As he walked in, John immediately noticed the shift. It was subtle, but undeniable. The way other trainees looked at him had changed. Gone were the casual glances or veiled suspicion. Instead, many faces bore an eager, almost hungry expression. Several of them seemed on the verge of walking up to him, their intent to speak palpable. They were ripe for his influence.
John kept his head down, walking towards the breakfast line. His eyes briefly caught Anya's figure at a nearby table; her plate held a noticeably larger portion of food than usual. Around her, more trainees clustered than he'd typically seen. John could already guess what was happening. Things were progressing exactly as he'd planned, and Anya's current actions of excessive eating only further proved his words.
Wanting to test a theory, John walked with his breakfast in hand towards Anya's table. Nothing was said; the trainees, eager to gain his favor, quickly made space for him. Anya, who was diligently eating, briefly raised her head. Her eyes met the smiling face of John, a friendly, robust trainee who had been with her last night. But without even a realizing it, her gaze immediately dropped back to her food. She couldn't hold eye contact.
John noted that. He set his own food down, then looked at Anya with a carefully feigned worried tone. "Are you alright?" he asked.
Anya chuckled nervously, her voice a little strained. "It's nothing serious, John. I only underestimated your word on how draining the exercise was and didn't prepare enough. I've been hungry the whole night."
John leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a whisper, ensuring only Anya and those immediately around them could hear. "That's good, Anya. It means you broke through. That kind of stillness, it burns. It means your body is learning to operate at a higher frequency. Most people, they just can't handle the demand." He watched her carefully, letting his words sink in amidst her frantic eating. "Keep eating. Your body knows what it needs now." He gave a subtle, almost imperceptible nod of approval, validating her ravenous consumption as a sign of success.
John finished his breakfast, the low hum of the canteen a backdrop to his churning thoughts. He had another, equally vital reason for wanting more subjects for his unique training: he aimed to push his own limits. Each time he influenced another trainee, a profound mental strain tugged at him. He believed that by repeatedly engaging in this taxing exertion, he could somehow increase his mental strength and resilience, making the psychic cost of his power less debilitating. It was a gamble, but one he felt compelled to take.
Breakfast passed quickly, a blur of calculated interactions and internal planning. John felt a burgeoning excitement, almost giddy, anticipating what new insights Sensei would share today. Chi, that subtle, life-giving energy, now felt constantly available to him, a tangible presence flowing within his body.
It took all his willpower during breakfast to hold back, to keep from attempting to make the chi move to his will. So far, all he had been able to do was observe its natural, dormant flow, a river he could sense but not yet direct. Today, he hoped, that would change.
The hall hummed with a different energy that morning. John, seated closer to Sensei than ever, felt a quiet buzz of anticipation. The other trainees cast covert glances his way, their faces a mixture of curiosity and competitive zeal. Anya, settled amongst them, felt a strange, lingering tiredness, but also an unusual mental clarity.
Sensei, a still presence at the head of the hall, surveyed them all with his deep, knowing eyes. He bypassed the general class, his focus narrowing entirely on John. "Yesterday, you felt the chi," Sensei's voice was a low, resonant hum, meant only for John. "You established initial contact with your internal bio-energy. Today, we begin to direct it. To understand its mechanics."
He then demonstrated a series of precise, almost microscopic movements with his hands, barely visible. "The body is a complex system of conduits. The chi flows through these pathways. Most remain dormant, or are inefficient. Your task is to identify these pathways and, through conscious effort, increase their efficiency. Visualize the energy not as light, but as a current. A low-voltage current, generated by your own biological processes. Feel its pressure, its direction."
John found this surprisingly natural. His constant, secret "on-and-off" practice with his adrenal manipulation had not only made sensing his chi effortless but had also given him an intuitive understanding of its internal pathways. As Sensei guided him, the faint hum he now felt constantly within him seemed to respond to his focused intent, subtly intensifying and subtly shifting its course along the routes Sensei described.
It was like learning the hidden wiring diagram of his own body. He made sure to maintain a facade of intense concentration, feigning the struggle he no longer felt, his movements deliberate and carefully controlled.
Anya, meanwhile, focused diligently. She didn't feel the clear "hum" that John spoke of, but she noticed something else profound. Her mind, usually a chaotic storm of thoughts and distractions during meditation, was unusually calm.
The mental exhaustion from last night's session with John had been potent, but it seemed to have cleared out the usual mental chatter, leaving behind an almost preternatural stillness. It was easier, much easier, to maintain her meditative state today. She didn't know why, but the mental struggle was significantly less. She focused on this unexpected clarity, wondering if this was part of John's "trick."
Sensei, his gaze fixed on John, noted with a keen eye how effortlessly the boy was now manipulating his Chi. It was clear John was intentionally holding back, masking the true extent of his rapid progress. This feigned struggle only piqued Sensei's curiosity further. He wanted to ascertain if John was indeed a prodigy in this crucial aspect of League training.
Sensei had taken the time yesterday, after John's initial breakthrough, to review the boy's performance records since his arrival at the League. They revealed nothing exceptional in terms of raw talent; John was an above-average martial artist, disciplined and capable, but no genius. Yet, when it came to Chi, John's abilities seemed to place him leagues above everyone else.
The League desperately needed individuals with such innate gifts. However, it was equally apparent that John didn't seem to trust the League, a fact Sensei had subtly observed in the boy's guarded demeanor and his peculiar, accelerated method of self-training.
"That can be changed," Sensei mused to himself, a plan already beginning to form in his old mind. He cleared his throat, a subtle signal that the lesson was about to shift.
"It seems you have learned how to move the Chi through your pathways," Sensei stated, his voice cutting through John's forced calm. John did his best to hide his surprise; he hadn't thought his subtle manipulations were that obvious. Sensei continued, "You should notice by now how your head is starting to feel muddy, like weights were added to it."
John nodded. He had indeed noticed that. The more he willed the Chi to move, the more that slow, mental fatigue began to creep in. "That is a normal occurrence when one is moving one's Chi," Sensei confirmed.
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