Feeling the usual strange sensation wash over his body, Nazariy woke up. Rubbing his tired eyes, he yawned. Turning his head to look out the window, he confirmed that the sun was rising. The morning aura burst was on time as usual.
Slowly, he moved his body into a sitting position with his legs hanging off the side of the bed. It was another morning on the farm.
It had been another year and Nazariy was 14 years old. He spent virtually every day on the farm working and training. He also finished his mandatory studies early, giving him more time to cultivate.
On the large farm were mostly adults and small children, a good thing for Nazariy's self-esteem, because there were few people of his age to compare himself to. That being the case, his life on the farm was very relaxing.
"Good morning, Nazariy. It's plowing day."
Upon entering the fields, Nazariy was greeted by an older man of 30 years that had grown up on the farm. Atop his head grew a single bright red horn, indicating that he was at least in Beginner Masu.
"Good morning, Alfeo. Indeed."
Alfeo had reminded Nazariy of their schedule that day, which included plowing many kilometers of fields. Though, the process would not take even a single day, thanks to a lot of the workers being of at least High Ke.
"Well then, let's get to it! The faster we finish, the more free time we have after!"
Smiling, Alfeo dramatically raised his hands above his head and rotated his cultivation base. Slowly, his hands began a strange transformation.
*Doesn't get old no matter how many times I see it.*
Nazariy closely watched as Alfeo's hands swelled to twice their normal size, grew gray fur, and produced long talon-like nails. After a short moment, the pair of hands fully transformed into a pair of dragon claws!
"Ha ha, don't make your envy so apparent, Nazariy! You'll unlock your dragon claws someday. And when you do, they'll be the strongest claws!"
Having said his words of encouragement, Alfeo took a stance and made a large arc with his arm as he swung it out in front of him. A loud sound almost like that from an explosion resounded outwards as the ground parted in front of him.
Nazariy pouted as he watched Alfeo plow the dirt with his awesome strength. Sadly, one's dragon claws were only unlocked at Beginner Masu. Nazariy had to settle with using a not-nearly-as-cool hoe.
KKKKRRRRG KKKKKRRRRGGGG
Nazariy began plowing, swinging the hoe he brought with him to the fields as if it were a deadly weapon to strike the dirt and make it part similarly to how Alfeo accomplished it. However, not as effectively. The amount of dirt he upturned with every five swings of the hoe was less than what Alfeo could do with one swing his dragon claws.
Thankfully, the allotment of work was divided according to the workers' cultivation base, meaning Nazariy did not have to plow nearly as much as Alfeo did.
After a few hours, Nazariy slowly lowered his tired arms. He turned around to look at the many square kilometers he so prudently plowed, verifying that his job was complete.
His work for the day was finished and it was time for training. Nazariy returned the hoe to its spot in the tool storage before returning to his room within the auxiliary building designated for living quarters of the farm's workers. There, Nazariy changed from his uniform into training robes and grabbed his spear. Of all the weapons Nazariy had ever wielded, he was most comfortable with the spear.
Weapon in hand, Nazariy made his way to the estate's training grounds. If he were to walk at a normal pace the trip would take him over an hour. The amount of land owned by Apil would be quite shocking to anyone that didn't understand how a cultivation society worked or how large they needed to be. It was expansive to the point where only cultivators really had any way of traversing through it without trouble. People that had yet to begin cultivation, mainly children, were unable to travel far with their mortal bodies, and thus had never personally seen the entire complex.
A few minutes later, an exhausted Nazariy arrived in a large garden full of lush vegetation, which included large bamboo stalks, willow trees, and flower bushes. There were even many decorative ponds sprinkled throughout that contained fish lazily swimming about.
That garden was the training ground available to all staff on the plantation.
Nazariy, despite having seen it almost every day for the past year, still marveled at the beautiful feng shui. The plants were arranged in such a way as to invigorate the energies of the Heavens, causing the garden to have the thickest spiritual energy of the entire farmstead. Besides spiritual energy, the garden also stimulated the blood of ground-born spawned from Tukulti Forest, which the estate was near. This was because ground-born from Tukulti Forest most often had affinities towards earth, combined with the fact that ground-born were also spiritually closer with the elements than normal dragons. With how the garden released auras of earth and water, ground-born from Tukulti Forest generally gained the most from training within the plantation's training grounds.
Nazariy walked along a cobblestone path lined with vibrant flowers past all the various training equipment until he reached a large pond. At the opposite end of the pond was a small waterfall of about fifteen meters. Still holding the spear, Nazariy swam through the pond to arrive beneath the waterfall. That was his favorite spot of the entire garden.
Where the waterfall struck the water was actually a piece of land raised to allow people to sit under where the water fell. There Nazariy sat for a few moments, feeling as though the water rushing over his body was cleansing him of any and all impurities. Of course, it wasn't, but it was still very comfortable.
Finished relaxing, Nazariy stood up. Resisting the force of the water crashing onto him, he took a battle stance with the long spear in his hands.
SSSSHHHHHH
Powered by Nazariy's zana, a single thrust of his spear caused the water near him to be pushed outwards, temporarily forming a vague sphere around his body where water was not present. That strike was the culmination of many years of intensive and rigorous practice.
Regarding weapons, there are realms to which define how skilled one is that correspond with the cultivation stages and realms. Nazariy had stepped into the Keen Sight realm when he was 11. Now, at the age of 14, Nazariy was at the pinnacle of Keen Sight with his spear.
The realm Keen Sight was named after how cultivators within that realm of skill seemed to have better perception while wielding their weapon.
In Nazariy's case, he astonishingly reached Keen Sight with the spear, sword, and axe, proving his tremendous talent for combat. However, he most enjoyed fighting with a spear and chose to focus his comprehension on it.
SSSSHHHHHHH
SSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
SSSSSHHHHH
Nazariy sent hundreds of strikes forward, causing the water around him to be repelled hundreds of times.
When Nazariy finished, he left the large pond with the waterfall and waded into a shallower pond that lacked any disturbances. He sat down cross-legged, allowing his body to be half submerged. After resting the spear horizontally on his lap, he began performing breathing exercises.
Nazariy took in deep breaths, shallow breaths, and paused his breathing in a very specific pattern, causing the spiritual energy in the atmosphere to enter him through his nose so that he could refine it. Once refined, wisps of zana circulated throughout his body before gathering in his Nindan, the spiritual organ that stores cultivator energies. The Nindan rested in the spot in between one's eyebrows, close to the brain.
Nazariy was happily cultivating in the splendid garden for a short while before he felt a slight tremor in the ground. Confused, he opened his eyes and looked around, using all of his senses to scan the area to determine if a powerful cultivator was practicing nearby.
Nothing. He seemed to be alone in the garden, if not one of few people.
Worried, Nazariy picked up his spear, stood up, and headed for the training grounds' exit.
Suddenly, a loud, piercing sound wailed from all directions, accompanied by a gruff male voice.
"Dubaku Estate is under attack by a horde of demon beasts! All cultivators except the CPT are to gather at the beast ranch!"
Just as Nazariy feared, an emergency situation had arisen! The emergency announcements instructed all cultivators, with exception of the Child Protection Team whose job it was to keep all non-cultivators safe, to gather at the part of Dubaku Estate designated for raising domesticated demon beasts.
The training grounds which Nazariy was just in were on the opposite side of the estate from the beast ranch, meaning Nazariy had to traverse across the entire estate to reach it. For a Low Ke cultivator like himself, that was a difficult task. Thankfully, he did not end up doing it.
"Nazariy! Need a lift?"
Alfeo happened to be near Nazariy when the orders were announced, allowing the two to run into each other on the way to the beast ranch.
"Yes, and thank you!"
Nazariy smiled at the burly man and clasped his outstretched hand, letting Alfeo lift his soggy self and carry him on his shoulder while he ran. Nazariy's weight was of no impact to Alfeo, who was at Beginner Masu.
On the way, the two saw many other cultivators. Men, women, and a few people just a bit older than Nazariy, running in the same direction. Everyone at Beginner Masu or higher were also carrying one or two people weaker than themselves.
With the speed provided by a Beginner Masu cultivation base, Alfeo and Nazariy quickly arrived at the edge of the beast ranch, from which they could more easily feel the earth and air shaking.
Far away, atop a large hill meant for grazing the beasts, was a small warthog with tusks as sharp as blades. It emanated a frightening aura that would cause Nazariy to tremble with fear if it were directed at him.
"Low Masu demon beast!" Alfeo exclaimed in awe.
"And, Overseer Sevolod is fighting it!" Nazariy added.
Overseer Sevolod was the overseer of the beast ranch and managed everyone that worked in it. He was an old man in Low Masu that wielded a sword.
DING
Currently, he was locked in combat with the warthog. Most of his strikes were blocked by its tusks that let out metallic sounds whenever they collided. When it could, the warthog counter-attacked, charging Overseer Sevolod with brute force or even using its internal energy to cast offensive spells.
Alfeo and Nazariy were temporarily awed by the sight and only recovered after they realized that many, many more demon beasts were attacking the beast ranch. Most of them were Low Ke, some of them High Ke, a few Beginner Masu, and the strongest were Low Masu.
"This is where we part! Good luck, Nazariy!"
As they planned, Alfeo lifted Nazariy and threw him towards a group of Low Ke demon beasts before heading off to fight a Beginner Masu bird.
SSKKKKKRRT
Before Nazariy even hit the ground, he pierced a wolf through the skull with his spear, instantly killing it. He hit the dirt in a roll and quickly stood up. Having seen the quick execution, over a dozen demon beasts, including wolves, snakes, birds, and cats, immediately targeted him.
"Humph."
Nazariy gave a cold snort before raising his spear and lunging at the nearest demon beast, which tried to block his weapon with its own limb, but did not stand a chance.
SKKRRT
Another headshot. Despite dispatching of two demon beasts so quickly, the rest were unfazed and mindlessly charged him.
Nazariy dodged, stabbed, rolled, swung, jumped, and dashed. He evaded all blows and delivered dozens. Of all those that previously attacked him, none survived past a few minutes.
As special training by Apil, Nazariy was allowed to fight a few demon beasts in the past. However, never had he been surrounded by so many! The experience was…exhilarating!
Laughing, Nazariy counted the corpses before running off to the nearest group of demon beasts. Again, Nazariy charged head-first into the mob. Again, he used his combat prowess to its full potential and easily slaughtered his way across a large section of the beast ranch.
Of course, his massacre attracted a lot of attention from stronger demon beasts, however, Nazariy's fellow dragons had his back. Whenever a demon beast higher than Low Ke targeted Nazariy, someone of an equal cultivation base appeared to block it.
This was actually planned long ago. Nazariy became famous throughout the city of Esharra as the most talented ground-born despite only having a Gene Rank of 1 when he managed to reach the Keen Sight realm with, not one, not two, but three different weapons at the age of 11! That fame naturally carried to Dubaku Estate, where it was agreed that if a demon beast horde were to ever attack, that Nazariy would require special attention by stronger cultivators in the case that he was targeted by stronger demon beasts.
Yet, despite having so many people watching out for him, there weren't enough. Eventually, a High Ke frog got through to him when it hid on the back of a High Ke wolf. The wolf was stopped, but the frog got past the High Ke cultivator.
"Watch out, Nazariy!" was all the cultivator could say before being caught up with the wolf.
Thankfully, Nazariy was mostly finished with the Low Ke demon beasts around him and quickly faced the incoming frog.
It was a white frog the size of a fist that sailed through the air toward Nazariy. He swung his spear upward and fiercely struck it.
"This…will be difficult."
The frog may have been struck, but it was most definitely not killed. Nazariy's weapon was only a Low Ke spear and could only leave a white mark on the frog's leathery skin. Unlike dragons, the bodies of demon beasts grew exponentially stronger as they grew in strength, requiring cultivators to either have a weapon of the same stage, or overwhelming strength to easily damage them.
As soon as the frog landed on the ground, it turned into a beam of light that Nazariy had trouble following. It dashed around him, using its speed to its utmost advantage.
"GAAAHHH…"
Nazariy let loose a pained growl as he failed to block the speedy frog, which left a deep gash on his left arm.
Then, it aimed for his legs.
"GAAAAAHHHH!"
Nazariy couldn't withstand the pain as his right leg was also struck. Though, he did hit the frog that time, managing to save his leg.
"Hang in there Nazariy!"
Off to the side was the High Ke cultivator that was almost finished killing the wolf from earlier. She wanted to run to Nazariy's side and slay the frog, but then saw another High Ke demon beast heading in her direction.
Seeing as no one could help him fight the frog, Nazariy bit his lip and accepted it. He'd have to kill it on his own.
He took a deep breath and began using his techniques to their maximum potential. Previously, he did not often need to use either his movement technique or any of his spear techniques against the Low Ke demon beasts. However, the High Ke demon beast's appearance forced him to use all of his techniques to stay alive.
A light shone from his spear's metal tip as he channeled his zana through it, performing attack after attack. His feet also grew slightly blurry as he made use of his movement technique.
No longer did the frog have such a large advantage over him.
Dodge…block…stab…
Time felt as though it flowed slower around Nazariy as he continued fighting the frog. Although he was cut in several more places, they were not anywhere near the severity of the first injury on his arm or the second on his leg.
"Nazariy, I'm coming to help!"
Off to the side, Alfeo had finished subjugating a Beginner Masu demon beast before he saw that his young friend was in trouble and rushed to help.
"NO! I want this kill!"
But, to Alfeo's shock, as well as everyone else nearby aware of the situation, Nazariy rejected the offer! Was he that confident in his abilities?! He was a Low Ke cultivator fighting a High Ke demon beast! He might have been holding on against it by making full use of his expertise in the spear combined with various martial skills, but how long would that last?
Of course he was not overly confident, and in fact, doubted his ability to continue for much longer. However, Nazariy realized that what he needed to be stronger, which he had sorely lacked so far, was to fight stronger beings! Yes, it was extremely dangerous, but as Nazariy was experiencing, it was extremely rewarding! As the battle continued, Nazariy could feel his understanding of the spear slowly, but steadily, advancing.
*This is it!*
Nazariy's eyes shone as he saw an opening in the frog's attack. With swift and efficient movements, he put all of his body's energy into one last swing of his spear.
SKKKKKKRT
Finally, impaled on the end of his blade was the small white frog!