The Blood Legacy (The Divine Elements Book 1) (19 page)

As Elias’s words echoed throughout the forest, both Calron and Fatty stood there with shocked looks on their faces.

They had both seen how powerful their Master really was, so they were confused as to why Elias would want to spar with Calron at this moment.

“Don’t worry, Calron, it’s just a spar. I only want to see how far you’ve progressed in your Formless Fist.”

After hearing that declaration from his Master, Calron breathed a sigh of relief.

This was his first time sparring with his Master, so wanted to see how far he had come since he first started training. The memory of the first time he felt blood on his face was still firmly etched in Calron’s mind. If not for his Master intervening at the right moment, then Calron did not know what his future might have been.

Taking a stance, Calron prepared to face off against his Master.

“Please guide me, Master.”

Calron then immediately drew the source energy from the legacy’s pool and patiently waited for Elias. The faint crimson mist returned again, and was currently floating around Calron’s palms.

Calron had taken notice of the blood mist, but he forced it to the back of his mind thinking it probably was due to the strangeness of the Blood Legacy today.

“Good. You’re not rash and can think calmly in battle. Get ready.”

Elias stated as he observed that Calron did not immediately charge into the fight, and grew excited as he saw the crimson mist again, but on the surface, he completely disguised his facial expression.

With a burst of speed, Elias appeared in front of Calron within a blink of an eye!

Before Calron could even react, the punch was almost upon his body when he finally noticed Elias’s movement.

Forcefully oppressing the sudden panic he felt, Calron directed all the source energy towards his stomach.

BOOM!

A low thumping sound resounded throughout the area, as Calron was hastily forced back a dozen steps. His stomach groaned in pain, but Calron hardly felt any sensation at that moment. His body was running entirely on adrenaline and he felt an intense excitement as the battle progressed.

This is it! This is the type of battle that I seek! Master is really strong, and that one casual punch would have almost blown me apart if I hadn’t used the source energy to block it. Master is completely serious about this, so I will definitely not disappoint him!

Wiping away the trace of blood on the corner of his lips, Calron gave a fierce look towards Elias and prepared to use the Formless Fist.

Suddenly, the crimson mist around Calron disappeared and even his aura changed. It was replaced with a calm and serene aura. The Calron right now seemed to be more at peace and even the expression on his face was completely neutral.

“So you finally understand.”

Immediately, the violent and bloodthirsty aura around Elias disappeared as well and he stood calmly in front of Calron.

“Yes, Master. I gained a bit of an insight while I was practicing earlier, but it was only when you suddenly forced me into a spar and released that vicious aura, that I understood what you were trying to tell this foolish disciple.”

“Mm, good. A disciple must always learn through his own strength, and not depend on others in the path of cultivation! So, what did you learn, Calron?”

Giving a small smile, Calron explained.

“I realized that the harder I forced the punches, the more violent the backlash was and I only seemed to be destroying my surroundings rather than my target. I thought there must a different approach to the Formless Fist, and that’s when I remembered the calm and serene aura you emanated when you were executing it.”

Elias flashed a grin towards his disciple.

Meanwhile, Fatty just confusedly stared at scene while trying to figure out what his big brother and Master were talking about. With every passing minute, Fatty realized just how much of his true strength Calron had been hiding, and he suddenly felt drops of sweat forming on his forehead as he recalled all the boasting he did in front of Calron earlier.

Although Fatty did not know many kids his own age, he was definitely sure that Calron was an absolute monster within their age group and even comparable to the geniuses of the older generations!

With a quivering heart, Fatty realized that Calron might be even stronger than his own sister, and she was the youngest genius in the entire country to ever reach the seventh rank of Spiritual stage!

“Let us see how deep of an insight you gained in the Formless Fist. Come!”

Just then, Elias beckoned his disciple to resume the spar.

“Yes, Master!”

At that moment, Calron closed his eyes and slowly reached out to the source pool within his body.

He tried to calm the raging waves of blood and painstakingly drew the source energy into his muscles. He let the energy soak into his muscles rather than giving it a direction to circulate, and for a full minute, Calron remained in this position.

Elias did not interfere and patiently waited for Calron to make his move.

After a moment, Calron slowly opened his eyes and his soft voice reached Elias’s ears.

“I’m ready, Master. Please prepare.”

A tranquil aura spread forth from Calron as he sped towards the waiting old man.

Just as he reached a meter away from Elias, Calron threw out a punch!

The punch moved extremely slowly and at the same time, it emanated a sense of softness as if the punch was more of a caress than an explosive blow. It appeared as if the punch was accompanying a soft breeze as it flowed along with the wind.

“Eh? Why is big brother punching so slowly?”

Fatty curiously muttered as he watched the scene unfold.

However, there was a different expression on Elias’s face!

Haha, this kid keeps surprising me at every turn. Not only is his elemental cultivation astounding, his Martial Art is similarly shocking. I thought that the crimson mist appearing was just a fluke, but it seems as if he had already achieved a perfect resonance with the Blood Legacy! I wonder how far he will reach in the Blood Arts…maybe he could even inherit the legendary Twelfth Layer!

With these thoughts running around inside Elias’s mind, he executed his own Formless Fist as he whispered into the air.

“Let’s see how much you truly understand.”

Just as Calron’s fist was about to touch Elias, a finger abruptly appeared in front of Calron’s knuckle and completely thwarted his punch!

Seeing a single finger so effortlessly stop his punch, Calron felt his mouth go dry, but he immediately prepared for the second strike.

As the battle continued, Elias simply defended with a single finger as Calron tirelessly executed punch after punch, however, not once did Elias ever attack.

A series of explosions burst into their surroundings each time they collided, and several trees were even blown away in the aftermath.

Fatty had long ago moved away from the vicinity of the battle and watched from the edge of the lake.

“I hope big brother wins! Go big brother!”

As Fatty cheered for Calron, the two figures fighting in the middle could not even hear Fatty’s voice, as they were so intent on their current battle!

“Calron, feel the energy around you. The earth, the wind and the sky, focus your mind and understand the rhythm of nature.”

Between the exchange of fists, Elias softly conveyed this to Calron.

Nature? Sky? Wind? What do they have in common? Or is it the balance between them?

As Calron pondered on these thoughts, he continued to throw a punch after punch at his Master.

Even though he did not land a single attack, Calron was not discouraged at the slightest, and slowly his punches appeared to be more refined and smoother by the second.

It was just then that a thought shook Calron’s mind!

How is Master using a finger and emitting the same energy of the Formless Fist? Shouldn’t he be using a fist as well?

Calron suddenly felt a jolt to his brain and his heart started wildly thumping against his chest! An excited look appeared on his face, as he cracked a slight smile.

“So that’s the secret, huh.”

Calron abruptly stopped his punches and hastily stepped back a few steps. Calming his breath and relaxing his muscles, Calron commanded more of the source energy to be absorbed and evenly distributed it within his muscles.

Not only in his fists, but Calron willed the source energy to circulate throughout his entire body! It was a perfect balance of power!

Detecting the energy fluctuations within Calron, Elias gave out a low chuckle.

“Not bad, I thought it would take you longer. Do you see?”

Giving out a bashful grin, Calron bowed slightly to his Master before responding.

“Master, this disciple deeply apologizes for not realizing until now. If it’s acceptable, this disciple would like to exchange the last round of pointers with Master!”

“Haha, your level of perception is truly an ability to fear, my child. Let’s end this with the next round!”

After speaking, Elias rushed towards Calron and extended his right foot towards him in a kick.

Seeing his Master kick rather than punch, Calron showed no signs of shock, but instead gave out a slight smile.

Calron had realized that the Formless Fist was never about the fist or the punches. It was about the total balance of one’s power within a body’s foundation and once that was achieved, he could attack with any part of his body that he wanted using the Formless Fist!

Seeing the kick slowly approach his chest, Calron slightly leaned forward and slowly extended his palm.

Unlike the previous exchanges, this time, a subtle ripple of air spread around Calron’s palm and the movement appeared to be even slower than before, as if his palm was passing through water rather than air!

Just a few seconds before the fated collision, Calron closed his eyes, and then, a gentle breeze embraced his palm.

“Your Lordship, a letter from your son just arrived a while ago.”

A servant dressed in a simple brown robe bowed as he addressed the stocky figure seated on the white throne.

“Hm, what did Chax write?”

The stocky man casually inquired.

The man had a trimmed goatee and a head full of pale blonde hair. A large crest of a growling black bear was imprinted on the chest plate of the armor he wore, and his eyes contained a spark of cunningness that was hard to detect to the naked eye.

The man was slightly overweight, however, it was clear to see that he still retained a lot of muscle and strength over the fat.

“He writes that there will be a tournament at his school within a few months and he wishes for you to be there to watch him participate.”

The servant spoke as he conveyed the contents of the letter.

“A tournament…interesting. Reply back to Chax saying that I will be there and look forward to seeing how much he’s grown. Haha, with Master Dane there to guide him, I’m sure Chax will have learnt a thing or two!”

The stocky man boisterously exclaimed as he gestured for the servant to leave.

Once the servant left, the expression on the stocky man’s face abruptly changed.

“What’s the status on our men stationed at the Mountain Range?”

The stocky man asked in a low voice as he turned his head towards the back of the room.

Out of the shadows, a tall and wiry man stepped forward. He had greasy thick dark hair, and his black murky eyes exuded a nauseating feeling to anyone standing close to him.

“We captured three beasts of the first rank safely, but we unfortunately encountered a fifth rank stone ape in the process of securing the previous beasts and lost several men to the stone ape before finally killing it.”

The nasal voice of the lanky man whispered into Regis’s ears.

“Damn it! Why are we losing men every month? Can’t you bunch of idiots capture a fifth rank beast without killing it! Where is Warrick?”

Under Regis’s roar, the greasy haired man calmly stood there.

“After we lost that lightning elementalist, things haven’t been so easy on the mountains. Lately, the magical beasts are getting are more and more aggressive by the day, and I sense that one of them is about to breakthrough into a new realm. Warrick still hasn’t returned from the last trip.”

The tall man answered in a soft voice. A hint of disdain flashed across his face as he gazed at the stocky man seated on the throne, but it was quickly disguised before anyone could see it.

“A beast is about to breakthrough? Send some scouts to keep an eye on the inner circle of the forest! I want to know at once if something suspicious occurs! And tell Warrick to report to me as soon as he returns! I need to put that lightning boy to work immediately! I don’t like it when I’m not making any profits!”

As Regis continued his tirade, the lanky man listened with patience.

He knew that he could not make this obnoxious Lord see any reason, so he just kept his mouth shut. As for the lightning kid, what help could a first rank cultivator provide in the first place? It was better to let the kid grow and then break his mind to make him follow their commands obediently.

As the lanky man was pondering within his own thoughts, Regis was clearly impatient with the current developments.

“Viktor.”

Regis calmly stated.

“Yes?”

As soon as the greasy haired man responded, Regis coldly commanded.

“I have a mission for you.”

……………………..

BOOOOOM!

A loud explosion echoed throughout the forest.

As the smoke dispersed, it revealed two figures in the middle. One was an old man standing with his arms folded across his chest, and long silvery hair fluttering behind him, while the other was a youth of eight years old, with midnight hair and eyes equally as dark.

Both figures calmly gazed at each other with no words being spoken.

“You’ve surprised me yet again, Calron”

Elias broke the silence, as he admiringly spoke those words to his disciple.

“It’s all thanks to you, Master. This disciple would not have perfected the Formless Fist without your guidance a while back.”

Calron humbly responded back to his Master.

Although Calron did have an unbelievable degree of perception in Martial Arts, if it was not for his Master giving him pointers at every exchange, he would have never been able to understand the secret of the Formless Fist. Calron estimated that it would have probably taken him a few weeks to comprehend the aspect of balance in power, if he were to continue training at his previous pace.

“Sigh… I never had a disciple with as much of a monstrous talent as you, Calron. It has not even been a few days since you started the First Layer, and you are already ready to break the seal for the Second Layer.”

As Elias’s voice reached Calron’s ears, he felt slightly confused by his Master’s words.

“Huh? Breaking a seal? What’s that Master?”

Hearing the confusion in Calron’s voice, Elias shook his head and continued.

“I forgot that it’s only been a while since you inherited the Legacy… the seals are located on the bridge that connects you with the source pool. After your first transformation, the first seal is automatically opened, but for every seal after that, you will need to forcefully break through them in order to access the next Layer of the Blood Arts.”

After Elias finished his explanation, he beckoned Fatty to come over as well.

“Roran, you will need to know this as well, so pay attention!”

Just as Fatty came over, he excitedly grabbed Calron’s arm and wildly pumped it with his one hand. Fatty’s other hand was still injured from the exchange between him and Calron.

“Wah- big brother, you’re so awesome! Please teach me that move you did in the end!”

Seeing Fatty being himself again, Calron sighed and shook off Fatty’s hand from his arm.

“Alright, I’ll teach you, but remember that you can’t reveal the Blood Legacy to outsiders, including your sister!”

“Eh? But I really wanted to show off in front of big sister!”

Seeing the stern look on Calron’s face, Fatty immediately responded back.

“I will definitely not do that, big brother, I promise!”

Hearing the conversation between the two boys in front of him, Elias slowly smiled.

Although he could not see their appearances perfectly, he could see the essence outlining their bodies, and watching them bicker back and forth, Elias unknowingly felt content to see them together.

He could finally be at peace knowing that his Legacy will remain alive through these two boys.

“So, I’m guessing that you two don’t want to hear about the seals?”

Elias asked with an amusing look on his face.

Slapping Fatty on the back of his head, Calron stated quickly.

“Sorry Master, we are ready to listen.”

“Very well. The seals on the Blood Legacy can only be broken once you meet the criteria of the next Layer. Since Calron has already mastered the First Layer, he has achieved the level of control needed to break the second seal! The Formless Fist is a technique that requires the perfect balance of source energy within the body to activate, and now that Calron has mastered that balance, he will soon be able to break open the seal.”

Intently listening to their Master’s explanation, both boys nodded as they absorbed the words being spoken.

Within Calron’s mind, he sent his conscious inside the source pool and towards the azure bridge that represented his path. He was curious as to what these seals that his Master talked about appeared inside the source pool.

As he approached the ocean of blood, what he had not noticed before was that there were exactly eleven steps on all three bridges, and with the last step connected to an endless abyss of darkness.

Focusing his gaze upon the first few steps of his own bridge, Calron noticed that only the first step emitted the same azure aura as the rest of his bridge, while all the other steps were dull and plain. There were various symbols etched onto them, but they all seemed to blur whenever Calron focused on them.

So this is where Master said the seals were placed. It looks fairly ordinary. What is so special about them?

Right after Calron inwardly made up his mind, he sent his conscious into the second step.

*Bzzt*

A burst of pain surged within Calron’s mind and he suddenly doubled up on the ground as he grabbed his head with both his hands!

Seeing Calron abruptly fall on the ground, both Fatty and Elias rushed towards the fallen boy and tried to shake him up.

Just as Elias’s hand touched Calron’s body, he felt a sudden jolt!

Looking down at the boy, torrents of Azure Lightning bolts crackled around his body.