The Martial Unity

Of course, while he was motivated and determined to accomplish what Rui was demonstrating, he did not realize it was futile. Martial Squire's brains possessed a far greater degree of the same cognitive and mental enhancements that Martial Apprentices possessed.

The reason Martial Apprentices were so strong with Apprentice-level techniques was that Martial Apprentices were able to fight with a high degree of efficiency, they were able to use all of the energy generated by the cells of the human body extremely efficiently unlike normal humans, allowing them to exhibit an extraordinary amount of output, much of which would otherwise go to waste.

This was even more true for Martial Squires, who was able to exhibit a degree of efficiency that far exceeded even that of Martial Apprentices. That was one of the reasons Rui was able to school the Martial Apprentices even though he didn't use the formidable power of the body of a Martial Squire. He used his power with a degree of efficiency and effectivity that was physically impossible for a Martial Apprentice.

('Still, he doesn't know that.') Rui mused. ('As long as he doesn't know that and believes it is possible, then the motivation and determination to obtain that power will drive him further down his Martial Path.')

Rui had no intention of correcting his ill-conceived notions, not as long as they were beneficial to him. He simply proceeded to beat up not just team Gerard, but also team Mina and team Cern for nearly half a day. At the end of a long and extensive sparring session, all the Martial Apprentices collapsed to the ground exhausted while Rui hummed to himself admiring the pleasant weather and climate that was less common in the cold Kandrian Empire.

"How are you completely fine after fighting for that long? Is it some special Squire-level stamina-oriented technique?" Gerard asked, panting.

"Martial Squires have inherently superior stamina." Rui sighed, wishing he could take his mask off and enjoy the cool breeze. "No need for a technique."

"That's not possible! How can Martial Squires have superior stamina even when they aren't employing any Squire-level techniques?" The man asked, surprised. "Are Martial Squires even humans?"

Rui didn't respond to that, that came too close to the truth that he couldn't really reveal and get away with. But it was an interesting question. He tried not to think too much about it, but technically, he wasn't a human anymore. At the very least, he wouldn't be classified as a homo sapien according to the biological nomenclature that existed on Earth.

He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about that. But regardless, he didn't have any strong feelings about it. He looked human, he was able to function in society as a normal human, he was human at heart and he was still able to pursue his Martial Art and Martial Path.

It was a technicality that didn't truly change anything. It didn't even change the fact that his children would be genetically human instead of whatever he was. The evolution process was isolated from the reproduction system because it was too harsh and ended up resulting in turning the subject sterile. Thus, in order to retain one's reproductive capabilities, certain parts of the reproduction system had to be excluded from the procedure. Doing so would allow the Martial Squire to reproduce normal human beings.

This was another interesting avenue for thought that was interesting to ponder.

Gerard sighed, drawing Rui's attention. "The more I learn about the strength of a Martial Squire, the more I want to step into that Realm of power..."

Rui didn't even need to hear the rest to know where this was going. "So, you want me to help you out with what it takes to become a Martial Squire, correct?"

Gerard sheepishly nodded.

Rui sighed. "I cannot divulge anything about the actual breakthrough to the Squire Realm, I am bound by oath. But I can divulge what it takes to become qualified to undergo the breakthrough to the Squire Realm to some of you."

"Some of us?" Gerard frowned.

"Yes, the rest of you aren't nearly ready yet, learning about it will be harmful to your progression to the higher Realm," Rui informed them.

"Who among us qualified and why?" Gerard asked with a hint of anxiety, he would be disheartened if he wasn't qualified to learn even about what it took to just be ready to attempt breaking through to a higher Realm.

"Generally, it's based on power and experience," Rui informed. "Among all of you, I sense only nine individuals are qualified to learn about the conditions to becoming a Squire candidate. The three team leaders, followed by you, you, you, you, you, and you."

He pointed at the nine individuals.

"Then can you tell us?" Gerard.

"I expected that I would be asked this at some point, so I wrote it down on a sheet of paper." Rui pulled out a folded piece of paper and flicked it to Gerard. "Show it only to those who are qualified, but only after the battle, it is best not to be distracted and underperform. You might end up costing everybody the war."

Rui got up. "With that, we're done. Good luck to all of you, rejuvenate yourselves, and prepare for the war."

"Thank you for your guidance." Gerard thanked him as they all bowed to his retreating figure.

Rui had taken his time sparring and guiding them thoroughly. Part of it was because he enjoyed the process, he had taken up missions where he boosted the growth of Martial Apprentices by sparring with them regularly. Using the predictive and adaptive evolution model to detect all the flaws and shortcomings and then sparring with them in a manner that forced them to get used to their opponent trying to exploit flaws and shortcomings for them to learn how to compensate for them in the long run, was incredibly satisfying.

Besides, he had nothing else to do the entire day, so it was a good way to while away time.