With his eyes closed, Merin visualises his body and the changes in his body while he completes the training of the Iron Body Samurai technique. The technique is also a low-level technique like his Bear Body Samurai technique. But there is a difference between the two.
Bear Body trains upper body strength as the priority, whereas Iron Body trains the body's ability to take hits. Merin has been trying to combine the two techniques for the past nine days, with the Bear Body technique taking the lead. He will use the Iron Body technique as a nutrient for the advancement of the Bear Body technique.
He wants to see if incorporating the advantage of the Iron Body into the Bear Body technique would increase his realm. Then, he would need to find an intermediate body technique by incorporating low-level techniques in the Bear Body technique he would turn the Bear Body technique into an intermediate body technique.
To succeed, first, he would have to master the Iron Body technique. So, now he is trying to master it by training in his mind. He cannot train the Iron Body technique because he has already fully mastered the Bear Body technique. To practise the iron body technique, he first has to disperse the inner energy form using the bear body technique.
Now, inside the forest, it would be dangerous for him to disperse his inner energy. And even if he was not inside the forest but back home, he would not do it. It took him eight years to completely master the Bear Body technique and advance to the Middle-Ranking Samurai realm. After dispersing his inner energy, if he starts to practise again, then first, before practising the Iron Body technique, he will have to heal his injury.
That he will receive after he disperses his energy from the source, so that his body doesn't form the Bear Body's inner energy again, automatically. It would take at least two months to heal his injury, then he would be able to practise the Iron Body technique. And to recover his realm, at least it would take another year or so.
Then he would have to decide whether he would take the Bear Body or the Iron Body technique as the lead. Then combine them all, of this would take two years of his time. And combining the two lower techniques would make a middle-level technique. He would have to add more low-level techniques and do all of this to create a middle-level technique, a decade may not be enough.
In that time, he may get multiple middle-level techniques, and so doing all of this would be a waste of time. So, he is trying to practise the Iron Body technique to mastery in his mind. If he succeeds, he wouldn't waste time healing himself every time after he disperses his energy.
And he doesn't fully master the Iron Body technique before he starts it's incorporating it into the Bear Body technique. He can divide it into several parts. He would master a part and then incorporate the part into the Bear Body technique. He would then find out that practising the new Bear Body technique, his realm would increase.
If it does, he can continue to incorporate the rest of the parts. If not, he will cut his losses and search for an existing Middle-Level Samurai technique.
Merin continues his training, now on the verge of mastering a portion of the Iron Body technique. He's divided it into four parts—the first being basic body movement, similar to the starting phase of the Bear Body technique.
Though the body movements in both techniques start alike, the moment inner energy comes into play, the paths diverge. Each technique requires the opening of different energy veins to circulate that energy, leading them down separate roads.
From the second phase onward, the gap between the two techniques becomes clearer. In the Bear Body technique, the second phase focuses on strengthening the upper body, especially the arms, while the third phase covers the waist down to the feet.
Though the Bear Body technique prioritises upper-body strength, the fourth phase transitions to whole-body conditioning and deepens energy concentration. Throughout, more energy veins are gradually opened, enhancing overall strength and energy flow.
In contrast, the Iron Body technique sharpens defensive capability—its second phase hardens the skin, the third tempers the muscles, and the fourth refines the entire physique. Although he can guide the Bear Body's energy to refine similar regions, the quality of energy differs.
The Bear Body technique produces explosive force, while the Iron Body focuses on resilience and endurance. To truly merge the two, Merin must form the Iron Body's inner energy first, which is the stage where he is stuck.
He says in mind, sighing," All the training in the mind that can be done has been done. Now, to advance further, I have to form Iron's Body inner energy or make the defensive qualities of the Iron body appear in his Bear Body's inner energy."
He opens his eyes before he starts the next step and finds that Asuna has not returned. At noon, they came across a hidden valley where a tiger lived. They took care of the tiger and chose the valley as their resting place for the night. The tiger was powerful, even though it didn't advance to a Yao Beast completely. It was halfway there, and with great difficulty, they killed the Tiger.
And all of this is because inside the valley, hidden in the line of trees, is a cold spring pond. And the water was completely transparent, for the cold spring pond, the tiger was killed. The reason they are close to Mugenkai and by tomorrow noon, they can enter the fortress city.
So, Asuna wants to take a bath to completely clean herself as the baths taken on the way here in a stream, ponds and a river didn't clean her. Now, around an hour has passed, and she still hasn't returned. Merin is aware that a woman takes time taking a bath or doing other things. But she should be aware that they are inside a forest.
Merin emerges from the cave, his eyes scanning the woods for any sign of beasts. Beyond the occasional bird, the valley seems empty. He ponders how other animals survive with a tiger already in residence. Tomorrow, after they depart, perhaps new beasts will inhabit the valley, or another tiger will claim it as its home.
He saunters toward the cold spring, hands tucked behind his back, the morning chill raising goosebumps on his skin. He stops abruptly at the tree line, a break in the foliage offering a clear view of the clearing.
There, in the shallow mist drifting off the water, sits Asuna, her back to him. The water laps gently around her, and she is so still she almost blends into the serene landscape.
"How much longer are you going to be?" Merin calls, his voice betraying no impatience.
Without turning, Asuna answers, "Why does it concern you how long I take?"
Merin leans casually against a tree, his gaze fixed on the clearing. "Now that we're near Mugenkai, are you planning to discard me?"
Asuna still doesn't face him. "Didn't you want to leave me in the first place?"
She's right, and the bluntness stings. "So, when you needed me, I had to stay. But now that you don't, I'm free to go?"
"You understand quickly," she says flatly.
Merin exhales, running a hand through his hair. "Get out. I need to wash too."
"Then leave first," she retorts, her tone dry. "How else am I supposed to get out?"
"I'll turn around," Merin mutters. "Just hurry."
He shifts his weight, turning his back to the spring and staring into the shadowed forest. The gentle sound of water rippling behind him indicates her quiet movements.
Behind him, Merin hears the soft splash as Asuna stands. Her footsteps pad against the wet stone at the spring's edge, followed by the faint rustle of cloth being drawn over damp skin.
"I'm done," she says after a moment, her voice calm but distant.
Merin waits a few more heartbeats before turning. Asuna is already tying her outer robe, her long hair damp and clinging to her shoulders. She doesn't meet his eyes as she walks past him, disappearing into the forest without another word.
Merin strips quickly, steam rising from his skin as the cold morning air hits it. He steps into the spring, and the chill strikes instantly. A sharp hiss escapes him as the icy water creeps up his legs.
He lowers himself slowly, the cold initially shocking his body, but he perseveres. When the water reaches his shoulders, the tension begins to fade. The stiffness in his arms and legs, weary from travel and battle, loosens with each breath.
He leans his head back against the cool stone edge, eyes closed. The spring's icy touch spreads through him like a silent balm, dissolving the stiffness from muscle and marrow. Each breath deepens, the accumulated exhaustion of recent days melting into the profound stillness of the moment.
But the tranquillity is fleeting. Merin's thoughts drift to Asuna's recent coldness, her distance. He acknowledges his role. He hadn't wanted to kill the tiger or stay in that clearing. Their argument had led Asuna to face the beast alone.
When he followed, she was already fighting, and he couldn't allow her to get hurt. He intervened, helping to bring the creature down, if only to pre-empt further complications so near Mugenkai.
Merin shakes his head, forcing the memory away. This is not the moment for reflection. Instead, he focuses on the Iron Body technique. There can be no hesitation. To merge it with the Bear Body, I must begin.
He exhales and commences. Slowly, he opens the energy veins crucial for the Iron Body's foundational circulation. His eyes lift to the vast night sky, stars observing in silent majesty. All or nothing.
He draws in the Bear Body's inner energy, then compels it into the Iron Body's circulatory path. One cycle smooth. Ten—still steady. The energy remains stubbornly unchanged, retaining the Bear Body's explosive essence. But Merin persists. He pushes past fifty cycles… past a hundred… losing count as the repetitions blend into a continuous flow.
Then, a subtle but distinct shift occurs. He feels it—his inner energy beginning to transform. It tightens, condenses. This sensation thrills him, but just as swiftly, stability erodes. The circulation breaks.
Suddenly, his inner energy erupts, raging through his veins. Merin's eyes snap wide open. A silent scream clogs his throat as blood surges and pours from his mouth. His body convulses once, then slumps into the spring, consciousness fleeing, his face barely above the water, his breathing a mere whisper.
Asuna sits cross-legged, circulating her inner energy every cycle. Her inner energy is condensed further in every cycle, but the consumption of the inner energy is much greater. She can feel the sharp feeling forming inside her inner energy as the defensive feeling wears away.
She practised the inherent method of her sect. The name of the technique is called Iron Sword technique. The lower technique- Iron Body Technique. Iron Body Technique is not the inherent method of her sect, and many people practised the technique, but her sect is only one of the three sects in the entire Seven Kingdoms with the advanced method.
Others, without the advanced method, practice the Iron Body Technique. After they advance to Middle-Ranking Samurai, they would find another Middle-Ranking Technique and then disperse their inner energy and practice from the start.
But she didn't need to do that with the advanced version; she without disperses her inner energy practice the advanced version. Her sect even has the advantage version of the Iron Sword technique that can be practised to advance to the Great Samurai Realm- 100 Sword Qi technique.
Thinking of her techniques, she recalls Kanoru. Along the way for the past nine days, she has seen him with the Iron Body technique in his hand. For the first two or three days, he would read the technique, then meditate for hours.
She had thought he was changing to the Iron Body technique and even told him that if he wanted to join her sect, she would recommend him. With her recommendation and his talent, he would 100% join her sect. But the bastard only rolled his eyes at her and didn't even give her an answer. How difficult is it to answer with a yes or no?
She opened her eyes and glanced at a distance above the tiger skin, the tiger's meat was clean and cut into pieces and was laid out. Why is he not coming back? Who will cook the meat? She can cook, but he does it tastier. She wants to eat the meat, her inner energy is more than halfway consumed, and she needs food to replenish her inner energy back.
But he is still not returning. She stands up and grumbles under her breath." He complains about me when I spend only an hour, but now more than a couple of hours have passed. He is still not returning."
Before she walks to find him, she glances at the tiger meat and goes back inside the cave and comes out with two deer skins and lays them to cover the meat. And then she angrily stomped toward the cold spring.
Reaching the cold spring, she screams," Kanoru," and runs inside the cold spring, not caring about her clothes, and Kanoru is completely naked. She found him floating in the cold spring, with blood streaks around her mouth and water under the moonlight.
She carries him out of the water and lays him on the cold ground. She looks at him carefully. " No outside injuries and no sign of poison. And he is a healer, if he were poisoned, he would himself first." Then the only outcome would be inner energy. She didn't check for inner energy first, as he was taking a bath, because why would he suffer an internal injury?
She puts her palm over his naked chest, and her inner energy enters his body. And in a moment, she found the reason. He was trying another technique before he dispersed the energy from the previous technique.
And his good luck, she mastered the Iron Body technique. She, with her inner energy, suppresses his Iron Body inner energy, and the other inner energy in his body wears the Iron Body inner energy, and the circulation of his inner energy changes. She doesn't know what exercise he practised previously, but the circulation is not from the Iron Body Technique.
Asuna collapses to the ground, her gaze fixed on the moon above. She draws in deep breaths, the effort of what just transpired settling over her. Though seemingly simple, the careful control was immense; one wrong move could have worsened his injuries. Moreover, maintaining her inner energy drained her willpower significantly.
She sits back up after a few minutes, observing him closely. Now, she notices his predicament. While she was aware of it earlier, her focus had been entirely on saving him. His condition is stable, and he could wake at any moment, so the reality of his state hits her.
Her eyes are drawn to his lower body. She has seen such a sight before, but only on her young brother or other small children; his is in no way comparable. With an effort, she forces her gaze away and retrieves his clothes, covering him.
She realises her own clothes are also wet. She looks down at the worn garments she's been wearing for ten continuous days in the forest, torn in many places despite her frequent washing. She knows she'll have to discard them once they enter Mugenkai.