Special

Kane's face immediately turned grim. He had to learn whatever the floating head was telling him and he also had to do it in three years' time. He started to think that his chances of survival were pretty slim.

"Don't worry. You will get more sessions with the dao. All you have to do is to bear the pain and don't resist too much. I bet with your mutation you will surely get past this" Abel said as he tried to console Kane.

After driving for some time, the two finally arrived at the residential area. They soon arrived at a building that seemingly belonged to Abel as the electric gate opened up for them.

The compound was not too big and was moderately decorated. It gave off the sense that the owner did not want to interact with the neighbors and wanted to be left alone as the brown-colored fence surrounding it alone was a little bit more than six feet tall.

Abel drove into the garage of the blue-colored two-story building before they went towards the entrance. Abel swiped a card at a panel at the front door and a green LED lit up on the panel. There was a click sound and the door was unlocked.

As they walked into the house, the lights on the first floor automatically switched on revealing the interior. The living room was not extravagantly decorated but it did not seem to lack anything needed to make one comfortable.

"Have a seat while I make you something to eat" said Abel as he went into the kitchen. Kane immediately plopped himself down on the nearest sofa. He was extremely tired and as soon as he felt the comfort of the sofa, a wave of exhaustion hit him and he immediately fell into a deep sleep.

...

"Hey, Wake up" Kane felt himself shaken awake. He opened his eyes groggily and saw Abel standing before him. "Get up. You've been sleeping for an hour. You need to eat" said Abel when he made sure that Kane was awake. He led Kane towards the kitchen.

It was a little past noon so Abel prepared lunch. He prepared chicken burrito with rice and beans and a jug of fruit juice to wash it down with.

Kane literally jogged towards the dining table and wolfed down everything that could fit his hands and mouth. Abel also sat down and began to eat as he watched Kane in amusement. After a while, Abel who seemed as if he could no longer wait asked "tell me, what is your elemental affinity?"

"Universal" replied Kane nonchalantly with a mouth full of food.

Abel was dumbfounded. He stared at Kane without knowing what to say. What did it mean for one to have a universal elemental affinity? It should be known that average humans have their elemental ability as neutral. This meant that they can not form an affinity with any element and would find it extremely difficult to cultivate. This group of people is recognized as mortals since their mutation only grants them more than average strength and longevity.

Exceptional humans have an affinity with one of the five basic elements which are fire, water, wind, earth, and electricity. They can cultivate and can learn skills that are aligned with their affinity without any problems.

Genius cultivators would have an affinity with two or three of the basic elements which can later be merged to form a complex element later on.

Only some rare individuals have a universal elemental affinity. This meant that they have an affinity with all the basic elements and can combine them in any order to form countless complex elements. They were like blank slates that could be continuously reused. This made them a top recruitment priority for large sects and even the government.

Kane noticed the way Abel was looking at him and asked wearily "Why are you looking at me like that? Is the food poisoned?"

"Kane, from now on do not mention your mutation to anyone else. If you must tell, then say you have the element chameleon mutation" Abel had a solemn look on his face. "Element chameleon?" Kane was puzzled as he did not know what the term meant and why he could not reveal his real mutation.

"The nail that sticks up gets hammered down. Your power is capable of turning heads and gaining attention. You currently have no powerful backing so you need to be careful not to show all your cards. The element chameleon mutation will explain your universal element affinity. Although it's not enough to make you less eye-catching, it would at least keep you out of mortal danger.

For now, you have to be low-key and blend in to gather strength or else the number of enemies you will subconsciously make will be overwhelming" Abel wanted to tone down this kid's fervor before he lands headfirst into trouble and implicate him.

"I understand" Kane might be young but he was not naive. Feeling satisfied, Abel said, "Good". They both continued eating. They were done eating a few minutes later. "Kane, would you accept me as your master? I'm a being in the warrior realm. Although I'm not that strong I believe I am strong enough to guide you till you are sufficiently powerful to roam about unbridled" Abel suddenly said this as he stood up from his chair which took Kane by surprise.

"Kane greets master," Kane said as he knelt down on one knee. He had no money and no strength he would be prey if he roamed this city without any backing.

"Good, stand up. First, clean the dishes and get enough rest. We begin tomorrow and see if we can get you into the grunt realm and let you learn some skills" Abel was satisfied with Kane's response as he left the kitchen.

Kane began to wash the dishes. He was excited because he was finally able to begin training. He knew that his elder brother had his father as a teacher but he had to make do with what he had.

When he was done with the dishes, he climbed the stairs to the second floor and picked a room out of the three he could see on the second floor. He was still tired as the 'dao revelation session' took a lot from him. He even guessed that those sessions actually used his life force as a power source.

There was a bed on the left-hand side of the room. A full-length mirror was hung on the wall opposite the bed and a large wardrobe was beside the mirror. The window was located opposite the door.

Kane climbed the bed and fell asleep almost immediately after his head hit the pillow.

...

On the next day, Kane woke up by 8:00 am. He took a shower and changed into some new, more ordinary clothes which he saw in the wardrobe in his room. He guessed that Abel must have left it there while he was asleep.

He walked to the kitchen where he saw Abel preparing a simple oatmeal breakfast. "You're awake. Sit down, I'm about done" Abel said as he noticed Kane's arrival. "Good morning," Kane said as he pulled out a seat and waited patiently

They ate silently and they were done after a few minutes Abel stood up and said "Clean the dishes and meet me in the living room".

"Ok" Kane replied as he quickly washed the dishes and returned to the living room where he saw Abel sitting on a couch. He went over and sat down on a couch. "Here take this. This is a core gathering solution. You can drink this to gather your core and break into the grunt realm. Remember it will be painful, really painful so prepare yourself before drinking it" Abel threw a small bottle at Kane then continued "Try not to scream too loud, or else the neighbors start to get the wrong idea".

"Thank you very much master" Kane bowed respectfully and dashed towards his room. Abel watched him leave the living room with a faint smile on his face as Kane reminded him of the feeling of youth. He turned on the television and began browsing through channels and he soon became engrossed in one.

In his room, Kane sat down cross-legged on the floor and controlled his breathing and heart rate. He knew that what he was going to face would be very painful so he tried to brace himself as much as possible.

After a few moments, he opened the cap of the small bottle and swallowed the faintly glowing blue liquid contained in the bottle in one gulp.