26 Chapter 26 - The Mysterious Exercise of The Hale Family (4)

"Take one step forward," Nathan instructed after he analyzed the path to travel to the platform in the center of the formation.

Theodore respectively followed his teacher's instructions.

The first step into the formation, Theodore felt as if a powerful beast was glaring at him from somewhere near. Although he could guess it was just his imagination, his heart could not help but tighten slightly.

Seemingly sensing his disciple's unease, Nathan consoled, "Don't worry; it's alright. I had already investigated; there was nothing life-threatening."

The two spiritual weapons also anxiously buzzed and flew up and down, hoping to cheer Theodore up.

Theodore felt everyone's concern for him, and it greatly encouraged him. He smiled toward Nathan and the two armaments before saying, "Thank you very much; I felt much better now."

Theodore then closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. When he opened his eyes again, there was tremendous resolution in them.

Since he was the one who insisted on getting in, he would not retreat.

He looked toward Nathan with determination before saying, "Teacher, let's continue."

"Continue taking nine steps to the left, no more, no less." Nathan nodded as he guided his disciple seriously.

Theodore acted in accordance with Nathan's guidance. He walked on the tile on his left side one by one, respectively.

With each step Theodore took, he felt an increase in his apprehension. However, since he had already expected it, he dealt with his unease better than previously.

Every time Theodore felt especially uneasy, he stopped for a short moment before he continued. Soon, he took the ninth step that his teacher mentioned.

Along the way, the two spiritual armaments also imitated his step outside the formation to stay as close to him as possible. Every time Theodore paused, they halted as well.

The Impending Doom and The Misty Blade even forgot to compete with each. Their sincere consideration warmed Theodore's heart, significantly boosting his morale.

Nathan also felt relieved that Theodore could successfully reach the ninth step. Only he knew the dilemma he faced.

Before giving Theodore new guidance, Nathan carefully checked and analyzed the formation to ensure he did not make a mistake; it was one challenging task.

The patterns and tricks in the formation were more complicated than he thought when he analyzed it deeply; even he was surprised by its thoughtful optimization and exceptional mana usage.

Consequently, he also doubted Theodore's words slightly.

Nathan believed that Farrell, Theodore's father, did not know he was an expert in formation, as even people in Ashford's family did not know about it.

He found that it did not make sense for Farrell to tell Theodore about the exercise without telling him how to get through the formation, considering how dangerous it was.

As a good friend of Farrell, Nathan knew his personality well. Although Theodore's father was pretty willful, he also regularly made several backhands according to the risks he took.

That was one of the reasons why Farrell dared to help him in the academy when his situation was terrible.

Although he suspected Theodore's story, he also found no apparent loophole. Before accepting him as an apprentice, he had investigated Theodore's situation, so he knew his disciple had never visited this mansion.

In the end, Nathan just assumed that Farrell had made an error or that Theodore had yet to discover all the clues given. He buried his suspicions in his heart as he instructed his disciple on the correct path.

Theodore also followed Nathan's guidance without realizing his teacher's doubt.

He unknowingly made this mistake because he did not know Farrell well enough; his childhood time with his father was too short.

His memory of his father was even less apparent than that of his uncle and his teacher!

Initially, it was a slight oversight; however, this minor flaw became prominent in the face of those who knew Theodore's father well, and one such person was Nathan Ashford.

...

Theodore followed Nathan's guidance in breaking through the formation until he approached the center.

The closer Theodore was to the platform, the stronger the dread he felt, but he continued to grit his teeth and persist.

Finally, he reached the center of the formation and faced the stair to go up the platform.

Theodore breathed a relieved sigh; he had ultimately passed the first hurdle.

Although he had expected to successfully reach the center's platform with his teacher's help, he was still uneasy. It was only when he indeed advanced to the stair that his heart loosened slightly.

Not only was Theodore more relieved, but Nathan and the two spiritual weapons also became more at ease.

The Impending Doom and The Misty Blade made a buzzing sound in a pattern similar to a short song as they danced cheerfully.

Nathan, in contrast, did not completely relax. Theodore just passed the first step, and there were still difficulties remaining before Theodore reached the exercise.

Nathan dared to let Theodore enter because he could guess the nature of the formation and was sure that he could get his disciple out alive. However, there was also a possibility that Theodore would be injured.

As long as the injury was not too serious, Nathan would treat them as a lesson for his apprentice. Nonetheless, he was still careful as he did not wish to arrive too late.

Nathan was indeed optimistic about Theodore's future, but he was still uncertain if his disciple would really get the exercise.