94 Fourth Lesson: Battle Arts

After Oli and Netra warded off the adept bullies, word spread around the school. Since it had happened just outside the library right after school, it was easy for a couple of people to see it from a distance.

And like always, rumors don't only spread, they grow.

According to his classmates, Oli and Netra both decimated students from the adept class until they begged for mercy. The entire class was excited to hear that their class' strongest could even challenge the plane above them.

Both Oli and Netra were tired of hearing about it just wanted the rumor to disappear.

But Yeter wasn't too helpful in that regard. In fact, though he didn't start the rumor, Yeter fully supported it and offered his personal witness of the fight, exaggerated like all of his fight stories.

This rumor went on for days and suns. No one dared challenge Oli on the test day either. Before they knew it, it was already time for the fourth lesson.

Ania was waiting for the class to quiet down so they could begin and eventually they let her speak. "Are you all still talking about that fight with the adepts? You realize that what happened wasn't anything that special, right?"

"But, Teacher, novice plane cultivators beat up adept plain cultivators. That shouldn't be possible, but it still happened!" shouted a classmate bear the back.

"Oh? And why can't it? I can easily explain why Oli and Netra won. Honestly speaking, those adepts never had a chance, but that's not the same for all adepts," stated Ania, stealing away their attention.

"Today's lesson is perfect to explain all of this. Does anyone remember what it is?"

"Umm… Batte arts?"

"Exactly!" replied Ania. "Battle arts can change everything. For example, let's ask our second and third seats. Oli, how much of your victory against Karos would you attribute to your mastery of your Earthen Hammer battle art?"

"I'd say at least 75%," answered Oli, not hesitating as all.

Ania then turned to Karos. "Karos, Now that you've gained and practiced better battle arts, do you feel that you would stand a better chance against Oli?"

"Of course!" Karos nodded and stared passionately at Oli, who had become the fuel for his current cultivation. "If we fought right now, I have no clue who would win. My new battle arts have increased my fighting strength tremendously."

"So, do the rest of you all understand now?" asked Ania, smiling to the rest of the class.

"But shouldn't the difference in plane be impossible to defeat?"

She laughed as she answered the student's question, "As for that, it's impossible between cultivators with the same potential. Does anyone know how strong the essence affinity was of those two adept students?"

"..."

"They were in the middle of the regular adept class, meaning that their affinities were either low or mid level. Do you remember how strong Oli's and Netra's affinities are?"

"Peak and Perfect!" shouted Yeter.

"Exactly! That means they naturally have more control over their essence, meaning that they can more easily cultivate and master battle arts or cultivation techniques," explained Ania. "It makes sense for Netra and Oli to be able to hold their own against someone with much lower affinity."

"But what would happen if they fought people from the advanced adept class?"

"We wouldn't stand a chance," stated Oli. "We only managed to injure those bullies because we had much better control of our essence and they underestimated us, giving us openings to attack."

"I agree with Oli," added Netra.

Ania shrugged. "So, class, as you can see, it's possible to bridge the gap between planes in such circumstances. But know this. Those same circumstances rarely occur in real life."

"The higher in plane you go, the higher the average cultivator's affinity is. So adepts and novices are filled with people that have low affinity or mid affinity, maybe even early affinity. Once you enter the elder plane, the average affinity levels are mid affinity or high affinity, with peak affinity being uncommon."

She scanned over the class as she continued, "Once you enter the divine class and become a perennial, then the average affinity is peak affinity, with perfect affinity being uncommon. And it's almost unheard of for anyone to enter the king plane without already having perfect affinity."

Everyone in the class was rocked with emotions swelling in their hearts. Most admired the lecture, but some felt an aching pain in their heart when they realized that they don't have peak affinity and may never enter the perennial plane.

"If you're worried about your own affinity, the only solution is to increase your affinity," stated Ania, startling most of the class and rendering them speechless.

"Most cultivation techniques allow you to grow and the best techniques, like perennial grade techniques, will help you raise your affinity over time," explained Ania.

"The reason you need strong battle arts is to help you develop your essence nature. If you can find a battle art that suits your essence nature, that gives you a way to enhance your essence to a great degree. Also, it helps you build more control over your essence and can help you increase your affinity if it pairs well with your cultivation technique."

Ania continued, "So, your goal should be to grow little by little and somehow get your hands on a perennial grade cultivation technique."

"Teacher, how can we get one of those?" asked a wildebeest near the front.

"That's easy." Ania chuckled, lightening the mood and easing the tension the students felt. "The easiest way is to earn one here in the academy. You can get one by becoming one of the top three seats and gaining access to the third floor of the library."

"You mean…"

"Yes, Yeter, the entire third floor is dedicated to perennial grade cultivation techniques and battle arts. And if you think it's impossible to beat any of our current first, second, and third seats, what about after they advance to the adept plane and leave their seats open for you to fight over?" added Ania.

"Also, at the end of every semester there will be a tournament to test the students and rearrange the rankings," stated Ania with all eyes glued to her. "After this fourth moon, we'll spend the first few suns of the fifth and final moon of the semester on a school field trip. Then, after that, we'll come back here and prepare for the semester tournament."

"Wait, there's a field trip?!" asked Yeter. "Where are we going? Is the whole school going?"

"Yup, the whole school, other than Headmaster Vloz, will be going to the northeast region of the territory. There, you all can be tested by facing wild beasts with degenerate bloodlines," explained Ania. "Typically, a beast is considered wild if its bloodline is only at the novice level or not even strong enough to cultivate, like the boars that we gorillas are starting to raise."

"Ohhh…"

Another student raised his tail and asked, "Teacher, are we going to the same place as the adept classes?"

"Yes and no," answered Ania. "As you all know, the Northeast portion of the territory is the thickest portion of the jungle we have. We'll be at the northern edge of the jungle while the adept class goes deeper. We won't be too far apart, but that way both classes will be able to find opponents near their level and won't get in each other's way."

"So," continued Ania, "During this moon, all of you will be busy practicing a battle art. For those of you that haven't yet chosen one, you can go to the library and find one suitable for yourself."

"But, Teacher, how can we practice battle arts?" asked Karos, finally intrigued by something going on inside the class.

"Starting tomorrow, I'll have dummies set up for you to use as you wish. The reason we made these classrooms so big was so you could spar or practice with dummies and still have ample room," replied Ania. "So, maybe you three may want to stay here for the next moon and use your cultivation rooms after school."

"Thank you, Teacher. I'll do just that." Karos bowed his head. "Teacher, will we get to spar with others too?"

"Most likely not. But we will be doing a lot of sparring starting next semester, now that you all know the basics. Who knows, maybe we'll even do some weapon training next semester if you're all good students."

As the class started to wander off in thought, Ania added, "Tonight, make sure to tell your parents about the field trip next moon. With that, I think we'll end the class early today. You're welcome to stay here and cultivate if you want, but you're welcome to leave as well."

Finished speaking, Ania sat down and closed her eyes as she started cultivating.

The students all stood up in excitement. They would finally do something other than just sit and cultivate all day.

Remembering what Ania mentioned about battle arts, Karos stared at Oli, who was getting ready to leave with Netra and Yeter.

The lynx smiled. It wasn't cold but filled with excitement.