What was something out of imagination turned out to be another reality. That was what most of the people thought after seeing the change around them.
That included the students of the Transcendent Academy. They were the first one to witness such power, the power that was available to them but not accessible. Now, with the academy providing the students and teachers with opportunities for improving their mind power, the transcendents had increased their strength greatly.
“Mind power is tied to will but it is almost impossible to purposely gain access to it. The black sphere somehow managed to achieve this and is currently under further study.”
Tatsumi walked with the students behind him after another test of mind power.
After becoming a student at the academy, he found that he became the leading figure for his cohorts and somehow even the seniors respected him. Meaning that there was no disturbance to his current life.
But the teachers were the ones who often came and disturbed him for exchanging ideas.
“It is said that the black sphere strengthened the mind power to the point of being perceived.” Ame explained while looking behind at the students.
The students were respectfully following the two and kept their distance. But it was not far enough that they could not hear her.
“How do you guys feel after being in contact with the black sphere?” Tatsumi asked while still walking.
“It is as if a wind cleared up my mind, making it free from concern.”
“I feel like my perception of the surroundings increased.”
“I don’t feel like much has changed but I can feel the emotion of the people I faced.”
There were as many answers as the students, but it made Tatsumi realize that for every person, the improvement was different but it was developing to become stronger.
Then they returned to the classroom for the next subject.
-
Long Wu was tracking someone who could be connected to the remnant of the Snatcher hidden deep in the Thebes Independence Kingdom.
After dealing with the ones at the Hinon Federation, he had found out that the remnant struggled to manage their own organization but they still held on by sheer will.
But Long Wu wanted to end that since he had a grudge against their kind.
He stealthily moved through the roof of the buildings with his transcendent power fully under his control after the enhancement of his mind power and finally opened one of the Psyche-Locks and unlocked the ability related to him.
‘He is called the Graceful Raptor. His hideout is under this building.’ Long Wu thought as he used the mind power to scan the surroundings, even the underground.
This was the ability that was unlocked after unlocking. It allowed him to scan around him with a radius of three hundred meters, at least for him.
This scan was detailed and could even perceive the life force of living beings.
Even able to detect hidden traps and concealed rooms underground, where he could perceive several people gathered.
Long Wu frowned upon realizing that there were several more people involved in this. But he needed to put an end to this hidden danger to him and those close to him.
‘There we go.’ Long Wu walked to the front of the hidden corridor and pressed a slightly faded-colored stone which served as an opening mechanism that opened the hidden corridor. Long Wu used his transcendent energy to mask his noise and presence and walked inside.
He could sense that one of the group of people had separated and was heading in his direction. Long Wu clenched the dagger in his grasp.
He walked closer and closer while the person did not even detect his presence and when they met, it was a display of complete stealth as Long Wu attacked once on the vital area and the person lay down, dead and surprised as his last expression.
Long Wu then focused his attention to the group of people and found it strange that they did not react to his move at all.
Transcendent had a keen sense so Long Wu had expected to be discovered but it looked like this would be to his advantage.
‘It meant that they are letting their guards down or the room prevented the sense of the usual transcendent. Of course, improved mind power still works on it and that is why I can still detect them.’ Long Wu concluded.
He walked as if he were the owner of this very hidden facility. The corridor was dark and a bit damp, so the air was somewhat humid.
He arrived at the front door of the room where the group had gathered.
On the other side of the room…
“Why does it take so long for him to return?” one of the executives asked and was actually concerned that their hidden place would be found out.
“Are you worried about this place being found out? There is no chance for that happening, no, the chance is so low that it is borderline impossible.” Another gave his reasoning.
The five of them frowned since the air became a bit unsettling but they did not know why but their instinct screamed at them to leave at once and that a threat had appeared near.
“Do you all feel that?” The goosebumps of the five of them felt made them realize that something was terribly wrong.
Just as they tried to move to the only exit, the door on one side of the room, the door itself was flung open, and it hit the closest person who lunged at the door.
Long Wu flicked his wrist and the dagger was thrown and hit another person right in the neck, penetrating his pitiful layer of transcendent energy membrane and causing the conflict of transcendent energy from different wills to react and destroying his throat.
The three who evaded the flung door then lunged at Long Wu all at once. Long Wu knew their power level.
‘Early Core Formation Realm…and they are actually hidden so deep.’ Long Wu assessed since he was closer and could make a quite accurate judgement. His mind power projected the trajectory of the people in front of him as if he could see the potential future of their actions.
Long Wu countered their moves; an uppercut bolstered with transcendent energy caused the first person to fly high until he hit the ceiling, while the second used his fist to attack.
Long Wu just needed to use his hand to handle it as he changed his hand to a palm and use his enemy forces against him, causing the stance to be broken momentarily but the gap was fatal for the second man.
Long Wu changed his hand and used it to chop at the neck of the second person who lunged too unsteadily due to his fist being deflected further than intended. The second person then felt the power of the chop and fainted directly.
The third person, however was stood still, petrified and his legs wobbled.
“You…you…!” he also pointed to Long Wu, as if realizing who Long Wu was.
“Question, what are you planning in this place?” Long Wu narrowed his eyes as his cold expression turned even colder when he asked.
The third person clearly knew that Long Wu was someone he should not even cross.
Long Wu then gestured and the thrown dagger which was lodged into the neck of the fourth person, flew to him as if he could recall it.
Blood spurted from the open wound on the fourth person’s neck but he was still struggling to be alive.
As for the fifth person, he was slowly standing up but Long Wu was faster and smashed his head so hard that the fifth person fainted.
Then he incapacitated the five of them and tied them using his blue rope that could restrain a transcendent.
The room, which was previously used for secret discussion, became the interrogation room, which was only known to them.
“The previous question, what is it?” Long Wu looked at the person who was only tied up with the rope and resumed the interrogation.
“We are just doing our routine meeting!” he shouted while shaking so hard.
Long Wu did not even touch him, so that the fear of being treated coldly seeped into that person’s mind.
“The contents, you imbecile!” Long Wu stomped his feet as he neared the third person.
Sweat formed on the forehead of the third person and he quickly replied, “It is about the sudden development of the transcendents of the Thebes Kingdom!”
“Continue.” Long Wu then shifted to the one whose neck was heavily injured but being a transcendent, he could still keep his life.
The third person explained in detail about their current plan of action while Long Wu listened in and sharply looked at the others and they were all intimidated.
They realized that they were in the captives of the strongest transcendent so they knew that they had screwed up for gaining his attention.
They interchangeably explained in detail about their general plan of action as well as intelligence about the Transcendent Academy.
The fourth person was barely clinging to life as Long Wu kept watch over this person.
“So you are saying that the branches are barely interconnected and you had last contact with the ones at the Hinon Federation. Is that right?” Long Wu said with an edge in his voice.
‘Well, I am the one who took care of that branch. They relied more on the masses rather than their own capability.’ Long Wu remembered and just shrugged it off.
It was just another experience for him and another nuisance to take care of. Although he also found some disks as additional items for storing information. He fortunately regarded everything he had found as important and delivered it to be displayed as proper information in the computer.
“Yes! That’s right. It was an arranged move by those in a higher position than us!” The third person was shaken greatly as he did not want to be in pain or suffering.
“Don’t speak the obvious.” Long Wu retorted sharply.
“I want concrete proof of your line of command. Who is currently in charge of the overall operation? Who also directed the branches? That is what I want to know. But hearing how you operate indicated that this higher-up of yours is still new in his position.” Long Wu said as he had already pieced together the necessary part for him to reach that conclusion.
“How do you…” just as the third person wanted to say something, a painful groan could be heard as he was bleeding in his orifices, as his mouth also let out blood and then his body slumped down.
“A similar prevention method as the last time.” Long Wu only commented as the four people trembled with the death of one of them.
In the outside world, they were the revered and civilized person with quite high standing but they also had their own identity that elevated them to those positions.
Here, they were nothing more than a prisoner for another.
-
“That’s all I can gather from them.” Long Wu said to Kushina. All the action he had done in the territory of the kingdom was permitted and legalized. Furthermore, the people that Long Wu was looking for were actually a harmful part of the civilization.
“That’s good for now.” Kushina said while sighing.
Even though Long Wu could cut off one or several branches of the remnant, if he could not get the leader, it would amount to nothing as they could regrow their cut-off part.
But there was nothing they could do at the moment because the new leader truly held his life highly and did not even let the subordinates leave anything that could point out to him in person.
Most of their method was to deliver the order through a letter; rarely did they do it through a telephone or even the disks which could be used on the computer.
“It’s fine. They are already suppressed to the level where they cannot spread their influence. Eliminating evil is simply a pipe dream since the seed cannot be destroyed, no matter what we do.” Long Wu said this because he knew for himself that it only needed a thought to be evil.
But he also thought that the concept was quite relative depending on the situation. So he could not say much on the matter that he barely understood.
“I won’t say much for your method of disposing them. But you need to know that your method will be identified and they would likely know that it was you who did it.” Kushina reminded.
“Can’t be helped. I don’t want to leave a single thing for them to point it out to me. It is a game of who catches the other first and I don’t want to lose.” Long Wu shook his head as he was still in his current sitting position.
“That’s what's bothering you? I didn’t expect that you are the careful type. But I should have expected it since you are often using your strength in a certain manner.” Kushina closed her eyes as she tried to imagine that.
“No need to be surprised. I don’t like to act that way but circumstances force me to. So, how are you and how is he faring?” Long Wu asked the important question after a long explanation about his operation.
“Things are looking good even for me. We are receiving what we agreed to call mind power and its effect can even support some transcendents. Practically everyone at the academy has at least received an increase in their mind power.
“As for him, well, you don’t need to worry. He is thriving in the academy despite being in the first year. He said that he needed to relearn things to make sure that his foundation in knowledge is solid.”
Long Wu could imagine that already in his mind. He was truly happy for his disciple since he could learn at a fast rate regarding the transcendent.
“I bet that he is leading some students in almost everything. Is he giving some of his knowledge to them?” Long Wu asked. That was the only thing that could entice the students to follow him.
“That’s right. His knowledge is vast and broad enough for some teachers to even learn from him. He just doesn’t know the most recent knowledge and even that is slowly being learned by him.” Kushina felt happy as a teacher of the academy but also felt conflicted for someone to be that capable.
“Are you done with your duty?” Long Wu asked after savoring the information.
“There are still some things that need to be sorted out but I am done with the most important. What’s wrong?” Kushina asked as she had done with the information at hand.
“I was thinking about bringing you somewhere. I mean, we should spend some time together.” Long Wu said what was on his mind.
He felt that he needed time to get to know someone better and what could be better than going on a date? He had learned this from his disciple and knew that he needed to do it sooner.
“Interesting. Well, what do you have in mind?” Kushina then rose from her chair as she walked to Long Wu’s side.
“How about a tour around the academy? There are some things I need to know, especially the place as large as this.” Long Wu gave a suggestion.
“If there is time remaining, how about a little tour around the commercial district in the city?” Kushina added.
“Sounds good.”
-
“Focus on your transcendent energy first before letting it cycle through your body.” Tatsumi gave an instruction and the students who listened did as they were told.
“Mind power gives your will an enhancement and increasing it also increasing your will, which is beneficial to your energy circulation. The smoother your circulation, the more robust your body and foundation will be!” Tatsumi added.
He had managed to get to a state where everyday activity was like meditating in a cross-legged position. This was hard to do and the fact that he could achieve this was due to his familiarity with the way meditation worked.
“Circulate your transcendent energy throughout your entire body, even the smallest part possible. This is not easy, I know but this is necessary if you want your body to be sturdy inside and out!”
Tatsumi walked around the students who were in a cross-legged position while circulating their transcendent energy. They still left some of their perception to listen to Tatsumi’s instruction.
“Then feel it change your body and cleanse some of the impurities in the body. With that, you can go deeper in your meditation and gain some small enlightenment.” Tatsumi then let the students go deep into their meditation.
As for himself, he had already circulated his transcendent energy in a great circle while Ame tried to do it like Tatsumi did but to passively do that was harder than she imagined.
“How can you do it while I can’t!?” Ame protested but Tatsumi gave her a look as if saying that she was too impatient.
“You need to feel the most natural way for you to do it. You are forcing yourself so far.” Tatsumi commented.
“Be patient. Just relax, let your nerves calm down and steady your breath. Let your body do the task for you. Remember, your heart beats regardless of what you do or will, because it is a natural response. Even your breath is still in action despite your activity.” Tatsumi advised and knew that Ame needed some guidance for this.
Ame then calmed down. She even calmed her heart which was still filled with reluctance that Tatsumi was better than her.
She let her body do its own thing and when time passed, the transcendent energy in her body started circulating on its own, as if it was part of her body's operation.
“Good. You get the hang of it.” Tatsumi nodded with pride. He let Ame do her own things without disturbing her since he knew that this was an important thing for her.