CHAPTER 32 - Spar

Outside the cave, there was a wide area. Azyl looked around him and could see towering trees in all directions. There was mist as well, but it did not obstruct one's vision. The haze only lingered lightly above the ground and could not hide the overgrowth that surrounded the clearing. As he stood there, surprised by the view in front of him, his senses picked up on the various sounds that resounded.

The growls and roars of beasts that were active were audible to him. He was sure that they were in the inner regions of the forest, a place where only the experienced hunters and strong martial artists could survive. Elemental beasts and Prana beasts prowled abundantly. Here, these vicious beasts attacked anyone that came across them. They lacked intelligence and only knew how to survive.

Azyl had once heard from the grandma in his village that forests like these are marked as training grounds for people who cultivated the Prana energy. Maybe this is also why the Academy was built near to the forest and even had an entrance.

Nearly everyone in their Nation knew about prana cultivation, but before the Elementalists came, it wasn't available to the common people. Only some clans had access to Cultivation techniques and they strictly monopolised these methods. This was another reason why the Elementalists were able to easily take over their nation, while deluding the common people.

Azyl then saw that there was some kind of barrier that covered the wide clearing. It gave him a magical feeling. The barrier cleared to him why there were no beasts approaching this place. It was being protected by someone stronger.

Master Eden waved his hand at Azyl to sit down around the fire burning right in the middle of the clearing. Renna rushed forward and grabbed something from a basket that was placed near and started munching on it.

As he sat down beside them, he saw what they were eating.

"Uh sir, do you have any fruits with you? I don't really eat any meat." Azyl said lightly.

Master Eden looked at him surprised, but then he just waved his hand as a variety of fruits suddenly flew into Azyl's hand.

While Azyl looked at the fruits with surprise, Master Eden questioned him, "Do you follow some religion or anything? It shouldn't be common in this region but those weirdos can be found anywhere I guess."

"Ah, it's nothing like that. I just that don't really like the taste of meat. I think it has something to do with my constitution, but I have a natural aversion to consuming meat and I end up throwing up if I do try eating it." Azyl answered. He then looked at the fruits he had in his hand and took a bite from one.

It had an amazing flavor and texture and before he realised it; he had already finished it. At that moment, his hands naturally reacted, and he remembered he had eaten nothing for the entire afternoon. After spending so much energy in the initiation test, he was starving at the moment and he hurriedly wolfed down the remaining fruits without caring about his manners.

Five minutes later, when he was done he came to his senses. Looking awkwardly at Master Eden and Renna, he just lowered his head as he waited for them to be done.

Master Eden observed him carefully all this while. He was even more interested in this kid, but also a little reluctant. He could recognise the innocent soul in this child and he could not decide to push a kid like him into the cruel world of Cultivation. Undecided, he wanted to learn a little more about him.

A person would gradually lose their innocence and their character would develop. They could learn skills and become stronger. He could gain all of this through hard work and training. But the prerequisite for all this to occur was a firm resolve. And that was not something that could be easily gained or trained. If Azyl did not have a firm will to walk on this path, it would be pointless to accept him as a disciple.

Once they were done, he called Renna and Azyl towards another area of the clearing. There were all kinds of wooden weapons arranged here and he handed a simple wooden sword to Azyl. Renna, on the other hand picked up a wooden stick.

Azyl was only caught in surprise for a moment before he understood what Master meant and took his position in front of Renna. Master had said that he would test him, so naturally this was a test he supposed.

"Renna has been learning under me for two months now. She has a basic grasp at using a staff. She will attack you at normal speed straightforwardly. No techniques involved. You just have to defend or dodge while using your natural reflexes and instincts. While you do that, answer my questions as I ask. Now start." Master Eden spoke calmly as he explained what the rules were.

He did not state that this was a test for Azyl, but the boy had decided to do his best. An opportunity was right in his hand, so he had to perform to his greatest caliber.

With the wooden sword in hand, he took a stance while keeping the weapon in front of him. He had no skills or techniques, but the combat class at Academy had at least drilled some knowledge about combat in him. He only had to dodge or defend. As long as he kept a focused mind and observed carefully, obstructing the staff or getting out of its path would not be too difficult for him. Unless Renna's attack speed was too high for him to react to.

Renna understood her master's instruction and positioned herself in front of Azyl. She did not have to attack him seriously, just enough to keep him focused on the staff, so that he would answer honestly to the questions that her Master asked.

She raised her wooden staff and swiftly approached Azyl, swinging the staff from above. Just like her Master said, it was a straightforward attack.

Azyl felt strangely clear minded as he saw the staff coming from above. As it was the first clash, he thought to first dodge it. He had no grasp about the strength behind this strike and felt no need to test it out either. It was probably better to dodge it while he could. Although it was his first time in a spar with proper weapons, he could keep calm and react to his surrounding easily.

Master Eden observed the strike and nodded slightly. He felt Renna had a good grasp of her strength to attack accurately within the limits of a newbie like Azyl. Although the kid was able to react easily, partly because of the fruits he had just eaten, he gave his student much credit for her improved control.

Then he started asking the boy questions after he saw him adjusting to the pace.

"So Azyl, tell me where do you come from and how old you are this year?"

"Sir, I am from the nearby Cloudstone village and twelve this year."

"Tell me about this Academy that you study at."

"It was a normal Academy twelve years ago, but after the Elementalists saved our kingdom, they made cultivation available to the common people by re-establishing the academies and bringing a new order to the kingdom."

"What do you think about Elementalists?"

"Sir, they are like the heroes in stories that grandma used to tell me."

"Do you also want to be a hero?".....

And so Master Eden kept Azyl busy as he answered and dodged the staff that kept swinging at him nonstop. Normally, he would be tired after a minute, but a constant source of energy seemed to run inside him. It was gentle and did not wreak havoc like the poison. He could guess that this was the effect of the fruits he had eaten, and five minutes passed like that. Renna was controlling her strength perfectly as she gave Azyl enough time to always dodge or hold back a little when he parried the attack.

The questions kept coming from the Master Eden's side and he had little time to consider his answers. He would answer with what came to his mind. He was asked what he had been doing in the academy recently, what he liked to do, what were his hobbies.

Master Eden also did not ask him anything difficult or something that would break his focus. When he asked him about his schedule at the academy, he did not ask him further about why he slept through the theory classes. His gut told him that it was something sensitive.

Soon, the important question that Eden wanted to ask came,

"So why did you join this academy and why do you want to cultivate? What do you wish to achieve?"