A week after the deal with the Golden Lotus Trade Organization, Luceran is in the middle of the courtyard barrack. Thousands of soldiers are circling around Luceran, the commander, and the lieutenants. They are watching the sparring between Luceran against the commander and lieutenants. Their eyes are filled with anticipation. Some are even betting on who would win the sparring.
The sound of fists colliding could be heard. Fist fights and kicks exchanged could be seen on the man-made arena. Since the highest realm of his opponents is at the early stage of Bone Tempering realm, Luceran restricts his strength to match the commander's level. The commander ordered his lieutenants to flank Luceran from his left and right, while the commander handle most of the burden by fighting Luceran head-on, not to mention that he isthe most challenging one for Luceran at the moment. He swings a powerful hook to his face. He ducked the hook and threw an uppercut to the commander. The commander managed to dodge it. While Luceran is having an intense fistfight with the commander, lieutenants Greg and Karl are aiming for his shoulder and stomach at the same time. He instinctively blocks them with his leg and hand at the same time and pushes them away with his strength.
His powerful strength manages to blow them a few meters away; taking this opportunity, he changes his target to the other three lieutenants, specifically lieutenant Pelz. With strong momentum, he jumped and swing his leg at Pelz's head. Pelz tries to block the kick with his hand because he would not be able to dodge. The kick sent him flying to the soldiers who are circling the arena. "Goddam! What a powerful kick!" A soldier exclaimed when he saw the lieutenant sent flying. The soldiers caught Pelz to lessen the impact. Pelz stood up and glared at the soldiers who were looking at him, feeling embarrassed to be knocked out first. The intense fight continues until there are only Luceran, the commander, and Greg on the arena. Both parties are panting hard after having a brawl for quite a while. Luceran charges at the commander with powerful speed. The commander matches it with a charge also, while Greg is flanking him. When he was about to collide with the commander, he turned and jump at Greg with a powerful kick. Greg, caught off guard can only say, 'I'm screwed.' The kick landed on his face and sent him flying outside of the arena.
Despite sending Greg flying outside of the arena, the commander hook landed on his stomach. It makes him stagger and retreat a few meters away. Looking at this, the commander pushes Luceran with more powerful punches. Luceran managed to steady himself and block those punches. Despite having the momentum, the commander failed to secure a victory. 'I cannot drag this, I am running out of stamina.'
Luceran thoughts race as he tries his best to find a way to reverse the situation. The commander then throws a straight at his face, he dodges, takes his hand, and slams the commander to the ground. A loud boom sounded across the courtyard as the fight ends.
Luceran stood in the center of the ring, breathing heavily. He looked at the six men on the ground.
"I've seen your progress," he commented, while putting a smile on his face. "Most of you have broken through to the next realm."
He was not exaggerating. Most of the soldiers, thanks to their potion-enhanced training, were now in the middle stage of the Flesh Strengthening realm. All of the lieutenants had reached the peak of the Flesh Strengthening Realm, with Karl and Pelz on the verge of breaking through to the Bone Tempering Realm. Even Commander Borrin, who was already in the Bone Tempering Realm, had made significant progress.
Luceran's smile faded, replaced by a serious expression.
"We have a request from our usual business partner."
The lieutenants and the soldiers immediately know who he was talking about. Their previous escort missions had been mostly for the Golden Lotus Trade Organization.
"But this time, it's different," Luceran continued. "This time, we will have to break through the bandit fortress to the south."
The crowd is shocked and then followed by a tense silence. Some were visibly afraid, while others' eyes gleamed with a newfound hunger to prove their improvement. The bandits in the south were a formidable enemy, they have been active for years, slowly accumulating their power. Now, they were going to face them head-on.
"It would be burdensome to bring all of you into the mountains," Luceran explained, his voice echoing. "The terrain is difficult, with narrow paths and steep cliffs. The bandits know every turn like the back of their hands. Only a small, elite force can navigate it effectively. I will only be taking five hundred of you, the most elite of this garrison."
He looked at the crowd, his gaze challenging each one of them. "We will begin the assessment tomorrow, and it will last for a week. The chosen five hundred will go on the escort mission, and your salary will increase by fifty percent."
With the promise of a salary increment, the crowd reacted differently now. Previously, their faces are filled with fear, but now they showed ambition. Luceran had not only promised them glory, but a tangible reward. The weak were gone, and those who remained were brimming with fighting spirit.
Luceran returned to his office at the barracks, the adrenaline from his sparring match still coursing through his veins. He sat in a meditative pose, closing his eyes to review the fight. He had intentionally restricted his power, holding himself back to the peak of the early Bone Tempering stage. He had faced six men, all seasoned fighters, albeit from a small garrison, and it had taken him a full half hour to break their mediocre formation.
'I am at the peak of the Bone Tempering stage now, but even with my martial techniques and experience from reviewing the main army generals' spars, it took me too long to beat them,' he mused. 'It's clear that I really lack fighting experience. The escort mission should be an opportunity for me.'
Luceran was no ordinary noble. He was a practitioner of a dual path, both in the Arcana and Physical paths. Now, he was at the peak of the Mana Core stage in the Arcana Path and the peak of the Bone Tempering stage in the Physical Path.
In Primordia, three main paths to power existed: the Arcana Path, the Physical Path, and the Soul Path. A genius with immense resources, like Luceran, could become a dual practitioner, though it was a long and difficult journey. To walk all three paths, however, was a feat for only the most absolute geniuses. Even in the ancient Primordial Age hundreds of thousands of years ago, people who successfully walked all three paths could be counted on one hand. And one of them was his own brother, Magnus Kyros, the Crown Prince of the Kyros Divine Empire. With his unparalleled talent and sheer might, he outshone everyone. He was known as the most powerful member of the younger generation in this era, a title no one dared to contest. But Luceran knew it was useless to dwell on his brother's overwhelming success. He had his own path.
The Arcana Path was a journey of understanding and controlling the fundamental energy of the universe, which is mana. It began with Mana Sensing, where an individual first learned to sense and regulate the small amounts of mana. The next step was the Mana Core stage, where they condensed a core of mana within their bodies. The stronger and more condensed the core, the greater their potential. Unique physiques and special bloodlines often gave practitioners a significant advantage in this stage, leading to a stronger, purer core. For example, the royal bloodline of the Solaris Divine Empire are more attuned to the sun. Hence their mana core energy is fire-based. After that came Mana Engraving, where individuals etched complex runes onto their cores. Each rune, representing a conceptual law like absorption or strengthening, granting them new abilities and enhanced their power. This process is an important step toward true mastery. The final stage was the Mage Lord Realm. By fully comprehending and utilizing their engraved mana runes, they transcended their physical limitations. Stepping into this realm was a momentous event, as it granted them an additional extension of life, allowing a person to live for at least a thousand years.
The Physical Path was a direct and brutal journey of refining one's body, as the process of it is painful and tiring. It began with Flesh Strengthening, where a practitioner honed their muscles and organs. Next was Bone Tempering, where they strengthened their very skeleton to become stronger. The third stage was Blood Refinement, where they purified their blood, removing all impurities and allowing for a constant flow of potent energy. Individuals with special bloodlines and physiques had a natural advantage in these stages. After perfecting these three stages, a practitioner had to harmonize their three newly refined powers to achieve a perfect balance. When they are successful, they broke through to the Sky Knight Realm. Sky Knights, as the name implies, could fly, though their flight are less versatile than the Arcana path. In terms of lifespan, Sky Knights had a significant advantage. While a Mage Lord could live for roughly a thousand years, the youngest Sky Knight known to have died of old age was over two thousand years old, a testament to the purity and resilience of their bodies.
Back in his office, Luceran opened a small bottle with a light-blue liquid, a special potion for Mana Engraving realm practitioners to aid their cultivation. He drank half of it, feeling the energy from the potion running through his veins. He closed his eyes once more, focusing on sensing the mana around him. His mana core, a shimmering orb within his chest, pulsed with power. He guided the mana, concentrating it into a point to begin engraving a rune on his core's surface.
To prepare for the upcoming battle against the bandits on the mountain, he had chosen the control rune. The control rune would grant him a better level of mastery over his movements and abilities, allowing for versatility on the rough terrain. Sweat could be seen on his forehead as he slowly and with full focus drew the pattern on his mana core. The process was slow, a test of both his concentration and his willpower.
After several hours, he stopped, his body trembling with the effort. He opened his eyes and take a deep breath before breathing out slowly. 'I've managed to finish a fifth of it,' he muttered to himself. 'Before next week, I should be able to finish my first engraving and officially step into the Mana Engraving stage!' A satisfied smile spread across his face for his rapid improvement.