Hell's Academy

Howard began to contemplate the feelings emanating from the steel shield.

He felt like a cultivator from a web novel, distilling the feelings of Ki in the metal like it possessed some sort of sacred secret. He had only read a few web novels growing up in Montgomery, but they still delighted him beyond measure.

He decided to try and be like his favorite character, Xiao Yen, and focused on the primitive feelings coming from the small metal plate to his side. He'd held lots of different weapons in the past, but this shield seemed different. The more he focused on that, the more he seemed to connect to the depths of its power.

'This shield seems to be coated with a layer of Ki. When I focus on it, it seems to fluctuate and respond to me.'

'Maybe there is something valuable in this shield. However, what is it? Why does it feel like an uncrackable vault. No matter how hard I try to find the right combination, it only gets harder.'

Howard was making a mistake at this moment. What he had to do was not cultivate like a traditional cultivator in a web novel, but truly understand what that layer of Ki was about. This required more than just cultivating, or absorbing energy from the world around him. He had to understand what that layer of Ki on the shield represented.

'It's so strange, and so stable," Howard tried to touch the surface of the shield and couldn't reach it no matter how hard he tried. To be more precise, it's like the shield had been perfectly protected. 'It's completely protected by a layer of Ki. No matter how much I try to break through, it only gets stronger in the area I target. It's almost like threads.

Howard made progress with this idea, and Earl nodded his head sensing him coming to this understanding. Though he was just a remnant of the original Demon King, he still had the ability to discern Howard's progress. Tapping him on the shoulder, a flood of energy entered into Howard's body, causing him to jolt, and all of a sudden he felt completely focused.

"What are you missing?" Earl said, tapping him one more time, "How can you copy that? Try and feel every frequency of the Ki. Every change on its surface."

"I-I feel… I feel like it's not in my hand. However, isn't that becuase of the way it was built?"

"That's a very interesting question," Earl patted him on the shoulder, and whispered underneath his breath. "However, what can you learn about the Ki? What's distinct about it?"

"It's so close to the metal that it made it stronger. Almost like insulation in a building." Howard tapped it one time, noticing that the metal didn't reverberate. "It's thin, but not brittle. It's almost like the Ki has a desire of its own."

"Not its own!" Earl said, "It has a will of mine!" Earl's eyes seemed to shimmer before a surge of Ki spread down Howard's back, causing a flash of light to shoot through his head. "I created this armor well before even Barabin was born, and my Ki is still there! This is only possible because I managed to project my will! That's the difference between a Ki Projection that can travel a mile, and a Ki Projection that can barely move a meter off your body!"

"Eventually, beyond what they now call the S rank, you can use Ki to create real bodies that have real desires! Just like the armor that I exist in now even though I'm dead! However, before you get there, you must learn my defensive skill!"

"Howard, I'm about to use half my remaining energy to teach you the skill hidden in that shield! Hidden in the Ki that's on its surface! You will almost instantly know the first level called the gauntlet. However, after that, every time you climb a rank. When you reach the peak of the C rank, the peak of the B rank, the peak of the A rank, and the peak of the S rank, you'll learn a new skill!"

"The second level is called the greaves, and it will allow you to somewhat move your projection. The third level the cuirass will give it the ability to somewhat come to life. The fourth level the Helm will make it able to defend you even in your sleep! Finally, the fifth level will make your will be able to extend in many places! You can fight on multiple battlefields when you gain access to the vambrace level!"

Howard nodded his head and did his best to understand before he felt a surge of energy enter inside him. The next moment, he felt like five doors burst open, filling up with light before the armor behind him fell to the ground.

"The first level of the Fire King's Embrace is the gauntlet. It will allow me to summon an inanimate version of myself to block an attack anywhere in a 100 meter radius!"

"The second level, the gauntlet, will allow me to shift this into different locations, and I can even use two different versions of myself in two different locations a kilometer apart!"

"... At the peak level, I can literally have 10 different surrogates defending my peers! This is truly a great skill! It's a shame that I don't understand it, hahahaha!"

Howard had learned the skill, but sighed when he tried to activate Fire King's Embrace. In his mind, if he knew Ki Projection well enough, a body made of sparkling amber fire would light up the darkness. Because it was made of Ki, it would provide him defense an entire level higher than his own!

However, holding out his hand, only a small fire fist appeared floating in front of him, that dissipated as soon as it got touched by the wind. Needless to say, he needed practice.

"Well, it's something," Howard smiled before a door in front of him opened. A few feet away, a gilded, glowing room seemed to open up, it beckoning and calling him to come search through it's treasures.

"You can take three of the rare objects or items or plants in that room," Paula's voice echoed through the halls and surprised Howard. He had just started getting up and had yet to adjusted to the bright light. "However, just three! Don't be like Alrok! Don't forget about your ancestors."

"Heh, I knew he'd try and steal something," Howard walked over to the room, and gently glided in before the most beautiful site appeared in front of his eyes.