Elder Gu did not ask whether Yuanchu could wield abilities like Moran and Gu Feng.
Because the moment he saw Yuanchu dissolve his own body into water, he already knew he had succeeded.
This level of mastery over power went far beyond merely releasing it.
It was time to give them some actual training.
Elder Gu traced a green halo in the air with his index finger. Beyond the halo sat Moran and the others, who were meditating with their eyes closed.
Two figures stepped out from the halo, and Yuanchu couldn't help giving the Elder beside him a nudge with his elbow.
"This is the first time I've ever seen you use magic firsthand."
Elder Gu didn't answer him, but instead gestured for him to sit down next to Moran.
"Tch."
……
"All right, let's call it a day for our training."
Elder Gu clapped his hands, snapping the two meditating figures out of their trances.
"In a sense, you have completed this course."
The group: "? ? ?"
You're telling us we're graduating just as we're getting the hang of it?
Ignoring their bewilderment, Elder Gu continued:
"A master can open the door, but practicing is up to the individual. In the days to come, you must cultivate the power within your own bodies and constantly make breakthroughs."
"Given your current state, you haven't fully mastered your abilities yet. Therefore, you just need to practice on your own every day following the method you're using right now. In other words, you must do this every single day from now on."
Gu Feng raised his hand timidly:
"Excuse me, Elder, do we have exams or anything like that?"
Elder Gu smiled faintly:
"Ah, about that..."
……
"So, we have to defeat these things in front of us?"
Moran stared with wide eyes, pointing at the three massive trees before them.
No, rather than trees, it would be more accurate to say they had turned into monsters. Their roots seemed to have been pulled straight out of the ground, densely packed like the legs of hundreds of centipedes. Each root was as thick and wide as a person's torso, and if you looked closely, they were actually crawling slowly like giant bugs.
Following the roots upward, the leaves at the canopy blocked out the sky and sun, not a single ray of light piercing through, making every single leaf look dark and terrifying.
Normally a tree might have a few stray branches, but these three giant trees only possessed two massive limbs on either side, resembling human arms. Countless densely packed leaves grew all over those lateral branches, looking like human hair or perhaps giant human palms.
Moran and Gu Feng stared blankly at these three colossal beasts, swallowing hard.
Meanwhile, Yuanchu was gazing with a solemn expression at the brownish-yellow trunk of one of the trees.
"The graduation condition is to defeat these big trees?"
Yuanchu turned his head to look at Elder Gu, who was still standing there watching their expressions with a smile.
"Correct." Elder Gu looked back at Yuanchu.
"However... it's not a joint effort where all of you fight these three trees together... each of you must defeat your own tree."
Gu Feng wore a distressed expression as he glanced sideways at his sworn brother. He had originally planned to ride his brother's coattails, seeing as fire was exceptionally effective against herbaceous plants.
Elder Gu seemed to notice Gu Feng's impractical little scheme:
"The three of you must take on the specific trees I assign to you."
"Is there... a difference?"
"Of course there is. One of them is specifically tailored to deal with a fire attribute like yours."
Elder Gu flashed another benevolent smile, yet everyone sensed the danger hidden beneath it.
"Remember what I said earlier... as long as power is strong enough, even the fire attribute, which naturally counters grass, will be instantly snuffed out by this giant canopy of leaves."
"But don't worry. Train hard, and if you can defeat these trees, you'll be able to inflict at least 1% damage on me."
The group collectively fell silent.
……
Night draped over the Island of Dreams. The moonlight tonight was truly breathtaking, spilling softly across the earth as even the stars hiding behind the clouds blinked in curiosity. The trees ahead gently swayed their leaves in the breeze, while the river in the distance flowed on in tranquility.
Yuanchu lay quietly on the rooftop, taking in the surrounding serenity.
We can't beat them. There's simply no way to win.
Yuanchu suddenly turned onto his side, his gaze locking onto the three most prominent trees in the forest...
That morning, after Elder Gu assigned their numbers, Moran refused to accept defeat and made the first move, charging headfirst toward the tree he had been tasked to take down.
The tree seemed to sense Moran's hostility, and its roots surged toward him like a tidal wave.
Moran kept weaving through the maze of roots. His prior physical training meant he was no longer just a weak boy all talk and no action.
Every single root thrust straight for his chest, but he dodged them all with graceful agility.
For a moment, neither side could get the upper hand.
Until.
The tree suddenly bent forward, slamming its leaf-laden palm straight down at Moran.
The split second before it struck, Moran caught sight of the rapidly expanding shadow on the ground. He snapped his head up, watching in terror as the giant palm descended.
"Bang!"
A muffled crash echoed across the ground, sending a cloud of dust billowing toward Yuanchu and Gu Feng, who were watching from the sidelines.
"Cough, cough..."
The two of them coughed incessantly. When the dust finally cleared, the giant tree stood motionless like a statue, still refusing to lift its heavy hand off Moran, whose fate remained unknown.
It was too fast. Lightning-fast speeds left no room for reaction at all.
Yuanchu stood there in a daze, a ringing sound echoing deep within his brain.
Even though they were standing far enough away, seeing those leaves slam into the ground was terrifyingly shocking; a layer of leaves a foot thick possessed an overwhelming sense of oppression.
Elder Gu, sitting beside the two boys, opened one eye with utter indifference.
Gu Feng was the first to snap out of it, charging toward the giant palm like a madman.
Yuanchu glared angrily at the unconcerned Elder Gu for a split second before sprinting after the leaves as well.
Elder Gu smiled and shook his head. In a flash, he vanished from his spot, reappearing right in front of the leaves to block Gu Feng and Yuanchu in their tracks.
"Elder..."
"Get out of our way, old man!"
Seeing Gu Feng's eyes red with fury, Yuanchu grew angry as well. Elder Gu massaged his forehead with one hand and said helplessly:
"Alright, alright, don't worry. Moran will be fine. On the other hand, if you two rush in there again, you'll provoke the tree's hostility all over again, and I won't be able to save you then."
Yuanchu and Gu Feng regained a bit of their senses at that.
Right, the only one who could save Moran was Elder Gu. The two of them had been far too rash...
Seeing that Yuanchu and Gu Feng had calmed down a bit, Elder Gu turned around and snapped his fingers. The giant tree raised its hand and stood straight again.
Countless leaves drifted down as the tree straightened up, landing on Moran, who lay unconscious in the center, foaming at the mouth.
Gu Feng hurried over and propped up Moran, who seemed to be enjoying a deep, high-quality sleep.
Elder Gu walked up beside Gu Feng and without a word delivered two crisp slaps.
Gu Feng stared blankly at Elder Gu's actions, while Yuanchu seemed to realize something, covering his face and staying back.
"Mmm..."
Moran forced his eyelids open, only to be greeted by that familiar man, that familiar action, and those familiar words:
"Child... you're home..."