A Master's Path

Old Fox then got a hold of himself. Truthfully it was all in fun for him. This month was one which he intended not to be his usual uptight self. In some ways, he treated it like the last month of his life. Yet seeing Shaun's less than enthralled reaction perhaps he had gone too far.

"Ok, Ok, My apologies lad, it's been a while since I've had a student. But I'll make it up to you". Shaun wasn't taken by Old Fox's apology before…..

Plop! - An old book with approximately a little over a thousand pages fell right before him. Looking up he saw that the book came from a locked box with old writing in a language he had never seen. His eyes then looked at the book before him. It was covered with a thick bronze coating and a picture-like frame. Within its frame was a drawing of a warrior kicking through the clouds. Its title, A Master's Path. A spark went off in Shaun's eyes when seeing the title, wasn't his current goal to find a means to defend himself and Jamie from Carlos and his gang? What better way than to learn the ways of a martial arts master?

He then hurriedly took it into his aching hands, it was quite heavy. Opening up the first three pages there were so many illustrations with detailed instructions on how to achieve maximum mental gains. Some exercises were short, a mere minute or two, while others could be as long as five hours.

Old Fox Sighed, this was no ordinary book and his ancestors would frown on what he just did. But last night was an eye-opener for him. Perhaps in this world, he was the only one who cherished the book. Even Hako, who knew of its history, was now dismissive. Shaun didn't know that if not for the previous night's events the book would have never been opened.

Old Fox: " Before you is a rare book passed down for generations in my clan. Perhaps it has lost value in this new age of super-beings but It is priceless in my clan's eyes. I'll give you ten minutes to read a few pages". Still apart from a slight glimmer initially he could tell Shaun wasn't too impressed.

Old Fox: "Trust me this book is a gem, many masters sought to gain just a glimpse in the past but have been staunchly refused by my ancestors. This is such a privilege that only ten of my disciples have been granted this opportunity in the past".

Hearing he was given such a rare opportunity Shaun was indeed grateful and humbled somewhat. But then he was always a skeptical fellow and never too trusting. He would be lying if he didn't admit that deep down he wasn't too trusting of Old Fox's words. With him being so old, surely in his decades of teaching, he had met hundreds of disciples who were more worthy than him. They just met for crying out loud.

He then inquired, "You just met me, I am a mere stranger and not your blood. If this is as precious as you say, don't you fear that I came here with ill intentions to steal this very book?"

Old Fox remained quiet before, "Well if you don't take this golden opportunity I will not force you".

Shaun once more looked at the old man. Even if he was exaggerating, just from its encasing there must be some truth to the book's worth. However, ten minutes, that was short as heck. It had a thousand pages and from what could be seen the first parts only dealt with meditation exercises. How the hell could anyone gain any form of insights in ten minutes? Then again, perhaps this was the intent, by limiting the viewing time per individual this was the means the book's rarity was preserved.

Call it a sixth sense, but he had a hunch this was what he needed. Yet one key thing kept echoing in his mind, "Ten damn minutes". There must be a way around this. Suddenly a bulb went off in his head. 'I'm an idiot sometimes. What is my ability?', he berated himself smacking his forehead. He had just the tools at his disposal just for such an occasion.

"Sensei, just ten minutes?" He stated, playing it cool knowing exactly what he sought to accomplish.

Old Fox: Ha-ha! "You have finally warmed up to me, referring to me as sensei", he said warmly when hearing Shaun's acknowledgment which was exactly what was intended. He once more continued, "Yes, just ten minutes, it is a rule passed down for centuries in my family. No outsider is allowed over ten minutes with the book whether supervised or not''.

Still, Shaun played it innocently, "So I can read any amount of pages, no restriction?" It was then that the old man sensed Shaun had some plan up his sleeves, but surely he wasn't trying to read anything past the first five pages. Beyond that it became complicated and only through years would anyone gain understanding.

So Old Fox cautioned, "Yes once it is within a ten-minute time frame. Still, do not be tempted by anything beyond the first five pages. It is impossible to learn within this limited time frame, so focus on the breathing exercises".

"Thank you Sensei", Shaun smiled but right after did the opposite of what Old Fox instructed. He flicked through every page spending milliseconds on them. Old Fox could not believe his eyes, he knew how important the details in this book were for anyone hoping to master martial arts. Yet when given this chance, the kid simply threw it away. As his brother would say, "Youth, sometimes they were overly zealous and would only understand the rashness of their actions in the long term".

Eight minutes had passed, by then Shaun had scanned through the book. Inside his mind, a perfect replica was created. Yet in order not to arouse suspicion he slowed down going back to the first three pages which was pleasing to Old Fox.

But inside his mind the more he read, the more he understood why this book was an absolute treasure for the old man. There were hundreds of fighting styles, some mimicking mythical creatures like dragons, others reptiles like the snake, and even mother nature had its fighting styles. Yet with the limited time, for now, he couldn't truly dissect them.

When ten minutes arrived Old Fox slammed the book shut.

Old Fox: "Now choose the meditation stance you wish to use. From the first five pages, you have the Praying Mantis, the Wise Owl, Howling Wolf, and the Monk's Prayer. Anyone is fit as a breathing and meditation stance for this exercise. You have thirty minutes".

As he spoke four images of each popped up in Shaun's mind. Of the four he chose the monk's prayer. This was due to it being the most recognized, so his subconscious picked it. He slightly adjusted his hands clasping them together while following the instructions before him. It simply took two seconds of breaths before exhaling for one second while echoing a chant in his mind, "Aham-Prema, Aham-Prema…." This would help in clearing his mind of all the noise that distracted him.

Inside his mind, Shaun continued with the breathing exercises saying the mantra. But truthfully It was one of the most boring exercises the fifteen-year-old had ever done in his life. His mind was normally so active so it was hell trying to omit all the distractions. It was ludicrous to think that people could do this for days as the illustrations depicted. But he had a goal, not only did he need to get strong for himself but Jamie as well. So for that reason he tried his hardest to clear all the distractions.

Little by little, the distraction began to fade but then he heard, "The first thirty have ended". He looked up to see Old Fox with one of the plyboards between his hands.

"Now strike!"