Morning had come, and Rio woke up earlier than usual, excited to practice his new technique.
The night hadn't completely disappeared yet.
"Today I can practice a new technique!"
Rio said, quickly getting up and tidying his bed.
Seeing that his master was still asleep, he didn't say anything and went downstairs.
The hotel owner was just starting to clean, sweeping the floors.
"Oh, kid, you woke up early."
The hotel owner said, continuing to sweep.
"Hey, yeah, I want to go out. I have some things to do."
Rio said, eager to leave.
The hotel owner replied,
"Young man, before you go, sit and have breakfast. At this hour, no one else is around."
The hotel owner was right. At this time, even if he went outside, there wouldn't be anyone around.
It was better to wait a little.
Rio agreed and sat down.
"Good. I'll bring the breakfast soon."
More than twenty minutes passed, and Rio grew tired of waiting.
He stood up to leave, but his master said,
"Where are you going at this hour?"
"Um, nothing, Master. I just want to go out and practice a bit."
His master slowly descended the stairs and said,
"You know, being strong depends on good meals and sleep. Eat breakfast first, then go."
Rio couldn't argue and sat down again.
Another thirty minutes passed, and finally, the hotel owner brought breakfast.
Breakfast was simple: just bread with butter and jam, and tea.
"Enjoy your meal."
The hotel owner said and left.
Rio, impatient from all the waiting, quickly ate and got up.
"Well, I have to go now."
He said and hurried out.
"This kid has so much energy. Take a little rest, man."
His master said, continuing his breakfast.
Rio went out to look for Bai Chen, but only remembered that he lived nearby and didn't know which road or house.
He began searching.
Within an hour, he had covered nearly half of the roads in the area.
"Huff… huff… damn, why can't I find him?"
He continued searching, walking for over an hour and a half.
He had gone so far that he seemed to have lost the way back to the hotel.
Finally, he arrived at a temple.
(Sky-Eye Martial Temple)
"I think this is the place."
He tried to enter, but two guards blocked his way.
Large, bald men wearing monk robes.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Rio knew he couldn't enter a martial arts center so easily.
"I came to see Bai Chen. Do you know anyone by that name?"
One of the guards went inside, while the other inspected Rio to ensure he wasn't carrying anything dangerous.
(Five minutes later)
Bai Chen came through the gate.
When he saw Rio, he was happy and ran toward him.
"Ah, Kai, what are you doing here? How did you find me?"
Rio replied,
"Well, what can I say? I think I searched for over two hours to find you. Now I've even forgotten where the hotel is. Haha."
Rio laughed, scratching the back of his head.
Bai Chen looked a little surprised and said,
"Isn't that the building in front of your hotel?"
"Huh?"
Rio looked closely and realized, yes, it was the same building.
"Damn, I searched the whole city, and you were just behind us? Tch."
Bai Chen laughed,
"Haha, forget that. So why did you come here?"
Rio, tired from all the walking but happy to have found the place, replied,
"Well, I came to practice with you a bit. Although, I'm not sure if it's allowed."
"Hmm, if I ask the Master, he'll probably allow it."
Bai Chen said to the guards,
"Brothers, he's my guest. Don't worry, nothing will happen."
Rio and Bai Chen passed through the gate.
As Rio entered the temple, it felt like stepping into another world.
Five large buildings stood there, one bigger than the rest, clearly the place for the masters and the head of the temple.
The ground was mostly dirt, but some areas were tiled.
The tiles weren't slippery; they were rough, preventing falls.
"Wow, this place is amazing."
Bai Chen laughed,
"Hehe, what can I say? It feels like heaven to me here."
They continued walking.
Rio saw a large training ground where over twenty people were practicing, aged around 10 to 15.
Two masters were training them.
Further ahead was an even bigger training ground for advanced martial artists, around 50 people, aged roughly 15 to 25.
"See that place? That's where I train. But the Grandmaster allowed me to rest today."
Bai Chen said, continuing to walk.
Going higher, there was another training ground, where all the people were middle-aged to older, roughly 30 to 50+.
Their aura and pressure made goosebumps rise.
"Oh, they look strong."
Rio thought, watching them.
They continued walking until they reached a large building.
"This is the Hall of Elders, and the Grandmaster is here."
Bai Chen said.
Bai Chen seemed to have a lot of freedom; he could go wherever he wanted, and no one bothered him.
(Bai Chen was recognized as the martial arts prodigy of the century, so most respected him.)
Two guards stood at the building's gate, but upon seeing Bai Chen, they said nothing and allowed entry.
They entered the hall.
The ceiling was high, and the floor so clean you could see your reflection.
After a few steps, Bai Chen said,
"Master, the one who defeated me yesterday is here. Do you want to meet him?"
"Hoho, why not? I want to see who defeated our prodigy."
An old man sat in front of them, slender and fragile.
His eyes closed due to wrinkles and choice; he was bald, yet his spiritual power was so strong that you could feel his strength without him moving.
"I've never sensed such massive energy before."
Rio thought, studying the old man carefully.
Bai Chen laughed,
"This is the Grandmaster, Bai Shen-Swan. Master, this is my friend, Kai."
Rio bowed respectfully,
"It's an honor to meet you."
"Hoho, you seem like a polite and sensible young man."
The old man continued,
"Although Bai Chen is a prodigy of his generation and could be the next heir here, he was defeated by you. May I ask who your master is?"
Rio, knowing his master didn't like to be recognized, said,
"I am a disciple of Master Zhang from Paradise City."
"Hoho, Master Zhang? I remember that old man. So he really has progressed this much."
Bai Shen-Swan said, laughing.
After a short silence, Bai Chen asked,
"Master, Kai and I want to train here. Is that allowed?"
Bai Shen-Swan thought for a moment,
"You cannot train on others' grounds. It's against the rules for outsiders."
Rio sighed a little, disappointed.
Bai Shen-Swan smiled,
"But you can use the training ground behind this hall."
Rio was happy, and Bai Chen was surprised.
"Master, isn't that your personal training ground? How can we use it?"
Bai Shen-Swan laughed,
"I want to see the potential of those who will shape the future of the world, so it's fine."
Rio and Bai Chen were overjoyed and bowed respectfully.
"Thank you, Master."
They went to the training ground.
Bai Shen-Swan thought to himself,
"Let's see how strong the one who defeated our prodigy really is."
Fifteen minutes later
Rio and Bai Chen were on the training ground.
After warming up, they were ready to start sparring.
Bai Chen said,
"Do you want to attack, or should I?"
Rio replied,
"I want to try a new technique. So you attack first."
Bai Chen laughed, nodding in agreement.
Then Bai Chen said and attacked Rio,
"Better watch out. I won't go easy during training."
Rio said
"Okey, bring it on,bai chen"
End of chapter 32