22 Commoner Rank
"If you insist mate, then let's part here. May the Three Gods bless you and your future endeavours." Darram Longhand blessed Kael with a short prayer in the dwarven language.
The Three Gods were the three cultivators in the Hundred Realms that reached the pinnacle of cultivation, distinguishing themselves in the Defense of the Ancients, a cataclysmic event, and eventually attaining immortality. Some believed that they went on to other realms or planes of existence to continue challenging themselves to move upwards in cultivation, while others like Darram Longhand believed that they were now watching over the Hundred Realms as divine overseers.
After the prayer, it was finally time to part ways. With some reluctance, Kael moved towards the southeast direction towards Fledgling City while the Darram trio headed southwest towards Fairview City.
---
In the Fledgling Myriad Institute.
Mirana was polishing her arrows in her own room. It had already been more than one week since Kael had left Fledgling City and this piece of news was made known to everyone in the city. Ever since she met him in the Outer Region in the Black Heart Forest, she felt an indescribable feeling surfacing in her heart. Mirana couldn't explain what that feeling was, but she felt like there was a magnet attracting her towards Kael.
Mirana had naturally heard about Kael's feats in the Whitemoon Mines and how he had gained the approval of the City Lord faction. Was it because of his deeds in the Whitemoon mines? Certainly that attracted her attention. However, it was before this that she felt that about Kael.
Maybe it was his demeanour, or his confidence? That, she wasn't too sure about.
As she pondered, she remembered telling Kael about admission into the Fledgling Myriad Institute. Secretly, in her heart, Mirana was hoping that Kael would make a great contribution to Fledgling City such that the Institute would have no choice but to admit him in.
Little did she know that Kael would make a great hubbub after returning back to the city…
---
Kael travelled throughout the Black Heart Forest for one week before reaching Fledgling City again.
During his return trip, he had harvested countless monster cores and ingested all of them as well. In the Inner Region of the Black Heart Forest, he was already at the peak of the normal person's cultivation level, a step away from the Commoner Rank.
Now that he had ingested so much monster cores, he finally broke through to the Commoner Rank Lower Phase!
The characteristic of a Commoner Rank cultivator was that he was able to feel magic power coursing through his meridians and able to channel magic through physical contact. Kael was already able to do this without reaching the Commoner Rank due to his past experiences and proficiency in manipulating spiritual energy.
However, now he was able to feel twice as much spiritual energy in his magic reserves in the aurasea and the aurasea took on a distinct shape of a circle, instead of it floating around like a mass of clouds. This was another defining characteristic of the beginning of cultivation.
Kael was now officially a cultivator. With this, he was now able to soul-bind Common Rank Items to himself, increasing his combat abilities. At hand, he already had one item which he could do so with; the Ice Artifice. Due to the perilous nature of the Black Heart Forest, he hadn't found time to soul-bind the item, nor use it to continue incubating the eggs. This would be one of his priorities now that he had arrived in the city.
The whole city was in an uproar when they realised Kael was back.
"I thought he was gone for good! He came back in the end! What is a monstrous talent like him doing in Fledgling City?"
"Only the Three Gods know. I suppose he must be here for a reason."
"That's right, but what could the reason be? There's nothing fanciful in Fledgling City for a talent like him."
"He's after all not at the Commoner Rank yet. Maybe he's here for cultivation resources?"
"You are wrong! Look carefully at his aura again! He's at the Commoner Rank now!"
"Heavens! It's only been a little over more than a week and he already advanced rank?! Where did he go exactly!"
Everyone was discussing about Kael the moment they saw him, though no one dared to approach him for some reason. The aura he gave off was a factor as well. Since he was so powerful when he was a normal person, he must be even more terrifying now that he had officially advanced to become a cultivator.
Kael was already used to stares from the people ever since he came back victorious from the Whitemoon Mines. He didn't let them bother him. The first thing Kael did when he returned to the city was to pay the City Lord faction a visit.
At the City Lord residence.
"Good heavens! Kael, you broke through to the Commoner Rank in such a short period of time? Congratulations! What did you do exactly?" Patten Eagle exclaimed. He had a very deep impression of this young man ever since his spectacular performance against the huge goblin in the Whitemoon Mines.
"I merely went into the Black Heart Forest to train. After ingesting countless monster cores belonging to demonic beasts of the Commoner Rank Lower Phase to Late Phase, I managed to achieve a breakthrough in this amount of time. However, my foundation is still unstable due to my speed in breaking through, so I still need some time to consolidate my foundations."
"That is great news. I'm happy for you. However, there must be a reason why you are visiting us the moment you came back. What is it about?" Richard Duran was keen to spot the crux of the issue.
"City Lord, you are right. Remember about my promise that I will make great contributions to Fledgling City? Now that I have sufficient capability, it is time to enact my promise."
"Oh? What are you intending to do exactly? Quick, tell us." Richard Duran could barely contain his excitement. He thought that it must be the arrangement of the Three Gods that sent such an exemplary young man into Fledgling City.
"I'll reveal the details later. For now, I need a forging room of the utmost quality."
