Urokodaki Sakonji's training experience is indeed rich.
The first step of training he provided was tree-hugging.
And he euphemistically named it: "Everything breathes, every flower and grass is life, so the first step in learning the 'breathing' method is not to practice sword techniques, but to understand what 'breathing' is..."
"Eiichiro, you should start training with the Wutong tree, and only after understanding how trees breathe, will you be allowed to hold the sword."
After successfully becoming a disciple...
Urokodaki Sakonji left Roy under a birch tree with a simple explanation and walked away...
A squirrel stuck out its little head from the tree branch, curiously observing him, only to see... this human thinking for a moment and bizarrely stretching his arms towards the birch tree for a hug.
In a few minutes...
Slept soundly...
'Abstract... how can a person become a tree?'
The familiar feeling of falling came—
Roy turned over and sat up from the soft bed, his consciousness seemingly still lingering in the image of bear hugging a birch tree, dazed and dead asleep.
As Urokodaki Sakonji said, only by truly considering oneself as a tree can one enter into the life of a tree, feel its breathing style, and experience its bitterness and joy, except—
This training method based on 'illusion' has a premise....
Won't fall asleep due to excessive immersion.
Like himself right now.
"Dang..." At four in the morning, the wooden pendulum clock in the corner reminded Roy, as usual, that it was time to go for a run.
The young man rubbed his face, put on his tank top and shorts, closed the door, and crossed through the quiet, expansive mountain forest as the faint dawn began to appear on the horizon.
From the ancient castle at the top of the mountain, to the villa of the housekeeper at the mountainside already lit up...
This time Roy clearly felt his body was much lighter, and his steps became faster, probably due to the 'Minamino Guangzhi' factor in his constitution.
[Dark Step: Mastery (89→99)]
[Limb Curvature: Mastery (67→84)]
[Snake Life: Entry Level (83→98)]
The panel clearly recorded the qualitative change brought by 'Constitution +1',
allowing Roy to continue to grow stronger steadily even without specifically practicing these assassination techniques, relying solely on the increase in 'Numerical Value'.
'So, I still need to heed Urokodaki Sakonji's advice and complete the 'tree-hugging' training as soon as possible.'
Sweat dripped along his hair, which Roy gently wiped off, his fingers inadvertently sliding past his ear, touching something that made him stop.
That thing seemed light, swaying in the wind, and only by touching it did he realize—
It was the sun and mountain earrings passed down from Tsugikuni Yoriichi, which his father Tanjuro had personally hung on him!
'When did this happen? And how did I manifest it into reality?'
Roy paused for a moment, pondering... Suddenly, he heard the sound of a door ahead, looked up, and realized he had arrived at the Gate of Trial at the foot of the mountain.
"Bang—"
The 'Corner Door' at the bottom right of the Gate of Trial was violently kicked open, followed by—
Three or four burly men squeezed in... Behind them was Zebro, smiling with a key in hand.
The middle-aged 'old' gatekeeper removed his hat and greeted Roy, "Good morning, young master."
"Whoosh—" At this, he attracted some fierce and vicious gazes!
"Zoldyck Family's young master?"
"Excellent."
"Capturing him will surely earn a good bounty!"
"Old Three, check online how much money... The lads are striking it rich today!"
Whether they strike it rich or not, Roy didn't know, he only knew Mikai would have an extra meal this morning.
"Roar—"
A magical beast passed, lifting a tornado... The burly men only felt a moment of darkness, then half of their bodies were swallowed into Mikai's mouth, then sent into its belly with a gulp, leaving only a few pieces of clothing thrown out by its claws.
Mikai executed this maneuver skillfully.
Zebro followed up, taking out a prepared broom and began proficiently cleaning the scene.
Roy silently watched for a while, turned, and began his run back up the mountain.
The world's most notorious assassin family naturally attracted many risk-taking gamblers who believed they could climb to the top by stepping over the Zoldycks with fierce audacity, little did they know, the final outcome—
—often became a pile of dog shit.
"Step... step..."
Roy did not stop his steps, his thinking undeterred by this sudden small episode.
Running while pondering...
Considering the earring's appearance was too sudden, he could only think of one possibility.....
"Conjuration User" would develop some kind of "Nenryoku," or could conjure some kind of "tool," depending on the most memorable things or events internalized in their heart...
For example, Kurapika, because his clan was exterminated, developed the 'Contract Chain' specifically targeting the spider...
Also, Shizuku, due to her forgetfulness, mimicked 'a fish's memory lasts only seven seconds,' developing the 'Bulging Fish'....
Matters like these, more or less touch their soul, and delve into their personality...
'And I... due to Minamino Guangzhi's gift, my constitution was enhanced....'
'And because of my father Tanjuro's regard, choosing to entrust the heritage onto me, made me care deeply about these earrings, hence unconsciously manifested them through dreams...'
Roy pondered,
running past the housekeeper's villa, past the forest, seeing the castle ahead...
He circled around a tree, attempting to imaginatively return the earrings to the world of understanding.
"Nen Light" circulated, wrapping around the earrings...
Unfortunately, they seemed to be determined on following Roy, rejecting his thoughts, persisting in hanging below his earlobes, unwilling to leave.
Clearly, "Anti-Conjuration" failed... Or rather, from the beginning, "Conjuration" seemed to be one-directional, converting Nenryoku into physical objects through imagination, but unable to reverse objects back into Nenryoku through imagination and reclaim them...
This was not good news for Roy, or even for Tanjuro.
"The law of mutual conversion between objects and energy," perhaps does not hold in the treacherous and unpredictable 'Nenryoku' world.
Roy's attempt failed, coming out from behind the tree...
Returning, bearing brighter daylight, he returned to the castle.
Now it's four twenty-five in the morning, Wutong still has five minutes to come deliver the meal.
Roy strolled in the corridor, feet on the window ledge, did a few sets of pull-ups, his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a tall man, emerging from the corner, unhurried, unslowed, his expression serious as he walked towards him...
When he passed by him, he stopped.
"Father." Roy placed his foot down.
Silva tilted his head to look down at him: "What day is it today?"
"Tuesday."
"When is the test?"
"Next Sunday."
"It's good you remember." Silva inserted his hands into his pockets and walked away.