The Martial Unity

Prince Raijun had made some considerable concessions, even at his own expense, that gave Rui a lot of leverage.

Of course, Rui was not fooled that he had suddenly come to have the prince by the balls if he signed this. The power disparity between them was too large. But it was a token of his good faith.

He was afraid that Rui would not give the training his very best if he felt like he was being unfairly disenfranchised in their agreement. Thus, these terms were quite beneficial to Rui.

While other prominent and powerful Martial Artists had personal staff that took care of making sure such contracts were clean of any traps, Rui didn't have such people.

He didn't need them either, having gone through and memorized Kandrian contract law thoroughly after he made the offer to Prince Raijun.

Surprisingly, the contract did not contain any traps that he was able to see despite his very best efforts to find even the dimmest possibilities of any loopholes that could be exploited against the spirit of the agreement.

Normally, both sides try to get away with as much as they can.

Rui didn't think it was because the Martial Prince was a kind-hearted soul who believed in fairness and justice.

'The Martial Union would never allow a member of the Royal Family to bully a the youngest Senior partner of the Martial Union through contract traps. The factions and sects of the martial Union that were backing him probably had entire divisions go through this agreement to make sure there was no way Prince Raijun could scam me,' Rui mused inwardly.

"These terms and conditions are just fine," Rui nodded after going through them for some time. "Let us go ahead with the officiation."

An ink foam was produced for Rui, who promptly pressed his thumb into it before pressing an impression of his thumb at the bottom right of both sheets of paper.

And just like that, a historic agreement was officially made.

"Great!" Prince Raijun grinned. "Let's get started!"

Rui heaved a sigh.

What followed was sparring sessions that lasted hours. Rui refined his predictive model on the prince while using it not to adapt to the prince but to predict what the prince would do when fighting against him and mimicking the movements to the T.

He eliminated the inefficiencies in his tempo and pacing, balance, maneuvering, and flow of power.

POW POW POW

He pummeled the Martial Prince with a barrage of Apprentice-level attacks that were swifter and stronger than his, forcing him into a defensive.

Rui threw a kick flying straight at their ribs, causing him to reflexively block, yet the kick's trajectory shifted, flying down to his ankle.

THWACK

THUD

The kick unbalanced him, pushing him down.

"Tsk, I was defeated again," The Marital Prince heaved a sigh, getting up. "It truly is like fighting a stronger and faster version of myself."

"Except I'm not," Rui replied calmly. "I'm employing the same amount of force and speed that you are capable of; I'm just making better use of it. I have noticed minor improvements in your form."

Prince Raijun nodded. "I never knew that I sabotaging my power due to sub-optimal balance during the moment of attack."

Rui nodded. "Balance is the foundation of power. The subconscious mind always strives to achieve balance, thus when your are imbalanced, your subconscious mind focuses on that instead of your attack, it kills your power because balance takes priority."

"I always felt like something was wrong, but no one has ever explained it with that much clarity," Prince Raijun remarked with admiration. "You truly are one of a kind. Where did you gain such knowledge and wisdom?"

Rui shrugged.

He couldn't tell him that it was partially due to the fact that he had studied combat his entire previous life.

"Knowledge and wisdom do not fall out of the sky, Senior Quarrier," The older Martial Artist informed Rui. "I cannot imagine what kind of experiences you have undergone to attain such a deep understanding of Martial Art. I have only met Martial Masters, and Martial Sages exhibit such profound wisdom. Tell me, Senior Quarrier, what is it that drives you forward as a Martial Artist?"

The prince gazed at him with curiosity. Rui considered the question, wondering how much he ought to reveal. He could just dismiss the question, but that could be considered rude.

Especially when Prince Raijun could probably find out through other ways if he really wanted.

"…Personal ambition," Rui replied.

"That's quite vague," The prince raised an eyebrow. "Personal ambition could mean just about any self-centric pursuit. However, I have a feeling that it is linked to Martial Art, is it not?"

"Indeed," Rui sighed. "I endeavor to elevate my Martial Art to be able to overcome any force in this world through adaptive evolution."

"Ambitious indeed," The Martial Prince smiled. "How else can a Martial Artist of your prodigious caliber come about from nowhere? I admire your ambition. It is free from worldly shackles that many other Martial Artists are subject to."

"It's not the only source of my drive," Rui remarked. "I do wish to keep my family safe from the turbulences of this harsh world and the current political climate of the Kandrian Empire. I require power for that."

"I'm afraid you cannot fully do that with merely the power of the Senior Realm," Prince Raijun shook his head. "Only if you become a Martial Master will you be able to singlehandedly protect them from any and all threats."

"I am aware," Rui replied. "That is why I do things such as demand extravagant wealth from you that can be employed to protect them. I am quite motivated to train you; I hope you grow stronger and become a Martial Squire, for both our sakes."

"Don't worry, Senior Quarrier," The Martial Prince flashed a confident smile. "I have no intention of failing. I will become a Martial Squire and, eventually, Emperor."