The thirteen days that followed were a prolonged repetition of the model of the previous two weeks, but each day brought its own nuances and small victories. The system had announced a new training phase, and Yuto worked with the same rigor: the Dance of the Invisible Lotus and the Slice of the Original Breath, day after day, until the gestures became a second skin. Repetitions, adjustments, synchronized breaths—all this gradually turned into a fluidity that the naked eye had difficulty grasping.
Preparation and framework
The training room had remained the same: a quiet space, soft light filtering through the high windows, a thick carpet, straw mannequins, some light ropes and a small discreet altar where Yuto came to align his breath and thoughts before each session. The goal was clear: to refine the Dance of the Invisible Lotus so that it can become an anticipation rather than a simple movement, and solidify the Slice of the Original Breath until a shot is no longer an intention but a precise and economic reaction.
Day 1 to 5 — Foundations and Slow Progression
During these first days, the emphasis remained on the basics and conscious repetition. For the Dance of the Invisible Lotus, Yuto is reworking weight transfers, toe supports, half pivots and short trips. Each movement was measured by the breath: an inhalation that prepared the rotation, an exhalation that guided the change of direction. He began to feel a micro-cohesion between breathing and the placement of the foot, as if the ground became an extension of his body.
For the Slice of the Original Breath, the first shots remained accurate but measured. The grip evolved: fingers that remained flexible without the wrist crumbling under tension, shoulder aligned, forearm ready to accompany the movement without unnecessary resistance. He repeated simple sequences, locked the guard angles and tried to make each gesture last a beat of breathing, not a second more or less. The system noted small improvements: a more natural transition between guard and attack, a parade that deployed with less energy expenditure.
Day 6 to 9 — Slow fusion and intensification
The mid-term introduces integration sequences. The Dance of the Invisible Lotus took on a more organic dimension: the movements were no longer a sequence of steps but an orchestration where each movement opened a possibility of attack. Yuto learned to read his own fatigue signals and bring them back to a controlled flow. When he was on the carpet, he could feel his center move slightly, then return, and that was exactly where the sword found its place: the next attack was born from a movement of the body, and the body responded with a perfectly timed sword response.
For the Slice of the Original Breath, the combinations gained in speed and precision. Diagonal blows, feints and parades mixed in more complex flows. The breath remained the key word: slow breathing for heavy attack, short and controlled breathing for feint or dodge. The targets on the mannequins became opponents who seemed almost real when the alignment of the gestures was right. The system, vigilant, distributed feedback in real time: small corrections of the shoulder posture, adjustments of the arm tendon, or the angle of the wrist so that the cutting edge "smells" the path of energy.
Day 10 to 13 — Peak and emergency preparedness
The last few days marked a controlled intensification: the flows are faster, the chains tighter. The Dance of the Invisible Lotus now required less thought and more instinct; Yuto could feel that his trunk gave off an energy that instinctively responded to the slightest intention of attack or deviation. Attention shifted to endurance management: maintaining the same precision over prolonged periods, without fatigue distorting any gesture.
For the Slice of the Original Breath, mastery reached a new fine level: blows, parries and dodges became longer and more coherent sequences. The body had begun to integrate micro-gestures and micro-feints that surprised the imaginary targets and which, in Yuto's mind, translated an understanding of the battlefield as a game of balance between dynamism and control.
At the end of these thirteen days, the system recorded progress: the two techniques had gained in cleanliness and efficiency; breathing and stability resulted in a more fluid execution, and the feeling of having gained real control was palpable. Yuto's inner story had also changed: the fear of emptiness had turned into a quiet confidence, ready to face the unpredictable. On the material level, the system's resources had credited the improvement account, with measurable progress in the skill sheets and system points distributed as small rewards for the effort made.
Ding! A notification appeared, simple and insistent, like a whisper that could not be ignored. Monticule miniature: *In 1 day, there will be a meteor shower in Mont Mathieu (Mong Nation). During this rain, you will be able to find a stone containing a small ball, which serves as a miniature mound without spiritual veinnoise. *
The digital echo announced an emergency situation: Mont Mathieu, a distance measured in juang, was several days away from the usual trip for a single trip; but one day, a meteor shower was going to hit the area. Only a flying artifact could reach the goal in time.
Panic soon arose in Yuto's mind, but he repressed the fear and turned to the only human element that could help him face the imminence: Ju Won, his faithful valet. Time was running out, and every second the mind goes astray could be expensive.
Yuto ran through the corridors and found Ju Won, who was doing his usual preparation rounds. Without hesitation, he asked the question that burned on his lips:
***How long could it take to reach Mount Mathieu, with the help of a flying artifact? ***
Ju Won, faithful to his practical sense, answered with mechanical precision:
*** In 12 hours the most slowly, but at the fastest 6 hours.*** he simply said to Ju Won.
The choice was clear in Yuto's eyes: he wanted to see Mount Mathieu, and he wanted to see it soon. Ju Won understood the message and embarked on the preparations without further discussion. In six hours, everything was ready: the flying artifact, food and emergency equipment were checked; nothing was left to chance. The duo armed themselves with determination and caution, ready to face the distance and danger that awaited them.
As the minutes rush towards the time of departure, Yuto feels the adrenaline rising without shielding: the urgency of a journey that was not just a simple exploration but a race against time and – potentially – against the meteorites to come. Ju Won, stoic, was ready to guide and protect, and Yuto felt that, despite the fear, he finally had a real team by his side to face what was to follow.
At this precise moment, time tightened around them. The flying artifact prepared to rise from the ground, and the duo focused on the road that would lead them to Mont Mathieu. Six hours, then less, could be the margin; the plan was simple: reach Mount Mathieu before the meteorites fall, then turn around or find another way back according to the evolution of the celestial storm.
The journey could begin. The sky darkens slightly, as if the universe itself was holding its breath. Yuto, his eyes riveted on the horizon, felt the anticipation and resolution mixed with a kind of calm excitement: this journey, as perilous as it was, was a necessary step in his quest. With Ju Won by his side, he was ready to face what was coming.