Chapter 100: Tempering Before The Determining Event

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After traveling for what seemed like weeks on end, Apollo and the others finally came in contact with the berserk beasts Kayn mentioned priorly.

They were similar to regular animals—boars, tigers, vultures, etc. However, the distinguishing features they all possessed were frenzied aurae, bloodied eyes, and crazed hides standing on end.

Furthermore, their existence exuded a dangerous feeling. Unlike that of a Spirit Beast, these beasts gave off a maniacal vibe—cynical at its core. This was, of course, a product of their environment.

They were affected by the maddening blythe of the Terrors; this area was too close to in proximity to that forbidden domain. The unsightly aura spilled from the borders, resulting in the mutations before them.

Dissimilar to humans, Spirit Beasts possessed variant internal systems. Simply put, they were internally stronger than humans at the same stage. Hence, they possessed the ability to counteract the blythe albeit barely. This was only true when it retrospect to a Terror near their own level. If the difference in capabilities was far too large, their meager immunity was rendered useless.

Nevertheless, Kayn urged all the youths to prepare themselves. "These types of beasts are issues you will run into frequently. Due to their state, they have been dubbed Demonic Beasts. Don't mistake them for typical Spirit Beasts; their capabilities have been slightly bolstered."

"Hm, if that's the case. Why have we taken this route?" Lily asked with a skeptical gaze. Based on Kayn's warning, this seemed like an extremely dangerous route.

"Well, that's simple. Most of you have yet to develop battle instincts. We have focused on raising your cultivation but in the process, we have neglected the tempering of your battle intent. You must know, when you get into an academy, it'll become a daily struggle from there on out," Kayn warned in a grim tone.

Apparently, their previous thoughts about the War Academies were wrong. They expected it to be like a stronger family, however, this was far from the truth. First and foremost, it was the frontline for producing "soldiers" for this world's army. Even the foot soldiers needed to be up to a certain standard.

As a consequence, the entire atmosphere of the academies was based around competition. Everything relied upon your ability to claim it. This was true for all matters including resources, housing, and completing tasks to ensure graduation. This was another reason for the low graduation rate—they were only looking for the elite. Of course, there existed an underlying reason but it was never disclosed to the outside.

"So to make up for that. You'll be throwing them into dire battle?" Apollo stepped next to Kayn with a meaningful look. In truth, he agreed with this way of training. It was only when one experienced true overwhelming odds and sought to survive would their unbirth potential appear.

"Correct. All Demonic Beast will be left up to you all to deal with. My hands are tied. Oh, you also have the choice to sit out if you would like. After all, you play an aberrant role." Kayn said with a faint smile.

Apollo nodded and remained seated next to Kayn. Instead of battling, he'd continued cultivating. His control of his battle intent and abilities eclipsed that of the other youths. All that remained was for him to play catch up in terms of cultivation attainments.

Aaron looked at Apollo with small amounts of envy. He wished he was in his position, able to sit out on this endeavor. The Demonic Beasts before them numbered above 50. That meant each of them needed to deal with at least 5 of these beasts. The only remaining question was whether or not their essence reserves were sufficient.

Aaron placed his hand at his waist. Unlike the other time, he possessed a real sword—not some wooden toy. It was gifted to him from Kayn. In fact, all present youths were allowed to claim one weapon from the treasury. Needless to say, each and every one of them possessed at least a Rank 2 Weapon Artifact.

Unsheathing the sword, Aaron exhaled, calming himself. He thought back to the earlier mock battles with Apollo. He had already felt what bloodthirst was like. In a sense, he understood the aura leaking from these beasts. In light of this, he wasn't as tense as the other youths.

He spared Lily a smiling glance, "Let's team up again."

"I was waiting for you to ask that," Lily replied unsheathing her own sword. It was faint but there was a different type of intent flowing in her eyes. This made Kayn raise his eyebrows in delight.

'It seems my offsprings this generation are aplenty. Not only is there Apollo, but both Lily and Aaron also show signs of creating their own intents. It's just unable to be determined—exactly what path will they take?'

Usually, intent took on all of your strongest qualities and melded them as one. With that, something stronger and unique to you would be born. Even if one was a sword cultivator, the sword intent you developed was never the same as another's. After all, every person was unique.

Aaron approached a boar-type Demonic Beast with cautious yet unfaltering steps. In return, the beast's eyes gleamed with a ferocious light. It charged toward him, to which he sidestepped. He struck his sword—a simple straightforward strike yet it was aimed at the beast's vital.

It was a clean slash opening a large gash. Afterward, Aaron followed up with a spin. Due to the battles engraved within him, he was extremely focused. Even the most minute movements of the beasts were picked up by him. The sharp glint in his eyes was strengthening as well.

The silver aura prerequisite to the Quicksilver Sword Forms coated his blade. Three quick slashes were dealt amid his dodging of the overgrown tusks of the boar. Stunting his cultivation, Apollo opened an eye spectating the battle. In light of Aaron's honed movements, he nodded.

'He isn't making much mistakes anymore. Moreover, those useless movements he used to make are nonexistent now. I'm proud of his growth but he can still go further. If I remember what I read correctly, sword cultivators are famed for their unrelenting offense. He has yet to develop that.' Apollo thought to himself.

"It seems your training has paid off." Kayn commented on the battle with praise laced within his tone. Apollo raised his eyebrow in bewilderment.

"You saw our battles?"

"Well of course. How can I be the Grand Elder if I'm not privy to all matters taking place on the family ground?" Kayn released a small chuckle. However, Apollo felt there was more to it.

"If that's the case, you should be aware of all the events that took place in the past, no? Why did you allow them to happen then?" Apollo asked, his eyes flashing with interest.

"Hm, I have no answer for that. I guess it was up to fate to determine how things played out. Do you believe in fate? What would have been yours if I allowed you to live a life free of ostracisation? Do you believe my actions would have resulted in you suffering a different fate?" Kayn asked in a solemn yet light tone. He didn't understand it, but he felt his decision was right.

[His words aren't incorrect. I don't recall the reason why but it seems you fulfilled the qualities to be "chosen". Perhaps if that was never the case, you wouldn't have come in contact with me. He isn't wrong, fate and destiny are elusive concepts but they do exist. We just don't know why or even, who or maybe what controls it.]

"I see. Well, it's in the past. I have bigger things in my vision than to dwell on this matter," Apollo responded to Kayn. His gaze fell upon the ensuing battle, all traces of his prior interest vanishing. All the youths struggled to handle the Demonic Beast attacking in groups. It continued this way until they started to seek aid from one another.

Crackles of lightning shot from one of the youths' hands as metal threads lacerated the body of the beast's body. Aaron spared some attention to help the others. Luckily, he gained benefits of his own; he was understanding the intricacies of tweaking his essence output.

Soon enough, the battle was over without Apollo even lifting a finger. However, that couldn't be said about the others. Their auras were thin and their countenances pale.

"This will take place numerous times. Recuperate, we'll advance after you all are done," Kayn disclosed before glancing at Apollo. His aura had grown turbulent after once again returning to cultivation. However, Kayn couldn't understand what this feeling was. It wasn't what he was used to when one was breaking through.

Instead, it felt as if his body had turned into a devouring beast.