Foundational Essence

"The foundational Essence was the ability to walk on air. You have walked on air!"

"The Foundational Essence is the ability to Walk on dust. You walk on dust!"

"The foundational Essence is to disappear and appear at another place, including on air!"

Just like when too many people want to answer, then you hear someone say you answer and you lose the invention of answering, many of the kids were now standing aside leaving only 19 people to answer.

Among the 19 kids who answered, some repeated what others said. And 6 of them were on the left side of the instructor while 13 were on his right.

"No one has any answer that differs from them?" He asked Noah and the rest. 

"Yes!" They answered.

"Noah, someone has said your answer?" He asked Noah.

"I don't have an answer!" Noah said.

"You were trying to say something before! What is it?" The instructor asked again.

"Oh, that! I was going to say, I like your stance!" Noah answered.

"Hmm. You will all learn it. What do you understand by it!"

"A special stance that helps recover stamina in a short time! You are very tired after your Dance!"

"Correct!" He said and then looked at the rest before he explained, "Foundational Essence means a single ability or trait that is the actual seed which grows roots and stems for other capabilities to manifest. Now vote, among these 13 Trainees which one was right based on your understanding. These 6 however, are a bit far from the truth!" He said and moved aside.

He made it apparent that those on his right were closer to the truth or the truth. A few minutes later there was a vote but Noah and 9 others didn't vote.

The truth was even Noah can only speculate but can't arrive at a definite answer but he knew those that said walking on wind or speed are on the right.

The reason was, every known Knighthood speaks about its technique through its name. 

Shifting Steel, all one needs to know about their ability was in the name but it can be confusing. But once you know it made sense. And shifting steel Foundational Essence was moving or shifting normal physical capability from one part of the body to another part of the body.

That was to say, one can shift his strength from his leg to another leg to increase its power, or from one hand to another hand, to increase its power. But that wasn't the whole story, those at higher Ranks can shift more than strength, and things such as Vitality and Stamina can also be shifted.

Noah has seen one of the elders have his neck almost severed but in the next second the whole neck healed back but the cause of the overall weakness of the body. What the elder did was shift his body Vitality to his neck and accelerated the healing. But the drawback was apparent as he spent months bedridden, almost dying due to organ failure. However, that was better than directly dying.

Noah as a Rank 10 Master can only perform basic shifts. That was moving his strength between his hands and between his legs. At Rank 9 or 8 he will be able to shift from his Leg to his hands and vice versa.

"You all failed but those that tried to answer will still have a White Milk bath but for 10 minutes."

The kids shouted with achievement before they calmed down to hear what was going to say.

"Knighthood name spoke volumes on what they could do. But it was not always straightforward. Floating Feather is no different but let us go through and decipher it!" He said as he watched everyone.

"We all know what a feather is. It's a hair that is found on the body of a bird. It protects them from weather conditions, disease and injury and also helps some of them...fly" 

He watched everyone's attentive faces before he continued.

"And if you pick a single feather while there is a wind or slight air movement the feather will… float. The stronger the wind the more likely for it to glide on the air longer before it touched the ground.

Some kids began to nod before one of them shouted, "I said, Foundational Essence is Floating in the air!"

"But I'm not a feather!" The instructor retorted.

"But when you moved your sword you became a feather!" The kid said.

"Did I become a feather or like a feather?" He asked the rest of the kids.

"No. You are still human!" Nile answered.

The instructor and the kid become silent. And the instructor continued "By floating…"

"You don't need to be a feather to float. If there is enough wind you can float too. Right!"

"No. The wind that will make a grown human float is detrimental to society. So, the essence isn't Floating, the essence is..!"

"I know the essence." The kid shouted. If the instructor wasn't around most of the stronger kids will beat the hell out of the kid but now they have to shut off and endure his rukus till the end of the supposed class.

"The foundational essence is Weight Lifting. Feather is not heavy and has filaments that cause it to float but if you remove the filament it will glide slowly down and not be able to float. The weight is reduced and it floats because the filament made it spread its weight and and…!" The kid stopped and thought more but he was out of ideas.

Realising all eyes were on him, most of them angry, he blushed and closed his face.

"You idiot. Weight Lifting. Don't make me laugh!

"h

How could weight lifting increase one speed,"

"Weight lifting can't make someone fly or glide in the air!"

.

.

.

Those that were fed up with the kid chime in as they had forgotten that the instructor was around.

The instructor stared at them and he shook his head. He brought out a tag and threw it at the boy, "You earned a 12-hour  White Milk bath, class dismissed!" He then walked away.

All of them, including Noah, were speechless as they watched the instructor walk away. And then they looked at the boy and thought about what he really did say.

Weight Lifting?