Chapter 432: Become Water

Art and Aiden knelt on the ground, drenched from head to toe. To say that they were ashamed would be an understatement.

They didn't understand what had come over them for them to act out the way they did. No, they did understand the reason but refused to accept it.

Eleiney was sitting beside them, her eyes flashing with disappointment and pity. She didn't know that her friends were so easy to provoke. They might have stood a chance against their professor if they had kept their cool.

But she corrected herself when she recalled the tyrannical mana that she had seen Adam wield.

No, there was no way we could have won against that monster despite all the handicaps!

She realized that Adam had kept true to his word; he had regulated his power level to match that of a Rank 1 Magus.

But despite that, his energy output was so ridiculous that it far surpassed what a regular Mana Foundation Mana could achieve.

She secretly glanced at Adam who was standing before them, leisurely drinking wine from his gourd.

Is this what a true genius is like? She thought to herself in admiration.

"Genius, huh?" Adam's lips curled up into a mocking smirk.

What?! Did he just read my mind?! Eleiney thought to herself in alarm.

However, Adam rolled his eyes, and what he said next caused the little girl to involuntarily breathe a sigh of relief. "It's obvious what you're thinking."

He then paused for a moment before solemnly stating, "I dislike that term 'genius,' to be honest. Sure, some people are born with a natural disposition toward certain things, say bookkeeping, sales, sports, whatever.

"But that doesn't mean the same thing can't be achieved by another person who wasn't born with the talent for it. In the end, all that matters is hard work and perseverance."

"Hard work and perseverance..." Eleiney repeated Adam's words.

"Yes." He nodded with a faint smile. "Your hard work will never betray you. As long as you persevere, you're the winner."

"That... doesn't make sense, Professor," said Eleiney meekly.

"Oh, it does," Adam chuckled. "You see, Eleiney, people don't fail, they just give up."

Eleniey's body trembled when she heard Adam say those words. She kept repeating that statement in her mind.

People don't fail, they give up...

Adam then glanced at Art and Aiden and had slight difficulty trying to hold in his laughter. Since they had emerged from the lake, they hadn't uttered a word.

They knelt on the ground, lowering their head and wallowing in shame.

"So, what did you learn?" He asked.

Art and Aiden glanced at each other, then they hurriedly looked away while shaking their heads and speaking simultaneously, "Forgive us for disrespecting you, Professor."

"Ha? Disrespect?" Adam asked with a raised eyebrow. "I don't care about all that. Now, tell me what you learned just now."

The two young magi slowly raised their heads and glanced at the raven-haired youth. They didn't have an answer; they simply stared at Adam, hoping that he would continue.

"What is the number one most important thing for a Magus?" He asked before taking another swig from his gourd.

Suddenly, he thought of something and his lips twitched. Ah, shit. I shouldn't drink too much in front of these kids. I don't wish to be a bad example for them.

After taking one final gulp from the gourd, he put it away. "So what is it?"

"Uh, magic spells?"

"Magic combat techniques?"

They answered with slight hesitation.

Eleiney suddenly chimed in. "A calm state of mind!"

"Precisely." Adam nodded as he glanced at the brown-haired girl with approval. He then looked back at the two boys and asked again, "Did you display a calm state of mind back when you attacked me?"

"T-That's..." Art lowered his head in embarrassment. He then muttered softly, "But that's because you provoked us..."

"Mhm." Aiden too nodded with his head lowered.

BAM! BAM!

Adam lightly smacked them in the head. "You idiots, that's precisely what I wanted to do and you fell for it."

"Ackk!"

"Ughh!"

Although Adam had smacked them lightly, Art and Aiden felt their heads spinning. There was a large bruise the size of a potato on their foreheads.

Tears threatened to stream down their faces as they pleaded, "Wuu... Professor, don't bully us."

"Stop crying or I'll show you what real bullying is." Adam glared at them, threatening them while clenching his fist.

"Eeekk!" Art and Aiden hurriedly sat with their backs straight, the tears that were threatening to fall down their faces were now nowhere to be seen.

Seeing this, Eleiney couldn't help but cover her mouth and start to giggle.

"Hmm." Adam nodded. He then clasped his hands behind his back and walked back and forth in front of the trio with the air of a grandmaster.

"I understand you are kids and that it is easy to get riled up by certain things, but that shouldn't become an excuse for you," Adam began.

Seeing that their mentor was speaking in all seriousness, the three students turned solemn and paid attention to what he was saying.

"Treat your body rigorously so that it will not be disobedient to the mind, they say," he continued. His words carried a certain etherealness in them, causing the mana around to deeply resonate.

"However, not only must you train your body, you must also train your mind. Just like how water makes its way through the cracks, you must adapt to whatever life throws your way."

The three magi felt like their spirits were uplifted as they heard Adam's words. They didn't know what it was, but they felt like they were at the cusp of understanding something very crucial that would help them in their paths as Magi.

Adam closed his eyes and continued to speak in a gentle voice, "Become water, my students. Water is adaptable. It flows without resistance, finding its path around obstacles.

"In your actions, be flexible and yielding. Embrace the philosophy of effortless action. Flow like water, and you will find harmony. This is the Way."

He then glanced at these students and noticed that they had gone into some sort of trance. Seeing this he couldn't help but chuckle lightly. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

SNAP!

The three students' pupils constricted and they looked around themsevelves in puzzlement. Adam crouched before them and smiled without giving them a chance to speak.

"Now, let us begin training your mind."