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As Master Basil left the Winter Garden, thoughts of revenge consumed him.
"Arrogant brat, you dare insult this king. I'm going to kill you or have you killed as soon as you leave the academy," he fumed silently.
Inside the garden, tension was high among the disciples.
"Dammit, Oasis, you've caused us trouble! Now we have to fight seniors," Tatsuo complained.
"This kid, you have barely even mastered our garden techniques, and you're acting all tough and big," Tyla added.
"Don't blame each other," Liora spoke politely.
"Don't act like you know me. Instead of shouting at me, use that energy to train," Oasis retorted.
"And just because I've been showing my skills at a pace you could understand doesn't mean we're on the same level. Don't you ever speak to me in that manner."
Oasis removed his upper clothing and began cultivating, ignoring the shocked looks from his fellow disciples.
Master Renald chose not to interfere, believing they could solve their problems on their own and would step in only if things escalated.
The group joined Oasis and completed their first lesson, followed by their second, and ended with their usual training, practicing the Scorching Crescent Blade technique.
After dinner, they prepared for the next day.
As Oasis headed to his room, he took out his sword.
"Damn, I've been trying to refine this sword for the last week, and it's been going slow," he thought.
"Let's continue where we left off," Oasis muttered as he sat in a lotus position on a cushion, holding the sword in his hands.
Refining involved channeling mana into the object to mark ownership in the conscious realm, a process that required immense focus and energy using both spiritual energy and mana.
As Oasis channeled his mana and spiritual energy, the sword started glowing, rapidly absorbing more energy.
Massive amounts of energy flowed from Oasis into the sword.
"Damn, this thing is sucking me dry. It's like it's alive," Oasis thought, struggling to keep up.
After hours of continuous effort, a phoenix mark, mirroring the tattoo on Oasis's shoulder, appeared on the blade just after the hilt.
"Finally, I refined it," Oasis said, exhausted and almost out of mana.
He pulled out a mana replenishing pill and a spirit replenishing pill from his bracelet, swallowed them, and collapsed into sleep.
In the days following the faction challenge, the Basil faction spread the news throughout the entire academy.
Whispers and gossip spread among students and instructors alike.
"Master Renald's faction is going to be dissolved."
"So much for being elites, those poor disciples."
"A faction duel between first-year and second-year students? Is it even possible?"
"I thought faction duels were only between students of the same year. What's going on in this academy?"
"But the fact that Master Renald accepted it means it's allowed."
Faction wars and duels typically involved factions with students of the same practical year.
Since the Basil faction was a second-year student faction, the news was groundbreaking within the academy.
"Ha ha ha, that brat causing trouble again. Elias, what have you unleashed here?" Great Instructor Leonardo Graymare pondered in his office.
Students and instructors were abuzz, eagerly anticipating the duel.
The challenge was unusual, and the stakes were high.
It was evident that the Basil faction aimed to subjugate the Renald faction and earn points in the process.
---
"You called for me, Master," Oasis spoke to Master Renald in the main hall.
"Yes, Oasis. I see you have been training very hard," Master Renald began.
"Just don't push yourself too hard, Oasis. It's okay to work hard, but also work smart and make sure to get enough rest," Master Renald continued.
"I've also noticed that you have already grasped most of the Scorching Crescent Blade technique," he remarked.
"However, refrain from infusing your own fire mana into the sword for now."
"You can only do that once you reach the Tabula-Rasa realm."
"What you're achieving already is commendable, especially considering it has only been a few weeks since you arrived here," Master Renald advised oasis.
Using a manifestation of your mana on a weapon is a high feat, requiring substantial mana reserves and a fully developed mana heart.
Practitioners can typically achieve this when they reach the Tabula-Rasa realm,
at this point, Oasis was already at the intermediate layer of the Tabula-Rasa realm, a fact known only to Great Instructor Leonardo and kept confidential by Oasis himself.
Since he and the other disciples had been training together,
Oasis had been showing his capability at the pace of the other disciples, making them even doubt the rumors of him fighting a second-year disciple and winning.
By observing his fellow disciples, Oasis realized that they couldn't use mana manifestation on their weapons, deducing that they hadn't reached the Tabula-Rasa realm, unlike him.
"Thank you, Master," Oasis agreed.
"Oh, Oasis... no matter. You may take your leave," Master Renald said kindly.
As Oasis left the hall,
"I wanted to ask him about his blue flames, but I didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable," Master Renald thought to himself.
Outside, the other disciples had just finished their lunch during their afternoon break.
"Hey, Oasis, I've put some food for you in the dining area," Liora spoke politely to Oasis, with a hint of shyness.
"Thanks, Liora," Oasis expressed his gratitude with a smile and hurried to the dining hall.
"Why are you being so caring towards him?" Tayla asked Liora harshly.
"We are in trouble because of him. Soon, we might be under that old man Basil," Tayla continued.
Liora remained silent, preparing for her last training session.
"Damn, Oasis, what have you done?" Tatsuo pondered to himself as he also prepared for training.
The mood in the training field was tense as the disciples faced the prospect of a difficult challenge.
Master Renald had chosen not to intervene, placing his trust in Oasis to resolve the situation on their own.
Despite feeling hopeless, they continued to train harder and harder, inspired by Oasis's relentless dedication and work ethic.