Chapter 103: Another Demon

"Before we begin, your punishment for the earlier lapse in concentration must be completed."

"Understood, sir," Kyle replied, fully expecting Dan to bring it up.

Dan gestured to the heavy iron weights and a series of resistance bands neatly arranged along the side of the dojo.

"You'll carry these weights while maintaining a handstand for thirty minutes. The timer would reset each time you falter.'

Kyle almost let out an exhausted sigh after seeing the weights. Not only were they very heavy to carry, but the longer you carried it , the heavier the pressure and like Dan had said, dropping it before the thirty minute mark would make him restart.

This was a task that tested one's physical endurance and required perfect balance, focus and stamina.

Kyle took a deep breath, before moving to the extreme end of the room where the weights were.

He positioned himself on the mat, and shifted his weight forward into a handstand. With controlled movements, he adjusted the iron weights, securing them on his legs and holding a position that tested the limits of his core strength.

The strain hit him almost immediately as his muscles tightened and his balance shaked, but he managed to maintain it well.

Dan kept on watching with an impassive expression but his keen eyes were taking note of every micro-adjustment Kyle made to keep steady.

At the ten-minute mark, he raised an eyebrow. Kyle's arms trembled slightly under the weight, but his posture held steady. Fifteen minutes in, the minor strain in his shoulders deepened, but Kyle fought through it, pushing the burning sensation away with sheer willpower.

When the half-hour mark finally passed without a single fall, Dan stepped forward. "Enough. You can come down."

"I can continue," Kyle replied, causing Dan to raise his eyebrow at him. He usually only barely endure for 30 minutes. Now, not only was he handling the routine far better than before, he even asked for more time.

Dan simply nodded and continued watching. As he had promised, Kyle continued to keep on with the weights and eventually the one hour mark came, that was when lowered himself and collapsed onto his knees.

Kyle took a few deep breaths, trying to slow his racing heart. The routine had taken a toll out him, but he had handled it far better than before. He had even done so for thirty minutes, something that had never happened in his training with Dan.

"You improved again, didn't you?" Dan approached him with a sharp gaze and threw the thought om his mind.

Kyle looked up at his instructor with a nervous chuckle. "Yes, sir. I broke through to the fourth stage," he chose to say.

Dan nodded, though the gesture seemed almost mechanical. It wasn't the shock or amazement that Kyle might have seen before, just a simple acknowledgment.

Dan's mind was already processing this information and moving on. Kyle had surprised him too many times for it to be truly shocking anymore.

It was quite normal for Kyle to be of a different power level each time they met. He had only asked because this time, the leap was too great.

Perhaps the boy was just special—more special than he had first realized. He turned away, though the slight furrow in his eyebrow gave him away that he was thinking something far deeper.

'Let's move on. Training waits for no one," Dan said, clapping his hands once. Kyle pushed himself back to his feet, after taking Dan's special water bottle. It was time for the real challenge.

Dan took his place at one end of the dojo, rolling his shoulders and adjusting his stance. The sparring sessions with Dan were always brutal, but each one pushed Kyle beyond what he thought possible.

Today, he felt ready to win, even if he knew deep down that defeating Dan was still a distant dream.

The moment Dan's signal came, Kyle launched himself forward, drawing his selected katana in a smooth arc.

He aimed a swift strike at Dan, who sidestepped with practiced ease and countered with a sweep that nearly knocked Kyle off balance.

Kyle regained his footing quickly. With a proud smile, he charged again. Kyle was confident of winning Dan now after seeing his speed, maybe they weren't too far apart after all.

A few minutes later, Kyle panted as they circled each other. He had come close to beating Dan quite a few times, but through some unexpected turn of events, Dan kept surviving.

This gave Kyle confidence to push more harder. He could feel it. He was going to defeat Dan today. seaʀᴄh thё novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Not enough," Dan muttered, breaking Kyle's thoughts. He stepped forward and began pressuring Kyle into a defensive stance.

Kyle parried and retreated, knowing that Dan was pushing him to his limit deliberately. And then, without warning, Kyle felt something stir within him. At that moment, he knew the battle was over.

'Let's end this.'

He immediately went back a little and then with a slash of his katana, a thin, white line of energy surged from the blade—his sword intent.

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Kyle thought he had got Dan. There was now how that Dan would react fast enough to deal with it.

But then, the room turned cold—dead cold as Dan released a tiny bit of aura, nullifying the intent as easily as snuffing out a flame.

'I've faced two demons today,' Kyle thought with a tired sigh, "The last one stands before me."

"Good!" Dan remarked after dealing with Kyle's intent. "Don't worry, you'll get there."

Kyle nodded and continued with the fight. If he couldn't win with his intent, he'll beat up Dan the traditional way.

After some moves more, when Kyle almost got Dan. The speed the latter had used to leave his range was outstanding—he hadn't expected such.

'That meant...' Kyle thought as he panted. 'He's been holding back this whole time.'

It all made sense, Kyle had noticed that Dan had been one step ahead, while giving him the impression that he could stand a chance; Dan had been toying with him and giving him false pride right from Day 1.

'This man, how dare him do such to me?' Kyle thought with anger. 'He's played me dirty.

Each time Kyle thought he'd closed the gap, Dan revealed another layer of strength that made Kyle feel like he was just starting over.

Kyle channelled his anger into the fight and began pushing h

arder. He still believed he could win Dan.

'I just have to be too fast for him,' Kyle calculated. 'He'll be on the floor the moment he tries to re-adjust his speed.

This continued for what felt like an eternity, but the chance never came for Kyle to turn the tides of the battle. Worst of all, he was thoroughly exhausted and didn't think he could continue.

As if sensing his condition, Dan stepped back and raised a hand. "Enough. You can rest."

Kyle didn't even think of questioning his decision as he knew he couldn't continue anymore. He dropped to the floor and stared at the ceiling to catch his breath.

After some moments on the floor, Dan approached him after and began offering pointers, detailing every move Kyle had made and every flaw in his form.

Kyle listened intently as he drank Dan's magical water, committing each correction to memory. And after Dan wad done speaking; Kyle remembered a question he planned on asking.

"Instructor Dan, there's something I've been meaning to ask."

Dan directed his gaze to Kyle before nodding his head. "Go on."

"What's a martial arts technique? I saw one in your book shelf when I cleaned it and I want to know more about them."

"You've been observant," Dan remarked with a nod of approval. "Martial arts are very essential, especially physical fighters like us."

Dan paused, as if recalling memories from his own training. "Martial arts, at their core, are not just about fighting. It is a discipline that sharpens the body, the mind, and the soul.

Mastery over them allows you to fight with a certain style the technique was tailored for. Take note, these techniques are not just physical. They require patience, practice, meditation and understanding of your body and mana.

That is why few people succeed in learning them, they underestimate the mental and spiritual discipline required."

With Dan's explanation, Kyle could understand a bit about what Martial arts were. He wanted to learn them, anything that could make him stronger was worth learning, talk more of something that could improve his skill with the katana.