It was nearly noon, and the sun was shining intensely in the sky, emitting the scorching heat typical of summer. Inside the Divinestone Clan, a gigantic training ground displayed all its grandeur. Young cultivators had been sweating and training since the early hours of the morning, and no one dared to neglect their practice.
At that moment, more than ten people were attacking various training dummies made of pure black wood reinforced with metal alloys to make them even denser and more resistant. The weapons they wielded were made of wood with an earth iron core, a mineral specialized in earth laws, which consequently increased the weight of the weapons considerably, making them frighteningly heavy for any ordinary mortal.
All the young individuals present were in the first four levels of the Qi Gathering Realm and were tirelessly training in search of advancements. That's because the admission exam to the continent and planet's main sect was scheduled for less than a year ahead.
"What rubbish. Do they think they're going to level up just by swinging a wooden weapon at a post?" Alm commented as they watched the young ones train from a certain distance. "Look at those weapons and training dummies. Even the skills of the blacksmith who made them are terrible."
"They have an intrinsic lack of understanding about cultivation. They are practically ordinary mortals, not only in power but also in knowledge. In this specific clan, people make a living by fighting against beasts. Having a strong body may not help them advance in cultivation levels, but it can help them survive in a hunt," Bruno calmly analyzed.
Alm still found it hard to look at, though. "What nonsense. It would be much quicker to throw them into the forest and have them fight beasts directly. Either they survive and advance, or they die quickly. Being a mediocre cultivator is dead weight not worth it for a clan."
"That must be the main reason they don't produce strong cultivators, aside from the three who are subjected to the remnants of the formation. This place is doomed to be low-level until it's subjugated and destroyed," Alm concluded harshly. Bruno had no arguments to counter; he fully agreed.
They approached the training grounds slowly and saw some elders near the young ones shouting various things. When they were about to get too close, everyone felt slight tremors on the ground, and as they turned their gaze, they saw a fat, round figure of gigantic proportions.
Everyone was surprised to see someone who had never appeared before. However, they knew Denil well, the big ogre who lived in the main building, spending his days eating, sleeping, and occasionally going to the town to cause trouble with all the nearby women.
Three elders responsible for training the young ones looked at Denil with deep disgust. Still, Denil continued to walk as if nothing was happening.
"It looks like this fatso was also a target for all these mediocre elders. No wonder... He was quite privileged in various ways, but he was utterly useless," Alm commented sarcastically.
As they approached the place where the training weapons were kept, they gave thoughtful looks at them when a loud voice resonated in their ears. Hearing that, a malicious smile appeared on Denil's face. It's just that no one saw it since Denil's back was turned to them.
"You scoundrel, do you have the guts to appear in front of me again!" The approaching figure shouted furiously. "You kidnapped and abused Ana; I could never see her again because of you. I'll-" However, he was quickly cut.
"Oh! I seem to recall a woman who wasn't a virgin anymore, talking about some pathetic guy with a 'small problem' who had passed through her," Alm replied with a mocking look.
Everyone was surprised by the response. After hearing the second part, laughter in the background was heard. Soon, almost all the men followed suit.
"You-" He tried to say something.
Yet, he was interrupted again. "You what? You talk too much. Grab your weapon. Let's settle this now, but not for free," Alm said, with a wooden sword resting on his back. "You envy my luck and privileges, right? As you know, I used to receive a good allowance, but because of a certain minor problem, it was retracted."
Everyone knew well what had happened. It wasn't a small thing, and the clan's patriarch had issued a serious warning to anyone who leaked what had occurred outside the clan. Otherwise, it would tarnish everyone's prestige and honor.
Alm continued. "But for your happiness, I've kept most of it. I brought everything here in this spatial ring." He then looked at everyone. "You can all come at once; if you defeat me, you get it all."
Of course, he didn't stop there. "But if you lose, you'll leave everything you have. Gather your crumbs; I want at least the same value as I possess," Alm concluded, handing the ring to a nearby elder.
Everyone looked at a very large number of spiritual crystals inside the ring. Spiritual crystals were the form of currency in the ascending worlds. They were mined in places with high purity levels, and almost only dwarves had the ability to extract them without damage.
These crystals contained Qi within and could be used for cultivation, but impurities would destroy future cultivation, making them a last resort. All the crystals in the ring came from the resources stolen from five young ones and one of the former top cultivators in the clan.
The amount was relatively high, even for the elders, who looked at the young ones immediately with seriousness. Alm and Bruno immediately noticed that they were exchanging messages mentally. For weaker youngsters, this was impossible, but these old folks had methods for such emergencies.
They all seemed to agree on something, and Bruno appeared to read their thoughts even without hearing them. 'This ridiculous fatso has never fought or trained in his entire life. He couldn't even defeat a single disciple there. Yet, this is perfect for us!' Bruno spoke mentally, laughing all the way. He could be the 'gentler' soul between the two, but he definitely wasn't a saint.
It didn't take long for the elders to take out a good amount of spiritual crystals from their pockets. Soon, two rings were placed nearby, and Alm checked the contents of both before heading to the center of the training grounds.
Dozens of young cultivators immediately surrounded Alm and Bruno, all with their wooden weapons. They smiled mockingly but also felt envy and anger towards the good life Denil had led. They didn't want to miss the chance to take out their frustration on that ridiculous whale.
Everyone then used the little Qi they had and poured it into their weapons. The weapons were made of wood, but not the core. It was a dense metal that contained runes with laws capable of absorbing their Qi.
With a sign, the weapons lit up, and they all attacked simultaneously. The target was large enough for that, and some more athletic ones even used Qi in their legs to make high jumps and attack from above.
But a second before they hit. Alm and Bruno felt something very strange in their bodies. 'Is this... our bloodline reacting?'