In the middle of the usual training ground where Renan trained with his father, he could be seen sitting alone. Gracen was nowhere in sight, which was quite surprising. Ever since Renan’s training had started, Gracen was always present with him on the training ground. Yet today, he was absent. Renan, who was sitting in the middle of the training ground, was also not in his fox form. Instead, he was in his dragon form, which looked slightly older than before but still resembled a kid.
’Father said he would be a bit late, so why don’t I try using the elents since there is nothing else to do?’ Renan thought inwardly, speaking to himself as he slowly raised his left hand into the air. Suddenly, a spark ignited in his palm, which gradually turned into a small, flickering fla, the fire dancing lightly at the center of his hand.
’Amazing,’ he thought as he gazed at the tiny fire in his hand. ’No matter how many tis I use my elents, I can’t help but be amazed. It just feels incredible to have control over these forces. I used to dream of controlling elents like this when I was a kid in my previous life.’ His Red eyes glowed with fascination as he moved the fla around, watching it twirl in the air before his very eyes, letting it dance freely over his fingertips.q
However, after a few monts, the fla dissipated, and in its place, a ball of water ford, hovering just above his palm. The water pulsed softly, shimring under the light, before dispersing into a gentle mist, and then, in its place, an arc of electricity crackled, lighting up his hand with a soft glow. Renan continued cycling through his elents, shifting between fire, water, wind, and other elents effortlessly, manipulating them with ease and precision.
Finally, when the last elent ca—space—Renan focused, and a thin, black line appeared above his hand, rippling through the air like a tear in reality itself. As he stared at it, he suddenly rembered his conversation with Grandma Belinda when he had first asked her to teach him how to control the space elent properly and use it in different ways.
’Renan, you shouldn’t rely on your Grandma too much. My level of control over space is too low, and I haven’t made a single improvent in two hundred years. If I were to teach you everything I know, you wouldn’t be able to progress further—you might even get stuck. But since your control is perfect, that might not happen to you. Still, it’s better for you to explore the space elent on your own. That way, your progress won’t be hindered. Space is a dangerous elent, after all. So I’ll teach you only the basics, and after that, it’s up to you to improve on your own. That’s how I also grew to be the best space-elent user in dragon history.’
Renan repeated her words in his mind, thinking deeply about them.
’This space elent is definitely going to take a long ti to fully master, but since I have to live for ninety-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-four years in this world, I guess it’s not a bad thing. At least I’ll have sothing to keep myself occupied and focused on,’ he mused as he ntally counted the remaining years of his in this world, feeling sowhat amused at the absurdity of the number.
However, he didn’t need to continue talking to himself for long. The sound of approaching footsteps from behind caught his attention. As soon as he heard them, he turned his face toward the source of the noise, his ears twitching slightly.
"Ohh, Father, you’re finally here! I’ve been waiting for quite a long ti," Renan said as he saw Gracen entering the training ground.
Gracen’s presence was as commanding as ever. His eight tails swayed gently behind him, a clear sign that he had reached the eight-star level. He was wearing his usual training clothes, but his expression was more serious than usual, his gaze locked on Renan.
"Yeah, I had sothing to take care of, which is why I was a bit late," Gracen replied, his face relaxing as his usual small smile returned. "Anyway, are you ready? This will be our last spar."
Renan stood up from the ground, and as he rose, his body began to glow faintly. Within seconds, his form changed back into his fox state. Five long, fluffy tails twirled rhythmically behind him, swaying in perfect sync. A wide grin spread across his face as he responded, "Yes, Father, I’m ready!"
Gracen nodded, his golden eyes gleaming with approval. "Since this is our last spar, I’m going to change so rules. First, the fight won’t stop until one of us successfully lands a fatal strike—on the neck, heart, or head. Unlike our usual spars, where we stop after a single successful hit on any part of our body, this ti, the battle will continue until one of us delivers a decisive blow,
Second, if either of us is hit on a non-fatal part of the body—like an arm or a leg—that limb is considered unusable, as if it were cut off and rendered completely useless,
Third, we won’t use any of our abilities—no illusions, no hypnosis. Only pure skill and physical ability will be allowed,
Fourth, you are free to use not just your katana but your body as well in combat, making this a true test of our abilities,
And finally, I’ll be limiting my strength to the seven-star level to make this a fair fight," he finished explaining, his tone calm yet firm, his voice unwavering.
Renan had been listening closely, absorbing every word. However, when Gracen ntioned limiting himself to seven stars, Renan raised an eyebrow and spoke, "But, Father, I’m at five stars. Isn’t it still unfair?" His expression was serious, as if he had caught Gracen making an error in judgnt.
Gracen, however, simply gave his son a blank stare before shaking his head. "Let’s start the spar," he said, completely ignoring Renan’s complaint without a second thought.
Renan chuckled internally. He was just joking, after all. He was fully aware of his own strength. Though he was technically at the five-star level, he could fight opponents two stages above him with relative ease. His growth had far surpassed normal expectations, making even his father take note.
Without dwelling on the subject any further, both father and son walked toward the center of the arena. Each of them picked up a wooden katana, the weight familiar in their hands, their grips tightening around the handles.
They stepped a few paces away from each other and took their respective fighting stances, gripping their katanas firmly.
The air between them grew tense, the atmosphere charged with silent anticipation.
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