The mind and soul training was something that Rasmus didn’t expect to learn. During that training, he was forced to take more of that medicine every day. He was forced to understand his mind and to become one with it rather than taking it for granted.

The main objective of the training was to meditate and learn about his body at its lowest and weakest state. He had to drink the medicine with a higher dosage, which also meant that he would suffer even more. His goal was to overcome the side effects and to maintain peace within his head.

On the first day, he couldn’t even stay still or think because of the medicine. He had to re-live the hellish night and suffered for hours until the morning. It was a complete failure, and he could die from the medicine if he couldn’t achieve it before his body collapsed.

For three days straight, Rasmus couldn’t meditate and failed miserably. However, on the fourth day, he began to feel his mind was connecting with him. The pain that was unbearable before had lessened and become tolerable.

As his mind and body found the connection, he began to meditate, even though he couldn’t ignore the pain. He managed to sit still the whole night and accept the pain. He had done countless meditations in his past life, and that helped him a lot in this training.

On his seventh day, his mind and body had completely ignored the pain during the meditation. He thought he had gotten used to the medicine’s side effects, but he found out he was wrong as soon as he stopped meditating.

“Hmm, it’s a surprise to see a young man like you capable of meditating in this caliber,” a Grandmaster said as he saw Rasmus in a Zen state, sitting and crossing his legs on the floor. “You must have overcome most of your past and suffering,” he chuckled.

Rasmus slowly opened his eyes and looked at the Grandmaster in front of him. He completely nullified the pain of the medicine and didn’t feel a thing. He realized how powerful the connection between the mind and body was, and he wouldn’t have been able to achieve it if he hadn’t come here.

He slowly got up, and oddly, his body felt so light, almost like a feather. He was confused for a moment, but suddenly he felt a dagger flying toward him. He grabbed the dagger in between his fingers and stared at the Grandmaster who threw it.

“You have passed the test,” the Grandmaster said as he nodded his head. “Do you understand now? What is this training all about?”

Rasmus played with the dagger in between his fingers. He had amazing dexterity even before he came, but he could feel the huge difference. His body and mind were connected with zero delay in responses. He could catch any projectiles before they could reach him as long as his body could move faster than the projectiles.

“That’s not the only thing that you learned. Try to gather Mana into your body,” the Grandmaster said as he pointed at Rasmus’s hands.

Rasmus gathered the Mana around him and immediately felt it. He became more sensitive, and he could feel the Mana under his fingernails, taste it on the tip of his tongue, behind his eyes, and in his body. It was the first time he felt Mana like it was made of water. The refreshing, gushing feeling and the flow of it within his body became vivid.

“Now, turn Mana into Aura,” the Grandmaster said.

Rasmus circulated Mana into his heart and released it into Aura. It had been months since he used Aura, and he released it like he used to do. He didn’t realize that when he released Aura, it had gone out of his body and cracked the walls of his room. The Grandmaster got pushed back by it as well, and it caught him off guard.

“This feeling…” Rasmus stared at his hands and then looked at the wall.

The wall got destroyed, and a massive hole was created. It was the same feeling when he did it to Aris, but this time, he didn’t have to use his rage anymore to do it. He could do it as he pleased, but then he felt a sting in his chest like a needle pierced deep into his chest.

“Your body isn’t ready yet to use such power. You’re still halfway there, so don’t try using that power, or your heart will explode,” the Grandmaster said calmly, even though he was deeply shocked by what he had just witnessed.

“I understand…” Rasmus nodded as he clenched his chest.

“Get some rest, and once you’re well rested, come and visit us. We will cleanse your body from the Old Blood that has been accumulating since the beginning of the training. You’ll feel even greater once you have been cleansed,” the Grandmaster said and then left the room.

The next day, Rasmus met with the Grandmasters, and they cleansed his body from the Old Blood. He felt much better and felt stronger as the Grandmaster said.

“You have reached the halfway point of the training. It would be a lie if we expected this for you to reach this far this fast. It’s both amazing and concerning because your rapid growth might cause you a drawback later,” the old lady said, staring down at Rasmus with her cheek rested on her fist.

“With that being said, we will postpone your training and wait for at least a month before we can proceed to the next training session. We will decide then whether we can continue or wait for another month,” the old lady added as she got up from her chair.

“You can train, or you can enjoy your time in the capital city since the tournament starts tomorrow. I suggest you enjoy your time in the capital city and perhaps show what you have learned to Lady Aristoria,” the old lady smiled faintly at Rasmus.

Rasmus hummed as he crossed his arms and nodded with understanding. He had been spending his time inside the walls without any sunlight for months. He wanted to know about the outside world as well, including what happened in South Neva.

He was so focused on his training that he blocked his thoughts from other things. He decided to leave the Sand Tower and check out the tournament, as the old lady said.

When he was about to leave the gate, he felt a gaze pointed at him from above. He turned around and looked at the top of the tower, where he saw that man again. The man with black hair wearing a black feather cape and surrounded by crows. Their eyes met for a second, and then the man moved away from the edge and disappeared.

As soon as he walked out of the gate, he used Mana to check his surroundings. The parameters that he could cover from his perception of magic had grown larger. He could feel things a few hundred meters away from him.

He was exploring the city when he suddenly sensed someone approaching from a few hundred meters away. It was extremely fast, to the point that when he sensed it, the presence was already behind him before he could completely turn around.

“How can you move so fast?” Rasmus stared at Aris, who was standing behind him, her face and hair covered by a hood.

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“Hmm? Oh? You can detect me now?” Aris asked with her head tilted. “You really have grown stronger and a bit taller…” She placed her hands on Rasmus’s arm to feel his growth.

Everyone couldn’t resist stealing glances at Rasmus and Aris, knowing she was groping his body publicly. Fortunately, they both wore cloaks to hide their faces, or it would be embarrassing.

Rasmus furrowed his brows when Aris’s face was close to his. He smelled something coming from her, a smell that he was vaguely familiar with. He sniffed her body, and it was indeed coming from her that he hadn’t noticed before.

“You have a scent?” Rasmus stared at Aris with a confused look. “I never knew you had a scent.”

“Hmm, you can smell my scent? That means you’re also getting more sensitive to Mana. Yours smells like a fresh layer of an oak tree,” Aris said as she stared into Rasmus’s eyes. “Yes, my sisters said that I have the smell of the core of a mountain.”

“All are Orthias really bad at explaining things?” Rasmus narrowed his eyes and stared into Aris’s grayish blue eyes.

“Soon you’ll become one of us. You’re going to mock yourself if you keep doing that,” Aris chuckled as she pulled away after she checked Rasmus’s body. “You really have grown stronger,” she smiled faintly.

“I am, but not strong enough,” Rasmus hummed as he turned around and looked at the mega building of the arena. “But I’m not complaining. Baby steps are fine with me…”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep