As time was passing, and the sun was rising past the mid-daylight, a few guards were coming out from the gates of the camp, holding the reins to several horses.
At the front of them all, was Rowen, who began to look left and right, before spotting Levis several meters to the left of the gate, sleeping with his back on the wall. But as he was looking, the boy opened his eyes and looked directly at him, after which he started to grin, before running toward him in a moment's time.
“It is time already?”
“Yes, but I guess to you, who had done nothing else but to sleep while waiting for time to pass, not much had happened.”
“Yes.”
But as the eyelids of Rowen's eyes began to twitch, he could not understand, that after Levis had come out and had decided to cultivate next to the wall, time had seemingly jumped from that moment to this, as his cultivation and sleep were all the same, a huge and disorienting, time jump from a moment to another, while not feeling the time passing at all.
“Now listen carefully, you will go alongside Adrian and three others to your village. At your village, Adrian will leave and you will be accompanied by Hubert during your stay there, you can stay a day or two, after which, you will come back, by the two of you, or with Adrian's group, understand!?”
“Yes, I understand. You don’t have to worry.”
“The one that needs to worry is you, as I heard your name, being shouted many times inside the camp.”
“Aunty village chief?!”
“I don’t know, though, you might want to go, before you can not leave this place.”
“Yes, Yes, let's go!”
“Take him. Adrian, don’t forget what I said.”
“Yes, Captain.”
Before Levis could say anything more, a man riding on a horse came and took him, placing him at the front, allowing him to have a full view in front of him. But just as Rowen and Adrian had a few words, the horses began to walk before going into a full gallop.
“Tenacious little bastard.”
“However, that just proves that he holds familial piety and loyalty, even though he is like a little devil in human form.”
“Sigh, we still need to discuss to his village about his future, if I really want to take him with me.”
“It might not prove difficult, as he will likely come if he desires vengeance for his departed, as power is the only thing that will help him achieve it.”
“We will see, once he returns.”
However as Rowen and old Wan were discussing on the prospect of taking Levis with him, the boy was scrutinizing the guard that had taken him to ride.
As he was looking at him in spars glances, all that he could say was that he was a man of average stature, not tall nor short, not fat nor skinny, with shoulder-length hair, a laid-back and relaxed face, and eyes that seemed to be falling, as he gave a rather mature like appearance at first sight, however, if one was to look longer, it could be understood that the age he was demonstrating was equal to that of Adrian.
[Can you understand how strong he is?]
[I don’t really know how, but I have a weird feeling, as I concentrate on him and the others.]
[Tell me about that, use that to evaluate them, and give me your thoughts.]
[Alright. This man is stronger than the one in light clothes, somewhat equal to the one in armor, and weaker than Adrian. How is that?]
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
[Corect. What you feel is the pressure from their dantian’s and the danger that your body can sense, it is almost akin to an animal instinct. The energy can be hidden if you are at a higher level or if you know how. However, the instinct of danger is strange as it is hard to trick in most cases.]
[Animal instinct, am I becoming one?]
[Well—, you are not, technically. It is too early for you to understand, now let's focus on understanding you better.]
[Ok. But? How strong am I, right now?]
[How would you evaluate yourself?]
But as Levis was conversing inside his head, the man behind him was looking at him, as right now, the boy was zoning out into the distance for no reason.
“Ahem, so, your name is Levis, right? Mine is Hubert, and I have been assigned to accompany you to your village, but I guess you know that already!?”
“Ahh, yes, I am Levis. I guess the captain made you go because of me, sorry for that.”
“No need. There was nothing to do anyway, now that the bandits are all dead, I will just relax with you for the next few days.---ahh, yes. If the wind is too strong, tell me and I will place you behind me.”
“No need, it's alright. But if I go asleep don’t let me fall.
“Aha, don’t worry, if that will happen, I will catch you before anything else.”
However, not long after their first discussion, Levis started to zone out in the distance as though looking tired, causing Huberd to take notice of him and be ready to act, in case he could really fell.
[So? Do you have any idea of how strong you are?]
[I seem to be, below the light cloth man, is that right?]
[ Correct.]
[You actually got it right. It seems that my disciple is growing every single day. It won’t be long before you won’t need me.]
[What needing you? You have not done, a single little thing, to help the brat.]
[That's not true, I am helping him more with my words of wisdom than you are with your knowledge.]
[You—.]
[Enough, if you want to bicker go somewhere else. When you two are arguing, you are giving me an actual headache.]
[Ahh, sorry for that.]
[Not my fault.]
[Stubborn like a rock.]
[Enough!]
“[Sigh]”
But as Levis was sighing, both mentally and physically, Huber could only take it as fatigue pilling on the boy, readying himself to catch and hold him if he were to fall asleep.
[---.]
[Since the two of you are done. I have a question to ask?]
[Realy!? Go on, tell me!]
[What are the small little parts that have my consciousness and can store energy? And how many of them are there? Every time I start to feel them it gives me a giant headache.]
[Hmm, I guess I did not tell you that. Well, this is a good time as any, to explain it to you, if you can understand, that is.]
[Tell him in the most simple way possible, otherwise, you will lose him immediately!]
[Yes, yes.---Ahamm, now kid, listen and concentrate on my words. I guess you know this already, but you are made out of flesh, bones, and blood, right?]
[Yes!]
[Then, what makes your blood, skin, muscle, organs, and bones in your body?]
[My little parts?]
[Exactly. Everything is made up of your little parts and they are called— ahh, wait a moment, they are called—!?]
[Wait, I think, I know this, is it not— cells? Yes that was, what you were calling them!]
[Yes cells, the small parts are called cells.]
[Cells?]
[Yes. They are, what constitutes the building blocks, of your bones and everything else. Generally, they would not contain the energy to employ as a normal cultivator does, but just be a simple container in the best cases I have encountered. This is the biggest difference between you and any other cultivator, as you, right now can use your whole body, as a massive dantian, which is why your quantity of energy held, will be far larger than anyone else you will encounter.]
[Yes—!?]
[You don’t need to think about it right now, as you have yet to fill every cell of your body with energy. For now, you can continue to absorb the surrounding energy, as no one here will feel any major disturbance in the flow.]
However, just as Levis was closing his eyes and beginning to resume his training, his awareness began to tunnel as everything became far away, as words from broken phrases were reaching him, in his half-sleeping half-awake state.
“He fell—?
“Yes.”
“Good, Remember — to —.”
“Yes, I —.”
But just as he had gone cultivating while sleeping, he was awakened abruptly by something, as he had the prickling sensation, that someone was looking at him, forcing him to turn his head, while opening his eyes as to look in the direction of what had disturbed him.
[NO, KID, LOOK AWAY!]
But just as he was warned, a cold sensation washed over him as though he had jumped in cold water, but he was not the only one, as the horses and the four men had the same experience, but while the men were spooked, the horses stopped moving as they were unresponsive for several moments.
“What, what was that cold?”
“I don’t know, maybe a breeze of winter, coming sooner than what is supposed to?”
“We are just ending the summer, and winter is here already?"
“Enough, cold breeze or not, continue. We don't have time to lose.”
But as the four of them commented on the event, Levis was looking at his surroundings dumbly, as though unsure of what that sudden cold sensation was.