I settled into a defensive posture; but I did not make a move to attack. Many will say that the best defense is a strong offense, however, this was just a sparring session, not a life-or-death battle - regardless of what the Skybound may want to believe.

  My number one priority in this sparring session was to learn.

  Kiran seemed somewhat surprised that I did not immediately charge forward as most initiates would. His posture was stiff, suggesting he was expecting some kind of trick.

  “Relax,” I said calmly. “We are here to train, not to kill each other.”

  He slowly nodded, although I could tell he didn’t truly trust my words. That suspicion was reinforced when his body instantly became rigid with an iron-like quality – he must have activated some kind of reinforcement rune.

  “Master,” Azure called out, “his defensive rune is very rudimentary yet he has executed it well. The energy is distributed remarkably evenly.”

  For the next few seconds, neither of us made a move, so I decided to take the initiative. After all, there was no sense in simply standing there all day - Elder Molric was already beginning to look impatient.

  I rushed forward toward Kiran, monitoring his responses.

  As soon as I was close enough to strike, I activated the Titan’s Crest. Red light burst from the marking on my left hand and energized my body as the Titan’s Crest enhanced my physical strength by 10 for the next 60 seconds.

  Kiran raised his guards, but his actions were a little hesitant. I delivered a basic combination of punches and kicks - two quick jabs followed by a low kick. He blocked both punches cleanly and then backed away from the kick, his technique correct but without any aggressive counter-attacks.

  I continued to press with more combinations and mixed-in some fake-outs. High punch, low kick fake-out into a spinning back-fist. Kiran defended properly but again, he did not take advantage of any opens I intentionally left open.

  “You’re holding back,” I stated, delivering a front kick which he deflected to the side.

  “I’m not—” Kiran began to protest but had to stop speaking as I used Blink Step.

  The world blurred momentarily as I teleported to his left side and began to spin into a roundhouse kick. His eyes opened wide - clearly he had not anticipated me to utilize a movement technique so early in the sparring match.

  The kick connected with his ribcage, propelling him backward a short distance until he lost his footing and fell.

  I walked over to him and offered my hand. “Tell me why you weren’t really fighting back?”

  He hesitated for a second before accepting my help up. After he regained his footing, he nervously gazed at Elder Molric before responding quietly:

  “I… I don’t like channeling the red sun’s energy more than I have to,” he admitted. “It influences people’s minds — changes them.”

  My eyes widened slightly. This was the first time I’d ever heard someone verbally express concern regarding the psychological effects of the red sun’s energy. Most of the Skybound either ignored this reality completely or welcomed the growing insanity with open arms, believing it be a sign of power.

  Kiran studied my expression intently. “However, you’re different,” he said slowly. “Your eyes are clear. I do not see even a hint of the madness; even when you channel the energy.”

  I was unsure of how to reply to that statement. It was not like I could describe the Genesis Seed’s effects or my own unique situation.

  “Perhaps someday you’ll be able to understand how the Genesis Seed cleanses the red sun’s energy,” Azure mused. “That could help others like young Kiran here.”

  “Maybe,” I thought. “However, I believe the blue sun’s energy would be much better at combating the insanity.” I glanced at Elder Molric, who was starting to display visible signs of annoyance due to our impromptu conversation. “The old man’s research may actually save the Skybound; if he lives long enough to finish it.”

  “IF being the operative word,” Azure dryly replied. “Considering his enthusiasm for conducting potentially destructive experiments.”

  Kiran was still staring at me, looking hopeful. I sighed.

  “I don’t have all the answers,” I told him. “Being a Natural may simply make me different. However…” I added, seeing his shoulders sag, “you’ve already demonstrated sufficient resistance to the red sun’s influence. Meditation is helpful in maintaining mental clarity. Try to control the power and not allow the power to control you.”

  I wasn’t totally confident that meditation alone would be sufficient - sometimes the easiest solutions in cultivation novels felt a bit too convenient. Nonetheless, it seemed to provide him with renewed confidence, judging by his resolute nod.

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  “If you two are finished with your heart-to-heart,” Elder Molric shouted, “perhaps we can return to the actual training?”

  “Sorry, Master,” I quickly said, getting back into my original position. Kiran also apologized and returned to his stance.

  To my surprise, this time Kiran took the initiative. He disappeared in a flash of motion, reappearing on my right-hand side with his fist already flying toward my head. I recognized the technique - another Blink Step user.

  I activated the Aegis Mark at precisely the right time, raising my arm to block.

  His fist collided with my forearm with great force, however the barrier absorbed most of the impact.

  He followed through with a flurry of rapid-fire attacks - jab, cross, elbow, knee. Each attack flowed seamlessly into the next, requiring me to remain defensive. His technique was highly polished, showing that he had years of proper instruction. Not unexpected, considering his noble lineage; he’d probably learned martial arts before he could walk.

  I endured the combination, utilizing small motions to deflect or redirect the attacks, rather than blocking them directly. The Aegis Mark allowed me to concentrate on positioning instead of worrying about the potential damage.

  Kiran suddenly broke contact, jumping backward to create some space between us.

  Upon landing, he smiled - but his expression was different.

  “I don’t enjoy using this technique,” he said, “however, since you’ll be battling Zoren, you’ll need to become proficient at it.”

  A strange rune began to materialize on his forehead’ I hadn’t previously seen any markings on there, however, now intricate lines were etching themselves across his skin, creating a design reminiscent of interconnected bones.

  What happened afterward was... seriously disturbing.

  Kiran’s skin rippled as bones began to force their way out of his body: from his shoulders, elbows and knees. His fingers lengthened into claw-like appendages. The transformation appeared to be extremely painful, yet Kiran’s grin grew even larger.

  If this were a real battle, I would have delivered a fatal blow the instant his skin began to ripple. Waiting even a fraction of a second would be tactically suicidal when cultivators and Skybounds could trade dozens of blows in the span of a single heartbeat.

  Longer transformations were the kind of thing seen in martial arts novels, not actual combat.

  “Fascinating, isn’t it?” Elder Molric commented from the sidelines. “That’s a sign of the noble blood of House Tovel. When they form their Foundational Rune, some rare individuals manifest a second, hereditary Rune. Young Tovel here is very gifted; even if he doesn’t recognize it himself.”

  I examined my opponent. The transformation was now complete, resulting in Kiran having a body covered in bone-like armor with numerous sharp protrusions. However, it was his eyes that caught my attention - the earlier clarity was now absent, replaced by an unsettling gleam of madness.

  I now knew why he avoided using this ability.

  Kiran launched an attack without warning, moving faster than ever before. He extracted a bone protrusion from his shoulder, the sound of his shoulder joint cracking open was sickening, and used it as a sword.

  I dodged under the swing of the bone-sword, but I had to rapidly jump back as multiple additional bone protrusions erupted from his chest like projectiles. Several grazed my arms, resulting in minor cuts despite my best attempts to evade them.

  The Aegis Mark only had fifteen seconds remaining and the situation was already becoming dangerous.

  I activated Blink Step once more, attempting to get behind him, but for some reason he anticipated my action.

  A cage of bones erupted from his back just as I reappeared, forcing me to activate Blink Step once more to avoid being impaled.

  “Master,” Azure alerted, “he has an incredible reaction speed. He is predicting your movement patterns.”

  I established some distance, observing my opponent. The bone manipulation was incredible, but it would undoubtedly be expensive in terms of energy. If I could encourage him to overextend...

  I focused on the miniature red sun in my internal world, tapping into its chaotic energy.

  Crimson veins formed on my skin as the energy permeated my body. Unfortunately, this state would only last for sixty seconds. It had to be enough.

  I activated Blink Step once more, directing power into my fist for a Phantom Strike but just as my fist was about to connect, a bone plate formed in the exact spot I intended to hit.

  The collision propelled Kiran backward, but the force caused the skin across my knuckles to tear. Blood dripped from my hand as I leaped backward to assess the situation.

  I frowned, scanning the sparring area.

  If I had access to certain types of plants, I could dramatically alter the dynamic of this battle. Of course, there was no flora present in this sparring arena - why should there be? Wood element users were rare among the Skybound.

  I cursed myself for not bringing some seeds or at least a few vines.

  That was a rookie error, and one I vowed I would never make again.

  Elder Molric appeared to realize what I was searching for. To my surprise, he produced a vine from his pocket. I did not ask why he carried such items on his person. With him, the answer could be either perfectly logical or profoundly disturbing.

  “Here!” he shouted, tossing the vine to me. “Please, try not to tear it apart. It is a rare specimen from my recent experiment!”

  I caught the vine with my uninjured hand, expressing my thanks to the elder.

  Across the sparring area, Kiran watched me with that unsettling, almost mad grin. The bone armor covering his body was continuously shifting; prepared to generate new weapons at any moment.

  “Even with the vine, this will not be simple,” Azure warned. “His bone structure is surprisingly sharp, and he appears to have fine-tuned control over generating and controlling these bones.”

  “I know,” I replied mentally. “I am going to have to think of a method to trap him.”

  The vine appeared to pulse with some sort of uncommon energy in my hand — clearly one of Elder Molric’s modified examples. I simply prayed it would not try to eat me or explode. Given the old man’s propensity for experimentation, either outcome seemed plausible.

  “Shall we continue?” Kiran called out, his voice contained an edge that had not been there previously.

  “Master,” Azure noted, “his control is deteriorating. The red sun’s influence appears to intensify the more he uses this bloodline technique.”

  I nodded slightly. Another reason to avoid from dramatic power-ups in battles — losing your mind mid-fight was usually not a winning tactic.

  Though watching bones emerge from his skin like living armor, I had to admit the technique itself was pretty impressive. If only he could maintain his sanity while using it...

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