Chapter 171: Refining
That night, Sam sent a shadow mouse to call Watt to the camp. For teaching these people, he can handle the fire elemental mages while Watt can deal with the wind element ones.
But Watt didn't visit him the very night, but he came next day in the dawn.
"What happened?" Sam asked as he looked at the serious expression of Watt.
"The other candidates are making their moves more ferociously. They are ambushing us at every possible moment. Not only us everyone is targeting each other. Except for the two teams from the southern star city, all the other teams started making moves on others.
And since we are the shortest team, we are the main target. Everyone wants to make an example out of us by eliminating us first." Watt replied.
"You don't have to worry about that. They can take care of themselves. We don't have to deal with every problem that pops up in the competition.
I even dealt with the general because the problem originated from me. You don't expect me to babysit them all the while, right?
Anyway, they are capable enough. We can help them if their life is at risk, I am already helping them by given them Mackey and his staff."
Watt didn't say anything and just nodded. For him, it doesn't matter what happens in the competition. All this while he helped because of Sam's orders and another reason is that results of the competition might have some effect on Sam's rankings.
Otherwise, he doesn't care about it.
"From today onwards every night visit the camp. I want you to train fifty members. All of them wind element users. Teach them how to control spiritual energy and attack with it without usage of spells and hand signs.
The remaining time, just deal with the impact crystal and melt as much as possible. The latter half of the competition, I need that land for a lot of things. It is going to be my main point in conducting business. The business which the southern star has never see and will never see again.���
Sam said these words and Watt took a look at the wind element users whom he has to teach and left the place on the silver wind.
After Watt was gone, Sam continued with the morning drill training and then done with the spiritual energy control training.
They didn't have much progress in a single day.
All the while, Sam looked at them and this time, he even released Sky to keep a watch over them.
In the afternoon training he observed some people are trying to slack off and they met with a good beating with the staff.
The main problem for these soldiers who go beaten up is the attack or injury is not to the whole body. It is only happening on the skin which is making them feel the stinging pain. The hot wind slapping them like a whip. The could feel the skin burning making them grit their teeth until their gums bled.
That night after the training was over, everyone heaved a sigh of relief and went to rest except for the hundred members.
Out of all candidates, these hundred members stood out in both the training routines.
In the first one, they are in perfect sync along with the most of their teammates. They are the best in the drill but in the second one, they are the worst. They are having trouble just controlling a small amount of spiritual energy in the formation which is suppressing and extremely resistant to their forceful usage.
They have to feel the spiritual energy and connect it with slowly which they are completely incapable for now.
All of them assembled in the empty ground near Sam's tent. Watt already arrived while Sam already laid a concealment formation.
Both Sam and Watt divided the members into two teams and both of them started teaching them from the basics with which they themselves trained.
After teaching the first step of feeling the amount and movement of spiritual energy in their body and let them practice, Sam took five members from each group and took them to the tent.
There are already necessary preparations made. There are many runic drawings of the formations.
Exactly ten of them.
These formations are based on the formation which is used to refine the bloodline of the dragon hawk. But this is not for the complete refinement. The bodies of these people wouldn't be able to hold up if he completely refines the whole blood into that of Dragon hawks.
So, all he has to do is partial refinement which even allows these guys potential to increase and gives them a chance to reach the Grand realm stage and that is only because these guys are way past their prime.
If he refines the blood of a youngster who just awakened, then they might have a chance of Nascent.
But he didn't say. That wasn't part of the deal at least not yet.
Sam started refining process for one person after another one by one. After more than three hours all of them are finally done. Since, it is only partial refinement it didn't even take that long.
By the time he came out along with the ten people, they are brimming with excitement as they can clearly see their body's strength improving and at the same time felt that their ability to sense and feel the spiritual energy also increased.
For the next ten days, the same routine went on. The drill training and the whipping started to make some progress in the sync of the soldiers. Eight companies are completely in sync and only two companies left.
For the spiritual energy control training, there is some progress although it is little. But many people started to get a feel of using the spiritual energy frugally and efficiently.
As for the test they had after the first week of the training, it was a disaster. The people who barely passed didn't even reach two digits.
So, Sam just considered that the test didn't even happen and left them to train.
After another five days, the fire-wind Dragon hawk tribesmen, got a grip on usage of the spiritual energy and they easily caught up with the rest of the members. But still they are far beyond the set target just like others.
This went on for another fifteen days, it has been a month since the training started and finally all of the members passed the training.
They also started realising how much benefit the training has done to them. When they are practicing without any restriction.
Their usage of spiritual energy reduced and they can last long in the battle.
Now that the training was done, they are feeling a little regretful.
At this moment all of them assembled again just like the first day. Sam is standing on the same stage and the scene was extremely familiar to them.
"Since, you guys already saw the results for yourselves, there is not much for me to say. From today onwards the spiritual energy restriction training will be reduced to an hour and if anyone wants to train more, they can do so in their free time.
From today onwards, you guys will be focussing on the individual combat training. The exchange point will also be opening.
As all of you took a month to finish the first phase, you will be rewarded with ten credits each.
And along with that, there would be a new ranking system that is going to be implemented. This ranking will be decided by how many duels you win.
You can duel however you want, but once you defeat a person, you cannot challenge him again just to rake up the credits.
You can duel with a single person or fight one against two, one against three, one against a company, I don't care.
The number of opponents you defeat, the number of credits you acc.u.mulate.
For every opponent you defeat you will get a credit and if a person loses three fights either they are team or individually, you will be deducted one point.
The ranking is not based on the individual strength, rather it is based on the number of credits you acc.u.mulated.
From today onwards you will be training against each other and you will be training against beasts, the other regiment soldiers.
I want you to fight as many battles as you can, I want you to practice as your battle techniques as much as you can.
You can challenge anyone and everyone in the military base, even thunder wolf squad. Nobody is going to stop you from challenging you and nobody is going to ask you for an explanation.
If anyone troubles you or wants to play some under the table tricks, just tell me, I will make a visit to their regiment and see who dares to take it out on you guys.
But there is only one catch. No ultimate or critical moves."
Just as the crowd was getting pumped, they were stunned.
"You heard me right. You are not going to use your ultimate and critical moves. You will only use the most basic of the skills.
This way, I want you guys to experience the battle and gain experience. I want you guys to acc.u.mulate enough battle awareness.
So, from today onwards and for the next fifteen days, each of you must win 100 fights with the other regiment soldiers.
The first one to win will be getting 100 credits, the second one 99 and so on until the last one will only get one credit.
This time, I am not giving you extra time, you must finish the battles in fifteen days otherwise I will just go on and you can forget about the reward."
Sam said and was about to move back, but he remembered something and said.
"Every other day, I will be sending a hundred of you to forest every morning, where each of you must hunt and kill a beast of same or higher level than yours. This will be conducted between midnight and sun rise.
If anyone fails to catch a beast, they will be deducted of one point.
Now, everyone get ready for drill training. After an hour of drill training and an hour of spiritual energy control, then you can practice your battle techniques or go duel.
By the way, if any of you try to get past these things underhandedly by colluding with your friends in the regiments, you better hide it from me at all costs. You won't be able to bear the consequences."