119 Pillar of Resilience (I)

“What childish behavior. A mere Level 3 Wave Warrior is incapable of using a wave crystal entirely. He is just wasting money.”

The blonde soldier sneered as he saw Cain using a wave crystal.

Lumir and Zamir showed ugly smiles as they heard that. It was true that wave crystals were beneficial for cultivation, but if your body’s ability to draw energy was not high enough, much of it would disperse.

Usually, Level 4 would be the minimum requirement to use wave crystals. One could understand the blonde soldier’s criticism of Cain.

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“Hmph, Lord Uriel, what could you expect from a brat that came from the slums? He might not even know what wave crystals are.” Lumir did not lose the chance to mock Cain, trying to diminish the fame this one obtained by reaching such a high level in the Pillar of Strength.

Zamir was about to join in when he noticed how Uriel and the other high-level soldiers looking at Cain showed surprise. He did not know what had happened.

If he were strong enough, Zamir would have seen that Cain’s body absorbed the energy from the wave crystal without letting any of it disperse.

That baffled many soldiers as they did not understand how a Level 3 Wave Warrior could do that. The answer was very simple. Cain entered Embryonic Breathing, exponentially increasing his ability to draw energy.

The events in the Pillar of Strength spread like fire, and soon hundreds of soldiers and cadets arrived at this location. All of them focused on Cain, waiting to see what he would achieve once he took the Trial of Resilience.

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Many cadets, especially those with the highest talent and scores, recognized Cain. The tales of this one had already reached the ears of all of them.

Everybody knew of Cain’s amazing display of martial skill and Wave mastery during a fight against a teacher and how he led a group of cadets and soldiers against a Wave Beast Horde for almost two weeks. There was even a more fantastic rumor about him being part of a force that fought and killed an Atrox Wave Champion.

Lumir and Zamir saw how the other cadets looked at Cain and felt like they were eating dirt. They could not accept that a mere commoner would draw that much attention, taking the spotlight away from them.

It would be hard to tell what the duo’s expressions would be if they knew that Cain’s background had recently risen to a level none of them could even dream of achieving.

Zamir heard the cadets whispering among each other, praising Cain’s abilities, and his face twisted before he shouted.

“Hmph, many people perished under his watch, including one of his close friends.”

Those words echoed around the Pillars of Trials, making everybody silent for a moment before beginning to whisper again. Yet, this time they were not praising Cain but discussing his failures. That is the way mob mentality works. It only goes to the most exciting topic, not caring about what is true or not.

Zamir’s smile grew wider as he saw the effects of his words. He saw that Cain continued training as if nothing had happened and carried on with his poisonous words.

“He does not even defend himself. I am sure the guilt does not let him. Who knows? He might have sacrificed some people to save his life.” Zamir began to spout allegations without any form of evidence, but he did not care. This place was not a court, and he only needed people to speak of it before it became a reality in their minds.

Just as he was about to keep ranting about Cain’s despicable behavior, he heard a voice.

“A boy that had never entered a true battlefield dares to question the actions of a soldier who did it. How pathetic.”

Zamir was surprised to hear that voice coming from where the cadets had gathered and showed immense rage.

He could question and insult Cain, but others could not do the same to him. That was the mentality of the scion.

“Who dares to mock a proud son of the Jarken Family!?” Zamir shouted his family name, immediately putting his background forward.

The one that spoke did not hide and immediately rose from the group of cadets. He was a young man with black hair and blue eyes.

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“I did it, but I am only mocking you. Of course, if you want us to bring on our families, I have no problem with that either.”

Zamir’s eyes widened as he saw that the young man was Lurin Sinar, and apprehension appeared on his face. Not only was Lurin’s cultivation similar to his, but this one was also the son of a Count.

Actually, Lurin’s background could be considered even higher than that of Zamir.

If it were any other cadet, Zamir would have used a combination of his strength and background to push them, but that would be futile against someone like Lurin. The only path that he could take now was using words.

“Hmph, did I say something wrong? We all know that the cadet Beelze died fighting beneath him.”

Lurin did not hide his disdain as he stared at Zamir before turning toward Cain, and then his eyes glowed with mighty respect.

“We all fought by his side and not beneath him. More than once, he put his life on the line to secure the life of those following his command. You blame him for one person’s death but do not consider all those he saved.” Lurin’s voice grew increasingly cold as he turned toward Zamir.

“I assume you are ready to say that if you ever led people into the battlefield, no one would ever die, and if they do, you should be the sole responsible.”

Zamir froze when he heard that and saw everybody focusing on him. There was no way he could say yes, but that was precisely the standard he was using to blame Cain.

Just as Zamir was about to try and use some excuse, his face grew pale. He felt like a monster was targeting him, and when he looked into the distance, he saw two eyes glowing with red light.

Cain’s red eyes unleashed a clear intent. He heard everything that Zamir said and did not care about any of it, but everything changed when this one mentioned Beelze’s death.

There was no need for words. That time had already passed. Cain would take care of Zamir the moment the chance presented itself.

Since he could not act here, with so many witnesses, Cain no longer focused on the cadet but instead analyzed his Embryonic Breathing.

Unlike the one that Zarak put him into, his Embryonic Breathing could not make every single cell on his body enter a state of hyperactivity.

Cain’s Embryonic Breathing put his body in a state of complete relaxation, making one hour of rest count as half a day of sleeping and improving the speed at which he drew Wave into his body.

While those effects could not compare to the one drawn by Zarak’s Embryonic Breathing, Cain understood that after enough training, he would reach that level.

‘Once I am over this, I will carefully look at Embryonic Breathing information.’ Cain did not let his thoughts wander off for long before putting his hand on the Pillar of Resilience and vanishing.

Cadets and soldiers saw Cain’s figure vanish and waited to see if this one would perform another impressive feat or if his tale would end with just the Pillar of Strength.

Cain had just appeared in a small white room before a voice arrived in his mind through the [A.I. Chip Module].

“Cadet, prepare yourself. The Pillar of Resilience will begin in two minutes. You will be submitted to increasing levels of heat while the oxygen diminishes. Please store all your protective equipment and do not activate any Wave Artifact during the trial.”

Cain understood the rules of the trial and stored his blue robe in his space ring along with his gauntlets and boots. He did not remove the Wave Artifact covering his spine since there should be no problem with it as long he did not activate it.

After two minutes, the room was set ablaze while the oxygen diminished very fast.

Cain felt his skin burning and immediately noticed how hard it was for him to breathe. Although it would be easy for him to hold his breath for several minutes, that would be unwise since it would only work to exhaust him faster.

The heat would force an average Level 2 Astral Wave Warrior to push their Astral Wave to the limit so they could endure it, and their lungs would be working at full capacity.

Luckily, Cain’s vitality was already impressive for a Level 3 Astral Wave Warrior, so while he was not comfortable, it was far from enough to push him to the limit.

Cain’s eyes glowed with red light as he monitored his body, ensuring his lungs, heart, and brain worked adequately. The Pillar of Resilience was said to be the hardest as it forced you to push yourself to the absolute limit.

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