The morning sun rose timidly over the ancient Martial Arts Academy, yet the atmosphere within the courtyard was far from the tranquility the students were accustomed to. Master Shiro stood with his usual solemnity, flanked by a man radiating an aura of profound calm and unwavering confidence—a man they had never seen in the training grounds in such an imposing capacity. Shiro addressed the students in a booming voice that shook the courtyard and echoed beyond the village walls: "Listen closely! From this day forward, Master Huan shall take charge of your training. His orders are absolute; his decisions are final. He is your new compass on the path of power, and those who cannot keep pace with him have no place among us."
A heavy silence fell. The students exchanged looks of bewilderment and doubt; this man, Huan, carried no sword, nor did he possess the rugged coarseness typical of seasoned warriors. Huan stepped forward with deliberate, steady strides, a mysterious glint in his eyes as if he perceived what others could not. He spoke in an unexpectedly warm tone: "From today, I am not merely a master barking orders; we shall stand together as brothers in this sanctuary. Power that does not protect the brother or the weak is nothing more than hollow violence. I have come to forge you into beasts with human hearts."
Huan requested the students to step forward one by one to showcase their skills, intending to measure the foundation upon which he would build. The demonstrations began: some unleashed bursts of blue energy, others displayed agility by leaping between walls, and some shattered boulders with boastful palm strikes. However, as time passed, a shadow of disappointment and boredom clouded Huan's face.
He let out a deep sigh, shaking his head in regret. "It pains me to say this," he said, his voice carrying through the ranks, "but your level is lower than even the 'poor' standard. You mimic movements like parrots, yet your souls are devoid of true resolve. I doubt the strongest among you would survive even minutes once you step beyond the safety of these village borders."
A spark of fury ignited in the hearts of the students who considered themselves the elite. One cried out sharply, "How dare a stranger whose history we do not know criticize us? You look devoid of any real combat experience—what can you offer us besides mere words?"
Huan smiled coldly and replied, "Everything you have learned thus far is nothing but hollow theories from ancient scrolls. Forget everything you know. From this day, a training that touches the soul and sears the flesh to reshape it begins."
Huan inquired about the absentees. The students informed him that some instructors were on external missions, and one added with a defiant tone: "There is a student named Robin. He is the strongest among us, but he refuses to attend. He prefers isolation and solo training in the high mountains. It is said that even Master Shiro himself struggles to match his prowess."
Huan was not angered; instead, his eyes lit up with intense interest. "Where can I find this boy who stands apart from the collective?"
Part II: Encountering the Beast on Mount Yuri
At the summit of the towering Mount Yuri, where the air lashed at the skin like whips, Huan advanced with startling grace. He heard a rhythmic thumping that rattled the rocks and sent birds fleeing in a panicked mass. Huan suppressed his aura completely, weaving through the crags to witness a sight he hadn't expected. A quarter of the forest surrounding the peak had been utterly decimated—not by an axe, but by the sheer air pressure generated by punches.
In the center stood a youth of incredible physique, his muscles taut as if carved from flint. He directed strikes into the air, relying on the thrust of the wind created by his fist's speed to shatter tree trunks from a distance. "Remarkable," Huan whispered to himself. "This boy possesses a rare combat instinct and a physical frame so robust it could crush steel if given the right guidance."
At that moment, a terrifying roar shook the forest. A massive beast, a "Silver-Saber Tiger," fierce and heavy-set, emerged from behind the rocks, charging toward Robin. Huan laughed silently, watching from behind a tree: "Let us see how this young beast handles the forest's wrath."
The tiger lunged with its full weight, but Robin did not flinch an inch. He stared into the beast's eyes with a cold, provocative gaze, as if defying death itself. The tiger pounced with its massive paw, and in the following fraction of a second—before anyone could realize what had happened—the tiger lay as a headless corpse. Robin's strike was too swift for any ordinary eye to track.
Huan clapped as he emerged from his hiding place with confident steps. "Excellent timing... and impressive speed. But you wasted enough energy to kill ten tigers in a single blow."
Robin spun around, snapping into a combat stance. "Who are you?! And how did you dare sneak up here? I didn't feel your presence at all, and that is impossible!"
Huan replied with a calm chuckle, "Impossible is a word used by the weak to justify their limitations. You have much to learn, my boy. Physical strength is but a shell; mental fortitude and the mastery of 'Static Energy' are the essence."
Robin burned with rage at this old man lecturing him. "Keep your advice to yourself! Strength speaks for itself here. Step forward and I will show you how I melt your pride with a single strike!"
The duel began. Robin attacked with the speed of lightning, using his agility to deceive Huan's eyes, but Huan moved like a phantom, evading the blows without the slightest effort, as if reading Robin's movements before the boy even conceived them. The fight continued for hours as the sun dipped below the horizon. Robin poured all his fury and energy into strikes that met only air, until he finally fell to his knees in the pitch-black darkness, gasping frantically, sweat pouring off him like rain.
"Who are you, truly?" Robin asked in a broken voice, staring at the ground. "All my grueling training, all the years I spent shattering this forest... evaporated before you. I need the power you possess."
Huan answered, walking away calmly, "Follow me. Power is not requested; it is earned by submitting to the right master."
Robin stopped abruptly as if struck by an electric shock. "Wait! You never attacked me once. Why did you only avoid my strikes?"
Huan turned with a mysterious smile. "It seems you haven't noticed yet... Look behind you, Robin."
Robin turned, and the blood froze in his veins. The forest he had spent months to partially destroy with Herculean effort was now completely leveled behind him. A vast expanse of land lay flattened, as if a monumental destructive force had uprooted the trees and erased their trace in an instant, without him feeling a single direct assault. Robin bowed his head in profound solemnity and respect. "I apologize, Master... Please, train me!"
Huan said, "Not today. A weary body cannot absorb wisdom. Let us return."
Part III: The Passage of Decades and the Rise of "Ren"
Years passed like fleeting winds at Huan's school. Huan grew old and eventually lost his sight due to age and past battles, but his spiritual vision had reached legendary heights. Robin became his first lieutenant and right hand, alongside a cohort of elite instructors Huan had forged: "Kai Toshiro," the sword specialist; "Haru Yamato," the giant of physical strength; and the twins, "Rina and Sera Fushi."
The school was at the peak of its power, yet Huan lived in constant tension. He felt a dark entity growing in the shadows. One day, Huan heard a commotion—a group of bullies surrounding a small child, beating him mercilessly. Huan approached and noticed something extraordinary: the child took the blows without blinking. His eyes were wide with a haunting intensity—eyes that did not resemble those of ordinary humans.
"Begone!" Huan shouted in a voice that shook the street, and the boys fled.
Huan asked the child, "Little one, why do you not close your eyes?"
The child replied, "I was born this way. I see the world differently. I see the strikes as they flow through the molecules of the air like threads, but my body is weak; it will not obey me to block them."
A shiver ran through Huan's soul; this was the one! "Where are your parents?"
"Killed when I was an infant. I have no one, and no name."
Huan smiled tenderly. "Then from today, your name is Ren Kurozuki. I have given you my title. Come with me."
Part IV: The Frost Galaxy.. Alchemy of the Soul
At dawn the next day, they set out for the "Frost Galaxy," a place where temperatures drop to 200 degrees below zero. Ren was shivering, his skin turning blue, the winds buffeting his frail body as if to uproot him. But Huan walked steadily, the ice melting beneath his feet. Huan did not leave him; he held the boy's small shoulder and walked beside him, his voice flowing calmly despite the roar of the blizzards.
"Listen to me carefully, Ren... Do not let the cold steal your focus. If your mind surrenders, your blood will freeze."
Ren said in a trembling voice, "Master... how does your flame not go out? I feel death surrounding us."
Huan smiled and said, "The secret is not in fighting the external cold, but in creating an internal sun. The power I use is called Static Energy. It is that raw energy that fills the universe and exists within every cell of your body, but it lies dormant."
He continued as steam rose around them: "To gather this energy, you must first close all the portals of anxiety in your mind. Imagine your body is an empty vessel, and the frozen air you breathe is not an enemy, but fuel. Draw this frost into the center of your chest, where your soul resides."
Huan paused briefly, then added: "Once the energy reaches your center, do not let it stay still. You must make it rotate with immense speed. The friction of the energy particles against each other is what generates heat. Turn this rotation into a spark, and from that spark, create a flame that flows in your veins instead of blood. This is the Thermal Flame; it is not a fire that burns wood, but a will that incinerates the impossible."
Ren looked at his master's hand, which glowed with an invisible warmth, and began to try and mimic what he heard. He closed his eyes—despite the difficulty—and tried to sense that static energy. Huan continued to speak to him, guiding him step by step through the snow: "Do not rush the result, my son. Focus on the pulse... make your heart the hearth, and your mind the bellows that fans the fire. We are now in the heart of the Frost Galaxy, the perfect place to learn this art, because here you have no other choice... either you ignite, or you fade away."
They continued their journey deep into the ice, with Huan imparting lessons that would change Ren's fate forever.