Concentration

' It sure is a peaceful place ' this was Nero's thought as he observed the slightly hazy verdant surroundings while walking on the stone pathway leading towards the place where Nero and Zhou Hongbuo agreed to meet.

After walking for a few more minutes Nero finally arrived at a miraculous place. It was a small island surrounded by a crystal clear lake. Everything on the island looked like it was made out of air and water. The ground looked like an air platform with water flowing vessels in it and the plants and trees were shaped like water flowing upwards defying the very law of gravity.

Nero found Zhou Hongbuo drinking tea while sitting on a chair purely made out of air flow. " It is breathtaking isn't it " Zhou Hongbuo said sensing Nero's arrival. " It sure is, How did this place come to be " Nero asked with pure curiosity as a scenery like that didn't seem natural. " This island was your mother's creation. You should already be aware that her martial soul was space energy, She fabricated this place using the water and air in the surroundings. Aurora was a prodigy when it came to manipulation of space. She used to say that space is like a brush and the world is like a canvas, the more experienced we are in handling that brush the more we can edit the reality of this world. Although this scenery doesn't look natural, this place will always recreate itself even if Gods come to destroy it because Aurora aligned the space of this island with the laws of the universe." Zhou Hongbuo recited the creation of the island with nostalgia in his eyes.

[ Your mother was so cool!, I mean she was able to create something like this with just knowledge and usage of her martial soul] Aria exclaimed in fascination as she scanned the island. Nero wasn't surprised at Aria's excitement, he himself was amazed at how his mother was able to think so differently than the rest of the world. She was probably the first person who delved into understanding the usage of martial soul rather than blindly focusing on Spirit rank and attaining God-hood. Nero knew that if he had his mother's martial soul then he would have focused on using space as a weapon of attack not creation.

" Well let's focus on starting your training, we would have plenty of time later to talk about your parents " Zhou Hongbuo's voice brought nero back to his senses. Nero nodded and sat down on another air chair. " If i am not wrong you should be specializing in Iaijutsu and Iaido style to maximize the full potential of your martial soul's sharpness " Nero nodded affirming Zhou Hongbuo's reasoning. Zhou Hongbuo stood up and continued " Now i can't train you in swordplay as that isn't my specialization but there is one trait you would need to enhance your combat style and i happen to be a master in it ".

" What is it Grandpa Zhou " Nero asked Zhou Hongbuo as he himself had no idea what that necessary trait was. Zhou Hongbuo instead of explaining asked Nero to attack him using long-range attacks. "Woosh...Woosh...Woosh..." Nero fired as many mirage blades as he could conjure at Zhou Hongbuo but strangely all of them missed at the very last second. Seeing this phenomenon Nero knew that there was something he couldn't see so he unfolded his demon eyes.

Nero's face became one of a surprise as he observed what was happening, The air around Zhou Hongbuo became extremely resistive as soon as his mirage blades appeared within a certain radius and became normal air flow at an extreme speed. " You see this is the trait I was talking about 'Concentration'. My martial soul allows me to control the airflow around me but if I control every miniscule of air surrounding me then I wouldn't last long in battle so that's why I focused on concentrating my full control on a specific area. The trait 'Concentration' is for us to subconsciously focus our full attention in our next strike making it precise and eliminating all the excess action. This is the reason air became extremely resistive as soon as your energy blade approached me " Zhou Hongbuo explained making Nero astonished. { Now don't start calling this Autonomous ultra instinct or something. Concentration just focuses on using attacks and abilities in an instant not your body automatically fucking dodging everything that comes at you when even your subconscious didn't make a decision }

' I see now, although I can swing Yamato at a fast and precise speed but every time doing that I spend a great deal of my attention which extends the time required to attack even if it in milliseconds while Grandpa Zhou actions are like instinct making his every action short, effective and timely ' seeing that Nero has understood his explanation Zhou Hongbuo continued " Now everyday I will train you to make your actions an instinct and you won't be using spirit energy, bloodline and your martial soul during that. You would be blindfolded 24 hours even if you're doing your regular activities ".

Nero swallowed a gulp of saliva and asked hesitantly " Even when I am going in washroom ". Zhou Hongbuo put his hands on Nero's shoulder and replied with an innocent looking smile " Yes, even then ". " Sigh! " Nero sighed in defeat understanding that the next 10 days would be an unforgettable experience.

" So, where are we going to train " Nero quickly brought out the main topic to stop himself from thinking about his upcoming hellish daily life. " You think this place is for only sightseeing " Zhou Hongbuo smirked and said while tossing a wooden sword and a blindfold to Nero. Nero caught the things and stared at his adoptive grandpa in confusion not understanding how he could train here.

The air and water in the surroundings tremored and formed a dome surrounding the island as Zhou Hongbuo put his hands on the ground. Nero wanted to ask what was happening but found out that he couldn't hear his own voice without using Demonic-spirit energy. " This is a special field where you won't hear anything without spirit energy usage and the water will fire projectiles towards you at various complex angles with a speed that you could only deflect when you use your instincts " Zhou Hongbuo explained by directly speaking in Nero's ear using his spirit energy.

Putting on the blindfold Nero took a classic sword drawing stance. " Bang! " a projectile hit Nero on the shoulder and he couldn't even notice it until the contact. [ Nero should i..] " No! I have to master this myself " Aria wanted to help Nero but he refused as the training would be meaningless.

Nero kept trying to predict and slash the projectiles but ultimately failed. ' Ok let's calm down if I keep doing this then i wouldn't be able to slash a single projectile. I have to find a way to slash them as soon as they get close to me but how? ' Nero kept thinking about a way to even slash one projectile.

The projectiles kept firing and hitting Nero although they weren't hard enough to injure but the impact force did exert some pain. " Whoosh! " Nero accidentally felt a projectile coming and that's when realization hit him ' Yes that's right instead of focusing on slashing them I should first concentrate on sensing and defending them using the sword but how should I sense them, what is it that can help me sense. Yes, skin my skin can detect the airflow of the projectiles when they launch i just have to concentrate on them subconsciously '. Nero took a deep breath and focused on acquiring the projectile's trajectory through his skin. " Bang! " Nero didn't succeed in the first try but still kept trying.

*Night time*

It was already night but Nero was still training to hone his instincts. " Slash! " an afterimage appeared and Nero who couldn't dodge any projectile finally managed to slash a projectile without him even realizing that. After slashing the projectile Nero didn't say anything and fell unconscious as he was already tired and only his determination was what kept him going. Zhou Hongbuo caught Nero before he could hit the ground and sighed while taking the wooden sword out of Nero's hand " He is as stubborn as his parents ".

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The day dawned crisp and clear as a slight stream of wind soothed everything. The birds were chirping and flying as if dancing in a melody.

" Woosh..Woosh..Woosh " a 10 year old white haired boy who was blindfolded was slashing water like projectiles with utmost precision. The projectiles were attacking him from various angles but the boy as if having eyes everywhere tore them just before they could hit him. The boy was none other than Nero who has almost completed his concentration training in the last week of his vacation.

" Huu! finally did it " Nero heaved a sigh of relief and muttered after slashing the last projectile. It took Nero almost 3 weeks of constant training to initially master the 'concentration' trait. [ It is already very fast considering the difficulty of the trait. Usually it would take someone half a year to initially master the trait ] Aria also stated reflecting Nero's hard work.

Nero was about to put the wooden knife in its sheath but suddenly he put the sheath around his back blocking a wind knife. " Hahahaha it looks like you have got the hang of it but keep training when you go back, you are still far from mastering it " Zhou Hongbuo voice came as he descended from air giving Nero a water bottle.Nero took off his blindfold and nodded at Zhou Hongbuo's advice showing that he understood.

Nero and Zhou Hongbuo were now laying down on the island enjoying the cool breeze coming from the lake surrounding them. " Grandpa Zhou how did you get the idea of using solidified Air as your spare hand " Nero sat up and asked Zhou Hongbuo in curiosity. " If you are thinking that having an air hand was my idea then you are very wrong Nero " Zhou Hongbuo also sat up and replied looking at his hand.

" After losing my hand i spent eight years using only my one hand. It was your mother who first made a space energy hand for me when we first met. I still remember what she said to me at that time. ' The power we have can bring both destruction and happiness if we know the right way to use it ' that's how i started using an air solidified hand " Zhou Hongbuo looked up at the sky as he explained the origin of his hand.

Nero was fascinated hearing what his mother told Zhou Hongbuo as he never thought about his power that way ' Perhaps..'. " Well you should get ready we are going to meet your Aunt Yaozhu in 1 hour" Zhou Hongbuo voice brought Nero out of his thoughts.

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