However, there was no such thing as a free lunch. The difficulty of this technique was evident. Even the sage of slaughter wasn't able to practice this technique to a high level. Of course, this stemmed from him practicing it at a later period of his life.
In order to start practicing this technique, Adrian had to make various preparations. He spent a week preparing various rank 2 healing pills and concealment pills.
The astral steps worked on the concept of traversing through the void. Someone who practices the technique would be able to move freely through the void that exists between him and his target.
The void was a mysterious region that existed in the World around them. Only those with sufficient power would be able to interact with it normally. Travelling through it required even more strength. If those old powerhouses were to hear that Adrian was already planning to travel through it, who knows how they would react?
That wasn't the only benefit of the Astral steps. Because he was moving through the void, his presence would be hidden from his foes, making it an excellent camouflage technique.
It was basically the dream movement technique for any assassin. Of course, this was only while he was running. It wouldn't work if he were stationary. Or perhaps it would. Adrian didn't know yet.
Perhaps, he would be able to do it if his mastery had reached a very high level. Until then, he would have to make do with only being camouflaged only when running through the void.
However, at his current level, moving through the void would only be a pipe dream. He couldn't even sense the boundary between the real world and the void, much less pass through it. He wasn't strong enough to break the boundary, so he could only slip through it.
This was the most someone at his level could achieve with the astral steps.
He took a deep breath before swallowing one of the concealment pills. His aura faded as his presence became faint. He then started moving his feet slowly in a specific pattern.
The concealment pill was necessary in order to hide his presence from the world so that he could bypass it. He was using it in order to get used to that feeling until he could eventually do it himself.
He closed his eyes, breathing deeply. The air was thin, yet it carried a purity that seemed to cleanse his lungs. He focused on trying to feel the space surrounding his body. Slowly, his heartbeat slowed, and the world around him faded.
His concentration deepened as he began muttering to himself.
"Feel the boundary between worlds. It is not a wall but a veil, thin and fragile. With every breath, push against it."
He continued moving rhythmically like this for almost two hours until he finally sensed something.
The sensation was disorienting, as if he were stretching an invisible thread between his body and the infinite. At first, there was resistance, like trying to move through water. But as he concentrated, the veil began to ripple, and for a fleeting moment, he felt weightless.
As soon as he grasped this sensation, he dashed into trying to pierce through it. However, a sharp pain wracked through his body as he crashed into 'a wall'. His body crumpled before he spat out a mouthful of blood. He had failed to pass through the void.
Adrian quickly took out a healing pill and swallowed it without hesitation. A warm sensation filled his body and started healing his injuries as he sat down to digest his discoveries..
"I was too impatient. I can't sense the boundary properly, yet I was trying to pass through it. That was simply reckless."
He thought as he kept going over the sensation over and over again in his mind.
It was as if he were detaching himself from the whole world. To be honest, it spooked him a bit.
After healing his injuries, he looked up to the sky to see that the sun had already started setting. He decided not to continue training and headed inside at that point.
He continued this routine for about two weeks. Every time he tried to pass the boundary, he would crash into it and get injured every time. However, this did not deter him. With every failure, he found a new problem to fix.
This continued until one night. As Adrian practiced under the light of the crescent moon, something clicked. The faint hum of the void grew louder, resonating within his very bones. His breaths became shallow, his heartbeat distant. The veil between worlds shimmered before him, tantalizingly close.
Without thinking, Adrian stepped forward.
The world shifted.
As he disappeared from his initial position, stars swirled around him, and for a brief, exhilarating moment, he could see their light painting the edges of his vision. He felt untethered, free of the constraints of flesh and bone.
Then, with a surge of instinct, he reached out toward the plateau and stumbled back into the physical world.
He appeared a dozen meters away from his previous position.
Adrian collapsed on the ground, his chest heaving. But a smile broke across his face. He had done it.
Two weeks! Two fucking weeks! That was how long it had taken Adrian to take the first steps in mastering this Movement technique. If the Sage of Slaughter heard this, who knew how he would react?
It wasn't that it was too slow. No. Quite the opposite. When the Sage of Slaughter first stumbled upon this technique, it took him half a year before he could even comprehend a little bit of it.
One had to remember that his realm was much higher than Adrian's when he found this technique. While his actual power level was unknown, it was certainly much higher than Adrian's Foundation Establishment realm strength.
However, all of this was unknown to Adrian. His mind raced with various thoughts. Excitement at finally being able to execute the technique. He was also lamenting at how truly difficult this technique was.
While he managed to execute the technique, he had no control over it. The distance he travelled was due to him running out of Qi and thus being expelled by the boundary of the world.