Black Phoenix Heir

Chapter 87: Chapter 87 — A Morning Spar

Chapter 87 — A Morning Spar

The next morning, Victor sat cross-legged on the floor of his new room, quietly cultivating.

The Spiritual Energy in this region was incredibly dense with the fire element.

Whenever he cultivated, his Black Flame seemed to absorb the surrounding Spiritual Energy at an accelerated pace.

The fire-attributed Spiritual Energy seemed almost naturally drawn toward his Black Flame.

Victor continued cultivating for several hours before finally breaking out of his meditative state.

He slowly opened his eyes.

For a moment, he simply sat there.

Then he looked around the room.

Last night, he had been so tired that he hadn’t even bothered to look around. He had seen the hammock, laid down, and fallen asleep almost immediately.

Now that he was rested, he could finally appreciate the room.

The wooden walls had a pristine quality to them.

Every piece of wood seemed carefully crafted, fitted together with an attention to detail Victor hadn’t expected.

The Lava Rock Monkeys were surprisingly skilled carpenters.

In fact, Victor couldn’t remember seeing a single piece of woodwork in the entire settlement that looked poorly made.

Everything looked as though it had been crafted by a master.

The room itself had a simple log-cabin feel.

There wasn’t much inside.

A hammock hung against one wall, while a small fireplace sat near the center of the room.

A simple rug covered part of the floor.

The rug was beautifully made, with bright and colorful patterns woven throughout it.

Victor smiled slightly.

The more he looked around, the more he realized there was more to the Lava Rock Monkeys than fighting.

They clearly had a strong sense of craftsmanship as well.

The room was simple, but honestly, Victor didn’t need much more.

As long as he had somewhere to sleep and enough space to cultivate, he was satisfied.

Victor chuckled quietly to himself.

I’m starting to sound like a cultivation maniac.

Before he could think any further, a knock came from the door.

Victor stood up and walked over.

He opened it.

Monkasa stood outside.

As soon as he saw Victor, his usual large, toothy grin appeared.

”Good morning, Victor. I hope you slept well.”

”Yeah. That hammock is incredibly comfortable.”

Monkasa nodded.

”Yeah. I don’t think I could sleep in anything but a hammock, to be honest.”

He held out his hand.

Victor shook it.

Monkasa didn’t immediately move.

Instead, he stood there for a moment.

His grin slowly faded into something more serious.

There was a noticeable glint in his eyes.

”Now that I’ve recovered from yesterday...”

He smiled.

”How about we have a spar?”

Victor looked at him.

For a brief moment, he thought about it.

A spar wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Victor already understood some of his weaknesses.

He hadn’t received much formal combat training in this world. Most of what he knew came from the small amount of martial arts training he had received back on Earth, combined with the fights he had been forced into since arriving in this world.

Most of his victories had come from instinct.

Reacting to whatever was happening in front of him.

But that could only take him so far.

The more Victor thought about it, the more obvious it became.

Sparring with Monkasa could help him tremendously.

And if he continued fighting the Lava Rock Monkeys in the future, he would have countless opportunities to improve his combat ability.

It could be a huge boon to his future as a cultivator.

All of those thoughts passed through Victor’s mind in less than a second.

He looked back at Monkasa.

That glint was still there.

He looked ready to fight.

Victor nodded.

”Sure. Let’s do it.”

Monkasa’s grin immediately widened.

”Excellent!”

He turned around and began walking.

Victor followed.

As they made their way toward the training grounds, Monkasa began explaining some of the clan’s rules when it came to fighting.

”There’s really only one rule.”

Victor looked at him.

”No fighting in the upper treehouse area.”

Monkasa gestured toward the massive wooden structures surrounding them.

”No fighting in the housing district. That’s the one place we’re not allowed to battle.”

He paused.

Then his grin returned.

”That’s the only rule, though.”

Monkasa suddenly laughed boisterously.

”Outside of that, we can battle to our heart’s content!”

Victor looked at him.

The expression on Monkasa’s face told him everything he needed to know.

This Lava Rock Monkey really loved to fight.

The two continued toward the training grounds.

Before long, the sounds of battle began echoing through the cavern once again.

Victor and Monkasa arrived at the training grounds.

Victor looked around.

The Lava Rock Monkeys were already battling it out.

The massive cavern seemed alive with movement. The sounds of fists colliding, feet striking wooden platforms, and shouts of excitement echoed between the towering trees.

Victor watched the battles for a moment.

Then he noticed something.

He could have sworn that a few of the monkeys currently fighting were the same ones he had seen yesterday.

The same monkeys who had been knocked unconscious, bleeding and battered across the ground.

Victor couldn’t help but laugh internally.

These Lava Rock Monkeys really don’t take a break.

Monkasa led him toward an empty area.

A wooden platform rested on the ground ahead of them, separated from the surrounding training area.

It looked like a proper dueling platform.

Victor followed Monkasa onto it.

As he walked, his mind wandered toward his own abilities.

He still hadn’t managed to improve his Flash Step technique.

He had remained stuck at the Beginner level.

His understanding and control of the technique had improved tremendously since he first learned it, but he still hadn’t found the inspiration necessary to push it into the next stage.

Victor wondered what exactly would be required.

What did he need to understand?

What was he missing?

Victor’s thoughts shifted toward his current strength.

After the Spirit Pond, his Black Phoenix bloodline had awakened further, giving his physical strength a tremendous boost.

Even though he was only Rank 8, his raw fighting power had already reached the level of someone around Rank 10.

Then there was his Flash Step.

His cultivation.

His speed.

When everything was combined, Victor estimated that his overall combat ability was approaching that of a solid Rank 10 fighter.

That was an incredible advantage for someone who was only Rank 8.

Victor looked across the platform.

Monkasa had reached the other side.

Victor studied him carefully.

His cultivation was only Rank 9 of the Tempered Beast Realm.

Victor smiled slightly.

With everything I have, this shouldn’t be too difficult.

The thought had barely formed when Monkasa stepped forward.

He bowed.

Victor followed his lead and bowed as well.

They straightened.

Monkasa’s entire demeanor changed.

His monkey tail curled upward behind him.

His body lowered slightly.

His posture became loose.

He swayed from side to side.

For a moment, Victor thought he looked almost like a drunken monkey.

But then he saw Monkasa’s eyes.

The carefree grin was gone.

The straightforward monkey who had laughed and joked with him was nowhere to be seen.

What stood before Victor now was a warrior.

A dangerous one.

Killing intent radiated from Monkasa’s body.

Victor’s expression slowly became serious.

His instincts immediately warned him.

This wasn’t going to be a casual spar.

Victor took a breath.

Whatever happened next, he needed to take this seriously.