Mental Energy!

It was something that he awakened through the Soul Cultivation Technique. Even its creator, Heavin, hadn't guessed that Mental Energy could be awakened when one practiced it. It was a pleasant surprise.

But surprisingly, in this world of sufferings, Krune awoke it in him. The moment he did so, he obtained an enlightenment related to Mental Energy, understanding its essence.

'It's an energy of the mind, undetectable normally because not everyone can harness the mind.' He took in a deep breath as he thought this. 'The reason practicing Soul Cultivation awoke Mental Energy was due to the development of the soul acting as a force on the mind to condense the mental waves, producing Mental Energy.'

'And now, thanks to the experiences from four people other than me, my mind has matured a lot, even greater than my more than two centuries worth of experience. It gave new facets to my train of thought. To think this is the true way to awaken Mental Energy.' He sighed. 'Through cultivating the mind through various life experiences.'

'So, this is how Mental Energy is actually used.' He had an epiphany. 'And to think I just used it as a power booster for the most part until now.'

Just as he sighed, he noticed everyone around him had distanced themselves from him a little, staring at him in confusion, wondering why he had gone into a trance suddenly.

Krune came to his senses, noticing his clothes were drenched in the blood that leaked out of his nose. His sight was blurry, while his stance was wobbly. He was close to losing consciousness, but Krune felt great.

It was because he now had Mental Energy. Even though the power from his Mental Energy was very weak, it still meant a breakthrough, a qualitative one at that, one that would make him a fearsome foe in the God Realm.

Retracting his Star Hammer, Krune took in a deep breath, exhaling, followed by another inhale, repeating the process.

Slowly, all the blood that had flowed out of his nose and smeared his dress began to be extracted, mysteriously condensing all the blood into a tiny crimson crystal that he pocketed.

He then smiled, feeling intense exhaustion stemming from both his body and mind, gazing at everyone as he bowed a little. "It's thanks to the pressure you exerted on me that I attained enlightenment."

"No, we were just charging at you" The person closest to Krune waved his hands in embarrassment, retracting his County Arms immediately, losing all fighting spirit.

Many others also echoed his response as Krune laughed, stating aloud, "Everyone! Don't be worried. From today onwards, I'll be teaching you everything about County Arms and will also train you to be powerhouses capable of upholding our Empire."

Saying his piece, he activated the Cloud Whale within himself, using the generated air currents to fly away, hurrying towards the cafeteria, sliding through its doorway upon losing balance.

"Child, are you okay?" The cook there looked at Krune's majestic entrance, understanding that he needn't sweep the floor there today.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Krune said, dusting himself as he got up, asking, "Can you give me some food to eat? I used up too much energy before and am feeling light-headed."

"Take a seat. I'll prepare some recovery soup." Saying so, the cook headed into the kitchen, whipping up something within ten minutes as he brought a bowl and placed it before Krune. "Start eating this. I'll make some dishes to go with this in the meantime."

"Thank you." Krune nodded, beginning to drink the soup, feeling his sight clear up a little. He quickly finished the bowl, relaxing on the chair as he recalled the experience of fighting against the students.

'It's not fighting against strong enemies that gives the most experience. It's to fight people with the intention of protecting and training them. That gives the most experience.' Upon reaching this line of thought, Krune laughed. "It seems becoming a teacher is the most beneficial for my growth, both here and in the Mountain Sect."

As the cook brought out some more dishes, Krune thanked the heavens and gorged through everything like he hadn't eaten a morsel for weeks. Finished with his meal, he patted his belly, intending to return to his room when he exited the cafeteria, noticing the headmaster standing there, seemingly expecting him.

"I greet the headmaster," Krune said, performing a mild bow.

"Remain at ease." The headmaster smiled before saying, "I've seen your performance today. I can say with assurance that you have experience teaching students."

"Yes, I've been doing the same to my clansmen recently, so I got accustomed to it," Krune replied.

"Great." His smile became even deeper as the headmaster asked, "Since you've said it yourself, I wish to appoint you as the director of the County Arms Division. What do you say?"

"What does the director of this division do?" Krune asked, confused at the position yet surprised at the offer.

"Teaching and training the students in regards to everything related to County Arms, you will be the deciding authority on that. We also need more teachers to teach the students in the future, so your first responsibility would be to pick up some good candidates for that task," The headmaster nodded as he replied.

"That's great. I'll accept that." Krune nodded. "It's my responsibility anyway."

"Great." The headmaster nodded after hearing that, smiling as he walked away, "I'll draft up the official document tomorrow. In the meantime, you can head towards the County Arms Division's facility."

After hearing the location of the facility, Krune was interested as he walked towards the place, surprised when he noticed that it was like an academy within the academy. It was huge.

However, he didn't enter it, asking in his mind first, "Mom, you there?"

"Of course," Daxia Ting's voice resounded immediately. "What's up?"

"Does the Emperor have any Nightmare Cores stored in the Royal Treasury?" he asked.

"Why do you need them?" Daxia Ting asked in surprise, pausing for a moment before saying, "Yes, I'm sure there must be a lot there."

"I just realized that I haven't been rewarded for my contribution to the Empire yet." Krune stared at the building before him, sporting a bright smile. 'It seems my route to clear this realm of suffering is here.'

"So, I plan to be rewarded with Nightmare Cores instead."