Rise Of The Dragon Emperor

A year had passed and Ronan turned 9 years old . He was at level 50 now and his physical transformation could only be described as looking unlike 9 years of age.

Already 5 feet 2 inches , Ronan was very tall for his age and he was quite well toned as well unlike the kids his age who looked like meatless sticks during these years .

In the past one year , Ronan had mastered the move the Shoryuken and greatly enhanced his physical abilities after training relentlessly.

Although only level 50 , he had a monstrous reserve of stamina and could now complete the entire training regime set by Karna sensei in one go.

This came as a huge shock to Karna , as even though Ronan was struggling breathlessly by the end of the training , he still somehow managed to complete it! , He was able to complete the training regime that he chose for himself after reaching the ascended realm while being half his level.

Karna had long since discovered that Ronan was beyond special however his accomplishments never seized to amaze him.

The only reason why Ronan was not already above level 70 was because he was unable to train properly in his elemental affinity which was the fastest way to grow . However even then a 9 year old level 50 warrior was still a monstrous talent throughout the entire Everlon continent.

To be able to master Shoryuken in a year , Karna knew that the kid would probably learn everything there was to learn about the suryavanshi martial arts in under 2 years from him now , as the first two moves were the foundation building while the later ones were utilizing the foundation to perform complex actions.

Karna was so satisfied with Ronan as his student that he had long gotten rid of his reservations and now truly treated Ronan as if he was his own flesh and blood.

This was one of the unique qualities that Ronan had , as his pure heart Drew everyone to become protective of him while his raw talent made one simply gape in awe.

The only worry that bothered Karna now was that Ronan was starting to feel lonely from the void of human interaction and he realized that he needed to let the boy have atleast a bit of social life for the sake of mental peace. Hence he decided to surprise Ronan on his birthday with a special gift.

Although it was a surprise for Ronan , Karna had decided to take him to the ' Maharashtra ' town in the distant kingdom of Foul Pillars , where he planned to enroll Ronan in a martial arts tournament and let him enjoy the ' Mahakali ' festival which would be going in in the town during the time.

The competition was famous for drawing in major martial arts practicioners under the ascended realm as it was a stage to display one's raw physical strength without their elemental affinity.

Although Ronan was a talented individual , he had absolutely no chance to win in Karna's mind , but it was sure to be a good learning experience for the boy as well as a chance to let off some steam with the best fighters in the competition being over level 90.

The reward for winning was fixed since decades , as every year the winner of the martial arts tournament got the ' Bone marrow strengthening ' pill and the right to worship mother Mahakali first during the last day of the festival .

Ronan who was completely unaware of where Karna sensei was taking him just tagged along as usual , his senses on guard against imminent beast attacks as he used his axe to cut out branches and shrubs that came in the duo's way of walking.

Having accepted his fate since the day Alexander sent him off , never once did Ronan demand for anything or complain about anything to Karna Sensei in his time living in the wild.

Through aching muscles and bleeding cuts , he never asked for medicine or a day off , as he made his own medicinal paste from the wild plants and thanked Karna sincerely after every training session.

Obviously he was still a child who wanted to snap at various occasions , however something inside him just would not allow him to snap loose as his character was truly forged during this trying times.

Ronan had became cold and calculating after living in the jungle , as he truly understood the world as the dog-eat-dog jungle that it really was.

Ronan understood that strength was the only absolute in this world and he needed to grow as fast as possible without anyone finding out about his real powers before becoming strong enough to reveal them.

Hence no matter the adversity , Ronan only focussed on improving himself through intense struggles and dedicated training as he built an Excellent body foundation.

The biggest change that he underwent in this year of isolation was that he became practical in his thinking.

As a child Ronan could not understand the practicality of how to fight , as only after living in the wild did he understand the importance of a strategic retreat and choosing the right moment to attack.

His initial tendency that was to rush in without a plan had proved to be extremely counterproductive in the wild as he faced many adverse situations because of not thinking far enough , however with time he learnt the virtue called patience and learnt to pick his time to attack.

This change was extremely necessary for Ronan , as now his fighting style improved to another level after his mind becoming increasingly stable.

***

( 2 days later )

When Karna and Ronan finally came out of the woods and onto a proper road that had fields around them , Ronan felt a little shocked as he looked at Karna like ' is this really okay ? '.

To which karna only smiled warmly , letting Ronan's imagination run wild.

Seeing farmers work across the fields Ronan felt indescribable emotions rising in his heart , as he felt like watching them work for hours , however knowing that it would be creepy he just nervously looked at them for a few minutes before moving on.

Ronan's enthusiasm could be felt by Karna who could see the restlessness in his body language as they approached a proper village and a motel.

However his next words completely shocked Ronan as it was something that Ronan had dreamt of for months now.

Karna said to the receptionist " Two rooms please , we will have meal in our rooms itself , please send them in half an hour. ".

As he reached for his pocket and paid the receptionist , Ronan felt like he was dreaming. However when he pinched himself and felt a real pain spreading through his skin he knew it was all real!

" Happy belated birthday kid. We stay here for 10 days , enjoy the festival before heading back to the forest ...Go enjoy your meal tonight , See you in the morning ". Karna said as he ruffled Ronan's dirty muddy hair , leaving the shocked Ronan to get a hold of the situation.

However before he could reach his room he felt a tight hug coming from behind , as he felt slight moisture on his back.

' So it means that much to him , eh? , I really need to understand this boy more . He won't tell me his feelings , but he is but a child '. Karna thought as he silently let Ronan embrace him , before parting for the night.