"This is the Lynx Body Tempering Technique. I believe you can master it."
Five in the afternoon.
After Merlin finished his own training, he began teaching Sanpao the technique step by step. As Merlin crouched on the ground, twisting his body into all kinds of difficult poses, Sanpao's pupils widened into circles. A look of astonishment appeared on his catlike face. With every movement and breath, Merlin looked just like a giant lynx to him.
More agile than him, fiercer than him, and more like a lynx than he was.
Sanpao's eyes quietly lit with understanding. Merlin was a fellow creature in human form.
He couldn't help but feel a sense of approval.
Yol and Lami were just as focused as they listened to Merlin explain the key points of the Lynx Body Tempering Technique. After half a year of training, their bodies had become flexible enough.
They could begin practicing it, too.
Before long, the two girls and the cat were crouched on the ground, matching their breathing as they began to practice.
Merlin kept correcting their postures. "When you first start practicing this kind of body-tempering technique, you need to imitate the way a lynx moves. Once you become proficient, you won't have to crouch down and practice deliberately anymore.
"By then, you'll have truly learned the lynx's form and spirit. Your muscles will be able to imitate it instinctively.
"After that, you can work on the dynamic and static forces within your body.
"Still as a maiden, swift as a hare.
"That's the state I'm talking about."
Seeing the three of them settle into their practice, Merlin looked at Sanpao's precise movements with surprise.
"You're picking it up pretty quickly."
But he soon understood why. At its core, the Lynx Body Tempering Technique was based on imitating