Chapter 24: Let's Spar Again

Lex listened to Keith's request, and a soft smile appeared on his face.

" That won't be much of a problem, but you should be careful. I know they can't hurt you, but if they find out you have a soft spot for her, they will go after her." Lex warned before leaving the arena.

Keith also knew it was dangerous for Rena if they thought she was important to him. Still, it was good that she would stay near him after this. This way he could better protect her.

Brad was standing by the side immersed in his own thoughts. He didn't think too much about Keith's request, rather he was thinking about how to help Keith learn the blood-qi techniques.

He was also fascinated by the new power of his nephew. He previously heard and seen many different types of unique abilities but this was the first time he encountered such an ability.

"How about another spar?" Brad peeked Keith from the corner of his eyes.

" Sure! I could definitely use some battle experience. Besides, I was itching to kick your ass after you said I was a baby." Keith cracked his hands.

"Oh, I like that confidence. Hopefully, you won't disappoint me like the first time." Brad tried to provoke Keith.

Keith grinned as he sprinted straight towards him. The air split in half as he appeared in front of him.

*boom* *crack*

The whole arena shook as they engaged in the spar.

After an hour both of them stopped as Keith was quite exhausted after fighting with all his strength.

" You are adapting quite well, now go get some rest, we will spar tomorrow. In the meantime, try to create your own warrior frame."

Keith talked a little more about the warrior frame and what else he needed to keep in mind before attempting the technique. Then he returned to his room.

Upon entering his room, there was a glass of blood as usual placed on the table. He picked it up and gulped the blood in one breath.

*hah*

He looked around and didn't see Rena. The room was cleaned well like any other day, so he knew she came here this morning.

Sitting on his bed, he analyzed all the data he got from the spar. Focusing his mind on the mark, the status window popped up. He noticed a new red blinking mark in the corner.

[ Martial arts recorded : unnamed ]

[ Grade : Viscount ]

[ Blood-qi usage : Viscount(55%) , Baron (95%) ]

[ Blood warrior frame recorded : unnamed ]

[ Grade : Count ]

[ Blood-qi usage : Count (25%) ,Viscount(66%) ,Baron(insufficient) ]

" Damn, I don't have enough blood-qi to replicate the exact warrior frame."

The warrior frame that he managed to copy into his system was a count-level frame. He needed way more blood-qi to start implementing this on his body. As for the martial art, he could practice it, as the blood-qi requirement was met.

If he wanted to build a warrior frame before reaching viscount, he needed to make his very own. This won't be the same as the count level frame, but it will boost his strength significantly.

Circulating his blood-qi to recover his stamina, he sat there for some time thinking about the warrior frame. After he felt a little better, he got up and walked to the open space in his room.

*swish* *swish*

He followed the moves by looking at the system and followed the instructions. Getting familiarized with the rhythm he focused his mind and practiced every move. This also gave him some insight into his flawed moves earlier. He never learned propper martial arts but with the body of a baron, he was fast and strong. Every move he did was a result of his quick reflexes not because he practiced them.

Not realizing how long he had been practicing he stopped after repeating a set of moves. The sky was not dark, the hazy light reflected like cloudy weather. It was already afternoon.

Rena brought the lunch after a while.

"Rena, I talked to grandpa and he approved of your stay in these quarters. Just move to the adjacent room. Bring all your belongings here and move as early as you can." Keith said as he sipped the blood.

" Thank you, young master. I will move in right away." Rena was visibly happy after hearing this.

As Keith instructed, Rena moved to the next room that day. Keith was busy practicing martial arts. He made a lot of progress after focusing on the exact moves instructed by the system.

The next day arrived and Keith was already at the arena. He wanted to test out his progress by sparring with Brad. He was eager and wanted to see how he fared against him now. He knew he couldn't defeat him right now, but he could at least see a frown on his face. This was his goal.

He waited for ten minutes before Brad entered the arena.

" You're quite early. I didn't know you were also a battle maniac like me." He approached the arena with small steps.

" Don't misunderstand, I am here to whoop your ass old man." Keith provoked him even further.

" You seem to have forgotten yesterday's beatings. very well, I will try to take it a little seriously."

The air around him turned heavy as a red aura covered his body. Seeing him release his blood-qi, Keith also circulated his blood-qi in full force. He was able to block the aura and stood unaffected.

"Now show me what you learned in a day." Brad gestured with his hand.

Without saying anything Keith's figure blurred and appeared in front of Brad. It was very fast for a regular observer below baron rank, but Brad could see his movements. Still, it surprised him that he was able to increase his speed quite a bit from yesterday.

Brad used his left arm to block the incoming punch, but before the punch could hit him, Keith turned sideways and used his left leg to throw a kick from the other side. The full force of his blood-qi was used to throw that kick.

'... This' Brad squinted his eyes after encountering such a move.

'His ability is unique, but it can't help him learn my martial arts and mimic them this fast. That requires an absolute genius.' Several thoughts came to his mind.

The move did surprise him, but he was experienced enough to evade this attack. But the more they exchanged blows, the more perfected Keith's moves became.