Chapter 16: Chapter 16 : Harmony Hummer X Thoughts
"Now, let's not waste time. I'll give you a set of training that will lay the foundation for you to learn the vibrations fighting techniques. Follow me."
"Good!"
...
Ash followed Master Shen back to the tenth floor, but they didn't enter Master Shen's office. Instead, Ash came to what seemed like a lab, where various weird-looking machines were placed randomly in the room.
"This is my laboratory, where I study various applications of vibrations, and these machines are my inventions that I built through the years to develop my techniques."
As they entered, Master Shen introduced the place to Ash. The latter looked all over the place with curious eyes and felt a sense of novelty.
'This old man's innovative spirit is really worthy of admiration.' Ash praised Master Shen in his mind. Master Shen shattered the stereotypical image that Ash had of martial artists, who said that martial artists have only muscles in their heads. Sure, most of them tend not to use their minds, but those people won't go far on the martial art road. The real strong martial artists are, in fact, those who know how to research and invent. Only in this way can they break their limits.
Master Shen fumbled through piles of what Ash thought to be garbage or failed inventions, then he grabbed something and brought it back to Ash.
"What's this thing for?" Looking at the palm-sized device that Master Shen brought, Ash curiously asked.
"This is called the Harmony Hummer, a device I invented to train my ability to perceive the frequency of things quickly and mimic it. You will be using this device for this purpose. Click on this button, and it will randomly choose and emit a certain frequency. You can determine the duration of how long the frequency will be emitted. After that, you will have to use your voice to produce the same frequencies within a limited amount of time that you can also decide. It's cool, right?"
Master Shen introduced excitedly his creation, which is called the Harmony Hummer. Then he started demonstrating how to use it for Ash.
"With this device, you will quickly build the foundation to learn the advanced techniques. Your goal is to quickly become able to perceive and mimic any vibration frequencies you hear within at least twenty seconds. Only after fulfilling this condition will you move to the next step."
Ash's eyes shone as he understood how much time this device will save him to improve his ability in perceiving vibrations frequencies.
"But, Master, why do I need to use my voice to mimic the frequencies? Shouldn't I focus on my body parts like hands and also my aura, which will be needed to perform the fighting techniques?"
"If you make your vocal cords vibrate at any frequency you want, then it will be easy to apply this on other body parts. As for the aura, just forget about it now. It will be trained after mastering this step," Master Shen replied.
"Okay, are there any other exercises?"
Master thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up. "I almost forgot! Remember to find different types and sizes of cups made of glass and try destroying them using your voice."
"Huh? Would you mind telling me the purpose of this exercise?" Ash couldn't see the benefits from this training, so he asked.
"The vibrations you'll learn to produce in your Harmony Hummer exercise are not just for mimicry; they can be harnessed for more practical purposes. Breaking glass is a tangible way to measure the force and precision of your vocal vibrations. It's a test of your ability to channel the frequencies with accuracy."
"Hmm... It sounds logical. I understand. But what about the fighting techniques? Just the normal ones that I came for, when will I learn them?" Ash remembered his original purpose, which was to enrich his close-quarter combat experience, so he didn't forget Master Shen about this issue.
"Don't worry. As my heir, I'll spar with you two times a week and teach you some fighting techniques. I'll also teach you the advanced skills of Nen. Moreover, you could fight with all the gym instructors whenever you want and use all the machines to train yourself."
Master Shen waved his hand and said casually. In his heart, learning the foundations of his vibration art is more important than these street techniques that can be found everywhere, but considering his heir will challenge experienced Nen users in Heavens Arena, he decided to help him prepare. After all, he doesn't want Ash to lose, which means losing face.
"Um, Master, as your heir, I don't need to pay anything, right?" Ash suddenly thought that as the heir, who shoulders the great responsibility of fighting the strongest fighter of mankind, must be exempt from paying the monthly fee of one million jenny as compensation. Heck, he even felt he must be paid instead!
Master Shen's mouth twitched, and his eyes flickered as he thought quickly of a way to fool Ash.
"Ahem... little... by the way, what's your name?" It only occurred to Master Shen that he doesn't know the real name of Ash yet. After all, the White Emperor is clearly just a title, so he asked.
"You can call me... Shiro." Ash is still persistent in his belief not to reveal his real name. The thing he fears the most is the kinds of Nen abilities that could curse him miles away through mediums such as his real name, hair, blood, clothes, etc. So even in Heavens Arena, he collects the fallen hair while showering or on the bed. He doesn't throw his old clothes but burns them, etc., just in case, to avoid falling into situations like that. Before acquiring an ability that could allow him to survive instant death attacks, all he could do is to be as cautious as possible. After all, it's just a small amount of effort he could take to increase his survivability.
'He lied... but it doesn't matter.' Master Shen's sharp eyes noticed everything but didn't care. He thought Ash must have some reason to lie about his name, and he didn't want to pry on privacy.
"That's it, little Shiro... running this gym requires a lot of money. It's like burning cash, so even though you are my heir, you will still need to pay the fee. Moreover, you are a well-known Heaven's Arena fighter, and with your strength, you will easily reach the 200th floor. By that time, you will have more than two hundred million in your pocket, so why be stingy with this mere one million?" Master Shen preached seriously, and Ash just kept nodding while rolling his eyes at this old man's stinginess.
"Go practice with this device, and tomorrow we will have a sparring session." Master Shen turned around and walked toward his office. The style of teaching he intends to take for Ash is to give him tasks and let him struggle with them for a while. Only then will he give hints and solutions, so the lessons learned will last with Ash for his life.
"Good, then see you tomorrow!" Ash bid farewell to Master Shen, took the Harmony Hummer device with him, and left the Dragon Den gym.
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