SIt wasn't long after the ship came to a stop that Apollo began dismissing Xineen and Lily, "Okay! That's enough, go away," he waved them away with a glare. Now that the ship had ceased movement, many of the components within ceased action.
For example, the formation circles used previously fell into a dull, lifeless state. The domain rulers—the Astarte Family—instilled countermeasures within their formation circles; when the ship ceased movement, the flow of Natural Essence would be disrupted.
The basis of the circles was to absorb the Natural Essence gathered through massive intake valves that were then churned and purified into something easily digestible amidst cultivation. However, this all relied on the perpetual motion of the ship. Thus, when it stopped moving, it marked the time of departure being near.
Alas, the ship continued to hover above the island before lowering at a specific place. Meanwhile, Apollo and Aaron smirked at each other. Although they couldn't cultivate, they could do something else—test each other.
'Boom!'
Apollo disappeared from his spot, throwing a punch without warning. Despite that, Aaron still responded in a timely manner. However, when he felt the weight of Apollo's attack, his eyes widened.
'This strength... it has surpassed that of a Rank 3 Zul Warrior. No, it's even greater than mine and I have reached the 4th Rank. This is interesting,' Aaron thought to himself, withdrawing his blade.
During the previous strike, he used his hilt to block. Thus, with him drawing his weapon, his true potential was unsheathed. As grasped his weapon, Aaron leaned forward, tapping his foot. His image shifted into a sharp blur leaving an extensive scar on the floor causing both Kayn's and Cynthia's surprise.
"Isn't this the Blade Wind Movement Technique? But… when did he start learning that? I don't recall him asking for that technique," Kayn muttered, rubbing his chin. As he spectated the battle, he became privy to even more stupefying information.
Small cuts opened on Apollo's arms when he defended against Aaron's attacks. It appeared Aaron's intent was more developed than they had previously thought. Due to this, Apollo changed his approach.
"You've grown stronger but… so have I," Apollo chuckled darkly, his aura growing increasingly menacing. Yet, despite this, Aaron remained focused amid the looming murky atmosphere of Apollo's aura.
"Quicksilver Swordplay Third Form: Silver Winds!" Aaron exclaimed thrusting his sword, a sheen of silver light burst from his sword billowing towards Apollo who, in response, made his own move.
"Demonic Massacre Wave," Apollo muttered, nonchalantly waving his arm. This time, it was empowered by Demonic Anima. Consequently, a sense of alarm engulfed Aaron, prompting him to dodge.
The moment he dodged, Apollo followed up by stabbing his arm wreathed in Hellfire before Aaron's throat stopping mid-strike with a small smile, "You have definitely grown, it's a draw," he chuckled.
Looking at his torso, Apollo's hand grasped Aaron's sword a centimeter away from puncturing his stomach. Due to the battles with the Demonic Beast, Aaron had already become accustomed to true battle. Naturally, this extended to bouts with humans as well.
"I had an exemplary role model to chase after," Aaron nodded, withdrawing his sword. If one looked closely, they'd realize traces of blood on his sword. Turning over his palm, Apollo looked at a deep gash on his hand.
Fortunately, it wasn't there for long as he looked at it healing at a visible pace. Not only did the pendant heal him, but his Infernal Nucleus was also distributing Anima to heal him. At the site of the wound, a low sizzling noise could be heard.
'Hoh? My boys seemed to have advanced again, then, what about you?' Cynthia mused, looking in Lily's direction. Unlike the boys, she wasn't one to immediately demonstrate her gains. Only these boys would be so headstrong as to exert superiority at any given moment.
As for her, she had other matters on her mind, 'Everyone is becoming stronger but there are still unanswered questions. While I know Father died, what about Mother? I've never heard about her.'
"Ahem, I believe it's time we depart. I can sense movement on the ship," Kayn cleared his throat, alerting everyone. While they exited their quarters, others did the same. Soon enough, the expansive deck of the ship was filled with numerous youths and their guardians.
At that time, the scene became turbulent. The countless youths all possessed tumultuous aurae due to their hasty advancements. There was no time to acquaint themselves with the newfound strengths and gain control of their aurae. Hence, it was a sight to behold.
'It seems these youths are experiencing something similar to me. But my situation only arose due to my lack of understanding with Demonic Anima. If it was better, even after advancing, I would have been able to withdraw my aura. Therefore, I can't say our situations are one and the same,' Apollo shook his head.
Based on the appearances of the youths present, it was clear some of them were attempting to withdraw their auras as they stood. With the signs of strain appearing on their faces, Apollo had to muster sizeable willpower to refrain from chuckling.
Shortly after, the same cultivator who made the announcement earlier spoke again. Based on his aura, it was clear he attained mastery of his cultivation. Although he stood before everyone, his aura and his being couldn't be sensed—they were all perfectly masked.
"I am Gabriel Astarte, 1st Elder of the Astarte Family. I have been tasked to inform you all that those who appear within the top 100 will be rewarded handsomely. Those of you who make it within the top 50 will receive a Natural Blessing of the Heaven Grade," Gabriel informed without a fluctuation in emotion.
However, a voice sounded, "Do the rewards end there? What about the top 30 and top 10?"
In response to this question, Gabriel chuckled, "Do you believe you're able to accomplish that? Allow me to enlighten you, you'll be going up against both the Great and Supreme Families' children. This includes ours as well, therefore, I don't believe it's a task accomplishable.
"Likewise, should that oddity arise, I'll personally reward the individual or multiple youths who accomplish this. With that being said, there is something you must come to realize—pride is good but it can also be detrimental," Gabriel warned, his expression turning solemnly before continuing.
"You must do well to remember, there's always a sky beyond a sky. If you dismiss this notion, you'll more than likely find yourself in a precarious situation throughout every endeavor you attempt."
Hearing these words, numerous youths fell silent. However, Apollo felt these words weren't entirely true. In fact, he even attempted to rebut these words only to be halted by Kayn, "Damn lad. I thought you said you weren't going to cause trouble. Don't you know how to lower your head?"
Despite Kayn concealing his voice, Gabriel still heard it. Due to his cultivation eclipsing Kayn's he held dominance over all channels of Natural Essence within a certain domain. Thus, his eyebrow rose in curiosity.
"You lot over there, it seems you have a lad who wants to spare some words. Allow him to. It'll do no justice to thwart a young cultivator's heart, he must learn the process on his own," Gabriel said, chuckling lightheartedly.
As a result, everyone turned Kayn and the others. The nearby Shaanti even went beyond others to sneer. Any instance of them suffering embarrassment was pleasure obtained by the Shaanti.
Meanwhile, Apollo paid all this no mind, "I don't believe that to be entirely correct. While it is true there may exist skies beyond skies, there is no reason to lower your head in all situations. If you do so, your progress will stagnate. Only under pressure shall your willingness to take advantage of all means to survive, come to light."
"Interesting; that is true. But, let me ask you a question. What will that heart do in the face of inviolable power? At that point, the notion of you possessing ample heart is reduced to an insignificance," Gabriel crossed his arms, finding himself intrigued by this youth.
"During the advent of adversity, one can be defeated but never can they admit defeat," Apollo adamantly replied, gaining Gabriel's admiration. Slowly, a single clap from his turned into boisterous laughter.
"Well said! I look forward to your results. If you are one of those who show an exemplary performance, I'd love to pin you against a youth from my family but enough with that. You all need to depart the ship and seek housing in the city. There's only 3 days before the registrations begin."