Ken approached his soon-to-be master's house two days later, ready to attempt the test. Although he hadn't practiced much, he felt confident. Judging by how the man had described the test last time he saw him, he figured it couldn't be too difficult. Then again, he did say that only one person had passed it before, Ken thought. He wore gray shorts, a white wife beater and sneakers. He carried his own gear in a gym bag slung over his shoulder, just in case the man wasn't going to provide equipment, which wouldn't have surprised him. He stood several paces away from the entrance for no more than a moment before he heard the man's voice telling him to come in.

Ken walked in as commanded and was impressed to see a massive dojo. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary house, but the inside made it seem larger than it actually was. A long hallway with many rooms on either side led to a wide open space for training. Everything was made out of wood. The man smiled and led the way into the training space. "Good to see you didn't chicken out," he said, stopping to look at Ken when they reached the training space. "What's in the bag?"

"Just my training equipment. Guards, gloves, stuff like that," Ken replied.

"You won't be needing that stuff here, son. But at least you're taking this seriously," the man said, chuckling at first.

"You seem to be in a good mood," Ken commented, noticing the man's eyes had a hint of gold in them this time. The man only chuckled once more. Ken put down his gym bag on a bench near the hallway and removed his shoes before turning to the center of the area. He stood face to face with the man, no more than two paces away.

"You said last time you know how to channel your energy properly. Show me. Put out your right hand and channel your energy into it," the man said. When Ken did it, he nodded and said "good."

"How do you even know I'm actually doing it?" Ken asked.

"I told you I can detect spirit energy. At more advanced stages, you can detect how it moves in another person's body, determine how powerful they are and even determine their identity. You will learn these things if you pass my test. Now, throw a punch while channelling your energy."

Ken jabbed the air, but deliberately kept his energy at bay to see how he would react. The man immediately began laughing. "A skeptic huh? I like that. Let me see you shadow box now, no screwing around." After a minute of demonstrating, Ken was asked to stop. "Now throw a punch, but channel your energy into the opposite arm."

"What?" Ken asked, freezing in the process of throwing the punch. "Why?"

"You said you knew how." Ken blinked and did what he was told awkwardly. "There's still a little energy in the wrong arm. You're sloppy."

"This is impractical. Why would I put my energy in the arm that isn't attacking?"

"Because a real opponent can detect your energy like I can. A real opponent will know what's coming by the flow of your energy. Having complete control over the flow of your energy is fundamental to fighting well. You'll need to be unpredictable to your opponent. Now shadow box with your energy going in the opposite direction."

Although convinced that it was a ridiculous exercise at first, Ken's inability to do it well motivated him to try harder. The task was more mentally taxing than it was physically. He was so used to doing it the way he had been all his life, that doing the opposite took a lot of time to get accustomed to. Even though it was clear he had not gotten the hang of it yet, the man asked him stop. "Now I want you to do the opposite in a different way. Throw a punch with your right, but your energy rushes into your left leg. Understand? The test will begin in two hours. You will defend my blows, but your energy will go opposite the arm or leg you're using. When I tell you to switch, you're energy will go into the opposite limb entirely. Failure to channel ur energy correctly three times means you fail the test. You have three tries to pass the test. Good luck," the man said before walking into the hallway and into one of the rooms.

Holy shit, Ken thought as he practiced, realizing how simple the task was, but also how difficult. However, he was convinced now that this man was the real deal and that he could learn an enormous amount from him. He knew if he passed this test he could become the ultimate fighter with his teachings. But then he couldn't help but wonder who this man was and how come he had never participated in an MMA tournament? With what he was capable of, he could easily be the best in the world. He would be unstoppable. Yet Ken had not recognized him from anywhere.

After two hours, he expectedly failed the test and was dismissed, having been told to come back the next day at the same time to try again. "Before I go, I have to know your name," Ken said.

"You'll know once you pass," the man replied.

"I will pass, but I need to know who you are. It's incredible that I don't know."

"I guess that's one way of putting it."

"Your name," Ken demanded, meeting his gaze directly. The same gold hue was in the man's eyes.

"Iraltiphos."