The next morning, Azalon woke up with a light feel in his heart. The long talk with his brother last night was something he missed dearly, as he had no one in the family that would talk with him that closely. There are somethings that he couldn’t talk with his grandfather and having a sibling close to your age was something that elder generation cannot compare with.
“You took your sweet time to wake up, sleepyhead.” Hank greeted him coming from the bath with water still dripping from his body. Hank’s body changed along with his advancement in his cultivation. His muscles were not bulky but well-toned and streamlined. His red wet hair fell onto his face shining lightly under the warm sunlight appearing like strands of fire dancing around.
Azalon lightly laughed and lazily stretched his body as he stood up. Raka jumped down from his chest as he stood up and let out an admonishing *Croo* and promptly fell asleep again on his bed. He circulated the Spirit Energy driving out the last remnants of sleepiness and went to the bath to refresh. Just as Azalon came out from the bath,
*Tong* *Tong* *Tong* three bell sounds resounded throughout the family mansion. Three Bell Notes… A call for the entire family gathering… it seems that the time for the information about the recruitment campaign of the 7 Great Academies to be announced to the family. Azalon quickly dressed up and rushed outside to the gathering place.
Wheld Family Court Grounds…
In the courtyard of the Wheld Family mansion, there was a large area that was divided into two parts. One part was used as the training grounds for the martial arts and the other was the Court Grounds. It was a meeting place for the family where some important announcements to the entire family were made here. All the Wheld family members were gathered there from the Elders to the younger generation. Azalon stood in a corner and watched the Elders discussing in low tones. His grandfather and Hank are nowhere to be seen, and Azalon waited s they were sure to come in a short time.
Just as he thought, a short moment later, a pair, one old man and one young man, walked into the Grounds and the chatter in the grounds fell silent. Eren Wheld walked to the middle of the grounds and passed his gaze over all that were present in the grounds. After making sure that no one was absent, he lightly cleared his throat and his powerful voice boomed around the Court Grounds.
“As you all know, this year is supposed to be time for the Recruiting Campaign of one of the 7 Great Academies. But because of some unexpected reasons, the Great Academies made some changes in their schedule. The purpose of this meeting is to announce those changes. As you all know my grandson, Hank Wheld is one of the students of one of the Great Academies, the Azure Phoenix Academy. He was sent here on behalf of the Academy to announce the new schedule of the recruitment procedure.”
All the heads turned towards the young man standing beside Eren Wheld. The young man was standing straight and his eyes held a piercing glow in them. His entire body was ram rod straight and his aura was just like is Spirit, The Crimson Spear, a rare Tool Sprit with an Attribute. Hank’s voice was not less powerful than Eren Wheld as he announced the changes in the schedule of the Academies.
“This time, it was decided that all the 7 Great Academies will conduct their recruitment campaigns at the same time. Thus, to save time and to make the selection procedure easy for the judgement, the test is divided into 3 stages. The first and second sages are common for all the Academies while the third ad final stage will be the internal assessment individual to each Academy. The first test will be conducted after 2 months at the location decided by the Academies. Don’t worry, proper transport arrangements will be made by the Academies for the participants.”
“But not everyone can participate I the selections. The Academies allocated a set number of slots for each city, based on the category of the City. Since our Blue Wind City is a Category 3 City, we have 10 Slots. Since we can’t decide the participants from a single family, I have decided to hold a meeting with the Reran Family and the Phantom Wolf Guild tomorrow and decide on how to select he participants.” Eren Wheld continued on from Hank’s words.
The announcement from both the Academies and the Family Head immediately set off a short moment of silence before all the younger generation exploded with different kinds of questions. Almost all of them were excited for if they can manage to be recruited into those prestigious Academies, it will be like directly jumping onto a floating cloud to reach the heavens. Their future prospects will be limitless and if they can manage to graduate even with the lowest of the Cultivation level, they can occupy a lofty position in the kingdom or even become a noble! Such enticements were something no one could resist! Instantly all these young cultivators were filled with excitement and anticipation for the 2 months to pass…
The same situation was currently being played out all over the city, including the Reran Family as well as the Phantom Wolf Guild. The initial conditions set by the Academies were announced to the city and all the young people in the required range were excite and diligently started cultivating in order to advance in their cultivation even by a small amount. Who knows, maybe this little extra can change the tides somewhere…
The three families were no different. They even took out their precious medicines and herbs and passed them onto their family prodigies to be used. If even one of them were to be selected, then the entire status of the family will undergo a massive change. They can even move to bigger cities and spread their influence over there! Even Azalon was excited, but his excitement belongs to a separate dimension from what the others were feeling!
Just as Azalon was about to return to his room, he saw his brother beckoning him to wait. He waited till all the people in the Court Grounds left and then met with Hank. Hank smiled before walking towards his grandfather’s cottage. Azalon was slightly puzzled but he still followed. Both the brothers reached the small garden with a cottage in the middle, and they could see Eren Wheld standing there with a serious expression on his face.
“I am getting old. I may live for another 5 years at most a decade. Initially, I thought to hand over the Family Head position to Hank, but after I saw his talent, I realised that his future will not be in this small city. He will be a powerful figure that will roam through the world. And then there is you, Azalon. I can’t deny the fact that I felt happy in a corner of my heart when your Spirit resulted as a Petrified Spirit. With your intelligence, you will make a great leader for the family. But you returned to your former glory one again or should I say even more than that.” Their grandfather spoke with a low tone but they could make out the seriousness in his voice and some traces of loneliness. Azalon was not shocked but a bit surprise that his grandfather spoke his inner thoughts this freely.
“But you have to promise me one thing, both of you.” Eren Wheld tilted his head and his hawk like eyes locked onto them. The full pressure of the peak Spirit Condensation Realm exploded out and Azalon and even Hank couldn’t even take a breath. “No matter, what happens, you are brothers. You should watch out each other’s backs and protect them from danger. Don’t take unnecessary risks. Remember, life is more important than anything else. As long as you are alive, you can reach any kinds of heights. The world is a cruel place and especially the world of Cultivation. Lives will be sacrificed just to obtain a common medicinal pill, do you know that? It’s not a world where you can manage to get a bond that can stay with you through thick and thin. Maintain the bond between you, nurture it, protect it, and cherish it. And you can have a reliable companion beside you, and believe me, there is nothing more important than that kind of bond. Even priceless treasures will be worthless if you can’t have someone to share that happiness beside you.”
Azalon and Hank listened with serious expressions and engraved these words that really came from the experience of this old man. They looked at each other and could see the trust in each other’s eyes. They knew that this person will never betray them. A smile involuntarily appeared on both their faces and they bowed lightly to their grandfather.
Seeing the behaviour of his grandsons, Eren Wheld finally sighed with some relief, before shooing them away. Since the two brothers had nothing to do till tomorrow, Azalon proposed to go hunting in the Wilderness. Hank accepted the proposal and both of them rushed through the city gates and swiftly reached the endless expanse of thick trees.
Azalon and Hank quickly traversed the forest and moved deeper and deeper. They slowed don once they reached the area where the Class 4 Beasts appear. Usually Azalon never would have dared to reach this deeper into the forest, but with Hank beside him, he was not afraid of the Class 3 or even Class 4 Beasts. The brothers’ speed gradually slowed down to a normal pace. Hank was calm enough but Azalon was anxious as his dated around expecting for a Beast to pounce on them any moment.
Azalon’s fears never materialised as the Beasts couldn’t escape the sharp senses of Hank who managed to react every time with considerable ease. Hank first weakened the Class 4 Beasts and then let Azalon handle the rest. This way Azalon also managed to improve his battle experience at a considerable rate, as a Class 4 Beast even weakened was not something Azalon could handle carelessly. By the evening, the two brothers hunted almost a dozen Class 4 Beasts and each of them were killed by Azalon. With the powerful Souls of the Class 4 Beasts, his [Infantile Souls] advanced by leaps and bounds as he finally manage to create the [Incubator Shell] from the Soul Energy of the Beasts for the next stage of Evolution of his Souls, the [Adolescent Soul Stage.]
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Once the [Incubator Shell] breaks, his Spirits will reach the adult form and maybe he can even get some additional abilities. But for the Spirits to truly manifest in their adult forms, he had to break through to the Spirit Condensation Realm. It will be just like how it happened during the [Infantile Soul Sage.]
They decided to camp in the forest as the night was peaceful and the weather was pleasant. Hank collected some dried and managed and managed to put up a camp fire, large slabs of the meat of the Class 4 Beast they hunted today was sizzling over the fire, spreading a great aroma into the air. Their stomachs rumble as the appetising smell reached their nostrils and they impatiently waited for the meat to cook before wolfing down the tender meat. Azalon cleaned out the major part of the roasted meat with his [Devour] ability and the warm Energy in the meat instantly spread through his boy bringing a comfortable feeling. The nourishing effects of the meat refined his muscles and bones and he could sense his cultivation slightly increase.
“As expected, high level Beast meat really is different from those of the low level ones.” Azalon muttered while sighing with satisfaction. Even without any seasonings, the tender meat had a unique texture to it that made the taste buds tingle with pleasure. Fortunately, Azalon managed to store the corpses of the Beasts within his [Void Ring] without arousing any doubts from Hank. That way, he could savour this tasty meat for a long time, as the hunted numbers reached almost a dozen!
“Did you know why grandfather talked that way today, Az?” While Azalon was enjoying the grilled meat, Hank suddenly spoke out seriously. His eyes were downcast and within the shadows that played across the handsome face of Hank, Azalon could see faint shimmering on the edges of the eyes. ‘Hank is crying?’ Azalon was shocked. He had never seen Hank like this. He was always an energetic and hardworking in nature.
“NO. But I think that it has something to do with the fact that he expected me to join an Academy. If that happens, I have to leave the family behind and will be alone in the outside world.” Azalon thought for a while and responded. But he knew that this was not the reason.
“I was 3 years old when grandfather found me. My village was under attack from the bandits. And grandfather along with his friend who grandfather treated as his brother, were travelling happened to pass by near the village. They came to our rescue but it was too late as there were only a handful of survivors and I was among them. Grandfather and his friend were both cultivators and the bandits were only mortals while the Bandit Leader reached the Spirit Sense 8th Level. Even then the bandit group was completely eliminated. ” Hank’s voice was still serious as he stated narrating in a low voice. Azalon listened silently as this was something he never heard before.
“In order to thank the powerful cultivators that came to their aid, the Elder that managed to survive took out the village treasure that was passed down from many generations. It was an iron slab about the size of an adult palm with strange writings on it. It was something very precious to the clan but the knowledge of what it was, was lost somewhere in the passage of time. Grandfather never had any intention of accepting the gift from the village, but he couldn’t refuse the good intentions of the village. So, he accepted the present. Even grandfather didn’t know what that was, but his friend recognised that as a powerful Spirit Print that when banded onto their Spirits will instantly upgrade one’s Spirit to a higher Spirit. It will be like the difference between a normal Fairy Spirit and your High Fairy Spirit, Az. Greed filled his mind and he launched a sneak attack on grandfather.”
“Both of them were at the peak of the Spirit Core Realm almost half step into the Nascent Soul Realm and truthfully, grandfather should have died under that attack. But grandfather’s Spirit was a [Five Tailed Spirit Fox] ranked 32nd on the Rankings. It possessed fearsome instincts and instantly reacted. It sacrificed itself in order to save its owner. He too reacted quickly but the damage to his Soul was not small, so he could only flee. That other one started massacring the survivors but grandfather managed to save me from that man. He realised that that person wanted the iron slab in is hands. He threw that with as much power as he could while running in the opposite side. His cultivation dropped from the peak Spirit Core to the Spirit Condensation an e could never achieve the higher forms of cultivation. That is the reason why he warned us, Az. This is the reason why I love him and respect him that much, Az. I, Hank Wheld, take an oath under the Primordial Laws that if I ever betray my brother, Azalon Wheld, may my Soul be shattered to a thousand pieces never to be reincarnate.” The final oath echoed out through the silent forest and Azalon felt a faint ripple emerge from Hank before dissipating silently.
“I, Azalon Wheld, take an oath under the Primordial Laws that if I ever intend to harm my brother, Hank Wheld, may my Soul be shattered to a thousand pieces never to reincarnate.” Azalon suddenly repeated the words of his brother, but he carefully chose his word as he was not sure whether telling lies was the same as betraying or not. Just as he finished his oath, Azalon felt is Soul tremble for a moment and he could feel something change, but he was not sure about it.
Hank abruptly lifted his head and his eyes contained shock and surprise as he never expected Azalon to repeat his oath. But he could see that Azalon did that just to prove that he considered him to be his true brother and will not allow him to take on such burden alone. Hank’s melancholy dissipated as his heart filled with gratitude and love for his younger brother. Azalon took in all this, but he simply smiled before slowly closing his eyes and drifting off into sleep.
The next day, the brothers advanced deeper into the forest. But maybe they used all their luck yesterday as they never came across a single Beast after searching for a whole day. Suddenly, Hank stilled in his movements as he tilted his head. He went silent for a moment before an ecstatic expression floated onto his face. He gripped the shoulders of Azalon tightly before laughing wildly.
“We are indeed lucky today, Az. I now know the reason why there are no Beasts in this area. It seems that a powerful Cass 5 Beast is attempting a breakthrough to the next stage. Come on, let’s go.” Hank suddenly dashed in a particular direction leaving behind a stupefied Azalon.
“Class 5 Beast attempting a breakthrough? And we are going to see it? Di he hurt his head or something yesterday? Who the hell will go and watch something as it becomes stronger?” Azalon blurted out with a dubious tone as he watched the silhouette of Hank getting farther and farther.
“Oye, Az. What happened? Come on quick. This is a heaven sent opportunity! We have to go there! Make it fast, you brat.” Hank shouted loudly as he realised that Azalon just stood there as if he was rooted to the spot with a comical expression on his face.
“Huh? Heaven sent opportunity? It’s more like sending us to the Heavens opportunity! Did you become crazy overnight, Hank? That Beast is changing into a Class 6 Beast! Class 6, you understand!? CLASS… S-I-X! And you want to go watch it?” Azalon shouted back with some shock evident in his tone as he watched the almost suicidal behaviour of his brother.
“Ah, You Idiot!!!” Hank’s voice was like rolling stones and hi figure reached Azalon before even the voice faded out. “Listen, you stupid brat, the process of breakthrough is something that should be carried out without any disturbances. It’s the same for both human cultivators as well as the Beasts. If something did manage to disturb you in the middle of a breakthrough, then the repercussions will result in a decline in your cultivation at best or cripple you at worst. The same goes for the Beasts. In fact, it’s even more precarious for the Beasts. The Beasts have to accumulate massive amounts of Energy to attempt the breakthrough, and it will use up all that Energy to the last possible drop hen it completes its evolution. And that will be the moment when it will be at the weakest! If we can strike at that moment, we can acquire a Class 6 Spirit Core and its meat and bones! You know ow much it costs to purchase the meat of a Class 6 Beast in the market? It will be thousands if not tens of thousands of gold and here you are calling me crazy!”
Hank explained all this in a single breath! And his body kept o twitching as if he couldn’t wait to move out and kill that Beast. But his explanation somewhat made sense. Azalon nodded his head before the brothers rushed through the forest under the lead of Hank, as they finally reached a steep mountain with a purple glow flashing on the mountain top, within that mountain, Azalon and Hank could sense the turbulent Energies swirling around. If that was not proof enough the low growls that emitted from the mountain top made sure that the Class 5 Beast was present there, Excitement gushed into the eyes of Azalon and Hank as they slowly approached the mountain peak…