Future Troubles?
Jacob charged forward, slightly angry at his loss just now. He raised his sword above his head with both hands and sliced downwards.
Alex lazily stepped to the right and watched Jacob sword strike the dirt.
Jacob's head followed Alex as he moved to the side, he scrambled to regain balance and quickly followed up with a slash sideways, taking a step forward following the momentum from his initial attack.
Alex stepped back with one foot to widen his stance, he raised his sword and successfully parried the attack. Alex noticed that Jacob stance was narrow and unbalanced.
Alex stepped forward and slashed toward Jacob neck. Jacob turned to the right and awkwardly blocked the powerful attack.
He was completely off balance. Alex followed up with a simple kick to the knee, and Jacob collapsed.
Jacob stood up, visibly angry at his continued losses.
Alex and Jacob stood ten feet apart and stared at each other for a few seconds. Suddenly, Alex dashed forward, swinging his sword from an awkward angle towards Jacob's head.
"Peng!"
Jacob raised his sword and met Alex's sword, successfully parrying the attack. Alex struck out again with his sword at a lower angle, causing Jacob to awkwardly parry his attack.
Expecting this, Alex's right leg was already kicking forward at a low angle, targeting Jacob's legs. Not expecting the sudden follow up from Alex, Jacob lost his balance as Alex's kick caused him to stumble slightly.
This opening was all Alex needed, as he rushed forward to deliver the finishing blow. The flat of Alex's sword struck Jacob on the side of his head, sending him flying a few feet back and tumbling to the ground.
"Agh, bastard!" yelled Jacob.
Jacob stood up and stared at Alex with an enraged look on his face. All of a sudden, Jacob dashed towards Alex and punched him with all his power.
"Mountain Fist!!"
While Jacob didn't dare kill Alex, he felt like breaking a few bones wouldn't be too big of a problem.
"Humph, you want to punch; do you think I am scared of you?" Alex retaliated in an equally powerful way and punched Jacob back.
"Ending Fist" was the name of his new fist technique.
"Bam!"
"Gah!"
Alex and Jacob's fists collided, and Jacob was sent flying backward, rolling head over heels a few times before finally coming to a stop twenty feet away.
Everyone in the area immediately looked towards the scene that had just unfolded, a dumbstruck look on all their faces.
Jacob struggled to stand up, but was unable to muster the strength to do so.
A shocked Elder Rong stood there for a few seconds before running over towards Jacob, popping a small green pill in his mouth after he arrived.
"Alex, what just happened?" Rong called out as he ran over towards Alex.
Alex smiled wryly and replied, "Jacob suddenly attacked me at full power, so I had no choice but to respond in kind."
"That's not what I'm talking about. Did you achieve body refinement realm?" asked Rong, flabbergasted at Alex reply.
"Oh, yes, I just woke up one day and was able to cultivate," Alex replied. He figured keeping the truth about what really happened was a smart idea. Not even his parents should not know about the system, it was a secret that he should take to his grave.
"Wha…what? You woke up...and could cultivate…? How does that even make sense?" asked a stunned Rong.
"Your guess is as good as mine. I just woke up and was a Body Refinement cultivator" Alex replied.
"How did you knock Jacob back though? He's at the body Refinement 3rd stage already?" Rong followed up, the shocked look on his face still present.
"Oh. I'm in the second stage of body refinement. I guess all those time I was training had paid off. That's the only thing I can think of as to why I went straight to the 3rd stage of body Refinement" Alex replied sheepishly.
Rong looked at Alex as if he were a complete anomaly. Although Alex was now a 2nd stage refinement cultivator, Jacob was one level higher at 3rd stage refinement.
Normally, hopping stages was nearly impossible, and was something reserved only for the most gifted of geniuses. Rong had no idea how to follow up on what Alex just said, so he stood there in silence for a few seconds. Gathering his composure, Rong started laughing heartily.
"Hahahaha, well, whatever the reason, you're finally a cultivator. I knew the heavens wouldn't stay blind forever." Rong exclaimed happily while slapping Alex on the back.
He continued, "Anyway, you didn't have to use so much power for that attack just now. I saw everything, so I know you're not at fault, but do remember to control your power in the future. These are your own clan members after all."
"I understand, Elder Rong," replied Alex. Alex then continued walking over to an empty section of the martial arena.
Over to the side of the martial arena, Leon Dracon and a few of his friends watched the events unfold in front of them.
"Alex can cultivate now!" exclaimed one of the boys.
"Even if he can, he's only a second-stage body refinement cultivator. He's already so far behind from all those missed years of cultivating. Trash will forever be trash," another person stated, looking towards Leon.
Leon had an indifferent look on his face, as if everything that happened was of no concern to him, before turning back to his sparring partner and continuing his training.
....
"Show me what you got!" shouted Alex's new opponent. Alex smiled at the guy before dashing towards him. The sun was starting to set, casting brilliant orange hues over the martial arena.
Alex has been sparring the whole afternoon, perfecting his martial arts techniques; both of them sparred intensely for several minutes before his opponent collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.
"Huff, huff. Although my opponent was weaker than me, my body began to tire as well; I've been fighting for quite some time, and I'm starting to feel the strain on my body," Alex reflected.
He approached his injured opponent and extended his hand, saying, "Nice match; thanks for practicing with me." He thanked his opponent.
"Yo-you're w-welcome." The boy responded awkwardly.
It was the end of the day, and the kids were returning to their homes. As Alex prepared to leave, he approached Elder Rong and spoke with him.
"Thanks for today, elder Rong." Alex thanked him.
"How was your training, Alex?" Elder Rong, with a smile on his face, asked.
"It was good; I learned a lot today." Alex wasn't lying; he had learned something. His technique and control were improving with every practice session.
"I'm going home now; thank you for allowing me to join," Alex said to Elder Rong.
He said his goodbyes to Elder Rong before heading back to his parents' home. Alex arrived home and sat down to eat dinner with his family.
Lucas Dracon downed another glass of wine, swaying slightly as he turned to Alex. "I talked to my father about you. He agrees that this is a wondrous occasion worthy of celebration."
"Grandpa?" Alex Grandpa was the clan's previous leader, but he handed over his position to Alex Father and retired.
"We will host a party in your honor soon and invite some nearby clans to join in on the festivities."
Alex smiled happily as he downed another mouthful of stew. He chatted with his parents for some time before retiring to his bedroom. Alex washed up and put on a fresh robe before falling onto his bed, a smile lingering on his face as he fell asleep.
.....
Later that night
In another part of the clan, a masked man could be seen kneeling in front of a shadowed figure.
"Leon informed me today that Alex is now able to cultivate. What should we do?" asked the masked man.
"Nothing. For now. Let's observe Alex and see what happens. If he doesn't cause any trouble for us, just leave him; but if he does, I'll handle it myself," the shadowed figure replied.
"As you wish," responded the masked man before quietly leaving the room.
To Be Continued...