Having memorized nearly every technique from the Sutra Pavilion, Ethan Lin decided it was time to leave Shaolin Temple. After bidding farewell to Abbot Yanlong Shi, he found a secluded spot, entered the vortex to the Guardian Spirit space, and emerged in the distant future, in the vastness of Xena Xiao's Guardian Spirit realm.
"Xena, come quickly!" Ethan called out, his voice echoing in the space. But after waiting for some time, she still hadn't appeared.
"Could she be busy?" he wondered.
Just then, Xena's voice came to him through her consciousness.
"Xena, where were you? I've been calling for a while," Ethan asked.
With a slight roll of her eyes, Xena replied, "I was in the family's council hall attending a meeting. If I zoned out to enter the Guardian Spirit space mid-meeting, I'd get chewed out!"
"Oh, I see!" Ethan scratched his head, then said, "Xena, I've organized the full version of the Indestructible Vajra Body for you, along with the combat techniques that go with it."
"Really?" Xena exclaimed with excitement.
She had been struggling to find suitable techniques, so the news couldn't have come at a better time. She couldn't help but feel curious about how Ethan knew so many combat techniques. Then again, she reminded herself of the mysterious vortex in the Guardian Spirit space; it seemed her Guardian Spirit might not be a typical human from the Huaxia era after all.
But Xena didn't pry. She figured that in time, Ethan would reveal everything to her.
"First, let me teach you the full Indestructible Vajra Body technique," Ethan said, sitting cross-legged to begin the recitation.
As he recited the next stages of the technique, the words formed into glowing symbols in the air, though no cosmic phenomenon appeared outside this time. Sitting beside him, Xena repeated the words, taking in the Indestructible Vajra Body's wisdom with deep concentration.
With the complete Tao Te Ching already under her belt, and soon the Vajra Palm, Xena would have a total of three ancient Huaxia techniques—each of immense power and mystique. The thought made her heart race.
"With these three Huaxia techniques, I'll make sure to stun everyone at the family's big competition next month and shut down all the naysayers," Xena thought to herself with renewed determination.
During the recent council meeting, several elders had proposed reducing her resources and even suggested marrying her off to a young man from another influential family. All because of her "lack of potential" and "dim prospects."
The family competition in a month's time was her one shot to silence those doubts and prove her worth.
The Vajra Palm, unlike the Indestructible Vajra Body and the Tao Te Ching, required not only internal training but also physical practice to truly master its complexities. As Ethan's physical form existed within the Guardian Spirit space, he could practice the Vajra Palm there. Xena, however, needed to train in the real world.
Fortunately, her room was large enough, soundproof, and perfect for her practice sessions. Each evening, after her classes, she devoted hours to perfecting the Vajra Palm in her private quarters.
Notably, the release of the Vajra Palm technique triggered yet another cosmic disturbance, marking the third event since she started training under Ethan's guidance. Even though Ethan held back a portion of the complete technique to avoid too much attention, the partial version still caused five ripples through the planetary Rules Sea, sending waves of amazement among those who noticed.
As she trained, Xena found that she could use the Tao Te Ching to enhance her mastery of the Vajra Palm. By silently chanting passages from the Tao Te Ching, she experienced a surge in her understanding and control over the technique. The effect was profound—she felt less fatigue and could even skip sleep without consequence.
While Xena was progressing rapidly, Ethan's progress was even more astounding. Training nearly around the clock in the Guardian Spirit space, he advanced much faster than Xena. Somehow, despite being a Guardian Spirit, he seemed to grow as an independent entity. But Ethan knew the truth: he was bound to Xena's fate. If anything happened to her, he'd be forced to remain forever in the ancient Huaxia era, cut off from the Galactic Era.
Though they trained separately, Ethan and Xena met daily in the Guardian Spirit space to exchange insights, discuss their discoveries, and deepen their understanding of the techniques. Ethan's Huaxia background and knowledge of these ancient teachings made him a natural guide, while Xena shared her new perceptions, which sometimes led to breakthroughs for them both.
One month flew by.
"Well done, Xena! You've climbed from the fourth to the seventh level of Body Refinement in just one month. You're going to blow everyone away at tomorrow's family competition," Ethan praised.
"It's nothing compared to your progress!" Xena replied, sighing.
Her advancement had been phenomenal by any standard of the Galactic Era, enough to make countless geniuses envious. But Ethan's growth was almost otherworldly. In the same month, he had gone from the fifth to the ninth and final level of Body Refinement, hovering on the edge of the Purification Stage.
In fact, he had reached this level nearly ten days ago. Yet he held back from advancing to fully refine his body to reach the fabled tenth level of Body Refinement.
The tenth level was more of a theoretical stage, rarely achieved by anyone. Those who reached it could experience an exponential increase in potential and power, making fighting above one's level almost effortless.
Ever since Ethan learned of the tenth level, he resolved to delay his breakthrough to the Purification Stage to see if he could achieve this mythical threshold. Xena, inspired, made the same choice.
"Xena, you've gone a full month without any rest. Take today off and get a good night's sleep," Ethan urged. "The Tao Te Ching might keep you sharp, but don't risk burning out."
"Alright, I get it! But it's not like you've been resting much either. Go get some sleep; I'll be relying on you tomorrow!" Xena said with a bright smile.
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