Chapter 10: First Battle!

Sending a strand of his spiritual energy into the giant stone, Sorin began searching for his opponents.

Some names were glowing red, indicating that they had already been challenged while others didn't emit any light. Sorin could send a challenge to these people with red names but they could reject it while the other names would be forced to battle in the arena.

Due to the vast number of outer disciples, once you send the challenge, it will immediately notify them through their medallion. However, your match wouldn't instantly start. Until it was your turn, you had to wait for about 4 hours as other disciples would be fighting at this time.

Once it was your turn to fight, if you win, you can consecutively fight and keep on challenging until you lose or decide to stop. The wait time would only be about half an hour when you do this as you would take priority.

After a few seconds of searching, Sorin immediately selected someone who was 93 ranks higher than him. He would've went for someone 100 ranks higher, but they had already been challenged.

After he selected his opponent, Sorin went to the seats of the outer arena.

As he had a few hours to wait, he decided to quickly refamiliarise himself with the shadowless steps technique.

Taking the scroll out from within his robes, Sorin began reading through it.

This low grade technique only had a maximum of 3 attainments which is low, mid and high. The higher grade techniques had even more attainments which are master, quasi-grandmaster, grandmaster, quasi-supreme, supreme, quasi-divine and divine.

Shadowless steps had 12 movements. Once you learn each of them until they were instinct, it can be classed as achieving a low attainment. At this attainment, you would simply use a movement to dodge.

Each movements can be rearranged with any of the other movements, creating 66 variations. Once you learn all the variations and also how one movement can flow seamlessly to the next would it be classed as a mid attainment. Achieving this mastery allows you to even initiate the offensive — using it for speed.

At the master attainment, you had to become the shadow itself. Each movement wouldn't even make a sound.

Sorin had only mastered this art in his previous life to the mid level. The third attainment required some understanding of the true path towards darkness.

Although Sorin comprehended the verity of abyss in his previous life, darkness and abyss held different principles. If he wanted to merge his understanding of abyss to this technique, he would essentially be making a new technique.

For such a low level technique, the effort wasn't worth it. However, just this attainment would allow him to easily destroy his opponents. Most disciples spend countless months to get a grasp of their technique.

For mere outer disciples in such a small academy, achieving a low attainment would already be good. Even if someone had a mid, high or master attainment, Sorin was still confident.

Without realising it, 4 hours had quickly passed when Sorin's medallion suddenly made a sound, indicating that his match will be starting soon.

Without delay, Sorin stood up and went to the centre of the arena as he waited for his opponent.

Despite this being the outer arena, a duel between Spirit Masters is always entertaining. Apart from cultivating your realm, getting resources and a few other things, most disciples would spend their time watching battles. Thus, the outer arena is never short of spectators.

Some with not so good talent would frequent this place so they were quite familiar with rising stars of outer disciples.

Seeing a young boy stepping onto the arena, the crowd began discussing.

"Who is this? I've never seen his face before."

"Seeing how he has no weapons and just his outer disciple robes, he seems to be someone that has recently been admitted to the academy."

"No way! Is he asking to get badly beaten and humiliated? This place isn't for someone that hasn't even seen a drop of blood before!"

"Indeed... from his spiritual undulations, the child seems to be close to the first level of Outer Assimilation. Although this is quite good considering he must have recently been admitted, most fighters in the arena are at least at the first level who's already fought with spirit beasts and have practised with their technique much longer."

"Then this fight would probably not be entertaining. Compared to the fight with Suho and Ashel, it will be like comparing earth to heaven! He probably picked someone a few ranks higher than him to challenge then."

...

After a few minutes of waiting, another person had walked up to the arena.

This person was bald and was carrying a black staff on his back. His expression was fierce, looking extremely unhappy.

Seeing this person, a few people in the crowd had shocked expressions.

"No way! This kid actually challenged Caaz! He's been quite active these few days and had nearly got 100 ranks!"

"You can't be serious! No wonder he looks so unhappy! This kid must have problems with his brain! Does he not know the difference between ranks! He's really arrogant! He probably picked him as he couldn't choose someone at the 100 ranks as they would already have been challenged!"

As the crowd were discussing Sorin's foolish decision, Caaz had already stepped up onto the arena.

Seeing all the spectators, Caaz frowned. After all, he was someone at the first level of Outer Assimilation. To win against someone who hasn't even reached the same level was nothing to be proud of. Moreover, he was extremely unhappy.

Who does this kid think he is?

He had been cultivating for 5 months already and has achieved a low attainment in his technique! In only 2 days, he had nearly gotten 100 ranks. His current rank wasn't even his limit! He could definitely get to 1000 ranks in a week.

Moreover, he had an 8 win streak. Once he gets 10, he could do a greater challenge and fight someone 1000 ranks higher than him.

Feeling slightly irritated, he spoke.

"Boy, I'm not sure if you are aware or not, but the Soaring Arena isn't some place to play around in. Whether you accidentally chose my name or not, Just forfeit so I don't have to fight you and you can save some of your dignity."

Hearing the bald boy's words, Sorin faced him and sneered, his eyes looking at him like some kind of dog that was barking at him.

Seeing Sorin's contemptuous gaze, Caaz felt his veins on his head bursting. He knew that expression as, he too, had that expression whenever he views someone beneath him.

It was then that Sorin spoke.

"Stop talking, just you is not enough for me to even be slightly concerned about."

Caaz's face had nearly turned completely red with fury with Sorin's words.

An ant was actually calling him weak?!

Laughing, he replied.

"Haha! You are a funny person! I tried to give you a way out as you seem quite new here but it looks like I have to beat some sense into you!"

With those words, he grabbed his staff.

The moment he held his staff, he released his fighting intent and rushed at Sorin.

In a blink of an eye, he had already arrived in front of his opponent!

He thrusted his staff forwards as Sorin casually tilted his body, the staff just a breath away from grazing him.

Despite Sorin dodging his first attack, he simply rained down even more attacks, however, Sorin was also effortlessly evading them with minimal movement.

When the spectators were seeing this, they all became bewildered. Despite the difference in levels, how was Sorin able to keep up with him?

As for Caaz, he was becoming more agitated through every attack he missed.

Seeing that his direct attacks were not working, he decided to do an unexpected move.

It was then that Caaz suddenly sweeped his staff, hoping to throw Sorin off balance. However, Sorin had already anticipated the attack as he took a step back before raising one of his legs and kicking his stomach.

Caaz grunted in pain as he took 7 steps back.

This... Caaz was actually getting suppressed!

Caaz felt even more anger consume his heart. Weaker than this person? He couldn't accept it!

Like a wild beast, Caaz pounced at Sorin, leaping into the air and swinging his staff down with terrifying power.

This was a technique!

Spiritual energy was subtly revolving around his staff. The power it held was around 500kg!

Sorin felt that he shouldn't play around much longer. He was just getting used to his body with all of those dodges previously.

At the moment when Caaz's staff descended, Sorin immediately found a vulnerability as he let out a punch, his arms tempered with primal energy. Despite such a precise attack, there was no thought behind it — this was merely based on Sorin's pure instinct honed through over a century of battles.

Bang!

His punch landed just below his sternum, the force behind the punch immediately sending the boy flying in the air.

The boy's body skipped on the arena floor before stopping. His body trembled as he weakly lifted himself, only to end up collapsing and coughing out blood.

Caaz felt as if a hole had been punched through his stomach. The force behind that punch was too powerful. Even fighters at the fourth level of Outer Assimilation may only be just slightly stronger.

Were their eyes deceiving them? The onlookers were unable to understand what just happened. They were stunned! This boy was simply too monstrous! Throughout the entire fight, Caaz hadn't landed a single attack and was beaten in one move!

"This... is this kid like Suho? Does he also have a strength innate talent?"

Earth grants humans their in-born talent which can be grade 1 or 2 for example. The higher the grade, the faster and easier one can absorb spiritual energy. While Earth grants in-born talent, Heaven could bless a human with an innate talent.

There were countless innate talents but one of the more well known ones were strength based innate talents.

These strength innate talents could vary. Some could increase one's physical strength by 3 times whilst Suho was at 10 times!

Obviously, in battles, this would be very beneficial. However, it doesn't make them untouchable, only in the early stages of a Spirit Master.

After all, as Spirit Master cultivation progresses, spiritual energy become more important and the effect that one's physical strength has becomes correspondingly smaller.

Hearing that disciple, everyone also thought of the same thing. The outcome of the fight now makes sense!

Sorin was currently expressionless as he walked step by step to Caaz. Caaz was in a miserable state, on the verge of unconsciousness. Sorin could have used more force, but it would be easier if his opponent was still conscious.

"Do you forfeit?"

Hearing Sorin's words, Caaz gritted his teeth, however, he just helplessly nodded as he took out his medallion and threw it near Sorin's feet.

Picking it up, Sorin sent a strand of his spiritual energy into it as he swapped ranks with him.

Once he checked his rank with his astral crystal, he tossed the medallion back to Caaz.

With that gesture, Sorin left the arena and made his way back to the main building to select more disciples to challenge, leaving the audience stunned.