Chapter 210: Road to Intent, A Beckon For All

----

"Good choice, follow me," Robyn responded while giving Apollo a pleased smile. If what he thought to be possible was to happen in the future, then he would potentially secure a surefire way to advance on both tiers of cultivation. As long as he taught this youth to the best of his ability, then there was no doubt that he could turn him into a special weapon.

"We'll have to see how good my choice is. Compared to the other instructors, how strong would you say you are?" Apollo questioned while following behind him. As they passed behind the curtain behind the display area, it was like a whole new world.

An expansive stone corridor greeted them that soon merged into a large rock tunnel with gems glowing within the wall. Upon looking at them, Apollo could feel an energy signature leaking from it.

On the other hand, Robyn glanced behind him while answering his question, "What I excel at isn't strength but control. In the face of overwhelming strength, if you have control, you have the upper hand. My abilities were honed through hundreds of years of spiritual practice," Robyn replied before pausing his steps. 

While standing in an open area, Robyn formed numerous hand seals at an obscene speed before shooting a palm forward. At first, Apollo thought it just touched air, however, he soon heard metallic clicking. Gears inside the wall began churning, and the face before their eyes dispersed.

"This is my special training area. All branches of the Resource Hall lead to my area. All it requires is a specific set of hand seals for each branch. If you become skillful enough, I'll also teach you the ways of formations. This is my true strength. If I claim to be the second in the Academy, then no one else dares to claim first," Robyn stated with pride.

In response, Apollo nodded. When the gears moved and he saw the glimpse of the formation, he was reminded of the doorway connecting to Ashiraem. Naturally, this spurred a few thoughts, 'Would understanding formations allow me to stay longer inside Ashiraem without evolving into a Greater Demon? Perhaps Robyn's expertise is just what I need.'

Meanwhile, since Robyn was aware of the happenings of the academy's operations, he looked at Apollo, "During this first visit, we'll keep it short. You should have to attend an institute soon. Therefore, I'll just have you understand the basics of control. First, what do you believe the basis is?"

Since this was a matter Apollo had never pondered, he took a while to formulate an adequate answer. The more he looked into it, the more he realized Robyn's earlier words were correct, "The basis of control would have to be you. Before you seek to control the outside, you must first seek to control yourself. In other words, I am the basis of control. Is that correct?"

"The answer isn't bad, however, you looked too far into it. However, that shows you possess acute comprehension; able to discern minute details from a sentence. But, the basis of control is Intent. In short, Intent is the culmination of your efforts to control your inner self."

Immediately, Apollo blurted, "Are you saying that you will be teaching me how to use Intent?"

"No, everyone's Intent is unique. Thus, only you can awaken it. However, I can help you prime your body and mental state to accept it. Even though it is deemed to be yours, the initial confrontation with it is almost always dangerous. If you're not careful or supervised, you could even mortally wound yourself. Would you like to know why?" Robyn asked while crossing his arms to create suspense.

Although Apollo knew this was just a tactic to get him engrossed in learning, it worked.  In truth, he was interested in knowing more. After all, something told him that Aaron's inflicted injuries had a lot to do with this matter.

What confused Apollo, however, was why Irauk left him alone. If what Robyn was saying was correct, then his training in this by himself was both idiotic and potentially suicidal. 

"It's simple actually. Your Temple has to become saturated and merge with the special energy emitted by Intent. However, that process is dangerous because it shifts the state of the Temple to something else. This then allows the Temple to draw on Intent even when it's void of Essence. To summarize, Intent is a third independent energy. A manifestation of your will," Robyn stated before releasing an intangible aura.

Before, Apollo could perceive all aura and respond accordingly. Yet, while Robyn used his aura, Apollo couldn't discern where Robyn could potentially attack from. Although the alarms rang in his mind, they did so simultaneously. Each signal interfered with the last causing a raucous in his mind.

"I'm sure you feel. That feeling that alerts you that you'll be attacked from any and all directions. This is Intent, a formless energy can be manipulated in any way you deem fit. Furthermore, because it is created from the evolved mind, it can meld with other things," Robyn revealed before canceling his use of his intent.

'Wait, did he say manifestation of will? If I recall properly, there was a part of my stat pages that indicated something surrounding will. Does that have something to do with Intent? If so, I think I understand why Azridan said the intelligence attribute is extremely important. Each of my new attributes seems to be based on intelligence as well as an auxiliary stat,' Apollo realized.

"Now, while we're here in this area sustained by countless Spirit Crystals, try and begin the initial priming of your body. Use your set spiritual meridians to purge your body and create a potential spiritual body. Unlike the body portion, to advance the Saint Meridians is a cumbersome task. In fact, only 1 out of 100,000 who have them can withstand the pain of advancing them," Robyn said in a grave tone.

Nevertheless, Apollo wasn't afraid of pain. Without any further response, he followed the directions of Robyn. He first cleared the second set of his meridians by forcing the energy residing in his Tainted Temple. Unlike the rest, what he used was Demonic Anima and Sin. Thus, a black film coursed around his body that intrigued Robyn.

'Hoh? This must be why I get the feeling that this youth will be able to utilize that weapon. It seems that his inherent elements are extremely dark and murderous. He may be able to handle the corruption of those weapons. If he can create a temple that's ominous enough, it won't be deteriorated by the nature of those weapons,' Robyn inwardly thought while watching Apollo's body tremble.

As the seconds soon became minutes, Robyn became appalled by Apollo's tenacity. Even when he tried to do this all those years ago, 90 seconds had been his threshold for his first attempt. Yet, Apollo had been in this state of purging for nearly 5 minutes.

Of course, what Robyn didn't know was that Apollo's body had been cleansed once before by something even more tyrannical than what he used now. Although this targeted his spiritual meridians, his painful tolerance had undergone a metamorphosis. It didn't matter whether it was a pain capable of crippling someone or driving them mad, Apollo had experienced it.

Now, he was an existence that would use any means necessary to acquire his strength. Several moments later, Apollo opened his eyes releasing a turbid breath. As he did so, his eyes gleamed with a more exuberant light, 'Hmm? My mind feels light from that small practice. It feels...quicker. Is this the "flicker" Fuhrer was talking about? 

Subconsciously, the Demonic Anima and the Sin melded together and bathed his Temple in Hellfire. As a result, pure quantities  of it seeped inside, becoming one with it. In other words, once Apollo ventured back to Ashiraem, he would realize some immediate benefits. 

Unfortunately, Robyn stopped him from doing so again. He raised his hand and shook his head, "Don't continue. If you inspect your meridians, you'll understand why. You must learn to take things slowly to benefit in the long run. Not to mention, there's that," Robyn said while pointing his finger upward.

Almost as if he caused it, the toll of a bell varying from the freshmen convening bell resounded repeatedly. Soon after, all those who this bell pertained to received a signal. Their academy identification card vibrated. As they looked at it, it instructed everyone to gather at their respective Institutes. 

According to the information, before they could attend the facilities, they needed to possess an adequate understanding of the place. After all, inside the Institute, it was a strict atmosphere. If the Teaching Hall was likened to a high school, then the Institutes could only be deemed a true martial academy. Tardiness was not tolerated.

Thus, every single attendee was given an in-depth tour of the Institutes a day prior to classes. That way, whatever they saw was fresh on their mind. As cultivators, their memories were stronger than the typical human.

"We'll resume this when you're free. In the meantime, continue to ponder what your intent should be. It is always best to operate with an intended goal in mind," Robyn suggested while escorting Apollo out. 

Shortly after, he stood outside. He witnessed a stream of students marching towards the grandiose twin buildings in the distance.