"Boom!"
The ground shook slightly as John crashed into it violently, his knees almost buckling under the force of the landing. A satisfied smile crept across John's face as he looked back up towards the balcony, admiring the distance he had just fallen.
"Hahaha. A fall like that would have killed me before. I guess I really am in the Body Refinement realm" John exclaimed happily.
"What should I do next? Normally I would go to the martial library to read around this time, but I can't sit still after a situation like this has developed" John thought. "I should go to the martial training area and test out my new strength. Most of the other kids should be training weapon skills right about now."
Brushing off the dust that had kicked up from the landing, John started walking towards the martial training area, arriving there a few minutes later. He looked towards the training grounds and noticed all the other kids we're sparring with weapons, with several Elders instructing them on how to improve.
"Ah John, have you decided to join us for today's weapon training?" asked Elder Huran. Elder Huran was one of the older and more powerful Elders, and was the lead Elder in charge of training the children. He had a bald head and a full white beard, with a slightly large belly protruding out. His powerful arms looked as if they could tear apart boulders with ease.
"Yep" replied John. He walked over to the Elder and said his greetings.
"Alright. Ethan over there needs a sparring partner." stated Elder Huran. Elder Huran then shouted out "Ethan, John will be your sparring partner. Remember, this is a weapon training spar only. Do not use your cultivation base."
Ethan was thirteen years old and had a cultivation at the Blood Refinement realm. He was the son of one of the Elders of the clan and was decently talented for his age. Ethan turned towards the Elder as he heard his name called out before looking at John who was approaching him.
"Alright" replied Ethan with a slightly annoyed face. For the weapon sparring training, using one's cultivation base was not allowed as the purpose of the training was to improve on weapon skills, not overwhelm the opponent with power.
Ever since John realized he couldn't cultivate, he had focused on all the areas that he could improve on with intensely. These areas included academics, martial theory, and also weapon skills. Out of all the children in the clan, John was the most skilled at almost every type of weapon. As a result, most of the children felt stifled when sparring against John, as none of the children could beat John during spars, despite knowing they were much stronger than him.
John walked towards the sparring circle Ethan was standing at. On his way, he picked up a dull sword from the nearby weapons rack. The weapons available during weapon training were dulled to make sure that no serious injuries were inflicted on the participants.
John stepped into the sparring circle and stood ten feet away from Ethan and raised his sword. Both participants held their swords in their right hands. John quickly took two steps forward, raised his sword and slashed down at his opponent's head. Ethan raised his sword and met Johns, successfully parrying the attack.
"Peng!"
While John's sword was still above his head from the parry, Ethan extended his arm in a counter-attacked and stabbed towards John's head. Turning his body, John easily dodged the oncoming sword and with the handle of his sword struck Ethan's hand causing him to drop his sword. John had won this set.
The two stepped back ten feet once more. Ethan charged forward, slightly angry at his loss just now. He raised his sword above his head with both hands and sliced downwards. John lazily stepped to the right and watched Ethan's sword strike the dirt. Ethan's head followed John as he moved to the side, he scrambled to regain balance and quickly followed up with a slash sideways taking a step forward following the momentum from his initial attack.
John stepped back with one foot to widen his stance and raised his sword and successfully parried the attack. John noticed that Ethan's stance was narrow and unbalanced. John stepped forward and slashed towards Ethan's neck. Ethan turned to the right and awkwardly blocked the powerful attack. He was completely off balance. John followed up with a simple kick to the knee and Ethan collapsed.
Ethan stood up visibly angry at his continued losses. John and Ethan once more stood ten feet apart and stared at each other for a few seconds. Suddenly, John dashed forward, swinging his sword from an awkward angle towards Ethan's head.
"Peng!"
Ethan raised his sword and met John's sword, successfully parrying the attack. John struck out again with his sword at a lower angle, causing Ethan to awkwardly parry his attack. Expecting this, John's right leg was already kicking forward at a low angle, targeting Ethans legs. Not expecting the sudden follow up from John, Ethan lost his balance as John's kick caused him to stumble slightly.
This opening was all John needed, as he rushed forward to deliver the finishing blow. The flat of John's sword struck Ethan on the side of his head, sending him flying a few feet back and tumbling to the ground.
"Agh, bastard" yelled Ethan.
Ethan stood up and stared at John, an enraged look on his face. All of a sudden, Ethan dashed towards John and punched at him with all his power. While Ethan didn't dare kill John, he felt like breaking a few bones wouldn't be too big of a problem.
"Gah!"
John and Ethans fists collided, and Ethan was sent flying backwards, rolling head over heels a few times before finally coming to a stop twenty feet away. Everyone in the area immediately stopped their sparring and looked towards the scene that had just unfolded, a dumbstruck look on all their faces.
Ethan struggled to stand up, but was unable to muster the strength to do so. A shocked Elder Huran stood there for a few seconds before running over towards Ethan, popping a small green pill in his mouth after he arrived.
"John, what just happened?" Ryan called out as he ran over towards John.
John smiled wryly and replied "Ethan suddenly attacked me at full power, so I had no choice but to respond in kind."
"That's not what I'm talking about. Did you achieve body refinement?" asked Ryan, flabbergasted at John's reply.
"Oh. Yeah, I suddenly woke up this morning and found out that I was able to cultivate" John replied. He figured keeping the truth of what really happened was a smart idea, since his parents obviously didn't want the clan knowing about the sphere.
"Wha..what? You woke up...and could cultivate…? How does that even make sense?" asked a stunned Ryan.
"Your guess is as good as mine. I just woke up and was a Body Refinement cultivator" John replied.
"How did you knock Ethan back though? He's at the Blood Refinement stage already?" Ryan followed up, the shocked look on his face still present.
"Oh. I'm at the Muscle Refinement stage. I guess all those precious pills the clan has been feeding me over the past few years finally worked. That's the only thing I can think of as to why I went straight to Muscle Refinement" John replied sheepishly.
Ryan looked at John as if he was a complete anomaly. Although John was now a Muscle Refinement cultivator, Ethan was one level higher at Blood Refinement. Normally hopping levels was nearly impossible, and was something reserved only for the most gifted of geniuses. Ryan had no idea how to follow up on what John just said, so he stood there in silence for a few seconds. Gathering his composure, Ryan started laughing heartily.
"Hahahaha, well whatever the reason, you're finally a cultivator. I knew the heaven's wouldn't stay blind forever" Ryan exclaimed happily while slapping John on the back. He continued "Come John, let's spar. Let me test this new power of yours."
"Alright" replied John. The two of them started walking over to an empty section of the martial arena, when from behind them Elder Huran called out. "John, you're a cultivator now?"
"Yep" responded John, not providing any further clarification.
Elder Huran was at a loss for words, before he eventually said "Anyways, you didn't have to use so much power for that attack just now. I saw everything so I know you're not the one at fault, but do remember to control your power in the future. These are your own clan members afterall."
"I understand Elder Huran," replied John. John and Ryan then continued walking over to an empty section of the martial arena.
Over to the side of the martial arena, Parker Fenix and a few of his friends watched the events unfold in front of them.
"John can cultivate now?" exclaimed one of the boys.
"Even if he can, he's only a Body Refinement cultivator. He's already so far behind from all those missed years of cultivating. Trash will forever stay trash" another stated, looking towards Parker. Parker had an indifferent look on his face as if everything that happened was of no concern to him, before turning back to his sparring partner and continuing his training.
"Show me what you got" shouted Ryan, an excited look present on his face. John smiled at Ryan before dashing towards him. The sun was starting to set, casting brilliant orange hues over the martial arena as the two of them sparred intensely for several hours before collapsing to the ground in exhaustion.
"Huff, huff. Although I limited my cultivation base to the Blood Refinement level, I still couldn't beat you" stated Ryan, gasping while catching his breath.
"Huff. Well it's not like I won either. Don't worry though, it won't be long until I catch up to your cultivation level, so you won't have to limit your power then" replied John with a grin on his face.
"As if" retorted Ryan.
They both caught their breaths before getting up from the ground and brushing the dust off their dirty robes. "Man I'm famished" exclaimed John. He hadn't eaten in days, and his stomach was growling out in protest.
"I'm going to go home to eat and wash up. I'll catch up with you tomorrow. Thanks for the spars" John said to Ryan. He said his goodbyes to Ryan and Elder Huran before heading back home. John arrived home and sat down to eat dinner with his family.
Barden Fenix downed another glass of wine, swaying slightly as he turned to John. "I talked to my father about you. He agrees that this is a wondrous occasion worthy of a celebration. We will host a party in your honor soon, and invite some nearby clans to join in on the festivities."
John smiled happily as he downed another mouthful of Golden Ox stew. He chatted with his parents for some time before retiring to his bedroom. John washed up and put on a fresh robe, before falling onto his bed, a smile lingering on his face as he fell asleep.
Later that night.
In another part of the clan, clan leader Cade Fenix could be seen kneeling in front of a shadowed figure.
"Barden informed me today that John is now able to cultivate. He apparently found the item a few days ago as well, and it's currently missing. What should we do?" asked Cade Fenix.
"Nothing. For now. Let's observe John and see what happens. I hope that this turns out to be a great fortune for the clan, but if not, I'll handle it myself" responded the shadowed figure.
"As you wish" responded Cade before quietly leaving the room.
