The length of a single round trip is 100 km, but it isn't as simple as that. They all remembered their first experience through the ordeal. For most trainees, this is the first time that they have encountered such an environment.
There are a lot of things that made them fail the first run. First is the unusual terrain. The terrain was unfavorable to them, the ground was not safe to step on as they wished. Going up and down the peaks made things very difficult. Next are the cold winds. The mountain range may be artificial but the conditions are real.
The cold numbs the flesh and the mind, it will make stumbling very easy. The eyes cannot be used because of the snowy wind, so the divine sense has to be turned on throughout. It is a good thing too because only the divine sense can warn you of unreliable grounds not to step on. But the range of the divine sense is too short at this stage which makes getting lost very easy.
The most difficult of all is the air quality on the peaks. Their bloodlines might make them free of the requirement of food, but they still needed air very much. Only transcendents can survive without the need to breathe. The air quality at the simulated height of the peak isn't enough to fuel the stamina requirements necessary to make the trips. The cold will steal the heat of the body but the body won't be able to make more heat and also run because the air is thin.
Then there's the heavy spear. The trip is difficult enough as it is without the addition of the spear. The extra weight will drag you down as you try to go up a slope, then it will shift your balance as you try to descend from a slope. It makes mistakes easy to make when combined with the precarious environment. And if mistakes are made, then you go off track, which will result in you wasting time and energy in finding the right track. You need to go around the mountain range, not run in a circle around a single peak. Your wasted effort won't count towards the progress of the exercise.
These factors work against the trainees and make success impossible to achieve on the first try. It will take weeks of effort before you acquire good enough form with the spear to barely complete the 10 trips.
Thankfully, they have to do this every day until teacher SQUARESKULL deems the exercise completed. As it is, his seniors were waiting for Soverick to get lost, tire out and faint. They didn't think he would give up because determination is a must-have in order to complete the previous stage of challenges and obstacles. So they would Swope in and save this new junior of theirs. Then they will mock him until a new junior joins them.
That's what they expected. They didn't think that there was the possibility of anything apart from failure. Teacher SQUARESKULL was the only one that thought otherwise. He had seen the records of Soverick's exploits. He had seen enough videos that proved those exploits enough for him to expect the extraordinary. He had also received numerous edicts from very strong people to take special care of Soverick. Everything he had seen or heard indicated one thing, that Soverick is a genius. Soverick would always break common sense by overcoming challenges and making it look easy.
It left one wondering if the challenge was as difficult as everyone said it is if soverick can just steamroll it like that. He honestly didn't want to teach such a genius and was hoping Soverick would buckle down earlier and leave. He might be talented but he didn't think he was worthy enough to teach Soverick and the worst part is that Soverick thought so too.
"Transcendents have lost their value." SQUARESKULL muttered to himself.
The students respect them but they don't fear them. It is difficult to fear something that you can achieve in time. The number of transcendents in the family has skyrocketed due to royal bloodlines. So he tried to irk Soverick into disliking him. Apparently, his little tricks weren't enough to push Soverick away.
Now, he can admit to having been naive that Soverick would have asked for a change in teachers so that he can be rid of such a heavy responsibility. Soverick has changed his life more than he cares to admit. Just by being selected as his teacher, he came within the sights of numerous powerful people.
He watched intently while his students jested. Maybe their attitude would be different if Soverick had introduced himself during the introduction session. A single mention of his age or the amount of time he had spent in the secondary stage of the battle academy will have left them reeling in shock just as he had been.
But soverick had watched the introduction impassively and unconcerned. The boy had said earlier that he didn't care for it, so he didn't partake in it either. SQUARESKULL chose not to push him. That's why his students are still clueless about the monstrosity that is their new junior.
While they were waiting for a fun sight, he was waiting for a miracle. Could Soverick pull an upset? How would he do it if he did create an upset? If Soverick did do something, he wanted to see everything up close. He didn't want to miss a single thing. That's why he could see soverick waving his spear around at the start of the race. His spectating students also noticed the odd behavior.
"Is this junior stupid? Why is he moving his spear around like that? He will tire out very soon and might not be able to even complete the first trip." NARGOTHROND said and the rest began to laugh.
SYNCLAIR nodded sagely as she said, "Very smart. I should have thought of it. He isn't trying to complete it at all. He knows he can't, so he is trying to get tired as soon as possible so that teacher will have to excuse him. What a genius."
Even the JUST_EVILNESS that was of the opinion to encourage Soverick couldn't help himself. It was an hilarious performance on Soverick's part. Who could be so stupid as to move that heavy spear around like that, in such conditions? It was also the question that was on theirs and SQUARESKULL's minds.
It is because he was more open-minded that he thought of a very possible reason. Was Soverick trying to figure out spear form? If that is so, then soverick would fail. The spear form is an instinctual thing. It is a lesson that the body learns due to impressions from the subconscious. It is a result of an epiphany.
The conscious mind cannot teach the body about the spear form because its influence on the body is abysmal. The conscious part of the mind can move the body around but most of the calculations and nerve instructions are performed behind the scenes. It is why a person that has just recovered from damage to their brain or nerves still cannot control some limbs, even though they are willing said limbs to move. The movement of limbs isn't as simple as wishing it to move, there are delicate nerve stimuli and precise muscle manipulation that occurs to make a limb move. There are some things that thinking about doesn't help to master. They are mastered with sudden moments of inspiration and enlightenment. The spear form is one such thing.
So He believed that Soverick was doomed. No matter the tests he makes with the weight, only the subconscious part of his mind actually does the calculation. Only transcendents can achieve perfect control of their body. One of the reasons for such an ability is the liberation of their mind and the change of their body from flesh to complete energy life form. Even children with awakened royal bloodlines can't possess such control and learning ability. It is an advantage of a change in the quality of life order.
Is there a way that Soverick could achieve spear form through such conscious efforts? Yes, there is. But he will need to have met the requirements for the second step of Spear mastery for that to occur. But that's also impossible. How could someone that is struggling with spear form be able to skip the one with the spear step of mastery and achieve seamless?
Even a mana entity will find it difficult to achieve the second step. In a normal world, the first step of spear mastery is meant for mana entities. That's why it is not a must to achieve the first step in order to graduate from the academy. The reality of the world is that some geniuses can achieve it at the level of vitality core. To say a vitality core can achieve not only the first step but also the second is just a bad joke.
'Or is it?' SQUARESKULL asked himself.
If a miracle is to happen, this is the exact logic-defying thing that needs to happen for it to be considered a miracle. Achieving the first step of spear mastery at the vitality core stage is genius. Achieving the second step at this same stage is a miracle.