First of all, Hulian's faction and the elders under his command put a lot of importance on the body. Totally different from the rest of the elders who regard the cultivation level as more important. That being said, a lot of training given to the disciples of this faction is based on it.
The next morning, when the sun had barely appeared, the entire Iron and Blood District was woken up by the bells inside all buildings with bedrooms. The rule was that every single disciple should be out in the training field in at most 10 minutes after that. Rean and Roan didn't find it a problem. They were used to wake up early anyway.
However, quite a few didn't have this habit between the new kids, so it was quite hard, and some even got there late. Too bad for then, though. Lateness was punished with extra work.
The morning of all Iron and Blood disciples had all kinds of body-related training. But there were differences here. Everything was done without the help of Spiritual Energy. It was to the point that the training field had the same formation used during the 300km marathon exam. Simply put, the disciples wouldn't be able to use Spiritual Energy even if they wanted.
Here, there was no such as distinctions between men and women. At most, you would have something like weight training having lower weight for the women and things like that. Still, that was carefully calculated based on the difference between a man and a woman's body. Simply put, both genders would leave the field with similar degrees of soreness. The Iron and Blood Faction had existed for centuries. Elder Hulian was far from being the first elder who took care of it. Thanks to that, they know very well how much pressure each gender can have.
Of course, that meant anything but easier, especially kids who had relied on Spiritual Energy all this while. That also included Julio and Lenna.
The training happened every day as long as the disciple was not in charge of some other duty of the sect. Missions were one of those examples.
The training would go all the way to midday, which means around six hours of training each time. One can already imagine how the new kids felt once they were finally discharged. The Outer Sect elders really pushed everyone to the limits, no exception was made.
Rean and Roan were not feeling bad, though. Those two had been following similar spartan methods for several years already. Malaka would be feeling the same if she was here.
Although Julio and Lenna were close to the breaking point, those two were still better off than the majority of the new kids. Sure enough, Roan's hell training session during the last exam played a big part in their newfound strength.
As they left the field, Rean couldn't help but comment.
"The Iron and Blood District really knows what to do. The changes are small, but I can tell through the others' life force that their meridians will improve a lot if they continue like this."
Lenna couldn't help but ask why.
Rean smiled, then continued.
"Everyone's meridians exist in the body, not the cultivation inside your dantian. By completing the morning training, the meridians around your body get a lot 'loose.' After here, everyone will probably begin to cultivate for the day. Their 'loose' meridians will then be washed with spiritual energy, which will expand them."
"Of course, this is not something that will happen in just a few days. There will be a need for constant training for years until the results become really apparent. Still, disciples with low aptitude would be the most suited for this method. That's why Hulian cares little about High Color Aptitude ones. Instead, he prefers those who know how to put the effort necessary."
Suddenly, their group heard a voice coming from behind.
"Rean is correct."
Their group looked at the newcomer, and they all bowed.
"Elder Guliva."
Elder Guliva was the one responsible for the Iron and Blood District in the Outer Sect. He was one of Hulian's most trusted subordinates. Truth be told, he could have become an Inner Sect Elder with his cultivation. Still, he preferred to stay in the Outer Sect to take care of the affairs here while Hulian did the same in the Inner Sect. Rean and Roan also noticed that the Outer Sect Elders didn't just order the kids around, but they also participated in those bodily training sessions. Elder Guliva wasn't different. All in all, Rean and Roan, especially Roan, had a good impression of him.
"Hulian wasn't wrong. Even though it was only your first day in the morning training, Rean and Roan are utterly different from the other kids. All the others collapsed during it or can't even walk properly now that it was over. But you two seemed to have taken it as a good warm-up."
The elder then looked at Julio and Lenna, which made them a little embarrassed. It was easy to tell that the two of them were also one of the kids who barely made it through. They were far from being like the older disciples or the twins.
Rean smiled.
"Thanks to the block of ice here, we are used to this kind of regime. Is there something Elder Guliva needs from us?"
Roan's mouth twitched.
'Who is the block of ice?'
Guliva nodded and then threw two green tokens at Rean and Roan.
"These are the Special Mission Assignment Tokens. With them, you can accept missions that are one rank above your cultivation level. Hulian told me that your strength far surpasses that of an Initial Stage Foundation Establishment, so I prepared it for you."
Rean and Roan were quite surprised by that. After all, they were indeed intending to ask for this kind of permission. To get it this easy was really a good thing.
"Thank you, elder Guliva."
Guliva nodded and then left.
The twins then pretended to put the token in their bags before sending it into the Soul Gem Dimensional Realm.
In the end, Julio and Lenna were too tired to walk around with them, so they returned to their room to rest.
As Rean and Roan walked through the Iron and Blood district once more, they noticed that the disciples who had been here for more than two years all had well-built bodies. Even the women had some apparent muscles. It's just that as cultivators, those women had their own methods of keeping their beauty even in that condition. In the end, women put a lot of importance on appearance. Even the Iron and Blood District ones were no different.
Rean then went to the affairs office in the District while Roan went to explore a little more.
Rean quickly arrived there. He then asked the disciple behind the counter what he needed.
"What do I need to do if I want to go to Majorias City?"
To leave the sect in the first years, one had to sign their departure. It also depended on whether the sect needed you or not. If you were, let's say, on a particular building guarding duty, you couldn't go out until your time was finished.
"First, I need your number and your disciple's number."
Rean quickly passed the information, and the disciple verified it.
"Oh, you are a new disciple who joined yesterday. Your first duty is the Demon Beasts caring in two weeks' time. If you need to go out, you will have to be back before it starts, or there will be punishment."
Rean was happy that the procedures were that simple.
"That's good then, I only need to go to Majorias City, and I should be back in at most a few days."
The disciple behind the counter nodded.
"In that case, you just need to sign your departure. Remember to use the sect's badge and robe while you are outside, understood?"
Rean didn't mind. He had received several sets of the sect's robe to use, not to mention that he already had his badge. He quickly signed it and left straight away. As for the morning training, Rean didn't have a problem skipping it since the elders already know his and Roan's abilities. Not to mention that he wasn't really intending to slack. He always makes sure to keep Roan's regime even when Roan isn't looking.
When Rean exited the sect and went past few kilometers, Roan noticed it. That's because their connection had a limit of distance. Once the limit was broken, they wouldn't be able to contact each other anymore, nor could they use each other's elements. However, they could always feel in which direction the other is.
Rean had brought a lot of Rank One Spirit Stones with him, but it wouldn't last forever. He was planning to start a partnership with the local blacksmith of the Majorias City to sell Steel weapons. As one can expect, Majorias City also had a Zafa Bank branch.
The Varen Tribe has a contract with the Zafa Bank, so he first had to talk with them before annexing another blacksmith workshop into the Steel business.
Even with Spiritual Energy available to use, Rean still took over ten hours to cover the 300km distance between the sect and the city. Well, at least it wasn't several days like before. It was already late at night when he arrived, so he simply rented a room to rest until the next morning.
After eating breakfast and once again following Roan's training regime, he went straight to the Zafa Bank Branch.
The Zafa Bank employee found it quite weird that a Kid was allowed to take care of such things. Still, after seeing his Dalamu Sect robe and badge, he didn't comment on this issue. Sure enough, being a member of the Dalamu Sect opened a lot of doors. The issue of being a Kid could also be resolved with it.
Finally, Rean arrived at the Janariz Weapon Store, the same one where he destroyed their sword back then.
One of the employees recognized Rean from the last time, and above all, he recognized Rean's new robe and badge. That being said, he didn't waste time and went inside to call the Chief Blacksmith once more. Folca Janariz came out a few minutes later. When he looked at Rean, he nodded his head.
"As I thought, you wanted the Dalamu Sect to have your back before discussing things about that sword of yours."
Rean smiled after hearing that.
"It's good to talk with intelligent people. Indeed, I wanted to join the sect first. Anyway, how about we talk business?"
Folca chuckled before turning around.
"Come with me, there are way too many eyes here."
Rean then quickly followed Folca.
