Chapter 295 - There's No Time to Waste!

Cross-legged, Oli's body rested while his mind was deep inside his soul jade. He was scouring through the many memories left behind by his father. Oli had gone through plenty of battle arts but failed to find what he was after. However, Oli eventually found what he desired. 

The abyssal space within the soul jade flashed and warped into that of an open-aired arena. Oli let out a long sigh as he believed to have stumbled on what he wanted. Looking around the space, Oli noticed the enormous opponent towering over his young father. He was still getting used to seeing Dioro in his youth. But that wouldn't change the stark difference between a slightly shorter Dioro and a three-headed viper with giant wings and a body almost fifteen-krin long.

Oli watched as a human man in plain white robes stood between the two. And with a quick nod, the man dropped an arm to begin the match, speedily jumping away.

"Just forfeit!" mocked the serpent, rolling out two of its three tongues. 

Dioro said nothing in reply, only activating his essence along with a spiritual aura. No hesitation was shown as Dioro charged forward at the Viper's torso, just under where the three necks merged into the body. A compacted gauntlet of earth essence formed around Dioro's fist, all while a second gauntlet of soul energy took shape on top of that. 

But Oli wasn't paying too much attention to the battle art the memory presented. He was closely watching and waiting for Dioro and the massive serpent to exchange blows. In particular, Oli was examining the serpent in great detail, memorizing the species in case it was who Oli believed it to be.

"WAAAKE UUUUUP!!!"

Without warning, a thundering voice echoed through Oli's mind and it didn't belong to anyone in the memory. At the same time, Oli felt a powerful fist drill into his abdomen. 

Oli was thrown awake as he crashed into the wall, forcefully pulled out of the soul jade and the memory he was eager to witness. Somewhat groggy, Oli shook his head and put his arms over his stomach. "What was that--"

"Get up and follow me!"

Unable to complain, Oli realized who it was that had brutally woken him up. "Uh, what's--"

"I said, 'Get up and follow me!' Now comply or eat another fist!"

"Okay…" The pain lingered in his abdomen as Oli got onto his feet. He walked behind Zelsh as the king began to exit the room. "Is it already time to train."

"It's long overdue," replied Zelsh, not turning back or altering his tone.

From the tone of voice along, Oli felt like he was being scolded and attacked. He was confused by the unexpected display of character that Zelsh was showing him. "What are we--"

"Follow me. For now, keep quiet," ordered Zelsh, not accepting any reply unbefitting his serious mood. "I'll tell you when you're allowed to speak."

Oli complied, even if he struggled to understand the purpose of Zelsh's attitude.

The duo continued through the palace halls in utter silence. Zelsh said nothing, so Oli felt the need to keep quiet as well. Even when servants would bow to Zelsh in passing, all Zelsh did was nod in return. He wouldn't even change his expression, something that visibly surprised many of the palace servants.

Oli also noticed how few servants there were. And from his little within the palace, Oli could only think of a single time that so few servants were active.

"Isn't it morning--"

"Silence."

Nodding, Oli shut up. He rubbed his belly again, still trying to grasp why Zelsh had been so forceful. And given the hall traffic, Oli wanted to believe that the first sun hadn't even risen.

Zelsh led Oli a little while longer before he finally stopped. Opening the small door, Oli was shown into Zelsh's private study.

More confused than ever, Oli couldn't understand whether he was being punished or welcomed, given the change of setting. 

The moment Zelsh locked the door and activated the silencing formation, he looked back to Oli with the same, serious glare. "Now you may speak."

"What's going on? It's not even morning, is it?" Oli questioned.

Shaking his head, Zelsh answered and began walking to the other side of the enormous room, "It's not. We don't have time to wait for morning."

"What do you mean?"

"If I had known better, I would've taken you here the moment you arrived. Sadly, we've wasted too much time already," claimed Zelsh, baffling Oli again.

"How? I got to see my competition, and--"

"And you'll need more time than we're given to get ready," Zelsh stated, stopping in front of a bookcase. They were now in the corner of the room, the corner across from where Zelsh's desk formerly stood.

"You mean for the qualifier? I'll be an elder by then--"

"That depends. Can you get all three of your essences ready by then?"

"..."

Oli's entire being froze, mentally and physically.

Zelsh, however, was unfazed as he located a certain book on that shelf. Dark and earth essence oozed out of his fingertips as they were soaked into the book like a sponge. Very quickly, the book lightly glowed with the lingering yellow and black energies. 

Suddenly, the ground just right of Zelsh opened up. It was in the very corner and presented a staircase descending into darkness.

"Hurry up and follow me. You've lost too much time already." Zelsh stepped onto the staircase but noticed how Oli was still motionless. The young cultivator hadn't even turned his head, as if Zelsh was still standing in front of the bookcase. "Get moving, or I move you."

"I… How--"

"Move!"

Zelsh grabbed Oli's arm and dragged him into the dark staircase. Moments after they entered the new area, the opening closed on itself, concealing everything to those unknowing of the hidden passage.

Now, Zelsh began to climb down a staircase that spiraled along the walls of what looked like a bottomless, circular cavern. But Oli, however, was still being dragged, struggling to compute what was happening.