Mixed Division Combat Training Field…

In the wide field that was situated very closely to the Tower of Trial, several sect members were practicing their elemental weapon techniques in pairs, exchanging moves and guidance alike.

Although comprehending a technique was a process that was mostly done behind closed doors, the act of mastering the technique alone without real life targets was incomparably slow, so most sect members that belonged to different divisions usually gathered in the field to find training partners to spike their progress, some even would find elders for a friendly spar even at the cost of achievement points…

On a quiet corner of the combat field two similarly looking men stood with their back leaning on the wall as they observed the dozens of fights taking place in the dedicated rings.

"Have you heard about the special treatment the recently recruited top ranker received, Ray? They immediately gave him the status we worked so hard to achieve!" one of the two said in an irritated tone, he was obviously in disagreement with the decision of the higher-ups.

His path to his current position was incredibly thorny, he didn't have any backing and he was just a normal human who hadn't trained in anything whatsoever. He had to step into the road from the very start as an outer member who ran errands and practiced inferior weapon techniques…

It was only after he got his attribute tested that he was taken note off as a triple element holder, being elevated into the status of an inner member after he started training using a suitable elemental art, he took solid and effortful steps till he achieved his current standing, vying for the position of the sect master's third personal apprentice!

Yet a 17~18 years old teenager who has probably achieved his current power with smooth sailing using his backing has managed to obtain what he spent over 7 years of his life to strive for! 17 years old was his age when he joined the sect!

While he was still considered a great talent who achieved all of that at the age of 25, he couldn't help but be annoyed when he was compared with someone like that.

"There is no need to complain too much Cain, I heard his performance in the yearly tournament went above the charts, things might not be similar to how you imagined them to be, besides…" Ray, the other man standing beside him who looked slightly younger, replied with a carefree expression before coming to a slow pause…

'According to the information I received, he seems to be digging into stone, he was spotted coming out of a library with a tome in hand…' the rest of his speech could only be heard by the guy beside him, Cain, as he obviously transitioned to using mental transmissions.

He was also another candidate who rose in similar situations to Cain, but he wasn't as hard-headed as him and was seemingly unbothered by the new recruit, either way, he was confident that he was snatching the position soon anyway, it also didn't seem like the new guy didn't deserve it. There was no need to be bothered especially with how arrogant this new guy seemed to be…

"What? He is attempting the same feat that Dice tried? Didn't-"

'Shhh, are you planning on telling the whole combat field? What happened to Dice is classified info! Do you plan on getting disqualified from your position this early?'

When Dice, another candidate for the position they were vying for, had tried to directly learning from the tome itself for the first time in awhile, even though he managed to meet some success at the start, obtaining some fragmented direct 'Archaic Guidance' at the beginning, he was still met with complete failure and permanent damage to his mind space, he even almost went crazy!

It had to be mentioned that Dice was originally the main candidate for the position and the one with the highest achievement in the mental practice category, but after his crazy impatient attempt, he only slightly recovered after receiving mental treatment through ten normal 'Mental Guidance Sessions' to regulate what he learned…

This was the story of how the central division lost one of its resident who couldn't learn new techniques or even perform his mastered techniques due to his stupid decision, such a story was only known to a handful of sect members and it was an unspoken taboo to mention it, especially in such a public field.

'Sorry… my bad… but are you really sure about that? Considering what happened before, are the division masters really letting him make another crazy attempt?'

'Of course it's not as simple as that, he was spotted along with master Wind, so it's likely that his mental achievements are even more outstanding than Dice if he wasn't forced to drop it, however. However, although he might not incur damage like Dice did, he won't make progress either, he was probably given the chance to do it to act as a minor setback for him to see things more clearly.'

'Too bad, by the time he will wake up from his empty dream, he will have lost precious time and points! Even if we are at the same standing now, he will probably lose the race!'

Ray finally stopped using his mental transmissions as he didn't worry much about it anymore, he only bothered explaining to Cain because they were friends before being rivals due to their similar circumstances.

"Heh, looks like I was worried for nothing." Cain's expression relaxed for a bit before it became semi-serious again as he turned back to Ray and added, "But it's not like we can slack either... both Diana and Blake are racing and training like manics as well, especially Blake. I heard he is challenging the tower again this week…"

"Mhm, it seems like the Grand-Master is going to take his pick this year," Ray replied with a resolute look before it changed to a mischievous one as he teased, "Be careful not to be left behind by me!"

"Rubbish! You think you can overtake me? In your dreams! Haha…"

The duo no longer paid attention to the new recruit as they walked towards the closest ring, they were naturally going to train as well. They may have appeared to be joking about it, but they truly knew the pressure they were facing, one step behind or to the front will naturally make a big difference!

"Look, Ray and Cain are going to spar again!"

"Let's stop the training for now, we can't miss the fight!"

"Of course, watching a fight between two of the big four is naturally more helpful than simply training."

"What big four, don't you mean big five? Did you forget the latest addition to the Central Division?!"

"Oh right, but it's not like he showed himself for anywhere a whole week, I heard he went into hiding in his own courtyard as soon as he entered the sect…"

"Shut up you both! We want to concentrate on the big fight!"

`~~`~~`~~`

Elsewhere, deep in one of the courtyards of the Central Division…

[ 'Ice Style, Spear' is absorbed into 'Spearmanship'! ]

[ 'Spear Mastery' has reached lv.7! ]

'Finally!'