The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

Atop the mountain, the skies were clear and showed countless stars. Great Elder Robert, his eyes ever closed, reviewed some documents while waiting for the trial to end. It was unknown how exactly he read the documents without opening his eyes, but no one thought to ask because of fear.

Ava Jones ate a delicious stew, courtesy of the Pavilion while watching Oscar and Mary figure out the Snowbell Fruit's location at the ravine where they teleported. Her lips curled slightly. 'You finally realized it, my rash niece. As Jones, we must understand the laws and rulebooks, including the implied and precedents. It should have been obvious at the start, but you ran so fast without carefully observing.'

Her body relaxed after seeing Mary's progress would not be impeded.

"Ah!" Elder Dustin's elderly voice cried out in shock. "I understand now."

"What is it, Elder Dustin?" Ava Jones said, but she sighed inwardly at the old man's antics. In front of Great Elder Robert, she had to maintain appropriate manners and behaviors.

Elder Dustin's many wrinkles increased with his outburst, and his hands trembled on the table. "I finally understand why that student, Oscar, has extraordinary physical power and why he was able to destroy the artificial cores. He has the power of Reis."

"Reis?" Ava Jones didn't know what Reis was. Only a few in Draven's generation knew of it because of Draven's presence, but it wasn't odd for anyone else to be unaware. "What is Reis?"

Elder Dustin coughed with excitement. "Reis is a power that runs opposite to Ein itself. It is the complete mastery of pure physical force that wreaks devastation."

"There's such a power in this world? Why isn't it more known? Our students can be stronger if they learn it." Ava Jones thought about Oscar's previous battles and knew this Reis was a powerful tool. But she had no idea of its dangers. Dangers that made Reis a nightmare.

"It's not so easy." Great Elder Robert opened his eyes to quell the excited Ava and chastise the elderly Dustin. "The initiation into Reis itself is harsh. One must learn 'Awaken' for Reis to even use it properly. But the issue comes when they use it. The Reis coursing through their body, mainly the heart as the core, can destroy oneself."

"Couldn't that be solved by teaching it stronger Exalts?" Ava Jones asked.

"No. It is tougher to handle Reis, especially its more intricate techniques at a later realm. However, the worst is higher realms mean higher risks when using Reis. Higher realms also boost physical power, but your heart is still as vulnerable as ever." Great Elder Robert said solemnly. His hands held together on the table. "That is why most users of Reis usually die before the Marshal Exalt realm. The causes are overuse of Reis, or their heart has been worn down after many uses. It's like a countdown to your demise."

Ava Jones remained silent for a moment. Reis's revelation and its risk were enough for her to understand why it wasn't so widely taught. Exalts lived long, so no one wanted to have an unknown timer on their life. "What about Oscar? Is he also going to die like this?"

"His body had been forged well, and he's been through extremely tough training. With luck, he may last until he's a Knight Exalt. Though, perhaps that asshole has a plan for that." Robert felt Draven was crazy but knew that despite his madness, Draven had a plan. 'The progression in Adamasreis is fast. Draven started Reis as an Elite Exalt, so it took him quite a while. The reason he's still alive even as a Marshal Exalt is something I'd never do for Oscar.'

"I've always wanted to see a Reis user in action." Elder Dustin smiled and stared like a scientist making their observations. "This will make for some good notes to take back."

Ava Jones stared at Oscar, thinking about why he decided to learn this power.

…….

Oscar leaned down on the cavern walls, feeling the warmth from the firepit. Mary had gone back to sleep after she suggested going to the ravine. He also felt he was an idiot for not considering the Snowbell Fruit's location at the starting point.

It made sense after considering the large lake of ice with Frost Angarens. The Azure Feather in his hands was ideal for getting across that ice without agitating any of those scaly beasts, and the Frost Orb was perfect for scaling up the mountain without worrying about the blue frost on the long trek up. Everything was deliberately laid out for them to be able to progress from one place to the place.

Oscar thought of a hypothetical scenario in which they get the Snowbell Fruit at the start. He assumed the Snowbell Fruit would be something that would help against the Nixagle, and they would slay it, taking the feather and learning of its power. Then with Azure Feather, they'd float across the icy lake and reach the foot of the mountain, where they would get the Frost Orb.

'The Azure Feather probably would stop working in the Frost Orb's cave.' Oscar chuckled. 'Who would have thought we'd end up going the complete opposite way of the normal route? Instead of Fruit to Orb, we went from Orb to Fruit, making it needlessly harder on ourselves.'

There was no need to jump over the Frost Angarens in that risky manner. There was no need to combat the Nixagle with that self-harming maneuver. Each one should have flowed into the next, but Oscar disrupted that flow by going for the large x mark on the map.

Oscar shook his head and decided not to let his thoughts wander into the what-ifs. In the end, they still procured two items and were on their way to the last, making their current position solid. With that, Oscar moved his hand toward his bad ear to do what he didn't want to show Mary, pulling out the inhibitor.

Oscar's face twisted in pain as veins popped all over his face and tired body. But he kept his mouth shut, not allowing a single sound of pain to escape. Oscar didn't want to disrupt Mary's much-needed and well-earned rest; the trials were much harder because of his plan to go for the large x on the map, so she was strained much more than she should have.

After a long enduring session, Oscar placed the inhibitor back in his ear. His back was soaked in sweat, and his hands were deathly pale. Without much thought, Oscar slumped into a deep sleep to rest.

The next morning arrived.

Oscar awoke early and saw Mary still sleeping, bundled in the furs. He didn't wake her up because time was not an issue here. They had today and tomorrow to get all three items; there was no need to rush.

He exited the cave and saw a bright morning greet him with clear skies and zero snowfall. The ground was still blanketed by snow and ice, but the air was fresh and not as frigid as before. However, Oscar frowned upon seeing traces of blue frost appear on his hand; he retreated inside and got the Frost Orb to accompany him.

Oscar roamed around the general vicinity near the cave, glancing around from time to time, looking for something. His eyes lit up when he saw many large yaks wandering around the forest. These yaks were similar to the Tri-horned Buffalos of the Hurin Plains; they were Exalt Beasts that gathered in large herds.

"Sorry, but you came just in time." Oscar bowed his head and approached them.

Mary woke up. She felt more refreshed than ever, but her face fell after seeing Oscar missing. "Where did he go?"

"Right here." Oscar returned with a large yak over his shoulders. "You took a while to wake up. I've already drained this guy; let's eat some brunch."

Mary nearly drooled, seeing the yak roasted over the flames. The succulent juices and fat from the meat sometimes cracked, letting out a savory aroma. Oscar cut out a piece and handed it to her.

"Thank you." Mary munched on the meat and almost moaned from how tender and delicious it was. In a matter of moments, these two hungry students devoured the large yak to the bone.

Oscar felt the meal was heartening and filled his hungry bone with renewed life. These Exalt Beasts of the tundra had particularly fatty meat thanks to the thick layer they had under their fur. He cleaned up the remains and killed the flames.

"Let's head out to the ravine and see if the Snowbell Fruit is over there." He packed up his things and was ready to head out.

"I'm almost certain it is." Mary looked sure of herself.

The two returned to the ravine, thanks to the map and retracing their steps. The familiar sight of the mounds of snow that filled the ravine came into view. This was where the avalanche forced them to run away and into the forest without taking a closer look.

Thanks to the Azure Feather, they could levitate over the large mounds of snow and reach the top of the ravine.

Oscar scoffed at the green glow that welcomed them on top. "It really was here."