Chapter 12

"Next battle... Rey and Travis!"

Rey was surprised that the next battle started so soon after the previous one. The other battles had a short break in between. Although he was still in shock from the result, Rey had to enter the arena. His opponent was Travis. Rey didn't know much about him other than the fact that he was 15 years old and had just broke into the Human Realm. Based off paper stats, Rey was at a disadvantage.

"FIGHT!" The announcer said once more. It seemed Travis was extremely confident knowing that was only 12 years old. Maybe he wouldn't be if Amiel hadn't bragged about his disciples strength for his age. A typical 12 year old would be 3rd Stage Earth Realm, and prodigies would be at 1st Stage Beast Realm after a few months of cultivating. This caused Travis to underestimate Rey.

Travis launched an early attack hoping to end the battle quick and conserve his energy. To his surprise, Rey dodged his attack. Ever since the battle started Rey had been using his vision technique. Travis was young and inexperienced compared to Amiel and his control over his energy was much worse. Rey was able to read him like an open book, dodging his attacks with relative ease. Reys plan was to exhaust Travis and finish him with a single attack. This plan was constructed by none other than Amiel.

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'Moments before the Tournament'

"Alright Rey, let's go over our gameplan. I want you to stay on the defensive. Exhaust your opponents and finish them off when their weak. Your stamina and conditioning are high for a kid your age so you shouldn't have any problems doing this." Amiel told Rey. "But Amiel, wouldn't it make more sense just to defeat them with one attack right away?" Amiel shook his head at Reys question. "Save your offense for when you need it. I'll give you a signal when the time comes."

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The battle went on for a few more minutes before Travis was worn-out. With his strength and speed lowered for the time being, Rey grabbed him and pushed him out of the Arena, thus winning the battle.

There were three ways to win the battle: your opponent leaves the arena, your opponent becomes unconscious, or your opponent concedes the battle. With this win, Rey moved on to the next round.

After his victory over Travis, people started talking about Rey. The spoke of how the way he fights was cowardly. That he couldn't defeat his opponent in a direct fight so he must be weak. His sponsor was probably a poor man trying to make a name for himself.

Rey didn't like the comments being made about him. They reminded him of how he was treated in his past life and it dug up memories he would've rather stay buried. "Amiel, when can I fight back? These people are making a fool out of me!" Rey asked his mentor. "Not yet Rey. The time will come when you will need to use your fists but that time is not now. Wait patiently!"

"The next round will commence tomorrow morning. Rest up and come back ready to fight early tomorrow!" The announcer called the end of the day. The tournament usually lasted two days depending on how many people participated. The number of participants was about as much as it was the previous years.

"Alright Rey, get some rest. The next round starts at 10am so be sure to be up and grt a good breakfast!" Amiel told Rey before he walked to his tavern for the night. The sun had set on the horizon and left a faint orange and pink hue in the sky. "It's beautiful isn't it?" Reys mother asked him. "Yeah it is," Rey replied. "Listen Jasper, I'm sure you're staying at the tavern just like Mr. Amiel but...how about you come back home and sleep in your room? It would make me happy if you said yes." Rey listened to his mother's request and pondered for a bit. "Alright mom, I'll go home!" Reys words brought a big smile to his mother's face.

Back at Reys old home, his mother started showing him all the new decorations she got while he was "away." After showing him the whole house again, she finally led him to his old room. "This is it! I left it exactly how you left it. Even your books and your little box is still on the table. I never had the heart to move them..." Reys slowly walked more into his room. The memories of his short stay came back to him. He remembered waking up to his mother bringing food. He remembered all the hugs she gave him and the kisses. "It's perfect..." Rey said.

"I'll go make dinner! You make yourself at home sweetie!" Reys mother had a bit of a pep in her step now. She was overjoyed having her son back home just like old times. While his mother made dinner, Rey explored his old room. There was nothing special about it in particular but it was home. He sat on his bed and was caught off guard by its softness. He sank in his bed practically but it was just firm enough to keep it from engulfing him when he would lay down.

The box that Rey had left on the table had gathered dust. When he grabbed it he blew on it to get the dust off. He got most of it but had to brush the rest off with his hand. Rey had completely forgotten what was in the box and his eyes lit up all over again once he opened it. 'Cultivation Pills!' Rey thought to himself. Cultivation pills temporarily granted the consumer either increased cultivation speed or increased power. There was 20 pills in the box, 10 of each according to his knowledge.

"Jasper honey!" Reys mother said as she brought some food directly to him. "I've made your favorite! Or at least it was your favorite" she said. Rey accepted the bowl from her and thanked his mother for the food. Reys bowl was full of small pieces of mutton, assorted vegetables that included: Carrots, Potatoes, Peas, and Corn. There was also small strands of noodles swimming throughout some broth. "It looks delicious mother!" Rey told her as he took his first bite. "It tastes delicious as well!" Reys mothers eyes filled with tears. "It's been so long since I've cooked for anyone other than myself. Thank you Jasper. I'll let you rest, you have a big day tomorrow, and we can catch up afterwards!" Reys mother said as she left the room.

Rey enjoyed being around his mother again just about as much as she enjoyed being around him. He quickly finished his bowl of soup and grabbed on of the pills. This pill would increase his cultivation speed. He planned on cultivating tonight to hopefully get a little bit of an increase in his power. Sadly pills were banned from use in the actual battle so he couldn't use the other pill. Rey threw the pill in his mouth and swallowed it whole. He immediately began to cultivate and would do so throughout the entire night.