I was just as battered as Gunthar had been after his fight, but I ignored it as I felt the Elemental Energy rushing back into me. The best part about cultivating at Gifted Academy is that after you push yourself to the max, the formations help you recover at an incredible pace which allows you to reap the maximum benefits from your training. Normally, I'd have waited to cultivate until I was alone, but I could feel that right now was the perfect moment for me to break through.
Taking a deep breath, I sharpened my Air blades and plunged them through my body.
*GASP*
The entire Colosseum gasped in shock as I started puking up blood mixed with black chunks of organs. This was only the 2nd time that I'd done this, since it hurt so freaking much the last time. I'd meant to do it over the weekend while Beth and Connor were off in the statue but I just couldn't bring myself to do so. Pavlovian training is a bitch to overcome, and just the one try at this before hand was more then enough to train my brain to NEVER want to do this again.
I kept coughing as more and more Air Elemental blades slammed through my body. Unlike last time, it didn't end in just a moment. Putting off training for over a week, fighting constantly during that week off, and the Energy storm I was surrounded in all combined together to set off a chain reaction in my body. My organs and bones where under siege as blade after blade sliced off piece after piece. If it wasn't for the Water Elemental Energy flowing through my body and healing what'd been sliced off I'd probably have keeled over dead by now.
*COUGH*
With a final hacking cough, a chunk of my spleen nearly 3 inches thick flew from my mouth and the wind blades ceased doing damage to me. They kept slicing through me, but they couldn't cut anything within me. Sighing in ecstasy, I sat there unmoving as the two thousand students watched in horror. When I'd finally opened my eyes, I was at the peak of the third level of body refining and could begin using Lightning Elemental Energy to refine my nervous system at any time.
Smiling happily, I heard Principal Hubert start speaking, "That, was the result of finishing the Third Level of The Storm Tyrant Body Method!" His voice boomed through the room. "All of you just watched how strong these people are, they have similar levels of talent to you." His voice was glaring at them, "But each and every one of them has at least reached the 3rd level while all of you haven't even broken through to become a cultivator yet. That!" He pointed at me ferociously, "Is what you have to do if you want to be strong in this world. If you want to survive as something more than a peon, you have to be willing to temper yourself again and again! Those who are willing and work hard will find themselves powerful beyond their dreams. Those who are not willing will find themselves kicked out of this program in an instant!"
The previously excited crowd had completely calmed down by the time Principal Hubert was done speaking, "Now, we'd love to take all of you in, but we have standards and if you can't reach them you don't belong here! The teachers and your seniors in the program." He waved his hand to encompass the 5 of us and all the teachers who had appeared on the stage at some point behind us. "Will take you through a class on how to refine your bodies, if you manage to impress them, you pass. If you don't then you can start packing!"
With a grasping motion, the formation that he'd altered earlier flew into his hands and he altered it again, making it easier so that these people who hadn't even began cultivating yet would have a chance. Once he was done, he put it back down and we picked out a couple hundred at a time to come down at a time.
I didn't really care too much about the test, instead I was thinking about how I should start the 4th level of body refining. We let Alaric the Viking explain the how to refine your body. I smiled to myself as I heard the indrawn breaths of shock when he bellowed, "FIGHT, FIGHT, AND FIGHT SOME MORE!" remembering my own shock at how primitive the training method here was. It worked though, and that's all that mattered.
At some point, I wound up with a clipboard with the information of all the possible students on it. Someone had enchanted it so that it only gave me the information of the group currently testing, and by focusing on someone their information would expand on the clipboard so I could figure out who I was looking at.
"Cliff Adams, Age 17, heartforce cultivator with high level of darkness affinity." I said to myself as I watched one of the applicants try to fight with the shade of a professional boxer. It was obvious that he'd done no training at all since getting his implant, and I marked him as having potential but needs further observation.
The process continued on until a group of giggling girls approached me while they were waiting for their turn in the test. "You are so strong." *Giggle* "My names Andrea, can you show me how to pass?" One said, trying to grab my arm between a decent rack. Behind me, I had to jump to avoid being tackled from behind by another who said, "Ahh, I just wanted a hug!" While pouting.
Without even thinking about it, I looked at them and marked all of them down as "Not worth cultivating" because I wanted NOTHING to do with them. However, as I was about to mark the last one, I noticed something off. She was shy, trying and failing to make her way towards me. Smiling to her, I ignored the giggler's and walked over to her.
"How can I help you?" I asked her.
She blushed scarlet, and stammered a bit before finally managing to get her words out, "I..I..I wanted to ask about how you managed to start refining your body so easily."
Confused as to why she would ask that question, I looked at the clipboard and her information popped up. "Alexandra Stellar, Age 17, mindscape cultivator with high level affinities to Water and Fire. Current implant Blue with Fire Affinity and mid level processor. Cultivating Basic Fire-body Refining method." Looking through her information, I realized that she'd only received the basic implant that couldn't possibly support her growth along with a totally wrong refining method.
Looking around, I found Principal Hubert circulating and managed to catch his eye by sending a burst of Air Elemental Energy in his direction. While I was waiting for him to join us, I asked Alexandra, "Why did you only receive the most basic of implants?"
She looked a little ashamed before admitting, "I used the extra money from the loan on my brother's surgery. He had to have his leg amputated and we couldn't afford to regrow a new one."
Principal Hubert must've heard the end of the sentence because he eyed her speculatively for a moment for turning to me with a questioning look.
"She's a Mindscape cultivator with dual Fire and Water affinities at the high level, but her implant is only the most basic one and because of that she only received a basic fire body refining manual." I said. Alexandra was beet red at this point, her head hanging down like a hangdog and I had to reach out to stop her from running away in embarrassment.
The Principal looked surprised as he pulled out his own clipboard and went through his data which I could just see from the corner of my eyes. He had a lot more information than I got, including what seemed to be a family history and he examined it closely before he nodded to himself. "She has potential, I'm going to authorize a full upgrade for her implant. I want you to walk her through it and then help guide her through the tutorial like Mr. Gibbins did for you."
*DING*
*Mandatory Mission Acquired*
*Details: Help Alexandra Stellar become a cultivator*
*Rewards: Friendship????"
I shook my head as I got rid of the blue box that popped up. "How do I do that? I have no clue how to enter her implant like Mr. Gibbins did."
He tapped something on his clipboard and a detailed list of instructions appeared in front of me along with a budget of $150,000. My jaw nearly dropped, but Principal Hubert explained, "Upgrades are more expensive after the implant is already in place and I want her to have a couple of slots for Spiritual Items. With how well you and your friends have been using them, it's been brought up as a possible requirement going forward in the future."
Nodding my head in understanding, I kept a firm hold on the girls arm so she couldn't run for it like she surely wanted to as I lead her to a private training room where we could talk.