Chapter 52: True Form
That night, Suoh Tsukasa naturally slept very well.
Ever since he'd started training, with adequate meals every day, sufficient practice, and a regular routine, his sleep quality had never suffered.
Open eyes, morning training, breakfast, class, lunch, class, dinner, evening training, sleep.
This was his fulfilling, nearly perfect daily rhythm at the Shinoreijutsuin.
Morning.
After finishing breakfast with Toshiro, Suoh headed toward the training grounds for their morning hakuda class.
When they arrived at the training grounds, quite a few elite class students had already gathered along the edge.
The moment Suoh stepped into the training area, the figures that had been clustered in groups of three to five suddenly straightened into orderly lines as if receiving a command.
Everyone uniformly stood at attention, their gazes focusing on him in unison as they called out together.
"Suoh, good morning!"
"Everyone, good morning!"
He'd gotten used to this atmosphere that had formed at some unknown point. Suoh nodded calmly in response.
The familiar hakuda class, familiar training grounds, and the familiar stern-faced Yuuki Shinosuke.
Today was different from usual, though. The instructor who normally taught alone had brought several upperclassmen with him.
Yuuki Shinosuke's gaze swept across the assembled students.
"Today you'll practice basic strikes with them as before. No slacking off!"
His gaze then turned toward Suoh as he added.
"Suoh, come with me."
"Yes, sir!"
Suoh nodded and stepped forward, moving steadily to his side before following him toward the rear of the training grounds.
Watching their retreating figures, the elite class students' expressions were far more excited than Suoh's calm face.
Unable to suppress their emotions, they whispered together in small groups.
"Oh, oh, it's finally happening!"
"I was starting to think even Suoh wouldn't catch his eye!"
"That's our Suoh for you!"
Everyone had witnessed Suoh's performance in hakuda class, yet until now he'd still been practicing basic strikes alongside them.
They'd discussed and analyzed the reasons for this among themselves. Now that the teacher was calling him aside individually, he was surely about to receive advanced instruction.
As for jealousy, there was no point. The gap in their levels was far too vast.
Besides, during his free time Suoh would help answer their questions and offer advice that cut straight to the heart of issues. That was why the King's Support Association had been established in the first place.
"Quiet! Begin practice!"
Their voices were quickly silenced by the upperclassmen's shouts. The training grounds returned to stillness, leaving only the sounds of fists cutting through air.
Suoh followed Yuuki Shinosuke through the small door at the rear of the training grounds, down a corridor, finally arriving at an inner chamber.
The room was simply decorated with bare walls on all sides, a dozen wooden posts, and on the facing wall hung a calligraphy scroll displaying two characters written with powerful brushstrokes: Original Style.
Yuuki Shinosuke stopped at the room's center, his gaze fixed on Suoh.
Suoh met his eyes, waiting for him to speak.
The two remained silent for a moment before Yuuki Shinosuke finally spoke slowly.
"The most fundamental aspect of the Original Style is righteousness."
"With each batch of students, I try to select talent worthy of instruction. Unfortunately, the vast majority still fail to meet the standard even by graduation."
For someone with his extremely long lifespan, being a teacher was merely a job. He always maintained his principles.
On the first day of class, he'd been very satisfied with Suoh's initial performance, but could tell his hakuda foundation still needed work.
Only after Suoh had invested part of his energy into studying hakuda, making increasingly significant progress each time, did he develop the intention to teach him.
"..."
Suoh didn't interrupt, understanding roughly what he meant.
Yuuki Shinosuke's age was far greater than his appearance suggested. His thinking aligned more with traditional martial artists who strictly adhered to ancient teachings. Naturally, he held strict standards for passing down the school's techniques.
Beyond requiring a solid foundation and certain physical talent, one also needed sustained enthusiasm for hakuda practice and persevering patience.
"I've only obtained the menkyou qualification for the Original Style, meaning partial teaching authority. You'll continue calling me teacher."
"Yes, sir."
In martial arts transmission, whether swordsmanship or unarmed combat, those who obtained teaching authority in various schools generally fell into three stages: menkyou, kaiden, and menkyou kaiden.
These respectively corresponded to teaching fundamentals and techniques, teaching secret principles, and inheriting the entire school.
Even the first stage menkyou represented an outstanding practitioner of the respective school. The difference with higher stages lay only in the depth of comprehension regarding secret principles.
"The path of hakuda may not be completely suitable for you, but it won't disappoint you either."
"Come, remove your shirt and try striking once based on my demonstration from that day."
Yuuki Shinosuke's voice pulled Suoh from his thoughts. He approached the wooden post and patted its top to indicate.
"Yes, sir!"
Suoh did as instructed, untying his shirt and removing it before efficiently securing it around his waist.
With the loose shirt removed, his physique appeared starkly different from his usual style.
He stood over 180 centimeters tall, quite tall among the new students.
Combined with eating much and training hard, removing his shirt revealed how his daily high-intensity practice had built an especially solid physique.
At this moment with his upper body bare, Suoh displayed broad shoulders, flowing contours, and firm muscles without any trace of bulkiness.
When he positioned himself before the wooden post and raised his arm, his arm and back traced arcs filled with tension. Then came a swift, stable straight punch.
BOOM!
A dull impact. When his fist withdrew, the imprint was clear, though the edges lacked complete integrity.
"Excellent! To reach this level through personal training and comprehension alone is already outstanding!"
"Next I'll teach you the Three Forms of Righteousness, the core technique of the Original Style. Watch carefully!"
Regarding Suoh's performance, Yuuki Shinosuke nodded with undisguised satisfaction and praise.
Then he too removed his shirt. Two meters tall with sinewy muscles throughout, his body resembled a giant pine rooted in the earth.
BOOM!
Another dull impact. The mark on the wooden post was identical to the fist imprint from his demonstration in the first class.
Only this time Yuuki Shinosuke not only slowed his speed but had also removed his shirt, allowing Suoh to clearly observe his complete sequence of force generation.
After withdrawing his fist, Yuuki Shinosuke pointed out Suoh's current shortcoming.
"Head alignment, body alignment, stance alignment. What you currently lack is just a bit of body alignment."
"Adjust your posture. Again!"
"Yes, sir!"
Suoh positioned himself before the post as instructed, recalling his teacher's posture and force trajectory. From generating power through the heel to rotating the waist and spine, then pushing through the shoulder blade, finally concentrating everything at the fist's point.
"Not right. Straighten your waist a fraction more. Again!"
After a dozen punches with Yuuki Shinosuke's periodic verbal guidance, Suoh successfully delivered a qualified strike after continuously fine-tuning his upper body posture.
BOOM!
While striking, Suoh clearly felt a sensation of rounded integration flowing through. Slowly withdrawing his fist, the imprint was clear with complete, intact edges.
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