(Arc: Vainum) Closed-door training and future goals

The imposing Lucas Anderson solely observed the father son interaction from afar without interrupting them.

'His offspring is a tiger cub, it makes sense after all the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Originally, I did not oppose the marriage, but the head of the Taylor family did. I think he'll change his mind once he sees our grandson.'

"Come pay me a visit when your reunion is over," the patriarch said.

In the wake of the tournament, father ushered me to the Anderson castle. A ginormous house crafted entirely out of porcelain white marble and precious stones, a structure that truly befitted such an extravagant family. The foundation was constructed out of stone blocks and the roof was tiled in a light blue colour.

The outdoor area had flowers covering the colour spectrum, the shrubs were trimmed to the perfect shape; the windows which were encased in intricately carved sandstone, looked like slits compared to the scale of the house. Tree sized stone pillars lined the entrance of the castle. The beams of sunlight reflected off of the building giving off a holy glow. The craftsman truly thought of every single detail when building this masterpiece.

We were in father's private garden that emanated an otherworldly feeling. The sweet and musky scent seemed to evoke deep memories that soothed my anxiety. The birds chirping melodiously and the leaves rustling as they swayed with the breeze elicited a sense of joy.

Our discussion included us rambling about our past but one thing stuck out to me in particular, his description of my mother. Her luscious brown hair extended passed her waist; her skin was smooth and virtually flawless; her facial features were defined and in a class of their own. According to my father, during her youth, many men tried to court her but she turned them down for him.

'Now I know where I get my humbleness from.'

Subsequent to our discussion, I made my way to the patriarch's office. My knuckles hit the polished wooden door three times.

"Come in."

The room's layout was fairly simple. The intricately design desk was in front of the floor to ceiling window. The room was encompassed by bookshelves crammed with thousands of books from all over the continent, it was a nerd's wet dream! Step by step, I inched closer to grandfather and he chuckled at this sight.

"How can a grandson be so wary of his grandfather. Come sit down before I give you something to worry about."

I sat in front of him and in the presence of a character boasting this level of power, I felt all of my strength being drained...I felt powerless. I was before the very eyes of the embodiment of a living legend.

"It would be best for me to clue you in on what's transpiring as you're now the successor. The Anderson family is currently third in the clan ranking and if you're curious, the Taylor clan is fourth," he said with a sigh of disappointment.

Lucas Anderson was strong enough to rival the two patriarchs ahead of him but his clan members and entourage weren't.

"The Keller family comes in first and is closely followed by the Ellis family. Every twenty years, the families' young generation duke it out to create a new leader board however this time due to some unforeseen events, the competition has been pushed forward and will now take place in a year."

Back in the days, when grandfather fought in the tournament, he single-handedly dragged the family to the number one spot. It was unfortunate that his children couldn't uphold his legacy.

"What are the unforeseen events?" I inquired.

"That is not something for you to be concerned about at this point in time. Your entire focus should be on winning the tournament and propelling the Anderson family in the future," he replied.

"From this moment onwards, you'll be under my direct tutelage. See you tomorrow at dawn, you can go to your room to prepare yourself."

"I forgot to mention, it's closed door training," he added.

The training regime was hellish to say the least and even that was an oversimplification. The patriarch made me experience pain in muscles that I did not know existed. The Anderson swordsmanship had not been mastered so I was given a set of new drills to practice. If all went according to plan, they would help me reach the next level. I had to utilize the same maneuvers tens of thousands of times. The movements got increasingly more elaborate to the point where I was wondering if he was teaching me a dance choreography. I was knackered; my body felt as heavy as lead but I kept pushing myself to achieve the peak.

"Oh come on, are you already out of breath? If you're so lamentable at such a young age, how will you fare when you reach my wise age?"

"Just say you're old, no need to sugar coat it you fossil," I replied with a grin.

"You brat, I'll show you the kind of training this old fossil will make you endure."

In the blink of an eye, the one month of closed-door training was over and I was finally allowed to take my leave. At long last, I have some time away from my crazy grandfather! I sprinted to my dad's garden; he focused all of his attention on some random red tulips. He seemed so enthralled by the flowers that he did not even sense my presence at the door. However, as soon as I took my next breath, he snapped out of his trance and looked at me. A wide smile formed on his face as he gauged my power level.

"You've done well son, lower sixth stage in energy circulation and seventh stage in swordsmanship. However, things are only going to get tougher from here on out so you'll need to be training at all times to improve."

"I will heed to your advice. I've come to see you before going out to town to have a look around."

"Be careful and don't reveal your identity unless you must," he replied.

Unbeknownst to me, rumors about my previous achievements in Bliss village spread throughout Vainum and my nickname remained, the bloodhound. I left the luxury and comfort of the Anderson household behind and steered towards the town center. Shops littered the streets, I couldn't find a single spot without one. Merchants seemed to be omnipresent; I dared not count the amount of hawkers else I'd be here all day!

"Young man would you be interested in stamina pills for the bedroom."

I rolled my eyes as I brushed past him. Their inventories really did include some garbage products, they might as well be selling air. A crowd in particular caught my attention. I edged closer to get an understanding of the situation when all of a sudden, a yell pierced my ears.

"You beggars should learn how to behave in front of young masters, it seems as though your parents haven't taught you basic manners. I will be doing it in their stead," the man said.

His entourage consisted of two other men dressed in dapper clothes and ten guards. The man had ahold of a whip in his right hand and a cigar in his left. The victims were two children no older than ten. Judging from their protectiveness towards each other, they were siblings. What I was witnessing was truly heartbreaking, but that would change.

The man prepared his whip for another strike. His arm swung downwards but he was frozen in place. He turned around to see a fearsome young man grasping the end of the weapon. That man was yours truly.

"What are you doing you insolent bastard."