13 A New Teacher
The next morning, Ashur woke up bright and early so that Linus could teach him about the ancient Etherian Cultivation Style.
To prevent anyone from finding out the secret of his amulet, he went to a quiet place in the woods.
“Young man, I expect that you haven’t heard much about the ancient Etherian Cultivation Style before?” Linus asked rhetorically as if he already knew the answer.
Ashur shook his head firmly. Just a few weeks ago, he hadn’t even heard of the Etherian Cultivation Style, let alone the ancient version of it.
“That is perfectly normal.” Linus explained, “In fact, many of the Etherians today don’t even know the ancient Etherian Cultivation Style.
In the past, the Cultivation Style of Etheria was very different. Of course, the current cultivation techniques of Etheria are drawn from the ancient practices that have long been forgotten. But now, the current Cultivation Style is just a much watered down version of what it used to be.
The core of the Cultivation Style is rather similar and is centered around Elemental Magic. But while the current Style focuses more on the individual elements, the ancient style explores the synergy of combining different elements together. This allows us to use a larger scale force.”
“Wow!” Ashur was impressed by the sound of this and was keen to learn this rare Cultivation Style.
He turned to Linus, bowed, and said humbly, “Please teach me all that you know, Master!”
Sensing his enthusiasm, Linus smiled and nodded. “You are probably the first person in several thousand years to access these techniques. If you learn them well and master them, you will be almost undefeatable.”
“Let me first give you a demonstration of what this Cultivation Style encompasses,” Linus said. “Stand aside.”
Ashur obediently moved a distance away from Linus.
Facing Ashur, Linus explained his actions as he did them. “First and foremost, I will set up an Invisibility Barrier first so that no one will notice us from the village,” he said as he clapped his hands together.
A white spiderweb-like net cast itself over the entire forest, covering every inch of the forest.
“Now, even though they can see the forest from outside, they cannot see what is going on inside,” Linus told Ashur.
Following which, Linus pointed towards the sky, and a black tornado started to descend. As it moved downwards, it started spinning faster and faster, gaining momentum...
Swoosh!
The tornado hit the ground, and immediately started destroying everything in its wake.
Even from a distance, Ashur could feel how strong the winds blowing at him from the tornado was.
Ashur nodded in awe of this spectacle. It was an impressive display of magical ability.
“That is not all, young man. Watch this.” Linus shouted to Ashur over the strong winds.
With that, he threw a spark of fire at the tornado, and it erupted into flames.
The amount of destruction the tornado now caused doubled in size. In addition to the raging winds, purple flames now swirled in a circular motion as well, burning whatever was in its proximity into ashes.
“Oh no! Master! What have you done to the forest? Is it permanently damaged now? How am I going to explain this?” Ashur exclaimed in panic. It would not be good if the entire forest was wiped out.
Linus just shook his head and grinned. “Boy, you severely underestimate how powerful I am. This is nothing.”
He snapped his fingers, and immediately, the tornado vanished into thin air. At the same moment, the rain started pouring down, extinguishing the flames completely.
“Wow...But wait, the trees and grass are all still burnt!” Ashur remarked. Although the fire tornado was gone, the trees and grass were still blackened and browned. Not a trace of green remained in the entire forest.
With a sweeping motion, Linus scattered thousands of dark green droplets. Upon making contact with the ground, the charred grasses and trees were immediately restored to their original condition, even greener than before.
If one had not personally seen the fire tornado turn the forest into a zone of destruction just a moment ago, they would never have believed that it had ever been touched before.
Ashur’s jaw dropped. This was unlike anything he had ever seen, and even beyond anything, he had ever imagined.
So this was the power of a true Grand Master.
Masters of Cultivation were already so powerful. But compared to a Grand Master, it was a world of difference apart. If a Master could destroy a house easily, a Grand Master could destroy a village.
“And that, young man, is the power of the ancient Etherian Cultivation Style.” Linus bowed slightly and said with a flourish.
Ashur gave him a smattering round of applause.
“Master! That is awesome!” He said in deep admiration. “When will I be able to do that?”
Linus laughed. “Young man, I took over 50 years to reach this stage. What do you think?”
Hearing that, Ashur frowned. 50 years? That seemed like such a long time. He would be an old man by that time.
“Patience, young man, patience. We all have to start somewhere. I will start by teaching you the basics. Learn them well, and we can soon progress to the advanced techniques.” Linus said matter-of-factly.
“Alright then,” Ashur said disappointedly. He had hoped to become a great Warrior quickly then return home to make his parents proud of what he had accomplished. But it looked like it wasn’t going to be such a short journey.
Seeing Ashur’s downcast expression, Linus laughed again. “Cheer up, boy. I have witnessed your attitude during training. It is commendable. As long as you continue to have a good attitude, I am sure your hard work will eventually bear fruits.”
When Ashur heard his words of assurance, he brightened up significantly.
“There is something I must tell you though,” Linus warned Ashur.
Linus’s suddenly serious tone took Ashur by surprise.
“Master, what is it?” He asked curiously.
