14 Goal

"Ahhh ahh, Why! , we were brothers, we were going to return home together!! Why betray us Zin Ta!!!"

A man wearing a top knot squeezed his shoulder to perhaps give him the illusion that an arm was there, despite the bloody arm in a pool of blood. Tears, mucus and sorrow flowed on his face looking at this comrade of his.

"I'm I'm sorry John but but I have to, they threatened my family and if i succeed they'll even reward me!"

With tears in his eyes and mucus running down his face, the man called Zin Ta held up a blade preparing to attack, though he seemed to be struggling.

A young silver haired youth was lying in a pool of blood with some corpses as cushions nearby, he was covered in blood but if you wiped the blood away you would find he wasn't injured in the slightest and the tens of bodies surrounding him were actually his doing.

The drama was unfolding right within his hearing space.

"Threatened your family? reward? If you stopped a second and thought you'd realize, foot soldiers such as you aren't worth that trouble. It's most likely a lie. How pitiful you are."

The short figure got up and looked at the shaking man with a blade in his hand about to kill his ally. He grasped his rusted blade about to separate that man's head but his hand suddenly trembled and he couldn't hold the blade properly.

Their pain and sorrow filled faces, were scraping against his heart- he couldn't kill him- They were both in pain.

Split.

John's head fell in his lap, leaving a lonely neck spewing blood in sorrow. Zin Ta dropped to the ground on his knees, touching his flooding eyes and crying," I'm sorry, I am so sorry, sorry, sorry.." He apologized over and over until he heard a sigh behind him.

He hurriedly turned around and saw a silvery youth with a copper plated emblem on his belt. His eyes froze at the face before turning back to look at his fallen comrade, " It seems my actions were futile as I will be joining you soon, fate haha fate, how cruel thou art."

He laughed with tears dripping down his face falling on his dead comrade. He did it for his own selfish reasons and knew he'd pay for it someday but he was far too complacent it wasn't someday, he wouldn't live past today or even the hour. That Silver haired youth was a lieutenant, far out of his league. Perhaps he'd try but unfortunately he'd seen him earlier in the war. It was the man who killed his commanding officer and 16 others in 10 breaths. He had no chance.

"I suppose, you're going to kill me"

Upon John dying, his weakness, softness and hesitation disappeared and V knew why, so he nodded to this former fellow soldier of his.

Slash.

Dark clouds rained on this blood filled battle field. The air carried the scent of fallen soldiers, pain, despair, hate, regret and desire.

"Are the Gods crying for the stupidity of humanity?"

******

V reminisced about a time when he was at war. For some reason, looking at the girl before him those memories came rushing back.

The large swung it fists at her, sending her fragile body flying but upon preparing to finish it, the young girls tear filled eyes showed strength and powerful fluctuations emanated from her body, so powerful they eclipsed the beast's own aura. She struck it with all her hate and anger, it was startled by the humans sudden change and bared the full force of the attack.

Sadly, the girl twitched in pain and helplessly fell to hard cold rock beneath her. The beast's earlier strike got her. If she had more combat experience she would've won and perhaps prevented all this but she was insufficient.

Howl!!!

The angry injured Ape beat it's chest in anger before V and her, V: I get it's angry but why would it further beat itself, puzzling.

But this was a chance, V swung from tree to tree ending up right above the Beast but it seemed to have saw him coming, V held his sword in one hand and the sheath in the other, spinning furiously in the air in a downward current to the Beast, the hilt knocked it a bit while the blade cleaved straight through sending it's bloody bits everywhere.

Rrick

Rslick

Swoosh

Tap

The acrobatics ending with him landing on his feet. Putting the tip of his blade in the sheath opening, he halted,

"Ah, Seems I dulled the blades, huh"

With that he tossed them both to the side and looked at the ape, "Hm." He gouged out a black bead from its forehead. He was no expert in ape anatomy but that definitely didn't belong. He closely inspected it.

Slap.

His fingers tightly clutched his face in pain. The unexpectedness caused even him to scream with this sudden headache.

"Agh"

His eyes glowed and images flooded his brain while a silver marking appeared on his forehead with his astral energies rapidly depleting.

****

Gulp.

He saw himself swallowing the bead.

Time shifted and he saw the bead changing the bloodline inherited from his parents which died with him back then.

He then gained a bloodline ability

The images blended into a sloppy picture before the lights on his head turned off.

****

"Haa haa haa"

He breathed heavily in perspiration.

That was, Future vision. The ability he could never control, belonging to his astral soul.

Once again inspecting, the cold smooth uniform surface of the small bead, he straightforwardly gulped it down. He didn't hesitate as those were the memories of the him of another time.

There was no reaction.

He wasn't worried though, the ball was stimulated by his blood somehow but he didn't know what had happened. It was best to let nature take its course.

Half sobbing words echoed from behind him to his eardrums.

"You.....You knew, You knew but you didn't say anything!!!"

The young girl looked extremely pitiable and haggard while she pointed at him but this aroused no compassion from V.

"Oh shifting blame? I don't really care but you should know right? They died because both they and you were weak. If i was meddlesome enough to advise them you and I know what the outcome would have been. Hate, Resent whom you wish. Dread it, Run from it but this is the world we live in."

V looked back at the ape corpse- He looks eatable, I should try- Making a fire, putting pieces of it on a stick took less than 10 minutes and the whimpering female was still around. Verathragna washed his face and took off his clothes to rinse himself off.

Two big sorrowful eyes gazed at him while it's owners cheeks blushed and the eyes shifted while glancing thievingly back at the muscular figure.

2 hours later.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier, I was sensitive after their deaths but you were right, this is the world we live in and I must fight to survive."

She pumped her small fists while looking at the lazy figure eating his Bob of Ape meat so lazily he appeared to want someone or something to move his jaws for him. He minutely nodded to the girl.

She suddenly blushed and gripped her skirt after her stomach rumbled.

"Can I get some of your food?"

V displeasedly moved his mouth with great energy (It was a mental thing, if he felt lively it would be no energy) , " Do as you wish" He could honestly care less at the moment. He was so forgetful he'd forget his enemies if they didn't die soon after provoking him- I should make something for that..... A death diary, yeah, I'll list all the people to kill when I've lost all motivation.

Speaking of motivation, V looked at the young girl, "Life is full of struggles. Stay here, stand watch and fight off all the beasts. It's a good experience for the young you. And you've eaten my food so it's like a payment to me while you work."

The girl, Ruoruo wasn't all that stupid, in fact she was clever enough to know that he was feeling lazy so he pushed all the work on her with the excuse of good experience and she owes him. But, He was right about her inexperience.

******

Westwood Glory Academy.

Battle Arena.

A Brown haired youth gripped a metal shield while another shield materialized over it forming an extra layer.

He was facing an agile cat-like beast which attacked from all angles and directions putting him on high alert. Jumpy, in a sense. The cat attacked and attacked before succumbing to its weakness, endurance. Their type specialized in fast paced attacks, upon failure they were significantly weaker, weak enough to ..

Clang!!!

Bash away with a shield sending them flying into a concrete wall. Knocking them out cold.

This youth was Ren. He had just obtained enough points to enter the technique pavilion and withdraw entry level defense techniques.

The Technique Pavilion was actually a tower with several layers looking like A lighthouse. He'd merely gained access to the first level.

He walked right past the elder keeping watch and went right in after inserting his emblem which contained his points into a slot near the opening.

There were several dozen 10 meter tall and 30 meter long shelves within. Containing scrolls, books, leaves, jades, paper etc, all inscribed with writing and organized according to type, level and class , saving students time.

There were honestly too many manuals to look through in a short period but thankfully they all were given up to 4 hours before they should leave. Naturally, other students had to enter and the space was unable to accommodate them all at once.

After a round of browsing Ren came across a technique <Metal Body> This technique drew upon the elements to increase defense, however it was unable to increase brute force thus it was unpopular among the students. The first level: Copper Body , allowed the user to multiply their skin defense by 5times. Indicated by a copper feint glow.

The second level: Bronze Body, allowed the organs to be protected by a layer of qi, defense increases by 12 times with the lessened stress. Indicated by a bronze feint glow

The third level: Iron Body, increases defense by 18 times by strengthening the flexibility and durability of tender human body parts.

"This was it!" Ren exclaimed mentally. He located a shield wielding technique and left.

On his way out, He met a very cold but beautiful lady. She was slender with willowy brows, jade like beauty and limpid eyes. They happened to collide into each other.

"Ah sorry"

He apologized but she actually executed a palm technique and slammed him to the floor, having him cough blood. He got up half shocked and half resentfully to which she emotionlessly continued to bash him. Obviously, he coalesced his astral shield in defence but she easily broke through it and bashed him, repeatedly.

A crowd of students hungrily gathered for the drama.

"Senior Sister Lane is beating up a new student!"

"I wonder what he did to offend her"

"Senior Sister is already at the 6th level of the Arterial Circulation Realm despite refusing resources from her clan. She is truly a prodigy that matches her beauty"

"Not to mention several senior students are smitten with her. That kid must have a death wish offending her."

The students took pleasure in the fate that would await Ren, thanking the gods that they weren't so stupid. Meanwhile, Senior Sister Lane executed the 3rd stance of her <Graceful Demon Swan Palm> shattering a few of Ren's rib bones.

"You are weak so don't offend the strong"

She flatly stated as she headed into the tower, Ren called out behind her, " And you are a heartless bitch so I hope you continue to have the strength to pack it up."

Ren was absolutely furious and could care less that she was a girl, that vicious bitch abused him and he wouldn't let that stand. What? In the future would he reflect and say yeah, I got beat up by a girl? Of course not, he had his pride as a man and he'd definitely exact revenge.

He only heard a cold chuckle and ," I'll be waiting " in response.

"Did he actually just curse Senior Sister Lane"

"I'm afraid he's out of the school by the end of the day, those senior students are all dying for some attention from her and will definitely take justice for her."

"A poor and stupid sod"

"He's as good as crippled or dead"

Ren gritted his teeth and went to lick his wounds practicing a body refinement technique and taking his leaders advice to definitely 'overdo it' and 'make additions if you have to'.

In his seventh day at the academy he had already attained copper body and the strength of 16 bulls; 4th level of Body Refinement. Considering he had only been a Stellar Martial Cultivator for 14 days, this wasn't a bad start. Even this was what he obtained through arduous torture and bathing in a few of his leader's experiment 'conoctions' , which only caused pain with no boosting effect.

But his body was baptised by the pain and he had attained the strength of 16 bulls which others took months to attain.

1 bull was roughly the strength of 2000 kilograms and double the amount in jin. One would attain the strength of 81 bulls upon the completion of the Body Refinement realm, this an earth shattering force of 162 000 kilograms!!! That was double the strength in jin!!

The 1st to 7th levels of Body Refinement were as follows: 1 bull, 4 bulls, 9 bulls, 16 bulls, 25 bulls, 36 bulls, and 49 bulls with the 9th level offering 81 bulls.

The human body is truly a marvel. A combination of 65% water, 60 elements, 640 to 800 muscles, 206 bones, 12 organ systems, and trillions of cells collaborate to create and sustain you. Add Astral qi and Yuan qi from the Heaven and Earth and you got yourself a few surprises.