Everything was silent in the arena. It was so silent that the rustle of leaves on the trees were clearly audible. It was a pin drop and a deathly silence that suffocated everyone. But no one dared to produce a single sound!
All the eyes were on a single figure who stood on the stage with blood dripping from his fists. Fear gushed into some of their eyes when they remembered how they used to make fun of him and even humiliate him! They were clearly afraid of the retaliation by that person for all their deeds. They definitely didn’t want to end up as the pathetic figure that was lying at his feet.
Azalon simply didn’t care about the various gazes that were on him. His eyes were fixed on the mutilated and crippled body of Delius on the stage. Delius was still conscious even after all those injuries and Azalon could see extreme hatred in those bloodshot eyes. Azalon lightly sighed and a small trace of pity flickered in his eyes.
With all the broken limbs and internal injuries, based on Azalon’s calculations, it will take around couple of months for Delius to recover. But by that time, the Academy selections would already been finished and Delius would have no way of entering one.
Delius was 15 years old by this day and the Academy selections would only be conducted every three years. The participants for the selections should all be in the age group of 8 – 15 years! And this made the dream of Delius entering the Academy and soaring to the skies remain only that, a dream! This was the price Azalon collected from Delius for hurting Nina.
He was ruthless when he was fighting Delius but after everything was over and done with, the hatred and anger
Azalon had on Delius melted away. Looking at the broken limbs and caved in chest as well as the heavy internal injuries he had inflicted, he remembered the days from Earth when he had done the same things and the words of Mother Lillianna sounded in his mind.
“Giving pain to someone is never a thing you can feel proud of, John. But that doesn’t mean you have to be the one bearing the pain too. The world works on the natural order of transaction! Give what you have to give, take what you have to take, remember what you have to remember and forget what you have to forget. But the order in which you perform these steps will make you what you are, John. You have to be believe in yourself and the ones around you, but never have blind faith in anyone, even in yourself. Rely on others and let them rely on you. But always remember to be by yourself and not dependent on someone else!” Mother Lillianna had always been a practical woman and the words she said to him reflected her attitude towards the world. That was one of the reasons why he had respected her in the first place. She didn’t live in a bubble of comfort to blind her from the world and hoped for someone to save the world.
She had a clear view on what the world was and more importantly she knew herself more than anyone.
Those words she had said on her death bed were stuck in his head and always been his mantra of living, even in this world. He had remembered the pain Delius had inflicted on Nina and gave him back what had to be given back. Now that he had taken what he needed to take, he forgot about that incident as the transaction had already been completed. But the pity he was feeling was the human nature, an emotional response when you see a fellow human in pain or danger. So, as to say, he was not a bloodthirsty murderer or something like that. But it was only a trace and was not enough to regret his doings.
Delius needed someone to set him right and hopefully this will make him change his ways. Even if he doesn’t change, its not like he had any chance to catch up to him any where in the near future. And by any chance even if he did, Azalon was sure that he could trample on Delius once again, no matter when or how it will happen!
Azalon was tired and exhausted to the bone! The fight with Delius may seem easy and calculated when seen but
Azalon had to exhaust all his mental and physical energies to obtain that win. First of all, the [Ghostly Illusion Flash] was a glutton of Spirit Energy. Sustaining that technique will take up a lot of Spirit Energy, the consumption rate of which couldn’t be sustained by his 5th Level of Spirit Sense Realm cultivation. He had only activated it for 4 times during the entire fight and he was almost out of Spirit Energy!
The second one is the [Infinite Pulse Fists], which puts a tremendous strain on his arm muscles. He still haven’t managed to unearth the technique behind the technique, but performing it through his extra – ordinary control over his muscles alone. His two arms were numb and he was sure that even a warrior at the Spirit Novice Realm can defeat him now. Most of all the mental strain he had to face when fighting the battle.
He may have fought with Spirit Beasts a lot of times and even faced the Level 6 Thunder Horned Stag. But animals are animals and humans are humans. Beasts may be cunning and vicious but could they beat the human nature in both of them? The pressure he had to face when facing Delius was double than what he experienced when he battled with the Thunder Horned Stag!
And more importantly, he had to let Delius put down his guard, so he had to do everything at the very last moment possible giving him the illusion that Azalon was suffering due to the attacks he was putting out. That careful calculations and precise placements of his body stretched his nerves taut. He wanted to take a breather but he still stood there with his back straight and proud as if taking down the strongest of the younger generation of the family was an everyday thing to him.
Suddenly, a roar came from above him and before his lethargic body could move, a massive pressure slammed onto him like a mountain that intended to flatten him! He was physically tired, his Spirit Energy dried up and his mental facilities stretched to their limits. In that stage, he was like a dried leaf that now faced a hurricane. He simply didn’t have any strength left to put up any fight. His body was blown to a distance and the last thing he saw was a palm that came crashing onto his face that was covered by a thick and liquid like flowing Spirit Energy, and a wide back that stood before him covering him from that palm attack.
“Aw, shit!” Azalon muttered and blackness welcomed him into her warm bosom as he lost consciousness.
Asran Wheld’s face was a mixture of different expressions that ranged from rage to grief to even disappointment and regret! He couldn’t hold himself back when he saw his son that was beaten down to that extent where he had all his limbs broken by the so – called trash of the family! He flew down from the stands and his cultivation at the 8th Level of the Spirit Condensation Realm exploded as his palm pushed out towards Azalon with the intent to kill!
But before his palm could land, an old person in white robes appeared between his palm and Azalon! That person lightly waved his sleeves and his palm lightning – quick jutted forth before slamming onto Asran’s chest with a vicious force.
The clothes on Asran’s body was shredded to bits under that force and his body flew off like a cannon ball leaving behind a hundred meter scratch mark on the ground. He flew until his body collided with a boulder at the edge of the family grounds! He coughed out a mouthful of blood and he had several ribs broken! His appearance was no less pathetic than his son who laid on the battle stage!
“Huff” All the family members drew a cold breath when they saw the First Elder who was defeated in a single move!
The First Elder was like an unattainable peak, the strongest of the family other than the Family Head! But they would have never thought that the difference between them would be this wide!
Eren Wheld calmly lifted his hand and clenched his fingers like he was grabbing something in the air. Suddenly a suction force appeared from his palm and the First Elder’s body who was blown back a hundred meters was pulled into his palm! Eren Wheld held onto the throat of Asran Wheld and slowly lifted him up.
“I remember saying that I will not hold them responsible even if they kill their opponent. Did you think I was joking, Asran? Did you really think me blind and couldn’t see the thoughts swirling in your, father and son’s, heads?” Eren Wheld imposing nature created an awe – inspiring aura around him making him appear formidable and ruthless. Asran Wheld wheezed in the clutches of Eren Wheld but his eyes were filled with terror and hatred!
“It doesn’t matter what you have to say. From today, you pair of father and son are no longer part of the Wheld Family. I exile you from the Blue Wind City. And don’t bother trying to get into other families. I have enough face with them to make them not take a two – headed snake like you into their nests.” Eren Wheld simply threw the body of Asran Wheld like a piece of garbage and gave his decree. “Second Elder, finish the task and report it to me later on.” Eren Wheld reached down to lift his unconscious grandson and flew towards the family infirmary.
Azalon was floating in a world of darkness, peaceful and soothing. The tranquil feeling shattered when a loud *Croo* entered his ears jolting him awake. He opened his eyes and looked around as his nose was assaulted by an assortment of medicinal smells. He was lying in a bath tub and his body was immersed into a bluish green liquid up to his neck. He was stark naked but fortunately the liquid was opaque enough to not shame him. He laughed bitterly after reminding himself that he was still a 12 – year old boy at least in physical appearance.
*Croo* “Master” Raka and LILY both responded one in his ear and one in his head. “Haha… I am alright now. Don’t worry guys.” Azalon responded but he really did feel great. His exhaustion has disappeared and even his Spirit Energy was restored to almost 60%. He sat cross legged in the bath tub and activated the [Devour] ability. The medicinal vapors from the liquid entered through his mouth and nostrils before the [Devour] ability absorbed them and distributed them to the required places in his body.
His body started healing at a rapid pace as he pro – actively concentrated on healing his injuries. He woke up from his trance when he felt a presence beside him and he turned his eyes to see his grandfather and ‘Grandma Doctor’ looking at him with a peculiar expression on their faces.
“Umm… Is there something wrong with me?” Azalon didn’t understand why they were looking at him like that. ‘Grandma Doctor’ simply smiled and pointed down. Azalon looked down and saw that the once opaque bluish green liquid was now like clear water. There was not a single thread of medicinal essence in the liquid. Even now he didn’t understand what happened. This phenomenon happens every time the medicinal essences were used up in a medicinal bath. He had seen this happen number of times when he was still a Spirit Novice Realm Practitioner.
“That bath was supposed to last a Spirit Sense cultivator for 5 days, Azalon. But you absorbed it in a 4 hours and your injuries are almost healed!” Ah, so that’s why! Huh? Wait a moment here!
“Injuries? When did I suffer from injuries that required that high a dosage?” Azalon asked puzzled. And then came the rush of memories that showed him the palm attack of Asran Wheld and how he was blown away before a white robed back stood before him, protecting him. “Ah, so that’s what’s happened! No wonder my body feels like it has been through a roller coaster ride!” Azalon muttered absentmindedly.
“What’s a roller coaster?” ‘Grandma Doctor’ heard the unfamiliar term and asked with a confused expression.
“Hahaha… It’s nothing grandma. It’s simply a term I picked up when I was studying in the library.” Azalon hurriedly explained by providing a simple lie.
“Alright, Galifianakis. Leave us for a few moments. I want to talk with him.” Eren Wheld said in a calm voice and
‘Grandma Doctor’ nodded his head and withdrew from the room.
“………” Both grandfather and grandson silently watched each other waiting for the other to talk. It was Eren Wheld who spoke first. “How long has it been since you can cultivate, Az?”
“Oh. Ummm… You see, grandpa, ummm… since the day I met Asma?” Azalon replied slowly observing the reactions of his grandfather carefully. He expected him to be shocked or at least pleased with him, but his grandfather’s face was like a stone without a single ripple. Eren Wheld slowly nodded as he said “So, it should be less than 2 months. And you managed to reach your current state which would have taken almost a year for any one else in just 2 months.”
Azalon simply nodded his head, dumbstruck. He was amazed at his grandfather who was taking this news so calmly.
But his grandfather had always been like that. Even when he had shown his talent in martial arts 2 years ago, he had seen the same calm look on his grandfather. After his Awakening of the Petrified Spirit, his grandfather was down spirited for some time before he became normal again. And even now, the same reaction. Azalon never knew some one in both his lives who could be so calm under any circumstance like his grandfather did.
“Grandpa, I have lots of questions I want to ask you. What…” Azalon asked hurriedly but his Eren Wheld cut him off.
“I know, Az. Dress up and come to my cottage. We will talk there, alright?” Finally, a smile lit up on the old man’s face and he went out after ruffling Azalon’s wet hair.
Grandma Doctor came through the door after Eren Wheld left with a change of clothes and a dry towel. Azalon jumped out of the bath tub and quickly dried himself. He rushed out after putting on the clothes. Grandma Doctor smiled wryly as she watched Azalon run off full of enthusiasm and youthful energy. “Never grow up, Az. Try to retain that pure mind of yours even after wading through the filth of this world.” She silently prayed in her heart.
Azalon was running through the family courtyards with Raka in tow. Azalon watched this little guy from the corner of his eyes as he remembered the formless pressure Raka exuded when he tangled with the [Black Taloned Silver Hawk] of Delius. That Silver Hawk didn’t even put up a fight when this guy pinned it down. ‘Another question added to the long list of questions…’ Azalon thought bitterly in his heart, but finally he could obtain some answers.
The simple garden where Eren Wheld lived came into his view and he slowed down. He walked through the bountiful garden brimming with splashes of colors and reached the cottage of his grandfather.
His grandfather was there in the cottage’s kitchen but the other figure who was with Eren Wheld standing in the main room turned around and two sturdy arms pulled Azalon into a bear hug.
“Hahahaha… You did good, you dolt. It was good enough not to lose my face as your elder brother in the family. Hahaha…” That’s Hank, alright. Even though he put it like that, Azalon could see the faint shock in Hank’s eyes, excitement and a layer of pride as well.
“Hank’s here because you wanted to talk, Az. Now, come and sit here. Now that you can finally cultivate, there are a lot of things to explain to you and I think you have a lot of questions too!” Eren Wheld smiled as he watched the two brothers. He couldn’t help but remember his once sworn brother and the pain of betrayal. He shook his head and placed three plates of meat on the small table in the room.
“Ohh…” Azalon’s eyes glittered as his nostrils were assaulted by the aromatic smell coming from the large meat slabs. He almost drooled as the saliva in his mouth over flowed due to the enticing smell.
“Hahahaha… That’s the meat from the Thunder Horned Stag we hunted on that day. I have to say to you, Az, the flavor of a Class 6 Spirit Beast is otherworldly. And add into the prodigious cooking of Eren Wheld into the mix, it will be heavenly! Come, come, have a bite and you will understand what I mean!” Hank was really drooling when he saw the meat slabs.
The two brothers pounced onto two slabs and quickly tore into the meat. “Mmmmm…” Azalon’s eyes went wide as his teeth tore into the surprisingly tender meat and the meat juices oozed into his mouth. His eyes involuntarily closed as the meat melted in his mouth and the flavors tickled the taste buds. The spices were perfectly in balance with the sweet taste of the meat and the spicy bitter sweet after taste of the Spirit Wine that his grandfather should have used to marinate the meat gave it a perfect finishing touch. It was indeed heavenly as Hank had said. The meat cuisines he had eaten back on Earth prepared by world – renowned chefs couldn’t even compare to this simple grilled meat slab!
The moment the meat reached his stomach, his [Devour] ability automatically kicked in and a warm feeling spread out through his entire body making Azalon moan in pleasure. He could feel strands of Spirit Energy that were incomparably pure make their way into his Spirit Energy Vortex in the Soul Root. He could even feel three different kinds of energy diffuse into his muscles, bones and even skin! No wonder they say that the meat of a high – level beast is simply a treasure for cultivators!
“Wow… What a delicacy! It’s wonderful. I have never tasted something that tasty till today!” Azalon’s words came from his heart, or from his mouth? Who can say, right, and at this moment both places are happy at the same time!
Eren Wheld laughed happily watching his two grandchildren devour the meat he had cooked with gusto. The atmosphere with in the cottage turned pleasant and happy as the three family members shared a meal.
“Grandpa, I want to know everything you know about cultivation. Don’t hold back a single thing. The questions I have in my head are killing me!” Azalon couldn’t hold himself back and finally asked for the purpose he had come here.
“Hahahaha, you brat. You have become quite restless just because you could cultivate, huh? Where did that Mr. Cool and Calm go?” Hank teased him watching Azalon’s impatience.
“Alright. Let him off, Hank. You can’t blame him. We neglected him all these days and because of that he don’t know the complete details. What he could gather from the library had been completely read by now. Am I right, Az?” Eren Wheld asked Azalon with an interested glimmer in his eyes. Children his age would be playing around or chasing other girls, but not Azalon. When he faced a problem, he immediately thought of finding ways to solve that problem, that too on his own and didn’t even ask him, his own grandfather for help! Such a way of thinking was not commonly seen in 12 year old boys.
“Az, the Spirit Cultivation in this world is divided into 10 Realms. You probably know about this but bear with me alright?” Eren Wheld began but immediately held up his hand to stop Azalon who was about to interrupt him. “Each Realm has a particular trait that will manifest within their Soul Root or the Spirit Energy within them. And moreover with each Realm you advance, your life span will increase! The later stages even provide you immortality!” He paused for a moment letting it sink in.
“The first Realm is the Spirit Novice Realm where the practitioners train their body to prepare it for the Awakening Process. An untrained body can’t handle the strain the Awakening Process puts on it and there are chances that he may die. That’s the reason why this stage is very important and very basic step for cultivators. You have stayed in this Realm for almost 4 years, Az, before you advanced into the next Realm. There’s probably only a handful of cultivators who stayed at the Spirit Novice Realm the same time span as you did. You have a solid foundation, Az, and that is also the reason why your body can handle the consecutive breakthroughs you had in such a short amount of time.” Eren Wheld spoke softly and slowly and both Hank and Azalon were listening with rapt attention, especially Azalon. He had his physical senses as well as LILY’s digital senses record every word spoken.
“Once you reach the peak of Spirit Novice Realm, then you will be eligible for the Awakening ceremony to Awaken your Soul Spirit. No one knows exactly how the process works, but there have been some scholars who tried to explain the Awakening process and the meaning behind the existence of Spirits to a cultivator. But no one cared as long as they knew that only through their Spirits can they cultivate Spirit Energy! But I remember a scholar talking about an ancient scroll that was found in some ruins that explained the intricacies behind the existence of the Soul Spirits.” Eren Wheld continued. “Rumor was that the scroll was written by the First Generation Cultivators of this world who established the Spirit Cultivation Methods and Realms, but that is all hear say. But the content of that scroll raised some very interesting questions. According to that scroll, the Soul Spirits are not the manifestations of the Souls of the Cultivators but they exist in a separate world known as the ‘Spirit World’. During the process of Awakening, the Soul of the Cultivator would be transferred to that Spirit World and it would search for the matching Soul in that world.”
Azalon’s eyes glittered brightly in excitement the more he heard his grandfather talk. He tried to remember what he felt during the Awakening Ceremony but all he could remember was a boundless darkness that covered him and different flashes of stars like things that streaked through in that darkness! “So, that darkness should be the ‘Spirit World’ and the streaks are the Souls of the ‘Soul Spirits’ in that world!” Azalon thought in his heart and he once again concentrated on his grandfather.
“Once the Soul of a Cultivator found a match in that ‘Spirit World’, that Spirit would be transferred into our world. The Soul of that Spirit will exist within the Soul Root of the Cultivator and the Spirit will exist in the material plane. Any Spirit will possess a natural affinity for the Spirit Energy, and because the Soul of a Spirit resides within your body, you can absorb the Spirit Energy too. That is how Spirit Cultivation came into existence. No one believed this, but no one disapproved it either!”
“Alright, enough about that. Even though you think about it till your head bursts open, you can’t understand some things in this world. They exist, that’s all you have to know. Now, moving on, the next Realm after the Spirit Awakening is the Spirit Sense Realm, where you sense the presence of Spirit Energy within the Heavens and Earth and draw it into your body. You refine the Energy and store it in the Soul Root. This Spirit Energy will be the nourishment for the Soul of your Soul Spirit and the pure and condensed the Spirit Energy is, the faster your Spirit grows!” Eren Wheld was in a flow as he slowly closed his eyes and tried to organize everything he knew, read or heard in his lifetime about the Spirit Cultivation and told them to his grandsons.
“During this Realm, the Spirit Energy will be like a cloud that would roam around in your Soul Root. This Realm is divided into 4 Stages comprised of 10 Levels. The first 3 Levels for the Beginner Stage, the next 3 Levels – the Middle Stage, the next 3 stages – the Late Stage. The 10th Level is the Peak Stage and is the transitional stage into the next Realm. There are two bottlenecks in this stage, the first one between the Middle Stage and the Late Stage i.e. between the 7th Level and the 8th Level. If the 10th Level is called the Transitional Stage then the 8th Level to 9th Levels is called the ‘Preparatory Stages’, the stage where your body will change to accommodate the changes it will experience during the transition between Realms! And each Level you advance in ”
“That was my first time experiencing what a bottle neck in your cultivation feels like. I was scared witless when my cultivation stagnated at the 7th Level for 4 months at a stretch! My Teacher explained it to me then and gave me a Spirit Pill that allowed me to break through to the 8th Level. You will explain what I am talking about when you reach that stage.” Hank smiled remembering his own troubles he faced during that time and smiled mischievously at Azalon. He didn’t want to scare Azalon, but he couldn’t help it!
“Hmmm… The 3rd Realm is the Spirit Condensation Realm.” Eren Wheld nodded when Hank interrupted him. He knew that Hank was just warning Azalon, so that he wouldn’t panic when he faced that situation and do something stupid. He continued his explanation. “This is the Realm where one has to step into to be really called as a ‘Spirit Cultivator.’ Every one below this Realm can only be called as ‘Practitioners’ as this Realm has the one thing that sets apart the Cultivators from the common people. The Spiritual Sense. The Spirit Energy in this Realm will be condensed to form a ‘Spirit Lake’ in their Soul Root. After the ‘Spirit Lake’ is formed, the Soul of your Soul Spirit will be immersed into the Spirit Lake. Under the nourishment of the rich and condensed Spirit Energy, your consciousness will transform into the
‘Sea of Consciousness’ and this allows for the manifestation of the Spiritual Sense. The existence of Spiritual Sense works like a sixth sense for Cultivators that will extend to a set distance from the body allowing them to scan their surroundings even when their five organs were cut off!” At this point, Eren Wheld lifted his hand and cherry colored liquid state Spirit Energy bubbled up from within enveloping his hand.
Azalon stared amazed at the liquid Spirit Energy that was flowing around Eren Wheld’s hand. Under the control of his grandfather, the Spirit Energy slowly floated into the air and started transforming into various forms and shapes! After seeing that amazing display of control, Azalon felt that his own control over his Spirit Energy was almost pathetic and non – existent! And that was the only thing he felt accomplished all these days.
But Eren Wheld and Hank laughed seeing the dejected look on Azalon’s slightly immature face. “The level of control you have can be claimed to be one of the top levels I have encountered. We can only control our Spirit Energy to this extent is only because we integrate the Spiritual Sense with the Spirit Energy. Otherwise how can the Spirit Energy could be malleable to that extent?” Hank finally revealed the trick behind that awesome control and Azalon’s mood brightened a bit. He could only express that kind of control over the Spirit Energy was because of LILY and the nature of Fairy Spirit. But at the end of the day, it was still his ability!
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“The Spirit Condensation Realm is also divided into 4 Stages comprised of 10 Levels, divided the exact same way as the Spirit Sense Realm. Even the bottle necks one face in this Realm are the same as the Spirit Sense Realm. You will understand the details once you enroll in the Academy. Don’t worry, they are all minor details. If you want, I will explain them to you later on.”
“After the Spirit Condensation Realm is the Spirit Core Level. The ‘Spirit Sea’ which is the final form of the ‘Spirit Lake’ that forms at the Peak Stage of the Spirit Condensation Realm, will further condense to form a Core in the Soul Root.
This Realm is the final Realm which is divided into Levels or Stages. The Spirit Core Realm is divided into 3 Stages with no individual Levels. Mortal Core, Heaven Core and Soul Core! The Mortal Core is the Initial stages of the Spirit Core Realm where a hollow Core is formed by the Spirit Energy in your body. The moment the Spirit Core is formed, everything moves into the Core. Your Soul, the Soul of your Spirit, your Sea of Consciousness and even your Cultivation will be related to the Spirit Core! It will be exactly like the Spirit Cores we harvest from the Spirit Beasts!” Eren Wheld’s last sentence startled Azalon.
“Does that mean someone can take my Spirit Core once they can penetrate to my Soul Root?” He couldn’t help but ask. If that was really the case, he would be no different from a Spirit Beast that can be killed for its Spirit Core!
“Ahh… That’s not entirely true and not entirely false either. In order to extract a Spirit Core of a Cultivator, there are certain methods that have to be followed, but such methods are all Devil’s ways and are banned from the Cultivation World. Anyone who practices such methods will be hunted down by the Cultivators as the existence of those techniques or persons will always make them feel on edge! You don’t have to worry about it, Az.” It was Hank who explained this time as he was more clear of such proceedings due to him being a student of an Academy.
‘That doesn’t make me feel better at all!’ Azalon cried bitterly in his heart as he cursed this damn world. But he gave up as he wouldn’t have to worry about that at this stage. He was not even in the late stages of the Spirit Sense Realm and the Spirit Core Realm is still a very far away destination on his path. He will reach there eventually but he had to take his journey step by step.
“Don’t worry, Azalon. You can’t understand the overwhelming strength a Spirit Core Cultivator possesses unless you personally experience it. As I was saying, the Spirit Core will become your entire cultivation. The Sea of Consciousness within the Core will form a ‘Consciousness Pool’ evolving your Spiritual Sense into Core Sense! The Core Sense can cover tens of miles and everything will be under your control within the range of your Core Sense. You really can’t understand it unless you step into that Realm and personally experience it!” Eren Wheld’s eyes hazed as he remembered the times when he had been such fearsome expert roaming through out the Kingdom unhindered. He bitterly smiled and shook his head clearing the saddening memories.
“The Heaven Core is the next Stage where you have to fill up the hollow Core with Spirit Energy. And then you have to plant a ‘Soul Seed’ in the Core to form the Soul Core. The Soul Seed will be the foundation from which your Nascent Soul will be given birth. This Stage is the breaking point that divides the Chosen from the throngs of Cultivators. There are many cultivators who would stop at this point and wouldn’t advance to the next Realm. And I was one of them! The advancement to the next Realm from the Spirit Core Realm will be a gamble of life and death. If you can successfully advance, you will step into the mystical plane of Immortality. But if you fail, there will only be the gates of Hell that will welcome you.” Eren Wheld’s eyes glittered with an intoxicated look and Hank had an excited and anticipatory expression glimmering in his fierce eyes. Azalon was amazed beyond words as he listened to the stages of cultivation and he was even more looking forward to the day where he would be one of those powerhouses and explore the mysteries of both outside world as well as inside world!
“The Nascent Soul Realm is the next Realm beyond the Spirit Core Realm. In order to form a Nascent Soul, you have to destroy everything you have worked for all those years and form everything anew! Destroy your Root, shatter your Core, scatter your Consciousness, crush your Spirit, break your Soul, devastate everything that is yours and form everything that will be yours! This was the mantra that perfectly describes the formation of a Nascent Soul. One has to destroy their Soul Root, their Spirit Core, their consciousness, their Soul and the Soul of their Spirit to smithereens. And then gather them together once again and form a Soul Avatar using the only thing you are left with, The Soul Seed. If you are successful, the Soul of your Spirit will form the body of the Soul, your consciousness will form the awareness for this Nascent Soul, your meridians will form the blood vessels and the Spirit Energy will be the blood that flows in the veins! Your Soul Root will become the skin of the Nascent Soul and finally your Soul will form a weapon. The weapon is named ‘Soul Weapon’ and will be your sole weapon for your life! You may take up any weapon and practice that weapon’s martial arts, but once the ‘Soul Weapon’ is formed you will never be able to touch another weapon in your life! After all, that weapon is formed through your Soul and your body will have an unprecedented level of relationship with it.”
Azalon’s throat had long since gone dry and he was gasping in short breaths! ‘This… This…’ He couldn’t even form a single coherent thought in his mind! His entire though process was becoming more and more jumbled the more information he pumped into it. He once thought that as long as he had enough information he could finally answer the nagging questions in his mind, but he was partly regretting asking his grandfather for this kind of information! This was simply something he couldn’t explain with his scientific knowledge he brought with him from Earth. This was something too otherworldly and too mysterious! But he still wanted to know, after all information is information and the more he knew the less his mistakes will be! And in this world, a small mistake will be life – threatening!
“Many have fallen at this stage as they couldn’t form their Nascent Souls. Their Souls that were wantonly destroyed gave them no second chances but to commit themselves to the path they have embarked on. You either succeed or you die! There is no third option at that stage.” Eren Wheld originally didn’t want to explain to this stage. He had always stopped at the Spirit Core Realm when he explained the cultivation stages to the younger generation of the Family. But he had different kind of expectations for Azalon. He witnessed the scary speed at which he progressed in the cultivation, even though it was still the most basic and not even the starting stage of real Cultivation! And when he remembered the two figures that were so close to him yet very far away from him, he knew that Azalon would one day follow in their footsteps they have laid for their prince. And it came to Eren Wheld to help him understand the path clearly.
That is the reason why he was explaining all that he knew to this young boy. He had to be prepared and warned of what he would face once he embarks on this path. He had to be made aware that there will be no turning back, you can only plough ahead or stand still and rot beside the road.
“The Realms that transcends the Nascent Soul Realm are not clear, but it was said that the next Realm is called the ‘Spirit Sage’ Realm. The information will be held close by those big powers. That kind of information will act as a precious enticement to draw in the powerhouses into their folds. But the last 5 Realms are completely different from the previous 5. It was said that any one individual at those Realms can wipe out an entire country with a swipe of their hand!” Eren Weld finished his explanation about all that he knew about the Cultivation Realms, Stages and Levels. He gave Azalon and Hank sometime to digest this information and only after sensing their breaths stabilize did he continue.
“Coming to the categories of the Spirits, they are divided into 3 Types and 4 Categories. Beast Type Spirits like yours and Delius’, Tool Type Spirits like Hank’s Spear Spirit, and Unique Spirits like Sophie’s Ice Lotus Spirit. They are further categorized into Attack type Spirits, Defense type Spirits, Support type Spirits and Legacy Spirits. The categorization itself describes what they are and you are not an idiot, so I will not explain about them.” Eren Wheld said with a smile and the two brothers responded with a smile of their own.
“Talking about your Spirits, you should know about their growth stages as well.”
“Growth stages? Grandpa, you are saying that the Spirit’s development are also divided into stages?” Azalon was amazed at the meticulous differentiations this world had. They have divided the cultivation stages, categorized the types of Spirits, classified the Beasts in the Wilderness and now they were even differentiating the growth stages of the Spirits!
“Mmm? Yes, they are indeed divided into 5 stages. [Embryo Stage], [Infant Stage], [Adolescent Stage], [Primary Form] and the [Final Form]. Each stage will pass when the Cultivator advances into the next Realm. For example, a cultivator’s Spirit will be at [Embryo Stage] when he was in the Spirit Sense Realm. But once he achieves breakthrough to the Spirit Condensation Realm, the rich Spirit Energy will cause the Spirit to grow from the [Embryo Stage] into the [Infantile Stage] and so on. That was also the reason why we were surprised when the Elders sensed that your [Golden Eyed Gray Tiger] Spirit was already at the [Infant Stage] while you were still in the Spirit Sense Realm.”
6 eyes swirled towards a small gray bundle sleeping on the floor and purring contently as it slept. The attention it got from the 3 individuals aroused it from its sleep and the golden eyes looked around curiously, not understanding why these 3 people were looking at it with such interest. It yawned showing its cute pink tongue and rows of small white sharp teeth and curled again going back to sleep.
“……” Azalon stayed silent but his mind was remembering the Souls of the Spirit Beasts both his Spirits had consumed that caused their evolution. Even LILY has evolved to the second stage as per his grandfather’s words.
“So that’s why that [Black Taloned Silver Hawk] of Delius was pressured into silence by Raka.” Azalon muttered and Erek Wheld nodded in response.
“A Spirit at the [Infant Stage] is similar to a cultivator at the Spirit Condensation Realm. And it can pressure the Spirits at the [Embryo Stage] with its Spirit Essence just like how a Spirit Condensation Cultivator could pressure a Spirit Sense Cultivator.” Eren Wheld explained.
“Is that the reason why I can’t perform the ‘Spirit Integration’?” Azalon finally managed to ask the one question that was eating at his mind since the start of the competition.
“You can’t perform the Spirit Integration?” Eren Wheld asked with a slightly surprised tone. “Did you get any abilities from your Spirit, Azalon?”
Azalon silently nodded but didn’t explain what that ability was. “Haha…” Eren Wheld laughed softly and the gaze with which he looked at Raka changed slightly. “What is the name of your Spirit, Azalon?” He asked suddenly catching Azalon off guard.
Azalon knew that his Spirit was something special as he didn’t see the name [Heavenly Demon Tiger] in the Spirit Beast Rankings. But there was a particular Spirit called the [Golden Eyed Gray Tiger] ranked somewhere in the 10000s that was similar to the appearance of Raka. No one could tell the differences between the Spirits at a glance and
Azalon secretly decided in his heart to keep the name of his Raka a secret and let it be the [Golden Eyed Gray Tiger]. But he didn’t expect his grandfather to ask the name of his Spirit all of a sudden.
“……… Heavenly Demon Tiger Raka” Azalon slowly replied after hesitating for a while. These two members were people close to his heart and he couldn’t lie to them.
Eren Wheld’s and Hank’s eyes widened to their limits and Azalon became slightly afraid that they would pop out from their sockets. It was Hank who first got out from the shock and his words stammered as he pointed to Raka with a trembling finger.
“Th-This i-i-is r-re-re-real-really H-H-Heav-Heaven D-D-D-D-D-Demon Tiger?” Azalon was puzzled looking at Hank who was trembling all over with face full of sweat!
“Hank, Hank,what happened? HANK!” Azalon caught his brother’s body who collapsed onto the ground and by now even his teeth were chattering violently. Hank’s eyes were filled with horror and tears were rolling down his cheeks.
“Azalon!” A grim voice came from his side and Azalon was terrified to see that Eren Wheld was riled up! He never saw his grandfather become this emotional, not even once! But now, he was not only riled up, he was completely flustered!
But there was still a trace of caution and hope in his eyes and Azalon could feel the conflict his grandfather was going through.
“Grandpa, Grandpa… What’s wrong? What’s wrong with Raka?” Azalon asked slowly afraid that he would disturb his grandfather’s mood.
Eren Wheld took in a few deep breaths and he finally controlled his emotions! Maybe, just maybe Azalon could still save them. Maybe the world would see another Blood Rising! Maybe He would come into this world once again!
“Azalon! Never speak about your Spirit’s name to any one, no matter the situation! Understood?” Azalon mindlessly nodded and he had no idea what his grandfather meant by those words either? But he had a faint idea that this Spirit of his was the source of his grandfather’s words and Hank’s breakdown.
“…… Yes, grandpa. I will be careful.”
Hank recovered after a long time and the eyes with which he looked at Azalon still had some lingering fear! He had heard legends about a figure that once swept through this world, destroying countless kingdoms, clans, legacies and even Spirit Beasts, making mountains of dead bodies to pile up and rivers of blood to flow! Only after the remaining kingdoms and clans formed an alliance to fight that lone figure! After paying a heavy price of having almost 60% of their alliance’s army, they finally managed to defeat that single figure. That period had been dubbed ‘The Dark Ages’, but the kingdoms manipulated the information making it seem that ‘The Dark Ages’ was caused by continuous wars between the kingdoms that were destroyed by that figure! After countless thousands of years, the population gradually forgot about that time, but the long lives of cultivators made it so that they remembered that time and some even mentioned the truth in some records. He accidentally read such record once when he was searching through the Academy Library for some inspiration on his Spear Arts.
The details in that record had been vague, but there had been one name that was mentioned a bunch of times. ‘Heavenly Demon Tiger!’, the Spirit of that mysterious figure that was the cause of ‘The Dark Ages’! According to that record, the original name of that figure was erased from history and he was known by his other name, a name that was given as an insult to that mysterious figure! The record never mentioned what that name was, but it said that even speaking about that person will draw the wrath of various factions around the world!
And now his brother had the same Spirit of that figure!
“Hank, are you alright?” Eren Wheld calmed down and asked his elder grandson. By his reaction, it seems he knew the legend or at least part of the legend. But he had to warn him not to speak of this matter to anyone, especially ‘The Radiant Church’! If they come to know about this Spirit’s name, Azalon would be mercilessly killed without even a single soul the wiser of his death.
“Don’t worry, grandpa. I took an oath by the Spirits and the Heavens that I would never betray my brother in any way.
Even though the legend speaks of the same name, it may be different. We know who Azalon is and how he is, right? There’s no way he would turn into… that!” Hank shuddered as he replied to Eren Wheld. He had to remind himself that what he said was true and not something he wanted to believe in!
Azalon was simply out of the loop and he was getting irritated by the way his grandfather and Hank were speaking in riddles. “Will somebody tell me just what is going on here?” He asked with a huff.
“It’s nothing, Az. Ah, you were asking why you couldn’t perform the ‘Spirit Integration’, right?” Hank answered hurriedly before trying to shift the subject. “Spirit Integration is only a primitive way of battling with the help of Spirits. Actually Spirit Integration was only a small part of a Spirit’s assistance in a battle.” Hank reached to his back and with a *Swish*, he flourished a black Spear with crimson red lines running on its body.
“The Spirit Integration is the step that you have to perform to create a harmony with your Spirit. Once that harmony reaches a particular Level, you will then inherit an ability from your Spirit. Once you inherit an ability, you don’t need to perform the ‘Spirit Integration’. The level of harmony between the Cultivator and Spirit will then become an entity that can be manipulated as needed dependent on the situation. The Cultivator can even utilize the Spirit Essence of his Spirit in his attacks that will almost double his attack power! Look!” With that pale red Spirit Energy flowed from Hank into the Spear and the crimson lines on the Spear started glittering brightly as specks of crimson lights started flickering on the tip of the Spear. Hank gave a simple thrust and fire instantly manifested on the tip of the Spear and the crimson lights mixed with that fire making it flare brightly. The Spear flew out in a straight line and a fist sized hole appeared on the wall of the cottage. But surprisingly nothing caught on fire as the fire was completely contained on the tip of the Spear! But Azalon suddenly jumped in fright when he saw the crimson specks that were supposed to be on the tip of the Spear were scattered all around the room like fireflies.
Hank suddenly sucked in a deep breath and the crimson lights were absorbed by Hank as they flew into Hank’s mouth along with his breath!
“That was the auxiliary attack ability that could be performed when I use the Spirit Essence of my Spear along with my Spirit Energy. Those fireflies like embers were concentrated specks of Spirit Essence and I could make them explode using my Spiritual Sense. I can even move them about with my Spiritual Sense. I named the move [Thousand Fire Embers]. But since my Spirit is a Tool Spirit, it will take a long time for it to evolve into the [Infant Stage.] But once it does, I will receive my second ability!” Hank explained and Azalon watched with glittering eyes as he never thought of this possibility.
Right now, he had 2 abilities, one from each of his Spirit. That means that he couldn’t perform the Spirit Integration, rather there is no need to! He was in perfect harmony with his Spirits, even though his Spirits were in their [Infant Stage]! And now he had another Spirit in the process of Awakening!
“Hank, also tell him about the levels of the Beasts in the Wilderness. ” Eren Wheld reminded Hank and Hank nodded and he withdrew his Spear and tied it to his back.
“As you know, Az, there are Beasts that were categorized from Level 1 to Level 7. Level 1 – 3 are the same as cultivator at Spirit Sense Realm. Level 4 – 6 Beasts were equivalent to Cultivators of the Spirit Condensation Realm. Level 7 Beast is the same as a Cultivator of the Mortal Core Level. These 7 Levels are combinedly named Spirit Beasts. Above these 7 Levels are the Desolate Beasts, Chaos Level Beasts, Disaster Level Beasts and the Primordial Beasts. These are the classifications of the Beasts that can be seen on this Shandra Continent. There’s a rumor that there are Beasts that were even more powerful than the Primordial Beasts out there in the vast ocean, but whoever went to check that rumor, not even a single one returned.” Hank calmly explained and this was common knowledge for the students of an Academy. In fact all that has been discussed right now, Azalon could find out easily once he joins an Academy.
“That’s enough, Hank. If you keep on explaining, the length of this chapter will not be enough and the handsome, kind and smart author had to suffer from negative feedbacks and finger cramps! So, that will be enough for you to suffice for a long time, Azalon. If you want to find any additional information, I am sure you can find the resources by yourself.” Eren Wheld stopped Hank from going out of his hand and sent off the two brothers.
Azalon returned to his room with his head swelled to double its size with all the information stuffed into it. He didn’t start on analyzing the information, but instead plopped onto the bed and drifted into sleep.
Days passed by peacefully. It has been three weeks since the Family competition for the Academy Selections Spots has been conducted and Azalon had won one of the two spots.
Wheld Family Manor, within one of the many rooms…
A 12 year old boy was sitting cross legged on the floor. A small gray tiger was sleeping on the bed in the room but it had one of its eye open, the golden pupil reflecting the small figure of the boy within it. A thick cloud of Spirit Energy covered the silhouette of that boy and with every breath he would draw in massive amounts of Spirit Energy into his body. Within a few breaths the cloud would disperse but a Fairy would suddenly appear and the Spirit Energy in the surroundings will madly rush together to form another cloud of thick Spirit Energy surrounding the boy again.
*Boom!*
A silent tremor rang through the body of Azalon as the vortex in his Soul Root expanded to the fullest and stabilized the rotation speed. The vortex completely filled the entirety of Soul Root and there was not even a single inch that was not covered. The dense and massive vortex was spinning with rapid speeds within the confines of the Soul Root.
“So, this is the bottle neck Grandpa and Hank spoke of on that day. If I want to step into the 8th Level of the Spirit Sense Realm, I have to enter the Preparatory Stage, and condense the excess Spirit Energy into liquid drops that will exist within the vortex’s eye. That will take some massive amounts of Energy to condense a single drop. That should be the reason why it was called the ‘Preparatory Stage’. If I can condense around 10 drops of liquid Spirit Energy, then I could enter the 8th Level Spirit Sense Realm.” Azalon mumbled to himself and he opened his eyes after making sure that his Energy vortex was stable without any deviations.
Just as he was about to get up, a tremor ran through his body that felt as if it originated from his Soul itself. Azalon hurriedly sat down and cast his awareness into the depths of his body finally reaching the Soul Root. To his surprise, the entire Soul Root was illuminated by a pulsing purple light. Azalon knew what this purple light signified and was a happy smile lit up his face just like a child on a Christmas morning waiting for the gifts to be opened.
The pulsing increased in frequency before it reached a value where it appeared as a continuous light source instead of a flickering one.
*Crack* *Crack*
Some cracking sounds resounded in the Soul Root and all of a sudden, a large boom echoed! Azalon felt his Soul tremble and he could feel a faint connection forming with his Soul. He concentrated and calmed his mind and heart. He appeared in that bubble of his once again after a long time. To his right, there was a gray Soul Embryo that was Raka’s and to his left, a silver Soul Embryo that was LILY’s. Two tunnels extended from him to the surface of the bubble while passing through these two Soul Embryos. They were the Soul Bridges that would allow him to draw in the Spirit Energy using the Soul of his Spirit as a medium.
Around him were 7 other Soul Embryos in different colors, but right now Azalon concentrated on a purple Embryo that was flickering brightly. With a thought, Azalon concentrated and a Soul Bridge extended from his lower chest and connected with the glowing purple Soul Embryo. The Soul Bridge connected and without stopping extended towards the surface of the bubble. As soon as the bridge connected with the bubble surface, bright purple colored Spirit Energy trickled down through the tunnel and flowed into his body. Time passed and the trickle changed into a roaring flood!
In the Outside World, the room within which Azalon was sitting in was covered with bright purple light. Fortunately, it was day time, otherwise the illumination would have drawn countless eyes to his room. Azalon opened his eyes when he felt the Soul Bridge connect and his Spirit was about to Awaken. Before his eyes, the purple light slowly converged and condensed to form a 10 foot shadow on one of the walls.
Azalon eyes glittered in excitement when he saw the shadow. This Soul Embryo was formed from the Primal Ring that was saturated to its peak with one of the 7 Primal Energies. He was full of anticipation at the Spirit that will Awaken because of this Ring. More and more light converged and with a muffled bang, a fist sized figure appeared before his eyes and a name rang in his Soul.
“Lightning Imp, Merup!”
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Enjoy Folks... The next chapter will be the final chapter of the Volume 1. Another Chapter had been added to the Volume 1 because the things I wanted to explain to the readers increased a bit... Look forward to the next chapter, guys...