Mais didn't hesitate. He planted his foot firmly in the ground. Earth Tao, Fire Tao, Wind Tao... He had at least a basic understanding of many of them. Most of the techniques he knew in the Sage Realm were based on these Taos. After learning these Taos, his progress in these techniques had accelerated greatly.
As Mais approached the old man quickly, the man's fist burst into flames. He swung his arm. Mais could feel it. Thenns' technical knowledge of the Sage Realm was more limited than Mais'. However, his mastery of the Tao of Wind and Fire was enough to close the power gap.
Mais could feel the heat. At that moment, he tried to slide out of the path of the fist in the same way. Nevertheless, Thenns bent his legs and squeezed hard with his other hand, as if he were gripping something slippery in his palm. Mais could feel the wind pressing down on him powerfully. It was coming from Thenns. He couldn't get out of the way in time.
THUD!!!!
A painful punch to the stomach. He couldn't escape it. The flame burned his skin slightly and tore his clothes. His face contorted in pain.
He hadn't spent enough time in the Sage Realm to learn the advanced techniques. By the time he was ready to learn them, he had started learning the Origin Heart techniques directly. After all, although he was blind, he was the heir to the Gama clan, which had top-level training abilities and could obtain any resources he desired. When he was blind, some fools thought that if he became clan leader, they could use him to rule the clan. Thenns was also a fool. In the end, however, Thenns was chased by an Ascendant and held captive long enough to realise this.
For Mais, however, the Sage techniques were already the pinnacle of what he could learn, and even that was an incredible feat compared to his previous level of cultivation. He had never thought he could become strong enough to use them.
For an Ascendant, reaching the stage of stepping within the Tao was not common. Mais could only conclude that he was unlucky. Encountering this man in the Sage Realm would be considered unlucky, and Mais was only in the Core Realm.
Still, Mais was no ordinary Core Expert. He could feel the burn in his stomach, and alongside it, he could feel his spirit awakening. His body was heating up. Along with the pain, he felt his own existence. Deep down, he sensed the presence of something sleeping. The fight spurred him on.
At the same time, Mais extended his staff towards the Thenns. But this time, the movement was not just an extension.
Cold vapour emanated from the tip of the staff, and even though the Thenns noticed this and opened their mouths, Mais did not show the slightest hesitation.
'Flowing Frozen Body!'
Bo rose rapidly, and at the same moment Thenns spat fire from his mouth. However, Mais's cold technique partially entered the flames coming towards him and pierced Thenns just below the neck. There was no hesitation and no mercy.
The flames lasted only a very short time. Afterwards, the old man's weary face appeared. He wasn't dead. Despite the staff having pierced his bones and blood flowing like a waterfall, he was still alive. He was Ascended. Although he currently looked like just a Core expert, he was Ascended.
However, that didn't mean he could continue fighting. For the Thenns, the fight was over. Mais had won.
The old man laughed bitterly. After everything that had happened, he just wanted it all to be over. His fighting spirit was not returning strongly.
"Be proud! You fought an Ascended Sage on equal terms. You defeated me."
Mais remained silent in response, but he could feel his emotions intensifying. He clenched his fists. He lightly bit his lip and tried to control himself, but struggled not to show his excitement. Only the bruises and wounds on his face obscured his appearance slightly. But his thoughts remained unharmed. 'Equal conditions,' he thought. They were both blind. If they could see, wouldn't that prove that he could fight at this level?
He pulled the staff out from between his collarbones. Thenns made no effort to fight back and fell to his knees. He reached for his neck and felt warm blood in his hand. It was flowing. It was warm. Thenns felt relieved.
Meanwhile, Mais began searching the hut, using his staff as a cane again. For a moment, he was lost in the wheat field.
"You won today, but you must be careful. Not everyone will be at the same stage as you, and your progress won't continue at the same pace." Mais paused for a moment, reflecting on these words as he left. He had taken too many blows. That's why he needed time to think about things. He truly valued Thenn's words. Despite having been imprisoned here for years, this man was still an Ascendant.
The old man sat in the wheat field, covered in blood. Neither of them was in a position to see the other. Besides, neither of them could see with their eyes anyway.
Thenns knew that Mais hadn't left. He raised his head, covered in blood, and acted as if he were watching the sky. Then he scratched his head and shook it from side to side. This movement must have caused his wound to hurt, as an expression of pain reappeared on his face.
"I haven't spent much time in the Sage Realm. Most of the techniques I know are high-level. On top of that, my main weapon was destroyed while I was escaping from the False Dragon. But don't underestimate the old trainers just because you won today. There's a reason why old people are still alive in a profession where people die young."
Mais understood this. The old experts Thenns referred to were often people who couldn't progress further in their realm. Was it so surprising that there were people like Wuma who had more opportunities?
At that moment, Mais knew that he had to accept the inheritance and become part of it. However, he couldn't help thinking that he was leaving something more valuable behind: A blind Ascendant. The key to reaching the Step Forward stage blindly...
Mais turned around for a moment and listened. He waited to hear that man's voice.
Then also raised his head in surprise and listened to the wind. He could tell that Mais hadn't left yet.
"Why haven't you left yet? This inheritance has a time limit. If you don't act quickly, you might miss your chance," he said. But Mais was still too reluctant to leave.
"A Transcendent is a truly powerful figure. Even in my homeland. But despite all that, what it can offer me is not nearly as important as what it can offer you. No matter what, I am blind. Is a parchment containing a powerful technique really that important?"
Thenns just stood there. Blood spread across the ground, staining the surroundings. He raised his head and listened, not to the sound of the wind, but to Mais's voice. Suddenly, he chuckled softly.
"No one can teach you how to step into the Tao. You cannot see nature, understand people or grasp the Tao. How can you see someone's heart without looking into their eyes and seeing their feelings?" said Thenns. His last words were slightly hesitant, but he said them anyway. Even though he had finally met someone he could empathise with, he had never experienced anything like this before. So he wasn't sure how to behave. Moreover, this person had almost killed him.
Mais was listening to him. Thenns decided not to pause too much while he was speaking.
"At this point, the only option is to live. You must embrace life and experience it. Stepping always requires you to use nature. Hand movements and body flow with the Tao. How can we understand the movements of those who came before us if we don't read the parchments? Without seeing? The only option is to do it as it was done the first time. To rediscover the movements."
Mais frowned. Rediscovering the movements and following in the footsteps of the first humans was definitely not easy, and it was as difficult as had been said, if not more so. People in simple villages had entered the Beginning Realm on their own as they grew old, and geniuses like Kasuur had also managed to enter the Foundation Establishment Realm as the first humans had discovered it. Kasuur could probably reach the Origin Energy Realm alone, just as the first humans did. Without any guidance. But could he reach the Core Realm? Reaching the 'Stepping into Tao' stage required imitating and manipulating the Tao through movements in the flow of nature. Seeing these movements as the first humans did was much harder than reaching the Core Realm as they did.
"Teach me," Mais blurted out. He didn't even believe he had said it. But the words had already left his mouth.
"You will miss out on the reward of your inheritance," said Thenns. He struggled to get to his feet. There was an interesting smile on his face. He was surprised that Mais had actually done this.
"You are more valuable."
So Mais decided to stay with the old man. He wanted to understand the flow of Tao and move forward. This would help him reach the Stepping stage.
That way, he could progress even further.