Fantasy System Reincarnation

[halluvi]

In the main hall, the roaring elephant pillars adorned the 8 directions, North, Northeast, East, Southeast, South, Southwest, West, Northwest. There were 7 entrances to the hall and on the North the elders are keenly looking at the juniors testing ceremony. The high rise pavilions with multiple rows of seats were all filled with disciples both of the main family and numerous side families. The Mehta family is one of the superhouses in the Taxila city. Alongside the Gupta family and foreign origin Sun family. Alongside them there were numerous small families which can be considered as Tier-2 and Tier-3. This is along the major trade route and numerous caravans routinely make their stops here.
 


  Every family is renowned for their own specialty, while the Gupta family is a major Sword arts stronghold, the Sun family for their alchemist specialties, while the Mehta family controls major Auction house in the city. Although in this world of martials arts, strength through martial arts is supreme. Whoever houses the strongest disciples are respected the most. Although we cannot totally neglect these professions, for the nurturing of strong martial arts require innumerable resources and commerce is a must to nurture and raise a strong family in the long run. 


    Both the Sun and Mehta families have a strong commerce network and reasonable martial arts, while the Gupta family lacks strong commerce network they were strong Sword freaks who were able to compete with these families based on their sheer dedication and hardwork, although they seem to have weak brains and merchant's glib tongue. For centuries there existed an unstable balance in the city although there were glitches whenever there were invasions in the surrounding territory, Taxila being a neutral territory and an important centre for trade and commerce  had peace for a long time. 


    But over the last few years, a plague has spread across the continent, and although martial artists who are known for their strong physique were not affected by it, but the normal people who constitute almost 70% in this world were deeply affected. As a result, there had been a dent on the commerce of Mehta's family. For, although it's major trade is with martial artists, a sizable chunk of almost a quarter of it's total trade has almost come to a halt involving those goods involving transactions between normal people. Also, the chunk of raw materials are collected by normal people only while they were processed by martial artists for their use. These raw materials are a source of almost 25% of materials required by alchemists and these are majorly used for the production of iron-rank goods of martial artists. These form the bulk of common use goods used by martial artists and they in turn are the main ingredients of many of higher rank goods.


    As a result, the family head of Mehta, Ashok Mehta is constantly in an irritated mood. While their commerce has diminished by almost a third, the Sun family is prospering like never before. With the plague the demand for alchemy products are at an all time high. Their businesses are booming, they have seen almost 50% rise in their commerce. The only saving grace to the Mehta family are the multitude of rare alchemy products the Mehta family ancestors have nurtured. These were the products which the Mehta family ancestors did not put for auction but instead raised since these products medicinal properties increase with age. To cope with the stiff competition of Sun family, Mehta head has removed some of these treasures from the treasury vault to increase commerce, but this is clearly not sustainable in the long run. Thus, the delicate balance is disturbed due to this rare episode affecting the humanity of normal people. And that is the main reason why the family head sitting in the centre is irritated about. This bunch of disciples participating in the test cannot be considered extraordinary but they are by no means substandard. 
   

   We have Bharadwaj Mehta who reached 6th rank in Black iron Layer at a young age of 15 itself. Also noteworthy is Prashanth Mehta who has reached 9th rank, he is yet to turn 18. And we have the beautiful Sanghavi Mehta whose looks itself kills many of the younger generations, she can be truly considered a prodigy, for she has not only reached 5th rank in Black iron layer but she also attained proficiency in alchemy, she is a rank-1 Alchemist and she is only 16. But the one who has turned a thorn on Ashok Mehta's side is Avinash Mehta who has only turned 2nd rank in Black iron Layer and he is 18 already. He is ridiculed in the disciples circle and the only thing which is stopping their bullying is his tag as the son of family head. For strength alone matters among Alchemists. The strong bully the weak here.

[halluvi]

Brief interlude about various ranks and layers---
Every layer has 9 ranks, while rank 1 is weakest, rank 9 is strongest.
Martial Arts Layers---> Iron<Bronze<Silver<Gold<Platinum<Diamond<Master<Grandmaster<Legendary<Mythical<Saint<Transcendental<God tier..
Sometimes ranks and layers maybe interchangeably used especially when we are not talking about numbers we just say Bronze rank; we use layer word only when we are also mentioning numbers along with it.

Alchemy Ranks--->
Rank 1 is lowest (Sometimes also referred as stars--1 star); Rank 9 is highest.
Above the star system--Master<Grandmaster<Saint/Saintess<Spirit<Angel<Godly[Minor realm]<Godly[Major realm]...

Swordsman Ranks---->
Novice<Swordsman<Knight<Palladin<General[/Minor General]<Major[/Major General]<Senani<Digvijaya<Prachanda<Indra...

Lowest ranks recognized by the gods/Heavens usually---- Martial Arts {Saint with extraordinary talent or Transcendental}; Alchemy {Extraordinary spirits or Angels}; Swordsman {Senani and above--- In the god realm, there are no ranks below Senani}

Crossing each realm in professions{like Alchemy/Sword} is more difficult than crossing the realms in Martial Arts. As the knowledge developed in martial arts is more as every martial artist delves in it, but not all martial artists delve in professions esp.., all the professions. As some may be involved in Alchemy, some in swords, some in Rudraveena[music], some in poison arts etc.,

[halluvi]

This round of testing is only gauging the strength and agility. The tests are not so different from that of normal people. Although it can be a crude way to gauge the abilities of martial artists, for the beginner level this one suffices. And this one here is an under-18 competition. And they even invited the mayor of the city Wang chun here. He is of chinese origin, and considering that Taxila is at crossroads there's sizable population of every civilization here. Wang Chun was a renowned trader in his heydays and now he left it to his family after he took over the reins of the city. He is currently co-ordinating with the Federation {it is the organisation representing the normal people} regarding cure for the plague. In the absence of particular cure, the population was relying on alchemy products that improve the physique which indirectly boosts immunity also. But the cost of raw materials of the product is high, not to forget the services of Alchemists, even though even a Rank-1 alchmeist too can produce such a product. But in normal person's standards that is still high and only the richer sections of the population were able to afford it. As a result, a search for cheaper version of the product is ongoing until a vaccine targeting the plague is invented. The plague has considerable mortality rate among the normal population and even martial artists who haven't awakened also seem to get affected.




The family head has sincerely thanked the mayor for sparing time out of his busy schedule. Ordinarily, the martial competition of Mehta family is not as heavenly as that of Gupta family who solely rely on their brute physical abilities. But considering the significant commerce connections of the Mehta family, the mayor has to show some face. And he even occassionally gave a surprised look at some of the results. Ashok Mehta is irritated at what he felt is an exaggerated reaction, he is definitely not in a proper state of mind these days. Not to mention the competition from Sun family, the Elders were also talking behind his back regarding his son. And add to that the rather mediocre performance of this generation too. The family hasn't produced any outstanding martial artist talent over the past 2-3 decades. When he was a youngster, the city were all talks about him, about how the Mehta family has produced a talent that rivals even the Gupta family and has even outshined many of their top talents.


Ashok Mehta wanted to dibble in Martial Arts fulltime but the responsibility has squarely fallen on him. The erstwhile family head didn't find anyone close to him in terms of talent and the council of elders has squarely decided on him to pick up the reins and his martial arts journey has stagnated based on his standards. By normal standards it still can be considered a notable achievement for he reached the Early ranks of Platinum tier from the peaks of Silver realm when he took up reins 2 decades back, but it is still not to his satisfaction. The family head has to deal with so much of bureaucratic work that there is little time left to sharpen his martial arts skills let alone care for his personal family and especially his son. That is also one of the reason why he didn't place additional burden on his son for he didn't take care of his son as much as he is ought to be. Not to forget his sweetheart Anjali Mehta has passed away while giving birth to his son. These kind of pregnancy related complications are very rare in martial artists who usually have strong physiques. And the whole family as a result looked at Avinash Mehta as some kind of demon for he sapped all the energy out of his mother while being born. The people were very much afraid of what kind of demon he would become once he grow up, but contrary to their expectations he turned out to be quite the opposite for he has so low talent and performed well below average standards.


While there is some sort of resentment even in Ashok Mehta for he lost his childhood sweetheart and his dear wife for this son of his, he reminds him of his long lost love, especially those deep blue eyes and curly dark red hair. Amongst all this monotony of work occassional one look at his son is all that is needed to remind him of his sweet nothings of the past. She was a bomb literally not just talking about her curves, but her sheer strength and loud mouth. No person could stand against her and she was a talent on her own league. They can be considered to be poles apart considering the fact that she was from the Sun family who were their competitors, but they also had a distinct foreign culture. Despite all the centuries since they settled here, they stayed true to their roots and still follow distinctive Japanese culture. Their cuisine is meat heavy, while all the martial artists too revel on meat considering their strenous physical needs, the Sun family were on a level of their own, while the Mehta family were conservative in their meat intake only consuming that is what is being demanded by the body.


The main reason why Ashok Mehta even took up the family head position can also boil down to the fact that the erstwhile family head put it up as a condition for matchmaking, and that he would help in making the elders of the two families agree if only he agrees to take up the position. And for all the bombshell of a character Anjali is, she never agreed to elope, adamantly sticking to the position that they would only marry if their family agrees. And that is how, Ashok Mehta gave up on his MArtial Arts dreams to take up family responsibility. And the sudden shout of the name "Avinash Mehta" from the stage brought him back to the reality.

[halluvi]

Well, well, well!!! Look who's here. Our own famous Avinash is here. Comeon guys, cheerup , cheers for our No.1 Avinash, Charan Mehta was loudly speaking in a sarcastic manner in the background as Avinash is entering the stadium.
 

 Kishore Mehta and other underlings then picked up and began booing Avinash and the entire stadium seems to pickup. Sanghavi Mehta refuted Charan Mehta to toe the line or else face the consequences. This irked Charan even more. Charan is from the side family and the side families are nearly always discriminated against in terms of resources. Still, Charan Mehta reached 5th rank in Black iron realm. He always have a thing for Sanghavi. Well, who doesn't in the Mehta family. All in one package is so rare. But she always used to follow that Avinash like a tail. People awaken their Martial arts path at a young age of 9-10 years usually. But Avinash awakened at a young age of 7 itself.  All the people were both in awe or horror at the same time. While that demon tag did not leave Avinash entirely. Young Sanghavi with cute ponytails and a dimple cheek that appeared whenever she smiled and with those big brown eyes and small pink lips was adorable even as a kid. She is two years younger to Avinash and followed him everywhere around. Even though Avinash showed wonders after wonders in the inter-clan competition {inter-family or inter-clan are the same. Family/clan is interchangeably used} he isn't as famous within his own clan as much as he was in other clans.


   Sanghavi even showed interest in Alchmey taking inspiration from her aunt, Anjali {Avinash's mom}. Avinash too looked at Sanghavi as a sister he never had and taught her basic martial arts. Although Sanghavi even as a kid didn't look at him as her brother, but that is a thing for the future. But Avinash reached the ninth rank in the realm at a young age of 16 itself and he has even beaten the erstwhile record in the Taxila city for the past century by few months too. Although the monster from the Gupta family held the historical record in Taxila city when he reached this rank at 13 itself. Mind you, advancing through Black iron realm is considered a difficult feat among martial artists even harder compared to few realms above upto gold layer, as the body ha just awakened martial arts and it takes a long time to accustom to Chakra flowing through various meridians, and the whole meridian network itself develops in this realm.It is like the foundation over which the superstructure is to be laid. And so, it is normal to take upto a decade or more for many normal martial artists to crossover to Bronze realm. And more than half of them do not even cross the realm. In that sense, whoever crossed over to Bronze realm before 30 is considered to be the benchmark for the serious martial artists and non-serious ones.


   Martial arts brings with it increased lifespan also. Everyone of them including Black iron realm fellows lived routinely upto 100 years which only a select few among normal people usually lived. And every rank above increases natural lifespan by 20,30 ,50,80 like that roughly like fibonacci sequence, although at the higher realms, the lifespan deviates significantly depending on the talent. As some talented saints in the history were beleieved to be still alive even after few 1000's of years although they usually spent much of the time cultivating and meditating. And as far as the documented history of the world goes, there was only one person who has reache godly tier. But it is so enveloped in mysticism that it is hard to believe whether it is real or not. It is said that after he reached Godly realm he directly entered the heavens and the incident itself brought about great disaster upon the nation where he descended from. It is said that the Great Sahara Desert that spans tens of thousands of km was a result of such disaster and it is said that for centuries not even a plant has grown there. Even now the ecosystem there supports only a few flora and fauna.


{Note: The entire episode takes place in a parallel universe and although similar kind of cultures exist there, the planet as a whole has more than 10 times the expanse of Earth and because the gravity itself is very high there, normal people itself are very sturdy}.


   Anyway coming to the present, Avinash Mehta mysteriously receded in his cultivation from the peak of 9th rank to go back to 1st rank for some unknown reasons. And the clan and Ashok Mehta himself out of his personal fortune spent lots of resources to aid his cultivation and Avinash only reached 2nd rank hardly few months prior after consuming such vast resources.  Such amount of resources are usually consumed by Bronze rank holders and even from their standards it can be considered high consumption. And Avinash Mehta too was at a loss of words and since his own parents were never nearby as his mother is nomore and his own father was always busy went into acute depression as a result. And if not for that, a rumour has spread that the heavens have punished this demon who is improving in ranks so fast. Thus the unending cycle of harassment, the only comfort is it never turned into physical because of his father's position. Only Sanghavi Mehta and his nanny Shobana were the only ones he can find solace in.


   Even Sanghavi's parents have repeatedly warned her to never get close to Avinash as they too believed inthe demon rumours as there can be no smoke without fire. Lately, Avinash himself is distancing himself from Sanghavi despite her repeated advances as he doesn't want his misfortune to affect her too. And he has been trying to adopt extreme measures lately stretching his bodies physical limits both as a way to forget this outside gloomy atmosphere and to try to find any alternate method to rank up.

[halluvi]

Avinash entered the center of the ground and there is strength measuring machine in the middle. Avinash is putting aside all the doubts at the back of his mind and the only thing that matters to him is the hammer in his hand and the machine. All the boos reverberating the ground are not reaching his ears anymore. He closed his eyes and is taking deep breath and is entering a meditative state. He can vaguely feel the dense wisp of dark energy lying deep in his abdomen. For the past few months he has been observing this but evry time he tries to grab this wisp it seems ethereal which doesn't have physical presence for it is slipping through his fingers. Avinash once more tried to grab this tiny wisp using his mind but still the same result. He left the matter and took a deep breath and struck the machine heavily with the hammer. The stadium went silent for a moment wanting to catch a glimpse if they are going to encounter a miracle for the once Avinash was a prodigy and they are eager to know if the present Avinash will once again display any prodigal results. The green bar filled up fast , and Avinash is holding his breath. Green bar has values from 0-200; yellow from 200-500; Orange from 500-1000; Red over 1000 and it reaches blackish hues from 5000 onwards. The yellow bar too is filling up but much slowly. Avinash started praying, Atleast orange, atleast orange. The stadium has erupted in laughter already for they are not going to see any miracle today and the Avinash is still the mediocre one if not less than  that.
   

Only 2 bars out of 10 in yellow filled up, signifying 260 kg brute strength. Avinash is severely disappointed for he only improved from 120 kg 2 years ago when his strength lapsed back to 1st rank to now even after trying so hard. It is the average level of many of the side families who were not allotted much resources by the clan. The top prodigies of the clan have all reached 1000ish mark. The top one as of now Prashanth Mehta just a while ago has reached an all time high of 1300 mark this year, and even the Alchmeist Sanghavi whom he used to treat as his sister way back has reached 800 mark.
   The examiner after examing the strength results of Avinash approached the machine and after proper corrections delcared -- Avinash strength test--- FAIL.

   Avinash still did not lose his hopes and the past hardwork did not let his mind crumble even after such disappointing results. He got ready for the agility test. Meanwhile in the audience the boos continued. They began shouting--- AVINASH FAIL!!! AVINASH FAIL!!!! AVINASH FAIL!!!!


   Ashok Mehta gave a serious look and he can't help but give a disappointing look. He spent considerable resources both out of the clan with his powers as clan head and out of his personal finances too. Ashok Mehta despite known for his integrity has decent assets atleast enough to support his sun. Infact, almost all the elders have more assets than Ashok Mehta for not all in the martial world are known for integrity and morals. They were unscrupulous in their approach and routinely take bribes to give commission/discount to potential clients in the auction house. And Ashok Mehta despite his very strong foundation was not able to fight against this unscrupulous elements who formed a lobby of their own to check any  investigations that may start against their own. Chief among them is the First Elder, Neeraj Mehta who always dreamed about the clan head seat.


   But he can't compete with the martial arts freak Ashok Mehta. But, what he can't compete in strength he competes in politics for he is a cunning fox who amassed quite a bit of fortune and he even has links with the Black market in the city where he runs many a shops under benamis. Although the black market is illegal the city administration was not able to eliminate it because of it's links with top political brass and there were rumours that it even has backing of one of the pimps of Minister in Emperor's court. Although it is only heresay, but it shows that the roots spread far and wide.


   Neeraj wants his son Anup Mehta to be the next clan head. Anup is a student in the prestigious Royal academy in the province and he is 25 and has already reached the mid level of Bronze class. In the past all his achievements were overshadowed by Avinash MEhta who was a once in acentury prodigy of the Taxila city. And Anup often expressed his resentment, and Neeraj too was frustrated that even his son would also miss the clan head position. But both Neeraj and Anup mehta cannot believe their luck as Avinash's cultivation level receded. Neeraj moved the pawns in the Elder circle to denythe resources Avinash needs claiming that it is a massive waste of resources for a Black iron class martial artist. And Ashok Mehta despite getting infuriated cannot totally refute the claims. As all his options were exhausted he even sent Avinash to his mothers side of the family, the Sun family. Despite Sun family making a political connection with the MEhtas with what they consider as political marriage they never got closer much.


   Ashok too didn't cozy up with his in-laws firstly because of his earlier introvertedness, secondly because of the immense hurdles they showed when he brought up the matter and lastly he doesn't have much time after he took up the clan head position. Avinash too didn't have much connection with the Sun family especially since he lost his mother right at his birth itself. His grandparents showed some resentment towards the couple for going against their wishes, and even though they began to cozy up once Anjali got pregnant, it plummeted again after Anjali died tragically. They believe that it is a political murder. And the grandparents too cold heartedly believed somewhat the demon rumour.
 

Thus, when Avinash visited the Sun family for checkup as Sun family is known for their alchemy, he mostly received cold shoulders from that side. The only person who showed warmth is his Maternal uncle Shan Sun. Shan sun loved his sister a lot and he cried a lot when his sister is leaving the Sun family to goto Mehtas family. He is a top rank alchemist, who reached 6th rank at the age of 35 itself. He is the one who brought his sister home in the 8th month of pregnancy. The Mehta family didn't allow her to visit before that. And Shan Sun loved his nephew for his blue eyes and red curly hair reminded him of his long lost sister. Infact, Anjali Mehta's maiden name is Shi Sun, the Mehta family changed her name to Anjali MEhta and the name Anjali name is given by Ashok himself so that both their first syllables match.


   Shan Sun conducted extensive alchemy tests on Avinash and didn't find any kind of anomaly and he came to conclusion that only a Saint level alchemist/physician can even detect the anomaly if not correct it. And the Sun family didn't even have Grandmaster level alchemist let alone Saint level. The sole grandmaster level alchemist of the Sun family is serving the  Emperor's court for the last few decades. And availing Grandmaster level services itself is costly let alone saint level. And there is only one saint level alchemist in the entire empire serving in the Emperor's court and he strictly indulges in R&D and only renders serices to the Emperor's family and is not open to outsiders. Thus, all doors to treat AVinash or even detect the anomaly remained closed. And Ashok Mehta only left it to fate of Avinash.

[Saikarthik]

Interesting like some kind of games and movie

[halluvi]

AVINASH FAIL!!!! AVINASH FAIL!!!! AVINASH FAIL!!!! AVINASH FAIL!!!!The stadium is reverberating with the sounds. The chief guest of the tournament mayor Wang Chun is finding himself in a difficult soup to talk about some topic. He knows about the clan head's son Avinash's situation. But at the same time it is difficult to ignore the elephant in the room. Even Ashok Mehta himself is finding himself in a difficult situation. He doesn't know that his son is so unpopular. The underlings have often remarked about how hard Avinash is trying to perform often practicing for hours by ruuning to and from the city to the jungles which are some 30 km away from the city on a daily basis. But not everything can be resolved with hardwork alone. Talent and luck also plays a very big role. Many of the disciples here only know about one side of the coin about how the clan is spending disproportionate amount of resources on ap erson with no talent of his own, a person who barely reached 2nd rank in Black Iron realm. They only look at it from Nepotism angle without looking at the considerable sweat and hardwork Avinash is pouring on a daily basis. Maybe that is all his fate. After this event, unless a miracle happens in the Agility event, the Elders will not approve the budget on Avinash. Not to forget Neeraj Mehta's politics behind his back. Even the Royal Academy only accepts students who reached the peak of Black iron realm before reaching the age of 20. And Avinash is already 19 this year. With no other options open, he can only send him back to work in the auction house as a clerk. Even Managerial staff require atleast Bronze level if not higher in the auction house. He will only be bullied more if he is given a higher position in the house and he can't be available all the time in the auction house. And considering the considerable commerce the auction house generates he cannot afford to antagonise the staff in the auction house. Maybe he will have to be sent to some auction house in tier-3 city.
   

   Neeraj Mehta is all smiles after looking at the situation unfolding before him. This is beyond his wild imagination as he didn't even have to move the pawns to defame Avinash Mehta now and the path to his son's rise in the clan appears clear unless an untoward situation arises in the future. He had plans to poison Avinash secretly just 2 years back but now as if the gods have tried to show their favour to him, he cannot believe his own and his son's luck. Hmm. Too weak. He is not even worthy for an opponent. Even sweepers in his clan can beat Avinash as he is now.


   Avinash quickly reached the venue of the Agility test. There are two levels here, running and dodging. If one passes the running test then only the other level is conducted. The running test is pretty simple, run 3 km in under 2:30 minutes. And the record today is by Prashanth Mehta who ran it in 2 minutes 05 seconds itself. As one's rank improves their physique also grows and vice versa. This can actually be considered the litmus test. The Mehta clan placed greater importance on Agility as what they lacked in strength they want to prove it by agility. The Gupta clan is known for their monstrous strength, and if not for agility there will be many casualties otherwise. The Mehta clan so prioritizes nimbleness and swiftness of their feet. That is why every year scores of clansmen fail the test. Barely 15-20 disciples pass the test out of 100s who pass the strength test. Even Sanghavi too barely passed the test reaching the 3 km mark in 2:25.


   Avinash got ready to run now, he has been practising on a daily basis for this now. One thing he has been consistent over the last two years is running, he has been running non-stop on a daily basis for the last 2 years. But there is a limit to what a 2nd rank person can achieve. Although he had been a rank 9 before as his rank receded the chakra support to the body no longer existIn a normal person's body the oxygen carrying capacity of the bllod determines the fatigue levels of athletes. But ina martial artist along with that the chakra flow also rejuvenates the cells. In the higher realms, martial artists can even run over water. It is said that chakra becomes so evolved at the higher levels like Mythical realm that talented people can even fly at a whim. But in the lower realms you can only depend on machines. But the delicate maneuvering of the machine requires precise chakra control that even this aspect requires atleast a platinum level martial artists. Although now and then true prodigies seem to exist ones who attained this at the peak of gold realm itself.


    And the examiner told Avinash to get ready. He is the one who conducted the tests even when Avinash was at peak but he has no hopes that Avinash will pass the test, yet as a judge he can't be judgemental as he is to only believe in facts. Seeing is believing. Avinash began to perform some basic exercises relaxing his muscles and he got ready. He took a deep breath and gained focus by removing all negative thoughts. He can'tdecide the final result, but what he can decide is the process. Yes, Avinash is depressed at his fate. But i will break this chains of fate by the strength of my hands and legs. The fate thinks that it can decide what i can achieve but i will prove it wrong. You are not the controller, i am the maker of my own destiny. I maybe weak externally but my mind will not be crippled by what my body says. I will stretch every bit of my body to the brink, my body is my temple, i will not let the naysayers decide what i can/cannot achieve. This is not the exclusive test as i am testing myself on a daily basis. I am not some number. I will rewrite my own fate. I will clutch the strings of fate and if my fate tries to limit me, let's see, if i can't stretch this strings of fate with my bare hands myself. In the inner realm of Avinash, he is standing still and he can clearly hear his heart beat Lub Dub Lub Dub Lub Dub. A tiny drop of water is trickling and siturbing his mind realm periodically. And amidst all this Unknown to Avinash, a very tiny shred out of tiny wisp of the red ball of energy reacted as it separated from the tiny ball and entered the chakra circle  of Avinash.


   


     Ready!!!! Steady!!!! Go !!!!

      Avinash felt pain throughout his body as chakra in his meridians have turned turbulent, there were pains all over his body but infront of sheer mental strength of Avinash now, this pain is nothing. The chakra is trying to flow like a waterfall but the meridians of Avinash are too narrow and this chakra is trying to break his meridians as they are trying to overflow. Avinash realizing that this is the moment, this is him, these legs are himself, these are the legs of fate, this ground is the fate that is trying to stop him, he stomped on them with such nimbleness and with such strength that unlike a 2nd realm black iron rank disciple they were leaving marks which can be only seen in the middle and upper ranks of the realm. Avinash now has no sense of time and space he is runnin, he is running for all his glory. The chakra is trying to flow in his meridians and the sheer pressure is rupturing his bllod vessels too now, a very tiny amount entered his blood vessels too and this can be poisonous for even martial artist but before his will power this tiny amount amounts to nothing. He is running for all his glory. The white uniform of Avinash now began to attain a bloody red hue. The entire stadium has turned silent, for they have seen even better performances but this episode is unlike any other. They can see clearly the white uniform of mehta family turning orange, infact orange is the colour of Sun family Alchemists. It is as if his mother herself has come to watch over this event.


    Seconds turned into minutes, and he has already finished 2 laps (each lap is of 1 km length)and he is reaching the end of the 3rd lap too here. There's only 10 seconds left and more than 400 m to cross and even the ones who booed are crossing their fingers now. All the elders including Neeraj too can;t turn their eyes away from the unfolding event before them. The giant bill board is now displaying the final 10 seconds now, 10, 9,8,7,6,5,4..
 

   Avinash tried to stretch even more, his body is aching severely but still he doesn't giveup. He is even more stretching every ounce of energy out of it. This bloody episode will leave him bedridden for some days at the least even if he is amartial artist, but those things are not in his mind. He can clearly see the goal infront of him. He is running for all his glory. That is all it matters.

150 m   ---3 s
110 m---- 2 s

He has doubled his speed even amidst this excruciating pain. He is pouring every ounce of effort into this.

63 m ---- 1 s

And he has crossed the finish line and he still kept running for a while and then he collapsed then and there in the stadium itself closing his eyes.

[halluvi]

[halluvi]

Quick!!! Quick!!!! Lift him up. Take him to the hospital.


The timer has already crossed 0 mark before Avinash has hit the finish line. It read 2:31. The audience were all shocked on how a rank 2 martial artist can achieve such astonishing speed. It was never heard before. But rules are rules. He has still failed. Even if he had passed in his present condition he could not have competed in the dodging test which comes after this event.


Ashok Mehta too wanted to visit his sonbut the competition is far from over. Mayor Wang chun gave an understanding look and comforted him. He expressed astonishment over the performance of Avinash Mehta. He was not able to talk about Avinash considering the awkward atmosphere earlier. But atleast he has something to talk about now, considering the impressive performance given by Avinash despite his limitations.

Neeraj Mehta too came out of the mood pretty quickly. Yes he was glued to the performance of the kid earlier despite him being his rival's kid. He is impressed but still a failure is a failure. Atleast there was a silver lining. Anyway with today's performance, he can convince the elder council to cut down the resource consumption. And Ashok Mehta doesn't have too much of personal assets despite him being a clanhead. He was all the time relying on clan's assets only whether it be his cultivation or that of his son's. So, there is no way out for Avinash as long as he stays here.


Meanwhile Sanghavi rushed to the hospital as soon as Avinash was taken to the hospital ward. The nurse there informed her that there's nothing to worry and just that he needs to take few days rest as his body is fully exhausted and stretched to the limits. That is the wonder of Martial artists. For normal persons, such incidents would have made them bed ridden for weeks at the least. Considering that Sanghavi has other test to attend to she went near Avinash and kissed his forehead. "Get well soon" and she ran back to the stadium again.


Avinash slowly opened his eyes. He still has body pains but not as exhausted as before. He noticed a girl sleeping near his bed and without even looking at her face, he knows who it is. He slowly her long shiny black silky hair. He always loved this hair as long as he can remember. But he has been distancing himself from her for her own good, but this kid is never leaving him alone. Pcch if only he had not receded.


Avinash then looked at his body and his meridians. He is pleasantly surprised for he has broken through and is at 3rd rank now middle stage now. He is not far from late stage too, probably a couple of months considering his current speed. What Avinash doesn't realize is so much of chakra has leaked from his body after his meridians were ruptured earlier and even 5th stage or early 6th stage would have been a reality then. But his body's anatomy is not able to cope up with such sudden inflow of chakra. And the doctor upon closer checkup has realized the extent of inner meridian damage and realized that atleast a week of rest is necessary.


Just then his nanny Shobana reached the ward and she was bringing fruits in a small basket along with her.


Hmm!!! Atlast you have woken up. I was worried about your condition as you have never been in such a situation except during the receding episode. She immediately regretted mentioning that episode. Avinash gave a knowing look and felt disappointed again. If Only!!! If Only!!!! Why should i be the only one who should recede??? And why were none of the alchemists not able to diagnose the condition ??? Even after working so hard, i am not able to improve. Even during my initial realm i have never worked this hard. My body clearly knows the routine on how to breakthrough as it has already done that before. So, why is it proving so difficult to improve??? Why should i stay from my loved ones???? He stoked the head of the girl as he recalled this.


She has never left your bedside since the last 2 days. She immediately came to the hospital after the event. She didn't even participate in the prize distribution ceremony. Your father has infact praised for her talent in Alchemy infact for it is infact rare among our clan to develop alchemy talent notwithstanding her young age. Her mother too came here to give a visit although not for your sake but Sanghavi hasn't gone back home for the entire night that day. So, she was worried. She argued right here itself on how the clan was talking about her alchemy talent and why she should just leave this wastrel and go train the Sun clan. She mentioned that Shan sun {Avinash's uncle} is quite fond of her and that he wanted to take her under his apprenticeship. But she was adamant to not leave the clan leaving you behind.


Hearing this, Avinash is touched and he carefully lifted himself and kissed her forehead. This little girl is really lovely and he decided then and there that he will leave this clan and maybe join any auctionhouse in any small city. He is becoming enough of a burden for his loved ones and it is time to step up himself.


By the way, did dad visit??
Hmm!!! yeah he visited that day after the event, but then his subordinates came to discuss something and he left after that. He hasn't visited the house too for the last 2 days, something seems to be brewing in the clan.


Yes, Shobana's guess is right. Under Neeraj pressuring the clan has decided to cut the wasteful expenditure on Avinash Mehta. The clan talks about equality but this favoritism clearly goes against the core principle itself. Ashok became furious thinking about these selfish elders. He has pured his sweat and blood into the clan and he is the clanmaster himself and still he is not able to provide resources for his son's cultivation. Yes, the amount of resources and the results that are displayed do not match but his son too is working very hard. Infact none in his clan might be working as hard as him, not even side family members let alone those weak minded but highly hardworking Gupta clan members. The results that Avinash displayed yesterday in the running event despite being only 2nd rank in the black iron realm is not an accident. It is years of his hardwork and persistence. Yes, he has failed ultimately but not before giving a very hard fight.


Ashok mentioned these too but then the clan members mentioned that how if they make this pass considering his hardowrking nature and supply so much of excess resources quite often factor of several multitudes that a usual ranker in Black iron realm demnds, then the ones in the side family will start demanding extra resources considering the amount of hardwork they are doing on a daily basis. Then the disciples from the main family will have a cut and there will be kind of a revolt that would take place. So, they've decided that in the interests of the clan, that the clan will not provide such huge extra resources as earlier. If possible they may provide 50% extra considering his hardwork and his position as the son of clanhead but nothing more beyond that.


Ashok Mehta then decided that Avinash will not be spared much of the resources hear and it would better serve his purpose if he works in the auction house. Atleast he will develop skills in that field and make a name for himself considering his hardworking nature. Martial arts demands not just hardwork but also talent and luck. Luck is truly lacking for Avinash so better spend his energies elsewhere and test his luck there.Who knows??? Maybe he will be hugely successful there. Thus, unknowingly, the father and son duo have arrived at a similar decision.

[Mampi]

wowww that's great 

[halluvi]

I have written so much content and prepared a long update but accidentally the page was closed and all the content i have written is gone. It feels like shit and i no longer feel like writing.

[halluvi]

I am trying to submit my story to a storytelling site. What improvements should i make?? Is my storytelling poor/average/good ?

[abcturbine]

Amazing writing skills.....
Promising start....
Take your time..... We can wait.....
But do keep writing......