Prologue 53 (Part 1) How Badly Do You Want It? (13)

In the space that resembled the inside of a bubble, the colour of pearl pink glowed from the edges of the limited environment.

In here, Gramanos Amalganom staggered over to where the RestrictionTribulationPotion was. Eyeing the Potent Artefact in the form of a drink, she read the allowances and eyed the last number.

Allowances.

1.

Passing the 1st Run Means you can use Ko-jin *internally* for one of the tracks.

Unused

2.

You can rest until fully healed before you begin.

Used

3

Ko-jin can be used externally.

Used

4 you can rest fully before you begin

Used

5.

Ko-jin can be used *internally*

Used

6

State can be returned to as optimal, but Ko-jin cannot be used actively, both externally or externally.

7

You can quit without being killed

Grimacing as the drink went down her throat and a wave of nausea hit lile a kick from a horse, she was wondering if the next trial was so bad that she needed to quit now.

Blowing out air, Gramanos puked and when she raised her eyes back up, a wave of sickness flitted her eyes.

She should just go with number 1, as even though the least of her injuries were closing up and the worst were still being healed, what could be worse than everything she had.

Walking to the next membrane, she scowled deeper and deeper.

Was this Jason Haon Illjako's plan or her own?

She eyed the ceiling even though this felt like an independent space.

Was she being manipulated?

Her eyes opened in shock.

Jason Haon Illjako's Family will don her name from her offspring but it will give them a status with both legs on each side of nobility!

Gramanos Amalganom paused before her membrane.

She had always known that, but would Uniah Gramanos actually settle for an equal partner. The Sphinx had never done polygamy before. In fact, she might the abused one in the relationship.

Now, Number 7 was looking more attractive before.

But...

This last number for the trials were added because of Uniah Gramanos's command. So, she might put all her spite at not wanting to be shared.

Her shoulders slumped when she noticed the pearl coloured environment had began shrinking. Steeling her eyes, she scowled hard and stepped through.

And what she saw surprised her.

From beyond 500 meters she looked up to see the nobles and royals who were watching her. Their arrogance from earlier was now gone and there was only curiosity.

Of course they wanted to see her fail, she swept her eyes to look all around her and figured it will be another fight.

Well, number 1 of the allowances allowed her to also use Ko-jin internally, what she had used in the previous membrane was Number 5.

Rolling her shoulders, she ignored the feeling of wanting to puke agan when her eyes opened to see Uniah Gramanos before her..

***

Moments before - when Gramanos Amalganom was eating the corpse of the Sphinx and directly absorbing it to nourish the sickening effects of the RestrictionTribulationPotion, her injuries and the weakness left to her system by using that final technique - Uniah Gramanos had passed orders to servants that appeared once she leaned forward and disappeared once she rested back.

Then, when she stood up and began walking that parted the throng of waiting attendants, a pair of eyes appeared in the sky and all the Royals, along with the Nobles, bowed to their direction. Seeming oblivious she had not stopped walking.

The Royals and Nobles, even the dragon, were trembling like fluttering leaf in a hurricane, down to heir pompous souls.

"Sister, what is it?"

"Get back I can handle this."

"You might be endangering yourself."

Uniah Gramanos would have directly attacked him if he had not been Transferring Speech to her ears directly.

"I am handling this session, do not disturb me."

A sigh rang out through the skies.

"What is the point of this?"

"Do not question me brother. I - Uniah Gramanos - have set the rules and i will not back on my words."

"Ye-"

"Goodbye!"

She said that one out loud and continued walking as though he had been dismissed.

The eyes in the sky wondered how she did not see that the trials had been to easy?

Would this not set a bad precedent for hose willing to enter the Gramanos main branch?

Sighing again, the eyes disappeared from the sky and some people could finally suck in air, while others coughed until they forced bags of oxygen down their lungs.

The next instance Uniah Gramanos was nowhere to be seen.

***

Down below, she studied Gramanos Analgamom with interest.

The girl looked weary, though on the surface her distant relative looked very much alive and stubborn. Maybe the scowl was to hide away the pain and humiliation.

Uniah Gramanos chucled before speaking.

"How are you doing?"

Gramanos Amalganom was not sure if this was part of the trial and he considered it from different angles. Then, she picked what she thought best.

"Honores to be in your presently in your presence, curious as to what significance the very same Royal Noble presence has here and eager to stand on the same level as that presence, one day. "

Uniah Gramanos's eyes flashed anger but she swallowed it and circled her distant relative.

"You were... passable..." Uniah Gramanos let the words hang in the air and enjoyed making the other gurl wait for her to finish. "... enough to currently stand before me. You could have just answered and said, 'great'."

Gramanos Amalganom instantly understood she was being toyed with.

What if Uniah Gramanos decided to make her fight her?

What if it was a mortal battle?

If she survived she would be killed.

If she lost she would die.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to sound calm.

"This is the final trial, i hope you would be merciful."

This was a question and a plea, approaching with humility while hoping she would have a shred of it when this was over.

Whatever this was.

"I have a condition for you to take the final price without much hassle."

Gramanos Amalganom's breath caught.

"However, it *might* be difficult...."

Now, she was facing her distant relative again.

"...and it depends all on me."

Tears did not come to her eyes, only her heart dropped to her stomach.

"Not tol hard really, I saw you executing Thought Speed and i just thought, imagine if i could do that too?"

Gramanaos Amalganom's eyes teared up, she was fated to die and Uniah Gramanos's laugh almost let a trail spill out.

The Royal's and Nobles quickly caught their laughter, some actually frowned hard as they knew that the Gramanos main branch would neer take in someone new.

The Illjako family looked as if it were about to rain, just right above their heads. In fact, their peers actually took wide steps away from them.

Eyeing the distant relative Uniah Gramanos thought to make this longer, but she had a lot to do.

"Blur Speed, i want to go from Sub-Par Level of Mastery to Nominal."

Gramanos Amalganom collapsed to her butt, her breath coming out deep before a smile and she stood back up.

She had feared the Royal Noble would ask her to learn Thought Speed.

Even Jason Haon Illjako's face glowed like the sun. A smile broke his ancestor's face and the man actually hugged his son.

"However, even that can be quite tricky to do before tomorrow morning. So, I will give you - and myself - time."

The barks of laughter once more got muted and the Illjako family's mood returned to the lowest of low.

"After you teach me the fundamentals and I can grasp it, i will use IsolatedTimeSpace for a month of which i will practice personally. And when i emerge, if i am successful, you will stand by my side."

The air was silent, and the Royals and nobles inched closer to the Illjako family but were not quite cose yet. Hope lay within the family's eyes but they frowned so that they would not get excited for nothing.

Nodding like a chicken pecking at rice, Gramanos Amalganom spoke and her voice broke for the first few words betraying her intention to hold her fear back.

"When cultivator begins their journey, the body is ignited by Tribulation Energy which sets it into the right state for being a vessel for becoming malleable."

"At first the cultivator has to mold their core and make tendrils spread out their organs for the Divine Early Level 1-3."

She paused and Uniah Gramanos frowned.

"Could i request a PracticeBot of Level 2 or higher?"

Uniah Gramanos clapped her hand and PracticeBot of Level 3 fell out of the air within 5 minutes, just as she eyed the sky.

"Continue."

Gramanos Amalganom rolled her shoulders; she had seen Uniah Gramanos's expression when she stopped and ber impatience at the PracticeBot's arrival. So, at least, there was a 50 percent chance of her waking up alive tomorrow afternoon.

Then, she spoke.

"So, after all the gas like tendrils get connected to the surface of each organ - depending on the level of the practitioner's dedication - he/she goes from level 1 to level 2.

"Level 2, and the next goal is getting those tendrils, which became Liquid as the core had been molded over and over, that connected to the surface to then form small mounds reaching into the organs interiors."

"And Level 3 is allowing the tendrils, now solid, to penetrate the mounds and extend out branched ends so that Ko-jin now directly reaches the organs making for easier reception."

"WAIT!"

She startled then caught herself.

"What does this have to do with Blur Speed???"

"You said you wanted me to teach you." She swallowed and made a mask of ultimate confidence, "how can i thwart my gateway to Royal Nobility and my partner to be?"

Uniah Gramanos studied the girl's eyes and was wondering if she should have just made her fail.

Should she have just listened to her brother?

"Go on then."

"So, in between the first 3 stages of Cultivation, Quick Enhancement depends on how you can stimulate each organ to give you what you need in the moment."

"And thus, Quick Speed happens when you can synchronise your your the Ko-jin going through your Ko-jin tendrils to reach your organs before you move."

Then, Gramanos Amalganom placed her hand on the Level 3 PracticeBot.

She then touched a part of its body just under its sternum that made a clicking sound. "Adapt, learn, understand."

It glowed amber and turquise before she placed her hand on where a Ko-jin core would be and used Perfect Quick Speed in retreat. But she closed the distance back with Thought Speed. Repeating this 4 other times and synchronising the gap between each one.

Uniah Gramanos finally had a light in her eyes and her scowl softened by the slightest fraction.

"Next up, from Divine Early Level 4-6, The Ko-jin tendrils go back to gas then liquid then solid relatively. Also, they connect to the bone, those that intend to be thorough reach marrow and so forth."

"For this, the next level of Enhancement is known as Instant Enhancement. The goal is to sync all the Ko-jin going to the bones, with the ones going to your organs to make it Perfect Instant Enhancement."

Then, Gramanos Amalgamom used Perfect Instant Speed 4 times and returned back with Thought Speed each time.

"Accordingly, Divine Level 7-9 requires the Ko-jin becoming gas tendrils again to reach for the Muscular Structure, riddle the Epidermis with thoroughness - depending on the passion - and finally the Dermis."

"The Enhancement in this level is called Explosive Enhancement."

She did 3 Perfect Explosive Steps after placing a hand on the Level 3 PracticeBots' navel area and returned each time with Thought Speed.

OOOOOUUUUMMMMM

OOOOOUUUUMMMMM

OOOOOUUUUMMMMM

Uniah Gramanos hated that sound which showed Perfection of Explosive Enhancement necause Kazu Nini had been so good at it.

Gramanos Amalgamom thought the cat was displeased and her hand shook for a few breaths before she hid and stilled it.

"Now, this where we have to learn."

She looked directly at the Sphinx and Uniah Gramanos cut off sound with a wave of her hand at the air. The Royals and Nobles all sucked in breath as the Illjako Family began sweating.

Some, profusely.

Gramanos Amalaganom swallowed hoping that Uniah Gramanos was not displeased.

"Blur Enhancement is broken into stages." She was going to continue but she closed her mouth when she saw the girl looking focused

"Launch, Route, Passage and Arrival. In other words, 4 after images, and your mastery depends on how many are blur." Uniah Gramanos nodded in agreement. "Go on."

"Perfect," she almost clapped but caught her self before she did and falshed a smile before continuing. "For Enhancement, generally, the stages are as follows."

"Imperfect, Sub-par, Nominal, Excellent/Brilliant and Perfect."

"So, for Imperfect Blur Enhancement the trick is to do 3 Quick Enhancements, 2 Instant Steps and 1 Explosive Speed."

Uniah Gramanos's eyes opened wide but she hid it, not wanting to miss anything.

"All perfect and synced is the 1st step."

"The second step is to allow the feeling of all the enhancements used to come to the surface of your body. The amount of time for this should be the amount of synchronisation between each one."

"The 3rd step is kick off the ground, in between the synchronisation of the Enhancements *and* letting them surface to your body equally."

Then, she placed a hand on the PracticeBot's navel and executed it, leaving Uniah Gramanos' mouth hanging open.

And the Illjako family wanted to stick out their chests because of that, but Uniah Gramanos had not yet executed it.

Everything depended on the enlightenment of the Royal Noble Sphinx.