Avatar - Conquering the Elements-Chapter 96. Vibrations.

Bumi stopped joking around and seriously asked me about my sources of information regarding the Avatar. I had to improvise and come up with something resembling the truth on the spot. After all, from the animated series, I knew Aang might still be floating in his natural "cryogenic chamber." After my conversation with the Earth King, the chances of that outcome skyrocketed.

"I have this feeling that you're on the verge of a major breakthrough in earthbending," Bumi said, thoughtfully looking at me.

"He's been walking this earth for so many years—it's no wonder!" The Earth Kingdom truly lacks the same kind of push that the Fire Nation got from the dragons. Honestly, people don't have these concepts: low, mid, high. There are students, average benders, and masters, and it's all based on your level of control over the element.

Unlike me, they don't have gates that, when passed through, give you a serious leap forward. My transition from mid to high gave me a lot of perks, so to speak. Everyone else's elemental development is gradual. For my own convenience, I started categorizing everyone based on the spirits themselves. After all, you expect a master who's spent a lifetime mastering their element to have higher-quality energy, not to mention the quantity, which should also be top-notch.

"It seems I'm just one step away," I confirmed his thoughts.

"I've got something that might help you with that!" he clapped his hands, his eyes sparkling as he stared at me.

"Something about his excitement doesn't sit right with me..." But with his experience, there's definitely something special in his arsenal. "I want it, but it's risky..." Oh well, let's see what happens!

"I wouldn't say no to your wisdom," I cautiously replied.

"Alright, then, to keep it fair, you'll answer one of my questions!"

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"Deal!" I agreed immediately.

"I overheard a conversation about a certain Wan from the Green Flame family and an old sword master, Piandao. Apparently, Wan jokingly mentioned the possibility of splitting his body..." Madmen, they see the truth where it actually exists. I didn't expect that question... My mind raced to come up with an excuse, but Bumi kept talking. "He also said his close friend is the famous Roku from the Earth Kingdom."

"And here's the question... Are Wan and you the same person?" Without giving me a chance to respond, he added, "Most likely, Yuki—the current Chief of the Northern Water Tribe—is you too!"

All four of my minds were now calculating the situation. Bumi's a character with his own quirks, which have only grown over the years. He's one of the strongest, if not the strongest, earthbenders. In both the animated series and this life, I've never heard anything truly bad about him. Good! I think I can tell him a bit more, and he probably already figured it out anyway.

"Judging by your prolonged silence"—hey, it's only been two seconds!—"It's all true!" he finished with a laugh. "Despite my age, my mind's still sharp!" he tapped his head.

"Yes, that's right," I sighed, "I hope this doesn't go any further?" I asked hopefully, clasping my hands together.

"Who'd believe this old man?" he waved his hand, but seeing I was still uneasy, he said, "Alright, alright, I won't tell anyone."

"I should be more careful with my words from now on." This time it worked out, but if someone else found out, all my plans would go up in smoke.

"The Water Tribes are already in your pocket," he started counting on his bony fingers, "The Earth Kingdom's almost there too," he bent a second finger, "And the Fire Nation's next in line," he whistled at the end, "It seems our world's in for massive changes! But... what's it all for?" The air around Bumi seemed to thicken, and if he didn't like the answer, he'd attack immediately...

Over the next fifteen minutes, I detailed the impending future, the spirits, and humanity's possible fate if Vaatu won.

"Exciting times await our grandchildren and great-grandchildren," even after my words, Bumi didn't lose his optimism. "Now it's clear why you and Lao have been so active. The sooner you start preparing, the better."

"We've overstayed, it's getting late," as soon as he stood up from the table, he tapped his foot on the ground, sending a vibration. Soon, a passage appeared in the side wall, and the person who'd escorted us here stepped out. "Show our guest to his room," Bumi told him.

"Please follow me," he bowed to me.

"We'll start your training tomorrow," the Earth King nodded, opening another door for himself.

"I expected a more intense reaction to my words," but apparently, even this didn't impress him...

I was led through the empty palace corridors. Along the way, I didn't see a single door. We stopped at one of the walls. Before I could ask, my guide opened a passage. Inside was a plain-looking room with everything I needed.

"Goodnight, Lord Roku," he bowed and left, closing the passage behind him.

"They really thought this through... Saved a lot on doors."

After some small talk, I realized everything had gone well.

"I wonder what Bumi's going to show me?" But nothing useful came to mind, so I stopped worrying and went to sleep.

*

Today, Bumi came to breakfast in a gaudy purple outfit that Toph genuinely liked...

Right after the meal, Bumi took me to the arena—the same one where, in the series, he fought Aang.

"I only mastered this technique ten... or twenty years ago," he began, "And essentially, any earthbender who knows how to listen to the earth can learn it. I'll show you now," with one motion, he removed his outfit, revealing a lean, muscular torso that no centenarian should have.

The arena was scattered with stones of various sizes. In the next moment, Bumi slightly lifted his right foot and gently placed it back on the ground. The energy used was minimal—not even enough to lift a pebble. But... a stone standing a short distance away simply shattered into pieces!

"Got it?" Bumi asked me.

"Not a clue..." I said, examining the spot with all my senses.

"Figured as much," he muttered, "Most likely, you can already sense the movements and positions of objects through your own vibrations?" I nodded eagerly. "That's our problem—we've forgotten how to feel the earth's vibrations."

According to Bumi, the earth itself is alive, with its own rhythms, vibrations, waves—any of these will do. Because of our seismicsensitivity, we've stopped sensing them. Our own waves take up all our attention, creating noise that blocks these vibrations.

"Your task is to relearn how to 'hear' the earth. But that's only half the battle. Once you pass this stage, you'll need to tune your vibrations to match the earth's! Let me tell you, they're never the same—each one's shorter, longer, or stronger than the last. You're essentially borrowing its power to amplify your techniques. That's exactly what I just did," he pointed to where the stone had been. "And imagine using all your strength under the earth's strongest vibration! You could even lift a city!" he said excitedly, seemingly eager to try it.

"I think I get how he single-handedly freed his city when the Fire Nation captured it..." In that episode, he could move entire buildings and districts without even touching the ground! Most likely, his skill had also evolved, and he could sense these vibrations even without contact. "This is definitely worth learning!"

"What's next?" I found myself catching his enthusiasm.

"That's it," he shrugged, "The rest is up to you."

"Not exactly what I expected..." I thought there'd be some secret training to help me learn faster.

"Oh, by the way, train outside the city. With your power, you might accidentally destroy my city," he reminded me before getting dressed. "Flopsy, Toph, and I are best friends, toot-toot, la-la-la..." And he just walked away, humming a tune.

Without wasting time, I immediately headed a respectful distance from the city. I wanted to try finding these "waves" as soon as possible. The first thing I did was shut off my sensory abilities since they were indeed "clogging the channel with noise."

For almost half a day, I racked my brain under the hot sun, trying to sense something, but it was all in vain.

"Hmm, earthquakes—can they be considered earth's vibrations?" It's worth a shot. After all, to master lightning, I calmly stood in a lightning storm. To open my chakra, I jumped into lava. So why not head to the epicenter of tremors? "Volcanoes would work, even better, since they're saturated with fire energy, making it easier to notice the earth..."

Soon, I quickly said goodbye to Toph, Lao, and Bumi, telling them I'd be back in four or five days. I wasn't sure how long I'd be gone, but I figured there'd definitely be some positive progress by then.

I took the shortest route, teleporting to Wan while no one was around.

"Fly out from the west side—the guards there aren't as alert," I don't know why we're saying this aloud...

And there I was, thousands of kilometers away, facing one of the most active volcanoes, which would eventually give the Fire Nation a new island.

"Well, let's try this," I said, placing my bare feet on the nearly cooled lava at the bottom. Even it would've caused major discomfort before, but my skin's now used to massive doses of high temperatures, and I don't notice the difference at all.

Soon, new strong tremors began, which, if I hadn't stood firm, would've knocked me off my feet. I no longer felt the fresh lava flowing over my feet or the air being displaced by ash. My entire being focused on the earth.

"Found it!" The vibrations were indeed helping the scorching gases and lava rise, as if overlaying them. "Let's try something."

One foot slightly lifted, and after a full minute, it came back down, causing a massive crack in the volcano, from which lava immediately began to flow.

At the same time, my earthbending was transforming. The energy inside it was qualitatively changing and condensing. Now, only my airbending looked like a little younger brother, waiting to grow up.

"It wasn't as hard as I thought." Overlaying my vibration on the waves coming from the earth was even easier than finding the right key for a new patient in water healing. Maybe that's what helped me understand the concept so quickly.

My sensitivity range greatly increased. The earth's energy flowing through my channels was ready to respond to commands at any moment. All my abilities took a huge leap forward. But there was still some discomfort—I'd need to adjust to the new parameters.

Over the next two days, I practiced earthbending on the nearest uninhabited island. Purely out of curiosity, I decided to use maximum energy, overlaying it on the strongest vibration.

"Earth God Roku!" I laughed, seeing the consequences of my strike. The small island simply split in two! "I need to keep my destructive desires in check." I wanted to see how other objects would break.

That same day, I teleported to Yi, and from there, flew to Omashu.