Earth's Core Book 5 – Horns, Chapter 19 – The Pearl Of El-Eden

Book 5 – Horns

Chapter 19 – The Pearl Of El-Eden

“You…” Livai mist energy rushed to fix the right armguard. As a top student of a Martial school, which excels in formation, it was a simple thing for him to fix the Four Breaths.

As for Zax’s response… it was a slap to his face since there was clearly no sign of mist energy, much less a formation, on Zax’s hand. Immediately, thoughts of concealed weapons or high grade Martial technique started to circulate in Livai’s mind. Those were the only means, he believed, Zax could sneakily counter him.

“Ha!” Livai shouted, flaring the second and third breath, accumulating their might and adding it to the fourth breath.

The fluctuations released from the silvery purple armor forced the seven teachers to put aside the implausible results of the clash between Livai and Zax, to raise again a mantle to protect their students.

Livai’s friends and Anet were also vigilant against the powerful fluctuations.

Inside the circle, this time around, Livai did not blink while looking at Zax’s method to protect himself from the fluctuations who emanated the power of nearly an Advanced phase Mist Lord. Yet, no matter how carefully he looked and inspected, Zax merely stood still, almost giving the impression that he is about to yawn.

Zax’s idleness drove Livai’s state of mind into frenzy, while in his heart he began to feel despondent. ‘Motherfucker! You can’t be casually standing when facing the fluctuation of almost an Advanced Mist Lord! For this… For this… gall, don’t blame me later for not holding back anymore!’ Livai despised the state he, the number two Advanced grade student, was pushed to by a mere new student. He wanted to curse at Zax and threaten him, but was afraid that afterwards he will concede, and revenge would impossible.

Assimilating the remaining three breaths, Livai consumed the time he had before the Four Breaths formation would be terminated, saving one second of retaliation.

Livai felt his mist channels, mist energy, body and soul being strained from the force he gritted his teeth to control. His current use of the Four Breaths formation was dangerous as well as forbidden, due to the recoil it had eighty percent chances to cause to the user’s three aspects.

BOOM!

Prepared to confront and destroy Zax along with his hidden method, Livai explosively pounced toward him, appearing as a streak of silvery purple energy in the eyes of all the spectators of the fight.

Closing the distance to Zax, Livai saw him raising an outstretched fist to meet him. ‘Good, that fist… I’ll break!’

BOOM!

The sound of the impact resonated throughout the school and blinding silvery purple light shone from the collision point. The protective mantle of the seven teachers cracked and shattered. Livai’s friends and Anet, who was carrying Serah and Zushi, retreated farther.

The seven teachers’ faces were full of distress, they could not escape and abandon their students and erecting a defensive formation would have taken too much time. From the beginning they did not think that Livai would go so far to unleash such a mighty force in what they thought to be a spar between fellow students.

Just when they were about to exhaust their mist energy, an azure light descended from above the court and engulfed the spreading destructive mist energy.

A few second have passed. The silvery purple light dimmed and vanished together with the destructive mist energy.

“Puah!” An agonized cry sounded, causing all averted eyes to look for the result of the clash.

Livai stood an arm length from Zax. His four breath formation was gone and blood was splattered on his chin, uniforms and the short space that separated him from Zax. His left hand supported his right shoulder, and the previous lordliness changed so swiftly into the look of a terminally ill patient.

In comparison to Livai, Zax, as he did from the start, stood calmly, indolently, without a hint of dust or even a wrinkle on his uniforms.

“Ho…w?” The word barely got out. His eyes no longer stared at Zax in shock or disbelief, only dilated as he struggled to remain conscious.

“Senior Livai…”

“The second strongest Advanced grade student…”

“The supreme Four Breaths formation…”

“Who is… Who is that senior?!”

Numerous dazed whispers stirred from the seven teachers and their Beginner grade students. They all thought that Livai will beat Zax, while giving him pointers. That for the new Advanced grade student to actually surpass Livai was a joke.

“Livai… actually lost?!”

“This guy is that strong?!”

Livai’s friends gulped in fear. An itch in the left side of their face, made them look to the side, find Anet, Zushi and Serah, and then heavily regret their action.

Serah, Zushi and Anet were brimming with smiles and satisfaction. Zax’s strength was beyond their wildest dreams. Even in Anet’s point of view, despite knowing how terrifying he can be, seeing it with one’s own eyes was completely different.

“Wonderful, wonderful”. A voice praised from the edge of the court. A figure appeared next to Livai’s friends, Anet, Zushi and Serah.

“Vice principal Ram!” All eyes realized virtually at the same time.

Vice principal Mizuri was none other than the one who protected the seven teachers and Beginner grade students. He was informed of the fight by the receptionist of the Advanced grade building and rushed to view it.

“Student Livai Persion, you clearly possess the qualification to join my Disciplinary Class. If you’ll just learn what your limits are, your future might hold great achievements”. Vice principal Mizuri stepped into the court. His words made everyone but Zax and his friends sigh in admiration.

To be told that he can join the Disciplinary Class when the opponent who won against him did not receive a word of praise, everyone thought that Zax, although extremely strong, was relaying on some sort of hidden technique to fight Livai. And now, after the fight, even though no one still knew what Zax used, it was only important for Livai to know, and then Zax will never be able to beat him again.

“Vice principal Ram is wise”. Livai’s friends felt relieved from hearing vice principal Mizuri.

“Yes, he definitely saw the insidious means the new students used against Livai”.

“This would be the first and lost time he will ever dare fight Livai!”

“In the future, he should work hard to make amends with Livai. Once Livai will become a member of the Disciplinary Class, this guy will probably run away from school”.

The two boys and two girls laughed.

On the other side, the happiness of Serah, Anet and Zushi turned into anger. After watching the one sided fight, the two who were concerned for Zax, trusted now that he had the capabilities to win against Livai at any time.

‘Why then, he did not receive praises from the vice principal?’ They wondered.

“Here”, vice principal Mizuri lent a hand for Livai to balance himself. “I will take you into the Rehabilitation Room and when you’ll recover, come take the test to join my Disciplinary Class”.

“Thank you, vice principal Ram!” With vice principal Mizuri being so nice to him, Livai felt content despite his condition from the fight. In fact, it only assured his suspicion of Zax using some low means to get the upper hand, but clearly not the attention of the vice principal.

“Wait”. Zax called. “There is still the matter of your promise”. He reminded Livai.

“Promise?” Vice principal Mizuri asked. About the arrangement of what happens in the case of Zax wining, the receptionist of the Advanced grade building did not mention to him.

“Promise? I give my word only to honest people who respect our school’s customs. You are below my word and don’t deserve it!” Livai mustered his strength to bark at Zax.

“Student Livai, what word did you give to student Zax?” Vice principal Mizuri asked, before Zax had the chance to respond.

“Vice principal Ram, I promised to hold anything he might ask of me, if he would win in a fight against me. I was willing to keep that promise, but then, this dishonest new student used trickery in the fight. If I’ll be a member of the Disciplinary Class in the future, I should not stain my name by acknowledging such a low person”.

“That’s right, senior Livai should not lower himself!”

“Yes, we all saw the fight!”

“Senior Livai’s profound formation was unmatched in its exquisiteness, what just means does a new student have to counter it, even if he is an Advanced grade student?!”

The Beginner grade students and Livai’s friends commented unanimously, despite the fact that other than the flashing performance of Livai and the final result, they could not see anything clearly.

Vice principal Mizuri turned a deaf hear to their voices. He turned to Zax. “Student Zax, you fought student Livai for this promise?”

“Yes”.

“Then I supposed that student Livai will have to keep his word”. Vice principal Mizuri sighed helplessly and stunned everyone.

“What?! Vice principal Ram support the cheating new student?!”

“Forcing someone of senior Livai’s caliber will tarnish his name; the new student doesn’t worth it!”

“My sister saw him in the half year Martial competition and said that his skills are the embodiment of our Supreme Ruler!”

“You already said it… even without your sister we all know that the new student is unqualified to ask senior Livai anything and should be grateful for the pointers he received!”

“Even I think that I gained some insight from watching senior Livai. An Advanced grade student should have comprehended much more, how he can still be so rapacious?!”

Most of those who commented were the older Beginner grade students, who already spent four or more years in Eden Formation. The little ones, who were in their first to third year in the Beginner grade, have not yet reached this foolish level of idolizes.

”Vice principal Ram, the new student resorted to low and dirty means in order to surpass our school best B class formation! How can I give in to his perverted whims?” Livai, as if offended, asked vice principal Mizuri.

“Low and dirty means?” Vice principal Mizuri raised an eyebrow. “Why should he use such things? Student Livai, teachers, have you really witnessed student Zax doing this sort of stuff?” Vice principal Mizuri glanced at the seven teachers and Livai.

The seven were silently shaking their heads. From the moment Livai attacked Zax, they could barely follow the two’s movement. Saying that they grasp Zax’s method would have been a lie. The seven teachers favored Livai and sensed that something was not quite right with how Zax conducted his behavior, but as school faculty they could not pick sides.

“Vice principal Ram, when I used the Four Breaths formation my strength surged to the Mist Lord level, surpassing respectable teachers. I don’t know exactly what the new student used, but his dirty method allowed him to move and react also with the strength of a Mist Lord. Since only I could match him, respectable teachers could not see what he used, only rely on their instincts to guess that he was fighting dirty”. Livai explicated to justify the seven’s response.

“Mmm…” Vice principal Mizuri assessed Livai’s rejoinder with a solemn expression. “You have the aptitude, cultivation and brain to join my Disciplinary Class, but your character is flawed”. His assessment hit Livai out of nowhere. One moment he received praises, the other he was being reprimanded.

“Vice principal Ram…” Livai’s voice lost its assertiveness. Between losing a bit of face by doing what Zax wanted while joining the Disciplinary Class afterwards, and standing his ground while not joining the Disciplinary Class, the former carried a magnitude of more weight in anyone’s opinion.

“Everyone, student Livai, let me ask you something…” Vice principal Mizuri said. “You all should have heard about the Pearls of Tongguo and Shìtou number one Martial schools, right?” The crowed of teachers, Beginner grade students and even Livai’s friends and Anet nodded, with very few who answered outloud. “Good. Then tell me this then, why would student Zax, the Pearl of our Eden Formation, the number one Martial school in El-Eden, have to use ‘dirty’, ’low’, ‘insidious’ means against a student with barely the strength of an Intermediate phase Mist Lord?”

Vice principal Mizuri’s question bombarded to heads of everyone it was directed toward, as if a Sun Stone storm broke out in their minds.

Of the Beginner grade students, only the older ones could understand what vice principal Mizuri meant. After them, the teachers, Livai and his friends and Anet, too, knew the meaning of the world “Pearl” in this context.

Among those who strode the Martial path in Kingdom Earth for a decade or so, or were well informed and connected, it was widely known that two of the three number one Martial schools had monstrous experts. The three were divided to one in Tongguo and two in Shitou. Rumors had been spread around that the three were students below the age of thirty and already possessed skill orand cultivation that could rival anyone under the second level of the Core Master realm.

Next to the three, who for their peers were figures close to gods, even the older generations and expert of great families and other forces in Kingdom Earth; had to be tactful and courteous toward.

Now, Eden Formation, the school of these dumbfounded students and teachers, also possessed a student who can be categorized as “Pearl”, and they all looked down on him?!

BANG!

Livai fell to his knees, bowing his head to Zax as cold sweat slid across his arched back. “Please accept my apology, senior Ram!” His voice was aggravated and his demeanor was at a newly discovered low.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

“Please accept our apology, senior Ram!”

The two boys and two girls, Livai’s friends, as they mimicked their leader, clenched their legs of fear of losing control on their bladder and piss in their pants in front of their juniors and teachers.

The five’s sudden change in temperament aroused the curiosity of the young Beginner grade students. Questions in faint voices sought explanations from teachers and older generation’s students.

Vice principal Mizuri had a gratified smile when Livai apologized. With that, the young Advanced grade student was one step closer to becoming a proper member of his Disciplinary Class.

As for revealing the part about Zax’s status in school... That was bound to happen sooner or later. Vice principal Mizuri was not oblivious to Don’s, Ten’s and Marksim’s, along with several others’, intentions of placing Zax as Eden Formation’s seeded candidate. Also, the notion of “seeded candidate” was unfamiliar to the majority of Kingdom Earth’s population, so those who can connect the dots will not do so overnight.

Thus, vice principal Mizuri took upon himself to make the first, subtle announcement, which he was sure that will certainly spread from the mouth of the students and possibly teachers, that Eden Formation is in possession of a super genius who is not inferior to the other two regions’ Pearls.

“I gather that your promise still stands…” Zax, like the young Beginner grade students, did not know what it means to be referred to as a “Pearl”, he did not know what Don’s deal was with Grandmaster Kartion and he did not care about any of these things right now, only of the matter at hand.

“Anything you ask, senior Ram, please let this junior on the Martial path to help you however I can!” Livai became totally submissive. At the top of the list of the things most important to him, right above being accepted into the Disciplinary Class was “Not messing with the school’s Pearl!”.

Zax was pleased from hearing Livai. “Well, first, your friends should apologize not to me, but to Anet and my friends”. He turned his head to the four, who were still with their hands and heads on the ground, like Livai.

“We are very sorry for hazing Anet Ram and belittling two honorable guests!”

The four, more or less, phrased their apology the same way.

The faces of Anet, Zushi and Serah turned reddish from awkwardness from having the four bowed their heads for them and apologize so politely in front of so many people.

“Good”. Zax was satisfied from the apology. Returning to Livai. “My request is very simple, especially to someone who might join the Disciplinary Class. From now on, anyone who will speak badly of Anet when I’m not around will be dealt with by you. Also, my recommendation is that you’ll take to heart this responsibility. Is my request reasonable?”

“Yes, senior Ram!”

“Excellent”. Zax turned and walked off from the court. Arriving next to Anet, Serah and Zushi he said smiling. “Now we should be able to go to the school’s library without anyone bothering us”.

Chapter end