A few minutes before…

In the Illusionary World…

The endless grass lands was silent. The wind blew violently making the tall grass stalks move in an irregular pattern. But it was not just the hard wind that was disturbing the grass. At this moment, various Spirit Beasts were rushing through the tall grass to a particular location.

Azalon stood inside the small fort he unknowingly created by the corpses of the Spirit Beasts that attacked him. Because of that, the Spirit Beasts were having a hard time reaching him even if he was right in the middle of countless Spirit Beasts that were pouring out like a flood from the grass lands.

He had his head slightly tilted and his right index and middle fingers on his temple as his eyebrows were tightly knit together. It was a habitual posture that he had when he was thinking over something.

“A dream world… Spirit Beasts attacking en masse… restricted cultivation and Spirits… Academy Selections… a test… but there is something, one crucial piece I am missing to complete this puzzle.” Azalon was muttering incoherently as he formed a sort of jig saw puzzle in his mind’s eye. He was trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle to form a complete picture and finally find the solution to this test.

“This goes here, this is linked to this… This should be the reason for this…” Just as Azalon was piecing the puzzle together, he heard a cry that startled him up from his trance. The reason he was startled was that this particular beast cry was something Azalon remembered very particularly!

He craned his neck to confirm his doubts and sure enough, he saw a huge Stag with thick purple lightning snakes crackling on its body. When it saw Azalon looking at it, it lifted its head and let out a shrill cry.

*Shree* *Shree*

“Ah, so that’s it!” When he saw that particular Stag, Azalon suddenly had a revelation and he finally found the small but crucial information he was missing!

“This World is formed using my memories, and forces me to live through them without the strength I had when I was facing them in the real world!” He looked around and sure enough the massive hordes of the Spirit Beasts that were surrounding him were all Spirit Beasts that he had previously battled!

[Spirit Wolves]… The very first Spirit Beasts he had killed just when he reached the Spirit Sense Realm from the Spirit Novice Realm.

[Earthen Bears]… One of the Spirit Beasts that he loved to use as a punching bag to test his strength.

[Eight Eyed Human Faced Spiders]… The last Spirit Beast that he hunted before coming here to participate in the Academy Selections.

And finally…

[Thunder Horned Stag]… A Class 6 Beast that had a Class 7 Soul that he and Hank killed and whose Soul he used to Awaken his Lightning Spirit, Merup.

They were all Spirit Beasts that he came across at one point after he started cultivating Spirit Energy!

And now this dream world somehow accessed his memories and projected this scene without any kind of strength or support to face them in great numbers!

“So, the key lies within me! This dream world originates from me so it should also be ended by me.” Azalon slowly closed his eyes and he tried to calm himself down by focusing on his breathing. He let down all the guards he had kept up one by one. After a long moment, he opened his eyes and walked out from the ring of corpses of Spirit Beasts into the horde waiting outside.

The Spirit Beasts went silent for a while as they saw their prey walk out to them by himself. Immediately they gave all kinds of excited growls and pounced towards Azalon!

It was a very enchanting scene to watch from side lines but for the one living the scene, it was a heart palpitating experience! A massive tide of Spirit Beasts converging on a small human boy from all sides intent to tear him to shreds! Just imagining it would render one speechless for a moment! Now, imagine facing the same by yourself!

But there was not a single change on Azalon’s face. His pupils shrunk but they were still relatively calm. His mind was trying to focus on the single thought that was revolving in his head.

“This is all a dream… This is all a dream… This is all a dream!” As Azalon was trying to self – hypnotize, the first of the many Spirit Beasts already lunged at him. Even though Azalon knew that this was all an illusion, he still couldn’t help but have a tinge of panic in his heart. And when the Spirit Beast hit him, it passed straight through him, but the shock and pressure emitting from the Beasts all felt real especially when he was almost defenseless!

“Ugh!” Azalon groaned but he still walked forward and the Beasts were pouncing and passing through him continuously like a steady stream. He didn’t know how much time passed or how many Spirit Beasts had attacked him, but he finally reached the place he wanted to reach.

He lifted his head and looked into the pair of deep golden pupils that were reflecting his face. He stood in front of the Thunder Horned Stag, and his mind immediately recalled the life risking experience he had with the real one. His battle with the Stag, the horrible Soul attack that pushed him to the brink of having his consciousness fade away, the sacrifice of LILY to save him… all rushed through his mind under the amplification effect of the dream world…

But Azalon simply accepted all that he was seeing as all that happened gave him a new companion in the form of a small imp that would always feel happy whenever he called to him, that would always try to jump into his arms and that would always stay by his side…

His eyes that were watching the projected memory of the Thunder Horned Stag grew solemn as he bowed his head to it.

“You may have targeted me, but it was because I attacked you. You were only defending yourself, but what happened happened. Because of your life, I gained a new companion and I will always remember you in my heart. But the you I am seeing right now are not what I remember you as in my heart. So, please disappear.” Azalon spoke slowly in a low voice and his words really came from the depths of his heart. He was really grateful to this Thunder Horned Stag for it was this Spirit Beast’s Soul that was responsible for the birth of Merup!

The Thunder Horned Stag’s golden eyes watched Azalon bowing before it. It lowered his head and nudged the shoulder of Azalon with its snout. It then turned around and with a shrill cry, it galloped away, followed by the numerous low level Spirit Beasts that were surrounding Azalon previously.

With the departure of the Thunder Horned Stag, the grass lands around Azalon started swirling slowly and gradually picked the speed. Azalon immediately had a dizzy sensation and even before he could put up any kind of resistance, he fainted.

When Azalon opened his eyes, once again he was in that black world. He now understood what this test was all about. If the previous two tests had been the tests for physical qualities and qualifications, this test was all about the mindset a Cultivator possesses. He didn’t know what the qualifications for passing this test was, but he did know that this will be the hardest test he would ever face in this Academy Selections.

If his conjecture was not wrong, the grass lands should have tested his courage. He knew that the path of Cultivation he was taking his first steps on was a long path filled with unforeseen circumstances and dangers with every step. If one doesn’t possess courage to face the danger head on, but instead would bow his head in resignation wouldn’t walk too far on this path.

Courage to complete the journey you started is the major requirement in the Cultivation World.

Azalon understood that face the moment he understood about this world and its residents!

Since this was the second time in this black world, he was quick to adjust to the void like sensation without any senses or feelings, and once he calmed down, the black world shattered again. And as the bright light that filled Azalon’s mind receded, the scenery that was revealed made Azalon gasp as his eyes widened!

“No, NO! This is not happening!!!”