I was led, rather forced up the stairs by the old man until I could see the red roof of the temple over the horizon, previously blocked by the staircase.
As I moved closer, I felt light reflecting from the top of the staircase into my eyes. 'Weird, I don't remember lights being installed at Bailin Temple?'
As I got closer, the light sources only increased until it felt like I was in a sea of stars at night. Using my arm to shield my eyes from the moonlight reflecting from the top, I finally discerned the source of the reflection.
Over 100 bald heads of the disciples at Bailin Temple, who had either stopped their nightly training or had woken up from their sleep, were currently waiting in formation for our arrival at the entrance.
'Should I shave my head to blind my opponents in battle? Now that I think about it, even the master fighter of the environment, Gaia, was bald too. It may have been a strategy; all that talk of facing ultimate fear and losing his hair might have been a ruse to mislead others from following his path.' I grinned at my useless thoughts and hurriedly introduced myself to the giant man at the front of the monk battalion.
I was sure that if there were a character select screen, Kaiou Kaku would have the lowest settings for all values, while this guy would be the limit one could select. I stared into the old mans eyes with a predatory gaze, not wanting to wait till I devuored all that he had to teach me.
His muscles, his strength, his technique. Technique, I turned my head slightly to glance at Kaiou Kaku, wanting to have my cake and it too. 'Now, the question is how many flavours am I gonna try while I'm here.'
"Grand elder, I had thought that you were in seclusion training. Is there anything wrong?" asked the buff old man, breaking my thoughts. He was obviously curious about my relationship with Kaiou Kaku, given our dissimilar appearances.
"Hohoho, why don't you find out for yourself, Ryuu," replied Kaiou Kaku, gesturing towards me with his head. "I want you to attack this little boy with a good punch. Don't worry about hurting him."
The buff old man, apparently named Ryuu, gave me a quick glance to analyze my strength and then struck me with a punch every bit as strong as Kaku's from moments before.
Having had enough time to reflect and analyze my movements while walking up the stairs, I was able to better replicate the technique. This time, I perfectly dispersed the momentum through me and into the ground, leaving a few cracks in the pavement beneath my feet.
"Hmm, so you know a bit of Xiaoli, huh? Certainly a great achievement for someone your age." Ryuu seemed a bit impressed by my feat. If this were an anime, I would have briefy been able to see his eyes, previously shrouded by darkness to simulate his disinterest in the world.
"Hahaha, that's the fun part, Ryuu. This kid just copied me when I attacked him in the forest. It's his first time trying the technique from what I saw."
"Really now, tell me how you did it, little one." The veil of darkness around the man's eyes completely disappeared, one eyebrow raised, waiting for my answer.
"I don't know. I kind of just understood what he was doing and tried it myself. The feeling of looseness, weightlessness, wasn't too hard to copy." I responded truthfully, hoping the scenario would play out as it did in my head. But as they say, life doesn't always go as planned.
"So you copied the intent of the technique instead of just his movements, huh—" Ryuu stopped his train of thought aloud and suddenly kicked me from the side with inhuman strength.
My body spun around like a ferris wheel. I lost count of the rotations before I stopped. I allowed the momentum from the strike to disperse, landing on my feet and clutching my sore left arm. 'The strike still hurt, you know,' I thought, displeased that I guessed incorrectly about the future.
"HAHAHAHAHA," the old man let out a guttural laugh, resembling an elephant letting out a battle cry. The other disciples showed me eyes of sympathy, some putting their hands together to pray for my well-being.
Instead of continuing to test my skill, the old man turned to Kaku and performed a little bow. "Thank you, elder, for this gift to the temple," his voice leaking with sincerity and gratefulness.
"Oh, stop it, Ryuu. I thought I would do my part as one of the older generations. The new fighters are only getting more and more disappointing compared to the ones in my time. Even my own son isn't an exception," Kaku sounded like everyone's grandpa at family functions, reminiscing about how it was so much better in the good old days.
"I want you to train the kid well until he can handle some of my instruction. Skip everything unnecessary; I don't want the kid learning the customs and values of the temple only to disregard them anyway." Kaiou Kaku narrowed his eyes at me, a better judge of character than I had thought.
"I'll even personally teach him a few things if he doesn't start crying during the training," remarked the old man, obviously trying to get a rise out of me before going back up the mountain to his training.
'Seriously, Kaku, those tricks might work on Melissa, but they won't work on someone like me.' I did not need such lame excuses for training and getting stronger; my drive was much purer than he thought.
"Does that sound good to you, kid?" asked Master Ryuu, grabbing my shoulder and giving me no chance to escape.
"Of course, that's why I came here in the first place. I was recommended by Mr. Nomusana to come here for training. I am sure he informed someone of my arrival beforehand?"
"Yes, master," spoke a voice from the crowd of disciples. A muscular man with white hair styled in a flattop came forward under the surprised gazes of his fellow disciples. He was shirtless, wearing only black Shaolin monk pants and black Tai Chi shoes.
"A friend of mine from the outside told me that a student of his was going to enter the temple soon, hoping to receive instruction. He said his student was talented, but nothing like this."
It took me a while, but I finally recognized the Chinese fighters in front of me. Kaiou Ryuu, one of the few people to have challenged the strongest man in the world, and Youou Chou, the man who was beaten by Baki to prove he was suitable to enter the Raitai tournament even when poisoned.
"It's fine, it doesn't matter. Let's get your training started, young man." The old man listened to his disciple's words and disregarded them as if they were worthless.
'Seriously, all that effort I made to ensure Mr. Nomusana wrote me a stellar letter of reference, and in the end, it didn't even matter.'
"I can't wait, but I have a small request," I spoke lightly to the buff old man.
"Oh?"
"You see, I came here with my family on vacation—my aunt, my uncle, and dear little sister. If I were to lock myself up here and away from them, my sister would cry every night until I'm back. My aunt is also very concerned about my safety, so she will be against me staying here without first checking the place out at least once." I explained my plight to my master for the near future.
"I can't handle that as a big brother, hearing my sister cry. So, would it be possible for them to see the temple for themselves or even stay close by?"
"Ha, sure, kiddo. Your talent more than makes up for your request. I'll have someone handle it. Come to my room once you've dealt with your familial matters, since after that you won't have time for any distractions," said the old man, about to see me off.
"Since you're so concerned for your sister, I can even make an exception and allow her to live with you in the temple."
"Haha, it may even be a good test of will for the young monks. Lets see who talks to the little lady first—that's some great killing intent you've got there, kid, but you better put it away till training," said the experienced Kaiou with a glint in his eyes, ready for a fight. Seeing me get a hold of myself, he walked away, back to continue his work.
It seemed I had unknowingly let my [Battle Aura] leak out when I heard the old man's comments, and I quickly reeled myself in. 'Maybe this place could also better my discipline. I have to stop letting emotions get the better of me.'
A kind-looking monk from the crowd came out to make arrangements for my family and help me get acclimated with the place.
"We have quarters for special guests near the temple, so you don't have to worry about anything. With all the hikes and trails in the mountains, I'm sure your family won't get bored," spoke the bald monk while taking me on a tour of the place.
It was nearing morning before I set out from the temple, having discussed my family's living arrangements in great detail before leaving.
I used a taxi to drive back to the hotel and did my best to sneak into my room without anyone being the wiser. I was stopped in my tracks as my bedroom door flung open. It seemed as if I were a cheating husband, caught by his wife with his mistress in bed. 'Damn that [Willful Eye] skill. If it's only this useful in the future, then I'm asking for a refund.'
"Really, Melissa, and here I thought I would be back before anyone awoke." I whispered to the little girl, who was currently rubbing her eyes, obviously still drowsy from waking up so early.
"So, Kuzan, where were you all night? Come on, we are already on vacation. You have to tell me the surprise now," my sister screamed bloody murder, not afraid to wake up anyone in earshot.
'Thank God I booked the entire floor, or she would have woken everyone up with her nagging. Aunt Elizabeth isn't a happy person in the morning.' I shivered from Kuzan's previous memories of waking Aunt Elizabeth up for breakfast when he was younger, a duty that was eventually passed on to Uncle Albert for the foreseeable future.
"Ok, ok, just don't scream. You'll wake everyone. I'll tell you." I whispered in Melissa's ear while covering her mouth with my hand.
"You remember that bedtime story I read you about that panda who knows Kung-Fu?"
"Yeah!" my sister disregarded my request to be quieter and replied with stars in her eyes.
"Well, I booked us a tour at the Jade Palace."