"Always listen to your intuition, it's the only compass that will never betray you. That, if you are trained enough to listen."
"You're so lucky to have such a wise teacher," Binia said leading the way to the training grounds. The lecture ended, and Azar was the one who spoke and answered questions for more the half the time.
Next was the training class and all the students went to change their clothes. Even though Azar was part of the representative team, he still needed to participate to the group trainings. But he didn't have a uniform.
"Is there a special place where the representatives train?" asked Azar, unsure of what he should do.
"Not really, everyone practices together at training ground 1. That area is only for the elites, so they have many dueling partners," Binia responded. "Is there a problem?" he asked seeing Azar looking around for something.
"I don't have a training uniform, so I thought that it might be at the representative's training ground," answered Azar in the same carefree manner. If he had one ready, he would most likely receive it. And if he didn't have one, It wasn't his fault.
"It's definitely in the locker room. The new uniforms are usually placed there," Binia said with a smile. ". . . I have a question, what's your combat rank?"
"A," Azar answered shortly. He was about to say [S] from habit, but he corrected himself before opening his mouth.
Binia just nodded his head without saying another word. Azar didn't have any questions for him either, so the two continued their walk in silence.
Entering the men's locker room, Azar was welcomed by different smells and loud laughter.
"Hei, new guy!" called a student who just removed his shirt. "Your name's on that locker." He pointed to a locker at the back of the room.
"Thanks!" Azar replied moving from the spot. As Binia said, his training uniform was inside the locker, together with a key and a note with 'Good luck!' written on it.
'Thanks, I guess,' Azar said in his mind.
In the secluded confines of the locker room, Azar stood amidst the tranquil aura of the sun's light filtering through the tall windows. His silhouette, chiseled and defined, was etched against the backdrop of ancient tapestries and ornate weaponry adorning the walls.
With a deliberate motion, he unclasped the layers that shielded his physique —a symphony of muscles rippling beneath the fabric as he shed the vestiges of the outside world. The garments fell, pooling at his feet like discarded remnants, revealing a torso honed through relentless dedication.
The rays of light embraced the sinewy contours of his body, each sculpted curve, a testament to tireless discipline and unwavering commitment. The soft, golden hue of the sun accentuated the shadows tracing his toned abdomen while veins subtly coursed beneath his skin, whispering of untapped strength.
In fluid motion, Azar reached for the new set of attire — a garb tailored for agility and freedom of movement, each fabric chosen with precision to complement the students' arduous training regimen. And as he adorned himself, the attire seemed to meld seamlessly with the contours of his physique, a second skin woven to accompany the grace of his practiced motions. Azar didn't felt constrained, the training uniform still having the dark green color of the students in the final year. Leather armor covering the elbow and knee parts of the costume.
Barefoot upon the polished floor, Azar exuded an air of masculinity. He could act like a student, but couldn't hide the habitual way of doing things. That meant hiding his nature, and he wasn't willing to change that.
With the boots on, the final adjustment made, Azar stood poised, an epitome of physical prowess ready to step out and claim hearts. The attire became an extension of his disciplined form, accentuating the elegance and strength that defined his very being.
He had an athletic body, constructed with precision and care for the purpose of being able to resist to any given task and environment. He liked to be fast, but strong. To look amazing, but not to spend much time on that.
Binia was already waiting by the door when Azar came out of the locker room. "Took you long enough," he joked. He wasn't much faster, but he had the advantage of being accustomed with the training costume.
"Let's see who wins next time," Azar responded with a smile. He had a competitive nature that could easily be stimulated.
"I will gladly accept your challenge," Binia said before leading the way to the training ground. He wasn't a docile person either as he never stepped back from a provocation.
The training ground was covered by fresh, short grass that emitted the scent of nature everytime someone stepped on it. The grass raised back up and started to regenerate immediately after being stepped on. Azar observed this phenomenon and used his palm to sent an energy blade that left a deep cut on the ground. And as expected, everything started to regenerate immediately.
Binia looked as his colleague with a pride coming from within. "The training grounds are build on top of arrays that can absorb energy from beneath and transfer it to everything above. Unfortunately, the energy can't be used for cultivation, but works wanders with the regeneration of the land. You can make holes, burn, freeze, or transfer the earth, and it will still regenerate. This way we can train without worrying about the environment. Isn't it cool?" he explained before laying down on the ground and inhaling the fresh smell of the grass.
"It's amazing." Azar approved the words of his colleague. The real fights never happened on rings or hard stone platforms, so it was indeed much better to train on the natural ground from the start. But there was a platform, so he didn't have much hopes for battling elsewhere.
'How many students are training with us?' Azar asked himself observing how students continued to enter the gate of the training ground without a stop. Binia said that this area was just for the elites from the last year of studies, so Azar looked at them through his [Spiritual Perception]. But from the feeble aura they possessed, he was sure that most of them had a combat/support power around [rank C]
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Lefeer kingdom wasn't the most powerful force on the continent, there was not even a single [Enlightened Ascendant] in its territory. The most powerful person being the Marshall with a cultivation of a 5 Star [Aikyam]. But Azar's generation should change that.
More then two decades ago, the prophets said that there would be a time span of five years in which many geniuses will be born. At that time, even the knowledgeable oracles from the Six Great Clans said the same. Azar's generation was the most gifted one from the past thousand years. They were sent by the creator himself to help and ensure the safety of humanity in the times that will come.
And as a sign for the truth spoken by the oracles many leaders from important powers had children in the same period. In Lefeer kingdom, the king and queen were blessed with two kids at a distance of a year. While the duke, the king's brother, also had a daughter. In time, they indeed proved their talent as their cultivation speed was astonishing, giving hopes that in the future the kingdom will be blessed with a powerhouse above the level of an Aikyam.
Azar was born in a family of lower nobility, but he was without a question a genius. He was able to compete with prince Christian who had the same age. Both of them trained in the art of sword, and in their duels none managed to have the upper hand, always ending in a clear draw.
In Azar's view there should be more talented individuals in the kingdom, but he wasn't aware that in the past, a few generations before his birth, those who reached the level of an Aikyam before 35 were considered terrifying existences. However, as the new generation was better then the old, it was no wonder that some changes needed to occur.
"Enter formation and start counting!" Echoed a feminine voice, and everybody got in place to obey her command.
"Is she the instructor?" Asked Azar in a low voice. He looked at the women walking casually, younger then thirty, and with a body much better prepared then the girls in formation. Her uniform opened in a v neck, revealing part of her gift from the mother nature. She came barefooted, her fingers caressing the grass blades as she walked moving her hips in an enchanting way, perfectly fit for her demeanor. She looked to be a confident, young, women, not not a single student seemed to have thoughts about her. They executed her commands with maximum attention and precision. Azar could feel a faint fear coming from them, he wandered why.
'Is she so bad?, ...But still, that's a nice tan,' He said for himself. She had a pretty face, and long auburn hair tied at the back, fitting perfectly with her skin. Her noze was on the smaller side, and she didn't have long nails. For Azar, those were signs that indicated a nice personality. 'Maybe she's a rigorous teacher, and that's why their acting like this.'
The counting sound ended, with the last in line making a step forward and voicing his number in a loud voice, "107," The boy said before resuming his initial position. Everyone stood tall with their body in place and their chests forward, like in the army. From a habit, Azar kept his hand at the back, and his chin slightly upwards. The teacher observed his posture immediately as he was out of the normal order. The rest of the students kept their hands straight, and while their posture was alright, their eyes fluttered in boredom.
Checking the agenda in her hand, the teacher gave the instructions, "The eight of you from the representative team will come with me, the rest of you have ten minutes to warm up!" She said heading a a little further from the students.
As per orders, six students came out of the line and follower her. The rest proceeded with their exercises, but still kept their eyes on team.
"Aren't they supposed to be seven?" Asked a student while doing his stretching.
"That's what I was thinking about," Responded another.
The six students from the representative team had the same curious expressions, keeping their eyes on Azar and assessing him from head to toe. Is he coming as a reserve, or is he entering the main squad? That was all of them asked, with the exception of Binia.
"Why you never said that you're a representative?" Azar asked, a slight smile at the corner of his lips. From the aura difference between Binia and the majority, Azar though about this possibility. Just that he didn't ask.
"You never asked, and I'm a modest person," Said Binia placing a hand on Azar's shoulder.
"Have you remained out of modesty?" Teased Azar as both of them laughed. They were the only two who had the mood to be joyful.
The group arrived before the teacher and aligned respectfully. The teacher looked at them, examining their aura respectively, and voiced her mind, "You've made improvements, that's good. But it's not nearly enough if we want to win the competition."
The students remained silant, but the teacher continued, "I was noticed in the morning that Prince Christian has stepped into the level of an Aikyam last night. And while this is a blessing for our kingdom and a motive of joy for everyone, we are in a tough position. Prince Christian didn't disappoint his family and followed into the footsteps of his sister and became an Aikyam. We expected this. But this event only puts more pressure on you. As the representative team of this academy, you will have to face him. And honestly soeaking, I don't give you a chance of winning. Fadim's team is made from unparalleled geniuses that even their board can hardly believe their eyes. I'm not telling you this to lower your confidence, but to give you time to prepare mentally. Even if you can't take the first place, you can at least end up second. And you should not admit defeat without a fight. This year, the third ranked academy also has a better lineup then in the last competition. They say that their squad is as strong as the one four years ago. If their words are true, then they seriously have chances to contend with us," She made a pause before asking in a softer tone, "Do you have any questions until this point?"
The rest remained silent, their head lowered, obviously affected by the news. But Azar was calm as usual, and maybe a little delighted at the news of his childhood friend.
"Teacher, who are the representatives of Fadim?" Asked Azar, his voice pleasant and without ripples of emotions.
"Prince Christian, his cousin Elisse, Isaac, Ruan and Cravos," She responded swiftly, assing Azar from head to toe. Their gazes intersected for a moment, and Azar could get a glimpse of her crystal clear, green, eyes. She seemed uninterested in his capabilities, as he wasn't that far ahead from his colleagues.
"You must be the guy appointed by the dean. Just so you know, I'll have to test you capabilities before allowing you to join the main team," The teacher said approaching Azar and extending her arm for a handshake, "My name is Natalia, I'm the teacher in charge with the elites training and the representative's preparation."
Azar accepted her handshake and firmly grabbed her hand in his palm. At this distance, he could fell her fragrance, it smelled like a fragrant wood, it emitted power and was just a little bit sweet. 'It suits you,' Azar approved in his mind. But at this moment, the pressure from Natalia's hand grew bigger, she squeezed Azar's hand, even though it was bigger.
Azar remained smiling, keeping the eye contact without even flinching. He let her have her way for a few seconds before he directed more power into his hand and started the offensive, "My name is Azar, I just returned from my training. It is a pleasure to have such a beautiful yet firm teacher preparing me for the upcoming competition," He said with a bright face, only letting go of the soft hand in his grasp when Natalia's lower lip flinched from the pain. She acted like nothing happened, but her gaze struggled with not staring daggers at her student.
The rest of the students looked at Azar in shock because of the manner in which he dared to speak to a teacher. In the most people eyes it was unacceptable for someone with a lower rank to make such compliments to a superior. It was a lack of respect. But Azar didn't feel lower and he proved his stance with his actions. Natalia was an [Aikyam], yet she was unable to subdue him. That was definitely a blow in her confidence. At least she would change the manner in which she interacted with him.