The Martial Unity

Having decided to simply accept the attempt on his life, Rui began his training within the body of the Mother of Nature.

“Today, I shall begin my mastery of Nature.”

Rui’s tone was serious.

He sat in a little burrow along the thick bark of a gigantic tree at a truly tremendous altitude. He could see the vast expanse of the Genoran Forest, and the breathtaking beauty it had, illuminated by the early light of dawn.

’You are truly optimistic.’ Mother Alicia’s skeptical tone emerged in his mind. ’Do you truly believe that you will be able to harness nature to any meaningful extent?’

“Yes.”

Rui’s voice reflected his confidence.

’To be so certain in your success in harnessing the power of another path of another race… I can tell that you are a man blessed with great success in your pursuit of power. That is the only explanation as to why you are so confident about achieving the impossible. You think that because power has come to you so easily in your entire life, you can simply harness it effortlessly, no matter what the obstacles are. Even if you are of the wrong species entirely.’

“You’re right,” Rui replied. “I am blessed with great success, and power does easily come to me. I have progressed faster than any Martial Artist in the history of Martial Art and have reached uncharted territories in the Martial Path before even reaching the age of one hundred.”

’You are truly an incredible child.’

Rui raised an eyebrow. “I am not a child. I am human, remember. Seventy-eight years is a long time for human beings.”

’Ah… you are correct. I apologize. I mistakenly applied elven standards to you.’

Elves had a very long natural lifespan. Consequently, however, their rate of growth and maturing was extremely slow, and their fertility as a species was also extremely low. Within elves, someone who was merely seventy-eight years old was essentially a baby.

’Regardless, let us commence. If you are this certain of your success, then you are welcome to give it a shot.’

Rui nodded seriously.

’Let us begin with the Nature Path. Specifically, what the Nature Path is,’ Mother Alicia continued. ’The Nature Path is the path of potential that we elves possess in relation to our relationship with nature. Eons ago. Elves discovered that they have a much greater potential for bonding with nature. That we can do beyond merely communicating with nature. That with a little bit of discipline, training, and cultivating an even deeper relationship with nature, we could go further beyond and directly harness the power of nature with our will.’

Rui listened attentively.

’That was the Gate of Harmony,’ she informed him. ’It is the first step on the Nature Path. And anybody who wishes to harness the power of nature to any extent must first pass through the Gate of Harmony. This alone is an extremely lengthy process. So much so that even our long lifespan as elves is put to the test.’

Rui’s expression grew complicated.

If it took the elves that long to learn, then it likely meant that his chances of success were a little lower than he expected.

’If you wish to learn to manipulate nature, you must first enter the Gate of Harmony. You must elevate your affinity with nature to exceed a threshold and become an elven warrior,’ the Mother of Nature explained. ’Of course, you can’t do that since you are not an elf. You don’t have any affinity for nature. In fact, I would go as far as to say that you are very incompatible with nature. So what will you do?’

Rui fell into thought.

Indeed, instead of mindlessly trying to develop the Nature Path, he needed to somehow increase his affinity or develop the same kind of relationship that these elven warriors had with nature, and it wasn’t going to happen by going through the same training that they did.

’I got Authority of Alpha, something supposedly at the very pinnacle of the Beast Path by copying the eldritch chimera or recreating its power with the Forge of Creation,’ Rui mused thoughtfully. ’If I can do that, I should be able to at least partially recreate the power of the elves with the Forge of Creation as well.’

This was the way to go.

He first needed to gain a thorough, rigorous, and detailed understanding of the material mechanics by which elves controlled nature. By gaining a thorough understanding of the mechanics by which elves communicated with nature, he could then use the Forge of Creation to recreate those mechanics with a powerful system of thought.

’It isn’t just enough for you to understand the technical elements of nature manipulation,’ Mother Alicia insisted. ’That is just part of the challenge that you will have to face in order to be able to manipulate nature. You will also need to cultivate a relationship with nature.’

Rui raised an eyebrow. “A relationship with nature?”

’Correct. We elves do not force our will on nature. We actually cannot force our will on nature. We instead cultivate a relationship with nature over time. We bond with nature. We live in nature. We aim to truly become a part of nature. Over time, this bonding helps us learn to manipulate nature with just our thoughts alone,’ she explained.

“…Bonding with nature,” Rui murmured. “I’m not really that kind of guy, you know? But if it’s necessary, then I suppose.”

’You cannot bond with nature to the extent that is necessary because you simply don’t have the power to communicate with nature to the extent that we elves can,’ she explained. ’Until you overcome that, you will not have any chance of pursuing the Nature Path.’

Rui would first need to recreate the mechanics that dark elves used to communicate with nature. Thankfully, with such a discrete goal in mind, it was easy for him to get started with understanding how elves mastered and manipulated nature to their will and desire.