Fundamentals of Ki

The next day, Reiji arrives early at the guild. Despite being early morning, the guild was still half full. Adventurer's who had just returned from night hunts, and a small group of guild clerks were already busy at work.

"Oh you're here, Reiji. The guild master is waiting for you in the third training room below." A different guild clerk greets him.

Yawning, Reiji nods before following the direction. 

"Jeez. I know it's early, but could you at least try to put yourself in order." Elnyra complained as she looked at Reiji and his disorganized appearance.

Walking into the third training room, Reiji could see Guild Master Xenon already waiting in the middle of the room. Today he was only wearing a dark green shirt, over a pair of grey slacks. Hanging of his waist was the same katana that he usually carried. 

Sensing Reiji enter, Xenon turned around to greet him, showing his unbuttoned shirt and chiseled abs. 

Tch. Why are people in this world so damn good looking, Reiji grumbled in his head.

"Don't be jealous. I'm sure there are people who could love your thuggish face."

"Shuddap."

Walking up to Xenon Reiji greeted him, barely conceiling his excitement.

"So what are we doing today?"

"Today I'm going to teach you the fundamentals of Ki techniques, as well as how to fight using them." 

Raising up three fingers, Xenon begins his lecture as he counts down the fundamentals for Reiji.

"The fundamentals of Ki can be broken down into three skills. The first one is Ki Sense, a skill that allows you to sense your own internal Ki as well as the Ki of your surroundings. "

"The second skill is Ki Control, this skill is what allows you to circulate the Ki inside yourself, to increase your natural abilities. Ofcourse this is used together with the third and final skill."

"The third skill is Ki Concentration, the most important skill, it allows you to charge up Ki in a certain spot to increase the strength of your attacks or your skill. This is the hardest skill to master, most Ki users can only increase their output by about four times. As a side note, I can do it up to eight times."

Hearing Xenon's long winded lecture, Reiji's eyes begin to glaze over.

"Are you alright Reiji? You look like you've just taken an incredibly bitter medicine." Elnyra giggled besides me as usual. "Is the lecture too much for your brain?"

Sensing Reiji's confusion Xenon chuckles slightly before continuing.

"Don't worry. I know you aren't the type to understand from lectures." Drawing his Katana, and entering a neutral stance, Xenon continues. "For a thick headed person like you, I'll beat these lessons into you personally."

"Since you understand me, I'm going to ignore the casual insult you just said." Baring his fangs, Reiji couldn't help but glare at Xenon.

"Once you're ready, feel free to attack me." Xenon challenged. "No need to hold back. A chick like you won't even land a single hit."

"Just remember... you asked for this!" Punching his fist together, Reiji drops into a battle stance.

Closing the distance with Blitz, Reiji launched a quick palm thrust, missing Xenon by a hair's width. Refusing to give up, Reiji follows up with a barrage of strikes. Elbows, knees, kicks, and punches, all of them miss Xenon by a hair's width.

"Stop dodging!" Reiji growls in frustration.

Pirouetting, Xenon spins behind Reiji, smacking him with the side of his katana, sending Reiji sprawling. "Now why would I do that?"

"With Ki Sense, I can sense the movements of living things around me. As all living things posess Ki, it allows me to dodge your attacks easily." 

Xenon continues his lesson as he sways and dodges the barrages of Reiji's attack, never moving away from the center of the room.

"Is dodging all you know how to do?" Reiji growls with fury.

Charging in like a wild beast, his attacks become more rapid, each one getting faster and stronger. His onslaught getting harder and harder for Xenon to dodge perfectly like before. 

Finally Xenon begins to parry Reiji's attacks with his free hand. His left hand moves gracefuly, never faster than drifting smoke. Each motion agonizingly slow, deliberate, yet each lazy sweep found the perfect line to deflect every strike. No matter how Reiji lashed out, Xenon's crawling hand brushed him aside with ease.

"With Ki Control, you can increase your capabilities momentarily. Circulating my Ki through my arms, I am able to easily deflect your attacks with the smallest effort." Xenon smiles gently, as he parries with the ease of a dragon tormenting a new born chick.

"Hmph." Reiji grinds his teeth in fury. His gaze fixed on Xenon, focused solely on landing an attack on the guild master. Each attack growing faster and stronger. 

The gap between their abilities wasn't small, with over half a millenia of experience, Xenon stood head and shoulders above Reiji. Yet with nothing but pure willpower, Reiji was forcefully closing that gap.

Kicking out slowly, Reiji is forced to guard against Xenon's first attack, sliding backwards from the weight of the kick. Lifting up the katana, it begins to glow with a hazy green aura. 

"The final skill Ki Concentration, you will be able to collect your Ki into a weapon or a body part, the more Ki you input the more effective the power becomes."

Slashing down slowly, a green line was drawn in the air, the stone arena cracked from the sheer pressure of the slash. Like a thunderbolt, the sound of the arena cracking came after the crack had already formed.

Refusing to guard, Reiji rushes forward with all his might, headfirst into the attack. It felt as if his body was being shredded. The blades of air slicing through him, creating multiple lines of crimson, as it drew blood from his body. The storm of blades felt as if it would stretch on for eternity, yet it was over in the blink of an eye, as he came out the other side. 

With the last scrap of strengths his fist taps gently on the guild masters chest. Falling to his knee, a spray of crimson flower spurts through his teeth. His vision begins to swim, as his body screams out in pain. 

Yet he holds on to the last strings of consciousness, his will standing in defiance even as his body begs for rest.

"Heh. I landed one."