Half a year passed. In this time, Idris attended lessons more often and didn't focus on diving into dungeons as much. He wanted to at least show up three times a week to learn from his teachers, even though he already knew most of the things they taught.
They also announced the news about the tournament in front of the whole class. The children were alerted and wanted to train as much as they could, but they were calmed down by the teachers again.
A month later, they went into the first dungeon together. Idris was an exception and did nothing on these raids. He was allowed to independently dive into dungeons, what his teachers had to acknowledge later on.
He also didn't raise his cultivation much, but broke through to the middle stage of Martial Beginner Realm. He mainly focused on his two techniques he had learned beforehand and leveled them up many times. The "Sun-Moon-Cycle Technique" still needed his light element on the 9th layer. That was why he trained and used more light related spells, to increase his level.
His light element only reached the 9th layer after five and a half months though, since he wasn't as emerged in fighting as before. He didn't learn the technique immediately, but waited a little longer. One week before the first tournament did he actually begin to train it.
Four other schools, Flowing River, Towering Mountain, Clouding Sky and Drying Land School, all names related to the landscape or events happening there more often than in other regions, participated. Idris was from the Shining Moon School, the best of the five institutions.
The boy Andie Watson he had been told about, was student in the Clouding Sky School. He was now probably at the 7th layer Body Tempering Realm.
Since no one in the kingdom had heard of Idris before, only few knew his real power. Even his classmates had never seen his strength.
Ten people from his class were elected to fight in the upcoming tournament.
The entire class and the ones that were interested in the children, mostly parents, would get escorted to the meeting point together.
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The morning of departure.
Idris woke up early. He was already used to it and had no problem with standing up even sooner, but since he didn't have to, he didn't.
He placed his mask on his face, put clothes on his small body and his knife on his belt. He layed the book, with which he had learned new spells until yesterday, on his desk, after picking it up from the ground. The skills were all emperor rank and one even god rank. It was then, when Idris realized that god rank was relatively low and one could establish more ranks.
There once was a man that had reached the end of the Martial Refining Realm. He was at the pinnacle of his realm, but he just couldn't brakethrough to the next one. Since he wasn't able to cultivate any further, he thought he had reached the highest place a human can achieve. He also used the rest of his life to write down all the spells he had possessed. The strongest skills were god rank. He hadn't found more spells and believed that god rank was the most powerful. That's how the ranks were established.
The same man had a lived 150 years, showing that improving one's cultivation would increase the life expectancy. He was also the only person ever to fight a rank 9 beast. The monsters were scarce and had only been seen once again thereafter.
Idris was happy that he could use these spells so good though. He just had to learn skills that didn't exist on this planet or create new ones. But that was in the future. He first had to get so strong and reach the pinnacle of the Martial Refining Realm.
And for now he needed to finish the tournament as first place.
He went downstairs and shouted the name of his head servant: "Patrick! Come here, we're going!"
Patrick came with a pale face. He hadn't anticipated Idris to get up so early. He would travel together with Idris, after he had insisted that it was his duty as the head servant.
Idris had been stubborn and said no, even threatening Patrick, but it just didn't go through to him. He was annoyed at the development, but couldn't help it anymore.
"Yes, right away." Patrick said, sweating a little. If he came on the bad side of his master, he would risk a lot. Idris was not to joke with. He himself had experienced it. Not only had Idris a gloomy mood since the passing of the marquis, but he also had no understanding of how jokes worked. And after the servant had made one a few weeks ago, he had been chased by his master. At least he had been able to clear the confusion.
They walked out the door and summoned the carriage they would be riding. After they entered it, the carriage already moved.
After a short time of saying nothing, they arrived at the school. Patrick was usually in fear of his master, but since they had to travel with the whole class together and the mood of Idris worsened because of that, he was even more anxious. He worried that his master might let his rage out on the children or their parents or on any other person.
They were the one of the first to arrive. Most of the people standing around seemed quite sleepy. After all it wasn't even dawn yet.
They waited a little until the sun revealed itself and dyed everything in a light red. Everyone was ready to depart, children, parents and other people that wanted to go and watch.
Then a line of carriages came. Everyone entered and the journey to Veritas, the city the tournament will be held in.