The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

"We're done for the day. Dress your wounds and rest; we will resume early morning tomorrow." Draven disappeared from the room, leaving only a battered body on the floor. It was Oscar.

After the short 15-minute break, he was put through the wringer and fought without end against the Warden. His efforts were like a feather trying to break a rock, as Draven was unmoving and unaffected by any of his attacks. The only result was his being beaten back to a pulp.

Oscar opened a medical kit given to him by Draven and started tending to his wounds. He hissed as he spread some medicine. After he was finished, Oscar thought about his options. "His clothing isn't special. It feels like regular clothing. So that means he's just that tough like a rock."

But Draven withstood his blows. Oscar's hands trembled from how sturdy his body was. Oscar believed Draven didn't need armor due to his iron-like body.

Oscar shook his head and refocused on his priority.

Draven's defenses were too tough. There was no way Oscar could overwhelm him in brute strength. He felt it would take several years and a constant supply of Hytr Elixirs.

But he only had four days left. There must be a way for Oscar to move his Master past the line.

Oscar got up in a fighting pose. The remaining option was to meditate on his movements. He tightly clenched his fist as his body stilled to a halt as if he was a statue.

'Meditate, look within.' He peered through the skin of his body. The area around his right fist to his shoulder was all twisted. Oscar could not believe how it was so distorted. There was no way his strength could properly exert itself.

Did he ever throw a real punch in his life? The pathetic view of his punching motion put doubt in Oscar. The past spars with Frederick came to mind; he always held his punches like this. How laughable it was. They were like swordsmen fighting with their swords backward, not a single proper use of their strength.

'My fist can be stronger than before if I can unfurl this mess.'

Oscar tweaked and shifted his arm muscles using meditation to oversee the process. Once his arm's muscles were lined properly and balanced, Oscar followed the same method as when he climbed up the hole. He started from the shift of his hips to the stretching out of his arms.

Each tiny bit of movement was slow and deliberate. Oscar constantly adjusted himself during the pauses using meditation. He noticed it but trying to use meditation while moving hurt extremely.

Finally, he completed a single punch in ten minutes. Forgoing any rest or sleep, Oscar repeated this slow punch. Each time, he got better and more familiar with the sensation and form.

Meditation sapped his stamina each time, so being able to punch naturally without the need to meditate would be a boon. 'I should continue this training for every attack I can do. Maybe even get to the point of understanding my body without meditation.'

Hours later, Oscar was soaked in sweat. His arm was shaking even when he let it down.

Although Oscar wanted to continue, he was not a fool. He learned from Draven's previous advice that good rest was the driver for the training to show results. He fell asleep instantly, swearing to defeat his master tomorrow.

…….

"Why did you not get a good rest?" Draven shook in disapproval after seeing the dark bags under Oscar's eyes.

"It was my mistake." Oscar stumbled on his feet due to drowsiness. It was Oscar's mistake to misjudge the time, so he had only slept for an hour. "But, I've got something to make up for it." Oscar smiled confidently.

"Oh? Interesting. Put up your arms." He did not observe Oscar after leaving. What made this child so confident? He couldn't wait to find out.

The two confronted each other with their backs to their lines. Draven's terrifying fist punched as if tearing the air apart.

But Oscar evaded and prepared himself. He twisted, retaliating back with a punch at his master.

Draven watched in interest as Oscar's attack neared. This punch was the culmination of his pupil's efforts overnight; he had to feel every bit of it.

"Eh?" Draven's back lurched a tiny minuscule bit. Oscar's punch was more powerful than he expected. If Oscar's punches before were like a soft pebble, this one was a steel ball.

Delighted, Oscar pushed onward to push Draven past his line.

"How's this!" He yelled out in a triumphant tone.

But Oscar realized something odd. Draven had not moved a single inch from his spot. Although his punch was strong, it was still insufficient to move Draven's feet.

"A splendid attack. You moved my back a bit, but it's a shame."

In the next moment, Oscar's body was barrelling through the air. He landed on the floor with a loud crash. It was Draven's second punch that did it.

"Damn, I thought for sure that this would work." Oscar could not get back up as his chest heaved up and down. His master's punch forced all the air out of his body. He was lacking oxygen, experiencing lightheadedness, and his ears were ringing.

It was the hardest Draven had hit him; nay, it was the hardest he had ever been hit.

"It was the correct decision to use meditation to work out the flaws in your punch." Draven praised Oscar for arriving at this stage without formal teaching. "However…it is only your strength."

"My strength?" Oscar pondered for a moment before he realized the Warden's meaning.

"You understand it. Let me demonstrate." Draven went off to the side and tightened his stance. In the next instance, the ground under him cracked, and he released a powerful punch. The winds in the room started to blow like a fierce gale around the punch's axis. "In the previous lesson, you learned the flow of power. We call this process the Reis. Reis is the measure of physical force, the opposite of Ein."

"Reis." Oscar failed to find this term in any of the books he had read before. "Is this power a secret?"

Draven shook his head. "Reis is an art that's been abandoned a long time ago. The reason is the intense training one must do to master it completely. You have barely made the first step into this art."

"That can barely count as the first step?" Oscar's face twisted in disbelief as he recalled everything he had to do just for the first step.

"Indeed, so it became a lost art. Why should people spend their time and effort on this art? Their time was better-spent training in Ein and becoming stronger Exalts. Additionally, Exalts are physically strong by default. After all, Reis is merely an auxiliary skill. Even if you utilize it with Ein, it won't let you surpass anyone that is a higher exalt. Though you can certainly put up a fight."

"Then why am I doing this training?" Oscar was upset at this revelation.

"Did you not hear me? I said that is only in the case of higher exalts." Draven shrugged his shoulders. "You are a student, so you'll likely be fighting people at your level. The Reis will give you a tremendous advantage over them."

"And for the last reason. It is because you are a Grade Four. You are not the slowest nor the fastest in absorbing Ein. So you need as many other ways to trump over your opponents."

Oscar fell silent. After some time, he bowed.

"Please teach me!" If he could not trust these words, what else could he do to get stronger? He was already getting farther behind because of his time in this prison.

"Well said. I like decisive people. I know you have your doubts, but trust me on this. I still use Reis, and I am a Marshal Exalt." Draven jumped to another section of the room with Oscar in tow. "Reis is flow. Reis is momentum. Reis is the redirection. Reis is power. When shoveling, you moved fast and followed the momentum without scrutinizing each part. When you climbed up, you were slow and paused to detect the slight bit of Reis. Now, put them together. Move fast while mobilizing the Reis."

Oscar raised his hand like a student in a classroom and asked, "But I climbed up slowly and in increments to meditate. How can I do that if I'm moving fast?"

Even the punch he threw early was just him going through the proper motions and muscles he had discovered through meditation.

"Meditate while moving." Draven declared.

"Is that even possible?" In all his attempts earlier to meditate while moving, it resulted in severe pain. The motions of his body were incompatible with the strict nature of meditation.

"I tried it with Ein meditation before coming to this prison, but it all ended badly." He recalled when he wanted to recover Ein while moving, but the backlash hurt his head.

"It is possible." Draven pointed at himself. "How else do you think I was able to do that." His fingers shifted to point at the cracks in the ground. "The state of constant meditation while moving is known as 'Awaken'. Many martial arts imitate the Reis by shifting their legs to twisting their hips in a fluid motion. But no one can truly be a master unless they seamlessly control the Reis and completely control their body's movements. The 'Awaken' is the only way to do this. The Reis is volatile and everchanging; only with Awaken can you keep track of it. It is not only for Reis; imagine how much better you can apply your Ein in your attacks and spells if you see the Ein as it forms. Imagine if you could absorb Ein as you battle. You'll outlast your enemy."

"'Awaken'….How do I achieve it?" Oscar's eyes shined with expectation.

"Practice. 'Awaken' takes a large toll on a person. Ein will affect the core and mind, while Reis will affect the body. You'll run your life short if you can't handle the strain." Draven explained further. "So the 'Awaken' is broken into two branches. 'Ein Awaken' is to focus on the inner space and gather Ein while moving. 'Reis Awaken' is to focus on the body and gather Reis while moving. I used 'Reis Awaken' to gather up the Reis and guide it through my body, resulting in that deadly blow."

"But where did you get the Reis?" Oscar still did not understand how Draven could accomplish such a feat.

"Look at my feet." Draven's feet were firmly on the ground as if roots were growing out of them.

BOOM

The ground caved in under them. Thanks to the room's lighting and being so close, Oscar noticed a peculiar action.

When his master made his move, his feet shifted inward. Oscar understood. "You're creating your own Reis?"

"Correct. You move and spring your foot into a spin. It's like kicking the ground without lifting off. You create a reaction from the ground that forces its way back to your feet. That counter-power, the Reis, goes up your feet." Draven stomped his feet more. "Use 'Reis Awaken' to adjust and guide the Reis from the ground, mixing it with your power. Then release it at a point."

Oscar planted his feet on the floor and clenched his legs.

"If you don't use 'Reis Awaken', the Reis won't work due to how much power you need to handle. It is not some wild swing like the shovel; it is surgical and focused. Every individual part of the body must work for it. You can't achieve it without 'Reis Awaken'." Draven finished his explanation, motioning Oscar to go ahead and try. "Tighten your legs and release all the power into the ground. It will return by rebound."

With a grunt, Oscar forcibly slammed the ground. It was not to the extent as Draven's, but the ground cracked under Oscar's feet. Oscar miscalculated just how powerful his legs were. He could not rein in the Reis and flung himself in the air.

"Wah!" He stuck the landing on his feet with a pale expression. The shock made his muscles cramp, making it hard for him to stand.

"You were supposed to use 'Reis Awaken'." Draven sighed as Oscar dropped to the floor, unable to hold on.