Ragnariel looked at his siblings "Brother Lucien, Brother Kaelen, Sister Serenya, please sit down in a line next to each other."
The three siblings quickly obeyed, seating themselves as instructed.
"Alright," Ragnariel continued. "From now on, you'll repeat today's training every day. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!" they replied in unison, though their voices were still shaky from exhaustion.
"Good. Before I teach you advanced techniques, you must learn how to gather Qi. Let's start with that. Are you ready?"
"Yes, sir!" they answered again, this time with a bit more vigor.
"Alright, listen carefully to every word that I say. Don't let your focus stray, no matter what happens. Just concentrate on my instructions."
The trio nodded firmly.
"Now, sit in a lotus position," Ragnariel instructed.
The siblings exchanged puzzled looks. "What's a lotus position?"
"Look at how Sir Dheo is sitting," Ragnariel said, gesturing toward Dheo, who was already meditating nearby.
They approached Dheo, observing his seated posture with legs crossed and hands resting lightly on his knees. Mimicking him, they returned to their spots and adopted the same position.
"Good. Now close your eyes and take a deep breath. Inhale deeply through your nose until your chest feels full, then exhale 15 times with small exhalations through the mouth."
Ragnariel observed them closely, ensuring they followed his instructions.
"Excellent. Keep breathing just like that," he encouraged, walking behind them. "From now on, no matter what sensations you feel in your body, maintain this breathing rhythm. Don't get distracted."
Placing a hand on Lucien's back, Ragnariel added, "For you, Brother Lucien, I'll ask some questions. Nod for yes and shake your head for no."
Lucien, maintaining his breathing, shook his head in acknowledgment.
Ragnariel asked, "Brother, do you see the light?"
Lucien shook his head, signaling no.
Ragnariel nodded calmly. "It's going to feel a bit warm, but keep your breathing steady."
Lucien gave a determined nod.
Ragnariel began channeling his Qi into Lucien. "Do you see the light now?"
Lucien nodded this time.
"Good. Absorb that light through the path of warmth you'll feel," Ragnariel instructed.
Lucien nodded again, his focus unwavering.
Ragnariel guided the Qi flow, starting from Lucien's back, moving it to his right arm, spiraling at the fingertips, then directing it to his head. From there, the Qi turned again at the top of his head, flowed down to his left arm, spiraled, and moved to his chest. It descended to his stomach, paused briefly, then traveled to his right leg. The energy spiraled once more, returned to his stomach, then flowed to his left leg. After another spiral, it ascended back to his stomach, rose to his chest, traveled through his left arm, up to his head, and finally returned to his right arm.
"Good, keep following the warmth as I guide it," Ragnariel said, his tone firm yet encouraging.
After carefully observing Lucien's progress, Ragnariel checked his dantian center and found a tiny sphere of energy, no bigger than half a grain of rice.
"Excellent, Brother. Keep going and don't stop until I tell you," Ragnariel instructed before walking over to Kaelen to repeat the process.
When he reached Serenya, however, the experience was slightly different.
"Do you see the light, Sister?" he asked.
Serenya nodded confidently.
"Quite a lot of it?" Ragnariel probed further.
Serenya nodded again, her expression showing determination.
"Alright then," Ragnariel said. "Follow the path of warmth I'll guide through you, and try to absorb the light along that path."
Serenya nodded, ready to begin.
After finishing his guidance with Serenya, Ragnariel checked her dantian. He was slightly startled and thought to himself, "Hmm? Already as big as a drop of water? Could Sister have a natural talent for martial arts? If that's true, she'll be incredible once she starts learning advanced techniques."
Returning to stand in front of them, Ragnariel said, "Continue your breathing and absorb as much light as you can. If any of you lose sight of the light, open your eyes and let me know."
The three of them nodded silently, their focus unbroken.
Ragnariel then sat down and began meditating himself. "Good, my Qi is already dense. Now, it's time to open another dantian. To master the Ragnarok Martial Arts I've created, I need to develop at least three dantians, and eventually five, so I can perfect it in the future and destroy that bastard Zerathos."
They continued meditating, their concentration unwavering, as the sound of crickets began to fill the evening air.
Ragnariel opened his eyes and glanced at his siblings and Dheo, who were still deeply immersed in their meditation. He smiled slightly and announced, "Alright, everyone. That's enough for today."
The four of them opened their eyes and began clenching and unclenching their fists.
"What do you feel, my dear siblings?" Ragnariel asked.
"My body feels lighter," Lucien answered.
"I feel the same," Kaelen added.
"Me too! I feel like I could fly at any moment," Serenya chimed in with a grin.
Ragnariel nodded approvingly. "Good. Don't forget what you practiced today. We'll continue tomorrow."
"Understood, Sir," his siblings replied in unison.
"Understood, Young Master," Dheo added.
With that, they each returned to their quarters to clean themselves up before heading to the dining hall.
***
Ragnariel and his family gathered in the dining room. Once the meal was over, their father, Valerius, asked curiously, "So, how was your first day of training, Ragna?"
Ragnariel replied with confidence, "Satisfying, Father. Both Brother and Sister have the talent to stand at the pinnacle of the world."
Hearing their younger brother's words brought joy to Lucien, Kaelen, and Serenya. Ragnariel then continued, "I'll also search for training methods suitable for you and Mother. Once I find them, I'll let you know right away."
Valerius nodded thoughtfully and asked, "How many techniques have you managed to acquire, son?"
"A great many, Father," Ragnariel answered with a smile. "I can find techniques suited to each key member of our family. In fact, I had another breakthrough while meditating with my siblings earlier."
Valerius chuckled lightly and said, "That's wonderful to hear. I'm looking forward to seeing what techniques you'll teach your mother and me."
"You won't be disappointed, Father. Please look forward to it," Ragnariel replied confidently before turning to his siblings. "Brother Lucien, Brother Kaelen, and Sister Serenya, make sure to rest well after this. Use this time to recover before we begin the real training."
Lucien, Kaelen, and Serenya were taken aback. Serenya voiced their shared surprise, "Wait, so today's training wasn't the real thing? But we're already this exhausted!"
Lucien and Kaelen nodded in agreement.
"Haha, of course not," Ragnariel said with a mischievous grin. "Today's session was just a warm-up to help you adjust. The actual training will be far more intense. Take this week to rest as much as you can because, after that, I can't guarantee you'll get any more breaks."
With Ragnariel's devilish smile lingering in their minds, the three siblings hurried off to their rooms to rest.
Valerius watched them go and turned to Ragnariel. "Will it really be that tough, son?" he asked.
Ragnariel nodded solemnly. "Yes, Father. But once they endure it all, I assure you—there won't be a single family that dares to look down on us when the time comes to show our strength."
Valerius smiled, pride glimmering in his eyes. "If that's the case, I'll trust your judgment."
"Oh, and Father," Ragnariel added, "if possible, please gather as much information as you can about regions preparing for war or already engaged in conflict."
"Why the sudden interest in that?" Valerius asked, his curiosity piqued.
Ragnariel's eyes sharpened. "Once my abilities are sufficient, I want to earn us credit. It will help elevate our noble status to the next rank."
Valerius smiled knowingly. "Understood. I'll start looking into it right away."
"All right, Father. Thank you. I'll head to my room now," Ragnariel said as he left the dining room.
Valerius watched him go before turning to the head butler and his wife. With a thoughtful expression, he asked, "Are we truly entrusting the fate of our family to Ragna, who is still so young?"
Lysandra remained silent, her face clouded with sadness and worry. However, the head butler, Eldrin, held a different opinion. "Forgive my boldness, sir, but you feel that way because you haven't seen Young Master Ragnariel in a duel."
Valerius raised an eyebrow. "What did you see when Ragna dueled?"
Eldrin replied confidently, "I saw unshakable confidence and immense resolve. It was clear when the young master faced off against knights who looked down on our family. Have I ever shared the continuation of what happened in that duel?"
Valerius nodded. "No, I believe you've told me the full story."
"Apologies if I failed to convey something so important. If you'll permit me, I'd like to recount the rest in detail," Eldrin said respectfully.
Valerius nodded again. "Please do. Don't miss the details."
Eldrin inclined his head before beginning. "Very well, here's what happened next…"
By the time Eldrin finished, Valerius looked visibly stunned. "So you're saying that Dheo, our strongest knight after Sir Garran, was defeated by Ragna?"
Eldrin smiled faintly and added, "Not just defeated, sir. The young master toyed Sir Dheo while teaching him what he lacked."
Valerius's eyes widened further. "And after that, Ragna challenged all the knights to form as many groups as they wanted to face him?"
"Exactly, sir," Eldrin confirmed.
Valerius leaned back in his chair, his expression shifting from shock to excitement. "I'm truly curious now about how strong Ragna is. He once claimed he could handle our entire forces alone, and I was only half-convinced. But after hearing your story, I'm completely sure. Now our family is destined to tread the path to the highest peak."
Valerius's face lit up with a determined smile, his heart filled with hope for the future.