Sleeping is an epochal ceremony in one's daily routine. With that said, waking a person up in the early morning, is just hands down, nefarious.
Mainly because some crackhead is banging the door intently.
Someone demands a beating.
"Who the hell is outside! I swear I'll... oh... ****." Atlas froze. (Imagine a loud censored bleep)
Elder Yan stood by the door, clicking his pen rapidly.
"You swore you'll... what again Atlas?"
"I'll f*ck all your non believers. Yeah, I support and admire you wholeheartedly! I'll achieve anything you reprimand."
"Oh really?" He smirked wickedly, glaring at the cold beads of sweat that rolled down Atlas's forehead.
Nova and Petal were waiting impatiently at the negative tenth floor and apparently finished eating a meal called breakfast, which was something Atlas has almost never not skipped.
Three of them followed him into a special elevator. Humming softly, Elder Yan pressed a white badge with three stripes against the sensor under the panels. It activated instantly, sending them deep down for a lethargic period of time.
They were at vast profound, deep enough to cause nausea to ordinary people due to the lack of oxygen.
Elder Yan escorted Atlas up the broad staircases, where it led to a gigantic, glamorous statue of a coiling, golden dragon, its jaw wide open as if about to devour them, tunneling into an endless stream of blackness.
The victors were all on time, mannerly grouped before the statue in the order they were organized yesterday, like children anticipating a thrilling field trip, except that they were all mature teenagers or adults.
Two guards stood erect at their respective post; left and right of the Dragon's mouth.
Obstinate, they did not budge when Elder Yan approached.
"We're all here." He signed a evanescence symbol mid-air, and the guards gave way, discarding the cross they assembled with their spears.
Lingering at the back of the parade, Nova and Atlas whispered 'Thank you' to convey gratitude and respect to the stone faced, unfathomable guards. To their surprise, the guards lips quivered upwards in the corner of their eye before the Dragon shut its jaw.
Atlas and Nova were blind mice in the pitch blackness.
Exotic lamps lit up from both side of the corridor, guiding the squad through the winding tunnel.
Finally, as the squad of 28 Warriors, excluding Elder Yan, reached a point which seemed to be the stomach of the Coiling Dragon, they were exposed to an extraordinarily bright, white radiance of light.
Atlas and Nova were in awe.
Few scientists in lab coats scrutinized the 20 square meter, naturally constructed pond located in the center, taking down notes or tinkering with machines.
There were a lot of Warriors surveilling, cultivation ranks of minimally Tier 4 Axonn.
"What's up with the security?" Someone said. Despite the pond producing virescent luminescence, it had no other speciality.
"Don't question stuff newbie." A guard glared coldly at him.
"This right here, is the Pool of Endurance. One of the Coiling Dragon Arena's most valuable treasure. It cleanses the waste and impurities in our body and enhances the purity of our Spiritual Energy." Elder Yan waved at the Warrior.
"All 28 of you. Just jump into this pool right now. Chop chop. We've got no time to waste." He demanded.
The Warriors around Atlas started leaping into the pool continuously without hesitation.
"Sir Yan. I think we've made a breakthrough!" A scientist in white lab coat tiptoed towards Elder Yan, holding a test tube carefully. "After our team discovered the atoms called Auralites, we've managed to compact and exert enough pressure to create liquefied Aura, just like in the..."
"Wait. Is this an Aura accruing pool?" Atlas gasped.
"Yes, it certainly is." The scientist pushed his glasses upwards with astonishment. Seeing a random, Earth Arena member blaring out such a high class term was as if witnessing a beggar by the road speaking fluent Chinese, English and German at the same time.
"I read it in an ancient scroll." Atlas nodded before throwing scorching, passionate ogles at the pond.
His pervert mentor has taught him before, that many commodities in this world are not measurable by money or gold.
For example, things that are formed through thousands years of accumulation, like this pond, are items that Warriors would literally kill for. He remembered clearly that his mentor mentioning that an Aura Accruing pond can drastically increase the speed of one's cultivation growth.
Myths that included weird rocks being sold at billions of cash used to be jokes to Atlas. However, it did not seem like a fantasy anymore.
Even before soaking in the billowing, emerald pond, Atlas could already sense its immense capabilities in improving and upgrading his physical and mental strength opulently.
"Don't forget your promise." Elder Yan winked, laying down on a foldable sofa like an irresponsible lifeguard who wouldn't bother if anyone drowned.
Atlas shrugged, catapulting into the pool.
Luckily, it caused no splashes or wastage of this precious mineral. It could be perceived as a watery jello, firm enough to not come apart, and smooth enough to swim graceful without much exertion of force.
A numbing sensation whacked him hard.
One word to describe.
Cold!
Two words to describe.
F*cking cold!!!
The flesh-tearing and bone-piercing ice cold stings undulated from neck down, perpetually dealing tyrannical attacks.
Copying the other Warriors, Atlas closed his eyes and tried to enjoy and astute the freezing pain to his advantage.
Half an hour later, Atlas cursed violently in his ice cold heart.
[Piece of crap! Why did I admit to this? Never mind, perseverance is key.]
Nearly an hour later, a middle-aged man with a sword tied on his back strolled into the stomach of the Coiling Dragon.
"Other than that kid, the rest seems pretty average like last month." The man scanned the Warriors, only impressed by Nova's relaxed composure.
"Ugh?" He spotted a teenager shivering in the far side of the pond, frost coating his eyelashes.
[Who let this pathetic garbage in here? He can barely withstand negative forty-five degrees for an hour!] The man was severely irritated with his behavior, ready to pull this worthless, talentless person out of the pond.
But suddenly, his atmosphere made a rapid change, widening his eyes in horror, as if witnessing a horrifying monster.
"No way! This kid is not using any Aura to protect himself!"
A silent shriek of disbelief and utter petrification escaped his lungs.