CHAPTER 48: DISCIPLE CULTIVATION SYSTEM CH48 THE DAY BEFORE.

It was a Sunday, and currently, Art sat on his bed with his eyes closed while he circulated Aura throughout his body.

Ever since he awakened his "Colour" and "Intent", he had gained a form of clarity that could only be achieved through meditation.

A day from now, the "Ranking Games" would officially begin. Powerhouses from all over the world would come to witness the next generation, and while he expected no intruders, his mind couldn’t help but run through those possibilities. Hence, he resorted to meditation—it would keep his mind fresh and unbothered, at least until the Ranking Games officially began and he lost it.

*Knock* Knock.*

The echoes of a visitor made their way to his bedroom, leading him to furrow his brow at who it could be.

He didn’t particularly have friends who would visit him... Well, Grim was his friend, but she wasn’t the type to visit others, so it couldn’t be her.

Then who?

Cautious, he put on a top and gripped a dagger placed beside his bed. Hiding it behind his back, he left his room and entered the living room, walking steadily toward the entrance.

*Knock*Knock*

"Hey, old man! It’s me—you know, your student."

The all-too-familiar voice barking on the other side of the door irritated him, but it also burned away his caution. He placed the dagger on the kitchen table and opened the door.

Just as he expected, the voice belonged to Valeria, his rather stubborn pupil, who held her waist impatiently and tapped her heel rapidly on the ground to display irritation.

"What do you want, brat?"

Faking sleepiness, he squinted his pupils and spoke in a raspy tone.

Val, at first shocked by his appearance, paled—the thought of having woken him up disturbed her somewhat. But it only lasted until she noticed the playful smirk he was giving her.

"I hate you."

She wanted to say that more than anything, but in a way, she had brought this upon herself. What she was about to do would probably get both her and Art in trouble if the school board ever found out.

"Teach, please. I need your help."

"Couldn’t you have just called?" Art closed his door and stepped out, his tone growing more professional.

He was a teacher, and she was a student. There was no way he was going to invite her into his home.

He didn’t want to admit it, but he was growing to love his new job, and he didn’t want any unforeseen obstacles to ruin it.

"You know what? Just be brief and get out before your presence here gets me fired."

Val nodded, glad he was at least giving her the time of day.

"Okay!" She took a deep breath and kept her gaze on Art.

"Tomorrow is the Ranking Games, but I have a problem..."

She paused, letting Art process her words.

Art, on the other hand, already knew her problem, but he encouraged her to speak up.

"And what is it, exactly?"

"My Aura... it’s fluctuating." She grabbed hold of her left arm, dreading what her predicament meant for her future.

She could fight without Aura—she had trained to do so—but it was a disadvantage against a whole battlefield full of Superhumans.

"Fine."

Getting the gist of it, Art flicked her forehead and sighed.

"Meet me at the campus gym in two hours. Don’t disappoint."

With that, he re-entered his room, leaving Valeria alone to wonder what he had in store for her.

---

Later in the day at Art’s Apartment.

"Grim, do you think that girl can make it through?"

A few moments later, Art sat on his bed, his laptop currently displaying a video call with Grim.

The latter, eating her breakfast, furrowed her brows, took a bite of some fried egg, and then returned her attention to the call.

"That’s for you to handle."

"But—"

"I can’t do it, Art. Neither can her Master—the Spear Saint."

"..."

"The key reason for that is because of our lifestyles."

"What do you mean by that?" Art inquired, his face glued to the screen of his monitor.

"The Saint is a prodigy. He’s a monster in the same tier as those legendary Heroes. As for me... it has more to do with my mentality. How can I teach someone when I’m currently going through a stage of inferiority complex?"

"So you’re just slacking off and leaving the job to me?" Art concluded, his disappointed eyes fixed on Grim, who shrugged.

"Pretty much."

"Grim, I pretty much mark all the assignments, organize your schedule—"

"I’ve been doing that for way longer than you have." She interrupted, attempting to end the call.

"Please, Grim. Even a clue on what to do?"

Clasping his palms together, he pleaded for a way forward.

He could fold and teach Valeria how to use her Aura again, but that would mess up her growth. While her story had been modified to seemingly accommodate his interference, he didn’t want to rush things. Hence, he needed to find another way for Valarie to win without using Aura.

"Practice makes perfect!"

After his pleading, that was all he got before Grim cut off the call, leaving him shocked at how ruthless she was.

Closing his monitor, bewildered, he began to repeat her words.

"Practice makes perfect."

"Practice makes perfect."

"Wait... practice makes perfect!"

Facepalming at this realization, he looked around eagerly, searching for his phone.

"An hour more."

Making a mental note of the time, he scrambled to the bathroom for a quick shower before grabbing one of his clean tracksuits. Then, he jetted out of his room and made a dash for the door.

"Food, damn it."

With a swift maneuver, he made his way to the fridge, grabbed a pack of leftovers, and devoured them madly before making an exit out of his apartment.

As he ran to the elevator, his neighbor watched him in confusion, her attempts at greeting him evaporating as he dashed past her.

---

Art found himself in a mall—the largest in all of Academia City—and yes, he had come to shop.

"Now, where can I find a blindfold?"

Surveying the crowded place with a deciphering gaze, he soon found a clothing store and rushed in.

"Hello, where can I find a blindfold?"

Inquiring from the cashier, he smiled.

"Section B, where all the nightwear is." She smiled and pointed toward his destination.

Art smiled back and went exactly there.

Scanning through the various pajamas, lingerie, and nightgowns, he finally found the item he wanted.

It wasn’t quite the one he had imagined—he actually wanted the kind made of thin cloth and tied around the head, not the one used to block out light during sleep—but it would still do just fine.

As expected of a designer shop, the pricing was atrocious, but he didn’t have time, so he paid nonetheless.

After buying the blindfold, he bought some pastries for himself and headed back to campus via a cab.

"Right on time."

Exactly an hour since he left home, he arrived at the academy, where Val awaited him.

"Huh... I thought you’d be delayed." She exclaimed in surprise, making Art gasp in mock offense.

"I take my students seriously, I’ll have you know."

Passing her the blindfold, he entered the academy building with Val trailing behind him.

"What is this for?"

"I’m going to turn you into a devil." He smirked and pointed at the gym.

"For the next twelve hours, we’re both going to train non-stop."

"And how exactly will that help me tomorrow?"

She didn’t mean to be rude, but she had trained a lot in her lifetime. Days spent with her Master weren’t slacking off—her muscles weren’t for show, after all.

"I don’t think you understand. I’m not going to teach you how to fight." Art sighed and flicked her forehead once more.

Val backed away with a groan, glaring daggers at him with eyes full of resentment.

"Stop fl—"

"Shhh!"

Enjoying her irritation, he placed a finger on his lips and pushed a slice of cake in front of her.

"Tch. I don’t want it."

Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she closed her eyes and remarked.

It was a lie, of course. She actually wanted the cake—it smelled like chocolate, her favorite flavor—but she wouldn’t budge.

Her impression of Art was rather strange. She didn’t trust him because she knew his kindness would backfire in a way that would annoy her.

"Well, I’ll leave one here for when you’re hungry."

Entering the gym—already occupied by a mixture of first-years and upperclassmen—he smirked.

A few of them threw glances at them before continuing their workouts.

"Old man, what exactly are you going to teach me?" Val asked again, but Art ignored her, finding a space for them to finally begin what he had in store.

"Like I said, I’m going to turn you into a devil who dares to challenge Superhumans with nothing but her body."

A quick glance from Art made her shiver as she envisioned her future.