The O'Brien Manor.
Clang! Clang!
The sound of metal hitting metal resounded in the training ground.
Two shadows were currently embroiled in a battle.
"You're never going to win if you keep hesitating." Dean spoke as he swung his sword at Leon.
Leon blocked the sword, taking some steps back, he smiled and replied, "I don't need to hurry, with enough time, I'll take you down."
"Heh!" Dean scoffed, before adding, "With a bow or fist, yeah, but with a sword? Dream on!"
Dean took a step forward and slashed at Leon. Leon raised his sword to block the attack, but Dean's movement changed, the sword which was originally slashing at Leon stopped and stabbed at him.
Leon, not expecting Dean to suddenly change his attack pattern was caught off guard.
"You win." He said with a bitter smile. Dean's sword was currently pointing at his throat, if not for the fact that Dean stopped, he would've been able to kill him with this.
"Fighting with a sword is my forte, so I'll naturally win. It would be a different result if you chose to use your bow. Honing your close combat isn't a bad idea." Dean withdrew his sword.
Leon didn't see anything wrong with what he said. During the few times they've fought and he used his bow, he had almost always defeated Dean. although, it is majorly credited to distance. Once Dean manages to close the gap, it was easy for him to take out Leon.
"I wouldn't have a problem against others." Leon knew he wasn't Dean's match when it came to using a sword, but it didn't mean he was bad at it. He had fought against some of the Family's Warriors and gained the upper hand.
Dean didn't refute his words, even his father had called him a freak when it came to using a sword. Amongst all the sword users in the county, his father said other than having a lower cultivation base and some experience, he wasn't inferior to anyone. This was high praise, coming from an expert like Anthony.
"Can you break through before the hunt?" Leon changed the topic.
He was already a Seventh Layered Body Tempering Warrior, Dean was still a layer below him. The hunt would be taking place in a few days, if Dean couldn't break through before then, he would be in danger.
"I should be able to." Dean didn't answer confidently.
The time for the hunt was too short. If they had two months or so, they would've been able to get to the Peak of the Body Tempering Stage, but they only had a month. Even after cultivating crazily, they were still lacking. The only thing they could hope for was to get to the Late stages of the Body Tempering Stage. Leon had successfully gotten to the Seventh layer, leaving Dean a layer behind.
Leon suggested when he heard this, "You shouldn't go if you aren't able to break through."
"Of course I'm going. This is my first opportunity to get back at the people who caused this, if I miss it, my journey will end here." Dean said matter-of-factly.
In the books he had read about transmigrators, they would always get a shot at revenge during the early periods. Well, it mainly depends on the level of the person that caused the death of their predecessor. In cases like Dean's, it would be settled in a short period after taking over the new body. If Dean fails to carry out this task, he didn't think he would have the zeal to grow stronger. This was a challenge he must pass!
Thinking about how things had been so far, he knew everything can't follow the books he had read, but at least a few things had been going in that direction. All he needed was to go with the flow and he would eventually become the strongest person in the world.
Leon glanced at him coldly, he snorted and left. After the trip to the Gnurx tribe, he was starting to get used to Dean. other than saying a few unfamiliar words, the two Deans were the same people. If he didn't see Dean lose his life before his eyes, he wouldn't believe what was happening.
The duo didn't speak any further, an awkward silence following Dean's statement. Dean was already used to Leon's frequent abrupt silence, so he didn't mind. He continued his cultivation, heading to the cultivation room.
Leon watched him leave, before doing the same.
….
The time flew by in a flash and it was the day of the hunt.
Leon and Dean didn't take any breaks, even during the morning of the hunt, they still trained for a bit.
Mason and Anthony didn't disturb them, watching them train.
Dean broke through to the Seventh layer the previous day, making the trio of Mason, Anthony, and Leon heave a sigh of relief. It was not that people in the Sixth layer of the Body Tempering Stage don't participate in the hunt, but the identities of Dean and Leon were special. They would naturally be targetted by the geniuses of the other top families.
The gap between Body Tempering Warriors in the Late stages was minimal, with sufficient battle prowess, it could be discarded. Dean was great with his sword, as long as he was not ganged up on, he would be able to fight with a Ninth Layered Body Tempering Warrior.
Before the group left, Anthony and Mason gave the duo some words of advice, encouraging them to ensure they placed their safety above anything else. There was a probability that they wanted revenge, although both fathers were confident in the abilities the duo had shown so far, they didn't want to be careless. There was no telling how far the others were willing to go.
They've tried their best to hide the news of the duo's training and present cultivation stage. At least, they would have the element of surprise on their side. Since they were still in the Body Tempering Stage, except for top experts, it would be difficult for others to know the exact layer either of the duo was on.