The Martial Unity

"This was a simple duel between friends," Rui reminded him. "So your life was not in the line. But what if I was your enemy? What if I was trying to kill you?"

Kane winced at the thought of it. He had always thought this, but especially so after their fight, Rui was not someone that he wanted to have as an enemy ever!

He had the gut feeling that not even a Martial Senior would be able to protect him from Rui, should he ever decide to kill him.

"I see what you mean… If I stick to my Martial Path in a situation where my life is on the line, and where it isn't most fit. I might die… I definitely don't want to die for my Martial Path, my Martial Path serves me, not the other way. It is my strongest suit, and both my brain and body are entirely centered and revolved around my Martial Path thus it will always be my preferred path in general," He felt a remarkable amount of clarity on the subject after just a few words from Rui, which astonished him.

This wasn't the first time that he had considered the matter, so he had to admit, that he was quite surprised when Rui was able to dispel the fog of uncertainty that had clouded his mind with this much ease.

Once more, his friend diverged from the norm in ways that he couldn't even imagine.

"I'm guessing…" Kane towards Rui with an intrigued expression. "…that you don't feel the same way."

Kane knew his friend enough to have a deep understanding of how he viewed Martial Art. He knew that his friend truly loved Martial Art unlike almost anything else, especially his own Martial Art. He already had a good idea of how Rui felt about the issue.

"You're right," Rui replied. "My Martial Path and Martial Art are the two most important things to me. I would rather die than forsake them."

His voice was crystal clear. There wasn't even the slightest hint of hesitation in it.

Kane couldn't help but feel even greater admiration for Rui, his resolve and conviction for his Martial Art and Path were truly worthy of respect. He couldn't help but feel cowardly when he compared himself to Rui.

"Everyone is different," Rui remarked, keenly noticing his reaction. "Everyone pursues their Martial Path for their own reasons. There is no better or worse reason, as long as you have fulfilled what you wanted by pursuing your Martial Path and obtaining it via your Martial Art, you have won."

"That is a fascinating outlook," Kane couldn't help but murmur. "That's not how most people would judge who 'won'. Shouldn't the Martial Artist that managed to go further down their Martial Path and reach higher Realms have 'won' compared to others?"

"I don't believe so, no. We aren't talking about who would win a fight," Rui nonchalantly replied. "A Martial Senior whose goal of pursuing their Martial Path happens to only be achievable with the Sage Realm is not necessarily better than a person who has accomplished what they sought with the help of the power of the Squire Realm.

Kane looked unconvinced. The fact that a Martial Senior could be said to have 'won' less than a Martial Squire sounded extremely unintuitive.

"Let's say we had a man A who lived with his family in a forest infested with Apprentice-level beasts, and a man B who lived with his family in a forest infested with Master-level beasts," Rui began with an analogy, seeing that Kane was unconvinced. "Man A pursues his Martial Path to the Squire Realm to gain the power to protect his family from the Apprentice-level beasts. He successfully protects his family and lives a life happily ever after. Man B, however, reaches the Senior Realm, and is still unable to protect his family from the Master level predators, and lives in grief for the rest of his life."

He turned towards Kane. "Which man would you rather be? Man A or Man B?"

That wasn't even a choice.

"Man A for sure…" Kane murmured, understanding Rui's point.

"Ah, but you have chosen becoming a Martial Squire over a Martial Senior," Rui smiled.

Kane was flummoxed once more. It was irrefutable logic.

"There are many circumstances that aren't too dissimilar to the one I gave you," Rui elaborated with a calm tone. "Those Martial Artists who reach the higher Realms only do so because whatever they desire is so difficult and out of hand that they can only obtain what they want with extraordinary Martial Art. Rather than envying their power, it is best to establish what it is you want, and what it is you pursue your Martial Path for. Simple as that. Nothing more, and nothing else. Do not pursue power you neither want nor need, that is a recipe for an empty life that you'll regret as an old man."

Kane nodded, turning to Rui with an awed expression. "Man, this might sound weird but… Sometimes I feel you're not even my age."

"Huh?"

"How do I put it in words? It feels like you're a sage who's already gone through life, who knows all the answers," Kane murmured. "Either that or you're just good at talking a good game. I really don't know which one it is."

"Well, I'm obviously a young man, just like yourself," Rui reasoned. "Thus, it is most certainly the latter."

"So I can dismiss everything you just said?"

"I wouldn't recommend that,"

The two of them chatted lightly as they headed back to their inn. They had already completed everything that they wanted to, after all. Not just in the acute sense, but also in a broader sense as far as their purpose of stay in the Thundering Valley went.

The two of them had already made immense strides as far as their ability to deal with lightning went. Rui made smaller and highly specific gains, while Kane made, literally, thundering gains that he was anxious to retain.