The two returned to the Divine Dragon Palace after night had already fallen.
"Stay here for a few days," Alaric said.
"I'll give you some things to keep you busy if you're free enough to worry about needless things. Meet me back here in the morning, and come prepared."
Atlas nodded. When Alaric said it, "come prepared" meant "prepare yourself to get beaten up."
He had his own room in the palace that he'd been granted during his last stay. He stayed there for the night, but since he was unable to sleep, he passed the time by cultivating.
The next morning, he did as he was told and met Alaric back in the arena.
"You're on time. Looks like we can get started."
Alaric didn't say much at the beginning, and their training didn't diverge much from their original regimen. They stretched, ran, and warmed their bodies up. Around the time that they'd usually start sparring, Alaric stopped and relaxed his posture.
