《The Legendary Path》 Chapter 1 - The Boy Without a Core Chapter 1 - The Boy Without a Core The city of Tiannan, located in the SkyStead continent. The SkyStead continent is the only landmass on the entire planet, the rest is covered in an endless sea. Tiannan City is the capital of the Tiannan Empire, one of the two great empires of the continent, the other being the Hong Dynasty. In the city of Tiannan resides a boy no more than twelve years old. He was currently being beaten by a group of children. ¡°Trash!¡± ¡°Scum!¡± Hurls of insults are directed towards him. He does nothing to protect himself, he¡¯s rather used to this sort of treatment. ¡°You bring shame to our family you cripple!¡± A boy who looked about the boy¡¯s age says before kicking him square in the ribs. The other boy falls to the floor, wheezing. However, he neither says anything nor does anything. ¡°Xiao Tiannan, we shouldn¡¯t¡­¡± One of the boys behind the domineering boy hesitantly starts, very respectfully. ¡°Yes, I know. We¡¯ve only beat him up where his clothes will cover him, so it¡¯s fine! This coward wouldn¡¯t tell anyone, he knows what would happen if he did¡± Xiao Tiannan glares at the boy on the floor. Xiao Tiannan was used to the boy never responding to his provocations and beatings but it still pissed him off. He spat at the boy on the ground, got in one good kick for measure and left with his lackeys in tow. They boy on the floor was called Astler and he was an adopted son of the Tiannan family. He was technically the brother of the boy who just beat him up and spit on him. The boy slowly rose to his feet, clutching his stomach with one hand. One day, he¡¯ll regret this. Astler vowed to himself. So what if he couldn¡¯t cultivate right now, that didn¡¯t mean he¡¯d never be able to. When he did finally start cultivating, he¡¯ll shoot so far in front of Xiao Tiannan that his intestines will turn green. Astler had been painstakingly trying to build his cultivation core for years now. Normally one is able to build their cultivation core by their 8th birthday, from this it was easy to see how below average Astler was. Even the average talents of his age group were already in the 5th stage of the core realm. Xiao was actually considered a peak talent and was actually in the 9th stage of the core realm. He just needed to break through the bottleneck and he would be in the 1st stage of the martial realm, where real cultivation is said to begin. This was when the elders of the Tiannan clan would bestow cultivation skills onto him and he¡¯d begin training on the path to becoming a Legend.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. A legend was said to be the peak in the entire cultivation world. In the entire SkyStead continent, there were only two Legend Realm cultivators. One was the ancestor of the Tiannan family and the other was the ancestor of the Hong family. The two peak powers in all the land. From this it¡¯s easy to see how powerful this realm is. Neither dares to face each other in combat, as neither is completely confident and if either were to lose, their entire Kingdom would be slaughtered and annexed by the other. If another legend rank were to appear, the power structure would inevitably shift and either family would prevail or an entirely new power would emerge. The leaders of both families desperately wish for another Legend rank and so a great deal of resources is pooled into schooling and training for the youngsters of their family. If one were to be talented, it didn¡¯t matter if one was the lowest servant of the family, they would immediately jump to a new level of respect. Inversely, if one were to present poor talent, their position, no matter how high would immediately lower to one worse than dog shit. This was the situation for Astler. He was actually the adopted son of one of the Chief Elders of the clan, that¡¯s why even Xiao Tiannan only hit him where marks wouldn¡¯t show. Yet, he was treated worse than dog shit by the other members of his clan because of astonishingly low talent. What Astler really couldn¡¯t stand was the way people would treat his father. His adoptive father was named Mao Tiannan and he was in the 1st level of the Profound realm, the level before the Legend Realm. Only 3 people in the entire clan had entered this realm. They were the 2 other Clan Elders, with the only Legend realm expert being the Clan Leader. Despite his awful talent and the shame and disgrace brought by Astler, Mao Tiannan had never once treated Astler in contempt and had actually started to dote on him even more. Because of this, the other elders of the clan treated Mao Tiannan with blatant contempt for having such a poor son. Mao Tiannan could be said to be the only person on the continent that Astler actually cares about and for his sake especially, Astler trained every single day to try and enter the core realm. Astler went to the forest outside of the city to train. Truthfully, this was a dangerous place, however, to him, it provided a sense of comfort and relief. If he trained in this city after all, he would probably be mocked and beaten up. The sense of oneness with nature in the forest and the comforting sensation he would get when he trained was the only real joy he had. The forest he trained in was actually known as the forest of death. This was because many beasts called this forest their home, the further in you went, the more dangerous beasts you would encounter. Even in the very outskirts, you would encounter Core beasts and you wouldn¡¯t have to travel far to find Martial beasts either. To Astler, this place felt like home. He would sometimes encounter Core realm and Martial realm beasts in the forest, but they would never notice him. He was surprisingly good at noticing his surroundings and staying hidden. He¡¯d travel a kilometer in. A fact which would greatly shock those that mock him in his clan, as no one even in the core realm would dare to go so far in and peak martial realm experts would limit themselves to such a distance. At this distance, resides a small cave. Inside of the cave, the passageway is too narrow for most beasts, but small enough for Astler¡¯s twelve year old body to squeeze through. The passageway opens up in to a fairly large room. Dozens of different gems glisten, embedded in the walls. Astler had found this place by accident when he was exploring about the previous day. It felt extremely comfortable and Astler felt like it had some benefit to his cultivation. So he made the decision to practice his cultivation here today. He sat down in the center of the room, eyes closed and began to sense the different clusters of energy around him. He wasn¡¯t sure why, but the energy density here appeared to be far greater than anything he had seen before. He began to absorb this energy directly into his core. The apparent effects of this room were immediately clear as a surge of powerful energy from assorted elements hit him all at once and swelled into his core. One by one, the gems embedded into the walls starts to disintegrate as if all the energy was being used up. For about an hour this state continued until there were no more gems left. Astler opened his eyes and smiled. His core had finally been formed! Chapter 2 - The Unknown Entity Chapter 2- Astler was ecstatic. He didn¡¯t even notice that all the gems embedded in the walls had disappeared and immediately tried to investigate his core, located inside of his dantian, below his naval. His core was currently shining withdifferent colours of the rainbow, appearing to be surging with energy. Astler was overjoyed. It was then that he felt a pulsing wave coming from inside his very being. It seemed to actually suppress his core, as the surging energy greatly diminished. Astler was panicking, what was that? He poured all of his senses into investigating his core. The single pulse of unknown origin hadn¡¯t suppressed his core, but rather condensed it. His core, which was once the size of a baseball, was the now the size of a fingernail and completely black. It was apparent that the core was now far denser than it had been before. ¡°Hey, brat¡± Astler looked around, panicked. Where did that voice come from? ¡°In here, you idiot¡± In where? Who¡¯s talking to him? ¡°This is really depressing. How the hell did I get trapped inside such an idiot?¡± Astler started examining his core again, for traces of this unknown voice. The only new thing that had happened was the forming of the core. If he¡¯s right, this voice should have something to do with that. ¡°No, no, no. Your soul, brat, look inside your soul¡± My soul? Where would that even be? ¡°This is annoying, I¡¯ll just pull you in here¡± Astler didn¡¯t have time to react as his mind shifted and suddenly appeared in an endless white plain.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°Over here, dumbass¡± Astler turned around and faced a giant castle. He went inside to discover a strange box lying in the middle of the entrance way. The castle itself was incredibly lavish, but only the immediate entrance appeared to be available to him. The surrounding area was covered by a black veil, much like a force field. ¡°Are you going to let me out of here kid?¡± The voice from earlier came out of the box. ¡°What are you?¡± Astler asked curiously. ¡°Hey kid, that¡¯s very rude. Do you even know who I am?¡± The voice said smugly. ¡°No. That¡¯s why I asked¡± Astler replied flatly. ¡°This¡­..Alright Kid, I¡¯ll tell you. Don¡¯t be too in awe of me okay?¡± The voice paused for what Astler assumed was dramatic effect. ¡°My name is¡­¡­.DREVEN THE BEAST KING¡± He said the last part loudly as if Astler was supposed to start cowering in fear. Is he an idiot? ¡°¡­¡± Astler isn¡¯t sure whether to laugh or cry, was he supposed to recognize that name? ¡°HAHAHA, are you scared? Of course you would be, but if you let me out of here¡­¡± Dreven gets cut off by Astler. ¡°Never heard of you¡± ¡±¡­..¡± The voice goes silent. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯m going to leave¡± Astler turns to leave, the castle was interesting, but there was nowhere to go yet. Maybe he¡¯d come back in the future and be able to explore further in. ¡°Wait! Wait!¡± Dreven becomes frantic. ¡°What is it?¡± Astler replies coolly. ¡°Can you let me out of here?¡± Dreven asks meekly. ¡°No. If that¡¯s all then.¡± Astler turns to leave. ¡°You punk! Why not?¡± Dreven appears enraged. ¡°I don¡¯t know who or what you are. What I do know is that you¡¯re trapped and can¡¯t harm me as long as I don¡¯t do anything. So that¡¯s what I¡¯ll do¡± Astler explains. ¡±Look kid, let me tell you something. I¡¯ve been trapped in here since you were born. Everything you¡¯ve ever done, I¡¯ve been here experiencing it with you. What¡¯s more, I couldn¡¯t harm you even if I wanted to, whatever your parents did to trap me in your soul realm is far beyond what I¡¯m capable of breaking¡± Dreven explains carefully. Astler listens but is confused by quite a few things Dreven just said. ¡°I don¡¯t have any parents. Also, how would I possibly believe you?¡± Astler is quite curious now. ¡°HAHAHA, even if you¡¯re adopted, you still have two birth parents. Two exceptionally powerful people, far more powerful than even I, at the peak of the Legend realm¡± Dreven sighs as if recalling a mistake. The peak of the legend realm? How incredibly powerful were his parents for someone at the peak of the legend realm to say that about them? It must be understood, the two peak powers of the continent, the two clan leaders, were only in the 1st stage of the legend realm. It¡¯s also said that the higher in cultivation you get, the harder it becomes to advance and the bigger the difference between levels. Truthfully, the difference between the 1st stage of the core realm isn¡¯t very different from the 4th and 5th stages and only marginally different to the 6th and 7th stages. The power structure alone show that the difference between the profound realm and the legend realm was the difference between the heavens and the earth. Even after decades of cultivating, both clan leaders were unable to advance from the 1st stage to the 2nd stage of the legend realm. From this, the peak of the legend realm becomes far more impressive. For such an expert to say his parents were far more powerful than him. Were there realms beyond even the legend realm? ¡°The seals placed on me by your parents tie my life to yours. If you die, I die.¡± Dreven confidently states, as if letting him go is only a matter of course. ¡°That only means that you can¡¯t kill me, there¡¯s no benefit to me letting you out. What¡¯s more I can¡¯t verify such seals, you could be lying about them¡± Astler picks apart Dreven¡¯s carefully laid out argument. ¡°Are you even human? How could you leave me trapped like this? What do I have to do to prove myself and get out of here?¡± Dreven asks, exasperated by Astler¡¯s unwillingness. ¡°Easy¡± Astler smiles cunningly. ¡°Perform a master-servant contract with me¡± Chapter 3 - Negotiations Chapter 3 - Negotiations Although Astler can be considered weak in cultivation, he has never lacked in effort. This also applied to his learning. One of the things he learnt was called the master-servant contract. If a beast deems it necessary, they can perform a master-servant contract with another being. Beasts can only do this once in their entire lives, because it means that the beast¡¯s soul becomes bound to that of the master. It means that the beast would be compelled to follow the orders of the master. ¡°You¡­¡± Dreven¡¯s voice became furious. ¡°HOW DARE YOU! I am the Beast King, not your servant! I have never and will never lower myself to a human. Especially one as weak and pathetic as you!¡± Dreven began to rave and vent his fury. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I won¡¯t force you¡± Astler turns to leave. He¡¯s almost all the way out the castle before Dreven yells from behind him, it appears that Dreven is incredibly stubborn and Astler had truly enraged him. ¡°Boy, I¡¯d be willing to allow you to become my servant. How about it?¡± Dreven inquires. ¡°No deal¡± Astler says flatly. ¡°You¡¯re really pushing your luck boy!¡± Dreven once again became enraged. ¡°There¡¯s no need for me to release you at all, if I don¡¯t get something out of it, why would I take such a risk?¡± Astler says coldly. Following this, everything is silent for a while. Dreven seemed to be pondering his options. Astler patiently waited by the castle entrance. ¡°Look kid, maybe all those beatings have warped your mind, but I¡¯m a peak Legend realm expert! How can you possibly expect me to form a master-servant contract with you?¡± Dreven calmly asked. ¡°Because it¡¯s you¡¯re only option if you want your freedom returned. But how about this, I¡¯m fairly reasonable after all. If you can suggest something to me that would be of equal value to this contract, we can do that instead¡± Astler replied. Dreven pondered this for a while before speaking again. He hesitated before he began to speak. ¡°There¡­..There is something that I believe would still be a profitable exchange for you¡± ¡°Speak¡± Astler replied. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°I can sign a different contract with you. I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re aware but those in the legend realm can make contracts with any stipulations. If the contract is ever broken then the one who violated the contract will be killed by the sovereigns themselves. We could draft such a contract¡± Dreven explains. ¡°Interesting, what do you suggest to be the stipulations?¡± Astler is intrigued by this idea. ¡°If you grant me my freedom from this box, in return I shall not harm you in anyway. I also guarantee that I can train you to the Origin realm in 5 years!¡± Dreven said confidently. Astler is taken aback by this. The origin realm in 5 years? That was shockingly fast! Even the current grand elders of the clan were only in the 1st stage of the profound realm and they had trained for over 40 years! The Origin realm? Only senior teachers and junior elders were at this level. But if there was anything Astler was good at, it was keeping his emotions hidden. He remained silent long enough for even Dreven to become nervous. ¡°Alright, alright, you shrewd child. I¡¯ll sweeten the deal, not only will I train you to the Origin realm in 4 years! I¡¯ll also teach you some secret beast skills that only I, the Beast King possess!¡± Dreven says even more arrogantly than before. ¡°Hmm, although I get some benefits. Compared to the master-servant contract, this much is nothing¡± Astler replies succinctly. ¡°Well, what do you want in exchange then?!¡± Dreven replies both panicked and angry. The amount he was offering was not small, he was basically offering to take him as a disciple, something he had outright refused to many before. ¡°Well, the contract will kill those who do not fulfill it correct? I wish to add some stipulations¡± Astler replies in his usual cold tone of voice. Dreven actually becomes concerned by this, it seems this child is taking full advantage of the contract system that he described. Truthfully, Astler already knew about this contract system, it was something that his father had told him about before. That was why Astler so readily trusted this system of exchange. ¡°Firstly, from the way you immediately went from 5 years to 4 years, I imagine you would still not be training me wholeheartedly, thus I wish to simply add the stipulation that you must train me wholeheartedly for 5 years. You must not hold back in your teachings¡± Astler¡¯s eyes flash with intelligence beyond his years. Evidently his experiences have matured him far too quickly. Dreven curses in his mind. He was indeed holding back, truthfully, the trifling Origin realm could be reached in far less than 5 years. What¡¯s more, to train Astler wholeheartedly, he would also have to provide techniques and skills, possibly even knowledge. This stipulation is a harsh one, but one that would prevent him from slacking off. ¡°Secondly, for the five year period, you cannot leave my soul realm without my express permission and you must leave it when I tell you to do so¡± Dreven¡¯s face sank, this meant he couldn¡¯t just wander off on his own, nor would he have absolute freedom. However, it did mean that after the five year period, he could do whatever he wanted. ¡°Thirdly, I¡¯m aware of the contracts ability for power transferal. When I ask for it, you must lend me your power¡± Dreven did not expect Astler to know about this. ¡°Power transferal greatly weakens me and I would have to rest for a whole month afterwards¡­¡± Dreven starts. ¡°I¡¯m aware of this. Finally, after the five year period, you are free to leave and do whatever you want. However, you are not to act against me in any way for the rest of time¡± Dreven¡¯s face was white at this point. These were extremely harsh stipulations but it did not provide any of the shame of a master-servant contract and it only lasted 5 years. He was willing to accept these terms. Dreven Sighed. ¡°Very well boy. Although you have greatly angered me, only you can release me from these bindings¡± A contract then appears in front of Astler, he reads it through and confirms that all the stipulations he had just listed were there, worded exactly as he had worded them. He signed the contract in blood, as his father had told him these contracts were signed. Immediately afterwards, the contract dispersed into pure energy. ¡°The contract has been signed! Now boy, release me from this cage. All you have to do is place your hand on it and say release aloud¡± Dreven explains. Astler does as told. The box crumbles and a ray of black light shoots upwards, forcing Astler to look away. When he looks back to the place where the box was, a wolf was in its place. The wolf had jet black fur and was about the size of a horse. Only its eyes were a deep blue. It then transformed right before Astler¡¯s eyes into a black haired, blue eyed young man. He was wearing black furred clothes and he actually had a golden crown on his head. He looked about the same age as Astler. ¡°You¡¯re quite fortunate to be the first ever disciple of the Beast King!¡± The boy says. ¡°How old are you?¡± Astler replies. ¡°Do not be fooled by my appearance, I have lived for a thousand years!¡± The boy exclaims arrogantly. ¡°I¡¯m going to call you Wolfy¡± Astler smiles. Chapter 4 - Training Chapter 4 - Training ¡°IMPERTINENCE! YOU DARE SPEAK TO THE BEAST KING LIKE THAT?¡± Wolfy was angry. Astler smiled inwardly, teasing Dreven was really quite fun. It seemed that throughout his life, he had never been spoken to in such a manner before. ¡°I will not teach you if you treat me with such disrespect!¡± Wolfy claims arrogantly. ¡°You don¡¯t really have a choice, you already signed the contract¡± Astler says flatly. Dreven¡¯s eyes flash with confliction. In his anger, he¡¯d forgotten about this. But to be treated with such disrespect! It was the first time in Dreven had ever been treated like this. Normally people treated him with extreme respect, they wouldn¡¯t dare to even think of saying such things to him. ¡°I¡¯d die before I lose my pride!¡± Wolfy proclaims. ¡°Master Wolfy then¡± Astler concedes. ¡°You must address me as your majesty!¡± Wolfy yells arrogantly. ¡°Then just Wolfy¡± Astler states. ¡°Fine, fine, you stubborn child. Call me whatever you want. In return, allow me to examine your core¡± Wolfy asks. ¡°Why?¡± Astler asks. Wolfy sighs in his heart. This child truly can¡¯t be treated as such, he¡¯s far too shrewd! ¡°You should know too that your core is not normal. You should have also noticed that you soul itself admitted a wave of energy that compressed you core into an insane ball of energy¡± Wolfy explained, not hiding anything. Astler nods. He had noticed that his core was strange and clearly different from the other members of his clan. ¡°Even I, with all my experiences and power have never seen a core like yours. If I am to train you, I need to examine your core¡± Wolfy explains, but truthfully he also wanted to satiate his curiosity. This boy¡¯s parents were astounding and clearly the boy¡¯s core was very strange also, maybe he could find some clue to help his own cultivation.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Very well. If you increase your cultivation, it would help me as well¡± Astler smirks. Wolfy¡¯s heart briefly stopped. He needed to be more careful around this child, it was as if Astler could see right through him. Astler then inwardly granted permission to examine his core. Truthfully Wolfy could have forced this permission, but he didn¡¯t risk it because of the last condition in the contract, to not act against Astler in any way. Such a vague stipulation meant he had to be careful. Wolfy began to examine the core. ¡°This¡­..impossible¡± Wolfy was stunned. ¡°What is it?¡± Astler asked. ¡°Your¡­.your core is so dense. It¡¯s as if your core is solid. Now I know why you were able to absorb so much energy from that cave¡± Wolfy sighs. ¡°What does that mean?¡± Astler asks. ¡°One¡¯s talent is represented by the beginning of one¡¯s cultivation base. In your clan, this is measured by how quick one can advance, but this way of thinking is flawed. It¡¯s a miracle there are any profound cultivators in your clan, let alone a legend cultivator. The denser one¡¯s cultivation base, the more powerful they are able to become, but of course this requires a longer time to form. It could be said, the longer it takes for one¡¯s core to from, the stronger they would be able to be with the proper instruction. What¡¯s strange is that your core wasn¡¯t particularly dense until your soul let out that wave of pressure. Could the soul be related to one¡¯s innate talent? Or is this a gift of your parents. Very interesting¡± Wolfy was rambling, clearly although he was deeply prideful and arrogant, he was also extremely committed to the world of cultivating. It was no wonder he had become so strong. ¡°Can you still train me?¡± Astler asks. He was very much aware of how hard it was for him to even advance to the initial level. How hard would it be for him to advance even further? ¡°HAHAHA! Yes, yes, after training to the initial stage of any realm your training should become much easier. The density of the initial stage of any realm could be said to determine your strength in that realm. However, it could also be said that even those with a high density in the core realm could have a weak base in the martial realm. This is entirely down to your innate talent! The density of your core realm makes me anticipate that your innate talent should be rather high! I¡¯d imagine that you¡¯ll find it difficult to advance to a new realm up to at least the profound realm because your talent will require an extremely dense base¡± Wolfy was rambling again, it appeared that he was actually quite excited about Astler¡¯s potential. ¡°Alright then Master Wolfy, how should I start training¡± Astler asked. This statement seemed to bring Wolfy back to reality, he was visibly displeased with this name, but started pondering Astler¡¯s path soon after. ¡°It¡¯s still far too early for you to learn any skills, any core skill you learn would be a waste of time, as they¡¯re far too weak and present no longevity. For now you should concentrate on increasing your cultivation base. You should be able to reach the peak of the Core realm in 6 months¡± Wolfy declared. Astler frowned, this was too late. He was turning 13 in 2 months and in 3 months, the Tiannan ceremony of adulthood would be held for everyone who was 13. This was a ceremony that was held in great importance by the clan. Every year they would determine the cultivation base of everyone in the clan. Everyone of the 6th level of the core realm and above would become stapled as cultivators of the clan, those below would be assigned to various jobs in the clan. Not only that, the 16 strongest cultivators would be entered into a ceremonial tournament. The top 4 of which would be considered future pillars of the clan and would receive many skills and items to increase cultivation and power. The winner however would be granted permission to choose a skill from their cultivation hall¡¯s top floor and a martial cultivation stone. The skills from the bottom floor of the cultivation hall are out of reach for most members of their clan, let alone the top floor. Normally only elders are allowed to view such skills. The martial cultivation stone holds martial cultivation energy and is a great help to cultivators in rising their cultivation base to the martial realm. This bottleneck is tough for any cultivator after all, especially so for Astler as it will be even harder than entering the core realm and that achievement took four years and vast amounts of luck! Such prizes are out of reach for Astler, but what he wants more than anything is to reach the 6th stage of the core realm. This way he wouldn¡¯t shame his father. There wasn¡¯t much time! ¡°Master Wolfy, how should I go about increasing my cultivation base?¡± Astler asked, searching for secrets to go faster, he has wasted so much time advancing to the first stage that he was rather impatient. Chapter 5 - Elemental Vision Chapter 5 - Elemental Vision ¡°You don¡¯t even know this, boy?¡± Wolfy looked smug. ¡°Ah, very well, let me tell you. You simply go into a meditative state. Sit cross legged and close your eyes. Simply feel the essence of the world around you. The different energies swirling around you, congregating and dispersing¡± Astler followed this instruction as Wolfy spoke inside of his mind from his soul realm. He closed his eyes and could sense several energies around him. It was far weaker than before, he had used most of the surrounding essence to break through into the core realm. However, the essence of the world was infinite and six different colours were swirling around him. ¡°All you have to do is draw these energies into your core realm. Because your core is so dense, you can absorb this energy faster than most¡­.Ah, let me tell you something else. You should see one or two different colours of energy, tell me which ones you see¡± Wolfy explains. ¡°There¡¯s 6 actually, I see red, blue, yellow, green, white and brown¡± Astler replies. ¡°Impossible, you can see all 6? All the core elemental energies that make up our world are comprised of these 6 elements. To have an affinity with all of them is quite unheard of¡± Even Wolfy was surprised. ¡°Alright, kid, you obviously can¡¯t train in them all right now, otherwise you¡¯d never get anywhere. Close your eyes again and focus less and less until you can only see one colour. That will be the element that you have the highest attunement with¡± Astler does as suggested. He tunes out and some colours start disappearing, soon he can only see 5 colours swirling around him. He focuses less and less and finds that the number of colours diminishes until he can only see 2. ¡°I still see two colours¡± Astler says. Wolfy sighs. ¡°I thought this might be the case, you¡¯re really lucky, you know that? Your talent is monstrous, not only do you have an abnormally dense core, you can see all of the elements and you even have the legendary 6th sense, elemental vision!¡± Wolfy exclaims, exasperated by this kids absurd gifts. ¡°Not only one, but two degrees of elemental vision? Unheard of!¡± Wolfy is almost annoyed, but also secretly proud that this monstrous talent is his one and only disciple. ¡°What does elemental vision do?¡± Astler was a bit impatient, he wanted to train now, yet Wolfy just kept rambling. ¡°It represents an absurd attunement with a specific element. It has the added effect of being able to control an element slightly without needing any kind of skill. You won¡¯t quite understand yet, but it means you have an insight into the profundities of an element from birth. It will help you greatly in your later training. It will also mean that you should train faster in these elements than the others. Tell me, which colours are left?¡± Wolfy asks.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°I see green and white¡± Astler responds. ¡°That makes sense. Forest and wind element. No wonder you¡¯re so relaxed so deep in such a dangerous forest. You¡¯re quite at home in this forest, wouldn¡¯t you agree? How else would you explain your ability to bypass the various beats? You inborn knowledge of the mysteries of the Forest has helped you in this area¡± Wolfy explains. ¡°So what does this mean in regards to my training?¡± Astler asks. ¡°Nothing right now. Just something to ponder and consider¡± Wolfy replies. Astler frowns. If it doesn¡¯t help him, then don¡¯t mention it! There¡¯s no point. What an annoying wolf. Wolfy seems to sense Astler¡¯s disregard of the information he¡¯s sharing and frowns himself. ¡°Oi, you brat. Don¡¯t think that this information is easy to come by. In an insignificant clan like yours, probably only the highest elders have even the most basic information in regards to the elements let alone the profundities of said elements. Hell, even your brat of a clan leader wouldn¡¯t have 10% of the information I have on the subject. Don¡¯t simply disregard it because it doesn¡¯t help you gain strength immediately¡± Wolfy was pissed. Astler was actually taken aback by this, Wolfy made it sound so simple, but this was such rare knowledge? ¡°With your soul realm and your dense core, rising beyond this realm is a certainty. I¡¯m giving you the benefit of planning for the future and your disdain is what I earn?¡± Wolfy was really pissed. He¡¯d actually been enjoying teaching Astler, so Astler¡¯s apparent disinterest hit a nerve. ¡°I apologize Master Dreven, I simply had no idea your knowledge was so profound. Master Dreven simply makes such vast and complicated information sound so simple, so in my inexperience and naivety I took it for simple information. I hope Master Dreven will forgive me¡± Astler saysuncharacteristically as he¡¯s extremely respectful. Wolfy is clearly taken aback as well. Astler made sure to call him Master Dreven for effect as well. ¡°Well¡­..As long as you understand¡± Wolfy rather than angry is now clearly very happy and doesn¡¯t quite know what to say. ¡°Listen, I¡¯ll give you a hint. Focus on the green and white elemental energies for absorption. It will increase your speed of cultivation and give rise to greater elemental power in the future¡± Wolfy smiles, still happy with Astler¡¯s show of respect. This was the kind of thing Astler wanted to hear! He immediately began to cultivate vigorously.
Two months passed. Astler was now 13 years old. Something interesting about cultivators is that when they¡¯re cultivating they don¡¯t require nourishment. It¡¯s theorized that the essence of the elements themselves nourish their bodies. So for this entire month, Astler hadn¡¯t moved an inch. He had been sitting in the same place cultivating and he¡¯d made some astonishing breakthroughs! He was now in the 5th level of the core realm and about to break into the 6th! As long as he broke into the 6th level, he¡¯d bring honor to his father and be allowed to continue cultivating in accordance with the clan¡¯s rules. Wolfy had been studying Astler¡¯s cultivation process in a hope to gain insights. What¡¯s more he¡¯d discovered something astonishing. ¡°This kid is able to absorb so much elemental essence so quickly! To create his core after 4 years of this? How much elemental essence is in his core?¡± Wolfy was pondering the mysteries of Astler¡¯s body when Astler made yet another breakthrough! The 6th level of the core realm! Astler was overjoyed. He couldn¡¯t wait to see his father. How much further could he cultivate in the remaining month? Astler closed his eyes and began to draw in the elemental essences once more.
Almost a month passed. Astler had been able to breakthrough into the peak of the 7th stage. The first few stages were fairly easy, but the latter stages required far more elemental essence in order to gain ranks. As Wolfy explained it, the core realm is basically an introductory realm, it¡¯s a realm that serves no purpose in fighting. It is simply a realm that requires the absorption of elemental essence in order to get to the martial realm as quickly as possible. Anyone can enter the core realm given the appropriate amount of time, but it requires talent to enter the realms beyond. ¡°Master Wolfy, the tournament is in 2 days. Do you not have any techniques to teach me?¡± Astler asked meekly. He had reached the minimum cut off point, but he would probably still be deeply embarrassed during the tournament as he had literally no fighting experience. Everyone else would have learnt at least one core realm skill and practiced fighting. ¡°You impatient brat, core realm skill would be a complete waste of time! Not only that, I don¡¯t think I even have any core realm skills to teach you. Such techniques are simply not worth my time or yours!¡± Wolfy exclaimed. ¡°At this rate I¡¯m just going to get beaten up again¡­¡± Astler¡¯s voice trailed off and a cold glint flashed in his eyes, he wasn¡¯t willing to let this happen. Not again. Not ever again. ¡°Alright, alright kid. Thinking about it, I should have one movement skill that you can learn¡± Wolfy relented. Chapter 6 - Preparation for the Tournament Chapter 6 - Preparation for the Tournament ¡°Movement skill? Don¡¯t I need an attacking skill?¡± Astler frowned, he wasn¡¯t going to win by running away! ¡°You ignorant idiot! You specialize in the wind element, wind elementalists specialize in speed and agility! What¡¯s more, this is the only skill I have that you can currently learn! Take it or leave it!¡± Wolfy said firmly. ¡°I guess¡­¡± Astler was a bit disappointed. ¡°This is the movement skill I still use you know?¡± Wolfy said, pissed that Astler was looking down on his movement skill. ¡°Oh?¡± Astler was intrigued. A Core realm movement skill that a peak legend realm expert still uses? What kind of skill was this? He began to get a bit eager. ¡°Hoh, so you want the skill now do you? It¡¯s true, any skill I use is amazing. This skill has 3 stages to it. The first is the only one you¡¯ll be able to use for now. The first stage increases your speed tenfold! The second stage increases your speed a hundredfold and creates afterimages as you move! The third and final stage increases your speed a thousandfold makes it appear as if you¡¯re teleporting!¡± Wolfy looked quite smug. Astler was stunned, it appeared as if you were teleporting? What kind of speed is that? ¡°The only reason I even have this skill is because I created it myself through my insights into the profundities of wind¡± Wolfy said smugly. ¡°It must be amazing then Master Wolfy! Please teach me!¡± Astler knew how and when to suck up. Plus Wolfy was too easy. ¡°HAHA! It can¡¯t be helped¡± Wolfy said happily. Since Wolfy was inside his soul realm, he just needed to concentrate a little to impart the technique. As the skill appeared in his mind, Astler became more stunned. Wolfy made this? This is amazing! ¡°You won¡¯t even be able to achieve the first level before the tournament starts, but if you concentrate, you should at least be able to increase your speed three of fourfold¡± Wolfy imparts.
Back in the Tiannan main family building, the elders were having a meeting regarding the approaching tournament.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I hear your son hasn¡¯t been seen for months Elder Mao? I do hope nothing¡¯s happened to him¡± Another one of the grand elders said. This man was named Xiang Tiannan, he was the father of the Xiao Tiannan the boy who enjoyed making Astler¡¯s life miserable. ¡°Haha! Don¡¯t worry about my son, he¡¯ll be back in time. You should worry about who¡¯s going to win the tournament! I fear your son might not have the skill!¡± Mao was not worried on the surface but was deeply worried inside, he actually went searching for Astler some time ago and had discovered he went into the Forest of Death. He was almost certain something must have happened. Otherwise, why wouldn¡¯t he come back? He couldn¡¯t have run off right? ¡°You¡­.¡± Xiang was infuriated. ¡°Now, now fellow elders. Regardless of who wins, let¡¯s make sure we get the rules sorted so the children can have a wonderful tournament!¡± A smiling bald man said. This man was Zhou Tiannan, he was the most senior elder, in a position only second to the clan leader himself. He was also constantly playing something of a peacekeeper role between the two other grand elders. ¡°Yes Elder Zhou!¡± The other two men didn¡¯t dare be disrespectful to this man who was in the 5th stage of the profound realm.
Later on Xiang Tiannan found Xiao Tiannan. ¡°Has that Astler brat really disappeared?¡± He asked his son. ¡°Haha! He has, no one¡¯s seen him since I beat him up 3 months ago! He must have gone and killed himself!¡± Xiao laughed. In his opinion Astler was an extremely low form of life. ¡°Regardless, you better win this tournament boy. You¡¯ve been given the best cultivation resources since you were 8. There are no excuses!¡± Xiang yelled. ¡°Yes sir! ¡° Xiao replied. Xiang was extremely overbearing.
The day of the tournament. Everyone in the entire city has turned up to the city square. Thousands of people were packed around a large stage with an unassuming man in the center. He was very elderly, balding and has a giant white moustache and beard. He was simply smiling, watching all of the Tiannan clan members who had turned 13 in the previous year sit nervously before him. The three grand elders looked on from the side. No one however, was more nervous than Mao Tiannan. ¡°Where is he?¡± Mao thought to himself ¡°If he¡¯s alive, then he¡¯ll be here, he wouldn¡¯t miss this, he wouldn¡¯t intentionally shame me like this. If he doesn¡¯t show up in the next few minutes, then I¡¯ll have to accept that he died¡± Mao had a somber expression on his face. The man on stage then spoke. ¡°Quiet¡± He said it calmly, but the sound resonated in everyone¡¯s eardrums. This was the clan leader. Everyone was quite surprised to see him, it was quite rare for the clan leader to appear, so much so that not many people knew what he looked like. People could only guess as to who he was and most guessed correctly. He then began to list off names. The names he listed stood up and walked on stage, the elderly man took their hands and was quiet for a few seconds before announcing their cultivation strength in a deafening but serene voice. Three names were listed, it was apparent it was being done alphabetically. Astler¡¯s name should come up soon. Mao¡¯s heart seized with nervousness. ¡°Astler¡± The old man said. Mao¡¯s heart fell and he could even see Xiang with a smirk on his face, this made him even more somber. His son was dead. This was the worst thing that could have happened. Mao had never had children of his own. He had once taken a wife when he was a young adventurer. They had met while travelling and quickly fell in love. After years of travelling together, the woman became pregnant. It was the happiest Mao had ever been in his life. About 6 months into the pregnancy, they had encountered members of the Hong Dynasty. Mao was able to desperately struggle and escape with his wife. But she later succumbed to her injuries and died. Mao had vowed never to take another woman and had been true to his word. He could hardly bear the loneliness located in that hole in his heart. It was then that he found Astler. The boy was just lying there in the middle of a random forest, nothing but a baby. Mao had taken him back to the Tiannan clan and had taken him as his own and over time, the hole in his heart was filled by the joys of parenthood. For even Astler to now die, Mao no longer had the will to live on. Just as he was about to literally collapse he heard a voice. ¡°7th stage of the core realm¡±