Chapter 72 "Rigorous" Training

"Muria, the armor derived from your bloodline is quite good, very tough, but that's not enough. Your mastery of power, your application of Titan martial arts are all insufficient. Every move you make lacks killing intent."

With black hair cascading down, Cleist stared at the panting Muria in front of him, whose armor was cracked all over, and seriously offered his advice.

"After you go back, take a good rest, then let your spirit transport you to the demon training ground to practice well through endless slaughter to hone your martial skills."

"Again!" Muria gasped.

"Boring. Come fight me again after you've mastered the techniques," Cleist turned around, walking towards his great sword, "I don't have time to be your sparring partner to train you. Find Titans of your own level to challenge, and stop looking for me."

The towering Titan turned and drew his sword, a teleportation array slowly forming beneath his feet, "When practicing martial skills, stop using the armor derived from your Dragon bloodline."

"Huh!" Muria watched as Titan Cleist disappeared in front of him, exhaling deeply. His body's shattered Dragon armor could no longer self-heal as his power was nearly depleted.

"He's so strong!" Muria recalled the recent battle, still feeling the aftershocks. Cleist was far stronger than he had imagined, completely overwhelming him from start to finish as he was forced to defend passively.

"Giants simply can't compare to Titans; the gap is too vast," Muria murmured. However, a smile then appeared on his face, "Though it was somewhat stifling, it greatly improved my martial skills. A few more times without the Dragon armor, and I could hold my own against Gerald."

"Too bad he doesn't want to fight me anymore," Muria muttered. "Demon training ground, what exactly is that place?"

"Master, shall we teleport back?" a familiar voice echoed in Muria's ears. It was his spirit, Cassio's voice.

"Teleport." Muria looked around the empty arena, also noting the ground shattered from his battle with Cleist, which to his surprise was slowly healing itself.

"Buzz!" The teleportation array beneath Muria's feet activated, his figure vanishing from the spacious arena.

"Welcome back, master." When Muria reappeared in the courtyard of his residence, the semi-transparent and somewhat ethereal Cassio bowed to him.

"Mm." After Muria returned, he glanced around at the rugged buildings in his residence, casually choosing the largest one to enter.

True to the architecture's rough exterior, the interior of the house was equally rugged, devoid of any refinement. The walls were a natural pale gray, decorated with some peculiar adornments.

"When did they put these in?" Muria approached a wall lined with a series of shimmering, special "decorations," pondering somewhat helplessly.

"Clang!" Muria took a double-edged battle axe from the wall. As he grasped it, he felt a slight weight, quite substantial.

"Feels good, as if it was custom-made for me." Muria swung the battle axe gently, a shallow cold light shot out, embedding in the ground.

"Tsk, this must be mixed with some special metal," Muria observed the long shallow groove that appeared in the ground, murmuring quietly.

"Master, all the weapons in your room were custom-made for you, as a transition before you acquire your own exclusive weapons. Please make good use of them until they all break."

"All used until they break, huh? How many battles would that take?" Muria gently stroked the axe's blade. He couldn't tell what metal it was forged from, but he was sure it wasn't mixed with legendary metal. It seemed like an alloy of several special metals.

Muria hung the battle axe back on the wall and surveyed the various weapons hanging there—swords, spears, axes, and more, a complete array.

"There are so many types of weapons," Muria turned to his spirit.

"This is so you can choose the weapon that suits you best through their use. Therefore, it's essential to have a full range of weapon types," Cassio responded.

"Alright!" Muria agreed, then walked to the only piece of furniture in his room, a bed—or rather, a neatly cut, smooth-surfaced huge rock.

"There's not a single thing for enjoyment or entertainment," Muria sighed helplessly upon seeing the only furniture in his room, then promptly lay down on it, tired.

"Master, for Titans, battle is the greatest pleasure, and slaughtering chaotic creatures is the best entertainment," Cassio said calmly.

"Nonsense, then what's the point of living?" Muria waved his hand impatiently, not ready to accept such a concept, "Cassio, got anything to eat? I'm hungry."

After the battle with the golden-tier Titan Cleist, Muria had been constantly injured, his Dragon armor continuously shattered. Repairing it had drained him significantly, leaving his body nearly powerless, which was why Cleist had stopped the fight.

"Just a moment, master."

"..." Lying on the stone bed, Muria slightly turned his head, then noticed three piles of elemental crystals beside his bed, "What are these?"

"Your food."

Muria sat up, picking up a crystal brimming with fire elements, more potent and purer than the elemental crystals from his Taiji Island, seemingly compressed from a massive amount of fire elements.

"Do Titans eat these elemental crystals to replenish what they've used?" Muria asked blankly.

"Young Titans eat wind and thunder attribute elemental crystals, while adult Titans do not need to eat."

"I see." Muria stared at the brilliant red crystal in his hand, hesitated for a moment, then brought it to his mouth, biting down with his white teeth.

Dragons have a broad diet and can even digest inorganic materials. In dire situations, dragons can eat dirt to fill their stomachs—a species that can never starve.

As beings higher in rank than dragons, Titans have an even broader diet. The higher the life form's level, the broader its diet. Picky eating is a trait of lower beings. Titans and dragons can eat almost anything.

"Crunch!" Muria chewed the red crystal and swallowed it.

"No taste! But..." Muria placed his hand on his chest. After swallowing the fire element crystal, he felt a warm flow spreading from his stomach throughout his body, "Warm and comfortable."

"Crunch!" "Crunch!"... After experiencing the sensation of directly swallowing elemental crystals, Muria hesitated no more. He grabbed the wind, thunder, and fire elemental crystals one after another and tossed them into his mouth.

As Muria continued to consume the crystals, he became more spirited, his previous lethargy vanishing. His golden eyes shone brightly, with thunder gleaming within, and his black shoulder-length hair fluttered with the power emanating from him.

"Crunch!" After Muria chewed and swallowed the last thunder elemental crystal handed to him by Cassio, he looked up with his now glowing golden eyes at the ethereal form of Cassio, "Bring me some more, I haven't had enough."

"Master, you've had enough; you can't eat any more."

"Hm!" Only then did Muria notice his body flickering with tiny sparks of lightning

, surrounded by a blue wind and a thin layer of golden flame burning, and he felt full, much like being stuffed in his previous life.

"My strength is fully restored." Muria got off the stone bed and stood up. Pieces of his shattered dragon scale armor appeared, quickly healing as they drew on the abundant power within Muria's body.

"Ah, that's comfortable." Muria moved his body, the consumed power perfectly offsetting his sense of fullness, making him feel refreshed and clear-headed.

Cassio, seeing Muria's satisfied expression, smiled slightly. She had carefully calculated the amount of elemental crystals prepared for Muria.

"Master, do you need anything else?"

"No." Muria waved his hand, "I'm going to meditate and rest now."

"Just call my name if you need anything, master." After saying this, the gentle-spirited Cassio disappeared into specks of light.

"Tsk, so high-end." Muria smacked his lips in admiration, then sat cross-legged on the stone bed and began to meditate. During his time on Taiji Island, Muria had replaced sleep with meditation.

In Muria's view, meditation was an alternative method of rest, similar to sleep but also slightly increasing his mental strength each day. Over time, the increase in mental strength was quite substantial.

It's a fantastic method of cultivation that allows for rest and cultivation without compromise, though it consumes a bit much. After all, mental strength can't grow out of thin air; ultimately, it requires the consumption of the body's vital energy as a cost.

Unbeknownst to Muria, who had entered a meditative state, a glowing array silently emerged beneath his stone bed, smoothing his breathing and causing his lips to unconsciously curl into a slight smile.

"Cassio, I'm hungry." After meditating all night, Muria opened his eyes and immediately shouted into the emptiness, then noticed the fading array beneath him.

"What's this..." Muria touched the stone bed, which had returned to its ordinary, rough stone texture, recalling the patterns he had seen, "A meditation-assisting array, those guys, aren't they just killing machines? When did they inscribe such a supportive array?"

"Master, your food." Cassio's ethereal figure coalesced in the air, and at the same time, three neatly arranged piles of elemental crystals appeared beside Muria.

This time, Muria saw clearly that the elemental crystals he ate were also transported through a small, exquisite array.