In fact, the other orphans would join in on the morning practice as well, based on their newly found resolves. Ryner, Elyse and Fionn, who were the most desperate to become stronger, would try their best to keep up with the maniacal training regiment that s.h.i.+n had prepared for himself. Unfortunately, after a few days, they were forced to tone down their workout as they lacked the tools, namely the healing ability, that s.h.i.+n possessed.

Skipping breakfast, he would work up an enormous appet.i.te for his late lunch, where Lia would prepare a nutritious and heavy meal for the adolescent youth. As he would eat, s.h.i.+n would read up on the various training practices that a combat-oriented Spirit User would adopt, and with his comprehension ability, he visualised the best ways for him to train. However, since he lacked a proper tutor, the only things that s.h.i.+n could do was guess.

After lunch, he would begin on his cultivation session. Since he had the Celestial Water Mantra, there were no issues when it came to his self-cultivation. As a matter of fact, he was already at the peak of Rank 17 and would breakthrough any day now. In a perfect world, he would form his Spirit Core and learn a combat skill from that promotion, but due to the four-month time limit imposed on him, s.h.i.+n was not focused on that path.

Once he was satisfied with his session, which was usually four to five hours each time, s.h.i.+n would take a late afternoon lap around the area. It was essential for the young teen to run about, as he felt that there was a tremendous calming effect about being near the verdant mountains that had been left untouched by human interference. During this time, s.h.i.+n would forget the miserable memories that plagued him and could enjoy one to two hours of peace.

Finis.h.i.+ng his run, the young teen would take a long shower to cleanse his body from the toxins that had been released throughout the day and have one communal dinner with all of his loved ones. In this life, the only people that he cared about were now all around him. Ariel and Lily had pa.s.sed, while Junius had gone down the dark path. When he watched over the placid faces of the orphans, his master and Bingbing, s.h.i.+n felt his desire to protect them burn ever so brightly.

Subsequently, after dinner, s.h.i.+n would simultaneously start his second cultivation session as well as studying the numerous books that the mansion's library provided. Only when the clock struck midnight, did he retreat from his gruelling day to finally catch some sleep.

His insane schedule would repeat itself endlessly as the days went by, and s.h.i.+n would follow the plan to the letter, never compromising for even a single second. From the time where he woke up at six in the morning to the time where he went to bed at midnight, s.h.i.+n would be tirelessly working hard to train his body.

Today, the young teen was doing the exact same routine. Tying his laces so that his shoes would stay firmly attached to his feet, s.h.i.+n was preparing for his late afternoon jog.

"Hey, s.h.i.+n! Try to come back early today! Ryner went hunting and caught a full-sized deer, so we're preparing a feast today!" Lia shouted out from the kitchen.

"Ryner did? Won't the deer be poisoned?" s.h.i.+n replied back, his face full of scepticism. Ryner's Water Salamander Spirit was a potent one, but its acidic attacks didn't make it the best hunter.

"Haha, don't worry! He didn't use his acid on the deer! Anyway, we should be ready within the hour so try to rush back." Lia lovingly smiled.

It has been over three weeks since Lily and Ariel tragically pa.s.sed on during the Black Masks attack on Frie Mountain. The orphans, while emotionally damaged at first, had slowly started to recover as many of them didn't carry the same bleak expressions as they did before. For Lia, who was convinced that she had to take on the role as the 'mother' of the group, she had been laughing a lot more in recent days. Determined to make their new mansion a proper home where all of the orphans could return to, Lia had been doing her best to be an emotional pillar of support.

"Okay, I'll try."

"Don't try, just come back a little earlier! We need your bottomless stomach here!"

"What am I, a pig?"

"In my eyes you are!!!" With a face full of mockery, Lia teased her younger brother.

"Urghh, I'm off..." Scoffing while rolling his eyes, s.h.i.+n promptly walked out of the hallway and went straight out of the mansion.

'My usual route would take at least two hours though… Whatever, I'll just explore the place a little.' s.h.i.+n watched the surrounding environment and let out a sigh.

From the first day that the orphans moved into the mansion, they had been trying to familiarise themselves with the foreign surroundings. Lady Seph's new estate was located in a remote part of the Capital's east side, and that meant that there was very little human life populating the area. The majority of the time, when the orphans would wander around the area, they would get lost in how beautiful the landscape was.

The cleft hills were littered with verdurous greenery, making the mansion a utopia for little animals to explore. Nearby, a vast and pristine lake, that glistened in the dazzling sunlight became a frequent travel destination for the new residents. Not only was it alluring to the human eye, but it was also a hot spot to watch the local fauna react. Sonorous hymns of birds filled the area as the local deer and wildcats drank merrily from the water source.

s.h.i.+n was a particularly big fan of the immaculate lake. Being the owner of the Eminence of the Lake, The Sovereign Koi, s.h.i.+n felt a mysterious connection whenever he was near a large water body. Furthermore, in these times of stress, s.h.i.+n needed a place where his mind could be put to ease.

However, since he had to return early today, the young teen opted to take a different route. Lightly jogging his way in the opposite direction of the lake, s.h.i.+n tried to explore more of his surroundings. Even though they were given a simple map so that they wouldn't get lost, it was still better for the orphans to use their bodies to familiarise themselves with the environment.

'Hmmm? What's that?' After thirty minutes of his light exercise, s.h.i.+n noticed an odd peculiarity with one of the nearby hills. 'Is that a cave?'

An opening into the gra.s.sy hill could be seen thirty metres up from ground level, piquing the young teenager's curiosity.

'Maybe I should investigate? It looks safe...' s.h.i.+n gave a brief a.s.sessment of the area before committing to his action.

In the Capital, there were virtually zero untamed Spirit Beasts in the wild. Due to its close proximity to the heart of the Empire, all areas that contained Spirit Beasts were wiped out early on, and every year, an annual cleansing of the wilderness would be conducted. However, even though there were no longer any barbaric Spirit Beasts around, ferocious animals such as wild bears or tigers still existed.

Although it would be dangerous for a child to roam into a cave without a skilled adult around, with s.h.i.+n's current capability, he should be able to comfortably dispatch an animal that didn't possess any mana. Thus, judging that there was no danger, the young boy kicked off from the ground and darted towards the cave.

The grotto was deep and dark as a chilling air, brushed against s.h.i.+n's exposed skin. Peering into the darkness to the best of his ability, s.h.i.+n couldn't sense any forms of life other than the browned moss that was prevalent at every corner.

"Come out!" Congregating his mana in his hands, s.h.i.+n summoned the cute little cerulean Koi, so that it could act as a light source. Puffing its gills in annoyance, The Sovereign Koi showed its displeasure for being used for such a menial task, but ultimately, it was unable to defy its master's orders.

"Don't sulk. It's not like I'm using you for food or anything."

"..." Incapable of replying, the only thing that The Sovereign Koi could do was flap its fins around in a flurry.

Carefully pacing himself, s.h.i.+n crept deeper and deeper into the cave. An eerie fog that floated beneath his knees made the cavern much colder than it needed to be, but ultimately, s.h.i.+n endured the cold and pressed on. After a few minutes of exploring, the young teen finally came to the end of the dark tunnel and was astonished by what he saw.

A linen mat with numerous baskets of food was scattered all over the grey rock floor, hinting that someone had been using this cave for their own personal use. The pungent stench of incense masked the natural smell of the den, forcing s.h.i.+n to cover his nose in the process.

'Someone has been cultivating here? Since there's no trace of mana, perhaps it hasn't been in use for the past few days… I should inform Master of this place!' s.h.i.+n thought out while unconsciously stepping away. There was no telling if the Spirit User that had been using this place was a powerful one so it would be the wise choice to retreat and let Lady Seph handle this situation. Unfortunately, he was too slow to evacuate.

"WHAT THE h.e.l.l DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! COMING INTO MY SPECIAL PLACE?!?!?!" A furious voice bellowed through the cave, forcing s.h.i.+n to cover his ears with his hands. Due to the cramped nature of the area and the spiritual pressure being released, s.h.i.+n heard something in his ears pop as blood flowed out from the gaps in his fingers.

'd.a.m.n it, I screwed up!' Uncorking two of the three gourds that lay on his waist, s.h.i.+n brought out all of his healing and poisoned water. The healing water raced towards his eardrums in an attempt to repair the broken pieces while the poisoned water created a sphere around him, hoping to deter the attacker from launching an all-out attack.

"f.u.c.king brat. Why the f.u.c.k are you here?!?! Don't you know students aren't allowed in these parts during the school term?!" Realising that he was a little impulsive before for injuring a young Spirit Apostle before he got the chance to explain himself, the voice calmed himself before hollering out once more, this time without spiritual energy.

"S-Senior! I don't know what you're talking about! I recently moved into the nearby mansion just a few kilometres south from here!"

"Huh? Someone finally bought that f.u.c.king house?" Recalling that old estate that had been left uninhabited for a few years, the voice was rather taken aback. Although it was relatively cheap for its size, due to its poor location, not many people were interested in that building. "To think that someone would buy it… I'm guessing you're the child of the owner then, brat..."

A misty shadow flew down from the ceiling and approached the groaning s.h.i.+n. From the corner of his teary eyes, s.h.i.+n was able to make out the basic features of the man that attacked him. Standing at over 1.8 metres, the man, who looked like he was in his thirties, had fully tanned skin and possessed a lean build. His green eyes that seemed to resemble the beautiful greenery that surrounded gave the man a distinct earthen look that was highlighted by his unkempt scruffy brown hair.

"Who are you?" Not dropping his guard, s.h.i.+n questioned the tall man.

"Asking that right off the bat? Who the f.u.c.k taught you manners, boy?" The man sharply retorted with a face full of disgust, unaware that he was the impolite one in the conversation. "Whatever, my name is Mychael. I'm a teacher at Imperius Academy, and would probably be one of your future teachers."

"Huh? How did you know I would be attending the academy?!" s.h.i.+n exclaimed in shock. He had just met Mychael for the first time today and yet, the man was able to accurately guess that he would be attending the Imperius Academy.

"Are you a f.u.c.king maggot that lacks a brain? Anyone who can think could guess that you would be a student in my school!!!" Unwilling to bother explaining himself, Mychael shot s.h.i.+n a second glance, examining his physical state. "Hey, who the f.u.c.k taught you how to train? Your entire body is on the verge of collapse! At this rate, you would undoubtedly break yourself before you enter the freshman year!!!"

As someone who had taught in the academy for decades, Mychael could tell how bad a student's training was with a single look, and s.h.i.+n's current body state was among the worst that he had ever seen.

"Why the h.e.l.l are you focusing so much on breaking your body?! Haven't you heard of using your mana to enhance yourself?! Who the f.u.c.k is your master?!"

"Don't insult Master!!! She's way stronger than you can ever hope to be!!!" s.h.i.+n exploded after hearing Mychael demean Lady Seph again and again.

"Tsssk, this is why I dislike pampered brats… Whatever, leave here now, I still have some cultivation to do!" Not willing to play around with s.h.i.+n anymore, Mychael grabbed the teen by the collar and with one swift motion, flung the young boy out of the cave. Flying out of the grotto, s.h.i.+n landed flat on the gra.s.sy floor. Thankfully, the ground was soft. Otherwise, he would have gotten out of that incident in a far worse state.

"What the h.e.l.l?! How did he do that?" s.h.i.+n was left bewildered. How could such a thin and feeble looking man generate so much power? And then, a specific sentence of Mychael echoed itself through the young man's head.

'Haven't you heard of using your mana to enhance yourself?!'

Mana enhancement of the physical body was not a secret that no one had heard about. In fact, to a certain extent, s.h.i.+n was able to do that too. However, the trick to strengthening one's body varied from individual to individual. Without a proper teacher to guide him, s.h.i.+n had no clue about where to start, and could only base his training from the books that he read.

"Maybe I could get him to help me!" At this point, s.h.i.+n was desperate for any possible methods to strengthen himself. If he could enlist the help of a teacher from the Imperius Academy even before he entered, the teen would have a much better chance of impressing Princ.i.p.al Erudito once the four-month time limit was up.

Rapidly healing himself from the bruises and cuts he sustained from the fall, s.h.i.+n ran up the hill once more to converse with the eccentric individual that he had just met.