Kahn began studying spiritbending under Guru Pathik, and in this field, he displayed considerable talent as well.
Within only a few days, he was already capable of using several simple applications.
For example—
Kahn sat cross-legged atop the mountain, his eyes closed in ditation.
Although his eyes were shut, the sights he could perceive had beco far more nurous.
He saw Guru Pathik standing behind him, observing quietly.
He saw ants moving in lines through the grass, carrying food.
He saw the temple shining like gold beneath the sun.
He saw East, South, West, and North moving through the complex.
All things possessed spirit.
A spiritbender could use the existence of those spirits as their own eyes, observing the world through them in order to seek safety and avoid danger.
No matter what Guru Pathik called the ability, Kahn chose to call it spirit sight.
The range of spirit sight depended on the strength of the spiritbender's own spirit.
At present, Kahn could only observe the entire Eastern Air Temple complex, covering several mountain peaks.
That already sounded impressive.
But compared to Guru Pathik, who could perceive all things and know distant events without leaving his dwelling, Kahn was still far away.
Besides that, there were many other limitations.
Although all things possessed spirit, not everything could serve as a useful dium.
If the dium's spirit was too weak, perception would be unclear.
If the dium's spirit was too strong, the spiritbender could not interfere with it.
Of course, even with those limitations, the ability was still extrely practical.
At least from now on, Kahn would not need to leave his body to search for people.
That thod had been heavily restricted and far too dangerous.
Not only was the physical body exposed to danger, but the projected spirit itself could also encounter danger, especially from malevolent spirits.
Bending was driven by the chi within the human body.
Chi was the product of body and spirit joined together.
That ant Kahn, while in spirit form, could not generate chi and therefore could not bend.
If he encountered an evil spirit under those conditions, the result would be obvious.
Seeing Kahn's progress, Guru Pathik was also quite pleased and praised him.
"Your temperant truly is well suited to learning spiritbending."
Spiritbending, as the na suggested, was the art of controlling spirit.
That did not only an techniques for using spirits as a dium.
It also included controlling one's own spirit, which was the cultivation of the mind.
In Guru Pathik's view, talent for learning spiritbending was secondary.
What mattered most was the exploration, discovery, and awakening of the self.
In that regard, Kahn had great potential.
Speaking of this, one could not help recalling the underachieving disciple Guru Pathik had ntioned before, who had now been confird to be Iroh.
According to the guru, Iroh suppressed himself too much and carried too many thoughts, which had severely hindered his progress in spiritbending.
Kahn strongly agreed with that assessnt.
Although Iroh appeared optimistic and cheerful on the surface, after years of interaction, Kahn had found that he was indeed as the guru described.
His habit of speaking in riddles alone was already clear proof.
In addition, Kahn learned that Guru Pathik had been waiting for the Avatar's return for many years.
The guru said his mission was to help the Avatar with a certain kind of training.
When this topic ca up, Kahn could not help asking curiously,
"Guru, if you can perceive all things in the world, how have you still not found the Avatar after all these years?"
Guru Pathik smiled, shook his head, and said,
"If the Avatar himself does not wish to appear, then no one can find him."
"Not even I can."
"I am rely waiting for his return."
"When that ti cos, I will offer him a little help."
"What if he never returns?"
"Then I will continue waiting."
"Even if my physical body perishes, I will wait in the Spirit World until he appears."
For a spiritbender, the destruction of the physical body did not necessarily an death.
As long as they willingly left their body, a spiritbender could preserve themselves in spirit form and achieve a kind of immortality, no different from a spirit.
Even so, Kahn had never seen any spiritbenders from the past.
It was as if all of them had given up on immortality.
This puzzled him, since immortality was one of humanity's oldest dreams.
But Guru Pathik told him that humans and spirits were fundantally different.
Immortality, which ca naturally to spirits, was not as wonderful for humans as they imagined.
Kahn then asked why he had to help the Avatar.
Guru Pathik answered,
"At first, it was a request from an Air Nomad friend."
"Now, it can also be considered my own wish."
That ant Guru Pathik's spiritbending had already been advanced enough to teach the Avatar a hundred years ago.
Kahn was deeply shocked.
This was practically a living legend from another age.
Returning to the main subject, although he had learned spirit sight, that was only an application of spiritbending, not a true cultivation thod.
To cultivate spiritbending properly, one first had to understand an energy called chakra.
"Chakra?"
Sothing deep in Kahn's mory stirred.
"Hmm?"
"Do you know sothing about this energy?"
"Ah, uh, no."
"It just sounds a little familiar."
Kahn awkwardly brushed it off and continued listening to Guru Pathik.
In Guru Pathik's explanation, chakra was the union of physical energy and spiritual energy.
It sounded very much like another na for chi.
Chakra governed both the body and the mind.
Physically, it was connected to the functions of various organs.
Psychologically, it affected emotion and thought.
Conversely, chakra was also influenced by both body and mind.
Within the human body, chakra gathered in seven pools of energy.
Each pool had its own function, but each was also affected by specific emotions, which often caused it to beco clouded.
"The Earth Chakra is located at the base of the spine."
"It is related to survival and is blocked by fear."
"The Water Chakra is located at the sacrum."
"It is related to pleasure and is blocked by guilt."
"The Fire Chakra is located in the stomach."
"It is related to willpower and is blocked by sha."
"The Air Chakra is located in the heart."
"It is related to love and is blocked by grief."
"The Sound Chakra is located in the throat."
"It is related to truth and is blocked by lies."
"The Light Chakra is located between the eyebrows."
"It is related to insight and is blocked by illusion."
"The Thought Chakra is located at the crown of the head."
"It is related to pure cosmic energy and is blocked by earthly attachnt."
"These seven chakras also represent seven spiritual obstacles."
"Most ordinary people are troubled by them throughout their lives."
"Our cultivation as spiritbenders is to clear away these distractions and reach a state where mind and spirit are both clear."
"Seven chakras, seven obstacles…"
Although he had not yet begun cultivating, Kahn could already feel the difficulty within it.
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