Chapter 8 - Seclusion -2-

‘Though it doesn’t to have the name on the front cover, the technique it reveals is of a bodily reformation. It essentially uses Ethereal energy to work a manner to permanently strengthen one’s body.’

Well, using Ethereal energy to be more stronger is not something that is actually uncommon. And this type of teaching in not limited to a handful of people in the first place.

‘The difference is, with ordinary strengthening, you boost the explosive action of your body, may it be a single punch and thrust of the leg. For people with a higher proficiency, they can even strengthen internal organs. On the other hand, the body reformation technique uses Ethereal energy as nutrients rather than a quick fuel and implementing a sort of change. It is for those reasons why it is so fascinating. A mere person with this book’s teachings can develop the body of a season body-builder.’

However if it’s so incomparably positive, then most people would use it. Ultimately, the core concept of innate power, Ethereal energy is worked at base. But to that nutrient, various cases of exhaustion can be deduced with other severe illnesses.

Inoyva skimped through the pages with only a quick glance. Due to the fact that he engrossed a playful mind when reading it as a child, he fully memorized the contents. However for the sake of being sure, he made a final attempt.

‘That should be right. I have already nailed it to my brain, now for the execution.’

With that, he took to each side of the cover, slamming it into the middle with a reaffirmed face of confidence. Though he was with boastful, Inoyva held a steady atmosphere. Afterward, the book was yet again enveloped inside of a wondrous room.

“…”

On the bed, back straight, a quiet breath and closed eyes, he could feel. He could imagine it.

‘For most people who are not aware, to be proficient with wielding Ethereal energy, you require an imaginative mind. For my sake, the emergence of a flame…’

As Inoyva took in a lungful of air into his very lungs, he could tone down the line of reality. With his body within a void that turned to utter darkness. Firstly, a flailing flame at the base of the spine, it unravels and draws about more heat and light.

‘The best way is to make it seep through…’

He recalled the bodily makeup of a Sykoh. The veins and strands of nerves, the strong bones and creation of muscles. His Ethereal energy, working as a flame spread out from the base of the spine accordingly with faint movements.

To the muscles, it carried a rejuvenating feel of thoroughly assimilating. The microscopic muscle fibers flowed with reach of a glow through Ethereal energy. He constantly placed an emphasis of drawing the flame as a steady stream towards each crevice, that of the tips of the toes, to the tips of the fingers, all the way up to the skull.

He sparingly released a stream of air when exhaling.

‘Now…’

As he had it, when most people could only retain the utmost concentration of this flowing exercise, not being able to focus on one thing, he could do that godly task. Inoyva opened his eyes even while still imaginative of the flame.

‘I don’t have the exact knowledge but my condition is somewhat different. The key reason why most people are afraid of the consequences, is because the bodily reformation draws out to much Ethereal energy within a short period of time, making it look like a suicide attempt.’

He noticed it earlier on. At the corner of the eye, there was a tray of food just waiting to be eaten. Scanning the various piles of mashed-up contents, he could tell that this would not taste as good as the junk food he normally eaten.

‘Still, it has the optimal nutrients.’

There somewhat difference is I can feel the concentration of “flames,” Ethereal energy within my body increase. I took a bite when jumbling the various greens into a spoonful. While most people have an inclination of them having a cap at the innate power, I do not. Just like when exercising, the muscles fibers ripping, then repairing in order to become stronger, that also applied to each time I was enthusiastic of this task.

As such, for the fuel to the muscles, Ethereal energy, fuel to Ethereal energy, food, I can have an almost unending cycle. ‘This doesn’t taste that good.’ At a moment’s notice of crushing those things in my jaws, I came to that conclusion.

“…”

‘Still, bodily reformation is actually a kind of boost and recovery for muscles. That means, you actually will be required to put in the effort.’

It was in that moment of contemplation, he noted something.

In front his eyes, his hand disappeared in order to draw out another treasure out.

‘I can thank the boundless beauty for this…!’

Before the commencement of the ceremony, Inoyva had asked Cai the day before to complete a training regimen for him specifically. He could feel the lingering sense of healthy boost of vitality of my flesh.

Inoyva’s eyes scurried within words having imprinted up on that paper. Those lengthy words of training were filling up his head, without having a withdrawal to confirm it.

‘Now, push-ups, followed by squats, then sit-ups, that was the first state of my training to increase as I would become ultimately stronger.’ He shoved in the information like it was any other thing streaming slowly and gently down the slope.

Inoyva returned the paper back to the room, looking to the very floor.

‘Well, I need to do something that I can actually muster at my current level.’ Inoyva put a palm to the chin when thinking of the untimely exercise of push-ups. 

Damn, I hate the practice of going up and down as if I was an idiot!

Inoyva’s hands clamped on that clean floor with a gentle embrace, “Cold.” The reason why his face changed in sharp decline was that of the temperature of the surface of the floor which was supposedly cold at the touch.

He held a trace of focus, when making sure he was firm and straight. He performed the conditioning exercise in a prone position by raising and lowering the body with the strengthening and bending of the arms whilst keeping the back straight and supporting the body on the hands and toes.

One… Two… Three… Four…

‘Yeah, I can feel the burn now!’ He was at best, trying. Even when retaining the proper manner to execute it, his arms were shaky. It felt like they were twigs at the weight of the entirety of the body to those spots.

Nineteen! Twenty! 

He, after some time found his back against the floor. Inoyva could not maintain a steady breath, for that one rep, ‘I couldn’t even do twenty push-ups without struggling like an idiot.’

But what can I say? I blame myself for not exercising for majority of my life.

‘Though that was painstaking, I actually have to do three more reps…’ Inoyva made an expression showing his utter exhaustion.

***

Later on, I, on the bed regained a calm mind. The flames that were burning in an imaginative setting, were gently flowing towards those aching muscles.

After this, Inoyva put the soles of the feet on the floor, moaning.

‘Squats…’

Squat, a strength exercise in which you lower the hips from a standing position and then stand back up. During the descent of a squat, the hip and knee joints flex while the ankle joint dorsiflexes; conversely the hip and knee joints extend and the ankle joint plantarflexes when standing up. 

Thirteen… Fourteen…

‘It feels a tad bit strange. Even though I struggled with my push-ups, I’m finding it less exhausting to do squats. Maybe my leg muscles were already polished up for this kind of workout.’ 

Inoyva made an inward thought, penetrating the mind when gazing towards the two long things that would make-up his thighs. Feeling a rather non-lengthy action from lowering his hips, it was at the forefront of the best workout he tried so far.

A drop of sweat reached towards the floor. For all in he knew, his body began to rise in heat and made him release liquid from the body’s sweat glands. The perspiration was at an attempt of lowering down the core body temperature to avoid any harm.

***

The bearing flame, dyed my inner workings of the muscles through the power of the mind.

I could once again draw in oxygen, this time with the garment that covered my chest, gone.

‘Then the last for this time, sit-ups…’

The classic exercise for any man who was in pursuit of six-pack abs, sit-ups. A conditioning exercise performed from the supine position by raising the torso to a sitting position and returning to the original position without using the arms and lifting the feet.

‘More…! More!’

He could quickly grasp that action.

The trailing off beads of sweat accumulated.

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