"Because this technique belongs to the Primal."
Rio was deeply shocked when he heard those words.
This was the technique his master had taught him, yet this man was saying it belonged to the Primal.
"How is something like that even possible?"
Rio thought to himself, countless questions filling his mind.
"Does my master have any connection to the Primal? No.
The Primal died more than several thousand years ago.
Then how does my master know this technique?"
He sank deeper and deeper into thought.
"Well then, young man, let me explain it to you a bit. You look quite confused."
Shen Xuan took a sip of his tea and spoke.
Rio, whose thoughts were tangled, wanted to hear more explanations and understand better.
So he calmed himself and began listening.
Shen Xuan continued.
"In ancient times, when the Primal used force, he created this technique known as the Force Layer.
With it, he survived attacks where the chances of survival were almost nonexistent."
Rio was truly shocked by this technique.
When his master had explained it before, it felt like a simple, basic technique.
But with the way this old man described it, it sounded incredibly powerful.
Shen Xuan continued.
"After that, the Primal taught this technique to his martial artist son.
He was the last person to ever use it.
Because it only existed in ancient historical records, very few people know about it."
Rio could do nothing but stare in disbelief.
"So that means I'm the third person to learn this technique?"
He looked at Shen Xuan with curiosity.
"That's how it seems.
But this technique is not easy at all, and even its energy is different from ours.
I don't know how you managed to use it."
Rio was still wondering how his master had found this technique when, after a short silence, Shen Xuan spoke again.
"This might be sudden and completely unexpected, but would you like to join our martial temple?"
Rio was shocked, but hearing this made him even more stunned.
The very person who had almost crushed his bones a few minutes ago was now inviting him to join the temple.
Shen Xuan looked at Rio and thought to himself:
"This kid and that technique must not be lost. I'm sure he's going to become one of the strongest in the world.
We must bring such power to the temple, no matter what."
Rio paused and said nothing, then firmly replied,
"Sorry, but I must decline your offer."
Shen Xuan had expected this, so he said nothing and instead offered another proposal.
"Young Kai, would you like to become an honorary member of our temple?"
Kai was a little taken aback and curious.
"What do you mean?"
Shen Xuan explained,
"An honorary member is someone recognized by our temple.
This is great for you, since you're still young, traveling the world, and a seeker."
Rio thought to himself:
"If what he's saying is truly meaningful, I have no reason to refuse."
Rio agreed.
Shen Xuan seized the opportunity and proposed one more thing.
"Would you like to be an honorary apprentice instead?"
Rio's interest was piqued.
"How so?"
"Even though you're not officially a member, you can receive training from the temple, learn one of our techniques, and be given the honorary apprentice badge.
Your respect will even be higher."
At first, Rio wanted to refuse, thinking the monk's badge might not be that significant.
Monks were peaceful, secluded people, mostly uninvolved in politics.
But…
he remembered that Bai Chen had almost defeated him with one of his techniques, so he accepted.
"Alright, I want to become an honorary apprentice."
Shen Xuan was pleased with Rio's acceptance.
He knew this kid would bring great changes, and having him around could only be beneficial.
He told Rio,
"One advantage of being an honorary apprentice is that you can choose one temple technique, except the final technique."
Of course, the temple would not teach the final, secret technique to an outsider.
But that wasn't the point…
"I choose the technique of predicting the opponent's moves."
Rio replied without hesitation.
Shen Xuan guessed that Rio needed this defensive technique, so he approved.
He took out a jade badge from his robe and gave it to Rio, which had inscribed:
(Bai Shen Xuan
Temple of the Sky Eye)
This was Shen Xuan's personal badge, one of only three.
One for the future leader, one for himself, and one that had never been given to anyone—until now.
Rio saluted Shen Xuan in thanks.
"I will never forget your kindness."
He stood and bowed to the master.
Shen Xuan asked the guards,
"Tell Bai Chen to come inside."
Bai Chen, pacing nervously near the gate and gnashing his teeth, was finally allowed to enter.
He rushed inside and was faced with a strange scene.
The Grand Master and Rio were sitting and drinking tea.
Bai Chen exclaimed in surprise,
"Huh? I thought you were going to do something to Kai, and you're drinking tea?"
"Huhu, young man, I am not a monster who would harm a promising youth."
Shen Xuan replied with a laugh.
Bai Chen looked at Rio, seeing that he seemed genuinely fine.
After a few seconds of silence, Shen Xuan said,
"Well, Bai Chen, I want you to teach Kai the technique of predicting an opponent's moves."
Bai Chen was shocked by the request, momentarily unable to comprehend Shen Xuan's words.
"Excuse me, what?"
"I said, teach Kai the technique of predicting an opponent's moves."
Shen Xuan replied cheerfully.
Bai Chen was still astonished.
"But isn't that a temple technique? How can I teach it to Kai?"
Shen Xuan replied,
"Kai is now an honorary apprentice of the temple and can be recognized as one of its members."
Bai Chen was truly shocked.
The anger from a few minutes ago, and now Kai was an official temple apprentice—it made no sense to him.
Bai Chen wanted to understand everything, so he quickly took Kai under the pretense of teaching the technique.
"Hey Kai, what happened? How did you become an honorary apprentice? What happened there?"
Bai Chen bombarded him with questions.
"I don't know either. It seems the Grand Master liked my technique, and then suddenly he made me an offer."
Rio explained as they walked.
And he was right; even Rio himself didn't understand why the Grand Master made such a decision.
They reached the training ground, and Bai Chen began to explain.
"Well Kai, the technique works like this:
You channel inner Ki into your eyes, then release it as threads, like hair strands.
These threads connect to the energy released by your opponent and can detect what moves the opponent intends to make."
Rio was amazed.
"Wow, what an awesome technique. This will definitely be useful."
Bai Chen said,
"It's not as easy as you think. First, you must fight your opponent and get familiar with their initial moves.
I activated it by exchanging several punches and understanding your moves.
Second, it requires a lot of energy.
Creating and releasing the threads consumes energy, which makes it really hard."
After hearing Bai Chen, Rio still thought this technique was amazing and wanted to learn it quickly.
He tried it for the first time but couldn't even channel energy into his eyes.
After several hours, Rio finally managed to channel energy into his eyes and release it, but still couldn't form the fine threads.
Night fell, and Rio had to return to the hotel before his master worried.
He told Bai Chen,
"Okay, I think training is enough for now. I should head home."
Since it was night, Bai Chen was tired too, and didn't insist on more training.
"Wouldn't it be better to stay here?"
Bai Chen asked as he stood up.
Rio replied,
"Sorry, but I have to go because I need to study a bit as well."
Bai Chen didn't insist and let him go.
After saying goodbye, Rio left the gate and headed to the hotel.
Walking through the alleys, he sensed someone's presence, but saw no one.
Knowing that someone skilled in stealth could potentially defeat him, he quickly continued to the hotel.
Once he arrived, he entered his room and saw his master asleep.
He didn't want to wake him, so he quietly went to the table in the corner.
His meal had been set there, as the master had left it since he arrived late.
He started eating.
"Tell me, where were you?"
The master asked from the bed.
"Uh… um… oh, you're awake, Master?
As you said, I went to practice the technique and faced my friend and trained with him."
Rio wanted to explain about becoming an honorary apprentice and learning a technique from the Temple of the Sky Eye but felt the master might get angry, so he kept it hidden.
The master asked,
"Well, tell me, who is this friend?"
"He's Bai Chen. I faced him in the tournament battles and won. We became friends then.
He's a member of the Temple of the Sky Eye."
"Hmm, and that jade in your pocket?"
The master looked at Rio and asked.
Realizing he couldn't lie, Rio explained the whole story to the master.
But the master didn't seem angry and was actually happy.
He said excitedly,
"Do you know how much discount you get on meals if you say you're a Sky Eye Temple apprentice?"
The Temple of the Sky Eye was a respected place in the city, and everyone held it in high regard.
After about an hour, Rio finished his meal and went to his bed.
He tried using the predictive technique, but after so much practice, his energy was too weak to release it, so he gave up.
"Looks like I'm really tired. Better try the techniques again tomorrow."
Rio said to himself, lying down.
"Sure, these techniques are good, but I don't think they're enough to fight those species. I need to train to improve them."
Rio knew those species weren't weak, and just learning a new technique didn't mean progress.
Sometimes, a new technique can even lead you to defeat, so constant practice is needed to master it.
"Also, I guess I should try magic later, maybe I can manage it."
As he thought, he gradually fell asleep.
Yawn~
Finally, exhausted from fatigue, he fell asleep.
Morning came, and Rio woke up early like yesterday.
He wanted to leave quickly, but the hotel owner told him to wait and have breakfast.
Thinking he might be late like yesterday, he tried to leave.
But the owner insisted, bringing breakfast promptly, and Rio ate calmly.
After thanking them, he left the hotel and headed to the Temple of the Sky Eye.
This time, he arrived quickly and saw the two guards again.
They stopped him from entering.
Rio had to show the Grand Master's badge.
At first, they thought it was stolen or fake, so they pointed their spears at him.
Rio handed the badge to one of them, and after verifying it was real, he was allowed entry.
Inside, he saw students training from early morning, and Bai Chen was among them.
Since Bai Chen had permission from the Grand Master, he could leave training and act as Rio's instructor anywhere in the temple.
"Ha, hello Kai. You came early. I thought the tough training would make you late."
Bai Chen said with a laugh.
Rio smirked in reply.
"Haha, you dreamed. Did you think I'd let you escape for even a moment?"
They headed to the training ground assigned by the Grand Master.
After warming up and some conversation, they began training.
"Well Kai, are you ready?"
"Yes."
Rio began channeling energy again.
End of Chapter 34