Brixton watched the students carefully. The students had only been meditating for a few hours and many had already fallen asleep. The number of those who actually managed to meditate could be counted on one hand.
'This generation's disciples are of slightly higher quality than the previous generation.
His eyes locked on the boy meditating in the lotus position. Most of the students meditated lying down and a few in the lotus position. Among those disciples, the one who stood out the most was the seventh young master, Cain.
'Especially him. My God, how many seconds did it take him to meditate? Three?'
The time to enter meditation was very important. On the battlefield, they would not be as relaxed as they were now. Sometimes a ten-minute rest was vital. Although the mana in the human body regenerated spontaneously, meditating increased this regeneration several times over.
'How much time does he need to feel the mana? The best student so far was Olivia, the number one in Class A. It took her a month to feel mana. Young master Vladimir sensed it in one month and three days. These people are the most talented in the last hundred years.
Their ability to sense mana was very important. There were many factors in determining one's ability, but one of the most important was Mana Sensitivity. Since the Mana circulation of these people was much smoother, their endurance was at a high level. In addition, since they accumulated Mana faster, their Mana levels also increased faster.
'Based on what you have shown so far, it will take three months.
He did not expect much from Cain. Although he was smarter than his peers, he was not someone who had proven his ability.
'Even this is more than good enough.'
As time passed, some more of the students began to doze off. Soon after they lost their focus, their breathing became regular and they fell asleep. This was normal. People meditating for the first time in their lives might fall asleep on their first attempt.
Brixton raised his head and looked at the position of the sun. It had already been five hours. He noted those who were still in the meditative state. There were four. The first three had something in common.
'These are the children of powerful warriors... Hm?
He was a little surprised to see Cain continuing.
"Interesting, he's very good, even though it's his first time..."
However, a few seconds later, an event took place that stunned him. After a muffled explosion, blood began to flow from Cain's nose and mouth. His eyes opened suddenly and he fell to the ground.
Fortunately, Brixton's reaction was swift. Jumping out of his seat before Cain made contact with the ground, Brixton gathered the Mana in his body on his fingertips and pressed it over Cain's heart. He was determined to use every ounce of his ability in the middle step of Sword Mastery for this event.
He closed his eyes, feeling the changes in Cain's body with his Mana.
Only a few seconds later, his eyes opened wide, the surprise in his eyes could be seen from kilometers away.
"How?"
The basis of the Dark Knight Sword Mastery was to create Stars around the heart that allowed them to control and regulate the flow of Mana. The shape of these stars was usually five-pointed. Each star symbolized a level of Dark Knight Sword Mastery.
For example, to become a Sword Expert, you had to create the fourth star. Otherwise, you could not transfer Mana to your sword and perform other techniques. It was the same as the circles in the Magic System and the dantian in the widely used Martial Arts System.
A Sixth Circle Sorcerer was of the same strength as a Six Star Dark Knight.
Brixton, who had fought almost all kinds of races, including barbarians, was seeing something like this for the first time in his life. It looked very similar to the cores in the Core System of Demons, but its behavior was unlike anything he had ever seen.
The star next to Cain's heart was rotating around itself so fast that it took milliseconds for Mana to circulate through all the veins in the body.
'Not only did he create his star the first time, but he also created his own method. This... I'm sure it's a star, but isn't this rotation speed a bit much?
The star was spinning ten times a second.
After taking a deep breath and calming himself, Brixton checked Cain's condition again. It didn't take him long to realize the reason behind the vomiting of blood.
'The body had almost collapsed when faced with an unexpected situation. If it was someone else's body and not the young master's...'
He didn't even want to think about it.
But that aside, the young master was the first person to reach this level in six hours. Brixton could not even imagine the repercussions of this news. Perhaps this was the first time since the founding of the Ashborne Family that such a talent had been born.
He couldn't help feeling excited.
'Even the Drakania Family cannot stop him if he is well trained!
The young master was in no serious condition. He would sober up in a very short time because he had regained the balance of his mana. But even though he was a genius, there was nothing that could be done about the healing process.
"Master Brixton..."
It was a childish but stern voice that snapped Brixton out of his thoughts. Brixton cocked his head and saw the young master on the floor staring intently at him. His red eyes were different from his usual gaze. They were rather dull and cold.
He was trying to make sense of the situation, but he didn't show it.
"Congratulations Young Master, you have set a historical record by forming your star on the first day. You can be sure the whole family will be thrilled with the news."
Brixton was excited.
He had witnessed the birth of such a genius.
Ignored by the others, the Seventh Young Master would achieve what no one else in history had ever done, and catch the others in the race for the succession. He would receive the best education and make the Ashborne Family great.
At least that's what he thought.
How could he know what Cain was thinking?
"Please keep this a secret from everyone, Master Brixton."
"Huh? Why?"
Cain calmly explained the reason behind his request. After explaining everything, Brixton thought for a while. Then he looked up and looked at Cain. He felt bad when he saw the hope in his eyes.
"I am sorry for this, but I would be betraying the patriarch if I kept anything from him."
There was only one thing that was unforgivable in the Ashborne Family.
Betrayal!
To betray the patriarch was to betray the family. Brixton was not so brave. He couldn't jeopardise himself for nothing. When a gifted individual appeared, it was his primary duty to report it to his superiors.
Cain was not disappointed.
He knew. Neither Anna nor Chris were there out of loyalty to him. They were all acting on someone else's orders. Each one had a different purpose. So did Brixton.
Cain couldn't control him or destroy him.
Brixton's loyalty was not to Cain. His wishes were a choice for Brixton, not an obligation. If it did him more harm than good, he didn't care. Even if it jeopardized Cain's life. That was not Brixton's problem.
Cain expected it.
So he asked a different question.
"Master Brixton..."
Cain slowly straightened his body.
"Would you like to be a guide to one of the most talented men in history?"
Under Brixton's bewildered gaze, he dropped to his knees and slammed his head to the floor. His voice was full of hope and desire as he spoke earnestly.
"Please use your knowledge and experience to train me, Master! I need your wisdom!"
The sudden turn of events was beyond Brixton's brain capacity. The most talented man in Ashborne's history (probably) was prostrating himself before him to receive his teachings.
All thoughts in Brixton's mind vanished at the sight of Cain's prostrate little body. He would never meet such a talented student again in his lifetime. He would be with the young master for a few more years at most, so his problems would in no way bind Brixton.
However, if he took him as a pupil, he had to pass on what he knew as his Master and make sure of his future. Could he handle such a responsibility? Brixton didn't waste much time weighing the pros and cons.
If Cain grew up healthy, Brixton's name would be written in golden letters in history. He would be recognized by generations to come as the master of the most skilled warrior in history. What greater honor could there be?
"I will do my best, Young Master, even if I am not good enough for you."
Cain's expression was not visible, but the excitement in his voice was obvious.
"I salute my master."