Chapter 247: Nearing a Breakthrough

Howard decided to try to finally breakthrough to the SS rank after being stuck in a rather unique situation for a few weeks.

'Basically, if I'm right, the reason why my last Ki heart didn't fully change was because of the difference between my Silver Ki Heart and the rest of the Ki hearts. However, when I think about it, the Great Slavensen People actually have many different kinds of Ki Hearts as well because of their various types of plants."

"What they end up doing is eventually creating something similar to an irrigation system between each plant so eventually their energies fuse. Since I have many different types of Ki that are unaccustomed to each other, if I try fusing them it won't work. However, if I try and put an irrigation channel between them, by slowly circulating the ki between Ki hearts, it may allow me to breakthrough."

Howard nodded his head and then began circulating his Ki according to a technique called the Six Hearts of Irrigation. Though it really didn't fit him in name or title, it should be enough to allow his strength to surge by leaps and bounds.

However, his real problem right now was that he could tell that Lasinda was extremely worried about something. After getting to spend some time with her, and especially after acquiring the ancestors intent, he could tell for the last two days she wanted to talk to him almost as much as she wanted to kiss him. 

"I can't spend too much time worrying about her right now or I'll never breakthrough," Howard fluttered his eyes shut, a focused look appearing in his powerful young blue eyes "Anyways, the first hart used in irrigation is the central heart in the chest. It's really an amazing technique. It allows people with just six ki hearts to amplify their inner power by 2 fold…"

"The Great Slavensen people tend to never make more than 20 ki hearts on average because of their many unique types of Ki found in each type of plant, so they had to come up with a way to increase their strength by somewhat 'irrigating' the strength between their hearts.'

Howard stopped thinking about it and focused on the Central Ki Heart, near his abdomen before both ihs Dark Ki and Fire Ki began to rapidly circulate.

"I can do this! In the next twenty four hours, I must completely surpass my previous self in strength or else I have a feeling everyone here might die! I don't know why, but It's just the feeling I'm getting from Lasinda! Something horrible is about to arise!

Swoosh!

Howard put all his focus into three of his Ki hearts before one of the tablets in front of him started to rather passionately shake. Mernan, who had just been a rather cautious observer, suddenly felt shocked beyond belief.

"The first tablet has already acknowledged him and he isn't even a plant user! If the first king was to here this, he'd probably go nuts with disbelief! In fact, he probably is going nuts with disbelief even in his grave!"

"Father… Is it really glowing?" Lasinda couldn't help but smile cheekily while staring at Howard's backside. "Did he really already figure out the first of the six paths?"

"Yes, and it seems, like I said, that his willingness to try new things cannot be underestimated. Frankly, that might not be good for you daughter. Who knows how many women he's willing to try things with." Mernan said jokingly before patting his daughter a few feet more behind him.

"Anyways, this next part is the crucial part. If he gets the stone to glow completely white, it means he mastered not only the first part of the technique, but the last three as well! Ugh, this is a major source of news. I'm guessing his strength already increased by at least half a rank."

"Half a rank, but he's already so strong… Is it really that powerful?" Lasinda said with disbelief, gently feeling her heart beat faster and faster inside of her chest. "How-how can he get so much stronger so fast?"

"Like us, he has many types of Ki," Mernan nodded his head and then felt another change start to begin in Howard. "However, most people would never bother to learn how to fuse them because they're so strong already! Howard, however, decided to fuse all his strength together regardless! It'a almost like he simply doesn't care how strong he is! All he wants is to keep exploring! This-this reminds me of my great great grandfather. And like I said… He had a thing about exploring a lot of women. Lasinda, are you sure this is really who you want to date?"

"As long as I can be on bed while he's exploring others, I don't care," Lasinda said witha a resolute expression. "Hehe, I like men like Howard… Maybe he'll learn how to make me feel better because of those explorations."

"Are you really my daughter?" Mernan cleared his throat and then watched Howard continue to infuse different types of Ki together. "Anyways, just stay there! Your perverted thoughts might disturb my son-in-law! I already heard enough two nights ago! No need to make me remember!"

###

Howard found great ease combining his Dark Ki, Fire Ki, and Dream Ki together, yet his Silver Ki once again seemed nearly impossible to fuse with the other types of Ki 

It took him ten hours of trying to stop the first technique though, to realize that the six form of irrigation actually had a way of solving this problem. It really astounded him and made him feel amazing beyond belief. 

Because the Great Slavensen People had so many different types of types of Ki, they often times had to deal with something that the tablet called the competing forests principle. To solve the competing forest principle, rather than trying to force two distinct types of energy together, the best solution was to create what they called a pond.

Basically, you sent the two types of energy into a source before putting them on opposite sides of the pool and waiting for them to eventually come together. Rather than trying to do it intentionally, this process could take months yet it promised that eventually the two would learn to work together.

It's like putting a bully and his normal victims on an island and then cutting off the bully's hands pretty much. Though it wasn't the best metaphor, the bully would now require the victims to help him get food in the area.

Silver Ki, like many types of Ki, relied on Ki Cells that duplicated over and over again in a certain amount of space. Yet by putting his Silver Ki in a 'pond' or a small part of his body, it should eventually want to get more energy and by doing so it would have to work with his three other types of ki.

When he thought about it, he realized that this also meant he couldn't get strong overnight, yet almost instantly decided to put all of his four types of Ki together near his sternum. In just a minute, he suddenly felt the desire to puke, but fought it back. 

'Ugh, once again, my Silver Ki feels like I'm losing all rationality… It hasn't been this way for a while, especially since I figured out a little bit about intent, yet right now that I'm trying to strengthen my body some of the side effects are coming back."

Howard looked over and Lasinda rather intimately before he felt a fierce craving.

He wanted to pluck her from behind her father's back and plop her on his lap before kissing her until the feeling went away. Forcing himself to restrain the feeling, he just focused on the feeling of the 'pond' he'd been trying to set up.

In a way, this pond was like another Ki Heart, yet it possessed a lot less of the normal properties of a Ki Haert. It couldn't be used to make new Ki Cells, however, it could eventually act as an area to gather strength from. Frankly, if teh Arthraku knew that Howard had a way of creating a fake '61st' Ki Heart, an entire army might come and try to kill him right now.

Yet, at this moment, the only thing that approached Howard was Lasinda. She sensed a carnal desire in him and couldn't help but rush over to him. And by the time he did, her father who'd wanted to stop her, suddenly felt something pushing him back. 

'Is that… Is that Howard's Ki? Is it trying to stop me from approaching?'

'No, that can't be Howard's Ki, it's too menacing! It's like an entire world is trying to keep me back!'

Boom!

At this moment, Mernan felt like something hit him and he got forced to take a step back while looking into Howard's fierce eyes.

"He-he has something inside of him that's tremendously evil doesn't he! What are you doing daughter?! Why go over to him now! Do you want to get yourself killed?"

"Is this seat taken/" Lasinda dropped down on Howard's lap and instantly kissed him. Her pink lips almost instantly got stuck against Howards who also couldn't help kiss her repeatedly. "Hehe, you seemed to be calling me future husband, so I came over to great you?"

"Hmph, not bad. You're a pretty good one," Howard opened his eyes and looked at Lasinda up and down before gently caressing her back. "You think you can survive on me for a few hours without dying? I'm hoping to kiss you until the pain goes away. Is that okay?"

"Hmph, you saved my father, I'll kiss you even if my body burns…" Lasinda wrapped her arms around Howard, feeling his energy starting to make her gently burn, before she ignored it and just latched onto him with all her might.

Her father, who'd already seen them kiss once, immediately felt himself blush! The nerve on this little woman! She-she really had no boundaries did she!

"Sir… They are six days away!" A soldier appeared behind Mernan and gently bowed. "What should we do? Should we try and send someone to stall them."

"By tomorrow, Howard should already be a lot stronger than he was today… We can ask him what he wants to do. No point in holding back information any longer about the Arthraku. He's now officially stronger than me. It's only appropriate that he learns everything."

"Hmmm, very well!" The soldier nodded his head and then left the room, looking at Lasinda moving her head from left to right and tilting it in all types of directions. 

He couldn't help but wonder what Alenx would think if he saw that… The woman he wanted to marry had almost completely given herself to another man, even in front of her father. He'd probably scream so loud that almost no one in the Furnace could ease his pain.