The Martial Unity

Chapter 2317: Converging Gazes

It hadn't been easy for Rui to train through the first and second phases of the Megamind Project, but he pushed through nonetheless. Conditioning his body to be able to withstand the lopsided pressure wasn't easy, yet, he gritted his teeth and persevered.

He had underestimated the difficulty of using the technique just because it was the less risky and powerful version of the two possible paths that he had had at his disposal. Each time he empowered a part of his body with additional blood, it burned like someone was setting his cells on fire.

And in a way, he was.

The additional influx of oxygen allowed for greater combustion, which generated more energy for the body. Not only did it feel like the empowered body part was burning, but it also felt like it was about to explode from the inside out due to the additional pressure that mounted inside.

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His fist inflicted a devastating impact with relevant muscles empowered by the technique. "Woah..." Rui muttered. "This is not much weaker than Hypertrophic Surge. Too bad it isn't something I can stack on top of my Metabody System."

His Metabody System altered the fundamental configuration of the Body, and blood flow was undoubtedly included in that; after all, he wouldn't be able to sustain a meta body if each part of the body didn't get the blood it needed, which was different for different Metabody techniques.

"However, it's perfect for my needs." He grinned.

He wasn't interested in fundamentally amplifying the Metabody System this time around; he had already done that not too long ago when he consumed the Sandflower Nectar Potion.

However, it was the best and most accessible way to empower his brainpower and capacity for thought.

He couldn't wait.

"Time to embark on the next phase."

He had spent the past seven months in the manifold conditioning his body appropriately so that it could tolerate the stresses that he put on it. Now, it was time to move to the next stage of the training program.

"I must master the breathing and muscle movements needed to redirect blood flow to my brain."

And more importantly, he needed to ascertain the limit and ensure that he never crossed it.

It wasn't the riskiest thing he could do, but it was not exactly risk-free either. He closed his eyes as he sat down, meditating.

The absolute solitude and silence around him aided him in entering a state of absolute and deep focus.

A state of complete concentration.

At that moment, nothing consumed his mind.

All thoughts in the background when dark.

It was silence.

No one could enter the flow state like Rui could.

He entered this state only when it was truly necessary.

And, in this case, he deemed it to be truly worth it.

"Fuuu..." He exhaled deeply before activating a breathing technique.

Simultaneously, the muscles across his Body contracted or expanded, exerting pressure on or lifting pressure off some parts of the Body.

Naturally, as the veins and arteries across most of his Body contracted, the blood pressure increased substantially.

Blood, being the fluid that it was, responded to pressure, shifting to the one place where they didn't experience that pressure.

The blood vessels in his brain expanded as a flood of blood coursed through them, pushing against the blood-brain barrier that restricted them from coming into direct contact with the brain.

A flush of oxygen surged into his brain, far greater than normal.

The countless neurons in his brain shook with power as their metabolic activity spiked to immense degrees. The neural activity of his brain soared to far greater heights, reaching levels that one could only achieve with the Martial Heart.

In that moment, he couldn't help but wonder what would happen if he combined the two?

He knew that it was premature.

He knew that it was too early.

He knew that it wasn't wise.

Yet...

BADUMP!!!

His Martial Heart burst forth in all its glory as a surge of metabolic power washed over the entire Body.

He shook as his brain experienced an extraordinary explosion of thought. The sum totality of his mind seemed to expand endlessly. His cognition spiked to a new realm, experiencing a quantum surge in processing power second only to that of the Martial Mind.

And that immediately begged the question.

What would happen if he activated his Martial Mind on top of this?

His instincts warned him of the potential risks of progressing too quickly.

Yet, they also showed him the potential greatness that was to follow if he did.

The prudent decision would have been to wait.

It would have been to take it slowly and instill the muscle memory of getting just the right amount of blood flow so that he could get away with what he needed without damaging his blood-brain barrier.

Yet, it appeared that Rui's prudence had been burned up when he chose to go with the less risky of the two options.

And thus, he activated his Martial Mind.

From the depths of his mind, an infinite void expanded beyond the confines of his mind, threatening to erode away the minds of anybody who saw him.

RUMBLE

The world shook under the weight of the catastrophic fusion of his Martial Mind and the Mind Metabody. Like matter and antimatter, their convergence led to the birth of a mind of

ephemeral power, the likes of which Gaia had never seen.

Every individual neuron of his brain began glowing like individual stars.

Together, they formed a galaxy of thought.

They became singularities of information, reaching the existential limits imposed by the very

universe itself.

The very weight of his logos rose to realms unknown as his consciousness seemed to ascend

to a higher state of awareness.

RUMBLE

Heaven and earth seemed to warp under the weight of his existence.

It was as though the very fabric of space and time was unable to contain the weight of his

Martial Embodiment.

The alarmed denizens of the manifold had already noticed the anomaly.

Yet, they weren't the only ones.

At that moment, thirteen beings around the continent glanced in the same direction.

Their gazes converged upon him.