After demonstrating his first form to Ryōkōjū in a sparring match, the old man demonstrated the vast difference in power between them, despite Tuziku having awakened the first form.
After losing to Ryōkōjū from a single blow, Tuziku realized he still had quite a ways to go before he was ready to use the Hakashi Technique in actual combat.
And so, Tuziku continued to hone his first form in solitude.
...
The next morning...
At Tuziku and Ryōkōjū's usual training spot...
"Boy..."
"Today, we're going to be doing things a bit differently," said Ryōkōjū.
"Different how?" Tuziku asked.
"Well, for starters, I'm going to split your training into two parts."
Ryōkōjū stroked his long, grey beard.
"With the little time that I have with you in the mornings, we'll focus on unlocking your next form—Reō..."
"After I leave, you'll continue improving your first form—Tras, on your own."
"This all seems like a bit too much, old man," Tuziku complained.
The old man wore a troubled expression.
"Indeed, I'm being a bit hasty with this approach, but..."
"You need to learn the Hakashi Technique as quickly as possible!"
"Old man... what's going on?" Tuziku asked.
Ryōkōjū clenched his fist.
"Well... it appears Nēgus has begun to carry out his threat."
Tuziku's eyelids widened.
"Old man, you don't mean..."
Ryōkōjū nodded.
"Nēgus has begun spreading rumors about me teaching an outsider our sacred technique."
He wore a sad expression.
Tuziku clenched his fists.
"When I find him—"
"That's exactly why..." Ryōkōjū interrupted.
"You need to learn this Technique as fast as possible, before the villagers begin to revolt against me and come looking for you," he explained.
Tuziku lowered his head and remained silent.
"But before we get into that..." The old man raised a finger.
"There are a few things I need to explain to you first."
Ryōkōjū placed his hands behind his back.
Tuziku gazed at him in silence.
"Let's start with the most important thing."
"The nature of the three forms!"
"Starting with the first form—Tras."
...
"If you're observant, you may have noticed that despite the wind enhancing your body when using this form, it doesn't exactly give you much power..."
"It mainly focuses on increasing the user's speed and agility. That's because the first form is meant mainly for defensive purposes," he explained.
"And although you can use it to attack, against a powerful enemy, you'd surely lose if you were to fight using only this form," he added.
"I have a question..." said Tuziku.
"Hmm, what is it, boy?"
"You said that the first form doesn't increase the user's strength."
"That's right," Ryōkōjū responded, stroking his long, grey beard.
"Then, in our sparring match yesterday... how was that last attack of yours so powerful when you were only using the first form?" Tuziku asked.
The old man chuckled.
"That's a good question..."
"I used Hei," he replied flatly.
Tuziku gazed at him in silence.
"Hei?!"
"You can do that with Hei?" He asked, wearing a surprised expression.
Ryōkōjū nodded.
"Hei... the natural energy within all living creatures..."
"Just like with Innate Techniques, you can also manifest your Hei and use it to enhance your body as well."
"Only, when enhancing your body with Hei, it focuses more on increasing strength, while Hakashi's first form focuses on enhancing speed," he explained.
"So that's what you're doing..." said Tuziku.
The old man nodded.
"Without using Hei to enhance the power behind my attacks, they would only be fast and ineffective against strong opponents..." said Ryōkōjū.
"The other two forms are mainly used for attack purposes..."
"That is why Hakashi users use two of the three forms, in order to balance out their fighting style!"
"I see..." said Tuziku.
"Which brings me to my final explanation..." Ryōkōjū raised a finger.
"You're most compatible with the third form—Reō..."
Tuziku's expression lit up.
"Aside from you, there isn't a single person alive who can use this form, so I'm not sure how to teach it to you..."
"But I did a bit of research and found out that, in order to use the third form to a certain extent..."
"The user needs to have a body capable of both controlling and enduring the powerful winds this form is capable of summoning."
"And you've already managed to use the third form, even if it wasn't intentional..."
"I have?" Tuziku tilted his head in confusion.
"When you first used that attack a while back to blow away the leaves and knock down that tree in the process."
Suddenly, Tuziku thought back to the tree test.
Oh yeah...
Back then, I focused on compressing the wind, and I was able to launch a powerful spiral wind attack!
Ryōkōjū continued.
"So, with all that in mind, I decided I'd have you focus on building your muscles by doing daily exercises along with your first-form training..."
"I see... that does make sense..." said Tuziku as he scratched his chin.
"Since I know basically nothing about the third form... unfortunately, I can't help you develop any new attacks..." Ryōkōjū explained.
"However, I can help you learn to use the third form and develop the attack that you can already use."
Tuziku scratched his chin.
That attack...
I was just concentrating on compressing the wind before I released my attack...
As a result, it ended up taking on a powerful, spiral-like form when I released it.
"Boy... we don't have much time."
The old man gazed up at the sky.
"Apparently, Nēgus wasn't bluffing when he said he'd expose me..."
"Rumors have begun spreading, and I can tell that the villagers are already suspicious of me..."
"It's only a matter of time until they revolt against me and decide to come after you!"
He clenched his fist.
"No way..." Tuziku gritted his teeth.
Ryōkōjū gazed at Tuziku.
"Boy... before that happens... I plan on making you strong enough to continue your journey as an Underdog!"
"I hope you're prepared!"
Tuziku glared at him with a determined expression.
"Let's do this!"
He clenched his fists.
And so, a new phase had begun in Tuziku's training.
He was now in a desperate race against time to learn the Hakashi Technique.
CHAPTER 55 END