"Before we start, I need to know a few things from you," said Old Man Hayato.
"Sure, Master."
"Explain our cultivation system through your understanding."
"When children turn five years old, they will undergo a process called Awakening. The Awakening will enable them to feel the Mana. Those who have successfully awakened, have two options to pursue, which is the Physical Major and Energy Major.
Physical Major, as the name said, stressed on physical improvement, taking the Mana as a supplement. Strength, speed, endurance and stamina all come from the capabilities of the physical itself. The advantage of this major is, they do not rely on Mana, making them last longer in battle.
Energy Majors are those who pursue Mana refinement. They use Mana to enhance their capabilities, such as boosting their strength and speed while having a variety of offensive and defensive techniques. The advantage of this major is it can provide explosive powers.
Along the course of history, there are those who practice Dual Major, but only few manage to be on the top since pursuing both Majors took longer to improve and not many have the patience, time or talent required.
Cultivation has levels and is divided by several stages. Once the child is awakened, they will reach different levels, determined by their comprehension and talent during the Awakening process. The best will immediately reach level 9 and the worst is level 1.
Level 1 until 9 is on a stage called Battle Awakener. Level 10 to 19 is known as the Battle Novice stage. Level 20-29 is Battle Fighter, 30 to 39 is Battle Expert, 40 to 49 is Battle Master, 50 to 59 is Battle Grandmaster, 60 to 69 is Battle Sage, 70 to 79 is Battle King, 80 to 89 is Battle Emperor and 90 to 99 is Titled Battle Emperor.
However, for the last 100 years, no one has managed to break through to the Titled Battle Emperor's stage. The levels are determined by the force one produced. Regardless of the major, once a certain degree of force has been accumulated, it will show in the form of a halo for every 10 levels, which means to say, a Battle Sage will have 6 halos while Battle Emperor will have 8 halos.
Regarding cultivation, each major has different Meditation, which for Energy Major we call Technique and for Physical Major, Method. Mana is everywhere around us. We absorb the Mana and circulate it in our body through the meridians in a set of patterns, according to the method.
To progress, one has to meditate and compress the Mana in their body. Once the Mana compresses enough, it will undergo a qualitative change and they will enter the next stage. However, from awakening, for every 20 levels we reach, the compressed energy will reach a perfect compression state, unable to be upgraded further. Unless we absorb a Spirit Core, we won't be able to move to the next stage.
Spirit Core will provide the energy we need to expand the compressed energy, while keeping the quality. Thus, we can move to the next stage by compressing it once more, making the quality go higher. In other words, each time we reach level 10, 30, 50, and 70, we need to absorb a Spirit Core. The Spirit Core itself will have to match our stage. Level 30 will need a Level 30 Spirit Core, Level 50 will require a Level 50 Spirit Core. The cores themselves can be identified by the amount of the ring they have.
However, after level 90, there will be no Spirit Core that can help us to breakthrough, thus the reason why no one has reached the Titled Spirit Emperor. But, old records said, to reach the Titled Spirit Emperor, one has to return to the origin. So far, no one in the last 100 years has managed to find out what it means."
"It seems like you have a good understanding on how the cultivation works," said Old Man Hayato. "Now, tell me about your Awakening."
"My Awakening brought me to level 8," Ibnor replied.
"Tell me what grade is your Meditation."
"Currently I'm using a Grade 7 Meditation Technique," said Ibnor. He actually knows a better one but ever since his return back in time, he hasn't been cultivating.
"You... what the fuck is wrong with you!? Are you an idiot!?" Old Man Hayato cursed.
"What? I haven't done anything," said Ibnor, confused by Old Man Hayato's sudden outburst.
"Exactly! You have done nothing! You have a good knowledge regarding cultivation and own a Grade 7 Meditation Technique but still stays at Level 39 by the age of 16! A fucking Battle Expert! You think the name Expert sounds so cool that you don't want to move from there? Trash! No, calling you a trash is a fucking insult to the trash! If there is a piece of garbage, and a crippled useless beggar eats it and shit it out, then a pig comes and eats the shit, shit it back, that shit is still more useful than you! At least I can use it as fertilizer," Old Man Hayato criticized without caring for his or Ibnor's image.
"Damn, this old man is as savage as ever," though Ibnor, sitting there silently, letting Old Man Hayato voice his dissatisfaction.
When he first went under Old Man Hayato, he was depressed with all the insults the old man hurled at him because even though he was angry, he couldn't retort back due to the truth contained in Old Man Hayato's words. After a period of time, even the way Old Man Hayato insulted others rubbed off on him too.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" asked Old Man Hayato, staring at him.
"What else can I say? I know I'm an idiot, that's why I need your help," he said smiling.
That doused Old Man Hayato's dissatisfaction. Well, he couldn't exactly tell Old Man Hayato that all the knowledge he gained was from his past life when he first entered his tutelage.
"Tch... At least you know your idiocy, he said. "So, which Major are you gonna pursue?"
"I'm planning to Dual Major."
"Are you serious?" Old man Hayato narrows his eyes.
"Yes." Ibnor answered. Short and simple, with confidence.
"Show me your control of Mana. Display your footwork."
Ibnor rushed to Old Man Hayato. Immediately after he arrived in front of him, he kicked the ground and moved to the right, changing his direction. Once Old Man Hayato is no longer blocking his sight, he kicks the ground again and moves behind him. After that he leaped and flips above Old Man Hayato returning to his original position.
"Your control over Mana is very good. The speed is decent, but the distance between every step is not far enough. Lack of Mana? Hmm.. Okay. Would you mind telling me why you are choosing Dual Major?" Old Man Hayato made his evaluation.
"I want to be nimbler than assassins, faster than warriors and stronger than rangers," said Ibnor.
"Oho.. greedy aren't we? In other words, you want to be almost as fast as an assassin, almost as strong as a warrior and almost as nimble as a ranger. It's a good choice though. Even if you can't defeat each of them in their specialties, you can still overcome them with other traits. What is your weapon then?"
"I am somewhat familiar with swords, but I would like to be able to battle without any weapons," said Ibnor.
He actually used a sword during his previous lifetime but it wasn't out of choice. When he first entered the army, the standard army training was to wield swords. Thus he had to learn the swords, but he doesn't really have the talent in swords. Since he had a chance to start over, he decided to properly set his foundation this time.
"Fighting with your whole body huh?," Old Man Hayato said. His expression turned serious.
"Is it not possible?" asked Ibnor.
"Not that it's impossible, but your weapon later on will be quite troublesome," said Old Man Hayato.
"Troublesome?"
"Well, you aren't a pure Energy Major so your cultivation will always be a tad behind your fellow students. You can punch with your bare fist of course, but against someone with a higher level than you, it won't have a major impact. Why are you not going to stick with swords since you are already familiar with it?"
"I'm not exactly gifted with swords. My progress will be limited. The best is what suits one's self," said Ibnor.
"True enough. So you would need something that can attack but at the same time help you to defend."
"What would you suggest, Master?"
"That is for you to think on your own. Who told you to take this troublesome path".
"Tsk… I'll worry about it later. Right now, I really need to elevate my capabilities".
"Hmm? If it's so, you clearly have goals in mind. You seem to know exactly what you are doing, despite being an idiot. You also strangely know a lot of things. If you already planned to do all the things that you wanted to do, what do you need me for? Why go to all the trouble to be my disciple?" asked Old Man Hayato.
"I only have clear goals but I don't know how to achieve them. Master, you are actually the most knowledgeable person, so you know better than I do, on how to do it. Without your guidance, I am still nothing and unable to do anything," said Ibnor smilingly, sucking up to Old Man Hayato.
"Tch.. what a glib. Fine, I'll teach you a Grade 10 Meditation Technique tonight and start your training tomorrow," Old Man Hayato snorted, but it was clear that he was pleased.
"Alright. I'll follow your instructions," Ibnor replied.
He sits on the ground, crossing his leg and operating his Mana absorption while Old Man Hayato guides his Mana from behind. Old Man Hayato frowns his brow, finding that the guidance is extremely easy. He found it weird, as if Ibnor already knew the Grade 10 Meditation Technique but he brushed the thought aside, assuming that Ibnor is just someone who has high comprehension and his trust in him made it possible.
Little that Old Man Hayato knows, that Ibnor actually already knows this mediation technique, as it was the same technique that he passed to him in another lifetime. After a few circulation, his Mana became thicker and had an increase in quality, successfully adjusting to the new meditation technique.
"Hahaha.. What a great feeling! Grade 10 Meditation Technique really does make a difference," said Ibnor as he stood up and examined his Mana. Just a bit more and he could already break through to level 40. He was feeling ecstatic that he began to jump up and down.
"Oi, what are you doing? Sit back down!" shout Old Man Hayato.
"What?" asked Ibnor, feeling confused.
"What my ass! That's just for the Energy Major. We haven't started on the Physical Major yet"
Ibnor obediently sat back down while Old Man Hayato guided his Mana once again into his body. At first it was totally fine as it was his first time executing Physical Major Meditation Method. Running a full circle, he began to get used to the pattern. However, out of nowhere, a flash of inspiration clicked in his mind and with his comprehension of two lifetimes, he found a way to combine both Meditations into one.
As the Mana runs into a pattern through his meridian, he feels like his entire body is being reforged anew. Starting from his skin, his muscles and later to his bones and organs, he can feel that his body is gradually getting stronger. Old Man Hayato noticed that the path of the Mana began to deviate from his intended course and started to frown.
Sweat began to appear on his forehead as he was in a dilemma. He doesn't recognize the pattern being operated inside of Ibnor and he doesn't know what the result would be, but if he forcefully changes the path, it can lead to disastrous energy collison that in the worst case, can cripple Ibnor. He decided to observe some more and see the change it brings.
After making sure that Ibnor is fine and the new path did not bring him any harm, Old Man Hayato let out a breath of relief. Letting go of his control, he let Ibnor run his energy freely.
"This damned kid, what the fuck.. What sort of luck he has to be able to create a new Meditation Practice that combines both Technique and Method? This is only possible if one fully understands a Meditation Technique or Method and has profound knowledge regarding cultivation in order to improve it. Hmm.. maybe I should try it too.. I've been stuck on this level for so many years," mumbled Old Man Hayato as a wild idea sprouts in his mind.
It's already late at night when Ibnor awakens from his meditation. Feeling the improvement of his body, he felt excited but the excitement was immediately doused when he noticed Old Man Hayato was glaring at him.
"Thank you. Master," said Ibnor, smiling sheepishly. A vein popped up on Old Man Hayato when he saw the smile.
"Good… Very good… It seems like you are daring enough to try anything that's dangerous… I think I understand why you think so little of the Death March," said Old Man Hayato smiling.
Before he managed to reply, Old Man Hayoto had already left. Recalling the smile Old Man Hayato had earlier, shivers run down his spine.