Mystical Journey

"Grandmaster, my martial arts takes priority over my family household . " The youngster replied with respect .

"Di Youwen Household?" Garen was slightly stunned as household was very well known . It had the potential to be in the top ten households in the whole Federation . They often appeared in the news as well . The household was one of the founders of this country and had great authority . They were considered the big guns in the southern region, and Garen didn’t expect that a member from this household would want to join his sects .

"When did you enter White Cloud Gate?" Garen frowned .

Simon was stunned and quickly explained as he knew there must be some misunderstanding .

"Master, Yuan Reese joined when Corinne and I were taking care of the sects . He enrolled as a normal student after the battle between you and Andrela . I recommended him after I realized that he was qualified to grow even more . "

"Oh?" Garen didn’t expect him to join in that early on . He looked at Yuan Reese . A youngster with deep eyes and a sharp gaze . He seemed to have very high perseverance, and obviously had a strong motive .

"There are so many sects out there . Is there any reason you chose White Cloud Gate?" He asked him directly without trying to hide his suspicion .

Yuan Reese was stunned for a bit but naturally recovered from it .

"Yes . Sister Felicity and I were best of friends . She was the one who introduced me to learn martial arts . "

"Ah, Felicity . " Garen understood and recalled that noble and naughty woman . "If it’s her then it’d be expected . How is she now?"

"She’s well, except that she is currently grounded and isn’t allowed out of the house . " Yuan Reese softly replied . This youngster seemed to be very soft and weak when he spoke . He looked so elegant that he didn’t look like a male at all . People might have sized him up as a female if not for his adam’s apple .

After looking at Yuan Reese and Karina again, the female was cold looking whereas the male was gentle and beautiful . Although they looked different physically, both of them had the same, firm gaze . He wasn’t sure if they had joined the sects because of the benefits it would bring to their household, or if they were here on their own accord .

"Both of you have spirit . If you work hard enough you’ll definitely succeed before you reach twenty years old . It all depends on whether you guys can hold up to it . " Garen nodded his head in satisfaction . No matter how you looked at it, Both of them represented the power of complete surrender on this land and a powerful household in this country . The White Cloud Gate would be fine with these two around . This was especially true for Yuan Reese as he, a household member of the top ten households in the Federation,and even enrolled into the White Cloud Gate, meaning that he acknowledged Garen and the entire White Cloud Gate .

"Since Grandmaster is here, I have a question to ask, but I’m unsure if you would want to answer it . " Yuan Reese lowered his head and asked .

"What’s your question?" Garen agreed as he was in a good mood .

"It’s regarding the key elements to martial art . What is the most important factor for a martial artist? What makes the martial artist able to keep moving forward?" Yuan Reese directly questioned the core of the subject .

Simon, Corinne and even Garen was slightly stunned . If he asked this question, it meant that Yuan Reese was not mentally ready yet .

Garen looked at the beautiful boy again . Through his gaze, he saw a firm and strong will .

Only a faint breath and heartbeat could be heard in the performance hall, as no one spoke for a short while .

Yuan Reese continued staring at Garen . Although he looked relaxed, he was actually under a tremendous amount of pressure . He felt like something was pressing onto him whenever he tried to inhale . Sweat started to break out from his temple and flowed down along his face .

He had the same feeling when he met his uncle who was a lieutenant general . However it was not as intense as this . Even meeting the patriarch of the parliaments wasn’t this terrifying .

It was totally different from them . When he faced the Grandmaster Garen, he felt a sense of horror .

Yuan Reese’s was so horrified that his hair all over his body were frozen . It was as if there was an abyss in front of him and the moment he leaned forward he would fall into it .

"Your household didn’t agree to let you join the sects, right?" Garen suddenly questioned him .

Yuan Reese was stunned and bit his lips .

"Yes . They strongly opposed me from joining . I came here without their knowledge . "

"This!! . . . " Simon and Corinne were both stunned .

Being a member of the top ten households in the Federation meant he had a huge authority .

"Didn’t you say they agreed to let you join?" Simon panicked .

"Sorry master . " Yuan Reese lowered his head and apologized . "I was being capricious . " He hadn’t really wanted to join the White Cloud Gate . At first, he just wanted to have fun and take it as a leisurely hobby . He didn’t expect to be targeted by Simon when they were having a conversation .

Even Simon agreed to let him become his disciple without a second doubt .

He wasn’t even sure how important was the relationship between a master and a disciple in the martial art world . Yuan Reese didn’t hold this relationship in high regard as well, and both of them confusingly went through the process of learning the Mammoth Secret Technique .

It was too late when Yuan Reese realized that something was not right . He wasn’t able to break off this relationship since he had learnt and experienced the secret techniques of the White Cloud Gate . Not to mention, he even consumed the body quenching pill .

Garen had already made a name for himself here when he decided to break off the relationship with Simon .

The relationship between a master and disciple had become a complicated situation .

As Yuan Reese thought of this, he raised his head and looked at Simon . Both of them were speechless .

It would be considered a rebellion if Yuan Reese leave the sects now . Simon, who knew of Rosetta’s outcome started to fear for Yuan Reese, who also knew Rosetta’s situation as well . This was one of the reason why he wanted to meet Garen through Simon .

Garen smiled as if he was not concerned with the situation .

"Regarding your question, I can tell you the answer . However, every martial artist has their own answer to this question . "

"Please enlighten me, Grandmaster . " Yuan Reese collected himself and replied .

"In my opinion, there are two key elements to a martial artist . " Garen slowly said .

"Number one: Talent . To be more precise, physical talent . You’ll learn faster and save more time if you’re physically stronger . This allows you to go to the higher level . "

Everyone nodded as they agreed with the explanation .

"Second: Spirit . " Garen raised one of his fingers to emphasize on this point .

"No matter if you’re a hobbyist, martial artist, or even Grandmaster of Combat . Spirit is very important . " Garen was slightly emotional, "Take those who fights on the street for example . If one were spiritually threatened before the fight, will it determine the outcome of the battle?"

Garen continued his explanation as they seemed to be confused .

"If two commoners with the same physical attribute, strength and speed fight, the one with weaker spirit would have less confidence in himself and try to defend and avoid more . The one with a stronger spirit would continuously attack . If there are no major unexpectations, the winner will always be the one with stronger spirit . "

"I’m starting to understand . " Yuan Reese frowned .

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Garen looked at Karina, who seemed to understand the idea as well . Both children had a strong sense of understanding . Corinne obviously understood the answer . However, Simon was the only one who didn’t get it .

"What about the tier of the martial artist?" Yuan Reese followed up with another question .

"Martial artists want to be stronger so that they can showcase their courage and challenge the limits of the human body . so that they could become the Grandmaster of Combat . " Garen calmly explained . "The spirit of martial art is formed from the courage and spirit of the user, which will show the personality of the martial artist . The effects differ from everyone . Some use courage to oppress the enemy, some use it to disrupt the enemy’s spirit . Since I have not met many Grandmasters of Combat, my knowledge here is limited . "

"What’s the importance of spirit to a Grandmaster of Combat then?" Yuan Reese asked another question again .

"It’s too early for you to ask such a question . " Garen sat down firmly as he looked at Yuan Reese, who was a youngster not older than fifteen years old . He was indeed a good seedling as he was able to converse with him without feeling pressured .

"However, I can tell you a little bit . "

Garen answered him with some admiration .

"If you have a weak spirit, you will not be able to react fast enough to the enemy’s attack and the sudden change in the situation . If you have a weak spirit, you’ll hesitate, and slow down when it comes to making a decision . One mistake leads to another, and this causes the fighter to lose confidence in his decision, which then delays his actions even further . The chances of winning will definitely lessen, no matter how strong you are . "

He added on: "If your spirit isn’t strong enough, you’ll not be able to react in time due to your hesitation . Most of the time it will be that crucial moment that decides the outcome of the battle . This is the importance of spirit and courage . "

"This is why a lot professionals would try to break the opponent before battle . If they succeed, the opponent’s chances of winning will greatly diminish . " Garen looked at Yuan Reese and continued, "Professionals who do not have a strong spirit will use other methods to attack their opponent . For example, they would use words to agitate, or hidden schemes to fight their opponent,"

"I understand . " Yuan Reese nodded his head . "In short, one has a higher chance of losing a battle of equals, if one’s spirit is disturbed . This is because one is unable to bring out his true strength as the spirit, hence the chances of winning will decrease . "

"How do we increase our spirit then?"

"This depends on the individual itself . There are a lot of methods in strengthening one’s spirit . All you need to do is find a method that suits you best . " Garen didn’t give him any indication . He couldn’t help but to smile as he looked at the four of them who was pondering on what he just said .

"You can ask me any questions now since both of you, namely Simon and Corinne, will be managing the White Cloud Gate in the future . "

Simon and Corinne looked at each other and stood up .

"Please teach us more master . "

Both of them started to put out the White Cloud Gate’s pose as they were ready to fight .

Seeing the situation, both Yuan Reese and Karina got up and moved back .

"Come at me both at once . Let me see how much you have improved . " Garen sat firmly and didn’t move at all .