Kill The Old Ones!

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The whole apprenticeship affair wasn’t really a large or incredibly formal event.

Ren just went into the Apothecary Hall led by Grandma Allen, who took him straight to her son and his wife, Raymond Allen and Venina Allen nee Goldstein.

Raymond is a tall man with a broad torso and thick arms. He sported a thick beard and mustache too. He had this intimidating presence accompanied by a strong scent of herbs and spices.

Venina, on the other hand, looked like a delicate blond-haired woman with sky-blue eyes and a gentle aura. She gave everybody an impression of coming from a rich and noble household by the way she carried herself. She doesn’t have the Banished Arsenal Physique since she married into the clan. She came from the Goldstein family—a small family of healers that had a warm relationship with the clan.

From the clan records, Ren remembered that the Banished Arms Clan and the Goldstein family forged an alliance about 100 years ago. And while the Goldesteins weren’t submissive to the clan, they often had their descendants marry someone from the clan to continue the alliance.

It’s more than likely that the marriage of Raymond and Venina was like that too. At least at a glance, their relationship seems harmonious.

Raymond, as intimidating as he looked, spoke softly and gently. He had this deep rumbling voice, too. He didn’t try to scare off Ren or question his purpose too much. Mostly because Grandma Allen was right behind Ren when he came, which was enough to pass the message. But also because this isn’t strange at all.

At some point, the young people of the clan will begin their apprenticeships to help the clan with its burdens. While most usually start at 18 or 20 years old, opting to focus on their martial practice first before going for an apprenticeship, there are always those who’d start earlier.

It’s either because they already accepted that their martial talents were bad, or maybe because they just needed a job. Whatever their reason was, the Apothecary Hall wouldn’t refuse them right away. There can never be too many people working for the hall anyway.

That said, only a few amongst the handful of people who came in manage to pass the numerous tests to become potion makers of the clan. That’s not surprising; whether it’s this world or the previous one, medicine has always been difficult to learn.

It requires a lot of studying, memorization, and theories. There’s almost no end to it, and it advances and retreats along with the prosperity of the world.

One had to put in massive effort and commitment to the study of medicines, and not many people had that kind of patience, diligence, and passion to continue. That’s why only a few find success with it.

After formalizing his apprenticeship, it’s inevitable that Ren will be tested for a bit.

This wasn’t a formal exam either. Raymond just wanted to gauge Ren’s current knowledge level so that he could adjust his learning materials.

What’s surprising is that Ren’s knowledge base was sound and solid. He didn’t just memorize the materials that had been sent to him by his uncle a few days ago. He understood it at a level that was surprising given his age and his unfamiliarity with medicine in general.

He also surprised Venina with his advanced chakra control. When they saw him emitting a steady but weak film of chakra on his palms, which was the same exercise that was taught by the tools sent to him, it really opened their eyes.

Mind you, this exercise was a precursor to the Vital Pulse Art. Although it’s not something a Foundation Strength practitioner could use simply because they just don’t have enough chakra for it, it’s already incredibly impressive for someone like Ren to emit a steady stream of chakra on his palms like this.

Sure, it’s weak, but that’s only because he doesn’t have enough chakra yet. That’s all he’s lacking. The moment he’s got enough chakra for extended use, there’s practically no barrier stopping him from learning and using the Vital Pulse Art.

And although Raymond didn’t inherit the strange ability of Grandma Allen to see through someone’s body, he’s experienced enough to catch the signs of whether someone’s good or a waste. Besides, he had been practicing medicine for decades now; if he couldn’t even do something this simple, then his tenure might as well be wasted.

So when he felt Ren’s chakra and inspected his body, Raymond couldn’t help but be amazed and also helpless.

He thought, ’No wonder Mother likes him.’

In Grandma Allen’s eyes, Ren was practically a model youth. An outstanding genius martial artist. Ren doesn’t just have a better talent compared to most, he also had the mentality of an expert, something that many practitioners out there lacked even after practicing for so long.

At the same time, he lamented for himself and his children and nieces and nephews. With Ren right here, Grandma Allen will sure become stricter to them. Because in her opinion, if Ren could do it, why couldn’t they?

The worst part is that he can’t even get mad at Ren. How can he? Would he even dare? Forget about the clan leader; his own mother will be the first one to smack his face if he dares to be harsh to Ren.

Besides, having a young genius like this is a great blessing to the clan! Seriously, talented and hardworking? There are very few children who could be both at the same time.

Aside from talent and effort, Ren’s knowledge base in medicine, even for a beginner, wasn’t bad at all. Once he learns some practical means, he could begin making some medicinal pastes and ointments right away.

Usually, apprentices would usually need a year to study theory before they could start with this, but Ren doesn’t have to go through that thanks to his initiative.

All in all, the Apothecary Hall gained a hardworking genius as an apprentice.

Ren actually doesn’t have to go here in person every day for his apprenticeship. Raymond could send his supplementary learning materials online and send him exams periodically to test his progress.

Once Ren’s knowledge becomes more solid and acceptable, he could start with his practical tests. And even those wouldn’t need strict supervision or would require him to be in the apothecary hall. They could just send the materials to his house; they’re in the same compound anyway.

Therefore, this apprenticeship wouldn’t get in the way of Ren’s regular practice at all. At least for beginner stuff like this, he could do them in his downtime, in the afternoons or after dinners.

**

And so, Ren’s schedule got some additions into it.

For the greater part of his mornings, he dedicated it to his practice. He’d be in his own yard or in the training hall cycling through stances and moves until he’s exhausted.

He will continue to get used to his chakra flow with the goal of it being instinctive. He will experiment by slowing or accelerating its flow to temper his own body and make his chakra more reactive and under his leash.

Doing this kept Ren’s chakra seed happy and healthy, and when it’s well fed, it will release more chakra to nourish him, therefore accelerating his training speed too. And knowing that his own body was practically voracious with chakra, of course having more was a pleasant thing for him too.

After his harsh training under the glare of the sun, Ren would stop around lunch. And as he’s recovering, he’d eat like a king and mercilessly critique himself. He’s doing this to keep himself humble.

After lunch, he’d lounge around for a bit, and come afternoon, he’d go into the library to study. He’d bring the study materials sent to him by Raymond.

It’s not like he couldn’t study them in the comfort of his own home. He does it in the library because that way, it’ll be easier for him to search for references mentioned in the materials; this way, he could fully understand what the material was trying to teach him.

If he couldn’t find the reference in the clan’s library, which is a very rare occasion by the way, no problem; he could just use the internet instead.

Ren learns fast, too. He’s got an adult’s mindset and the enhanced memories through his unparalleled comprehension. He rarely needed to read the same material twice to recall something or anything about it.

By night, he’d return to his house and do some therapeutic stretches to not only keep his body flexible but also healthy. With how much he’s abusing his body with his demanding practice, it’s inevitable that it’d accumulate some stress and strain here and there.

These meditative and therapeutic stretches, which were definitely inspired by yoga and Pilates from his previous world, will reduce or remove those stresses and strains on his body, thereby minimizing the risk of hidden injuries.

After dinner, he’d do some light reading and would walk around to aid his digestion. Then, he’d hop on his VR cabin, beat up some noobs, and sleep in the relaxing ambiance of the little paradise he made in the VR world, earning him a very good rest.

This is how Ren’s daily schedule looked. Packed, but always leaves him fulfilled.