Chapter 155 - Spirit Metal
At the Southern Royal War Academy, the days all looked the same. The tremendous physical and mental pressure imposed on students by the tight rhythm of lessons was felt from the first days. If it hadn't been for the restoration of spirit power donated by the exceptional meals served in the canteen, it was in doubt whether the students could have continued in that way. Soon, Hei and the others began to lose track of time.
Fortunately, there would be a day off every three days to recover from previous labors. But even so, it wasn't like there were no people to train. In fact, very few people decided to relax all day. After all, they weren't there to go on vacation, and every minute, every second more of training was a determining factor in their future. The same was true for Hei as well.
During the days off, Hei would have kept the morning without training sessions to go to the Library instead. As the name suggested, that place contained books of all kinds regarding the world of martial artists and information on the Sun Empire. There, Hei, in the company of his little sisters and Lian, would have spent hours and hours on the books to deepen their knowledge of alchemy and formations and other facts about the empire.
The structure of the Library was simple - long shelves containing an infinite number of books that students could take and read in one of the many desks set up for the structure. The books without contribution points provided general information on the selected topic. As for the combat techniques manuals, including elemental techniques, these could be required through a payment of contribution points. It should be said, however, that buying the manuals didn't ensure the immediate learning of the technique, they only served as a reference during training. It was, in fact, to the understanding of the martial artist to reproduce what was written there.
In addition to the manuals and books, the Library also contained another interesting object - Spirit Registration Spheres. It was the name given to the circular object created with a special crystal. Their function was to be able to record what happened around the crystal at 360° while it was active. They were mainly used by the Martial Artists Historians, which was a subclass of a less widespread martial artist category who delighted themselves in recording the various events they witnessed. It was necessary to know that in addition to secondary activities, there were tertiary activities that had no direct use in war but were still relevant in the education of new martial artists.
The Spirit Registration Spheres contained recordings of battles between martial artists of various ranks, ranging from spirit soldiers to fights between spirit emperors. The price of the Spirit Registration Spheres was high, but those who could afford it would be able to witness the battles of the geniuses of the past and have the opportunity to gather insights on how to improve. Hei was also interested, but since he had to depend entirely on himself for everything, he had to be thrifty with his contribution points.
Fortunately, he possessed the Secret Dimension within the Heart. Although he couldn't cultivate inside, for now, he could still use it as a place to plant rare plant seeds. Being a terrain in its own right and practically fueled with spirit power provided by the Heart, the soil had an extreme degree of purity. So growing plants there was therefore feasible. In that way, he could collect contribution points for acquiring manuals of combat techniques. After all, he also had Ye and Xing to think about, and they needed to learn moves based on their Elemental Laws.
As for the afternoon of the days off, Hei would have had a group training session with Lian, Leon, and everyone else. As promised to them, Hei had revealed the true form of his little sisters to his companions, who were very surprised at that sight. The most astonished amid all of them was Lang; anyway, all of them accepted Ye and Xing without problems. Gradually, therefore, they got used to the real form of Ye and Xing and the contrast with their cute petite form.
So the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months. Except for the accident on the first day he arrived, Hei didn't encounter any other accidents, devoting himself entirely to his training. Unexpectedly, the difficulty of advancing after reaching the rank of spirit soldier had increased dramatically. Although he had the cultivation method taught by Bao Bei and a large number of spirit stones and other resources, and although there was a higher amount of spirit power on the Continent, his speed was no longer as before. It wasn't only true for him but all the other students as well, including the members of the Eight Big Families and the Imperial Prince.
After six months at the academy, the cultivation level reached by Hei and his companions was the following.
Hei, early third stage spirit soldier;
Lian, early third stage spirit soldier;
Leon, middle third stage spirit soldier;
Haruno, middle second stage spirit soldier;
Mareo, middle second stage spirit soldier;
Lilian, high second stage spirit soldier;
Mia, high second stage spirit soldier;
Lang, early third stage spirit soldier;
He Fen, early third stage spirit soldier.
As for the three spirit beasts, Ye, Xing, and Fenrir, they had a strength comparable to that of their tamers, that is to say, early third stage spirit soldier. And since six months had passed, it was finally time for one of the tests assigned by the Southern Royal War Academy to evaluate the results achieved by its students.
"As you well know, two assessment tests are scheduled for the first year. These aren't only important because they will decide whether you have the qualifications to remain here or not but above all for the contribution points rewards that will be provided to you. As you know, at the Exchange Center, you have the opportunity to exchange your contribution points for any object you want. The rarer the object, the higher the cost."
Song Yazhu was standing in front of the class of nearly five thousand people who made up the first year. In these six months, the teacher assigned by the Sun Empire for the first academic year of the Southern Royal War Academy had been uncompromising, severely punishing those who dared to laze during lessons. And although the lessons on the Elemental Laws were individual or in pairs without the supervision of a teacher, Song Yazhu could see with a glance who had trained seriously and who hadn't. As a result, the number of retreats that could no longer withstand the extreme pressure of academic life had exceeded one hundred.
"The objects displayed in the Exchange Centers are quite common in general; there aren't extremely valuable resources. However, in view of the academic tests, the Empire provides materials from its own treasury, which cannot be purchased elsewhere, thus making them very rare. And the Empire this year has decided to supply spirit metal ingots in addition to other resources. Therefore, whoever has the required number of contribution points can have a weapon created with spirit metal."
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After listening to the words' spirit metal', most students widened their eyes and mouths as if they couldn't believe it. An incredible excitement could be seen in their faces.
"Regarding the spirit metal, for those who don't know, it is the most precious metal existing in nature. The Sun Empire directly controls every mine of spirit metal, and whoever is caught stealing even a single fragment is punished with death. The reason for the spirit metal's value isn't so much for its strength or flexibility or another important characteristic for blacksmiths. If you are looking for these parameters, there are more suitable metals to use as a basis for your weapons. However, spirit metal is the only metal capable of growing.
Weapon Materialization, or the materialization of a weapon-type Artifact Spirit. As you well know, Artifact Spirits differ in two types - formation and weapon. Those belonging to the formation type are Artifact Spirits created naturally, over time. They have their own consciousness and can act independently.
The Artifact Spirits of weapon type are instead devoid of conscience but follow the instruction of the user. They are created from the division of part of your own soul that would be put inside the weapon. In that way, they can mirror and amplify your Elemental Laws by creating a being of spirit power that reflects your very essence. Your combat power will enormously increase if you manage to reach the stage of materialization, but even before that, your attacks will suffer from a sharp increase in power.
The spirit metal, therefore, represents the only material at present for which all this is possible. Hence its importance and the strict control imposed by the Sun Empire. However, there is one detail to remember. To reach the stage of materialization, you must continuously infuse your weapon with your spirit power, and this is done through cultivation.
However, after dividing part of your soul to begin the process of forming the Weapon Artifact Spirit, every time you cultivate, part of the spirit power that should have gone into you will go to the weapon, consequently slowing your speed of cultivation. Not surprisingly, despite the attractiveness it possesses, only very few martial artists choose to take that path. But, whoever has the strength to persevere will become a dragon among men, dominating all the other martial artists with equal cultivation.
There is a point, however, that I must specify. The spirit metal is the only material presently capable of receiving part of the soul of a martial artist. However, whoever has weapons created with the body and bloodline of a divine beast is, in turn, able to reach the stage of materialization."
When Song Yazhu finished his lengthy explanation, the students all had different reactions. Some were excited about the possibility of being able to get their hands on the spirit metal since only the Imperial Family and the Eight Big Families had free access to that resource. Others were hesitant because of the slowdown in cultivation that they would experience. Others instead had already firmly decided not to target the spirit metal as the asking price would be too high for them. And amid this flow of thoughts, Hei was reliving memories of the past in his mind.
"Weapon Materialization - Nāgarāja!"
A fifteen-meter half-human and half-snake figure appeared in the sky behind a man suspended in the air.
"Yes, Shé, meaning Snake! Ba Serpent Bloodline, Activate!"
The man's eyes became two vertical slits as the skin took on a greenish color.
"Then, Secret Technique of the Shé Family, Hydra Mode!
Nine long snake heads created with spirit power were generated from the man's back
"And finally, the final blow! Poison Domain - Snake Storm! "
The spirit power of man expanded outside to create a gigantic sphere. Inside there was an infinity of small green snakes created with spirit power.
As he lived the clash between his mother and the family head of the Shé family, commanded by the One Who Hides Behind the Curtains, Hei's spirit power began to fluctuate threateningly as his face contracted with anger. But before he could unleash his tumultuous spirit power outside, Hei felt something warm touching his face. Turning around, he saw that Lian had stretched out her hand to caress his face. The young woman's gaze was fixed on Hei.
"Bao Bei left us your spear and my ribbons for a purpose. Even if it is the same technique, what is important is the use you make of it. Besides, if the materialization of the weapon reflects our essence, then I think I know what your Artifact Spirit will be."
As Lian spoke, Leon and all the other companions near them looked at them more surprised than when Song Yazhu had mentioned the spirit metal. In these six months, they had learned about Hei and Lian, but it was the first time they saw Hei almost losing his control in that way. Fortunately, Lian's intervention brought the situation back to normal.
"Thanks, Lian. Sorry if I made you worry," said Hei as he took a deep breath and calmed his anger. He thought he had become better at managing his emotions regarding that day, but as soon as he heard about the Weapon Materialization, the memories of that fight emerged back into him.
From his position, Song Yazhu took a quick look at Hei. He noticed the slight agitation of the young man's spirit power, but since nothing had happened, he feigned ignorance and continued.
"The test you will have to face consists of going to a region in the territories of the Empire, which is inhabited exclusively by spirit beasts. It is one of the many areas left as training grounds for young martial artists. Your task is to limit the population of spirit beasts existing there and gather their spirit cores. You must collect five second-level spirit cores to avoid being expelled, while from the sixth onwards, you will be given a certain number of contribution points based on the spirit power contained within each spirit core.
The region where you will go to is a vast forest with lakes and rivers inside. For security reasons, any spirit beast that has reached the third level and above will be cleaned up by a team of spirit master and spirit grandmasters. Therefore, inside, you will find only second and lower level spirit beasts. But don't think that just because you have to face second-level spirit beasts at most, the test would be easy. The mortality rate is very high, and I expect that at least one hundred of you will not return to the academy alive.
I'm not kidding, I really think so. I have carefully examined your every improvement over the past few months, and I am well aware of your strengths and your limitations. This even without having witnessed your understanding of the Elemental Laws. At best, a hundred of you will die, becoming food for the spirit beasts there. However, the number of victims is more likely to exceed that number.
If you don't feel confident in your abilities, then it is better that you withdraw from the Southern Royal War Academy. How others have done it previously, if you cannot bear the rhythm and difficulties of the academy, you aren't cut to stay here. Find something else to do for a living, or you can join a minor war academy where you will be nothing but a big fish in a small lake. As I said on the first day of the course, only the best of the best are accepted here, and those who don't have the ability should retire, or they will risk dying. This is true, regardless of whether you come from an ordinary family or an influential family.
Wars aren't won if you have the highest number of spirit soldiers, but are won with the number of spirit emperors at your disposal. And to create even a single Spirit Emperor, the Sun Empire is willing to sacrifice hundreds, thousands, or even millions of young martial artists. And this also applies to the children of the Eight Big Families' family heads or the Sun Emperor's direct children
To protect humanity from the danger represented by the demons, the Empire is willing to do anything it can do. If you don't dare to put your life at risk, get out of here!"