Journey to the Unseen

A month had passed since Dan opened his ryo tracts. Nothing much had happened to the young lad since then, except that he trained unfailingly morning and night. During the first week, the aftermath was heavy on him as he experienced regular body pains and frequent breakdowns, but that wasn't enough to stop him. He eventually got used to the body pains and overcame the breakdowns.

A young boy was seen punching and kicking a tree, blood dripping from his knuckles and shins. The tree was halfway destroyed, dangling with every strike before finally crashing to the ground.

Covered in sweat and blood, wearing only ragged, worn-out trousers with bare feet, the young boy stood sturdy and glorified, watching the tree fall. His dark hair had grown out, covering his eyes and reaching down to his back. This individual, as you all know, is none other than Daniel.

"Eighty-six down and thirty-four left to go," he murmured.

Looking around, he noticed the once thick forest covered with huge trees was now on its way to being cleared with just punches.

Dan was about to move to the next tree when he heard some sounds behind him. A huge rabbit jumped out from one of the trees he had just felled.

"Nice," Dan exclaimed.

He slammed his left foot on the ground, causing some stones to rise into the air. He jumped up, twisting his body in a double spin before using his right leg to kick one of the stones towards the rabbit.

Impaled straight in the chest, the rabbit dropped lifelessly to the ground, covered in its own blood. Dan approached it and picked it up by its long, fluffy ears.

"That's all for now. Time to head back," he said, sweeping a final glance at the place before leaving.

Dan arrived at the small house where they lived, dropped the rabbit on a platform outside, and went inside looking for Valerie.

"Master! Master, I am back!" he shouted, but got no response. He made a quick tour around the house but found no sight of Valerie.

"She is not back," Dan shrugged and went to get himself washed up.

Picking a long stick which he used for direction, a bottle of fragrant ointment, and a new pair of clothes, he went to the back of the house. There was a big wooden bath stationed there. Dan poured a little ointment on his hand and rubbed it evenly through his hair before dipping himself into the wooden bath filled with warm water.

"This is heaven," Dan let out a sigh.

After a few minutes of a calm and relaxing bath, Dan went on to prepare the meat of the rabbit. Within these few months with Valerie, he had learned a lot of things, and cooking was one of them. Back in Tufesti, he was arrogant and shunned anything that involved work, especially cooking and cleaning. He left everything to Ana to spend time with his books and scrap machines. And now despite his poor eyesight, he managed to prepare the food. He had not only gotten used to the house, but he also had his stick with him.

Dan entered the house and came out with some ingredients and spices. He dropped them on the table and checked on the fire, which was already boiling a pot full of water. After adding some firewood, he prepared the ingredients, ensuring everything was diced nicely or washed thoroughly as needed.

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The meat preparation took some time because he had to roast it before cutting it into smaller pieces, being very careful not to cut his hands. After the preparation, he began putting all the ingredients into the big pot.

After some minutes, Dan walked towards the boiling pot and put his face close to the steam, inhaling the nice aroma coming from it.

"It is time," Dan exclaimed with a wide smile before scooping some of the contents into a round bowl plate.

Dan located a chair, sat down, and was about to eat when he heard a loud explosion from the bush. Alert, he stood up, dropped the food on the chair, and took a fighting stance as the sound got closer.

He let out a sigh and slapped his forehead when he noticed Valerie coming out from the bush.

"Oh, it was you, Master," Dan said, sitting back down to eat his meal.

Valerie stomped aggressively towards the house, furious. Dan wasn't bothered as he had gotten used to it. Whenever she went into the city for business, she always came back raging.

"You got scammed again?" Dan asked, putting a piece of meat into his mouth, not caring about her reply.

"Can you believe those bastards? I bought this piece of junk for three gold coins," she threw a black robe on the ground, "while at the flea market, it was priced at five hundred silver coins."

"Wow, well, that is a tragedy indeed," Dan shook his head. "And what is this item you bought?" he asked.

"A robe," Valerie shrugged.

"And what do you need a robe for?" Dan asked, although he wasn't really concerned.

"My current one is getting old, see!" Valerie did a turn around, swinging her robe, causing a moment of silence as she expected an answer from Dan.

"You know I can't see, right?" Dan reminded her.

Valerie ignored him and snatched the plate from his hand, heading towards the pots. She poured some food into the plate and tasted it.

"Hmmm, I made the right decision to train you," she exclaimed, savoring every spoonful.

"So, how is your training going?" Valerie asked while enjoying the food.

"Thanks to your guidance, everything has been great. As per your instructions, I've been walking around barefooted for the past two days now," Dan said, looking at his rough feet.

"And any progress?"

"None, nothing much. Although I can feel some objects when I put my mind to it, like the table and the chair," Dan said, stomping his foot on the ground.

Valerie finished her meal, shifted the plate aside, and focused on Dan. "Like I said, the aim of this training isn't like that of your eyes. If you approach it the same way, you won't go anywhere. Due to the accident, your eyes were designed to see energy flow automatically. This time, you need to design your feet and possibly your body to feel waves from the ground," Valerie moved her leg, pointing to the right. "Now, where is my leg facing?" she asked.

Dan relaxed his foot on the ground, moving it up and down, trying to feel the soil, as if burying his own legs.

"Left, I guess," Dan answered, unsure.

"Wrong, it's facing right," Valerie sighed and continued, "There is something important you need to understand, Dan. There are three types of energy. I'm not talking about ryo, but three types of energy according to practical knowledge: the energy you see, the energy you feel, and the energy you hear. These all come down to one single energy, which is ryo. If you understand this concept and put it into practice, you will reach unimaginable heights, Dan," Valerie summarised.

"I understand, Master," Dan nodded. "But is there a hint you can give me?" he asked.

"A hint?" Valerie held her chin, thinking. "If you want a hint, then I'd advise you to spend more time meditating than throwing lousy punches at trees that meant no harm to you," Valerie scoffed.

"Tsk meditating won't make me strong" Dan arrogant said

"Meditating is everything, kid!" Valerie shouted before relaxing on her sit agin

"That's right, I have a request, Master," Dan said.

"And what is that?" Valerie asked.

Dan went on his knees, looking at Valerie. "Please allow me to enter the ten-compartment prison. Not the mountain anymore, but this time I want to enter the prison itself."