"I did my best to give you all you should know. That knowledge should be enough until you become a fully fledged knight." Decus gave Spes a thumbs up, turning behind to face his men who were sparring against each other.
"Guys! Turn it down a bit! I'll be teaching our new recruit how to meditate," Decus shouted, making them immediately stop their sparring session, staring curiously at the pair. Spes wryly scratched his head seeing the tens of eyes pointed at him.
"You didn't have to stop them. I'm sure I'll manage," Spes said, getting away from all the gazes.
"It's for the best. As I said earlier, meditation is a trance. How fast you'll get into it depends on many factors. Minimizing external stimulus would increase your chances of entering it," Decus explained, waving at his men to do something that didn't make much noise.
"Now sit down and make yourself as comfortable as possible." Decus smiled.
Spes did as told, sitting down cross-legged on the hard wooden deck, taking a deep breath before exhaling, his entire body untensing.
"You're quite good at this," Decus commented upon seeing how quickly Spes could ease himself without his instructions.
"My master and I would frequently have meditation sessions before starting any tasks. He always said that a clear mind brings more focus." Spes closed his eyes, removing any other thoughts as he completely focused on his breaths.
"Normally, the general meditation, like what your master taught you, is to empty the mind from all distractions. But the Knight's Meditation and breathing techniques are slightly different. Our meditation techniques want the mind to focus on the surrounding Ki while disregarding everything else." Decus slowly walked behind Spes, placing his palms on his back.
"Breathe in," he said, his hand rising as air filled Spes's lungs.
"..."
"Hold it."
"..."
"Now empty your lungs," Decus said after a few seconds, making Spes exhale all the air out of him.
They would go on and repeat the same cycle for a few more rounds until Decus didn't have to talk anymore, Spes unconsciously using the Knight's breathing technique.
"This kid learns fast..." Decus thought, a green hue engulfing his palms on Spes's back.
"I'm sending you a small amount of Ki, feel it and remember it. Once you're confident, let it go, and keep using the breathing technique, your thoughts always on that feeling," Decus spoke slowly, conveying to Spes what to do next.
As the green hue disappeared from Decus's hands, Spes would then have a warm feeling in his chest. As told, he focused on it, every single aspect it made him feel engraved deeply in his brain. His mind would be completely engulfed in that feeling from the moment it reached him, and even continued on when the Ki slowly dissipated.
Everything then disappeared. The sea, the ship, the sun, the wind. Everyone was gone as only himself and that feeling lasted. Within utter darkness, a small spark would then appear, one that spoke to him in ways that were so familiar.
Without thinking at all, Spes instinctively knew it — that was what he was searching for: that was Ki. And as if noticing Spes's wordless attention, the Ki would float in his direction, digging straight into his chest. A weird feeling situated somewhere below his abdomen would then follow, making Spes lose focus, exiting the trance he was in.
"W-what was that?" the young man opened his eyes, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.
"That was your Dantian. It opened up for the first time, welcoming the first threads of Ki." Decus explained. Upon sending his focus towards his Dantian below his abdomen, Spes's heart would suddenly skip a beat.
"The Ki! It's gone!" Spes's eyes widened, full of concern, as he turned towards Decus.
"You don't have to worry, lad," Decus laughed it off.
"It's normal. The Ki merges into your Dantian to nourish it. When fully nourished, the Dantian would open passages within your body — passages that would allow the circulation of Ki within you. These circuits are called Meridians. With how you just unlocked your Dantian, you're now in the Early Stage of being an Apprentice Knight."
"What about the higher stages?" Spes asked curiously, wondering how far away he was from being a Knight.
"Opening the Meridians would get you to the Middle Stage. As for the Late Stage, all Ki, Dantian, and Meridians would have to reach their very limits."
"Anyways, I'm actually very surprised at how fast you're progressing right now. I remember when I started it took me an entire week to grasp a single thread of Ki," Decus added, commenting on Spes's performance.
"I guess I'm just lucky," Spes awkwardly laughed, not used to getting compliments.
"Lucky or not, you got talent, lad. I'm looking forward to your next progress." Decus smiled, patting the seated Spes on his head.
"It's getting late, I'll go check on my men. Keep on meditating," Decus said, his eyes slightly squinting as the orange rays of the setting sun fell on the boat. Giving Spes a thumbs up, he left, headed towards his men who were silently training.
"That kid is a genius..." Decus momentarily paused, slightly turning to Spes who continued on meditating.
"It's a shame his Physique is only Mortal Tier..." He shook his head, going back on his tracks.