The next day.
Noel and Anna stood on the field. They were demonstrating the result of their training.
"Good." Old Ru nodded, satisfied. "To think you would be able to do it within such a short period, even I'm impressed. Still, it's too far from the usable level. So, for the next training…"
Old Ru pointed at Noel. "Now that you have managed to control your Spiritual Energy all around your body, concentrating it in one spot should be possible, right?"
"Yes." Noel nodded.
"Then, try to gather the Spiritual Energy in your hand."
Noel raised his hand and enveloped it with a thin layer of Spiritual Energy.
"Raise the output."
Noel poured more and more, inflating the layer and making it look like a glove.
"That's the level. Your task today is to inflate the layer until that level. But while doing so, you are going to touch her." Old Ru stated while pointing at Anna.
"Touch her?" Noel looked at him with a disgusted face.
"I'm not talking about that." Old Ru shook his head. "Instead, I want both of you to extend your hands and feet so that you touch each other. Noel will be inflating the energy and Anna is going to match it. This will test your reaction speed and train your speed in controlling your Spiritual Energy. And because your control only allows you to maintain it for a few seconds, you have to match the energy until your control deteriorates.
"Once you've lost your control, the other party will be the one attacking this time. Understood?"
Noel and Anna looked at each other. They couldn't help but remember what would happen if they failed to match it. The burst of Spiritual Energy would definitely blow them away.
Anna thought this was a way to avenge the shame she suffered yesterday. She would definitely make Noel suffer here. Meanwhile, Noel also had his evil thoughts in this training.
Noel and Anna had evil smiles on their face as if indirectly telling each other that they should prepare for what was coming.
'Youth, huh?' Old Ru shook his head helplessly. 'Despite trying to best each other and making all sorts of competitions, these two have a pseudo boundary to the point where I don't know whether these two are a couple or not. No, why haven't they become a thing already? Either way, it's good that they come together since the training will be much easier that way. Their little competitiveness will definitely speed up the progress.'
Old Ru decided not to say anything about their relationship. They could be said to be best friends, but the boundary was so thin that one would definitely mistake their relationship.
Before leaving them alone, Old Ru reminded them. "One more thing. I think you already know this, but you can continue the practice anywhere you want, including your room. In fact, that's the reason why you're staying in one room. However, you have to remember one thing… You two better not destroy anything in my house."
"…" The smile on the two youths' faces disappeared as Old Ru's cold voice sent chills down their spines. "Yes, Sir."
"Good. You may start. I'll observe you for an hour or so. Then, you can do the rest."
Noel and Anna nodded. They faced each other before sitting down on the ground. They extended their hands and feet so that they touched each other.
Then, both of them started closing their eyes, trying to feel the Spiritual Energy.
Noel took a deep breath as he first wrapped his entire body with the layer of Spiritual Energy first. After that, he began to shift the amount of energy to his right foot, inflating the amount of energy.
Before, one hundred percent energy was used to wrap his body. But after the change, he poured only seventy percent of the total energy into his body while the remaining thirty percent was used to power up his right foot.
"!!!" Anna immediately sensed the change in Spiritual Energy. She had circulated her Spiritual Energy, so she hurriedly proceeded to shift the energy to match Noel's level of energy.
But by rushing it to avoid getting blown away, she poured a little too much, causing the balance of Spiritual Energy to change.
In that instant, Anna's energy began to overwhelm Noel's energy, releasing a small shock wave that knocked his foot back.
"Ah!" Noel gritted his teeth while opening his eyes. His body got stretched a bit because of the shock wave.
"Oops. That was unintentional." Anna made an awkward smile.
"No, that must be intentional." Noel glared at her.
"In that case, Anna is the one losing. Remember, you have to match the other party's energy completely." Old Ru smirked and took out an ink. "By the way, this is an ink and a brush. The ink can be washed away with simple water, so you don't have to worry. You can give one stroke to the loser. This should be perfect for your little competition, right?!"
"!!!" Anna gasped. "Wait. That one doesn't count!"
"Shut up! Just accept your fate." Noel didn't wait as he grabbed the brush. He held her hand so that she couldn't escape. Then, he made a straight line on her right eyebrow as though he wanted to draw glasses.
"Kh. Let's start again! It's my turn." Anna hurriedly concentrated, trying to pay him back. Anna poured some Spiritual Energy into her left hand this time.
Noel didn't want to lose, so he hurriedly matched it. But because of the competition, he got distracted a bit and ended up rushing, causing the balance to shift.
Anna got pushed back, but a smile appeared on her face. "This time, it's your turn."
She didn't hesitate to grab the brush and make a line on his cheek. "I'm going to make you a cat today!"
"Just try it!" Noel glared at her. He was starting again.
The training might look distracting, but the desire to not want to get the punishment would make them strive to improve. And their little competition was what made this type of training even more effective.
Old Ru was just smiling on the side, watching their interaction before eventually leaving those two alone.
