Eating a raw egg, Ying gulped it down greedily. Feeling his body becoming nourished, he grabbed the rest of the bird eggs and stuffed them into his pocket. "Sorry, Miss Bird, I am starving."
Climbing down the tree, Ying thought about what he should do in his life. Should he try to become someone, or just nothing? His father once told him that someone who helps people is a hero.
A hero is never good and bad, but both. Willing to save everyone and willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good. Even if it means killing along the way, a hero has to make sacrifices.
"I...want to live how I want, not being controlled nor in those stupid battles for power," vowed Ying as he looked at the sky. "I vow that in this life, I, Long Ying, King Harold, will never bow to anyone."
Clenching his small fist, he put those vows in his heart. "I have to get stronger, or I will be useless. This new energy can help me a lot."
Channeling a bit of the energy into his hand, he analyzed it. It felt similar to magic, but stronger, as if it could overpower magic. "The only reason it can be so strong is if it is powered by the soul."
Soul energy in the last life was forbidden, as the soul was a thing not to be messed with casually or with profession. One mistake can lead your soul to perish, making everyone reluctant to use it.
Condensing the energy into his hand, he felt it become stronger, like he could lift an elephant. "What if I condense it all around myself? Will I become stronger?" Ying wondered as he tried it, but he could only cover his two hands with it; it seems he lacks the control and quantity of energy in his body. "That makes sense, the soul grows with the body, making it stronger."
Feeling a bit hungrier after using energy, he ate one more bird egg. In the forest, a mother bird screeched out in anguish as her eggs were gone...
Reaching a huge tree that could fit twenty people, it conveniently had an open trunk. Ying settled down in there for now, since it was almost night. "I don't have anything left, my house burned down with my parents, and all I have are my clothes."
Ying sighed, then he checked his chest where the demon mark was supposed to be, and found nothing but white flesh. Breathing a sigh of relief, he wondered if the mark could transfer souls; it seems it can only be placed on the physical body.
Meditating once more, he found himself doing it more and more as the days went by. Early morning came, and Ying opened his eyes slowly, rubbing his eye boogers. He saw some animals sleeping next to him.
Stretching, he walked out of the giant tree's opening and wondered what he should do to pass the time. Remembering the training in his past life, he sighed and reluctantly began to work out.
Punching a tree over and over, not using the energy, but pure physical power, only stopping if his hands hurt. He also found another function of the energy: it can heal minor wounds if applied in a certain way.
Nourishing the cells to quickly make new cells, he can heal minor injuries. Studying in the past life isn't so bad after all, is it, King Harold?
Remembering the cramming and studying to make it to the Royal Academy that all nobles dream of gave him a slight shiver.
Shaking his head of the past, Ying focused on his training. Day after day, he punched the tree and hunted for food.
His father taught him a lot. In addition to being a king, he was a huntsman and swordsman. His hand-to-hand skills were not bad, but he didn't bother to perfect them since he could just use a sword and use magic to enhance his speed.
His name was called the Blood Blur, as once he enters his magic mode, he becomes a blur that leaves blood around.
Harold learned everything from his father, but had an increased perception and learning ability. He was very ambitious, so he wanted to learn everything, but he realized he could only master certain skills, or it might take him two hundred years.
Sticking with hand-to-hand and swords as well as magic. Harold mastered them all as he focused the most time on them. His passion for learning allowed him to gradually learn a lot of things, like the biology of humans, science, war, and psychology.
Grilling two squirrels he caught with traps, Ying bit into them and felt his hunger go away instantly. Smiling happily, he remembered when his father taught him how to grill a piece of meat; he burned it so easily.
Chuckling silently, Ying finished his lunch and began to train once more, but this time, he found a lake and swam in it while trying to hold his breath for a long time. All you see is Ying surfacing from the lake, then diving back in for five minutes in between.
Sending some of the energy to his lungs, he felt like he could hold his breath for ten minutes. Practicing sending the precise amount of energy into his lungs to make sure he doesn't waste extra energy.
After it became night, Ying plopped down on the ground in the tree trunk. He was exhausted, which reminded him of his first teacher, that taught him how to fight hand-to-hand. Smiling to himself, Ying fell asleep while circulating his energy around him, in case something sneaks up on him.
Nothing can get past his senses, not even a blade of grass swaying. Feeling something approaching, Ying got up quickly and took out a small bone that was quite sharp, which he made when he killed the squirrels, and pointed it at the something's neck.
His vision cleared and he saw something crazy...