Sacred Arts

38. Titan Hunt Pt.2

Jake and his squad set up camp for the day. By now they have covered over sixty percent of the island and are close to where Amon and Jake had fought with the stone jaguars. "We have made some great progress thus far," Jake said as he looked around at his teammates. "Almost all the island has been scouted, so technically we will have completed our mission," Jake continued. "It's been about a year since we have been home," Lee said, sighing.

"Well, after scouting the island completely, we could always just head home," Jake suggested. "No way!" Dustin said. "Not until we gather at least two more ascendant crystals," he continued. "Alright, I was just letting you guys know," Jake said, laughing out loud. "I'm going to turn in early so I can rest a bit more guys," Amon said before he turned and headed inside his tent.
"He's going to try to reach the ninth rank in the spirit realm tonight?" Jake stood wondering as he watched Amon walk away.

"This kid's cultivation speed definitely is not normal," Jake thought. "He's two to three years younger than we all are, yet he's keeping up surprisingly well," Jake whispered enviously. Amon walked inside his tent and sat cross-legged on the floor. He fell into a deep state of meditation. "Before I even consider breaking through to the next rank, I just want to make sure my foundation is as strong as it could possibly be," Amon thought to himself.

Amon inspected himself and saw that his body was very strong due to the "Iron Formation" technique. "My strength and speed as well as my durability are all probably as good as I can make them for now," Amon whispered to himself. "My spirit energy and soul strength are also very strong," he continued. A few more hours passed until Amon was finally done with his inspection. "Alright, time to reach rank nine," he said, sighing with relief.

Amon cultivated his strength, and he felt his mental, body and soul strength surge. He began to sense his aura growing as well. A couple more hours had passed, and he was close to completing his breakthrough. Amon's eyes flashed open, illuminating a bright light as his aura also grew. The sun had also begun to rise, signaling the start of a new day.

Amon stood up and began to circulate his energy, with a smile. "I've reached rank nine," he said, grinning. "I can't wait to reach the ascended realm," he thought with a determined look in his eyes. Amon left his tent and walked to the middle of the camp where he saw Jake. "Congratulations on the breakthrough," Jake said.

"Thanks, I appreciate it, I'm going to reach the ascended realm soon," Amon replied. "Great, I can't wait for us both to spar again when you get there," Jake said, with a grin. Dustin and Lee met up with Amon and Jake at the center of the camp. "Let's head out guys," Jake ordered. The entire squad left to continue their journey.

Hours had passed, and the squad had traveled hundreds of miles. "Hey Jake," Amon called out. "What is it?" Jake responded, curiously. "Don't you think it's weird that we haven't encountered any other squads besides the one, some months ago?" Amon asked. "Not even other squads from our village," he continued. "Honestly that did cross my mind, but I assumed many were either killed by titans or returned home by now," Jake said.

The squad continued their travels for a few more days. "Everyone stop!" Jake ordered as he surveyed the surrounding areas. "A Titan is close, actually I think it's two," he added. "Really?", "That's great," Amon said happily. "Yeah, but two will be harder to deal with if I have to split my attention," Jake said, concerned. "You and Amon take care of one and leave the other to me and Lee," Dustin suggested. "Are you all sure?" Jake asked. "Yes sir!" Everyone said in unison.

"Alright, let's engage then," Jake ordered. Jake flew high into the sky towards the two powerful auras that he sensed. Amon, Lee and Dustin all raced behind Jake on foot. When the four young men reached the two titans, they saw one titan that was white and green and another that was blazing red. "This might be a tricky match up," Jake said to his team. "One is a fire titan and the other is a wind titan," he informed them.