At that moment, a bright light filled the area, and the Heavenly Path Spirit stepped out, appearing as a young boy.
"This is the only form I can use. Although I don't like it, I have no choice because of your current strength. The strength of your will is rather impressive also." The boy smiled.
Reith shook his head. "This is too much to take in. How about we start by answering my question? Why didn't my emblem show any sign of energy."
"Yes, The Heavenly Path uses hana of the purest form, and the only way you could open it since you don't have pure hana was to use another pure energy, which is life." The boy walked closer to Reith as he spoke.
"I see, that's why my blood worked." Reith sighed. This cultivation was full of surprises.
He raised his gaze, beholding the expanse of the night sky.
That Academy felt like a death trap, and he still had to go there to find his sister.
Reith ran his fingers through his hair.
Now that everyone had gotten their paths and people had seen him get something that couldn't work, all the students would rush at him.
The silence in the air grew thicker. "What should I call you?" Reith changed the topic.
Accepting the fact that he was now at the bottom of the chain was hard.
"I said Spirit of the Heavenly Path."
Reith chuckled, "I'd call you Ruach then. At least, that doesn't sound suspicious."
"I took a look around. The Hana in this city is only ten percent pure. It would ruin the strength of your emblem, and your foundation would be faulty." Ruach looked deep in thought.
Reith stood up from the ground; behind him was the massive hole in the church. "I can't afford that. If I have no strength, I can't save her." His fiery gaze was focused on the sky.
Even if he went to the ends of the earth, he would find Riesa, and bring her back home.
There was a glimmer in Ruach's eyes, "Is that your goal?" He asked, walking towards the hole in the church.
Reith's hesitance left his face, and he clenched his fists. "My first goal. I know my journey doesn't end there, and I am ready for whatever comes my way.
The branches of the trees fluttered in the wind as Ruach hummed, placing his hand on the hole.
"I hope you are ready to change the narrative, Reith, to show the world who you stand for. Can you leave the ninety-nine and chase the one? Are you ready to give it all up to become stronger?" The hole in the church wall slowly came together as he spoke.
The words hung in the air for a moment before Reith reacted.
He placed his hand on his waist, and an awkward chuckle left his lips. "I guess we have to find out."
At his next step, the temperature around him rose, and a whooshing sound filled the air.
Reith blinked, and right in front of him was a large fireball.
Death stared right in his face and asked for his soul, and the only thought in his head was to survive.
There was no time to dodge, and Reith brought his forearms forward in a stance of defense, and his heels dug into the ground.
The impact shot him into the sky, and he crashed backward, slamming into a tree.
"What do you think you are doing?" Reith yelled, holding his stomach as he slid down from the trees.
The branches of the tree were scattered around him.
The fireball had vanished right before it hit him.
What was blown at him was its mere strength and nothing more. Ruach had canceled the spell in time.
"Training." Ruach smiled, standing in front of the fixed hole. Before Reith could speak, Ruach blinked to his blindside, ready to strike.
Reith raised his hand again, trying to block the blow, but nothing came.
Giving Reith a pat, Ruach spoke. "I'm not going to harm you." He paused, staring down at Reith, "You need to work harder to harness the power of your cultivation path."
It was something that Reith already understood.
Nothing came to the lazy folks, and at the age of seventeen, he had his eyes set on a lot of things.
Ruach had disappeared and the tree at his back made a crack before totally falling to the ground.
Astonished, Reith couldn't take his eyes off it; the cut was impeccably clean, and he held his breath when strands of his hair fell to the ground.
If Ruach wanted to kill him, there was no escape.
———
The next day, Reith walked into the building of the academy, his blood pumping furiously.
It was normal for the former top dog to feel inferior especially after what had happened in the Libros event.
"No." Reith shook his head, he was done feeling like a mediocrity. "Whatever they say isn't new. I simply have to find Isho and get away from here." He said, checking out the time.
There would be classes right now and as Reith headed for his locker in the hallway, he was shocked to see that a lot of students were outside.
His senses were keen and he could hear every breath.
"Isn't that the church guy, the one that faked his genius talent?"
"Yeah. I heard he's an orphan also. A church rat too."
Reith clenched his fists as he walked fast. It was amazing how fast rumors could spread.
Everyone had forgotten his good deeds because of a single mishap.
"I really don't know why the city head keeps that run-down building around. They should make it a spot for the gaming center."
"Right and maybe then, we wouldn't have to compete with fake people for the top spots. Our donations are being wasted on fools."
Every harsh word flew over Reith's head. If he did something now, he would only be stooping down to their level.
Deep down, he knew that was what they wanted.
His eyes searched far and near but he still couldn't find Isho.
It wasn't until the bell rang, that the students all piled down to the hall and somehow, Reith ended up being carried with the stampede.
A loud smack spread across the hall, followed by a sob. "How dare a pig like you touch me?" A girl cried out, pointing a finger at an auburn-haired boy.
Reith was shocked as he glared at her.
The hall was a tight place and he had tried to keep his hands in place. Anything could happen in this crowd.
"…" He was about to say something when his gaze went past to girl to see a guy laughing with his friend, and he sighed.
"I didn't touch you." Reith calmly said, facing the girl.
The girl was livid.
She knew she would be punished for making the hit without concrete evidence. "I can't believe someone like you would lie. Don't you come from the church? You even pressed my bum." She snapped, attracting the attention of the crowd.
Condemning looks filled the place as everyone stared at Reith.
It was like they had been waiting for this, the moment to ridicule him.
At that moment, a suppressing aura filled the atmosphere, causing the students to hold their tongues.
Reith felt the pressure was being focused on him, wanting to bring him to his knees.
However, the emblem in his coat pocket trembled, and the suffocating pressure he felt disappeared.
"I didn't believe the Regional Apex would actually go for a failure, but now I see both a failure and a moral-less scum." A voice boomed, and the students cleared a path in front of Reith.
Reith clenched his fists, he was going to meet the owner of the blood-thirsty pressure.