Alex had once tried sneaking a peek at the Wyndhams' qi-technique vault.
That little curiosity was what dragged him into that messy fight with Eddie.
To an outsider, it might look like greed—like Alex was hoarding techniques even though he already belonged to a clan known for producing freakishly strong warriors and mages.
The Dragon Roar clan had more techniques than he could ever finish in one lifetime. They had manuals collected from countless fighters, lost sects, rival clans… the whole buffet.
And on top of that, there was the Pendragon Book of Knowledge—every skill, every refinement, every trick passed down by the Pendragon bloodline, stored neatly like it all belonged to him.
All of it was technically within reach.
But reach didn't mean touch.
There were walls everywhere.
Some techniques demanded a specific stage—no shortcuts, no cheating.
Some clashed with each other, like medicines with warnings written in fine print. One manual would tell you to "flood your qi channels fully," while another warned, "never overfill your channels." Learn one, lose the other. Pick wrong, cripple your progress.
It was like being told to drink water before taking a pill… while another healer insisted you must never drink water if you wanted the second pill to work.
Confusing. Annoying. A trap waiting for the impatient.
Alex was a stage three warrior.
That stage should've opened the door to all sorts of new techniques—better footwork, sharper combat arts, stronger reinforcement skills. He could've piled new tricks on top of the Pendragon arts he already had brewing inside him.
But the truth was simpler and more bitter:
He hadn't gotten the chance.
Not since everything started.
Alex had broken rules before when it came to learning techniques. He'd learned things he had no business touching at his stage. The Astral Body skill.Eddie's Buster technique. A few others he'd squeezed into his muscle memory through stubbornness alone.
But for a while now, he hadn't added anything new.
The Buster skill was the last real thing he'd picked up—and even that had been messy.
Now he finally had a chance again.
Gavalich had invited him to choose a technique from the Wyndhams' own skill collection.
Alex followed him through the mansion. The place was in chaos—workers everywhere, walls half-torn, new structures rising like mushrooms. The nearby forest had been chopped back to make room for expansion. The mountain terrain was being reshaped with cranes, platforms, and scaffolds.
It felt like the clan was molting, shedding its old skin.
Alex stayed close to Gavalich as they passed through doors he never even noticed during his earlier sneaking attempts. Back then, he only searched obvious rooms. He never imagined whole sections existed behind hidden hallways and silent doors.
'Makes sense,' Alex thought.
'Their techniques are basically the clan's backbone. They'd hide it deep.'
Eventually, they stepped into a wide, echoing hall.
The space was mostly empty. The floor was smooth stone, cold to the feet. Several thick pillars stood in symmetrical rows, stretching straight up to the high ceiling like ancient guardians.
At the far end of the hall, Alex saw it—a wall covered with black sheets, each one painted with bold white lettering.
He walked closer.
They weren't decorations. They were names. Technique names. Dozens of them.
Alex stopped in front of them, eyes moving line to line, each name sitting there like a promise—or a warning.
There were four long sheets hanging on the wall, each one covered from top to bottom with handwritten names.
At the top of every sheet was a bold header: the stage required to even touch the techniques listed beneath it.
Stage One.
Stage Two.
Stage Three.
Stage Four.
Alex scanned them quietly, his eyes naturally drawn to the highest. Stage Four techniques had an entire section to themselves, as if they lived on a different mountain.
"Techniques are what help someone control their qi properly," Gavalich said beside him. His voice echoed softly in the empty hall.
He wasn't lecturing in a strict tone—not yet. More like he was giving Alex a tour of something serious.
"There are all kinds of qi techniques out in the world. Some are built for combat. Some are just… useful. Everyday tools." Gavalich shrugged. "I've even seen a technique meant only for baking bread. And another that helps you grind herbs faster."
The way he said it sounded like he expected Alex to laugh.
Alex didn't even blink. His attention stayed glued to the lists.
That made Gavalich clear his throat and get serious.
"Qi techniques break into layers," he said. "Some can't be learned until a person reaches a certain stage. Others you can learn early, but you won't be able to use them in any meaningful way."
Alex shifted his posture slightly. He knew that type well—skills that teased you with power you couldn't activate.
"Those ones usually have sub-techniques inside them," Gavalich continued. "Skills that evolve with you. When you break through into another stage, the technique opens up again and gives you something new."
Alex nodded, eyes moving slowly across the names like he was reading a menu in a foreign language while trying to pretend he understood everything.
"Most of what you see here works like that," Gavalich said. "Some start at Stage One, others at Stage Two. But they're growth-type techniques."
Then he pointed to the smallest group at the bottom.
"At the same time, not every technique is layered. Some end where they begin. Simple skills. One stage. No sub-techniques." He paused. "Those have their use too."
Alex didn't respond. He just kept reading.
"I'll explain each technique one by one," Gavalich said, stepping closer to the wall.
Since everyone believed Alex was just a Stage One warrior, he was only allowed to choose from the Stage One list.
Anything else would raise questions he couldn't answer.
Alex scanned the sheet again.
A lot of the techniques were names he already knew.
'Qi Hardening… seriously?' Alex thought.
He had to stop himself from snorting out loud. Qi Hardening wasn't a technique in the Dragon Roar clan. It was basic homework. Something you learned automatically the moment you figured out how to move qi through your body.
Hardening your skin with qi… strengthening your bones a little… all of it depended on your qi control, not some special training scroll.
Back in the Dragon Roar base, it was literally Day One stuff.
As Alex kept reading down the list, he felt a small headache coming on.
Most of these "techniques" were things kids in the Pendragon archives would use as warm-ups.
Still—he had to pick something.
And he had to pick something normal.
Then one name caught his eye.
Without hesitating, Alex pointed at the paper.
"I choose this one."
Gavalich blinked. He had just opened his mouth to start his detailed explanation, only for Alex to cut straight across him.
"You didn't even let me explain them," Gavalich said, eyebrows rising.
He turned to the skill Alex was pointing at… and his expression tightened.
A small frown pulled across his brow, slow and deliberate, like he wasn't sure if Alex understood what he was choosing at all.
'Is he really choosing the same technique that kid used on him earlier?'
That thought flicked across Gavalich's mind, sharp and quick.
He cleared his throat.
"That technique is unique, Alex. You might not be compatible with it."
Alex shifted his eyes from the paper to Gavalich.
"Why?"
"The reason is simple," Gavalich said. "That technique was created for people with a… special kind of qi condition. It's not something everyone can handle."
Alex didn't even blink.
"I still want to try it. The name sounds good."
Gavalich's jaw tightened like he wanted to argue but couldn't find the right angle.
Alex kept his finger on the name.
Rocket Move.
He knew it well.
Too well.
It wasn't a stranger to him—just a sub-technique buried inside Eddie's Buster Skill manual. Alex had practiced it, tested it, pushed it until he could use it smoother than most people who were "supposed" to learn it.
He wasn't just familiar with Rocket Move.
He had already mastered it above average.