Chapter 18: M.D.B Chapter 18: The Magical Use of Ki!

Saint did not argue with Lorna, instead asking her: “Lorna, tell me; why do most mutants go out of control when awakening their powers?”

Lorna had obviously done her homework, and knew a lot about her kind: “It’s because of how suddenly mutations occur. When the X Gene is awakened, the body undergoes massive changes in an instant. It’s as if one is returning to his state as a newborn, having to learn how to use a new body!”

“That’s correct, and impressive.” Saint nodded, “But in my opinion, it’s really not that complicated of a thing. When awakening the X Gene, mutants usually gain a wild increase in Ki. With your Ki a hundred times larger than that of an ordinary human, but with the same Ki Control as him, how could you be expected to control your Ki?”

Lorna had heard the word Ki from Colleen before, but her understanding of it was not that deep. She asked :”Boss, I didn’t get you. Do you mean you could teach me how to control my mutation through controlling my Ki?”

Saint shook his head: “Sorry, I can’t do that. A mutant’s Ki is very special, and they have strong personalities. The only path for them is to teach themselves!”

As Lorna pouted in despair, Saint’s tone changed: “Well, I can teach you “Ki Masking” with which you can mask your Ki.”

“Mask my Ki? So with this Ki Masking, I could Mask my mutant abilities and make myself appear the same as ordinary people?” Lorna’s eyes shined brightly!

“That would be its most basic role!”

As Saint nodded affirmatively, he explained in detail: “In the beginning, you’ll only be able to completely mask your Ki, and this should also keep you from using your mutant ability when using the technique.With time, as you get better with Ki control, you’ll be able to adjust the degree to which you mask your Ki as you like.”

“Why would I adjust the degree of shielding? Shouldn’t I just hide my Ki completely unless I need to use my powers as a last resort?”

“That’s correct, but it’s only a temporary solution!” Saint explained: “In fact, Ki Masking is just a step towards controlling you Ki. For example, right now, you have the Ki of a Hundred People. What Ki Masking will do is shield out the power of ninety-nine. You’ll have only the energy of one, becoming weak. But being weak has its benefits as you know. With time, you’ll learn to vary the amount of Ki you mask, and you’ll eventually be able to mask the Ki of anywhere between one and 99! Once you can fine-tune your Ki use like this, you’d actually be doing Ki Control, and you’ll be able to use the appropriate force whenever you want!”

Lorna listened carefully to Saint. The more she listened, the brighter her eyes went. She immediately said: “Boss, please teach me!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely teach you, but on one condition!”

Saint motion to Lorna to be a little quite, and said: “This is important; listen to me carefully!”

Lorna nodded quickly and serious: “I’m listening, boss!”

Saint’s face became heavy, and his tone turned deep and prestigious: “Ki Masking is a skill unique to Kame School. I’m making an exception here, but it cannot go beyond you. You cannot teach anyone else without permission. Otherwise, even if I was to chase them to the end of the world, I will kill everyone who steals the teachings of Kame School!”

As he said the last sentence, Saint’s voice was breathy and deep, and his eyes were full of bloodlust! Lorna, who was sitting opposite to him, was shook to her core, and then very seriously promised: “Boss, I swear, I’ll never spread out your secret techniques!”

“Great!” Saint said with his usual tone and a big smile on his face! “Follow me!”

The two went up to the top floor and walked into the sound dampened room where Saint practiced. Lorna looked around with amazement in the windowless room.She could only see some family pictures on one wall.

Saint sat down on the floor, and pointed to a spot half a meter in front of him; he said to Lorna: “Sit down on your knees here.”

With the two facing each other, he then said: “To learn Ki Masking, you must first be able to sense your own Ki. Can you do that?”

Lorna gave the matter some thought, and then said with some doubt: “Whenever I use my ability, I get an aura around my hands, looking like the Northern Lights. I feel that light is the source of my strength, is that my Ki?”

“Uh…” Because Shengte revealed a bit of a dumbfounded expression, he said with a sigh of relief: “Well, kinda…. It’s just the outward manifestation of your Ki, not its essence. It’s your Ki that allows you to create that aura, not the aura that drives your Ki. Do you understand?”

“I did not…”

Saint looked at Lorna, and could not help but sigh. She was a westerner, without any knowledge of this matter. Expecting her to understand this right off the bat was too naïve. He thought about it for a while, and then extended his right hand to her: “Lorna, give me your hand, and let me first make you feel my own Ki!”

After a while, just like what happened before with Joy Meachum, Lorna stared at her fingers in shock saying: “This… This…”

“This is Ki!”

Saint smiled at her and said: “Remember this feeling, and then rely on yourself to perceive your own Ki. It’s like a 6th sense beyond the other five, so don’t focus on vision, hearing, smell, touch or taste. It’s something different, something you’ve just sensed.”

After a while, Lorna, who had her eyes close, opened them in frustration: “Boss, I couldn’t do it.”

“It’s ok.” Saint expected this outcome, and extended his right hand again: “Let’s try again.”

An hour later….

Lorna, who had failed ten times in succession, began to lose confidence in herself. Trying to get some perspective, she asked: “Boss, how long did it take you to sense Ki?”