Chapter 95
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Chapter 95
It wasnt hard to spot Velvet sneaking around. She was better at it than Anton generally expected of people, but having an advantage of four steps of cultivation was a gap that was hard to close. Anton particularly cared about spotting opponents from afar, and hed been expecting her. When he looked at her, she shrunk away like a startled mouse.
That girl had problems. He didnt know what they were, or if he should even try to solve them. Doing nothing was definitely the wrong option, though. If he left her alone she would be a danger to others or to herself, perhaps both.
He didnt appreciate her manipulative methods, but it seemed to be the only way she knew to interact with people. It was like she couldnt even believe the things he said directly to her. So he would watch over her. He really hoped he could coax her into a person more fitting for the Order, because if not she would be a danger. He wondered if the Order knew. Probably- but he wasnt just going to assume that. Nobody was perfect. Hed have to talk to Elder Daniela, and explain what he planned to do. But for the moment, he had a promise to fulfill.
Anton sat with Velvet in her courtyard and folded his fingers in front of him. He should probably start slowly. Tempering your body isnt just about dumping natural energy into it. That can work, but the more you understand the better you will do. You said training your bones hurts? Velvet nodded. There are several possibilities. You are likely trying to go too fast, too strong. Something that will certainly help is understanding your body and moving it. Anton wiggled his fingers and made weird motions with his joined hands. The hands are the easiest place to just feel a lot of bones. Almost a quarter of the whole number of bones are in them together. You understand?
Mmn. Velvet had folded her hands together as well, but she was unenthusiastic about the process. I know how many bones people have already
It was difficult to teach someone who didnt want to be taught. She wanted his secrets to advancing in cultivation. But there werent any secrets. Hard work, a bit of luck, and then working with other people to understand the process. He might also include cultivating like a madman uncaring about your life, but he wouldnt recommend that one for the long term. Otherwise he would have just suggested she push through the pain. There was a decent chance that would allow her to complete the ninth star- if she didnt explode her bones.
Watch the flow of my energy carefully. Anton pressed his fingers together, tip to tip. He coaxed a strand of energy to flow up his right hand, along the right edge towards his pinky. He made sure it carefully weaved its way through the bone itself, then into his other pinky and down the other side to his wrist. Then up his left ring finger and down, flowing back and forth through all the bones in his hand, ending behind his left thumb. The process did very little for him- his bones were near the limits of what they could reach until the second half of Spirit Building. Pay attention to each bone, and do it yourself. I will watch and guide you.
Velvet looked at him suspiciously- in short, with the same look hed seen from her almost all the time since hed returned. Still, she slowly repeated his same process. It didnt seem to be a lack of control that was holding her back, but rather what she did with it. She was nearly forcing the energy into her bones after they reached their limit, like packing a bag too full. Of course it hurt. Her face was strained, though she clearly tried to hide that. The process took her a lot longer, and she was sweating by the end of it.
Good energy control. The girl hadnt properly followed his instructions, but she seemed in desperate need of reinforcement. Now, with all that energy in your hands you need to move them. Anton showed some methods of stretching his hands. If you can do it while circulating even better, but for now well settle for one at a time. Moving your fingers doesnt directly affect your bones, but it will help. If you are careful, some light pressure on individual bones- Anton squeezed one finger, -can help the process. Start small, because if you push too far you just get broken bones. Trust me, it hurts.
Velvet didnt have any questions, just silently following his lead. That was a problem, because she clearly didnt fully understand what he was doing. She just wouldnt ask. Anton shook his head. He wouldnt expect any real change in a single day. On that note, he made sure to remind her that the exercises he was teaching her also wouldnt have immediate results. Hopefully she would be patient enough to wait a full week to see how it affected her.
After he finished that lesson, he had another handful who might need his help. Anton didnt mind spending time teaching others because he learned quite a bit for himself- and he cared about them. Pete and Oskar both passed the test and could use some guidance. Patricia was able to live with Oskar, and she was also was interested in continuing to learn cultivation. Maybe the others living in the same area as them would join for lessons. Of course there was also Hoyt, Catarina, and Timothy. Timothy was pushing himself to catch back up, doing a good job of overcoming his feelings of inadequacy. Hed have a hard time overcoming Catarina since she wasnt the sort to slack off in training and had talent, but he could at least reach close enough to be a relevant factor in battle.
-----
Sometimes, curiosity overcame patience. Anton brought the bone bow to Elder Evan, who ran the armory. He was quite capable of appraising it, and he gave basically the same answer as Elder Byrne of the Misty Hill Palace, including close pricing. I honestly cant say if its a good bow, he said, But the materials and work are excellent. Im certain Elder Kseniya could judge its actual practicality better.
How do I train-
Shoot more arrows, she said. Maybe that will help.
Okay. Anton just looked at her. He hadnt really expected anything different, but it was still strange. Especially being treated like a skinny little kid, when he was none of those. Do I owe you-
Dont need anything. She waved him away. Now shoo. I have someone coming for lessons. Unless you want to?
Not right now, Anton said. I need to think first.
As he was walking down the road, he saw a familiar face. Marcio? Anton asked. Marcio Armani?
You Anton Krantz, right? the young man nodded. Anton noticed that he had gone from seventh to twelfth star since they first met. Are you taking lessons from Elder Kseniya too? Because if you are, Id really like you to explain to me instead. Her teaching skills are he shook his head.
Some people are suited for different things, Anton grinned. I was just asking about this bow, actually. But perhaps we could meet up and talk archery. Ive learned some useful tricks, with some practical experience.
That would be great. Marcio paused. Youre twelfth star now?
As of the last couple weeks, Anton nodded. You look close to thirteenth now, correct?
...yeah, Marcio shrugged, Ive made some pretty good progress. Some of your advice really helped, actually.
Thats great! Anton said. I dont know too many archers. Dont talk much with the other students, and Elder Kseniya
Is Elder Kseniya, Marcio nodded. Speaking of which, I should hurry. She doesnt much tolerate lateness.
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Chapter 95
It wasnt hard to spot Velvet sneaking around. She was better at it than Anton generally expected of people, but having an advantage of four steps of cultivation was a gap that was hard to close. Anton particularly cared about spotting opponents from afar, and hed been expecting her. When he looked at her, she shrunk away like a startled mouse.
That girl had problems. He didnt know what they were, or if he should even try to solve them. Doing nothing was definitely the wrong option, though. If he left her alone she would be a danger to others or to herself, perhaps both.
He didnt appreciate her manipulative methods, but it seemed to be the only way she knew to interact with people. It was like she couldnt even believe the things he said directly to her. So he would watch over her. He really hoped he could coax her into a person more fitting for the Order, because if not she would be a danger. He wondered if the Order knew. Probably- but he wasnt just going to assume that. Nobody was perfect. Hed have to talk to Elder Daniela, and explain what he planned to do. But for the moment, he had a promise to fulfill.
Anton sat with Velvet in her courtyard and folded his fingers in front of him. He should probably start slowly. Tempering your body isnt just about dumping natural energy into it. That can work, but the more you understand the better you will do. You said training your bones hurts? Velvet nodded. There are several possibilities. You are likely trying to go too fast, too strong. Something that will certainly help is understanding your body and moving it. Anton wiggled his fingers and made weird motions with his joined hands. The hands are the easiest place to just feel a lot of bones. Almost a quarter of the whole number of bones are in them together. You understand?
Mmn. Velvet had folded her hands together as well, but she was unenthusiastic about the process. I know how many bones people have already
It was difficult to teach someone who didnt want to be taught. She wanted his secrets to advancing in cultivation. But there werent any secrets. Hard work, a bit of luck, and then working with other people to understand the process. He might also include cultivating like a madman uncaring about your life, but he wouldnt recommend that one for the long term. Otherwise he would have just suggested she push through the pain. There was a decent chance that would allow her to complete the ninth star- if she didnt explode her bones.
Watch the flow of my energy carefully. Anton pressed his fingers together, tip to tip. He coaxed a strand of energy to flow up his right hand, along the right edge towards his pinky. He made sure it carefully weaved its way through the bone itself, then into his other pinky and down the other side to his wrist. Then up his left ring finger and down, flowing back and forth through all the bones in his hand, ending behind his left thumb. The process did very little for him- his bones were near the limits of what they could reach until the second half of Spirit Building. Pay attention to each bone, and do it yourself. I will watch and guide you.
Velvet looked at him suspiciously- in short, with the same look hed seen from her almost all the time since hed returned. Still, she slowly repeated his same process. It didnt seem to be a lack of control that was holding her back, but rather what she did with it. She was nearly forcing the energy into her bones after they reached their limit, like packing a bag too full. Of course it hurt. Her face was strained, though she clearly tried to hide that. The process took her a lot longer, and she was sweating by the end of it.
Good energy control. The girl hadnt properly followed his instructions, but she seemed in desperate need of reinforcement. Now, with all that energy in your hands you need to move them. Anton showed some methods of stretching his hands. If you can do it while circulating even better, but for now well settle for one at a time. Moving your fingers doesnt directly affect your bones, but it will help. If you are careful, some light pressure on individual bones- Anton squeezed one finger, -can help the process. Start small, because if you push too far you just get broken bones. Trust me, it hurts.
Velvet didnt have any questions, just silently following his lead. That was a problem, because she clearly didnt fully understand what he was doing. She just wouldnt ask. Anton shook his head. He wouldnt expect any real change in a single day. On that note, he made sure to remind her that the exercises he was teaching her also wouldnt have immediate results. Hopefully she would be patient enough to wait a full week to see how it affected her.
After he finished that lesson, he had another handful who might need his help. Anton didnt mind spending time teaching others because he learned quite a bit for himself- and he cared about them. Pete and Oskar both passed the test and could use some guidance. Patricia was able to live with Oskar, and she was also was interested in continuing to learn cultivation. Maybe the others living in the same area as them would join for lessons. Of course there was also Hoyt, Catarina, and Timothy. Timothy was pushing himself to catch back up, doing a good job of overcoming his feelings of inadequacy. Hed have a hard time overcoming Catarina since she wasnt the sort to slack off in training and had talent, but he could at least reach close enough to be a relevant factor in battle.
-----
Sometimes, curiosity overcame patience. Anton brought the bone bow to Elder Evan, who ran the armory. He was quite capable of appraising it, and he gave basically the same answer as Elder Byrne of the Misty Hill Palace, including close pricing. I honestly cant say if its a good bow, he said, But the materials and work are excellent. Im certain Elder Kseniya could judge its actual practicality better.
How do I train-
Shoot more arrows, she said. Maybe that will help.
Okay. Anton just looked at her. He hadnt really expected anything different, but it was still strange. Especially being treated like a skinny little kid, when he was none of those. Do I owe you-
Dont need anything. She waved him away. Now shoo. I have someone coming for lessons. Unless you want to?
Not right now, Anton said. I need to think first.
As he was walking down the road, he saw a familiar face. Marcio? Anton asked. Marcio Armani?
You Anton Krantz, right? the young man nodded. Anton noticed that he had gone from seventh to twelfth star since they first met. Are you taking lessons from Elder Kseniya too? Because if you are, Id really like you to explain to me instead. Her teaching skills are he shook his head.
Some people are suited for different things, Anton grinned. I was just asking about this bow, actually. But perhaps we could meet up and talk archery. Ive learned some useful tricks, with some practical experience.
That would be great. Marcio paused. Youre twelfth star now?
As of the last couple weeks, Anton nodded. You look close to thirteenth now, correct?
...yeah, Marcio shrugged, Ive made some pretty good progress. Some of your advice really helped, actually.
Thats great! Anton said. I dont know too many archers. Dont talk much with the other students, and Elder Kseniya
Is Elder Kseniya, Marcio nodded. Speaking of which, I should hurry. She doesnt much tolerate lateness.
Chapter 95It wasnt hard to spot Velvet sneaking around. She was better at it than Anton generally expected of people, but having an advantage of four steps of cultivation was a gap that was hard to close. Anton particularly cared about spotting opponents from afar, and hed been expecting her. When he looked at her, she shrunk away like a startled mouse.That girl had problems. He didnt know what they were, or if he should even try to solve them. Doing nothing was definitely the wrong option, though. If he left her alone she would be a danger to others or to herself, perhaps both. He didnt appreciate her manipulative methods, but it seemed to be the only way she knew to interact with people. It was like she couldnt even believe the things he said directly to her. So he would watch over her. He really hoped he could coax her into a person more fitting for the Order, because if not she would be a danger. He wondered if the Order knew. Probably- but he wasnt just going to assume that. Nobody was perfect. Hed have to talk to Elder Daniela, and explain what he planned to do. But for the moment, he had a promise to fulfill.Anton sat with Velvet in her courtyard and folded his fingers in front of him. He should probably start slowly. Tempering your body isnt just about dumping natural energy into it. That can work, but the more you understand the better you will do. You said training your bones hurts? Velvet nodded. There are several possibilities. You are likely trying to go too fast, too strong. Something that will certainly help is understanding your body and moving it. Anton wiggled his fingers and made weird motions with his joined hands. The hands are the easiest place to just feel a lot of bones. Almost a quarter of the whole number of bones are in them together. You understand?Mmn. Velvet had folded her hands together as well, but she was unenthusiastic about the process. I know how many bones people have alreadyIt was difficult to teach someone who didnt want to be taught. She wanted his secrets to advancing in cultivation. But there werent any secrets. Hard work, a bit of luck, and then working with other people to understand the process. He might also include cultivating like a madman uncaring about your life, but he wouldnt recommend that one for the long term. Otherwise he would have just suggested she push through the pain. There was a decent chance that would allow her to complete the ninth star- if she didnt explode her bones.Watch the flow of my energy carefully. Anton pressed his fingers together, tip to tip. He coaxed a strand of energy to flow up his right hand, along the right edge towards his pinky. He made sure it carefully weaved its way through the bone itself, then into his other pinky and down the other side to his wrist. Then up his left ring finger and down, flowing back and forth through all the bones in his hand, ending behind his left thumb. The process did very little for him- his bones were near the limits of what they could reach until the second half of Spirit Building. Pay attention to each bone, and do it yourself. I will watch and guide you.Velvet looked at him suspiciously- in short, with the same look hed seen from her almost all the time since hed returned. Still, she slowly repeated his same process. It didnt seem to be a lack of control that was holding her back, but rather what she did with it. She was nearly forcing the energy into her bones after they reached their limit, like packing a bag too full. Of course it hurt. Her face was strained, though she clearly tried to hide that. The process took her a lot longer, and she was sweating by the end of it.Good energy control. The girl hadnt properly followed his instructions, but she seemed in desperate need of reinforcement. Now, with all that energy in your hands you need to move them. Anton showed some methods of stretching his hands. If you can do it while circulating even better, but for now well settle for one at a time. Moving your fingers doesnt directly affect your bones, but it will help. If you are careful, some light pressure on individual bones- Anton squeezed one finger, -can help the process. Start small, because if you push too far you just get broken bones. Trust me, it hurts.Velvet didnt have any questions, just silently following his lead. That was a problem, because she clearly didnt fully understand what he was doing. She just wouldnt ask. Anton shook his head. He wouldnt expect any real change in a single day. On that note, he made sure to remind her that the exercises he was teaching her also wouldnt have immediate results. Hopefully she would be patient enough to wait a full week to see how it affected her.After he finished that lesson, he had another handful who might need his help. Anton didnt mind spending time teaching others because he learned quite a bit for himself- and he cared about them. Pete and Oskar both passed the test and could use some guidance. Patricia was able to live with Oskar, and she was also was interested in continuing to learn cultivation. Maybe the others living in the same area as them would join for lessons. Of course there was also Hoyt, Catarina, and Timothy. Timothy was pushing himself to catch back up, doing a good job of overcoming his feelings of inadequacy. Hed have a hard time overcoming Catarina since she wasnt the sort to slack off in training and had talent, but he could at least reach close enough to be a relevant factor in battle. -----Sometimes, curiosity overcame patience. Anton brought the bone bow to Elder Evan, who ran the armory. He was quite capable of appraising it, and he gave basically the same answer as Elder Byrne of the Misty Hill Palace, including close pricing. I honestly cant say if its a good bow, he said, But the materials and work are excellent. Im certain Elder Kseniya could judge its actual practicality better.How do I train-Shoot more arrows, she said. Maybe that will help.Okay. Anton just looked at her. He hadnt really expected anything different, but it was still strange. Especially being treated like a skinny little kid, when he was none of those. Do I owe you-Dont need anything. She waved him away. Now shoo. I have someone coming for lessons. Unless you want to?Not right now, Anton said. I need to think first.As he was walking down the road, he saw a familiar face. Marcio? Anton asked. Marcio Armani?You Anton Krantz, right? the young man nodded. Anton noticed that he had gone from seventh to twelfth star since they first met. Are you taking lessons from Elder Kseniya too? Because if you are, Id really like you to explain to me instead. Her teaching skills are he shook his head.Some people are suited for different things, Anton grinned. I was just asking about this bow, actually. But perhaps we could meet up and talk archery. Ive learned some useful tricks, with some practical experience.That would be great. Marcio paused. Youre twelfth star now?As of the last couple weeks, Anton nodded. You look close to thirteenth now, correct?...yeah, Marcio shrugged, Ive made some pretty good progress. Some of your advice really helped, actually.Thats great! Anton said. I dont know too many archers. Dont talk much with the other students, and Elder KseniyaIs Elder Kseniya, Marcio nodded. Speaking of which, I should hurry. She doesnt much tolerate lateness.
