Ch 5 - The Nine Flames Fire Art

In the subsequent period, Billy tried exploring the First Layer of the Nine Flames And

Strange Fire Art, but there wasn't much time left since it would be daybreak soon. He knew that

even if the Nine Flames And Strange Fire Art was just the foundation, it would be difficult to

break it successfully the first time.

"Huh? It's almost dawn already. I have to get ready to go to the martial arts field and continue

cultivating the Claw Condensation Technique to reach the Great Completion Stage in no time!"

Billy soon arrived at the martial arts field early that morning. He started performing the

Basic Fist Technique first, followed by the Basic Leg Techniques. With Billy's Internal

Strength, his understanding of these two basic techniques differed slightly.

Before long, more and more young men came to the field. A little later, a disciple from the Alexei

family expressed his amazement. "Look! Did you notice anything unusual in Billy's fist and

leg techniques today? Don't they look different from before?"

"You're right. He looks more formidable than he ever did, and his strength almost looks similar to

ours when we were training. Could it be..."

It was clear that this disciple had sensed something strange about him.

A faint light twinkled in the depths of Kane's eyes. "Could he have finally produced the Internal

Strength? Did his body get better overnight?"

"So what if he did it? Even if he has it, it won't be easy for him to catch up after missing three

years of training. Compared to the younger generation under the age of fifteen in the Alexei

family, I'll be the first one to break through to the Human Rank!" Kane's heart was ablaze with

combativeness.

A family might have a few conflicts, but such disputes would never be so substantial that they

would end up at each other's throats. So even though Kane was enraged and insecure, it was

more of a competition than anything personal. He only wanted to prove that he was the first,

most capable warrior under fifteen in the Alexei family.

If there was a genius in a family, he would be slain by the jealousy of the other members, and

the family wouldn't be far from ruin and destruction.

Instructor Lester came shortly after the remaining young warriors of the Alexei family showed

up.

Instructor Lester said indifferently, "Starting next month, you're going to practice the Claw

Condensation Technique. If there's something you don't understand, don't hesitate to come see

me."

After saying that, he took a seat on the sidelines and observed how the young Alexei family

members train.

As a Four-star Human rank warrior, Instructor Lester's eyesight was remarkably keen. He could

readily determine whether or not their techniques were progressing simply by looking at them.

When Instructor Lester's prying gaze landed on Billy, his eyes suddenly lit up, and his face

was full of shock. "That can't be happening. Could anything like this..."

He was suddenly on his feet. "Billy, get down here first."

Billy seemed to anticipate this confrontation for some time. When he heard Instructor

Lester calling his name, he quickly came up to him.

Instructor Lester suddenly grasped his wrist, closed his eyes for a long time before opening it

again in surprise. "Billy, your Internal Strength isn't going away for no reason. That's

strange."

Billy grinned. "Yes, I know, Instructor Lester!"

Instructor Lester threw back his head and laughed. "That's great. Your comprehension is

already extraordinary, and now you can even cultivate your Internal Strength. Before you know

it, you've already surpassed my ability."

All those under the age of fifteen in the Alexei family grew up training under Instructor Lester's

command. Aside from Kane and several others, not everyone noticed Billy's unusual

behavior. At that point, Instructor Lester couldn't contain his laughter and those who heard him

stopped at once. Others who weren't able to make sense of the situation immediately

understood what was going on.

"What?! Billy is attaining Internal Strength?"

"How fascinating. Billy's qualifications have now reached the fourth level. He is one level

above Kane and two or three levels higher than us. We all know that among River City's

younger generation, the Fourth-level Aptitude is ranked in the top ten. Billy and Kane are

bound to continue competing with one another."

"That's not necessarily true. Billy only started three years later, while Kane had been

attaining it for four years, and now he's fourteen years old. He had already reached the Middle

Period of Mortal Rank, and he's about to unlock the fourth out of eight levels. I think Billy

will surpass Kane in three or four years, but he's unlikely to make it in just one or two years."

Kane was in his early teens. Once he reached fifteen, he would end up either becoming one of

the Alexei family's guards or joining other sects or academies. By that time, they wouldn't be in

the same place, so how would they be able to fight one another?

Instructor Lester patted Billy's shoulder to encourage him. "It's not a bad thing, you know.

Just train some more. Remember, I have high hopes for you."

"Yes! Thank you." Despite the other boys giving him odd and complex looks, Billy walked

quietly to the area where he trained earlier.

Two boys standing next to Kane murmured, "Hey, Kane. Aren't you going to teach him a lesson?

He could now gain his Internal Strength, but we all know he's nothing compared to us. Instructor

Lester's positive reaction leaves the impression that we're all useless."

The training base of these two boys wasn't simple either. One of them had reached the peak of

the Early Period of Mortal Rank. He was only a step away from entering the Middle Period of

Mortal Rank. Meanwhile, the other was about to break through the second level. Of all the

young men in the Alexei family, his training speed was at the forefront, and only a few were

stronger than him.

Both have always shown deference to Kane, who was the son of Billy's third uncle, Hank.

Like Billy, he was a direct descendent of the Alexei family as well. As for the two boys, they

were merely collateral relatives. Had it not been for Billy's lack of capacity to attain his

Internal Strength, their status would never be superior to that of Billy's.

Now that Billy had started gaining his Internal Strength, the two boys also knew in their

hearts that if his illness really got better, it wouldn't be long before he would surpass their current

standings. But he was now far from the old Billy who used to be jealous of the two

teenagers and felt extremely out of place.

Kane's eyes turned cold when he heard this. He glared at the two boys indifferently and barked,

"No matter how bad you think Billy is, he's still my cousin. Must I give Billy a lesson?

So what would you suggest I do?"

Both of them appeared shocked and instantly broke out in cold sweat.

The tension in Kane's face eased, and he said faintly, "I could tell some of your thoughts.

Billy is a direct descendant, so it's natural for his status to be superior to yours. If you can't

even look through that fact, then you should stop following me. What's more, Billy is now

able to gain his Internal Strength, so don't you dare provoke him at will."

Although Kane had some prejudices against Billy's father, who had greatly affected his

treatment of Billy, they were always bound by blood. If Kane had been instructed to teach

Billy a lesson, he wouldn't have done it.

Apart from this, Billy had just started getting his Internal Strength, which was very different

from his. There was a huge gap between him and a Middle Period of Mortal Rank warrior, who

had broken through the three of eight stages. With Kane's character, he couldn't take advantage

of weak people.

Both the boys nodded and chorused, "Yes."

They almost forgot that Billy was still related to Kane under any circumstances. Since they

were both from a branch family, they wanted to create friction between Billy and Kane. If

the older family members learned of it, their parents would also be implicated.

One of them pondered for a minute before saying, "Kane, aren't you afraid of Billy

competing with you?"

It should be noted that for those under the age of fifteen, the Alexei family highly esteemed the

glory of the first person in the younger generation. Also, the first one to break through to the

Human Rank would receive lots of great rewards, which would widen the gap between him and

his fellow warriors.

Kane remained remarkably calm and replied, "I'm turning fifteen over the next six months. Do

you think Han Feng can get past me in less than a year?"

The boys was taken aback by his placidity. they could only smile oddly in return and shook their

heads.

Although Billy's aptitude was only a level higher than that of Kane, the gap between them

wasn't that wide.

They carefully replied, "Kane, although we don't want to make things difficult for Billy,

others may not be so forgiving."

Kane gave a snort of contempt. "Just because I won't be hard on him doesn't mean I'll defend

him, okay. He's still on his own."