After receiving the techniques and the sword, Athar returned to his room and carefully secured them. He did not want to risk carrying them around and misplacing them.
He did not linger in the room for long. Arriving at the training grounds a full half hour earlier than his scheduled spar with Ryler, he found the area bustling with activity. Students were scattered across the humungous training ground as they had formed invisible separate zones for themselves. Some were busy practicing alone, others with partners or in group and few were engaged in light spars too.
Apart from the large training grounds and training halls in which the practical classes were held, the academy also had smaller private training rooms, but they were not freely available. One had to spend points to gain access to them.
As Instructor Vale had mentioned during the first class, students were not allowed to randomly spar with one another. All duels required the supervision of an instructor.
If the spar was a full-powered duel—involving mana or the tamed beasts—then a designated instructor would oversee it. There were instructors hired specifically for this task. A student had to formally apply for such a duel, and then he could permission depending upon many factors like how much duels he had had in the past month and most importantly the availability of an instructor.
However, if students merely wanted to physically spar without mana or their beast involvement, the requirements were minimal. All they needed was to equip a mana sealing band, and they could then spar freely under the general supervision of training ground instructors.
Athar after arriving at the ground, began with warm-up exercises as time ticked by.
About five minutes before the scheduled time, Ryler arrived.
"You're early," Ryler commented, walking up to him with a grin.
Athar gave a nod of acknowledgement to Ryler.
The duo did not waste much time. They walked straight to the instructor overseeing the training grounds and had their names registered for a physical duel. A mana sealing band was then secured around each of their wrists.
These bands were quite the invention in themselves. From what Athar had read in the library, mana sealing bands were based on advanced principles of runes.
Their core function was to suppress the flow of mana through a cultivator's mana veins, essentially cutting off the connection between the user's body and their mindscape.
The moment the band locked into place on Athar's wrist, he felt the familiar stream of mana vanish and his connection from the mindscape being cut off.
It was an odd sensation for him, like regressing to how he had been a week ago, before he had formed his bond with his beast.
But even without mana, Athar could feel a stark difference. His physical body had undergone a noticeable transformation. In just a few days, it was as if his very physiology had experienced a qualitative shift. He had become stronger, a lot stronger than he should have and Athar could not help but think of the tree of origin for this change.
The two found a seclude spot and they stood facing each other.
"Here I come, Athar!" Ryler shouted as he charged forward. In a few steps, he was already within striking distance, his fist raised high.
Athar did not flinch. At the last moment, he sidestepped, and Ryler's punch whooshed past his face.
Without wasting time, Athar bent slightly to his left and launched a low kick aimed at Ryler's knees. But Ryler had anticipated it and leapt backward as Athar's kick sliced through the air harmlessly.
What followed was a flurry of movement.
Punches. Jabs. Lunges. Kicks.
It was like a blur of movements as both of them struck each other or dodged and defended from the incoming attacks. The dull thud of impacts echoed across the training ground as the two pushed each other to their limits.
Ryler swung a strong right punch, but Athar deflected it effortlessly with his forearm and retaliated with a swift punch from his left hand. The strike seemed to be headed straight for Ryler's face—but he ducked just in time and swept a low kick in the same motion. It connected to Athar's right leg, but lightly. Athar did not even flinch. Ryler because of being off balance had not been able to generate enough force.
The spar continued. In the beginning, they tried to stuck to textbook moves and the basics they had practiced in class.
But as the intensity ramped up, correct form gave way to instinct. Their bodies moved on their own, adapting and reacting with fluid improvisation. It was the beginning of their journey toward discovering their own unique fighting styles.
Even though this was just a practice duel, both held back—but Athar held back more. With his superior strength and agility, he could have easily overpowered Ryler.
But he had no desire to draw attention to himself so early in his academy life. He was content to remain unnoticed for now.
After around twenty minutes of intense sparring, the two finally separated. Ryler nearly collapsed, panting heavily, drenched in sweat. Athar, though breathing hard, was clearly in better shape.
"That was fun," Ryler said between gasps with a beaming smile on his face. "So much to learn in a single spar."
He reached for his mana sealing band, intending to remove it, but Athar raised a hand to stop him.
"Don't," he said firmly.
Ryler looked puzzled.
"If you remove it," Athar explained, "your mana will instantly begin healing your body. But if we keep the seal on, our physical body will have to recover on its own. That's how we strengthen our physique."
Ryler considered this and then nodded, understanding the logic. "Makes sense."
"Next time," Ryler said with a grin, "we should use weapons."
Athar nodded silently. He needed sword practice too.
They remained in this condition for around another 20 minutes after which they returned the mana sealing bands and then themselves returned to the dormitory.
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[Thank you for reading. Rate, Review and Comment on my novel. Also send the power stones]