No one spoke as they watched Wendy's demonstration. All eyes were focused entirely on her. They could feel a certain power radiating from her body that seemed… otherworldly, indescribable. And, all of the people there, wanted to be a part of it.
One boy, in particular, was paying very close attention.
Cain's eyes sparkled as he watched Wendy's display. He was watching everything. Every movement, every breath, like he was engraining it in his memory.
As he watched the display, Cain could feel a familiarity with the energy that was wrapping around her, like he was connected to it.
Almost out of instinct, Cain faintly raised his hand toward the energy. Closing his eyes, he could feel the connection with the energy strengthen. On instinct, he summoned the energy to himself.
Soon, Cain could feel a refreshing wave of energy washing over his body. It felt like the energy was cleansing his body, cleansing his very being. It was such a comfortable and indescribable feeling, but it only lasted for a few moments before disappearing.
A small frown appeared on Cain's face as he opened his eyes. The feeling was so comfortable that he never wanted it to disappear. However, he had no idea how to bring it back as he had only acted on instinct.
When Cain opened his eyes, he was shocked to see both Wendy and Elder Biang staring at him, almost like they were trying to see through him.
"Umm, Did I do something wrong?"
Wendy was stunned by the boy in front of her. She could very clearly feel the spiritual energy, that she had gathered, being absorbed by him. And, the rate at which he absorbed it was incredible. She had never seen something so shocking in her entire life.
Elder Biang wasn't fairing any better. Although he wasn't completely slackjawed, he wasn't far from it. Even though he hadn't gathered the energy, Elder Biang's familiarity with spiritual energy was far better than Wendy's. Even still, he had no idea what had just happened, nor what that boy had done.
'It must be a trait of his talent. Amazing.' Cain's position, in Elder Biang's eyes, was raised several places by this small display.
Most of the other people in the crowd didn't know what had happened, but they could tell that Wendy and Elder Biang both looked shocked.
"Did something happen?" A person in the crowd called out.
Elder Biang snapped himself back to reality as he cleared his throat. "No, no. Just something slightly unexpected. That is the end of the display. Hopefully, all of you were able to gain something."
The crowd immediately began to heat up as excitement spread. With this being the end of the display, that meant it was now time for them to go into the world. There wasn't a single person who wasn't raring to go and see what this world was like.
Elder Biang could see that his words had caused a spark to ignite within the crowd. With a wave of his hand, a gust of wind washed over the crowd, gaining their attention.
Seeing their attention on himself, Elder Biang addressed them. "As I said before, it is now time for you to enter the First Circle. Once you are gone from this place, no one will be with you to help you. You must rely on yourselves to accomplish your goals and learn about the world."
"Many obstacles will stand before you, but a true cultivator doesn't back down from a challenge! A true cultivator rises against the odds and uses them as stepping stones along his journey! A true cultivator doesn't stop, not until he has reached the pinnacle of the world! And I look forward to seeing all of you standing at the pinnacle!"
The crowd cheered for Elder Biang's speech. The fire within burning ever stronger.
When Elder Biang originally came here, he didn't plan on giving any sort of speech like this. He didn't believe in giving people false hope. He thought that he may be sending people to their deaths and wasn't looking forward to it. However, everything changed when he saw their talents.
Just this small group was enough to make waves in the cultivation world like no one had ever seen. Thinking about this, he couldn't help but glance at a certain boy who had an expectant look on his face. His black hair blowing gently in the breeze. 'I look forward to seeing you change the world boy.'
"Okay! Everyone get together with the people you want to travel with. If you want to travel alone, that is fine too."
"Once you have all gathered into your groups, come and line up before me. I will then teleport you near to where you want to go. It isn't an exact science, but you will appear close to the place you select. I also guarantee that you won't be teleported into a solid object like a wall or the earth."
No one in the crowd even knew that was possible. Could you imagine getting immediately stuck in the earth before you could even do anything? How unlucky would that be?
Cain was standing still, thinking about everything he had experienced in the last half an hour when a strong arm suddenly wrapped around his shoulders.
"Well, what do you say, man? You wanna explore this new world together? I promise that I, your grandfather, will allow you to experience the very peak of what this world can offer." Jaime's teasing voice drifted into Cain's ears.
Cain still wasn't used to feeling people's touch, but it wasn't something he disliked. He had also quite enjoyed Jaime's company so far–even if he was a little obnoxious.
With a smile, Cain nodded his head. "I'd like to stick together."
Jaime's grin grew wider as he tightened the arm around Cain. "It's you and me then, partner. The world will never see us coming."
With a cheerful and somewhat mischievous laugh, Jaime began to walk with Cain toward Elder Biang. He was about to say something to Cain when he heard a voice call from behind.
"What? You are just planning on leaving me?"
Jaime and Cain both turned to see a black-haired girl folding her arms over her chest–a mischievous smirk on her lips.
Seeing the girl, Jaime couldn't stop the grin spreading on his face. "We have a good bachelor's act going. If you came along, it would ruin our aesthetic."
The girl snorted, walking up to the two of them. "If no one keeps an eye on you, I don't even want to think about the trouble you would get into."
Jaime laughed. "What do you mean, 'if no one keeps an eye on me?' I have my man Cain right here. He will keep me out of trouble."
Aisha looked at the black-haired boy locked in Jaime's embrace. She could see the innocence plastered all over his face, like a newborn puppy. He looked so adorable that she couldn't stop her maternal instincts from taking over. "No. I absolutely will not allow you to go alone with him. You are definitely going to corrupt him."
Jaime just shrugged helplessly. "Even if I wanted to take you, the kid's the boss. You gotta get his say."
Cain became confused at that statement. "When did I become the boss?"
Jaime laughed. "That trick with the crystal wasn't just for show. Did you see the way those two looked at you? You gotta have some kind of crazy talent, right? That is why you are now the boss. You gotta look after the weaker people like me~"
Cain was about to refute him, but Aisha spoke faster.
"I agree. There is definitely something special about you. So what do you say? Am I in?" Aisha smiled at Cain, waiting for his answer.
Cain was stunned by the way these two were acting, but he still just nodded his head. "Y-yeah, sure. The more the merrier, right?"
Aisha laughed and stepped forward when another voice called from behind her. "I'm glad you feel that way!"
A young boy around twelve years old walked up to the group. Behind him, he was dragging along a somewhat grumpy-looking older teen with long blonde hair and a ballcap. A huge smile stretched across the young boy's face as he looked at all of them.
"I figured that, since it seemed like all of us had the most talent, we should all stick together. If we all grouped up, who would stand a chance?" The boy was extremely excited and a large smile refused to leave his face.
The girl behind him looked far less excited, but it didn't seem like she was against the idea.
Jaime nodded his head, trying to look sagely. "What you say is correct. All of us are the best-looking folks here. If we team up, they won't stand a chance."
Aisha punched Jaime in the shoulder, to which Jaime only laughed. "You really have no idea how to be serious, huh?"
Jaime laughed harder. "One of my many, many positive features."
Aisha and the new girl couldn't help but roll their eyes. Silently thinking, 'maybe this was a bad idea.'
The young boy only laughed. "Exactly what I was thinking! I'm glad we are on the same page. So, are we in?"
Jaime nodded his head but shrugged his shoulders before pulling Cain in front of himself. "I'd say yeah, but it's not up to me. Cain, here, is the boss."
The boy looked expectantly at Cain, waiting for his answer.
"U-umm. To be honest, I have no idea how I even became the boss. If you guys want to stick with us, then, of course, you can."
The young boy beamed from ear to ear. "Well then, in that case, I'm Timothee Beliara. I am twelve years old, turning thirteen in two months. And, my favorite food is goldfish crackers." Timothee held his hand out toward Cain. "Nice to meetcha~"
Cain was a little overwhelmed by what just happened, but Jaime just laughed beside him.
"Well if we are doing introductions, I'll go next. My name is Jaime Elcaster. I am eighteen years old, nineteen in… seven months. And, my favorite food is anything cooked by a beautiful woman." Jaime grinned as he grabbed the boy's outstretched hand firmly before giving it a shake. "Nice to meetcha~"
Aisha rolled her eyes once more at Jaime but still introduced herself to the boy. "Aisha Vermont. I just turned nineteen. And, my favorite food would probably have to be grapes. I love grapes." Aisha showed a pretty smile as she looked at the other girl. "You're up."
The blonde-haired girl nodded her head. "Jenna Marelle. I'm eighteen. And, my favorite food is, hmm, any kind of seafood, I guess?" Jenna's voice was soft and sweet on the ears, making Jaime nod his head in appreciation.
Everyone then shifted their attention to the boy still locked in Jamie's grasp.
Cain cleared his throat sheepishly before talking rather quietly. "My name is Cain Declair. My sister tells me that I am seventeen years old. And, I really can't remember what my favorite food was, but I look forward to enjoying all of the best foods this world has to offer."
Everyone raised an eyebrow at Cain's strange introduction, but no one said anything. They had only just met, after all, and no one wanted to pry into his personal life.
Jaime nodded his head. "Then we had better go find something good to eat."
With that, Jaime once again pulled Cain toward Elder Biang, with the rest of the crew following close behind.