Atticus instantly ramped up his perception into full throttle, the forms of the earthen spikes shooting towards him slowing, but the distance between them had already been crossed.
Atticus couldn't use any of his abilities here, but his passive strength and speed were far from weak.
His mind was oddly clear, and Atticus drew a path for each one of the approaching spikes and instantly moved.
His figure moved nimbly and at the same time awkwardly as he evaded the earthen spikes with mind numbing agility.
But Terran wasn't going to make it easy for him.
Each of the evaded spikes abruptly changed direction and shot towards Atticus with speed.
'Shit,' Atticus reacted immediately and adjusted accordingly. Each spike whizzed past him, narrowly missing his body. It was a shocking that Atticus could still maintain his composure here.
Throughout this whole scene, Atticus's thoughts were racing.
The molecules of Fire, Water, and Air had all been in the atmosphere; however, Earth was different.
In order to control Earth, Atticus had to sense the molecules in the earth and influence them either controlling them or altering their structure, density, and cohesion.
Unlike the other elements, Earth was more extensive. The molecules didn't just have one property. Feeling the molecules had been as easy as breathing, but as he did, he stumbled upon a conundrum. There were different types of formations of the Earth.
The sand was riddled with some stones, and from it, Atticus discovered that the formation of earth molecules was different for soil, rock, and other earth minerals. For the earth element, the molecules had already interacted; the only thing he had to do was control it.
It was a bit harder than the other elements where he had to control the individual molecules and form something with them; it was as though it was backward for Earth.
Atticus had found it weird at first, but he was able to achieve it after a few seconds. It was all about skipping a step; instead of forming a connection with each molecule and bringing them together, he simply had to form one with the collective molecules and control them.
Atticus's figure skidded down the sandy ground on all fours, immediately standing up straight. The momentum of the earthen spikes seemed never ending.
They each swerved in the air, changing their directions and shooting towards Atticus.
However, unlike before, Atticus stood still, his body radiating an aura of calmness that shocked the instructor and others watching the battle unfold.
The instructor had recognized Atticus and so did the rest by now. While his Expert+ rank aura had shocked him, he also knew that the boy was just 16 years old.
"Why is he stopping? I hope he's not stupid enough to try to control the earth," one of the onlookers muttered.
The instructor heard someone mutter from behind, and he couldn't help but agree. The sanctum master had said it all already.
The earth of the earth sanctum, especially inside this cave, was different from the normal earth. They had each been tweaked and perfected.
It would only listen to the command of those who actually formed a connection with the molecules, a level only Master+ rank could achieve after undergoing hellish training.
Given all these facts, he just couldn't understand what Atticus was planning to do.
He got his answer in the next moment.
Each spike moved with unreal speed, shooting towards Atticus from every conceivable angle. But just as they reached a 5-meter radius from Atticus, they would suddenly veer off course, missing his body entirely.
The onlookers felt lost. What was going on? Was Master Terran avoiding him purposely?
The questions just kept on coming. However, once again, they got their answer and finally understood what was going on.
The sand around Atticus swirled before solidifying and taking the shape of multiple long spears behind him.
Atticus's gaze snapped open, causing the hearts of the onlookers to tremble. To them, it currently felt as though reality was playing tricks on them. This just couldn't be real.
However, Atticus didn't make accepting the situation any easier. More sand swirled before taking form and joining the ranks of the long spears behind him.
Atticus's gaze landed on Terran, who still had a neutral expression on his face, and then each spear shot towards the tanned man with intense speed. They pierced the air, forming multiple concentric circles as they moved.
However, there was not a single inch of Terran that moved. Each spear, despite their insane speed, turned into grains of sand as they neared him, falling harmlessly to the ground.
"Hmm, you learn fast," Terran said.
The instructor and others who heard Terran's nonchalant words wanted nothing more than to bash their heads against the wall in disbelief.
They would have done exactly that if not for the fact that he was a Grandmaster.
He called that fast? Fast!? It was a crazy understatement! What Atticus had done was nothing short of a miracle!
Terran didn't say anything more, but from his changed aura, it was easy to pick up that something had shifted.
The sand around him swirled once again, a multitude of spikes appearing behind him as they solidified.
However, Atticus soon found out that they were completely different from the earth he had controlled before.
The sand was made up of loose earth molecules, and in order to form the initial earth spikes, Terran had lumped them together.
Their molecules were tightly bound, forming a dense and solid structure.
However, Atticus could see that the current structure was different. It was drier, more compressed, and harder too.
'He changed the structural system of the molecules!'
This new formation was akin to crystals. Atticus couldn't help but feel a wave of happiness; he would finally learn how to change the composition of the earth!
The molecules in crystals were arranged in a repeating pattern, and Atticus had to carefully reshape the molecules, maintaining their lattice structure to avoid shattering.
He immediately got to work, his mind moving.