C5 Lloyd Entered the Martial Academy

With a dull thud, Lloyd's body rocked heavily. Yet, beyond that, he didn't even take half a step back, much less get blown away.

The onlookers were astounded, their eyes bulging in disbelief.

Magnus was dumbfounded. His punch, with a third of his strength behind it, hadn't managed to topple this so-called waste of the Haynes family?

In that moment, Lloyd countered with a swift right hook to Magnus' face.

Caught off guard, Magnus was sent sprawling to the ground, nose bleeding.

The crowd gaped in amazement as Lloyd struck back.

Magnus, dazed by the blow, took a while to regain his composure before he bellowed in fury, "You dare hit me?"

Lloyd regarded him coolly and replied with measured calm, "You never said I couldn't return the favor, did you?"

As the preeminent earth-level alchemist of the Vruthurenth Empire, Lloyd had never been bested. The idea that this pampered scion could get the better of him was laughable.

Magnus, momentarily at a loss for words, wanted to retaliate but found no justification. Blood streaming down his face only added to the amusement of the spectators, many of whom snickered behind their hands.

Inside the shop, the Calderon family's employees exchanged awkward glances, their scornful smirks freezing in place.

They had never anticipated that their masterfully crafted plan would backfire, leaving their young master at a disadvantage.

In the meantime, Lloyd had already claimed the Ember Stone from the shopkeeper and strode out with an easy gait.

It was only then that Magnus realized he was still on the ground. Scrambling to his feet, he glared at Lloyd's retreating figure and seethed, "Lloyd, you'll regret this. I swear I'll make you pay for this humiliation!"

Back at home, Lloyd set to work on crafting the Inferno Pill.

By midday, the pills were ready. Out of the six in the cauldron, one was of supreme grade.

Lloyd selected the supreme grade pill and popped it into his mouth. Following that, he initiated the Celestial Flame Embodiment Spell.

The moment the pill touched his tongue, it erupted like molten lava, surging through his body. In an instant, Lloyd felt as though he had plunged into a volcanic crater, enveloped by the relentless flow of magma.

His skin and flesh seemed to decay, his bones as if they had vanished. Lloyd's body was wracked with a level of pain that most could never endure.

Each pore on his body was agape, radiating strands of fiery red luminescence. Lloyd appeared to be immersed in a bath of firelight.

The ferocious heat of the Inferno Pill scorched every inch of him. With time, the agony not only persisted but repeatedly shattered his thresholds of tolerance.

The torment he faced now was a hundredfold more intense than the pain he once bore as a level four warrior during the Meridian Refining process.

Yet, Lloyd was the preeminent earth-level alchemist of the Vruthurenth Empire, accustomed to hardships unfathomable to the average person. Despite pain crashing over him like a tsunami threatening to topple him, his eyes remained piercing, his fighting spirit indomitable.

No pain could ever bring him to his knees!

As time inched forward, Lloyd's meridians began to acclimate to the medicinal power, slowly assimilating it.

The crimson glow enveloping Lloyd's form started to fade as his meridians underwent a profound transformation. He had ascended to the first layer of the Celestial Flame Embodiment Spell, embarking on Meridian Refining.

Having absorbed the potent fire essence, his veins had transformed. His physical strength had skyrocketed tenfold, his physique, Qi, and Genuine Qi all elevated to new heights!

Though merely in the early phase of the Qi Condensation Stage, he was now capable of contending with a Middle Period Martial Apprentice, even daring to challenge those in the Late Period.

With the Meridian Refining realm attained and bolstered by the Cultivation Pill, Lloyd's power surged dramatically. Within two months, he advanced to the Middle Period of the Qi Condensation Stage.

"Bam! Bam!"

At dawn, the courtyard's emerald bamboo swayed softly in the breeze.

The three-foot iron sword in Lloyd's grasp felt as though it weighed a hundred kilos as he executed a variety of sword techniques. Each strike of his blade reduced the wooden dummies to splinters.

Lloyd was perfecting the twelve forms of the Spirit Snake Sword Technique. His movements were fluid, a blend of grace and raw power, making his martial spell distinctly formidable. He had honed his skill to the very pinnacle.

In just a short time, the courtyard's dozen wooden stakes were reduced to splinters.

Lloyd's father, Patel, walked in just as Lloyd cleaved the last stake with his sword, expressing his astonishment, "Lloyd, I never imagined your blade technique would be so formidable."

Lloyd remained composed. Given his physical condition, such progress in mere months was no small feat, which explained Patel's delight. Yet, recalling the Spirit Land adversary who had once bested him, Lloyd knew the gap between them was vast. Pride and complacency had no place in his journey.

Sheathing his sword, Lloyd inquired, "Dad, what brings you here so early?"

Patel replied with a smile, "You've turned fourteen, and it's customary for the Haynes family's youth to attend the County Academy at this age. As a third-grade yellow level alchemist, perhaps you should enroll in the Temple of Alchemy?"

The suggestion stirred something in Lloyd. The county was rich in resources for cultivation, promising faster progress. But the Temple of Alchemy wasn't his goal.

Already an earth level alchemist, Lloyd knew that with the advancement of his Celestial Flame Embodiment Spell, his alchemical prowess would naturally follow. His priority was to hone his martial skills.

"I'm not interested in the Temple of Alchemy," Lloyd stated firmly. "I wish to attend the Martial Academy."

"The Martial Academy? Your aptitude seems stronger in alchemy," Patel remarked, taken aback.

Lloyd clarified, "You're not wrong, but alchemy alone won't save me from danger. I plan to strengthen my martial arts first, then consider the Temple of Alchemy."

Patel nodded in understanding, "If that's your decision, then the Martial Academy it is."

Later that day, Joshua visited, bubbling with excitement about their trip to the county. Learning of Lloyd's choice to join the Martial Academy, his joy was palpable.

Days later, Lloyd said his goodbyes to his parents and set off for the county with Lysander and Joshua in tow.

After several days' journey, they finally reached Millbourne County.

Millbourne was a sprawling metropolis, ten times the size of Castlebury, boasting a bustling population of a million souls.

Upon entering the city, the sight of bustling traffic, throngs of pedestrians, and a myriad of shops with goods of every conceivable kind drew exclamations of wonder from Josh.

Lloyd, however, remained unimpressed. To him, this county, no matter how grand, was but a rural backwater compared to the splendor of the imperial city.

They soon made their way to the Martial Academy.

Situated in the city's eastern quarter, the imposing Martial Academy stood with its ancient and dignified buildings arrayed in solemn rows.

Lloyd had enrolled in the Lower Academy, a branch of the Martial Academy. After completing the enrollment formalities, he was shown to his new quarters.

The accommodations were communal, with over a dozen students sharing a courtyard and two disciples to a room. Lloyd and Josh were paired as roommates.

Once the elders had departed, one of the Haynes family disciples suggested they explore the county to broaden their horizons.

Lloyd, however, had no interest in such diversions. He and Josh set off for the True Martial Tower instead.

The True Martial Tower housed the Martial Academy's vast collection of tomes, spanning six floors with thousands of martial spell manuals.

The academy's policy allowed students to select a martial spell from the tower upon admission, and with each advancement in realm, they could return to choose another from the corresponding level.

Martial arts were categorized into nine realms, each with three tiers of martial spells: basic, intermediate, and advanced.

A martial spell's mastery could be classified into three stages: Small Completion, Great Completion, and Peak, depending on the practitioner's proficiency.

Some spells required a practitioner to progress through several realms to reach Peak mastery, and others could demand a decade of study, making them far more valuable than the average spell.

Spells like the Celestial Flame Embodiment Spell, which a cultivator could practice from the first realm all the way to the ninth, were exceedingly rare.

Lloyd's own cultivation had reached the middle period of the Qi Condensation Stage, and he had perfected the Spirit Snake Spell to its Peak. For him, further practice of this spell was unnecessary.

For Lloyd, advancing the Celestial Flame Embodiment Spell into the Meridian Refining realm meant he needed to cultivate higher-level martial spells to fully harness the power of the Flame Refining Spell and elevate its realm.

The six-story True Martial Tower loomed like a mountain, and at its gate stood a middle-aged martial master, as imposing as a guardian deity. As Lloyd and Joshua approached, the gatekeeper remained stoic, not even bothering to lift his gaze.

Upon presenting their identity cards, the man gave them a cursory look and addressed Joshua, "With your cultivation at the Middle Period of the Monolith Stage, you may ascend to the second floor and select three martial spells within an hour."

Then, turning to Lloyd with a dismissive air, he sneered, "At fourteen, you're only in the Middle Period of the Qi Condensation Stage? A member of the Haynes family, yet you can't even match a disciple from a collateral branch. Head to the first floor and pick out two martial spells in fifteen minutes."

Unfazed by the gatekeeper's scorn, Lloyd took his identity card and stepped into the True Martial Tower. Inside the hexagonal space, hundreds of bookshelves stood, laden with martial spell tomes, and a Martial Master guarded the entrance to the second floor.

Though an Alchemist by trade, Lloyd's status granted him free access to even the ninth floor of the imperial city's True Martial Tower. By comparison, this county's tower seemed rather modest.

Surveying the scene, he noted it was early, yet many new students were already frantically selecting martial spells, their expressions tense with urgency. These youngsters, of modest talent and merely at the Qi Condensation Stage, gravitated towards the middle-level martial arts.

Lloyd bypassed them, heading straight for the area housing advanced martial spells. His audacity drew snickers from a youth who deemed him overly ambitious.

Reaching the advanced martial spell section, Lloyd found rows of bookshelves brimming with high-level techniques, including meticulously organized tomes on blades, staffs, axes, and hand-to-hand combat secrets.

For most people, selecting the right middle-grade martial spell requires careful consideration, and choosing a high-grade one is even more challenging.

But Lloyd's approach was straightforward and uncomplicated: aim for the toughest one! Naturally, the most difficult martial spells were on the top shelf of the advanced section.

In contrast to the other crowded shelves, this one had just a handful of books.

With time at a premium, Lloyd didn't dawdle. He quickly began his search for the desired martial spell.

The first page of each book provided an introduction to its martial spell:

Stone Crushing Palm: An advanced palm technique that is executed in one fluid motion, potent and domineering, capable of shattering rocks and boulders.

Ascending Dragon Sword: The swordplay is as agile as a dragon, the practitioner as swift as a sparrow, allowing for nimble attacks on the enemy.

Meteor Slash: The sword strikes with the speed of a meteor, as fast as lightning…

Lloyd was surrounded by a variety of martial spells, but he was only interested in two types of secret manuals: a tyrannical sword formula that could vanquish an enemy in a single blow, and a nimbleness-enhancing technique.

After perusing dozens of volumes, he still hadn't found the martial spell he was after. Closing the last book, he frowned in frustration. For him, practicing these martial spells was beneath his dignity. Now, it seemed that even the most challenging martial spells were inadequate for his needs.