12 Difference

    ''----''

    ''At first

    Apollo was bewildered

    thinking to have bumped into someone of the older generation. Contrary to his thoughts

    the person he bumped into wasn''t much larger than him at all.''

    ''In fact

    she was nearly the same size as him

    only a half a head taller. Upon feeling the collision

    Lily turned around and inspected what bumped into her. Naturally

    what she saw was the disheveled Apollo on the ground.''

    ''"Oof! What th-... Oh

    Lily

    that was my mistake

    I bumped into you. It was an accident

    I wasn''t trying to do that

    " Apollo defensively uttered while also rubbing his throbbing butt.''

    ''"Oh...it''s ok

    " Lily succinctly replied whilst turning around. She didn''t seem to have any thoughts over what just transpired. After her brief words

    she continued her steps

    headed in the same direction as Apollo—the Dining Hall.''

    ''As he gazed at her back

    Apollo grew curious. He was sure he didn''t walk with much momentum because he slowed down to think. Yet

    when he collided with Lily

    Apollo felt as if he bumped into a stone wall. In return

    he asked himself a question.''

    ''''Hm

    I wonder; what level of the Mortal Realm has she attained? Although it may not be much

    I''m capable of wielding 3 Zuls

    yet a casual bump ended with me being on the ground. Is the difference between me and other kids this large?''''

    ''His curiosity was piqued. So

    Apollo rebounded to his feet and caught up to Lily at a brisk pace. The questions on his mind were getting the better of him.''

    ''"Excuse me

    Lily. If you don''t mind

    can I ask you something? Well

    besides this question of course

    " Apollo rubbed his head with an awkward chuckle.''

    ''Her small voice sounded again

    it was like the chirp of a morning bird. "What is it?"''

    ''"Ah

    what is your cultivation realm?"''

    ''"4th Rank Mortal

    " Lily curtly replied. Like earlier

    her response was short. Although her attitude wasn''t cold

    it couldn''t be considered warm either. It was simply casual.''

    ''''4th? What the-... that means she can wield at least 31 Zuls of Force?''''

    ''"Wow

    that''s interesting

    " Apollo nodded

    rubbing his chin and falling into silence once again.''

    ''However

    there was an odd look on Lily''s face now. She wasn''t used to Apollo approaching her. In fact

    she was only used to Aaron.''

    ''"You seem...different. What rank are you

    Rank 2?" Lily asked

    this time sparing Apollo a cursory glance.''

    ''"Nope

    that''s impossible. Thanks to my illness

    I''m a glorified Rank 1 Mortal; probably on par with a toddler. For now

    " Apollo said

    mumbling the last part. His tone came off as playful

    but in truth

    it was very matter of fact.''

    ''It had to be known even the weakest of children were born as Rank 1 Mortals. However

    as they aged and their physiques slowly matured

    their body would naturally absorb trace amounts of the atmospheric Natural Essence.''

    ''By the age of the first awakening; age 10

    a child should be well into being a Rank 2 Mortal almost reaching the cusp of Rank 3. Of course

    depending on the talent the situation could vary. For example

    Apollo''s and Lily''s.''

    ''Lily''s expression shifted for a moment

    partly curious

    "Rank 1? How many Zuls can you wield?"''

    ''"About 3 or so." Apollo shrugged. It wasn''t a secret. His Zul Count was something that could be easily discerned by the training equipment he used.''

    ''"Oh okay

    I see. Um

    just work hard. Don''t be discouraged

    " Lily consoled with a blank expression. It would be a lie if she said hearing this number wasn''t depressing. Nevertheless

    she soon turned her head; there was another person incoming.''

    ''In the distance

    Aaron cupped his mouth

    "Oi! Lily

    Apollo; wait for me!" Needless to say

    they slowed down allowing Aaron to catch up.''

    ''When he did

    he gave his greetings but immediately targeted Apollo with a question

    "Have you used your Foundation Strengthening pills yet Apollo?"''

    ''"No

    not yet. I''ll do it when I go back to my room. By the way

    what rank are you in cultivation?"''

    ''The longer Apollo looked at Aaron

    the more curious he grew. He wanted to understand how he fared against all the other children besides the extremely talented Lily. Although he read the information in the book

    he now wondered what each level of talent did.''

    ''"Oh

    me? I''m at the late stage of Rank 3 Mortal stage. I can wield 27 Zuls

    " Aaron replied.''

    ''Immediately after receiving an answer

    Apollo matched it against Lily''s ability. It wasn''t long before he got an idea of what talents did. Although it was too early to call it concrete

    he could vaguely calculate the difference between talent levels.''

    ''''There should be roughly a 50% increase in strength accumulation speed between large meridian grades. Then shouldn''t Lily be around…''''

    ''Apollo turned toward Lily with a zealous light in his eyes

    he questioned once again. "Lily

    you can wield around 34 Zuls?"''

    ''"Mn

    " Lily nodded

    partly taken aback due to Apollo''s accurate assumption.''

    ''Aaron leaned closer between the two

    "Woah

    did she tell you before?"''

    ''Apollo glanced at him shaking his head

    "No

    I just guessed."''

    ''"That was a great guess then. Looks like we have a little genius here

    " Aaron chuckled as he ruffled Apollo''s hair.''

    ''Lily silently inspected Apollo''s small figure. A slightly curious look appeared on her face as she wondered about his comprehensive ability.''

    ''''Maybe because his body is weak

    his mind is strong

    '' Lily inwardly mused.''

    ''On the other hand

    Apollo thought about other matters as they entered the Dining Hall. His eyes fell on the figure of Axel.''

    ''''Based on Lily''s and Aaron''s power level

    Axel should be around 29-31 Zuls. In other words

    like Lily

    he is at least 10 times stronger than me at the moment.''''

    ''Due to his thoughts

    Apollo''s eyes filled with the desire for revenge coupled with tightly clenched fists. He wanted to make Axel and everyone in his circle cower. However

    he calmed down after contemplation. His rational mind told him the difference was currently far too great.''

    ''Similar to the other

    the trio claimed their seats. Before them

    everyone in the younger generation could be seen walking to a large window. One by one

    based on their identity card which was delivered to their residences earlier in the day

    they received a sumptuous meal.''

    ''It had to be known

    the cards came in different styles

    indicating the kids'' cultivation talent along with their privileges.''

    ''Upon witnessing the youths using these cards

    Apollo patted his pockets with a blank expression. Previously

    when he left the assessment

    he didn''t hear about these new items. Moreover

    he realized he never went home today to check for one

    "Uh oh...I don''t have one of those."''

    ''"Don''t worry

    we''ll share my meal

    " Aaron waved his hand

    dismissing the issue.''

    ''The menu today was slightly special

    Rank 1 Spirit Wolf Meat. It was the equivalent to a Rank 5 Mortal Human. Thus

    its flesh is extremely nourishing to those who are Rank 5 and lower.''

    ''Shockingly

    Apollo shook his head

    "Wait

    let me try to get my own."''

    ''Once he reached the serving area

    he put on an amicable expression

    "Hello

    can I have one serving plea-"''

    ''"Save it

    present your identity card to receive your meal

    " brusquely replied the male dressed in a chef uniform. While he wasn''t born within the family

    due to his skill with handling Spirit Beast meat

    he possessed a decent status within the family.''

    ''"Well

    err... I don''t have one currently. I don''t know if I was given one. Maybe is it at home

    " Apollo muttered. He crossed his fingers

    hoping''

    ''Looking up the chef seemed to be extremely irritated. "Then simply go get it."''

    ''"E-err

    but when I get back the window will be closed

    " Apollo rebutted.''

    ''"Well

    whose problem is that? Next time

    don''t forget your identity card

    " retorted the chef causing Apollo to frown.''

    ''"Excuse me

    " a voice sounded behind Apollo

    directed towards the family chef

    "Forget him

    esteemed family chef

    may I have a serving?"''