Cleo, Ray, and Simon were currently airborne and heading to meet Ross and Alexander at the Teleportation circles. Cleo and Ray were somewhat serious as they knew that the Barbarian race didn’t like humans that much. They were only able to go there because Ross was good friends with one of its tribal leaders and had got permission from him to go there.
Simon had no idea where his Masters and Grandmasters were taking him. However, he was slightly shocked about the abundant changes that had occurred across the school. The usual Teleportation circles used for travel by the students had been sealed off and the number of guards patrolling the school had been doubled. However, there weren’t any special restrictions on the students.
“It seems that things won’t be calm in the future,” Devourer said mentally.
“I agree,” Simon responded mentally as he continued to check out the school.
“Devourer, can you guess what my Masters and Grandmasters are planning?” Simon asked.
“They must have thought of a way to activate your Bloodline if I am not mistaken,” Devourer said without much thought.
“Are there really methods that can do away with an awakening ceremony?” Simon asked mentally. He had heard about the importance of an awakening ceremony for all Bloodline holders and the difficulty a Bloodline holder faced to awaken its Bloodline without undergoing one.
“Yes, but the problem is that they aren’t as effective or swift as the awakening ceremony. A Bloodline holder must still wait for years before its Bloodline fully awakens, but that’s better than nothing if the Bloodline holder can’t undergo an awakening ceremony. Your Masters and the remainder of the upper echelon can’t sense the seal on you, thanks to me. Otherwise, they wouldn’t even bother wasting resources on you in the first place,” Devourer explained mentally.
“Oh!” Simon mentally said and felt terribly guilty. Obviously, his Masters and Grandmasters must have paid some tremendous price for his sake, and it was not required.
“I will definitely pay them back,” Simon vowed silently to himself. That was the only way he could stop feeling guilty about it.
It didn’t take long for them to reach the Teleportation circles where they were supposed to meet Alexander and Ross. They were already standing on one of them.
Simon was breathless on seeing these Teleportation circles. They were around ten times the size of the Teleportation circle usually used for travel by the students and were all releasing a terrifying amount of Spatial aura.
“They are Ultra-Long-Range Teleportation circles,” Ray said with a smile when he saw Simon’s astonishment.
“We can’t go to the Divine Wilderness via Hell’s Gate anymore because of the tension between the Royal Family and the school. We will use a turnaround method,” Cleo added, to which Simon just nodded. This was enough to tell him that things had deteriorated to a large extent, so they wouldn’t calm down easily.
They descended right in front of Alexander and Ross, who had big smiles on their faces. That was enough to display their mental state and how much faith they had in their plan to successfully activate Simon’s Bloodline.
Simon, Cleo, and Ray quickly paid their respects to them, making their smiles even brighter.
“We will be going to the Shadow Independent School,” Alexander said as he signaled to the guards.
Simon felt peculiar after hearing this as it was different from what Ray and Cleo had told him. He knew about the Shadow Independent School. It was one of the Righteous Independent School’s closest allies and famed for producing powerful Darkness attribute Mages and Aura Masters.
However, he was unable to understand why they were heading there. There were other independent schools far closer to the Divine Wilderness. The Righteous Independent School had equally good relationships with them, too. Inevitably, he found their destination inexplicable.
“We will eventually come to know,” Shade commented, to which Simon had to agree. Devourer, on the other hand, could already guess Cleo and company’s plan after hearing their destination.
The guards at the Teleportation circles got into action quickly, and before long, Alexander and company were teleported.
Simon was speechless when they finally arrived at their destination, which wasn’t unexpected. The Teleportation circle was in the middle of barren land, and the Shadow Independent School was nowhere in sight. That wasn’t the end of weirdness. The entire region was utterly shrouded in darkness, all thanks to an enormous dark cloud up in the sky that was effectively blocking the sunlight.
“The school is hidden by an remarkably powerful illusion. If one doesn’t have the key issued by the school, one can forget about entering it,” Ray said with a smile when he saw Simon’s dumbstruck expression. He could tell what was going on in his mind.
Simon recovered quickly but still felt it was quite strange that no one was guarding the Teleportation circle. The Righteous Independent School never left their Teleportation circle without guards.
“Many Darkness attribute Aura Masters and Mages are observing you guys at this very moment. They have all blended in the darkness,” Devourer’s voice rang in Simon’s mind and cleared his doubts.
Alexander took out his battleship from his Spatial ring. He and the others quickly boarded it. Alexander and Ray headed for the control room; Cleo, Simon, and Ross stayed on the deck.
“Where are we headed?” Simon was unable to keep his curiosity in check, even though he knew that eventually, he would get all his answers.
“To the territory of the Barbaric race,” Ross said with a smile. Cleo had a similar smile. The fact that Simon could awaken his Bloodline if everything went well excited them.
“Oh!!” Simon nodded hurriedly. That was enough for anyone to know why they came to the Shadow Independent School. The Barbaric race’s territory was closest to the territory of the Shadow Independent School.
“Why should we go to those brutes?” Shade got worried after hearing Ross. The Barbaric race is quite well known throughout Koislar for its overpowered physique, which allows them to fight Primordial Mana beings and Divine Mana beings with their bare hands. Moreover, they are highly competitive and aggressive toward other races. Simon was worried about that, too, but he decided to believe in his Masters and Grandmasters.
“You are guys worrying over nothing. I have already asked Bleiz to stay on standby. He can reach us within the shortest possible time if things go south,” Devourer said calmly.
He had been expecting them to head to the Barbaric race’s territory when he first heard they were going to the Shadow Independent School. Silvia had roamed the entirety of Koislar before her life was ended by the heavens. So, he had previously visited the territory of the Barbaric race with her, and as a result, he knew that the Shadow Independent School was the closest to it. The Barbaric race had a special product that could help awaken the slumbering Bloodline of Bloodline holders. It was meant for hastening the process of Body Refinement.
There was a reason Devourer knew all this. Silvia had spent loads of time searching for the best possible Body Refinement Technique after forming a contract with him. She didn’t wish to end up like her uncle. The Barbaric race was considered the best when it came to Body Refinement Techniques.
The members of the Barbaric race focused on increasing their bodily toughness and strength throughout their lives. Each member created at least one Body Refinement Technique in their entire life. Some went on to create a number of them. These Body Refinement Techniques could be used by Human Aura Masters and were always better than what a Human Aura Master could create. As a result, the Barbaric race’s Body Refinement Techniques were considered precious on all worlds.
Silvia’s clan had many Body Refinement Techniques from the Barbaric race in their library. She had studied them thoroughly and even visited quite a few Barbaric race tribes on Monark to study more Body Refinement Techniques whenever she got the opportunity.
She had found the Fiend Body Refinement Technique during one of those visits to a tribe. It was a forbidden creation by a Barbaric genius. The members of the Barbaric race were forbidden from practicing it though they could study it for inspiration. Silvia was easily able to access it. She discovered quickly that it was the perfect technique for her, and only after that did she start to use Devourer’s ability to increase her rank.
She had even visited the Barbaric tribes on Koislar. Her aim was to find a method to further develop the Fiend Body Refinement Technique. She found the Barbaric tribes on Koislar not lacking in the least when compared to those of Monark and felt she would find an auxiliary technique to complement the Fiend Body Refinement Technique on Koislar.
“The Barbaric race isn’t a pushover,” Simon said with concern on hearing that Devourer had called Bleiz as a backup. Ray had previously told him to always avoid a fight with Barbaric race members if he wasn’t confident of victory. That was enough for Simon to realize that Bleiz wouldn’t be of much help against the Barbaric race.
“I am still here,” Devourer said slyly, which instantly made Simon and Shade go quiet. They had literally forgotten about the most dangerous thing on their side.
The battleship took off into the air under Alexander’s control and zoomed in the direction of the Barbaric race’s territory at its top speed. The battleship’s barrier appeared next, making the battleship invisible and presence-less.
“You should head down and practice meditation. Things might get rough up here,” Cleo said, once they were airborne.
Simon nodded, headed to the lower deck, entered one of the Meditation chambers, and started with the Soul Force Mage Meditation Method.
Martha was slightly troubled as she sat in the living room. She had just been informed by someone from the school that Simon had left with his Masters for the Divine Wilderness again. The fact that Simon hadn’t taken Albus with him was the actual source of her worry. She felt that Simon would have been safer with Albus by his side.
“Woof,” Albus barked as he told her mentally not to worry about Simon. He added that Simon’s Masters and Grandmasters were sufficiently strong to keep him safe.
Simon had already informed Albus about his circumstances and had asked him to take care of his grandma.
“I won’t then, OK,” Martha said with a smile as she rubbed his big head lovingly. She then returned to her Meditation chamber. She wanted to quickly increase her rank so she didn’t have to depend on anyone if something were to happen to Simon someday.
Albus returned to lazing on the couch once she left. He had nothing else to do while Martha was meditating, given Simon’s instructions to protect her if something happened unexpectedly.
Alexander’s battleship traveled continuously for a few days before it entered the Barbaric race’s territory. Until then, their journey was without trouble. A few Mana beasts did attack the battleship, but they were quickly repelled by Ross and Cleo’s combined might. The fact that they could see through the battleship’s barrier showed that these Mana beasts possessed exceptional senses.
Simon had been solidly isolated by the Meditation chamber, so he had no idea about those attacks. He was wholly focused on practicing the Soul Force Meditation Method. Ray checked on him occasionally since he also had to help Alexander in flying the battleship. Simon’s sincerity was something that made him happy.
Ross and Cleo were meditating on the deck while keeping a lookout for any problem; both had their respective swords unsheathed by their sides.
The battleship had attracted tons of attention right after its entry into the Barbaric territory. Alexander had deliberately removed the barrier that made the ship invisible and presence-less to avoid being considered as an enemy.
A few Barbaric race members appeared in front of the battleship, all above Rank 20; Alexander instantly stopped the battleship in its tracks.
The members of the Barbaric race looked just like burly humans but with complex runes covering their bodies. Just like most Mana beings, the members of this race strove to increase their Bloodline purity for their entire life; however, they had it easy. It increased so long as their physical prowess improved. That was the major reason they practiced Body Refinement Techniques.
Alexander, Cleo, Ross, and Ray flew toward them. To show their respect, they gave a quick bow, which the members of the Barbaric race accepted with a nod.
“Seniors, we wish to visit my good friend from your race. He is a leader of a low-level tribe,” Ross said terribly respectfully.
“Did he give you a permit?” one of the Barbaric race’s members asked without hostility. He looked different from his other companions as he had the greatest number of runes on his body. This meant that his Bloodline purity was the highest, signifying that he had the most powerful physique.
Ross nodded and took out the bone of a Mana beast from his Spatial ring, which he handed to the one who had asked about the permit. The Barbaric race used bones to store messages.
He checked the message before handing the bone back to Ross while he told his companions about the message.
“You can go but make sure not to mess with any of my race’s members — otherwise, things will instantly go south for you guys,” another Barbaric member warned. Anyone could clearly see that he hated humans.
“We will keep Senior’s words in mind,” Ross said sincerely as he and the others returned to the battleship. Alexander wasted no time getting it moving toward their destination.
“Let’s hope that all this trouble results in something good,” Ray said to Cleo mentally with a sigh. He knew that the chances of something going wrong were quite high on his trip.
“We can only hope,” Cleo responded mentally.
Ross and Cleo returned to meditating on the floor of the deck once again, and Ray moved to the control room to help Alexander fly the battleship.
Simon had no idea of what had occurred as he cultivated Soul Force Mage Meditation with all his zeal. He wanted to get the Psychic power of Telekinesis anyhow. Ray had told him about some Mages from their school who had used Telekinesis in the past and how they used it during battles. Those stories got Simon fired up about it.
Devourer was busy refining the Blood aura from the Lightning attribute beings that were being slaughtered by Bleiz for the Illusionary Spatial Lava Alligator Fiend. That Fiend had yet to act violently and had been busy devouring Blood aura. Its soul strength was about to become equivalent to the soul of a Rank 3 Fiend.
It took another half a day before the battleship finally reached its destination. The tribe was located near a lake and had hundreds of stone houses. The tribal members had already come out of their houses when they sensed the battleship. Their leader had already informed them about it, to avoid any unnecessary situation.
The Tribal Head flew out of the village immediately to greet Ross and company. He was a Rank 13, the same as Ross and Alexander. Ross reciprocated in a similar fashion to greet him.
“It’s been a while, Ross,” the Head said with a big smile as he extended his hand.
“Yes, it has been a while, Gabriel,” Ross said as he shook his hand.
“How is Crimson Sword doing?” Gabriel asked with a smile.
“He is doing fine,” Ross said, but unintentionally his chest swelled with pride.
Alexander had landed the battleship by then. He and the others disembarked before he stored the battleship in his Spatial ring.
Gabriel’s scrutiny of Simon was to be expected, but a second later, he frowned, which was not missed by Ross. However, he decided to ignore it.
Ross and Gabriel flew toward them. Cleo, Ray, and Simon greet him with a bow. Gabriel nodded in response.
“He is the famous Fire Storm,” Ross said jokingly as he introduced Alexander. He had to do that because of his seniority.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. I have heard a lot about you and your exploits,” Gabriel said in awe.
Alexander was quite well known because of his exploits in numerous wars. They derived from one of his Forbidden spells called Fire Storm. He literally created storms of fire using it. The storm of fire was exceptionally eye-catching and destructive as it spread rapidly.
“It’s my pleasure to meet you, too, Tribal Head, Gabriel. You don’t have to be humble as your exploits dwarf mine by a large margin,” Alexander said with a flair that was usually only associated with Mages.
“Nah!! Those things have been over-exaggerated,” Gabriel said humbly, but anyone could sense pride oozing out of him.
Ross, Alexander, and Gabriel continued to make small talk while Cleo, Ray, and Simon stood to the side quietly. Ross, Alexander, and Gabriel mostly talked about each other’s achievements and well-known stories.
“Thanks a lot for giving Simon an opportunity to use your tribe’s Body Refining Pond,” Alexander said once the introductory talk was over.
“You don’t have to say that since I am getting lots of good stuff in return. I am in dire need of it, so it is mutually beneficial,” Gabriel said unusually bluntly as he checked out Simon.
Alexander liked Gabriel for his straightforward nature. He was just as Ross had told him.
“Has he begun refining his body?” Gabriel asked sincerely.
“No. Will that be an issue?” Alexander asked and instantly looked at Ross as the latter hadn’t mentioned anything about that. Simon couldn’t be considered to have started body refinement until he started nurturing the Beast Soul in his Aura heart.
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Simon’s Masters and Grandmasters had no idea that Simon’s Beast Soul had long since turned into a Fiend Soul and had advanced to a higher rank. That was all thanks to Devourer, who was effectively hiding its rank.
“It isn’t going to be an issue,” Ross said nonchalantly while seeing Alexander look at him as if he had robbed him. Alexander instantly looked at Gabriel with a puzzled expression.
“Ross is correct about there being no issue. I only asked because he would gain much more if he practiced his Body Refinement Technique in the Body Refining Pond. The Body Refining Pond we are allowing him to use is specifically meant for the kids of our race that have just start refining their bodies. Since he doesn’t refine his body, then the only benefit he could gain is perhaps a forced complete awakening of his Bloodline,” Gabriel said as he checked Alexander, Cleo, and Ray’s faces.
“Well, that’s OK,” Alexander said with a nod. There wasn’t much they could do about it, given the unique nature of Simon’s Body Refinement Technique.
“We are good to go then. I just wanted your grand disciple to get the maximum out of this great opportunity,” Gabriel said with a light laugh.
Alexander and Ross just nodded. Cleo, Ray, and Simon, who had been silent all along, felt the same as they did.
“There is one more thing that I need to tell you. You see, the kids of my tribe want to compete with your grand disciple. They want to wipe out the shame that a few kids from my tribe previously incurred after losing to Liam. This will also serve as little entertainment for us,” Gabriel said competitively. Liam was none other than the famous Crimson sword.
“You guys wanted to compete with him, though I asked you to avoid that,” Ross said, shaking his head slightly as he remembered that day. Liam had caused his opponents to suffer mental breakdowns. His words instantly twisted Gabriel’s gut. What the Barbaric race hated the most was defeat.
Alexander and Ray felt slightly jealous of Ross though they hid it. The name of a Master of a powerful Aura Master shines for ages irrespective of his or her achievements. They hoped the same for themselves via Simon.
“That won’t be the case this time,” Gabriel said. His aura surged as he laughed wildly.
Alexander, Cleo, Ray, and Simon looked at Ross, slightly worried. He was the one who had planned this trip, so he was supposed to ensure that something like this didn’t happen.
“Shit! I was worried about this from the start,” Ray’s voice rang in the heads of Cleo and Alexander. Cleo was equally as worried as Ray and could only look at his Master. They had been hoping to avoid a confrontation while in Barbaric race territory.
“Don’t worry. Ross wouldn’t agree to any competition,” Alexander mentally said to both Cleo and Ray.
“Well, whatever,” Ross said, which took Alexander, Ray, Cleo, and Simon by surprise.
“Are you nuts!! How can you ask Simon to compete with kids of the Barbaric race? He would lose instantly,” Alexander’s angry voice sounded in Ross’s head. Cleo and Ray were not happy with him either. Simon just kept quiet and let the elders decide for him.
“You guys will understand everything when we reach the pond,” Ross mentally said in a helpless manner as he understood Gabriel better than anyone.
“Follow me,” Gabriel said with excitement as he took off in the air, followed by Ross and the others. Ray enveloped Simon in his Magic power to help him fly by their sides like always.
“Don’t bother about the competition and just focus on activating your Bloodline,” Ray mentally said to Simon, to which the latter nodded.
Cleo and Alexander also said a few similar things to ensure Simon was under no pressure for any reason. They didn’t want their actual goal to be missed.
Simon just nodded to each of them. He had no idea what he was in for shortly as he began checking out the surroundings.
They soon arrived at a pond that was a few kilometers away from the village. The pond was a few hundred meters wide and long. Its water was completely red and gave off the stench of a rotting corpse.
“Finally! Some great stuff,” Devourer said excitedly. Simon was unable to understand what was so great about it. He saw that the pond’s supposed water was actually the blood of lots of creatures. He was sure there was more to the blood than what he could currently sense or see since it had gotten Devourer so pumped in his Mage world.
Many children from the tribe had accumulated around the pond and were looking at Simon aggressively.
“Aren’t there a little too many of them?” Simon felt compelled to ask. A few had already reached Rank 8, which was also a matter of concern to him though he didn’t raise that.
“You aren’t competing with all of them — only the ones with the same Rank as you. The competition will be in terms of who can last longer and get closest to the pond’s center,” Gabriel said with a wild laugh.
The faces of Simon and company vacillated as the only ones of Rank 1 were less than five years old.
“Just ignore everything. Let them do their shit while we will focus on ours. He just wants to even things with me because of Liam,” Ross’s voice rang in the heads of Alexander, Ray, Cleo, and Simon. He’d known Gabriel was shameless but not the extent of it.
Alexander, Ray, Cleo, and Simon could see that things were quite beyond Ross’s control. Gabriel was totally adamant about the competition. They were certain that even if they refused, the Barbaric kids would jump in the pond anyway. The competition was happening in the minds of Gabriel and company, whether they wanted it or not. The best course of action was to ignore them and do what they had come for.
“We make the best Body Refining Pond among the low-level tribes of my Barbaric race. This pond contains a concoction specifically meant for beings below Rank 9, which should be good enough for Simon,” Gabriel said proudly as they all descended near its banks.
The kids of the tribe growled at Simon and company and quickly undressed in the next moment, which made Simon and company speechless.
“Hey! Take away the ones above Rank 1,” Gabriel ordered. A few burly men came out of nowhere and did that, though those kids did their best to resist.
Alexander, Ross, Cleo, and Ray weren’t much affected by this scene as they knew these kids had yet to control their primal instincts. Simon’s shock at their behavior was plainly visible on his face. Ray quickly informed Simon and asked him to control his facial expressions as that could be considered rude in Barbaric race territory.
“The objective of the competition is what I mentioned before. You can use the Body Refining Pond for a month irrespective of the result of the competition,” Gabriel said in excitement, which made Simon feel that he was high on drugs.
Simon just nodded as he looked at the pond bubbling like lava.
“Alexander, can you erect a sound barrier around us,” Ross said mentally. Alexander readily agreed. He flicked his hand, and a sound barrier was erected around them to ensure that any talk from inside didn’t reach outside.
Sound barriers are used when more than two people are involved in a conversation. Two beings can securely talk to each other mentally, but that isn’t possible when the number increases even by one. A special artifact is needed in such a situation, which Ross and company lacked at present.
“If everything goes well, you will have your Bloodline activated by the end of the month. Don’t worry about failing at all. We would just think of some other way to awaken it,” Ross said in a cool and equable voice. He didn’t want Simon to stress about it.
“There is no need to stay in the pond if you feel uncomfortable — just come out of it. The energy of the pond is more turbulent and wanton as you move toward the center. So, move toward the center only when you are sure,” Cleo added.
Ray and Alexander just gave him encouraging smiles since this wasn’t their field to speak about.
Simon nodded, but he felt guilty though he didn’t show it on his face. He knew that his Masters and Grandmasters had taken great pains to give him an opportunity to enter the Body Refining Pond, but his Bloodline would fail to awaken at the end due to its being sealed. Just thinking about it made his heart ache.
“Just make them proud in the future,” Devourer’s voice rang in his mind. He could tell what was going on in Simon’s head. Simon made a silent promise to himself to do that the very next moment.
“Quickly undress and get ready to enter the pond,” Ross said with a smile.
Alexander removed the sound barrier, seeing as Ross and Cleo were done with their instructions for Simon.
Simon nodded and quickly removed all his clothes except for his underwear. He then walked to the edge of the pond. The Rank 1 kids also took up positions near the pond. They were all waiting for Simon to enter. Simon didn’t know what to think about this situation. He had decided to take it easy and slowly enter the pond, but his expression changed when he realized that the pond’s depth at the edge was greater than what he expected. He was already half immersed in blood.
Simon felt a vicious energy charge into his body from the pond. It moved around his body in an extremely chaotic and unrestrained way, but he didn’t feel any discomfort. On the contrary, he found it quite relaxing.
The kids from the tribe also jumped into the pond the very next moment with great vigor.
Splash!!
Splash!!
They landed a little further ahead of Simon and had to swim to stay afloat. They were still acting like wild beasts even after entering the pond and continued growling at Simon.
“They sure are into competition,” Devourer said with amusement.
Simon and Shade were at a complete loss for words. This was the first time they had come across a situation where the other side had no regard for the wishes of their supposed opponent.
“Ignore them,” Ross said mentally. Simon nodded his head, closed his eyes, and focused on the energy entering his body.
Simon’s face relaxed when the vicious energy that had entered his body returned to the pond after coursing through his entire body. He found that strangely alarming as he was unable to absorb the energy of the pond even when he tried his best. It didn’t take long for him to give up the attempt. He could finally tell why his Masters and Grandmasters had no objection to the tribal kids sharing the Body Refining Pond with him even though they were paying a large price for it.
Simon was discombobulated again when he saw aura erupt from the kids’ bodies, which resulted in the runes on their bodies activating one by one. That led to the considerable strengthening of their bodies, and then they began swimming toward the center.
He ignored them the next moment and continued focusing on his own body. He felt fortunate that his Fiend Physique had upgraded before he had come here; otherwise, it would have been a problem. The only reason he didn’t feel any discomfort was because his Fiend Physique was that of a Rank 2 Fiend Beast. He then closed his eyes and let the energy course through his body. He knew that he couldn’t move ahead, because he was a Rank 1 Aura Master in the eyes of his Masters and Grandmasters. Most likely, he would be spending the entire month here.
The thing that bothered him the most was his Masters and Grandmasters’ disappointment in a month’s time since his Bloodline would fail to activate.
Right now, Alexander, Ray, Cleo, and Ross were happy with how Simon was taking the entire matter, while Gabriel was angry at Simon for not taking the competition with his tribe’s kids seriously.
“How long do you intend to play around? Just move toward the center,” Devourer mentally said with slight agitation.
“Why should I do that? I don’t see any benefit in that,” Simon said.
“If you can move a little toward the center, I might be able to absorb the excess essence of the Grade 10 herbs that is going to waste away soon. That alone would allow you to become Rank 4 Mage and Aura Master,” Devourer said excitedly.
“What do you mean?” Simon asked mentally. He was having a hard time believing that the pond had something so miraculous as Grade 10 herbs.
“Body Refining Ponds of the Barbaric race have numerous grades. This is one is somewhere around Low-grade. It is made using the blood of Immortal beings and High-grade herbs. Gabriel used an excess of Grade 10 herbs to guarantee that the Body Refining Pond’s effect remained the same throughout the pond for the entire thirty days. If he hadn’t done that, its efficiency would start to decrease near the edges as time passed. He is a good guy. He took into consideration that you might not be able to move beyond the edges in the thirty days,” Devourer explained. He had started seriously but, by the end, had turned sarcastic.
“I will try to move a little toward the center. Let me know when you can collect the excess essence,” Simon said mentally. He absolutely ignored Devourer’s sarcasm; it was logical, given all the treasure lying around him. He took a step forward before coming to a halt. He could feel the energy was stronger here, which made him wonder how strong the energy would be at the center.
Alexander, Ray, Cleo, and Ross smiled when they saw Simon move a step toward the center of the pond. That was quite good for a Rank 1 Human Aura Master with no achievement in body refining.
“The kids of my tribe are doing quite well, right?” Gabriel taunted with a big smile when he saw them smile.
The kids were at varying distances from the center. The majority had managed to move just a few meters toward the center, while the rest were about halfway to the center. Most of them had come to a halt already. The few that were still moving forward were struggling. The vicious energy of the pond was making them feel an intensely painful burning sensation, but they continued despite it.
All the kids would check on Simon at times and smile proudly when they saw that he had only taken a single step. Gabriel had been cheering them on, which made the entire scene even more strange.
Alexander, Ray, Cleo, and Ross just ignored him and stayed utterly focused on Simon. They knew that the Body Refining Pond wasn’t a place for a Rank 1 Human Aura Master to play around in, seeing as humans aren’t born with strong bodies. They wanted to move quickly if Simon were to end up in a dangerous situation.
Gabriel’s expression faltered when he saw Simon take a few more steps in one go. That instantly put Simon ahead of a few of the kids from his tribe, which made his mood ugly as things weren’t going as he wanted. He wanted all the kids to perform better than Simon; only that would give him a sense of achievement.
Alexander and company were also in for a surprise. They weren’t expecting any movement from Simon for at least a day or so, and on top of that, they were only expecting a single step, not a couple. The spot he had reached had strong enough energy to even make a Rank 3 Human Aura Master shriek in pain though Simon was extremely comfortable.
“That’s definitely unexpected. It seems to me that his partial Bloodline is allowing him to efficiently control the energy entering his body,” Alexander said with a smile as he turned toward Ross. He just hoped that was truly the case.
The Mages and Aura Masters with a Bloodline or physique that allows them to control the energy entering their bodies with ease have it easy whenever they use Mana treasures, herbs, pills, and so on. They can absorb the entire essence and energy from anything that they use to increase their strength, which, in turn, provides them more benefits in comparison to their peers lacking such good fortune. It mightn’t seem too momentous as an ability, but, over time, it makes the possessor of such Bloodlines and body physiques exceptionally powerful.
Ray and Cleo had similar thoughts in their mind but weren’t certain like Alexander. They also turned toward Ross, which was natural as he was an expert in the field of Bloodlines.
“That could very well be the case but let’s watch him for some more time, so we can be sure. Another possibility is equally possible,” Ross said, but his eyes shone as he looked at Simon.
Ross’s words and reaction made Alexander, Ray, and Cleo observe Simon with rapt attention. After hearing Ross, they wondered what the other possibility could be. They just hoped it was equally as good as the possibility they had thought of.
Gabriel, who had been listening to their conversation, instantly saw Simon in a different light, which made him a little bit agitated. He asked the kids of his tribe to work harder and started to cheer for them more vigorously. His antics were ignored by Cleo and the others just like before. They continued to talk among themselves as if Gabriel didn’t exist.
Simon, on the other hand, felt the intensity of the vicious energy inside his body increase dramatically. However, he still didn’t feel anything more than slight uneasiness. His Fiend Physique was easily able to handle the energy from the pond.
“Is this far OK?” Simon asked Devourer mentally.
“Most of the excess essence is still a little further ahead. I can’t make a move from here without alerting your Masters and the others,” Devourer mentally replied.
Simon could already tell that his Masters and Grandmasters’ gazes were now completely focused on him because he had moved a little distance toward the center. He had no idea how they would react if he were to move a little bit more.
“How long until the excess essence disappears?” Simon asked with concern. He didn’t wish to become even more of a freak in his Masters and Grandmasters’ eyes.
“You have at most three hours,” Devourer said bluntly. He didn’t like Simon worrying about useless things when something so good was lying right in front of them for their taking.
Simon just sighed on hearing that. He didn’t wish to raise his Masters and Grandmasters’ hopes regarding him over nothing only to dash them later. He knew his limitations quite well. He knew there was a limit to how long he could rely on Devourer to act like a genius. It was only a matter of time before even Devourer would fail to help him fool others into believing he was a genius. He might have to pay the price at that time, and that could harm the reputation of his Masters and Grandmasters. He was unable to make up his mind about what to do as a result.
At this moment, he saw the kid closest to the center start to drown. It was the first time he’d seen any of those sturdy kids act like that. The kids around him tried to help him but could not as he was at a spot they could not reach. He struggled for a few seconds before he went completely under.
Simon subconsciously acted when he saw the boy drowning. He quickly went where the boy had drowned. He felt the turbulent energy from the pond entering his body unrestrainedly. He finally felt a burning sensation, but it was within his tolerance limit.
At this moment, he was least bothered about the burning sensation or the shock with which Cleo and the rest were looking at him. He was utterly focused on the kid. He quickly fished the kid out of the blood, which was easy because the depth here only reached his shoulder. He found that the boy had just fainted from exhaustion. It was only then that Simon’s face changed as he realized he had unexpectedly taken the first position in Gabriel’s competition.
Shits! Simon thought to himself as he looked around. He saw that all the kids who had been growling at him had gone quiet. They were looking at him with indignation as if he was an unsurpassable mountain.
“Hee-hee!” Devourer’s creepy giggle rang in Simon’s head, which made him feel down instantly. His gaze then fell on Alexander, Gabriel, Ross, Cleo, and Ray. He could readily see the shock on their faces. He could see that his actions were too flashy for a supposed Rank 1 Aura Master with no achievements in body refining.
“Master, can you take him out of the pond?” Simon said as he looked at Ray. His words brought Cleo and the others back to reality. Ray acted quickly, flicked his hand, and the young boy was covered in his Magic power. The next moment the boy flew toward Gabriel under Ray’s control.
Gabriel caught the boy and channeled a little energy into his body which made him wake up. He became his aggressive self again and tried struggling away from Gabriel to jump back into the pond. Simon almost choked on his own saliva on seeing that.
“Take him back to his mother,” Gabriel roared as a woman appeared next to him. She took the struggling child from Gabriel and disappeared from the scene as quickly as she came.
Why would he bring another freak this time as well? Gabriel thought to himself as he looked at Ross with indignation.
Ross, Cleo, Ray, and Alexander were least bothered about Gabriel’s feelings at this moment. They were focused on Simon. They had trained their senses on him right from the moment he took the first step to help him, so he didn’t suffer a severe injury. However, they had not seen a need for them to interfere. Simon’s body was able to handle all the energy entering it. They were bewildered as that was completely unexpected. The area where Simon was standing would even harm a Rank 6 Aura Master who lacked achievements in body refining. Naturally, they were shocked!
Simon had no idea how he was going to respond to his Masters and Grandmasters if they were to ask him anything more than how he was feeling.
“You should thank that kid later on,” Devourer said smugly as he rapidly drained the excess essence in the pond.
At least he is happy, Simon thought to himself. He was conscious that Devourer was least bothered about his situation.
“You shouldn’t let that bother you,” Shade said in a sympathetic manner. He could guess what was going on in Simon’s head.
Simon felt some comfort in Shade’s words, but it didn’t last long.
“Put in more effort!!!” Gabriel roared, seeing the dampened mood among the kids. His words rejuvenated them instantly.
“Grrrr!!!” The kids put in more effort to go as close as possible to the center but were having a hard time.
Gabriel exhaled with relief on seeing that. He then started to cheer even more, which made him look like an idiot, but he wasn’t bothered about his image at that moment.
Simon, his Masters, and Grandmasters were flabbergasted on seeing Gabriel’s antics. They were now sure that his skin was far thicker than that of a Primordial Mana being.
“How are you feeling?” Ross asked with a smile. Cleo, Ray, and Alexander were also looking at Simon with a smile. They might have been shocked, but they were unequivocally happy for him.
“I can feel a burning sensation, but it is within my limits,” Simon answered, showing a slightly pained face.
“How would you grade the burning sensation at your current spot and at the edge of the pond on a scale of one to five?” Ross asked unexpectedly.
“The edge was a one, and here it is near a three,” and Simon faked a painful expression, which made Ross, Alexander, Ray, Cleo, and Gabriel fall into deep thought. They felt it was most likely because of Simon’s Bloodline. They couldn’t think of any other reason except that. The only thing about Simon they still didn’t understand was his Bloodline, so they thought all his feats were products of that.
“Focus on going as close as possible to the center. That will doubtless increase the chances of you comprehensively awakening your Bloodline,” Ross said after some thought.
“But keep in mind your limits. If too much of the pond energy enters your body and you are unable to handle it, then you can forget about coming out unscathed even with us being here. The injuries would be unbelievably severe. You would be bedridden for at least a year,” Alexander warned. Cleo, Ray, and Ross nodded their heads to show their agreement.
“Grandmaster, I will keep that in mind,” Simon said solemnly.
Alexander and company were satisfied at seeing Simon taking the matter seriously.
“Devourer, I won’t be moving closer to the center anytime soon. Do what you want from here,” Simon said mentally. He felt bad every time he became more of a freak in his Masters and Grandmasters’ eyes. He had no intention of making them arrive at any further weird conclusions.
“Sure,” Devourer said with a creepy laugh while continuing to drain the pond of its excess essence. Anyone could see he was on cloud nine.
“Now, we just need to wait for the Spatial Lava Alligator Fiend Soul to become as strong as a Rank 4 Fiend Beast’s soul. He isn’t far from becoming as strong as a Rank 3 Fiend Beast’s soul, already,” Shade mentally said with excitement. The prospect of Simon gaining strength made him the happiest.
“Yes,” Simon said mentally.
Simon and Shade continued to talk for an hour or so. After that, Simon began contacting his contracted Mana beings one by one to pass the time. He enjoyed talking to them, and he also felt it was necessary to increase his bond with them. He loved talking to Derick the most, not because of his species but his young age. He liked to hear his simple and childish thoughts.
A few hours passed quickly, and Devourer was done with collecting all the excess essence in the pond. He looked mischievous as he appeared in Simon’s Aura Power Chamber. The Illusionary Spatial Lava Alligator Fiend Soul was watching him with extreme viciousness. If looks could kill, then Devourer would have already died countless times.
The Illusionary Spatial Lava Alligator Fiend Soul saw that so long as Devourer existed, he would never be able to take over Simon’s body. His hate for Devourer was extreme.
“You are growing quite well,” Devourer said creepily, sounding like a butcher complimenting his livestock before butchering them for sale.
The Illusionary Spatial Lava Alligator Fiend Soul instinctively bared his teeth at Devourer while devouring the Blood aura that Devourer was supplying him. It was as if the Illusionary Spatial Lava Alligator Fiend Soul was warning Devourer not to have any funny thoughts.
Devourer felt amused on seeing the Illusionary Spatial Lava Alligator Fiend Soul’s useless actions.
“Bleiz, I want you to kidnap Simon once I give you the go-ahead — so be prepared,” Devourer mentally said, and a sly expression appeared on his face while he explained the entire situation to Bleiz.
Bleiz didn’t see anything wrong with what Devourer was planning for Simon. On the contrary, he knew that Devourer was doing the right thing.
Shade realized that Devourer was up to no good from his excited state. He just hoped Simon could come out of it fine. He didn’t dare cross Devourer by telling Simon about it; unlike Simon, he was rather scared of Devourer.