AN: Massive info dump.

"This felt so strange," Stephen mused as he sat high up in a tree. His hand gripping the bark as he felt the flow within and wave outside the tree. "So cycling inside before letting out of it in a small amount towards outside."

The same principle applied to everything from the smallest pebbles to the biggest and oldest of things. At first, he thought it would only be applied toward living and breathing beings but he guesses that he was wrong with the conjecture. All thing exist came and will go into joining the wave outside.

An order of thing and power he decided to call Tao or Essence. It could be called in another name such as chi, ki, or even chakra but he decided to use Tao instead. A homage to the principle of Taoism and the same power system that resembles it from a manga called Jigokuraku that he read in his previous life.

From what he knew of Tao from that manga, Tao or the wave is the source of everything that exists in the world, be it living and non-living such as earth, water, plants, soul, flesh, air, etc. From his observation, the living would have their flow or Tao end up being consumed by a small amount from the slightest thing that they do such as thinking, breathing, and living. The consumed Tao would go out from someone body in a thin string-like line from the top of everyone's head. But the case was different for non-living things. It could spontaneously be emitted from all sides or concentrated in one spot depending on what it is or how long-lasting that thing is.

Stephen reinforced his fingers and tore off a small piece of wood from the bark. Not deep enough to harm the tree but enough to draw it sap. He watches as the flow inside adjusted itself to head toward the place where he tore the bark. The pace was slow but surely reached it in a small amount of time.

He watches the flow that gathered seems to coagulated in the place where it let out the sap. From his sense, the coagulated flow tried to stop the sap from seeping out and mend the broken bark. With the slow-paced flow, it will take time before the sap fully stopped and the bark to be restored.

"If the internal flow can be manipulated then," Stephen places his hand to the bark and directed his Tao inside, reaching out towards the coagulated flow in the bark. The moment it touched, Stephen could felt connected with the rest of the flow before he ignored it and focused on the broken bark. He uses his Tao to hasten the restoration of the bark. Drawing it out and laid out the pathway for it to mend the bark. Slowly but surely, the sap stopped seeping outside and bark started to restore itself. "Manipulation of things should be possible."

In actuality, he didn't restore the bark wholly as it normally would but instead it can be said to be reconstructed. On the surface, the bark looks no different than others besides its lighter shade compared with the other surface. However, the inside was a different matter. The flow still went unimpeded but a little weaker than before.

"Seems to be a success for me." Stephen grinned as he jumped down from the tree. "So compared to manipulating stone or other non-living, I can use other's Tao in aiding my manipulation. Good to know."

A week has passed by since the party and when he could felt the flow of things. A week of experimenting with his power to see the limit of what he can do with it. With each try and practice, he gradually grows in proficiency and reservoir of his Tao.

As long as his usage isn't improper or more than he can handle, the drawback won't be serious. In the first time, he extended his sense too far and look too deep without paying attention to his limit and Tao. Causing nosebleed through improper usage as he didn't properly cycle the Tao and consumed the Tao that was solely in his head.

In this week, he mostly practices his Tao to avoid the same mistake. Interestingly, the growth in Tao is in tandem with the growth of Aura and Nen as he practically uses his life as a whole instead of part of it. Furthermore, the training method of Tao is almost the same as Aura and Nen which polishes his skills in both powers without using it. He just need to change their utilization into using Tao instead of Aura or Nen.

Canonically, there are five training method for Tao; Dō'in, Taisoku, Shu'itsu, Shūten, and Bōchū Jutsu. Dō'in involves training through physical exercise and channeling Tao through the body offensively and defensively. Taisoku involves training through breathing exercise in cycling Tao through the body and dantian without interruption with each breath. Shu'itsu is basically meditation. Shūten is the same with Taisoku but through specific path or organ, and the last one was skipped as it was basically something he couldn't do.

He couldn't remember a lot about those training as it was based on esoteric principle of Taoism so he decided to follow his instinct and practice through the already grained habit from Nen principle. Luckily he hasn't made a mistake yet. Emphasis on the word yet. The drawback of it is possibly more dangerous than the one in the manga. This Tao is different from that Tao after all.

The name may be the same but it was fundamentally different than the one he knew from manga or Taoism he knew from his past life. First of all, it was a combination of Aura and Nen, soul and body on top of created by the balance that followed the Middle Way of Buddhism. Secondly, Nen Hatsu shouldn't be possible through Tao in Jigokuraku. It doesn't change him into Specialist from Conjurer but the Nen expense that turned into Tao expense means that it also cost him Aura. Lastly, he hasn't tried how it fares against Grimm and people who have Aura.

Hypothetically it should've been stronger and outright triumph over Aura. If Aura can be considered Yin and didn't have a balance with Yang (Nen) then Tao which has the balance through both should be able to punch through Aura. Unless it was strong enough to neutralize it of course. But the most intriguing thing is how Tao affects Grimm and how it was perceived by his newly attained sense.

He couldn't wait until he got his hand on something to experiment with. He hasn't sparred with anyone this week to avoid any accident as he didn't know the precise amount needed for a hit to not be considered lethal. Furthermore, he hasn't gone far from the village this entire week besides going to the mill to get timbers. He mostly trained in his home or spent his time in the workshop due to his new obligation.

But today he hopes that he will finally know how it fares against Grimm and maybe Aura user. Today he has an entire day for himself and with it, he can finally go deep into the wood to test his skill.

Deep within the wood, Stephen was walking with closed eyes in a leisurely manner as he explored the forest. For this occasion, he simply wore a green hoodie, long black pants, and small boots that covered his feet. His weaponry except the foldable sword that he seizes was carried inside a wooden case that was strapped on his back

He constantly let out a deep breath as he imagined a lot of scenarios that pissed him off. Mood Festival flew just on top of his head to amplified what he felt to attract Grimm without giving in to what he felt.

Stephen slowly worked on balancing his emotion and thoughts. In principle of Tao, Tao users will decrease in power if they give in too much to one side of their emotion. Which was why Shu'itsu was important in training Tao. Through meditation, he need to learn to accept his strength, weakness, and doubt within himself. Presently, his walk was akin to meditation if he didn't constantly perceiving his surrounding with Tao.

He walked for half an hour into the wood before a dozen of something prowled into his effective range. Unlike other things that he perceived until now, the wave surrounding those things seems so twisted and perverted that it fazed him for a bit. Stephen opened his eyes and focused not just on his sight but also his sense through Tao without going too deep.

A pack of Beowulf. Just a pack of Beowolf but its Tao tells the tale of blight. Stephen did not immediately test his Tao in battle as he suppressed the flow of his Tao and erase his presence. The Grimm seems to be confused and look around them as Stephen's presence was concealed. For now, he decided to observe the Grimm's Tao as he considers it an irregularity that differs from anything else.

Unlike other things he saw using Tao, Grimm has their Tao almost totally contained with barely of it joining the wave outside. Even then, Stephen sure that they didn't really join the wave. All of the Beowolf he saw with his eyes has their thread interwoven with each other and heading toward the same direction. His guess was the Grimm pool or whatever it is that generated the Grimm.

Normally, even without looking deeper into the flow within living beings, their Tao can be scarcely seen cycling in through their flesh, blood, organs, and pretty much everything else that made it up. The Grimm though, their flow was a mess. Besides their eyes, Stephen couldn't discern if they even have an organ within.

Stephen stopped his observation of their working as he stepped into their midst. He keeps walking until he reaches the farthest in their pack before he flares his Tao and hits two of them with a roundhouse kick right in the head. He watches as a small amount of Tao behind the kick almost deformed their head right at the moment of contact.

He didn't examine how their Tao act after they died as he immediately rolled to the front to evade an attack coming from behind. As his presence was once again detected by the Grimm he prepares to engage them in battle. He placed the wooden case from his back into the ground before he opened it and took out his spear.

He grinned at the oncoming Grimm as he brandished his spear and took a stance with his spear pointed forward. In practiced motion, he channels his Tao into his spear and stabbed forward into the nearest incoming Beowolf right the chest.

The spear sunk without resistance before he pulled it out and sweep toward his left, hitting an arm that almost grazes him. Sensing incoming Tao of Grimm from his right, he ducked an offending appendage before he gripped it tightly with his right hand.

Like what he did with a tree in his experiment, he reaches his Tao inwards the Grimm in an attempt to manipulate it. His Tao connected with the Beowolf with ease. At this moment he knew that what he perceives from outside was but a tip of how messy Grimm Tao is.

Not a single organ or anything that resembles it inside. Just hard material that took shape of bones within the flesh that made Grimm into what it is. It's revolting and unnatural Tao disgusted him as he cut off the connection just as he messes the already disorderly flow of Grimm's Tao. The Beowolf's body swelled up as he pushed it to the rest of its kind. It's exploded and took out another one while disoriented the rest including Stephen.

'Okay, that was a bad idea.' Stephen thought as he reorients himself. 'I should've jumped back even further or be prepared for it.'

'That's a five.' He counted his kill as he threw the spear at still discombobulated Grimm and pierce two at the same time. 'Seven.'

He took out his sword and unfolded it before he slashed toward his left. Cutting a Grimm right at it's neck. 'Eight.' Stephen dodges a falling Grimm's body as he dashed forward ahead toward his case. He went uninterrupted as he took out a repeating crossbow from inside and start firing Tao imbued bolt.

'Nine, ten, eleven.' Out of seven bolts inside the repeating crossbow, he fired five bolts that pierce through all of the intended targets. Killing three Grimm with it. The last of Beowolf roared in defiance as it sprints towards him mindlessly.

"Shame you're not an alpha," He fired the last two bolts right at its legs, taking most of its mobility. Stephen walked toward the crawling Grimm that still moves toward him. "But at least I hope you're durable enough for my experiment."

--To be continue.