"I already know why you're here."
Under the surprised gazes of the Rokakku team members, the old man nodded at Ishikawa.
Ishikawa was taken aback. "Did he tell you?"
"No," the old man shook his head. "Your powerful spiritual energy is evident. Clearly, you're here to walk that path as well."
"As well?"
Before Ishikawa could respond, Saeki and the others seemed to realize something, their eyes widening in astonishment.
"I knew it!" Amachi Mitsuya gave Ishikawa a deep look. "There couldn't possibly be so many people who know the old man's name."
"So that means..." Saeki, Kurobe, and the others suddenly understood. "Ishikawa, you're like that senior who came here two years ago."
Indeed, about two years ago, a blond-haired young man had appeared near the beach. He had approached them, also asking about "Magatou."
"That senior..." Aoi's mind flashed with the image of a tall, blond figure, and a look of reverence unconsciously appeared on his face.
"I never expected you to have reached that level, Ishikawa," Aoi Kentaro said, his eyes filled with admiration.
The others, coming to their senses, also looked at Ishikawa with newfound respect.
"Come with me," the old man gestured for Ishikawa to follow him to a nearby pavilion.
Seeing this, Saeki and the others couldn't help but feel envious. However, none of them dared to ask about the secret. The old man had once warned them that attempting to unlock it without sufficient spiritual energy could lead to severe consequences.
Besides, they had all been raised by the old man. Opportunities to grow stronger were plentiful. As long as their spiritual energy was strong enough, the old man wouldn't hesitate to teach them that cultivation method.
"How far have you progressed in your yoga practice?" the old man asked as they sat facing each other in the pavilion.
"I'm at a passable level," Ishikawa nodded. "Following Coach Mifune's method, I've been able to enter the realm of consciousness."
"I see," the old man nodded, then said, "The problem you're facing now is likely not knowing how to delve deeper into that realm, right?"
"Exactly."
"It seems your issue is that your spiritual energy is too powerful," the old man chuckled. "Mifune probably forgot to tell you the key to freely controlling your spiritual energy."
If the U-17 high schoolers or even the coaches had heard this, they would have been shocked. After all, it was hard to imagine someone referring to Mifune as "that kid."
In fact, if Mifune had been present, he would have been extremely respectful, likely shocking everyone even more.
"Spiritual energy isn't always better when it's stronger," the old man explained. "While powerful spiritual energy can indeed impact the realm of consciousness, making it easier to enter than usual, to truly step onto the Asura Divine Path, you need to find the balance point of your spiritual energy."
"The... balance point of spiritual energy?" Ishikawa looked puzzled.
"Yes," the old man continued. "A person's spirit fluctuates based on their circumstances. When things are going well, the spirit is high and energetic. But when faced with difficulties, it can become weak and listless. To delve deep into the realm of consciousness, you need to master the balance between strength and weakness."
"I see," Ishikawa felt a spark of understanding.
He then sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and used his ability to shut off his five senses, focusing his spiritual energy intensely.
At that moment, Ishikawa's presence became overwhelmingly strong. But as he delved deeper into meditation, his presence suddenly diminished, alternating between intense and faint.
Gradually, his presence grew fainter, to the point where he seemed like an ordinary passerby on the street.
"Not bad," the old man smiled with satisfaction. "This kid's comprehension is almost on par with that brat Nanjiro."
Echizen Nanjiro was the old man's most accomplished disciple, the one who had gone the farthest on the path of tennis. And Ishikawa was the one most likely to surpass Nanjiro's achievements.
Meanwhile, in Ishikawa's realm of consciousness...
As he maintained the balance between strength and weakness in his spiritual energy, the once pitch-black world began to emit a faint light. The light grew brighter, and a passage appeared before Ishikawa.
"Is this the cave of the spirit?" Ishikawa nodded slightly as he observed the grayish-brown passage.
He then walked slowly toward the source of the light. The further he went, the more he felt a growing sense of heaviness, as if the gravity inside was different from the outside.
However, Ishikawa, who was accustomed to wearing weighted training gear, remained calm. His gaze steady, he continued to walk deeper into the passage.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally reached a spacious area at the source of the light.
"This is..."
Not far away stood a vermilion gate, with a wooden torii-like structure in front of it. The gate was open, one side blocked by a stone, preventing it from closing. The light spilled out from within, illuminating the entire cave.
"So... this is the gate that Byoudouin opened, right?" Ishikawa narrowed his eyes.
If he remembered correctly, in the original story, Byoudouin had eventually opened this gate through relentless training. After him, Tokugawa had also arrived here. However, lacking Byoudouin's mental trials, Tokugawa had easily entered the gate, which was why his appearance hadn't aged as dramatically as Byoudouin's.
Facing the gate, Ishikawa paused.
He glanced at the gate representing the Asura Divine Path, then turned his gaze to a dark cave on his left.
"The depths of this cave are where Byoudouin ultimately obtained the Alaya Consciousness!"
Yes, Byoudouin had opened the gate to the Asura Divine Path, but he had followed his inner calling and chosen the abyss representing Alaya Consciousness instead.
"So... which should I choose?"
Standing at the crossroads, Ishikawa fell into deep thought.
Both the Asura Divine Path and the Alaya Consciousness, which represented the ultimate power of the depths, were incredibly potent.
The former represented the final path of mental cultivation pioneered by the old man of Rokakku. The latter, however, was the path of death and rebirth that Byoudouin had discovered.
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The former had no known drawbacks, while the latter came with the terror of death.
Which path should he take?
After a moment of contemplation, Ishikawa neither entered the Asura Divine Path nor walked toward the Alaya Consciousness cave. Instead, he sat down right where he was.
He closed his eyes.
Continuously adjusting his spiritual energy, he maintained the necessary balance.
For Ishikawa, both the Asura Divine Path and the Alaya Consciousness were paths others had walked. Since Byoudouin and the old man of Rokakku had forged their own paths, it would be a waste for him to simply choose one without attempting to create his own.
He, too, would carve out his own path!