Free Web NovelChapter 106: Azure Dragon Sect
Thousands of boots struck the carved stone steps in unison. The massive staircase wound its way up the side of the towering mountain.
Some students began panting and clutching their knees after only a few hundred steps. Mages who relied entirely on their mana pools struggled desperately to maintain the climbing pace. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
Solomon easily kept up with the front of the pack. He carried Eden’s Penance over his right shoulder. The divine steel constantly sent violent electrical shocks into his skin.
He actively pushed his newly awakened aura through his meridian pathways to suppress the weapon’s rejection.
’I feel like it has gotten worse after my battle with Uriel. It was growing up to me, but after I woke up...’ Solomon frowned. ’After I got the Eden’s heart, the sword has been rejecting me even more. It’s strange. Shouldn’t it be accepting me more instead?’ He wondered.
[LazyCat: look at those mages crying already lol.]
[GamerGuy: Solo Man is literally carrying an S-Rank boss weapon up a mountain and he is entirely fine.]
[BloodKnight: Physical conditioning is the foundation of all combat. These kids are learning that lesson the hard way.]
Solomon glanced back at a panting boy adjusting his thick glasses. Arthur Vance wiped his forehead with his sleeve and leaned against a stone railing.
"Are you seriously going to pass out before we even reach the classroom?" Solomon asked, taking another step upward.
Arthur wheezed and adjusted his frames. "My talent relies on telekinesis. I never actually had to run up a literal mountain before."
The massive crowd finally reached the summit. A sprawling training ground opened up before them. Wooden weapon racks lined the perimeter, holding countless wooden swords, spears, and staffs.
Several martial instructors wearing deep blue robes stood in the center of the training ground. An older man with a long white beard stepped forward. He stroked his facial hair and inspected the arriving students.
"Welcome to the Azure Dragon Sect," the elder announced, projecting his voice across the open space. "You are here to learn the absolute basics of martial arts. We will strip away your reliance on your awakened talents. Everyone will pick up a wooden training weapon from the racks."
The first-year students immediately dispersed. They scrambled toward the weapon racks and grabbed the wooden gear.
’The name is pretty mundane for what I expected.’
Solomon stayed exactly where he was. He kept his grip on his massive greatsword and casually watched the other students fight over the wooden training tools.
The elder narrowed his eyes and walked directly toward Solomon. The other instructors followed closely behind their superior. They completely surrounded the silver-haired boy.
"Did you fail to hear my instructions?" the elder asked. He pointed a wrinkled finger at the pristine steel resting on Solomon’s shoulder. "Academy students are strictly prohibited from bringing external weapons into this realm. Hand that over immediately and grab a wooden sword."
Solomon sighed and shifted his weight to his other leg. "I actually received direct administrative permission from the Grandmaster to bring this with me."
The instructors exchanged highly skeptical glances. A younger man with a scar across his nose scoffed loudly.
"The Grandmaster would never bypass dimensional protocols for a first-year novice," the scarred instructor mocked. He reached out to grab the hilt of Eden’s Penance. "Give me the weapon right now, boy."
Solomon leaned back and pulled the greatsword out of reach. "You really do not want to touch this."
"Are you defying a sect instructor?" the elder questioned, stepping closer.
The scarred instructor lunged forward and forcefully grabbed the hilt of the greatsword. The divine steel instantly recognized a foreign touch lacking the holy bloodline. A violent surge of lightning erupted from the metal.
The electrical shock blasted the instructor backward and crashed onto the dirt floor and violently shook his burned hand.
The remaining cultivators drew their sabers in unison and pointed their weapons directly at Solomon’s throat.
Solomon chuckled and rested the blade back on his shoulder. "I literally warned him."
[GoonLord: LOOOOL INSTANT KARMA!]
[LazyCat: bro just casually electrified a teacher.]
[User12: Solo Man is about to get expelled on day one.]
The elder raised a hand to halt the surrounding instructors. He stared at the pristine steel and recognized the sheer magical resistance radiating from the weapon.
"That is a divine artifact," the elder observed. He looked up at Solomon’s face. "The academy allowed you to bring a relic of that magnitude into our sect?"
"I asked nicely," Solomon replied. "I need to train with this specific sword because it constantly resists my aura. If I use a wooden stick, I will completely lose my progress."
The elder stroked his white beard. He signaled the other cultivators to lower their sabers. "Very well. If you truly possess the permission to wield it, you must prove you can actually handle the burden. We will test your foundation right now."
The elder turned toward the students gathering around the weapon racks. "Pair up! We are initiating basic sparring matches to evaluate your physical forms. No talents and no magic are allowed."
Solomon walked toward the center of the training ground. The surrounding students quickly backed away from him.
They had watched him beat a second-year senior, and just witnessed him electrocute a local instructor. Absolutely nobody wanted to spar against the silver-haired boy holding a giant executioner’s sword.
A muscular boy from the Vanguard house eventually stepped forward. He gripped a thick wooden broadsword and cracked his knuckles.
"I will fight him," the muscular boy volunteered, pointing his wooden weapon at Solomon. "I want to see what all this hype is actually about."
Solomon dropped into a relaxed stance. He kept one hand casually resting on his hip and gripped his massive greatsword with his right hand. He fully prepared to test the limits of his new aura control against a live opponent.
’Wait, should I even be using aura against him? I don’t know how strong I am after my battle with Uriel. What if I accidentally kill him?’
