Chapter 22 The Second Tempering

The next day at noon, when Loran got up, it was already lunchtime.

In the mess hall, the trainees who had trained that morning were dripping sweat. When they saw Loran sit down holding his tray, Mond cast a disdainful sneer but said nothing, just buried his head in his food.

Nearby, Mikayla held the roster and said, “This afternoon we’ll continue training in the geothermal trial room. Everyone be prepared and bring extra water.”

“Yes, Instructor!”

Mikayla swept past, a voice drifting into Loran’s ear: “You can already begin to comprehend the power of the fire element. The Blazing Slash Instructor Haimu taught this morning—I’ll explain it to you shortly. Come find me after you finish your meal.”

“Yes!”

…

After the meal, he went outside and found Mikayla under a trellis of green vines. She was holding a fruit plate in both hands, savoring the taste of autumn fruits. She pointed to the stone bench beside her and said, “Sit down, listen to me quietly.”

“Mm.”

After Loran sat down, Mikayla parted her red lips and said, “Fire elementals are one of the basic components of the law of flame. Once you grasp the flame element, you must fuse that elemental power into your weapon. When you reach a state of full integration, you’ll naturally be able to unleash the legendary Flame Slash. The Flame Slash is overwhelmingly searing — both speed and the intensity of heat are crucial. To cultivate it properly, you must attain a certain level of insight into the law of flame; otherwise, the cut you make won’t contain true flame. At best, it’ll be no more than a mere spark to light a cigarette.”

Loran couldn’t help but chuckle.

Mikayla smiled as well and said, “Loran, you’re naturally gifted; I don’t need to teach you much about practicing elemental laws. Flame Slash and Tempest Slash are the basic group combat techniques of the Order of the Light; you must learn them. In the afternoon’s trial, simply immerse yourself in understanding them.”

“Yes, Instructor!”

Afterwards, Mikayla went on to explain some knowledge about the laws of flame, which, in fact, Teacher Erko had already thoroughly discussed with Loran back when they were in Ailan City. What confused Loran then became clear in an instant now—this was already evident when he trained the Tempest Slash—so naturally, practicing the Scorching Flame Slash would not pose much of a problem for Loran.

…

In the afternoon, all the students of Class Seven entered the geothermal trial chamber; Mikayla still stood guard outside the door with several great knights, while Instructor Haimu personally took charge inside.

As before, Loran sat in a corner of the trial chamber with his steel sword in hand, his body against the hot wall. He closed his eyes and focused all his attention on sensing the ardent fire elements in the air. The results were remarkable: in less than half an hour he could see grains of crimson light darting densely through the air—pure energy forms, the fundamentals of flame rules. But that was only the first step: merely sensing the fire elements.

An hour later, Loran began trying to communicate with the fire elements. When he raised his fingertips, tendrils of fire became more amicable, curling around his tips as if igniting a small flame. Though intensely fierce, Loran had already attuned to the essence of the fire element, so he only felt a warm sensation at his fingertips, not a burning one.

After a full afternoon like that, the fire elements concentrated between Loran’s five fingers grew ever stronger. When he finally clenched his fist, flames swirled around it—this was the greatest mastery of flame principles he had achieved so far. When he looked up, he saw Rodney standing before a wall, holding a steel sword in one hand. Flames burned along the blade, even heating the steel red. The overwhelming force of the fire principle made Loran feel both envious and despairing.

“Don’t overthink it. You’ve done more than enough.”

From behind came Instructor Haimu’s low voice: “Rodney has a powerful star-source power; he can convert that star-source into the power of the flame law. So when he trains moves like the Flame Slash, it’s essentially his body’s innate power being honed—the external force is merely a catalyst. As for you, your power comes entirely from external sources, so it’s a bit more difficult. In fact, the source of your power is meditation, like those of the mages.”

Loran frowned. “Instructor Haimu, when will I be able to have strength like Rodney’s?”

“This is exactly why Rodney also longs to have the same physical strength and speed as you.”

Loran, who was clever, had already gotten the answer and smiled faintly. “Thank you, instructor.”

…

They trained in the geothermal trial chamber until sunset. After the students had dinner together, Mikayla called Loran and Rodney aside again. Their training directions were the same, and they stepped back into the Refining Tower. Evidently, there were fewer students testing their bodies here today than before—presumably they had already been eliminated.

In front of a huge furnace, the black-robed attendant bowed again and respectfully said, “Sir, today’s formula is 1,200 milliliters of Red Armor Beast blood, 1,900 milliliters of Azure Wood sap, four jins of Jade-Dragon herb, and six jins of Earth-Dragon root. Please review it, sir!”

Mikayla nodded lightly. “The dosage has been increased quite a bit. Is that alright?”

The black-robed attendant squinted at Loran and said, “With this student’s constitution, he should be able to endure it. It will just be more painful than yesterday, and only this way can we more quickly awaken the potential within him.”

“I understand.”

Mikayla smiled calmly, “Loran, are you mentally prepared?”

“Mm!”

“Go in!”

“Yes!”

In the blink of an eye Loran stripped off his clothes and leapt into the furnace. The heating beneath hissed and crackled, and soon that familiar pain enveloped his whole body again. This time, however, he was mentally prepared. Gritting his teeth, he endured the agony in silence. In truth, Loran craved this battering of the body; yesterday’s trials had already made him keenly aware of increases in his strength and bodily resilience. This cultivation was nothing short of a heaven-sent opportunity.

“Hisss~~~”

Blood-tinted mist rose from the furnace, making Loran’s breathing difficult. He felt every pore drawing in the searing heat; every inch of skin, every vein was being refined by the medicine. Naturally, this was a beneficial transformation. Before long, under the influence of the beast blood and the drugs, his body would undergo a feral growth, ultimately emerging reborn.

This time, Loran had soaked in the potion for a full three hours and absorbed all of its strength, becoming the last student to leave the Tempering Tower. Outside, Instructor Haimu stood ready with two warhorses. Without a second thought, Loran grabbed his steel sword and followed Haimu out of the city, heading straight for the Beasts Valley.

…

The evening wind howled. The area around the Blood Castle was quite desolate, especially after nightfall, when the cold gusts screamed like vengeful spirits. The biting wind on his skin paradoxically gave Loran a crisp, clear sensation. Energy inside him burned hot, filling every part of his body. The moment they reached the Beasts Valley, he swung up onto a horse and lunged out, steel sword in hand!

“Boom!”

The first full-speed burst was slightly different from the previous day’s run. The moment Loran charged out, his skin was already faintly reddened — the effect of binding fire elements. The Crimson Armored Beast was of fire; its blood contained powerful flames-law energy. The night before, Loran hadn’t much mastery over the flame law, but today was different. After an afternoon of practice, he had become more attuned to the fire element, so much so that the flame element in his body hugged his skin, making him seem as if he were about to catch fire.

“Hong~~~”

As he sprinted by, a flash of crimson swept past, so fierce that many wolves that had planned to ambush along the way tucked their tails and fled. Loran increased his speed in bursts, running faster and faster as if trying to burn away every ounce of power inside him in one go. Having left the Hundred-Refinement Tower so late, the other students had already returned; before long, the Beast Valley was left with only him.

Night fell, the wind cutting and cold.

Ghostly figures emerged throughout the Beast Valley. A whistling slash of wind announced the attack of a first-rank beast, a Troll, and by then Loran—dashing onward with keen senses—stamped his foot hard. With a thud his heel struck a pit, his body spun and halted, and in an instant something flew past right under his nose.

“Die!”

He spun around suddenly and lunged at the goblin with lightning speed, his arm swinging twice in succession. Two “clang” sounds split apart the next two strikes. With a low shout, wind element surged violently along the blade. With a “shhh,” he cleaved that small goblin clean in half. At this point, Loran could dispatch a first-rank beast alone with ease.

He continued sprinting forward, flames swirling around his body.

The night grew darker, the forest more savage, so dense that even the moonlight couldn’t penetrate.

“Rustle…”

A faint, light sound came from the thicket. Loran lightly sniffed the air and detected a smell of blood. Where his gaze fell, beneath a twisted maple tree lay a bundle of torn cloth. On closer inspection, he could clearly tell it was the clothing of an enrolled student; beneath the garments was a severed arm, splattered with blood.

Someone had been hunted down here!

And the hunter was hiding just behind a clump of shrubs, rustling. At the same time the airflow became unusually disordered; the surrounding wind elements seemed to be stirred up, restless and agitated.

Not good!

A chill sank into Loran’s heart; the presence was too familiar. Under the moonlight, a patch of bluish fur shimmered at a distance — it was… a second-tier beast, a Storm Wolf!

That’s right. Loran had seen a Storm Wolf before; he had seen one defeat the great knight Tuka, only to be slain afterward by Grey. That alone showed how formidable a Storm Wolf could be. And yet, now Loran was alone when he encountered one — and clearly this Storm Wolf had already marked him as another prey for the night.

“Stay calm, you must stay calm…”

Loran tightened his grip on the steel sword, warning himself over and over in his mind.