Way of the Knights

Chapter 692 - Dragon's Aura, Dragon's Heart

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The first one, was a narrow wooden plank acting as a bridge, it is only wide enough for one person to walk through at once. Below the said wooden plank, there's a pit fall trap, falling down will mean being stabbed to death. Above were numerous wooden log pendulums set a different intervals, if one doesn't pay close attention, they'd be hit by these swinging logs and they will fall to their death. 

The second one was a wide filed, void of grass and rocks. This one doesn't have any traps nor any overly dangerous objects swinging above. It's just a field with fences alongside of five dummies which looked incredibly life-like. The moment someone enters this field, these stationary dummies will move and attack, the fences will also release a barrier, locking the person inside. The only way they can escape is by doing enough damage to the dummies. 

The final one was rather simple. It is just a totem with a skull on top. Entering the premises of this totem will cause it to react by releasing an overwhelming presence that will deter anyone who comes close. The skull was infused with a thick killing intent by its creator, it also releases a heavy suppression. 

These are Vendrick's 'creation'. Made for the sole purpose of training people. The first one tempers one's movement art and sharpens their alertness. The second one tempers their battle instinct. The final one tempers their heart and will. 

All of this training equipment were the simplest things that Vendrick could do with the material he has with him. Of course, he could create something more intricate given that a need for it arises but for now, this should suffice. 

One thing to note is that, Vendrick only tried these things once. And he did it only to check if its working properly. After that, he never touched them again since they were self-sufficient anyways. Additionally, he didn't create this for himself. Vendrick had better plans for himself, one that he's certain that neither Arthur nor Rosa would like to try with him. 

Speaking of those two, they are currently suffering right now...

The first thing they tried was the Totem Field. It has been a couple of hours since they started but still, their first impressions might never change no matter how long they endured under its suppression. 

They initially thought that the Totem Field was the safest of them all. Vendrick even tried to convince them to check-out the Movement Bridge first but they didn't listen. Well, he warned them, it was them who didn't listen. Now they can't even blame him despite wanting to. 

The Totem Field was a unique creation. The skull placed on top of the totem is one that Vendrick specifically put a lot of time in creating. Infused with his killing intent and the suppressive effects of his Dragonborn Aura, of course anybody would suffer immensely under it. 

It would've been fine if Vendrick was normal person or only killing intent was infused on the skull, had that been the case, Arthur and Rosa wouldn't have necessarily suffered. However, the suppression is what got them bad. 

The first time they stepped within the vicinity of the Totem Field, they fell flat on the ground, unable to move a muscle. On top of that, the feeling of the cold finger of death pressing down their throats, caused them to feel suffocated. It was dreadful and fearsome, they kept thinking to themselves that they're going to die. They nearly lost control of their bladder at that point. 

It was a terrible and eye-opening experience. They didn't even had the strength to continue after their first few seconds under it. 

And just like what was mentioned earlier, they wanted to blame Vendrick but they couldn't since it was them who didn't listen to his suggestion. 

Right now, the two of them are training with the dummies. Vendrick made them choose a weapon, Arthur picked one-handed axe since he has experience with cutting wood along with a wooden shield and Rosa picked a needle sword since it was light and felt good on her hands. 

There were a total of ten training dummies in the field, currently only two were activated since it was adjusted to their experience and cultivation. The stronger they get, the more dummies they have to face at once. 

Vendrick didn't teach them any battle arts. He only advised them to study the movement of the dummies carefully, copy their movement and refine each lesson they learned since it'll be a valuable experience for them. 

Since then, Arthur and Rosa had been sparring with the Training Dummies non-stop, aside from a few short breaks in between, they were constantly locked in battle. It was fortunate that their talents weren't terrible else this would've been another terrible experience for them.

These two were fast learners, and Vendrick was thankful for that. Now, if they continue growing this way, in less than a month, they'd be ready for their first hunt. 

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*Swoosh!!*

Gusts of wind hissed around Vendrick as he wielded his spear. Each time he struck, a sharp blade of wind will shoot out from the spear tip. It will fly all the way until it naturally disperses or until it hits something. 

This wasn't happening because Vendrick grasped Wind Laws. This is simply due to the constant stream of incredible strength Vendrick was using as he practiced. 

If he wanted to, it will only take a single and full powered swipe of his spear to get rid of every single tree within this forest. Such is the incredible strength that is hiding beneath Vendrick's petite body. 

"...not yet." Vendrick sighed as he held the spear on his hand. "This is far from enough." 

Indeed, despite the incredible strength he has, it is still not enough. What he need is strength that can dominate this world. He needed to reach a level where he can slay a god since he needed to face one anyway.

Had he come here with his original identity, forget about killing one god, even if there's twenty of them it wouldn't make a difference. He'd just bombard them with non-stop meteor shower until no even a speck of them remains. 

Unfortunately, this just a wishful thinking. He had to face reality that he doesn't have that kind of power right now since it's sealed. If he tried hard, he might be able to lift the seal but he didn't want to risk failing his mission so he didn't touch it. 

"I should condense my Dragon Aura soon." Vendrick murmured as he emptied a water jug. 

After transitioning to a True Dragonborn, it's safe to say that Vendrick's talent rose as well. Dragons are beings blessed by the heavens, they are wise, has a tyrannical strength and their affinity with Laws were amongst the highest there is. Becoming a True Dragonborn allowed Vendrick to similarly posses this kind of talent, even if he didn't train hard, he would naturally become stronger with time, that's just the absurd difference between a Dragon and a human. 

What really made the Dragon Race rise to the peak is their unique ability called Dragon Aura and Dragon's Heart. 

Dragon's Aura is a unique type of energy that only Dragons are allowed to possess...or those who reached a certain bloodline affinity with them such as a Dragonborn. This isn't just a combination of energy, it is more than that. 

The Dragon Aura is a combination of a Dragon's physical and spiritual energy. With it, Dragon's can infuse their wisdom and intent to their very aura, allowing them cultivate Concepts at a faster speed compared to other species. 

Dragons didn't need 'Enlightenment', what they need is wisdom. The more they understand an element or a concept, the stronger their Dragon's Aura gets. Eventually, when they reach the acme of their understanding towards a certain element or concept, they can condense 'seeds' of it and foster them with time, allowing them to posses their own. This is why Dragons can go anywhere they please without experiencing Heavenly Suppression. 

Dragon's Heart on the other hand is simpler to describe and more straight forward. Simply put, a Dragon can condense a second heart, one that not only extends their longevity, but could also iron out their flaws. Nurturing a Dragon's Heart will allow them to fix their imperfections, allow them to freely change between a humanoid form and Dragon Form and it could also be used as a last resort when they face a crisis. 

To put it more simply, a Dragon's Heart is the reason why most Dragons lived through eons, it practically makes them immortal. They only reason why they went extinct is because they were hunted. By who? Vendrick doesn't know and he doesn't care about that right now. 

What's more important to him is that, he needs to finish this mission as soon as he could. He might've said that he has time but he's got a limited amount of it. He can't be stuck here for dozens of years, if that happens, then the war against the Exiles will occur without him being able to support his sect...

That is something he absolutely can't allow.