BUTTERFLIES (Arc 2&3; The Undefeatable Class 192)

Chapter 72: The Nowhere Bracelet

Not knowing the ruse and ruckus I'd just thrown behind me, I quickly hopped onto Roy's back and shape-shifted back into my original appearance.
  The day was already late. I went over to Teacher Haggz's quarters and explained I'd be using my off tomorrow to take the second part of my beast taming examination, and that I was unsure of how long I'd end up spending.
  He nodded and simply said, “No problem.”
  However, when I was just about to walk out, he called me back.
  “Nothing's too sure in the Arerat. Take this.”
  He threw a bracelet to me.
  My eyes widened in confusion as I looked from Teacher Haggz to the thing in my hand.
  “Teacher, what's this?”
  “You might need it one day. It makes one's presence unnoticeable for one hour. It's a one-time use, so you know you only use it at the most dire condition.”
  “Teacher... this must be a prized possession, why're you giving it to me?” I asked in a complete enigma.
  He nonchalantly stated, “There's a difference between classroom student and direct disciple. Don't speak about this anymore.”
  “Oh,” I muttered in a loss. I could only imagine the value of such a heavenly possession in the market.
  Teacher Haggz said, “It's called the Nowhere Bracelet. Whenever you need to use it, all you have to do is power the bracelet with true essence. It should never leave your wrist. The moment you put it on, it adapts to your skin and looks nothing special. Do you understand?”
  I ran the words he'd just said in my head before nodding in appreciation.
  “Thank you, Teacher Haggz.”
  He waved his hand casually before saying, “You can go.”
  I ignored his coldness and skipped off in ecstacy. It was just the best decision for me to see Teacher Haggz tonight. Who knows... I just could have lost such a golden platter, had I not.
  I slipped the bracelet on as I felt a calmness from the bracelet slip into my mind.

* * *
1000 metres away from the academy, in an insignificant, rented cottage, a man who was under secluded cultivation suddenly had his eyes shoot open with surprise smeared all over.
  He stood up and walked outside, facing the direction of the Junior Academy of the Gifted. He didn't say a word, but kept stroking his beards in thoughts.
  If someone had seen this man at this moment, they would not even have been able to guess what his thoughts were as his face never carried a single ounce of emotion.
  If a relative or close friend of this man had seen the speed that this man had used to stand on this spot, they'd have been awfully shocked. It had definitely been several decades since his interest  had last been piqued.

* * *
  “Yawn!”
  I yawned loudly as I got off Roy's back. It was funny how fast time moved. With so much cultivation, I didn't even have the appetite to eat.
  There was always tomorrow, after all...
  Receptionist A was seated in her office, cultivating. She only stared at me when I waved at her. The whole place was still crowded with students, so the atmosphere outside wasn't monotonous, which was a good thing.
  Ignoring the school life huddle, I entered Room 1, only to meet Jessica and Xueyi both seated in cultivation. They'd already entered the meditative state, so they could not feel my presence. I sat on my bed and stared on, blankly, for a while before getting bored out.
  I went to one of the cabinets and took out a rolled up mat, holding it under my left armpit.
  I passed Receptionist A and couldn't help thinking, ‘Why does it seem like she's steadily keeping an eye on me?’
  I shrugged the thought off and went to spread the mat before the large Dormitory A, under the moon's phosphorescence. I stared at the beautiful thingy suspended upon nothing, and smiled.
  I chuckled as I thought back to what Mum used to tell me about the moon.
  “On the moon,” she'd say, “a Grand Master once made a grand painting of a woman and her newborn child so that he could always remember them.” Mum didn't ever state how the man was related to them... or maybe she didn't even know.
  I looked at the lines on the moon that really formed a woman looking passionately at her wrapped up baby.
  My surrounding was a greenery and the insects here weren't too noisy, surprisingly.
  A butterfly from nowhere in particular flew towards me for a moment before perching on my shoulder. It was kind of weird, but I didn't feel the urge to chase it off.
  I suddenly began to feel a need to cultivate in my blood. I didn't resist this urge. I began to draw in the surrounding energy into my body while seeking to enter into the meditation state.
  Slowly, my mind began to travel away from the surrounding sounds of ruffled grasses under feet, gigglings, croaks, etc. I directed my mind to my earlier exchange with the puppet..
  I first focused on my every leaping move I'd made, and how the trajectories effected the puppet's next move, and the overall final results.
  With just one hour, I'd been able to pick up about thirteen flaws I'd made while leaping, promising myself not to ever let such grotesque repeat itself. Next, I made an attempt to understand the fist art the puppet had used, but I couldn't even get a thing, since I wasn't even paying much attention to it. It was just too complex. Without a tutor, it'd only be a pipe dream thinking about practicing that fist art that had so many transformations to it.
  After going through my movement technique for a few more rounds, I then did a mental practice of archery. After a few hours of archery practice, my tired mind finally went into the zen state. My meditation continued for four hours, until I awoke and noticed I was covered in dew. All along, Receptionist A was cross-legged in meditation, at the entrance of the dormitory. I was definitely touched... she'd been looking out for me. It was a general knowledge that one was most vulnerable under an immersed meditation state.
  “Thank you,” I said gently, not wanting to disturb her from her meditation.
  There was no response, so I assumed she'd already entered the zen state of meditation. I dragged my feet to Room 1 and dumped my body on the bed, sleeping straight away. Tomorrow was going to be another day of adventure, entirely.

* * *
  The so-called receptionist opened her eyes the moment she heard Room 1's door shut close. She stood up and arranged her hair, before stumping her left foot on the ground and diving into the sky to an unknown location. She blended perfectly well with the darkness, and her presence felt like the passing wind.