We continue to spar.
The more times I get hit and knocked down, the more I understand the mechanics of this new power source.
Every fist I throw has to have meaning and focus. It feels very similar to my newest swordsmanship skill upgrade. Every time I throw a fist, it feels as if I'm guiding the warm energy in a perfect line to a certain point.
If I ever second guess myself or waver from the correct path, the flow of Qi halts and it all trickles back into my core. The movement has to be done all over again to get the energy to flow perfectly.
I'm able to let Qi flow from my core to my fists, and even manage to replicate the movement technique by allowing energy to flow into my heels. It's much more difficult than my fists. Every step I take has to be with confidence and precision. Even one change in position and the extra propulsion is negated instantly.
Once I manage to block both the punch and kick from Monk a few times in a row, we move onto another exercise.
Monk's feet light up with Qi just like before, but this time with much more. The concentration is easily 5 times as much.
"Catch me. You need to touch me once, then we'll spar again. This exercise will teach you the volume of flow. Only use what you need, but learn how to open the floodgates when necessary."
I nod, focused already. Then he begins jumping around the room with Qi-powered footsteps.
I try to follow, but my style is more like a charging bull compared to his graceful movements.
Every turn made makes me halt for a fraction of a second in my mind to reassess the situation and locate the target, but in doing so the flow of energy to my feet ceases. I lose my speed and have to take a moment to lock on and charge toward him again.
Just like my punches, it's all a work in progress. The more I guide the energy, the more natural it becomes.
After almost 45 minutes pass, I'm able to curve my movements in sweeping strides in order to not stop altogether, and after another 45 minutes pass I'm finally able to move quickly and gracefully similar to Monk.
Not much more time passes before I finally manage to nick his shoulder with my right hand on a passing sprint.
We both stop in our tracks and let out laughs.
"Good job, your speed of progression is quite frightening honestly."
I'm too out of breath to respond, but I muster a "thank you" as I place both hands on my waist.
There's a high reliance on the Qi for energy in these movements, but it's still pretty taxing on my physical body. It feels as if I just ran 20 kilometers.
Although I'm used to stretching long distances like this in training before, it's usually fighting monsters. I can't remember the last time I fought with a human on equal terms for this long. Plus, it's clear Monk is still holding back a lot.
I look up and put my hands up again after taking another long deep breath.
"What's next?"
"We spar again."
I run forward with a Qi charged fist with multiple times more power than it had just hours ago. I'm pulling from the same exact energy source, but the more control I have over it, the better I can guide its flow.
The energy doesn't leave my body at all, but it feels as if it's right on the edge of my outer layer of skin. Invisible to the naked eye, but more dense than diamonds.
Two massive waves splash together as our fists collide in the center of the training room and our second sparring match begins.
Punches and kicks are thrown in rapid succession as we sprint around the room. I use my full power every time I throw an attack. With an opponent that's able to increase his skill level accordingly, making himself just slightly stronger than me and slightly faster every time I make a breakthrough leads to the perfect training environment.
I'm pushed to my limits for another full hour until what I didn't know was possible happens.
As I throw another fist at Monk full of confidence, the endless pool of power that filled my stomach reaches its bottom.
My eyes widen and I completely lose control of the energy in my feet and fists as there's not enough left in me to send another full attack at the fighter in front of me.
In this moment caught off guard, the familiar feeling of a kick to the gut sends me flying into the back wall of the room over 15 meters away.
A loud thud of me hitting the stone floor ends our training session.
"Your Qi stores have finally run out. It took over 3 hours of full-on fighting. Again, very impressive. I'd say it's time to take a break and recharge."
I push myself up from the floor and walk back over breathing heavily and completely exhausted. However, the smile across my face is wider than any post-battle victory I've had in months.
"That was one heck of a workout."
I imitate the bow he always does and continue.
"Thank you."
He bows back, then points to the floor.
"One more thing before we make our way upstairs to rest."
He sits in the position I was in earlier with legs crossed and a straight back on the floor.
"Join me."
At his words, I do the same, facing him and closing my eyes expecting something interesting to happen.
About 30 seconds pass and nothing does. I open one eye, but he's sat there sitting still with his eyes closed motionless.
I take a deep breath in and out of my nose and close my eyes again to be polite.
My heavy breathing from training eventually ceases and the endorphins relax me even more, putting me into a calm state mindful of all the energy seeping out from the black stone around me.
The longer I sit, the more of the energy passes through me on its natural flow through the air and sticks to the outside of my body slowly being absorbed into every place it makes contact. Tiny streams of energy lead back to my inner core.
Over 20 minutes pass and I feel the Qi inside me slightly growing. It's an incredibly slow process. The amount I naturally took in while sitting here for almost half an hour is just enough to throw one more punch. At this rate, it'd take weeks to bring me back up to full capacity like I was before training begun.
Once my concentration finally breaks, Monk senses my movement and opens his eyes while standing up to his feet.
"Very good. You now know how to perform natural Qi gathering too."
I stand to my feet and follow him back over to the wooden table at the front of the room.
"It's more like just sitting and waiting to recharge."
He nods as I start putting my gear back on. Even though it doesn't give me buffs, I don't have any other way to carry it right now, so wearing it is the simplest option.
"Yes, the natural process does take time, but understanding the process is how you will increase your capacity in the future. If you gather more Qi while your core is full, your capacity will slowly grow."
I think about that for a moment as he leads me to the door.
"Understood."
Monk presses his hand against the rectangle of black stone and I sense the warm energy flow from his palm into the door. It lights up white and shifts open just as it did on our way down here.
He turns back, motioning for me to follow.
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