Trouble at the Training Center

After Ronnie and his cronies had left like dogs with their tails between their legs, Damien headed back to his room to continue with his personal training.

Hank and Frank weren't around. They had left a note behind that they were on a mission and would not be back till the next morning.

This meant Damien had the whole place to himself.

He was finally alone again, if not briefly.

A smile crept up Damien's lips.

He decided to take a quick shower and grab a meal at the school's canteen before beginning his training.

Food was perhaps the only free thing in the Imperial Institute. For that matter, the school was very generous about it.

There were many strategically placed canteens and eateries that students could enter in at any time and grab a bite.

After all, awakened had a far larger appetite than normal humans.

An hour later, Damien had finished up and he was headed for one of the training centers to learn and practice his techniques.

Frank had advised him after he learnt the 1-star Karate technique that the best place to comprehend a technique was in the training centers.

Each center had five floors and as one ascended, the mana density on the floor increased. Special formations had been made to draw in more mana and provide a mana-rich environment for students who came to train.

The first floor was always the largest and it was the only free floor.

The other floors required payment in CP due to them having higher mana densities.

The upper floors also had separate rooms so that those training could have their privacy but that wasn't so for the first floor.

In exchange for it being free, one would have little to no privacy.

  Freeloaders and broke students who couldn't afford to pay for upper floors in CPs would come to the first floor to enjoy free mana.

Fortunately, the first floor was so huge that anyone could go to any part of the floor to train.

Damien entered the training center and walked to the first floor.

Many students sat quietly either alone or in groups rapidly absorbing mana stones. Those without mana stones had gathered near the mana nodes which pumped more mana into the floor so they could absorb much more.

From the looks of it, they had been here even the morning class.

They were so afraid of expulsion that they hastily absorbed mana into their bodies not even taking making time to learn a single technique!

Damien shook his head in pity for them.

When they had awakened and were at home, instead of them to train like demons, they went out to party after party even with the knowledge of the threat of the Dusk Organization who were hot on their tails, hoping to kidnap them.

They thought being an awakened was easy.

The Vice Chancellor was right. They were lazy.

Had they focused on training and absorbing mana before coming to school they would be able to break through into the mid-level Enlightenment realm in about a week or two after arrival!

But now here they were, frantically trying to make up for their errors. By the time the month ended, even if they were able to break through to the next level, their foundation would be shaky because enough time wasn't put into it and it was done hastily.

Besides, they wouldn't even have enough techniques to boost their battle capabilities.

This was because fights between awakened heavily relied on the quantity of techniques mastered by the awakened and how well he was able to use it, as if it was a part of his body.

Well, whatever it was, it was their problem not Damien's. 

As for him, he was here to learn his techniques.

He chose a part of the room which had lesser people gathered so that he would have his peace. He then took out the four chips which contained techniques.

Which should he learn to boost his strength?

There was Mind needle, Mind whip, Soul push and Introspection.

Damien didn't really have a clear grasp of Soul push and Introspection so he decided to leave them for later and focus on one he was familiar with; mind needle.

After that, if there was enough time, he could learn it's Mind whip version of it.

Damien inserted the Mind needle technique chip into his comm and set it on private mode. Thus, he could watch the technique peacefully without anyone seeing what he was up to.

The screen displayed a dark haired woman with deep mystical eyes.

She wore a simple white robe and sat cross legged in the display. 

"The Psychic element is one of the most dangerous and powerful elements because it attacks something most people cannot guard against; the mind.

Even the lowest level Psychic technique which I would be teaching you today would be fatal to anyone who has a weak mind and cannot bear mental pain.

Other psychic techniques can even wipe people's memories, implant new memories, make people go mad or brain dead, cripple people, explode people's brains and even control people to an extent.

This makes the Psychic element a very dangerous element.

The lowest technique can even make a weak minded person or unawakened a vegetable.

I will be imparting to you the lowest level psychic technique, the Mind needle and I will show you how to increase its lethality and range, and how to maintain it even outside your mental sense.

So first, you have to visualize a needle. Imagine a needle, very pointy and sharp.

Have you done that?

Very good.

Now use your mana to shape your mental power into a needle just like you've imagined. Do it slowly so that the it doesn't disperse. If it does, you have to start all over again.

Have you finished shaping it?

Very good.

Now gently bring it out of your mind and into the physical world. Remember that most psychic attacks are made out of pure mental energy and it is invisible to people.

Perhaps only those with acute senses or other psychics would feel or see the attack.

You can hold a mind needle inches in front of person and he won't see a thing.

Have you been able to bring it out?

Very good.

Now maintain it like that. Direct it to the left… now move it to the right. Make it circle you slowly… that's right. 

Extend it towards the current capacity of your mental sense," the woman directed.

Sweat furrowed on Damien's brow as he focused on the mind needle he had conjured, moving it according to the directives of the lady.

Her instructions had made it very easy for him to form a mind needle.

The total range of Damien's mind sense had now reached fifty meters! He could see, feel and accurately control the mind needle twenty meters around him and the blurred area which he could vaguely sense was thirty meters!

His staunch training was what had increased his mental sense to such an insane range.

Based on how things looked, if Damien broke into the peak level of the Enlightenment realm, his mind sense would be hundred meters!

It was just a matter of time.

Licking his lower lip, Damien carefully manipulated the mind needle to move to the limit of his clear sense.

With deep focus, he pushed it into the blurry area and tried to control it there. It was difficult because he could hardly sense his mind needle and at times it almost dissipated.

When it reached the 35-meter mark, Damien lost control over it and it dissipated.

"Again!" Damien said inwardly as he repeated the process step by step, following the instructions of the woman and directing his mind needle around his mental sense.

He moved it fast, sometimes slowed it down to a crawl, he controlled the mind needle in all forms of awkward poses that even those around him looked at him wearily.

Sometimes he would do a hand stand, then a set of jumps, a sun pose, a leg up pose, even a little dance jiggle!

What on earth was this guy doing?

Had he gone mad from absorbing too much mana?

That was the question some of the onlookers asked themselves.

To them, it was as if Damien was off his rocker. 

Why else would he behave like that!

His poses were comical too!

Some of the students started to snicker but Damien ignored them.

That was until one of them couldn't take it anymore. He walked up to Damien and tapped him on the shoulder. 

Damien looked up in annoyance. 

The guy's actions had caused his mind needle to dissipate!

"What's your problem?" Damien inquired with a scowl.

"Dude, what on earth are you doing? You are distracting those of us here. It's as if you're not here to absorb mana but cause trouble.

Why else would you be acting so weirdly?" said the guy accusingly.

"If you think I'm distracting you, you can always book a room on one of the upper floors. That way, you won't have to see me and be distracted," Damien replied nonchalantly.

"Why are you being impolite? You just want to cause trouble! Look around. Everyone is sitting peacefully absorbing mana but you alone are standing up and making strange poses.

Let me advise you to take your training seriously.

Were you not there when the Vice Chancellor said she would expel those who didn't reach mid-level Enlightenment realm by the end of the month?

Stop making a fool out of yourself here and focus on absorbing mana. That way, you will not be expelled.

If you still want to act like a monkey, I will report you to the instructors for you to be kicked out!" the boy said righteously.