A youth and a middle aged man entered through the Bursberg city entrance.

"Come one James, let's visit the barber first. Wouldn't want your mother to see you again looking like an animal now " grinned Edward.

" k dad" sighed James.

The foot paths were filled with people, some with their loved ones, some out for work. It was 11 in the morning and a bright sun shone in the sky. They reached a barber shop and went in.

Technology had advanced to the point where one did not need a barber to get his haircut or a cook to make food. These kinds of work could easily be done by robots but people still preferred to do it by themselves. Even customers preferred to get a haircut from a person or eat in a restaurant with chefs.

It was just a matter of personal preference and the same was seen in every kingdom. People liked to continue doing what they loved to do which is why robots never replaced humans completely. They were used for cleaning purposes in household tasks.

James got a normal short style haircut while his father got himself a fade style haircut.

" Hmm I think I might impress your mother with my looks right now. What about you James, got any girl waiting back home? " said Edward as he looked at himself in the mirror.

James looked at his father awkwardly and sighed. He was just 11 and hasn't yet matured enough on gender consciousness. They left the shop and returned back home. As they stood in front of the gate James went up and pressed the door bell.

As Marriane reached the door and saw who were outside through the camera, she quickly opened the door and hugged her child as tight as she could.

Seeing his mother's reaction James teared up a bit and controlled himself. He hugged his mother back and said, "I'm home now Ma"

The Walters celebrated with a special dinner for themselves. Their son had successfully completed his training and achieved the qualification to enter the number 1 martial school in the kingdom.

2 weeks were still left for the test. It was decided that the family would stay for a little over a week and then leave for Ferinhal the capital of of the kingdom of Astia where Sky Blaze martial school was located.

The next day James spent it resting. He was told by his parents to get used to the city again as living in the jungle had affected his daily habits and routines. As night approached, James went downstairs to meet his mother when suddenly he saw the house was dark.

No lights were on. He halted his steps and looked around his surroundings carefully. A sense of foreboding crept up in his mind. Shaking his head off to stop himself from thinking such thoughts he slowly reached the hall. As he stepped in the lights turned on!

James was shocked as he saw various decorations around the hall and his parents standing near the dining table. In front was a cake where 'Happy Birthday' was written.

"I had to use some tricks to make mine and your mother's presence not be felt since you are at the 3rd stage now haha" laughed his father. James's earlier movements were seen by then which made them a bit amused.

"Happy Birthday Honey! " said his mother as she clapped smilingly.

" Dad, Ma thank you!!!! " James welled up in tears at the sudden surprise. At first he had foreboding thoughts which made him scared but looking at the surprise he felt the love of his parents and their care. Today was Nov 11 even he had forgot that it was his birthday.

The Walters had another feast that night. James was greedily eating his pie and cake when his father said,

" Son on the road of cultivation there will be times when years will pass by in advancing and adventuring and birthdays will lose its meaning. Since you will be starting your journey now we wanted to celebrate your 12th birthday so that this memory remains with you for the rest of your life."

" I hope you always know that no matter what your parents love you dearly and will always support in your journey. "

Edward presented a red stone to his son which attached to a thread.

" It's a Radite jewel. It can save your life one time by shielding you from any attack from an early stage Carmine expert or below. Always wear it and keep it hidden inside your clothes. Never show this to anyone!"

James knew about the stone. It was a rare Power stone with a defensive capability. The price of specially a Radite defensive jewel was very high, something only the very rich could afford.

"I found it once during my days as a cultivator. There was a huge struggle for this red stone. In the end it landed in my hands. Your mother used to make me wear it in my army days. Thankfully I was never pushed to the point where I had to use it. It's the most precious thing our family has but it's nothing compared to your safety. "

" T-Thanks dad" stammered James.

"When you form your core and enter the Azure realm, you will start learning techniques which utilise qi and the martial school you will be going to will naturally have the best techniques available. But your old man wishes to pass you this technique."

" It's a modified version I created of an army technique I learned while being a member of the Emerald Force. It's name is Wind Enforcer, it's an agility type skill that also strengthens your next attack. I've written it myself and the insights presented will help you learn it without much problem. As for mastering, well that will depend on your own hard work. "

James did not know what to say anymore. He was grateful to God to have given him such loving parents. He was even more determined to train hard and live up to his parents expectations.

Time flew by quickly and soon it was time for the Walters to visit the capital city. In the past few days James had continued his physical training.

He also went out with his school friends. A small reunion event was planned by the group where they discussed their progress. He learnt that in his batch of 200 only he had been able to reach the 3rd stage of Form realm while about 34 where able to reach the 2nd stage in time.

It should be known that only a few children are able to possess cultivation talent and James being the sole 3rd stage cultivator goes to show the difficulty it poses in progressing ahead. Some children even choose to study further instead of pursuing martial cultivation.

On the departure date the family got ready and headed for the airport. Reaching the capital through an aeroplane took about a day. 2 days were left for the examination.

As the family reached the airport, James got off the car and looked towards the building in front.

"Ferinhal city here I come"

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Notes- Final chapter for today. Next chapter will be released tomorrow. For now gonna catch some sleep in an hour or 2. The next chapter will be up in approx 12 hours I guess. If you find any mistakes please comment and inform me and if you have any suggestions, opinions or anything plz do comment^^