And so, the sand kept falling from the hourglass. Jin and Min-Su kept fighting every single day while Hae-Hyk personnaly taught Sophia.

A year and two months later, they were still being beaten black and blue by all opponents. They really had no ways to fight back against the elements... But they had changed a lot throughout this time. They now had a large fan of techniques and could stand their ground for much longer. They were no longer simple sandbags. Especially Min-Su. He had become very strong at dodging and kiting. It wasn't enough but it was progress.

Hae-Hyuk himself was satisfied by their growth.

Jin was not. He had spent all his free time trying to grasp the three states without the slightest hint of success. He could feel it there but was unable to reach. It was incredibly frustrating. From time to time, he sent violent waves of energy at the dummies in the training grounds out of anger. It was driving him mad.

For once, he decided to go outside instead of training. He really needed the break. He went down from the island through an array and walked silently around the fields. He looked at the nature, wondering about its mysteries. He ended up reaching a small river and sat down there watching the current. It was slow but flowed continuously regardless.

He compared it to himself. And to martial arts. 'Slow and steady like flowing water' was a saying for a reason. Still, even if he knew he was being impatient, he couldn't help it. It wasn't because he wanted to learn it quickly, though he did, but this wasn't the driving force behind his impatience. It was because he could feel himself being so close!

He sighed.

He stayed there thinking for hours. After some time, he got a little thirsty. There was a river right here fortunately and right now, he didn't want to move anywhere. He could have scooped up some water in his hands or bent down to drink but instead he used spiritual energy to grasp some water and bring it to his mouth. And as he drank, he had an epiphany.

"How the fuck am I able to grab the water right now?!"

And he lost control of the energy, drenching himself. But he couldn't care less. He had found out something worth far more than a dry outfit. He laughed out loud as he grabbed another portion of water with his spiritual energy.

How could he have forgotten this? Spiritual energy could interact with things. And he could have it do so unconsciously. Why did he need to control it? He only needed to keep it in a continuous state of materialization instinctively. Like right now.

From the start, spiritual energy could interact with the world. Not having reached the tenth stage, he was unable to create the elements but he could still interact with them. How did he not realize it after so long? This was truly enlightenment. It was so random... He laughed at himself.

If he could constantly keep his spiritual energy in a manifested state, he would sooner or later be able to understand the three states. And more than that, as he manipulated the water grasped in his spiritual energy, he could feel it. A way to use elements without having to create them.

He did not waste any more time and rushed back. He had to meet his Master and chat with him.

He found him sitting in their guest mansion garden, watching the horizon. What was he always thinking about? It was a mystery. And not one he needed to uncover. He hurried over and said: "Master, I need your help"

Hae-Hyuk smiled. Judging from the state of his disciple, he finally had a breakthrough somewhere. He invited him to sit next to him and let him speak: "I recall you said one could turn fire and such into liquids after reaching the 20th stage, right?"

Hae-Hyuk nodded and Jin continued: "Then, are there ways to bottle up such liquid fire for future uses?"

Hae-Hyuk's smile broadened as he nodded once more. And Jin continued: "Would it be possible to get a lot of those?"

Hae-Hyuk nodded once more forcing a giant smile to appear on Jin's face. He finally found a way! He asked: "How do I get some?"

Hae-Hyuk pondered for a moment and then, he said: "Didn't you guys earn money from all those battles? We can use that"

Jin was puzzled. He was aware of the ten gold coins required for registration but never heard of those being for them. Hae-Hyuk chuckled as he told them: "Two golds for the Ryu clan and four for each of you. That was the deal. Now then, I can use those funds to get you liquid elements in bottles if you want but are you certain? That sum could be used for other things"

Jin nodded and answered: "I am sure"

Hae-Hyuk nodded. He told him he would deal with that and procure a few bottles starting tomorrow. Jin left happily and filled with energy. He went straight to the training ground once more. This time, instead of playing around with the spiritual energy as usual, he brought it down to scoop some sand into it and only then did he begin to train. Forced into an instinctive materialized state, the spiritual energy containing sand moved around according to Jin's wishes.

After Jin left, Hae-Hyuk laughed for a time. He only stopped after a few minutes. He expected Jin to break the taboo by finding a way to control when the spiritual energy would manifest in the world. He didn't expect him to find a way to break two taboos at once. Well, it couldn't quite be considered breaking the taboos and more about going around them. But it was still great.

It was definitely not a brand-new idea that he got. It was something that many before managed to uncover and many were aware of it in the world of today. But one would never tell the younger ones about it. Because it would change their ways of viewing things and they would lose a chance to be enlightened themselves.

An answer you were given and one you reached had very different meanings and impacts. Especially as you kept moving forward.

If they hadn't managed to make this kind of breakthrough before the end of this year, he would have had to give them the answers himself though. He couldn't have them go there and fail after investing so much after all... It could have destroyed their future achievements but he would have accepted to bear that sin.

But now he didn't need to!