The Blood Legacy (The Divine Elements Book 1) (24 page)

“Master, I want to learn this technique!”

Calron excitedly asked.

“Haha, you are not yet ready for it, Calron. A technique that defies the laws of this world, does not depend simply on one’s cultivation or strength. You will know the reason for this when you are ready.”

Elias softly explained to his disheartened disciple.

“Alright, Master.”

Calron answered in a dejected voice.

He knew that he was not strong enough to learn a technique that defied the heavens itself, but he had hoped to at least glean some information out of his Master. Calron curiously wondered what the requirement was in order to be considered worthy of this mighty technique.

“Leave that for the future. Right now, you need to focus on the upcoming tournament. If I had a choice, I would make you sit out of it, but the rules of the Red Boar School state that every single disciple must participate, regardless of their cultivation level or age.”

Elias started talking as he beckoned Calron to sit in front of him on the grass.

“The first round will be the preliminary round, where the disciples will be put in exactly fifty batches and have a battle royale until only one person is left standing. After that, the real Ranking Tournament would begin.”

Just then, Calron interjected.

“But Master, how does the ranking actually work? What about the ranks of those defeated in the first round?”

“If you had been patient and let me finished, you would have already learned the answer.”

Elias stated with a raised eyebrow and a slight smile on his face.

“Uh, sorry Master, please continue! I won’t interrupt again!”

Calron exclaimed with a heated face as he hung his head down in embarrassment.

“Haha, don’t worry, my child. Impatience is a virtue of youth!”

Elias stated with a pat on his young disciple’s head.

“Now, where were we? Ah, yes, the ranking system of the tournament. After the preliminary round, only fifty disciples will enter into the actual ranking tournament. The rest of the disciples will be unranked. Only the top students of the school will have a rank assigned to them, with the fiftieth rank being the weakest, while the strongest is the one with the first rank! Are you following along with me alright so far??”

Elias stopped to ask his disciple.

“Yes, Master, I’m listening!”

Calron enthusiastically responded.

“Good. We only have a few months left before the tournament begins and you need to rapidly increase your strength, if you hope to contend against the other disciples with just your physical strength and the Formless Fist. The main attraction of this competition is not the ranks, but the rewards given to the top three ranked disciples.”

Elias stated in a serene voice, while Calron eagerly awaited the next words of his Master.

“The disciple in the third place will receive a fifth rank beast core, and the one in the second place will be given a top tier elemental sword and finally, for the first place, a rare elixir will be awarded!”

Calron took deep breaths as he heard the prizes for the top rankers!

A fifth rank beast core could be sold for thousands of gold squares, and even the city Lord himself did not possess many cores of that rank! It was simply too dangerous to defeat a magical beast of the fifth rank, making its core exceptionally precious!

The higher one reached in the ranks of cultivation, the more difficult it would be to break into the next realm. With the aid of a beast core, the time required to cultivate could be greatly decreased, as the core will provide an essence much more refined than the one present in the environment!

The second place prize did not hold much attention for Calron, as he knew that his dark bow was unparalleled in the weapons category and even a top tier elemental weapon would pale in comparison to the mighty and baleful aura of the dark metal bow!

However, Calron was utterly confused about the prize for first place. An elixir had medicinal properties so he was not sure how useful it would be for cultivation, unless a person got mortally wounded.

“Master, isn’t the first place prize a bit too lacking compared to the other rewards?”

Calron curiously inquired.

“Hmm, is that what you think? What if I told you that the elixir will help one break into the Vajra stage?”

Elias stated in an amused voice as he watched the stunned look on his disciple’s face.

“W-what? But that is im- “

Calron stuttered in a shock, but was suddenly interrupted by Elias.

“It is not impossible, Calron. Tell me, what do you know of the Vajra stage?”

“Um, it is when the core merges with your body and completely alters your constitution!”

Calron confidently replied.

Hearing his disciple’s answer, Elias slightly shook his head.

“You are partially correct. It is not the core that merges with your body, but the essence contained within it! After your awakening, you are in your first stage, as the core allows you to begin your elemental cultivation. However, your body is still that of a normal person. Although you might be able to momentarily make your body tougher by imbuing essence into it during a battle, it is still relying on the essence. Without it, your body would be as weak a commoner.”

Baffled at the new information, Calron paid closer attention to what his Master was saying.

It was completely natural that Calron’s knowledge of the cultivation stages would be incomplete, as he had never known anyone with such a high cultivation before! He had only gleaned bits and pieces from when the village kids gossiped or when the adults talked amongst themselves.

“But Master, my physical body is definitely stronger than other cultivators!”

Calron blurted out as if he suddenly realized something.

“True, but that is mainly due to the Blood Legacy and the unique element that you have.”

Elias calmly replied.

“Once you enter the Vajra stage, your body will be completely imbued with elemental essence. Your skin’s toughness will be comparable to some weaker metals and even the rate of essence absorption will increase enormously! I do not know how much it will increase in your case, due to your element belonging to the special bloodlines, but I assume the changes will be a lot greater!”

Elias stated with a slight excitement in his voice.

This was the first time Elias had personally encountered a cultivator with a special bloodline, and furthermore with the unknown bloodline of the lightning element!

“So the elixir will let me directly enter the Vajra stage?”

Calron curiously inquired.

“Not exactly. It will directly convert all your essence into a liquid form! Refining your gaseous essence into a liquid state is an extremely difficult and complicated process. This is the part where most cultivators are unable to break through and remain stuck in the Spiritual stage!”

Elias explained as he finished in a heated tone.

Meanwhile, Calron just dumbly stared at his Master.

Liquid essence? My essence is already in the liquid state…

As Calron’s thoughts raced, he did not know whether or not he should tell this fact to his Master.

In the end, Calron decided not to, as it would just shock his Master and he had been giving too many of those lately.

“Wow! That sure sounds amazing, Master!”

Calron exclaimed in an overly excited voice.

Completely oblivious to his young student’s tone, Elias continued.

“Hopefully, that will give you some extra motivation for the tournament. Now, are you ready to learn the Blood Mist Step?”

“Yes, Master!”

This time, the excitement in Calron’s voice was completely sincere.

“You can enter the second step right now. Begin your meditation and wholly focus your consciousness into the Blood Legacy. It will direct your path, and come find me when you unlock its teachings.”

Elias calmly conveyed as he stood up and walked towards the direction where Fatty was.

His second disciple was a lot more trouble than his first, and needed careful guidance. Elias was worried that Fatty would be goofing off rather than training, and it turned out that Elias was correct in his worries, as Fatty was currently dozing off next to the lake.

“Sigh… this brat!”

…………………

Meanwhile, Calron had already closed his eyes and he was in the center of the source pool within the Blood Legacy.

Sending his consciousness into his bridge, Calron arrived in front of the second step. Seeing the low azure glow from the third step, Calron was tempted to enter it, but restrained himself as he had promised his Master that he would not enter it unless he had no other choice.

Taking a deep breath, Calron plunged into the second step!

*whoosh*

A blood colored shadow darted in front of Calron as it abruptly burst into a cloud of crimson mist and reappeared a few meters ahead of its previous location.

“Huh?”

Calron dumbly stared at his surroundings.

Darkness.

It felt like nothing existed in the world besides the black void that surrounded Calron. There were no signs of any life or objects within the vicinity. It was completely pitch-black except for the blood shadows darting around as they exploded into bursts of crimson mist!

Not even a hint of a breeze could be felt on Calron’s skin, as he simply observed the scene before him.

“What is this place? Is that the Blood Mist Step?”

Calron muttered as he saw the blood shadows continue to burst into clouds of mist and instantly reappear several yards away.

Sensing that he must gain insights into the technique on his own, Calron sat down in a meditative position and intently examined the movements of the blood shadows.

The longer Calron gazed at the shadows, the deeper he became immersed in his concentration. He felt like he was absorbing bits of information as small tendrils of the crimson mist entered his body while the shadows kept bursting apart.

“Hmm, this seems familiar… ”

Calron had already experienced the sensation of the crimson mist before, when the Blood Legacy started breaking the seal out of its own accord. Recalling those memories, Calron entered an extremely profound state of meditation.

…………………

“I’m hungry, Master! Can we take a small break?”

Fatty pitifully asked the old man sitting on the large rock in front of him.

“You just took a bathroom break a few minutes ago. Concentrate on your training, Roran.”

Elias answered in a strict tone.

Earlier, Elias had been fooled by Fatty when the boy had requested for multiple breaks for either the bathroom or for drinking water. After continuously leaving, Elias figured out that the boy was simply too lazy, so he forced Fatty to train without any interruptions!

With a dejected sigh, Fatty continued his training as he unceasingly punched the air in front of him, while drops of sweat rolled off his body.

Meanwhile Elias just sat on the rock, and hummed a slow tune as he watched his second disciple labor in the Formless Fist.

…………………….

Tendrils of crimson mist constantly drifted into Calron’s body as he remained in a state of deep meditation.

On the outside, a dense scarlet cloud was ominously floating above Calron as he slowly absorbed the crimson mist. Unbeknownst to him, the numbers of the blood shadows in the surrounding area were slowly decreasing the more Calron continued to absorb the crimson mist!

Soon, Calron’s skin started to glow with a faint red hue as traces of sweat started to form around his body.

Not only was he absorbing the crimson mist into his body, Calron was also inhaling the blood mist!

After a few minutes, his skin had turned completely red as hot steam sizzled around him. An intense pain shot across his body, as Calron cried out a hoarse roar!

His blood felt like it was slowly being boiled, as his body temperature rose to abnormal amounts!

“This is what Master warned me about… “

Calron rasped as he struggled to maintain his consciousness.

There was simply a colossal amount of source energy within his body at that moment, and Calron was unable to safely control it!

“DAMN IT!”

Gathering every single drop of willpower he had, Calron furiously bellowed into the darkness!

*shua*

Abruptly, his palm started to heat up, as a series of symbols rotated around his hand.

Suddenly, a bright light flashed as it revealed a large translucent shield behind the seated Calron!

The shield had three distinct symbols etched into the center, and they were exactly identical to the symbols that were imprinted on Calron’s palm!

“The Legacy Armor… ”

Calron softly whispered in the darkness as he suddenly regained control of the blood mist.

………………………

*hisss*

A fist viciously struck the empty air, as a sound of a small explosion trailed behind it.

“Haah… Hah… I did it!”

Fatty panted and tried to steady his breath, as he suddenly dropped to the ground in exhaustion.

“Good job, but you are still far away from perfecting it. I guess, that is good enough for a day’s training.”

Elias gently said as he looked down at his weary disciple.

“Calron should be done as well… I hope he can endure it.”

Elias quietly murmured as he gazed in the distance towards his other disciple, who was currently entranced in meditation.

Suddenly, a deafening explosion reverberated throughout the forest!

Both Fatty and Elias abruptly looked towards the source of the sound and were shocked at the scene in front of them!

There was a tornado of crimson mist encircling Calron as the boy had his eyes closed, with a faint smile tugging at his lips.

Seeing the sight of the crimson mist spiraling around his disciple, Elias let out a small sigh of relief and a moment later, a smile started to spread on his face as well.

“I think I’m starting to become numb to the number of shocks this disciple of mine continues to throw at me.”

Elias said while letting out a low chuckle and walking towards Calron.

Fatty had his mouth wide open at the sight of the crimson tornado in front of him, and immediately stood up from the ground.

“Wah, big brother is simply too amazing!”

Just then, the tornado abruptly calmed down and dissipated into the air, as it revealed the complete figure of a dark haired boy.

Calron turned his head as he noticed his Master and Fatty approaching him.

“Seeing that silly smile on your face, I’m assuming it all went well?”

Elias asked with a grin on his face.

“Yes, Master! This disciple has successfully learned the basics of the Blood Mist Step!”

“Good, good. I’m curious as to how you endured the pressure of the second step. Was it your Azure Lightning that aided you?”

Elias curiously inquired his young disciple.

“No, Master… It was this thing that you previously said was extremely powerful.”

Calron replied as he showed his palm containing the three distinct symbols.

“Haha, I forgot you had inherited the Legacy Armor! So, do you still think it is a useless ability?”

Elias asked in an amused tone.

“N-no, of course not! How could something that Master said was powerful, ever be useless?”

Calron stammered out the words as he slightly blushed.

He remembered a while ago, when he had complained to his Master about how useless the symbols were, and today, Calron experienced just how powerful of a defensive ability those symbols really had!

“Well, what are you waiting for?”

Elias stated with a mischievous grin on his face.

“Huh?”

Calron was utterly confused at his Master’s behavior.

“Let me see just how proficient you are in the Blood Mist Step!”

Elias responded as his grin turned even wider.

In a flash, Elias disappeared from his spot, as he left a trail of crimson mist behind him!

With his instincts kicking in, Calron immediately activated the Blood Mist Step and moved a step back.

Unlike Elias, Calron had not yet learned to move large distances with the Blood Mist Step, so the most he could do, was move a single step!

Fortunately, Calron evaded his Master’s fist by a hair’s breadth and counterattacked with his own palm.

Just as Calron’s strike was about to land on Elias, his Master abruptly vanished again! However, this time, Calron was prepared for it and a part of his arm turned into a cloud of crimson mist and suddenly reappeared behind him, where his Master stood there with a surprised look on his face!

With a sly grin, Calron launched another strike against his Master in hopes that he would catch him off guard.

Seeing his disciple adapt so quickly to battle and the technique, Elias was momentarily shocked but he quickly regained his composure.

“Still too early for you, my young disciple!”

Elias calmly stated, as he exploded in another burst of crimson smoke right before Calron was about to strike.

Within a span of a second, Elias instantly reappeared next to Calron and had his finger placed firmly against Calron’s neck!

“Not bad for your first try.”

Elias whispered as he gave a proud smile to his disciple.

Hearing his Master’s praise, Calron beamed with happiness.

“I will definitely improve, Master!”

“Wow! I want to learn that cool trick as well!”

Fatty abruptly interjected when he realized that the spar between his brother and Master had ended.

“Hmm, you have not yet perfected the Formless Fist, so master that first and you can learn the Blood Mist Step as well, Roran.”

Elias gently voiced as his second disciple jumped in excitement.

Smacking Fatty on the back, Calron stated in a serious tone.

“Master, I think I’m ready for the tournament!”