What was happening? What was- No. Stop. Hold your breath. Karni said to himself. This thing was holding him. Break free first!
The Third Ring shone and directly hit the hand holding him. He was immediately held free. Good. Whoever this was, they were probably a physical type.
Focus. Think. The pressure was assaulting him from all sides, the enemy didn't matter. He couldn't even see the light at the top! How far down the ocean was he? Think.
Shift! But how? In water? He'd never even tried that before!
Swim first. Swim dammit! Get away from whoever was here.
He circulated his Bloodline as well. He didn't have enough he could do! He lacked strength! He didn't have skills which would allow for movement either! Sound wouldn't help push either. Sound travelled far easier through the water.
Think. Think! … … Fuck it. Whoever was here was much faster than him, he didn't even have seconds to think. Shift! Who cares if he had no knowledge if it worked, it was his best bet!
He focused his Soul Ring and stopped moving. Focus on the path ahead. Lock on… All of that water…. Damn it all. Water was dense. That would need so much energy!
"A cube." He heard a voice.
What? Karni asked in his mind.
"Imagine a cube! A grid. Now go go go!" It was Hop. He sounded sleepy but filled with adrenaline much like Karni.
A cube. A cube it is then. it's not like he had a lot of options!
He Shifted. And his head felt like it was hit by a bowling ball. That headache was insane. Did that take 20 percent of his Spiritual Power!?
He was already running on fumes, losing air. He had no time to prepare beforehand. Whoever grabbed him, did it at his most vulnerable. Just after the party, and when he was almost half asleep. They also hid. That vision showed at the last second, not giving him any time to react.
Shift again. Again! Again! He Shifted three times. Again! Four times. He could see the top, so far away. But he only had one Shift left in him, and whoever was up there would come for him. He had to swim. Swim for his damn life!
He swam and swam, but the surface did not look any closer. Fuck! Damn it all! He looked to the side. He was farther down than he thought. It wasn't that he wasn't getting closer, light only now actually reached the place he was in!
He had to Shift. Farther than before. It was his last chance. Feel the space. The water. Lock onto the water. The water was actually easier to lock on, easier to judge the distance. But it was also more demanding.
He looked back down into the ocean's abyss. He just crossed a 800 metres by Shifting four times upwards!
He focused. Lock on the space until you feel the surface. Feel it. He gulped down his own air, trying to keep it inside. He had to do it now! Lock on… 200 metres distance as before… stretch it. Overburden oneself. 300, still not at the top… 400… 450- The top at 450!
He knew where the surface was, but it was too far to Shift there. He locked on 300, 400 would knock him out already. At least at 300, he had a chance!
He Shifted. And it almost knocked him out anyway. He activated Sonic Rhythm. He needed to stabilise himself. He didn't need much Soul Power to keep that going due to his deep comprehension.
He tapped his head, Sound easing his mind, then circulated his Bloodline, Relaxing Aura easing the pressures of the ocean around him.
He swam upward with force, utilising Drunken Ghost Dance as much as he could inside the water.
He swam furiously, even pushing with his staff like a propeller, utilising the Sound, despite knowing that it barely helped. Any little thing helped. He added the Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon—CCCD—as well. Some more pressure was released. Purple Demon Eyes was activated, not to clear his vision, but to optimise his movements. He pushed himself to the limit.
But air. He was out of it. But he saw the top! He saw it! Only a little further only-
Damn it all, his muscles were losing power. He should've gotten himself a Spirit Soul for the Panda. Something. Anything that would boost his physical aspects-
Stop the self-pity. Channel the frustration. His eyes sharpened. He could not fail now. He just left Sisi. They just had their first fucking kiss. He. Will. Not. Fall. Here.
He swam, swam because his life depended on it. Soul Power exploded out of his body in a wasteful manner, but this helped immensely. He had to get outside. To freedom! To…
Air!
Air! He breathed in heavily, coughing. All he saw was the endless ocean around him.
"What a peculiar way of escaping. I was convinced you wouldn't last 5 minutes." The unknown person looked at his clock. "Huh. Five minutes and thirty seconds. I suppose I was close. You were about to be knocked out."
Karni tensed for a second, before being hit with a realisation. The panic made him unable to think before. Wasn't this… the Body Sect training method?
"Hmm. That calmness is impressive. Though your body is less impressive. Hmmm. Alright, I'll let uncle's plan unfold."
Uncle? Was this guy Hu Jie's nephew? The Body Sect Master? Now Karni finally remembered everything. Right, Tang Wulin would be tortured by this guy as well… what was his name? Karni couldn't remember. But he did remember this practice. Oh no… would he have to go through the whole training as well?
"Why didn't you teleport before? You could've escaped." The Body Sect Master asked.
Karni sighed. "Because…" He coughed, still clearing the water out of his lungs. "I have to lock onto the damn space beforehand. You were moving too fast for me to lock on at a suitable time."
The man's eyes changed to that of wonder, thinking about the consequences. Now that Karni knew this was one of the tests, he also knew that this guy was secretly watching out for him… or at least he hoped that was the case. Karni himself had no relationship with this man.
He really, really hoped that this man wasn't malicious, because he was losing consciousness. His mind was far too tired…
… … …
"Mu Ye. How was he?" Hu Jie asked his nephew.
"He came up the water. But he teleported. His body didn't experience all the pressure. He looked like he was going to pass out after only 5 minutes. He's not as impressive as my disciple."
Hu Jie looked at Mu Ye sternly. "He didn't have any air. You yoinked him out of the damn bed! He was losing air! His body wasn't having any trouble."
"I did the same with Tang Wulin. Valk Karni's body isn't particularly impressive, only his Bloodline is. I could feel its effects from my Mecha."
"Tsk. It's worthless arguing with you. You'll see tomorrow." Hu Jie vanished from the room on the ship.
Mu Ye wondered. "I'll feed him together with that brat. Then we'll see who gets more from this training and who lasts longer."
… … …
Karni woke up late, by a knock. He looked at the clock. It was already two in the afternoon. The sun was high in the sky. He opened the door and there was Tang Wulin, with bags as deep as the night sky under his eyes.
"Whoah." Tang Wulin said. "What happened to you?" Apparently Karni didn't look any different.
"You're asking?" Karni returned the question.
Tang Wulin sighed. "Nothing. Come with me."
Karni followed and whistled lazily. "How was salty water?"
Tang Wulin looked at him in surprise.
Karni sighed. "I know, right? I hated it too."
Tang Wulin just stayed staring at Karni, his eyes regaining some clarity. Karni moved ahead of him. "You coming or what? I don't know where we're going."
"Right." It was rare for Tang Wulin to get caught off guard. "So, did you manage to reach the surface."
Karni nodded. "With Shifting, though it took all of my Spiritual Power to do it."
The two arrived at the door and Tang Wulin opened it up for Karni. "This is my Uncle Mu Ye."
Mu Ye sniffed begrudgingly at being called 'uncle', before sighing. "Yes. I'm Mu Ye. You may also call me Uncle Mu Ye, since your teacher is my Uncle."
Karni nodded and bowed a little. "I greet Uncle Mu Ye."
Mu Ye grumbled again. "You still seem calm. Too calm for my taste. Come here."
Karni didn't mind… until Mu Ye hit him with his palm. Making his blood boil. A hit after hit after hit. It was almost as excruciating as the pressure of the water he felt yesterday.
After a thorough massage by Mu Ye, Karni could finally breathe again. That… hurt.
Mu Ye looked from Karni to Tang Wulin, and grumbled for the third time already. "Fine. Fine, fine, fine."
He brought out food. "Eat you two. And you better eat all of it."
Karni looked at the incredible food in front of him. Indeed. He was hungry after all of that yesterday.
As Karni took the very first bite he was absolutely gobsmacked. Delicious! The most delicious thing he had ever eaten! He looked at Tang Wulin with jealousy. Wulin had been this man's disciple for a while. He got to eat this regularly! The food in his stomach turned into energy for his whole body, invigorating him… Unfair. No wonder Tang Wulin grew so damn fast. Karni could progress faster if this had been his daily meal.
As Karni was still eating and Tang Wulin had yet to finish due to his bottomless stomach, Mu Ye addressed Karni. "Hu Jie entrusted me with training you. Not that I'd let him train you in this method. You're lucky the later techniques are all his own variations. I hope you're aware of what kind of gift getting your Martial Soul's second awakening is?"
Karni nodded seriously, though to be honest, he had no idea what would happen. He had two Martial Souls, had any of them yet to reach its full potential? He genuinely did not know. Both of his Martial Souls were mutations. And one of them seemed too closely connected with that golden flow. Would it be affected?
"Good. This is our sect's secret cultivation technique; you better not share it."
Karni nodded, but he only half overheard what Mu Ye went on to say after. He was focused on his body. He felt invigorated, full, refreshed… But this was mostly his Panda's feelings… the refreshment was more like a shower at the end of the day. It made you feel great, but also…
"Yawn." Karni stretched his body. It made him sleepy.
Mu Ye raised his brow and was about to comment but noticed Tang Wulin had finished eating. "And you. Stop addressing me as Uncle. Call me teacher."
"Teacher? I haven't promised you that I'll join the Body Sect. I am a disciple of the Tang Sect. So is he!" Tang Wulin pointed at Karni. Who couldn't help but yawn again. But wait… what was this sense of deja vu?
Mu Ye's face turned red. "Forget it! Forget it! That guy is the disciple of my Uncle anyway, and I'm doing him a favour. But I'll let you join the Body Sect without needing to leave Tang Sect."
Tang Wulin suddenly appeared weak. "However, as part of the Tang Sect, I'm not allowed to join another sect… right Karni!" He looked pleadingly at Karni.
Karni just haphazardly nodded, yawning yet again. This was entertaining. But that food activated his bloodline and he… wanted to… sleep… his head fell.
He only heard some more voices, complaints and what not. He didn't care, he was comfortable right here-
He was wooshed away in a shock, quite literally shocked awake! "Damn it Wulin!" Karni screamed almost subconsciously, before noticing the ocean again.
He took a bit of a breath, he at least had the mind for that this time around. The problem was that even as he was crashing toward the ocean at full speed, Karni felt drowsiness.
The water exploded in his head with full power, giving him another rude awakening. The man took him in a different way than before. The pressure encapsulated him, his breathing… stabilised? He was surprised at himself. The blood was boiling, yet the pressure was uncomfortable. Painful.
He was losing consciousness, but not due to the pain… due to sleepiness.
He wanted to curse. The pressure felt less intense than yesterday. His Spiritual Power also seemed wider… yet he'd go out like this? Due to food?
No… He didn't… want… to…
… … …
Mu Ye saw Karni just floating freely in the water. Slowly going back up. He sighed. In the end, the new guy only escaped due to his Spiritual Prowess.
He was about to grab Val Karni, when Hu Jie showed up and put his finger on his mouth. "Look at him closely."
Mu Ye frowned, then went closer. He stared at Karni for a while… with a look of amazement. "He's sleeping? Underwater? His bloodline…"
"And his body." Hu Jie pointed. "He has natural buoyancy and flexibility. Not strength, but a different quality just as suitable for the Body Sect, especially my techniques."
Mu Ye couldn't help but agree. The child softly floated upward as if the sea was pushing him. Even his breathing somehow naturally put a layer of Soul Power over his nose to protect him. Though the boy's face did look uncomfortable. He definitely did not have good dreams.
He left Hu Jie there and went to look at his own not-yet-disciple. That boy was already rushing toward the surface, much faster… wait… Mu Ye turned back to Karni and his eyes went wide. Just how good was that boy's buoyancy? The speed of rising wasn't that much slower than Tang Wulin's forceful method!
… … …
Karni woke up in his room and stretched. Soggy, uncomfortable, but also weirdly refreshed? It was a paradoxical feeling. He looked at the time. It was just before noon—better than the day before. Wait… it's already been two days. He hadn't talked to anyone other than Wulin for two days.
He went outside to grab something to eat and stumbled upon the princess. When she saw him, she looked worried and analysed his face. "Where have you been? I thought you would keep me some company… With you being away from Siduo and all." She seemed to sulk.
"I'm sorry Yun'er. I got kind of forcefully pulled into training. It's all good though, don't worry." Karni did not elaborate further.
The two just went on to eat together. Chatting a little, though Karni's mind was decently absent. Experiencing this two days in a row was tiring, to say the least. He'd been asleep for most of it, yet he still felt exhausted.
"So… is this training going to make you much stronger?" Yun'er ate her cupcake she just grabbed.
Karni nodded. "It's as intense as yours and Siduo's back then though in a different way. I'll get a tough body, my Spiritual Power is rising, and-"
"Your Spiritual Power? That's good! We should compete at the tournament. I've gotten stronger, you know?" She leaned lower and whispered. "I'm at Spiritual Abyss already."
Karni stopped… "Spiritual Abyss? Damn, you've surpassed me a good deal." That was the power of a pure Spiritual Type Martial Soul.
The princess looked happy. "Mm, mm. How close are you to achieving it?"
"Honestly, after this training, I should reach the bottleneck. Hopefully I surpass that by the time I battle you."
"Hmm." The princess thought with her mouth full. "Even with that, I'm not confident I'll have much of an advantage. It's gonna be interesting!" She smiled.
The two chatted for a while until Tang Wulin came toward them, looking equally as refreshed as he was tired, and just nodded at Karni.
"Well, Yun'er," Karni rose from his seat, "my training calls. Let's say that you can wake me up in the morning if you want to hang out, eh?"
"I'll take you up on that offer." Yun'er begrudgingly let him go. He was her only friend on this ship and there wasn't much to do. She would definitely come looking for him tomorrow.
Tang Wulin walked with him to their Uncle Mu Ye. "She's not going to be trouble, right?"
Karni thought about it. "Honestly, you probably just gave more attention to yourself by getting me… but it should be fine… I think. I'll vouch for you if need be. Comrades in suffering eh."
Tang Wulin chuckled in a monotone way. "Yeah. Comrades."
They reached their teacher…
…
…
"Forty-nine days? Uncle, are you trying to kill us?" Tang Wulin complained aloud while stuffing his face with more delicious food. Karni just had a scrunched-up face. This was supposed to be a vacation time on the sea. He was supposed to mope about Siduo and get over it. But this… kind of just made him feel frustrated a bit. Now he didn't even have time to mope about.
On the other hand, he was secretly appreciating it. Even if painful, it was a distraction.
The two landed in water… it would only take forty-nine days… only forty-nine… damn it… he was feeling sleepy again. That food was too good for his body.
"Karni… Karni! Stay awake, we can use this chance-"
The Crow cawed at Karni's sleepiness, but Karni didn't listen. This was so comfortably uncomfortable… his consciousness faded.
… … …
The ocean was so peaceful. Full of beautiful reflections of the sun… as long as you did not look down into its abyss. Karni was in the starfish pose, letting the sea bring his body up. He was awake, though still with some difficulty. His blood was boiling, but the increase of his Spiritual Power over the last few days helped him go through all of this at least half awake. The pressure was intense. His Spiritual Power increased especially in its quality.
Today, he finally managed to stay awake. Finally.
"Finally. Ten days." His inner voice… wait no, that was Hopper. "I can't believe it took you ten days. We can finally start your training."
Karni sighed at the top of the water. Indeed. The crow had been complaining since the second day Karni was put into the water. Nonstop complaining. The crow was intelligent, but gods-forbid Karni was ever behind time on anything. Exactness and accuracy were the highest of values to Hop.
Hop could feel Karni's complaints. "Fine. Tomorrow."
Day eleven's 'splashing' began, and Karni was, yet again, surrounded by the endless blackness of the ocean.
"Start," the crow sounded, "with a grid."
Karni focused but was slightly confused.
"The ocean is open and has no discrepancies. A constant sameness. So make a grid where there isn't one. Imagine it. Start with 1m cubes."
Karni closed his eyes, letting his Spiritual Energy and the Sound from the surroundings flow. In between, he let the intense pressure do the work on lifting him up.
He formed the grid—lines of Sound and Spiritual Energy criss-crossing—shaping the cubes. He was surprised to find how well the ocean acted as a catalyst for the Spiritual Energy to flow. It was harder to get it out, but once it was there, it was easier to keep it flowing than in the air, where it dissolved in seconds.
Sound helped even more in this. It flowed with ease in the water and mixing it with Spiritual Power made the forming of this grid even easier.
"Good. Now connect the cube you're in with the one at the top. Connect them by a single line from edge to edge."
Karni did as told. He locked on Space inside the cube, the Spiritual Power and Sound acting as the cornerstones of the cube.
He Shifted, and gasped, letting out air, before quickly closing his mouth. Shock. He used only about 10 percent of his Soul Power this time around.
The crow cackled on the inside.
"Why didn't you teach me this sooner?" Karni asked inside his Spiritual Sea.
"There was no opportunity. It would be a waste of time to learn this in free air. It would take you years."
"And how did you learn this?" Karni asked.
The crow went silent. "Karni… I lived on an island for twenty thousand years. It gets boring."
Karni couldn't help but shrug on the inside. That was as good of an explanation as any.
He Shifted and Shifted, focusing on that grid, keeping it going, expanding it, closing it. After some time, he ran out of Spiritual Power and let his body flow freely.
As he reached the top, the crow's beak resembled a smile. "Tomorrow we're trying to create 95cm cubes."
… … …
"Good, good. 70cm is stable. Now let's fix a problem that's been bugging me since when we first met. The way you channel Shift."
Karni stopped in the middle of the ocean. These first few stages were easy—easier, as he got control over his sleepiness. "You're never satisfied, are you Hop?"
The crow cackled. "I'll be satisfied when you can create 10cm cubes and actually use the Space element instead of channelling Space through Sound."
"Oh, that? I remember you saying that last year. I still don't see the difference. It feels like I'm using Space, no?"
The Crow shook his head. "No, no, no. It's completely different. Let me out for a bit."
"We're underwater."
"I know how to hold my breath. I lived on an island for twenty thousand years. I have told you this before, haven't I?"
"Point taken." Karni released Hopper outside.
"Observe." The crow sent a mental message. Karni released his Sound throughout the sea. An easy feat, if he ignored the pressure squishing him. Even the crow seemed to harden his feathers to fight the pressure.
Hop made a great grid, each cube 5cm wide, long and deep. Karni sensed the small changes in the water. But… It all felt the same. He removed his Sound. It might be because of that. He released his Spiritual Power around him instead. A mighty amount by now, though he only used it close to himself, focusing on the grid nearby.
It was… still the same. Karni gave the crow a weird look.
The crow's third eye opened, looking confused and frustrated. That third eye was rarely opened. "Let me feel your senses. You're not looking close enough."
Karni opened himself up. The crow swam and "sat" on Karni's head. The crow's senses invaded Karni's.
Karni felt the crow shake a bit. "Impossible. For you it's all the same? That shouldn't be possible. That is impossible!"
Karni was further confused. The crow stayed quiet for a bit. "Karni, fuse with my senses as well."
"You sure? That's quite invasive-"
"Do it."
It was odd. Hopper almost never let himself be vulnerable like that. The last time was when Karni, Siduo and Wulin fought the Evil Soul Master. But this time it was for a non-life-threatening thing. Karni focused his Spiritual Power into the crow, and let the crow show him the way.
"Hmm." Karni murmured. There was… something. "It's foggy. I can sense something odd, but… not really. It's like something's blocking me from…" He stopped himself. Actually, that feeling was eerily like how he felt when Siduo told him something she shouldn't have.
"Impossible." The crow uttered. Their senses were connected both ways, as were their thoughts at this very moment. "That problem with… on something like this?"
"My very senses…" Karni was confused. He looked at his Bo Staff. Why would it block his sense of Space? Wasn't it connected through it? Was it telling him he was only allowed to channel Space through Sound? He felt the crow disconnect his senses.
"I need time to think about future training. Continue as you were for now."
Why? Why would his very senses be forbidden from feeling the element of Space?
… … …
Karni swam to the top with a satisfied smile on his face. He was still slightly dizzy due to his sleepy bloodline, but he was nowhere near as affected as he was at the start.
Mu Ye looked at Karni, then looked at Tang Wulin who also rose up some two hundred metres away. He sighed. They still hadn't had their Martial Souls awakened. And tomorrow was the last day. The 49th day.
He was worried, more so than his Uncle Hu Jie, who still not revealed himself to his disciple due to Mu Ye's insistency that he alone oversees the training. Karni was already highly talented in his Martial Souls, while the Panda had yet to develop, it was powerful on the count of its Bloodline. Tang Wulin did not have such luck. His bloodline was an incredibly high-ranking dragon, but his Martial Soul was Bluesilver Grass; and that needed improvement. He would have to make this difficult tomorrow. Incredibly so.
Karni was especially annoying due to his ability to teleport. He had to take him deeper and deeper every day so his body would get appropriate training. Not only that, but the kid was also using this as some additional training underwater.
He sighed, then grabbed them and returned them to the ship. Hu Jie came toward him. "What is tomorrow going to look like?"
Mu Ye thought. "I spotted a ten-thousand-year Devil Soul Great White Shark some time ago… but that would be too easy if both of them do it together."
Hu Jie nodded. "I can help you out… if you'd let me."
Mu Ye grumbled. He really did not want to. When Hu Jie first asked him for this favour, Mu Ye felt proud and wanted to put his Uncle's student through the hardship. But at this point… "Fine. You can find another group for your disciple."
Hu Jie smiled. "I finally get to reveal myself. Good."
"And after that," Mu Ye asked. "How are you going to continue? His body is not suitable for traditional external body training."
Hu Jie smiled. "I already have everything figured out, don't worry." The man moved his round body and waved Mu Ye goodbye. "Now, nephew, I have to find my disciple a suitable challenge."
… … …
Karni opened his door, and his mouth hung open. Hu Jie. "Teacher! You're here! Have we arrived already?"
Hu Jie laughed. "No, no. I was here for the entire time, watching you. I am very satisfied with you. You used the pressure to hone yourself. Smart."
"Then why didn't you-"
"Because my nephew did not let me. This is the Body Sect's way of doing things, and I am not of the Body Sect anymore. Today he's only allowing me to help you because there was a slight problem."
Karni thought about it. "Today's the last day, right? Is it special?"
Hu Jie nodded and yanked Karni away. Karni couldn't help but comment on it. "You're quite a lot like your nephew, teacher."
"Shut it." He threw Karni in the water. They instantly arrived at their destination. "Have fun." He waved him away.
Karni was weirded out. He wasn't dunked underwater. Then he saw fins all around him. Sharks? One of them, the biggest one, pulled out its head.
"OH MY FUCKING GOD, THAT'S DISGUSTING!"
The creature was immediately offended. It looked… like a dolphin? But with uncanny teeth like a sabretooth tiger and indented, deformed nose. The creature screamed, opening its mouth at almost 180 degrees, hundreds of tiny little teeth popped out. Its goat like eyes turned backwards, becoming fully white.
"Sabretooth Dolphins…"
Shit. The back of his brain said. He wouldn't be able to kill them. These dolphins, while, excruciatingly, monstrously, terrifyingly ugly, were actually incredibly emotive and kind creatures… except when someone called them ugly. They took that personally.
Karni realised his mistake. The dolphins would definitely go for the kill… and he wouldn't. They were good creatures… with a big, almost human insecurity about their appearance.
"Damn it all…" He pulled out his Bo Staff. "Can I still apologise?"
The biggest dolphin, the one he called disgusting, charged.