Arena
"Ha-Ha-Ha... Your joking right...?", Fanelle remained stunned even as she spoke.
"Of course not! I'm awesome right!"
Her eyes turned into pins and scrutinized Ireya's expressions, but no matter how much she tried she couldn't sense any hint of a lie. She couldn't search her daughter's body using her energy either before she reached Ablution as it was protected by her father, only he could see through her.
"Ireya."
"Hmm?", Ireya stopped smirking and looked at her mother's serious expression.
"You remember how I told you that there were only 10 grades?"
"Yep."
"Then how do you have 270 million? You see there's a reason why it's all based on the 10 grades, and this reason is nothing complicated, it's because the body cannot handle it. No child's body can handle awakening any more than 100 million Energy Granules, plus the number of energy granules you are born with would limit you from reaching any higher anyways. For example, someone could be born with 101 million but then explode the moment they tried to awaken even one Energy Granule after 100 million, that type of person would be limited from birth."
"Just how many do you have exactly?", after the explanation she finally asked her.
"I have a billion!", Ireya said with a blank face.
"Ah, the logic in this! How do you have that many!", Fanelle shook Ireya over and over again while spit flew all over the place.
After a minute Fanelle finally cooled down.
"Never tell anyone this information okay? Never.", she said this with a firm and unyielding voice.
"Okay.", Ireya nodded her head in agreement, even she understood how weird she was after her mummies explanation.
"How long will it take for you to finish awakening all of them?"
"I awaken 90 million each year so probably by the time I'm 16."
Fanelle wouldn't have worried in the slightest and would have waited patiently for her to awaken all of them if this was a normal situation but this wasn't, right now they were on the brink of war and if news broke out that Seven's daughter was a useless child then they would immediately lose their momentum.
"Okay then, from now on I'm going to teach you the Way of The Sword, understood?"
"Okay!"
"Now bring your training sword, from now on your training will only get harder."
She hated to do this but it was finally time for her daughter to face the cruelty of humans.
---
Pah!
A wooden sword flew out and pierced into the ground.
"Not enough! Pick it back up!", Fanelle stood in a white robe with her golden hair tied up in a ponytail. With a sword in hand, she seemed like a Sword Immortal from the Dynasty times.
A smaller figure with a black ponytail picked the wooden sword back up and moved into her posture, the concentration within her eyes remained undisturbed even after losing.
"Yes, Master!"
When training the pair were no longer Daughter and Mother but Master and Disciple.
Her small feet pushed off the ground and dashed towards Fanelle, her sword twisted in a mysterious form causing the air the split apart. Just as she reached Fanelle her figure disappeared and reappeared to the right of Fanelle, her sword an inch away from her throat thrusting forwards.
"Too slow!", while she spoke her sword moved irregularly and appeared before Ireya and smashed the sword away.
"Your still far from mastering the first move of Lonely Sword, remember when performing this technique what matters is no longer your movement but the swords. All that exists is the sword, forget all else."
Ireya nodded and picked her sword back up.
"Now come!"
Ireya stood still this time, she watched for any possible openings in her defense. After what seemed like an eternity Fanelle's arm drooped downwards, but only by a millimeter.
'There!'
Ireya thrust forward with all of her strength, she didn't bother to perform any flashy movements. She watched her sword and her sword watched her, the light and wind flickering off of her sword seemed to sharpen at that moment.
Screech!
Her sword melded with the air and gave out a piercing sound.
"Good!", Fanelle moved her arm back up by a millimeter and prepared to absorb the attack.
Bang!
The wind blew all over the field and trees swung violently back and forth due to the impact.
Ireya lay on the ground with her sword snapped in half next to her, she waited patiently for her praise.
"Stand!", but all she received was the harsh voice of her mother.
She hurriedly stood back up and stared at her mother.
"Never, and I mean never, let your sword break! You could have easily stopped your sword from breaking by moving to the right by an inch reducing the impact taken in by your sword and absorbing some of it but you didn't, never make the same mistake again, understood?!"
"Yes, Master!"
"Good, you've gotten closer to completing the first move of Lonely Sword, Sword Breaker. Remember your goal is to break their sword, not your own."
"Yes, Master!"
Fanelle finally loosened up and smiled, "You've done well so far after you master the first move I'm going to have you comprehend the other 6 moves and slowly practice those on your own. Cultivation isn't meant to be fully guided, I can only help you so much."
"Hehe... Your strong too mummy!"
"Of course I am!"
"You're already 10 now right? How many Energy Granules have you awakened now?"
"450 million now."
"Mhm, you'll be done by the time your 16."
"You understand why I'm having you do Sword Training right?"
"Yep, mummy told me last year, it's so that I can reveal my ability with the sword and then they won't question me with how far I have reached in the Ablution realm right?"
"Yup, so far you're about as strong as someone who is 30% into the Ablution realm with only your sword ability. That's something which no one has ever done before, but don't get too cocky, there are plenty of people stronger than you out there."
"I know mummy stop lecturing me already!", Ireya picked her stuff up and walked back home with her broken sword.
"Don't forget to clean yourself up, today is the day when you officially grow up understood?"
"Got it!", Ireya waved as she walked off in the distance.
"Such a naughty little girl, not even willing to walk back home with her mummy.", Fanelle grumpily complained as she walked back home far behind Ireya.
---
Within the house, Ireya had prepared herself and put on a black gown. She sheathed the sword her father gave her and sat down with her legged crossed, "Father has spoken to me many times now, he's slowly taught me The Way of The Sword, I've already fully comprehended all of the Lonely Sword moves and mastered the first five of seven moves of Lonely Sword."
She shook her head as she still didn't understand why her father told her to hide this fact from her mother.
While she was sat cross-legged her mother opened up the door to the room and sat across from her also in a black gown.
"Today is the day Ireya, are you ready?"
"Mhm.", Ireya remained sat with her eyes closed.
"Remember to stay calm, no matter what, and trust me."
And then a short silence.
"We're already here now, open your eyes.
Once she opened her eyes back up she found herself sat inside of a vast arena, no it wasn't a normal arena, it was a Colosseum. She had read about them in books but had never seen them before.
The ground was made of dirt and mud, around her lay tens of thousands of seats. Within each one sat a person, some old, some young, some were sat in couples, some looked like Buddhists and some were half human half beast.
This was a first for her, it was the first time she had seen so many people. Some of them had unfathomable auras, auras that could slaughter just from the slightest intent to do so.
Even then she remained calm, she trusted her mother.
Boom!
A gate on the opposite side, around 100 meters away, slowly opened up blowing dirt and dust all over the place.
Suddenly an aged voice spoke out, "Let the Battle of Coming begin, the contestants, Ireya from Seven Swords City!"
"Ireya!"
"Ireya!"
"Ireya!"
---
The crowd broke out with chants and excitement, even Ireya was shocked momentarily.
"The competitor, Bloodless Murderer!"
"Murderer!"
"Murderer!"
"Murderer!"
---
The chants were even louder this time.
A man slowly stepped out from the gates, a blood-red cloak covered his face, in his right hand a long spear and in his left a chain. Both were soaked with blood dripping down drop by drop.
"Now let the battle to the death, BEGIN!"
Boom!!!
The man didn't wait a moment, he dashed forward with immense speed.
A red cloud broke out from his back and merged with his spear as he dashed forward, his high pitched voice spoke out solemnly, "Blood Merger Spear!"
The blood spun around at extreme speeds in a vortex as the spear approached Ireya's head.