Chapter 42 – A Rare Elixir (1/2)

Chapter 42 – A Rare Elixir

“Master, I want to learn this technique!”

Calron excitedly asked.

“Haha, you are not yet ready for it, Calron. A technique that defies the laws of this world, does not depend simply on one’s cultivation or strength. You will know the reason for this when you are ready.”

Elias softly explained to his disheartened disciple.

“Alright, Master.”

Calron answered in a dejected voice.

He knew that he was not strong enough to learn a technique that defied the heavens itself, but he had hoped to at least glean some information out of his Master. Calron curiously wondered what the requirement was in order to be considered worthy of this mighty technique.

“Leave that for the future. Right now, you need to focus on the upcoming tournament. If I had a choice, I would make you sit out of it, but the rules of the Red Boar School state that every single disciple must participate, regardless of their cultivation level or age.”

Elias started talking as he beckoned Calron to sit in front of him on the grass.

“The first round will be the preliminary round, where the disciples will be put in exactly fifty batches and have a battle royale until only one person is left standing. After that, the real Ranking Tournament would begin.”

Just then, Calron interjected.

“But Master, how does the ranking actually work? What about the ranks of those defeated in the first round?”

“If you had been patient and let me finished, you would have already learned the answer.”

Elias stated with a raised eyebrow and a slight smile on his face.

“Uh, sorry Master, please continue! I won’t interrupt again!”

Calron exclaimed with a heated face as he hung his head down in embarrassment.

“Haha, don’t worry, my child. Impatience is a virtue of youth!”

Elias stated with a pat on his young disciple’s head.

“Now, where were we? Ah, yes, the ranking system of the tournament. After the preliminary round, only fifty disciples will enter into the actual ranking tournament. The rest of the disciples will be unranked. Only the top students of the school will have a rank assigned to them, with the fiftieth rank being the weakest, while the strongest is the one with the first rank! Are you following along with me alright so far??”

Elias stopped to ask his disciple.

“Yes, Master, I’m listening!”

Calron enthusiastically responded.

“Good. We only have a few months left before the tournament begins and you need to rapidly increase your strength, if you hope to contend against the other disciples with just your physical strength and the Formless Fist. The main attraction of this competition is not the ranks, but the rewards given to the top three ranked disciples.”

Elias stated in a serene voice, while Calron eagerly awaited the next words of his Master.

“The disciple in the third place will receive a fifth rank beast core, and the one in the second place will be given a top tier elemental sword and finally, for the first place, a rare elixir will be awarded!”

Calron took deep breaths as he heard the prizes for the top rankers!

A fifth rank beast core could be sold for thousands of gold squares, and even the city Lord himself did not possess many cores of that rank! It was simply too dangerous to defeat a magical beast of the fifth rank, making its core exceptionally precious!

The higher one reached in the ranks of cultivation, the more difficult it would be to break into the next realm. With the aid of a beast core, the time required to cultivate could be greatly decreased, as the core will provide an essence much more refined than the one present in the environment!

The second place prize did not hold much attention for Calron, as he knew that his dark bow was unparalleled in the weapons category and even a top tier elemental weapon would pale in comparison to the mighty and baleful aura of the dark metal bow!

However, Calron was utterly confused about the prize for first place. An elixir had medicinal properties so he was not sure how useful it would be for cultivation, unless a person got mortally wounded.

“Master, isn’t the first place prize a bit too lacking compared to the other rewards?”

Calron curiously inquired.

“Hmm, is that what you think? What if I told you that the elixir will help one break into the Vajra stage?”

Elias stated in an amused voice as he watched the stunned look on his disciple’s face.

“W-what? But that is im- “

Calron stuttered in a shock, but was suddenly interrupted by Elias.