Chapter 155
The western part of the Earth Kingdom. A river with waterfalls. Yuki-Roku-Van-Yo.
I now found myself in a picturesque spot near one of the many ports of the Earth Kingdom. It was here, in the animated series, that Katara taught Aang waterbending from the very scroll she had stolen from pirates. I hoped that changing the location would somehow allow me to look at mastery differently and finally give me the chance to reach the next level of spiritual development.
In no hurry, I simply sat on a rock and watched the waterfall. With nothing else to do, I began channeling water energy through my body. There were no specific thoughts, just a contemplative mood, and even the sound of the falling water was somewhere on the periphery. On its own, knowledge and "understanding" that I had managed to glean from the spirits of the Moon and Ocean began to flow through my mind. Then they seemed to compress or consolidate. I felt something inside me change and grow more complex. In the end, the essence of my understanding settled deep within my soul, causing my body to radiate not just a sea, but an ocean of water energy. The transition to the ancient level was almost complete.
"I hope Van Shi Tong's conclusions were correct," I thought, for the world itself had turned its attention to me. It felt as though I stood naked before thousands of eyes. And it was these eyes that would decide whether I lived or died...
After a minute that felt like hours, the otherworldly attention of something powerful finally vanished.
"So, he was right..." A wave of relief washed over me. The Human World does not hinder the development and emergence of individuals with powers comparable to ancient spirits, as humans are not outsiders here, unlike spirits. Something similar happens in the Spirit World. If a practitioner of life energy doesn't have the same level of control as I do, their energy would immediately flow to the nearest deposits of green crystals.
"Finally, I've broken through!" I exclaimed, unable to hold back a joyful laugh. I could feel every single particle of water energy, even the smallest. If it were my will, all the inhabitants of the port town, living a full kilometer away, would become my puppets. At times, a strange feeling emerged, as if...
*I am the Water.*
In the next second, my body vanished from its previous location, only to reappear somewhere in the Spirit World. I needed to test my newfound abilities.
"Like cutting through grass," I muttered in surprise as even the highest spirits now seemed no different from the middling ones. Both could be slain with ease.
"Time to test my unique ability!" In that instant, I flew straight toward the dark spirits. Their attacks came swiftly, but my body, tempered by life energy, simply wouldn't allow the lower and mid-level spirits to inflict any serious damage. A fireball from a high-ranking fire spirit struck my body... but caused no harm, only draining a droplet of my water energy. In the next moment, a crab-like earth spirit nearly grazed my flesh with its claw, but it couldn't reach me... for my body had split into two halves, only to reassemble whole again.