Interested, Kai began to experiment and tried touching the particles with his hand. Then he tensed, as if trying to move it with his mind, but it was all in vain. Then he closed his eyes and concentrated..... Kai felt the energy moving on the wind and a trivial idea came to his mind.
"What if I try to breathe with it?" - Kai thought in doubt.
Kai calmed down and took a deep breath in and then exhaled..... Doing this, he tried to keep the same rhythm and after half an hour....
He glowed with happiness!
Kai felt tiny pieces of energy started to absorb into his body, so he continued his practice. He sat like this for almost half a day until the sun started to go down. It would be dark in a few hours and only now did he realize it....
Examining his body, Kai felt a strong itch on his chest. He walked over to the river and quickly began to rinse off the mush of grass, opening his eyes in surprise. Although he still had the horrifying cut on him, he realized that it was starting to look much better. Even Kai's overall health had become much more stable....
"Is that how the herb worked? Strange, it didn't help so quickly before..." - He muttered in his mind.
"Exactly! Energy! It's the one that has such a miraculous effect on me! It's simply unbelievable! At this rate, I should be able to feel normal in just a week.... Previously, I would have needed a month, if not two months. The energy is really something!" - Shouted he in his head.
Stepping back from his reverie, Kai realized that he needed to find a place where he could spend the night. For staying out in the forest at night was not a good idea, and he definitely needed to get some sleep. Because of everything he had been through lately, he felt incredibly tired. And also, he needed to find something to eat. Unfortunately or fortunately, he didn't eat very often at the orphanage. So going hungry for a day or two wasn't a problem for him.
Kai continued to walk along the river, chewing on the grass and re-setting it on his wound. He even found some fruit along the way. He had seen them at the market, so he knew they were edible. They turned out to be very nourishing! It was only after eating a whole dozen that Kai finally felt good.....
Suddenly, he spotted a cave that was on a cliff to the left of the river, and quickly moved towards it. It was the perfect place to spend the night, considering the sun would soon be setting over the horizon. If he couldn't find anything else, then he would just have to rely on luck....
Kai clenched his teeth tightly as he climbed up the rocks, his chest sometimes touching the sharp edges of the cliffs. This, in turn, caused him a lot of pain! But realizing the situation, he didn't let out a cry.
When he reached the top of the cliff, Kai was so exhausted that he literally crawled to the cave. All he wanted to do was just crawl deeper. He managed to crawl about ten meters into the cave. But right after that, he started to lose consciousness... He felt dizzy, and his eyes went black.... Another second and he completely passed out....
He didn't know how long he slept... But then he felt something near him screaming!
- Hey, you! You stinking puppy! Get up, you're ruining my smell! Why do you smell so foul?! - There was a strange voice. It sounded as if it belonged to a snooty old man....
Opening his eyes, Kai saw before him a sloppy gray-haired old man with a disgruntled face and an open shirt. Although he looked like an old man, it was obvious from his chest that he was in very good physical shape. His muscles seemed to be made of steel, but his slightly hunched back gave away his old age. Turning his head, Kai saw that the sun was already shining at the exit of the cave.
It was already daytime outside!
- Uh..." Kai said with a dumbfounded look on his face.
Turning back to the old man, Kai realized that he had to be careful now. This old man was a mystery... What was he even doing in a cave in the middle of the forest?
- Excuse me, elder. I was fleeing from the massacre that the Ghost Halberd Empire caused in my village. I was swept out by a river a few kilometers from here, I don't even know how long I was floating downstream or where I am now. And the stench is from using the Healing Grass. I needed to get the smell of blood off me... - Trying to get to his knees, Kai took his fist in the palm of his hand and bowed slightly in pain. Earlier, he had seen the village head greeted like this....
- Ghost Halberd Empire? Pfft. - The old man snorted contemptuously.
But when Kai rose to greet him, the old man saw the horrible wound on his chest and raised an eyebrow in surprise.
- How old are you, kid? You survived with a wound like that and still managed to get here?
Kai felt a strange sensation. As if looking at him, the old man could see his insides..... That kind of feeling made him shiver! It was as if the eyes of this old man could look straight into his essence.
- I'll be eight years old soon. - Kai answered quickly. He didn't want to piss off and provoke such an old man, so he didn't dare to stall.
- Huh? - The old man shouted stupidly, "Unthinkable! I thought maybe you were some kind of freak with a small body..... But you're really just a boy! - The old man was very direct.
- Is there a problem with me, elder? - Kai said without understanding.
- A problem? Hehehe, I wish I had a problem like that. You're eight years old, but you already have a hint of energy in your body. That means that you've passed the first stage of the masters, the Body Training stage, on your own in some fucking backwater! Although everyone thinks that muscles, bones and strength are important at this stage. But in fact, it's most important to temper the reflexes, instincts, and mind! Body hardening is just attached as a side effect. - Suddenly, the old man began to narrate.
- You're almost at the Warrior stage.... Do you even know how to absorb energy yourself? I've never seen kids like you before in my life. It's unimaginable! Now I can see how you survived with such a wound! - Grumbled the old man, scrutinizing Kai's body.
- But I'll tell you this. Although you're almost at the Warrior stage, you need to finish tempering your body properly. Your body hasn't fully developed yet, you can't rush your cultivation.'' - He continued to say.
- Without a solid foundation, you'll just get stuck at some point...'' The old man said in a melancholy sort of way.
- Body training? Warrior? - Kai asked, not quite understanding.
- Boy, do you want to learn from me? Just become my apprentice and I'll help you! Although I am already at the end of my life and will not be able to see the new stages of development, I still have some ambitions! If my disciple can carry my knowledge with him to the higher spheres..... - After a short pause, the old man continued, - This will also partly be the realization of my desires. - Without a word, the old man chattered incessantly.
"He seems to lack socialization..." - Kai said in his mind.
- Think about it lad. I've had kings come to me in the past, only to have me take their offspring as apprentices! - The old man boasted.
At that moment, Kai thought deeply... A series of events had led him to a master who could teach him how to be a Warrior. Now he even remembered the Law of Luck, one of the laws that had imprinted itself on his mind. But suspicion and caution prevented him from accepting the offer at once. He had been judicious since childhood and kept a certain distance from everyone.
- What would be required in return? - Looking suspiciously at the old man, Kai asked.
- Hehehe, and you have brains.... That's what an apprentice of this old man should be! - he said with a laugh. - Nothing, just endure my training! - The old man smiled wickedly, -I went to these mountains long ago, leaving society.... I thought I could break through to a new stage, but it seems impossible anymore....
- Why don't I take you for training? I still need a way to quench my boredom. - The old man said nonchalantly.
But Kai could see that he could not hide the glint in his eyes....
Thinking and weighing the pros and cons, Kai decided to rely on luck. It had already brought him here, so why refuse? He needed power and he had dreamed of it since he was a child. Kai couldn't even imagine that he would actually use the power in the future. Not so long ago, it had only seemed like a fairy tale.....
- Alright! I accept you as a teacher! - The boy said firmly and made a low incline towards the ground. He had heard in legends that the ceremony of accepting an apprentice was something like this.
- Apprentice Kai greets Master... Uh... - At this moment, he realized that he didn't even know the old man's name.
- Mo! You can call me Master Mo! - The old man replied proudly.
- So that means Old Man Mo... Good! - Kai smiled broadly.
- What old man am I to you?! I'm your master, puppy! - The old man shouted and kicked Kai's ass!
Even though he pretended to be angry, there was joy in his eyes. He seemed to like Kai's boldness and character.