The Martial Unity

1537 The Power of Youth

Kane had always known that his circumstances were strange. Or rather, he known ever since he told his story to Rui, who had pointed out some inconsistencies, hinting that perhaps there was more to the story.

A Martial Apprentice, no matter how brilliant, was not capable of resisting such a powerful force. He later learned that even the political protection from the Lightning Sect was not enough simply because he wasn't valuable enough to spend tons of political capital to resist.

"So all that torment you put me through… All that bullshit that I had to go through. You did it all just to give me a drive?" Kane gritted his teeth, clenching his fists.

"That's right," Sage Damian calmly replied. "I did you a favor. My son, power is everything in this world. The weak perish. The strong consume. Weakness would cause not just you, but also everyone you love, suffering. Weakness itself is evil. Being weak in this world is no different from killing yourself and everyone you love, that is why I drove you to covet power."

"That is the most demented thing I've ever heard." Kane's expression crumpled anger, almost quivering fury. "You could have just loved me like a normal father, instead you filled your son with hatred and fear, and you call it love. Fuck off with that bullshit!"

"Love you like a normal father, eh?" Sage Damian's voice had been reduced to a whisper. "And what good would that have done you? Look at that little wench friend of yours, the one who is touted as one of the three geniuses of your generation."

"…Fiona?" Kane tilted his head.

"Her foolish Sage of a father pampered her with all the love in the world, did he not?" Sage Damian remarked. "What good did that do her? She's merely a grade-four Martial Squire after all this time. She had the astronomical potential to become the single greatest gem of her generation, yet diamonds are only born from great pressure. Her generational talent has gone to waste because her drive is as soft as her father!"

He bellowed vindictively with a hint of smugness. "…You, on the other hand, have forged yourself. The tribulations that you have gone through, that you have relentlessly pushed yourself through, regardless of whether it's because of your old drive or your new one, have allowed you to maximize your potential."

Kane simply stared at him in disbelief. "…"

"Look at you instead, you have reached the pinnacle of the Squire Realm at an extraordinary pace," Sage Arrancar remarked. "Reaching this level at at the age of twenty-six is certainly a highly optimistic sign about your future. Fact of the matter is that not even Martial Artists can ignore the detriments of aging. Humans lose potential at a rapid pace beyond a certain age. This is true even for Martial Artists."

"I thought Martial Artists grow stronger as time passed…" Kane frowned.

"They grow stronger in power, but their potential reduces. The rate of growth. The rate of learning. The rate of changing. All of these parameters reduce significantly, putting hard limits on long-term growth." Sage Damian told Kane. "I have experienced this myself. It took me fourteen years to develop my last technique. And it just gets harder and harder every single time."

He closed his eyes, heaving a brief sigh. "This is why breaking through younger is valued more. The younger you break through, the earlier your lifespan is extended, the slower your aging, and the longer your youth is prolonged."

"…So what if someone broke through to the Senior Realm at the age of twenty-four?" Kane asked.

Sage Damian opened his eyes, throwing a knowing look at Kane. "…Then he would experience the boons of youth for a very long time. A human is at their prime for about ten years between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-five. Someone who reached the Senior Realm at the age of twenty-four would experience that prime age for more than perhaps fifty years instead of just ten, depending on their Martial Body. I cannot even begin to imagine the sheer amount of gains that he will make in that time."

Kane clenched his fist in frustration. Based on what his father told him, if Kane did not break through before his prime ended, then he would always fall far behind Rui who was bound to race forward at an incredible pace due to a prolonged youth.

"…I see, I'll be sure to keep those words in mind," Kane's determination grew.

"Hm…" He closed his eyes, returning to his meditation. "You'll get your little statement signed, if that's what you want. If you came here for nothing else, then get out of here."

Kane stared at his father's meditating form, narrowing his eyes.

He hated and feared his father, especially back when his desire to escape the Arrancar Family was at its strongest. Yet now, his greatest desire was keeping up with Rui. So much so that he was even willing to risk becoming the heir of the Arrancarn Family if that was what it took.

The fact that he had even been able to keep up, even if barely and from a bit of a distance, with Rui for the time that they were together was proof that his father's method had merit, even if it was sick.

"You know…I hate that you my childhood miserable. I hate that I felt like a prisoner in my own home growing up. I hate that I felt the fear of being captured for all those years after I left the household." He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. "But…

thank you for caring for me, even if it was in your own fucked up way. I wouldn't be this strong if it wasn't for that. And I wouldn't have ever had a chance of keeping up with my best friend. I will acknowledge that that is thanks to you."

Kane's eyes flashed with defiance. "That is the one and only good thing you've ever done for me. But it's not enough enough for me to start cozying up to you as your son. I still hate you, asshole."

He turned around, leaving the cave without getting so much as a twitch from Sage Damian.

Yet, even as he left, the smallest of smiles cracked at the edge of Sage Damian's mouth.