Anirudh wondered where the fox had gone all this time. Unlike the first time, he could now see the fox even when it was invisible as the soul connection had already been formed. He could sense the presence of the fox in the northern direction, in a very distant place.
Instead of worrying about the fox, Anirudh turned towards the fatty.
"Why are you not saying anything? Please speak. If you help me, I will definitely give you one spirit stone," the fatty asked in a polite tone.
Anirudh shook his head and said, "I don't know any way to help you absorb the natural aura. You have to eat your own food to stop your hunger. I think I will tell you one tip. Use it if it is helpful."
"Please say it. I am ready," the fatty said excitedly, stretching his hands with great anticipation.
"Don't think too much; it is very simple. Instead of focusing on absorbing the aura, you must focus on opening and closing your meridians according to the book. Just like imagining you are operating a tap system. Never worry about the flow of water… just turn those meridians open and close whenever it is required without even looking at the aura absorption. I hope it will help you a little," Anirudh said and turned around to leave.
"Wait, wait. Don't you want your spirit stone? Just wait for a few minutes. I will try," the fatty said while sitting down on the floor again.
Anirudh ignored his comment and left the temple, as he was very eager to practice those two new spells.
As he approached the training grounds, he saw a countless number of people on the massive empty land practicing very hard while performing different types of hand gestures and weapon movements. Almost all of them were holding weapons. Some of them had swords, sabers, daggers, wind fans, and small sticks like wands, and many other strange weapons.
At one glance Anirudh could see that the people with weapons were very easily controlling the spell direction and the amount of aura they were using. Just as he was thinking about where to get a weapon, a fireball moved toward him at great speed.
"Hey, you dumb fellow, move!" a lady shouted from a distance as she ran toward him with a look of anger.
Instead of moving away to avoid the fireball, Anirudh just waved his hand, and with the snap of his fingers, a fireball was released against the incoming attack.
"Ignish Meta"
BOOM!
The two fireballs collided, leaving an explosive noise.
The lady came to a standstill with a stupefied face. She stared at Anirudh and the wand in her hand with a surprised look.
"How? How did you do it?" the lady asked with a stunned expression.
"What do you mean? I just released the fireball spell, Ignis Meta," Anirudh replied casually.
"No, I used my rare rank wand to release that fireball, but you only used your hands. My fireball could have killed you by now. How did you do such a powerful spell without even using a weapon? By any chance, are you a fifth-class magus?" the lady asked while approaching.
"No, I am just a first-class magus… you are thinking too much." Anirudh replied while observing her beautiful face.
"What?! You are speaking nonsense." The lady uttered angrily as she felt humiliated by his words because she was a third-class magus, and that too a disciple of the Temple Protection Division. "How could a first-class magus defend against her fireball spell?"
"Believe it or not, I don't mind. I'm telling the truth," Anirudh said as he walked past her.
"Wait, wait. If you are really that powerful, why don't you fight with my sister? If you win, you can get spirit stones. Also, if you want to join our gaming organization, we will offer you a great salary in the real world. What do you say?" the lady asked directly without beating around the bush.
Anirudh paused for a second as he observed her from head to toe. He did not understand whether to laugh or cry after seeing her eccentric behavior. First she was angry, then she invited him to fight her sister, and now she was offering him a job.
He only sighed in disappointment and continued to walk away.
"Hey! Where are you going? At least accept my friend request!" the lady shouted angrily from behind, as she never expected a man to ignore her despite her beauty.
Anirudh chose an empty practice ground and set his eyes on the target.
Just as Anirudh was preparing to target a distant wooden board on the training ground, the fox appeared beside him.
"Master, master" the fox called repeatedly while gasping for air.
"What is it? Did you offend someone already?" Anirudh asked without looking at it, as his focus was fixed on the wooden board.
"No, Master... I... I saw a treasure chest… come fast," the fox said in a whispering tone while clutching the clothes of Anirudh.
"What?"
Anirudh stopped midway through casting a spell and leaned toward the fox with a serious look.
"Are you sure? Are there treasure chests in this magical world?" Anirudh asked eagerly, as he did not know whether treasure chests existed here.
"Yes, Master, and I am sure there is a treasure chest in the farm behind the temple area, but there is a powerful beast guarding the treasure chest. I hope it is not a big problem for your strength," the fox said excitedly.
Anirudh nodded his head with great anticipation because treasure chests were like resources for cultivators, where they could jump multiple levels of cultivation.
Just as Anirudh stood up to leave, the same fat guy appeared before him with a wide smile.
"Hehehehe, young master, thank you for your guidance. I was able to reach first-class magus without even spending the three spirit stones. Here, take this one spirit stone as our deal," the fat guy said as he stretched his hand forward to give the spirit stone.
"Do you know where to get a weapon?" Anirudh asked directly, ignoring the spirit-stone offered by fatty.