"Damn brat, are you rebelling against your Master?"
Sol hearing this wore a hesitant expression.
"Master, don't hurt Little Zeel. He did this for my sake. I-"
Sol was unable to continue his pleading as the old man's figure suddenly appeared in front of him and plucked Little Zeel from his hand.
"No, Master!"
Sol's face went pale, and he went to grab Little Zeel from his Master, but it was useless. His Master was too strong; with a point of his finger a rune appeared below his feet freezing him in place.
"Master…"
Though Sol couldn't move, he was still able to talk. But the old man ignored him and held Little Zeel by the scruff of his neck as he glared at the thing.
"Do you know how severe your actions are? It completely derailed my plans for my disciple. How are you going to take responsibility?"
"Master!"
Sol couldn't help but yell, a frantic look on his face.
"The blame isn't on Little Zeel; the fault is on this disciple."
The old man turned to Sol when he heard that and said with a frown.
"Explain."
Sol turned to Little Zeel as he said.
"After what happened to my village and my father, not only do I seek strength to take revenge against those people…"
Sol's expression turned frosty when he said that, but his face soon softened as he whispered.
"...But I also wish to protect those close to me so something like that never happens again."
Sol then glanced up at his Innate Dharma that was still hovering over his head.
"If I had this Innate Dharma back then, I could have saved my father before he died."
Sol also thought about Amon's father, he could have saved him as well. Though he sought the strength to enact revenge to calm the hatred in his heart, he didn't want to mindlessly seek it. He just wanted to protect those close to him in any way he could.
"Even though Little Zeel's healing might have influenced my Innate Dharma, it is ultimately my desire to protect those closest to me that might have caused it to change. Didn't Master say an Innate Dharma was influenced by a person's experiences and desires?"
The old man felt something moved in his heart when he heard that.
One should know that a person's Innate Dharma was extremely hard to change. A simple life experience or desire could not change it. That was why those from the older generation on the Eastern Continent taught their younger generation Martial Arts as soon as they could walk. It was so all their experiences and desires revolve around Martial Arts from the very beginning.
But that was different for Sol, his desire to protect his loved ones was merely a small boy's dream, but after his village's destruction that desire became something much stronger.
'For his Innate Dharma to change so drastically, he must have deeply been scarred. Why did I not realize this?'
The old man was disappointed in himself. Until now, Sol hadn't shown that he had been affected much by his village's destruction, there would only be a few moments when he would stare off in the distance in a daze.
The old man thought as Sol laughed happily with that Beast and continue learning from him, he would come to recover. But he was severely wrong. He should have known that the persistence Sol showed during his grueling training had to come from somewhere.
Toss.
The old man suddenly threw Little Zeel towards Sol.
Sol regained movement when the rune beneath his disappeared and he caught Little Zeel.
"Make that Beast get out of my sight, I don't want to see it."
Sol patted Little Zeel and said.
"I'll come play with you soon, okay Zeel?"
Little Zeel accepted his pats before he leaped out of his arms and ran off into the forest in a hurry.
The old man could be heard snorting before saying.
"Sit."
Sol did as he was told, but he still felt regretful as his Master's expression was still gloomy.
"What am I supposed to do now? I decided to allow you to cultivate like those Arkadians because when combined with my Barbarian Race's cultivation method and Body Enhancing Techniques, it'll be the best path for you to take. You could be a cultivator that focuses on Physical Strength and Aether Cultivation. But even though you can still cultivate my race's cultivation method, those Body Enhancing Techniques require one to have either the Metal or Earth Element to use them. What a waste!"
As the old man said this, he paced back and forth in front of Sol. No matter how he thought of it, he still felt angry at this unexpected situation.
"Argh!"
The old man couldn't help but tug at his beard in frustration.
Sol, meanwhile, sat there not knowing what to say to calm his Master down.
"Master, don't be upset. Even though you can't teach me those Techniques, can't you just teach me that other thing you always summon?"
Sol was talking about his Master's runes.
The old man hearing this went to ignore Sol, but he suddenly froze, and his eyes became focused.
Ultimately, the old man never wanted to teach Sol everything he knew, simply because he wanted him to naturally find his own path of cultivation and focused on that instead of diverting attention to something else. So, he was only planning on teaching him some basic Rune Inscription Techniques.
However, now that his initial plan had gone astray, he could only make up for the lack of Body Enhancing Techniques with Rune Inscriptions.
"Alright, then I'll teach you the Rune Inscription Techniques used by my Barbarian Race and even the Runic Technique I self-created, The Seven Runic Paths of Samsara!"
The old man said in with a grandiose tone, but he only got a confused expression from his disciple.
"Ha, brat you'll come to know how heaven-defying this Runic Technique is. First, pay close attention to what I'm about to say. I'll briefly explain the three Races of my Eastern Continent."
After saying that the old man formed a hand seal. Then, golden spiraling marks appeared on the grassy ground beneath Sol before spreading out.
"First you have the Arkadians, the strongest of the three Races on the Eastern Continent…"
Sol listened with rapt attention as his Master explained the three Civilizations on the Eastern Continent. Where they were located, their customs, and overall, just who they were as a Race. As his master spoke, the golden spirals on the ground would depict his explanation.
Several minutes later, the old man became serious.
"Now listen, I will explain the cultivation systems of these three races."
"Are they not the same? Do all three Races not use Innate Dharmas?"
The old man shook his head at Sol's question.
"They all used Aether to cultivate, but because of where they lived it greatly influences how they do so. The Arkadians live in the center of the Eastern Continent where the Aether Energy is most abundant, and they cultivate by awakening their Innate Dharmas.
"The Sakrians on the other hand, though they live relatively closer to the center than the Barbarians, their environment still lacks the abundance of Aether like the Arkadians. So, though they awaken Innate Dharmas as well, with the limited amount of Aether, they use advanced and unique weaponry to enhance their combat strengths."
"As for the Barbarian Race, which is where I come from, they are the most unique Race of people out of the Sakrians and Arkadians. They live in the desert where Aether is extremely scarce. Rather than trying to awaken their Innate Dharmas and have basically no Aether to cultivate, they instead cultivate their bodies by using Runes and the little amount of available Aether..."
As the old man spoke, the golden spirals depicted the muscular Barbarian Race. It then went blank before the old man continue.
"You will be cultivating like the Arkadians and my Barbarian Race. The Arkadians cultivate by-"
"Wait a second Master!"
Sol suddenly interrupted his Master, leaning back on his old habits.
"What about the Western Continent?"
Suppressing his urge to smack Sol over the head, the old man said.
"I can give you a brief explanation of their powers in the future but that's it. The Martial Alliance Academy has a library with a vast wealth of knowledge; you can find anything you want to know there."
"But-"
"My disciple…"
A serious expression appeared on the old man's face as he interrupted Sol.
"I know you seek revenge against the people who robbed you of a home and a family, but don't be so impatient. You are far too weak right now."
The old man then raised three fingers.
"Three years…
"…That's how long I have to teach you before you become too old and lose the qualifications to enter the Martial Alliance Academy."