Academy Training Grounds
The grounds were spacious, the floor yellow with greyish specks as it contained gravel.
The academy grounds had three main buildings. One was the academy itself, where young clansmen studied, the next was the arena, where events and competitions were held, and lastly, the training grounds that were open to each student.
Students could be seen around the training ground. On one side, there were black-wood mannequins made out of Black Spirit Tree, a sturdy tree. The wood of this tree had rock-like properties, its wood being as solid and sturdy as it looked.
Jinto stood there, placing his right arm forward, facing a black-wood mannequin he had positioned earlier. He closed his eyes and concentrated.
"The mana should flow from the fissure to the shoulder, forearm, hand, followed by the thumb going subsequently to the pinky. It should be not too fast but not slow either."
"The concept of the spell should be a crescent-like piece of condensed wind that has hard edges and is transparent in nature. Measuring about a meter in length, and its width being half a meter," Jinto said inwardly, remembering the contents of the spell Master Hector had given him previously. To make sure students remembered the contents of the spell, Master Hector had given every single one of them a sheet of paper containing its details.
The wind blew. His green robes basked in the air, moving randomly in contrast to Jinto, who remained as still as a rock.
Swoosh.
Out of Jinto's right hand, a crescent-like object flew out rapidly. If anything stood in its way, they would feel the sound of the piercing wind in their ears. The object had sharp, pointy ends, and at its front, it was curved.
It was approaching the black-wood mannequin, but suddenly, the Wind Blade lost its speed, further plunging down. It kept losing its speed until it hit the ground with a soft sound, the spell dismantled.
Jinto nodded in satisfaction. "It seems with a couple of tries I would be able to hit it six meters. Next time, I should slightly increase the flow of mana following the connection between the ring and the pinky finger. Maybe that way it should go faster."
Jinto was eager to practice his spell. As soon as the training ground opened to the students, he had gone by, dragging Melissa and Paul with him.
Open to any student, the training ground was an excellent place to train skills.
Jinto looked around. He could see all his fellow students practicing the spell Master Hector had given them. Some were re-reading the sheet he had handed out, making sure nothing went wrong with the casting. Some assumed the same pose as Jinto, releasing the spell into the mannequin.
He fixed his gaze on a student who was to his left. Jinto thought for a second before remembering her name. She was one of the first ones to awaken her fissure, a silver fissure—Aldering.
Unlike Jinto, she stood four meters away from the mannequin. He watched as she concentrated.
Swoosh.
The spell was released. Unlike Jinto's, her Wind Blade was slightly bigger than his, but it was slower.
"Master Hector told us that as long as you keep in mind the core components of a spell, making small alterations isn't impossible. The key to this aspect is to not overly change the spell; otherwise, the visualization and mana flow would need to change as well. If not done correctly, the only outcome would be a failure in the casting."
The Wind Blade hit the mannequin, resulting in a small dent on its chest.
Aldering gave a triumphant smile.
He then looked at another student. His green robes were neatly adorned, and he had his hair in a ponytail that cascaded to the end of his torso. It was none other than Gent.
Swoosh.
He released the spell, hitting the target. The mannequin slightly cracked from its chest under the pressure as little pieces fell out of it. Although Jinto didn't like Gent much, he had to give his praises internally. Gent was standing farther from the mannequin than Jinto could reach, while also fracturing the mannequin.
"Everybody is working hard."
Jinto wasn't the only one trying to achieve proficiency with the spell; others were too. Looking at the students, his progress was in the middle.
"Indeed, everyone is. Look, I managed to hit the mannequin standing four meters away from it. Brother Jinto, catch up if you can." Paul kept raising his eyebrows as he talked.
"Ehh, how do I break this to you..." Jinto had already managed to hit it from that far. What he aimed for was six meters.
"Shush," Melissa beckoned as she aimed her palm at a mannequin.
Paul and Jinto turned to where she was.
Swoosh.
With a flick of her wrist, she cast successfully. The fast Wind Blade hit the mannequin's right shoulder, causing a big dent in it, deforming the shoulder of the mannequin.
Melissa jumped joyfully. "See? See? Hehe, seven meters," Melissa boasted.
Paul and Jinto looked at each other mischievously before spouting some "compliments."
"Tsk tsk, you guys are mood killers."
Paul and Jinto laughed lightly.
Jinto shrugged his shoulders. "Well, that's not bad. Us two are inferior to you, so we can only give you your graces."
"How did you manage to do it? Mine always falls short," Paul inquired.
"I'm curious too. After stepping out for some distance, my Wind Blade loses its speed greatly, descending towards the ground," Jinto chimed in.
"Well..." Melissa's words trailed off at the end before continuing. "Call me Big Melissa, and I just might."
"No."
"No."
Jinto and Paul said in unison.
"I, as a big-hearted person full of compassion and kindness, will reveal my secret even if you guys didn't fulfill my wish." Melissa cleared her throat. "The key is how fast the mana flows. I've experimented. From the shoulder to the forearm, increasing the flow of mana is nearly negligible. The key part is when it reaches the fingers. The mana should flow faster by the end of the casting. Also, don't be stationary. As you cast it, flick your wrist; it gives it an extra boost."
Jinto and Paul were enlightened.
"Makes sense for a faster flow of mana to result in a faster spell," Paul nodded as he put his finger on his chin, contemplating Melissa's teachings.
"Yes, not bad at all, Melissa," Jinto praised.
"Enough, give it a try for yourselves."
"All right, I'll try it." Paul stood around five meters away from the mannequin.
He placed his right arm, aiming toward it. And with a flick of his wrist, a Wind Blade shot out.
Swoosh.
The light Wind Blade traveled.
"You were right, Melissa. This is indeed faster than my usual cast," Paul watched as the Wind Blade neared its target.
Unfortunately, it grazed past the mannequin's neck, going toward its left; it flew two meters past the mannequin before dissipating into the ground.
"So now it's just a matter of aiming." Paul concentrated again, ready to cast the spell.
Jinto placed his gaze on his target. Taking into account what Melissa had taught him, he released the spell with a flick.
Swoosh.
With a swoosh sound, it landed on the right side of the mannequin's upper leg, leaving behind a big dent.
"The speed is not bad. It's only its power that's the problem. I reckon that with this speed, hitting the target ten meters away wouldn't be impossible." Jinto contemplated.
He checked inwardly to find out that his mana sea was at 4% full. From his pouch, he took out a mana stone. Gripping it tightly with his right hand, the stone's brightness dimmed a little. After a few seconds, Jinto stopped and put the mana stone back into his pouch.
Originally, his mana sea held 51%. Continuing to use the Wind Blade spell drained his mana by 7% each time he cast it. Fortunately, he had somewhat abundant mana reserves. This was the advantage of a higher-ranked fissure. Not only would he hold more mana, but the absorption of mana stones was faster, and the natural recovery of it was superior.
He cast his gaze at Paul. Paul had cast a Wind Blade, hitting the right knee of the mannequin, before taking out a mana stone to recover. It took him a bit more time to finish absorbing the mana.
Jinto was preparing mentally to cast, but his eyes locked onto a certain location. There he saw a youth who had cleanly cut the mannequin in two at the neck. The student who did it was Olsen, one of the elder's grandchildren.
Some of the students, like Jinto, watched as Olsen split the mannequin. He stood quite far, about ten meters away from it.
"As expected of young master Olsen."
"Not fair, if this keeps going, he will get the mana stones." Some students clenched their fists while others sang their praises.
Olsen was basking in the glory. "That's right! It was no mistake training here instead of the courtyard." Back home, he was fully capable of training the spell, but he chose this location for one purpose only—and that was to show off to the rest.
Jinto sighed. Even with his full efforts, he was still inferior to Olsen and others. "Was this the advantage of a superior fissure—in other words, talent?"
"No."
He cast his gaze at Vitus, who, like him, was looking at Olsen. His mannequin was damaged, but it was to the same degree as Jinto's. Jinto secretly rejoiced but was also dumbfounded. "Wasn't this legendary fellow a little useless?" Looking at his progress, he felt that the legendary status of an amethyst fissure went down in his mind.
"This guy lives up to the reputation of a young master," Paul spoke as he watched.
"Certainly. I'm sure he had received some guidance beforehand. This is the difference between us and people like him," Melissa joined in.
Jinto: "..."
"Hey, Jinto, your progress isn't all that bad for somebody of an inferior fissure." Jinto's ears perked up at the voice. His mood instantly worsened at being born with ears and retaining them until this moment.
"What do you want?" Jinto turned around and spoke slightly aggressively.
In his sight, a figure in green robes with a ponytail appeared. It was undoubtedly Gent.
"Woah, calm down. As old pals, I just wanted to give you a little motivation," Gent explained with a smile on his face.
"Hmph! You want to make yourself look like a clown, Gent?" Melissa replied coldly.
Gent placed his hand on his chest. "Oh dear Melissa, your beautiful face never forgets to utter such insults—truly cutting deep within my heart."
"What heart do you have, bastard? Remember the time I left you black and purple? Don't tell me you came to exact revenge?" Paul sneered.
Gent's eyes twitched a little. "I was wrong, I was wrong. I've learned to forgive. Oh, Paul, why must you bring out the past? We must move on to the future. Anyways, I came here with a proposition. Eh, Jinto, you dare make a bet with me?" Gent spoke his last sentence loud and clear. The students turned their heads, their attention now on Gent and the Fang trio.
"It seems something interesting is about to happen."
"What's going on?"
The students stopped their training.
Melissa glared at Gent but didn't say anything. He was making this a public spectacle!
Jinto's face darkened. He knew that he had to accept whatever proposition Gent was about to give, as long as it wasn't outlandish. By speaking so publicly, Gent had left Jinto with no choice. If Jinto dared not accept, not only his reputation but also his family's would suffer.
He could already imagine the whispers:
"You heard Jinto didn't dare to accept Gent's bet. I guess that Jinto can only be at his feet." And "It seems the young master of the Fang family is nothing compared to the Jotos."
Jinto was not willing to hear such degrading comments.
He raised his eyebrow. "What exactly are you getting at?"
Gent continued, his voice loud and clear. "Nothing much, just a friendly wager." He approached closer, his smirk widening. "Very simple: the first one to land a Wind Blade on the mannequin at fifteen meters, cleanly striking it through the neck, wins. I'm sure this is a task the future patriarch of the Fang family can do." Gent didn't forget to emphasize Jinto's identity, making sure everyone knew who he was.
Paul spouted, "Aren't you just showing off? You clearly have a—"
Gent interrupted him sharply. "If you're confident in your training, you would accept, right, Jinto?"
"And the wager?" Jinto inquired.
"If you win, I'll simply have to acknowledge your superior skill and call you Master Jinto during our stay in the academy. If you lose, though, you'll be my assistant for a week. The stakes are rather relaxed on your end. If you refuse, it would simply be ignorance on your part. So, what do you say?"
Paul let out a laugh. "Oh, I'd pay to see that."
Gent ignored him, his eyes locked only on Jinto.
Jinto thought about it. Having someone call him Master was oddly satisfying, especially if it came from Gent's mouth. Judging by the conditions, he knew Gent was fully confident in winning.
But so what? Gent's current progress didn't dictate the future.
"If he is confident in winning, I'm more confident in my training," Jinto thought inwardly.
"Fine, you've got yourself a bet. You better keep your word." Jinto extended his hand.
"I knew Brother Jinto had it in him," Gent said with a smirk as he clasped Jinto's hand, sealing the deal with a firm handshake.
From the distance, a voice was heard: "The competitive spirit is alive and well. Very good. I Olsen Atmos will bear witness to this bet. Whoever dares not keep their word will have to face the consequences."
Gent gave a light smile: "As expected of Brother Olsen, truly righteous! With you here, there's nothing to worry about."
"With Olsen overseeing it, there's no room for cheating."
"Olsen Atmos is taking an interest in this? Now it feels like a big deal!" The students reacted to such an event.
"Hehe, I got four mana stone pieces on Gent."
"No way, he may have a better fissure, but you never know—two mana stone pieces on Jinto." Some students started to place their bets on the two competitors.
Jinto's face contorted. This was another layer of pressure that was added. He didn't expect Olsen to chime into the wager. If he were to lose, the public humiliation would be enforced by this young master.
"Hmph! I'm not willing to lose—not to anyone, not to him." Jinto's eyes sharpened.