. "Yes! I feel an incredible energy!" I answered King Ape.
"Now that you've felt it, try to imagine transferring all the energy currently scattered throughout your body and centering it in both of your feet."
Under the powerful waterfall, I stood and attempted to do as King Ape had said. I closed my eyes and imagined all the energy that was scattered becoming centered in both of my feet.
Damn it! As soon as I did that, I felt both of my feet become incredibly light! It was completely different from what I usually felt!
I opened my eyes and leaped forward. And it seemed that I concentrated a considerable amount of power in my feet because instead of just jumping, I ended up lunging forward and crashing into a tree in front of the waterfall, sending me flying to the edge of the village.
Due to the commotion I caused, all the Chatterbeast villagers gathered to see me. I woke up and glanced back, noticing that King Ape could only stand there watching me while Adrian remained in his meditation as if nothing had happened.
"Are you okay, big brother?" a little child with a fox-like appearance asked me.
"Ah? Y-yes, I'm fine! Don't worry about it, hahaha," I replied, trying to assure the Chatterbeast villagers to avoid any trouble.
I remembered that the journey from the Chatterbeast village to the waterfall was about 50 kilometers, and even I shivered at the realization. Then I hurried back to the waterfall where King Ape and Adrian were still waiting for me.
"Hey! Are you okay, kid?" King Ape shouted.
"Yes! I'm fine!"
Upon arrival, King Ape seemed to be in disbelief about my strength. He shook Reid's body, trying to get him to wake up from his concentration. And when he did wake up, he was extremely shocked to see several trees had fallen.
"Who did this? Are we under attack? How did they find this location?" Adrian asked, very surprised to see several trees fallen in front of the waterfall.
"No, no one attacked. It was all done by this child," King Ape said, pointing at me.
"Oliver? Was it you who did it?" Adrian asked me.
I could only chuckle and scratch the back of my head.
"My intuition was right in bringing you along with me! HAHAHAAHA!" Adrian's laughter shattered all my worries of being scolded.
"So, what do you think? Should we continue tomorrow instead?" Adrian asked King Ape.
"I think resting earlier for the day won't hurt, considering the unexpected outcome of the first attempt," said King Ape, looking at me with a rather satisfied expression on his face.