Chapter 54 - Garnering Attention

Kora trembled in response to the old man's shout. The riposte she had already prepared in her mind instantly froze in her, her shoulders slumped.

"Y-yes, grandpa." Kora replied to her grandfather. Still, before turning away and returning to the practice she halted, she managed to shoot Aziel a searing glance.

Aziel looked at the old man, only to find out that he too, possessed a somewhat similar amount of Internal Energy enriching his decaying system. Though, like with the case of the girl, Kora, he was most likely a Martial Artist, probably a grandmaster rather than a real Cultivator of [Aether].

Still, probably by the several decades of practice and keeping his art continuously perfected have made him garner enough that would push to a level similar to the early stages of the Mortal Realm, somewhere around the Peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, just a bit off from stepping into the next one.

However, without a proper art, or technique he would have no chance of actually breaking through.

Still, compared to the girl, who could at most be considered to be at the stepping stone of stepping into the beginning stages, but more likely being just a more talented Martial Artist, the old man was the first clue for Aziel into the world hidden behind the shadows.

That being said, Aziel had to admit that his comparison was skewed, to say the least. It wasn't proper to look down this pair of granddaughter and grandfather. His knowledge, his experience came from a different world entirely, using a completely different type of energy.

His only understanding of this world came from a time where humans were simply nonexistent, and that giant creatures, monsters ruled over lush jungles and untainted lands. This modern world was completely unknown to him, even without looking into the shadows.

Was he stronger than this daughter, or this old man? Sure, however comparing them wouldn't be fair. Even without his cultivation as a late Earth Realm cultivator, his unique physical characteristics alone would be enough to make quick work of them.

Thinking everything through, Aziel shook his head at his own overly eager self and turned away, looking for a different tree to sit under.

Not too long later, he found a similar-looking old oak tree, he sat down cross-legged underneath it and started to cultivate.

Closing his eyes, his body and mind quickly entered the cultivation state as he initiated the Primordial God's Void Refinement art. Soon the suction of energy created an invisible layer made out of the pure vacuum, a space devoid of any energy found in the air.

Immersed in his own world, after some time, the peculiar situation and strange actions have raised the elderly man's suspicion. Looking at the young silver-haired man, he wondered why anyone would wake up this early in the morning, come to the park, and only fall asleep again under a tree?

"Hmm… Huh?!" After a while, the old man suddenly gasped in surprise.

"What is it, Grandpa? What is bothering you?" Noticing his grandfather's sudden cry, Kora asked curiously.

Turning his gaze over to the sitting young man, the old man asked with a hardened expression on his face.

"Look at the young man carefully. Do you notice anything strange?"

Squinting her eyes, Kora scrutinized the boy, though he failed to find anything noteworthy, besides the rather unique pigmentation of his hair.

"Ehrm… What should I look for Grandpa?" She asked after a minute.

The old man sighed, yet didn't let the matter go.

"Pay attention to him. Notice his breathing? How it is controlled, regulated?" He pressed on.

It wasn't until the old man deliberately pointed it out that Kora noticed how the boy's chest swelled up and down at each intake of air. In a rhythmic, repeating matter, the boy's chest pushed up, before retaining its blown shape for a couple of seconds before slowly releasing all of it in a slow, controlled manner.

Also, two specks of white light spurted out of his nostrils, writhed and slithered like two tiny snakes. Two rays of white light barely about the size of a needle; one wouldn't even notice them lest they would keep close scrutiny.

"W-what is that?!" Kora frowned with a slight disgust, turning her attention away.

"I am not entirely sure myself…" The old man began with a sigh. "…however, it seems oddly similar to those ancient methods of harnessing energy from the air around us. It was said that in ancient times, some of the most powerful sects utilized similar techniques."

He took a moment to look at the strange young man before continuing.

"This kind of breathing required precise control and high power. The practitioner of this technique should be able to dive under the water for an extended period of time." The old man said slowly.

Kora snorted upon hearing her grandfather's words.

"Grandpa you are overthinking things!" She waved her hand dismissively. "He is just breathing heavily, that is all. There's nothing more to it at all!"

"Dear, you are just too young to understand. Too naive, too green to the real world." The old man shook his head, refuting his beloved princess with a tender voice. "What he is doing, couldn'T be done without at least a couple of decades of diligent practice. I, for example, have never seen such a perfectly executed technique in real life. Only read about it in books older than myself!"

"Huh? Is it really that powerful?" Suspicion flashed across Kora's face.

Thinking about the boy, suddenly she recalled their earlier talk. "Wait for a second… If he really is such a cool expert like you say, Grandpa, why did he shake his head looking at my practice?"

Kora paused to mull over her own question. Not even a moment later, realization hitting her, she frowned, hitting her open right palm with her left fist in anger.

"Argh, such a jerk! That ass!" She grunted with growing anger. "I don't care how powerful you think he is, I will test his strength! I will see for myself if he really is such a great master, and not just a fake pretending for our attention!"

Seeing the eagerness in his granddaughter, the old man heaved a deep sigh.

However, the old man didn't design to stop her. However powerful this young man might be, he and his granddaughter should be safe in his own territory. He had fought many brutal wars during his life, and he scarcely feared death, much less a young man such as him.

The grandfather and granddaughter pair decided to wait for Aziel to finish his cultivation. After about twenty minutes later, the boy finally opened his mouth and spat out a ghostly white glowing ball of gas. This parcel of white gas shot forward a few meters and traced a silvery arch in the air, before eventually evaporating.

"He is a powerful martial artist!" The old man's face hardened as reality set in witnessing such a mystifying scene.

"Grandpa, there is no need to worry! We have Brother Crag here to protect us in case of trouble!" Kora sneered smugly, adding another thought to it. "Can he dodge a bullet to the face? I don't think so!"

Unlike her grandfather, Kora was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She never experienced the world proper, she could always rely on her prestigious family background to protect her from the many potential dangers.

Thus, she was young and fearless, naive and perhaps somewhat ignorant as well.

The brawny man sitting inside the jeep had been paying close attention to the developments. His hand was long since resting atop his waist, just above the holster of his gun.

…

Finished with his morning exercise, Aziel was rather satisfied. The air was rich in this park, his short session netted him with more results than an hour of doing the same in his room, somewhat comparable to his now-destroyed cave atop Greytop Mountains.

Sighing contentedly, he turned his head around, only to grow surprised by the pair that lurked behind him all the while.

A deep frown soured Aziel's expression as he looked at the old man and granddaughter…

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