The Martial Unity

It wasn't that Masters did not exert more pressure than Seniors. They most certainly did.

However, today, Rui was able to distinguish the origin of the aura.

What he meant by that was the fact that the fear that Martial Seniors were able to inspire from Martial Squires was something that came from the power of the Martial Body. Rui could sense that the origin of the fear that they inspired from lesser beings was the power of the Martial Body and the Martial Heart buried deep within it.

Of course, their Martial Paths, and Art too inspired a great amount of fear, but that was something that was true even for Martial Squires, what set them apart from Martial Squires was the latent sense of pressure that the presence of the Martial Heart exerted. That was what made the auras of Martial Seniors distinguished from Martial Squires.

However, Rui was unable to identify what it was that set apart Martial Masters from Martial Seniors.

They were scarier, sure.

Just standing before one made the hair on Rui's body stand up. Rui could truly sense that the bishop could erase his life with contemptuous ease if he wanted to.

But where did that power come from? Where was the deep sense of peril that not even Martial Seniors had coming from?

('It's… not his body,') Rui concluded.

Primordial Instinct, in addition to his ordinary senses, allowed him to gain a lot of insight into the man's Martial Body.

Was it stronger than any of the Martial Seniors he had ever come across? Most certainly.

However, was the difference in the power between his Martial Body and those of the Martial Seniors he had met massive?

Surprisingly, the answer was no.

('The Martial Heart is proportional to the power of the Martial Body, if his Martial Body isn't too much stronger, then his Martial Heart also cannot be much stronger than a Martial Senior.

Yet Rui knew from his instinct and senses that this man was vastly more formidable than any Martial Senior he had ever met.

Rui had reached the stage where he was no longer psychologically suppressed by Senior-level aura due to how strong he had become.

Yet when he laid eyes on the bishop, he felt as though someone had put a gigantic boulder on his head. There was no doubt that this man was the single most powerful Martial Artist Rui had met in a long, long time.

It was because of his strength that Rui couldn't help but be mystified by the source of the strength behind his aura.

Martial Apprentices had their Martial Paths, Martial Squires had their Martial Bodies, and Martial Seniors had their Martial Hearts.

What did Martial Masters have that put them so much above the Lower Realms?

Was there another well of power that was hidden even deep inside the heart and the rest of the physical body?

Instinctively, Rui knew this was not the case.

The human body did not have limitless power. Neither did Martial Bodies. The Martial Heart was the well of untapped power, and the true might of the Martial Body locked away inside. There was nothing left in the body after the Martial Heart was depleted.

So where else could the sheer power of the Master Realm come from?

Rui didn't know. Of course, this wasn't a surprise. How could he possibly figure out the nature of the Master Realm just by studying a Martial Master for a few seconds?

It was impossible, the best he could do was speculate.

He had a feeling that there was a profound difference between the fundamental natures of the Upper and Lower Realms.

He just didn't know what it was.

"You're quite the curious one, aren't you?" Bishop Master Deivon threw an amused smile at Rui. "Trying to peer into Realms far beyond reach, are we?"

Rui's eyes widened in shock.

He had made sure to display no outward sign of inspection, yet the Martial Master saw right through him and even called him out on it.

For half a second, Rui worried whether his thoughts were exposed. He immediately put on a Mind Mask of composure. He hoped that it would hide his surprise, and also perhaps make him more difficult to read.

"That's a nifty little trick you have there," The man smiled even more. "You're an interesting man, Squire Falken."

"Thank you… sir bishop," Rui warily responded. It appeared that he was easily able to observe the technique, which was quite impressive because the technique was executed inside Rui's mind.

He felt that he had underestimated Martial Masters, perhaps it was because Headmaster Aronian was always quite gentle.

"Hah," the man snorted. "You can address me with my Martial Artist honorific, young man. Now come, we have much to discuss."

Rui cautiously sat beside him on the couch. "What is it that you wish to discuss with me, Master Deivon? Is this really just about the techniques?"

Frankly, it was a little absurd for the effective mayor of the town to personally look into the techniques sold by a Martial Squire. While Rui certainly was selling some impressive techniques that the Virodhabhasa Church would certainly love to get their hands on, it was not something that warranted the personal attention and intervention of a Martial Master like Master Deivon.

Yet the fact of the matter was that a Martial Master had not only sought to intervene in the matter but also personally sought out Rui himself.

Rui had instantly realized that this was more than just about the techniques. There was no way that a Martial Master would lower himself to personally handle a case about techniques that were two Realms below him.

"Sharp," The man smiled appreciatively. "You're actually right, your techniques have been approved as legitimate Squire-level techniques, since I have just confirmed that you are indeed a Martial Squire and not a Martial Senior. That means those impressive techniques of yours are accepted by the Virodhabhasa Faith."