Feeling the heavy weight of the metallic bow in his hand, Calron strained the muscles in his arm in order to steadily position the bow in front of him.

The intricate symbols on the dark bow glowed with a faint golden l.u.s.ter as Calron started to imbue it with his lightning essence.

After escaping from the Red Boar School, Calron had completely forgotten about the mysterious black bow, and it was not until a few years ago when Calron had accidently summoned the bow out in the open.

His Teacher had immediately detected the presence of the dark bow, and frantically bellowed out within Calron’s mind as he inquired the boy about how he had discovered the bow.

Faced with the unusual outburst of the Voice, Calron had just stood there with a blank expression on his face, while his Teacher had suddenly materialized next to him.

Tenderly touching the bow with his smoky hands, an unusual trace of emotion flickered across the Voice’s face as he continued to softly brush his fingers against the metal of the bow.

“Take good care of it, Calron.”

His Teacher gently whispered, and then abruptly returned back into Calron’s body.

Calron was utterly puzzled as to why his Teacher had reacted this way, as the Voice rarely ever showed its true feelings, but it was obvious to Calron that it had something to do with the dark bow.

Recalling that yearning gaze he had seen on his Teacher’s face, Calron felt that there was a deep history behind the mysterious bow.

“I think I see it!”

Calron softly whispered to himself, as he sent more of his essence into the dark bow.

Slowly, a faint outline of a golden arrow started to coalesce at the bow’s nocking point.

“Hmm, I distinctly recall telling you that you were not allowed to use your essence during this training period.”

The Voice interrupted Calron in an amused tone, just as his student was about to unleash the elemental arrow.

“Eh? But it’s for food! Don’t tell me I have to fight to eat as well? I’ll just starve to death this way!”

Calron vigorously protested as he dissipated the essence around the metallic bow.

“Nothing is ever easy in life, boy, but if you want to achieve something, then you must relentlessly pursue that goal and never give up no matter what!”

The Voice pa.s.sionately conveyed and tried to ignite the fire within Calron’s heart.

“Tch, but this is a goal you set, not me… ”

Calron disgruntledly muttered under his breath.

“What was that?”

The Voice promptly inquired.

“Nothing! I was just saying what a terrific idea this is!”

Calron quickly replied and stood up from his crouching position. It no longer mattered whether he hid or not, as his Teacher had made it clear that he would have to confront the beast either way.

“I will beat that stupid monkey senseless the next time I see it!”

Calron annoyingly cursed as he realized that it was all due to the baby monkey’s fault that he had to fight another beast with his bare hands right now.

Only recently had the Voice implemented the bare-handed training with beasts, so the earlier roasted bird was something that Calron had killed a while ago with his bow.

Taking in a deep breath, Calron stepped out of the bushes and scrutinized his surroundings in order to search for the beast that he had detected earlier.

Just as Calron had finally located the targeted beast, he immediately felt goose b.u.mps all over his body!

“Uhh… Teacher, I don’t think I’m that hungry… let’s just go back and I’ll lift some heavy rocks… ”

Calron nervously stated as he wiped away the drops of sweat that had formed on his forehead.

A few yards away from Calron was an enormous grey beast known as the Mountain Ash Bear!

The huge bear had a thick bulky frame and its skin was even harder than some metals! With fumes of smoke emitting from its nostrils, the beast slowly prowled through the forest.

This gigantic bear would stand over ten feet tall if it rose on its hind legs, and it was also a magical beast with the fire attribute. A Mountain Ash Bear could easily reach the seventh rank of the Spiritual stage as soon as it entered its adulthood.

Clearly, the bear in front of Calron was a fully grown adult!

Fortunately, the monstrous bear had not yet taken notice of the human boy a few yards away, and it slowly settled down next to a nearby tree for a quick afternoon nap.

Opening wide its horrific maw in a yawn, it gingerly set its snout on its front paws and blissfully closed its eyes.

Seeing that the bear had not even detected him, Calron desperately wanted to get away from that gigantic beast as quickly as possible! He could have easily taken care of it with either the Blood Legacy or the Azure Lightning, but fighting against that monstrosity with just his bare hands?

Impossible!

This grey bear was a beast at least in the seventh rank of the Spiritual stage, and it was not an opponent that Calron would like to fight solely with his physical strength.

“You need to experience danger, Calron. Without an unwavering heart, you will never be able to reach the heights of cultivation that you dream of! Pain is temporary kid, but if you can push through it, then you will enter the realm of true cultivation!”

Hearing his Teacher’s words, Calron unknowingly started to feel his heart race with excitement!

He had long ago vowed to seek strength and to avenge his family, so how could his heart waver when facing off against a beast merely in the Spiritual stage?

Power!

It had been ages since Calron had felt the thrill of battle, as within the past few years, he had gotten used to a life of peace and routine training.

The truth was that Calron had not yet met a worthy opponent in the mountains, which had caused his fighting spirit to dull and slowly fade away.

Deep within the depths of his soul, he had never really felt a sense of danger, as he knew that he could always rely on either the Blood Legacy or the Azure Lightning to completely suppress any beast within this small mountain.

It was just at this moment, that Calron suddenly realized why his Teacher had been forcing him to fight his battles without his essence or the legacy.

It was because his heart was starting to lose its fighting spirit!

“F*ck! How did I not realize this until now?”

Calron heatedly yelled into the forest, as he started boldly walking towards the Mountain Ash Bear!

Hearing the loud shout, the enormous bear abruptly awoke from its nap, and tried to locate the source of the sound that woke it from its peaceful slumber.

Sighting a human boy slowly walking towards it, the grey bear angrily rose from the ground as a vicious growl erupted from its throat. Thick dark smoke erupted from its nostrils, as traces of small embers started to form around the enormous beast.

Meanwhile, a sudden rush of hot blood surged through Calron’s veins, as his heart started to excitedly pound against his chest!

“I had forgotten this feeling… ”

Calron softly whispered to himself as he closed his eyes and felt the adrenaline coursing through his body.

“Embrace this moment, kid. Do not worry about whether or not you can win against the bear, and even if death stares right into your eyes, fight until the bitter end! This is the true heart of a warrior!”

The Voice solemnly spoke within Calron’s mind.

*step*    *step*

Calron continued to walk towards the beast as he reveled in the ethereal antic.i.p.ation of the coming battle. The muscles on his naked upper body coiled with tension as Calron prepared to unleash his strength.

*ROOAARR*

Suddenly, the gigantic bear raised its head as it wildly bellowed into the sky, and just a second later, it immediately began to charge towards Calron!

“A warrior’s heart… ”

Calron’s eyes abruptly opened as a familiar bloodthirsty aura erupted around him.