Valentina smiled, "Yes. It looks really big, and there is even a training ground to spar. Big Brother and I can practice a lot while being surrounded by such refreshing scenery."
Damien nodded as he also felt that it was also a nice place to cultivate in peace, and the air was way more pure and clean than the outside.
He also saw that the training grounds seemed to have been built using sturdy and resilient materials such that even Earth Ethereal Realm cultivators would find it hard to put a scratch on.
The two went inside the villa, and they were greeted by a cool and cozy air that made them feel as if they were in the middle of an enlivening forest.
There were quite many rooms and one big main room with many facilities and furniture available. There was even a library room with various books and other reading facilities.
He then thought about what Leon Xeton said and asked Valentina, "Do you want to go to school?"
"School?" Valentina asked as she tilted her head.
"Yes. The Xeton Ethereal Foundation. You heard whatever the person called Leon mentioned, right."
Valentina didn't hesitate and said, "I don't want to go anywhere without Big Brother. I can learn everything I need to know from you."
"You can learn things from me. But it would be more good if you see for yourself how people interact and how you should interact with people. I want you to gain experience and learn how to deal with people without my help. Not everything can be learned from books. Besides, who said I wouldn't be joining there as well?" Damien chuckled.
Valentina's eyes lit up as she asked, "Big Brother is going to join as well? Then I will join too."
"Yes. But I would be entering as 'Damien' and not Alchemist Azrael. So you might have to be alone for some time as you would be going there with the status of being the personal disciple of Alchemist Azrael. I would have to take the assessment just like every other ordinary aspirant out there while you could enter directly without going through any assessment."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Valentina pursed her lips and said, "Then I will also take the assessment. I don't want to join directly. I am sure I can pass along with you."
Damien softly laughed, "Haha. Okay. Why don't we have a small spar to see how prepared you are? Besides, I don't know which weapon you are comfortable with. I am sure you saw the different kinds of weapons in many merchant guilds, right? What's your favorite one?"
Damien personally felt that a pair of daggers would suit her, but only if she was sneaking up on her enemies. For direct combat, he thought that she could master any one of them she likes.
Valentina giggled, "Tehehe, let me show you, Big Brother." Valentina took Damien's hand and took him towards the training arena built on the villa's east side.
It was a square arena with each dimension spanning at least a kilometer!
One could also enjoy the beautiful waterfall from the training arena if they look behind.
'Wow, really spacious for even serious combat!' Damien thought in awe as he looked around the training arena.
"So, show me your weapon," Damien asked with his eyebrows raised.
Valentina smiled and motioned her hand as blood came out from her skin pores. Within a moment, it transmuted into a hand scythe!
It had a decorated blood-red sickle and a barbed circle-shaped weight, connected with a chain.
The sickle looked so sharp that it could send shivers down one's spine upon seeing them.
"You can manifest weapons as well using your blood?" Damien asked with an astonished expression.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})He knew that she could use her blood to transmute it into basic stuff, but he didn't expect her to manifest weapons as well. He kind of guessed it when she said that she didn't need him to buy a weapon for her.
Valentina said with a proud smile, "Yes. Isn't this amazing? After comprehending some of my ethereal arts, I learned to use my blood to manifest weapons as well."
'No wonder she spent a lot of time inspecting those weapons.' Damien realized why Valentina was so interested in spending some time on the weapons in the Rising Sun Trading Guild while he was searching for a good sword to buy.
"Nice. Let me see that." Damien asked as Valentina gave him the hand scythe.
Damien inspected the weapon and was surprised that it was even better than top-notch Earth Ethereal Grade weapons one would find in the Rising Sun Trading Guild.
He thought that a hand scythe actually suited her really well as it was best used to make one's enemies bleed to death.
It worked best for long-range attacks and to prevent the enemy from getting closer to oneself.
He gripped the chain as he twirled the scythe and checked it out by executing some basic movements.
Although Damien's true expertise lay in sword mastery, he knew how to handle almost all kinds of weapons at a fundamental level.
"Is my choice good?" Valentina asked enthusiastically, hoping Damien liked her hand scythe.
"Yes, it's suitable for you. I will teach you how to use it. This weapon is very good for extremely long-range attacks. It can be used to land multiple attacks on the enemy in short succession if you can use it skillfully. But the drawback is that it has low mobility and slow speed. However, once you get good at this, your enemies would beg you for a quick death unless they want to bleed to death." Damien said with a devilish grin.
Valentina's eyes sparkled as she became even more satisfied with the weapon she had chosen.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})She said eagerly, "That's great. I will learn to use it well from your teachings, Big Brother. But I feel comfortable with swords, just like Big Brother and even some other weapons. Why is it so?"
Damien chuckled, "That's nothing to worry about. It seems like you are an all-rounder, and that's great. For now, I will teach you how to use this weapon, and later I will teach you how to use swords, daggers, or whatever you want. Since you can manifest any weapons, it shouldn't be a problem to use different kinds of weapons as each weapon has its own purpose in different situations."
Damien gave her the hand scythe and went behind her as he guided her hands to teach her how to grip a hand scythe properly.
"This is how you hold it. With one of your hands holding the chain and using the other to swing the scythe at your enemies." Damien whispered in her ear as her back stuck close to him.
Valentina felt her blood becoming hotter, feeling his touch as she stuck close to his chest. She didn't know why she was having such reactions and thought that it must be because its him.
She hadn't had the chance to sleep together with him for the past two weeks as he was sitting up late at night to comprehend his ethereal arts while she also was busy cultivating.
After her transformation, she felt a strange kind of pulling attraction towards him, which would make her face flush just from an intense gaze from him.
She felt as if she could keep staring into his shimmering black eyes and never get tired of it.
Damien was still fascinated by how good her skin felt, but he focused on teaching her and even showed her a few attack moves.
Damien didn't spar with her. Instead, he decided to make sure she could use the weapon to execute a few attacks perfectly, at least before the assessment at the Xeton Ethereal Foundation starts.
It was night already as Damien was lying on the bed with his eyes open, thinking about various things.
Valentina finished her bath and put on a thin cloth that clung tightly to her wet torso while exposing her shoulders and thighs. A smile hung on her lips as she opened the bathroom door, knowing that Damien was lying on the bed.
