The Martial Unity

“Increasing the performance of your brain through increased local blood flow to the organ, hm?” the Divine Doctor remarked as he studied a tissue sample of the alien lifeform. “Not a bad plan, not if you ignore the risks of a blood vessel rupture.”

Rui nodded. “That is precisely why I came to consult you on the matter.”

It was actually surprisingly difficult to get in touch with the Divine Doctor, who was thoroughly immersed in his research. The man was unwilling to meet with anybody.

Or, almost anybody.

“Well, I suppose I can’t afford to have my stethoscope suffer brain damage.” He heaved the slightest of sighs as his clinical gaze fixed on Rui. “Your idea has merit, however, it has risks that you have already surmised. What you need to do is ensure that the additional blood pressure is not high enough to strain the blood-brain barrier. That is the key.”

Rui fell into thought at the doctor’s words.

The blood-brain barrier was a membrane that existed between the blood and the interstitium of the brain. It essentially prevented blood from coming into direct contact with the neurons of the brain, thus ensuring that there was always separation between the two.

It went without saying that any damage the barrier suffered could very easily mean brain damage.

“So, do I regulate my blood pressure and ensure that it doesn’t strain the blood-brain barrier?” Rui raised an eyebrow. “Or do I somehow increase the durability of the blood-brain barrier?”

The Divine Doctor simply shrugged nonchalantly. “That’s up to you. Both options have their drawbacks. The former is safer at the cost of power. While the latter is far more difficult and risky to actually achieve, it will produce much greater results if you succeed.”

Rui stared at the man as he considered his words.

Ideally, he would love to increase the durability of his blood-brain barrier to ensure that the membrane could handle the full force of his Mind Metabody. However, he had no idea how he would even go about it.

“Would a sort of conditioning technique even work?” Rui frowned. “If I subjected the membrane to strain and then consumed healing potions to ensure that it healed from the strain, it would heal stronger, right?”

Interest glinted in the Divine Doctor’s eyes. “You are considering rather dangerous lines of reasoning.”

“…But it would work, right?”

“Theoretically, yes. The blood-brain barrier is comprised of tissue that is able to naturally regenerate, making it viable for conditioning,” the Divine Doctor casually commented. “If you seek to condition your blood-brain barrier, then you have to speak to a conditioning expert. While I am indeed the greatest doctor and biotechnologist in this world, it does not mean that I am the greatest expert on applied Martial sciences. The greatest experts in those tend to be Martial Artists. In this case, it is the same Martial Artist from whom you got the technique in the first place.”

Rui felt the same way as well. “Sir Armstrong.”

The Divine Doctor nodded. “When it comes to applying knowledge to train one’s body, there may very well be no one in this world who is able to rival him as he is now. I suspect that he will tell you the exact same thing that I did. Perhaps he has a method to engage in such niche conditioning.”

Rui was inclined to agree. “I do intend to consult him on the matter. However, I presume I will have your medical services when the time comes. I’m not saying that something will happen, but if it does, then you are pretty much the only hope that I have.”

“I’m willing to be present. But be warned, there are limits to even what I can do when it comes to grave injuries relating to the brain.”

Rui nodded. “I have no intention of letting that happen.”

Of course, his intentions were never the issue. If anything did go wrong, it would be despite his intentions and best efforts.

He knew that.

Thus, he intended to take every precaution he could before embarking on this dangerous training regime. In terms of pure risk, it likely exceeded anything that he had ever taken in his entire life. Not even the inheritance from the Elder Tree posed as much of a risk to Rui.

And the Divine Doctor had a point when it came to the injuries he suffered. The man was a brilliant genius who had figured out the cure to pretty much every disease and had gained an unprecedented understanding of life, but that didn’t mean that he could guarantee a fix for permanent brain damage caused by extremely risky training.

“I don’t mind if the safer path of simply regulating blood pressure and reducing the extent to which I redirect blood to the brain is the only way to make this work,” Rui confirmed. “However, if there is a way to minimize the risk of conditioning my blood-brain barrier, then I would like to go for it.”

He wondered if the Gatekeeper did indeed have some way to do it. Previously, Rui would have said no, but considering that in the span of ten years, the Gatekeeper had been able to create a powerful system of thought that allowed him to hyper-accelerate his Body development, it might be worth asking him If there was one who was equipped to advise on how to ensure his idea of a Mind Metabody was minimal of risk, it was the Gatekeeper

Rui would normally feel pretty mixed about relying on him a second time. However, it was a good thing that the Gatekeeper felt deeply indebted to him. There was no better person to have owed one a big favor than the Gatekeeper. As the man was right now, he was probably the most useful and valuable Master in the Kandrian Empire after Rui for his revolutionary prowess in physical evolution.

He had no qualms with making use of the man’s specialty to enhance his own. After all, the man had done the same, and it was about time that Rui made use of his knowledge.