The Martial Unity

Yet, despite its ease of mastery, the Gen Temple had managed to monopolize the technique for centuries. This was because they went to obsessive degrees to hide the novel training method for the technique. All memories of the training method were wiped from the minds of all those who went through it, ensuring that it could never be spread without the authorization of the Gen Temple.

Apparently, the training method for the technique was extremely novel because not a single force had managed to crack the key to mastering the Yin-Yang Shield. To the present day, it remained a secret that only the highest authorities of the Gen Temple were entrusted with.

This was despite the fact that many samples of the technique, such as Master Vertol, had spread throughout human civilization.

“You were… a part of the Gen Temple?” Rui cautiously asked. The man nodded candidly. “Around two hundred and fifty years ago when I was still a Martial Apprentice. I had mastered the Yin-Yang Shield technique, but, unfortunately, due to lifestyle and ideology differences, was unable to remain in the Gen Temple. Thus, I was honorably discharged from the temple before I ended up in the Martial Union.”

Rui stared at him with interest. “To think that the Martial Union has yet to crack the technique…”

The man burst out into laughter. “Not for lack of trying their damnedest, Your Highness. That being said…”

He lifted one leg up before bringing it down in a thundering stomp.

BOOOOM!!!!

In an instant, a crater large enough to swallow a small sea erupted across the entire region from the epicenter.

“…We’re still in the middle of a fight, Your Highness.” He smiled. “Come, show me what the most prodigious Master in existence is capable of.”

A grin cracked at the edge of Rui’s mouth.

“As you wish.”

His Martial Mind surged into thought as he revisited his two interactions with the technique. Two of his most powerful strikes, each completely negated by a force emerging from within Master Vertol’s body at the point of impact. The force also bruised his fist, serving as a counter-offensive technique.

It was deeply unlikely that simply bludgeoning him with attacks was going to be any different, thus Rui immediately ignored the natural instinct to continue attacking.

Given that he did not even bother guarding, Rui could deduce that point of impact was irrelevant to the technique. Otherwise, there would have been special spots that he would not be able to guard, outside of obvious vulnerabilities such as the eyes.

Yet, if he was going to adaptively evolve to it, then he needed to know more about the technique.

The best way to learn more about an unknown phenomenon was, of course, scientific inquiry.

At that moment, Rui temporarily let his inner scientist take over.

For the sake of victory.

He surged forward at extreme speeds, running straight at Master Vertol as the third Flowing Canon surged at him.

Except it didn’t.

WHOOSH

Master Vertol’s eyes lit up with surprise as the image of Rui’s attack disappeared.

It was a feint

BOOOM!!!

Rui gritted his teeth as he launched a strike from his side, only to be battered by the repulsive force emerging as soon as his strike connected, flinging him away yet again.

His eyes narrowed as he landed away.

He didn’t inflict any damage and had even taken some himself, but he had managed to gain some important insights.

‘…He was caught off-guard by the technique, yet the repulsive force appeared out of nowhere and blasted me away nonetheless.’ Rui narrowed his eyes. ‘That means the technique is passive, but how…? Since when can force be passively generated without active and conscious intention?’

The more he learned about the technique, the more it seemed magical to him.

He was not consciously activating the technique, yet reading his SOUL told Rui that he was exerting energy, just not consciously and not through external movements.

And somehow, this resulted in a magical force emerging in response every time an attack struck him.

It was inexplicable.

‘…If catching him off-guard doesn’t work, then speed and maneuvering are not useful against him.’ Rui tutted, displeased.

He had already formed predictive models on himself and was also forming a SOUL model for himself, but they helped only with maneuvering and defense, both of which were minimally useful against his opponent.

He really needed to get himself a powerful offensive technique.

“For now, an enhanced Hypertrophic Surge will have to suffice.”

Master Vertol’s eyes widened as Rui’s body transformed, growing far larger as his muscles expanded. In just a moment, the physical configuration of his Martial Body had gone from balanced to extremely power-oriented.

Not only was the sheer power that he was able to generate much greater than it had ever been in his entire life, but he was also able to maintain it for much longer thanks to the Sandflower Nectar Potion.

“Eat this.”

A singularity of astronomic power expanded as Rui threw the single most powerful Flowing Canon of his entire life.

BOOOOOM!!!

“AAARRGHRHH!!!” Master Vertol bellowed in pain as Rui simultaneously activated Phantom Pain at the moment of impact.

Yet despite his agonized state, the Yin-Yang Shield did not disappoint. The technique let out an extraordinary amount of force, clashing with the overlapping power of Hypertrophic Surge, Outer Convergence, Reverberating Lance, and Fire Breathing.

Yet not even that could overwhelm the famed Yin-Yang Shield.

The two powerful forces remained in place furiously churning against each other.

VMMMmmmMMMmmmMMM!!!

Rui’s eyes widened as the clash of the empowered Reverberating Lance with the Yin-Yang Shield produced recurring patterns of constructive and destructive interference.

‘But how…?’ His gaze intensified. ‘That only happens when…’

His eyes lit up as a thundering realization dawned on him. ‘…when there are two sources of vibrations.’

STEP

He leaped away, putting some distance between him and his opponent as the two of them took a moment of reprieve.

Yet, a wide smile appeared on Rui’s face.

He had figured out the secret of the Yin-Yang Shield.

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