Chapter 46 - The Tiger's Rage Part 1

"What happened to the scroll?" Shu asked as he noticed it was blank.

"All its knowledge is now in your head. I assume the stages will reveal themselves whenever you make a breakthrough. You fused with the dragon fox and attained part of its body. However, the spirit you should integrate with your technique is the White Ocean Tiger. Although, I think it should be called the Armored Tiger Ocean God. Due to the influence of the Great Spirits, the two spirits in your body have fused together. Thus, you have successfully evolved your spirit. It's an unorthodox method, but not a bad one," Spook answered.

Shu nodded and headed to the grass fields behind the pagoda. Beyond the fields were the forests that led to the mountain. The grass fields, devoid of magical beasts, were perfect for practicing techniques. Shu immediately closed his eyes and began to read the specifics about the first stage. The technique required fusing with a Great Spirit, but you could choose to materialize your own spirit when practicing the technique.

First, Shu began to meditate, drawing his spirit energy to cover his body. His demonic horn shimmered as it appeared in a new place on his head, at the center above his forehead, hidden by his hair. It was about two centimeters long. Shu assumed it had replaced the other two demonic horns but felt more spiritual energy within them than the previous ones. The horn was as white as snow, like his new ears. Due to fusing with the dragon fox, his senses had heightened. He would often cover his ears as he was not used to the superior hearing he now had.

Finally, the spirit energy formed a layer over his body. Shu began to envision his Armored Tiger Ocean God, and armor appeared on his arms and legs as he let out an involuntary roar similar to that of a tiger. Then, he began to practice the fist and palm techniques he saw in his mind, as well as the kicking techniques. Whenever he kicked or punched, a faint outline of a tiger's paw would appear, shaped in the same position. After eight hours of non-stop practice, he was finally able to form a tiger's paw perfectly.

"The first stage is the easiest; you just need to survive the Pact," Spook reminded. "Now you must learn how to roar like the tiger. It will be your first sound wave technique and the easiest soul technique to use. Incorporating the sound of its roar into your fist and feet is the second stage. You should probably reach the second stage in time for the competition."

Shu spent the next day trying to create the soul technique: Tiger's Roar. When he punched and kicked, he could freely use any of his elements to encompass the attacks. Lightning tiger paw attacks were swift and destructive. Dark tiger paws were like illusions but still hit as they were spirit energy. It was as if he punched multiple times with a single punch, each strike hidden in the shadow of the other. Water tiger paw strikes were smooth and elusive, like a dance. If someone tried to match the strike, he would redirect the force to counter with another limb, using the opponent's own power against them. He could even freeze his target.

Still, no matter how much he screamed, he couldn't feel any spirit force behind it. Then, he thought about sound waves. It wasn’t a blast but a circular wave of sound originating from his mouth. He didn’t convert his spirit energy into the elements; he used the essence of his elemental spirit energy as the basis of his shout. Then he started seeing results. Nearby creatures and birds would become stunned as he roared out four layers of spirit energy.

The outermost layer of sound contained the essence of darkness. It would conceal the image of the spirit energy, making it seem invisible. The wave would resonate with water essence and enter the body, most of which is liquid. Then it would freeze, as if ice slowly crept inside, spreading like poison. The heart of the technique was the innermost layer, containing the essence of lightning. This lightning was how he could create the shockwave that would start it all.

"The scroll was right. You don’t combine the elements—not really. You combine their essences. After all, Practitioners can make the element they have affinity with, but they are all made with the essence of the element. The aspect of the element the spirit energy contains. I’m just fusing those aspects together, returning the spirit energy to its pure, undivided state," Shu gasped. "It’s like the human body. It has so many aspects, but they combine and exist in harmony to make the body. It’s like how my blood does not boil as my nerves are stimulated. This Black Lotus Immortal... absolutely terrifying."

"Uh, master, you might want to learn how to control that sound wave. Bahamut, Supaiku, and I were also affected. Not as much as ordinary life forms, but the effect is there," Wraith advised.

"HAHAHA! I felt nothing," Spook laughed. "Good. Now that you can comprehend it, I will return to my dormant state. Congratulations."

Shu let Bahamut ride on his shoulder as Supaiku followed him to his dorm room, with Wraith always on guard for any hidden foes. Shu changed into a different jacket—still crimson but with a hood. There were straps within the hood to keep it over his head, connecting to the collar. With his ears covered, Shu headed to the cafeteria. As they entered, many people stared warily at Shu. They clearly remembered Shu going berserk. Shu paid them no heed and took three large plates of magical beast meat with some side dishes. Sitting at a table, he left one plate piled high for Supaiku as he began eating his lunch.

"Welcome back. I think your diet got worse," Hinako smiled. "Wait, are you at the sixth stage?"

"Yeah," Shu grinned. "What did I miss in class?"

"We didn't know about your advancement to the sixth stage, but people who visited you discovered you have a Mystic Crystal. I'm shocked. You reached the fifth stage of soul condensation so quickly. Did it have to do with what you learned on the pagoda's top floor?" she asked.

"I'm just lucky I even survived," Shu sighed, shaking his head. "I heard about the inter-academic competition. What's it about anyway?"

"Oh, right. A list of people who are already chosen was posted outside the principal's office. Everyone is busy cultivating and learning new techniques. One of your friends was chosen. I believe it was Jiyeon Choi. She was chosen for her white magic. Most of the sixty mages were already chosen. However, she was chosen as one of the first-year representatives, not one of the sixty mages. You were also chosen as one of the first-year representatives, not one of the Practitioners," Hinako nodded. "I was chosen for one of the fifteen spots for Practitioners of the sixth stage."

"What is the inter-academic competition? It’s not a tournament, is it?" Shu asked.

"It depends on what path you follow. For mages, it’s a competition of games like marathons, battles between summons, and other events. For Practitioners, the first two parts are always the same each year. The first part involves following a path to the peak of some isolated area. From there, we head into one of the isolated regions. Our job is to survive against the magical beasts while collecting the talismans of other competitors. Each area is segregated from the others. Because you are at the sixth rank, with Weiss and Cassandra at the fifth, we will have more than fifteen Practitioners of your cultivation stage in the area. All the others will be of the fourth stage. First-year representatives are exempt from the restriction of only fifteen people per cultivation stage. Of course, only ten of the twenty first-years can be Practitioners. The most competitive area is the one with the most contestants," Hinako explained.

"The area with the fourth-stage Practitioners. Is that bad?" Shu asked. "Since we will have three fewer Practitioners added to that group."

"No. Most academies see that stage as a sacrificial pawn. The more people, the better. It means that other first-years will be in the higher groups, giving their school a better chance. Only sixty-four people per group are allowed to advance to the main tournament of their respective stages," Hinako sighed. "The seventh-stage group always has one hundred and thirty-five people, with no add-ins. You know, nine schools and the fifteen people restriction."

"Did you get chosen last year?" Shu asked.

"I chose not to go. I wanted to watch my brother compete," Hinako shook her head. "I also wanted to see what it was like before I joined. You can’t quit once it starts. People die. For the mages, the worst is staying on the sickbed for a month. Their competition feels more like an ordinary school’s competition. You know, those schools for scholars. The exchange and observation of technical application of words, but with magic instead. I’m going into closed-door training. Hopefully, I can reach the third level of soul condensation to increase and enrich my spirit energy. Later, Shu. See you then."

"Bye," Shu waved before finishing his lunch.

Before he got up to leave, he heard someone say, "Ah, Junior Brother Shu, wait up."

"Hm?" Shu frowned and turned to see a group of students walking toward him. They were all senior students of the sixth stage. A few looked a year older while most were older by two or more years. The academy allowed up to fifty years to reach the eighth stage before graduation. Unless you had a foreign influence or sudden insight, it would

normally take many years to reach the eighth stage.

"Ah, thanks. See, four of us seven were already chosen to represent a few spots for the competition. We wanted to meet the first-year who would join our ranks," a boy grinned. "The competition is dangerous. What matters is your skill in survival and fighting. I heard you reached the sixth stage because you learned an impressive technique. You definitely need some mastery to survive. The biggest threat is the students from other academies. Not even monsters you cannot hope to fight are a bigger threat."

"It’s because the students from the other academies want us to lose. We always win. Well, overall anyway," a girl chimed in. "We’re outnumbered by at least one hundred and twenty people. Some might go to extremes and recruit an older first-year at the sixth stage. As long as recruits are below fifteen, they can join. That’s the highest I know of any academy. However, it means they lack talent. Students with talent are only good seeds. See you later. You’re a first-year, so you can’t refuse!"

Shu watched them leave before he stocked up on magical beast meat. He paid for about a thousand pounds and left for the forest. He had his body and soul in the best possible condition. Now was the time to master his technique. He would have Wraith travel in the shadows to find magical beasts for Shu to kill. The more powerful the magical beast, the harder the labor. However, it was the best way to train, and life-or-death situations would allow Shu to become accustomed to using his technique, improvising if he encountered situations where it was less effective.

Once he got used to killing a few magical beasts at the sixth rank, he decided to go to the mountains. Wraith advised against it, but Shu wanted Wraith to leave him and Bahamut. Wraith would find magical beasts so Supaiku could train and hunt, like a real magical beast. Bahamut made a chuckling noise when Shu noted that Supaiku had gotten fat from eating without training.