Once I make my way down the steps of the monastery into the main hall, it seems very quiet, and much more empty than usual.

There are a few people dressed in the familiar orange robes walking around, and some eating meals at the tables, but very few.

I make my way toward the usual training room, and press my hand on the door to open it. To my surprise, I see Monk with both of his hands raised in the center of the room as I enter.

The Qi within his body is glowing hotter and flowing faster than I've ever seen it before. Small particles even drip out like a light mist from his fists and create a visible white glow around his forearms and fingers.

The moment our eyes make contact, however, the glow ceases and he drops his battle stance while greeting me with a sigh of relief.

"I didn't recognize your aura. You've... changed a lot."

As the door closes behind me, I cross my arms and walk over to the table at the back of the room. I reply in a nonchalant manner.

"Well, nice to see you too. I tried out some unorthodox training methods."

While taking off my useless gear in this mana-negating room, Monk continues to stare at me and responds.

"H-How? You raised your cultivation base this drastically in just 24 hours..."

I turn, once taking off the final gauntlet, facing him in just my casual workout wear.

"If you have more of those Qi pills I can use, I may be able to tell you. I need to do some tests. Until they're done, unfortunately, I need to keep my method a secret."

He walks over to the opposite side of the table at the back of the room, then turns and starts sifting through one of the crates with gear in it before taking out a small black box.

Once opened up, the bright glow of Qi pours out, and he tosses me another pill.

"That is fine. I'll fund your research if you really believe my disciples and I can replicate it too. Let's spar and see what you can do before I give you any more of these. We may have a lot stocked up, but it is still a finite resource."

I catch it and swallow it instantly, bringing my base back up to full, and Monk's eyes widen even more when he sees my true capacity. I respond while raising my hands and channeling Qi into them.

"Sure, let's spar."

For the next few minutes, Monk and I increase our ability level bit by bit as we normally do in sparring sessions. Starting off slow, then continuously testing each other's strengths.

My movements flow much quicker, and I'm more graceful on my feet, having to use less Qi to get the same effect as our previous sessions. My eyes are more focused on his footwork and Qi flow, rather than just blocking punches and sending my own back.

I match Monk's speed and power to perfection the faster-paced the mock battle becomes. Eventually, we surpass the skill level point at which our last spar took place, but neither of us slows down at all.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Our punches become more full with Qi, and it even gets to the point where on impact, small particles come flowing out creating the sensation of two tsunamis crashing against each other and spraying hot energy around the room.

Loud cracks echo through the training room, and I even begin to see sweat droplets form on Monk's forehead.

Another 15 minutes pass as I begin to near my full strength, and by the looks of it, Monk is nearing his too.

Both of our breathing begins to get heavier, and we both become covered in sweat. We both burn through over 10% of our energy stores in just a half-hour session. Excess Qi fills the room, much denser than it was when we started and Monk's usual serious straight face shows signs of a joyful smile.

Eventually, we stop and step back from each other, and Monk is the first to bow. I return the gesture out of respect as he begins to speak.

"You've really managed to start summoning Visual Qi... In just a few days... I thought at your growth rate it'd still take at least a year, or maybe a few months if you spent some time in our most Qi dense gathering room, but-"

He pauses, and looks at me again with a curious gaze.

"Somehow you've managed to defeat the most powerful opponent in the world, time."

At the same moment, the door at the side of the room glows white and opens as Abby and Maria walk in with smiles wide as can be. As I turn my head, Abby is the first to speak up,

"You missed out on one of the best farming sessions ever! We got all the materials we needed, and even some extras on a higher floor!"

They both chuckle and begin to take off their gear on the table next to mine, and Maria speaks next,

"But it's okay that you didn't come along, it seems like your rest healed you up more than fine."

They both walk over in more casual clothing, and Abby questions me with a tighter gaze than usual.

"Now that I have a better view, you look a little different than before... stronger..."

I reply, choosing my words carefully, and remembering what I wrote down in my journal about where my conversation with Abby and Maria left off last 6 months ago in my perception of time.

"Yes. That matchup in the 8th Stage gave me some new insight into how strong we're going to need to be. Let's just say, I've begun experimenting."

Maria jumps in.

"Oh yeah? You said you'd explain what happened in your match. Let's hear it!"

With everyone's interest in the room piqued, I shift the conversation toward the matchup last night in the real world's time and recount the events as best I can.

From the force field-like energy balls, to the flesh melting soul energy of the wraith, and some energy from the Red Hydra's buff permanently disintegrating from my stores; I tell them everything. The shocked look on all their faces only grows once I describe the encounter with the Royal Guards and the fact that the Dark One knows exactly what is going on and doesn't even care.

After these bombshells are out of the way, I mention the fact that I'm working on a new training method to increase our Qi capacities, but still need a bit of time to perfect it. With their attention so focused on the mind-blowing story of the 8th Stage, this unfinished method of Qi gathering isn't the main attraction.

Less questions the better, but I still need support from Monk, so my plan to bring it up again interlocked with a more serious matter worked out very well.

To process this information, we all begin sparring again.

Maria and Abby start off facing Monk, then both of them face me as well. I keep my Qi control much lower and now I can really understand how much I progressed. What felt like actual dangerous punches from Maria and crafty moves from Abby last time now seem like slow-moving objects and not even a real threat if I were to be hit.

I allow some punches and kicks to get through my defenses to simulate a very close battle, making their training to seem more realistic. But the full powered attacks that hit me don't hurt at all. They're easily negated by increasing the density and rate of Qi naturally flowing through my body in the areas of impact.

After this light session, Maria and Abby spar with each other and Monk and I have another session of very intense fighting on the opposite side of the training room.

We all get a very good workout in for the next 4 hours or so, draining our Qi stores to low, and showering before making our way up to the dining hall to eat and refresh our energy bases.

Monk raises the question across from me at the table once we all sit down.

"So, how many pills are you going to need for your next trial of testing?"

I reply after taking a bite of food,

"Well, how many do you have to offer?"