"Wah!"
Sol was surprised and he hurriedly wiped the blood coming from his nose.
The old man admonished himself internally.
He let his curiosity get the better of him and almost made Sol commit a grave mistake.
Though anyone would have the same desire as him, Sol's ability was just too peculiar.
'No, rather than his ability, what is strange is his bloodline. Just what kind of bloodline would allow someone to have such an ability?'
After thinking this, the old man looked at Sol.
"Brat, in the future, even if you can handle the backlash perfectly fine, don't remove those bracelets unless you're in a fight. And even then, try not to remove more than two."
Sol nodded at this, his father actually once told him the exact same thing.
The old man sighed for the umpteen time. He didn't know whether to be happy he had a disciple like this, or terrified. Simply because of the power he could wield one day in the future.
'Maybe he'll be able to achieve what I and so many people in the past could not.'
The old man shook his head immediately after having this thought.
'I'm getting ahead of myself, that time is too far away to know what would happen. For now, I'll just train this boy to the best of my abilities.'
"Brat, focus. I have something to tell you, I was hesitant at first but I thought you should know since you'll eventually find out. Don't speak just listening."
The old man suddenly cut off Sol as he was about to speak.
"Even though you've baffled this old man more than I'd like to admit, I am still knowledgeable enough to know a familiar power when I sense it. Even if it's a sliver. And that familiar power is Holy Energy, the power used by the Church on the Western Continent. I faintly sensed it the first time we met within you, but now it's completely hidden."
"I… I thought Master said that I wasn't from this world. How do I have Holy Energy?"
"...That I have no clue of. And it doesn't mean my theory of you being an Otherworlder is wrong, perhaps your mother was part of a Church on your home planet."
'Ha! If that is the case then that means other worlds worship Gods as I suspect. Then there are people like the Royals and us from Jianghu who cultivate Mana and Aether as well.'
The old man suddenly thought.
He was extremely fascinated with Sol's origins. When one lived as long as he had and nothing new ever happened, Sol who continued to give him surprise after surprise enlivened him.
Meanwhile, Sol was staring at the ground with a somewhat blank look.
The old man regained his composure and said.
"Brat, don't worry. There will come a day when all your doubts are resolved, after all, you are my one and only disciple! I'll definitely make sure you have the strength to seek out your origins… as well as defeat the other disciples of those bastards."
The old man muttered those last words with a ferocious expression.
As complicated as his emotions were at the moment, Sol calmed down after hearing his Master's words.
"Master, you still haven't told me about that Academy. Am I-"
The old man suddenly held up his hand cutting off Sol once again. Perhaps, he had picked up Sol's habit of cutting someone off mid-speech.
"No need to rush brat. You'll eventually be enrolled there so it's best if you see it for yourself rather than I explain it to you. Instead, it's time I teach you how to unlock your Innate Dharma."
Sol perked up when he heard the familiar term.
"As for what an Innate Dharma is, it is a manifestation of your Power and Will. With this manifestation, you'll be able to control the energy of the Cosmos known as Aether. Awakening an Innate Dharma can be different for everyone, as it depends on a person's life experiences and desires."
After saying this, the old man looked at Sol and said with a glint in his eyes.
"As for what kind of Innate Dharma you will awaken, I have an idea of what it would be…"
Sol listened with intense curiosity.
"...If it isn't related to the Earth then it's Metal."
Hearing this, Sol tilted his head not understanding what his Master meant.
The old man seeing Sol's confusion explained.
"Even though the Innate Dharma awakened by someone can be different from person to person, they're categorized into three main types and several sub-types. The first main type is Divine Beast Innate Dharmas. The youths that awaken this type of Innate Dharma could be said to be geniuses, and depending on the animal awakened it's not impossible to call them heavenly-gifted geniuses.
"The second main type is common, but certainly not weak, and that's Weapon Innate Dharmas. These are common because of the environment of the Eastern Continent. The older generation is usually focused on teaching Martial Arts to youths in the younger generation from an early age. And thus, growing up training with sabers, swords, or spears, they would awaken various Weapon Innate Dharmas.
"And the third main type is Elemental Innate Dharmas. People who unlock these Innate Dharmas can cultivate one of the six natural Elements. Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Metal, and Wood. Or maybe they could awaken an Innate Dharma that allows them to control more than one, or even all of them. But those cases are rare."
"Is that the type of Innate Dharma I will awaken, an Elemental Innate Dharma?"
"Yes, I'm ninety percent sure you will unlock either an Earth Innate Dharma or Metal Innate Dharma. Your affinity with these elements is extremely high after all, just like your father. That's why I had taught him an Earth Body Enhancing Technique from my tribe."
Sol thought for a moment then asked.
"Master said there were three main types and several sub-types, what are the sub-types?"
"Those… They're called Irregular Innate Dharmas. That's because they can range from a lot of things. From musical instruments to a fan, or even a spoon."
"Haha…"
Sol released a chuckle when he heard that someone could awaken a spoon.
However, the old man said with a serious expression.
"You laugh brat, but I taught an unruly bastard that awakened a fork! And not only did he go on to become a powerful expert feared by many, but he defeated numerous geniuses that had Innate Dharmas from the three main types as he did!"
Sol hearing this blinked, completely taken aback.
"Never underestimate an Innate Dharma, no matter how foolish it may look or seem. After all, one's Innate Dharma can further evolve as one cultivation gets higher."
"Cultivation?"
Sol had heard his Master throw that term around before, but he only had a vague idea of what it meant to cultivate.
"It's the process of absorbing Aether into your body with the help of your Innate Dharma. There are stages in cultivating to differentiate someone's level of strength, but I'll explain them to you after you awaken your Innate Dharma."
Sol nodded but then asked confused.
"How do I awaken my Innate Dharma? And… do I even have one?"
Sol was referring to the fact that he was not from this planet, so he might not be able to use powers like everyone here.