*Woosh!* Old Jin and teacher Matsui appeared not too far away. Observing and not getting in the way. Tang Bo noticed them but didn't move from his spot. Leroy finally started to stir awake.
"Ugh.. that was just a pain." The Champion rubbed his face while blinking his eyes rapidly. Finally being able to see again was fantastic. But the pain in his throat was still annoying. He started to heal it somewhat after the pain subsided to manageable levels. "Need more wine." The Demon Bird hopped around his feet excited as it healed and broke through just by eating some of his body castoff and a little of his qi. "Umm, what the heck? Since when did birds come to me like this?"
"You didn't buy it?" Xiao Mei asked. By the shaking of his head, she understood that was a no. "So why is it so protective of you?"
"Umm, maybe because it ate some of my qi when I was cultivating?" Leroy remembered around the time he finished stepping into the next technique level of the Bloog Lighting Blades, he had trouble keeping control of his qi a little. His other techniques and cultivation improved as well but not enough to go to the next level. "I burned a few things but not this bird I guess."
"Koko!" The Demon Bird hopped around and then jumped on his legs. "Koo Koo!" A spittle of fire left its mouth. The odd thing was that it was not the standard red or orange. It was blue. The same as Leroy's fire.
"Oh!" Leroy felt the information flood into his mind again. 'I can share my qi with certain beasts and help tame them!' Creating some flames he offered it to the Demon Bird. Its eyes lit up as it swallowed it whole.
"Koo Koo!" It jumped about happily. With a flap of its wings, a small harmless fire went out. As it moved off his legs.
"Neat." Leroy got up and stretched to the sky. Taking a deep breath he was happy for the new understanding but even more of the information regarding the Flame Vortex, Flamelighting Martial Arts, and Icebeast Martial Arts Dantians increasing. A bit of lighting flashed in his eyes as he remembered what he wanted to do, he needed Demon Beasts to do it though. "We should head back."
"Alright." Tang Bo thought something had changed but it didn't look too bad. Seeing the Fire Bird follow behind like a pet, made him feel a little weird though. "What about the beast?"
"Ummm, I am gonna keep the bird." Leroy looked over his shoulder while walking still. Nothing against Akademy rules about having one." He also wanted to check and see how much he could change the beast. 'A few books in the library talks about rearing demonic beasts. But it is costly and I still didn't find a good method to raise them with. I should be able to supplement it easily enough with my Flame Vortex Core Qi though. The same way I did for the others.'
"That is not just some bird though." Xiao Mei said. "It is a Demon Bird that eats people. If you are not careful it might try to kill you." The Champion only nodded at her warning. The Connection in his screen let him know that wouldn't happen without great difficulty.
As the four walked back, Old Jin instructed teacher Matsuo to inform the others Leroy was found. After thinking things over, he headed to the Archives to get something to help Leroy's new interest. It had been a long time since a student had wanted to rear demon beasts of any type.
The Akademy no longer had that Division and with Leroy already having an Occupation as a Teacher maybe he could arrange something for it to come back. Also meant resources to give him legally and unbiased.
'Hmm those students recruited by Tang Bo and Xiao Mei recently, that is a good start to look out for.' Old Jin thought as he moved. 'The students are also students he lectured about not being their own person at that. So does that make them more important to him or not?'
After thinking the remainder of the night and playing with the Demon Bird he named Spotter, it was best to start implementing these plans soon. One is the way the people lived near him. Can't change a place by himself, needed power, resources, and those to toe the line and keep the line from becoming blurry.
Specifically, the people that were with him that is.
The tests of various Pantheons were another matter when it came time.
Some things with himself were still off a bit and buried. But at least he developed more of his work and college life from the past dug up. In a lot of classes he barely passed, and information was reinforced. Out of 15 years of direct education, at least 13 of it was accessed easily now like opening a page in the book.
'The Flame Vortex is the key to what I learned before. While the advancing of the Flamelighting Martial Arts Dantian a close second. I feel what I know currently and have learned since coming here reinforces itself with every rank up. Might have been good to learn more when I was younger for diversity in Occupations here. At least I can pull text memory directly up by spending some Qi.' Rubbing his chin in thought, it was best to finish reflecting and head out before the tourney continued. 'So many things to do. Sucks I haven't found a way to contact the others somehow.'
Speaking with Old Jin, he was surprised about a few things.
First, Old Jin gave him a Demon Creature Manual. As the same as other manuals, it was missing some things in it. But his Flame Vortex Core reacted to it so it was at least up there in the ways of Spatial Sense of helping him.
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In some ways even better as everything read fused into the Flame Vortex Core. The Manual was a type of Artifact but it was the words themselves that made it so. They were Inscriptions on the pages themselves.
Cultivating it increases the methods for it as well. Filling in gaps in the Spatial Sense Manual for him with his ever-growing information taken in. Some of the techniques that Sects used in the other Kingdom could be used because of the Demon Creature Manual.
"Nice manual, thank you very much." Leroy said respectfully. His cultivation sped up more due to it. This was good considering the Flame Vortex would need as much of a boost as possible if the revealed information was anything to go by. 'Each additional full Martial Spirit Style I guess I can call it that, as I study will slow me down for advancements. But the power increase and understanding will be worth it filling in gaps and speeding it up later. I wonder if I will obtain a Life Martial Artist Dantian or Water Martial Arts Dantian even more so in the future faster? Wonder if I will make my own manual for the Flame Vortex?'
So many questions that made him look forward to the immediate future had popped up.
"Glad you like it." Old Jin nodded. "Have you thought of a name for the Demon Bird yet?" Leroy told him it was called Spotter once but that just seemed wrong to the others. By the looks of it, he wouldn't call it something else. "I may take on some more students who don't have as high as an attainment level as the rest of you. As their senior brother, I expect you to help them when I am unable."
The Vice-principal was trying to tie Leroy down but he couldn't help it with everything going on and the fact that he needed to do something about his own cultivation soon. Leroy didn't have anywhere to go or the power to shake a nation.
He did things that caused ripples though. Like incapacitating a guard and walking out when an Imperial Official was speaking. That had gotten around as the Official was greatly embarrassed. Fortunately, no problems came of it with the various Occupation members in the Closed Door Ceremony activating very harshly on the Official.
Which left the man really befuddled on the situation.
"I... think that is agreeable." Leroy was willing to play ball and watch things develop more. Especially as he needed a base of operations to work from and the Akademy had the Monument and several Demon Creatures he was interested in. "Long as I at least get a little compensation, yah stingy teacher."
Second, Old Jin asked if he tried to follow a few of the customs more. Aware that Leroy was very... odd in the way he acted after entering the Akademy. Even more so after coming back from the Occupation Mission. Just a few things to keep unease from rising in others with the rebels still being an issue in some areas.
"The Akademy can be a great place if you let it. Especially if you do not plan on returning to Amp Flower Town, I doubt you like what it has become." Old Jin said his piece and then started to walk away. He left one last message. "Do not kill your opponent in the upcoming matches. Even if they try to kill you. It will show that you have a strong sense of character despite your projected shortcomings."
His words were enough for Leroy to infer he no longer saw it as that way. Treating Leroy the same as if he was a cultivator that didn't start late and had the power to act better.
"I will try." Leroy answered. He would not commit to that of course. 'Man the craziness in these places is one thing but if they are outright trying to kill a person then you have already offended them. Makes no sense in not to finish them off.'
Old Jin was checking on the matter of why his friend Nikolas Nefsfeinsson wanted it originally. A look in the archives might shed some light before he needed to return for the matches. He would not miss his students' matches and he could use this to arrange more rewards to be distributed.
The Demon Bird stayed with Tang Xui and Xiao Mei earlier while he recovered. Surprisingly eating a lot of the bugs quickly in the area. Each increases its strength just slightly in a way.
After a little more conversation with the others, the finished as the tourney continued. The fights were pretty fair with only a few upsets. Betting had gotten crazy from the way Tang Xui, Tang Bo, and Xiao Mei kept rubbing their hands together at times.
It took only a day and a half to cause Tang Bo to succumb to money fever. By the looks of the others, a lot of betting had been done. It was after all a good way for students to gain resources.
The day burned into the evening with the intensity of the fights having increased. The number of guards and Akademy officials also increased in number. As well as a few Sects in attendance. Even a member of the Unlimted Sect and a new Sect called the Blood Bone Sect from the Overseas Country that housed Port Tundra were in attendance.
Leroy found it odd but by the way some of the Nobles and Teachers acted they knew little about the matter themselves. The Imperial Officlas were not too perturbed by it though. Oddly enough he spotted Tang Ansui, Tang Xui's father was talking with Elder Boksun.
What most didn't know besides those with a strong cultivation was that Elder Boksun and her disciples watched the fights from afar before with one of their Sect's Artifact Boats but after what they saw, the exited disciples wanted to see at the regular seats with everyone else.
These disciples were all Elder Boksuns closed-door disciples. Which meant they had no real experience and learned everything from the safety of the Sect indoors. A way to guide and teach the disciples certain loyalties and behavior.
The Blood Bone Sect members traveled around and joined Mercenary Guilds and Adventure Groups landing on the Continent. The one Elder was the only one who watched the fights previously as his disciples "worked" away on gaining a good foothold.
But the final bout was what everyone wanted to see. The older student Leroy who burnt his longevity to heal from a Mission v.s. a prodigy taught since young and who had a gift in Alchemy named Li Ran. Besides the bets, they wanted to see a match of what they believed to be against an 8th Rank Qi Refiner Leroy, and a Peak Rank Qi Refiner Li Ran who took his own pills to help stimulate his growth.
The pills taken by an Alchemist who did them himself had a perfect absorption rate. With so much at his disposal, not many were able to stand up to him in the same Cultivation Generation.
Despite Leroy being in the 8th Rank with his Flamelighting Martial Arts since participating in the tourney, they only sensed him at that and not the changes to his techniques or demeanor. Li Ran was dutifully taught by the Principal last year before getting another teacher that belonged to the Clear River Dragon Family.
A secret was also revealed that he was the bastard son of the Clear River Dragon Family's noble daughter and that of the Principal of the Heavenly Theocracy Akademy.