《One Wish to Own the World》


 Chapter 1 Prologue

    ?God was watching the earth and doing their normal activities; they would turn the storms,va eruptions, and typhoons on and off. Furthermore, whenever a baby was born they would see a list of attributes, things like "intelligence", "raw power", and "memory".


    It wasn''t always like that, but ever since humans invented the idea of stat distributions in their video games, God had to admit it was a much better way to disy the whole concept. Instead of giving vague descriptions about how the new baby should be, now they could just set a random number of stat points ording to their mood and then distribute them between the stats.


    This quantified method was much more convenient. For example, their favorite singer just released a new song, and it was pretty neat. At the same time, also a really beautiful cheetah gave birth sessfully. Overall, God was in a great mood, so they decided to assign 300 points to the next baby born, double the usual amount.


    God gave that baby plenty of charm points, making him beautiful and charming. He even added good-voice stats in honor of the new song. He was just as generous with intelligence and grace. Overall, the baby would be a very sessful human when he grows as long as his parents provided him with good education and opportunities.


    Although it might sound troublesome, it wasn''t really. God was omnipresent and omniscient, so even if hundreds of babies would be born at the same time, God didn''t really have a problem distributing stats to all of them.


    He decided to watch again one of his favorite humans. It was a young girl named Elsa, 18 years old, who was as pure as an angel. She was kind to everyone around her, she never got angry, and she always showed a smile to the people who approached her.


    To God''s dread, one of her girl friends was being naughty. She told Elsa about the functionality of her private parts, and how she should touch them while watching some questionable videos.


    God was watching anxiously the scene and felt their heart shatter when the friend opened an especially obscene video. When Elsa sent her hand downwards, God couldn''t take it anymore.


    "No, no! She was so pure, why did this stupid girl have to corrupt her mind too?"


    Without noticing their own action, God was just giving attributes to a newborn randomly, spending all of the attribute points on a single stat ¨C memory.


    "Oh, no! That baby was sent to the world with poor health, power, intelligence, and charm! Everything was low except for his memory!"


    God watched the new baby and forgot all about Elsa. After all, most men and women engaged in those activities and it was their own business.


    The newborn was named Ken, and he was born into a good family. At first, nobody noticed anything wrong. But slowly the problems emerged to the surface. The baby was stupid, to say the least. He was weak and ugly. He grew up to be a sickly boy who took a long time to understand anything.


    However, he had one special feature; his memory waspletely perfect. He was diagnosed with Hyperthymesia, eidetic memory, and Savant Syndrome. He was regarded as a mnemonist as well.


    Basically, he had all types of perfect memory. He was doing great at school in studies that required only memory as Languages, History, and Literature. But he was doing horribly in Math and things that required understanding.


    His family wasn''t impressed. They just paid for his tuition but never asked him anything or intervened in his life. He went through bullying and abuse for his ugliness and stupidity, and he remembered everything as if it had all happened a moment ago because of his memory. Even his memory turned into a curse.


    "I messed up with this one. unfortunately, I made the rule not to change stats after distributing them and swore to keep it after I made a mess by changing my mind a few times and causing a war a few centuries ago. I will make it up for him after his death."


    Ken grew up and made a friend in school. In fact, that was the first andst time he''d ever made a friend. His friend, Leo, was extremely smart, but due to his poor emotional intelligence, he couldn''t make friends either. Thus, the two made a great pair of friends.


    "He doesn''t have much time left. His health deteriorates every day, and even his great memory is a weakness; with so much memory his brain will eventually copse."


    God would give a quick look to make sure everything was ok and then go back right after to watch their favorite series or y some video games. They had to give it to the humanity of the modern age; the culture was great, and the entertainment was endless. There was some madness out there, but overall, it was far better than before.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    One day, when Ken was 19 years old, his brain went through a stroke. He copsed and died on the spot.


    "Let''s grant him a wish for his next life."


    God decided on properpensation and summoned Ken''s soul to him instead of letting it dissipate like normal.


    "Hello Ken, I decided to grant you one wish for your next life, what would it be? I can send you to a world of magic with a system, or a cultivation world with a grandpa in a ring to guide you in your journey to eternity."


    God suggested a few options they liked from anime and novels they consumed. God knew Ken''s intelligence was low and might not know what was best for him, so he decided to offer a few good options.


    "I wish to have the highest intelligence possible, an intelligence that would allow me to perceive and thoroughly understand to the fullest everything I see, even if I see it only superficially and only once, including strong points, weak points, and how to ovee them."


    God metaphorically gaped at the request.


    "Are you sure? A system would allow you to advance easily. How about having both a grandpa and a system?"


    That request was way too much!


    "I''m sure."


    "Ok, then I will just increase your intelligence to a few times above the average."


    "I wish to have the highest intelligence possible, an intelligence that would allow me to perceive and thoroughly understand to the fullest everything I see, even if I see it only superficially and only once, including strong points, weak points, and how to ovee them."


    "Oh wait, you know what could be a great wish?"


    "I wish to have the highest intelligence possible, an intelligence that would allow me to perceive and thoroughly understand to the fullest everything I see, even if I see it only superficially and only once, including strong points, weak points, and how to ovee them."


    "Don''t just repeat-"


    "I wish to have the highest-"


    "FINE!"


    Ken just repeated the same words, and God was obliged to fulfill them.

 Chapter 2 s 1+2 - Dying

    ?Ken was used to having people grimace when looking at him since he remembered himself, which was since his birth. He understood his looks weren''t pleasing to the eye, but he didn''t really understand the implications of that, so he didn''t mind.


    He lived his life in solitude since nobody ever approached him, and although he remembered everything he had heard about everyone around him, he couldn''t use the information to his advantage when making friends; he simply wasn''t intelligent enough.


    Everything changed when he met Leo. With his sharp mind and sharper tongue, nobody could stand being with Leo for a long time. However, there was one person who never understood his teases and insults, thus, he could be his friendfortably. This person, you guessed it, was Ken.


    At first, Leo couldn''t stop raining insults on Ken, but as they got used to each other, he could ept Ken and found him predictable, which canceled his reasons to insult Ken; he wasn''t getting frustrated by Ken''s weird actions anymore when he knew how Ken would react to most situations.


    Luckily, Ken didn''t understand his insults and never tried to leave Leo because of them. They would often talk, or more precisely, Leo would often talk. He would talk about his dreams and hopes, his ns for the far future, and even theoretical situations.


    "Remember, if you ever rub a random dirtymp and a geniees out it and offers you a wish, you must ask for endless wishes!"


    He''d repeat in Ken''s ears. One of his favorite hypothetical situations was in case someone granted him a wish, and he would describe his choices with various sets of limitations and rules each time.


    What he liked the most about Ken was that he always remembered what he told him, so he never had to repeat himself twice. Even if Ken understood nothing, he could still recite his words one to one whenever he asked.


    "What then?"


    Ken knew Leo was going to tell him the next move and asked about it.


    "Listen, you and I could be perfect if we were one. I''m a genius, and you have a perfect memory. Couldn''t we help humanity step a millennium forward if our abilitiesbined?"


    Ken nodded since it made sense when Leo said it.


    "So your next wish should be to have the highest intelligence possible, an intelligence that would allow you to perceive and thoroughly understand to the fullest everything you see, even if you see it only superficially and only once, including strong points, weak points, and how to ovee them."


    "Why can''t I just ask to be as smart as you?"


    Ken didn''t really get the point of such a long wish. Didn''t Leo say earlier they''d be perfect if their abilities werebined?


    "Stupid! If you get a wish, you should use it to maximize your benefits. Although I''m a genius, there is an option for an even higher IQ, to which you should aspire."


    Leo couldn''t stop himself from throwing an insult, but Ken was already used to it and didn''t mind it.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "But does it have to be so long?"


    "Yes. I read thatwyers and genies have something inmon. They search for a gap in your words and take advantage of it, so you must give a long description that they cannot misinterpret even when they try to."


    "All right. What''s next?"


    "Isn''t it obvious? You should ask to be hot, healthy, be in a safe environment all the time, and that''s pretty much it. You can ask for money too, but I doubt money would be a problem for you with perfect intelligence and memory."


    Leo nodded with satisfaction and continued to talk about what to do if the genie gave rules or banned him from asking for more wishes.


    The days passed, and the duo graduated from high school, and it was time to separate. While Leo was epted to a prestigious university due to his high grades at school, Ken could only get into a simple college. He chose to study linguistics and was epted due to his memory.


    However, his family decided they didn''t want to invest more money into him. He had healthy younger sister and younger brother, and his parents wanted to invest their money in promising youths instead of investing in a sickly failure.


    He didn''t know it, but aspensation to his family, God gave them some extra stat points when they were born.


    He couldn''t find a job because of his repulsive looks, and he could only stay at home, scorned by his family and society. Now he felt the burn of loneliness after getting to taste friendship in the past few years.


    He read books and watched movies to pass the time in his room, and came out only to eat his meals and get some drinks.


    A yearter, his brain was loaded with information. He remembered every sensation and experience he had gone through, and everything felt like it was just a few minutes ago.


    One day, he felt sudden numbness in the left side of his body. He felt the room spinning, and he was getting really dizzy. He felt like his head was splitting from the pain. He was going through a stroke, and the pain ended fast.


    He fell to the ground and slowly lost consciousness. His mind was drifting to the darkness as he lost sensation over his body and died.


    In the darkness, Ken suddenly felt a strong pull and found himself standing in arge messy room. The floor was filled with manga, manhua, anime, and donghua. He could feel there was another entity in front of him, but he couldn''t see an actual being.


    "Hello Ken, I''m God. I''ve watched over you throughout your life, even if you couldn''t feel it. You had a tough life, child. For your endurance, I''ve decided to gift you with a wish for your next life. What would you choose?"


    God denied any part in Ken''s miserable life and pretended nobody was at fault. It was just a bit of tough luck that brought Ken to where he was.

 Chapter 3 3 – Reborn

    ?"Hello Ken, I''m God. I''ve watched over you throughout your life, even if you couldn''t feel it. You had a tough life, child. For your endurance, I''ve decided to gift you with a wish for your next life. What would you choose?"


    The memories of Leo''s instructions on what to do when he was offered a wish instantly surfaced in Ken''s mind, and he knew what to do.


    "I wish to have an unlimited number of wishes granted."


    "Haha, dear child, It doesn''t work like that. You can only wish for one thing."


    "That was my one wish."


    "Eh look, it''s against the rules. But you do have a point - after such a hard life, it''d be unfair to fix only one of your problems. How about that; I will give you all the basics in addition to your main wish."


    "What are the basics?"


    "Your intelligence will rise, and you will have a handsome face and a nice voice. How''s that?"


    "Sounds good, but what about my health? I also want a strong body and a strong brain that can endure my memory."


    "Hmm that''s not possible in your world¡­ ok, I have an idea. I will send you to a world of cultivation, like the ones described in novels. Additionally, I will grant you a healthy body to buy you more time. As long as you can advance in the cultivation world before you turn 25, you can have a strong body and brain to support your memory."


    "Hmm¡­ will it be easy to advance? What if I can''t advance? I''m not that smart."


    He made a sad face at God, making God feel guilty for their mess up when distributing his stats.


    "Uh, I will give you a great talent in cultivation. This way it won''t be a problem. And you can use your wish to get better opportunities to advance and get stronger more easily. How does that sound?"


    Ken thought for a moment and found it reasonable. Leo never described this situation, so he was unsure what to do. But since most of the wishes Leo told him to ask for were included, he thought it was probably ok. There was only one more thing Leo mentioned he should ask for.


    "What about my environment? It''d be bad if I died as a baby due to external threats before even having the chance to grow up."


    "Fine, I will make you the son of an elder in a sect. This way you will be rtively safe and have ess to some resources. Don''t push it anymore, those are my limits. The next thing you ask for will be your wish, even if you mean it to be just another minor addition."


    God started feeling like he was taking a loss here and decided to use his authority as the god between the two and put an end to it. He swore to himself to never do the same mistake again; kids these days knew their rights too well.


    Ken was ready for that moment and recited the wish Leo told him word for word.


    "I wish to have the highest intelligence possible, an intelligence that would allow me to perceive and thoroughly understand to the fullest everything I see, even if I see it only superficially and only once, including strong points, weak points, and how to ovee them."


    God''s metaphorical skin paled when he heard it. That was too much!


    "Wait, wait. Didn''t you read novels? Didn''t you watch donghua? You should ask for a system to help you advance faster and quantify everything to simple amounts! You should ask for a grandpa who can escort you, defend you, and teach you!"


    God quickly tried to change his mind. But Leo already warned him that the genie might find his wish hard to grant and try to make him wish for something else. In that case, ording to Leo, it meant his wish was truly amazing and he should just stick with it to the end.


    "I want what I said."


    "Okay, I will increase your intelligence to be a few times above normal. That should do the trick, right?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    God tried to make him agree to something that sounded simr, but Ken didn''t change his wording. Genies andwyers were dangerous with their words; he still remembered the story about the man who asked the genie to make his private member reach the floor.


    "I wish to have the highest intelligence possible, an intelligence that would allow me to perceive and thoroughly understand to the fullest everything I see, even if I see it only superficially and only once, including strong points, weak points, and how to ovee them."


    God sighed and had to oblige with Ken''s request. In their exasperation, they decided on threest acts of revenge.


    First, instead of sending him to the top sect of the entire cultivation world as he previously nned, God sent Ken to a third-rate sect of the mortal ne.


    The second decision was to send him as a fetus, to make him go through a few months of boredom before he can be born, and then go through another decade of being treated as a kid while being 19 years old.


    Last but not least, probably the worst one yet, was not cleaning his memory from all the traumas and abuse he went through in hisst life. God let him remember how his family said they''d be better off without him. The moments in which other kids have bullied him and beaten him. The moments of his failures. Anything hurtful stayed with him, and there was plenty.


    "Hmph, that''s your punishment for extorting more than you should. Living your life or dying will be up to you, I''ve repaid my debt. Since you''ve kept your memories, you have only six years to start your cultivation journey and advance to the next rank before your brain copses. Good luck."


    Ken''s soul was sent to the womb of a newly impregnated woman and started developing a new body slowly. God''s promises made huge changes in his genes, making them far better than they should''ve been.


    His brain was enhanced over and over again to grant him the perfect memory and perfect intelligence. His body kept on getting stronger and healthier as promised, his looks improved, and his vocal cords were developing.


    However, it wasn''t all roses. He spent 9 months in the darkness, seeing nothing and hearing nothing. From time to time, he''d feel his mother''s body rock up and down or back and forth, but luckily, he was cocooned in a defensive membrane that protected him from any intrusive liquids and unweed guests.


    He had nothing to do during those months except for reliving the past. This time his intelligence was much higher, so as he relived his past, it was the same as going through 19 years of life with the same experiences as the former him.


    He was starting to get angrier and angrier as he questioned the reasons the other kids and his family members treated him this way. Was it his fault for being born that way? Couldn''t they just deal with their own business if they didn''t want to interact with him?


    This went on for 9 months until he finally saw a light above his head. Or under. He wasn''t sure what to call it since his head was facing downward. To his anxiety, women in this world gave birth standing, and he could imagine himself falling face down and going back to the god he met earlier.


    He could hear the voices of a man he assumed to be his father, the screams of his mother, and the voice of two other women. He couldn''t help but feel a slight fear they might not catch him in time when he is out.


    To his horror, he suddenly saw the flooring closer at a scary speed and stopping only when he felt dangerously close to it.


    ''Oh no, she just changed to a squatting position.''


    He sighed in relief. The birth process was over a few hourster and he was finally out. He remembered reading in his past life that it should be much more, but he figured it''s probably a benefit of being a cultivator mom. Who knew how strong she could push?


    As soon as he saw the light, he suddenly felt the urge to cry. It didn''t have anything to do with being a baby, or at least that''s what he believed.


    It was because he was enveloped in darkness for 9 months, suffering from his previous life endlessly. The nightmare was finally over; now that he was out, he could just focus on external stimuli and distract himself from the past.


    He started crying loudly, albeit with no tears due to the undeveloped nds. To everyone''s happiness, the baby seemed healthy and beautiful.


    "Congrattions, Elder Mei, you have given birth to a healthy son!"


    The two midwives and the man said together.

 Chapter 4 4 – Life As A Newborn

    ?The two midwives and the man congratted the woman together. As Ken would find out soon, the man''s voice belonged to the doctor, not to his father.


    "Is it over, is my wife doing fine?"


    A new man''s voice could be heard and the trio congratted him too for the birth of his son. This time, it was his father.


    Although Ken couldn''t understand theirnguage, it didn''t pose any real problem to him. He only had to hear each word once before remembering it forever. After hearing it a few times in different contexts, he would be able to deduce its meaning easily.


    The first 3 months passed quickly. His parents yed with him when they were free, but most of the time they left him at home with a few maids. The maids would take care of him, feed him, bathe him, and clean him.


    To Ken''s delight, he was rarely ever left with one maid only. Most of the time there would be another maid at the same time, which meant they did the only thing you could do with your friend during a boring task. They talked!


    Ken would listen attentively every time and 3 monthster, he could already understand nearly everything. Whatever he couldn''t, he''d just fill by the context, and after a few more times that this word was used he''d be sure of its meaning.


    "The elder''s baby is really cute, but he never cries. Isn''t it kind of weird for babies?"


    "I don''t know, I never had one."


    "I remember when my younger sister was born. She would cry her soul out all the time. I can''t count all the times I was tempted to just press a pillow on her face to make her shut up."


    "Hey, you shouldn''t say such stuff about your little sister! I''m sure she''s a sweet child now."


    "She is, but anyway, my point is that babies cry. Ken, will you cry for this big sister?"


    She poked his cheek only to get a frown back. Ken just assumed it was something about his soul that made his parents name him with the same name as hisst life.


    "Look, he is frowning at me as if he is saying I''m stupid. That can''t be, right?"


    She poked him again just to make sure and got the same frowning response.


    "I hope he won''t remember I was nagging him when he grows up. Wouldn''t he bully me if he does?"


    "Stop talking nonsense, nobody can remember their time as babies. That being said, don''t do things he dislikes. Don''t forget he is the only son of the second and fifth elders."


    Ken found out that his father was the second elder of the sect, and was in charge of the guarding and fighting division. His mom was the fifth elder and was the head of the pills division. She was considered the best alchemist in the sect.


    As a newborn, he still needed around 17 hours of sleep every day to support his growth. His body had its growing process enhanced by god''s blessing and thus required even more sleep and nutrients.


    He would wake up every few hours to be fed and do his stuff, always making sure to do it when there was a maid nearby. He didn''t like the feeling ofying unclean in his bed.


    He spent the rest of the time in which he was awake listening to the girls and learning theirnguage. It was pretty convenient; when they talked it''d wake him up and he would listen. When they didn''t talk, he''d just sleep or wake up and cry for food when he was hungry.


    Now that he was 3 months old and knew thenguage, he found the time to start thinking about his future.


    ''God told me I had 25 years to advance before my brain copsed from overloading. Judging by the fact he kept all his promises despite his reluctance, I believe I can trust his word. However, the 25 years might mean 25 years of information, and they might mean of living.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Ken was starting to find the problem in his condition.


    ''By logic, it should mean 25 years of information, since this is my actual problem. While it might be the other option, it''d be stupid to do nothing and hope for the best. As for now, I have no cultivation techniques and nomon sense about the cultivation of this world.''


    He decided to bet on the worst scenario that it meant 25 years of information.


    ''If it''s 25 years of information, I already have 19 from my former life. There are also the 9 months in the womb, but they probably don''t count as I was barely exposed to any stimuli during my time inside. It means that I have around 6 years to rank up. I don''t know how many ranks up I need to be safe, but probably each rank that boosts my brain will add me some time.''


    He kept analyzing his situation and set his goals for the future.


    ''I don''t know how much time one needs to train before being able to rank up, or what are the stages of cultivation. Since my father oversees the defense of the sect, I might likely have a chance to see others cultivate if I can spend more time with him. Given my wish was granted, I should be able to deduct a training regime even without getting one from the sect.''


    After reaching all those conclusions he decided to act on them. Generally, he believed his parents wouldn''t abandon him in this life because he wasn''t as twisted as he was in hisst life, but he also didn''t trust them. He even found it possible that they eventually abandon him when they realize his personality was too weird and unlike his age.


    This world seemed backward in technology. The house was made of wood, the maids would light the fire by striking a weird-looking iron on a piece of flint, and the food was quite basic.


    It made him worry that there might be some weird superstitions in the world and his parents might even beat him to knock a demon out of him or something in that context.


    He decided to first act as normally as he could and train covertly, and only if they would prove he could trust them, he would ask for their help overtly.


    Once his n was ready, he set it in motion. Every time his father woulde to see him, he would reach with his arms to his father and scream, signaling him to carry him. Whenever he would leave, Ken would scream even harder to make his father bring him along.


    His mother was getting jealous as she saw this behavior. She even tried spending more time with her son, yet whenever her husband arrived, little Ken would scream and try to get to his father''s embrace.


    "Haha, he can recognize his father! I can already tell he will be like me when he grows; handsome and strong!"


    "Don''t be a narcissist, Haoran. I''m sure he will understand mommy is much better. Right, little Ken?"


    But to her frustration, Ken only reached out with his arms to his father. This went on for a month, and Haoran woulde to spend more time with his son when he saw his son demand his attendance.


    "Little Ken, there are no disciples today to take care of you. No disciples. Do you understand me?"


    Ken found out that his so-called maids were actually female outer disciples of the sect and his parents published babysitting him as a mission and rewarded the disciples who took it with CP ¨C contribution points.


    He also learned from the disciples that his mother insisted on epting female disciples only since she didn''t trust the men to be tender enough with a newborn. Another fun fact was that he was quite popr; it was considered an easy task, it was safe, and granted the disciples a chance to make connections with elders of the inner ring.


    This day there was an event in the sect that kept the outer disciples busy, and nobody epted the babysitting mission. When his parents discussed who would take care of him for the day, his father was chosen due to Ken''s constant calling to his father.


    Thus, today, at the age of 4 months old, Ken was finally brought with his father to the training room.


    His father put him on a nket in the corner of the training room and instructed the inner disciples. Ken learned from Haoran''s conversations that he would train the inner disciples for four hours, and he nned on watching them carefully.


    The lesson began, and Ken found out it was his lucky day! It was a group of 12-year-old kids, who were part of the inner sect only thanks to their parents. They went through a few lessons already, but they were still in the basics.

 Chapter 5 5 – Starting The Cultivation Journey

    ?As the kids were still beginning to learn, Haoran was insisting they will recite the cultivation technique before they start trying to channel their Qi.


    "Recite the way you should channel the Qi energy in your body! Everyone at once!"


    Haoran shouted at the students. From time to time he would peek quickly at Ken to make sure he was ok, and every time he saw him watching the kids with a curious gaze.


    "First drink the Body Tempering Liquid!"


    The kids shouted together the first step.


    "Why?"


    "To add Qi to our bodies!"


    "Continue!"


    "Secondy down and concentrate on channeling the Qi energy!"


    "Third channel the energy from your intestine to your dantian!"


    The kids continued to recite the technique in a descriptive way of where and how to channel the energy. First through the bones of the limbs, followed by the skin and the blood vessels.


    After the limbs woulde the torso''s turn, and it followed the same sense. First, the skeleton would be refined with the Qi energy, then the skin, blood vessels, and eventually the organs. Last, came the skull and the brain.


    Every step had to be followed extremely carefully and delicately since in case the energy went astray it could lead to injuries. While breaking a few bones or tearing the skin was painful, it was at least curable after a few weeks or months of healing.


    However, things weren''t always that simple. In case of breaking the bones, a shard could prate the cultivator''s blood vessels and cause all kinds ofplications.


    The most dangerous part was refining the organs with the Qi energy. There, a deviation could easily lead to premature death. There was no need to mention the dangers of ying around with someone''s brain.


    For those reasons, Haoran forced the kids to memorize the contents and always made sure they remembered them, and that worked perfectly for Ken. He understood everything easily and even in the likely scenario that his parents will find babysitters after the event is over and won''t take him back to ss, he would remember the whole technique anyway.


    He didn''t know the average time needed for kids to advance, but it didn''t matter; He''d just need to do it at his own pace and be done with it before turning six.


    After all the kids showed they still remember the technique by heart, they formed a line in front of Haoran and started approaching him one by one. Each kid would drink a cup of a liquid that Ken assumed was the Body Tempering Liquid and start channeling the energy carefully.


    Haoran would make sure the first step of moving the Qi to the dantian went smoothly, and only then took a step to the side to let the kidy down on the floor.


    Haoran moved spots every time to let each kidy down in the spot where he drank the potion to prevent a situation in which a kid would lose their concentration while looking for a free spot.


    Ken was impatient to try the technique, but he chose to wait.


    ''I don''t know if my father would be able to sense it if I were to cultivate. The worst part is that the technique mentions you need to somehow add an external source of Qi to start the process, but not only do I have no way of putting my hands on the liquid, but I''m also unsure whether my body can survive drinking it.''


    Ken was analyzing his situation again and thought about how to n his future. Just by hearing the technique and watching the kids execute it, he thought of a couple of things that made no sense.


    ''I''m sure there are better ways and routes to channel the energy in my body. Another problem is that some of them won''t fit well in my case as a baby since my body is undeveloped. I believe it will work in my favor since the refining process should be much less hurtful this way and everything is better when you do it at the beginning instead of patching up in the end.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He decided to give the technique a try anyway and check if he could trace other ways to get Qi into his body. He nned to start cultivating the next time his parents will leave him alone with the outer disciples.


    ''I don''t know whether the outer disciples can sense when someone cultivates nearby, but the chances they can''t are much higher than those that an inner elder can''t.''


    He wondered for a moment why they let kids start practicing only thatte and quickly came up with 2 possible answers.


    ''Either it''s safe to drink the liquid only around that age, or they don''t trust younger kids with such a risky technique. Younger kids might easily divert their attention and kill themselves by releasing their control over the Qi in their bodies. Or it might be both of those reasons.''


    It seemed reasonable so he decided to keep nning for the near future.


    ''If the problem is not being able to ingest the liquid before turning 12, then my short journey is over before it even started. If the problem is their attention span, then it should be doable.''


    The lesson ended a few hourster, and the kids made small progress in their cultivation journey. Ken estimated by the way the technique worked that they would need to go through this process for at least 2 years, and every moment of it would be painful.


    The next day, to Ken''s dismay, the event wasn''t over, and his father brought him to the kids'' lesson again. This time he only paid half attention and passed most of his time sleeping. He already remembered everything, and he could get nothing by watching the kids again.


    On the fourth day, Ken was finally left in the hands of 2 female outer disciples, and he got his chance to try his hand at cultivation. Haoran was a bit disappointed at theck of reaction of his son, as he was used to getting love from him all the time. However, he could only suck it up and go to teach the kids.


    "See? He understands now that you aren''t that special. Soon enough he will ask for my presence all the time."


    Ken''s mom said with a smug smile. She didn''t know she was probably right, but for the wrong reasons. Ken decided to learn everything he could, and alchemy was included.


    The girls made sure to feed him, clean him, and tuck him inside the nket, and then started their conversation. After 4 months, they were already used to not having to keep an eye constantly on Ken, since he never made any problems.


    As soon as the girls left him to sleep, he closed his eyes and tried to sense any Qi energy inside him as described in the manual. He already made a few changes in the manual that he deemed safe and necessary for his body, and nned on testing a few other changes after seeing the situation first.


    Even though his understanding ability was extraordinary, he wanted to be as careful as possible when altering something as risky as a cultivation manual that could result in his death with a single mistake.


    ''What is this? This is amazing! There''s so much Qi in my body!''


    Ken said inwardly,pletely amazed. His body was full of Qi, and he felt that this Qi was much more tamed than described in the manual.


    ''Wait, it has a familiar feeling. I understand! It must be the energy that god put inside my body to naturally boost my brain and everything else. Most of it has been probably used during my development in the womb, and those must be the leftovers meant to sustain me for a few more years and maybe even develop my body a bit further.''


    But the god''s leftovers weren''t leftovers for a baby. The amount of energy was amazing, and even if he used it for his cultivation, he believed he wouldn''t finish more than 5-10% of the total amount.


    Ken started carefully moving a bit of the energy ording to the improved manual he created. He chose to start with his legs first, and he could feel the Qi refining and strengthening his bones.


    ''it''s as I thought; since my bones are still rtively soft, the pain isn''t as bad as the groans of the kids made it seem.''


    Ken was satisfied with the results of his free session. It was likeparing adding something from the beginning and adding it after the product was finished; if you add it at the beginning, it''s much faster, easier, more convenient, and even gives better results.


    If anything, he thought it was a shame he couldn''t do it still in the womb!


    The days passed and Ken kept constantly upgrading his technique as he kept reaching new levels of understanding about his body and the way Qi worked. It seemed that expecting to understand itpletely after a single superficial ce was far-fetched, but what he was doing wasn''t that far off.

 Chapter 6 6 – Becoming A Toddler

    ?The days passed and Ken kept constantly upgrading his technique as he kept reaching new levels of understanding about his body and the way Qi worked.


    6 months passed since Baby Ken started his cultivation. His developed technique was almostpletely different from the one described in the manual. Throughout the days of his training, he kept changing it to the point that it was now a technique especially tailored to his body.


    If he had to guess, should one of the kids use this technique, he probably would kill himself even if he managed to execute it. But the important part was that he was sure nobody with the brain of a mortal could ever execute it.


    Each step was changed to be performed in the best way possible and to achieve that he developed a huge variety of Qi channeling techniques. He didn''t forget that his memory was his strongest advantage along with his intelligence.


    For those past 6 months, Ken reduced his sleeping time to 16 hours, which was still on the higher end of the epted sleeping hours for babies his age. His parents were somewhat worried about it, but the babysitters were the ones who spent most of the time with him, and they were perfectly fine with babysitting a sleeping baby.


    The other 8 hours, he would spend eating, pooping, and cultivating. Something else he had done was crawl quite a lot. The cultivation required also being physically active to stabilize the body after each strengthening session, and he also didn''t want to grow up and realize he didn''t learn to walk.


    Since he was 4 months old he would rock his body and roll over to train his baby body, and by 6 months he could already crawl. The babysitters would put him on the floor to let him crawl more freely when they saw him crawling on the bed.


    When his parents heard about it, they tried their best toe home and beg Ken to crawl. They''d ce him on the ground andy next to him, encouraging him to show them his supreme crawling technique.


    To their dismay, he rarely reacted. They were almost suspicious of the babysitters, thinking they might be lying just to praise their son and get into their good books. He only reacted when he heard his mom saying she will stay with him more to try to see her baby crawl, then he just decided to be done with it and crawl for their amusement.


    When he was 6 months old, he was able to stand up with some support from the wall. However, he felt that his body still needed more crawling to develop his kneecaps and some other bones and muscles.


    He would crawl as fast as he could to strain his body and maximize the energy in his body. He would also stand and sit back, using his newly gained ability to do some squats.


    When he was 8 months old he could start walking, when he was 10 months old he would run around his room every day. The babysitters would always watch his development with astonishment.


    "He is developing so fast, but he still needs to sleep so much. It''s like he is living by a schedule. Seeing him run around is adorable, but he is a weird baby."


    "Be careful, since he can walk now, he might be also able to understand us."


    "Aren''t you exaggerating?"


    "Wanna risk it?"


    "Good point."


    Ken kept following his routine of strengthening his body with Qi while training it physically at the same time. When the girls didn''t watch, he would even do push-ups and other types of exercises. The sight of a baby working out was quiteical, but nobody was there to appreciate it.


    The process of refining his body with Qi wasn''t all roses too; it hurt to the extreme. But whenever he remembered the emotional and physical pain from hisst life, he''d barely feel the current pain. After reliving his life a few times in the womb, he turned quite apathetic.


    He thought that he would be able to quickly advance by tailoring the technique to himself, but he found out that his first estimation was wrong. Although he had strengthened his body to the maximum, every few days the maximum would stretch and he had to strengthen himself again.


    Only when he was 2 years old, he finally felt like his body waspletely strengthened and refined by the godly energy. His constitution waspletely different now, so when he grows up, his body will grow in a strengthened way, which would work like a passive body-strengthening process to make him even stronger.


    He was testing his strength every day, and by now he could easily lift around 50 kilograms when using both his hands. At first, he thought it meant his cultivation was bad, since in anime, cultivators could do much more than that. However, he realized it wasn''t about the concrete number, but about the ratio.


    If babies his age could lift normally around 5 kgs without getting too strained, Ken could lift ten times that weight without any strain on his body. And that was only the beginning; the ratio would only improve in his favor as he grows up.


    Now at 2 years old, Ken could already talk fluently hisnguage and was on top of the body strengthening stage, and he started making ns on how to move forward.


    "Mom, I want to be with you today."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He always made sure to stick to simple sentences when talking to his parents, and those were already quite advanced for his age. His mom widened her eyes when she heard his words.


    "Little Ken, you want to be with mommy when she goes to work?"


    She asked with a quivering voice. It was the first time Ken showed interest in her! She was already getting worried he only liked his father and forgot who carried him for 9 months inside her!


    "Yes mommy!"


    He cringed from calling her ''mommy'', but he felt her excitement and wanted to y his part as a toddler to convince her to take him with her.


    "All right, but it''s very dangerous at mommy''s work. You have to listen to mommy and stay where I can see you. Ok?"


    "Okay, I promise."


    Ken didn''t mind her terms, his n was to watch her perform her alchemy arts anyway, and since she was considered the best alchemist in the sect, he had no reason to wander around.


    "Oki, I will take you tomorrow."


    Mei went to sleep with a smile on her face, and she couldn''t wait to brag in front of her husband.


    The next day, Mei woke up and went to check on her son, only to find him standing on his bed.


    ¡¤?¦Èm "Aww, you''re so big! Let mommy take you out of bed."


    It was true; because of god''s blessing and his training regime, he was developing fast. By now, he was at the size of 4 years old, double his age. He could easily jump above the railing of his bed andnd on his two feet, but that wasn''t something babies do, so he chose to wait for his mom toe to his ''rescue''.


    She put him on the ground and the duo left the room and went to the kitchen. Ken''s father was on a mission from the sect, thus he wasn''t at home. It was also the reason Ken chose that day to join Mei; he knew his father will be jealous and be a nuisance.


    Mei stuffed food on Ken''s te, and he started eating.


    "I''m always surprised by the amount of food you can eat."


    "I''m hungry."


    At first, Mei wanted to limit his food supply. Although plump kids were cute, it wasn''t advisable to let your kid be overweight. Especially if you wanted him to cultivate; therger the body, the moreplicated it was to channel the Qiter in the Body Strengthening Stage.


    However, she soon noticed he was growing healthily without getting any fatter, and she just attributed his appetite to his unusual growth speed and gave him all the food he wanted. And she was right; his appetite originated from his developing body.


    After breakfast, she took his hand in hers and they left the house together. Ken thought to pretend the walk was too difficult for him, but he was slowly developing some trusting feelings toward his parents over those past 2 years. After all, they did nothing but shower him with love and caring.


    He decided to give her a glimpse of his abilities, as he assumed it''d be easier if he revealed himself to be an anomaly in small steps rather than show everything at once or be caught training behind their back one day.


    He freed his hand from hers with a pull and started running down the steps, even skipping some steps from time to time.


    "Ken, be careful!"

 Chapter 7 7 – Watching Alchemy

    ?He freed his hand from hers with a pull and started running down the steps.


    "Ken, be careful!"


    After the initial shock, Mei felt her heart racing in anxiety. She disappeared from her ce and ran by Ken''s side, ready to catch him in the slightest sign of stumbling.


    To her astonishment, Ken didn''t stumble even once. They were running 300 meters straight, some of it descending the stairs and some of it on t ground.


    "I''m okay, mom. You don''t need to worry about me."


    "Yes, yes, my little Ken is amazing!"


    She spoke with a smile and took his hand again. They arrived at arge ck building made of stones.


    "Hello, fifth elder. Hello, young master."


    They entered and the girl at the counter bowed and greeted Mei. Then she greeted Ken with a smile.


    "Tell the cooks to make sure to send food for Ken too. He eats a lot, pretty much the same amount as a teenager at the top of the Body Strengthening Stage."


    "He is cultivating already?"


    The girl asked with wide eyes.


    "Haha, don''t be ridiculous. Nobody would let their son cultivate when they''re two years old. He is just growing fast; you won''t believe how talented he is!"


    Ken''s face twitched for a moment, and he quickly wore his innocent face again.


    "Mommy, I want to see your work."


    He reminded his mom of their goal there, and his mom, who was about to brag about Ken''s talent, made a disappointed face butplied.


    "Okay, sweetie, we will go right away. Go back to the counter and don''t forget to let the cooks know."


    Mei sent the girl back to the counter and took Ken to her concocting room.


    "What is this room?"


    He asked her and walked around and touched things that seemed interesting. He was just waiting for her to finish preparing, but he wanted to appear as a curious kid so he can act more freelyter and just me his childish curiosity.


    "This is my concocting room. This is where mommy works and makes pills."


    "What are pills?"


    "Pills are like medicine. They are normally round and made by mixing powerful herbs and ingredients with your Qi as a medium. The differentbinations of Qi and ingredients create different types of pills that have different types of benefits."


    He already asked about Qi in the past, so he didn''t need to ask her about that too.


    "And do you stay in this room all day and concoct those pills? It doesn''t sound fun."


    "Haha, it''s not all I do. I''m in charge of the whole division, so most of the time I make sure that everyone does their jobs or do my own research in order to improve."


    "But who uses all the pills you make?"


    "First, daddy and I consume plenty of them, that''s why we are so important in our sect despite our rtively young agespared to the other sect elders."


    "That''s amazing!"


    ''The balconies closer to the water get the moonlight first (1), seems like my father enjoys a lot of benefits by being married to the elder in charge of the alchemy division.''


    Ken thought inwardly while smiling at his mother.


    "Who else?"


    "If I sell my pills, I can get much CP (A/N: Contribution points) or Qi stones, which I can use to buy things. Mommy''s pills cost a lot because they are the best!"


    She bragged to her son proudly.


    "Mommy is the best! I want to see you make pills."


    He asked again and his mother was about to finish her preparations. She then ced the medicines she needed nearby and the rest she ced on high shelves where her baby couldn''t reach. Or at least that''s what she believed; he could actually jump a few times his height now.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Okay, I will start now. little Ken, don''t touch anything without my permission, okay? You can only watch me work. If you''re bored, let me know and I will call one of the girls to y with you."


    "Okay."


    She concentrated on the furnace in front of her and added 4 ingredients. Ken watched the process attentively as she melted them with her Qi and then mixed them carefully. She then threw other 3 more ingredients and did the same to them. She melted them, then added them one by one to the rest of the ingredients.


    When she finished mixing them, she separated the mix into 5 pieces of which 4 looked good, while one had ck marks on it. She pulled the fifth out and let it fall on the ground while she kept controlling the four remaining ones inside.


    She used her Qi to ce them on a tray inside the furnace and closed the lid. She controlled the mes for 15 minutes before she finished.


    She pulled the pills out and four identical-looking green pills came out of the furnace. She used her Qi to make them float toward Ken and let him observe the pills. He tried to send a hand to grab one, but the pills dodged his hand and he looked at his mom with an annoyed face.


    "Hehe, don''t make this face to me. If you touch the pill with your bare hand without coating it with Qi, the pill will be ruined after a few seconds. You can look, but not touch."


    He looked at the pills again and started scrutinizing them. When he was done, he thought for a moment and a question popped into his mind. He remembered reading in some novels that there were ranks for pills, so the better alchemists could make the same pill better than their worse peers.


    ''This question is too weird for a baby. Never mind, I will find out myself when I try to concoct pills.''


    "When can I use Qi to coat my hands? I want to touch the pills!"


    "Haha, you need to get to the second stage of cultivation first, the dantian and meridians awakening."


    "What are those?"


    This time he was a bit confused; didn''t he already have a dantian? He didn''t have to go through it because the Qi was already part of his body, but he remembered the other kids had to move the Qi from the liquid to their dantian first, but it made no sense if it was awakened only in the second stage.


    "Everyone is born with a dantian and meridians. However, they are unfit for cultivation. The meridians are almostpletely blocked, unable to channel therge amounts of Qi needed to carry out strong martial arts. As for the dantian, it''s unable to create its own Qi, so you''d have to get an external source of Qi every time without this stage."


    "And how do I awaken them?"


    "You''re still too young, so it''s irrelevant. If you keep growing so fast, maybe you will be able to start cultivating before the other kids and then you''ll go through the awakening."


    Ken sighed inwardly and started nning how to put his hands on the technique. But first, he had to learn how to read.


    "Mom, I want this!"


    He pointed at the thickest book he found. He assumed the thickest book would be the book that included all the basic information about the herbs and ingredients in alchemy, and he was right.


    Although he understood some of the principles behind his mom''s concocting, he couldn''t deduce ways to improve the method without first knowing about the ingredients. Since he couldn''t analyze the ingredients through Qi, he could just read the analysis of others from a professional book.


    "It''s not a toy, this is a book. Do you want me to call one of the girls to y with you?"


    He alreadypromised on the cultivation manual and had no ns to back off again. He unsheathed his most lethal weapon, his cuteness. He toddled to his mom and wrapped his little hands around two of her fingers.


    "I don''t want to go, I want to be with you. Mommy, please give me the book."


    He stared at her with puppy eyes as he asked again. Mei rolled her eyes, but her heart melted.


    "Okay, but you can''t y with it."


    "Okay."


    He agreed and she gave him the book from the shelf. He opened the book, looked at it for a few seconds then looked back at her.


    "What is this?"


    "Those are letters. Just like I talk to you now, you can also say the words to the paper so people canter hear what you say to them even if you aren''t next to them. When you talk to the paper it''s called ''writing'', and when others hear it, it''s called ''reading''."


    She exined the concept as well as she could, and to her surprise, Ken didn''t show any trouble understanding it. The way her son would always understand and remember things she exined to him once baffled her sometimes.


    "Show me."


    He pointed at the book, then ced his small palm on it to prevent her from lifting the book. Mei''s eyesight was far better than a normal human''s, so she didn''t need to lie down to read it.


    "Mommy needs to prepare a few more pills for today and do her job. I will read only the first page, and then if you want more I can call the girls."


    ---


    A/N: the balconies closer to the water get the moonlight first ¨C an idiom meaning those with connections get preferential treatment.

 Chapter 8 8 – Learning Alchemy

    ?"Mommy needs to prepare a few more pills for today and do her job. I will read only the first page, and then if you want more, I can call the girls."


    "Okay."


    She read the next page out loud and Ken carefully followed her in the book, remembering the pronunciation of every letter.


    "The Yellow Moon Grass is found mostly in ces with strong humidity and a lot of sunlight. The grass'' properties vary depending on the mixed herbs¡­"


    A few minutester, Mei finished reading the page and ran her hand through Ken''s hair.


    "Was it interesting?"


    The first page was all about the Yellow Moon Grass. It involved ces near the sect where you could find it, what conditions it needs to grow, and how one could mix it with various ingredients to achieve different effects.


    Ken already understood how difficult it was to learn alchemy ¨C one term led to another. Just from reading about this grass, he had to open the information about 14 other ingredients just to see their interaction with this grass. Luckily, he wouldn''t be confused thanks to his memory.


    "Yes, it was very interesting. Can you call one of the girls to read more?"


    He saw some signs he didn''t recognize on the second page, so he figured the first one didn''t have all the letters. His mom nodded and used her Qi to call one of the girls in the building.


    "Keep an eye on him for an hour. Do what he asks you as long as it doesn''t hurt you. You can have 10 CP for it."


    She instructed the girl who nodded in return.


    "Hello young master, I''m Sol, do you want to y with me?"


    "No. Read this page for me."


    The girl''s eyes followed the direction of his finger and cringed when she saw the thick bookying on the floor. She had nightmares from this book; she had been reading it for months and still forgot everything all the time and had to read it over and over again.


    "Um, young master. This is so troublesome and boring, don''t you prefer to y a game? How about ying hide and seek instead? It''s much more fun!"


    She said with a smile, trying to tempt the baby in front of her to ditch his studies for the sake of games.


    "No, read it."


    His high-pitched baby voice masked the coldness in his voice. Ken didn''t believe in humans by now. Even this girl who treated him nicely now only did it because of his superior social standing.


    Ken knew that if he would be considered talentless in cultivation when he grows up, society would shun him, and this girl would be no different. That was the nature of humans; they would respect the strong and bully the weak.


    Since she was only treating him respectfully because he was strong, he will treat her poorly because she was weak.


    "Are you sure?"


    This time he looked at her eyes with clear impatience. The girl shivered for a moment when a feeling of fear crawled on her skin and quickly began to read the next page.


    "Another page."


    She started reading another page this time without arguing.


    "Enough. Stand in the side and be quiet."


    He stopped her in the middle of the third page when he saw could recognize all the letters and sent her away so he can read without being bothered. To the girl, it seemed like he was a baby ying with the book. He would skim through quickly and flip to the next page.


    ''hmph, I was scared for nothing. I must have imagined the threatening look in his eyes. Look, he is just a baby ying with a book."


    She scolded herself inwardly for getting scared of a 2-year-old toddler.


    The book had around 800 pages, and in an hour, he finished around 250 pages.


    "Ken, it''s time to go, I finished concocting pills and I have other work to do, want toe with me?"


    "No, I''m having fun with Sol. I want to be with her in two hours."


    He looked around and saw the girl was bored to death. She was sitting with her legs crossed, her elbow on her knee, and her head resting in her palm. She looked at him while her eyes struggled to stay open.


    Upon hearing his words she widened her eyes in surprise.


    ''What does he mean by having fun with me, he had been flipping pages and ignoring me the whole time!"


    But when seeing Ken''s stare, she decided it was better to just agree with him.


    "That''s¡­ true. I will be happy to keep the young masterpany for 2 more hours."


    "Hmm¡­ really?"


    Mei looked at the duo suspiciously. She obviously saw how bored the girl was when she entered the room. However, she mainly cared about her son''s fun, not the girl''s, so she didn''t mind even if the girl lied.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "All right then, I will pay you 20 more CP."


    She turned around and left. Ken sat back and continued reading the book while Sol closed her eyes again.


    "Sol."


    "Yes, young master? Are you bored and want to y a game?"


    He looked at her with a weird gaze. He was the toddler, so why was she the one excited about ying games?


    "No, tell me what this sign means."


    He pointed at a letter he didn''t see until now.


    "It''s ''x''. Is that all?"


    "Yes."


    She went back to her ce and sat down.


    "You can ce the book back on the shelf."


    He finished reading 2 hourster and woke up Sol who was drifting off, making her open her eyes with excitement.


    "What do you want to do now?"


    She got upzily and did as he said. She never expected a baby to y with a book for three hours straight; he even flipped all the pages until the end and looked at every page!


    "Nothing, my mother shoulde here soon to pick me up."


    "Oh, ok."


    She sat down and waited, while Ken closed his eyes and thought about what he just learned. He still needed to experiment to make more precise judgments, but he coulde up with different forms with different types of effects just by reading the first book.


    He rewatched the scene of his mom making the pill before him and recognized 3 of the 7 ingredients.


    ''I guess not all ingredients were included in that book. It makes sense, it would be weird if the whole world of herbs could enter a single book.


    "Ken, I''m here. Want to grab some food?"


    "Yes, I''m hungry."


    Ken and Sol opened their eyes when they heard Mei''s voice, and Ken went to meet his mother.


    She ordered Sol to go and tell the staff to bring food to her office and left along with Ken.


    "Mommy, do you have more books about herbs except for the one I yed with earlier?"


    "Yes, there are three more. Did you have fun ying with that book?"


    "Mm, yes. Can you give me the rest of the books?"


    "I can¡­ but did you really have that much fun ying with the book? Does it matter which book you y with?"


    "It matters."


    When they arrived at her office, she took three books from the shelf and showed Ken how she ced them in her space ring.


    "I took them, just remind me to give them to you at home, okay cutie?"


    Ken nodded and continued to think about the potential of alchemy.


    ''If my ideas are true, there are plenty of ways to increase my base power. I should concoct those theoretical pills as soon as possible, so when I get strengthenedter as I climb up the stages, the power multiplication will also apply to this strengthening.''


    His idea meant that if, for example, he had now 10 points of power and staging up would double his power. If he took a pill that could grant him 4 points of power, then he would have 28 points after breaking through. But if he took the pill only after he staged up, then he would have 24 points instead.


    It was the same principle he found out by training his body as an infant rather than waiting until when he turned 12; the earlier you add your improvements, the better the results will be.


    The day ended and they went back home. Ken spent the rest of the day traveling with his mother around the building, so he got to see all kinds of concocting techniques that were added to his calctions.


    "Mom, please give me the books."


    Mei took the three books out of her space rings and gave them to Ken. She sighed at the thought of buying new ones for herself.


    Ken spent the next three days learning about herbs and ingredients for alchemy and running mental experiments in his mind. Now that he had so many ideas to try out, he felt a new sense of urgency to awaken his meridians and dantian.

 Chapter 9 9 – Hiring An Assistant

    ?"Mom, what''s Sol''s cultivation rank?"


    "I''m not sure, but I guess she is in the Meridian Awakening Stage. She probably awakened around 4-5 of her main meridians by now."


    "How many meridians are there?"


    "12 main ones, 8 minor ones, and 45 coteral ones."


    ''I guess this stage isn''t a one-time thing but a long process.''


    He thought to himself.


    "I want Sol to be with me from now on."


    His mom widened her eyes in surprise.


    "No way, is he at this age already? He has grown so fast!"


    She muttered to herself, and Ken could hear it clearly. He rolled his eyes at his mother''s nonsense and cleared the misunderstanding.


    "I had fun ying with her and she did whatever I said. I like the way she reads the books too."


    "Oh, so he just rtes her with his new hobby. Phew¡­ there is no way a 2-year-old baby would have such thoughts."


    She was having a monologue with herself, and Ken had to remind her of his request.


    "So, is that ok?"


    "I will ask for her opinion. If she agrees, then sure."


    "Tell her toe at least once before she decides."


    ''She didn''t even think to question if it meant I understood everything else when I asked her to tell me the meaning of the ''x'' letter. She must be a bit dumb and doesn''t overthink much. If I understand her character correctly, she''d be a great servant until I grow up and don''t need a grown-up as my representative.''


    "Mommy, can you give me a good pill for someone in the Meridian Awakening Stage? I want to give it as a gift for Sol to convince her to stay with me."


    "Haha, who taught you to be cunning enough to bribe?"


    She tweaked his nose andughed.


    "All right, you can trust mommy!"


    She was enjoying his attention those past few days and nned to tell her husband about it when he returns from his mission that evening. However, she needed Ken to still be on her side for that to happen, so she chose to grant him his wishes if they weren''t overboard for now.


    Two dayster, Ken heard hesitant steps in the backyard. He jumped and looked outside the window, and saw it was Sol as expected. After his brain had been strengthened, he could easily hear her muttering to herself.


    "Was I wrong ining here? This baby is scary. Maybe I should decline? But the sry is better than running errands in the alchemy building."


    She was pacing back and forth in front of the entrance and couldn''t make up her mind.


    "Well, since I''m here, I can try it out today and decideter."


    She knocked on the door and his mom opened it. She obviously heard her too but chose to remain silent about it and let Sol make her choice. Although she was kind of upset with Sol calling her son ''scary''. He was the cutest in the world!


    "Ken, your new friend arrived!"


    Mei called him and he toddled out of the room toward Sol.


    "Sol, I brought you a gift because I was having so much fun with you!"


    He said with a bright smile and gave her a jade bottle. Sol took it with a surprised expression and opened the bottle. An invigorating fragrance came out of it, and she saw inside 3 pills.


    ''He never smiled like that to me. Is he really that happy over some reading or he''s actually a natural maniptor?''


    Mei wondered to herself when she saw Ken''s acting skills. She decided it just means her son is good at understanding people and left for work.


    "Thank you, young master! I didn''t realize you cared about me that much!"


    Sol was ecstatic about the gifts; each one would cost her a whole month of CP in her usual work, and that''s without considering her other expenses which made it impossible.


    "Of course. If you stay by my side, I will keep giving you gifts. When I grow up, I will have even more gifts to give!"


    He encouraged her to think about how her rewards would increase in the future despite not having any n to keep her for that long. Of course, she didn''t need to know that.


    "I will think about it, young master. What would you like to do today?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Let''s y hide and seek! I don''t know the rules, can you teach me?"


    That day, Ken only yed games with her. He had patience and understood he first needed her to agree to stay before dumping all the real work on her. By the next day, Sol made her decision.


    "I agree to your offer, Elder Mei."


    "Are you aware that by taking a job as Ken''s permanent¡­ um¡­ assistant, you can''t leave for a year?"


    She had to admit that it didn''t sound too much of an honor for a cultivator to leave her job for bing a babysitter, so she switched to ''assistant''.


    "Yes, Elder Mei."


    "All right then. You''re starting today, have fun together."


    "Young Master, what should we y today?"


    She went to Ken with a smile.


    "I want you to tell me a story."


    "Aww, I have one I like about Emperor Gale, a great cultivator from thousands of years ago!"


    "Oh, maybe another time. I want you to describe to me your cultivation journey."


    "Hmm, it''s not that interesting since most of my jobs were running errands for the pill division. I didn''t fight much."


    She said embarrassedly.


    "That''s not what I meant. I mean your actual training regime, how you broke through, the manuals, everything."


    "I think you will find it boring, young master. When you grow up you will get better manuals and techniques."


    "It''s fine, just tell me. If it gets boring, I will stop you."


    She told him how she joined the sect from a family of mortals when she was 11. She joined the outer sect and managed to get a job at the inner sect''s pill division. At first, she was ecstatic and believed it would open a path for her into the inner sect, but soon she found out she was just running errands.


    Even worse, she barely had time to cultivate, and she didn''t get any special benefitspared to the ones who stayed in the outer sect. In fact, those who stayed behind had their elders to teach them, while no elder from the inner sect would teach an outer disciple.


    Those difficulties were part of the reason she decided to ept Ken''s offer despite the low status as a babysitter that came with it.


    "I see. Just do what I say and keep it a secret for me, and you might have a chance to go beyond your limits one day. Remember, it''s better to be on my good side than on my bad side. And if you reveal something you shouldn''t, then nobody will have your back."


    ¡¤?¦Èm He gave her a warning and patted her thigh.


    "What do you mean?"


    "You will see, I have many missions for you. Don''t worry, I will reward you generously as long as you don''t fail me."


    It was hard to take a baby seriously when he spoke such things, but for some reason, she could feel he waspletely serious. She didn''t know how he could be so smart for his age, but she understood he was right. If she could stick to this golden thigh, she might get resources she''d never get otherwise.


    ''It was a risk to tell her those things, but if she doesn''t betray me it will allow me more freedom to move around her. I''m 99% sure she won''t betray me; she will lose her only backer if she does, and she should understand it.''


    Ken gave it onest thought and decided it was indeed the best route of action.


    "Now tell me about the process of awakening your dantian and meridians."


    "But I didn''t tell you yet about the stage before that!"


    "it''s ok, I already know about it."


    "Oh. Well, the process is quite simple. After you strengthen your body, it can survive the process of awakening your dantian and meridian. You should always awaken your dantian first since awakening the meridians require a lot of Qi, and you''ll fail without a dantian to hold Qi."


    "Hm, I see. How does it work?"


    "It''s quite straightforward conceptually. You just fill it to the brim with Qi, and when it starts hurting, you keep filling it. Of course, it''s not that simple since doing it requires manipting the Qi in a certain way."


    ''It means I will also need to use the godly energy for it. I underestimated its power previously; my strengthening process consumed less than 1% of the energy. It''s probably because I used the power of Qi in my calctions, while this energy is something else, far more powerful.''


    However, there was one problem.


    ''The downside is that around 3% of it just dissipated during the time that passed, so I should hurry and use it as much as I can before it''s gonepletely.''

 Chapter 10 10 – Learning About The Dantian And Meridians

    ?Ken thought for a moment until he decided how to go about the situation.


    "Do you have ess to a library?"


    He asked Sol as ideas started popping up in his mind.


    "Yes, I should still have ess to the lowest floor of the alchemy library and some general books about cultivation in the inner sect. I also have ess to the technique treasury, but techniques and manuals cost a lot of CP. I need to save for a year just to get one technique if I don''t buy any pill to support my cultivation."


    Ken nodded when he heard her exnation. It made sense that the sect made the disciples work hard for small rewards; this way those at the top could continue to enjoy free resources almost unlimitedly.


    "Can you bring books out of the library?"


    "I can take out 3 books at any given time. However, I must return them within 3 months, and I need to register my name. Young Master, you really love books."


    "I do. From tomorrow bring with you three books every day. Borrow them after you leave today."


    "Hmm, okay."


    She felt that this young master had weird whims, but as long as he didn''t tear those books, she didn''t mind following them. She was still grateful for those pills she just got and couldn''t wait to absorb them.


    "Give me your manual for today."


    "Um, I need it, young master. I can''t get another one from the sect."


    "I will give it back before you leave. You can go prepare lunch while I read it."


    "Eh, okay."


    She said with a downcast face and gave him the manual. She understood she was scammed, and Ken wasn''t going to be a normal kid and y games.


    ''But hey, I can use this time to read about alchemy and cultivation so I can improve my knowledge. Unfortunately, I can''t meditate and cultivate; if something happens to the young master and I won''t even notice it, I will be executed for sure.''


    She sat by his side and watched him as he flipped a page every few seconds. She didn''t go to prepare lunch because there were still over 2 hours until lunch. She sighed, a baby was just finding an excuse to get rid of her!


    Ken didn''t mind her presence and just focused on reading the book. The manual was much shorter than the alchemy books; he finished it within 40 minutes only.


    "You can take it back."


    She just rolled her eyes in annoyance and took it.


    "I don''t have any other books with me."


    She immediately said after taking the manual.


    "I know you must have fighting techniques, don''t lie to me."


    She widened her eyes in surprise; she didn''t expect this too clever baby to know that.


    "Haha, young master. You must be a cultivator for those books to hold any value, that''s what I meant when I said I had no other books."


    Sheughed awkwardly and found an excuse. But Ken just raised an eyebrow.


    "Isn''t that the case for all those books I''ve been reading?"


    ''What reading? You were just looking at the pages and flipped them after a few seconds!''


    She screamed inwardly but chose to remain silent.


    "It''s ok, I don''t care about those techniques. Sit down and remove your clothes."


    He really didn''t care about them. He could learn how to fightter, for now, he just wanted to boost his cultivation as fast as he could.


    "Um, what?"


    She thought she heard him wrong. She didn''t expect a toddler to abuse his authority this way!


    "You heard me, just remove your clothes and sit here to meditate. Why are you acting shy in front of a baby?"


    "But young master, why do you need me to be naked?"


    She asked curiously and started removing her clothes. She obviously knew that babies didn''t have a sex drive, and she just couldn''t understand Ken''s peculiarities.


    "Wait, young master! Why are you removing your clothes too?"


    "I''m going to sit in yourp, but I need skin-to-skin touch. You can consume the pills now and train."


    He really had no choice. His Qi sensing abilities were too weak before awakening his dantian and meridians. He had to touch her as much as possible to feel the Qi channeling in her body.


    Sol knew how cultivation works and a weird idea came into her mind. She then hesitantly mustered the courage to ask the seemingly impossible.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Young master... is it possible that you are in the Body Strengthening Stage?"


    If she thought about it from this perspective, his drive to learn about the second stage could make sense. It would also exin why he wanted to be skin-to-skin with her; it was necessary for him to feel her Qi if it was true.


    "It''s true, but you must keep this a secret from anyone else, even from my own parents, if you want to continue to be by my side and reap benefits."


    Although she was the one to ask this question, she was still surprised beyond words. how could he possibly achieve that?


    "Young master, are you telling me the truth? Don''t prank me."


    She said with a somewhat coquettish voice as she poked his shoulder with her finger.


    Ken sighed and decided to just prove it to her.


    "Reach out with your arms and resist my push."


    She was sitting crossed-legged, so they were about the same height when Ken stood up. She reached her hands out and waited for Ken''s push expectantly. Ken approached her and ced his palms against hers and pushed as strongly as he could.


    "AH!"


    She screamed in fright as she was sent back to her back and rolled on the ground once before stopping. She didn''t really resist much because she still couldn''t believe it, and Ken managed to move her!


    "I told you to resist, so why did you doubt me? Now sit down and start absorbing the pills."


    He climbed on herp and hugged her to have as much skin contact as he could and waited for her to start the process.


    As a baby, he didn''t have any physical reaction to the fact that he was hugging a naked girl, and it didn''t distract him. Even if he was 18 years old, he would still face no problem concentrating on the task at hand; he was thinking from his upper part.


    He felt the normal state of her Qi before she took the pills, and felt arge pool of it in her lower stomach, where her dantian was. He could also see Qi being pulled from the air into 5 streams where her awakened meridians were.


    Then, she ate all 3 pills at once and started cultivating her technique ording to the method described in the manual Ken read earlier. He saw how the Qi was trying to enter a clogged meridian and fail, but each time opens a small part of it.


    He kept watching the whole process for two hours straight without losing concentration for a single moment until it was done, and she finished opening her sixth meridian.


    "That''s amazing! It took me around 6 months for each meridian, and now with those pills, I finished the whole process in two hours!"


    "Hm, that''s nice."


    He answered her without listening. He was thinking about all the ideas he had for how to improve her manual and how to best imitate the effects of a pill by using Qi maniption techniques. He started calcting and integrating his knowledge from the former stage with the manual and his observations.


    *Growl*


    His stomach interrupted his thoughts and Sol chuckled.


    "Hehe, young master, you''re still a normal child in some aspects. I will go make lunch for us. Since you''re a cultivator, should I make dishes with Qi for you?"


    "Yes, but take a shower first."


    She was all sweaty from the practice. The awakening of the sixth meridian was painful, and she groaned in pain most of the process.


    Ken took a bamboo pen and started writing a new manual. At first, the letters were ugly and weird looking because of his inexperience in writing, but after the first few pages, each stroke was perfectly done and looked like a drawing.


    45 minutester, Sol served him a tray of food. He noticed there was much less food than his usual meals, but he remembered she mentioned something about Qi ingredients.


    He ate the food, and for the first time ever since he started cultivating, he felt full.


    ''I guess I needed to consume food containing Qi to fill my body. I can''t stuff my body with as much normal food as I want because of the physical limitations, but the amount I can eat can''t supply enough energy to my body.''


    "From now on, make sure to always use Qi ingredients in my food. Throw the normal amount of food so my mom thinks I ate the normal food like always. Onest thing, bring me books about dantian for tomorrow."


    Later that evening when his mother came home and saw the food consumption had doubled, she raised an eyebrow at the skinny Sol.


    "Did any guestse over?"


    Sol helplessly looked at Ken for help. Ken looked at his mother''srge breasts and at Sol''s modest twins.


    "Mom, she''s still a growing woman."


    He said with an innocent voice. Mei followed his line of sight and gave an awkward smile.


    "You''re right... make sure to eat a lot, Sol."


    "Thank you, Elder Mei..."


    Sol bowed and left the house on the verge of tears.

 Chapter 11 11 – Manipulating Daddy

    ?Ken sat with his parents for dinner after Sol left and his mom told Haoran about Ken''s new interest in books.


    "Is it true, Ken? Do you want Daddy to get you more books?"


    "No, Daddy. I only like the books Mommy gives me."


    Haoran looked at his son with a broken heart, while Mei smiled victoriously.


    "See? I told you he will understand who loves him more."


    "Bullshit! You must have bribed him behind my back!"


    "Don''t swear next to Ken."


    "Oh, right."


    Ken fought back the urge to roll back his eyes. His parents started using a sound barrier for their nightly activities only when he started talking, but for the whole year before that, he heard his mom screaming profanities during nighttime for hours.


    Ken went back to his room after dinner and waited for his words to take effect. Soon, he heard steps outside his room.


    "Bingo."


    He smiled inwardly but kept a straight face when his father entered the room.


    "Ken, cutie, did you miss me?"


    "Um, no. Mom was with me."


    "What? But you love both of us, right?"


    "I don''t know."


    "Ken, look what I brought you!"


    He took out a book and gave it to Ken. He stopped trying to give Ken candies long ago; whenever he tried in the past, Ken just threw them to the ground. It''s not like he didn''t like candies, but he wanted to force his parents to bribe him with better things.


    Ken looked at the book briefly and saw the title "The Tales of Venerable Lena" and looked away. He wasn''t interested in legends and stories; he wanted concrete information he could use.


    "I don''t like it."


    "What, why not?"


    "It''s not fun."


    "No, no! This book is a lot of fun. It''s much more fun than Mommy''s alchemy books. This one has fun stories! How about I read some to you?"


    "No. I like Mommy''s books."


    "Um, is there anything else you like?"


    "Yes, Mommy said I will be able to make pills like her when I grow up, but I first need to get a dantan and meridans."


    He pronounced it wrong on purpose to make it sound like it was the first time he heard those words.


    "Haha, you must be referring to dantian and meridians!"


    "Yes. I want to surprise Mom with my knowledge. Will you give me the best books about how to get those things?"


    His father thought for a moment. It would be dangerous if Ken tried to follow the manual without instructions and without being in the first stage, but Ken couldn''t read. But if Ken couldn''t read, then his request was weird. Was it because babies didn''t make sense?


    "But Ken, you can''t read. How will you know what''s written in the book?"


    "You can teach me to read. If you don''t want to, I can ask Mom or Sol to teach me."


    "No, I want to! I wille every night and teach you. I will give you the book tomorrow and start teaching you to read, what do you think?"


    Haoran nned to give him the manual but steal it back after teaching him to read. He would get Ken''s love, keep Ken out of danger, and Ken wouldn''t be able to me him for the book''s disappearance. This was killing three birds with one stone!


    "Okay, thank you, Dad. I love you!"


    Ken gave him a big smile and Haoran''s heart melted. After Haoran left, Ken finished writing the new manual he was working on for Sol.


    The next day, Sol came and gave Ken the three books she borrowed from the library right away. They weren''t manuals, but books with a lot of general knowledge about the dantian and the way it worked.


    There were a few techniques described along with their effects, but the descriptions weren''t enough for the readers to be able to perform them. At least not for the readers who weren''t Ken.


    "Sol, I managed to get a slightly better manual for you. Learn it, and we can try it out after you finish memorizing it."


    The whole manual was around 40 pages, and Sol already knew 80% of it since it was based on the manual she gave him, so she should be able to finish memorizing it in under 2 hours. Overall, they had around 10 hours to spend together before his dad came back from work.


    "REALLY? Thank you so much, young master! I promise to always be by your side!"


    Sol shouted excitedly as she took the manual with her hands. Her face turned downcast when she saw it was just papers instead of an actual book.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Young master, perhaps¡­ are you the one who wrote it?"


    "Yes, any problem?"


    ''Of course there''s a problem! How could I trust a cultivation manual written by a baby for a stage he didn''t even reach?!''


    She screamed inwardly but maintained an awkward smile outwardly.


    "No, no problem at all. Let me read the manual first."


    She opened the manual and saw Ken''s ugly handwriting on the first page.


    "Hehe, Young Master''s handwriting is like flying dragons and dancing phoenixes." (1)


    Sheughed nervously as her doubts piled up faster than dirty dishes in a single man''s apartment.


    "Wait, it actually is!"


    She said with an astonished voice after she flipped a few pages and saw the beautiful handwriting on thetter pages.


    "Stop wasting time and memorize the manual. You can trust me."


    "Fine, I will give it a try."


    She said with a depressed tone and went to memorize it. 2 hourster, Ken finished reading the three books and Sol finished memorizing the new manual.


    "Young Master, let''s eat lunch first this time."


    45 minutester, Ken sat in Sol''sp again and wrapped his little arms around her.


    "Young Master, it still feels weird when you tell me to take off my clothes."


    "Stop talking nonsense and start cultivating."


    Sol closed her eyes and started cultivating. She found the techniques surprisingly easy to execute, and everything felt like it was falling into ce. Ken did his best to match the technique to Sol''s specific constitution while keeping it simple and close enough to the original manual, so she won''t have too many difficulties.


    He understood that Sol didn''t have his memory or intelligence, so she couldn''t memorize dozens of different Qi maniption techniques for every step in the process and use them all at the right times.


    Ken closed his eyes and focused on the differences in her body and see the changes and improvements. Sol was ultimately his guinea pig for methods that he wasn''t 100% sure were safe.


    "Young Master, I''m sorry for doubting you! This manual is a total treasure, I will never doubt you again!"


    Sol''s excited screams echoed in the room as she jumped in tion. This was even better than the pills!


    The pills were a one-time thing, while the manual would help her through the whole stage. She just didn''t know she was on the right for doubting him; he wasn''tpletely sure those would be the results. He was just sure enough to be willing to let someone else try it.


    "Good, how''s your progress?"


    "I feel like I progressed almost a whole hundredth in awakening my next meridian!"


    It didn''t sound like much, but that''s what she achieved in under 2 hours. If she could cultivate 3-4 hours a day, she''d be able to progress by at least 2%, which would mean she''d finish awakening the next meridian in under 2 months, a huge improvementpared to her former pace of 6 months per meridian.


    "It will even give me a better chance of getting some of my minor meridians opened!"


    She said happily.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Well, one is officially in the Dantian and Meridians Awakening Stage when they finish awakening their 12 major meridians. At that point, they can start advancing to the next stage."


    "What about the 8 minor meridians and the 45 coteral ones?"


    "They aren''t mandatory. However, the more you open, the stronger you get. Even more importantly, you will be able to advance in your cultivation much further in the future."


    "I see. But your manual only included the 12 major meridians, how will you awaken the rest?"


    "I will save as much CP as I can and try to get a manual and give it to you to improve it for me!"


    Ken thought for a moment and realized his father probably won''t even think to give him the one with only 12 major meridians as the outer sects use. They probably only held a copy of this iplete manual to control the outer sect, not to use it themselves.


    "Wait a few days first. Just get me more books about the dantian and meridians. I will figure out something."


    "Okay, Young Master, you can trust me."


    He could reinvent the techniques described in the books she gave him about the dantian, but it was pointless to do so before getting all the data he could from the manual his father promised.


    ---


    A/N: Flying dragons and dancing phoenixes ¨C Chinese idiom meaning really beautiful handwriting, but often used as sarcasm. Sol at first used it sarcastically but then changed her mind.

 Chapter 12 12 – Cultivating The Dantian

    ?"Hey Ken, look what I brought you!"


    Haoran brought out a book. Ken read the title and saw it said it was a manual for the stage he needed. However, the manual was much thicker than Sol''s. From a nce, he estimated it as around 200 pages.


    "Is this the best book?"


    Hisrge baby eyes stared into Haoran''s.


    "It is. It''s the book I nned on giving you when you turned 12."


    Haoran answered truthfully.


    "Thank you, Daddy."


    Haoran yed with him for a few minutes when he remembered their agreement.


    "Do you still want to learn how to read?"


    "Yes! But I want to y with my new book first."


    "Okay, I will watch you and we can learn after."


    Ken started reading while Haoran watched him flip the pages every 15-20 seconds or so. He was losing patience when he saw Ken didn''t skip a single page and looked at each one of them. 45 minutester, he raised his head to his father.


    "I finished, teach me how to read."


    They passed the next hour learning a few letters that Ken pretended to have hardships understanding, and they called it a day.


    "We can continue tomorrow, cutie."


    "Oki."


    Ken spent the next hour thinking about all the knowledge he had gained and integrated it into oneplete story. When he finished, it was time for him to go to bed and he fell asleep.


    He still needed around 10 hours of sleep at night and 2 hours of naps during the day as a 2-year-old, and he made sure not to sleep less to avoidplications in his growing process.


    In the morning, he took a paper and a bamboo pen again and started writing again until breakfast was ready. After eating the breakfast Haoran prepared, his parents soon left the house and Sol arrived. She had a tired face and ck circles under her eyes which she tried to hide with makeup.


    "Young Master, I was so excited about the manual I didn''t notice the hour and barely got any sleep."


    Sheined to the writing baby in front of her while she was lying on her stomach and resting her chin on the back of her palms.


    "Just sleep, you got two hours and a half until you need to prepare lunch."


    He wasn''t the type of boss that demanded his employees pretend to work even when there was nothing to do.


    "Hehe, you''re the best, Young Master."


    She fell asleep on the floor a few meters away from Ken and her light snoring sounded in the room.


    ''You could sleep in another room.''


    Ken thought in irritation but soon concentrated on writing his manual again.


    *SLAP*


    "OUCH!"


    Three hourster, Ken woke up Sol from her sleep.


    "Three hours passed, so I woke you up."


    "I''m sorry Young Master for not waking up on time. But pping a woman''s butt is inappropriate!"


    "I''m a baby, I didn''t know."


    He shrugged it off and Sol had no choice but to drop it and get up. She rubbed her aching butt and left for the kitchen. She gave up on talking back to this peculiar toddler.


    After lunch, he handed her the book he finished writing while she was asleep.


    "Take it. Although you''ve already awakened your dantian, I believe you can still improve it by following those steps. Stop your meridian training for now and focus on improving your dantian first. It will also improve your future as well as the prospects of your meridians'' awakening process."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Okay, thank you, Young Master."


    She didn''t forget his status was above hers despite the favors he was pouring on her. She was d she made the decision to leave her job as an errand runner and be a babysitter.


    Although Ken had an almostplete understanding of the second stage by now, he still wanted to see the effects of his manual on Sol''s dantian before moving on with his own advancing. He just had to do some tweaks and simplify some techniques for her.


    The next 3 days had the same routine: during the day Sol would memorize the manual he wrote for her for dantian awakening and he read the books she was bringing about the dantian and about the meridians, and during the evenings his father would "teach" him how to read.


    "Young Master, I finished memorizing the manual and am ready to try it."


    Sol announced on the fourth day and started removing her clothes. Since she already knew what was going to happen, she didn''t wait for Ken to tell her to remove her clothes.


    Ken sat in his usual spot in herp and hugged her. They both closed their eyes and concentrated. Sol was practicing as depicted in the manual while Ken sensed the changes in her body and how the process worked.


    *Growl*


    He was so focused he didn''t even notice his hunger. 5 hours passed since they began the cultivation session, and lunchtime had passed an hour or two ago.


    "Ok, let''s eat quickly and continue."


    Since Ken wanted to continueter, the sweaty duo didn''t take a shower yet and didn''t wear their clean clothes. Thus, theical scene of a sweaty naked baby and a sweaty naked babysitter eating lunch together could be seen if anyone peeped.


    45 minutester Ken was sitting in Sol''sp again. They started their cultivation session again when Ken noticed it was dangerouslyte.


    "Quick! Wash us and get dressed!"


    There were around 15 minutes until one of his parents came back home, and they quickly took a shower together and got dressed.


    Sol was starting to feel weird about the fact she was getting toofortable being naked around Ken. She wondered if he would remember it when he grew up since he seemed to remember everything. But Ken was thinking about other matters.


    ''It should be enough. I will start cultivating my dantian tomorrow.''


    He read more books since he wrote the manual for Sol, so he knew he could improve her manual, too. But since her memory and understanding were limited, the improvement would be minor, and he only improved her cultivation for testing his ideas. He didn''t really care about her improvement other than that anyway.


    He waited expectantly for his parents to leave the next day after breakfast to start his cultivation.


    "Sol, I''m going to cultivate. You can cultivate too or do anything else you want, just don''t bother me."


    "Are you sure, Young Master? It''s considered very dangerous for kids your age to cultivate. Do you even have a pill to support your dantian''s awakening with Qi?"


    "I''m the one who wrote your manual, why are you worried?"


    "Um, I guess you''re right. Good luck, Young Master. Don''t forget I will be killed too if you die, so be careful!"


    Herst warning came out wrong, but she didn''t notice it and just sat at the side and cultivated. She was much more motivated now and didn''t want to lose to a toddler.


    Ken closed his eyes and sensed his body again. He had around 96.5% of the godly energy left. He started channeling some of it to his dantian in a weak stream. In fact, it was less of a stream and more of a trickle. The godly energy was multiple times stronger than Qi, and he had to adjust the quantity mentioned in the manual.


    He started feeling strong pressure in his stomach, and this time his baby body didn''t help in negating much of the pain like in the former stage.


    The unawakened dantian was small and leaked any energy that entered. With a Qi maniption technique, he made the energy enter via the hole that leaked. This way the leaking was blocked while receiving the Qi it needed.


    He started making the godly energy fill his dantian and smeared it all over the boundaries of the dantian. Then, he pushed it at all at once.


    "Argh!"


    He groaned in pain when the dantian''s boundaries grew, making it bigger. He made more godly energy enter and did the process again. Despite the pain, he continued with this method for an hour. When his constant fear of being rejected, betrayed, and abused by society resurfaced, he forgot his pain.


    "If I can''t be strong enough, I will only be other''s servants like Sol. I must stand at the top and be the one looking down on the rest!"


    After a whole hour of painful stretching, came the moment of rxation. He prepared in advance a long sequence of different techniques for each step in the awakening process to get the best results possible. If he wrote it down as a manual, it''d probably be over a thousand pages long with all the details.


    Now the energy soothed his dantian, making it rxed before making it go through another stage of stretching. A cool, pleasant sensation filled him.


    ''That''s one way to please myself.''


    He thought to himself and continued his cultivation. That day, he only stopped twice; once for lunch, and once before his parents arrived to wash his sweat.

 Chapter 13 13 – Freedom Of Information

    ?That day, Ken only stopped cultivating twice; once for lunch, and once to wash his sweat before his parents arrived.


    This process went on for a week. He slowly erged his dantian painfully and then soothed it pleasantly. A weekter, he got to the maximum size and couldn''t make it grow anymore.


    ''Now it''s time for the second phase of the dantian awakening process.''


    Instead of pushing the dantian''s boundaries, the energy entered the boundaries and strengthened them directly.


    The dantian''s maximum Qi capacity was limited by two things ¨C its size and its firmness. Therger it was the more Qi could enter, and the firmer it was, the more this Qi could bepressed into a smaller ball of energy which exuded more pressure.


    If someone tried to absorb more Qi into his dantian after it was filled, he''d have topress the Qi to make more room. If hepressed the Qi to the point his dantian couldn''t stand the pressure anymore, his dantian would burst and that person will most likely die or be crippled.


    So this whole week Sol would sit next to him and they cultivated together every day, all day. Sol was now working again on her dantian in order to push it to the limits with the new technique. She refused to cultivate in a different room; she wanted to be by Ken''s side in case something went wrong with his cultivation.


    Since she was cultivating quietly, Ken just let her be. Another week started, and Ken was erging his dantian again; with the new firmness, he could stretch it again.


    ''My dantian is farrger than Sol''s from before giving her the manual I created. Although her current one is the same size as mine, my dantian''s firmness is much higher. More importantly, my dantian became now a part of my constitution and will grow with me in the future as part of my natural growth.''


    Awakening his dantian took him 3 months, and he trained almost 10 hours daily. While it might sound like a long time, it was the same amount of time that Sol needed the first time she went through the process, and that''s only because he switched his techniques each time he exhausted the effects of the former technique.


    "Sol, don''t train your meridians with the former manual I gave you. I''ve learned a lot in those days, so I''ll write a better one for you. Just wait a few days."


    The former manual he wrote for her meridians'' awakening couldn''t represent the manual he had nned to use for himself, so he couldn''t use its effects for reference anymore.


    "Thank you, Young Master, you''re the best!"


    She hugged him, catching him unprepared.


    "Uhm, sorry, I overstepped my ce."


    She apologized and lowered her head when she realized he didn''t hug her back. Ken didn''t mind it, he understood she was just expressing her gratitude.


    "It''s ok, I''m just not the hugging type."


    "Pfft!"


    She couldn''t hold herughter for a moment but soon restrained herself by biting her lower lip forcefully.


    "Why are youughing?"


    He squinted his eyes in anger. He didn''t like beingughed at, it reminded him of his former life when he was considered a failure. A cold aura exuded from his body.


    Now that his dantian was formed and slowly absorbed Qi inside, he could manifest the Qi in some ways, and aura was one of them. He didn''t mean to do it, it just happened naturally in his anger.


    "I''m sorry, Young Master! I just had a stupid thought that you are only two years old and already know what you like!"


    Ken calmed when he heard her exnation. He didn''t think about her perspective; it must have sounded weird to hear a baby calling himself a person. He understood he had been too sensitive; Sol wasn''t in a position to mean any harm to him.


    "Forget it."


    "Young Master, the librarian started asking me why I''m swapping books daily. What should I tell him?"


    "Just stop borrowing new books. Return thest batch in 4 weeks from now, I''ve learned enough. I already read everything you gave me in another book or understood on my own by reading the former books. They have no further value to me."


    It was the truth. Although he diligently read all the books she had brought, they didn''t add any new knowledge. He felt he already understood all there was to understand about the Meridian Awakening Stage.


    He spent the next day writing the manual for Sol and gave it to her. This time it was based more on the manual his father gave to him rather than on the one she used.


    "This is only the manual for the major and minor meridians. As for the coteral ones, I''ll write the manual for themter."


    During those three months he was working on his dantian, Sol already finished boosting hers in a month since she already went through some of the processes and her manual was shorter than Ken''s. She used the other two months to open her seventh meridian.


    "Thank you."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    She thanked him and sat down to read the manual. She already understood that her young master liked it when she worked hard and showed him the results of his work as soon as possible. If she spent the day ying around or beingzy, he''d frown and turn grumpy until she did what he wanted her to do.


    Ken found a problem with his test subject. The best her body could achieve with his techniques was awakening the major and minor meridians. Because of her poor foundation from the former stage, she wouldn''t be able to test his manual for the coteral meridians in the future.


    ''It''s not toote to boost her body foundation because the second stage doesn''t affect the body, it''s just opening the meridians and the dantian. I need to make ns to improve it for her and I will probably be able to improve mine as well since I didn''t have enough data when I created the manual for myself, although I''ve maximized the gains with what I had.''


    It was better to lose a month or two and maximize the gains of each step than to regret having lower strength and a limited futureter. He decided to finish the farce of having his father teach him how to read that night.


    "My son is a genius! You can read before you turned 3, that must be a record in the sect!"


    Later that night when his father showed him the letters, he disyed enough reading skills to graduate from his father''s reading school, making his father excited instantly.


    "Daddy, now I can read the book you gifted me! I ced it in my drawer, let me go get it and we can read some of it together."


    Haoran started sweating bullets. He didn''t want to see his son''s downcast face when he realizes the book was gone. He already stole it two weeks ago, which was also why Ken felt he could proceed with his n.


    He wanted enough time to pass so it won''t seem suspicious that he brought the book up, and now was a perfect time.


    "Wuuuu! I can''t find my book, Daddy! Help me find it!"


    He started crying loudly, screaming his soul out as if he was subjected to horrendous child abuse.


    "Little Ken, don''t cry, don''t cry! It''s just a book, I will get you another one!"


    "I want the same one!"


    "Um, it will take a few years for me to get another copy of this book, Ken. Can''t you wait?"


    Haoran didn''t want his son to cultivate his dantian yet, so despite Ken''s heart-breaking wails, he wouldn''t budge on this matter.


    "No!"


    "What if I give you other books?"


    "They will be gone too!"


    He refused outright. It was time to put an end to these limits on information; he was from the inte era where freedom of information was a thing.


    "I want ess to the library. I want Sol to take me there every day!"


    Ken watched his father hesitate before he decided to scream again.


    "What happened? Why is he crying? Ken, are you ok?"


    His mother stormed into the room this time. She didn''t enter before because she knew her husband was with him, but after hearing him crying twice she got worried, especially because Ken rarely cried.


    "He''s fine, dear, nothing happened."


    "My book is gone from my drawer! Someone took it from me!"


    Mei was obviously aware of what really happened to the book. She red at her husband; she was against giving him the book just to steal it after.


    "He wants ess to the library now."


    His father said with a helpless tone. Although they could arrange that with their identity, it was still an awkward request to make to the sect. Besides, Sol wasn''t supposed to be part of the privileged.


    "It''s okay sweetheart, I can give you ess to the library in my alchemy division. You love alchemy, right?"


    "No, the missing book was a gift from Dad, I want ess to the library in the guarding division!"

 Chapter 14 14 – Awakening The Major Meridians

    ?"The missing book was a gift from Dad, I want ess to the library in the guarding division!"


    "Sweety, they don''t have a specialized library. They only have a general one about cultivation and fighting. You can''t go there, it''s dangerous."


    His mom refused his request. They were protective parents, and they wouldn''t let their only baby risk himself.


    ''Tsk. Fine, I will just show some of my memorizing abilities.''


    Ken clicked his tongue mentally before thinking of something else.


    "Then where are the books the kids used from?"


    "What kids?"


    Haoran asked with confusion and looked at his wife who shrugged back.


    "When daddy took me to watch him at work, he was teaching some kids. I still remember some parts of it."


    He started reciting some parts of the manual the kids whom Haoran taught how to cultivate the first stage used. His parents widened their eyes with surprise, then it changed to horror.


    "Ken, you didn''t try anything you just recited, right?"


    His mom asked with a serious voice she had never used with him. He only recited parts of it and even had some mistakes, so she was worried he''d try those parts which would be more dangerous than trying the whole manual.


    "Not yet because I wanted to read the book Daddy gave me before trying. But since I can''t have it, I will just start using what I learned from Dad."


    "No, no! You must not!"


    "Darling, he doesn''t have Body Strengthening Liquid, he can''t practice it anyway. Let''s not worry about it."


    Mei panicked and forgot this detail, but Haoran quickly remembered it and used it to calm down his wife. He said it too quietly for Ken to hear.


    "I want to do alchemy like Mommy, I must do it!"


    Ken ignored his father andy on the floor in front of his parents and closed his eyes.


    "Lay down and concentrate on channeling the Qi energy. Hehe, I can feel the energy going to my leg!"


    He recited and then shouted in excitement. His parents exchanged panicking looks, both having the same thought crossing their minds.


    ''It can''t be, right?''


    They quickly touched his leg and scanned it for signs of Qi. To their horror, they found Qi in his leg!


    Ken had awakened his dantian, and all he had to do was channel a bit of Qi from it to his leg.


    His guess was correct; his parents couldn''t detect the Godly Qi. After he learned more about cultivation, he realized that they should''ve been able to sense it when he cultivated at night when they were home.


    The only exnation he had for it was the difference in his cultivation; the usage of the Godly Qi instead of the normal Qi they used. He assumed they were too weak to sense it, and he could sense it only because it was in his body and because he was created with it.


    Back to his parents, they almost went through a heart attack.


    "Ken! Stop! Stop! It''s dangerous! You can have the ess to the library!"


    Ken stopped his actions and opened his eyes.


    "I want ess to both of them."


    Mei gaped at his response. Who taught him to negotiate?


    Ken just gave her a scare and closed his eyes again.


    "Wait, ok, fine! You can have it, but you must promise me not to practice without our supervision!"


    "Hehe, I promise! Thank you, Mom, I love you!"


    He gave a victorious giggle and hugged her knee. He didn''t n to keep this promise but never had anything against lies.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Haoran looked at her with jealousy; he didn''t even remember thest time Ken hugged him. Did he even hug him before?


    With his ns seeding and his goals achieved, he rewarded his mom with some affection for giving him what he wanted. After all, people needed incentives to keep doing the best they can for you.


    Afterying Ken to sleep, Haoran and Mei entered their room. Haoran grabbed his wife and lifted her in the air as they kissed deeply. Out of habit, he quickly raised a sound barrier with a snap of his fingers.


    Suddenly, Mei pulled her face away from him and looked at him with an ashen face.


    "What happened?"


    "If he remembers the lesson from when he was an infant, does he also remember our noises from when we still didn''t use a sound barrier?"


    Haoran gaped and the couple stared at each other. With the mood ruined, they just went to sleep.


    -----


    "Young Master, you''re amazing! How did you get permission to get in here?"


    Sol admired Ken as they walked around the library. Ken had full ess to the libraries now, with the only restriction of not being allowed to take anything outside. That limitation was mainly to prevent Sol from making him borrow books she wasn''t authorized to read for her.


    "Just because we''re here it doesn''t change your goal. Keep learning your new manual."


    In three days, Ken read all the books about the body and body cultivation. He didn''t need manuals; he needed knowledge. He''d be able to write the best manual himself when he hadprehensive knowledge.


    Sol also finished memorizing her technique during those three days, and they tried it out the next day. After the usual process, Ken got up from herp and spoke.


    "Ok, good. Use this technique to strengthen and erge your already awakened meridians. They''replete trash right now, especially those opened with the first manual you had."


    "Young Master, you could''ve said it more nicely."


    Sol pouted andined. He just shrugged it off like always, and she had to swallow back the rest of the things she had to say.


    "Here, take this. It will also improve your physique and your foundation from the former stage. You can read it after awakening thest minor meridian."


    He gave her the new manual he wrote for her body. Since the order didn''t have any future consequences, he chose to let her finish with what she just memorized first instead of making her memorize another book.


    The months passed and Ken was opening his meridians systematically. There were 6 yin major meridians and 6 yang ones. For men, the yang meridians were supposed to be much easier to awaken, since men''s Qi always had more yang than yin.


    However, the same didn''t apply to the Godly Qi. The Godly Qi had perfectly bnced yang and yin, and lots of them. Just like when awakening his dantian and strengthening his body, he had to readjust his cultivation techniques while cultivating.


    His meridians were turningrge and robust, and they pumped huge amounts of Qi into his dantian. Ifpared to the descriptions of the books he read, his meridians were farrger than the average, and their firmness couldn''t even bepared. He figured he might be able to execute techniques above his level once he learns some.


    Despite having Qi in his dantian, he didn''t use it for his cultivation. The Godly Qi was far superior, and he chose to use it for his foundations for maximum effects. It took him nearly two years to finish maximizing his gains and potential, but he finally finished opening the twelve major meridians.


    "Happy birthday, Ken!"


    His mother pped her hands and Ken slurped a long noodle from his bowl. The noodle was way too long; he slurped it for a few seconds until his mouth was fully stuffed, and it still wasn''tpletely in.


    "Dear, I think you overdid it."


    Haoran told his wife when he saw Ken''s puffed cheeks.


    "Nonsense, how can I overdo something that symbolizes the longevity of Little Ken? Ken, sweetie, you must not cut the noodle!"


    "UU I CASH SHALLO!"


    Ken protested when Mei banned him from biting the rest of the noodle off. After 4 years of living with his parents and going through their spoiling, he was getting used to them.


    Although their love could be tiring at times, he developed feelings toward them back. Even an emotionally scarred man couldn''t remain indifferent in front of consistent unconditional love.


    ''I will tell them about my cultivation when I finish awakening my meridians. For now, they still can''t deal with the stress of knowing their son cultivates at 4 years old; they probably never heard of someone doing it and surviving.''


    Despite trusting them, he chose to hide the truth for now. He knew that although he earned a few years by strengthening his brain during the Body Strengthening Stage, he wasn''t out of danger yet. If his parents made trouble for him because they thought he''d be ok if he started at ater age, it might lead to his death.


    Sol wasn''tpletely outdone by Ken in those 2 years. She finished improving her already-awakened major meridians, andpletely awakened the rest of her major meridians as well as her minor meridians. As suggested by their name, minor meridians were smaller than the major ones and were faster to open.

 Chapter 15 15 – Coming Clean

    ?Ken noticed something weird. His growth kept being boosted, and despite turning 4, he looked like he was 7 years old. But the weird part was that his aging process should''ve been slowed down with his cultivation; in fact, it should''ve been around twice as slow ording to the books.


    His main difference from the older cultivators was that while they were humans who strengthened their bodies, he turned his cultivation into part of his body, and directly changed his physique and constitution. He could only achieve that by cultivating as a growing baby with his specially tailored manuals.


    Thus, he had a paradoxical body; while his aging process slowed down, his growth process elerated.


    The applications for changing his constitution were plenty, and the major ones were that everything would be boosted as he grew up and that if he ever chose to have children, they''d have a head start over the rest of the kids.


    "Young Master, it''s getting weird now to do it, you are not a baby anymore. If I''m not able to get married because you defiled my body, you''ll have to take responsibility."


    Sol joked with Ken as she removed her clothes. It was time for her to test the manual Ken had prepared for her body, and he wanted to check her like always. Despite being able to sense her with less skin-to-skin touch now that he opened his twelve major meridians, the rity was much better the more touch they shared.


    "I''m a child, I don''t understand what you''re talking about."


    Ken just feigned ignorance and sat on herp, but Sol wasn''t that scared of him after 2 years of getting used to his personality. In those 2 years, he had never harmed her or abused his authority in any way. She only kept benefitting from bing his babys- uhm, assistant.


    "I know you understand perfectly what I mean, you''re too smart to not understand something that I do, Young Master."


    Ken looked at her with an irritated voice, moved a finger on her face, and sighed.


    "You''re right, I''m ruining your future. You''ll never find a partner if you stay by my side. Our yearly contract ends in 2 months, so I will send you back to work at the alchemy division. Luckily, nobody ever saw us like that."


    Ken made a sorrowful face as he shook his head with regret over the inconveniences he had caused Sol.


    "Haha, Young Master, I was just joking. You''re only an innocent child, how could you defile me? It would be my partner''s honor to have me after you."


    Sol shamelessly sucked up to Ken with a wide smile.


    "That''s disgusting. Just start cultivating."


    Ken wrapped his hands around her and they closed their eyes and started cultivating. He knew this position wouldn''t befortable when he turns 13 and his hormones will start running wild, but he hoped to be strong enough by then to not require that method anymore.


    Ken followed everything going on with her body; he could focus on everything simultaneously without getting confused, and he''d remember every detail. A few hourster, he got up and calcted how to improve his body.


    "Good job, Sol. I believe you''d be able to open quite a few coteral meridians with your strength after reaping all the benefits of this manual."


    He nodded in satisfaction. He found out that "the heavens were fair" in this world. It meant that no human had an innate talent for cultivation unless he was like Ken and his constitution was different. Since nobody in the sect had a different constitution, it meant that nobody had a better inner talent.


    Everything relied on hard work. Cultivation was going against the natural limits the heavens ced on humans, and going against them required a strong will and the desire to move forward, being unsatisfied with what one had.


    For that reason, most people tried not to spoil their kids too much, and to make them feel envious of others who were stronger than them. Otherwise, their children wouldn''t be able to be stronger they wouldn''t find the drive to bear the pain of getting stronger.


    Although they would feel the drive when they turn older, they are much more likely to die if they cultivate in an older age with a fragile body.


    ''The heavens are not fair in any way. Although theck of inner talent seems to make everyone equal, the truth is that sess heavily relies on resources and guidance. For example, Sol has a drive thanks to the oppression she went through beforeing to my side, and the fear of getting thrown back there if she fails me.''


    Ken denied this sentence. The heavens weren''t fair, they''d let one person be born into an abundance of knowledge and resources, while dozens of others were born to serve that single fortunate person who was born to the right parents. Even God admitted it, otherwise, he wouldn''t promise to give him elders of a sect for parents.


    ''Besides, I saw myself how my mom casually made some pills for Sol and helped her awaken one meridian easily. With their pills supply, do they even need a strong desire to advance? But with my ability, I can be the heavens. I will make it unfair in a way those who are closer to me will have the advantage.''


    The next half a year passed, and Ken finished awakening his minor meridians. He always kept an eye on Sol''s body. Her body now was a lot stronger, and by using the manuals he have seen as references, he assumed that she could beat any privileged kid.


    She''d probably be able to defeat a dozen of the best disciples in the inner sect by herself if she had the samebat experience as them.


    ''I''ve wasted a lot of time with myck of pills. Now I shoulde out clean in front of my parents and learn how to do alchemy and get some pills.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He made up his mind. His parents didn''t give him a single reason to doubt their love or that they believe in superstitions. Dinner time arrived, and Ken sat with his parents at the table.


    "Dad, Mom, I have some news to tell you."


    ''What news can a 4-year-old kid tell us?''


    They both thought, but they made a serious face at Ken and nodded.


    "You can tell us, Kenny."


    Recently, his mother stopped calling him "Sweetie", and switched to "Kenny".


    "I''ve awakened my body, major meridians, and minor meridians."


    His parents nodded seriously when they suddenly realized the meaning behind his words.


    "Wait, what? Kenny, can you repeat that?"


    "You''re cultivators, Mom. You don''t have hearing problems."


    They both looked at him doubtfully. He hadn''t caused any trouble ever since he got ess to the library, so was he trying to get something else now?


    Ken sighed and let out his aura. After the first time at which he let it out identally, he simply remembered how his body did that and imitated it perfectly. His pressure was immense, and a normal human would probably kneel in front of it.


    "How is that possible? Did Sol teach you how to cultivate? HOW DARE SHE?"


    His mother jumped to a conclusion and turned furious as soon as she felt the pressure. His father was frowning as he was thinking about a few contradictions in his wife''s theory.


    "Wait, Dear. Kenny, how did you get ess to Body Strengthening Fluid?"


    "I threatened someone from the library to give it to me. I told him I''d tell my parents he had bullied and beaten me if he didn''t."


    He made up this lie when he decided to reveal his cultivation for his parents. Although he trusted them enough to ept him no matter how much of an abnormality he was, he didn''t know if it would still be the case if they learned the whole story. Would they still consider him their son?


    "But Sol would tell us the truth, she must have been there."


    His mother questioned, but soon realized it was a stupid question. If Sol knew what was better for her, she''d side with her young master rather than with a stranger. Otherwise, who would save her when Ken told his parents that she beat him too or did something inappropriate?


    "She would always take my side."


    Ken replied and his parents nodded. His mother already calmed enough to see the abnormality of the situation.


    "But how is your aura so powerful? Even a dozen of kids in your stage wouldn''t be able to take out such an aura."


    "Maybe it''s because I practiced from a young age. I also tweaked the manual a little where I felt it could benefit me."


    ¡¤?¦Èm His parents paled when they heard he dared change the manual as he used it. Even they didn''t dare try that, or the manuals in the sect would continuously evolve with each generation.


    "Ken, do you understand how dangerous it is to change a manual?"


    "I do, but I was 100% sure it was safe. I didn''t tell you about it because I knew you wouldn''t let me do it, denying me from bing stronger."

 Chapter 16 16 – Learning Alchemy Under Mei

    ?"I do, but I was 100% sure it was safe. I didn''t tell you about it because I knew you wouldn''t let me do it, denying me from bing stronger."


    His parents looked at him and hesitated. Although they didn''t understand why their kid''s mind worked so differently than normal kids his age, they understood he was implying that if they oppressed him now out of worry, they''d prove his point right.


    They didn''t know how he would proceed from there, but it didn''t seem like they could restrain him much, judging by the current situation. After thinking a bit, Mei decided to ask her son directly.


    "Why are you telling us now after hiding it?"


    "Because I realized that with your help, I could improve much faster. I know you love me and that I can trust you, I was only worried about your overprotection."


    "And how do you expect us to help you? You didn''t even want our teaching and supervision."


    His mom was quite sour about it. She understood where he wasing from, but she also didn''t believe she''d limit her son''s future. She also hated to imagine the consequences if he made one mistake in his cultivation.


    "I want you to give me ess to all information about cultivation and alchemy. Additionally, I need full permission to concoct pills by myself whenever I want to."


    "Absolutely not!"


    His mom replied without thinking. Alchemy was just as dangerous as cultivation. Without the right procedures, the cauldron could explode and endanger his life.


    "Dear, let''s hear his reasoning first. That''s why he hid it from us, right?"


    His father quickly intervened before his wife let her emotions get the better of her.


    "Ken, why do you think we should give you free rein? Do you understand no 4-year-old child is allowed to do what you just said?"


    "I understand, but how many of them are at my cultivation stage or have my intelligence? I hope you can grant my wish and trust me."


    Ken made his points clear and waited for their judgment. From his time with them, he estimated they''d agree but leave some conditions. The first one to talk was his father.


    "How about that, you can learn alchemy for a year, and after it, Mom will test your abilities safely."


    "And I want to teach you the techniques myself."


    His mother added right after.


    "I already have all the theoretical knowledge I need. I''ve read it during the past 2 and a half years ever since you gave me free ess to the libraries. Mom, you can show me the techniques and let me practice them."


    "What happens if you mix Yellow Sand with Red Trapping Grass?"


    "Depends on how ripe the grass is."


    "If it''s unripe?"


    "It''d turn into poison that could kill normal humans and make cultivators feel unwell. As for ripe, their interaction would make a beneficial mixture that can be used for a few different rank 1 pills, like the Skin Renewing Pill which helps the body grow new healthy skin clean of scars, or the Nails Renewing Pill, which helps you grow healthy nails."


    He didn''t wait for her to ask about the ripe mixture and just provided her with a full answer. Mei was caught surprised; she picked this mixture on purpose because it was used for products mainly popr among female cultivators who wanted to go back to their beautiful state before a fight.


    It was considered an easy method to test the knowledge of a new male alchemist as they wouldn''t know it if they skipped the parts that didn''t interest them.


    But she didn''t give up and asked 2 more questions, just to get perfect answers again. She had no choice but to admit defeat this time.


    "Okay, you have the theoretical knowledge. But I will set the protection formations myself every day before you start."


    "I don''t mind."


    The next day he went along with Mei and Sol to Mei''s concocting room. Sol kept her head low through the whole journey; Mei was quite angry at her for keeping quiet about Ken''s secrets.


    Ken had to intervene and exined to his mom that he needed an assistant he could trust not to reveal his secrets, or she''d just be a hindrance.


    "All right, memorize the technique. Let me know when you''re done and I will demonstrate it for you."


    Ken gave it a look. It was a book of basic alchemy techniques, and the book was 20 pages long. Mei wanted him to memorize only one technique at a time, but he found it a waste of time; he just memorized the whole book in a few minutes.


    "I''m ready."


    "Really? I just saw you skimming through the book. I won''t show you again, so make sure you memorize it properly before my demonstration."


    Mei squinted her eyes in suspicion and gave an empty threat.


    "I''m sure."


    "Fine, don''t ask me to show you again."


    Ken put his hand on his mom''s thigh as he stood next to her and felt the way she channeled her Qi. For obvious reasons, he wouldn''t ask her to do the skin-to-skin thing he did with Sol.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He concentrated both on her external and her internal movements. When she was done, she looked at him and found him concentrating.


    ''I guess he will need time to figure it out. I will offer to show him again after a few minutes.''


    Mei thought to herself. But Ken was concentrating because he wasing up with ways to improve that technique, not because he was having difficulties. However, he chose to wait before improving it too much. There were still more advanced techniques to work on and add to the database in his brain.


    "Okay Mom, I want to try."


    "Sure, give it a try."


    She ced a new herb inside the cauldron and let him do it. It was a simple technique that helped remove the unnecessary parts of the herb.


    Because of its simplicity, it would waste between 30%-50% of the herb''s essence. Ken used it and let his mom see the results.


    "Only 25% wasted? How is it possible?"


    Mei looked with surprise at the results. Although Ken didn''t maximize the technique, it was simple for him to improve it significantly after a nce.


    "I guess I''m a genius?"


    He smirked and bragged in front of Mei.


    "Of course my son is a genius, but it still shouldn''t be possible objectively with this technique."


    "I changed it a bit."


    "Why would you do that?"


    "It felt more right."


    She felt exasperated at her son''s habits. How can she even guarantee his safety when he changes everything he sees?


    She didn''t try to ask him to exin the new technique since she didn''t use such a basic technique anyway, she had better ones that would provide her with better results than 25%.


    "It might be a fluke, show me again."


    After getting the same result, she tried again and got the same results again.


    "All right, it''s true, you did seed on your first try. Fine, go memorize the second technique."


    "I already memorized the whole book."


    This time instead of arguing, Mei chose to just show her son how to do it. This time it was a technique that condensed the essence of the herb, so it''ll be ready to be mixed with other herbs. It was meant to use right after the former technique.


    Again, after watching it once, he executed it better than her. After testing whether it was a fluke twice more, she moved to the next technique.


    20 minutester, she looked at her son with a shocked face. He got all 5 techniques described in the book right on his first tries!


    She didn''t know if to be happy for her son or be jealous. From whose genes did he get this monstrous talent anyway?


    "Uhm, it''s still early. Do you want to move to the second book?"


    She asked awkwardly. She thought the first book would be enough for the next few weeks, but she used normal humans for this estimation, and Ken wasn''t a normal human.


    "Yes, prepare the third and fourth as well."


    ''Hmph, let me humble you then.''


    Techniques had 4 grades ¨C Basic, Sky, Earth, and Heaven. Each one of those had 3 subgrades ¨C lower, intermediate, and higher.


    The techniques she taught him earlier were barely qualified to be called lower basic grade, but now she took out a book of higher basic grade techniques. She did it mainly out of pettiness; her son was too outstanding!


    This time it was around 30 pages and included 5 techniques as well. 5 minutester, Ken asked her to demonstrate the new technique.


    "Are you sure you understood everything written in the manual? Those techniques are much moreplicated than the previous ones."


    Mei said with a smug voice. She really wanted to see Ken mess up a little to make herself feel better.


    "I''m sure, please show me."


    Mei performed the technique and he observed carefully.


    ''Hmm, this technique is far more sophisticated than the previous ones. Maybe she figured out she shouldn''t waste my time with the trashy ones.''

 Chapter 17 17 – Alchemys Five Steps

    ?Mei performed the advanced technique in front of Ken who observed carefully. Ken thought for a few moments and tried to execute it, but despite remembering it perfectly, he didn''t get itpletely right. Sometimes knowing how you should do it doesn''t help you get it right without practice.


    However, it still worked, albeit with low efficiency. Mei looked at the results gaping for a moment but quickly gathered herself together and closed it.


    "Ahm, although it worked, it''s not good enough for my standards. You will have to practice it for some time."


    She nodded seriously, pretending he was just average. Ken just rolled his eyes; he knew himself and had enough confidence not to believe any genius could get it right faster than him.


    A few attemptster, he already executed it perfectly and improved the technique like always. Even his muscle memory was special; he''d get used to movements after repeating them once or twice rather than after dozens or hundreds of times.


    "Let''s move on."


    He said to Mei, who nodded absentmindedly and did the next move without thinking. She started feeling like she wasted her life learning alchemy so slowly.


    Ken wasn''t 5 years old yet but already was more proficient in those techniques than she was when she was 16. From her short quiz earlier, even his theoretical knowledge was off the charts.


    An hourter he finished learning the other 4 moves. Together, they formed a sequence that allowed an alchemist to concoct his pills.


    The sequence consisted of the technique to separate the unwanted parts, the one to condense an herb into essence, one tobine the essences of different herbs, the one to control the fire, and the one to channel the Qi inside the cauldron.


    "You are capable of performing the steps separately, but it''s time tobine them all. We will start with a rank 1 pill for strengthening the body, the Basic Skin Strengthening Pill. The first step before being able tobine them is to use those techniques on arge number of herbs."


    For the practice, they only used one or two herbs for each technique. However, all pills required at least a set of 4 ingredients, and often even more. Mei, still trying to make him fail for once, just gave the whole amount needed for the pill at once, instead of practicing on half products first to keep the task simple.


    ''I didn''t expect her to realize I didn''t need to take it in steps.''


    He pondered when he saw her put everything in front of him. With his great mental capacity as well as his perfect memory, he had no problem at all performing the technique a few times simultaneously. It didn''t feel much different to him than doing it on one herb only.


    ¡¤?¦Èm Ken started with the first step. He didn''t have muchmon sense, but he saw his mom practices alchemy and read the experiences of others in the book. He understood the limit, and only performed the technique on two ingredients.


    After extracting their essence andbining them, he used his Qi to keep them in the air and then extracted the essence of the third ingredient andbined it into the mix. He made sure to only control two things at a time, as it should''ve been impossible for a new alchemist to control more.


    It was already amazing that he couldbine those steps one after another sessfully on his first try without failing even once, and the desperate look on Mei''s face was enough to testify it.


    A few minutester, a white pill with a few light brown straps on it came out of the cauldron and levitated above Ken''s hand. He didn''t forget that he shouldn''t touch the pill with his hand, or it will start rotting.


    "It''s not too bad for a first try, but there''s room for improvement. Watch me when I make this pill."


    His mom said with a condescending tone and concocted the pill in front of him. When she finished, apletely white pill emerged from the cauldron and levitated above her palm.


    "See? No brown straps. This pill should bepletely white, and the brown straps represent its impurity. Since my pill is perfect, it has none. Judging by the brown straps on your pill, it''s around 80% purity only."


    Ken already read about the purity issue. After consuming the pill, all those impurities had to be discharged from the body, and the pill would lose twice the impurity''s quantity.


    For instance, his pill would only have 60% of the effect of the pill Mei concocted, and he would have to discharge the 20% impurities from his body after digesting it.


    "But Mom, you didn''t use the techniques you showed me earlier. Those werepletely different techniques."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Ken pointed out her bluff and she coughed awkwardly when she realized he paid attention to her concocting process. She tried to hide that she used a different technique, but apparently, she failed.


    "Ahm, you must always do your best. Just because you don''t know something, doesn''t mean your opponents won''t know it."


    She spoke like an elder teaching his wisdom to his disciple. Ken just nodded and agreed with her.


    "You''re right."


    He then performed the same sequence he did earlier, but this time improved the techniques further, bringing out better results.


    "That''s 90% purity! You''re improving so fast, Kenny!"


    His mom pped excitedly when she saw the result. She then thought about it for a moment and spoke again.


    "But those results shouldn''t be possible to achieve with higher basic techniques. Although it sounds impossible, I think you''ve improved the technique to the lower Sky rank."


    It was the only option she could think of. 80% should be around the limit of a higher basic technique when executed to perfection and mixed with a bit of luck.


    "You will have to learn many more techniques to be a proper alchemist. Although all of them follow the concept of the five steps procedure, you can''t process arge variety of herbs with only one technique."


    She didn''t even mention the fact that almost no pill can be made with only herbs like the Basic Skin Strengthening Pill. Most of them also require beasts'' parts, stones, and different natural objects. Those materials required different techniques as well.


    "Just teach me all the techniques."


    For someone else, it''d be a waste of time to learn lower-tier techniques when they had ess to techniques of a higher tier. But not for Ken; those so-called lower techniques had data that might add a surprising effect when applied with data from other techniques.


    A long day ensued in which the mother and son duo practiced alchemy together. They stopped once to eat lunch, once for Ken to take a nap, and once for dinner. Because Ken was controlling his Qi so well, those 3 breaks were enough to replenish his lost Qi.


    When the night fell, Ken and Mei returned home and discussed alchemy subjects. Both were excited; Ken finished mastering dozens of techniques during that day, and if he could keep up this pace, he''d finish learning all the basic techniques in the sect soon.


    "But you might forget them and confuse them if you learn too many at once."


    Mei told her son worriedly. She was d to find out her son was a genius, but it seemed too surreal to learn so much in a day. She didn''t forget her son wasn''t even 5 yet.


    "My memory is good, I think I can manage. If I start forgetting, I will review the techniques."


    Ken calmed her and insisted on continuing to learn new techniques rather than practicing for a few days those he already mastered first. He already wasted much time without learning alchemy, and he didn''t want to dy it even more. He believed he could trust his mother with some of his secrets after seeing her behavior for a few years.


    Sol got a week-long vacation from babysitting Ken, and he apanied his mom every day to the alchemyb to concoct pills. By the end of the week, he finished learning all the techniques of the Sky rank as well.


    "You can''t learn the Earth-rank techniques yet, they require you to be on the next cultivation stage, the Soul Strengthening Stage. However, those should be enough for you to make your pills 100% pure if they''re still in the first three ranks. Well, the third rank only if you''re lucky."


    Ken didn''t read much about the Soul Strengthening Stage, but he didn''t really n on advancing there before maximizing his first two stages. Now that he could concoct pills, he was ready to take this cultivation to the next level.


    Mei prepared a concocting room in the alchemy division, especially for Ken, and she made sure to ce protections against explosions. Now Ken could finally concoct almost freely; Mei had onest condition. He had to have someone with him who can call for help in case something happens. Luckily, he had Sol.

 Chapter 18 18 – Researching Strengthening Pills

    ?Ken was pumping out pills of different ranks one after another while Sol was watching him with curiosity.


    "Young Master, did you really learn how to do all of this in under a week?"


    "Did I practice it before?"


    "Hmm, no."


    "Then you have your answer."


    He took out four bottles made of jade and ced 3 pills inside each one of them. He gave the bottles to Sol who already waited naked since she knew what was happening next.


    ''I think she has been turning into an exhibitionisttely.''


    Ken thought to himself before focusing back on Sol.


    "The gray pills are for your bones, the reds are for your blood vessels, the whites are for your skin, and the blues are for your organs."


    He instructed her on the uses of the pills he gave her and sat on herp after taking off his clothes. Those pills were Advanced Strengthening Pills, and each color represented the pill''s target. All of them were third-grade pills that he invented himself after changing the recipes he had read to maximize their gains.


    Sol swallowed the gray pills first and started strengthening her bones by using her Qi to absorb the effect of the pills and assimte them into her bones. The pills started entering her bones, and a painful sensation enveloped her.


    However, it was nothingpared to the times she cultivated without pills. She already reached her limit in her cultivation, yet the pills kept strengthening her body beyond the maximum she once thought was impossible to cross.


    3 hourster, she finished absorbing the effects of the pills and consumed the ones for the skin. Her skin was getting much more durable, and normal weapons made without Qi would probably only leave shallow wounds on her now.


    ¡¤?¦Èm Ken followed the Qi''s movements after consuming a pill and the way it reacts to the cultivation manual he had made for Sol. He noticed it worked slightly differently than normal cultivation, and there were many optimizations to do instead of just following the normal cultivation manual with the Qi absorbed from the pill.


    Sol soon took the red one for the blood vessels and consumed it, and the same process took ce. Ken sat on herp for additional three hours and waited for her to finish absorbing the pills'' effects.


    "Young Master, it''s amazing! I feel like my power soared! I feel like my strength rose by 33%pared to before."


    Ken nodded and smiled at her. He was sure that after his customizations, the pills will raise his power by at least 50%, which was significantly higher, especially in the long run when this difference keeps getting multiplied.


    "Take another gray pill."


    ording to his calctions, the fourth pill shouldn''t be very effective. When he followed the way she channeled her Qi, he saw it only had 5% of the previous effect, meaning that while the other pills increased her powers by 11% each, the next three would increase it by 0.55% each or so.


    He figured the effect would be reduced exponentially every three pills. Despite the pills'' reduction in effect, it was still worth taking up to six pills. After the sixth, it was a waste of time and resources.


    "I need to take a nap."


    He was getting annoyed at his own body for needing so much sleep, but he understood there was nothing he could do about it. Cultivating as a young child had both advantages and disadvantages.


    He got up an hourter and found Sol still cultivating, although she didn''t consume the other pills. He sat on herp and gave her the next pills, the white ones for the skin.


    3 hourster he had a few ideas on how to improve both the pills and the cultivation manual for himself. The goal wasn''t to make the pill as powerful as possible but to make the interaction of the pill with his body and his cultivation manual as powerful as possible.


    Already trained after doing it repetitively, they got up in sync and went to the shower to wash away their sweat before Ken''s parents returned home. Although it wasn''t a problem now that they knew he was cultivating, it was already a habit. Besides, being clean is important.


    The next day was the most important test; the test for the Brain Strengthening Pill. He wanted to optimize it to the maximum since it was his most important strength.


    As he would advance in his cultivation, the concepts would be much moreplicated, and even with amazing intelligence, he would still need to spend hours to understand them.


    But if he strengthens his brain to the maximum, his thinking speed will increase, and he will save a lot of timeter.


    Ken held Sol''s head directly with his palms and concentrated to see the results as soon as she took one of the pills.


    "AHHH!"


    Sol screamed with pain when she felt her head being split open as the pills started to take effect. She was suffering excruciating pain and was losing control over her Qi.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Sol, focus! You can''t let go of your Qi or you will die. Do you want your body to be tossed away from the sect for the dogs? What will happen to your family who spent all they had to get you into the sect?"


    Sol clenched her teeth and started focusing on her Qi. She let go of her bodypletely, letting it fall from her sitting position to the ground. She could only wriggle in pain while doing her best not to let her Qi deviate in her brain.


    Ken held her body to prevent her from moving too much. The reason everyone cultivated while sitting or lying was that those positions were the mostfortable for channeling your Qi during your cultivation.


    Over the next hour, the pain subsided gradually until Sol could sit back and channel her Qi. Overall, she wasted half of the pill''s effect because of her pain.


    "Young Master, maybe I can just give up on the brain pills. You''re the smarter one between us anyway, so I just need to follow you, right?"


    "No, I don''t need subordinates who can''t think for themselves. This will help your cultivation and your future, don''t give up on it. you will take 6 pills just like the other ones. Don''t worry, only the first one hurts that much. You''ll barely feel the next one."


    "Young Master, are you tricking me into taking the pill?"


    "No, did I ever trick you?"


    ''You tricked me into taking this job as your babysitter with games.''


    She thought to herself but stayed quiet. She smiled sweetly instead and answered differently.


    "Of course not, Young Master, you''re the kindest and most honest person in our sect. That''s why I''m saying I don''t need to take this pill, I can just trust you."


    ---


    "AHHHH!"


    Sol was wriggling again on the floor after a 30-minute break Ken gave her. Apparently, the second pill was also painful to absorb, although slightly less, thanks to the enhancement of the previous pill.


    "Young Master, you lied to me!"


    Sol pouted as shey on the floor, covered with sweat and trying to catch her breath after the agonizing process of taking the pill.


    "Didn''t it hurt less?"


    "It was negligible!"


    Ken shrugged and gave her the next Brain Strengthening Pill.


    "It''s for your own good, now take this after a 30-minute break."


    Sol snorted lightly when she heard a kid telling her he is doing something for her own good but obeyed. A few hourster, Sol was lying on the floor which was already wet with her sweat and breathed heavily.


    "Finally, we''re done."


    The pain was so tortuous that she had a trail of blood from her nostrils, and she could even feel the metallic taste in her mouth.


    Ken just let her rest and sat down with his eyes closed. He was calcting the effects the pills would have on his body and tweaked his manual to optimize the absorption process. He didn''t care about the pain, but he didn''t want to lose a single drop of the pill''s effectiveness just because he couldn''t focus on absorbing it.


    He was preparing everything to the minute detail, running mental experiments, and changing the manual again. He even changed some aspects of the concocting techniques for each pill, making them slightly weaker for other benefits.


    Although the short-term gains would be reduced, he wanted to integrate the effects with his constitution, so the effects will grow with him.


    By the end of the third day since Sol finished absorbing the Brain Strengthening Pill, he felt he was ready to maximize his body''s cultivation.


    ''Let''s go.''


    Sol sat by his side and watched him cultivate. Even now, she still insisted on being by his side when he was cultivating in case he needed help. Ken took the first gray pill and concentrated on it.

 Chapter 19 19 – Tired Of Training

    ?Ken took the first gray pill and concentrated on its Qi in his body. The Qi inside the pill was running through his meridians to his skeleton and slowly attached to his bones. The process of the Qi assimting into his bones was painful, making him groan during his cultivation.


    However, it was nowhere near enough to make him lose concentration. He kept controlling the Qi with precision and followed his ns. He changed the Qi maniption technique in every step, maximizing the effect at every given moment.


    The process ended an hourter, and Ken let out a sigh of relief. Concentrating so hard for a whole hour took a toll on his mind, and he had to rest for a few minutes before he took the next pill. 3 hourster, he finished taking the third Bone Strengthening Pill and fell asleep.


    ''The results are close to what I estimated initially. Instead of 50%, I only improved by 45%, but that 5% was sacrificed for assimting the whole thing into my constitution. As I grow up the effect will triple at the very least, so in the long term those pills improved me by 150% or so.''


    He was opening arge gap whenpared to Sol, and he knew that her worth to him would decrease as they climbed the stages. However, he nned to squeeze the benefits of having a test subject dry before discarding it.


    He was starting to appreciate herpany as well; even Ken who didn''t trust other humans felt a need to have people around him, it was a natural urge no sane human could resist.


    ''Now it''s time to test what I''ve been working the hardest for. I did my best to change the recipe for the next three pills and change my cultivation manual with them, in order to prevent the heavy decrease in their effect.''


    He took the fourth gray pill and started the process of assimting it into his bones. This time, he used the godly energy in his body as an intermediate to absorb the Qi of the pill differently, and to his delight, his theory proved right.


    The pill was absorbed into his bones, and the effect was weakened much less than it was in Sol''s case. While each of the first three pills gave him a 15% boost, those gave him a 7.5% boost. By changing the pill and his absorption process, he managed to have half the effect instead of a twentieth of it!


    When he finished absorbing the sixth pill, he was too tired to continue, and too much time passed, so he left his concocting room and called it a day.


    The next day, he did what Sol couldn''t; he absorbed the seventh pill. Again, he used his godly energy as an intermediate and tweaked the recipe as well as his cultivation manual. This time, he managed to get a boost of 2% per pill, and he contemted whether to continue.


    ''If I take the fourth set of the pills, I will get only a 0.2 percent boost per pill, and I''m not sure if it''s worth the bother. However, since I have no problem getting the ingredients and those boosts make a significant difference in the long term, let''s do it anyway.''


    Thus, he did what nobody in the sect would ever do and used a fourth set of pills. After those ones, he chose to stop with the gray pills and move to the red ones.


    The days passed, and Ken absorbed 6 pills every day, strengthening himself repeatedly and rising to new heights as he felt his power increases every day.


    He was sitting now with a dark red pill in his palm, the Brain Strengthening Pill. This one was the pill he made the most preparations for, since not only it would determine his future power, but also directly affected his lifespan.


    He knew that he kept consuming knowledge in huge amounts, which in turn left a huge burden on his brain, so although he had been strengthening himself, he was also loading more burdens on himself as well.


    He swallowed the pill and soon felt an excruciating pain runs through his head as if someone was banging on it with a rock repeatedly. He groaned but didn''t lose focus for a second. He was prepared for the pain andy on the floor since the beginning, so he wouldn''t lose focus when he falls from the sitting position.


    By the end of the process, he estimated that he absorbed around 97.5% of the pill''s effect. He was rather satisfied with the results, and after a short break, he took the next one. This time he had experience, and old horses know the road best (1).


    He could deal with the pain better and got a better result of absorbing 99% of the pill, and on his third try, he could finally fully absorb it.


    ''Three more sets to go. This pill is much more painful than the others, maybe I should just take three.''


    Despite saying that, he knew he wouldn''t cut any corners now, and with a sigh, he started absorbing the next set. Now he understood why Sol was trying her best to avoid taking those pills.


    ''I need a break; I''ve been only training and studying about cultivation ever since I came to this world. I should be strong enough to take care of myself now, and I doubt anyone would cause problems with the son of two elders.''


    He returned home and sat for dinner with his parents. By neglecting the world outside, he had neglected many other things as well. He noticed he never met any of his grandparents, or any other family member until now.


    There were guests asionally in their home, and some of them were his parents'' friends, but none of them were introduced to him as family.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Dad, Mom, there is something I wanted to ask you."


    "Yes, Kenny, what is it?"


    "Do I have grandparents?"


    His parents'' smiles froze as they looked at him and hesitated before answering. Eventually, Mei looked at Haoran for help and his father was the one to answer.


    "Mom''s parents were mortal and they have already died of old age. She has a few siblings, but as they are all mortals as well, we aren''t in touch with them."


    "Are they different because they are mortals? Are we immortals?"


    "Haha, no. We all aspire to be immortal one day, but we still aren''t. Although we can also be considered mortals, we are cultivators. We live much longer than normal humans who don''t cultivate and are much stronger than them."


    "So are we better than mortals?"


    Ken asked his parents. He was reminded of his old life, where those who had power stepped on the weak. The rich turned richer, while the poor became poorer. Despite not saying it out loud as it wasn''t politically correct, it was obvious that some people considered themselves better than others.


    Haoran looked at his wife for a moment before answering. He didn''t want to say bluntly that they were better, as it woulde out offensive to Mei whose family was mortals. They spent everything they had to send her into the sect, and she managed to get where she was today through a mix of luck, hard work, and talent.


    "I wouldn''t say we are better, but we are different from them. We pursue other things in life and evolve as human beings beyond what the heavens have given us."


    Haoran phrased his answer carefully and answered to the best of his ability.


    "Do cultivators reign over the mortals?"


    Ken didn''t believe that the cultivators were good people who didn''t take advantage of the weak, and soon he got the answer he expected.


    "We do, but we don''t involve ourselves in their lives unless something beyond the power of mortals appears and harms them. When something like that appears, the power which controls that area sends cultivators to deal with the threats. In exchange, they provide us with food and resources for our cultivation as taxes."


    Ken felt that he was right; the strong took advantage of the weak in every world and every society. Those cultivators basically took from the mortals and only helped them when other cultivators caused problems. He also realized that his father only talked about his mom''s side of the family.


    "What about your parents?"


    He asked his father who looked lost. This time Mei came to the rescue and replied instead of her husband.


    "We aren''t in touch with them. They live far away to the north from here, and we haven''t seen them in decades. I''m sure they would be very proud of you if they met you, Kenny."


    Ken felt that she was hiding something but didn''t know what. He came up with a few theories but couldn''t determine which one was more probable.


    "Kenny, there is something we need to tell you as well. Soon¡­ you''ll have a little brother or a little sister."


    ------


    (1) Old horses know the road best ¨C Chinese idiom meaning the elders are experienced and know the right way to deal with problems. Here just used to say Ken has experience in absorbing the Brain Strengthening Pill.

 Chapter 20 20 – Face Slapping

    ?"Kenny, Soon¡­ you''ll have a little brother or a little sister."


    Ken gaped in surprise when he heard his mom''s news. Although he thought of the possibility of having a sibling since he was born, he didn''t think about it much.


    "When?"


    "In 7 months or so, one month after your fifth birthday. You must take care of the baby and keep the baby safe as the big brother, do you understand?"


    "Yes."


    Ken nodded in response and thought of his siblings in his former life. They took part in abusing him directly when they were younger, and as they grew older, they just pretended he never existed.


    ''I guess this little thing won''t be able to do the same.''


    He quickly put the matter aside and chose not to overthink it. He didn''t even know the gender of the baby, and he didn''t even care much about it. He only developed feelings toward his parents for the support and love they''ve shown him over those years.


    His parents smiled and rxed after seeing Ken take the news well without anyints. They were nervous about telling their son that their family was about to expand and weren''t sure how to do it.


    "I n to go outside and see the sect. I''ve only been around our house and at the alchemy division''s building."


    He told his parents his ns for the next day in case he needed to know something before going out. He wasn''t knowledgeable about the customs of the sect outside his house, and his parents might want to give him a warning.


    "It''s fine, just take Sol with you and don''t get into fights. Take this, you can show my token if you get into trouble with someone and say you''re our son."


    Mei gave him a token with her personal signature. It was written with her Qi, so it was nearly impossible to fake, at least for the sect''s members. Maybe much stronger cultivators had their methods, but they had no reason to do it.


    -----------


    "Young Master, where would you like to go?"


    The next day Sol came wearing prettier clothes than normal as she knew they were going outside. She wore a white robe with a phoenix inscribed on it, while Ken wore a in ck robe. He took his preference for ck clothes with him from his previous world despite the color''s unpoprity in the sect.


    "I don''t know anything about the sect, so it''s hard to say. What do you rmend seeing?"


    "Well, there are the training grounds, the battle arena, and the market. We can visit one of them or all three, up to you."


    "Are there battles in the arena all the time?"


    "Not really, but there are some fights every day. In fact, at least one person dies there on daily basis. There''s an unwritten rule to set the battles to the afternoon to make it easier for the other disciples to watch the battles, but there are some battles set in the heat of the moment and the opponents go to battle it out immediately."


    "Since It''s still morning, let''s go to the market."


    Although he didn''t know if novels'' clich¨¦s were true, he didn''t want to go to the training ground and meet a spoiled young master, especially when the other clich¨¦ avable was to go to the market and pick up a godly sword that nobody wanted for its rusty appearance.


    ''Wait, I''m the spoiled young master here, right?''


    He just shrugged this thought off and followed Sol outside. He looked around him as they traveled down the path to the market until they were out of the living grounds. The living grounds mainly had everyone''s houses and were separated into the disciples'' area and the elders'' area.


    Further was the outsiders'' area, where people who didn''t belong to the inner sect but worked or served there lived. Sol was living in that area, but she could easily get into the inner sect with her newfound strength. She didn''t do it because Ken told her not to, and because she would lose her job as his nanny with the new status.


    The market was on arge t ground, and there were stalls everywhere the eye could see. Ken and Sol looked around at the stalls with curiosity and checked the merchandise.


    "Swords, sabers, rapiers, anything rted to the sword! Best quality with the best price!"


    "Spears, pikes, bo staves, and more!"


    Stall owners shouted their specialties including weapons, food, pills, and ingredients such as metals and herbs. The market was organized by categories and sub-categories, so he could easily see all the swords stalls first, then move to the next ones.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He first went to the closest area which had 3 different stalls of bows. Those stalls had many types of bows as well as ammo and some support items like short knives, strings, and quivers.


    "Shoo, shoo, kid. You can''t y with the merchandise."


    One of the owners waved his hand at Ken and tried to send him away. He was working and didn''t feel like entertaining a bored kid who walked around the market for window shopping.


    "Huh? Do you know who-"


    Sol was starting to talk like a local goon when Ken touched her thigh with his hand to hint to her to stop talking.


    ''Yeah, I''m definitely the spoiled young master. But since I''m in a cultivation world, the least I could do is experience a face-pping scene at least once. Otherwise, I''d be wasting God''s gift to me.''


    "Let''s go, Sol, we''re unwee here."


    He made a sad face and pulled her sleeve to follow him. He waited for something to happen as he passed by another bow stall, and he wasn''t disappointed.


    "Hey kid, if you like the bows, you can look at mine. Just don''t break anything or you''ll have to pay for it."


    When the seller scolded him earlier, he checked the reactions of the other two sellers to see if they cared. While one seller had an indifferent expression that could only mean he would do the same, the third had a frown on her face. It was the same seller who just called him to check out her bows.


    "Thank you, Aunty, I will not break anything."


    He gave her a bright smile and went to the bows to examine them.


    ''Could he really be shy of strangers when he bullies me all the time?''


    Sol wondered to herself as she followed her young master around. She never heard of the ssics that must be done in the cultivation world, so she couldn''t know what Ken was nning.


    Ken touched the bows with his hands and sensed the Qi inside. He could see the formations inscribed on them and sense the wood''s properties.


    At first, he didn''t know what each formation meant, but as he asked the seller questions about her bows and she answered, he started noticing simrities and inferring the meaning behind the formations.


    ''So this bow has a speed formation to make the arrow fly faster, a rotation formation to make the arrow rotate when it leaves its string to increase the arrow''s pration power, flexibility formation to help the wood bend without breaking, which would also allow the user to pull the string further, and one more formation I can''t recognize.''


    Ken thought to himself as he sensed one more bow and tried to recognize the formations from what he just learned.


    "Aunty, what about this bow?"


    "Haha, kid, I also need to work, ya''know? You can y around but this will be thest bow I exin to you about. There are rotation and speed formations to help the arrow hit the target faster and stronger, and flexibility and durability formations to prevent the bow from breaking when the user pulls the string too strong."


    ''I missed the durability formation then.''


    "Thank you!"


    He stopped browsing the bows after it and instead looked at the knives. They could be used for both close-range fighting for archers and for skinning beasts in case he hunted some. It''d be a nice thing to have, so he chose a knife he liked with some inscriptions like dirt repelling, sharpness, anti-reflection, and durability.


    ¡¤?¦Èm He was interested in learning to use a bow, but he decided against buying one because even the short bow was slightlyrger than him, so he''d have to grow up first.


    He chose a fancy scabbard for his new knife and handed them both to the seller while signaling Sol toe closer. He said his next words loud enough for the other two sellers who were still waiting for customers to hear.


    "Aunty, I''d like to buy those two items."


    The seller looked at Sol with an uncertain face; she thought the young boy was just acting like a kid cing snacks in his parent''s shopping cart in the supermarket only for them to put the snacks back on the shelves.


    However, Sol just nodded at her to indicate to listen to Ken''s demands and came closer to pay the bill after the seller named her price.

 Chapter 21 21 – Shopping In The Sect

    ?"Aunty, I want those two items."


    "Child, this knife is fourth grade, and someone who didn''t finish to strengthen his body wouldn''t be able to utilize its strengths. If you just want something nice to y with, why not take this knife? It looks much better!"


    The seller pointed at a fancy first-grade knife on the shelf. She believed he was just interested in the knife as a toy, but it''d be a waste if he bought something so strong. Besides, she didn''t think his parents would allow such an expensive whim.


    "Don''t worry about it, how much is it?"


    "It''s 1000 lower Qi Stones or one intermediate stone."


    Qi stones were the currency of cultivators, and Ken knew of three types ¨C lower, intermediate, and higher. Each one had more condensed Qi and could be used for many different purposes. As the son of the Pill Division Elder, Ken didn''tck lower Qi Stones and even had some intermediate ones.


    "Pay her."


    Sol waved with her hand and 1000 stones appeared on the counter in front of the seller. She only had a few fourth-grade items, and every sale of those garnered a huge profit. She was even willing to reduce the price to 800 if Ken haggled, but he didn''t care about it.


    Since Ken didn''t want to reveal his ability to manipte Qi, he let Sol carry the space ring his mom gave him with his money and belongings. Space rings were inscribed rings made of a special material that had space for the storage of inanimate things inside them, and one could ess this space by using his Qi.


    "Thank you for your patronage, Young Master."


    The seller quickly understood the boy in front of her couldn''t be a random kid and changed the way she addressed him. The other two sellers looked at her enviously and could only regret their poor attitude earlier. They also didn''t know if their behavior was enough to offend this kid''s parents.


    "Haha, Young Master, you have a really good eye for knives! Since you''ve opened my eyes today, let me gift you this short bow! You will be able to pull its string in a few years with your talent."


    The seller who sent him away quickly ran to Ken and shouted after him. It was better to incur a small loss of Qi stones than to offend the wrong person.


    Ken looked at the first-grade short bow in front of him and shook his head.


    "Sol, pull the bow''s string to the maximum and check if the seller is sincere. If it breaks, I will pay for it."


    The seller started to sweat bullets when he heard his words. He didn''t know Sol''s strength, but it was normal to be somewhere in the Meridian Awakening Stage at her age. If she channeled enough Qi to her core and arms, she''d be able to break a first-grade item that he picked as a toy for a young kid.


    "Haha, Young Master, I only brought this bow as an example. You can choose another bow, actually, let me rmend something better right now!"


    The seller quickly found a solution and returned to his stall with Ken and Sol following behind him. He took out one of his sturdiest second-grade bows and offered it to Ken. By his calctions, the girl couldn''t be strong enough to break it; one would need to be in the Soul Strengthening Stage for that.


    Ken took the bow from the seller and gave it to Sol, indicating for her to pull it as hard as she can. Sol had no idea how to use a bow, but she could at least hold it and pull the string, and that''s what she did.


    As the string was pulled as far as possible, Sol''s face turned slightly red as she felt a strong resistance from the bow.


    ''She is stronger than I thought, but she still can''t break the bow. I chose it specifically for its better durability and sticity formations. Although I''d lose around 100 Qi Stones for gifting it, it''s worth mending my rtionship with this kid.''


    The seller let out a sigh of relief when something made him take a sharp breath again.


    *Crack*


    Sol couldn''t break the bow, but she managed to crack it as she pulled it as wide as her hands could reach.


    "I''m sorry for the damage we''ve caused. Tell me the price and I will pay for it."


    Ken apologized to the stall owner and Sol stepped forward and took out 100 Qi Stones. Although she didn''t know the exact price, she could estimate the price of a second-grade item.


    "Young Master, this is my fault for bringing something of low quality to you. My eyes can see yet I''m worse than a blind man! Take back your stones, let me gift you this bow instead, it''s of great quality."


    The man gritted his teeth and gave Ken a third-grade bow with a forced smile. The seller saw Sol''s demonstration of power and wasn''t worried that she could break a third-grade item. Ken smiled at the man and nodded.


    "Then it''d be rude of me to decline your kindness. Thank you for your gift, I will take my leave now."


    He didn''t bother asking Sol to test this bow since he knew she couldn''t break it, so he turned around and left for the swords stall.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Haha, Young Master, you were amazing! You made him suffer a loss of at least 300 or 400 Qi stones!"


    Solughed happily as the duo left the bows area under the gazes of the three sellers. One was happy, one was relieved, and thest was pained.


    The other people in the weapon section also saw what transpired in the bow section, so they got a good service now from the sword seller.


    "Young Master, what grade would you like to purchase?"


    The seller asked Ken directly what he was looking for instead of starting from the bottom.


    "A fourth-grade flexible sword. But let me look through the swords here."


    "Sure, I have two you can choose from."


    Ken looked at the swords around him but found nothing that caught his eye, so he went to the counter and looked at the two swords the seller suggested. They were the same give or take except for the design, so he just took the one that he liked better. It had a silver-colored de and a ck hilt and could fit around a muscr man''s waist.


    ''I guess good flexible swords do exist in the cultivation world. I just asked without knowing if he had them.''


    "Sol, you can pick one third-grade weapon you like from the shop; I will pay for it."


    He decided to give Sol a present for being loyal to him those past few years. He only bought a fourth-grade weapon for himself because he could afford it, not because he needed it.


    "Thank you, Young Master."


    Sol said excitedly and hurriedly picked up a saber from the shelf that already caught her eye earlier and ced it on the counter.


    "That''d be 10 intermediate Qi Stones for the sword, Young Master. To form a good rtionship with you, let me gift you the saber as long as you buy the sword."


    Ken found it reasonable that a flexible sword would cost 10 times more than a hunting knife and nodded to Sol. He understood the seller''s intentions to make hime to his shop again in the future, so he also epted the saber as a gift.


    "Onest thing, do you have a rusty sword or a sword sitting around for decades that nobody wants?"


    "Uhm, no, Young Master, all my swords are of the finest quality."


    The seller answered with an awkward expression and Ken sighed in disappointment and left the shop.


    ''I guess god-grade swords don''t reallyy everywhere and wait for a fated person to grab them.''


    He wanted to start practicing some sword techniques, and now he had the first requirement to begin; a sword. They also looked around at minerals and herbs but didn''t buy anything since he could easily get them from his mom.


    "Let''s visit the battle arena, there should be some duels ongoing. Can you gamble on matches?"


    "Gambling is illegal in the sect, but there are some students who run gambling businesses behind the scenes. Since they don''t make it too big, the sect turns a blind eye to their activities since it wants to encourage the disciples to find ways to get more resources."


    ''Huh, then finding a treasure in a jade gambling den here will be impossible as well.''


    "How many disciples are there in the sect?"


    Ken noticed they''ve walked a long distance and didn''t even get close to the borders of the inner sect.


    ¡¤?¦Èm "There are around 10,000 disciples in the inner sect and ten times that in the outer sect. around other 30,000 people live in the inner sect to give services, sell their merchandise, serve as troops for the sect, or do other purposes. Most of them are former inner disciples who turned older."


    Sol exined to Ken the structure of the inner sect as they walked toward the battle arena.


    "Show us your inner disciple token."

 Chapter 22 22 – Making Money

    ?"Show us your inner disciple token."


    Two guards stopped them at the entrance. Sol took Mei''s token out of her storage ring and showed it to the guards who nodded and let her in.


    "You can go to the corridor on the right and go up the stairs to get to the private booths on the second floor."


    One guard pointed in the direction of the stairs and the pair found it and went on their way. Ken looked around and saw some people who seemed like bet brokers, but nobody approached him. He figured nobody wanted to mess with someone who had a high enough position to get a seat on the second floor.


    "Sol, go bring one of the bet brokers to our booth, I would like to try my hand at gambling here."


    "Young Master, it might be inappropriate. Sixth Elder will be angry if she finds out you''ve lost the money she had given you on illegal gambling."


    "Just do as I say."


    Sol didn''t try to dissuade him anymore and went to call one of the bet brokers. The three stepped into the private booth while the broker presented himself.


    "Young Master, I''m Max. You can gamble up to one intermediate stone at once, and I can supply you with info about the fighters as well as the odds for each fight. May I ask for your name?"


    "I''m Ken Sue, the son of Haoran Sue and Mei Jinn."


    Ken chose to tell the broker his background instead of letting him guess. The broker cupped his fist in his hand and bowed immediately.


    "Young Master Ken, it''s my pleasure to serve you."


    He felt weird giving gambling service to a kid, but since the one who seemed like his nanny called him to do it, he could only do as he was told.


    "Give me the information about the next two fighters."


    Ken knew he had exactly 5 intermediate stones and 3200 lower stones after his purchases, and he wanted to raise some capital again. He quickly read the information and checked the odds. The first fighter had a ratio of 1:1.3 while the other one had 1:4.


    By reading their information and analyzing everything, he came to the conclusion that the odds were right and the first fighter would win.


    "Put 100 lower stones on the second fighter."


    Ken ced a losing bet and waited for the fight to start. As expected, he lost his money. this went on for 3 rounds until in the fourth one he saw a discrepancy between a few facts in the report.


    "Put one intermediate stone on the first fight."


    "Young Master, are you sure? You''ve already lost 400 lower stones. Sixth Elder won''t like it if you lose too much."


    Sol hesitantly warned Ken before he ced his money on another risky gamble of 1:5. Ken just nodded and she gave the money to Max. Max smiled and took the money; he was making easy money with nopetition. Normally his gains would be much lower since people would sometimes win and bnce his earnings.


    The fight began and Ken watched with interest. It was a fight between a disciple who only showcased basic skills against his opponents so far, and it was his first fight against someone stronger. He was only ranked 1727 in the sect and challenged rank 598, which caused his low odds.


    As he expected, the fighter had a lot hidden. As soon as the fight started, he disyed a movement technique and dodged the other fighter, catching him by surprise with a palm technique that sent his opponent flying. Both techniques were of the sky grade, and he had never shown them before.


    "Haha, Max, seems like luck was by my side this time."


    "You''re wise and the heavens are by your side, Young Master Ken."


    Max forced out a smile and gave the kid sitting next to him his money. This cycle continued twice more; Ken gambled low amounts on matches he knew he would lose, then raised the bet to the maximum when he found a discrepancy in the information. Overall, he earned slightly above 13 intermediate stones.


    "Young Master, I''m afraid I can''t afford your bets anymore. I can call another broker to take my ce."


    On the third time Ken raised his bets and won, Max quit serving this awful young master.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Sure, bring someone."


    3 hours passed, and the fights were over. Most of the fights were of disciples challenging those above them in the list to get a better ranking along with the better treatment that came with it.


    Ken changed brokers 5 times and had around 70 intermediate stones, which was a few times higher than before purchasing his weapons.


    "Young Master, how did you know when to raise the bets? You milked those brokers dry. They will probably have some of their bones broken when they go back to the disciples behind them."


    "That''s not my problem."


    Ken just shrugged and ignored her question.


    "It probably is. Some of them have a background simr to yours and would be able to cause you some trouble. They might even use their goons to challenge you once you officially enter the ranks of the inner sect."


    "Haha, I don''t mind beating some of them. Since they dare let others gamble, they should be prepared to lose their money."


    After this refreshing break, Sol and Ken headed back home with their new loot. Ken took back his space ring and Sol ced her new saber on her back since she didn''t have one. Since Ken finished strengthening himself, he decided it was time to research the next step in their cultivation, awakening the coteral meridians.


    The manual he was given by his father included only 30 of them, and his father said that there was no manual to awaken thest 15 in the sect. He already prepared an improved manual for the first 30 for himself and Sol, but he still had to invent a new one for the other 15.


    Ken and Sol sat down in a lower Qi Gathering Formation which was good enough for anyone in the first three stages of cultivation. He fueled it with the intermediate Qi Stones he won in the arena, and they could easily feel the thick Qi around them.


    Since the process of opening the coteral meridians was much more precise andplicated, he wanted them to have the best environment they could get.


    Sol popped a jade bottle open, took a pearl-looking pill, and swallowed it. It was a special pill that Ken invented after learning the recipes for the three ssic meridian awakening pills, which facilitated the awakening process of the major, minor, and coteral meridians.


    This pill had exactly 30 versions right now, and each one of them was meant to be used when awakening a different coteral meridian. By making it more specific, he tripled the effects of the pill before taking into ount the other tweaks he made in the recipe.


    He hugged Sol and carefully scanned her body''s reaction to the pill and the manual he had given her. After a few hours, he got up and the pair went to take a shower as always.


    ''I can still improve it for myself and get better results. It''s good that I have her test those things before making them for myself.''


    This time, Sol needed a few days to rest between each awakening, lest her body might experience a Qi deviation in the new meridian. Ken just used this extra time to n his own awakening and execute it, and 2 months before his fifth birthday, he finished awakening the 30 coteral meridians.


    ''I want to learn some battle techniques for my sword and martial arts, but all the strong ones involve the power of the soul. It''d be a waste of time to learn them now before getting into the next stage and strengthening my soul.''


    Given his age and the fact that he didn''t need to improve his ranking on the inner sect''s power list for resources, he could just neglect his practical fighting skills and focus on getting stronger.


    --------


    "Ken, do you want to enter and see your mother and the new baby?"


    "Yes."


    He followed his father to the room in which his mother gave birth and recognized it as the same room he was born in. They had a few empty rooms in their house, so there was no problem with space.


    He saw his mothery down on the bed with a clean baby in her arms. She was resting after giving birth, and the servants already helped clean both her and the baby before giving the family some privacy.


    "Kenny, Are you excited to have a little brother? It''s a boy!"


    -----


    I read Su meant respectful in Chinese and Jin means gold. From now on my characters will have Western names since I don''t know Chinese, and I don''t want to identally pick bad names or do something offensive.

 Chapter 23 23 – Soul Strengthening Stage

    ?"Are you excited to have a little brother? It''s a boy!"


    "He''s beautiful. What''s his name?"


    Even after having his brain and mind enhanced by both god and cultivation, he still couldn''t understand what could possibly be beautiful in a baby, but he knew it was a nice thing to say so he said it anyway. Haoran and Mei exchanged a look and thought for a moment.


    "We agreed on calling the baby Aaron if it''s a boy."


    Haoran said softly and Ken approached to touch the baby. He caressed Aaron''s face gently and looked at him.


    "Aaron, be a good brother."


    His parents didn''t understand the underlying meaning of his words. He was thinking of his brother from his former life, who watched him being beaten up, sometimes even by his friends, and only smiled in response.


    "I''m going."


    Ken turned around and left his parents alone with the new family member. In those past months, he read a lot. He read fighting techniques, he read cultivation manuals, he read alchemy books, and he read general knowledge of cultivation.


    His brother''s birthday was the day he set as a limitation to collecting knowledge; it was time for him to work on thest fifteen meridians. Although it sounded like he lost a few cultivation months, he spared a lot of research time for when he wanted to break through the next stage of his cultivation and learn battle techniques.


    After trying the manual on Sol as always and adding a fewst changes, he was ready to awaken hisst fifteen meridians. Those fifteen meridians were mainly around the brain, heart, and lungs, thus making them dangerous to awaken.


    It was also the reason that research in the sect on those meridians failed; one mistake led to the death of the subjects.


    His manual already worked on Sol and she was still alive, so he wasn''t worried about his safety. However, he invested all his attention in the process, nheless. For days he sat down and slowly awakened his meridians one by one, motivated by the chance to have a perfect foundation.


    Although there were no Heaven-rank techniques in the sect, the belief was that those required all 45 coteral meridians awakened, and that''s why their power was so great.


    He worked on his meridians for two months and facilitated the process with newly invented pills. Although he already found out it was possible to obtain Merit Points by contributing new forms, manuals, and techniques, he never shared any of his creations.


    Having a new baby in the house gave much more work to Sol, who was expected to take care of both Ken and Aaron. Unlike Ken, Aaron wasn''t as considerate. He would poop and cry whenever he wanted without regard for Sol''s avability.


    "Ah, so this is how real babies are. I almost thought raising kids was as simple as having a grown-up at home."


    Solined to herself every time she had to attend to Aaron and make him cease his crying. Mei and Haoran weren''t doing any better.


    They chose to have a new baby because they got the wrong impression from Ken. They thought they just had to change the diapers when they were around and feed the baby from time to time, and everything would be fine. But it wasn''t, the baby wouldn''t stop crying and demanding attention!


    Ken, however, had no responsibilities toward the baby since he was still a kid himself. Since Sol was busy, he chose to just go through his next breakthrough without experimenting on her. He felt that their cultivation and constitution were too different from each other because of his deep foundation anyway.


    He kept her in the house and nned to give her a manual for the Soul Strengthening Stage, mainly because she knew too much about him to let her go, and because it was better to have a nanny that already knew his secrets rather than bring a new one and let her find them out too.


    ''I''vepleted awakening my coteral meridians and I still have around 70% of the Godly Qi left. It should be enough toplete the third stage and even advance to the fourth, but then I''d have to leave the rest to facilitate my natural growth to the maximum.''


    Ken quickly calcted his reserves of Godly Qi and came to conclusion regarding his future.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''The Soul Strengthening Stage is about nourishing the soul and refining it. In the first and second stages, I''ve strengthened my body and mind, and now I''m capable of withstanding the pressure of strengthening my soul. This process requires me to first nourish my soul to the maximum andter refine it and repeat the process.''


    Like in the first stage, there was the problem of using Qi that could affect the soul. To achieve that, the sect concocted pills called Soul Nourishing Pill and Soul Refining Pill made of special herbs that could affect the soul and helped the process.


    Despite growing those herbs in the sect, it wasn''t enough to supply the whole outer sect, thus making it impossible for the unprivileged ones to go beyond the Meridian Awakening Stage. Even if they could put their hands on a few pills, it wouldn''t be enough toplete the minimum required for the stage.


    ''Luckily for me, I don''t need to concoct those pills. The Godly Qi was used to carry my soul into my body, which means it can affect the soul as well.''


    The soul rested in the whole body, with thergest concentration of it in the brain, also known as the mind, which rested in the sea of consciousness.


    He channeled the Godly Qi ording to the manual he invented for himself and nourished his soul with it. He felt his soul growing inside his body until he felt a sense of pressure that came from a source he couldn''t exin.


    When the feeling turned unbearable, he started refining his soul. This process mainly cut the weaker and unnecessary parts of the soul. In a sense, one could say it was like the unhealthy fat of the soul, and the refining process was a painful diet.


    "AHHH!"


    Ken screamed after cutting the first part of his soul. He understood now why he read that people barely advanced in the third stage unless they had an extremely strong desire to get stronger.


    He took a piece of cloth and ced it between his teeth before biting it. He bit it tightly and cut another part of his soul.


    "Mmmm!"


    He still groaned, but he negated his screams mainly by biting on the cloth. Despite wanting to quit the process, he continued without stopping, and his sweat dripped from his body to the floor.


    By the end of the process, his gums were bloody because of the bites, and his body was shivering from the horrible pain. Most people chose to do it in small parts because of the torture, but he chose to do it all at once.


    ''I only finished one cycle. Using this cycle as a reference I''d need toplete at least 30 cycles to get to the minimum required to advance, and 120 cycles to get to the maximum of my ability. I managed to invent one pill that can help me in this stage, but it would only add power to my soul. It''s better to do the maximum and then use it, this way I can go beyond my limits.''


    He judged himself to 119 days of torture. Each cycle took him an average of 10 hours, and after it, he would be too tired to start a new one, so he had to rest and do the next cycle the next day.


    Despite the pain, he didn''t skip a single day. Whenever he felt that he couldn''t continue, he would just think of his old life. He didn''t want to be stepped on in this life again, and only the thought of it made him forget the pain and move forward.


    In every cycle, he also had to remain concentrated enough to tweak his cultivation as he learned more through the cultivation process since he didn''t want to miss a single leverage.


    He used the rest of the day to see Aaron and y with him for a bit, or just spend the evening with his parents before going to sleep. After 4 months of this routine, he finally got to the top of the third stage.


    He would also talk to Sol less and less since he didn''t need her cultivation anymore. During this time, she just watched over Aaron and cultivated her meridians.


    He gave her a manual to open them but didn''t supply her with enough pills to facilitate the process, so she needed around half a month to awaken each one of them. She neverined, but she was feeling abandoned.


    ''I''m finally done with the worst part. Now I need to take a few pills to strengthen my soul beyond my limits.''

 Chapter 24 24 – Flash Unwind

    ?''I need to take a few pills to strengthen my soul beyond my limits.''


    He took out a translucent pill and yed with it in his fingers. Of course, his fingers were coated with Qi to avoid spoiling the pill. It was the Soul Strengthening Pill, and he liked its beautiful appearance. It was made by extracting the essence of herbs that could affect the soul directly, thus itsck of color.


    He spent the next month digesting and absorbing those pills. Although it was painful, it wasn''t as bad as the cultivation of the soul. Each pill took him around 2 days to absorb, and only after fifteen of them, they finally lost their effect and couldn''t strengthen his soul anymore.


    ''Now it''s finally time to learn how to fight. I already memorized a few hundred techniques of the basic and sky ranks, it''s time to make some for myself.''


    He spent two weeks meditating and preparing his new techniques bybining the data he collected from all the others. His database included techniques from the lower Basic level to the higher Sky level.


    ''First I should make a sword technique. If a sword is sharp enough, it will prate and cut through anything. There''s no need to even move if my sword is too fast for my enemy to dodge, and too sharp for him to block it.''


    "Mom, Dad, do you know of a good ce where I can practice techniques? Preferably an open space without many people."


    "Little Ken, it''s better if you have one of us or even another elder to teach you. Learning from someone would spare you a lot of time."


    Haoran said worriedly to his son. He felt that Ken tried too much to do things by himself. He even made his own pills and only agreed to learn alchemy from Mei after she forced him to ept it as a condition to let him practice.


    "Let him do whatever he wants. I''m convinced that he can manage without a teacher after teaching him alchemy. If you taught him something, you''d know what I mean. He doesn''t even use the techniques I''ve taught him anyway."


    Mei let out a defeated sigh when she thought of how Ken changed every technique she showed him and improved it for the better.


    "Okay¡­ If you go 15 km south from here on the edge of the forest, you''ll reach a forest clearing that is surrounded by cliffs and arge waterfall. I used to train there when I was a disciple, but you need to remember that it''s very likely one of the top 300 disciples imed it as his training spot. Just leave if that''s the case and show Mom''s token if they try to harm you."


    The top 100 disciples were considered the core disciples of the sect and had their own training grounds, so they didn''t need to wander in the forest to find a ce for themselves.


    Ken thanked his father and waited for the next day to visit the waterfall. The next day, he left Sol and Aaron at home and used a map his father left for him to find the ce. When he reached it, the ce was empty.


    ''I will call this art ''sh Unwind''. It will be the art I open my battles with as I unsheathe my flexible sword.''


    Although his sword could switch from flexible mode to rigid mode depending on the formation that he channeled his Qi into, he preferred to keep it in the flexible mode most of the time.


    Like most other flexible sword users, he coiled his sword around his waist, disguising it as an innocent belt. This way, he could have an extra surprise effect when he unsheathes his sword.


    Although there were other flexible sword users, they were rare because of the sword''splexity. The way it moved and changed directions wasn''t only difficult for the enemy to predict, but also difficult for the user himself, so people preferred using spears, swords, or just fighting with their bodies.


    The sword''s sheath was used as his actual belt, while the sword was hidden inside it with its ck hilt near his left hand.


    He closed his eyes as he stood in front of a tree and sent his right hand to the hilt. He saw in his mind the technique he developed based on dozens of unsheathing techniques meant for normal swords and a few for flexible swords as well.


    *Wishhhh*


    A strong whistle resounded, and he found his sword pressed against the tree in front of him when he opened his eyes.


    ''There is a hole but it''s too small. Judging by what I''ve read each technique has a few stages of mastery, but I''m still not at the basic level.''


    The basic level was achieved when the cultivator could perform the sword''s movement perfectly as inly exined in the manual. Since his sword''s stab didn''t achieve the pration power he envisioned when he made his technique, he understood he still didn''t master it.


    ''My arts are meant to kill, especially humans. It''s too hard to understand the art quickly while attacking trees or inanimate objects. Even animals can''t help me like attacking a human would. Should I kill someone only for the sake of understanding my art?''


    Ken struggled with the thought of taking a human''s life for a rtively small benefit.


    ''Humans die anyway, and everyone here is a cultivator. Cultivators kill each other for resources all the time, so why can''t I do the same for practice?''


    In the end, he denied the idea of going to hunt others only for honing his techniques, and instead, he practiced in front of the tree.


    He kept standing in front of the tree for three hours straight without leaving his spot. His technique included all his major meridians, all his minor meridians, and 36 coteral meridians.


    Although he wanted to use all the coteral ones as well since he read it would make his technique in the Heaven rank, he didn''t have any example of a technique that used more than 20 coteral meridians at once, so he was satisfied with a technique that used 36.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    If he had to guess, he''d rank his technique at the higher Earth rank.


    After three hours of training, the tree had a lot of holes around it. The newer they were, the deeper they went. He was all sweaty, half of his Qi was depleted, and he was hungry.


    He sheathed his sword, sat down to take a break, and took out a piece of meat he brought with him.


    He nned toy a basic Qi Gathering Formation to help him renew his Qi reserves before continuing. He stopped after depleting only half as he didn''t want to stay in the forestpletely out of Qi.


    "Hey kid, what are you doing here?"


    A young masculine voice came from the forest''s direction as a young man came out of the woods. He looked around 20 years old, and Ken estimated he was around 25. Cultivators generally looked younger than they were due to their longer lifespans.


    "Training, what are you doing here?"


    "You can''t train here; this is my training space. Scram."


    The young man was around 176 cm tall, which was much taller than the 5-year-old Ken. He didn''t take Ken''s im seriously as he thought a young kid like Ken couldn''t train yet. He was sure it was just a peasant kid who got lost in the forest.


    "Do you recognize this token?"


    Ken took out his mom''s token and showed it to the man in front of him.


    "The sixth elder''s token? Why do you have it?"


    "I''m her son, and I''m training here. Got any problems?"


    The man looked at him with confusion for a few seconds then forced a smile and bowed to Ken. However, despite the bow being in his direction, Ken could feel it wasn''t meant for him.


    "Sixth Elder, I didn''t know your son was ying here. I hope you can forgive me; I will take my leave now."


    The man turned around and left Ken alone in the area. Ken shrugged and didn''t care about the man''s misunderstanding, he just felt something click when he imagined attacking the man earlier.


    He got up and stood in front of a new tree, unwilling to lose his sudden enlightenment. He exhaled and ced his hand on the sword''s hilt.


    *Wishhh!*


    The familiar whistle resounded around him, and his sword stabbed the tree all the way to the hilt.


    ''I got it!''


    He mastered the basic level of a higher Earth rank technique in only three hours, an unbelievable feat for anyone of his rank with no experience in simr techniques before!


    ''I still feel I can get it better.''


    He understood this feeling stemmed from his understanding of the sword art. He felt that if he kept training, he would still be able to improve his sword art, going to the next stage of mastery.


    ''Mastering a movement technique is more important. I can improve my mastery over sh Unwindter.''


    After eating and resting, he stood in an open space and closed his eyes. He had two techniques he nned to master - one for a straight dash, and the other for just being generally faster.


    ''Again, I need to face a human to do thest step. Dashing at the air feels pointless.''


    It was the second day, and he still didn''t get to the basic mastery level of his dashing technique. He created techniques meant to kill, and using them against air and trees wascking the intent of the technique. Luckily, his training puppet arrived again.


    "Kid, are you telling me that Sixth Elder has enough free time to take her son to a distant spot in the forest two days in a row? I don''t believe it!"

 Chapter 25 25 – Hunting Session

    ?"Kid, are you telling me that Sixth Elder has enough free time to take her son to a distant spot in the forest two days in a row? I don''t believe it!"


    "I never said my mom took me here, I''m here by myself."


    "Then scram. Even if your parents are powerful, you can''t bully everyone else in the sect. When you enter the inner sect as a disciple, you can startpeting for resources."


    The man already doubted Ken''s identity. The only reason he didn''t just beat him was the token, which made him unwilling to take the risk of hurting the real kid of the sixth elder.


    "So you''re part of the inner sect? What''s your rank?"


    "I see you''re quite knowledgeable about the sect for your age. I''m Ron, ranked 223 in the inner sect."


    "That''s amazing, Big Brother Ron! What''s your cultivation stage?"


    Ken walked toward the man while ying on his ego.


    "Haha, Little Brother, I''m at the top of the Soul Strengthening Stage. Do you know what it means?"


    "No, but it sounds powerful!"


    "It is, I''ll soon get to the next-"


    *Wishhh*


    The whistle Ken had listened to so many times in the past day echoed in the open space once more. Ken stood right in front of Ron with his sword piercing through thetter''s right eye.


    Ron had a look of disbelief in his eyes. The movement was too fast for him to follow, and he wasn''t even prepared for it. All he knew was that he suddenly felt a sharp pain and a pulse of foreign Qi being injected into his brain, causing a massive Qi deviation and making him copse to the ground.


    "¡­W-why did you kill me?"


    He asked the boy standing above him. He was so shocked that he didn''t even know what question to ask. How was the child so strong? What reason did he have to kill him?


    Ken just shrugged back and answered with an uncaring voice.


    "I just felt that I could finally master this dashing technique if I attacked. I''ve practiced it for a few hours now."


    Ken himself had trouble understanding why he did that. He already decided not to kill others for practice, yet when he saw Ron and felt the chance to understand his art swiftly by attacking, he didn''t stop himself from taking the chance.


    "That''s¡­ all?"


    Ron had difficulties epting death for such minor reasons. He was aggrieved and wanted justice.


    "It''s illegal killing disciples in the sect¡­"


    His consciousness was fading slowly until he fell into a deep sleep never to return. Ken looked at him with cold eyes and thought of how to take care of the mess.


    "You could''ve lived if you weren''t interrupting the wrong person''s training in the wrong ce at the wrong time. But thank you for helping me master this move and donating your body to science."


    Ken delivered a short eulogy before making arger cut in the corpse''s throat to make his blood spill. He then just grabbed its foot and threw it powerfully into the forest, where beasts will make sure to eat the free meat when they get attracted to the scent of blood.


    To his surprise, he could think clearly and rationally. He wasn''t overwhelmed by his first kill, nor felt bad about it. A touch of bitterness seeped in as he came to the realization of his unsettling indifference toward the heinous act he had justmitted.


    He sighed as he acknowledged his inability to force himself to feel remorse, prompting him to swiftly shift his focus back to refining his techniques.


    ''I will call this move ''One Step'', it seems to fit it well. Ah, this is the feeling of killing someone. No wonder I had difficulties mastering my killing moves without attacking someone first. Icked the intent to kill.''


    Next, Ken practiced a movement technique that allowed him to move freely rather than just step forward. This technique was much slower than One Step but powerful, nheless.


    After attacking and killing a human, he could visualize the technique''s execution more easily, which was the main reason why he had killed Ron. His next move, ''Cloud Running'', allowed him to move quickly and silently in long smooth movements rather than the short one-time movement that characterized One Step.


    ¡¤?¦Èm Only at the end of the day he mastered it to the basic mastery level, and he still had to practice using it in realbat to properly use it.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He learned two more moves, and the first was ''Snake Thrust'' as he called it. It was a thrusting attack with his flexible sword that moved like a snake, making it nigh impossible for the enemy to predict the attack and counter it.


    The second had the unimpressive name ''sh'' which was a sharp sh of his sword when it''s in solid form.


    When he practiced those techniques, he would practice first the movements required, then stand in the open to master the technique. He would close his eyes and use his perfect memory to relive the moment he chose to attack Ron.


    He stood a few meters away from him, full of the intent to kill Ron and use his new technique. He killed Ron over and over again in his mind with the different techniques, until he mastered them all.


    ''Let''s go and try killing some beasts. In the forest''s outskirts, there shouldn''t be any beasts above the fourth rank, and even those are rare.''


    He entered the woods and went deeper into the forest. He was still in the forest''s Outer Zone, so he didn''t worry about meeting stronger beasts. With his perfect memory and high intelligence, he also didn''t have a reason to fear getting lost in the forest.


    He wasn''t sure how to hunt beasts, but he just kept his vignce high, so he''d feel any beast in his surroundings. Thanks to his powerful soul, it would be impossible to sneak up on him unless the beast was highly proficient in hiding its killing intent.


    Even if it was, it would be hard to hide from Ken''s physical senses with the way he maximized his gains from the first stage, and even then, with all his meridians awakened and his powerful dantian, he would feel any movement of Qi around him.


    Overall, it wasn''t easy to sneak up on him. He was still walking inside the forest when he suddenly heard a rustling in the bushes. He ced his hand on his belt and stopped walking. He stood still and concentrated on his surroundings.


    *Woosh*


    Another rustling came from him behind him and he sensed the Qi moving as well as a thick killing intent toward him.


    *Wishhh*


    It was his sword''s whistle as he turned around and performed his sh Unwind technique. He felt his sword prates a skull and he sent a strong pulse of Qi into the beast''s head.


    He was pushed back by the powerful momentum of the beast and was sent flying back,nding on his back with the beast on top of him.


    "Argh, that hurts."


    He pushed the beast''s carcass to the side and checked it out. It was arge feline animal that reminded him of a panther from his previous world, but it wasn''t exactly that. Besides, he could p a normal panther to death with his current strength without any technique.


    However, it was a panther, just not a normal one. It was a third-rank beast called ''Panther Lurker'' known for its ambushes in the forest.


    Next, he found a boar. The boar charged at him without any surprise element, and Ken just used his Cloud Running to move to the side at thest moment and beheaded the boar with a sh.


    He kept hunting third-rank beasts and lower for a while as he got used to using his techniques in realbat, and his techniques'' execution improved after every fight.


    *SCREEEE*


    Ken was running in the forest using his Cloud Running while arge bird followed him from the sky, diving every few seconds to catch him.


    Every time the bird dived, he would quickly use One Step and appear a few meters ahead, making the bird''s ws miss him by a meter or two.


    ''Damn, it''s a fourth-rank beast. This is going to be tough.''


    All the third-rank beasts in his way already ran away as soon as they heard the bird''s screams. Every time the beast flew back up, he would use this chance to jump and use his sh skill, yet it only left superficial cuts on the bird. He wasn''t sure if his Qi could oust the bird''s stamina and vitality.


    ''This won''t do, my Snake Thrust is only meant for a precise attack on a vital spot, but for that, I''d need to be able to cut through its flesh and reach the organs.''


    Ken kept running simtions of the attack in his head, yet none of them could pierce the bird''s flesh deep enough to kill it without leaving Ken at its ws'' mercy.


    ''A damn bird tries to stand in my way?''


    He visioned all the times he used his technique on the other animals before, the way it would pierce through their flesh and even their bones. His killing intent toward the bird that kept chasing him rose to a new level when he felt he was getting at something.


    The bird was adjusting to his One Step technique, and every time the gap between its attack and Ken would decrease as it adapted. This time, Ken still used Cloud Running and just jumped upward, surprising the bird that kept trying to counter the One Step movement.


    With a sharp whistle, the sword coiled and strengthened, adding to its swing, and prated the bird''s flesh. The sword''s wriggles inside the flesh added anotheryer of damage to the bird, making it suffer from Qi deviations in multiple ces.

 Chapter 26 26 – A Unique Trait

    ?With a sharp whistle, the sword coiled and strengthened, adding to its swing, and prated the bird''s flesh. The sword''s wriggles inside the flesh added anotheryer of damage to the bird, making it suffer from Qi deviations in multiple ces.


    "ARGH!"


    The bird still crashed into Ken with high speed and high power, sending him a few dozen meters away. He rolled on the ground a few meters until he hit a tree and came to a stop.


    ''You should''ve seen the other guy.''


    Ken thought to himself as he heard the noise of therge bird hitting the ground and crashing into the trees. He knew the bird wouldn''t be able to survive his sword strike, so he carefully sat up while ignoring the pain and took out a healing pill to help his bones heal faster.


    He sat and meditated for 3 hours straight to replenish his Qi when he felt some third-rank beasts getting closer, enticed by the meat of a higher-ranked beast. He got up and quickly pulled his sword from the bird''s carcass and left the area.


    Although disciples would fight for this carcass to sell it for Qi stones and Contribution Points, he didn''t have any need for it. Thanks to his perfect memory he still knew where he was despite running hectically in the forest, so he headed home.


    "Ken, why did you return home from the forest sote today?"


    Mei asked her son worriedly when he came into the house at ate hour. She didn''t get used to the fact he was strong enough to take care of himself despite being only 5 years old, and worse, he was dirty and seemed tired and ragged.


    "I tried hunting some beasts in the forest and met a fourth-rank bird that tried to hunt me."


    Mei instantly paled when she heard that.


    "What?! But we gave you a map so you can avoid the dangerous beasts! Did you lose the map? Did you get lost? How did you survive the beast''s attack?"


    Mei showered him with questions anxiously while Haoran just looked at him worriedly and waited for his answers.


    "I didn''t lose the map, I just wandered too deep into the forest after seeing that I could kill the third-rank beasts too easily."


    "I will not praise you because you''ve put yourself at risk. There is a huge gap between the third stage and the fourth, it''s not as simple as the difference between the second and third stages. It''s impossible to cross the stages even for the best geniuses."


    ''Yet I did.''


    "I will be more careful in the future."


    "So, how did you survive the beast''s chase?"


    "A student sacrificed himself for me. He wore a blue robe of the sect and his name was Ron, that''s all I heard him say before he started fending off the bird. But I don''t know whether he survived or not."


    The sect''s inner disciples wore blue robes while the outer ones wore gray. As for the top 100 in the inner sect, they wore either white or a lighter shade of blue.


    "Good thing he was there to help you, but I''m worried about his condition. I will go and check the forest just in case, although it''s probably toote to help him if he needed help."


    Mei soon got out of the house and vanished toward the forest. Ken just shrugged and wished her good luck finding an eaten corpse in his heart while eating his dinner. Obviously, she didn''t find his body.


    -----------


    The next day, Ken stood in front of arge tree in his training area and concentrated.


    *Woosh!*


    His sword pierced through the wood and left a 5-cm radius hole in the tree. He watched the results with satisfaction as he assessed the damage his sword strike dealtpared to the day before.


    ''That''s the power of leveling up the mastery of my sword art. Its pration power has at least doubled, and the damage inflicted is much more severe. The ''Advanced'' level is much more powerful than the ''Basic'' one''.


    Ken was satisfied with the results. Yesterday when he fought with the giant bird, he turned angry and full of killing intent, which helped him have enlightenment about how to apply the Snake Thrust better and managed to improve his technique.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''ording to everything I''ve read, the next cultivation stage will define my future. The Core Formation Stage in which one uses their soul, body, and mind to create their core, will have a huge influence on everything they can achieve.''


    ording to the books, the core was taking its shape from everything that defined the human forming it. It meant that cultivators had to master their arts as best as they could before forming the core, or it would have no specialty, making them mediocre in everything they will try to masterter.


    ''I saw many techniques mix swords techniques with elemental techniques, but it seemed meaningless. The sword''s only goal is to pierce and cut, adding any other effect is a waste of Qi and misses the point of the sword. However, only mastering the sword and my movement techniques isn''t enough. I need to add something.''


    Ken wasn''t satisfied with the normal paths he had seen at the sect''s library. Of course, he didn''t forget that his core would also add his proficiency with formations and pill concoctions, but he wanted something for his prowess. He had the ability to practice many things, and it''d be a waste not to use it.


    ''I could use lightning or wind to boost my speed, but it''s more like a quantitative improvement, I need a qualitative one.''


    He thought about what he had done those past days when he had an idea.


    ''Bloodlust, killing intent, and fear. To cultivate those, one needs to kill thousands of others, and maybe even millions. Although many people cultivate it eventually, it''s not part of their being since they don''t kill enough before getting to the Core Formation Stage. However, I only need to kill one person, or maybe a few more. Then I just need to keep reliving those moments in my memories repeatedly. With my special memory, it fits me perfectly without needing to be a mass murderer''


    He closed his eyes and started reliving the moment he had killed Ron. He tried to use the memories of him killing the beasts but felt it didn''t feel quite the same. Human beings were better targets for this purpose.


    ''Killing the same person all the time isn''t that good. I should kill a few more, but unfortunately, there is no vige nearby. The sect is too isted, and I can''tmit murder inside it.''


    Suddenly, Ken realized he was considering murder too easily after his first kill. He closed his eyes and tried feeling his emotions, only to find them disturbingly calm.


    ''I guess I''ve lost my respect for human lives as I relived my former life repeatedly in my mother''s womb. Maybe I was simply born as a monster who couldn''t fit into society.''


    The next day instead of going to his normal spot, he stayed near the main entrance to the forest from the sect and hid between the branches of one of the trees.


    "Hey Monica, how about going out for a drink with me when we are back from this mission?"


    "Keep dreaming, I only aim for someone in the top 500 like Big Brother Droy."


    "Big Brother already has a girl, what''s the point of rejecting someone who cares about you for someone whom you can''t date?"


    "A girl can dream."


    He heard a conversationing his way and he soon found 5 young disciples wearing blue passing by. The sect would setmissions to bring certain carcasses and herbs from the forest all the time, and the disciples would go fetch them in exchange for Merit Points. This way, the disciples would train in realbat, and the sect replenished its resources.


    Ken also understood that their strongest member was that Droy guy, who apparently was a weakling, so he also didn''t believe they had strong backers. Overall, the group seemed to fit the role of murder victims.


    All five of them were in the Soul Strengthening Stage, but none of them reached its peak yet. He nimbly jumped down the tree and followed them into the forest, keeping a safe distance out of their detection range. By using Cloud Running constantly, he also negated most of the noise his steps made as his steps turned much lighter.


    The group started jogging inside the forest toward the habitat of their target and Ken followed behind. He took out arge menacing silver mask and wore it on his face as he waited for them to gain enough distance from the sect.


    ''The mask loses a lot of its scary look on a kid like me. The oversize is also awkward.''


    He upied his mind with these types of thoughts until he felt they were far enough. Listening to the group flirting with each other was too cringy for him.


    "Okay guys, we''re getting close. let''s try to be quiet from now on or the beasts will be alerted, and we will face a much stronger resistance."


    The leader of the group, Droy, gave his instruction and everyone obeyed.


    "Ok, James, you use the bow so make sure to go to a high spot as soon as the beasts are in your range. Monica, you strike with me while Derek and La will support us with their spears."


    "Understood."

 Chapter 27 27 – Hunting In The Forest

    ?The group of 5 all started walking carefully unaware of the predator following them. They found their target; a bull-like beast that was coveted for its sturdy horns for its many uses. They focused on it and slowly surrounded it, prepared tounch forward and im its life.


    ''The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it.''


    Ken thought to himself as he prepared his attack.


    *Wiishhhh*


    A strong whistle blew, and everyone turned to look in the direction of the noise, including the beast. As soon as it saw it was outnumbered, it charged in the opposite direction while screaming for help from its herd.


    "Derek!"


    Ken chose to get rid of the spear users first. Although he could kill James and save himself the trouble of dealing with a bow user while fighting the other 4, he wanted to keep him for practicing his Cloud Running.


    He didn''t choose Droy for the same reason, as he wanted to feel as much pressure as he could, and as for the girls, he still didn''t kill a girl, so he preferred to kill a man first. He did consume a lot of modern culture in his previous life after all.


    Ken pulled his sword out of James'' brain and smiled at the other four who were already surrounding him.


    "Do your best, or I won''t be able to improve my abilities, ''kay?"


    "Who the hell are you, and when did we pick a fight with you?"


    Ken didn''t answer. Instead, he sheathed his sword and chose his next kill.


    ''I shouldn''t be a misogynist; I will treat them equally.''


    "Guys be careful, I think it''s a quick unsheathing technique. Let''s attack!"


    Droy shouted and everyone charged forward. Ken immediately stepped to the side and dodged an arrow that was aimed at his chest, and slightly bent to the right to avoid a spear thrust from La.


    He didn''t attack back; he only tried his best to keep dodging their attacks, each time with minimal movements. At first, he would move a lot more than needed, which also wasted a lot of Qi and openings his opponents had, but as time passed, he became more proficient and could dodge the attacks by a hair width.


    Notmitting the same mistake twice was a huge advantage; he analyzed his movements as well as theirs and kepting up with better ways to dodge.


    "Damn it, we can''t hit him! Guys, throw your caution to the wind and use your techniques even if we might hit each other!"


    Droy''s shout gave an idea to Ken. Soon, Monica tried tond another palm technique on his thigh while Droy''s sword swung toward his neck, coated with fire. The arrows were boosted by a wind technique since the beginning, so not much changed in that aspect.


    Ken took a step back and ducked under a spear attack from La. Inspired by Droy''s words he started moving with a purpose this time. Soon he led them to the ce he wanted.


    An arrow came flying to his head, and with a slight tilt of his head, the arrow passed and only left a trail of blood from a shallow cut it made on Ken''s skin.


    Monica already had a winning smile on her face. They couldn''t hit him even once all this time, but he also couldn''t hit them back. However, now, it seemed like he finally made a mistake. Her palm was less than 20 cm away from his stomach, and there was nothing he could do to dodge it.


    *Sprrt*


    "Ah!"


    Monica stumbled a few steps back and looked down at her chest with horror. She then fell on one knee and soon copsed on the ground. She didn''t die yet, but she kept losing blood and needed immediate treatment.


    "No, Monica! I''m so sorry!"


    James shouted with fear when he realized the one to take down Monica was none other than himself. Ken manipted their movements while dodging and brought them to that exact position. When Monica tried to hit him from below, she couldn''t see the arrowing from behind him, and she didn''t pay attention to friendly fire.


    When Ken tilted his head, it was toote for Monica to dodge, and the arrow which came from above soon hit her chest and left a gaping hole behind.


    "Haha, don''t me me for that, guys. I''m not the one who killed her, or maybe, your friend works with me?"


    Ken taunted the already agitated disciples to throw them off.


    "Bastard!"


    La shouted and jumped forward with her spear.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    *Cling!*


    Her spear was deflected, but not by Ken. An arrow that was supposed to aim at his chest shed with La''s thrust and sent it away. La immediately had an emotional outburst.


    She turned around and looked with fury at James. Although she didn''t take Ken''s words seriously at first, she was wondering if it was really the case now.


    "James, what are you doing? Why did you help him? Did you hit on Monica earlier while plotting her death in your heart??"


    She screamed at James who was just as angry as her.


    "I shot my arrow before your thrust, aren''t you the traitor who tries to incite us against each other? You will probably go after Big Brother Droy next, right?"


    James shouted back at her while Droy was still fighting against Ken. Ken just smiled and kept dodging Droy''s sword swings without attacking back. With a few words he already made them fight among themselves.


    ''It should be enough. I don''t think I can improve much more from sparring with them anymore.''


    "AHH!"


    Ken''s sword left a rather shallow cut on Droy''s throat, yet Droy copsed and held his throat as if Ken slit it open.


    ''Finally, I''ve achieved the ''advanced'' level in the sh Unwind technique.''


    Now, his sword didn''t need to touch the organs for the Qi pulse to be sent directly there and deal damage; a shallow wound was enough to cause a fatal injury.


    Furthermore, the normal sound of the sword cutting through the wind was also missing; his Qi separated the air a millisecond before the sword passed there, making it move silently. He understood that this sound was bad for ambushes when everyone turned their heads toward him at his first kill.


    "No, Droy!"


    La screamed with guilt when she saw that Droy copsed on the ground while dropping his sword beside him. If she helped him instead of shouting at James, he might''ve been alive now.


    La now was in a difficult position. On one hand, she was between Ken and James and wasn''t sure of James'' loyalty anymore. On the other hand, if she tried to run away, it''d be passing a death sentence on Droy and Monica who might still be saved with pills and treatment.


    However, as soon as Ken turned toward her, she forgot all her hesitations. She quickly turned toward the sect and started running.


    When James saw La running away, he didn''t think he''d have a chance of winning the battle on his own, so he ran in the opposite direction and prayed Ken would prefer chasing ady over chasing a man.


    His wish came true, but it didn''t make him happy at all. La''s scream sounded too close and too soon, meaning she barely bought any time for him.


    ''I don''t hear him. Maybe he isn''t chasing me.''


    James thought to himself after running 10 minutes straight. As if the devil heard his hope and decided to crush it, he saw Ken''s smiling figure waiting for him ahead.


    "How¡­ how are you there?"


    ''I knew some chasing would help me. Finally, my Cloud Running is at the ''advanced'' mastery as well. It''s so silent that it almost feels like I''m really running on clouds.''


    Ken thought to himself while not bothering to answer James. He suddenly disappeared and reappeared in front of James without giving him any time to respond, and his sword found its way to James'' heart.


    ''One Step upgraded as well. Now I don''t have to slightly crouch before performing my move and can simply take a step forward.''


    Ken smiled brightly when thinking about all his gains from that day. He grabbed James'' body and pulled it with him back to the ce all the other bodies were. There, hey the five bodies one next to another.


    ''Time to kill thest one; wasting human life is bad. I''ve killed them to improve my killing intent so I shouldn''t let her die from the arrow of someone else.''


    Monica lost too much blood and was barely conscious now. She could only look at him with pleading eyes as she watched him draw his sword and bring it to her throat. She closed her eyes, and it was soon over. Torturing others wasn''t needed for killing intent, so Ken never nned on doing it.


    ''It seems that the path of killing others is the best path for me.''


    Ken thought to himself as he looked at the five corpses lying neatly one next to the other, forming a gory red pool.


    ''Let''s take their belongings. When I killed Ron I was too upied with the thoughts about my first kill that I threw him away with his ring on.''

 Chapter 28 28 – Phoenix Feather Sect

    ?''Let''s take their belongings. I can still use the Qi stones.''


    He took off all their clothes and left their bloody bodies in the forest. After creating some distance to let the beasts have their meal in peace, he took all their belongings out of their space rings and spilled them on the ground.


    All their gear was at the third rank, so he just made onerge pile of it and used his alchemy technique to burn it all, and only left a few pure pills and the Qi stones. Overall, he earned 9 intermediate Qi stones and around 700 low ones from the 5, while most of it came from Droy.


    He stopped hunting the inner disciples as he didn''t want to kill too many of them and make the elders suspect something was wrong. Instead, he killed the outer disciples as nobody cared about their lives.


    After killing around 20 people he felt he had enough variety to start using his memories instead of real people.


    He sat down again in front of the waterfall and just spent the day reliving his memories over and over again, rekilling his victims in different sequences every time. By the end of the day, he killed them nearly a thousand times.


    ''I should secure the best foundation for the fourth rank, so I will take it slow and practice my techniques and killing intent for at least a few months until I''m satisfied.''


    He went back home and found his parents already there with the baby while Sol returned home.


    "Kenny? What were you doing in the forest today?"


    Haoran squinted his eyes in suspicion while Mei also looked at Ken worriedly. Ken thought about it for a moment and understood they were sensing his killing intent. He had to learn how to suppress it.


    "I was hunting beasts all day, I''ve killed many."


    "Have you killed only beasts?"


    This killing intent didn''t feel like it was part of hunting, but of murdering and killing equal beings.


    "Yes, what else should I kill?"


    "What do you think about killing beasts?"


    "It''s just killing others for the sake of improving myself."


    "Are beasts and humans different?"


    "Beasts can''t talk, but that''s about it. They have feelings, family, and personalities just like us despite being unable to convey them with words. They also whimper when I hurt them."


    Ken continued blubbering out every vegan idea he had ever heard in his previous life to make it sound convincing. As he expected, his parents rxed considerably.


    "Kenny, while you''re right they have lives, they aren''t humans. Although you hunt beasts to practice your skills, you can''t kill humans if they don''t pose a threat to you or to your loved ones. Is that ok?"


    "Hmm, yes."


    "Good boy."


    Mei messed his hair with her hand, and he joined them for dinner. However, his aura made his parents frown.


    "Ken, after it,e to learn with me how to suppress your killing intent and only let it out during battles to oppress your enemies. Otherwise, people might think you''re the youngest serial killer our sect ever had."


    She gave him a lower earth-rank technique to practice and showed him how she used it. To his surprise, her killing intent was much higher than his.


    ''Mom isn''t much of a good person herself apparently.''


    The technique showed him the way to exude mental pressure using his killing intent, instilling fear in his enemies. It also showed how to contain it back, so sensitive people will only feel a sense of danger while others will feel nothing.


    "Mom, have you killed many people?"


    "I have. When I was young, I often had to fight for my life and freedom since I came from a mortal background. However, it doesn''t matter now."


    He could see her hesitation when telling him, and he felt that there was something he needed to know.


    "Are you still in danger?"


    His mom looked at him intently and slowly opened her mouth to speak again.


    "Do you remember we told you that we aren''t in touch with your grandparents from Dad''s side?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I do."


    "Do you know the map of our continent?"


    "I don''t."


    Mei took out arge piece of paper and threw ink on it while using her Qi to make the ink fall in the right ces. In two minutes, a rough sketch of a map floated between Mei and Ken.


    "This is the map of our continent. The mark over here, in the southeast, is our sect and where we are right now."


    She pointed at the end of the map and Ken nodded to show he understands.


    "Our sect is a branch of the main Phoenix Feather Sect of the continent. Every 5 years, the main sect sends a representative to see the core disciples and a few other younger disciples fighting, and he picks a few promising ones and sends them to train in the main sect."


    "Are Dad''s grandparents from there?"


    "Yes, he is from a big n that enrolls all their young generation into the main sect. They have much influence in the sect and have the best resources to support their geniuses. Among the thousands of sects in our continent, the Phoenix Feather Sect is officially ranked 13th, although the ranking doesn''t take into ount evil sects."


    "So howe we are here and not there?"


    "That''d be my fault. Dad is the fourth son of the Sue family, and he was supposed to get married in a political marriage. I was a genius from this branch who was sent to train in the main sect, and we fell in love while training together."


    "Hehe Mom, did you try hitching a ride to the sky on the dragon and phoenix?" (1)


    "Who taught you to tease your mom like that?"


    Mei pulled his ear yfully but soon continued her story.


    "But the answer is no, I didn''t know his background since he never mentioned it. Long story short, we eloped for 20 years and hid in a mortal vige until it was safe to assume that the family gave up on marrying him into another elite family. However, we didn''t have the face to go back to the main family and just came here to be elders."


    "Is the main family aware of your presence here?"


    "It is. The main problem isn''t your grandfather, but your uncles and aunts. Thepetition is fierce, and they would try to harm us to secure more resources for themselves if we tried going back. The patriarch told us we can stay here safely, but we must let him know when we have grandchildren."


    "So do they know about me?"


    "They''d eventually know, but for now we''re trying to hide your talent. We told them we have a son, but he seems to be a bit on the slow side. I also instructed Sol and anyone else whoes to our house often to tell the same thing if anyone is snooping around."


    "And when they find out I''m more talented than that?"


    His mom moved her fingers through his hair while nodding sadly.


    "They will probablye to take you to the main sect to start your training when you turn 10 either way. The rest of the family will resent you for taking some of the resources, but if you appear amazing enough, you will be protected. When that happens, I rmend you find a powerful master in the sect, so the family won''t be able to touch you."


    "So where is the main sect?"


    "North from here, still in the southeast. All of this is their territory."


    Her Qi made part of the map glow and separated the borders of the Phoenix Feather Sect. Overall, around 3% of the continent was under their control, while their branch was the most southern one and the main sect was closer to the northern border.


    "But it''s not all bad. I know how much you want to get stronger, and you might have ess there to heaven-rank techniques of both martial arts and alchemy. Additionally, the closer you get to the center of the continent, the thicker the Qi gets, and the more resources you can put your hands on."


    She told him the plus sides and he felt relieved. It shouldn''t be a problem for him to get a powerful master with his talent, and he could improve his techniques.


    ----------


    ''Today is Ken''s sixth birthday, we should party it somehow.''


    Mei thought to herself when she went to work. She could feel Ken''s killing intent soar every day even on days he stayed home, and she had no idea what causes it. Ken stayed at home to practice his killing intent on purpose, so his parents won''t think he was going out to murder people.


    As his killing intent soared at a rapid pace, he started feeling a strong itch to kill people, but he forcefully oppressed this feeling and meditated until he calmed down every time it happened.


    A/N: Hitching a ride to the sky on the dragon and phoenix ¨C sticking to a sessful person to ride on his sess and benefit from it.

 Chapter 29 29 – Uninvited Visitors

    ?''I will stop by the market to get Ken some gifts before going back home. Haoran will probably forget to get anything, so I will buy things for him too to gift to Ken.''


    Mei made a stop at a few stores to buy some things she thought Ken would like. First were a few stones that a master swordsman practiced on for a few months. They had some sword intent, and Ken might be able to learn from them how to develop his own.


    She nned to let Haoran gift him the stones while she purchased a few fourth-rank herbs for him. Despite being the elder of the pills division, she couldn''t take as many fourth-grade materials as she wished and had to pay for them. They were much rarer than the third-grade materials, so the sect couldn''t afford to gift many of them to her.


    In those past few months, Ken finally learned how to make fourth-grade pills. Although they were difficult to make and exhausted his soul, mind, and Qi quickly, he was strong enough to make a few of them before having to rest.


    Mei found it amazing; for someone who still didn''t form his core, he had as much energy as a few geniusesbined. As his growth continued, he kept getting stronger every day even without training, and it was making a big difference.


    When she got closer to her house, she suddenly heard a huge explosion in the distance, just in the direction of her residence. She quickly started running in that direction and vanished from where she was walking.


    ''Nobody is strong enough in the sect to dare attack our house. Maybe one of our neighbors has troubles?''


    She asked herself inwardly while she sprinted home. They had a rather big space for themselves, so with her higher senses as a cultivator, the explosions sounded distinctively in their territory.


    The explosions kept echoing as she got closer, and now she couldn''t tell herself it didn''te from her house. Furthermore, she was close enough to feel the Qi waves and know the fighters were too strong for the sect.


    When she got closer, she found Haoran fighting a familiar man while a woman was watching their fight with a smirk.


    "Little Brother, you''ve been tempted by a slut and betrayed your family. Let us help you wash this shame away and kill her; you cane back with us to the main sect. Look how weak you became."


    The man fighting with Haoran mocked him while easily deflecting Haoran''s sword attacks. With a palm attack, he sent Haoran crushing to the ground and broke a few of his ribs.


    *Cough*


    Haoran coughed out blood as hey on the ground. He tried to stand, but this palm attack was cruel; it caused him a huge deal of damage to his organs and his ribs.


    "Haoran!"


    Mei appeared next to him and put a healing pill in his mouth. She looked with fury at the man who was descending slowly from the sky after hitting Haoran.


    "Norman, why are you here?"


    Norman was Haoran''s third brother; he was slightly older and had a different mother. There wasn''t a main wife since Haoran''s father never married someone equal to him, or else he wouldn''t be able to marry multiple wives.


    "We''ve heard a word you have a genius son so we came to take a look. Guess what we found out? To our surprise, your ''slow'' son is surprisingly quick-witted!"


    Normanughed while looking at Mei mockingly. Mei looked around and soon found Ken, Sol, and Aaron standing behind the woman''s back, seemingly unharmed.


    "Don''t re at me like that, we didn''t do anything to them. Your son knew what''s best for him and didn''t fight back when we told him to stand back and watch quietly."


    The woman smiled at Mei when she noticed her looking at her with hatred.


    "Krone, the patriarch said he will only take my children to the main sect when they turn 10, leave and we will pretend it never happened."


    "Hahaha, pretend it never happened? That''s not something the weak can say. You''ve lost too much cultivation time when you hid in that little mortal vige. They probably really hated you for choosing their vige to hide in when we found out where you hid all that time."


    Mei clenched her teeth as she heard Krone''s words.


    "Cruel! They''ve done nothing to you! They didn''t even know whom we were hiding from!"


    "Since mere mortals got involved in the cultivation world, they can only me themselves for paying the price. Or rather, they can me you for pulling them into your mess."


    Krone shrugged uncaringly before giving another cruel smile.


    "However, you''ve lied to the patriarch. He gave us full reign to act as we want if you wronged your own son and prevented him ess to better resources, so I think you deserve a punishment."


    Ken''s hands itched as he heard the woman talking about to punishing his mother. He truly loved his parents after the way they treated him all this time, and his killing intent started leaking out.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Ho? Impressive killing intent kid. You really are a genius, although a murderous one. Heed my advice and sit out this one."


    Krone exuded a pulse of Qi that sent him rolling a few meters away. Mei''s eyes widened when she saw that.


    "Ken, stay out of it! She is in the sixth stage, you cannot help in this battle. Trust Mom, I will be fine."


    She shouted at Ken to not resist and he took control of his emotions quickly. He sat on the ground again and thought about the situation clearly.


    Meanwhile, Kroneunched herself toward Mei''s direction and the two women started fighting.


    "Mom will be fine? Didn''t you hear your own words?"


    Krone asked her a question with every blow they exchanged. Krone didn''t even go all out, but Mei was being sent a few meters back with every hit. Mei''s arms were shaking from the heavy blows, and she could do nothing to fight back.


    "Since you know I''m at the sixth rank, and most likely you also know you''re just at the fifth rank, how can you shout such nonsense?"


    "There are things more important in life than cultivation and power. Even if I could be stronger than you by staying in the sect, I''d make the same decision again. Otherwise, how''d I have such an amazing son?"


    She noticed that Sol had held Aaron in her arms, and she didn''t know if they already knew he was her son as well.


    "That''s romantic and sweet, but can it save you now?"


    Krone crushed Mei''s sword technique in one punch, and with a second one, she hit Mei''s stomach and sent her rolling on the ground for a few dozen meters.


    *Cough cough*


    Mei coughed out blood and turned to look at how Haoran was doing. She saw him exchanging a few blows with Norman, but it was obvious that Norman was just toying with him. When Norman noticed Mei''s gaze, he smiled and thought it''d be a good chance to give Haoran another beating.


    With a palm technique to Haoran''s shoulder, he sent him to the ground again, and Haoran groaned with pain when his shoulder de broke and he couldn''t lift his right arm anymore.


    "For lying to the patriarch, I shall punish you by crippling your core."


    "NOO!!!"


    Haoran screamed when he heard Krone''s words. But he could only watch her appear in front of Mei in an instant and punch her in the guts, sending a wave of Qi into her dantian.


    The Qi invaded Mei''s dantian and despite her struggles, it quickly broke its boundaries. As her dantian exploded, a wave of Qi was released inside her body and fractured all her meridians and many of her blood vessels and bones as a chain reaction.


    Mei widened her eyes with pain and fell to the ground on her knees, and soon copsed on the ground without moving anymore.


    "MEIII!!!"


    Haoran screamed and rushed to Mei''s side. His siblings didn''t stop him this time and only watched him cry while holding Mei''s hand and trying to manipte the rampaging Qi in her body to prevent her from dying.


    "Brother, we''ve freed you from what was holding you back. Come back with us and you could enjoy plenty of resources instead of staying in this hole forever."


    Krone told her brother with a righteous tone as if she just did him a huge favor. Haoran just looked at her with empty eyes and then looked at Ken.


    "I''m sorry Ken, we couldn''t give you more time to grow before sending you to struggle for your life in the main sect. Remember, while even a tiger doesn''t eat its cub, my family is far worse than animals. I can''t keep you safe anymore, but myst advice for you is to never trust any of them." (1)


    "Little Brother, that''s such a heartbreaking thing to say. We''ve only done what was best for you. Ken, are you ready to leave?"


    "Not yet, Uncle. I still have onest thing to do."


    He answered calmly and drew his sword.


    A/N: Even a tiger doesn''t eat its cub ¨C Chinese idiom meaning that people don''t hurt their descendants

 Chapter 30 30 – Oath

    ?A few hours earlier:


    On his sixth birthday, Ken stayed at home with Sol and Aaron to practice his killing intent as well as draw some formations for his training.


    Sol was ying with Aaron when a knock was heard on the door. Sol went to the entrance and opened the door, seeing a woman and a man waiting outside.


    "Hello, Seniors. Sixth Elder and Second Elder aren''t home currently. They should be back in a few hours if you''d like to talk to them."


    "Hello, I assume you''re Sol. Don''t worry about it, just call Ken to the living room; we would love to take a look at our genius nephew."


    The woman threw a jade bottle to Sol who grabbed it immediately and ced it in a storage ring she got as a gift from Meitely for being so long with them.


    "Thank you, Senior."


    Sol cupped her fist and bowed as soon as she understood those people were from a prominent background. She walked quickly to Ken''s room and knocked on his door.


    "Yes?"


    Ken was surprised to hear knocks on the door; it had been a while since Sol approached him.


    "Young Master, there are two people outside asking to meet with you."


    "Okay, tell them I''ming soon."


    Ken changed his clothes to something cleaner and went to the living room to meet with the people Sol mentioned and looked at them carefully.


    The man was tall and muscr. His long, ck hair was tied behind his head and fell on his back. His white skin was healthy yet not as silky as a woman''s, and his face was handsome and didn''t have any wrinkles.


    The woman was slightly shorter than the man, and her structure was also thinner yet still muscr. She let some bangs fall on her forehead, and her velvet-like ck hair was free and untied behind her.


    ''They look around 30, but they''re probably a few times that.''


    "Hello Seniors, who are you?"


    He asked with an innocent voice of a kid. He didn''t cup his fist, as 6-year-old kids didn''t do that.


    "You can ask me Uncle Norman and the woman beside me is Aunt Krone."


    Norman smiled at the kid and wondered if the information about him was true. He didn''t n to beat around the bush, and simply walked to Ken and offered him candy.


    "Here, would you like to get candy from Uncle?"


    "No, Mom said I shouldn''t take food from strangers."


    Ken took a step back suspiciously, but Norman was too fast for him. He held Ken''s palm and sent a pulse of Qi and sensed him with his soul.


    "Indeed, you''re at the Soul Strengthening Stage as we''ve been told, and your foundation seems sturdy. You can go back to your room and train if you want, we will wait here for your father."


    Ken already understood by now who those people were. He hoped his parents would be stronger, but doubted it since they were living in the countryside while those people enjoyed the big bucks at the main sect.


    "Are you here to take me?"


    "Oh, you already know about that? Yes, we''re here to take you. If you''re smart, you shouldn''t fight back."


    "I won''t, so how about we just leave now?"


    Since Ken didn''t believe his family would send someone weaker than his parents, he preferred to do it cleanly without letting the problem escte beyond his control.


    "Haha, how could we be so cold toward our family? We haven''t seen our dear brother for years; we can''t let this rare chance to see him go."


    Ken realized they didn''t n to just leave, so he went back to his room and meditated while waiting for his parents to return. The first one to return was his father, and he got alerted as soon as he saw the guests waiting in the living room.


    "Norman, Krone, why are you here?"


    "We''ve been told you have an outstanding son contrary to the letter you''ve sent to the family a few months ago. You can imagine our surprise when the evidence suggests that you have lied to the family and limited your son''s future by forcing him to stay here without resources and techniques. We''ve been worried for our dear nephew and rushed here as soon as we could."


    Krone exined the situation to Haoran. Krone always liked to see herself as a righteous person, so she''d always make sure to exin why the one she tormented was at fault.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Don''t sell me this crap. We''ve agreed to send my son there when he gets 10, and I won''t let you take him away a minute before that."


    "Do you have the strength to back your words?"


    Norman emanated his aura to threaten Haoran who didn''t budge from the threat.


    "That''s my agreement with the patriarch, you don''t have the authority to change it."


    "But I do. You see, it''s the patriarch who sent me here to check whether the information about your son was true or not. In fact, I think you deserve justice for your crime."


    Krone covered the three powerless residents of the house when Norman sprinted toward Haoran and sent a palm attack to his chest. Haoran quickly reacted and attacked back, causing the house to explode from the shockwaves.


    Luckily, nothing happened to Ken under Krone''s protection.


    -------


    Back to the present:


    "Not yet Uncle. I still have onest thing to do."


    He drew his sword and ced it on Sol''s neck. Sol looked at him in surprise while Aaron looked at him with his big, teary eyes.


    "Young Master, what are you doing?"


    She trembled while asking him.


    "I''m just wondering why you gave information about me despite all the gifts I''ve given you. Did they offer to make you powerful? Or maybe it''s about money?"


    "Young Master, I''m not sure what you''re talking about. I''ve always been loyal and grateful to you."


    Krone and Norman only watched the scene curiously while waiting to see Ken''s actions.


    "There''s no need to act anymore. You''re the only one who knew about my cultivation, so tell me why you''ve betrayed me within three seconds or remain silent forever."


    His sword''s tip pressed against her neck and a few drops of blood dripped on her skin. Her face turned pale with a tinge of fear, but she just gritted her teeth andshed out at Ken.


    "You''ve abandoned me! You stopped helping my cultivation, and you didn''t give me a single pill over thest year. Since you forgot about me, I told someone about you when he asked me in exchange for fourth-grade pills. He also promised he will make sure I stay alive, so don''t think you can kill me here."


    She turned to Krone and Norman with expectant eyes for help, but they just shrugged it off.


    "We gave you the pills we promised. As for keeping you alive, we just meant we wouldn''t kill you when we attack the house. Ken, do whatever you want and let''s go. we''ve wasted too much time here."


    "Since you bit the hand that fed you, let me teach you one lesson that you can carry to the afterlife. Don''t get involved in a battle between two sides you can''t afford to offend."


    Sol quickly drew out the saber he had gifted to her, but she didn''t master any remarkable fighting art. Her head rolled a few meters away from her body and stopped, while blood kept spilling out of her neck.


    Ken took the crying baby from the ground; Sol dropped Aaron earlier, but Ken made sure to coat him with Qi to cushion the fall and make sure he stayed safe. He ced it by Haoran''s side and ced his hand on his father''s shoulder.


    "Raise Aaron well, and we might see each other one day. Don''t forget to take care of Mom and tell her I said that I love her."


    He swiftly slipped a storage ring into Aaron''s clothes before leaving him on the ground. The ring belonged to one of his victims from a few months ago, but the content was different; it was full of pills tailored for Aaron from the first grade to the fourth grade that were invented by Ken after observing his brother.


    Those pills were meant to help his brother change his constitution and improve his talent in cultivation, and some of them were meant to help him start cultivating earlier than normal.


    Thest gift he left for his brother was a set of three manuals he prepared especially for him, and each one was of a higher quality than the one he gifted to Sol.


    ''Since you''re so cruel, I can be even crueler. The next time Ie to see my parents, my father will have no rtives other than his two sons and his wife.''


    Ken promised to himself and followed Norman and Krone to a flying beast that seemed like arge, winged lion.


    --------------


    The end of Volume 1.

 Chapter 31 31 – Arriving At The Sues Mansion

    ?


    Volume 2:


    ------------


    Ken promised himself to take revenge and followed Norman and Krone to a flying beast that seemed like arge, winged lion.


    "Oh and Haoran, keep it secret to yourself that you have another son. Since we''ve crippled your wife and she can''t give birth anymore, stay here until you die, and don''t try being too greedy."


    Norman crushed the hope that they weren''t aware of Aaron''s existence. Obviously, since Sol already sold information about Ken, she wouldn''t hide Aaron''s existence.


    Norman didn''t want another kid to join the main family andpete for resources, so he preferred letting the rest of the family live their lives away and keep Aaron''s existence secret from the patriarch.


    ¡¤?¦Èm The winged lion was around 6 meters long and 3 meters tall, towering above the humans who came to ride it.


    "Sit behind Norman and I will be behind you to make sure you won''t fall. Do you need help to get on its back?"


    Krone spoke to Ken after Norman hopped on the beast''s back. Instead of answering, Ken just jumped lightly andnded on the beast''s back before sitting down. The beast''s back was wide enough for him and stand and walk on it.


    Krone sat behind him, and the winged lion started running and took off with a strong p of its wings. Ken estimated the lion was at the fourth stage and had around the same strength as the bird he had killed in the forest before.


    "How did you train?"


    After an hour of silent flying, Krone couldn''t contain her curiosity anymore. In the main sect, the kids of powerful people started cultivating when they turned 10. Their parents would supply them with pills to support their cultivation and had a technique to help them channel their Qi.


    This way, if the kid lost control because of the pain, the parent could buy them enough time to concentrate again and take control of their Qi before they experienced a Qi deviation that could lead to an injury or worse.


    The problem was that Ken''s parents didn''t have kids when they were in the main sect, so they never received the required technique, and even if they did, Ken wasn''t 10 years old yet.


    "When Dad watched over me, he took me with him to a ss he taught. After listening to the kids recite their manual multiple times, I tried doing what I heard, and it seeded."


    "And is it true you''re an alchemist and a formation master?"


    "I can concoct a few pills and create simple formations; I don''t think it makes me eligible for those titles."


    "We''ve been told you created your own cultivation manual and pill forms."


    Ken just looked back into Krone''s eyes and hid his irritation.


    ''How much did this idiot reveal to them about me?''


    But instead, he thought of another answer. He knew Krone would be skeptical to believe that a 6-year-old boy could have so many achievements. After living for dozens of years, she only practiced existing techniques and arts. If creating techniques was something that even kids could do, wouldn''t it mean she was a stupid cowpared to Ken?


    "You must be joking, the art of alchemy is too difficult. I only slightly tweaked a simple form to get results that were 1% stronger than the original pill, and Sol must have used this incident to get more money from you."


    "What''s gold in her eyes is only peanuts for us. A few fourth-grade pills and some Qi stones don''t mean anything to us."


    Krone shrugged and exined why she didn''t care even if Sol exaggerate to gain extra rewards. They didn''t take Sol''s belongings after Ken killed her since looting the corpse of a poor outer disciple from a branch sect would make them lose too much face.


    But both Krone and Norman were satisfied with his answer. He was already a terrifying genius, and if he could create original pills and techniques, he would be the treasure of their family. Given the fact that they crippled his mom in front of him, they didn''t n to let him be stronger than them.


    "Let me give you a few words of advice to help you integrate into life in the main sect. The main sect is very cruel and unforgiving, and people get killed there all the time. Of course, there are some rules to prevent older geniuses from killing the younger ones who still couldn''t develop, and to prevent groups from ganging up on a single genius, but you might still find yourself in peril."


    "Thank you, Uncle, for your advice."


    Ken answered indifferently and irritated Norman.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I still didn''t give my advice. Speaking before your elders finished is a bad habit that will limit your growth, you should work on it. Anyway, that''s why it''s important to have a family to back you up, this way you can get help when you''re in danger. You should listen to your uncles and aunts, as well as to your cousins, so you can stay safe."


    "Of course, I''m happy to have a supportive family."


    "Exactly. You''ll only need to make pills for us a few hours a day and you wouldn''t have to worry about anything. We will keep you safe, but you also need to give back to the family."


    Krone nodded virtuously and added a few words after Norman finished what he had to say. Ken was still angry and sad about his mom''s injury, but he could control his emotions well. Although it was tragic, he didn''t believe he couldn''t heal her when he gets proficient enough in alchemy.


    "I understand, I will be happy to contribute my part to the family with my alchemy talent."


    The rest of the ride passed silently with a few monologues from Krone and Norman about how Ken should always help his family and listen to his elders since they know better until they eventually reached the main sect. Overall, the ride took a few dayster including a few breaks.


    The winged lion flew the whole way in a straight line above 180 kph (112 mph), yet thend was too big for the journey to take less than a day.


    ''The world of cultivation is much bigger than my former world. It makes sense, battles between powerful cultivators would destroy a of Earth''s size. I also noticed that everything is much sturdier in nature.''


    Kenpared the two worlds in his mind and realized the effects of Qi were much bigger than just letting humans and beasts cultivate.


    "We are here, the patriarch told us to bring you straight to him. Follow me."


    Theynded outside a tall wall that had dozens of formations inscribed on it. The guards bowed and greeted them as soon as they saw Krone and Norman and took the lion from them.


    Soon, they arrived at a grandplex made of 5 floors and went inside. After passing through another door, he found himself in arge room with a man looking in his fifties sitting on arge chair.


    "Father, We''ve brought Haoran''s son."


    "Norman, Krone. You went too far with Haoran''s wife. You can expect your punishments soon. You may leave now, let me talk privately with the kid."


    "Yes, Father."


    The two cupped their fists and left the room. The man and the child scrutinized each other with their gazes, carefully studying one another.


    "Red eyes are quite rare."


    The man remarked casually, but Ken understood his suspicions. Ken wasn''t born with red eyes; his eyes'' color kept changing from dark brown to red as he trained his killing intent and integrated it into his constitution. Now, his eyes were a dark shade of red, borderline brown.


    As Ken improved his body and constitution all the time, he turned more beautiful than God intended him to be. He knew that people would confuse his gender if he changed his attire, as his face was quite feminine.


    Although his skin was previously white, it turned tanned during his long training under the sun in the past year, but he didn''t have a single blemish on it, and it was still soft and smooth to the touch.


    On the other side, the man had ck hair and dark brown eyes. His skin was rough, and his facial features were masculine even if one looked beyond his thick beard.


    His face had a squared shape, and his straight, long nose coupled with his sword eyebrows gave him a sharp look. After another moment of silence, the man finally spoke again.


    "Hello Ken, I''m Dominic Sue. You can call me Grandfather, there''s no need for formalities between family."


    "Hello Grandfather, I''m Ken."


    "I know my stupid daughter left a bad impression on you, and I''m sorry for what she had done. I never expected her to severely injure your mother. We are all very upset about the absence of my son, but she went too far, and I will make sure to punish her ordingly. You can alwayse to me if anyone makes it hard for you in the sect or in the family."


    Dominic apologized to the young boy standing in front of him without hesitation, and his voice was sincere and caring.

 Chapter 32 32 – Rose Sue

    ?


    Hearing his grandfather apologize to him made Ken raise one eyebrow in surprise. He didn''t expect this treatment, but he also didn''t believe this apology was as sincere as it sounded.


    ''Does he think I will sacrifice my life for the family if he acts nicely? I guess his thoughts aren''t so wrong when he sees me as a 6-year-old. Most kids would do their best to get recognition and love from their family.''


    "Thank you, Grandfather."


    "Take those two tokens. The ck one is for our family; the guards will not block your way when youe home. The blue one is for our sect; you are officially an inner disciple in our sect, although unranked. You can learn about the different types of top lists of our sectter, you must be tired and hungry after your long travel."


    After a short pause, the patriarch continued.


    "I assigned Rose to show you around, she''s the youngest daughter of your first uncle, and she turned 16tely. I''m sure you two can get along well."


    He didn''t tell Ken, but Rose was very difficult not to get along with, and that''s the reason he gave her the job of introducing the family and the sect to Ken, who had a bad impression of them.


    The patriarch didn''t n to suppress Ken, although he also nned to use his alchemy skills for the family. Unlike Norman, he didn''t care if Ken bes strong enough to take revengeter for his mother.


    Dominic cared about strength; if Ken took revenge, it meant he was much more important to the family than Norman. His only mistake was assuming that Ken will differentiate between him and the ones who hurt his parents.


    As soon as Ken left the main hall, a female servant approached him and bowed.


    "Young Master, I''m Soleil, and I''ll be your maid from now on. Please tell me if there''s anything I can improve."


    Ken looked at her with a weird gaze while thinking she should start with her name, but just nodded.


    ''Maybe it''s just a name for maids.''


    She led him to a separate small house in therge yard and gestured toe in.


    "Young Master, this is your personal house. You also have a room in the main mansion, but normally everyone prefers to sleep in their personal houses rather than share the main mansion."


    "All right, thank you."


    Ken took a short tour inside the house and found it rather small but fitting for his needs, given that he was living there alone. There was one small bedroom with arge bed that took most of its space, one study with a furnace and a desk, and one training room with a fixed Qi Gathering Formation.


    As a still-developing child, he needed a lot of sleep, so after having dinner he went straight to bed and had a long dreamless night''s sleep.


    -------


    "Good morning, Young Master. Young Lady Rose hade to take you out for breakfast with her, would you like to ept her invitation?"


    Soleil greeted Ken as soon as he left his room in the morning. He thought about it for a moment and chose to agree.


    "Sure, let her wait in the living room and serve her tea. I will be there when I''m ready."


    Ken took a quick shower and changed his clothes. He found robes fitting his size perfectly waiting for him clean and folded when he came out of the shower. The robes were blue colored, indicating his status as an inner disciple, with ck embroidery of a tortoise, which was the symbol of the Sue family.


    When he entered the living room, he found a girl that had the typical Sue ck hair and dark brown eyes, but she seemed much livelier than the others he had met. She was pretty with a slender waist and moderate curves and radiated the cheerfulness of a young teenage girl.


    "Aw, you''re so pretty! Are you really a boy?"


    "As you can see from my outfit, yes."


    "Well, hi Ken. I''m Rose Sue, but you can call me Big Sister or Big Sister Rose. Let''s go out, I''ve already reserved a table in a good restaurant in the sect. I figured you might prefer a small group for your first time around, so I only invited Little Dean and Little Aya to dine with us."


    "Who are they?"


    "Dean is the son of Second Aunt, whom you still didn''t meet. He is 10 years old and has just started his cultivation journey, so you have much inmon. I heard you started cultivating already despite being only six, this is so impressive!"


    "I''m in the Soul Strengthening Stage."


    "Oh."


    There was an awkward silence for a moment. Rose misunderstood the words "started cultivating" and thought he just started, which was already amazing for a 6-year-old, so she never imagined he was already at the third stage.


    "Ahm, anyway, Aya is his big sister and she is 12 years old. Most of her Major Meridians are already awakened, she''s very cute and talented. I''m sure you can get along with her."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    She said with the same cheerfulness as before despite the change in circumstances. Originally, she brought Dean as a peer and a potential friend while Aya was supposed to be a big sister role model to him. But with his strength much above theirs, bringing them was a bad idea.


    "All right, sure."


    They passed by the siblings'' house and a maid was sent to bring them. Evidently, they were already prepared since they came out within a minute in their blue robes.


    After a short introduction, the four left the family''s territory and went to the city in the sect. Since there were tens of thousands of people in the sect, there was a medium size city inside. The city offered a variety of attractions, and fancy food was one of the more popr ones among the rich young generation.


    "I''m taking you to the Northern Tortoise Restaurant. It belongs to our family so I could reserve a VIP room on short notice."


    Ken soon found himself in front of a 4 floors restaurant with a fancy "Northern Tortoise Restaurant" que, and the four went in.


    "Young Ladies, Young Masters. Pleasee to the top floor. We''ve reserved room number 2 for you."


    The four sat down and waited for the food to arrive.


    "Big Sister, what''s your cultivation stage?"


    Ken decided to start collecting information aboutmon sense in the sect.


    "I''m at the peak of the Soul Strengthening Stage, like you."


    "Big Sister, aren''t you wrong? You''ve told us Brother Ken was only 6, how can he be at the same stage as you?"


    Dean asked her after hearing her words. He felt like Rose was tricking them; he was told they were going out for breakfast with a 6-year-old boy who just started cultivating, yet everything seemed wrong.


    First, the supposed boy was too beautiful, second, he seemed to be around 10 years old rather than 6, and third, Rose just said he was at the third stage and not the first stage as he originally thought.


    "This is a misunderstanding. Little Brother Ken is already at the third stage."


    "Then, will he form his core soon?"


    ¡¤?¦Èm Aya finally spoke with a meek voice. She didn''t open her mouth ever since shey her eyes on Ken, and her cheeks blushed slightly as soon as she tried to speak.


    "I don''t think so, Aya. Although I could already form my core, I will only do it when I achieve the realm of Small Sess with my saber art and movement technique, which would take me around a year or two. If Ken wants a powerful core, he has to do the same first or his strengths will not shape his core."


    Ken decided to find out more about the sect in this chance.


    "And can I get manuals and arts?"


    "You can. You can have free ess to the techniques treasury we have at the main mansion with your family token, and you can have ess to the sect''s treasury with your inner disciple treasury. However, you can only take 3 manuals or fighting arts out, so choose them carefully."


    "Can I read as many as I want inside the treasury if I don''t take them out?"


    "Yes, but you shouldn''t. You must memorize your techniques, and you can only have time to get proficient in a limited number of arts. You might not know it, but breaking through in your cultivation is extremely hard if you passed 40% of your lifespan, so you should focus."


    ''My lifespan should be above 150 years old with my cultivation''s base and foundation. By that logic, I have until I''m 60 years old. At least the danger of having my brain copse is mainly gone.''


    Ken also wondered if God had anything to do with his family getting attacked when he was 6. In a sense, God''s promise to keep him safe until he was 6 just expired when Norman and Krone attacked.


    "Is it true that many people die in the sect?"


    "It''s true, but not many dare kill someone from the Sue Family, so you''re much safer than the normal disciple."


    "And what about our own family?"


    Rose hesitated this time before answering. She didn''t want to scare her new cousin.


    "It depends. Our family is very widespread, and there is fiercepetition. If you''re careful you should be fine."


    Rose said with a forced smile and Ken nodded in understanding. As he guessed, Rose''s personality didn''t represent the family well.

 Chapter 33 33 – The Sues Politics

    ?


    As Ken guessed, Rose''s personality didn''t represent the family well. However, he also understood that where there waspetition there were also factions.


    "Is our family divided into factions?"


    "Hmm, true, your intelligence is really beyond your age. The family is divided into factions, and each faction is divided into subgroups. While all of us are together against outside threats, inside the family the situation is quiteplicated."


    "How so?"


    "The members of the generation above Grandfather''s generation are either in seclusion to improve as much as they can before their potential runs dry, or just stopped intervening in the family politics since many factions are their descendants."


    "So only three generations are involved in the family politics."


    "Exactly. Although our grandfather is the patriarch, he must answer to the ancestors, so he can''t do whatever he wants. Furthermore, each of his siblings and cousins also has their own factions. And in our faction, Grandfather has 3 sons and 3 daughters involved in the family matters."


    "What about his wives?"


    "Grandfather has a foul taste. He only takes weak women who must rely on him. This way, he can y around all he wants, and many of them die identally because he can''t control his body''s strength when he acts like an animal."


    Rose said thest words with disdain. She obviously didn''t like this type of behavior. Ken didn''t really care, he just thought it was a waste of time that his grandfather could''ve used to get stronger.


    "What about our faction, is it divided into subgroups?"


    "It is. One subgroup includes my father along with Second Uncle and Second Aunt, while the other subgroup consists of Third Uncle, First Aunt, and Third Aunt."


    Ken already met his third uncle and his third aunt, and he figured out his grandfather''s intentions. By sending Rose who was from a different subgroup, he could make Ken integrate into his faction without going against his hatred toward Norman and Krone.


    Ken understood that those subgroups would turn into separate factionspletely after some years when it was Dominic''s turn to leave his seat and enter seclusion.


    ''Although I said I want to kill my whole family, my family is far more widespread than I imagined. As for now, aiming to exterminate all of them would be a waste of my time. I need to aim for the subgroup first.''


    He still wouldn''t mind killing the other members if he benefitted from it, but he wasn''t one to kill others indiscriminately. If he killed everyone, he''d have nobody left to look down upon when he reaches the top.


    "So what is your fighting style, Ken? Maybe I can direct you to a good technique or a good master to help you improve your proficiency."


    "There''s no list of the avable skills?"


    "There is, but the documents for each type of style are around 100 pages. Isn''t it better to have someone tell you directly the best techniques instead of going through a long, boring list? You might not even understand what''s the best just from the short descriptions."


    "I''ll be fine."


    The four finished eating and left the restaurant. They didn''t need to pay since the restaurant belonged to their family, and Ken enjoyed the high-quality dishes.


    "Little Brother, there''s onest thing I need to tell you. We always divide the resources between the factions throughpetitions. You''re very young yet very strong, you could help us win some resources as well. Would you like to join our faction?"


    Rose smiled at him and Aya looked at him hopefully.


    ''They will take from me more than they will give me, but if I don''t join them, I probably will get even fewer resources, since there''s a limit to what I can achieve as a single person without a faction.''


    Ken thought about the pros and the cons and reckoned he doesn''t have a choice if he wants any resources. In the main sect, his parents couldn''t shower him with any resource he asked for.


    "We heard you''re also an alchemist. We normally don''t participate in the alchemy challenges since nobody in our faction practices this field, but if you are up for the challenge, you can take it on. The otherpetition you can participate in is for fighting between ages 10-14."


    Although it was a long stretch to pit 10 years olds against 14s, there weren''t enough kids to do thepetition for a smaller range of ages.


    "My father told me to let you know that the prize for first ce in the alchemypetition is arge field of fourth-grade herbs. If you can win it, you''ll be allowed to take as many of the herbs as you need for your practice. You''ll additionally gain 10% of the profits from selling the rest of the herbs, and another 10% of the profits in the form of hiring guards for your house."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    After Rose finished saying what she had to say, Ken returned to his house and called for Soleil.


    "Soleil, I need a map of the sect and the areas around us, as well as a book of general knowledge about the area and the dangers hidden in it."


    "Understood, Young Master."


    A few hourster he sat in his study and read the book after ncing at the map. He could see that to the north there was pretty much nothing other than a long road that led to the neutral zone.


    The neutral zone was arge area in the middle of the continent, controlled by the top 5 sects, in addition to their own territories. Theoretically, if another sect would get into the top 5, they''d get thends of the sect that was kicked out of the top 5. Practically, those ranks didn''t change in thousands of years.


    On the west was a huge forest filled with beasts, and its structure was quite simr to the one next to the branch sect, except for the fact it had stronger beasts, better herbs, and trees of higher grade because of the higher Qi density in the air.


    On the south was arge desert that continued as far as the eye could see. It had dangerous animals hiding under the sand, and there were very few sources of water avable.


    Lastly, the east had arge mountain range that had special ores, beasts, and herbs the sect used as materials.


    Of course, between those ces and in them were also some roads that led to towns and cities, and there were some human viges on the way as well.


    ''I don''t think I will ever enter the desert, I''m not into overly open spaces.''


    Since he was already in the sect, he realized it would be his chance to erge his database of techniques and manuals. After reading about the structure of the sect and its rules, he left his house and went to the treasury in the main mansion.


    "Hey, are you the new boy, Ken? I heard you can make some pills; my brother needs some to strengthen his body."


    Before Ken arrived at the mansion, someone stopped him and demanded his service. Ken turned back and saw it was a teenage boy, around 15 years old.


    "Who are you?"


    "Little Brother, I''m Louis Sue. My father is Norman, he instructed me to protect you and take good care of you while you''re in the sect until you get ustomed to the new environment. You wouldn''t mind a simple request from me, right?"


    "Big Brother Louis, how can I reject? It''s just that my time is expensive, and I ask for 50 intermediate Qi Stones to start concocting, and one more stone for every pill I concoct."


    "Haha, Little Brother must be joking. The price of a perfect rank 1 pill is only a hundred low Qi Stones, so how can you overprice your family like that?"


    "Indeed, but don''t you know I''ve changed the form and my pill''s effect is 1% stronger?"


    Ken could easily invent a pill with such effect, so he didn''t hesitate to make such a im despite only inventing much better pills. Since he already told Norman that he tweaked some low-grade forms, he chose to show those achievements on a first-grade pill.


    "Don''t forget that without parents, you need our protection from other elite families in the sect, and even from the normal disciples. You never know when those people might attack a defenseless member of our family. Isn''t this protection enough for your services, Little Brother?"


    "No, thank you. I will be leaving then."


    Ken wasn''t impressed by Louis'' direct threat and just turned around and left, leaving Louis alone to fume by himself.


    Louis didn''t actually need Ken to concoct some low-grade pills; those could be easily bought in bundles. He only wanted to exert his authority over Ken and ''educate'' him to be ready to make pills for him whenever he needed them.


    The guards let Ken into the mansion with a sh of his token, and he went to the basement for the treasury. After showing his token one more time, the guard let him in.


    "Please leave your storage ring outside. In the storage ring on the table at the entrance you''ll find lists of the techniques stored in the treasury. You may take only 3 books out, and once you''re out, your next entry will be permitted only next month."


    Ken nodded and left his storage ring outside. He didn''t believe the guards were courageous enough to take anything from a member of the family, and he remembered everything that he stored inside.

 Chapter 34 34 – Heaven-Grade Techniques

    ?


    ''There are so many Earth-grade techniques, and some of them are even of the higher grade! In the branch sect, the only Earth-grade technique I got was the one to control bloodlust, and it didn''t even belong to the sect.''


    Ken felt excited about seeing all those techniques. He saw that there was even one lower Heaven-grade technique, but he didn''t have the authority to see it.


    ''It doesn''t matter. I''ve created a whole set of higher Earth techniques with only Basic and Sky techniques, with all those Earth-grade techniques, I should be able to upgrade my current techniques to the Heaven grade.''


    He used to take 13-17 seconds to read one page when he was still a normal mortal, but now, his brain and soul improved, and he could do it in half the time. He had around 10 hours until nightfall to stay and read the techniques, so he nned to use them all.


    He quickly collected all the earth techniques he found in the treasury. Overall, there were 52 of them.


    Most of them were rtively useless to him since they were meant for techniques that didn''t have much inmon with his, but he still read them because they could inspire him on new ways to utilize his meridians.


    Each Earth-grade technique had around 40-50 pages, and he read them all in under 5 hours. He still had a few hours left to spend in the treasury before he had to go outside.


    ''In this past year, I''ve killed around 500 people every day on average by reliving the moments I''ve killed real people. I could kill more, but I''d probably lose my sanity to bloodlust if I did. After killing over 150,000 people, my bloodlust integrated into my soul and constitution.''


    Although he could still grow his bloodlust further by killing more people, it was enough for his stage. He achieved what he was aiming for; now that the bloodlust was part of him, he nned to create a set of techniques to utilize it instead of only radiating it.


    To Ken''s dismay, there were only three bloodlust techniques in the whole treasury, and he already knew the one at the Earth grade; it was the same one that his mother taught him. He assumed that his father taught her the technique before.


    ''No matter, I still need to visit the sect''s treasury. Surely there are more techniques there than in a single family, no matter how rich andrge it is. For now, let''s use the spare time to read some darkness techniques.''


    Techniques that integrated darkness into Qi were the specialty of the Sue family, which was the reason that atst third of the Earth-grade techniques belonged to that section. There were still many Sky-rank techniques and Basic-grade techniques.


    Ken chose those that manipted the mind, feelings, and distorted perception since those were the type of skills he nned to create for his bloodlust techniques.


    When the guards came in to tell him to go out, he had already read dozens of books.


    "What are the three techniques you chose?"


    "There were so many that I couldn''t pick 3, I didn''t take anything."


    The guards gave him a weird gaze but nodded and let him leave the treasury.


    "I''m afraid that it''s your problem. The next time you can enter the treasury is next month."


    "Sure."


    Ken left the main mansion and returned to his room. He stayed there for three days and three nights, refusing to meet all visitors. He only took breaks for eating and sleeping, and he used the rest of his time to integrate all the knowledge he just learned in his mind.


    ''Finally, I can see the path to Heaven-grade techniques!''


    After integrating all this knowledge, he could easily tweak and improve his existing techniques. He went outside and stood in an open space and imagined an enemy standing in front of him.


    ''One Step.''


    He vanished from his spot and appeared 15 meters forward in a straight line.


    ''My mastery of the skill is reduced to the Basic level after altering it, but the effect didn''t diminish. By upgrading the skill, I basically gained a level of mastery.''


    Ken was satisfied with the results. He still had to slightly crouch now because of his lower mastery level, but he could improve that after practicing.


    As for the distance, the original One Step sent him only 10 meters forward at the Basic mastery level and 15 meters forward at the Advanced mastery level.


    ''The effects of Heaven-grade skills are amazing. Unfortunately, I can''t tell the exact grade of my techniques since I didn''t read any Heaven techniques for reference.''


    Despite not seeing Heaven-grade skills, the skills he saw at the treasury used differentbinations and sequences of meridians, so he could easily learn and deduct the right way to utilize the meridians he couldn''t add to his techniques before.


    He kept practicing his other skills and discovered that his mastery of all of them dropped from the Advanced level to the Basic level, but the main effect didn''t diminish.


    "Ken, are you finally out of seclusion?"


    He heard a voiceing closer and saw Rose walking toward him. Although she was friendly, he knew that it was only because her subgroup believed he had no choice but to join them.


    "I am, what''s up?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "The alchemy tournament is in 5 days from now. Would you like to participate in it for our faction?"


    "I''m sorry, but I''m too amateur and barely received any training in alchemy. I''m afraid to lose face for our faction, so I will not participate."


    Ken already thought it through. He was confident in winning if he participated, but he would only get 10% of the revenue. However, he was sure that the faction wouldn''t let him take it so easily and would use various reasons to cut his share of the profits.


    As for the 10% that would be earned in the form of guards, it was even worse. Even if the subgroup of his first uncle was the one to pick the guards, the guards would never be loyal to him.


    Having such guards in his house meant having spies in his house to observe his every move, not to mention the danger involved if his subgroup chose to betray him for one reason or another.


    As for the free pass on using the herbs, it was a field of herbs, which meant that there was only one type of herb being cultivated there. It would have very limited usage and he would have to find the other herbs for every concoction himself anyway.


    Overall, the benefits were overweighed by the losses. If he participated, he would reveal some of his talents and garner hatred from the faction that normally won the alchemy tournament.


    He already faced danger from his faction, so he preferred not to make enemies from additional factions.


    "Really? I guess you do have a point, the juniors from the other faction received guidance from a young age in alchemy."


    Rose said with disappointment but didn''t pursue the matter.


    "I will be going now. The tournament ofbat skills will take ce one week from now, so make sure to be here."


    Ken didn''t have a reason to avoid this one since everyone already knew that he was at the Soul Strengthening Stage.


    -------


    The next day, Ken left for the sect to find out more about it. Although he had ess to the treasury, it cost 1,000 merit points to enter per hour. Since he nned to stay there for many more hours than that, he needed around 20,000 merit points.


    The main problem was that he had no merit points at all, and since he was unranked, he didn''t get any monthly.


    To earn merit points, he had toplete missions or sell resources such as beasts'' carcasses, ores, or herbs. Even Qi stones could be sold, and each medium Qi stone granted one merit point, although the other way costs 2 merit points per medium stone.


    ''It should be okay. In every novel, the easiest way to make money is to be an alchemist.''


    He nned to take a mission outside the sect to get the chance to hone his mastery over his newly altered skills, but he had to be in the sect for the fighting tournament soon.


    ''Let''s find revenue sources first.''


    He went to the Mission Hall of the sect and looked around for missions that fitted his needs.


    ''This one seems perfect, I will take it now to prevent others from taking it.''


    He chose a mission to exterminate a group of evil cultivators who killed vigers near the sect.


    The rmendation was to be a group of disciples in the Soul Strengthening Stage, so it shouldn''t be a problem for him who could fight the average Core Formation Stage cultivator.


    Thepletion time limit was one month, and he still had time toplete it after the tournament was over.


    Although the vigers might be happier if he left the mission for someone who couldplete it right away, it wasn''t his problem.


    "Hello, I would like to take this mission."


    He ced the mission token on the counter in front of the girl in charge.


    -----


    A/N: A few changes:


    1.  bloodlust will be what cultivators develop after killing many people while killing intent will be what people sense when someone wants to kill them.


    2. The term for inanimate things like techniques and ores will be ''grade'' instead of ''rank''.


    3. Intermediate Qi stones are now medium Qi stones.

 Chapter 35 35 – Getting Into The Top

    ?


    Ken ced the mission token on the counter in front of the girl in charge. She looked at him and smiled kindly.


    "Junior Brother, this mission requires a team of 5 disciples at the Soul Strengthening Stage. Overconfidence brings death, so why not pick an easier one for disciples in the first stage?"


    Ken didn''t feel like arguing, so he just pulled out his family token.


    "It''s ok, I will go with my family members and my bodyguards."


    He obviously didn''t have any bodyguards, and he didn''t n to take any of his family members with him, but since he could use his family token to shorten processes, he''d do it.


    "Oh, the Sue family. Of course, Young Master."


    She used his disciple token to imbue the mission into it and gave it back to Ken.


    ''Another problem I have is that unranked disciples barely get any resources, and their ess to the techniques treasury is also very limited. I should rise my rank there as soon as possible.''


    There wasn''t a list of disciples under 10 years old, so he was part of the list for disciples between ages 10-12. Since the age range was small, to be ranked, one had to be in the top 300.


    The age range was still small because kids at this age advanced quickly, and it''d be unfair to pit the 10-year-olds against disciples 4 years older than them.


    He went to the Hall of Glory to find the top list and found it ording to the map in his memory.


    Although one couldn''t appear in top lists under their age, they could still enter lists above their age for better rewards if they had the confidence.


    "Hmm, Aya Sue is ranked 131 in the top list between ages 10-12, and Rose Sue is ranked 12 in the top list for ages 13-16. Dean isn''t on the list at all, probably because he just started."


    Although Aya''s rank seemed bad, he knew it was only because she didn''t train inbat skills. Just like him in the past, she had enough resources to train without getting them from the sect.


    Even if her ess to techniques was restricted by her rank, he was sure that her parents could convince the sect to make an exception for her as long as her rank wasn''t too bad.


    Thus, she only focused on deepening the foundation of her cultivation now, and those who needed resources would waste their time learning weak techniques to get a higher rank and earn resources.


    He knew that Rose must have had a simr ranking when she was 12, and the effects of her deep foundations showed now after she learned powerful techniques and jumped all the way to rank 12, passing all those who had to waste time on training their techniques earlier.


    ''One more familiar name. Rank 37 at only 14 years old, Annie Sue. Everyone expects her to get to the top 3 by the time she turns 16.''


    Annie Rose was another girl in his grandfather''s faction, but this time, she was from the enemy''s subgroup. She was Krone''s only daughter.


    ''If I learned one thing about young girls from my former world, is that they''re often very bad at choosing their boyfriends.''


    He wore a smile when he thought of a possible n. In this world, it wasn''t rare to marry one''s cousins, especially between cultivators who rarely had sick or disabled offspring.


    He found out that to have ess to the best techniques he had to be in the top 10, which he could easily achieve even in the list for ages 13-16.


    Although the resources were slightly better on the other list, he chose the easy way and go to the younger list. He had another n to earn resources.


    Ken went to the woman at the counter in charge of challenges and asked to challenge William Shake, the disciple ranked first on the list.


    "I''m sorry, but you can''t ording to the rules. You must be ranked in the top 50 to challenge someone from the top 10."


    "Then I want to challenge rank 11."


    "You need to be ranked in the top 100 to challenge someone from the top 50."


    The woman answered with a bored voice, irritating Ken further.


    "What''s the best rank I can challenge?"


    Instead of going in circles, he decided to just ask about it straight.


    "You can challenge the disciple in rank 101, but you''ll have to offer a bet of at least 50 medium Qi stones. This policy is meant to prevent the endless unranked disciples from challenging high-ranked disciples when they aren''t confident."


    "Do I win 50 medium Qi stones if I win?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "No, you''ll just get his rank."


    "Fine, you can write a bet of 50 medium Qi stones. I want you to also issue a challenge automatically against someone from the top 100 if I win and do the same thing for the man ranked first if I win the second challenge."


    ¡¤?¦Èm He took out his family token since he already understood the woman''szy mentality. He threw on the counter 50 medium stones and left.


    He still had around 300 stones left from before he left the branch sect, and he didn''t n to lose any of those matches anyway.


    In the evening, a trained bird came with a letter. It said that his challenge was epted and was set to the next day at 10 AM. He had nothing to do, so he just honed his familiarity with his new techniques and went to sleep early.


    ------


    "I heard it was someone from the Sue family. I wonder why he''s challenging someone at such a high rank, the rich kids never waste their timepeting for ranks at a young age."


    The disciples at the Fighting Arena talked to each other. There were always disciples loitering around the arena. When there was nothing to do, it was a form of entertainment to watch other disciples fight.


    Ken stood on the stage in front of his opponent, a female disciple with bright brown hair and a slender body. She was only 12, so there wasn''t much to see.


    ''As I thought, she isn''t from a prominent family. It must be the reason she epted my challenge so quickly; she needs the Qi stones.''


    He judged her background quickly by her clothes. Those who came from a family that was worth mentioning, had the family''s symbol embroidered on their robes, while hers were in blue.


    "Junior Brother, since you''re younger than me, you cane at me first."


    She said it only because she didn''t know his stage; she wanted to be polite to someone from the Sue family even if she defeats himter.


    "I won''t be polite then."


    Ken gave her a dazzling smile and charged at her. Since she was only at the peak of the first stage, he didn''t have any n to show his techniques.


    She lunged her spear forward and executed a higher Basic technique she practiced. Without awakened meridians, it was the best she could perform. Ken easily dodged with only his natural speed and punched her in the guts, making her lose her breath and copse on the floor.


    She struggled to breathe but couldn''t get up from her knees. Ken gave her a quick round kick to her jaw and sent her to a deep sleep.


    He left the stage with the fainted girl behind and went to im his wins from a betting broker. Since he was only 10 years old and the rich kids were known to be weak at this age, he had a ratio of 1:5, multiplying his 250 medium Qi stones by 5.


    As expected, those in the top 100 were all poor kids. His next challenge was against rank 51, and their fight was set for the following day. Since he didn''t go to take back his 50 medium Qi stones, the woman at the counter could use them for his next challenge.


    ''The prize for rank 101 is 100 merit points, so I finally got some points now. let''s use the rest of the day to make some money and convert themter into merit points.''


    He spent an exorbitant price of 10 medium Qi to buy the best information on the disciples fighting that day and quickly did his best to calcte the winning chances of everyone after skimming through their past battles.


    He chose to gamble on the arena for ages 13-16 because those had more information he could use in his calctions, while those older were in a higher stage than him, so he didn''t have a good understanding of their abilities.


    He used his old trick to gamble, and by the end of the day, his 1250 medium Qi stones turned into 19,500.


    ''I can''t use this method much in the main sect. Here, my parents aren''t supreme, and the bet brokers wouldn''t let me take their money as much as I wish.''


    He noticed that toward the end of the day, they were limiting his betting and avoiding him, significantly reducing his gains.


    After he left the Fighting Arena, he went back to the Exchange Office to change his Qi stones into merit points.


    ''Good, I have now 9,000 merit points. After getting 1,000 points for being ranked first I will have 10,000 and I will be able to buy 10 hours in the treasury.''


    He returned to his house to sleep with this thought and wait for the next match.


    -------


    "I heard he won yesterday in a single move and his opponent couldn''t dodge. He might be at the second stage already, which is why he feels so confident."


    The students talked about Ken''s match when it was his turn to get into the ring.

 Chapter 36 36 – Joel Han

    ?


    The students talked about Ken''s match when it was his turn to get into the ring.


    "He can''t be too confident now if his confidence relies on his second-stage cultivation. Leonard is also at the second rank, and his mastery over his Sky-grade techniques is almost at the basic level."


    Ken entered the arena and faced a young disciple. Leonard, who was ranked 51, was 12 years old and already opened his major and minor meridians.


    He was working on opening his coteral meridians those days, and those 50 medium Qi stones he could win from the challenge would support him with a pill or two.


    "Junior Brother, you cane at me first. Since you''re younger, I won''t be unfair."


    Ken found those words familiar this time. Since Leonard was also amoner, he also didn''t want to create problems with the Sue family.


    ''Are they all stupid? They only risk losing the match; no spoiled young master would care if they let him attack first before they beat him up.''


    Ken questioned their intelligence inwardly but rushed forward to knock Leonard unconscious.


    Leonard used a sword, so he struck it down with a powerful swing. Ken easily dodged to the side andnded an elbow on Leonard''s face, breaking his nose and freeing a few teeth from the constraint of his gums.


    Leonard didn''t lose his consciousness yet; he got up slowly with dizzy and unfocused eyes. Everything happened so fast that he still didn''t understand what was going on.


    Ken ran forward again and kicked his opponent''s throat, making him fall again and unable to breathe.


    "Let me teach you a lesson. If a rich kid is about to attack you, you should aim to kill, because his attitude won''t change even if you spare him."


    He left a few words of advice to Leonard whose eyes widened in his struggle to breathe on the floor and left the stage.


    "Quick, treat him!"


    A few disciples who were Leonard''s friends climbed into the stage and channeled Qi to relieve his throat and fed him with a healing pill.


    Ken still had slightly under 2000 medium Qi stones after exchanging 18,000 for merit points. He sat again in the arena''s seats and tried his hand at gambling.


    Since there were brokers who weren''t there yesterday, Ken targeted them instead of going after the brokers he impoverished yesterday. He obviously didn''t have any problem remembering who he dealt with before.


    After a few hours, he managed to win enough Qi stones to get to the 10,000 mark again.


    "Young Master Joel, this is the man who won a lot of Qi stones from us by gambling today and yesterday. We didn''t dare say anything to him because his robes have the embroidery of the Sue Family."


    Ken looked toward the voices and saw a young teenager wearing blue robes with red embroidery of a qilin with mes around it. ording to Rose, this should be the symbol of the Han family, another elite family on the same scale as his Sue family.


    "Kid of the Sue family, I heard you earned some money from my Han family''s gambling business. Is the Sue family so poor they need to gamble in the arena now?"


    Joel stepped in front of Ken and mocked him. Ken heard them calling Joel''s name earlier, so he knew who he was, with his memory, it wasn''t difficult for him to remember seeing his name in the top list for ages 13-16.


    Joel Han was ranked 33, and he was 16 years old. Just like Ken, he was in the Soul Strengthening Stage. Apparently, he oversaw the gambling business of his family, and it probably was his main source of ie.


    "Indeed, those are barren times. Even my Sue family can''t support a junior like me. I hope you don''t mind that I take some resources from you; the Han family is much richer."


    Joel''s face turned bleak when he heard Ken''s words. He didn''t expect Ken to be shameless enough to degrade his own family in public.


    The worst part was that now if Joel said he couldn''t allow Ken to keep betting, it''d mean his family had a hard time raising money too. Ken just jumped into the mud and pulled him along.


    If Ken was a normal young master, Joel''s expectations would be met. However, Ken didn''t have any pride in his family, so he didn''t care making both families lose face at once.


    "Young Master Ken must be joking. The Sue family is as prosperous as always. Remember, although I can''t challenge you myself and I already learned that nobody in your age group can challenge you, there are still missions outside. Those are always dangerous."


    Joel decided to get out of the embarrassing situation byplimenting the Sue family. He preferred to keep both families'' respect than make them both lose face.


    Ken just smiled when he heard Joel''s threat. It seems that his performance in the arena already garnered much attention to him. Joel couldn''t challenge him since nobody was allowed to challenge disciples from lower age groups; only the other way around was permitted.


    "How about that, since both families are prosperous, why not make a small bet over 200,000 medium Qi stones?"


    Joel''s face turned solemn immediately. Although 200,000 Qi stones were nothing to the Han family as a whole, it was a lot for him as a member of the youngest generation. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It would definitely make his status take a hit if he lost that much to a kid younger than him by a whole decade.


    "What do you want to bet on?"


    Since a younger kid took the initiative to challenge him for a bet in public, he didn''t want to cower and refuse.


    "You said earlier you can''t challenge me, but I can challenge you. Let''s fight, and the loser pays the winner 200,000. Do you dare, or the Han family''s young generation is too weak to fight against a 6-year-old?"


    "Are you serious?"


    Joel gave a distorted smile. Never in his dreams did the option that a 6-year-old kid would challenge him one day cross his mind.


    "Since you''re the one who challenged me, nobody can say I bully children. Should we fight now?"


    "Sure, do you need to go home to fetch 200,000 medium Qi stones first?"


    "I don''t. Everyone, give me the revenues you''ve collected those past days."


    ¡¤?¦Èm Joel turned to his brokers and ordered them to give him all they had earned. Everyone quickly emptied their storage rings and gave everything to Joel.


    "There are around 231,000 medium Qi stones inside. If you win, you can have everything inside. Do you need to go and get 200,000 stones?"


    The truth was that Joel only had a cut of 15% of the revenues, which meant only around 35,000 stones belonged to him. He didn''t mind though; he believed in himself.


    "I don''t. I have 232,000 medium Qi stones in my storage ring, if you win, you can have everything inside."


    Ken repeated his words but added one thousand stones just to mock the Han family. Joel frowned but ignored his words. The pair went down to the arena and entered right after the current fight ended.


    "Young Master Joel fights Young Master Ken. Go away!"


    Joel''s followers sent away the fighters who were supposed to fight next in the arena. The fighters frowned, but they had no choice but to back off when they heard the backgrounds of those two.


    Joel''s followers didn''t dare address Ken with a disrespectful name. Even if their master could, they still couldn''t.


    "I can''t bully a junior. You cane at me and attack first."


    Joel said disdainfully. Ken was already tired of hearing this line; he felt like everyone left their brains at home beforeing to the arena.


    Before Joel''s disdainful expression could disappear, Ken walked past him and sheathed back his sword. The cultivation of normal humans couldn''t bepared to Ken''s. He was far superior in terms of cultivation and techniques.


    Joel was still standing, frozen in his spot when Ken removed the storage ring from his finger and turned around to leave.


    Joel copsed on the ground, and his neck started spurting blood. At his point, he was deader than a steak.


    "Young Master Joel! What happened?"


    Everyone looked at the scene with astonishment. Only the disciples at the Core Formation Stage could follow the scene before the others saw Ken walks past Joel.


    When Joel finished speaking, Ken executed his new One Step technique, followed by his new sh Unwind. His sword quickly shed Joel''s throat and sent a pulse of Qi inside, destroying his throat from the inside and severing his spine.


    ''I don''t need to worry about provoking the other families. Those would kill me when they have the chance anyway.''


    Ken thought to himself as he left the stage. He knew that although nobody might care if the Sue family kill him, the Sue family wouldn''t let outsiders kill him. It would damage their honor if outsiders could kill their family members.


    As for the Han family, they couldn''t do anything against him. As an unwritten rule, only members of the same generation could fight between the elite families.


    If someone of an older generation attacked the younger generation of another family, then the older generation of that family would retaliate, until the whole younger generation of both sides would be annihted.


    He didn''t worry about fighting the young generation; he was confident that he was the best among them.

 Chapter 37 37 – Learning About The Core Formation Stage

    ?


    ''That was a good haul. With 231,000 medium Qi stones, I don''t need to worry about money until I get to the Core Formation Stage.''


    After leaving the arena, he went to take back his 50 medium Qi stones; he couldn''t challenge rank 1 of the youngest list after getting ranked 33 in the list for ages 13-16.


    He didn''t think he will get a chance to earn so many Qi stones at once, so he still had time to visit the treasury before going to the tournament of his family.


    He also felt relieved after killing Joel. After training his bloodlust for so long, he had a strong urge to kill more people. Finally killing someone almost felt like finding water in the desert.


    He visited the exchange office and directly bought 20,000 merit points. He also gained 2,000 merit points from his new rank; being in an older top list would multiply the monthly rewards by four. Since the top 50 got 500 merit points per month, he received 2,000.


    If he stayed in the list meant for his age, he''d receive 750 merit points per month for being in the top 10 or 1000 points per month for being in the top 3.


    -------


    When Ken left the arena, two old-looking men looked at each other.


    "What do you think, Brother Theodor?"


    "He is indeed as powerful as we were told and more, but he seems too bloodthirsty. I won''t take him in."


    "I had the same thoughts; I will have to tell Sue''s patriarch that we won''t take him as a disciple."


    The two old men found a kid who could kill others mercilessly too cruel to be their disciple. They only came to take a look at Ken because of Dominic''s request in the first ce.


    -------


    The next day, Ken went straight to the treasury.


    "You can stay for as long as you like. Every hour, a thousand points will be deducted from your ount until you get out. If you''re out of points, we wille to forcibly pull you out of the treasury."


    The man at the counter told him when he registered his token to enter the treasury. He had to wait over 2 hours before it was finally his turn to enter the treasury.


    "Do you want to enter the techniques treasury or the cultivation manuals treasury?"


    "Cultivation manual first."


    Understanding the Core Formation Stage better before browsing the techniques would be better, although it didn''t matter much which treasury he''d enter first with his memory. But it might help him focus on the relevant techniques.


    He entered the treasury and started browsing the manuals. Unlike the family treasury, they allowed up to 20 disciples into the treasury at once, or else the queue would be more than a full day.


    At first, the disciples were just surprised to see a kid around 10 years old go to the section of the Core Formation Stage but soon dismissed it as a rich kid looking around with his parents'' extra money when they saw his robes.


    However, it really baffled them when they noticed he opened a book, skimmed through it in a few minutes, and moved on to the next book.


    ''This kid must have too much money and too much free time.''


    Ken didn''t pay attention to them, and they also soon returned their attention to choosing their manual. After all, being inside the treasury was expensive.


    To his surprise, there were more manuals for the Core Formation Stage than he thought. There was onebined section for the first three stages, and it was only a fifth of the size of the section for the fourth stage.


    After reading a few manuals, he understood why. The Core Formation Stage was when a cultivator chooses their path, which was why cultivators needed to master techniques before advancing.


    When forming one''s core, the core''s characteristics would be derived from one''s foundation. The strength from the body, the density and size from the dantian, and the attributes from the soul.


    Mastering techniques is required to leave an impression of them on the soul before advancing, and this way to give those attributes to the core when it''s being formed.


    The reason that there were so many manuals for forming the core was that masters of different paths created different manuals. For example, there were manuals for spear users and manuals for sword users.


    Those were also divided into subgroups ¨C there were pure swordsmanship manuals and manuals for people whobined their swordsmanship with elements and other techniques.


    Ken''s soul was affected by the constitution that granted him extra power over his peers, by his swordsmanship, and by his bloodlust.


    When the core would be formed with those attributes, the core would automatically convert all Qi into attributed Qi, which would multiply the power of the techniques a few times over.


    Ken''s future core would produce Sword Qi and Bloodlust Qi. Later, he might be able tobine them into a single type of Qi.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Armed with this new knowledge, Ken started reading all the sword manuals, darkness manuals, and illusion manuals. The whole process took him 7 hours, costing him 7,000 merit points.


    To his dismay, there were no manuals for bloodlust. It made sense, because the sect was meant for younger people, and nobody killed enough humans to develop bloodlust at such a tender age.


    If they did, they wouldn''t be part of a righteous sect, but part of an evil one.


    ''I didn''t expect it to cost me so much. Luckily, I already took this option into consideration and purchased enough points.''


    He still had around 24,000 merit points left after spending those 7,000. He originally purchased 9,000 points, then won 2,000 from the arena, and purchased another 20,000 points.


    ''I guess it''s toote to go to the technique treasury. I still need 8 hours of night sleep for healthy growth at my age.''


    He returned the next day, but this time didn''t have the patience to wait 2 hours for his turn again. Instead, he used his family token.


    "Move or all of you will get challenged by my personal guards and my family members."


    He said with a smug voice while waving around his family token. Everyone quickly moved from his way and let him cut the line. Although even members of the elite families couldn''t murder others as they wished inside the sect, challenges were the legal way to do it.


    Since killing wasn''t banned in challenges, if one participant was strong enough, he could kill his opponent before they could give up, just like Ken did with Joel.


    And just like that, the 2 hours queue was shortened to 10 minutes.


    The man at the counter didn''t remember Ken; there were hundreds of disciplesing every day, and he barely nced at them while giving his normal speech in auto mode.


    After exining the pricing again, he asked Ken where he wants to go, and Ken chose to enter the technique treasury.


    Ken entered the treasury and quickly went to the section on controlling bloodlust. He found there many more techniquespared to his family''s treasury. He found nearly a hundred books, and he spent over 8 hours finishing them all.


    He spent the next 8 hours reading techniques for manipting the mind from different types of elements and sections. Since he felt his existing techniques were as good as they could get, he focused on creating a database for his future bloodlust techniques.


    After 16 hours of reading, he went home to have dinner and sleep.


    --------


    "Young Master, the Patriarch wants to meet you."


    Ken woke up from Soleil''s voice. He assumed it must have something to do with the fact he killed a rich kidtely.


    "I''ll go after breakfast."


    He already missed many meals the day before, so breakfast was more important than the patriarch''s opinion on the matter.


    After he finished eating, he changed his clothes and went to meet the patriarch. The guards let him in after he showed his token, and he found his grandfather meditating with a sword in his hands, while ck smoke kept emitting from it.


    Dominic Sue opened his eyes when Ken entered the room and stopped his cultivation.


    "Ken, I''ve heard some surprising news."


    "You should share them with me, I always like a good surprise."


    Dominic just snorted when he heard his grandson''s sarcastic words.


    "You''re too smart for your age, but don''t forget being too smart can also be one''s downfall. Why did you challenge and kill the boy from the Han family?"


    "He looked down on our family and said we were poor; I didn''t like it, so I challenged him to battle. I only attacked once, but he was too weak and died. I was surprised myself."


    "Don''t get me wrong. If you prepared for it and told the family in advance, we would support you and even grant you benefits for killing someone from another elite family, but instead, you did itpletely on your own. We only found out when the Han family kept showing hostility, and some of our spies brought back the news of what happened in the arena."


    "I''m sorry, it was too spontaneous."


    "You don''t kill people spontaneously, Ken. Next time you need to make sure we approve the kill first before doing it, or you will bring endless trouble to the family. You won''t receive any rewards for killing that boy. You can consider our protection from the Han family as a reward."


    "Thank you for your protection, Patriarch."

 Chapter 38 38 – Family Competition

    ?


    "Hey Ken, we need to go. Thepetition starts with the youngest ages, so you''re fighting in the first bracket."


    Rose and Aya were waiting for him to finish dressing up and eating his breakfast. Rose originally didn''t n to bring Aya and Dean anymore after finding out Ken''s real stage, but Aya insisted, so she brought her along.


    "You''re a cultivator, can''t you survive skipping one meal?"


    Roseined to him as soon as he finished eating and the trio went out.


    "I can, but it''s bad for my growth. I''m still so young, you shouldn''t encourage me to do unhealthy things."


    "Hmph, kids so young don''t cut others'' throats. We all heard what you''ve done."


    "Just a small matter, why do you talk about it too much?"


    The two bickered while Aya mainly remained silent and supported Ken from time to time. Although Ken didn''t trust Rose nor nned to rely on her, he understood that sometimes making friends was better than making enemies, and he could use those friendshipster.


    With his intelligence, it wasn''t difficult for him to engage in an enjoyable conversation with nearly anyone, and Rose liked talking to him.


    The three arrived at the arena of the family. The building was much smaller than the sect''s and only had one big ring that could be divided into 4 when needed, like now.


    "How many brackets are there?"


    "There are the brackets for the first 3 age groups in the sect. 10-12, 13-16, and 17-24."


    Ken could count around 120 participants. Despite his age group''s range being the narrowest, it had the biggest number of participants. Around 50 kids were from his bracket.


    While one could estimate the results of the other brackets through their ranking in the sect, this bracket was mainly based on foundation, and the disciples didn''t bother to get a high rank in the sect.


    "Everyone, send your contestants from the first age group to the arena for the matching process. As you remember, the top 3 contestants get to manage some of our property to earn additional resources."


    Given their age, the ones to likely manage the property are the winners'' parents, but they would give most of their profits to the winning kid.


    "My father said that he will take care of the property you win and give you 40% of the profits without you having to do anything."


    Rose smiled and described the big favor her father has done for him.


    ''So this is their game. They''d probably cut my profits the same way if I won the Alchemy tournament. Since 70% of the profits go to the faction anyway, it means I only get 12% for winning. Not to mention that the ones who enjoy the resources going to the faction are the same people who take half of my profits.''


    "Thank him in my name."


    "Of course."


    Ken and Aya entered the arena and noticed that everyone looked at him worriedly.


    "Remember, killing family members is prohibited, and punishable by disowning."


    Disowning someone from the family would be sentencing them to death; most of them used their family name to step on others in the sect. Without the family''s protection, they''d be challenged by bothmoners and other elite families to death matches.


    There were 48 participants in the bracket, so the format was normal duels until only three were left.


    "Draw sticks. The one to draw the stick with the number ''1'' on it will fight the one who drew the number ''2'', and so on."


    Everyone chose a stick from a container and checked their numbers. They all looked at Ken, waiting to find out his number.


    "Brother Ken, what number did you get?"


    One of them eventually approached Ken and asked him directly when they realized he wasn''t going to announce it for no reason. Since he was trying to fish for information, he addressed Ken in a friendly manner.


    "6".


    two-thirds of the fighters heaved in relief while the rest had disappointed faces.


    "I quit."


    "I quit."


    "Me too."


    Instantly one-third of the participants quit and left the stage. They had one thing inmon; they were all fighting Ken in the first phase of the bracket.


    Thepetition for their age merely measured foundation; none of them learned techniques yet. Since they knew Ken''s stage was higher than theirs, and they had heard about his ruthlessness when beating men and women alike in the arena, they preferred to forfeit.


    ''Less trouble for me.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Ken just shrugged and left the arena to take his seat next to Rose. Aya wasn''t fighting him before the finals, so she remained to fight her matches. The arena was divided into 4, so the rounds passed quickly.


    Ken just watched the fights without any interest. They were all just using brute force to beat each other, which seemed very inelegant for an elite family.


    Soon, the semifinals arrived and Aya was facing a girl from a different faction. This time, when Aya struck the girl, the girl dodged and performed a basic palm technique, sending Aya to the ground.


    "Hmph, they trained that girl with a technique just to gain resources. She must be a bastard daughter or something."


    Rose grunted when she saw the girl performing a technique. She was close to the truth; this girl''s parents died, and she was raised by her uncle. The uncle used her to gain resources for his real children.


    ''That''s the cruelty of my family.''


    Ken thought to himself when he heard Rose''s words. Although he didn''t know whether Rose was right or wrong, he understood she was probably at least half-right.


    Soon, Aya joined them and sat next to Ken with a sad look.


    "Don''t worry about it, it wasn''t your fault that you lost. Your foundation is better than hers."


    Kenforted her and she smiled in return. He obviously knew she has feelings for him, and he nned to let her nurture them as much as she wanted. He didn''t know when they''de in handy.


    "3 remaining contenders,e to the arena for the finals."


    "No need, I will take third ce."


    "I will take second ce."


    A boy who also won the first phase of thepetition forfeited first; he didn''t have any techniques and didn''t feel like getting thrashed around by either Ken or the girl who defeated Aya.


    Next, the girl who defeated Aya gave up too. She also knew she couldn''t do anything against Ken.


    "Winner, Ken. You have the rights to the family training grounds Xuanwu. They are being rented by other disciples of the sect." (1)


    "Thank you, Elder."


    Ken received the managing token from the elder and left. He gave it to Rose as soon as he sat by her side so she can pass it to her uncle.


    "One of the workers in the training grounds will deliver your share of the profits every month."


    "Okay."


    He stayed to watch the matches. It was a good opportunity to learn more about his family members. The nextpetition was Rose''s bracket, so she went to the arena to take part in the draws.


    Rose''s bracket had 40 fighters. In thest bracket, their rankings were already consolidated, and it rarely changed, so only those who were very close in strength to the expected winners tried their luck.


    As for ages 13-16, it was still somewhat unclear as every difference and breakthrough could tilt the results to one side or another.


    Rose used a saber as her main weapon. She was ranked second among the Sue family ording to the top list of the sect, so everyone expected her to win the second rank as well.


    Ken also watched Annie, Krone''s daughter. There were 4 Sue members with better rankings than her, but she didn''t have a problem beating the first fighter.


    Soon, only five disciples remained. Annie, Rose, another female disciple, and 2 more males. The other three were from different factions. Annie was lucky enough to have one of those ranked higher than her lose to Rose in the first phase of thepetition.


    The second phase of the tournament was different ¨C there were 3 spots with the numbers 1, 2, or 3 on them, and anyone could upy one of the three spots. When the sign was given, the 5 rushed toward the three spots.


    Rose caught the second one while the third female disciple, Tina, assumed the first spot. As for the third spot, it was held by a male disciple named Reynar.


    "Those who took over a spot in the top 3 may challenge others once. Those who didn''t may challenge others twice."


    Annie wisely chose to wait for the other disciple to make his choice, and he challenged the other male disciple. The female who took first ce was ranked 4 in the sect, and Rose was ranked significantly higher than him as well.


    Unfortunately, he lost, and the other got to keep his spot. Annie challenged him next; she also wasn''t confident in defeating the other two girls.


    Annie stuck to the family''s specialty; her expertise was with swords and darkness techniques.


    As soon as their fight began, she defended against her opponent''s club technique with her sword and was sent a few steps back. When he charged forward again, she didn''t lose bnce.


    She jumped backward to dodge it and used her movement technique to dash forward right back. With a swift stabbing motion, she almost pierced the disciple''s chest, but he deflected it with his club at thest moment, making her sword only graze his shoulder.


    (1) Xu¨¢nw¨³ is the ck tortoise, one of the four symbols of the Chinese constetions.

 Chapter 39 39 – Going On A Mission

    ?


    With a swift stabbing motion, Annie almost pierced through the disciple''s chest, but he deflected it with his club at thest moment, making her sword only graze his shoulder and leave a shallow cut behind.


    This graze was enough for her darkness technique to take effect. The darkness made his arm numb, considerably weakening his swings. Using a two-hand weapon like the club with a numb arm wasn''t efficient.


    However, most of the family members used darkness in their art. He could resist the darkness enough to allow him to use his club, although not as sharply as before.


    Annie sent another stab, but he quickly jumped backward to give himself space to swing his club while deflecting her sword.


    Annie didn''t want to give up her advantage; she chased him into close-rangebat. With a few more thrusts and swings, her fighting art managed to cut through his defenses again.


    Once Annie managed to lock him in a distance too close for him to use his club efficiently, he was put at a disadvantage.


    The shallow cuts umted one after another, and his arms were getting too numb to hold the club up.


    *Cling*


    His club fell to the ground, and Annie''s sword appeared on his neck.


    "Winner, Annie!"


    The judge announced her victory and she assumed the third spot instead of the male disciple.


    After recuperating he tried to challenge Rose but lost by andslide, and he lost his only chance to challenge someone. The other guy used his second challenge to fight Annie but lost, and thepetition was over.


    "Good job, you were awesome."


    Ken smiled at Rose who sat next to him with a satisfied expression.


    "Thanks. Think you could defeat me?"


    "In a single move."


    "You wish."


    -------


    After thest bracket was over, Ken set out toplete his mission. He had 3 weeks left to finish them, and the travel time was 2 weeks. He ran through the woods as fast as he could without depleting his stamina too fast.


    By running, he managed to shorten his trip by 4 days, which left him with around 2 weeks toplete the mission.


    He stepped into the vige and found all the houses closed and locked as if it was the middle of the night. He knocked on one of the doors but got no answer.


    "Hello, I''m from Phoenix Feather Sect. I came here to take care of your request."


    He shouted loudly and took out his disciple token. He made it float above him by channeling some Qi into it.


    After a few seconds, he heard some doors get unlocked and a few people came out of their houses when they saw his token.


    "Young Master, please save us!"


    They kneeled in front of him and begged. They were all mortals without any cultivation base, and they couldn''t offer any resistance whenever the evil cultivators came to take some of them.


    "Don''t worry, I will take care of the problem. Tell me what happened."


    "Every few nights a group of 5 evil cultivatorse to take some of us. They take 10 people every time they visit and whenever someone tries to stop them, they just take him too."


    One old man took the role of speaking to him and Ken attributed the job of "Vige Chief" to him without caring whether it was true or not.


    "I see. No problem, let me take care of it."


    "Young Master, did youe here alone?"


    "I came alone, why?"


    He guessed they felt insecure about having a young child fight the evil cultivators for them, but still asked.


    "They have 5 people, it''s very dangerous for Young Master to fight alone. Maybe you should call for reinforcements, we would rather die ourselves than let harme to you."


    ''This old man is good with words. If I didn''t know better, I''d think he really cares about me.''


    Ken thought inwardly. He understood the old man''s intentions. He was just worried that Ken would die, and the mission will get reposted only when Ken''s time limit will be over.


    The vige chief wanted him to call for reinforcements before he dies, and he could not care less whether Ken died or not.


    "Thank you for your concern. I will be enough by myself. Or do you have anyints?"


    Ken let out a burst of pure bloodlust and all of them froze in deep fear when they felt death looming above their head.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "No, no, Young Master. We were just worried for your safety."


    The old man stuttered as quickly as he could, and Ken stopped tormenting them.


    "Good. I appreciate your concern. When should theye next?"


    "They don''t have a fixed schedule, but theye every 5-7 days. Thest time they were here was 3 days ago, so they should be here soon again. We can take care of your amodation until they arrive, Young Master."


    "Sure. Do they alwayse at the same hour?"


    "Theye during midday, that''s why all the shops and houses are closed now."


    "I see. Then I will be spending the afternoon in the forest nearby and be here at night and midday."


    "Yes, Young Master."


    He was led to an empty house, and he could guess it probably belonged to a family that the evil cultivators kidnapped. Otherwise, they''d take him to an inn or give him a room somewhere.


    ''At least I get better amodation thanks to those evil cultivators.''


    He spent the next few days just as he told the old man he would. He slept in the vige at night, waited there until the afternoon, and then left to hunt beasts in the forest. After killing a few beasts, he already felt like his understanding of his skills has improved.


    Even his mastery was scratching the surface of the Advanced mastery as he kept fighting the beasts.


    ------


    Three dayster, on the sixth day since thest visit of the evil cultivators, his targets finally arrived. Just like the vigers described, they were a group of 5 men.


    ''Maybe evil cultivators don''t believe women have equal abilities.''


    He wondered to himself but went out to meet with the group.


    "Haha, Leader, check it out. This time one kid came out to deliver himself to us."


    "I wish they were all that cooperative, it''s always a mess when we need to break into their homes and drag them out."


    Ken already switched his robes with rural clothes and had only his sword disguised as a belt. He even left his storage ring behind at the house he was given.


    Ken just kept walking toward the man who was addressed as "Leader". He couldn''t feel their stages, but he figured that the leader was the strongest one.


    "This is a fancy belt, I want it, Little Kid."


    One of the evil cultivators said when he noticed Ken''s belt. Although it was meant to conceal the weapon, it was still of much higher quality than the rest of his clothes. Otherwise, it wouldn''t be able to act as a sheath for a fourth-grade sword.


    "Yes, Master. Let me remove it."


    The leader was already in his strike range. He sent his right hand to his belt and held the hilt.


    ''sh Unwind.''


    He unsheathed his sword as fast as he could. As he feared, the leader was at the Core Formation Stage and could perceive his attack.


    But that was exactly why Ken went through all the bother of disguising himself; his sword moved swiftly and all the evil cultivator could do was to harden his arm with his sword Qi and try to block Ken''s sword with his arm.


    Ken''s sword cut through the man''s arm and got stuck in his bone, disying the power of specialized Qi. However, the sword''s specialty wasn''t its sharpness, but its sticity.


    The moment the opponent blocked his unsheathing technique, Ken felt enlightened at the usage of a flexible sword. When the sword was blocked, the other half curved and the tip of the sword left a red mark on the man''s throat, sending a Qi pulse inside.


    The man choked on his blood as he did his best to stop the Qi pulse from destroying his spinal cord, yet he couldn''t protect his blood vessels and vocal cords.


    Although he survived, he was choking on his blood and on his dying breath.


    Ken didn''t wait for the rest of the cultivators to react; he quickly executed sh on the closest enemy.


    Despite its mundane name, sh actuallybined three shes into one. The practical meaning behind it meant that if the enemy could block only one or two attacks, they might find a gaping hole in their chest.


    But the man didn''t even block the first one, so he died three times over. By that time, the other three already reacted. They drew their sabers and performed their fighting arts against Ken.


    Those three were only in the Strengthening Soul Stage; they couldn''t do anything against Ken. By retreating with Cloud Running, he dodged their sabers easily.


    Since they were aiming to kill him, he wanted to take advantage of the situation to improve his mastery over Cloud Running. He used it to dodge them with minimal movements when he realized he always had to step back or to the side to dodge sessfully.


    That was when something clicked, and his Cloud Running affected his entire body. His body turned flexible, and hitting it felt like swinging at a feather. His body would move and twist in a way that made their sabers miss by less than a centimeter.

 Chapter 40 40 – Subordinate

    ?


    Something clicked and Ken''s Cloud Running affected his entire body. His body turned flexible, and attacking it felt like swinging at a feather.


    Ken barely took any steps at this point. He dodged their strikes from his ce by simply bending and tilting his body. He only took a step when the attacks were too wide, but it still helped to minimize his movements.


    When he felt that his Cloud Running got to the Advanced mastery realm, Ken switched back to the offense.


    He released his bloodlust, and the cultivators froze in fear the moment they felt it. They werepletely overwhelmed, and they could almost sense the touch of God of Death on their skin.


    The moment Ken saw his three enemies freezing for a short second, he performed sh again, yet with a difference. Instead of sending three shes one next to the other, he made thest two shes deviate.


    Three shes for three different opponents. The evil cultivators watched the shes reach them as they struggled to move their bodies despite the fear enveloping them.


    Two of them ultimately failed and died on the spot when the sh cut through their bodies, while the third managed to perform one of his techniques to harden his body and raise up his weapon.


    He was still pushed back by Ken''s sword move yet held his ground against a single sh. This cultivator was at the peak of the third stage with a better foundation than his friends.


    At that moment Ken jumped in the air and rolled, performing sh again. He was still enlightened by his usage of sh with killing intent against humans. Next, one extremely powerful sh came out of his sword.


    The evil cultivator spent as much Qi as he could, trying to harden his body with his hardening technique while blocking Ken''s sword with his saber, yet Ken''s sword went through his saber like a hot knife through butter.


    Ken''s sword kept its course to cut the man''s chest from just under the neck all the way to the stomach, killing him on the spot.


    ''Amazing, I achieved the Advanced mastery realm of sh. Now instead of shooting three straight shes in one move, I can either split them in three different directions orbine them into one extremely powerful sh.''


    He quickly took the storage rings from all the dead ones, grabbed the wounded leader, and ran with him into the forest out of prying eyes.


    The leader was barely alive, and Ken quickly shoved into his mouth a perfect healing fourth-grade pill he had concocted himself. The pill''s form was improved and had a much better effect than the normal pill that circted in the sect.


    Ken used his Qi to help the half-dead man to absorb the medical effects of the pill and his injury got significantly better in a short time as his condition turned stable and the possibility of death was avoided.


    Ken remained in the forest for three days during which he concocted a few pills and helped the man recover from his grave injury.


    When the man finally woke up, he was feeling much better. He looked around in wonder when he found out he was still alive.


    ''Did the others kill the kid whonded a sneak attack on me and took care of me? I never expected them to be so nice.''


    Evil cultivators didn''t have many feelings of loyalty and friendship. They only stuck together because they believed they had a better chance of survival and that they could collect more resources this way.


    Given the fact he had more resources than all four of thembined, he didn''t expect them to save him and resist the temptation to steal his storage ring. He could even still feel the storage ring on his finger.


    "Good morning, you''ve slept for a long time."


    This voice was young, even childish. It didn''t belong to any of the coarse men in his team. He quickly turned his head to see the source of this voice, but a sharp pain assaulted his neck.


    "Don''t move too fast, although you''re almostpletely recovered, you''re still not right there."


    The man didn''t listen. He jumped on his feet despite the pain and took out a saber from the storage ring, aiming it at Ken.


    "Did you kill everyone?"


    "I did."


    "Why am I alive?"


    He would already attack and interrogate the kid under force, but he was still dizzy from getting up too quickly.


    "Because I want you to be my subordinate."


    "Do you think you bought my loyalty by keeping me alive? I can tell from your earlier attack that you''re only at the third stage. I have no reason to obey you. In fact, I might just kill you right now."


    "Go ahead and try."


    Ken stood up and returned his cauldron to his storage ring. Since the man was already aware of his flexible sword, he ced his hand directly on the hint.


    Ken released his bloodlust aurapletely, and even the man felt a strong tinge of fear. He was sure of it; if he tried to move, he''d die instantly!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "What do you want me to do, and what do you have to offer me?"


    "Oh, the second part is easy. I can give you this pill every month if you serve under me."


    Ken threw a blue pill that radiated a chilling sensation, and the man caught it with his hand.


    "This is¡­?"


    "It''s a fourth-grade Chill Pill. It helps to keep your body colder, so you don''t burn in hot ces."


    "And this should buy my loyalty? I never needed this type of pill in my life."


    "Well, from now on you will have a dire need for it every month. I fed you with a Heart Burning Pill. If you don''t take it at least once a month, you will die."


    "You! How dare you poison me?!"


    "You were lying there unconscious while I was treating you, what reason did I have to not dare poison you?"


    The man clenched his teeth in anger when he understood he had no choice but to obey.


    "Remove the thought to find another alchemist to concoct it for you. You''d need at least a fifth-rank or even sixth-rank alchemist to do reverse engineering to my pill. After all, I made a lot of changespared to the original pill. I doubt you can find one, and if you can, I doubt you can pay him the required fees. Besides, he''d need a few months to solve it."


    The man attacked a mortal vige for resources, he was obviously not a rich man. Ken probably would be unable to find a worse level of destitution even if searched for it.


    "Even if you poison me to death, I won''t be your ve."


    "Who said anything about being my ve? I''m a fourth-rank alchemist before being in the fourth stage, and I''m not even 7 years old yet. serve me now that I''m in the beginning of my way to the top, and you can enjoy endless resourcester."


    The man gaped when he heard Ken''s words. Despite Ken''s appearance as a child, he convinced himself that Ken achieved it through pills and weird techniques. And now Ken said he was even younger than he looked.


    "How can I know you won''t cast me aside when you''re strong enough to no longer need me?"


    "You can''t, but I will reward you with my original pills and resources now. Since you needed to raid a mortal vige, you probably can''t afford much."


    "Are those really your original pills? Can you provide them limitlessly?"


    "Those are really my original pills. You know the severeness of your injury; can normal fourth-grade pills heal them?"


    "No¡­ I''d normally need peak fifth-grade pills to heal them."


    Ken took out his cauldron from his storage ring and concocted a few pills.


    ''He does it so¡­ fast!''


    The man watched Ken with shock while Ken pumped out pills.


    "Take it, it''s the Qi Absorbing Pill. I''m sure you took at least one of those in the past."


    It was a fourth-grade pill that almost everyone used to form their core when they broke through the third stage into the fourth stage. It helped the body absorb more Qi in a short time, which could support the core forming process.


    The man scrutinized at the pill and swallowed it. The pill had almost the same white color of the pill he took, but not only it had no blemishes on it, meaning it was perfect, it had a slight cream-color undertone.


    He didn''t worry about being poisoned; Ken already poisoned him when he was unconscious and went through the trouble of healing his injury.


    He also didn''t feel resentment toward Ken for killing his teammates since he only took them to be his meat shield in case he had to run away and as a tool to collect the resources during their robberies faster.


    He felt it was underneath him to do the dirty work after advancing to the Core Formation Stage and preferred to only oversee weaker people do it for him.


    The pill took effect quickly and he started absorbing Qi into his body. To his astonishment, the effect was amazing! The difference between this one and those he took made him feel like he was taking third-grade pills all this time. he almost suspected the other alchemists scammed him.


    "Its effect is really much stronger than normal."


    "Indeed, it''s at least 150% better. So, what do you think, want to work under me?"

 Chapter 41 41 – Plundering Luck

    ?


    "So, what do you think, want to work under me?"


    "What do you want me to do? Aren''t you from a righteous sect? I thought you guys hated us Evil Cultivators."


    "Righteous and evil sects are only different in one thing. The righteous sects know to make up reasons for killing people, while the evil ones aren''t clever enough."


    The man snorted when he heard it and agreed with those words. He saw plenty of "righteous" people perform massacres in the name of a "purge" or "saving mortals".


    "Fine, how will you supply me with the Chill Pill to keep me alive?"


    "Not that difficult, I will give you three of them every 3 months. When they''re over, I will take a mission outside the sect to supply you with more. Before telling you what I want from you, answer some of my questions. First, what''s your name?"


    "I''m Nick Royse. Young Master, may I ask about your name?"


    "No, you can keep referring to me as Young Master. Tell me, why did you kidnap mortals from that vige?"


    "I¡­"


    The man hesitated before answering. He didn''t want to tell Ken about it but soon felt like he should tell the truth or else he will miss an opportunity and invite a cmity upon himself.


    "I received a special technique from another evil cultivator. He was extremely powerful and even imed to be at the eighth stage, although I couldn''t tell if it was true."


    "Why would he gift a special technique to you?"


    "I don''tpletely understand his motives. He said he was reaching the end of his lifespan and wanted to help other evil cultivators to rise in strength and stand against the righteous sects. He said that if there won''t be any powerful evil cultivators, the righteous sects willpletely annihte us."


    Ken found this exnation extremely weird. The whole problem with evil cultivators was that they were selfish and killed others for personal gain, so why would one of them care about the legacy and life of all evil cultivators out there?


    He could understand if that cultivator''s life wasing to an end and he wanted to leave his legacy behind, but there was no way he did it out of the goodness in his heart and domunity service.


    "What does it all have to do with kidnapping mortals?"


    "This manual works on a special type of energy. It doesn''t directly strengthen your cultivation and doesn''t directly raise your prowess."


    "What is it then?"


    "It''s about stealing the luck of others. The reason that I could advance to the Core Formation Stage is all thanks to this technique; after stealing the luck of a few dozen of mortals, I umted enough luck to encounter a lucky chance. That was when I found a gravely wounded fourth-rank alchemist and helped him recover."


    "And he helped you backter?"


    "Exactly, I received many pills from him that helped meter break through to the Core Formation Stage and improve my foundation of the first three stages. It''s also one of the reasons I feel safe to assume that meeting you is a stroke of luck rather than misfortune."


    Ken shook his head helplessly. It felt like watching some people from his previous world blindly believe God will save them from any kind of trouble. Even if Nick''s luck was good, there was a limit to how much stupidity and carelessness it could save him from.


    He was even careless enough to hunt vigers under the protection of a top sect when he was a mere Core Formation cultivator. He relied on luck too heavily.


    "Do you still have a copy of this manual?"


    "Yes, I have four of them left. It also requires a pill made by that elder cultivator. I also have 4 of them left. He gave me 5 manuals and 5 pills and told me to pass them on if I ever find another promising youth to carry on his legacy."


    "To whom did you give one set?"


    "One of the four guys you killed. He was with me for the longest time. He told me he even found some resources with the luck he managed to gather by following me."


    Ken assumed it was the guy who managed to block his first sh. He was indeed stronger than his teammates.


    "Okay, give me all four sets."


    When Nick gave them to him, Ken remembered seeing a book that looked the same when he emptied the storage rings of the guys he killed. It was in his storage ring right now.


    "You can recover, let me experiment."


    Ken ignored Nick and sat down on the floor while he read the manual. He soon saw a lot of shady parts all over the manual.


    ''I need a better understanding of evil cultivation methods. I understand most of it from the orthodox ones and the darkness techniques, but it''s not enough.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The manual was extremely different from the rest of the manuals he saw before, and he still could understand at least 90% of it. He only needed more information because he noticed there were many parts that would make the user lose luck in the long run.


    He soon took out all the evil techniques he plundered. There were 7 of them.


    "Nick, do you have any other cultivation manuals and techniques?"


    "Yes, I have my main manual, which relies mainly on absorbing Qi from living beings. But I normally use beasts, not humans. I also have a few techniques."


    "Hand them over."


    After reading the manual and techniques, he felt like he was only missing onest piece of the puzzle.


    "Do you know what those pills that man gave you are for?"


    "They allowed me to cultivate the manual. Without it, it''s impossible."


    ''Hmm, I can''t trust an evil cultivator blindly, but I can at least use 2 of the remaining pills for reverse engineering.''


    Ken took one pill first and sniffed it. He concentrated as he recognized the ingredients. He could tell there were 49 ingredients.


    He threw it into his cauldron and slowly dposed it, revealing more of the pill''s secrets. He could recognize 21 ingredients as materials he already used before, and 20 ingredients just byparing them to the huge database of ingredients in his brain after reading full encyclopedias in the branch sect.


    There were still 8 ingredients he couldn''t recognize. While he understood thoroughly 7 of them after seeing the way they interacted with other ingredients inside the pills, there was onest ingredient that was beyond him.


    ''What can be soplicated? I can''t understand thisst ingredient''s role in the whole thing. I will have to experiment with the second pill.''


    He dposed the second pill he assigned for reverse engineering and tried every idea that came to his mind. Eventually, in his frustration, he released a bit of bloodlust and channeled it to thest ingredient. The whole pill was gone by now, and he only had a minuscule drop of that mysterious ingredient. It wasn''t even tangible.


    When his bloodlust touched the intangible essence, his bloodlust disappeared, and he realized what it was.


    "Aura! It''s the cultivator''s aura! Hahaha, there are no free meals in this world."


    Kenughed when he looked at Nick with pity. Nick was oblivious to Ken''s findings, but he could tell something bad happened.


    "What is it?"


    "You are being used as a cauldron of luck. The pill does allow you to sense luck, but when paired with the manual, you are used as a gathering tool. When the creator of the pilles, he will suck out all your luck in a single moment and leave. You won''t have a chance of resisting or running away. Did you really believe someone would care about the evil society?"


    "No! You''re just lying to control me!"


    Nick was desperate when he heard Ken''s statement. If he was working hard only to be absorbed and killed by someone else, it''d mean he waspletely dumb and lived his life for nothing.


    "Why would I need to do that? I already have you under control."


    Nick justy down quietly and stopped moving. Ken knew he needed hope, or else he wouldn''t work for him even if he threatened him with poison. As they say, A dead pig is not afraid of being scalded by boiling water. (1)


    "It isn''t irreversible."


    Nick quickly opened his eyes with excitement.


    "You can save me?"


    "Not just yet. The reason he can steal your luck is because of two reasons. The first one is that you allow it through some defects in the manual he gave you. The second reason, as well as the most important one, is the pill he gave you. It contains a bit of his aura."


    ¡¤?¦Èm "What does it mean?"


    "It means that you have his aura in your body, and he can use it to trace you at any time. Once he finds you, he can easily absorb everything you took until now. Although I have an idea about how to remove his aura from you, I can''t do it just yet; I''m too weak. I will have to reach the fifth stage, maybe even the sixth."


    "How can I know you''re telling me the truth and not just trying to make me work for you?"


    "Up to you, but I''m your only hope to be saved."


    (1) A dead pig is not afraid of being scalded by boiling water ¨C a desperate person with no hope doesn''t care about anything.

 Chapter 42 42 – Reverse Engineering

    ?


    "Up to you, but I''m your only hope to be saved."


    "Fine, I will serve you if it helps you get stronger. But I want you to promise to save me once you''re strong enough."


    He knew he didn''t have enough leverage to demand an oath, but if Ken respected himself, a promise should be enough.


    "You have my word."


    Ken didn''t worry about the possibility of Nick lying to him. He was sure Nick told him the truth throughout the whole conversation; he mixed a truth drug in the Qi Absorbing Pill he concocted as a demonstration of his skills earlier. He nned to do it since the beginning.


    Since Nick agreed to serve him, it meant he truly meant it. If Nick wanted to lie to him, the drug would make him feel so horrible about it that he''d have to change his mind.


    The truth was that Ken still didn''t know how to remove the cultivator''s aura, but he figured it must be something he will find out eventually as his cultivation progresses. He couldn''t use his aura as an ingredient in his current stage.


    "I''m going to experiment, so be silent until I''m done."


    He took out a few third-grade pills and threw two of them into the cauldron. A pill consists of thebined essence of different materials. What he was trying to do was to separate those essences back without destroying them.


    At first, it was almost aplete failure; he would finish the process with only around 10% of the essences while the rest were destroyed.


    After multiple tries in which he kept learning and improving, he finally got it right and managed to save enough materials to recreate a single pill out of the other two pills. He trained more until he could finally save around 75% of the essences in each pill. He couldn''t go beyond it; the rest was destroyed when he broke the pills.


    Once he felt confident to do it on any third-grade pill, he started practicing on fourth-grade pills.


    2 dayster, he finally stopped practicing. He couldn''t practice the process on the fourth-grade pills efficiently. He had to take breaks every few attempts because he''d run out of Qi. He needed to form his core first.


    "I need to go. Your task is to form a new team and collect unorthodox cultivation manuals and techniques. Use your team to buy them so it won''t be obvious you''re collecting as many as you can."


    "Young Master, among unorthodox cultivators, we sell the manuals, which makes it more expensive. Each manual for the Core Formation Stage is around 10,000 medium Qi stones."


    Ken poured on the ground 80,000 instantly.


    "Take those and buy some manuals and techniques with them. I will visit you in 3 months. I will give you three new Chill Pills and take the manuals from you. If you do a good job, I will gift you some resources next time. Use this token so I can contact you when I''m out."


    He gave him a ck token. He used one of his free days before the n''spetition to study the formations on the n''s token and the sect''s token. He also bought a pair ofmunication tokens that allowed long-distancemunication.


    Later, he inscribed on two empty fourth-grade tes new formations to imitate the effect. He used his own devices to prevent any type of eavesdropping from the sect.


    "Ok. Thank you, Young Master."


    "Any questions before I go?"


    "Yes, why did this powerful cultivator need me to collect luck for him?"


    "First of all, cultivators of his stage have pride. They prefer to haveckeys do the dirty job for them rather than do it themselves, much like the reason you worked with 4 people from the third stage instead of going solo."


    "Any other reason?"


    "Yes, his technique is iplete. Although he reached a significant and impressive understanding of luck, it was limited. The technique''s name is ''Defying Heaven'', but defying those above you has consequences."


    "What type of consequences?"


    "The manual mentions that everyone is born with a ''container of luck''. The meaning is that your luck capacity is limited by birth. When you get lucky in life without doing anything for it, it''s the work of your luck, and your luck gets depleted, and it slowly refills with time naturally."


    "I know, I read it too."


    "Be patient. The technique allows you to steal others'' luck and go beyond your natural maximum, letting you find more opportunities in exchange for your luck. However, the heavens don''t like it when you defy them. You''re cursed and your natural limit slowly gets smaller and smaller as you steal others'' luck."


    "And by stealing from me he can avoid this?"


    "Yes. The defects he left in your manualbined with his aura inside you prevent the heavens to see it as him stealing others'' luck. He gets to go scot-free from stealing it with you as a proxy, while you pay the price."


    "Bastard."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "All right, I need to go. My mission to exterminate you guys is over, and I need to reportpleting it, so don''t attack this vige again."


    He paused for a moment before continuing.


    "That evil cultivator must be aware that his aura disappeared from 3 pills, so make sure to keep those other two that are still intact. If hees to check just tell him your teammates to whom you gave the pills and manuals have died in an attack of the righteous sect, but you managed to save their manuals. Keep them on you all the time, just in case."


    "He¡­ he ising?"


    "I don''t know, but it''s possible. I gave you instructions just in case. Don''t ever dare destroy the manuals or pills unless I tell you to."


    He gave him back the pills and manuals before leaving for the vige. Unfortunately, he couldn''t deal with the pills for now. He didn''t have enough Qi to work with some of the materials. Some of them were in the fifth and even the sixth grade.


    But his trip wasn''t for nothing, he did learn a lot about luck, and already had ns to create an alternative technique and pill for himself. Although it will be weaker at first, it will beplete.


    He found the vige in full activity, which was aplete contrast to the first time he entered the vige.


    "Young Master! We are grateful! We are happy to see you returning alive and well."


    "I''ve been chasing their leader in the forest for 5 days and eventually yed him as well. Your vige is safe now, I''d like you to report it to the sect."


    The vige chief was ecstatic to hear the good news. They were finally free of the evil cultivators'' terrorizing.


    "Yes, Young Master. We will make sure to report it."


    The vige had a token that couldmunicate with the sect. He didn''t dare use it often; it was only meant to be used during emergencies or if something out of his understanding happened near his vige.


    --------


    A young-looking man with clear green eyes and long ck hair was sitting crossed-legged with a woman lying in front of him. The woman was screaming in pain as his finger was touching her be.


    "Thank you for your service, you''ve done a great job in collecting luck for me."


    The man told the woman once he finished absorbing her luckpletely. He felt the surge of the mysterious energy when he collected it.


    The woman didn''t go after small fries like mortal vigers. She was a cultivator in the sixth stage, and she hunted evil and righteous cultivators alike. She hunted cultivators from the first stage to the fifth but made sure to never aim at those with a backing of a sixth-stage cultivator or stronger.


    Cultivators have generally higher luck than mortals, and the higher their stage, the higher their luck is. After all, the luckiest thing that could happen to a mortal, is to be given the opportunity to cultivate, thus living longer and getting stronger.


    "Why¡­ why did you do it to me?"


    The woman was sweaty, and her breaths were heavy. The process was extremely powerful, and she could only droop on the floor despite being a powerful cultivator.


    "Your luck''s capacity almost turned 0 from your excessive usage of my Defying Heaven Technique. When it turns zero, the heavens would proactively manipte reality to send people to kill you. If you were to die after collecting so much luck, wouldn''t it waste your efforts?"


    "You never mentioned it when you gave me the technique."


    "Of course not. Otherwise, you wouldn''t work so hard to collect luck for me."


    After answering the woman''s questions, the man released a powerful me that ate the woman''s body and turned it into ashes. He knew that she would never practice his technique again, so she became a risk. A risk of letting the world know about his secret.


    *Sigh*


    "It took me nearly a week to finish absorbing all her luck. I really need to perfect my technique, or else I will reach my limit soon, too. Anyway, I sensed some of my auras disperse in the southeast. I should go and make sure that my manuals didn''tnd in the hands of some righteous cultivators."


    He vanished from his spot and moved at extreme speed toward the territory of the Phoenix Feather Sect. 2 days after Ken left, Nick had another scary guest.


    --------


    A/N: I will refer to Ken''s family as "n" since it''s too big to be called a family.

 Chapter 43 43 – Advanced Mastery Realm

    ?


    Ken remained one more night at the vige to rest and eat, then he left for the sect. His next immediate n was to create bloodlust techniques and master them before finally advancing to the fourth stage.


    He didn''t hurry this time, so he either jogged or walked, but didn''t speed up like on his way to the mission. He stopped from time to time to hunt a beast for food, and one of those times he heard an animalistic scream.


    ''This should be a gori. It could be a good chance for me to practice my skills. Goris should be close enough to humans.''


    He ran in that direction and found a troop of goris. Most of them were third-rank beasts, but the screams came from a fight between two fourth-rank males. All the goris were busy watching the show and didn''t notice him watching it with them.


    Soon, Ken inferred one of those two males was the leader of the pack, and the other was a newly advanced fourth-rank gori, who chose to challenge the old leader for his position after getting a boost of confidence from his new strength.


    Ken watched the experienced leader beat the new challenger with his smacks. The challenger was too young and didn''t have enough experience in fighting fourth-rank beasts. In contrast, the leader protected the troop from fourth-rank beasts for many years.


    When the challenger fell on its knees, dizzy from the leader''s beating, the leader used his w and sharp teeth to cut the challenger''s neck and kill him, then slumped back on its butt. It was a tough fight for it too, and it got hit many times.


    ''Good chance.''


    Ken ran forward and unsheathed his sword. He ughtered the goris around him, using mainly Snake Thrust and One Step. The goris soon screamed in panic when they noticed someone was killing them.


    *ROAR*


    The leader got back up to face the new threat. The damn human killed some of its favorite females!


    Ken got into a trance of killing as he lost track of the number he killed. He could easily count them in his memory if he wanted, but he didn''t even think about it. He was only focused on killing everyone around him.


    The gori ran toward him, and Ken sensed the heavy threat. He let out his bloodlust outpletely, and the weaker goris whimpered as they froze and cowered.


    Ken used it to keep appearing in front of the third-rank goris as he took them down one by one. He disappeared from his ce and appeared in front of a gori, only to disappear again, leaving behind a punctured gori.


    The limit of One Step was currently 15 meters, but it slowly grew as he appeared in front of goris that were 17-18 meters away. When the leader of the troop was 25 meters away from him, he sensed a strong threating from it.


    Immersed in his bloodlust and killing intent, he didn''t think when he performed One Step and appeared one meter too far away from the gori.


    The surprised leader took a moment to react, but swiftly waved his w to tear Ken apart.


    ''Cloud Running''


    He jumped above the gori''s arm and performed Snake Thrust, which was an extremely sharp stabbing attack.


    The sword pierced through the gori''s shoulder and left a small hole in it. Although it was a painful wound, it wasn''t enough to stop the gori.


    Ken stepped back and leaned backward to dodge another w and this time he stabbed the gori''s stomach.


    ''A snake bite leaves two marks.''


    A battle to death was the best time to get enlightened. Much better than ughtering weaker enemies. Every mistake would cost Ken his life, but Ken didn''t make any.


    Ken used Snake Thrust again, but this time it was different, the movement was the same, yet two holes opened in the gori''s skin. The gori was now bleeding from many wounds, and it was already tired from its fight against the challenger earlier.


    Although none of the wounds Ken inflicted on it were life-threatening, none of them was superficial. The gori''s movements turned sluggish, and Ken could hit it much more easily.


    The gori felt it was losing; it quickly disengaged Ken and started escaping. In a second, it already distanced itself 25 meters away from Ken.


    "Now!"


    One Step!


    Ken appeared behind the gori''s back, with his sword thrusting forward. Ken''s sword pierced through the gori''s back all the way to the other side, and a hole of a simr size was bleeding right underneath his sword.


    Ken pulled out his sword from the gori''s body and let it copse on the ground in front of him. The other goris were long gone in scared screams and panic, not that Ken cared.


    ''Finally, I reached the Advanced mastery realm in all my 5 techniques.''


    He thought to himself as he dug through the gori''s body and pulled out its core. Since it was at the fourth stage, it already formed its core, and Ken could use it to sustain formations like Qi stones, use it in concoctions, or do other things with it.


    If other disciples heard Ken''s saying "finally" about reaching the Advanced mastery realm of 5 Heaven-grade techniques less than a month after creating them, they''d turn green from envy.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Generally, to be able to advance to the Core Formation Stage at an early age, disciples would learn 3 higher Sky-grade techniques or lower Earth-grade techniques to the Advanced mastery realm.


    It was enough to leave a strong impression on the soul, and when the core would be formed, they would have a much easier time practicing better techniques from the attributes their core acquired.


    And even then, geniuses needed years to train their techniques. Rose was at the peak of the third stage for 2 years now, and she probably wouldn''t break through to the Core Formation Stage before turning 17, despite being supplied with the best resources money and influence could get.


    Ken, however, got the best foundation possible. He had 5 different skills in the Advanced mastery realm, and all of them were Heaven-grade.


    Even the movement skills were a product of inspiration from swords; the One Step skill was based on the sharpness and swiftness of unsheathing techniques while Cloud Running was based on the lightness and flexibility of a flexible sword.


    Ken suddenly felt a strong killing intent, and he was pulled out of his reverie.


    One Step!


    He dashed 20 meters forward and an arrow missed him by a meter.


    Cloud Running!


    A mannded from the tree above him with a powerful swing of his club. The swing barely missed him by a few centimeters.


    With a rotation on the spot, another arrow passed right where his heart was a moment ago, and with a step back he dodged a saber user thatnded from another branch.


    "Wow, this kid is slippery, he dodged our ambush!"


    Ken retreated to get out of his attackers'' encirclement and finally had a good view of their identities.


    They were all wearing gray robes, meaning they were outer disciples. They weren''t too shabby since they were still members of a top sect, but their foundation couldn''t bepared to the likes of Rose and the top list of the inner sect.


    The only dangerous thing about them was that they were all Core Formation Stage cultivators, even if they weren''t very impressive.


    "Who are you?"


    He tried asking for their identities. If novels could be trusted, they''d reveal all their secrets, thinking he will die anyway.


    "Dead people don''t need to know about us!"


    *Sigh*


    He got a clich¨¦ answer, but not the clich¨¦ he was hoping for.


    ''I guess I will have to find out myself.''


    By now, he was sure there were 3 enemies only. The archer, whom he still didn''t find. Although he calcted the archer''s previous location, which allowed him to dodge the second arrow so easily, he was sure the archer wouldn''t just sit in the same spot forever.


    Then there were the club user and the saber user who stood right in front of him. Ken''s senses were concentrated to the maximum, waiting for a whistle of an arrow to resound at any moment.


    ''Their teamwork is great, they''ve done many missions together. However, it can also work to my advantage. The best time tond an arrow will be¡­ now!''


    He took a step to the left and an arrow passed by his side. The amazing part was that he stepped right when the arrow left the bow before he even sensed it. It rendered the arrow useless, as it couldn''t disrupt him when he engaged with the other two. Ken crouched a little and disappeared.


    One Step.


    "We know about your quick movement!"


    The saber user was running right next to the club user who raised hisrge club vertically, ready to defend against the following unsheathing technique.


    But Ken anticipated that. Since they target him specifically, it meant they were aware of his One Step and sh Unwind skillsbination from when he showed it against Joel.


    However, the distance he could cover with his skill almost doubled from thest time he used it, and against Joel, he used it from only 10 meters.


    Instead of appearing in front of them, Ken appeared behind them and performed sh Unwind against the saber user. The club user couldn''t hit him without changing his positioning yet or he will hit his teammate along with Ken.

 Chapter 44 44 – Returning To The Sect

    ?


    Ken appeared behind them and performed sh Unwind against the saber user. The saber user wasn''t a core formation cultivator for nothing. He turned around immediately and shed at Ken.


    Ken''s sword met the saber close to the enemy''s chest, and to the saber user''s surprise, he couldn''t push Ken back. His posture wasn''t firm because he had to take a swift turn, but he never thought a third stage could overpower him.


    ''Time to show the first card.''


    As soon as Ken''s sword shed with the saber, his sword made a curve to cut the enemy. However, the strength of a Core Formation Stage cultivator was on disy again; the man managed to react and lean backward, making the sword miss him by an inch.


    Ken lifted his right foot casually and an arrownded right where it was. His right foot was the only ce the archer could aim at without risking hitting the saber user in case Ken dodges, and Ken positioned it that way on purpose, to make the next shot predictable.


    Although he dodged Ken''s sword, it made the saber user''s footing even less firm now, and the power he could exert was minimal.


    ''Snake Thrust''.


    Although this attack didn''t have the same power as sh Unwind, it was extremely unpredictable, making it much more fitting for the situation. The saber user executed his defense technique, and his saber blocked Ken''s thrust.


    ''Cloud Running''.


    The club user was in an awkward position all this time; when he tried to move to have a better angle to attack, Ken already moved, and he had to change his positioning again. Now he finally had a clear swing against Ken.


    Ken jumped backward with a roll and dodged both the club and an arrow that attacked him. Although he dodged the clubpletely, he couldn''t do the same with the arrow. He knew it would happen when he attacked, but he still chose to take the chance and kill one opponent.


    The arrow stabbed the side of his waist and left a deep cut on it. Ken was still satisfied with the exchange, killing one of the three for a cut.


    The saber user copsed on the floor in front of him, with a gaping hole in his stomach, right under the spot he blocked with his saber. Snake Thrust''s second stab took him down.


    "Mark, what happened? Mark!"


    The club user shouted when he saw the saber user fall to the ground and slowly lose his life.


    "Bastard!"


    He shouted and charged at Ken again. Now that Ken wasn''t limited by a third person, he was much freer to make his moves. Ken used Cloud Running to hide between the trees, letting the club user''s swings hit them instead.


    He knew that the archer must have changed his location after Ken dodged his arrows easily, and he couldn''t predict where the next arrow woulde from, so he had to be careful.


    ''I can''t prolong this fight too much. Although he spends Qi 3 times faster than me, he has a core, while I don''t.''


    As a heavy weapon, the club was expensive to use in Qi and stamina terms. On the other hand, the broad club also gave him great defense, making it harder for Ken to pull off the same thing he did with the saber user.


    The archer was now swearing silently to himself as he kept jumping from branch to branch, trying to get a clear shot at Ken. To his dismay, Ken kept retreating between the woods, and he couldn''t do anything.


    Ken then crouched slightly, and the club user immediately ced the club in front of him, ready to defend.


    ''As I thought, he is careful about my One Step technique. Let''s give him a surprise.''


    Ken didn''t use his One Step, instead, he retreated again and used this chance to open a greater distance between them.


    "Trying to fool me!"


    The club user got irritated when he defended for no reason and kept chasing Ken. He saw Ken standing straight in front of him, still 30 meters away. As soon as he dashed forward, Ken disappeared from his ce.


    "No!"


    He shouted in panic when he saw it. Ken didn''t crouch before executing his technique! It should''ve been his weakness, yet he didn''t do it!


    The club user was in a bad posture; he was mid-running, and his club was held in his hand behind him. He tried to pull his club on time, but it was toote.


    "AHHH!"


    He fell and felt a sharp pain in his leg. Looking at it, he found out there was nothing where his leg was supposed to be. Instead of killing him, Ken cut off his leg.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The moment Ken finished his sh Unwind, another arrow pierced through his shoulder. He groaned in pain but ignored it and shed with his sword to cut off the club user''s arm as well.


    As a cultivator at the fourth stage, he would be able to maintain his life, but there was nothing to say about hisbat power.


    Ken rushed toward the direction the arrow came from and made sure to hide behind the trees. He soon heard movements from the branches, but he couldn''t catch up. After seeing both his friends die, the archer chose not to engage in any furtherbat and ran away.


    ''I can''t catch up with him. I will just take care of himter.''


    Ken returned to the ce he left the other two and took their rings. He found inside each of them 150,000 medium Qi stones.


    ''They can''t be that rich. This probably has something to do with their ambush on me.''


    He used an alchemy technique to burn the corpse of the saber user and sat down to heal his wounds with a perfect fourth-grade healing pill.


    When his wounds stabilized, he got up and looked at the wounded club user in front of him.


    "What''s your name?"


    But the man remained silent. He was hoping that Ken would kill him and get over with it. His greatest fear was involving his family in this mess.


    Ken took out a healing pill and shoved it into the man''s mouth.


    "Here, it will help you sustain your life. I know you were just hired to kill me; I have nothing against you. All of us do our best to get resources and survive in the cruel cultivation world."


    Ken said with a soft smile and patted the man''s shoulder with his hand.


    "Thank you, Young Master."


    He regretted agreeing to kill this child for 150,000 Qi stones. He knew it was wrong and immoral, yet the temptation was too strong. He barely earned 10,000 Qi stones in a year, and he was offered 150,000 at once to kill a third-stage cultivator.


    "It''s ok. I can make a deal with you. You should know I''m from the Sue n, and I''m the grandchild of the patriarch. It means that the one who hired you never nned to let you live for long. If you tell me who hired you, I will at least make sure to give a sum of money to your family so they can livefortably for the next few years."


    The man paled when he heard he tried to kill a descendant of the Sue n, and a direct one at that. Now, with both his feelings in the right ce and Ken''s truth drug taking effect, Ken was ready to ask again.


    "What''s your name?"


    "I''m Rowan Rhett, Young Master. Please forgive my family, I''m the only one to me."


    "Don''t worry, I''m not heartless. What about your friends?"


    Ken learned they were three friends who enrolled in the sect together as children from a nearby vige. The sect would give a quota for the viges to send their children to be outer disciples in the sect.


    The ones to hire the three were the Han n who wanted to take revenge for Joel. They couldn''t afford to send their own Formation Core Stage descendants or else there would be a war between the two ns if it was ever found out.


    Ken assumed they nned to use those outsiders to do the dirty job and just kill them afterward, as nobody would care if an elite family killed some outer disciples with no backing.


    After he finished learning everything he wanted from Rowan, he removed his head with a swift sh and burned his body to dust.


    ¡¤?¦Èm He returned to the sect but took a detour to make a stop in a certain vige and massacre three families. It''d be easier in the future ifmoners feared taking the job to kill him.


    ''Once I can get to the Core Formation Stage and concoct fourth and fifth-grade pills freely, it will be time to make a mess in the sect.''


    He took his rewards forpleting his quest and returned to his room. He found two weaknesses of his in this journey.


    The first one was that his attacks were single-target attacks. If he faced many enemies at once, he''d have to waste a lot of time to kill them one by one while being careful not to get hit by one of them.


    Although he had his sh technique, it could be blocked by weaker cultivators if he separated the shes.


    The second weakness was his senses. Since he was working solo, he had to find a way to sense enemies, which was normally the role of bow users and other more sensitive cultivators.

 Chapter 45 45 – Core Formation Stage

    ?


    2 months passed since Ken returned to his house in the n. He didn''t bother looking for information about the archer who participated in the ambush against him on his way back to the sect; he didn''t believe for a moment that the Han n left him alive.


    As for the Han n, he didn''t n to take revenge on them and go into an unending circle of attacks and acts of revenge; he had better things to do with his time.


    He also didn''t bother telling his n about the incident since they would just squeezepensation out of the Han n and take it for themselves.


    He was practicing his new bloodlust techniques in a training room on the training grounds he got the rights to when he won the familypetition. He obviously could use the best one for free.


    ''Mind-Poisoning Domain''


    His bloodlust created a domain with a radius of 10 meters around him. The domain was one technique that included two modes, so one could consider it two different techniques.


    ''Paralyzing Mode''


    The first mode used his bloodlust to create intense fear in his enemies, making their bodies stiff and their movements sluggish.


    He developed it to take care of many weaker enemies; he could ughter them with his divided sh if they didn''t defend themselves, and he could spam his techniques if they were too scared to attack.


    ''Frenzy Mode''


    This mode would send his enemies into a frenzy of killing. Their killing intent would surge, and they might even kill each other if their mind was too weak.


    Even if not, their team coordination would bepletely ruined this way, and they''d take many risks and show many openings.


    He also created a single target version of those domains. This way the effect would intensify, making it extremely hard to resist.


    ''Bloodlust Sense''


    The third technique was based on many techniques that heightened one''s perception. He could perceive now easily any slight killing intent in a radius of 50 meters around him.


    Although it wasn''t enough to deal with archers since they shot their arrows from further away, it would have been enough to find the close-range ambushers if there were any. Besides, the technique''s effects would multiply by a few times once he broke through and formed his core.


    It took him a while to get to the Advanced mastery realm with those techniques since he didn''t go to kill anyone, but with his strong bloodlust that was already integrated into his constitution as well as his high intelligence, he did it in two months, including the time he needed to create the techniques.


    ''It''s time to form my core.''


    His foundation was as firm as it could be. He strengthened it repeatedly, had 8 Heaven-grade techniques in the Advanced mastery realm, and had plenty of pills of the best quality to support his breakthrough.


    ording to his calctions, while most manuals rmended bolstering one''s breakthrough with around 5,000 medium Qi stones to make it as easy and smooth as possible, he''d need 15 times that amount.


    Luckily, he still had around 300,000 medium Qi stones and could afford those 75,000 easily.


    He changed the Qi Gathering Formation in his training room and improved it, supporting it with more materials he purchased in advance. He ced 100,000 medium Qi stones in the formation just in case and sat down with his legs crossed.


    He added ayer of Concealment Formation over the Qi Gathering Formation to block his bloodlust and sword Qi from leaking outside when he breaks through to the next stage.


    Soon, Qi surged into his body in huge amounts. He felt parts of his soul get torn from his body, making him feel agonizing pain when those pieces assembled and merged into his dantian.


    It wasn''t over yet. Some of his blood vessels broke and his blood started surging into the dantian. The blood was a representation of his body, and along with his dantian and the shards from his soul, the core would be formed based on his foundation.


    His dantian sucked in Qi like a bottomless pit, and the three parts of him were slowly mixing with each other and turning into a single creation.


    The Qi stones disappeared at an rming rate, yet Ken didn''t notice it at all. He trusted his calctions, and he already ced a safety by adding 33% of the required amount.


    Ken''s core was taking shape over the course of 5 hours until there was finally a concrete core. If someone killed him and opened up his stomach, the core would materialize, and the enemy could take it, just like Ken did to the gori he had killed.


    However, it wasn''t the end of the process yet. Now that the core was formed, the most important part started. It was the part in which the core acquired the attributes of the soul.


    In every step of the absorption, Ken made minuscule changes in his manual, avoiding wasting a single drop of his soul shards. The core was getting painted in faint colors.


    There was bloody red for his bloodlust, shiny silver for his swordsmanship, fiery red for his alchemy, and navy blue for his formation mastery.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The four colors rotated around each other without mixing, until the core took itsst form. It was a few times bigger than the core of any disciple in the sect, showcasing Ken''s unlimited future.


    While the three first stages were only a question of resources and the persistence of the cultivator, the fourth stage required talent. To give the core attributes, one would have to at least master one technique in the Advanced mastery realm. Without it, it would be nd, making the cultivator only slightly stronger than before.


    If one had a low understanding power, they''d need a long time to get one technique to the Advanced mastery realm, and one technique was only the minimum requirement. The more techniques one could master the better.


    Once in the fourth stage, the core''s qualities could be considered the cultivation affinity of the cultivator, which was why the elite families spared no resources from deepening the foundation of their descendants.


    The process of absorbing the soul''s attributes into the core took Ken 3 more hours, and his breakthrough was finallypleted.


    He expelled a wave of Qi from his body and looked around him. His estimation was correct; he spent around 76,000 Qi stones, and the rest was still fueling the formation.


    Ken felt a strong connection to his sword now, and an unsatiated feeling of bloodlust. He also felt the urge to concoct pills and experiment with drawing formations. His mind was a mess as those strong forces pulled him.


    ''One Step.''


    ''sh Unwind.''


    ''Snake Thrust.''


    ''Cloud Running.''


    ''sh.''


    ''Bloodlust Sense.''


    ''Mind-Poisoning Domain.''


    Ken performed his skills one by one inside the room, using Sword Qi and Bloodlust Qi. He felt a strong connection with the skills, and with every execution, he felt he was getting a better understanding of them.


    This kept on for 8 hours straight until he heaved out a deep exhale and smiled in excitement. Although he knew his talent would grow by leaps and bounds the moment he entered the Core Formation Stage, he never imagined it''d be that amazing.


    In 8 hours, he took all his techniques from the Advanced mastery realm to the Small Sess mastery realm!


    He knew that if he were to fight the same 3 disciples from the outer sect now, they wouldn''tst 20 breaths before all of them were dead, and that''s only because of the time he''d need to catch the archer.


    He wanted to experiment with his improvement in alchemy as well, but it was toote. He was awake for nearly 20 hours and had to go to sleep. His body was still growing.


    He also mastered a concealing technique to hide his cultivation from prying eyes. However, it was based on normal Qi and had no attribute, so it wasn''t relevant to his breakthrough.


    He mastered it mainly for the time he will be outside after the breakthrough, so unless someone forcibly checked his cultivation, nobody would find out his cultivation stage. Even if someone did check it forcibly, they''d need to have a perception strong enough to see through his concealment.


    --------


    The next day, Ken was sitting in the study in his house in front of the furnace. He was ready to check his new talent in alchemy after getting into the Core Formation Stage.


    While he used a cauldron when he was outside, rooms meant for alchemy had furnaces built inside them. There wasn''t much difference except for the fact that furnaces were more durable.


    He first tried to concoct third-grade pills. At first, he was doing it at his normal speed, but after a while, his speed rose exponentially.


    He was taking care of all the ingredients simultaneously, extracting their essences at once. Then, instead of mixing them into each other one at a time, he just mixed them all at once.


    He created third-grade pills in a matter of minutes, and it was only because he had to give the ingredients time inside the fire and Qi; there was a limit to how much he could quicken this process.


    However, he easily made up for it by creating multiple pills at once, making his speed higher than 3 pills per minute.


    ''It''s time to practice the fourth-grade pills. Before advancing in my cultivation, I could only concoct a couple of them before going out of Qi.''

 Chapter 46 46 – Fourth-Grade Pills Distribution

    ?


    ''It''s time to practice concocting fourth-grade pills. Before advancing in my cultivation, I could only concoct a couple of them before going out of Qi.''


    Ken went through the same process as when he tried the third-grade pills. At first, he was careful and concocted the same way he did before. He gradually sped up his pace until he could make them nearly as fast as he could make the third-grade pills.


    He needed around 7 minutes to finish making one perfect pill after improving its form, and he could make up to 10 pills simultaneously, although it took its toll on his mind.


    If he wanted to do it without feeling the stress, he could easily make 7 pills at the same time, meaning he could concoct 1 pill per minute on average.


    Not only his Qi reserves were incrediblyrger now, but just the usage of Alchemy Qi was making the process far easier and more efficient.


    ''Time to check out my idea.''


    He started experimenting on his pills, making a certain change in them. Instead of using only his Alchemy Qi, he also added some of his Bloodlust Qi to the mix.


    It wasn''t the same as inserting one''s aura into the pill; he had no way of tracing the pills after sending them away. He still couldn''t figure out how to remove the aura from the luck pills.


    He also couldn''t understand the manual for luck cultivation; the concepts weren''t the same as normal cultivation, so it was like having a book of a differentnguage without any dictionary or other books topare it to.


    No matter what he tried, the final product would still result in him losing his luck capacity. He only managed to reduce heaven''s wrath, minimalizing the loss of luck capacity.


    But it wasn''t a good solution; judging from the shitty things that happened to him since his sixth birthday, he could infer his luck wasn''t that good anyway.


    He assumed that he was safe from its effects untiltely because of God''s promise to take care of him until then. Once God''s promise to keep him safe until age 6 expired, the troubles from bad luck poured in coupled with the way he left Sol behind. Luck was simply a way to minimize or maximize the potential of your mistakes and ns, depending on how lucky one you are.


    Instead, he managed to create one eye technique that helped him discern others'' luck. It was apletely different energy system and wasn''t included in cultivation, so it didn''t add anything to his core.


    Going back to his concocting, he easily grasped many concepts that eluded him previously, things he needed the Alchemy Qi to perform. He even perfected some of his forms on the spot, making them more effective.


    Overall, his training with fourth-grade materials cost him nearly 100,000 medium Qi stones. He didn''t have any forms for fifth-grade pills, and although he could invent them himself with some experiments, it wasn''t the time for it yet.


    The pills with the highest consumption rate were fourth-grade or lower. Even elite families couldn''t afford to buy fifth-grade pills or higher in stocks, so those of higher stages used the fourth-grade pills to support their cultivation or bought a few higher pills.


    His n for chaos worked best with the fourth-grade pills; those pills were consumed inrge quantities by the young generation which was typically aggressive and impatient whening to a conflict.


    He spent over 150,000 Qi stones, and he only had slightly over 50,000 left after buying materials for his alchemy. He was concocting pills the whole month until it was time to go outside and give Nick his three Chill Pills before he dies of the poison in his body.


    He visited the Mission Hall again and picked a random mission to y some beasts in the forest before leaving the sect again.


    -----------


    "Are you near the ce where we metst time?"


    Ken talked into themunication device he shared with Nick.


    "Yes, Young Master. 2 kilometers south from there."


    Ken jogged in that direction while activating his Blood Sense technique as he left the sect. He chose to be cautious; when he checked his luck after developing the relevant technique, he found out his luck was quite poor. It was much lower than the luck of the random disciples he checked.


    He clearly felt a few people fighting a fourth-rank beast in the direction he was running to and took a detour to avoid unnecessary trouble.


    After forming his core and using Bloodlust Qi, as well as reaching the Small Sess mastery realm with his Bloodlust Sense technique, he could sense killing intent from a distance 10 times longer than before, around 500 meters.


    He soon found Nick and threw him one Chill Pill.


    "Eat it now."


    Nick quickly swallowed the pill and the burning sensation in his heart calmed down gradually. After giving him enough time to absorb the pill and recover, Ken gave him two other Chill Pills.


    "Those are for the next two months; we will meet again three months from now."


    He gave him the first pill specifically because he inserted a truth drug into it. after what happened to him with Sol, he didn''t n to take any risks and raise a backstabber.


    "Thank you, Young Master. Here are all the manuals and techniques I managed to collect."


    Ken took them without looking and ced them in his storage ring. He will have enough time to read themter after he separated from Nick.


    "Good job. I have another task for you for those next months. Do evil cultivators have a safe ce to make exchanges?"


    "Yes, there''s a ck market under the control of evil cultivators where everyone can enter for fixed fees of 5 medium Qi Stones."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It wasn''t a low price at all. Lone cultivators under the fourth stage could afford to enter the ce only once a year or less.


    "I see, and you have ess to there, right?"


    "Yes. I can take you there too if you want."


    "No need. Do the righteous sects trade there as well?"


    "Not the sects themselves, but ns from all the righteous sects oftene there to buy treasures from lone cultivators as well as searching for trade opportunities."


    "I see, then they will have a trade opportunity soon."


    A smile adorned Ken''s delicate features, and Nick felt a shiver when he knew that there were no good intentions in this seemingly innocent smile of a beautiful child.


    Ken handed Nick a storage ring filled with the pills he had concocted this past month. With his new Qi reserves and his specialized Qi, he could now make hundreds of them before having to replenish his Qi.


    Overall, there were a few thousand pills in the storage ring. It included Qi Absorbing Pills, which was a popr pill that could help one to replenish their Qi faster, making it possible to train more intensively or recover faster after a long fight. It was also good to take when one wanted to break through.


    There were a few Body Strengthening Pills that made it possible to strengthen the body further even for practitioners in the fourth stage or above, although the effect wouldn''t help their core anymore.


    That was the reason Ken maximized his foundation first; the effect would multiply with every breakthrough, unlike those who maximized itter. Besides, they''d need better pills to strengthen their bodies at higher stages.


    There were also pills for strengthening the meridians and the soul. There were pills with specific materials that contained elements; those could even be used to strengthen the core''s affinity with those elements.


    Overall, the ring storage was a treasure trove. Nick felt his heart rate rises to the extreme when he looked at the contents of the ring. The pills came in packs; each pack had 200 bottles, and each bottle had 5 pills of the same type.


    "Young Master, what should I do with all those pills?"


    "Do you know who the five top sects in our continent are?"


    "Yes."


    "Any of them attends the ck market you mentioned earlier?"


    "Yes. I know of at least one elite family who attends the ck market from the Divine Sword Sect. They are ranked 4th, and their power is unfathomable. They sell swords to lone cultivators and purchase anything valuable they can sell back in their sect and make a profit."


    "Good, then you can sell those pills to them. You can offer them one bottle for testing the effects. If they don''t want to buy the pills after consuming them, they won''t have to pay for what you gave them."


    "Young Master, shouldn''t you use those pills to strengthen yourself and your subordinates?"


    "Do you want some of those pills?"


    "Yes, Young Master."


    "Did you think of a way to run off with them?"


    "No. I tried but couldn''t think of a way to solve the poison problem after stealing the pills."


    "Did you think to smuggle some of them for yourself?"


    "Yes, I thought to sell for a lower price and steal 10% of the pills."


    Nick answered truthfully every question Ken asked him. After hearing that he wasn''t a reliable subordinate, Ken shrugged and chose to give him some of the pills.


    "You can choose 100 pills from the ring and take them after you finish the transaction. if I find out you took more than that, I will kill you the next time we meet."


    He radiated the single target version of his Mind-Poisoning Domain, making Nick freeze in his spot with fear written inrge letters all over his face.


    "Yes, Young Master. I will not betray your expectations."


    He stuttered fearfully and bowed to appease Ken.


    "Make sure to sell all those pills to that sect, things are going to be interesting."


    Ken smiled and left the ce toplete his mission.

 Chapter 47 47 – Restocking Resources

    ?


    Ken smiled and left the ce toplete his mission. He hummed an old song he heard in his former life as he imagined the results of his pills being consumed by an elite n from the top 5 sects.


    He was already scolded by his grandfather who told him that he tried to request two seventh-stage elders from the sect to take him as a disciple, but they watched him kill the boy from the Han n and rejected him, saying he was too cruel.


    The meaning was that he couldn''t get free of the hold of his family, and he won''t be able to get a sustainable stream of resources.


    ''I can earn a lot of Qi Stones by selling my service as an alchemist, but then my family will try to waste arge chunk of my time by forcing me to concoct pills for them. The only reason I have so much free time is that they think I can only make first and second-grade pills, which they can easily buy in stocks without feeling any pressure in their pockets.''


    Since the option of earning money freely through his alchemy skills was taken away from him, his n was to start chaos. Although it might take a while, he believed it should work.


    ''But it will take a while. I might have to offer my services as an alchemist in the sect. Even if I must sacrifice some of my time for my family, it will be their downfall when I do.''


    From time to time, he would sense people fighting in the forest around him as he jogged in the habitant area of the turtles he was supposed to y. The mission was to kill some turtles and bring back their shells for cksmithing.


    ''I shouldn''t avoid all those people. I''m running low on funds now; I should check if some of them got extra money on them.''


    He took out his menacing silver mask and wore it before walking quietly to the ce where he sensed a fight.


    As he got close, he could see a group of 4 disciples work together to take down a third-rank beast. When he saw their in gray robes, he sighed in disappointment and left them alone.


    There was no need to take risks just to kill some poor outer disciples; he''d barely earn anything from it.


    He checked out a few groups, but almost all of them were outer disciples; those were the poorest, and they had to take many missions to support their cultivation, which in turn slowed their cultivation down and kept them at the bottom of the power hierarchy.


    ''Finally. Although outer disciples, they''re at least at the Core Formation Stage and are even from the top 100.''


    The robes of the top disciples had a small decoration. There was a decoration for the top 100, top 10, and first ce.


    Although they couldn''t be as rich as the third-stage kid from the Han n, they''d still have a good amountbined.


    He watched the 4 disciples from 100 meters away, hidden behind a tree. Just like most groups, they also had an archer. Most of the groups that wanted perfect bnce had an archer, and many disciples chose this weapon only because of the rtive ease archers could find a team.


    He easily sensed the archer with his Bloodlust Sense; it was nearly impossible to hide from it in the middle of the battle. The archer was exuding a strong killing intent while shooting arrows at the beasts.


    They were fighting a group of wolves. The group had 3 fourth-rank beasts and around 50 third-rank ones. Although they were killing the weaker wolves steadily, the ambushes from the fourth-rank wolves forced them to remain vignt and slow down their killing pace.


    The Core Formation Stage was divided into four parts; low, intermediate, high, and peak. With each breakthrough, the feint colors on the core would turn stronger and clearer, increasing one''s specialized Qi and affinity ording to the core''s attributes.


    Although he didn''t know their exact sub-stage, he didn''t fear anyone from the fourth stage. By mastering so many Heaven-grade techniques to the Advanced level, he knew his core was as powerful at least as any peak fourth-stage cultivator''s core.


    In a few minutes, most of the third-stage wolves were dead, and one of the fourth-stage wolves had arge cut on its side, making it bleed continuously.


    The disciples had a few superficial wounds, but overall, they were still in their peak form. They were just a bit tired from depleting a lot of Qi to protect themselves from so many wolves.


    Ken kept watching silently without intervening; it was considered bad manners to steal kills or get involved in others'' fights. It wasn''t only a source of ie, but also a way to practice their fighting arts.


    Of course, it wasn''t what made him watch quietly; he just wanted to see if he could learn anything from their teamwork.


    ''Time to join the party.''


    Ken locked his vision on the archer who was 100 meters away from him on a branch and ced his hand on his sword''s hilt.


    ''One Step.''


    ''sh Unwind.''


    With the recent upgrades, One Step wasn''t limited to the ground anymore. Now, he could use it to move vertically as well as horizontally after achieving the Small Sess mastery realm.


    Boosted by Sword Qi, the distance he could travel rose to 150 meters.


    He appeared instantly behind the archer and beheaded her silently. The sequence was so fast, that the archer''s body didn''t fall off the branch from the strike. The sword cut through her neck swiftly with a clean sh.


    The head seemed still attached to her body, and Ken quickly manipted some Qi to hold the archer''s body on the branch without falling. He took the archer''s storage ring and let the body drop softly on the ground without making any noise.


    Without the archer''s support, the rest of the party faced much more pressure from the wolves. Luckily, they could still handle it after reducing the wolves'' numbers significantly.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Of the other three, two were using swords while the third held a spear. He waited for the right moment for them to be all next to each other.


    Soon, they were fighting back-to-back as they were surrounded by the wolves without the archer''s support.


    "Cristine, why did you stop shooting?"


    One of the sword users shouted to the archer but didn''t get any answer.


    ''One Step.''


    ''sh.''


    He appeared in front of the man who was shouting since he was the least concentrated and performed sh. At the Small Sess mastery realm, he could still send out 3 shes, but the special part about them was that those three werebined 3 shes.


    To put it simply, he could shoot 3 shes, of which each was as powerful as his single sh in the Advanced mastery realm.


    "AH!"


    Three screams resounded in the forest as arge diagonal cut appeared on the torso of each of the disciples, nearly cutting them in half.


    Ken quickly cut their fingers and grabbed their rings and disappeared with another One Step. The wolves were already wounded, tired, and angry at the disciples. Instead of chasing a new human, they chose to remain there and eat their next meal.


    With the scent of the blood of the archer, Ken didn''t need to worry whether the wolves would be able to find her body.


    He checked the items inside the rings and transferred around 50,000 medium Qi Stones to his ring.


    ''Plundering others is the fastest way to make money.''


    There were other things as pills and weapons, but he just burned all the pills and tossed the weapons on the ground around him. They were only fourth-grade weapons, so they didn''t worth more than a few hundred medium Qi Stones if they were of high quality.


    As for ores, herbs, and materials, he took them to himself for his alchemy and creating formations.


    ''Hmm, I feel another fight. But I can''t be killing too many disciples myself, I should be smarter about it.''


    With this thought, he left to find a pack of fourth-rank beasts. After jogging around for an hour, he finally found something.


    ''Hehe, this is interesting.''


    What he found was a Dark Panther. The Dark Panther was a feline beast with amazing natural camouge abilities. However, its bloodlust and killing intent couldn''t be hidden from Ken''s perception.


    Although Kencked themon sense to judge its power correctly, just by seeing it hunt another fourth-stage beast he could guess it was at leastparable to a high fourth-stage cultivator.


    Not only that, but it seemed to have a femalepanion which was just as strong as the male panther.


    ''I wanted a pack, but assassins could be better for this task.''


    ''One Step.''


    Ken appeared instantly in front of the tworge cats. They tried to get up quickly, but suddenly they were caught in a powerful bloodlust.


    ''Mind-Poisoning Domain ¨C Paralyzing Mode.''


    The two panthers whimpered in fear as they cowered and felt too afraid to fight back. They could see dreadful visions of a man with a sword in his hand; blood was dripping from the sword, and the ground was littered with corpses of their species.


    They had the feeling of standing in front of the natural enemy of the Dark Panthers species.


    "Kneel."


    Ken gave them the order and patted the ground lightly with his foot. Fourth-rank beasts were much smarter than normal beasts. Although they couldn''t understand his words, they got the gist of it.


    They bowed their heads, letting them touch the ground as they tried to appear pitiful in front of Ken.


    "Good kitties. Now follow me."

 Chapter 48 48 – Shifting The Blame

    ?


    "Good kitties. Now follow me."


    Ken gestured for the panthers to follow him with his hand, and the two followed like well-disciplined pets.


    "Let''s establish our hierarchy clearly now. You can attack me."


    When they stood in the forest, Ken took a fighting stance and charged at the panthers using Cloud Running.


    The panthers were hesitant at first and chose to jump away to disengage him, but he kept chasing them. They didn''t feel any killing intent from Ken, so they eventually chose to follow his orders and attack.


    The twounched a well-coordinated assault from his two sides, one pounced at his neck while the other pounced at his thigh.


    With a smooth motion, Ken took a step back andnded an axe kick on the head of the male panther, sending him crashing down on the ground. Ken was as slippery as an eel while using Cloud Running, making it nearly impossible to hit him.


    He charged again at the male panther who was on the ground, and the female panther tried to attack him from the side to distract him. However, it was Ken''s objective; he didn''t have a reason to keep beating the male one.


    He jumped above the female panther, catching it by surprise. When he was above it, he sent a barrage of punches, making it roar in pain and stumble.


    ''One Step.''


    He appeared above the male panther that got up and dashed to help itspanion, and Ken kicked the panther on its neck, sending it back to lie on the ground. Because of the panther''s dashing momentum, it was sent rolling a few meters on the ground.


    Ken''s strength wasparable to the panthers'' while his speed was only slightly inferior to theirs. Combined with his speed techniques and fighting arts, he was much superior even in a purely physical fight.


    "Enough."


    Ken released his bloodlust again, although less violently, and the panthers stopped moving.


    "Let''s go, I think you got my point now."


    They ran together in the forest while Ken was sensing the area to find disciples. When he finally found fourth-stage disciples, they were from the inner sect this time. Their robes had no embroidery, which meant they weren''t from an elite family.


    "Come here."


    ¡¤?¦Èm He beckoned and the panthers got closer to him.


    ''Mind-Poisoning Domain ¨C Frenzy Mode.''


    He didn''t unleash itpletely so the panthers won''t lose their minds, but he did it just enough to turn them into bloodthirsty animals.


    "Go to hunt."


    The group had 3 disciples, of which 2 were using swords while thest one used a saber. Ken didn''t sense an archer, so he assumed there wasn''t any.


    They were only traveling, so it was unlikely that the archer was jumping between branches while executing a supreme concealing technique.


    The most dangerous part about beasts such as Dark Panthers was the surprise element. If one couldn''t sense them before they ambushed them, the panthers would have a chance to inflict a grave injury.


    The two panthers quickly chose their targets while being concealed in the darkness of the forest. Ken could only sense them through his Blood Sense, but he couldn''t see them himself despite knowing they were there.


    He watched the next events take ce without intervening. The two panthers, Pino and Penny as he called them, nked the group of three and attacked. In an instant, two screams resounded in the forest as two disciples had long, deep w marks on their torsos.


    Before they could react, the two panthers vanished back into the forest. The disciples quickly took out healing pills from their rings and swallowed them, but it only offered a slight relief. They''d need to rest for a while for the pills to truly take effect.


    Of the three disciples, 2 were men while one was a woman. The female disciple was walking in the middle while the male ones offered her protection from the sides, which led to them being injured.


    ''That''s why simping is wrong. Even if she could be saved thanks to their sacrifice, do they really think it''s worth it if she just gets over their death after a month and dates a third guy?''


    Ken thought to himself inwardly while watching the three standing with their backs to each other. The problem was that two of them were bleeding like a fountain.


    At that moment the panthers appeared in front of the injured two fighters again, and the two performed their arts to attack. The panthers simply jumped up, and the two''s injuries worsened just from their movements.


    Pino and Penny were evidently experienced in torturing their prey and killing it safely.


    "Argh."


    The two disciples groaned in pain as their blood kept spilling from their movements. The panthers did the same trick again, and the two disciples attacked back instinctively again, prompting another wave of pain and bleeding.


    "Guys, don''t fall for it again. They''re trying to exhaust the two of you and then gang up on me."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The female disciple said nervously while the two students nodded. Their palms were getting sweaty on their weapons'' hilts, and they all were scared about losing their lives there.


    Pino and Penny appeared again, and the two tried to hold back. However, this time, the panthers simply struck swiftly. The dy in the disciples'' response cost them new injuries on their shoulders, while the panthers only got grazed by their weapons.


    "Suzie, run. We will hold them back as long as we can. The two of us aren''t going to make it even if you stay."


    One of the male disciples said bravely while holding his sword up and gritting his teeth in resolve.


    "I can''t leave you guys here to die!"


    "Do it!"


    The other disciple joined his friend and told her to run. With tears in her eyes, she turned around to run away.


    ''Why all the drama? You wanted to run away since the beginning.''


    Ken thought to himself while watching the drama show. Suzie tried to run, but Pino appeared in front of her, sending her back to her wounded friends. She blocked the attack, but the same couldn''t be said about one of the men.


    Penny appeared next to him and attacked his leg, ripping it off with its sharp ws.


    "AHHHH!"


    The disciple screamed when he lost his leg, but Penny just continued to strike him while he was down and put an end to his life.


    Pino was keeping the girl busy while Penny also killed the second male, and the girl just looked around in despair.


    ''Time for the hero to appear.''


    Ken knew that he can''t kill as freely as he wants on the sect''s grounds. That''s why he wanted a name of a good guy while giving the beasts the credit for killing the disciples.


    "Jump back!"


    The girl heard a shout behind her and jumped back without hesitation. If she fought with the panthers, she would just umte wounds until she would copse, so it was better to trust the stranger''s voice.


    Besides, she was pretty, and it wouldn''t be the first time a guy randomly takes a risk to save her. Didn''t the two dead heroes do the same for her?


    Ken grabbed her shoulder and spun around, sending her away, while engaging the surprised Penny and Pino himself.


    The two''s thirst for blood was mostly satiated by killing the two men, while their fear of Ken was still at its peak. They instantly backed away and stared at Ken, confused about whates next.


    "Thank you for saving me, Young Master. Let''s fight them together!"


    The female disciple cupped her fist and bowed to Ken when she saw the two panthers were only looking at them carefully. She noticed the embroidery on Ken''s clothes, so she understood he came from an elite family. He removed his mask and wore his usual clothes before stepping in to save her.


    "Fighting them would be taking a useless risk. Their only goal is to have some prey to eat; since they have that, we can just leave. They won''t fight against their equals after losing the surprise effect."


    Ken said and backed away slowly while pushing back Suzie with him. Suzie bit her lips in frustration; she knew she couldn''t entice a young master from an elite family with the resources in the rings of her two friends, but she needed them!


    With no choice, she stepped back and the two ran away from the panthers.


    "Thank you, Young Master. I will return now to the sect."


    "Of course, we should help each other as fellow disciples of the sect."


    The two separated and Ken soon appeared back next to Penny and Pino. The two didn''t dare eat the bodies; they didn''t know if Ken wanted them.


    "You can eat them."


    He told his two helpers after taking the storage rings and emptying what he needed to his ring.


    He didn''t want to be seen saving disciples from the same beasts all the time, so he let the two panthers kill the whole next group. After that group, he switched the panthers and tamed a few wolves instead and did the same thing. Every few times, he''d change the beasts that served under him.


    With every group of beasts he tamed, he''d first subdue them with his Bloodlust Domain, then send them at wandering disciples under the effect of Frenzy Mode.


    Sometimes he chose to kill the whole group, but mostly he chose to let one go so they could tell the sect their group was killed by hungry beasts.

 Chapter 49 49 – Going To The Alchemy Division

    ?


    ''Okay, that should be enough.''


    Ken was sitting on top of a Wind Wolf while counting his spoils. He killed a few dozen inner disciples and around the same number of outer disciples. Overall, he made around 800,000 Qi Stones from killing those disciples.


    He also bumped into three groups of disciples from elite families and killed most of them, letting only a guard escape.


    In one of those three groups, a powerful cultivator jumped out of the shadows to his young master''s rescue, but luckily, Ken was only watching without getting involved, so he just had to find new beasts.


    However, from the other two groups, he managed to gain 500,000 Qi Stones, more than half what he gained from killing over a hundredmoners.


    He decided to call it a day and return to the sect. Overall, he collected 1,300,000 medium Qi Stones and a lot of materials like herbs and carcasses.


    Unfortunately, nobody used a flexible sword, so he didn''t get to upgrade his weapon. As a rtively weak fourth-grade sword, it wouldn''t be able to hold on if he had a fight against an equal cultivator.


    He didn''t know much about cksmithing so he couldn''t make a new one for himself. Learning it would be a bad choice since cores were limited.


    Normal cultivators with a mediocre foundation would only have a single attribute, while those from powerful backgrounds who had better foundation, would get two attributes.


    If someone''s core had too many attributes, they could fail during their core formation process, ore out of it with a core that had a weak affinity to many attributes, turning them into a jack of all trades but master of none.


    Ken could get four attributes and still have a powerful core because of his monstrous foundation, but even he had limits that he didn''t want to stretch himself beyond.


    Since he didn''t have the cksmithing attribute at his core, his future in cksmithing would be limited, thus he didn''t want to waste time on it instead of improving himself in other fields.


    Unlike pills, he only needed one weapon, which would be enough for him until he reaches the same stage as the weapon''s grade. For example, with a fifth-grade flexible sword, he wouldn''t need to get a new sword until he gets to the fifth grade.


    Pills, however, he consumed inrge quantities, which was the reason he preferred to learn Alchemy and not cksmithing; he needs a constant supply of pills.


    It''s not like he couldn''t learn techniques of other elements and schools, but his speed inprehending them would be much slower than his four affinities.


    Since he finished collecting enough money for the next few months even considering his great spending speed, he headed back to the sect. During his hunts, he already killed the beast he needed for his mission, so nothing held him back.


    ''I need to learn the manuals and techniques I got from Nick. It''s better not to bring them into the sect.''


    He spent a couple of hours reading those manuals and techniques before burning the books and returning to the sect. When he finished, he finally had a breakthrough with his luck cultivation.


    ''I can''t avoid heavens'' wrath if I take people''s luck by force, but I can avoid it if I take it with permission.''


    ¡¤?¦Èm As for who was going to willingly share their luck with him, he still had to find that out. He could only do it with one person, so it''d be better if he could find someone with abundant luck.


    ----------


    ''It''s time to make a move on the dark princess of my family.''


    Ken thought it was time to mingle with his family. Blood was thicker than water, and one shouldn''t cut ties with their family.


    It''s been a few days since Ken returned to the sect, and he had many ns to set in motion. First, he needed to learn more about fifth-stage pills; he had a lot of funds ready to be spent.


    Second, he had certain ns for Annie Sue, also known as the dark princess of the Sue n. She gained her title because of her talent and her aloof temperament.


    Luckily, by going to lunch with Rose and Aya asionally, he had easy ess to gossip, mainly from Rose. One of the things he learned from those lunches was that Annie sparred with Louis, Norman''s son, every other week to test her improvement.


    Although she was stronger than him, he was good enough to be a sparring partner since he was over a year older than her. He could survive a few rounds before getting defeated, which was enough for Annie to test her techniques.


    Ken still remembered the first time he met with Louis; he demanded Ken concocts pills for his little brother, saying he needed them to support his cultivation.


    ''Their sparring session is in a few days. Let''s first head to the Alchemy Division and see if I can learn anything.''


    The problem was that he didn''t have much knowledge about fifth-grade pills and above; there wasn''t much information about them in the branch sect. Even the list of materials didn''t have many of them.


    When he reached the building of the Alchemy Division, a female clerk approached him and bowed.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Young Master Sue, I''m Emily, at your service. How may I help you?"


    As a professional, she knew the embroideries of all the elite ns in the sect so she could tell Ken''s origins in a quick nce.


    "I want to learn alchemy. Is there a way for me to gain ess to your library?"


    "Young Master Sue, I''m afraid only members of the Alchemy Division have ess there. If you want to apply to join the Alchemy Division, you can get books for the first rank of alchemy and apply when you are a first-rank alchemist. I''m sure the Sue n can easily arrange the best teachers for you."


    "What are the benefits of bing part of the Alchemy Division?"


    Since Ken was already a fourth-rank alchemist and didn''t n to keep it secret for long, he wanted to know what he could get from revealing his talent.


    "First, alchemists require a lot of resources for their training, so you can have a discount of 20% on everything you purchase here. Furthermore, you get 1,000 medium Qi Stones every month as your sry until you''re thirty-five."


    Although Emily didn''t know why this young master was bothering her, she still answered his questions politely because of his status.


    "And after that?"


    "Our alchemists must be fourth-rank alchemists by the time they turn thirty-five, or we must remove them from our division so we can invest those funds in new talents. Of course, your funds will grow as your rank increases"


    "I see. And about the library?"


    "Members can apply for a teacher once a year and have free ess to the library if they sold in the Alchemy Division at least 200 pills since theirst visit."


    That was all he cared about. Although the extra resources were nice, they wouldn''t be enough for his needs anyway. At the speed he concocted pills, changed the forms, and developed concocting methods, he consumed much more resources than other alchemists. Especially since most of his pills were for self-consumption.


    "I see. I''d like to take the test now, I''m already a third-rank alchemist."


    Ken asked the clerk who looked at him in surprise. Normally when someone was from an elite n, they finished learning the theoretical basics of Alchemy by the age of 10 when they started cultivating, but they could only start practicing when they reached the second stage.


    "Young Master, how old are you?"


    She asked him when she suddenly noticed the top-100 decoration on his robes. The decoration belonged to the age group of 13-16, but he seemed too young to be there.


    Although Ken was famous among his age group for his deeds, most of the people in the sect don''t keep tabs on what happened among the young disciples.


    "I''m 6 years old. My name is Ken Sue."


    "I will see if we have any tester present today."


    Generally, there was one exam every month, but not only Ken came from a top elite n but was also the youngest third-rank alchemist in the sect ever if he was speaking the truth.


    She didn''t worry about the possibility of Ken lying to her; the truth woulde out in the examination processter when they check his bones'' age. If he was lying, the Sue n would lose some face, and those ns cared too much about face.


    She quickly went to find a tester. Generally, any elder was authorized to give the test to new recruits.


    "Elder Michael, can you test a new alchemist today?"


    Emily found one elder picking herbs and hurriedly asked him to do it.


    "Test an alchemist? Don''t suck up to the elite ns so much; even they have to wait for the monthly exam if they want to join our division."


    The elder instantly inferred that the recruit was from an elite family, thus Emily gave him special treatment.


    "Elder Michael, he is indeed from the Sue n, but he is only 6 years old ording to his words. I think such a talent deserves to be treated differently."


    Michael looked at her in surprise when he heard the new disciple was so talented. He had doubts about it, but he had to check since Ken wasn''t from amoner family.


    "All right, let me have a look at him. If he passes, you must inform Grand Elder Giles, he might want to take him as a disciple."

 Chapter 50 50 – Alchemy Test

    ?


    "All right, let me have a look at him. If he passes, you must inform Grand Elder Giles, he might want to take him as a disciple."


    Michael gave this instruction because Giles always was on the look for a talented disciple, yet he never found anyone talented enough to justify investing his precious time in.


    The two went back to where Ken was waiting for them and found him there.


    "Hello, Ken. I''m Elder Michael of the Alchemy Division. I will be your tester, are you prepared?"


    As an elder, he didn''t fear the elite families and could use Ken''s first name without any title. Anyone who was an elder at the Alchemy Division was at least a fifth-rank alchemist, and those were rare. Even elite families needed their products and would give them respect.


    "I am."


    "All right, first you need to take the bone age test. Although we don''t doubt your words, it''s part of the bureaucracy. I hope you can cooperate."


    "Of course, there''s no reason for me to decline."


    Ken ced his hand on the device, and it showed 6 after a minute of measuring.


    "Good, you look a few years older than you are. I thought you were 10 when I first saw you."


    "I get that a lot. What about the Alchemy test?"


    "Come with me."


    Emily bowed and left the ce while Ken followed Michael to the testing room. Upon entering, Ken saw a ssroom with four rows of tables. Each row had 3 tables, making it 12 tables overall. Each table was far from those next to it, so there was a lot of workspace for the alchemists.


    "You can take a seat wherever you like."


    Ken took a seat in the first row; it would be weird if he went to the back row as the only examinee. He took the cauldron out of his storage ring and waited for the instructions.


    "I was told you imed to be a third-rank alchemist, so I will just start from the test for third-rank alchemists instead of starting off the first rank. Would that be all right?"


    "Of course, no need to waste our time."


    "Great, the test will have three parts, and in each part, you will have to concoct a different type of third-grade pill."


    Michael took out 3 sets of ingredients and a recipe for a third-grade Qi Absorption Pill.


    "You need to concoct the Qi Absorption Pill sessfully at least once out of three attempts, and the pill needs to have at least 70% purity. Good luck, you may start whenever you want. You have one hour for this test."


    Ken used his Qi to make the ingredients float to him and threw all three sets into the cauldron in front of Michael''s surprised eyes. One would have to be very confident to do that on a test.


    In 3 minutes, 4 pills came out of the cauldron. Ken ced them in a jade bottle and sent it to Michael to check.


    ''4 pills? I''d have a hard time getting 4 pills out of three sets myself, and I can''t do it sessfully with every attempt even if I want to.''


    Michael was surprised to see the results; as a fifth-rank alchemist, he only had around 70% sess in duplicating Ken''s feat.


    "Let me check the purity level. I don''t recognize your alchemy techniques, but they should be at least High Earth Grade."


    After seeing the perfect white color of the pill, he nodded in appreciation.


    "they''re all 100% purity, well done. Let''s move to the next part of the test."


    The same thing happened twice more, and Ken pumped out 4 pills with every three sets of ingredients, and all of them were 100% pure.


    "Are you really just at the third rank?"


    "Do you think a 6-year-old can be a fourth-rank alchemist?"


    "I don''t think a 6-year-old can be an alchemist. Yet you''re not just an alchemist, but a third-rank one."


    "I''m at the Soul Strengthening Stage, I don''t have enough Qi to practice fourth-rank pills."


    The reason Ken could perform feats that even higher-ranked alchemists couldn''t was that although they knew more than him about materials of the fifth grade, he knew and understood much better the principles of alchemy and the attributes of the lower-grade materials than them.


    When the timees, he will also understand the higher grades far better than them.


    "Elder Michael, did I pass the test?"


    "You did, you are the best third-rank alchemist we have as well as the youngest one in our sect''s history. As a third-rank alchemist, you can get 10,000 medium Qi Stones per month. Here''s your token as a third-rank alchemist of our sect."


    Third-rank alchemists had significantly more funds than second-rank alchemists because they had to experiment with fourth-grade materials to improve themselves, which cost much more.


    "Thank you, Elder Michael. If you don''t mind, can you dy the news from spreading in the sect? I''d like some privacy."


    "Of course, don''t worry about it. Although it won''t be a secret for much time if you buy ingredients here and sell your pills."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I understand. May I get ess to the library?"


    "Yes, you just need to get show your token. As a third-rank alchemist, you can have ess to the second floor, which epasses information on fourth-grade pills and materials."


    "What if I want to learn about the next grade?"


    "You''ll have to pass the test for fourth-rank alchemists first or be a direct disciple of a senior elder since they have the authority to give you permissions beyond your rank."


    "Senior Elder?"


    "Fifth-rank alchemists can be elders of the Alchemy Division. Sixth-rank alchemists can be senior elders, and seventh-rank alchemists can be grand elders. Although there are over a hundred elders, the Alchemy Division has only 32 senior elders and 7 grand elders."


    "I see. I heard I can apply for a master, is that correct?"


    "Yes, but we still need to write down your info before we can take care of your application. How abouting next week?"


    It was a lie. Michael wanted to get into Grand Elder Giles'' good books, which prompted him to secure Ken as a disciple for Giles. If Ken applied for a master, another grand elder might get to him first.


    ''Now I only need to go quickly to Grand Elder Giles and tell him about this new disciple.''


    The reason he was worried was that he might have to wait a few days before he could get an audition with a grand elder, despite being in his faction. The Alchemy Division was also divided into factions, although thepetition between them wasn''t as fierce.


    "No rush, I will juste back next week then."


    ----------


    The days passed and Ken went to watch Louis and Annie spar on the training grounds. During those days, Ken mainly practiced his formations, getting a better understanding of them with his new affinity.


    He also purchased a new peak fifth-grade flexible sword for 200,000 medium Qi Stones. Just like in the Alchemy Division, those who could create fifth-grade weapons in the cksmithing Division were the elders. Thus, their products were far more expensive than the fourth-grade weapons.


    Furthermore, not many could make high-grade flexible swords, so the price was twice higher as a normal sword.


    "New boy, what are you doing here?"


    Louis noticed Ken watching him and Annie preparing to spar and shouted toward him. Although he knew Ken was stronger than him, he didn''t think it was a reason for him to back off. After all, his parents were stronger than Ken.


    "I heard that Senior Brother Louis and Senior Sister Annie were fighting today, so I came to watch and learn from your experience."


    Louis'' eyes twitched when he heard this weird deration. Ken was stronger than them, so there weren''t many benefits for him to watch them spar.


    "Forget about him, let''s spar."


    Annie stopped Louis from arguing and raised her sword to signal the start of the sparring session. She didn''t care whether Ken stayed to watch or not, she just wanted to test her new sword art.


    After mastering a Higher Sky-grade technique to the Basic mastery realmtely, she received a Lower Earth-grade sword art to practice.


    Unlike Ken who didn''t have a problem understanding the mechanism of high-grade techniques without practicing lower ones first, others had to do it gradually and train from scratch.


    Elite ns and sects would have a sequence of techniques; each Earth or Heaven-grade technique would have its lower-grade counterparts. The disciples would first train in the lowest-grade version of that technique before slowly changing to the higher ones.


    This way, they could understand the basics better,ying a firm foundation for their future.


    Lately, Annie started practicing the Lower Earth-grade version of her sword art, and she wanted to use it in the sparring session and improve her mastery over it.


    When she raised her sword, Louis had to ignore Ken and get ready to spar. Annie charged at him and struck his thigh with his sword, and he defended against it with his own sword art. Although his art was still at the Higher Sky grade, his mastery was better.


    The two kept fighting, and Ken watched Annie execute her sword art carefully. He finally recognized it; he memorized all the Earth-grade sword techniques his n had, so this one wasn''t an exception.


    After reviewing it in his mind, he could easily find Annie''s mistakes. He waited until the spar was over with Louis'' victory before walking toward them.


    -------


    "It''s been a good practice, Louis."


    "You too, Annie. I''m sure you will master your new art soon."


    "I don''t know. We don''t have enough reviews for the novel, so new readers are less enthusiastic to give us a try. It''s a shame, you know how much I get excited from being watched."


    "True. I hope those guys will leave a review soon. Hey New Boy, ask them to leave a review too. You''re their favorite anyway."


    Ken could only sigh andply. He never thought the day in which he will agree with Louis would evere.


    "Guys, please leave a review for the novel. We really need to hit the 10 reviews mark. Make sure to point out the writing style, character development, and anything else that caught your attention."

 Chapter 51 51 – Sparring With Louis

    ?


    After reviewing it in his mind, Ken could easily find Annie''s mistakes. He waited until the spar was over with Louis'' victory before walking toward them.


    "Senior Sister Annie, you''re not crouching low enough when you deliver low attacks, and you need to control your body''s momentum better if you want to execute your sword art perfectly."


    Ken smiled at Annie as he offered her a few words of advice, making her frown in return. Louis couldn''t waste the chance of going against Ken.


    "What are you talking about? Are you familiar with Sister Annie''s sword art? We know you mastered a speed art and an unsheathing art."


    Although Annie didn''t speak, one could read from her expression that she thought the same as Louis.


    ''It''s fine, those princesses just wait for a more talented guy toe around and beat them.''


    Ken thought to himself as he watched Louis with an amused smile.


    "Let me demonstrate this art, then. Senior Brother Louis, how about we spar, and I will only use the same art as Senior Sister Annie?"


    Louis hesitated for a moment, but seeing Annie''s intrigued expression, he knew he had to ept the challenge.


    "If you want to stop the spar because you can''t execute her sword art well, just let me know and we can stop. I don''t want to hurt you, Little Brother."


    Louis forced a smile while agreeing to Ken''s challenge. The truth was that he feared Ken''s unsheathing technique and didn''t want Ken to use it when he sees he can''t win without it.


    "Of course, Big Brother, thanks for going easy on me. However, there''s no need; I''m confident of my victory."


    Ken switched his address to "Big Brother" as a form of intimacy after Louis used "little brother" to refer to him.


    The spar began and Ken let Louis charge toward him.


    "Step back and counter."


    Ken took a step back and with a swift swing, the back of his sword hit Louis'' wrist, making him drop his sword.


    "When you tried that, you didn''t take a step back, which didn''t give you enough time to counter."


    He exined to Annie the art while Louis picked up his sword again. Louis'' face contorted with pain because of the bruise on his hand.


    Annie just watched silently and tried to learn from Ken''s demonstration. She could tell that his mastery over the sword art was at least at the Basic mastery realm.


    It was a sword art without any attribute and given Ken''s talent with swords as well as his mastery over other techniques, he had no problem learning it on the spot after ying a few scenes in his mind.


    Earlier after reviewing the technique in his head, he just imagined himself executing the art until he got it right after a few attempts.


    "As for attacking first¡­"


    Ken spoke as he charged forward. He couldn''t speak too much because of the short time frame, so he had to keep his sentences short.


    "Crouch, low attack, sweep, execute."


    He crouched and attacked Louis just under his knee. After Louis blocked it, Ken kept rotating and his leg connected with Louis'' ankle. Louis fell to the ground, and Ken ced the tip of his sword against Louis'' neck.


    "Senior Sister, I will leave now to let you guys spar. If you need anything, you cane to me."


    Ken sheathed back his sword and left. He used his Qi to maintain the sword in its solid form, preventing it from bing flexible. Annie used a normal sword and he wanted to show her the technique she was using.


    Louis got up from the ground and looked at Ken''s back getting farther away with hatred in his eyes, thinking about how he could get back at him. Annie on the other hand was just contemting whether she should approach Ken or not.


    "You aren''t really nning to go to him for help, are you?"


    "Why not? If I can practice with someone who practices the exact same art as me, I can benefit a lot from it."


    --------


    A week passed since Ken took the alchemy test and it was time for him to return to the Alchemy Division to apply for a master.


    Soon after entering the building, the same receptionist fromst time approached him with hurried steps and bowed.


    "Hello, Young Master Ken, how may I help you?"


    "I want to apply to get a master who can teach me."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Sure, I will take care of it. You can stay here, and someone wille shortly; Elder Michael asked me to let him know when you drop by again."


    She led him to the waiting area and left to call for Elder Michael. She got many benefits in exchange for keeping Ken''s existence a secret for a while, and she didn''t have the right to refuse an Elder, so she just took the benefits and did as he said.


    "Elder Michael, I''m here to report Young Master Ken''s arrival. He is here to get a master."


    "All right, I''ming."


    He was waiting for Ken''s arrival those past few days, so he didn''t engage in concocting any pills above the fourth rank.


    "Hello, Ken. Good to see you again."


    "Hello, Elder Michael."


    Ken looked at him doubtfully. Michael knew he wanted a master who could give him permission to go to the higher floors of the library, so Ken wasn''t sure what Michael came for.


    "I came on behalf of Grand Elder Giles to bring you some news. Unfortunately, there is a rule that members of the big elite ns can''t get a master in the Alchemy Division."


    ---------


    A few days ago:


    "Grand Elder Giles, I''vee to report to you about a new promising recruit."


    Michael cupped his fist and bowed in front of Giles. He had been waiting to be granted an audition with the grand elder for 3 days after saying it was important. He couldn''tbel it as urgent since it didn''t involve someone of Giles'' importance or an emergency.


    "Yes, what is it you want to report? You''ve been waiting here for three days."


    Giles was concocting a seventh-grade pill, so he didn''t go outside until it was done three dayster.


    "I''ve found a promising disciple you might want to take as your direct disciple. He is only 6 years old, but he is already a third-rank alchemist. Not only that, but his concocting speed is amazing, and his proficiency with third-grade pills might be higher than mine."


    Giles raised an eyebrow when hearing that news. He was one of the best alchemists in the history of the sect, yet he only made his first step in Alchemy by bing a first-rank alchemist when he was 14.


    Normally people would first get to the peak of the third stage before practicing Alchemy, much like thebat disciples do with fighting techniques.


    He came from a normal family, so he couldn''t afford to wait to be at the peak of the third stage. Hence, he started practicing right after he finished opening all his meridians.


    "That does sound impressive. What''s his name?"


    "His name is Ken Sue, from the Sue n."


    "You know that the grand elders can''t take disciples from the big elite ns. We don''t want the sect''s divisions to fall under the rule of the elite ns."


    "I know, but I''ve made some research. His parents are runaways of the n, and he was taken by force a few months ago. His aunt even crippled his mom right in front of his eyes, so I''m sure he doesn''t harbor any good feelings toward his n."


    Giles gave him a contemtive look but soon shook his head.


    "Are you saying his family doesn''t care about his talent?"


    "They don''t know about it. He asked us himself to stop the news from spreading in the sect, that''s why I investigated his origins. It shows that he doesn''t trust his n, and we can y on that."


    "Blood is thicker than water. When his family finds out about his talent, they will appease him for sure. If I take him as a disciple, the other grand elders will open a front against us in every decision in the future. Even worse, they might ally with other elite families and our independence will be lost."


    Giles shook his head in disappointment. If he could find amoner with this talent, he would be able to take the whole sect to another level, but he didn''t want to give up his freedom and be under an elite family for that.


    Giles preferred being free and letting the sect stagnant than losing his freedom and letting the sect thrive.


    Elite ns worked by the rule of "water beneficial to crops should not be passed to other people''s fields". (1)


    If one of them got too much power, they would oppress the rest of the sect. The price of the n''s prosperity would be the regression of the whole sect, which Giles wanted to prevent.


    "Let his family nurture him. He will be banned from ess to anything beyond his rank and will only get the treatment of a regr alchemy disciple. No senior elders are allowed to teach him either."


    Giles gave Michael hisst decision and sent him out. Although it was a pity, he would never let the elite families have too much power, and controlling the Alchemy Division was having too much power.


    (1) A/N: Water beneficial to crops should not be passed to other people''s fields. / Benefits should be kept within one''s own family.

 Chapter 52 52 – Arrangement With The Alchemy Division

    ?


    Bonus chapter for 100 power stones:


    ----------


    I came on behalf of Grand Elder Giles to bring you some news. Unfortunately, there is a rule that members of the big elite ns can''t get a master in the Alchemy Division, thus you can take only a regr elder as your master."


    Michael said with an apologetic tone to Ken. He thought it was a shame to neglect such a talented disciple, but the grand elder''s decision was final.


    "I don''t believe you didn''t run a background check on me. My n and I don''t have the best rtionship."


    "You''re right, but blood is thicker than water; we don''t know whether your rtionship with them will improve in the future."


    "I see. But I still get the normal ess to knowledge and resources that any other alchemist gets, right?"


    "Yes."


    As much as they wanted to loosen the grip of the elite ns over the sect, they couldn''t deny them ess to the resources of the sect and shun their descendants. If they tried, they would practically be begging those ns to betray the sect.


    It wasn''t like the Sue n couldn''t nurture their own alchemists. First, they could afford pills easily with all the property they owned, second, they had a few fifth-rank alchemists themselves. Rumor says that one of them is even a sixth-rank alchemist.


    "I see. Since you''re here, I''d like to take the test for fourth-rank alchemists."


    He already wasted time as a baby when he didn''t want others to know his talent, and he didn''t n to waste time now only because he wanted to hide his strength to avoid being targeted.


    If someone targets him after revealing his talent, Ken will make sure this person will forfeit their life. It was better to get stronger faster and take some risks than dying the inevitable. It''s not like he could hide his strengths forever, it was only a question of when.


    "Fourth rank? So soon?"


    Generally, one could take tests once a year, which meant Ken wasn''t eligible for another test after taking one only a week ago.


    Alchemy was a field that required a lot of grinding. A lot of information, a lot of techniques, a lot of different pills. It was impossible to advance ranks in under a year.


    As for those who failed a test, they should go and practice for at least another year. The testers didn''t want to test people repeatedly for no reason.


    "Yes, is there a problem?"


    "No, let''s go. I will test you again, but I don''t have the authority to test you if you n to also take the one for fifth-rank alchemists."


    "I don''t have such ns."


    Although Ken wasn''t eligible for another test so soon, it would be just petty to deny him taking the test. Michael already saw his proficiency in Alchemy during the previous test, and it was hard to believe he was only a third-rank alchemist.


    Michael chose to agree than fall out with a promising youth over bureaucracy. Besides, Michael still respected the elite families.


    The two of them headed to the same ssroom where Ken took his previous test and Ken took the same seat as well.


    "You can start with the same pill but fourth grade. Make the Qi absorption Pill. Same deal as before ¨C you need at least one pill with 70% purity."


    Michael sent 3 sets of ingredients and the recipe for the pill. He was curious to see how Ken will handle fourth-rank pills. He wondered if he would be as bold as he was with the third-rank pills and throw all the sets into the fire.


    To his surprise, that was exactly what happened. Although he amused himself with this thought he never actually thought it was possible. Concocting fourth-rank pills was exponentially more difficult than the third-rank ones.


    Most people had to practice diligently for over a decade if they wanted to be fourth-rank alchemists, yet even if Ken started while still in his mother''s womb, he still didn''t have time to practice that much.


    Ken threw all three sets into the cauldron and started processing the materials as always. He was showing off on purpose; he wanted to offer them a deal to let him be. If he showed a very high potential in alchemy, they''d rather keep a good rtionship with him and fulfill his request.


    5 minutes after throwing the ingredients into the cauldron, 4 perfectly white pills came out of the cauldron in front of Michael''s astonished eyes.


    Ken made the pills float to Michael so he could check their rank and quality, and after having a good, long look, he nodded.


    "4 perfect pills, well done. Let''s move to the next pill. Core Erging Pill, used to make your core bigger and firmer."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡¤?¦Èm Ken didn''t know this pill earlier, so he never made it before. This time, he took a look at the recipe and made a few calctions in his mind before starting.


    ''Seems like he didn''t make it before, let''s see how he handles this pill then.''


    Michael thought to himself when he saw Ken think without starting right away as he did before.


    Ken wasn''t interested in improving the form yet. It would be more than the Alchemy Division could take in without overreacting.


    After running a few simtions in his mind, he threw only a single set of ingredients into the cauldron. He had to get familiar with the recipe first before being able to mass-produce them.


    This time, the process took him over 20 minutes. He couldn''t take shortcuts without getting familiar with the process first, so he had to do it the long way.


    When he finished, a pill came out of his cauldron and floated to Michael to examine it. After checking it carefully, Michael looked at him in surprise.


    "It''s a sess. Although not perfect, it has 86% purity, which is very high for fourth-grade pills. We can move on to the next part of the test."


    Perfect pills cost a lot in the fourth grade because they were so much harder to make. Most fourth-rank alchemists had a surprisingly low ratio of perfect pills. Many couldn''t even make a pill above 80% purity in a single attempt.


    Ken didn''t argue with him. Although he wanted to show off, making a perfect pill on his second or third attempt would be overdoing it. At best, they would think he pretended to be unfamiliar with the form. At worst, they might think he is too talented and do everything to oppress him.


    "Great, I''ve only got to concoct this pill a few times before, so I wasn''t too confident about concocting it sessfully in a single try."


    Ken gave a polite smile as he exined. By saying he could make it so well without much practice he dered he was a genius among geniuses, but not aplete freak. One had to remember he was still 6 years old.


    "The next test is a fourth-rank Heating Pill. It''s a pill that heats the body and can be used in extremely cold environments to keep your body warm. Here are the ingredients and the form."


    "Oh, I''ve concocted those before for practice."


    Ken practiced them when he experimented on making poison pills, but he eventually chose to pick the Chill Pill.


    "I guess you won''t have any problem then. Let''s see how you do."


    Ken threw a single set into the cauldron and started the process of separating and mixing the essences of the ingredients. After a few minutes, one red pill floated out of the cauldron toward Michael.


    "Done, you can check it. I''m out of Qi, so I could concoct only one."


    As a third-stage cultivator, it was already hard to believe he could concoct fourth-grade pills. He couldn''t overdo it.


    Michael nodded and examined the pill. He sighed in defeat after seeing it was perfect.


    "You are really extraordinary. Here''s your fourth-rank alchemist token; would you like to keep it a secret too?"


    Giles and Michael discussed earlier whether to y along with Ken''s wishes or not. If they didn''t, his uncle and aunt will oppress him, and his potential might be wasted.


    They liked this idea because he had the potential to be a seventh-rank alchemist in the future even without guidance, and that would give too much power to the Sue n.


    On the other hand, if they didn''t y along with Ken''s wishes, then he might choose to betray both the sect and his n, which could potentially be even worse. Nobody wanted to hand a genius to another sect on a silver tter.


    The problem was that they couldn''t kill him because he was part of the Sue n, which was the reason they didn''t want him to grow too much in the first ce. The inner politics in the sect were tooplicated.


    In the end, they chose toply with Ken''s requests so his rtionship with the sect doesn''t turn sour.


    This way, if he ever chooses to betray his n, it most likely will be by cooperating with another force from within the sect rather than going to strangers he knows nothing about.


    "Yes, I want to keep it a secret. I even have a better offer; since I can''t have a Senior Elder as my master, I can take you as my master. I will give my pills to you, and you can take 5% of the profits as amission."


    Ken thought it through; he knew that Michael''s offer to keep it a secret was a gesture of goodwill.

 Chapter 53 53 – Alchemy Library

    ?


    "I will give my pills to you, and you can take 5% of the profits as amission after selling them for me. Just make sure the alchemist remains anonymous."


    Ken knew that Michael''s offer to keep it a secret was a gesture of goodwill. Since they wanted to be on friendly terms with him, he offered to deepen their rtionship.


    "That sounds like a great choice. Here''s my token; you can contact me whenever you want."


    It was the same type ofmunication device that Ken gave Nick before. Ken already knew the rules, so he knew that as a fourth-rank alchemist, he needed to sell 200 pills of the fourth grade to get the right to 2 hours in the library.


    "Here are 200 pills I''ve concocted over thest few months. Please make sure I can get 2 hours in the library."


    He already had 8 hours stacked; 2 hours for each rank he passed. As a fourth-rank alchemist, he had 8 hours.


    "I will take care of the procedures. I will make it look that me and some of my friends purchased your pills and I will sell them in the sect."


    "Great. Take care."


    Ken cupped his fist and left toward the Alchemy Library. He went down a long hall that connected the main building to the library and saw two disciples standing guard at the entrance.


    "Show us your token, please."


    He showed his fourth-rank alchemist token, and the guards opened the door and bowed. He wanted to wear a mask, but it was too conspicuous if he did it inside the sect. It wasn''tmon enough.


    The library was the information center. It had forms and theoretical ideas. Everyone who wrote a theory that seemed logical and passed the empirical tests could ce his findings here.


    As for techniques, those were kept in a separate safe that Ken nned to visitter to widen his techniques variety and find more inspiration sources.


    He skipped the first floor which was meant for alchemists in the first three ranks and climbed the stairs to the second floor. Although he wanted to learn about the fifth grade, he first wanted his foundations to be perfect.


    Since his time was limited, he didn''t bother reading the books. Instead, he opened them, nced at a page, and moved on to the next page. This way, he could read 2 pages per second.


    This way he could ''save'' a page in his brain and read itter. He thought about it as saving the book as an image file so he can open it when he is home.


    He skipped books that the branch sect had copies of, and only skimmed quickly through those he didn''t see before. He had no idea what was written in them, but it wouldn''t hurt to have the content anyway.


    3 hours passed and he already memorized over 20,000 pages. He chose to leave the theories section and move to the forms section to find out about more pills. He finished memorizing all the forms in under half an hour and quickly went to the next floor to research the fifth rank.


    He had 6 hours and a half, and he nned to save only one hour for the techniques. Techniques were much shorter than theory books and with his new idea of only memorizing the page without reading, he was sure he could memorize them easily in one hour.


    He spent the next 5 hours reading theories about fifth-grade pills and materials, and half an hour memorizing all the forms the library had. There were much fewer forms of fifth-grade pills, probably because of the difficulty to concoct those.


    ''I guess I''m done here for now. I cane back after digesting everything and gaining some more hours.''


    With his intelligence, he could rank up and be a fifth-rank alchemist in a matter of weeks, but he had no ns to rank up now.


    Not only it would be too shy to be as proficient in alchemy as an elder when he was still 6 years old, but there were a lot of materials he still didn''t read.


    He only read about 15% of the third floor and 40% of the second floor. Although he knew those theories weren''t perfect, they at least had some truth in them since they worked well enough to pass the screening process and enter the library.


    He could extract this bit of truth from them and improve his own alchemy and knowledge.


    He left the library and went back to his room. He spent the next few days reading the books from his memory, and another week just topare and organize all this knowledge.


    With perfect memory he didn''t need to write down his thoughts; he wasn''t worried about getting confused or forgetting things.


    By crossing information, he could invalidate a lot of information until he was left with almost only true things. He spent another week experimenting with the new knowledge until he was sure what was right.


    He felt like there wasn''t much new information he could learn about the fourth rank anymore, but he still nned to read it just in case. At least the digesting process would be much faster as time passed since he already knew what was right and wrong.


    -------------


    "Young Master, Young Lady Annie is requesting to meet you."


    Soleil knocked on the door of his study and announced Annie''s arrival. Ken purchased a lot of fourth-grade materials for his alchemy, and he was making pills to strengthen his core.


    "Sure, tell her I will be there in a few minutes."


    He hated sweating in his clothes when he could avoid it, so he would always train in his underwear whenever he was alone. Soleil already learned that she shouldn''t enter his room when he was alone.


    He used a simple Basic-grade water technique he learnedtely to wash his body and used Qi to push away the water. When he was clean, he wore his clothes and went out to meet with Annie. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He expected her toe; if his judgment of her character was correct, there was no way she would pass a chance to improve herself only because her family didn''t like him.


    "Hello Senior Sister, what are you doing here?"


    "You can just call me Annie. I don''t want someone better than me to call me ''Senior Sister''."


    She said with a hint of bitterness in her voice. It was easy to guess she didn''t like to admit someone from her generation was better than her.


    "Sure. Hello Annie, what are you doing here?"


    Ken asked with a beautiful smile, showing his straight white teeth. It was quite embarrassing, but he actually lost some of his baby teethtely.


    Luckily, he could regrow his teeth within a few hours by using pills and suffering some pain. Trying to charm a girl with a few teeth missing could be awkward.


    "I was wondering if you could spar with me regrly every other week."


    "I''m sorry, but I don''t think I can. You know of my status in the n, and I''m sure your mother wouldn''t want you to be connected to me."


    "I''m me, and my mother is my mother. I don''t care if she is against it."


    "You don''t, but I do. I don''t need her to make my life harder because she''s angry that I''m interacting with you. I have nothing to gain and a lot to lose."


    "I can pay."


    Ken was a fourth-rank alchemist and a professional robber; he had no money problems.


    "Would you spar with someone else for money?"


    "No, but..."


    She answered hesitantly, unsure of how toplete the sentence. She wanted to say that he wasn''t as rich as her, but she also didn''t want to touch a sore point and worsen his impression of her.


    "However, there''s indeed something that I need."


    He walked to her and ced his palm on her shoulder. He sensed her luck and saw it burning vigorously, it was the shiniest luck he had ever seen.


    It made a lot of sense; she was born beautiful, rich, talented, and smart. Just her birth situation showed how lucky she was.


    "What can I do for you?"


    "Can you keep a secret?"


    "I can. I swear with my soul that I will not tell anyone about your request."


    Swearing with one''s soul was a tricky thing. It was easy to find loopholes, but it was enough when someone wanted to show sincerity.


    If the person who took the oath did something that goes against the oath, his soul will explode only if he sees it as a vition of the oath. Taking the oath in the third stage would affect her until her soul strengthened significantly in the fifth stage.


    "You''re a lucky person, but I''m not. Can you please share your luck with me?"


    "What does that mean?"


    "Do you believe in luck?"


    "No, I believe in resources, talent, and hard work."


    "I do believe in luck. You can see meeting me as a stroke of luck, something in your journey that may help you grow strong quickly. Would you agree to share your luck with me?"


    "Sure, it seems fair."


    The girl agreed without overthinking it. She felt a weird sensation as if she lost something, but it was a floating sensation that passed almost instantly.


    "All right, then we can spar once every two weeks."


    Ken smiled at her and quickly changed the subject, so she won''t think too much about what just happened.


    "Great, see you on Sunday at 07:00 in the morning."

 Chapter 54 54 – Strengthening The Core

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    "Great, see you on Sunday at 07:00 in the morning."


    Annie stood up and left Ken''s house, leaving him with a smile. He finally improved his shitty luck.


    ''With bad luck, I kept encountering people above my stage as well as bumping into annoying young masters. It should be much better now.''


    Although he only got half of Annie''s luck, it was still much higher than the average disciple he saw in the sect. If he used his previous luck as a luck-measuring unit, he estimated the average disciple with 25 luck units.


    As for his current luck, it should be somewhere around 125, making him five times luckier than the average disciple.


    If he went to find a master in the Alchemy Division with his current luck things would work out differently, but it was toote now. He didn''t need a teacher to understand alchemy anyway.


    He held a shiny silver pill in his palm. He yed with it with his fingers, making it rotate as he scrutinized it carefully. It was an interesting pill he invented for his core.


    A few rare pills required condensing Elemental Qi inside them, which gave them attributes of that element. Those pills were a few times harder to concoct and more expensivepared to regr fourth-grade pills.


    Ken learned a theory that imed that it wasn''t possible to achieve those results only with Elemental Qi, but with every type of specialized Qi. The researcher believed only fifth-rank alchemists had the ability to achieve it, so he read it on the third floor.


    However, that researcher could achieve only very weak results when he tried making his theory practical, rendering this theory useless.


    Since he still managed to prove it was theoretically possible, his theory was published in the library for the next generation to crack down on the problem and upgrade the theory.


    Ken also read another theory that imed one could use specialized Qi without having it by using materials that had it. Simrly to the previous theorist, he also managed to achieve unsatisfying results in his practical research.


    This theory was published for the next generation to improve as well. It would open new gates to alchemists who were still limited to making pills with the same attributes that they cultivated.


    Ken took those two theories and perfected them as much as he could with his new knowledge and thinking process, and it allowed him to create this shiny silver pill.


    He used gems with Sword Intent and Sword Qi imbued in them for this pill. Those came from the training room of a sixth-stage cultivator and were sold for a few thousand medium Qi Stones.


    Although he had Sword Qi, it couldn''tpare to that of a stronger cultivator. He used the first theory to create this pill with Sword Qi, something impossible for other alchemists that could only mix Elemental Qi in their pills.


    He put the pill in his mouth and removed the protectiveyer of Qi coating it. He started ingesting the pill with closed eyes, sensing the miraculous effect on his core.


    He gave it the simple name ''Sword Affinity Pill'', and its job was to empower the affinity of the core with swords. In his meditation, he watched the faint shiny silver part of his soul turning more vivid.


    Just because he invented this pill didn''t mean sword cultivators had no way to improve their affinity before, or nobody with ess to pills would cultivate the sword.


    Alchemists could still use their Alchemical Qi to create pills with sword attributes using materials with sword attributes like the gems Ken used.


    The difference was that Ken''s pills were a few times better. His pills were concocted using both Alchemical Qi and powerful Sword Qi.


    The only downside was the cost of those pills since each set of materials cost him nearly 20,000 medium Qi Stones. Most of the price was for the special gems he purchased.


    Normal fourth-grade pills cost around 100 medium Qi Stones, 5 times the production costs. If the pill was perfect, it would cost twice or thrice more, depending on the specific pill.


    Luckily, his purchases were sponsored by anonymous strangers. At least they were anonymous to him since he had no idea who the people he robbed and killed were.


    He created 12 of those pills and after consuming them all, the shiny silver color in his core seemed to be much brighterpared to the other 3 colors.


    He stared at 36 other pills thaty on the table in front of him. They were grouped ording to their type, each group consisted of 12 pills.


    One type of pill had a bloody red color, resembling the faint bloody red that represented his affinity with Bloodlust in his core.


    Another type of pill had a fiery red color for his affinity with Alchemy, and the third was navy blue for his affinity with Runes.


    The overall price for making those pills was around half a million medium Qi Stones.


    ''I still have another half a million medium Qi Stones left, but I don''t know if it''s enough. I''ve been depleting my funds faster than 10 spoiled young mastersbined. If everyone from the young generation was as spendthrift as me, the elite families would go bankrupt long ago.''


    Luckily, he had a 20% discount on alchemy resources from the Alchemy Division, which allowed him to spare over a hundred thousand Qi Stones.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Although maximizing his power at every stage was an expensive matter, it was too vital for his future. The people sacrificing their lives to fund it died for a great cause, and he owed that much to their altruistic phnthropy.


    A few weeks already passed since he made the deal with Annie, and he had sparred with her twice by now. It was time for them to spar for the third time.


    --------


    "Hey Annie, how''s your progress with your sword art?"


    "It''s good, thank you. I wouldn''t be able to improve so much without your guidance."


    She already reached the Basic mastery realm thanks to Ken''s teaching. He didn''t offer her any superior techniques since she was still his enemy, but he didn''t mind helping her cultivation to get her trust.


    After all, no matter how much she improved thanks to him, she will always be far behind.


    "Let''s spar again then."


    Over the past few weeks, Ken even mastered her other 3 arts to the Basic level, including those that had Darkness Element in them. As for the pure sword art, he already mastered it to the Advanced mastery realm.


    Although they wouldn''t help him in the future, he could still use them in the present to get closer to Annie.


    The two sparred and Ken easily defeated her. He would always put a lot of pressure on her, just the amount she could endure, but barely. It served two purposes ¨C it helped her improve quickly and it depleted her Qi fast.


    "Here, it''s a perfect Qi Absorption Pill, you can use it to recover your Qi."


    Ken smiled at Annie after helping her get up from the ground. He handed her a pill, but she didn''t take it.


    "You don''t need to spend your pills on me, I have some with me."


    She rejected it because she knew her budget was far bigger than his.


    "Don''t worry. Give it a try, it''s far more efficient than the normal ones in the market. If you like it, you can buy it from me for 300 Qi Stones per pill, this way you won''t owe me for the pills."


    She looked at him for a moment and decided to take the pill. She already felt she owed him for training her, so it was too impolite to reject him again after he insisted. Ken gave her the pill and their fingers brushed against each other for a short moment.


    To her surprise, the pill truly had an effect considerably stronger than the usual pills. After contemting, she had to ask for their source.


    Pills that could make her replenish her Qi so much faster would allow her to train more. Training more would make her grow stronger quickly.


    "Ken, where did you buy this pill? I want to buy them too."


    Ken looked to the sides as if he wanted to make sure nobody was listening. When he opened his mouth, he stepped close to Annie''s ear and spoke in a low voice.


    "I will share my secret with you. I didn''t buy them, I made them myself. I''ve been promotedtely and I''m a fourth-rank alchemist."


    In her astonishment, Annie turned her head to look at him so fast she almost banged her head into his. Ken leaned backward slightly, just enough to avoid the head banging.


    Their faces were close to one another, their noses were less than a centimeter away. They could feel each other''s breath, and Annie quickly took a step back awkwardly.


    "I''m sorry, I was just surprised."


    "It''s ok. Having a beautiful face so close to mine is never bad."


    There was a short silence until Annie spoke again while looking away from Ken. She suddenly felt too self-aware after this small incident.


    "Any¡­ anyway, do you think you can make enough to sell to me? I promise not to tell anyone about them and only to use them myself."


    Although young and na?ve, she knew that if the n found out that Ken had such pills, they''d force him to give away the form for it, hence, she promised to keep it secret for him.

 Chapter 55 55 – The Bloodlust Scheme

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    Annie wanted to rece her usual pills with those special Qi Absorption Pills. She had a lot of money and could easily purchase them at the price Ken named earlier, 300 Qi Stones.


    "Anyway, can you make enough to sell to me?"


    "Of course. Thank you for keeping my secret. I can sell you 30 every time we meet, would that be enough?"


    Although Ken shared some of his secrets with her, he didn''t n to let her know everything about him. Letting her know he could manufacture hundreds of them daily wasn''t part of his n.


    Ken revealed the secret about him being a fourth-rank alchemist on purpose to create something special between them and a bond of trust. All his movements and words were with one final purpose in mind, poisoning Annie''s mind.


    "That means I can consume two of them every day, it''s plenty. Thank you. Here are 9,000 Qi Stones."


    Arge pile of Qi Stones floated toward him. Luckily there were stones with a value higher than a single stone, or else it was a small hill of Qi Stones.


    What determined the grade of the Qi Stone wasn''t its size, but the purity of the Qi stored in it. No matter how big the medium Qi Stone was or how condensed the Qi inside it was, it''d still be considered a medium Qi Stone.


    "Each bottle contains 5 pills."


    Ken sent her 6 jade bottles that contained the pills and took the Qi Stones inside his storage ring. He didn''t n to talk too much with her; he knew she wasn''t the type to be into talkative narcissistic men.


    "Did your mother talk to you about training with me?"


    ¡¤?¦Èm "Yes, she told me to cease training with you."


    Ken scoffed at the thought of Krone rationalizing her hate speech against him with righteous arguments.


    "Did she exin why you shouldn''t train with me?"


    "Yes, after I asked her. She said you''re a young cultivator and a genius, so I should allow you all the time you need to develop and cultivate instead of wasting your training time for my selfish desires."


    "What did you say?"


    "I said I would pay you to train with me so you can have more resources. This way it would be a win-win situation. But she said you don''t need my money because you get enough resources from the training grounds you earned, and it wille out rude if I offer money to my cousin."


    Ken stifled a chuckle when he heard Krone''s words. She could turn every part of her hatred into a noble cause. What she truly wanted was to deprive him of any resources.


    "Argh, she ticks me off so muchtely."


    Annie groaned with a rare disy of emotion. She feltfortable with Ken. He was different from the rest of the n; he didn''t pretend to be someone else just to get face all the time.


    Recently, she had been feeling a slight impulse to kill those who irritated her. Because she didn''t have many sparring sessions with Ken yet, she didn''t notice it was especially strong after her meetings with him.


    He kept activating the effect of his Mind-Poisoning Domain ¨C Frenzy Mode mildly on Annie during their training. He did it extremely subtly so she wouldn''t go insane. It only raised her anger levels and made her more prone to murderous thoughts.


    Unfortunately, it didn''t have a permanent effect, and although it was working, the effect would fade slowly every time. That''s where the job of the Qi Absorption Pills came into y.


    He made them while using a bit of Bloodlust Qi, and they had a simr side effect to the Frenzy Mode of his domain skill. Although it wouldn''t turn her crazy instantly, she would definitely think a lot about killing others after consuming them regrly.


    He used a very small amount, making it harmless to the consumers. A high-stage cultivator wouldn''t be able to sense any danger from it since it really wasn''t dangerous.


    This type of specialized Qi was extremely difficult to cultivate, so nobody would recognize it.


    If someone broke down his pill for reverse engineering, they''d just think the alchemist of this pill had a weird second specialization. They most likely wouldn''t recognize it or know its part in the pill.


    "I replenished my Qi, let''s continue."


    Annie stood up and prepared to spar with Ken again.


    "Sure, be careful."


    -------------


    A few weeks passed and it was time for Ken to meet with his subordinate, Nick. He liked the idea of havingckeys at his beck and call and decided to check his luck and try to get another subordinate.


    He chose another mission of exterminating evil cultivators who were hunting lone cultivators and traveling disciples of the sect in a certain area. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The rmended force for the quest was 5 disciples at the Core Formation Stage, while at least one of them should be at the High Core Formation Stage.


    Ken was sure he was far stronger than that despite being at the Low Core Formation Stage, so he didn''t have any worries.


    "Young Master, I think taking this mission is overdoing it. It''s too difficult and beyond your current power."


    The receptionist in the Mission Hall told Ken worriedly. Because of his overly young age, she easily remembered him from his past visits to the Mission Hall.


    In her mind, she called him "The Snotty Kid" with bitterness for always picking missions above his stage. She believed he used his family''s guards toplete the missions for him.


    She thought it was a coincidence she was always the one to take care of him, but he actually went to her on purpose every time because she was easy to bully.


    "Don''t question the Sue Family. Since I took it, I obviously canplete it safely without any risks."


    ''Does The Snotty Kid have a fifth-stage guard or something? He is too overconfident!''


    The girl thought to herself. However, on the outside, she only forced a smile while begging Ken to change his mind.


    "Young Master, it''s better to pick a mission you canplete by yourself, this way you will feel a better sense of aplishment. Would you like me to show you the interesting missions for the third-stage disciples?"


    "No. Just do your damn job and let me ept it, or my Sue Family will mess with you for going against my will."


    "No, no, Young Master, I only wanted the best for you. Let me register this mission as yours."


    She said with apparent panic and grabbed Ken''s token from the counter to register the mission with his name.


    "All done. Good luck, Young Master. May youe back safely."


    She was cursing him in her mind, but her wish was genuine; she believed she would get killed if a young master of the Sue n died because she gave him a mission beyond his power.


    She knew it wouldn''t matter that it wasn''t her fault; might makes right, and she had no background to save her from an elite n whatsoever.


    Ken left the Mission Hall and went to the forest. He wanted a change of pace and to go to the mountains in the east, but his subordinate wasn''t there. He decided to tell him to wait in the mountains next time.


    "Nick,e meet me at the coordinates I''m sending you."


    Ken talked into themunication device and sent the coordinates. He always picked the ce randomly right before the meeting out of worry that Nick will set an ambush for him. Although he was powerful, he wasn''t the type to take risks that could be easily avoided.


    "Here, take this pill."


    As soon as Nick arrived, Ken gave him the Chill Pill with the truth drug. Nick looked at him with grievousness and swallowed the pill. Nick wasn''t an idiot; he already figured out that Ken fed him with truth drug.


    When the effect was overst time and he thought of the way the meeting went, he understood it after a few minutes of thinking.


    There were things he nned to hide from Ken, yet he couldn''t stop himself from telling everything when Ken asked about them. For example, the fact that he nned to embezzle 10% of the profits.


    After waiting a few minutes to let Nick digest the pill and suppress the poison again, Ken spoke again.


    "How much money did you make from selling those thousands of pills?"


    "I sold each pill for 200 Qi Stones. Overall, I made 200,000. I didn''t take the 100 pills you allowed me to take, please forgive me for my greed, Young Master."


    "Good, give me the Qi Stones."


    Nick looked at him hesitantly. It was a huge fortune he could only dream about before. When Ken defeated him, he took around 50,000 Qi Stones from him, which was his savings after years.


    Eventually, he sighed and gave away the ring with all the stones. He knew he had no choice since his life was already in the palm of the kid in front of him.


    ''I guess I''m his ve at this point and my only shot at surviving is being obedient. I hope he will allow me to get stronger and won''t oppress mepletely.''


    Nick thought dejectedly as he sighed quietly to himself. He was losing hope of improving and thought he could only live as a ve now until he dies.


    "Good. For your service, I will give you 5% of the revenues."

 Chapter 56 56 – Selling Tainted Pills

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    "Good. For your service, I will give you 5% of the revenues."


    "Thank you, Young Master."


    Nick bowed and thanked Ken ecstatically for paying him. Ken''s move was calcted. he first took the money from him and only then paid to make Nick feel grateful.


    Ken rewarded him with 10,000 Qi Stones. It was already a lot for Nick who didn''t have the support of a big n or a sect. It was higher than his annual ie, and he didn''t even participate in the costs or the manufacturing.


    Ken knew that Nick would appreciate the payment much more if he was first left with nothing, thinking of himself as a helpless ve. This way, he would be thankful when he gets paid.


    "Of course, I take care of my followers. Remember, just be loyal and you will enjoy endless resources in the future."


    "I will be loyal forever, Young Master. You''ve already saved me from the scheme of the evil cultivator. I will be subservient until the day I die!"


    Nick said with a sincere voice. Ken knew he meant it because he was under the effect of the truth drug, but he also knew that he might forget this promise as soon as he was promised benefits by an enemy.


    "I hope you can remember this promise. I hope you will not kill the chicken to get the eggs in the future; no one-time payment is better than getting resources in the long term, and nobody will trust a traitor." (1)


    "I will remember your words, Young Master."


    "Great. Here are some more pills. Try to sell them to the same people you sold the merchandise before."


    He gave him a ring with other 10,000 pills. Just making them cost him nearly 300,000, but the revenue would be 2,000,000. Cutting Nick''s part and the costs, he would be left with 1,600,000 Qi Stones. Alchemy was just that lucrative.


    Of course, normally there''s much morepetition which meant much more supply, but his enhanced pills had nopetition. They were just better than their counterparts.


    Besides, he had a 100% rate in making fourth-grade pills and he concocted them much faster than any other fourth-rank alchemist.


    To make his pills more appealing to the elite n from the top sect, he made them 115% more effectivepared to the normal pills circting in the market.


    On one hand, his pills would be highly desired, on the other hand, they didn''t worth waging war against the anonymous alchemist just for a few improved forms of the fourth grade.


    If he introduced to the market fourth-grade pills with effects on the same level as fifth-grade pills, it''d definitely make them hunt him, and that was even before they find out he was only 6 years old.


    "All right. Did you hide my existence from the buyers?"


    "Yes. I sold it to an elite n from the Divine Sword Sect. Their n''sst name is Shang, they''re a top n family there. They wanted to buy it from me for 100 Qi Stones but after haggling with them we set the price at 200."


    Ken sold mainly the Qi Absorption Pill because it wasmon and was consumed almost on a daily basis. Just like the pills he provided Annie, they were also tainted with his bloodlust, making the person consuming them be more bloodthirsty the more he took.


    This pill was verymon in the market and the supply was high, so it was one of the cheaper fourth-grade pills out there. A perfect pill only costs 150 Qi Stones, much less than the usual price for perfect fourth-grade pills. Ken could make much more money by selling rarer pills.


    "Good job. Is there anything I would probably want to know?"


    "No, Young Master."


    "All right, you may leave now. Next time I will meet you in the mountains, so make sure to be on the other side of the sect when it''s time to meet again."


    Nick bowed while cupping his first while Ken turned around and left the ce. He already gave Nick the other two Chill Pills and had nothing to say to Nick anymore.


    Ken activated his Bloodlust Sense technique and jogged toward the location of the reported road bandits.


    He sensed a few battles of disciples against beasts on the way, but none of them fitted his needs. Eventually, he felt a group of 3 disciples fight against arge tiger at the Intermediate Core Formation Stage.


    The disciples fought carefully and methodically. They didn''t take any risks and simply let the tiger umte many wounds on its body without trying to finish it off and risking themselves.


    They wanted to let the tiger get exhausted from bloodlust and from trying to attack the three of them, and then take it down when it doesn''t stand a chance anymore.


    *Rooarr*


    The tiger roared in frustration when it got another superficial cut on its skin. Although he wasn''t in danger yet, its intelligence was high enough to know it was at a disadvantage.


    Ken didn''t n to watch for long; he simply wore his mask and stepped forward. They were three inner disciples, but they didn''te from elite families, so he didn''t worry about killing them.


    ''One Step, sh Unwind.''


    In an instant, he appeared between them, and three heads flew in the air. Three headless corpses copsed on the ground while their blood flowed from their cut necks in a gory scene.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The tiger looked at the new arriver confusedly, not understanding where he came from or why he killed people from his kin.


    ''Mind-Poisoning Domain ¨C Paralyzing Mode.''


    The tiger felt a huge pressure on it, and its mind was filled with horrifying scenes full of blood and death.


    All it saw were hallucinations of the young human in front of it, still with its scary mask on, and everything was dead around him. Even the nts were dry or burnt.


    It whimpered in fear as it cowered, unable to move other than shaking and making pitiful sounds while looking at the ground. It didn''t even dare to look up at Ken.


    Ken canceled his domain and gently stroked the tiger''s fur with his delicate child''s hands.


    "Rx. You only need to serve me for a few days, and you will be fine."


    The tiger just lowered its head submissively in response, to show it was willing to do as Ken said without resistance.


    "Take this, it will heal your wounds and replenish your stamina."


    Ken gave it a green pill and the tiger ate it. It didn''t want to eat it, but it had no choice. To its surprise, it felt its wounds healing at a rapid speed and its body getting lighter as if it wasn''t under the strain of a battle.


    Half an hourter, the tiger was in peak condition and ready to move. Ken sat on its back and pointed in the direction of the road bandits.


    "Run there."


    Ken didn''t feel like running the whole way like he had to do in the mission of saving that vige, so he just found himself a nice, fast mount. The tiger''s speed was almost equal to his while he used Cloud Running and was much faster than his normal speed.


    The tiger galloped for 24 hours straight,pletely exhausting itself. But it felt too much fear toward the human sitting on its back, so it went beyond its usual limits.


    "Stop."


    The tiger stopped and Ken leaped from its back. The tiger crouched and breathed heavily, trying to catch its breath.


    "Take this."


    Ken gave it another pill to restore its stamina and the tiger''s condition improved within 30 minutes.


    "Let''s go to sleep. Find a cave, we can kill its residents."


    The tiger found a cave and Ken killed the resident, arge bear at the same rank as the tiger. Ken drew a formation and took out a simple bed from his storage ring. He didn''t like sleeping on the ground.


    The formation''s job was to protect him. If the tiger chose to attack him during his sleep, it would hold back the tiger for a few minutes, and all Ken needed was a few seconds to wake up.


    The two fell asleep and resumed their journey in the morning. After 12 hours they finally reached Ken''s destination and he ordered the tiger to stop again.


    "Take this pill as a reward."


    He fed the tiger with a red pill. It was the Bloodline Purifying Pill. With this pill, the tiger''s bloodline would be enhanced and get closer to its ancestors.


    It was only a fourth-grade pill, so it wasn''t like it could perform miracles and turn it into a winged tiger, but it still improved its potential and power.


    The tiger wore a weird expression that Ken chose to interpret as a smile in the absence of a better meaning. When the tiger finished ingesting the pill, Ken spoke again.


    "I''m looking for humans around here. If you can find me those I''m looking for, I will give you another pill."


    Animals could be much better than humans. They were simple-minded and weren''t greedy.


    ''Power corrupts everyone. I once thought the same about Sol and look where that got me.''


    He truly believed that if he nurtured this tiger until its intelligence was as high as a human''s, it would betray him too. The only safe way to control others was to give them no leeway as he did with Nick.


    ---------


    A/N: (1) Kill the chicken to get the eggs ¨C losing long-term benefits for immediate profit. Being shortsighted. The chicken cany many eggs in the future, so killing it is a waste.

 Chapter 57 57 – Finding The Bandits

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    "I''m looking for humans around here. If you can find me those I''m looking for, I will give you another pill. I will be in the burrow over there."


    It was a burrow that a big animal dug for itself in the ground, and there was plenty of room for someone of Ken''s size.


    Ken gave the tiger instructions and sent it off. He then went to the burrow he pointed at earlier and drew some formations. There were twoyers; one for protection and one for Qi gathering.


    He sat crossed-legged and cultivated after taking a Qi Absorption Pill. Of course, it wasn''t the same as the ones he sold, but the best he could make.


    He was tempering his core with the Qi he was absorbing, slowly helping it grow. The process of advancing within the Core Formation Stage was to make the core grow to the maximum extent possible, and then condense it back to its normal size.


    After the condensing, it would enter the next sub-stage. It would be the same size, but the attribute colors would be much more vivid, and the density of the Qi inside would increase significantly.


    He had managed to create three types of pills for this process. The first is the Core Expanding Hastening Pill, which helps the core absorb more of the Qi he used to temper it.


    The second is the Core Expanding Inducer Pill, which makes the pill expand without any effort from the cultivator. Ken nned on taking it after his core reach its maximum by cultivating.


    The third is the Core Condensing Pill, which helped in the process of condensing the core and entering the next phase of the fourth stage.


    Right now, he was holding a green pill in his palm. It was the Core Expanding Hastening Pill. Instead of wasting his time by looking for the criminals, he chose to use it to cultivate and outsource the search job to the tiger.


    2 days passed, and the tiger finally returned. It could break through the formations within a few minutes, but it didn''t dare do so. It just stood outside and roared to pull Ken''s attention.


    Ken opened his eyes when he heard the tiger calling for him and left the cave.


    "Did you find humans?"


    The tiger answered with a soft sound and a lowering of its body, hinting to Ken to hop on. Ken Jumped onto the tiger''s back and it dashed forward. He held the tiger''s fur with his hands and activated his Bloodlust sense.


    After riding for 20 minutes, he sensed a group of 13 people in arge woodhouse built above. He raised his head and found a bridge made of wood connecting a fewrge trees. Around every tree, there were 3rge huts made of wood.


    "Thanks. That''s your reward as promised. You may go now."


    Ken gave the tiger a red pill as he promised earlier. The tiger took it in his mouth and left, nning to swallow it in another ce safely.


    ''Now it''s time to see if anyone is worth my time. Nick is only at the Lower Core Formation Stage. I want someone at the peak of it.''


    ''Sheathed Man.''


    It was a new technique he developed in his free time, and he mastered it to the Basic mastery realm. It was based on the concept of a sheathed sword, thus its name.


    Sheathed Man was a technique that dimmed one''s presence as if he was a sheathed sword. Just like one couldn''t sense the danger of a sheathed sword, people would miss his presence when he sneaks up on them while using this skill.


    The skill was new and innovative, he could never make it before his affinity with the sword skyrocketed when he formed his core. He used his understanding of the Darkness element from when he practiced it to spar with Annie and applied it to the sword.


    He went toward the house where he sensed people and peeked inside. It seemed they were having a meeting to distribute their loot of thest month.


    Ken suddenly heard a noiseing from another hut, and he went to take a look. He didn''t sense anyone, so it got him curious. He saw the source of the noise was from a hut locked from the outside, and he understood it must be prisoners.


    The weakness of his Bloodlust Sense technique was that people who have never killed a person avoided his perception since they didn''t have any bloodlust to speak of.


    He was close enough to perceive their presence without any technique, and he could tell there were 2 people inside. He felt they still weren''t at the fourth stage, but he couldn''t tell the exact stage they were at.


    ''I will check it out after dealing with the bandits.''


    He returned to therge hut where the 13 bandits gathered and nned his attack.


    "I want this blue gem ne. I''ve been eying that woman in the ck market since forever, and I feel like things are going somewheretely. I can gift it to her and ask her out."


    Ken listened to one man talking about his love life with a judging gaze. Men shouldn''t spend too much on the first date, it''s a simple rule.


    "No way, I want it for my wife. You take the most expensive jewelry with this excuse every month. Either you''re dumb for not seeing she is using you for easy money or we are dumb for falling for the same trick every month."


    Another voice worsened Ken''s opinion of the man who wanted to gift the ne.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "She isn''t using me! Wooing the girl you like is a normal process everyone goes through."


    "I beg to differ; I just kidnapped mine."


    Someone with a soft voice spoke and made everyoneugh.


    "Haha, it is the most efficient way!"


    There were 3 female bandits in the room, and Ken waited for their response before barging in. He felt like he should let the women express themselves before killing them. Luckily, he didn''t need to wait long.


    "Who said only men can kidnap women? I''m aiming for the pretty boy we have locked up!"


    Ken sighed; it wasn''t the way he expected them to express themselves. He felt like he heard enough, and it was time to go in.


    He took out his mask from his storage ring and wore it. Although he didn''t need it for killing bandits, it became a habit. He felt morefortable killing people while wearing it now.


    ''One Step.''


    ''sh Unwind.''


    In a single moment, he appeared in the middle of the table and unsheathed his sword. It was the new fifth-grade flexible sword he bought in the sect, and it was its first serious fight.


    All fights he participated in were too easy until now, and if he bothered unsheathing his sword, it was as an execution tool rather than as a weapon meant for fighting.


    *sh*


    The sound of a sword cutting through a human resounded and four heads rolled on the floor. Ever since he mastered sh Unwind to the Small Sess mastery realm, it changed from a single target attack to an area of effect. It could cut down everything that was in his range.


    He didn''t know their exact stages, but he didn''t believe anyone at the fifth stage would waste their time on robbing third-stage cultivators or lone fourth-stage travelers.


    ording to the mission''s details, this group of bandits never attackedrge parties of fourth-stage cultivators, so he didn''t feel worried about going in solo.


    He looked around and saw there were 9 people looking at him in shock. He popped out of nowhere and everything happened in under a second.


    Before they could react, he used sh 9 in 3, meaning he divided his sh into three shes made of three shes each.


    2 men and a woman got their chests cut before they could defend themselves, and their hearts got hit.


    ''7 down, 6 to go.''


    By then everyone already unsheathed their weapons or summoned them from their storage rings. They were all cold-blooded murderers, and death didn''t faze them.


    A rain of techniquesnded where Ken stood a moment ago, but he executed Cloud Running already and moved to the spot of one of the killed bandits. The ground caved from the attacks, and deep cuts were formed on the floor.


    ''sh.''


    Ken swung his sword again and three shes were formed on the route of the tip of his sword. Again, he chose to do them 9 in 3.


    He aimed at the three that radiated the weakest aura in his eyes, although he could be wrong in his judgment.


    One woman spun her spear, creating a small wall of Spear Qi in front of her to block his sh. The bandits were all experienced in fighting alongside one another, and they had no problem cooperating.


    Thus, the defending people didn''t worry about attacking and put all their efforts to just defend themselves against Ken''s sh. They had 3 other bandits to worry about attacking.


    The other 2 men who got attacked by Ken''s sword performed their own techniques to defend against it. Only the woman managed to block the attackpletely; the other two''s defenses got torn apart under Ken''s sh.


    One man couldn''t hold the saber against the sword and his saber got deflected. The sh lost a lot of its power, but it still left a deep cut on the man''s torso, revealing some of his ribs.


    The second man managed to partially dodge that attack, but when he couldn''t deflect the sh, Ken''s attack imed his arm right under his elbow.

 Chapter 58 58 – Maria

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    After his third attack, only 4 were left in perfect condition while two were injured grievously. He couldn''t follow up his attack with another attack, because two sabers and a spear were about tond on him.


    He blocked the first saber with his sword and used the power behind the strike to add momentum to his movement. He easily dodged the two other strikes by stepping back and ducking.


    "Donne, Kroc, stabilize your wounds before joining the fight!"


    The two wounded cultivators didn''t join the fight yet; they took healing pills out of their storage rings and consumed them. They also took some distance from the battle in order to stabilize their wounds safely before joining the fray.


    There was no point to join only to have their guts spilled out or die from excessive blood loss.


    "Everyone, attack him! don''t give him a moment of break or a chance to strike back!"


    A spearwoman gave instructions to the team and everyone moved. To Ken''s surprise, it seems that the leader of this coarse group was a woman.


    Indeed, Ken couldn''t find an opening to attack again. The four healthy bandits kept barraging him with well-coordinated attacks one after another, and all four of them were at a higher stage than him, allowing them to almost keep up with his speed.


    Unbeknown to Ken, he didn''t need to deal with an archer now because he killed two of the three archers with his initial attacks and cut off the arm of the third in his next attack.


    He could win rather easily if he used his Mind-Poisoning Domain, but it wasn''t every day he got such a good chance to practice his sword skills.


    With Cloud Running, he managed to dodge the attacks with minimum movements and finally found an opportunity to strike.


    ''sh.''


    He used 9 in 1 this time, aiming to take them down one by one. He knew that the 9 in 3 version wasn''t enough to kill these four. This shbined 9 shes in it, making it extremely powerful.


    "Maria, I will help you!"


    Ken didn''t expect them to be good enough to even defend together. He aimed at the same woman he attacked earlier, and the other spearman thrust his spear against Ken''s sh.


    The spear got deflected and the man stumbled back, but it was enough to weaken the sh to a degree that the woman could block it. The woman used the same defense skill by spinning her spear and was sent to the floor from the momentum.


    Other than shock and a slight sense of fear, she was fine.


    "He is strong! My hands are shaking from the sh!"


    The man shouted as he tried to stabilize his grip on the spear with his shaky hands.


    "Brother, let''s push him back against the wall!"


    The two saber users didn''t try to attack Ken from the front; they tried to nk him and push him slowly against the wall until he can''t dodge anymore by stepping back. As for the front, they left it for the spear users who had a longer range.


    This way, Ken had to deal with two attacks that came almost from opposite attacks, and if he tried to attack one of them, the other could strike his back.


    "Haha, you overestimated yourself. You''re stronger than any of us, but not than all four of usbined! We can win this!"


    The menughed with relief as they were about to cut him.


    ''One Step.''


    However, Ken was one to believe there was always a third option. Instead of retreating or attacking the saber users, he executed One Step and appeared in front of the man who stumbled back from his sh.


    ''Snake Thrust.''


    In the heat of the battle, the man didn''t think about the speed Ken appeared when he first attacked them, because it seemed like he just materialized between them.


    He tried to block Ken''s sword with the shaft of the spear, but the shaft was too narrow. Ken pulled his sword back and faced the two saber users who rushed to attack him again with apparent fear on their faces.


    Ken turned around to block the sabers about to attack him and the corpse of the spear user copsed behind him with tworge holes, one above the spear''s shaft and the other underneath it.


    "How can a damn midget be so freaking strong?"


    One of the saber users shouted in despair. Ken easily dodged the strikes of the two saber users, and with his movements, he didn''t let them nk him again.


    Ken was about tond another strike against one of the saber users, but he had to hurriedly dodge when the woman could finally attack back. Although a lot happened, it was a matter of two or three seconds only since she was sent rolling on the ground by Ken''s 9 in 1 sh.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Young Master, maybe we can talk it out. You are from an elite family, aren''t you? You''re just here toplete the missionmissioned by the sect."


    She waited for Ken''s answer, but the three still barraged him with their attacks. They didn''t dare stop before he gave a verbal agreement to stop their battle.


    "I am from an elite family, you are knowledgeable."


    But he didn''t tell them to stop the fighting. It''s not like telling them to stop and use it to attack was against his conscience, he just enjoyed honing his sword skills.


    "Every living bandit can recognize the disciple''s uniform of someone from an elite family. Those who can''t already tried to rob someone they shouldn''t and got themselves killed."


    "I see, so what offer do you have for me?"


    Ken spoke while deflecting and dodging their attacks without a break. He had a few chances to attack, but he didn''t take them yet.


    "How about we stop attacking and discuss it over tea?"


    "We can take an oath to leave this ce and not cease our robbery activity in your sect''s territory for 30 years. This way you can go andplete your mission. Of course, we willpensate you with a quarter of the treasures gained by our group. We have over a million medium Qi Stones, you will make a fortune!"


    "Only a quarter? With everyone being dead, you will also gain a quarter each. Do you think we are equal?"


    He dodged their attacks with a sudden movement and sent a sh, 9 in 3, just to show them his dissatisfaction. The three blocked it sessfully, but they couldn''t get rid of their lingering fear.


    They thought they didn''t allow him to attack, but they got it wrong; it was he who yed with them while they talked. He wasn''t under pressure, they were.


    If he chose to use his previous attack where he sent one powerful sh, one of them would probably be dead now. If not by the sh itself, then by the attack following it while they still stumbled from blocking it.


    "Wait! you can have half of everything we plundered! And we can also set free the two disciples of the Phoenix Feather Sect we have under custody!"


    "Tell me, as professional bandits, how much percent of the goods and money do you demand from your victims?"


    The woman''s face distorted with anger for a moment before taking a deep breath. Of course, they take everything damn it!


    "We take everything¡­"


    "So, are you a professional trying to reap me off as someone new to the business?"


    "No, no! You can take everything, just let us live!"


    Maria gave up her greed for money and begged for mercy. She even stopped fighting and took a step back. She threw her spear to the ground and kneeled to show her surrender.


    The two saber users immediately followed her example, unwilling to be the only ones who kept attacking this monster. They were all at the peak of the fourth stage and were sure that the same applied to him, just that he had a stronger foundation.


    They didn''t know he was only at the Lower Core Foundation Stage and had an extreme foundation. As bandits, they didn''t have ess to enough resources and their foundation was weaker than the average fourth-stage disciple in Ken''s sect.


    During the first three stages, they didn''t strengthen their bodies to the maximum and could count the pills they used on one hand. Only when they grouped up and became a powerful group of fourth-stage bandits, they managed to start making enough money to consume pills regrly.


    It didn''t mean they had a special bond between them; in fact, most of the current members of the group aren''t the original members. The only original members were Maria and the spearman who died after helping her.


    Not only they didn''t rise to power together, but more often than not, the ones to kill the former members were the other members over a dispute over the distribution of the loot.


    "You two are brothers connected by blood, right?"


    Ken asked the two brothers in front of him. They nodded in response and waited for him to continue.


    "You, stay here as hostage. You, go and bring me the heads of the two who went to stabilize their wounds. I can''t let too many of you remain alive."


    They needed at least 5-10 minutes to stabilize their wounds enough to allow them to join the battle rtively safely, and only 3 minutes passed since the fight began.


    "Yes, Young Master."


    The man nodded quickly and ran off toplete his assignment.

 Chapter 59 59 – Second Subordinate

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    "You, stay here as hostage. You, go kill the injured men."


    The man nodded eagerly and ran off toplete his assignment while Ken waited with the other two.


    "Young Master, would you like anything to drink while we wait?"


    "Not really, wait quietly for the man to return."


    She shut up and waited. She was intrigued about many aspects of this young master, such as his real age and the grade of his fighting arts, but she didn''t speak after he instructed her to shut up.


    One of the reasons that Ken overpowered the four of them despite the stage gap was that they barely had one Lower Earth-grade technique while the rest of their skills were only Sky grade. Besides affecting their core''s affinities, they just had weaker attacks. Even that one Earth-grade technique was gained only after they formed their cores.


    On the ck market, Earth-grade techniques cost a fortune, especially the orthodox ones. The unorthodox techniques and manuals cost much less as they were all sketchy and full of side effects, not to mention they will turn the users into outcasts of the cultivation society.


    Meanwhile, Thomas, the bandit who went to kill the injured men, quickly ran to the usual hiding spot.


    "Marco, Anzu, are you there? We managed to kill him, you cane out."


    "Great, we were just about toe to help you guys. d to see you''re fine, Thomas."


    Marco and Anzu jumped and descended slowly from their hiding spot in amidst the dense branches.


    "Did anyone get hurt?"


    "Yes. Unfortunately, everyone died other than my little brother and Maria."


    "At least we will be able to divide the loot much more easily now. With the amount we can get now, we might be able to buy an Earth-grade technique."


    Anzu said with clear greed in his voice. The other two just smiled at the thought, although Thomas'' smile was mainly bitter. He thought about how amazing it was if it was true, but sadly, the damned kid nned to take everything for himself.


    He didn''t n to rely on a crippled archer and a severely wounded swordsman to fight back against Ken, so the money''s loss was final.


    *sh*


    His saber shined under the sun as it cleaved the necks of the two men in one sh. He waited for them topletely rx before attacking, and when he did, they couldn''t react in time to a sneak attack from so close.


    He grabbed their heads and ran back to meet Ken. He didn''t take their storage rings on purpose; he nned on taking themter after Ken left. He could just say he moved their belongings to his ring and Ken wouldn''t know it was a lie since he didn''t know what was there originally.


    "Young Master, here are their heads."


    Thomas bowed and presented the two heads with his hands. When he saw Ken nodding, he threw them away and waited for Ken to speak. Ken was standing right next to his little brother, so he was just bowing nervously without moving.


    "Good. Now, I need only one of you."


    With a quick motion, he chopped Thomas'' brother with his palm, cutting it through and killing him on the spot. When his hand was coated with Sword Qi, he didn''t need an actual sword to cut through flesh.


    Of course, it cost more Qi and would be less lethal than using a real sword fitting for his stage.


    "No! you said you will leave us alive!"


    "No, I didn''t. I said I can''t let too many of you remain alive, you just assumed I meant I can let three of you live. I chose to let the woman live."


    He already nned to recruit Maria, so he didn''t want her to know his word didn''t worth much. Otherwise, she''d be in constant fear he might go against his word and kill her. Instead, he preferred to im that the three should''ve paid more attention to the wording.


    "Maria, let''s fight him together. He isn''t nning to let any of us live, it''s better to die fighting than letting him butcher us like cattle!"


    ¡¤?¦Èm Thomas shouted and unsheathed his saber quickly. He didn''t charge forward yet as he waited for Maria to make up her mind and hold her spear before going to fight alone.


    Ken didn''t attack him either; it''s not like he needed to expend any effort to kill Thomas whenever he wanted.


    ''Blood-Poisoning Domain, Paralyzing Mode.''


    Ken''s bloodlust flooded the two''s minds, shocking them to their cores. He didn''t hold back, and the two shook on the spot intensely while saliva came out from the corner of their mouth and their eyes opened in terror.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Ken just walked slowly toward Thomas who dropped on his knees and raised his head to look at Ken walking toward him.


    "Young Master, please have mercy! I''m sorry!"


    He begged in screams while choking on his words. He didn''t even notice he spat while screaming and that his saliva dripped on his chin.


    Ken only raised his hand and brought it down, ignoring the stench of piss emitted from the lower part of Thomas'' body. His hand cut through Thomas'' chest, piercing his heart.


    He then switched his attention to Maria who quivered uncontrobly as she became the only target of his bloodlust.


    When he reached the Small Sess mastery realm of his domain in both modes, he gained the ability to choose how to distribute the bloodlust in his domain instead of just letting everyone share the burden equally.


    Earlier he channeled 75% of his bloodlust to Thomas, making him unable to move. The 25% was enough to make Maria unwilling to move and grasped at the straws he might keep his word and let her live.


    Now, with 100% channeled to Maria, she lost her control over her dder and exuded the same stench as Thomas before he died.


    Ken wrinkled his nose in disgust for a moment, but then let it go. It was just piss; some people beg their partners to do it in front of them anyway.


    "Take this pill."


    It was a simr pill to the one he fed Nick in his sleep. A poisonous pill that would make her feel strong heat in her body every few months if she didn''t take the antidote on time.


    The difference was the length of time until she started feeling the heat. While it was 1 month for Nick, it was 3 months for her.


    He didn''t feel like having to meet her every 3 months, it would be a nuisance if he got more subordinates in the future and had to go on a trip to give them antidotes every 3 months.


    Without thinking, Maria instantly took the pill and swallowed it, and Ken removed his domain. He only did it as a disy of power, he didn''t mean to torture her forever.


    Maria heaved in relief as soon as the pressure was gone, still thinking in horror about the colossal amount of people her new master had to kill to develop such an intense bloodlust.


    She killed a few dozen humans by now, and her bloodlust barely took shape. It couldn''tpare to Ken''s bloodlust. He killed over 100,000 people by reliving his memories and it was enhanced even further when he executed his Heaven-grade skill using Bloodlust Qi.


    "Clean yourself ande back. don''t try to run, you''re poisoned."


    Ken sat on the ground and started browsing everyone''s storage rings. Maria just looked at him in uneasiness and went to change her dirty clothes.


    He noticed there were 2 rings missing since there were only 11, but he didn''t care enough to search for them. Maria can enjoy those if she wants, he didn''t mind leaving leftovers for his subordinates.


    Including the loot that was in the room where he started his onught, he found 400,000 Qi Stones. There were many other goods that he estimated to have 600,000-700,000 Qi Stones.


    ''Seems like bandits have to find a way to sell their stolen goods, probably at a much lower price than they are worth.''


    Ken figured they''d only make around 300,000 of all those goods. He took all the herbs and materials he could work with while leaving behind goods he didn''t have use for. Maria could sell them and earn some money if she wants to.


    Meanwhile, Maria already returned, dressed in a short red qipao that entuated her curves. She was quite pretty, now that Ken took a good look at her. However, his child''s body didn''t react.


    "I''m 6 years old, why are you trying to seduce me?"


    "Si¡­ Six?!"


    He was still wearing a mask, so she couldn''t tell his age. His height was fitting someone between ages 10-12, depending on how tall or short the individual was.


    However, she already convinced herself he was at least 20 and was simply very short. After all, she didn''t want to believe her whole group was destroyed by a 10-year-old.


    She told herself a story about how he was bullied in his family for his height and grew to be the twisted kid he was today. Amusing herself with such a story was the best she could do as revenge.


    She even imagined fixing his broken heart with her body and sweet words until she could finally plunge a knife into it when it healed, setting herself free. Now she had to recalcte her future path.


    Ken, unaware of her dark inner thoughts, just spoke again.


    "This is the antidote for the poison I gave you earlier. It will be enough for three months before you have to take another pill."

 Chapter 60 60 – Maria Joins The Crew

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    "This is the antidote for the poison I gave you earlier. It will be enough for three months before you have to take another pill."


    "Does it mean I have to meet you every three months?"


    "No, I will give you 2 more pills, so you will have to see me in 9 months. Take the antidote."


    Maria looked at it doubtfully but swallowed it anyway. She was already at the mercy of the kid in front of her, so it was pointless to resist. She didn''t want to go through that experience of extreme fear again.


    "Now what?"


    "Go get me something to drink."


    "I will make you tea, Young Master."


    Maria left and returned shortlyter with a cup of tea. She dropped to her knees and served the cup to Ken who was sitting on the ground.


    "Did you poison it?"


    "Yes, Young Master."


    She immediately opened her eyes in horror when she realized what she had just said.


    "I mean, yes, Young Master. I poisoned it."


    She started panicking when found out that words came out of her mouth without her control.


    ''It was supposed to be "I mean, no, Young Master. I didn''t poison it." So why did I tell the truth instead?!''


    But Ken just looked at her with an amused look. He obviously mixed a truth drug in the antidote before, he wouldn''t trust a woman who worked as a bandit boss.


    "Why?"


    "To set me free. I don''t want to be someone''s ve for the rest of my life."


    She said truthfully.


    "What about the poison I gave you? You''ll die if I don''t supply you with the antidote, you know?"


    "I felt it earlier, it was just a fourth-grade pill. With the money I can get from everyone''s rings, the loot, and your storage ring, I will be able tomission a fifth-rank alchemist to get me the permanent antidote. You must have loads of money as a rich kid, and I have 9 months to find a cure."


    "I see. Well, I''m sorry. Despite it being a fourth-rank pill, you''d need a sixth-rank alchemist to crack this pill. My alchemy skills are higher than any fifth-rank alchemist, and this poison is my invention."


    He wasn''t bragging for no reason. His understanding of Alchemy was extremely deep, and he probably knew many things that sixth-rank alchemists didn''t know.


    "I doubt it, Young Master."


    Maria spoke too much again and swore herself inwardly. She already understood she was under the effect of a truth drug; she just didn''t understand how it could be so potent. She couldn''t even resist it.


    "Let me show you then."


    Ken took out his cauldron and started creating pills. There were pills from the first grade to the fourth grade. The first three grades were made in batches of 18 every 3 minutes, while the fourth-grade pills took him 6 minutes toplete, and he only made 9 every time.


    Maria watched him in wonder while he pumped pills out at a rapid pace. She was regretting again that he wasn''t a desperate man that spared her because of her looks. Forget killing him, she''d make him fall in love with her and supply her with pills forever.


    She didn''t want to bother him, so she just remained quiet for one hour until he finished.


    Ken returned the cauldron back to his storage ring and looked at the bottles on the ground in front of him. Each bottle contained a set of 3-5 pills, depending on the type of pill.


    "Those pills are for you. Your foundation isplete trash, so you will be a bad subordinate. You can take those pills to improve your foundation little by little until you''re good enough to work for me."


    He pointed at the bottles on the ground and talked to Maria. She just looked at him back with confusion.


    "Young Master, I''m already at the peak of the fourth stage. I purchased all the fourth-grade pills that could help me improve myself. I even saved as much as I could to buy some pills for my spear affinity."


    With her poor foundation, she could only get one affinity for her core. Ken didn''t mind; as long as that affinity was strong enough, it wouldn''t matter.


    "Yeah, first take this. It''s my personal fourth-grade Impurities Discharging Pill. It will clean your body from all the trash you''ve been taking. Take one every day for two weeks until you''re clean."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Although cultivators dispelled the impurities from their bodies after consuming imperfect pills, they couldn''t remove them all. There would always be 0.1% impurities that the cultivator couldn''t get rid of.


    Maria just nodded absentmindedly as she thought about what the point of all this was. She was just fine as she was, and it was pointless to consume pills she already used before.


    "You''re doubting my pills. Try this Body Strengthening Pill. You need to first take the first grade and slowly take the higher grades until you finish them all."


    Maria took it with a dubious gaze and absorbed the pill. To her astonishment, it actually had an effect on her body, and she could feel it strengthening and tempering her muscles, organs, skin, blood vessels, and everything else.


    She barely stopped herself from grabbing the pills and consuming them one by one. It wasn''t the time for that; Ken was still there.


    "Thank you, Young Master. They really work."


    "Good. But first, clean your body of impurities as I told you before."


    She nodded before asking a question that has been bugging her since he told her his age.


    "Young Master, are you really six years old? You speak too maturely, you are too powerful, and above all, you''re too tall for a six-year-old."


    Ken just removed his mask in response so she can see his face. She looked in surprise at the beautiful child in front of her.


    ''What bullied, I bet everyone spoils him rotten with this face.''


    "My body matured faster than normal because of all the pills I''ve taken as well as my cultivation level. You can''t tell anyone about either my identity or my real age."


    Although she nned to kill him, he knew she woulde around if he offered her more resources than she could get on her own.


    Without her bandit group, she wouldn''t be able to gather money as well as before, and if she does it again, someone else wille to hunt her.


    "Maria, do you want to poison me or work under me? You can enjoy such resources all the time under me, but without me, your foundation isn''t enough even to reach the fifth stage."


    "I want to work under you, Young Master."


    She was under the influence of the truth drug, so he knew she wasn''t lying.


    "Good. Work on your foundation until we meet again in 9 months. Here, you can have thismunication device, it will allow me to contact you when I want to. Do you know any ck markets?"


    "Yes, I know two. The nearest one is the ck market under the Shang n from Divine Sword Sect. The second one is a bit far and belongs to the Long n from Four Seasons Sect."


    Four Seasons Sect was ranked 3 in the continent and was extremely powerful. Ken smiled as soon as he heard that and gave her a ring with 30,000 pills inside.


    "Go and sell it to the Long n. Don''t let them know the source of the pills, just sell them anonymously. Don''t take any pills from here. I will know if you do. Besides, they aren''t as good as the pills I made for you anyway. Don''t sell them all at once; do it 10,000 every few months."


    It had two purposes; the first was to make sure they understood they had a long-term trading rtionship with each other. The second was to always have a steady supply, but not a too big supply. This way they will keep the pills for themselves rather than selling them.


    "Isn''t it better to go to the Shang n? They are nearer."


    "No. And you can promise them you will only sell those pills to them."


    She pouted but remained silent. Since he directly said no, there was nothing she could do about it.


    "Young Master, traveling so much would take months away from my cultivation time."


    "What cultivation time? if not for me you''d be stuck at your current stage forever anyway."


    Ken mocked her but stood up anyway. He whistled loudly and hoped the tiger will understand it was meant for it.


    The tiger didn''t fail him. It probably waited for Ken to call it to act as its mount on the way back and receive another payment.


    Ken stroke its fur and smiled at the obedient tiger in front of him. It really wanted another pill.


    "I have an offer for you. Act as this woman''s mount for the next 9 months and you can have 2 more pills. In 9 months, I will give you something even better."


    The tiger lowered its head as if it was thinking about the offer and soon pushed its nose against Maria to show its consent to the deal, eliciting Maria to take a step backward in surprise.


    "All right, now your troubles are solved. It can run much faster than humans and you won''t be exhausted at the end of your travel, allowing you to cultivate. Just don''t use it for fighting and don''t abuse it, it''s a fragile creature."

 Chapter 61 61 – Friendship Test

    ?


    Bonus chapter for hitting 150 power stones this week.


    -------


    "Just don''t use the tiger for fighting and don''t abuse it, it''s a fragile creature."


    Maria raised an eyebrow when she heard him call a tiger "fragile" but kept her opinion to herself. She was thankful to have such a beast as a mount.


    "It won''t bite me in my sleep, right?"


    "It won''t. Take this, there are 30 pills that can help the tiger refresh. And those are the two pills I promised the tiger, so you can give them to it when you aren''t riding it."


    A few bottles of pills floated in the air toward Maria who put them in her storage ring.


    "Oh right, Young Master, what about the two disciples from your sect? Would you like me to free them?"


    "Let me see them."


    She led him to the same hut where he noticed the two prisoners earlier and took out a key from her storage ring. Ken already gave her the storage rings of everyone after he emptied everything he needed from them.


    She unlocked the door and opened it, revealing two young inner disciples tied up. Their blue robes had no embroidery, meaning they weremoners.


    "Here they are, Young Master."


    The two disciples were talking to each other before Ken entered, and they immediately turned silent to look at the neer. To their surprise, it was a young kid from their sect!


    Ken switched to normal inner disciple robes before going in as everyone in the sect could identify the embroidery of the Sue n. He also wore his mask again.


    The two disciples knew he wasn''t as simple as he seemed since the bandit boss called him "Young Master", but as a fellow disciple of the same sect, they hoped he will spare them.


    "Young Master! Please let us go, we are fellow disciples from the Phoenix Feather Sect!"


    The male disciple begged in a low voice. His friend, a female disciple, bowed her head as well.


    They were both tied up with chains that drained their Qi constantly and scattered it in the air, so they were powerless.


    "Young Master, should I release them?"


    Ken guessed they weremoners, but he still sighed in disappointment. He lost interest already.


    "No, you can kill the girl and keep the boy. You said he was pretty, right?"


    Maria looked at him in surprise when she heard his words and remembered how she bragged about taking this boy as a lover in front of the other bandits; she didn''t expect him to eavesdrop on that conversation. Sheughed awkwardly and denied it quickly.


    "No way, Young Master. How can I have eyes for anyone else after seeing you? I will wait for you to grow up."


    She was 45 years old and wasn''t a shy girl, she wouldn''t blush from something like this. She might have failed to seduce him today, but in a few years when his hormones will go wild¡­ she still has a shot!


    She already imagined how he will fail to keep his temper in front of her voluptuous body in the future. A helpless beautiful woman who can only obey every wish he had; she still didn''t meet a man that could keep his body in check in such a situation.


    But if she took this boy in front of her now, he would never take her seriously as a love interest. No, only rats'' eyesight is just one inch long, and she was no rat. (1)


    "Why are you smiling?"


    Ken raised an eyebrow at her when he saw her thirsty smile.


    "No reason, Young Master. So, should I kill them both?"


    "No, no! Please, just let my fianc¨¦e live! You can kill me if you want and take all of our belongings. I promise you she won''t tell anyone about what happened today!"


    The male disciple kneeled and hit his head against the ground desperately as he pleaded for mercy. He already saw that the real authority was the young kid, so he aimed his words at Ken.


    "Yes, just kill them both. I really don''t mind if you want the boy for your needs though."


    Ken didn''t n to intervene in her fetishes and perversions. He wasn''t a savior, and she couldmit as many crimes as she wanted as long as she was careful enough not to get him in trouble.


    "You look only around 10 years old, how can you be so cruel? We are from the same sect!"


    The female disciple cried out when she heard his judgment. She didn''t want to die.


    "Wait."


    Ken said and stopped Maria from killing the two. She looked at him with mild surprise. Despite being a child, he didn''t give the impression of apassionate person who would change his mind because of a girl''s plead.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I''m cruel, but aren''t you? All humans are cruel."


    He said to the teary girl in front of him. She looked at him in confusion but felt hope when she saw he stopped Maria from killing them.


    "I''m not. I don''t kill others. I never killed anyone before!"


    Ken knew it was true because his Bloodlust Sense missed them both when he just got here.


    "Really? Do you love your fianc¨¦ as much as he loves you?"


    "Yes. I will give up my life for him."


    "What about you, do you trust your fianc¨¦e with your life?"


    "I do."


    "I see. Well, to show you I can be merciful too, you can have this sword. If one of you kills the other, I will let the killer go. If none of you kills the other for one day, I will let you both go."


    "Young Master, are you sure about it? They can just not kill each other; they have no motive to kill each other this way."


    Maria asked him worriedly. She thought he might not know the right way to run those friendship tests. She also used to do them as a new bandit whenever people called her heartless, and they almost always failed.


    As for the few who passed the test, she never kept her promise to let them go. They weren''t wrong, she was heartless.


    Ken ignored Maria and simply let out his domain, activating the second mode ¨C Frenzy Mode. However, he only used it mildly. It would put some murderous thoughts in their heads, but they should be able to resist them with enough willpower.


    "Oh, I will pay you 500,000 medium Qi Stones aspensation for your suffering here. You can keep them all whether one of you is dead by tomorrow or both of you are still alive."


    He poured 500,000 Qi Stones on the floor in front of them and exited the room with Maria behind him. Before leaving, he broke a pill that would keep the frenzy effect going for a few hours as long as they breathe the air in the hut.


    "Young Master, I don''t think this amount of money would be enough to tempt lovers to kill each other."


    "We will see."


    Ken remembered everything he went through in his former life. Even those who didn''t kill were cruel in the right circumstances, and he didn''t believe those two were any different.


    --------


    Meanwhile, Dan and Chloe were locked inside the hut smiling in happiness.


    "My love, we will be fine as long as he keeps his promise. Look at all those stones; if we get them, we will be set for the next few years!"


    It was much more than they earned 5 years even if they split this amount in half.


    "Do you think he will keep his promise? I can''t believe he thinks we would betray each other for money, no matter how much it is."


    "I think he will. It seemed important to him ording to his tone. And can a 10-year-old be both a liar and cruel? If we prove our love to him, we might even affect his view on the world."


    She smiled back at him and the two kept chatting.


    A few hourster, they both felt their minds being filled with a weird desire to kill their lover.


    ''If I kill her, I will get enough cultivation resources to cultivate like a rich kid for a decade easily.''


    Dan thought to himself. Chloe''s thoughts reflected his. They both were getting nervous about it.


    "Dear, I''m going to sleep. I think it''s the best way to pass this time until we are set free."


    "You''re right, I will go to sleep too. I can''t wait to go back home with you."


    The two tried sleeping, but their mind was filled with thoughts about how they should just kill the other and take all the prize for themselves.


    It could affect their whole foundation if they had that many Qi Stones. They could even get some new techniques and manuals.


    They were both pretending to sleep while evening their breath to fool the other. From time to time, they would steal nces at the swordying on the ground not far from them. The hut wasn''t big enough to ce the sword more than 3-4 meters away.


    ''I''m closer to the sword. I should take it just in case she wants to murder me.''


    Dan thought to himself. When one wants to murder others, one would fear others want to murder them as well. Nobody wants to think they''re the only ones messed up. He peeked at his seemingly asleep fianc¨¦e.


    A/N: (1) Rats'' eyesight is only one inch long ¨C Idiom saying that stupid people give up long-term benefits for minor short-term ones.

 Chapter 62 62 – A Year Passed

    ?


    ''The sword is closer to him; I must grab it somehow. Just in case he wants to kill me.''


    Chloe was having simr ideas to Dan''s while pretending to be asleep. Chloe was the first one to make a move and she rolled toward the sword as if naturally amidst her sleep.


    ''Is it really a normal roll in her sleep? She''s getting closer to the sword. No, she must be doing it on purpose! Two can y this game.''


    Dan thought to himself nervously as he barely kept pretending to be asleep. He faked a snore and rolled toward the sword. He was now within touching distance from the hilt.


    Chloe''s heart almost missed a beat when she saw that. She started getting scared and considered just getting up and dashing to the sword.


    "Dan, love, are you awake? I miss you."


    She faked a sleepy voice, acting as if she had just woken up. Dan''s hand froze above the hilt as he pretended to wake up from her voice.


    "Hmm? Did you say something, dear?"


    At that moment of hesitation, he saw Chloe leaps toward the sword, and he hurriedly sent his hand back to the hilt. His hand reached first, and Chloe''s hand grasped his.


    ''He really wants the sword! He wants to kill me for money!''


    ''She really aimed to take the sword and kill me with it for money!''


    The two thought simultaneously. Chloe had a slightly stronger body as she managed to get more resources to strengthen herself at the lower stage. She quickly held his other hand with hers.


    "Chloe! I can''t believe you want to kill me!"


    Dan yelled as he struggled to free himself from her grasp.


    "You''re one to talk!"


    Chloe bit the arm he held the sword with, catching him by surprise and eliciting a painful shout from his lips.


    She used this chance to pull the sword from his grip. Dan quickly gathered himself and tried to tackle her and take back the sword.


    Lost in the heat of the fight, she thrust the sword, piercing his chest. Her lust for blood was partly satiated when she suddenly realized what she has just done. She looked at her lover, seeing the sword plunged into his chest.


    "Dan, NO!!"


    She screamed in despair, but he only looked at her with hatred and disbelief.


    "You¡­ killed me."


    He said hisst words as his life faded slowly. Chloe opened her eyes in anger when she heard that.


    "You can''t me me! You wanted to take the sword and kill me! I was only defending myself!"


    She screamed at Dan who couldn''t speak anymore. At that moment, the door was suddenly opened, and Ken entered alongside Maria.


    "You! What have you done to us? It''s all your fault!"


    "I just made some desire to kill others leak into your minds. If you truly loved each other like you said and trusted each otherpletely, you wouldn''t kill him."


    "No! I had to take the sword to protect myself, it''s not my fault!"


    "Did you also have to stab his heart? Besides, if you''re willing to give up your life for him, why can''t you just let him have the sword?"


    She turned silent as she didn''t have a good answer. She just looked at him with fury and hatred in her eyes.


    "Well, you can go now."


    Ken waved his hand and Maria removed the girl''s chains and gave her an empty storage ring.


    Chloe ced all the Qi Stones in her ring and went past Ken toward the door. At that moment, Maria''s spear pierced the girl''s chest from behind.


    "Even after killing your fianc¨¦, you''re still in the mood to take the money and leave as if nothing happened. Here''s your answer, that''s why I''m cruel; it''s because all of us are."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Ken said as he burned the two dead bodies with his Alchemical Qi before leaving with Maria.


    "I can''t believe they killed each other for some money. They seemed like legitimate lovers."


    Maria said with a hint of surprise in her voice. But she understood that Ken did something when she heard him speaking to Chloe earlier.


    "It''s time for us to separate. I will go back to the sect, you should go to the ck market now."


    Ken watched her leave on the tiger''s back and turned around to return to the sect. He sighed at the thought of having to find another mount for the way back.


    ---------


    A year passed since Ken parted from Maria for the first time. He was almost an adult now at 7 years old, but some people might say he was still a child. His body''s growth speed slowed down to normal, and he seemed to be 11.


    He already met with Maria again once and with Nick a few times to replenish their supply of antidote pills as well as their supply of tainted pills to sell to the top ns.


    Supplying them each with an average of 10,000 pills per 3 months made him spend around 7 hours every day to fill the quota, and it didn''te without a price. Between all his activities, he barely had time to cultivate, and he still didn''t break through the Low Core Formation Stage.


    During this time, Maria used his pills to strengthen her foundation, renewing it to the point of aplete makeover.


    Now, her foundation was at least as good as a top 10 disciple from Ken''s sect, meaning she had a chance at getting to the seventh stage if he keeps supporting her.


    He wasn''t bothered by her new strength and didn''t feel threatened by it. Although improved, it was nowhere near his abilities, and she was poisoned anyway. He only strengthened her because he wanted apetent subordinate.


    In theirst meeting he gave her additional pills he managed to invent with his new knowledge and promised to give her enough pills to advance to the fifth stage in the next one.


    As for Nick, he also strengthened him, but he only did it to motivate the man to work harder. Nick was only at the Low Core Formation Stage and would soon be irrelevant, so Ken nned to discard him once he can''t use him anymore.


    Over the past year, his uncle and aunt made sure to oppress him in any way they could; they even managed to hire him bodyguards with his monthly rewards as the first rank to cut his iepletely, saying he needed protection from the Han n.


    They hired two bodyguards at the Core Formation Stage for 500 Qi Stones per month each,pletely consuming his monthly ie. Fortunately, he made almost 2 million Qi Stones every three months on average from two sources ¨C The Shang n and the Long n.


    He gave them a 5% discount and in return, they paid half the price with high Qi Stones. Although he didn''t need them in his current stage, he needed them for two reasons.


    The first one was that they were easier to store; one high Qi Stone was worth 1000 medium Qi Stones of the same size and Qi density.


    The second reason was that higher-grade materials as sixth grade and seventh grade were mainly traded for high Qi Stones, as people at those stages could use them better.


    He bought everything he needed by using a few proxies to hide his resources. The main ones were Michael, Annie, and Nick.


    He used all the Qi Stones he got by letting Michael sell his pills to purchase resources from the Alchemy Division and take advantage of the 20% discount it offered for all materials. He mainly purchased fifth-grade materials from there.


    He spent a lot of time in the Alchemy Library. He finished reading all the books on the second floor meant for fourth-rank alchemists and the third floor meant for fifth-rank alchemists.


    He could now create many different types of fifth-grade pills, and he practiced making them in his free time. He wanted to get ess to the next floor as well, but it wasn''t time to show he was a fifth-rank alchemist yet.


    He used Annie to purchase expensive things from cultivators whenever he wanted resources such as stones with sword intent and simr materials, while Nick helped him purchase extra materials from the ck market. It was more expensive, but the anonymity was worth it.


    As for his meetings with Annie, they were reduced to once a month under the pressure of her mother, but Annie didn''t agree to cut ties with himpletely. She improved a long waypared to before meeting him, and it wasn''t something she''d give up on.


    The two kept growing closer to each other as they interacted more, and Annie would open up to him like she never did with anyone else. The Dark Princess seemed to be a regr passionate girl when she was around Ken.


    He just had a sparring session with her a few days ago and made serious progress in his n for her. Soon, she willplete her job and lose her value. When that happens, he will be able to finally discard her and free some time from his busy schedule.


    --------


    A few days ago:


    "Thank you."


    Annie said as she took a pill from Ken and swallowed it. Her bruises were disappearing quickly, and her breath got even; she was always amazed by how effective Ken''s pills were.


    "It''s all right, you don''t have to thank me. I thought we were too close to need to say thanks. Besides, I have plenty of fourth-grade pills."

 Chapter 63 63 – Chaos Will Ensue

    ?


    Ken shook his head and waved his hand to show his disapproval at Annie''s gratitude.


    "It''s all right, you don''t have to thank me. I thought we were too close to need to say thanks. Besides, I have plenty of fourth-grade pills."


    "You''re right, but it also means you can never refuse my requests."


    She grinned at his words and leaned against his shoulder. He stroked her hair gently with his hand, making her rx at his touch.


    "Let''s put it to the test then. I have a gift for you."


    "Really? What is it?"


    "I''ve managed to create my first fifth-grade pilltely, and I want to give it to you. Although it can''t make you much stronger, it might save your life one day."


    "Fifth grade? You will be soon a fifth-rank alchemist, congrattions Ken!"


    She smiled widely when she heard the news. It wasn''t enough to create one fifth-grade pill to be considered a fifth-rank alchemist, but if he made one, he will be able to make more in the future. Once he masters enough forms, he will be considered a fifth-rank alchemist.


    "Here''s my first fifth-grade pill. It''s called Brain Corroding Pill. It''spletely tasteless, odorless, and colorless when mixed with a drink, and it does exactly what its name implies."


    Ken smiled at her and gave her a sweet-looking pill. It had the color of honey and looked anything but poisonous.


    He saw Annie''s intrigued gaze as she scrutinized the pill carefully. She even smelled it to see if it was truly odorless.


    "It can kill people at the fifth stage easily, and even sixth-stage cultivators will be paralyzed for a few hours after taking it. You can mix it with a kettle of tea, and it will still be potent enough."


    She instantly put it away from her face and pouted at thete warning. She was only at the third stage, she didn''t know what would happen to her if she sniffed a pill that could kill fifth-stage cultivators.


    "Rx, it''s only harmful when consumed."


    Of course, it wasn''t really his first fifth-grade pill. He only told her that lie to give it sentimental value and make her appreciate it more.


    "I will dly ept that then."


    She smiled happily and ced the pill back in its bottle and stored it in her ring. Her hand touched Ken''s and she felt herself getting nervous. Ken was getting taller over time, and he wasn''t much behind her anymore.


    She could see he will be taller than her when he grows up. His piercing red eyes had a unique kind of charm in them; they gave one a feeling of iing danger. Coupled with his beautiful face, it was a danger that girls just wanted to jump into, headfirst.


    They looked into each other''s eyes from close, neither was willing to look away. The tension was almost tangible. Their faces were nearly touching, and they became self-aware of the touch of their shoulders.


    Suddenly, Ken grabbed her chin and pulled her into a deep kiss on her lips. It was the first kiss for both, and it was a little awkward at first. However, they soon gained confidence and started eating each other''s lips like starving beasts.


    They eventually separated their lips and held hands while leaning against each other.


    "I don''t want to lose you because of Krone and Norman. You''re too important to me."


    Ken said with a sad voice. He squeezed her palm, and she respond with a squeeze of her own.


    Annie was filled with murderous thoughts during the past year. Every day became unbearable as she felt like she had to kill the people around her. Her only time of peace was by Ken''s side.


    The bloodlust affecting her was made by his Qi, thus she didn''t feel any bloodlust toward him. Only when the two of them were together without any outsiders she could feel good again.


    She felt a hot sensation in her lower stomach as she felt Ken''s presence so close to her, and she looked at him with a strong desire.


    ''What am I thinking? I must not forget he is only 7 years old.''


    She felt ashamed of her lust. Ken wasn''t at an appropriate age for such things, and it made her very happy he took the initiative to kiss her. However, she decided not to go further until he was older.


    "Our session is over, we must go."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Ken sighed with clear disappointment and got up. Annie could only suppress her unwillingness and let him go. She would just have to somehow survive until they see each other again.


    Ken barely hid his smile as he left the training ground, thinking about Annie''s madness taking over soon. After a year of being constantly affected by his pills, her thirst for blood grew significantly.


    She even confessed to him she murdered a few outer disciples in secret to satiate this strong lust for murder. She felt like she was going crazy, but he made sure tofort her and exin it was because she was under a lot of pressure from her family.


    Now, he expressed how he was worried about leaving her side because of Norman and Krone, adding anotheryer of hatred in her heart. Most importantly, he finally supplied her with the means to solve this problem.


    Krone and Norman were both at the sixth stage, but he wasn''t sure what their exact stage was. He was sure that his pills would kill someone at the lower phase despite being just a fifth-grade pill.


    He could fight against people beyond his stage, so of course his alchemy could also affect people beyond his stage. If their foundation was as firm as his they would be able to resist those pills, but it wasn''t.


    ''With a bit of luck, this should have been ourst sparring session. I must admit, kisses do feel nice, although it''s weird that my first kiss was with my cousin. Oh well, whatever.''


    He put his fingers on his lips where Annie''s lips were a few minutes ago with a contemtive expression. When he thought about Annie''s fate and how he used her, he felt a tinge of guilt in his heart.


    ''That''s what I should''ve done. If she didn''t benefit from me, she''d just ignore my existence anyway.''


    He resolved himself and walked away with his two bodyguards behind him. Those two waited for him outside the training grounds and only reported to Norman what he wanted them to report.


    When he first went out on a mission with those two by his side, they had a little chat and came to an understanding; they will do whatever he said, and he will give them an antidote for the poison he forced them to eat every month.


    ------


    Back to the present:


    Ken was in his study room when Soleil gave him the news he was expecting. The day he has been nning ever since heid his eyes on Annie had finallye.


    ¡¤?¦Èm "Haha, Norman and Krone! Just a year and a half ago you were so overbearing, yet now you''re both dead!"


    Heughed merrily with schadenfreude at their death. Annie finally failed to contain her anger issues and poisoned the two of them when they had tea together.


    She made sure to serve the tea herself as Krone, Norman, and her father sat around the table and had lunch together.


    ording to Soleil, she poisoned the three by cing an extremely potent poison in the tea, making the three of them unable to move. She then unsheathed her sword and plunged it into their hearts one by one, until they were all dead.


    Annie was now imprisoned by the n; the death of two members in the sixth stage was a big loss to the n. They only made it so far in their cultivation because their father was the patriarch and he made sure to give them a lot of resources.


    The only variable he couldn''t control was whether she will tell the n how she got the poison or not. Even that wasn''t too bad, as his main enemies were dead. It wouldn''t be too dangerous if the n found out his talent in alchemy.


    Given how infatuated with him Annie was, he believed she will make up a reasonable story instead of giving the truth. He just hoped the family wouldn''t use truth drug on her if they believed her statements.


    The good news didn''t end there. He also heard from Nick news about skirmishes between the disciples of the top 5 sects. There were already some deaths of descendants of elite ns in 4 of those sects.


    The pills he sold them were much less potent than the ones he gave Annie. If the whole n went crazy, they would understand something was wrong with his pills.


    Instead, he put only a very small amount of Bloodlust Qi in their pills. It would be just enough to push them to kill when they were already angry, but not enough to make them unable to sleep at night because of murderous madness.


    He believed that now the revenge cycles will only get worse even without his pills, not that he nned to stop making them.


    ''Soon, chaos will ensue. In the chaos, everyone turns free, and resources are brought out generously.''


    Ken smiled to himself as he thought about the future. During wars, people bend rules much more easily, and as a result, Ken''s chances to get ess to additional knowledge will increase.


    Volume 2 - The Phoenix Feather Sect - The End.

 Chapter 64 64 – Intermediate Core Formation Stage

    ?


    Volume 3 - Sect War


    -----------


    ''All right, it''s time to break through to the next stage.''


    Despite using pills and formations to improve his speed of training, he couldn''t afford more than 4-5 hours of cultivation every day. Having a deep foundation also meant his core needed more Qi to break through.


    He was also using his own original cultivation manual as always, perfecting the process to the minute detail; the manuals he read before advancing to the fourth stage already included the method to get to the peak of the fourth stage, so he didn''t need to visit the treasury again yet.


    ¡¤?¦Èm Unfortunately, he wasn''t part of the Formations Division, so his knowledge of creating formations advanced much slower than his knowledge of Alchemy. However, he didn''t give up on the subject and self-taught himself by experimenting in his study room.


    He was still a fourth-rank formation master, but he did improve in the past year. He arranged his improved Qi Gathering Formation in the training room he used before to break through the third stage before.


    ''Improving the core shouldn''t cost as much as forming the core, but let''s just use the same amount of Qi Stones.''


    He used 100,000 medium Qi Stones again and sat down cross-legged to begin his breakthrough. His core was already at the maximum size, and he couldn''t make it grow any further.


    He took out a smooth orange pill and yed it between his fingers before putting it in his mouth and swallowing. It was the Core Expanding Inducer Pill he had developed to make the core grow beyond its limits.


    He closed his eyes and concentrated on maximizing the medical effects of the pill. He could feel his core expanding further, stretching beyond its former limit. Overdoing something was always painful, and this process wasn''t any different.


    He clenched his teeth and dealt with the pain that tore him from inside. He did his best to ignore it and focus on the pill''s energy as it influenced his core slowly. The process took around one hour until he finished ingesting the pill.


    Before starting, his core was 4 times bigger than what it was when just formed it. ording to the best manual he found in the sect, cores had the potential to stretch to only twice their size, and not many could achieve it.


    To put it simply, his boost from advancing to the Intermediate Core Formation Stage was equal to the boost the best geniuses got from advancing from the low fourth stage to the high one.


    After consuming the pill, his core grew by a third of its original size, giving him another boost. Normally, pills affected humans in sets of three, meaning that after three pills, the effect would start diminishing significantly.


    Ken spent 2 more hours ingesting two more Core Expanding Inducer Pills, achieving identical results, and expanding his core by another two-thirds. Now, his core was 5 times bigger than originally.


    He didn''t stop yet; although each pill cost him around 15,000 Qi Stones to produce because of the rare materials he used in them, he wasn''t short on money. He took another pill, and this one only increased the core''s size by a ninth of its original size.


    Overall, he consumed 12 of the orange pills, and his core was now 5.5 times bigger than it was when he first formed it.


    ''Good, now I only need to condense it to officially be in the Intermediate Core Formation Stage.''


    His ultimate goal was condensing the core to its original size. If he could only condense it halfway through, he would lose arge chunk of the benefits of regrowing it again in the next stage.


    He popped out 6 emerald color pills and ced them on the ground one next to the other in front of him. Those were the third type of pill he invented for his breakthrough process ¨C the Core Condensing Pill.


    Because of the sheer size of his core, it would be much harder to condense it to the maximum all the way to its original size. He also didn''t forget to renew the supply of Qi Stones in the formation.


    He took the first pill and began the process of condensing his core. He closed his eyes again as he concentrated on his core and startedpressing it.


    The energy that came from the pill helped him in the process, alleviating the pain and the hardships.


    This process went on for 5 hours, and he had to take another pill once an hour to help him. Toward the end, the process became near impossible, but he endured without giving up.


    The moment he stopped condensing his core would be the moment his breakthrough would beplete and there would be no going back.


    With a final push, he managed to get it to the original size, and he let his body slump back on the floor in aying position.


    ''Thank God I invented this Core Condensing Pill and didn''t try to condense it naturally. Wait, actually, thank me, not God.''


    He got irritated when he thought about the messed-up situation the so-called God sent him into. He''d much rather be born as the son of elders in a top-tier sect.


    He checked the remaining stones and saw he spent 40,000 medium Qi Stones. Coupled with his expenditure on erging his core earlier, the costs were close to 52,000 Qi Stones.


    ''My money spending skills are top tier even among girls.''


    He thought to himself when he realized he spent over 300,000 Qi Stones when counting the cost of the pills he just took. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    300,000 Qi Stones were enough to take an average disciple from the Low Core Formation Stage to the peak of the intermediate sub-stage, yet he spent that all just on thest push. He didn''t even want to calcte all the money he spent since he formed his core.


    ''I can''t be stingy when ites to my foundation. If I spare efforts now, my future will be limited.''


    With that note, he got up and prepared to go out. He used his Qi to push the sweat away from his body and dressed up before leaving for his house to take a bath.


    ''At least I don''t discharge ck goo-like filth from my body like in cultivation stories. Those impurities sound disgusting.''


    As soon as he got home, he saw a guard waiting outside his house''s door. The guard cupped his fist and bowed to Ken.


    "Young Master, the patriarch wants to see you."


    "Did he seem angry?"


    "No, Young Master."


    Ken pondered for a while and decided it''d be better to take a bath first. He disliked remaining dirty for a long time.


    "I will be there in 20 minutes."


    "He said to bring you to him as soon as I find you."


    "How about I blind you and then hold your hand 30 minutester? This way you can follow the order precisely. Guards."


    Ken turned around to his bodyguards, pretending to gesture to them to do what he just described. The guard who came to fetch himughed nervously and hurriedly denied.


    "Young Master must be joking, why does it matter if youe now or in half an hour? I will wait here until you''re ready."


    The guard forced a smile as he bowed while cursing Ken''s methods in his heart.


    "Good point. I wille in half an hour then."


    He entered the house and found Soleil cultivating in the training room. To his surprise, she already prepared water in the bath for him; she was normally quite forgetful. It was still cold and needed heating. Since he could heat it by himself with his Alchemical Qi, he didn''t interrupt her training.


    20 minutester, he went out dressed in new robes and found the guard still waiting for him outside.


    "Let''s go. You guys can remain here."


    He instructed his two bodyguards to remain behind. Now that their real employers were dead, he knew they would most likely resign next month. However, now that they knew about his poisoning methods, their only way out was to die.


    Ken followed the guard to the main mansion of the n where his grandfather lived. The guard opened the door and took him to the same room where he met Dominic for the first time.


    "Ken, good to see you again. I trust your stay in the n has been pleasant?"


    Dominic said with a wide smile and gestured to the guard to leave them alone. The guard bowed onest time and left the room.


    "Yes, Grandfather. The n has been treating me well since I arrived."


    "That''s good. As you must have heard, my son and my daughter diedtely. It''s a tragic loss to our n in general, and especially to our group in the n."


    His smile faded and he spoke in a serious manner. He looked into Ken''s eyes, trying to see any hint of nervousness.


    "It is indeed tragic; I''ve been saddened to hear of my uncle and aunt''s deaths."


    Ken answered with a straight face without flinching. He didn''t know what the patriarch knew or thought, so he didn''t n on saying anything before it was made clear.


    "Their killer is Krone''s daughter, Annie. You can imagine my surprise when I heard that the daughter Krone loved so much and invested in was the one who did it."


    "So I''ve heard."


    Ken waited patiently for Dominic to get to the point. Both knew Ken didn''t care about their deaths.

 Chapter 65 65 – Sect War Begins

    ?


    Ken waited patiently for Dominic to get to the point.


    "I heard you were very close to Annie in the past year, and that she had a few arguments with her parents over you, did you know that?"


    "She told me that they wanted to shun me, but she didn''t want to give up on her sparring sessions with me."


    Ken spoke directly. He didn''t n to be subservient; now that his oppressors were dead, he could use his status to the maximum instead of cowering all the time. With his luck improved, people shouldn''t find trouble with him for no reason.


    "I see, but let''s not speak ill of the dead. I called you here because I''ve fed Annie with a truth drug while questioning her, and I found some interesting things about you."


    He stopped beating around the bush and told Ken directly what he called him for. Having a fourth-rank alchemist who made a fifth-grade product sessfully wasn''t very important to the n, and when this alchemist isn''t 8 yet, it changed the picturepletely.


    "What did she tell you?"


    "Annie told me that you have been a fourth-rank alchemist for a while now and that you are the one who made the fifth-grade pill that she used to poison her parents. Don''t worry, she said you only gave it to her to protect herself, and she was the one who chose to use it this way."


    Dominic said while looking into Ken''s eyes. He was surprised to find out that his grandson was so talented. He regretted allowing Krone and Norman to oppress him, if he knew Ken''s potential earlier, he''d rather invest heavily in Ken.


    ''It''s not toote to save the situation. Norman and Krone''s death works in my favor in this aspect. Nobody else showed him direct hostility before, and now that they''re dead, his grievances with the n are mainly over.''


    Dominic thought to himself as he made ns to nurture Ken and improve their rtionship.


    "I see. What do you n to do with this information?"


    "I n to keep it secret and do my best to nurture you. I''ve already given the instruction to double your ie from the training grounds and make sure you don''t need to pay for your bodyguards. The bodyguards must stay, your life is too important to our n."


    "I''m a fourth-rank alchemist. Do you think I need your help to get money?"


    Ken said with a mocking tone. He saw that his grandfather was determined to settle things between them, and he will make sure to squeeze him dry to get the maximum benefits out of it.


    He also didn''t care about his grandfather''s attempts to make amends. He already saw their true face; they abandoned their children and grandchildren for decades and were ying now nice because he had some talent. If stabbing them in the back offered more benefits for him, he''d do it.


    "I can upgrade your living conditions and add a maid."


    "I''m 7."


    For some reason, adults kept forgetting he was a child and uninterested in women.


    "Uh, right. What do you need then?"


    "Upgrade my living conditions. I want arger study, a better training room, and a better Alchemy room."


    "Sure, you got it."


    Dominic didn''t mind such terms. He nned to do those things anyway in order to nurture Ken.


    "That''s not all. I want you to be my proxy and buy things for me unlimitedly. Furthermore, I want ess to all knowledge and theories meant for fourth-rank and fifth-rank formation masters."


    Dominic looked at him with worry. Even elite disciples didn''t have more than two attributes in their cores, and he already knew that Ken used the sword and Darkness when he sparred with Annie.


    If Ken also learned formations, he''d have four attributes in his soul, making it impossible for him to even form a core.


    "Don''t bite more than you can chew. You can''t be an expert on everything even if you''re a genius. It''s enough if you can be a grandmaster alchemist in the future."


    Fourth-rank alchemists were called Master Alchemists until they got to the seventh rank and became Grandmaster Alchemists.


    "I''ve already formed my core, so you don''t have to worry about it. I only have Sword Qi, Runic Qi, and Alchemical Qi." (1)


    Ken said and manifested those three types of Qi, making them move around him to demonstrate his control over them.


    He appeared to Dominic as a Low Core Formation Stage cultivator. As for why he didn''t have Darkness Qi, he could im that he didn''t master any Darkness technique to the Advanced mastery realm.


    "Three types of Qi. Your foundations must be amazingly sturdy, great job."


    Ken''s grandfather praised him and looked at him contemtively. He didn''t know of anyone who chose two supportive attributes for their core.


    After all, it''d impair their fighting abilities greatly, and without power, even a high-ranked alchemist would have a hard time not getting abused.


    "So, do you agree?"


    "All right. I hope your Sword Affinity isn''t too weak because you have 3 attributes."


    "It''s not. How many people know about my talent?"


    "Only me. I''ve executed the guards who escorted me on the spot."


    Ken wasn''t surprised by Domonic''s ruthlessness, so he didn''t overreact when he heard it. He is just pleasantly surprised to learn Dominic kept his secret to himself.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Do you want me to release Annie? I understood from her that you share a special bond."


    Ken almost facepalmed when he heard he could choose to release Annie. She was useless now, and he didn''t want a girl in love to bother him every day. However, he still needed her for her luck. If she got killed, he''d go back to his former luck.


    "No. If she could kill her parents, I might be next when she goes crazy again. If not me, then others might be in danger. What''s the usual punishment for parricide?"


    "Death. We don''t nurture murderers who kill even their own kin here."


    "Go with that then, but keep her jailed for at least one year to let me change my mind."


    Ken said and left the room. He nned to find a better substitute for her this year.


    He could imagine how hurt Annie would be when she hears he abandoned her, but he already told himself plenty of times that she would never bat her eye in his direction if not for his usefulness.


    ------------


    He nned to spend the rest of the day concocting pills to make up for the hours he lost on his breakthrough. However, he couldn''t help but notice Soleil was making a grumpy face whenever she saw him.


    "Soleil, do you have anything to say to me?"


    "No, Young Master."


    "I won''t punish you if youin."


    "I''m notining, I just think you should be at least considerate enough to drain the water if you decide to use the water I''ve heated for myself."


    "Oh... You''re not supposed to use my bathroom, are you?"


    She froze for a moment and hurriedly changed the topic.


    "Ahm, there''s something important you need to know. There''s news for the disciples in the Core Formation Stage and above."


    Ken couldn''t participate since he was still officially at the third stage. One of his bodyguards went to listen while the other remained with him. 2 hourster, the guard finally returned to report to Ken about the content of the meeting.


    "Young Master, I''ve returned."


    "Come in and report."


    The guard entered Ken''s study and bowed before starting his report.


    "The one to call this gathering was Elder Patrick from the Defense Division. Apparently, a war broke out between two sects from the top 5, and we are affiliated with one of them."


    "Which sects?"


    "Divine Sword Sect and Four Seasons Sect. They had some skirmishes between themselves and even with other sects, but after a few deaths, Divine Sword Sect dered war against the Four Seasons Sect."


    "What does it mean that they are in a war?"


    "Young Master, are you aware that the central area of our continent is the richest in resources?"


    ¡¤?¦Èm "Yes."


    "The top 5 sects send their disciples to venture into the area all the time and seek opportunities for themselves. None of it belongs exclusively to only one of them. Most of the skirmishes and fights took ce in this area as they don''t go into the privatends of the other sects."


    "I see. So the war takes ce in the central area of the continent?"


    "You could say that. They aren''t empires with armies, so they won''t go on a conquest journey. However, they will send cultivators to the borders to kill the disciples of the other sect as well as their disciples will kill each other on sight in the central area."


    "The other top sects must be happy. When two tigers fight, one is sure to be wounded. In this case, two of them might be weakened enough to open two new spots in the top 5." (2)


    Ken said mockingly as he thought about the war between the two sects. However, he wasn''t na?ve and knew they will find a way to preserve their spots. They didn''t be so strong by being idiots.


    "So, what does it have to do with our sect?"


    "Divine Sword Sect approached our sect and agreed to give us a quota of their spots. In exchange, they must wear the robes of their sect while inside and kill any disciple of the Four Seasons Sect they meet."


    --------


    A/N:


    (1) From now on, the Formation Mastery Qi will be called Runic Qi. I admit this system was invented onlytely, so I hope I didn''t write anything contradicting at the beginning of the novel. It will be exined in-depth soon.


    (2) When two tigers fight, one is sure to be wounded ¨C when two powerful forces fight, one of them will weaken or get hurt.

 Chapter 66 66 – Necessary Arrangements

    ?


    "Haha, I see. They dere war against each other, yet the ones to truly suffer from it are the other sects who are hungry for better resources. Those old men at the top only do it to save face and show they react when their disciples get killed, but they don''t want any casualties in their sect".


    Kenughed when he heard that offer. The guard moved ufortably in his ce as he listened to Ken mocking the elders of a top sect.


    "Young Master, it might be inappropriate to say such this in public. You might offend powerful people."


    "Don''t worry, I know what I can say only when I''m alone. Anyway, I assume our sect agreed?"


    "Not yet. The elder wants a headcount of everyone in the inner sect who is interested to go. He said there will be a very high mortality rate."


    "I see. Write your name to secure a spot for me then."


    The guard already knew Ken was at the Core Formation Stage since Ken beat him into submission and forced him to take poison. He just nodded and agreed.


    "What are the limitations for joining?"


    "Only Core Formation Stage or above can go, and they must be under 80 years old. That''s the deal between the five top sects. He also mentioned rewards for killing disciples of the Four Seasons Sect including learning one of their Heaven-grade techniques if it''s a ranked disciple."


    "A ranked disciple?"


    "Yes. They have a ranking list of the geniuses of the Four Seasons Sect, and if you kill someone who appears on this list, you will get considerably more rewards."


    Ken nodded when he heard that. Since Divine Sword Sect used external forces to inflict damage to the enemy and avoid getting harmed themselves, it made sense that Four Seasons Sect would do the same.


    By making a list of the important enemy disciples, they could reward generously only those who killed the real disciples of the Four Seasons Sect, while giving much lower rewards for killing hired forces.


    It was all about face; as long as the other sects didn''te out with their deal and tell others they''ve attacked disciples of the Divine Sword Sect, thetter won''t have to open war against them too.


    "You may go now."


    "Yes, Young Master."


    After the guard left, Ken called it a day and went to sleep. He still made sure to sleep 8 hours to avoid hindering his healthy growth.


    --------


    ''It''s a bit risky to show I''m a Core Formation Stage cultivator before turning 8, but I have no choice if I don''t want to miss this chance to go to the Divine Sword Sect and get extra knowledge. I can still hide most of my strength and let them think I advanced with a weak foundation.''


    He went to the Hall of Glory again to issue a challenge to someone from the 17-24 age group and establish himself as a Core Formation cultivator.


    He didn''t recognize the woman, meaning she wasn''t the one who served him thest time he came here.


    "How may I help you, Young Master?"


    He came with his n''s robes to get better treatment from the beginning.


    "I want to challenge rank 500 on the top list for ages 17-24. Can you handle that for me?"


    "Young Master, are you sure? They are all at least at the Low Core Formation Stage."


    She asked dubiously. Although he was beautiful enough to make her stare at his face and lose focus from time to time, she could easily see he was too young to participate there.


    "Don''t worry, you can check my name. I''m Ken Sue, I''m already on the list for disciples between ages 13-16."


    He said and pulled out his token so she can check it. After running a quick check on the token, she saw it was true and he had the qualifications to challenge someone from the next age group.


    "All right. He can set it to any time he wants in the next 72 hours if he is in the sect. If he isn''t, he will have 72 hours to ept from the moment he is back. If he is injured, then those 72 hours will start when he heals."


    "All right, thank you."


    Ken still had many ns for the day, so he quickly left the Hall of Glory and went to the n''s library. Although it wasn''t asprehensive as the sect''s library, it was still good enough to spare him many months of hard work and experimentation.


    He showed his token in the entrance and the guards bowed to him. His grandfather made sure to spread his new status in the n to make sure that everyone respected him.


    He entered the library and quickly found the Alchemy books. He browsed them quickly but only found a very few books that he didn''t read previously.


    He ''snapped'' the pages into his memory by looking at every page before moving on to the next one. Just like before, he could read the bookter from his own memory, sparing him time in the library.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He finished in the Alchemy area soon and moved to the Formation Mastery area. This time, he had a lot to read. The n''s library''s size was around fifthpared to the one of the Pill Division, but he didn''t read many of them.


    Now that a war broke, he didn''t need to sell pills to the Four Seasons Sect anymore, so he had a lot of free time without making thousands of pills for them.


    He got a letter that his opponent is wounded currently, and the estimated time of the duel will be a week from now.


    He spent the next week broadening his knowledge in Formation Mastery, learning new theories, and improving his formations repertoire.


    -----------


    ''It''s been a while since I''ve been here and killed Han Joel.''


    Ken thought to himself as he watched two disciples dueling in the arena. One of them was a martial artist who only used his body, mainly palm attacks and kicks, while the other used a sword.


    The duel ended soon with the victory of the martial artist by deflecting the sword by pushing its t side andnding a palm attack on his opponent''s stomach.


    ''I must admit, fighting without a weapon is cooler. But also stupid, there''s no reason to give up on a tool which increases your strength.''


    Ken thought to himself while watching the duel. Fighting with one''s palms was elegant and beautiful, but there was nobody in the top 20 who didn''t use a weapon, a clear indication of the weakness of such a fighting method.


    "Next, Sue Ken VS. Paul."


    Many of themoner disciples didn''t have ast name, and Paul was one of them.


    An average-lookingrge man climbed into the arena and faced Ken with a 2-meter-long club in hand. The man was at the same height as his club, and his sturdy body could be easily noticed even through his clothes.


    His squared head was adorned with spiky ck hair that didn''t seem to be nurtured by anyone.


    "You are Sue Ken? Have you already formed your core at such a young age?"


    He looked at the kid in front of him with surprise. He seemed 11-12 years old, and nobody advanced that soon.


    First of all, nobody was at the peak of the third stage at such a tender age. Second thing second, even if theoretically they were at the peak of the third stage, they had to practice many skills to allow their core to have a deep affinity with their future path.


    "I am. Are you prepared to fight?"


    "I am. I apologize if it hurts!"


    He brandished his club and charged at Ken. Ken''s goal wasn''t an overwhelming win, or else he wouldn''t pick the lowest-ranked disciple on the list, so he didn''t use any powerful skills.


    Instead, he stuck to the sword art he practiced with Annie which was a popr style among the Sue n''s members.


    He ducked under the heavy swing and tried to tackle his opponent. He didn''t ce much weight behind his leg sweep, and his leg was met with an unmovable mountain as their legs shed.


    Although it seemed that Paul didn''t move from that leg sweep, he did lose his center of bnce when he resisted the kick, which slowed his actions down.


    He pulled his mace up and swung it down violently. If this swing connected with someone''s skull, not much would remain of it.


    Ken rolled to the side swiftly and dodged the club by a few centimeters and got up as hended on his feet.


    ''People know about my unsheathing technique and my dashing technique, so I should put them on disy, or else my acting wouldn''t be convincing enough.''


    Ken ced his hand on his sword''s hilt on his waist, crouched slightly like a person about to sprint, and performed his technique. He wasn''t willing to show the real potential of his skill.


    As it was currently, most people will just assume it was an Earth-grade technique. Sure, it was extremely fast, but it was also predictable.


    ''One Step.''


    Ken performed his dashing technique and appeared in front of Paul who was pulling his heavy club from the ground.


    Paul didn''t know Ken as he was busy with his training and didn''t bother keeping an eye on the younger age groups, so he also didn''t know about his dashing technique.


    To his astonishment, Ken just disappeared from his sight, and he soon felt a deep cut in his chest before he could react.

 Chapter 67 67 – Being Noticed

    ?


    To Paul''s astonishment, Ken just disappeared from his sight, and he soon felt a deep cut in his chest before he could react.


    Paul stumbled back, bleeding heavily from his chest. Fortunately for him, he wore strong armor, and it negated some of the power behind Ken''s attack.


    He estimated he had around 1 minute of fighting before his movements will be too sluggish from the heavy blood loss and he will be forced to admit defeat.


    He rushed to Ken and started waving his club in a frenzy, desperate to finish the battle in a single hit.


    ''Mountain Crush.''


    ''Maic Power.''


    He performed his techniques one by one, trying to crush Ken with powerful blows and hindering his movements with a strong pulling force. To his dismay, he was always one centimeter too short from smashing his opponent''s bones.


    ''Cloud Running.''


    Ken performed his dodging skill in the most subtle manner he could, so it always seemed to the people around him that he struggled to dodge, and only seeded in the nick of time.


    "Young Master Sue, this will be my final attack. Be careful!"


    Paul was short on time, and he chose to use hisst move as he started feeling his body turning heavier with every moment passing.


    He didn''t want to attackpletely recklessly since he knew he couldn''t afford to kill someone from the Sue n, but he also didn''t want to lose his rank.


    Paul upsurged with a powerful leap, reaching a height of 10 meters, before kicking the air behind him and shooting toward Ken.


    ''Huh, so he also has Earth Qi in addition to his Club Qi, that''s why his swings were so heavy.''


    Ken thought to himself when he noticed a small stone forming right behind Paul''s foot. Paul achieved his shooting effect by kicking this stone, but not many could see it clearly as it broke and dissipated right after he used it.


    ''It''s time to put my acting skills to the test.''


    He crouched again and used his One Step technique again, moving 25 meters away from his previous position.


    *BOOM!*


    A powerful shockwave was sent throughout the arena in a radius of 50 meters around Paul''snding spot. The crowd watched Ken being sent flying and lose his footing from the shockwave,nding on his side and rolling on the ground.


    ''Club Throw!''


    Paul mustered his final energy to throw his club at Ken, hoping to take him down with thisst strike while he was still on the ground.


    ''Didn''t he say it was hisst attack earlier?''


    Ken clicked his tongue and watched the club spinning horizontally as it flew swiftly toward him.


    Ken timed it perfectly; right when he rolled on his stomach, he gave a slight push to the ground with his hand, making his body bounce in the air as if it hit a non-existent bump in the arena.


    ¡¤?¦Èm Right when he bounced, the club passed right beneath him, almost touching his nose, and crushed against the arena''s wall. It wasn''t a real wall, but a wall of Qi made with a formation to keep the spectators safe from stray attacks.


    Paul sighed with disappointment as he saw he missed his target and copsed on his knees while admitting defeat.


    "Winner, Sue Ken."


    ''Great, I won, but it seemed close. Even better, it seemed that if Paul challenges me in the future, he will have a great chance of winning.''


    His victory will be mainly attributed to the surprise effect of his dashing technique. Now that everyone saw it, most spectators will believe that he wouldn''t be able to defeat a prepared Paul in the future.


    "It''s amazing, I can''t believe he could enter the top 500 of an age group twice his age!"


    "I know, I''m sure his future will be limitless. The Sue n might rise higher than the other elite ns with such a genius."


    Some disciplesmented from the spectators'' seats. However, they heard a snorting from behind them and turned their heads to see a young man with an embroidery of a tiger on his robes.


    "What do you bunch ofmoners even know? He only won with luck, and his techniques areplete trash. If his opponent knew in advance of his quick dashing technique, he wouldn''t be injured, and the Sue''s boy''s loss would be certain."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Young Master Gin, didn''t you see how fast he was? What good is it to know about his technique?"


    "You remain in the bottom-rung of the ranking because you can''t notice those things. Didn''t you see how he crouched before executing his move? With such an obvious indication, who needs to fear it?"


    "Oh, Young Master''s words make sense."


    "Besides, he only dodged the club throw by luck, or else he would lose even with the surprise element by his side. I think he rushed his breakthrough and now his core and techniques aren''t so great, limiting his future."


    Young Master Gin kept talking with a haughty voice as he exined why the Sue n didn''t endanger the current power structure despite having such a genius.


    Such conversations could be heard throughout the arena, and Ken waspletely satisfied by it. If anything, it only meant that his goals were achieved sessfully.


    He enjoyed a month''s protection from challenges before others could try to steal his rank, and by then he didn''t n to be in the sect anymore.


    ''I guess it''s time to go home.''


    Ken had to deposit 1,000 Qi Stones to challenge Paul, but he chose to leave them there. If the deposit was still there, it meant he could freely challenge others without having to pay again.


    ---------


    "That bouncing that made Paul''s club miss the kid from the Sue n, did you notice anything weird about it?"


    Going to the arena and spectating duels was amon hobby among the elders of the sect whenever they wanted to rx. As for the reason they were there just when Ken was dueling, it can only be attributed to his luck.


    "Yes. It was swift and well-disguised, but I could see he pushed the floor at thest moment."


    "I''m also suspicious of his crouch. It didn''t seem as authentic as the kids downstairs think it was."


    The two elders were on the top floor. They were inside a formation that allowed them to see without being seen, so the disciples downstairs never knew whether an elder was present or not.


    "I thought the same also about the way he dodged the club strikes. It means he is cunning enough to hide his techniques'' true potential, but why?"


    "Probably to avoid having a target on his back by all those crazed elite families."


    "That makes sense. They are truly capable of assassinating a genius from their own sect only to keep their status. They put their status above the sect."


    The elder said with dissatisfaction. He always saw the elite families as a tumor in the sect. The problem was that they held at least 40% of the overall power of the sect and it was impossible to get rid of them without weakening the sect to an uneptable degree.


    "If we had a genius of this caliber on our side, maybe he would be able to lead the sect to new heights. I will run a background check on him. Although improbable, if we find out that he hides his strength from his n, we can approach him."


    "I think he hides his strength because his parents told him to do that. He can''t be so cunning at such a young age."


    The other elder voiced his doubts, but they could form a n only after gathering enough intel on the child. Feeling that they watched enough to amuse themselves, the two went out of the arena to deal with their daily activities.


    --------


    "Hello, I would like to register for the expedition to the central area. My name is Ken Sue."


    Ken went to the defense Division to take the offer of the Divine Sword Sect and join the war. Of course, his ultimate n was to worsen it and make the ns lose decorum with each other and go all out.


    The man at the reception took the token from Ken''s hands and scanned it with his mind. Seeing his ranking as a top 500 disciple of ages 17-24, he nodded and wrote down Ken''s name.


    "It was a good call to get your spot at the top today, Young Master. The registered disciples will embark on the journey to the Divine Sword Sect in 4 weeks, right when your protection from being challenged will expire. I must warn you that you will have to fight for your rank again when you''re back."


    Only the top ranking of all age groups could go to the central area. The other age groups were 25-40 and 41-80, but they had more spots in the top lists since they had a wider range of ages and more disciples.


    "Am I free to do whatever I want in the next 4 weeks?"


    "Yes. Just make sure to be here on time."


    Ken thanked the man and left the Defense Division. Since he had four weeks, he had to meet with his two subordinates and make sure they will still be alive when he is back from the Divine Sword Sect; he didn''t know how long he will be there.


    With this goal in mind, he went to the Mission Hall to get a new mission out of the sect and meet with his subordinates in the mountains.

 Chapter 68 68 – A Faithful Subordinate

    ?


    "Hello Sherry, I''d like to take this mission."


    Ken ced his token on the counter along with the mission token in front of the receptionist. He learned her name in those past few months; he always came on Wednesday afternoons when he wanted to take a mission, and she was always there.


    "Young Master Sue, I''m- I''m d to see you here again."


    She stuttered lightly when she saw Ken. She started getting used to serving this young boy while he chose missions he shouldn''t take, but she still felt slightly ufortable and nervous when he came. He''d always threaten her with his family if she ever tried to dissuade him from taking the missions he chose.


    She quickly took the mission and registered it under Ken''s name. It was a mission rmended for a group of 5 disciples in the Low Core Formation Stage, so it was rtively less dangerous than the missions he usually took.


    "The registration process is done, I wish you a safe trip, Young Master."


    She bowed and Ken left the Mission Hall. The two subordinates waited for him in the mountains near the sect.


    Ken ventured into the mountains several times in the past few months and enjoyed the change from the forest. One of his favorite features of the mountains was the asional springs he could bath in.


    Another feature he liked was the caves; the good ones were always upied by a beast. It was almost like nature had houses fully supplied with food and he only had toe and take it.


    ''First, I need to deal with Nick. He has been helpful since I recruited him and has been faithful the whole time. However, his powers start tog behind mine by too much, making him less useful. He won''t catch up even with my pills.''


    Ken contemted what to do with Nick while running to the ce where he summoned him. On one hand, he wanted to kill him and be over with it. On the other hand, he still had to take into ount that Nick held the pills from the seventh-stage evil cultivator.


    "Hello, Young Master."


    "Hello, Nick. I have some news for you."


    Nick looked at him with curiosity when he heard there was news. His job was quite monotonous since he started working under this young master whose name he still didn''t know.


    "What is it?"


    "Here, take this pill."


    Ken threw a cold turquoise pill to Nick, and thetter consumed it without thinking twice. He figured it should be the usual truth drug Ken feeds him in every meeting. He long stopped trying to hide things from Ken, so he didn''t worry about it.


    "Good, ingest it for 20 minutes, and let me channel the Qi in your body. Don''t resist it."


    Ken opened the top of Nick''s robes and ced his palm directly on his chest. Luckily, such contact was enough to sense and control the Qi at the fourth stage, and there was no need for him to sit in Nick''sp naked as he had done with Sol.


    20 minutester, the duo opened their eyes and Ken gave him another pill. Nick was confused this time; he never had to go through such a long process just for taking a truth drug.


    With a hesitant expression, he chose not to ask questions and just take the pill. Ken made sure to demonstrate the difference in power between them in order that he won''t get any funny ideas only because he turned a tad more powerful.


    "Good, give me the money you''ve earned those 3 months."


    Nick handed him a ring with 1,000 high Qi Stones and 900,000 medium ones. It was the amount he earned from his trade with the Shang n after deducting the 10% prize Ken rewarded him. Serving under Ken was the most lucrative deal he had ever made.


    "Is that all?"


    "Yes, Young Master."


    "Good, here are the pills you should sell next."


    "What about the news, Young Master?"


    "I''m leaving for a while and I''m not sure when I will be back. The first pill I gave you healed the poison you''ve been infected withpletely since I''m not sure I will be back in 3 months to give you more antidote."


    "And the second pill?


    Nick was happy to hear the poison was cleansed from his body, but he had a bad feeling regarding the second pill. If his young master truly trusted him enough to remove the poison, he wouldn''t feed him with truth drugs every time.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "It''s the new poison mixed in your body. The difference is that it would act only once every 3 months, so by taking an antidote in 3 months and another in 6 months, you will be able to survive 9 months. I should be back by then."


    It was the same variant of the poison that he used on Maria to reduce the times they had to meet.


    Nick sighed when he heard the old poison was just reced by a slower type of poison. He hoped he finally earned the trust of his young master, but it seemed like it will be a longer process. He didn''t know what could make a child so distrusting.


    "All right. Thank you for thinking of my survival in your absence, Young Master."


    He thanked him anyway to leave a good impression before taking another ring from Ken and leaving. The new ring was stuffed with new pills to sell to the Shang n.


    Ken watched Nick''s back getting smaller as the man left and the distance between them grew.


    ''Goodbye, Nick. That was thest time I will see you alive.''


    Ken thought to himself before turning around and leaving toward his meeting ce with Maria.


    He felt a tinge of guilt for betraying Nick, one simr to what he felt when he betrayed Annie. Ken told Nick the truth about giving him a slower poison, but he didn''t give him an antidote.


    The pills he presented as antidotes to the poison were in fact only symptom suppressors. After taking them, Nick wouldn''t feel the symptoms of the poison acting up until it was toote.


    When that happens, Nick would start feeling dizzy and eventually copse. He would drift into a dreamless sleep and die soon after. The best Ken could achieve for him was granting him an almost painless death.


    ''Although he had been faithful to me, it doesn''t mean he will remain such after a few months of not seeing me. When he grows too weak to help me, he will get fewer resources from me. When that happens, he will make the same decision as Sol and betray me for the sake of having more resources.''


    Ken didn''t trust Nick enough to believe the man would keep his loyalty even when it won''t be as beneficial anymore. Since Ken didn''t n to spoil useless subordinates with free pills only to keep their mouth shut, it was time to get rid of this subordinate before it was toote.


    ''I will take a loss for losing the money of thisst purchase, but it''s fine. I''m not short on money. I guess the evil cultivator can enjoy it. At least I took from him one set of the Luck Pill and manual.''


    Ken soon arrived at the ce he instructed Maria to wait for him and found her already there. When your life was in another''s hands, you wouldn''t dare bete to a meeting with that person.


    "Hello, Young Master. You''ve turned even more handsome since thest time I saw you."


    "I can almost feel your saliva on my ass. Stop talking nonsense, you saw me only 3 months ago."


    Maria smiled awkwardly when Ken called out her ass-licking without hesitation. She was surprised to hear a call from her Young Master since she still had enough antidotes and merchandise for the next 6 months.


    However, she didn''t overthink it. They only knew each other for a year, and it wasn''t enough to know if he usually stuck to meeting only once every 9 months or not.


    "Young Master, why did you call me to meet with you? I will have you know that I had to spend a lot of money to get here so fast despite the long distance."


    She said with a coquettish voice as sheined to him. This voice worked best on two types of humans - kids and men. She wasn''t certain how to categorize Ken, but this voice should be a sure-kill.


    "You can cover your extra expenses for this trip with the medium Qi Stones you''ve earned from the pills you sold to the Four Seasons Sect. Now, take this pill."


    Ken gave her a pill that contained a truth drug. This time it was just a pure truth drug as the pill had no other effect. He knew that Maria and Nick were aware of the truth drug, so he didn''t bother hiding it.


    She took it willingly and the two waited a few minutes for the effect to kick in.


    "Good. I want you to find another ck market to sell my pills from now on. It needs to be managed by a family from the Divine Sword Sect, and it can''t be the Shang n."


    He didn''t want his pills to be used by his enemies in the central area, so he preferred she would sell them to another n in the Divine Sword Sect. This way, with 2 elite ns being aggressive, the conflict wouldn''t die out easily.


    "Young Master, do you have another subordinate who takes care of the business with the Shang n?"


    Maria guessed it since it would be weird if Ken chose to randomly shun the Shang n from his pills.

 Chapter 69 69 – Dealing With Maria

    ?


    "Young Master, do you have another subordinate who takes care of the business with the Shang n?"


    Maria guessed it since it would be weird if Ken chose to randomly shun the Shang n from his pills.


    "Yes, smart girl."


    He patted her arm while speaking with a coquettish voice. She wore a smug smile when she heard she guessed it right, but it soon vanished when she saw Ken''s mocking smile.


    "Young Master, you''re bullying me."


    She realized he let her taste her own medicine, and unlike her, he seeded; she was coaxed by a child instead of having it the other way around.


    Ken ignored her and continued with the agenda. Jokes aside, he had some ns to follow.


    "I''m going to be away for a while, and I''m not sure when I will be back. I don''t want you to die from the poison while I''m gone, so I''m giving you extra pills. First, take this pill."


    It was the same cold pill he fed Nick with, and it would cleanse the poison from her bodypletely.


    "Don''t resist my Qi, let me channel it through your body. You should also focus on helping it take effect."


    Just like he did with Nick, he ced his palm directly on her chest and closed his eyes to channel Qi throughout her body.


    Maria was surprised to feel the rtively small hand touching her chest, but when she opened her eyes slightly and peeked at Ken''s face, she only saw him closing his eyes, concentrating on the task at hand. His breath was steady, and his face didn''t seem flushed at all.


    ''ording to his words, he should still be 7 years old, so it makes sense he isn''t interested in such things yet.''


    Maria convinced herself she will still have a chance in the future and shifted her concentration toward the pill''s effect. She could feel it engaging with the toxins in her body, and she could guess Ken was cleansing the poison out of her system.


    20 minutester, Ken removed his palm from her skin and waited for her to tidy her robes.


    "Young Master, did you decide to trust me and remove the poison from my body?"


    "No, take this pill."


    He gave her a shiny ck pearl, and Maria looked at it with unwillingness in her eyes. Ken basically just told her he was feeding her with poison, so it was easy to understand why she didn''t want to do it.


    "Young Master, I promise not to betray you even without the pill. Wouldn''t it be better to just trust me?"


    "No."


    Her eyebrows twitched with annoyance for a moment when she thought about how untrusting this young master was. She sighed in defeat and took the ck peal, ingesting it helplessly.


    "I took it. So, what''s next?"


    "What you just took was a fifth-grade poison. Although cultivators in the fifth stage can endure it for 3 months before having to take an antidote, you''d have to take it every month."


    Ken exined to her the difference between the pill he gave her and the poison she already had before. Although his pills could affect cultivators beyond their grade, he didn''t want to take any unnecessary risks.


    "Here 5 antidotes. You can take one now, one in a month, then one every three months."


    At first, she was annoyed, but then her eyes lightened up when she heard thest part of Ken''s instructions.


    "You mean it, Young Master? Are you saying I will be at the fifth stage in 2 months?"


    She knew she couldn''t possibly get to the fifth stage before, as it was out of her reach with her shaky foundation. Only after meeting Ken and enjoying his extraordinary pills did she improve her foundation and made it firm enough to support her breakthrough.


    "Yes, I have a few gifts for you in this ring. There are 3 Earth-grade spear techniques for you to learn. I know how much youck those, so I made sure to copy them from the sect''s library."


    She nodded excitedly when she heard the first part of his gift. She had a feeling there was more toe.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I added a peak fifth-grade spear for you to rece the old one, and some pills to boost you during the breakthrough process. There''s also a manual for breaking through the next stage for spear users I picked up from the sect."


    It was all true; he didn''t bother to make new techniques and manuals for her. He just got her some of the better ones the sect had which would allow her to get satisfactory results.


    It wouldn''t hinder her advancement to the sixth stage, and as for the seventh stage, well, he didn''t think she will live that long anyway.


    "I added notes on when to take each pill during your breakthrough process, so make sure to follow it to maximize your gains and power."


    "All right. Thank you, Young Master. I will not fail you."


    She bowed in gratitude with a great smile all over her face. Until one year ago, she thought her cultivation journey was already over. If given the chance to go back in time, she''d sell all her fellow bandits to Ken right from the beginning for having this chance to advance.


    "Great. I will be going now."


    Ken also gave her another ring full of merchandise to sell in the next ck market she finds of the Divine Sword Sect. He then left toplete his mission and return home.


    The mission was to fetch a rare fourth-grade herb that was detected in the mountains and was protected by an intermediate fourth-rank beast. Ken went to the coordinates mentioned on the map and found a long snake lurking nearby.


    It wasn''t anything he had to worry about, so he simply swung his sword down and sent arge sh, 9 in 1. The snake, still lurking, suddenly sensed an urgent premonition of doom.


    It turned in the direction it came from and saw a tiny human for a split second before getting its head cut off. Because of Ken''s Sheathed Man technique, it didn''t notice Ken until his killing intent gave him away.


    After ying the beast, Ken approached the herb and plucked it from the ground. He made sure to get the roots as well, so the one to get the herb will be able to rent it. The herb was close to 1,000 years old, which made it so rare, and it needed a bit of extra time to bloom.


    ''The snake turned to me before I undid my Sheathed Man and executed sh. The killing intent gives my location away despite having a concealing technique.''


    Ken pondered on this problem for a while. It made his concealing pointless if he couldn''t ambush his opponent. Although the snake couldn''t react on time, a peak fourth-rank beast might be able to.


    ''I don''t think I need another skill. What I need is to tweak a little bit with the current Sheathed Man.''


    Ken thought about this possibility but soon shook his head. His current skill was the result of a lot of calctions and maximizing. It was already at the peak of the Heaven grade, and trying to tweak it can only worsen it.


    ''A sword also carries the hint of death wherever it points. The sword was forged to kill. Although noble people might say it was meant to defend those dear to you, the way you defend them is by killing your enemies with the sword.''


    Ken felt like he was understanding something as he imagined himself using this skill before the snake again.


    ''But when a sword is sheathed, it can''t be a danger to anyone. The same should be true for Sheathed Man. The problem is that my killing intent is too strong due to my bloodlust.''


    He suddenly understood what was wrong. He was using it as a pure sword skill, but it wasn''t necessarily one. Instead of using only Sword Qi to execute this technique, he should''ve mixed it with Bloodlust Qi to hide his killing intent.


    Just like the Sword Qi could be used to hide the sword, the Bloodlust Qi could be used to create a ''sheath'' for the killing intent and conceal it.


    He used Bloodlust Sense to find another beast and approached it while under the Sheathed Man effect.


    This technique, unlike most concealing techniques, didn''t make him invisible. In fact, it didn''t hide him from the senses of the living beings surrounding him at all.


    Instead of hiding him from their perception, it made them degrade his existence. Just like when a person sees a leaf on the sideroad yet ignores its existence, so people behave when they perceive Ken while he is under Sheathed Man.


    ''If a leaf has malicious intent toward you, nobody will notice. After all, nobody pays attention to leaves on the sideroad, nor feels threatened by them in any way.''


    Ken looked at the beast that stood in front of him. Even he had to take a while to get used to the effect of Sheathed Man. The beast already saw and heard him, yet acted as if nothing was there.


    He concentrated on his new understanding of his skill, and filled his mind with murderous thoughts, making his killing intent rise to the sky.


    However, the beastpletely ignored it and acted as if nothing happened. Ken smiled and performed sh again. The moment he swung his sword down, the beast suddenly became of his existence near it.

 Chapter 70 70 – Sheathed Man Advanced

    ?


    Extra chapter for power stones.


    -------


    The beast felt Ken''s presence not because Sheathed Man couldn''t contain the killing intent, but because Ken had to cancel the skill when he attacked. He had only one set of meridians, and no matter how talented he was, he couldn''t channel two techniques simultaneously.


    All this time, whenever he wanted to attack while activating another skill, he had to stop channeling the movement technique for a moment and perform his attack. The only exception were skills that ryed on the soul, like Bloodlust Sense.


    Luckily, he made all his skills himself from the same database, making the skills into one set. As a set, the techniques'' Qi cirction wasn''t too different from one another, so Ken could switch between them rtively fast.


    Only when he gets to the next stage, the Nascent Soul Stage, will he form a soul capable of supporting the execution of techniques.


    When a cultivator forms their nascent soul, they can execute multiple techniques at once, depending on the strength of their nascent soul.


    Another bonus of this stage was the ability of his soul to leave his body, and other cultivators under this stage wouldn''t be able to sense its presence with their normal senses no matter how close they were unless they had a relevant technique that relied on the soul.


    Back to Ken, he was now sitting cross-legged in a cave in front of a bonfire he just lit, cooking the meat of the cave''s former resident.


    During his time outside, he always practiced his cooking skills. Thanks to his proficiency in Alchemy, he didn''t need much time to be proficient in cooking.


    He had a lot of experience in handling ingredients, and the main difference was that he didn''t need to extract the dishes'' essences when he made them.


    He used his Alchemy Qi to add richness to his food, and a simple Basic-grade technique to cool the meat before giving it a bite.


    ''Mmm, tasty. But I think I could add some ground Blue Sky Flower to the seasoning to make it spicier.''


    Ken always improved his recipes as he learned more about the interactions between the ingredients'' vors in cooking. Two ingredients didn''t always agree with each other when their essences did in Alchemy, and the other way around was also true.


    While his main goal was to get stronger, the true meaning behind it was to make himself independent and have longevity.


    However, those things would be useless if he couldn''t enjoy his long life. Thus, he did his best to have good food andfortable lodging wherever he went. Even in nature, he carried afortable bed for the nights in his storage ring and slept in self-invented formations to keep the temperature pleasant.


    ''I achieved the Advanced mastery realm with Sheathed Man today, it has been great progress.''


    Mastering techniques wasn''t like climbing steps, but more like walking uphill. One didn''t jump between the realms in an ''all-or-nothing'' manner but improved their mastery gradually until reaching the peak of that mastery realm.


    When that happens, the cultivator needed a moment of enlightenment to climb to the next mastery realm and their usage of the skill will undergo a qualitative changepared to before.


    Most cultivators had just entered the Advanced mastery realm in their skills when breaking through to the Core Formation Stage, so Ken was way early on the schedule in this sense.


    Ken chose to go to sleep and return to the sect the next day. Although the meetings with his subordinates were short, he had to get far enough from the sect as well as take a 2-day break between those meetings to prevent the two subordinates from meeting one another.


    Overall, he already spent 5 days outside the sect and would need another two days to get back there.


    He followed his n while avoiding his fellow disciples on the way and reached back to the sect two dayster, still having 3 weeks before the time to set out for the travel.


    ''I have read a lot of informationtely, but I didn''t spend time on integrating it and processing it to form new products and ideas.''


    Ken thought to himself when he remembered all the books he memorized in the n''s library. He still didn''t read them all from his memory, and he still had to meditate while thinking about them.


    The young Formations Master spent the next few days reading the books from his memory, turning them from mere pictures in his brain to actual content and information.


    He then spent the next few days meditating in his study room, separating the right information from the false one and categorizing everything in his mind. There was a lot of repetition which was also useless to him.


    ''Great, I still have one week left before I depart to the Divine Sword Sect. My only task here is to get rid of the two guards since they can''te with me.''


    Dominic already made sure to give him an escort of two disciples from the older age group. They were both at the Low Nascent Soul Stage and could provide him with much better protection than his current bodyguards.


    Ken understood Dominic''s n regarding his bodyguards. His grandfather nned to question them to understand better Ken''s abilities in depth, and Ken didn''t n to let him pull that off.


    ''Politics are annoying. I must be subtle about it to avoid making it seem like I''m trying to prevent him from finding out more information about me.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Since they made peace after having a conversationst time, the two were supposed to get along now.


    If Ken really thought of himself as the patriarch''s grandson, he would share everything with Dominic, making it easier for them to n together and pave his way to power.


    However, Ken didn''t trust him enough for that, and he preferred following his own ns.


    ¡¤?¦Èm "Go set me a meeting with the patriarch for today''s evening. Tell him I want to meet with him alone."


    Ken sent one of his 2 guards to bring the news to his grandfather and waited for the news of the meeting''s time.


    Soon, the guard came to tell him that the patriarch agreed to his request to see him, and Ken took the two guards with him.


    "Enter the meeting room with me."


    "Young Master, I think it''s inappropriate. You requested to meet the patriarch alone, so if you bring the two of us with you, it might give him the wrong idea."


    One of the guards said nervously. He didn''t want to enter this meeting; he felt like he already knew more than he should.


    "Don''t be silly. He is at the peak of the sixth rank; he won''t worry even if I bring another hundred of you."


    Ken rejected his request to remain behind and the three of them entered Dominic''s training room after the servant gestured for them to go in.


    "Hello, Grandfather."


    "Hello, Ken. Who are those two?"


    Dominic asked curiously when he saw the two bodyguards. They wore in blue robes without any decoration which pointed out their status as regr inner disciples from amon background. They weren''t even on the top list.


    "Those are my current bodyguards. I brought them here for you to deal with as you see fit since they know of my talent and power."


    The bodyguards'' anxiety soared to the sky the moment they heard Ken''s words. Such a sentence would have a bad oue in 99% of the cases, while the 1% mighte from extremely good-hearted people who might let them enter their inner circle.


    Unfortunately, none of them considered the elite families as good-hearted people.


    "Ken, that''s not good. You can''t bring them here and say such things in front of them. Look how anxious you made them; they might think you want to kill them."


    Dominic scolded his grandson for his poor manners. The meaning behind his words was that he should n their deaths behind their backs, not right in their face.


    He also didn''t want them to die right now, as he wanted to question them about Ken''s abilities.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t treat the guards of my grandchild poorly. I will make sure to find jobs for you in the mansion to solve the problem. I hope you won''t betray our trust."


    He gave the two men a warm smile and patted their shoulders with his heavy hands. The two were still nervous but rxed considerably.


    "Thank you, Patriarch Sue. It''s our honor to serve under your family."


    They two thanked him together and bowed while cupping their fist. Now that they believed their lives were safe, they could breathe much better.


    ''This grandfather of mine is good with people. He almost had me fooled with his pretty words to take care of me when I first came to the sect.''


    Ken almost rolled his eyes at Dominic''s conduct. He didn''t n to let it work.


    "But Grandfather, you are strong enough to make their resistance futile. You said you killed everyone else who knew of my talents, even those who served under us for many years."


    Ken said with an innocent voice, making his grandfather''s face twitch with annoyance. The guards felt like they were on a roller coaster of emotions, and certainly, not one they would board on out of their free will.


    The two guards shared a look, and with tacit understanding, the twounched toward the door in a desperate attempt to run away. While knowing they couldn''t run away from a sixth-grade cultivator, they hoped they could get outside.

 Chapter 71 71 – Jane And Diana

    ?


    While the guards knew they couldn''t run away from a peak sixth-grade cultivator, they hoped they could get outside. If there were witnesses, even the patriarch of the Sue Family couldn''t murder others wantonly.


    Dominic clicked his tongue in annoyance and instantly disappeared from his spot, appearing right in front of the two before they could even reach the door.


    He struck forward with two palms, and the bodyguards were flung back to the middle of the room, crushing against the floor and rolling on the ground. The two coughed out blood as they tried to get up with no sess.


    "Patriarch Sue, please have mercy on us. We swear we won''t talk."


    They tried to beg for mercy, but Dominic didn''t be the patriarch because he showed mercy to his enemies. He was only annoyed at the fact he couldn''t milk information out of them first.


    While it still seemed like he would be willing to let them live, he could take them in custody and question themter. But now that both he and Ken knew he was going to kill them, and that those two will try to run away, he had to kill them.


    Just like Ken didn''t want to sour their rtionship by showing distrust toward Dominic, the patriarch didn''t want to make things worse by prying into Ken''s affairs.


    He couldn''t help but suspect that Ken set this stage on purpose, but he couldn''t prove it. Ken was ying the age card nonstop and now wasn''t any different. Even Dominic who knew how outstanding his grandson was had a hard time imagining a 7-year-old being so scheming.


    "Ken, I won''t do the dirty job for you when you don''t need me. You can be the one to kill those two, I''ve heard you have advanced to the Core Formation Stagetely."


    Ken held back a frown when he heard his grandfather. He felt like it was a test to see how he reacts to murder, especially performed by himself.


    He drew his sword from his belt and stood next to one of the heavily injured bodyguards. Their ribs shattered from Dominic''s strike earlier, and many of their organs were punctured by the bone shards.


    They looked at Ken with despair as they struggled to breathe, swearing the day they took Norman''s offer to spy on his nephew for money. They never expected this deal to be the end of them.


    Unlike when he betrayed Annie and Nick, the bodyguards'' young master didn''t have any qualms about killing them; to begin with, they were his enemies, and he simply subdued them earlier instead of killing them since it was morefortable for him.


    Ken''s sword paused in the air, only a meter away from the head of the first guard he chose to execute. His hand started to quiver in hesitation as he suddenly realized the meaning of killing a person.


    His whole body shook, and a drop of sweat trickled down his face. He remained in this pose for 3 whole seconds, unable to bring his arm down.


    "It''s different from killing in a fight. They can''t fight back."


    Ken said with a somewhat shivering voice, his voice a bit squeaky, a hint of his panic.


    "Maybe, but they''re your enemies nheless. You must not hesitate when you want to ensure your safety, or it will be your downfall one day. Cut them."


    Ken gritted his teeth and clutched his sword so hard that his fingers started hurting. He swung the sword down and with a long motion he beheaded the two men at once, trying to be done with the ordeal as soon as possible.


    "I''m leaving."


    He tried to sound calm, but a sixth-stage cultivator like Dominic could see through his fa?ade easily.


    "All right, go get some rest. I probably won''t see you again before you depart, so I wanted to wish you a safe trip. Make sure to put your safety first; there are always opportunities somewhere else if it''s too dangerous to fight for the current ones."


    Dominic offered a few words of advice as he watched Ken''s back while thetter walked out of the room. He wasn''t sure what to make of what just transpired in front of him.


    Was this child monstrous in both aspects of talent and personality, or only the former?


    --------


    ''I think my acting skills have improved a long way by practicing them since I was a baby. I wonder if my grandfather bought this act or thinks that I''m too cruel and calctive for my age.''


    Ken thought to himself while he walked carelessly toward his house. He nned to spend the whole week until the departure time in his apartment, processing that he had to kill two bodyguards who followed him for a long time.


    Although everyone knew he killed Han Joel, it was quite different. First, Joel died so fast that it could be considered an ident from Ken''s overestimating his opponent''s power.


    Second, he didn''t know Joel, and it was the first time they met. In contrast, he knew the guards for nearly a year, and they spent a lot of time together.


    Thest thing to consider is that the two didn''t fight back and killing them required more cruelty than killing a resisting opponent during a fight.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He didn''t know what his grandfather was thinking, but he felt that he did the best he could to keep him at bay.


    Ken didn''t want Dominic to know his true disposition. If he did, he would never try to nurture him to stand at the top of the n. If Ken stood at the helm, the n would be doomed. Ken didn''t care about their well-being as much as he cared about himself, and such a person can''t be a good patriarch.


    The week passed quickly, and Ken stayed at home the whole time. He mainly rxed and renewed his pills stockpile.


    "Young Master, it''s time for you to go. The assemge starts in less than an hour."


    Soleil knocked on the door and reminded him the assemge was about to start. Ken finished the batch of pills he was working on and dressed up to leave.


    When he went to the assemge point, he found a crowd of 1000 disciples standing in arge square, talking to each other andparing cultivation results until the elder will go on the stage and started speaking.


    He stood in a rtively empty area and waited by himself when a couple of female disciples approached him. He was told his bodyguards will approach him only on the airship, so he was surprised to see those two walking in his direction.


    They were both wearing white robes, indicating they were core disciples of the sect, but their robes were in white without any embroidery, disclosing theirmon background.


    It was the first time Ken saw a core disciple, and now that he looked more carefully at the crowd, he found a few more core disciples wearing light blue or white robes. Most of them were from elite families, yet the two who approached him weren''t.


    "Hello, Little Brother Ken. You are Sue Ken, aren''t you?"


    The girl who spoke was the taller of the duo. Her head was adorned with curly light brown hair that reached just above her upper back, and her phoenix-shaped pair of eyes matched the color of her curls.


    Her face was round and slightly chubby, carrying with it a hint of childish appearance, making her look younger than she was. Her structure was slim and seemingly delicate, but Ken didn''t judge the power of a core disciple based on appearance.


    "I am. Who is asking?"


    He scrutinized her with his eyes as he made a mental note to himself that the only disadvantage of being a cultivator as a woman was the slow body development.


    Since cultivators'' growth process slowed down, they would look fully mature only around the age of 30, and only then seem like 21-year-olds from Ken''s previous world.


    "Uh¡­ I''m Kar Diana, you can call me Big Sister Diana."


    She felt like the child''s gaze was somewhat rude and felt awkward about it for a moment, but soon gathered herself together and introduced herself properly.


    "Hehe, you managed to make the Fiery Fairy stutter, way to go, Ken!"


    The other girl stepped forward,ughing unrestrainedly. She was considerably shorter than her friend, only reaching Diana''s nose with the top of her head.


    "I''m Kin Jane. You can call me Big Sister Jane as well. Nice to meet you."


    Jane had short asymmetrical hair. It was thick and shiny looking with a unique tinum color. Her green eyesplemented her tanned skin well, and she seemed like the coarse type of girl.


    Ken could easily see that Diana disliked this nickname ording to her countenance, but he was too curious not to ask.


    "Fiery Fairy?"


    Jane smiled widely when she realized Ken didn''t know about this nickname, giving her a chance at teasing her friend.


    "Yes, this is Diana''s nickname. We core disciples are quite famous in the sect, so many of us have nicknames like that. Diana got hers from her stubborn nature and explosive temper."


    Diana who was standing behind her lifted her hand and pped her friend''s neck on the back. To Ken''s surprise, the short girl easily bent her head and upper body forward, dodging the p on time.


    ''I wouldn''t be able to do that.''


    Ken thought to himself in wonder as he reyed the scene of Jane dodging Diana''s palm in his mind.

 Chapter 72 72 – Forbidden Fruit

    ?


    Ken knew he couldn''t dodge such a p from a friend as Jane just did.


    Unless he actively sensed the air and Qi around him as he did while traveling outside, he would be unable to sense a sneak attack from someone he trusted not to attack him.


    He might be able to react on time if the attacker revealed a hint of killing intent, but Diana didn''t exude any of that; she only meant to p her friend for teasing her.


    "Haha, see? This is why she has this nickname!"


    Jane giggled as she took a step away from Diana''s violent tendencies. Kenughed with the tanned girl, agitating Diana further.


    "Hey, your nickname isn''t much better, Swordsman!"


    Ken looked at Jane with curiosity, but she just shrugged it off with an unbothered expression on her face.


    "It''s because they say I''m a bit of a tomboy."


    Ken''s eyes scan her body and he nodded in agreement. Her skin was coarse from her training, and her body was much more robust than the typical female cultivator''s. Even her tanned skin attested to her long stays in the sun during her training.


    Most female disciples used creams and pills made by alchemists to fix their skin and make it look fair, creating the illusion they were all delicate flowers who have never seen blood.


    Thanks to Ken''s special constitution, enhanced by the God Qi and strengthened since he was a baby, his skin always regenerated to its healthy form after his training sessions, so he looked like he was consuming those products himself.


    "What? I''m from amon family, and I treasure the resources I''m given by the sect. I won''t waste them on my outer look; strength is all that matters in our world. If I''m strong enough, even the best man in the sect will prefer me over any belle."


    It was true to a certain degree, but she''d need to be very strong for that. After all, even in the cultivation world men gave more weight to beauty than women when choosing their partners.


    "You''re right. Your nickname only shows your resolve. Unlike Fiery Fairy¡­"


    Ken smiled at the angry tall girl in front of him. Diana was flustered as she realized her attempt in shifting the focus from her nickname to Jane''s ended in failure. It didn''t work simply because Jane wasn''t offended by her nickname.


    "Hey, Ken, why are you all smug? Your nickname is far worse than any of ours!"


    Sheshed out at him, unable to suppress her temper. Jane looked at her with scolding eyes; they agreed not to bring this up before Ken felt morefortable with them. Mocking him wouldn''t be a good way to make friends with him.


    "Nickname? I''m only an inner disciple, ranked poorly at the 500th spot. How can someone as inconspicuous as me have a nickname?"


    Ken said with an innocent face.


    "Inconspicuous my ass! You aren''t 8 yet and already ranked in the age group for ages 17-24. How can you think that''s being low profile?"


    "Diana, chill, yournguage turned foul again."


    Janeughed when she noticed her friend was getting agitated as she couldn''t get the upper hand in this conversation. Diana didn''t even notice that what started as a harmless tease became something huge, all because of herself.


    "Ah, sorry."


    Diana tried to calm herself down when she noticed she was acting inappropriately. It wasn''t a good way to approach strangers.


    "It''s all right. So, what''s my nickname?"


    Ken was curious. He hoped it''d be something ttering like "Unseen Sword" or anything to do with his speed and sword skills.


    Diana wore a triumphant smile when she saw his expectant eyes, and even Jane was struggling to hide her giggling. Since it was toote not to speak about it, they two were anticipating his reaction.


    "Forbidden Fruit"


    Ken''s smile froze when he heard this weird nickname. He had a vague idea as to what it could mean, but he refused to think about it.


    "What¡­ why¡­ What does it mean?"


    It was probably the first time Ken stuttered in this life without having to fake it. He almost prayed to the God that sent him here that he misunderstood the meaning behind it.


    "Hahahaha! The child who is more beautiful than a seductress, pleasing the eye, yet must not be touched. hahaha, you''re the Forbidden Fruit!"


    The girls were holding their stomachs as they couldn''t stop theirughter. Ken''s reaction was worth gold when he heard the dubious nickname he has gotten. For the first time since he was reborn, he didn''t see a way out of his situation.


    "You are making it up, right?"


    He said with a slight hope that it was all a sick joke of theirs.


    "Nope! You''re so beautiful but too young. But hey, at least it means you''re popr with the girls. When you turn a tad older and are not forbidden anymore, you will be able to pick any girl you like."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jane tried tofort him, but Diana enjoyed having the upper hand too much to let it go now.


    "Or boys. I heard quite a few of them calling you that too."


    Ken''s eyebrows twitched a little when he seriously considered attacking those two girls, but he took a deep breath and changed the subject instead.


    "So, why are you two girls here? I doubt it was only to teach me about the glorifying custom of nicknames in our sect."


    The two girls quickly got ahold of themselves and stopped their giggling. They didn''t approach Ken only to antagonize him, so they didn''t want to appear too rude. Their first impressions might not be too well now anyway.


    "You''re right. We heard you had a very high potential and thought you must not know anyone around here given the age gap. How about hanging out with us during this expedition?"


    "But I''m the weakest disciple in the square. I don''t believe two core disciples will approach me without hidden motives."


    He wasn''t the weakest, but officially he was. Since his age group was the youngest to be able to take on this mission, and he was ranked the lowest in this age group, he was considered the weakest person in the group. Only ranked disciples could take this chance, so there weren''t any unranked disciples.


    "Maybe right now, but you must not neglect your great potential. I don''t believe the Sue Family let their descendant form his core with a shaky foundation, so I''m sure you''re slightly behind only because you aren''t used to your strength."


    ¡¤?¦Èm "Hmm, is that so?"


    "Yes. If you could improve so fast until now, you will improve just as fast in the future. It''d be a shame not to pay attention to a talent like you only because you''re still young."


    Jane gave him an encouraging pat on his shoulder while Diana nodded in agreement.


    ''Did anyone see through my acting in myst duel against Paul?''


    Ken wasn''t exactly the trusting type, so he still believed they didn''t tell him everything. In his paranoia, he guessed right.


    ---------


    A few days ago:


    Two girls were standing in front of their two masters. One of the girls was tall with curly hair, while the other was shorter with unique tinum hair. The pair were none other than Diana and Jane whom Ken would meet a few days in the future.


    "You two have been doing a great job standing tall among all those elite disciples. I feel confident to say we both are proud of you for where you''ve reached through hard work and persistence."


    "Thank you, Master."


    "Thank you, Elder Fang."


    The two girls bowed to the old man and thanked him for his praise. The second elder hurriedly spoke when they saw them bow only to Elder Fang.


    "It''s not only him, I''m also very proud of you two. I''ve put my trust in you and nurtured you to the best of my ability, and you have met all my expectations.''


    He spoke with a wise voice as he nodded his head and stroke his beard.


    "Thank you, Master."


    "Thank you, Elder Leylin."


    The two held back their urge to roll their eyes at the elder''s antics. They were already used to it, so they pretended that nothing happened and responded normally, to Leylin''s delight.


    "Master, why have you called us?"


    Diana asked her master, Elder Fang. The old man waved his hand and created a domain around them, silencing the noises around them and making sure nobody was listening. Diana and Jane always got excited when they saw their masters form a domain; it was a unique trait of the seventh stage.


    "Have you heard of the new boy of the Sue Family? He is still a child."


    "Oh, the one said to be the most beautiful in the sect? Of course, we know Forbidden Fruit."


    Jane said with a happy tone while the two elders just raised an eyebrow when they heard the weird nickname.


    "Ah, I guess he is a beautiful child. Anyway, we want you girls to approach him during the expedition to the Divine Sword Sect."


    "But you hate elite families."


    Jane asked the two elders with a surprised tone. She didn''t expect them to want a rtionship with an elite disciple.


    "Indeed, but we made our research on him. Hees from a branch family that eloped from the sect many years ago. His rtionship with his family isn''t good, and if we y our cards right, we might be able to bring him to our faction."

 Chapter 73 73 – Short Assemblage

    ?


    "His rtionship with his family isn''t good, and if we y our cards right, we might be able to bring him to our faction."


    Elder Fang exined his reasoning, but the two girls remained unconvinced.


    "Even if that''s true, why does it matter? I heard that he advanced at a young age with a shaky foundation. He won''t be able to break through to the seventh stage even with his family''s full support."


    Diana said with contempt as she thought of the foolish act. She was surprised he could advance at such a young age. But it would be his undoing if he sacrificed his foundation for that.


    Elder Leylin took the chance to scold his unwise disciple and her friend.


    "You girls judge too quickly, and those rumors are there only because the young boy wanted them to be. We were there when he dueled the other kid, and he faked all his hardships. In fact, he showed such a control over his body, that he might pose a threat to the two of you in a fight."


    Jane''spetitiveness red when she heard that im. She was only 25 and already at the High Core Formation Stage. Despite her young age, she was ranked 728 among the core disciples and could get to the top 20 of the age group of 25-40 in the inner sect.


    "What are you talking about? He is two sub-stages under us, how can he pose a threat to us?"


    She was only ranked so low among the core disciples because they weren''t divided into the same age groups as the inner sect; there were only two age groups. Under 50, and above 50.


    There was a fixed number of core disciples, and each elder had a certain number of disciples he could take and nominate as core disciples. Under the age of 50, there was always a quota of 1,000 core disciples.


    Sometimes there were fewer disciples than that because some elders didn''t pick their core disciples. For example, Elder Fang and Elder Leylin had the right to pick 2 core disciples each, yet they only had Diana and Jane.


    "It''s easier to move a mountain than to change a person''s basic nature. You girls always barge into my words without learning the reasons."


    Leylin said while stroking his beard, lecturing the tomboy who just waited impatiently for an answer.


    "He disyed great control over his body, and he managed to suppress Paul so badly that everyone was convinced he barely won. Can you win just barely in apletely convincing act?"


    Elder Fang chose to intervene when he saw a vein throbbing dangerously in his disciple''s forehead.


    "Well, it wasn''t so convincing if you saw through it, was it?"


    Diana asked with a hint of ridicule, but Elder Fang didn''t take her side this time.


    "It was. There''s a limit to how much a fourth-stage cultivator can fool the perception of a seventh-stage elder. He is very talented."


    "Indeed. In the Yangzi River, the waves behind push on those ahead." (1)


    Elder Leylinmented on his friend''s words. Diana was tempted to attack his beloved beard with a knife almost every time she interacted with him when she saw him stroking it with a wise expression.


    "All right, we will approach him. Are you sure he will appreciate thepany of two girls?"


    "Yes. It''d be better to send boys his age, but for obvious reasons, it''s impossible. Since you''re older, it''s easier to be attracted to an older sister figure than to an older brother at this age. Just don''t treat him as a normal kid; his intelligence is off the charts. Although I couldn''t find out his rank, I''m sure he is registered as an alchemist in the Alchemy Division."


    Elder Fang exined to the girls, who still had one question left.


    "Why would the Sue Family hide such a genius then?"


    "We believe that he is hiding it even from his family. As we said, he doesn''t trust them and wants to keep a low profile. Just control your anger no matter what he says and try not to bring up the weird nickname you mentioned earlier."


    "We''re not dumb, we won''t bring up his nickname. I guess it''s understandable that he hides his abilities then."


    "Indeed, the boy is wise. Big trees attract the wind." (2)


    Elder Leylin nodded sagely as hemented on Elder Fang''s words again.


    "Enough with those stupid idioms and stop stroking this damn beard!"


    Diana snapped at him and yelled. For the life of her, she couldn''t figure out how Jane got along with such a master.


    Leylin only looked at her with hurtful eyes andined.


    "You can''t appreciate my words of wisdom. I''ve been ying the flute to a cow." (3)


    "I''m not a cow!"


    "Enough, enough. Diana, you must speak to your elders more respectfully. I already told you, you must keep your tongue at bay even when you''re angry."


    Elder Fang intervened before it escted, but Elder Leylin still had some insight to share.


    "Illness enters via the mouth, and disasteres out of the mouth. It''s important to watch your tongue, Young Lass. (4)"


    "ENOUGH!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Fine, I will stop."


    ---------


    "It''s not like we have any bad intentions towards you, Little Brother Ken. We just want to form a good rtionship with a promising youth, isn''t it the smart thing to do?"


    Jane answered Ken''s suspecting question with friendly words to alleviate the awkward atmosphere. The pair of girls shared the same frustration as Nick and Maria when they found out how untrusting the kid in front of them was.


    "All right then. Since you seem to know a lot about me, how about telling me about yourselves? What are your stages and preferred weapons?"


    "Sure, it''s not a secret anyway. Both of us are at the High Core Formation Stage and 25 years old. I use a bow, and as you can guess from her nickname, Jane uses the sword."


    Diana told him about herself and her robust friend. She significantly calmed down once they changed the subject, and a pretty smile adorned her face as she felt relief from Ken''s interest in them.


    "What about your core attributes?"


    "For me, it''s Bow Qi and Wind Qi."


    "And I have Sword Qi and Runic Qi."


    The two of them followed their master''s steps and had the same attributes as their masters. Theirpatibility with each other was why those two elders picked them in the first ce.


    "Runic Qi? Are you a formation master then?"


    Ken asked curiously, wanting to find out whether she was a fellow formation master.


    "No, I''m a runologist."


    "Don''t act humble, tell him your rank."


    "Hehe, I passed the test to be a fourth-rank runologistst month!"


    She chuckled and said proudly. Bing a master in any profession wasn''t something to scoff at, and doing it by 25 was considered a great achievement.


    "You''ve worked hard, good job."


    Ken smiled and nodded at her. He knew he couldn''tpare regr humans with himself; they didn''t get a blessing from God and weren''t born with awareness.


    Both Runology and Formation Mastery were derived from runes. The difference was that one was the doctrine of using runes on objects as clothes and weapons, while the other was the doctrine ofying formations onrge surfaces like floors, walls, and doors.


    Formation masters like Ken used runes to affect the world outside the formation, for example trapping or killing an opponent, gathering Qi, or changing the temperature.


    In contrast, runologists like Jane used runes to inscribe objects and affect them. For example, all flexible swords had runes that turned the metal stic, as well as runes for enhancing power, sharpness, and more.


    Since both relied on runes to achieve their effects, they both used Runic Qi, but people always focused only on one branch of runes. Each doctrine was difficult and endless, and trying to learn them in-depth would lead to mediocrity in both.


    Of course, Ken didn''t n to limit himself to only one branch. He nned to learn Runology as well, he just didn''t find the time yet. Once he mastered Runology, he''d be able to buy weapons and inscribe them himself.


    "All disciples, listen."


    A strong feminine voice reverberated throughout the square. All disciples, Ken included, stopped their conversations, and looked toward the stage, seeing a female elder standing on the tform.


    "I''m Elder Rita, I will take you to the meeting point with the Divine Sword Sect. They can''t take you from our sect directly as it will seem like we are intervening in the war between the two top sects. We will ride onnd mounts to the borders of our territory and meet with them there. Follow me."


    The elder introduced herself and exined how things will work. She jumped off the tform and walked away.


    "Hmph, aren''t we really intervening in their war?"


    Diana snorted andmented on the elder''s words. She didn''t like to be used by stronger people.


    -----


    A/N: (1) idiom - In the Yangtze River, the waves behind push on those ahead. / Each generation is reced by and often surpassed by the next. I tweaked the name of the river since it probably doesn''t exist in the cultivation world, unlike Yangzi River.


    (2) idiom - Big trees attract the wind ¨C being high profile invites jealousy of others.


    (3) idiom - ying the flute to a cow ¨C talking to someone stupid about a concept they can''t understand and appreciate.


    (4) idiom - Illness enters via the mouth, and disasteres out of the mouth ¨C too much or careless talk can cause a lot of grievances.

 Chapter 74 74 – Traveling To The Northern Border

    ?


    Diana snorted when she heard the elder''s words. She didn''t like to be used by stronger people, and one of her favorite things about her status as a core disciple was that the elite disciples couldn''t bully her anymore.


    Now, her whole sect was the weak party, and all of them are the ones being treated unfairly by the top 5 sects. Her only sce was that the elite disciples will suffer with her.


    "Do you know where she is taking us?"


    Ken asked the two girls who were jogging by his side. Although the Elder was walking, somehow all the disciples had to jog to catch up with her. Her every step carried her a few meters away as if she took many.


    "She is taking us to the sect''s stables. Don''t you know where it''s located?"


    Jane asked him curiously. Elite families always kept mounts in the stables, so it seemed weird that a child from an elite family wouldn''t know its location.


    ''Maybe his rtionship with his family really is as bad as the elders described.''


    Jane thought to herself.


    "I''ve never been there before."


    Ken recalled the map of the sect in his head and positioned himself on a mental image of it. He then found the stables and saw Jane was right, it was the direction they were heading in.


    "There are many mounts there. Mainly cranes for flying, and horses for riding. The horses aren''t normal ones, they are all at least third-rank beasts. Normally it costs 500 CP per day to rent a horse, and ten times that for a crane."


    Jane exined to him while they were running toward the stables.


    "Are those the prices for the third-rank beasts?"


    "Yes. Just triple it for every other rank. 1500 for a fourth-rank horse, 4500 for a fifth-rank horse, and 13500 for a sixth-rank horse. The cranes of the same rank cost 5 times the horse."


    "That''s a lot. What if someone needs them toplete a mission?"


    "That varies ording to the situation. Generally, if the mission calls for it, the sect will give you a mount of the necessary rank and you will pay for it only if you go beyond the deadline of returning."


    Although Ken liked the idea of flying, the elder already mentioned they will travel onnd, so it meant they were using horses.


    "That makes sense. What if I have my own mount, can it reside in the sect''s stables?"


    "Yes, renting a room for your mount would cost you 200-1600 CP per day as well, depending on the rank of the beast. You will also have to hire someone to take care of it and pay for its food, which would cost you a few hundred CP as well. Overall, nurturing a horse would cost you around a third of the price of renting a horse of the same rank every day."


    Since cultivators often spent time cultivating, almost nobody used a horse 10 days a month. Only elite families could afford such luxury, and they did.


    "You know the prices well."


    "I found a cub of a dead tiger not long ago, and my master has been paying for its stay in the stables ever since. It still hasn''t matured, but it''s already at the fourth rank. I believe it will break through to the fifth rank as part of its growing process."


    "I see. Your master is generous."


    "He is a seventh-rank cultivator, he can pay those fees easily."


    Their conversation soon ended as they arrived at the stables and the elder spoke to one of the stable boys.


    The sect had already prepared 501 horses for them. 2 for every pair of disciples and one for the elder.


    He looked at the 2 girls and walked away with a sigh. He finally got to know 2 people, but he''d have to find another partner.


    To his distress, he suddenly felt the gazes of dozens of pairs of eyes falling on him, and with a quick nce around him, he saw the thirsty eyes of many female disciples locking on him at once. He even noticed a few boys revealing a hint of interest.


    "Ken, I will ride with you. Wouldn''t it be safer riding with this gentle big sister?"


    To Ken''s surprise, Diana stepped forward and ced her hand on his shoulder. He shook her hand off as he didn''t like strangers'' touch, but he still nodded.


    "Sure, but what about Jane?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Don''t worry about me, I will find another partner for the ride. Although Diana is my best friend, I know a few other disciples as well."


    Jane smiled to illustrate she was fine with it.


    "Fine then, thank you. I will sit in the back."


    He appreciated the gesture of goodwill, but it wasn''t enough to make him trust them. He preferred sitting in the back to avoid having his back exposed. Ken knew that nobody would dare attack someone else in those settings, but he couldn''t shake off the uneasiness of having his back turned to someone so close.


    Diana thought it was better to let him sit in the front so he can enjoy the ride; she was taller than him and would hide the view if he sat behind her. However, she kept her mouth closed since he took the initiative to sit in the back.


    She shed a smile to Jane who kept a straight face. The two knew in advance how things were going to work since Elder Fang made sure to give them instructions. He wanted them to prepare for the opportunities of showing Ken goodwill and getting closer to him.


    When they agreed to offer him to ride with one of them, the two were excited about riding with the boy called Forbidden Fruit. Although they weren''t perverted, he was still the most charming little brother a girl could find in the sect. They threw a coin, and Diana won.


    Diana jumped on the horse''s back first and Ken followed. It was much bigger than he expected and could easily amodate three riders at once. He figured the elders didn''t want to look shabby in front of a top sect. When cultivators did something wasteful, it usually had to do with trying to get face.


    "You can hold to my waist, Little Brother."


    "It''s fine, I can keep my bnce just fine."


    "You shouldn''t take any risks at such a young age. Sit nearer to me."


    "I will ask to switch horses."


    "Uh! I was just joking, Little Brother, no need to be so serious. You can sit anywhere you want."


    The two had a short banter and Diana kicked the horse''s side to make it start running. The horses were all fifth-rank beasts, showcasing the sect''s wealth. Ken didn''t know if they didn''t use the sixth-rank horses because it was too much for fourth-stage disciples to handle or because of other reasons.


    The horses galloped at a speed way beyond Ken''s current abilities, and they stormed through the wide road leading to the neutral zone north of the sect. On their way, they forced some pedestrians to step out of the road until they passed.


    They rode the whole day aside for a lunch break for the horses and another break at night to get some sleep.


    "Do you know Elder Rita''s cultivation base?"


    Ken asked the curly girl sitting in front of him. The saddle on the horse was inscribed with a few simple runes that worked as a windshield, allowing the riders to talkfortably.


    "I don''t know her, but she should be at the seventh stage. It would be shameful to send a representative of a lower status to meet with the Divine Sword Sect. As for her exact sub-stage, I have no idea."


    "I see."


    The ride continued for four days, and they covered more distance than Ken ever did in his past missions. The sect was positioned rtively close to the northern border, so they reached it rather quickly.


    "We will meet with the representatives of the Divine Sword Sect soon. Be respectful, but don''t be submissive. Remember you all can bring us respect or make us lose face."


    Elder Rita spoke with a stern tone as the group got close to the meeting point with the other sect. Nobody had trouble hearing her despite the distance between them.


    "Understood."


    Everyone said to reassure her they knew how to behave.


    "They will give you robes of normal inner disciples of their sect to help you blend in and appear as true disciples. You will have to leave everything that associates you with our sect behind, as we don''t want the Four Seasons Sect to find trouble with our sect if you die and your corpse will be looted."


    It was quite a cold thing to say, but they still had to take the sect''s safety into ount. All the disciples there were going voluntarily and knew what to expect, so it didn''t count as the sect turning its back on them.


    "When you return to the sect, just ask to call an elder or a family member that knows you well toe and testify for your identity if the guards don''t recognize you."


    One hourter, the group of cultivators stopped a kilometer away from the border. They could make a few vague shapes in the distance, but they didn''t see well enough to judge what those objects were.


    "You should be able to see the airships of the Divine Sword Sect. Let''s get off the horses and walk there. Our sect''s horses would be too conspicuous if we take them to the border."

 Chapter 75 75 – A Tempting Offer

    ?


    The disciples of the Phoenix Feather Sect jumped off the tall horses and started walking behind Elder Rita. This time she didn''t force them to run, as she wanted them to look as respectable as possible for the first impression. Showing up to a meeting running wouldn''t garner much respect.


    In a few minutes of walking quickly, the group arrived in front of the airship, seeing onboard a young man with long ck hair tied behind his head with a few people following his orders.


    When they arrived at the foot of the airship, the man jumped off the deck and descended gracefully to the ground.


    "I''m Elder Rita of the Phoenix Feather Sect. Pleased to meet you."


    Rita cupped her fist and bowed slightly to show respect to the man. She felt he was a seventh-stage cultivator himself, so she greeted him first as he had a higher status as a member of a more powerful sect. His young look was only for show and didn''t represent his real age.


    "I''m Elder Wesley from the Divine Sword Sect."


    He cupped his fist back and gave a slight bow. Many disciples exhaled in relief when they saw the man was approachable and didn''t demean the elder. They didn''t know what to expect, so seeing the other elder bow put them at ease.


    "Is this everyone? How many did your sect send?"


    "This is everyone. We sent 978 disciples to participate in your mission."


    The man nodded and turned to the disciples of the Phoenix Feather Sect.


    "To avoid pulling your sect into the mess, you must change your robes to those of the Divine Sword Sect. You will get in yellow robes; those represent your status as a normal inner disciple."


    He waved his hand, and 978 robes flew out of his storage ring toward the disciples. They were all the same size; they were made of special stic materials, and the runes inscribed on them allowed them to shrink and expand at the owner''s will.


    Everyone practiced dressing from their storage rings, so they just ced the robes into their storage rings and pulled them out straight on their bodies, avoiding the need to dress up in front of one another.


    They held their former robes in front of them and let them get pulled away into Rita''s storage ring. They then emptied their storage rings of anything that could associate them with the Phoenix Feather, and everything floated to Rita''s ring.


    "All right, let me give you a short brief so you can decide for thest time whether you areing or not. If you choose to board the airship after this, you will have to enter the central zone for at least one month before being allowed to return to your sect."


    Wesley spoke quietly, yet everyone heard him as if he was standing right next to them, speaking straight to their ears.


    ''Quite the disturbing experience. If he spoke slightly more quietly, it''d feel like listening to a JOI ASMR for girls.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Ken thought to himself as he couldn''t get the image of the man whispering into his ear out of his head.


    "We will take you to our sect and provide you with free lodging and meals for one year. You may leave as soon as you stayed in the exploration areas for at least one month. If you don''t enter, we will throw you inside forcibly on the eleventh month."


    The disciples didn''t like the idea of being forced into anything, but they didn''t argue. After all, they didn''t go just to have a free vacation, but to find opportunities in the central area for themselves.


    "Nobody will guarantee your lives, and many of you are likely to die inside. We send you in the hope you can fight and kill members of the Four Seasons Sect. We established a special point system for you to buy resources from our sect."


    Everyone was excited to hear that; having ess to the resources of a top 5 sect was an opportunity by itself even if they found nothing in the central area.


    "We have a few lists of their high-profile disciples. They''re separated ording to their stages, so you can find relevant targets more easily. The heads of those ranked disciples will award you with plenty of resources and even some manuals and techniques."


    "Elder Wesley, is it true that we can exchange points for Heaven-grade techniques?"


    Heaven-grade techniques were the secrets of the sect. Normal inner disciples of the Phoenix Feather Sect could only have ess to it after the sect judged their character as trustworthy, and only if they were in the top 5 of their age group.


    Even then, there was a very small variety of Heaven-grade techniques they could choose from, and only the core disciples had a bit more. Mostly, core disciples got the legacy of their masters which included one more Heaven-grade technique.


    It was one more reason for elders to pick disciples with simr attributes to them, or else the additional Heaven-grade technique might bepletely wasted.


    "It is, but ites with a price. We can''t let our secret techniques out of the sect, so you''d have to join our sect if you want to get one. Of course, you''d have to hunt down a very high-ranked cultivator for that, so I''d rmend you drop the thought."


    Elder Rita frowned upon hearing those words. He basically dered that his sect would poach any extremely talented disciple from the Phoenix Feather Sect without giving her any face.


    "This was not part of the deal. I hope you can stick to the deal, Elder Wesley."


    "Of course. I didn''t mean anything inappropriate by that, only that we can''t give the Heaven-grade techniques of our sect to outsiders."


    Elder Wesley smiled and moved on. However, the damage was already done; Rita could see the spark of hope lit in the eyes of manymoners. Thosemoners couldn''t put their hands on such techniques in the Phoenix Feather Sect.

 Chapter 76 76 – Rules Of War

    ?


    Elder Wesley smiled and moved on. However, the damage was already done; Rita could see the spark of hope lit in the eyes of manymoners. The elite disciples wouldn''t leave thefort of their rich families to live as amoner, besides, their families also owned a Heaven-grade technique.


    In contrast to the rich disciples, themoners were denied ess to such resources. The top 5 of all age groups in the inner sect were exclusively held by elite disciples who were boosted by their family''s resources.


    Onlymoners like Diana and Jane who lucked out and caught the eyes of powerful elders who nominated them as core disciples had the ability topete with the rich kids.


    "Disciples, don''t let your greed blind you. To get those techniques you''d have to kill at least one person in the top 20 of the Four Seasons Sect. If you had the ability to do so, you would be in the top 5 in our sect."


    Elder Rita offered them some words of advice as she didn''t want them to throw their lives needlessly.


    "Everyone, get aboard. You can ask the disciples around you for more information, I will oversee the trip to the central area."


    Ken, Diana, and Jane climbed together the stairs into the airship and watched the ground getting further away from them as they took off.


    "How soon do you want to enter the warzone?"


    Jane asked the other two while they were on their way to the Divine Sword Sect.


    "I think we can go sightseeing in the Divine Sword Sect for a week or two before leaving and use the chance to collect some information. I suggest we divide the month''s stay there into 2 parts of 2 weeks each. It sounds much more dangerous to remain a month straight inside a battlefield."


    "Well, it''s not really a battlefield to be fair. We will just explore the area, and fight if we meet disciples from Four Seasons Sect."


    "True. The central zone takes around 20% of the whole continent, it''s many times bigger than the territory under our sect''s control."


    The central area consisted of a few parts. The outskirts were the Residence Zone; it was the area where the top 5 sects ced their bases.


    Then, it was the Outer Ring where many resources of the fourth and fifth grades were present. This was considered the only safe part of the central zone for anyone under the Nascent Soul Stage.


    Next was the Inner Ring where there was an abundance of herbs and animals of the fifth and sixth grades, and it was ill-advised to enter if you weren''t strong enough.


    Last was the core area where beasts of the seventh grade reigned free, and not even the elders of the top 5 sects dared enter alone. Each sect was given 2 months a year to explore the core part, and the remaining 2 months were spread between the sects'' turns.


    The trio nned to explore the Outer Ring since they were still at the fourth stage. Before they could keep talking, a girl wearing yellow robes stepped forward to the bow of the airship with a small group of disciples behind her.


    "Hello everyone, I''m Margarita, and I''m one of your guides. You cane to ask us any questions you have during the trip or afterward. Here are some base rules for this war ¨C you can only initiate a fight with someone at your rank or above it."


    Ken lifted an eyebrow when he heard that. It seems that the sects didn''t lose all decorum; they kept some basic rules to prevent massacres of the younger disciples.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "If your junior brother is losing in front of you, you can save him, but you can''t kill or cripple his opponent. Remember, if you break those rules, you might get attacked by a seventh-stage elder of the enemy sect."


    Thest threat made everyone take this rule seriously.


    --------


    Ken and the rest of his fellow disciples from the Phoenix Feather Sect were led to a campus with many small houses inside the inner sect. The whole area seemed improvised and evidently was built in a hurry to house the neers.


    "You will find all you need inside, including water and food supplies. We apologize for the inconvenience, but each apartment includes a room for 4, a small kitchen, and a bathroom. Since there are only 250 apartments, most of you will have to divide into groups of 4 and pick a house."


    Margarita exined the situation to the guests and left them to their own devices. As powerful disciples of a top 20 sect, she trusted them to be able to solve the lodging issue by themselves like any civilized cultivator would ¨C by power.


    Just like she predicted, 7 powerful core disciples took the privilege to take one full house for themselves each. Another house was inhabited by 3 core disciples, and the rest had to form groups of 4.


    "We need to find one more person to join our house."


    Ken said to the two girls who nodded in agreement. They were too weak to hog a house by themselves and had to share their room with one more disciple.


    "I will offer the guy over there to join us."


    The young child pointed at one random man and headed toward him. He picked him because he was the closest man that didn''t seem to be interested to taste the forbidden fruit.


    "No! You can''t ask him."


    Jane hurriedly pulled Ken back while she tried to find an interested girl. Her only requirement was having eyes devoid of thirst, but it wasn''t that simple to find. Those who were close to them were there for a reason.


    "Why not?"


    "Just a thing of adults, you wouldn''t understand. Just know that we can''t sleep with men in the same room."


    Ken just shrugged. He wasn''t bothered by sex, so he tended to ignore the problem. He quietly let her drag him through the crowd of girls that asked to join them until they finally heard a shout.


    "Jane, Ken, I found someone!"

 Chapter 77 77 – Inside Divine Sword Sect

    ?


    "Jane, Ken, I found someone!"


    Diana shouted to them as she paced in their direction with a female disciple adorned with the same yellow robes by her side. Although she was wearing yellow now, Ken saw all the disciples back in the sect and he remember she wore white robes back then.


    "Ken, this is Tiara, she is also a core disciple of our sect. She''s slightly stronger than us and she''s at the Peak Core Formation Stage. Tiara, this is Ken, you''ve probably heard of him before."


    "Hello Junior Brother Ken, I''ve heard you were a promising disciple of our sect."


    Tiara offered a polite smile and cupped her fist. However, she didn''t bow even slightly, showing her disinterest in Ken.


    "Hello, Senior Sister Tiara. It''s my honor to meet you."


    Ken bowed as he cupped his fists. He could also notice her indifference to his presence by the way she addressed him. While Jane and Diana addressed him as "Little Brother" to show closeness, she called him "Junior Brother" which showed she only saw him as any other junior disciple.


    ''I was worried all the core disciples saw through my fa?ade, but it seems only Jane and Diana hold me in high regard.''


    Ken felt relieved by this revtion. If nobody knew anything about it, maybe even the other two girls only spected he had talent they should watch for without any concrete facts.


    The four of them proceeded and chose an unupied house where they decided to make themselves at home. Being three from the start, they managed to form their group more swiftlypared to the other groups.


    "It''s quite cramped inside. Ken, do you want to sleep between your two big sisters to feel safe and protected in your sleep?"


    "I will take the sleeping bag next to the western wall."


    There weren''t beds; only 4rge sleeping bags ced one next to the other across the room, covering the whole floor of the small bedroom. Tired after the long travel, Ken and the girls went straight to sleep that night.


    -------


    "We took a short tour in the area we''re limited to. We found out there''s one office where we can make requests, one market we can buy ingredients, pills, and formation scrolls from, and one exchange office for using MP." (A/N: Merit Points)


    Diana told the duo who were sitting in front of her. Although Ken liked the two girls''pany, he needed some privacy and asked to be left alone that day. As for Tiara, she headed to the central zone as soon as the sun rose.


    "How are the prices for the ingredients?"


    "Market value for exported merchandise. The prices are around 20% more expensive than those in our sect. We can spare a bit of money by buying from alchemist disciples that came with us, but they will also sell for more than usual since their ingredients will cost more."


    "I can make some pills for us, I''m also an alchemist."


    Ken chose to reveal a bit about himself. He wanted to check their responses and see if they know about him more than the others. He didn''t consider it a huge secret anyway since there were already people in his family and in the Alchemy Division who knew about it.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Really? That''s impressive! What rank are you?"


    They asked him with curiosity. On one hand, he didn''t have enough time to learn Alchemy unless he started studying diligently as soon as he was born. On the other hand, he also didn''t have time to get to the fourth stage, so everything was bizarre about this child.


    "I hope you can keep it to yourselves. I''m a starting fourth-rank alchemist."


    "At such a young age? Haha, I knew we were right in approaching you!"


    "So it must mean you also have powerful Alchemy Qi in addition to Sword Qi!"


    Ken scrutinized their expressions carefully and deemed it an honest surprise.


    ''So they don''t know everything about me, but I can''t rule out the possibility that they know I was faking my difficulties in my duel.''


    Ken wasn''t easy to convince, so he considered them guilty until proven innocent. He smiled and took out a few normal pills he concocted in their absence. They were all perfect pills, but their recipes weren''t improved. They were regr pills anyone could find on the market.


    "Here, I made those. You can have them and check whether the quality is good enough for you."


    They didn''t need the pills yet since their stock was still full, but they needed to know they could trust his pills to be effective.


    "They are all perfect. Good job, we will consume your pills once we are out of the pills we brought with us."


    Diana dered happily and returned the pills to Ken. She didn''t want to take advantage of him by using his pills before consuming hers since he gave them to her at production cost.


    "I visited the exchange office today. Here''s a copy of the wanted list; we can get a hefty reward for killing the disciples in the top 10,000."


    Ken gave the two girls a token and the two had the list transferred to their minds. It was achieved with a special formation on the token that allowed it to contain information.


    Thedies saw a long list of disciples including names and pictures. The top 100 even included a short description of their main abilities and affinities to prepare them better. Ken only gave them the list of the fourth-stage disciples, but he also memorized the list of the fifth-stage ones.


    "We nned to travel and enjoy the sights of a top 5 sect, but apparently we can only be inside the campus or go to the central area."


    Dianained with annoyance. Even Ken was expectant to see the resources and splendor of a powerful sect, yet they were imprisoned in a small area.


    "There''s no point in dying it then."

 Chapter 78 78 – Two New Companions

    ?


    Hearing that they couldn''t travel inside the sect, Ken thought it''d be better to leave.


    "There''s no point in dying it then. Are you two close to breaking through?"


    Ken asked the girls if they had a reason to dy their travel to the battlefield.


    "Yes, but not close enough. We can first venture inside the Outer Ring and break through to the next stage before the next time."


    "Sure."


    Once the three agreed to go inside, they acted on it. They concluded it''d be safer to enter during the night when enemies are less likely to find them.


    "We should know a little bit more about each other''s abilities. Ken, we already know that your main attacks are your dash and unsheathing techniques, right?"


    "Yes, but they''re slightly more powerful than what I revealed in the arena. Besides them, I also have a good concealing technique as well as a detecting technique that can tell me if there are humans within 750 meters from us."


    His Blood Sense ability upgraded from 500 meters to 750 when he broke through to the Intermediate Core Formation Stage. He didn''t share the weakness of the skill with them for two reasons ¨C he didn''t want them to know his weaknesses, and he doubted there would be any cultivators that didn''t ever kill anyone.


    "Good, those are two great supporting abilities. They can let you act as a scout for us, although it oveps with my abilities. With the wind as my ally and my sharp perception, I''m a great scout myself."


    Diana was mainly happy to see he was sharing some of his abilities with them, although she believed it wasn''t everything. She continued to exin her abilities better.


    "I''m specializing in detecting, searching, scouting, and everything else in that field. I can sense movements from 1 kilometer away unless they''re underground where the wind doesn''t reach. The closer they are, the harder it will be for the enemies to hide their movements from me."


    Diana exined proudly her abilities. Unlike Ken, she was straightforward and even told him the way her techniques worked and their weaknesses, a gesture Ken appreciated.


    "What about attacking?"


    "As you know, I use the bow, so there''s not much to say about it. My attacks are swift and powerful, and their strongest effect is achieved with the element of surprise. I can even curve the route of my arrows with the wind, although it can''t create miracles like a U-turn. My arrows are silent for the most part, they only make noise after crossing 100 meters."


    Unlike Ken''s sess in muting his sword, it was much harder to make arrows silent, mainly because of the distance difference. She had to use Qi to coat the arrows and make them cut through the air silently before the arrow touches it and produces a whistling sound.


    While Ken could easily renew the Qi in every sword stroke as it was held in his hand, she could only coat it once before the arrow left the string.


    "That''s great for ambushing. If the enemy is less than 200 meters away, he won''t have enough time to react to the arrow before it pales him."


    Ken praised her abilities and the youngdy smiled in delight. She was worried he wouldn''t know to appreciate her techniques because of the ovepping advantages.


    "Now me, now me. First, I can make talismans with runes. They have great usage for defense and attack and can be life savers. I mainly specialize in defense talismans because of my sword art; I charge in and fight in closebat."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "She''s just reckless and needs those talismans to save her."


    Despite Diana''s remark, Ken was still intrigued to see her battle style. If he understood her correctly, she was risking herself for killing the enemy and relied on the talismans she produced to save her if the risk didn''t pay off.


    "I''m not reckless, those are calcted risks."


    Jane pouted, pretending to be offended by Diana''s words. She didn''t carry the same childish cuteness as her friend, and her strong jaw made her pout seem out of ce on her face.


    "Anyway, I fight in closebat and my sword strokes are powerful. I use a greatsword, so don''t try to block my hits, hehe."


    She let out a confident chuckle as she dered her physical power with pride.


    ''Her size doesn''t fit her fighting style. I guess most natural advantages are gone in cultivation.''


    Ken murmured inwardly when he looked at the short cultivator in front of him. She had a sturdy body, but with her short stature at 164 cm (A/N: 5''4 ft), she would be at a disadvantage against a 180 cm tall (A/N: 6 ft) bulky man in Ken''s former world.


    "Now that we know of each other''s strengths, should we venture inside the central zone?"


    "Sure. We can also practice our synchronization against beasts inside."


    The trio left the house and found 2 disciples wearing the yellow Divine Sword Sect''s robes waiting for them outside. One of the two disciples carried a saber on his back while the other was unarmed.


    "Senior brothers, may I know why you''re waiting outside?"


    Jane asked the two as soon she saw them. The two ignored her and turned to Ken when they caught sight of him.


    "Young Master, we were sent by the patriarch to follow you inside when you go to the central area."


    The two bowed while cupping their fists. They were approached by the patriarch himself for this mission, so they didn''t dare neglect their manners. Even if this young master was as futureless as the rumors made him be, he still garnered respect by being the patriarch''s favorite.


    The two girls looked at Ken ufortably; they didn''t expect his n to send bodyguards to keep him safe. Not only that, the two disciples exuded a powerful aura on purpose, showcasing their might as Nascent Soul Stage cultivators.


    "You two can follow us but let us fight on our own. You may intervene only if something endangers our lives."


    "Yes, Young Master."

 Chapter 79 79 – Venturing Inside

    ?


    "You two can follow us but let us fight on our own. You may intervene only if something endangers our lives."


    "Yes, Young Master."


    The two bowed, but only one of them spoke. They didn''t n to follow his order. The one paying them only mentioned protecting Ken, so if the two girls were in danger, they''d help only if it didn''t put Ken at any risk.


    "What are your names?"


    "I''m Miles, and he is Henry. Please excuse him for not talking, he rarely ever speaks."


    The two were around the same height, so Ken couldn''t distinguish them by calling them "the taller one" and "the shorter one" as he did when the pair of girls came to talk to him.


    Miles, the talking bodyguard, was a ck-haired man with brown eyes. His facial features were average, and nothing stood out about him. In contrast, Henry''s shaved head and white irises screamed his presence to everyone around him.


    "Young Master, he is blind, but you don''t have to worry about him dragging you down. He is very powerful and only held back by theck of suitable techniques to his fighting style."


    The talking bodyguard spoke again when he saw Ken and the two girls staring into his partner''s eyes.


    "You do make a good pair. With him being silent, people might not mind you speaking enough for two people."


    Diana remarked with an obvious hint of sarcasm in her words. After the initial hesitation when facing a more powerful cultivator, her fiery temper returned, making her irritated at the variable that just entered her n to get closer to Ken.


    "I was just reporting to Young Master what I thought he should know, why do you care?"


    Miles didn''t have a reason to be polite with the girl and didn''t hesitate to bicker back.


    "Both of you, enough. We are leaving. Miles and Henry, try to follow us from behind and hide your presence. I want your presence to affect us as little as possible."


    The group of five departed toward the Outer Ring. Since their only purpose was to act as cannon fodder, their residence area was near the entrance, and they only had to travel on a road nearby for 20 minutes.


    "Hello, are you disciples from the Phoenix Feather Sect?"


    At the exit from the sect''s territory, a local outer disciple stopped them. After they confirmed their origins, the disciple spoke again.


    "You need to carry a disciple token of our sect to enter, so the enemy can find it when they plunder your corpses. It''d be bad for both our sects if this coboration turns public."


    The young man exined with zero sensitivity.


    "Hey, what makes you think they can kill us?!"


    ¡¤?¦Èm Diana immediately turned agitated at the disciple''s words. The man''s phrasing annoyed all five of them, but she was the only one who couldn''t hold back her tongue.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I didn''t say they will kill you, I said in case they will. It''s all bureaucracy, don''t get mad at me. I''m sure you can match the disciples of the Four Seasons Sect. Now pour some Qi into those tokens and tell me your names."


    The man said with a bored voice as he handed them the tokens. Despite being a mere outer disciple, his pride as part of the top five sects made him disdainful toward the five.


    He engraved their names on their respective tokens and handed them again.


    "Good luck inside. If you kill an enemy, you just need to bring back their tokens to earn MP. We can check the token and find their identities. Are you aware of the rules of this war?"


    "Yes. Bye."


    "Don''t worry, we know what to do!"


    Diana and Miles vocalized the same message with contrasting tones as the five individuals crossed the gate and entered the Outer Ring.


    ording to the map Ken picked up in the exchange office, the terrain of the central zone that was connected to the sect was mountainous, although there were also forests,kes, and even one desert in the distance.


    "We should distance ourselves from the entrance as far as we can during the night and get some sleep."


    Ken instructed the group and the girls nodded. The two men already disappeared as they tailed them from behind, trying to hide their presence. However, concealing wasn''t their forte, and both Ken and Diana could sense them.


    "By the way, why do you want to distance us from the gate? Wouldn''t it be better to remain nearby so we can run back in case we are attacked by too many enemies?"


    "No. I doubt there are many enemies waiting nearby since the sects are pretty much equal to each other in their strengths. I''m worried about solo assassins that lurk in the shadows and ambush unassuming disciples of the Divine Sword Sect near their gate since most disciples feel safe there and let their guard down."


    "I see, I didn''t think of that."


    Jane said seriously as she pondered over Ken''s words. She didn''t expect Ken to think that deeply on the matter.


    "Diana, let us know if you find a cave. My detection technique works mainly on humans and beasts; thus, it is not optimal for finding inanimate objects."


    After journeying several dozen kilometers into the mountains, Diana abruptly stopped her friends.


    "I found a cave one kilometer away, there is a beast inside, but I can''t tell which. Move close to me, I will hide our presence."


    By making the air around them stand still, their scent wouldn''t be scattered, and their movements wouldn''t be sensed. The three did their best to move silently as they neared the beast.


    When they got close enough, Ken sensed it too, and the bloodlust was extreme. ording to his experience, the power and the density of the bloodlust pointed to a powerful peak fourth-rank beast.


    His technique couldn''t tell him the strength of the entity he was sensing, but he could make an educated guess based on his past experiences. Unlike humans, beasts developed bloodlust for every kill, regardless of the species of the prey.

 Chapter 80 80 – First Hunt As A Party

    ?


    The trio approached the beast slowly and carefully under Diana''s concealing technique.


    "Diana, are you going to take the shot?"


    Ken whispered in a low voice. They didn''t discuss their strategy, but he figured they will open with an arrow to wound the beast.


    "Yes. Don''t speak, I will shoot once we are 200 meters away."


    Thanks to her ability to sense movements in the wind, she could lock on her target even when it was inside a dark cave in the middle of the night. The only limitation was that she could only sense it as arge lump on the ground but not its shape.


    It meant that her best shot was aiming for the middle of the body where the torso should be, or else she would be risking aiming for the tail instead of the head.


    "It''s a peak fourth-rank beast, we can do it."


    Diana told the other two once they were 500 meters away. Beasts didn''t hide their rank, and Diana could determine the beast''s rank from that distance. Even stealthy beasts didn''t hide their ranks, and as long as one could sense them, they''d be able to tell the rank as well.


    When the trio got to the shooting range they agreed on, Ken ced his hand on his belt while Jane summoned her greatsword from her storage ring.


    Diana aimed carefully as she pulled the string back as much as she could. Since she had time to prepare for the shot, she didn''t hasten to shoot it only to show off.


    Ken looked intently at her pulling the string and waited for the arrow to be released. Silently, she let the string go, and the arrow darted to the sky.


    ''I really couldn''t hear anything.''


    Ken thought to himself as he and Jane instantly dashed toward the cave and Diana readied the next arrow.


    *Growl*


    A loud growl bounced off the cave''s walls as the echo could be heard in a radius of a kilometer.


    ''It''s a bear.''


    Ken quickly judged from the growl while he and Jane waited outside the cave. Although the bear''s movements will be restricted inside, they won''t have much room to dodge themselves.


    Red-furred bear straddled out of the cave, and its color almost made its enemies miss the blood gushing from its side. Apparently, its left side was facing the exit of the cave, and the arrow pierced through its skin to the stomach.


    Although this arrow would leave a hole with a 20 cm radius in a human''s body, it was barely enough to stab the bear''s guts, disying its powerful body.


    Although it wasn''t enough to take the bear down, it was a considerable wound. As it moved, the arrow only twisted in its body and the sharp barbs on its shaft kept causing the bear internal injuries.


    *Wishhh*<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Another whistle resounded and a second arrow pierced the bear''s right eye. The bear was focused on the two enemies in front of it and didn''t consider the possibility of a third enemy hiding in the distance.


    It growled in fury again and dashed toward Jane. Diana purposely blinded its left eye since Ken was to the bear''s left, making Ken rtively safer as he would attack from the beast''s blind spot.


    Ken could go in for the kill, but he wanted to see how Jane would deal with this type of opponent. In a way, Jane and the bear had simr fighting styles; they were both brutes that tried to exchange blow for blow.


    Swordsman stayed true to her style; she rushed to the bear without backing off despite its greater strength. She ducked under the bear''s paw and swung her greatsword down with all her might.


    The bear was fine with this result; it still had its other paw unupied. The sword cut through the bear''s fur, leaving a bloody gash across its torso. The bear''s paw crushed on Jane from the side, knocking her off her legs and sending her twirling in the air a few dozen meters.


    ''Ah, is she okay?''


    Ken thought to himself as he watched Janend on the ground. He knew he couldn''t dy his attack anymore, and he wasn''t worried anyway because he felt a pulse of Qiing from Jane the moment she was struck, an indication of a talisman activating.


    ''One Step.''


    ''sh Unwind.''


    Ken performed his two signature skills and shed at the bear''s left leg. Coming from the bear''s blind spot swiftly, he caught the beast by surprise and unprepared. With a clean cut, the bear lost one limb. Ken left a deep cut in the bear''s left leg, and a pulse of Sword Qi made all the blood veins explode and the bone break in multiple spots.


    *OWWW*


    The beast growled with fright and pain. It just thought it got rid of one of its attackers, yet it lost control over one leg the next moment. Even if it won this fight, it''d remain crippled forever. It could keep most of its might without one eye, but not without a leg.


    *Wishhh*


    Instantly, another arrow appeared next to the bear''s right eye, trying to blind the bearpletely. This time, the bear was prepared for the arrow and managed to lower its head before the arrow hit it.


    ''Tsk, I couldn''t blind it.''


    Diana thought with frustration as she saw her arrow hitting the bear''s forehead. It couldn''t pierce through the animal''s skull, but it doesn''t mean it didn''t leave any damage. It cut through the skin and left a crack in the bone.


    At that moment, the bear swung its huge paw and attempted to crush Ken under it. To its dismay, Ken dodged with a sidestep, letting the paw move so close to him he could feel the fur brush against his face.


    "Haaaa!"


    A tanned girl came out of nowhere and shed her sword violently behind the bear. Jane came out nearly unscathed from her exchange with the bear other than some bruises.

 Chapter 81 81 – Henrys Detection Skills

    ?


    "Haaaa!"


    A tanned girl came out of nowhere and shed her sword violently behind the bear. Jane came out nearly unscathed from her exchange with the bear other than some bruises.


    The talisman blocked 90% of the bear''s attack, and the 10% was only enough to knock her back without inflicting any serious injury.


    Since the beast turned toward Ken, it only noticed the iing woman when thetter shouted, and it only managed to partly turn back to her and raise its arm.


    "HAHAHA, TWO LIMBS TO GO!"


    Swordsman''s real personality showed in the heat of the moment as she saw and smelt the blooding from the bear''s body.


    ''She''s a maniac.''


    Ken judged and watched the beast fall to the ground, weakened by its severe blood loss, pain, and imbnce from theck of 2 limbs.


    An arrow suddenly pierced its right eye with uracy, this time without any whistle to act as a warning for the iing shot. Evidently, Diana came to a range of 100 meters, allowing her arrow to travel silently as long as it didn''t meet anything solid on its way.


    Ken used the sword style he learned from Annie and left another deep cut on the now helpless bear lying in front of them. To his embarrassment, he only made the beast suffer more when his goal was to kill it off.


    With a wide swing of her greatsword, Jane brought it down on the bear''s neck, cutting its head off and putting it out of its misery.


    "Good job, Ken. It gave us a huge advantage when you crippled its back leg!"


    Jane showed a wild smile as she cleaned her sword from the blood that kept dripping from it.


    "I could only achieve that thanks to your distraction and Diana''s first arrow which blinded its left eye."


    Ken replied with a smile of his own as he moved Qi and executed the water technique he always used to clean himself.


    *ssh*


    Ken washed all the blood off Jane''s face, clothes, and body, leaving her soaking wet.


    "Hey, what''s that for?!"


    But before she couldin, Ken executed the second part of the technique which made the water hover from her body and fall to the ground next to her.


    "Oh, that''s a useful water technique for cleaning. Did you master it just for that?"


    "Yes, I don''t like getting dirty."


    Diana, who already stood by their side, looked down at the bloody wounds Jane left behind her and the clean sword stab Ken inflicted on the back leg of the bear. Indeed, Ken''s strike only made the blood leak from the bear''s wound without any sshes.


    "All right, we can have bear meat tonight. Let''s go and get some sleep at the cave."


    She stored the bear in her storage ring forter use, and the three went to the cave where the bear lived untiltely. Ken''s favorite part about the mountains was proven right again; the houses came with food.


    "We need to take shifts to guard the cave while the other two sleep. I''m not so tired so I can go first."


    Jane spoke and Diana didn''t say anything, using silence as eptance. Ken didn''t tell them about his ability to create formations, so the twodies didn''t know it was an option.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    While Ken and Diana were sleeping, the bored short girl was sitting at the entrance, prepared to intercept intruders.


    "Who is walking there?"


    Jane asked loudly while unsheathing her great sword. The noise immediately alerted the sleeping Ken and Diana, making them jump on their legs.


    "It''s us¡­ Can we sleep inside with you guys? We don''t want to get hunted outside."


    Miles asked with an awkward smile when he noticed three weapons aimed at him. The two bodyguards didn''t think about it in advance, but they couldn''t get too far from Ken, so they couldn''t search for another cave.


    "Ah, it''s you guys. Did you have to wait outside until we fell asleep toe here?"


    "Sorry, we were unsure whether we coulde in."


    Miles said apologetically, and Diana barely stopped herself from answering rudely.


    "Since you''re here, you should take care of us damsels and stay guard. You can''t ask your young master, so just take turns between the two of you."


    Jane grinned and went to sleep, leaving the guarding duty to the two bodyguards. Henry went straight inside to sleep, and the talkative guard was left alone at the entrance. With a wronged expression, he remained behind to watch over.


    --------


    The trio left in the morning after barbecuing the previous owner of the cave while the two men followed from behind. They picked up a few fourth-grade ores and herbs, but they hoped to find some of the fifth grade.


    "Young Master."


    "What is it?"


    Miles and Henry appeared before Ken.


    "Henry has a strong affinity with Earth Qi, and he reports he found a strong concentration of Qi west from here. it''s a kilometer away in a tunnel leading underground."


    Jane looked at the bald man curiously. They have never heard him speak, and she wondered if he only talked to Miles when the two were alone.


    "Did he tell you that? Verbally?"


    "He told me, but not verbally. We''ve been hanging out together for 16 years now, but I have never heard him talk."


    Miles replied to her question truthfully and soon understood the underlying question waiting to be asked after his strange answer.


    "Ah, he uses Earth Qi, his eyes, and some signnguage to convey himself, and I understand it somehow."


    "Henry, did he understand your intentions correctly?"


    Ken turned to ask the mute man and got a nod in response, indicating Miles reported urately.


    "Let''s have a look. I will pay you the treasure''s price if it''s truly valuable."


    The bodyguards returned to their position and the three traveled to the west. Ken offered to pay because he understood Henry''s intentions; as a bodyguard, he couldn''t leave him behind and pick up the treasure. By remaining with him, Ken would have priority over anything they find.

 Chapter 82 82 – Three-Way Battle

    ?


    "Let''s have a look. I will pay you the treasure''s price if it''s truly valuable."


    As they got close, Diana managed to find the tunnel Henry mentioned.


    "I can feel the tunnel. My perception is halved there as the wind is weak inside; Ken, we will rely on you this time."


    Diana reported and adjusted their route directly to the entrance. She canceled her detection technique and concealed their presence. Unfortunately, she couldn''t conceal everyone while using her detecting technique.


    "Don''t worry, my perception isn''t affected by solid objects."


    As they got close, Ken started feeling the presence of bloodlust underground. Soon, he was able to sense it urately.


    "It might be a real treasure. I can feel 7 presences, and I believe they''re fighting against each other."


    "Can you tell us anything about their cultivation bases?"


    "I''m not sure. I think that one of them is a beast and there are 2 groups of 3 cultivators. If I had to guess, they''re all at the Lower Nascent Soul Stage."


    Ken could at least tell that the beast was beyond the Core Formation Stage, and the cultivator''s bloodlust felt simr to Miles''.


    As for Henry, the man exuded no bloodlust, and Ken doubted his skills as a result. The cultivation world wasn''t forgiving enough to let its residents live peacefully.


    "Nascent Soul? we can''t fight them!"


    "Not at peak form, but they won''t be at peak form. When two tigers fight each other, one is bound to be wounded. We can deal with one or two wounded tigers, hehe."


    Jane chuckled excitedly as she thought about fighting someone of a higher stage. Ken agreed with her words, although not with her feelings.


    "I agree. We can take advantage of their fight and ambush the winners if they aren''t from our sect."


    "What if they''re from the real Divine Sword Sect?"


    Diana asked worriedly. She didn''t want to get into trouble with a top 5 sect inside their territory; even their Phoenix Feather Sect wouldn''t be able to save them.


    "Hmm, it''s risky. We can''t tell whether there''s an elder watching the fight or not. Let''s all wear masks and raid them, leaving the disciples alive. If they''re from the other sect, we can kill them."


    Ken took out three masks he had purchased for the trip and gave two of them to the girls. Diana got a white fox mask while Jane got a ck cat mask. As for Ken, he wore a bloody red demon mask.


    ''Ahh, I can feel the urge to kill someone just from wearing the mask.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Ken almost sighed out loud at the feeling against his skin. He was conditioned to expect prey when he wore a mask.


    "Let''s wait for them to battle it out. We can storm in once they''re done."


    Diana gave her opinion and the others agreed. Since they were busy fighting, it was unlikely they will be able to sense their presence while hidden.


    To Ken''s surprise, he stopped sensing Miles. Henry always slipped under his radar because of the absence of bloodlust, but it was the first time Miles disappeared as well.


    He nced at Diana but couldn''t tell her expression under the mask. He assumed she was unaware because she couldn''t use both her detection technique and her concealing techniques simultaneously. Unlike Blood Sense, her technique probably wasn''t rted to the soul.


    The 3 waited patiently, waiting for Ken''s sign that the battle was over. Soon, Ken felt the beast''s bloodlust vanish along with one of the humans, indicating a mishap of the cultivators.


    -------


    "Gabriel, block the Four Seasons pests with me, Jonah, you put an end to this pangolin!"


    The 3 members of the Divine Sword Sect have found the Chinese pangolin guarding the special stone in its burrow. The burrow of a fifth-rank beast was the size of a tunnel, and the pangolin itself was over 130 cm tall and 2 meters long.


    Its sturdy armor kept bouncing their sabers and spears back, and the only one who managed to deal substantial damage was Jonah who used the mace as his weapon.


    The armor couldn''t effectively protect the beast from the heavy blunt blows, and it umted internal injuries from Jonah''s strikes throughout the battle. One could find many dents in the beast''s armor if they inspected it.


    While they were fighting the beast, a party of three disciples from the Four Seasons Sect noticed themotion and joined the fray, disrupting the battle against the pangolin.


    To prevent the beast from attacking them, they''d send medium-range attacks against the stone, forcing the beast to protect its precious treasure. However, the pressure from having to keep the beast at bay and the attention required to keep it away took a toll on them, and they were steadily losing the battle.


    To get out of their crisis, their leader, Daniel, chose to finish off the wounded beast and then deal with the enemy disciples more easily.


    Instantly after giving the order, Daniel opened a fierce onught on 2 of the enemies, using his spear to keep both busy as he thrust it without holding back his Qi expenditure.


    A few meters away, Jonah swung down his saber and sent out a sh from the de, forcing a woman from the Four Seasons Sect to dodge and retreat.


    Gabriel used the chance to charge at the pangolin and smash down his mace. The pangolin tried to counter with its tail, yet the mace was longer than it anticipated. The beast''s legs couldn''t handle the pressure and it was squeezed between the mace to the ground, making it squeal with pain.


    The mace was swung up again, ready to beat the heavily injured pangolin until it sumbed to death. The animal, in one final attempt to take revenge, concentrated its Qi in its tail, leaving the armor weak and vulnerable.


    If Gabriel attacked again, it would be a mutual kill, a deal he was not willing to take. He wanted to step back and deflect the tail away.

 Chapter 83 83 – Backing Off?

    ?


    The animal, in one final attempt to take revenge, concentrated its Qi in its tail, leaving the armor weak and vulnerable.


    If Gabriel attacked again, it''d be a mutual kill, a deal he wasn''t willing to take. He wanted to step back and deflect the tail away.


    One of the two women Daniel was fencing off took a step back while the other used her club to block Daniel''s attacks on her own. The woman at the back took out a knife from her sleeve, imbued it with her Qi, and threw it at Gabriel.


    "Gabriel, be careful!"


    Daniel shouted as he saw her actions and could only watch helplessly. Gabriel could sense the knifeing at high speed, blocking his escape route. If he chose to block the knife, he would have to take the desperate tail attack straight on, spelling his doom.


    "Fuck it!"


    There was much more he wanted to say, but there wasn''t that much time to speak as his mace smashed the pangolin. At the same time, the pangolin''s armored tail pierced through his heart.


    To make things worse, the throwing knife plunged into his back, making him stumble. In hisst moment, he chose to give a survival chance to his friends and trade his life for the beast''s.


    The pangolin''s armor, although durable, couldn''t handle a heavy mace without any Qi coating it. The beast''s heart and lunges burst inside it, killing it on the spot. As for Gabriel, he copsed on the beast''s carcass and died.


    "No, Gabriel!"


    Daniel attacked the woman in front of him in fury. He was slightly stronger than her, and when the other woman took a step back, he quickly got the advantage.


    "Haha, you guys are using a mace and a spear, you three must be outcasts in your sect!"


    The woman taunted him as she was pushed back. Even if Daniel was stronger, the difference wasn''t enough to allow him to inflict heavy damage in a short time.


    Despite the sect''s name, not everyone used swords there. It was called this way because of a divine sword the sect owned, passed from a sect master to his sessor. The sect master was always a sword user, but it didn''t make everyone do the same; most disciples never had any aspirations to be the next sect master.


    Soon, the other woman joined the fight and evened it out, tilting the battle in their favor.


    "You guys know you can''t win 2v3, but we aren''t cruel. How about we will let you go, and you only need to leave behind the beast, the stone, and your friend''s storage ring?"


    The woman who threw the knife suggested her terms for a cease-fire. Daniel, however, felt obligated to take revenge for his long-time friend''s death and didn''t back out.


    "I know you''re saying it because you''re afraid of dying if we continue. Killing us won''t be so simple. I''m willing to ept a cease-fire if you leave as you came."


    While Daniel wanted to avenge Gabriel, he didn''t want to die in vain. Even if he could take down one or two of the women with him, he knew they''d lose the fight and ultimately die.


    ¡¤?¦Èm "I''m willing to concede on the beast''s corpse. You know how valuable its armor is. But I''m taking the storage ring, it''s our rightful war spoils."


    The two had an understanding that they both didn''t want to risk dying, so they opened negotiations and ceased their fighting. Needless to say, it''d be bad for certain people who were waiting outside for their mutual deaths.


    Suddenly, everyone felt something happens. They didn''t know what, but they knew someone activated a technique.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "What did you guys do?"


    Daniel asked suspiciously as he squinted his eyes at the three women.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about, none of us did it. It must be your doing."


    The woman raised her sword again and pointed it at Daniel. She started feeling a killing intenting from the two men, and her own started surging. She quickly changed her mindset from negotiating to killing the three and taking all the loot.


    "Oh, really? You better put down that sword and stop your games if you still want a chance at leaving here alive."


    Daniel''s state of mind was also changing. His thirst for revenge increased, and he ced more importance on revengepared to before, making him much less willing to bend on his terms.


    "I retract my offer to leave the beast''s carcass for you. We are taking everything if you two want to leave here alive."


    The woman said sternly and took a fighting stance. In response, Daniel brandished his saber and prepared to fight back.


    "I''m not giving you anything. If you don''t want to fight, you''ll have to leave empty-handed."


    ----------


    Outside the tunnel:


    "I feel that two entities just died. One of them should be the beast."


    Ken reported to the girls standing by his side. Soonter, the Qi disturbance ceased, indicating the end of the battle.


    "Is the battle over? Why did they stop fighting?"


    Diana asked Ken anxiously. The fighting stopped right after Ken reported the death of two beings, and it''d be weird if everyone just died simultaneously. The most usible exnation was that they had an agreement to prevent further casualties.


    ''Bloodlust Domain ¨C Frenzy Mode.''


    Ken activated his domain and his bloodlust seeped into the tunnel, affecting the people inside. He hoped he wasn''t toote, and believed it''d be enough to break negotiations down.


    He was aware it could backfire at him if the 5 inside investigated the source of the technique instead of suspecting each other, but he believed that coupled with their already existing hatred for each other, they would choose to ce the me on their enemies right away, and his gamble paid off.


    Two minutester, the fighting continued, and the trio remained hidden for an hour until themotion finally simmered down.


    "There are two disciples inside. I can''t tell their physical condition, but it shouldn''t be too well. They should also be exhausted after the long intense fighting."

 Chapter 84 84 – Going In

    ?


    "There are two disciples inside. I can''t tell their physical condition, but it shouldn''t be too well. They should also be exhausted after the long intense fighting."


    Ken reported to the two women by his side once the fighting was over. Although as fifth-stage cultivators they had arger pool of Qi than Ken, their expenditure would also be higher while fighting with each other.


    "Let''s go in. Ken, you conceal yourself and so will I. Jane, you go inside and take their attention, check if they''re allies or enemies."


    Diana gave instructions and the other two followed. Ken wasn''t aware of the details, but he knew she could conceal herself and still shoot her arrows silently. She just couldn''t do it while concealing others.


    Ken activated Sheathed Man and walked inside a few meters behind Jane. As soon as they entered, they found 2 women sitting down and recuperating while ingesting healing pills. Other than them were 4 corpses and a carcass of a beast.


    One of them missed an arm which was probably stored in her storage ring. The sect will be able to easily patch it back for her with some high-grade pills and relevant techniques.


    "Who is going there?"


    The two women stood up, unsheathing their weapons. The other woman was exhausted, but other than a few shallow stabs and cuts she wasn''t as heavily wounded.


    "Sorry, I was just taking a look to see what was going on inside the cave."


    Jane smiled at the woman fearlessly. The woman couldn''t attack first since her stage was revealed, and by thews of war, the woman wasn''t allowed to attack someone from a lower stage.


    "Have you seen enough? Leave now."


    The woman frowned at the intruder and waited for her to leave. However, Jane wasn''t over just yet.


    "Of course, right after I take my senior brothers'' remains and storage rings to bring back to their masters and families."


    Jane unsheathed her sword and exuded a strong killing intent. It was a provocation, but still not enough to issue killing her. However, nobody wouldin if the woman beat a low-stage cultivator that didn''t know her ce.


    "Since you asked for a beating, don''t me me for picking on you."


    The healthy woman stood up while the other just shook her head, concentrating on healing herself. She thought the girl was overestimating her strength if she thought she could beat someone from the Nascent Soul Stage only because of exhaustion.


    ''Swordsman'' brandished her greatsword, blocking her opponent''s sword. Despite her strength, she was pushed back a few meters away.


    "You!"


    The woman shouted in surprise when she suddenly noticed the presence of a child right next to her. She subconsciously ignored his existence to this point, but she finally noticed him once she was only one meter away.


    ''sh Unwind.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Ken unsheathed his sword at lightning speed, and to his dismay, despite the close range, surprise effect, and insane speed, the woman managed to ce her sword in the way and even deflect the flexible de with a twirl of her arm and tilting her head.


    ''The power of a Soul Nascent Stage cultivator is much higher than I expected.''


    Ken pondered while the woman was blocking his sword. He wasn''t worried; there was one more person participating in the assault. Evidently, the woman wasn''t specialized in detection and didn''t notice the bow user lurking 100 meters away.


    "Urs, careful!"


    The woman behind quickly got up when she sensed something. She was the one in charge of detection, but because of her injuries and exhaustion, she lost her sharpness. The moment she noticed Ken''s presence, she activated her technique to find hidden dangers and found one more person.


    It all happened in a sh; a silent arrow suddenly pierced through Urs''s right arm, leaving a hole so wide that the arm fell to the side and hung there motionlessly.


    Urs sensed the killing intent following the arrow, but she couldn''t do anything about it on such short notice; she was still busy deflecting the bothersome flexible sword. If she just blocked it normally, it''d curve and slice her throat, posing a serious threat to her life.


    ''Snake Thrust.''


    Ken followed with another attack. The woman just lost the arm that held both her weapon and her storage ring and could only try to use her other harm to block Ken''s thrust.


    She ced her arm in the sword''s trajectory, seeing through theplicated attack. Her arm was coated in a thickyer of Qi, but it wasn''t enough to block a Heaven-grade technique used with a fifth-grade sword. Ken''s sword pierced through her hand, leaving two holes in her chest.


    A moment before he executed Snake Thrust, his opponent''srade lunged toward him at high speed, disregarding her injuries and pain to save her friend.


    Before she could arrive, arge greatsword appeared along with a short, tanned girl in front of her.


    "Move!"


    She screamed and did her best to garner enough power to push away the smiling girl from her way. With a crazed smile, Jane took her saber attack head-on, and a talisman activated to save her.


    With only one hand and many other injuries, the woman couldn''t bring out her full strength. Even so, it was enough to send Jane stumbling a few steps back. Unfortunately, she was sent back as well.


    When she regained her footing, it was toote to help Urs. Her friend wasying on the ground, bleeding to death as she breathed herst.


    She clenched her teeth in anger. She refused to believe she was going to die at the hands of a few weaklings that took advantage of their situation. The strong shock from her dash and blows exchange reopened the injuries she barely closed before the battle, and she was bleeding severely.


    With a crazed smile on her face, Jane threw all precautions to the air and charged forward, ready to exchange another round of blows with the enemy. It might have been a bad choice.


    "I will take you down with me!"

 Chapter 85 85 – Reaping The Benefits

    ?


    "I will take you down with me!"


    The wounded cultivators yelled and brandished her saber. She nned to give up on defense entirely and only take the maniac''s head with her to the grave. Jane didn''t slow down her charge, fully intent on taking on the challenge.


    At that moment, an arrow was released from Diana''s bow. The support of a bow user couldn''t be underestimated in a battle.


    ''World of Cuts.''


    The woman activated her strongest technique, creating around her thousands of saber shes around her made of Saber Qi. Each sh was weaker than an attack performed by a newly advanced fourth-stage cultivator, butbined, they were a danger to anyone.


    The arrow was cut into shreds by the technique, and the rest of the Saber Qi was aimed at Jane, going for a mutual kill.


    ''Mind Paralyzing Mode ¨C Single Target.''


    Ken radiated a powerful bloodlust and aimed it all at their enemy. With her powerful soul as a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, he couldn''tpletely paralyze her despite his overwhelming bloodlust. The power of his bloodlust was directly linked to his soul.


    However, it was enough to dy her. Some of her shes hit Jane, activating her talismans one by one. Meanwhile, Swordsman''s greatsword hit the woman''s shoulder next to her neck, cleaving her body in two all the way to her crotch.


    The saber technique copsed and was canceled immediately, leaving Jane well and healthy other than a few shallow cuts that managed to slip through her defensive talismans.


    "Ah, that fight was costly. I lost over 30 talismans in a single exchange!"


    She whined as soon as she came back to her senses when the battle was over. She didn''t expect the woman to have such a frightening technique.


    She felt a p on her butt and looked in surprise at Ken.


    "What was that for?"


    "You''re not supposed to charge head-on against stronger enemies, especially when they''re from stronger sects and have ess to stronger arts. That art she just executed was at least Heaven-grade, and she mastered it to the peak of the Advanced mastery realm or so."


    "So what? I''m fine, so what are you worried about?"


    She was touched by Ken''s care but felt weird about the way he expressed her.


    "You were lucky enough to survive this time, but you might not be next time."


    "Fine, but you''re not supposed to touch my butt."


    "Ah, just a habit I picked up when I was younger."


    He remembered Sol and quickly banished her from his thoughts. When he focused back on Jane, he noticed her weirded-out expression. He realized his words might havee out as weird considering his age.


    "Hey, Ken, what did you do there? was it bloodlust?"


    Diana stepped into the cave and asked Ken curiously. While Jane was engrossed in the thrill of the fight and didn''t notice Ken''s actions, Diana sensed an insane bloodlusting out of him for a short moment before disappearing.


    She wasn''t sure what she felt since it was only for a floating moment and she didn''t feel any of its pressure at all, but it seemed something simr to bloodlust.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Just one of my techniques, don''t think about it too much. It can intimidate enemies, but I only use it as ast resort since it''s difficult to execute."


    Ken exined briefly and continued to check the spoils. Diana knew better than to pry on his secrets, so she changed the subject as well.


    "How should we distribute the spoils?"


    "Let''s each randomly pick 2 rings and leave it to luck?"


    Ken offered and the two agreed. They each picked one ring from each group and moved their content to their rings.


    "What should we do with the disciple token of those three guys from the Divine Sword Sect?"


    Jane asked with a contemtive tone. They''d probably get some rewards for retrieving it, but they might also get interrogated as to how they found it or why they didn''t help them.


    "We will take them with us along with the corpses."


    The three hurriedly left and soon they could sense Miles'' presence again following behind them. Diana took the lead again and the trio found another cave to reside in until the next day.


    "Okay, so what about the carcass and the stone it was protecting? Let''s see what it is."


    Diana took out the stone and the carcass from her storage ring and three examined the former with their Qi and their hands.


    "I can feel it gathers Qi, but other than that I don''t feel anything. It''s useless to humans if it is all it does, we have Qi Gathering formations that work much better."


    Jane remarked. Diana kept quiet since she was the only one without rted knowledge.


    "Do you think it''d be useful for you?"


    Ken asked Jane who was still scrutinizing the nearly cubic stone carefully. Raising her gaze, the woman locked eyes with Ken, her expression filled with usation.


    "You know what it is, don''t you?"


    "Ahm, I have some theories about its usage, so I''d like to have it if you don''t have any use for it."


    He admitted directly and asked for the stone. He didn''t know this stone per se, but he sensed something with his soul when he touched the stone. His soul was far stronger and more sensitive than average, thanks to the relentless strengthening process he went through in the third stage.


    Diana and Jane looked at each other and nodded in agreement. They felt they were getting closer to Ken during their adventure together, and everything was going in the right direction.


    "All right, you can have the stone. But we are taking the carcass to ourselves, is that fine?"


    "Sure."


    The women could use the beast''s sturdy body to create powerful fifth-grade armor. Despite the beast being only at the low fifth rank, it still had the defense of a peak fifth rank. It was onlycking in speed and offense, making it more bnced.

 Chapter 86 86 – Hunting For Treasure

    ?


    Since the women gave up the mysterious stone, they wanted at least to use the pangolin''s scales to order armor.


    "All right, you can have the stone. But we are taking the carcass to ourselves, is that fine?"


    "Sure."


    Although Ken could also use the armor, he wasn''t too greedy, and he understood that he had to share the spoils. He''d have a hard time achieving it on his own.


    "And if it''s something that we can benefit from without taking causing you a loss, please share it with your dear big sisters, okay?"


    "Sure."


    Ken agreed again without much caring; he could just agree and decideter whether to keep his word or not.


    ''I need to do some research, but from the look of it, I should be able to create some useful pills and formations using this stone to empower my soul. Anyway, it will have to wait until I collect more information, most likely when I''m closer to the fifth stage.''


    With that note, Ken stored the white stone in his storage ring and the three continued their ns for the rest of their stay in the central zone.


    "We''ve already spent two days here, which means we still have a remaining 12-day duration to stay in the Outer Ring, ording to our initial n. What should we do next?"


    Ken asked the two girls while they were having pangolin meat along with the two bodyguards. The value was in the beast''s tough scales, so they didn''t hold back from eating the meat after skinning it.


    "I guess we can continue strolling in the Outer Ring and hope to run into someone we can kill or something we can plunder."


    Diana replied with some hesitation. It was the only n she could think about, but it wasn''t a real n.


    "What about you, Henry? Would you like to walk with us and point us toward treasures and other humans?"


    Ken waved his hand and 100,000 medium Qi Stones floated to the bald bodyguard. The average price for fifth-grade materials stood at 10,000, but Ken paid ten times that for the stone.


    He didn''t know whether Henry knew the real value of the stone they found, so it''d be stupid to deter him from offering his help again in the future only to save some Qi Stones when Ken had plenty of those.


    "He said he agrees."


    Miles said as he looked at his friend enviously as thetter stored all the money in his storage ring. For the first time, Miles and Diana agreed on something; they were both feeling jealous.


    Ken raised an eyebrow since Henry didn''t even nod, but decided to trust Miles on the matter and went on to the next thing on the agenda.


    "Here are some self-created pills called ''Concealment Pills''. After digesting them, they will suppress your presence significantly as if you were using a top-tier concealing technique. It''s based on the Darkness element, so it''s most effective at nights and generally in the shadows."


    Ken distributed the pills to the girls. When he offered them to Miles and Henry, only the former took them. He revealed them only now on purpose; he wanted to create the impression he was trusting the girls more and more with every passing day.


    Even when he truly enjoyed theirpany, he couldn''t hold back his maniptive nature.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Does it really work? The good concealing pills are all at the fifth grade."


    "I guess there''s no harm in trying."


    With those pills, the five chose to rest until sunset and move during the night. The pill couldn''t hide killing intent, but it would hinder most of the other detection techniques if their enemies were at the fourth stage or the low fifth stage.


    --------


    "Take the pills."


    The 5 left the cave that night and traveled together. This time, Henry and Miles were walking close to the other 3 instead of hiding in the distance.


    Ken, Henry, and Diana all used their detection techniques and remained cautious as they walked between the tall mountains. It was dark, but with their perception as cultivators, the moonlight was enough for them to see clearly.


    "Young Master, Henry said he feels something good southeast from here."


    Miles broke the silence as he got news from his partner. Ken barely stopped a smile from creeping on his face.


    ''I don''t know how useful he is in battle but seems like I found myself a treasure detector there.''


    The group continued hunting for treasures the whole day. When faced with a fourth-rank beast, the younger ones worked together to take it down. When faced with a low fifth-rank beast, the other two took care of it. As for higher than that, they took a detour and gave up on the treasure.


    Ken noticed that the beasts were much stronger than the ones near his sect; their bloodline was purer.


    ''It''s a fifth-rank beast. Let''s see how those two bodyguards handle it.''


    Ken watched with anticipation as Henry and Miles prepared to attack the beast. It was a low fifth-rank goat, and it was jumping on the rocks elegantly as if it was walking on a sidewalk.


    The goat was rather special; instead of only relying on its strong body, it had a strong affinity with Wind Qi, and its speed was abnormal. Even Ken''s One Step could only match its speed.


    "Don''t intervene in their battle, we don''t want a fifth-rank beast to aim at us."


    Ken warned the 2 girls who nodded in return. It was rtively safe to pass in this beast''s territory since it was an herbivore and didn''t hunt others for food.


    Miles unsheathed his saber while Henry didn''t show any particr change in his stance. Evidently, he didn''t use weapons.


    *Mmmmm*


    A humming sound vibrated in the air as Miles charged toward the goat, and Ken''s eyes opened in astonishment as he watched Henry brings up one palm to his chest, his fingers just slightly under his chin.

 Chapter 87 87 – Henrys Story 1/2

    ?


    *Mmmmm*


    A humming sound vibrated in the air as Henry brought up one palm to his chest, his fingers just slightly under his chin.


    An outline of a huge palm could be seen above the goat, and a strong pressure pushed it down. The goat raised its head in surprise; it wasn''t sure where the attack wasing from.


    Since the concealing came from the pill''s power, attacking didn''t cancel it. Worse thing yet, Henry''s technique formed in the sky, and there was no projectile to follow its origin.


    ''He is a monk!''


    Ken thought to himself as he watched Henry''s palm pushing down toward the goat. Ken noticed that the palm was slightly away from them, making their direction the shortest path out for the goat.


    All going ording to the n, the goat jumped from the rock it was standing on in their direction, only to sense Miles in its path. Miles brandished his saber and prepared to cleave the beast''s head.


    Panicked, the goat sent a powerful gale of wind to slow down Miles and readied its horns for the impact.


    *CLAP*


    A powerful p sound came from Henry and Ken saw the man having his palms against each other. During the p, Miles'' saber met with the horns, and Miles was sent back a few meters.


    Tworge palms appeared from the goat''s two sides and flew toward each other as if trying to p. The goat quickly leaped upward, attempting to skip above the two palms trying to squeeze it.


    *Baaaaa!*


    The goat screamed as its back leg got crushed between the two palms. Unfortunately, it couldn''t dodge the palms attackpletely.


    ''Fire Cut.''


    It staggered on its way back to the ground, affected by the injury in its leg. Before it could regain its bnce, Miles appeared next to it and left a deep cut on its neck while mes found their way inside the goat''s body, cooking it from inside.


    With ast painful shout, the goat copsed on the ground and died.


    Overall, Ken found the two bodyguards well synchronized. The two managed to defeat a beast of the same rank in under a minute, and they seemed to be aware of each other''s next move.


    He also learned that Miles used Fire Qi aside from Saber Qi, and that Henry''s only weapons were his palms.


    "Henry, those were interesting techniques. Are they from our sect?"


    Ken asked curiously as the two collected their loot and came back to the group. Miles looked at his friend, and seeing his approving nod, he spoke for him.


    "When Henry was still a third-stage outer disciple, he fortuitously discovered an inheritance in the desert situated below our sect. While he was lost and had no water, he used a technique that sensed the ground under him."


    While Miles was telling his friend''s tale, the group collected the herbs on the mountain under the goat''s jurisdiction. There were 3 fifth-grade herbs and 13 fourth-grade.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Because of the sand, his technique was quite limited, and coupled with his low stage back then, he couldn''t see far away. Luckily for him, he stumbled upon some ruins, and he sensed water 10 meters under the sand."


    Ken took out 31,000 medium Qi Stones and sent them Henry''s way. It was the prize for the fifth-grade herbs. Henry then separated 15,500 and gave them to Miles.


    "Thank you. Anyway, he dug in the sand until he found a small building buried under the sand. He broke the ceiling and found inside a pool of water, protected by a formation that kept the water pure and clean."


    Ken stored the herbs in his storage ring. Since the girls didn''t participate in the fight, they weren''t eligible to get any of the spoils.


    --------


    25 years ago:


    "Water! I''m saved!"


    A handsome young man called out with ecstasy as he rushed to the pool. He tookrge, long gulps, and sat on the ground while breathing heavily.


    His height was average, and his brown hair reached slightly under his shoulders. A silver hairpin tried to keep his hair arranged behind his back, but it failed miserably; it was messy and filled with sand.


    The young man wore gray robes, but those were covered with sand. Now that he had time to notice his condition, he moved ufortably in his robes as the sand kept agitating his skin.


    ''I''m exhausted.''


    Just like that, the man fell asleep on the cool floor. A few hourster. He woke up from a weak noise nearby. Looking around him, he saw that the desert sand was falling inside the room through the hole he created himself for entering.


    ''Oh, I should move out soon if I don''t want to get buried in the sand. Let''s take a tour inside to see if there''s anything interesting first.''


    Henry took out an enhanced leather bag from his storage ring and filled it with water to the brim. With the runes covering it, the bag could contain 5 cubic meters of fluids (A/N: 5,000 liters).


    He only ran out of water because robbers on the way emptied it and took the rest of his items. Other than the leather bag, his storage ring was empty. He got goosebumps thinking about the weird worms he hunted for food those past few days. Their blood was poisonous, so he could only eat the meat after cooking it carefully.


    The young boy, 14 years old only, started looking around the room. It seemed to have only 4 closed walls, but one symmetrical crack in the wall hinted at the existence of a door.


    Henry pushed the wall around the crack and a door opened toward another room. As he entered, he found writings engraved on the walls.


    "Be active, never be inactive, and don''t react to the oue of the work."


    He read one out loud and pondered on its meaning. He walked around the room and read the rest of the engraving.


    "Peacees from within. Do not seek it without."

 Chapter 88 88 – Henrys Story 2/2

    ?


    He read one out loud and pondered on its meaning. He walked around the room and read the rest of the engraving.


    "Peacees from within. Do not seek it without."


    "Ovee anger with peace. Ovee evil with good. Ovee greed with generosity. Ovee liars with the truth."


    Henry kept reading everything until he finished. In the center of the room, was a small tomb with the words "A banished monk".


    "Those are wise words. Sorry for taking your water pool, I need it for survival."


    He cupped his fist and turned around to leave. At that moment, the door leading to the pool room closed, and a few torches were lit inside the tomb room.


    "Hello, young man. I sense you''ve never killed a man before."


    rmed, Henry turned around and tried to find the speaker. No matter where he looked, he saw nothing.


    "Who are you?"


    "I''m nothing but a mere banished monk. Why haven''t you killed before?"


    "I don''t think we have the right to take others'' lives. Killing others is evil, and the dirty bloodlust cultivators have is the proof of its filthiness."


    Henry said with a righteous tone. Ever since he left his vige and became a cultivator, he never forgot the helplessness the vigers felt every time a cultivator arrived and took anything he wanted.


    As a young boy, he was determined not to act the same way and oppress the weak.


    "The mind is everything. What you think you be."


    Said the old voice in his ears. Henry still walked around the room and tried to find an exit, but he didn''t. The wall where the door was located formerly didn''t budge from its ce.


    "What are you trying to say?"


    "Didn''t you read the scripture on the walls?"


    The old man answered with another question, prompting Henry to think about what he read earlier. Since he couldn''t leave before getting the voice''s permission, he chose to listen first.


    "I did. What are you trying to say?"


    "One should not rely on mere words, but everywhere search for the intention behind them."


    "Old man, I don''t know what you''re talking about."


    *Sigh*


    The voice sighed and Henry could almost vision an old man shaking his head.


    "I''m a woman, not a man."


    "Oh, sorry."


    He answered awkwardly and the two remained silent for a few moments until the voice spoke again.


    "Whether killing others is bad or not relies on oneself. If you perceive it as a good thing for freeing the world of bad people, then you will never develop the ''filthy'' bloodlust. For example, why doesn''t one develop bloodlust while killing beasts?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The voice engaged Henry with a question about the essence of killing.


    "Because they''re not humans, and only killing humans makes us develop bloodlust."


    Henry replied with the textbook answer everyone knew.


    "Why are beasts different than humans?"


    "Why aren''t they? They are violent and have no intelligence."


    "They are not violent; they only hunt for their basic needs. As for intelligence, they develop them once they get to the higher stages. Even fourth-rank beasts can easily understand your intentions when you speak to them. The reason you don''t develop bloodlust while killing beasts is because you don''t consider killing them as a bad thing."


    "Are you saying I should stop hunting beasts?"


    "No, it''s the other way around. Just like hunting beasts is not wrong, hunting humans is not wrong either. After all, they''re not much different from beasts."


    The voice had a hypnotizing effect as the woman spoke, and Henry felt it was making a lot of sense. He suddenly remembered another sentence he read on the wall.


    "The world is afflicted by death and decay. But the wise do not grieve, having realized the nature of the world."


    "Exactly. There''s no need to mourn the dead."


    "But who are you and what do you want from me?"


    Henry shook his head and remembered he was still stuck there. If he couldn''t get out by the time the sand covers the other room, he will have to dig another tomb for himself.


    "I''m a Grand Elder of the Peaceful Demon Sect. Have you heard of it?"


    "The second-rank sect? Everyone heard of it in the cultivation world."


    Demonic cultivation wasn''t the same as evil cultivation. Demonic cultivation was the strengthening of the body through extreme means, developing a special Qi called Demonic Qi.


    "I was banished from my sect and gravely injured for understanding the truth I just shared with you. The righteous cultivators imed that my ideas were dangerous for the world. It''s somewhat ironic that those who said that my beliefs will bring forth conscience-free murder were the ones who caused my death."


    The old voice said, yet there was no bitterness in its voice. Everything was said in a peaceful tone, making Henry more inclined to believe the woman''s scriptures were correct.


    "But what does it have to do with me?"


    "I want to pass my manuals to others. I was unable to train it since I invented my doctrine toward the end of my life, and I already had a firm foundation that couldn''t be changed. The sect shunned my teachings, and nobody was ever given a chance at studying them. Would you agree to be my inheritor?"


    Henry had a hard time trusting a voice that came out of a tomb.


    "How can I trust you?"


    "I will give you my manuals, techniques, and arge storage ring that contains all the resources you need for the near future. I''ve prepared everything for my future inheritor. Additionally, I can provide you with fake scriptures to show to your sect. It will hide the real inheritance from their eyes and keep you safe from their greed."


    Henry contemted hard about it. As amoner and an outer disciple, he knew he will never be able to be truly strong. His foundation was horrible, and he''d never make it beyond the fourth or the fifth stage.


    "I ept."

 Chapter 89 89 – Professional Robbers Pride

    ?


    "And he told you all that without saying a single word?"


    Jane asked with a dubious tone. Miles just nodded proudly and confirmed.


    "Yes, we understand each other without words."


    He just told Ken and the girls most of Henry''s story aside from a few obvious facts like the fake techniques that were donated to the sect. He didn''t know this information either, which was why he told Ken that Henrycked suitable techniques when he introduced thetter.


    Ken approached Henry and ced his hand on thetter''s arm. He activated Luck Sense and checked his luck.


    ''Wow. This could be a good recement for Annie''s luck.''


    The monk''s luck was a fervently burning green me. Ken estimated it as 700 LU (A/N ¨C Luck Units), which meant he could improve his own luck nearly by three times if he took it.


    With his current 125 LU he already got many opportunities ¨C Maria as a subordinate, a powerful bodyguard, and many of his ns worked smoothly.


    ''Unfortunately, I need his permission to share his luck with me without incurring the heavens'' wrath.''


    On another note, Ken realized that the monk has killed humans before, but he couldn''t sense his bloodlust simply because Henry''s doctrine made him see killing ''bad humans'' as the same as killing beasts, and the monk probably defined every enemy as a ''bad human''.


    The group kept hunting, and to everyone''s surprise, Ken kept purchasing all the fifth-grade materials as if he had an unending source of money. He also made sure to store all the beasts they found in his storage ring.


    "Guys, I think that we should change our treasure-hunting tactic. Rather than go find beasts one by one, it''d be better to pull other disciples who have already done that for us and rob them."


    After seeing the monk''s power first-handed, he felt safer going with the robbing n. He was worried a fifth-stage cultivator from the top 5 sects would be able to easily defeat his guards and bully them, but now he was sure that the monk wasn''t inferior to those guys.


    ''Well, as a professional robber, I was embarrassed about collecting resources the normal way. It was like a chef eating instant noodles.''


    "What did you have in mind, Little Brother?"


    Diana asked curiously. She was sure she saw a glimmer in Ken''s red eyes.


    "We can wear back our masks and rob others. We can use the three corpses we took earlier, put storage rings on their fingers, and make sure to attract other disciples of the Four Seasons Sect."


    "What if other Divine Sword Sect disciplese and find the corpses? Wouldn''t they be angry that we use their friends'' corpses as bait?"


    Diana still found a problem with Ken''s n; if their allies will want to retrieve the corpses, they wouldn''t be allowed to kill them. They already agreed not to kill anyone from the Divine Sword Sect to avoid getting killed by the sect.


    "I''m sure some of them will find the corpses, but I doubt they will approach it. They''d fear it''s a trap, and their rewards from taking the corpses'' belongings wouldn''t be worth getting killed over. In contrast, the guys from the Four Seasons Sect will want the merit points and will be less worried that it''s a trap."


    "Why?"


    This time it was Miles who tried to understand Ken''s logic.


    "How would you feel about using the corpses of your fellow disciples from our Phoenix Feather Sect?"


    "That''s despicable! I wouldn''t ever do that."


    Miles answered without hesitation. It was heartless to use your friends'' corpses just to earn some resources.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Exactly, but we aren''t true Divine Sword Sect disciples, so we don''t need to feel that way about our tactic. The elders of the sect might frown if they find out about our actions, but they will not do anything either as long as we produce results."


    ¡¤?¦Èm "Oh, I see. How are we going to stage it, and what are we going to do if we face a group of intermediate fifth-rank cultivators or even stronger enemies?"


    Jane asked about the ring problem of the n, but Ken just shook his head.


    "It won''t be a problem, just follow me. Diana, Henry, try to find us a cave."


    Ken gave them instructions and the two worked on the assignment. They walked close to the mountainside until Henry found one first.


    "Henry found one over there. He says there''s a mother wolf and 5 pups inside."


    Miles reported Henry''s information again. Even Ken couldn''t figure out how Miles and Henrymunicated silently.


    The group of five climbed the mountain agilely and soon stood in front of a growling white wolf with 5 pups behind it, protecting them with its body. The wolf was only a peak fourth-rank beast, and Miles killed it quickly before it could howl and call for the rest of the pack.


    "Oww, the pups are so cute. We can''t kill them!"


    Diana protested to Ken who already unsheathed his sword to make a quick work out of them. He also thought they were cute, but he still didn''t have any qualms about killing them.


    "Can you breastfeed them then?"


    "Wh- what? No, I can''t breastfeed anything, and I wouldn''t breastfeed a wolf pup!"


    "So are you nning on letting them die from hunger?"


    "Aren''t you an alchemist? You can make food for them."


    Diana answered quickly while standing in Ken''s way. Ken only raised an eyebrow and tried to go around her, but she persisted.


    "Stop trying to save them. I also think they''re cute, but we will leave this ce in a week or two, and it makes no sense to keep them alive for one week just to leave them to die afterward. I hope you don''t think of traveling in the central zone with 5 pups following us."


    Ken denied her request and prepared to kill them. If Diana wanted to keep them alive, she had to be capable of providing them with everything they needed.


    "You don''t know how old they are, maybe they will be able to eat meat in a week from now!"


    "Will you provide them with meat?"


    "Yes, why not?"


    "Wolf parents bring meat in their stomachs and regurgitate it for their pups after those lick their mouths."


    "What does that mean?"


    "They pretty much vomit the ingested food for the pups to make it easier for them to eat it."

 Chapter 90 90 – Setting Up A Trap

    ?


    "Ew, no!"


    ''One Step.''


    Ken used that moment to appear next to the pups, but before he swung his sword, he noticed a palm covering the 5 scared little wolves, protecting them.


    "What now, Henry?"


    "He says he will take care of them."


    Miles spoke for Henry. Ken sighed and backed off; he didn''t want to sour his rtionship with the monk over a few pups, and he didn''t have anything against them anyway.


    "I''m going to draw a formation to help us suppress the enemy cultivators. It should be effective against intermediate Soul Nascent Stage cultivators. As for high ones, they should be in the Inner Ring rather than be hunting here, unless they go solo. If they''re solo, it should still be enough for us to win."


    "You are also a formation master? That''s awesome!"


    Now Diana and Jane understood why the Sue patriarch valued Ken so highly. He was a genius fourth-rank alchemist and formation master at such a young age. Even if his fighting abilities were only average, he would be a huge asset to the family.


    They assumed he was at the fourth rank because anything under wouldn''t be enough to affect fifth-stage cultivators.


    "Yes, I hope you can keep this secret for me."


    Ken smiled at the two girls and went to build his formation in the cave. He ced the 3 corpses of the male disciples from the Divine Sword Sect on the ground and ced around them a few carcasses of wolves they hunted earlier.


    Since his teammates insisted on letting the pups live, he could use them to stage the ce even better.


    Thanks to all the strengthening and the Qi stored in the corpses, they took a long time to rot, and there was no bad smell yet.


    He used blood from the carcasses of other beasts to decorate the cave as he ran a possible simtion of a battle in his head and left marks on the cave''s walls ording to the way he envisioned the battle to happen.


    Under Ken''s instructions, Henry erged the wolf''s den to make more room for additional formations.


    Ken drew a few concealing formations on the ground at the end of the cave for himself and his allies. As long as they remained hidden inside, it''d be excessively hard for anyone to notice their presence. Coupled with his Concealing Pills, even powerful fifth-stage cultivators will have a hard time finding them.


    In the n''s library, he found an interesting theory about formations. The formation master managed to create two formations, one on the ground and one on the ceiling, thatplemented each other.


    This way, he managed to make the Qi Gathering Formation twice as effective without changing the formation''s rank. Since then, a few morebinations were created, but the method didn''t work on every formation.


    After meditating on it for a few days and experimenting with it for another few days, Ken managed to perfect this method for fourth-rank formations.


    He drew arge suppressing formation on the ground, ceiling, and walls of the cave. This way, he used powerful fourth-rank formations toplement each other and create a triple effect.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Once he finishedying down the formations, he ced a few fifth-grade ores they collected earlier on the ground and used another self-created fourth-rank formation.


    He called it the "Revealing Formation" because it was the opposite of the Concealing Formation. It made everything inside easily noticeable and made their aura scatter much further.


    By cing inside it many fifth-rank ores, anyone with a decent detecting technique would sense it from 2 kilometers away easily. If a group traveled in the Outer Ring without a decent scouter, they probably didn''t have anything worth robbing anyway.


    "Everyone, ce back your masks on."


    Once the set-up was over, Ken ced a couple of thousands of Qi Stones inside the formations to activate them, and the effects kicked in. Everyone''s presence was erased from the cave as if they didn''t exist anymore and the ores'' aura was so powerful that anyone would notice them.


    The only sound that one would hear upon entering the cave was the scared whimpers of the now orphan pups thaty in the cave in a messy pile with their eyes closed.


    As cultivators who could pass days in meditation and the arduous task of nourishing their cores and souls, the group of five didn''tck patience while they waited for prey to be lured inside.


    After 3 hours of waiting, they finally heard a grouping. However, to everyone''s surprise, it wasn''t a single group. There were two groups, and they came from opposite sides.


    --------


    A group of 4 low fifth-stage cultivators wearing ck robes walked in the mountains, looking for treasures when one of the four stopped the other three. On their shoulders was a small embroidery of a cloud, sun, leaf, and flower. It was the symbol of the Four Seasons Sect.


    "Wait, I think I''m sensing something."


    He was the scout of the group, and soon he turned left toward a mountainside. The group followed him curiously, hoping it was something good.


    "Guys there''s a very strong aura there, it seems like there are a few fifth-grade ores in this direction. It might be a trap, should we go?"


    "It''d be a shame not to have a look at it after Fabian sensed something. What about just looking there and seeing if it''s a stroke of luck?"


    One of the girls said hurriedly with a hint of greed in her voice. While it might be a trap, it was worth taking the risk.


    -------


    "Dear, I sense some treasures piled up in the distance. Should we go?"


    A woman told her lover while the two explored together the area. They were wearing yellow robes with embroidery of a sword on their shoulders, marking them as disciples of the Divine Sword Sect.


    "Sure, let''s have a look. If it seems dangerous, we can leave."


    A pile of treasures meant a powerful beast or a trap, but one was an intermediate fifth-stage cultivator while the other was a low one, they felt safe.

 Chapter 91 91 – Springing The Trap

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    "Oh, a lovely couple from the Divine Sword Sect."


    "Four kids from the Four Seasons Sect."


    The couple met the small group 300 meters away from the cave. From this distance, they already pinpointed the location of the treasures and both groups were interested in putting their hands on them.


    The two groups red their soul power a little, showing off their Nascent Soul Stage. When they established the fact that they were both at the fifth stage, the two groups looked at each other hesitantly.


    ''If even one of them is at the intermediate Nascent Soul Stage, we are screwed.''


    Emilia, the female of the couple from the Divine Sword Sect thought to herself while looking at the group of four. If all of them were at the low phase of the stage, then the sides would be equal.


    ''If they''re both at the intermediate Nascent Soul Stage or higher, we are screwed.''


    Fabian, the scout of the group from the Four Seasons Sect, thought to himself as he observed the group. They only showed each other their stages with a small demonstration of soul power, and they had no way of determining the exact stage of their enemies without fighting.


    The risk of meeting with a high Nascent Soul Stage was low in the Outer Ring since they usually visited the Inner Ring.


    "How about we first have a look at whether the treasures are obtainable or not?"


    Oliver, Emilia''s partner, eventually suggested this deal. Although he''d kill their enemies if they knew they''d win, he would rather not try when he didn''t know the result. Even if the four of them were all at the low phase, they''d still be equal in power.


    If three of the four fought against Emilia while he fought against the remaining one, there would be no guarantee for their lives.


    "Fine, we can go with that."


    Another man from Fabian''s group said after he saw the other 3 were up for the trade.


    The two groups approached the cave together and peeped inside from a couple of dozen meters away. As cultivators, they could easily inside the cave from that distance.


    "Hmm, a few dead bodies from the Divine Sword Sect, a few dead wolves, a few living pups, and a few fifth-grade ores."


    The girl from the Four Seasons Sect, Sophia, remarked as she peered into the cave.


    "Since the dead bodies of our sect members are there, we have to ask you to leave. We will retrieve their bodies and provide them with a respectable burial."


    Emilia said with a confident tone and stepped forward. However, the four just smiled confidently and dashed inside. They believed there were only two options ¨C either the scene was exactly what it appeared to be, or they had friends inside preparing an ambush.


    Emilia and Oliver grimaced but hesitated to go inside; they came to the same conclusion. Both teams didn''t consider the option that there was a group from the Divine Sword Sect inside.


    "We can just wait for them outside. If theye out with the ores, we will intercept them and take everything by force."


    Emilia suggested the only option and Oliver agreed. They watched the four enter the cave. One went to take the ores while the other three approached one corpse each to loot their storage rings.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ----------


    Ken''s group of 5 watched the four enter the cave. Although Ken''s prediction about disciples from the Divine Sword Sect turned out to be correct, his hope that Henry''s luck will keep them away didn''t.


    Ken sighed to himself silently but chose to go with the n and deal with the problemster.


    Once the four were inside the cave, he channeled a bit of Qi to the formation which lit up and started sucking energy from the hidden Qi Stones. At that moment, the enemy group felt a powerful suppressioning from the formations.


    Ken''s formations were beyond their rank, and now that the effect was tripled, Nascent Soul cultivators in the low phase couldn''t break them easily.


    The four''s ability to exert Qi was heavily influenced by the formations, and even their bodies turned heavy and considerably slow.


    "Crap, it''s a trap! Despicable!"


    One man shouted in panic when he thought that they used their friends'' corpses to lure the enemy into a trap.


    Without further ado, Ken''s groupunched an assault against the suppressed enemies while still capitalizing on the effect of surprise.


    Ken appeared in the middle of the four cultivators as if materializing out of thin air.


    ''One Step.''


    ''sh Unwind.''


    With his technique in the Small Sess mastery realm, his unsheathing attack reached all four, but all of them managed to block it in time. Unfortunately, it wasn''t enough; one arrow came out of nowhere and plunged into one man''s heart.


    Another got crushed under a heavy palm despite trying to guard himself, and a third one had his throat slit by a violent stroke of a sword covered by fire held by Miles'' hands.


    Jane also didn''t want to be outdone and attacked the fourth guy with her heavy sword, yet the woman, Sophia, blocked the strike with her own sword and attacked back. Her power was considerably lower than usual, and Jane''s talismans managed to save her from a heavy injury.


    "NO! How dare you use such dirty tricks? Are the disciples of the Divine Sword Sect so despicable that they will use their friends'' corpses to lure enemies?"


    She screamed with fury and despair. She didn''t want to die and tried to bring up honor to make them stop their attacks. She noticed her three dead friends and didn''t want to join them in the afterlife so soon.


    "Maybe we aren''t from the Divine Sword Sect."


    "It can''t be! The other three sects pulled their disciples from this area to allow our sects to battle it out!"


    She knew that both sects used weaker sects as cannon fodder, but she will never consider the option she got killed by one.

 Chapter 92 92 – Luck At Work

    ?


    Bonus chapter for May''s golden tickets because I promised to release one if we reached 30 golden tickets.


    ----------


    Sophia never got her answer; Miles attacked her after Ken stepped back. Ken didn''t join in the assault, so she managed to block a few hits, but she was injured heavily quickly. She was stronger than Miles, but the formations weakened her too much.


    Once Miles got the upper hand, his Fire Qi seeped into her body with every hit, until she finally lost and copsed on the ground, dying soon after.


    "All right, let''s see the spoils."


    They agreed to share the loot unequally. Ken took 40% because his formations were the most crucial to the ambush, while the rest took 15% despite the girls'' rtive weakness.


    They split everything among themselves. There were pills, herbs, ores, a few weapons, formation scrolls, and some talismans. Most importantly, they had now 4 tokens of fifth-stage disciples.


    ''The top 5 sects are rich; they don''t have a single imperfect pill.''


    Ken was impressed; these disciples used only perfect fourth and fifth-rank pills. While in his sect the top disciples did the same with the fourth-rank pills, there was a shortage of perfect fifth-rank pills.


    "What are you doing? How dare you use your fellow disciples'' bodies just to lure enemies?"


    The group heard a stern masculine voice and turned around to see the couple from the Divine Sword Sect looking at them from outside. However, the two didn''t get inside and kept a distance from the entrance. They weren''t sure what was going on and didn''t want to risk getting inside the formations.


    "The most important thing is that we killed the enemies. You may leave."


    Ken replied indifferently.


    "Give us the bodies and we will pretend nothing happened. We will give their belongings to their families."


    Oliver demanded he hands over the corpses with a strict voice. Ken wasn''t worried, the group were all wearing masks anyway. With all the formations in the cave, the pair outside couldn''t even see what was going inside exactly other than blurry silhouettes, so he wasn''t worried about his height giving his identity away.


    From outside the cave, only the corpses and the treasures in the middle of the cave seemed to have light on them while the rest around was dark and unclear.


    "No. We will bring them back to the sect once we''re done with this trap. Leave."


    "You can expect us to tell this to the sect''s elders. I hope for your sake that you didn''t kill those disciples yourselves."


    Emilia didn''t feel like wasting her time anymore and turned around to leave after threatening the people lurking inside the cave.


    "Hahaha, There''s no need. I''m overseeing this matter, and I approve of their tactic."


    Everyone heard a voiceing from above, and the couple raised their eyes and found a red-hair elder standing in the air, hovering in the sky. Ken and his group could only listen since they weren''t able to see through stones.


    "Elder Benjamin."


    The two bowed without speaking much. They knew the man; he was one of the more violent elders, and he came from the Shang n, the n that purchased Ken''s tainted pills and lost most disciples in this war.


    His origins coupled with his identity created a man thirsty for the blood of the Four Seasons Sect, making him cross many vague lines of righteous morals.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I''m supervising it, and I assure you that they didn''t kill those disciples themselves. You guys may leave now."


    "Elder Benjamin, it might be inappropriate to use the-"


    Emilia tried to protest against the unjust actions of the group inside the cave, but Benjamin didn''t care.


    "I said you may leave now, and if you don''t appreciate it, I will let you join the disciples lying inside the cave."


    "We will leave."


    The pair bowed with their fists cupped and left the ce. Emilia was from an elite family, but it was weaker than the Shang n. Even if Benjamin wouldn''t kill her, he still might kill her lover who was from a normal family.


    "If you still want to report this to the sect, make sure to mention that I''m already here."


    "We won''t report it."


    She knew it would be pointless to report it now, so there was no reason to stir things with a stronger n.


    Benjamin then took a step from the sky, but instead of appearing a step away, he appeared in front of the cave. With another step, he moved a few meters forward right into the middle of the cave.


    "Elder Benjamin."


    The five bowed. The weakest elders in the top 5 sects were low seventh-stage cultivators, and the five didn''t dare disrespect him. They didn''t know him, but they heard his name earlier when Emilia said it.


    ''Is it the work of Henry''s good luck?''


    Ken wondered to himself inwardly while waiting for the elder to speak.


    "Well done with the formations. You aren''t the ones who killed those people, are you?"


    "We weren''t, but didn''t you already know?"


    Jane couldn''t hold her tongue back when she heard this weird question.


    "Ah I didn''t, I only wanted to send them away. I noticed the Qi from the ores and came to have a look. It''s an interesting formation, does it make the ores'' aura stronger?"


    "Yes, Elder Benjamin."


    "Good job. I will make sure to send away all the disciples from our sect and elders from their sect so you can keep lurking here. If you return to the sect with 5 tokens of their confirmed disciples, I will give you an additional prize to the MP from the sect."


    Benjamin smiled in contentment and left the cave. Needlessly to say, Ken was satisfied with the arrangement. Even if luck didn''t change his life by feeding him directly, it was still a good way to make the small things work in his favor.


    "Everyone back to the concealing formations, we are waiting for the next victims."


    Everyone went back to their hiding spot hurriedly and waited for the next prey to arrive.

 Chapter 93 93 – Danger Incoming

    ?


    The group remained in that cave until the 2 weeks they agreed upon have ended. They had on average 3 groups visiting them every day, providing them with 10-12 victims every day.


    They could easily tell apart the real members of the Four Seasons Sect from the ones from weaker sects. They figured that the Divine Sword Sect even knew what sects were involved, but as long as everything was done under the surface, they wouldn''t seek them out for revenge.


    While the real members of the Four Seasons Sect used only perfect pills and their storage rings had fortunes worth plenty of Qi Stones, the ones from the other sects had much less than that.


    Some might have been exceptions from this rule, as the elite families from the weaker sects, but overall, it was a good way to determine the origins of the victims.


    "Haha, I''m rich!"


    Dianaughed merrily with Miles and Jane as the three counted their money every morning and every night.


    "I know! I think that everything I lootedbined makes at least 3 million medium Qi Stones!"


    Over the past 10 days they hunted around 115 people, and with her 15% cut, she looted 17 of them. Other than Ken who made more, the rest of the group made around 3 million medium Qi Stones each from this trap.


    Ken was alsomissioned by the monk to make pills to feed the wolves. As pups, they didn''t need anything beyond the first grade, but Ken let the monk choose whether he wants to feed them with normal food or with self-invented pills that will make their bloodlines get purer.


    Henry chose the second option, and Ken charged him 500 Qi Stones per pill, an outrageous price for first-grade pills. However, Henry found it fair if those pills will really make the pups grow stronger like Ken described.


    With 5 pups eating 5 pills each every day to maintain themselves, the monk had to pay 12,500 Qi Stones worth of resources every day.


    ---------


    "It should be this area, let''s go. Everyone, be alerted and be ready for any type of attack. Bruce and Jackie, let us know if you sense anything."


    A group of 20 disciples wearing ck robes walked toward the mountain where Ken and the rest have been lurking the past 2 weeks.


    "Team Leader, do you think the disciples from the Divine Sword Sect really set an ambush there?"


    "I think it makes sense. We lost over a hundred disciples in this area, and anyone that went there didn''t make it back."


    They received newstely about this area. It said that many disciples died there and that whenever an elder was sent to investigate, he''d be intercepted by an elder from the Divine Sword Sect.


    Although the elders couldn''t find out the exact plot, they were sure there was a group of disciples lurking inside the mountain and ambushing the disciples from the Four Seasons Sect.


    To their dismay, this group didn''t include anyone above the Nascent Soul Stage, so they were sure the rules of war weren''t broken. After seeing this should be resolved by the juniors, they sent a group of 8 intermediate Nascent Soul cultivators led by two disciples in the high phase of the same stage.


    "ording to the elder, they are only 5, and only two of them should be at the fifth stage. I feel ashamed that we need to gang up on them like that."


    Unless the two were peak Nascent Soul Stage, it would be overdoing it, and there shouldn''t be anyone in this stage in the Outer Ring of the central zone.


    "You guys know the n. If there are two peak Nascent Soul cultivators, we split into 2 groups. One group will be under me along with 3 disciples from the intermediate phase, and the other group will be under Ethan, consisting of 5 disciples from the intermediate phase."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The n was to overwhelm one of the enemies while the other group keeps the other at bay, and then gang up on the one remaining. If the two enemies weren''t at the peak phase, there wouldn''t be any problems at all.


    "As for the 3 at the fourth stage, I''m leaving them to you guys."


    The team leader looked at the group of peak fourth-stage disciples walking behind them. By the rules of war, they couldn''t attack the ones at the fourth stage, hence, they brought 10 disciples that could.


    "Yes, Senior Brother."


    The group got closer to the mountain and soon the two scouts sensed the treasures.


    "Team Leader, I think we found their location. I can sense some fifth-grade treasures in the distance, that''s probably what lured everyone to the trap."


    "I sense the same, it should be it."


    Bruce and Jackie reported and brought a smile to their leader''s face.


    "Good. Time for the hunters to be prey."


    The group jogged together in that direction and got closer quickly.


    "Do you sense anyone?"


    "No, I sense only a few weak beings."


    "Those are wolf pups."


    The leader frowned, but they kept advancing in that direction. When they got close enough to look inside the cave, they stopped and carefully observed every detail they could see.


    "Be careful. You probably can''t see it, but there''s a formation inside that hides many details of the cave from our eyes. We can assume there''s a suppression formation inside as well."


    "What should we do? Should we retreat?"


    The other disciples asked nervously. They didn''t want to enter an enemy formation; it was too dangerous.


    "No. I have a fifth-rank scroll with me. It should be able to disable a formation of the fifth rank for 30 minutes until it runs out of power. If there are more formations, the time will split between them, so don''t take your time in killing them."


    While talismans were a way to inscribe runes as one-time weapons, scrolls were a way to inscribe runes to create portable formations. They were significantly weaker than the ones inscribed on the ground, but they were a good solution for situations like this.


    "The good news is that they are most likely only at the intermediate phase and relied on those hidden formations to kill our fellow disciples."

 Chapter 94 94 – The Battle Before Leaving 1/2

    ?


    "The good news is that they are most likely only at the intermediate phase and relied on those hidden formations to kill our fellow disciples."


    The team leader encouraged his team, and everyone cheered up. If that was true, then with the help of a formation suppressor, they can easily wrap this battle up in a few minutes.


    "Anyone knows about formations?"


    "Yes, Team Leader. I''m a fourth-rank formation master."


    One of the girls behind him answered and stepped forward.


    "Grace, do you know how many fifth-rank formations can be inscribed in that cave?"


    "Assuming they only have a fifth-rank formation master, I''d say they''d be able to inscribe 3 formations in that small area, a maximum of 5 if he is very talented."


    "I see. In the best scenario, we have 10 minutes to get rid of them, worst scenario, we have 6 minutes. Can you estimate what happens if they use fourth-rank formations?"


    The team leader was satisfied with this time limit. They could easily take down an intermediate fifth-stage cultivation in this time frame.


    "Yes. The scroll will work for at least 150 minutes before the power runs off, and the number of formations can reach a maximum of 10 if they''re talented."


    "You''re a fourth-rank formation master, how many can you draw in a cave of that size?"


    "Maybe 6 or 7, depending on the specific formations."


    "I see, let''s get inside."


    He activated the scroll and threw it inside the cave, and everyone stormed inside with their weapons in their hands.


    -----------


    A few minutes earlier:


    "Henry says he feels a group of 20 peopleing toward us, and 10 of them are at the fifth stage while the other 10 are at the fourth."


    Miles reported with a grim voice.


    "I think they''re onto us. It''s already ourst day here, so after we finish them, we can go back to the sect."


    ¡¤?¦Èm Ken replied with a calm voice despite understanding the situation. Benjamin already warned them it might happen, and it seems that the Four Seasons Sect sent troops to get rid of them.


    "Young Master, shouldn''t we run away?"


    "They will catch us if we run. We will stay here and fight, don''t worry."


    Everyone in the room was moving nervously in their spots except for Ken and Henry who stood still and calm as always.


    "Guys, take those pills, those are antidotes."


    Ken threw them a few shiny yellow pills and the 4 swallowed them immediately.


    "Why do we need antidotes?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You''ll see."


    He took out 10 pills in his hand and covered them with his Qi to cover their powerful aura, preventing it from leaking out. If the others sensed it, they''d find out they were fifth-grade pills.


    ''Idiots. If I was out of cards to y, I''d be long gone by now.''


    Ken said inwardly while waiting for the enemies to enter. He could sense their bloodlust now and he could see them observing the cave from outside.


    ''3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­''


    He threw the 10 pills to the entrance of the cave and white smoke started spreading around the spot the pillsnded while a scroll flew at a rapid speed andnded at the center of the cave, halting the operation of all formations inside.


    The 10 Nascent Soul cultivators rushed first, and the first ones didn''t hold their breath in time. The first 2 that rushed in took a deep breath of the poison into their lungs, and the poison took effect immediately, paralyzing their nervous system and making them unable to move.


    The others held their breath in, but the poison still seeped through the pores of their skins, dulling their movements considerably. The more they stayed inside the cave, the more they will suffer from being inside the poison.


    The team leader, as the one in possession of the suppression scroll, charged at the head, and their group lost one of their two strongest members. He fell down face first as he was immobilized and could only see vaguely his surroundings in despair.


    ''No! I can''t die like that!''


    Diana, quick-wittedly, shot 2 arrows at once as soon as she saw 2 enemies falling paralyzed, killing them instantly with a pierce to their brains. The team leader died in an anticlimactic manner without putting on any resistance.


    "Team Leader!"


    Some disciples shouted in anger when they saw their leader die the moment that he entered the cave. In their opinion, using poison to fight was underhanded.


    "Guys, the formations are off, I''m not sure how long it will take for them to reactivate! Don''t breathe in the poison!"


    Ken''s warning was meant mainly for the two girls, as they''d be in danger if they tried to fight fifth-stage cultivators without the formations'' support. Although he gave his allies antidotes, they were only in the fourth grade, and they were only enough to block poison that entered by skin touch.


    Everything happened almost simultaneously; Henry and Miles alsounched their long-range attacks. Henry''s palm descended from above, and Miles'' fire sh closed in on another enemy.


    However, the two were only at the low phase of their stages, and their enemies blocked the strikes withbined efforts.


    "Team 1, take the front to defend, Team 2, go to the rear and use antidotes to recover."


    The remaining high Nascent Soul cultivator from the Four Seasons Sect tookmand after his friend had fallen, and along with 4 intermediate Nascent Soul cultivators, he stepped forward to defend the three behind.


    He already sensed that their enemies were only at the low phase, so he figured it''d be enough to let the small team of 3 recuperate from the poison first and let them handle the two enemies.


    He also noticed two girls, but the two were in the fourth stage, and he wasn''t worried about them even in his weakened mode.


    *p*


    A p echoed in the cave as the bald monk closed his hands and tworge palms formed and tried to squish one of the enemies.


    "Help!"

 Chapter 95 95 – The Battle Before Leaving 2/2

    ?


    *p*


    A p echoed in the cave as the bald monk closed his hands and tworge palms formed and tried to squish one of the enemies.


    "Help!"


    The man shouted desperately, and Ethan, the high Nascent Soul disciple, came to his aid and blocked one of the palms. He found out he needed to exert some effort for it.


    ¡¤?¦Èm ''Strong!''


    Ethan was shocked by the revtion. He was an elite from a top sect, yet he had felt pressure while blocking half an attack from someone that was two sub-stages under him.


    The other disciple did his best to resist the other palm, and he managed to seed with his best defenses,ing out of the ordeal with his arms slightly shaking from the pressure. Without noticing, their minds turned slightly agitated, a result of the Demonic Qi.


    "AHH! Don''t use the antidotes!"


    One of the three disciples that took an antidote behind screamed in pain. They carried a few types of antidotes on them, and once poisoned, a disciple that was also an alchemist determined which antidote would be most fitting to take.


    ''Hmph, as if it would be that easy to dispel poison that I made myself.''


    --------


    A few days ago:


    "It might be a good time to stop your ambush here. Soon they will send arge group of disciples to take you down; although I stopped their elders from seeing your setup, they still sensed your presence and your stages."


    Benjamin instructed the small group after they finished killing a few more disciples wearing gray robes, indicating them to be outer disciples of the Four Seasons Sect.


    "Elder Benjamin, can they break through our formations?"


    Miles asked the elder with a questioning tone. Their fights so far were barely challenging enough to be qualified as fights. They were more like a one-sided ughter.


    "Don''t underestimate the means of a top sect. They will surely deduce there are powerful formations suppressing their disciples here and will send a Formation Suppression Scroll with their troops."


    The elder exined the way the scroll worked and the five understood the danger. Ken pondered on the issue for a minute before asking another question.


    "Elder Benjamin, I''ve noticed that their disciples carry many types of antidotes. How do they determine which one to take?"


    "They will have an alchemist or two in their group. The alchemist will determine the type of poison they''re dealing with and instruct the others which antidote is most likely to help."


    "I see."


    Ken smiled under his menacing mask.


    --------<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Back to the present:


    Ken already researched the pills the members of the enemy sect carried on themselves. After understanding the way that they determined which antidote to use, he knew he only needed to fool the alchemists.


    To this end, he ced two attributes of poison in his pills. One was dominant while the other, made by Fire Qi extracted from fifth-grade ores, was hidden and only activated under special conditions.


    The moment the three enemies behind took the antidotes, they felt a powerful sensation of fire in their veins, bones, and skins. The Fire Qi hidden in their body reacted to the antidote Ken foresaw they will use.


    While what he could do with poison ingested by touch was limited, he used the power of the antidote they swallowed directly to kill them instantly.


    The fire started burning inside them, and the disciples, screaming in pain,busted in mes until only ashes remained.


    "No!"


    Ethan shouted furiously when he saw he already lost 3 more members of his team. Even if they managed to kill the 5 without any further casualties, it''d still be considered the victory of the Divine Sword Sect with this killing ratio.


    "I will defend against the monk''s attacks. Jackie, you attack him. Bruce, you take down the archer, she attacked us so it isn''t a vition of the rules. Grace and Beatrix, you two deal with the fire saber user."


    Ethan shouted orders while the five were dodging and blocking the attacks against them. He originally nned to take their time and y it safe by neutralizing the poison first and only then go for the easy kill, but the poison was more problematic than he anticipated.


    Now that 5 already died from the poison, he couldn''t retreat without producing results, or he''d lose all his merit points along with everyone else who followed him.


    He also knew that the situation would only get worse the more they stalled since he felt the poison seeping into his skin, worsening his condition. The only option was to attack head-on and win as fast as possible regardless of casualties.


    Bruce, as a scout, could find Diana quite easily. He brandished his spear and rushed toward her, deflecting all the arrows she shot at him. That moment, Jane lunged forward and swung down her greatsword, activating her techniques.


    Bruce blocked the sword with a technique of his own, and the two started dancing in battle. Bruce would find an opportunity tond a blow every now and then between defending from both the greatsword and the arrows, but each time he did, Jane''s talismans activated and saved her from taking a fatal injury.


    Meanwhile, Miles was locked in his own battle. Two prettydies were trying to poke him with their swords, something he always preferred to be the one doing when interacting with prettydies.


    Luckily for him, they were both weakened and lost at least 50% of their power, making them sluggish and slow. Their attacks were out of sync, and their coordination was poor, all because they weren''t used to fighting under those conditions.


    ''Fire Flowers.''


    An attack awfully resembling Senbonzakura was created from his Saber Qi and Fire Qi. Many burning petals were flying in the air around him, enveloping him in a cocoon of fire des. He moved between the girls while swinging his saber for additional pressure.


    ''Stab Through.''


    The women used the same technique, stabbing with their swords and trying to cut through the burning petals and reach Miles'' heart.


    -----


    I opened a discord server,e and join! (The link is written in the synopsis)

 Chapter 96 96 – Ken Joins The Fray

    ?


    ''Stab Through.''


    The women used the same technique, stabbing with their swords and trying to cut through the burning petals and reach Miles'' heart. Grace was a formation master while Beatrix was an alchemist, and their fighting power was rtively low. They only had their Sword Qi as an offense.


    Miles was on the defensive against 2 cultivators more powerful than him, but he could survive for some time before going down. Just like Jane, he was slowly umting small wounds and was busy expelling foreign Qi from his body all the time.


    During Miles'' fight, Henry wasn''t leisurely resting either. All his attacks were blocked by Ethan who kept sending his heavy club from palm to palm, shattering them all. Ethan couldn''t do anything beyond stopping Henry''s attacks, but his partner was almost free to attack Henry.


    Brandishing his saber, Jackie dashed toward Henry, slowing down only to let Ethan cover for him whenever palms were trying to squish him against the ground.


    Henry raised his legs in the air and sat in a lotus pose, hovering in the air without any support.


    "Do not look for a sanctuary in anyone except yourself. Ceasing to do evil, Cultivating the good, Purifying the heart: This is the teaching of the Buddhas."


    He started chanting mantras and arge translucent figure of himself appeared around him, blocking Jackie''s saber attacks, and keeping the monk safe.


    Out of everyone fighting, Henry was the only one that seemed like he''d win his battle eventually. They were at a stalemate right now, but the stalemate would end eventually when his enemies would be weakened enough by the poison in their systems.


    Unlike Henry, Miles was getting stabbed everywhere, umting shallow cuts and wounds all over his body as the battle went on.


    Jenny shared the same fate as Miles; every time her talismans saved her, she''d still take some damage from the resident of the attack after the talismans wore out, and her body was covered in blue bruises, making her movements painful for her.


    ''Good, I can see their attacking patterns.''


    Ken stood by the side of the cave, ignored by everyone. He was under the effect of his Sheathed Man technique, and nobody noticed his presence. He observed the fights patiently, waiting for an opening.


    He wanted to help the girls first since they were under the most pressure, so he strolled toward them. He couldn''t use movement techniques since those would remove his concealment.


    Amidst the chaos of the battle, he navigated skillfully, sidestepping the flying attacks that buzzed around thebatants.


    Once he saw the pattern of the fights, he could predict how the fight will proceed. He walked 14 meters behind Jane and waited there. A few secondster, Jane was hit by the shaft of the spear and was sent flying back. With a roll, shended on her feet 2 meters behind Ken.


    Trying to pressure her while she was down, Bruce dashed toward her, only slowing down to block the arrows that kept saving Jane from an early death. Jane stood up again and blocked his next thrust with her greatsword and was sent stumbling backward.


    ''sh Unwind.''


    It was at that moment that Ken finally acted. His flexible sword moved at an extreme speed toward Bruce''s neck.


    ''Who is this?''


    Bruce could only muster up some Spear Qi around his neck. The moment Ken saw this, he understood the rigidness of his sh Unwind. However, his sword was flexible!


    "ARGH!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Bruce choked on his blood and tried to expel the Sword Qi from his throat, but another arrow came and pierced his back. At that moment, Ken was inspired when he understood he can integrate the flexibility of his sword into the execution of his technique.


    With a twist of his wrist, the sword changed its course and drew a deep curved cut from Bruce''s neck down to his chest and back to the neck from the other side.


    Ken mastered the next mastery realm of sh Unwind at that moment, the Big Sess mastery realm.


    ''We forgot there were supposed to be five of them!''


    The remaining four thought in panic. This time, Ken used all his power, and his stage as an intermediate fourth-stage cultivator was revealed to his allies for the first time. He held back and let them do all the hard work until now, but in order to win, he couldn''t hold back this time.


    "Go support Miles, he is under pressure."


    Ken ordered the girls who just took a deep breath of relief and sent them back to battle. He knew he still had something to do at the entrance of the cave, so he sheathed his sword and waited.


    Ethan panicked when he lost one of his fighters. If those girls joined to stall Grace and Beatrix, the girls might not be able to kill their opponents fast enough before the poison gets them all killed.


    He clenched his teeth in anger and chose to make some sacrifices. It was better to have the weaker disciples die for them.


    "All fourth-stage disciples,e inside! Hold your breath and don''t take any antidote!"


    He shouted fiercely and ordered the 10 peak Nascent Soul cultivators toe inside to support them. He knew they''d lose over 70% of their power instantly just from letting the poison touch their skin, but he believed they could take care of the child and the two girls before dying, letting the status quo remain.


    They remained outside earlier when they saw the white smoke and figured it was meant to deal with fifth-stage cultivators, making it way too dangerous for them. But now, they got direct orders to go in.


    Soon after, 10 disciples rushed inside the cave with their weapons in their hands. They instantly felt their body turn sluggish and unresponsive to their minds. Before they could adjust themselves to their new condition, Ken attacked.


    ''One Step.''


    ''sh Unwind.''


    Ken''s movements were extremely fast for anyone at their stage even if they were in perfect condition, but under the poisoning, Ken''s sword shed the throats of 5 disciples that were within his reach, killing them on the spot.


    ''sh ¨C 9 in 3.''


    "Enemy!"


    ¡¤?¦Èm They tried to react quickly, but 3 were dead before they even fought back. The two remaining enemies attacked, one with a spear and the other with a staff. Ken managed to dodge the spear but didn''t have the time topletely avoid the staff, and it hit his shoulder.


    ''My left shoulder de is broken.''

 Chapter 97 97 – Packing Up

    ?


    Ken managed to dodge the spear but didn''t have the time topletely avoid the staff, and it hit his shoulder.


    ''My left shoulder de is fractured.''


    He thought to himself as he repositioned himself in front of the two enemies. He knew he was risking getting hit when he performed the sh, but he wanted to kill his enemies quickly.


    He''d have a hard time defeating 5 disciples of a top sect fast enough to help his allies, and Miles'' win wasn''t assured even with the new help; the girls were too weak.


    ''Cloud Running.''


    Ken ran toward the two men, dodging every attack skillfully. He slipped through the thrusts of the spear and the swings of the staff like a slippery eel.


    ''Snake Thrust.''


    Ken found an opening a few secondster and took down the staff user, paying back for the pulses of pain he was having in his shoulder. Now it was a one-on-one battle against a weakened cultivator, and Ken only needed one attack to kill the man.


    ''Damn!''


    Ethan thought in panic when he saw the 10 men werepletely useless. They were killed by a single man whom he didn''t even know existed until a minute ago, and their slight advantage from earlier was gone.


    Now Diana was distracting Grace with her arrows while Jane tried to cleave her in half with her greatsword repeatedly, making it hard on her to keep pressuring Miles. The women from the Four Seasons Sect had to focus on taking down Miles first or else they''d leave an opening for him.


    Their support was enough to stop Miles from umting any more wounds, and a stalemate was created.


    Ken popped out a healing pill and let the others fight. He already divulged a lot of information about himself to secure their win, and he wasn''t feelingfortable about it.


    He simply watched the ongoing fight, ready to intervene if necessary. As time passed, Jane''s talisman consumption was reduced, and the two female enemies were now umting small wounds.


    The poison entered their blood system and ran in their veins. It was causing them pain, slowing down their heart rate, and jamming the stream of blood in their limbs.


    Not only Grace and Beatrix were affected; Ethan was having trouble defending against the monk''s attacks despite theirrge gap in cultivation base, and his partner''s attacks were not enough to shake Henry''s defenses anymore.


    "Guys, run! We can''t win!"


    Ethan shouted desperately. They were fighting for nearly 6 minutes now, and if the worst scenario happened, it meant that the formations would be reactivated soon. Even if it was the best scenario and they still had 4 minutes left, the poison would be their doom by then.


    At his shout, the two men and two women lunged toward the exit, trying to get outside. To their horror, they suddenly felt a strong pressure holding them back.


    ''It can''t be! It''s not 6 minutes yet, and are we really that unlucky that the Formation Suppressing Scroll''s effect expired right before we left?''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Grace, a formation master herself, thought inwardly in despair. Before they could leave, they were barraged with attacks, injuring the four of them grievously.


    "You used poison. This isn''t righteous, it''s evil methods!"


    Ethan said while breathing heavily on the ground. His two arms were crushed, and his chest caved in when he tried defending one of Henry''s palms under thebined suppression of the formations and the poison.


    "And you tried to gang up on 5 cultivators with a ratio of 4 to 1, not to mention your stages were higher than ours. Sounds evil to me."


    Ken mocked the man while thetter coughed blood and spat it on the ground. His friends'' situations weren''t any better; Grace lost an arm and Fire Qi was burning her lungs from the inside, Beatrix lost her lower body to Jane''s greatsword, and Jackie had an arrow in his heart.


    "Why the effect of the Formation Suppressing Scroll ended so early?"


    ''You can''t expect it tost long while suppressing over 20 fourth-rank formations, you know?''


    The scroll''s weakness was that it suppressed all the formations in the surrounding, so it also worked on the concealing formations, the suppressing formation, the revealing formations, and on every other formation in the cave.


    Without exining to the dying man, Ken waved his sword and shed the four, killing them all.


    "All right. Take their rings, take your new puppies, and let''s go."


    Ken left the looting work to his 4 goons and worked on removing all the formations he drew in the cave. Activating all those formations for two weeks cost a small fortune. The costs were around 2500 Qi Stones per hour, making it nearly a million Qi Stones overall.


    Luckily, the prey was rich enough to pay for the costs, and Ken didn''t even ask the others to participate in the funding.


    "Here, Little Brother Ken, this one is yours. There were 3 males and 2 females, so we each took one fitting for our gender."


    Diana handed Ken a small wolf pup, trying to shove it into Ken''s embrace.


    "Huh, no thanks, I''m good. You can keep this one to mate with yours."


    "That won''t do. A pet will bring some warmth into your life. Your dull expression will make all the girls smitten with you disappointed if they hang out with you."


    She insisted on leaving the pup under Ken''s care until conceded with a sigh and took the pup into his embrace.


    The little wolves could already keep their eyes open by now and even move freely. With his pills'' help, they didn''t need to eat half-ingested meat and were perfectly fine.


    His pills diet refined their bloodline and body every day, and he estimated that 2 monthster they''d be ready to consume second-grade pills, taking the next step in their evolution. Unfortunately, most of them won''t get the chance since he was the only one making those pills.

 Chapter 98 98 – Recuperating

    ?


    "Let''s retreat back to the sect. Our two weeks goal was already achieved, and their sect will send muchrger forces to take us down next time."


    Ken instructed his group who nodded in response. His status as the group''s leader was inevitable; the strongest people in the group were his bodyguards and entitled to follow his everymand. As for the two youngdies, they couldn''t do much when Ken''s side was the majority and after witnessing his means and talent.


    The group took healing pills and left the cave. They needed rest, but it wasn''t the right ce for that. After putting some distance from their former ambush spot, the five of them found a burrow of a hare and borrowed it for the night. Unluckily for the beast, they didn''t chase it away, but let it pass the night with them.


    Ken created concealing formations and the group could finally breathe calmly without having to be on their guard nervously. If they got attacked on the same scale as before, they''d have a hard time winning it in their exhausted state.


    They took turns in guarding and spent the night recuperating from their wounds by using healing pills and resting from the fatigue of the fight.


    The next day they headed to the sect and made it back by nightfall, making it 15 days inside. Elder Benjamin didn''t make an appearance, but they figured he lost interest once they stopped fighting, or his schedule was just busy.


    They had to find a good way to distribute the tokens among themselves since the two bodyguards couldn''t hand over tokens belonging to Core Formation disciples, and Ken came up with something that satisfied everyone.


    "Hello, Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters. May I see your discipleship tokens?"


    A female disciple wearing gray robes bowed and asked politely when the group came inside. Seeing their yellow robes, she acted respectfully.


    "Sure."


    They handed her their tokens and after scanning them, she rxed considerably and threw them the tokens back without much courtesy. Her eyes shed with a hint of affection toward the adorable pups, but she didn''t hold much respect for the humans in the group.


    "Oh, you''re part of our¡­ newest members. You can go to the Exchange Office to get rewards for anything valuable you''ve picked up."


    In a way, the Divine Sword Sect hoped those outsiders would die. They consumed their resources and were brought here to get killed. Both sects didn''t want a blown-out war, and once they could show enough casualties on the other side, they''d be able to stop their war.


    It was all about appearances and face; it was the role of the outsiders to be those casualties the two top sects needed to dere a cease-fire without losing face.


    "Sure, thank you."


    Miles said happily as they entered the sect''s territory and walked to their lodging area. They didn''t n on going together to the Exchange Office, and Ken nned on resting until his shoulder will be perfectly healed.


    -----


    Ken moved his shoulder in circles, enjoying the pain-free movements. It took his injury 3 days to be healed and bring him to top condition, but he felt refreshed after living in a house again.


    He didn''t meet Tiara ever since he came back, so he assumed the girl nned on remaining in the Outer Ring for a month straight or she simply died already. He could check with the Divine Sword Sect, but he didn''t care enough.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    For every discipleship token, there was a matching token that was kept in the sect. If the holder died while carrying the token near, the matching token would notify the sect of the disciple''s death.


    "Hey Ken, seems like you''re healed today. Are you going to the Exchange Office?"


    "Yes, I was nning to."


    Jane and Diana entered their house, each embracing a female wolf pup close to her chest.


    "We were thinking about it, it seems like the pups don''t like the pills they make here in the sect and want yours. Do you think we can buy them from you?"


    Jane asked hesitantly with an embarrassed tone. When they returned to the sect and found out Ken didn''t agree to lower his price from 500 medium Qi Stones for a first-grade pill, they told him to shove his pills down one of his intimate parts.


    ¡¤?¦Èm Ken wasn''t the one to invent the concept of nurturing beasts, and every sect had pills devised for purifying beasts'' bloodlines and making them grow stronger. They could buy tens of those pills with a single medium Qi Stone, so it was understandable why they were enraged by Ken''s pricing.


    However, to their dismay, their pups refused to eat those pills and only ate them on the verge of starvation while whimpering and crying, making their stance regarding those new pills clearer than the sun on a sunny day.


    Now, after 3 days of going through endless whimpers and protests from the pups, the two girls bowed their heads begrudgingly and asked for Ken''s pills.


    "Sure, 500 medium Qi Stones per pill."


    "But that''s a lot! It''s only a first-grade pill and we are friends, can''t you make it lower? Let''s say¡­ 1 medium Qi Stone per pill?"


    Diana clenched her teeth, holding her anger back forcibly while making a counteroffer.


    "No, I only sell them to you because you''re my friends. I wouldn''t make them for strangers."


    "Fine, but will you leave the price the same when they need second-grade pills?"


    Diana gave up and voiced her greater fear. She finally had a lot of resources to cultivate, and she already went on a shopping spree in the Divine Sword Sect despite the high prices, but she didn''t want to get ransacked by Ken for her pet.


    "Don''t be funny. Second-grade pills will cost 2,000 medium Qi Stones, and third-grade pills will cost 5,000 Qi Stones. Do you want the prices for the next phase?"


    Every three stages were considered a phase since the next stage had an extreme rise in power.

 Chapter 99 99 – Going To The Exchange Office

    ?


    "WHAT?"


    Diana didn''t stop herself and screamed. The wolf ate 5 pills daily, so feeding her cost 2500 Qi Stones daily for the next 2 months. That''s 75,000 Qi Stones per month, and the costs will rise to 300,000 per month when the pup bes a second-rank beast, and 750,000 in the next rank.


    As for after that, she didn''t dare think of the costs. As a talented core disciple, she got a very high monthly budget ¨C 100,000 medium Qi Stones per month along with other benefits and discounts. It was barely enough to sustain her training regime, and she could always use more money.


    "I can''t afford it! are you going to let Hazel starve to death? She is your pup''s sister!"


    "Hazel? But her fur is gray."


    "It''s irrelevant."


    "Well, yes. You forced my pup on me, so why would I care about its sister?"


    "''My pup''? You didn''t even name him yet? and why are you referring to him as ''it''?"


    "I did, his name is Emrys since he will be immortal by my side." (1)


    Ken made up a name on the spot and even gave it personal meaning. After bickering with Diana, he agreed to halve the price for the next two stages, mainly because it didn''t really matter to him.


    After providing them with enough pills for the next two months, he left the house and went to visit the Exchange Office to get his rewards.


    -------


    "Hello, how may I help you?"


    A disciple wearing gray robes said with a bored voice. He took the mission for the CP from the sect, but just like the rest of his sect, he looked down on everyone from sects out of the top 5.


    "I want to exchange my spoils for MP."


    "Sure. You can look at the exchange rate over there."


    He pointed at a board behind him, and Ken read it. MP''s value was higher than CP; the former was given during a war while thetter was earned in the daily activity of the sect.


    ''1 MP for one fourth-grade material.


    3 MP for one perfect fourth-grade pill.


    20 MP for a disciple token of a fourth-rank outer disciple.


    50 MP for a disciple token of a fourth-stage inner disciple.


    The reward for ranked disciples and core disciples change ording to their ranks.''


    He figured that the Divine Sword Sect didn''t want them to make easy money by selling pills in their sect, so they made it more lucrative to sell the materials than the pills. This way, only unneeded pills looted from the other sect would be sold.


    ''Let''s see the buying rate. 1 MP for a single fourth-grade material, 5 MP for one fourth-grade pill, 100 MP for a lower Earth-grade technique, 300 for an intermediate one, and 1000 for a higher one. They also offer a deal of registering to the sect and getting a low Heaven-grade technique for 100,000 MP.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Thest deal was almost impossible to aplish; the disciples of the top 5 sects were stronger than those of Ken''s sect, and to umte that many MP in a year, they''d need to ughter the disciples of the Four Seasons Sect.


    "Hey Little Brother, do you use pills to keep your youth? I think you''re kind of overdoing it."


    Ken raised his eyebrow at the outer disciple behind the counter. Despite his initial disdain, the man apparently was interested in Ken''s youthful look.


    "Why, do you want to look as young as me?"


    "No, of course not, no adult would want to look like a child. But if I were to want that, what pill is it?"


    "It''s not a pill. When I was a child, I found a golden fruit on my grandmother''s apple tree. It seemed tasty so I ate it, and it really was. However, I''ve never grown ever since eating that golden apple."


    "Oh."


    Ken turned back and gazed at the board for the fifth-stage cultivators. To his surprise, the prices were exactly the same; apparently, the sect wanted to keep the value of MP consistent cross-ranks. The only difference was a note saying that fourth-stage disciples will get double the points for fifth-stage disciple tokens.


    "Hello, if I want permission to get into your libraries, how much MP would it cost me?"


    "I don''t know, there''s no such reward."


    Ken was irritated, feeling like he was dealing with azy civil servant in his former world.


    "Can you check?"


    "Is it even relevant? How much CP do you have?"


    He asked Ken dubiously. Even if such a reward would be added to the rewards list, it''d be costly, and the payment would be by the hour.


    "That much."


    Ken poured the disciple tokens he collected during his stay in the mountains of the Outer Ring. He had 47 tokens before thest fight, and 18 of them belonged to fifth-stage cultivators. In thest battle, his share was 4 tokens of each rank, while the others took 3 tokens of their stages.


    "Wow, that''s a lot of tokens. Let''s see if you hunted anyone important."


    The outer disciple straightened his back and scanned the tokens one by one. Sometimes his face revealed surprise, and Ken figured it should be the times he saw tokens of fifth-stage cultivators.


    "All right. Overall, you submitted 55 disciple tokens, which is the highest number so far. Good job. Let''s begin with the tokens of fourth-stage cultivators. There are 33 of them, of which 16 are outer disciples, 12 are inner disciples, and 5 are ranked disciples."


    It made sense, so Ken wasn''t surprised. He figured that all the disciples from therge battle were ranked, and it was possible to stumble upon one more ranked disciple by luck when you hunt so many of them.


    "You get 320 MP from the outer disciples, 600 MP from the inner disciples, and 2,600 MP for the ranked disciples. Overall, you earned 3,520 MP from the fourth-stage disciples."


    ----------


    A/N: (1) Emrys ¨C the meaning of the name is ''immortal''.

 Chapter 100 100 – Undercurrent Troubles

    ?


    "Overall, you earned 3,520 MP from the fourth-stage disciples."


    "How does the rewarding work for the ranked disciples?"


    Ken asked curiously. He thought it''d be round, but 2,600 divided by 5 wasn''t round.


    "Top 1000 gives you 200 MP, and for every 100 ranks, there''s an increase of 50 MP in your reward. You killed 4 disciples from the top 200, and each awarded you with 600 MP, and one more from the top 1000 which awarded you with 200 MP."


    "I see, thanks. What ranking is it?"


    "There are many ranking lists. There is a list for alchemists, a list for formation masters, and a list forbat power, and they are divided by age. There is some ovepping in those lists, but overall, there are around 6000 ranked disciples in the fourth stage."


    The clerk changed his attitude after seeing Ken''s battle spoils. No matter how he did it, it showed serious potential. If Ken could continue raking in MP at this pace, he might have a chance at getting into his sect.


    "Okay, what about the tokens belonging to fifth-stage disciples?"


    "Right, you have 22 of them. 8 belong to outer disciples, 10 belong to inner disciples, and 4 belong to ranked disciples. I don''t know how you did it, but it''s amazing."


    The disciple at the counter nodded with appreciation.


    "Thank you. How much did I earn?"


    "160 for the outer disciples, 500 for the inner disciples, 2,200 for the ranked disciples, making it a sum of 2,860. Since you''re at the fourth stage you get double the amount, so you receive 5,720. Overall, you have 9,240 MP. Before you leave, I must ask. Did you find any inheritance?"


    "No, I''ve been lying in wait the whole time in the same cave, didn''t explore much of the area."


    "I see. May I help you with anything else?"


    "Just check the matter regarding entering the libraries for me. I want ess to the Alchemy library, the Formations library, and the Runes library."


    "Sure, you cane back tomorrow for the answer. Meanwhile, you can purchase ess to high-quality training rooms where you can cultivate peacefully under great conditions. It costs 1,000 MP."


    Ken made the purchase and thanked the man before leaving the Exchange Office. He headed to the training grounds to start his cultivation. His core was at its original size, and he needed to make it grow to the maximum size before condensing it again.


    ''That''s strange. One group of enemies we took down during our time consisted of disciples just as tough as thest group we defeated, so howe they weren''t in the top 300 too?''


    Upon entering he handed over his disciple token and was granted entry. To his dismay, he still had to pay 5 MP per hour to be in the training room even after buying the ess for 1,000 MP.


    ''They really do their best to squeeze us dry. One must kill 20 inner disciples just to ess the training rooms, and each additional inner disciple killed is enough only for 10 hours in the training rooms.''


    Ken paid the female disciple at the counter 75 MP, renting the room for 15 hours before he goes to sleep. He was satisfied when he saw they used the method of stacking formations, although they could onlybine two. He didn''t want to change anything since those formations were sixth-rank, better than what he could achieve.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He popped out a white pill to help his body absorb Qi faster as well as another pill, the yellow-colored Core Expanding Hastening Pill he had invented some time ago.


    The first pill''s job was to increase the volume of Qi that entered his body, while the second pill''s job was to allow his core to work with the increased Qi volume inside his body better without wasting it.


    ''There''s almost no Godly Qi left in my body. The little that remained should be enough to allow my body to mature to the best extent.''


    Ken used the reserves of his Godly Qi while cultivating the Foundation Phase which consists of the first three stages. Now, in the Nurturing Phase, he had to do with normal Qi.


    The Godly Qi he could spare was officially over when he formed his core and entered the Low Core Formation Stage, but it didn''t bother him; his goal to maximize his foundation was achieved.


    He focused on erging his core for those few hours and did nothing else. He already left 5 pills to Emrys before leaving and told him that he would starve to death if he eats them before time, forcing the pup to control himself and eat only during mealtime.


    Once his 15 hours were over, he returned to the house and found the girls waiting for him there while watching the pups y among themselves.


    ---------


    2 days ago in Serene Lotus Sect, also known as the 1st ranked sect in the continent:


    "Elder Elmer, some of our disciples diedst night."


    Elder Elmer, an intermediate eighth-stage cultivator and a respectable elder of Serene Lotus Sect, oversaw a certain operation the sect was running in the central zone.


    "Did they have stolen tokens?"


    "Yes, they sent us a message a few hours before their fall that they got tokens from some disciples of Four Seasons Sect they had killed earlier, and that they were going to hunt Divine Sword Sect disciples."


    "Good, it means there is no evidence they''re from our sect. It''s a shame we lost some disciples from the top 500, but we were ready to ept casualties as long as the losses were bigger for the other sides."


    Elmer gave the order to continue the operation and warn the disciples to be more careful. Even if they were known to be the strongest out there, the other sects in the top 5 weren''t much weaker. Being overconfident will cause unnecessary casualties.


    Serene Lotus Sect sent many of their top 500 disciples out to infiltrate the territory marked as a war zone. Their job was to kill disciples from one side, steal their disciples, and kill as many disciples from the other side of their new identity as they could before returning.


    Last night, a group of 4 disciples wandered into Ken''s ambush and got killed, marking them as the first casualties of the strongest sect in the continent in this war.


    ''We can''t let them have peace. We need to re the war and make their rtionship truly irreconcble.''


    With this thought in mind, he decided to go along with Elder Theodore to enter the Central Zone and watch the operation. The two of them were extremely proficient in concealment, making them the best for the task.

 Chapter 101 101 – The Formation Mastery Library

    ?


    "Don''t you know that educating kids through starvation and suffering has detrimental effects on their psychological well-being?"


    Diana scolded Ken the moment he walked inside after returning from the training rooms.


    "What are you talking about, I just helped Emrys learn a lesson in dyed gratification. Besides, he isn''t a kid, he is a wolf pup."


    "Raising a pup is a huge responsibility, and you can''t brush it off like that. Emrys needs your attention!"


    "Right. Anyway, how much MP did you earn?"


    "Hehe, we both had 3 ranked disciples in the top 200 and one in the top 1000! I earned 3440!"


    Jane spoke enthusiastically once the topic came up. She agreed with Ken regarding raising the pups and was only forced by her best friend to ce so much effort into raising her pup.


    "I earned 3380."


    "I see, that''s great. If theoretically, you get 100,000 MP, would you join the Divine Sword Sect to grow stronger?"


    "Of course not, we aren''t ingrates. Our masters invested a lot in us, and we won''t turn our backs on them just for a few benefits. Why, are you considering changing sects?"


    Diana asked with a nervous voice. She almost forgot her original task was to get close to Ken; she learned to appreciate his talent and personality during their time adventuring together in the Outer Ring.


    "I don''t think I will. Maybe if I was on my own, but my n is still in the Phoenix Feather Sect. I was just amusing myself with this question since it seems possible for us to collect enough MP."


    Ken said with a smile while lying in his bed. His smile soon turned sad when the two couldn''t see him.


    ''It''s a shame, it seems like their connection to the sect is too strong; they don''t fit being by my side in the long run.''


    ---------


    Ken returned to the Exchange Office the next day, finding there the same male outer disciple that gave him service the other day.


    "Hello, Junior Brother."


    "Hello, do you have an answer regarding my request to get ess to the library?"


    "Yes, I''ve passed your request on to the elder in charge, who said you can have ess to the libraries. The charging will be by the hour, and the cost depends on the level you want ess to."


    "Tell me about all of them."


    Ken had to learn about Runology from start to finish, so he needed ess to all levels.


    "The costs are consistent between libraries. The first floor consists of knowledge of the three first ranks, then each rank has a separate floor. The first floor costs 10 MP per hour, and each floor costs double the floor below it. It should be irrelevant, but I should tell you that you can''t have ess beyond the third floor."


    It meant that Ken could only have ess to knowledge of fifth-rank masters or lower, but he didn''t mind, it was enough for the current him. He mainly used fourth-rank pills for himself as he was at the fourth stage.


    "All right, good. How do I get to the libraries?"


    "You need to purchase ess first as you''ve done with the training rooms. It will be 5000 MP per library."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Ken looked irritably at the man and just nodded when he understood he didn''t have any other choice. He''d demand the clerk to call for the manager, but he doubted it''d help.


    "I would like to purchase ess to the Formation Mastery Library."


    "Sure thing."


    The man took Ken''s discipleship token and imbued it with a rune that granted him ess.


    Ken chose the Formation Mastery Library since he could make out the most of it. Learning Runology now wasn''t as important since he already had a weapon and didn''t need talismans. His Alchemy skills were great as they were, but his Formation Mastery was stillcking.


    ''I have slightly over 3000 MP left. Let''s go and use them.''


    Ken headed toward the library and soon faced a guard at the entrance. After showing his token, he was granted ess and entered the library. The formations in the library were advanced, and everything worked automatically; 10 MP were deducted from his discipleship token.


    Stepping into the grand library, the child''s gaze swept across the vast expanse of the first floor. Rows upon rows of meticulously organized books beckoned to him, their wisdom waiting to be discovered.


    There were local disciples wearing yellow robes everywhere, but the sheer size of the building prevented the ce from getting too cramped.


    Yet, this floor didn''t contain what he needed; he was sure he already knew all there was to know about the formations of the first three ranks. With a sense of purpose, he moved toward the stairs.


    Nothing blocked his way when he tried climbing to the next floor. Ascending to the second floor, Ken''s footsteps echoed against the polished marble floor. The shelves stood shorter, but their contents delved deeper into the science of Formation Mastery.


    Ken looked around him, seeing considerably fewer disciples than on the former floor. Here, everyone was a professional who nned to take Formation Mastery as his future path, unlike the previous floor where many of the current readers were destined to quit.


    Ken started reading everything he found. Most of it was ovepping with the knowledge he gained in the past, but he didn''t have the time to separate old from new.


    He nced at every page for under a second before moving on to the next page, fully intent on reading the bookster from his mind rather than wasting his precious MP by reading them inside the library.


    Ken passed the next few hours ncing at books too fast for it to be even considered skimming. The formation automatically deducted 20 points from his token every hour, but he had long forgotten about the passage of time as he took one book after another.


    It took him 14 hours to go over everything the library had on Formation Mastery despite skipping every book he recognized from the n''s library.


    The next day, Ken found himself on the third floor, ready to grind again. This floor had even fewer readers than the previous one. Not only they were all considered talented for being fifth-rank masters, but they were also all past their thirties, making Ken look out of ce.


    The young child ignored the people around him, and after a nce or two, they did the same; their goal was solely to improve themselves.


    He repeated his actions from the second floor, but one day wasn''t enough to cover it all. It took Ken 3 days before he finally covered everything; his n was much less knowledgeable in the higher ranks.


    ''Now I need to pretend to be a curious child.''


    Ken returned to the first floor and spent a few hours reading some of the books for third-rank formations. More precisely, he pretended to read the book he held in his hands while he was going over the books in his memory.


    Although Elder Benjamin might know he can make formations of the fourth rank, he believed the man wasn''t the type to gossip.


    After allegedly reading 3 books in the course of 8 hours, Ken stood up and left the library.

 Chapter 102 102 – A Child And A Monk At The River

    ?


    ''Time to go and meditate on everything I''ve learned.''


    Ken thought to himself as he returned to his temporary house. He memorized many formations and theoretical knowledge, but he had to read them from his memory and integrate his knowledge as always.


    "Hey Ken, when are we going inside the Outer Ring again?"


    Jane asked him when he entered the house.


    "Let''s take half a year break to improve ourselves. We''ve fought a lot there and we can all break through some bottlenecks and get stronger. Maybe even break through to the next stage."


    "All right."


    Jane was relieved to hear his words.


    "Let''s take half a year break to improve ourselves."


    "All right."


    Jane was relieved to hear his words. Although it was possible for Ken to umte 100,000 CP throughout a year, he wouldn''t be able to do that if he took half a year break. Since he took this break, it meant he nned to go back to the sect with them.


    Jane and Diana both were on the edge ever since he asked them whether they wanted to switch sects, but the two felt they could finally calm down.


    "Do you know how many died?"


    Around three weeks passed since the beginning, and nearly all disciples from Phoenix Feather Sect chose to enter the central zone by now. When they realized that everything was overpriced in transactions made with Qi Stones, they wanted to venture into the central zone and earn some MP instead.


    "We''ve checked with the representatives of Divine Sword Sect, and they told us that so far 114 died in the central zone."


    Ken raised an eyebrow when he heard it. Over 10% of the initial number of disciples died in the first 3 weeks, and many of them have only been there for a few days.


    Although the survivors could simply choose to go back to Phoenix Feather Sect after being inside for a month, it''d be a waste of the trip to go back without stocking a considerable number of resources first.


    "That''s tragic. I guess at least half of them will die before the year is over."


    "You mean half of us. We are all from the same sect."


    "That''s what I said. Anyway, I''m going to train, and I want quiet surroundings. I''m going to find a newly emptied house."


    Ken walked around the area where his sect members slept in the past few days and noticed which ones have been constantly empty. He picked one of them and made it his own. Before entering, he wrote an instruction inrge letters on the wall.


    *Caution, dangerous formations inside. Go to house number 199 if this was your house.*


    He signed it with his name *Sue Ken* and a small drawing of his family''s symbol. House number 199 was his bodyguards'', and he trusted them to deter anyone from trying to take back the house.


    Once everything was prepared, he sat down and meditated while recalling the books from his memory. With each passage he absorbed, his understanding grew, and his mind integrated the wealth of knowledge stored inside it.


    The process took a few days; he read hundreds of thousands of pages in the library, and now he was going through them all afterbining them with what he already knew from the past. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    With a speed of one page per second, he saved in his mind around 3,500 pages per hour, and each one of them was full of minute details andplicated drawings.


    ------


    Ken stood up and to headed toward a river nearby to take a bath. It was the first time he left the house since he sat down to absorb all the knowledge about Formation Mastery, and he was quite filthy. Luckily, cultivators didn''t develop illnesses and skin problems easily, so other than the smell, his body was fine with theck of hygiene.


    ''Fortunately, there''s a separation between the bathing area for men and women, so I won''t run into the sect''s fairy while she''s bathing by ident and start a wonderful rtionship of saving her from a nefarious and licentious young master and endless troubles.''


    Ken amused himself in his mind while stepping into the river, but to his surprise, he did run into someone he knows.


    "Oh, hello Henry, how''s your cultivation going?"


    He asked the bald monk who was sitting on the riverbank and listening to the water flow. However, the monk remained as silent as always, never speaking a word. Looking at him, Ken felt a weird intent emanating from the monk, and he felt as if he heard him say he was fine.


    ''Is that how Milesmunicates with him?"


    Looking around him, Ken saw there was nobody else but them, so he asked something that has been bothering him for a while now.


    "I see. I''ve been wondering, howe the sect allowed you to keep your inheritance to yourself when it''s so powerful?"


    The monk didn''t answer immediately. He eventually raised his hand and sent a pulse of Qi, and words were written on the river bank.


    *It hasn''t. I''ve given away everything I found in my inheritance.*


    The child read the monk''s words, and didn''t believe them one bit.


    "Right. What was your ranking in the top list for your age group before we left?"


    *48th. Miles was ranked 51st.*


    "I see. Your strengths must be alike if you''re so close in rankings."


    Ken said with an obvious hint of mockery in his voice. ording to Henry''s words, there was no difference between their strengths, yet in their battle against the 20 members of the Four Seasons Sect, the monk was handling his enemies easily while Miles was tormented by his, and that''s while Henry''s enemies were stronger.


    Ken felt another intenting from the monk, and concentrating on it, a thought passed through his head.


    ''Nothing is forever except change. I''ve grown stronger.''


    "You don''t have to worry about me knowing your secret. I''m not nning to remain in the sect for long, and I know you don''t either."


    Henry moved his head in the direction of the child who was bathing in front of him. He knew they were both hiding stuff. He remembered Ken''s strength and it was at least as high as his when he was an intermediate Core Formation cultivator. Such strength couldn''t be achieved in their sect.


    "You have a pleasant voice, but your bloodlust is too strong. Have you killed aimlessly?"

 Chapter 103 103 – Seducing A Monk

    ?


    "You have a pleasant voice, but your bloodlust is too strong. Have you killed aimlessly?"


    "Is my bloodlust filthy?"


    Ken was controlling the Bloodlust Qi around him, coating himself with a thickyer of it to let the monk sense it better. He knew he got under the monk''s skin if he made him talk. Ken didn''t know if Miles was speaking the truth when he said the monk never spoke, but the young boy never believed that he couldn''t.


    "No¡­ it''s overwhelming and menacing. It makes one''s feel there''s a danger looming above their head."


    "Then you have your answer, it wasn''t achieved by filthy actions."


    Ken was confident in his bloodlust. His bloodlust was fundamentally different from others'' since it wasn''t as simple as a side effect of killing many people. Instead, it was part of his soul and an attribute of his core.


    ''What do you want from me?''


    Ken felt this intenting from the monk, probing to understand his goals. Ken''s goal was simple, he believed that this monk was the perfect hypocrite. His discipline allowed him to view nearly anyone as his enemy and kill them mercilessly while pretending to be righteous.


    At the same time, by recognizing Ken as an ally, it''d be hard for him to target Ken as an enemyter and try to harm him, and if he tries to, there will be at least a few signs that would warn Ken in advance.


    "Nothing, I want you to be by my side since I trust your character. Your deep foundation coupled with my support will allow you to reach farther heights than you can imagine."


    "How can you help me?"


    "For starters, your foundation isn''t deep enough. Don''t you think so?"


    Henry''s usual calm expression finally broke, and Ken could see signs of surprise. He was confident in facing Ethan, the high Nascent Soul cultivator they fought in the Outer Ring, even when thetter was in top condition if he went all out.


    "My foundation? I haven''t seen anyone with a deeper foundation than mine."


    "Well, hello there, here I am."


    Ken spread his hands with a confident smile. His lower body was submerged underwater, but his upper body was exposed.


    "I admit that our foundation is simr in strength, but I don''t think yours is better."


    "Here, take this. Let''s talk after you consume these pills."


    Ken nned this conversation with the monk long ago, and he prepared a few pills in advance. He threw the monk a few perfect pills to increase the strength of his body and brain, the very first stage of cultivation.


    "Third-grade pills? I''ve already gained the maximum benefits from those."


    By now, the formerly mute monk was talking normally. Henry opened the lid of the jade bottles and sensed the pills inside. The old female monk left behind for her inheritor a storage ring filled with treasures and pills meant to help him grow as perfectly as possible.


    There were plenty of pills there, and Miles got to where he was today because Henry even had some powerful pills to spare.


    "Try them first. The gray pill will strengthen your bones, take it."


    Henry was already sitting down and just swallowed the gray Bones Strengthening pill. He felt Qi from the pill seeping into his bones and strengthening them further, elevating his strength. It wasn''t a qualitative change, but it was a change, and if he could have that change before forming his core, he''d be even stronger now.


    Intrigued, he took out a red pill and consumed it.


    "This is the Blood Vessel Strengthening pill; the name is self-exnatory."


    Ken exined to the monk which pill he was taking whenever thetter popped a new pill. He gave him a set of body-strengthening pills, one simr to the set he took a few years ago with Sol. Next was the Skin Strengthening pill, the Organ Strengthening pill, and eventually the Brain Strengthening pill.


    "What about my nascent soul, my core, my soul, and my meridians?"


    The monk asked, unable to hide his growing interest in joining Ken''s side.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Ken smiled and brought many pills out of his storage ring, making them slowly hover and spin around him.


    "There are pills for everything, and you can enjoy all the benefits by being my ally."


    "When are you nning to leave Phoenix Feather Sect?"


    "When I feel I have an opportunity to get stronger somewhere else. Aren''t you the same?"


    "Indeed. I thought to join Peaceful Demon Sect, they have more resources rted to Buddha and Demonic cultivation."


    "Then there shouldn''t be a problem. I don''t know which sect I will join, but it won''t be Four Seasons Sect nor Peaceful Demon Sect, since they don''t fit me."


    Out of the top 5, those two didn''t match his strengths. The former specialized in Elemental Qi while thetter specialized in Buddhism and Demonism. Serene Lotus Sect and Divine Sword Sect could support his sword cultivation better, while the fifth sect, Infinite Wisdom Sect, specialized in creation.


    No sect was self-sufficient when it came to pills, talismans, and scrolls. Infinite Wisdom Sect focused on supportive professions like Alchemy, Runology, Formation Mastery, cksmithing, and more. They groomed thergest number of masters in those fields, and their merchandise was the pir of the cultivation world.


    In truth, theirbat power was weaker than any other sect in the top 10 when it first joined the top 5. However, they demanded the fifth rank in exchange for increasing their manufacturing volume and giving priority to the top 4 sects. Those four sects joined hands to ensure the deal will be made, and thus Infinite Wisdom gained its rank.


    Now, after many years of enjoying the benefits of cultivation in the superior environment of the Central Zone, even theirbat strength rose, and they could match the former 5th-rank sect in prowess.


    "Anyway, here''s a set of pills to empower your foundation. You can pass the next month consuming it. If you want me to strengthen the attributes of your core, I need high-quality items embedded in Demonic and Buddhist Qi that I can extract. The richer and purer the Qi inside, the better I can make those pills."


    "Sure, take this ne."


    Henry sent Ken a brown bead ne with his Qi. Ken sensed that half of the beads were demonic while the others had Buddhist Qi.


    "I need your help with something, Henry. How would you describe your luck?"


    "It''s pretty good, I guess. Nothing special."


    Ken felt a strong desire to beat the bald monk, but just rxed after pursing his lips. The monk got an overpowered inheritance by simply stumbling upon it, and now he was getting free pills from him without working for them. Unlike Ken who worked and learned to get where he was, Henry had everything served to him on a tter of silver.


    "I see. I would like you to share it with me. My luck is quite terrible, you see, and I have a technique that can share luck between two people. Do you mind?"


    "I don''t believe in luck, and I think yours must be pretty good to get where you are today. Sure, you can do your magic trick."


    Ken approached him and activated his technique, feeling a surge of luck leaving his body and a new surge of luck, stronger than the previous one,ing in.


    He released Annie''s luck without being by her side, making her luck disappear. She''ll never be able to restore it again.


    "You cane to my new ce in a week to pick up the new pills, I''m sure you''ve heard of it."


    "I have. I had to deter 3 low Nascent Soul cultivators from kicking you out."


    Ken just shrugged it off.


    "That''s what bodyguards are for."


    From that moment, the monk returned to his mute persona.


    --------


    I opened a Discord server for the novel. You''re wee to join! (Link in the synopsis)

 Chapter 104 104 – Improving Techniques Mastery

    ¡¤?¦Èm ?


    ''It''s time to cultivate more diligently. During my time in the sect, I had to spend a lot of time concocting pills to instigate this war, but now that I don''t need to concoct pills for hours every day, my cultivation''s speed can finally increase.''


    Ken thought to himself as he remembered his time in Phoenix Feather Sect. It took him a whole year to advance from the low substage to the intermediate, but now he could focus on cultivation instead of concoction and fooling around with Annie.


    ''First, I should improve my mastery of my techniques. I''ve improved a lot during my fights since the time I got to the Small Sess mastery realm.''


    Ken could afford only one month in the training rooms while being there for 16 hours per day. He nned to use the sturdy rooms for practicing his techniques and then go back to his house and cultivate his core in the confines of those walls.


    He could do triple fifth-rank formations of a very high caliber, and the results won''t be too much behind the double sixth-rank Qi Gathering formations in the training rooms.


    He entered the training room again, paying 5 MP per hour. The room was spacious enough to practice in it, 8 meters in width and 8 meters in length.


    Ken took out a new pill from his storage ring; its name was the Surging Sword pill. Its effect was to flood the consumer''s body with Sword Qi, making it easier to execute sword techniques and feel closer to the sword.


    The disadvantage was the painful state it''d put the user in and the toll it took on one''s body. Ken only made it for training rather than boosting his power in a fight.


    The Sword Qi used in the pill originated from sixth-stage cultivators; Ken still had a small stock of those that he purchased in advance from his sect. Ken could never generate such powerful Sword Qi on his own before advancing, so it was a good way to empower his affinity with the sword temporarily.


    ''Let''s remember the situation from the cave.''


    Ken closed his eyes as he stood in the room and remembered the moment 10 peak fourth-stage disciples rushed into the cave to aid their seniors.


    *10 disciples rushed inside the cave with their weapons in their hands. They instantly felt their body turn sluggish and unresponsive to their minds. Before they could adjust themselves to their new condition, Ken attacked.*


    ''But what if they were scattered across the room instead of being so close to each other? I wouldn''t be able to take down 5 of them with sh Unwind, its range is too short.''


    Ken pondered on the problem and soon knew he had only one attack that could send middle-range attacks, and it was sh.


    ''But 9 in 9 is too weak, while 9 in 3 would only kill 3 disciples. I want to kill them all at once.''


    Ken saw the situation clearly in his mind as he used One Step andnded in the middle of the group. Only two people were in close range, so sh Unwind didn''t fit the bill.


    He used sh 9 in 3, killing three disciples at once, but only a frown appeared on his face.


    ''Not good enough!''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Ken reyed the same scene in his mind over and over again, reliving that moment. His body moved inside the training room ordingly to the scene that appeared in his mind. He moved, dashed, and shed. The training room walls were protected with sixth-rank formations, and they absorbed the impacts easily.


    ''Since I squared the attack once, I can do it again!''


    In that instant, 81 shes came out of his sword, hitting the walls around him. Ken managed to pull off 81 in 81, making his sh much more powerful.


    Ken envisioned the 10 disciples rushing into the cave while he was standing nearby. He used One Step andnded among them. Only two people were in melee range, and he couldn''t use sh Unwind. This time, he performed sh, 81 in 9, cleaving 9 people in half.


    ''This is the power of Big Sess mastery realm with a top-notch Heaven-grade technique.''


    Ken thought to himself. The power was amazing and allowed him to ughter his enemies. Until before his 9 in 1 attack was overwhelming for people of the same stage, and from now on he will be able to send 9 of those simultaneously.


    sh Unwind also became nearly unstoppable in the Big Sess mastery realm; rather than send a fast sh in a straight line, he could curve the strike, making it possible to go beyond the enemy''s block.


    To improve a technique, one would first master them to the Basic mastery realm. In the Basic mastery realm, one could keep improving the effects of the technique, experiencing a quantitative improvement. Once they hit a bottleneck, they might be able to get to the next mastery realm, thus gaining both a quantitative improvement and a qualitative one by adding a new effect to the technique.


    Ken continued working on his techniques by envisioning the situation he faced back then in the cave, but instead of reying the original scene, he changed the setting ever so slightly to fit for his other techniques.


    For Snake Thrust, which was a great single-target technique, he imagined fighting with the fifth-stage cultivator head-to-head instead of ambushing him. He imagined simr scenes for each technique until they all were raised to the Big Sess Realm, other than Sheathed Man and his bloodlust techniques, for which he had to find a different way to practice.


    ''I might be able to fight Miles on equal grounds now.''


    Ken thought to himself with satisfaction. Even if his raw power couldn''t match with Miles'', his techniques were superior. He estimated that Miles'' mastery of his techniques should also be in the Big Sess mastery realm, and probably not all of them.


    ''Now time to increase my core''s power.''


    Ken returned to his house that day to resume his cultivation. For 3 months, he sat 16 hours straight every day and absorbed Qi into his core, taking breaks only to eat and sleep.


    Miles made sure to leave enough food for the day outside his door, and Ken took it in the morning before going back to his cultivation.


    ''Finally, I''m ready to break through to the next substage.''

 Chapter 105 105 – High Formation Core Stage

    ?


    ''Finally, I''m ready to break through to the next substage.''


    Ken constantly used the Core Expanding Hastening Pill throughout his cultivation, hastening his core''s growth speed by a few times. He also set up a triple Concealing Formation in the house to hide the triple Qi Gathering Formation, which he fed only with higher Qi Stones to enjoy purer Qi.


    Since he already used the original Core Expanding Inducer Pill when he broke through to the intermediate phase and developed tolerance, he had to concoct a variation of the pill once he reached the maximum size, four times the original.


    He created a variation of the pill by recing some of the original ingredients with materials of the fifth grade, granting his pills stronger effects while wasting much of those materials'' essence whenbining them with the rest of the ingredients to prevent the mixture from being imbnced.


    It was an expensive solution, but he didn''t mind paying it for bing stronger. Even after wasting so much money he still had more money than he first came to Divine Sword Sect; the robbing industry was that lucrative.


    Once again, he managed to erge his core by 5.5 times after consuming 12 pills, hitting his maximum at the same number asst time. Once ready, he took out the emerald Core Condensing Pill and worked on condensing his core.


    ''Back to the original size, now it''s time to bathe. I just need to decide what to do with the two girls since they know too much about me and would never betray the sect.''


    Ken washed with a simple water technique to get rid of the sweat, wore his clothes back, and undid the formations that covered the floor, walls, and ceiling.


    ----------


    "Hey girls, anything new?"


    Ken walked into the apartment of the girls, finding them both ying with their pups. Ken has let Emrys stay with him during his training to enjoy the high Qi density in the house but didn''t give him any attention beyond that.


    "You need to knock before entering, especially given your Big Sisters are popr pretty girls."


    "Weird, I didn''t see anyoneing to hit on you when I was around you. Anyway, I''m a child, I don''t know any better."


    Ken shrugged it off as always with his child excuse, but the two girls just scoffed at his words.


    "Who would dare approach us when we hang around the forbidden fruit? Nobody is that self-confident."


    "And you can''t use the child excuse after we saw you behead 5 people simultaneously without a hint of hesitation or disgust on your face."


    "Ah, who knew that our Forbidden Fruit is so twisted."


    The girls talked among themselves before Ken stopped them to talk about what he came for.


    "Are you done with your training?"


    "Yes, we broke through to the peak of the Core Formation Stage a few days ago. I did it first by the way."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jane dered proudly, and Diana just rolled her eyes. It was only a 2-day difference.


    "All right, so we are all set to go. We won''t wait for the bodyguards this time. Since the enemies keep the rules of war, their presence isn''t that important, and I know that they are about to have a breakthrough."


    The twodies exchanged worried looks before Diana spoke.


    "We gained a lot more resources thanks to their presencest time. Besides, the fifth-stage cultivators can stop us from killing their juniors, and without Miles and Henry, we won''t be able to do anything about it."


    They both thought having the two men by their side was necessary. They knew their bounty would be much less bountiful without themst time.


    "Don''t worry, we will just go there for a week to get ustomed to our new strength and return. I also broke through to the next stage and want to try it out. Even if we lose some prey because they aren''t by our side, we will be safe until they are done with their cultivation session and can apany us again."


    They nodded hesitantly andplied with his wishes. In a way, he did make sense; they nned on plundering resources inside for the next 7 months to gain more resources, and maybe even buy a higher Earth-grade technique that fits them better than what their sect had.


    "All right, there''s no point in ying with the pups all day anyway. But we muste back every week and check on them. The pups are now second-rank beasts, but it''s not enough, what should we do with them?"


    "Let Miles take care of them, I will leave enough pills for them for a couple of weeks."


    "Wouldn''t it hinder his cultivation?"


    "Nah, he can let them y among themselves. Besides, he is kinda a pushover."


    Diana and Jane froze for a moment before nodding naturally after thinking about Ken''s words; they made sense.


    After leaving the pups at Miles'', the trio headed toward the border with the Outer Ring, entering after having their tokens checked.


    "Last time we spent the whole time in the mountains. I heard that in the 15% of the Outer Ring that was dictated for the war, there are mountains, one forest, and one volcanic belt. We don''t have the third one near our sect, want to pay it a visit?"


    Ken suggested to the women. Although he expected the ce to have mainly materials with Fire Qi, he wanted to experience the terrace and see the ce for himself.


    "Yes, sure. But remember, one week and we go back."


    The trio headed to the huge volcanic mountain. It was over 50 kilometers away, and Ken and Diana stayed alert the whole trip. It took them 2 hours to get there by jogging, breaking a light sweat.


    Diana, Jane, and Ken stood in awe as they arrived at the volcanic belt. The air hummed with anticipation, and a mix of excitement and trepidation filled their hearts. Before them, a majestic panorama unfolded; volcanoes dotted thendscape, their peaks crowned with wisps of smoke and hints of fiery hues.


    Diana gasped, her eyes wide with wonder, as she felt the immense power of the Earth Qi and Fire Qi beneath her feet. Jane looked around excitedly, looking for potential burning monsters to fight, while Ken had to remind them to be on the lookout for humans and treasures.

 Chapter 106 106 – The Volcanic Belt

    ?


    "All right, let''s look for some treasures and humans to rob."


    Ken and thedies started climbing the volcanic mountain carefully. Most of the mountains in the region were in a state of persistent effusion, meaning they steadily released a flow of magma without erupting in gushes and violence.


    Diana could generate a small wind by releasing a steady flow of Wind Qi from her core, keeping the poisonous air away.


    On this trip, Diana''s job was to keep their presence concealed while Ken used Blood Sense to notice iing dangers like humans or beasts. With his new stage, the technique''s radius increased to a kilometer, but it was still in the Small Sess mastery realm since his former training method didn''t help him improve his mastery.


    "It''s a shame we don''t have Henry with us, he is the best treasure-detector we could ask for."


    The three spent a few hours on the mountain, and they started getting sick of the view. It was hot, smelly, and the poisonous air consumed Diana''s Qi constantly, irritating her further.


    ¡¤?¦Èm There were mainly fifth-rank beasts since most of the fourth-rank ones had a hard time surviving in this environment. Furthermore, they didn''t find any enemies there, showing how unpopr the region was.


    "Ahm, should we give up and go to the forest? I feel like we''re wasting our time here without Henry."


    Jane asked after being denied from fighting yet another beast because of the beast''s higher rank.


    "We''re already here. Four Seasons Sect is specialized in elemental Qi, so it should be a popr site for those cultivating Fire Qi. We just need more patience; it''s only been 4 hours since we got here."


    The girls grumbled but followed Ken regardless. They hunted the few fourth-rank beasts Ken found and evaded the stronger ones. Every now and then Ken would give a signal to Diana that they were safe, and she''d try to use the wind to find secret entrances.


    "Hey, I can sense a few humans, but it feels like they''re inside the mountain as if they entered through the magma. Try seeing if you can find an entrance."


    Ken stopped the group when he noticed the presence of 5 humans. His technique could go beyond solid matter, but it''d be hard for him to find secret entrances. Diana, in contrast, couldn''t sense beyond solid matter but was better at finding tunnels.


    "I found it, it''s 800 meters to the north. There''s ava fall on the mountainside, and it hides the entrance. What are their ranks?"


    "They have 4 disciples at the fourth stage and one at the fifth stage. We can try to take some of them out by surprise before the Nascent Soul cultivator can intervene."


    "No, it''s too risky."


    "There''s nothing risky about it. By the rules of war, the fifth-stage guy can''t prevent us from taking the discipleship tokens if we kill them. We just won''t enjoy their wealth."


    "What if he doesn''t abide by the rules?"


    "He must, he will risk dying otherwise. Here, take Concealment Pills."


    He brought out his Concealment Pills and distributed a few to the girls. They felt ufortable following Ken''s instructions, but Ken already left toward theva fall Diana had pointed at before.


    "Well, how do we survive the magma? It might be better to head back."


    Diana said worriedly, but Ken just took out a pill that his subordinates would recognize easily. It was the Chill Pill, which helped them fight the poison that kept trying to burn their hearts.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Those are Chill Pills; they can keep your bodies cold even in hot ces."


    Ken nned to use it to keep their bodies cold and fight off the endless heat of the ce.


    "Why didn''t you take those out earlier if you had them?"


    Diana hissed at him and instantly swallowed one without hesitation, letting out a sigh of relief as soon as she felt the chill invading her cells. Her hair stuck to her face because of her sweat, and she felt ufortable in her robes. She already opened them as much as she could.


    "I don''t have an endless supply of them, so I preferred keeping them for when it really matters."


    "Finally we can fight some enemies. But even I think it will be a bad idea to continue the fight if the Nascent Soul cultivator stands in our way."


    Jane voiced her opinion while the three prepared to enter the tunnel behind theva fall. She handed everyone a fourth-rank defense talisman to protect them while they enter the cave.


    The talismans took effect as soon as the magma was about to hit their bodies, creating a dome of Qi above their heads and deflecting the iing magma. Itsted less than a second, and the three were already inside.


    "All right, let''s wait here for when theye back outside and ambush them."


    Inside the volcanic mountain, a dark tunnel stretched before them. The air was heavy with the scent of sulfur, the rough walls bore the marks of past eruptions, and the temperature rose in the deeper parts.


    They heard faint rumbling echoing in the distance and saw drips of moisture hinting at hidden springs deeper inside.


    -----------


    "They''reing back. Prepare yourselves."


    The three took their ces and Diana aimed her bow. She boosted the arrow with Wind Qi, ready to propel it forward at an extreme speed to kill an unsuspecting enemy.


    "Which one is at the fifth stage?"


    "The one in the middle. In three they wille from the turn 120 meters away. 1¡­ 2¡­ 3!"


    Diana was surprised to find out that Ken sensed them while she didn''t sense anything. It meant they could bypass her technique, but not Ken''s. She let the air out of her lungs and released the arrow.


    Ken was quite confident of his Concealment Pills. They were all concocted with his self-invented Heaven-grade concoction techniques, allowing them to bring forth much stronger effects.


    The arrow flew at high speed, piercing through the eye of a female disciple that walked with a pout on her face, a remnant of a recent argument.


    "Eve, no! I will avenge you even if I get killed for it!"

 Chapter 107 107 – Chase In The Volcanic Belt

    ?


    "Eve, no! I will avenge you even if I get killed for it!"


    To everyone''s distress, the one shouting was none other than the Nascent Soul disciple. He was at the low phase of the stage, but still a powerful cultivator one major stage above them.


    "Who did it? Come out!"


    He released his nascent soul, sensing everything around him. The three remained silent and didn''t dare leak a tiny bit of Qi. However, he''d eventually find them since they were trapped in the tunnel.


    They exchanged looks, nodded in understanding, and looked toward the exit. Ken raised 3 fingers and started lowering them one by one, acting as a countdown.


    ''0!''


    The three of them turned around and dashed to the exit at full speed. Upon exiting, they split up and ran in three different directions, doing their best to shake off the chaser.


    "After them! I want them alive so I can kill them myself!"


    The leader screamed in rage when he saw them running away and chased after them. As soon as he saw them splitting up, he chose to chase Diana since she carried a bow. Of the remaining three, 2 chased after Jane while the third went after Ken, seeing him as the weakest of the group.


    ''Should I save them? Or is it my chance to get rid of them?''


    Ken struggled with his inner thoughts when he stopped running after a kilometer. He didn''t run too fast on purpose when he noticed the fifth-stage cultivator didn''te after him. He didn''t want his chaser to lose track of him.


    "Idiots, you killed Senior Brother Aiden''s little sister, he will kill you even if it''s against the war rules. You better-"


    The female disciple said with a frown on her face when she caught up with Ken. But Ken wasn''t interested in listening to her rmendation.


    ''sh, 81 in 1.''


    The woman hurriedly defended with a shield formed by a technique of Metal Qi, one of the best defensive Qi types. However, the huge sh cut through her shield instantly and went through her body from her head to her crotch, splitting her into two.


    ¡¤?¦Èm ''Sheathed Man.''


    Ken concealed himself and rushed in the direction where Jane headed. He soon found her surrounded by two disciples wearing ck robes, fighting feisty without giving up.


    As a core disciple, she managed to fight back well, and it was evident from their strength that those disciples weren''t true disciples of Four Seasons Sect. Like Ken, they came from a weaker sect and tried to earn some benefits.


    ''I can save her easily.''


    Ken thought as he watched Jane''s talismans save her from injuries while she fought back. She was stronger than each of them separately, but the two worked well together and their teamwork ced a lot of pressure on the short-haired girl.


    "You won''t get away with killing Junior Sister Eve next to her brother. Just give up and die painlessly!"


    One of the two men fighting her tried to break her fighting spirit, but Jane didn''t give up.


    "Hmph, since my little brother didn''te here yet to help me, it must mean he has a n and he went to help Diana."


    They didn''t know Jane''s little brother and Diana, but it wasn''t hard to understand since they were only three.


    "Hmph, what makes you so sure your little brother didn''t die in our friend''s hands?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Because he is stronger than me!"


    Ken''s emotions surged when he heard Jane''s belief in him. She didn''t even consider the option he just abandoned them. His guilt ate him from inside; they gave him their trust, but he was still considering whether to let them die.


    ''They know too much about me! they''re a danger! Just like Sol did, they will betray me for benefits or just for the sect!''


    Ken tried to calm himself down and think rationally. He knew they valued the sect above their friendship with him. As long as the sect didn''t actively try to kill him, they''d never support him.


    On the other hand, he remembered their time together. Their journey in the mountains, the time they spent together while waiting for enemies to enter their trap.


    In his mind, he could easily see Diana''s irritated pout every time he demanded she pays for the pills for feeding her pup, and Jane''s excited smile every time the conversation touched upon swords or fighting.


    ''One Step.''


    ''sh Unwind.''


    In the Big Sess mastery realm of One Step, he could move his body in his dash, allowing him to attack while in movement. The full potential of this mastery would only show when he reaches the next stage and can perform a few attacks simultaneously.


    He appeared between the two men when Jane managed to get out of their encirclement, and with a stroke of his sword, two heads separated from their former bodies and rolled on the ground.


    "Ken, you''re here! Let''s go help Diana!"


    Jane shouted as soon as he appeared. She was surprised it took him so long to arrive to help her, but without overthinking it she just jumped and sprinted toward the area Diana ran away to.


    "Do you sense their presence?"


    She asked Ken nervously, but thetter just shook his head.


    "Diana is faster than us, we will need some luck to run into them."


    ----------


    "Damn!"


    Diana cursed out loud when she noticed the strongest enemy chose to chase after her.


    ''Carried by the Wind.''


    It was her movement technique, and it allowed her to use wind currents to run at extreme speeds. The main disadvantage was that the technique''s power relied on the wind avable, but there was plenty of disgusting hot wind in the region.


    "Don''t think you can run away from me!"


    Aiden shouted furiously as he ran after her. His strengths were Earth Qi and Metal Qi, and speed wasn''t his forte. Thus, he couldn''t catch Diana, but she also couldn''t get rid of his tail.


    ''I must find a way to shake him off my trails, or else I will run out of Qi first.''

 Chapter 108 108 – Real Friends

    ?


    Ken couldn''t stop himself from saving Jane when he heard thetter showing faith in him. He felt like he was acting the same as Sol did, bing what he hated, which prompt him to act and help her.


    ''I''ve made a mistake; I should''ve let her die. I should let them both die to remain safe from their possible betrayal in the future.''


    Ken thought to himself while running by Jane''s side. He could leave her behind and outrun her easily, but he was semi-hoping that Diana will die before he gets there, freeing him from guilt over her death. His conscience was filled with guilt over his thoughts when he thought of the girls'' sincerity while dealing with him.


    *Boom!*


    ¡¤?¦Èm "Let''s go there, it might be them!"


    The mountain shook from a heavy blow in the distance, and Jane hurriedly corrected their direction to arrive there as soon as possible. After the first impact, another came, and a third soon followed.


    They ran on the uneven ground, skipping above streams of magma and sprinting on the hot rocks. Fortunately, the Chill Pill was enough to keep their temperature down as long as they didn''t touch theva directly.


    They soon saw a man standing in front of a young woman with beautiful curly brown hair. The woman was sitting on the ground on her buttocks, with her back leaning back against a stone she crashed into from a previous attack.


    Blood leaked from her mouth and Ken could easily guess she took heavy internal damage and broken plenty of ribs and bones. Her bow wasying on the ground a few meters away from her.


    "We must help her!"


    Jane whispered while bringing her greatsword out of her storage ring. The man seemed too upied with Diana and didn''t even sense their presence less than 200 meters away.


    "We can''t help her, we will just die with her!"


    Ken clenched his teeth and gripped her wrist with his hand. Jane didn''t hesitate to p his hand away with her other hand, giving him onest nce before going to help her best friend.


    "That''s not something real friends say."


    -----------


    A few minutes earlier:


    Diana was running out of steam, and she was sweating heavily from the exertion of the chase. Her speed lowered as her fatigue grew, and Aiden got closer and closer, slowly entering attack range.


    "Earth Reasoning!"


    Her chaser shouted while waving his greatsword behind her. The earth underneath her trembled, and hot rocks were pulled toward her from all directions, reacting to a powerful pull force.


    *BOOM!*


    The pull force only affected the rocks, and she barely managed to dodge them as they tried to crush her between them. She couldn''t dodge perfectly; a few rocks grazed her skin, leaving behind painful burns and shallow cuts.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, this much was enough to slow her down considerably, and Aiden finally caught up with her after the intensive chase while she was dodging the flying rocks.


    He appeared in front of her and with a swing of his greatsword tried to cut her in half. She quickly blocked it with her bow and was sent flying, crashing against arge hot rock that burned her back, but she couldn''t get up after enduring the impact.


    "Eve, my dear little sister, I will avenge your death now. I might get killed for it, so I will join your side soon."


    Diana heard him say while he walked toward her. Her vision turned blurry and she heard him talk to her, but she understood nothing; the ringing noise in her ears overtook everything.


    --------


    Jane dashed toward the man with all her might, hoping that the Concealing Pill''s effect coupled with his concentration on his sister''s killer will allow her tond a sneak attack on the powerful cultivator.


    Ken watched her sprint with an anxious look, unable to decide how to deal with the situation.


    On one hand, he wanted to stop her, but it''d only backfire; Aiden will sense themotion for sure, and if she ever had any hope of taking him out by surprise, this hope will be gone forever. He couldn''t even shout to tell her to go back since it obviously wouldn''t convince her and might even alert her enemy.


    On the other hand, he could join the attack and even kill their enemy, but it''d reveal all his abilities and techniques to the women, and he was also unwilling to do that while knowing their first loyalty was to the sect.


    ''Screw this, I must help them! One Step!''


    Ken decided at thest moment to step in and not let his new friends down. However, something unexpected happened.


    "Cleaving Ring!"


    Aiden stopped his sentence midway and spun on his spot with the greatsword in hand, killing Diana instantly while spinning toward Jane that was already in the air and about to attack the man she thought to be too engrossed in talking to notice her.


    Jane''s greatsword met with Aiden''s, but thetter was much stronger. Jane''s hands couldn''t contain the impact, and her sword got deflected. She fearlessly watched the greatswording toward her.


    She clenched her teeth and prayed for the fourth-rank talismans to be enough to save her, and the talismans went off. However, a fourth-rank talisman wasn''t enough to defend against a heavy blow of a fifth-stage cultivator.


    The greatsword cut through the talisman''s defenses like butter and connected with Jane''s side, right above her waist. Everything happened in an instant when Ken just started his One Step, and his new mastery over it seemed a cruel joke of fate, as it allowed him to see everything happen while he dashed forward at full speed.


    ''NO! JANE! DIANA!''


    He screamed in his mind while his face distorted in pain. It all happened in a split of a moment, and he couldn''t stop it. His overthinking brought about the death of his two friends, and it waspletely on him.


    His bloodlust red without restraint, targeting Aiden solely as its thickness almost made the man choke.

 Chapter 109 109 – Bloodlust Madness

    ?


    "HAHA, You thought I didn''t see you? I was just waiting for you toe to your death!"


    ''NO! JANE! DIANA!''


    Ken screamed in his mind while his face distorted in pain. His bloodlust red without restraint, targeting Aiden solely as its thickness almost made the man choke.


    His killing intent rose to heights it never rose before, and he didn''t hold it back. He activated the single version of the Paralyzing Mode of his Mind-Poisoning Domain and wished he could kill this man a thousand times.


    "IT''S YOUR FAULT!"


    Aiden saw Ken stand in front of him and behead him with a quick draw of his sword. Weirdly enough, Aiden saw the scene of his head rolling off his shoulders from a third-person point of view.


    The scene went backward, and instead of beheading him, Ken pierced his heart. Aiden watched it all happen over and over again; Ken burning him, Ken cutting him, Ken crushing him.


    It was the next mastery realm of Paralyzing Mode; Ken mastered it without noticing. While in the Small Sess mastery realm, Ken''s target hallucinated a bloody, tragic battlefield, in the Big Sess mastery realm the hallucination added a personalyer, making his enemy see Ken killing them repeatedly a thousand times.


    Aiden could still discern the real Ken from the ones he saw in his hallucination, as the fake ones seemed ethereal and demonic. But the trauma was enough to freeze Aiden in his ce for a few moments before he could materialize his nascent soul and assist his mind to break the illusion.


    Ken was already close to him because of the One Step technique, and with a swift swing of his sword, Ken beheaded the man, killing him and putting an end to the battle.


    He breathed heavily, unable to calm himself down from the recent events that took ce. He med himself for getting the girls killed. If he acted first without letting Jane try to save Diana, both could be alive now.


    ''It''s not my fault, it''s his! He didn''t follow the rules and attacked! It''s all because of Four Seasons Sect!''


    Ken was sinking into self-me and despair, and his bloodlust came out unrestrained.


    ''I will kill them all! I will kill them all!''


    His only escape from ming himself was ming it on his enemies. He wanted revenge on Four Seasons Sect with this twisted logic and took out a fifth-grade Qi Absorption Pill to replenish his Qi.


    His core sucked the Qi in the air in thirst as he rushed toward the entrance of Four Seasons Sect ording to the map of the Outer Ring he received. On his way, he ughtered all the fourth-stage cultivators he met.


    --------


    In Divine Sword Sect:


    "Guys, did you hear that? A fourth-stage disciple that came from another sect for resources turned crazy! He is standing on a mountain''s peak in front of the entrance to Four Seasons Sect and dered a challenge against all their fourth-stage cultivators!"


    In Divine Sword Sect everyone was talking about the madman. They all wanted to go and watch, but they couldn''t get that far into the enemy territory and say confidently they cane back.


    "I heard he was only a child ording to his stature, but he is wearing a menacing red demonic mask that covers his face. Rumors say he is super strong and Four Seasons Sect lost every disciple they sent to fight him!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Someone told me that this kid fought for three days and three nights straight without resting!"


    Everyone was excited about the news. Although Ken wasn''t truly from their sect, he was killing their true enemies. Furthermore, he wouldn''t be able to return to his original sect after his actions, as no sect out of the top 5 could handle the repercussions of ughtering the disciples of Four Seasons Sect.


    "Senior Brother Tyson told me his master took him to watch the fight. Apparently, a lot of elders are watching the show and enjoying their enemy''s plight."


    "It must be nice to be a direct disciple of an elder at the eighth stage. I''m jealous, I wish could also go to watch the fight."


    Four Seasons Sect couldn''t even break the vow and send someone above the fourth stage without opening a full-blown war. Even if they did, they''d lose face by admitting they had no fourth-stage cultivator that could stand up against the enemy.


    "I heard he killed over a thousand enemies!"


    "That''s it? Just an hour ago someone said it was 10 thousand."


    "No way, I heard he killed over 100,000."


    The rumors turned more and more ridiculous and exaggerated, but they carried some truth in them.


    -----------


    In the Outer Ring of the Central Zone:


    Two elders stood in the sky,pletely concealed and untraceable. They both belonged to the Serene Lotus Sect, and their names were Elmer and Theodore; they oversaw their sect''s operation to disturb the war between the other top sects.


    "Let''s kill this kid should we have the chance. He is too powerful for his stage, and he isn''t even at the peak of his stage."


    Elmer told his friend while the pair watched the kid fighting on the ground tirelessly. The battle went on for three days now, and although they noticed him taking Qi Absorption Pills and that he was standing inside a Qi Gathering Formation, he should''ve gone out of Qi by now.


    The weird thing was that he really did go out of steam the day before, but somehow instead of copsing, he regained his footing and his stamina and Qi started growing.


    "I don''t think we need to kill him. We never heard about his existence before, and you know the petty trick those two sects use."


    Theodore objected to his friend''s words, hinting at something. Elmer pondered for a few seconds before raising his eyebrows in surprise.


    "Are you suggesting he isn''t an actual disciple of Divine Sword Sect?"


    "Exactly. We can poach him to our sect instead. I''m sure he knows he can''t go back to his sect, and if he doesn''t, we can exin it to him."


    They knew the geniuses of theirpetitors, and this kid wasn''t one of them.

 Chapter 110 110 – A Public Challenge

    ?


    ''I will kill everyone in Four Seasons Sect.''


    Ken''s n, directly affected by his unstable emotional state, wasn''t veryprehensive.


    ''I will kill everyone in Four Seasons Sect.''


    He put his red demonic mask on, and jogged toward their location with Blood Sense activated, only stopping to kill the fourth-stage disciples on his way. Although highly agitated, he didn''t ignore the voice of reason entirely.


    ''I will kill everyone in Four Seasons Sect.''


    This thought kept reying in his mind every time he killed a ck-robes-wearing disciple. There were fifth-stage cultivators following him from behind, trying to save his enemies, but every time he targeted someone, One Step would basically allow him to teleport to them and kill them without interference.


    He soon arrived at a mountain less than 2 kilometers away from their sect''s entrance; with the free sight line, he could see the gate and tiny ck dots that represented the guards.


    He climbed to the peak of the mountain in front of the watching fifth-stage cultivators and drew a few formations.


    First, he drew the Qi Gathering Formation to allow himself to replenish his Qi faster. Second, he drew the original Revealing Formation that radiated his aura to everyone nearby, making it easy to sense him straight from the gate.


    He also drew one more formation, the Sound Enhancing Formation, which made every sound inside a few times stronger, working like a megaphone.


    "I, an unranked disciple from Divine Sword Sect, challenge any and all fourth-stage disciples from Four Seasons Sect."


    Ken shouted loudly, and everyone heard his childish voice loud and clear. Most people only chuckled and dismissed the challenge, seeing it as a foolish act of a young boy. However, Ken released his high Core Formation Stage aura, and the Revealing Formation made it spread far.


    "Go kill that kid. Even if he is a child, he is issuing a challenge against us in public, so we can''t be called cruel for killing children."


    An elder at the entrance ordered one of the disciples nearby. He sent someone unranked as he didn''t want to send a ranked disciple to fight an unranked one.


    "Yes, Master."


    One male disciple, Norm, started running to the peak, but when he set foot on the mountain, a senior disciple stopped him.


    "Don''t go up there to take the challenge, he is at least as strong as the top 100 of our Core Formation disciples."


    It was a Nascent Soul disciple that followed Ken on his trip here, and the former kept failing to save lives from Ken''s sword.


    "Senior Brother, I can''t back off now after a direct order from my master, or I will make him lose face. I will be careful and do my best."


    Since it was a public challenge, he couldn''t bring in scrolls and talismans unless he made them himself. Otherwise, the sect would lose face for having to use external means to fight back.


    "Be careful then. We can''t save you in a public challenge, so don''t regret it. We can only save you if you manage to leave the mountain''s peak."


    ¡¤?¦Èm The peak was nominated as the unofficial arena since it was easy to distinguish. It was rtively t and fitting for fights, and its radius was over 200 meters long.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Many disciples surrounded the peak, watching Ken waiting for his opponent. They were cheering for Norm who was climbing slowly on purpose, enjoying the full support and the spotlight.


    He smiled cheerily, feeling the pressure and stress wearing off. He felt like the crowd''s favorite, and his confidence rose to the skies.


    ''One Step.''


    Ken arrived in front of the man and beheaded him in one movement, making everyone freeze in their spots. A few disciples that weren''t looking were still cheering when they noticed the sudden silence and quickly looked to see what happened.


    Everyone watched the headless body copses to the ground as Ken took a few steps backward to avoid the blood from dirtying his clothes.


    "Next."


    His childish voice seemed to turn colder, but it didn''t change; it was the listeners'' imagination after watching the cold-blood kill that transpired. His voice reverberated in the mountains and could be heard in a radius of a few kilometers.


    The silence wasn''t broken for a full minute while everyone waited for another disciple to climb into the arena, but nobody did. They instantly turned to look at one another, and the seniors tried to convince the juniors they didn''t know to fight.


    "Silence."


    A voice louder than Ken''s echoed in the space and silenced everyone. It was an elder hovering in the sky, looking down.


    "You''re quite impressive, Kid, but you aren''t leaving here alive unless you can kill every single cultivator of the fourth stage of our sect. Since you challenged us, I will show you there are no cowards in Four Seasons Sect. You, go in."


    The elder pointed at one disciple at random, and the young man paled and tried taking a step back. However, a strong bloodlust flooded his senses and he understood he will die if he disobeys.


    "I''m not even part of your sect."


    He murmured quietly to himself and soon paled even worse when he realized that he already entered the Sound Enhancing Formation, and his confession could be heard by everyone.


    "Haha, Trenton, your sect''s reputation is taking a heavy blow today."


    Everyone heard a burst ofughter followed by mocking words, and Ken recognized it as Benjamin''s voice. Evidently, the old man came to watch the fights ying out while making sure the enemy doesn''t break the rules.


    Trenton on the other hand wasn''t as amused, as his face contorted in anger for the mess-up. He wanted to send the foreigners to their death until someone stronger from the sectes to save the day, but it totally backfired. He already sent people to call the top 1000 disciples after Ken killed Norm.


    "Next."


    Ken''s voice resounded again, and everyone looked back at the sky to see the elder''s reaction. He just swallowed his anger and pointed at the next disciple.


    "You go."

 Chapter 111 111 – A Will To Live

    ?


    This event went on for a few hours while the disciples of the Four Seasons Sect scurried like ants in a disrupted colony, everyone frantically scurrying about, seeking the top disciples to call them over.


    Every time Ken killed a disciple, the elder would point at another disciple that wasn''t truly from Four Seasons Sect and force them to enter. He nned to exhaust Ken''s Qi reserves and prevent him from resting, keeping him on his feet.


    "No, I''m not going in to die for you. Find another disciple!"


    Resisting disciples could be heard from time to time, but they were all destroyed by the elder, leaving nothing but ashes behind.


    ¡¤?¦Èm "Brothers, let''s retreat together! He can''t kill us all!"


    Those disciples came to the Central Zone for rewards and benefits, but now they were sent to their deaths for a fight that didn''t have anything to do with them. Ken killed them at a rapid rate, around 10 disciples per minute.


    One would be sent to the improvised arena every few seconds and get killed in a single hit, regardless of their substage. The peak Core Formations seemed to be as strong as the low ones, or rather, they all seemed weak.


    "Anyone who retreats will be killed, even if I must kill all of you."


    The elder threatened them and burned the one who tried to rile up the crowd instantly. The crowd retreated in desperation and fear, waiting to be sent to fight the demon at the peak.


    After 2 hours of this unceasing massacre and over a thousand dead disciples, the top disciples finally starteding. Luckily, Trenton hated to see the dead bodies wearing the ck robes of inner disciples of his sect, so he cremated the dead bodies, leaving behind only the storage rings.


    "Good, you guys are here. Kid, you''ve had your share of fun, but now be prepared to die. Disciples, heed my words, the one to kill this brat will get all the storage rings left behind."


    Everyone''s eyes lit up when they heard the prize. A thousand storage rings included a huge amount of resources, even if most of them belonged to disciples from weaker sects. After all, those disciples were ranked in their sects and were rtively rich.


    "I will go first."


    A disciple ranked in the top 400 stepped forward, prepared to duel the masked child standing pridefully at the peak, his yellow robes tter in the wind behind him. Ken didn''t have a single stain of blood on his robes, and his breath seemed unburdened.


    The disciple was briefed earlier, getting a warning that Ken was powerful and that he shouldn''t underestimate him. In fact, he was told to remain near the edges of the peak so he can jump down as soon as he feels overwhelmed. Once outside the arena, he was promised to be saved.


    He didn''t use a weapon and only had 3 types of Elemental Qi ¨C Lightning, Water, and Wind.


    He took a fighting stance, waited for Ken to appear, and soon saw Ken disappear. He suddenly felt a heavy killing intent behind him and tried to step forward to dodge whatever attack Ken might throw at him, but only his upper body moved; to be precise, his torso fell forward while his lower body copsed where he stood.


    "Next."


    "Ipetent! You idiots are ipetent! Go and fight him right now!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The elder couldn''t hold back his anger at the sight of Ken killing a top 400 disciple in a single blow without any difficulty. It was humiliating to see a top disciple die in the same manner as disciples from inferior sects.


    Next came another disciple, this time from the top 200 of the peak Core Formation Stage. It was already humiliating to send only people one substage above the challenger, but they were left without a choice.


    This disciple was much smarter than the previous one. As soon as he stepped into the arena, he activated his movement technique and moved swiftly, prepared to dodge or block any type of attack Ken mightunch.


    ''Cloud Running.''


    Instead of trying to catch a disciple that kept zigzagging with a dashing technique, Ken chose to run after him with his own free-style movement technique.


    Ken soon caught up with the man, and no matter how thetter tried to shake him off his trail, he couldn''t. Not only that, but Ken barely seemed to be exerting any effort in his chase.


    Cloud Running, Big Sess mastery realm ¨C by harnessing his momentum from his first footwork, he barely had to invest more Qi and stamina to keep moving.


    He got the idea from how clouds kept moving from the wind effortlessly and how his flexible sword moved back after being bent in one direction. He didn''t forget his techniques were based on the sword.


    ''sh.''


    The man used Water Qi to execute a defensive technique, deflecting Ken''s 81 in 1 sh. However, he didn''te out unscathed; he lost the arm that deflected the sh. While he was upied by his pain, Ken stabbed him to death with Snake Thrust.


    "Damn it!"


    Trenton cursed under his breath when he saw a top disciple die in under 20 seconds. It was a great improvementpared to those who died instantly, but it wasn''t exactly impressive.


    "Next."


    Trenton decided to stop sacrificing the top disciples. Those were the future of the sect and losing them all would mean losing a lot of future seventh-stage and eighth-stage cultivators.


    He kept sending outer disciples, disciples from other sects, and unranked inner disciples to exhaust Ken, and it was working.


    Ken was breathing heavily on the second day. His movements slowed down, his QI was nearly depleted, and he didn''t know how long he could hold on. He regretted acting emotionally earlier, but a part of him that still med himself for the girls'' deaths felt like he deserved it.


    ''No, I won''t die here! I don''t want to die!''


    Ken realized this truth as he felt more and more pressure.

 Chapter 112 112 – Blood Transfusion

    ?


    Ken didn''t bother dodging the blood by now, and his tired figure was painted red all over.


    ''What should I do?''


    Ken thought to himself as he searched for a solution to his plight. Once he realized that he didn''t want to die, he understood he needed a way to survive. The elder made it abundantly clear that he wouldn''t let him go.


    Ken''s killing rate dropped tremendouslypared to his former 10 kills per hour, and from time to time the sect would send a top 1000 disciple when they thought he was weakened enough. To their dismay, he never allowed those, or anyone else for that matter, to escape the arena once they stepped inside.


    He killed nearly 5,000 disciples over the past 35 hours, but he was at his limit. He was fighting in auto mode while focusing on searching for a solution to his Qi loss.


    ''There''s only one answer - absorption. I must absorb the Qi from the targets I''ve killed.''


    Ken remembered the manuals he got from his first subordinate, Nick. Nick''s first manual allowed him to absorb Qi from his enemies, using it for his cultivation. However, the Qi he absorbed was always contaminated with his enemy''s attributes.


    It even absorbed part of their souls, which was even more harmful to the devourer as it would affect their own soul until they can get crazy from having too many attributes and foreign souls mingled with their own.


    ''I can use my Bloodlust Qi as a medium. This way, by contaminating my enemies'' cores with my Bloodlust first, I might be able to negate most of the harmful effects of absorbing others.''


    Ken thought to himself as he started developing the technique. He couldn''t sit on it and focus only on developing the technique entirely, so it took longer and the version he wasing up with was still crude, but he didn''t have time to perfect it.


    ''Vampiric Touch could be a good name, but I don''t know if the concept of vampires exists in the world of cultivation. I will just name it¡­ Blood Transfusion. Even if the concept doesn''t exist either, it''s self-exnatory.''


    Ken held the dying body of hisst enemy and absorbed the Qi inside.


    "It seemed like the disciples of Four Seasons Sect are only this strong. It might not be long before they lose their spot in the top 5. I will make sure to give you all a good look at your friends'' executions from now on."


    Ken mocked them while gripping his enemy''s throat. He didn''t want to reveal that he was sucking his enemy''s Qi using a bloodlust technique, so he found this excuse. He knew they will think he has a hidden motive, but he could also guess the one they wille up with.


    "Stop stalling for time, if you''re too tired to continue, just ept your death."


    Trenton said with a gloating voice despite the situation. He felt like it didn''t matter if Ken killed a hundred disciples more given how many he already killed, so he stopped getting angry over every death by now.


    "Please¡­ Help!"


    The disciple begged for help as Ken absorbed the man''s Qi slowly. 10 secondster, having absorbed around 1% of the man''s Qi reserves, Ken crushed his neck and threw him to the ground.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He couldn''t just absorb it all for an hour without anyone noticing or suspecting. It was the best he could allow himself.


    This kept on for a few fights; it wasn''t enough to allow him to recover, but it was enough to regain half of the Qi he spent in the battle.


    However, it didn''t end there. Ken kept experimenting as much as he could with every 10 seconds of absorption, tweaking the technique on the go. By the end of the second day, he managed to absorb 2.5% of his victims'' Qi reserves in 10 seconds, allowing him to recover all the Qi he spent in the fight and even some more.


    Ken''s Qi storage volume was a few times higher than others, so this half percentage didn''t do much to fill his core with Qi. However, it was enough to sustain him. Once he mastered the technique to the Advanced mastery realm, he found a way to keep the absorbed Qi channeled; this way less contaminated Qi found its way into his core.


    With this new source of Qi, energy washed his body, and he fought with renewed vigor. His killing rate didn''t rise much because he spent 10 seconds absorbing the Qi of his enemies.


    ----------


    3 grand elders of Four Seasons Sect stood in front of 3 grand elders of Divine Sword Sect. Every grand elder was an eighth-stage powerhouse and was extremely valuable to their sect.


    "You must surrender this boy to us within an hour. You can say he uses evil techniques or something. We can''t let him kill our disciples; he already killed a third of our top 1000 disciples from both the high and the peak substages of the Core Formation Stage."


    An elder wearing white robes with the Four Seasons Sect''s emblem embroidered on it said his demands. His sect has been humiliated by Ken for over 2 days, and he killed thousands of their disciples.


    "Why should we do that? He is a powerful young cultivator that might lead our sect one day."


    An elder from the opposite camp said indifferently. He didn''t care much about the other sect''s face.


    "Don''t forget that we are ranked 3 while you''re only ranked 4 for a reason. We all agreed not to let this matter blow out of proportion or else our two sects will be weakened too much. We can''t afford to lose all our top 1000, he even killed 2 disciples from our top 10."


    "Are you threatening me?"


    "I''m only stating that he is breaking our agreement to keep this war with minimal casualties. We will give you one hour to decide before we kill him ourselves and open a real war, including our top elders. Don''t think we don''t know he isn''t truly from your sect."


    The elders left the ce, intending on returning when the ultimatum was over. Until then, they nned to let Trenton handle the event.


    However, nobody noticed a blurred silhouette listening to their conversation.

 Chapter 113 113 – Bloodthirsts Inheritance

    ?


    Theodore, a grand elder from the Serene Lotus Sect, listened to the conversation between the representatives of the other two sects. With his proficiency in hiding, nobody noticed him.


    "These two sects n to let the kid die. We agreed to poach him, should we save him?"


    Theodore consulted with his friend, Elmer. Thetter contemted the issue for a while beforeing up with a solution.


    "It''d be risky to run away from all those grand elders while carrying and protecting a burden."


    "Indeed, that''s why I''m not sure what we can do about it."


    "There''s the legend of the Bloodthirst Sect, I think they were situated in this area, so the mountain this kid is on should be included in their past territory."


    Theodore raised an eyebrow in surprise. The Bloodthirst Sect was an evil sect that practiced many techniques of blood and murder. They were exclusively lunatics, and the whole cultivation world sighed in relief when their top elders were gone.


    "Are you sure it''s appropriate? And can we even count on a legend?"


    "Although it happened 2,000 years ago, some living people met witnesses from the event. This can''t be a lie; it only wasn''t tested since no righteous force wouldplete the condition to open their secret realm, and they were thest evil sect in the Central Zone."


    After the fall of Bloodthirst Sect, the top 5 righteous sects managed to banish all evil forces from the Central Zone permanently, and they were the only forces with free ess to the trove of treasures known as the Central Zone.


    "All right, do what you think. If it doesn''t work, don''t me me for the kid''s death."


    "I won''t me you. It''s our safest way to save the kid without making everyone angry at us."


    "True. They will be angry, but not at us."


    -----------


    Ken was quite exhausted from the endless fighting. Despite replenishing his Qi and nourishing his muscles, bones, and the rest of his body with Qi to avoid needing sleep and food, there was a limit to how much it could achieve. He''d copse long ago if he wasn''t a powerful Core Formation cultivator.


    "Hello kid, I''m Grand Elder Elmer from the Serene Lotus Sect. Have you heard of my sect? Just nod with your head if you have."


    Ken heard a voice whispering straight to his ear, and by theck of change in his opponent''s expression, he could tell he was the only one to hear it.


    Ken nodded his head and waited for the man to continue.


    "You have slightly under an hour left to live. The Divine Sword Sect received an ultimatum from the Four Seasons Sect to dere you as an evil cultivator so they can kill you and save some face. Do you think they will risk their skin to help you?"


    Ken only shrugged in response. He didn''t believe they will, but he didn''t want to disrespect the Divine Sword Sect when he didn''t know to whom he was talking.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I will take it as a no, and the reason is quite simple. They don''t know you and war will cost them a lot of resources and casualties. They will not bear this loss for a stranger only because of the possibility that he might join them and be loyal."


    Ken didn''t respond. He just waited for the elder to get to the point.


    "Not the talkative type even when ites to nodding, huh? Anyway, you only have one chance at surviving. Legend says that an evil sect resided in this area of the Central Zone many years ago. One day, all their top 7 elders ascended to the Immortal Realm at once."


    Ken only raised his eyebrows in slight surprise. It was the first time he heard about a human bing an immortal.


    "Good to see a reaction from you. Before ascending, they left one message that could be heard thousands of kilometers away. The message said they stored cultivation manuals, special techniques, and treasures in a secret realm that will open when one person under 75 kills ten thousand people by himself without a break."


    Ken could see where it was going. He''d lie if he said he wasn''t interested; he liked both remaining alive and getting treasures.


    "Do you think you can reach 10,000 kills in a single hour? It''s your only way to survive."


    Ken grinned widely under the mask when he thought about it. He nodded confidently and killed his opponent.


    He didn''t change his tactic at all other than putting more effort into killing his enemies faster.


    ''It''s been nearly 3 whole days since this challenge began. I''ve killed 9232 disciples so far, meaning I still have to kill 768 more before the secret realm will open ording to that old man.''


    Ken knew he couldn''t trust a stranger for no reason, but his words made sense. He overstepped his boundaries when he came to the suicide mission of exterminating a top sect in an emotional outburst.


    He did his best to keep his killing rate up for the next 45 minutes, managing to keep a pace of 4 kills per minute.


    ''I need to kill 588 more in those 15 minutes. I think I''ve restored enough Qi to execute my n.''


    Ken took a deep breath and looked around him. He was still surrounded by ck-wearing disciples, but there were many wearing yellow robes; his ''fellow'' disciples from the Divine Sword Sect.


    Oddly enough, everyone watched his fights without fighting other than dissing and provocations. It was almost like watching the fans of two football teams during a match.


    ''It''s time to let them enjoy a feast of blood. Mind-Poisoning Domain ¨C Frenzy Mode.''


    ----------


    "Send all powerful disciples under the age of 75 here on airships. The secret realm of the Bloodthirst Sect is opening. I want our disciples to get that inheritance!"


    Elmer sent his instructions via themunication device in his hands before putting it back into his storage ring. He was intrigued to watch Ken''s method of reaching the necessary kill count with the few minutes he had left. He still believed in the kid; after all, he seemed too rxed not to have a n.

 Chapter 114 114 – Bloodbath

    ?


    ''It''s time to let them enjoy a feast of blood. Mind-Poisoning Domain ¨C Frenzy Mode.''


    Ken activated his domain technique, spreading his Bloodlust Qi in a radius of half a kilometer away from himself. By standing in the center of the 200-meter-radius arena, his domain spread 300 meters in all directions, affecting all the disciples watching in that range.


    Because of therge number of targets, the technique''s power was reduced by 80%, but this much was enough to affect those at the fourth stage.


    The Frenzy Mode was quite simr to the Paralyzing Mode, derived from the same technique. In the Small Sess mastery realm, Ken''s Bloodlust Qi caused the targets to hallucinate.


    Everyone started seeing the people in front of them as people they hated. Some saw people they had killed before, while others saw enemies that they''d love for a chance to kill.


    "You enved us and forced our friends to go to their deaths. Let''s rise against them!"


    One disciple with a weaker mind and soul backstabbed a man that stood in front of him. He was wearing ck robes but wasn''t a true disciple of the Four Seasons Sect.


    In his mind, he saw the disciple in front of him as the elder who pushed his friends to their deaths by forcing them to fight the monster on the mountain''s peak.


    "You dare kill him, pay with your life!"


    A disciple from the Four Seasons Sect turned around and attacked him, and the 2 started to fight.


    Simr events happened in a radius of 500 meters from Ken; disciples from the Four Seasons Sect were attacked by disciples from The Divine Sword Sect as well as by those from other sects.


    There was also friendly fire on all sides, but mostly they focused on their enemies. It''d take a while for Ken''s bloodlust to affect them enough to even attack one another.


    ----------


    Ken''s face showed a devilish smile under his mask, but nobody could see it.


    "Good job, kiddo. You have 5 minutes before the elders from the Four Seasons Sect intervene and kill you."


    Although there were 15 minutes until the agreement''s timees, the elders mighte earlier.


    Ken heard Elmer''s voice in his ear, and he started to work. His figure blurred as he used One Step all over the mountain, shing people left and right with his sword. He didn''t bother with those who weren''t fighting; it was faster to dash between the fighting ones and sneak attack them.


    Every time he used One Step, he killed over 10 disciples in his dash by swinging his sword in all directions. Using the sword''s sticity, he could make the sword bounce and swirl at a high speed even without a technique.


    ''400 people more.''


    "Evil cultivator! Don''t think you can run away!"


    Trenton''s voice echoed in the mountains as he sneered and vanished from his ce, attempting to kill Ken in a single strike. Ken saw the elder in front of him. Trenton had green eyes and long smooth brown hair tied behind him. His rectangle-shaped face showed an angry smile.


    "Not today, friend."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Trenton''s hand sunk into a ball of darkness and stopped a few centimeters from Ken. Hearing Elmer''s smile, Kenughed out loud and continued his massacre, angering the elder from the Four Seasons Sect further.


    "Who is this? Show yourself!"


    But Elmer didn''t bother with the demands of a weaker cultivator. Trenton was only at the seventh stage while Elmer was at the eighth stage.


    When Trenton realized he couldn''t free his arm unless he amputates himself, he turned his head to the elder in charge from the Divine Sword Sect.


    "Benjamin, help me kill the kid! Your sect''s disciples are getting killed too!"


    "I prefer to keep watching."


    Benjamin smiled in schadenfreude and watched the scene ys out underneath him from the sky, remaining uninvolved. Although Trenton''s words were true, the other sect took much more damage, so he didn''t mind just watching.


    "Crazy bastard! The war rules are being broken because of his weird technique! All fifth and sixth stage disciples, forget the war rules and put an end to this kid''s life!"


    The number of casualties climbed every moment. There were thousands of disciples around the mountain, and everyone started fighting. Even the weaker ones of the low Nascent Soul disciples couldn''t resist the urge to attack.


    ''It''s not enough. Hate each other more. Kill each other more. Can''t you see it? they wish to kill you!''


    Ken thought to himself as he manipted his Frenzy Domain, understanding it better. He felt as if something clicked in his mind and his domain was taken to the next level. Big Sess mastery realm!


    The first quantitative change was that from a 20% effect, it rose to 30%, making it 1.5 times stronger. Furthermore, it underwent a qualitative change. Other than seeing the people around them as people they hate, the hallucination made them see those people move and kill their friends and loved ones.


    "AHHH!"


    Many screams resounded in the mountains as a bloodbath took ce. With the new upgrade of the technique, even intermediate Nascent Soul stage cultivators couldn''t resist the urge to kill those around them.


    The rules of war were forgotten long ago, and fifth-stage cultivators ughtered the fourth-stage ones until they found an equal enemy that kept them busy. Those in the higher stages tried to save their junior brothers and sisters, which prompt their equals from the other side to intervene and repel them.


    ''200 enemies more, 3 minutes left.''


    From time to time, stronger cultivators tried to intercept him on his murderous dashes, but every time they tried, a ck fog would block their attacks and stop them in their tracks.


    Ken thought it was all Elmer''s doing, prompting him to wonder about the man''s strength. However, it wasn''t all Elmer. Theodore was helping from behind the scenes as well.


    "Disciples from the Divine Sword Sect, kill your enemies and save your juniors!"


    Elder Benjamin didn''t care about anything. He knew that in a few minutes, the stronger elders wille back again from the sect to kill Ken ording to the agreement earlier.

 Chapter 115 115 – Secret Realm Opened

    ?


    Three airships were traveling at a high speed in the Outer Ring''s sky. All of them had a banner of a white-pink lotus, dering they belonged to the 1st ranked sect of the continent, the Serene Lotus Sect.


    Their destination was quite obvious since they were flying in a straight line toward a certain bloody mountain.


    ¡¤?¦Èm ----------


    With the disciples of the Divine Sword Sect acting on Benjamin''s orders to attack the enemy, Ken could take a breath of fresh air and kill freely. Although Theodore and Elmer were helping him before, they didn''t kill anyone, so their power was restricted.


    They had a limit even if they wanted to help him since they couldn''t overstep their boundaries and trigger a war against the third strongest sect. After all, their intervention wouldn''t remain secret forever.


    "Damn it! Whoever you are, let me go if you don''t want a full-blown war with the Four Seasons Sect!"


    Trenton swore and screamed empty threats to the air, trying to scare the invisible man that trapped him. He knew that whoever was intervening, most likely was part of the top 5 sects and wouldn''t fear his sect, but his sect took heavy damage.


    The war already spread to outside Ken''s domain''s range, and everyone was fighting as a result.


    Trenton tried to send long-distance attacks, but his other arm was soon trapped inside another ball of ck fog, followed by his two legs. Unwilling to have his face trapped too, he wisely decided not to attempt sending attacks from his mouth.


    The grand elders of his sect put him in charge of the area and left, saying they will return before the appointed time to see the Divine Sword Sect''s answer to their demand to denounce Ken as an evil cultivator. He could only watch the mess transpiring in front of him helplessly.


    ''9,900 killed, 2 minutes left.''


    Ken kept count while he rushed between the disciples.


    ''That''s the work of my new luck. Even if I''m reckless, it will give me a way out of my predicament. I only need enough power to make it practically possible, otherwise, even the luckiest person will die without the ability to take the opportunities their luck has to offer.''


    Ken didn''t hold back his Qi expenditure. He spent all the Qi he absorbed by Blood Transfusion to execute One Step repeatedly, dashing all around the mountain and killing those he caught by surprise.


    Although his attacks were much weaker without a technique to back them up, his speed during One Step made up for it. Luckily, most of his Bloodlust techniques were executed through the soul rather than through the meridians, allowing him to spread his Frenzy Domain around him even while executing One Step.


    ''10 more to go, one minute left. sh, 81 in 9.''


    Ken killed 9 more people around him. His sword dripped blood, and his whole appearance was disheveled as he breathed heavily. He already spent all the Qi he worked hard to absorb those past few hours.


    ''One more.''


    *DING!*<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Greetings, inheritor. You''ve proven your lust for blood and your love for control."


    A strong voice resounded in the mountains and a powerful bloodlust washed over everyone one second after Ken killed thest victim, a female cultivator. In under a second, everyone dropped their weapons, Ken included. Only 4 people weren''t overwhelmed ¨C Elmer, Theodore, Trenton, and Benjamin.


    There wasplete silence once the metals stopped ringing from the fall, and all they could do was wait and listen to the voice continue.


    "In one minute, the portal to the secret realm of my esteemed Bloodthirst Sect will be opened, and it shall remain open for three months before imploding and being sucked into the void."


    Trenton and Benjamin listened in surprise. They heard about the Bloodthirst Sect since it was famous as thest evil sect in the Central Zone, but the Serene Lotus Sect kept the elders'' announcement secret.


    They didn''t know what triggered the portal to open, but they did understand it was an inheritance site of the highest caliber.


    The Bloodthirst Sect had 7 cultivators at the peak of the ninth stage, keeping the sect safe. The sect''s disciples were all murderous lunatics that terrorized the area, killing humans left and right.


    One day, the 7 renowned elders disappeared, and the sect was left without their protection. The righteous sects immediately created an alliance and chased down the weaker members, ughtering everyone they could catch. As for the few they couldn''t, those scattered across the world, and their names were forgotten.


    Nobody knew the reason for the elders'' sudden disappearance except for the Serene Lotus Sect, but everyone assumed they ascended to the Immortal Realm. The only question was why they didn''t ensure their sect''s safety before leaving, but most people attributed it to their nature as selfish evil cultivators.


    "Anyone under 75 is allowed to enter the secret realm, and all of you have a chance at getting the main inheritance. The only other standard is having a bloodlust strong enough to be worthy of inheriting our legacy. Opener of the secret realm, killer of 10,000, you may enter first."


    The voice faded after exining the conditions to enter the secret realm, and everyone took a deep breath in relief as the bloodlust that kept them frozen disappeared as suddenly as it came.


    Everyone looked at Ken, understanding he must be the one responsible for fulfilling the conditions to make the secret realm open. Although the voice mentioned everyone had a chance at getting the legacy, it was clear that Ken was the favorite to win.


    "Die, you devil!"


    A strong feminine voice echoed in the silence, and everyone looked to the sky and saw a woman in white robes with an embroidery of the Four Seasons Sect''s emblem on her right shoulder.


    She was a grand elder of her sect, and she arrived in time to witness the opening of the secret realm. She attacked with her palm, sending a fire attack to obliterate Ken entirely. However, the same annoying cultivator that caged Trenton blocked her attack as well.


    "No!"


    She shouted furiously as she watched a red light envelop Ken, pulling him into the secret realm in front of her eyes.

 Chapter 116 116 – Forces Assemble

    ?


    After Ken was sucked into the secret realm:


    "Serene Lotus Sect! I know it''s you,e out of your hiding!"


    The female grand elder, Zara, yelled after her technique was blocked by the ck fog. Unlike Trenton, she could recognize the source of this technique.


    "Haha, Lady Zara. I''m honored a beautifuldy like yourself can recognize my technique."


    Elmer appeared in the sky at an equal height. Soon, 2 more grand elders of the Four Seasons Sect stood by Zara''s side and Trenton long left the scene, letting those with more authority and power deal with the situation.


    "What''s the meaning of this, Elmer? Is the Serene Lotus Sect so overbearing it can do anything it wants in this continent?"


    An old man questioned with a frowning expression. They just took heavy damage from this war, and many promising youths died. In those 10 minutes in which Ken used Frenzy Domain before they arrived, their sect was attacked by the Divine Sword Sect, the sects allied with the Divine Sword Sect, and the sects allied with themselves.


    The war escted fast, and although there wasn''t a death count yet, the bodies littering the area were abundant enough to testify to the huge loss. The sect didn''t have an endless number of disciples despite beingrge.


    "Haha, we wouldn''t dare do that. We didn''t know whether the secret realm would close once its opener died outside. Wouldn''t it be a waste for the sacrifice of 10,000 of your disciples?"


    Elmer exined with a confident smile before diverting their attention to the more important topic at stake.


    "Anyway, you''re wasting your time, shouldn''t you hurry up and send your disciples inside before it''s toote?"


    The three grand elders shared a nce before agreeing that arguing camest. First, they had to seize the opportunity to get the wealth of a top sect.


    "As far as we know only cultivators from your sect were there when the Bloodthirst Sect fell. Haven''t you looted everything by now?"


    They squinted their eyes in suspicion, but Elmer just shrugged it off.


    "We were, and their elders ascended to the Immortal Realm. They set this secret realm as immortals, meaning only immortals can barge inside. We don''t have any immortals, and anyone that got to that stage had more important things to do with their time before the heavens force them to ascend."


    Whenever someone broke through and became immortal, the heavens let them remain in their old realm for 24 hours before pulling them to the Immortal Realm forcibly.


    Mostly those people used this time to say goodbye to those close to them and write some of their experiences during their breakthroughs in the hope it can be of aid to the next generations. None of them had time to search for hidden secret realms of other immortals and barge inside.


    "Trenton, assemble the best of our fifth-stage disciples and send them into the secret realm. I want 3000 disciples to be dispatched. Also, send 2 of the 4 that fulfill the conditions. The three of us will stand guard until everything is concluded."


    Zara gave orders to Trenton to take care of the arrangements. She didn''t send any fourth-stage disciples since they lost most of their top 1000 disciples along with thousands more. She''dter send some of the core disciples that wanted to take part.


    "Benjamin, you do the same. You can also let any fourth-stage cultivator join if they''re interested, up to 1000. Give priority to the stronger ones. We will stay guard here as well."


    A grand elder from the Divine Sword Sect also appeared by now and gave simr orders. He emphasized the part about allowing fourth-stage cultivators to enter just to ridicule the Four Seasons Sect for not being able to do the same.


    "Oh, here my disciples are. I can remain here to keep guard with you old coots!"


    Elmer said in a cheerful tone as 3 airships could be seen flying at top speed toward them, eliciting a frown from all 6 grand elders. To make sure they understand he wasn''t alone, Theodore revealed himself and stood by his side.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Hey there, I''m here too."


    "Do as you wish. However, your head start amounts to nothing; the portal is still closed to everyone."


    It was true. Nobody could enter the portal ever since Ken was teleported inside. They didn''t know what was going inside, but they wanted to station their disciples in front of the portal so they could enter right when the ess was free.


    Two hourster, the portal was encircled by a fleet of 8 airships. Among them, three proudly bore the emblem of a white-pink lotus on their banners, another three disyed a banner depicting a towering, sharp sword, and the remaining two showcased an emblem featuring abination of a cloud, sun, leaf, and flower.


    The disciples of the Divine Sword Sect wore yellow, those of the Four Seasons Sect wore ck, and the onesing from the Serene Lotus Sect wore green. Around 20% of each group also wore white, indicating their status as core disciples.


    "Haha, we hope that the esteemed top five sects didn''t n to leave us out of this ordeal. We would be very saddened if you guys forgot us."


    A sinisterughter reverberated in the volcanic belt. Everyone quickly saw a group of 30 cultivators appearing nearby followed by iing 10 airships.


    "Evil beings! Aren''t you afraid we will kill you all?"


    "Not at all. We formed an alliance just for the asion when we heard the strongest evil sect''s inheritance was revealed. We will never miss the chance."


    A man with red hair and eyes darker than the abyss smiled confidently. Each of the airships carried a different emblem. This was the alliance of the strongest 10 evil sects in the continent.


    "Damn spies."


    One of the Divine Sword Sect grand elders cursed under his breath, but they couldn''t afford to open war. If they did, the casualties would be high, and the weaker disciples will not survive. Besides, they''d have to call reinforcements to take care of 30 eighth-stage evil cultivators.


    8 additional hours passed, and the portal was still quiet, offering no changes. Right when everyone turned annoyed at theck of response, the portal suddenly viberated.


    "Disciples, heed my words! Work together to resist and kill the devils from the evil sects! I don''t want to be toldter that you broke the rules of war inside!"


    Elders from the three righteous sects gave simr orders. The meaning was clear; kill the weaker stages, but don''t leave any evidence behind.


    The portal reopened, and young cultivators from 18 airships started storming inside.


    It didn''t take long for the word to reach the ears of the Peaceful Demon Sect and Infinite Wisdom Sect, and the two sent their disciples, albeit a few hourste.


    ''Maybe they will find out about the mysterious disappearance.''


    The grand elders thought to themselves as they watched the young cultivators rush inside. It was buried as a secret, but on the same day that the 7 elders of the Bloodthirst Sect disappeared, assumingly ascended, 7 supreme elders of righteous sects disappeared as well.


    The obvious conclusion was that these elders had a double identity, but the righteous sects made sure to bury this incident, too ashamed to investigate and find out the horrifying truth.


    ------


    The end of Volume 3 ¨C Sects Wars

 Chapter 117 Rules Of The Secret Realm

    ?


    Volume 4 - Bloodthirst Sect''s Secret Realm


    ----------


    Upon being sucked into the secret realm, Ken immediately kneeled on one knee in exhaustion and looked around. Seeing he was surrounded by four walls made of stone, he felt it was reasonable that he was sent there on purpose rather than randomly.


    After sensing nothing using Blood Sense, hey down and fell asleep.


    "Greetings, Inheritor. You''ve earned the honor of being¡­ Oh, he fell asleep."


    The voice stopped awkwardly mid-sentence and tried to figure out what it should do in this situation. Eventually, it remained quiet and waited for Ken to wake up.


    -------


    10 hourster, Ken finally opened his eyes, feeling his sore body and the cold stone floor against it. He assessed his situation and determined that there was no serious injury, and his core was refilled to the brim with Qi.


    ''Luckily, I managed to think of a way to keep the Qi absorbed from others circted in my meridians and body, preventing too much harm from my core. However, I still need to find a way to clean my core and my soul from the corruption it went through.''


    Ken thought to himself as he checked his core. The four colors were much stronger ever since he advanced to the higher phase of his stage, but now he could also find small dots of other colors mixed. It wasn''t much, less than 0.01% of his core, but those were impurities he had to get rid of, nheless.


    ''I guess that old man from the Serene Lotus Sect left this token for me.''


    Ken noticed a token next to him. Itnded in his hand a moment before he was teleported inside, and it fell from his hand right after. He figured it''d allow him to join the sect once he is out of the secret realm.


    He got up and looked around him, seeing he was still in the same stone room as before without any exit in sight.


    "Greetings, Inheritor. You''ve earned the honor of being awarded one reward of your choice. Would you like to choose now?"


    It was the same voice he heard after killing the 10,000th person at the volcanic belt outside.


    "Ken greets Senior. Before I choose, is this ce safe?"


    "It is."


    "Do you mind if I recuperate first?"


    Ken took out a healing pill and started ingesting its effects, feeling the minor injuries and bruises on his body heal.


    "Ahm, there are thousands of people outside waiting to enter the realm. I can only let them enter after you pick your reward, so they''ve been waiting for you to wake up for 10 hours."


    The voice coughed awkwardly and rushed Ken to choose a reward.


    "All right, what are my options?"


    "There are three options. You can pick an 8th-grade pill called Bloodlust Boosting Pill, and it does exactly what it sounds like. The alchemist used blood, soul pieces, and Qi they extracted from tens of thousands of cultivators. By taking the pill, your bloodlust will increase as if you killed half a million cultivators."


    It might be a decent choice for someone who wanted a strong bloodlust but didn''t want to be a murder machine, but Ken wasn''t interested.


    "No thanks, anything else?"


    "Yes, but I will let you know first that future rewards are heavily dependent on your bloodlust. If it''s not strong enough, your rewards in the secret realm will be rather low."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I don''t mind."


    Ken was quite confident of his own bloodlust.


    "Sure. The next option is a ninth-grade weapon. If you use a rare weapon, it might be just eighth grade though."


    "No need, next."


    ¡¤?¦Èm Ken refused again; his sword fitted his current needs. It''d be a waste to take a stronger sword now.


    "Sure. You can browse the catalog of the legacy''s techniques. They''re all of the higher-Heaven grade."


    "Anything else is an option?"


    Ken asked before even looking. If it was thest option he would take it, but otherwise he preferred something else. His whole skill set was made of techniques of the same grade, so it didn''t tempt him as much as it tempted others.


    "You''re a hard nut to crack. Anyway, I can offer you a detailed map of the secret realm. It can give you a slight edge in your trips, and you might have a chance at iming the other rewardster."


    "I will take the map then."


    A beam of light fell from the ceiling straight on Ken''s be, and images entered his mind. The information included the names of each area, their general characteristics, and whether there was a test there or not. Overall, he believed it''d give him a great advantage in his exploration of the secret realm.


    "Does this map include all the ces in the secret realm?"


    "It does. Although it doesn''t include all the treasures one might find in the secret realm, it includes all the most powerful ones."


    "All right, thank you."


    ----------


    Outside, the portal opened, and everyone started storming inside.


    "Hello, Inheritance Seeds. By entering here sessfully you''ve cleared the first condition to earn the inheritance, which is having enough bloodlust. You, righteous cultivators, are hypocrites, haha!"


    The voiceughed loudly, and everyone could hear its announcement. The righteous cultivators frowned but didn''t talk back; it was foolish to talk back when they didn''t know how much authority the voice had over their rewards there.


    "To get your initial score, re your bloodlust fully. The stronger it is, the better your score will be."


    Everyone immediately exuded as much bloodlust as they could, trying to get the best start they could.


    "Everyone gets Bloodlust Points ording to their score in this demonstration. When you find treasures of the seventh grade or higher, they will be locked. To get ess, you''ll have to pay with those Bloodlust Points. The price will be named on the treasure."


    The disciples remained quiet and waited patiently for the exnation to be over.


    "The price was set based on the average bloodlust. To increase your BP (A/N: BP ¨C Bloodlust Points), you need to do only one simple thing. Kill others, and let your token absorb theirs!"


    Tokens descended from the sky with numbers written on them. They exuded a strong bloody aura, making it possible for everyone to sense one another''s location. The better the score of the holder was, the stronger the aura it was exuding.


    "Other than that, there are a few more rules you can figure out as you y. Good luck!"

 Chapter 118 Labyrinth Of Blood

    ?


    After the voice finished exining the rules to the disciples inside, Ken looked at his token. It had the number 1 on it and was full of energy. After sensing the energy inside, he could guess its source.


    He never saw it before, but he had the Godly Qi for reference. He understood it was Qi stronger than the normal one albeit weaker than the Godly Qi. He concluded it must be Immortal Qi.


    "Haha, you''re a freak of nature. I can see why you didn''t take the Bloodlust Boost Pill, you truly don''t need it."


    Apparently, he still was eligible tomunicate with the mysterious voice thanks to his special status as the opener of the realm.


    "Would you like to exin themon sense to me?"


    "Yes, your token has 10 million BP inside it. You single-handedly raised the average from 300 BP to 800 BP. Since the price for a seventh-grade reward is 100 times the average, it makes the price 80,000. Originally it was nned to force the average disciple to kill 100 others for seventh-grade rewards, but now it raised to over 250 because of an anomaly, also known as you. People will have to do with rewards of a lower grade now."


    Ken grinned when he heard that. It basically meant that he was rich and could easily im dozens of rewards withoutpeting. Coupled with the fact that he had the map of the ce, he was free to go wherever he wanted.


    Earlier when he was asked to exude his bloodlust, Ken let it all out. He never stopped reying his kills in his mind during his training, and the numbers grew constantly. The bloodlust was also amplified multiple times when he used Bloodlust Qi, and his strong affinity with it empowered the amplification further.


    "Don''t celebrate so early, youngd. Once you''re ready to leave I will open the door out of here, and your token will cause everyone to chase you to the end of the secret realm. Remember, nobody can leave here before 3 months pass, not even you."


    "You don''t have to worry about me."


    ¡¤?¦Èm "Sure, but nothing stops the higher stages from hunting you down."


    Once Ken finished digesting the Healing Pill, he got up and went to the door that appeared earlier when the exnation was over.


    Before opening the door, he smiled when he thought about how perfectly the situation fitted his concealing technique.


    ''Sheathed Man. Or more precisely, Sheathed Token.''


    He created a sheath for the bloodlust emanating from the token, and the bloodlust was gone. Safe from the wandering cultivators, Ken opened the door and went outside.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''First, I need to see if there''s a way for me to reach the peak of the fourth stage quickly. There are a lot of disciples of the fifth stage in the secret realm, and I''m at a big disadvantage. Even if I can hide my bloodlust and my token, I''m not safe from being detected in the normal way.''


    He recalled the map and found one ce fitting for fulfilling his need for a fast power-up. It was called Labyrinth of Blood, and among the prizes was a natural treasure, the Twilight Apple, which was also known as the Core Forging Fruit for its ability to nurture cores.


    They were extremely rare in nature; they were coveted by humans and beasts alike, and once a Twilight Apple grows, it''s normally plucked as soon as it''s ripe. The Twilight Apple was a mutant fruit that grew on a normal fourth-rank Daylight Red Apple Tree.


    When the fruit was exposed to a delicate bnce between light and shadow in an area rich with Qi, it might mutate into the Twilight Apple. Twilight Apples were desired for their ability to naturally fill one''s core with Qi and elicit it to expand several times faster than without it.


    Ken assumed that the Labyrinth of Blood was meant to aid the fourth-stage cultivators to get stronger so they can stand up to the Nascent Soul opponents faster. He turned on Blood Sense and jogged silently toward thebyrinth.


    Normally, his Blood Sense captured the hidden bloodlust in the people around him, but now the bloodlust radiated from the tokens was much more prominent. His Bloodlust Sense could easily perceive them in a distance of 3 kilometers, much further than he could do naturally.


    Now that he could easily perceive bloodlust, he had an easy time practicing his Blood Sense technique. As he felt a few disciples wander a couple of kilometers away from him, he got the idea of Bloodlust Trails.


    Since he could sense humans, he should be able to sense their trail as well. With this enlightenment, he could finally get to the next mastery realm with his Blood Sense technique ¨C the Big Sess mastery realm.


    ''This secret realm is perfect for practicing my Bloodlust techniques, and I didn''t even enter one of the inheritance sites.''


    Ken thought to himself as he kept practicing the new mastery realm. Although he had many enlightenmentstely and managed to enter the Big Sess mastery realm in many techniques, he was only at the beginning of this mastery realm and needed to keep practicing to enhance his techniques.


    He soon reached a small building in a forest clearing. The building was made of wood and seemed brand new as if someone just built it and never upied it. The door opened smoothly without creaking, and he stepped inside.


    The room was bare other than one statue in its middle. The statue was made of stone and depicted a man with a wild expression and a tag saying "Magnus". The man had a thick beard, messy long hair, and a countenance that made one imagine a crazed man.


    Ken poured his Qi into the statue, and a metallic door was revealed on the ground. Ken held the handle and pulled it open, exposing a staircase that led into thebyrinth.


    He entered and closed the door behind him. As he was walking downstairs, the statue in the room above him moved again and covered the exit.

 Chapter 119 Exploring The First Floor

    ?


    "Wee to the first floor of the Labyrinth of Blood. To leave thebyrinth, you must enter thest room."


    Ken heard the same voice weing him inside.


    "Where is the floor?"


    He tried to ask just in case, but as he thought, he didn''t get any answer. He walked through the long corridor and used his Blood Sense, trying to find out whether there were any living beings nearby.


    To his surprise, he did sense some, but he felt that the walls of thebyrinth blocked his technique, and his senses couldn''t go beyond them.


    When looking forward, thebyrinth continued for nearly a kilometer before it branched off into two paths. Along the corridor, there were several doors, and Ken assumed that each contained either a treasure or a danger, probably both.


    He chose one of the doors and opened it but waited outside cautiously before taking any step further. His Blood Sense washed over the room, and he could sense multiple beings. The bloodlust was pure, which led him to think those weren''t normal beings but artificial monsters.


    He didn''t sense any threat from them, so he ced his hand on his waist where his flexible sword was concealed and came into the room. As soon as he took a step inside, 3 beasts pounced on him.


    ''sh Unwind.''


    The sword cut through the heads of the three beasts, and they turned into blood and sshed on the floor. He felt some energy flows from their blood into his token, and he understood he gained BP from killing them.


    It wasn''t much; he estimated it as 1 point for each monster, making it a total of 3 BP. The beasts were only at a power of low Core Formation cultivators, so he understood their low worth.


    ''There are 5 rooms, which means I can make 15 BP by killing the monsters in this corridor alone. If it''s so easy to gain BP without killing humans, why would anyone fight for BP?''


    He tried searching the stone room, but it was empty other than the lurking beasts. He sighed with a tinge of disappointment and continued to another door.


    There were 5 doors from the entrance until the junction, and he opened them all. They all had the same monsters, and the number of monsters varied from 3 to 5 in each room.


    The monsters were always the same type; they were humanoid in their structure but barely had any features. They had vague faces that always looked the same, and their bodies turned to blood once he shed their necks. Since they always lunged together, he easily shed them with a single sh Unwind.


    ''Only the fourth room had any treasure.''


    He gained two Twilight Apples in that room, but it wasn''t enough. He ate the apples, each making his core expand by 0.1 of its original size. To reach his previous maximum of 5.5 times the original, he would need 43 more of those apples.


    He also got the answer to his question from earlier. After killing 10 monsters, he stopped getting BP from them. He concluded the designer of this ce limited the BP earned from monsters to keep the business of human hunting lucrative.


    Standing in front of the two paths, Ken tried to see a difference but didn''t see any. He could sense monsters on both sides of the floor, and he picked the right corridor for no reason and walked on it.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    This corridor seemed the same as the one he just exited. It was long and straight, surrounded by gray stone walls. There were doors here as well, and Ken checked them all as well.


    This time there were no fruits, but in the fifth room, he found a puddle of blood that gave him 10 BP when he touched it. So far, he earned 20 BP in thebyrinth.


    Ken kept strolling on the first floor of thebyrinth. After clearing 5 corridors, Ken finally arrived at arge metallic double door. The door was rather simple and carried no decoration other than the words "Last Door".


    ''Seems like I finished the first floor, let''s head inside.''


    Ken pushed the door, and as soon as his Blood Sense could peek inside, he found out there was a battle going on inside. Surprised, he concentrated on those people and found out they were a group of 5 disciples at the peak Core Formation Stage.


    Even more surprising was the fact that he recognized one of them; it was the woman he shared a room with when he first got to the Divine Sword Sect.


    "Junior Brother Ken, you''re here. I didn''t expect you to be that strong, you have made a mess outside."


    Tiara looked toward Ken once the five finished the fight against a particrlyrge blood monster, assumingly the floor boss. She still talked with the same indifferent voice, making Ken wonder if she still wasn''t impressed with him.


    "Hello, Senior Sister Tiara. I''ve lost my self-control and acted recklessly."


    He cupped his fist and bowed slightly, following the usual etiquette of meeting a senior. Tiara just nodded at him while the other 4 converged around her. They all recognized Ken, but they never met him before.


    "Well, it''s surprising to see you here. I thought those doors would be the path forward, but it makes no sense that you walked back. We came from this door."


    Ken''s eyes scanned his surroundings and saw it was arge and tall room. There was a round tform in its middle, surrounded by stone pirs connected to each other from their tops.


    There was arge puddle of blood where therge monster was defeated, and the group of 5 seemed unscathed.


    Outside the tform, there were fourrge identical double doors, and Ken could guess that there were multiple entrances to thebyrinth and four paths that led to this room.


    "How strong was the monster here?"


    "Rather weak. It was only equal to an intermediate Core Formation cultivator. We initiated the fight with it 5 seconds before you came in."


    Ken was only there for 10 seconds before the fight was over, and it was understandable that it was the best the monster could do against 5 stronger opponents.

 Chapter 120 Traveling In A Group

    ?


    "Congrattions on clearing the first floor. The reward is 5 Twilight Apples. iming one apple costs 100 BP, will you make the transaction?"


    The voice was heard after the blood of therge monster was drained from the floor, and everyone thought about whether to take the prize.


    "I won''t take them. Although those apples can fetch a hefty price outside the secret realm, I prefer saving my BP for something more relevant for my stage."


    One of the male disciples dered and the others nodded in agreement. Since they already reached the peak of their stage, they were done with the process of expanding and condensing their cores.


    "I will take them then."


    Ken ced his token on a stone that appeared after the voice offered the rewards, and he felt a bit of energy flowing out of his token, signaling the deduction of 500 BP. 5 Twilight Apples appeared in front of him, hovering in the air. He stored them all and went back to the group.


    "You''re quite rich. I''d run out of CP if I tried taking all 5 apples."


    One of the disciples said when he saw Ken walks toward them but didn''t get a response.


    "Why did you separate from Jane and Diana? I didn''t see them enter the secret realm either."


    Tiara asked Ken as the two of them did some catching up. He found out that those four were from the Divine Sword Sect, and Tiara was invited to venture into the secret realm by one of them after they met in the Outer Ring.


    It wasn''t hard to see that he liked her indifferent and aloof disposition, but Ken didn''t know if Tiara shared the same feelings or was just taking advantage of him to get ess to better resources.


    "They''re both dead now. They were killed in the war by someone from the Four Seasons Sect, that''s why I lost my rational thinking and challenged their sect."


    "I see. Well, do you want to travel together with us?"


    The other 4 didn''t have a problem with adding a powerful ally to their group. They also didn''t consider attacking him despite knowing how powerful his bloodlust was.


    He showcased might beyond their capabilities in his fight against the disciples of the Four Seasons Sect, and they didn''t think they could do what the top 10 of the enemy couldn''t.


    "Sure, why not."


    Ken didn''t see a problem with joining them. He wouldn''t lose any rewards, and if they tried to make him lose any rewards, he was strong enough to make them regret it.


    They were traveling through the second floor now, and just like before, they stopped getting any BP after killing 10 of the monsters. The monsters in this room were the size of a short man, and their back was curved while they used their nails as ws.


    Their faces were slightly more detailed than the creatures on the first floor; they included a vague nose, eyes, and lips, but that''s where the improvement ended.


    "So you are the famous Ken who butchered the Four Seasons Sect''s disciples? I''d never guess that the owner of those scary red eyes had such a beautiful face under the mask."


    One of the female disciples remarked after clearing another room.


    "A dumpling''s meat is on the inside, not on the folds outside. I wouldn''t guess such a beautiful child can be so dangerous. I''m Tobias, ranked 190 in thebat power top list for Core Formation disciples, nice to meet you." (1)


    The man wooing Tiara introduced himself. Because of Ken''s young age, he didn''t feel threatened by his presence, sparing Ken from the experience of traveling with a hostile young master in love.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I''m Daisy, ranked 241."


    The same woman that talked earlier introduced herself as well.


    "I''m Adrian, ranked 242. But only because I don''t want to hurt Daisy, we''re close friends."


    A bulky young man talked for the first time, eliciting a chuckle from the group.


    "Don''t believe him, he tries to spar with me every day but tries too hard for sparring. He just tries to check if he can defeat me before officially issuing a challenge."


    Kenughed with the group when Adrian tried to protest and deny her ims, saying he was just trying to get warmed up before fighting in the Outer Ring.


    "And I''m Bryce, I''m ranked 764 inbat power, but I''m also ranked 132 in Formation Mastery."


    Thest man to introduce himself felt embarrassed when he mentioned his rank inbat power, and hurriedly exined his strengthy in another field.


    "I''m Ken, unranked. Nice to meet you guys."


    "Haha, you''re quite shameless to introduce yourself as an unranked disciple."


    Daisy''s straightforward attitude reminded Ken of Jane, but he soon shook her off his mind and concentrated on their surroundings.


    "Hey look, there are more apples here. Ken, I assume you want them?"


    ¡¤?¦Èm Tobias asked out loud after they found 2 apples in another room. The structure of this floor was the same as the one before it. Those were unlocked, and anyone could grab them.


    "I do."


    "Sure, we should distribute the rewards by usefulness rather than equally. Since the apples can only help you, I think you should get them. When we find treasures that can help us break through to the next stage, we will take them."


    "We will see if I need them."


    Ken wasn''t na?ve enough to agree to this deal. The man simply tried to sell those apples to Ken in exchange for a promise not to get a share of the stronger rewards. Even if those other rewards were useless to Ken in his stage, he would reach theirs soon, so he didn''t n to give any treasure up.


    Ken ced the two apples in his storage ring and continued to explore the ce with the group.


    "Let''s find a ce to rest, guys."


    --------


    A/N: (1) A dumpling''s meat is on the inside, not on the folds outside ¨C an idiom meaning you can''t judge others based on appearances only.

 Chapter 121 Traveling In A Group 2/2

    ?


    "Let''s find a ce to rest, guys."


    Tobias, as the strongest member of the group excluding Ken, acted as the group''s leader.


    "We can clear one of those rooms and sleep inside. We can take turns and keep watch."


    Daisy''s suggestion was epted by everyone, and they entered thest room of the corridor. On the second floor, the monsters were now equal to intermediate Core Formation disciples.


    "Those monsters are quite powerful. They couldpete for a spot in the top 1000 even in a top sect like ours. If they were in the same stage as me, I could handle only up to two of them at once."


    Adrian remarked as they settled in the room after finishing off the 4 monsters that lurked inside. Unfortunately, there was no prize inside and all of them already killed 10 monsters, so they didn''t earn anything in that room.


    "I could handle three."


    Daisy instantly took the chance to show off her higher rank. Ken already noticed that Adrian and Daisy were quitepetitive with each other.


    "King-size bed? You sure know how to live!"


    Tobiasughed when Ken took out his bed from his storage ring. Other than him, only Tiara brought a bed, and it was a simple one. The others all slept in sleeping bags on the floor.


    "I don''t like sleeping on the floor, it''s ufortable."


    "Well, be toofy and you might lose your edge. You don''t want to sleep too deeply in here and miss an iing monster."


    "I will be fine; you guys are having my back."


    The group exchanged meaningful looks behind Ken''s back when thettery down, and they all wore contemtive expressions as if they were considering a new option.


    --------


    "Hey, we got to the final door of the second floor. It didn''t take that long."


    Nothing of importance happenedst night. In the morning, or at least what they considered to be morning since it was when they got up, they continued their journey in thebyrinth.


    They already explored much of the second floor the day before, finding a few fourth-grade pills to boost bloodlust, a few free BP, and more. Hence, they didn''t take long to get to arge double door, simr to the one that led to the final room on the first floor.


    "Thisbyrinth isn''t that scary. There aren''t any traps and other than the inability to conceal ourselves from the monsters, there isn''t much danger."


    Bryce said as they prepared to open the door. Based on the mechanics of the former floor, they guessed they will fight a high Core Formation monster, so they weren''t too afraid of it.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As soon as they opened the door, the same tform surrounded by arched pirs waited for them, and in its middle was a monster with distinctive facial features. This time, there were ears, and everything seemed more realistic. The monster''s bloody red skin also turned into a darker shade of red, resembling brown.


    They both outnumbered the monster and each one of them was stronger than it, so in a few moves, the monster turned into a puddle of blood and sshed on the floor.


    "Congrattions on clearing the second floor. You earn 5 BP each, and there are a few prizes you can choose from."


    3 stone pedestals rose from the ground, each carrying one type of prize.


    The one to the right was Ken''s favorite, the Twilight Apple. They amassed an impressive number of those, and it''d be nearly impossible to gather that many Twilight Apples outside. This time the price tag was lowered, costing only 80 BP per apple.


    The second prize was the same one he always rejected, the Bloodlust Boost Pill, albeit it was only fifth grade, making it equal to killing 50,000 people. The pill was more expensive and cost 150 BP per pill.


    The third prize was a fifth-grade talisman for 200 BP. Its name was "Terror Talisman", which was a single-time attack that radiated a powerful bloodlust, making the target cower in terror and unable to attack, assuming their own mind and bloodlust wasn''t strong enough to resist.


    "I will get one of the pills."


    "Me too, it seems that bloodlust is important here, and it''d be too hard to kill 50,000 people otherwise."


    Most of the team agreed to get a pill other than Ken and Tiara. Ken purchased all five apples again, while the rest purchased one pill each, excluding Tobias and Tiara; the former bought 2 while thetter didn''t buy any.


    "Junior Sister Tiara, I''ve bought a pill for you; it will give you a better chance in thisbyrinth."


    He smiled at her, and the pill hovered from his palm to Tiara.


    "Thank you, Senior Brother. I won''t decline this gift then."


    Tiara gave a short smile, encouraging Tobias to believe he did the right thing. Everyone sat down to ingest the pills'' effects, while Ken ate the apples. So far, he ate 18 of those apples and his core expanded to the size of 2.8 in a span of a single day.


    In every substage, the core was stronger than before, making it harder to expand. However, Ken''s progress was extremely fast with the aid of so many natural treasures.


    Ken noticed the covetous eyes of his team members as they watched him purchase 5 more apples. His nonchnt attitude toward BP made them suspect he had an extremely high number of points. It wasn''t a secret that his bloodlust was high; he disyed a lot of it during his fights on the volcanic mountain.


    "Before we leave, I think I will also buy this talisman. Who knows when it can be useful."


    Tobias smiled and purchased the Terror Talisman before cing it in his storage ring. Ken only spared him a single nce before returning to focus on ingesting the apples.


    Once the group was well rested, they headed to the new door that appeared on the ground and descended the stairs to the next floor.

 Chapter 122 VIP Treatment

    ?


    "All right, let''s do the same as we did before. Clear all the doors for extra rewards and distribute the rewards fairly."


    Tobias instructed the team as Bryce, the formation master, carelessly entered one of the rooms. They knew what to expect; the first room they cleared on that floor was the same as the rooms on the floors above. The few blood monsters as they called them, were all equal to cultivators in the high Core Formation Stage.


    *BOOM!*


    "AH!"


    An explosion echoed in the room, and Bryce was sent outside flying with wounds and burns all over. The other 5 in the group took a fighting stance and prepared to fight whatever caused it, but nothing came out of the room.


    "Bryce? What happened there?"


    "There was a trap. As soon as I entered, I stepped on a fourth-grade Explosion Talisman, and it got triggered from the touch."


    "Haha, you jinxed it! You had iting!"


    Daisyughed at the wounded man on the ground, uncaring of the insensitivity.


    Ken scrutinized the man carefully and saw that Bryce managed to block most of the damage. He was one substage higher than the power this floor was attuned to. However, the man was still wounded, and his legs had severe burns and some fractures.


    "It''s fine, as long as you didn''t lose the leg, it can be healed easily."


    Tobias calmed everyone down while Bryce took a fifth-grade healing pill and mended his injuries. As top disciples of a rich sect, they had the means to treat serious injuries.


    "Looks like there are traps on this floor in addition to the normal blood monsters. It seems that thebyrinth bes less forgiving as we move on."


    Ken remarked to the team. Until that moment they were exploring the ce in easy mode, but now the difficulty was rising. He repressed a smile when he thought about what was going to happen soon and took out his mask.


    "I hope you guys don''t mind; I think I''m going to put my mask on."


    "Sure, go ahead."


    The team didn''t think much of it and Ken wore his mask. He asionally switched between the menacing silver mask that apanied him from his time in the branch sect of Phoenix Feather Sect and the red demon mask he wore in the Outer Zone.


    "Let''s take turns on who enters the rooms first."


    Tobias suggested and the rest found it reasonable. It was a dangerous job to enter first, and it was unfair if the same person did it all the time.


    "I don''t know if it''s a good idea, some of us are better at defense than others."


    Tiara soon raised a good idea of why they shouldn''t do it. The truth was that she enjoyed their protection and preferred not to risk herself for the team.


    "You''re right. I''m good with defense so I will do your turn as well, Junior Sister."


    Tobias hurriedly fawned at the prettydy, eliciting a disapproving headshake from everyone on the team. They didn''t like to see their leader act like a horny dog trying to curry favor with Tiara.


    Tobias was the first one to barge into the next room, but there was nothing other than some monsters and two Twilight Apples.


    "Hey Little Brother Ken, how about you eat those two apples now?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Tobias approached Ken again after thetter took the apples as always and stored them in his ring. Although his ring didn''t have an infinite capacity, it was quiterge. It had a storage space of 50 cubic meters, and although at some points Qi Stones took half of this space, the rest of Ken''s things didn''t take that much room.


    "I don''t want to make the rest of the group wait for me; I can do it at night like I''ve always done until now."


    "No, no. We want to take good care of you, we will be relying on your strength next floor. Don''t worry about it, we will wait."


    "Sure, I will take you up on your offer then. I will absorb them now."


    Ken spoke with a grateful tone while the mask hid his cold smile. He knew well why Tobias was so nice to him, and he waited for the matter to blow up.


    20 minutester, Ken''s core reached the size of 3 times the original, and the group continued its journey. They ced Ken one beforest in line to lead a raid on a room, only prior to Bryce who was wounded from the first trap.


    "Little Brother, you''ve gotten many Twilight Apples; you shouldn''t spend so much BP on them next boss room. You should get something else."


    "Don''t worry, Big Brother. I have enough; I earned a lot for opening this secret realm."


    Tobias spoke with Ken as the group explored thebyrinth.


    There was a trap when Daisy went in first, but this time it was poisonous gas instead of an explosion.


    Thanks to her high alertness and her abilities, she managed to sense the effects of the transparent gas on her body and stepped outside, closing the door behind her. After one healing pill and a few minutes of rest, she waspletely healed.


    "All right Little Brother, it''s your turn. If you feel unsure about it let us know and we can skip your turn."


    Adrian said with arge smile, and Tobias ced his hand on Ken''s shoulder to show support.


    "No problem, I will do it. I wouldn''t want to be a burden on the team."


    Adrian and Tobias almost stopped their breaths as Ken opened the door. Their hands were ready on their weapons, and Tobias sent one hand behind his back.


    "There''s nothing here, only some blood monsters."


    Ken said as he dashed forward to fight with the monsters.


    "Huhhh."


    Adrian let out a long sigh as he quickly strengthened up. Tobias soon pulled his hand from behind his back and they both rushed inside to help Ken before the others took a single step forward.


    Like always, Tiara didn''t participate in the fight, and let the others handle it. She never participated in a fight after filling her quota for the BP by killing 10 blood monsters.


    "Little Brother Ken, it''s your turn now."


    Yet again, no trap. It was the fifth time.


    "Little Brother Ken, it''s your turn now."


    This time a slight irritation sneaked into Tobias'' voice.

 Chapter 123 Ingroup Fighting

    ?


    "Little Brother Ken, it''s your turn now."


    It was the sixth time it was Ken''s turn, and this time slight irritation sneaked into Tobias'' voice.


    ''I guess it''s because of my luck.''


    Ken thought to himself. His luck was over 300 now, so it made sense that he ran into traps less than the others. In contrast, the others faced a trap at least twice per person. Some ran into poison, some into Explosion Talismans, and there was even one room thatunched projectiles at them.


    Ken opened the room, and thanks to his Formation Mastery, instantly felt there was a formation inside. However, he said nothing to his teammates.


    He ced one hand inside his robes and brought out a fifth-rank scroll he made himself ¨C the Formation Suppression Scroll. It was one of the first things he learned how to make when he got ess to the Formation Mastery Library of the Divine Sword Sect. After all, it did cause him some trouble at the Outer Zone.


    He also easily recognized the fourth-rank formation, the Illusion Inducing Formation, albeit with a few tweaks that Ken couldn''t tell their job instantly. However, it was enough to know what he was dealing with.


    He entered the room and entered an illusion. As expected from the Bloodthirst Sect, the illusion included gore and terror, showing him scenes of dozens of monsters surrounding him. The tweaks were meant to set the violent scene instead of the usual fog that made people walk around in circles.


    "Guys, there''s a sixth-stage cultivator here!"


    Ken kneeled as if he was under pressure and channeled Qi into the scroll, ready to activate it.


    "He is in an illusion; it must be some type of formation!"


    Tobias said and exchanged looks with Adrian.


    "You guys stay out of this if you don''t want to help. Only those who fight can share the spoils!"


    He said and threw the Terror Talisman he prepared in hand. He took it out of his storage ring every time Ken led the raid on the rooms, hiding it behind his back and ready to throw it. This time, he finally had the chance.


    Ken already activated the Suppression Scroll, deactivating the Illusion Formation that trapped him. He could break it normally too, but it''d take some time that he didn''t have.


    He suspected Tobias ever since thetter purchased the Terror Scroll and believed it was meant to be used against him. He scoffed at the idea of using a bloodlust item against him. His bloodlust was off the charts.


    At that moment, Tobias and Adrian radiated their bloodlust to pressure Ken, adding as much they can to the pressure he was going through from the talisman.


    "Attack now, he must be stunned by the pressure!"


    Tobias consumed enough pills to develop bloodlust as if he killed 80 thousand people, while Adrian digested only slightly less than that. Since Ken didn''t take any pills, they believed his bloodlust couldn''t be as potent as theirs.


    It didn''t seem usible that a young child managed to kill tens of thousands of people, and even if he did, it wouldn''t be enough to resist the talisman.


    The two used two medium-range attacks; they didn''t want to enter the formation and get stuck in the illusion along with Ken.


    ''Cloud Running.''


    Ken twisted his body, dodging two violent streams of Qi that were moving toward him.


    "He activated a Formations Suppression Scroll!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Tobias shouted in fear when he realized Ken wasn''t under the effect of the formation anymore. However, it was toote to regret his actions, and his greed blinded him from seeing his dire situation. Seeing Ken buying the apples without batting an eysh made him jealous of the kid''s wealth, and he wanted it for himself.


    "He is still under the Terror Talisman!"


    Adrian shouted half desperately as he dashed to sh with Ken. Using techniques only helped when they could overpower the enemy, else it is just a way to waste Qi really fast.


    Since Ken could dodge two medium-range attacks that were supposed to be sneak attacks, he believed Ken could do it again. He first had to corner Ken before pressuring him with techniques.


    Ken took a fighting stance, unbothered by the intense bloodlust he was under from the talisman. Although he could overpower his enemies with techniques, it''d be harder in a battle against two men that were used to working with each other; they could manage his attacks together.


    "Wait guys, that''s insane, stop fighting!"


    Daisy shouted in anger, but everyone ignored her and kept fighting. Meanwhile, Tiara stood motionlessly by the side, unwilling to take a side, and Bryce watched the fight with conflicted eyes.


    Within the confines of the empty stone room, the sh of des echoed, filling the 5-meter long and 5-meter wide space. The room''s cold stone walls absorbed the sound and echoed it back, amplifying the intensity of the battle.


    Ken''s flexible sword arced through the air, its sleek form carving a path with lethal precision. The confined space demanded nimble footwork and swift reflexes. He spun, twisted, and evaded, utilizing every inch of the room to his advantage.


    Tobias and Adrian responded with synchronized fluidity. Their swords moved as one, blocking and parrying Ken''s strikes with remarkable precision. The ringing of metal against metal reverberated through the room as they expertly defended themselves.


    Blows were exchanged in rapid session. Ken''s flexible sword coiled and whipped, striking at different angles and exploiting any opening, utilizing its sticity to the maximum. His strikes were swift and unpredictable, seeking to disrupt the coordinated defense of Tobias and Adrian.


    The atmosphere crackled with Qi energy as thebatants poured their strength into every strike.


    "Guys, we were friends for decades, help us! Bryce, you promised to join!"


    Tobias shouted to hisrades who watched the fight silently. Bryce felt conflicted; he nned on participating in the ambush, but he didn''t want to join the fray after seeing Ken was unaffected by the talisman.


    The fifth-rank talisman was their greatest weapon against the monster that killed 10,000 disciples of a top sect a few days ago.


    ¡¤?¦Èm The walls of the room reverberated with the thud of bodies colliding and the ring of metal meeting metal.


    Tobiasunched a powerful overhead strike, his sword descending with brute force. Ken twisted his body, narrowly evading the blow. He retaliated with a quick thrust, aiming for Tobias'' exposed side, but Adrian deftly intercepted the attack, their teamwork unbroken.


    The room forced Ken to adapt his movements, relying on his agility and strategic thinking. He used the limited space to his advantage, utilizing quick bursts of speed and sudden changes in direction to evade and counter his enemies'' attacks, sometimes even by jumping on the walls.


    "Help us!"


    Tobias shouted stressfully when he finally suffered the first injury in the battle. Ken found an opening and used sh 81 in 1, trying to decapitate Adrian. Adrian quickly used a parry sword technique, but the power was too strong. Tobias tried to help him and got wounded in his ce.


    "I''m sorry, but Ken is my friend from my sect, and I didn''t join the Divine Sword Sect officially yet. I can''t join either side."


    Tiara said with an apologetic voice, prompting a smile from Ken''s lips. He was starting to take a liking to the selfish woman.

 Chapter 124 Group Gets Smaller

    ?


    "Help us!"


    Tobias shouted stressfully when he finally suffered the first injury in the battle.


    "I''m against it. You attacked an ally first, that''s backstabbing."


    On the other hand, Daisy refused to join out of principle. Her words also gave Bryce a good reason to decline.


    "I''m sorry, Senior Brother, I also think it''s inappropriate to backstab an ally."


    "YOU ARE THE BACKSTABBER! YOU AGREED TO JOIN!"


    "Senior Brother, please don''t try to force me to fight by telling lies."


    "SHAMELESS!"


    Tobias screamed when he realized his friends abandoned him. He already noticed he couldn''t win now. Sweat dripped down the pair''s brows, their breathing heavy as the relentless exchange of blows continued.


    Now that Tobias'' right arm had a deep cut, he had to switch hands and fight with his left. Although trained, his prowess decreased.


    The flexible sword appeared as a blur of motion as it bounced from side to side, trying to find an open path to an unguarded throat. Ken easily understood the right way to fight in the cramped space. He managed to use the walls to add to his momentum every time.


    Adrian lunged forward, his sword aiming for Ken''s midsection. With a fluid motion, Ken sidestepped the attack, his flexible swordshing out in a counterstrike. The des met, sparks erupting from the collision.


    Tobias retaliated, his sword whirling in a deadly arc. Ken deflected the blow with precision, the sh of metal resonating through the room. Sensing an opportunity, he swiftly spun, delivering a sweeping kick that caught Tobias off bnce, staggering him momentarily.


    ''Snake Thrust.''


    Adrian came to his friend''s aid, trying to block Ken''s sword. He could clearly see the sword''splicated path, and he confidently sent a shing technique to meet with Ken''s sword.


    Tobias was still out of bnce, but he would only need less than half a second to stabilize himself and use a technique of his own using the time Adrian bought him.


    "Ah."


    Adrian didn''t feel any pressure against his sword. Tobias however, felt the air pass through two new holes that appeared in his chest. One punctured the heart while the other left its mark right underneath the first.


    Big Sess mastery realm ¨C Ken''s sword moved so fast and in such aplicated manner it created an illusion. Just like the des of a fan would seem static because of their rotating speed, Ken''s sword course seemed easy to perceive while in truth the enemy didn''t see anything.


    "NO! DAMN IT! DAMN IT!"


    Adrian shouted in a mix of fear, panic, and rage. He threw the caution to the wind and threw himself at Ken, hoping to catch him in surprise and deal a decisive blow.


    ''Thundering Sword Strike.''


    Adrian''s sword shed as he swung it in a fast arc, trying to cut Ken''s torso from side to side.


    However, Ken was always focused. He jumped in the air when Adrian initiated his technique, his body horizontally moving above the de as he dodged it. Adrian tried a thrust technique next, but Ken already stepped back.


    Now that it was one on one, Ken could simply overpower Adrian brutally instead of starting another bout of sword strikes.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Snake Thrust.''


    Adrian saw the illusion of the sword, but he remembered from hisst experience that it wasn''t so simple to block. The problem was that too little time passed, and he still didn''t know how the sword technique worked.


    He did the only option he could think of; trying to block the sword his eyes perceived. It didn''t work.


    Indifferent to the two dead bodies who were formerly his allies, Ken absorbed the duo''s BP from their tokens but didn''t get much. Combined, they had only 300 points, as they already spent most of their points on the Terror Talisman and the Bloodlust Boost Pills.


    He took their Qi Stones as well as some minerals and herbs from their rings and threw the rest to the other 3. He never took pills or scrolls from others, since he believed his were the best.


    "Does anyone have any problem with me killing them?"


    "They tried to kill you, it''s their fault for dying. We can continue our journey if you want, I will enter first the next room we explore."


    Tiara said and stood by Ken''s side. She knew that with two allies less, she had to contribute her part. Although she was selfish, she had a high social awareness.


    "Agh, let me collect my thoughts first. I''ve been friends with them for the past 15 years, I can''t believe they tried to backstab someone for resources. If I was rich, wouldn''t they attack me too?"


    Daisy said with a depressed tone and sat down on a clean spot on the stone floor. She just sat there and looked sadly at her dead friends.


    "What about you?"


    Ken looked toward Bryce. He already judged the man as the cowardly type, and he didn''t care whether he nned to participate in the ambush or not. Ken knew that Bryce wouldn''t dare attack him in the near future.


    "I¡­ Is it ok if I join you?"


    "Yes, I don''t mind."


    Ken assured the man and removed his mask, revealing his beautiful face again.


    "I will alsoe. There''s no time to waste on grief."


    Daisy stood up and the three headed to the next door. Ken was still thinking about what transpired earlier.


    ''Daisy has a simr character to Diana. She''s kind and friendly, but I don''t want to get attached. Besides, her actions show she has a strong moral code, which means we can''t get along well.''


    It didn''t take them long to get to the final room, and the four stood in front of a double door with the tag "Last Door".


    After exchanging looks and confirming everyone was ready to go, Ken pushed the door open, ready to face the monster inside. The boss monster was stronger than the normal ones on the next floor.


    If the blood monsters on the third floor were equal to a top 1000 disciple of their stage, the boss on the second floor was as strong as a top 500 one.


    However, the boss still wasn''t strong enough to pose a threat to the team. They charged forward and attacked the boss from different directions, maiming it instantly. Using their numbers, they easily took it down.


    "Congrattions on clearing the third floor."

 Chapter 125 The Devils Heir

    ?


    "Congrattions on clearing the third floor. You each earn 10 BP for defeating the monster."


    The voice spoke a few minutes after they killed the monster. Ken figured the dy was meant to allow the inheritors to catch their breath and treat their wounds first.


    "There are 3 prizes avable, and you can take any prize you want using BP."


    It was the same rewards as thest floor, but this time, the Terror Talisman was reced by a book.


    "You may take the prize you prefer. First, there are 10 Twilight Apples, each costing 60 BP. Second, there are 5 fifth-grade Bloodlust Boost Pills that will help you develop bloodlust equal to killing 50,000 people, each costing 150 BP."


    Everyone recognized those rewards since they had seen them before. The price of the fruits decreased again while the pills'' price didn''t change. Ken guessed it was because the fruits were less relevant as they climbed the floors while the bloodlust always had the same effect.


    "Third, you can choose the book "Mysteries of Luck". The book will allow you to delve into a concept the 7 supreme elders kept secret from the rest of the world for hundreds of years. There are only ten copies of this book in the whole secret realm. The book ''Mysteries of Luck'' is equal to a seventh-grade treasure, and cost 80,000 BP."


    Other than Ken who heard the price for seventh-grade treasures before, everyone gaped at the huge amount of BP required.


    "We can''t afford the book, that''s a shame. We might see it again next floor, but we will still not have enough BP."


    Daisy said with a downcast expression. Everyone was dejected that they couldn''t take the secret of the 7 supreme elders of the strongest evil sect in its time.


    "Should we take another pill?"


    Bryce asked Daisy next to him. Tiara seemed disinterested in anything that the ce had to offer again.


    "You can''t cultivate bloodlust only by consuming pills, no matter how many souls and human blood were used by the alchemist that made them. Every time you consume the pill, the effect will decrease by half."


    Ken exined the downside of taking the pills. Ken also believed that the pressureing from such bloodlust would be inferior to one developed by truly killing people.


    "Wait, souls and human blood?"


    "Yes, those are the main ingredients in this pill. I was offered to take a seventh-grade one when I first entered the secret realm."


    "Ew! That''s horrible!"


    Daisy and Bryce both distorted their faces in disgust. They preferred not knowing the ingredients.


    "Don''t be hypocrites. What kind of rewards did you expect in an evil sect''s secret realm?"


    Ken shrugged and imed all the apples as he always did. His next actions made even the usually cold Tiara look at him in envy.


    He went to the third pedestal and easily paid the price to gain the book. He already knew about luck, and finding out more about it could only help him.


    "Junior Brother, how much CP do you have?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Enough."


    Ken dismissed the curious Daisy without an answer. Before Daisy could pout at him, one of the double doors opened.


    In every final room, there were four double doors, leading inside the room from four different routes. Ken wasn''t sure how it worked, but his best assumption was that there were 64 final rooms on the first floor, 16 on the second, and 4 on the third.


    "Let''s kill this boss, Jacob, you attack from the front, Joshua- wait what?"


    A group of cultivators stormed inside with their weapons unsheathed, prepared to fight the boss. However, they only saw Ken''s group standing where the boss was supposed to be, along with the pedestals.


    The two groups looked at each other for a moment. While the group inside wore yellow robes, marking them as inner disciples from the Divine Sword Sect, the other group wore the light green robes of the Serene Lotus Sect.


    Their leader was the exception with white robes, showcasing his talent as one of the core disciples of the strongest sect.


    "Hello, fellow cultivators. I''m Russel from the Serene Lotus Sect, may I know who you guys are?"


    He asked the question carefully when he saw the group. He had some confidence in winning against inner disciples, but the boy seemed odd. He was too young to be there, and his red eyes radiated a sense of danger.


    The disciples of the Serene Lotus Sect weren''t there during Ken''s fight, but he heard that a red-eye child ughtered the inner and outer disciples of the Four Seasons Sect, and there weren''t many children in the secret realm.


    "I''m Daisy from the Divine Sword Sect. Nice to meet you."


    Daisy spoke after a moment of silence. She realized Ken wasn''t taking the team leader position and probably wanted to remain off-radar.


    "What did you gain for defeating the monster here?"


    "Twilight Apples and Bloodlust Boost Pills. There was also a fifth-grade talisman."


    Russel stopped for a moment, considering whether it was worth fighting over.


    "Team Leader, shouldn''t we get the BP from them? We outnumber them."


    If a fight broke out, it''d be 5 against 4, and one of the team members suggested attacking. He didn''t believe they were unlucky enough to run into the Devil''s Heir, Ken''s new nickname.


    "No, it doesn''t worth it. Let''s just move on to the next floor and try to get to the boss faster."


    Russel refused and his group moved on to the next floor. Ken didn''t attack; thus, the rest of the group didn''t take any action either.


    "Good luck, friends. Be careful of the evil cultivators, some of them are wearing the robes of their victims, disguising themselves as members of the righteous sects. They aim to backstab other cultivators and steal their BP."


    Russel offered onest piece of advice before cupping his fist and descending the stairs to the next floor along with his teammates.

 Chapter 126 Peak Core Formation Stage

    ?


    "Was it wise to let them pass? They might steal some of our rewards."


    Daisy asked with a frown. She didn''t want to lose rewards because they were snatched by another group.


    "It''s fine, I''m nning to stay here for a while. I have 16 Twilight Apples, so I want to break through to the next substage before moving on. The next floor will be much harder, and we don''t know how dangerous the traps there are."


    Ken sat down and started eating the fruits, feeling his core expanding inside him. After 10 apples, Ken''s core reached the size of 4 times the original.


    Meanwhile, Bryce drew formations in the room, covering the 4 entrances with a few types of them. Since he expected to stay there for a few hours, he wanted to prepare for a possible arrival of a hostile team.


    ----------


    ''As I thought, the next apple doesn''t increase the size of my core. The limit it can bring me to is the same limit I can achieve naturally.''


    Ken had to use the Core Expanding Inducer Pills again to make his core grow further than 4 times the original size, but the problem was that he developed tolerance to the two variations he made in his previous breakthroughs.


    ''Now I have a newponent I didn''t have earlier.''


    He was left with 5 and a half Twilight Apples, and he wanted to integrate them into his pill, thus creating a new variation that he wasn''t immune to.


    He took out his cauldron in the corner of the boss room and first made a few mental experiments. When he felt like he was ready, he opened with the first attempt at creating a new variation using the half an apple he had.


    He learned about the inner structure of the apple and the way it reacted to other materials through his experiment, but the first attempt wasn''t enough. Although it wasn''t enough, it wasn''t a failure since he learned much from it.


    After finishing, he ran a few mental experiments again in his mind, trying to find loopholes in his findings and deductions. Once he felt ready, he moved on.


    Ken threw the next apple into the cauldron, experimenting further. This time, he managed to create a pill. Most of the essence of the ingredients was wasted and burned, but one pill came outside in the end.


    ''Not good enough, the purity is only 84%. But it''s a great progress, I should be sessful in my next attempt.''


    Again, he didn''t give up on the mental experiments. He had a limited amount of Twilight Apples, and checking his findings mentally first could spare a lot of workter.


    Once he was ready to concoct again, he managed to create 2 perfect pills with the next apple, perfecting the new recipe with that. Now that he mastered the new recipe, he didn''t hesitate to concoct the others.


    With the remaining 3 apples he created 12 perfect pills sessfully, the amount he needed for his breakthrough. He even had 2 perfect pills to spare.


    Ken groaned with slight pain as he swallowed the first pill, feeling the Alchemy Qi operating on his core and forcibly expanding it further beyond its limits.


    The process wasn''t too fast.


    4.1¡­ 4.2¡­ 4.3¡­<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    His core grew over the hours until it finally stopped on the good old 5.5 times size he always achieved. Once he considered himself prepared, he worked on condensing his core back to its original size.


    It took him 3 more painful hours, but Ken never lost his concentration. His group members all waited patiently since it was more assuring to have such a powerful ally with them on the next floor.


    Overall, the whole process took him 15 hours toplete, wasting a whole day from the precious 3 months they were granted inside the secret realm.


    "All right, let''s move."


    Ken washed quickly with a water technique and changed his sweaty robes into new ones. He always carried a few spares with him.


    "I think we can expect to meet many more groups on the next floor, so be ready."


    Ken warned his group as they descended the stairs. Since he believed that all the other floors converged to the fourth floor which probably had a single boss room, it indicated that teams venturing into thebyrinth from various entrances would convene at this point.


    During his breakthrough, his team even killed 2 groups of evil cultivators that tried to enter the room. It was easy to forget they were top disciples when they were together with Ken. With the aid of Bryce''s formations, they managed to win quickly.


    "All right, is everyone healed and ready to move to the next floor?"


    "Yes. We even earned 2700 BP, we shared it among each other equally."


    Daisy said cheerfully, while Bryce looked at Ken carefully, trying to see if he was going to demand a cut from their profits. He sighed in relief when thetter said nothing.


    "Good, let''s go then."


    Together, they descended the stairs and reached the next floor.


    "Be careful. The traps here will be more dangerous than those we met on the previous floor."


    Ken warned the group as they stood outside the first door in the corridor. He activated Blood Sense as always and opened the door, instantly finding inside 13 humans. His other senses couldn''t find any presence inside, but he trusted his technique.


    He could even sense weak traces of humans moving in and out of the room, and following those traces that his technique picked up allowed him to find a few blood stains on the floor and walls that he''d normally dismiss. The extra effect of the Big Sess mastery realm came in handy this time.


    "Do you sense anything inside?"


    "Yes, there''s an Explosion Talisman at the entrance, and it''s hidden well. It will explode the moment we take a step inside."


    Tiara said confidently, and Ken nodded in agreement. He also sensed it, but it was nothingpared to the 13 enemies lurking inside.

 Chapter 127 Chaos In The Secret Realm 1/2

    ?


    A few days earlier, ric''s POV:


    ric was a peak fourth-stage disciple of the Divine Sword Sect. He wasn''t a normal disciple; he was a core disciple and reached his current stage when he was only 27. His foundation was firm as well, and he never cut corners in his training.


    His master asked him if he wanted to enter the secret realm of the Bloodthirst Sect. Apparently, there was a big story about a child that ughtered the disciples of the Four Seasons Sect.


    When that happened, ric was cultivating diligently in seclusion, so he wasn''t there to watch. Most of the core disciples were cultivating in the sect during the war since no elder wanted to take the risk of having his personal disciple die.


    Most of the war was fought between the inner disciples, outer disciples, and the ones both sides brought from other sects. It was also the reason that Ken didn''t fight a single core disciple from the Four Seasons Sect.


    "You don''t have to go. Most of the prizes will be evil and you won''t be able to use them."


    His master was worried, but he didn''t want to prevent the option of choosing from his disciple.


    "I will go there, Master. I don''t want to be a protected flower that can''t fight. Believe in me."


    ric was tired of cultivating in seclusion. He hit a bottleneck in his training and couldn''t improve his technique mastery anymore. He needed danger and real fights to improve further.


    "I don''t think you have to go to such a risky ce. I''m sure the other top 5 sects will not remain quiet and let us and the Four Seasons Sect take it all for ourselves. Not only that, but the Bloodthirst Sect''s name isn''t empty; they will give you incentives to kill each other."


    "And even so, I want to go."


    "Ok, since you made your decision, you may go. There''s an airship going out to where the portal should open, make sure not to miss it."


    "Thank you, Master. I will not disappoint you."


    After getting the details he needed from his master, he kneeled to show his respect and went to board the airship.


    He was shocked and slightly scared when a group of 10,000 evil cultivators also joined the trip. However, he didn''t question his decision, and his confidence remained resolute.


    He waited a few hours along with everyone on the airship, but he didn''t do nothing. Aware of the dangers lurking inside the secret realm, everyone formed small groups and nned to explore the ce together.


    They didn''t want to be in big groups because they would miss too many possible treasures, and dividing the loot would be troublesome. As top disciples of top sects, everyone was prideful and didn''t think they needed the protection of arge group.


    "Hey, Catherine, Tommy. Would you like to team up in the secret realm?"


    ric approached a pair that already teamed up. They were inner disciples he was friends with before he became a core disciple, and they were still on good terms.


    "Sure, we thought to form a team of 4 or 5. We only need 2 more."


    They recruited another core disciple, a woman called Helena, and one more female inner disciple named Miranda.


    "You''re lucky ric, I''m already with Catherine, so you got two beauties for yourself."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Tommy teased his friend as they were teleported. To avoid being separated, they held each other''s hands, and ric was between Miranda and Helena.


    "Don''t be a pig, I will castrate you if you make a move on both of us."


    "Haha, I will only make a move on you then."


    After a few seconds of flirting, the portal finally exuded a red beam of light, enveloping the group of 5 and sending them inside.


    "I''m not sure if it''s a good thing, but this ce is so full of people. Seems like we were transported to one of the most crowded spots."


    ric remarked as he looked around and saw countless teams. Almost everyone was holding hands with a few friends.


    "Hello, Inheritance Seeds. By entering here sessfully you''ve cleared the first condition to earn the inheritance, which is having enough bloodlust. You, righteous cultivators, are hypocrites, haha!"


    A voice resounded in the air. It exined to them the rules of the inheritance grounds, and about BP. As soon as it wished them luck, all hell broke loose.


    "AHHH!"


    "KILL THEM!"


    "DEFEND, WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!"


    "We must join hands against the evil cultivators, they''re crazy!"


    There were shouts, Qi streams, blood, screams, and generally one big mess. ric, along with his group, immediately took off and ran away, breaking out of the encirclement of evil cultivators.


    It seemed like the secret realm separated the beginning point of the fourth-stage cultivators and the fifth stage, so at least they weren''t attacked by people beyond their stage.


    Amidst the chaos and turmoil of the war-torn secret realm, ric''s group found themselves encircled by many evil cultivators. Swords shed, sabers gleamed, and the air crackled with unleashed Qi. The onught of attacks was relentless, both from their enemies and the surrounding groups caught in the turmoil.


    With ric at the helm, the group fought valiantly, pushing through the sea of adversaries. Tommy and Catherine, each prioritizing their loved one, fought back-to-back.


    Their des met in a flurry of strikes, parries, and counterattacks. Sparks erupted with every collision, illuminating the intensity of their sh. Their swift footwork and precise swordy allowed them tond a series of rapid strikes, repelling their opponents.


    Miranda''s spear struck with precision, carving a path through the chaos, while Helena''s Wind Qi unleashed bursts of attacks, clearing their way.


    Sensing an opportunity amidst the frenzy, ric made a swift decision. Leading hisrades, he opened a daring escape, swiftly maneuvering through the war zone. With every step, they left the mor and destruction behind.


    Breathing heavily, hearts pounding, they finally broke free from the encirclement. The echoes of battle faded into the distance as they emerged from the messy battlefield, safe and sound. In their escape, they showed their resilience and excellent teamwork.

 Chapter 128 Chaos In The Secret Realm 2/2

    ?


    "All right, we are out of this warzone. I knew it would be dangerous, but I didn''t expect it to be so scary there."


    ric said as everyone sat down, heaving out a sigh of relief. They tended to their wounds, eating healing pills and concentrating on absorbing the medical effects.


    "What should we do next? We have no idea where we are, or what''s in this ce."


    Helena asked, prompting everyone to look at ric. He was the strongest in the group, so they all considered him the leader. He also tookmand and led their escape when they found themselves on a battlefield.


    "Let''s just explore the area and we can map it as we go. First, we should assess our surroundings. Tommy?"


    ric turned to Tommy, who was their team''s scout and one of the reasons ric approached the couple and wanted to join their team. Tommy, using Earth Qi and Sword Qi, had a keen sense of perception.


    "I don''t sense anything dangerous in a kilometer radius from us. There are a few beasts, but they don''t give me a threatening feeling."


    Tommy reported his findings. He had been scouting the area since they arrived but only now was asked to share his knowledge.


    "Alright, let''s delve further into the forest and try to find where the more dangerous beasts are. That''s probably where we can find some treasures," ric suggested.


    The group, aided by Tommy''s perception, ventured deeper into the forest. Along the way, they encountered various cultivators, both righteous and viinous. Some engaged in battles, while others simply passed by without taking any action. Having two disciples wearing white robes served as a great deterrent.


    As they continued their journey, Helena couldn''t help but feel drawn to ric''smanding presence. She decided to yfully flirt with him to lighten the mood.


    "Hey ric, I hope you''re not getting tired already. We still have a long way to go, and I wouldn''t want our fearless leader to lose his stamina," she teased, her eyes sparkling mischievously.


    ric chuckled, enjoying the banter. "Don''t worry, Helena. I''ll make sure to keep up with your pace. Can''t let you think I''m cking off," he replied, matching her yful tone. The subtle chemistry between them added an element of lightheartedness to their dangerous journey.


    Meanwhile, Catherine and Tommy, as long-standing lovers, foundfort and support in each other''s presence. As they traversed the forest, Catherine took the opportunity to express her affection. She leaned close to Tommy, her voice filled with warmth.


    "You know, Tommy, I''m d to go through this with you by my side."


    Tommy smiled, his gaze tender. "That''s because we''re unstoppable together, my love. Nothing can stand in our way," he whispered, their shared bond serving as a source of strength amidst the challenges they faced.


    As the group continued their exploration, they stumbled upon a mysterious clearing in the woods. In the center stood arge pit that seemed to draw people in. Curiosity piqued, they decided to investigate.


    "Hey, there are a lot of cultivators disappearing into the ground that way. Maybe we should check it out," Miranda suggested, her eyes narrowing with intrigue.


    "Sure, let''s go," ric agreed, his curiosity matching Miranda''s. The team cautiously approached the pit when nobody was around. They noticed a staircase leading down, enticing them further into the unknown.


    Excitement tinged with a hint of apprehension filled the air as they descended the stairs. The group soon arrived at a closed door, which bore the words "Labyrinth of Blood." ric read the words aloud, a grin spreading across his face.


    "Shall we?"


    As they stepped into thebyrinth, their banter and flirtatious exchanges temporarily gave way to the challenges that awaited them. The journey through thebyrinth was treacherous, with each floor presenting new obstacles and battles. They faced monstrous creatures, encountered other teams, and fought for valuable resources.


    Amidst the chaos, Helena couldn''t help but make a light-heartedment to ric as they faced yet another wave of enemies. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You know, ric, I thought our escape from the war zone was challenging, but thisbyrinth seems to have a way of testing us even more. It''s like the heavens want to keep us on our toes."


    ric chuckled, his eyes gleaming with determination. "Well, Helena, I guess that''s what we get for seeking treasures. We should have known they wouldn''te easy. But hey, at least we''re getting our daily dose of excitement and adventure," he quipped, a yful glint in his eye.


    The group fought valiantly, relying on their individual skills and the unwavering bond they shared. Each battle brought them closer together, reinforcing their trust and camaraderie. Their flirtatious exchanges and humorous remarks served as moments of respite amidst the relentless challenges they faced within thebyrinth''s depths.


    Eventually, they reached the final room, only to find a team from their sect already there, having in the boss monster. ric, always diplomatic, stepped forward and introduced himself.


    "Hey, I''m ric from the Divine Sword Sect, a personal disciple of Elder Cassian. I hope you don''t mind if we pass to the next floor."


    The team exchanged nces, assessing ric''s group with curiosity and respect. After a momentary pause, The team''s leader, a woman named rissa, smiled amiably at them, breaking the tension in the air.


    "Well, ric, it seems you''ve got the determination and spirit to match Elder Cassian''s expectations. We won''t stand in your way. Good luck on the next floor."


    With a nod of gratitude, ric led his group forward. They were tired of fighting and were shocked when one team from their sect attacked them earlier. They hoped really badly it wasn''t the norm.


    "Are you sure, ric? We can just see if there''s anything worth buying from what they left behind and leave. If we continue to the next floor, we won''t be able to leave it until we get to thest room there as well."


    Catherine said hesitantly when she heard ric''s decision. However, Helena was firmly on ric''s side. Both were core disciples, and they''d never step back from a challenge issued by cultivators of an equal stage.


    "Yes, we will not give up because of danger. The possible rewards here are great, but those on the next floor are even better."


    They didn''t need to rest since they didn''t fight, and they just moved on.


    "CAREFUL, IT''S A TRAP!"


    They soon were overwhelmed by a powerful flood of bloodlust. The other team used the Terror Talisman, causing them to be paralyzed by fear for a moment. Using this moment, the other team struck.


    "No, TOMMY!"


    Tommy was the closest to the enemy, and he was the first to be shed down. Catherine screamed in agony and was instantly freed from the bloodlust''s suppression in her fury.


    But her lover wasn''t the only casualty. Helena managed to defend herself in the nick of time, but still lost an arm, while Miranda died instantly.


    ric also managed to respond, and as the strongest member of the team, he only suffered a shallow cut on his torso.


    "Catherine, run! We must run!"


    "NO, I WILL KILL THEM!"


    But they were surrounded, and ric knew it was a lost cause. Clenching his teeth, he used his techniques and broke the encirclement, dashing to the next floor, and leaving Catherine and Helena behind.

 Chapter 129 Fighting Evil Cultivators

    ?


    "Do you sense anything inside?"


    "Yes, there''s an Explosion Talisman at the entrance, and it''s hidden well. It will explode the moment we take a step inside."


    ¡¤?¦Èm Tiara said confidently, and Ken nodded in agreement. He also sensed it, but it was nothingpared to the 13 enemies lurking inside. The frightening child took out his mask from the storage ring and wore it, instantly feeling the urge to kill.


    "I also sense a formation inside. I believe it''s a Suppression Formation that''d hinder our Qi control, making us much weaker than normal. There might also be a Concealment Formation."


    Bryce added. As a formation master, he could use his Runic Qi to find such hidden dangers. Every top team had at least one of those in their ranks, lest they find themselves trapped and ughtered.


    "Can you disable it before we go inside?"


    Ken asked the man who thought carefully before answering hesitantly.


    "Yes, but it will take me at least 30 minutes to find the nodes of the Suppression Formation and a few more minutes to take it down."


    Formations were a collection of runes, and by destroying a few important nodes of the formation, the connection between the runes will be destroyed and the formation will copse. It was impossible to destroy a formation by taking down a single node since they were intentionally designed not to rely on a single node too much.


    "Sure, go for it."


    Ken watched the man observe the room from the door, scanning it with his Runic Qi. He was working slowly and systematically, marking each node in his mind, one node at a time.


    Ken also kept an eye on the enemies lurking inside; they didn''t do anything for now and only waited to see if Bryce will be able to destroy their formation. They were apprehensive to attack a strong team without a formation backing them up since none of them wanted to risk their lives for the others.


    "All right, I located enough nodes to destroy the formation. Should I proceed?"


    Bryce reported his progress and waited for Ken''s orders before copsing the formation. They didn''t know what awaited inside the room, so he didn''t want to just bring it down without warning the group first.


    Before Ken answered, both the Suppression Formation and the Concealment Formation copsed on their own, revealing a team of 8 cultivators wearing light green robes.


    "Hello friends, we are from the Serene Lotus Sect. There''s no need for us to fight, we are only here to ambush evil cultivators. They have been running amok in the secret realm, ughtering our friends andrades, and we want some revenge. Since you''re from a righteous sect, there''s no need for us to fight, why don''t youe in for information exchange?"


    Ken smiled under the mask when he heard the man''s words. He knew they stole those robes from their victims since their bloodlust was much higher than righteous disciples, and he could sense their tokens easily. Besides, 5 of them were hiding. There was also a sixth person, but he seemed weakened.


    "Junior Brother, what should we do?"


    Daisy leaned down and whispered into Ken''s ears. Ever since he killed her two friends, she switched her way of addressing him to Junior Brother, which was friendly but not intimate anymore.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Go in and kill them, they''re imposters. Those robes are from their victims. There are more of them hidden inside."


    Ken whispered back to Daisy, who straightened her back and answered the man that was patiently waiting for them to finish their discussions.


    "Exchanging information is good. We should help each other against the evil cultivators."


    The group entered the room and walked toward the eight. Daisy already passed Ken''s words to Bryce who whispered them to Tiara, so they knew what to expect. Although they were less, righteous cultivators were generally stronger than evil ones since they had more resources and didn''t use techniques that harmed their bodies and souls.


    The four walked intently with a small gap between them, each walking toward another member of the other group.


    "Now."


    "Attack!"


    Two orders were said at the same moment. One came from Ken while the other came from the man who invited them inside. Ken''s team was faster.


    Ken''s sh Unwind decapitated 2 people right off the bat, while the others managed to take down one.


    Bryce used his heavy club to crush the man in front of him, breaking half of the bones in his body in a single hit. Meanwhile, Tiara used a saber to sh her enemy''s chest, making his organs fall out. Daisy didn''t fall behind and killed her opponent with a single thrust of her spear.


    The remaining three alsounched their attacks on Ken''s group, but thetter came out unscathed by using the bodies of their victims as shields before tossing them away.


    5 more enemies tried to ambush them, but the team knew what to expect from Ken''s warning, and nobody got hurt.


    The stone room in thebyrinth erupted into chaos as the eight evil cultivators encircled Ken''s group. Sensing the imminent danger, Ken swiftly analyzed the situation. To lessen the burden on his teammates, he engaged in battle against the two strongest adversaries, their swords raised with deadly intent.


    With his flexible sword in hand, Ken unleashed one of his signature techniques, Snake Thrust. Mimicking the serpentine movements of a viper, his thrusts were swift and unpredictable.


    The enemies struggled to anticipate his strikes, falling prey to the illusionary nature of his de. Ken dispatched one enemy with a well-ced strike to a vital point in a flurry of stabs. The men tried to stop the sword their eyes perceived, but still got stabbed.


    Tiara, proficient in the art of saber wielding and empowered by Ice Qi, unleashed her technique, Frozen de Dance. Her strikes were swift and precise, each swing leaving a trail of frost in the air. An outsider might think she was dancing with her two enemies if they didn''t know better.


    As Ken swiftly dispatched his foes, he observed Tiara''s battle, silently acknowledging her prowess as the second strongest in the group.

 Chapter 130 Meeting Alaric

    ?


    Ken observed Tiara''s battle, silently acknowledging her prowess as the second strongest in the group. With her enemies momentarily frozen in a solid wall of ice, Tiara seized the opportunity and swiftly eliminated one opponent with a simple swing of her saber.


    ''Her power must stem from her maniptive nature. She probably gained many benefits from others in the Phoenix Feather Sect,'' Ken thought to himself.


    Meanwhile, Daisy and Bryce, in perfect sync with each other, confronted four enemies with unwavering concentration. Their years of camaraderie and shared experiences in battle allowed them to move as one unit.


    Armed with her spear infused with Wind Qi, Daisy executed her technique, Gale Thrust. She unleashed a flurry of rapid thrusts, each strike sending a sharp wave of Wind Qi. Her opponents struggled to defend against her spear''s swift movements, umting wounds and cuts.


    Bryce, wielding his weapon infused with Club Qi, tapped into the power of his technique, Stone Spikes. With a heavy swing of his club, he sent shockwaves rippling through the ground, causing spikes toe out of the ground.


    Their four enemies tried using their techniques to block the duo, but their teamwork wasn''t as polished as the pair''s. The first one to kick the bucket was a woman after her Darkness Qi dissipated from Daisy''s wind, and a stone spike stabbed her feet, making her unable to dodge Bryce''s iing club.


    One by one, the evil cultivators fell. Ken killed his enemies first, but he only watched the others fight without intervening. He wanted to see their strengths and weaknesses through the battle. Tiara finished second, showcasing her exceptional strength given her origins from a weaker sect.


    "Good job, everyone. You could''ve helped us finish faster though."


    Daisy''s remark was met with silence as everyone collected their spoils of battle and enjoyed the sudden surge of BP into their tokens. Their previously dim tokens now emanated a strong bloodlust.


    "Junior Brother Ken, how do you hide your token''s bloodlust? I can feel a powerful bloodlust from it whenever you use a technique, but it''s gone right after."


    Daisy was the only one who asked Ken questions. Tiara was nearly always silent, while Bryce still feared their leader.


    "I have a special technique for it and I''m not sharing it."


    Ken simply told the truth and denied any possible request to teach it to them. His Sheathed Man technique was canceled every time he used a technique, so he nearly never used one. He only used techniques as instant killing moves, and when fighting with monsters, he never showed any.


    "Stingy."


    Daisy spat that word out with an exasperated tone and returned to organizing the loot from the fallen evil cultivators.


    Meanwhile, Ken just put the rings in his pocket and went to a man lying down, almost unconscious. It was a young man wearing white robes with the symbol of a sword on his shoulder. The man''s token was empty, showing that he transferred his BP to someone else.


    ''Now, let''s see who this man is. He doesn''t seem like he was part of the group.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Ken shoved a Healing pill and a Qi Absorption Pill into his mouth. Ken felt that the man''s Qi was depleted, and his core was on the verge of cracking. The man''s eyes were slowly regaining their focus, and Ken fed him with an additional pill, the Core Expanding Hastening Pill.


    Although the original goal of this pill was to help the core expand by absorbing more Qi from the body, Ken noticed that the main danger for this man was how dry his core was. With the aid of the pill, his core could refill itself with Qi faster.


    ''He should be fine now. He just needs to rest for an hour or two before I can ask him what''s going on.''


    From the young man''s discipleship token, he learned that his name was ric \, and he was indeed a core disciple of the Divine Sword Sect.


    While ric was recuperating from his wounds, Ken took out all the stuff he deemed as garbage from the evil cultivators'' rings and ced the rest into his.


    ''I should decide what to do with those three. They don''t know much about my techniques, but it''s better to get rid of them. I like Daisy, but I don''t want to get attached to someone again. She also has principles and is probably loyal to her sect, so we aren''tpatible to bepanions.''


    Ken pondered about his next actions while looking at Bryce and Daisy. He was dying it forter since he enjoyed the woman''spany, but he knew it''d be worse the longer he dragged it out. If she stayed by his side for long, she''d eventually know his secrets. If she knew his secrets, he''d have to either let her stay by his side or kill her.


    As for Bryce, the man originally nned to kill him. He didn''t have to think twice to decide the man''s fate, regardless of how well-behaved he actedter.


    ''I can''t leave her here. If there are more such teams lurking, she will die before she gets to the final boss, and she won''t be able to defeat the boss by herself. To get out of here, she must reach thest room first.''


    With a sigh, he decided to part with her only after they make it to thest room and defeat the final boss. As for the other two teammates, he still had ns for someone as corrupt as Tiara, and Bryce was sentenced to death long ago in his mind.


    "Hello, ric, seems like you woke up. Take it easy, we saved you."


    Two hourster, when ric opened his eyes with a groan, he saw a group of four people looking at him. The speaker was a young woman with long brown hair that seemed to be flowing on her back to her buttocks.


    "Who are you?"


    ric asked suspiciously. He didn''t trust a single soul in this secret realm anymore.


    ------


    Please read Author''s Thoughts.

 Chapter 131 Learning About The Fourth Floor

    ?


    "Who are you?"


    ric asked suspiciously. He didn''t trust a single soul in this secret realm anymore.


    In the dimly lit room, four figures stood surrounding the injured man. At the center of the group was a striking twelve-year-old child with red phoenix eyes.


    "We can do introductions first if you want. I''m Ken."


    Ken spoke first, aiming to make ric morefortable. He understood that the safer and more thankful ric feels, the better the information he will be able to take out of him. He could use Truth Pills, but he preferred not to in the presence of others.


    "Hello, I''m Bryce. I''m the formation master of the group."


    Standing beside Ken was Bryce, a sturdy man with a tannedplexion, square head, and messy brown hair. His hesitant and distressed mood was apparent as he kept peeking from the corner of his eye toward Ken every time he talked. He was worried about saying unnecessary things that would upset Ken.


    "Hey, we killed the evil cultivators that trapped you, so you can be at ease. I''m Daisy."


    Daisy, a young woman in her early twenties, had long, smooth light brown hair cascading down her back.


    "I''m Tiara."


    Tiara, her oval-shaped countenance framed by slightly tousled golden low curls, was a captivating beauty. Yet, it was her cold expression and air of aloofness that set her apart. Despite her radiant features, her icy gaze betrayed an indifference to the world around her.


    "I''m ric. What are your ns for me?"


    ric, a handsome man, sported a neatly styled head of hair thatplemented his well-defined facial features. His symmetrical face, characterized by a strong jawline and expressive eyes, would''ve exuded a pleasant and appealing charm if not for his miserable state. His eyes now only showed pain and hatred.


    "Hey, shouldn''t you say, ''Thank you for saving me''?"


    Daisy snapped as soon as she saw hisck of gratitude. They just saved him from the hands of 13 evil cultivators that the immortals know what they''ve done to him. However, Ken just held her hand and squeezed it.


    "Don''t be harsh on him, he must''ve gone through a lot of suffering. I''m sure he didn''t enter the dungeon alone, don''t be insensitive."


    Both ric and Daisy looked at Ken in surprise. ric was surprised to see that the one who understood the situation best was a child, while Daisy thought he was cold and unable of showing sympathy.


    "It''s okay if you don''t feel ready to talk yet. we will wait here to protect you for 12 hours while you heal yourself and leave since your eyes tell me you can''t trust others. We were just hoping you could give us some information about the situation here since we got ambushed by so many people."


    Ken spoke with a soft voice, soothing ric''s agitated mood.


    "It''s ok¡­ I will speak. I''m sorry for my attitude, I was just agitated about my situation and took it out on you although you''re my saviors."


    Ken smiled inwardly when he heard the man. He didn''t really sympathize with ric nor cared about him, but he wasn''t a brute that could only make people speak by forcing them.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I''m ric, a core disciple of the Divine Sword Sect, so I guess that makes us fellow disciples. I''m the personal disciple of Elder Cassian. As Junior Brother Ken guessed, I entered thebyrinth with 4 of my friends."


    ric introduced himself properly this time and gave extra information.


    "I know you; you''re supposed to be very strong for your stage. Assuming you teamed up with disciples of your caliber, howe you were captured by those evil cultivators?"


    ¡¤?¦Èm Daisy asked curiously. The only exnation she coulde up with was that the evil group was originally even bigger than before, and ric''s team killed some of them.


    "Yes¡­ Strength sometimes can''t save you from people with a scorpion heart (1). When we entered thest room on the third floor, a team from our sect already cleared it. They pretended to be friendly but ambushed us as we passed."


    Daisy was surprised to hear he was ambushed by a group from their own sect. They fought other teams too, but they were only evil cultivators.


    "Maybe they''re just evil cultivators disguised as Divine Sword Sect disciples? Those that held you did the same."


    "No, I knew their leader. Her name is rissa, she is one of the core disciples in our sect."


    "That''s awful!"


    ric''s eyes turned moist as he remembered Helena and the others. He felt ashamed of himself for running away, but he knew he couldn''t win if he stayed. Helena lost her hand, two members died, and Catherine lost her rational thinking, turning incapable of teamwork.


    "You were unlucky to meet those people. This is just the fourth team we met in thebyrinth ever since we entered, luckily none of them was too dangerous."


    Ken kneeled next to the lying man and patted ric''s shoulder. It was also to fish out information.


    "Fourth? That''s weird. We crossed paths with over a dozen of teams, and we had to fight against most of them. Everyone turned crazy in their pursuit after BP, losing any moral code and acting like bloodthirsty evil cultivators."


    ric said with a pained tone, delivering the information Ken sought. Ken believed his theory about the converging floors was right, and they simply entered from ces with fewer cultivators. To confirm his theory, he asked one more question.


    "How was your teleportation to the secret realm?"


    "It was a nightmare. We spawned in the middle of hundreds of cultivators, and when the voice announced the rules, the ce turned into a battlefield. We slipped out of the fighting zone and stumbled upon the entrance to thebyrinth."


    Ken''s group was rather surprised. They appeared in a nearly empty ce and all teams just left as soon as the rules were announced.


    "But howe you were here if you ran away from your attackers on the third floor?"


    --------


    A/N: (1) scorpion heart ¨C bad person, venomous heart.

 Chapter 132 A New Companion

    ?


    "But howe you were here if you ran away from your attackers on the third floor?"


    Daisy asked the question that has been bothering her, but to her irritation, Ken stopped her again.


    "He might have been captured after entering the fourth floor for some reason. Here, take this healing pill before you answer."


    Ken said in a dismissive tone as if they shouldn''t pry on his business while giving ric a healing pill he took out of his storage ring. This pill was slightly different from the normal ones.


    "Thank you. It''s ok, I can tell you. After running from the third floor, I was angry and broken from losing my friends. I med myself for giving my trust carelessly and getting my partners killed. I entered one of those rooms to blow some steam and fight the blood monsters, but instead, I was ambushed by those guys."


    "I can understand how you feel. I lost two of my best friends a week ago, and I med myself for not being there for them."


    Ken spoke with a sad voice, giving ric a feeling there was someone in the same situation as him. ric fought the urge to cry his sorrow out as angry thoughts pervaded his mind.


    ''I must take revenge for them. I will kill rissa and everything dear to her!''


    "Remember, there are no bad disciples, only bad masters. If rissa acted that way, it was because of her master''s teachings. I''m just d we came in time to save you from those wicked cultivators."


    Ken, seemingly unaware of ric''s thoughts about revenge, sighed in relief. But it only riled ric up.


    "They didn''t kill me on purpose! They used me as a Qi bag. Those vile creatures sucked the Qi out of my body and core every time they finished a battle, so they''d be ready for their next victims."


    It also exined why Ken found his core depleted and on the verge of cracking.


    "It was painful. It hurt like hell every single time, and I had to go through this procedure 13 times after every fight."


    A hint of horror crept into ric''s eyes as he recalled the painful experience.


    ''Oh, it exins why the guys from the Four Seasons Sect always screamed when I absorbed their Qi. I thought they were just afraid of death.''


    Ken thought to himself after hearing ric''s description. He didn''t invest any thoughts about the matter before since he didn''t really care if his enemies felt pain or not.


    "We will let you rest now. I don''t want to see you get yourself killed, but it''s your choice to make. Remember that none of your friends want to see you die out of sorrow. Think about punishing those who don''t have a moral code to save others from going through the same thing as you."


    Ken explicitly talked about killing others and taking revenge this time. His pill was contaminated with his Bloodlust, and ric was very suggestable to bloodthirsty ideas.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You''re right. Getting myself killed will not bring them back."


    "As I said before, we will leave in 11 hours. We lost some members due to their greed, they were backstabbers, just like those who tried to kill you. We would love to add someone capable and honest to our ranks. If you find your reason to live, you cane with us."


    Ken spoke with a firm tone and signaled everyone to leave ric and let him rest. The team was surprised to see how considerate Ken could be; they took him for a cold-blooded killer.


    Meanwhile, ric was filled with thoughts about killing. His hatred surged, and his emotions turned unstable as he could only think about Ken''s words.


    ''I should take revenge, but that''s not enough. I can make the world a better ce by purging the hypocrites with the face of a Buddha and a heart of a scorpion. This includes those who taught and raised them!''


    Under Ken''s instructions, he consumed a healing pill every 2 hours. Without being aware, his thoughts turned more and more murderous. He imagined himself tearing apart rissa along with her teammates, then ying every other cultivator that betrayed hisrades for money and resources.


    He could picture the scene where he finds injustice in the street and corrects it by sentencing the traitors to death.


    Affected by the contaminated pills, he sunk into imaginations of bloodbaths and horror.


    ''I can''t achieve my goals by myself. I will probably get captured again, and this time, only death will save me. Their team is righteous and just. I must join them.''


    ric looked at his right hand, or more specifically, at the storage ring on his finger. They gifted him with a storage ring with pills, Qi Stones, food, and a few weapons. They didn''t know which weapon he used, so there was a bow, saber, sword, greatsword, and spear.


    Their consideration touched his heart. They already saved his life and didn''t have to do more, but they still chose to help him regardless of his decision to join them or leave. They even left 3 tokens for him so he can get more BP despite killing those evil cultivators without his help.


    He didn''t miss that Ken was the leader and everything was done because of his word. His appreciation of Ken was only second to his desire to kill all traitors, which was bing an obsession amidst his destructive thoughts.


    "I want to join you if you are willing. I use the spear, and my attributes are Lightning Qi and Sound Qi. Of course, I also have Spear Qi."


    He exined his strengths clearly and Daisy''s eyes sparkled when the words Sound Qi were said.


    "That''s the special inheritance Elder Cassian''s master gained as a young cultivator, and barely anybody can use it!"


    She was excited to see a rare type of Qi. Ken wasn''t impressed, his own Bloodlust Qi was rather special too. However, he was still d to see his n worked; he believed Jake would make a good newpanion. He only needed to refine the man''s personality a bit more.


    "Yes, of course. We wouldn''t turn our back on a fellow disciple. We will set out as soon as you are well enough to fight."

 Chapter 133 Crossing The Fourth Floor

    ?


    "All right guys, we are moving out. Remember that this floor is different from the other floors we fought on earlier. Everyone is an enemy until we have proof we can trust them, especially people none of us know."


    Ken said as the team left the stone room behind them and ventured back into thebyrinth. ric told them everything they needed to know, and there was no reason to remain behind.


    "Team Leader, why are you always wearing masks?"


    They changed the way they addressed him under ric''s influence. ''Junior Brother'' hinted at being of lower authority, so it was an unfitting way of addressing the actual leader of the team.


    "I just like them. Do you want one too, Daisy? I have a pretty one of a fox."


    "Sure, I will try it on."


    It looked simr to the Japanese kitsune (A/N: = fox) mask from Ken''s previous world, so he purchased it despite preferring the menacing types.


    "Team Leader, I think it''s useless to hide your face when there are barely any people as small as you in thebyrinth."


    Bryce spoke out his thoughts, raising a valid point.


    "There are still some who are."


    Ken spoke with an irritated tone that suggested changing the topic. In his mind, he decided to rush some of his ns.


    ''It''s time to get rid of Bryce first.''


    Ken thought to himself as he opened another door in the corridor. Most of the rooms were cleared by others, so the exploration didn''t take as long as on the previous floors. Some rooms were still left uncleared for various reasons or the monsters inside were already recreated.


    "Team Leader, do you have a mask for me too?"


    ric asked with obvious hope in his voice. Ken felt like he received a different type of pup instead of the one he identally left behind.


    "Sure, I have a nk white mask."


    It was a in white mask that had two holes for the eyes, shaped as a curve with ck marks around them, and a smiley where the mouth should be. ric took the mask happily and wore it too. Unintentionally, Ken started a weird trend.


    Bryce soon felt peer pressure and asked for a mask too, and only the indifferent Tiara remained with her face revealed.


    "Be part of the group, Ice Sculpture, wear a mask too!"


    Daisy poked the other woman''s shoulder with her finger, sticking a new nickname for herpanion.


    "Fine."


    Tiara sighed and Ken handed her another mask from his collection, this time in the shape of a ck fox. They were all fifth-rank masks that could block Qi sensing and slightly distort the Qi emanating from the user to make him hard to recognize.


    "Guys, how close are you to the Nascent Soul Stage?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I''ve already torn a piece of my soul and I nurture it now in my core. I believe I''d need another year to break through to the next stage, maybe two because of my injury."


    ric was enthusiastic about answering any questions Ken asked. He was like a fanboy around his favorite idol. His core wasn''t perfectly healed yet, but it was strong enough to hold in a fight as long as it wasn''t for too long.


    Ken knew the general way of advancing to the fifth stage and was confident in sessfully doing it if he tried, but he wanted to collect more knowledge first.


    To give birth to a Nascent Soul, one had to tear off a piece of his soul and ce it in his core. Inside the core, they''d have to constantly nourish it with special Qi to give it the same attributes as their core.


    After nourishing it enough, it can be brought out of the core and assimted with the body like the normal soul. The process was dangerous for those without a powerful core since they couldn''t contain the soul in their cores without making it explode.


    For individuals without a powerful soul, there existed an additional risk; the act of tearing a fragment from it might prove fatal, jeopardizing their very survival. Ken''s subordinate, Maria, didn''t dare try breaking through to the next stage because both her soul and core were weak, and she would definitely fail had she tried.


    ''She should be in the fifth stage by now.''


    Ken thought to himself when he recalled the woman. He helped her improve her foundation, so she won''t be stuck in the fourth stage forever.


    "I sense a group of 6 peopleing toward us. Bryce, do you sense anything?"


    There were no formations in the corridor, but since Bryce was the formation master of their group, Ken didn''t mind letting him handle it and hide his formation mastery skills for now.


    "There are none ahead that I can sense. But we can just wait here for them to arrive."


    "Sure."


    They were the second group Ken ran into. They waited, and soon everyone sensed 6 blood tokens radiating the bloodlust from the BP. Not long after, the iing group appeared in their sight, a group of 6 cultivators wearing light green robes.


    "Evil cultivators, huh? Give us your BP and we will consider letting you live."


    The team leader said with a condescending voice.


    "Evil? Can''t you see we are wearing the Divine Sword Sect robes?"


    Daisy protested against his assumptions, forgetting the most probable reason he suspected them in the first ce.


    "I know you stole it from your victims. Other than evil cultivators nobody would wear such shady masks and hide their faces. Besides, if you decide to wear masks you should decide on a uniform mask for your team, it looks ridiculous."


    Ken was speechless. That guy wanted to give them tips about how to be good viins.


    "Everyone, prepare to engage in battle. We won''t give away our BP."


    Everyone ced their hands on the weapons'' hilts and charged at one another. This asion wasn''t rare, in fact, Ken''s team met plenty of people on the fourth floor, and they killed most of them.

 Chapter 134 Hallway To The Last Room

    ?


    Ken and his team collected another round of bounty from theirst enemies. Overall, they collected plenty of loot, and they all reached at least 30 thousand BP. The spoil was too much beyond their ring storage capacity, and each of them was wearing 5 rings like a group of rappers.


    The closer they got to where Ken guessed thest room was, the more frequent the fights became. Nearly every corridor they passed through was stained with blood and littered with bodies. They saw over 300 bodies and added a few dozen more to the count by the time they finally arrived at thest room.


    At this part of thebyrinth, nearly everyone had 5,000 BP or more, making them all mass murderers. When the token passed the 3,000 BP threshold, the bloodlust it exuded was too strong to be hidden by fourth-rank formations, rendering ambushes useless.


    The only thing that could hide the bloodlust was thebyrinth walls, making the rooms in the corridors popr hiding spots for resting. Everyone opened those cautiously and once the door opened, the presence of the inhabitants would be revealed, so there wasn''t much of a surprise effect anymore.


    Ken wasn''t worried about getting attacked, and the group walked down the corridors confidently. They did not attack first since Ken wasn''t interested in others'' BP, but they were usually forced to kill most of the people they ran into simply because the other teams were just as confident and did want others'' BP.


    ''Tiara and ric are equally strong. I''m somewhat surprised that a core disciple from the 13th-ranked sect is as strong as her peer from the fourth-ranked sect.''


    Ken thought to himself as he watched Tiara cut through their enemies'' defenses with her saber. ric wasn''t half bad himself; he handled the spear proficiently as he thrust it, rotated it, and swung it.


    During his fight on the volcanic mountain, Ken understood the power of numbers. He was exhausted after killing 10,000 disciples, and despite inventing the Blood Transfusion skill, he''d eventually copse if he had to fight 1000 more disciples.


    If the Four Seasons Sect sent their core disciples as well, he would be in dire straits. Besides, they didn''t even attack him together but took turns.


    ''I can''t do everything by myself. It still doesn''t mean I need a whole sect full of weaklings under mymand, but I need the help of a team. They need to be hypocrites, unscrupulous, or emotionally unstable.''


    Ken chose Henry for being a hypocrite, Tiara for being dishonest and maniptive, and eventually ric was an emotional mess. Those people wouldn''t have problems doing questionable tasks when needed, and he already had a task in mind for ric.


    As a matter of fact, he already gave the man his instructionsst night while the others were sleeping.


    ''Although Maria is a good subordinate, her foundation is too weak and there''s only so much I can do for her with Alchemy.''


    He needed people with strong foundations so he can boost them further, instead of people with an unsessful past that he needs to mend. Those three had a sturdy cultivation base, and they were powerful even before they met him.


    "There''s arge group of people ahead and they don''t seem to be fighting. There are at least 40 cultivators there, stay alert."


    Ken warned his group as he sensed the danger. With his Blood Sense technique, he could locate the tokens much earlier than others.


    Soon after, the corridor turned wider, bing more of a hallway. They recognized this phenomenon; it was the characteristic of the corridors that lead to thest room where the boss resides.


    "Why there are so many people waiting here?"


    Daisy already assumed the job of the team''s spokesperson, so it didn''t take her long to ask. The people there looked at each other warily, but there were no fights going on. Weirdly enough, it seemed like they almost lost hope.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "The boss inside is too strong. It''s as powerful as a Nascent Soul cultivator, and not just an average one from small sects. It''s as strong as an inner disciple in a top sect."


    One disciple from the Divine Sword Sect answered, probably because the one who asked came from his sect.


    "Can''t we beat him with numbers?"


    "Maybe we can, but we don''t trust each other. If someone took a risk tond a decisive blow on the monster inside, everyone else will use this chance to kill them along with the monster. Since we can''t count on others to have our backs, we can''t go and fight it."


    "I see."


    The team exchanged nces, waiting for Ken to decide what to do. Ken just nodded at Daisy, a gesture that meant she should keep asking questions.


    "Did anyone try to enter?"


    "Yes, they all died except for one. He managed to escape when another team opened the doors to look inside and see how their fight goes."


    The same man answered again. He didn''t mind giving away this information since it didn''t make anything better or worse for him. The doors to thest room could only be opened from the outside, so any team that entered risked being caged with a monster without the ability to run away.


    "Where is the man now?"


    "Dead, he didn''t have the protection of a group. Those guys killed him."


    He pointed at a team of evil cultivators, and their leader just smiled and waved.


    "How you doing?"


    He aimed his words at Tiara as he scrutinized her with his gaze from head to toe and back but was ignored despite the killer move.


    Ken looked at the people around him. He understood why they weren''t fighting; the moment one team engaged with another, a third team would use it tond sneak attacks and kill them.


    "Are you the only teams that reached that far?"


    This time Ken spoke since Daisy ran out of questions.


    "No, there are other teams, but most of them return to collect BP and talismans from the rooms across the floor. Some believe that if they collect enough fifth-rank talismans, they will be able to defeat the boss with just them. But most talismans here are the Terror Talismans and they don''t affect the blood monsters."

 Chapter 135 Fighting The Boss

    ?


    "We are going inside."


    Ken didn''tck any BP and he wasn''t scared of low Nascent Soul cultivators. Besides, one of the monster''s greatest strengths, the ability to strike terror in the hearts of its enemies, was useless against Ken. It was just a worse version of his Paralyzing Domain.


    "Team Leader, are you sure we should enter? The monster sounds dangerous."


    Bryce asked with clear unwillingness in his voice. He didn''t want to go and fight something too strong for him to handle. As the weakest member of the group, he preferred adapting the same tactic the other groups used.


    "Yes, but you can remain here if you are afraid."


    Ken said indifferently. It was an easy way to get Bryce killed.


    "No, I''m not the type of person to turn his back on his teammates. If you enter, I''m going in with you."


    "Aren''t you just afraid of getting killed without the team''s protection like the guy who escaped the monster?"


    Daisy rolled her eyes at Bryce''s pretentious courage and followed Ken. She was also worried, but so far Ken always finished his fights the earliest no matter how many enemies he took on, not to mention she watched him kill thousands of the Four Seasons Sect disciples not long ago when he was still one substage lower.


    ric took the front and pushed the double door open, revealing the same room they saw 3 times by now. In the middle of the tform in the center of the ce, there was a human-size monster. It had distinctive features, and one might even mistake it for a human if not for the skin. It was bloody red.


    The monster looked at them and waited patiently as they approached as if it wanted to fight in an organized manner on the tform.


    "All right, Bryce, you are a heavy hitter, so you can take the front. Focus on blocking and surviving rather than on inflicting injuries. Tiara and I will attack it from the sides and back using our close-range weapons. Daisy, you have a good sync with Bryce, so you support him and prevent the monster from killing him. ric, I don''t know much about your techniques, so you are free to aid in any way you think is best."


    Ken exined the strategy to the team and everyone unsheathed their weapons, except for Ken who wanted to use sh Unwind. Ken took most of the pressure off ric during their fights so far since thetter was injured, thus, Ken didn''t get to see him fight much.


    Bryce lunged toward the monster, hisrge club brandished and coated with Qi.


    ''Earth Shockwaves!''


    He muttered his technique''s name as hended just a meter away from the monster and hit the ground with the club. The monster, which prepared to defend a direct hit and counter, was caught unprepared as the ground underneath it shook, making it lose its footing.


    ''One Step.''


    ''sh Unwind.''


    Ken''s token radiated an extreme bloodlust for a moment, making everyone lose their breath. But they got used to it during their fights, so they didn''t stop their barrage of attacks.


    Ken''s sword shed in silver as it cut through the monster''s side at high speed. They were used to fighting the bosses; if one didn''t deal fatal damage in a single strike, the monster would regenerate almost instantly, at the cost of some Qi. After a while, it''d copse from Qi loss and turn into a puddle of blood which would disappear into the ground, and the voice would congratte them and offer rewards.


    Tiara soon followed. She wasn''t as fast as Ken, but she still came in time to take advantage of the monster''s instability with a ranged attack. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Frozen Flock.''


    A flock of beautiful birds came out of her saber as she shed with it from a distance of 10 meters. The birds seemed cute until one looked at their oversharpened beaks. They all crushed into the boss, melting as soon as they met with its body and making it deplete more Qi. The freezing energy made the creature''s body colder and slower.


    ric, unwilling to stay behind,unched his spear with incredible power.


    ''Sonic Throw.''


    The spear pierced through the creature''s chest and firmly lodged into the stone floor. The spear released sound waves that sent ripples in the bloody body of the enemy, causing extra damage.


    However, the monster just walked through the spear and regenerated, without getting dyed at all. It med Bryce for its predicament, and it dashed to take care of the club user first.


    Daisy already arrived behind Bryce and did her job to support him.


    ''Air Redirection.''


    With a twirl of her spear, she created a strong gale that created strong pressure on the monster''s left side, limiting its movement range.


    Bryce used the chance to swing his club against the monster''s fist while stepping to his right. Using Daisy''s help, he effectively negated the strike sessfully, only suffering a slight pain in his arms from blocking the heavy blow.


    The monster bellowed in rage when it got another round of cuts and pierces from the trio that was on the offense and radiated an extreme bloodlust. The bloodlust was as strong as Ken''s.


    However, there was a trick to negating the bloodlust, and it was to counter it with equal bloodlust. Ken spread his Blood Qi in the room, protecting his group members from the pressure. Although it wasn''t perfect, it weakened the burden by a huge deal, enough to allow the others to deal with what was left of it.


    They soon found their rhythm as they cooperated to take down the boss. Ken and Tiara were dealing the main damage dealers of the group, shing and stabbing the boss at rapid speed from its blind spots as much as they could. Daisy aided Bryce to deflect, parry, and block the boss'' attacks, and ric was a wild card.


    The new addition to the group did his best to be something between support and offense. He aimed mainly at the monster''s feet and arms, weakening its blows but also helping to deplete its energy.


    "Guys I can''t hold on for much longer! I can''t feel my arms!"


    Bryce shouted in despair as he clenched his teeth and forced his arms to rise and block another hit that caused his body to shake.


    They were depleting the monster''s energy at an extreme speed. Kens'' sword shed as he used its sticity to make it bounce from side to side, increasing the velocity of his attacks as he sent a pulse of Sword Qi into the monster''s body with every strike.


    Although Tiara didn''t deal as much damage, her Ice Qi kept making the creature''s movements sluggish and slower, allowing Bryce and Daisy to keep up with its attacks or else they''d be long gone.


    "You must hold on, it''s almost over!"


    Ken said, allegedly encouraging Bryce. As if on cue, ric''s next attack was off the rhythm, shing with Daisy''s technique and canceling it. The monster''s strike directly crashed into Bryce who thought he could dodge again. A punch from a fifth-stage cultivator was nothing to scoff at, and Bryce found a bloodied hand inside him.

 Chapter 136 Alarics First Retribution

    ?


    The night before:


    ric sat at the entrance of the room, guarding his friends against any possible hostile cultivators that might enter. His legs were crossed, and his eyes closed, not because he was sleeping during his shift, but because he got used to sitting this way in his long meditations as he nurtured his core and in his other cultivation sessions.


    His mind was frequently disturbed by intrusive thoughts about killing others ever since he was saved. He attributed it to the trauma he had endured, first at the hands of rissa andter at the abuse of the evil cultivators.


    He was very sensitive to sound, something to be expected given the fact he was cultivating Sound Qi, so he didn''t miss the change in Ken''s breathing when thetter woke up.


    ¡¤?¦Èm ''Team Leader is awake, but it''s still my turn to guard. Maybe he wille to talk to me.''


    He became Ken''s fan throughout the journey, and it only intensified when he learned the young boy concocted the healing pills he was consuming. He never heard of the pill Ken gave him to treat his core and help it absorb Qi, which made Ken an amazing alchemist in his eyes.


    His hopes only rose when he heard that Ken was really getting up instead of going back to sleep. Interacting with Ken granted ric respite from the recurring waves of murderous thoughts that gued his mind, which strengthened his admiration for the boy.


    "Hello, Team Leader, may I help you with anything?"


    He opened his eyes, worried that his beloved leader will think he was sleeping during his guarding duty. He spoke in a dignified manner, trying to seem as natural as possible to hide his excitement.


    "There''s something I came here to talk to you about. More precisely, to warn you from."


    ric was caught in surprise; he didn''t expect Ken to have any worries in thebyrinth. He already noticed that the group was surprisingly strong. While he was the strongest in his former team, he was only tied for the second spot in this one.


    "What is it?"


    "Do you first have a technique to prevent sound from leaking outside? I don''t want to wake up the others."


    "Of course, we can speak now freely without disturbing the others."


    ric''s face turned serious when he realized it might be something that Ken doesn''t want the team to hear. He used a simple sound technique to channel his Sound Qi and create a small bubble around them that prevented any sound from leaking outside.


    "There''s something that happened in our group before you joined us, and it''s important you know it since I know how much you hate backstabbing."


    "Yes, you mentioned that you had members that were also traitors. I thought they were dead, is it what you want to tell me?"


    ric was curious how it was relevant since those members were already gone, probably dead.


    "They are dead, I killed them. But it''s not what I wanted to tell you. You know how I always say you should honor your friends by helping others who are getting betrayed by their friends, right?"


    "Yes, I think about it a lot."


    The young man truly put a lot of thought into it. He kept imagining himself killing traitors all the time. Mostly the first ones would be rissa and her team, but soon he''d see scenes of himself intervening in strangers'' affairs and punishing the guilty ones.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "What you don''t know is that Bryce isn''t much better. He agreed to attack me along with the other 2, but he got cold feet when the battle broke out and my strength was revealed. He pretended not to be any part of it and left them to die. Since he wasn''t a threat to me, I spared his life."


    ric widened his eyes when he heard it, and he nced at Bryce hatefully. He didn''t like the man because of his cowardly nature, and he believed Ken''s story without any doubts.


    "Why did you spare him? He is worse than a normal backstabber. He first backstabbed you, then also betrayed his partners in crime; he doesn''t have a shred of morality, and he will do it again when he has the chance!"


    ric half talked and half shouted as he tried not to burst out in front of Ken. He didn''t believe they had such a person in the group.


    "I also think the same, but I didn''t feel well about taking his life despite not actively attacking me. Only after I talked to you, I understood the danger of having someone like him in our group."


    Ken talkedplete bullshit, but he spoke righteously with a saddened tone.


    "We can kill him right now."


    ric exuded killing intent as he looked at the sleeping Formation Master, and Ken quickly channeled his Bloodlust to block any killing intent from leaking.


    "It''s not the time yet. I have a better idea; when we fight the monster of thest room, we can stage an ident and let the monster kill him instead of us. This way he can make up for his mistakes by helping us to fight the boss before he dies."


    "Are you sure we need him? What if he betrays us first?"


    "He won''t. He is a coward, and he knows nothing can outweigh the risks of going against me. Don''t forget we are in thebyrinth where only other fourth-stage cultivators can attack us."


    "You make a good point. I will follow your n then."


    ---------


    Back to the present:


    ric''s next attack was off the rhythm, shing with Daisy''s technique and canceling it. A punch from a fifth-stage cultivator was nothing to scoff at, and Bryce found a bloodied hand inside him.


    "NO, BRYCE!"


    Daisy screamed when she saw her friend cough blood and copse on the floor. There was a fist-sized hole in his chest, right next to his heart, and his lungs were destroyed. He couldn''t breathe anymore.


    "It''s your fault, why did you sabotage my technique?"


    She shouted at ric who continued fighting as if nothing happened.

 Chapter 137 Letting Go

    ?


    "It''s your fault, why did you sabotage my technique?"


    Daisy shouted at ric who continued fighting as if nothing happened. Ken kept shing the boss as he shouted the nextmands.


    "The monster is on the verge of copsing, it''s not the time to fight among ourselves. The monster is targeting me, so I will mainly dodge. You guys take it down, treat Bryceter!"


    Ken switched from using offensive techniques to Cloud Running. His body turned as light as a feather, and every dangerous punch missed him by a hair width. Despite using a light weapon like the flexible sword, his hits carried a heavier impact than Bryce''s, not to mention his speed was far superior.


    The rest were focused on assaulting the regenerating monster, offering less support to Ken than they offered to Bryce, simply because he didn''t need it.


    A minuteter, the boss stopped regenerating and soon melted into a puddle of blood that got sucked into the cracks in the stone floor and disappeared.


    "Bryce! Bryce! Take this pill!"


    Daisy ran to the fallen man and shoved a fifth-grade healing down his throat. However, nothing happened.


    "It''s toote, Daisy, I''m sorry."


    Ken said and ced a hand on her shoulder. However, she didn''t ept his condolences. Instead, she pped his hand off her shoulder.


    "Don''t pretend to be sorry! If we gave him a pill right after he was injured, we could have saved him, but you ordered us not to spare even a single second to save ourrade! It''s all your fault, ever since you joined the group everyone died!"


    She screamed at him as tears flooded her pretty face. She sobbed as her eyes turn red in her grief and she looked at Ken with clear anger.


    "I didn''t want him to die, but sometimes things like that happen during battles. There are casualties in battles, and we can''t me ourselves for the death of our friends. They''d want us to move on."


    Ken said with sadness as he crouched next to the crying woman that was still kneeling her deceased friend.


    "Don''t lie to me, you wanted him dead! And ric, you are a traitor! We saved you but you got him killed on purpose. Fuck off and leave us alone, we were fine before you came!"


    Ken never heard the normally cheerful girl use profanities before, but he understood how she felt. She entered the ce along with 3 friends and Tiara. Tiara was only there because the former leader, Tobias, wooed her and was willing to bring her inside the portal.


    Daisy was the only one left alive out of the original four-people team, and it was true that they all started dying soon after Ken joined the group.


    "I made a mistake. It''s the first time we fight together, and there''s nothing we can do if we were out of sync once. It happens."


    Daisy ignored ric and turned her head to Ken with determination in her eyes.


    "He must leave the group. He joined onlytely, and I''m confident that he interfered with my technique on purpose. I saw his eyes when it happened, and they expressed sess, not the regret of a mistake."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Ken looked at her with a contemtive look. He knew where this was going; if he was going to refuse, she would give him an ultimatum of choosing between the two of them. He really didn''t want her to leave since she''d get killed outside without a team.


    "I''m sorry, but he won''t leave. You''re upset, and it''s natural that you will see things that weren''t there, but I will not send a good man to his death because of that. Bryce''s death is a tragedy to all of us. Our power as a group decreased, and we all lost a friend today."


    Just like Ken thought, his inspiring words didn''t work, and his statement that she sees things only worked to upset her even more.


    "Really? Because it feels like I''m the only one who lost a friend. No, I know he did it on purpose, and I did not see things. It was intentional, and if we leave him in our group, we can''t know when he will get someone else killed."


    She insisted on her argument, and ric didn''t speak anymore. He simply trusted Ken and let him deal with the situation.


    "I''m telling you-"


    "No, if you don''t kick him out of the group, I will leave. I can''t be in a group with someone that''s trying to kill me."


    She stopped Ken before he could refuse and ced her ultimatum just like he guessed. Although he was great at reading others, he wasn''t always good atmunicating in a way that reflected his understanding.


    "You will have to leave then. ric is staying."


    ¡¤?¦Èm He said with a cold voice as he looked straight into Daisy''s eyes. A tear came out of her eye corner, and her face distorted in pain and a sense of betrayal.


    "I knew it, you two have agreed on it before. You wanted him to die. Since that''s the case, I will leave the group and search for a new one."


    Ken felt a tinge of sadness in his heart. He knew that once she left the group, her chances at survival weren''t that great unless she found someone else to join soon.


    "I didn''t lose only one friend today."


    She said with a muffled voice, and Ken saw Jane and Diana''s images ovepping with hers as he looked at Daisy looking at him in disappointment.


    ''No, I''ve just been projecting my feelings toward Diana and Jane to Daisy all this time. I barely know her, and I shouldn''t even care about her.''


    The moment he understood his inner conflict in sending Daisy to almost certain death, he felt relieved. He hardened his heart and conquered his feelings once he saw the truth ¨C he didn''t care if she dies. She isn''t Diana, and she isn''t Jane. She was just another stranger he identally met on his journey, and her existence carried no meaning for him.


    he didn''t regret any of his actions or decisions anymore. He didn''t know her that well, and he didn''t want to; he simply felt ufortable because of his guilt for his friends'' death, but Daisy wasn''t part of his goals and future.


    He preferred to find a team for her in thebyrinth before they split up, but since it wasn''t an option, he was fine with them separating now even if it led to the woman''s death.

 Chapter 138 Rewards

    ?


    "Congrattions on clearing the Labyrinth of Blood."


    The good old voice resounded in the room. After Daisy dered she was leaving, there was an awkward silence in the room since she couldn''t actually leave until the rewards were out.


    "Before the presentation of the rewards, would you like to lock thest room for an hour in exchange for 1,000 BP?"


    "Yes."


    Ken agreed instantly. If not, they''d have to fight everyone outside as soon as the door opened. It was a hassle he preferred to avoid if he could help it.


    "Last room has been locked for one hour. You have gained 1,000 BP for clearing the Labyrinth of Blood. You may now choose your rewards."


    After the voice finished speaking, 10 pedestals rose across the tform from the floor in a long row. ric, whose foot was where one of the pedestals came from, had to step back.


    ''Oh, 10 prizes this time. Clearing the final floor is much more rewarding than the former ones. I wonder how much the prizes will cost.''


    Ken thought to himself as he waited patiently for the set-up to bepleted. The group didn''t approach the prizes; they first waited for Ken''s signal. They agreed that the Team Leader enjoys priority, mainly under ric''s persistence.


    Ken checked the contents on the pedestals and stated them out loud.


    "Manuals for forming a Nascent Soul, each cost 5,000 BP. Five sixth-grade Bloodlust Boost Pills, each cost 1,000 BP. Five sixth-rank Terror Talismans, each cost 1,500 BP."


    He noticed that the talismans and the pills were of a higher quality than those in the previous floors, but still didn''t find them necessary.


    He purchased four manuals for himself. One was meant for Swordsmanship, one for Bloodlust, one for Alchemy, and thest one for Runology. He sucked two of them straight into his storage ring and let the other two float in the air.


    He was surprised to see a manual for Bloodlust Qi users, but it means he wasn''t the only one to cultivate it.


    "I purchased the manuals that are meant for me, but since none of you use the sword or practice Alchemy, they''d be useless for you."


    "I don''t think any of us needs those manuals; we all hail from top sects where the best methods can be found."


    ric said his opinion but forgot that Tiara might not be in the same position as them. Ken could see through her personality; she''d rather find an opportunity to join one of the top 5 sects than stay in the sect that invested in her wholeheartedly.


    She was just that selfish. She might want to buy the manuals until she finds a way to join another sect.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Next prizes. Qi Devour, a Heaven-grade technique, for 80,000 BP, a single copy. Blood Sacrifice Formation for 80,000 BP, a single copy. 10 Escape Tokens, teleportation tokens that work only inside the secret realm, for 2,000 BP each."


    He knew that nobody would openly purchase the heaven-grade technique since it was evil, so he left it aside and nned to look at itter. The Blood Formation was a scroll that exined how to arrange it, not an active formation. Since he knew there were no Formation Masters other than him in the group, he skipped it for now too.


    "I rmend everyone to take two Escape Tokens. I will take two as well."


    Ken said and purchased two tokens. Again, he let them float outside for a moment to let the others see.


    "I agree."


    Tiara approached first and purchased two tokens. She knew the dangers lurking in the inheritance grounds, and it was a great way to preserve her life. ric did the same, but Daisy who wanted to part from the group chose to pay for four tokens.


    Ken guessed that the prizes were set for a group of five since they entered with that number.


    "Twenty Sixth-grade Core Purification Pills for 4,000 BP per pill, their name is self-exnatory. A single unit of sixth-rank very Cor for 40,000 BP, an item that can enve cultivators of the sixth stage or weaker. A seventh-grade weapon of your choice for 150,000 BP. Last, we have a map of the secret realm including dangerous ces and information on them for 100,000 BP."


    Ken finished counting all the prizes, and the team seemed to be pondering whether they should take anything other than the tokens. Although the rewards were good, their nature was mostly evil. As for the Core Purification Pills, nobody needed them since they never tainted their cores.


    Ken on the other hand knew that he wanted a lot from that list. The only rewards he didn''t want were the Terror Talismans and the Bloodlust Boost Pills.


    "Daisy, since you''re leaving the team, you can choose first and leave."


    Ken said with a cold voice, and Daisy blinked in embarrassment when she saw the three''s attention focused on her.


    "Tiara, what about you, will you remain in a group where you might get backstabbed, or will you leave with me?"


    Daisy turned to Tiara who remained silent during the earlier argument. She believed that she could convince the otherdy of the group toe with her, increasing her survivability considerably. s, Ken had other ns.


    "I was invited to the Serene Lotus Sect before I was sucked into the secret realm and was promised to be a core disciple. If you remain in my group, you can join the sect with me."


    Ken gave a charming smile as he waved the discipleship token Elmer gave him when the elder from the Four Seasons Sect tried to kill him. He knew that Tiara''s priority was to join a powerful sect, and now that she lost her entrance ticket to the Divine Sword Sect, his offer would tilt the decision in his favor.


    Tiara raised her eyebrows in surprise when she saw the token. On one hand, she was reluctant to remain with Ken since it seemed that everyone around him got killed. First Diana and Jane, and now the other three. However, she understood that the death of thest 3 stemmed from their own mistake.

 Chapter 139 Separation

    ?


    "If you remain in my group, you can join the sect with me."


    Ken gave a charming smile as he waved the discipleship token Elmer gave him when the elder from the Four Seasons Sect tried to kill him.


    "Wait! If youe with me, I will also¡­"


    ¡¤?¦Èm Daisy panicked and began a sentence that sounded like a promise, but she stopped before finishing it. The reason was that she never liked Tiara. She didn''t hate her, but she also didn''t like the woman.


    In Daisy''s opinion, the ice princess was selfish and disloyal. The fact that she managed to be so strong in a weaker sect spoke volumes about her hard work, but it also testified to therge number of resources her former sect invested in her.


    However, despite all that investment, she was looking for a new sect without looking back. It was a sign of a bad personality and ungratefulness.


    "You will also what?"


    Ken asked Daisy with a smile. He knew that as a truly righteous person, Daisy wouldn''t invite a snake into her sect, but he didn''t mind.


    "I will also have her back since we can both trust each other."


    She said while biting her lower lip. It was better to remain silent than to speak openly and practically announce she didn''t want Tiara in her sect, but she lost control over herself.


    "I see. I will remain with Ken and ric then. Be careful."


    Tiara made her choice. She was an ambitious woman, and even if it was risky, she''d take the option that offered more rewards.


    "O- Okay. I will leave then, there''s nothing else I want and can afford."


    Daisy said with a downcast expression. Her countenance said it all; she was scared of going alone, and she was extremely disappointed at how useless the prizes were. They were objectively good, but she couldn''t use them because they were all meant for evil cultivators.


    She purchased 2 Terror Talismans just to be safe before walking into a portal that led her outside. She soon disappeared, and the team of three remained behind.


    "Team Leader, are you sure about joining the Serene Lotus Sect? You cane to my Divine Sword Sect, I''m a core disciple and I can easily arrange your recruitment!"


    ric couldn''t remain quiet inside. He wanted to follow Ken and keep in touch with him also when they leave the secret realm, but it wouldn''t be possible if Ken entered a rival sect.


    "I will not join the Divine Sword Sect. I don''t understand how you can be there, ric. It seems like the culture there is rotten to the core, or else how will you exin that a core disciple stabbed you in the back for resources and three inner disciples tried to do the same to me?"


    "That''s not representing the true face of the sect!"


    "Oh really? Then tell me, didn''t you have to fight other teams from your sect? Do you want to be in the same sect as those scumbags, ric?"


    "I¡­ No, it''s not true! I¡­"


    "Tell me, did other teams attack you as well?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Yes."


    ric''s voice conveyed his conflicting emotions. He loved his master, but he was disappointed when he thought about his friends'' deaths and how his fellow disciples tried to kill him. He didn''t want to admit it, but they acted like evil cultivators.


    "Then forget your sect and follow me. When we are strong enough you can make a difference and purge all the traitorous people from this continent."


    Ken said with a low voice to the man''s ears. The young voice acted almost like hypnosis on ric. He could see visions of himself ughtering evil cultivators as he listened. Little did he know that he had been consuming contaminated pills ever since he woke up. Ken inserted his Bloodlust Qi in every pill he concocted for the man''s recovery.


    "I will consider it."


    ric said with some difficulty and walked hurriedly to take a look at the prizes. Tiara was having doubts about whether she made the right decision, but it was toote for regrets.


    "So, you two, any reward you want to take with you?"


    "I only want the weapon, but it costs too much. I have slightly more than 50,000 so I can''t afford it."


    The spearman said sadly. He used a fifth-grade spear that the team looted earlier from someone who wanted their BP, but it was a great opportunity to gain a seventh-grade spear.


    Producing such a weapon required a seventh-rank cksmith to cast the spear and a seventh-rank runologist to draw runes and enhance the tool. The cost ofmissioning two seventh-rank artisans would cost an arm and a leg even for an elder.


    "Same," Tiara spoke in a single word.


    "Let''s get you some BP then!"


    Ken smiled devilishly and started taking out materials from his storage ring. He brought out ores, herbs, and many Qi Stones. He arranged the ores and drew runes on them, creating formations that covered the whole room. He even paid another 1,000 BP to increase the time the doors were locked.


    "Are you sure we should kill them? They didn''t attack us."


    ric said hesitantly when he understood Ken''s n. He didn''t want to be the same as those he despised.


    "We will pretend to be wounded and only kill those who try to rob us."


    Ken said confidently and kept working on the formations. He created a triple suppression formation, potent enough to turn those elite peak fourth-stage cultivators into weaklings that any bandit could torment. Those formations were of the fifth rank and their suppression was the real deal.


    "First I will purchase all the dangerous items, so the wrong people won''t get it even if they don''t attack us."


    Ken said righteously before purchasing everything he wanted.


    ''Why do you even need to ambush those people then?!''


    The other two screamed inwardly as they watched him spend a ridiculous amount of BP.

 Chapter 140 Four Doors Opened

    ?


    Ken purchased everything other than the map, the Terror Talismans, and the Bloodlust Boost Pills, for a sum of 430,000 BP other than the 24,000 he had spent earlier for the manuals and the Escape Tokens.


    As for the weapon, he purchased one for himself, a seventh-grade flexible sword. Just like his former two swords, he could freely manipte it with Qi back to the solid mode by streaming his Qi into a specific rune.


    He couldn''t read the runes inscribed on the sword since they were seventh-rank runes but nned to learn how to do that eventually.


    The room was ready to be opened for the masses toe inside and get ughtered. First, there was a threefold fifth-rank Suppression Formation, which he could activate at any time and weaken his enemies.


    Second, there was an Illusion Formation, which would make them see the scene from before Ken emptied the prizes, or in other words, they''d think all the prizes are still avable. Furthermore, Ken set a few standing positions so that everyone inside them would seem wounded, and Ken instructed his two partners in crime to wait there.


    Third, Ken covered everything with fifth-rank Concealing Formations, so even the best formation masters present outside won''t be able to discover the formations. Ken integrated his Bloodlust Qi into the Concealing Formation to conceal the bloodlust emanating from the tokens, and his token now exuded pressure of half a million points.


    "How much time until the doors get unlocked?"


    "14 minutes."


    Everyone waited in their positions. Tiara was sitting on the floor, reclining against one of the pirs surrounding the central tform with her back for support. Anyone entering the room would see her right arm amputated, and her clothes filled with blood stains.


    ric was lying down with a pillow under his head, and he''d appear injured severely to the neers, with a hole in his stomach and his guts taking a glimpse outside.


    As for Ken, he was standing, leaning against one of the pedestals.


    Taking half a million points from a wounded child sounded as easy as taking candy from a normal child, but nobody would underestimate him. However, he didn''t believe anyone would resist the temptation of so many points.


    14 minutester, the doors were unlocked, but people still didn''t enter. They tried entering earlier but the doors were locked, so they kept trying at intervals of a few minutes.


    Soon, one of the double doors opened. It wasn''t the western one where Ken came from, but the northern door.


    "It opened, there are people inside that seem to be wounded, and the monster is gone! Let''s see if the rewards are still there and we can get outside!"


    One excited female voice reported to the people behind her and shortly, two dozen people streamed in. This group was smaller than the one behind the door Ken came from.


    "This kid''s token is emanating a sick amount of BP! Do you think it''s the same kid that killed everyone from the Four Seasons Sect?"


    "Shut up, if any of the core disciples were there, he''d never be able to act unbridled as he had."


    The first speaker wore white clothes with an auburn embroidery of a pen and a scroll on his shoulder, the symbol of the Infinite Wisdom Sect, also known as the fifth strongest sect and the richest one.


    The second wore white clothes with a symbol of a leaf, cloud, flower, and sun on his shoulder, marking him as a core disciple of the Four Seasons Sect.


    ''Seems like the other novel caught up with those who entered first.''


    Ken thought to himself as he watched people wearing orange and auburn entering behind the core disciples. Orange was the Peaceful Demon Sect''s color while the auburn belonged to the Infinite Wisdom Sect.


    "Since it''s most likely the same kid that killed my sect''s members, he is the prey of the Four Seasons Sect. You guys can back off."


    "Haha, aren''t you trying to im those BP for free by attacking an injured child under the pretense of revenge? Since the Four Seasons Sect is so ipetent that they couldn''t kill him before, I think attacking him in his injured state would only shame them further. I will take the points."


    An argument started before the people even got to the prizes; that''s how tempting half a million BP seemed to everyone.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Huh? Do you want to fight? Schrs should stay at the library and write, oh, Wise One."


    ''Schr'' was a polite way to mock the disciples of the Infinite Wisdom Sect about their low prowess, which turned the word into an offensive term long ago.


    "Your sect is so reliant on us they would sacrifice you in a heartbeat if we demanded it to continue our coboration, so why are you acting all proud?"


    "Nobody can approach the kid until we settle who gets the points!"


    The core disciples shouted, and everyone stopped in their tracks. Before they continued discussing, the western door opened, and 70 people peeked inside. Ken figured that more teams gathered there since he left them.


    "Hey! The monster is gone, the kid and his friends are wounded and have around half a million BP, and there are also people from other sects!"


    A male disciple announced to everyone waiting behind him before every group waiting behind that door stormed into thest room. They soon understood the stalemate and also watched each other warily.


    "Should we check the prizes first? Maybe we cane up with a system to divide his points among us."


    Everyone talked as if Ken''s group''s opinion didn''t matter. The wounded were weak, and the weak couldn''t have an opinion in the cultivation world.


    "Sure, let''s-."


    The eastern door opened, followed by the southern door a few secondster.


    ''I came from the fullest area. The east had only a single team while the south had 29 cultivators.''


    Ken thought to himself as he watched the 120 people packed together in the room. Luckily, it was spacious enough to amodate them all.


    "Are you guys sure you want to fight against me?"


    Ken asked loud enough as he shakily left the support of the pedestal he was leaning on, acting his part as an injured disciple. He faked a stagger as if he had difficulties remaining standing without support.


    "Haha, do you really think your frail attempt to stand up for yourself is going to scare anyone? The weak can''t be rich, and you are."


    The core disciple from the Four Seasons Sectughed. Even if he couldn''t get Ken''s BP, it''d be enough for him to bring the kid''s head back to the sect to gain more rewards than he could ever im with 500,000 BP from an evil sect.


    "What about the group from the Peaceful Demon Secting from the east?"


    That group''sbined BP was higher points than Ken''s. It seemed that the reason they entered alone wasn''t because that side of thebyrinth was empty, but because they were the sole survivors of the battles there.


    ¡¤?¦Èm "We will get to them next. Everyone from the Serene Lotus Sect, gather around me!"


    "Everyone from the Peaceful Demon Sect, gather around me!"


    "Everyone from the Divine Sword Sect, gather around me!"


    "Everyone from the Four Seasons Sect, gather around me!"


    "Everyone from the Infinite Wisdom Sect, gather around me!"

 Chapter 141 Slaughtering The Enemies

    ?


    "Everyone from the¡­ Sect gather around me!"


    The strongest core disciple of each sect summoned his fellow disciples to assemble to get the prizes and the free BP.


    "It''s quite a sad sight, Elroy."


    The core disciple from the Infinite Wisdom Sect mocked the core disciple from the Four Seasons Sect; other than Elroy''s two partners, only 3 ck wearing disciples came and stood behind him. The other sects had groups of 20-40 fighters each.


    Elroy fumed, he forgot that his sect didn''t send many fourth-stage disciples to the secret realm because of the great losses they suffered. He was caught up in the heat of the moment when the other sects assembled their troops.


    "Whatever. I bet half of the people around you are evil cultivators disguised as your fellow disciples anyway."


    But instead of getting angry at the remark, everyone looked at him with amused smiles, confusing him further until his friend, a female core disciple, whispered in his ear.


    "Elroy, our sect didn''t send any inner disciples here."


    "Fuck! Who the hell are you guys?"


    Elroy snapped when he realized his oversight and turned to the three "inner disciples" behind him.


    "Ah, we didn''t have any other robes. But we are sincere about cooperating."


    Elroy looked around him at therge groups surrounding them and shrugged.


    "Sure."


    Ken didn''t mind letting them rally up. It was clear now that nobody nned on letting his group go, so he turned to ric and spoke.


    "ric, what''s your judgement?"


    "Haha, I like that. I sentence them¡­ to death!"


    ric''s eyes shone brightly in excitement when he heard the word ''judgement''. He didn''t think about it before, but he liked the idea of being a judge. At that moment, he developed aplex that would apany him for a long time.


    "Huh?"


    The disciples raised an eyebrow when they heard the dying people speaking nonsense, but suddenly, a strong pressure pressed them, and they were weakened by 75% instantly.


    To suppress a fourth-stage disciple you only needed a single fourth-rank formation, but now they were under a threefold fifth-rank formation, and it wasn''t something they could resist.


    "Now!"


    Ken shouted and started using his technique ''sh''. He ran around the room while shing around him, 81 in 27. It meant that each sh was as strong as three shes from him, and his power was nothing to scoff at.


    The weakened disciples couldn''t react on time. Their movements turned sluggish, their attacks turned weak, and everything happened in surprise. Although weakened by 75%, the effect was much more severe because of their inexperience with such situations.


    ''Frozen Flock''.


    Tiara also stood, catching her enemies in surprise. With a swing of her saber, she sent a flock of beautiful little sparrows with scarily sharpened beaks, killing a dozen of people instantly.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Sonic Wave.''


    ric thumped the floor with the butt of his spear, producing a clinking sound against the stone. The sound overwhelmed the enemies, disorienting them and making them confused and paralyzed.


    They couldn''t resist it in their weakened state, and their assembly worked against them as the sound caught a group of 38 disciples from the Divine Sword Sect. He was angry at them for also attacking, and he aimed at them first.


    ''One Step.''


    ''sh.''


    Ken stepped into the middle of the disoriented group and used the same attack. It was his best technique for killing many easy targets at once.


    The three ughtered 70 of the weakened enemies in a heartbeat, but there were still 50 of them who were adapting to the new situation.


    "They fooled us! We must cooperate to survive, forget about sects!"


    The fifty started working together to fend off the three enemies, but then the Illusion Formation kicked in again. This formation''s full name was "Illusion of the Past", and it could make the people inside it see a former state of the room.


    The more movement there is, the blurrier the formation bes, but it''d still make a huge difference against weakened cultivators of a stage lower than the formation''s rank.


    That moment, the surviving fifty saw everyone goes back to their former posts before the first rally up of the five sects.


    "Don''t leave! Where are you going, we should stick together!"


    "I''m not leaving, you are leaving!"


    "Wait, something is weird, I can see blurred silhouettes!"


    Chaos controlled the room as Ken and his two friends used it to restart the ughter against the confused enemies.


    ric''s spear left trails of lightning cracking in the air behind it as it pierced and electrocuted the cultivators with Lightning Qi. Tiara''s sword drew arcs of Ice Qi behind it with every swing, and Ken kept dashing between enemies while slicing them up.


    Unable to resist the onught, the cultivators fell one after another, failing to coordinate with each other. Ken and the other two finished killing all their enemies in under 3 minutes, and blood flowed on the floor, creating arge puddle.


    "All right, you can start absorbing the tokens and looting the corpses. I will start removing the formations."


    Ken instructed the other two and worked on his task.


    ''It takes only a few minutes to destroy expensive formations that I worked 2 hours on creating,'' Ken thought to himself as he meticulously cleared the room, making sure to remove any trace of the formation''s presence.


    "Haha, Team Leader, we struck it rich!"


    ricughed loudly as he filled storage rings one after another in treasures and Qi Stones. As for the dubious things that most likely belonged to the evil cultivators, he left them behind on the floor.


    Tiara did the same, and even the normally apatheticdy couldn''t hold back a small smile from forming in the corners of her lips when she heard ric''s enthusiasm. She also enjoyed all the looting that took ce. Sharing the belongings of 120 rich disciples between 3 people allowed them to get a lot.


    Unluckily, the sects expected many of the disciples to die, so they asked them to leave behind the property they didn''t expect to use in the next three months to cut the losses.

 Chapter 142 Core Purification Pills

    ?


    "What should we do next? You told us you have a map and that we didn''t need to buy one."


    Tiara asked Ken as the trio sat in a cave. When they asked the voice to open the portal and take them outside, it offered them to choose between 256 different spots, confirming Ken''s spections about the way thebyrinth was built.


    "The names of the other ces seem to have meanings behind them. Other than the Labyrinth of Blood, which is the only attraction meant for the fourth-stage audience, there are 7 more ces."


    Ken exined while hispanions listened.


    "Of course, there are also hidden spots with prizes like our cave, but the density of treasures in them is much lowerpared to those 8 ces. The eight locations marked on the map should be troves of treasures. Besides, we merely got a fifth-rank scroll here, and I believe there are much better prizes over there."


    "I assume you asked the voice to drop us here because it''s the closest portal to a certain ce you want to explore, didn''t you?"


    "I did, but mainly for you. This ce is called Mystic Chasms, and the map says it''s good for improving elemental types of Qi, like your Lightning Qi and Ice Qi."


    Ken believed that the Bloodthirst Sect would also add there the Bloodlust Qi since they had a manual for it.


    "Tiara, you never answered me back then when I asked. How close are you to finishing developing your Nascent Soul?"


    "I would need a few months. Around half a year."


    "I see. If you guys want, I can help you improve your manuals for you, I have a knack for that."


    Ken offered them help because he nned on having them by his side in the long run. He''d do the same for the blind monk he recruited a couple of months ago if he knew more about his cultivation, but he didn''t know much about Buddhistic Qi and Demonic Qi.


    "I will pass," Tiara said with clear doubt in her tone. She didn''t trust Ken to develop a manual for a stage he didn''t reach, especially not when it was for Qi he didn''t master.


    "Team Leader, I''m willing to let you try if you think you can do it!"


    ric, on the other hand, was as supportive as always.


    "I can, just give me your current manuals. Let''s camp here for a few days while I sit on it. I also need to read all the manuals I purchased from thebyrinth''sst room."


    Before they left, Ken decided to purchase a few more manuals. More precisely, he purchased the manuals for Sound Qi, Lightning Qi, Spear Qi, Saber Qi, Ice Qi, Earth Qi, Buddhistic Qi, and Demonic Qi.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Those were the types of Qi cultivated by his envisioned group, thus he wanted to collect information on those Qi types and provide them with improved manuals so they can achieve the best results in their next stages.


    "Sure, I will go and write down my manual."


    Normally, cultivators didn''t carry their manuals with them. They''d sit down and memorize it, return the books to the sect''s library, and only then start cultivating the manual.


    During the next few days, Ken was busy with research. While ric was writing carefully and slowly the manual he followed, Ken learned the Heaven-grade technique ''Qi Devour'', which cost him 80,000 BP in thebyrinth.


    ''Hmm, it''s not worse than my Blood Transfusion technique. I should find a way tobine them.''


    Cultivators always enhance their bodies with Qi, and it bes an automatic mechanism like breathing. Thus, just like there''s always oxygen throughout one''s body, there''s always Qi in one''s blood.


    Once someone uses their body''s Qi, the dantian or core simply releases additional Qi topensate for the Qi loss. That was exactly what Ken''s technique aimed for; it''d suck the Qi out of the person''s blood, and the target''s body would keep replenishing the Qi there so Ken can keep going.


    On the other hand, ''Qi Devour'' aimed at sucking the energy straight from the target''s meridians. It allowed better absorption speed as the meridians were replenished with Qi faster than one''s bloodstream, but it didn''t work on animals that didn''t have meridians and it didn''t directly weaken the body of the target, allowing them to resist more.


    For now, Ken didn''t have an idea how to incorporate it into his own technique, but he noticed that its efficiency was rather low as a non-specific Qi technique. He had a few ideas on how to add Darkness Qi into it and improve it, but nobody he cared about used Darkness Qi.


    He moved to research the Core Purification Pills. He took one of them and dposed it in his cauldron, seeing what it was made of. Hecked theoretical knowledge about sixth-grade ingredients, but he could still tell apart the ingredients, even if he didn''t recognize them.


    Through repeated trials, he gained a deep understanding of the pill''s structure and concocting process, and he was confident that he would be able to recreate the pill from memory once he became a sixth-rank alchemist.


    ''Handling sixth-grade ingredients sucks my Qi dry. I spent more Qi on dposing 3 pills than I did in any of my fights in thebyrinth.''


    Ken thought to himself as he rested. During his experiments, when he sent his Qi to probe the pill, he noticed that his specialized Qi was neutralized and turned into normal Qi.


    Now that he understood the mechanics of the pill, he swallowed one and immediately felt the surging medicinal energy in his body. He channeled it in precision as he pinpointed the impurities in his core.


    He channeled the medicinal energy into his meridians, not letting it out of his control. If he let it touch his core indiscriminately, his affinities with the four types of Qi would weaken, and he wanted to remove only the colorful stains.


    He worked slowly and systematically, letting a drop of energy out of the meridians into his core, straight to the attributes he gained during his wild usage of Blood Transfusion. 10 hourster, his core was sparkly clean, and he expelled the remaining energy from the pill from his body.

 Chapter 143 Heading To The Mystic Chasms

    ?


    "Huhh¡­"


    Ken sighed in relief as he inspected his core and found it spotless. The extra attributes that were mixed with it had highly distressed him the whole time, and he was finally done with it.


    Now even if he was forced to use the Blood Transfusion technique again, he''d be able to purify his core with the pill''s help, and he had 15 of them left. He assumed it was invented to support the Qi Devour technique that he imed.


    "Hey guys, any news or encounters?"


    "No, nobody can sense our location."


    He managed to extract some of his Bloodlust Qi and incorporate it into his Concealing Formation, so their tokens'' aura was hidden, and they were safe from prying eyes.


    ---------


    "Here''s the improved manual I promised you for developing your Nascent Soul. Just tell me when you finish memorizing it and start practicing it. I want to watch you in the process and maybe modify it to perfection."


    Ken handed ric the manual he was working on those fewst days. He read all the manuals he purchased despite being from different types of Qi. Even if they weren''t rted to ric''s Qi, reading them would still broaden his horizons and teach him more about Nascent Souls in general.


    "Thank you, Team Leader. For which Qi is it?"


    ric opened the manual and started the first page. He expected Ken to give him three manuals since he used three types of Qi, but it made sense that the leader didn''t have enough time to write something for all of them.


    "Since it''s tailored for you there''s no point in separating it into a few volumes. This manual includes your three specialized Qi types, and you can just destroy the book once you''ve memorized it."


    Ken exined to ric why there was a single book and looked at Tiara who was peeking at them curiously. She was surprised to see that Ken was confident about creating a whole improved manual.


    "I can also make a manual for you if you want."


    He smiled at the youngdy who nodded hesitantly and handed him her handwritten manuals.


    "So you''ve written them. Why did you pretend not to be interested then?"


    Ken teased her, earning a re in return. He took her two manuals and sat down to read them.


    Through the next few days, Ken monitored the two''s training and kept adjusting their cultivation manual. dly, he could just sense their cultivation process by cing a hand on their shoulders.


    When he was satisfied with the final product, he believed it was time to leave.


    "Okay, it seems like you two have mastered your new manuals and I have nothing else to change in them. A whole month passed since we entered the secret realm, it''s time to go grinding."


    "Grinding?"


    "I mean exploring."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I see."


    Tiara didn''t mind being dyed by Ken''s choice so far since she already gained enough to justify the whole trip, whilst ric stayed because of his blind faith in Ken.


    "As I said before, we are going to the Mystic Chasms which is supposed to be all about Elemental Qi. It means that we can expect to find many of the Four Seasons Sect disciples there if they managed to get a map, and in case you forgot, they don''t like me."


    Ken exined the n as the two listened. The Mystic Chasms were located west of them, in an area described on the map as a canyon. The three agreed to let Ken carry everyone''s Blood Tokens because he was the only one with the ability to hide their aura.


    "Wow, I didn''t expect an evil sect to create such beautiful scenery. Although the eerie vibes here and threatening spikes do match the owners. Team Leader, do you think this red fog will be lifted if we wait enough?"


    They jogged cautiously toward the canyon and made it there by the evening. When they arrived, ric was the most vocal about the view.


    As the three reached the edge of the canyon, a breathtaking sight unfolded before them. They stood on a precipice, peering down into the vast expanse below. The canyon stretched out like a gaping maw, its jagged rock formations descending into a deep chasm.


    However, they couldn''t see beyond that. The bottom of the canyon was hidden inside a red mist that seemed like a steam generated by boiling blood. Ken ignored ric''s question, as the mist was obviously there to stay.


    "How did you n to get down there?"


    Tiara asked as she peered down. The next footing she could detect was 200 meters below them unless they nned on jumping on the threatening spikes that came out of the tall walls.


    "We have you."


    "Are you sure about entering this bloody mist? It doesn''t seem safe."


    "We will find out once we are inside."


    Tiara generated three ice steps. They were simple discs with a circumference of 40 cm each.


    "My Qi isn''t strong enough to hold people yet, but they will slow down our descent significantly. You just need to use your weapons to slow down by stabbing the walls. The further you get from me, the weaker the disc will be, so don''t get more than 30 meters away unless you don''t mind dying."


    She was the only cultivator with a solid elemental Qi among them, so it was the only option.


    The three stepped carefully onto the ice simultaneously and began their descent. At first, they moved down slowly, making everyone feel safe, but they only gained speed as time passed.


    "Ready your weapons!"


    Tiara shouted, but her voice was lost in the wind. The canyon seemed to have the effect of dimming noises. She looked to her side and saw that the two were just looking at her.


    She brandished her saber, trying to exin what she wanted them to do, and the two brought out their own weapons. She saw their lips move, but she couldn''t hear anything. They couldn''t match their thrusts without talking, and they''d risk separating.

 Chapter 144 The Ice Chasm

    ?


    Tiara was getting stressed; they didn''t consider the possibility of not hearing each other because of the canyon. They couldn''t match their thrusts without talking, and they''d risk separating if they tried to do it without matching their strikes.


    Tiara started considering just doing it and letting the other two die if they failed to copy her actions in time.


    "All right, we can hear each other now."


    She suddenly heard ric''s voice and sighed in relief when she remembered he had Sound Qi.


    "In the count to three, thrust your weapons into the wall for exactly 5 seconds. One¡­ two¡­ three!"


    One spear, one sword, and one saber pierced the canyon''s wall, leaving behind a deep trail as the three slowed down their descent. After counting to five, they all pulled their weapons back.


    This process repeated itself twice more until they were on the verge of entering the mist.


    "We don''t know what will happen inside the mist, so be prepared for any danger!"


    As soon as the ice touched the red fog, Tiara felt a strong interference with her Qi. The three discs instantly melted, and she hurriedly generated new recements. However, she found it too hard to maintain three, and without a second thought, she let the other two melt again and took care of herself.


    "I can''t hold it; the mist is ruining my Qi techniques!"


    But nobody heard her words; ric''s Sound Qi got canceled as soon as he was covered in mist.


    Tiara felt a small object hitting her chest, and looking down, she saw her Blood Token there. She didn''t know if it was Ken''s doing or the ce''s, but she ced it in her pocket and kept descending.


    To her fright, her weapon never found the wall again; every time she thrust it, she missed. The fog messed up her sense of direction, and she couldn''t do anything other than do her best to control the ice disc until she crashed into the solid ground.


    "Ah!"


    The woman let out a groan of pain as she performed a roll to distribute the impact throughout her body. She didn''t do it perfectly, but she managed to prevent any serious injuries. She felt that the bones in her legs cracked, so she took a healing pill and concentrated on absorbing the effects.


    ''I wonder if the other two managed to survive the fall somehow. If they were fast enough, perhaps they managed to use the wall?''


    She remembered how she failed to find the walls, but she also knew that the other two weren''t any weaker than her and had their own strengths. She soon felt suffocated by the mist and unconsciously deployed her Ice Qi around her to relieve the pressure.


    Her face revealed a hint of surprise right away. When she activated her Ice Qi around her, she felt something calling to her from behind her. She didn''t notice it earlier when she used the ice disc, probably because of the pinch she was in.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Ken mentioned this ce is an inheritance ground meant for Elemental Qi. Maybe the suffocation inside the mist is meant to make us use our Qi, which would be detected by some formation.''


    The young woman believed that the formation''s role was to guide the cultivators to the right ce for them in the chasm and prevent them from trying to steal everything.


    Still cautious, she followed her instincts and headed toward the voice she could hear. As far as she could know, it could also be a trap, so she never let down her guard.


    After an uneventful session of walking while being in full alert mode, she could finally see further than a few centimeters ahead.


    ''That''s why this ce is called "Mystic Chasms", as in plural,'' Tiara smiled as soon as she saw the scenery in front of her.


    She found another small chasm, which seemed like a tunnel that led to a cave underground. What made her smile wasn''t the additional chasm; it was the ice that covered the walls of the tunnel. It made her more confident in her assumption that the ce guided the neers to the right ce for them.


    ¡¤?¦Èm ''I wonder if cultivators without any Elemental Qi can survive this ce. Since they can''t use any specialized Qi that the formation tries to detect, they might just wander here until they die.''


    Tiara tried earlier to push the bloody mist away with her Saber Qi, but the voice stopped calling her, and only silence took its ce. Taking Ken''s words into ount, she deduced that the formation only called for those that used Elemental Qi.


    ''It''d cause a lot of casualties among those that try to enter the chasm without any information about it. I guess that''s an evil sect for you.''


    Thedy was also worried that Ken, whom she never saw using any Elemental Qi, will be lost here forever, along with her free ticket to the strongest sect in the continent. She calmed down when she remembered he still had his Escape Token.


    She looked around her before descending again. The opening in the ground had a radius of 5 meters, and it was free of red fog. Not only the opening was clear, but also the area 5 meters around it had no fog, allowing her to see clearly.


    ''Maybe I should wait here to ambush other Ice Qi cultivators for extra BP before entering?''


    She pondered before deciding against it; while this n might work, it could easily backfire. She must not forget that she wasn''t in the Labyrinth of Blood anymore, where everyone was only at the fourth stage. She could easily meet a tragic end by facing a peak Nascent Soul cultivator.


    Another reason not to do it was that she couldn''t sense the blood tokens inside the mist; it blocked her senses almostpletely, which meant both she and the enemy would be surprised to see each other every time someone woulde out of the mist.


    ''Let''s go.''


    With those inspiring words, Tiara sat down on the icy ground and slid into the tunnel.

 Chapter 145 The Lightning Chasm

    ?


    "WAIT, TIARA, THE ICE DISCS ARE GONE!"


    ric shouted profusely when the ground melted under his feet in the literal sense of the words. However, he soon noticed that the bloody mist devoured his technique, and nobody could hear him.


    He tried to reconnect them by spending more Qi, but his attempt ended in failure as the technique, and he understood that the fog was interfering with his sense of direction.


    ''Sonic Echo.''


    He performed another technique decisively, unwilling to crash on the ground and die. The way Sonic Echo worked was simr to how bats navigate; he used Sound Qi to send high-frequency sound waves to his surroundings and could determine the objects around him, including their distance from him and their shapes and sizes.


    He wanted to sigh in relief when he finally perceived his surroundings, but he didn''t have time for that. His speed was increasing with every second passing, and knowing his situation was only the first step to saving himself.


    The young man used his spear to pierce through the rocky wall in front of him, but he never pierced too deep; only enough to slow down his fall but not enough for the spear to remain stuck inside while resisting his pull. He wasn''t confident in being strong enough to stop his momentum at once, and he didn''t want his hands to slip.


    ric''s arms worked hard, stabbing the wall repeatedly and slowing him down with every second passing. Not long after the ice discs disappeared, he felt something light hit his chest and remain there, but he didn''t have the time to check what it was.


    "AH!"


    Just like the woman whonded around the same time as him, hisnding was anything but graceful. He rolled on the ground to distribute the impact throughout his body and remained lying on the ground, panting heavily.


    "That hurts. That woman must have survived by saving only herself; I doubt she even hesitated for a moment to abandon the two of us and focus on generating a single disc. I don''t understand why Team Leader insists on keeping her around. I hope he survived; I think he has many tricks to save himself that he hadn''t shown."


    ric talked to himself as he took out a healing pill from his storage ring and waited for the medicinal energy to do its magic and mend his fractured legs. His fall was worse than Tiara''s, so he had to wait a little bit longer. Looking at the object stuck to his chest, he found his Blood Token.


    ''This mist is so suffocating.''


    He let his Lightning Qi envelop him and ward off the mist from touching his skin, simply because his instinct told him it''d be the most effective Qi against the mist out of his three attributes. As soon as he deployed his Lightning Qi, the man heard a voice calling for him.


    ''Hmm, what''s that?''


    He wasn''t the type to rush into situations, so he first analyzed his situation. It didn''t take him long to connect the constant call to his Lightning Qi.


    ''Let''s review what I know about this ce. Team Leader mentioned it should have inheritances of Elemental Qi. My Elemental Qi is lightning, and thinking about it, I started hearing this call ever since I deployed my Lightning Qi.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Once he reached those conclusions, he stopped channeling his Qi, letting the mist fill him with the suffocating sensation. When he stopped hearing the urge to head in a certain direction, he concluded his reasoning was correct.


    Next, ric wanted to make sure only his Lightning Qi was appreciated by the mist, and he tried fending off the mist with his Spear Qi. Unsurprisingly, not only did his Qi consumption rose, but he also didn''t hear anything calling for him.


    And for the final test, he tried coating himself with Sound Qi. Unfortunately, the ce didn''t consider it as Elemental Qi either.


    ric tried finding his way using his Sonic Echo technique, but although it worked, its distance was limited by the mist, mainly because of its Qi scattering effect. His Qi got scattered as it got further from him, making him lose control over it and canceling his technique.


    While it helped him sense everything in a distance of a few meters from him, it wasn''t enough to navigate inside the bottom of the canyon.


    ''Let''s follow the directions it''s giving me. This ce is trying to find inheritors, so it shouldn''t try killing a suitable inheritor candidate.''


    He realized he could only choose between being stuck there or following the ce''s mechanism, so he chose the second option willingly.


    It didn''t mean he let his guard down; on the opposite, he remained vignt the whole time as he marched toward his destination. However, nothing worth writing home about happened.


    Like those proceeding him, he understood the plural in the area''s name. He was already in a chasm, but in front of himy another one, and the lightning coursing through the walls gave him a strong hint that he reached his goal.


    ''I guess there''s no point in waiting here unless I want to fight everyone else with Lightning Qi.''


    ric thought to himself as he slid into the tunnel leading to the chasm. Happily, this one had tilted ground rather than just a wall, so he didn''t have to free fall to the bottom like earlier.


    The cruelty of the area''s mechanism didn''t escape his attention, but he expected that from an evil sect.


    "Wee to the Mystic Chasm of Lightning. Venture through its trials to im the rewards and inherit our sect''s esteemed Lightning legacy, or face the dire consequences. Beware, the perils extend beyond the trials alone; you may bepelled to battle other contenders. Embrace the challenge, for within this chasm, your destiny shall be forged."


    He heard the same voice that announced their progress in the Labyrinth of Blood every time they cleared a floor. He simply categorized it as the butler of the secret realm now.


    ''This might get dangerous; this ce isn''t limited to fourth-stage cultivators only.''

 Chapter 146 The Butcher

    ?


    Ken instantly noticed that the discs under his feet melted and knew that shouting out to Tiara wouldn''t help. He was sure she noticed her technique had failed, and indeed, a new ice disc formed under his feet right away.


    However, this new disc also melted, and he deduced that something was interfering with everyone''s techniques or Qi maniption.


    He tried thrusting his sword against the wall but was surprised to feel no feedback, indicating that his attack missed the rocks. He also felt the Blood Tokens slip from his pocket and fly away.


    ''Weird.''


    Ken thought to himself and his mind raced as he tried to find a solution to his plight. Although his body was stronger than the bodies of the best Core Formation cultivators out there, it wasn''t exactly indestructible.


    ''Blood Sense.''


    It was the best idea he had. The bloody mist gave him the same sense that he got from sensing bloodlust within others using his technique.


    To his delight, it indeed worked. Although he can normally sense only humans as other things didn''t hold any bloodlust, everything in the valley was imbued with it. The whole mist was somehow made of bloodlust, and he could only attribute it to extremely powerful elders from stages he still couldn''t fathom.


    Not only he could sense everything around him, but everything was as clear as if the sun was aiming its rays specifically at the valley. He sensed the stones surrounding him, and even the people wandering around in the fog.


    He instantly swung his sword, using its flexibility to make it work like a whip rather than piercing the wall. The sword wrapped itself against a spike jutting out of the rocks, allowing Ken to control his speed.


    By tilting his movement vector, he was changing his momentum from directly downward to moving to the side along with the wall, until he finally got full control of his speed.


    Unlike the two others who reached the rocky floor faster, Ken descended gradually until hended safely on his feet.


    ''The ce is screaming for my attention. It''s probably because of my Bloodlust Qi.''


    His bloodlust resonated with the bloody mist, and he felt like he was in his natural habitat when he used it. Just like the others, he also didn''t like the suffocation caused by the mist and used his Bloodlust Qi to repel it.


    He tried using his Sword Qi, but he sensed how hard it was to manipte it. And that was just simple maniption, not using Heaven-grade techniques. By deactivating Blood Sense, he got a good impression of the way the others must feel inside the mist without Bloodlust Qi.


    ''haha, this is a good chance to rob some people.''


    His technique allowed him to sense people kilometers away. Normally it wasn''t that all-epassing, but with the fog enhancing his ability coupled with the Blood Tokens surrendering their carriers'' locations, his range was multiplied many times over. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''So everyone is blind other than me? It''s like the person designing the ce made it that way for me.''


    He could easily tell apart those with elements from those without; the ones walking in straight lines were those with a clear destination as they were following the resonance they could feel with their elements.


    In contrast, many others were walking in circles or lying down in exhaustion after depleting their Qi to fend off the mist for too long. Those were the people who entered the fog without knowing the mechanism nor the awards waiting inside, thus they were now trapped without a way to get out.


    Ken gave a devilish smile and soon started his journey to easy money andpetition elimination. Surprisingly, he didn''t care about those who were lost. They couldn''t harm him, and he didn''t have time to spare. Instead, he cared more about reducing the number of cultivators who can endanger himter, leading him to aim at the fifth-stage cultivators.


    The closest people to him were none other than hispanions, but since they knew their ways, he didn''t bother to reach out to them. He picked his first target by choosing the closest person to him who walked in a straight line.


    The child took out one of his favorite masks from his ring, a clear indication of the future toe to anyone who knew his habits.


    ''Better get rid of those threats now than let them attack meter in less favorable situations.''


    Ken thought inwardly as he moved from target to target, ughtering them easily. His advantage was extreme; they could barely sense anything from a few centimeters away, while those with special techniques and attributes like ric managed to perceive things a few meters ahead.


    Ken, on the other hand, sensed everything as clearly as he perceived the sun on a clear day. He simply walked through the fog, took small knives he had in his storage ring, and threw them from 10 meters away. He picked them up while looting others because they were sixth-grade knives and he found it impressive.


    The knives easily cut through the target''s body, leaving a gaping hole in his chest. Ken walked to the injured man and finished him off before absorbing his BP and looting his storage ring.


    ''He was from the Peaceful Demon Sect. Those guys are really troublesome to deal with, their Buddha Qi calms the mind while their Demonic Qi agitates it. It''s much easier to ughter them from the mist.''


    Ken spent a whole day walking around the ce and ignoring the strong urge that nagged him to go and check out an especiallyrge chasm in the middle of the territory. Those cultivators were like sheep waiting to get butchered, and Ken yed the butcher.


    ''Oh, this one is interesting. Is it possible I''m sensing a sixth-stage cultivator?''


    Ken was intrigued when another being entered his perception range. This human was much more powerful than the other cultivators he met so far, and he was sure that many of them were at the peak of the fifth stage.


    With a smirk, he headed to intercept the cultivator on their way to the Fire Chasm, a knife ready in his palm.

 Chapter 147 Vivienne

    ?


    Ken stalked his prey, walking 30 meters behind them. He usually took a distance of 15 meters only, but he didn''t know how strong this person was. He remembered how his uncle and aunt thrashed his parents, so he didn''t underestimate a sixth-stage cultivator.


    The Devil''s Heir revealed an evil grin as he juggled four knives in his hands, and¡­ shoot.


    Ken threw the two knives he had in his hands, grabbed the other two that were in the air, and threw them right after. The first knives were aimed at the enemy''s knees while the other two were aimed just under the shoulder.


    He wanted to amputate them entirely and question them. He needed to know how rare sixth-stage cultivators were; if the secret realm was filled with them, he''d be in deep trouble as a fourth-stage cultivator.


    To Ken''s surprise, the person wasn''t as helpless as he thought they would be. Unlike the Nascent Soul cultivators Ken butchered so far, they managed to react as soon as the knives entered a radius of 20 meters from them.


    ------------


    Vivienne walked in the mist toward the voice calling to her. She started hearing it ever since she used her Fire Qi to guard herself against the invasive mist, but at first, she didn''t want to follow its guidance.


    However, after wandering aimlessly for a while and seeing that nothing else worked, she decided to listen to the call and hope that the evil sect didn''ty any nefarious traps for the inheritors for no reason.


    ''I will just go and check it out. I can only see 20 meters ahead despite being at the sixth stage, so others probably can''t even see 10 meters ahead.''


    The woman thought to herself as she stopped avoiding the strong urge that told her to listen to that voice and followed its directions.


    After walking for a while, she suddenly felt a strong sense of difort. She couldn''t find where it came from no matter how hard she tried, but she trusted her instincts. She remained vignt the whole time and was ready to react to any possible iing danger.


    ''It''sing!''


    She thought and jumped away as soon as 2 daggers entered her perception. However, they were extremely close and flew at an extreme speed. To her dismay, two other daggers soon followed.


    The young woman used her movement technique to dodge and felt the weird mist interfering with her Qi maniption. As soon as the two other daggers were about to im her arms, her torso exploded with fire and the shockwaves made the knives miss.


    She wasn''t out of danger yet; the knives were inscribed with runes that allowed their wielder to change their flying routes as well as call them back to them.


    ''They aren''t too strong. They are probably at the fifth stage, and they attempt to take me down by taking advantage of whichever technique allows them to see inside this damn fog. It must be those bastards from the Serene Lotus Sect, they are the most unpredictable.''


    She herself came from the Four Seasons Sect, and while Fire Qi remained her favorite, she also controlled Wind Qi and Light Qi. She noticed the voice called for her also when she used the other two but preferred to use the Fire Qi regardless.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Vivienne kept attacking the mist in the direction the knives first came from, but the knives didn''t stop assaulting her for a single moment, giving her feedback on her failure to catch the perpetrator of the ambush.


    ''Since I can''t find you, let''s see how you fare against this!''


    Vivienne thought to herself angrily as she created a long whip made of fire and cracked it and waved it all around her, creating a trail of fire behind it. She didn''t feel she hit the enemy, so she tried making it as long as she could before the mistpletely devoured it, which was around 45 meters.


    This time, she did feel some feedback. 30 meters away she felt the whip sh with something, and with a triumphant smile, she led the whip with her Qi to keep attacking the offender as she created wind des with Wind Qi and sent them to the same area her whip was shing with something.


    She didn''t have a connection with her wind des after sending them, so she had no idea if they dealt any damage.


    ''Damn!''


    She swore in her mind as two knives came after her again. She was too concentrated on her offense that she didn''t consider the option the other person could fight back. In her mind, it was a weak fifth-stage cultivator she could destroy easily, so the idea that they might find a chance to attack never crossed her mind.


    Vivienne ducked to dodge the knives, but to her horror, 2 more knives appeared right in front of her, as if someone threw them at point-nk range.


    ''Where did theye from?!''


    She thought stressfully before the knives connected with her two knees. As ast-moment struggle, she tried to cause an explosion again, but they were too close to deflect the knives in time.


    The woman felt the knives pierce through her kneecaps, causing her extreme pain and making her fall to her knees. It wasn''t herst source of concern; the momentary fall caused her attacks to waver, and it was enough for her enemy to slip away. The whip didn''t engage with anything now no matter how much she swung it.


    ''I must run!''


    She thought in panic. Vivienne gritted her teeth to fight the pain as she boosted her knees with Qi and ran as fast as she could toward the voice that had been resonating with her Fire Qi.


    Her face burned in shame as she thought about running away from someone one stage lower. She was the top disciple, and if anyone knew she had been chased by a mere fifth-stage cultivator, the sect would lose face forever.


    If only she knew¡­ She was running away from a fourth-stage cultivator.

 Chapter 148 Capturing A Sixth-Stage Cultivator

    ?


    ''I tried to be cautious, but I still underestimated the power of a sixth-stage cultivator.''


    Ken thought to himself as he reviewed his battered body. Ever since the fire whip appeared out of nowhere and started fighting him, he was umting burns in every exchange of blows, and soon some wind des were added to the mess.


    He recalled what happened back then.


    --------


    A few minutes earlier:


    ''I will lose if this continues, and they don''t let me back off now.''


    Ken thought to himself as he deflected the whip with his sword. He was using his Cloud Running technique to help him dodge the whip and the wind des, but it only saved him from fatal injuries.


    With every second he gained another cut or another burn. Although none of them were dangerous, they would be lethal once he gets too many of them.


    ''I must find a way out.''


    Ken couldn''t even find an opportunity to use the knives to pressure his enemy back; he had to use them to fight off the wind des that kepting at him.


    ''Even if I throw the knives, I will only risk getting a deeper injury and they would deal with them just like they did earlier.''


    When he thought about it, he understood the problem. He couldn''t inflict a decisive strike even by throwing the knives because his enemy could react on time.


    ''That''s it!''


    Ken''s mind soon came up with a solution. The knives returned to float right next to him.


    ''Sheathed Man.''


    Ken''s technique finally reached the Small Sess mastery realm after being stuck in the Advanced realm for so long. He expanded the sheathing effect from his body to his weapons, and he threw the knives at the woman. He could only touch two knives at once, so he used Qi to toss the other two first without any concealment.


    ''Argh!''


    He panted in pain as a few wind des cut through his flesh, leaving deep bloody gashes. He had to cancel his Cloud Running technique when he performed Sheathed Man, causing his dodging abilities to decrease considerably.


    However, the results weren''tte toe. The whip faltered for a moment and the wind des stopped, and the injured child immediately fled. He disengaged the whip and distanced himself from his enemy further, out of their attack range.


    He smirked when he saw them trying to run away. His knives were already in his palms again.


    ''Toote.''


    He had only one minute before she makes it to the Fire Chasm, but he wasn''t worried. He threw the knives again, and his victim could only see through Sheathed Man when the knives were 5 meters away. It didn''t give them enough time to react, and now they were the ones to umte cuts in every passing moment.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Their Qi expenditure skyrocketed as they made a decision to be a human bomb and just radiate a powerful fire consistently coupled with strong winds that made it even harder to attack.


    ''I can''t cut through those defenses.''


    Ken thought to himself, but he still wasn''t worried. He already took a healing pill and followed his prey from the distance. Weirdly enough, the target kept slowing down with every second.


    Instead of reaching their goal in a minute, 3 minutes already passed, and they were crawling on the ground desperately, a few meters away from the end of the bloody mist.


    Ken who already got close enough to be able to see his enemy, finally found a jade beauty with porcin skin and wavy tinum hair. Her beauty could be seen now much more easily as no fire covered her anymore, and the cuts, blood, and torn clothes couldn''t hide it.


    Vivienne finally managed to cross the mist with her head, seeing the scene of arge chasm radiating heat in front of her, but she didn''t sense any joy at the sight. She lost hope of running away.


    Ken grabbed thedy''s legs and pulled her violently back into the mist, back to a ce void of hope.


    "Hello, Big Sister. I''m lost, please help me?"


    He said with an innocent expression on his face. He already saw the symbol of the cloud, leaf, flower, and sun embroidered on her shoulder, and he knew her origins.


    "You¡­ you''re the Devil''s Heir."


    Vivienne said with slight fear and desperation. She didn''t want to appear as someone who feared death, but she lost grip of the only hope her assaulter might let her go in exchange for something. She didn''t believe she fell prey to a fourth-stage cultivator, but here she was, without even thefort of denial.


    "Did my mask give me away? oh well, how about cutting a deal with me?"


    "Yes, we can make a deal. I have a very high status in the Four Seasons Sect, and I can gift you with as many resources and presents as you want!"


    The woman said enthusiastically when she heard she might be spared.


    "It''s all right, I don''t need your money. I''m quite rich myself, or else how could I afford a poison that can paralyze a sixth-stage cultivator?"


    Ken asked with a smile, causing Vivienne to contort her face for a moment before regaining her fawning smile back. He coated his knives in paralyzing poison, which was the source of her plight right now.


    "You''re right, Young Master. What can I offer you?"


    "Don''t call me ''Young Master'', I know you must be a Young Mistress yourself. You can call me Ken or Devil''s Heir, whichever you like better. Anyway, I need information. If your answers are satisfying, I will let you go. Oh, just let me feed you with this truth drug first."


    Ken added thest sentence with a forgetful smile and shoved a fifth-grade pill in her throat. He couldn''t concoct sixth-grade pills, but he was confident of his pills'' abilities to affect cultivators a stage higher.


    Vivienne choked on the pill but involuntarily swallowed it.


    "Now, what''s your name, young fairy?"

 Chapter 149 Cultivation Body

    ?


    "Now, what''s your name, young fairy?"


    "I''m Vivienne Ashford."


    "Is the Ashford n big?"


    "It is, but I''m not truly part of it. I was adopted."


    Ken pondered on the meaning of her words. Large ns usually didn''t adopt outsiders since the sh for resources was already fierce without adding people to it.


    "Well, it doesn''t matter. My question is, how many sixth-stage cultivators did your sect send here? How many such cultivators do you have under the age of 75?"


    This was what he needed to know the most. Anything else could wait until after he confirmed how dangerous the situation truly was.


    "Ah¡­ Well, I guess it''s not really a secret. There are four of us in the sect right now, and other than me, one more person came here."


    "It''s not a secret? It sounds like very important information to me."


    Ken was surprised to hear her im, but her face told him she was just as surprised that he didn''t know about her and the other three.


    "I''m Vivienne, the tinum me Maiden, have you never heard of me?"


    She asked him with a drop of hesitation in her words. Everyone knew her in the top five sects, and probably even beyond that.


    "No, I haven''t. Are you that special?"


    "Of course I am! I''m a top disciple on top of being a sect seed!"


    It seemed that being not recognized hurt her ego more than being drugged and treated like a prisoner.


    "What is a sect seed?"


    "Are you pretending not to know?"


    "No, just answer my questions, woman. Can''t you see my age? I obviously can''t know everything about the world yet."


    Ken got irritated by the woman''s insecurity and constant questions and removed his mask to show his face.


    "Oh, I assumed you were just a short man. But since you are at the fourth stage at such a young age, you must be a sect seed as well, aren''t you?"


    "I''m telling you I''m unfamiliar with the term, so how can I know whether I am a seed or whatever?"


    "Right. A sect seed is someone who was cultivated by an immortal before thetter ascended."


    The woman said embarrassedly and provided him with a short exnation. However, Ken still didn''t understand what she meant by that.


    "I don''t get it, exin everything from the beginning as if you were exining the concept to a mortal from a faraway vige."


    Ken was impatient and asked for a detailed answer, and the womanplied. Stalling for time would work in her favor anyway. If Ken still tried to hold her captive after the poison wears off, he''d be in deep trouble.


    "Sure. In the world of cultivation, there are 9 known stages. However, the journey never ends, and there''s still another higher realm, the realm of the immortals. When a person breaks through the ninth stage, they turn immortal, and ording to the legends they will live forever."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Did nobody ever reach that stage?"


    Ken asked when he heard her phrasing.


    "No, many reached it. Every sect produces such a genius every 300-400 years."


    "I see. So why did you say, ''ording to the legend'' when they exist?"


    "Because once someone hits this stage, they can''t remain among the mortals, as they transcended mortality. The heavens give them 24 hours toplete their unclosed business here before forcibly pulling them to the immortal realm."


    Ken found the story interesting, but he didn''t have time for interesting stories right now.


    "How is this rted to you and sect seeds?"


    "As I was saying, they have 24 hours to remain in our realm before ascending. They use most of this time to repay the sect that has raised them. They do it by taking 4 babies and attempting to forcibly strengthen their bodies, dantians, meridians, and souls with their Immortal Qi."


    Ken raised an eyebrow when he heard this. He could guess where this was going because of his own past.


    "Basically they raise infants to the peak of the third stage directly?"


    "Exactly. When someone gets there while being young enough, their whole body and constitution change. They gain what we call a ''Cultivation Body'', which allows them to be much more tuned to Qi."


    Ken''s suspicions were confirmed now. They achieved the same thing he did. He raised his stages at extreme speedpared to the rest of the cultivators he had met. He only reached the Core Formation Stage when he was only six years old, and now, 2 years and a halfter, he was already at the peak of it.


    Of course, his extremely potent pills and powerful formations helped to shorten the time, but it couldn''t be attributed only to that. After all, others also had ess to many other resources.


    In contrast, ric was one of the youngest peak Core Formation cultivators he had ever met, and the man took much longer than Ken to reach his stage despite working with a weaker foundation which allowed faster progress.


    "But it takes years to get to the peak of the third stage, how do they do it in 24 hours?"


    There was one more doubt in his heart. He took much longer than 24 hours to get where he was today.


    "By doing it forcibly. The sect always raises four orphans who are potential seeds. A few ninth-stage healers research the babies'' bodies every day and can provide a detailed description of them at any given time. If someone bes immortal, those healers provide them with this information and the immortal tries their best to achieve what I described earlier."


    "What do you mean by ''tries their best''?"


    Ken noticed her weird phrasing again.


    "Well, normally all four babies die, and the procedure fails. They normally invest 5 hours in each baby, and they spend thest four hours with their families."


    "But you didn''t die?"


    "Exactly, I''m one of the rare babies that survive and win a Cultivation Body. I''m not even 52 yet!"


    "So you are 51. Nobody says ''52'' if they''re under 50."


    "You''ll die single."


    "You''re getting too lively, here''s some more poison."

 Chapter 150 Getting Under Her Skin

    ?


    Ken questioned Vivienne again after shoving more paralyzing poison into her throat. He already understood that the elders kept track of the babies'' bodies because the immortal had to channel their Immortal Qi into them, and if they didn''t know its exact structure, they''d fail for sure. By supplying the immortal with the necessary information, they saved the time needed for research.


    "Why do you need an immortal to do that? Can''t normal ninth-stage elders do it to babies with normal Qi?"


    "No. The babies always died when the elders tried doing it. We assume that there''s something special in the Immortal Qi that allows the babies to survive, or at least gives them a shot at surviving."


    Ken smiled coldly when he heard her saying openly that the sect was experimenting on babies. It proved his point that righteous sects weren''t as good as they imed to be.


    "So your sect has four seeds? I thought seeds were difficult to manufacture."


    "What do you mean by ''manufacture''? I''m right here, you know? I''m not a tool!"


    Vivienne pouted and talked angrily, offended by the way he referred to her. However, Ken wasn''t the type to remain politically correct; he used harsher words instead.


    "You are, you''re just a tool that your sect created. By washing your brain from a young age, they made you loyal and willing to risk your life for them. However, you miss the fact that they sent you to a risky procedure you''d most likely die from just for the chance of having a powerful cultivator to serve under them. In a way, you''re a trained hound."


    "That''s not true! They care about me! The sect seed is one of the most important people in the entire sect!"


    She was clearly agitated by Ken''s words, showing he got under her skin.


    "You are important to the sect because of the value you can return on their investment. Think for yourself of the consequences of being a sect seed; I''m sure you can''t be the sect master, you would risk your life for the sect, and you will fight their wars for them. If your life mattered, why did they send you here?"


    He just guessed that seeds couldn''t be sect masters. This role took a lot of time, and someone in this position couldn''t do the sect''s dirty work.


    "They sent me here because even the most talented cultivator would be useless as a greenhorn, and they believed nothing could threaten me here! I can''t be the sect master because it would waste my time!"


    "Sure, that''s what they exined to you. Well, I don''t have time for this debate now but think about itter. Your sect might not be as loving and supportive as you think it is. Next time they tell you something, just consider what they gain from it. Let''s move on, does it mean there are four seeds under 75 in your sect and 2 of them are here including you?"


    He remembered her mentioning that there were four disciples under 75 in the sixth stage and that other than herself one more entered the secret realm.


    "No, only two of us are seeds. The other two are just talented in their own right and managed to advance rtively young. They are still older than us; they are over 70. The other seed is at the same age as me, but he didn''te to the secret realm."


    She wanted to return to the former subject and prove to her captivator that he was wrong and that her sect didn''t just use her, but there was a knife hovering above her mouth, threatening to impale her if she spoke on the wrong subject.


    "I guess that new immortal was talented in Qi maniption if he killed only two babies."


    The woman flinched when she heard Ken''s phrasing. No elder ever phrased it like that, it was always ''he saved two babies and ensured their future''.


    Ken didn''t have time to go through a whole psychological session with her, but he achieved his goal by nting a seed of doubt in her mind. It was easy to see she was heavily affected by his words.


    "I can let you live if you want, I don''t gain anything by killing you."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I promise I won''t tell anybody I even met you if you don''t want me to!"


    Ken smiled at her, but somehow his smile only looked vicious in her eyes, despite its owner being a beautiful child. She soon understood her instincts were right; the young boy took a ck cor from his storage ring, and she was sure it wasn''t just for decoration.


    "What is this?"


    "That''s an item I won heretely. It was very expensive, 80,000 BP. I want to give it to you as a gift."


    "Uh, th- thank you, but I don''t like ck so much. The contrast with my white robes is too visible."


    "What are you talking about, all the inner disciples in your sect wear ck. It''s a great color. Here, let me help you wear it around your neck."


    Ken persuaded her of the cor''s fashionable appearance as he closed it around her neck. She soon felt as if someone was strangling her, but she couldn''t resist because of the paralysis effect of the poison.


    "MMM! ARGH!"


    "Don''t worry, it fits you. You look beautiful."


    ¡¤?¦Èm She tried to shout desperately only to receive morepliments from Ken. She tried to scream that she didn''t care about how it looked but to no avail. 5 minutester, the torture-like experience ended, and she could breathe again.


    "Ahhh, huhhh¡­"


    She heaved with relief, but something still felt wrong. Then, Ken spoke and confirmed her doubts.


    "Tell me that you''re weaker than me."


    "What? I''m not weaker- AHHHH!"


    She screamed in pain when a terrible headache assaulted her. She could onlyy there and scream until the pain passed.


    "Just say it and the pain will pass."


    "I''m weaker than you!"


    "Good, now we know it works."


    -----------


    A/N: Don''t forget to join the Discord server for the novel! (link in the synopsis and my profile), it got an evil sect theme <3

 Chapter 151 Mystic Chasm Of Bloodlust

    ?


    "What did you do to me?"


    Vivienne panicked when she realized this pain might assault her every time she tries to defy one of the sect''s greatest enemies.


    "It''s a sixth-grade very Cor. The description said it can force anyone in the sixth stage or lower to obey me. I guess it does that by causing you extreme pain, but you know that better than me."


    "I will not betray my sect!"


    "You should, given how they take advantage of you. Anyway, it''s not what the cor is for; I only want you to help me slip from their hands if they ever close on me."


    "Hmph, you''ll have to see me and give me a direct order, so I just won''t be around."


    She snorted and put on an act of a strong front.


    "True. I order you to do your best to aid me whenever I''m in danger, and you can''t actively avoid news about me. By the way, the cor will explode along with your head when I die, so let''s do our best to keep me safe."


    Vivienne clenched her teeth in fury when she heard her situation. Ken made up thest part, he had no idea what would happen to her if he died. However, he said it confidently, making it sound believable.


    "Don''t be so angry, you will get to live your life quite normally other than that. At least I''m not coating my ns with pretty words."


    "Whatever. What about the cor? People will suspect when they see me go back with a cor on."


    "They won''t."


    Ken generated a wall of water to act as a mirror with a simple technique and let her see for herself. The cor disappeared, and only a small tattoo in the shape of a circle remained on her nape.


    "You can''t see it, but you have a small tattoo on your nape. Make sure you hide it with your hair."


    "Fine."


    Before leaving, Ken described Tiara''s and ric''s appearances and ordered her to help them if she sees them in danger. He felt like he had enough action, and it was time for him to follow the voice that had been calling him for so long.


    He knew that with Vivienne''s talent, she would eventually break through to the next stage and get freed of his cor, but he knew it would take her at least two decades to achieve. She was still at the lower phase of the sixth stage, and each advancement took a long time.


    After walking for a while, he found himself in the center of the canyon''s bottom, where arge chasm waited for him.


    ''So this is the source of the bloody mist.''


    Ken thought to himself as he watched the mist being emitted from therge tunnel in front of him.


    Without thinking much, he leaped into the tunnel and used the wall to control his speed. It took him around half a minute to get to the bottom of the chasm.


    "Wee to the Mystic Chasm of Bloodlust. Venture through its trials to im the rewards and inherit our sect''s esteemed Lightning legacy, or face the dire consequences. Beware, the perils extend beyond the trials alone; you may bepelled to battle other contenders. Embrace the challenge, for within this chasm, your destiny shall be forged."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Ken heard the familiar voice announcing the introduction to the site.


    "Don''t y dumb, I know you are a sentient being. What is this ce?"


    After a moment of silence, the voice replied.


    "Haha, I wasn''t trying to hide it! However, I can''t tell you too much."


    "I never saw the Bloodlust Qi outside. Is it amon type of Qi among evil cultivators?"


    "No. The elders of the sect always tried to train someone with Bloodlust Qi. They theorized its existence but it was toote for them; their foundation was set, and they couldn''t change their specialized Qi at that point. However, nobody managed to develop it."


    "They had a whole sect, how could they fail?"


    "If you want to find out about the elders, you will have to go to another site, the sect''s library, assuming you will survive the challenges here."


    Ken shrugged. He could guess what the reason might be, but it was irrelevant.


    "Since I have cultivated Bloodlust Qi, I am now the heir they have always wanted. Therefore, shouldn''t I be the one to receive all the prizes?"


    "Are you nning to teach others to cultivate it?"


    "Yes, I will pass my legacy to many others."


    Ken lied without hesitation. Since they opened a secret realm that included their research on Bloodlust Qi, he knew they wanted others to have it.


    "Haha, liar. I watched your activity in the secret realm and you''re surprisingly cunning and selfish for a child. Don''t fret, you may still gain prizes normally. Even if you don''t n to pass your legacy now, you''re but a child. When you grow older, you will understand the passion of passing the torch to the younger generation. Even if not, you will want to give the best to your children."


    "Why not let me have everything if you''re so sure?"


    "Because the elders'' intention was to spread the information, not pick a single person. You may go now. This is not abyrinth; just walk straight and face the challenges."


    "I will see youter then."


    When Ken understood he wouldn''t get any other information from that voice, he turned around and left. The bloody mist was especially thick inside the chasm, and he had to deploy more of his Bloodlust Qi to ward it off.


    The young boy walked through a corridor leading to a squared building made of stone until he faced therge door. He calmed his mind and entered the first challenge.


    "Wee to the Challenge of Courage. An evil cultivator must never be afraid of the threats of the strong. To pass this challenge, you need to cross the room within fifteen minutes."


    The same voice resounded in the room, making Ken raise an eyebrow. The challenge sounded suspiciously easy. However, he changed his mind quickly when an extreme bloodlust and killing intent pressed him, urging him to turn around and run away.

 Chapter 152 152 – Challenge Of Courage

    ?


    An extreme bloodlust and killing intent pressed Ken, urging him to turn around and run away. He easily located the source of the pressureing from the other end of the room, meaning it''d only get worse the more he advanced.


    ''Since I know it''s a test, I have nothing to fear.''


    Ken whispered to himself and marched forward. At first, the pressure was bearable, and Ken could negate it with his own overwhelming bloodlust.


    ''It''s only 50 meters.''


    He wanted to use One Step, but something was interfering with his Qi channeling, preventing him from using techniques. He could only radiate his Qi in an unrefined way like a brute.


    He walked forward, step after step, feeling a tinge of fear in his heart every time. It wasn''t too hard until he got to the center of the room.


    When he reached the center, the pressure doubled, and Ken started feeling like someone was about to kill him. Every step forward seemed like a mistake that would cost him his life.


    "This is just a challenge."


    Ken said out loud and refused to stop his legs from moving. He took 25 more steps forward, and around 25 more were left, meaning he passed three-quarters already.


    The hardship took another turn for the worse, and with every movement, he felt a cold metal caressing his skin, aiming to cut him open. He did his best to ignore the constant threat to his life and reminded himself it was only a challenge repeatedly.


    Sweat trickled down his temples as he persisted. 13 steps passed, and he had only 12 more left to take. Every step he took felt like he was marching for hours, contorting his perception of time.


    "AH!"


    He groaned in surprise when a sword came out of nowhere and pierced his heart. With a blink, the sword vanished, leaving his chest unharmed. Moving his fingers to make sure, he could only feel the pleasant fabric.


    He took another step, and this time a throwing knife was plunged into his right eye, blinding it for a moment. He saw illusions of his death with every step; he got killed with a spear, an axe beheaded him, a mace crushed him, and an arrow impaled him.


    His clothes were soaked with his perspiration, and his heartbeat was so loud he could hear it, yet he didn''t give up. Ken only had onest step to make it to the door. The fear he sensed earlier has changed to pure terror.


    ''If I take this step, I will die.''


    The threat felt as real as a dragon standing in front of an unarmed mortal. His whole entity screamed to leave, and his body was struggling against his brain to turn around and escape.


    ''No, this is a challenge. This is a challenge!''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He gritted his teeth so hard one could hear a grinding noiseing out of them, and he lifted his right leg. Hesitation filled his head, making him consider that it might not be toote to back off now.


    Ken knew he wasn''t exactly courageous in the heroic sense of the word; he always preferred his own safety and never took risks for others. However, he was daring. He dared take dangerous bets when those were concerned with his own future and sess.


    ''It is toote!''


    Ken pushed himself forward, cing one foot outside the door. As soon as it passed, the terror he was feeling vanished, and his head was cleared again from any external influence.


    "Huhhh¡­"


    He panted as he tried to catch his breath. He didn''t even notice he held his breath ever since he entered the challenge room.


    "Congrattions on clearing the Challenge of Courage! You''ve gained 1,000 BP for your sess, and you may purchase any of those three awards."


    Ken watched three pedestals rise from the ground in front of him, just the same ones as those he saw in the Labyrinth of Blood every time he had cleared a floor. It was apparently a theme of the secret realm.


    "There will be some good rewards there. Thanks to your impressive bloodlust you can afford anything in this secret realm," Ken heard the voice talking to him again.


    "You could talk during the challenge too, maybe you''d distract me from the fear."


    "I can''t talk to you during the challenges, sorry!"


    Ken shrugged when he heard its exnation and went to see the rewards he could take. The first prize was a talisman, and when Ken saw its name, he raised his head up in curiosity. He didn''t know where the voice came from, but he just assume it was from the ceiling, possibly because of the way speakers were installed in his former world.


    "What is the ''Inheritor Protection Talisman''?" Unlike the other talismans, there was no exnation attached to the prize, and its name was not self-exnatory.


    "It''s an offensive talisman and can act as your life-saving trump card. It''s one of the only ninth-rank talismans our sect produced, and it can release a single attack with the same prowess as a ninth-stage cultivator. Unfortunately, until you get to the seventh stage yourself, you wouldn''t be able to deploy an attack stronger than the seventh stage."


    The voice exined the value of the talisman to Ken and even mentioned its weakness. The cost for the talisman was 100,000 which seemed on the low side in Ken''s eyes. He picked it up without hesitation and moved on to the next pedestal.


    He was familiar with the next reward; there were 5 Escape Tokens, which were tokens that allowed the user to teleport inside the secret realm of the evil sect. After thinking about it, he decided to purchase them all at the price of 2,000 per token.


    He felt the BP leave his Blood Token and vaporize in the air into nothing. He didn''t feel any pain about spending the BP, he doubted he''d be able to spend it all, and the ughters he initiated so far replenished a big deal of his spent points.

 Chapter 153 153 – Murderous Intent

    ?


    ''Let''s see the third prize.''


    Ken approached the third pedestal, hoping the prize will be as good as the first one. He found a stone scripture on it, prompting him to try to read the contents. However, only a single word was carved into the stone inrge letters ¨C ''Kill''.


    "What is this?"


    "This is the ''Murderous Intent Stone''. The seven elders worked hard toprehend together Murderous Intent despite not cultivating Bloodlust Qi, and they imbued this stone with their intent to help their inheritor to grasp this concept faster."


    Ken saw the stone''s name, but it didn''t mean much to him. Other than killing intent, he never heard of other intents, and his only clue was his knowledge from the cultivation novels he had read in the past.


    "What is Murderous Intent?"


    "It''s a type of intent, just like Sword Intent, Fire Intent, and any other intent. Murderous Intent fits those that cultivate Bloodlust Qi."


    Ken assumed that those intents worked to enhance one''s techniques, but he still didn''t know what intent was.


    "What are those intents? I''ve never heard about them before."


    "I see, it seems you don''t know much about the higher stages of cultivation. Most people cultivate intent at the sixth stage, merely because the mind is boosted significantly in this stage which makesprehending new concepts much easier. Anyway, you need toprehend intents if you want to advance to the seventh stage, and the higher yourprehension, the stronger you will be."


    "And what''s the right way to train in intents?"


    "There''s no right way, just do whatever helps you understand it. Developing intent is developing the concept of that Qi with your mind. If we take Sword Intent as an example, you''ll need to bring out the concept of the sword with your mind alone. Can you cut through objects with your hand alone?"


    "Yes, it''s simple," Ken answered and did a shing motion with his hand. He coated his palm with Sword Qi, and when his hand shed with the pedestal, it left a small cutting scar on the stone.


    "Wrong. You had to coat your hand with Sword Qi. If you hadprehended Sword Intent, your hand would be a sword even without it. I don''t mean that swords would be useless, but your intent would add to the sharpness and power of every attack."


    Ken pondered on the voice''s words for a few minutes before nodding and moving on.


    "Well, thanks. I will buy this intent stone."


    Ken paid 80,000 and the stone floated to him. As soon as it left its protective bubble, A strong aura of threatening death radiated, and Ken felt in danger again. He could sense swords and weapons hovering around him, ready to attack and kill him at any moment.


    "It''s the same sensation as inside the challenge room. Does it mean that the danger I sensed there was done by intent?"


    "Partly, yes. This stone only has Murderous Intent imbued into it, but thest steps you took in the challenge were amplified by normal bloodlust, killing intent, and a seventh-rank formation."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Ken ced the stone inside his storage ring and the stifling sensation vanished as if it was never there.


    "What''s the next challenge?"


    "I can''t tell you this time; you will have to enter and find out for yourself. I will give you one clue; you have to take care of yourself if you want to survive in this harsh world."


    With this advice, Ken walked down the corridor for a few minutes before facing another door, identical to the one that led him into the former challenge. He opened the door with a strong push and stepped inside, waiting for the challenge to begin.


    Inside the square room was a pair of siblings sitting on two chairs, each of them holding a rope in their hands. Following the ropes with his gaze, Ken found at their ends two humans on the floor. He soon recognized those two as his newpanions, Tiara and ric.


    ''Were they caught?''


    Ken pondered to himself. He remembered they separated after they entered the bloody mist and he had never seen them ever since. For some reason, the thought that nobody else should have the Bloodlust Qi other than him, meaning they wouldn''t be able to find the Mystic Chasm of Bloodlust, eluded his mind.


    He also seemingly forgot to consider the fact that it was impossible for them to pass the first challenge since they didn''t have intense bloodlust like him to counter the pressure of the Challenge of Courage.


    "Who are you?"


    Ken asked the pair. They were both wearing the yellow robes of the Divine Sword Sect. Ken guessed their rtionship by their simrity; their green eyes, brown hair, greek nose, and other facial features.


    They seemed familiar, but he couldn''t tell where he knew them from.


    "Hello Ken, you really don''t know us? After you''ve killed our dear little brother?"


    Then something clicked in his mind, and he recalled his time in the Phoenix Feather Sect. After killing Joel Han, a son of an elite n, he was summoned by his grandfather and was given a warning. His maid, Soleil, showed him a list of the prominent young generation of the Han n, and those two people were among them.


    They were both in the intermediate fifth stage back then, and Ken knew that two years weren''t enough for them to advance so they were probably not much different than back then.


    "Mason Han and Abigail Han. What do you want?"


    He found it weird that he didn''t remember them. He never forgot anything before in his life, and the feeling was strange and unfamiliar to him.


    "It''s simple, we want closure for our little brother. You''ve killed him, so we must put his soul at ease by avenging his death and killing you."


    Abigail said with a smug smile as she pulled her rope, dragging Tiara mercilessly. The cold and aloof princess lost her charm; she was bruised and scarred from torture.

 Chapter 154 154 – Hostage Situation

    ?


    Abigail pulled her rope, dragging Tiara mercilessly. The cold and aloof princess lost her charm; she was bruised and scarred from torture. Ken felt angry at the gesture; Tiara was hispanion and he decided to groom her, and she was in this situation now only to taunt him.


    "What''s the point of capturing those two?"


    "We heard you were very powerful and had many dangerous tricks. We were offered the Inheritor Protection Talisman when we passed the former challenge, but we couldn''t afford it. However, those two little things here told us you were rich, and we don''t want to risk fighting you if you have it."


    Mason exined to Ken the situation, and Ken could guess their objective. They nned to use the captives to extort him.


    "Get to the point."


    "Haha, don''t be so impatient. You only need to give us your storage rings, and we will let those two go after we kill you."


    "No."


    The two furrowed their eyebrows in annoyance. They thought Ken wasn''t taking their threat seriously enough.


    "We will wait 10 seconds. If you don''t give us the rings, we will kill the pretty girl first."


    Abigail pushed Tiara onto the floor and ced her right foot on the ice princess'' face, pressing it down against the hard stone floor.


    "10¡­ 9¡­ 8¡­"


    She started the countdown, but Ken only looked at them with a murderous stare, uncaring of their threat. He didn''t attack yet because he had a strong feeling that he shouldn''t attack, and it held him back.


    "3¡­"


    Tiara raised her head in difficulty, looking straight into Ken''s eyes.


    "Please Ken, don''t let me die. We are friends, save me! Please!"


    She begged as tears ran down her eyes, proving her unwillingness to die young by getting caught in the dispute of others.


    "I''m sorry, Tiara, for dragging you into in my mess. I will make sure to avenge your death."


    Ken felt a strong desire to help hispanion, but he ignored it, nheless. Just like he told himself in the previous challenge, he wasn''t courageous in the heroic sense of the word, and he''d never put the lives of others before his.


    "1¡­"


    Abigail raised her tone in a menacing manner, trying to convey the consequences of Ken''sck of cooperation with this single word.


    "0."


    She waved her hand as she performed a simple Fire Qi technique and Tiara''s body caught fire.


    "AHHHH! IT HURTS!!!"


    Tiara screamed in agony as she got ignited. Ken watched in silence as the mes devour his teammate, listening to her screams echo in the room.


    "You are quite the monster, willing to sacrifice your friends just so you won''t have to lose a bit of money."


    Mason said with a mocking tone as he pulled ric with a swift motion, making the young man grovel at his feet. Just like his sister, Mason ced his foot on ric''s face to humiliate the man.


    "Will you betray another friend, or will you give us your storage rings now?"


    The man asked as a spear materialized in his hand. He ced the tip against ric''s throat and looked at Ken with a cruel smile.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Ken''s heart was beating loudly, his emotions were a mess from Tiara''s death. He saw ric''s eyes turn dark as the man lost hope of ever surviving the ordeal.


    "Please, Team Leader, save my life. I thought you''d never backstab a teammate and admired you this whole time."


    Despite ric''s quiet voice, Ken heard him loud and clear. His guilt over Tiara''s death intensified, and he yed with the rings with his fingers, considering taking them off and doing as the Han siblings ordered him.


    "I will start counting then, take your time thinking. 10¡­ 9¡­ 8¡­"


    Mason teased Ken as he pressed ric''s face against the ground viciously.


    "3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­"


    "Wait!"


    Ken shouted when Mason raised his spear, ready to thrust it and kill ric on the spot.


    "What is it? Ready to give up your rings yet?"


    "No. I want to offer a different deal."


    "Oh? I''m listening."


    Ken took a deep breath. Something was pushing him to keep his moral code and save his underling. He knew that ric trusted him with his whole heart, and he didn''t want to fail him.


    "I will throw the storage rings to the corner behind me, this way I won''t be able to use their contents during our fights."


    "And we won''t either. Fine, we don''t need your belongings to kill a fourth-stage cultivator. Do it, and we won''t kill him."


    "Fine."


    Ken took off his rings one by one. He had five of them. Once they were all in his palm, he threw them to the corner of the room, out of reach.


    "Good boy. We will let him go after we kill you."


    Abigail said with a ridiculing smile and motioned to Mason to throw the prisoner behind them for now. Mason followed her lead and held ric from his robes and threw the injured man away.


    "Do you think you can survive now?"


    Ken asked them coldly. He didn''t doubt his abilities to defeat two cultivators in their stage, and they weren''t even from a top 5 sect.


    "Yes. After all, we also want you to give up this dangerous-looking belt you keep there on your waist."


    "Keep dreaming."


    Ken frowned when Abigail revealed they knew he held his weapon on his body and not in his storage ring, but he had his bottom line, and giving up his weapon was it. Even if they threatened to kill ric, he wouldn''t give up his weapon.


    "Don''t be too hasty to decline. Look, we still have a surprise for you. Connor, bring them in!"


    Ken clenched his teeth in anger when a new young man entered the room, pulling a middle-aged man by his neck with the rope wrapped around it. Ken could see the man was hugging something close to his chest and protecting it with his body.


    He recognized Connor Han, a cousin of the siblings, and another fifth-stage cultivator of the young generation of the Han n. What made him angry wasn''t Connor but the identity of the man he was dragging, Haoran Sue.

 Chapter 155 155 – Challenge Of Cruelty

    ?


    Ken was shocked to see his father appear in the secret realm, to say the least. He thought his father was still somewhere at the far end of the Phoenix Feather Sect''s territory, away from the main sect.


    "Father? Aaron?"


    Ken asked with an uncertain tone as he recognized what Haoran was holding close to his chest. It was Ken''s little brother, Aaron.


    "Son, I don''t care if I die, but you must save your little brother. I''ve failed you two, but he is under your responsibility now."


    Haoran said with a weak voice as he copsed on the floor.


    "What a heart-warming family reunion. I knew that keeping it for the end was the right call. Well, you were entrusted with your little brother''s safety, will you give up your sword now?"


    Ken''s mind was in jumbles, and he didn''t understand what was going on. Howe his family was here?


    "Where is my mother?"


    Ken asked when he realized Mei was missing. It was impossible that his father abandoned her given the fact he left his n and wealth behind to live with her.


    "Probably dead, we didn''t take her. She was too injured for the travel, so we left her behind."


    Abigail answered carelessly as the three watched Ken process the situation.


    For some reason, the thought that something might be wrong with the situation never crossed Ken''s mind. He was convinced that his real father and brother were there on the floor and that he had to give up his sword to save them.


    "You don''t have to toss the sword here. If you prefer to throw it to the corner where your rings are, we are fine with it."


    Connor and the other twoughed at the remark as they brandished their weapons and pointed them at the father and son on the floor.


    ''No, even if it spells the death of my family, I won''t die. I can only apologize for my decision, move on, and take revenge for themter.''


    Ken made his decision and ced his hand on his waist. Once his mind was firm, his psychological mechanisms kicked in, and worked full-time to justify his choice.


    ''The voice gave me that advice before I entered. I must take care of myself before I care about others. This is the right choice.''


    Ken reviewed in his mind the events that took ce since he entered, and another problem captured his attention.


    ''I forgot their appearance when I first saw them. The feeling was so strange since I had never forgotten anything before. Something is wrong, I can''t forget things!''


    Realization struck his mind, and once it did, he ignored all inhibitions.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    ''One Step.''


    ''sh Unwind.''


    He attacked, but his target wasn''t any of his enemies. His sword beheaded Haoran and Aaron cruelly, and their betrayed eyes tried to burn themselves into Ken''s mind. However, it onlysted for a moment, and everything vanished, revealing an empty simple room in the shape of a square with nothing inside.


    ''Huh, I was right. It was an illusion. I never forget.''


    Ken heaved a sigh of relief as soon as he was out of the illusion and waited for the voice to announce his victory.


    "Congrattions, you''ve cleared the second trial, the Challenge of Cruelty. To survive in the cruel world, one must ce themselves before others, and be willing to sacrifice for survival. Betraying might be wrong, but self-perversion never is."


    The voice wasn''tte toe. As it talked, the ground shook a little and three pedestals rose from the ground just like in the former trial.


    "Why couldn''t I see through the illusion despite how illogical it was? There was no way ric and Tiara entered the chasm as I sensed them enter their respective element chasms myself. Not to mention that my family could never enter this ce since my father is too old and my brother isn''t a cultivator yet."


    Ken asked the voice the questions that burdened his mind. Making him see things was one thing, but those illusions even made him believe in them blindly.


    "The formations of the chasms are all seventh-rank or above, you can''tprehend theirplexity and power now. Just remember they''re potent enough to affect your mind. They even enhanced your moral code."


    After seeing Ken didn''t have any following questions, it continued its announcement.


    "You won 1,000 BP for clearing the trial, and you may look at the rewards now."


    Ken approached the pedestals, starting from the one on the right. The first item was identical to the one from earlier, the Inheritor Protection Talisman.


    Ken purchased it as well for 100,000 BP without hesitation as it''d prove useful if he ever needed to run away from a seventh-stage cultivator. He didn''t forget that he sent Nick to his death and still carried the Luck Pill on him. It might incur the curiosity of the evil cultivator whose aura was in the pill, and Ken didn''t know the person''s stage.


    The next prize let Ken down; it was the Bloodlust Boost Pill, which increased the consumer''s bloodlust as if the person killed 5 million people.


    "Are you sure you want to skip this pill? It''s of great quality, and as a Bloodlust Qi cultivator, you have to increase your bloodlust continuously. I don''t know how you''re still alive, but once the righteous sects will notice your massacres they wille after you."


    The voice tried to convince Ken to take the pill. It was an eighth-grade pill, and its value was too high, yet Ken just left it. The sect''s elders killed millions of mortals and cultivators to create this pill, and it was the only eighth-grade Bloodlust Boost Pill in the secret realm because of the high cost of human lives.


    "I don''t need it. It would weaken my bloodlust and harm its quality if I strengthen it with pills. Bloodlust is the threat of death looming above the heads of my enemies, and this threat can only be true when it''s a result of the deaths of many other humans."


    Ken moved to check the third prize.

 Chapter 156 156 – Challenge Of Wisdom 1/2

    ?


    After refusing to take the expensive eighth-grade pill, Ken moved to check out the third prize.


    "Hahaha, this is a great prize!"


    "I''m d you like it."


    Kenughed loudly and praised the final reward he could buy. It was the one thing he collected; it was a mask!


    It was an elegant white mask with two red lines that stretched from the temples toward the mouth until the chin.


    "So, what''s special about this mask?"


    "Quite a few. First, it''s an eighth-grade mask that one of the elders used to hide his identity while traveling undercover. It changes the wearer''s Qi signature, so others won''t be able to recognize them, and even uses a subtle illusion to make the body''s proportions look slightly different."


    Ken was already impressed by those two features and was ready to buy the mask for 200,000 BP.


    "Furthermore, it can act as a strong amplifier of Bloodlust Qi, which is why it''s rewarded here. Just like you can use a sword to make your sword techniques stronger, using this mask while manipting your Bloodlust Qi can make it stronger."


    "What else?"


    "That''s it."


    "Ah, you made it sound like there were more."


    Ken still thought it was a great deal. Whether it''s the disguising feature or the weapon-like feature, they were both worth his money. Besides, he liked collecting masks of high grades.


    He purchased the mask and ced it in one of his storage rings along with the rest of his masks. He already picked up the rings from the corner as soon as the illusion was over.


    "So, what''s next?"


    "Next is the Challenge of Wisdom. The elders didn''t want a crazed brute for an inheritor, so you''ll have to prove you''re also smart enough to solve some puzzles. It''s also the final challenge of Mystic Chasms, and you''ll be allowed to leave after clearing it."


    Ken was quite confident in his intelligence andprehension abilities, so he didn''t feel stressed. He simply walked out of the second challenge room and marched down the corridor until he faced anotherrge door, identical to thest two.


    The young boy pushed the door opened and walked into the room, looking around him. He found himself in arge room with a pedestal in the middle, however, it was surrounded by a cage of steel.


    Approaching the cage, Ken tried to sh it down with his sword.


    *Cling!*


    A loud sound of a metal meeting metal echoed in the room, but looking at the cage, there was not a single mark on the bars. Ken sheathed his sword back.


    ''This metal should be at least seventh grade; I don''t stand a chance if I try to go at it like a brute. Since this trial is called the Challenge of Wisdom, it must have a more sophisticated way to solve it.''


    Ken thought to himself as his gaze scrutinized the room. There were all kinds of objects on the floor that he had ignored before, but now he had to check them out as they''d probably hold the key to solving the situation. Before he could take another step, he heard a riddle.


    "In shadows deep and whispers dire,


    A puzzle weaved with wicked fire.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Seek ye now the elements three,


    Andbine them into a key.


    First, the denier of life and light,


    A tool of death, deadly might.


    Second, the gaze of a reflective spell,


    Reflecting truths, illusions quell.


    Third, the elixir of the end of birth,


    the weapon of the crawling on earth.


    Align these artifacts, heed their plea,


    Reveal the prize that waits for thee.


    In proper sequence, secrets unfold,


    Unleashing powers yet untold."


    Ken listened intently to the riddle, and once the voice stopped echoing in the stone room, he went to search through the objects thrown on the floor. There was amp, dagger, sword, candle, leaf, and more.


    ''So basically, the riddle means there are three objects here needed for the solution of the problem. I have to align them in a certain way, and it would give me ess to the pedestal in the center of the room.''


    Ken browsed the items on the floor and searched for an item of death which was the first object of the riddle. He opted to attribute this characteristic to weapons, so he searched for those.


    He found three - a spear, a sword, and a pair of daggers. The spear had a long shaft made of sturdy wood and a silver spearhead that seemed to shine under the light.


    The sword had a silver hilt with the same shiny quality as the spearhead, but the de was ck and dark, seemingly swallowing all light that tried to reflect on it.


    Last, the two matching daggers had a hilt made of metal and wrapped in red cloth while the des were made of a translucent gem, seemingly sharper than anything else Ken ever saw.


    ''I doubt there are three true answers, so I should pick one of them. Let''s put those three aside for now and get the other items. I wonder why I can''t use my own weapon.''


    When Ken thought of using his sword, he sent his hand subconsciously to his belt to hold the hilt but found nothing. Looking down, he saw that he couldn''t find his sword anymore.


    ''It seems the formation took the sword from me after that voice said the riddle.''


    His storage rings were still on his fingers, but when he tried to ess their contents, he failed. The space inside didn''t react to his Qi, meaning it was also blocked by the formations.


    ''Next, I need something that reflects the truth or something like that. Since truth can also be called light, maybe it''s one of those shiny metals?''


    Ken pondered to himself as he browsed the items on the floor. He found a vial with clear water and a mirror. He ced them next to the weapons he found earlier, and now he had to choose between five items.

 Chapter 157 157 – Challenge Of Wisdom 2/2

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    "First, the denier of life and light,


    A tool of death, deadly might.


    Second, the gaze of a reflective spell,


    Reflecting truths, illusions quell.


    Third, the elixir of the end of birth,


    the weapon of the crawling on earth."


    Ken recalled the instructions he had for the items that would grant him ess to the pedestal in the center of the room.


    ''The daggers let the light pass, so they can''t be considered reflective. The sword''s hilt is reflective while the same goes for the spearhead. Other than those two, I also have the water that reflects some light and the mirror which seems like the most probable choice.''


    Ken thought to himself. He shifted his attention to the search for the possible items that could fulfill the requirements of ''elixir'' and ''weapon of the crawling on earth''.


    ''Maybe that clear water I found earlier is the elixir? And it''s not just water but a different substance?''


    The young child contemted as he browsed the items on the ground in his mind. He already saw them all, so with his memory, he didn''t have to search physically again. He then recalled an item that could also fit his needs.


    Ken headed toward the ce he saw the object earlier and soon looked at a fang, or more precisely, a serpent''s fang. The elixir and the weapon of crawling on earth were most likely the venom coating the fang, and Ken didn''t dare touch it with his bare hand.


    ''It''s safe to say I located the third object, now I have to choose the other two.''


    Ken returned to where he left the other five and deliberated on which objects fit the riddle the most.


    ''Denier of light, it should be this sword. The ck de swallows all light, unlike the other items. I only need to pick the best reflective item.''


    Ken tossed away the daggers since they were unneeded and tried to look at his reflection in the remaining items. First, he tried the spearhead, which showed nothing special. Second was the clear water which only reflected a vague, weak image of himself.


    ''Let''s check the mirror.''


    The mirror was round with a circumference of nearly half a meter. He made it hover in the air using his Qi and looked at his reflection. At first, nothing seemed different, until he noticed his waist. Right there, wrapped around his body, was his belt which was the sheath of his sword. Ken could also see the hilt.


    Looking down at his waist, he again saw nothing, but returning his eyes to the mirror, the belt appeared again.


    ''I see, it reflects the truth and reveals illusions, it must be the second item.''


    After thinking about what to do with the mirror and which illusion he had to see through, Ken started acting. He used the mirror to see the reflection of the whole room, trying to find whatever was twisting his perception.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Nothing seemed different than reality until he finally checked the cage holding the pedestal. There, he finally saw a difference. While with bare eyes it seemed like the cage was consistent with no openings, the mirror showed a door that had a lock on it.


    ''I should aim to melt the lock with the venom.''


    Ken reached this conclusion swiftly and stood in front of the fang. He wasn''t sure why it mattered what weapon he used. He let the sword touch the fang, smearing the venom on the ck de.


    *Tsss*


    A sound of fermentation could be heard as soon as the toxic touched the dark metal, but other than that, nothing else happened; the venom was coating the sword without permeating inside.


    ''It''d probably melt the other weapons and waste the venom.''


    He dashed to the spot the mirror showed a lock and hacked at it with the poisoned sword.


    *Tssss*


    This time, the sounds weren''t there for nothing. The grey metal of the lock couldn''t stop the poison from seeping into it, causing it to rot and melt. When the sound stopped, Ken struck with the sword again, and the weakened lock shattered.


    He grasped the bars of the door with his hand and pulled it open powerfully. The door opened with slight resistance, and Ken gained ess to the pedestal.


    "Congrattions on clearing the Challenge of Wisdom. You''ve proven you aren''t bloodthirsty beyond reason, and you can still use your mind. You''ve earned 2,000 BP for your achievement, and you may now check your prize."


    The familiar voice spoke as a second pedestal rose from the ground next to the one that was trapped inside the cage. All the items disappeared into the ground, and even the cage was gone.


    "It wasn''t that difficult," Ken remarked as he waited for the second pedestal to emergepletely.


    "You had 30 minutes to finish the task. You''d get a notification that you had 15 more minutes if you took slightly longer to solve the puzzle."


    "What''s the point of having a pedestal in the center if another one emerges after you finish the puzzle though? They could be both waiting in the cage."


    Ken asked the obvious question waiting to be asked.


    "There was supposed to be only one prize, but I added a second one for you since you need it. It''s not a big deal."


    Ken raised an eyebrow in curiosity and approached the newer pedestal to check what the voice wanted to gift him. It was indeed something he needed; it was a storage ring.


    "It''s an eighth-grade storage ring. It has a storage capacity muchrger than your current ringsbined. I sense that you have two of the sixth grade and three of the fifth grade. It has a capacity of 750 cubic meters, and you will probably never run out of space."


    Ken purchased the ring without thinking twice; his five ringsbined had a space of 300 cubic meters, so it was a huge upgrade. For the cost of 150,000 BP, he wore the ring on his finger and ced all his belongings inside.

 Chapter 158 158 – Chatting With A Supreme Elder

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    After purchasing the storage ring, Ken checked the main pedestal, the one he had to solve the riddle for in the first ce.


    ''Bloodthirst Sect Inheritor Token''


    "What does this token do?"


    Ken asked as he reached with his arm and grabbed the token. After imprinting it with his Qi, the token became his.


    "First, it allows you to meet me."


    This time, it was a different voice than the normal one Ken always heard. Looking up, he saw an old man wearing in red robes in front of him. However, the man was ethereal, evidently not a living person.


    "Who are you?"


    "I am Andreas Theodoros, an elder of the Bloodthirst Sect. I''m the one who designed the Mystic Chasms. Of course, this isn''t my real body but a projection with a strand of consciousness I''ve left behind for the day someone passes the challenges of Mystic Chasm of Bloodlust."


    "I see. Can you give me more rewards then?"


    "This site is about Elemental Qi maniption, and Bloodlust Qi is included. The best I can do for you now is give you some of the techniques we came up with, but the best ones are only at the lower earth grade since none of us ever experienced true Bloodlust Qi."


    "Sure, I will take them."


    Although Ken felt his skill set waspleted, and all of them were of the Heaven grade, he figured it won''t hurt to take the prize and skim through it.


    "You can use this chance to ask me questions about this realm if you want."


    Andreas offered Ken the option to learn more about the situation and Ken dly took it. When he finished packing the techniques in his new storage ring, he came up with a question.


    "What was your status in the Bloodthirst Sect?"


    Ken first wanted to estimate the credibility of his answers. If the old man wasn''t important enough, he might not have the true answers and Ken would have to ount for that when listening.


    "I was one of the seventh supreme elders of the Bloodthirst Sect. All seven of us held simr authority, and there was nobody above us. Other than the Labyrinth of Blood which we created together to boost fourth-stage cultivators, we cooperated to build the inheritance grounds and each supreme elder got their own responsibilities."


    "And this is your jurisdiction. Then, my first question is what was your rank when you were alive?"<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Ken didn''t know the background of the secret realm, so he had to begin from there. The sect seemed quite resourceful as it could offer many seventh-rank and even eighth-rank rewards, meaning they might be close in strength to the Phoenix Feather Sect.


    "You don''t know about the Bloodthirst Sect? We were very famous back then, and it sounds far-fetched that we were forgotten in mere 2000 years. Oh well, the supreme elders were all at the peak of the ninth stage, and none of us died. We ascended to Immortal Realm after we broke through and entered the tenth stage."


    Ken was surprised to hear they were that powerful. It didn''t add up that the sect copsed in their absence; they wouldn''t leave it powerless.


    "If you were so powerful, why didn''t you havepetent inheritors to keep the sect going after your ascension?"


    "The big sects should be aware of it, the Bloodthirst Sect wasn''t our only sect, and each of us raised their inheritors in their main sects. Each of us came from a different powerful righteous sect from the top. I came from the Thunderp Peak Sect; it used topete for a spot in the top 5 back then, I''m not sure what happened to it."


    "It didn''t get the spot. It''s ranked seventh in our continent now. The top five sects are Serene Lotus Sect, Peaceful Demon Sect, Four Seasons Sect, Divine Sword Sect, and Infinite Wisdom Sect, in this order."


    Ken answered truthfully to the curious elder while processing the new knowledge he had just learned.


    "I see. The plot of the Infinite Wisdom Sect to make the other top sects help them must have worked then. It doesn''t matter; this isn''t my real body and there is nothing I can do about it from the Immortal Realm. Do you have any other questions?"


    "Why did you open the sect together if you guys were rivals?"


    "When you reach the peak of the ninth stage the Mortal Realm loses its meaning to you as you can''t gain anything worthy of your attention anymore. We only remain in our sects because we care about disciples and inheritors, but we still care more about ourselves."


    Andreas started borating on the topic, and Ken remained silent as he listened patiently.


    "Think about a rival from your sect. You are rivals and act as if you hated each other to the core while interacting inside the sect, but if you meet a foreign threat, like a person from another sect, you''d work together to defeat them."


    Ken understood that while this parable wasn''t always true as some humans might use such a chance to kill their rivals, it just meant that their rivalry was unhealthy and toxic.


    "It''s the same for us, peak ninth-stage cultivators. Once we break through thest hurdle and be immortals, we will ascend to an unfamiliar world. All of use from the same continent and feel a certain connection with each other because of our shared origins, so we normally try to ascend simultaneously if we can time it."


    Ken understood the logic, but there was still one thing that bothered him.


    "What about those who can''t be immortals? Thisst step can''t be easy to take, can it?"


    "It isn''t easy. Most cultivators never cross thisst hurdle, yet nobody tells themselves ''I can''t break through to the next stage''. Instead, they keep trying until thest moment. Those who lose hope generally get depressed and rarely interact with the outer world; you can imagine the despair one might feel if they were one bottleneck away from eternal life yet cannot ever achieve it."

 Chapter 159 159 – Leaving The Mystical Chasms

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    After Andreas exined to Ken the way the minds of the people at the top worked, he continued his former exnation.


    "As for why we bonded together to create the Bloodthirst Sect, it was for the benefit of evil cultivators. We theorized the existence of Bloodlust Qi, which would allow manipting others directly, including creating illusions, making others go berserk, generating fear, and even self-regeneration by robbing others'' Qi. It''d be a great addition to our forces in the Immortal Realm, thus we wanted to see if we could guide anyone to cultivate this type of Qi."


    "Did you seed?"


    "No. People should start to cultivate at an early age if they want their future to be limitless, no matter how many pills you support them with. Since you developed Bloodlust Qi, you must be aware it requires killing a lot of humans from a young age until it bes part of your entity and doing so usually resulted in the kids bing indifferent to human lives."


    "And they lost the ability to develop bloodlust."


    Ken remembered his thoughts when he nned to develop Bloodlust Qi. Humans normally didn''t develop bloodlust by killing animals since they didn''t perceive it as anything wrong, and if someone made a kid ughter humans, the kid would treat it the same way as they treat ughtering animals, making them lose the ability to develop bloodlust.


    "Exactly. I don''t know how you kept your morals while doing so. Most of them turned into psychopaths or worse, which was why we abandoned the sect members and created this secret realm to pass on the treasures the seven of us umted throughout our lives as well as those that the former members collected."


    "I have¡­ a strong moral code."


    Ken said with a straight face. He found itughable that Andreas talked about morals after he casually admitted to taking the treasures of the former sect disciples and storing them in the secret realm which they had no ess to, only because he didn''t like them. Not to mention they were abandoned to get hunted and killed by the righteous sects.


    "Indeed. During the Challenge of Cruelty, you''ve performed well. You gave up your advantage to help your friends but didn''t agree to lose your life for the false hope they will be sparedter. The disciples we tried teaching how to cultivate Bloodlust Qi always failed it and never cared about anyone else but themselves."


    Andreas praised the young inheritor for his choices.


    Ken now got the gist of things. The seven supreme elders were trying to find futurerades also within the evil cultivators; hence, they opened the Bloodthirst Sect with the agenda of producing a cultivator with Bloodlust Qi.


    "Young boy, don''t limit your vision to the Mortal Realm. You seem to be talented enough to be immortal one day; don''t forget that your time in this realm will be shorter than your time in the next. Unfortunately, there''s no connection between this strand of consciousness to my real body, so I can''t tell you how it is to live in the Immortal Realm."


    "All right. So what else does this token do?"


    "Most importantly, we will be able to locate it when you ascend. You will be new there and having us to back you up might increase your survival chances greatly. Other than that, every elder left a strand of consciousness in a different site in the secret realm, and it will let those strands know you arrived whenever you enter a site."


    Andreas'' voice was turning weaker as they talked, and his figure turned more ghost-like. They both understood the strand would dissipate soon.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Well, it seems like I must leave now. Anything before we part?"


    "Yes, look after my friends, ric and Tiara. One is a male Lightning Qi, Sound Qi, and Spear Qi cultivator while the other is a female Ice Qi and Saber Qi cultivator. Also, tell them I''m going to the Abyssal Armory next."


    Ken said and waited for the portal to open.


    "I can''t look after them; the trials are impartial. But I will let them know of your destination. Good luck in the next sites, Inheritor."


    With those words lingering behind him, the young boy entered a portal next to the central pedestal and left toward the next site.


    The new site wasn''t as mystical and roundabout as the Mystic Chasms. The surroundings werepletely bare, and there were severalrge halls scattered across the armory grounds.


    Ken deduced the ce got its name because of its location as it was in arge valley surrounded by a few mountains.


    ''The local elder just tried to make it sound cool with the word ''abyssal'', or maybe he wanted it to fit the theme of the secret realm created by an evil sect.''


    Ken said inwardly while taking in the views. The portal made himnd on the peak of a small mountain several kilometers away from the closest building, and he hoped that whoever managed the portals was smart enough to drop him by the building meant for sword cultivators.


    He could see a few skirmishes going on, but overall, most disciples preferred to just enter the site andpete for resources there. He noticed that there were a few teams that lurked and waited for potential victims to cross their paths, but they only attacked those who walked solo.


    ''They probably don''t have enough BP to im any useful reward, so they try to earn some easy points first.''


    Ken thought to himself as he watched one team opens an onught against a couple of cultivators passing by. It was a five-against-two fight, and it ended soon with the victory of the bigger group.


    ''Only the weak need to move in groups and share the loot. It means they''re too weak to survive here on their own.''


    With this conclusion, Ken left the mountain. He was under the effect of Sheathed Man and thus wasn''t afraid of being caught.

 Chapter 160 160 – The Abyssal Armory

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    Walking down the mountain, Ken could easily distance himself from groups that aimed to ambush solo cultivators. His Sheathed Man technique hid his whereabouts as well as his token''s aura, while nobody else could hide without having their token disclose their location.


    Navigating down the mountain in a way that he doesn''t enter anyone''s detection range, he easily arrived at the closest building.


    As Ken stepped into the Abyssal Armory, he found himself engulfed in an eerie atmosphere that permeated the valley. The valley itself had been meticulously leveled to create an even expanse, its floor paved with imposing stone bricks that radiated an ancient aura.


    He walked through the echoes of the battles taking ce throughout the grounds, ignoring their existence and acting as if he walked in the serene nature.


    Large rocks were scattered strategically, providing both a visual spectacle and a reminder of the formidable trials that awaited. Each rock seemed like a sentinel, guarding the path toward the dojo buildings that dotted thendscape.


    The buildings stood proud and distinct, like sacred sanctuaries dedicated to the mastery of weapon arts. Banners fluttered gently in the wind, revealing their purpose with bold inscriptions.


    The "Sword Dojo" banner, adorned with intricate designs, beckoned Ken with its promise of honing his swordsmanship. Other banners hinted at the diverse array of weapons within, inviting practitioners to unlock their potential.


    Fortunately, the portal did take into ount his preferred weapon and sent him to the Sword Dojo, as the sign on the building proimed.


    ''It should include sparring or duels ording to the name. I wonder if the main challenge is defeating the other disciples.''


    The young boy wore his new white mask and entered the dojo. He had no doubt there will be some blood spilling inside, so it''d be a good chance to inaugurate the fancy eighth-grade mask.


    The child entered therge one-floor building and felt something in his pocket. He soon recalled that the Inheritor Token was there, and he knew that he was recognized as the inheritor, and hoped that this identity will spare him time during the challenges.


    He found himself standing in front of three doors with wooden frames and translucent paper, but somehow, they blocked the noise from insidepletely. Each door had onerge word written on it.


    ''Greatsword'', ''Sword'', and ''Expert''.


    Thinking about it for a moment, he concluded that while the first two doors were self-exnatory, the third one was meant for anyone willing to take a risk and challenge themselves beyond normal.


    ''I can either pick the ''Sword'' door or the ''expert'' door.''


    He didn''t have to think too much. His swordsmanship took a huge leap ever since he battled 10,000 disciples of the Four Seasons Sect andter on when he battled in the secret realm.


    He pushed open the third door meant for experts, ready for the challenge with his hand on his belt, where his sword was hidden.


    "A neer?"


    He heard a voice before he even stepped inside. Looking in front of him, he found himself in a very long corridor, around three kilometers long and 5 meters wide.


    ''It must be formations again; the building wasn''t thatrge from the outside.''<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Ken pondered as he looked around him, scanning his surroundings. He saw there were 11 people inside the room, and nearly all of them seemed anxious and tired. Moreover, they were all in the first 100 meters of the room while the rest of the corridor was empty.


    "Kid, what''s your stage?"


    The man from earlier spoke again after Ken entered the room. Ken was hiding his stage, and the man had to touch him to check it forcibly.


    "None of your business."


    Ken ignored him and tried to understand the agenda of the room.


    "It is-"


    "Wee to the Challenge of Reflexes. Reach the other side of the corridor to move to the next trial and win rewards!"


    The familiar voice reverberated in the room, silencing those who tried to force Ken into whatever scheme they had. However, they returned to their n when it stopped talking as if it never interfered.


    "Kid, say again, what''s your stage? If you try to keep it hidden, we will attack you together."


    Everyone red their auras, showing their stage. They were all Nascent Soul cultivators, but seven of them were at the low phase of it. Three were at the intermediate phase while a single person was at the high phase. Nobody was a peak Nascent Soul cultivator.


    "As I said, none of your business."


    "Let me see for myself then."


    The man stepped forward hastily, attempting to catch Ken off guard. Hacking his sword diagonally, he tried to cut Ken from shoulder to waist. Ken instantly activated his Cloud Running technique as he leaned to the side to dodge, but to his surprise, it didn''t work.


    Something jammed his Qi, and the execution of the technique failed. Luckily, his leaning helped dodge the sword, but without the technique, it was only partial. The sword''s tip left a deep gap in Ken''s chest, and he stumbled back a few steps in surprise.


    The enemy wanted to capitalize on the effect of surprise and attacked again, but Ken, showing his quick wit and fast thinking, already adjusted to the situation. Without relying on the technique, he deflected the long sword of his opponent to the side and kicked the man''s guts, ignoring the signals of pain his wound sent to his brain.


    "Haha, Rodrick, you had the advantage of surprise yet failed to finish him off. don''tin if we kill him instead."


    Another manughed at the one who attacked Ken and charged forward, trying to steal the easy kill. A wounded child didn''t seem to be very intimidating.


    To make things worse, Ken''s control over Sheathed Man was interrupted by the formations of the challenge, and his ample amount of BP made everyone look at him with envy and malicious intent, fully dering their interest in robbing the neer.

 Chapter 161 161 – Challenge Of Reflexes

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    Ken already tried to summon healing pills from his storage ring but failed, indicating the space was locked and storage rings were useless there. He tried to use One Step but failed again, so he was sure using techniques was banned in the long corridor.


    He faced the second man that charged at him. It was another man in the low phase of his stage, and Ken used the lower part of his flexible sword to block the man''s swing while the upper part of the de bent from the momentum, curving toward the attacker''s shoulder.


    "Ah! It''s flexible!"


    The man shouted in pain as Ken''s sword sent a pulse of dangerous Sword Qi into his shoulder, rupturing his muscles and trying to fracture the shoulder de. He retreated to let his teammates take over the battle, while he stabilized his Qi.


    Although they couldn''t performpleted techniques, the formation couldn''t prevent simple Qi maniption, and given Ken''s great expertise, it was still within the realm of simple maniption.


    Ken soon opened a heated battle against the other 6 low Nascent Soul cultivators. The one he kicked earlier was moving slightly slower, confirming Ken''s suspicions that he broke the man''s ribs with his previous kick.


    His flexible sword shed in the room as it moved from side to side, taking full advantage of its sticity. Ken used it to make the de bounce from sword to sword, helping him deflect everything he couldn''t dodge.


    He still fought carefully as he didn''t want to open his back to the disciples that didn''t attack yet. His raw speed and power were superior to his enemies, and he managed to keep up with the fight.


    Two of them were using greatswords while the other four used different types of smaller swords. Ken made sure to dodge therge ones as he deflected the smaller ones, always watching his step to avoid getting surrounded.


    "Damn! I can''t hit him! How can he be so strong at the fourth stage!"


    One person shouted in anger. Ken''s technique which hid his stage was canceled along with his Sheathed Man since he already incorporated this method into his concealing technique.


    At first, they held the advantage and pushed Ken to the edge of death time after time, but he always managed to slip out of their grasp and never fell for the same trap twice. He was growing as they fought, and he never stopped learning new lessons with every exchange.


    ''The stronger cultivators aren''t involving themselves in the fight, but they also aren''t keeping their distance. If I had to guess, I''d say they can''t cross the corridor, and they think that more BP would change that.''


    Ken analyzed the situation as he swung his sword again, parrying a woman who attacked him from the right and making her trip with a simple movement of his leg. Before he could finish her off, one of her teammates attacked, and he had to divert his attention.


    ''If they need BP to save themselves, it''d be weird that the stronger cultivators didn''t prey on the weak yet. It means they managed to enter a stalemate with numbers; the weaker cultivators make up for their disadvantage with numbers. In other words, they aren''t allies.''


    Ken found a usible exnation as to why the stronger cultivators didn''t join the fray and attacked him along with the weaker cultivators. He decided on a n to test his theory and executed it.


    He nned his steps better, taking a few light wounds in exchange for pumping up the opponents and controlling their positions. It only took 30 seconds, and they were exactly where he wanted them to be.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    One female cultivator lunged forward and tried to stab him with her sword, but his sword bounced back from the former attacker in lightning speed, meeting hers. He dashed in surprise and crashed into her with his shoulder, sending her stumbling back in shock.


    "Lisa, careful! Behind you!"


    One man shouted, but it was toote. She walked straight to the hands of the high Nascent Soul Cultivator, and the man didn''t hesitate to hack the sword and execute her on the spot. She looked down at her stomach, seeing the man''s swording out. He stabbed her back, and she didn''t stand a chance.


    *Cough*


    She coughed blood as she struggled to breathe, but the man pulled out the sword mercilessly and kicked her to the floor, where she could onlyy on the ground and die from her injuries.


    "Damn, watch your steps! Don''t reveal your backs!"


    The man shouted but yet another tragedy took ce. Ken jumped in the air and delivered swift double kicks. The first one hit the hilt of a great sword carrier while the other struck his chest, pushing him back right next to one of the intermediate Nascent Soul cultivators.


    The woman also dly took the free BP and cleaved the man in half with her greatsword.


    The others learned their lesson and tried to reposition themselves, but their pressure on Ken decreased dramatically now that two were dead, two were wounded, and the other 3 were panicking and trying to understand their surroundings.


    Ken blocked another sword stroke and used the natural recoil to let his sword bounce to someone who tried stepping back, grazing her chest. The cut was shallow, but Ken''s technique of inserting his Sword Qi into the bodies of the wounded ones was lethal.


    The Qi pulse was enough to cause a mess in her chest and force a painful groan out of her lips.


    ''That''s why breasts can be a weakness.''


    Ken mused as his sword would miss her by a few centimeters if not for the bulge on her chest.


    Now, the other cultivators had no reason to remain passive and watch the fight. They recognized that Ken would win, and they didn''t want to lose the BP.


    "We are under attack! Work together to defend!"


    The team leader shouted, and they regrouped in a swift motion. Out of the five of them, 3 were wounded. One couldn''t use his right arm, one had broken ribs, and one had a few ruptured blood vessels in her chest.

 Chapter 162 162 – Completing The Challenge

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    "We are under attack! Work together to defend!"


    The team leader shouted, and they regrouped in a swift motion, working together to defend against the iing onught.


    As soon as Ken saw they disengaged from him to fight the others, he also took his distance, unwilling topete for the BP. After all, he didn''t need it, and his body was wounded. The cut on his chest was especiallyrge and sent constant pulses of pain to his pain receptors.


    ''There''s a path, I can''t risk fighting them now.''


    Ken didn''t fear fighting them if he was in optimal condition, but it wasn''t the case. Upon noticing an opening, he sprinted in that direction.


    "Stop him! He is wounded and carries tons of BP!"


    One of the intermediate Nascent Soul cultivators shouted, but the child easily slid under his great sword, deflected another strike, and jumped against the wall to pass over the high Nascent Soul cultivator''s head.


    The weaker cultivators tried to take advantage of Ken''s distraction to strike down their enemies, preventing the four from cing all their attention on stopping Ken.


    The masked boy didn''t hesitate to run into the corridor, crossing the 100 meters mark he previously noticed nobody dared to approach.


    Immediately after, Ken understood the meaning of the trial''s name. Small knives were thrown at him from the walls in every direction, and Ken had to deflect and dodge them if he didn''t want to get hurt.


    ''I''m getting healed, that''s why they wanted BP so badly!''


    Ken noticed another peculiarity; Blood Points were sucked out of his token and energy filled his wounds, healing them while he remained inside the danger zone. Apparently, the trial wasn''t as unforgiving as one might think. It also wasn''t all roses; this mechanism encouraged the inheritors to kill each other for extra BP.


    The young boy never stopped his sprint. He pushed forward through the flying knives, using his quick reaction speed and his swift sword to clear a path in front of him as he ran in the narrow corridor.


    From time to time, a spear woulde out among the knives. While it doesn''t sound any different, it was much more dangerous. The spears carried a heavy weight behind them, and if Ken couldn''t dodge them entirely, they''d slow him down and create openings in his defenses.


    Ken''s heart pounded within his chest as he sprinted through the long, narrow corridor, his body propelled by the sheer force of his cultivation. The confined space offered little margin for error, demanding precise movements and split-second decisions. His mind was always calm and focused on the task at hand.


    As the knives cut through the air, Ken''s eyes locked onto their trajectory, his mind calcting the perfect timing for evasion. He swiftly tilted his body, leaning to the side with superhuman flexibility, narrowly evading the deadly des that sliced through the space he had upied just moments before. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    As he ran, he could hear the sound of knives and spears being thrown at him from the walls. He didn''t bother to look back; he knew that if he did, he would lose precious seconds. Instead, he focused on his running and on dodging the iing attacks.


    A spear came next, and he jumped over it,nding on the other side of the corridor. Another knife came at him, and he deflected it with his sword, sending it flying into another iing knife, sparing himself from dodging another strike.


    His movements were a seamless dance of finesse and speed, but it wasn''t just evasion. Ken''s skill extended beyond mere avoidance. As the knives closed in on him, his flexible sword moved in a blur, nimbly deflecting them with urate strikes, sometimes even sending them shing against one another.


    He utilized the momentum of the iing des to redirect their trajectory, sending them spiraling harmlessly away. The corridor became a battlefield, with Ken gracefully maneuvering through the onught.


    Yet, the challenge intensified when more spears came hurtling toward him. Their formidable weight meant that blocking them head-on would impede his progress, but Ken''s instincts kicked in with uncanny exactness.


    He twisted his body with incredible agility, seamlessly weaving through the barrage of spears. Like a shadow in motion, he slid beneath one, feeling the rush of air above him as it narrowly missed. With a swift jump, he soared over another, the wind whistling past his ears.


    He already lost over 50,000 BP and his body wasn''tpletely healed yet. His risky moves and exaggerated movements cost him extra pain and reopening his wounds, but Ken''s focus was unbreakable. He knew the others couldn''t predict the route of the assaults as well as he, which would exin their despair for BP.


    In this high-stakes dance of danger, Ken''s mastery of movement and his powerful bodybined to create a mesmerizing spectacle. The cultivators behind stopped fighting and bore witness to his extraordinary proficiency, sending a shiver down their spines when they thought of fighting him when he wasn''t wounded.


    Ken continued to run, dodging and deflecting the attacks as they came. He was getting closer to the end of the corridor, but he knew that he couldn''t let his guard down. If he did, he would be killed.


    Finally, Ken reached the end of the corridor. He burst through the door and into the open air, breathing a sigh of relief. He had made it. His shoulder throbbed in pain from crashing into the wooden door, but he didn''t care. He hurriedly took out a healing pill from his now unblocked storage ring and sat down to heal himself.


    ''Oh, this isn''t open air, it''s just a room with no ceiling.''


    A few minutester, Ken noticed he was still within four tall walls, but he could see the grey sky of the secret realm. His wounds stabilized, and none of the new cuts he earned in the challenge were deep enough to threaten his well-being.


    "Congrattions on clearing the Challenge of Reflexes, Young Inheritor. You may now check the prizes."


    Three pedestals came out of the ground, a sight Ken was already used to seeing.

 Chapter 163 163 – Challenge Of Might

    ?


    "I''m telling you, I''m not going to take this shitty pill!"


    Ken snapped when he saw the first reward. It was the same eighth-grade Bloodlust Boost Pill he was offeredst time, but its price was lowered to 80,000 as if the voice was trying to haggle with him.


    "BUT IT''S A GREAT FIND! HOW CAN YOU REFUSE TO TAKE AN EIGHTH-GRADE PILL?"


    "Because I don''t need it and because it''s useless to me. Stop offering it to me."


    Ken dismissed the voice''s frustration and continued to look at the next prize. He wasn''t interested in increasing his bloodlust with artificial ways when he had a convenient way of simply reliving his past kills.


    Looking at the next prize, he found an eighth-grade sword, which he also refused to take since it wasn''t flexible.


    "Why do you keep offering me lousy prizes?" Kenined out loud to the fuming voice. Thetter didn''t find the eighth-grade treasures ''lousy''.


    Thest prize, however, was something that caught Ken''s eye. It was a volume from a book about luck, "Mysteries of Luck 2".


    He already had the first volume from the Labyrinth of Blood, and he knew each volume had only 10 copies across the secret realm. Ken purchased the second volume for another 80,000 BP and stored it in his storage ring.


    ''Time to rest.''


    Ken hadn''t slept for a long time, and he was getting tired from the continuous strain on his body. He drew a fifth-rank formation in the room and went to sleep. As a resting room, there were no restrictions in it, and he could act freely.


    Summoning a bed and a pillow from his storage ring, he ced them on the ground and drifted into a deep sleep after removing his mask. To his dismay, he wasn''t given a chance to get a full night''s sleep, or at least 8 hours of sleep since the sky still wasn''t dark enough to be considered as night.


    Three hours after he fell asleep, he got a wake-up call as the door from the previous challenge opened, and 3 people limped inside. The formation woke him up as soon as they entered, but to his frustration, the room destroyed the formations automatically to allow them to enter the resting room safely.


    They entered, seeing the beautiful sleepy child getting up from bed in his sleeping robes without his white mask on.


    "Congrattions on clearing the Challenge of Reflexes, Potential Inheritors. You may now check the prizes."


    The voice, seemingly oblivious to their stares, spoke as it normally would when one passes a challenge and gets to the prizes room.


    An awkward silence controlled the room as the three were holding their swords. One was the male high Nascent Soul cultivator while the other two were a female and a male intermediate Nascent Soul cultivators. Evidently, the other 8 didn''t survive.


    "You are the one with the white mask, aren''t you?"


    The stronger cultivator opened his mouth eventually. Ken was still wearing his sleeping robes, but he already stored back his bed and pillow in his ring.


    "I am, what about it?"


    "We don''t have to fight; we already passed the challenge."


    The man said and the other two nodded. The three of them tried to tackle each other during their race in the corridor a few minutes ago, and one of the intermediate cultivators even died because of it, but now that mess was behind them.


    Despite being able to use techniques now, they saw Ken''s expertise earlier, and they also knew that a child from the Divine Sword Sect ughtered 10,000 disciples from the Four Seasons Sect. Making a simple connection in their minds, they chose not to mess with the unknown.


    ----------<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    A few hourster, Ken got up from his bed. He created a small formation just to be safe and went back to sleep when the other three agreed not to fight with him, and now he finally regained his vigor and energy to advance to the next challenge. As he got up, he noticed that the other two already left the resting room.


    ''Time to go to the next challenge.''


    He soon passed through the door of the resting room, entering the next challenge directly.


    "Young Inheritor, your token allows you to skip one trial to reach the destination. You will be moved directly to the third challenge now."


    Ken was relocated to a new room, a true dojo. He was in a spacious room with a tall ceiling. There were a few wooden pirs that held the building together, some of them having extra devices on them for training while others had calligraphy and drawings depicting two cultivators fighting.


    ''Unity of Martial Value''


    He read one of the calligraphies on the wall. Before he could immerse in the view any further, the voice spoke again.


    "Wee to the Challenge of Might. You have to fight against other potential inheritors and win, using your weapon mastery only."


    Ken soon saw a man materializing in front of him, most likely a result of an illusion formation or something else he still didn''t know how to create.


    Ken instantly dashed toward the man and attacked. Using his sword''s sticity, he finished the battle in a single strike.


    "You''ve won the first round. The second fight beings in 5 minutes."


    Ken kept fighting his opponents one after another, and whenever he killed one, they would dissipate into the air and disappear. The fights turned harder every round, but until the seventh match, he still didn''t have to exact much effort to win.


    *Cling!*


    The sounds of metal hitting metal resounded in the room as Ken exchanged blows with the ninth opponent.


    Ken and his opponent locked eyes, ready for the sh. His flexible sword arced through the air with blinding speed, while the man gripped his massive greatsword, poised for a one-hit kill.


    Ken darted forward, his de a blur as he aimed for his opponent''s side. With a thunderous exchange, the greatsword intercepted the strike, forcing Ken to twist and somersault away to avoid a counterattack.


    They circled each other, each blow evoking a metallic symphony. Ken twisted and weaved, his agile movements narrowly evading the powerful swings of the greatsword and allowing him to strike back. Heunched a rapid flurry of strikes, forcing his opponent into a defensive stance.


    The greatsword wielder tried to retaliate with a brutal overhead swing, but Ken was too fast for him. When the greatsword was halfway through, the agile child already shifted his position and delivered a kick to the man''s calf as his sword escorted the greatsword, preventing it from changing its course.


    The opponent used the greatsword to halt his fall, but with his weapon down, he couldn''t match Ken''s superior speed. Ken executed him with a swift swing of his sword, ending the round.


    "You''ve won the ninth round. The final fight will begin in 5 minutes."


    Ken sighed in relief hearing that it was the final round; he hoped he wouldn''t have to fight there for too long.


    The next battle caught him unprepared. In front of him, stood a young child, holding a flexible sword in his hand.

 Chapter 164 164 – Sketchy Secret Realm

    ?


    Two flexible swords met one another; the twobatants always countered the tip of the sword, fully aware of the danger of blocking the shaft. Ken tried to twist his wrist, but Shadow Ken still managed to predict the sword''s route based on the subtle movement.


    Ken fought against his shadow relentlessly, and the clinks of metals could be heard in the room. Ken thrust his sword, imitating the effects of Snake''s Thrust without the actual technique. The shadow merely stepped back, avoiding the deadly stab, and lunged forward.


    With a quick sidestep, the young boy parried his enemy''s flexible sword, sending it harmlessly ncing off his own. He tried tond a hit with his elbow when the two got closer, but his shadow raised its own elbow as if they practiced it before, blocking Ken''s strike.


    The stalemate was frustrating and thrilling at the same time; Ken never had a chance to practice his swordsmanship this way before, and he loved it. However, his shadow and he always came up with the same ns, forcing them into a stalemate.


    With another kick where a foot met another, the two of them stumbled back, opening a distance between them. If there was any onlooker, they''d probably clench their fists in suspense now, and slowly unclench them as they''d wear an expression of confusion; the two fighters only remained standing, looking at each other.


    Usually, in a fight, two people used their existing art, and eventually, the better fighter would prevail. However, in this fight, Ken and his opponent kept learning from each other, improving in parallel lines, and remaining unable to defeat one another.


    They were both trying to see in their minds how to deal with their opponent, but they both saw the other counter their moves, which led to another twist, which led to another twist and yet again to another.


    Normally, one would run out of work memory and be forced to fight, but with their perfect memories, they got stuck in a loop of counterattacks and imaginary fights that happened only in their minds.


    ''Wait, Shadow Me doesn''t have a mind in the literal sense of the word. It means it just acts as if it was me, but it can''t think!''


    Ken realized this fact. In his mind, they were both seeing 10 moves forward by now, but now he recognized his mistake; Shadow Ken remained behind at 0 or 1 move ahead.


    He charged toward his enemy and propelled himself forward with a risky jump. He might get at a disadvantage if his judgment turned out to be wrong, but he''d have a free strike if it was correct.


    As he predicted, his clone used a strike that implemented the sticity of the sword, making it seem like a p that would bounce back right after, and it aimed it at where Ken''s throat was supposed to be.


    However, Ken was in the air at stomach height, and with a simple stabbing motion and a spiral of his wrist, he cut his opponent''s guts to many pieces and opened a bloody hole in its stomach.


    "Congrattions on clearing the Challenge of Might. One must not always rely on brute force; simple thinking can go a long way in a fight."


    The voice congratted Ken for his victory and offered a piece of advice.


    "You may now pick your rewards."


    Three pedestals emerged off the ground, and Ken approached the closest one on his right. He found there what he was expecting to find, the third volume of Mysteries of Luck, for the same price of 80,000 BP.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    He purchased it without hesitation and moved to the pedestal on the left. He assumed the middle one would have the inheritor token, so he kept it forst.


    ''Maybe it will contain an eighth-grade flexible sword. Although I don''t need anything better than the seventh-grade one I have right now, I don''t have a reason to refuse.''


    Ken thought to himself as he checked out the prize. His expression soon turned ugly as he looked at the ceiling and shouted.


    "Reducing the price won''t change the fact I''m not taking this damn pill!"


    "It''s only for 40,000 and you have so many points, why don''t you want to improve yourself with it, it''s a great choice!"


    "Fine, I will buy it. I will take itter; I don''t have time now."


    Ken got suspicious that they kept pushing the pill on him. Seeing their insistence, he chose to ept the pill and promised to consume itter.


    "You can take it even now if you want, there''s no reason to dy increasing your strength. It might be the difference between life and death when you meet your enemies in here."


    "Don''t worry, I have enough tricks up my sleeve, and I''m not afraid of getting into a fight."


    Ken dismissed the voice''s worries and continued to take the Inheritor Token.


    ''I first thought there''s nothing a bunch of old people from another realm can do to me, so I assumed it''d be safe to take whatever I want and follow the ce''s rules. But it seems things are sketchier than I thought.''


    Ken mused inwardly before he reached for the token with his hand. Last time it didn''t require him to pay any BP, so he figured that whichever old man in charge of this ce would appear as soon as he imprinted the token with his Qi.


    Until now, although Ken was trying to find something wrong with the situation, he couldn''t find any and believed the Bloodthirst Sect truly wanted to develop a powerful ally by experimenting with their theories.


    He never thought people were good, but he believed that the evilness in their plot was in the fact they caused the deaths of millions, which didn''t bother him one bit.


    Now that they insisted on forcing him to take the eighth-grade pill, his suspicious nature took charge of the situation and made him cautious toward everything.

 Chapter 165 165 – Another Supreme Elder

    ?


    Ken took the token in his hand as he made ns for the secret realm, now that he didn''t believe anything was meant for the inheritors'' benefit anymore.


    "Hello, Young Inheritor. I can safely say none of us supreme elders thought our inheritor would be so young. Do you have a cultivation body?"


    "I do, an ascending immortal channeled his Qi through my body, and I was lucky enough to survive."


    Ken lied as he understood it was the only way he could''ve reached his stage, and it was still too fast. He already understood he did something simr to himself, but because of his caution and systematic research, he got far better results than the improvising ascending immortals, and he even suspected that the Godly Qi was a higher form of energy than Immortal Qi.


    "That''s a blessing for you and your sect. Be careful, many will try to get closer to you, but their motives are rarely pure and unselfish."


    "Thank you for your advice, Senior."


    Ken cupped his fist and bowed to express his appreciation.


    "Oh, how forgetful of me, I didn''t introduce myself! I''m Leonidas Petrakis, I used to be an elder of the Divine Sword Sect. They must resent me for spending myst hours on the Mortal Realm building this ce instead of trying to create their favorite super babies."


    "Ken Sue greets Elder Leonidas Petrakis. The Divine Sword Sect is a great ce."


    Ken bowed again; he was wearing the yellow robes of the Divine Sword Sect, so he had to pay his respect to the elder. Leonidas had no way of knowing he was an impostor, and even if the voice could tell him of people who changed their robes, Ken was wearing yellow robes ever since he entered.


    "That''s great to hear. I see you have the Token of Elements, which means you met that Old Man Andreas. You should be aware of the overall situation and our goal of gathering promising youths to have stronger allies in the Immortal Realm?"


    "Indeed, he had briefed me on the matter."


    Ken wanted to use the chance to verify some of his suspicions regarding the elders.


    "Elder Leonidas, the Abyssal Armory is a great ce, and the name is overbearing."


    "Haha, thank you, no need forpliments. I already see that you know your stuff when ites to naming."


    The old man stroked his ck beard with apparent pleasure from Ken''s words. Ken knew what he had to do.


    "I wish I knew the names of your other techniques as well; their imperious names alone would likely offer me insights into newprehensions. I have a dashing technique, and I named it One Step."


    "This name is not bad, but it''s too simple. You do need more inspiration, haha! My dashing technique is called Rush of Death, because once I use it, death rushes to im my enemies."


    ''It''s not simple; it''s elegant and perfect,'' Ken retorted in his mind but kept a smile on his face as he buttered up the elder.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "That''s an amazing name, tell me more!"


    "There''s Strike of Doom, Devourer of Hope¡­"


    The elder started listing all the techniques he developed in his life along with their names while Ken nodded and pretended to be excited. When he felt that the elder was too smug, he wanted to start fishing for information.


    "The Godly Swordsman of the Heavens, your nickname really fits you, Elder Leonidas! I''ve been wondering, if none of the supreme elders have Bloodlust Qi, howe you managed to create some great Bloodlust formations and pills?"


    "Haha, you are one sharp child! Let me exin from the beginning. As you know, you can get the result of specialized techniques using normal Qi, and that''s what cultivators under the fourth stage do all the time. Of course, the effect will be a few times weaker."


    Ken nodded to sign he was following the man''s exnation.


    "The same goes for Immortal Qi. Ascending Immortals can already sense and use it, so we used Immortal Qi to execute some Bloodlust techniques, and because it''s a purer type of energy, the effect was as strong as it would be if we used mortal Bloodlust Qi. We prepared for it for a long time, and we even seeded in timing our ascensions to be only a few minutes apart from each other."


    "So you managed to create pills of Bloodlust Qi despite not having ess to it!"


    "Indeed, it''s all thanks to the genius kid Galen Kus, you will meet him in the library when you get there. He managed to find a way to prepare everything on the verge of being ready beforehand, and when we broke through, we just had to use the Immortal Qi along with a few weird things that happen on battlefields."


    Ken understood what the old man didn''t. He wasn''t the first to find a way to extract specialized Qi from objects; Galen did the same to objects that developed Bloodlust energy in the ce with the most abundance of Bloodlust ¨C the battlefield.


    "He must be an amazing cultivator if someone like you calls him a genius; aren''t you all geniuses?"


    "We all were of the best geniuses of our sects, indeed. However, not many people take a path with two crafting types of Qi, and of those who do, none turned out to be as capable and powerful as Galen. He was both an alchemist and a runologist!"


    Ken couldn''t help but be impressed. Galen probably had a cultivation body, but he didn''t get his brain boosted by a god. And even if God was nothing but a powerful immortal, then they were still much more experienced and powerful than the new ascending immortals.


    "Anyway, I''m fading, so you only have time for onest question."


    Now it was time for Ken to check whether the old evil cultivators were as cunning and wicked as he believed them to be.


    "Where should I go next, Elder?"


    "You should visit the Residence of a Buddha and a Demon!"


    The old man dissipated, Ken smiled coldly, his worries confirmed. There was no way Leonidas would suggest a ce with such a in name without ulterior motives.

 Chapter 166 166 – Infiltrating The Library

    ?


    "I want to go to the Library of Eternal Wisdom."


    Ken said, cringing at the name. Galen''s naming sense sounded familiar, and he understood why Leonidas considered the other elder a genius.


    "The library? Why? Go to the Residence of a Buddha and a Demon!"


    Since Ken searched for it, he could even recognize a slight panic in its tone.


    "I was curious about the genius Galen. Why, does it matter where I go first?" Ken feigned ignorance.


    "Ahm, no, that''s not what I meant. I just meant you''ve asked Elder Leonidas for advice, and since he gave it to you, it''d be impolite to ignore it."


    "I''m not ignoring it. His deep respect for Elder Galen has piqued my interest, so I will just go to the library first, and to the Buddhist ce afterward. Since you said the order doesn''t matter, I''m sure The Godly Swordsman of the Heavens will not be offended by such a minor matter."


    Ken did his best to prevent a hint of mockery to creep into his tone, and he thought he managed well.


    "Of course, it doesn''t matter. I will open the portal then, but make sure to follow Elder Leonidas'' advice soon, or else it''d be very disrespectful."


    "You don''t have to worry; I will go right afterward."


    Ken remembered his fights against the monks and the demons from the Peaceful Demon Sect in the Labyrinth of Blood.


    Back at the time, he quickly understood how they imed the second rank among the five strongest sects in the continent; their techniques often made one''s mind calmer or more agitated.


    Being subjected to such maniptions was dangerous in a fight as it could easily cost one''s life if they were too rxed or too tense.


    Taking this information into ount, he didn''t want to enter a ce of an ascending immortal whose mind maniption was beyond Ken''s current abilities. His main source of confidence was the absence of the actual immortals; if all he had to deal with were the formations, he still had hope.


    The child wore his white mask and walked through the portal, his battle instincts already prompting him to kill from the moment the mask touched his face.


    When he came out of the other side of the portal, argeke weed his face. Or at least, he first thought it was ake until he noticed it was a very wide canal surrounding arge tform with a 3-floor building.


    ''It must be the library.''


    His thoughts were confirmed by the huge banner reading ''Knowledge Illuminates the Mind'' inrge letters that could be perceived with the supernatural eyesight of cultivators from the other side of the wide canal.


    Looking around him, he saw people running on the water toward the center while others were watching fromnd. The entrance to the building was less than a meter from the end of the canal, so he didn''t see anyone on the tform. The thing they all had inmon was their auburn robes, marking them as disciples of the Infinite Wisdom Sect.


    Nobody was fighting; to Ken''s surprise, multiple groups of cultivators stood on the water near the library, surrounding it as if they were guards hired to block entrance to the ce.


    "Kid, go away. This ce is guarded and taken by our Infinite Wisdom Sect, and only members of the sect are allowed to enter."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    One of the patrolling groups approached him and tried to shoo him away.


    ''It must be because of the knowledge stored inside. The Infinite Wisdom Sect enjoys nearly a monopoly on the market of craftmanship, and if the other sects gain too much information here, they might lose this edge. Their elders must have instructed them to search for the library beforehand.''


    After learning that the supreme elders of the Bloodthirst Sect were members of the righteous sects, he knew the sects must be aware of it as well since it was impossible for them not to notice their ninth-stage elders disappear on the same day as the evil cultivators.


    "What if I want to enter?" Ken asked the leader of the group that approached him.


    "Then you can die here." Was the answer he received, and he knew that it was the only result if he tried to battle against a hundred Nascent Soul cultivators simultaneously.


    However, this group only had 4 members, and only the leader was in the intermediate phase of his stage while the others were weaker. He revealed his fourth-stage aura, exposing his lower stage.


    "Haha kid, I take it back. You can stay since I will probably kill you anyway, even if I only get a few BP, I don''t look a gift horse in the mouth!"


    The manughed and lowered his guard. He thought Ken messed up by showing his stage.


    ''One Step.''


    ''sh Unwind.''


    Ken''s speed crossed beyond stages, and his mastery over Heaven-grade techniques was overwhelming. With a swift strike of his sword, he killed the three subordinates and left a dangerous-looking cut on the leader''s throat who managed to push himself back in thest moment.


    "Aaa!"


    The man tried to speak, but his vocal cords were cut, and nothing came out of his mouth other than the blood that kept flowing. He threw to the air a round object as he disengaged Ken.


    *BOOM!*


    The st pulled everyone''s attention to the noise, resulting in everyone seeing Ken attacking the wounded man again and putting an end to his life.


    "Someone tries to cross, kill him!"


    A chase soon started, and Ken ran on theke by coating his feet with Qi, trying to cross it. Many disciples wereing to intercept him. Ken''s focus remained sharp, and he never let his chasers surround him.


    Slowly, the crowd of people trying to catch him off guard was increasing by the second until most of the disciples positioned to guard the ce were chasing him, and he was forced to retreat to the other side of the canal, back to where he started.


    Before he could slip out, he found himselfpletely encircled with nowhere to escape. If only his sneering enemies saw his smile under the mask, they''d certainly be bewildered.


    ''Now!''

 Chapter 167 167 – Entering The Library

    ?


    When Ken saw that the library was guarded by a hundred Nascent Soul cultivators ranging from the low phase to the peak phase, he started forming a n to get past them and enter the ce.


    As soon as he saw the approaching guards, an idea hatched in his mind, and he carried it right away. By killing the 3 guards but leaving one alive, he allowed him to call for help and pull everyone''s attention to him.


    While both the guard who called for help and the guards hearing this call thought Ken failed, they fell into his trap. The guard was acting as a messenger for him.


    He then stepped into the water and ran toward the center, making the cultivators from the Infinite Wisdom Sect think he was trying to force his way with a straight charge while dodging iing attacks and maneuvering between their techniques.


    Even as chaos ensued around him, he kept track of his surroundings. Aware of everyone''s positioning in his vicinity, he manipted them to chase after him while always leaving one open spot for himself to run off to.


    This way, he managed to pull more and more chasers, drawing additional cultivators to the growing mess. Although he was forced to retreat to the other side of the canal, it was all part of his n; it wasn''t a setback, he simply lured them there.


    "Kid, remove your mask, and let us see your face before we kill you."


    One of the cultivators said with a smug voice. They were over 50 Nascent Soul cultivators besieging a single Core Formation cultivator, it was unthinkable that he would survive the ordeal.


    "Haha, we should capture him alive! It might be the same masked kid who killed the cultivators from the Four Seasons Sect; we can make easy money by selling him."


    However, Ken had other ns on his mind.


    ''Now.''


    Ken grinned slyly beneath his mask and summoned an object he won as a reward before. It was the Escape Token, and it allowed him to teleport anywhere in the secret realm.


    Ken didn''t know what the library looked like from the inside, so he couldn''t teleport directly inside, but he could see the area around the entrance with his eyes. Now that their defenses were spread thin as over half of them joined the chase, there was only a single peak Nascent Soul cultivator guarding the door, while the others were away.


    "Something is wrong!"


    A shout was heard, and in the next moment, Ken disappeared from the encirclement with a sh of light. He just had to channel his Qi into the token while concentrating on the ce he wanted to teleport to. If he didn''t have a specific ce in mind, he''d be teleported away randomly.


    Ken appeared 1 meter away from the library, his body facing the peak Nascent Soul cultivator directly.


    ''Mind-Poisoning Domain ¨C Paralyzing Mode.''


    ''Snake Thrust.''


    Ken thrust his sword in aplicated twist, and his surprised opponent tried to re his aura to burden Ken with the pressure of facing a cultivator from a higher stage, but his pressure was swallowed by Ken''s threatening bloodlust.


    The boy used his soul to perform the Domain for a short moment, making his enemy''s movements sluggish as he lost control of his body for a moment because of the intense menacing sensation. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    The cultivator felt the air thickening and he saw himself get stabbed, sliced and killed multiple times by an ethereal figure of the masked kid in front of him.


    The guard was a full stage higher than Ken, and he could resist the illusion that terrorized his mind and flooded it with fear. He reacted as well as he could in an attempt to block the flexible sword, but as a cultivator from the Infinite Wisdom Sect, fighting wasn''t his forte.


    He used his saber to protect himself with a technique of his own, but all his saber met was a phantom sword. Before he understood what happened, tworge holes were opened in his chest, piercing his heart and lungs.


    ''Being subjected to two illusions simultaneously is truly hard to counter. Anyway, I have plenty of time until theye here. They probably didn''t even notice I''m here-''


    "HE IS NEXT TO THE ENTRANCE, HE IS GOING INSIDE!"


    Someone bellowed at the top of their lungs. While everyone was confused, there was one guard that nced toward the entrance and bore witness to the short exchange that happened there.


    ''I guess they did notice now. But it''s toote, the closest person would take three seconds to reach my location.''


    For cultivators in their stage, three seconds were more than enough to cross a single meter.


    He walked to the door and turned around to look at his chasers. He raised his mask slightly with his hand, just enough to show his mouth, and shed a big smile at the auburn robes wearing disciples before walking inside.


    Thest thing those disciples saw was the childish grin with one still missing canine tooth due to Ken''s natural growth process. If he remained behind for a moment, he''d see nearly a hundred cultivators looking in his direction with dumbfounded expressions.


    "He is the Devil''s Heir. There can''t be two powerful children wearing masks that use a flexible sword. I can see why the Four Seasons Sect hates him."


    Someone mumbled, earning everyone''s spiteful gazes for voicing the obvious. Each of those characteristics was unique andbined, only one person could fit the description.


    ---------


    "Wee to the Library of Eternal Wisdom."


    Ken heard the familiar voice that has been following him throughout his whole trip in the secret realm.


    "I have two tokens, any chance I''m eligible to skip two challenges now?"


    "Indeed, you may enter the final challenge right away. Let me warn you, Elder Galen has high standards, and you will have to pass a difficult test of craftsmanship."


    "Oh."


    Ken answered with a single syble; he was confident when it came to studying.

 Chapter 168 168 – Challenge Of Comprehension And Integration 1/3

    ?


    "Just pass through that door to get straight into the final challenge."


    The voice guided Ken, and as soon as thetter passed through the door, he could sense the vague activity of the formations in the room with his Runic Qi.


    He was learning the mechanisms of the formations ever since he entered. Although they were seventh-rank or even eighth-rank, his understanding of the specific formations increased as they were the same in all buildings, and he did his best to spread his Runic Qi whenever he could to probe them.


    As Ken expected, his location was shifted, and he was taken to another room than the one naturally attached to the door he passed through.


    "Wee to the final challenge of the Library of Eternal Wisdom-"


    "Did the elder order you to mention its name all the time?"


    "Yes."


    There was an awkward silence for a moment before Ken broke it.


    "It''s a good name, he has a good taste."


    "Right. Anyway, wee to the Challenge of Comprehension. Choose your craft."


    "Formations and pills."


    Ken answered without hesitation. He wanted to figure out the formations of the ce and this would be a great chance, as he would be presented with even more examples for his research. As for pills, if he had a chance to learn, he wouldn''t decline it. He assumed the prizes, in the end, will be corrtive with his choices.


    "Two professions picked, initiating special challenge ¨C Challenge of Comprehension and Integration."


    The voice spoke and revealed the hidden mechanism of the challenges. Galen practiced two crafts himself, and it made sense he wanted an inheritor that could replicate his achievements.


    "You will be taught the self-created alchemy technique Automatic Manufacturing, created by Elder Galen himself. When the sect had to provide pills for many disciples with Elder Galen as the only alchemist, he created this technique to allow himself to concoct many pills simultaneously by integrating his knowledge from Formation Mastery and Alchemy."


    The voice exined the glorious past of the technique. Ken found himself deeply impressed by the creativity of the idea; if he had this technique, he''d be able to save a lot of time back in the Phoenix Feather Sect when he concocted the contaminated pills for the top sects 9 hours every day.


    It didn''t mean that Ken couldn''t create a simr solution by himself; he was only 8 years old and was learning many things simultaneously while dealing with plenty of difficult circumstances. He simply didn''t live long enough yet and he always had too much on his te.


    "The technique relies on formations. You stand in the central formation while there are four smaller formations around you, arranged in cardinal directions ¨C north, south, west, and east. You must be the one to create all the formations so they will use your Qi asmon ground when you concoct medicine pills."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    The voice exined to Ken. However, it didn''t sound coherent as a teacher. Instead, it sounded like it was reading clumsily something it didn''t understand. It was confident when it talked about the formations at first, but it became hesitant when Alchemy was involved.


    ''That''s interesting. I was wondering whose voice it was the whole time. However, no elder should be able to understand formations except for Galen, but thetter should also be well-versed in Alchemy. It means this consciousness belongs to someone else.''


    Ken pondered on the issue of who was the voice''s owners as he listened to the exnation.


    "Overall, there are five formations ¨C the central one where you will be seated, and four more where you will ce four additional cauldrons. While being connected to the formation, everything you do in the main cauldron will be duplicated by the others. Of course, there are limitations and pills of higher grades might fail."


    "I see. How will you teach me the formations?"


    "First, you have 30 minutes to review the formations by reading this book."


    A thin book of 30-40 pages floated toward Ken from one of the shelves inside the room. He noticed that all rooms he visited so far had at least one bookcase filled with books as if the designer found it important for the library theme of the building.


    "And then?"


    "Then you will have 5 hours toplete the formations. During those five hours, you will be able to watch a phantom formation master arranging those formations for as long as you want. However, during the time you use to watch the master at work, the clock will keep ticking."


    Ken nodded confidently; after all, he never needed to watch more than once. If he still was unsure of something, he could just review the relevant part in his mind, which was much faster than reying it in reality.


    "Don''t feel down if you fail Galen''s challenge. With two Inheritor Tokens, you are safe from getting killed in the challenges. You still might get killed by others, but not by the secret realm''s mechanism anymore. Since the elders could never agree on one inheritor, the rule they set was that one would be the inheritor once they held four tokens."


    The voice spoke with sympathy in its voice. It thought Ken took a challenge beyond his abilities, and it was natural to think this way. Although it didn''t know the child''s real age, it was sure he wasn''t even twenty, and Galen''s tests were meant for fifth-rank artisans.


    The special challenge for dual artisans, although still within the realm of the fifth rank, was even harder than the others, and it didn''t believe that Ken was talented enough to pass it.


    "Don''t worry about me. I will start reading then."


    Ken started reading the book quickly. He first registered it in his mind by "snapshotting" it with a nce, then read it in meditation. He preferred doing it this way because reading from memory was much faster than doing it from a book.


    ''I''m ready, but there are still 20 minutes left. Let''s save some of those books in my memory.''


    Ken stared at the bookshelves greedily.

 Chapter 169 169 – Challenge Of Comprehension And Integration 2/3

    ?


    "Hey, you shouldn''t give up on the challenge so quickly, or it will leave a bad impression on Elder Galen. If you at least try, he''d respect it more."


    The voice spoke when it saw Ken leave the book and his meditation and go to read other books from the library instead.


    "It''s fine."


    "Really? Then let''s move on to the next part of the challenge."


    "No, I deserve 20 more minutes, so we will wait. Now stop bothering me, you''re ruining my concentration."


    Ken''s words irked the voice that seemingly came from nowhere specific but from everywhere at the same time.


    "Those 20 minutes are meant to learn the RELEVANT formation, not random books you found in the test room!"


    "It''s just my way to concentrate. You know how you just let something go and think of other things, and that''s when you''re suddenly enlightened on the former topic? That''s what I''m trying to achieve."


    Ken spoke some bullshit to make whoever owned the voice get off his back, and sunk back into the world of knowledge written in the books in front of him.


    "Twenty minutes passed, you may start arranging the formations now. To watch the process of the elder arranging the formation, just ask for it out loud. The relevant materials are behind you."


    "Please do."


    Ken watched patiently the whole "video" as he perceived the illusion of the elder. It took Galen of the illusion 30 minutes to set up the whole thing, and now Ken had 2 hours and a half left.


    He already grasped enough of the techniques Galen used to be confident enough to sessfully arrange the formation.


    "You''re sure patient. It''d be smarter to watch only part of the illusion and start working since it''s difficult to precisely remember all the small details."


    The voice remarked, sharing its unappreciated opinion with Ken.


    "What do you know? You''re not even a Formation Master."


    "Hmph, anyone would have to pay a hefty price if they wanted me to arrange a formation for them."


    "Nobody would pay some shameless unknown cultivator that tries to praise himself."


    "Unknown? Shameless? I was renowned as a great Formation Grandmaster. I was even better than Elder Galen!"


    "Right."


    Ken stopped the banter and thought about the information he managed to fish out of the voice. He knew now for sure that the voice didn''t belong to Galen, and since it belonged to a Formation Grandmaster, it means it wasn''t any of the other elders either, as the first elder he met told him that there was only one artisan among them.


    Ken continued to take the first set of materials required for the central formation. Only afterying it down so it can act as a base and foundation for the next formations, could Ken start working on the side ones.


    He first used a simple water technique to wash the floor from dust or anything else that mightpromise the formation. Most formation masters were toozy to do it since it didn''t affect their formations 99.99% of the time, but Ken''s suspicious nature made him believe that the 0.01% time will happen to him.


    "Good call. Elder Galen dislikes sloppy people, so he spread dust made of a 7th-grade Aerin Gem on the ground. It''s a turquoise gem and its dust gets washed easily with water."


    This challenge included "integration", and Ken already figured out why when he read the book describing the formation. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Most formations used the materials as they were, and the main difficultiesy in bncing the Qi stream that flowed inside the formation until it activated and in drawing the necessary runes. In contrast, this formation required the usage of Alchemy practices.


    Ken extracted the essence of the gems he needed for the formation and imbued them into the runes he drew simultaneously. After finishing, he arranged the woods and Qi Stones around the central part of the formation; the first were meant to boost the heart of the formation while thetter provided it with Qi.


    It took him 30 minutes toy down the formation neatly, and he had to correct his work a few times as he recalled the exact position of every ingredient in the formation the elder made before.


    ''Now it''s time to work on the side formations, let''s begin with the one to the east.''


    Ken thought to himself as he looked at his work with satisfaction as he went to pick up the materials he needed for the next formation.


    "Good job, I didn''t expect you to seed. It only gets moreplicated now since one mistake might cause the whole thing to copse, forcing you to start from the beginning."


    Although it showed appreciation for Ken''s talent, it still didn''t believe in the child''s abilities. The difficulty was only going to rise as Ken added more formations to the equation. And like it warned Ken, one mistake in the final steps will ruin everything he had worked for, leaving him without enough time to restart.


    Ken, however, simply shrugged and got back to work. Heprehended the way those materials interacted with each other already, so he only needed to avoid making dangerous mistakes. By knowing what wouldn''t be too dangerous to try, he had more room to maneuver his attempts.


    The next formations were smaller, hence also took less time to build. Ken worked with ultimate focus, following the n step by step. Within 15 minutes, the second formation was set to go, working perfectly.


    The burden increased now that he worked on the next formation; he had to keep channeling his Qi into the eastern formation all the time until he finished building the western one to bnce it.


    The western formation was an exact reflection of the eastern one; Ken had to build it the same but mirrored. He worked hard on it without stopping his Qi from maintaining the previous formation even for a slight moment.


    ''Huh, finally finished, now it''s time for the other two.''


    Ken sighed in relief when he finished building the formation and could stop channeling his Qi as they were now bncing each other from opposite directions.


    He did notice the hardest part of the construction of the formations; after activating the northern formation, the delicate bnce would be thrown off, and he would have to support three small formations simultaneously while he worked on the fourth one.


    ''This formation must be impossible to construct for any normal fifth-rank formation master unless they''re a powerful sixth-stage cultivator and their mind was improved and enhanced.''


    Ken concluded as he worked on the northern formation. This one was slightly different from the eastern one, but after constructing the other two, he could work faster and more confidently. It only took him 12 minutes to finish it, and now he stood in front of the hardest part.


    ''Luckily, my working memory is already strong enough to hold enough information in it without getting confused, so I shouldn''t have a problem pulling it off.''


    Ken thought to himself as he started working on the southern formation. Sweat dripped down his forehead and temples, but he ignored everything as he worked with utmost concentration.


    -----------


    At the same time, everyone in the secret realm raised their heads and listened to the announcement of the mysterious voice.


    "Webnovel has added a new feature, and now you can vote for characters once a day as well as gift them. Don''t forget to gift Ken or any other character you like!"


    ''Hmph, they''re going to simp for me.'' Tiara thought to herself when she heard the voice assuming people will prefer a ruthless child over a stunning ice beauty.


    ''I''m definitely the best one here. Vote for me, readers!'' Ken red his bloodlust, hinting at the readers what might if they choose wrong.


    "By the way, you might have to update your Webnovel app to see the new feature!"

 Chapter 170 170 – Challenge Of Comprehension And Integration 3/3

    ?


    Ken channeled his Qi into the threepleted formations as he worked on the fourth one. Luckily, the central formation wasplete and stable as it was, so he didn''t need to invest extra effort to maintain it as well.


    ''Can this kid really seed?'' The voice pondered inwardly as it watched Ken and awaited him to falter and fail. It knew it couldn''t talk while Ken was already multitasking.


    Condensing the fifth-grade Red Moonstone gem into essence, he guided it to where the southern formation was meant to be constructed. His core churned as it brought out arge amount of Qi to support so many activities simultaneously, and luckily, Ken''s core was powerful enough.


    He drew therge runes without a break until he was finally done, and eventually, the formation waspleted. Standing in the center, he felt a strong sense of satisfaction wash over him as he looked at theplicated formations interwoven one into another.


    "Great job, I''m surprised you''ve managed to finish on time. Now we need to test whether the formation works or not, and this will be the final part of the challenge. The formation''s limitation is dealing with fifth-grade materials; thus, you must concoct a fifth-grade pill to show you''ve replicated the formation perfectly. The specific pill is up to you."


    Ken sat down as soon as the voice finished giving him instructions and pulled toward himself a few materials. Many types of herbs, animal parts, and other ingredients appeared in the room while the voice talked earlier.


    ''I will go with a Soul Constructor Pill.''


    It was one of the popr pills among fifth-stage cultivators as well as those at the peak of the Core Formation stage. They were meant to help one construct or enhance their Nascent Soul and stimte their advancement.


    Many fifth-grade materials could affect one''s soul, and he had arge variety to choose from in the test room.


    The young boy ced a set of ingredients in front of each cauldron and took a deep breath before starting.


    He began by separating the flowers very carefully; he had to use only very specific parts of them, and even the petals had to be cut with precision. Once he had in hand only the materials he needed, the young alchemist started the condensing process.


    He could sense all his actions being mirrored in the other formations, showing it was working fine.


    Ken condensed those parts into essences with his Qi, destroying the material parts and effectively extracting the essences. He repeated this process several times until all the essences he needed were floating in front of him outside the cauldron.


    ''Andbine!''


    Ken worked onbining everything into onerge pool of medicinal energy, which wouldter be refined inside the cauldron and be a pill. Everything worked smoothly so far, but now things got shaky.


    The smaller formations were trembling under pressure as they were facing hardships copying those delicate movements perfectly, and Ken was starting to lose control.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Ken clenched his teeth and scanned the ce with his Alchemy Qi and Runic Qi. Finding the defects that caused the malfunction, he quickly channeled Qi there, moving the woods and even rewriting a few runes.


    He perspired in his whole body from the exertion; now he was holding four formations and 5 pill mixes forcibly while working on four different formations at the same time. He recalled elder Galen''s figure work on the formations and did his best to locate anything that might not be a perfect replication as he thought at first.


    ''Done!''


    Ken managed to restore bnce to his formations, and everything stabilized in a calming manner. Heaving a long sigh of relief, hepleted the concoction by controlling the fire in his cauldron skillfully and coated the five pills with Qi, overseeing the procedure to thest detail.


    "Five pills came out, you''ve done great. One pill with no impurities at all while the rest are 95% pure. Elder Galen''s standards were 100% purity for the main cauldron and 90% purity for the rest, so you passed with flying colors. Congrattions on clearing the Challenge of Comprehension and Integration. You may now approach the reward."


    The voice congratted Ken on his victory and three pedestals emerged from the floor. Ken didn''t even nce at the middle one since he knew what awaited him there, it was the Inheritor Token which would allow him to talk to Elder Galen.


    Going to the right reward, he found it was another token. It wasbeled as a "Library Token", and it did exactly what its name implies.


    "It gives you free ess to the library. The library was meant for the education of the evil cultivators who were members of the sect, and it includes knowledge on every second profession to the eighth rank. Unfortunately, as you are under the sixth rank, you will have to learn them all manually. Only sixth-stage cultivators can go through transmitting knowledge."


    Helpful as always, the familiar voice exined to Ken about the use of the token.


    "So I have less than two months to read all this? I will never make it; can I take the books with me?"


    "Those books don''t really exist; they are only an illusion made from Elder Galen''s memory and mine. Their content is real, but the books will disappear once they are brought out of the formations. The secret realm will copse in two months from now."


    Ken''s time was limited, and he didn''t have the luxury of reading everything. He sighed as he realized he would only be able to memorize the contents of the fifth and sixth ranks before having to move on to the next challenge. The elders of the Bloodthirst Sect would never allow him to skip on bing the inheritor at this point.


    Checking the prize on the left, he found arge, fancy cauldron. Argebel stated its name was "The Golden Sun Cauldron", referring to its golden color that seemed to glitter.


    ''The price is insane!''

 Chapter 171 171 – Tiaras Past

    ?


    "Wee to the Mystic Chasm of Ice. Venture through its trials to im the rewards and inherit our sect''s esteemed Ice legacy, or face the dire consequences. Beware, the perils extend beyond the trials alone; you may bepelled to battle other contenders. Embrace the challenge, for within this chasm, your destiny shall be forged."


    Tiara heard the old good voice speak, weing her to the Ice Chasm. The ce was cold, brimming with rich Ice Qi. Tiara didn''t know it, but she was lucky to have Ken''s support; he killed everyone who approached the Ice Chasm and the Lightning Chasm to aid Tiara and ric respectively.


    The ice princess looked around her, taking in the view. The stone walls were covered in a thickyer of ice, and the floor was slippery and difficult to walk on. She had to cover her feet with a thinyer of Ice Qi to allow herself to walk normally.


    The tunnel was long and cold, and the water vapor in the air made it harder to see. After walking for a while, she finally made it to arge building shaped like a dome and entirely built of ice.


    "I would wait if I were you."


    Tiara heard the voice talk to her. She never knew where it wasing from, so she simply answered as if a person stood in front of her.


    "Why is that?"


    "Because a fifth-stage cultivator is going through that challenge right now. The tests are impartial, but it would be unfair if you went through the same challenge as him. Wait for him to finish, and the room will be adjusted to your stage. Of course, if someone of a higher stagees while you''re in, you will find yourself in trouble."


    Tiara simply nodded and sat down on the cold ice. She could feel the Ice Qi around her, and it was a good ce to keep working on creating her Nascent Soul.


    She reminisced about how Ken provided her with an upgraded edition of her manual, continually refining and customizing it to perfection.


    ''I was skeptical at first, but he did a great job. I nned on separating from him once I''m officially a disciple of the Serene Lotus Sect, but not anymore. If he can achieve so much by the age of 8, the benefits I can acquire by remaining by his side will only grow in the future.''


    Tiara thought to herself as she remembered the beautiful young child. Despite her usual indifference, even she had to admit that the nickname Forbidden Fruit was spot on.


    While using the Ice Qi and Saber Qi of her core to construct her Nascent Soul step by step, she remembered her past in the Phoenix Feather Sect.


    ------------


    "Remember, our n is declining because we''ve been too lenient with our children, causing them to bezy in their cultivation and turning weak. We won''t let the new generation be useless too."


    It was a scene of an old woman scolding a kneeling couple while holding the hand of a crying young girl. The child was only 6 years old, and she was extremely anxious about being separated forcibly from her parents. However, the old woman turned a cold shoulder to her plight and only looked down at the begging couple with disdain.


    "Ancestor, please have mercy! Don''t take our child from us! We will be rough with her and never allow her to ck off in her training!"


    "What can waste like you even do for her if I let you teach her? Are you saying you can guide her better than me, a peak seventh-stage cultivator?"<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    A cold aura burst out of the old woman''s body, and the couple on the floor were coated in a thinyer of ice as their teeth chattering so loud everyone heard it in the silent room. In their frozen state, they couldn''t even beg anymore.


    "Hmph, the saying ''Prosperity won''tst for more than three generations'' is true. How can my great-grandchildren be so weak?" (1)


    The woman snorted in disgust. The couple was over 100 years old, and they were still in the fourth stage. She med herself and the ones of her generation for allowing the young masters and mistresses to y around and rely on their statuses for power instead of forcing them to work hard.


    "Tiara,e with me. Grandma will make sure you shall never end up as useless as your parents and grandparents."


    "I don''t want to! I want to stay with Mom and Dad!"


    The girl screamed in panic, but her ancestor''s grip was too strong, and she was helpless against it.


    "In your generation, our family will go back to the top. Don''t worry child, I will take good care of you. You can call me Grandmother or Grandma."


    She heard her grandmother say with determination and conviction as she was dragged after her. The ancestor, also known as Naomi, forced the young girl to study and practice fighting with the saber until she was 10.


    When Tiara turned 10, she was given the pill version of the Body Tempering Liquid and Naomi guided her on the procedure of strengthening her body. She already memorized the whole manual when she was nine, but her grandmother didn''t risk her making any mistakes.


    She passed the next years cultivating on ice tforms half naked, only to get ustomed to the coldness which would allow herter to develop Ice Qi better.


    She was brought to the verge of death multiple times, but Naomi always kept guard. Whenever it turned too dangerous, the old woman would dispel the coldness and feed her with expensive healing pills.


    As time passed, the young child only developed a strong hatred for the woman who forced her to suffer every day and never allowed her to meet with her parents. She worked hard to be stronger only so she could be freed from Naomi''s grip as soon as possible.


    ---------------


    A/N: (1) Prosperity won''tst for longer than three generations ¨C wealth will be squandered byzy descendants.


    Enjoying the story? want to support the author? can send donations on the link pay-pal.me/railvas.


    Just remove the ''-'', it''s there to bypass the censorship, and I will remove this message in an hour or two.

 Chapter 172 172 – Challenge Of Frost

    ?


    "Remember, our n is turning weak, and it won''t remain one of the elite ns when the members of my generation die. I''m 600 years old now and only have 300-400 years left to live. The future of our n and family is on your shoulders; you can''t be a useless pig like your parents."


    Naomi would often say those words to her granddaughter. To be precise, Tiara was her great-great-granddaughter, but to simplify things they just called each other a grandmother and a granddaughter. Naomi''s ultimate goal was to save her n from falling from grace after her death.


    Tiara would hear almost every day about how she had to save the family as if she was the only descendant alive. Of course, it wasn''t true. Naomi''s actions were part of a n of the older generation to save the n. Each elder of the seventh stage or eighth stage took one child from their parents and groomed them.


    However, the children were always under extreme pressure and a tough training regime, and many of them developed twisted personalities and kinks as they grew up. Many took pleasure in taking out their frustrations and pent-up tension on their servants or themon disciples, worsening their n''s name further.


    The cier n was famous in the Phoenix Feather Sect, and one could discern their descendants by the Longma embroidery on their robes. A tall ice sculpture of the majestic dragonized horse was even exhibited at the entrance to their territory, maintained by the formation underneath it. (1)


    However, the cier n lost a lot ofpetitions and skirmishes with the other elite ns, which caused them to lose their control over different businesses and territories, all because theirst 3 generations were too weak. They only had two strong generations alive, and one of them was already old while the other only had 200-300 years left, which wasn''t a long period of time for cultivators.


    Tiara cier hated her grandmother for separating her from her family, but it didn''t take long for that hatred to generalize, and she developed a new sense of scorn for her parents for their weakness. They were too weak, and they were to me for their incapability to keep her by their side.


    ''I will be nothing like those trash parents, and I will get free of my grandmother''s control. Once I stand on my own, I will only do what benefits myself, and abandon this useless n.''


    Tiara''s mind kept repeating those words as she trained diligently. She learned how to lie to make her grandmother satisfied, how to cheat to gain more resources, and how to be ruthless when dealing withpetitors. The young girl never cared about how much others gained; she only cared about gaining the most she could.


    She waspetitive in the sense she wanted the most, but not in the sense she was concerned with whether others got more or less. She simply didn''t care about others and turned more and more self-centered as time passed.


    -----------


    "The challenge room is cleared now. You can take the test now, I hope for your sake that a stronger challenger will not arrive or you will have to face a worse challenge."


    The voice woke up the young woman from her stupor, and she opened her eyes as she stored her iplete Nascent Soul back into her core and got up on her feet to enter the door in front of her. Nobody else entered the Ice Chasm while she waited, so she was still alone.


    Pushing the door open, she found herself at the entrance of a frozen room where the Ice Qi was so dense, she thought her saliva would crystalize if she opened her mouth.


    "Wee to the Challenge of Frost. Your task is simple; you only need to cross the room and get out of the other door to pass and win rewards."


    The coldness engulfed the woman the moment she entered the room, and she hurriedly put a barrier of Ice Qi around her body to fight the iing frost.


    ''I guess those guys didn''t make it.''


    Tiara thought to herself as she saw frozen corpses of men and women on the path to the next door when she looked around the room.


    She could tell where thest challenger arrived by the trail of bodies that seemed to have been swept to the sides, and she knew that the first corpse in her way was the previous challenger, a woman wearing the green robes of the Serene Lotus Sect.


    Tiara walked in a straight line to the room decisively, ignoring the coldness that tried to bite her skin under the robes. It felt like the robes offered zero istion, and everything depended on her skills with Ice Qi maniption.


    The room wasrge and spacious with each wall being around 30 meters long. She wanted to sprint and cross it instantly, but as soon as she crouched, strong pressure was released from somewhere and she could barely remain standing.


    ''I guess running is forbidden here. Makes sense; the room would have to be much longer if they wanted us to experience the cold while running.''


    Giving up on running, she shortly arrived at the 15 meters mark, crossing half of the room. Once she passed that spot, the chill turned stronger, causing her teeth to chatter and her body to tremble from the cold, reactions she hadn''t shown in more than a decade.


    However, it didn''t bother her. Her proficiency with Ice Qi maniption was much above average thanks to the intense training she went through as a child, and her affinity with frost was high. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    After moving 5 more meters, she passed the first corpse in the room, indicating the worse score anyone ever got in this challenge - 20 meters. Without even ncing at the identity of the person, the ice princess kept marching forward with determination.


    Upon reaching the 22.5 meters mark, thinyers of ice began to form on her skin, breaking in every movement. She had to make sure her whole body moved and twisted enough to break the ice all the time, lest the ice will umte on the stiffer parts.


    Tiara wanted ess to her storage ring so badly; she had three Heating Pills gifted to her by Ken, and their effect was the opposite of Chill Pills ¨C they kept the body warm in cold environments. Sadly, she couldn''t interact with the space inside her ring, meaning it was blocked by the trial.


    The female contender had only 3 more meters to pass, but the cold got much worse. She could feel the chill permeate into her bones, seemingly attempting to turn her into another ice sculpture and add her to the horrifying collection of failed disciples.


    ''I went through much worse ever since I was a child!''


    Tiara gritted her teeth as she recalled the memories of her childhood, forced to sit in pools of ice or suffocated by her grandmother''s Ice Qi for hours only to get used to the frost. She finally reached the body of the former challenger at the 28 meters mark.


    ''I will leave those failures behind. I''m different than my parents; I''m not a failure! I never lose!''


    She raised her leg with difficulty and kicked the frozen body to the side. She didn''t care about respecting the dead; she only wanted to get out of the hellish cold. Since the corpses were in her way, she only perceived them as obstacles she had to ovee.


    She fell on her fours, and her palms suffered from frostbite. Without giving up, she crawled through thest meter, ignoring the painful chilliness that pervaded her every limb and bone.


    Opening the door with a weak push, just enough to pass through, she crawled her way out on her stomach with her barely functioning muscles.


    "Congrattion on passing the Challenge of Frost, you may now pick your rewards."


    Tiara desperately reached into her storage ring and consumed a Heating Pill as soon as she noticed the restrictions were gone.


    "Huhh..."


    Tiara heaved a sigh of relief as a wave of heat washed over her body, cleansing it from the cold that was almost attached to her cells now. The Heating Pill did wonders for her body, and as fifth-grade pills, they easily defrosted the ice.


    Getting up from the ground, an idea came to her mind. She wondered if she could return now to the previous room.


    "Can I enter the previous room again?"


    "Yes, but the cold will remain the same," the voice said knowingly. Tiara wasn''t the first one to think of this idea, and a few already did it before.


    "I will do it."


    She had nothing to fear now. Even if the trial didn''t allow using the aid of pills, she already cleared it, so there was no reason for it to give her trouble over her reliance on the Heating Pills.


    She entered the room and began plundering the corpses, absorbing the BP of every corpse that still had it on. She could easily discern those that were already ransacked since they had no storage rings, so there was no point in searching for the Blood Token in their clothes.


    After scoring a value of 135,000 BP, she left the room again to check out the rewards. Her visit in the room was much easier now with the support of the pills and offered only a little challenge.


    -------


    A/N: (1) Longma ¨C a mythological creature from the Chinese culture. Long = dragon and ma = horse. It''s basically a superhorse with some dragon features.

 Chapter 173 173 – Learning From The Library

    ''It''s time to process everything I ced in my mind now.''


    Ken thought to himself as he got up and stretched. He had spent a whole month reading books about fifth and sixth-rank ingredients, techniques, pills, and formations. He hoped he''d have time to learn Runology, but he had to focus on the two topics with immediate practical uses.


    ''Galen was a bit haughty, but he wasn''t that hard to talk to. It''s probably because he acknowledged my talent after I passed his test.''


    -------------


    A month ago:


    ''This price is crazy!''


    Ken sighed and paid a million BP for a single cauldron. No matter how high the price was, keeping the BP which would turn irrelevant soon when he gets out of the secret realm would be stupid, so he just spent it and got what he wanted.


    It was an eighth-grade cauldron, and Ken would use it long until he became a ninth-rank alchemist.


    "Hello Inheritor, I''m Elder Galen of the Bloodthirst Sect. I can feel you already own two tokens, so you are probably aware that the elders, including myself, came from the top righteous sects. I used to be one of the supreme elders of the Infinite Wisdom Sect."


    Ken heard the young voice of a child after he imprinted the Inheritor Token with his Qi.


    "Ken Sue pays respect to Elder Galen."


    Ken cupped his fist and bowed deeply, showing respect. He judged Galen''s character as one that pursues awe and esteem, prompting him to feed the elder with those.


    "You are good-mannered, I can appreciate it."


    The child-elder said with a haughty countenance. Ken was somewhat surprised to see the elder taking the form of a child, but he didn''t let it show on his face.


    "Elder Galen, we have only so much time together, and I would never get to meet someone with profound knowledge like yours before I ascend in Horse month of the Monkey year. Please, clear my doubts on Formation Mastery." (1)


    "Haha, no problem, no problem. I like ambitious children; only with ambition one can get far. I''m impressed by how young you are, yet you already cultivate and study so diligently."


    "A clumsy bird has to start flying early" (2)


    "A bird that passed my test can never be clumsy. So, what are your doubts?"


    Ken smiled and asked his question. Although he didn''t know the answer, he didn''t ask to learn but to probe.


    "Thank you for the opportunity, it''s regarding the eighth-rank formations I ran into in the challenges before, they must have been set by you. How do they make the buildings so much bigger from the inside than they are when you see them from the outside?"


    "Oh, those are great formations indeed. However, we don''t have time to delve into the mysteries of eighth-rank formations now. Don''t try to bite more than you can chew; you will learn nothing if you try to jump so many ranks at once."


    "I see, but even if you can teach me a small part of their mechanism to broaden my horizons, I''m sure I will benefit a lot from it."


    "Of course, of course. Hmm¡­ how should I exin it in a simple way someone at your rank can understand¡­ so there are runes that affect the space inside and distort it to make the ce bigger. You know, somewhat like how storage rings work."


    Ken smiled with an admiring gaze and nodded with every word the other boy said as if he was being exposed to the secrets of the universe with every sentence.


    "But now enough with that, let''s talk about Alchemy instead. Do you practice Runology?"


    Elder Galen desperately changed the subject and talked about other topics.


    ''It seems that the voice was speaking the truth and it is a better formation master than Galen. It must mean that the stronger formations here were constructed by whoever owns that voice, and not by Galen. His main professions are Alchemy and Runology, not Formation Mastery.''


    Ken confirmed his suspicions, so he had no reason to keep forcing the elder to talk about formations. Ken knew that Galen is still a better formation master than the current him, but his expertise there wasn''t as deep andprehensive as it was in the other two subjects.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    The two chatted for an hour with Ken asking questions about Alchemy and the elder answering. He asked many questions about mind maniption and mind protection, and he could see that Galen was getting ufortable.


    "I will dissipate soon. Let me offer you some advice; you''ve lost a lot of opportunities by choosing the sites in the wrong order. You should''ve gone first to the Resident of a Buddha and a Demon, it''s the most important ce for mortal cultivators in this realm."


    Ken found it hard to believe that the proud alchemist and runologist will admit that something was more important than his dear library. With that in mind, the young child sat down to browse the books, finding out as much as he could about the mind and soul.


    -----------


    ''It''s time to process everything I ced in my mind now.''


    Ken sat down after stretching himself and getting a good night''s sleep. He read a lot during thatst month, and now he had to remove the useless parts and conclude new theories and truths from the knowledge he umted.


    "Hey voice, does the library have formations that speed up thinking?"


    "Yes, but you should go to the Residence of a Buddha and a Demon. Why note back after you''re done there if you have four tokens?"


    "It''s fine, the challenges only take a couple of days, so I will have more than enough time to go through the remaining four challenges in thest two weeks. I promise to go to that inheritance ground as soon as I finish learning here."


    Ken gave a reasonable exnation to make the voice get off his back and it seemed to work.


    "All right, enter the portal to reach the Mind Boosting Formation. It will speed up your thinking process, but it can''t make you smarter."


    A portal opened in front of Ken, and the young boy stepped into it, disappearing from the previous room. When he came out of the portal, he found himself inside a small, squared room made of stone, around three meters long and three meters wide.


    There was a visible formation on the ground, and Ken could tell it was a double sixth-rank formation from a nce. By inscribing the same formation on both the floor and the ceiling above it, the formation master made it at least 1.5x times more effective.


    The young boy spent the next week in constant meditation without sleep, using Qi to nourish his body whenever he got tired. His mind worked faster than full speed; the formation sped up his mind significantly, and it shortened the process by more than half.


    ''I have one more week before I must go to the next challenge. I''m finally done fullyprehending everything I read, now I just need to practice it and experiment with it to broaden the theories and confirm them.''


    The voice had been nagging him to go multiple times, and Ken knew he couldn''t stall for more than one week now. There were only three weeks left for the secret realm before it closes.


    He had a clear n in mind for this week; he wanted to use some days on experimenting with his new knowledge and thest days to broaden it.


    Before going for another intense week of training, Ken slept for 12 hours and ate a hefty meal; the formation took its toll on his mind, and avoiding sleeping and eating for so long didn''t help.


    After resting, Ken followed his ns and started experimenting. He remained in the room with the Mind Boosting Formation and added Qi Stones to the formation. The young child had to fund its activation and he spent over a hundred thousand medium Qi Stones in the past week; supporting a double sixth-rank formation wasn''t cheap.


    He used 5 days to improve his Alchemy knowledge, which he deemed necessary for his ns to deal with the threat of the Residence of a Buddha and a Demon. He had a huge stock of resources thanks to the ughters he initiated in different opportunitiestely, and he could concoct many of the recipes he had gained.


    While this amount might not be enough for normal alchemists as they''d burn most of them while trying to master the concoction process of a single pill, Ken never had to try more than three times to produce a perfect pill, and once he did, all the following attempts to concoct the same pill resulted in perfect pills only.


    The young alchemist would then break down the perfect pills and the imperfect ones into small pieces and discerned the effects the essences of the ingredients had on each other and the way his different methods of fire control affected the concoction process.


    He also concocted quite a few self-invented pills he believed wille in handy in the near future.


    ''Now it''s time to relive my experiences in the secret realm with my new knowledge about formations and leave for the Residence of a Buddha and a Demon.''


    ----------


    A/N: (1) In Horse month of the Monkey year ¨C something that will happen in the far future, on an unpredictable date.


    (2) A clumsy bird has to start flying first ¨C someone without talent must practice more than those who have talent in order not to be left behind.

 Chapter 174 174 – Residence Of A Buddha And A Demon

    ?


    Ken spent the remaining days reliving his experiences in the secret realm, remembering all the formations he had saw and everything he felt at those moments. Thosest days passed in the blink of an eye, and his time to fulfill his promise and go to the Residence of a Buddha and a Demon arrived.


    "2 weeks are left before the secret realm will implode and copse."


    Ken heard the familiar voice talks again. It didn''t talk to him ever since he gave it a clear date for his departure, and this date was due.


    "True. Let me get a good night''s sleep and have some food, and I''ll go to take the challenge. I need to be in my best condition to face the trial."


    "Yes, of course."


    10 hourster, Ken stepped into a portal and disappeared from the library he had spent thest month and a half in.


    -----------


    "Am I inside the residence?"


    "Yes. I took you directly inside, so you won''t have to go through the cultivators lurking outside and risk death. You already have three Inheritor Tokens, so it''s your right to go straight to the sites."


    The voice exined and Ken almost rolled his eyes at how bad it was in improvising excuses. It was obviously a ruse as they wanted him to go there so much that they didn''t care about anything else.


    "Where is the challenge?"


    "Just walk through the door and you''ll be there. It''s the final challenge of this inheritance site, you are exempt from taking the first two challenges thanks to the tokens."


    Ken nodded and opened the door, entering the room where it might all end for him. Before he entered, he sneakily popped two pills into his mouth, swallowing them quickly, and none were the wiser.


    "Wee to the Challenge of Mind Tenacity. Sit crossed-legged inside the formation in the center of the room and close your eyes; let yourself drift into meditation. If you cancel your meditation before being told you can stop, you will fail the challenge and have to go to another inheritance ground to earn your fourth token."


    Ken followed the instructions and folded his legs as he positioned himself in the middle of the formation, not before he scrutinized it with his gaze and probed it a little with his Runic Qi.


    Once ready, he closed his eyes and let the darkness embrace him. It took only a few seconds before his mind was calm and serene, but this statested even shorter. A strong will burdened his mind, filling him with fear.


    He could see the silhouette of a demon, standing in an imposing manner as if it was about to devour him. His mind was invaded by terror, but Ken didn''t budge. He remained unwavering in his spot and continued his meditation.


    The terrorizing intent disappeared, and instead, another one arrived. It was a calming intent, one that made Ken feel that he was safe and at peace. Ken knew that nothing bad could happen to him if he follows this intent, and he almost opened his eyes to answer the call of the intent.


    The strong contrast between the Demonic and Buddhistic intents was hard to ignore, and the young cultivator almost fell for its trap.


    ''I don''t need the protection of others. Nobody but me can keep me safe.''


    The two intents intertwined with one another, agonizing Ken with fear and hope, agony andfort. While Ken struggled to let his own will defeat the mind invasion, he didn''t notice there was another type of corrosion seeping into his mind.


    ''I''m lucky to be defended by the supreme elders. They promised me my life is not in danger in the secret realm.''


    ''I wish I could stand by their side and serve them.''


    ''I must be their inheritor and gain their trust and acknowledgment.''


    Those thoughts pervaded his mind, corrupting it with thoughts of loyalty toward the seven elders. Ken, who was too busy prevailing the challenge, could do nothing about them.


    The challenge was getting harder every minute; at one moment he was promised eternal peace and happiness while at the other he was threatened by doom and cmity that will devour his soul and leave nothing behind.


    His once calm expression changed into a distressed one. His forehead became wrinkled, and his jaws were clenched. His fists were so tight that his fingernails cut through his skin and made his blood fall on the ground, painting the formation in red.


    "Swallow this pill toplete the challenge."


    Ken felt a warm, round pill touch his lips, and he forcibly opened his mouth to let it float inside. He swallowed it instantly, and he was thrown into a world of illusions. He saw himself in the middle of an open in, with no change in the terrain as far as the eye can see.


    However, there was one big difference. To his right, he could see a Buddha sitting in a lotus pose, and his senses told him to get up from the ground and run to it. To his left, arge demon stood tall, promising to let him rule the world if he sumbs to it.


    Deep in the illusion, his senses were rendered useless, and foreign Qi traveled in his meridians, leaving marks on different areas of his body. They showed a glowing mark for a moment before dissipating as if they were never there. Even his brain was not spared; in fact, that''s where nearly a fourth of the whole foreign Qi was heading.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    This Qi came from the pill he had swallowed earlier although he thought it was only meant to make him enter the illusion.


    ''Nobody can promise me anything. If I could rule the world with the demon''s power, then the demon would already be the supreme ruler. If Buddha could offer me eternal peace and happiness, everyone would be worshipping Buddha. I can only rely on myself!''


    Ken remained strong and true to himself throughout the challenge, and the mental torture was finally over. He was pulled back to reality, and the familiar voice spoke again. Ken was never so happy to hear it before.


    "Congrattions on clearing the Challenge of Mind Tenacity, you''ve cleared the trial of Elder Graham. You may now stop your meditation and im your rewards."


    However, things didn''t follow the script this time. Ken copsed on the ground, falling asleep. The three pedestals rising from the ground almost seemed stupid as there was nobody to appreciate the iing awards.


    "Weird, that should not have happened."


    The voice said as it checked on Ken, but the child was snoring softly and unresponsive.


    ----------


    Ken woke up four hourster and found himself in the same empty room. The formation was gone, and his blood was cleaned from the stone floor. Three pedestals were waiting for him to im his rewards in the center of the room.


    "You finally woke up, you''ve been out for four hours. Let me say it again: Congrattions on clearing the Challenge of Mind Tenacity, you may go and im your rewards."


    "Thank you."


    Ken got up from the floor and approached the prizes and checked their contents. As always, he left the middle prize forst as he knew it would be the Inheritor Token.


    ''Serenity Technique.''


    Ken found a heaven-grade technique whose job was to calm his mind. By practicing this technique, his mind would be tenacious and harder to manipte. Ken found it almost sarcastic that the same elder that wanted to manipte him also gave him a way to strengthen his mind once he was done with him.


    ''Wait, I can''t talk like that. The elders always had my best interest at heart, and they''ve taken good care of me. I must be thankful for their gifts.''


    This thought appeared in his mind and Ken acted on it. He cupped his fist and bowed.


    "Ken Sue thanks the elder for this valuable gift."


    He purchased it for 100,000 BP and moved to the third reward.


    ''A full inheritance for Buddhistic Qi and Demonic Qi cultivators. It''s useless to me, but I can do something with it for Henry.''


    Ken thought to himself before buying the inheritance for a million and a half BP. He had around five million BP left after everything he had imed which seemed more than enough.


    He bowed and cupped his fist again, prompted by the grateful thoughts that swarmed his head.


    ''I shall meet the gracious elder now.''


    Ken reached for the Inheritor Token in the middle pedestal with anticipation and waited for the elder to materialize.


    "Good to finally meet you, Young Inheritor. I''m Elder Graham, a cultivator of Demonic and Buddhistic Qi, a supreme elder of the Bloodthirst Sect, and a supreme elder of the Peaceful Demon Sect."


    Ken hurriedly cupped his fist and offered a deep bow to the materializing elder.


    "Ken Sue greets Elder Graham. Thank you for all the gifts you''ve given me. I shall pass on your inheritance to my close friend; he is a cultivator of the same types of Qi and is a great person."


    "Of course, I gave away this inheritance in order to help our inheritor strengthen their worthy close friends. The journey of cultivation can never be done alone."


    "Thank you for the advice, Elder."


    There was not much they could talk about as Ken was not a cultivator of the same Qi as Elder Graham. The old monk only asked him a few questions that seemed to test the child''s loyalty and dissipated with a satisfied nod when Ken passed his test.

 Chapter 175 175 – Beast Haven

    ?


    "You still have thirteen days for the challenge, do you have any ns for the remaining time?"


    "Yes, I want to meet with the other magnificent elders and earn their recognition and rewards."


    The voice initiated a conversation with Ken as soon as Elder Graham dissipated. Ken, affected by his experiences in the Residence of a Buddha and a Demon, showed reverence to the elders and wanted to get more guidance from them.


    "Which site do you want to go to?"


    "I will go to the Beast Haven. I gained a young wolf puptely, and I barely know anything about nurturing beasts. If I raise him properly, he might be a strong helper in the future or at least a useful mount."


    "Hm."


    The voice hummed and a portal was opened in front of Ken. Stepping inside, Ken found himself in the middle of a forest. The trees towered to heights of dozens of meters, and the branches were so thick they covered the sky, engulfing the tower in darkness except for a few straying rays of light.


    He already activated Sheathed Man before he entered the portal, so nobody noticed the addition of one dangerous child to the inheritance grounds, or else they''d have a good reason to get more cautious.


    "Where is the site?"


    Ken asked out loud, hoping to receive an answer from the voice that apanied him throughout his journey in the secret realm ever since he entered.


    "Wee to the Beast Haven. This site is different from those you''ve visited so far. The Beast Haven is the whole forest; the challenge isn''t separated into multiple steps. Instead, everyone has a week inside, and your rewards will be determined by the amount of marks you will be able to im."


    Ken listened attentively to the exnation and thought about it for a moment, trying to understand the ordeal.


    "What are marks, and how do I get them?"


    "Elder Isadora likes her beasts, thus, she designed this challenge. Each beast has a mark, and you must convince it to give it to you. You can do it by bribery, intimidation, getting close to them, or any other means you might think of. It''s not as simple as it sounds; after a beast gives its mark, it will lose 50% of its power, which might result in it losing its status in the forest and even its home in the power struggle among the beasts. Who knows, maybe even its life."


    Ken understood theplexity of the situation, but he wasn''t too worried about it. He assumed that the threat of death will make the beasts give away their marks, and even if not, he could bribe them with some pills.


    "How many marks do I need to collect in order to meet with the elder?"


    "That''s a secret. Just do your best."


    "Can I plunder others of their marks?" Ken was a professional robber, and taking from others was always one of his greatest sources of ie.


    "Yes. The marks are recorded on the Blood Token, and they will automatically transfer to yours when you kill them and plunder their BP. Any other questions?"


    With this new knowledge, Ken felt prepared to depart and start earning marks.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "No."


    "Good luck then, you will hear from me again in seven days. There''s something¡­ I''m curious about."


    "Sure, see you."


    Ken acted as if he had no idea what the voice was referring to and started his travel in the forest. His presence concealed with Sheathed Man, he began to walk among the trees carefully, treading between the shadows and avoiding the light.


    ''Wait, what?''


    Ken almost gaped when he activated his scouting technique, Blood Sense. The whole area was a mess of red trails, showing that a whole herd of bloodthirsty beasts ran there not too long ago.


    ''There are at least 100 beasts of the fifth rank in this herd. I can''t determine the precise number or their exact phase in the fifth rank, but it''d be dangerous even if they were at the lower phase.''


    Ken thought to himself as he started following the trails. He was curious about the creatures and whether he could find a way to convince them all to give him their marks. If he manages to pull it off, he''d start the challenge with more points than many cultivators could collect during a whole week.


    Of course, that was only his estimation, as he had no ess to data about the marks distribution among cultivators.


    Another surprising sight awaited him when he finally found the herd. Tracking the trails, he walked a few kilometers to the south until he found a group of 100 buffalos, give or take.


    The scene unfolded like a circus of horror, and the sight was both repulsive andical. The buffalos were peacefully eating the grass from the ground, presenting the tranquil life of an herbivore, at least until one looked around them.


    There were trampled carcasses of many other animals, including wolves, tigers, smaller feline animals, and even some deer. The buffalo herd stomped them all to death with their power as a group and ignored their existence as they ate the bloody grass des.


    Despite the grotesque spectacle, Ken only thought about how to harness the buffalos to his cause.


    ''It seems like the punishment of losing half of their power is a death sentence here. It won''t be as simple as I first thought.''


    Ken recognized the problem; the forest was much more deadly than it seemed when he arrived, and such a downgrade of power might cost the beasts their lives.


    "Hello, cuties. How about trading with me?"


    Ken came out of his hiding spot and revealed himself to the herd. He still used Sheathed Man, but rather than concealing his presencepletely, he just suppressed it, making himself seem less threatening andpletely unharmful.


    The buffalos raised their heads from the ground to look at him curiously. They didn''t eat meat, so they wouldn''t take the initiative to attack.

 Chapter 176 176 – A Hundred Marks

    ?


    "I''m not here to fight, but I''m interested in offering you something good."


    The buffalos released an echoing snort, showing their interest in Ken''s offer. He didn''t open his words with what he needed, but with what he could offer them instead.


    Ken took out his cauldron and concocted a third-grade Bloodline Refining Pill. He didn''t know the exact anatomy of the buffalos, so he used the recipe he had for horses, assuming it''d be effective enough even if not perfect.


    When the concoction process was done, 5 pills came out of the cauldron, hovering toward the near 5 buffalos. They grunted in worry as they eyed the pills suspiciously, but the man in front of themcked any type of ill intent, and their instincts told them to eat the round thing in the air.


    Some of the herd already lost interest and went back to eat, while the rest watched the scene unfolds. The five buffalos soon sensed a torrent of energy surges through their body, evolving their cells and refining their bloodline.


    They could hear a distant powerful bellow, and they knew it wasn''t from the outer world but from the inner mind; it was the call of their ancestor, and they could hear it through the purified blood.


    "EEEUUHHHH!"


    The five buffalos'' bellow almost sounded like a roar. Their yell told every member of the herd how satisfied they were with the pill, and no beast remained indifferent to Ken''s presence now.


    The animals soon surrounded the young boy, looking at him with covetous eyes and snorting lightly in an affectionate way as if they wanted to sweet-talk him into concocting additional medicine.


    "Haha, you want more? Of course, you can have more, but I just need to learn more about your body to prepare the perfect pill for you guys. The pill those five ate was one of my weakest pills, and the better ones can turn you into powerful beasts that would never have to fear any other predator again."


    "Euuhhhh!"


    One buffalo quickly stepped forward, cing his body right in front of Ken''s face. With his height as a young teen, Ken couldn''t touch the animal''s back with his hand without jumping.


    "All right, you will be first then."


    Ken channeled his Qi throughout the young bovine''s body, scanning it to find the differences between it and the structure of the horses he had researched back at the Phoenix Feather Sect.


    Arriving at a conclusion, he began concocting the next batch of pills, and it didn''t take long for additional five pills to float to the buffalo. Ken watched the buffalo''s body change and improved until the pill was finally ingested.


    "Eeuuhh!"


    The tall animal snorted enthusiastically and ran to meet with one of the strengthened buffalos from earlier head-on, literally. Their horns met with one another, and the former twisted its head in a swift movement and threw its opponent on the ground. Ken could swear the snorts that followed were mockingughter.


    Fifth-rank beasts were powerful and intelligent, and while they couldn''t produce words, they were smart enough to understand them in most cases. Language was an innate ability for most animals in this world, which might be one of the main contributors to the fact that everyone spoke the samenguage.


    Not all beasts could understand humannguage, but those at the fourth rank and above always had a basic understanding of it.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "See guys? Those pills will make you stronger than your peers, and you will only grow stronger as time pass. Do you want me to make more for you?"


    "Euh!"


    The buffalos snorted excitedly, happy to see the stranger that came out of nowhere giving them free gifts.


    "But nothing is free! I gave you a taste of my pills, but whether you get more will be up to you. I will give a pill to anyone that gives me their mark."


    Ken stated in a loud voice, making the buffalos grunt dissatisfiedly when they realized they were victims of a marketing campaign.


    None of the animals agreed to the deal, but Ken didn''t panic.


    "Aiya, those pills are so expensive to make. I''ve spent months collecting all the herbs needed to make a couple of hundred pills. I will raise my offer to two pills for a mark and remain with nothing."


    Ken feigned sadness as hemented over the lost resources that he worked so hard to umte. He could see the temptation in the beasts'' eyes, but they still weren''t willing to give up their marks. Losing their marks was too dangerous.


    "All right, since you guys are so stubborn. I will give up all my belongings to make a fourth-grade pill for you and add it to the two pills I promised earlier."


    Ken sat down and concocted the fourth-grade version of the Bloodline Refining Pill. When five shiny pills floated out of the cauldron, the buffalos barely stopped themselves from charging at the treasures.


    "How is that? It might even make the sixth rank possible, isn''t it much better than keeping a mark that can''t help you ovee your limits?"


    The buffalos looked at one another hesitantly, unsure if they should take the deal. The appeal of the chance to get to the next rank was irresistible, and Ken already anchored the price for their marks as a single third-grade pill, which made them see the current offer as an extravagant exchange.


    The same buffalo that donated its body to science earlier returned to Ken and rubbed its snout against Ken''s hand. Picking the hint, the human child took his Blood Token out of his pocket and held it out.


    He saw a small rune fly from the buffalo''s body and moves to the Blood Token.


    "Good boy, here''s my part of the deal."


    Ken smiled at it sweetly and gave it two third-grade pills and a single fourth-grade one. It didn''t take long for the other buffalos to approach him and make the same exchange.


    He had to sit there for an hour or two to concoct all the pills he promised, but thanks to his avid robberies, his stocks were full, unlike what he told the beasts.

 Chapter 177 177 – Ambush In The Forest

    ?


    Ken traveled in the forest, meeting all types of beasts inside. He made sure to avoid those that radiated a powerful bloodlust that marked them at the peak of the fifth stage or above, unwilling to find out whether he could defeat them or not.


    In those past 3 days, he met many beasts and convinced most of them to gift him their marks. Some were convinced by his pills while others preferred to be treated with his Mind-Poisoning Domain before willingly surrendering the marks.


    Overall, he already collected 210 marks as he didn''t have another encounter as bountiful as the one with the buffalo herd but was still a hard worker.


    ''Hmm, there are people. I hope they collected a good number of marks.''


    He found two cultivators at the fifth stage not far away from him. He estimated they were at the high phase of their stage.


    ''I guess people don''t form teams bigger than two or three in this test since each beast can produce only a single mark.''


    Ken deducted as he wore his silver mask. Although the white one was the best, he wanted to use his other masks too as he liked them all indiscriminately. He ran quickly to intercept them and found a good lurking spot in their way.


    It didn''t take them long to arrive at the ambush point, even less than a minute, so he couldn''ty a formation to make things easier. He even swallowed a fifth-grade Concealment Pill he concocted earlier to make his presence almost untraceable whenbined with his technique.


    The two ran on the ground while looking around them for possible dangers. Neither of them was a scout, so they just agreed that one will be in charge of the right side and the other will be in charge of the left side.


    "There''s someone here!"


    They both shouted almost at the same time. It was a young teen, wearing a silver mask to hide his face. They didn''t believe how close he was; he was less than 2 meters away and within a sword''s range.


    ''sh Unwind.''


    The two paled when they suddenly felt a surge of Bloodlust emanating from the teen''s Blood Token. Judging by the amount alone, he must have killed a fifth of the participants in the secret realm by himself, or else they could not exin the insane amount of BP he had.


    "AAAAHHH!"


    One of them screamed in an insanely high pitch. He didn''t scream out of fear; he was a respectable inner disciple of the Serene Lotus Sect, as his green attire testified.


    ''Sound Paralyze!''


    The man was a Sound Qi user. His technique did what its name implied, it sent a sound shockwave forward and stunned the people in the shockwave''s way.


    However, Ken''s unsheathing technique was all about speed, and by the time the sound arrived at his ears, his sword already decapitated his friend who couldn''t react in time.


    "Argh!"


    The two of them, both Ken and the Sound Qi user, lost the air in their lungs when thetter collided with Ken at high speed. Ken was stunned while the other had no time to do anything after using his technique.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Rolling on his back, Ken stood quickly and held his sword high. He heard that the reason that the Serene Lotus Sect was at the top was their mystical inheritances. Many of their members used unusual types of Qi, making it difficult to counter their unpredictable fighting styles.


    "Kid, are you the Devil''s Heir? Our elder said you are on good terms with my sect, so why are you attacking?"


    The man, Johnson, stood up and brought a heavy hammer out of his storage ring. It was easy to see how heavy weapons couldplement his Sound Qi better than weapons like spears or swords.


    "I barely enjoyed any privacy in this secret realm ever since I joined; what''s the point of wearing a mask if everyone can tell my identity with a single nce?"


    Kenined with a sigh, irritating Johnson further.


    "I don''t care about your anonymity. You''ve killed my friend, and you better have a good exnation or I''m going to vite our elder''s orders and attack."


    It was the first time Ken heard that the Serene Lotus Sect had such an order. He wasn''t part of their sect yet as he didn''t give his consent to Elmer''s offer, and he already fought and killed plenty of their cultivators who didn''t adhere to this order.


    "I want your marks, is it good enough of an exnation?"


    Ken shrugged and told the truth. He wasn''t going to let the man live even if thetter nned on offering a truce.


    "It''s not!"


    Johnson smashed his hammer into the ground and echoes filled the area around him. Ken, who didn''t like facing the unknown, jumped backward hurriedly, but the echoes reached Ken''s ears in no time.


    The Devil''s Heir turned unstable, losing his sense of direction and bnce from the overwhelming sound. The inner ear has a liquid called endolymph which was responsible for one''s bnce. Johnson''s attack makes the endolymph vibrate, which results in his enemies feeling dizzy and disoriented.


    Ken, who aimed tond on a tree branch, missed his target with his feet and was thrown back to the ground from the impact. He instantly closed his hearing sense with Qi and closed his eyes while reactivating Blood Sense.


    Since Blood Sense was a sixth sense that didn''t rely on his bnce, he could sense his enemy in the darkness that now enveloped him, and the said enemy was about to crush Ken''s skull with a long swing of his hammer.


    ''One Step.''


    Ken used it to dash blindly somewhere else, but the dense forest didn''t provide him an advantage, and he crashed into a tree at full speed. Instead of feeling lightheaded from the collision, the pain woke him up and helped him focus.


    *Bang!*


    Another shockwave came as Johnson''s hammer struck the ground where Ken''s head was a moment ago, sending his troublesome echoes again.


    ''Damn, I shouldn''t have been overconfident while facing fifth-stage cultivators.''

 Chapter 178 178 – Being Tailed

    ?


    *Bang!*


    Another shockwave came as Johnson''s hammer struck the ground, sending the troublesome echoes again.


    ''Damn, I shouldn''t have been overconfident while facing fifth-stage cultivators.''


    Ken cursed under his breath as he tried to disengage again after opening his eyes. Luckily, he reacted fast, and the Qi that blocked his ears deflected at least twenty percent of the echo''s effect.


    The fight raged on for another minute, and it was one of Ken''s most embarrassing moments ever since he was born in the cultivation world.


    The fight seemed one-sided, and not in Ken''s favor; he''d keep dashing from ce to ce, crashing with a tree almost every time he used One Step to avoid the iing hammer.


    But Johnson didn''t let his strike go to waste even when it missed. Instead, he''d use the strike to send another wave of disorienting echoes to create an opening for his next swing.


    ''I can do it!''


    Ken thought as he gritted his teeth in frustration. Only now he realized why the Serene Lotus Sect deserved their rank as the number one sect of the cultivation world.


    However, Ken wasn''t a weakling. He was getting the hang of merging his Bloodlust Sense with his normal human senses, and he managed to avoid colliding with any tree in hisst three One Step executions.


    "All you can do is jump around like a scared rabbit? Is that all the infamous Devil''s Heir got?"


    The big man taunted him as he dashed after Ken''sst escaping point. Although Ken could use his Bloodlust Qi to gain an advantage in the battle, he preferred not to; it would attract every human in a veryrge radius, as they might think it''s a trove of BP. His token was radiating a powerful bloodlust now anyway.


    "I just don''t want the concert to end so early, I''ve been enjoying every second of it."


    Ken taunted back as he dodged another hammer. While most cultivators would find it hard to adapt so quickly, Ken''s intelligence andprehension abilities allowed him to be different. He was confident now in his abilities to counter the disorienting effects by merging his six senses.


    "Thee and listen up close!"


    "dly, I was just thinking it got too boring."


    This time, Ken didn''t step back as before but waited in ce for Johnson to get closer.


    ''Cloud Running.''


    Ken used his other movement technique, and with a twist of his body, he jumped in the air, missing the hammer''s head by an inch as he waved his sword to cut off the man''s shoulder.


    However, Johnson wasn''t a fourth-stage cultivator; he could use his Nascent Soul to execute two techniques simultaneously if he had the chance.


    "AHHH!"


    He screamed again, stunning Ken in mid-air and making him miss his strike. But Ken didn''t forget to take into ount those factors. Using his sword''s flexibility, the sword moved on without his active arm movement, and it pierced through the man''s shoulder, albeit it couldn''t move any further without Ken''s strength backing it up.


    "Argh!"<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Johnson grunted in pain as he almost dropped his hammer. The weakness of using a heavy weapon was the difficulty of operating it after being injured in either arm.


    A pulse of Sword Qi invaded his arm, one of the signature marks of being cut by Ken. Meanwhile, the teen fell to the ground, losing his footing and rolling on his side again.


    "Looks like I won."


    Ken smiled at the man who was trying to fend off the foreign Qi in his muscles. He dashed forward and struck without giving him the time he needed to recuperate.


    ''One Step.''


    ''Snake Thrust.''


    Johnson clenched his jaws to fight off the pain and raised his hammer to defend himself. He learned his lesson from earlier and knew that even if he shouts again, it won''t stop the sword from moving forward and stabbing him after Ken already twisted his wrist.


    ''Shockwave!''


    The hammer''s shaft nked against the ground, and a heavy shockwave spread around him. It didn''t include Sound Qi as it was a pure Hammer Qi technique.


    The st sent Ken away, but it was toote. The hammer user tried to ce his hammer in the sword''s way, but all it met was a phantom sword while the real sword left two gaping holes in his chest.


    "Huhh, it was a tiring fight. And tons of animals surround the ce because of how loud that guy was."


    Ken sighed as he mumbled to himself. Since he was already surrounded by so many beasts, it was time to begin his advertisement campaign and earn some marks.


    "Hello, dear beasts, I have a special offer for you! Do you want to get stronger and advance to the next rank?"


    ----------


    Ken counted his spoils as he watched the beasts leave. He even bribed them to kill the curious humans who came to check the noise, and he also absorbed those humans'' marks and BP.


    ''438 marks, I doubled my marks.''


    While Ken made it seem easy to collect the marks at high speed, the truth was anything but that. Only he could modify his Bloodline Refining Pills so easily to the unique animals in the forest, making it worthwhile for them to give up their marks for a real chance at advancing a rank in the future.


    The young boy didn''t notice someone was tailing him ever since he started interacting with the beasts and was waiting for him to remain alone and defenseless. He was tailed by a certain man wearing white robes, marking him as a core disciple.


    The embroidery of a leaf, cloud, flower, and sun rotating around themselves showed his origins.


    ''The Devil''s Heir who caused so many problems to my sect, huh? Good thing I spent all my BP earlier, or else it''d be hard to hide my presence from all the beasts around him.''


    The man didn''t think it was possible for a fourth-stage cultivator to sense him, so he was only relieved because of the many fifth-stage animals.

 Chapter 179 179 – Ken VS Felix

    ?


    ''Oh crap, who is that?''


    Ken thought to himself as he got up from the ground. He made sure to do it slowly and appear as natural as he could.


    ''One Step.''


    Ken executed his dashing technique, disappearing from sight immediately. Following his dash, he sprinted as fast as he could in the forest. He felt a powerful cultivator locking on him earlier with his Bloodlust Sense, and he didn''t think he could win.


    ''This person must be at the sixth stage, they have a simr aura to Vivienne!''


    Ken also noticed he only sensed that person when they were close to him; much closer than he normally needed to find people, especially in the secret realm where everyone had a rtively strong bloodlust and Blood Tokens that gave their location away.


    It didn''t take long for the lurker to react and chase after the escaping child, thus beginning a pursuit in the forest.


    "Haha, Devil''s Heir, don''t run away! I thought you enjoyed killing disciples of the Four Seasons Sect!"


    Ken heard nastyughter behind him, exposing his enemy''s origins. The extra knowledge didn''t help much; it only made it clear to him that there won''t be negotiations going on.


    He already fought Vivienne in the bloody mist and knew the daunting power of a sixth-stage cultivator; it wasn''t something he could deal with yet, surely not when the said sixth-stage cultivator was an elite and not an average cultivator.


    "Remember the name of the man who killed you; I''m Felix the Carmine Genius!"


    Ken was almost caught in surprise as the first part of his name sounded familiar, but he let it go and focus on running away. Catching a glimpse of the man''s figure, he understood the Carmine part in his name must be referring to his dark red hair.


    ''One Step.''


    Ken was running at full speed using Cloud Running while switching to One Step from time to time whenever Felix sent a wave of Lightning Qi after him.


    "Argh."


    Ken grunted with pain as he failed to dodge one of the strikes. Felix was adapting to his dodging movements, making it harder to dodge every time.


    "Hahaha, can''t run anymore, little mouse?"


    Felix shouted as hended on the ground nearby from a tree branch and dashed toward Ken, who hurriedly got up from the ground and dodged again. The chase continued, and this time Felix was using his spear while boosting his speed with Lightning Qi movement techniques and attacks.


    Ken''s flesh was getting charred by the attacks even when he dodged them, and new burns and cuts started to decorate his body wherever the spear tore his robes. Now, he also had to focus on repulsing foreign Lightning Qi, but luckily it was not part of Felix''s technique but just a natural aftereffect, making it much less dangerous.


    Despite his plight, Ken never lost focus and had been considering his circumstances with a clear mind and a cold expression, not letting the pain get the better of him or the panic control him.


    With another spear thrust, Ken was thrown against a tree, and the crash made the air escape his lungs. He tried to counter the strike with his sh, 81 in 1, but it was still too powerful for him to block or parry.


    "Haha, you should''ve just given up from the start. You can''t fight a sixth-stage cultivator no matter how amazing you are. I admit, even I am impressed by your prowess given your age and stage."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Felixplimented him in a condescending tone. He was always the top genius, only second to the experimental kids. However, Vivienne and the other boy were always just tools of war in his eyes, so he was never jealous of them.


    Now that he met a genius from another sect, a greater genius than him, he felt a pure desire to kill him, and a strong satisfaction coursed through his body from watching the younger genius all battered up.


    ''I should be alone at the top. Killing greater geniuses is a type of pleasure that is second to none! It''s a shame that almost nobody can call themselves a genius next to me.''


    Felix thought to himself narcissistically as he approached Ken with light, slow steps. He wanted to capitalize on every moment before putting an end to the show.


    "Hmm, what do you think you can use this pill for?"


    Felix squinted his eyes in suspicion as he looked at Ken bringing out a shiny red pill from his storage ring.


    "We''ve crossed quite a long distance, didn''t you notice?"


    "So what?"


    "So I just know a few guys around here."


    Felix didn''t know what Ken meant by that, but he could tell by the facial muscles that the child was smiling under his silver mask. The man could only imagine it as the smile of the devil when thinking of the child''s nickname and the menacing mask that covered his face.


    "Eeeuhhh!"


    "Guys, I will give each one of you this pill if you bring him down!"


    It was a Bloodline Refining Pill, but this time it wasn''t just a third or even a fourth-grade pill. It was a sixth-grade pill that would almost ensure their future as sixth-rank beasts, and their whole entity screamed to eat this pill.


    "Buffalos?"


    Felix looked with confusion at the huge herd. The herd was in a frenzy. The ground shook as they thunder past, their hooves pounding the earth. The air was filled with the sound of their cries and the scent of their fear. They could feel Felix was dangerous, but the temptation was too strong.


    "Damn you, animals!"


    Ken was retreating to the buffalos'' habitat all this time. He knew they were the only group powerful enough to deal with a sixth-stage cultivator among all the ''allies'' he acquired in the forest.


    "It''s not over yet! Even if you run away, I will still find you and kill youter!"


    Felix shouted in anger as he fended off the buffalos'' horns that tried to puncture holes all over his body.


    "Who said anything about it being over?"


    Felix heard a young voice and felt a strong trepidation.

 Chapter 180 180 – Ken & Buffalos VS Felix

    ?


    "Who said anything about it being over?"


    Felix heard a young voice and felt a strong trepidation. Ken didn''t use the chance to run away; instead, he did the most atrocious thing he could''ve done. A Core Formation cultivator was hunting down a sixth-stage cultivator.


    "ARGH! DAMN BEASTS! FUCK OFF!"


    Felix screamed in anger as bolts of lightning raged around him, inflicting heavy damage on the charging buffalos. He didn''t get a second of rest; before he could deal a decisive blow to one of the beasts, it had already moved on after being deflected and the next one attacked.


    The buffalos umted injuries, but their powerful bodies as beasts granted them enough defense and vitality to resist the man''s attacks without taking any life-threatening injuries.


    Felix was channeling his Qi without sparing any effort, trying to kill the beasts fast and move on, but killing a hundred beasts that worked as a team wasn''t that easy. He was only at the early phase of the sixth stage while the beasts'' ranks varied from the early phase of the fifth rank to the peak.


    He struck the ground with the butt of his spear, and a loud "clunk" resounded around him. shes of Lightning spread on the ground, numbing the iing buffalos and making them stumble in their charge.


    Using this chance, he jumped above the buffalos and executed another spear technique, killing the first buffalo with a thrust that broke its horns and put an end to its life. As soon as hended on the ground, he already had to sh with another buffalo, and he was sent stumbling back this time.


    He was tossed from side to side by the relentless stampede. His arms were getting tired, and he had barely killed a few of them. The more he killed, the more enraged the other beasts became.


    Felix hit the front leg of a beast with his spear''s de, cutting it off and making the beast fall. He jumped above the next buffalo and tried to kill it with a thrust, but the buffalo covered itself with Earth Qi, making itself as hard as stone. His sword only prated the surface of its skin before it was already gone.


    His greatest anxiety didn''t stem from the beasts; he was confident in his ability to run away from them if the situation worsened. It was the kid who turned from prey into a hunter.


    Ken concealed himself with Sheathed Man. Because of the technique''s characteristics of making his presence disappear, the attacking herd influenced and empowered it, as therge number of bloodthirsty animals overshadowed his already dim presence.


    ''Screw this, I will retreat and find an opportunityter to get revenge!''


    Right when Felix made this decision, he felt danger iing, a swift movement that he could barely keep up with.


    *Clunk!*


    The sound of metals hitting each other echoed in the forest as Felix barely stopped a certain someone''s flexible sword from cutting him in half, and with a twist of his body to dodge the curving tip, he managed to remain mainly unharmed other than a shallow cut on his stomach.


    "Coward! Come out!"


    Ken used thest trait of his One Step, moving his body during the dash. He couldn''t keep Sheathed Man while executing another technique, but he could switch between those two techniques rapidly.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    From that point on, Ken didn''t let his enemy think again about leaving. Whenever he recognized this intention from Felix''s bodynguage, he''d lunged forward and shed with his sword.


    Thanks to the extreme speed of One Step, it was enough to leave small, shallow cuts on his enemy, while making it almost impossible to deflect the buffalos efficiently. One of the main problems of umting shallow cuts from Ken was the invasive Qi that Felix had to purge.


    "Enough! Kneel before me!"


    Ken and the beasts instantly felt a strong pressure on their minds. It wasn''t just bloodlust, but it did contain some. It was abination of bloodlust ring and imposing pure mind pressure.


    ''This must be the power of the sixth stage in which cultivators'' minds go through a qualitative change.''


    Ken thought to himself as he did his best to resist the pressure. It made it harder for him and for the beasts to manipte their Qi, but he could hold on. Spreading his Bloodlust Qi into the air, he defused the bloodlustponent of Felix''s pressure, alleviating some of the burden on him and the beasts.


    "HOW CAN YOU RESIST MY BLOODLUST??"


    Felix screamed in fury when he noticed the changes. Using his mind to press so many enemies at once was heavily taxing, and with the lessened effect, it might not even be worth it for him to continue channeling it.


    However, he was only met with silence. No matter how much he looked for his main enemy, he only caught glimpses of the menacing silver mask that so many of his fellow disciples saw before their death, and it was already gone again.


    "Don''t think you can constrain a sixth-stage cultivator so easily!"


    Felix shouted as he jumped straight into the air. Ken managed to swing his sword onest time, making the man leave his ankle behind. With a painful scream, Felix ran away by kicking the air with a single leg. Ken and the surviving buffalos could only watch him leave.


    ''So that''s the power of a sixth-stage cultivator.''


    The mind of those cultivators was powerful, which allowed them to elevate their Qi maniption skills to the next level. With their empowered minds, they could condense Qi into solid form and use it as a tform.


    That was exactly what Felix did in order to run away when he understood he would die if he stayed. He tried to prolong this decision because he knew Ken would have a free strike once jumps upward, but it was better to lose a foot than life.


    ''Oh well, I will just get him killed on another day. I have work to do here now.''


    Ken thought to himself as he looked at the buffalos who surrounded him and waited for their rewards.

 Chapter 181 181 – Sunscale Dragon

    ?


    "I will make the pills for you guys now. Here, you can take the first."


    Ken threw to the nearest buffalo the pill he originally used to pull them over to join the fight, and all the others looked at it enviously.


    "Let''s go to your habitant first, we can do it there."


    Ken said and followed them to their territory. There, he started working on a formation.


    "I was taught a formation that can allow me to produce the pills faster, I''m just working on it right now. Once it''s done, I will be able to easily create the best pills in no time."


    Ken exined his actions to the probing buffalos as he worked efficiently without a break. Strangely, the formation wasn''t the one he saw in the Challenge of Comprehension and Integration, and its size was out of proportion as well.


    The formation extended around almost all the beasts, and its radius was over a hundred meters. Once the formation was done, Ken sat down in the center of the formation and called the beasts.


    "Hey guys,e over if you want to watch me concoct the pills," Ken said while cing down a generous amount of Qi Stones to fuel the formation. Once all the buffalos circled him curiously, Ken activated the formation.


    ''Pfft, as if I have enough resources, time, or Qi to concoct so many sixth-grade pills. Have fun there, the formation should run out of Qi Stones by the time I''m done with this challenge.''


    Ken mumbled to himself as he activated the formation, and the buffalos didn''t even notice something changed. However, something very important changed; Ken already stood up and left the formation while they were stuck inside. When they realize they''re stuck and try to barge out, they will run in circles until the Qi Stones are depleted.


    Ken never nned to keep his word; he couldn''t afford to concoct so many sixth-grade pills. Since he knew that the local elder loved her beasts, he didn''t want to kill them and opted to trap them and bail out of the ordeal instead.


    ----------


    "You''ve stayed a week in the Beast Haven. You''ve survived and earned 544 marks, showing you were the darling of the forest. You may now pick your rewards."


    Ken heard the voice talk to him after a whole week of silence. During thosest few days remaining for the challenge, Ken mainly strolled around the forest and bribed beasts in exchange for their marks. He theorized that they couldn''t attack him once giving him their marks, as none of them ever did.


    "Thank you," Ken said casually as he walked to the pedestals. He didn''t know if he collected enough marks to meet with the elder, but he hoped he did. Not because he wanted to meet her; he knew that passing her trial will also entail the best rewards.


    Like always, he didn''t start with the center. Going to the pedestal on his left, he found there arge golden egg with thebel ''Sunscale Dragon''.


    "What are Sunscale Dragons? Are they powerful?"


    "All dragons are powerful. Specifically, even the weakest Sunscale Dragon would be an eighth-rank beast upon reaching maturity. The elders stole this egg from the Golden Wing Canyon, which is under the control of a few dragon ns."


    Ken nodded and agreed with the price attached to the dragon egg.


    "You''re lucky to have so much CP. The trials were meant to find a single best inheritor for each elder, but you''re taking all the good prizes along with the Inheritor Tokens."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Yup, I''m rich, my receipts are looking like phone numbers."


    "Don''t brag, just put it in your bag. And what is a ''phone''?"


    "Don''t worry about it. I just meant that if I like it, then that''s what I get."


    Ken said as he ced his Blood Token near the pedestal and got the egg for a million CP while a popr song from his old world rang in his head.


    "This prize is pretty good, I guess I passed the goal the elder ced for the Inheritor Token."


    "Yes, it was 400 for the Inheritor Token and 500 for the other two."


    The next prize was just as priceless as the egg. In fact, its worth might be even higher in the hands of the right person; it was a manual that described the best way to nurture many types of beasts, and from a quick check, Ken found both dragons and wolves listed there.


    ''Hmm, I don''t want to raise two pets, one is more than enough. I only need one as an easy means of transportation, and it''s better if it is winged.''


    Ken thought to himself as he recalled Emrys, the little wolf pup he left behind at Henry''s care in the Divine Sword Sect.


    As expected, the third pedestal contained the Inheritor Token that he didn''t care much about. As soon as he thought about not caring for the token, another thought crossed his mind.


    ''What am I talking about, it''s a huge honor to meet one of the supreme elders!''


    Much more enthusiastically than before, Ken reached out to the token and the elder materialized in front of him.


    "Hello, Young Inheritor, you are quite capable if you were able to get the recognition of four elders already. I''m Elder Isadora, the one who built up this inheritance sight. You''ve done well for not killing any of the beasts residing in the forest. Pets should not be killed."


    It was a hidden condition to win the best prizes. Ken brimmed with pride when he heard that the elder was satisfied with his actions.


    -----------


    "Hey, tell me, am I the only inheritor?"


    "Of course not, there are a few others who managed to gain one or more Inheritor Tokens. You are just the only one with five of them, and the only one who could afford all the extra rewards."


    "I see. I want to go next to-"


    "No, you''reing to meet me this time."

 Chapter 182 182 – Blackmailed

    ?


    "Meet you? Are you still alive?"


    "Not exactly, you will understand when you get here. Enter the portal."


    "Fine."


    Ken was curious to meet with the voice that kept himpany ever since he was pulled into the secret realm. Stepping into the portal, he found himself inside a stone building with arge metal door in front of him. The door handles had chains on them, and he could easily perceive it was blocked by a few sophisticated formations.


    "Ah, are you inside the room?"


    "I am. Come inside."


    "I can''t, the room is locked with formations. Are you perhaps a prisoner here?"


    Ken didn''t want to get himself into the mess of someone who was captured by seven immortals. He preferred walking away.


    "It might take you a while to solve those formations, but I''m sure you can break them. I want you to open those formations and bring me out of the secret realm with you."


    Ken pondered on the voice''s words for a moment, and he understood there was something weird about the situation.


    "Didn''t you say you were a better formation master than Galen? How can I undo a formation that imprisons a grandmaster of formations?"


    "It''s not that simple. I''m locked inside a coffin created by Galen. It''s a ninth-grade tool, and I can''t break out of it, which is why I can''t use enough Runic Qi to probe and destroy the formation. I''ve been working on it for 2,000 years now, and I barely destroyed a few of the formation''s nodes, and they regenerate faster than I can break them."


    The voice exined its full plight to Ken. Although it was in serious trouble, Ken wasn''t the empathetic type.


    "What''s your name? Now that I know you aren''t just a voice, it gets weird to refer to you as ''the voice'' in my mind."


    "I''m Edmund, a grand elder of the Infinite Wisdom Sect, eighth-stage cultivator, and eighth-rank formation grandmaster."


    The voice, which Ken could refer to as Edmund now, dered his identity proudly, almost as if he was expecting Ken to kneel after learning of his status.


    "I see. Well, tough luck, Edmund, but I''m just a new fifth-rank formation master. I''m afraid I can''t be of any help to you. However, the secret realm will be gone in 6 days and you will be freed, what''s the rush?"


    The freedom Ken mentioned was death, but he didn''t mind coating his words with sugar.


    "The rush is that I will be stuck forever in this coffin within the copsed space. It would take me thousands of years to finally destroy the formation, and I still wouldn''t be able to deal with the main problem ¨C my cage."


    The elder borated on his problem, convincing Ken further that nothing will happen to him if he just refuses the request.


    "All right, but as I said, I can''t help you, so I will be going now."


    "Let me tell you something. The reason I serve the supreme elders and follow their instructions is that I have on my neck the same very Cor you ced on the pretty girl from the Four Seasons Sect, but of the eighth grade. If I find any inconsistency or danger to the elders'' ns, I must contact one of the strands of consciousness they have left behind and report the problem."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Ken''s expression froze and he asked the elder with a cold tone.


    "And then what?"


    "And then they would tell me how to deal with it, and I would be obligated to obey."


    "What are you trying to say?"


    "Nothing, just that I found a loophole in this rule. If I don''t investigate a problem enough to find indisputable evidence, I can just remain unaware of the problem and not report it. If you can''t help me, I will be bored."


    Ken was pretty sure he was on the same page as Edmund, but he wanted to double-check. He was wary of falling into a situation where he unintentionally revealed information due to presuming the other side was already privy to it.


    "What are you getting at?"


    "That I might have overlooked something by ident in the Residence of a Buddha and a Demon. If you don''t help me, I will send my consciousness to look into the blood you''ve shed there, I think it might have had a¡­ negative effect on the formation."


    "Fine, I will help you. It''s going to take me all six days, and I can''t do anything about the coffin."


    "You must finish 5 hours before the secret realm copses or I''m taking you down with me. I already know you''re a liar and a maniptor, so unfortunately I must do it this way. Don''t worry about the coffin, you can just open it from outside."


    Ken sighed and started working on the formation. He was caught between a rock and a hard ce. Edmund was onto him; during the Challenge of Mind Tenacity, he had used his fingernails to cut through his own palms.


    The blood was full of his Bloodlust Qi and Runic Qi, and Ken used it to mess with the formation he was inside, weakening it and causing the corrosion that tried to enter his mind to be much weaker.


    Although the thoughts of serving the elders still pervaded his mind, he could go against them by being aware of their origins.


    Furthermore, the pills he took before entering the challenge also helped him to resist all the marks that were imprinted on his body and brain.


    While his sixth-grade pills weren''t as strong as the pills he was being fed, they were good enough to destroy the Alchemical Qi that entered his body. He didn''t overpower the pill''s effect with his own; his pills simply affected the foreign pills while they were still in his system and ruined their medicinal effects.


    He was confident of being able topletely deter all the negative effects that managed to remain in his brain and body by the time he bes a sixth-stage cultivator and strengthens his mind.


    ''Let''s work on opening the door. I can''t let those supreme elders know about my little stunt.''


    -----------


    Hey everyone, thanks for reading and supporting the novel with your power stones, coins,ments, reviews, and golden tickets!


    Feel free to share your thoughts with me, many of you helped the story improve before <3

 Chapter 183 183 – Breaking The Formation

    ?


    ''Let''s work on opening the door. I can''t let those supreme elders know about my little stunt.''


    Ken sat on the ground in front of the door and channeled his Qi into the formation to probe it. He could forget about destroying the walls; those were made of materials of a grade he still could not harm in his current stage, and they were built using Immortal Qi.


    ''I just need to find the nodes by both probing the formation and predicting its structure. Although this formation is beyond my rank, its inscriber is not here. I can destroy it from outside at my own pace.''


    Ken said inwardly as he worked. While formation masters of the sixth rank were incapable of making seventh-rank formations, they could still research them and destroy them, albeit slowly. Ken, as a one-of-a-kind genius, was even better than other sixth-rank formation masters.


    ''ording to what I know, seventh-rank formations and above regenerate themselves when a node is broken, and the better ones even move their nodes afterward. It means I can''t just destroy them one by one, but I also need to destroy them faster than they get fixed.''


    It was impossible to find all nodes at once without knowing the formation''s structure at all, so he had to destroy a few nodes in order to find the next ones that held the formation together. Thus, his n was to find as many nodes as he can before doing the first attack.


    After locating 21 nodes forming the shape of a star together, he concluded that he won''t be able to find any other weak points before destroying them.


    ''Now!''


    Ken sent waves of Runic Qi to all those spots and destroyed them simultaneously. Next, a race against time began, and the young formation master destroyed every node he found as quickly as he could.


    Theoretically, just like any technique could be performed with every type of Qi, he could use any type of Qi to destroy the nodes. However, using the specialized Qi always yielded the best results, and this case was not any different.


    As soon as the 21 nodes were destroyed, the star copsed, and a new shape came out. Ken began locating the nodes again, trying his best to recognize the new pattern to bring it down faster.


    -----------


    The process of dismantling the formation was repetitive and tiring. Every time he shattered a group of nodes, a new one would surface, and he had to do the same thing again.


    The only thing that worked in his favor was that the formation was built inyers, and it couldn''t fix the outeryer while more inner ones were destroyed. It meant that whenever Ken managed to take apart one structure, the nodes of that structure couldn''t be fixed while he destroyed the nextyer.


    It didn''t mean that the self-fixing mechanism of the formation wasn''t a burden; while the young formation master worked on a specificyer, he''d often have to locate the same node twice because it already regenerated while he was busy searching for the other nodes.


    ''FINALLY, it had been 49yers, huh¡­''


    Ken heaved a deep sigh in relief as he slumped back on the cold ground to rest. He wanted nothing but to sleep now, he waspletely drained and could barely keep his eyes open. At some point, he even had to switch to other types of Qi for a few moments until he produced enough new Runic Qi.


    ''Even if I''m a sixth-rank formation master, it''s not easy at all to break a seventh-rank formation at my stage. My low stage holds me back in many aspects; it''s behind in every field including technique mastery, Qi maniption, Alchemy, and Formation Mastery.''


    Ken pondered as a desire to get stronger ignited inside him. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it. Rushing his cultivation would onlye back to bite himter.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "You don''t have much time to rest. In 24 hours, the deadline for our deal will arrive."


    Ken heard Edmund''s voice, waking him up from his reveries. However, he didn''t want to enter the foreign room in his current state. He''d be unfocused, tired, and vulnerable.


    He was surprised to learn that so many days passed since he started the project of opening the door. When he entered the Beast Haven, there were 13 days left for the secret realm. The challenge took seven days, which meant he entered the portal that led him here when there were six days left.


    Since Edmund imed there were only 24 hours left until he reports Ken''s actions, it meant that Ken spent there around 5 days, and the secret realm only had 29 hours left until it gets closed!


    "All right, wake me up in five hours then."


    Ken took a Qi Absorption Pill to help himself restore his depleted Qi faster and fell asleep to let his body rest.


    ------------


    "Rise and shine, it has been five hours since you fell asleep."


    Ken opened his eyes groggily and got up on his feet. He still had to eat something as he didn''t taste food since he left the Beast Haven.


    "Are you sure you have time to eat? You only have 19 hours left."


    "Who knows when I will have another chance to eat."


    Ken ignored the urgency in the elder''s voice and cooked a dish made of fruits and herbs using his new Alchemy cauldron.


    "At least hurry up."


    "Don''t bolt your food; take small bites and savor the vors," Ken said as he brought out a table and afortable chair from his storage ring and sat down to eat.


    It was Ken''s way to get back the elder who ckmailed him. He could guess how excited Edmund was about getting free after being imprisoned for two thousand years.


    "Damn kid."


    "All right, I finished. Don''t be mad."


    Ken stored back the cauldron and the furniture in his storage ring after he finished eating. Stepping forward, he pushed open the door.

 Chapter 184 184 – Once A Slave, Always A Slave

    ?


    ''This room¡­ has no splendor.''


    Ken raised his eyebrows in disappointment from the in room. On second thought it made sense, as there was no reason to make a prison cell dazzling.


    Looking around him, he found a room made of stone, not different by any means from the many stone rooms he entered in the secret realm. It was almost a theme in the secret realm. A grey and boring theme.


    The room was rather small; it was a squared room, four meters long and four meters wide. In the middle rested arge coffin made of wood, inscribed with many long,plicated runes that Ken could not read.


    ''So this is a ninth-grade coffin. High-grade coffins actually must be much moremon than I think; the strongest and richest cultivators in the world probably buy high-grade coffins to protect their corpses after they die.''


    Ken thought to himself as he spread his Runic Qi and other types of Qi all over the room, trying to see if he could locate any kind of danger. Only after probing every centimeter of the room for a whole hour, he was willing to walk inside.


    "Why are there no formations inside the room?"


    "Hmph. There was one that contained my coffin, but since I was directly inside it, I could easily destroy it, unlike the door."


    "Easily? How long did it take you?"


    "Ahm, 1833 years," Edmund confessed with an embarrassed tone. The time didn''t make it sound like he could ''easily destroy it''. He spoke again right away to change the subject.


    "Anyway, open the coffin."


    "What stops you from killing me after I release you?"


    "The goodness of my heart, Kid. I''m not as cruel as you to kill innocent others, and I have my own pride as an eighth-stage cultivator. Besides, the coffin halted my aging process, but it will catch up with me once you release me. I will only have a few minutes to live before dying of old age."


    The elder exined his situation to Ken. It was easy to hear the eagerness in his voice to be finally free, even if by getting killed. The reason he wanted to get out of the confines of his jail was so his soul will be released back to the circle of reincarnation and his mind will be put at ease.


    Remaining trapped and having his soul and mind enved for thousands of years were much worse than death, and being trapped in a copsed realm was even worse. Those three months in which he got to talk to a new generation and watch them struggle were the best months he had lived in two thousand years.


    "All right."


    Ken smiled innocently and approached the coffin. When he got there, he lifted the lid with a swift motion, pushing it to the ground and revealing the contents.


    "I''m finally free! Hahaha! Don''t worry, I will gift you for your hard work!"


    Edmund startedughing maniacally in his excitement. Then, there was silence for a few seconds, and the corpse inside the coffin opened its eyes, ceasing to be a corpse.


    "Wait, am I inside the coffin?"


    Edmund raised his arm and paled when he realized he was still in his own body. His skin and body were aging at an rming rate, fast enough for him to physically notice the changes that took effect.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "How am I here???"


    "Haha, old man, did you really think you can snatch a young body that easily? You should''ve aimed at someone less talented; your rewards would be lower, but you would still be alive now."


    Kenughed and shed his beautiful yet devilish smile at the horrified elder.


    "What did you do? I will kill you!"


    The elder leaped from his coffin andnded in front of Ken with a fire of rage in his eyes. However, Ken''s next words shocked him beyond belief.


    "Kneel."


    "What?"


    The elder kneeled despite his struggle to resist themand. His eyes opened in fear when he recognized this damned, hateful sensation. It was the same sensation that coursed through his body whenever one of the seven supreme elders of the Bloodthirst Sect gave him an order.


    "THE SLAVERY COLLAR!"


    Edmund bellowed with a mix of anger, fear, and sorrow. He thought he was finally free of restrictions, and even capable of taking over a new body with an unprecedented foundation.


    The n seemed seamless; Ken was the perfect target as he didn''t even reach the fifth stage which would turn his soul too powerful for a takeover, and his cultivation was peerless. He was only at the fourth stage yet could fight the strongest fifth-stage cultivators in the continent, not to mention his young age.


    However, now, all hope was lost, and the elder that lived thest 2,000 years as a ve was going to die, still as a ve.


    ------------


    A few hours ago:


    ''I can''t trust this elder. Everything here sounds like arge plot hole. How can he be unable to destroy the formation on the door? How can there be no additional formations inside the room? It can''t be that simple. No matter how much I think about it, it''s impossible that a door is the only thing protecting such a valuable prisoner from outsiders.''


    Ken never trusted others, and now was no different. He would never trust the words of an old man full of agendas and self-interests.


    Thus, he didn''t solely work to break the formation. Instead, he researched it as much as he could. While it''d take around 5 days for a highly skilled sixth-rank formation master to break the unguarded seventh-rank formation of the door, Ken wasn''t merely highly skilled.


    ''The timing is also too fishy. How can he invite me right before the end of the secret realm with a time window that''s just barely enough to bypass the formations?''


    He never believed in such coincidences, especially since the elder could invite him here right after the Mind Tenacity Challenge. Thus, he hade up with another n.

 Chapter 185 185 – Counter Scheme

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    ''Edmund probably brought me here only now in order to put me under stress. If I don''t have time to think about the illogical things in this agreement, coupled with the fact that the consequences are the enmity of powers greater than my current understanding, his n will bear fruit.''


    Ken saw through the old man''s scheme as he began working on the formation. By learning the patterns of the formation in the door he could notice something.


    Formation masters each had their unique approach. Runes were not unlike anguage, where one could convey the same message using different words and structures.


    It was impossible for two formation masters to create an identical formation without any variances, much like two people could never tell the same story using the exact same words.


    Hence, each formation master honed a ''writing style'', or more correctly, an inscription style. Those familiar with a master''s works could easily discern their handiwork, even when encountering unfamiliar formations, simply by recognizing the unmistakable marks of their inscription style.


    ''This inscription is not written in the same inscription style as Galen. I''m sure of it!''


    Ken mumbled to himself as he carefully scrutinized the formation that kept the door locked. He learned Galen''s style by learning from his library, as all the knowledge inside stemmed from the elder.


    ''I can''t tell if it''s Edmund''s inscription style as I have never seen any of his formations other than the eighth-rank ones, which I can''t analyze well enough with my current knowledge.''


    All the formations in the secret realm were done by Galen other than the eighth-rank ones. The eighth-rank formations were outsourced to Edmund, who was ultimately imprisoned inside to stop him from revealing the secrets of the inheritance grounds to others.


    ''If he is really under the effect of the very Cor, how can he plot his own escape? I can''t believe none of the seven supreme elders thought of giving him amand that stops him from doing that.''


    Ken pondered as he worked. He was undoing the formation slower than he potentially could; he wanted to enter inside afterpletely analyzing his situation anding up with a full n.


    The young formation master already understood his situation and used the rest of the time he could get by stalling to think over the problem.


    ''I have only one possible exnation. The cor''s mark breaks when the master dies, so it might be the same way if the master ascends. I can''t test it, but it''s the best shot I got. Of course, he might only want to be freed; that''d be for the best if that was true.''


    If all Edmund wanted was to be free, Ken didn''t care whether the elder gets his wish fulfilled or not. The only problem Ken had with the situation was hisck of control over how things would y out once the elder is released from his cage.


    ''When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. Although I haven''t eliminated everything due to my ignorance about the powers of cultivators of the Supremacy Phase.''


    The first three stages were called the Foundation Phase, the middle three stages were known as the Nurturing Phase, and thest three were the Supremacy Phase.


    Thest phase was called that way for the dominance those three stages had over the world; no sect without a seventh-stage cultivator would be taken seriously anywhere.


    In fact, the known top twenty sects had something inmon, they all boasted at least one ninth-stage elder and the ranking was set by the number of Supremacy Phase cultivators they each had.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    ''All right, I think I know what to do. Let''s get over with it.''


    Ken decided when he woke up from his reveries on the world''s power structure and kept working. He already set the pace of his work, so he couldn''t suddenly elerate or the elder would get suspicious. Thus, he was forced to maintain his speed in untangling the formation until the procedure was done.


    -------------


    ''My Qi ispletely drained, I must sleep now or else I won''t be able to execute my ns even if my theory is proven right.''


    Ken disregarded Edmund''s words to hurry up and went to sleep. Using his improved recipe of the Qi Absorption Pill, he believed five hours would be enough to be well-rested.


    "Rise and shine, it has been five hours since you fell asleep," Edmund''s voice woke up the sleeping teen.


    ''Now for the final part of my n,'' Ken began executing his n as he groggily got up.


    "Who knows when I will have another chance to eat."


    Ken told the elder as he brought out the cauldron and began to cook his food in the Golden Sun Cauldron, degrading a top-tier eight-grade cauldron into a mere cooking pot. It''d be all right if he cooked phoenix meat or something impressive, but the food was only made of fifth-grade ingredients, leaving Edmund dumbfounded.


    Uncaring for the elder''s opinion, Ken resumed cooking the herbs and fruits using a few of his original Alchemy techniques.


    If an alchemist were watching, they might have observed that Ken''s cooking style was more akin to a concoction than a culinary process. And if the alchemist knew a thing or two about cooking, they would have informed Ken that he was destroying the vor of the ingredients.


    After all, alchemists would extract the essence of the materials used and toss aside the rest, but the vors were mainly in the undesired ''rest''.


    ''Good, it doesn''t seem like he noticed anything wrong with my cooking,'' Ken thought as he threw inside a few herbs.


    Among them were the Purple Harmony Orchid whose scent made the user calm and rxed, the Harmonia Moss which had an agitating effect on its consumer, and the Spirit-Pulse Palm which could invigorate the diner''s soul.


    There were other fruits and herbs in the mix, but they all had one thing inmon; they all had Qi that could touch upon one''s soul and affect it.


    Ken was creating a new Alchemy approach that injected medicinal effects into food.

 Chapter 186 186 – Questioning Edmund

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    Ken was creating a new Alchemy approach on the run, and its specialty was injecting medicinal effects into food.


    The young alchemist knew that he couldn''t concoct a pill under Edmund''s watching eyes without arousing thetter''s suspicion, but he could cook a meal!


    ''I will call it Soul Protection Sd,'' Ken amused himself in his mind as he dug in. The taste was nd as there was no taste, but the child took bite after bite without hesitation. A scene that every parent dreams of seeing unfolded; a child eats their nasty sd without any resistance.


    The Soul Protection Sd''s effect was not hard to guess. By extracting so many essences of ingredients with soul properties, Ken created a dish with the same effect as a pill that would coat one''s soul in ayer of Qi for a while, nurturing and protecting it.


    ''I''m ready, my strongest weakness is my soul until I advance to the next stage, so it''s better to protect it.''


    Ken stored back the furniture and the cauldron in his storage ring and entered the now-unlocked room. He asked the elder about any hidden formations in the room.


    "Hmph. There was one that contained my coffin, but since I was directly inside it, I could easily destroy it, unlike the door."


    "Easily? How long did it take you?"


    "Ahm, 1833 years," Edmund confessed with an embarrassed tone.


    ''Another improbable lie. His pride in his deration was obvious, there''s no way it took him that long. He just can''t leave the coffin as Elder Galen''s runology knowledge transcends hisprehension,'' Ken felt a sense of pride in Galen''s mastery when he remembered how he got the elder''s recognition.


    ''Ah, this maniption is annoying. I must get rid of it somehow,'' the young teen muttered to himself when he noticed the marks in his soul acting out.


    After chatting with the elder for a while, Ken pushed the coffin''s lid and hurriedly looked toward the corpse''s neck. The corpse belonged to a ck-haired middle-aged man with tanned skin and a distorted furious expression that eternalized his anger toward his captors.


    "I''m finally free! Hahaha!"


    Edmundughed merrily, and his voice disappeared. Ken knew it was his cue to start working. He hurriedly lifted the elder''s head, revealing the man''s nape. At the same time, he felt a strong force engulfing his soul, trying to consume it and take control.


    Despite the imminent threat, Ken remained calm and worked with maximum efficiency. He injected his Qi into the ck circle-like mark on the corpse''s nape, and a cor was ejected, appearing around the man''s neck.


    He could feel theyer of protection made by the Soul Protection Sd was getting overwhelmed quickly, but he didn''t let it hinder his movements or break his focus. He hurriedly smeared a drop of his blood on the cor from a wound he opened in his finger and channeled his Qi into the artifact to bring it under his control.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    It was a race against time, and Ken took first ce. Edmund took second ce, but unfortunately, there were only two contestants.


    As soon as Ken finished imprinting his Qi on the cor, the desperate elder lost his ability to attack his new master and his soul was sucked back into his body.


    "Wait? I''m inside the coffin? How am I here???" The elder bellowed when he understood the situation. However, Ken remained apathetic to the man''s plight as the other climbed out of his grave.


    "Kneel," Ken let out a single word, and the elder was forced to obey.


    "THE SLAVERY COLLAR!" Edmund screamed in rage when he recognized what waspelling his movements. He believed he was free when he was out of the elders'' control anymore when they ascended; he believed there was a glitch in their n.


    "First, you are not allowed to tell the supreme elders anything or do anything that might harm my interests in any way. Next, I''m still curious, what did you n to do with my body once you took over? My body has different attributes than your soul in addition to the normal inhibitions of merging foreign body and soul."


    Ken asked the kneeling elder. He could see that the elder would die soon. When the elder told him he would age to death once the coffin was opened, Ken was even more sure of the man''s evil intentions. Nobody just epts death.


    "Normally there''s a limit to how much time a soul can be out of one''s body. The limit is a result of the person''s continuous change and development; nobody remains the same throughout time, and if the soul and the body grow in different environments, they''d turn ipatible, and the human will perish."


    "I see, and..?" Ken waited for the elder to finish his exnation.


    "And the situation was different now because of the coffin. The coffin separated my soul, mind, and body from one another, and as you can see, nothing happened to me. My soul lived outside my body for two thousand years and lost any attachment to it, allowing the soul to upy whichever body I want, albeit the merging wouldn''t be perfect," Edmund exined against his will when his master asked him questions.


    "And why choose mine over everyone else in the secret realm?"


    "Because it''d be risky to try to take over a fifth-rank body. You are at the fourth rank which would allow me to create a Nascent Soulpatible with your body and my own soul, acting as a bridge. Your foundation seems much better than anyone else''s, so I picked you. It''d be best if I could get a body without a core, but the elders restricted the entrance of cultivators under the fourth stage."


    "I get the gist of the situation. Anyway, how long do you have left to live? Your first wrinkle already appeared," Ken poked the man''s wound.


    "I¡­ probably around 10 minutes, maybe 15."


    "Let''s maximize our gains from your remaining time then with a few more questions."

 Chapter 187 187 – Immortal Qi Stones

    "Let''s maximize our gains from your remaining time with a few more questions," Ken said with an amiable smile that harbored no good intentions.


    "Why did you follow the supreme elders'' arrangements if you weren''tpelled by the cor anymore?"


    "Their strands of consciousness would let them know I''ve gone rogue, and they''d hunt me down if I ruined their ns and managed to ascend. I tried to scheme under the radar. Besides, I couldn''t open the coffin by myself."


    "And when did the cor stop affecting you?" Ken wanted to be sure his hypothesis was correct.


    "After Elder Galen, the owner of the cor, ascended," Edmund confirmed Ken''s theory. He was losing hope and tried to think profusely of a solution to his death.


    "What prizes do you think I will find useful in the realm, and can you get them for me?" Ken asked his new ve greedily. Now that he had control of the man that knew the whole area, he wanted to maximize his benefits.


    "I can''t think of anything additional that will be of any use to you."


    Unfortunately, Edmund stated that Ken had no good rewards to im.


    ''Hmm, is he speaking the truth? Was my question too vague because it''s about an opinion?'' Ken pondered as he tried to think of a way to deal with the problematic elder.


    "How about that, Elder Edmund. If you supply me with rewards that satiate my appetite for treasures, I will allow you to take control of another cultivator''s body. I will agree to any choice you make, as long as the person is at the fourth stage."


    Ken came to the conclusion that offering incentives would be more motivating than threats of death for a man with no hope. After all, a dead pig is not afraid of being scalded by boiling water. (1)


    The elder''s eyes lightened up when he heard Ken''s suggestion. He could live! He wanted to live! He was once known as a genius of the Infinite Wisdom Sect, and he was reduced to a mere ve, twice! That''s not how he wanted to die.


    "I might have remembered something that I forgot before, but will you truly let me take over another body?"


    "Of course, why would I lie? I only care about my own gains, I don''t mind if others have their own lucky encounters when it costs me nothing. The only limitations are fourth-stage cultivators, and you can''t pick my friends'' bodies."


    "All right, great, great! I promise to keep serving under you forever!"


    The elder cried out, although Ken didn''t believe a single word that came out of his mouth.


    "Sure. So, what did you¡­ remember?"


    "There really isn''t much left for you to take. However, there are Immortal Qi Stones!" The elder eximed in excitement, and it was easy to see the greed in his eyes.


    "Immortal Qi Stones? What are those?" Ken could deduce that they were probably the improved version of Qi Stones, but he preferred getting a clear answer.


    "Those are Qi Stones that contain Immortal Qi inside them. They are extremely beneficial to cultivators, and they''d aid your cultivation greatly," The elder exined, trying to entice Ken.


    "And what are the risks?"<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "There are... The¡­ The Qi is extremely powerful and hard to control, thus can be very harmful to cultivators if they can''t control it," Edmund confessed unwillingly as he tried to hold back.


    "And what else? Do all rich kids use it to train instead of the normal Qi Stones?" Ken asked after thinking about how to phrase his question in a way that would force Edmund to reveal the information.


    "They don''t."


    "Why not? You better just tell me everything, or else this game willst longer than your life."


    With a distorted expression after hearing Ken''s remark, Edmund gave up on trying to hide information and spilled it out. He hoped to fool Ken into using them and dying, but now that he knew it was not going to happen, he had to preserve his life.


    "They''re too rare and dangerous. Normally only elders of the ninth stage research them in order to improve their chances to ascend, and it''s very rare that someone under the ninth stage even uses them. Even if someone does, it''s too dangerous before the seventh stage."


    "See? Now you spared time for both of us, and your time is very expensive given the fact you only have a few minutes left to live. So, how do I get those Immortal Qi Stones?"


    Ken spoke unhurriedly, putting the elder on the edge. The old man didn''t have much time, and he just wished to get it over with before his body literally withers.


    "I must be inside the coffin to act as the medium of the secret realm. That damned man connected them together. How about I summon someone in the fourth stage first, and you can throw him into the coffin after I help you?" The elder asked nervously as he looked at the coffin.


    "Sure. Also don''t forget the volumes of Mysteries of Luck I haven''t acquired yet."


    Ken was confident the old man couldn''t do much against him now as his ve. Besides, he''d have to use the coffin topletely separate his soul from his body again. Luckily, he was only inside his body for a couple of minutes and his soul could still upy a different body.


    Edmund climbed into the coffin, and after a minute, Ken heard the familiar voice speak again.


    "Congrattions, for finding this secret ce, you win Immortal Qi Stones!"


    "Congrattions, for finding this secret ce, you win the volumes of Mysteries of Luck!"


    Ken smiled inwardly when he understood the man''s intentions. Edmund simply found an excuse to gift him as par with the secret realm''s rules. Two pedestals rose from the ground, and Ken found a storage ring on them.


    "Why does it cost 2 million BP?"


    "I need to attach a fitting price. It doesn''t matter anyway; the secret realm will be closed soon. Anyhow, I''m summoning here a promising youth, Young Master, please knock him out and throw him into the coffin."


    -----------


    A/N: A dead pig is not afraid of being scalded by boiling water ¨C a human with no hope doesn''t care about anything (hence also fears nothing).

 Chapter 188 188 - Kens Magnanimity

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    "I''m summoning here a promising youth, Young Master, please knock him out and throw him into the coffin. There are two of them since they''re a pair, so please leave the man alive."


    Despite bringing over a couple of elites, Edmund didn''t doubt Ken''s ability to overpower them both effortlessly. He already bore witness to Ken''s prowess as the young cultivator ughtered enemies a whole stage above him.


    After dering his intentions, a portal was opened in the room, and soon a pair of young cultivators entered. One of them was a young man with brown hair and dark eyes, his body fit, and his height was impressive. The other was a young woman with ck hair and green eyes, her high cheekbones adding to her face''s sharpness and beauty.


    "Honey, did you hear that? We won a lottery of a million Qi Stones, we are so lucky!"


    "Yes, I can''t believe we won it! Let''s hurry up and take the reward!"


    The two talked loudly, and Ken''s concentration on the ambush almost faltered from the excuse Edmund used to lure them.


    Before the two took another step, he already appeared next to them and swung his sword, cutting through the woman''s throat and killing her on the spot.


    "Maya!"


    The man shouted in fear when he realized what happened. However, his raised hands were swept to the side and a hilt of a sword crashed into his temple, sending him into unconsciousness.


    "Thank you, Young Master. Now please, put him inside the coffin so I can take over his body."


    Edmund''s way of addressing Ken also changed when he decided to grovel at the teen''s feet until he somehow finds a way to get freed.


    "Let me check the contents of that ring first," However, Ken didn''t hurry. Ken, who had been interrupted earlier while trying to im the ring, first went to do that before fulfilling the elder''s request.


    Paying two million BP for the Immortal Qi Stones, he imprinted the storage ring with his Qi and investigated its contents. Inside, he found a number he estimated as a few hundred or slightly under a thousand.


    "Only that many stones? That''s all they could mine from the Qi Stone vein?"


    Ken asked suspiciously when he saw the meager amount inside. He used his ess to Medium Qi Stones as a reference to the amount of Immortal Qi Stones the elders should have.


    "Young Master, there''s no mine of Immortal Qi Stones. They are never formed naturally in the Mortal Realm. When a cultivator at the top of the ninth stage ascends, he goes through a tribtion to test his right to ascend. During the tribtion, Immortal Qi washes over his surroundings, giving many objects immortal attributes."


    "Sounds like a great opportunity," Ken imagined the number of immortal treasures each of the top 5 sects must have under their possession but soon understood that the immortals probably took most of the treasures with them.


    "It is. That''s why elders who are about to break through always cultivate surrounded by a pile of treasures and High Qi Stones. Most objects just shatter upon being pervaded by the Immortal Qi, so it''s not exactly a 100% sess rate."


    "And that''s why there are so few Immortal Qi Stones?"<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Yes. The supreme elders took with them most of the mutated objects as they didn''t want to enter the new realm without any belongings. It''d be very hard to survive as new immortals in a realm they know nothing about. We don''t even know the average strength in the Immortal Realm. Each elder left 100 Immortal Qi Stones behind for inheritors."


    His exnation made sense and Ken didn''t find any faulty with them. If all the Immortal Qi was used for is helping elders ascend, then mortals probably didn''t require many stones anyway.


    "Young Master, are you satisfied?" The elder asked hesitantly. He was extremely uneasy about the possibility that Ken will renege on his word and not let him take control of the body he chose.


    "I am. Here''s your reward, I will open the coffin and throw the man in."


    "Thank you, Young Master!" Edmund''s excitement was evident in his tone, making Ken smile in amusement.


    The young child grabbed the cultivator on the floor by the cor of his shirt and dragged him toward the coffin. He opened the lid and threw the man inside.


    "Hahaha! I will be free of this cage atst, and I will be alive!"


    Edmundughed before the room turned silent, hinting to Ken that the elder was in the process of assaulting the young man''s soul. With an impish smile, Ken pulled the lid back, closing the coffin.


    "Wait, what happened? Young Master, did you close the coffin?"


    Edmund''s anxious voice reverberated inside the room. The old man feared the worst had happened, and he was betrayed by Ken.


    "Of course, did you think I''d let an old monster out? You know too much about me, and the cons of freeing you overweighs the benefits. Anyway, open a portal for me to a safe location near a spot where a portal to the outside will be opened when the secret realm is copsing."


    "No, you can''t do this to me! You promised to let me out! I swear to the heavens, I will always serve under you for the rest of my life, please! Don''t leave me here alone!"


    Edmund screamed desperately as he opened a portal against his will due to his master''smand.


    "For the next 24 hours, you are not allowed to speak and talk anymore, you''re not allowed to take any action, give any further rewards or information to anyone, ormunicate with any person. You must enter a meditation where you neither hear nor interact with anything. Don''t hinder anyone from getting out of the secret realm and don''t try to open less portals than originally nned."


    Ken instructed indifferently and only bent down to take the storage ring off the dead girl''s finger.


    "I''m not cruel enough to leave you alone in a copsed realm. Didn''t I gift you with apanion?"


    Ken smirked and entered the portal, disappearing from the stone room. Only a dead body, a coffin, and silent despair remained behind.

 Chapter 189 189 – Diguise

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    Ken spawned in the middle of a forest which he recognized as the outskirts of the Beast Haven. He didn''t have much time left before the secret realm was over and he had achieved all his goals in the secret realm. Now, it was time to get ready to leave.


    ''The problem is that I will be hunted as soon as I step outside. The Four Seasons Sect will probably look for me and their elders will not hold back despite my younger age and lower stage.''


    Ken never forgot the problems he had left behind in the outside world before he was sucked into the secret realm of the Bloodthirst Sect. Now, it was time to prepare to deal with those problems.


    ''Let''s find a good ce to hide first,'' Ken thought to himself. The young boy spread his Bloodlust Sense technique and searched for a ce. He soon found a trail of bloodlust leading to a burrow in the ground, and apparently, the owner was not home.


    Ken didn''t know which creature the burrow belonged to, but it was at the fifth rank, and he was confident enough to deal with it easily. He jogged to the burrow and slid right into it without wasting time.


    To his surprise, he was not alone. There were four kits cuddling each other.


    ''Rabbits?''


    The four little baby rabbits were sitting on the ground, looking at him curiously. One of them hopped to Ken''s side, trying to touch his leg.


    ''Should I eat them?''


    Ken felt slightly bad about eating them, they were quite cute.


    ''Oh well, I didn''t have meat for a long time.''


    -----------------


    3 hours passed, and Ken just finished his bunny soup meal. The soup also included their mother who sprinted into the burrow anxiously when she smelled the scent of a stranger in her home, only to be trapped and ughtered inside a fifth-rank formation.


    ''Time to begin arranging my disguise.''


    He already finishedying out all the formations he needed in the burrow, which included Concealing Formations to hide this ce from outside and Suppressing Formation in case someone wandered inside by ident despite the concealment.


    He looked at his hand and sighed. Or more correctly, he looked at what his hand was holding.


    ''I guess being the Forbidden Fruit has its own merits.''


    In his palm, he held the storage ring of the female disciple he had killed earlier in the coffin room. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    He knew that once he was out of the secret realm, the elders of the Four Seasons Sect will look for him, and changing his mask or not wearing any wouldn''t be of much help; he might be the only child in the area, and even if there were more young-looking disciples, there won''t be enough confuse the seventh and eighth-stage elders.


    Hence, he came up with a final idea. All he had to do was to transform into a girl.


    In the dimly lit burrow, the young cultivator took a deep breath as he prepared for his daring escape. In the mirror he had taken out of the looted storage ring, he could see his long, ck hair cascading down his back, its silky strands brushing against his shoulders.


    With a calm and unwavering gaze, his crimson eyes held a determined resolve. Ken was fully aware of his ethereal beauty, and though it had a certain feminine charm, he had never let it sway his cold and indifferent demeanor.


    Moving swiftly, he retrieved a delicate brush and a palette of makeup, conscious of the difort he felt at the idea. However, Ken knew that such trivial matters were of no consequence when it came to survival.


    His hands moved with precision, applying the soft shades of pastel to his cheeks, enhancing his naturally delicate features. He added a touch of rose to his lips, entuating their alluring shape, all the while maintaining his stoic expression.


    With each stroke of the brush, Ken''s heart remained as calm as ever. His awareness of his own beauty never wavered, but it was merely a fact, an attribute that he epted without emotion. For him, beauty was a tool, something that could be utilized to achieve his goals, and in this dire situation, it served a purpose.


    ''Hmm, I''d make a great trap. I could lure hundreds of young masters.''


    As he carefully lined his eyes with dark kohl, he observed his own reflection, his crimson gaze meeting that of the captivating girl in the mirror. Despite the unfamiliarity of the image before him, he showed no signs of difort. Instead, his countenance remained cold andposed, as if he were observing someone else entirely.


    In the final moments of his transformation, Ken applied a light dusting of shimmering powder, enhancing the natural glow of his skin. The result was captivating, but he regarded it with a detached air, his mind focused solely on the task at hand.


    Stepping back to survey his disguise, Ken saw the image of a stunning young girl staring back at him. While anyone else might have marveled at the beauty before them, Ken''s thoughts were practical and calcting. He knew that this transformation would afford him the advantage he needed to escape his enemies unnoticed.


    With a silent nod of satisfaction, Ken slipped into a silken robe he had taken out of his storage ring, its gentle fabric flowing gracefully around him. Despite the unfamiliarity of the attire, he moved with a fluid elegance, fully embodying the persona of the young woman he had be.


    ''Next, let''s make my hairstyle more feminine,'' Ken mumbled. Moving his hands elegantly, he adorned a beautiful hairpin to secure his glossy hair.


    He had never applied makeup before, but he had seen Diana, Sol, and his mother do it in the past. Thanks to his memory, he could remember how to do it precisely without a glitch.


    ''Now for the final product.''


    Ken took out a green pill he had learned how to concoct in the library.


    ''Green-Eye Pill.''

 Chapter 190 190 – Last-Minute Preparations

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    "All right, I''m ready to go."


    Ken said to the empty burrow as he looked at his reflection. He saw a beautiful green-eyed girl, her ck hair held by a hairpin. Her high cheekbones were highlighted by makeup and a faint blush colored her cheeks.


    He was wearing the green discipleship uniform of a female cultivator from the Serene Lotus Sect. Her body size wasrger than his, which was perfect as he didn''t want tight clothes that might reveal theck of curves. He had plenty of uniforms of different sects in his storage ring, so he didn''t have a problem finding one.


    He meditated through the next 20 hours he had left until the portals to the outside would open, concentrating on learning everything he had seen in the library. Because of theck of time, he didn''tpletely assimte all the new knowledge he had gained.


    ------------


    Meanwhile in another region of the secret realm:


    A young man walked down a hill with a spear on his back. He was handsome, and his strong jawline was emphasized by his smoothly shaved skin.


    "Why did the challenge suddenly stop?"


    ricined out loud to the empty air. He was in the middle of a challenge at the Arcane Nethends, where his Sound Qi was tested. It was the site of the supreme elder originating from the Serene Lotus Sect, and ric managed to get a great Sound Qi inheritance before the third challenge was suddenly shut.


    ''I guess I will just wait and cultivate, there''s nothing I can do here anymore if there are no challenges and prizes. Even a portal to another ce wasn''t opened.''


    With just 24 hours left before the secret realm closed, he was perplexed by theck of further rewards. He was unaware that this was due to Ken''s instructions to Edmund.


    ----------------


    A stunningdy with golden curls was walking down the frostynds, stepping on the frozen bodies of other disciples. Some of them were killed by her while others were already there.


    "Weird, there are no more rewards. Is it because there are only 24 hours left?"


    Tiara found a great ce for her Ice Qi cultivation. The ce was as rich in Ice Qi as the Mystic Chasm of Ice, and she reached it thanks to the voice''s directions, also known as Edmund.


    He followed Ken''s request long ago to take care of his friends and helped them reach the spots he believed would facilitate their growth. He did it mainly as a final thankful gesture toward the boy who gave up his body for him, but unfortunately, the tables had turned since then.


    ''I will just cultivate the manual I got from Ken until the portals to the outside appear.''


    Tiara found a cave in the frosty terrain and sat down to cultivate.


    ----------


    Outside the secret realm:<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Elders from the different sects assembled together where the portal opened earlier. 2 eighth-stage elders came from each sect, additionally to 10 elders from different evil sects.


    "It''d be nice if we could get rid of those evil cultivators. They taint the Verdant Qi Continent with their presence alone."


    An elder wearing ck robes remarked. Despite his robes'' colors, the embroidery marked him as a member of the Divine Sword Sect. The elders were free to wear any robes they wanted; thus their robes'' colors didn''t follow any pattern other than the embroideries.


    "Oh, the righteous Peter. You can go ahead and try to kill some, I will make sure to cheer for you from here," Zara, the elder from the Four Seasons Sect, said with a mocking tone.


    "Haha, Peter, I''d happily go to my death if such a beautiful woman cheered me on, don''t let this opportunity go!"


    "I''m good, Elmer. You''re the one who has been trying to get under her skirt in the past century, you should go. Wouldn''t you be his cheerleader as he fights them, Zara?"


    Peter redirected the fire toward Elmer as the bored elders bantered to pass the wait for their disciples toe out. Each sect had readied only a single airship as they expected a tragic end for most of their disciples.


    They didn''t mind too much. They all had their favorite core disciples they liked, but as for the rest, it could even be considered a good way to separate the wheat from the chaff, as those who were going to die will be those who were too weak to survive under harsh conditions.


    "Radiate boundless love toward the entire world," A bald monk said with his eyes closed.


    "The ever-so-hypocrite monks of the Peaceful Demon Sect. Why do you guys pretend to have enmity with the evil sects when all of us trade with them off the books?"


    The speaker this time was an elder from the Infinite Wisdom Sect. As a businesswoman, her smile could convince anyone she always had their best interest in mind.


    "All of you are hypocrites. Don''t you kill and loot others just like us? Didn''t you send your disciples into a secret realm to ughter one another for rewards? Pfft, you cane at us if you want."


    One of the evil elders said with an exasperated voice. Nobody enjoyed listening to others talk about killing them, even though the elder knew that none of the righteous elders nned on taking action.


    "Anyway, Four Seasons Sect, aren''t you overdoing this? You''ve even brought a ninth-stage elder here in addition to five eighth-stage elders."


    "Hmph, we already know you want to hinder us from killing the brat. Don''t think you can protect him alone."


    -------------


    The time passed quickly while Ken was meditating in his hiding spot, and the time to depart had arrived. His beautiful face revealed, he came out of his cave and watched as a portal opened nearby.


    ''Let''s time my exit.''


    Ken thought to himself as he watched a hundred disciples flock toward the portal. As there was no meaning to BP anymore and everyone was tired of the restless killing, nobody made any problems now.

 Chapter 191 191 – Team Reunites

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    Ken joined the disciplesing out, earning a few stares for his beauty. However, due to his young age, most disciples deemed it inappropriate to approach him, sparing him the need to deal with flirting.


    "We''re finally outside!"


    Some disciples eximed when they saw the outside world. Ken was neither thest nor the first disciple toe out; he merged into the crowd somewhere in the middle.


    He sensed the world around him by differentiating the bloodlust auras and looked for hispanions. In a short while, he skimmed through the survivors and found those he had been looking for.


    ''One Step.''


    Ken vanished from his spot and halted near Tiara,ing face-to-face with her. The icy princess was surprised by the beautiful girl that appeared in front of her out of nowhere and ced a hand on her saber''s hilt hesitantly. The young girl seemed strangely familiar, although Tiara was sure she would remember if she met a powerful teen girl.


    "It''s me, Ken," Ken''s new feminine voice came out of his throat. He still wasn''t used to hearing a girl''s voice when he talked. His natural voice could also pass as a slightly masculine voice of a female, but he preferred changing itpletely since he did speak in the past and people could recognize it.


    "Ken? That''s¡­ impressive." Tiaraplimented her team leader with an undisguised smile. She understood that he had many enemies here, so it wasn''t hard to guess the reason he was dressed as a girl.


    "Thank you. Anyway, the elder of the Serene Lotus Sect should approach us soon. First because of our robes, and second because I still have his token in my storage ring. Let''s wait for ric toe here."


    Before the three of them separated, they already agreed to wear robes of the Serene Lotus Sect when theye out as ric and Tiara agreed to join along with Ken.


    "Hey, Tiara, there you are! Who is the beautiful girl?"


    ric''s voice reached their ears as the man caught up with them. He located Tiara''s voice with his Sound Qi and approached her since he couldn''t find Ken.


    "She was just talking to me about you, would you like me to make introductions?" Tiara replied and a slight smile adorned her usually tightly sealed lips. The smile threatened to spread even to her eyes when she saw ric''s widened eyes and bright expression.


    "Haha, of course. I''m pretty famous in the cultivation world, it''s no wonder she had heard about me before. Young Fairy, I''m afraid we would have to wait a few years first, but we could get to know each other in the meantime!"


    "It''s me, Ken. Tiara is just teasing you. I''m disguising myself as a girl to avoid the Four Seasons Sect''s elders who want me dead. Just stick close for now."


    Ken replied with a cold voice, he didn''t exactly enjoy being hit on by ric.


    "Team Leader..? It''s you..? I- I''m sorry, I didn''t know-"


    "Enough, it''s fine," Ken cut the man''s stuttering and led the group slowly toward the airship with the crest of the Serene Lotus Sect.


    It didn''t take long for him to hear the voice he had waited for.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Kid, who are you? Did you kill the other kid, or are you the same kid?"


    Elmer appeared before the three and asked with an intrigued tone. He never saw Ken''s face before because of the mask, but he did know the child''s Qi imprint and that he was a boy. However, Ken''s Qi imprint was changed due to the white mask, and he turned into a girl.


    Ken''s face was revealed, but he still tied the eighth-grade mask to his chest under his robes, and although it didn''t do much to hide his face, it still helped change his body build slightly as well as change his Qi.


    "I''m the same, it''s just me with some makeup and without a mask."


    "I see. It was a good call; I''m not confident I could save you from the elders of the Four Seasons Sect this time, they have brought arge force to capture you. Let''s go, we can''t seem suspicious."


    The elder understood the gist of the situation and threw two tokens to ric and Tiara. He didn''t sense discipleship tokens on them, and as they were on Ken''s side, he guessed their intentions.


    "You still carry the token I''ve given you. Is it safe to interpret that as an agreement to my offer to join the Serene Lotus Sect?"


    Elmer asked Ken as he enveloped the three with his Qi and carried them to the sect''s airship. It wasn''t an umon sight; the other elders also searched for disciples and pulled them to the airship.


    They didn''t know what kind of treasures each one of them found in the secret realm, and what kind of enmities they had created. Thus, they preferred to just bring them all together and protect them instead of letting them be and risking ambushes.


    "Indeed. Those are my two friends, Tiara and ric, and they will be joining the sect with me. I hope it would not be a problem."


    "No problem. I''m sure they''re extremely talented if you want them to be by your side," Elmer replied with a smile. His intention wasn''t topliment the two extras but to question Ken whether that''s the case or they just share a friendship. If Ken brought them along because of friendship alone, Elmer would put them in the outer sect.


    "Indeed, they are very powerful. I''m sure they would be considered elites even among the core disciples of the first-ranked sect in the continent."


    The young teen answered with a calm voice, rying the message that they deserve the best treatment.


    "All right, then they can start as inner disciples, and if they catch the eyes of one of the elders, they can turn into core disciples. I hope you don''t have anyints."


    "Thank you for the opportunity, Elder," Tiara and ric cupped their fists and bowed.


    "So, why are you giving me back your token if your friends join?"


    Elmer asked with a bewildered tone.

 Chapter 192 192 – Home Sweet Home

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    "So, why are you giving me back your token if your friends join?" Elmer asked with a bewildered tone.


    ric and Tiara exchanged puzzled nces at Ken. He had been the one who encouraged them to join the Serene Lotus Sect, promising they could follow him, so they couldn''tprehend why he was backing out of the agreement now.


    "Unfortunately, I still have unfinished business with my former sect. You already know I''m not truly from the Divine Sword Sect. My former sect is the Phoenix Feather Sect, and my parents and little brother live in their territory. I must get them out of there first."


    "Are you from an elite n?" Elmer asked the young boy curiously.


    If Ken was from a normal n, Elmer could just go and fetch the family; it would solve the problem and Ken could join right away.


    However, it would be seen as a serious transgression if they forcibly took family members of an elite n, resulting in souring their rtionships considerably. While the sect could afford it, they wouldn''t do it for the sake of a single cultivator that isn''t even part of the sect yet.


    Even if the Serene Lotus Sect was ranked first, a war with another sect could weaken them enough to threaten that spot. That''s why the Divine Sword Sect and Four Seasons Sect limited their fights to the Nurturing Phase and kept their core disciples safe.


    Nevertheless, losing so many inner disciples might weaken them in the next centuries if they can''t rece those who had died.


    "I''m from an elite n. If I join your sect now, my n will use my family to threaten me and force me toe back."


    "They won''t dare act if I give them a warning as an elder of the Serene Lotus Sect," Elmer thought of another possible solution. He might not be able to steal Ken''s family, but he is able to ce the weight of his sect to deter any harmful intentions toward them.


    "Then they''d easily make two plus two and infer that I might be the Devil''s Heir. Then, all they have to do is to leak the information to the Four Seasons Sect. Is the third strongest sect in the continent afraid of the name ''Serene Lotus''?"


    "Not so much," the elder admitted with a heavy tone. They had some freedom to act without retaliation as the strongest sect, but it didn''t mean they could do whatever they want without repercussions.


    "However, I do have a n. What do you think of a n to weaken the Phoenix Feather Sect and the Four Seasons Sect at once? The former might even fall."


    Ken smiled devilishly when he spoke again. Naturally, since he wanted to join the Serene Lotus Sect, he''d have a n to deal with his problems.


    "Sure, what is it?"


    Elmer was intrigued to hear Ken''s idea. Not every day a fourth-stage cultivator dares im he can weaken two top sects all by himself.


    "Drop me somewhere safe so I can get back to my sect on my own. What I need you to do is simple; leak my origins to the Four Seasons Sect, and let them fight with the Phoenix Feather Sect."


    "And how are you so sure you will not be captured? Or that your sect will not sell you out for enough benefits?"


    "I''m not. That''s where youe into the picture. I want you to make it public. Once it''s not under the table anymore, the Phoenix Feather Sect will not be able to abandon a disciple for resources. At this point, you will also be able to ally with the Divine Sword Sect and pressure the Four Seasons Sect."


    Ken exined his n to the elder. Thetter was quite surprised by the shrewdness the young child disyed. Apparently, cultivation wasn''t the only thing he could understand at such a young age.


    "Why would the Divine Sword Sect ally with us now that their war is over?" Elmer still had another question.


    "Because the publicization of the matter would mean that the Divine Sword Sect hired other sects to fight for them. It''d implicate a lot of sects as a result and make them lose face, so they''d have to im that the Four Seasons Sect is being unreasonable and falsely using the Phoenix Feather Sect."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "I see. This way, we can prevent the Four Seasons Sect from exerting all their power, which would make them lose even more cultivators if they choose war. What''s the n in case they don''t start a war only to get you?"


    "Then I will bring my family out of the borders of the Phoenix Feather Sect. You can''t abduct them from their territory, but nobody canin if my family ran away. However, leak the information only in half a year. I need time to gather new allies within the sect to make my value rise. I can''t only rely on the assumption Phoenix Feather Sect will refuse to sell me to save face."


    "All right, we can go with this n. Don''t worry about your friends, as long as they are as talented as you described them to be, their future will be bright in our sect," Elmer dered with a pondering expression as he thought about how to pull the n off and make it work.


    "Team Leader, stay safe! I hoped you''d be able to have a look at the inheritance I''ve won before you leave, do you think it''s possible?"


    "Same for me," Tiara added on ric''s request. As always, the selfish girl skipped the nice words and went straight to her request.


    "Don''t worry, I will remain on the airship all the way to the sect, and only then Elder Elmer will take me to the designed spot. Give me your inheritances, I will work on them."


    Ken calmed down his anxiouspanions. They already trusted his ability to make their manuals and techniques better, so they gave away their inheritances without any hesitation this time. Besides, Ken already formed his core and could not cultivate the same attributes and manuals as them.


    Ken took the manuals from their hands, but when he made contact with Tiara, he checked something he was curious about. He reached out with his hand and touched her, activating Luck Sense.


    ''Hmm, she''s hiding something,'' Ken thought as he saw the ring aura of her luck.


    The five top sects had two territories each; one at the central area, and one that connected to the central area but was not part of it. Their outer territory was where the sects'' main bases were, and when their cultivators finished their cultivation sessions and sought fighting experience or treasures, the sects sent them to the central territory.


    The trip to the main base was a 3-day-long straight-line flight, and Ken spent it meditating and reconstructing the manuals for ric and Tiara. As he had a strong starting point to work from, and he already learned most of the information before, he didn''t need a long time to perfect his creations this time.


    "We''ve arrived. I will take you now to the borders of the Phoenix Feather Sect secretly."


    ---------


    Elmer dropped Ken at the border as promised. Instead of going by conspicuous transportation means like an airship or a flying beast, Elmer simply cocooned Ken in his Darkness Qi and made him float by his side as he moved at high speed toward their destination.


    Ken, enveloped in darkness throughout the whole trip, simply sighed at the low-grade customer service and closed his eyes until the trip was over.


    "A spy of our sect will contact you soon to coordinate our ns. Stay safe, and hopefully, you will be out of there soon."


    "Sure, goodbye."


    With those words, Ken and Elmer separated, leaving Ken alone at the entrance to the vast desert south of the Phoenix Feather Sect.


    ''Home sweet home, here Ie.''


    Volume 4 ¨C Bloodthirst Sect''s Secret Realm ¨C The End.

 Chapter 193 193 – An Evil Nomad

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    Volume 5 ¨C Home Sweet Home


    -----------


    ''Hmm, it''s going to be troublesome to return home. I need to think of a good reason why I didn''t go back with the Divine Sword Sect but on my own. Additionally, I need allies within the sect; I might have killed my main enemies, but it doesn''t mean someone likes me now.''


    Ken thought to himself as he walked through the desert. The reason for his reluctance to enter it during his sect days was crystal clear. The persistent sand was a constant nuisance, seeping into every fiber of his clothing.


    He detested the sensation so much that he resorted to shrouding himself in Qi, creating a protective barrier against the intrusive sand.


    The heat was another aspect he hated. Despite being a fourth-stage cultivator, he couldn''t stop his body from sweating, and there was never any stream to shower in during the night.


    Luckily, he at least had enough water and food stored in his storage ring as he got some supplies from Elmer before the two separated.


    ''Well, I guess I shouldn''t walk on foot.''


    -----------


    Ken was standing with his hands behind his back, his silky ck hair was fluttering behind him in the warm wind.


    The effect of the pills that changed his voice and eye color already expired, and he washed the makeup off his face. Furthermore, he was back into his blue robes, meant for the male inner disciples of the Phoenix Feather Sect. Overall, he was back to his normal look.


    Beneath his feet was arge, brown bird. The bird pped its wide wings fervently, regretting the cursed moment it mistook the young human child as prey and dove to hunt him. The bird only recognized its mistake when a deep fear took over its brain, and it had been acting as the human''s transportation means ever since.


    ''Danger!''


    Ken jumped without a moment of hesitation off the bird''s back and slowed down his descent using his Qi as much as he could. They flew only 20 meters above the ground, not high enough to injure a fourth-stage cultivator of Ken''s caliber. Always vignt, he remained in that height on purpose in case he had to jump.


    "AH!"


    The bird screamed in fear as it was pushed down forcibly by Ken''s kick and crashed down to the hot sand. It slid on the ground for a few meters before the umting sand halted its momentum.


    Ken quickly ced his hand on his sword''s hilt and tried to find the source of the iing danger. However, he didn''t sense anything.


    "Bird, get up and prepare to fly again!"


    Ken shouted at the lower fifth-rank beast that was recovering from the shock. If Ken didn''t kick its back when he jumped down, the bird would be cleaved to half by the attack.


    "Don''t make such a big deal out of it. I only want to ask a few questions, and I didn''t find itfortable to talk while you''re still flying."


    Ken heard a soft voice behind him. Turning around, the child saw a young man approaching him. The man''s clear emerald eyes were prominent in his appearance, and his smooth ck hair resembled Ken''s.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Who are you?"


    Ken tried to sense the man using his Bloodlust sense, yet nothing came up despite seeing him right in front of him. It could only mean the man was beyond Ken''s capabilities to handle.


    "I''m just a nomad in the desert. I was just curious to meet you as you have something that belongs to me."


    Ken squinted his eyes for a slight moment before it clicked.


    ''The evil cultivator! I still have the Luck Pill on me, so he must have sensed its presence. This man should be a seventh-stage cultivator or higher.''


    "What do I have that belongs to you, Senior?" Ken asked with a calm voice, remaining unfazed as he nned his escape route in case it was needed.


    "One of my personal disciples has diedtely by poison. He had five pills I created, and one of them is missing. I believe it fell into your hands in one way or another."


    Ken smiled and bowed as he cupped his fist at the evil cultivator. He was amused by how the man referred to Nick as his "personal disciple" while thetter was more of a luck cauldron, a tool to be used and disposed of.


    "It can''t be, I have never killed someone worthy of being your disciple, Senior, I will be going on my way then," Ken replied and pretended to walk away toward the bird.


    "Not so fast," the evil cultivator released a powerful Bloodlust and pressured Ken''s mind, making him barely capable of resisting the mere pressure. Ken was no 90% certain that the man was not at the peak of the seventh stage yet, and was about to make a gamble.


    "Give me the pill or take it right now, which is it going to be?"


    The evil cultivator gave Ken an ultimatum; swallow the pill or give it away. Ken understood that the man had no reason to let his pill be circted and researched, thus he wanted it to be consumed. However, he wasn''t na?ve enough to believe the evil cultivator would let him go if he chose the giving away option.


    ''I don''t want to give up the pill yet, I can research it further. Swallowing it will ruin the pill even if I can dismantle the pill while it''s being ingested from within.''


    Ken weighed his options before deciding on his course of action.


    "What if I still need time to consider those options? I still don''t know the pill''s full effect yet," Ken bought time until the settings would be right.


    "Then you will have to listen to your heart, there''s nothing else you can do."


    "I will listen to itter. For now, goodbye."


    Ken smirked impishly and threw a talisman at the man in front of him. He saw that the bird already recovered from its shock and tried to use this chance to escape, soaring to the sky.


    *BOOM!*

 Chapter 194 194 – Running Away

    ?


    Ken smirked impishly and threw a talisman at the man in front of him.


    *BOOM!*


    The Inheritor Protection Talisman was a ninth-rank talisman that allowed Ken to execute peak seventh-stage attacks. By activating the talisman, an attack was suddenlyunched at the evil cultivator.


    The attack did not even travel, and if it did, it was too fast for Ken to notice. As soon as he channeled his will and Qi into the talisman, it was instantly activated, and Ken didn''t even have to throw the talisman.


    ''One Step.''


    Ken didn''t wait to see the result of the attack. He instantly disappeared from his ce and appeared on the back of the soaring bird.


    "AHHH!"


    The bird screamed in protest when it felt the weight of the human child on its back again, but it had no choice. It flew as fast as it could toward the sect, hoping to get rid of the ticking bomb as soon as possible.


    "Kid!!! I will kill you!!!"


    Ken heard an angry shout and knew the man didn''t die. He hoped the surprise effect would be enough, as nobody expects a fourth-stage cultivator tounch a peak seventh-stage attack. Unfortunately, it didn''t seem to be the case.


    The bird tensed up from the shout and activated its Wind Qi at its max, cutting the air in front of it to move faster and boosting its flight with the extra wind.


    ''This talisman should have a long distance as a ninth-rank talisman, right?''


    Ken thought to himself as he activated another Inheritor Protection Talisman and willed it to attack the wounded evil cultivator.


    *BOOM!*


    This time, there was only silence after the implosion. The attack was very precise, and the area of damage was controlled by the user. Since Ken willed it to only harm the man, the attack was simr to an implosion that only harmed those in the specific spot.


    With thisst attack, Ken flew directly to the sect at max speed, shortening the expected trip from 3 days at their normal pace to a single day, thanks to the anxious bird.


    -----------


    "Halt! Show your proof of identity!"


    The guards in the sect raised their weapons and shouted when they saw arge bird flying toward the sect at high speed with a cultivator standing on its back.


    "You may leave now. Have a beautiful life, this is your reward."


    Ken jumped off to the ground and threw a fifth-grade Bloodline Refiner Pill to the exhausted bird, making its eyes lit in excitement. Ken was never cheap with beasts that helped him; they couldn''t rat out his abilities to others.


    With a final cry for goodbye, much warmer this timepared to before, the bird turned around and flew away to make some distance from the sect and find a ce to rest.


    "Hello, guards. I''m Ken Sue from the Sue family," Ken dered with a clear voice. Unfortunately, Elmer could supply him only with normal inner sect robes.


    "Then why don''t you have the Sue embroidery on your robes? Show us your n''s token or your sect token, please."


    The guards, however, remained vignt. It might be a drill to test their vignce while guarding the gate. None of them thought seriously that a young child was there to attack the sect on his own or infiltrate in such a crude way.


    "I don''t have it on me. However, I''m sure you can see my resemnce to the family. Let me pass."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Ken said confidently and tried to walk past the guards. Sadly, it didn''t work.


    "Stop, or we will attack!"


    "Be ready to sound the rm!"


    The guards shouted. They were sure now it was a drill meant to check their awareness and whether they followed the protocols. Ken was surprised by how strict they were; he normally used to enter and leave without showing his discipleship token when he wore his n''s robes.


    "What are you doing? Are you trying to stand in the way of the grandson of the Sue n''s patriarch?" Ken asked strictly, frowning his eyebrows in displeasure.


    "No, Young Master, we only follow the protocols. Please cooperate," The guards seemed to be making weird faces at him as if they were expecting something from him.


    ''Am I misreading the situation?'' Ken decided to probe. He also found it weird that they restricted his entrance while calling him Young Master.


    "It''s good to follow the protocols."


    "Thank you, Young Master."


    An awkward silence filled the atmosphere as the guards looked at him expectantly.


    ''What are they expecting?'' Ken tried to figure it out exasperatedly. For the life of him, he had no idea why they were acting so weird.


    Just that time, a pretty female disciple wearing white robes with embroidery of a crane approached the gate. Ken had no idea who she was, but he knew her origins; she came from the Geranos n, an elite family which used the image of the crane on their banner.


    "Young Lady La, please show us your discipleship token before entering."


    The guard ran to her fervently and asked with a bow. La looked at him confusedly as she traveled outside often and never had to show her token. She soon noticed he was sneaking nces toward the young teen on the side.


    "Of course, you guys always work hard and follow the protocols," she said with a bright smile and nodded. Her voice was loud, obviously intended to be heard by Ken.


    ''Wait, maybe they think it''s a check?'' Ken felt suddenly enlightened when he noticed the striking difference in the girl''s expression and her weird behavior.


    "You''ve done great guys. I will report to my supervisor you have performed perfectly. I never thought you''d handle so well such an unusual case," Ken smiled widely at the guards.


    "Haha, Young Master, is it possible you were here to test us? We had no idea, it''s good that we just did our job as we always do."


    "Of course, I''m sure all of you will get a bonus for your performance today."


    "The Guarding Division is really crafty, Young Master. I thought they used up their creativity in the previous check; the crawling worm and the grandmother seemed so bizarre together, but today I saw a child jump from a bird''s back!"


    ''No, a grandmother with a worm sound weirder,'' Ken thought to himself as he tried to picture the scene in his mind.


    "Anyway, I will be on my way to report to the Guarding Division then. Keep up the great work."


    "Thank you, Young Master, have a nice day!" the guards moved to the side and cleared the way and let him pass.


    "Phew, we managed to recognize another test. I hope they will not do something believable next time," One of the guards whispered to his friend after Ken left.

 Chapter 195 195 – Returning To The Clan

    ?


    "Halt, identify yourself!"


    ''Ah, not again,'' Ken thought to himself when he was stopped again at the entrance to the inner territory.


    "I''m Ken Sue, grandson of Dominic Sue," Ken answered indifferently.


    "Oh, it''s you, Forb- Young Master Ken. I''ve seen you in the arena two years ago. Wee back, Young Master."


    One of the guards cupped her fist and let him pass. Herrades didn''t insist either after the woman recognized theer.


    ''My nickname is what she remembers, huh.''


    Ken sighed and entered the inner sect. He still had to go through one more round of guards before he finally gets home; the guards that watched over the entrance to his family''s territory within the inner sect.


    Fortunately, those recognized his red eyes easily and let him pass. He didn''t miss that some of them went to report his arrival to whomever they were loyal to.


    He headed to his previous house and found it standing empty without any guards or attention. It seemed that nobody got it yet since he left.


    Entering the house, Ken was surprised by thefy atmosphere he found inside as if someone lived there. He was not surprised by theck of dust as there were simple first-rank formations in every house in the sect to prevent dirt from umting, but there was a cup with leftovers of tea on the table and a butt print on the couch.


    "Who is here?" Ken asked in a loud voice.


    "I''m sorry, I''m sorry, I didn''t do anything wrong! I promise, please don''t hurt me- Young Master, is that you?"


    A familiar feminine voice soon begged for mercy, but it stopped when its owner suddenly noticed the neer. Soleil looked at him in surprise.


    "What have you done?" Ken asked curiously. His maid was scared like a cat that was caught stealing meat from someone''s home.


    "¡­Nothing, Young Master. Wee back home!"


    ------------


    Ken interrogated the young woman for a while. He found out the maid was quite daring; she operated a nearly year-long scam in his absence.


    Soleil went to the resources distribution center of the n and took some resources that only the direct descendants of the n were eligible to receive every month, including pills and Qi Stones.


    Apparently, she was forgotten when Ken was gone, maybe because of therge events that took ce at the time like the department of the young generation to the Divine Sword Sect and the death of Norman and Krone.


    Soleil, with admirable courage, took advantage of the situation and just remained in Ken''s apartment. With a straight face, she continued to take food and resources for Ken from the n and used them for her own cultivation.


    It was not without results; the formerly second-stage maid was now at the peak of the third stage, ready to break through and form her core after mastering a few techniques she got from the sect''s treasury.


    "So that''s the story. I must say, I''m impressed."


    "Young Master, I''ve been so faithful to you and waited here for your return, unwilling to serve under anyone else. You won''t be heartless and punish me, will you?" Soleil bootlicked Ken shamelessly, coloring her words with ttery.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "That''s an interesting way to put it. Sure, I don''t care enough to report you," Ken shrugged. His free resources were released by Dominic after Norman and Krone''s death, so he got resources even after he lost the rights to the site that he had earned in thepetition a few years back.


    While it was true his family took a small loss from Soleil''s fraud, she was mainly harmless and the resources missing could barely count as a minor mistake while rounding the numbers in the books.


    "Thank you, Young Master! Would you like me to cook something for you?" Soleil answered cheerfully after gaining Ken''s promise.


    *Knock Knock*


    "Young Master Ken, the patriarch wishes to speak with you."


    A guard''s voice resounded from outside, stopping Ken''s conversation with his maid. He gestured to Soleil that he is going, and she can wait there. He left the apartment to follow the guard to the main mansion.


    "Wee back to the n, Young Master. The patriarch was thrilled to hear of your return, he has been grieving ever since the other disciples came back without you."


    "I''ve missed my grandfather greatly," Ken offered a few words, fully aware the guard was reciting the words his grandfather instructed him to say.


    "Patriarch, Young Master Ken has arrived."


    "Let him in."


    The guard opened the door to let Ken in and retreated to his guarding position outside the mansion.


    "Ken Sue greets the patriarch," Ken cupped his fist and bowed respectfully to his grandfather.


    "Nonsense, I''m your grandfather, you don''t need to be so formal when we are alone. How was your trip to the central zone?"


    Dominic smiled amiably to his grandson, showing no ill intentions.


    "It has been great. I''ve even managed to get some riches during my trip there. Maybe Grandfather has called me to ask for some of them?"


    Ken asked shrewdly, showing his childish innocence as if he spoke his mind directly.


    "Of course not, what you''ve gained is your own fortune. I''ve summoned you here to see whether you were all right; I was worried for you after hearing you didn''te back with everyone else. What happened?" Dominic was used to Ken''s antics by now and knew better than to attribute everything to the innocence of a child.


    "I have entered a conflict with someone from the Divine Sword Sect, and I had to run away from their sect. I decided to escape when the war was over and we were allowed to leave, and I managed to subdue a fourth-rank bird on my trip and ride the way here."


    Ken made up a reasonable story to satiate Dominic''s curiosity. After exining to his grandfather all the details of the story, his grandfather returned to the issue of Ken''s gains.


    "Don''t forget, if there''s something that can be shared, as knowledge, I hope you will not keep it to yourself."


    "I did find something I can share."

 Chapter 196 196 – Acquiring An Ally

    ?


    "Don''t forget, if there''s something that can be shared, as knowledge, I hope you will not keep it to yourself."


    "I did find something I can share," Ken said with a confident smile. Now that he was back in his sect, he needed allies. His grandfather could make a strong backer, and any rtionship required giving if one wanted to do some taking.


    "Oh, what is it?" Dominic asked while leaning forward from his chair, intrigued.


    "I gained a Darkness Qi technique when I stumbled upon an inheritance in the mountains. It''s a Heaven-grade technique."


    The young schemer knew what would interest his grandfather. In fact, this Darkness technique didn''t evene from the secret realm, and there was no need to mention that he hadn''t run into any inheritance grounds in the mountains of the central zone.


    When Ken memorized different techniques toe up with new uses for his Bloodlust Qi, he learned many Darkness Qi techniques in the n''s treasury for reference. He also learned quite a few techniques when he used to spar with Annie.


    By now, he knew enough about the Darkness Qi to be capable of altering the techniques he had ess to and improving them by integrating all his knowledge about cultivation.


    Thus, the technique he presented to his grandfather was actually created by himself.


    "Which technique is that? Do you know its exact grade?"


    Dominic''s breath turned hurried with excitement. Their ess to Heaven-grade techniques set the elite families apart from themoners. They were the only ones who could teach their descendants such arts even if they couldn''t be core disciples, and the Sue n only had two Darkness Qi Heaven-grade techniques.


    "It''s an intermediate Heaven-grade technique, and its name is ''Cut of the Night''. It''s an art that uses both Saber Qi and Darkness Qi to create small saber shes. As soon as the Darkness Qi pervades your enemy''s body, it will rush to their eyes to blind them, to their ears to deafen them, to their nose to make them lose their sense of smell, to their tongues to rob them of their sense of taste, and eventually their whole body to make them lose their sense of touch."


    "If Inded so many cuts on them, they would be dead," Dominic raised an eyebrow in doubt.


    "Indeed, the target of the Darkness Qi will be the closest area. With a single scratch on the cheek, you might be able to take the gift of sight from your enemy, and with a good cut to the wrist, they might lose their ability to sense the weapon in their hand."


    Ken exined to his grandfather the mechanism behind the technique.


    "I see. No matter where I hit them, they will pay a price. It''s a great technique, and even fits me perfectly, haha! You''ve done well, I will make sure to protect your interests in the n as much as I can."


    Dominicughed merrily as he grabbed the technique book from the air impatiently.


    "I will take my leave now, Grandfather," Ken said with a smile when he noticed Dominic''s eagerness to read the technique.


    "Yes, yes, of course. Talk to the guard outside about arranging you with a maid and guards, as well as anything else you need," Dominic said excitedly as he got up from his patriarch chair and headed to the training room.


    Ken exited the room and found the guard that escorted him there waiting at the entrance to the mansion.


    "Young Master Ken, did the reunion with the patriarch go well?" The guard asked respectfully.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Yes. Please supply me with a discipleship token, a n token, and inner disciple robes with the n''s embroidery. Also, check for me whether my guards, Henry and Miles, are back from the Divine Sword Sect. If they aren''t, hire some new guards for me."


    "Consider it done, Young Master. Henry and Miles have returned and remained hidden in their houses ever since their return two months ago. They didn''t answer the call of the patriarch either," the guard reported.


    The reason they were hiding and unwilling to leave the inner sect grounds was obvious. They were tasked with guarding a member of an elite n, and they could not show up unharmed when their client was missing.


    "Tell them that I''ve returned, and they cane and resume their duties as my guards."


    "Do you need a maid?"


    "No, I have my old one."


    Ken preferred to have his loyal former guards than to hire new ones that he didn''t know to whom they report at the end of the day of his every action. He could trust Henry, hence he also trusted Miles.


    As for Soleil, the girl used to be a spy of Norman and Krone, and those two were dead now. Her life was in Ken''s hands since he could just kill her as punishment for stealing resources, so he could trust her to a certain degree as well.


    He remembered Sol''s betrayal, but he knew that it was a result of pampering her with too many resources before stopping altogether; this time, he had never pampered Soleil with resources and never exposed her to his secrets other than superficially.


    -------------


    "DAMN KID!"


    A young-looking man with emerald eyes and loose ck hair shouted at the empty desert.


    He enveloped himself in Qi and made his limp body float to a ce of a nearby ally. He was too wounded, and he would get killed easily by any other seventh-stage entity right now. Even those in the sixth stage would pose a serious threat if they were slightly talented.


    "Frank, open the damn cave and let me in, I need a ce to rest."


    "Atum, is that you? Are you bringing your troubles over here? Go away and get killed somewhere else, don''tpromise my location!"


    Atum heard a panicking voice from underground.


    "There''s nobody after me, I just fell into a trap. Stop being a coward and let me in."


    "Oh,e inside,e inside. I was going to let you inside anyway, haha! I''m not scared of some righteous cultivators."

 Chapter 197 197 – Meeting The Bodyguards

    ?


    "Oh,e inside,e inside. I was going to let you inside anyway, haha! I''m not scared of some righteous cultivators," Frankughed happily and a hole was opened in the ground, revealing a tunnel underground.


    Atum hovered down the tunnel andnded gently on a bed in the corner with a grunt.


    "Hey buddy, you are ruining my bed with your blood. Can''t you clean yourself first? Besides, why can''t you heal your body with a pill instead of bleeding?" Frankined when he saw Atum staining his mattress.


    "I will get you another bed, let me rest. I was attacked by a weird talisman. My core, mind, and soul are all heavily wounded other than my flesh. I''ve already consumed seventh-grade healing pills for each aspect, but it will take me at least half a year before I can get out of bed."


    They were oldpanions who have gone through a lot together. It didn''t mean Atum blindly believed in Frank, but he knew that his oldpanion won''t try to kill him since Atum never carried his wealth on himself-


    "Maybe I can just kill you and take your money!" Frank chuckled as if he could read Atum''s mind, "Rx, I know you never carry your wealth on you. If a righteous cultivator will hunt you down one day, they will have more trouble than treasures, right?"


    "Exactly," Atum sighed in relief when he saw his friend still remembered his old quote.


    ---------------


    Ken was meditating at his home as he considered what he should do next.


    ''I guess I should meet with Maria soon. She only has less than a month left to live if I don''t go to get her some pills,'' Ken thought to himself as he recalled the woman under hismand.


    "Young Master, Senior Brother Henry and Senior Brother Miles havee to meet you," Soleil knocked on his door and announced theers'' identity.


    "Let them wait in the living room," Ken instructed her and got up from his meditation. He was still curious about how things went after he entered the secret realm.


    He stretched his limbs and left the room, finding Henry and Miles sitting around the table while Soleil served them tea. Although she was rather willful as a maid, she respected her senior brothers and only showed her misbehavior next to people she wasn''t afraid of, also known as Ken.


    "Young Master Ken, we are d to see you alive and well!" Miles eximed in relief when he saw the client he was supposed to protect. He felt anxious ever since he heard that Ken disappeared in the central zone as he knew they shouldn''t have let him leave their sight.


    The monk remained silent as always, only nodding his head when he felt Ken''s presence in the room, his dull eyes stared forward.


    "It''s good to see you are fine. I''ve heard you holed up in your rooms for the past few months, is that true?"


    "It is! We were worried about being hunted by your family if we leave the base or enter your family''s territory. I was nervous when I heard the news you summoned us here; I couldn''t tell if it was the truth or just a ruse to lure us to our death."


    Miles spoke excitedly as if he had been waiting a long time to vent to someone who would answer back with actual words.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Why did you decide it wasn''t just a ruse?"


    "Henry made a good point. He said that we can''t remain hidden for the rest of our lives, so we should trust you ande here. dly, he was right!" Miles exined.


    "Did he speak?"


    "No."


    "I see. So why did youe here 3 months ago? What happened to the war?" Ken asked the question that has been bothering him.


    "Because the war ended over three months ago. Young Master, it can''t be that you haven''t heard of it. Something happened at the other end of the Outer Ring of the central zone, close to the entrance to the Four Seasons Sect. After that event, there was a lot of activity in the Divine Sword Sect and all foreigners were told to leave since the war has ended."


    Ken understood that it had to do with the Bloodthirst Sect''s secret realm, and apparently, none of the cultivators of his sect entered the ce. He remembered that Tobias, the original team leader of Tiara''s group before Ken killed most of them, was head over heels for Tiara and invited her to the secret realm.


    ''I guess the ice princess was quite lucky then,'' Ken thought to himself. Tiara might be the only one except for him that wasn''t from the top 5 righteous sects or the top 10 evil sects and got to enter the secret realm.


    "I see. Do you guys want to keep working as my bodyguards?"


    Miles opened his mouth to outright refuse, but he felt a hand on his arm. Looking at Henry in surprise, he saw the blind monk nods at Ken.


    "Ah¡­ I guess we want to?" Miles said confusedly. He thought they only agreed to escort Kenst time as a highly rewarding one-time job as they nned to go to the secret realm anyway, but now they had no reason to work as mere bodyguards as top rankers of the inner sect.


    "Good. Miles, please keep watch outside for a while. Soleil, go prepare a room for them in the house."


    The small house was now at full capacity; there was only free room, so Ken nned to let them use it whenever they wanted. They wouldn''t live there, but he figured they might be there a lot.


    "So, Henry, why are you back here instead of going to the Peaceful Demon Sect?" Ken asked the man.


    Sensing Henry''s will, which now Ken recognized as a weird type of intent, Ken got the impression of surprise.


    "Does it mean because the war ended in a surprise, and it didn''t allow you to slip away?"

 Chapter 198 198 – Reunion With Emrys

    ?


    "Does it mean because the war ended in a surprise, and it didn''t allow you to slip away?"


    Seeing Henry nod, Ken got it right on his first try. He was getting the hang of guessing Henry''s intentions.


    "All right, I will find a chance to let you join that sectter. For now, here, I''m bearing gifts," Ken handed the monk a few books. It was the inheritance he got from the Residence of a Buddha and a Monk. It included cultivation manuals to the seventh rank and 4 different Heaven-grade techniques.


    Ken could sense the monk''s gratitude and replied, "You don''t have to worry about it. I earned it in the central zone when I was there alone. If you''re interested, I can integrate your current inheritance with this one to have the best of both worlds. I''ve done it for Tiara and ric, two newpanions that might be on our side in the long run."


    Henry pondered on the issue for a few seconds and agreed. After a game of guessing his intentions, they came to an agreement that Henry will remain for a few days at Ken''s house to write down his inheritance. In order to avoid being caught by the sect with an unreported inheritance, Henry burned everything after memorizing it.


    "Miles, you maye back inside."


    Ken shouted to the guard and the door soon opened. However, Miles was not alone.


    "Young Master, I''ve forgotten to mention that we left another visitor outside¡­"


    Miles said awkwardly when a little pup barged inside as soon as the door opened and jumped into Henry''sp. Ken could feel the pup was toward the peak of the second rank, and it was much stronger than normal beasts in the second rank with impure bloodlines.


    "Huh, it seems that Emrys prefers you guys, you may keep him then."


    "Haoouu!" Emrys howled from Henry''sp, agreeing with his master. After all, Ken never gave him much attention, and the pup has been with the monk for over three months now.


    "I will just eat those pills by myself," Ken mused to himself, bringing out a Bloodline Refining Pill he had in his storage ring. The young teen pretended to eat the pill and secretly ced it back in the storage ring in a quick motion.


    "Hool!" Emrys howled again in panic and jumped straight to Ken''sp, licking his palms, and rubbing his little nose against Ken''s hand. The little pup changed sides quickly when it came to his favorite food.


    "Hmph, now you remember who your master is," Ken smiled and stroke the pup''s fur and nced at his room, where the Sun-Scale Dragon Egg was stored. He had gotten an interesting idea after taking the egg.


    The little pup felt a slight chill runs through his spine like a bad premonition, but he soon forgot about it when he got to eat his favorite pills after so long that he didn''t have them.


    "All right, I will be going now. Miles, hire 2 trustworthy bodyguards and let them guard the entrance to the house so you guys can have more free time to cultivate. Just send the bills to Soleil and she will handle it. I have some errands to take care of."


    Ken first visited his room and pulled a nk of wood from the floor, revealing a small loose floorboard hiding spot. He pulled a storage ring outside and moved its contents to his new, bigger storage ring.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    He also used his new cauldron to concoct a few pills before going out. Among them were healing pills, different types of poison, short-term strengthening pills, and others. Their grades ranged from the fourth to the sixth grade, each would serve a purpose in a different situation.


    During his time in the Library of Eternal Wisdom, Ken learned many new recipes, improved them, and created a few of his own. His biggest gain was the short-strengthening pills that could empower his body, soul, and mind temporarily.


    -----------


    Ken was already delivered with his n Token, Discipleship Token, and his inner disciple robes. He dressed up and left the house toward the Hall of Glory. To gain allies, he first needed merit. An easy way to gain merit was to enter the top ranks again and garner some attention.


    "Hello, I''m Ken Sue. I used to be ranked 500 in the age group of 17 to 24. I''ve been out for three years, thus losing my rank, so I was hoping to reim it. I want to challenge rank 500."


    "Sure, let me scan your token," The male disciple at the counter ced Ken''s token in an inscribed item and soon found Ken''s records. His n already restored them in his new token.


    "You are eligible to challenge anyone between ranks 401-500. Is there anyone specific you want to challenge?"


    "No, just whoever is avable, challenge them and let me know the date. If they set the date for earlier than 48 hours from now, just cancel and set the next challenge until someone sets the fight for the date I want."


    When someone challenged an opponent of a higher rank, the challenged disciple had to set the fight for whenever they wanted in the next 72 hours from the moment they received the notification of the challenge.


    Ken wanted to go out to meet Maria, so his request was designed to automatically decline anything set for before his return. However, there was one small problem.


    "Young Master, it might harm your reputation, and your deposit of 200 medium Qi Stones will be lost if you cancel a battle."


    "Here, use this. It should be enough, and whatever''s left, you can have as a tip for your service," Ken threw a thousand medium Qi Stones on the counter nonchntly. He had gained tons of them in the secret realm, much more than he was going to use in the next year including spending onpanions and friends.


    "Thank you, Young Master!" The clerk bowed gratefully a few times as Ken turned around and left. It was time to go out and meet Maria, he had a task for the woman.


    He went to the gates of the sect and ventured to the forest in the west, bringing out themunication device he had created formunicating with his subordinates 2 years ago. It was stored in the old ring he had retrieved from his room earlier before he left the house.


    ''Let''s see if she still remembers why she should remain loyal to me,'' Ken smirked as he recalled the woman who tried to seduce him every time they met.

 Chapter 199 199 – Seeing Maria

    ?


    "Maria, I''m back. Let''s meet if you still need something to hold back your poison," Ken spoke into themunication device and the runes moved the message to the matching device.


    "Young Master, I thought you had already forgotten about me and left me to die!" Maria''s excited squeal passed through, making Ken raise an eyebrow.


    "No need to be so excited, let''s meet now. Where are you?"


    Ken never considered the option she might be in the middle of something. For him, his subordinates had to drop everything when he called. While he saw hispanions as long-term followers, he didn''t think much of his subordinates, and he knew that someone as mediocre as Maria will outlive her usefulness soon.


    As for hispanions, they were all special talents with promising prospects. He couldn''t fully trust them yet, but he was confident enough in his ability to offer them the best development.


    He was averse to supplying resources to valueless people who can''t contribute to his future, but he didn''t mind spending on those that could stand by his side.


    "I''m at Ice Feather City right now, should Ie back toward the sect?" Maria reported her location. The cities in Phoenix Feather Sect''s territory all had the word "Feather" in their name, and their only differed in the type of feather.


    Ken was quite intrigued to visit a city as he never has been in one ever since he reincarnated. While the residence area of the sect resembled a city, it was not quite the same. Unfortunately, it was too far away from the sect for his current schedule, and he had to dy to another time.


    "Yes,e to the Emeraldwood Forest, I will tell you the exact meeting location when you''re here," Ken gave her his orders and went to find a beast to ride to the other end of the forest instead of waiting for her. Not only it''d save time, but it''d be safer to meet further from the sect where many dangerous beings could see.


    ''Good thing I left the Luck Pill behind,'' Ken pondered to himself. As he knew he would be in danger out of the sect if he carried the Luck Pill on himself, he left it behind at the same hiding spot he used to keep the old storage ring.


    He didn''t know the situation of the evil cultivator and didn''t want to take any risks of meeting him on the way. The Inheritor Protection Talismans weren''t something he could use freely.


    As always, he didn''t like the idea of running on foot. He made a nearby boar submit and rode on its back toward his destination. The travel was quite boring as nothing happened while his mount galloped through the forest unhindered.


    ''She should have that tiger pet by her side, so she shouldn''t be any slower than me. If we both ride at max speed we should meet soon,'' Ken thought to himself as he calcted the distance from Ice Feather City ording to a map he saw once.


    Back in the time when he recruited Maria, he paid a tiger with Bloodline Refining Pills and offered it extra pills in the future if it serves under Maria. The boar ran at an impressive speed of 80-90 kilometers per hour, and Maria''s tiger shouldn''t be any slower.


    "Are you here yet?" Ken asked through the device.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Not yet, Young Master. Please forgive me, there have been someplications on the way. I will be there in 9 hours," Maria replied when Ken exined his location.


    ''That sounds suspicious.''


    Ken pondered as he rode outside the zone they agreed on. Their meeting spot was 24 hours away from the sect, and the boar waspletely exhausted from the relentless sprint. Ken gave it a Bloodline Refining Pill as a reward and switched to a leopard he managed to spot.


    He entered the western zone of the forest, where the flora and the fauna were slightly different. The animals here were more attuned to nature, and one would often find beasts with an affinity to Wood Qi and Wind Qi in that area.


    "I''m at the western zone now, near the Town of Salenyr. Are you nearby?" Ken asked the woman who wasted a few hours of his time already.


    "I''m only 17 kilometers away from the town. Should we meet there?"


    "No, meet me 60 kilometers south of the town," Ken''s trust in a former bandit like Maria was nonexistent, hence he chose to set the meeting location randomly where he could reach first.


    He was well aware of her questionable nature, and the act of poisoning her only fueled her desire to break free from his control, no matter the enticements he provided. This was also why he refrained from employing poison as a means of control over Tiara, Henry, and ric.


    Ken rushed to the location, forcing the leopard to sprint to the location he mentioned earlier. The leopard, a lower fifth-rank beast, should be faster than the tiger which was a peak fourth-rank beast.


    ''I will intercept her on her way to the location I provided, and follow her from there,'' Ken decided and stopped only 30 kilometers south of the town while using Sheathed Man to conceal his presence.


    He gave a Bloodline Refining Pill to the abused leopard and sent it on its way to freedom. He didn''t have to wait long for Maria to arrive. He soon sensed her bloodlust with the Bloodlust Sense technique, and a minuteter he saw her riding on therge tiger, its beautiful ck stripes contrasting with its lush orange fur.


    ''Seems like I was worried for no reason,'' Ken thought to himself as he ran parallel to the woman. He had to exert some effort to keep up, but luckily the tiger didn''t sprint, so keeping up was not impossible.


    While he still contemted revealing himself instead of running the 30 kilometers, his Bloodlust Sense picked up another presence nearing them.

 Chapter 200 200 – Reminding A Slave

    ?


    Ken''s Bloodlust Sense picked up another presence nearing them. In fact, it was five presences, moving as a group two kilometers behind Maria.


    ''I guess I wasn''t worried for nothing. Let''s see what''s going on,'' Ken pondered curiously while following the former bandit. Maria stopped 20 kilometers away from the meeting spot and waited for the group to catch up.


    When the group of five noticed her halt, three of them followed her example and the remaining two, assumingly the scouts, split up and circled around her carefully in a radius of 2 kilometers in two different directions until they met each other. They both nodded to confirm there was nothing to worry about and returned to Maria.


    The group of five surrounded the former bandit and the scouts gave their reports, "I''ve found no humans in a radius of 5 kilometers," "Same here," one scout dered his findings, and the other confirmed.


    ''I''m right here though,'' Ken amused himself as he listened to the conversation, hidden by the Sheathed Man technique.


    "All right, as we agreed under Mr. Darma''s instructions, we will listen to your arrangements since you know the target best. However, I still doubt there''s a young child who can be that powerful while also being an alchemist and a formation master," The group leader, a woman named Tiffany, spoke next.


    "Thank you. I insist on being extremely careful when dealing with him. Don''t underestimate him only because of his stage and young age. When Ist met him, he was at the intermediate phase of the Core Formation Stage, and he easily dealt with me, a peak fourth-stage cultivator, along with many others."


    Maria insisted on cautiousness. Just the thought of confronting her previous young master intimidated her and made her resolve waver.


    "So he probably already advanced to the High Core Formation Stage since then. I believe he just left a heart demon in you, which leads you to fear him so much. You''re as strong as Yuri and Odette, there''s no way a fourth-stage cultivator can defeat you easily," Tiffany voiced her opinion.


    Little did they know that Ken was already at the peak of the fourth stage thanks to the Twilight Apples he found in the secret realm. However, they''d probably remaincent even if they knew his real stage. The difference between stages was not something to be underestimated.


    "Okay, let''s move, we can''t make him wait too much. I bought us around five hours back then by saying I''m going to bete, but he will get suspicious if we make him wait more than that. He is very untrusting, so go get into positions silently and carefully," Maria wanted to get the ordeal over with.


    "I hope he really is as valuable as you say. Remember, if he fails to impress us, you won''t be able to keep your life," Tiffany said, making it clear that Maria wasn''t at the top of the group hierarchy.


    "Don''t worry, Mr. Darma will not be disappointed, I won''t gamble with my life if I''m not certain of the oue," Nervousness pervaded Maria''s voice as she tried to reassure herpanions.


    ''Hmm, their appearances seem quite¡­ different,'' Ken thought to himself amidst the conversation. He noticed their skin was more tanned than most cultivators he had met so far, and they had a few shared rare facial features such as their broad noses.


    He also didn''t fail to notice the weird way they referred to Darma. Instead of referring to him as "Master", "Elder", or "Senior", they said the less frequently used honorifics.


    "You remain here for an hour to give us time to get into positions and you can start riding not too fast and not too slow. Let''s meet the mysterious jumpy kid of yours," Tiffany gave her instructions, and the group of five set out, bringing Ken out of his reveries.


    ''All right, I guess there''s nothing else to do here for me,'' Ken began running back to the designed meeting spot, pulling his white mask out of his storage ring.


    --------<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Young Master, I''ve missed you so much! Won''t you give your favorite subordinate a hug?" Maria faked a smile to mask her nervousness as she approached the sitting child.


    "Take this pill to fight off your poison for now," Ken ignored her remark and threw a pill as he always did whenever they met.


    "Young Master, why are you wearing a mask when it''s only us? I feel like our rtionship regressed now. I thought we were getting close enough for you topletely detoxify me after over a year of service under you," Maria said cheekily while looking at the shiny pill.


    Ken knew she was buying time for her team to close on him, but he didn''t mind. She couldn''t take the pill as they both knew it contained Truth Drug which would force her to spill the beans on her betrayal.


    "No, we are not that close, take the pill," Ken instructed with a cold tone.


    "We can get as close as you want, Young Master. You seem to have grown up since west met, didn''t you develop new¡­ interests?" Maria leaned forward with a suggestive smile, letting her robes hang loosely and reveal her ample chest. To her delight, Ken''s gaze was attracted to the cleavage, unlike the previous times she tried this kind of move on him.


    "No, I haven''t."


    "Your eyes tell me a different story, Young Master. Don''t be shy, how about touching them?" Maria said with a hint of lust in her voice when she recalled the visage hiding under the mask.


    "Sure," Ken said and reached out with his hand to touch her skin. A millisecond before he made contact, his hand was coated in Sword Qi and pierced into the woman''s shoulder.


    "AH!" Maria screamed in horror and stumbled back, falling on her buttocks. "Young Master, what are you doing? I''m not into that kind of thing," her voice quivered in pain and fear as she noticed his face''s skin stretches, disclosing the evil grin beneath the mask.


    "Haha, Maria, why are you retreating? I was just starting to have fun!" Kenughed and revealed a hint of bloodlust.


    At that moment, Maria''s trauma rpsed in full force. The memory of herself kneeling helplessly on the ground in terror surfaced. She could hear how her teeth chattered on that fated day over a year ago when she first met Ken and he disyed his Mind-Poisoning Domain to humble her.


    She could smell the scent of her piss when she lost control over her dder that day as if it happened less than an hour ago. The past and the present mixed in her mind as everything recurred with the increase of Ken''s bloodlust.


    ''He knows! He knows everything! I shouldn''t have tried to fight against him!'' She thought to herself hysterically. Ken never said anything, but she filled in all the details, sure he was aware of everything she had ever done since thest time they met.


    "I- I''m sorry, You- Young Master! I''ve been forced by them! I''ve been tempted by lies and deceit, let me prove my loyalty! Young Master, spare my life!" She begged as tears and snot streaming down her face, and she didn''t even dare move from the now-stained ground.


    "I will help you recall why you shouldn''t ever resist. Being my ve was your greatest honor and hope for power, let me remind you why," Ken said in a cold and detached voice as he opened a distance away from the shivering woman.


    "All five of you,e out to y, there''s no use in hiding!" Ken stood straight and called to the neers.

 Chapter 201 201 – Ken VS Five 1/2

    ?


    "All five of you,e out to y, there''s no use in hiding!" Ken stood straight and called to the neers. Their bloodlust disclosed their stages; they ranged from the lower phase of the fifth stage to the higher one.


    Four silhouettes appeared, jumping from tree branches nearby to the ground and surrounding him and Maria.


    "You changed sides quickly, girl. I can''t promise to let you live after we capture him," the leader, Tiffany, looked at Maria''s sorry state and frowned. She did not understand how Maria entered such a state of pure fear from a mere fourth-stage cultivator.


    "Are you the leader of the group?" Ken asked Tiffany while he eyed the five of them. Three used sabers and one used a spear. Ken assumed thest one didn''t show themselves since they used a bow and preferred to remain behind.


    "I am, my name is Tiffany. We already know about you, so there''s no need for further introduction," The girl squinted her eyes at the masked teen in front of her. She remembered that Maria mentioned he liked to wear menacing masks, but this one seemed elegant with the two red stripes that stretched from the ears to the chin.


    With that statement, Ken tilted his head slightly, and an arrow brushed against his hair and lodged itself firmly into the ground. As if it was a sign everyone agreed upon, the five close-rangebatants moved.


    ''Mind-Poisoning Domain - Paralyzing Mode.'' Ken didn''t consider not going all out against five fifth-stage cultivators.


    He was also not afraid; from their previous conversation, he learned they were of the same quality as the inner disciples of Phoenix Feather Sect, which was way weaker than the inner and core disciples of the top five sects he had fought back in the secret realm.


    Big Sess mastery realm of a top-notch Heaven-grade technique!


    The five''s techniques failed midway when their executors froze in horror. The five saw illusions of Ken killing them repeatedly in horrifying ways, and the whole way they perceived them changed; now, they saw him as a predator they have inner fear from.


    Ken concentrated most of the effect on the spear wielder, aiming to destroy their mid-range offense right off the bat. With a quick dash, he unsheathed his flexible sword.


    ''sh Unwind.''


    The Mind-Paralyzing Domain was a soul technique just like the Bloodlust Sense, which allowed him to perform a physical technique simultaneously.


    The quick unsheathing didn''t escape the spear user''s eye, but he saw it only when it was toote. Ken''s sword cut through the man''s arm and onward to his chest, leaving a gaping cut.


    Although Ken didn''t manage to finish him off, the man was anything but fit for battle. The spear required two arms to handle efficiently, and his wounds were life-threatening. There''s no need to mention the Sword Qi going on a rampage in his veins and organs.


    "Yuri!" One woman shouted in concern as she bit her lips forcibly to shake off the fear.


    "Stay focused and fight, if we beat him fast enough, we can save Yuri''s future!" Tiffany showed her qualities as a leader during the crisis and pulled everyone''s attention back to the battle.


    With Yuri down and unable to share the pressure with them, Ken''s technique was only divided between three people, making them take on a third of the pressure. Ken''s minimal effect was 30% when he distributed it between enemies, so with one enemy less, the pressure increased from 30% to 33.33%.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    A storm of techniques threatened to engulf Ken from the group''s retaliation. With Cloud Running he narrowly dodged an arrow that tried to impale him by twisting his hips.


    He wanted to cancel his Mind-Poisoning Domain and execute Bloodlust Sense again in order to find the new hiding spot of the archer, but he couldn''t afford to lift the pressure from the three enemies nearby.


    As they got used to the constant fear that bloomed in their hearts, the group managed to retaliate more fiercely with every passing moment.


    ''Let''s check how traumatized she is,'' Ken made a decision to prolong the fight and make it a little bit trickier so he can test Maria''s mindset.


    His flexible sword blurred as it jumped from saber to saber, deflecting them to the sides as he moved like a feather that could not be hit with swift movements. He twisted, rolled, and jumped away from the iing shes and techniques that came at him, and deflected the rest with his sword.


    Maria watched it from the side, her teeth were still chattering, and she was unwilling to move from her spot on the ground.


    ''It''s the same as when he fought against my bandit group, it seemed like we had a chance, but he was just toying with us,'' her mind interpreted the situation based on her previous experience, but she was quite wrong; Ken was facing difficult opponents, unlike her bandit group. Yuri''s demised cost her a lot of psychological resources.


    She noticed that the four fighters got closer and closer to where she sat. Ken was always surrounded by the saber users, and somehow always managed to slip out unharmed from their attacks.


    ''I must prove myself useful and loyal, it''s myst chance at being alive!'' She thought hysterically as she secretly summoned her spear from her storage ring and tightened her grip on it.


    Ken was waiting for the correct moment to fight back. To attack efficiently, he had to cancel his Cloud Running, but it would cost a heavy price if the archer decided to shoot at that moment.


    To that end, he slowly calcted their location from their arrows. Eventually, he found a pattern; the archer switched ces after every 4 arrows, probably because that was when he stopped having trouble dodging their next attack.


    ''1¡­'' Ken counted the first arrow in the sequence as he ducked and spun to dodge both the arrow and a huge de reinforced by Metal Qi.


    ''2¡­'' He rolled away, and an earth spike that emerged from the ground missed him by a hair-width along with the second arrow.


    ''3¡­'' He waved his sword and parried the iing ming saber of another opponent, letting it sh with the third arrow.


    ''4¡­'' The young teen tilted his head slightly and was pushed back by a heavy greatsword, again from the Metal Qi user.


    ''Now.''

 Chapter 202 202 – Ken VS Five 2/2

    ?


    ''Now.'' Ken thought to himself once he dodged the fourth arrow. He had a window of 2 seconds during which the archer would be repositioning themselves and unable to shoot.


    Using this short time window, he executed his strongest attack in the brute force aspect.


    ''sh,'' he performed 81 in 3, sending out three shes that each was as strong as 27 swings of sword. His three melee opponents were caught in surprise against such formidable physical strength, but as experienced fighters, they reacted on time and defended.


    "Ah," One male saber user groaned as a spear came out of his chest. Looking behind him, he saw the quivering Maria holding out a spear with clenched teeth and determination to survive. She already promised herself to prove to Ken she was loyal and will never betray him again. When he stumbled back from the sheer force behind the attack, she stabbed his back, aiming for his heart.


    "Uriah! What have you done? Why did you betray us?!" Another female saber wielder screamed in anger when she saw her friend impaled on their coborator''s spear.


    "You trusted someone who already betrayed her previous master, why did you believe she will not switch sides again?" Ken mocked them as he executed Cloud Running again and dodged another arrow.


    "Time to go down!" He said and changed the ratio of his Paralyzing domain. Two-thirds of the effect was used to oppress the female that just screamed while one-third was used to hold back their leader.


    The woman was at the intermediate phase of the Nascent Soul Stage, but it was not enough to resist Ken''s intense bloodlust. Visions of Ken beheading her, amputating her, and ughtering her in different ways filled her head as she could barely keep her head clear, and a stroke of Ken''s sword imed her right leg in her distraction.


    "I will kill you!" Tiffany was losing her temper as she gritted her teeth. No matter how focused she tried to remain, her friends were getting killed and mutted in front of her very eyes, and she kept being unable to help.


    Herrge saber struck the ground again, making the earth shake underneath Ken''s feet in an attempt to make him lose his bnce. She didn''t use it yet because it''d affect her allies, but now that she was fighting him alone with the archer who stood far away, she didn''t hold back.


    Ken tripped and fell on one knee from the sudden earthquake, and the archer tried to take advantage of his misstep.


    ''One Step.''


    Ken used his dashing technique from his kneeling position and vanished from his previous spot. He often used this technique as a trump card in tight fights like this. It was extremely hard to block the first time he uses it.


    "Where is he?" Tiffany held her saber in front of her in wary as she looked around her. Ken disappeared from sight, and a few seconds passed without any urrence.


    "Damn, did he run away? I should''ve taken Maria''s advice seriously and treated it as if we ambushed a peak fifth-stage cultivator," she regretted her previous overconfidence as she looked at her injured friends. Uriah, the one impaled by Maria''s spear, was already dead due to the direct hit to his heart.


    "I will deal with youter, you will regret switching sides again. Odette,e down, we are heading back; the mission has failed," the team leader looked at Maria before taking out amunication device and calling the archer.


    Tiffany did not want to chase the kid and leave tworades heavily injured behind to be eaten by the local beasts, thus, she gave up on capturing Ken altogether.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Odette?" Tiffany called out in concern, a bad omen creeping into her thoughts.


    "She can''t answer you, she''s a bit busy," a voice she didn''t want to hear replied to her, and a loud thud came from behind her as a body of a woman was thrown to the ground.


    Tiffany turned around and saw the familiar figure of a child wearing a white masked standing there. His calf was bleeding from a deep cut caused by an arrow, but it was nothing he couldn''t deal with.


    "I knew it¡­ I knew it¡­ there''s no running from the devil¡­" Tiffany heard the woman on the ground behind her mutter in panic.


    ''What''s going on here? how can he vanish from in front of me, find Odette, and return with her body within 10 seconds?'' the team leader thought to herself as fear gripped her heart. She was retreating a step back for every step forward Ken took.


    "So, what''s your name, Big Sister?" Ken asked the woman as her back hit a tree behind her.


    ''Paralyzing domain,'' this time the whole overwhelming technique was directed at her, and she could not stop her legs from shaking and her saber from being lowered despite her superior stage at the higher phase of the Nascent Soul Stage.


    "I''m Tiffany, Young Master. Please spare me," she dropped her saber and barely remained standing.


    "Sure, take this pill," Ken threw a green pill at her. It didn''t look nor smelled like something she should digest, but she didn''t hesitate for a moment before swallowing it.


    Her Qi turned still around her, and every technique she was keeping activated was canceled.


    ''Qi Disturbance Pill, I''mpletely at his mercy now,'' Tiffany thought in despair when she understood what she had just consumed. The Qi Disturbance Pill made it impossible for the consumer to manipte Qi effectively, making it impossible to perform even simple techniques.


    She didn''t know it was also contaminated with truth drugs, making her unable to lie now. Simr pills floated in the air from Ken''s storage ring and entered the open mouth of the wounded. He didn''t care if they died as a result of their wounds because they were unable to cease the bleeding with Qi.


    "Now, you don''t look like people from around here. Where are you from?"


    "We are from the Qiteria continent, and we came here to learn the arts of the Verdant Qi continent. We originate from Osirisus Empire."


    ----


    Want to gift the awesome author to encourage him? Pay - Pal link in thements (it gets censored in the main text, although it''s just .me/railvas)

 Chapter 203 203 – Interrogating

    ?


    "Now, you don''t look like people from around here. Where are you from?"


    "We are from the Qiteria continent, and we came here to learn the arts of the Verdant Qi continent. We originate from Osirisus Empire."


    Ken never heard of the Qiteria continent, and obviously, he hasn''t heard of the specific forces inside it.


    ''It seems like the Verdant Qi continent is not the only one in the mortal realm. There might be even more continents and even more mortal realms,'' Ken pondered on the new information. He was excited about the new possibilities of exploring different cultivation methods and maybe integrating more styles into his own.


    "Wait, let''s protect our conversation from prying ears," Ken said, bringing out a few scrolls from his storage ring. By channeling Qi into them, the scrolls opened and formed a formation around them. There was a concealing formation, a silencing formation, and a healing formation.


    Thest one was a calcted move by Ken; he wanted to induce some positive emotions in the woman toward him by keeping herrades alive. By showingpassion, she''d me Maria for killing Uriah, and feel less negatively about Ken since he only attacked them for trying to kill him first.


    "All right, now yourrades are safe and will not die. Unfortunately, only you and this woman here are conscious. You, what''s your name?" Ken asked the woman whose right leg he cut off earlier.


    "I''m Octavia," she said inly. Her voice disclosed her loss of hope. The woman did not believe she will get out of this mess alive anymore, especially after seeing Maria''s behavior.


    Even if she managed to escape with her life, her inability to use Qi would lead to her leg rotting, leaving no hope for reattachment. A crippled cultivator cannotpete for resources, meaning her cultivation journey was over.


    "Nice to meet you, I''m Ken. Don''t worry, I''m not that cruel to leave a beautifuldy amputated in our dangerous world," Ken said and popped out a sixth-grade healing pill. He pulled her leg from the ground and held it close to the stump as he fed her with a healing pill.


    "Thank you¡­" she said in a weak voice as she felt his Alchemical Qi permeate her flesh and assists the pill in the process of reattaching her leg. She slowly regained her sensation in her right leg, although she''d need a while to fully heal. At the very least, her journey was not over.


    "No problem, it was my fault for cutting it off. Let''s take care of Yuri," Ken said and provided the unconscious man with the same treatment he gave to Octavia, reattaching his arm.


    "Sadly, there''s nothing I can do for Uriah, I hope you can forgive me for his death," Ken apologized to the injured women.


    ''He even remembers their names after we said it once amidst the battle. He really ispassionate and cares about others. We tried to capture him, yet not only he spares our lives, but he only inflicted wounds he can heal, and he even truly healed us so there will be no permanent damage,'' Tiffany thought to herself as she watched.


    She scorned Maria in her heart. Not only the traitorous woman betrayed him first after he pulled her from banditry and offered her power, but she also badmouthed him falsely and betrayed them in the first sign of danger.


    ''No wonder he resorted to poisoning her to keep her at bay. Her treacherous heart must never be trusted. He can''t bring himself to kill her even now, probably a result of his young age and inexperience,'' Tiffany began to analyze the story from a different perspective.


    "Now, back to our business. I would like to know who is after my life, but let''s begin with where the Qiteria continent is located," Ken asked the leader of the group.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "I thought you were from an elite family, it''s weird that you don''t know about us. The Qiteria continent is located north of the Verdant Qi continent and is about a third of its size."


    "My circumstances areplicated. My parents are gone, and I''m being persecuted in the sect for my talent andck of parents'' protection. Many only want to take advantage of me and nobody is there to teach me," Ken sighed in sadness, facilitating her wrong impression of him as a victimized child she should feel bad about attacking.


    At that moment, he removed his mask and made eye contact with her. His beautiful visage swayed her heart further in his favor.


    "I see¡­ I''m sorry to hear that," Tiffany said with a hint of awkwardness before continuing to exin, "Between the continents is the great Novaquatic Ocean, which size is at least twice the Verdant Qi continent. Both continents are surrounded by other great seas."


    "Thank you for exining. What about other continents? Are there any?" Ken found it outrageous that he had been nearly 9 years old and found out that there were other continents only now.


    "No, there are only two continents. I think there are also some rtivelyrge inds out there, but only those at the seventh stage and above are capable of exploring the great seas. It''s too dangerous, and there are numerous powerful sea monsters."


    "Are there other Mortal Realms? What''s the name of our Mortal Realm?"


    "Oh, you know about the Immortal Realm. Well, I can''t know if there are other Mortal Realms. Mortals can''t pass between realms after all. Our realm does not have a name as far as I know, why does it need a name?" She never noticed theck of a name for their realm. They always just referred to it as the Mortal Realm.


    ''Hmm, it makes sense. In my previous world, nobody named the world, and if someone did, it wasn''t well-known. Since there are no other Mortal Realms they are aware of, they don''t need a name to differentiate it from other realms,'' Ken thought to himself.


    "What is it about empires, don''t you have sects in the Qiteria continent?" Ken returned to the subjects of the group''s origins.


    "Our continent is divided between five great empires that have control over 50% of it, even 80% if you affiliate the beasts'' territories with the empires. As for thest 20%, half of it is made of neutral zones, and the other half belongs to the top 20 sects of the Verdant Qi continent," she had to answer due to the effect of the truth drug, but the extra details came from her will to cooperate.


    "Our top 20 sects control 10%? how so little is divided between them?" Ken asked in curiosity. After all, the Phoenix Feather Sect held 3% of the Verdant Qi continent, which equaled 9% of the Qiteria continent, nearly the whole plot ofnd the 20 sects had in the other continent.


    "They don''t divide it; they share it. Together they hold the fort and don''t let our empires reim thends and allow their disciples to venture into our continent. We have an agreement to not bother travelers under the Supremacy Phase, that''s how we can be here safely," Tiffany exined.


    ''So they decided that travelers from the seventh stage or above might consume too many resources, leading them to prohibit their entry,'' Ken understood the problem.


    "So, why did you try to kill me?" Ken asked the cooperative woman.

 Chapter 204 204 – Roping In The Group

    ?


    "So, why did you try to kill me?" Ken asked the cooperative woman.


    "We didn''t n to kill you¡­ we nned to abduct you," Tiffany said in an embarrassed tone. By now she herself believed to be in the wrong.


    "For what reason?" Since Maria was involved, Ken could guess it had to do with his talent in the Alchemy field.


    "To force you into giving away your recipes and techniques. We also wanted to force you intobor for us so you cane up with other powerful and improved recipes for other pills," She exined. However, Ken felt like she was choosing her words carefully.


    "Octavia, is she hiding something?" He turned to the other woman. While Tiffany could hide a few details by not being specific, the other woman would notice it and be forced to tell the truth.


    "Yes. I''m so sorry, Team Leader!"


    "Argh, it''s all right, you can''t control yourself under the influence of the truth drug," Tiffany sighed. Since it was only a matter of time until Ken gets the answers he wants unless she kills herself, she chose to juste clean. She didn''t n to kill herself for anyone.


    "We met a sixth-rank alchemist called Mr. Darma from the Osirisus Empire in Ice Feather Sect a while back, and we have been cooperating with each other. Mr. Darma crafts our pills and, in return for our services, sells them to us at discounted prices. Maria approached him and presented him with a top-quality fourth-grade pill you had made and proposed nning an ambush to capture you the next time you reached out to her," Tiffany nced toward Maria in disdain.


    "I assume her request was to be cured?" It was the main thing Maria needed if she wanted to be free.


    "Yes, and to get enough pills from yourbor to continue her cultivation. She told us her foundation was too poor to advance to the fifth stage no matter what pills she purchased, but you made the impossible possible. Mr. Darma was interested in the deal and hired us to execute the n after hearing of your prowess from Maria."


    "Did he manage to detoxify the poison?" Ken asked curiously. He fed her with a fifth-grade poisonous pill, thinking she couldn''t afford tomission someone capable enough to cure it. However, it seems that she was creative enough toe up with a better type of currency ¨C Ken himself.


    "He researched her blood and Qi for 3 months until he managed to find a way to replicate the pill you gave her to suppress its effect, and he ims to have found a way topletely detoxify it but agreed to give it only after you''re delivered to him."


    Tiffany was getting embarrassed by telling Ken about the time she treated him like merchandise, but the pill forced her to keep talking. Ken didn''t mind the offense; he was also the type to see others as tools to achieve his goals.


    "Why does he hire you to find resources for him instead of going out himself? You''re a stage lower than him, and there are many things you can''t obtain," Ken inquired, attempting to grasp theplete situation.


    "He hires us when he wants fifth-grade resources. He also has a team for fourth-grade resources and lower, and another team for sixth-grade resources. This way he spares a lot of money by not hiring sixth-stage cultivators for trivial matters. He is too busy in his research and training to gather resources outside, so he uses his money instead."


    It did make sense. Just like Ken let his subordinates sell his pills to spare time and paid them some fees for their job, others also didn''t mind spending money to spare time for cultivation and training. Mr. Darma managed his budget as wisely as he could to avoid overpaying as well.


    "What about his prowess? How strong is he inbat? What are his attributes?"<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Since someone was after his life, Ken didn''t n to sit around passively. He wanted to get rid of the threat, especially since the threat knew of his identity and talent.


    "He is at the intermediate sixth stage. His foundation is stronger than others since he is an alchemist, but he is still weaker than his peers for the same reason. His only other attribute is Fire Qi, and he is not well-versed in using weapons," Tiffany revealed her employer''s strengths and weaknesses unwillingly. She didn''t want to invite trouble to him because of her ipetence.


    Alchemists facilitated the effect of their pills with their Alchemical Qi, amplifying their effects and gaining better results and foundationpared to other cultivators.


    "If your group of five fights against him, can you win?" Ken needed a better reference to his strength. The only sixth-stage cultivators he fought were Vivienne and Felix, and both were much stronger than him. However, they were geniuses and probably stronger than the random alchemist, so he didn''t know how to assess the man''s strength.


    "I think we would lose and only inflict some superficial wounds. We are not even at the peak of the fifth stage, and our cooperation would be our only advantage," She answered truthfully.


    "Octavia, is there a way for you guys to win against him?" Again, he resorted to asking Octavia in case the leader ''forgot'' to mention something.


    "I don''t think so," Octavia didn''t provide any new insights this time.


    "What about the usage of formations?"


    "He always carries a sixth-rank Formation Suppression Scroll on him. We wouldn''t survive long enough for the formation to be depleted of energy and crumble."


    "Hmm, let''s meet the man and see if we can negotiate then," Ken said gently. A pained expression appeared on his face as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.


    "No, you shouldn''t! I will tell him you found out about his n and ran away. He will be forced to run out of the Phoenix Feather Sect territory in fear you report it to your n or to your sect. As a foreigner, he won''t get lenient treatment for attempting to abduct a disciple of a top sect. If you go to meet him, he will just take advantage of the opportunity to assault you. You should go away, you''re¡­ you''re a good boy."


    Tiffany burst out to stop Ken from making a bad decision that might cost him his freedom. She saw him as the victim, a pure child that humanity mistreated.


    "Thank you, but I must put an end to the enmity. If I report to the sect and your part in the ordeal will be found, you will get killed too. But if I don''t report, I will never feel safe again. I can rent a house in a popted ce where he won''t be able to attack, will you help me bring him there to talk?"


    Ken said with worry. His concern for her team''s well-being touched the woman''s heart, and her countenance changed into one of determination.


    "Of course. My team and I will make sure that nothing happens to you. And also¡­ I''m sorry for nning to harm you," the proud team leader lowered her head in apology.


    "Don''t worry about it. Maybe our encounter was fated, and our cooperation will be long-living," Ken smiled, giving them the idea they might benefit from his pills in the future.

 Chapter 205 205 – Ice Feather City

    ?


    "I can rent a house in a popted ce where he won''t be able to attack, will you help me bring him there to talk?"


    "Of course. My team and I will make sure that nothing happens to you."


    With this agreement, Tiffany woke up her unconscious team members and exined the situation to them. She shared how Ken spared their life in spite of their ill intentions, and how everything was Maria''s fault. Eventually, she dered her objective to help Ken meet with Mr. Darma and negotiate.


    "Team leader, are you sure about that? We will do the opposite of what we were hired to do," The man, Yuri, whispered.


    "Do you want to backstab a lonely child after he spared your life? Are you that type of person? Don''t forget we are righteous cultivators, not evil scum," this time Tiffany didn''t have to answer; Odette who just woke up and heard the story was the one to scold him.


    "But it''s his fault that Uriah died!"


    "No, he never aimed to kill any of us, and it''s a fact since the four of us are still alive. It''s all this bitch''s fault. I''m itching to kill her, but Young Master Ken is too averse to violence and death," Tiffany sighed in disappointment.


    "I was wrong, I''m sorry. I''ve been too agitated over Uriah''s death and acted like a viin," Yuri sighed and admitted his mistake.


    "It''s all right. Since we all agree, let''s tell him our decision. We will volunteer to pay for the house to make up for him. After all, this unexpected expense is because of the threat of envement by Mr. Darma."


    "I agree that we can help him, but we should remain wary of him. I know that he has given us every reason to trust him and be thankful, but don''t forget Maria''s description of how maniptive and cruel he is. Don''t trust him blindly yet," Octavia said, prompting a nod from her group.


    "Maria is traitorous and a former bandit, we can''t really take her word as truth," Tiffany was still more inclined to believe in Ken.


    "And yet, her fear of him is not normal. We should remain vignt, that''s all I''m saying," Octavia insisted.


    Meanwhile, Ken was crouching near Maria. He fed her with a healing pill and extracted the remnants of Sword Qi she hadn''t expelled yet.


    "Dear girl, how could you be so silly and turn against me? Did you really think you will seed?" He whispered into her ear.


    "I was too blind by greed after entering the fifth stage. Please forgive me, Young Master," Maria said in fear with her head bowing down.


    "There''s no need to be so scared, I will not kill you. I still have a task for you. As long as you perform well, I will overlook today''s incident," Ken said as he stroked her hair.


    "Thank you, Young Master! I willplete your task even at the cost of my life!" Maria said quickly. His gentle touch did nothing tofort her, it only filled her heart with eerie sensation and trepidation.


    "Good. It seems like they finished their group talk, let''s listen to what they have to say. Remember to behave, I wouldn''t want them to think bad of me."


    "Yes, Young Master."


    ''This girl, Octavia, is bothersome,'' Ken, who could hear the whole conversation since he controlled the formation, didn''t like the suspiciousdy.


    They watched the group of four approaching to announce their decision.


    "Young Master, we decided to help you and make things right after we had wronged you, and we will cover the costs of whichever house you choose to rent. We hope you can see it as our way to show our sincerity," Tiffany said and everyone behind her nodded in agreement. The four only spared one hateful nce toward Maria before focusing entirely on Ken.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Thank you for your help. You can bury your friend before we go," Ken revealed a hint of sympathy with his words.


    "Thank you for your patience, Young Master," they cupped their fist and bowed before digging a grave in the forest under the shade of thergest tree nearby. Because of the cultivators'' tendency to die in unpopted ces, cultivators normally buried their friends wherever they fell.


    "Goodbye, Uriah. You died because we acted like evil cultivators and tried to hunt an innocent child. This tragedy will remind us to remain righteous for the rest of our lives," Octavia offered a fewst words.


    "We are ready to go. Thank you for waiting for us, Young Master."


    ----------


    ''I guess I will miss my battle after all,'' Ken sighed helplessly as they entered the gate of the Ice Feather City. Everyone had to pay fees of 10 lower Qi Stones to enter, but Ken was exempted thanks to his discipleship token.


    "Where can I find arge house that can serve the purpose of meeting with Mr. Darma?"


    "Let''s go to the real estate broker. His employees keep track of everything avable for sale or rent in the city," Octavia exined their n to Ken.


    The group of six walked to the broker shop and soon faced a man, looking in his early thirties. Despite his age, he was only at the third stage, and probably will never form a core.


    "Hello, customers. How may I help you?"


    "We are interested in renting arge house in a popted and well-guarded area for¡­" Tiffany began describing their request but was unsure of the period they wanted.


    "Doesn''t matter, between a week to a year, whatever''s avable," Kenpleted her sentence.


    The seller gave Ken a quick curious look as he didn''t expect the child to be the decision maker, but he was professional enough to continue as Ken was not the first young master he had met, "Of course, there are 4 houses fitting these demands, and one castle. Would you like to hear the prices?"


    "Does the castle have thergest hall?" Ken asked without hesitation.


    "Yes, only castles have halls meant for meetings and events. The size-" The broker began exining.


    "We will take the castle," Ken instructed. His n required arge space, so he needed to take a house with arge hall.


    "Young Master, are you sure?" Tiffany said awkwardly. Her team exchanged worried looks when they wondered if their leader still intended to volunteer to pay.


    "Of course, Young Master. The castle must be rented for a minimum of only one night as many use it to host parties and special events. Every night costs fifty medium Qi Stones. My fees are three percent of the deal, I hope it is not beyond your budget, Young Master," the broker said in fake concern. It was a normal strategy they used to manipte young masters with fragile egos.


    "My budget can cover the whole city. I will take it for a month," Ken dismissed his words, enjoying his roley as a young master.


    "Haha, Young Master must be joking, I already said we will cover it, I will not renege on my word," Tiffanyughed painfully and tossed 1545 medium Qi Stones on the counter.

 Chapter 206 206 – A Task For Maria

    ?


    "Haha, Young Master must be joking, I already said we will cover it, I will not renege on my word," Tiffanyughed painfully and tossed 1545 medium Qi Stones on the counter. The seller''s face revealed a hint of disdain for a split second, almost unnoticeably, before it regained its cheerful appearance again.


    "That''s not good, Senior Sister. Didn''t you see his disdain? You should round it up to at least 1550 as a tip for his service, his employer takes most of the fees," Ken said, forcing the bitter woman to fork out 5 more medium Qi Stones.


    While the price was easily affordable for Ken, it was extremely expensive for others. In the city where most residents were under the fourth stage, an average family would have to save for years to rent it for a single night for their descendants'' weddings and other events.


    "I would not dare show disdain to my esteemed customers. Thank you for your patronage," the seller bowed with much more respect now. He supplied them with a map leading to the city, the necessary documents, and the keys to the castle.


    --------


    The group of six had an uneventful trip in the city to the castle. On their way, they passed through the market at Ken''s request, but there were mainly products up to the third grade that could be gathered outside the city. Overall, there was nothing rare to find there, and it was a worse version of the sect''s market.


    "We are here, what''s the n now?" Tiffany turned to Ken.


    "Now you four can go to report to Mr. Darma that you are keeping me here. It''s better if Maria remains behind with me since I know you must be hurting over Uriah''s death," Ken said gently.


    "He might not ept us right away. He is almost always busy with his research, and it takes time until he meets us," Yuri said, exining why they might get dyed.


    "It''s fine. Please, try to bring him here only in 4 or 5 hours, I''m tired and need to rest first."


    "Of course, Young Master," they thought it was true because he still needed more sleep as a child, and he was awake for a long time since he embarked from the sect.


    "Young Master, are you sure you want to wait here alone with Maria? why not let one of us remain behind?" Octavia tried not to appear suspecting, but Ken already knew she was.


    "I will be fine, now that Maria knows you guys don''t trust her anymore, she won''t try to do anything funny. Anyway, I''m strong enough to fight back."


    "Let''s not argue anymore. Since he wants to remain here alone, let him. Everyone has their secrets to protect," Tiffany scolded her doubtful teammate and pulled her away.


    The group of four left the castle, leaving Maria behind with Ken.


    "Wait until I finish the Concealing and Silencing formations, and I will give you more details about your mission. First, take that pill I gave you, I don''t want to hear any more lies."


    Hearing Ken''s words, Maria took out the pill he gave her when they met earlier and swallowed it instantly, wary of angering Ken.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Ken worked diligently and efficiently, creating formations on the castle''s outer walls. By cing the Silencing and Concealing formations there, they won''t be canceled when Darma activates his Formation Suppression Scroll.


    Once he was done, he began working on the interior, simultaneously talking to Maria who could only sit down and watch since she knew nothing about formations.


    "Tell me, do you still intend to set yourself free?" Ken asked the former bandit. He wanted to make sure that reminding her of her trauma was enough to regain her loyalty for a while.


    "No, Young Master. Being your subordinate is my good fortune, I will not forget you are my only hope to advance," Maria was internally happy that she truly thought that way right now; she couldn''t lie after taking the truth drug.


    "Good. I hope you can remember those words since you will not get a third chance. My task is simple, I want you to search for my family and locate them. They were in the branch sect near Golden Feather City, but they probably left two years and nine months ago. Their names are Mei Jinn and Haoran Sue, and they should have a young child called Aaron."


    Maria almost gaped when she heard her task. Ken never spoke about anything personal, so it was the first time she learned his family didn''t reside in the main sect.


    "Young Master, could it be that your robes¡­" She said hesitantly, not sure how to ask her question.


    "They are real, I am from an elite family. Only my parents and little brother were banished, and I want to find them. You should still have a lot of Qi Stones from thest batch of pills I gave you to sell, but here are some more anyway. If you perform well, I promise you will find out how the sixth stage feels during this life."


    Ken understood she was worried that he only faked his elite status and exined the situation. With the final promise of power, he gave her the carrot. The stick of fear was not enough to motivate her to do her best.


    "I willplete the mission. What should I do when I find your family, Young Master?"


    "If they''re hidden well, just contact me. If they aren''t, help them hide and contact me. How many antidotes do you have against the poison in your heart?"


    "Only one, but I have to take it in a matter of days. Mr. Darma''s antidotes only help suppress the poison for a single month," she answered truthfully.


    "I see. Here are two pills that willst for three months each. If you can''t find anything within half a year, you can just pick your favorite grave," Ken waved his hand and two blue pills floated out of his storage rings to Maria.


    "Thank you for giving me another chance, Young Master. I will not let you down." She bowed and returned to her seat.


    Ken used the rest of the time until his guests arrive to ce formations all over the hall. There was a triple Suppressing Formation to weaken his enemies and a triple Illusion Formation meant to trap the enemy.


    ''Now I need more formations just to suck the scroll dry before he can kill us all. Wait, instead of using random formations, maybe I can remove their functionality and only keep the Qi-draining part?''

 Chapter 207 207 – Meeting Mr. Darma

    ?


    ''What if I remove their functionality and only keep the Qi-draining part?'' Ken thought to himself in a moment of inspiration. It''d make the formationspletely useless aside from wasting the scroll''s activation time, but using the empty space where the useful runes once were, he''d be able to add more runes that can consume Qi.


    Normally, the correct approach to creating formations was to maximize the usage of the Qi input, but Ken was doing the opposite. The formation would only suck in and out the Qi from the Qi Stones, but not utilize it for an actual purpose.


    The Formation Suppression Scroll worked in a way that pulled the Qi out of the formations in its area of effect, and by making formations with an extravagant and wasteful output, the scroll will be used faster.


    ''It''s probably not an innovative idea. It can''t be that nobody in the top 20 sects didn''t think about it before, but it''s still a great tactic for formation masters,'' Ken thought to himself.


    Now that he had a n, he continued his work. He filled the interior of the castle with Wasteful Formations as he called them, while the only practical formations were the Suppression Formations and the Illusion Formations. Additionally, he also prepared a triple Qi Gathering Formation at the corner of the room.


    The formations were all fifth and sixth rank and cing them cost him a lot of Qi. He sat in the corner and took a Qi Absorption Pill and meditated to refill his Qi.


    "Maria, take this pill," Ken threw her a red pill that pulsed with menacing Qi.


    "What is this?"


    "It''s a different type of a more potent poison. You will die within three days once you take it, but I will cure it for you after the battle is done. I don''t trust you, so I''d like to avoid variables like treason during our fight against Darma."


    "Yes, Young Master," Maria said with a downcast face and took the pill. She understood that Mr. Darma would not be able to create an antidote for her within three days, which meant betraying Ken would only spell her death.


    "Good. You will withdraw from the fight when the formations are reactivated. Go to the southwest corner of the hall, I ced there the control spot of the Illusion Formation. Its full name is ''Illusion of Duplication'', and it can make the victim see things twice. Movements are always the weakness of illusion formations, but it''s enough to slow down the enemy''s reactions. I want you to control it and support us."


    Ken exined his n for the fight. The first part, in which they''d need to survive a couple of minutes against a sixth-stage cultivator, was the most dangerous. Afterward, he was confident that his preparations will allow him to easily subdue the other alchemist.


    "Yes, Young Master," Maria went to familiarize herself with the formation until the guest will arrive.


    Ken still had a few tricks up his sleeve.


    -----------


    *Knock Knock*


    "Why are you knocking? Isn''t it where you keep him prisoner?" Mr. Darma asked suspiciously when he saw Tiffany knocking on the door. In their culture, captors didn''t ask for their prisoners'' permission before entering their cells.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    He was a tanned man with a broad nose and a round face. His dry curly ck hair was cut rather shortpared to the standard of the Verdant Qi Continent.


    "Ahm, yes, but we left Maria with him, and we instructed her to lock the door from inside. She will open the door," Tiffany thought of a usible exnation and quickly used it.


    "I remember there was a fifth member in your group. What was his name¡­ Uriah? Where is he?"


    "He died," Tiffany said in a sad tone. Her teammates remained quiet, they usually let her talk as the leader of the group when interacting with superiors.


    "I''m sorry for your loss," Mr. Darma said indifferently and waited for the door to be opened. He didn''t care enough to ask about how Uriah died.


    Therge door soon creaked, and Maria''s face appeared, "Wee, Mr. Darma," she cupped her fist and stepped to the side to let the group enter. With Mr. Darma at the head, the five went inside and walked straight to the hall.


    Darma knew his way at the castle; As a sixth-rank alchemist, he was invited to many luxurious events in the city, and most of them were held in the castle.


    "Hello, Mr. Darma. I''m d to finally meet you, I''ve heard you were a genius alchemist. In fact, the best in the city," a masked teen got up from his chair and cupped his fist without bowing.


    ''The mask is on, someone is going to die,'' Maria shivered a little at the thought.


    "I can only assume you are Ken I''ve been waiting to meet. Being called a genius by a child prodigy like yourself is too embarrassing. What''s going on here?" Mr. Darma didn''t lose his cool because of the situation. He could see that Ken was not handcuffed or limited, meaning he was not exactly a prisoner.


    "Mr. Darma, we have remembered that we are righteous humans. We can''t let our greed blind us andmit crimes against an innocent child," Tiffany bowed her head and exined.


    "Innocent? Don''t tell me you''ve forgotten Maria''s descriptions of his cruelty and deceitful nature. Maybe he had swayed your hearts with his words too?" Darma raised an eyebrow.


    "No, Mr. Darma. We must remember that Maria is a former bandit boss and a traitor who betrayed her previous master. She is the deceitful and cruel one between the two of them. She is the one who betrayed Uriah as soon as she believed Ken might defeat us in battle," Tiffany insisted, exposing Maria''s ill-doing.


    "What are you proposing?" Darma turned back to Ken. His attitude showed his confidence and contempt as a sixth-stage cultivator surrounded by weaker beings.


    "I want to propose peace. There is no enmity between us, so we have no reason to fight. I could''ve gone back to the sect and informed them of your attempt to harm me and you''d be dead by nightfall, but I preferred solving it peacefully."

 Chapter 208 – Escalation

    Chapter 208 ¨C Esction


    "I could''ve gone back to the sect and informed them of your attempt to harm me and you''d be dead by nightfall, but I preferred solving it peacefully," Ken said in aforting voice as if he was pitying Mr. Darma.


    "Are you saying you''ve spared my life?" Mr. Darma exuded strong pressure on everyone in the room. His mind, enhanced by his stage, was multiple times stronger than theirs, making them distort their face in pain.


    "It''s not what he meant, Mr. Darma. He only wanted to say he is sincere abouting in peace; he is still a child and is not well-versed in negotiating andmunicating with others. You know how geniuses can be¡­ quirky," Tiffany hurried to defuse the tense atmosphere.


    "Since you are in a closed house with me, don''t forget to be polite. What do you have to offer in return for peace?" Mr. Darma removed his pressure and agreed to talk.


    "I can offer you some of my improved fourth-rank recipes, but I can''t give my fifth-rank ones. They took me a lot of research," Ken said with an innocent voice.


    ''No, damn it, if you aren''t nning to give them, don''t mention them!'' Tiffany screamed in her mind. Ken was horrible at negotiating.


    "Improved fifth-rank recipes? Which pills and by how much did you improve them?" His curiosity was piqued, and Darma hurried to ask for additional details. His breath was slightly hurried by his greed.


    "Mr. Darma, I''m sure he only improved the recipes by an abysmal value, and there is no practical difference between the original recipes, but his fourth-rank recipes can offer a lot of inspiration" Tiffany quickly intervened and tried to switch the topic.


    "What? No way! I''m a talented alchemist and would not im to improve the pill when the results aren''t practical. I''ve improved the Qi Absorption Pill by 20%, and the Nascent Soul Condensation by 18%. Anyone would pay triple the price for my pills!"


    Ken eximed proudly, making the situation worse.


    ''Argh, I forgot he was still a child and unfamiliar with the way the world works. He keeps enticing Mr. Darma!''


    "That is indeed amazing! I have another offer for you. How about studying under me?" Darma said with a friendly smile.


    "Under you?"


    "Yes. You can spend your days researching peacefully, and I will be there to give you advice as an experienced sixth-rank alchemist. I will also take care of selling everything and supplying you with resources to continue your research. What do you say?" Mr. Darma said excitedly. If Ken says yes, he will have ess to the prodigy child''s findings!


    "Hmm, how old are you, Mr. Darma?" Ken asked in a pondering voice.


    "I''m nearly 300 years old, I have a lot of experience and research materials to share," Darma said proudly.


    While they talked, Maria secretly approached the team of four from behind. She gave them small bottles containing some pills and whispered something in their ears. The four nodded and clenched their teeth in frustration.


    "And you are still so bad at your craft that you need a child''s work as a source of inspiration? Do you really think I will degrade myself to being under someone without even half my talent?" Ken asked condescendingly.


    "You! You should''ve run away to your sect and asked for help. Since you are here with me, don''t expect to go back!" Darma shouted in rage when he was belittled and raised his hand to attack.


    Just as he did, the formations in the house were activated, and he felt powerful suppression that lowered his prowess by a major stage.


    His attack, a wave of Fire Qi, almostpletely dissipated from the shock of the swift change, and Tiffany appeared in front of Ken and deflected the weakened attack.


    "Good, very good! You choose to stand by his side against me, a man from the same kingdom, you traitor! I will make you regret your actions!"


    He took out a sixth-rank scroll and channeled his Qi into it, and the pressure disappeared. At the same time, everyone else took out bottles of pills and poured them into their mouths.


    "Argh," different moans of pain resounded in the room while their bodies went through some changes. Their muscles, core, and souls were boosted. Even their affinities were upgraded.


    "Kneel before a superior being!" Darma, who just finished activating the scroll, said with a powerful voice and pressured them again with his mind. He had to distribute the pressure between 6 cultivators, but his mind was strong enough to achieve it. His enemies were only at the fifth stage, and Ken was even lower than that.


    However, to his surprise, his mind did not give him the advantage he sought. Earlier, Maria distributed bottles of pills to everyone, and there was a pill to boost one''s mind as well. The pills'' effects were only temporary, but they''d be enough for the battle.


    Everyone grimaced but held their ground against the pressure.


    "Mr. Darma, it''s not toote to back down! Ken is a good child, even if a bit prideful!" Tiffany shouted in a futile attempt to calm down the raging alchemist.


    "I will capture him, and there''s nothing you can say to change my mind. If you don''t stand back, don''t me me for being cruel!"


    Ken only smiled coldly beneath his mask; there was no way he''d let someone that tried to capture him go. The whole thing about negotiation was a ruse he used to rope in the group of cultivators since he could not hold an intermediate sixth-stage cultivator on his own until the formations activate.


    "We will fight together, we can win! We only need to hold out for 15 minutes until the scroll is consumed!" Ken lifted his allies'' morale. They saw earlier how strong the formations were; if they could survive long enough for the formations to reactivate, they''d be able to win.


    "15 minutes? The scroll can suppress a sixth-rank formation for 300 minutes, are you saying there are 20 formations in this hall alone?" Darma asked in sadisticughter.


    "Oh, you would be surprised," Ken replied. He didn''t mind talking with his opponent. The clock was ticking.


    -------


    A/N (2nd August):


    I added some foreshadowing in chapters 143, 146, and 191 to (far) future scenes. Just a couple of sentences. It doesn''t change anything in the plot, so up to you whether you think it''s worth rereading these chapters or not. I''m sorry for the inconvenience, and thank you for your support!

 Chapter 209 – Underestimating and Overestimating

    Chapter 209 ¨C Underestimating and Overestimating


    "15 minutes? The scroll can suppress a sixth-rank formation for 300 minutes, are you saying there are 20 formations in this hall alone?" Darma asked in sadisticughter.


    "Oh, you would be surprised," Ken replied. The formations he designed were more powerful than normal, and with his Wasteful Formations, most of which were triple formations, the scroll would run out of power in a matter of minutes.


    ''If he believes he has a time limit of 15 minutes he should not be hasty and risk a deadly injury to kill us before thest 5 minutes. Unfortunately for him, his scroll will notst more than 7 or 8 minutes,'' Ken chuckled inwardly.


    "You are not the only alchemist here, Kid. Don''t forget I''m also one, and better than you at that," Mr. Darma took out a few jade bottles of pills and uncorked them with a wave of his hand. However, as soon as the pills came out of the containers, he quickly stepped back.


    "But I''m not nning to just watch you take them. Everyone, attack alongside me!" Ken appeared where Darma stood a moment ago with his sword in his hand. He dashed using One Step and contaminated the pills with his own Alchemical Qi, making them crumble in the air.


    "You all are courting death!"


    Darma shouted and dodged an iing arrow from Oddete by applying his movement technique. His shoes left a trail of fire, a signature of the Fire Qi imbued to his feet.


    He dashed toward Ken and attacked with a fist coated in fire, but a saber-holding woman waited for him there. Octavia swung down her long saber, and Metal Qi formed arge de around it as she brought it down in a heavy hit. Since they were fighting someone a stage above them, they had to use heavy strikes, or else the attacks would not have any impact on him.


    Darma''s fist met the de, and instead of cutting off the man''s fist, Octavia was pushed back with a groan of pain. Her right leg was still wounded; Ken might have reattached it, but it was not enough to heal herpletely. A sharp pain coursed in her wound, and she backed off.


    However, it didn''t mean that Darma had a rest. That was exactly the power of a group.


    ''81 in 1.'' Ken never used it before. The full potential of his sh technique, all of it set in one powerful move. Darma didn''t retract his fist after colliding with Octavia''s saber; the sh only weakened his fist and forced him to pump more Qi into it, but the exchange only took a fraction of a second before his fist continued its way.


    "AH!" Darma shouted in pain as he was forced to retreat once again. Before he could take a respite, he had to run again to avoid spikesing up from the ground and burn an arrow that tried to impale him.


    ''He''s weak!'' Ken widened his eyes in surprise when he saw Darma''s two fingers hang loosely on ayer of skin, threatening to fall. He used Felix and Vivienne as points of measure to estimate Darma''s power, but the man was much weaker than them despite being a sub-stage higher.


    ''It makes sense, the other two are the top elites of the third-rank sect, and they arepletely battle-oriented,'' Ken understood the crux of the difference, but he almost lost his desire to participate in the battle now.


    ''Ah, the other 5 are not strong enough to hold him back on their own, and neither am I,'' Ken sighed as he watched. Maria used an Earth-grade spear technique he gifted her thest time they met, Spear into Staff.


    Her fifth-grade spear was coated with Earth Qi and she thrust it vigorously, trying to break Darma''s ribs. However, the man easily deflected it with his healthy hand and tried to kick her face with a ring round kick.


    Yuri was the next one to pick up the call. He pulled Maria backward and met the kick with his own spear, and a dragon made of water could be seen coiling itself around the shaft with its maw open at the spearhead.


    Despite being at a disadvantage element-wise, the alchemist''s fist vaporized the water and threatened to burn Yuri alive, but the spearman defended himself by coating himself with a water membrane.


    Before Darma could follow up with another strike that would finish off either one of the spear users, he had to duck under a saber swing from Tiffany and roll back to dodge another arrow, leaving a beautiful trail of fire where his feet passed.


    "Octavia, Yuri, act in turns, and don''t take too much pressure on yourself! Stand back and only hit when you see a good opening or to save one of us!" Tiffany ordered her teammates. She didn''t want to worsen their injuries as they still didn''t heal from the battle against Ken.


    Odette was in a far better condition. Ken only knocked her out without harming her too much, and she didn''t have to deal with the heavy momentums of Darma''s attacks, thus, she could fight normally as an archer.


    Ken didn''t step into the battle yet. The group of 5 showcased seamless teamwork, and although Maria was not perfectly synched with them, they managed to cover for her and their cooperation only improved.


    ''It was a good choice to throw them off their rhythm as soon as the battle beganst time,'' Ken pondered. It seemed that he underestimated his teammates and overestimated his enemy.


    Nheless, he didn''t believe they can win. They managed to keep up thanks to Darma''s injuries and Ken''s pills, but if the man manages to find an opening to take out some pills and strengthen himself, they''d definitely lose. Furthermore, the wounded teammates might copse before the battle was over.


    ''Well, I can''t let so many of you remain alive. You know too much about me¡­'' Ken thought to himself as he looked at the fight with a cold gaze.


    ''Mind-Poisoning Domain ¨C Frenzy Mode.''

 Chapter 210 210 – A Regrettable Disaster

    ?


    ''Well, I can''t let so many of you remain alive. You know too much about me¡­''


    ''Mind-Poisoning Domain ¨C Frenzy Mode.''


    Ken activated it in the single target version, focusing solely on the man standing amidst the mes.


    Darma opened his eyes in surprise when his mind and soul were subjected to a new type of terror. It was a mix of fear and anger, but the slight fear only fueled his wrath further.


    He looked at those around him, his mind heavily influenced by thebination of his rage for being wounded and constantly blocked along with the new mind corruption technique Ken just deployed.


    "You dare wound me? You dare try to kill me?!" Darma screamed in rage as he looked at Tiffany. She led the assault and received the biggest portion of hatred from him.


    He hallucinated as he gazed at his enemies, making him see them all as wearing the same white mask he despised. He could see illusions of them standing above the bodies of his parents, pulling their des out of his dear ones'' hearts.


    Enraged, he instantly pulled out pills from his storage ring, prompting the group to rush toward him.


    "Don''t let him take any pills!" Tiffany shouted as she brought down her saber, and Earth Qi made the ground underneath her enemy''s feet create a small pile and trap him in his ce.


    An arrow lunged at the man''s shoulder, yet surprisingly, he didn''t bother to dodge. He used his hand to execute an overwhelming shockwave made with fire to block the iing attacks of the other three, dying them by a second as instead of taking the pills, he just pushed them forward with a wave of Qi.


    The pills exploded right when they thought he would try to consume them. The moment of ingesting the pills would be apanied by a momentary pain like what they went through earlier, and they wanted to take advantage of it which prompted Tiffany and Octavia to step in.


    The pills'' explosion wasn''t dangerous, but the substance it sent all over was. Transparent gas spread around it, and the four stepped backward hurriedly. Using this chance, Darma took out strengthening pills and uncorked the lid.


    "You again!" He shouted furiously when Ken appeared in front of him, shing the floating bottles still in the air and destroying the pills. Darma almost forgot about Ken''s presence after thetter remained out of the fight for the past 3 minutes.


    The man sent a leg forward and leaned, bending his knee and sending a frightening punch with his left hand. Darma''s right hand waspletely out of use now; two fingers were gone, and an arrow was lunged into the shoulder.


    Ken tilted his body using Cloud Running, cushioning the strike by barely letting it connect, but it wasn''t enough topletely remove the weight behind the attack, and he was sent flying away.


    "Ken! Protect him!" Tiffany shouted and the team jumped to stand in Darma''s way to Ken. But something went wrong; Octavia and Tiffany jumped the wrong way!<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Instead of going to their right where Ken was, they ran to the left, making their enemyugh in schadenfreude.


    "Did you think the gas you breathed earlier was harmless?" Heughed and jumped to face the two girls who separated from Yuri and Maria.


    "Be careful, the gas messed up your orientation!" Ken shouted. How regrettable, he was toote. He did his best; he would never let hisrades die on purpose.


    Aiming at the one he hated the most, Darma attacked the leader of the group, whom he saw as another mask-wearing cultivator with shining red eyes. Tiffany tried to ce her de in front of her, but she could not adapt to the disorientation so fast. The saber missed and Darma''s palm hit her directly in the chest.


    ''Earth Armor,'' Tiffany coated her body with armor made of Earth Qi at that moment and stepped backward, but it was not enough. Instead of going backward, she advanced, and the palm broke through the armor and sent a pulse of fire, burning through her chest and creating a hole in the middle of her chest with a loud explosion.


    "No! Tiffany!" Yuri shouted in despair. Maria and he dashed back to fend the alchemist off in an attempt to save their second teammate, Octavia. But their assault didn''t make him flinch.


    He rotated on his heel and sent a high kick to her chin. Octavia swung her heavy de in retaliation, but just like her dead leader, she struck in the wrong direction.


    An arrow shrieked as it connected with the kick in impressive precision, but the momentum was not enough to make the sixth-stage cultivator lose bnce, and his kick connected with Octavia''s head.


    It faced a little resistance from Metal Qi, but the chin was a weak spot, and the defenses there were limited. A gorgeous trail of fire that came out of Darma''s heel stood in sharp contrast with the gruesome scene of the woman''s head spinning to an unnatural angle.


    "Haha, I''m impressed you could discern the effect of my pills so quickly. You really are a genius alchemist. It''s a shame you have chosen wrong and didn''te to be under me."


    Darmaughed, crazed. His right arm was hung loosely on his side, and two new gaping wounds umted from Maria and Yuri''s techniques. He chose to continue his attack on Octavia and kill her, but it came with a price. The hall was only that big, and the time they needed to cross the distance between them was not long.


    "Fuck! Fuck! What should we do?!" Yuri swore in panic and shouted. He saw both Ken and Maria as outsiders, and the only one alive on his side was Odette.


    "I DON''T KNOW! I DON''T KNOW!" Odette screamed, her voice filled with anxiety and dread.


    "Fight now, thinkter! He isn''t going to let any of us off now, cover me!" Ken said in a cold voice and charged forward.


    During the quick exchange earlier, he took a sixth-grade healing pill and threw up the blood that came up his throat from the earlier punch. He was unaffected by the poison; his Alchemical Qi was purer than Darma''s, and he easily dposed the gas that entered his system.

 Chapter 211 211 – Decisive Moments

    ?


    "Fight now, thinkter! He isn''t going to let any of us off now, cover me!" Ken said in a cold voice and charged forward.


    For some reason, despite hating Ken to the core and ming him for everything to the point of seeing others in his image while being under the Frenzy Mode of the Mind-Poisoning Domain, Darma felt the lowest hatred toward the real Ken.


    It was one of the effects of Ken''s technique. Since the rage originated from Ken''s Qi, which was part of his being, the target wouldn''t aim their rage at Ken.


    ''We only need to hold out for two minutes before the time is up,'' Ken calcted quickly the time that passed so far.


    ''Paralyzing Mode.''


    Ken judged that he had killed enough of the group''s members and switched to his second domain. Darma instantly saw the image of Ken surrounding him from all directions, each filled with killing intent and bloodlust. He hallucinated getting killed by Ken in different ways, making him shiver in his spot.


    ''Cloud Running.''


    Ken rushed toward the wounded man and tried to im his leg, but the alchemist''s mind was too strong to remain corrupted while being threatened. He avoided it by jumping in the air, but before he could kick Ken. he had to condense Qi under his feet and kick it to avoid a spear attacking from Maria.


    The woman did not care much about the deaths of her temporary teammates, so she remained focused and aided Ken.


    "Odette, Yuri! Don''t you want revenge? Unless you want to follow yourrades'' footsteps, pull yourselves together and fight!" Ken said loudly, making the two frozen cultivators snap out of their despair.


    "Fine! I will make sure you pay for what you''ve done, Darma!" Odette said with gritted teeth and loaded another arrow in her bow. Yuri also brandished his spear, disying his renewed battle spirit.


    "Big words! I will kill you all and enve the kid!"


    Darma''s battle prowess decreased significantly without an arm, and he suffered from heavy blood loss from the two new wounds. He knew he had to take a healing pill and some strengthening pills if he wanted to win.


    Darma took out a few bottles of pills from his storage ring, and Ken appeared again, spoiling them with his Alchemical Qi and forcing Darma to retreat and block his attacks along with the support of the other three.


    "You can''t take the pills!" Ken said, his white mask hiding his face and making him seem expressionless and enigmatic.


    Darma remained vignt in front of Ken. He remembered that the kid had a powerful technique that could hurt him. He leaned backward to dodge a swing of the flexible sword and deflected it carefully when it returned with his hand.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    With a kick, he deviated the iing spear from his right and saved himself from a heavy strike of Maria''s staff by jumping above it. He could only expend his Qi to directly burn the arrows that sometimes threatened to put an end to his life.


    The relentless attacks continued. Ken already analyzed everyone''s fighting styles earlier and always positioned himself where the others could provide with the next attack, and the teamwork was almost as good as before.


    ''I only keep weakening because of the blood loss, I must take some pills!'' Darma through in a panic. The greatest strength of an alchemist was his pills, and derived from it, he suffered from a severe disadvantage.


    With a decisive countenance, Darma made his core churn and sucked a huge amount of Fire Qi out of it. A huge st was produced around him, throwing his enemies off their feet and inflicting burns of different severities on their skins.


    Ken instantly used One Step to retreat, but the st still caught up to him and injured him. Yuri coated himself with a cocoon of Water Qi, but the water vaporized and the man got burnt. Maria, who didn''t have any other type of Qi other than Spear Qi, could only rotate her spear in front of her to deflect the fire, and she was thrown like a lifeless doll to the end of the room and crashed into the wall.


    ''She should still be alive,'' Ken thought to himself and popped out healing pills. He was still under the healing effect of the previous one he had taken, thus he only brought out two of them and sent one to Yuri and one to Maria who lost her consciousness. Only Odette made it out unscathed, safe in the distance as an archer.


    Meanwhile, Darma was surrounded by the fire he had summoned. A crack appeared on his core from the overuse, a serious injury that might cost him his cultivation in the long run. Pain assaulted his very being, but he endured.


    He used the time to bring out pills from his storage ring and poured them into his mouth, swallowing them forcibly along with the blood that kept flowing out of his throat. He didn''t even feel the extra pain added to the agony that came from his core.


    ''I must end this battle quickly,'' Darma knew that using his core in his condition would onlyplicate his situation. The problem was that using big techniques would worsen his injury while using weaker techniques would drag out the battle and end up worsening his injury; it was a losing game.


    His legs red and he dashed out of the fire, hoping to catch one of his enemies by surprise. However, Ken never lost his focus.


    The two met and exchanged blows. Darma deflected the teen''s sword while the teen dodged his enemy''s fist and kicks in the nick of time every strike. Ken was being overwhelmed and the two spear-wielders were out of use. Only Odette''s arrows allowed him to hold his ground.


    However, just as Darma''s strikes began to connect with their target, Kenughed.


    "You were so close, Mr. Darma!" The honorific seemed only to intensify the insult.


    "What?" Darma thought the kid had lost his mind from despair; he just sent him rolling on the ground with a kick. Nevertheless, he soon understood. His scroll suddenly deactivated, and pressure enveloped him.

 Chapter 212 212 – Protected By The Heavens

    ?


    "You were so close, Mr. Darma!"


    The Formation Suppressing Scroll suddenly deactivated, and pressure enveloped Darma, bringing him down to his knees.


    "Argh!"


    Darma coughed out blood. He was keeping his organs in their ce using his Qi all this time, but as soon as the pressure assaulted him, he lost control for a moment. He also had to continuously use his core to resist the Suppression Formation.


    Ken got up from the ground and straightened his clothes slowly before approaching the kneeling man. He blocked a punch earlier with his sword but was still thrown back by the sheer force behind it. From a quick assessment, he estimated his injuries as one fractured rib.


    "Not fighting anymore?"


    "How did the formations reactivate so fast? How can the scroll be consumed in less than 8 minutes?" Darma asked in frustration. When he tried to resist the formation enough to stand up and fight, he''d instantly cough out blood. The fight was over, there was nothing he could do anymore.


    "Do you want to know?" Ken asked as he stood right in front of the man.


    "I do."


    Ken leaned forward, his lips only a few centimeters away from the man''s ears. "I''m also a sixth-rank formation master, as well as a sixth-rank alchemist," Ken whispered, causing the man to open his eyes widely.


    "You¡­ you lied about your age! You even lied to your subordinate, she told us you were only 8 under the effect of different truth drugs!" Darma stuttered and shouted at him. He would never agree to believe an eight-year-old could achieve what Ken just described.


    "I''m not just eight. I''m eight and a half already," Ken said with an upset tone. The half was important.


    Darma almost vomited blood after hearing the second half of the sentence.


    "Anyway, don''t tell the others. Let it be our little secret," Ken smiled and chopped at the side of Darma''s neck, disrupting the blood flow to his brain and rendering him unconscious. Ken had ns for him, but he had to clean up the mess first.


    "Yuri, are you all right?" Odette ran out of her hiding spot and went to check on Yuri.


    "I will survive, the healing pill is great. I just need some rest," Yuri calmed her down. They didn''t know what they should do next. They always followed Tiffany; they left the Osirisus Kingdom only to follow her, and now the woman who had been their leader for decades had died.


    ''They lost their sense of direction without a leader. Those two can''t think for themselves and require someone to follow. They''d make good subordinates,'' Ken decided. He remembered their despair and panic when Tiffany died. They didn''t even fight without a leader despite having a good chance at winning against a heavily wounded cultivator.


    "Odette, help Yuri to one of the rooms upstairs to rest while I take care of Maria''s injuries. We will deal with the aftermath when everyone is out of danger and their conditions stabilize."


    "Yes, Young Master," Odette lowered her head and supported Yuri as thetter stood up. She had contradicting emotions toward Ken.


    On the one hand, he has always been sincere, and he even helped them after they attacked him, but on the other hand, she partly med him for the mess they found themselves in. Everyone was alive before they met him, and then it changed drastically in 24 hours. Now most of the group was dead.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    ---------


    Three hours passed since the battle was over. During those two hours, Ken tended to everyone''s wounds. He first healed Maria who was in the worst condition and still didn''t regain consciousness.


    He carried her to a room on the second floor. He created there a sixth-rank Healing Formation that facilitated the natural healing process and fed her with sixth-rank healing pills.


    Bone Repairing Pill that actively healed the fractured bones, Skin Renewing Pill that could be either used to help the skin regain its vigorous youth or to heal skin wounds such as burns. There were also pills for her heart and lungs.


    He remained there for 15 more minutes to control the Qi moving in her body, boosting the pills'' effects with his Alchemical Qi.


    Next, he provided the same treatment to Yuri, stabilizing his wounds and making him heal at a visible speed.


    "You are safe and will be in perfect condition within a week or two. I must go to tend Darma''s wounds now, he is in dire straits, and someone must keep an eye on him. I also need to tend to my own injuries, I''ve fractured a few ribs and suffered from a few internal injuries due to Darma''s heavy hits. I will leave you two to rest," Ken talked to Yuri and Odette and left the room.


    Silence remained after Ken left until Odette finally broke it.


    "I''ve been using him in my heart for everyone''s deaths, yet he takes care of a woman who betrayed him, you, and a man that tried to kill him, all before he is treating his own injuries. The truth is that we brought on ourselves our own doom when we tried to abduct an innocent child, and now we are paying the price."


    Odette confessed her feelings of depression. She let her negative feelings toward Ken go at that moment.


    "You''re right, I''ve been feeling the same, yet he always puts others before himself even when they want to harm him. He is still na?ve, and his kindness might cause his downfall eventually. However, perhaps we should learn something from him; isn''t hepletely safe while those who want to harm him are dead or injured? The heavens must be keeping him safe themselves."


    Yuri said with a deep sigh. He felt lost, and he could not picture the future in his mind.


    "What should we do next?" Odette echoed their mutual thoughts.


    "I don''t know. Let''s see what Young Master Ken has to say after everyone rests."


    "Okay."


    Their way of thinking only proved Ken''s opinion of the two.


    ----------


    When he was done with Yuri, Ken carried Darma to another room and treated him as well. He took the storage ring from the alchemist just to be safe and remained in the room until the man would wake up.

 Chapter 213 213 – Alchemist Underling

    ?


    "Good morning, Darma."


    Darma heard a voice he got familiar with recently. He groaned in pain and looked to the source of the voice, seeing a beautiful teen with phoenix-shaped red eyes, and flowing ck hair.


    "You look better without the mask, Young Master," Darma said in a sarcastic voice. He tried to channel his Qi but found out he couldn''t. As a sixth-rank alchemist, the reason was simple to deduct.


    "Thank you, but I just like wearing a mask when I kill someone," Ken exined with a kind smile.


    "But you didn''t kill me."


    "I never nned to."


    "The girls¡­ They thought they are protecting you, but you''ve betrayed them," Darma sighed when he understood Ken''s words.


    "They tried to abduct me first, they can''tin. Anyway, not them specifically, but retroactively, they were the best choice to kill," Ken shrugged. He did n to get some of them killed, but he didn''t know how the battle would y out, so he didn''t aim at anyone specific.


    "Is this Qi Disturbance Pill? It feels much more potent than the one I know, I can barely move the Qi inside my body," Darma asked in intrigued tone. He was still thirsty for new knowledge about Alchemy under these circumstances.


    "It is. I have developed a better recipe for it," Ken bragged. His starting point was probably better since he gained the recipe in the Library of Eternal Wisdom which belonged to a ninth-rank alchemist, but he still improved it, nheless.


    "You really are a sixth-rank alchemist. I was half hoping you were lying, but you were unaffected by my poison which led me to believe it. The formations that suppressed me were also good testimony to your Formation Mastery. So, why did you keep me alive?"


    Unlike Tiffany and her group, he didn''t delude himself that Ken was a sweet and innocent child who couldn''t bear the thought of killing others. Ken made sure he won''t do it by telling him he had nned the death of those standing by his side.


    "I have an offer for you. I hope you are already aware that you truly aren''t worthy of being my teacher."


    "I am, I never thought I was," Darma said with a downcast voice. Even before losing, he knew he wasn''t worthy, he only wanted to gain control over Ken and use him for his own research. A mere sixth-rank alchemist would never be good enough to teach a genius of Ken''s caliber, even before knowing his real rank.


    "Good. My offer is that you work under me. Your job will be to manufacture many pills for me to sell, and in exchange, I will give you 10% of the profit for your own research," Ken exined his deal.


    "So, you want me to be a ve?" Darma was ready to refuse even at the cost of his life. If he couldn''t truly improve his Alchemy skills, he''d rather be dead.


    "No, I offer to help you. Doing it will boost your research speed by multiple times," Ken dered confidently.


    "How?"


    "Many ways. First, the pills will be all made ording to my improved forms, which means you''d have ess to forms created by new approaches to Alchemy. They will be between the fourth to the sixth rank."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "It is tempting, let me think about it," Darma''s face turned contemtive. It was a tough choice, selling himself to very for some quick knowledge.


    "Will I get all the forms right away?"


    "No, I will give you 3 new forms every 9 months. You can analyze them as much as you want when you''re done with the quota of pills for sale. Overall, I believe you''d need between 8-12 hours a day to hit the monthly goals, depending on how good you are at concocting."


    "I have been practicing Alchemy my whole life. Even if you''re a genius that can theorize new doctrines in Alchemy, I would not lose in concocting methods."


    "Sure," Ken said indifferently before crushing the man''s delusions.


    "I will also gift you concocting techniques, one every 9 months. They are all far more advanced than what you possibly have. I will add one theory in Alchemy every 9 months. With those materials, you have nothing toin about. You gain much more than you''d be able to learn in 8-12 hours of daily research by yourself."


    With this, Ken pretty much sealed the deal. If he understood Darma''s personality correctly, the man only cared about his Alchemy skills, and maybe about his cultivation, and that''s just to facilitate his Alchemy skills further. Only someone that passionate would dare kidnap a talented youth of an elite family of a top sect in their very territory.


    "I agree, I agree! You cannot renege on your word now!" His enthusiasm was almost childish despite being nearly 300 years old.


    "Good. Cooperate with me when we talk to the others to make me seem kind and angelic. And keep an eye on Maria to make sure she doesn''t betray me again."


    "I don''t care about that. I only need to make the pills and I have the rest of the time for my research, I won''t stick my nose into your business." The old man wore a stubborn expression. In his opinion, he already sold and degraded himself to a mere apprentice doing odd jobs for knowledge.


    "Fine¡­ have it your way." Ken sighed and gave up. He needed an alchemist under him for easy money, and it''d be hard to find another sixth-rank alchemist as cooperative as the man in the bed in front of him. He didn''t want to spend hours every day on concocting pills to cover his expenses, so he had to hire an employee.


    "You might have to apologize for killing their friends though," Ken issued onest demand and left to meet with the others before returning to the sect.


    "Hmph."


    ----------


    "Hey you two, I have something to discuss with you, are you free?"


    "Of course, Young Master."


    Yuri and Odette looked at him curiously.

 Chapter 214 214 – Marias Team Expands

    ?


    "Hey you two, I have something to discuss with you, are you free?"


    "Of course, Young Master."


    Yuri and Odette looked at Ken curiously when thetter entered Yuri''s room. It was the middle of the day, and Odette spent the past 24 hours in Yuri''s room except for the time she was asleep. She did it for both their sakes.


    They were alone and confused, seeing the familiar face of each other was their only source offort, and they found strength by sticking together until they find out whates next.


    "I talked to Mr. Darma earlier," Ken stated directly without going around.


    "Young Master, we can''t hold him drugged and weakened forever, we should just kill him and avoid any riskster. I will dly do it myself as to not soil your hands with the deed of murder, let me avenge the deaths of myrades."


    Odette spoke with eagerness. She hated the man to the core. Since she cleared Ken from all charges in her mind, the only option was to direct everything to Darma. She now despised the old alchemist and wished nothing less than his death.


    "I know how you feel, but we must not resort to murder as a tool to fix our problems. Instead of seeking punitive justice and dealing pain to all sides, we should pursue restorative justice and mend our wounds."


    Ken talked gently, conveying his deep care. Odette and Yuri were mainly confused by the unfamiliar terms.


    "I can understand what is punitive justice from the name, but what is restorative justice? He can''t restore the lives he had taken, what''s lost is lost."


    Yuri spoke slowly and inquired. He was willing to listen to Ken, but he also didn''t want to let Darma go scot-free from killing Tiffany and Octavia.


    "Restorative justice works on letting the offender make up to the victims or their rtives. You need to face Darma and let him show his sincerity. I already talked to him, and he wants to apologize to you and work to gain your forgiveness. Only this way we can make the world a better ce."


    Yuri and Odette shared a doubtful look before turning their heads back to Ken. This sounded too surreal, it could not be true. Apologizing? What''s that?


    "Young Master, do we have to give you our answer now?"


    "No, you can think about it. I must go back to the sect by tomorrow, so please take a few hours to discuss it between yourselves, I will follow your decision even if I think it''s wrong."


    Ken already gave up on the duel he was supposed to have; it was toote now. The trip back would take him at least 24 hours, and 60 hours already passed, which meant he missed the date.


    "Of course, Young Master. We will give you our answer before the night falls."


    The two cupped their fists and bowed to show their respect.


    "Before I leave, I wanted to offer you to work under me. Having two faithful subordinates like you would make me feel reassured, and you can keep an eye on Maria for me. Hopefully, after traveling with the two of you, she will learn to be a better person," Ken said benevolently.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Thank you, Young Master. We will consider your invitation and give our answers by tonight."


    As soon as Ken exited the room, the two spoke in hushed voices.


    "Can we really give up on revenge for this restorative justice thing?" Yuri asked his friend with hesitation.


    "I don''t know¡­ it sounds unrewarding. Can he really atone for killing Tiffany and Octavia? How did Young Master Ken even convince him to do it?"


    "I thought of the same question, what if he is only deceiving Young Master Ken into that by abusing his kindness?"


    The two remained silent for a while as they could not reach a conclusion.


    "I think in the end it all converges to the question of whether we want to work under Young Master Ken or not. If we do, we can''t choose to kill Darma or we will fail Young Master''s expectations before we even started." Odette eventually said.


    Ken also knew they''d reach that simple deduction, which was also why he was confident enough to announce he''d follow their verdict. The two were dependent on others, they needed to work under someone. Ken was the only one avable, and he already said explicitly that he thinks killing Darma was wrong.


    "Honestly, I do want to work under him. He is the purest human I''ve ever met, and only he can vision making the world a better ce by letting murderers make amends. Maybe Tiffany was right. Maybe he does have the protection of the heavens. Isn''t he safe after all those dangers?"


    Yuri voiced his thoughts on the matter. They understood they had to choose between revenge or their future.


    "Avenging our deadrades is important too. Wouldn''t you want revenge if you died?" Odette reproached with a ping of guilt. She understood they had let their selfish motives cloud their judgment when deciding about avenging their teammates.


    "I would. But thinking about it, didn''t Young Master offer another form of justice for Tiffany and Octavia?" Yuri defended their previous attitude.


    "That''s also true. Do you have any alternative if we decline his offer to work under him?" She wasn''t a big believer in anything that was not a punishment, but if they choose to follow Ken, in a way, it also means to follow and promote his beliefs, and restorative justice is also part of his beliefs.


    "I don''t have any alternatives."


    "Me neither, we should listen to Young Master''s new approach to justice. If someone like Young Master Ken visions the world as a better ce with it, we should not dismiss it."


    The two made the logical choice and prioritized their well-being and future over revenge. It did not take long for other exnations of why they made the right decision to appear.


    "They lost their lives for protecting Young Master Ken. By working under him we can make sure their sacrifice yields fruit. He is too na?ve and requires our help when dealing with questionable people like Darma and Maria."


    With the final reason strengthening their resolve, the two reached a consensus. Now they only needed to report the news to Ken.

 Chapter 215 215 – Rematch With Paul

    ?


    "All right, now that we are all on the same side, let''s exin how this is going to work."


    Ken announced in front of the 4 people in the room. Yuri and Odette already gave him their answers, and the two met with Darma who apologize superficially for killing their friends.


    "I''ve given Maria an important mission. Yuri and Odette, you will join her and aid her toplete it, she will give you all the details after you go. Darma will work to produce 200 pills every day, making it 18,000 per three months."


    Darma grumbled in response. The amount was much higher than he initially thought, and he''d probably need at least 14 hours a day to fill the quota. He only agreed because Ken promised to give him concocting methods that would help to shorten the time and increase results.


    "Some of the pills will be for you while some of them will be for sale. How to use the pills I''ve assigned for you is up to you, but I rmend using them in the order listed here."


    Ken threw three pages to the team that entailed the pills they were eligible to receive every three months as well as the order and intervals to consume them for maximum effects.


    "Any questions?"


    "No, Young Master."


    "Good. I wille here every few months to check on you guys and see your progress or if you need any help."


    ''You just want to take the money,'' Darma thought bitterly.


    Ken did not need to contaminate the pills with Bloodlust Qi anymore, so he could let Darma do the work for him. With the new arrangement, Maria''s team would take the pills from Darma every 3 months and sell them on the ck market. After selling the pills, they''d continue their search for Ken''s parents and Aaron.


    Every time they take a new batch of pills, they will deposit 90% of the gains in Darma''s hands who would take another 10% cut for himself and give the rest to Ken whenever thetter came.


    This way, Ken could continue his extravagant way of life without working too much for it himself.


    ''Indeed, one should think like an entrepreneur, not like an employee,'' Ken thought to himself as he made a random beast submit and carry him to the sect. The trip back took him 30 hours, and he eventually made it back.


    After a short deliberation, he chose to head out to the Hall of Glory and issue new challenges. He soon found the same disciple at the counter and approached him.


    "Hello, Young Master," the disciple bowed, but Ken could see the hesitation in his greeting.


    "How much of the Qi Stones did you use?"


    "600," the clerk bit his lips. He was afraid Ken will tell him to use the remaining four hundred to issue new challenges, but he already used some for his cultivation. He didn''t expect Ken not to appear in the duel.


    "Don''t worry, you can keep the remaining 400. Since I promised you them as a tip, I won''t renege on my word. Here are 200 Qi Stones, set a duel for me."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Thank you, Young Master!" The clerk said excitedly.


    However, just as Ken ced the sum on the counter, a strong pulling force came from the side and pulled them from the clerk''s grip.


    "Oh ho, is the Forbidden Fruit back? There''s no need to challenge others, I challenge you."


    Ken turned to his right, wondering who he had provoked. Standing there was a familiar figure.


    "The man who let me enter the top 500 list for the first time will do it again for my second time. What''s your current rank, Paul?"


    Paul, the man whom Ken defeated to enter the top 500 and earn a spot in the sects'' war, had challenged Ken this time. Ken didn''t have to think much to conclude the man wanted revenge; back at the time, Ken pretended to have a shaky foundation and made it appear as if he won by luck and surprise effect.


    "I''m ranked 389 now, I''ve gotten stronger since west met. I''m at the intermediate Core Formation stage, do you dare ept my challenge?" Paul challenged him publicly, making it hard for Ken to back off. Losing to Ken had always been a sore spot for him, and it was his chance to regain his self-respect.


    "Sure, why not?" Ken shrugged.


    "Since I challenge you, the date is up to you. When should we fight?" Paul asked and threw him the Qi Stones back. Since Paul was ranked higher, it didn''t cost him anything to pose a challenge, and Ken did not have to ept.


    "What about right now and get it over with?"


    "Let''s go then. Hey clerk, I was here to issue a challenge against Noir, do it for me please," Paul threw 200 power stones at the clerk and left the building after Ken toward the arena.


    A small crowd, mainly consisting of disciples in their age group or around it, followed them. The crowd only turned bigger as curious disciples tagged along. Some wanted to see Ken''s famous beauty while others wanted to see how an 8-year-old would fair in the rematch.


    "Hey! Let Ken Sue go to the stage, dy the other battles!"


    A few loud girls shouted, demanding to let their idol go on stage early. There was a queue to use the arena as there were always ongoing challenges, but somehow Ken rarely had to wait for them.


    "Huh? I''m Gerald Han, do you think a kid of the Sue n can take my turn?"


    The next fighter shouted at the girls, shutting them up with his family name. They could not antagonize members of elite families blindly.


    "Child of the Han n, give these two old men some face and let Ken Sue fight next. We are interested in watching his fight and taking him for a quick chat afterward."


    An old voice came out of the third floor, the floor reserved for the elders of the sect.

 Chapter 216 216 – Meeting Elders Leylin And Fang

    ?


    "Child of the Han n, give these two old men some face and let Ken Sue fight next."


    Gerald looked upward warily. He could not tell who they were, as those beneath the third floor could not see the audience up there. However, he knew those elders should be in the seventh or the eighth stage.


    "Since Senior asked me directly, I will respect your request." Gerald bowed and left the stage.


    "A great man can bend as well as extend." (1) Another old voice talked next.


    "I didn''t bend, I only respect my seniors!" Gerald protested but did not get any answer.


    Ken and Paul climbed into the stage and took their positions.


    "Ken Sue VS Paul, fight!"


    Paul summoned his heavy club from his storage ring and held it in front of him carefully, ready to react if Ken crouched, which he believed was the tell of Ken''s dashing technique.


    "Your dashing will not work against me a second time!"


    "I don''t need it, but it would work," Ken''s goal was not to win by a small margin this time. He wanted to leave a deep impression of his talent to acquire allies and supporters within the sect. Nobody would support a man with no skills.


    Ken disappeared from his spot without crouching, an ability he gained when he mastered the Advanced mastery realm. His speed was so high it seemed like he materialized behind his opponent, and with a p, he sent him rolling on the ground.


    The message was clear. If Ken tried, Paul''s head would be rolling on the ground now. By letting his aura out, everyone could notice now that Ken was at the peak of the fourth stage.


    "Peak fourth stage? How can you advance so fast?" Paul was shaken. His head felt dizzy from the p, and his legs were shaking when he understood he challenged someone out of his league.


    "Still want to fight?" Ken ignored his questions and asked.


    "Yes, please enlighten me, Young Master!" Previously, Paul referred to Ken as Forbidden Fruit to provoke him, however, he did not have the right to do it anymore and improved his attitude.


    ''Maic Power,'' Paul used a technique to create a pulling force against Ken, the same thing he used to pull the Qi Stones in the Hall of Glory, but in a much greater magnitude.


    Ken let himself be pulled toward the heavy club, but by using Cloud Running and a gentle push of his palm, he redirected the club above his head.


    "Ah!"


    Paul groaned in pain as a fist connected with his stomach, sending him back to the ground as saliva came out of his mouth.


    "Young Master, ept my attack!" Paul shouted and got up from the ground. He wanted to do the samebination he did in his previous battle against Ken.


    "Sure." Ken agreed to receive the man''s attack and watched him perform it without interrupting.


    Paul upsurged with a powerful leap, reaching a height of 13 meters, an improvement of 30%pared to thest time they battled. Then, he kicked the air behind him as his head faced the ground in a diagonal line, and a small tform made of Earth Qi could be seen behind him for a short moment.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Paul flew down toward Ken at high speed, and instead of dodging as he normally would, Ken raised his arm and brought it down, coated with Sword Qi.


    ''sh, 27 in 1.''


    He didn''t use the full attack as it would split Paul in half along with the man''s club. Instead, he used 33% of it to resist the heavy blow of the club while using only his arm without a sword.


    The club met the sh a meter away from Ken and Paul''s club bounced back from the hit as Paul was unable to hold on. The young man was sent flying the other way and he lost the grip on his club after it crashed into his head.


    "Winner, Ken Sue!"


    The crowd cheered for Ken, albeit with surprise. Everyone who knew how the previous battle yed out assumed the rematch would end with Paul''s victory or at least in a close call, but it waspletely one-sided, and Ken never drew out his sword.


    "Ken Sue, let us take you for lunch," Ken heard the elders from earlier.


    "Seniors, may I ask for your names?"


    "I''m Elder Fang, and my friend is Elder Leylin."


    They understood that they needed to introduce themselves before taking a son of an elite family away. In a way, everyone would know they were the ones who sought Ken if he was to disappear afterward.


    "I''m willing to meet you, elders," Ken said and bowed with his fist cupped.


    He soon felt a strong wind envelop him, something simr to the time he was carried by Elmer from the Serene Lotus Sect. The wind carried him at high speed out of the arena to a well-known restaurant in the sect.


    Paradise Delicacies, it was one the only sessful restaurant managed bymoners, and it only stood thanks to the support of people like Leylin and Fang who disliked elite ns and wanted to support businesses managed by the weaker members of the sect.


    "Hello, Ken. I''m Elder Fang. I''m at the peak of the seventh stage, and I used to be Diana''s master."


    "I''m Elder Leylin. I was Jane''s master."


    "Ken Sue greets Elder Fang and Elder Leylin. I assume you approached me to inquire regarding your disciples'' deaths?"


    Ken found it reasonable that the two old men would be interested in their disciples, and it was the only reason they had to approach him.


    "Indeed, we would like to learn about their fates. We learned they were seen traveling with you. We''ve been saddened to learn the three of you never made it back, but our hope was reignited when we heard of your return."


    "I''m sorry. Diana and Jane died in front of my very eyes and there was nothing I could do to save them," Ken sighed with a ping of pain when he recalled the two cheerfuldies.


    ------


    A/N: A great man can bend as well as extend - a great man knows how to deal with humiliation and glory.

 Chapter 217 217 – Neither Wrong Nor Right

    ?


    "I''m sorry. Diana and Jane died in front of my very eyes and there was nothing I could do to save them," Ken sighed with a ping of pain when he recalled the two cheerfuldies.


    Ken was well aware that the moment to face the girls'' masters would arrive eventually. Being core disciples of the sect, they were under the tutge of influential elders, and it was only natural for those elders to seek answers about the girls'' whereabouts.


    "Please tell us how they died and who killed them."


    "We hunted together for a while and my bodyguards kept us safe as well. However, the guards wanted to train for a while, so the girls and I decided to venture to the war zone alone, relying on the rules of war that specified one must not attack an enemy disciple from a lower stage than themselves."


    "new-born calves don''t even fear the tiger," Elder Leylin said. Ken paused for a moment, thinking the elder had a point to convey, but soon continued when he understood there was nothing else.


    "Right. We ambushed a few groups, and everything was fine until we eventually attacked the wrong people. Diana''s arrow killed a young girl from the enemy''s side, and a fifth-stage cultivator was enraged. He screamed he would get revenge for his little sister even if it costs him his life for breaking the rules and began to chase us."


    "Losing a family member is indeed heartbreaking," Elder Fang said in a sad tone. It was obvious that he referred to his disciple as family, and hearing of her death was devastating even when expecting it.


    "I''m sorry for your loss, I lost two good friends that day," Ken said sincerely.


    "How did you escape?"


    "As soon as the man swore to take revenge for his sister''s death, we agreed to split up and run away, hoping to dy him enough for a fifth-stage cultivator or higher to save us."


    "Out of 36 stratagems, running away is always number one," Elder Leylin remarked. This time, Ken assumed he only enjoyed inserting idioms and continued without a pause.


    "He chased after Diana first because she was the one who killed his sister directly. A few cultivators of the fourth stage chased after Jane and me, and after I killed my pursuers, I helped Jane. Jane insisted that we go to help Diana despite the danger since that''s what real friends do, and they were killed during the fight."


    "Did you fight?"


    "No, I helped Jane because I could, but going to fight the fifth-stage cultivator was suicide. It pained my heart to abandon them, but I did what I had to do to survive."


    Ken answered half truthfully. Most of the story was true, and they did die because he let them. However, it was a result of his indecisiveness, not by choice.


    "I see. I can sense that you truly are sad about their deaths, so I will not criticize your choice. I will not say it was right, but it also was not wrong. Please, order what you will, the bill is on us," Elder Fang said and got up to leave.


    "No! Your choice was wrong! Aren''t you stronger than those two silly girls? If you helped them, maybe you''d survive for long enough until someone woulde to help! Maybe you would have won!"


    Elder Leylin burst into tears and admonished Ken for running away. He was clearly agitated, a rare sight to anyone who knew the elder.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "It was bad luck, there was nothing I could do. Some things can only be left up to fate. Would you feel better if I died too?" Ken asked with a strict tone.


    "Elder Leylin is grieving the death of his only disciple. We are d to see you alive and your death wouldn''t fix anything nor make us feel better. We will take our leave now."


    Fang and Leylin left the restaurant, and Ken remained alone at the table. It was a separate room meant for VIP guests, so there was nobody around him. The room was beautiful, the walls were decorated by carvings of soaring phoenixes, and the silence attested to the existence of Silencing Formations.


    ''I guess it''d be wrong to eat now if they still watch my reactions,'' Ken mumbled to himself and left right after them.


    ------------


    Ken passed the next month by getting the first spot in the age group between 18 to 24. The strongest there was at the higher phase of the Core Formation stage, so it made no sense to remain behind after revealing his stage.


    The main reason he revealed his stage was that he already learned that those at the seventh stage or above had abilities beyond his current understanding, and many of them could see past his concealment. He would be able to revise his cultivation concealing technique only after he learns more about the Supremacy Phase.


    "Hey Emrys, how are you doing?"


    Ken smiled at the wolf and stroke his fur. He looked at the egg of the Sunscale dragon in his room as he visioned the future of the two pets. This past month, he had read a lot about beasts and different experiments that took ce in the sect.


    He even purchased a few cubs of different species for his experiments, but unfortunately, none of them yielded any fruits yet, and they all ended in failure and in the animals'' death.


    Emrys was also growing with the new supply of Bloodline Refining Pills and Bloodline Enhancing Pills. His grey fur was turning white, and his yellow eyes contained a glim of power.


    ''He is on the verge of breaking through and bing a third-rank beast. I need to hurry up my experiments.''


    Ken thought to himself as he yed with the wolf. He needed the wolf to get used to him and trust him for his future ns.


    ------------


    A/N:


    (1) ¨C new-born calves don''t even fear the tiger ¨C innocent or na?ve people don''t know enough to be afraid

 Chapter 218 218 – Submitting An Alchemy Theory

    ?


    Henry bowed and took the new manuals from Ken. He did not know it, but Ken integrated inside concepts he had read in the inheritance he purchased for over a million BP in the Residence of a Buddha and a Demon in the secret realm.


    Nevertheless, he was still grateful to Ken for going out of his way to improve the inheritance and upgrading so many techniques to the Heaven grade. His choice to join Ken''s side was reinforced again, just like when Ken gave him pills that upgraded his foundation and even improved his affinity to his specialized Qi types.


    "Do you n to tell Miles you will be leaving the sect, or will you simply leave when the timees?" Ken asked the silent monk.


    Henry did not reply. Maybe because he had no answer yet himself, and perhaps because he did not want to.


    "All right, go then. You have around 3 months to raise your strength before the real mess begins. Your Demonic Qi has a technique called Mind Corruption which allows you to make others turn grateful and loyal to you if their minds are weaker than yours. Try to get control of some kids from elite ns."


    Ken instructed the monk. The technique was based on the inheritance Ken had purchased and probably almost the same as the technique that corrupted his mind during the trial.


    "Furthermore, now that I''m back, the Han n will probably look for trouble with me. Help me shift their focus away from me and take it on yourself, kill some of their descendants by challenging them specifically while you climb the ranks."


    Ken gave him one more bothersome task, making Henry''s gratefulness drop by half.


    "Don''t worry, you can live in my house. With the support of the Sue n, you will be safe as long as you don''t go to questionable ces or venture outside without a disguise. You can use a wig and some makeup and they will be safe even outside. It will also help to divert some of the focus of the whole sect from me after I got the first rank in the age group of 18 to 24 when I''m only 9."


    Ken had his birthday this past month, finally turning nine. His outward appearance remained rtively unchanged recently and he looked like a teenager in his early teens.


    Ken updated him about the looming threat from the Four Seasons Sect and how they are going to find out about his presence in the Phoenix Feather Sect in the uing months. He also told him it''d be the best time to switch sides and try to join the Peaceful Demon Sect.


    The two separated and Ken walked with his new bodyguards to the Alchemy Division. It was time to make some real contributions to the sect and gain the elders'' support.


    ''Step one in acquiring allies isplete, and that''s getting to the top rank in the Hall of Glory. Next, I need to submit a good Alchemy theory to prove my worth as an alchemist and go on a mission that will increase my poprity. Luckily, the Serene Lotus Sect took care of thest one.''


    He showed his fourth-rank alchemist token in the reception, surprising the girl with his mastery despite being so young.


    "Young Master, how may I help you?"


    "I want to submit new research I''ve conducted; it could inspire many alchemists in our sect to improve their crafts and create new concoction methods. Furthermore, I''d like to submit two recipes I''ve created using this theory."


    Ken nned to give theplete theory of Elemental Borrowing. Until now, the alchemists of the Phoenix Feather Sect could not instill elements they did not have into their pills, which limited their production range greatly. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Ken read a theory in the library 2 years ago that imed it was achievable by borrowing Qi from items with that type of Qi, hence the name of the theory. He had perfected it along with another theory that spected the possibility of instilling into pills not only Elemental Qi but also Weapon Qi and other types of Qi.


    Since Ken knew these techniques already existed in the Infinite Wisdom Sect, he had no qualms about sharing them with his sect for extra benefits and connections. He didn''t wish to give both theories at once as it''d reduce his meritspared to sharing one now and anotherter.


    To show his theory was feasible, he added two techniques to draw Water Qi and Fire Qi from different gems that contained them and add them to the mix when concocting a pill. The other alchemists will be able to develop simr techniques by researching and practicing those.


    "New theory? That''s impressive, Young Master! Would you like to submit the papers now and you will be contacted at ater date, after the elders finish reviewing your materials?"


    "What''s the process?"


    "Your theory will be copied and distributed to five elders. If three of them approve of your theory and find value in it, your theory will be read by 5 senior elders. If they deem your theory to be of amazing value, they might even pass it over to the grand elders, but the grand elders are extremely busy and it''s unknown when they''d read it. The senior elders will be the ones to assess the CP you deserve for your theory."


    The receptionist exined everything. Ken was pleased by the procedure; by sending the materials to five different elders, none of them could pretend the theory to be theirs and steal the credit. He also knew that Elder Michael had suppressed news about him, but he didn''t want the news about his new theory to be suppressed.


    "Is the procedure the same if I have a master?" Ken suddenly thought of a possible problem.


    "No, it will be sent first to your master."


    "Please remove Elder Michael from being my master then. I don''t want the papers to go through him first."


    "Young Master, are you sure? It mighte out as rude, and if he participated in your research, you will be punished for cutting him off," the young girl warned him.


    "I am sure."


    Ken was never taught anything by Michael, so he did not mind removing his position as his official master.


    "All right, then the procedure will follow the standard instructions."


    --------


    Want to help me pick an illustration for Tiara? I added a few options on my discord server,e and vote!

 Chapter 219 219 – Beast Tide Mission Accepted

    ?


    ''I''ve made most of the necessary arrangements to acquire allies and have a strong backing in the sect,'' Ken mused. He had gained the first rank in an age group much older than him, and he submitted a top-tier alchemy theory.


    ''Next, I should take a quest. Those spies had some good information for it. Since today is Wednesday, it''s a good chance to go to the Mission Hall.''


    ----------


    A month ago:


    "Young Master, congrattions on your return to the sect."


    "Who are you?"


    Ken asked the approaching man. It was a young man, looking at histe teens.


    "I''m Tony, I would like to offer you to have a look at my pills. I''m sure you will find some of them to your liking, they''re shiny like the stars above."


    Ken raised his eyes in surprise. It was the password Elmer had passed him before they split up, meaning the young man was a spy of the Serene Lotus Sect.


    "The stars were aligned in my favorst night, perhaps those pills are meant for me."


    Ken replied with his half of the password and the young man led him to a small stall where a few boxes of pills were presented.


    "Which one would be my lucky star?" Ken asked the man, sticking to their code. With this question, Ken asked which pill he should purchase.


    "I believe the auburn star in the north matches your personality, it can enhance your thinking speed and concentration," the spy replied.


    "Haha, I don''t believe in such superstitions."


    Ken seemingly went against the instructions and took a blue pill from the right box. The color and the direction were only meant as a distraction, while the other words told him which pill to choose.


    "That''d be 180 medium Qi Stones," the spy said. He was disguised as a stall owner, and it''d be suspicious if he gave a customer a pill for free.


    "Keep the change."


    Ken just threw arge tablet worth 200 Qi Stones and continued on his way after storing the blue pill in his storage ring.


    ''Let''s see what the Serene Lotus Sect has to tell me,'' Ken thought to himself as he sat in his room and the pill floated in front of him.


    He moved his finger carefully around the circumference of the pill, and it was cut into equal halves, revealing a small storage ring inside. Inside it, was only a single document containing information.


    ''Supreme Elder Zion Sinir of the Phoenix Feather Sect is originating from a big family of Soft Feather City. He is currently under close door seclusion and wille out only in two months. We will help you gain his approval, so search for relevant missions.''


    The document included a map of the city and its surroundings, information about Supreme Elder Zion Sinir, and the local powers controlling the city.


    Intrigued, Ken instructed Miles to open an eye on missions rted to Soft Feather City and update him if one meant for the fourth or the fifth stage appears.


    He didn''t have to wait long; four days after receiving the message, Miles came to report.


    "Young Master, there''s a mission rted to Soft Feather City as you expected. There has been an outbreak of beasts in the forest south of the city, and now they expect a beast tide against the city. The area is rtively on the outskirts of the continent so there aren''t many powerful beasts there, and the requirement is a team of five Nascent Soul cultivators."


    Miles gave the full report at once and remained silent to let Ken ask questions.


    "All right, thank you. You may leave."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Young Master, may I ask a question?" Miles asked hesitantly. He was curious about how Ken knew such a mission would appear.


    "No."


    ------------


    Back to the present:


    "Hi Sherry, long time no see!" Ken smiled at the jumpy receptionist at the Mission Hall.


    Sherry instinctively took a step back before remembering she was at the counter, forcing herself to wear a fake smile and bow.


    "Hello, Young Master, it''s good to see you here," She said with an unstable voice. Although she had to face threats from other young masters and mistresses all the time, Ken was the only one who consistently made trouble for her every time he arrived, and the only one who seemed to alwayse specifically to her.


    "I remembered you work on Wednesday afternoons, so I came now to get served by my favorite receptionist," Ken said, the beautiful smile still stered on his face as if trying to hypnotize her to the point of forgetting about the troublemaking.


    ''So he doese to find me on purpose!'' She thought to herself, half happy for being the favorite of one of the most promising disciples of the young generation and half frustrated by the fact he saw her as a pushover. This time she won''t let him have it his way, she decided.


    "I''m ttered that Young Master Ken remembers someone like me. How may I be of any help today?" She asked with a straight face, trying to remain professional and strict.


    "I''m here for this mission, please write it under my name," Ken ced a mission token on the counter in front of her, letting her inspect it.


    "I can''t, Young Master. This mission requires 5 disciples at the lower Nascent Soul stage while you are still at the Core Formation stage. Please pick another mission."


    True to her decision, Sherry pushed the token back to Ken. She refused to let him take another mission he should not take after he practically dered that he came to her since he knew she was bad at arguing.


    "Don''t be like that, did you not give me plenty of missions beyond my stage already?"


    "That was a mistake from my end, I-"


    "And you don''t want me to tell your superiors about a mistake that might have resulted in the death of a talented descendant of an elite n, right?"


    "I don''t, and threatening me won''t help-"


    "Besides, didn''t Ie out unscathed every time? Didn''t Iplete them all sessfully?"


    "You did, but-"


    "And you know I have powerful bodyguards to keep me safe, and that I don''t have a death wish."


    "I know, still-"


    "So register this mission under my name please," Ken finished with a smile as he leaned over the counter.


    "I¡­ Okay¡­" she surrendered in a quiet whimper.


    ----------


    A/N: I''m conducting a voting for a possible cover change to attract more readers. Join my discord server to participate!

 Chapter 220 220 – Before Heading Out

    ?


    "Young Master, the mission is branded as urgent, meaning you have less than 24 to leave for the mission or face penalties, and the penalty is five times more severe than the normal missions of the same difficulty. Please don''t miss the date, and I wish for your safe return."


    Sherry said in a quiet voice and handed the token back to Ken along with some details on the quest he had chosen. Herst wish was more for her own sake than his, as she''d be executed by the Sue n if he dies in a mission she gave him against the rules.


    From the additional information, he learned that the tide is expected to include three waves. The first one is estimated to arrive at the city''s walls in the next 12 hours andst for 6 to 8 hours. There would be an interval of a few hours between each wave, and theter waves will be longer and stronger.


    The disciples taking the mission were expected to assist in the third wave and there would be bonus rewards for making it to the second one. The sect even offered tamed birds as mounts for a week,pletely free of charge.


    ''Probably because the tide has a very short time notice and no elder of the seventh stage is interested in halting their cultivation to save mortals.''


    Ken assumed that those in the Supremacy Phase were not interested in the lives of mortals anymore. It made sense; the mortals'' lifespan was only 10% as long as theirs and the mighty cultivators could erase whole viges from existence in a single attack.


    Furthermore, the mortals did not produce any value to those in the Supremacy Phase; cultivators of this stage did not eat regr food, trade in coins, or needed hospitality while traveling.


    Thinking about it with this mentality would lead to an inevitable conclusion; it was hard for those people to care about the lives of some mortals.


    "Henry, get Miles. We are leaving to fight a beast tide in the south. Tell him he has 12 hours to be here and we''re heading out," Ken ordered. Henry moved into his house as par with his instructions, and his first duel against a descendant of the Han n was set for 2 dayster.


    "Mm." Henry hummed with approval and got up from his meditation. Ken disliked this part about him.


    "Talk when you are with me, you can shut up around others if you like it so much."


    Henry did not reply. He quietly left to find Miles.


    "Jake, Max, we are going out on a mission, and you areing with me."


    "Yes, Young Master," the two new bodyguards Miles had picked answered. Ken already inserted some truth drug into their food and tried to probe them with questions, he didn''t find any hidden motives or evil intentions in their reasons to take the job, they simply needed money.


    ''I need a bigger house,'' Ken thought to himself when the four men sat in his living room. The room was packed, and Soleil looked at them in judging eyes as if she wanted them to go home. She was already worried Ken will demand her to share her room with someone.


    "We are going to fight a beast tide. We have 16 more hours to prepare and go, but unless you have something special to do, we will leave in four hours. Although the mission only requires us to defend the third wave, we are aiming to be there for the second wave."


    Ken briefed them about the mission shortly. He still had one n to execute before going. Too many people already knew about his ability to create formations, so it was pointless to keep it hidden at this point. With enough digging, people would find out about it.


    Thus, he had to go to the Formation Mastery Division and be an official formation master of the sect. If he is known as a genius martial artist, alchemist, and formation master, the sect would not give up on him easily. Each reason might not be enough on its own, but he was stacking them.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Yes, Young Master." The four of them bowed and agreed. They agreed to meet at the sects'' stables in four hours and separated.


    -----------


    ''This is the Formation Mastery Division,'' Ken stood in front of the towering building, his eyes filled with curiosity. It was made of white marble and divided into two halves by a long, central hallway. The left half had a sign that read "Runology Division," and the right half had a sign that read "Formation Mastery Division."


    Both fields were reliant on runes, prompting them to stick together and be a source of inspiration for one another. Even if their application of runes was different, they could not avoid a connection between them, so cing them in different areas would be illogical.


    Ken took a deep breath and walked up to the front gate. The gate was guarded by two statues of qilin, mythical creatures that were said to be messengers from the heavens that brought wisdom and enlightenment to those they encounter.


    Beyond the gate, Ken found arge courtyard. The courtyard was filled with students, all of whom were dressed in blue or grey robes. He saw students practicing their formations, while others sat in the sun to read theories.


    Passing through the courtyard, he soon entered the building and found himself in a spacious room that took arge part of the first floor.


    "Hello, how may I help, Young Master?"


    The receptionist could easily discern Ken''s origins by his robes, even if she still didn''t hear about him as ''Forbidden Fruit'' or as the first-ranked inner disciple in an age group.


    It was the effect of interest points. Those interested in Formation Mastery were not interested in the local news of the sect outside their field that don''t affect them, and vice versa in other fields.


    "I''m Ken Sue, I''m interested to register as a formation master," Ken said directly.


    "Of course, I will write you as one of the examinees. The next exam takes ce next Thursday at noon, please be here on time. Show this token when you arrive to take the test."


    She spoke professionally and gave him an examinee token. Unlike when he went to take the Alchemy test, he looked now like a twelve-year-old, maybe even thirteen, so the receptionist did not make a fuss about his age.


    "I see, thank you," Since Ken was not in a hurry, he epted the date without arguing and left toward the stables.


    -------


    A/N:


    I''m nning to generate some more illustrations for the main characters (Ken, ric, Tiara, Henry, and a secret!) with a better AI. If you want to participate in the choosing process with me, join my discord server via the link in the synopsis <3

 Chapter 221 221 – Meeting The Mayor

    ?


    Ken and the other four entered the sect''s stables and approached one of the boys working in the ce.


    "Hey, Junior Brother, we are taking an urgent mission, it was mentioned that we can use a flying beast to reach our destination, how do we do that?" Miles asked the stableboy.


    "Hello, Senior Brother, show me the mission token. It should include the permission inside," the stableboy greeted him back and exined.


    Ken produced the token from his storage ring and handed it over. After scanning it with the same device all facilities had in the sect, he nodded.


    "Wait outside, I will bring Eta and Rikka, they will carry you to your destination. Try to distribute your weight equally between the two of them, or one will turn grumpy. Those girls are really sensitive about equality."


    "Sure," Miles said and the group left outside.


    After waiting for a few minutes, the five heard the scream of a bird from the sky, and raising their heads, they saw tworge birds gliding above, gradually nearing the ground fornding.


    Ken and his group of four observed as the two brown-feathered birds descended gracefully from the sky, their wings cutting through the air with an inherent elegance.


    Landing gently before the group, the avian duo generated a strong gale with their wings, making the men''s hair flutter behind them. The birds presented an impressive sight, their feathers a medley of earthy browns with red hues that blended seamlessly with the natural surroundings.


    The stableboy jumped off the back of the right bird.


    "This is Eta, this is Rikka. Treat them nicely while they work with you and don''t forget to feed them. You need to return in one week, but there''s enough food for two weeks here. You will be charged 200 medium Qi Stones for every hour you''rete to return the girls, which is the hourly renting price for a flying fourth-rank beast."


    With keen eyes, the birds regarded thepanions before them, a sense of curiosity emanating from their demeanor. Their presence, though unassuming, carried an air of respect, as if acknowledging their duty to serve the cultivators for the next week.


    "All right. Miles and Henry will go on Rikka, while the three of us can ride Eta. We will switch midway," Ken instructed. Henry and Miles were the bulkiest in the group, hence, Ken ced them together. He also mentioned they will switch in case one of the birds still found it unfair.


    "AAhhh!" The birds called in satisfaction, disying their contentment with the arrangement.


    The five climbed on the birds'' backs, holding the brown feathers gently so as to not pluck them by mistake.


    "Try to hug their necks or use Qi to stabilize yourselves on their backs until you are used to the ride. Don''t pluck any of their feathers!" The stableboy shouted as the birds took off.


    "I will lead them. Rikka, follow us," Ken said. He was already experienced in navigating on the back of birds from his time in the desert.


    He satfortably on the bird''s back, or sometimes even stood up just because he could. He enjoyed seeing the other four, especially Max and Jake, struggle to remain on the birds without falling off.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    The travel took 13 hours, a great improvementpared to the day and a half they''d need if they chose to travel by foot. The birds circled in the air as they slowlynded, and Jake was thrown off the bird to the ground with a thud.


    "Argh"


    The rest of the group jumped off more gracefully and a few city guards ran to them. They didn''t dare unsheathe their weapons yet as they knew reinforcement wasing from the sect, but they were tensed.


    "We are disciples of the Phoenix Feather Sect, we were sent here to help you deal with the beast tide."


    The five showed their discipleship tokens and the guards bowed.


    "Hello, Lords. Thank you foring, the first wave just ended a couple of hours ago and we are preparing for the next wave. Would you like toe to the mayor''s manor to rest and get briefed?"


    "Sure."


    Miles was the spokesman of the group as Ken couldn''t be bothered with it and Henry did not like to talk. As for Jake and Max, they were the weakest of the group, so it was inappropriate if they were the ones to represent them.


    The group was led to arge manor made of white stone. The design was simplistic, but it was clean and elegant. The dining room included a long table that could amodate up to three dozen diners andrge chandeliers were hung across the room, providing it with decent lighting even after the sunset.


    Currently, it was early afternoon. Ken took the mission from Sherry on Wednesday afternoon and left the sect 12 hourster. Along with the 13 hours of travel, he arrived in the afternoon.


    "Hello, Junior Brothers, you can call me Steven" the mayor greeted them with a friendly smile and gestured toward the seats by his side. The five sat down and looked at him curiously while the food was served.


    "Are you a disciple of Phoenix Feather Sect as well?" Miles asked, following the mayor''s way of addressing them.


    "I used to be. However, I was only an outer disciple of the sect, and I''ve reached my limit at the early phase of the sixth stage, so although I''m stronger than you right now, you will surely surpass me in the future," the mayor said with a hint of envy in his voice.


    "I did not know the outer disciples could reach the sixth stage," Miles said insensitively. It could not be helped, the culture of the inner sect was to look down at those from the outer sect.


    "You''re right, most of them can''t. I was hard-working and always remained at the top of my age group, which is how I also got the position of mayor here. "


    The group of six ate while having a casual conversation, avoiding any serious topics during the meal.


    "Now, it''s time to talk about the real issue. Let me brief you about the beasts," the mayor''s face turned serious as everyone reclined back in their chairs after the meal.

 Chapter 222 222 – The Top Of The Wall

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    "Now, it''s time to talk about the real issue. Let me brief you about the beasts," the mayor''s face turned serious as everyone reclined back in their chairs after the meal.


    "How did defending against the first wave go? Were there many casualties?" Miles asked.


    "The first wave is the weakest, it consisted of the lowest-ranked beasts in the forest. We don''t know what agitated the beasts and made them rush outside; normally only seventh-rank beings can make them react like that, but there should not be any in this forest."


    The sect kept an open eye on the forests in its vicinity to make sure nothing like that happens. When a beast got close to the seventh rank and throw off the bnce of the forest, they''d either y it, cripple it, or move it to a stronger forest where there are other beings in the same strength.


    Taming it was not an option since taming mature beasts was considered a risky move that could result in betrayal in a detrimental time. Even Ken did not keep any of the beasts he had threatened into carrying him but simply released them with a reward afterward. Maria''s tiger was an exception, and it was free to leave whenever it wanted.


    "The first beasts were those at the outskirts of the forest, and those are the weakest. Almost none of them was at the fourth rank, and the very few that were led the tide. I only intervened and killed the leaders while letting my city guards deal with the rest."


    "How many guards are there?"


    "We have 500 guards in the second stage, 200 guards in the third stage, 50 unit captains in the fourth stage, and 5 division captains in the fifth stage. I''m the only sixth-stage cultivator in the city."


    The captain did not spare any information about the city''s troops from the group. It was time to work together, and hiding information would only cause harm. Besides, they represented the Phoenix Feather Sect who controlled the whole territory.


    "How many beasts attacked?"


    "Around 15,000, and 30 of them were at the fourth rank. The rest ranged from the first rank to the third. I killed the 30 leaders while my troops took care of the rest. The captains did a great job keeping the guards safe and only 12 second-stage guards died."


    Steven said with a saddened tone. Losing 12 men in one day was nothing less than tragic, and considering it was only the first wave, the future seemed grim.


    "Do you know what to expect in the next wave?" Miles asked the next question Ken made him memorize.


    "There should be between 10 to 20 fifth-rank beasts leading the attack, and that''s what I need you for. Help us cull their numbers as soon as possible so we can aid the unit captains deal with the fourth-rank beasts and then the rest with the weaker beasts."


    "Will the second-stage guards participate in defending the city this time?"<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "They will, they have sworn to protect the city. However, they will do so from the city wall; all of them learned how to use at least one or two bow techniques and they will support us by shooting arrows. Furthermore, there are formations and other weapons that can be used on the wall so they can deal mass destruction despite their lower rank."


    The mayor exined that things were not as simple as going outside the walls and fighting like brutes. That was the beasts'' way of doing things, not the humans''.


    "Will you participate in the second wave?" the mayor asked hesitantly, aware that the mission required them only to intervene in the third wave.


    "We will. We are here early to help and save lives, we will not watch as lives are lost and do nothing," Miles guaranteed.


    "Great, thank you for your help. The next wave will be here in an hour or two, let''s go outside and prepare."


    "Of course, that''s our Young Master''s decision," Miles said and gestured toward Ken. He was instructed to give the credit to Ken, or else the one getting the backing of the supreme elder would be the wrong person.


    The group of six exited the manor and headed to the city wall. Beyond the wall, they could see arge open field continuing 10 kilometers to the horizon, and then a small green mass reced the open view. The green mass was the forest in the distance, but the distance was too great to see it clearly despite the open line of sight.


    "Those great crossbows will be manned by 5 second-stage cultivators. If they manage to get a clear shot at a beast, it can deal great damage. Fourth-rank beasts can''t hope to survive it, while fifth-rank beasts are expected to be severely wounded if a single bolt hits them. Even sixth-rank beasts might note out unscathed if they''re upied with something else at the moment or attacked by a few of them simultaneously."


    The mayor showed them therge crossbows on top of the wall as they strolled on it. Each crossbow was as tall as Ken himself and more than two meters long. There were sixth-rank runes inscribed all over their bodies, and Ken found them also on each bolt in the pile prepared next to them.


    The cost of operating the machine was high; each bolt was worth more than ten thousand medium Qi Stones while activating the formation that allowed the second-rank guards to sessfully load and shoot it at a legitimate speed required hundreds of Qi Stones per hour.


    "Those are Net Throwers and they do exactly what their name suggests. They throws at high speed and if a beast is trapped inside one, it can reduce itsbat prowess by 90% by restricting its movements, consuming its Qi, and interrupting its Qi control. Many beasts are not well-versed in dealing with Qi control disturbances, which makes them weaker to the effectpared to humans."


    The mayor showed anotherrge device ced on the wall. There were a few meters between each machine, and that space was upied by bow-carrying guards. The Net throwers were at the same rank as the crossbows, at the sixth rank, including thes.


    ''Humans do find better ways to fight beasts. I guess that''s how most of the continent fell under the control of human hands,'' Ken thought to himself.

 Chapter 223 223 – Second Wave Begins

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    "These stones are meant to be pushed off the wall when the beasts reach it. It serves two purposes, the first is to kill some beasts, while the second is to buy a few more seconds for the wall. The wall is strengthened by a few sixth-rank formations that will help it endure the beasts'' attack, but they will gradually take damage until they shatter, and the wall soon after. The costs are not a problem; the treasury of the city is linked to the formations."


    The treasury had many Qi Stones of all qualities, and theirbined worth probably reached over a billion medium Qi Stones. The weak link was not the speed at which the Qi Stones would be burnt, but the time the formations would survive the onught of countless beasts acting like rams.


    "I hope the wall will endure the second and third waves so we can keep the citizens safe," Miles said in a serious tone. The threat was real, and while he didn''t question their ability to survive, he was slightly worried about the mission failing and the wall being breached.


    "It won''t survive the third wall. We have the inner wall of the inner city; all citizens were evacuated from the outer region into the inner city for safety. We hope to kill at least half of the third wave here and kill the rest at the next wall. The one who kills most beasts every tide is none other than the wall itself."


    "The wall kills most beasts? Howe?"


    "It''s made of sixth-grade materials and reinforced by sixth-rank formations. Although it eventually breaks, third-rank beasts and lower crush their skulls when ramming against it. That''s one of the reasons we aim at the higher-ranked beasts first, we don''t want them to damage the wall," the mayor exined.


    ''I can imagine it as a game quest to kill a certain amount of beasts while the HP bar of the wall remains as full as possible, and each beast reaching the wall takes a small chunk of HP from the wall with its damage,'' Ken pondered while waiting for the tide to begin.


    Soon, the ground began to shake, and the sounds of hooves and paws hitting the ground echoed as if thousands of beginning drummers beat their drums without any sync.


    "The beasts areing! Everyone, prepare!" The mayor, who also served as the highestmander of the city guards, shouted.


    The earth shook with a higher intensity as the beasts got closer, and the cultivators could see a small sea of beasts galloping toward them. The slower beasts asionally got stomped to death by the others, and there was not a hint of unity among them.


    "20 fifth-ranked beasts iing! I will deal with the 10 in the east, Team Helper A takes care of the 10 in the west!" The mayor gave orders. Team Helper A was the name Ken''s team received.


    The mayor only helped kill the fifth-rank beasts before retreating to reserve his strength; there was expected to be a sixth-rank beast next wave, and he could not afford to exhaust himself in a fight now. Killing the strongest beasts now was the best help he could offer to his subordinates.


    "You guys can surround me and kill the five fifth-rank beasts on the left, while I take those on the right," Ken said. He had a better n for them.


    "Let''s go!"


    The five stomped the ground and dashed toward the iing beasts. The fifth-ranked beasts were in the back of the tide, and they were divided into 4 groups of five. While the mayor took care of two groups, Ken''s group was in charge of the other two groups.


    Ken separated from the main group and his sword shed as he unsheathed it, iming the lives of a few beasts surrounding him.


    ''sh.''


    Ken sent 81 shes around him, cutting and killing the weaker beasts. In one second, he already killed over 80 beasts. He could not spend his Qi irresponsibly; he still had to fight thousands of other beasts as well as another wave. His flexible sword jumped from one enemy to another, leaving deep gashing wounds and intrusive Sword Qi to mess them from the inside.


    The beasts under the fourth rank had no chance of fending off the intrusive Sword Qi, and it worked like a poison that killed them before they could reach the wall. Theirrades stomped them into minced meat in their charge, their existence was soon forgotten.


    Ken stepped on the ground lightly and jumped,nding on the back of another beast. His sword continued to im the lives of the beasts around him, and his feet were coated with Sword Qi that pierced the back of every beast he stepped on.


    Thanks to his human build, as a biped, he could jump even inside the dense herd of beasts, but the same could not be said about most of those that walked on four. They could only watch Ken jump in elegant moves from back to back and only offer futile resistance with their Qi.


    ''Mind-Poisoning Domain ¨C Frenzy Mode.''


    Ken activated his domain technique, sending his Bloodlust Qi in all directions. The beasts turned crazy in a single moment, unable to contain the effect of the potent Qi. The dozens of beasts surrounding Ken began biting, wing, and ramming into each other mercilessly.


    The attacks made them slow down, turning the tide into a mess. The beasts behind them could not stop their march, thus crashing into the crazed beasts. Since it was not a single beast, many other beasts slowed down which caused a chain ident.


    The effect did not stop there, Ken kept running on the backs of the copsing beasts and reactivated his Frenzy technique again, causing another chain event and hundreds of casualties among the beasts.


    "ROAARRR!"


    An angry roar came from the back of the mighty horde, and the five fifth-rank beasts in charge of this section set their eyes on the troublesome human child.

 Chapter 224 224 – Ken VS Five Beasts

    ?


    "ROAARRR!"


    An angry roar came from the back of the mighty horde, and the five fifth-rank beasts in charge of this section set their eyes on the troublesome human child.


    "Haha, here you are,e!" Kenughed at the beasts and taunted them. His de did not stop from ughtering the beasts around him. Bears, boars, tigers, wild cats, wolves, none survived the seventh-grade sword.


    The five beasts made an odd group. Among them were an ape, boar, tiger, and two horses. The ape jumped on the back of the boar and held a long and thick stick in his hand. It had no runes; it was a normal branch of a tree. While it still had a lot of strength as a sixth-grade material, it''d eventually break without any runes reinforcing it.


    The four quadrupeds charged forward at a high speed. The horses stomped to death the animals on their way, the boar rammed them away, and the tiger simply run through them, tearing them in half with his ws and Qi. The raw cruelty of beasts was on full disy.


    Ken reactivated his Frenzy Domain, and the beasts turned enraged. It was not enough to make them lose control and turn insane immediately as their minds were stronger than the other beasts, but it was enough to affect their mentality. The tiger roared in anger, the horses neighed in rage, the ape screamed in violence, and the boar snorted in fury.


    ''If not instantly, you only need to be under my effect for a longer time!'' Ken thought to himself.


    A violent dance soon began as Ken shed against the five beasts. The ape attacked first, swinging his heavy improvised staff.


    ''Cloud Running.''


    Ken''s upper body leaned backward, dodging the heavy hit. The tiger wed at him but with a rotation and blocking with his sword, Ken used the momentum to send himself in the air above the charging boar''s tusks.


    The horses tried to stand on their back legs and kick him, but by stepping back, he went out of their range. The human child did not attack back; his goal was only to stall for time until the five will submit to the frenzy in their minds.


    Another swing came from the monkey, this time like an axe from above, and Ken side-stepped to dodge.


    ''9 into 1,'' Ken shed with his sword, his technique took on the tiger''s w directly. The tiger''s paw was sent backward, and both the human and the beast stumbled back a little.


    Stomping against the ground, Ken sent himself to a long slide, passing unharmed between the legs of the iing horses, and with a quick movement of his sword, he left a superficial sword wound on their stomachs.


    It did not cause any serious damage, it was only meant to upy them with dispelling the foreign Qi from their bodies.


    "Hrrrt!"


    The boar snorted and Ken felt a strong pressure on his body. It came from the earth beneath him, it pulled him down. With his body heavier and the ape charging like a knight on a ck boar, he looked like he was in a predicament.


    The staff bent backward from the heaviness of the ape''s swing, showcasing the scary force behind that single strike. But Ken did not flinch. He turned his sword firm with his Qi and used the back of his sword to block it directly in a physical contest of raw power. He lost.


    The blow struck him like a hammer, sending him flying through the air. His body rolled uncontrobly, limbs iling, as he was tossed like a rag doll. However, the weird thing was, that he stillnded on his feet, and his arms were only slightly shaking.


    Ken used the aspect of Cloud Running that turned his whole body like a feather, and the uncontroble rolls in the air were another way to redirect the force of the strike. Such movements did not do much to disorient a powerful peak Core Formation disciple or harm his joints.


    "Roar!"


    The tiger dashed angrily at Ken, its body almost flying through the distance as Wind Qi boosted its speed. As the beasts turned crazed, they also removed their inhibitions to go all out and Ken had to deal with their full strength, Qi included.


    "AHH!"


    The ape lost its patience to y knight and jumped off the boar''s back in fury, throwing the staff from his hands and beating his chest with his heavy arms while screaming.


    "Argh" Ken moaned as his hair fluttered from the screams, and he fought the Sound Qi waves that were sent his way. He used Alchemical Qi to heal his body and shed down with his sword, cutting through the sound waves.


    The respite allowed him to just barely dodge the ming horses. They were on fire, their hooves left behind scorched grass andnd, and their every move became explosive.


    ''I can''t hold back in this situation,'' Ken thought to himself. It was not the time to contain the beasts. It was time to¡­ run!


    Ken turned around and dashed away, the five angry beasts pursuing him relentlessly. His sword cleared the path in front of him until he ultimately chose to run directly on the backs of the beasts.


    The enraged leaders did not care about their subordinates, they rushed forward in a frenzy and killed everything in their way. They saw hallucinations that angered them to no end, and everything seemed like enemies that threatened their cubs.


    A path of death was created behind Ken''s trails as the five beasts killed everything faster than any human would, and all that at minimal costs; Ken''s Cloud Running already gained a lot of momentum, and with the aid of the effect of the Big Sess mastery realm, further movement barely cost him any Qi.


    The frenzied massacre continued for a few minutes until the Bloodlust Qi finally contaminated the beasts'' minds entirely, making them sumb to rage and murder indiscriminately,pletely forgetting about their original goal of chasing Ken.

 Chapter 225 225 – The Other Battles In The Tide

    ?


    While Ken had his battle with the five monsters, the rest of the battlefield did not stop to watch.


    Steven could be seen fighting 1v10 against fifth-rank beasts, Henry fought against two of them, and the rest of Ken''s team fought against the remaining three.


    The rest of the soldiers were doing their best to ughter the beasts; the third-stage guards aimed at second-rank and first-rank beasts, while the captains fought everything on their paths. They barely stopped a small portion of the beasts, but every kill counts.


    The guards on the walls were reloading their bows and shooting arrows profusely, almost every arrow put an end to the life of a beast or wounded it considerably. They stood in a formation that channeled Bow Qi into their weapons, making their arrows a few times stronger. With the aid of the formation, their strikes were almost as strong as a fourth-stage cultivator.


    The others useds to trap fourth-rank beasts that managed to slip between the attacks of the captains, dropped rocks to crush them, or shot the bolts from the crossbows to put an end to their lives while they were fazed from crashing into the wall once; only those under the fourth rank could not survive a single collision.


    Out of everyone, those that caused the most damage to the beasts were Ken and Steven. The former by causing chain idents while thetter dealt the damage by the coteral damage of his techniques against the 10 beasts. Needlessly to say, he was doing it on purpose.


    ----------


    "Jake, Max, you deal with the weakest beasts, the two monkeys," Miles shouted orders. Henry already sent two palm attacks toward two beasts, so Miles took the strongest of the remaining three.


    "Yes, Senior Brother!"


    Jake brandished his two daggers and ran toward the monkey, engaging in a high-paced battle. The monkey screamed as it jumped from beast to beast, using them as stepping tforms and tree branches to move agilely.


    Max also rushed to fight his opponent, and with two short swords, he began chasing the second monkey. The two opponents were the weakest, but their agility was the highest, making them troublesome opponents to fight.


    Miles unsheathed his saber and coated it with me while entering a staring contest against an ox. The ox kicked the ground multiple times before finally charging forward, its horns aiming at Miles''s throat.


    Henry was having a rtively easy time against his opponents, a weird duo of a stag and a bear. The stag used its antlers to resist Henry''s palms or dodge them with its swift legs, while the bear took them head-on with its paws.


    Henry did not care much about the safety of a few extra guards. In fact, he was already doing a great deed and saving lives by fighting those two beasts, he had nothing to feel bad about. Thus, he was not going all out and bided his time during the fight.


    He was sitting inside arge ethereal demonic Buddha, both were crossed-legged. The beasts colliding with his defenses had their heads turned into a mess of broken bones and brain matter.


    Every time he pped, two palms would form, trying to capture one of his targets between them. The bear desperately poured out its Metal Qi from its paws, breaking the pping hands, while the stag boosted itself with Fire Qi to jump above them or resist them when it couldn''t.


    They could not attack back for a single moment. They had to fight the palms trying to swat them like flies, sometimes by pping and sometimes by descending from the sky.


    --------


    The mayor skipped the beasts on the ground and went directly to his targets; as a sixth-stage cultivator, his mind could condense the Qi into invisible steps that allowed him to walk in the air.


    While it pained him to leave his soldiers in danger, he knew the price would be much higher if he was exhausted during the third wave.


    Steven was pressuring the minds of the beasts as his spear was thrown to the ground with great power. Earth pikes rose from the ground, iming the lives of dozens of beasts, but the fifth-rank beasts managed to get out of it with only a few wounds.


    The mannded in front of a tall ape and exchanged blows with it directly, until his spear made it back and pierced the ape from behind, putting an end to the animal''s life.


    Next, he rotated the spear around his waist, deflecting two charging boars and a tall stag. He kicked with his leg and arge boulder came out flying from the ground, crashing into a lion that tried to ambush him from behind.


    The lion was sent to the ground with a thud, and the boulder continued rolling down and trampling many beasts to death.


    An elephant tried to crush the tiny human under its trunk, but he side-stepped at a speed far higher than the beasts could catch. He picked the stronger side; Ken''s side barely had any peak fifth-rank beasts, while his enemies had five of them.


    He thumped the ground with the butt of his spear, and the ground turned gooey, making the beasts'' legs sink into it in surprise. Their minds were under pressure the whole time, slowing down their reaction time and focus.


    With a jump and a thrust of his spear, another beast died, a boar this time. His spear pierced through its heart, putting an end to its life.


    Steven then soared to the sky with a tall jump and watched the animals from above. The elephant tried to bring him down with its long trunk, but the mayor simply threw his spear again.


    The elephant coated itself with a thickyer of Metal Qi, gaining anotheryer of defense additionally to its thick skin, but to no avail. The spear pierced through the beast''s right eye and remained stuck there, only a few centimeters away from the animal''s brain.


    "Auuuuu!"


    The elephant trumpeted in pain as the spear shook in its eye and eventually managed to set itself free and fly back to its owner. Despite the major stage between them, Steven was not powerful enough to kill the elephant in a single blow, but blinding one eye was plenty.


    The beasts turned enraged on the ground. The battle was taking ce too high for them to intervene, and they could not do much beyond watching. They did their best to throw techniques at the levitating man, but their power decreased greatly by the time it reached his height, rendering them harmless.


    ''I can''t leave them hanging like that,'' Steven thought as he looked at the screaming beasts. In truth, he caused no coteral damage by fighting at this height, so despite being the safest option, he did not favor it.


    He rolled in the air, his head facing the ground, and kicked the air behind him. He was sent in a powerful momentum to the ground, right between an ox and a lion, and the shockwaves killed them both instantly, while the rest of the beasts lost their footing. The weaker beasts in the vicinity died along with two of their leaders.


    ''Rain of spears,'' Steven thought to himself asrge ethereal spears began descending from the ground, iming countless lives while injuring the beasts in the lower or intermediate phase of the fifth rank. When the technique was over, two more fifth-ranked beasts lost their lives.

 Chapter 226 226 – The End Of The Second Wave

    ?


    ''Seems like I''m doing well,'' Ken thought to himself as he joined the beasts.


    The strongest five beasts weren''t the only ones affected by his Frenzy Domain, and many other beasts were inside it. Some tried deviating from their route, afraid of death by the paws of their leaders, but the tide did not allow shifting directions so easily, and now the five leaders were actively chasing them, rendering small shifts of directionpletely useless.


    The other beasts, especially those under the fourth rank, could not resist even for a single moment. They turned crazed almost immediately, contaminated by Ken''s Bloodlust Qi. They turned to fight those around them, causing great casualties.


    Now, Ken''s kill count surpassed even Steven''s. The beasts did not know inhibitions in their bloodthirsty state and went all out for mass destruction and chaos. Ken did not sit without doing anything. He ran along the beasts, and his sword imed the lives of those that survived the onught by chance or by being slightly more powerful.


    "The boy from the Phoenix Feather Sect somehow recruited the leaders to attack the other beasts with him! He is keeping almost 10% of the tide at bay all by himself!" The guards cheered as they saw the scene unfold from the walls. With their morale boosted, they reloaded their bows with renewed vigor.


    While Ken was ughtering the animals, Miles managed to inflict some serious wounds on his opponent, and Jake managed to plunge his knife into one of the monkey''s thighs after getting used to its weird movements. Max was on the losing side, but he could hold on.


    ''I guess it''s time to end this,'' Henry said. Without his intention, he had one of the highest kill counts on their side; the enormous demonic Buddha that kept him safe took the burnt of many charging beasts, smashing their skulls.


    He brought his two hands down toward the ground in a pping motion, and tworge palms formed in the sky above the bear. The panicking beast wed at the first palm with all its might, channelingrge amounts of Metal Qi into the attack, but the cost of blocking one palm was being sent to the ground.


    It could do nothing but watch the second palm following the previous crushing it against the ground. Arge mark in the shape of a big palm was printed on the floor, and the bear in its middle, dying. The animal had almost all its bones broken and suffered from severe internal injuries. Even Ken would not be able to save it at its state, not that he wanted to.


    The stag looked at the scene in horror. It was too far to help since it was running all over the ce to dodge Henry''s palms the whole time. Now that it had to fight all on its own, it nced toward the forest for a moment and began sprinting in that direction. Evidently, it judged its chances to survive there higher than remaining in front of the monk.


    ''Huh, lostmb, you went astray. Let this poor monk show you the right path to self-redemption.''


    Henry sighed and reached out with his hand and closed it in a grasping motion, and an ethereal hand formed in the sky and imitated his movements. The hand grasped the running stag and squeezed, killing it on the spot.


    He diverted his attention toward Max''s fight, seeing him wave his short swords at the monkey that kept jumping from beast to beast, dodging the human''s attacks. It would send pulses of Wind Qi every once in a while, trying to knock Max off.


    "I should help this lost soul before leaving¡­" Henry mused and pped. The monkey was caught between tworge pping palms and had to rush forward straight to Max''s swords in order to survive.


    Not letting the chance go, Max swung down his right sword, iming one of the monkey''s arms.


    "AH!" The monkey screamed in pain. Its bnce was off without an arm, and it was used to utilize its arms to hang off different animals'' backs and fur. Its movement was restricted by nearly 20% by losing that one arm, and adjusting in the middle of the fight was not that easy, even for an instinctive beast.


    The fights ended one by one with the humans'' victories, iming the lives of all fifth-rank beasts.


    Ken also found out it was time to kill the fifth-rank beasts he deployed.


    "You guys are exhausted, huh?" Ken mumbled to the perspiring beasts. Their Qi was depleted from their unreserved usage of it, and while their killing pace was impressive, to say the least, they were barely able to stand now.


    He watched them get stomped to death by the weaker beasts, a humiliating end to the proud fifth-rank beasts they once were, killed by a mob of frenzied third-rank beasts.


    The tide included twice as many beasts as the previous one, around 30,000 beasts. Ken''s group left their posts and returned to the wall to rest after 2 hours of intense fighting; they had to reserve most of their stamina for the next wave, which was expected to be stronger than the second wave.


    Thanks to Ken''s group support, the city managed to reduce the time they needed to kill the beasts from the estimated 8 hours to 5, earning them additional 3 hours of respite before the next wave.


    "I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your aid. We estimated our losses from this tide as more than triple the current reality, and it was possible only thanks to your intervention," the mayor cupped his fist and bowed slightly to Ken''s group.


    "It was our duty as fellow cultivators and fellow humans. Every life should be preserved. Since we were here, we would not be able to close our eyes to the city''s plight and stay out of battle," Miles said politely.


    "Mayor Steven, how about letting me have a look at the damaged formations on the walls?" Ken suggested.

 Chapter 227 227 – Fixing A Formation

    ?


    "Mayor Steven, how about letting me have a look at the damaged formations on the walls?" Ken suggested. He knew they were damaged by the tide, and he was wondering if the n was to just let it be.


    "Are you perhaps a formation master as well? It''s being repaired now by our formation masters, but as those formations are sixth-rank, they are barely able to mend some of the damage."


    "I am indeed a formation master, I''m quite good at it. Let me have a look, maybe I can help," Ken answered the man.


    "Of course. Myra!"


    A woman approached them, and Ken recognized her as one of the division captains, one of the only five fifth-stage cultivators of the city.


    "Yes, Sir."


    "Take this young man to one of the damaged formations that nobody is working on. He can look at it to see if he has any insights to share with the other formation masters," Steven did not trust the teen. No matter how strong he was, and Ken did impress him with his prowess, studying required time and repetition, which the young Ken did not have much time to do.


    Thus, Steven sent him to one of the unupied formations, preventing him from getting in the way of the working formation masters.


    Since he believed Ken only dabbled in Formation Mastery, he didn''t mind letting him look at one of the formations. Ken did contribute a lot to the city in the second wave and earned the right to enjoy the benefit of the doubt.


    The young formation master followed Myra to the designed formation and looked at the other people working. There were four formation masters only.


    The wall was constructed as one long wall, but the formations divided it into parts since creating a single formation to cover everything was too big of a project. This structure allowed them to work separately or together, depending on the situation.


    ''They are probably fourth-rank formation masters, and maybe one of them is a fifth-rank,'' Ken estimated as he watched them work in the distance.


    Ken remembered the meager number of high-ranked alchemists in the Phoenix Feather Sect. He knew that if the situation was the same at the Formation Mastery division, deploying a sixth-rank formation master to support the city during the tide would be aplicated matter.


    Elder Michael told him there were only 32 senior elders in the Alchemy Division, meaning it had only 32 sixth-rank alchemists. There were more seventh-stage cultivators than sixth-rank alchemists in the sect, which testified to how rare they were.


    ''The Phoenix Feather Sect is a backwater ce when ites to this world''s science,'' he deducted. The top five sect, Infinite Wisdom Sect, had ninth-rank alchemists like Elder Galen from the Bloodthirst Sect. Ken did not believe Galen was the only one of his rank in the sect, even if they only had a few of them.


    Compared to the top sect specialized in science, his sect felt like a vige that still used wells to draw water whenparing the Infinite Wisdom Sect to the advanced cities of his previous world.


    Without further ado, he began working on the damaged formation. He was taken to a fairly intact formation while the others worked on the one in the worst condition, trying to mend as much damage as possible before the next wave started.


    He could recognize the formation; he saw plenty of sixth-rank formations in his time in the Library of Eternal Wisdom. While the formations had some variations, the core principles were the same, and it did not take long for him to understand everything he needed to do.


    "Give me the materials I''m naming," Ken turned to Myra and spoke. She looked at him in hesitation, as she was worried that he will do more harm than good.


    "Hurry up, even a clever housewife can''t cook a meal without rice (1), and formations require even more materials than a meal. Don''t worry, sixth-rank formations are not that fragile, or else people would not fear them that much."


    Ken understood her worries, so he calmed her down. A fourth-rank formation master would need a very long time to undo a sixth-rank formation, and those beneath that rank would have to spend years before seeding, unless they used brute force, assuming they had the necessary force.


    "All right, I will follow your instructions," Myra nodded andplied. She also somewhat revered him for his deeds in the previous battle, and she was surprised to see how much he boosted the guards'' morale.


    "Bring me the blood of a sixth-rank beast for ink, Sunlight grass, talons of a red-beak sparrow¡­" Ken listed the ingredients he needed to inscribe the runes and Myra hurried to bring them. Within 20 minutes, she finished collecting all the materials he asked for.


    "Thank you," Ken said and began to work. He wanted to leave a good impression, so he did not hesitate to be polite. The young teen smeared the blood on one of the talons and started working. He removed some parts that were too damaged and reced them with new runes while refraining from adding anything new to the formation.


    Whereas he wanted to impress, he did not want to reveal his full capabilities. He only helped to get into Supreme Elder Zion''s good books, and it didn''t require being the city''s savior.


    Hence, Ken only fixed what could be exined by being a fourth-rank formation master with a greatprehension talent, and skipped the options to strengthen the formations further.


    "I''m done with this formation, I believe it''s now 99% fixed, while only the original inscriber or another sixth-rank formation master will be able to fix it perfectly," Ken gave the female captain a captivating smile and gestured toward the repaired formation with his hand.


    "You actually fixed it?" She looked at him in surprise.


    "Yes, show me the next one."


    "Sure," she led him to another unupied formation while nning to send one of the formation masters to make sure everything was all right with the one Ken had tampered with.


    -----------


    A/N: (1) ¨C Even a clever housewife can''t cook a meal without rice ¨C an idiom meaning even a talented person can''t achieve something without the required materials.

 Chapter 228 228 – Elite Clans Descendants Arriving

    ?


    "Yes, show me the next one," Ken instructed.


    "Sure," Myra led him to another unupied formation.


    "Young Master, I will leave for a while. Do you need me to arrange anything for you before I go?" Myra asked after bringing him to another formation he can work on.


    "No, you may go." Ken understood that she was intending to leave to inform the mayor of his im and bring a formation master to his previous point to inspect his work. Not only he didn''t mind, but her cautiousness yed into his hands.


    By bringing people to check, they''d be aware of his talent, and they''d report his help on that front as well. If she ignored his actions assuming he neither broke nor fixed anything and moved on, they might have missed his achievements.


    With a small smile adorning his lips, he worked on the damaged formation to repair it.


    ----------


    "So, how is it? Did his work improve the situation, worsened it, or didn''t change it?"


    The leading formation master scrutinized Ken''s handiwork while the mayor asked him questions. The rest of Ken''s group was sent to rest in separate rooms in the manor.


    "I was at first annoyed that you let him touch the formations and then force me to check after him, but his job is unbelievably good. He managed to understand how the formation was supposed to be before it was damaged and repair the lines while erasing some damaged runes that created an imbnce."


    The only fifth-rank formation master in town, Dous, reported his findings.


    "That''s good, can you guess his rank as a formation master from his work?" The mayor asked curiously. It seemed like this young master was not a simple one, and he was a genius in every aspect.


    "I can only guarantee that he is at least a fourth-rank formation master. If he was an adult, I''d guess he was at the fifth rank since he was able to trace the problems and mend them without missing the big picture and ruining the formation."


    "Why not sixth rank? Aren''t these formations sixth-rank formations?"


    "They are, but he was not able topletely repair them or alter anything, which denies the possibility he is a sixth-rank formation master in my eyes. As for the fourth rank, it''d be very difficult to pull it off with their limited knowledge about runes and Formation Mastery, but¡­"


    "But what?" The mayor urged him to exin his conjectures.


    "But I think it''s more likely that the boy is a genius fourth-rank formation master with greatprehension abilities. After all, he simply did not have enough time to learn and review the knowledge required for bing a fifth-rank formation master. I''m 128 years old now and still at the fifth rank, if he was at my rank at his age, wouldn''t it turn me into a dog?"


    "Haha, Master Dous, you''re exaggerating. Sometimes we just can''tpare ourselves with others or we will only hurt ourselves and destroy our own confidence. When that happens, we will lock our future from advancing with our very own hands, don''t fall into the pit of jealousy."


    "You''re right, I''ve let my feelings cloud my judgment. But I still think he is at the fourth rank. To be at the fifth rank in his age, he''d need monstrousprehending abilities, and with those abilities, he can also replicate his achievement here as a fourth-rank master. Do you see what I''m saying?"


    "I see, it''s like a cycle. But since we know he has trained hisbat prowess a lot based on his feats on the battlefield, it''s safe to say he did not invest enough time in Formation Mastery. Anyway, I will let him work on the formations freely, maybe we can even stop the third wave here," the mayor said with a smile when he felt new hope for his city.


    Not only he was a kind person who cared about the citizens of his city, but his own source of ie, respect, and authority would be harmed with every damage the city took.


    "If you excuse me, Mayor, I will go to work on the other walls," Dous said and turned around to leave.


    "Of course, I also need to wee two more teams from the Phoenix Feather Sect. It''d be great if they were as cooperative and helpful as the first team," he sighed as he knew the usual attitude of the disciples from the inner sect.


    ------------


    "Hmm, so you are the mayor here?"


    Three groups of disciples wearing blue robes with the symbol of a phoenix feather on their shoulders sat around the long table. Two of them included 5 disciples while the third one had only four.


    "I am, thank you for helping us fend off the beast tide. Your help will save countless lives," the mayor said politely.


    "It''s fine, we just wanted to ride the flying beasts and see how it feels. But why are we sitting here while the seat to your right is empty, and these fourmoners sit closer than us to the head?"


    One of the men in the first group asked. His robes had the embroidery of a longma on them, marking him as a member of the cier n. Although his n was regressing in the past centuries, he was one of those trained by the older generations under harsh conditions.


    In his eyes, his family''s decline was temporary, and the day when they stand as equal to the top ns like the Han n and the Sue n again would arrive in the next few centuries.


    "Brother Dustin, it seems like this group has been here first, hence getting better treatment than us. Maybe it''s firste first served in the Soft Feather City?"


    A woman with yellow eyes said sarcastically. She was the leader of the second group, and on her robes was the embroidery of a snake, the symbol of the Aspis n. The Aspis n was not part of the big elite ns, but with the cier n''s weakening, their status became equal.


    "That''s not the case, Young Mistress. They are our benefactors who have helped us in the second wave and prevented great casualties, and the seat to my right is reserved for their team leader," Steven exined. He was stronger than these brats yet had to be respectful because of their origins. It irked him to no end.


    "And where is their team leader? Did he get injured by some animals?" Elodie Aspis said with despise.


    "He is also a formation master, so he helps to repair the damaged formations on the wall."


    "Since he is busy, I''m sure he won''t mind if I take his seat. Hey, you four, go to the end of the table," she looked at Henry and the others andmanded in an overbearing tone.


    Jake and Max looked at Miles in anxiety, waiting to see his reaction as their spokesman, while Miles looked at Henry hesitantly. However, Henry only smiled and shook his head, signing them to let the scene unfold. He already understood the mayor''s somewhat sadistic intentions.


    "You are not getting up?" She said and red her Qi to reveal her stage as a peak fifth-stage cultivator. She already pulled the chair to sit on it.


    "Young Mistress, they are just the bodyguards of the leader," the mayor said as if he was asking for her mercy.


    Elodie''s body froze in a squatting position, her butt almost touching the chair.


    "Bodyguards? Who is your leader?" She asked the group with clenched teeth.


    "Young Master Sue," Miles answered inly, making her regret throwing the weight of her family around.

 Chapter 229 229 – Third Wave Begins

    ?


    "Bodyguards? Who is your leader?" Elodie asked with clenched teeth.


    "Young Master Sue," Miles answered inly.


    "Young Master Sue! Which one?!" She quickly got up and retreated. She was just bullying them to show superiority, but she felt none of that when facing someone from the Sue Family.


    "Ken Sue. He''s quite famoustely, he took over the first rank of the 18 to 24 age group," Miles answered. Now that he realized the mayor''s n to bite the arrogant woman back, he regained his confidence.


    "Him? I will give Young Master Sue face and keep this seat for him for his achievements in battle," Elodie said with a straight face and backed off to her previous seat. On one hand, she wanted to give face to the direct Sue family member, but on the other hand, he was weaker than her, so she also wanted to save face for herself.


    "Haha, Sister Elodie, aren''t you just too scared of the Sue n? You were so overbearing a moment ago," Dustinughed at her, the ''sister'' title sounds mocking as he spat it. He despised her and the Aspis n. He felt offended that the likes of them saw his cier n as equal. Even if his n fell from grace, he''d never agree to treat them as his equals.


    "Dustin, don''t go too far!" She spat out back. She would not be goaded into a fight with a Sue n member by a man with fragile pride; if Dustin wants a fight, she''d give it to him.


    "Or you do what? Want to fight it out?"


    "Esteemed guests, let''s keep our Qi for the beasts outside. Why notpete over who brings down more fifth-rank beasts?" The mayor hurried to defuse the situation and direct their aggressiveness to healthier channels.


    "Sounds good to me. Unfortunately, Young Master Sue can''t join us in thepetition with his lower stage," Dustin said half mockingly.


    "It can''t be helped, he is still nine years old, I''m sure he will be able topete with you in a few years, Young Master."


    Miles turned too confident now, teasing the man directly and saying Ken would catch up with him in a few years. After all, Dustin and Elodie were both over 70 years old.


    ''A dog borrows his master''s power!''


    Everyone thought to themselves when they heard Miles dare talk down to a member of an elite n.


    ----------


    Ken worked the whole break, even going as far as eating while working to avoid wasting time. As a cultivator that spent some months in the wild, he did not have any qualms about eating outside without fancy tableware.


    Although it depleted his Qi, it used his Runic Qi which he did not use for fighting. With the help of a fifth-rank Qi Absorption pill, he managed to renew enough of his Qi reserves for the uing battle.


    "Young Master Ken, thank you for your service to the city. You should rest now before the battle; even if your Runic Qi is not over yet, it strains your mind," the mayor said in concern.


    ''Hmph, Ie from a world where people fuel their brains on coffee alone,'' Ken thought to himself, but outwardly, he only smiled and nodded.


    "You''re right, I will give my mind some rest before the battle," Ken said and walked over to the group. "Who are they?" he asked curiously when he saw 10 new faces.


    "Hello, Young Master Sue, I''m Dustin cier. Nice to make your acquaintance. This is my team¡­" Dustin continued to introduce his team of 1 female and 3 male disciples. All of them wore robes of the cier n, but ording to their group dynamics, Ken assumed they came from branch families in the n.


    "Hello, I''m Elodie Aspis, and this is my team¡­" A voluptuous woman with yellow eyes and light brown hair stepped forward and introduced herself right after, along with her subordinates. Her group''s robes had the embroidery of a snake, and again, Ken guessed the other four came from weaker families in the same n.


    "I''m Ken Sue, pleased to work together with you," Ken said inly and turned to sit down and rest. He did not care about them nor had any reason to nurture a rtionship with them, so he preferred resting his mind properly before the fight instead of socializing.


    His team stood by his side silently, letting the time pass. Soon, the ground began to shake again, a signal of the iing wave of beasts.


    "If the number of beasts is going to double again, we are expecting 60,000 beasts this time. Be efficient and prioritize killing more over the course of time over killing many at once and losing the ability to continue fighting!" Steven shouted.


    This time, anyone under the fourth stage remained on the walls, as there were too many fourth-rank beasts in the final wave. They all loaded their bows, crossbows, and throwers.


    During the break, the guards collected all the bolts, arrows, ands that were still whole, and everything was ready for the next round.


    "Don''t engage!" The mayor shouted, mainly to prevent the eager rich kids from rushing forward because of theirpetition.


    The beasts galloped toward them, an unending river of animals of all types, a mixed mess that would never stand side by side naturally in any other context that is not a beast tide.


    "Formation masters, activate the first trap!" Steven shouted, his voice booming in the open space.


    Hearing themand, the four masters who worked on repairing formations earlier channeled their Runic Qi into a formation connected to another far in the distance. It worked in two steps ¨C first, oil floated up from underground, and second, the oil was ignited, sending tall mes to burn the creatures above.


    Hundreds of beasts screamed in pain as the zing fire ate their flesh, leaving nothing but charred bones behind. The oil was extracted from the fat of fifth-rank beasts, making the fire lethal to the weaker beasts.


    A stag bellowed in the distance and water Qi condensed in the air, sending torrents of water, putting down the fire at once.


    "Next!"

 Chapter 230 230 – Engaging In Battle

    ?


    "Next!" Steven shouted, and the formation masters activated the next formation.


    Spikes of earth coated with Metal Qi rose from the ground, skewing the beasts above them mercilessly, creating an image of gore and blood. Dozens of beasts died directly from the spikes themselves while hundreds were slowed down due to the changed terrain and were stamped to death by those behind them.


    "Next!"


    Steven gave anothermand soon when multiple beasts of the fifth rank charged through the spikes, breaking them and ttening the ground again.


    With thestmand, the third andst formation was activated, and poisonous gas came from the ground. It was invisible and odorless, and even the disciples of the Phoenix Feather Sect thought there was a problem with the next line of defense.


    However, it did not take them long to see the results. Many animals copsed to the ground, dead. Those with stronger resilience to poison were stamped to death when they slowed down.


    "Aaaoow!"


    A wolf howled, and a strong gale swept through the field, clearing all the poison from the vicinity and changing it with new air. It was the most effective line of defense yet; over a thousand beasts already died, while hundreds of others were weakened. Even the wolf that cleared the field dropped dead, as it only noticed the poison when it was toote.


    "Wait!" Steven shouted to the people on the ground, there were still a few waves of arrows toe.


    On the wall, a fourth-stage cultivator specialized in bows held a longbow in his hands.


    "Shoot!" He ordered, and everyone released their arrows, him included.


    "Shoot!"


    "Shoot!"


    Three waves of hundreds of arrows covered the sky, like a deadly cloud that rained death. Screams could be heard from the horde of animals when they were injured or killed. The tide was unforgiving; being injured meant being trampled to death by the following beasts.


    The beasts now were under 100 meters from the cultivators, and the sh was inevitable.


    "Fight! Phoenix Feather Sect''s disciples, bring down as many fifth-rank beasts as you can! Protect the city!"


    Steven yelled and everyone dashed forward, bringing a storm of death upon the beasts. Fire, ice, wind, and more elements could be seen wherever cultivators fought, some of theming from them while other attacks originated from the beasts they were hunting.


    Steven leaped to the sky, his figure almost covered by the arrows that flew beneath him. He found his targets; a group of five fifth-rank wolves that led arge pack behind them. He dove to the ground and began the ughter.


    It was his time to use all the Qi he had been conserving. Luckily, the tide was created by the presence of a seventh-rank beast, so there were no sixth-rank beasts among the sea of animals.


    They were powerful enough to keep their ce in the forest by going out of the inner zone and banishing the weaker beasts from those regions. That was what caused the tide in the first ce.


    ''Blood Frenzy.''


    Ken deployed the same tactic again, causing the beasts to lose themselves in rage and turn on each other with their ws and fangs. They did not aim at him, so he could run by the crazed beasts'' side and kill those that managed to stop them.


    Miles was sending wide shes of fire, burning groups of beasts in a single strike. The attack had a high Qi cost, but he deemed the Qi-kill ratio desirable.


    Henry rained down palms from the sky, crushing to death a few beasts with every attack, while many others crashed into his defensive demonic Buddha technique and died.


    Max and Jake cooperated with each other to bring down arge fifth-rank bear by inflicting many cuts on its body until it bleeds out.


    "I wonder how the new teams do," Ken pondered and turned to look at them as he stood on a tall elephant that attacked everything in its proximity.


    ''Hmm, the cier n members use Ice Qi just like Tiara, but their control over it seems much lower than hers,'' Ken judged from the fight. Their stage was higher than hers, so it was hard to tell other differences between them.


    The ice princess was coached directly by an elder of her family, so it made sense if she was stronger. Unlike Tiara, these members of the ns were only inner disciples of the sect.


    Since he watched enough Ice Qi battles while traveling with Tiara, he diverted his attention to the Aspis n.


    The leading woman, Elodie, was using an interestingbination of two short sabers and Poison Qi, and a single wound from her des would bring her opponents to the brink of death in no time when the poison seeps in. Ken''s intrusive Sword Qi could not bepared to Poison Qi, it was inferior.


    Her n members did not all use Poison Qi. It was the main specialty of the Aspis n, but just like not all the Sue n''s members used Sword Qi and Darkness Qi, not all the Aspis n used Poison Qi.


    The other four worked well with their leader, showing they were used to this tactic. They fought separately when facing fourth-rank beasts or below, but when faced against fifth-rank beasts, they''d use their other Qi types to corner the beasts into being grazed by Elodie one by one.


    Once a beast was grazed, it''d turn sloppy and heavy as if chains were restricting its movements. When their minds also turned heavier, it''d mark the end for those beasts as the cultivators took advantage of the situation and decapitated them.


    ''That''s the advantage of working as a group, unlike us.''


    Ken observed his own group. Aparison could make one''s heart ache. His team fought separately, knowing that if they tried to cooperate, they would only step on each other''s toes. Henry''s palms would hit everyone, Miles'' fire would not differentiate between a friend and foe, while only Jake and Max would do fine with their smaller attacks.


    ''I should work on teamwork with my group once all of us assemble,'' he concluded.

 Chapter 231 231 – End Of The Third Wave

    ?


    Four hours passed without many hups. A few fourth-stage cultivators met their demise when a fifth-rank beast set their eyes on them, and even one fifth-stage captain fell.


    The disciples were all alive, albeit tired, and with the asional help of Metal Qi spikes, poisonous emission, and fire, the beasts'' numbers went down gradually and systematically.


    Ken never engaged in a direct fight with a fifth-rank beast; he only dodged them when they attacked and poisoned their minds with his Bloodlust Qi, causing them to create high coteral damage among the beasts until eventually turning crazed and killing all beasts around them.


    ''My bloodlust Qi is depleting fast,'' Ken thought to himself. Despite having huge Qi reserves thanks to his extraordinary core, activating the technique constantly for so long took its toll on him.


    He already took the same pills he used in his battle against Darma. His mind was strengthened to make up for his fatigue from working during the break, his soul was enhanced to allow it to absorb more Qi faster, and his body was empowered to prevent exhaustion from the prolonged battle.


    He didn''t give the others any pills as he believed they''d be fine, or they could just take a break if they weren''t.


    "REPORT! 83 fifth-rank beasts in the proximity, a group of five advances 25 meters eastern to the center!"


    The unit captain who remained on the wall would call every once in a while, updating about the number of the fifth-rank beasts and notifying the fighters when a group of them got close. When a single one arrived, he''d normally let it sh against the wall and deal with it using the Net Throwers and crossbows once it slowed down.


    Ken switched between his Sword Qi and Bloodlust Qi. His Bloodlust techniques allowed him to kill the beasts faster, but he had to take breaks to let them refill themselves with the aid of the pills.


    "My team yed 82 fifth-rank beasts, what about yours?" Dustin said with confidence as his team got closer to Elodie''s amidst the fight.


    "You''re behind, Brother Dustin. We''ve killed 103." Elodie said with a smug smile. Their teamwork and diverse roles allowed them to hunt at a much faster pace.


    "Whatever, I''ve killed more than you if we don''t include the team. I bet you didn''t even kill 20 while I took down 47 of those beasts myself. Personal strength is what really matters!" Dustin said in disdain. He looked down on the Poison Qi the Aspis n cultivated.


    "Maybe the cier n has been weakeningtely because it''s led by brutes like you. What matters is the result, and we use our manpower wisely to produce the best results possible," Elodie was not afraid of Dustin, and bit back as soon as he looked down on her.


    "You! Let''s see how your teamwork saves you in a duel!"


    "Wars are not fought in duels!"


    Ken had to agree with Elodie. He was never a fan of dealing with problems directly using raw power like a brute but preferred employing poison and formations to achieve his goals more easily. Even during this tide most of his kills were done not by swinging his sword but by turning the beasts against each other.


    -----------


    "Thank you for helping us in our battle. Only thanks to your help we managed to save the city without any citizen casualties," the mayor cupped his fist and bowed slightly to the disciples in front of him.


    They were all full of cuts and bruises, their bodies sticky and stinky from blood, body parts, and sweat. The leaders calmed their breaths as much as they could to remain dignified before answering.


    "It''s fine," Dustin said inly.


    "It was my pleasure, one can make new friends on the battlefield," Elodie nced toward Ken. He was considered a rising star in the secttely, and she hoped today was a chance to make his acquaintance.


    ''He also worked on the formations, which means he is a high-ranked master in the field. I never heard it about him, so it means he did not reveal it for a reason, and he still earned everyone''s respect through his strength alone,'' she thought to herself.


    ''Despite hiding it all this time, he revealed it to help save the citizens of the city. He must be a kind person, or still na?ve as a child. Either way, it''s still a good time to befriend him before he is exposed to betrayals and to the cruelty of humans. I should remain respectful in front of the mayor for now,'' she decided.


    If Ken was going out of his way to help the city, appearing arrogant would only leave a poor impression on him. While Dustin did not mind leaving a bad impression as he saw Ken as his equal, Elodie knew her ce and preferred a chance for future cooperation that might boost her position in her own n.


    "Saving lives is important, we all did our best. Sister Elodie is correct, we can make new friends on the battlefield," Ken said with a smile, expressing his mutual interest in knowing Elodie. She was smart and resourceful, furthermore, he was curious about the poison art of her n.


    "The servants will take you to hot baths. We will begin a feast in 3 hours, but if any of you prefers to return to the sect, you can ask any of the servants to bring you to me to mark.


    "Just do it now," Dustin brought out his token and stretched it out to the mayor, his team following suit. It was not the time nor the ce to do so, as everyone was tired and dirty from the battle, but it showed his disrespect.


    "Sure," Steven smiled and ignored the offense.


    "I will participate in the feast. I hope there will be a lot of meat," Ken scrutinized the endless sea of dead beasts in the vicinity.


    "Of course, we will be d to have our main hero in the banquet."


    "My group and I shall remain as well," Elodie smiled, her assets swaying from side to side as she turned and walked after the servant to her bath.

 Chapter 232 232 – Banquet In Soft Feather Sect

    ?


    "First, I''d like to raise a toast for our fallenrades who had sacrificed their lives to give us and the city a better future. For Gustavo, Gil, Bruno, Luis¡­" The mayor counted the names of the fallen one by one.


    "For the fallen!" Everyone raised their wine and drank.


    "Brother Ken, I see you can handle your liquor," Elodie sat down next to Ken andplimented when she saw him drink.


    "Alcohol is bad for my growth and development, I destroy it with my Alchemical Qi while it''s still in my mouth," Ken shrugged. He treated it the same way he treated other poisons as he did not want to get drunk.


    "That''s no fun, you should drink a real cup with me, or I might think you''re not truly seeing me as a sister," A slight blush adorned her tanned cheeks from the alcohol as she poured down the wine for both of them. Inwardly, she was surprised to hear he was an alchemist as well.


    "Since Sister Elodie put it this way, I shall not decline. However, I will only drink a single cup," Ken raised his cup and drank it in a long sip. He swallowed instantly to show he did not dpose the alcohol in his mouth.


    "Haha, good!" Elodieughed and drank her own cup, unaware of Ken''s efforts to destroy the alcohol in his esophagus, the tube that links the mouth to the stomach. He only had to destroy it before the alcohol was carried to his brain by the bloodstream.


    "Sister Elodie, won''t you tell me about your n? I''ve seen your team''s battle tactic, and everyone seems to work together to let you wound the enemy lightly. Once you inflicted a wound, your teammates took it down quickly. Are you perhaps poison masters and your des are coated with poison?"


    "Brother Ken, don''t you know of our Aspis n? That can''t be, we are one of the biggest ns in the sect even if we are weaker than the Sue n!" Elodie eximed.


    "I''ve been secluded since birth and don''t know much about the sect. Why not begin by telling me about what makes your n so famous?" Ken asked.


    "It''s easy! My n is the only n with a grand master alchemist, meaning a grand elder of the Alchemy division. It gives us a lot of power, but it''s limited since the other grand elders stop him from abusing his power too much, and the culture there is against elite ns," Elodie said cheerfully. She herself was an alchemist.


    "That''s indeed impressive, I can only imagine the benefits your n gets by having an ancestor in the leadership of the possibly most important division in the sect. Does it mean you''re coating your des with special poison your n concocts?" Kenplimented her before continuing to his next question.


    "No, even better. It''s not a secret, we cultivate a special type of Qi called Poison Qi, it''s an inheritance our sect managed to get in their exploration of the Qiteria continent. It''s special even among the top five sects, and other than us, only the Serene Lotus Sect has a full inheritance for Poison Qi cultivation," Elodie said proudly.


    As a member of the Aspis n, she learned a lot about her n''s uniqueness; it was amon practice in ns and othermunities to create a feeling of belonging to the group. Ken also remembered the history sses in his previous world, they were meant to connect the young generation to the country and develop pride and special feelings toward their culture andnd.


    "It does sound unique and lethal. Do all your n members cultivate this Qi?"


    "No. Only direct descendants are allowed to cultivate it, while branch families are not. Furthermore, the grand elder decided that only those who practice Alchemy can cultivate Poison Qi, making many disciples unwilling to pay the price."


    "The price of learning for hours every day?"


    "That too, but there''s a greater price for being an alchemist in our sect. Didn''t you say you were an alchemist yourself? You should know the downside," she said while squinting her eyes in slight suspicion.


    "I am an alchemist, but I''m not aware of the price you''re talking about. What is it?" Ken asked patiently.


    "It''s the price of bing useless after the seventh rank. Weck the knowledge to produce eighth-ranked alchemists, so everyone in the sect who chose to be an alchemist will be stuck with an almost useless type of Qi when reaching the eighth stage," Elodie said with a hint of depression. As an ambitious woman, she was not satisfied with being limited. She aspired to ascend one day.


    "I see. It discourages disciples from exploring this path, which holds the sect back from research and development in this field. It''s a positive feedback loop and the result,ck of practitioners, enhances the original reason, theck of knowledge, since there are no alchemists that can research the field," Ken saw the problem in the sect''s situation.


    "Exactly. But enough about such depressive matters, let''s toast again!"


    "I said I''ll only drink one cup, Sister Elodie," Ken refused the wine and went to sit with hispanions.


    ------------


    "Thank you for the banquet, the food was delicious. We will take our leave now," Ken thanked the mayor as thetter left his mark on the mission token. The five of them walked to the stable where their birds were fed and kept safe.


    Everyone was well-rested, and they already parted from Elodie who departed earlier. As for Dustin and his group, they did not attend the banquet but left instead after cleaning themselves.


    "Thank you for helping us save the city, remain vignt on your way home," Steven cupped his fist and bowed slightly to Ken. It showed his respect; stronger cultivators rarely bowed to those weaker than them unless they were their family''s subordinates.


    "Hi Eta, hi Rikka. The seating arrangement will be the same as on our here," Ken said to the birds as he stroked their feathers. Everyone climbed on the birds'' backs, and with a chirp, the two took off toward the sect.

 Chapter 233 233 – Grandfathers And Grandchildren

    ?


    "Hello, Grandfather," Elodie said in a respectful voice.


    "Don''t be too formal, you''re my granddaughter. Why did you ask to see me?"


    Elodie stood in front of a man who seemed to be in his fifties. His skin looked healthy, and his posture was powerful; he could also im to be in his forties. However, the truth was that Senior Elder Raziel of the Alchemy division, also known as Elodie''s grandfather, was over 300 years old.


    "I''ve met a boy yesterday," She began exining the reason.


    "Is that all? Your father can decide if he''s good enough, there''s no need for you to approach me. Unless your father refuses and you want me to change his mind?" Raziel jumped to conclusions before she couldplete her sentence.


    "No, it''s not that. It was Ken Sue, the rising star of the Sue n. We crossed paths in a mission at Soft Feather City, we defended the city together against a beast tide. He is still in his early teens yet powerful enough to be at the top of the age group for 18 to 24 years old, but there is more to him than that. He is also a fourth-rank formation master and an alchemist as well, although I don''t know his Alchemy rank."


    Elodie exined to her grandfather what she found special about the boy.


    "An alchemist? I''d hear about it if a direct descendant of the Sue n registered to the Alchemy division, perhaps he is not registered? Does the Sue n raise him all on their own because he''s a prodigy?"


    Raziel pondered about the information his granddaughter told him. It sounded weird that the Sue n won''t deploy the resources of the Alchemy division to raise such a promising youth.


    "I don''t know, maybe they paid someone to hide his registration? He and I parted on good terms, I believe we could get closer to the Sue n this way. One day, he might be a grand elder at the Formation Mastery division as well, so he''s worth making friends with even now," Elodie stated her reasoning.


    "That''s smart, maybe you''d make a good core disciple. Continue getting closer to him," Raziel instructed, prompting an ugly face from Elodie. It was a sore point for her that her brother got the core discipleship inheritance while she got an inferior one, only because she was a few years younger than him.


    "Thank you, Grandfather. I will try to get close to him," Elodie cupped her fist and left. She said all she had to say.


    -----------


    "Hello again, Grandfather. It hadn''t been long since we hadst seen each other, what''s the matter?"


    Another grandchild was meeting their grandfather almost at the same time. A beautiful boy with long ck hair and prative red eyes looked into Dominic Sue''s as if they were scanning his soul.


    "I''ve heard you decided to reveal your talent in Alchemy and Formation Mastery," Dominic said inly.


    "Your ears are very sharp then," Ken remarked. He wondered who notified his grandfather, it seemed that the old man had subordinates everywhere.


    "They are indeed, and they can even distinguish sarcasm. Watch your manners, Ken. Even if I appreciate talent as yours, it''s only useful if you are part of us, part of the n. A n is only strong if the members all contribute to it more than they take from it, then, and only then, will the n know prosperity."


    "I will remember your words, Grandfather," Ken said seriously. His innocent childish face could fool anyone into thinking he was the epitome of purity, but Dominic knew better.


    "Huh¡­" the old man sighed, "I understand that you don''t feel part of us because you didn''t interact with the other n members much. Unfortunately, Rose has failed to make you feel at home, and after you showed your superiority in strength, she had been hesitant about approaching you again. Especially when she saw you favor Annie''spany back then."


    Dominic looked at Ken with difficulty as he thought about what to do about him. On the one hand, he knew that it was not Ken''s fault that he did not feel any attachment to a n that kidnapped him and crippled his mother.


    On the other hand, he had to assimte into the n to be a true asset. A selfish member that only took from the n was a bad member, no matter how talented he was.


    Dominic even believed that Ken gave Annie the poison aware of her fragile mind state, and somehow pushed her into poisoning her parents implicitly. It was a horrifying thought when remembering Ken was only seven at the time.


    "I''ve worked hard to find a master for you. Having a master can help you blend into a sect and provide you with a confidant you trust," Dominic finally stated the real reason he called for Ken.


    ''Last time he said they found me too bloodthirsty and cruel, hence refusing to take me as a disciple. Is it because of my changed luck?'' Ken thought to himself before responding. "Did you find anyone?" he asked.


    "It''splicated. My uncle, Grand Elder Fernando, is willing to teach you. He is the only practitioner of the flexible sword in our n, and he can instruct you on how to use it. The problem is that you cannot totally trust him without joining one of his descendants'' factions. He is now 800 years old, and there are still two centuries remaining to his lifespan."


    Dominic attentively observed Ken''s expression, but nothing changed. It remained the face of a curious child throughout the exnation. In the old man''s eyes, two centuries must seem like an eternity to a 9-year-old, so Ken probably does not see Fernando as nearing his death.


    "What will happen to me if I join one of his descendants?"


    "Then you will lose the trust of your closer rtives like Rose''s parents. Furthermore, you''ll have to support someone else and will lose your chance at getting the seat of the patriarch. You won''t be in danger of any kind, the n will still protect you, and as long as you help the n reach new heights, nobody from within will be after your life. A n in which the members directly try to get each other killed will never remain at the top."


    Dominic exined the consequences. He preferred that Ken remains in the same factions of his own offspring, but ultimately, factions were mainly a way to promotepetition and hard work from the younger generations. Not only the youngest one; even Dominic himself was considered one of the younger generations in the n.


    In the grand scheme of things, it was more important to assimte Ken into the n, no matter which specific faction he wants to support.


    "What about the weaker members of the ns? Aren''t they being discriminated against?" Ken asked curiously.


    "They get fewer resources, but they''re just as safe as anyone else. They get jobs to manage our properties in the continent and enjoy afortable life. Even if their children don''t enjoy the same opportunities as mine, they surely enjoy better ones thanmoners and all of them enter the inner sect."


    ''It is a privilege. By having their ce in the inner sect guaranteed, additionally to the ess to knowledge only present in the n, they have the minimum opportunities required to have a chance at entering the Supremacy Phase even if their parents were not sessful in their cultivation,'' Ken approved the way of the n.


    "I will be honored to be taught by Grand-Uncle Fernando. As an alchemist and a formation master, I believe my weight in the sect will be cross-factions, and I might not have to choose a side. Besides, I don''t have any aspirations to be the n''s head."


    Ken selected his words carefully. It was all lies, in a couple of months, he will be considered a cmity for the sect, and it was not time to antagonize his future protectors.

 Chapter 234 234 – Formation Mastery Test

    ?


    "I see. If you can avoid being forced into a faction while securing enough support for yourself through your craft, it would be the best option. Before you leave, is there anything you need my help with?"


    Dominic asked as ast gesture of goodwill. He wanted Ken to be part of the n, but he also had to give Ken something to show sincerity. Ken was left this whole time to fend for himself, collect resources for himself, and deal with all his problems on his own. Dominic wanted to change that.


    "Yes, I need a bigger house."


    "That can be arranged. What about resources? I know you''ve gotten a lot in the central zone, but they will eventually dry up without a steady ie," Dominic pointed out.


    "I will be fine. I get 15,000 medium Qi Stones per month for my rank, and the amount is tripled for crossing three age groups. Other than that, I''ve submitted a new practical theory and approach to the Alchemy Division, I should get a hefty reward there as well. Once I sell them some pills, they will reactivate my monthly wage for being a fourth-rank alchemist as well."


    Ken exined his sources of ie, and it was indeed impressive. It was enough to sustain him. The sect wanted to allow the talented and hard-working disciples to improve without worrying aboutcking resources, thus, achievements were rewarded generously.


    "I see. I hope you can also offer your research to the alchemists in our n. Your reward will be reduced since you published it to the whole sect, but you will be rewarded, nheless. I will make sure that nobody dares abuse your young age and try to force you into concocting free pills for them."


    Dominic didn''t believe anyone would do it to his direct grandchild, but he said it so Ken would feel grateful and safe. Only Norman and Krone, other direct descendants of the patriarch, would do something like that, and they were dead now. The others had nothing against Haoran and wouldn''t go out of their way to torment Ken.


    "I will share it with the n as well. I''m waiting for the Alchemy Division to rate how helpful it is first."


    Although the n could just enter the library and learn it from there, the elders of the Alchemy Division might limit the ess to fifth-rank alchemists or worse, sixth-rank ones, denying ess from most of the alchemists of the elite ns.


    As for the juniors of the Alchemy division that would also lose from this restriction, the important ones had senior elders or grand elders as masters, and those could grant them special permission. The rest would have to suffer along with the elite ns.


    "I will take my leave now."


    "Take care. You cane to me if you face any difficulties in the future."


    -----------


    In the next few days, things happened behind the scenes. First, Senior Raziel looked into the matter of Ken being an alchemist and found out he was indeed registered to the Alchemy division two years ago, and as a fourth-rank alchemist at that.


    Second, Elder Fernando watched Ken''s new house for a few days to see the child''s routine and whether he was training diligently when there were no adults around. By spying on Ken''s house, he could see everyone''s activities, and he got to see Ken sit crossed-legged all day long except for mealtimes and nighttime.


    Ken used the time to develop Henry''s cultivation and techniques, and despite immersing himself in concealing formations, they could not hide him from a direct investigation from an eighth-stage cultivator.


    Third, Ken finished integrating the inheritances in his mind and only had to write them down and pass them to Henry.


    And thest thing was that the day arrived and he to go to take the test in the Formation Mastery division.


    ''let''s go have breakfast and leave for the test,'' Ken thought to himself as he got up from his hot bath and stretched. Soleil always prepared one for him at fixed times after she learned his schedule over the past few days.


    Entering the dining room, he found Henry eating his breakfast under Soleil''s re. The maid never liked the presence of the extra resident which took more of her time, but as a maid, she had to serve the guest as well.


    "Hmm, the new ce is quite nice," Ken remarked as he sat down at the head of the table. Back in the old house, it''d turn cramped when three people walked around the single room that served as a kitchen, dining table, and living room. Now at least six people could sit together without giving up on personal space.


    "It''s very nice, but it''s more space to clean," Soleil answered.


    "But the formations clean everything automatically," Ken raised an eyebrow at the strangeint.


    "Only the dust," she said, emphasizing her words by cleaning a te Henry finished using in his meal.


    "Just do your job as a maid if you don''t want to be fired," Ken shrugged uncaringly. He wasn''t one to entertain the cheekiness of a maid.


    "Young Master, don''t bully your poor maid. Where can you find a loyal and diligent maid like me if you fire me?" She said coquettishly as she hurriedly stopped her drama and did her job.


    "You''re diligent indeed. Anyway, I''m off to the Formation Mastery division if anyone asks," Ken announced and left. He didn''t know when his great-uncle would arrive or send someone to fetch him, so he made sure to let Soleil know his location.


    He stood at the entrance to therge white marble building and crossed the courtyard to reach the building.


    "Hello, Young Master Sue. Did youe for the test today?"


    "I did," Ken nodded at the receptionist and handed her the token she gave him a week ago. She scanned the token for a short moment and ced it in a pile of other tokens she received from examinees that arrived earlier.


    "Follow me, Young Master. I will take you to the exam room."


    ------


    A/N - I''m conducting a vote for a possible cover change to attract more readers. Join my discord server to participate!

 Chapter 235 235 – First Test Taken

    ?


    "Follow me, Young Master. I will take you to the exam room."


    Ken followed the young woman through a few corridors. After leaving the main hall where many schrs discussed their experiments or others came tomission formation masters to inscribe their new homes, the ce turnedpletely silent.


    ''There are formations in the hall that keep all the sound waves froming out of the ce. This way the noise does not bother anyone that is not there,'' Ken thought to himself as he tried to uncover the hidden runes with his eyes, to no avail.


    ''I guess I''d have to probe the walls with my Qi to find the formations. I wonder how dangerous this building is,'' Ken mused as he imagined the consequences of attacking the Formation Mastery division. It must be the ce with the most dangerous formations inscribed, and they are probably everywhere.


    "Here is the room for the new examinees, Young Master. Please go ahead, I will return to my post now." Standing in front of a closed door, the woman bowed and turned to leave.


    "Wait, what if I want to take the test for fourth-rank formation masters?" Ken stopped her and asked. She looked at him in surprise and doubt before ultimately deciding to answer.


    "Then you must take first the test for the first rank. If you manage to finish it before the test for the second-rank formation masters is over, you can go and take it in the room on the other side of the corridor. The same goes for the third rank which you can find by turning right." After exining that much, she left.


    ''Huh, she didn''t believe I was seriously a fourth-rank formation master because I only look thirteen. If I really do it the normal way, I''d be able to take the test for second-rank formation masters at best within the time frame. Good thing I''m a haughty young master.''


    Ken''s lips stretched in a slight smile as he pushed the door open and found himself in a room full of cages. all of them were upied by young men and women, giving a hint to the nature of the test. There was a line of examinees waiting for their turn to take the test.


    "Hello, I''m Ken Sue, I''m here to take the exam,"


    Ken said and a middle-aged woman nced at him. She pointed at the end of the line and beckoned him to stand there.


    "Wait for your turn, your number is 183. If you can exit the cage within 20 minutes, you pass. You are not allowed to use violence or attacks to break out, you can only tackle it as a formation master solving a problem," she exined before averting her gaze back to the cages.


    ''Hmm, letting the examinees solve formations is faster than asking them to arrange them,'' Ken pondered as he realized the test would take too long if 200 examinees were asked to create formations.


    "Examinee number 44 fails, get out and try again next month. Or even better, next year after you actually learn something about Formation Mastery. Your performance was embarrassing to watch," she spat her words toward a young boy that staggered out of the cage with tears in his eyes.


    "Yes, Ma''am," he said quietly with a downcast expression and left the room.


    "Number 52, enter cage number 4," she said in a bored tone, and another boy stepped forward to enter.


    "Halt."


    Ken''s soft voice reverberated throughout the room, making all eyes turn to him.


    "Unless you want a fight with the Sue n, give up your turn and let me go first."


    Ken marched to the cage confidently, shoving the shoulder of the teenager whose turn arrived.


    "Stop, this will not be tolerated. The people behind you will not wait another minute for a spoiled brat," the woman shouted angrily at the tant disrespect. "Kid, do you think you can do whatever you want here with your family''s name?"


    Ken, however, only turned his eyes to the nervous boy next to him and yelled.


    "Didn''t you hear the bitter woman? the others can''t wait another turn, you must go to the end of the line so they won''t be dyed!"


    The woman gaped for a moment when she heard how confidently Ken distorted the meaning of her words before collecting herself.


    "Who do you think you are?" She disappeared from her spot and reappeared in front of Ken, sending her hand to grab his shoulder. She was confident in her ability to pressure a kid, no matter what family he came from. With the backing of the Formation Mastery division, she did not have to fear retaliation; the elite families knew to respect them.


    "AH!"


    "A mere fourth-stage cultivator who is not even battle-oriented dares touch me?"


    Ken said with disdain as he held her wrist and twisted it, making her go to the floor in a loud scream of pain.


    "You can''t act willfully in here! The elite ns don''t control us!" she said through clenched teeth.


    "Nice, good thing I will be part of the division soon. Now, will you stop wasting my time and let me take the test?" Ken asked and directed his bloodlust at her.


    Saliva threatened toe out of her mouth from the fear that took over her brain for a short moment, but the sensation came and left instantly, as if it never happened. Ken didn''t mean to cause her to soil her clothes in front of everyone.


    "Yes¡­ take it. You! Since you willingly gave your spot up to Young Master Ken, go back to the end of the line!"


    Ken didn''t call her bitter for no reason, she really was. She took it out on the teenager that stood behind them the whole time, venting the humiliation.


    Ken entered the free cage and the door closed behind him. The runes were not hidden; it was the test for first-rank formation masters after all. He channeled his Runic Qi to the walls of the cage, and one secondter, the whole formation crumbled.


    With a light push of his hand, the door opened in a creak, allowing him out.


    "Huh?- Number 183 passes, here''s your token. Take it to one of the receptionists to update your details on it."


    The woman lost her cool for a moment, but she quickly threw a grey token and sent him away. It was boring before he arrived, but boring and peaceful was better than eventful and painful.


    "Sure."


    Ken stepped out and headed toward the room for the second-rank formation masters.

 Chapter 236 236 – Taking The Second Test

    ?


    "Hey, Tina, will youin about the assault?" a second tester asked the woman who had her wrist bruised by Ken.


    "And admit that I was beaten by a child? No way, let''s remain quiet. These kids will keep their mouths shut if they know what''s best for them," Tina said while moving her vengeful eyes around the room. Everyone looked down, avoiding eye contact.


    "See? They know it," Tina said with a slight victorious smile when the shards of her ego reattached themselves.


    "There''s nothing to be embarrassed about. I heardtely that there''s a child named Ken Sue from the Sue n who took over the first rank among the age group of 17-24 years old disciples. It''s said his beauty is ethereal and his red eyes are captivating, and I think number 183 fits this description," the man told Tina about the rumors.


    ''You could''ve told me before I attacked,'' was the only thought that crossed the woman''s mind.


    ---------


    "Hello, I''m Ken Sue, I''m here to take the exam for the second-rank formation masters."


    Ken pushed the door open and waltzed in confidently and announced his arrival.


    "Hmm, sure. Show me your Formation Master token and take a spot at the end of the line. You are number 71, please remember it," a male tester shrugged and reached out to take Ken''s token. There were much fewer examinees there, showing the difficulty of advancing to the next ranks.


    Ken made the token float with a wave of his Qi toward the man and waited for his response.


    "Why is this token unregistered?" The tester asked.


    "Because I just received it from the room across the hall. It''d be a waste of time to go to the receptionist to get it registered only to return here and risk missing the test."


    Ken said without wavering in his speech. As long as one sounded confident, they''d get away with most things.


    "I see. Since you''re so confident, go ahead and join the line," the man passed his judgment after a few seconds. He figured that there was no reason to insist as Ken''s words made sense.


    Looking around him, Ken saw the room was almost identical to the previous room he visited but smaller. Just like before, there were many cages scattered across the room.


    "The test for the first three ranks is simr in nature. All you have to do is to get out of the cage within 30 minutes once your turn arrives," the test exined.


    Ken chose to avoid stirring trouble this time. There were only 30 disciples in front of him in line.


    "Everyone, I''m Ken Sue, the grandson of the Sue n''s patriarch. Whoever lets me go before them gets a thousand medium Qi Stones and my friendship," Ken announced loudly, enticing practically everyone.


    "You can take my spot, Young Master, I will go to the end of the line," one disciple hurriedly left to the end of the line. Both rewards were very useful, and he didn''t hesitate to be the first to make an impression.


    "Young Master Sue, please take my spot too!" One girl ran to the end of the line as well. The two of them received their 1000 Qi Stones with big smiles until the third disciple removed them from their faces.


    "Young Master Sue, take mine for free, you don''t need to pay me!" The disciple gritted his teeth and made the sacrifice. They were all under the fourth rank and that amount of medium Qi Stones was colossal formoners like them. However, he didn''t hesitate to give them up to leave an impression on the young master.


    Soon, everyone ran to the end of the line, leaving Ken at the front under the exasperated eyes of the tester.


    "You guys¡­" he said quietly in annoyance. He did not like to see the young generation of the Formation Mastery division sell their dignity for money and lick the boots of an elite n.


    "Fine, number 36 passes,e and take your second rank token. Number 71, enter cage number 2," the tester said aloud.


    Ken smiled at him and strolled to the cage, letting it close behind him. Again, he only needed a second to recognize the weak spots and nodes of the formation and another second to break them all, causing the formation to crumble behind him as he walked out.


    "You didn''t have to destroy the whole formation¡­ Number 71 passes,e to take your second-rank token," the tester sighed in aint and got up to rebuild the formation in the cage after throwing the token to Ken.


    Ken could solve the puzzle by finding the right node to destroy, which would amount to finding the exit in a maze, but taking itpletely down was faster for him, which could bepared to running through a wall made of paper to get out of the maze.


    "Sorry, I will be going now," Ken apologized and left the room without sparing his new "friends" a single nce.


    He quickly left the room and followed the receptionist''s directions to where the test for third-rank formation masters takes ce. Although not much time passed since his first test, the higher ranks had fewer examinees which meant they''dst shorter.


    He turned at the end of the corridor and pushed open the first door, finding another room with cages, proving the previous tester''s words that the first three ranks faced the same challenge at different difficulty levels.


    "Kid of the Sue n, are you sure you''re in the right ce?" The tester rose his eyebrow and asked when he saw a young teen enters. He recognized him by the ck tortoise embroidery on his robes.


    "I am. Here''s my second-rank Formation Master token, and I want to take the test to be a third-rank formation master."


    Ken threw his new token to the tester. His storage ring was full of tokenstely ¨C Discipleship token, Sue n token, Alchemist token, Formation Master token, and Bloodthirst Sect Inheritor token.


    He even still had the token from the Divine Sword Sect as he never returned there to give it back, and another token from Elmer, the elder of the Serene Lotus Sect.

 Chapter 237 237 – Third Test Taken

    ?


    "Hmm, a second-rank formation master at such a young age, that''s impressive. Did you just pass the second-rank test?" The tester asked.


    "Indeed."


    "Aren''t you overconfident? Do you think you can skip the second rank straight to the third?"


    "I''m only as confident as I should be. I''ve learned in my n enough to be a fourth-rank formation master, and that''s my goal for today," Ken said, exining he didn''t set his eyes only on the third rank.


    Of course, Ken could take all the tests up to the sixth rank, but it was too much. He did not require that much attention.


    "Fourth rank? All right, go ahead and take the exam. There''s a free cage over there."


    The tester pointed at the far-left cage and beckoned Ken to enter it. With no hesitation, Ken followed his hand and walked inside the cage, letting the door close behind him. There were much fewer examinees for the third rank, not even enough to upy all avable cages.


    "You have to break out within 40 minutes to- huh?"


    The tester began exining the rules when Ken broke the required nodes and went out of the cage within seconds.


    "I guess you pass¡­ here''s the token. Go to the receptionist so she can refer you to one of the elders. Only elders can watch over the fourth-rank exams," the tester handed out a third-rank token to Ken.


    The testers so far were all fourth-rank formation masters that were paid to supervise the low-rank tests, and they were not qualified to be the testers for higher ranks.


    "Thanks," Ken said with a pleasant smile and left the room. He remembered the route the receptionist took him through, and he reached outside within minutes without taking any wrong turns.


    "Hello, now I want to take the fourth-rank test as I told you since the beginning," Ken returned to the same receptionist for face-pping purposes.


    "You actually managed to pass¡­ Young Master Sue, I apologize for the long process you had to go through, but I had to follow procedures," she began her sentence with surprise, but soon collected herself and returned to her professional attitude.


    "It''s all right, let me take the test for fourth-rank formation masters now," Ken shrugged.


    "Yes, Young Master. Let me first register your third-rank token since you must have it to take the next one," she said and worked efficiently with quick hands. Ken waited patiently for a minute before she finished.


    "It says you passed the test with flying colors in under a minute, congrattions, Young Master. I will go to call one of the elders to oversee your next test," the receptionist said while scrutinizing him with curious eyes. He didn''t seem to be beyond thirteen, and she never heard of a fourth-rank formation master of that age.


    "Sure, I will be waiting here."


    The girl walked away and quickly ran to one of the elders she knew. Just like her, he was from amoner background, thus treating her and the other disciples from a simr background more kindly.


    "Elder Zayd, there''s a new examinee for the fourth rank. I thought you might be interested in overseeing his exam."


    "Oh, Luna. Right, today was the exam day, I forgot about it. I guess I can do it, but why would I be interested in them?"


    There weren''t applications for fourth-rank tests every month, so the elders did not always remember it. And when there were applications, whoever was present would manage them, so it was not arranged in advance.


    "He is a young boy. He looks thirteen, but when I registered his token, I found out he is only nine. Have you ever heard of a third-rank nine-year-old?"


    "That''s impossible! We''d all hear about such a prodigy if he existed!" The elder eximed in surprise.


    "Nobody knows because he only registered to the Formation Mastery division today! He passed through all three exams one after another, although I don''t know how he managed to skip the lines and finish everything in under 10 minutes. He even passed the third test with a maximum score of under one minute! And he is so beautiful too!"


    The girl said excitedly. While telling the achievements of the new boy, she forgot herself and added some unnecessary information.


    "Luna, aren''t you turning 19 this year? Why are you lusting over a nine-year-old? Anyway, bring him to me, you piqued my interest," the elder scolded the girl and instructed her to go.


    "Yes, Elder Zayd, and by the way, he is from the Sue n," she said embarrassedly when she realized she was too engrossed in her fantasies.


    "That''s a bummer," he sighed and watched the girl walk away to bring Ken to the test.


    --------


    "Hello, Ken. I''m Elder Zayd, and I will test you today. Who are they?"


    Zayd asked Luna about a young couple who stood next to Ken.


    "They are also here for the fourth-rank test, Scot and Fiona have been waiting for a third for the past hour," she said with burning cheeks. Normally, the examinees would wait until there were three of them so as to not waste the elders'' time.


    If there was not a third person, those who arrived would take the test at midday and anyoneingter would have to wait for the next month.


    In her excitement about Ken''s achievements, she forgot to mention them when she reported to the elder earlier.


    "I see, then you two can follow me as well." Zayd let the misstep go and instructed them to follow him. Luna bowed and returned to her post at the reception hall.


    The four walked in the silent corridors toward one of the free experimenting rooms, and entered, finding themselves in arge spacious room without any type of furniture.


    "This is one of our training rooms for fourth-rank and fifth-rank formation masters. The rooms are made of seventh-rank materials and reinforced by sixth-rank formations, so it''spletely safe for you to practice here in the future. Even if you somehow get trapped inside your own formation, the walls will absorb everything 24 hourster and free you."


    He exined the benefits of the room as the three took some distance from each other and waited for the exam to begin.

 Chapter 238 238 – Taking The Fourth Test

    ?


    The three examinees took some distance from each other and waited for the exam to begin.


    "All right, the test will have a few stages. The fourth-rank formations allow much more flexibility and different effectspared to the previous ranks, so we will try to test a few of them. First, you have to start with the most basic formation; a fourth-rank Qi Gathering formation. The whole test will have a time limit of 5 hours, so pay attention to your time and do your best. Good luck, you may begin."


    Elder Zayd instructed them and threw three storage rings.


    "Everything you need for the exam is here. If you run out of materials, it will be considered your own fault and you will fail. Even if you can create the required formations within the time frame, a true master does not squander resources," Zayd exined as they checked the materials inside.


    Ken first looked at the other two, seeing them pondering over their course of action. The requirement was not only to draw the formation but to do it with minimum usage of resources and quickly. It made sense to first n it out before acting.


    "Good luck," they wished to one another before their faces turned serious as they sunk into deep contemtion.


    To his surprise, they weren''t the only ones drawing formations. Elder Zayd also began arranging another formation in his side of the room. Ken tried to discern what formation he was creating, but it was too soon to tell.


    ''He uses Orange Topaz gem which can affect both the mind and the soul, so it should be either something that affects the mood or something that fools the mind,'' Ken thought to himself as he decided quickly on how to draw his formation.


    He took out the necessary materials and began drawing the big runes on the floor, asionally mixing herbs or powder into the lines of the formation to achieve the desirable effects.


    ''Maybe he is drawing the formation for the next part of the exam, so I should not finish my work before him,'' Ken thought to himself as he matched his speed to the elder. They both finished 50 minutester, Ken being only a single minute behind.


    "You already finished? Good job, you''ve done it as quickly as an experienced fourth-rank formation master would," Zaydplimented Ken when he saw the young boy approach him.


    Fiona and Scot nced toward him in wonder before concentrating back on their task. They were only halfway through, and seeing someone finish so early made them nervous.


    "What should I do next?" Ken asked the elder.


    "Enter the formations I just finished drawing. As for what they do, you will find out inside. You need to break out of the formation without destroying it in order to continue to the next and final part of the exam. While you can be brutes and destroy things, sometimes you need to be gentler and more sophisticated than that."


    Elder Zayd announced and gestured toward the formation, hinting at Ken to walk inside. Following the instruction, Ken nced at the formation for a short moment and entered. He already knew what effects to expect inside.


    As soon as he waltzed into the formation, the scenery around him changed. Instead of seeing the ss, he was trapped in an illusion that showed him a vast desert in all directions. The fourth-rank formation could affect all senses, making him even feel the sand intruding into his clothes in the hot wind.


    To test the formation, he let out a small amount of Qi and felt it dissipate quickly as if something was bugging the Qi control, just like the bloody mist in the Bloodthirst Sect secret realm, but on a much lower scale.


    ''So the problem is double. First, it''s the obvious problem of being trapped inside an illusion and having to break out, while the second problem is that the Qi expense is going to be high under these conditions,'' Ken mused as he scanned the formation, searching for its weak spots.


    ''How long am I expected to wait in here before it''s normal for a fourth-rank formation master to break out?'' Ken pondered. Heckedmon sense in some topics because of his high intelligence and memory, making it harder for him to estimate the time normal humans would need toprehend something.


    ''Since there are three parts and five hours, it''s safe to say that I don''t need more than three hours for thest part. Furthermore, the other two were only halfway, which means they''d need around an hour and a half to finish their Qi Gathering formation.''


    After considering these two points, Ken estimated that they were expected to leave the formation within an hour or two.


    ''I will wait here for 30 minutes then,'' he decided and sat down, letting the formation suck his Qi slowly and deplete it as he channeled out some Qi to pretend to be probing the formation.


    30 minutes soon passed and he got up, spreading his Runic Qi in all directions. He found the firstyer of nodes within a minute, and it took him only a few pulses of Runic Qi to temporarily deactivate them. His Qi blocked these nodes instead of destroying them, ceasing their connections with the rest of the formation.


    The secondyer of the formation was revealed once he did that, and the same action was repeated once he was done identifying the weak points. Once he was done, a tear opened in front of him, and he casually strolled through it, appearing outside the formation.


    "Out in 40 minutes, you really are a prodigy of our sect," Zayd was impressed by Ken''s achievement. His method was quite bizarre as well, the child just sat there and probed for 30 minutes before taking everything down at once as if he was enlightened.


    "Thank you, Elder Zayd. What should I do next?"


    "Right, now it''s time for you to see how good your formation was. You have 20 minutes to replenish your Qi by sitting inside your Qi Gathering formation, and afterwards, you''d have to replicate the formation you were stuck inside as precisely as you can."


    -------


    A/N:


    Hey guys, I wanted to tell you that I''ll take a week-long break from publishing new chapters in the first week of September to focus on myst exams. I failed some and must retake them, partially because I spent a lot of time writing :(


    Thanks for your support, and please wait for me to return. Don''t leave!

 Chapter 239 239 – Fourth-Rank Formation Master

    ?


    "You have 20 minutes to replenish your Qi by sitting inside your Qi Gathering formation, and afterward, you''d have to replicate the formation you were stuck inside as precisely as you can."


    Before speaking, Elder Zayd channeled his Qi into one of the formations already inscribed on the walls of the room. It isted noise and made the other two participants unable to hear their conversation.


    The test was supposed to have a surprising effect which would be lost if Ken''s speed revealed the content to the other two. Zayd did not expect someone to finish the second part before the rest finished the first one; if the rest knew they''d have to use their Qi Gathering formation, they''d work harder on it, which Zayd did not want.


    "How simr do I have to make it?" Ken asked curiously. He could replicate it to nearly 100% with his proficiency, but he believed nobody expected them to copy a whole formation to such a degree.


    "33% should be enough, it only needs to replicate the effects of the original formation, no matter how weakly," the elder exined the requirements.


    The couple, Scot and Fiona, looked curiously at the two talking, hoping to learn what they have to faceter, but to their dismay, they could hear nothing and Zayd''s back hid Ken''s lips.


    "It''s fine, I will just work on the formation without resting, I didn''t deplete that much Qi," Ken said, making the elder heave a sigh of relief. If Ken sat down in his Qi Gathering formation, hiding their conversation from the other two would be meaningless.


    "Are you sure? You will fail if you run out of Qi in the middle of arranging the formation. Qi maniption and managing is also part of the skills a formation master should have."


    "I''m sure."


    The test was made with the average Qi reserves of peak fourth-stage cultivators in mind, which was the normal standard for fourth-rank formation masters. However, Ken''s core was monstrous, and his Qi reserves were more than double of a normal disciple of his sect. This gap only widened with every breakthrough he made.


    He pondered on the problem for a few minutes before starting this time. The formation was very specific, probably created specifically for this test, and he did not know it before. Hence, he had to recall the formation and n his work.


    It did not take long; after five minutes, he began working on the formation confidently, his hands were swift and stable. He sat down on the floor crossed-legged, and he moved his Qi by waving his hands, leading each material to its designed ce.


    ''He already began? He should n it first, if he wastes resources, he might not have enough to redo the formation even if he understands his mistakester,'' Elder Zayd thought but did nothing to interfere. At this point, he almost forgot to watch the work of the other two.


    With Ken breaking the sect''s records in front of him, he had his priorities set right. He was watching history in the making, the youngest fourth-rank formation master at work.


    The young boy pulled an orange gem and ground it to powder, using it to arrange the formation on the ground near his first creation. His formation took form step by step as he drew the runes on the floor and emptied the storage ring of materials.


    "Elder Zayd, please have a look," Ken stood up and cupped his fist. The process was long, and it took him nearly an hour and a half, mainly because he did not want it to appear too fast.


    "Excellent! The formation seems to be nearly 75% the same as the one I drew, let me see the effect!" Elder Zayd got up excitedly from his chair and appeared instantly next to the formation.


    Aside from the minute he spared to exin to Scot and Fiona what they should do when they finished creating their Qi Gathering formations, he watched Ken''s work the whole time.


    "Thank you for your words, Elder Zayd. Please enlighten me on how I can improve," Ken said modestly.


    Zayd stepped into the formation without any hesitation; it was a fourth-rank formation, and he was a fifth-rank master. He did not worry about getting trapped. Indeed, as soon as he stepped inside, he found himself in the hot desert with hot winds blowing on his body.


    With a nod of satisfaction, he blocked a few nodes until a tear was opened in the formation and he walked outside to face Ken.


    "You''ve done a great job. At least 75% of the effects were copied with simr strength. You only missed the smell of the desert, which might help people with sharper noses to understand they''re stuck in an illusion, and the Qi consumption inside is lower than the original."


    "I will pay attention to these details in the future," Ken said, improving his image in the elder''s eyes with his humility.


    "Here''s the token, you''ve passed your test as a fourth-rank formation master. I''ve checked your Qi Gathering formation while you were working, and its effect was excellent. You may go now."


    Ken cupped his fist onest time before leaving and heading to the reception. He found Luna at the counter, and after waiting for her to finish serving someone, he cut the line and handed her the token. Despite his rudeness, nobodyined when they saw the embroidery on his robes.


    "Young Master Sue, congrattions on passing the test and bing a fourth-rank alchemist. However, Mark over there was free and could help you out, you didn''t have toe to me," she said with a forced smile when she saw him cut the line. Nevertheless, she never stopped working, and she registered his identity on the token even while sheined.


    "I know, but I wanted you to regret doubting my words earlier in the morning," the young teen replied with a beautiful smile.


    "I¡­ I see," she staggered in her speech before continuing, "Would you like to apply for a teacher?"


    "No," Ken leaned on the counter and whispered, letting her alone hear his words, "my performance probably garnered enough attention for the teachers to apply."


    ''He is captivating, but also so petty and arrogant,'' Luna thought to herself as she watched his silhouette walking away until she had to focus back on the waiting customers.


    ''Oh, I forgot again! I didn''t tell him his rights as a formation master!''


    ------------


    A/N - vote for Ken''s illustration is up on my Discord server, feel free to join and participate!

 Chapter 240 240 – Tutorship Under Grand Elders

    ?


    "Check out this technique and try to cast it. I think we can boost each other''s technique by using it."


    Ken was sparring with Henry outside. It was a good opportunity for Ken to duel someone slightly stronger than him, and a good opportunity for Henry to try his new techniques on someone slightly weaker than him.


    "Mind Agitation?" Henry asked. After Ken''s insistence, he began expressing himself with words while interacting with Ken, but always with a minimal amount.


    "Yes, I have a technique that can affect others'' minds. One turns them crazed and bloodthirsty while the other strikes them with primordial fear," Ken exined the basics of his Mind-Poisoning technique.


    "We are what we think. With our thoughts, we make the world," Henry said, quoting another one of his scriptures.


    "Amitabha."


    "Amitabha."


    Ken shook his head when the monk ignored his sarcasm and swung his sword again, meeting the hardened arm of the monk. The two practiced their fighting styles for another hour before returning to the house.


    Ken finished writing the newbined inheritance for Henry, and thetter was slowly adjusting to the new techniques. It''d take him a while until his mastery of the new ones catches up with his previous techniques.


    Creating teamwork was one of the newer topics on Ken''s agenda, thus he tried to create techniques that couldplement each other while keeping in mind the inheritances Tiara and ric had.


    "Young Master, you have a guest waiting in the living room," Soleil notified him as soon as he entered.


    "Who is it?"


    "Elodie Aspis, she said she''s your friend," Soleil gave him the details.


    "Oh, her. She can wait until I finish my bath."


    Ken walked down the hall to his bathroom. He disliked remaining sweaty after training, and he preferred getting clean and changing into clean robes first. Because of his modern world standards, Soleil found herself washing rtively clean robes often with nobody toin to.


    "Sister Elodie, I apologize for making you wait."


    Ken sat in front of the older girl and took a grape from a bowl Soleil prepared for the guest. Elodie''s tanned skin and yellow eyes gave her an exotic look that was onlyplemented by her graceful flexible body. One would instantly see the image of a snake when looking into her slit pupils.


    "I''m imposing by arriving without notifying first, I should be the one who is sorry."


    Elodie smiled and followed Ken''s lead to enjoy the fruits served. They were all third-rank delicacies, and the taste was great.


    "I''ve been curious, were you born with these eyes?" Ken asked, refusing to enter a loop of self-ming and pleasantries in the name of politeness.


    "They''re a product of the inheritance I''m practicing. Does Brother Ken like them?"


    "They''re¡­ unique," Ken gave a vague answer and moved on, "what did youe for?"


    "Do I always need a reason to drink tea with you? You''re treating me like a stranger," she teased him a little, unwilling to go straight to the point.


    "Of course not, we can just drink. Soleil, serve the best tea and fruits we have."


    Ken sighed inwardly as he let himself be dragged into the mud called social norms. Since they identified as "friends", it''d be embarrassing for Elodie toe out with her real agenda before having a casual conversation, especially since their friendship was not deep enough.


    "Although, Brother Ken, I do have a special offer for you," Elodie finally said after they chatted for a few minutes.


    "I''m all ears."


    "My grandfather, Senior Elder Raziel of the Alchemy division, got a copy of your research paper. He gave it to me after he finished reading it, and we were both impressed by the ingenuity of your research. We even tried the techniques described and produced some results."


    "Thank you, I''m d that my work is appreciated by the Aspis n, known for their proficiency in Alchemy. However, I cannot take full credit; some of it was derived from an iplete inheritance I found in the central zone. A few lines I managed to read enlightened me and spared me many years of experimentations."


    He wanted to have the credit of a genius, but he had to tread carefully on the delicate line between genius and too genius.


    "No matter what helped you in your journey, it''s part of your luck and fortune. We believe that your findings will propel our whole sect forward, as it''s going to allow us to concoct pills only the Infinite Wisdom Sect could concoct before."


    Elodie spoke in a serious tone, showcasing her admiration for Ken''s achievements. However, Ken still did not know what she wanted from him.


    "What is your offer then?"


    "Right, I was getting to it. My grandfather is fighting for you to help you gain as many prizes and recognition as possible. After discussing it with his uncle, Grand Elder Typhon, they are interested in offering you to be a direct disciple of my great-uncle. He is one of the few grand elders of the Alchemy division and it can be a great chance for you."


    Elodie borated on the offer. It was indeed promising, but it was not as simple as having a grand elder as a teacher; it meant having his fate intertwined with the Aspis n, and he''d be expected to marry one of their daughters, presumably Elodie, in the future.


    "I''m honored to be offered such a deal by Grand Elder Typhon, but I can''t take a decision that would affect my n without consulting with my grandfather first. Additionally, Itely got a master from my n, Grand Elder Fernando."


    Ken used someone with the same weight as Typhon to hold the elder back. In the sect, there were a few types of elders, and one could achieve these titles through different achievements.


    First were the normal Elders, and one could achieve this status by being a fifth-rank master of a craft such as Alchemy, Formation Mastery, Runology, or any other craft. Another way was to be at the seventh stage. The fact that fifth-rank masters held the same authority as seventh-stage cultivators only showed their special value.


    Next in line of authority were the Senior Elders who were sixth-rank masters of their crafts, and there was no equivalent title for the normal cultivators. They held authority over fifth-rank masters, albeit not ever seventh-stage cultivators.


    Above Senior Elders were the Grand Elders who were either seventh-rank grandmasters or eighth-stage cultivators, and at the top of the sect were the supreme elders, a selected few that managed to be eighth-rank grandmasters or ninth-stage cultivators.


    The supreme elders'' words were almost absolute, and only those with equal standing could speak against them. Unfortunately, the Alchemy division did not hail such a genius for a long while, and the grand elders held the highest power in their division.


    "Grand Elder Fernando¡­" she repeated after him quietly, "it''s all right, please discuss it with your n and let me know. Would you like to have lunch with me at the Heavenly Snake Restaurant next week?"


    It was a restaurant belonging to the Aspis n, meaning she invited him to dine on her bill. While it might not sound much, the fifth-rank dishes there cost a pretty penny.


    "Of course, I will have my answer by then."


    "Don''t be so straightforward, Brother Ken," Elodie sighed as he explicitly turned it into a business meeting instead of having a meal with a friend.

 Chapter 241 241 – Henry Challenging The Han Clan

    ?


    "Update me about thetest news," Ken sat on the couch in front of his maid, his legs crossed.


    "Yes, Young Master. You began receiving payment from the Formation Mastery division of 30,000 medium Qi Stones per month for research. The Alchemy division also renewed their payments, and you get 30,000 medium Qi Stones for research from them as well. You also received the payment of 15,000 Qi Stones for being ranked first three age groups above your age."


    "And the rewards for my research papers?" Ken asked, raising an eyebrow. Merley renewing his monthly fourth-rank master payment didn''t seem much.


    "They said it''s not part of the rewards. The elders seem to be unable to reach a decision regarding the rewards you deserve," Soleil exined.


    "I see, where are the 75,000 Qi Stones then?" Ken asked.


    "Oh¡­ Young Master, I used some of them to buy ingredients for better dishes to serve you, and I didn''t count how much they gave¡­ Only 73,000 Qi Stones are left¡­" Soleil smiled coyly and took out a small hill of stones from her storage ring.


    "It''s fine, you can take 3,000 stones per month out of it for your cultivation," Ken shrugged. He was used to the greedy maid and her light-fingered personality. Since she was being useful, he didn''t mind paying her.


    "Thank you, Young Master." Soleil shamelessly took back a thousand Qi Stones from the pile into her ring.


    "What about Henry?"


    "He is gone to fight a match in the arena, he is fighting one of the young masters from the Han n. The fight was supposed to begin 20 minutes ago."


    In the past week, Ken found new value in Soleil as an information hub. She was in charge of all errands and misceneous jobs that Henry and he did not have time to do and did not requirebat prowess.


    ''Hmm right, he didn''t get to fight his first challenge because of the mission. I guess it''s time to instigate some fighting within the sect,'' Ken''s n by creating some quarrels between his n to the Han n was to force the Sue n to gather their forces.


    Ken was unsure of this n now. Originally, his n was a problem he had to oppress, but now they were surprisingly supportive after finding out about his talents. Not many enjoyed direct tutge under a grand elder, not even the direct descendants of said elder.


    If anyone kept an eye on Haoran, chances are that they''d be called back and he''d be able to smuggle his family out of the sect''s control. Even if they only hired outsiders as spies without anyone from the n itself keeping an eye on them, the chaos would allow him better chances to do something about it.


    That was his original reason. But now, it lost most of its meaning as his influence within his n grew. He could probably get Mei and Haoran out of danger overtly at this point.


    "I will go to meet my new teacher now," Ken told his maid and got up to leave. He decided to think how to proceed from there after getting to know his new teacher.


    "Good luck, Young Master. Young Lady Elodie said she wille here so you can go together to the restaurant in two days," Soleil reported herst news.


    ---------


    "Hello, I''vee to meet Grand Elder Fernando. I''m Ken Sue."


    The guard in the gate standing at the legs of a mountain looked at Ken''s token. The mountain had many peaks and each one of them belonged to a different elder. The elders livedvishly in huge wooden houses made of top-notch materials, and huge amounts of money were invested in the formations inside and outside every house.


    "Go ahead, Young Master. Grand Elder Fernando lives in the third highest peak of the eastern half of the mountain belt."


    The guard returned Ken his n token and bowed with his fist cupped. Despite being at the fifth stage, a stage higher than Ken, he was a servant of Ken''s family.


    "All right."


    Ken looked around him at the paved road he walked on. The mountain belt waspletely unguarded wherever there were no roads; the guards were not meant to keep the elders safe but to manage the visitors.


    Thus, the ones who dared trespass into the territory where the seventh-stage and eighth-stage cultivators of the Sue n lived, had worse things to worry about than some fifth-stage guards.


    -----------


    Meanwhile in the arena:


    "Let''s go watch the battle in the fourth arena, I heard that someone is challenging an inner disciple from the Han n. It can be interesting to watch someone digging his own grave."


    "Sure, maybe even today one of the Han n members will die," his friend said cheerfully. They were all jealous of these from the elite ns that looked down on them.


    "Haha, I doubt! Although the challenged disciple is from a branch family of the Han family and isn''t in a very high rank, the Han n would make sure to take revenge."


    The two friends, along with many other disciples who talked on the same topic, walked to watch the fight. Fights between fifth-stage cultivators garnered more attention than these of the fourth stage and were rarer.


    "Henry Karras against Jason Han, fighting for the 892nd rank, begin!"


    Henry aimed at the lowest-ranked member of the Han n on purpose so he can keep challenging the next ones in order. It was also a reason he fought against someone from a branch family first as they had fewer resources and were rtively weaker than their richer cousins.


    As for those who weren''t ranked in the top 1000, he could not challenge them under the pretext of going after their rank, else it''d be a direct war deration from his side, something he wouldn''t do.


    "Surrender now and you can still be spared," Jason said in a haughty tone.


    Henry, however, remained silent as always. Ken was the only person to hear him speak ever since he received his inheritance and got enlightened, excluding the sect elder that questioned him about the details of the inheritance.


    He raised his palm, and a prayer ne made of wooden beads was held between his thumb and index finger. If one was blessed with a good sight, they''d see a golden hue being emitted out of his body and being increased by the ne.


    "Hey, monk, are you mute? I said surrender!" Jacob shouted angrily. He did not know the strength of the challenger and wanted to first bring him down with words before resorting to battle.


    ''May all beings have happy minds,'' Henry muttered to himself, too quietly for anyone to hear.


    "Did you say something?" Jacob, the closest to Henry, asked when he saw the monk''s lips move.


    As he looked at the monk, all his anger and fear were decreasing rapidly as if someone sucked these feelings out of him, and he felt enlightened. His mind was free of any burden, and he was filled with freedom he never dreamt of before.


    "Ah, this is pure bliss, why am I even bothering with something like a duel and ranking?" Jacob said to the empty air. These were hisst words, as a palm descended from the sky and squashed him to the ground, leaving nothing but a bloody corpse.


    ''Huh, I''ve saved another lostmb from walking down the wrong path today,'' Henry thought to himself as he turned around and left the arena, walking back to Ken''s house.


    "Winner, Henry Karras!"


    The shocked voice of the announcer waste toe. Nobody understood why Jacob offered no resistance, nor what happened there in the end.


    "Did a ranker die¡­ just like that?"


    "I think so¡­?"


    The crowd was left in utter confusion.

 Chapter 242 242 – Meeting Uncle Fernando

    ?


    "You''re so great, kid, huh?"


    Ken stood in front of a fuming old man. The man looked in his sixties, but his posture was strong and steady, his broad shoulders radiated strength.


    "Grand Elder Fernando, I''m not sure what you''re talking about," Ken said politely. He would guess it had something to do with the fact a Han member probably died an hour ago.


    "It''s about the Han kid that your bodyguard killed!"


    ''I thought so,'' Ken mused to himself while the elder berated him.


    Fernando had long ck hair and brown eyes like most of the Sue n. He was 180 centimeters (5''11) tall, and his broad body made him seem even bigger than he was. His wrinkled face gave off a sense of wisdom, but it was from making him seem weak. His Greek nose also added to his powerful aura.


    "You think the n will protect you only because you''re talented?" The elder asked.


    "I do, wouldn''t it?"


    "It¡­ it would. We protect those who are ones of ours, but it doesn''t mean you can go around and cause trouble. I hope you have a good exnation for that."


    Fernando furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance when Ken capitalized on his merits for protection. Fighting another elite n was troublesome; it''d weaken both ns, and even worse, it''d weaken the sect as a whole.


    "I do. If you recall, I had killed one of theirs two years ago, and they tried to kill me because of it, going against the agreement of not sending older generations after the member of another elite n," Ken told the elder.


    "I didn''t hear about something like that. Does Dominic know about it?" Fernando asked with a frown. Viting the unwritten rules would call for strong retaliation, and he didn''t remember anything like that. Of course, he did not know everything about Ken''s matters, hence the question.


    "No, I''ve never told him."


    "Why not?" Fernando asked doubtfully.


    "Krone and Norman were still alive back then, and they oppressed me to the maximum. My other uncles and aunts did not go out of their way to protect me, nor anyone else did. Even if I reported the incident, the n would only use it to extort some benefits for themselves while I wouldn''t get anything out of it."


    Ken exined the situation he faced two years ago.


    "Who attacked you? How did you get out of it alive?"


    "A few disciples from the outer sect. There were three of them, and they were all at the fourth stage. Back at the time, everyone thought I was still at the Soul Strengthening stage but I''ve already formed my core and simply hid it from others. I''ve defeated the three of them with my superior foundation and questioned one before killing him. That''s how I knew they were hired by the Han n."


    It was a lie, Ken was still in the third stage at the time. He just didn''t want to tell the elder that he defeated three Core Formation cultivators on his own as a third-stage cultivator, even if said cultivators were outer disciples with a weak foundation and low-grade techniques.


    The difference between the two stages was too vast to be bridged to the point of going 1v3 and winning; Ken was sure he''d defeat his past self without using a single technique.


    "And you were seven at the time?" Fernando asked in surprise.


    "Yes."


    "Hiya¡­ you were truly raised under tough circumstances¡­" the elder sighed. He was not surprised by Ken''s early breakthrough; being at the fourth stage at seven or seven and a few months did not make a big difference as they were both considered impossible.


    He sighed because of Ken''s behavior. A seven-year-old forced to kill his chasers but has nobody to rely on in his family to the extent of keeping such a matter to himself as a secret. He felt ashamed; such a gem was neglected and oppressed, and now they had to make up for it. He only hoped it was not toote.


    "You should''ve told the n. Even if you wouldn''t get anything directly, we would make sure to kill the families of those outer disciples to make an example out of them," Fernando eventually said when he got no response from Ken.


    "It''s all right, I''ve done it myself." Ken caused his granduncle to raise his eyebrows in surprise again. He did not expect a seven-year-old to be so decisive and ruthless, even knowing to go after someone''s family.


    "Good call, but how would the other outer disciples know about it when you kept the matter secret? We would make sure they all knew."


    "One of them got away. I couldn''t catch the archer, so I figured he''d get to the sect and tell the story before the Han n kills him."


    "So you also understood that the Han n would kill him... But you missed something. He''d never dare return to the sect. Even if he didn''t think the Han n would kill him, he''d believe that we would."


    "Those involved in affairs are often muddled, whereas the onlookers can see clearly (1)," Ken said in surprise. He always assumed that the archer was killed by the Han n as soon as he got near the sect.


    "Indeed. I would say he never returned to the sect, and the Han n assumed he got killed along with the rest of his group. If we check, I''m sure his life token was broken when he destroyed his discipleship token to fake his death, and he is hiding in some city somewhere now. Do you remember his face?"


    "Yes, I can draw it," Ken took out paper and ink from his storage ring and quickly drew a precise sketch of the disciple. He never forgets, and faces were no exception. With the drawing skills he had developed by practicing Formation Mastery, the sketch was spot on.


    "I will send some of our underlings to look into it and find him. If we find him, we can use him to pressure the Han n. You can kill some more of their cultivators to take revenge if you want, but don''t go too far. How high do you think your bodyguard can rank?"


    "top 20."


    ---------


    A/N: Those involved in affairs are often muddled, whereas the onlookers can see clearly ¨C idiom meaning that sometimes outsiders can see the truth more clearly than those involved.

 Chapter 243 243 – Training With Fernando

    ?


    How high do you think your bodyguard can rank?"


    "He was ranked 48 before we left for the central zone. He should be able to get to the top 20 now."


    Ken underestimated Henry''s abilities on purpose. He was sure the monk could rank first if he wanted to, but Ken never revealed his strength, and Henry was part of his strength.


    "That''s a high estimation, what is he doing as a mere bodyguard then?"


    "We got close during our time together in the central zone and he decided to stick with me when he learned about my alchemy skills."


    "Be careful of being manipted and used, his motives might be ulterior," Fernando warned him.


    ''As if you get to say it to me.''


    "I will. I don''t see it as an ulterior motive, he simply knows my potential is great and wants to be by my side since the beginning, knowing his status will be much higher in my eyes this way than if he joinedter when I''m already strong. Thank you for your warning, Grand Elder."


    Ken kept his real thoughts to himself and answered something else.


    "You don''t need to call me Grand Elder, especially now that I''m your teacher. Just call me Uncle or Uncle Fernando. Make sure your bodyguard lives within the n''s territory until we solve the enmity with the Han n. Tell him to set the next challenge to a weekter, and we will pressure them forpensation for hiring those outer disciples to attack you. His challenge will be a threat to kill their descendants to urge them to agree."


    "I will do so, Uncle."


    Ken had no qualms with this n. Getting more resources was always nice, and he already lost the original goal he had in mind for instigating a war between the ns.


    "Any questions before we begin our training?"


    "Yes, Uncle. Have you heard about Cultivation Bodies or Sect Seeds before?" Ken asked something that intrigued him. He wanted to know if his sect also had them.


    "Of course, I have. But where did you hear about it?"


    "Someone talked about it in the central zone. Do we have them in our sect?"


    "No¡­ It requires immortals to create them, and sects out of the top 5 only produce one immortal every thousand years, or even worse. Ourst immortal ascended 940 years ago, and he failed to produce any sect seed, killing them all in the process."


    The elder exined the situation to Ken who nodded when he realized it aligned with the information he got from Vivienne.


    "Are the sect seeds famous?"


    "They are very famous, and killing one of them is equivalent to dering war directly. Don''t ever try to fight one; they can battle opponents above their stages, and you must never kill one even if you''re stronger. Hence, you lose either way if you fight them."


    "I will remember your words, Uncle. Have you heard of the name Vivienne Ashford?"


    "I have, she is the fairy and sect seed of the Four Seasons Sect. She is very famous, just like the other sect seeds," Fernando''s voice turned slightly impatient by the multiple questions.


    "When I was at the central zone, someone said that she might get there, but some incidents made it impossible for me to meet her. Do you know anything about her?"


    "Yes, but that was yourst question. I don''t see how it helps you to know all this useless information. She is said to be 28 years old, her nickname is tinum me Maiden after her favorite element, fire, and her tinum hair. She is said to be a prodigy even among the other seeds. Nobody knows the exact Qi types she cultivates other than Fire Qi. Now let''s go out and see your flexible sword skills."


    ''28 years old? But she told me she was 51¡­ wait, she said she was under 52, and let me assume her age was 51. Did she check the extent she can deceive me to while being under the effect of the ve cor?'' Ken pondered to himself as he walked outside.


    "I heard you have an interesting unsheathing technique and a dashing technique, but you haven''t shown any other techniques at all. I''d like to see them, but first, let''s see your basic control over the sword. We will spar for one hour today and I will give you some pointers to work on until our next training session."


    Ken nodded and unsheathed his sword, charging toward his uncle. Fernando did not use a sword; he simply coated his fingernail with Sword Qi and deflected Ken''s hits.


    "Hmm, not bad, you know how to utilize the sword''s sticity to your advantage and heighten its speed. Let''s see how you do against multiple enemies."


    A suffocating sensation enveloped Ken, and he felt danger from everywhere. He could see swords materialize out of Sword Qi in the air around him and he readied himself to defend.


    "This is my domain, be careful."


    With this short warning, the swords charged at Ken in curved routes, making them hard to predict. Ken spun in his ce and his sword turned into a blur as he responded. The light de jumped from one sword to another at an insane speed, and each attack seemed to only cause his sword to bounce to its next target faster.


    "Great! Great! I can''t believe you''ve reached this level of mastery over your sword without any proper teacher!" Fernando said excitedly when he saw the results.


    One of his sour points was theck of an inheritor to his flexible sword; he had no inheritance per se, he could only pass on his teaching, and it was not attractive enough for the young generation to try to master a troublesome weapon as the flexible sword.


    The two continued to spar, and Ken constantly improved his control over his sword from the intense pressure.


    "My techniques are not special to the flexible sword, except for a few earth-grade ones I managed to develop. The specialty is my intent, sense it and try to learn."


    And the air turned sharp.

 Chapter 244 244 – Emrys And The Dragon 1/2

    The air turned sharp.


    "Some rare geniuses can cultivate their intent when they''re still at the fifth stage. You''re only at the fourth stage, but you''re also much more talented than rare geniuses. ept this sword."


    Ken saw a single sword being formed in the air, but it was different than before. He could feel that this Qi sword was stic, although he did not know why he felt that.


    ''It''s the same feeling as when Henry uses his intent. He conveys his intentions so strongly that it takes shape in the material world, and I can sense it.''


    The sword was shot at Ken and he deflected it, but somehow, the sword lengthened itself and circled around him. He tried his best to free himself from the encirclement, but the sword wrapped around him like a sharp snake that threatened to cut him in half.


    ''I can''t protect against it!''


    Ken thought to himself with clenched teeth as the sharp tip of the sword seemed to chase him. Every time he deflected it, the tip simply continued in a circr movement as it slowly created a dangerous cocoon around him with every round.


    "Enough."


    The sword dissipated in the air, and Ken''s figure was revealed, his robes are torn in multiple ces and his flesh had fresh cuts all over it.


    "You''ve felt the intent of a grand elder, it''s a great opportunity for you. Try to recall this sensation throughout the next week and somewhat imitate it. I deployed it in its weakest form on purpose so you can have a shot atprehending it."


    Fernando''s cultivation was an umtion of hundreds of years, it''d be an exaggeration to show a nine-year-old his top attacks and expect him to be able toprehend something.


    "Thank you for your guidance, Uncle," Ken thanked him for the tutoring and swallowed a healing pill from his storage ring.


    "You may go now,e back every week on the same day and hour."


    "Before I leave, there''s a question I would like to ask. I nned to ask my grandfather, but I think it''d be more appropriate to ask you, now that you''re my teacher."


    "Go ahead."


    "The Aspis n wants me to be the direct disciple of their grand elder, the seventh-rank alchemist. While it''s a good chance for me, I believe it''d tie my future with theirs, and they are likely to expect me to marry one of their n''s daughters. Should I refuse?"


    "Hmm, they bypassed us and asked you directly as a member of the Alchemy Division, it''s good that you asked us first. Agree to be his student but not a direct disciple. If he is your teacher like me, he won''t have a stronger grip over you than I do, limiting his future control over you. If he does not agree, decline his offer. We will find another way for you to improve."


    Master and disciple shared a strong bond; a disciple inherited the way of life and the cultivation path of his master. However, a teacher and a student shared a weaker bond. The student learned from his teacher, but only in the specific time frame and field. While a master was akin to a father, a teacher was only a temporary guide.


    "I shall follow your advice."


    Ken bowed and left the courtyard, returning to his ce. He was quite excited toward today; a crack appeared yesterday on the Sunscale Dragon''s egg. He believed the dragon woulde out today or the following day ording to the manual he received along with the egg.


    "Soleil, don''t let anyone interrupt me. Tell Henry I said not to challenge anyone from the Han n until one weekter, and that he should be careful when leaving the n''s territory. He will alsoe with me to lunch with Elodie in two days. If Elodiees here before I leave the room, tell her to wait."


    He used the renowned technique of using a third wheel to prevent any advances from Elodie during the meal.


    "Emrys,e after me," He brought out a Bloodline Purification pill from his storage ring, letting it emanate an alluring aroma that would pull any beast nearby.


    "Howl!" The young wolf called in enthusiasm and ran after his master with his tail wiggling from side to side.


    The two entered the training room where Ken kept the egg, and Emrys nced toward it in worry, his gaze turning fixed on it. He could sense something dangerous inside, and his instincts urged him to get away from there.


    "Oww" he whimpered and rubbed his nose against Ken''s leg.


    "Don''t worry, you''re safe with me. Nobody can hurt you here," Kenforted the wolf and stroke his fur, helping him rx considerably.


    "Take this pill."


    Ken brought the pill near the wolf''s mouth, and the cub swallowed it in one quick greedy bite. Ken observed the wolf with curiosity, this pill was different from the usual Bloodline Refining pill the wolf consumed every day.


    Emrys'' formerly grey fur turnedpletely white by now, showing the effect of the continuous refinement of his bloodline. He became a powerful beast now. While his parents were stuck at the fifth rank, he could make it to the peak of the seventh rank when he matures even without any additional pills from Ken.


    ''The seventh rank is not enough if you want to remain by my side, buddy,'' Ken mused as he watched the wolf. As if on a sign, the wolf screamed in pain when the pill''s medicinal effects entered his bloodstream.


    Emrys grabbed Ken''s ankle with his paws as he howled without a break, suffering from agonizing pain wherever the pill reached.


    "Hold on, Emrys, you wille out stronger after this. The second rank is not enough for my ns for you," Ken continued tofort the wolf in the process, helping it get through the experience.


    Emrys was at the peak of the second rank, only a heartbeat away from advancing. The pill Ken gave the cub now was much more potent than the normal one, and it was of the fourth grade, causing great pressure on the wolf''s body.


    *Cough*


    The wolf began coughing out blood between its whimpers. The blood was dark red at first, but soon turnedpletely ck as Emrys kept coughing out more of it.

 Chapter 245 245 – Emrys And The Dragon 2/2

    ?


    The wolf began coughing out blood between its whimpers. The blood was dark red at first, but soon turnedpletely ck as Emrys kept coughing out more of it.


    "Hol!" It howled miserably as it tried to beg Ken to stop this pain, but Ken turned a blind eye to his misery.


    "Don''t worry, it will pass soon. Be strong now so you can get to the top with me, otherwise, you will be left behind."


    The wolf gritted his teeth and did his best to endure the pain. He was already left behind and lost his parents once, he did not want to lose his new parent again because he was too weak.


    "Good boy," Ken said with a smile as he stroked his white fur.


    "The day is still long, you will get used to the pain eventually," Ken told the pup.


    Emrys took a whole hour to digest the pill, and he had let out a small puddle of ck blood. After so long, when the pain finally subsided, Ken handed him another Bloodline Purification pill.


    Emrys looked at the pill hesitantly, unwilling to go through the same pain again.


    "You have to take three of them if you want to grow up strong and remain by my side. Unless you want to be at the mercy of others your whole life, listen to me and eat this."


    The pup''s eyes almost had tears in them, but he took the pill, following Ken''s instructions. He went through another two hours of excruciating pain until he finally finished digesting the third pill.


    "The normal pills you eat work slowly which allows your body to gradually improve, but we are out of time. The dragon is about to be born, and it will be at the peak of the third rank right away; I can''t let you be behind it."


    Ken exined to the wolf that was now lying on its stomach while breathing heavily, his fur dirty with sweat, and his little face filled with ck blood stains from his coughs.


    "Now that your bloodline is superior, you should be able to advance too. Now I will feed you with pills that can forcibly help you break through to the next rank."


    Normally, it''d be better to let the wolf grow naturally, instead of risking him with a trauma from the pain. But Ken was out of time, and he had no choice. Even if it damaged the pup''s talent in the long run, he was confident he could heal it.


    The torture continued for a whole day. Emrys was subjected to a long nightmare in which he took pill after pill, only motivated by Ken''s threats to leave him behind if he fails to live up to his master''s expectations.


    "You''ve been brave today, I will treat youter with many tasty pills."


    Ken praised the wolf and calmed it down with the touch of his hand softly. The young wolf was finally at the peak of the third rank after digesting dozens of pills while having Ken channel his Alchemical Qi to help him maximize the gains from each pill.


    "Take this, it will make the pain go away."


    Emrys, his eyes half closed as trails of red tears could be seen beneath them, took the pill into his mouth with his long tongue. The pill made his body feel lighter, and the pain slowly subsided. The wolf felt his eyes close, and he fell asleep.


    "You will be surprised when you wake up," Ken smiled at it and looked at the egg sitting on a pillow on the floor in front of him. It waspletely cracked, and it''d break every moment.


    He did not have to wait for long; after one hour, a *crack* sound could be heard, and a long line was formed on the egg''s shell. The egg broke, its top fell down, and a small golden snake-like creature revealed itself in the bottom.


    "Hmm, so you are the mythological Chinese dragon," Ken remarked curiously as he observed the small snake eat the pieces of its shell hungrily, gaining nutrients.


    He could sense that the baby dragon was born directly at the peak of the third rank, and it''d probably break through as soon as it grows out of its initial infancy stage of development.


    "You are quiterge for a baby," Ken talked to the dragon. It was coiled around itself inside the egg as it munched on the broken shells, and Ken estimated it as a meter long if straight, and its girth was around 35 centimeters.


    "Can you fly without wings?" Ken asked without expecting an answer. He was intrigued to know how these dragons flew; the guide to raising the dragon mentioned they could fly when they break through the fourth rank despite having no wings.


    The book called it "Blessing of the Heavens" and it imed that the dragons'' bodies were naturally tuned to Qi, allowing them to instinctively use it to fly freely in the air as if they were snakes slithering on the ground.


    "Why do you need these little limbs though?" Ken touched the dragon''s limbs with his finger. They were short and seemed a bit clumsy, although the ws were sharp and strong.


    The dragon looked at Ke, fascinated. The human was the first living being he saw, and he thought it was his parent.


    "For Emrys''s sake, I hope you''re a male," Ken muttered to himself as he picked the dragon with his palms and ced the little thing on arge table. It''d remind anyone of either a piece of meat about to be chopped or a patient before surgery. Either way, it was bad news for the baby dragon.


    "Someone wise once said that the best of all things is something entirely outside your grasp ¨C not to be born, not to be, to be nothing. The second-best thing for you is to die soon. I cannot grant you the first best thing, but if he is right, I will do for you the second-best favor in the world."


    Ken spoke with a gentle voice as he stroked the dragon''s golden scales. They were warm and smooth to the touch.

 Chapter 246 246 – Emryss New Bloodline

    ?


    ''Male dragon, good for Emrys,'' Ken mused as he sexed the dragon. He fed it with a sleeping pill, making ity unconscious on the table.


    He carried Emrys andid him down next to the dragon side by side and cracked his knuckles as he prepared to begin the surgery. He took out a short knife and rolled the dragon to make ity on its back, having its soft stomach exposed.


    Ken plunged the knife into the dragon hatchling''s belly, cutting it open. His Qi blocked the blood from spilling out, containing every precious drop.


    ''Time for Alchemy, but first let''s wake up the little wolf.''


    Ken channeled his Alchemical Qi into Emrys''s body and dispersed the effects of the sleeping pill, causing the pup to wake up to the painful reality once again.


    "Break is over, Emrys. We are in the final stage; you only need to survive thisst part, and you will be stronger than you could ever dream before. Trust me and survive," Ken spoke with aforting tone when the wolf whimpered with fear.


    Emrys gradually calmed down and looked at his master with a determined expression, showing his readiness for the process.


    Seeing that he could start the procedure, Ken controlled the blood with his Alchemy techniques, following the five steps of concoction.


    ''First, separate the unwanted parts.''


    The blood floated in the air under Ken''s fingers and slowly drops of fluid blood separated and fell to the ground, staining it in red. Only thick drops of red with a golden hue remained.


    ''Second, condense it.''


    Ken condensed the drops of blood further into one small drop. The gold now was much more prominent, and it almost overtook the original red.


    He repeated the action until the blood waspletely drained out of the dragon''s body, and five golden drops of blood were hovering in a circle.


    ''Third, mix the different essences.''


    The young alchemist produced five pills he had prepared in advance from his storage ring, and with his fire, he reversed the concocting process, making them turn into fiverge essences. Some of the materials were ultimately lost, but he kept what he needed safe.


    Beads of sweat adorned his beautiful face, and they could be seen clearly on his forehead. The task of handling so many procedures at once took its toll on his mind and body.


    He moved his hands again, leading the essences from the pills straight to the blood droplets and mixed them together,bining them into a new mixture,pletely golden and radiating a powerful aura. He boosted the dragon''s bloodline with his Alchemy skills, making it more potent.


    ''Now I need to control the fire and concoct them inside the cauldron.''


    "Are you ready, Emrys? This is going to be the worst part, but also the most important one. Everything we had done to this point was to prepare you for this moment."


    The pup groaned in determination, and one golden droplet followed Ken''s finger into Emrys''s open maw.


    "HOOOOWWWWWL!"


    The pup screamed when he felt the worst pain he had ever experienced in his short life. It waspletely overwhelming, leaving him paralyzed and unable to concentrate on anything else.


    "Emrys, concentrate! You must stay sharp and absorb the dragon''s bloodline or you will die! Don''t disappoint me after I''ve sacrificed a rare species for your sake!"


    The wolf stifled his screams and did his best to follow Ken''s instructions. He bravely ignored the pain and let the golden bloodline spread in his bloodstream,bining it with his own bloodline in small steps.


    ''And concoct.''


    "HOWL!"


    Emrys howled again when the blood''s temperature rose to extreme degrees, filling him with a sensation of being burned from the inside. Ken used Emrys''s body as a cauldron, and Emrys''s blood was part of the ingredients in the Alchemy process. Needless to say, the pain was unbearable.


    "Focus, Emrys!"


    Ken reminded the wolf to stay focused as he boiled the wolf''s blood mercilessly,bining the golden essence with the wolf''s very being. The white fur slowly gained golden hues, and small bumps appeared on the pup''s head.


    "Next, there are only four more left!"


    Ken controlled the next golden droplet and made it fly into Emrys''s body. The same process repeated itself with the wolf howling and screaming in pain while doing his best to remain alive and absorb the Qi and blood and Ken doing his best to be perfectly precise and avoid killing his pet.


    "The third now, we are halfway through!"


    Another droplet entered the wolf''s body, and the skin where the two bumps appeared was torn and two golden horns stained with blood came out of Emrys''s flesh. They were majestic and beautiful, but the wolf seemed not to appreciate the new addition. He screamed over and over again, crying bloody tears when his flesh was torn and his skull mutated.


    "Fourth droplet, we will finish soon! Don''t give up, Emrys!"


    Emrys''s ws grew, and his fangs turned sharper and stronger. His bones strengthened themselves and his body was going through endless micro changes that elevated his entity to a new height.


    The wolf was spasming on the improvised surgery table uncontrobly, barely able to keep its consciousness.


    "It''s thest droplet, one final procedure and you will survive, stronger than ever. Don''t let me down in the decisive moment, you''ve been a little hero until now!" Ken did his best to encourage the poor little thing.


    Emrys let out a weak sound as it growled with a hint of despair. Ken did not wait and sent thest droplet into Emrys''s body, prompting him to scream with renewed vigor. Even on the fifth time going through the same procedure after going through endless pain the whole day, the pup could not get used to the pain. It did not get any better at all.


    For thest time, Ken boiled his blood and concocted it into a new bloodline, mixing the Sunscale Dragon''s bloodline with the wolf''s. Their bloodlines were closely equal after Ken worked on his wolf''s bloodline all day, and their mixture would create a new beast with endless potential.


    "You did great, you can sleep now."


    As soon as the process was over, Emrys lost consciousness,ying almost lifelessly next to the golden dragon. One of them was on the verge of death, but the other was dead for quite some time now.

 Chapter 247 247 – Heavenly Snake Restaurant

    ?


    "Huh¡­ that was tiring¡­"


    Ken sighed as he watched his handiwork. He was satisfied with the results, happy that his research and theories were proven true, and the experiment seed.


    ''I should have a few hours before Elodie arrives, let''s use them to bathe and sleep. After lunch with her, I can finally have time to read the Mysteries of Luck manuals.''


    Ken left the room and grabbed something light to eat while Soleil prepared his bath. As he entered the bath, he began thinking about his n and new life in Phoenix Feather Sect.


    ''They turned nice, now I know the struggle of protagonists who have been abandoned by their ns butter revered by them. Unfortunately, it''s toote for them toe around. I''ve already made my decision to leave, and the fact they had known my mother was crippled and did not care remains.''


    He was not soft enough to feel sorry for them only because they turned nice to him once he proved his value was higher than his oppressors''. His n was already set in motion, and he had already agreed to join the Serene Lotus Sect after causing a war between the Four Seasons Sect and the Phoenix Feather Sect.


    ''Don''t look back.''


    ------------


    "Young Lady Elodie has arrived."


    Ken got up a while ago and was checking on Emrys. The now-golden pup was doing well, and his condition improved significantly. Ken used his Alchemical Qi to help the wolf heal faster, and he fed it with nutrient pills to ensure the wolf did not die due to starvation or dehydration.


    "I''ming."


    Ken wore his blue inner disciple robes and went to meet with the tanned woman.


    "Hello, Brother Ken."


    "How are you doing, Sister Elodie?"


    "I''m good, but you seem happy today, did anything good happen to you?" She asked, intrigued.


    "Nothing worth mentioning. What about you, your face seems grumpy."


    "Ah¡­ nothing like that, you just haven''t introduced me to your friend." Elodie shot a bitter nce at the bald monk walking by their side.


    "This is Henry Karras, he has gained a bit of fametely after killing a kid from the Han n."


    "I did hear about this incident, although that so-called kid must be 4 times older than you," Elodie teased back.


    "It''s about the mentality. Anyway, I hope you don''t mind that I invited him. He is a man of a few words."


    "No, not at all." She didn''t think having Henry would give Ken much of an edge in the conversation. Henry was not of equal status, and it seemed like he knew it by his silence.


    The young woman did not worry about the skirmish against the Han n, the elite ns always had them, and they never let them develop into something too serious.


    It was just a way to gain more face byparing sizes. In her mind, the Han n just lost a member of a branch family, while the Sue n merely risked the death of a bodyguard.


    The two engaged in a casual conversation while they walked to the Heavenly Snake restaurant. She slowly got over the third wheel that got stuck in their meal.


    "Hello, Young Lady Elodie, Young Master Sue. We''ve prepared a private room on the fourth floor for you."


    A beautiful hostess in green qipao weed them as soon as they stepped inside. Normally, people would use the first name when they knew it, or simply refer to the person by their family name when they didn''t. Hence, the hostess called Elodie by her first name and Ken by hisst name.


    A waitress quickly arrived and led them to their room, a beautiful wooden space with carvings of phoenixes, dragons, and snakes. The carvings were painted in various colors, adding life and vividity.


    "The food will be served shortly."


    The waitress left after bowing, leaving the three on their own.


    "We don''t get to choose our food in the Heavenly Snake restaurant?" Ken asked Elodie in a surprised tone.


    "You do, but I''ve ordered the best dishes in advance to avoid wasting our time. If Brother Ken doesn''t like my choices, I will call the waitress and you can order anything you like."


    "I see. Anyway, regarding your offer, I can be a student under Grand Elder Typhon, but not a direct disciple. I also have Grand Elder Fernando as my teacher, and it''d be inappropriate to take a master now," Ken cut to the chase and dered his intentions.


    "I''m not sure it''s possible, Brother Ken. You know how much elite ns dislike to teach outsiders, after all, youe from an elite n yourself. Being in a master-disciple rtionship can allow you to be part of our n and inherit our knowledge. Isn''t it better?"


    Elodie countered his words with different reasoning, but Ken did not wish to intertwine his fate with another n even if his family would instruct him to do so. Especially when considering he''d leave the sect within a few months.


    "Sister Elodie, let''s not talk in codes. We know that if I be a direct disciple of Grand Elder Typhon, I will also be expected to marry one of your n''s women in the future. Although the tanned skin and the exotic eyes have an enchanting allure, I''m not interested inmitting my life to another n so early. I''m already at the fourth rank, who says I can''t be a seventh-rank alchemist without a master?"


    Ken''s words exined that he was asked to give up more than he received in return.


    "Brother Ken, does it mean you like my skin and eyes?" She asked with a yful smile as she leaned closer to him across the table.


    Before Ken could answer, a knock on the door interrupted their chat, making them turn their heads to see what happened.


    The door opened, and the hostess from before bowed and apologized.


    "I apologize for the interference. Two youngdies have arrived and asked to be your guests, and I came to ask you whether you want to ept theirpany."


    "Who are they?" Elodie asked in an irritated voice. Not many could make the hostess dare interrupt them.


    "Mary Sue and Naomi Geller."

 Chapter 248 248 – Elite Clans

    <h4>Chapter 248 Chapter 248 ¨C Elite ns</h4>


    "Mary Sue and Naomi Geller."


    ''These bitches!'' Elodie shouted angrily internally but showed a pleasant smile outside. ''Are they aiming for Ken too?''


    "Of course, they cane and dine with us. Make sure to bring more food."


    "Yes, Young Lady."


    Soon, two beautifuldies entered the room. Ken and Henry were the only ones wearing the formal robes of the inner sect.


    First, entered a woman with ck hair and the same phoenix eyes Ken had, but in brown. Her body was wrapped tightly in a ck mandarin gown that revealed her long legs and entuated her slim waist.


    By her side walked a woman that did not lose in terms of beauty; her slightly thicker shape allowed her to show her assets better in a long and tight red cheongsam.


    Elodie herself wore a short green qipao, and the three women formed a strong contrast when standing near each other.


    ''The woman wearing a ck dress should be from my n. Mary Sue, huh, I wonder if she lives up to her name.''


    Ken knew his n''s affection for the ck color, making him guess which one was his rtive. He knew her name; she was in Henry''s age group, but she was a core disciple and one of the strongest members of the young generation in the sect.


    "Young Lady Mary, Young Lady Naomi. I''m d to have you as our guests, please sit down and eat as much as you like; everything will be on the house today."


    Elodie got up and performed a small bow, showing the neers held higher statuses than her. Ken only watched them with curiosity, and Henry followed his example.


    "Who are you two?" Ken asked without getting up.


    "Brother Ken, how can you not know your own cousin? I''m Mary Sue, my mother is Eleanor, and we are direct descendants of Grandfather Fernando. I''m your third cousin."


    Mary exined her roots in order to make Ken understand who most likely sent her there, and what kind of bond they share. If Ken was right and the one who sent her was Fernando, then it meant his teacher expected him to wee and entertain her.


    "Nice to meet you, Mary, I''ve heard of your unparalleled talent before. And you are...?" Ken turned his head to the other woman. He knew the Geller n; they were an elite n at the top of the sect, and their power was equal to the Sue and the Han ns.


    "I''m Naomi Geller, I heard you were a promising formation master, and wanted to meet the youth that had shocked the Formation Mastery division with his talent."


    She smiled at him, parting her red lips slightly and revealing two rows of perfectly white teeth. Most elite ns had specialties. The Sue n''s specialty was their Darkness Qi inheritance,? and the Aspis n had their Poison Qi and Alchemy. As for the Geller n, they were among the best formation masters in the sect.


    The three women exchanged knowing nces. They were all there on the instructions of their ns, and their mission was simple.


    ''Don''t leave any of these hoes alone with Ken for too long.'' They all thought.


    "What a nice dress, Elodie," Maryplimented.


    "Thank you, Young Lady Mary."


    The honorifics were Mary''s way to bully Elodie with her superior background and status within the sect.


    "Don''t y these games around me, or I might get too tired and leave. Everyone, this is Henry, mypanion and bodyguard. Let''s raise a toast!"


    A waitress just entered the room with jugs of wine, and with a nod from Ken, she poured it into five cups.


    "Cheers!"


    He said, and the three scolded girls raised their drinks. Henry held his cup with two hands, raised the toast, and drank it all at once. Purifying golden light spread inside his body and cleansed the alcohol, but nobody could see it. As always, Ken himself destroyed the alcohol in his bloodstream using his Alchemical Qi.


    "Sister Naomi, I can see a reason for Sister Mary to be here, but howe you''re here?"


    "Brother Ken, can''t I share a drink and lunch with a youth I admire?" She smiled, unaware of Ken''s disregard for formality and code.


    "Sister Naomi, I''m still a child and don''t understand when others hide their intentions behind social norms. How about telling me your reason for being here directly?" Ken used his ''child card'' without hesitation, making the beautiful woman smile awkwardly.


    "I wanted to get to know you better, Brother Ken," she said hesitantly. Elodie threw a nce of contempt at her; the Aspis girl knew how to deal with Ken''s personality better after talking to him on different asions.


    "And then what?"


    "Ahm, and then to see if you''d be interested in getting closer to my n. My grandfather has been interested in you and considered doing things differently than usual and offering you to be his direct disciple despite not being part of the n. He is an eighth-rank formation master, a supreme elder of our sect. Supreme Elder Zadkiel."


    Her words made the other girls'' smiles freeze. The Aspis n could not gain status as high as the other ns because their cultivators'' battle prowess was lower as alchemists, and their highest-ranked alchemist was only at the eighth rank.


    ''Ah, these politics are bothersome¡­ but I must do it if I want to be protected when the Four Seasons Secte for my head.''


    The only reason Ken put up with all these little schemes was to get additional supporters when he needs someone to fend off the Four Seasons Sect.


    "I''m honored to receive such an offer from Supreme Elder Zadkiel. However, just like I told Sister Elodie a moment ago, I do not wish to tie my future to others so early in life, thus I cannot ept any offer that is more than a teacher-student rtionship."


    Ken rejected Naomi''s offer without a second thought. He knew he would not learn anything significant from these elders by the time he departed. Although they knew more than he about the higher ranks, they would only teach him the ropes of the fifth rank in the next months since they thought he was a fourth-rank master.


    "Anyway, Sister Elodie, do you remember the research I submitted about Alchemy? I have good news; I''m researching something else of the same importance right now, and I believe it will have a great impact on the Alchemy division, just like the previous one. I expect results within two months."


    "Brother Ken, I didn''t know you published a research. You''re so talented in Formation Mastery, why don''t you try to research in this field?" Naomi asked bitterly.


    "Haha, Sister Naomi, I do research the field. It''s why I can barely leave my house and my days are too busy even to cultivate! I will have something interesting to present to the Formation Mastery division soon as well."


    "Hmm, I will be looking forward to it then."

 Chapter 249 249 – Mysteries of Luck

    <h4>Chapter 249 Chapter 249 ¨C Mysteries of Luck</h4>


    A/N: I added a small conversation at the end of the previous chapter that I found out I forgot to add. For the benefit of those who don''t want to go back, I recapped it in a short paragraph (that was not long enough to raise the price of the chapter).


    -------------


    "Was I really necessary there?"


    Henry asked Ken bitterly as the two walked back home. It was mainly an unpleasant meal with the three girls teasing each other and trying to show the superiority of their families, their offers, and themselves.


    "It''s always nice to have someone suffer with you. Anyway, I could not know those two girls would show up."


    "What''s next?"


    "We train. I might have to have you engaged to one of the girls from the Sue n to get the Han n off your back. Don''t worry, you won''t marry her by the time we leave this ce."


    Ken achieved one hidden goal while interacting with the elite girls. He told them about the research papers he provided the Alchemy division before to ensure the elite families knew of it, and reported he was working on another research in both Alchemy and Formation Mastery, iming he expects results within 2-3 months. The goal was to hype the divisions toward the research before they were submitted.


    -----------


    Ken sat cross-legged in his room, and seven books wereid on the floor around him. The series of Mysteries of Luck ¨C he gained 3 of them as prizes in the different areas of the secret realm, while thest four were gained from Edmund when Ken took control of him.


    ''Time to read.''


    Ken grabbed the first book of the series and began reading. This time, he did not do the roundabout way ofmitting the contents to his memory and onlyter read them; since his time was not limited, there was no point.


    Fascinated by the knowledge hidden in the new volume, he instantly grabbed the second one and continued reading. He read the whole seven volumes in one sitting, and immediately closed his eyes right after to digest all the new knowledge and integrate it.


    At first, the basics were simr to what he learned and deducted from the manual he took from Nick, the one that the evil cultivator made for his luck cauldrons. For example, the fact that every human had a container of luck was mentioned.


    Ken''s natural container was of one LU (Luck Unit), and he got more LU from Henry. The container symbolized the maximum LU capacity one had, and their luck would refill itself after depleting when stumbling upon various opportunities.


    The trouble with the luck-stealing manual, or "Defying Heavens" as the evil cultivator called it, was that stealing luck had consequences; one''s container would be overfilled with luck, but the container itself would keep decreasing. Once it reached zero, the heavens would actively hunt the practitioner down and send troubles their way endlessly.


    But then, he delved deeper into the new knowledge about luck he had attained. The manual offered him a way to avoid the wrath of the heavens.


    Instead of plundering one''s luck, the method described in the manual offered him to duplicate his luck container. The manual offered a way for everyone to effectively double their luck, but Ken could take it a step further andbine his knowledge.


    If he creates a second container, he can simply destroy it once it reaches 0, and create a new one. This way, the heavens will note after him, and he can simply create a second container again and do the same process over and over again.


    ''Perfect. Unfortunately, I can''t dabble in this art now since I have too many eyes on me. I can''t even tell if someone from the Supremacy phase is watching me right now, it''s too dangerous to try things that would invite envy and greed.''


    Ken nned to use it only when he knows he was safe from prying eyes. Without a moment of hesitation, he burned the rare set of books on fire, watching them turn into ashes. He did not need the books anymore, so the only thing that could happen from keeping them was having others see them, which he did not want.


    Ken moved to check on Emrys. The wounded wolf''s condition improved with every passing day, but he was still unconscious and needed constant care from his master. Ken did not mind, he believed the wolf''s future value was high, even if he would be nothing but a loyal mount.


    After treating his wounds, providing him with nutrients, and helping him drink some water, Ken secluded himself in his training room, nning to form his Nascent soul. After forming it, he''d still need to raise and refine it, but it was the first step in entering the next stage.


    ''The Nascent Soul stage¡­ entering it would effectively multiply my prowess by multiple times. Until now I had to cancel my physical techniques whenever I wanted to activate another as I could only use one at a time, but once I break through, I will finally have a soul on the verge of being physical.''


    Ken mused as he remembered the annoying times he had to fight enemies at the fifth stage who could execute their devastating attacks without canceling their movement techniques. The inability to keep his movement techniques active while attacking has been a great handicap for him.


    ''The first step is to tear a part of my soul. I remember the procedure I went through in the Soul Strengthening stage when I had to keep cutting the useless parts of my soul repeatedly. This is going to be painful.''


    But first, he had to carefully n his advancement manual carefully like he always did. He had some experience thanks to the manuals he had made for his futurepanions, however, there was a big difference. He had a resource they did not have.


    With a wave of his hand, a single stone came out of his storage ring, emanating an intimidating aura. He had personally destroyed the existing formations in his training room and rearranged them, or else the aura would travel a very long distance.


    ''Immortal Qi Stone¡­'' Ken took a moment to admire the stone before he began working.


    Once he had enough, he started his experiments. He did not know enough about the Immortal Qi, and could not carelessly use it. It was a known fact that cultivators under the ninth stage did not even try to absorb that energy, and those under the Supremacy phase were believed to face death as soon as they tried to do it.


    ''But I''m not a normal fourth-stage cultivator. My body is built differently.''

 Chapter 250 250 – Unexpectedly, Unexpected Harvest

    <h4>Chapter 250 Chapter 250 ¨C Unexpectedly, Unexpected Harvest</h4>


    ''But I''m not a normal fourth-stage cultivator. My body is built differently.''


    With this thought, Ken threw one stone into his cauldron, trying to see its effects on other materials. To his dismay, the ingredients were overwhelmed by the Immortal Qi and withered away.


    ''I can''t use ingredients under the 7th stage with Immortal Qi. Let''s see what a little of it can do to my body.''


    Ken sat close to the cauldron. The runes on the cauldron helped him keep the energy at bay, but once it''d get out, it''d be hard to force it to move in a specific direction. Once he sat as close as he could without getting burned, he opened the lid slightly and a wave of heat rushed outside.


    One more thing came out, a small stream of Immortal Qi. He did not want to take too much on it, but he believed he would not have trouble controlling only a tiny bit. After all, his body was strengthened by a higher form of energy, and he still had some remnants of the Godly Qi in his body, enhancing his natural growth.


    ''I still need to be careful and only absorb a small amount, just in case,'' Ken reached out with his finger and took in some of the Qiing out of the cauldron. Usually, cultivators sucked in the Qi from every pore in the body, and their upper body would be where most of their Qies from, but not now.


    In his cautiousness, Ken only sucked it from his fingers. Even if he lost them, it was not a big deal. He could always grow them back with the help of seventh-grade pills. While sixth-grade pills could help heal broken and injured parts, even in extreme conditions sometimes, only seventh-grade pills could restore what was lost.


    ''Hmm, that''s not terrible,'' Ken pondered as he felt a strand of Immortal Qi enters his finger. It caused some pressure on his flesh and bones, but soon Ken managed to take control of it, and it seemed to integrate well with his body.


    ''Wait, what is going on?'' he raised his eyebrows in surprise when something odd happened. The Immortal Qi was sucked into his bone out of nowhere, vanishing in a single moment.


    ''Could it be¡­?''


    Ken closed his eyes and concentrated on his body. He scanned it with his mind, delving deep with his Qi sense into his own bones. There, in the ce where the Qi disappeared earlier, he found it. There was a small amount of Godly Qi hidden there.


    ''But what happened to the Immortal Qi? What did it do with it?'' Ken asked himself in confusion. He did not feel any difference in his body, and he was confident he''d be able to sense it if there was any.


    ''Let''s try again.''


    Ken let another strand of Immortal Qi enter his finger, but this time he kept a close eye on the Godly Qi. He followed the strand of Immortal Qi with his senses carefully, waiting for the suction to happen. A secondter, when the Qi reached the same ce it was before, it faced a strong pulling force and was swallowed by the Godly Qi.


    ''The quantity! It rose by a little! Only by a minuscule amount, but it''s because of the amount of Immortal Qi I used. The Godly Qi uses this energy to ''reproduce'' itself or something like that!''


    The revtion was exciting, to say the least. Ken''s strongest advantage was his extremely powerful foundation which was built thanks to the Godly Qi in his body. Only thanks to this advantage, his foundation was even better than the seeds of the different sects, who were considered unparalleled and almost promised to ascend if they remain alive.


    Ken began absorbing all the Qi that came out of the cauldron, not letting any additional Immortal Qi go to waste. He let it enter the pores in his skin all over his hand, and the Immortal Qi kept entering and getting sucked into Godly Qi that hid in different ces in his hand.


    The amount of Godly Qi steadily grew, and Ken was getting more and more excited by the new prospects avable by this miracle. The golden energy did not grow equally to the amount of Immortal Qi spent. The ratio was around one to 20, but it was better than Ken could hope for.


    He was sure he''d never be able to use the Godly Qi again, and yet a gift came to him straight from the heavens. If he got the stones 10 yearster, the Godly Qi would bepletely consumed in the process of boosting his natural growth, and he would never even know about this option to renew the Godly Qi.


    ''I thought I had gold but found out it was diamonds,'' Ken smiled to himself excitedly and opened the cauldronpletely. He pulled the Immortal Qi Stone into hisp and let it enter his body from everywhere, renewing his Godly Qi reserves at high speed.


    He used the next few hours in replenishing his Godly Qi, and it cost him 20 stones to do so. While he needed to absorb hundreds of medium Qi Stone to replenish his Qi''s capacity, the immortal stones were meant for immortals and naturally contained much more energy within them. Thus, 20 immortal stones provided him with enough Godly Qi to fill his whole body.


    "Hahahaha! I can get strongest at a crazy speed again!"


    Kenughed uncontrobly in the empty room; he could already see the limitless future that just opened to him. He scanned his body with his senses again, reveling in the renewed golden energy that filled his muscles, organs, and bones again.


    When he calmed down, he started rethinking his advancement manual again. He remained cross-legged for 5 days, immersing himself in mind experiments to try to predict the future of each route he could take, until finally, he had to get up and go to train under Fernando again.


    ----------


    A/N: Unexpectedly, unexpected harvest - It is used to express the surprise and delight of receiving something better than what was expected.

 Chapter 251 251 – Forming The Nascent Soul

    ?


    ''Time to start forming my nascent soul.''


    Ken returned to his training after returning from Fernando''s ce. A few things happened during this week. First, Emrys''s situation was much better now and Ken expected him to wake up any moment. Second, Elder Zadkiel agreed to be his teacher without a master-disciple rtionship. Third, the same happened with Grand Elder Typhon.


    He was sitting in his training room, enveloped by a triple sixth-rank Qi Gathering formation, and surrounded by a few Immortal Qi Stones in case he needed more energy during his training. Even if not, there was nothing wrong with replenishing the lost Godly Qi after using it.


    ''First, I need to sculpt a nascent soul out of my normal soul. Good thing the Godly Qi can already affect the soul, so I don''t need to concoct pills with soul-affecting ingredients for that,'' Ken mused.


    He channeled his Godly Qi to the soul in his body, and once the Qi was wrapped around it, he gritted his teeth decisively and led the Qi to cut off ayer of his soul as if he were skinning himself.


    "Argh." Ken groaned in pain without faltering in his Qi maniption. He was left with a small hollow husk in the shape of his body. He then began channeling his special Qi from his core into the empty shape while using the Godly Qi to integrate the different types of Qi evenly.


    There was a flux of different colored Qis ¨C the bloody red of his Bloodlust Qi, the shiny silver of his Sword Qi, the fiery red of his Alchemical Qi, and the navy blue of his Runic Qi. All of them were soon swallowed by the golden Godly Qi andbined.


    Ken was too engrossed in the task at hand to notice the changes going on. Once he saw that the Qi was sessfully absorbed by the empty nascent soul, he stopped paying attention to it.


    Unnoticed, The Godly Qi kept manipting and integrating the different Qi types into one another, creating a single type of Qi instead that Ken would find out onlyter.


    Slowly but surely, the nascent soul was filled with Qi, and once done, Ken pulled it into his core, letting it rest there. It was iplete and unstable, thus if left alone, the Qi inside would escape and the nascent soul would ''dete'', forcing him to do the process all over again.


    By storing it inside the core, the sucking force of the Qi kept it intact until he brings it back outside to work on it again.


    ''Good. I''ve finally taken the first step toward the next stage, creating some kind of a skeleton of the nascent soul. Now it''s all about diligence in cultivation. I wonder how much time this process took me.''


    Ken then rxed himself and rested for a few hours. He did not know the time, but he knew he was awake for many days straight, which was thankfully possible thanks to his cultivation, but was still tiring.


    When he got up, he inspected his core, searching for the nascent soul he had just formed earlier.


    ''Golden? What does it mean?'' Ken eximed inwardly as he saw the surprising color of the Qi filling his new nascent soul. The manual led him to believe that the nascent soul would be colored by the different attributes of Qi filling it rtively to their strength. As Ken''s affinity was equal to all his affinities, he believed the four colors would appear evenly.


    ''It must be the Godly Qi again. The Qi inside does not seem to lose to any of the four types separately, so I assume it has all four attributesbined. If anything, it should only benefit me in the future.''


    Ken washed himself with a water technique and wore new robes, tossing the ones drenched with sweat to the side for Soleil to collect and washter before heading to the maid''s room.


    "Prepare me some food and a hot bath to clean myself. How many days passed since I entered seclusion?" Ken asked the maid after opening her door without knocking as per usual.


    "Young Master, you should knock on my door, or else you''ll have to take responsibility if you see me naked," Soleilined. Ken interrupted her cultivation, a thing every cultivator hated when happened.


    "I''m only an innocent child, how could I defile you? Besides, it''d be your future partner''s honor to have you after me," Ken said andughed lightly in front of the gaping Soleil who did not get the inside joke.


    "That''s¡­ Young Master must be joking. And it had been slightly over 8 days since you entered. I''ve also made sure to inform the three elders that you can''t arrive this week." She decided to move on and answer Ken''s question before something weirder happened.


    "I see, thanks."


    In the next weeks, Ken received a few types of rewards. The Alchemy division granted him full ess to the library as a reward for his contribution, in addition to doubling his research funds. In response, Supreme Elder Zadkiel chose to give an equal reward for being the youngest fourth-rank formation master in the division''s history despite Ken''sck of contribution to the Formation Mastery division.


    Another reward he gained was one property from the Han n in exchange for Ken and Henry''s agreement to stop targeting their descendants in the ranking challenges.


    As a gesture of goodwill, Dominic gave the property entirely to Ken, deducting only 20% of the monthly revenues to pay the subordinates who kept it running. The old man even gave up on the normal fees the n took from all property owned by the members.


    The n did not want to lose their capable descendants, and it was the n''s way topromise after the Sue n found the archer who tried to assassinate Ken under the Han n''smands.


    Ken''s revenues continued to grow further after he submitted another theory to the Alchemy division. This time it was his "Boundless Qi Instilling" theory whichplemented his previous theory. His previous ''findings'' allowed the sect''s alchemists to learn how to draw Qi they did not have from objects.


    Now, theplementing theory could aid them in learning how to instill Qi which is not a type of elemental Qi into their pills, allowing them to concoct many other types of pills now, opening a limitless variety of possibilities in front of the alchemists. Again, he did not mind giving this knowledge away since others in the world already had it, namely the Infinite Wisdom Sect.


    This time, his theory was read by all the elders within days without differentiating between lower-ranked elders and higher-ranked ones, earning everyone''s fervent admiration.


    Next, he submitted his theory to the Formation Mastery division on how to create a few triple formations. He showed the method of creating triple formations for the Qi Gathering formation, the Concealing formation, and the Entrapment formation.


    It contained double values ¨C the first was the possibility of inscribing triple formations, which would allow the sect to work from there to find a way to create other triple formations. The second value was that to achieve that he had to increase the efficiency of the formations, meaning they got an improved version of the three fourth-rank formations.


    Although it was only a fourth-rank formation, it was a good starting point for the elders'' research, and they all anticipated great results in the long-term future, even without Ken''s future contributions. Adding Ken''s prospects, they all wished for a golden age for their divisions, believing it might help them get into the top 10 in a single millennium.


    Ken also found out that Henry mingled with his new followers often. Adhering to Ken''s instruction, he gathered many young masters anddies as his followers from various ns, often to their ancestors'' dismay. It earned him the support of many promising youths who held great influence in their elite ns.


    Ken once again found his decision to recruit Henry as his subordinate, or more politically correct -panion, more and more right as he saw the monk''s capabilities in their daily spars and missions. He only hoped that he did not misjudge the monk''s personality.


    Another surprising development came from the Runology division. The Geller n also had great influence there, another reason for them to be part of the great ns like the Sue n.


    They offered Ken free ess to the library up to the fourth floor and gave him a token of "honorary disciple", an invention they made just for him. It was easy to understand their motives; they were also hoping he would research their field and offer some breakthroughs that offer new approaches to Runology.


    Ken was d to receive the unexpected reward. He ignored his grandfather''s and Fernando''s advice not to bite more than he could chew and delved into mastering the basics of Runology.


    Emrys had awakened from his long slumber and was surprised to see the changes in his body. He was still smaller than an adult wolf but grew to the size of an adult fox. His white fur now had many beautiful golden ornament-like spots, and two horns grew from his head. His ws and fangs also turned sharper and stronger.


    Despite remaining at the top of the third rank, he was a few times stronger than before, and the excited wolf, who did not get to adjust to his strength ever since he broke through to the third rank, felt like the whole world was at the tip of his paw until Ken grabbed it and reminded it who was the boss.


    His thoughtful master had invented a Bloodline Refining pill for it to have for its meals, a variation of the original one that would allow the pup to improve his new bloodline.


    In the next months, he shifted his attention between cultivation, Runology, Emrys, and the daughters other ns kept sending his way.


    -------


    A/N: Just a reminder, I won''t publish chapters between 1/9-7/9. (hint - it''s 7 days, not 7 months.

 Chapter 252 252 – Viviennes Life 1/2

    ?


    Three months after Ken returned to the Phoenix Feather Sect, in Four Seasons Sect:


    "Good to see you, Young Lady Vivienne."


    "I was trying to sleep, and I''m only meeting you only because you''ve been pestering me for a few months now ever since the secret realm. What do you want, Felix?"


    A beautifuldy with long tinum hair flowing like a river from the immortal realm satzily before a handsome man with long red hair and a triangle face. Felix was meeting Vivienne at her home after asking for it in the past three months.


    "Why are you so hostile? We are both from the Ashford n, we are both powerful, and we are well-matched in every way. Why not be with each other?"


    Felix asked with a hint of anger. He felt like he had been sincere with the woman for a long time and she still did not reciprocate his feelings.


    "I might have considered it before, but I don''t know if a handicap can be the right man for me," Vivienne said with subtle contempt in her tone while ncing toward the stump where his right foot once was.


    Felix''s face instantly burned with shame when he heard thement. Nothing enraged himtely more than being teased about his loss to a fourth-stage cultivator. His face turned red, but he still did not run away.


    "You know very well that I will have my foot back in a few months," he almost spat his words in his anger.


    His foot had already grown to the point of a visible heel, and he only needed a few more months under the effect of the seventh-grade pills he had been consuming. Luckily, his n was rich enough to afford that expenditure on a promising youth.


    "Right, so you know very well that''s not the problem," Vivienne said with a mocking voice. She hinted that she did not want to date someone who lost to an opponent two stages beneath him.


    While she also lost to the same cultivator, she was heavily handicapped by the bloody mist, and besides, Felix did not know about it. She''d take the secret with her to the grave if she could.


    "Hmph, he only won because he somehow convinced the buffalos to help him. Let me share some interesting news with you, love. The sect now found a lead and checks a rumor saying he is a disciple at the Phoenix Feather Sect. Once he is captured, I will make sure he is given to me so I can kill him myself."


    Vivienne looked at him in surprise, swearing at the idiot in her mind for telling her directly. She was forced to act now to help Ken.


    "Then, if you can bring him to me alive, I will let you take me out for a meal."


    "Really? No problem! But why does he need to be alive?" Felix jumped in his ce when he heard her unexpected answer. He had been chasing her for over 10 years now, and it was the first time she agreed without the n''s interference.


    "He ambushed me when I was restricted with another fight and managed to get away. Although he was forced to escape and could not do anything to me even with a sneak attack, I still want to pay him back," Vivienne said with pridefully, emphasizing that Ken was the one to run away.


    "No problem, I will make sure to keep him alive and bring him to you. If you don''t keep your promise to be mine afterward, the n will intervene," Felix promised and threatened at the same time.


    ''Huh, they really see me as their property rather than an important figure,'' The fairy thought. She has been reviewing her life in her mind in the past three months, rethinking her n''s and sect''s attitudes to her.


    She used what she knew about the other elite descendants as a reference point. Ken''s words kept echoing in her mind ever since they parted.


    ''Are they really all using me as a war tool? Ah¡­ how bothersome, now I need to get myself involved and save that shitty boy.''


    Her thoughts tended to use much ruder vocabry than her mouth, and she really hated bothersome tasks.


    ---------------


    27 years ago in the Four Seasons Sect:


    "Supreme Elder Herbert is ascending!"


    The news spread in the sect like fire, garnering excitement from everyone who heard it. It worked to motivate everyone to work harder in the hope they could turn into immortals themselves one day.


    "Elder Herbert, please go ahead."


    An old woman waved her hand and four outer disciples stepped forward with nervous expressions. They had never been so close to such important characters before, and now the room was packed with the peak existences of the sect. The outer disciples were the babysitters of the babies they were holding in their hands.


    The outer disciples ced the babies on nkets on the floor in front of the white-haired man sitting on the floor and retreated after a bow.


    "I will start the process. Please everyone, remain quiet and do not disturb my concentration."


    Herbert pulled one baby toward him and ced the tip of his finger on the baby''s forehead. He had already memorized the information about the baby''s body structure before breaking through; all elders at the peak of the ninth stage did. The 24-hour interval before ascending was too precious to spend it on memorizing.


    He channeled his Immortal Qi into the baby''s body slowly, strengthening every bone and fiber, when suddenly an unsettling plucking sound was heard, and the baby''s heart exploded when he tried to reinforce it.


    "Don''t worry, here''s the next one. Whenever you''re ready," The old woman ced the next baby in front of Herbert. The first and the second babies always died. The third one almost always died, while the fourth baby usually died.


    Herbert nodded and began working again, changing a few things he learned from his previous attempt. He managed toplete the body-strengthening process sessfully and even awaken the girl''s dantian and meridians.


    "Huh¡­ she is dead, I did something wrong at the soul-strengthening process¡­" he heaved out a sigh and pushed away the baby''s corpse gently.


    "It''s ok, Elder Herbert. Please try-"


    "AAAHHHH!"


    A baby''s crying scream cut off the old woman, and everyone sent surprised stares at the baby that was pronounced dead a moment ago.


    "She''s alive? Quickly, check her stage!" One elder shouted at the old woman who was caught unguarded. She hurriedly ced her hand on the baby''s chest and checked.


    "She''s at the peak of the third stage, it''s a sess!"


    "I shall name her Vivienne," Herbert said with a smile. He was one of the only elders in the history of the sect to seed at his second attempt, making him quite satisfied. For the asion, he named the girl himself.


    "Quick, take her to rest. If anything happens to her, even the heads of your whole family won''t be enough to make up for it." The old woman called the girl''s babysitter who trembled in his ce from the direct threat. He quickly raised the girl in maximum cautiousness and walked away.


    Herbert''s ego took a blow when he killed the third baby at the Soul Strengthening stage, but everyone was satisfied with his second sess. Enhancing two babies out of four was a rare achievement.


    --------------


    The young Vivienne was raised with utmost care her whole life. During her infancy, there was always a fourth-stage disciple watching over her, making sure no ident could ever happen.


    When she reached her young childhood, she was taken to the Ashford n which hired the best tutors for the young girl. Her brain was enhanced, allowing her to learn everything quickly. She learned to read within months once she started, and by the age of five, she could do everything a normal 10-year-old could.


    However, she faced endless expectations. She was next taught basic hand-to-handbat, andter they tried to teach her how to fight using different weapons to find her preference and aptitude. Eventually, she always preferred fighting using only pure elements without a weapon.


    Sometimes, she''d create weapons like knives, arrows, and whips with her techniques, but they never received a meaning in her mind, and she never gained an affinity with them.


    ''I''m tired of all this training and learning. I just want to sleep¡­'' Vivienne muttered dejectedly as she was walking slowly to the next lesson.


    "Say, who''s statue is that, and what''s the big stone next to it?" She asked her servant once about a famous site in their sect.


    "It''s the sect founder. The stone b was written by him, and it''d said to contain a special kind of inheritance, but nobody ever got it."


    "Hmm, is that so?" She took a closer look at the stone b in interest.


    When Vivienne was eight, she was ready to break through to the next stage, while the other boy with a cultivation body was still behind. She enjoyed preferential treatment thanks to it while the other boy was getting harsh treatment because of her. They soon came to dislike one another, mainly because of the boy''s jealousy.


    The sect encouraged them to make friends with each other, but when Vivienne turned 10, the two decided to never talk to each other again.


    Thanks to the special treatment she enjoyed, she soon turned into quite the spoiled princess. During missions, she''d force her bodyguards to kill her targets in her stead whenever she thought the elders did not watch, and she never agreed to participate in the messy parts like skinning the beasts they hunted or even just cooking.


    ''The Sleepy Princess'' was the nickname she received from her servants behind her back. The Ashford tried to pressure her into working harder, but they were not too strict as long as she remained above the other boy who served as a point ofparison, and she always did.


    With this attitude, she grew up leisurely until she was sixteen, and a boy called Felix Ashford, hailed as the best natural genius of the Ashford n in decades, set his eyes on her.

 Chapter 253 253 – Vivienne’s Life 2/2

    <h4>Chapter 253 Chapter 253 ¨C Vivienne''s Life 2/2</h4>


    "Fairy, are you Vivienne?"


    It was Ashford''s first sentence when he saw the beautiful and gentle-looking girl. She was lying under the sun, enjoying the rays of heat during the winter. He was smitten right there.


    "Yes, who are you?" Vivienne opened her eyes and shaded them with a palm while she got used to the light after opening her eyes. She found a handsome redhead crouching nearby.


    "I''m Felix Ashford. I was tasked with taking you on a mission with me to help you umte some experience and merit."


    He did not like the idea of babysitting a 16-year-old girl at first, but now he loved it. He already had designs on the young girl. Her gentleness and beauty captured his heart.


    ''Ah, another idiot that came to bother me.'' Vivienne thought to herself while smiling politely.


    "What kind of mission?"


    "We are going to collect some herbs. It will help you to learn to tell edible things apart from poisonous ones, as well as where to find all kinds of herbs when you are out on a journey and need to survive on your own."


    He had already decided to make the mission longer than it should be.


    "Do you have a mission token and Grandfather''s handwritten orders?" She asked with a shred of hope that he didn''t. It was her policy since a few years ago; she managed to dy quite some missions with this excuse, iming that she was just cautious of people with ill intentions.


    It was pure crap, as nobody would dare enter the Ashford n''s territory and pull off something that''d harm any of their descendants, let alone a treasure of the whole sect like Vivienne. But since this was the formal procedure, theyplied with her wishes.


    Unfortunately, it stopped workingtely.


    "Of course, I know you strictly adhere to the formal procedure, so I''vee prepared." Felix pulled out a mission token and a handwritten order from Vivienne''s adoptive grandfather out of his storage ring. The grandfather was the one directly in charge of her well-being, so his responsibilities were that of a parent.


    "Ah, all right. We can go out in three days. I must prepare and deal with a few things beforehand."


    "Of course. I wille to pick you up in 72 hours then."


    "Ah, you don''t have to be so punctual."


    --------------


    From that point on, Felix often came to visit Vivienne. The n supported him with all their might, hoping to see this marriage through. The seeds with the cultivation body had their whole constitution changed, meaning even their babies would have better genes than normal.


    While the most effective thing would be to marry the sect seeds to one another, the elite ns would never agree to that. It''d result in opening a new elite n of superior beings, which would be a great threat to their superiority in the sect. By taking the sect seeds into their ns, they''d enhance their future generations instead.


    Vivienne always tried to reject his advances but to no avail. The n always arranged for them missions together, or seated them next to one another in formal events of the n or the sect.


    "You''re turning more beautiful with every day that passes, Sleepy Princess," Felix tried to flirt with a tease as the two set out on another mission together.


    ''Prick.''


    Slowly, Vivienne''snguage turned ruder in her mind while she forced out smiles every day. She felt frustrated by the n''s pressure on her to ept Felix, but she was always loyal to her n despite herziness.


    She was never bothered by herck of friends, as she counted her servants and bodyguards as ones. Thus, she never noticed that the other descendants of elite ns never tried to approach her beyond a few polite words, referring to her always only as the "sect seed".


    At least not until that fateful day when a cor was ced around her neck, and a certain red-eyed kid poisoned her mind with a few words.


    Now, 27 years after being strengthened and 28 years after being born, Vivienne suddenly noticed she had no true friends in the sect other than one horny man over 40 years old than her.


    ''If they treat me well only to use me, does it mean they won''t let me ascend? After all, I might be able to ascend before I even turn 300 or 400, wouldn''t it waste their resources?''


    Vivienne pondered while eating some grapes a servant brought her. Losing some of her trust in the n, for the first time since he began wooing her twelve years ago, she refused to meet Felix in the next three months since they left the secret realm.


    Only now, after recurring requests from her grandfather, she met him again.


    ''I wonder, what the Devil''s Heir''s intentions are by telling me these things. Did he just want to reduce the chances I betray him, or to weaken the sect by taking away a sect''s seed? But I''m a single person. Even if I turn against them, their power wouldn''t be shaken enough even to drop a single rank in the sect''s ranking.''


    She did not know what to feel toward her captor. She understood that they were enemies because of her origins, so he had to either make her submit or kill her, hence, she didn''t me him for his actions. She was still bitter about it, but he didn''t add any troublesome tasks as long as he wasn''t in any danger, which she felt grateful for.


    ''Why did he evene to challenge the Four Seasons Sect in the first ce? Did he go mad for some reason? Why would an individual make a top 5 sect their enemies? Oh well, whatever, let''s rx until I have to save him from his stupidity.''


    Vivienne was not sure why, but she felt a strange urge to protect Ken from her sect. She reclined back in bed and thought of a n for what to do in case Ken was to be captured and needed her help.

 Chapter 254 254 – Alaric And Tiara At The Serene Lotus Sect

    ?


    Three months ago in the Serene Lotus Sect:


    "Wee to our sect. Follow me, I will get you to the inner sect''s area and have someone show you around. I know that you''re friends with the kid Elmer likes, so you can start as inner disciples, but to be core disciples you''ll have to disy your talents and be at the top."


    "Thank you, Elder Theodore."


    ric and Tiara bowed to the elder and followed him out of the airship. The two felt somewhat worried about entering a new ce without having anyone to rely on. Tiara was used to having her n behind her while ric was used to having a master that cared for him.


    The three arrived at the inner court, and soon a disciple wearing green robes appeared after Theodore called for him using amunication token.


    "Hello, Young Brother, Young Sister. I''m Liam, I was instructed to show you around the sect." The man cupped his fist and smiled amiably.


    "Hello, Senior Brother, I''m Tiara."


    "Hello, Senior Brother, I''m ric."


    Liam showed them around, starting with their new residence. Because of their different sexes, they were ced in different houses, each sharing a room with 3 other disciples from the same gender.


    "Do the ranked disciples have better houses?"


    "Yes. How old are you?"


    "I''m 28 years old."


    "30."


    "Well, the top 1000 share a room with only a single roommate while the top 500 have a house of their own. You get better amodation for being in the top 100 or top 20, and the top 10 get the best treatment."


    The man exined shortly the hierarchy while he showed them the way to the Mission Hall.


    "Do you havemoners in the top 10?" ric asked in surprise when he heard the top 10 got houses. He was amoner himself, but he was a special case since he was raised by an elder as an inheritor, which helped him get as many resources as an elite descendant would.


    "Commoners? Oh¡­ right, youe from a different sect. Here, there''s only one elite family at the top, and they ensure that all of us have equal opportunities to get stronger as long as we have the correct talent and resolve. Make sure to remember the name of the leaders, it''s the Stormborn family."


    ric and Tiara exchanged surprised looks before asking the questions on their minds.


    "How can they stop the elders from forming their own elite ns? I can''t believe so many elders belong to their family in the first-ranked sect of the continent," ric asked.


    "The elders and the Stormborn family have an agreement to keep it that way. Obviously, the offspring of elders enjoy more resources, but they don''t own or control the resources of the sect like in other sects. That''s why we are ranked first, we don''t oppress talents here. Even the Stormborn family is rather small and does not have branches."


    "Doesn''t it grow with time?"


    "It does not because of the agreement. Each Patriarch and Matriarch can only have two children and there are a few other rules that prevent them from expanding too much."


    "Interesting."


    "Senior Brother, what''s your rank?" Tiara asked, always ready to see if anyone was worth being used or not.


    "I''m unranked."


    "Oh. ric, let''s go back and discuss our future here," Tiara lost any interest in Liam instantly.


    The pair thanked their senior onest time and headed to the small courtyard of ric''s house. He had to share it with his three roommates, but they were not there at the moment.


    "We have enough resources to cultivate for a few years, but we would get bad names if we can''t enter the top 1000. However, how can wepete with the cultivators who are almost 40 years old and got to the fifth stage already?"


    Tiara raised their problem. In the Phoenix Feather Sect, the ranking was between age 25 to 40, so only those at the peak of the fourth stage could enter the ranking. As for the top 50, all spots were taken by fifth-stage cultivators. Here, in the Serene Lotus Sect, the whole top 1000 might be taken by them.


    "Huh? It does not matter. Their stage will be suppressed to the peak of the fourth stage by the formations in the arena," ric said in a confused tone.


    "There is such a thing?"


    "Of course, didn''t you have it in your former sect? It''s the standard in the Divine Sword Sect. I thought it was the same everywhere. The sect paid the masters from the Infinite Wisdom Sect."


    "I guess that''s a top 5 sect for you. We were both among the strongest core disciples of our sects, so we should rank high among inner disciples. But let''s first learn our inheritances instead of wasting our time on challenges."


    "That sounds good. There are some interesting techniques that Team Leader had made for me. Unfortunately, I need to buy a new weapon to use most of the inheritance."


    Tiara looked at ric in surprise when he mentioned needing a new weapon. They both purchased a seven-grade weapon at the Labyrinth of Blood in the secret realm with the BP they earned by ughtering the various groups in the final room.


    "You will see, it''s interesting. I just need a lot of practice first." ric smiled, prompting an indifferent shrug from the ice princess.


    The two of them spent the next three months training diligently every day, practicing their new techniques. Since Ken created everything based on their existing techniques, they didn''t start from zero, and they were both talented youths.


    They''d train by themselves six days a week, and spar at the weekend, trying to help each other digest their gains and improvements.


    "You barely use your Sound Qi. I thought it was one of your main powers."


    "It is, but it is quite irrelevant now until I can control the inheritance well. I can''t bring out its true power with a spear."


    "Aren''t you in trouble if you need a new weapon? You don''t have that Qi."


    "It''s fine, I don''t need a new type of Qi for it."


    "I see."

 Chapter 255 255 – Alaric and Tiara in the Arena

    <h4>Chapter 255 Chapter 255 ¨C ric and Tiara in the Arena</h4>


    *Dong!*


    A strong ng was heard and a few ice shards blew up near ric''s spear. He charged forward, his legs leaving a trace of lighting as he thrust his spear to attack Tiara.


    The young woman did not falter. Ayer of ice covered the whole area nearby, and she began skating in a graceful dance with her saber. ric, doing his best to keep his bnce, had to slow down and support himself with Lightning Qi to remain standing, and he barely held back the deadly saber with his spear while being pushed backward.


    Thumping the butt of his spear against the ground, a strong vibration passed through the ice, making it shatter. Tiara tried to recast her iceyer, but the sound had echoes that continued breaking the newyers even after the first sound was over.


    "It had been a good spar as always," ric said while bringing water out of his storage ring when they finished their match.


    "You too," Tiara was never a woman of many words, not even after getting closer to someone.


    "I''ve been wondering, why does your fighting style resemble a dance so much? Wouldn''t you be able to defeat me if you used more efficient moves?"


    "Hmm, I wonder, I know you''re holding back yourself," Tiara refused to borate beyond that. "I think it''s time we go and make a name for ourselves here," she quickly changed the subject.


    "True. It''d be better if we could prepare the ce for Team Leader. It''d be embarrassing if hees here and finds out we''re still at the bottom rung."


    The pair were on friendlier terms now after 3 months of practicing together. At first, Tiara was indifferent and aloof like always, but now she opened her mouth much more often than before, even if not enough to call her talkative.


    As for ric, he always regarded her as a backstabber that Ken was mistaken to recruit, but he was also warming up to her now.


    They walked to the Hall of Glory to issue their challenges.


    "Hello, how may I help?"


    "We want to challenge the two highest-ranked disciples we can."


    ric spoke for them, aware of Tiara''s dislike for talking. The receptionist at the counter scanned their discipleship tokens before giving them her answer.


    "I see you''re still unranked, so you can only challenge those between rank 901 to 1000. Would you like to challenge ranks 901 and 902? I''d rmend searching for information about them first, maybe you could find more suitable opponents."


    "No need, please issue a challenge against them. It doesn''t matter who gets which."


    "Sure. If you win, you can challenge the people ranked between 801-900, and so on."


    The receptionist finished registering the challenge and handed them their tokens back.


    "You will be notified of the time for your challenge, it will be within 6 days. The challenged disciple has 3 days to answer the challenge and then can pick any date and time he wants within 3 days from the answer."


    ------------


    "Good luck," ric sent off Tiara to the arena. She was fighting first, and her opponent was a man in the lower fifth stage. When the match began, a formation was activated, suppressing the man''s nascent soulpletely, making it impossible to use.


    ''So he still has the advantage of having his soul nourishing his body,'' Tiara thought to herself. Even if he couldn''t use the advantage of executing multiple techniques simultaneously nor could he absorb Qi faster, the nascent soul nourished the cultivator''s body all the time, making it more powerful than a fourth-stage cultivator''s body.


    "Tiara cier vs. Toman Anderson, begin!"


    "Be careful, Junior Sister." Toman''s polite words were met with a silent nod from Tiara.


    Tiara drew out her saber and charged at the man who weed her with two swords in his hands. She swung her saber down in a beautiful arc, and her opponent responded by raising a sword above his head, blocking the saber.


    A wave of Ice Qi was sent to freeze his body, and he deflected it away with his Sword Qi, but the force behind the strike sent him stumbling back. He was caught unprepared; he believed he''d be able to block her strike with a single arm and use the other sword to retaliate, but her strength proved to be equal to his or higher despite her stage.


    ''Ken''s pills do work miracles,'' Tiara thought to herself. She enhanced her cultivation and foundation with Ken''s manuals and pills, turning her significantly stronger than three months ago.


    Tiara charged forward and thrust her saber before Toman could regain his footing, and this time, Toman blocked it with both swords. With the momentum gained from the sh, she then performed a captivating pirouette with her bare hand reaching forward.


    The crowd watched in surprise, expecting Toman to easily block it with his sword and cut the woman''s hand off, but surprisingly, the man watched the palme his way silently, epting the p without resistance.


    *SLAP*


    The sound reverberated in the arena, and the man''s face froze instantly, leaving him unable to think and react. Tiara''s saber was soon ced on his neck, and he had to surrender.


    "Winner, Tiara cier!"


    The judge, just as surprised as everyone else at the weird development, announced her victory. The crowd was not sure why Toman could not react at thest moment.


    "It was beautiful, I lost my breath for a moment. Good luck in the future, Junior Sister." Toman bowed slightly with his fist cupped and stepped out of the arena.


    "Thank you for going easy on me." She spared him a few polite words this time before leaving. Even if she didn''t like to speak, she wasn''t a dense woman who could not say a few polite words to prevent useless enmities in the future.


    "Howe he did not react to thatst p?" ric asked curiously. He also noticed his reactions were slower when he fought against the ice princess and wondered if she had a way to chill them with her Ice Qi without them noticing.


    "He''s a man, maybe he was busy looking at the wrong ces." Aware of ric''s observation, Tiara teased the righteous man, prompting a snort in response.


    "I''m going now, wish me luck."


    "Defeat her with skill."


    ric rolled his eyes and stepped into the arena with a light jump, his spear ready in his hand.


    "ric Sonora vs. Rikka Reno, Fight!"


    He looked at his opponent, a burly woman with shredded muscles and shoulder-length orange hair.


    "Please go easy on me, Senior Sister," he said politely.


    "Be careful."


    The two charged against each other, and ric soon felt a strong headache when the woman pulled out two daggers and tried to slit his throat. He retreated, unsure how to deal with the weird circumstances.


    ''I should''ve asked for the information instead of being overconfident. There are too many strange Qi types in this sect,'' he mused bitterly as he tried to burn whatever was affecting his mind by coursing Lightning Qi throughout his flesh.


    "Junior Brother, you seem confused. Maybe you didn''t gather information about my abilities before challenging me?" Rikka asked while rolling on the ground and trying to pierce his calf with her right dagger.


    He lifted his leg, using the butt of his spear as a staff to help push himself back faster. He did not bother to answer; since she already observed the situation correctly, he knew she''d capitalize on this advantage to the fullest. Only a fool would disclose their advantage. Besides, she was in the same situation.


    "AHH!"


    He shouted in rage, sending waves of Sound Qi straight to the woman''s ears. Everyone would take precautionary actions when facing a Sound Qi user, but she could not gather information about his Qi types ¨C he was new to the sect and had not fought in the arena before.


    "Argh!"


    She groaned in pain as blood leaked out of her ears. She was a Mind Qi user, and she did her best to block the sound waves from her brain, but the Qi was surprisingly overwhelming for a fourth-stage cultivator.


    ric felt his headache alleviated, and he rotated his spear quickly to pierce the woman''s side. She managed to deflect it with her dagger, but still disoriented from the shout a moment ago, she failed to react in time to the kick that followed. ric''s foot connected with her shin, causing her left leg to lose its grip on the floor.


    Unwilling to lose the chance to take down the kneeling opponent, he attacked. With a quick spin of his spear, the shaft hit Rikka''s chin and sent lightning into her head, making her lose consciousness momentarily.


    "Winner, ric Sonora!"


    This time, the crowd at least understood the flow of the fight and the way ric defeated his opponent.


    "Thank you for letting me win, Senior Sister." He cupped his fist and bowed before leaving.


    "You''re strong and talented. Good luck climbing the ranks."


    ric and Tiara left the arena together and headed to the Hall of Glory to issue their next challenges.


    "You still use your old spear. I thought you were supposed to switch your weapon?" Tiara asked with an intrigued tone.


    "You''re right, but I keep it secret for now to surprise youter. It''s not very well suited to one-versus-one fights anyway, at least not in my current stage."


    They both kept their lips sealed regarding the real secrets of their inheritances, each with another agenda in mind.


    "Well, maybe the top 10 can force you to reveal your secret moves. Anyway, let''s go and challenge the next opponents, we should get to the top 20 before Kenes here."


    "You''re right. I wonder when Team Leader will finally be here."

 Chapter 256 256 – Visitors of the Phoenix Feather Sect

    <h4>Chapter 256 Chapter 256 ¨C Visitors of the Phoenix Feather Sect</h4>


    "Teacher, how does this poison work?"


    Ken asked Typhon while looking at a certain jar with transparent liquid.


    "Hiya, you barely let me teach you the basics of fifth-rank Alchemy and keep asking me about poison instead. Don''t you have bad intentions there?"


    "You must be joking, Teacher. Can''t you see how young I am, how can a child have bad intentions? I''m only interested in the subject of poisons and antidotes."


    "Yeah, right. This poison is concocted from the venom I extracted from a sixth-rank emerald snake and a few other ingredients. The other key ingredient is the soul-transforming grass, which makes the venom target the soul instead of the physical body. The rest of the ingredients are just there to support these two ingredients and make the mixture stable."


    "I see. That''s an interesting concept, but it wouldn''t affect a seventh-stage cultivator," Ken remarked and put down the jar back to its ce.


    "You''re right, it won''t. I''m the one who invented it when I was a sixth-rank alchemist, so I keep a jar here as a trophy for my invention. It''s still good if you want to poison a sixth-stage cultivator or someone weaker than that."


    The Aspis n''s specialty was poison, and their alchemists had an inspiring variety of poison to offer. Ken thought the weekly lessons would only waste his time, but he found many interesting ''toys'' to y with during his stay.


    While he learned from a library of a better alchemist, it didn''t contain all the knowledge there was to learn about Alchemy, and Ken did not have time to read all the recipes avable. He had to focus on what could save him from the mind-control of the Residence of a Buddha and a Demon.


    "Let''s focus on today''s lesson, Kid." The elder tried to make Ken focus again with a sigh. He did not understand how a kid with the attention span of a fly coulde up with so many theories and practice Alchemy to the fourth rank at such an early age.


    However, before Ken could answer, something pulled their attention.


    "PHOENIX FEATHER SECT, HAND OVER KEN SUE TO THE FOUR SEASONS SECT."


    A loud shout resounded in the whole base of the Phoenix Feather Sect. Ken looked up instinctively, but the ceiling blocked his view.


    Thousands of disciples left their houses, looking around them in confusion. Ken and Typhon were not any different, and the two went out of the elder''s house to have a look.


    While it might be smarter for Ken to hide, he knew it''d ultimately depend on the sect''s decision. If they wanted to turn him in, hiding in their territory would be anything but helpful, and if they didn''t want to turn him in, the Four Seasons Sect would have to gather a whole army first tounch an all-out attack.


    He didn''t worry that theing elders would try to snatch him and run away; a few of them would die in the process, and no matter how much they hated him, it wasn''t a price they were willing to pay for the life of a fourth-stage kid.


    "Are you afraid, or do you want me to take you there?"


    "Take me there."


    Typhon nodded and wrapped Ken with his Qi. He jumped into the air and appeared at the entrance to the sect within seconds. Upon their arrival, they could see outside a group of 30 people standing in the air and looking at a group of a dozen elders that stood at an equal height inside the sect''s territory.


    The smaller group continued growing as various elders stopped their cultivation and upations toe and see what one of the top 5 sects wanted.


    "Elder Ewan, it might be him. I didn''t see his face and the sect''s formations are twisting my Qi senses, but I never saw another child with these menacing red eyes," A woman bowed to the man at the head of the group and pointed at Ken.


    They were standing in half a circle outside the gate, and the woman was the second from the center. The man at the center nced toward Ken and spoke.


    "Are you Ken Sue?"


    "So what if I am?"


    "Insolent!" a second woman shouted at him for talking back.


    "Does the Four Seasons Sect think they can bully us as much as they want? State your business here."


    One elder from the Phoenix Feather Sect lost his patience and spoke up. The way the other sect looked down on them had annoyed all the elders present.


    "We want Ken Sue. He is a criminal wanted by our sect, and suspected to be an evil cultivator. He had murdered thousands of our disciples, please give him to us or risk antagonizing the Four Seasons Sect."


    The elder spoke with an overbearing tone. While his words seemed like a request at first, the threat in the end made it clear that he expected them to be obedient.


    "And you, what are your intentions ining to our sect?" The same elder from the Phoenix Feather Sect asked again.


    Only then Ken could see dozens of other figures appear in the sky a few hundred meters away from the group from the Four Seasons Sect.


    "Elder Murdo, we don''t have any bad intentions toward your sect. We were just curious about the rumors that the Devil''s Heir was here and wanted toe and have a look. Please don''t mind us."


    ''Hmm, the Serene Lotus Sect was indeed efficient in arranging spectators," Ken pondered.


    "The Devil''s Heir?" The elder raised an eyebrow. He did not understand what was going on and tried to connect the pieces together. A child from their sect was used of murdering thousands of disciples from a top sect, the other top sects seemed to know about the incident and gave Ken a nickname, and¡­ that''s all he knew.


    "Esteemed elders of the Four Seasons Sect, do you have any proof of what you just said?"


    "We only know that his red eyes, height, and prowess fit the description of the Devil''s Heir. Give him a truth pill and we will find out right now."


    There was a moment of silence, and Ken understood that the elders were conversing among themselves.


    "Give us some time to investigate and decide on the matter. If anyone enters without permission ¨C we will kill without mercy."


    The elders of the Four Seasons Sect distorted their faces in slight anger but couldn''t do anything about it. The real danger behind barging in was the formations that were inscribed all over the sect; attacking the base of a top 20 sect was almost suicidal, and even a top 5 sect couldn''t get away with it without significant losses.


    With a nod from the elder who spoke earlier, Typhon took Ken with him and the two disappeared. Looking around him, Ken found himself inside arge meeting hall with many elders seated by small tables on the ground and two men sitting on a small stage at the front.


    "I call a meeting of the grand elders and the supreme elders to decide what to do about this matter."


    After waiting a few seconds and seeing that nobody had any objection, the elder turned to Ken.


    "Hello Ken, I''m Murdo Sapiens, a supreme elder and a former sect master."


    "Ken Sue greets Supreme Elder Murdo," Ken bowed and cupped his fist. The other elders remained quiet, a gesture that meant they epted Murdo''s right to lead the meeting.


    "I want you to know that you have the sect behind you. But first, are their ims true?"


    Ken knew the first sentence was meant to calm him down, but it was by no means a true promise. If the sect was truly behind him, they''d make it clear to the elders from the Four Seasons Sect first.


    "It is partially true. I did kill thousands of their cultivators after one of them killed my two friends. I lost my sanity to grief and challenged all their four-stage cultivators to a duel. They sent them one by one, and I killed them all. However, I''m not an evil cultivator; all of my cultivation until that day stemmed from the manuals I found here in the Phoenix Feather Sect."


    "How did you get away with killing thousands of their disciples?" The elder asked. He already found value in Ken. He believed that the sect did not have a single core disciple that could replicate Ken''s achievement. He was unwilling to lose someone so promising.


    "A secret realm was opened¡­" Ken briefed them in short about the way the secret realm opened, omitting every detail he didn''t want them to know. He did not lie; he knew that these elders were out of his scope of understanding for now, and they might pick up any lies he tried to tell.


    "Are you willing to consume a truth drug and confirm everything you said was true?"


    "I am."


    "Take this then. Since you''re at the peak of the fourth stage and I can feel Alchemical Qiing out of you, this is a sixth-grade pill. I can''t be too careful in such a sensitive matter after all."


    Ken held back a smile while he took the pill without a hint of hesitation. As a sixth-rank alchemist, he understood exactly how to iste the energy from the pill, practically resisting its effect and eventually killing it off.


    "Did you lie to us or hide any information?"


    "No."


    "Is there anything else you think we might want to know or should know?"


    "No."


    "All right then. Before we vote, does anyone have anything to add or ask?"


    At that moment, many different elders stood up.

 Chapter 257 257 – Vote of the Grand Elders

    <h4>Chapter 257 Chapter 257 ¨C Vote of the Grand Elders</h4>


    "All right then. Before we vote, does anyone have anything to add or ask?"


    At that moment, many different elders stood up. The first one to talk was the representative of the Han n who hurried to take the chance to push Ken to his death.


    "Elder Murdo, I believe we should not be entangled in a war against a top 5 sect. Even if we make them pay, it wouldn''t change the fact we might take damage beyond repair, sending us out of the top 20 sects of the continent. We can im benefits andpensation and give them to the Sue n for their loss."


    He talked with a righteous tone, almost making everyone think that he had the best interest of the sect in his mind.


    "d Han! You think I don''t know that my nephew made your n lose some face and you''re trying to get back at him? Maybe I should learn from his example and kill some of your lousy family in a duel too."


    Fernando didn''t remain quiet at the aggression and made sure to exin to everyone present the situation between Ken and the Han n, making d''s point somewhat invalid and motivated by selfish reasons and petty revenge.


    Not all the elders knew about it; they had more important things to do than listen to news about quarrels between the young generation of the elite ns.


    "Enough, we understand the gist of the situation. Elder Fernando, does it mean you''re standing by your nephew''s side and want to protect him?" Supreme Elder Murdo stopped the argument before it escted.


    "Exactly."


    "Good, Elder Typhon, I see you stand by Disciple Ken''s side. Does it mean you''re rted?" He turned to Typhon next who was one of the elders that stood up when he asked if anyone wanted to add anything.


    "Yes, Elder Murdo. He is my student, I teach him weekly lessons in Alchemy. He is extremely talented in the field and has already submitted two theories that have been learned by all elders in the division. He is a priceless treasure to our division who could propel our sect in the science of Alchemy to new heights we did not dare dream of."


    "Surely you exaggerate the boy''s achievements?" Murdo asked dubiously.


    "I don''t. Brothers from the Alchemy division. I know we have our disagreements, but you all agree with me this time. We can''t give him up, his findings have already offered us with enough research materials for the next century. Who knows what else we might gain in the future?"


    Normally, Typhon Aspis was met with difficulties and suppression from the rest of the grand elders of the Alchemy division for being part of an elite n. The division used to be elite-free, but Typhon''s great-grandfather broke the silent agreement and started his own elite n when he reached the seventh rank as an alchemist.


    "I agree. Ken Sue is a valuable asset to our sect. I suspect that the Four Seasons Sect have heard of his merits and simply eyed him in their greed," another elder from the Alchemy division spoke up for Ken with a sigh. She would pay her whole savings to get amoner version of Ken, but unfortunately, there wasn''t such a person for sale.


    "I concur."


    "I concur."


    All grand elders spoke up for Ken. While they were only a single division, they had a great influence on the sect when all of them stood together to achieve amon goal.


    "What are you all talking about? We won''t have any Alchemy division to research his theories when the Four Seasons Sect burn us to the ground!" d argued with anger.


    "You''re just a dog that would roll over at anyone''smand. We are not afraid of them, and if we show a strong front, they won''t sacrifice that much for a fourth-stage cultivator!" Fernando replied.


    "I said enough. So far the Sue n and the Alchemy division support saving Ken. Anyone else?"


    "I also vote for saving Ken Sue. He had submitted new approaches to Formation Mastery and has given us enough research materials for quite some time as well. He is a genius with no second, and losing him would be a great setback to the sect as a whole."


    This time, Supreme Elder Zadkiel stood up and voiced his opinion. Ken''s hard work at acquiring allies now proved itself as so many elders took his side and refused to surrender him to his enemies.


    "Formation Mastery? As in he is both a formation master and an alchemist as a teenager?"


    "He is only nine, Elder Murdo." Fernando gave the news with a smug face.


    "I could sense a bit of Runic Qi, but I thought I was confusing it somehow. What are your respective ranks in these fields, Disciple Ken?"


    "I''m a fourth-rank alchemist and a fourth-rank formation master."


    "I see. You are the best of your generation in strength, Alchemy, and Formation Mastery. It''s impressive indeed. Does the rest of the Formation Mastery stand by Elder Zadkiel''s opinion?"


    "I concur."


    "I concur."


    The Geller n had a strong grasp over the Formation Mastery division and the Runology division, so all elders present from both divisions readily agreed without needing any further persuasion. Since they truly agreed and their leaders wanted them to agree, they did not have any reason to refute Zadkiel''s words.


    "I see. Anyone else?"


    "After hearing the elders'' arguments, I also support keeping Ken Sue safe for the benefit of our sect. If their words are true, we might be only second to the Infinite Wisdom Sect in Alchemy and Formation Mastery in a few thousand years."


    Ken looked at the man who spoke up for him. He was the only grand elder of a smaller elite n, and Ken recognized him as the father of one of Henry''s young-master followers.


    ''Henry''s hard work is bearing fruit,'' Ken mused to himself as he saw a few others stand up and agree with the man''s opinion.


    "I disagree. I share Elder d''s view on the topic. If we are attacked by the Four Seasons Sect, we will lose everything. It''s too risky. In fact, Ken Sue''s talent and prospects only increase the chances that they see him as worthy of their losses in their attempt to capture him."


    "Elder Maisie, would you go as far as dragging the whole sect down just so an elite family would not get more influence in the sect?" Fernando said with a mocking tone. Maisie was an elder hailing from amon background, and she was known for her fierce attempts to suppress the elite n''s influence at every chance.


    "I agree with Elder Maisie. It''s too risky."


    "I concur."


    A few more elders from Maisie''s faction in the sect agreed with him, and soon Ken found himself in a peril. Out of the 41 elders in the meeting, 21 had already voted against him, while 18 voted for him. There was one elder who did not speak yet, and Elder Murdo himself.


    "Elder Zion, what do you think?" Murdo asked the man who sat by his side on the small stage.


    ''It''s him¡­'' Ken thought in relief when he heard the man''s name.


    "Ken Sue not only is a talented young man who can propel our sect forward, but he is of a virtuous personality. In my absence, I heard he had taken a mission to defend the Soft Feather City from a beast tide and had gone out of his way to do everything in his capability to save themon locals. I vote to keep him safe, and I hope he will never lose his virtues in the future."


    Zion Sinir, the supreme elder born in the Soft Feather City. Ken had taken the mission to defend that city from a beast tide only to gain his support at this very moment, and it paid off.


    "With these many reasons to keep Ken within our sect, I believe it''s the right choice myself." Elder Murdo finally said his own opinion. He was still unsure what to decide before Elder Zion spoke, but hearing the elder''s opinion of Ken''s character was the icing on the cake, prompting him to ultimately support Ken himself.


    There was a reason why Murdo and Zion spokest. One was the leader of the meeting, and the other was one of the strongest supreme elders of the sect, which gave them a lot of influence. If they spoke first, they''d tilt everyone''s opinions before they could form them.


    "I did not know about Young Ken Sue''s righteous personality. Elder Zion has opened my eyes, and I would like to change my vote to support Ken."


    "The supreme elders have enlightened me¡­"


    A few others stood up and changed their decisions, supporting Ken. Maisie''s and d''s smug faces instantly turned sour at the unexpected development. At the end, 31 elders chose to stand by Ken''s side.


    "I conclude the meeting. The decision was made to support Ken Sue, and we all will show a united front when facing our enemies despite our disagreements. Remember, when there are external enemies, we must unite to remain at the top. Do not disclose any information that might harm the sect''s interests, or else you will be dered traitors and be hunted down by the sect."


    "Yes, Elder Murdo." Everyone cupped their fists and bowed. Murdo''sst warning was meant for those who lost the vote, telling them not to be smart-asses that undermine the sect covertly.


    Everyone who participated in the meeting stepped outside to meet with the waiting cultivators.


    "Elder Angus, we apologize, but we must decline your request to surrender Ken Sue. While his outer description might fit, we believe it must be ill rumors spread by our enemies. Otherwise, how would a disciple of our sect stand a chance against the top disciples of the Four Seasons Sect, and how would they enter your territory?"


    "Murdo, are you trying to y smart with me? We know he was there." Angus, the leader of the visitors from the Four Seasons Sect spoke coldly.


    "But Angus, wasn''t the Devil''s Heir from the Divine Sword Sect? Are you implying one of their most promising disciples went rogue and joined a sect out of the top 5?" A certain troublemaker popped out of nowhere, and everyone recognized him as Elmer, an elder from the Serene Lotus Sect.

 Chapter 258 258 – War Breaks Out

    <h4>Chapter 258 Chapter 258 ¨C War Breaks Out</h4>


    "Elmer, why are you intervening?" Angus said while furrowing his eyebrows. Things started to click in his mind as he turned suspicious. He never understood how Ken slipped under their nose when the secret realm closed, but it might be possible if the Serene Lotus Sect was behind it.


    "I was just wondering if you were implying that the Divine Sword Sect used other sects to fight their war against you. After all, Ken Sue must be part of one of the biggest ns of the Phoenix Feather Sect, the Sue n, and can''t originate from the Divine Sword Sect."


    "We have never done that. I''m afraid that the Four Seasons Sect only uses this ruse to bully a weaker sect into submission. I wonder what made them target a random boy."


    Once Elmer said it out loud, an elder from the Divine Sword Sect stepped forward and spoke up, unwilling to let Angus tarnish their good name.


    "Maybe he was adopted by the Sue n or maybe we are wrong. We will know once you let us question him thoroughly." Angus did not badge in and demanded Ken to be handed over.


    "We will not surrender our innocent disciples or else everyone would bully us in the Verdant Qi continent, and none of our disciples would feel safe anymore. If you want to take him,e and do it by force." The elders of the Phoenix Feather Sect all vanished and reappeared at the same height as Angus.


    "Is that the final decision of your Phoenix Feather Sect?"


    "It is."


    "I hope you don''t regret itter then. Everyone, we are leaving."


    "Wait!" Elmer shouted, making everyone look at him again. They all knew that the Serene Lotus Sect loved stabbing others in the back and weakening everyone else. Nobody knew that they even sent disciples disguised as members of the Divine Sword Sect and the Four Seasons Sect to kill the real disciples of those two sects during the sects'' war, but it was typical.


    "What is it, Elmer?"


    "As the leading sect of the continent, we won''t allow bullying and murdering the weak. We are righteous cultivators, and I believe I speak on behalf of everyone here that we will not allow evil actions in our Verdant Qi continent. You must adhere to the standards of the top 20 sects and agree on rules for your war to prevent needless massacres. Otherwise, we will see it as an evil scheme to murder innocents; your reason for the war is already dubious as it is."


    "I agree. Is the Four Seasons Sect so strong they think they can take over new territories without repercussions?" The cultivators present from the Divine Sword Sect spoke next.


    "I think the same as Elder Elmer," next were those from the Infinite Wisdom Sect.


    "Clear the mind and find your inner truth."


    "I think the Peaceful Demon Sect also agrees with me," Elmer tried to trante the monk''s words. He was quite satisfied with the development so far. Ken''s n worked well, and now the only hardship was to keep the kid safe.


    "Fine. There''s no need to open an all-out war over one person. How about we each send an elder for a duel, and the winner gets Ken?" Angus said with a straight face. Murdo would never agree to this arrangement. They''d lose such a bet at least 9 out of every 10 times.


    "We disagree. We want the same rules as you have done with the Divine Sword Sect. You can send your disciples here, and they may fight their peers from the same stage."


    While it didn''t eliminate the Four Seasons Sect''s advantage of having higher quality cultivators, as long as it happened in the territory of the Phoenix Feather Sect, thetter would have the advantage of numbers. There was a limit to how many disciples the Four Seasons Sect could deploy; they still had to manage their own territories.


    "Good, good. Have it your way then. The war zone will be every centimeter in the territory controlled by the Phoenix Feather Sect. Remember that you''ve brought this disaster upon yourselves. I will show my magnanimity and allow you to surrender whenever you want."


    While everyone left, Ken turned to Elder Typhon, "Won''t they deploy forces of other sects as they had done against the Divine Sword Sect?" he asked.


    "They won''t. The other top sects would unveil it when done against a rtively low-ranked sect and they''d lose too much face. Besides, they had paid a lot of resources to the sects they hired. It''s not something they can afford every day."


    -----------


    Two weeks passed, and airships from the Four Seasons Sect starteding to the border of the sect''s territory. The disciples wouldnd there and walk inside on foot. Some entered the desert, some preferred the mountains, while others lurked in the forest. There were also those waiting at the route toward the central zone.


    Nobody went to attack the disciples of the branch sects. It''d be considered too petty, and their sect would lose face.


    Missions to kill the ck-wearing disciples were issued all over the sect, and battles urred everywhere.


    Ken made another significant contribution, supplying the sect with an improved Concealment pill recipe, allowing the disciples of the fourth stage to have the upper hand in the battles. Since the Four Seasons Sect wanted to pressure them on all levels, they sent disciples from all stages.


    The elders rarely shed; the Four Seasons Sect only sent enough of them to stop the other sect from winning, but not enough to win themselves. The pressure from the Divine Sword Sect and the Serene Lotus Sect forced them to leave many elders at home.


    Ken''s name as the one who caused the war turned famous, and everyone in the sect got to know the prodigy whom they were getting killed for. Some supported him while others med and hated him, but he never cared.


    He himself never left the sect to fight, as the sect did not want to risk the very reason they went to war.


    ''This chaos is what I was looking for, now nobody will notice if my parents slip out of the sect''s territory,'' Ken mused to himself as he walked among the injured disciples that came back crippled and maimed from the war, giving them some pills to alleviate their conditions.


    He was a real saint.


    ------------


    "Young Master, Henry still didn''te back, aren''t you worried he might have got himself killed by the Four Seasons Sect''s disciples?"


    Ken was sitting at home, eating lunch with Soleil. The maid peeked at him curiously to see his reaction but only got a shrug in response.


    "I asked him to perform a few additional tasks this time so he might take a while to return. There''s no need to worry, he could fight a peak fifth-stage cultivator when he was still at the lower phase, and now he advanced to the intermediate phase of his stage. Even if he is surrounded, he should at least be able to run away."


    Ken normally wouldn''t tell her that much, but he knew that soon the threat of leaking information would be gone. She was already exposed to too much information because of her role as an information hub.


    Every now and then Henry went out to y a few enemies before returning, as it was mandatory for the ranked disciples. He didn''t kill more than he had to since he didn''t want to appear too outstanding. This time, Ken sent the monk on another mission other than killing enemy disciples in the war, so he was taking longer to return.


    The war acted as the best cover for Henry''s movements, and nobody had time to watch over a random inner disciple in the current circumstances.


    Ken was sure that the blind monk was safe; not only did Henry advance to the intermediate phase since theyst fought side by side in the central zone, but he also enjoyed Ken''s pills for months and practiced an overpowered inheritance alongside Ken.


    If they had a rematch against the 10 inner disciples from back then, Henry would be able to take them all on by himself this time. The only problem was that those 10 had already died.


    ''I should meet with that spy from the Serene Lotus Sect and see if Elmer got any ns to get me out of here. Unfortunately, I can''t orchestrate the whole y by myself when there are so many cultivators at the Supremacy Phase involved.''


    Ken pondered to himself as he finished eating his meal. It has been 2 months since the war began, and his Nascent Soul kept growing at tremendous speed thanks to his renewed Godly Qi. He also made great progress in his Runology proficiency.


    "Hey, Soleil,e over for a moment. Try this new ne I created, it''s one of my first sessfully inscribed items."


    Ken gestured to Soleil to get closer, and the excited maid stepped forward.


    "Aww, Young Master, so you do know how to treat ady! Let me see- wait, what''s that?" Soleil stopped her sentence midway when Ken took out a ne that suspiciously resembled a cor.


    "It''s a new trend I want to start, I thought it''d look good. I call it gothic style, try it on."


    "What are its effects?" She asked worriedly.


    "You''ll see, it will help you do your job and be a better maid and subordinate," Ken reassured her with vague words.


    Soleil swallowed her saliva in worry but knew she had no choice but to wear the cor her young master presented her with.

 Chapter 259 259 – Ken’s Activity During the War

    <h4>Chapter 259 Chapter 259 ¨C Ken''s Activity During the War</h4>


    Soleil swallowed her saliva in worry but knew she had no choice but to wear the cor her young master presented her with. Although she was yful in nature, she feared Ken, and he made sure she would keep a bnce between happiness and fear. Heaven when she''s on his good side, and hell when she''s on his bad side.


    Taking the ''gothic-style ne'', she closed it around her neck, and the runes on it glowed for a moment.


    "AHHHH!"


    Pain assaulted her head for a few seconds, and she screamed in panic as she grabbed her temples with both hands and her green eyes turned bloodshot.


    ''Oh, it seems much more violent than what Vivienne experienced. I guess manufacturing a fourth-grade cor based on a sixth-grade one is harder than I thought,'' Ken mused as he watched the scene take ce with a calm expression.


    After 20 seconds, the pain finally subsided, and the young maid breathed heavily while looking at Ken in horror and confusion, her body drenched in sweat.


    "I guess you want to ask what this ne is. I like to call it a subordinate cor, but someone else told me it was also known as a ''ve cor''. It practically forces you to obey mymands or you will suffer from a strong headache and eventually death. Your first orders will be to never tell anyone about this cor, never disclose information you hear or learn in some way from me or Henry to others, and never do anything that might cause me troubleter on."


    Ken continued with a series ofmands that epassed all types of betrayals he could think of, and all Soleil could do was remain on her knees on the floor and tremble as she bit her lips and listened. When she heard thestmand, she burst out immediately, terrified.


    "Please, Young Master, have mercy! I will be forever loyal to you!"


    "Don''t bother me about thosemands."


    "AHHHH!" Soleil screamed in pain when she tried to continue despite the direct order to stop.


    "Do a good job and I might change my opinion," Ken threw her a bone. His belief was that anyone needed a shred of hope to care.


    Ken freed his leg from her grip and left the house while his thoughts returned to his nascent soul. While normal cultivators took at least a decade to form it, he managed to shorten the time he needed considerably despite making his manual ridiculously long and specific for maximum benefits.


    He stopped his stroll in front of a certain stall managed by an inner disciple of the sect.


    "Hello Tony, I see your pills are just as shiny as always," Ken smiled as he looked at the dull-looking pills. Tony was the spy from the Serene Lotus Sect, and it was their code for dering that the interaction was safe and notpelled by a foreign force.


    "Thank you, Young Master Sue. That''s great, I meant to find you myself if you didn''te. I have some news for you. Some inner disciples were coerced into assassinating you by different means. Most have their families hostage in the Four Seasons Sect''s territory," Tony moved on to give Ken more details about the situation.


    "Thank you for the warning. I also need a few preparations done for the near future."


    Ken began to tell the man what he needed from him. Everything was already set in motion, and he needed the Serene Lotus Sect to add the final touch with their greater strength.


    ----------


    "Argh," Ken groaned in pain and spat out a little bit of blood from light internal injuries. He got up and brandished his sword, ready for another sh against his great uncle.


    "That''s enough for today. Yourprehension abilities are amazing. I think you might develop intent before long if we continue. I hope you don''t ck in your training outside our weekly sessions."


    Fernando sent his sword back to his storage ring and Ken swallowed a healing pill to mend his wounds. Every time they''d train together, Fernando held back as least as possible, unwilling to waste his precious time by going easy on Ken.


    "Of course not. Thank you for your tutorship, Uncle," Ken bowed and cupped his fist. He indeed neglected his sword training outside his weekly training sessions with the elder and the few spars he had against Henry. Thanks to his perfect memory, his proficiency never regressed from one session to another, so Fernando neverined.


    "Do you have anything you need?" Fernando asked when he saw that Ken did not leave at the end of the session but remained instead.


    "Yes, Uncle. I''ve developed a very keen sense of danger, and I feel like I''ve been watchedtely. I think I might be targeted by someone. Maybe a traitor who doesn''t support going to war against me or a spy from the Four Seasons Sect. Although I trust my bodyguards, they''re only at the fifth stage, and might not be enough now during times of war."


    Ken observed the elder''s expression at the mention of spies but saw no surprise.


    "Hmm, it is indeed possible. We all believe that the top 5 sects have spies in the weaker sects, including ours. What n did you have in mind?"


    Fernando never treated Ken as a child. He held him in high regard and respected his opinion, thus, he assumed that Ken already had a solution since he brought it up.


    "Our n specializes in Darkness Qi, meaning our cultivators are best at hiding. I suggest disguising me and sneaking me out of the sect''s base to a secret ce where I won''t be found until I break through to the next stage. I won''t be safe from their spies even with sixth-rank bodyguards while the elders are too valuable to protect me all day long. They are already spread thin as it is."


    "That''s also true¡­ I will consider it and see if that''s an option. For now, I think you can be safe within the n''s territory. Why does it matter if you break through to the next stage?"


    "I''m sure that no spy would be able to take me down swiftly enough inside the sect once I form my nascent soul. By the time they managed to defeat me, I''d already gotten help from the sect, unless the spy is in the seventh stage."


    Fernando shook his head to deny that option right away.


    "The sect doesn''t let anyone they don''t trust in 100 percent to have enough resources to break through to the seventh stage. I''m sure none of the elders are spies."


    "I see, that makes sense. The elders are the pirs of our sect. Uncle, I will only be willing to go with you and Grandfather. You''re the only ones I know well enough to trust."


    "Do you suspect your own family?" Fernando asked with a strict tone.


    "Yes," Ken shrugged.


    ---------


    ''Medical Hall.'' A sign marked the building Ken entered a few minutes ago. Since he didn''t participate in the war himself, he visited the ce every other day for a couple of hours to treat wounded disciples. This way, he could help the general opinion about him be more positive, making the disciples less unwilling to battle for his sake.


    Ken channeled his Qi into the meridians and flesh of an unconscious disciple after feeding her with a healing pill. His cold palm touched the center of her chest and guided the medicinal Qi from the pill inside her body in the absence of a conscious effort from the body''s owner. Her wounds were closing rapidly until her breath turned even and stabilized.


    "Thank you, Young Master. You''ve saved many lives of our disciples."


    One of the staff thanked him with a bow. Although Ken only worked two hours, his pace was much faster than any other fourth-rank alchemist. The alchemists worked as healers during both routine and war since the Alchemical Qi was one of the greatest benefits. At war, many left their studies and joined the healers to support the sect.


    "No problem, it''s the least I can do for those loyal to the sect. Only by bonding together, we can resist overbearing forces that want to humiliate us."


    Everyone looked at him with mixed feelings as he turned around to face them at the exit, bowed to his fellow disciples, and left the Medical Hall. His bodyguards, Max and Jake, shadowed him from behind as always; they never let him out of their sight ever since his conversation with Grand Elder Fernando.


    ''Hmm, Tony''s warning still didn''t ur. Maybe next time¡­''


    Ken sighed in dissatisfaction. He disliked having to wait for the Four Seasons Sect to make their move.


    -----------


    ''Medical Hall.''


    Ken stood outside the familiar building once more. He had been there dozens of times already since the war began. He entered the ce and scanned the patients on the long rows of beds with his gaze as if he were searching for someone specific.


    "Wee back, Young Master Ken. There''s a patient who said he wants you specifically to treat him and is not willing to ept the care of anybody else. He is a ranked disciple and at the sixth stage, so we could not do much about his refusal¡­"


    A young male healer bowed after waiting for Ken to finish scanning the room. All the healers were used to this behavior; Ken did it every time he visited. They weren''t sure why he did it so they assumed it was to check if there was any specific injury that interested him for research.

 Chapter 260 260 – Healing at the Medical Hall

    <h4>Chapter 260 Chapter 260 ¨C Healing at the Medical Hall</h4>


    "Wee back, Young Master Ken. There''s a patient who said he wants you specifically to treat him and is not willing to ept the care of anybody else."


    "Oh, that''s interesting. Did he specify why he wants my treatment?"


    "That''s¡­"


    "Yes?"


    "Don''t be angry, Young Master, I''m only passing his words. He said that he got injured to save your life, so the least you can do is to heal him yourself¡­" The healer said hesitantly. Ken was kind and patient during his visits to the Medical Hall, but he still didn''t want to convey such offensive words to a direct descendant of the Sue n.


    "Don''t worry, I will go and treat him," Ken said with a friendly smile. However, that smile was aplete fake, hiding a cold expression beneath it.


    Jake and Max contorted their expression slightly from the offense to their master, but they just followed Ken silently as always.


    ''It seems like the fun is about to start today,'' he mused.


    "Are you the man who demanded my treatment?" Ken approached a man lying on a bed with his eyes closed in concentration and a gaping hole in his abdomen.


    Ken was impressed by his situation; even as a powerful sixth-stage cultivator who forcibly kept his blood inside his body and guided his bloodstream and organs into normal activity, the man would die without treatment within two or three days.


    The pain must have been excruciating, yet the man persisted in waiting for Ken, showing his resolve.


    The man opened a slit in his eyes, looking at the neer. Seeing the young teenager in front of him, he recognized Ken immediately.


    "Yes, Young Master Ken. Thank you for indulging my request and treating me personally."


    "Of course. Here, take this healing pill and let me guide it in your bloodstream and body with my Alchemical Qi, your condition will stabilize before long."


    The wounded man opened his mouth slightly, letting Ken insert the pill into his mouth. Ken ced his palm against the disciple''s chest and closed his eyes in concentration as he spread the Qi across the man''s body.


    "How is it?" The man asked as he slowly let go of his blood and organs and let Ken take control.


    "It''s good, you will be fine. Refrain from speaking, I need to concentrate. The treatment would take around 10 more minutes before I''m done," The Medical Hall never healed his patients to perfect condition. It''d only help them to get out of danger before releasing them to heal naturally.


    Those with resources would speed it up with some healing pills while those without would have no choice but to meditate for days or even weeks topletely heal.


    "Rx your body and don''t interrupt me. I''m going to treat your heart now, so I need my full concentration," Ken instructed and the main grunted in response.


    While Ken treated the man with his eyes closed in concentration, the man, who already felt almost all his pain go away, summoned a thirty-centimeter-long dagger into his right hand, out of Ken''s bodyguards'' perception.


    ''Plunge this dagger straight to his heart. Even if a grandmaster alchemist is present, they won''t be able to save him on time from the poison on the dagger if it touches his heart directly.''


    The injured man, Toby, remembered the words of the ck-wearing disciple who beat him up to this state a few hours ago.


    -----------


    "Oh look, here we got Toby Foster."


    Toby and his four friends stood in front of a small group of inner disciples from the Four Seasons Sect. It was the usual match-up; the Four Seasons Sect sent their disciples in groups of three while the Phoenix Feather Sect sent theirs in groups of five. This bnce was achieved thanks to the numerical advantage of thetter by fighting in their own territory.


    "Prepare to fight." The leader of Toby''s group instructed, and everyone took a battle stance, ready to engage. They had already fought multiple fights by then. Some won, some lost, but they managed to get away without any fatalities on their side every time so far.


    "Let''s kill them quickly." The leader of the ck-wearing disciples said and his two friends took out their weapons with malicious smiles.


    The fight was incredibly short. In a single moment, the threeunched their attacks. Two managed to keep four of their enemies at bay while the third executed the fifth, and within 2 minutes, Toby found himself running away in panic as the sole survivor of the encounter.


    "Toby, friend, don''t worry. We won''t kill you, we have better ns for you."


    One of the threeughed merrily while running alongside the escaping enemy. With a thrust of his spear, the man stabbed Toby''s abdomen cruelly and created a nearly fatal hole.


    "Argh!" Toby groaned in fear and pain and rolled on the ground. His Qi was concentrated on keeping his guts from spilling out of his body, and he watched the three surround him.


    "What do you want from me?" Toby asked.


    "Well, we want to give you some gifts." The leader said and threw three objects on the ground in front of Toby. A fancy emerald ne and beautiful male robes meant for special asions.


    "Where did you get these? What have you done to my parents?!"


    Toby''s eyes opened widely in terror when he recognized the three items as gifts he had given his poor family after getting epted to the most prestigious sect in the area. His mother received the ne while the robes were meant for his father.


    "They are still alive¡­ for now. I heard you made sure to send money to them ever since you were epted to your lousy sect, even going as far as visiting them multiple times every year to make sure they don''t face any problems. They must be very precious to you¡­" The leader said while crouching down and lifting up one of the hairpins.


    "They are." Toby gritted his teeth and admitted in a shaky voice.


    "Well, that''s good. Take this dagger, it''s coated in seventh-grade poison. It''s a bit of an overkill, but that should put down a fourth-stage cultivator instantly if you do it right."


    The crouching man continued to exin to Toby the n they came up with to deal with Ken during the chaos of the war. The war wasn''t very favorable for them, and losing promising youths to a weaker sect because of the enforcement from the other top 5 sects wasn''t worth it anymore.


    Things have escted beyond control for a mere fourth-stage cultivator. In their reluctance to lose face by giving up on their revenge, they agreed to another war after just finishing another. The continuous wars took their toll on their resource reserves and led to needless casualties.


    Now, even if by an underhanded method, they wanted to put an end to the war without giving up on their original goal. At this point, if they backed down without killing Ken, they would be a joke of the cultivation world.


    "Do you understand the n? You have my word that your family will be safe. As long as youplete your task, if I don''t take care of your family after your death, may my soul perish by the heavens," the leader took an oath, binding himself.


    "I¡­ I will do it," Toby clenched his teeth and agreed. The oath reassured him that the man was speaking the truth. He was willing to give up his life for his parents who had supported him wholeheartedly ever since he was born.


    ------------


    While Ken treated the man with his eyes closed in concentration, Toby, who already felt almost all his pain go away, summoned a thirty-centimeter-long dagger into his right hand, out of Ken''s bodyguards'' perception.


    ''Plunge this dagger straight to his heart.'' Toby remembered these words. He didn''t think there was a grandmaster alchemist in the vicinity, which meant Ken wouldn''t be saved even if the dagger just grazed him, but he wanted to increase his chances of sess as much as possible.


    Toby wasn''t an idiot; he noticed that his ckmailer restricted the oath only to the sessful scenario, which meant they wouldn''t take care of his family if he failed. Even if they wouldn''t bother to kill them, tossing them in a foreign ce with no property would make life very hard for them.


    A sh of hatred crossed his eyes as he looked at Ken sitting above him. Toby med him for this current peril. If Ken did not mess with a top 5 sect, nobody would be holding his family hostage right now. If Ken would have enough shame to hand himself over instead of letting his fellow disciples die in a war that was not theirs, Toby could be safe now.


    He thrust the dagger at Ken in a sudden motion, ready to impale the little demon''s heart in one strike as tears formed in his eyes, knowing that whether he seeded or failed, his fate would be the same ¨C death for treason. The dagger cut through the air swiftly, aiming at Ken''s chest.


    ''Sess! He isn''t reacting!'' This thought crossed Toby''s mind as he saw Ken''s eyes remaining closed while the dagger got closer and closer.


    "W-what?"


    The one surprised was none other than Toby; he saw a smirk adorning the beautiful teen''s lips just a moment before the dagger met flesh. An expression that should never appear on the face of someone who''s about to get stabbed in the heart.


    ''I can''t channel my Qi!'' Toby realized a moment before his strike connected.

 Chapter 261 261 – Assassination Attempt

    ?


    ''I can''t channel my Qi!'' Toby realized a moment before his strike connected. The dagger hit something solid instead of soft skin and failed to pierce through it, not leaving even a single graze on Ken''s skin.


    "ASSASSIN!" Ken yelled loudly at the same time, and Max and Jake acted immediately. They struck theying man with their swords without holding back, aware of his greater strength as a sixth-stage cultivator. Their goal was not to win, but to buy time for Ken to retreat and for others to help them.


    ''How can that be?!" The assassin''s shock was easy to understand, as not many things could stop a full-force swing from someone at his stage. But that only applied to those who could control their powers.


    He noticed something peculiar just then. Ken''s positioning made his robes block the view from those around them, and one could only see that Toby''s hand was stretched in the direction of Ken''s chest, but not see the ce where the chest and the dagger met.


    Ken''s hands moved nimbly and snatched the dagger from Toby''s hand and ced it quickly in his sleeve. Instead, another dagger reced it and appeared in his hand as his other hand grabbed Toby''s without letting go. The new dagger was plunged into Ken''s chest just beside the heart, avoiding any fatal spot. It all took less than a second.


    A fracture second after Ken was done with his little y, Jake''s and Max''s attacks reached Toby''s torso. He instinctively tried to protect himself but without the ability to channel Qi, he stood no chance. The attacks cleaved him in half, and he died instantly.


    "Young Master, are you ok?"


    Jake shouted and crouched down to see Ken''s condition after thetter stumbled back and fell to his knees.


    "Young Master was injured. Quickly! Someone,e and treat him!" Max shouted when he saw the knife plunged into Ken''s chest. The havoc from their attacks already pulled everyone''s attention to them, and healers rushed in their direction to provide treatment.


    "I''m a Senior Elder from the Alchemy division, let me take care of it!" One middle-ageddy appeared and took control of the scene. She fed Ken with a healing pill and pulled the knife out. Using her mind powers and Qi, she prevented the blood from spilling out.


    She multitasked in order to save Ken; with one hand she guided the Qi inside Ken''s body to facilitate healing, while the other hand touched and scanned the dagger that almost put an end to his life.


    "It was poisoned, but luckily, I know this poison," she told Ken while taking care of him. She produced another pill from her storage ring and made him swallow it, letting it purify the poison from his bloodstream.


    ''That''s not luck, I chose this poison because I knew most Senior Elders would recognize it¡­'' Kenined in his heart when the credit for the beautiful circumstances was given to luck instead of the real mastermind.


    "Mhm, thanks, Elder Savannah."


    "It''s good that you remember my name," she shed him a friendly smile and continued to treat his injury. As an elder who learned his theories, she wholeheartedly believed that Ken''s worth to her division and the whole sect was higher than any number of disciples that got killed in that war, at least in the long run.


    "You, why did you kill him instead of restraining him for information?" Savannah scolded the two bodyguards that stood from Ken''s two sides to make sure nobody tried to take advantage of the perilous situation.


    "We are sorry, Senior Elder. We knew the assassin was a sixth-stage cultivator, and we did not think he would get killed by our attacks. Perhaps we underestimated his injuries."


    "Argh, whatever. Collect the storage ring from his finger and give it to the Sue n for inspection. They will probably be interested to see if they can find any clues to his motive and identity."


    "Yes, Senior Elder."


    After 30 minutes of careful treatment, she was sure that Ken was almost at peak condition again and could heal within days.


    "Young Master Ken, you should be good now. Would you like me to send someone to escort you to your n''s territory?" She spoke politely and even referred to him as ''Young Master'' to show her respect.


    She believed he''d be a huge asset to the sect one day, and enforcing her temporary higher status over him would be an idiotic choicepared to building a good rtionship with him. For her, healing him was a godsent opportunity to make him see her in a favorable light.


    "I''m good, Jake and Max will be enough. He only caught me off-guard because I concentrated on healing him."


    "All right. You were lucky that he missed the heart somehow," She nodded and Ken left the clinic to rest at home, shaking his head.


    ''The only problem about scheming while hiding your strength is that people don''t give you the credit you deserve,'' he mused on his trip back home. Thanks to the intel from the Serene Lotus Sect, he knew it was only the first phase of the rollercoaster that the Four Seasons Sect had prepared for him.


    ''It''d be embarrassing if I gave him poison instead of a healing pill and he''d turn out to be a normal disciple and not an assassin,'' Ken chuckled to himself when he recalled how he dealt with the threat.


    When the man had let Ken feed him with a healing pill, Ken used a variation of the poison he used on the group of five that protected Maria back then. It numbed his pain, making him think that Ken was truly treating him, but most importantly, it also blocked his Qi control which ultimately led to the failure of that assassination attempt.


    "Young Master, why are you wearing your belt so hightely?" Jake asked Ken curiously. He noticed the change a few days ago but did not know how to bring it up. He tried it now to lighten the mood and help the trio, himself included, rx.


    "I think it''s more fashionable," Ken replied and sunk back into his thoughts on the previous incident, ignoring the bodyguards'' light smiles.


    ''This chest armor is also not bad,'' Ken brushed the cold, thin te under his shirt. It was a piece created from the scales of a fifth-grade beast, and Ken inscribed it with runes of the fourth rank. It''d normally be as useful as a piece of paper against a direct hit of a sixth-stage cultivator, but it was enough against a poisoned and injured one.


    Ken was still busy with his thoughts as he went past a restaurant and a woman was sent flying out of it,nding right in Ken''s path. The door broke from the impact, and when the dust sunk in, Ken saw a maning out.


    "You shitty sister, I can''t believe you had slept with my fianc¨¦e, with your sister-inw!"


    Ken, Jake, and Max raised an eyebrow at the scene.


    "Move, the young master of the Sue n is passing through, do you dare block the road?!" Jakemanded in a threatening tone.


    --------------


    Noah and Emma were a pair of twins. Their parents got killed by a passing evil cultivator when they were still young, but that woman did not like killing children or she didn''t benefit from killing them; either way, she spared their lives and left.


    They weren''t the only ones there ¨C they had a little sister they raised together ever since. They were only 13 years old at the time of the incident while their younger sister was only 5.


    Thanks to the hardships they went through to provide her with food and a safe environment, their wills strengthened beyond the realm of normal humans, and they managed to impress the examiner of the Phoenix Feather Sect when they were fifteen, and thus were epted into the sect.


    They did not agree to leave their sister, and the agreement was that the sect would hire a bodyguard and a maid for the young girl until she got married or joined the sect.


    Unfortunately, she wasn''t subjected to the same hardships as her siblings due to their spoiling and was never admitted to the sect. She herself did not want to cultivate and endure the pain involved.


    Now, she was married to a loving husband and had 2 sweet children that the siblings loved as if they were their own offspring, and often came to y with the two, bringing endless gifts and supplies.


    However, a week ago, while the two went on a mission to kill some enemies, they had the misfortune of meeting a trio of inner disciples that Toby would recognize for sure as the ones who had destroyed his life and annihted his group.


    "Oh, here are Emma and Noah," one of them said when he saw them. The fight soon began and ended tragically fast.


    "Here, I have a gift for you."


    Their leader smiled at the two amiably after killing their threerades. The man took out a head from his storage ring and threw it at the ground, letting it roll until it stopped in front of them.


    "It''s Dan!" Emma said in fear. Dan, the husband of their sweet sister and the father of their beloved nephew.


    "What happened to the others?" Noah asked with gritted teeth, shaking uncontrobly.


    "Nothing, so far. They were escorted safely to the territory of the Four Seasons Sect. I hope you weren''t attached to the father, he seemed unimportant so we thought his head would serve as a fair warning."


    "What warning? You cowards, since when do righteous cultivators target mortals?! You lot are nothing but an evil mob!" Emma screamed in anger.


    "Since some penny cultivators think too highly of themselves and challenge a top five sect. Now, don''t be angry, their fate is in your hands," the leader said in disdain, enjoying the various expressions the siblings in front of him showed. His ruthless and sadistic nature was partially the reason he was chosen for this quest.


    "What do you want from us?"


    "It''s simple. Here''s a dagger with seventh-grade poison. Stab Ken Sue with its de, and I swear to the heavens that I will take care of your sister and nephews, supply them with money, and make sure no harm befalls them."


    The two exchanged a long look that spoke plenty. After depending on each other for dozens of years, they couldmunicate in silence. After a short minute, the two nodded and turned back to the waiting man.


    "We will do it."

 Chapter 262 262 – Second Assassination Attempt

    ?


    Nobody noticed Ken''s actions during the ruckus, as everyone''s attention was focused on the siblings'' fight. The woman rose from the ground slowly, a faint blush decorating her cheeks and disclosing the fact that she was drunk.


    "You shitty sister, I can''t believe you had slept with my fianc¨¦e, with your sister-inw!"


    "Huh? That flower came to me first, so why are you ming me? me yourself if your tool was so underwhelming that she craved a -hic- woman instead!"


    The man''s lips quivered in anger for a moment before heshed out at his sister. His face and unfocused gaze showed he was not any less drunk than her. Their shaky stances seemed anything but threatening to the onlookers.


    "For your information, she never stopped -hic- screaming when I entered, and my tool is just fine. It''s even bigger than any other -hic- man''s tool I''ve ever seen!" He shouted in anger, hurrying to defend his honor.


    "Why would you see others'' -hic- tools? The husband is into men and the wife is into women, it makes even more sense now why she wanted a taste of these-" The woman reached out to her chest with her hands when she was interrupted.


    "You damn drunken! Make way for the young master of the Sue n and move out of the path!" Max shouted impatiently. He''d be interested in the gossip normally, but the stress of being after an assassination attempt made him eager to just get to safety first. The bodyguards have been on edge ever since.


    "Huh? Why are you intervening in a family -hic- feud of others? Don''t you know that even a good official can''t judge domestic cases?" (1)


    Emma shouted back while raising a wine gourd that appeared from her storage ring and started chugging it in big gulps.


    "Maybe a good one can''t, but a bad one sure can. Both of you are idiots, now get out of the way before we attack."


    "Huh? Do you want to push your nose into our family -hic- business? I''m going to lie here and not move, what are you going to do about it? kill me in broad daylight?" The woman said stubbornly andy down on the ground, her limbs spread wide like a rebelling child.


    "Stupid sister, not only did you ruin my marriage, but now you want to get us both killed by an elite family? Good sir, please forgive -hic- my sister, she''s very impulsive sometimes." Noah leaped forward andnded behind Ken. Now, the drunk twins trapped Ken in both directions.


    "That''s your final warning, scum. You either move out of our way right now, or I attack," Max brandished his two short swords and threatened.


    "Hmph, do your worst," the woman changed her position slightly.


    "You asked for it!" Max shouted and dashed forward, ready to put an end to the woman''s life. When he did so, the woman pushed the ground with her palm and was shot swiftly toward Ken, no trace of her drunken state remained. Her sixth-stage aura became obvious and overbearing.


    Simultaneously, her twin brother kicked the ground with all his might, nning to ensure the kill from the other side.


    Emma was ready to casually deflect the attack from a fifth-stage cultivator with her palm while using the other hand to im Ken''s life when strong pressure assaulted both her and Noah, degrading their power significantly and catching them off by surprise.


    Max sword technique managed to cut through the woman''s hand, separating it from her arm just above her elbow in a swift strike. The man who already shot himself forward, failed to attack on time with the sudden weakening effect and simply brushed against Ken''s shoulder lightly without even swinging the poisoned de.


    Ken spun in his ce, avoiding Emma''s dagger by a hair''s width and the womannded on the ground behind him.


    "Assassins!" Max and Jake shouted. Jake took out his two daggers and the two stood between Ken and the twins.


    "Suppression Formation Scroll!" Noah groaned as he got up on his legs and readied himself to attack again. As a cultivator at the sixth stage, he believed he could deal with the new challenge even with the scroll in effect as long as he attacked without any regard for his own safety.


    After all, scrolls had weaker effects than normal formations, and he was a whole stage above the bodyguards. Previously, the effect caught him off guard, but now he could adapt to it.


    ''I will take him down at the cost of my life!'' Both twins clenched their teeth in determination as they resolved themselves to die for their nephews'' sake, their thoughts aligned perfectly.


    Although they loved their sister, she had lived a long and good life and would die from old age soon even if the Four Seasons Sect did not capture her. That was the fate any cultivator had to face if they came from a mortal family. However, the nephews were rtively younger and had kids of their own.


    Just then, he suddenly fell to his knees, his eyes widening in surprise. The strength left his body all at once, and he fell forward, face down.


    "Noah? What happened?" Emma asked her brother in worry. Their positioning did not allow her to approach him and check, so she could only ask worriedly.


    The twins loved each other beyond reason; the two regarded each other as an extension of themselves. Their only regret about giving up their lives for their nephews was that the other twin would die too.


    "Noah!" She screamed in pain when her brother did not react. As a sixth-stage cultivator, she could sense through her mind that his consciousness was fading slowly, but there was no visible wound on him.


    The robes'' folds hid a tiny cut, not even a centimeter long, that let out a single drop of ck blood out of it. The edges of the wound were turning ck at an rming pace as well as the skin around them.


    ''I must kill him quickly!'' She gathered herself together andunched forward, setting aside the worry for her twin.


    There was no choice, it had been almost five seconds since their first attack, a time that was perceived by cultivators of their rank as a long while. It wouldn''t take much time for an elder to find out and intervene. Once a seventh-stage elder enters the picture, she would lose any chance at assassinating Ken.


    She ced the hilt of the poisoned dagger between her teeth. She had to use her preferred weapon, the saber, in order to fight two fifth-stage cultivators and a fourth-stage one while being suppressed by a formation.


    She rushed toward Ken and brought down her saber, sending Jake flying a few meters back after trying to block her charge by crossing his two daggers. She then coated her foot with Saber Qi and performed a roundhouse kick, meeting Max''s sword and making him lose his footing with the momentum.


    Their techniques countered one another. She ducked andunched herself at Max''s abdomen, receiving his knee straight to her face. However, she expected it to happen. The poisoned dagger was only 20 centimeters away from the bodyguard, and she spat it out while being sent backward from the blow.


    A hand grabbed Max''s cor and pulled him away from danger, making the dagger miss. Looking to his side, Max found out Ken had saved him.


    With her mind''s connection to the weapon, Emma called it back to her and dashed into another round of attacks. ''I can''t fail now! Noah had already died for it, and I will die soon too. I must not die without achieving our goal!''


    She caught the dagger''s hilt with her teeth while still running, a spark of madness appeared in her eyes. This time, Max was the first to intercept her, and her saber sent him a few meters away. Jake, who had already made it back, faced her next with a sequence of swift stabs and cuts of his daggers.


    To his surprise, she did not fight back this time. She coated herself with Saber Qi and charged straight into the daggers, ramming him away like a charging rhino while taking numerous wounds on her body. The Saber Qi was just enough to save her life from sure death, but not from being heavily injured.


    She finally stood in front of her target, and her crazed eyes met the cold, calm red eyes of her enemy.


    ''I only have to graze him once!'' She thought to herself.


    Ken took a few steps back as if in panic, but the distance between them was closed almost instantly when she bolted toward him, and her saber technique met with his own sh which he executed with a sword summoned from his storage ring.


    Ken was overpowered by the blow and was mmed into the ground. Before anyone could do anything, she dove with her mouth aiming at Ken''s chest, targeting it with the dagger.


    "NO!" Jake and Max shouted. They both were already in the middle of the leap to fence her off, and four bodies crashed into one another. First, Ken pushed himself a little bit away, making Emma''s strike hit his abdomen 20 centimeters below his chest. Second, Emma smashed into Ken. Third, Jake and Max arrived and their attacks reaped Emma to shreds.


    It was nothing less than a suicide attack from the female assassin, and her only thought before she died was depressing.


    ''I forgot¡­ the rumors say he''s hiding his sword in his belt¡­ but why is he wearing it so high?''


    After realizing it, two swords sliced her up, while two daggers were plunged repeatedly into her body.


    ----------


    A/N: Even a good official can''t judge domestic cases ¨C problems between family members are hard to judge and resolve.

 Chapter 263 263 – The Third Assassin 1/2

    ?


    *Cling*


    The dagger met with Ken''s sword and failed to prate through it. The residual force behind the strike made the dagger slide upward, but it failed to prate through the thin armor that covered his torso. His body was also coated in Sword Qi which helped to negate the attack.


    "Young Master, are you all right?!"


    Max hurriedly pushed the body of the woman off Ken.


    "Healers! Healers!"


    Many people have gathered around them during this time. Some did not intervene because they did not know what was going on while others were toote or too weak.


    "I''m a fourth-rank alchemist, let me have a look," One man came forward to see, but Ken sent him away with a motion of his hand.


    "I''m fine, I was not injured. Let''s hurry back home before other incidents happen," Ken said and got up on his feet with a light movement. The bodyguards'' expressions turned into relieved ones instantly, knowing they couldn''t afford to let their client die, especially when said client was a genius of a top elite n.


    "Oh, that''s great, Young Master. I will check on the corpses," Jake first took the storage ring from Emma''s finger and stored her corpse in his ring before going to the man lying on the ground. After kicking him with his toe for a moment to makes sure he was dead, Jake crouched by his side and-


    "What are you doing?" Max stared at him with a weird expression.


    "Ah, he was having a post-death erection and I was wondering if his im about his tool was true..." Jake exined embarrassedly.


    "Was it?"


    "It was."


    *Smack*


    "Ouch, Young Master, I was just curious!"


    "He is not even dead yet. Give me his ring and move away. I will take care of his body." Ken pushed the bodyguard aside and burned the corpse with an Alchemy technique in order to make the evidence of the poison disappear.


    When Noah failed to attack Ken earlier, Ken managed to bring the poisoned dagger he took from Toby out of his sleeve and graze the man''s skin with it. Despite inflicting a small wound that would normally heal within minutes in their stage, it was enough for the poison to take effect and make Noah copse. His life was still hanging on a thread when Ken burned his body, but he wouldn''t survive for more than a couple of minutes.


    He suspected them the moment Emmanded nearby. He did not believe he encountered such drama on his way home by coincidence. Hence, he prepared a sixth-rank Suppression Formation Scroll in hand and activated it when he noticed their killing intent peak with his Bloodlust Sense.


    Utilizing the single chance he had when the scroll caught the assassins unawares, he swiftly incapacitated one of them, leading to a considerably less challenging continuation of the battle. Thanks to his Cloud Running technique, he managed to dodge the weakened cultivators and cut Noah.


    When he confronted Emma in her suicide attack, he did not use the full power of the sh, only unleashing 27 in 1 instead of 81, or else a weakened sixth-stage cultivator of the twins'' caliber would never be able to m him against the ground.


    As for his weirdly located belt, he did not keep it high specifically for this moment, but he meant to use it when he needed it, and now was such a time. He saw her diving to stab him at the cost of her life, and he knew he could never afford to be stabbed by this poison. Although he might be able to save himself, he did not want to take such a bet.


    Even if he understood the underlying process of the poison on time, he wouldn''t be able to fight it sessfully using only his fourth stage. The gap between the seventh stage and the fourth was just too big.


    "Let''s go," Ken said and the trio left the scene. Jake and Max remained silent while Ken burned the man''s corpse, and even handed over his storage ring quietly.


    ''Those assassinations were well timed, onlytely Fernando said I''m safe within the sect. He''ll still say I''m safe within the n, but we will see for how long he will be able to say that.'' Ken thought to himself while he walked down the path to his n''s territory.


    "Young Master Ken, wee back." The guards at the entrance bowed and weed him as he entered the n''s territory.


    "Please go to report that the young master was attacked, and there were two assassination attempts against him today, one at the Medic Hall, and one on the way back here. We can''t leave his side," Jake asked one of the other guards. Since they were there mainly for formalities, it didn''t matter much if one left their post to report.


    "Of course. Ben, you go and report." The one in chargemanded one of the other guards.


    "Senior Brother, I can escort them to Young Master Ken''s house, it''d be safer if they had one more guard by their side in case of another assassination attempt. We can''t know if the Four Seasons Sect have another evil plot in mind even in the n''s territory."


    One guard suggested to the leader. After pondering on it for a moment, the leader nodded and sent him with them.


    "You''re right, go with them. Come back once Young Master is at his house, I don''t think anyone canunch an attack on him there without getting killed by the n''s elders first."


    "Yes, Senior Brother."


    -----------


    "Big Brother, are we really going to settle for a fifth-stage cultivator this time? Can he even do his job with the two bodyguards Ken Sue has around him all the time? That kid should be pretty strong too, andmoners are weaker than elite families."


    Three people were sitting on tree branches and talking. The one who voiced thest opinion was the only girl in the trio.

 Chapter 264 264 - The Third Assassin 2/2

    <h4>Chapter 264 Chapter 264 - The Third Assassin 2/2</h4>


    "Big Brother, are we really going to settle for a fifth-stage cultivator this time?"


    Three people were sitting on tree branches and talking. The one who voiced thest opinion was the only girl in the trio.


    "There''s nothing we can do about it. Their sect is subpar, to begin with, and we can only threaten themoners'' families. We will just hope we won''t have to depend on him, and that if we do, he will utilize the surprise effect well," the leader sighed. He also preferred to "recruit" someone stronger.


    However, since they were restricted tomoners as targets, the number of sixth-stage cultivators was limited. Those who were taken as core disciples had their families protected by the sect, so it was impossible to kidnap them. As for non-core disciples, they had much fewer resources to cultivate.


    Even if they made it to the sixth stage, most of them valued their own lives much above their own families. Not because they were bad people, but because their point of view changed since bing cultivators, prompting them to look down on mortals and disregard their short lives.


    "Indeed, I can''t believe that out of the 300 disciples I checked, none had a direct family member still alive. Those trashy cultivators reach the sixth stage when they''re too old."


    The second manined. He was the one who always called the names of their targets when they recognized one.


    "At least we could find a peak fifth-stage guard with ties to the mortal world. He probably hid his connections to get epted to his job and enjoy the higher-paying ce," the girlmented.


    "Stop dilly-dallying, we need to capture the next one. Unfortunately, we can only force him into a fight with other disciples of the fifth stage, or else one of their elders might kill us if they find out."


    The three jumped off the tree and began searching for their next target. All three of them were peak sixth-stage cultivators who upied a spot in the top ten of their bracket in their sect''s ranking, and they were powerful enough not to worry about any threat. On a battlefield where elders did not participate, they could be considered as the strongest.


    It took them a few days, but they finally saw the onest target, the safety for the safety, the third andst assassination attempt, at the very territory of the Sue n.


    "Oh, here''s Elliot. Our disciples can''t kill them, they''re running away."


    "You know what to do."


    A battle of five versus three raged underneath them, and three were winning. However, the five cooperated with each other and retreated toward the sect, and it would be a matter of time until they ran into another group which would tilt the battle in their favor by numbers.


    "Argh! There''s a wall of Qi blocking the way!" One shouted in panic and confusion.


    "Haha, you must fight, don''t just run away shamefully, doesn''t the Phoenix Feather Sect have any self-respect?" A voice above them could be heard, prompting everyone''s heads to look up.


    "It''s Senior Brother Ewan! He is trapping them in a fight with us! Kill!"


    The five understood instantly what was going on and fought desperately in an attempt to buy time. They hoped an elder or someone of equal power to the new enemies woulde and allow them to escape. Unfortunately, their wish did note true.


    "Make sure the short guy with the brown hair survives!"


    "Yes, Senior Brother!"


    The three slowly inflicted more and more injuries upon their opponents until one finally sumbed to the umting damage and could not react on time to an attack, being the first casualty of that battle. Three others died, while thest one was cornered.


    "What should we do, Senior Brother?"


    "Injure him and bind him to a tree so he can''t run away, then you can leave."


    The three followed themand and left the area after they were done. They did not question the decisions made by a group of known madmen.


    "Hello Elliot, we have an interesting offer for you!" The girl dropped from a branch above him with a somersault.


    "What do you want? Why not kill me like the rest?" He asked worriedly.


    "Don''t be like that, many little lives depend on you in Purple Feather City!"


    Elliot''s eyes were fixed on the pretty round face of the girl, but the horror in them implied he was not appreciating the view.


    "What¡­ what do you mean?"


    "You know what I mean, the orphanage you''ve been supporting secretly! The kids there are so cute, and that old man taking care of everyone there is so righteous! I can''t believe he abandoned the journey of cultivation only to help starving kids, haha!"


    The girl giggled and pped her hands as if she was excited by the goodness of the old man''s heart.


    "What do you want from me? What kind of monsters use orphans as hostages?! You are worse than beasts, you are evil cultivators!" Elliot shouted in anger, but nobody was there to amodate his feelings.


    "We are no monsters; we also don''t want to kill them! But we will be forced to if you don''t do as we say¡­ I hope you can help us, we are stuck in this unpleasant situation just like you!"


    "How¡­ how can I help you?"


    "That''s simple, we will give you a few items and you will kill Ken Sue."


    "But¡­ but that will guarantee my death!"


    "True, but the choice is between dying along with your little brothers and sisters or dying along with Ken Sue."


    After a few more threats and persuasion, the line they always heard in the end was said once more.


    "I will do it."


    ---------


    "Hey, Big Brother, wouldn''t we get in trouble with Felix Ashford for helping the other faction kill Ken instead of capturing him?" The other man asked somewhat worriedly.


    "Hmm, we will just say we were ordered to do it. He can always find a way to fuck that sect''s toy. I don''t know why he''s chasing so hard after a mere tool."


    "I guess you''re right¡­"


    The three continued on their way,pletely carefree.

 Chapter 265 265 – The Third Assassination Attempt

    <h4>Chapter 265 Chapter 265 ¨C The Third Assassination Attempt</h4>


    "Senior Brother, I could escort them to Young Master Ken''s house, it''d be safer if they had one more guard by their side."


    One guard suggested to the leader. After pondering on it for a moment, the leader nodded and sent him with them, "You''re right, go with them."


    "Yes, Senior Brother," the guard bowed and hurriedly followed Ken along with Jake and Max.


    "Hello, Young Master, I''m Elliot."


    "Mhm."


    Ken only offered a hum in response and continued walking, wondering whether Eliott was the final assassin or if there were more toe. Elliot''s way of approaching him seemed lousy in his opinion, but maybe it was only because he expected the next assassin to show themselves soon.


    *BOOM*


    *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*


    The first explosion happened and three others soon followed in a dy of less than a second. Max, who walked in the vanguard to protect Ken from potential traps got caught in the first one and was torn to shreds, getting killed on the spot.


    "Assassins!" Jake shouted as he was pushed backward alongside Ken from the st. Weirdly enough, the other three explosions took ce where the young teen would be repelled by the blow, but it happened one second too early before Ken arrived there.


    Due to the ill timing of the trap, Ken and Jake were pushed back forward from thebined shockwave of the three explosions, near the ce where Max was killed.


    ''Blood Sense,'' Ken had his technique activated, ready to react to the potential threat from the new guard. Indeed, Elliot did not fail him, and Ken sidestepped to dodge his spear technique without looking back.


    Jake swiftly reacted to the scene and pulled out his two daggers, engaging in battle against the traitor.


    Ken only watched without intervening; he didn''t sense any other assassins, and since he was still alive, it meant that the assassination attempt should''ve failed. The explosions originated from sixth-rank items that were imnted under the ground, a Runology creation.


    The design of the trap took into consideration that Ken''s bodyguards would walk ahead of him by cing the first bomb after a curve on the path to his house, so when Ken is pushed back, he would trail off the path where the second portion of bombs awaited him.


    By standing further behind on the curve from a different angle and by being prepared, the st did not send Elliot to the danger zone and he barely moved from his previous ce.


    Unfortunately for the Four Seasons Sect, Ken was a sixth-rank formation master and a top fourth-rank runologist, which was enough for him to locate the traps in advance and send a strand of Runic Qi and activate them earlier than the perpetrator intended.


    He knew Max would die; he just didn''t mind it. He rarely left those close to him alive once they knew too much about him, and even a little was too much for him. He only let those he deemed useful remain alive, and Max wasn''t.


    "Young Master, run! I will hold him back as long as I can!" Jake shouted heroically.


    Jake was gradually losing the battle, showing the advantage of a cultivator at the peak fifth stage over someone at the high phase of the same stage.


    "Thank you, make sure you don''t die!" Ken yed his part and ran away. He did not want to reveal his ability to take a peak fifth-stage cultivator head-on in front of Jake, so he preferred to run away as asked.


    *Boom!* A st sent Ken back to the battle area after he ran a few meters.


    ''Something isn''t right! I thought a malfunction caused a bomb to go off earlier which caused a chain reaction, but another one just blew early without a reason!'' Eliott thought to himself, and reached the inevitable conclusion, ''He can sense them! I don''t know why he''d let the guard die, but I''m sure he can!''


    When this realization struck Eliott''s mind, his attacks increased in vigor and precision, aiming to finish the battle at the cost of his own well-being. Just like the other assassins, Eliott also noticed that his ckmailers'' oath was restricted to the asion that hepleted his task sessfully.


    ''I''m lucky to be still alive, I must finish this before the kid sets off more bombs and an elder decides to check the source of the ruckus.''


    He stepped back to get some distance from the dagger user and coated his stomach with Spear Qi. As soon as Jake stepped forward to remain in close-rangebat, he let the opponent send a dagger strike to his side and rotated the spear above his head.


    Jake, who did not expect a mutual destruction attack, could not react on time and took the shaft to his temple, causing him disorientation and skull fractures.


    *BOOM!*


    Another explosion was triggered as Ken ran on the path again, making Eliott swear in his mind while he used that chance to run past the knocked-out bodyguard without wasting time on finishing him off. The clock was ticking, and every second was precious.


    "WHO DARES ATTACK A SUE-CLAN MEMBER UNDER OUR NOSES?"


    A strong rumble resounded just then, and Eliott was frozen midair in a beautiful pose with his arm stretched behind his shoulder, holding his spear.


    He lost the ability to move even a single inch and could only watch in fear as an elder with smooth ck hair and piercing brown phoenix-shaped eyes descended from the sky as if he appeared from the heavens above.


    "Boy, aren''t you very brave?"


    The elder finally asked when he stood in front of the assassin. The question was rhetorical, and Eliott could not even breathe, but he still desperately tried to say something.


    "The¡­ kids¡­" his hoarse voice was barely audible, and tears formed in his eyes.


    The man''s eyes scanned the surroundings, seeing Ken standing some distance away, Max''s messed up corpse, and the many pits caused by the explosions.


    "You must be Ken, our rumored genius. Good to see you still alive. You can go back to your house, and I will deal with the situation here. Fernando will soone to talk to you since you''re under his responsibility. I will take this scum for questioning."


    The elder waved his hand and 5 more bombs ced in different ces came out of the ground and imploded. They did zero damage to the environment, and their st was contained within a sphere of Qi that did not budge even a little from the impact.


    "Thank you, Elder."


    Ken bowed and cupped his fist. Before turning back and going to his house, he ced a healing pill in Jake''s mouth to let the bodyguard heal. He wanted to maintain his humane image, and those little actions were part of the show.


    "Hello Young Master, wee back, let me prepare a hot bath for you" At home, a young maid weed him with a forced smile. Soleil tried her hardest to treat him to the best of her capabilities, hoping she could affect him enough to release her from very eventually.


    "Mhm, thank you."


    Ken took a bath shortly after and enjoyed a meal with much more delicacies than usual, prompting him to think he missed out all this time before he ced a cor around his maid''s neck.


    After waiting for a while, the man he has been waiting for has arrived.


    *knock knock*


    "Who is there?"


    "Fernando Sue."


    Soleil opened the door and the elder stepped in, finding Ken waiting for him in the living room. Fernando sighed at the sight, knowing that he might truly move Ken away from the sect after today''s assassination attempts.


    Three assassins were inside their sect, and one of them was even in their own territory, it was impossible to say that Ken was safe there now.


    "Wee to my home, Uncle Fernando," Ken got up and bowed to the elder.


    "It''s all right, let''s just sit down and talk."


    The two sat one in front of the other, and Ken let his uncle speak first.


    "I''ve heard reports on today''s events both through our intelligence and from your bodyguard''s mouth after he got better. For your information, he is safe and will be in perfect condition soon. We will reward him for putting his life on the line to save you. As for Max, he was an orphan with no family like most of our guards, so we will just burn his body and offer his ashes a ce to rest."


    "The Sue n takes good care of their subordinates," Ken remarked.


    "Of course, or else they won''t be loyal."


    Thest note came out a bit ironic given the fact that one of them just tried to kill Ken, but the teenager did not bring it up.


    "What was Eliott''s motive in killing me?"


    "He was ckmailed into doing it, he apparently hid his background from us and is still donating a sum of money to the orphanage he came from. They threatened to massacre the orphans and the caregiver if he did not kill you."


    "I see."


    "We looked into the identities of the other assassins and they also have families out of the sect, we assume that they were ckmailed as well, but we will look into it in more detailter."


    "Will their families be punished?"


    "Depends on the situation. The orphans won''t be punished since it''d harm our image, but maybe the other families will be."


    Ken satiated his curiosity and went to the main topic that interested him.


    "So, will I be moved out of the sect for my safety?"

 Chapter 266 266 – Moving Out

    <h4>Chapter 266 Chapter 266 ¨C Moving Out</h4>


    "So, will I be moved out of the sect for my safety?"


    "hah¡­ We still need to decide on that. However, your opinion will have the most weight in the final decision. I''d like to repeat my thoughts; while I can''t promise that there will be no additional assassination attempts, I think here''s one of the safest ces for you. Are you sure you want to move out of the sect''s territory?"


    Fernando sighed and asked. He disagreed with Ken''s opinion regarding this, but since it was a decision about Ken''s safety and his method was already proven not without risks, he wanted to consider Ken''s opinion too.


    "I''m sure. I will be much safer if the Four Seasons Sect cannot even find me. Once they get the news that I disappeared, they might even offer a truce and leave the sect''s territory."


    Ken exined his reasoning and Fernando nodded in understanding. He already knew all that, but he felt like Ken would be under the heaviest protection by remaining under the noses of many elders rather than by being hidden.


    Being hidden was an all-or-nothing tactic; he''d bepletely safe as long as they didn''t find him, but once they did, he''d be no more than a helpless pig waiting to be ughtered. Since he was the very target of the Four Seasons Sect, the rules of war that banned higher stages from attacking weaker cultivators did not apply to him. He''d be killed or captured by the enemy elders if found.


    "Fine, I will bring it up to the rest of the elders and Dominic, and we will see what we can do."


    "Thank you, Uncle."


    ----------


    After Fernando promised Ken to consider his request, he went straight to the patriarch''s mansion while taking an inscribedmunication stone out of his storage ring.


    "Brothers and Sisters, I have an urgent matter to discuss with you regarding the safety arrangements for Ken Sue. If you care, pleasee to the patriarch''s mansion to participate."


    Fernando ced the stone back in his ring. As one of the main elite ns of the sect, the Sue n had dozens of elders, but he expected less than 10 of them to arrive. Ken was simply not important enough for most of these elders to care about his safety arrangements personally even if they thought he had a bright future ahead of him.


    Indeed, other than the patriarch who appeared obediently and himself, only 3 more elders arrived.


    "Brother Fernando, what is it you want to discuss?"


    Fernando exined the situation including the current arrangement and the assassination attempts that had taken ce earlier that day.


    "So, it sounds like we have two options. We can either rece the dead bodyguard with a peak sixth-stage cultivator, maybe also the survivor as well, or we can listen to the kid''s preference to go into hiding in a faraway ce. Is that right?"


    One elder asked out loud, ying with the tip of her hair with her fingers as she pondered on it.


    "Yes. It might be worth mentioning that sixth-stage cultivators would not have changed anything with their presence in today''s events, maybe except for the second battle. The first one tried to take Ken by surprise with a poisoned de while Ken healed him, and a sixth-stage cultivator would not be able to prevent that."


    Fernando paused for a moment to let the elders think about his words before he borated.


    "The trap in our territory was done by setting bombs, so if Ken stepped on one of them, he''d die regardless of the stage of his bodyguards. As for the second assassination attempt, stronger bodyguards would fail to react on time to the first attack anyway, and it was Ken''s suspicions that saved him."


    "Stronger cultivators would only make a difference in the course of the rest of the battle after the first attack. While it''s worth it, we can see it''s not perfect," the female eldermented.


    "Exactly, the most dangerous attack of an assassin is his ambush. As for the cons and pros of hiding, you know them already," Fernando said, referring to the all-or-nothing nature of this tactic.


    "I vote for listening to the kid''s opinion on the matter. Since his safety is involved and no solution is truly better than the other, we should listen to his preferences. He had seen through our advantage as Darkness Qi users, it''d be hard to find something we want to hide," The same elder that saved Ken from the third assassin spoke next.


    "I agree. It makes sense to let the child decide for himself since we can''t promise his safety unless one of the elders volunteers to apany him all day long every day."


    The woman expressed her opinion and the four elders exchanged wry smiles after hearing about it, knowing none of them nned to work as a bodyguard for a fourth-stage youngster. As for the elders who were not present, it was obvious they''d be unwilling.


    "What do you think, Dominic?"


    The patriarch remained silent throughout the conversation among the elders. In the end, his title as the patriarch was only meant to give him authority over those under the Supremacy Phase. In the cultivation world where power reigned supreme, no title could give humans authority over someone with absolute power.


    "I agree with the elders. I''ve been doing my best to restore his trust in the n during the past months, and showing him that we respect his choices can be a good gesture that might boost his sense of agency and control, prompting him to feel better about himself and the n."


    "Mm, I remember now why you were chosen as the patriarch, you truly are good at manipting emotions, boy."


    Most people would deem Dominic as too old to be called "boy", but elders of their age still saw him as a young man.


    "Thank you for yourpliment, but I prefer to think about it as the ability to pacify others and increase morale."


    "Of course. Since we came to a conclusion, I shall take my leave."


    The elders soon disappeared from the ce, leaving Fernando and Dominic alone in the meeting hall.


    "Uncle Fernando, is there anything else?" Dominic asked when he saw the elder remained.


    "Yes. Ken wants only you and me to escort him. Hiya, this child is truly untrusting. When I asked him if he suspects his own family and pressured him with my mind, he still said yes without hesitation."


    "Haha, you are right, Uncle. I did my best to get him some friends from the young generation of the n, but everyone was either too immature and weak or too old to be his friend. He''s a tough nut to crack. Since he seems to like his monk subordinate and the monk showed some great capabilities, I thought to marry him into our n and get some influence over Ken indirectly."


    In the cultivation world, monks did not abstain from love. They avoided sexual rtionships that were meant for pure pleasure alone, but they did get married and had kids.


    "That''s a good n. You can also work on it peacefully when Ken is not around; he might have a surprise waiting for him when he''s back if you can find a bride for that monk. I''m just not sure if he''d consider it as a pleasant surprise or an unpleasant one."


    "Those were indeed my intentions after hearing today''s meeting. Anyway, does it mean you want me to apany the two of you to the hiding spot?"


    "Yes, just in case an elder of the Four Seasons Sect forces me away from Ken, you will be hisst line of defense against sixth-stage cultivators or lower."


    "I understand."


    -------------


    Ken received the news they''d be moving out the next day. Apparently, he''d be moved to a safehouse of the Sue n in the south, near their further border from the central zone. It meant that Ken would go back to living in an area with a lower Qi density.


    ''Everything wille to a conclusion soon,'' Ken thought to himself. Everything was moving fast toward the end of his time at the Phoenix Feather Sect.


    He went to sleep early that day and told Emrys to be ready to leave with him a few hours. He had to be in peak condition for what was toe.


    At midnight, he woke up and found a hot bath prepared for him by his maid, as well as a delicious snack right after.


    "Soleil, I''m leaving now, and I will note back. You know what to do."


    "Young Master, please have mercy on me! Please take me with you, I will serve you my whole life with no fail!" The maid kneeled and begged desperately.


    "Don''t speak about it anymore."


    She still tried, but severe pain assaulted her mind, rendering her unable to continue. Tears began to roll from her eyes uncontrobly, but Ken simply ignored them and left the house toward the meeting spot he was given.


    ''I''ve been here nearly 3 years,'' he thought to himself. He was almost 10 years old now, and except for the year he spent at the central zone, he had been in the main Phoenix Feather Sect ever since his sixth birthday when he was taken from his parents by Norman and Krone.


    ---------------


    After Ken left, Soleil cleaned her face and wore a calm expression despite the mess in her mind. She did not want to, but it was the only way to stop the excruciating pain that was filling her head.


    "Jake, pleasee here. Young Master told me to pass some news to you."


    She spoke into amunication stone and Jake entered a couple of minutester. He was relieved from his duty once Ken left his house a few minutes ago, so he did not get far yet when the maid called him.


    "What is it?"


    "Let''s talk about it over a cup of tea. Please, have some tea with me while I tell you about it." Soleil poured tea with a tempting aroma into two jade cups and served him one.


    The two sat in front of each other, raised their cups, and took a long gulp, savoring the taste. Their eyes slowly closed as their bodies turned lump. They felt as if their throats turned into sand, losing the ability to speak. Their heads slowly fell and rested on the table, knocking the cups off. Trails of saliva could be seening out of their mouths.


    Tears came out of Soleil''s eyes while Jake''s mainly showed confusion and disbelief. A few minutester, a cor appeared on Soleil''s neck and broke to pieces, eventually turning into dust by the runes that were designed for self-destruction. It signified that the ve was dead.

 Chapter 267 267 – Henry’s Assignment

    <h4>Chapter 267 Chapter 267 ¨C Henry''s Assignment</h4>


    A few weeks ago:


    Henry walked into Ken''s house after being called and sat in front of the young master.


    "I have a task for you. Nice new blindfold by the way."


    Henry turned his head toward Ken in silence. Since he did not have something important to say about it, he remained quiet as always. A ck blindfold was wrapped around his head, hiding his blind eyes.


    "I have a few subordinates¡­ a few people I have helped gather good karma before they return to the wheel of reincarnation. One was a robber and a murderer while the other two were mercenaries that did not hesitate to kidnap children."


    "Amitabha."


    "Indeed. To help them, I gave them a task to find my family. I need you to go to them and take my family to a designated spot, from which an elder from the Serene Lotus Sect will pick you up."


    Ken and Henry already agreed on aborting the original n of going to the Peaceful Demon Sect; Henry already had the best inheritance, and Ken was his best source of knowledge and pills.


    "And the sinful souls?"


    "Send them back to the wheel of reincarnation so they can be better people in their next lives."


    "Amitabha. Is that all?"


    "No, there''s one more important matter. I have a sixth-rank alchemist subordinate who produces pills for me. I need you to collect all the money he had made for us and give him some Alchemy knowledge from me in return. Order him to immigrate to a city under the Serene Lotus Sect so he can keep working under me."


    "Understood."


    Henry stored the papers Ken gave him in his ring along with a fewmunication devices that could help him contact the people he needed.


    "Last thing before you leave, you can use these pills to bribe wild beasts to serve as your mounts for a while. Just subdue them until they feel death touching their necks greedily, and then use them as mounts. After a while give them one pill, and at the end of the trip, give them another to pacify them. It works all the time."


    Henry received the jade bottles containing the pills with a raised eyebrow but did notment on it. It was the first time he heard of someone using "temporary" mounts like that. With his orders all specified, he left Ken''s house to work on his assignments.


    He himself had already given his wolf pup to the sect''s stables after the little thing''s bloodline was improved enough. He gained quite a lot of CP for it, and he had given away the other two pups that initially belonged to Diana and Jane.


    Henry soon went to the sect''s stables and rented a mount, disregarding Ken''s dubious way of getting mounts for cheaper. He paid for 3 days in advance despite nning on using it for much longer. There was no need to worry about paying too much when he wasn''ting back.


    A beautiful crane with snowy feathers followed him outside and let him ride on it, soaring to the sky under his temporary master''s orders.


    ''Huh¡­ The greatest eloquence often lies in the unspoken, yet words can be the bridge to understanding,'' he mused himself as he looked at themunication stone in his hand. He had gotten used to remaining silent for so long that he was reluctant to speak, but there was no other way to use the device.


    After staring at the device for a few minutes from atop the mount, unable to decide what to say, he picked his words carefully and activated the stone.


    "Maria, do you hear me?"


    It took a few seconds for the reply toe, and azy female voice was transmitted from the stone. It was hoarse, maybe a result of spending too many years shouting and cursing as a bandit.


    "Yes, who is this?"


    "Henry, I was told to meet you under Young Master Ken''s orders. I need to bring his parents to him and find a sixth-rank alchemist named Darma."


    Henry responded, exining in short why she should listen to him and what his tasks were. He omitted the part about killing her, or guiding her lost soul to the right path as he preferred to call it, thinking it might cause her to be less cooperative.


    "I see, Young Master did mention you in the past. Since you have hismunication stone, it probably means it''s safe to trust you. We can meet in Ice Feather City where Darma resides."


    He stored the device back in his storage ring, the thought of affirming the meeting cepletely slipping out of his mind. He navigated the beast to fly to Ice Feather City and soon reached the ce. Following the instructions from pedestrians, he found the restaurant they agreed to meet at and waited for the trio to arrive.


    "Henry?"


    He heard the same coarse female voice from before. He only offered a nod in response and scrutinized the twodies and the man who sat down at his table. Maria sat by his side while the other two, Yuri and Odette, sat in front of them.


    "Here''s the ie from Mr. Darma''s pills. We have already deducted the cut required for Mr. Darma''s resources and for our cultivation."


    Henry grabbed the storage ring and inspected its content, finding over a million medium Qi Stones. He sighed to himself when he wondered how Ken managed to find such an easy ie source.


    "Ken''s family?" He asked.


    The three exchanged worried looks between them before Maria finally spoke unwillingly. She remembered Ken''s words about killing her if she failed this mission.


    "We''ve found his parents¡­"


    Henry''s gaze seemed to pierce through her body as he waited for the bad news, and she eventually finished her sentence.


    "But his little brother is missing. His parents say he had been missing since two years ago when he turned 3. We did our best to locate him, but we failed."


    Henry squinted his eyes under the blindfold in worry when he received the news. He knew that Ken mainly cared for his parents and less for his little brother from the way he spoke, but it seemed that he still wanted to get to know his sibling.


    Besides, his parents'' mental state couldn''t be good after they lost their younger child soon after his older brother was taken away forcibly. That''s without even taking into ount that Mei was crippled.


    "Take me to Darma, then to his parents."


    Henry''s circumstances did not allow him the time required tounch his own investigation into Aaron''s whereabouts. The child might be dead, forced into very, adopted by someone, or any other possible fate; it was impossible to find him within a short time frame.


    Even if he had the time, he doubted he could do a better job than these three. As a person who had grown up in a sect since a young age, he did not develop the required knowledge and rtionships to find a missing person in such a situation. On the other hand, the other three grew up in the open world and knew how to deal with such situations better.


    "Follow us."


    The group of four soon reached a modest-looking house in a good area. It was a simple brick house, but those who knew better could locate the sixth-rank formations Ken had created around the house to allow Darma silence while he experimented with his Alchemy, and more importantly, allow his neighbors some peace.


    Maria entered the house without knocking, and the other three followed.


    "Sit here and wait for him toe out of the basement where he does his experiments. He gets angry if you interrupt his studies."


    After 16 hours, a door to the basement finally opened and a tanned man climbed out. Seeing them there, he raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar figure.


    "Who is this?"


    They waited for his answer, but it didn''te. Since the other three knew his identity, Henry preferred not to speak.


    "He is Henry, the monk that Ken told us about. He is here to collect the Qi Stones and Ken''s parents. He says he has something for you."


    Henry nodded and simply brought out the materials Ken prepared for the alchemist. A wave of Qi carried them to Darma who looked at them briefly.


    "Oh, great, that kid can keep his promises! I was worried he wouldn''t give me new research materials as he said! Hmm, and that is¡­ I see¡­"


    Darma got to thest letter and skimmed through it, reading the content that dered Ken''s intentions to move sects and instructed Darma to move to a city in the Serene Lotus Sect. He gave a short look of pity to the group of three in front of him and forgot about them right after as he sunk back into the theories Ken gave him, forgetting the other four presences in the room.


    "We will be leaving now, Mr. Darma." Maria announced when she saw Henry''s "let''s go" gesture.


    "Mhm."


    After leaving, Maria navigated through the city, leading Henry to a fancy house surrounded by a fence.


    "This is where Ken''s parents stay. We made sure they have the best conditions and there''s a maid cooking and cleaning for them every day."


    It was Maria doing all the talking while Yuri and Odette remained silent, unsure how to behave. They were unsure if they were needed, but their habit of following someone was always with them.


    Maria knocked on the door this time and waited patiently. They didn''t have to wait long before a maid opened the door and bowed.


    "Wee, Lady Maria. The master and the mistress are in their bedroom, should I call for them?"


    "Yes, please. We will wait in the living room."

 Chapter 268 268 – Spoiler, Title In The End

    ?


    Ken met the two old men near the stables. There was a whole section filled with beasts belonging exclusively to the Sue n, and every elite n had one of those sections.


    "We will move now, only the three of us. We will use the only seventh-rank mount our n has. Although it''s normally good-natured and is not aggressive, try not to irritate it. It can harm you in a fraction second when you ride its back." Fernando warned Ken before he bringing the beast.


    "Understood, Uncle."


    Fernando walked into the stables and brought out a beast with the body of a tiger and the head of an eagle. Only elders could take seventh-rank beasts from the stables, so he could not leave this task for the stable''s boy.


    "Calm down, Tygarian. Let them ride on you with me please," Fernando calmed down the beast as it looked down on the other two humans. It did not like serving cultivators weaker than itself.


    "Grrr." It lowered its head to show its eptance. Since Fernando, a stronger being, asked for it, it was willing to cooperate. Fernando came with them, so it could be considered as if they were the elder''s guests in the beast''s mind.


    "Get on."


    Dominic and Ken jumped on the beast''s wide back and sat cross-legged, while Fernando stood near its neck. Darkness enveloped thempletely. It was still night and there was no moon, which was the reason they hurried to embark on the trip that night. With the Darkness Qi around them, they were practically invisible.


    With a strong kick to the ground, the beast rose to the sky and started running with its legs while pping its wings. One might think that the leg movements were meaningless, but they''d be wrong; the beast conjured mana steps under its feet and used them to boost its speed by both running and flying.


    Meanwhile, in Ken''s storage ring, a certain token Ken had received from Elmer was pulsing with a signal that the elder from the Serene Lotus Sect could locate.


    The trio traveled during the night and hid underground during the day. Fernando kept them coated in darkness 24 hours a day, not taking any risk that they might get revealed. They passed sometimes above the heads of both friendly disciples and enemy disciples, but they never intervened in their fights. Their goal was not to participate in the war but to vanish.


    "Ken, do you have a n for what to do while you''re in hiding?" His grandfather asked.


    "Yes. I will cultivate my nascent soul diligently until it forms. Cultivation has always been about spending a lot of time practicing, so as a cultivator, I will never run out of things to do with my time; I can always just cultivate."


    "Good child. Indeed, only those with a strong will and persistence can soar to the highest stages of cultivation. Otherwise, they''d be too bored and unable to spend so much time doing nothing but developing their body, mind, and soul."


    Dominic and Fernando both nodded in satisfaction when they heard Ken''s words. Children with such aspirations could not be taken for granted; they mostly preferred more interesting activities even when the price was their future strength.


    Ken knew it was the same in every world, just like many students preferred ying outside rather than studying in his previous world. Some managed to seed despite it, while many did not.


    --------


    Meanwhile, within the Phoenix Feather Sect''s territory:


    ''Hmm, it seems like Ken is on the move, I guess it''s time to act. ording to the spy''s report, I should expect an eighth-stage elder, a sixth-stage cultivator, and Ken. They will probably move on a beast, and it''d be either in the sixth rank or the seventh.''


    Elmer revised the information he had received while forming a n. First, he decided to rush there and see the situation with his own eyes. He did not fear the elder of a weaker sect that used the same element as him, especially when he had the leverage of knowing Fernando''s location while Fernando did not know about him.


    It took him two days to catch up, and he could perceive Fernando''s Darkness Qi when he concentrated on the ce where he knew they were staying ording to Ken''s token.


    ''Hmm, a sixth-stage cultivator, seventh-rank beast, and eighth-stage cultivator. I guess I will need a distraction to take him safely.''


    Elmer did not worry for himself but for Ken. If Fernando chose to fight, which he probably would, then Ken would probably die once Fernando realizes that Ken wants to switch sides. Even if Elmer could protect the boy from Fernando, the beast and Dominic would be free to attack him.


    ''Hmm, this old hag looks bored, I can use her.''


    Elmer found a female elder from the Four Seasons Sect nearby. There were elders scattered throughout the territory, and most of them did not hide their presence to make it clear that nobody should try breaking the rules in their proximity.


    Elmer slightly contorted his face when he saw she preferred to keep her elderly look instead of using products to make her look young. As a serial skirt chaser, he felt it a waste of a strong and capable woman.


    With a sigh, he began letting strands of Darkness Qi move toward her ''carelessly'', and the elder turned alert and concentrated on her surroundings. She found the source of the Darkness Qi and followed it with swift movements, finding nothing.


    "Who is there? Show yourself!"


    ---------


    "Be silent, don''t channel any Qi. An elder from the Four Seasons Sect is nearby and it seems like she sensed something."


    Fernando whispered to hispanions. He was confused as to why the woman suspected anything; she shouldn''t have a chance to see through his disguise unless she knew his approximate location.


    "Come out, or I will see it as a provocation and destroy the whole area until I flush you out." A heavy concentration of Qi formed in the air above them.


    "I''m here, do you have a problem with it?"


    Fernando unwillingly left the group and revealed himself. He used a technique to coat them in darkness and it''dst for at least a few hours before it ran out of Qi and dissipated.


    "Fernando Sue¡­ why are you here?" she squinted her eyes in suspicion.


    "Because I can, that''s my sect''s territory. Unlike evil invaders like yourself, I''m allowed to be here."


    "As if I want to be in this shitty hole and its low Qi concentration. I was told you are very close to Ken Sue, perhaps he is here too?" The woman spected with a cold smile while observing Fernando''s face carefully to detect any changes. To her dismay, she saw nothing. Fernando did not engage in his n''s and sect''s politics for centuries only to fall for a simple taunt.


    "What would he be doing here, Gertrude? He is where we can keep him safe from your filthy ckmailed assassins, in the n''s territory."


    "Be careful with your words, Fernando. We are a righteous sect, we do not practice ckmailing and assassinations." The elder quickly denied his words shamelessly.


    "Hehe, why are you two talking instead of fighting? Don''t you know that Ken Sue is right under your nose?" a mischievous chuckle resounded out of nowhere, and the two recognized it despite not seeing the person.


    "Elmer, why are you interfering in the war between our sects again?" Fernando asked sternly.


    However, it was toote. Gertrude acted as soon as she heard the ''anonymous'' tip. She conjured arge ball of water with her Qi and threw it on the ground. It missed Ken''s real location, but Fernando had to defend against it just to stop the shockwaves.


    "Tygarian, carry them and flee while I hold her back!"


    Fernando gave the beast an order and brought out his flexible sword. The two elders soon began their sh, neither was able to overpower the other in the short run. By the time their battle would be over, Ken would be far away.


    "I need backup, Ken Sue is here. He is protected by a seventh-rank beast! Be careful, Elmer from the Serene Lotus Sect is here as well." Gertrude reported to hermunication stone. She mentioned thest sentence as a warning; everyone knew that he was up to no good if he was there.


    The half-tiger half-eagle beast soared to the sky and dashed fervently, using its aura to defend its passengers from the raging battle between Fernando and Gertrude. Behind it, an invisible man followed leisurely.


    "Elmer! Don''t touch the boy!" Fernando shouted angrily, but he could not afford to protect Ken from two eighth-stage cultivators of the top 5 sects.


    "Don''t worry, I will just protect him from the danger on the road so you can be at ease," Elmer answered back with anotherughter as his voice faded in the distance.


    Dominic, who understood the gist of the situation, looked around them in clenched teeth. He knew there was nothing he could do if they were assaulted by Elmer.


    "Ken, no matter what happens, remain calm and stay behind me. The Seren Lotus Sect does not have a reason to touch you."


    "You''re wrong, young man!" Elmer said the beast crashed into a ck wall that appeared out of nowhere. It was trapped within a sphere of ck smoke, and it seemed lost as it walked in circles inside it.


    Ken and Dominic flew from the beast''s back to the ground, rolling on it roughly at high speed. The older man hurriedly stood up, grabbed Ken, and did his best to run forward while carrying his grandson on his shoulder.


    "Elder, please let us go. We are not in the Supremacy Phase and have not offended you," Dominic requested in an angry tone, aware that he could only be polite with someone so much stronger than him.


    "But I want Ken Sue too."


    "Why do- AH!"


    Dominic shouted in the middle of his sentence, looking at the swording out of his chest before falling to the ground and letting Ken go.


    Chapter 268 - Geronticide

 Chapter 269 269 – Suicide

    <h4>Chapter 269 Chapter 269 ¨C Suicide</h4>


    Henry looked at Maria while they waited for Ken''s parents to arrive. Although blindfolded, Maria could still feel the questioning gaze underneath.


    "His mother is injured severely, and her core was destroyed. She spends most of her time in bed apanied by her husband," Maria exined in a quiet voice the depressing atmosphere in the house.


    "Master Haoran will be here soon," The maid soon returned and served everyone tea, followed by a man. Henry understood that Mei probably did not ept guests in her injured state and said nothing about her absence.


    "Hello, Maria. Thank you for looking after us." Haoran''s appearance would be heart-wrenching for anyone who knew him 4 years ago. He seemed like he turned 20 years older since Ken''s sixth birthday, and his identity as a fifth-stage cultivator made this fact even worse. His eyes lost their old glimmer, and his posture was weak and bent as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders all the time.


    "There''s nothing to thank me for, I''m only a subordinate of your son, Master Haoran," she got up and bowed. Maria knew that getting liked by Ken''s parents could make her one step closer to life if Ken cared about his parents'' opinions, hence, she was always polite to them. Little did she know that her fate was already determined, and her executioner sat right beside her.


    "I still find it hard to believe that my little boy turned so reliable so fast," Haoran sighed in self-loathing as he thought of his eldest son. He missed his two sons badly and feltpletely useless and helpless both as a father and a husband. He could not defend his children nor cure his crippled wife.


    A few seconds of silence passed as nobody wanted to interrupt the depressed man. "Who is he?" He eventually gestured toward Henry and asked.


    "He is Henry, apanion of Ken. He sent him here to pick you up, he could not do it himself due to the political situation in the sect."


    "Is Ken in any kind of trouble?" Hoaran asked worriedly, but Maria had no answer, so all heads turned to Henry.


    "No, he just¡­ moves out. You and Auntie Mei shoulde with me."


    Henry was bad at exining stuff, so Haoran could only frown in confusion. A cultivator of Ken''s age could not just "move out" of the n. Especially when there were sixth-stage cultivators waiting for him to make a mistake. Haoran and Mei never received the news of Krone and Norman''s fall.


    "Is he running away from the sect? It''s impossible to escape the grasp of the beings at the seventh stage! I only got away because none of these beings was searching for me, and I was much older than him."


    "It is ok. We join Serene Lotus Sect. Elders will pick us up if you and Auntie Meie with me to where Ken told me to take you."


    "The Serene Lotus Sect? How did that happen?" Haoran asked with surprise written all over his face. He could not fathom a scenario in which Ken who was not even 10 years old contacted the Serene Lotus Sect and convinced them to let him join their sect.


    Furthermore, it was not even as simple as being epted; it sounded like the first-ranked of the continent sect went out of their way to recruit him, even taking his family along with him.


    He had a lot of questions asked, but he realized he wouldn''t get any answers. Henry''s tone and facial expressions made it clear that he did not like to answer the questions but was forcing himself. The results of this effort were not optimal either.


    "How confident is he about this n?"


    "100%. Young Master Ken is always sure of the oue of his actions," Maria took the burden of speaking back and helped to reassure the worried father.


    "I see. I guess I''m so useless now I can only follow my 10-year-old son''s instructions. We wille with you, just please wait a few minutes while I talk to my wife," Haoran said with a defeated voice as he walked back to his room.


    The remaining group sat silently while they waited for Haoran and Mei. Meanwhile, inside the bedroom, Haoran sat by his wife''s side on the king-size bed.


    "Mei, Dear. I''ve received news from our son. Good news."


    Mei, who had been lying almost lifelessly on the bed, revealed a sign of life when her eyes moved to look at Haoran with a sparkle of hope.


    "Ken?"


    "Yes, our Ken. He managed to enter the Serene Lotus Sect, the strongest sect in the world. He ran away from the n and joined them."


    A small smile adorned Mei''s fragile lips. They were dry and cracked. Her face was wrinkled like a woman in her eighties, and her breath was weak and slow.


    "My Ken is amazing. I hope he can get to the top of the world one day, I believe he can do it in the right environment."


    "He can, Dear. We might even live long enough to see it. He told us to go somewhere and said that the elders of the Serene Lotus Sect would take us from there to their territory. It must mean they value Ken very highly."


    "Did hee here himself?" She asked with a rejuvenated voice and tried to get up on her elbows, raising her head and upper body.


    "No, he couldn''t. He sent one of his friends, a monk who is really bad at talking," Haoran described the monk for his wife while stroking her hair gently.


    "Haha," Meiughed lightly for the first time in the past four years. "He himself is bad at making friends, no wonder they get along," Mei said as her smile turned wider while she thought about her son.


    He had not made a single friend in the sect until the moment he was taken away. She neverined because he seemed to be developing and maturing much faster than his age group, so she believed he was too special to enjoy thepany of the other kids.


    "You''re right. What do you think, should we go? They might have a way to cure you in the Serene Lotus Sect," Haoran said in a cracked voice, a tear appearing in his eyes when the topic of his wife''s injury was brought up.


    "You are asking me if I want to grab a chance at getting cured¡­ haah, it means you''re worried about something." There was silence before Mei continued to talk again, understanding Haoran could not bring himself to say anything against the hope of getting her cured.


    "You''re worried that they might use us in a way to manipte him and influence his decisions, maybe even ckmail and force him into subservience."


    Mei said out loud the worries Haoran could not voice. He was torn between his duty as a husband and his duty as a father.


    "Yes."


    "Then bring me a knife. I will plunge it into my heart myself instead of bing a burden on Ken."


    The two shared a long gaze into each other''s eyes and talked with no words. They knew that staying behind was not an option. The Sue n would use them to taunt and ckmail Ken without any hesitation. The fact that Ken sent people to pick them up was the best testimony to the fact he thought the same.


    However, they did not know the circumstances under which Ken joined the Serene Lotus Sect. They knew he was a genius, and an amazing one at that, especially at the Alchemy field. In their current state, they could only think pessimistically and believe that they''d be used against Ken in one way or another in the future if they let a foreign sect take them.


    "Do you think it''s the best choice?" Haoran asked in a quivering voice after they finished their silent conversation. He did not want his wife to die and he did not want to die himself. But the thoughts about being a burden on his son kept haunting his mind relentlessly.


    "Yes. Don''t you think the same?"


    Haoran did not answer directly. Instead, he produced two long daggers from his storage ring and gave one to Mei.


    "I''m sorry, I''m useless to the end. I can''t do it for you."


    "It''s fine, I can at least kill myself even in my current state." Meiforted him and took one of the daggers. In her determination, her hand was firm as if she was at her peak again.


    The two made eye contact and looked into one another''s eyes lovingly while raising their des and cing them against their chests. Despite the slight shaking that pervaded their movements, their eyes gleamed in resolve.


    "May all beings have happy minds."


    Just as the two were about to put an end to their lives and avoid being a burden on their son, the door was opened, and a blindfolded monk entered and spoke in a soft voice.


    The couple''s expressions changed for the better as they felt bliss they had not felt in years. Today was by no doubt the happiest they had been in years, twice already.


    "Just as a mother would protect her only child with her life, even so let one cultivate a boundless love towards all beings." Henry quoted out loud as he watched the two parents, "Today I''ve been enlightened on the meaning of this sentence. Amitabha."


    Fortunately, the house was not prepared by Ken, so most of the formations were simple third-rank ones that could not hide anything from Henry''s perception.

 Chapter 270 270 – Completed Revenge

    <h4>Chapter 270 Chapter 270 ¨C Completed Revenge</h4>


    Dominic''s eyes widened in astonishment as he gazed upon the sword that had emerged from his chest. Before he could muster a response, the de unleashed a surge of Sword Qi directly into his body and was swiftly withdrawn, inflicting further internal harm.


    He threw his grandson off his shoulder and attempted to employ his Qi to sustain the functionality of his organs. However, the extent of the damage proved overwhelming. Even the most basic of techniques became a perilous endeavor, threatening to cost him his life in the midst of their execution.


    "Why did you do it to me?" Dominic looked at Ken with anger. He believed his rtionship with his grandson was getting better every day, yet Ken stabbed him in the back when he tried his best to protect him from an eighth-stage cultivator.


    "Even now, to this very day, you haven''t brought Mom and Dad back to the sect. You left them to die alone somewhere, uncaring of the fate of your own son and daughter-inw. My mother''s injury was your fault no less than it was Krone''s; she had caused it only because she knew she would go unpunished, and she did, because you don''t care about people that are of no use to you. Today I''vepleted my revenge against the Sue n for what it had done to me 4 years ago."


    Ken''s red eyes seemed to prate into the old man''s soul with his gaze. Dominic tried his best but he could not find a trace of pity or regret, and he knew nothing was going to save to save him from his fate.


    "Did you orchestrate all of this? Did you n to join the Serene Lotus Sect from the beginning?" Dominic asked, trying to stall for time. He hoped Fernando would eventuallye to his aid, but he did not know how long his uncle would be upied by his fight with the cultivator from the Four Seasons Sect.


    "They reached out to mest year at the central zone, but I could not join before I took care of my parents, or else you''d use them against me. I''ve asked Elder Elmer to wait until I can rescue them, and asked for his cooperation to deal with the trouble I can''t manage on my own."


    Ken did not mind exining since Elmer was on guard. He knew the elder would just take him and go if they could not remain there for some reason. The seventh-rank beast was still trapped in Elmer''s technique while Fernando was away, there was nothing that stopped him from spending a fewst moments with his dying grandfather.


    "What about our supervision? Despite the warpelling us to recall the sixth-stage guards who were previously monitoring Haoran, we''ve now stationed a duo of peak fifth-stage cultivators there. We would not leave them with someone weaker than Haoran after all, and he was a top cultivator in the same stage."


    Dominic continued to ask his questions, partly because he wanted to know, and partly because he was desperate for more time.


    "Haha, I''ve sent Henry. He''d be more than enough to deal with them," Ken snorted when he heard his grandfather confirm that the war indeed helped remove the obstacles from saving his parents.


    "They are Darkness Qi cultivators, your monk friend might not even sense their presence while they report to the n that your parents are moving. Don''t think we don''t know they were moved to Ice Feather Sect, we were told everything."


    Ken just smiled coldly when he heard Dominic im that Henry could not locate someone in the fifth stage. Henry''s scouting abilities were probably higher than his own, there was no way the monk would fail to locate some spies. In a city of normal citizens, two cultivators would stick out like a sore thumb to the monk obsessed with how disgusting bloodlust is.


    "If you''re done with your questions, I have to leave now. Wish me luck in my new sect, Grandfather."


    "The Sue n will not let you go!" Dominic said angrily, but Ken already charged toward him. He did not even unsheathe his sword; they began a barehanded fight.


    Dominic tried to punch the young teen, but Ken used his smaller structure to duck low and swipe the man''s leg. Because of the injury, his grandfather could not do sudden movements or stretch too much, nor could he use any technique. He could not even afford to block heavy blows.


    Worse yet, he had to also focus on manually operating his organs while isting Ken''s Sword Qi in his body, or else it''d tear his organs to shred from the inside. With all these handicaps, he could notpete with his genius grandson despite the two full stages gap between them.


    Ken, aware of his grandfather''s limitations, took advantage of them without any shame. He used heavy blows to make his grandfather''s organs suffer from the tremors, or moved swiftly to the sides to force him to make sudden movements and stretch himself.


    "Ah! You unfilial grandson, you dare even torture your own flesh and blood?" Dominic''s eyes were bloodshot in his fury. He could not ept that he, the patriarch of a top elite n, was manipted, betrayed, and eventually humiliated by his own 10-year-old grandson.


    His fury was answered with silence, and Ken persisted with his onught without pause, delivering even more blows. More and more blood spilled out of Dominic''s orifices with every exchange, and keeping his body in one piece was turning harder at every passing moment.


    "ENOUGH!" Dominic shouted angrily. Knowing that he would not survive that day, he had enough humiliation before his death. Hepletely let his body go and channeled Qi to his palm. He mmed his chest decisively, making his own wounded heart explodepletely.


    "You''ve been cold and calctive to the end, Grandfather." Ken looked down at Dominic''s corpse fall to the ground andy there lifelessly.


    "Elder Elmer, I''m ready to go." Ken turned to the elder who watched without interfering the whole time.


    "Sure. But wasn''t it too cruel to treat your grandfather like that?" Elmer appeared next to him and coated him in a sphere of Darkness Qi.


    "No, he had to pay for his part in my mother''s injury. He''s not my grandfather as far as I''m concerned; I only know him as the one who sent goons to assault my family and took me from my home."


    "I see."


    ------------


    Meanwhile, Fernando was busy fighting the woman. His flexible sword tried to cut through the torrents of water while his opponent did her best not to be entrapped in the darkness. None of them could get the advantage in the fight for now, and they were mainly fighting for the sake of keeping each other busy. One to let his student run away while the other hoped reinforcements would arrive soon.


    "Grand Elder Fernando, I have a report to make!" He received a message to hismunication token during the fight.


    "Is it urgent? I''m a bit busy right now," Fernando said after deflecting another dragon made of water.


    "Yes, Grand Elder. We received a report that the life tokens of two disciples were shattered, and they were found dead in Ken Sue''s house. From a quick check, they were poisoned by drinking tea. They were Ken''s former bodyguard and personal maid."


    Fernando was startled by the news, almost getting hit by his opponent. He did not know what was going on, so he hurriedly tried to contact Ken. However, there was no response. He immediately tried to connect to Dominic''smunication token but failed again.


    ''What is going on?'' he muttered to himself, unable to connect the dots yet. But his confusion did notst long.


    "Grand Elder, I have more urgent news! Patriarch Dominic Sue''s life token¡­ was shattered!" The same voice came again, this time much more panicked.


    Fernando widened his eyes in surprise when he heard the news. ''Did Elmer kill a sixth-stage cultivator? No, the Serene Lotus Sect would not do something like that openly. First Ken''s maid and bodyguard were killed by poison, and now Dominic got killed while being with Ken.''


    Now the pieces of the puzzle were falling into ce in his mind.


    ''Elmer was involved since the beginning, and he made sure to pressure the Four Seasons Sect, which I thought worked in our favor. Now again, he got involved and went after Ken. I did not understand how Gertrude found us, but could it be that Ken had revealed our location to Elmer who in turn brought Gertrude to keep me busy?''


    The more he thought about it, the more this exnation made sense. His face turned red in anger when he thought about how he was manipted by a child that was barely old enough to be referred to as a ''teen''.


    "KEN!!!" He screamed in rage, his voice reverberating throughout the forest. His scream was imbued with Qi instinctively, and thousands of small critters died in a radius of a kilometer around him, while others lost their consciousness and copsed.


    Even Gertrude was caught by surprise and stopped attacking; it was not a scream of worry, she was sure that Fernando was furious.


    "I will help you kill the boy myself if we can catch him!" He hissed at her and rushed in the direction the beast carried Ken.


    --------


    "Haha, I think that your granduncle found out about you!" Elmerughed merrily. They were already far away from the scene, and the elder did not leave behind a single way to trace them.


    "Why do you think that?"


    "I just heard him scream your name, and I think I could recognize a hint of anger," Elmer replied with a wide smile.


    Volume 5 ¨C Home Sweet Home ¨C The End.

 Chapter 271 271 – Encountering Backstabbers

    <h4>Chapter 271 Chapter 271 ¨C Encountering Backstabbers</h4>


    Volume 6 ¨C Martial Arts Summit


    ---------


    "We will be in the Serene Lotus Sect within a few days. When your parents arrive, someone will take you to meet them. Another elder picked them up along with your friend, you have nothing to worry about."


    "All right, thank you for your help, Elder Elmer." Ken thanked the elder politely. He did appreciate the aid the Serene Lotus Sect provided him with despite his low stage. No matter how much potential he had, he was only one person, and they could not know for sure that souring their rtionship with two top sects for him was worth it.


    "It''s fine. You don''t have to worry about the sect; leave that to us old bones, we will take care of the other sects," Elmer guessed what Ken was worried about and calmed him down.


    The travel took them a few days until they made it to the sect''s base. The ce was stretched over a few long mountain belts, and the different peaks were taken by the many elders of the sect.


    "Ken, do you want to tell us what exactly your Qi attributes are? Our sect has many elders with mysterious and enigmatic types of Qi, so we might be able to find you a master. You can be a core disciple this way and enjoy various benefits and resources."


    "I''m afraid there is nobody with my attributes, so it''d be better to keep it secret. Once I be an elder, I can pass it on to my future disciples," Ken refused the offer. He added thest part to ensure the sect that he would pass his legacy on as long as he seeded in making one.


    It served the purpose of having them off his back for now until he was in the seventh stage in the faraway future, so he did not need to worry about it. From the perspective of a sect, a couple of hundred years was not a long time, so they did not have a reason to bother him.


    "I see. You can still gain many resources by being an alchemist and a top inner disciple. The core disciples simply don''t need to work for it."


    "It''s fine, I don''t mind working a little for money." Ken shrugged when he thought about his money-making machine. With Darma''s ie, he did not need to worry about funds until he broke through to the seventh stage. The only thing he would not refuse was Immortal Qi Stones, but these were reserved for the ninth-stage elders, meaning he would not get any with the status of a core disciple anyway.


    "Huh, you and your friends are quite peculiar. They also refused our offer to get a master for some reason, and their Qi attributes are not even a secret," Elmer sighed.


    "Oh? Tiara and ric impressed the sect enough to be offered a position as core disciples?" Ken asked in satisfaction. He recruited them to his team for the long term, so he''d be disappointed if they could not even achieve that much.


    "Yes, although they''re in trouble right now."


    "What is it?"


    "Oh¡­ The guy is quite passionate about justice¡­" Elmer chuckled.


    ---------


    A few days ago:


    "Are you ready?" ric asked Tiara while the two faced each other with serious expressions. They both had one hand stretched forward, forming a fist.


    "I am, let''s get it over with. I think the whole idea is ridiculous."


    "You''re just afraid, aren''t you?" ric provoked her.


    "Hmph, bring it on."


    "3¡­2¡­1¡­"


    The two raised their fists in the air and brought them down together at the same time. Tiara''s hand was open while ric''s did a V with two fingers.


    "Haha, scissors beat paper, I get to challenge the first-ranked disciple!" ricughed merrily and threw his discipleship token to the receptionist at the Hall of Glory who watched the duo with impatient eyes. The two have been bickering about who gets to challenge the first rank for a while now, slowing down the queue.


    In fact, they were both in the top 10 for over a month now, and they procrastinated on theirst challenge until now because they could not decide on it. However, they got a letter from Elmer saying that Ken would be in the sect within a week, prompting them to just do it.


    "Whatever," Tiara grumbled and threw hers, letting him register a challenge against the second-ranked inner disciple of their age group.


    Three days passed quickly, and the two imed the first and the second ces after short fights. They were both too strong for their opponents despite being younger; their bodies were stronger, their foundation was stronger, and their techniques were stronger.


    "Let''s go celebrate it with a meal?" ric asked his forced-by-circumstances friend if she wanted to tag along.


    "Sure," even when trying to be somewhat friendly, Tiara still was not a woman of many words.


    The two walked together to a fancy restaurant with four floors and a sign that said, "Nine Heavens".


    "Why call a restaurant nine heavens when there are only four floors?" ric asked out loud, making Tiara smile.


    "Hello, where would you like to sit?" A hostess wearing a tight cheongsam weed them.


    "What''s the difference between the different floors?" ric questioned while looking around him.


    "The first floor is the noisiest one and is meant for everyone, so there are also servants and young children dining. The second floor is meant for those in the Nurturing Phase, the third floor is only for ranked disciples, core disciples, elders, or rich people."


    "What about the fourth floor?"


    "It''s for people who don''t mind the price and want privacy; it only has private rooms."


    "All right, we will go to the third floor," ric decided, prompting the ice princess beside him to raise an eyebrow in displeasure. She was a core disciple from an elite n in the Phoenix Feather Sect, she was not used to dining in anything that wasn''t a private room. In contrast, ric was from amoner background.


    Their robes already had the badges of the top disciples, hence, the hostess brought them upstairs without asking for additional payment.


    On the third floor, luxury reigned supreme. Deep red curtains adorned with gold trimmings, tables set with precious jade, and soft music from a zither created an elegant ambiance. The polished wooden floors sparkled under warmntern light, while well-dressed guests chatted quietly, adding to the refined atmosphere.


    "Oh, this is quite fancy!"


    "You sound like it''s your first time in a restaurant, weren''t you a core disciple before?"


    "Yes, but I used my resources for cultivation, so I never chose the expensive ces, especially since most of my friends weremoners like me who remained inner disciples. I only chose the third floor because I knew a spoiled princess like you would be upset otherwise."


    "I''m still upset, why isn''t it the fourth floor?"


    "Oh, I guess that''s a princess from an elite n for you," ric said with an impressed tone.


    A waitress carried a trayden with delicately ted dishes, each one a work of culinary art. Her attire, a flowing silk hanfu in hues of azure, matched the restaurant''s decor. With a gentle smile, she set each dish before the diners, revealing intricate patterns carved from vegetables and garnished with edible blossoms.


    "I hope you will enjoy your meal, please call me if you need anything," the waitress bowed and left under ric''s awed gaze.


    "Stop staring, it''s just food," Tiara said somewhat embarrassedly when she noticed ric acting like a viger during his first time in a big city.


    "Oh, let me enjoy my first time here peacefully," ricined.


    The two enjoyed the delicacies served, each trying a small bite from every dish, when suddenly a shout came from one of the tables nearby.


    "It''s not what we agreed on!" One disciple shouted.


    Everyone''s eyes on the floor turned to look, and the pair was not any different. They saw a group of 4 disciples, all wearing green, sitting around the table.


    "Be quiet and don''t make a scene." One of the other three said in a threatening voice and red his aura, showing he was a lower Nascent Soul cultivator.


    "You are just abusing your higher stage, but even if I still did not break through yet, I''m not that easy to bully. I want the full payment we agreed on!" The disciple from earlier did not budge.


    "Are you sure you should take from us more than we already graciously gave?"


    "Graciously? You gave only a third of the amount. I showed you the way to that herb field in exchange for 30% of the profits."


    "But you couldn''t defeat the beast guarding it without us, could you? You don''t deserve that much of the profit," one of the trio said.


    "And you would not find those herbs without me. I could take that offer to any other group and get the same deal," the weaker disciple argued back.


    "And that other team would give you less than we did. Here, take 10% more and leave. If you darein, we will take everything and leave you with nothing."


    "Fine," the young man said with gritted teeth. He took the payment and turned around to leave. When his back was turned to the other three, one of them suddenly attacked.


    "Argh!"


    The young man rolled on the ground with a few deep cuts on his back, some even deep enough to show the bone beneath the flesh.


    "Haha, you can use the extra money to buy some healing pills, idiot. Next time don''t be too greedy and know your ce!"


    "Sir, are you ok? Let us take you to the Medical Hall!" One waitress approached the wounded man worriedly while the threeughed.


    Meanwhile, Tiara looked at ric who watched the scene with squinted eyes, his hands somewhat quivering. But she knew it was not fear; it was anger. She remembered his judgment fetish and the dream about exterminating backstabbers, and those guys were backstabbers even in the literal sense.


    "ric, rx. If you must fight them, challenge them officially first," Tiara tried to reason with him, but Ken''s brainwashing was not that weak. ric''s eyes turned somewhat insane as he looked at the three and emanated thick killing intent.


    "Huh? What''s your problem?" One of the three asked loudly when he noticed it.


    Unafraid of the stage gap, ric''s spear appeared in his hand and lightning started raging around him.


    ''Oh damn madman,'' Tiara thought to herself as she summoned out her saber, knowing that a fight was about to break out and she could not avoid participating. Although ric was strong enough to defeat one or two of them, he could not take on three Nascent Soul cultivators.

 Chapter 272 272 – Arriving at the Serene Lotus Sect

    <h4>Chapter 272 Chapter 272 ¨C Arriving at the Serene Lotus Sect</h4>


    "Your friends are in trouble right now."


    "What is it?"


    "The guy is quite passionate about justice¡­" Elmer chuckled.


    Elmer recounted the events ording to the news he received on hismunication device a few days ago.


    "Oh, so ric judged someone. But since they were able to defeat three inner disciples in a higher stage, the punishment can''t be too bad, can it?"


    "Well, they destroyed the whole floor, including decorations that cost a small fortune. Including all the food they spoiled, the bystanders they injured, and the furniture they broke, they owe about a million Qi Stones. Apparently, ric paid 500,000 to cover for Tiara but did not have enough left for himself."


    "Haha, did Tiara help him?" Kenughed in amusement when he remembered thedy''s greed; he already knew the answer.


    "Sounds like you know she didn''t. She only thanked him and said it was his own fault for losing control and dragging her into the fight, so he should just work at the restaurant as a guard or a waiter until he can pay it back."


    "Don''t worry about it, I will pay his debt for him. What happened to the three they fought?"


    "Still unconscious. An elder dining in the floor above intervened when they were about to die, so yourpanions were not charged for murder. You should warn them about it; our sect does not mind inner fighting as long as it facilitates mutual growth, but the Discipline division will execute anyone whomits murder out of the arena. No matter how talented a disciple is, they''d only bring harm if he has no inhibitions and self-restraint."


    "I see, thank you for the advice. I will make sure it will not happen again," Ken nodded seriously and cooperated. There was no reason to insist on murdering others in an unfamiliar environment, and if he had to murder someone for some reason, he''d just have to do it without getting caught or by shifting the me to someone else.


    "Tiara also rented a house and a personal maid for you in advance, although she only paid for the first month and said you''ll deal with the rest."


    Ken rolled his eyes but said nothing. The sphere of Darkness Qi was opened, and the sight of the sect''s territory was revealed underneath him while he stood on a step made of Darkness Qi.


    He could see many small figures walking on the roads, training in different areas, or just hanging out in different ces. Many areas were blurred, meaning there were formations that hid whatever transpired there to give the residents some privacy.


    "Wee to the Serene Lotus Sect. Atst, you''re finally here. We are currently in the outer sect''s territory, while the inner part is beyond the gates over there. I will take you to your house this time, but you can ask your maid for a map for future navigation. I will send other servants to bring you new discipleship robes. As for a token, you can use the one I gave you in the past. If you have any other questions try to ask your friends, they have been here for quite a while."


    "You''ve done plenty for me. Thank you, Grand Elder Elmer."


    "Don''t worry about it, I just liked your disposition and talent."


    The two soonnded in front of a house, and Ken knew it was his ce. It was neither big nor small, neither fancy nor shabby. He opened the door and found a young woman at the table, eating lunch. From her aura, he could sense she was at the third stage, and he estimated her age as around 17 years old.


    When she heard the door, she hurriedly got up and looked at the neer. She blushed for a moment when she saw the beautiful teen in front of her, turning nervous instantly.


    "Hello, I¡­ good to¡­ You must be Young Master Ken," she stuttered, changing her sentence a few times indecisively. Tiara and ric said she would recognize Ken easily, describing him as a male teenager more beautiful than a fairy with prating red eyes and long ck hair. Seeing him, she finally understood why he was so distinguishable.


    "Yes, and you are?" Ken asked, feeling a little bit nervous, too.


    "Hello, Young Master Ken! I''m your personal maid, Soul!" She bowed.


    "Sol?"


    "No, Young Master, it''s Soul," she corrected him.


    ''Damn, I knew it!'' Ken cursed in his mind when he heard the maid''s name. He did not know how it made sense anymore, but he just put it aside and sighed.


    "All right, work hard. Please show me around the house for now."


    Soul took him on a small tour around the house, showing him the study room, Alchemy room, bedroom, and guest room.


    ''I guess I can practice Formation Mastery in the study room or go to the backyard,'' Ken pondered when the maid led him outside through a backdoor, showing a rtively spacious backyard.


    "All right, thank you. Now, this is Emrys. Emrys, this is Soul. You can y with her whenever you''re bored."


    Ken brought the wolf out of the backpack he was carrying on his back ever since he left the Phoenix Feather Sect. The pup was closed inside the whole time, and he was starving for a breath of fresh air. Emrys instantly jumped out excitedly, running around the new ce.


    "Aww, he is so cute!" Soul eximed when the pup got close to her and ced a paw on her knee. She was around 168 cm (5''6) tall, and Emrys''s head reached just above her knee.


    "Ah, but she''s weak, so be careful not to cut her in half or something by mistake. Be gentle with her," Ken ordered the wolf who replied with a quiet growl to show his understanding.


    "Wait, he''s that strong? Young Master, isn''t it better if you buy him some toys instead of sending him to y with me?" Soul asked in a worried tone.


    "You will be fine, I''m sure you''ll need hispany too," Ken shrugged and turned around to leave. "Oh right, bring me a detailed map of the sect''s base. I want it here by the evening," Ken ordered before entering his study room to cultivate and work on forming his nascent soul.


    ----------


    In the evening, Ken left the house with the new map Soul had provided him with etched into his mind. He walked straight to the sect''s prison as there was no reason to keep ric locked up.


    Showing his discipleship token, the guards let him in without any trouble, and he soon found himself in front of a counter.


    "Hello, how may I help you?"


    "I want to pay the debt of a friend and set him free. His name is ric Sonora."


    "Let me check¡­ 500,000 medium Qi Stones or 475 high ones for a 5% discount." The clerk did the math quickly and specified the costs.


    "Sure, you can have 500,000."


    All cultivators wanted the high ones for much more convenient and efficient cultivation sessions when they were in higher stages, thus their price was higher than their worth in Qi quantity and quality.


    "All right, thank you. You can wait here for him toe out."


    ric soon appeared from a door at the back, wearing the green robes of the sect. His eyes lit up as soon as he saw his idol, and he approached Ken quickly.


    "Team Leader, it''s good to have you here!"


    "Hello, ric. You should consider your actions more carefully next time," Ken greeted back but also scolded the irresponsible man.


    "I''m sorry, but it''s all Tiara''s fault. I''m telling you, Team Leader, she''s also a backstabber, we should get rid of her! Can you believe that she did not agree to lend me any money after I paid her bail?" ric''s face contorted when he remembered Tiara ming him and leaving.


    "She was right though, you did drag her into the situation recklessly instead of challenging those guys officially," Ken pointed out ric''s wrongdoings.


    "But Team Leader, real friends wouldn''t just leave their friend in jail even if he made a mistake! She can''t be trusted!"


    "Rx, fake friends would not stand by your side in a fight that has nothing to do with them. She knew I''de to bail you out, so it was just her way to get back at you for causing her trouble."


    ric froze for a moment when he recalled that Tiara truly helped him out in the battle and that it was indeed obvious that Ken woulde to help him a few dayster.


    "I see, I''ve been wrong," ric admitted.


    "Just be more trusting toward yourpanions next time. Anyway, I must warn you that we are new here and have no connections aside from Elmer, and we don''t know how much he''d stick out for us. Don''t act recklessly anymore; if you want to judge someone, do it through the sect''s procedures instead of destroying a restaurant. You should think about all the inconvenience you caused to the other guests and the ce''s owners."


    Ken did not want ric to be a wild card that caused problems everywhere and mightmit murder at any time, so he did not hold back his scolding. ric looked at him like a puppy that got yelled at by its owner, nodding at every sentence.


    "Anyway, go back to your training. We will train together when Henryes here, he is another member of our group."


    "Wait, Team Leader, I also have a surprise for you. I challenge you to a duel tomorrow, do you dare ept?" ric grinned at him.

 Chapter 273 273 – Henry VS. Tiara

    <h4>Chapter 273 Chapter 273 ¨C Henry VS. Tiara</h4>


    "Team Leader, I challenge you to a duel tomorrow, do you dare ept?" ric grinned at him.


    "I dare ept, but do you dare fight and go all out?" Ken smiled when he understood ric''s intentions.


    The man obsessed about loyalty wouldn''t truly challenge his team leader; ric meant to give up and let Ken take the first ce. Ken might have to ept some challenges from unsatisfiedpetitors, but overall, it''d still be faster than fighting all the way to the top himself.


    "Haha, Team Leader, you saw right through me. I don''t dare fight, I saw some of your strength in the secret realm. We can do a mock battle to show your strength so others will be reluctant to challenge you afterward."


    "Fine, let''s register it tomorrow at the Hall of Glory," Ken agreed and turned to leave. It was evening now, and he did not want to go now, perhaps a habit from his former world where shops and businesses were closed at night.


    "Hey, Team Leader, do you need me to show you around to find a house for rent?"


    "It''s all right, Tiara already got me a house and I''m satisfied with it."


    ''Tiara again!'' ric growled internally when he realized the woman probably rented the house he told her about, but he couldn''t say anything without sounding petty or eager for recognition.


    "Well, I guess it doesn''t matter too much since you''d get the amodation for the first-rank disciple tomorrow anyway," ric chose to just downy her contribution instead.


    ---------


    "Hey, did you hear about the fight for first ce in our age group? ric Sonora challenged a neer who is not even ranked."


    "Yes, but that''s the least ridiculous part about it. I saw him, and he can''t be older than 14 years old!"


    "It''s even more than that, they know each other from before. What if ric ns on letting him win and forcing everyone to let that kid keep the spot for free resources?"


    "The sect would never allow it, I don''t think we need to worry about it. Apparently, that kid is called Ken Sue and he is the Devil''s Heir from the war between the Divine Sword Sect and the Four Seasons Sect. I heard he massacred his enemies without any effort, so maybe he is strong enough to get first ce without any faulty y."


    "But it''s not everything, I heard also Tiara cier challenged a new unranked disciple that came with Ken Sue, he is older though, probably past his 30."


    "Oh, here''s Ken Sue! ric and Tiara also follow him. Who''s the bald dude?"


    "He''s the one that Tiara challenged, I thought he was over 50 when I saw him for the first time. Poor guy, I wonder if he needs medicine above the sixth grade to cure his balding."


    Everyone from that age group gossiped about the topic as Ken and his group passed through the road leading to the arena. The four ignored the onlookers since it was normal to be interested in an event like the fights of the top inner disciples.


    "They''re quite rude," ricmented when he heard thest remark.


    Ken did the introductions between the group members earlier. While Tiara and Henry got along well as they both liked quiet, ric needed someone to contain his need for talking.


    "As an elephant in the battlefield withstands arrows shot from bows all around, even so shall I endure abuse," Henry replied with words of wisdom.


    "Henry, why are you bald?" ric asked in curiosity.


    "It''s from strengthening the body using Demonic Qi," Ken exined on the monk''s behalf.


    "So the baldness is from being a demon, not being a monk! But wait, Team Leader, didn''t you say you n to let us train under his Demonic Qi?"


    "I did," Ken told the team earlier on their way to the arena that they were going to a training session together to strengthen their bodies under Henry''s Demonic Qi.


    "I don''t want to be bald!" ric said worriedly. Ken was not sure if he should be surprised, but Tiara also had a concerned expression.


    "I agree, I won''t participate if it includes balding," she said. It was one of the first time her opinion aligned with ric''s.


    "Strength is more important than hair, but don''t worry, you will not lose any hair. We won''t change our constitution the same way as Demonic Qi cultivators."


    Demonic cultivators were different from evil cultivators ¨C the first title was reserved exclusively for those who cultivated Demonic Qi, be they good or evil people, while thetter title belonged to those who harmed others for their selfish benefit and did not follow the righteous moral code, regardless of the specific type of Qi they cultivated.


    "Okay then," ric and Tiara agreed and the four made it to the arena. Henry was 38 years old, so he was in the same age bracket as them.


    While his stage would be oppressed down to the peak of the fourth stage when fighting against Tiara, they already agreed in advance to let him win. ric already informed the two neers about the different mechanics of the rankings and arenas herepared to their previous sect.


    "Battle for the second rank, Henry Karras versus Tiara cier!"


    There were many more spectatorspared to regr battles; everyone was excited to watch Tiara. Not only it was always worth watching a better someone fight for inspiration and enlightenment, but Tiara always moved gracefully in a way that fascinated males and females alike.


    In fact, word spread after her first battle, and many young teen girls havee to her battles ever since. They''dter try to imitate her moves and implement them in their training, but somehow it only caused them to waste movements and achieve worse results than before. Hence, she had a loyal audience.


    Tiara did not rush into battle. She knew that Henry was capable if Ken recruited him, so she fought carefully. Even if she had to lose in the end, they were fighting seriously first. It didn''t take her long to recognize her mistake.


    "Mmmmm"


    The monk levitated in the air while sitting cross-legged, and he brought his palm up to his chest with a bead ne between the thumb and the index finger. A few palms appeared in front of him and were shot at her.


    Tiara immediately felt a sense of danger and knew she messed up. The whole floor froze up as she began to slide on it, speeding up to a nauseating level. By rotating and zigzagging, she managed to dodge most of the palms, except for thest one that was ced with the intention of blocking herst escape route.


    She swung down her sword to meet with the palm, somewhat confident of her own strength. However, that single palm was much heavier than she expected, and she was thrown a few steps back.


    She did not lose her focus because of the setback; she somewhat expected the monk''s strength to be monstrous as it was one of the main traits of Demonic Qi cultivators. Coupled with his ess to Ken''s pills, she should''ve known that his raw strength would be superior to hers.


    "Ow!" The crowd sighed in disappointment as the beautiful dance Tiara performed on the ice tform was stopped by thest palm.


    ''Ice Birds,'' Tiara pointed her saber forward, and many birds made of ice were formed. Their beaks were a sharp mix of Ice Qi and Saber Qi, and the danger they posed on their target stood in contrast with their adorable artistic shape.


    *Ding!* The noise rang in the arena as if someone mmed a huge bell, and an ethereal bell covered Henry from all sides. The birds all crashed into it, producing weaker rings as they turned into ice dust before melting.


    "Hmm, Henry loses a lot of his abilities by being repressed to the fourth stage," Kenmented while he watched the duel with ric.


    Ken knew Henry''s inheritance since he created it himself, and the monk had many techniques that affected the mind like the one that caused bliss. Normally he''dbine them with other skills that caused actual damage, but now he could only execute one technique at a time.


    "He seems plenty strong to me," ric replied as he watched how easily the monk stopped his opponent''s attacks.


    Tiara used that chance to close the distance between them, and she was soon face to face in front of the blindfolded monk. Knowing that he couldn''t just cower behind the bell all day, Henry canceled it and stood up, ready to face his opponent head-on.


    One would think he was in trouble without a weapon, but he did not seem concerned. His arms glowed in ck as he met the saber with a punch, and a *cling* sound echoed like two metals met each other.


    Tiara, unfamiliar with Demonic Qi cultivators, thought at first that the monk was acting recklessly, but now her arms took a shockwave as if a normal human tried to sh a boulder.


    Henry did not give her time to manage her surprise and jumped forward with a wide swing of his fist, forcing the woman to lean backward and do her best to disengage, but to no avail.


    Somehow, the ice princess''s elegant movements seemed truly wasteful for the first time since she appeared in the arena.


    Every time she conjured a barrier of Ice Qi, Henry sted his way straight in with brute force, and her dance now seemed weird and out of ce in the middle of a fight.


    The fight did not take long, and soon Tiara could not handle the sessive heavy blows anymore. She was thrown on her back from an uppercut and admitted defeat.


    "Winner, Henry Karras!"

 Chapter 274 274 – Alaric VS. Ken

    <h4>Chapter 274 Chapter 274 ¨C ric VS. Ken</h4>


    "You really lost there, what happened?" ric asked Tiara as the pair of fighters returned from the arena.


    "I don''t know," she replied, clearly bothered herself. Although they agreed on letting Henry win eventually, she believed they''d at least draw like she always did with ric. To her dismay, she genuinely lost.


    ''Hmm, her movements seemed very inefficient, but she is clearly not one to reduce her own prowess for aesthetic reasons. Does it have anything to do with her luck?'' Ken pondered while he watched the beautiful woman sit by his side.


    Thinking about it, she was one of the two most beautiful women he had ever seen, and the other was Vivienne. And it wasn''t that the rest of the women in the cultivation world were not beauties, those two were just on a par with Ken himself.


    "Next fight, Ken Sue vs. ric Sonora!"


    The announcer''s voice brought Ken out of his reveries, making him get up and go to the arena for his fight.


    "Team Leader, good luck!"


    "Good luck."


    The two bowed to each other and the fight started. Ken moved swiftly without wasting any time before attacking.


    ''One Step.''


    He crossed the distance between them instantly, but when he was about to sh with his sword, he found out that ric was already aware of his usual style and prepared for it.


    ''nk!'' ric knew that Ken might appear anywhere around him with One Step, aside from a small space behind him that was blocked by his own body. He already decided beforehand to begin the fight with an attack that affected a wide area, gambling that Ken would open with his dashing technique.


    When the butt of the spear hit the ground, shockwaves were sent everywhere around it, pushing Ken away from his opponent.


    ric did not bother worrying about Ken''s safety and went all out as if he were aiming to kill his opponent. Not because he had ill intentions, but because his trust in Ken''s might was absolute.


    ''Supersonic Throw.''


    Boosted with lightning, the man threw his spear at a speed that surpassed the speed of sound. The spear created multiple sonic booms as it pierced through the air, each boom causing a shockwave that would cause a mess in a person''s body even before the spear connected.


    ''sh, 81 in 1,''


    Ken waved his sword and the power that came out of it was overbearing. It cut through the very air, stopping the sonic booms and meeting with the flying spear.


    The ground underneath Ken''s feet shook from the impact, and Ken stood firmly in his ce as he sent the spear back the other way.


    ''Those shockwaves are annoying,'' Ken mused as he activated Cloud Running and rushed to engage his opponent again. The technique was helpful in negating impacts, and he nned to use it to reduce the effects of the shockwaves.


    "Haha, Team Leader, you will have to take this fight more seriously if you want to win!"


    ricughed out loud, enjoying the fierce battle and the exciting sensations from the adrenaline rush in his body. Fighting a stronger opponent was not something he did every day, and he cherished the moment.


    ''Thrust of Lightning and Thunder.''


    ric''s spear flew right back into his hand, and he used it to thrust in Ken''s direction. The lightning reached Ken first, and the shockwave followed right after.


    ''sh Unwind,'' Ken''s sword drew an arc in the air as it cut through everything around him, but it was enough to slow him down. ric''s goal was to keep Ken away, allowing him to enjoy the benefit of a longer weapon.


    ''Mind Poisoning ¨C Paralysis.''


    Ken turned more serious and activated his technique in the single target variant. ric froze a moment as fear gripped his heart and he hallucinated Ken as an apex predator, the one that could put an end to him whenever he wished. He saw visions of Ken with an unsheathed sword, blood dripping from it.


    Ken knew ric''s problematic personality and did not use the extra effect of the Big Sess mastery realm of the technique. He did not know how the man would react to visions of Ken killing him repeatedly with his strong fetish to kill backstabbers.


    Even using only up to the Small Sess effects, it was still much stronger than before with his heightened mastery over the technique.


    Ken came face to face with ric and struck with his sword, trying to leave a gash on his opponent''s body. ric was terrified, but his body instinctively reacted to the threat and blocked with his spear. The immediate threat managed to shake him into action again.


    Unfortunately, it was toote.


    ''Snake Thrust,'' Ken thrust his flexible sword and it moved like a slithering snake. ric could see the trajectory, yet somehow his spear still missed the mark and two small wounds appeared on his chest. If Ken did not hold back, two holes would be there.


    "Thank you for going easy on me, Team Leader. I surrender," ric sent his spear back into his ring.


    "Winner, Ken Sue!"


    The two headed back together to their waiting friends after the fight. Since Ken said they would train together afterward, they did not leave after their fight. Besides, they were quite curious about the fight itself.


    "I see you still use a spear. Are you cking in your training?" Ken asked.


    "No, that''s not it. It''s just a veryplicated inheritance, so right now I''m only as strong using it as I already am while using the spear. It''s better to keep it a secret since it wouldn''t give me any real edge in a fight."


    "I see," Ken nodded in understanding. He remembered the inheritance he perfected for hispanion, and it was indeedplicated and required a lot of training.


    "What are we doing?" ric asked once the four got together, and all the three looked at Ken in anticipation.


    "Let''s get to my courtyard first."


    --------


    The four sat down in Ken''s courtyard, their privacy somewhat protected by the formations Ken inscribed himself on the ground and the walls. Unless a seventh-stage cultivator acted immorally and peeked inside as Fernando did back in the Phoenix Feather Sect, nobody would see their activities.


    Ken looked into Tiara''s eyes, and felt again a weak attraction to her, just like the crush he had back in the secret realm.


    "Henry, purify my mind," Ken said.


    "Peacees from within, don''t seek it without," Henry said, and Ken felt as if water washed away all worries and negative thoughts from his brain.


    Suddenly, Ken delivered a kick to Tiara''s head, but the woman seemed prepared for it from the moment Ken asked for mind purification. She blocked it with her shoulder and disengaged quickly, looking at Ken wearily.


    "Wait! I can exin!" She shouted hurriedly, clearly stressed by the situation. She was well aware of Ken''s ruthless personality and was not sure how he was going to react now that he found out.


    "I don''t like being manipted. Do you think your exnation can save your life?" Ken asked indifferently.


    Henry remained seated peacefully, almost like he did not care about the infighting. ric, however, quickly got up and summoned his spear. Despite somewhat getting along with Tiara in the past few months, he assumed she had done something wrong if Ken attacked her.


    "Yes, I had no ill intentions. I just wanted to be more favored and enjoy a bit more resources. I never nned to cause any trouble with it or harm your interests!" She quickly exined as much as she could.


    "Hmm, that ability is interesting. How did you do it?"


    -----------


    (A/N: Tiara''s past is described in chapters 171-172).


    Around 15 years ago:


    Tiara was taken by her grandmother, Naomie, to one of the coldest ces in the Verdant Qi continent, Frostin. It was a ce where the eye could only meet ice wherever it looked, and it was ced in the north of the central zone.


    It was so cold that only cultivators aiming to control relevant types of Qi entered, and the humans did not even fight the residing beasts for control over it. It was one of the few areas in the central zone that was partly under beasts'' control.


    "You can''t enter further than that, or you won''t survive long. I will be here to watch over you."


    Naomi ced her granddaughter on the outskirts of Frostin. Tiara was meant to cultivate her soul and train in ice techniques there. The Ice Qi in the air was plenty, and the environment was great to improve in this area.


    "Yes, Grandmother," Tiara said obediently. She had already put her mind into bing as strong as possible and freeing herself from her n''s control. She believed that only strength could bring forth freedom.


    She spent the days cultivating diligently, while she slept during the nights under her grandmother''s Qi protection. Despite the harsh training, Naomi did not want to hinder the proper growth process of the child, so she did not force her to skip sleep.


    The session was meant to be three months long, yet one day, trouble found them.


    "ROAR!"


    A loud roar reverberated in the in of ice, a result of a fight between two beasts. A beast advanced to eighth rank and decided to use this chance to chase apetitor away from the pack. The two ice apes were both interested in the same female, but she kept ying with them both as if she was indecisive about which one to choose.

 Chapter 275 275 – Tiara’s Secret 1/2

    <h4>Chapter 275 Chapter 275 ¨C Tiara''s Secret 1/2</h4>


    The training session was meant to be three months long, yet one day, trouble found them.


    "ROAR!"


    A deafening roar reverberated in the in of ice, a result of a fight between two beasts. A male ape was chased out of his pack, and he was furious. Thepetitor had beaten him in front of the female he liked, and worse, even excluded him from the group.


    "Tiara, don''t move from here. He had picked up on your presence, and he seems angry and want to vent. I will go to y with him until he calms down, but don''t get any closer, or else you''ll die from the shockwaves. Don''t worry, beasts of his rank are intelligent, and he won''t fight with me to death."


    Naomi gave her instructions to the young teenager and her body was shot toward the source of the roar. Soon, the ice beneath Tiara''s legs began to shake, and she could see some small cracks form on it in the distance. Her hair fluttered behind her from the shockwaves and powerful wind threatened to push her from her seating spot.


    ''This is the power of the peak of the seventh stage. If I want freedom, I''ll have to surpass that,'' Tiara thought to herself with conviction. She could not see the battle of the two Supremacy phase beings, and yet it was still terrifying even at this distance.


    She couldn''t meditate in those conditions, so she chose to practice her saber techniques until the battle would be over. She swung her saber from side to side, thrust it, and dodged imaginary opponents.


    While she was building up some sweat, a sudden *CRACK* noise was heard, and all the ice in her surroundings broke. Tiara reacted quickly, jumping from one ice tform to the other. The ice continued to break, forcing her to choose the opposite direction and run there if she did not want to drown in the freezing water.


    "Grandmother!" She automatically shouted like she always did during her training when she believed she''d die otherwise. Sometimes it worked and made Naomi help her, while at others Naomi assessed the situation otherwise and did not intervene.


    However, this time was one of the times when no help arrived. It was not because Naomi thought it wasn''t dangerous, but because she was still busy with the ape; she even lured him away from Tiara so the battle wouldn''t endanger the girl somehow. Yet it did not help, and the ice still broke.


    Tiara did the only thing she could ¨C she ran. She ran as fast as she could, jumping from piece to piece, hoping to get out of the danger zone. Despite her efforts, the ice cracks seemed to be chasing her; wherever she turned, the cracks would spread in that direction and force her into running even more.


    After over 2 hours of running desperately, Tiara was in apletely foreign ce, yet everything still seemed the same in Frostin; there was ice everywhere.


    The ice finally stopped breaking, and Tiara stopped running and copsed on the ground, trying to catch her breath. She only managed to run so far thanks to her grandmother''s relentless training regime.


    ''I need to somehow find a way to survive until Grandmother finds me,'' Tiara did her best to keep a rational mind. She was only 14 at the time, and she was lost in one of the most dangerous ces on the continent due to both residents and the environment. She''d be lying if she said she wasn''t scared.


    After a quick nce at her surroundings, a bit of despair permeated her mind. There was nothing to hunt at sight and nowhere to hide from the excruciating cold.


    Just then, a mini frost pce rose from the ground. Its shape definitely belonged to a pce and it was made of ice, but it was somehow only as big as arge house, prompting Tiara to call it "mini frost pce" in her mind.


    The door to the mini pce opened, and a man stepped outside with arge axe in his hands. Tiara had no idea where that pce came from or who that man was, but his intention to kill her was clear by the strong killing intent that he emanated.


    ''I will fight to death, I will struggle to live!'' Tiara resolved herself to fight. However, she had a nagging feeling that this battle could not be won by force. She was certain she''d lose if she tried to fight.


    ''What should I do?'' The young girl thought as fast as she could. There was a clue in her mind, her thoughts repeated the same word.


    ''Charm.''


    ''Do I need to somehow charm this man into letting me live?'' Tiara pondered. She somehow knew her interpretation was correct even though she did not know where that confidence stemmed from.


    "Hello¡­ who are you?" She asked hesitantly.


    The man somehow slowed down but did not answer yet. Tiara kept retreating from him while trying different approaches. She noticed that sometimes he''d rush forward, threatening to catch her, while at others he slowed down and allowed her to put some distance between them.


    ''I guess I win this weird game or whatever it is when I manage to make him stop moving then,'' Tiara concluded.


    "Did you do something with your hair? It looks good today!" She tried throwingpliments.


    "I liked the axe, is it fifth-grade mithril?"


    She soon noticed that the man slowed down the most when she gave himpliments rted to strength and weapons, and she tried to stick to them. However, he still chased her without a break, and it was a cue that what she was doing was not enough.


    "Um, if you could travel anywhere, where would it be?" She tried some open-ended questions. It somewhat helped, but thepliments achieved better results. She was forced to continue running so she wouldn''t get caught.


    ''Is it just my imagination, or does he speed up when I run?'' Tiara pondered when a theory came to her mind. She turned around and kept eye contact with the weirdly-white eyes of her assaulter. Indeed, the man slowed down as soon as they kept eye contact, and she learned it was an important part of the charming process.


    "I''m really d I got to meet you today," She forced an awkward smile to creep on her face. A real person might have easily noticed how fake it was, but the thing in front of her did not. He slowed down again, making her sigh in relief. She was getting too tired of sprinting around.


    ''What can I do now?'' She mumbled to herself while she shouted randompliments and questions to the man while disengaging continuously. She was walking backward now because she did not want to break eye contact.


    "Haha, if you keep chasing me after that, I might fall in love. I''ve never had a man so determined to get me," Tiaraughed, teasing the man.


    ''Argh, it''s not enough! I''m missing something! Think, if I were a man and a girl approached me, what might seduce me?''


    She soon lowered her gaze to the ces all men sought. Her small chest was still in the growth process, her crotch seemed out of question, and her small butt was rtively plump whenpared to her slender waist.


    ''Sway the hips!'' The next few minutes were quite awkward. Tiara did her best to simultaneously walk with her back to the creepy man so he could watch her hips sway while also keeping eye contact with him.


    To achieve those two goals at the same time she almost strained her neck while walking away from him, and she prayed that nobody saw her during those embarrassing moments. Encouraged by the way he slowed down, she continued in this endeavor, but the monster still did not stoppletely.


    ''Why is he not stopping?!'' Tiara thought in irritation. She was out of ideas, but something was still missing. Although he slowed enough to allow her to keep some distance by simply walking, she could not exactly run either in this posture.


    ''What else would a man want¡­'' Tiara thought profusely, trying toe up with something.


    ''Wait, would a man really be okay with it if the girl he likes walked away?'' Tiara paled at the thought of getting close to the menacing axe, but it was thest idea she had in mind. The man was developing "resistance" to her hips, making him slowly regain his quick pace from earlier.


    ''I must do it!''


    Tiara turned around and walked decisively to the man. She gulped her saliva in anxiety, but she did not remove the forced smile from her face for a single moment, and her eyes were glued to his as if he were a masterpiece of unparalleled beauty.


    Her steps were firm and confident, at least from the outside. Thanks to the harsh training she went through all the time, her mind and spirit were far more tenacious than normal teenagers''.


    The closer she got to the man, the slower he walked, hinting at her she was going in the right direction. When she got close to him, in a moment of inspiration, she ced a hand on his arm and the other on his chest. She closed her eyes and stuck out her lips as if she was ready for a kiss.


    Her heart was beating loudly and her mind was filled with disgust at the thought of kissing that thing, but she just had a feeling it was the best way to do it. What boy wouldn''t be thrilled if the girl he liked did that?


    She hoped she was right.

 Chapter 276 276 – Tiara’s Secret 2/2

    <h4>Chapter 276 Chapter 276 ¨C Tiara''s Secret 2/2</h4>


    In a moment of inspiration, she ced a hand on his arm and the other on his chest. She closed her eyes and stuck out her lips as if she was ready for a kiss.


    While she was pondering whether kissing that thing was worth her life, her chest touched his, and the weird man exploded into ice dust before their lips met, leaving her alone to kiss the air.


    "Ahhh¡­" She sighed in relief when she got to keep both her life and her lips from that monster.


    "Congrattions on passing the challenges I''ve set for my inheritor, young girl. Would you be willing to listen about my special inheritance?" A melodic voice echoed in the empty ins. Tiara looked around her, looking for its source, but saw nothing there.


    "I''m here," Tiara heard the voiceing from behind her and found the ethereal figure of a stunning woman. Her curves created a perfect hourss shape, her voluptuous body seemed capable of enchanting anyone and anything.


    One would be unable to decide whether to stare rudely at her shape or drown in her blue eyes and symmetrical face, and even Tiara was almost questioning her tendencies.


    "I''m listening," Tiara said shyly. She was not used to such feelings, especially not toward women.


    "Do you feel attracted to me?" The woman smiled, revealing two rows of neatly arranged white teeth. Her stretched red lips could make anyone decide to set a life goal to make her smile more often.


    "I do," Tiara confessed and blushed. She felt even more surprised that she dared confess her feelings after one question from thedy in front of her.


    "It''s all part of my inheritance. It can make you capable of having anyone wrapped around your finger, making them all eager to please you and win your attention. All you need to do is to exist after incorporating my inheritance into your very being. Your walk will draw everyone''s eyes, your smile will make them smile even wider, and your gaze will cause the roughest man to blush," the woman spoke with enthusiasm, trying to entice the young girl.


    "But wouldn''t I be bothered by everyone all the time? I want my peace and personal space, I don''t think this inheritance is meant for me no matter how strong it is," Tiara decided, although she felt very bad about rejecting the woman.


    "You can have peace and quiet, or you can have fun and attention. I can charm people and I can also choose not to," the woman exined, and Tiara felt the attraction she felt toward the woman gone all at once.


    "It is great, but wouldn''t it mean they will understand their mistakes when they part with me and realize I manipted them? Wouldn''t this inheritance lose a lot of power once its mechanism is known?"


    Tiara voiced her concerns, unwilling to simply walk into the inheritance of someone else. If the woman was so great, howe she died? After all, almost only dead people left inheritances behind.


    "My expertise is high enough to decide whether the effects will fade right away or remain for a long time. As long as you master the techniques, your abilities will be versatile, and it will be up to you how to use them," Thedy exined.


    "Who are you? Howe you died here in the middle of nowhere if you were loved by everyone like you describe?"


    "Ah¡­ I bit more than I could chew. I''m Celeste Moonshine, one of the most known seductresses in our mortal realm!"


    "I''ve never heard about you," Tiara said truthfully.


    "Huh, what would a snotty brat like you know about seductresses? You''re not old enough yet! Anyway, the art of seduction originates from my Qiteria continent, and it''s one of thest inheritances we managed to keep away from the forces of the twenty sects."


    "You sound so proud of it, yet you''re trying to give it to me. I''m from the Phoenix Feather Sect, I''m also part of the Verdant Qi continent''s main forces," Tiara pointed out.


    "Aiyah, that''s why I don''t like kids, always so straightforward and clinging to details. It has been thousands of years since I died and I''ve been hiding this fragment of my soul here ever since. The cultivation of Charm Qi might have been already snatched by these annoying people from the Serene Lotus Sect, they had stolen almost every type of cultivation from us already," Celeste let out a chain ofints.


    "What if it wasn''t? I would be kidnapped and interrogated once they see I cultivated Charm Qi which nobody in the continent knows," Tiara continued to rain questions on the woman.


    "It''s not like they can''t, they obviously managed to capture some weaker cultivators from the lower stages and forced them to give away their manuals. It''s just that they probably don''t have an inheritance to the seventh stage, and when you''re there, you''d be able to survive somehow."


    "Sounds vague and not reassuring at all," Tiara admitted before remembering her original question, "wait, you''ve never told me why you were killed."


    "I was greedy and infiltrated the Verdant Qi with the goal of collecting resources. At first, everything worked perfectly, but soon they were onto me. I managed to manipte my chasers into bing my ves and servants, and when they realized my strength, theymissioned the Peaceful Demon Sect to hunt me down."


    Tiara listened attentively to the story of how Celeste managed to slip through the tight defense of the continent and cross the borders. The seductress then used a group of charmed men and women to gather information about possible treasure locations all over the central zone. Some of her admirers were even at the seventh and eighth stages.


    Celeste used their abilities and authority to infiltrate the central zone and explore it, entering various forbidden zones and stealing many of the most precious resources avable only in the core part of the area.


    However, someone was cleansed by a monk from the Peaceful Demon Sect and regained rity, allowing him to understand the severity of the situation and the great loss the top five sects were taking. She amassed riches and resources both by herself and by receiving gifts from different worshippers.


    Following the cleansed man''s report, a few elders of the five sects arranged a meeting to discuss how to deal with the problem, and they eventually decided to pay the Peaceful Demon Sect to exorcise the "Evil Woman" as they called her. Thus, a manhunt began, and three elders were dispatched to get rid of her.


    "And they killed you?"


    "Yes, but it was three against one and it was very close."


    "Right, but why weren''t they wrapped around your finger like the others? Didn''t you say you can make anyone submit?" Tiara asked, trying to find the possible cons of the inheritance.


    "Those demons and monks are all impotent! Two of them were Demonic Qi cultivators who mutted themselves in their training. Their insane body-refining methods caused them to lose their genitals and any sexual desire, so my charm was heavily affected by the restriction. The third was a monk who kept purifying everyone''s mind from the Charm Qi that permeated their bodies, souls, and minds."


    "So it is possible to counter you specifically, the inheritance has an obvious weakness," Tiaramented.


    "The heavens are fair and there is no perfect path. No matter which cultivation method you choose, you''ll eventually find yourself countered by others sometimes."


    "It''s impossible, I must be the strongest so nobody can chain down me anymore!" Tiara said, refusing to believe there would always be someone who could take her down.


    "I can only suggest three ways around it ¨C be so strong that you can force your way even against your nemesis, avoid those that can capitalize on your specific weaknesses, or join a team that can enhance andplement your specialties."


    Tiara thought about it for a moment before deciding. She was already in the process of strengthening her soul and practicing her techniques, meaning she''d be soon ready to break through into the next stage.


    Right now, she only had the inheritance of her grandmother, which was the cultivation of Saber Qi and Ice Qi.


    "Are there more types of Qi other than Charm Qi in your inheritance?"


    "Well, I used Ice Qi and a sword. Although the swordy is somewhat different from wielding a saber, you seem talented, smart, and determined enough to incorporate the idea behind it into your own style. The Charm Qi is the most important part there, and it could be added to any other element."


    ''If I add it to my own style, my foundation should be strong enough to support three Qi types, my grandmother made sure of that. I can just keep practicing my normal attributes and develop the enchanting techniques secretly,''


    Tiara and Celeste talked for a while before the young girl ultimately decided to inherit the woman''s legacy.


    Tiara learned that Celeste knew she was going to be hunted to death and buried her inheritance there before going to face the three enemies. The strand of consciousness did not know how the battle went, but it knew that the real Celeste must have died since she didn''te to pick it up.


    "Here''s a storage ring and a storage ne with treasures that should allow you to cultivate the Charm Qi perfectly to the seventh stage without requiring any alchemist, runologist, or master of any other field. It doesn''t have other cultivation resources, only what you need for enchanting and my knowledge. Good luck, Little Bird."


    Celeste gave onest exnation and the strand of consciousness dissipated.

 Chapter 277 277 – Tiara’s Trial

    <h4>Chapter 277 Chapter 277 ¨C Tiara''s Trial</h4>


    "You practice Charm Qi and thought it''d be a good idea to use it on me?" Ken asked Tiara once she finished her story.


    "Only subtly, I did not know what your ns were, so I wanted to make sure you didn''t throw me out of the group," Tiara confessed.


    Ken''s hand was still on the sword''s hilt. He carefully considered the options he had. Either kill Tiara or forgive her and give her another chance.


    "ric, do you know anything about enchantresses?"


    "Not much, there are some evil cultivators that practice it, but I don''t think our continent has seventh-stage ones. There should be some organizations with them in the Qiteria continent, but their power is limited when pitted against the Peaceful Demon Sect."


    ric was his source of information because of his broader horizons as a former core disciple in a top 5 sect, unlike the three of them who originated from a smaller sect. Henry was quite inclusive so despite his unique powers, Ken assumed that the monk did not know much.


    As for Tiara, although might be more knowledgeable on the topic as an enchantress, she obviously had motives to blow the value of enchantresses out of proportion, so Ken did not ask her.


    ''Hmm, so there are indeed some ring weaknesses, but Celeste was right. She can either have a group to cover for those weaknesses or she can be so strong she can forcibly st through her enemies when they''re prepared for her. With me by her side, she can achieve both.''


    Ken pondered for a moment and realized he was unwilling to lose a capable teammate like Tiara if she truly had no ill intentions, but he was also too untrusting to just let her be.


    "Fine, I will give you a chance. Take a truth drug; if everything you said is true and you did not have any ill intentions toward me or anyone else in the group, we can discuss what to do next."


    Ken waved his hand and a Truth pill he had concocted a while ago appeared out of his storage ring and floated toward Tiara. The youngdy did not hesitate to catch it with her hand and swallow it. She had a shallow understanding of Ken''s character by now, and she only said the truth earlier suspecting he''d have her take a Truth pillter.


    "Sure." Tiara took the pill and let Ken approach her. Ken ced his palm on her forehead and used his Qi to probe her body, making sure the pill was taking effect and Tiara did not have a way to prevent it from spreading in her bloodstream and reaching her brain.


    "Is everything you said was true?" Ken asked after he made sure the pill was in effect.


    "Yes."


    "Did you tell any lie?"


    "No."


    "Did you distort any fact or event?"


    "No."


    "Did you ever have ill intentions toward me?"


    "Yes, but only when we first joined hands in the secret realm and I sensed you had a lot of BP. After I learned about your potential, I understood it''d benefit me more in the long run to truly join your side rather than backstab you for a one-time gain."


    "If you had someone offer you better benefits than I can provide you with, would you betray me and have me killed for them?"


    "I don''t think anybody can offer me better benefits. Sure, maybe in the short term, but not when I look at the far future. I believe everyone in your group can break through the mortal realm and be immortals with your support," Tiara exined her considerations. She held his Alchemy, Formation Mastery, and the ability to tweak manuals and techniques in high regard.


    "You did not answer my question. If someone like that did appear one day, theoretically, would you betray me?"


    "Yes," Tiara admitted eventually, making ric''s eyes twitch.


    "Good, I will give you a chance for now."


    Ken knew her answer to his question before he asked it, and he had only asked it to make sure she did not resist the Truth pill somehow. He was confident that she wouldn''t find someone whose brain and constitution were boosted by Godly Qi, making it certain that he''d be her best choice forever.


    Although she was not privy to the details, she already proved that she at least understood that Ken''s abilities were not something she could find somewhere else, and that was what Ken needed to ascertain she wouldn''t betray him any time soon. He knew her selfish personality when he recruited her, and he trusted her thanks to the mix of this trait with her calctive and intelligent mind.


    "Team Leader, she just confessed she would backstab us! How can you give her a chance?" ric protested against his decision.


    "ric, I hope your good example will allow her to correct her attitude and develop loyalty to the group. She is already part of our group, and if we kill her without trying to help her when we still have time, wouldn''t it make us the backstabbers?"


    Ken spoke profound bullshit about great ideals that he knew would appease ric. While ric was not an idiot, he tended to somewhat act like one when he interacted with Ken, interpreting everything his leader said as if it were absolute. Ken could recognize this certain thinking process from his previous world.


    "I did not think about it. You''re right, Team Leader, you''ve broadened my horizons today," ric widened his eyes in surprise as he mentally added this use to the doctrine about friendship he had in his mind.


    "It''s good that you understand."


    Ken then used his time to ask Tiara about her inheritance in detail, so he and the other two men could learn about its risks and avoid being affected. Tiara did not spare any information either. Since they knew about her ability to manipte others, they would have to know enough about it to not be wary of her all the time.


    "I see. You lost miserably against Henry because your charm''s effects were weak on him. The movements that seem like a waste at first do actually have a purpose, and they make your opponents less focused on the battle, which slows them down," Ken remarked as they learned about Tiara''s powers.


    "Are you impotent? Did you also strengthen your body with Demonic Qi to such a degree?" ric asked Henry with a gaze that contained curiosity, wonder, admiration, and judgment all at once. Both Ken and ric felt a chill pass through their lower body when they thought of the possibility.


    "The words we speak have power. We can use them to build up or tear down others. We can use them to bring peace or to sow discord. Let us choose our words wisely," Henry said in a serious tone.


    "Team Leader, what does it mean?"


    "I can''t tell either."


    The group left this subject open for future discussion and moved back to Tiara. They learned a lot about the inheritance. For starters, the techniques and manual she practiced changed her body and visage for the better, causing very small transformations that fixed small ws. She was naturally pretty, but the enchanting cultivation was what made her as beautiful as she was.


    "Okay, give me yourplete inheritance so I can integrate it into the group''s style. Just like Celeste suggested, your weaknesses will be null if you stick with us."


    Tiara sighed and produced the inheritance from her storage ring, handing it over to Ken. It was her biggest secret that she showed nobody until today, but the benefits of cooperating with Ken were much better than the risks of trying to keep it to herself.


    "Now, let''s train together. I will sit behind Henry while you two sit in front of him with your backs facing him," Ken instructed the group and the four of them sat cross-legged on the ground ording to the seating arrangement.


    Ken ced his palms against Henry''s back, and Henry ced one palm on Tiara and another on ric.


    "Tiara, ric, let Henry channel his Qi throughout your body. Trust him and me; don''t resist it or try to block his control. Henry, start the manual I have given you."


    Ken channeled the Godly Qi into Henry''s meridians. The flow was already set in his own body, making it easier for Henry to use the unfamiliar energy that coursed through his own body now.


    Luckily, the Godly Qi did not have the same properties as the Immortal Qi; it was constructive and helpful, even aiding the user to control it without wreaking havoc in one''s body in the case of failure.


    Henry used the Godly Qi to enhance his own body while moving it next to the two before him. Their flesh, organs, bones, blood, veins, and everything else were destroyed and reconstructed, firmer than ever before.


    The process was painful despite being done with the Godly Qi; although it made the process easier, it did not negate the pain that apanied such injuries no matter how fast they were healed.


    However, all of them were among the best cultivators the mortal realm had to offer, meaning their determination and willpower were stronger than the pain, allowing the procedure to happen smoothly.


    Ken controlled the Godly Qi delicately, letting it seep into Henry''s body in small bits. It was the first time he shared the Godly Qi with others, and he did not want to do it irresponsibly and carelessly.


    "Haah¡­"


    Everyone sighed a few hourster when the session stopped. They stretched their bodies as they got up, trying to sense the differences.


    "We will do it a few times more and add some pills in the process. It should enhance your constitution at least to the point of being equal to sect seeds."

 Chapter 278 278 – Reunion

    <h4>Chapter 278 Chapter 278 ¨C Reunion</h4>


    The next day, Ken was practicing Formation Mastery in his study room when Soul knocked on the door.


    "Young Master, you have a visitor," Soul reported.


    "I will be there in a few minutes."


    He got up from the floor and cleaned the formations he practiced. He did not know what might happen, so he never left traces of his creations after him.


    ''I still have to join the Alchemy, Runology, and Formation Mastery divisions of the Serene Lotus Sect. There won''t be much to learn in Alchemy and Formation Mastery before my stages increase, but I can improve my Runology skills.''


    Ken mused about his ns as he walked out of the room and arrived at the living room, finding an older male disciple sipping tea served by the maid. Ken wondered whether she was less cheeky and yful than his previous maids or if she just needed some time to open up.


    "Hello, Junior Brother. I''m Roger, I was sent here by Elder Elmer to give you the pill you''ve asked for and a map with your parents'' location. They''re staying in the Blooming Lotus Sect, which is a few hours away by foot for a fourth-stage cultivator."


    "I see, thank you."


    Roger took a golden pill out of his storage ring along with a map and delivered them to Ken before the two cupped their fists and parted. Ken stared at the pill for a few moments before his curiosity took over and he tried to sniff it and lick its taste.


    The pill was the Core Restoring pill, and its function was exactly as its name suggested. It allowed crippled cultivators to restore their broken cores and cultivate again. Only pills of the Supremacy phase could restore something from the previous phase that was destroyed seemingly beyond repair.


    While pills between the fourth grade to the sixth could heal even fatal injuries, it could not help once the core was already destroyed.


    Since he could not concoct it himself and was not confident enough to be a seventh-rank alchemist before his mother died from her injuries, he just asked Elmer to get it done for him.


    ''Ah, I can''t try to reverse-engineer it, Mom needs it,'' Ken sighed in disappointment and stored it in his storage ring. He could tell many of the ingredients by the taste and smell of the pill, but he had to break it down to reveal more of its mysteries.


    ''I guess it''s time to meet my parents again. It has been four years since thest time I saw them.''


    Ken dyed their reunion on purpose, determined to first get the pill required to heal his mother before he went there. He knew they wouldn''t be disappointed if he didn''t have it, nor did they expect him to have the means to heal her, but he still wanted to do something for them after they raised him for six years.


    He nced quickly at the map to memorize it and then looked back toward his training room, wondering if it was okay to leave now. Emrys was now locked there with a small supply of pills that would be enough for a few days.


    The pup had been howling a lot in the past days and seemed to be in pain, something Ken recognized as the signs of breaking through ording to his knowledge about beasts'' cultivation.


    ''I guess he will soon be at the fourth rank. The manual for the dragon mentioned that the Sunscale dragons turn much bigger when they break through to the fourth rank, skipping straight to childhood and leaving infancy behind. I wonder if Emrys''s body will develop the same way. Well, let''s hope he won''t eat Soul by the time I''m back.''


    With those thoughts in mind, Ken opened the door and stepped outside. He went out on foot, but he did not n to go all the way without a mount. Like always, he made a beast from the in nearby submit and forced it to act as his mount for the travel, and at the end of the trip, he rewarded it with a Bloodline Refining pill to appease it for the temporary envement.


    A sh of his discipleship token at the city gate was enough to grant him entrance without waiting in line, making him feel a bit like a young master again. He noticed how the disciple from that morning referred to him as ''junior brother'', a title he was not used to. Here, where his family did not hold any importance, he could be considered a disciple from amoner background.


    Ken recalled the map in his mind and walked straight to his parents'' new house, a small ce with three bedrooms in a good environment. There was no need for a pce or anything of the sort, and if Ken thought otherwise, he could easily afford such a ce among mortals. Qi Stones could be traded for mortal gold coins inrge quantities.


    Arriving at the door, Ken knocked on it and waited for a response. He was slightly excited about seeing his parents again, only now realizing hecked their presence in the past four years. He already got used to living without them, but the way he was taken away from them impacted his personality greatly.


    "Hello¡­" A young maid opened the door and stuttered as soon as she saw Ken. She was a mortal from the city that Henry hired for his parents when they got there, and she did not see many cultivators in her life.


    Cultivators were always better looking on average than mortals thanks to the Qi nourishing their bodies, and all of them tried to spare a few Qi Stones to take a pill or two to improve their looks at some point. Ken, distinguished even among cultivators, took her breath away.


    "I''m Ken Sue, this is my parents'' house."


    "Of course, Young Master, pleasee in," the maid stuttered with a flushed face and hurriedly made way for him to enter, "I will let Master and Mistress know of your arrival," she added before quickly running away.


    Ken shook his head as he let himself in the house and waited on the couch for his father toe patiently.


    "Ken?" Haoran came immediately when he heard his son had finally arrived. He himself was quite nervous about meeting his son; he did not know that Henry hid his suicide attempt so Ken was not aware of it.


    "Dad, it has been a long time," Ken was not sure what to say, and those words came first to his mind.


    "Ken, I''m so sorry I could not protect you!" Haoran broke when he saw his son, and how much he grew in those four years. He threw himself on Ken and hugged him tightly, crying in his son''s embrace.


    "It''s not your fault, Dad. You did your best." Ken spoke somewhat awkwardly as he hugged his father back. The two spent a whole minute in this state, and Ken was not bothered by the intimate touch. He recoiled from his parents'' affection toward him when he was younger, but he slowly grew to like it as the years passed in his childhood.


    "Where is Mom?" Ken eventually pushed Haoran away and asked. Every minute he stalled was another minute Mei was in pain, so it made more sense to feed her with the pill before spending time on the reunion.


    "She is in her room. She can''t walk anymore¡­ Pleasee to see her, I''m sure that seeing you will make her happy."


    Ken nodded with a serious expression and followed Haoran to the bedroom. There, a skinny womany in the bed, her skin sunk and her ck hair was thin without any luster.


    "Mom, you''ve suffered a lot those past years," Ken said and sat by her side, stroking Mei''s forehead gently.


    "Ken? Is that you?" Mei looked at him in uncertainty. Her vision was blurred with tears of excitement and happiness. When they arrived and Henry''s technique''s effect was over, the couple considered suicide again. However, since they were already there, they chose to live at least until they saw Ken and understood the situation better.


    "Yes, Mom."


    "I hoped to get a beautiful daughter after you. I didn''t get it, but at least I have a beautiful boy instead," she chuckled weakly as she raised her hand and touched Ken''s delicate-looking face.


    "You can still have a beautiful daughter if you want, just don''t tell me when you go for it. I have brought a cure for you, Mom." Ken smiled at her and brought the Core Restoring pill.


    His parents forgot about his cheeky remark instantly when they heard his im and saw the golden pill. Haoran could easily sense the immense Qi stored inside it while Mei, who lost her ability to sense Qi, could recognize it was an extraordinary pill due to her many years of experience as an alchemist.


    "What did you pay for it? I would rather die than take it and force you into paying a price you cannot afford," Mei pushed the pill away stubbornly. She held Ken in high regard, but in her mind, it was impossible for him to afford a seventh-rank pill at his young age and low cultivation stage.


    "I paid nothing, Mom. They only bought my loyalty to the Serene Lotus Sect. You can consider it as their investment; they pay a price I can''t give back right now and expect to gain a lot from it in the future."


    His words were quite exaggerated as he was mainly loyal to himself, but he indeed intended to remain on the sect''s side as long as he did not have a special reason not to. Besides, he was wanted by two top sects, and adding another to the pile might not be the best option given his current strength.

 Chapter 279 279 – Restoring The Core

    ?


    "Take it, Mom. There''s no point in refusing it unless you want to die," Ken pushed the pill back into Mei''s palm.


    "Take it, Dear." Haoran also encouraged her. Even if his son had to pay something, they could work together to help him out. He could not refuse the opportunity to heal his wife when it wasid right in front of his eyes. His eager eyes made it seem like he was going to shove it down his wife''s throat if she tried to refuse again.


    "I will. Thank you, Ken." Mei smiled and took the pill. Ken ced his hand on her stomach to apany the Qi from the pill just in case it needed his intervention, and besides, he wanted to see how the pill would work its miracle. Meanwhile, Haoran could only watch nervously as he knew nothing about Alchemy.


    The Qi from the pill streamed into Mei''s body, slowly spreading inside it. It worked like magic; unlike pills of the sixth grade and lower which usually just spread without a special purpose, the Core Restoration pill seemed to have awareness. It collected chaotic energy from all around Mei''s body and gathered it in her lower stomach.


    Ken followed the Qi''s path with his senses, watching in wonder as a whirl was created and everything entered the rapid swirl as it slowly condensed itself into a core.


    Just when the core started condensing, Mei began to feel a weird warm sensation pervade her stomach from her son''s hand. She looked at him with a questioning gaze but did not get any response, seeing only his concentrated gaze.


    Ken picked that moment to insert some Godly Qi into his mother''s soon-to-be core. The special energy worked like a marvelous glue that brought everything together, even better than it was before.


    ''I wonder what the meaning of this Godly Qi is. Why is it so¡­ perfect?'' Ken pondered.


    ''No, it''s not perfect. There''s one thing that it''s not good for. I can''t strike with it for some reason.''


    No matter how much he tried, he could not execute any of his sword or bloodlust techniques while fueling them with the Godly Qi. At first, he thought it was just a higher form of Qi, like Immortal Qi, but if it could not be used for techniques, Ken was sure it must have a meaning behind it and something it''s oriented to do.


    Ken noticed that Mei''s core started sucking Qi from the air around them and instantly threw a scroll with a triple Qi Gathering formation. He did not want to make his mother eat a Qi absorption pill in her current condition, believing it''d be impossible for her to absorb it given the unnatural state of her body.


    A few Qi stones appeared out of his storage ring, but they were special. They were all high Qi stones, and they contained purer and denser Qi. The high Qi stones fueled the scroll, providing Mei with a lot of pure Qi to absorb until her core would be satisfied.


    Perhaps because of the effect of the Godly Qi, she absorbed more and more Qi, forcing Ken to cough out more of his high Qi stones reserves to make sure she had enough for the process. After an hour, she finally finished the procedure, her body drenched in sweat to the point that her clothes stuck to her body and strands of hair were glued to her face.


    Ken, alwayscking awareness, used instinctively the water technique he used to wash himself to clean Mei. Neither of his parents reacted, letting him take care of her.


    "You look beautiful now, Mom." Ken smiled at her as he saw her body much fuller than before, her skin regained most of its moisture and luster, and her hair was thick and nourished again. The effects of Qi on the body were tremendous, and cultivators depended on it for everything.


    "Thank you, Kenny." She smiled and tried stretching her body in bed, enjoying the sensation of a fourth-stage body again.


    "You will have to wait until I be a seventh-rank alchemist to reconstruct your nascent soul."


    "You''ve done more than enough, I''m satisfied even if I die in the fourth stage," Mei reassured him while Haoran strode to her side and held her hand for support.


    "Thank you, Ken. We are lucky to have a son as amazing as you," Haoran added and smiled happily as he watched his wife finally get up on her feet.


    "You can thank yourselves for being good parents," Ken said somewhat too honestly, making his parentsugh at the weird remark.


    "I also brought some pills and training manuals for you. You guys can use them to train for now," Ken brought out a few books from his storage ring and arge box filled with pills of different types. Haoran had to train his nascent soul and break through to the sixth stage while Mei had to cultivate her core back to the peak of the fourth stage.


    "We will. I won''t lose to my son when he is so young; I was considered a genius and diligent youth myself in my twenties," Haoran bragged a little.


    "Oh, were you at the fourth stage when you were 10 years old?" Ken asked with a hint of a grin on his lips.


    "Ah, no," his father replied awkwardly. Nobody was at the fourth stage when they were 10, it was a weird question that meant nothing about his talent, yet he could not say it in front of a living proof.


    "Then you already lost."


    "Haha, cheeky, don''t bully your father anymore," Meiughed and hugged her son. She had waited for his hug for 4 years, and she missed her son greatly.


    "It''s his fault for trying to show off," Ken smiled and hugged her back.


    The three sat down and had a meal together as they talked, updating each other on what they had gone through since the time they were separated. Ken told them about how Annie poisoned Krone and Norman, hinting it was under his influence without saying it explicitly. By doing so, he wanted to let them choose whether to picture him as an angelic child or a dangerous cultivator, whichever made them happier.


    "It''s good that you were ruthless enough to kill them. I''m surprised since we did not ever show violence around you, let alone killing, but it was a good call, nheless. While I don''t want you to resort to killing over any dispute, you must not hesitate to utilize any means you have when your own life is under threat."


    Haoran did not choose to close his eyes to the truth and even praised his son for the deed. Mei was slightly conflicted, but she also agreed with her husband. Those two people deserved to die, she just was not sure how to feel about the fact her 6-year-old son did it. If he was older she''d be good with it, after all, she also killed her fair share of people, but still hated that Ken had to be cruel to survive.


    "Furthermore, I killed Grandfather beforeing here. He was a maniptive bastard, and it was within his power to stop Norman and Krone. They dared do what they did only because they had his support."


    "Father¡­" Haoran said somewhat in sadness, but he quickly gathered himself, "It''s okay, Ken. You dealt with everything on your own under constant stress. Since it was your decision, we can''t criticize it when we could not help our child."


    "Dad, Mom, why did you have to run away from the sect in the first ce? It doesn''t seem like the elite ns mix with one another."


    Ken asked a question that had been bugging his mind for a while now. When Mei first told him they had to elope because Haoran had someone he needed to marry, he didn''t find anything weird about it.


    But after spending a few years in the sect he knew that not only elite families had no problems getting married to capablemoners, but that was also their goal. They allpeted, and the sect was too small for elite families like the Han n and Sue n to merge.


    His parents exchanged looks beforeing to a silent agreement to tell him about their past in more detail.


    "I''ve been a core disciple under Grand Elder Giles, a seventh-rank alchemist. He dislikes elite ns with passion like most of the elders in the Alchemy division, so there was no surprise when he got angry the moment he found out about my rtionship with Dad."


    Ken remembered the name as the elder who first declined his request for a tutor and wondered if it had anything to do with it.


    "Once he heard about us, he immediately revoked my status as a core disciple, making me lose my value immediately. No other elder would take me under his wing or it''d be a direct insult to a grand elder, something they wouldn''t do for a youngmoner even if they did not fear him."


    "So the Sue n did not want their son to marry you anymore?"


    "Yes. I was only a fourth-rank alchemist at the time and it''d be very hard for me to be a sixth-rank alchemist without a direct teacher, let alone a seventh-rank one, especially when the Alchemy division dislikes me personally and would do anything to make me fail."


    "And then?" Ken asked, waiting patiently.


    "And then Dominic Sue ordered Haoran to leave me behind and go after a girl from the Aspis n instead who already liked him. It was Dominic''s goal at the time to form connections with the Alchemy division and let the n enter the Alchemy business and find new sources of revenue. Otherwise, the n members could marry even useless partners just for domestic control like Dominic himself."


    Ken nodded as he got the gist of the situation and moved on to the next topic he wanted to ask his parents about.


    "What about Aaron?"

 Chapter 280 280 – Aarons Fate

    ?


    "What about Aaron?"


    "Ah, we don''t know what happened to him ourselves," Mei and Haoran''s faces turned sad at the mention of Aaron''s name.


    "What do you mean? How did you lose him?"


    "When we left the sect, we lived in a few ces while he wandered around the area for a while. Eventually, we settled inside a forest and I built us a wooden house. I hired a formation master from the branch sect to set the required fourth-rank formations on the house using our savings as payment."


    Haoran began the story while Ken listened attentively. He knew his parents had a good stock of Qi stones as two of the strongest elders in the sect other than the branch sect master.


    "I apanied Mei most of the time, but Aaron was bored. He was a child who liked to crawl around and explore the environment. I understood that shutting him while we were not in the mood to educate him was not a good option and ced a few talismans in his clothes so he could explore the surroundings safely even if a beast came. In that area, even third-rank beasts are rare and I did not expect any danger to befall him."


    Mei did not me Haoran for losing their child. She understood his thought process waspletely normal, he just did not take into consideration that things might go astray.


    "You said you don''t know what happened to him, does it mean¡­?" Ken did not finish his sentence and waited.


    "It means that I don''t know. One day when he was three years old I let him run around the house and after a while, I suddenly noticed theck of his presence. I rushed outside and found some footprints, but they led me outside the clearing into the forest, and soon they vanished. I could not track him anymore despite remaining three days outside, leaving Mei unattended the whole time."


    Mei clenched her fists in frustration when she thought about how she could do nothing at the time as a mere mortal due to her crippled core.


    "I could not protect even my second son after the first was taken from me, I''m a disgrace as a father," Haoran sighed.


    "Don''t worry Dad, we will find him when we get stronger." Ken tried to encourage his parents but the silence after his words thundered the unspoken words in their minds. ''If he is still alive.''


    ---------


    2 years ago at a wooden house in a clearing:


    "Aaron, go y outside, sweetie."


    The voice of a tired man spoke to a child who tried to get some attention. Aaron pouted in dissatisfaction, wearing the cute expression of an angry child. He was used to exploring the surroundings of the house on his own, the problem was that he was not allowed into the forest, but already saw every speck of dust in the small clearing.


    "I don''t want to!" Aaron shouted back at his father.


    "I''m sorry Aaron, I can''t be with you. Your mother needs us both to be strong for her, can you do that?" Haoran replied in a sour mood. He loved his son, but he never took care of any normal baby before; he had no idea what to do.


    "I can," the toddler replied hesitantly and left with a defeated expression. He pushed the door open to leave the house as there was no need to press a handle, an arrangement Haoran saw through for this very reason.


    ''What can I do?'' Aaron thought to himself as he toddled around the clearing, seeing the same sights he had seen many times every day for the past year.


    He was bored out of his mind as he fumbled the ring that was under his shirt, held by ace that was tied around his neck. It was his only remainder from his older brother. The very storage ring that Ken left for him on the day he was taken away by Krone and Norman, and the resources there waited for him to turn old enough to use them.


    ''I can enter the forest, it will be ok!'' The child made a very bad and courageous decision. Following his statement, he picked the nicest-looking part of the forest and wandered inside. Needlessly to say, he did not have a n as to how to trace the way back home once he got tired.


    At first, Aaron was lucky enough not to meet any beast in the proximity of the clearing, mainly thanks to Haoran hunting habits that made them run away from the dangerous house. He happily explored the newnds with a wide grin, unaware of his environment.


    But the consequences were not toote toe; when he got hungry and wanted to return to his parents, he turned around and walked again, thinking he was on the right path home. However, he took too many turns during his time in the forest, and he was not even close in his guess.


    Aaron, scared and alone, sat down next to a tree and started crying in panic, confused and helpless. To his surprise, his cries were heard, and an old voice reached his ears.


    "Child, are you lost?"


    Aaron raised his eyes and saw the figure of an old man standing two or three meters away from him.


    "Yes. Who are you?" Aaron asked as he tried to contain his sobs.


    "I''m Antonio, I live around here. I can help you get home, are you hungry?"


    "Yes, thank you!" Aaron smiled and tried to wipe the tears off his face, mainly smearing them. His smile returned to his face and he walked behind the elderly to an unknown ce.


    They reached a burrow in the ground, making Aaron gape in surprise when it was suddenly revealed. He did not notice it until Antonio pointed at it!


    "I don''t have much food, but would you like some sweet candy instead?" The old man asked.


    "Yes!"


    "Here, it''s very sweet and tasty."


    The baby took the shiny red pill and ced it in his mouth,pletely trusting the stranger. After a few seconds, his eyelids turned heavy and he was getting sleepy.


    "Grandpa, I''m sleepy," he said with a big yawn.


    "You can sleep here, and we will go home after you rest. You had a long day in the forest." The old man said in fake concern and took him to a big bed. Aaron fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow,ying defenseless in front of the elder.


    "Hmm, maybe this child will finally survive. I think I''ve made great progress in my Immortal Qi maniption skills," Antonio mused as he mentally prepared himself for the procedure he was going to do.


    ''A storage ring on a toddler? Is he the son of some of the strongest cultivators here? Oh well, it doesn''t matter, nobody here can pose a threat to me. I will just clean his footprints and traces to avoid the hassle of dealing with the parents and wasting my energy.''


    Antonio was quite curious about the contents of the ring, so he took it off the child''s neck and pulled the contents out of it. He saw a few boxes of pills and three thick manuals.


    ''Hmm, pills from the first to the fourth grade, but what are those manuals? There shouldn''t be any manuals that long for the first stages.''


    The elder took them and started reading. With every page he turned, his eyes turned wider in astonishment, and a smirk crept into his face.


    "Haha, is he a potential sect seed? He is, isn''t he? Only a potential sect seed can have such a detailed manual that includes his anatomy so precisely, and clearly done by a great healer! I am lucky, this little thing''s chances of surviving just increased a hundredfold!"


    The elderughed happily when thinking of the option of sess. While a hundredfold was a lot, it meant the chances rose from 0.1% to 10%, but he would still probably die.


    "Wait, what is this?"


    The elder continued to read the next pages of the manual when he was over with the anatomy description and found detailed instructions to strengthen the body, offering a different way of strengthening almost every limb and organ.


    "That''s amazing!" The elder read eagerly the whole three manuals, each shedding light on a different stage between the first to the third.


    They included vast information about the toddler body, including predictions on how it''d develop in the future based on the process it went through in Aaron''s first year, a detailed training manual in case Aaron chose to strengthen himself to the extreme, and a shorter version in case he preferred to take the easier way out andpromise.


    ''It even includes the times to take each pill, I wonder if those pills really are as effective as this alchemist proims,'' Antonio thought to himself while he pondered whether to follow the manuals or just go with the usual procedure.


    ''Oh whatever, this seems like a veryprehensive work. Let''s just trust it.''


    As an immortal, his mind was sharpened beyond a mortal''s realm, and he did not need much time to memorize every single word in the threerge books.


    ''If those manuals are real and you survive, you will be even stronger than I envisioned,'' the elder thought excitedly as he channeled the first strand of Immortal Qi into Aaron''s body.


    Luckily for the child, strengthening children was normally a procedure done to sleeping babies since there was no need for them to be awake and control the Qi themselves like in normal cultivation.

 Chapter 281 281 – Martial Arts Summit

    <h4>Chapter 281 Chapter 281 ¨C Martial Arts Summit</h4>


    After dining with his parents and talking to them, Ken returned to his house in the sect. While his parents were important to him, they were not part of his cultivation journey anymore. He knew he would have to leave them behind at some point, he just hoped to provide them with safety before that. They were too old and weak to walk on his path.


    In the next few months, Ken settled in the Serene Lotus Sect. His life was peaceful there; he had no enemies within the sect as he knew nobody, and the only time he left the sect''s base was to visit his parents in the city nearby. Although he had toplete missions, he simply used his skills as an alchemist toplete a few within the confines of his house.


    He joined the three divisions he needed, revealing some of his talents by passing the exams for fifth-rank alchemists and formation masters.


    He read every book he did not recognize in the library to assess the knowledge of the Serene Lotus Sect and found out they did not know much more than his previous sect. The Infinite Wisdom Sect enjoyed a monopoly in the field and kept a tight lid on the knowledge they held.


    Using that to his advantage, he submitted some theories to the sect to earn favor with the different elders. One theory was Qi Harmonization, which suggested a way to bnce powerful elements with their counterparts.


    For example, if an alchemist wanted to add a fire from a dragon''s breath, it was normally too strong for anything under that dragon''s rank. However, if the alchemistpromised and used another fire, he''d lose the special effects he wanted to achieve with the properties of dragon fire.


    Using the Qi Harmonization theory, the alchemist could now use a weaker water source to bnce the strength of the dragon fire, achieving harmony between the ingredients so the pill does not fall apart without giving up on the benefits of dragon fire.


    Ken won various rewards for his theory, including more free ess to the library and a higher stream of ie. He was also given an honorary core disciple status, meaning he enjoyed the status of a core disciple without having an elder as a direct master. It was a title that was not used in thousands of years; nobody could be that influential without a master backing them.


    He did the same in the Formation Mastery division, offering some new formations and ways to create triple formations, earning him even more admiration from the elders. His rewards and ie rose with every theory he subjected, and he always made sure to wait at least three months before submitting the next theory.


    Henry, Tiara, and ric also finished reconstructing their bodies, each achieving what Ken called a Demonic Body, allowing them to enjoy physical strength above average and higher healing properties. It was different from a Cultivation Body which allowed higher attunement to Qi, but each had its own merits.


    Ken hypothesized that one could create different special constitutions by enhancing a mortal''s body with higher forms of Qi depending on the method applied, but he had neither the resources nor the reason to explore this possibility.


    The three also agreed on a rotation; since Ken did not want to rely on subordinates he''d have to eventually kill like Tom and Maria, he preferred to just send hispanions to pick up the resources from Darma and provide him with the new theories Ken promised.


    The agreement was that they could take 20% of the money they bring and give the rest to Ken, but they tacitly agreed to take a much lower cut since they knew that their most important resources originated from Ken, and he needed this money to provide them with those resources.


    Emrys also had new developments, and he indeed broke through to the next rank as Ken predicted. Thankfully, he had done so without eating the maid, and Soul was still serving Ken happily and alive.


    No longer a mere pup, the wolf had entered its juvenile stage. It now stood at a height of one and a half meters, almost as tall as Ken. Its body''s length was even more striking, spanning an impressive three meters.


    While it was good news that Emrys could finally be somewhat useful, his food consumption had also risen significantly. He could not live on pills alone anymore and had to consume many kilograms of expensive fourth-rank meat every day. Ken also did not give up on creating a perfect bloodline, providing him with five fourth-rank pills every day after the meals.


    Ken had also experienced progress with his nascent soul, and it was asrge as 90% of his body now, not far away from breaking through to the next stage. His Runology knowledge improved as well, and he was already a fifth-rank runologist.


    His position in the Serene Lotus Sect stabilized, and most of the sect at least knew him by name thanks to noise from the Four Seasons Sect and the Phoenix Feather Sect that demanded him to be turned in. Obviously, neither of them dared act beyond saying that the Serene Lotus Sect was taking in evil cultivators.


    However, Ken learned that he had acquired one more enemy, one that might be considered even more troublesome than the third-rank sect of the continent.


    "Hello, Ken. How do you find our Serene Lotus Sect?"


    Ken sat in Elmer''s living room. Although the two did not interact much, trouble just happened, and Ken was responsible for it. Thus, as the elder who brought in Ken, the others chose to throw the responsibility to Elmer.


    "Ken Sue greets Elder Elmer. It has been nice and peaceful, I did not have to waste my time on bothersome matters and petty politics."


    "Probably because you aren''tpeting for the sect''s resources."


    It was a true statement. Ken received everything directly for his merits without taking over the ranks in order to get someone else''s ie. While the other option was also legitimate and everyone raced for the higher ranks, it always caused some infighting.


    He even lost his rank in the inner disciples ranking because he was a core disciple now, leaving the top three spots to ric, Henry, and Tiara respectively.


    "Perhaps, but I already have enough resources as it is."


    Ken''s expenditure was anything but normal, but so was his ie. He spent thousands of Qi stones for experimenting and refilling his Qi every day even while using Immortal Qi stones for his training.


    "All right, back to our business, I have something to tell you. You''ve angered one more top-five sect, congrattions."


    Ken thought for a moment. He did not think of a reason why the Divine Sword Sect and Peaceful Demon Sect would be angry with him. They might chase ric and Henry, but the two were not that famous yet and besides, Elmer called him, not them.


    "Is it the Infinite Wisdom Sect?" Ken knew that spreading the knowledge they kept for themselves would irk them. Furthermore, they should know by now that he was the masked teen who killed their cultivators and infiltrated the Library of Eternal Wisdom in the secret realm.


    "Indeed, Phoenix Feather Sect has let the cultivation world know that you are a genius who would give our sect the knowledge to soar also in Formation Mastery and Alchemy, even showing some of your works as proof. Infinite Wisdom Sect does not want to lose its monopoly, and if we do improve as much as your previous sect ims, we won''t need them anymore. Worse yet, the gap between us and the other sects would increase."


    "I can understand why they wouldn''t like it. What is our sect''s response?" Ken knew that they did not sell him out since he was there instead of being bound in the hands of his many chasers. He just wanted to know the sect''s expectations.


    "We are not ranked first because we let others dictate our future. We see a bright future for our supportive divisions if you continue toe up with new ideas. We were told that your work has opened many new leads and approaches, giving the various elders from those divisions enough research materials for many years."


    Elmer stated the first part of his words with pride. Elmer himself could be considered a good representation of the sect''s stance. He never listened to anybody from outside, and often caused trouble.


    "I''m sure my future research will prove just as valuable. I''m still young and have not discovered everything I was fated to discover. Should this information change anything in my conduct?"


    "Not right now. However, you''d need to be careful in the major inter-sect event soon. Do you know about the Martial Arts Summit?" Elmer asked.


    "I do know basic information about it. I know that it''s held every fifty years and that it includes the top 20 sects, even allowing smaller sects to issue a challenge and try to get a spot among the top 20."


    "Indeed, but it''s mainly meant for the sects to show their improvement in the different generations. No sect had lost its spot among the top twenty or the top five in the past millennia and I doubt they will now."


    "What does it have to do with me?"


    "Ranked disciples and core disciples all must participate. Since you also are going to fight, you should be careful not to get killed there. Everyone is going to fight more fiercely this time to harm our sect and lower our strength since they don''t want us to go ahead."


    Although the benefits of Ken''s research would only show in a thousand years or two, the present was the best time to counter it. After all, the sect cannotin if their disciples died because they were too weak, and killing the ranked disciples now would be prominent in the future.


    "Does it mean our sect is in trouble?"


    "No, it means the other 19 sects are in trouble. They will pay dearly for every disciple our sect loses," Elmer smiled, but his face was anything but friendly. It was a smile of a bloodthirsty man about to butcher an enemy.

 Chapter 282 282 – Entering the Nascent Soul Stage

    <h4>Chapter 282 Chapter 282 ¨C Entering the Nascent Soul Stage</h4>


    Ken, Henry, Tiara, and ric sat in Ken''s courtyard together and cultivated together. Now that they all finished forming their physiques with the aid of the Godly Qi, they were all cultivating their stage and practicing their techniques.


    "Team Leader, I''m close to breaking through to the fifth stage, what about you?"


    "Same for me, probably around a month more."


    The two looked at Tiara, waiting for her update despite not asking directly.


    "It might take me another month or two because of the changes in my manual," she sighed. She was not used to having men give their attention to someone else before approaching her, especially not when that someone else was another man. ric was too obsessed with his precious team leader for her taste.


    "It''s your fault for hiding things from us instead ofing out clean and letting Team Leader help you," ric said, irritating the girl.


    "Do not dwell in the past; do not dream of the future. Concentrate the mind on the present moment," Henry offered some of his wisdom.


    "True, let''s just have our breakthrough before the nextpetition."


    He had already updated them about the Martial Arts Summit and had sent Soul to collect information about it. Although she was not part of a bigger staff like Soleil who exchanged information with all the servants and guards from the Sue n, she was still hanging around and wasting time, so Ken figured she might as well do something useful instead.


    "Did Soul return with more information about it?"


    "Just some basics, apparently there are many brackets since there are thousands of disciples in every sect. First, it''s divided into brackets by age ¨C every ten years starting from twenty is a different bracket until 120. Beyond that is not considered part of the young generation anymore."


    "Does it mean that there are people who can participate three times in their lives?" ric thought out loud. Theoretically, those who were 20 in thispetition would have anotherpetition when they turned 70 and the third right when they were 120.


    "No, use your head a little. Other than Ken, nobody canpete with 30-year-olds when they''re in their twenties," Tiara pointed out.


    "Indeed, some of those brackets are a bit of a problem because they include the age in which most people break through to the next stage, for example, most break through to the Formation Core stage when they''re 22-23, so it pre-eliminates everyone who couldn''t do it ''on time'' or wanted to be more thorough with their foundation."


    "I see, it makes sense. But what about the other things you''ve mentioned?"


    "It is divided into different brackets of 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, and 5v5. Unfortunately, we don''t have a fifth yet, but we will just take someone from the sect and let him do whatever he wants while we fight the bracket for those between 30-39."


    The three contemted for a while about Ken''s decision and did not necessarily like it. For example, Tiara was only 29 now so she could still fight in the lower bracket with an optimum stage and age, but she knew she had to join the group.


    "Can we fight more than one bracket?"


    "I don''t know yet, we will find outter."


    "All right, I can''t wait for our fight together, it will be a great debut for my new weapon," ric remarked with enthusiasm. He knew that Ken was looking forward to seeing his performance with the new inheritance, and he had practiced hard to control it.


    "Patience is the foundation of wisdom," Henry said, probably scolding ric for his impatient questions.


    With that, the four returned to their training, developing their nascent souls. While Ken used only the Godly Qi to nurture his, he did not provide the same service to hispanions.


    He only used a strand of it at the end of every cultivation session to allow it to enhance their progress for that day, but he did not have a steady supply of Immortal Qi stones to afford more than that.


    "Is there a way not to participate in thepetition?" Tiara asked when they finished their cultivation session.


    "Why, do you think we might lose?" ric asked curiously, not believing in that option.


    "No, but once we are out, we both will be wanted. You by your previous sect and I by mine. It will put the whole sect in a worse mess if the Divine Sword Sect joins their enemies," Tiara exined her concern.


    "The Peaceful Demon Sect might also join in if they recognize my inheritances," Henry added, offering one of the rare times he spoke without a wise quote.


    Ken smiled mirthlessly, remembering how he preferred not to bring this issue up to Elmer after the elderined that so many sects turned against them because of him.


    "It''s fine, they wereing after Serene Lotus Sect to weaken them anyway, now they will just do it with more passion," Ken dismissed their worries. He was hiding his strength all the time, even suppressing himself. It was a good chance to let some steam off and go almost all put.


    "Tiara, you will be in charge of recruiting someone who won''t be a burden on the team," Ken instructed, knowing that with her personality she probably already collected a few admirers she deemed useful. With that, the fourth concluded their training and went back to their residences.


    ----------


    Out of the whole group, ric''s breakthrough arrived first. A month after Ken gave them the details he knew about the Martial Arts Summit, ric took a few of Ken''s Nascent Soul Forming pills and pushed it toward expansion as always.


    ''I can''t expand it anymore!'' ric said with excitement, knowing it meant the soul had reached the size of a hundred percent of his body.


    ''Time to follow Team Leader''s extra manual,'' ric thought to himself and looked at the man-shaped wooden box on the floor by his side.


    A creation of Ken as a fifth-rank runologist, a box that could contain a nascent soul for a while. Recalling Ken''s instructions, ric entered the box and pulled the lid, making it close on him. Surrounded by darkness, he felt the wood around him maintaining a consistent distance of 20 centimeters away from his skin at every point.


    He took a deep breath and began expanding his nascent soul again, letting it go beyond the limits of his mortal body into the space of the box. Normally it would dissipate right away, causing some pain and mainly a waste of Qi for the practitioner, however, not this time.


    ric had a weird sensation as if he was full but he still kept eating forcibly and needed to throw it up, but he endured the sickening sensation. He continued to push his new nascent soul outside his limits, persisting for a whole five hours.


    ''Time''s over, now I condense,'' ric made sure to count the minutes while he was inside the box, and thankfully, cultivators were much better at that than mortals. Ken had warned them not to expand their nascent souls anymore after five hours even if they didn''t reach the extra 20 centimeters mark, and ric followed the advice.


    He swallowed a pill he kept under his tongue, the Nascent Soul Condensing pill, also Ken''s craft. Without it to allow him to condense it faster, the time limit within the box would be much shorter, and the result would be worse.


    The nascent soul that went 18.3 centimeters out of his body was absorbed back inside, turning denser and stronger within the confines of his frame. When it finally reached the desired size, ric began to integrate it into himself, making it another part of him just like the normal soul.


    The procedure required precision and fineness, and he did everything carefully without rushing it. When he finally finished, he felt amazing strength coursing through his body, nourishing his physique naturally with every moment. Thanks to his special Demonic Body, he would turn stronger than anybody else at the same stage.


    ''Lightning Feet,'' he moved at high speed around the room after stepping out of the wooden box.


    ''Thrust of Lightning and Thunder,'' he thrust the spear forward, savoring the ability to use two techniques at the same time with his new stage. It was still somewhat clumsy as he was not used to his nascent soul, but it would be fluid and adaptive soon enough once he was used to this new ''limb''.


    Ken followed hispanion''s footsteps a few dayster, also breaking through the fourth stage and entering the fifth. He went through the exact same process as ric, with a few changes.


    He did manage to get his soul to the twenty-centimeter mark before his time was up, and he noticed that the golden Qi in his nascent soul was not monotone as he thought at first.


    After condensing it, the differences were clearer, and he could see that there were two hues. Half of his Qi was golden with an ominous red hue, while the other half had a calming white hue.


    ''What are those hues? Why are there only two instead of four?'' Ken wondered to himself. Not only there were only two colors instead of four, but they were also unfamiliar. The red was shinier than the bloody red that belonged to his Bloodlust attribute while he did not have any attribute of the white color.


    ''I can tell that the energy with the red hue is connected to my Sword Qi and my Bloodlust Qi, while the one with the white hue is rted to my Runic and Alchemy attributes.''


    Ken could sense it instinctively since they were still part of him, but he could only blindly guess the meaning of it.

 Chapter 283 283 – An Opportunity for the Oppressed

    <h4>Chapter 283 Chapter 283 ¨C An Opportunity for the Oppressed</h4>


    Somewhere far away:


    Mchi, a man with red hair and ck eyes looked at 14 of his peers, equal beings at the eighth stage. They all assembled to discuss the iing Martial Arts Summit. If Elmer had seen them, he would have recognized them from the day the portal to the secret realm of the Bloodthirst Sect was opened.


    "Why should we go in such a roundabout way to fight the righteous sects? We are evil sects, we should just kill whomever we want to kill, and conquer the ces we want to conquer!"


    A burly man with short white hair raised his voice. His face was quite memorable as cultivators with short hair were rtively rare. On the sleeve of his robes was the symbol of a roaring bear.


    "Because most of us aren''t a bunch of vulgar animals like you. There are more sophisticated ways to manage warfare than storming in and killing," An elegant feminine figure with light makeup and flowing pink hair scolded.


    Their face was unnaturally sharp to the point one would not be sure if it was extremely beautiful or creepy, perhaps even both. On their sleeve rested the image of azy fox with its 9 tails coiling around itself.


    "Huh, you sissies are just jealous of our power while you do practice these ridiculous rituals because you can''t put your hands on a real Charm Qi inheritance. Which human would fall for such a trap? That''s why you will always remain at the bottom of the alliance."


    "Enough, everyone. All of us are nearly equally strong, and the reason you have been oppressed by the righteous sects all these years ever since the demise of the Bloodthirst Sect is that you cannot agree on anything without the seven elders forcing you to. We agreed to go past those conflicts and regain our resources, didn''t we?"


    A powerful voice of a woman pulled Mchi''s gaze along with everyone else''s to look at the celestial ck-haired woman. Her skin was tanned, and her green eyes created a beautiful contrast with it. Men and women alike, all felt slightly aroused and an inner conflict with themselves whether to give up their dignity to serve her.


    "Miss Morgana, won''t you share this amazing inheritance with me?" the feminine man, also known as Sable, licked his lips in greed as he scrutinized her body. She was part of the Kutai Empire, and a practitioner of Charm Qi.


    "No, we agreed to meet without attacking each other, so make sure to restrain yourself, or all elders present will cooperate to kill you. Remember, not only your evil sects are being suppressed, but also our empires," the womanmanded, her Charm Qi making her words morepelling.


    "All right, we get it. Should we just n our warfare methods instead of picking fights and wasting time?" Mchi said loudly, helping bring the attention of everyone back to the matter at hand.


    "I still don''t understand why we need a n when we are strong enough to just conquer somends," Harken, the brute with the short hair,ined once more.


    "Because we are not strong enough, and by going for a direct war we would just cause the righteous sects to unite and attack us together. Even if we can resist the other top 20 sects, nobody wants to fight those of the top five," Mchi exined.


    "Fine," Harken grumbled, dissatisfied.


    "Miss Morgana, please tell us the n of the five empires. You''ve been spending a lot of resources to make this coboration possible and I''m sure you''ve taken many risks to infiltrate our continent with four other eighth-stage cultivators."


    Morgana nodded and spoke again, keeping eye contact with the ten evil cultivators and swaying their opinions in her favor with her charm.


    They all knew about her charm, but all of them believed that it could not truly affect their opinion as long as they were aware of it and took precautions, hence, they preferred to let her exude her charm and enjoy the apanying pleasant sensations than tell her to stop. Oh, they were all wrong; the influence of an enchantress should not be underestimated.


    "The goal is not immediate victory nor is it conquering thend by force. As I hope you remember, my messengers have told you about the opportunity at the Martial Arts Summit. Our empires have been plotting this for many years, preparing the ground for whenever it would be ready to make the seeds we sowed bloom and bear fruits."


    "Hmm, is it about the turmoil among the righteous sects?" Mchi asked her, linking a few recent news to her ims.


    "Exactly. The strongest righteous sect in the continent is facing an ultimatum from many other sects, and they choose to refuse in their pride and confidence."


    "Haha, this child from the Sue n is truly interesting. A whole war started because of him, and he had killed a huge chunk of the young generation of a top-five sect all by himself. I want to recruit him!" Harken burst intoughter.


    "Even now, his existence turns the whole cultivation world against the only righteous sect that dare ept him. I also heard he is as beautiful as an enchantress," Sable licked their lips again, this time in lust.


    "Eh, don''t have disgusting thoughts about a child with so much potential. A boy that can kill ten thousand enemies in one session would never side with the likes of you," Harken contorted his face in disgust.


    "Many children have sided with us, you just need to let one of us spend the night with you to understand the magic," Sable smiled at his rival, making him back off the fight immediately.


    "Ah, no thanks."


    "Enough with your antics, you two. The Nine-Tailed Fox Sect does what it can to amass strength, just like the rest of us evil cultivators. Their customs are part of their cultivation, nothing more, nothing less," Mchi said coldly, making the two of them silent again.


    As the representative of the strongest evil sect which started the alliance for the sake of the secret realm, Mchi held a position of influence and respect among the evil cultivators, even if they would not listen to him once his words went against their selfish motives.


    "Exactly, fellow cultivators. The existence of the boy reshuffles the hierarchy of power in the continent and poses a great opportunity for us to grab some power. The five empires have cooperated in the past thousands of years to establish small forces across the continent, and the cocky righteous cultivators have never bothered to care."


    "Do you want us to participate in the Martial Arts Summit under the name of those straw sects, using it to challenge different righteous sects and im their ranks?"


    This time an old man with a long white beard spoke, and on his sleeve was the symbol of a hyena.


    "As we said, the righteous sects are going after each other''s throats right now, and if we join at the right time, we can enjoy the support of the Serene Lotus Sect even if everyone suspects those sects are upied by evil cultivators. You''ve been hiding in the dark for so long, and most of your elders are unknown outside."


    The evil cultivators took a few moments to consider the pros and cons of the suggestion, trying to see whether the opportunity Morgana had spoken about was real. They were used to being suppressed by the righteous sects, and in their hearts, it was hard for them to ept that they could rise and thrive openly.


    "What if they reunite just to kill us before they go back to their battles? We can''t stir up the ho''s nest every time like we did in the secret realm and expect to get away with it easily," someone raised their worries.


    "They won''t if we do it after they start killing each other. I have information that the Infinite Wisdom Sect will offer rewards to the various sects under the table for killing Serene Lotus Sect''s disciples, and I''m sure many of the weaker sects will try to get the bounty. Even if they are weaker, they only need to send the few best core disciples of their sects to fight the weaker participants of the other side."


    Morgana''s information was quite vast as expected from a top enchantress. Deals of this size could not be hidden from her easily.


    "I say, let''s go for it! We have been cowering for thousands of years; it''s time for us to grab the opportunity and rise!" Harken shouted, his voice reverberating in the room and causing everyone''s fighting spirits to grow.


    "For once I agree with the brute; if we cannot grab an opportunity when ites on a tter of silver, we will forever be suppressed," Sable agreed, adding validity to his rival''s words.


    "I concur."


    "I concur."


    Everyone gave their agreement to the general n, and Morgana smiled along with the other four empire representatives. Everyone knew that their goals aligned only temporarily, and then they''d fight among themselves once their current goals were achieved.


    If the evil sects managed to take over some of the top 20 sects and gain control over thends of the Verdant Qi continent, they would also want to be part of the conquest against the Qiteria empires, turning them into the enemies of their current allies.


    However, for now, they shared amon enemy first, an enemy they could not deal with alone. The righteous sects were the most powerful group in the mortal realm.


    "Remember, thepetition is among the young generation while the challenges are among the older generations. Our goal for thispetition is to take at least five spots among the top twenty, and to kill as many as we can from the younger generations to weaken their foundations and future aspects."

 Chapter 284 284 – The Sovereignty Festival

    <h4>Chapter 284 Chapter 284 ¨C The Sovereignty Festival</h4>


    "Hey, Team Leader, there''s a festival in Lotus Blossom City next week, how about the four of us go?" ric asked enthusiastically while the party of four sat in a restaurant and waited for their food to be served.


    Ken thought about it for a moment, stopping his urge to refuse to go somewhere without a practical reason that would benefit him.


    ''Hmm, a festival, huh?''


    Ken mused about going. He has not engaged in any recreational activity ever since he was reincarnated in this world aside from the luxury meals he shared with his "wooers" in the Phoenix Feather Sect during hisst stay there.


    Looking at Henry who was eating silently and acting as if he found inner peace like always, he had no idea whether the monk wanted to go or not. As for Tiara, she wore her cold and indifferent mask as always, but she wasn''tpletely antisocial, so she might be interested in going.


    "Sure, why not. What''s in the festival?"


    Ken ultimately decided to go and enjoy the world''s customs and traditions. It''d be a shame if he was reincarnated into a fantasy world and never got to explore it.


    ''Even in my previous life, I did not go outside much. I don''t have much to do other than cultivating until the Martial Arts Summit starts next month, so I might as well try to take some time off,'' Ken decided.


    He was not exactly experienced in every pleasure the world had to offer, so it was natural he was interested in experiencing a festival. At first, he only trained in order to be at the top and avoid oppression, but his ambitions naturally grew with him.


    From only seeking life with no master, he already aspired for a life that would transcend the threat of time, meaning he wanted to be immortal. Once he was immortal, he''d be at the bottom of the new realm he would be moved to, which would lead to another search for power to be his own master.


    ''And once I stand at the pinnacle of the immortal world, my ambitions will surely grow again, and I''d want to be an equal being to the God who moved me here, maybe even beyond that. Since I know that much already, I can start aiming at the peak of the universe from now on instead of waiting to do it in steps. But what''s the point of climbing to the top if I can''t do whatever I want?''


    With this train of thought, Ken wanted to try the festival out. No matter how cold-hearted and murderous he was, even the Devil''s Heir was still a young boy.


    "There should be severalpetitions, among them will be arts such as drawing, ying music, dancing, and poetry. I read there''s even a martial artspetition, but it''s more focused on performance and shy moves rather than on battle prowess and fighting."


    ric described what he knew about the festival as a waitress in beautiful jade hanfu entered with a few trays levitating around her.


    ''Hmm, that''s an interesting invention. I guess they don''t only make tools meant for battle in the cultivation world,'' Ken thought to himself as he watched the trays.


    They were all first-rank tools inscribed with runes that made them levitate around the person who controlled them, and Ken could see a few Qi stones attached to their bottom to supply energy.


    "Here, Young Masters, please enjoy your food. Don''t hesitate to call for me if youck anything," the waitress bowed as she left the room. To Tiara''s delight, they sat in a private room due to Ken''s simr preferences. He was rich, and he never hesitated to spend his Qi stones.


    "Henry, aren''t you supposed to be against the needless killing of other beings? Why do you always go for the meat?" ric asked the monk when thetter reached out to his favorite golden phoenix dumplings. While the dumplings were truly golden, the phoenix meat was actually the meat of a fifth-rank quail. The restaurants oftenmissioned meat hunting quests, which was a significant part of their expenses.


    "To keep the body in good health is a duty. We need the nutrients from meat to live well," Henry exined.


    "But that''s not true for cultivators that have Qi nourishing their bodies, especially when we have various high-grade fruits that can offer just as many nutrients as meat," ric pointed out the faulty of Henry''s argument.


    "In the garden of existence, tend to your own blossoms, for the petals of another are meant to be nurtured by their own sunlight."


    "ric, his whole monkhood is a ruse. He is just a hypocrite who likes meat," Tiara chimed in, forcing a snort from Henry and a smile from Ken. He liked Henry''s hypocrisy; it allowed a long range of flexibility when he needed dirty things done.


    "What about you, Tiara, don''t you like colder dishes as an Ice Qi practitioner?" This time it was Ken who questioned hispanion''s taste buds.


    "No, why should it mean that?" Tiara asked with a lifted eyebrow as she ced a steaming rice cake on her te.


    "Well, I like my steak blue rare," Ken shrugged. He assumed that it was because of how he changed his constitution through his cultivation that made even his food preferences change while others were not affected by their attributes in all fields.


    "Do I also need toe to the festival?" Tiara asked.


    "No, but whoever stays needs to babysit Emrys."


    "I will be there¡­"


    The wolf was a young child now, a phase full of energy and yfulness. He had be such a nuisancetely that Kenmissioned peak fourth-stage babysitters for him using his pills as payment.


    ---------


    The fourpanions set in the next afternoon to Lotus Blossom City, using two wild beasts Ken threatened and bribed to carry them.


    They did not want to take responsibility for the sect''s beasts during the festival; they heard there''d be millions of participants from towns and cities nearby in addition to the residents themselves. With such a packed environment, many things could go wrong.


    "What''s the name of the festival?" Tiara asked during the trip.


    "It''s called the Sovereignty Festival, and they celebrate it every 50 years before the start of the Martial Arts Summit. Its first time was after the Serene Lotus Sect climbed to the first rank above all the sects in our continent, and they have it before the Martial Arts Summit as a symbol of confidence in their victory. Their expectations were met for so long that they take it for granted now," ric told the whole group about the festival''s history.


    "Interesting, how long is it?"


    "Seven days."


    The four soon arrived, entering the buzzing city with a sh of their discipleship tokens for immediate entrance, passing a long line of waiting tourists at the gates.


    As they stepped onto the cobbled pathways, the city embraced them in a flurry of colors and lights. Lanterns of red, gold, and green hung from every high ce that could hold them, bathing the streets in a warm, inviting glow. Colorful silk banners with the white-pink lotus that served as the sect''s symbol fluttered from the walls of every building.


    "It''s quite grand in here," ric remarked while they passed through a disy of local young women dancing in blue hanfu.


    Ken''s eyes scanned the vicinity with a calm yet scrutinizing gaze, taking note of the vibrant stalls lined along the streets. The aroma wafting through the air was a blend of spices and sweets, enticing travelers from every corner.


    Stalls were filled with skewers of grilled meats, bowls of hearty broths, sweet buns, and exotic fruits that promised natural sweetness. Though his expression remained stoic, he wasparing the actual thing with the festivals he saw on TV in his previous life.


    "I never imagined a city to be so alive," Tiara said quietly, her eyes scanning the crowds, the remark was more to herself than to the others. Because she was under the strict mentorship of Naomi since early childhood, she was not taken to such events, and when she was free to do so, she already developed a more seclusive personality.


    Tiara''s grace was undiminished in this lively ambiance. Her ice-blue eyes, however, remained indifferent to the allure around her as if she wouldn''t mind missing out on the celebrations. Yet, the reflection of the twinkling lights in her eyes betrayed a moment of wonder that she would never admit to.


    "There are some activities over there, let''s check it out," Ken turned toward an area where many people assembled.


    Among a myriad of disys were the numerous games and contests designed for both young and old, cultivator and mortal. There were simple games of ring toss and archery for the younglings, theirughter resonating through the bustling crowd. For the daring souls, there were dueling arenas with soft weaponry to have a friendly sh of skills.


    "Hey, Team Leader, why don''t we participate in some games?" ric asked.


    "Sure, but don''t pull too much attention. Limit yourselves to the abilities of a third-stage cultivator, or else the whole city will know about us."


    Ken still disliked too much attention from so many people, making him pose a limitation. They changed the discipleship robes before they left the sect to avoid standing out in the festival, and they all wore fancy ones that matched the event.


    "We invite the youths of our province to demonstrate their schrship and wisdom through poetry,e and recite; you will earn the respect of men and perhaps the admiration of thedies!" An old man shouted from the stage.


    There was a crowd of hundreds of people in that area alone as the festival happened in every corner of the city, and people continuously moved from one area to another.


    "I will go first!" One young man climbed onstage. His gaze moved swiftly on the crowd before he began.


    "In the verdantnd, amidst the chaos,pelling awe,


    A lotus of serenity, defying nature''sw.


    Amidst the turmoil of ambition, in the quiet, it''s found,


    Beyond fleeting glory, true strength is unbound."


    Everyone pped enthusiastically for the young man.


    "Good, great poem! Your love for the Serene Lotus Sect is apparent!" The old manplimented as the young man left the stage with the pride of a peacock.


    "It was indeed a good poem, he described our sect as strong and mighty, while also righteous and defending the weak from nature''sw of the rule of the strong. It could also be interpreted as that every one of us has a lotus of power blooming in themselves, one that is full of power and potential to achieve greatness," Ken appreciated the poem out loud, prompting a nod from hispanions.


    "I shall also share a poem that came to my mind, I call it Ode to the Beauty of Ice, as it popped into my mind after I saw one recently," a handsome man jumped lightly onto the stage.


    "Young Master George! Of course, may your words captivate the heart of the lucky girl!" the old man eximed when he saw the neer.


    "In the waltz of fate, two hearts entwined,


    The rhythm of destiny, in both souls aligned.


    In a single nce of her beauty, our spirits refined,


    A melody of love, in ice, we find."


    The young man, also known as George, had his eyes focused on a certain ice beauty throughout the whole poem.

 Chapter 285 285 – Henry’s Victory

    <h4>Chapter 285 Chapter 285 ¨C Henry''s Victory</h4>


    ?


    "OWW!"


    A fewdies in the crowd eximed at the poem''s sweetness.


    "Who do you think Young Master George had in mind when he recited it?"


    "Didn''t you notice his gaze was focused over there? She must be there blushing in excitement!"


    "I want to see how beautiful the woman who captivated Young Master George''s heart is!"


    "Me too! What am Ickingpared to her?"


    Women across the street showed curiosity and envy regarding the woman who got George''s attention.


    "Hey, who is the guy that just recited a poem?" Ken asked someone who stood next to him.


    "You must be a foreigner if you don''t know. He is the son of the city''s mayor and even got epted to be an inner disciple in the Serene Lotus Sect, he is one of the most desired men in our city."


    The guy exined with a hint of jealousy. Unlike the women who envied the girl, the men were envious of George''s sess and poprity.


    "Hmm, I see," Ken said quietly and watched amusedly how things were going to unfold. He was not Tiara''s hero and was not going to intervene in any way, and he knew for certain that this specific damsel was not in distress.


    "Young Fairy, what is your name?" George jumped off stage with a light tap of his fate, closing the dozen meters between them in a graceful leap.


    "I''m Tiara. Why do you approach me, Young Master?" Tiara put on a flirtatious smile as she replied, increasing George''s confidence in his sess.


    "Tiara, a beautiful name for a beautiful woman. How about I apany you for the rest of the night?"


    "That can''t be, Young Master. How could I leave my dear friends and go with you?" Tiara said as if she was truly sorry for the missed opportunity.


    Her threepanions did not say a single word, only watching in amusement. They all knew she didn''t need their help, and besides, George had the right to woo her as long as he didn''t force her into anything.


    "Are you her friends?" George scrutinized the strange group. One young teenager, one monk with a blindfold on, and one handsome friendly man.


    "We are," ric dered.


    "I see. Young Fairy, traveling with so many men might do wrong to your reputation, why not juste with me instead? I''m sure your beauty would be renowned if you lived here so you must be from out of town and you don''t know me; I''m the mayor''s son and an inner disciple of the Serene Lotus Sect, I can protect you from anything," George exined his merits in clear pride.


    "Oh, that is so impressive, Young Master. Tell me, what is your rank among your peers?" Tiara revealed another bewitching smile as she stepped closer, shortening the distance between them to a nearly inappropriate extent.


    "Tiara, the ranks don''t mean anything for someone like me from a background that can offer me enough resources for cultivation," George said in an awkward voice.


    He just dered he was from the first-ranked sect of the continent and thismoner girl questioned his rank; he was caught unprepared. If someone hits on someone inferior, they are not supposed to ask how many others were even better.


    "So you are unranked. You can be my servant for today, show us around, and make sure nobody bothers us. If you do a good job, I will consider meeting you again," Tiara touched his shoulder gently with her hand, and her blue eyes seemed to have a hue of pink in them.


    "I¡­ I will!" George gulped his saliva and agreed hurriedly, prompting amused smiles from the three men, even Henry could not hold it back.


    ''Her personality is quite rotten, isn''t it?'' Ken thought to himself as they ignored the murmurs of the crowd. They were not quiet in their conversation, and many of the present pedestrians heard the exchange, making them astonished about how happy George was to be a woman''s servant.


    "Ahm, young men, you are friends with a beauty that could make the best man in our city fall head over heels. With such inspiration for great words by your side, you surely have a poem in your minds to recite, why don''t youe up?"


    The old man tried to diffuse the situation and called out for Ken and hispanions.


    "Henry, I''d like to hear your poetry, let''s see if you can make them dere you as the best poet," Ken instructed in interest. The monk had a way with words when he spoke, so he thought Henry might havetent talent in poetry.


    The blindfolded monk nodded and went on stage, his figuremanding silence from the crowd. It almost felt like they entered a separate world at that moment, a world where peace and literacy reigned.


    "Behind the veil of wisdom, truth quietly resides,


    An ocean of knowledge, where the profound abides.


    In depths uncharted, the essence of truth hides,


    Wisdom''s voyage, where enlightenment guides."


    Henry''s strong voice reverberated in the area, and everyone seemed to hold their breath until he finished reciting his poem.


    "Another great poem for today! Wisdom can guide us to happiness as well as to enlightenment and improvement! This must be the best poetry this old man has ever heard in his long life!" The host announced loudly, inviting admiring whispers from the crowd.


    Henry nodded at the crowd and left the stage, going back to hispanions'' side.


    "You used a technique to cause the unnatural atmosphere, didn''t you?" Ken smirked at Henry who remained silent, unwilling to confess. Despite his stoic demeanor, he had his own desires that manifested in times like this. The monk cheated simply because he wanted to be dered the best after being challenged by Ken.


    "George, I had enough poetry. Take us somewhere else," Tiaramanded her new servant, and the group followed George toward another area. He walked 2 meters ahead of them, allowing them a sense of privacy.


    "Fairy Tiara, there is a disy of martial arts in the city center, why don''t we go there? Everyone hopes to see me perform my techniques, so you''d also get to watch me and other entertaining cultivators," George suggested, hoping for a chance to impress his goddess.


    "That sounds interesting, let''s go."


    As they stepped onto the main avenue of the bustling city, the grandiosity of the Sovereignty Festival unfolded before their eyes. The avenue itself seemed toe alive with a carnival of colors, adorned with vibrant banners, swirling silk streamers, and ornatenterns that bobbed gently in the evening breeze. Every few steps, there were kiosks and stalls, each presenting another type of delicacy.


    Among the bustling crowd, people were donned in their finest traditional attire; men in silk tunics embroidered with dragons and phoenixes, and women in beautiful cheongsams and hanfu that carried ornate designs.


    Even the air seemed to shimmer with excitement, filled withughter, cheerful banter, and the musical symphony of traditional flutes and drums that apanied the mirth-filled atmosphere.


    Making their way through the crowd, George led them to a kiosk exuding a tempting aroma. It was arge stand with many lines of people waiting, a testament to the allure of its offerings.


    "Fairy, this is one of the most famous dishes of the festival, the "Lotus Bloom Delight". This dish consists of tender lotus roots thinly sliced and stacked meticulously to resemble a blossoming lotus flower. The lotus slices are lightly steamed to retain a slight crunch, and then carefully ced around a mound of fragrant jasmine rice infused with a gentle hint of saffron."


    George exposed his culinary knowledge and exined about the dish.


    "A dish based on lotus for the festival, that seems to fit," ric remarked.


    "Indeed, it''s even apanied by delicate orbs of lotus seed dumplings, filled with a sweet and savory mixture of minced vegetables and a bit of truffle oil for the fragrance."


    He normally ignored the other men and focused on Tiara alone, but this time he felt like he could use it as leverage to impress the woman.


    "Everyone, please give me some face and let me take a few portions for my friends here," George said loudly, and everyone quickly cleared a path for them as soon as they recognized him. The stall owner urged his workers to make the best dish for the young master, and the group soon left with Lotus Bloom Delights of the highest quality.


    "Ah, taste of the festivities!" ric eximed, his face lighting up with satisfaction as he took a hearty bite, the smoky mist escaping his lips.


    "You can see the stage from here, let''s go and watch some of the techniques disyed," George pointed at the heart of the avenue where a grand stage had been erected. It was elegant and simple, but Ken could tell it was strengthened by sixth-rank formations that made it durable enough to take all techniques performed head-on with no risk of copsing.


    The crowd around the stage was thick, eyes fixated on the show before them. A young cultivator, robed in crimson, was exhibiting his martial prowess. His movements were fluid, every strike and flip was performed with a grace that seemed almost ethereal. The sword in his hand danced in harmony with his movements, slicing through the air creating ripples of Qi that shimmered, drawing gasps and cheers from the enchanted audience.


    "Beautiful moves without any truebat utility," Ken said as he watched. He understood that the point was impressing the mortals, not engaging in a fight.


    "Hehe, reminds me of someone''s style," ric teased, making Tiara smile lightly at theparison. Her movements ruined her enemies'' concentration, but the performer would just seem stupid in a real fight.


    As the cultivator''s performance reached its peak, with a swift motion, heunched his sword skywards. It spiraled into the air, glistening under the soft glow of the full moon before descending back, to be deftly caught by the performer to a resounding apuse and roars of approval from the crowd.


    "Team Leader, how about you perform?" ric suggested.


    "My style is the worst for this kind of event. Everything is swift and efficient, and the crowd''s perception will just fail to see the tricks. But as you said, we do have someone very fitting for this kind of event," Ken eyed the only female member of the group.

 Chapter 286 286 – Tiara’s Performance

    <h4>Chapter 286 Chapter 286 ¨C Tiara''s Performance</h4>


    "But we do have a very fitting person for this kind of event," Ken eyed the only female member of the group.


    "Eh, me?" Tiara groaned about the task that befell her out of nowhere. Seeing her teammates look at her, she just turned to George, "You said you would perform to impress me, show me how you do it."


    "Yes, Fairy, I will show you a performance beyond your imagination!" He said excitedly, unaware that such a im seemed ridiculous when said to an enchantress.


    As the former performer left the stage, the host called for the next one toe. The next performer, a pretty girl with long ck hair was about to jump onto the stage with a shy pirouette when someone barged before her.


    "Hello everyone, I, George Balkan, will perform!"


    To the spectators, George seemed to fall from the sky, executing consecutive backflips and finishing with a three-pointnding.


    "Hmm, that''s money well spent," ricmented, referring to the device George used to send himself flying to the sky to pull off this little trick.


    Before he could even finish his sentence, four pirs of fire exploded around the performer, a result of a fire technique he executed as soon as hended.


    "OOOHHH!" The crowd called and shouted, cheering loudly for their young master.


    George arose from hisnding stance, his energy bursting forth with the mes that encircled him. The embers danced around him, mirroring the excitement in the crowd. He produced a staff out of his storage ring, the end of it touching the ground while the other end pointed to the sky, a concentrated look in his eyes.


    "Behold, the dance of the zing dragons!" he proimed.


    As the music started with a rhythmic beat from the festival drums, George swung into motion. His steps were choreographed to the rhythm, and with every beat, his staff spun, igniting trails of fire in its wake.


    He leapt and twirled, the mes following hismand, morphing into various forms of fiery dragons that soared and spiraled around him. The crowd was spellbound, their eyes glued to the fantastical scene unfolding before them.


    "Wow, this guy knows how to put on a show!" ric remarked as he munched on some lotus seed pastries they had just bought from a nearby stall. The other three were impressed themselves but remained quiet about it.


    George''s staff moved with a life of its own, each strike and swing unleashing wave after wave of fiery formations. They weaved through the air, their forms painting the sky with shades of red, gold, and orange.


    His sideflips were punctuated with explosions of fire, each louder and more vibrant than thest. The crowd roared with each disy of pyrotechnics, their excitement reaching a peak.


    Tiara, usually nonchnt, had her eyes fixated on the swirling inferno, the y of fire reflecting in her eyes. Ken could only wonder if Henry was able to enjoy such shows with his eyes blindfolded.


    At the culmination of his performance, George soared into the sky with a powerful thrust of his staff against the ground. Suspended in mid-air, he spun rapidly, his staff drawing circles of fire around him, creating a grandiose fiery phoenix that spread its wings across the sky, enveloping the night in a warm, golden glow.


    "WOOOAHH!" The crowd cheered and screamed in tion for the theatrical ending.


    As Georgended softly, the image of the fiery phoenix slowly faded, leaving behind a sky filled with twinkling stars. The crowd was left in a mixture of silence and awe for a brief moment before an uproar of cheers and apuse broke the silence, shaking the very grounds of the avenue.


    "Bravo!" shouted ric, pping vigorously with the crowd, prompting a smile from hispanions who saw the fanatic of their group get swept into the atmosphere. He was quite different from the other antisocial members of the team.


    "Hmm, he is more impressive than I gave him credit for," Ken mentioned, he had to admit he enjoyed the show. The beat of the drums, the explosions of fire, the eye-catching movements of the staff, all of them were beautiful. Of course, they were useless in a battle, but that''s not what George was aiming for.


    George, amidst the endless apuse, took a deep bow, his heart filled with satisfaction. He could not stop himself from searching for Tiara''s face in the crowd, hoping to see some admiration.


    "It was a great performance," Tiaraplimented him as soon as he returned to their side, making him grin. The four were slowly rxing because of the festival''s atmosphere and somewhat acted more freely and less restrained.


    "Everyone! Did you enjoy watching the disy of our city''s young master? Of course you did, it was the best show our festival had so far!" The host screamed into a device that worked like a microphone, "How can I call for another performer now, wouldn''t it make them cry?" He said, making the crowdugh.


    As if to challenge his im, another figure barged onto the stage, a slender silhouette wearing jade-green hanfu. She seemed to be gliding on theair, executing endless pirouettes on her way. Ice shards flew around her in circles, forming all types of beautiful shapes.


    "Look at that, someone darese right after Young Master George, ept her with apuse!" The host shouted, leaving the stage.


    "Fairy Tiara is going to perform too?" George asked, surprised. Because he was of a lower stage, only at the peak of the fourth stage, he could not sense their stages while they hid them. Hence, he was sure they were a group of third-stage cultivators as they exposed.


    "Indeed, she might even overshadow you," ric bragged about his teammate.


    "Her beauty alone overshadows me," George said with a smile, thinking that ric was exaggerating. In the end, third-stage cultivators would not be able to pull off as many mboyant moves as he did; their Qi was too little and they had no specialized Qi.


    As the host''s voice faded away, the crowd turned its focus onto the entrancing figure who now dominated the stage. The evening lights yed upon Tiara''s ethereal form, her jade-green hanfu flowing gently with her movements, entuating her finesse. Her face, covered with a green veil, carried an enigmatic charm of delicate ice and wless beauty.


    With a swift move, Tiara unsheathed her dual sabers, the des gleaming under the ethereal glow of the moon. She held a saber in each hand, their edges sharp, crisp like the winter breeze. As the music started, a soft, mncholy melody, Tiara moved. Her dance was a blend of delicate and fierce, the fluid motion of her body contrasted by the deadly sways of her sabers.


    "Hmm, looks like she chose to use double sabers for the show,'' Kenmented. She only used one saber in battles.


    Amidst her dance, with a fluid sweep of her sabers, Tiaramanded the frost to coat the stage, turning it into a vast sheet of pristine ice. The shimmering surface mirrored the silvery glow of the moon, adding to the ethereal atmosphere.


    Her body swayed with the rhythm, each spin and leap she performed was wlessly synchronized with the haunting tune that serenaded through the cold night. Each stroke of her saber conjured delicate frost flowers and icy birds that soared across the stage, their forms shimmering in the moonlight.


    The audience watched with bated breath as she pirouetted, each rotation creating ripples of frost in the air around her. The icy realm she had conjured seemed to pulse with her emotions, each glide and pivot on the ice resonated with a mncholy beauty that tugged at the heartstrings of everyone present.


    The crowd was held captive, breaths held tight as the surreal imagery unfolded before them. Her dance was a vision of winter''s serene beauty, the sight leaving them yearning for more even amidst the biting cold that now enveloped the arena.


    As Tiara danced, her body seemed to flow like water, her every move radiating a cool nobility that was beyond earthly. The sight of her twirling amidst the icy wondend of ice and animal kingdom she had created, her hair floating like a halo of silk, left the audience utterly entranced.


    "She''s aspetitive as Henry," ricughed when he noticed the crowd turnedpletely silent, unable to even cheer.


    Her eyes met the crowd, but they carried a distance, as if she was inviting yet unreachable, a beautiful illusion that vanished with a touch. The cold could not snuff out the fiery desires her grace stirred in the hearts of those watching. Every spin, every surge, every strike of her saber seemed to pull at the strings of their hearts, evoking emotions they hadn''t known before.


    As her dance reached its peak, she created many tforms of ice in the air across the stage with her new nascent soul, using them as stepstones to soar to the sky. Every tap of her feet was so gentle it almost seemed like she levitated.


    Looking downward like a queen upon her subjects, she swung her sabers downward. Every animal and delicate flower she had created on the stage shattered into dust that flew into the air and glittered like a million stars before gently showering down onto the stage, covering it in a soft nket of snow. When the ice finally stopped obscuring the sight of the crowd, the performer was gone.


    They remained silent in their trance for a few moments, before a young teenager with striking red eyes started pping, awakening the crowd. At that moment, apuse louder than any of ric''s techniques began, and everyone screamed and begged the woman to return and show herself.


    Ken watched as Tiara approached them and bowed gently, a rare smile of admiration curving on his lips.


    "Elegance is when the inside is as beautiful as the outside, but it was a great dance," Henrymented.


    "It was indeed something everyone should aspire to see," Ken added.


    "Haha, it was beautiful enough to win even if you hadn''t used your special Qi like Henry, cheater," ricughed, referring to all the charm techniques she executed, and only got a shrug in response.


    George, his mouth still gaping since the beginning of the show, had tears streaming out of his eyes.


    "Fairy Tiara, I feel like a clown now for daring to perform before you," he said in a downcast voice. He could assess Tiara''s power as stronger than his from the tricks she had done on stage.


    "Don''t worry about it, you were useful as a guide for us. Tell me, how old are you?" She asked him.


    "I''m 37 years old," George replied, making Tiara sigh at his low stage. Normally, she would never use such a weakling, but she was given an annoying tasktely by her team leader.


    "George, do you want to be useful to me?" She asked in an enticing tone, making the man almost drool in desire.


    "Yes, please, I will do anything!" He practically begged for her attention.


    "Then, how about you join our team for the Martial Arts Summit?" she offered.

 Chapter 287 287 – A New Member?

    ?


    "How about you join our team for the Martial Arts Summit?" Tiara offered to the gaping man in front of her.


    "Hey, Tiara, what''s the meaning of this?" ric asked in irritation. It was clear that George was far weaker than them, and would only be in their way if he tries to help them in a fight.


    "Fairy, I don''t think I''m good enough to participate in thepetition," George said embarrassedly. He did not even have the shame to show any confidence or hit on her now that he found out she was a top 500 disciple at the very least. Then, he realized he knew this name.


    "Are you Tiara as¡­ Tiara cier?" He asked nervously. He obviously knew the names of the top 10 disciples in his age group.


    "Yes. These are Henry Karras, ric Sonora, and Ken Sue." Tiara introduced the other three as she gestured toward them with her hand. Their names were all equally famous.


    George looked around him, feeling like an idiot that he did not realize it alone. Henry might be the only blindfolded monk in their sect!


    "Tiara? Why do you think he fits for the group?" Ken repeated ric''s question.


    "I think he is perfect. You want to test our strength, but what can others in the same stage as us can do if all four of us are there? The fifth member will just hinder us anyway, so it''s better to take someone we can just not use," Tiara exined her reasoning.


    "Hmm, you do have a point. If we cannot defeat five people of the same stage without a fifth member we might as well give up on cultivation," Ken pondered loudly, slightly exaggerating.


    "Does it mean he is our new member then?"


    "Yes, sure."


    George''s eyes jumped in panic between the talking teammates,cking the courage to talk against the top disciples of his sect. He even noticed that Tiara used a few techniques simultaneously, meaning she had another breakthrough that the other disciples were not aware of.


    "But, I don''t think¡­" he started, only to be cut by Ken midsentence.


    "It''s fine, you don''t have to fight. Just stand by the side and watch us. You can even jump off stage if someonees to attack you," Ken instructed with a hint of bloodlust.


    He noticed his affinity with bloodlust rose multiple times after he broke through to the Nascent Soul stage, perhaps thanks to the weird golden Qi it was producing. Now, his pure bloodlust with the most basic way of maniption could make someone of George''s caliber freeze in fear.


    "Please, don''t make me embarrass myself in front of the whole world," George gave up any hint of dignity and begged when he felt the threat. He did not want to take such a role because it was too shameful to be the one to run away from every battle and let the "real" fighters do their job.


    "No. Anyway, take us to the next tourist spot, I don''t think anyone can entertain us here after Tiara''s performance," Ken instructed him. Knowing their identities, George simply turned into the whole group''s servant rather than only Tiara''s.


    "Ah¡­ sure. There is a painting and drawing exhibition on the west avenue of the city, would you like to go and check it out?" George suggested. His eyes kept ncing sideward as if he were searching for a route of escape.


    "Sure, let''s do it."


    The four followed him through the busy street, and as soon as they entered the new street, new colors weed them. Instead of the golden-red decorations that seemed to fill the city, everything now was in the color of soft green and white, the colors of the robes of the inner and core disciples of the sect.


    Thenterns still reigned supreme at every corner, but now they were all shaped as rich lotuses. The food changed too; and in a contradicting way to the rest of the theme, the lotus dishes were reced with various meat delicacies.


    "It''s over there, it''s arranged as apetition. Every round 10 artists go on stage and paint their best image, and the judges pick the best piece at the end," George exined while Henry filled a te with different dishes from the stalls around them.


    "It begins."


    The moon was at its peak as a crowd had gathered to witness the contest among the city''s finest artists. The audience awaited in hushed anticipation as ten illustrious artists took their ces, each before a nk, towering canvas.


    With the sound of a gong, the calmness of the night was reced with the rhythmic strokes of brushes against canvas. Colors blended and forms took shape as the artists began their crafts.


    "We''re quite lucky, Master Li is participating in this round," George remarked and pointed at someone among the artists, pulling the four''s attention toward the man.


    Master Li, with his snow-white hair and a calm demeanor, was indeed impressive. His every stroke seemed to make a world of fantasye to life. He dipped his brush gently into a palette, choosing hues with a certainty born of years immersed in art.


    "The way he uses his brush makes it look like a mess," ric pointed out in interest.


    "Are you new here? His art looks like a mess at the beginning but slowly something whole is created," A pretty woman in a simple yellow hanfu next to them replied when she heard him.


    Master Li embarked upon the canvas with a grace that hooked the audience before a real image was formed, and everyone could guess who was going to win. His brush danced fluidly, each stroke seemed to be guided by the very essence of nature. He was painting a scene from an ancient battle that''d be a turning point in history if it was real.


    Ken was not exactly following Master Li''s work with pure intentions. His eyes were squinted in concentration as he tried to take in all the sights of every single artist''s technique.


    With dexterous strokes, Li brought forth a battlefield enshrouded in mist. The brave faces of warriors, both fallen and fighting, emerged from the fog, their expressions etched with honor and sorrow. At the center stood a general, valiant and unmoved amidst the chaos, his eyes fixed on the unseen horizon. The mist around them seemed almost real, as if it could be felt if one were to reach out towards the canvas.


    "His paintings are said to be a treasure any rich person should ce on their walls; they can affect the mind and help one enter the state depicted in the art piece," George continued his job as a guide.


    What captivated the onlookers the most were the horses ¡ª galloping with fervor, their manes aze with the reflection of dawn, they seemed to spring to life from the canvas, their muscr forms resonating with unyielding spirit.


    ''Art born from hundreds of years of practice by superhumans made art much more vivid in this world,'' Ken pondered as he admired the painting with the rest of hispanions.


    Master Li''s technique was a blend of precision and spontaneity; he painted with a controlled recklessness, each stroke bold yet precise, every color chosen with intuition yet contributing to a grand design. His canvas was not just a depiction but a lively narration of a war that was never fought.


    As soon as heid down his brush, the crowd erupted into apuse and admiration.


    "Amazing!" The host called out and pped along with the rest of the crowd, "Let the judges now take a close look at all works and give us their decision, but I think we already know what it''s going to be!" she said with an enthusiastic voice.


    "Master Li is going to win!"


    "Nobody canpete with Master Li!"


    The crowd answered her call and shouted. The judges, 2 old women and a middle-aged man, rose from their seats in the corner of the stage and started inspecting the works, humming and nodding as they took close looks into different parts where the artists hid small tricks that could not be recognized by normal folks yet changed the whole atmosphere radiated by the work.


    "I give this one 5/10. This piece certainly holds a conceptual promise, disying a semnce of understanding in color harmony and form. However, it stops short of reaching a depth that resonates with the beholder. The technique is somewhat unrefined, missing the mastery that would allow the concept to fully bloom on the canvas."


    "Indeed, the perspective feels slightly off, jarring the overallposition. There''s a potential that is unexplored here, a path that is not entirely followed through. It''s a good attempt but requires a deeper exploration and a more disciplined execution to truly shine."


    The judges exchanged opinions on a certain work, making a young man sigh in disappointment. However, he did not take it too badly, he was still young and his technique indeed required more training for refinement. He noted their words in his head and nned to improve his weak points.


    Evidently biased, the judges left Master Li''s art for the end, like a diner in a restaurant leaving the juiciest piece of steak for thest bite. The three''s eyes shone as if they were children standing in front of candies, and they almost pushed each other as they tried to observe the art piece.


    "This piece must be one of Master Li''s best works! It''s a vibrant testament to his technical prowess and deep emotional exploration. The palette is not just seen, but felt, resonating with the narrative that is so carefully interwoven into every stroke. It almost touches the sublime, with a well-thought-outposition that leads the eye and stirs the soul."


    "He indeed bested himself this time. The intricacies in the technique show a mature understanding of the medium. There''s just a hint of something left unsaid, a slight veil that keeps the audience at the threshold ofplete immersion. Nheless, it''s a captivating, evocative piece that holds its own impably."


    The crowd looked at them while they gave their profound judgment, other than a few amused faces. "These old women look like they will reach an orgasm if they stare at it any longer," Tiara chuckled at the sight of their excited red blushes.


    "It''s something I did not wish to imagine," ric said while wearing a disgusted look as he nced at them. The man was not any better, worsening the image in his head.


    The judges finished giving their scores, and the hostess spoke again, "We concluded the results, and the winner is¡­ Master Li!" the crowd once again pped for the winner as he smiled widely and bowed before leaving.


    "Thank you, everyone, for your support! I shall leave this work as a gift for the glory of the Serene Lotus Sect!" He dered, prompting the crowd to heighten their cheers.


    "Hey, hey, hey! Isn''t this Young Master George right there? Master Li, seems like your dedication to the Serene Lotus Sect was heard by an inner disciple!" The hostess said with a sweet voice, making everyone search for George''s face.


    "Haha, that''s my great honor then. I hope Young Master George continues to grow and bring honor to our city," Master Li smiled amiably and bowed toward Ken''s group before leaving the stage to allow the next round to begin.


    "Young Master George, we root for you!"


    "Young Master, you''re the pride of our city!"


    The crowd cheered and called, making the young man smile with confidence and self-satisfaction.


    "Haha, you bet I am! In fact, I was invited to one of the strongest teams to participate in the Martial Arts Summit thanks to my talent, and I''m going to fight side to side with the top five disciples of the sect!"


    George spoke without thinking, making the other four look at him in wonder. Even Henry could not hold back hisughter at the man''s antics.

 Chapter 288 288 – Peak Of Love And Peace

    ?


    "Did you hear that? Young Master George, the son of our mayor, is going to participate in the Martial Arts Summit himself!" The hostess screamed into the microphone, making the information spread throughout the city like fire.


    "Oh, fuck." George swore under his breath when he heard the consequences of his instinctive bragging. He looked at her in panic, wanting to make her stop shouting it so loudly.


    "And he is in the same team of the top 5 disciples in the strongest sect in the continent, he might return home victorious!" She shouted in excitement, making the whole crowd chant George''s name in devotion.


    "Young Master George!"


    "Young Master George!"


    "Wait, wait, that''s not what I meant!" George tried to make them quiet before the situation worsened, but it was toote. His voice was lost in their cheers, but the loud shouts were heard by a huge chunk of the city''s poption and tourists. It would not take long for word to spread and reach every citizen, his father included.


    "Seems like you joined our group. Now that you enjoyed our fame, you must also take responsibility. I will kill you if you don''t," Ken gave him a beautiful smile and patted his shoulder, making a chill run down the man''s spine.


    "I will not renege on my words, of course," George said bravely, knowing his father would not let him back down now even if it spelled his death. The mortals would not know if he was humiliated in the cultivation world anyway, but the mayor would not allow him to lose face in front of the citizens.


    "Good."


    "Are those Young Master George''s friends perhaps? Are they the legendary top five disciples mentioned?" The hostess''s eyes practically glowed in anticipation when they noticed George was not alone. The man could only look at Ken helplessly, seeking instruction on whether to reveal their identity or not.


    "Some information must not be spread, youngdy," George said in a heavy tone, making the crowd nod in understanding. Such figures were out of their reach.


    "I see, they''re only friends then. Young Masters, Young Mistress, would you like to take a shot at painting for the glory of the Serene Lotus Sect?" Even if she knew their importance, the hostess would never let such a hype go away.


    A bigger crowd was gathering around them with every passing moment because of themotion earlier, and she would be directly promoted as an event hostess if she could keep this buzz going. The best way to make that happen was to convince the people whom the crowd tacitly epted as the top five disciples of the ruling sect to stay.


    The group exchanged nces; painting was not the forte of any of them. Eventually, Ken wore one of his confident smiles and jumped onto the stage with a light step.


    "I shall give Painting a try then. Be lenient with me, I''m inexperienced and have never tried it before," Ken said.


    "What a promising young man, I''m sure you are just being modest," the hostess hurriedly said, hoping to excite the spectators. It''d be truly awkward if he indeed could not paint.


    "Hmph, I shall take the challenge and participate along with the esteemed young master and see if a cultivator can surpass artists through power," ady looking in herte thirties climbed on the stage right after, her face showed she was offended by how lightly Ken treated the art of painting by entering thepetition without any training.


    "Ho ho! This is Lady Juliette, known to be of the same level as Master Li! Is this going to be a heatedpetition?!" The hostess shouted, canceling Juliette''s ims that Ken was truly untrained. The crowd wanted a tense battle of colors, not a veteran bullying a newbie.


    The hostess, a woman in her early twenties adorned with a delicate ck cheongsam that hugged her curves and entuated them with every step she took, approached Ken with a wide smile that exposed a line of straight white teeth.


    "Young Master, would you like to tell us your name?" She asked in hope. She was quite courageous, Ken had to give her that. Not many were ambitious enough to ovee the natural fear of approaching someone superior and talking the way she did, even using him to promote her stage and treating him like a normal contender.


    "Of course, I''m Ken," Ken waved at the crowd. Thedies were smitten upon seeing the gorgeous young teen, and even many of the men could not help but admit his beauty.


    "Young Master Ken, his visage must be the greatest art presented on our stage tonight!" The hostess shouted, squeezing a few more cheers from the crowd before announcing, "Let''s begin!"


    *Gong!*


    The bell rang and everyone started working on their canvases. Eight artists were treated as invisible, and everyone''s eyes darted between Ken and Juliette. To their disappointment, Ken only looked around him without moving, and they could only fixate their eyes on Juliette''s graceful figure.


    Juliette stood poised before her canvas, her fingers delicately holding the brush with an air of finesse that came only with mastery. She dipped her brush into the pale colors on her palette, a blend of soft blues, gentle pinks, and warm golds. With a steady hand, she started crafting her vision onto the nk canvas, her strokes were deliberate, each one seemingly caressing the fabric.


    "Team Leader is going to have a hard time winning this," ric said as he admired the work of the female artist.


    "I doubt, he wouldn''t join if he didn''t know he was going to win," Tiara replied. She did not believe that the man who aimed to stand at the top did not mind losing.


    The crowd around Juliette seemed to hold their breath, mesmerized by the tranquil scene she was delicately carving. The image unfolded gently¡ªa sereneke nestled within a tranquil meadow. The purity of morning light was cast upon the calm waters, with a soft mist hanging low, bridging the earthly meadow to the ethereal sky. The peaceful glide of swans on theke added an essence of grace, their reflections a perfect symphony of form and color on the water''s mirror-like surface.


    "Speaking of which, how''s Team Leader''s painting doing?" ricmented as he looked where Ken was supposed to be, "Wait, he''s gone?" he said in wonder.


    "The eyes do not see what the heart misses. This is his concealment technique, you have to concentrate on where you know he is and fight your mind to make it stop ignoring him," Henry exined.


    Tiara and ric both squinted their eyes in concentration where they remembered Ken should be. At first, they saw nothing. But slowly they managed to get the picture of a teenager holding a brush masterfully, his fingers seemed to dance on the canvas in front of him.


    However, everyone else seemed to forget Ken''s existence, only focusing on Juliette. The ethereal light she captured caused the illusion of extending beyond the canvas, casting a gentle glow around her.


    Every now and then, a soft sigh escaped from the crowd, resonating with the serene beauty unfolding before them. The grace in Juliette''s movements as she painted was like a quiet dance that was just as entrancing as the scene she was painting.


    ''That''s how a protagonist should be, they will all admire her work until they finally remember me ande to check my art,'' Ken thought to himself. He had not yed protagonist since his time at the branch of the Phoenix Feather Sect. One of the reasons he did that was because he wanted to win with a st like Henry and Tiara, but he did not have any techniques that affected the crowd''s mood in a positive way.


    As Juliette''s brush finally rested, the crowd erupted into a soft murmur. It was more than a painting; it was a glimpse into a realm where peace reigned supreme.


    With gentle bows, Juliette stepped back, allowing the audience to soak in the gentle allure of the scenery she created. Her chest was puffed in pride, believing there was no way anybody could prevail over her. The painting was one of her bests, on par with Master Li''s work.


    ''What about that teenager?'' She thought and searched around her but somehow could not find him.


    "Wait, what about Young Master Ken?" The hostess realized they were all ignoring one of the two most prominent figures on the stage, arguably the most important one. The crowd all gaped when they realized their mishap and searched until their eyes managed to focus on the young man smiling next to hispleted canvas.


    "Oh god, what is this?!" The hostess screamed when she saw Ken''s work.


    Upon a tranquil water surface, Ken depicted a loving couple in splendid red hanfu, their imagery emanating vibrance and grace. They seemed to dance upon the water, surrounded by blooming lotuses, a symbol of purity and harmony. The vivid red of their attire contrasted beautifully against the soft hues of the serene pond, bringing a delicate warmth to the scene.


    "When did Team Leader learn to paint like that?" ric asked with wide eyes.


    The couple''s movement across the water was captured with a grace that seemed almost ethereal. Their gazes locked in tender admiration, hands gently touching, expressing unspoken love. The blooming lotuses around them appeared to sway in tune to their dance, entuating the theme of union.


    "This softness, this love! The red hanfu! I think I will never be satisfied with my wedding night if I cannot have pure love and happiness like in this painting! Young Master, does this painting have a name?" The hostess shouted but was met with silence from the captivated crowd.


    "I shall name it ''Peak of Love and Peace''," Ken announced.


    In the drawing, the reflection on the water was a clever touch, adding a surreal feel to the divine scenery. The skillful representation of emotion, meticulous detailing of the lotus petals, and the gentle ripples in the water transported the audience into the peaceful, heartwarming moment that Ken envisioned.


    "Young Master Ken, now we feel ignorant as monkeys for thinking you were a beginner!" The pretty hostess said, making the crowd chuckle in embarrassment. Even Juliette was no exception, as her face turned red in shame. Looking at the painting she was so proud of earlier, she almost wanted to rip it to shreds.


    ''But¡­ why is theke in his art so simr to mine?'' she thought to herself as she found herself immersed in Ken''s painting together with the judges.


    Simr thoughts crossed the minds of almost all 19 artists, Master Li included, who participated in this round and the previous round.


    ''Hey, I think I can recognize my technique there,'' they all thought as the judges dered Ken the winner.

 Chapter 289 289 – A Sweet Note Of Music

    ?


    "Hey, Team Leader, did you hide your presence for the drama effect?" ric asked Ken as the group of five walked again toward another attraction. This time, George promised to show them a ce where the best minds of the city yed their music.


    "Tiara and Henry won with a bang, so I wanted to achieve the same," Ken smiled. Just like the other artists, he also donated his art piece for "the glory of the Serene Lotus Sect".


    "It was a great drawing," Tiara admitted, her words affirmed by a nod from Henry.


    "Mhm, thanks," Ken said before turning to their chaperon, "George, what kind of instruments are popr here?" Ken asked. He was curious about the instruments the Xianxia world had.


    "There are many instruments, also some from other cities. The local musicians prefer the guqin and the zither, but others bring with them drums, pianos, and more."


    "Pianos?" Ken asked in surprise. He did not expect to see those in a Chinese fantasy world.


    "You don''t know them? They are essentiallyrge boxes with keyboards. When you press the keys, they emit sound. They were imported from the Varuna empire on the Qiteria continent," George exined the instrument''s origins.


    "Hmm, sounds like the Qiteria continent''s culture is quite different from ours," ric remarked.


    "It is different, I heard they have different food, different music, and different martial arts."


    The group soon arrived at a stage where a beautiful woman in a yellow cheongsam sat with arge zither ced on a table in front of her.


    "This woman is Samira Nour, she is quite skilled as a musician, albeit our Lotus Bloom City has better ones to offer. I still find myself inviting her to y for me quite often, and sometimes she even likes to dance afterward, hehe," George added thestment with a rude chuckle.


    "She is indeed beautiful, I guess she promotes her music career with her looks. If it''s known she is favored by the young master of the city, she probably gets many other invitations to perform," ric saw through her reasons to sell herself to George.


    "I guess so. As long as we both win, why not?" The other man shrugged. He had nothing against helping ady out passively with his name in return for a good service.


    "She''s quite popr for a mediocre musician." Ken noticed a rtively big crowd gathering around the stage.


    "You will understand why soon. Although her music might not be the best, she knows how to attract men," George exined and Ken suddenly noticed the crowd was indeed mainly consisting of male listeners.


    The soft murmur of the crowd hushed as Samira delicately positioned her fingers on the strings of the zither. With a graceful slide of her hands, she began her musical tale.


    Her body swayed gently to the rhythm as she yed, her fingers dancing skillfully over the strings. The cheongsam she wore seemed to be an extension of herself, fitting snugly against her curves, entuating her grace and allure. The crowd watched, entranced not just by her beauty but by the sheer emotion she poured into her performance.


    "I see now, it''s indeed¡­ enticing," ric agreed before turning to Tiara, "Is there any technique involved?"


    "No, she''s just naturally alluring," Tiara rified. She knew her teammate thought that the woman was using some kind of Charm technique, but she was simply a beautiful mortal who knew how to tempt men.


    Samira''s eyes remained closed, yet her face seemed to transition through a spectrum of emotions, resonating with the narrative her music spun. The quiet interludes between her melodies spoke volumes, extending the lingering sentiment that her music stirred within the hearts of the audience.


    "She is one of the most expensive workers in the Red Love Brothel, you can also rent her for a night or two if you''re interested," George told ric.


    "Why are you saying that to me?" the other man furrowed his eyebrows, making George embarrassed before he realized, "Oh, never mind. Anyway, I''m not interested." ric looked around him swiftly as he realized hispanions were a woman, a child, and a monk. He was the only one who had the potential of renting a prostitute.


    "Of course, Young Master ric is honorable," George hurried to praise.


    The lingering final note echoed as Samira took a heavy breath, pushing her ample breasts forward. She slowly opened her eyes and nced modestly at her audience, a storm of apuse and cheers broke loose. She smiled at them, her white teeth contrasting with the cherry-red lips.


    With a bow that revealed a cleavage and a turn that gave a teasing sight of her other assets, she left the stage.


    "Seems like the male fans are leaving," Ken said. The men were indeed trying to follow the woman.


    "She doesn''t agree to anyone, and those she agrees to, normally can''t afford the price," George''s smug grin was wider, as if he had gained another point in some unseenpetition. Tiara, however, seemed unimpressed, her face cold as she turned her gaze away disinterestedly.


    "Charm is deceptive, and beauty does notst," Henry said as he also ignored the woman.


    The group suddenly noticed theck of ric''s response, and looking around them, they found out he was gone.


    *Ring*


    People were already getting away from the area when a strong sound of a string being pulled reverberated throughout the avenue. For some reason, despite being a single note, it was beautiful and captivating.


    Everyone momentarily turned their heads toward the stage, Samira included, finding a handsome man with a strong jaw wearing blue robes descending from the sky in pirouettes, a guqin was circling around him in tandem.


    *Pluck.*


    The moment ric''s fingers brushed against the strings of the guqin as hended gracefully on the stage, a sweet melodious harmony unfurled through the air, wrapping around every soul present. The crowd halted their steps, a collective breath held, as the music seemed to weave a silken drawing them closer to the heart of the tune.


    *Pluck. Pluck. Pluck.*


    With each note, ric''s fingers danced gracefully over the strings, eliciting a cascade of harmonies that intertwined with the cool night air. His eyes were closed in serene concentration, yet his soul was reaching out to every individual,municating through the tender strings of the guqin.


    "Hmm, I did not know he could y music," Tiaramented.


    "Oh, you''d be surprised," Ken answered with a smile.


    The audience found themselves bewitched into a collective trance, the world beyond the melody seemed to blur and fade. The avenue, once in the process of emptying itself, was now the center of activity again.


    ric''s face was calm, but his fingers moved with a fiery passion. Each chord struck resonated with the yearning, the joys and sorrows of life. His body swayed gently with the rhythm as if he was one with the music.


    "Wait, could it be that¡­?" Tiara asked in surprise.


    "In the pursuit of genuine sess, there is no room for deceit, for it taints the pure waters of achievement," Henrymented.


    "Didn''t you cheat in your contest too?" Ken asked, getting a shrug from the monk.


    The guqin cried,ughed, and sang under ric''s tender ministrations, its voice clear and resonant amidst the silent reverence of the crowd. It told tales of love and loss, of daydreams amidst moonlit nights, each note seemed to have a life of its own, echoing within the depths of every heart.


    As the final note resonated through the avenue, lingering sweetly before gently fading away, ric opened his eyes to a crowd standing in awe-struck silence. The crowd awakened from its charmed state slowly and an apuse began hesitantly, a single pair of hands pping, then another, and another, till a wave of apuse and cheers broke the silence that the melody had cast.


    ric bowed and vanished, leaving a trail of lightning in his path that disappeared almost instantly. Only fifth-stage cultivators or higher stood a chance of finding him among the thousands of people.


    "I thought I''d find you here, Sir. I remembered you were in this group during my performance. Would you like to visit my room tonight? I might¡­ perform just for you if you do," a sweet voice came from behind the group.


    Turning around, Ken and hispanions found Samira smiling at ric, her hips swaying from side to side as she walked.


    "Ahm¡­ Maybe-" ric started his words awkwardly as his eyes were busy and he started using different organs to think other than his brain.


    "No, we will go back to our sect soon," Ken cut him midsentence, causing the man to look at him with a betrayed gaze.


    "What, do you really want someone that he tasted first?" Ken answered his stare with a nod toward George.


    "I guess not," ric admitted.


    "Haha¡­ they are very good friends of mine, they always follow the code of honor between men," George exined their disdain toward him in a more ttering way to Samira.


    "I see, that''s a shame then. I will be taking my leave now, feel free toe over if you change your mind," Samira bowed, revealing her two mounds in the process as she stepped back.


    "She''d be a natural if she got Tiara''s inheritance. It''s wasted on a woman with such a foul personality," ric said rudely.


    "And then you''d be singing our secrets to a prostitute by the end of the night. With your self-control, you should be thankful it''s me with the inheritance," Tiara bit him back.


    "Enough bickering. We''ve had our fun at the festival, now it''s time to return to our training," Ken dered, earning nods of agreement from the rest of the group.


    "Young Master, there are still 6 more days to the festival. Why don''t you stay at my ce?" George offered.


    "Top disciples are at the top because they cultivate instead of indulging themselves in mortal celebrations. That''s why you''re stuck at the fourth stage."

 Chapter 290 290 – Cultivating Murderous Intent

    <h4>Chapter 290 Chapter 290 ¨C Cultivating Murderous Intent</h4>


    Ken''s group had already returned to the sect, leaving behind an instruction for George to appear in front of them within 2 weeks; the time when the airships would start the trip to thepetition.


    The Martial Arts Summit was held in the same ce every fifty years, ironically, in a valley north of the Peaceful Demon Sect.


    ''Intent, huh. I''ve been waiting to be at the fifth stage before trying to cultivate one, but now it''s time to stop dying it,'' Ken thought to himself as he produced a few marbles from his storage ring.


    The moment Ken released the marbles from his storage ring, a stifling, oppressive atmosphere engulfed the room. It was as if a heavy cloud of death hung in the air, every breath he took tasted of iron and dread. The shadows in the room seemed to deepen, almost writhing with a life of their own as the Murderous Intent stones emitted an eerie, dark glow.


    Those were the Murderous Intent stones he had received as a reward for clearing one of the challenges in the Bloodthirst Sect''s secret realm. They were created by the seven elders''bined effort.


    The training room was covered in Concealing formations whose purpose was to block the intent he knew would be emitted as soon as he brought the stones out of his storage ring.


    Sensing the intent crawling on his skin as if someone caressed him with icy fingers filled with malicious intentions, Ken took a deep breath and savored the sensation, trying to grasp the essence of murder. He remembered the elder''s example about how a man with Sword Intent could cut through solid objects with his hand without Qi.


    ''To be the embodiment of the sword, or now, to be the embodiment of bloodlust and murder,'' Ken thought to himself as he reyed in his mind the many times he had killed others.


    He sat without moving for hours, trying to find the meaning of murder and the intent one should have to perform one.


    ''To gain riches? To take what I desire? No, that''s robbing and stealing.''


    Ken thought of all the reasons he had killed so far. Sometimes it was to keep his secrets hidden, at other times because he needed money. There were instances where he did it because he had to in order to survive or to eliminatepetition. He had used murder as a tool to ckmail and threaten others. He even used murder to train himself and improve his techniques quickly.


    ''I didmit quite a lot of murder. It''s not out of any specific reason all the time, so what is the meaning of murder?'' Ken pondered.


    He could feel something on the tip of his mind as if just waiting for him to unveil it and discover the answer.


    He remembered the first time he had murdered someone. Ron, a young man from the branch of the Phoenix Feather Sect where Ken was born. Ron was just unlucky to stumble upon Ken''s training session while he was trying to understand a sword technique, a technique that was inevitably made for the purpose of killing.


    At the time, he did not feel any remorse about killing Ron, and he still did not feel any. It was a defining moment in his cultivation; the moment that led him to the decision to cultivate Bloodlust Qi. He recalled the moment he killed Ron on an impulse back then and knew he''d do it again if it helped him gain strength.


    Next, he had killed a group of other disciples to develop his killing intent and bloodlust to a point that''d leave an impression on his soul and body, enough to affect his core when he broke through and formed one.


    He had killed countless people since then. Including the ones he had killed only in his mind by reying scenes and running ''simtions'' based on his memories, the number surpassed a million humans.


    ''I did it all for one goal, to grow stronger, to stand at the peak, to be the best. Murder is a tool used to achieve standing at the top, intimidating others is meant to put others underneath you, killing is employed when I want to clear obstacles.''


    Ken felt a bottleneck turn loose as if it were removed, and a strong pressure resembling the one emanating from the stones came out of his body. If a mortal was there, they''d be terrified out of their senses, filled with the belief they''re going to die in the next few seconds. Older people might have had their hearts stop working from the fear, literally dying.


    He looked around him with new profound red light in his eyes, his gaze seemed to be that of a king upon his rivals when knowing all their little schemes and games. It was prating scrutiny that would make one feel like all their secrets wereid bare, like they were now standing in a trial where their life or death would be determined.


    "Murderous Intent."


    Ken said with a smile as he got up and stretched, satisfied by the results of his training session. In the end, hisprehensive abilities were his most useful strengths, allowing him to grasp within a day something that other cultivators needed years for, and even then, not all of them seeded.


    He was slowly containing his new power to avoid pulling attention when he left the room and interacted with others until he finally found a way topletely suppress it.


    ----------


    Two weeks passed quickly, and Ken used them mainly to adjust to his new Murderous intent. ric and Tiara did the same with their own inheritances, while Henry was working on improving his nascent soul with the goal of breaking through to the next sub-stage.


    "Shall we go?"


    There were five of them at the entrance to Ken''s house. He hired a babysitter for Emrys in his absence, paying the woman a handsome sum for the job. He still thought she was going to regret it when she found out she had to wrestle with the young wolf half of the day.


    ''I wonder if he is going to hump everything when he is older, or the extra intelligence would allow him to restrain himself,'' Ken thought.


    Ken and his fourpanions, George included, set out to the designed spot, soon arriving at thedders of the airships. However, nobody climbed up, but instead assembled on the ground and waited for a briefing.


    "Disciples, we will embark in 30 minutes. The rules of thepetition were set by amittee consisting of 20 members; an elder from each top 20 sect. They all had sworn not to reveal the content of the model of the Martial Arts Summit, so nobody prepared for it. As the leading sect of the continent, we expect you to excel above the others and bring glory to our sect," an elder whom Ken did not know levitated in the air and announced the news.


    "This time, we expect thepetition to be¡­ heated. We have some disagreements with many other sects, and they will aim to kill our young generation and maim our future. However, they are going to find out that as serene as our sect normally is, this lotus can also turn into a carnivorous nt when needed."


    Her words stirred the hearts of the disciples on the ground. The core disciples had already heard from their masters that thepetition would be fiercer than usual and hence, more dangerous. The inner disciples also knew; although they did not have personal guidance, they still had lessons that Ken and his friends never attended.


    "Our sect would not send its precious disciples to danger without proper reward. Inner disciples will receive a month of personal instruction from an elder of their choice for every enemy they kill, while core disciples will be eligible to choose out of many prizes including a ninth-rank weapon, Heaven-rank techniques, high Qi Stones, and more."


    The disciples'' eyes widened when they heard the enticing rewards, while Ken''s expression seemed to ponder about a certain idea.


    "Do not forget, every strike of your de carries the honor and the fury of our sect. We are not just participants in thispetition, we are the predators. Our adversaries should quake at the mention of our name, they should leave with a single thought ¨C to never target us again! The battle ahead is not only about defending our legacy, but expanding it. Spill their blood, crush their hopes, and show the entire realm the fearsome force of our Serene Lotus Sect! KILL WITHOUT MERCY"


    "KILL WITHOUT MERCY!"


    The elder''s words cut through the morning mist, igniting a fervor among the disciples that resonated through the valley. The sound of hundreds chanting "Kill Without Mercy!" echoed against the mountain ranges, sending a chill down the spines of those who heard it, knowing well the storm that was brewing.


    "KILL WITHOUT MERCY!" Ken heard George shouting with the crowd next to them.


    "You won''t be killing anyone," ric reminded the man, "Instead, do your best to stay behind us and not get yourself killed."


    George coughed and cleared his throat in embarrassment when he realized he got caught in the heat of the moment and forgot his real role there.


    "Good, now, go to register your names with your tokens at the reception before you get onboard. Top inner disciples and core disciples who do not participate can expect a penalty and having their status revoked."


    The elder gave onest announcement, adding ayer of threat to deter the disciples from thinking about deserting the battle.

 Chapter 291 291 – Trip to Valley of Rivalry

    <h4>Chapter 291 Chapter 291 ¨C Trip to Valley of Rivalry</h4>


    "Good. Top inner disciples and core disciples who do not participate can expect a penalty and having their status revoked."


    The elder gave onest announcement, adding ayer of threat against deserters. The words hung heavy in the air as the elder''s warning echoed through the courtyard. The disciples exchanged wary nces, the gravity of the situation was clear. The pressure to represent the sect was no light burden, and it carried consequences that none of them were willing to bear.


    "They take it quite seriously, seems like our sect is not into being coerced into anything," Ken remarked.


    "It''s better this way, I dislike being oppressed," Tiara added.


    The five approached the counter, waiting patiently a few minutes for their turn. Soon, they faced a handsome man who greeted them with a smile. Of course, they were all top disciples there, and the man had every reason to be polite.


    "Hello, are you here to register as a group of five?" He asked them.


    "Yes."


    "Please give me your discipleship tokens."


    They all handed out their tokens and he started registering their names ording to the information stored in the tokens.


    "Oh, what a great team. All top disciples are here," the receptionist said with admiration as he checked their tokens and saw their identities, "But¡­ are you sure about having him on your team?" He asked awkwardly while looking at George.


    "Do your job, you don''t have to worry about it," Ken ordered and took back his token.


    "Sorry," he apologized and finished the procedure without asking anything else.


    "I''ve registered you to the five versus five bracket for ages 30-39, is that all right?" He asked.


    "No, write me and Tiara to the one for 20-29 years old without any other teammates, and then register us to all thepetitions until the bracket for 60-69 years old," his answer made the receptionist widen his eyes in surprise.


    Ken did not fear any of the teams they might face in the tournament for two reasons. The first was that his team all broke through to the fifth stage and were capable of fighting much stronger enemies on equal ground, and the second was that he had the information from Vivienne for reference, and it said that only sect seeds could be at the sixth stage by the age of 69.


    "I don''t think that''s possible. What if I just register you two to the 2v2 bracket for the 20-29 group age, wouldn''t it be much safer as well?" The receptionist suggested.


    "No, we prefer more rewards," Ken refused.


    "I¡­ I can''t do it. Please let me call Elder Yuhua."


    The young man took out amunication token, "Elder Yuhua, there are some disciples who demand to be registered to many age groups and as a group of 2 to the 5v5 bracket, what should I do?" He talked to the token.


    He wasn''t briefed about what to do in such a situation since there was never somebody strong, brave, or stupid enough to attempt it before. Only sect seeds could go beyond their age group safely, but they got their own arrangements set by the elders, not by the receptionists.


    "Hmm, who is that daring? Let me have a look," Ken recognized the voice from the speech earlier, and indeed, the female elder arrived within a minute.


    Elder Yuhua''s entrance was every bit the spectacle, the atmosphere seemed to stiffen as she walked towards them as if she materialized from thin air due to her sheer speed. Her eyes were sharp, a contrast to her graceful steps, and her robe fluttered elegantly in the gentle breeze.


    "You are Ken Sue, right?" The elder recognized the teenager in front of her immediately. He was quite famous; all the trouble they were going through now was due to Ken, even if nobody med him.


    "Ken Sue greets Elder Yuhua," Ken cupped his fist and bowed, knowing when to show respect.


    "I assume those are your teammates. So, what is it about?" She asked and Ken repeated the same request he told the receptionist before.


    "I see," she said and waved her hand, exuding a domain that contained Ken and herself inside it, "What are you going to request as a reward for killing so many enemies, assuming you can do it without getting yourself killed?" Only the two of them could hear their conversation, giving them privacy from the people surrounding them.


    "100 Immortal Qi Stones for every kill of our team," Ken answered immediately.


    "Immortal Qi Stones? What do you have to do with something so dangerous before the Supremacy Phase?" Yuhua raised an eyebrow.


    "I need them to practice new approaches and theories I''vee up with in Alchemy and Formation Mastery. I try to achieve some new effects by scratching a few pieces into the concoction," Ken made up an excuse for his request. Since he already submitted some materials, it was not unbelievable.


    "Hmm, I can''t promise it as a Grand Elder since only ninth-stage cultivators use them. We do have a Supreme Elder with us for escort, I will ask her if she is willing to ept this deal," Yuhua shrugged and decided to pass the problem to someone else. She conveyed the message through amunication token and undid her domain.


    "Wait here, Supreme Elder La will take care of this," she told the young man at the counter and disappeared, leaving him dumbfounded at the scope that the problem grew into. Luckily, ric already moved the group to the side to allow the people behind them to register while they waited.


    They didn''t have to wait long, thanks to the speed at which elders could move. A tanned woman who looked in herte twenties appeared right in front of them and scrutinized them with her eyes.


    "Are you the ones who want to challenge many groups?" She asked, receiving a respectful bow from all five disciples.


    "Yes, Elder La," Ken affirmed, and soon found himself in another domain that kept their conversation secret.


    "You can have 10 Immortal Qi Stones for every kill in the fourth stage and 20 if your enemy is in the fifth stage. You can have a hundred of them if you kill sixth-stage cultivators," she listed the pricing for each disciple Ken might kill.


    "That doesn''t sound right, Elder La. The fourth-stage cultivators are not less talented but simply younger; there''s no reason to make their lives so cheap. How about setting it to 50 Qi Stones no matter who we kill?"


    "No, but I''m willing to raise the worth of a fourth-stage cultivator to 20 since you make sense, and the rest of your teammates are not going to receive any additional rewards."


    "It''s still too few, I think 40 per head is fair."


    "We already go to war for you, but I will make it 25. However, I''m limiting this with the condition that your team must kill at least 200 enemy disciples in every bracket to be eligible for this prize."


    "Deal."


    "Are you also fine with this decision? You have nothing to fear if you want to object to this arrangement," La moved her eyes from Ken and observed everyone else''s expressions.


    "This monk has no desires, Amitabha," Henry nodded, the blindfold making it harder to see through his already unexpressive face.


    "I''m fine with it."


    "No problem."


    "I don''t mind."


    George was the only one who seemed to somewhat mind it, but La knew that he was there only as a filler and his opinion did not count.


    With the team''s confirmation, Ken and La finished their haggling with an agreement they were both satisfied with. On Ken''s side, he knew that his bargaining power was rather weak as a fifth-stage cultivator in the strongest sect in the continent, and he was confident in his ability to clear the condition set.


    On La''s side, she was willing to give the Immortal Qi Stones if they promoted Alchemy research, and the condition of killing 200 enemies seemed absurd as Ken''s team would have to kill 40 groups for it. While it wouldn''t be many if he faced average cultivators, he was going to only fight with the top cultivators of every sect.


    "You and Tiara will be registered to the 2v2 bracket, it''d probably even allow you to kill more disciples if you have the abilities. To make the fights more exciting as thepetition goes, thepetition always begins with the youngest bracket and moves up from there, " La exined to Ken how things will work.


    "Thank you for the arrangement, Elder La," Ken cupped his fist and bowed. With that, their participation was settled directly by the elder and the five climbed onto the airship to start the ride to the Valley of Rivalry, a name the valley had gained after acting as a tform for manypetitions. Not many knew its original name anymore.


    "Hey, Tiara, how about you perform on the deck to increase everyone''s morale?" ric said with a teasing smile, imagining the cold woman working as an entertainer.


    "Why don''t you use your music to hypnotize them instead?" Tiara snorted in response. The two had such banters even more often since the festival, perhaps a signal that they got closer after seeing each other in a setting that was not rted to power.


    "Rest well until wend. Once thepetition begins, we are going to fight without much time to reinvigorate," Ken gave a warning as he sat at the side cross-legged and began to cultivate.


    "No rest for the wicked," George tried to chime in but only got ignored. Evidently, nobody in the team saw him as part of the group. "Ahm, so shouldn''t we get a more private ce?" He asked as he tried to break the awkward moment he felt from theck of response.


    "Do not look for sanctuary anywhere except for in yourself," Henry walked and sat next to Ken. Due to his silence, it was almost easy to forget he was there if not for his asional proverbs.


    The five passed the trip in silence. ric was the only person with the urge to speak, but unfortunately, none of the team members was a great conversation partner excluding George, and he didn''t even think to include him.


    "We are here!"


    --------


    Disimer ¨C from now on Henry will refer to himself in the third person. It''s my oversight that he referred to himself as "I" in the past, I will fix it. Eventually.

 Chapter 292 292 – The Seeds Graveyard

    <h4>Chapter 292 Chapter 292 ¨C The Seeds Graveyard</h4>


    "We are here!" George called, making the other four cease their meditation and get up. The trip took around 2 days without any events worth mentioning; they just flew the whole time and busied themselves with meditation and cultivation.


    Getting up from the floor, they walked to the airship''s railing and looked outside, seeing a valleyrge enough to contain millions. It was apparent that human hands reshaped it, making it more convenient for many spectators to find a ce to sit down.


    In the center of the valley was arge round tform,pletely void of humans. It was unnaturally divided into four equal terrains ¨C ake, empty stone ground, forest, and icy in. They were taking identical sections from the bottom of the valley, and their borders were sharp and obvious. At the center was the interesting converging point of all four areas, providing a weird glimpse into an area with all four attributes.


    The valley seemed like a living painting from above, everything was organized perfectly. The ice seemed like a white sheet, the ground of stone had no blemish on it, the forest hadpletely still trees, and theke was calm with no ripples. Ken and his group took a few minutes to soak in the beautiful view underneath them before looking around.


    The valley was surrounded by mountains and hills, and the group could already find humans upying many spots, scattered across them.


    "We arending now on the hill assigned to our sect. If you find anybody not from our sect on it or trying to enter, chase them out," Elder Yuhua gave her instructions as the ship started to lose height, "You can open a tent wherever you want," she added.


    Theynded on one of the best hills; among the four areas, it was on the opposite side of the forest, meaning they had a clear line of sight toward the other three ces without having the forest obstruct it. In Ken''s eyes, it was big enough to be considered a mountain in his previous world.


    "How can we know what exactly happens in there from this distance?" ric asked in curiosity. Even as a fifth-stage cultivator, he still could only see the stone part clearly, which was the closest one to them. As for the other three terrains, two of them he could see but knew that people would look more like silhouettes than people, while he could not tell what happens within the forest.


    "Junior, don''t you know? The whole valley is covered with formations, many of which are of the eighth and ninth ranks. The Infinite Wisdom Sect offers a few products that can help you follow the battle, some of them by helping you see better to longer distances while others are even more creative, and their prices are higher as well."


    An older disciple heard ric''s question and answered it.


    "Oh, have you participated in the previous Martial Arts Summit?" ric inquired.


    "Yes, I''m 81 years old now, so I participatedst time as well," the other man said proudly, "Anyway, the Infinite Wisdom Sect opens a market on their mountain every time, you should look into it. There are many gadgets you cannot find in our sect, although they are not as important for cultivation."


    "We will, thanks!" ric thanked him and turned to the rest of the team in worry, "We will, right?" He made sure.


    "We can, it might be interesting," Ken agreed. He also wanted to see the creativity of the sect known for its crafts, "Let''s find a ce to raise up our tents first."


    The five could notice a certain hierarchy; the older and stronger disciples took the spots nearer to the peak of the mountain while the others picked lower areas for themselves. As for the peak itself, it was reserved for the elders.


    "Let''s take a ce around the center," Ken said. He would not fight over a ce for pride, but he also wouldn''t lower himself or take a seat with a bad view. The center seemed like the bestpromise.


    "I don''t like being underneath people, let me settle it," Tiara dered and took off, making the rest of the team wait. Other than George, the other three knew she was going to employ her charm, and they were indeed curious to know the extent of its powers. After all, she''d need to affect peak sixth-stage cultivators.


    The enchantress went uphill in a confident step, ignoring all the disciples on her way to just below the peak, where the strongest rest. She kept a calm demeanor, fitting of one who had nothing to hide, and was ready to wear a yful smile when she reached her targets. Her mind raced with ns to use her charm subtly without leaving any bad impression.


    Tiara''s attire fluttered gently with the mountain breeze as she ascended the rocky terrain. Her confidence was more enchanting than her attire or the rhythmic sway of her hips. She was bringing out all her charm, and the people around her were affected.


    The disciples she passed on her way couldn''t help but be captivated by her aura, but her eyes were set on her goal, walking past the many other top disciples from all age groups without looking back. She reached the teau near the summit where a group of strong-looking cultivators had imed the area.


    The senior disciples looked down from their lofty setup, their faces bearing the hallmark arrogance of those standing at the top. They had the right to be arrogant; they were the strongest among the representatives of the strongest sect. However, even they had their eyes glued to the iing woman''s figure.


    Tiara approached them, her smile a blend of innocence and cunning. The leader of the group, a bulky cultivator with cold eyes, eyed her with suspicion. Yet, she maintained her smile and casually drifted closer.


    "Greetings, seniors. I''m Tiara, your junior," she said with a slight bow, her voice soothing and pleasant to the ears. "It seems you''ve found the perfect spot to view the uing tournament. It''s indeed a ce fitting for our best cultivators."


    The bulky cultivator seemed somewhat softened by her words, but still, the aloofness of getting the highest spot among his peers was evident. "What do you want?" he asked bluntly. His eyes lingered for a moment on the skin of her neck and below it.


    Tiara did not reveal much cleavage to keep her disciple uniforms respectful, but she was showing just enough skin to make one wish the cloth would cover one centimeter less.


    "Oh, nothing much," she said, now circling around their setup, her fingers gently tracing the air, each movement released Charm Qi that tickled the senses of the cultivators. "We were hoping to share this spot with you, just a small area for our tents. Mypanions and I promise to be of no disturbance."


    Her words wove through the air, infused with gentle coaxing techniques, trying to work around the firm resolve of the strong cultivators. She did not rush it or try to overwhelm them, but instead, she continued to reason with the disciples.


    "Leader, I don''t mind if you let her and her friends stay here," One manmented, clearly affected by Tiara''s technique.


    "Thank you. It''s a long-standing tradition in our sect to support your juniors and make friendships grow. It''d be my pleasure If you were my friends, don''t you feel the same?" Her words seemed to hang in the air, making the group of men gulp and consider agreeing.


    The cultivators exchanged uneasy nces, feeling the pull of her enchantments. They suspected that they were being affected by something, but the charm was soft, respectful, and the offer tempting.


    "I also think we should let her stay¡­" Another man said.


    The leader of the group, now less rigid, sighed, "We don''t usually do this, but you seem respectful enough. You can set up your tents on the west side of our area, but ensure your group doesn''t cross into our space," the bulky cultivator finally agreed, albeit reluctantly.


    Tiara bowed gracefully, "Thank you, seniors. We''re honored by your generosity. May we bring glory to our sect." Her bow almost made them strain their necks and eyes in an attempt to check out her mounds, but they didn''t get a single glimpse of the mysteries inside Tiara''s robes.


    She turned and descended the hill with a triumphant smile, leaving behind her five disappointed men. As she rejoined her group, they all were in awe of the effortless diplomacy she disyed.


    "Way to go, Tiara. I didn''t expect you to be able to convince them to give us some of their space," ric praised, this time giving an honestpliment.


    "It''s not that hard, it''s not like they were our enemies or had a bad opinion of me. To begin with, they were rtively friendly to me, and it made my job much easier," Tiara exined, before gesturing to the top of the mountain, "Shall we go?"


    "Let''s go," Ken agreed, and the five soon raised their tents in the space they were assigned to by their senior brothers.


    "Infinite Wisdom Sect''s open market starts selling items in 8 hours, what should we do in the meantime?" ric asked.


    "Rest and cultivate."


    ---------


    On another mountain a few kilometers away:


    "I know you don''t want to bother and set up your own tent, how about sleeping in mine?" A man with shiny red hair told a beautifuldy with tinum hair who looked around herzily, probably looking for someone she could dump the work on.


    "I suddenly really want to try my hand at setting tents," she answered sarcastically, "Leave me alone, Felix, you''ve been too clingytely. Didn''t I tell you that you can marry me if you capture Ken Sue alive?" Vivienne tried to get rid of the pest.


    "I would gift him to you on a tter of silver, but the cunning Serene Lotus Sect worked behind the scenes and saved him, making him even betray his family and sect. He is too shrewd and evil for a child," Felixined.


    "I don''t see how it is my problem if you fail to deliver your promises," she said with a shrug.


    "You better see it soon, or else, you might lose the support of the Ashford n, are you sure you can afford that during the Martial Arts Summit?" Felix sent a grabby hand, stroking her long, smooth hair as if she were already his, "You need our protection now more than ever, after all, you must be aware of the tournament''s one of many nicknames, The Seeds Graveyard."


    ''Ah, screw him.'' Vivienne never felt a stronger urge to run away from her sect and abandon its protection than at that moment.

 Chapter 293 293 – Infinite Wisdom Sect’s Market

    <h4>Chapter 293 Chapter 293 ¨C Infinite Wisdom Sect''s Market</h4>


    "What kind of gadgets do you think they are going to sell?" ric asked the group as they walked toward the fifth-highest mountain around the valley, belonging to the fifth strongest sect of the continent.


    "There will probably be goggles that you can put on your eyes, and it''d let you see long distances," Ken said, remembering the binocrs from Earth.


    "That makes sense, that senior also mentioned something like that. But what about the other stuff?"


    "We will see, what''s the point in guessing blindly?" Tiara interrupted the conversation. As for George, he gave up on talking and only said something when he had to, knowing the rest of the group looked down on him. As a group that Ken gathered, none of them was a good person.


    "Here it is."


    They could see the mountain base and the gate that was built on the path leading uphill. Four disciples stood guard, mainly for appearance''s sake. They invited over customers from all sects, so there was nobody to apprehend at the entrance. The troublemakers would be revealed only at the market itself.


    The improvised wooden gate was surprisingly fancy with the beautiful carves of coiling dragons, tigers, and other beasts, making most people stop to look at it for a moment before going inside.


    The market was a long path at the mountain base that circled around the whole thing, and on both sides of the path countless stalls were located, trying to fight for the customers'' attention. They walked through the gates with a polite nod to the guards and followed the road signs straight to the market area.


    The moment they stepped through the ornate gateway, an entirely different world unfolded before them. The scent of ink from newly inscribed talismans mingled with the pungent aroma of exotic herbs and the metallic tang of freshly forged steel. The cacophony of the bustling market echoed through the vast stretch of the mountain base, almost sounding like the center of a mortal city.


    A few steps further took them to a stall offering gadgets of curious design. A crowd had gathered around as the vendor demonstrated a mechanical contraption. With a turn of a crank, the device sprung to life, extending a series of mirrors that refracted light in a mesmerizing disy, outlining a formation in the air that rippled with a silent, unseen force.


    "What does this formation do?" Tiara asked in curiosity. She did like pretty things herself, but only when they also had functionality.


    "It calms the mind and is supposed to help with enlightenment," Ken recognized the formation that emitted by the mirrors. "It''s a fancy way to store a formation and indeed looks good, but in the end, a scroll would be much cheaper and simpler to produce," he gave his judgment.


    "I will take one," Tiara decided. She could spend some extra money on beauty as long as the product itself was as useful as its uglier counterpart.


    Ken''s attention, however, was caught by a stall that seemed to be dedicated to alchemical creations. The vendor, an old man with a long white beard that helped him look wiser, held the crowd in awe as he unveiled a tiny vial containing a swirling, iridescent liquid.


    "One drop of the Ethereal Elixir," he proimed, "and your senses will be heightened to perceive the truth of the world beyond the veil. Ideal for those who want to deal with formations by themselves or face a higher-ranked formation master!"


    "Probably a scam, elixirs are quite rare. I don''t think I''ve consumed more than one or two my whole life," ricmented, making Ken nod in agreement. He always designed his creations as pills and believed the condensation of the herbs into the round shapes kept more of their qualities intact through the process than mixing them with fluids.


    "I will buy one just in case, maybe it can give me new ideas," Ken said and pushed his way through the crowd and paid a few thousand medium Qi Stones for the elixir.


    George, on the other hand, was fascinated by a collection of mysterious sealed scrolls at a modestly adorned stall. The pretty female vendor exined, "These scrolls contain formations capable of altering the fabric of reality. A single whisper and the world bends to your will... for a fleeting moment."


    "How much is it?" George asked in excitement. He would only need a single moment to kill his enemies if reality itself bent to his whims!


    "It''s¡­" The seller scrutinized him, perhaps trying to estimate his worth, "only 1000 medium Qi Stones per scroll," she gave her final evaluation.


    "Fairy, how about this, I buy a couple of these scrolls, and we explore their mysteries together tonight? There''s more to learn about each other before the tournament demands my focus."," George said as he leaned closer, his eyes betraying his eagerness. He emphasized the part of the tournament, wanting to impress thedy and make her assume he was a top disciple.


    "Haha, Young Master, how can you ask someone like me out, I''m from apetitor sect and not even ranked there," the womanughed but contrary to her words, her tone was flirtatious and her bodynguage spoke volumes of her mutual interest.


    "How canpetition stand in the way of romance?" he asked with a wide smile as he noticed her reaction, "In love''s grand scheme, hurdles fade like a dream," his face turned serious as he gazed at the starry night.


    "Young Master, you are good with words. Unfortunately, I''m only a seller here and can''t give you the scrolls for free, but if you buy ten- no, twenty, and let me experience their effects, I might have a lot of free time tonight," she said coyly and yed with her hair.


    "Haha, of course!" George hurriedly pulled 20,000 medium Qi Stones, a sum he took nearly 4 years to umte, making Henry who happened to be around raise his eyebrows beneath his ck blindfold.


    "Three things cannot be hidden for a long time: the sun, the moon, and the truth. This poor monk thinks the truth wille to light before the sun is revealed," Henry patted George''s shoulder before moving on to another stall. George only spared him a single confused nce before returning his attention to his future date.


    Meanwhile, the rest of the group browsed the other goods that caught their eyes. ric, interested in music, was in front of arge stall with a variety of guqins, zithers, pianos, drums, flutes, and more.


    "There are so many instruments!" he said as he moved his fingers on the different tools and strings, making tapping sounds and asional rings.


    "Brother, what is the highest quality you have?" He eventually asked the vendor.


    "We have here instruments up to the sixth grade," the vendor said pridefully, looking for ric''s admiration. However, the reaction was slightly different than expected.


    "No seventh-grade guqins?" ric asked with a hint of disappointment.


    "I''m afraid not, seventh-grade items are usually custom-made, not mass-produced. Just a single tool would take over a month to create," the young seller exined.


    "I see, thanks for the exnation. I will buy this one then," ric said, somewhat in a letdown. He chose an ornate wooden guqin with beautiful strings made of silk that made clearer and smoother sounds than the others.


    "That''d be 198,000 medium Qi Stones or 180 high ones," the vendor said. ric simply took out the sum and paid it without hesitation, courtesy of Darma''s hard work to earn the group''s money.


    Henry, the poor monk with no earthly needs, also did not shy away from spending. He bought a painting of an eight-arms Buddha sitting cross-legged with an ethereal demon epassing him. He felt a strong pull to that drawing, and if Ken would check the monk''s luck, he''d find out it rose a little.


    The four, excluding George, assembled again after finishing their purchases and went together to the busiest section, the area where the binocrs and the other tools for watching the tournament were sold.


    "Indeed, there are goggles like you predicted, Team Leader," ric pointed at some.


    "I think this one is much more interesting," Tiara replied, crouching in front of arge bowl of water with colorful fluids inside, "How does it work?" she asked the busy vendor.


    "Everyone, we will run another disy of the goods!" The vendor shouted in response, answering everyone at once. He waved his arm and two beautiful women in qipaos climbed on a small stage behind the counter, smiling at the crowd that turned silent for the show.


    "First, we have the goggles! We''ve produced ss and inscribed it to enhance vision, allowing you to see a few kilometers in the distance!"


    The girls wore fancy golden goggles and made a spin, "Wow, I''m so d this guy decided to take a bath in the stream downhill right now!" one of the girls eximed, prompting a burst ofughter from the crowd who strained their eyes to see, yet could only make a vague silhouette.


    "Here, Lily, try these. Don''t you want to see the view more clearly?" The other girl said in a chuckle and offered her friends binocrs before exining, "These can offer you even better vision, up to twice more zoom-in than the goggles!"


    "You''re right! I can almost feel his abs under my hands with this thing! Hehe, let me aim the binocrs just a little bit lower¡­" she said with a mischievous tone, amusing the crowd.


    "That''s enough Lily, don''t vite the man''s privacy!" the other woman scolded her yfully, prompting a "boo" from the woman as she removed the item and the two left the stage with a light apuse and giggles from the crowd.


    "Next, we have the Divination Pool! While we call it that way, it doesn''t show you the future, only the bottom of the valley in real-time. It''s connected to the formations inscribed on the tform, and you can choose to see whatever you want!" He poured his Qi into the same bowl of water Tiara eyed earlier and the colors started to twirl inside it.


    Soon, an image of the serene pond was shown from a bird-view, "You only need to pour your Qi into the divination pool and it can feel your intentions and show you any scene you want within the tform!"


    The images changed and conveyed scenes of dangerous-looking fish inside the water, a forest with the animals roaming inside it quietly, the sight of the icy in as if someone flew above it, and more.


    "There''s only one catch, only those with an intent can use it or the item will fail to understand your desires! As for the rest, I''d suggest buying the other two products."


    "We will get it," Ken dered.


    The time before thepetition passed quickly, and soon, it was time for the tournament to start.

 Chapter 294 294 – Let the Battle Royale Begin!

    Chapter 294  294 ¨C Let the Battle Royale Begin!


    "Let''s go," Ken said and looked at his teammates behind him. Three of them were in perfect condition, while the fourth seemed somewhat haggard.


    "Team Leader," George started using the same way to refer to Ken as ric, "I help you guys out by being your fifth, right? Can you please reward me with some Qi Stones for this favor?" He asked nervously.


    "Did you get scammed by that woman?" Ken asked with a smile.


    "I wouldn''t say "scammed", I''m sure she was caught up in something and couldn''t make it. Please, Team Leader, my father will kill me if he finds out I wasted my umtions of four years for a girl!"


    "This monk had warned you," Henry sighed.


    "No, you just said something weird and left!" George''s face turned somewhat red in his embarrassment. He was a proud disciple of the strongest sect yet got scammed by a girl who took advantage of his lust, "I always seed with the girls when I reveal my status, I don''t know what happened this time," he mumbled.


    "Stop embarrassing yourself, she was from a rival sect. Here, take 10,000. As for the rest, take it as a lesson for the next time you start thinking from ces that aren''t your brain," Ken tossed the man some Qi Stones and walked away, his group behind him. That amount did not make a difference for Ken with his ie, so he didn''t mind paying George that much for his help.


    "Thank you, Team Leader!"


    With a sigh of relief, George followed the group from behind to the Martial Arts Summit. The journey to the base of the small mountain was brief, filled with quiet anticipation that seemed to grow with each step they took toward the tform.


    The five soon reached the base of the small mountain, seeing many people assembling all around the tform. Just when the group was wondering who was going to run the show, a loud voice came from the middle of the tform.


    "Wee to the Martial Arts Summit, I''m your man, Steve Howard!" A man''s voice reverberated throughout the whole avenue, reaching even the furthest peak in the area.


    "As par with our tradition, we willmence with the youngest bracket, meant for people between the ages of 20 to 29! Would you like to hear something exciting? I was just told thepetition''s rules for the first round! If you want to know them too, let me hear your apuse!"


    To the group''s surprise, around half of the mountains burst into apuse and cheers, making Ken and the others try to understand which sects upied those ces. Ken knew that every top disciple did their best to act aloof in public, it was unlike them to apud.


    "Hmph, thementator is lucky to have the guest spectators every tournament, or he''d be met with silence," Ken heard someone''s sneer nearby. From the conversations around him, he learned that the cheering crowd was not part of the delegation of any sect, but independent cultivators or unranked sect members who arrived by themselves.


    "What a great crowd we have this time around! For those who are new, let me exin. Every sect in the top twenty is allowed to send up to five hundred disciples for every bracket, making it up to ten thousand contenders only from the top sects! Additionally, every other sect on the continent can send up to a hundred disciples, and this year, we have fifteen of them, making it fifteen hundred additional fighters. How do we cull the numbers down quickly, you ask? BATTLE ROYALE!"


    With thest two words dragons made of water soared to the sky and started coiling around themselves, forming the words "BATTLE ROYALE" inrge letters above the center of the tform. Many had already taken out their goggles and binocrs, unwilling to miss any of the special effects the Infinite Wisdom Sect had arranged.


    "Let us wee the fighters into the ring, everybody! First, the fifteen unranked sects may climb onto the tform and enter the nearest area!"


    The crowd pped their hands again, and about 1,500 disciples jumped from various mountains onto the tform, some trying to impress the spectators with disys of different elements and weapons, while others chose to simply slide their way as gracefully as they could without any other techniques.


    "First among the sects, we have the twentieth-ranked sect, the mighty Jade Sky Sect!"


    Sculptures made of jade floated in the air, surrounded by fire, water, and light. The suspense among the crowd soared with the beating of drums, loud enough to shake the ground, as a few hundred disciples from the twentieth-highest mountain rushed down towards the valley.


    "Now, let''s wee the neenth-ranked sect, also known as the great Twilight Veil Sect!"


    Perhaps it was a disadvantage now, but cultivators had a lot of time given their long lives. Every sect took its time to make an entrance, prolonging the entrance ceremony for more than two hours. While it was interesting to watch at first, Ken found himself wishing for it to end.


    "And now, finally, we reached the top five sects, the most powerful forces in our realm, starting with my own sect! Known for the genius schrs it nurtures, known for the innovative ideas, and for being the richest in the world, greet the Infinite Wisdom Sect!"


    When he finally reached the top five sects, Steve took more time to present the iing sects, giving them the respect they deserved.


    "Finally, the only interesting sects," ric said with a hint of disdain toward the other sects. They watched in silence as the red-wearing cultivators activated all kinds of gadgets and scrolls, practically burning money for pretty lights and tricks.


    "Next, famous for being masters of weapons, namely the sword and the saber, The Divine Sword Sect! Who would dare challenge them in a disy of swordsmanship?!"


    His scream echoed through, nearly inciting a riot amongst the crowd. Disciples adorned in yellow and white leaped from the fourth-highest mountain, their weapons dancing in their hands as they showcased their beautiful martial arts.


    "Here, wear this for the next fight," Ken handed ric one of his masks, a golden one shaped like the head of a wolf, "With your new style, they won''t recognize it''s you."


    "Thank you," ric said, epting the mask with a nod. He had no desire to be identified by members of his former sect, especially now. The revtion that a core disciple from one of the top five sects had gone rogue, taking a treasured inheritance with him, could stir unnecessaryplications.


    "Do you want one as well?" Ken turned to Tiara.


    "No thanks, hiding my facepletely would affect my charm. I might use a veil, but the Phoenix Feather Sect is our enemy anyway, so it probably doesn''t matter much," she exined and refused.


    "Now, we have the shiest sect in our realm, the controllers of elements, The Four Seasons Sect!" Steve''s voice pulled Ken''s attention back to the valley.


    His words were proven by the dragons, phoenixes, tigers, and other beasts formed of every possible element that took shape and made a spectacr performance. On the ground, many disciples wearing ck and white robes descended to the valley.


    "Are you excited, people?! It''s one of the most enigmatic sects, a ce filled with monks and demons, cultivators whose arms and legs are weapons, and their bodies themselves are tougher than a shield, it''s the Peaceful Demon Sect!"


    A stream of orange mixed with white entered the tform with a loud humming sound that seemed to have a calming effect on the listeners, turning the agitated crowd silent.


    "Ah, I already feel like all the stress had left my body and dissipated into thin air! But I must not rest, as it''s my duty to finally introduce one of the most interesting sects, their cultivators are unrestrained and unpredictable, their powers are as diverse as humanity itself! The strongest sect of our continent, The Serene Lotus Sect!"


    He shouted loudly, hyping the crowd into screaming their cheers and boos. The calming effect of the monks seemed to disappear as if it never happened. Ken and Tiara entered the t area with the ground made of stone. They did not try to use any techniques, instead letting the other disciples perform their tricks. As for Henry, ric, and George, they had to remain behind until the next age group''s turn.


    Lotuses appeared in the sky, and supersonic booms apanied the creation of each lotus. The petals then separated into a storm of white-pink leaves that were scattered all over the tform in a beautiful scene.


    "Fighters, you are going to get a participant token. Once this token is destroyed, you will be teleported outside the formation and the battlefield. Once there are 1024 pairs remaining, the 2v2 bracket will begin!" Steve gave them the basic information they needed.


    Thousands of tokens the size of a palm descended from the sky, each assigned to one participant. Knowing what to do, they all smeared a drop of blood on the tokens and channeled their Qi to bind them.


    "Huh, it had been long since I wore one," Ken''s face distorted in an evil smile as he brought his white mask out of his ring, instantly feeling the urge to kill someone. He had not killed anyone in a long time, and the pressure from his Bloodlust cultivation was pent-up inside him. In fact, he felt like the urge only turned stronger ever since he broke through, perhaps because of the golden energy that filled his nascent soul.


    He had one more reason to smile - he saw that many of his fellow male disciples wore masks as well, a gesture of the Serene Lotus Sect to the enemy sects who ced a target on the back of the masked Devil''s Heir, serving two purposes - provoking their enemies and making identifying Ken a harder task.


    "LET THE BATTLE ROYALE BEGIN, MAY THE BEST CULTIVATORS SHINE!" Steve shouted and the water dragons that hovered in the sky all this time exploded, making droplets fly in all directions.

 Chapter 295 295 – Stepping into the Battle

    Chapter 295  295 ¨C Stepping into the Battle


    As soon as Steve finished his sentence, everyone was teleported to different ces across the valley randomly. Ken only had to nce around him to find out he was with three women wearing green, Tiara included.


    "Junior Brother, we can cooperate to have a numerical advantage," The two girls he did not know cupped their fists in front of him.


    "Sure, just stay near us and survive," Ken nodded. He did not mind helping his sect members stay alive, and it''d reflect negatively on his reputation if he abandoned them. From the decorative pins on their robes, he could tell they were ranked low among the top 500.


    "We will. Is there a n we need to follow?" One of them asked.


    "Actually, yes," Ken said. They spawned in the icy in, around them was nothing but ice. However, there were a fewrge icebergs scattered across the tform. Finding a corner he could use, he gestured for the three girls to follow and built formations.


    Weapons, scrolls, talismans, or any other tool of a rank above the participant''s stage were banned ording to the rules unless he made them on the spot. Theoretically, Ken could create sixth-rank formations if he wanted, but he did not n to reveal his abilities.


    The girls stood guard while Ken worked, creating a fewyers of formations in that corner. First was a Concealing Formation, second was a Suppressing Formation, and third was an Illusionary Formation that would make anyone who entered feel like ice was covering them, making them freeze and turning their movement heavy.


    "You two can enter the formations here," Ken showed them exactly where to stand so they wouldn''t be affected by the illusions and suppression in his absence; he could not control the formation from afar.


    "Other participants might be lured by the denser Qi in here due to the Qi Gathering Formation, you can easily kill them; their stage will be suppressed and they will be stuck in an illusion. If they are from our sect, just let them remain stuck in here until thepetition is over," Ken instructed the three.


    "What should we do about the cold?" One girl asked.


    "Nothing, just step inside."


    The girls hesitantly followed Ken''s directions. Once they reached the safe spots of the formation, a wave of heat washed them, a result of a Heating Formation Ken inscribed to keep the girls warm.


    "Shouldn''t we have asked for their names?" Tiara asked as the two of them walked away.


    "Do you care?"


    "No."


    ''Bloodlust Sense,'' Ken activated his technique and the information from his surroundings turned visible to his soul. At the Nascent Soul stage, his range had expanded multiple times, allowing him to cover a radius of nearly 10 kilometers around him. When he advances to theter sub-stages, it will only growrger.


    "There are four people at our four o''clock," Ken told his partner. All his teammates knew his way of saying directions already.


    "There are much more than that."


    "Right, but they''re your targets, I will take care of the rest."


    Their presence was not exactly a secret; six more pairs were teleported to the same area as them, and they all tried to hide right away and stalk nearby "prey", unable to discern Ken and Tiara''s true stage.


    They watched Ken building a formation swiftly and making the two girls vanish into thin air. It was easy for them to deduce the girls were hiding in a concealing formation. However, it meant that the two were still at the formation since they were invisible, and that among the remaining two, one was a formation master, meaning he should be rtively weaker in directbat.


    Overall, the two seemed like the best prey; and they did not work with other pairs. if one of them were killed or forced to teleport away, the other one would be disqualified,


    "Ready¡­ 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­ go," Ken started a countdown.


    ''One Step.''


    ''sh Unwind.''


    When he said "go", Ken dashed in a zigzag between the different teams he wanted to take down, utilizing his ability to use two techniques at the same time as a Nascent Soul cultivator, leaving behind him 8 enemies. Everything was so swift their heads rolled off their shoulders only after Ken made it back to his former ce.


    Tiara simply waved at the group she was assigned to kill, and her veil fluttered slightly in the chilly wind. The four, men and women alike, squinted their eyes and tilted their heads slightly in an attempt to see the beauty hiding under the veil, captivated by the woman. They only snapped back to their senses when a spike made of ice impaled them, sending Ice Qi into their bodies and covering their bodies with frost.


    "Your methods are too gory," Tiaramented when she saw the dead bodies on the floor letting out fountains of blood.


    "My art has a brief moment of allure; they looked almost alive at first, then the red streaks added some drama, but eventually, they just... broke.," Ken described his achievements.


    "Mine still look better than they originally did," Tiara shrugged and pointed at the group of four humans coated in ice. Meanwhile, spiky vines wrapped around the ice statues.


    "Stop this technique, I created it toplement one of my own techniques, but we don''t need it yet. Don''t reveal our secret cards," Ken said without being impressed in the slightest. After all, he was the one who created Tiara''s inheritance and he knew all her important techniques.


    Tiara stopped channeling her Qi and watched the vines turn into icy dust along with the enemies formerly held captive.


    "Are you sure we should''ve killed them all? I don''t think all 19 sects are our enemies," Tiara said.


    "Supreme Elder La did not restrict the deal to specific sects," Ken shrugged.


    The two plundered the storage rings of their fallen enemies and continued their way to locate more victims.


    "Let''s split up, we could cover more space this way," Ken said and the two separated. He was not worried about hispanion; if she could not ughter her peers after two years of his nurturing, she did not deserve to be on his team anyway.


    "Sure. I will remain in the icy in."


    Their line of sight was clear, and Ken could see theke around 15 kilometers away. The whole valley had a radius of 50 kilometers, and theynded rtively near the border with the marine quarter of the tform.


    Knowing that Tiara would have an easier time locating enemies and killing them swiftly in the current environment, Ken nodded and jogged to the next quarter. Besides, he himself had to take one of his Heating Pills to stop the cold from invading his body and weakening him.


    On his way, he could locate many other teams who tried to conceal their presence by different means, and he made sure to take a short detour to kill them for the promised prize. They were all at the Core Formation Stage, making them too weak to resist his attacks.


    Meanwhile, Tiara''s detecting abilities were even higher than Ken''s in the specific environment she was in. She seemed like a fairy walking on the ice, pulling all human beings whoid their eyes on her like moths to me.


    Losing theirmon sense, they approached her and got impaled one after the other, leaving frozen corpses behind.


    ''This ce reminds me of my training with Naomi, those sure aren''t sweet memories,'' Tiara thought to herself as she saw the almost endless ice around her. With her body attuned to Ice Qi, the cold did not bother her.


    Both teammates made sure to loot the bodies of their victims, collecting many rings. The difference between their powers and the other disciples was so big that most of their enemies found out they died only in theirst breath.


    Ken coated his legs with Qi and traveled on water, walking with bnce using light taps of his feet to run without falling into the water. Since water was much thicker than air, most cultivators had a sufficient Qi maniption ability to walk on water once they broke into the fourth stage.


    ''This ce is much more interesting,'' Ken thought to himself as a shark opened its maw right underneath him and leaped out of the water. The animals'' powers were restricted ording to the bracket fighting, and there were no sea monsters above the fourth rank.


    The masked teen jumped and kicked the shark''s teeth, sending it back to the sea. That was when he had a good idea in his mind, fueled by his fondness for letting others do the dirty work for him.


    He brought out the corpses of many fourth-rank and fifth-rank beasts kept in his storage ring for feeding Emrys and drained their blood with a few swings of his sword. Red stains formed on theke in his proximity, luring many sea beasts.


    ''Mind-Poisoning Domain ¨C Paralyze.''


    When there were a few dozen of them around him, he brought out his domain technique, making them freeze in fear. They could see illusions of themselves getting killed repeatedly by Ken, making them fear the small human.


    "Bring me corpses of humans, but they cannot have this sign on their shoulders," Ken pointed at the lotus emblem on his robes. He thought to tell them not to attack those wearing jade-green robes, but he didn''t want them to hunt down the core disciples of his sect.


    The beasts growled unwillingly at the task, refusing to be sent to fight like war ves. However, the young alchemist always knew that the best way to an animal''s heart was through its stomach.


    "For every corpse you fetch me, you can have one of these treats," Ken produced fourth-grade Blood Refinement pills, their aroma instantly awakening the animals'' instincts.

 Chapter 296 296 – End of the Battle Royale

    Chapter 296  296 ¨C End of the Battle Royale


    In the hours of the battle royale, Ken sat on the back of a dolphin he had paid to remain behind and serve as his seat, all while beasts came with the corpses of different disciples, creating a red trail in the water behind them. He did notice that many of them never returned, meaning they died, but he never even thought about caring.


    Perhaps his dolphin helped him spread the word about his business or maybe more sea beasts were drawn to the scent of the blood he had poured into theke around him, but he often found himself repeating the details of his offer to groups of sea beasts.


    -------


    On the mountains outside the tform:


    "You can do that?!" Many disciples gaped at Ken''s tactic. His enemies cussed him while his allies praised his wit. They did not know how he achieved the delicate bnce of fear and enticement to make mature beasts work for him.


    "That bastard!" One man shouted when a group of 10 sea beasts ambushed a group of his juniors and reaped them into shreds after a short fight. The beasts then turned to fight among themselves until only four of them remained, iming a corpse each.


    "Hispanion is also killing too many of our juniors!" Another woman remarked with gritted teeth as she watched spikes of ice im her fellow sect members'' lives.


    "Is it possible they''re both at the fifth stage? Sect Seeds are not supposed to participate in this bracket!" Someone else shouted in anger.


    "We would know if they were sect seeds, so they can''t be ones. Say, do you think this might be the Devil''s Heir? His height is slightly taller, but the red eyes match. Besides, he is still young and growing, so it makes sense if he got taller after a few months."


    Many angry voices were heard among neen of the top 20 sects, raging every time they saw beasts cooperate to hunt their cultivators in a frenzy.


    --------


    On a mountain''s summit where elders of unranked sects stayed:


    "Haha, how interesting!" A human with smooth pink hairughed at the sight.


    "We are losing disciples too, you know," a burly man with short hair replied grumpily, "He is strong enough to kill them himself, so why is he acting like a coward?" The man evidently was not pleased by Ken''s tactics.


    "That''s called using his brain. He is an alchemist; he has no reason to fight head-on like a brute."


    "If he did not have the strength to fight like a brute, these beasts would long consume him and steal his pills. If he can fight head-on like a man, he should just do that!" Harken insisted.


    "Rx, the righteous sects are taking more damage than us, and we don''t even care about how many of our disciples die," Sable shrugged. Even Harken did not care about the death of his sect''s disciples; he was only exasperated about the way Ken had got them killed.


    ---------


    On the highest peak around the valley:


    "Huh, this boy is indeed as troublesome as the rumors say. He is killing much more than I expected. Is he trying to drain all the Immortal Qi Stones from our sect?" Supreme Elder La said with a weird expression that seemed to be a hybrid of an amused smile and an annoyed frown.


    "Are you going to pay him?" Grand Elder Yuhua asked.


    "Of course, he earned it."


    ---------


    Ken was busy taking storage rings and throwing corpses back to the beasts as food when Steve''s voice resounded again. By now, he did not even have to bring out any meat to lure the sea beasts outside; theke had many red patches from dead humans and beasts all over it, making the animals much more active.


    "The battle royale is over, in ten seconds, you will be teleported out of the tform!"


    They gave the participants 10 seconds to loot their victims and even their breaths before bringing them back. Ken used this interval to pay his "subordinates" with the Bloodline Refining Pills and say goodbye to his dolphin.


    He was soon teleported outside to where he began, Tiara and the other two girls by his side.


    "How many did you kill?" Ken turned to Tiara, dismissing the thankful two girls with a nod.


    "A few hundred. You?"


    "Slightly over a thousand."


    "I don''t know if to call this thrilling, horrifying, or tragic, but today''spetition had the highest death ratio in the past millennium! Out of 10944 disciples who entered the tournament, 4013 were killed!" Steve announced.


    Normally only one person per pair would get killed if at all, since the partner would break their tokens to escape or survive until 10 seconds passed and they were automatically teleported outside, but this time, disciples were fighting to kill. The winners did their best to finish off the remaining disciples before they could escape.


    "You guys caused almost half of the casualties," ricmented when the two stood next to their group. Ken simply shrugged. After his bloodlust was satiated, he did not take pleasure in killing others. It was all done for resources, part of his journey to gain strength.


    "What about the girls I helped, did they manage to take anyone down?"


    "Yes, three pairs identally entered the formations you inscribed, and the girls finished off 5 of the enemies, and only one managed to escape using his token."


    "I''m surprised so many couldn''t activate their tokens on time and got killed," Ken remarked.


    "Oh, from here the reason was quite obvious. The Infinite Wisdom Sect tried to y dirty and set up the tokens in a way that they would take 7.5 seconds to teleport the fighters outside. They probably believed it''d cost the Serene Lotus Sect many lives, but they ended up causing trouble to everyone," ric exined what he witnessed from outside.


    "I see. So, what was the cost for our sect?" Ken inquired. He knew their scheme might have caused many losses on their side. The righteous sects always knew how to bend the rules with pretty words and excuses so they could appear righteous even when performing murder and other atrocities.


    "We did lose many. 193 of our fellow disciples were killed in battle, which is the highest number among the top five sects. However, the rest did not fall behind us by much, and the Peaceful Demon Sect which is neutral and does not have enemies is the only sect with less than a hundred deaths."


    Before Ken could ask more questions, Steve shouted again, pulling everyone''s attention back to hismentating.


    "With that, the first round of the 2v2 bracket for the youngest age group is concluded, and now for the results!" He paused for a moment to let some suspense build up, "From the Serene Lotus Sect¡­" A line was projected into the air with Light Qi, "77 pairs continued to the next round! From the Peaceful Demon Sect¡­" Another line appeared underneath the first, "22 pairs moved on to the next round! From the Four Seasons Sect¡­"


    The top five sects held 652 spots out of 1024, showcasing their superior strengthpared to the rest of the continent. However, everyone found it a surprisingly low number for the top five sects!


    "112 groups from unranked sects had survived this round, this is unprecedented! Are we witnessing the rise of new sects to the top 20?!" Steve shouted when the results were projected entirely. The crowd made a surprised "Oh!" sound, echoing Steve''s words.


    "Are you eager to hear the rules for the next round? Because I can''t wait to tell you about them! The next round will consist of two elimination battles in which every team will be assigned to a fight randomly. There will be no in-sect fighting in the next two rounds!"


    The crowd was just about to cheer when Steve continued his speech, prompting a collective groan of disappointment.


    "However, ourpetitors must be tired after a long day of fighting, hence, thepetition will continue in twelve hours! Don''t fret, during the break, we will project the greatest moments from the tournament to keep you entertained."


    Ken and his group left the mountain''s base and climbed to their tents near the summit, nning to spend the long break there.


    "I will cook something, I already drained the meat''s blood," Ken said and brought out one of the corpses he used to lure sea beasts. He used a cheaper cauldron in order to avoid showing his Golden Sun Cauldron in public, knowing it was good enough to arouse greed.


    "Hey, Team Leader, it''s you." George pointed at the sky where Ken''s image was shown dashing between four opponents. It was yed in slow motion, allowing the weaker cultivators to perceive Ken''s movements. The five bit into the juicy steaks as they watched Ken''s sword swing and im the lives of the opponents.


    There were a few other interesting battles other than Ken''s and Tiara''s; there were beautiful genderless people who seemed to charm their enemies, one of them especially stood out with their purple hair and soft facial features. Their enemies barely fought back while they ughtered them.


    Another pair of Darkness Qi cultivators from the Four Seasons Sect was shown often in the air, the special tool allowed the spectators to see through their disguise and understand their movements as they slit the throat of a Serene Lotus Sect''s disciple by surprise.


    Another man caught their eyes, a Sound Qi cultivator from the Serene Lotus Sect who used a flute to trap his enemies in illusions.


    Overall, many interesting scenes could be seen in the air, granting the audience one more chance to watch the best moments of the tournament if they were busy looking somewhere else while they happened.


    "It''s time for the next round, let us ept the participants with apuse!"

 Chapter 297 297 – Round Two 1/2

    Chapter 297  297 ¨C Round Two 1/2


    ric, eyeing a fellow disciple''s prowess on the projection, turned to Ken. "Not interested in these fights?"


    Ken, ncing at the scene, shrugged. "The ones I seek aren''t among the disyed."


    "What do you mean? All impressive fits are disyed, nobody in that age group can hide from those high-ranked formations," ric said, surprised.


    "I''m not interested in impressive fits."


    Before ric could satiate his curiosity regarding Ken''s words, Steve shouted again, marking that the short break was over.


    "It''s time for the next round. Participants, please be on the tform within 10 minutes. Let''s ept them with apuse!"


    Ken and Tiara took a final bite of their meat, then rose gracefully, using a water technique to clean their hands and faces. Some useful tricks that could help with daily necessities were practiced by every cultivator, even by mortals who cultivated to the first or second stages for better health.


    The two glided from the mountain to the tform. Their masked and veiled faces were momentarily projected in the sky, exciting the crowd. Most of the crowd was there for entertainment and did not care about the war that took ce within it covertly. If anything, it only made the fights more thrilling.


    "It''s the Deadly Couple, responsible for over 40% of the death toll from the first round!" Thementator screamed when Ken and Tiara''s figures were shown, attaching them with a new nickname.


    "Seems like we are a couple now," Tiara remarked when they heard the man''s words.


    "Lucky you, I''m a very romantic man," Ken said as he adjusted the mask on his face.


    "In 10 seconds, two teams will be teleported to each of the tform''s quarters. Aim your sight tools at the best fight or you might miss the real fun!" Steve announced, and the crowd started counting down in a united voice.


    "Ten¡­ Nine¡­ Two¡­ One¡­"


    Ken and Tiara stood confidently, somewhat expecting to be teleported. However, sixteen lights shed and different pairs were chosen for the first round. All four battles could be watched in the sky for those who couldn''t see the battle clearly.


    "They picked some interesting fights for the opener, although not the best," Kenmented as he watched a weird couple from an unranked sect facing two men from the Dragon Scale Sect, the eleventh strongest sect of the continent.


    "I don''t know what kind of Charm technique this¡­ human, is practicing, but I believe it''s inferior to the one I originally used," Tiara said while they looked at a genderless cultivator walk toward their opponents.


    Their partner also seemed to have something that was rted to the mind or illusions; the man channeled a technique by doing a few seals with his hands.


    However, their enemies were not among the top disciples of a ranked sect for nothing. One of them stomped the ground, generating a mini earthquake around him that made the charmer stumble, ruining their grace.


    "Here are the heavy blows the Dragon Scale Sect is famous for!" Steve shouted as the crowd watched the other man bring out arge hammer and try to destroy his enemy''s skull.


    "Again, their enemies are trapped in illusions, can they get out of it?!"


    The hammer user seemed to bepletely off-mark, hitting the ground ten meters away from the real location of his target. Long spikes made of iron burst out of the stone ground, trying to impale an imaginary opponent. The man who performed the hand seals took out a knife and threw it at his opponent''s back while disengaging.


    "BOO!" The crowd reacted, finding the illusionist''s fighting style boring. However, the man just made a rude gesture with his hand before throwing another knife.


    The hammer user could sense the danger iing, and his skin turned metallic as he blocked knives with his bare arm. He missed them due to the illusion, taking a few cuts.


    "I wonder what he sees in his mind right now, can you guys guess?" Steve shouted when the genderless fighter also jumped away to avoid the quakes that ruined their charm and closed on the hammer user.


    The other fighter from the Dragon Scale Sect seemed to be under an illusion as well; he took out a heavy greatsword and swung it down, cleaving the ground for some reason.


    "Their charm wouldn''t hold in a battle, the enemy would break out of it as soon as they sense a hint of danger," Tiara snorted in dissatisfaction as she recognized the technique''s weak spot.


    "It still can work well in a group battle," Ken answered.


    Indeed, the two untraditional cultivators managed to iste the greatsword user while ganging up on the other enemy who wasn''t at his best either. The charmer fought with a sword, their swordsmanship seemed to be a graceful dance.


    "It''s indeed inferior," Ken agreed. When Tiara did it, the whole crowd would be eager to watch more. But this cultivator''s fighting style was just¡­ nice. Comparing the two was likeparing the show of a top performer to that of an average one.


    Nheless, it was enough to deal with their enemies. The hammer user kept umting wounds from the sword strikes and the throwing knives, and never received any help despite his continuous shouts for it.


    "It seems like the fight''s oue is determined!" Steve called. The hammer user was lying on the ground, exhausted from bleeding and umted damage. Just when they expected the duo to gang up on the remaining participant who was still busy slicing the ground, the charmer showed an ugly smile and plunged their sword into the defeated man''s chest.


    "He killed him! How merciless, how cruel! Why did he do that?!"


    A murmur rippled through the audience. Initially, there were gasps and murmurs of shock. But gradually, as the adrenaline of the moment took over, these murmurs evolved into raucous cheers, the crowd''s bloodlust overriding their initial horror.


    The death of ranked disciples of the top sects was not something that happened often. There was something exciting about watching the demise of geniuses.


    "The Dragon Scale is not interested in losing another disciple, they surrender this match, pulling their remaining disciple out!" The crowd was about to cheer, but Steve''s continued speech drew a collective groan of disappointment.


    "What are you watching?" Tiara asked when she noticed Ken stopped watching the most highlighted fight of the round long ago.


    "This fight was supposed to be one-sided, and it is, but the other way around," Ken said, wearing a curious expression. The fight took ce in the ocean, and two disciples from the Jade Sky Sect were facing a pair from a top-five sect, the Peaceful Demon Sect.


    At first, the Jade Sky''s practitioners could only defend and get roughed up, but soon beasts were lured to their opponents, forcing them into a fight of 5v1. Interestingly enough, the beasts never aimed at the other two, only attacking the monk and the demon.


    "What is going on in theke section? Do we have another cultivator capable of manipting the sea beasts?" Steve wondered, "No, I just got word that their opponents'' attacks disturbed the undercurrent habitat of the beasts, inciting this assault! How unlucky!"


    The fight yed out, the weaker cultivators cooperating with the enraged beasts to take down their enemies. Two sharks were already dead, and the third was grievously injured itself. However, the same could be said about the pressured opponents. Their fight ended just slightly after the untraditional one, getting the attention it might have deserved toote.


    "Let''s rewatch some parts of this battle, I can''t believe I missed it!"


    In the rey, it was obvious that the Jade Sky Sect''s disciples were inferior, yet luck seemed to favor them. The two other battles also ended one-sidedly, and Ken and Tiara continued to watch the battles transpire, waiting for their turn.


    "All of you were waiting for them, and here they are! The Deadly Couple, with a perfect score of 100% kills upon confrontation,st but not least! Is it a question of how long their opponents can survive, or is it about who is going to win?!"


    Ken and Tiara remained silent as they stood on the calm water of theke, looking at their enemies. Ken did not know if it was intentional, but their enemies were from the Phoenix Feather Sect, two members of elite ns.


    "You can have them."


    Tiara nodded and walked toward the two. They were two girls withpletely straight tendencies, yet they were still entranced by the sight of Tiara''s swaying walking posture. One would often find it hard to find the correct ce to focus on. Some chose the hips while others preferred the legs or the long blonde hair.


    "Is it going to end quickly without any battle? Are they too weak to fight back?!"


    Tiara was still an enchantress, and she did not want to betray the crowd''s expectations for a battle. She lowered her charm enough to allow the girls to fight back and brought out her saber, beginning her assault.


    Every strike sent the two girls stumbling backward regardless of which movement or attacking technique they tried to deploy. Their bodies were covered with sweat, their hands were shaking from the heavy blows, and their faces were slowly distorting in desperation.


    When Tiara saw the first sign of desperation, she knew what would follow ¨C surrendering. She also knew that her job was to kill them; Ken cared much more about practical rewards than a happy audience. She raised her eyes and offered a sweet smile to the female cultivators, making them freeze momentarily.


    *BOOM!*

 Chapter 298 298 – Round Two 2/2

    Chapter 298  298 ¨C Round Two 2/2


    *BOOM!*


    "What is going on?!" Steve shouted at the sudden explosioning from the sky above them, "Wait, the twobatants are dead!" He finally noticed when he shifted his focus back to the arena.


    "Serene Lotus Sect! Elders have the right to save their disciples!" An old man shouted in anger as he leaped to the sky, his clothes seemed disheveled.


    "I judged your attack as dangerous to my sect''s disciple, so I had to prevent it. I''m sorry it caused the death of your disciples, it''s a shame they were too weak to surrender on time," Supreme Elder La replied in a monotonous voice as if she wasn''t even trying to show sincerity.


    "YOU!" The man''s face distorted in anger at the tant disrespect, yet he could do nothing against a superior cultivator. He just nced at the ground for a moment before gesturing to his subordinates to collect the bodies.


    "What did we just witness? The Phoenix Feather Sect tried to save their disciples, yet the Serene Lotus Sect judged their actions as too aggressive and attacked back, resulting in the two cultivators'' deaths!" Steve exined to whomever couldn''t follow the chain of events. He was mindful and polite, knowing he couldn''t shame the other ninth-stage cultivator and tell the crowd how the elder was mmed into the ground by La.


    Everyone stared in silence at the two girls lying on the ground, their bodies impaled on ice spikes generated by Tiara''s Qi and surrounded by a pool of their own blood. The formation identified the spikes as part of their belongings or attire and teleported them along with the bodies.


    None of the spectators had a death wish, and they understood they could not cheer for the good show Tiara had put for them if they treasured their lives. They were all independent, they couldn''t count on a ninth-stage cultivator to protect them like the participants.


    "Next time don''t take too much time, I don''t want to intervene because you want to amuse an audience," La''s voice reached Ken and Tiara''s ears who nodded to the empty air in response, unsure whether she saw them or not.


    The two were already teleported out of the arena, now on the outskirts of the tform waiting for the next half of round two.


    "And also, don''t kill the disciples of the Peaceful Demon Sect or the unranked sects, they didn''t show any aggression toward us," La spoke again, reminding them not to make new enemies for the sect needlessly.


    The second round was lethal, but most fighters who made it to this round were strong enough to hold their ground and surrender before they could get killed, with a few exceptions.


    Illusionists were the most prone to killing their enemies, thanks to the rtively weaker minds of people their age which made it difficult for their enemies to break out of it. This advantage would not follow them to adulthood; at some point, cultivators learned to deal with illusions in one way or another.


    "What an ident! A team from the Thunderp Peak Sect won thest round with one casualty, so the other disciple had to withdraw, leaving us with only 255 teams for the next half!" Steve called.


    Ken and Tiara waited for their turn again for a while, their expressionspletely nonchnt to the kills they witnessed andmitted themselves. The matching followed the same order as before, and they had to wait until the end again.


    ''It''s them,'' Ken noticed the pair from the Jade Sky Sect getting a free win on behalf of the team that withdrew. It was the same team that won by working with the sharks to resist their opponents in the previous half.


    The tournament continued, sending eight groups to battle every round. Whenever one battle ended, the nextbatants would be teleported to take their ces. 124 battles ended within 5 hours, and it was finally Ken and Tiara''s turn.


    "It''s the most ruthless couple in our tournament, perhaps the strongest disciples of the strongest sect, THE DEADLY COUPLE!" Thementator shouted, and Ken and Tiara were projected in the sky again.


    "Their fight might be much harder this time, they are facing enemies from the top 5 sects! A pair with many self-made talismans and gadgets, geniuses of the Infinite Wisdom Sect! FIGHT!"


    They were teleported to face their opponents. Tiara turned to Ken to ask if she should be the one to kill their opponents again, only to find the spot next to her empty. Bringing her gaze back to their opponents, she saw Ken stand behind them, sheathing back his sword.


    A stunned silence gripped the audience. Even Steve, always ready with ament, took a moment to find his voice, "What just happened? I had expected a drawn-out battle, I feel like an idiot!"


    The crowd did not even understand what happened before the formation already teleported everyone out. They only got to see the aftermath; two corpses having their heads roll off their shoulders from the impact of the teleportation. Those closer might even see two torn fourth-rank protective talismans next to them.


    "I didn''t feel like waiting for you again," Ken said indifferently to Tiara while the two left the outskirts of the tform to reunite with theirpanions. He had long grown custom to killing, and he was not bothered by it in the slightest.


    "I don''t mind. However, disappointing the crowd with theck of beauty is on you," Tiara shrugged.


    "How do you know they didn''t like it my way?" Ken pointed at them.


    The audience was silent as if they did not know whether to be impressed, entertained, or resentful of theck of action. Instead of reveling in their quiet, Steve moved on elegantly.


    "This win was too swift! With it, we conclude the second round after nearly 15 hours with 128 teams remaining. Let me summarize the second round. 384 teams were disqualified from which 91 cultivators were killed. Not as lethal as the previous round, but still more bloody than any other year!"


    There were many other gory sights; some lost their limbs or had other crippling internal injuries. Some even had their core crippled. However, the top 20 sects were rich, and all of them could afford to heal their young geniuses from such injuries.


    "And now, you called it, a break for the fighters before we announce the next round''s format! Please take your time to watch the battles you have missed!"


    It was midnight, and the projections in the sky shined clearly, offering the audience the best experience. Ken and his group were on their way back to their tents near the summit, receiving friendly treatment from their fellow disciples.


    "Good job, Junior Brother, Junior Sister."


    "I''m not even angry anymore that your tent is above mine. But I won''t admit defeat; I''m going to kill at least a thousand!"


    "Haha, I will make them regret targeting our sect, I''m taking down two thousand."


    Ken and Tiaraughed with the other disciples and greeted them back, encouraging them toward their fights. "You can have a fifth-rank pill for every enemy you y, as long as your kill count is over 500," Ken smiled back at them.


    "That''s your promise, I hope you won''t go back on your word, Junior Brother," they answered gleefully.


    Both sides knew it was an empty promise; no matter how superior his sect was, they weren''t strong enough to kill 500 of their peers. The main reason Ken and Tiara could achieve it was thebination of Ken''s self-invented manuals and their cultivation stage being much higher than their enemies.


    "It''s quite boring, I want to fight too, I can''t wait to show the results of my inheritance," ricmented as the five, George included, sat down in their small camp, savoring Ken''s cooking again.


    "Don''t rush anything. When the time is right, it will happen," Henry somewhat scolded hispanion. "I feel the power of fate among the crowd, you should look into it," the blind monk added.


    "What fate is there? Friendship can break any fate," ric retorted.


    "We are masters of our future, and Heavens help those who help themselves," Tiara pursed her lips slightly, against the idea of fate. She also disagreed with ric, but their opinions aligned, so she did not delve into it.


    "No, Henry is right. I also think I found the same thing, although I might need more confirmation. Hopefully, it will bring us some good results. Don''t worry, fate is quite a technical thing, and I happen to know how to use it in my favor," Ken calmed down both sides.


    They watched some of the fights, got some sleep, and eventually got up in time for the next round. The Deadly Couple descended the mountain and returned to the tform, waiting for Steve to announce the arrangements for the third round.


    "Good morning, everyone, it''s Steve Howard again! Have you been itching to watch the third round? I''ve been rolling in my bed the whole night from excitement like a teen girl in love!"


    Steve''sment drew someughter from the still drowsy crowd.


    ----------


    A/N - read Author''s Thoughts.

 Chapter 299 299 – Lioz 1/2

    Chapter 299  299 ¨C Lioz 1/2


    "The third round is here! Now, for the rules. There are 25 sects participating and 128batants in the game, and this time, they each gain a specific rank!"


    Steve let his words sink into the crowd''s minds before continuing. So far, those disqualified only got the ranks "top 512" and "top 256", but without a specific number.


    "Each team starts with points based on their performance in the first round. For every team you forced out of thepetition, in any manner, you gain one point."


    Ken and Tiara exchanged gazes, knowing they were going to take first ce even if they did not challenge anyone. The rules for all rounds were set before the tournament began, and the judges did not expect a team with their score.


    "You can challenge anybody who is ranked higher than you ¨C if you win, you can have 25% of their points. If you lose, they get half of your points. There is no limit to your challenges, but you can''t challenge the same team twice unless you win the first challenge, and of course, they still need to be ranked above you. If you lost, you can''t challenge a team ranked higher than them."


    Ken raised his eyebrows in disappointment, knowing that he could only be challenged but never go after others. The elders of the various sects could discern his real rank easily, and he was certain that nobody was going to challenge a fifth-stage disciple.


    "The challenged pair gets to choose the quarter in which the fight will take ce, and if two people want to challenge the same person, the one with the higher points gets priority! Count to zero with me, everyone! 10¡­ 9¡­ 8¡­"


    The crowd cooperated, their voices echoed from the mountains and hills around the valley.


    "3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­"


    When the countdown ended, shes of light appeared and took all the participants to the center of the tform, and 128 pirs rose from the ground, each having a number on it. Ken and Tiara were teleported to the one marked with the number "1" and underneath the rank, another number appeared ¨C "1092".


    Ken''s kill upon engagement was considered perfect because he killed everyone he met, but the same couldn''t be said about the sharks he employed. Hence, they had more points than half of their kill count.


    The two of them sat down, knowing they were going to have a peacefulst round. Indeed, the challenges began, yet nobody dared target them. Thepetition seemed to be a race for second ce with nobody interested ining in first.


    Ken searched for the pair from the Jade Sky Sect, finding them on the 128th pir, having only three points.


    --------


    Lioz and Clint were top inner disciples from the Jade Sky Sect, and the former only rose to that ranktely. Lioz, a son ofmoners, lost his mother at birth, and his father supported him alone.


    Fifteen years ago, when Lioz was a teenager, he stumbled upon the corpse of a cultivator while crossing a forest by his home on his way back from the nearest city. He was shocked at first, even terrified. The man had a gaping hole in his chest and a pool of blood was formed beneath him. For a viger, this sight was not something he often came by.


    Despite being dead, the cultivator still emanated a sense of danger, making the young boy feel as if he stood by the corpse of an apex predator. For a mortal like himself, cultivators were perceived almost as gods.


    After the initial shock, he remembered the stories he knew about cultivators. He knew they even had stones, Qi stones, and those were worth thousands ofmoners'' gold coins.


    ''If I can get one of those, my father and I will have enough food for a decade!'' Lioz thought to himself, hoping the man''s belongings were not ransacked by the time he got there. He quickly patted down the body, trying to find different treasures.


    He saw the man''s sword still in his grip, but the blood that covered it deterred him from taking it. Soon enough, he realized that the man had nothing on him, making him sigh in disappointment.


    ''I guess the killer looted his victim,'' Lioz mused bitterly, ''Should I take the sword and sell it? It might fetch a good price, but swords can be identified, and I don''t want to be entangled in cultivators'' problems. If they see it and trace it back to me, it might spell trouble for Dad and me.''


    He looked at the man''s sword with greed again, and this time, he noticed something he didn''t earlier due to his disgust and avoidance. On the man''s finger was a in golden ring with a few signs carved on it.


    ''I remember the stories, cultivators have rings that can store a whole house inside them! This might be one of those rings, otherwise, why would a mighty cultivator wear such a simple ring?'' Lioz gathered his courage and acted on his deduction.


    The teenager kicked the sword off the dead man''s hand and slipped the ring off his finger. Unwilling to stay behind for any longer, Lioz ced the ring in a pocket in his robes and quickly ran away.


    He''d never know that a stern man with hawk-shaped nose came soon after and found the corpse, getting angrier when finding out the body was looted.


    The next days were of happiness mixed with anxiety at his house. On one hand, they had the mysterious ring which they did not know how much wealth it contained, but on the other hand, they could not open the ring themselves since none of them was at the second stage and capable of channeling Qi.


    "Listen, Lioz. I asked around the town and I found out there''s someone in the city who provides such a service. They open those storage rings for mortals who found them by ident in exchange for a third of the spoils and the ring itself."


    "Third? That''s a lot! Who knows how much wealth there''s inside it, and the ring itself must be a priceless treasure!" Lioz wanted to shout in protest but kept his voice down, knowing that his father did not want their townsfolks to know about the ordeal.


    "It''s something we cannot do without this man. You know I can''t travel long distances due to my injuries, and I also have to stay here and take care of the rice. How about you go there? Don''t be greedy, any wealth we can get is more than enough for us. Remember, don''t be rude to this man, he must be in the second stage himself."


    "Fine, I will do it. But I won''t let him take more than a third," Lioz agreed reluctantly, understanding that he could only be ripped off in this setting.


    Lioz''s father gave him advice and a few instructions, and the young boy took off the next morning. He used to be the one going to the city, and he usually did it four times a year to buy necessities for their house and their rice field that were not sold in their town.


    "Hey Lioz, why are you going out of town?" the guards at the gate asked in curiosity, remembering seeing him return from there only a few days ago. It was a small town, and it was easy to remember all the faces and names of the residents.


    "Ha ha¡­ I''m so forgetful. I forgot to purchase one of the tools my father asked for, and I must return now to buy it or else we won''t be able to plow thend," Lioz told the lie his father made up for him in advance.


    "I see. Next time, make a list before heading out. The journey to the city is long and exhausting," the guard somewhat scolded him and offered free advice.


    "My father said the same, that''s what I did this time!"


    With that, Lioz was out of the town. It was a fourteen-hour trip, and he made it to the city during sunset.


    "Hurry up, we are going to close the gate!"


    The guards shouted, hurrying the people at the entrance to move without causing trouble.


    ''Phew, I made it in time,'' Lioz muttered when his turn arrived and he was let into the city. He always departed at sunrise. The time taken for his city trip almost matched the time until the gates closed, ensuring he couldn''t dawdle on his journey.


    ''I will go and rent a room in a cheap inn first,'' Lioz thought. His feet and legs hurt from the continuous walking through the forest. Thanks to their town''s location far from the center of the continent, there were barely any dangerous animals and he could travel rtively safely by taking the main road used by all townsfolk when they wanted to go to the city.


    He paid for the room with an allowance he got from his father for the trip. They opened their savings especially for that, hoping that this investment would yield much more in return.


    The next morning, he left the dirty inn he stayed in and asked around the city. He did it carefully, starting with general enthusiastic questions about cultivation before switching to talk about cultivators who ept mortal guests. It took him a few hours, but he eventually narrowed down the list to three possible men and one woman.


    ''Father heard about a man, so I should leave the woman forst. However, she is the closest one, and women should be gentler so she might be more honest, right?'' Lioz thought naively, unaware of the many female scammers out there. However, his mother''s personality and beauty were almost idolized in their house, affecting his thought process.

 Chapter 300 300 – Lioz 2/2

    Chapter 300  300 ¨C Lioz 2/2


    Lioz marched to the woman''s whereabouts. He heard she ran a general store where she sold merchandise that allowed mortals to cultivate to the first stage, granting them strength and superior health.


    He soon found it; a small store with a few shelves carrying small round pills resting in open boxes, emanating different aromas ranging from spicy to sweet. On other walls, he found small cards of papers he identified as talismans and a few scrolls. Behind a counter at the back of the store, an attractive woman in her forties talked to a couple of customers.


    The young boy did not want to interrupt their conversation, nor did he want them to know he had a precious ring; hence, he simply busied himself by looking at the different products in the store until they left.


    "Hello, wee to the Ascendence Store. What can I help you find?" The woman said politely but strictly. She was dubious about his ability to purchase anything due to his poor attire, so she tried to get straight to the point.


    "I¡­ I heard you are a cultivator, is it true?" Lioz asked nervously while looking beyond his shoulder to make sure nobody was there. The name of the store made him look at the owner in awe, causing him to stutter.


    "I am at the peak of the third stage, I''m quite powerful," the woman said pridefully, clearly enjoying the sensation of superiority.


    They were far away from the center of the continent where many mortals cultivated to the second or the third stages; they were in the Jade Sky Sect''s territory, a remote territory as the weakest among the top sects. There, she enjoyed respect and reverence as long as there weren''t cultivators from the reigning sect nearby.


    "Amazing!" Lioz said in admiration, forgetting his goal for a moment.


    "So, what are you here for? Just curious about cultivation?" The woman said with a hint of disdain that Lioz didn''t pick.


    "No¡­ I found a treasure and I heard you could help me get its worth. Are you capable of opening storage rings of cultivators?" Lioz asked after a short moment of hesitation.


    On one hand, he was worried about getting bullied and robbed, but on the other hand, he had toe out with it or else the woman wouldn''t be able to help even if she was an honest store owner.


    "Oh, you found a storage ring? How rare and lucky. Show it to me, Boy, you might strike it rich today. By the way, you can call me Miss Miriam."


    "Please have a look, Miss Miriam. I''m Lioz," he took the ring out of a pocket in his robes and handed it over, looking at her expectantly.


    Miriam lifted it with her hand and channeled her Qi into it, letting a small pile of objects fall onto the counter. There were pills, talismans, scrolls, Qi Stones, food, water, sword, and a few more tools.


    Lioz waited patiently for the woman to browse through the items and set a price, and she eventually raised her head and named it.


    "Oh, this is indeed a good amount of treasures meant for cultivation, Young Boy, where did you get it?" She asked in curiosity after she finished counting the goods.


    "I just found it in the forest, Miss Miriam," Lioz answered, hiding some of the truth. He felt a shiver pass through his spine under her gaze, but she eventually looked back at the treasures before dering the price.


    "I''ll take 33% of the spoils, so you''ll receive just under a thousand gold coins. I won''t be petty; I will round it up for you."


    "A thousand!" Lioz eximed in excitement. His family''s yearly ie was only counted in silver coins, which meant that a thousand gold coins could support them for over a thousand years! His grandchildren would be able to live just with this amount of money!


    "Indeed, you''re rich now. Would you like to take it?" Miriam asked with a friendly smile.


    Lioz was about to agree when a thought struck his head. He had no idea how valuable cultivation resources were.. For him, a thousand gold coins sounded as innumerable as ten thousand, making him unable to estimate that much money. Since he could not estimate it correctly, he chose to make a request instead.


    "Miss Miriam, a thousand gold coins are a significant amount, but I have an additional request. Please add a manual and every other resource required for cultivating up to the first stage. If you add it to the gold coins, I will agree."


    Miriam looked at him, contemting whether to refuse and cheat him to the end or just go along with his request. She was the one to write the manuals herself, so it barely cost anything, and the pills he needed for the process would cost much less than she scammed out of him.


    "Alright. Consider it an investment in our future business rtionship.," Miriam smiled professionally and granted him his request. As a businesswoman, she always made sure to make the customer feel indebted to her, both when she pretended to round up the gold coins and now that she gave him some pills he could buy a hundred of easily with the ring''s spoils.


    She packed the necessary objects in a bag after exining to Lioz about the correct way to cultivate shortly and sent him off. As soon as he left the store, she went back to her counter and brought out amunication device.


    "Hello, Senior Selim? A young boy walked into my store now and sold a ring with the symbol of the Jade Sky Sect, I thought you''d want to know¡­ Yes, of course, you cane and take it." She ced themunication device back in its ce while her finger traced the carves of a rhombus jade. She never understood how the sky was rted to any of it.


    -----


    Lioz managed to return to his house safely the next day, hiding the stash of gold coins underneath the food and other goods he buried in his bag. His father and he celebrated that night, spending their savings on meat and expensive food they normally only had during the New Year celebrations.


    "Father, I need to leave now. Miss Miriam provided me with cultivation resources, and I''m eager to try them out," Lioz informed his father the next morning.


    "Go ahead, I heard it can benefit you with great health and power for the rest of your life if you achieve the first stage," his father nodded happily and sent his son off to train.


    Lioz spent the next days training diligently. It only took him a few weeks to level up despite having no mentor, proving his wit and strong intuition when it came to cultivation.


    The next day after he broke through, he heard knocks on his door. Letting a sigh out, Lioz jumped lightly from the floor and went to receive the neer, admiring his newfound strength on his way there. With his body strengthened by Qi, he felt like he could take on five of his former self.


    "Hello, Sir. How may I help you?" Lioz smiled at the tanned man with a hawk nose he found at the door. His confidence rose significantly now that he could be considered a cultivator.


    "Are you Lioz?" The man asked.


    "I am, who is asking?"


    "First, know your ce," the stranger raised his hand and patted Lioz''s chest lightly, sending him flying and crashing into the wall. "Now, I hope you can act more respectfully."


    "Argh!" Lioz coughed a few times, shocked by the impact. He could not understand what motivated the man to attack, unaware that it was the man''s pettiness over being treated as an equal by a mortal he looked down on. Angry at the uncalled-for assault, Lioz only clenched his teeth and raised his eyes in defiance as he stood up.


    "Oh? You can stand up already? You are a first-stage cultivator already!" The stranger said in surprise.


    "What if I am? Why are you attacking me?" Lioz asked angrily.


    "You dared to loot the belongings of a member from my Jade Sky Sect, and yet you stand before me without kneeling?" The man said with an amused smile. "I''m Selim, I''m here on a mission on behalf of the sect to retrieve the man''s belongings or give justice to him by punishing the corpse robber who humiliated his body."


    Lioz opened his eyes in horror, unable to digest what he had just heard. "Sir, I did nothing like that, I did not know he was part of the esteemed Jade Sky Sect!" the boy shouted, terrified. Everyone knew that the Jade Sky Sect was the sole hegemon of the region, and their words decided the fate of anybody in their territory.


    "Hmm, you''re lucky you did not defile his body in any way, and we retrieved his token from Miriam. I came here to punish you, but I see your resolve andprehension are good if you already got to the first stage. I will give you a chance to save yourself;e and chase immortality in our sect where might make right. If you can be strong all the time, you will achieve every dream you ever had. If you are weak, you will be bullied to the point where you wish you were never born," Selim said in a dramatic tone, igniting mes in Lioz''s eyes.


    "I will do it! Thank you for the opportunity!"


    Lioz was brought to the sect that day after saying goodbye to his father and exining the situation. He was registered as an outer disciple, starting from the lowest bottom. Despite theck of opportunities for outer disciples, he always somehow found himself entangled in different events.


    Once it was running into the daughter of an elder while she bathed in the river, after a short barrage of attacks, he gained a new ally who allowed him to be an inner disciple soon after.


    As for his core disciple status, he gained it in another time in which he found the daughter of the sect master being drugged and he saved her while she ran away from her captors in herst energy.


    Just like that, he kept climbing the ranks of his sects, gaining inheritances and unique techniques as well as expensive medicine and resources.

 Chapter 301 301 – Lioz Climbing the Ranks

    Chapter 301  301 ¨C Lioz Climbing the Ranks


    Back to the present:


    Lioz and his friend, Clint, exchanged worried nces. "We might be the weakest here, who are we going to challenge?" Clint eventually said after looking at their points. It said "3", and they were rankedst at the 128th spot.


    "Don''t be afraid of them. Nobody tries to challenge first ce, it only shows that the rest are not out of our reach, and we can defeat them. Let''s challenge second ce," Lioz said confidently.


    "Second ce? Are you crazy? They might be the second strongest pair here, let''s start with someone who isn''t in the top 100!" Clint protested.


    "No, if we have this mentality, we will never get to the top. We will aim high from the very beginning," Lioz exined. Before Clint could answer, Steve''s voice resounded again.


    "Pick your opponent and issue your challenge. The rule stays the same throughout the round - If five minutes pass in which you''re neither inbat nor waiting for your turn to fight the pair you challenged, you will lose your right to issue further challenges, while others will still be allowed to challenge you. To pick your next opponents, say their number to your participant token."


    Clint moved ufortably under Lioz''s gaze until he finally relented. "Fine, we will challenge the second rank."


    After they issued their challenge, they waited for five minutes before getting their answer.


    "17 higher ranked teams challenged this pair before you; you have to wait for them to finish," A voice came from the token. Simultaneously, a projection in the sky showed a table with the order of the challenges for the crowd.


    "Lucky, we might be saved!" Clint said happily but soon shut his mouth under Lioz''s scolding eyes.


    The two waited for their turn for hours; everyone was almost equal there, and no fight ended quickly. New challenges were issued by those who finished their battles, but the pair were still waiting for their first battle. Many chose to challenge second ce because of the limitation of being unable to challenge someone ranked higher than their former opponents in case they lost.


    "Your turn has arrived, you will be teleported to the arena. Your opponents chose to fight in the forest terrain," they heard a voice from the tokens and a projection in the sky announced their names and their opponents'' names, something that remained unknown before this round.


    "Start!"


    They looked straight at their opponents and found a bloody pair. One of them had his arm hung from his shoulder,pletely useless. The other was already kneeling, unable to fight.


    "Ah, should we attack them?" Lioz asked Clint, clearly disturbed by the thought of kicking those people while they were down. He wanted a clean fight, not something like that.


    "Of course!" Clint said enthusiastically and dashed at the wounded pair.


    "Cowards! We would kill you ten times over if we were in peak condition!" The man with the broken arm shouted angrily when he saw Clint acting shamelessly. "You are not acting like a righteous sect!"


    "This is apetition. Tough luck, pal," Clint said with a smug smile.


    The fight barely took a minute before he defeated them, boosting his ego and confidence by taking out two top contenders on their own.


    "You were right, Lioz, they''re only cultivators like us and we can win!" Clint said excitedly, ignoring the fact that they were practically half dead from beating 16 teams before them.


    "Congrattions, you get 63 points and advance to the 48th spot." The voice told them. The two were teleported outside back to their new pir and looked around to search for their next opponents. Due to the rules, most of the participants either lost their right to challenge someone or were wounded after a few difficult continuous battles. They were the only two in peak condition, excluding Ken and Tiara.


    "Let''s fight the new second-ranked team!" Lioz said in determination to have a real battle this time. The ones upying this spot were a team originally ranked out of the top 10.


    With a sigh, Clint took out his participant token and challenged the second-ranked team along with Lioz.


    "2 higher ranked teams challenged this pair before you; you have to wait for them to finish," the voice came from the token.


    "Your turn has arrived, you will be teleported to the arena. Your opponents chose to fight in the stone terrain,"


    Their turn arrived thirty minutester, and in front of them stood, even worse than before, a single woman. Her robes were new, but there was a long red line on her chest stretching all the way to her waist, evidence of a deep cut that was hidden behind the robes. Her eyes showed a hint of despair when she saw the two''s perfect condition.


    "You don''t deserve my points!" she said angrily, but simply surrendered, knowing she could not fight the two of them in her condition no matter how weaker they were.


    "Haha, we are so lucky, free points again," Clint said gleefully. However, Lioz felt bad about their unearned victory. He never wished for free points, he wanted to fight fair and square.


    "Congrattions, you get 61 points and advance to the 26th spot."


    Looking at their points, they acquired a sum of 132 overall, while the newer new second-ranked team had 242 points, only two behind the ones Clint and Lioz challenged previously.


    "Hey Lioz, you got to pick our opponents twice, I want to be the one to pick now," Clint said in determination, making Lioz raise an eyebrow at the unexpected response. Clint''s eyes moved from side to side suspiciously, but Lioz ignored it.


    "Sure."


    "Take out your token and repeat after me, hurry up," Clint said impatiently, prompting Lioz to get caught in his pace and do as he said.


    "We challenge rank 11," Clint said and Lioz echoed after him.


    The young man looked around him to see whom Clint chose as their opponent. The answer made him look at his partner in anger.


    "You are too shameless!" Lioz said when he realized they just challenged the same girl. She and her partner, whoy unconscious on their pir, had 183 points.


    "There are no higher-ranked challengers than you, your opponents chose to forfeit the match," the voice announced after 5 minutes passed from their challenge, showing their enemy took the longest break she could.


    "Congrattions, you get 46 points and advance to the 11th spot."


    Lioz felt his face burn with shame from the act they justmitted. They were a team, and he could not just say it was all Clint and he had nothing to do with it. For better or worse, they had 178 points now, only 60 points away from second ce.


    "That''s how thepetition works, we did nothing wrong!" Clint said when he saw Lioz''s obvious frown.


    "Whatever, let''s challenge the current second-rank team," Lioz said and the two pulled out their tokens, issuing the challenge. Luckily, nobody noticed them in time and challenged them, making them slip out of danger. Now, everyone seemed to be on theirst breath other than themselves, again, excluding the "deadly couple".


    "There are no higher-ranked challengers than you. You will be teleported to the arena. Your opponents chose to fight in the stone terrain."


    The partners found themselves standing in front of one of the most lethal teams in thepetition; one of them was a brute who fought his opponent head-on, while the other was a calctive and slick woman who supported him from the back using her bow coupled with Light Qi. The two came from an unranked sect yet managed to make it that far.


    "Huh, we are going to tear you to pieces if you don''t surrender soon, little boys. You must be the weakest here," the man mocked them.


    "I didn''t think giants could be so long-winded. Are you perhaps injured and want us to back down because you''re afraid?" Clint said with a smirk. A nce around the pirs earlier told him that nobody was in a condition that allowed them to exert their full strength.


    "Afraid? Me?!" The brute, a man taller than two meters tall, dashed toward them in long steps.


    "Don''t let them provoke you, musclehead!" His partner shouted. ording to the projection above them, their names were Kwame and Z, with thetter being the woman. She swiftly nocked an arrow made of Light Qi on her bow and shot it.


    "Let''s work together to go past the man and get rid of the woman!" Lioz called.


    Kwame covered his body with Earth Qi, turning it solid and harder than a rock. He charged forward with a momentum that would knock down an elephant, showcasing a technique that fitted his personality.


    Lioz used a barrier of water, one of his Water Qi techniques. When Kwame tackled him, he was sent back and rolled on the floor. He didn''t take the full brunt of the attack, but he was still having slight trouble breathing. Clint, an Air Qi user, sidestepped in time and dodged. He tried to attack, but an arrow made of light forced him to remain on the defensive.


    "Haha, who is afraid now?"


    Kwame turned around and sent a heavy punch at Clint''s way. Strong wind cushioned the blow, sending Clint away while negating some of the damage while also helping him dodge another arrow.


    "Nobody, face me head-on!" Lioz said despite witnessing the man''s prowess. He jumped back on his legs, bringing out his sword. He abandoned defense, concentrating his Qi on his sword before dashing to collide with the giant, waving his sword.


    "Redirection!" His sword moved in a fluid motion. Kwame realized the danger of the technique and tried to resist its force, but a hidden injury in his stomach from previous battles reopened from the impact, sending sharp pain to his brain.


    "Kwame!" Z shouted worriedly and shot another arrow, one that moved at extreme speed using Light Qi.


    "I won''t let you!" Clint yelled and faced the arrow himself, standing as a buffer to allow Lioz to finish his technique. He thrust his knives forward, performing a prative Wind technique that met the arrow. The light lost its physical form, one of Z''s trump cards, and riddled his body with small holes.


    Meanwhile, Kwame lost control of his body as the momentum he had umted was used against him, smashing him into the ground and leaving another long cut on his torso.


    "Kwame!"


    "Clint!"


    Z wanted to attack again but the fatigue hit her. Herst technique was one that consumedrge amounts of Qi, and she had been fighting nonstop for hours except for five-minute breaks. She suddenly saw Lioz in front of her, and she was defeated quickly.


    ----------


    ''That''s quite ssic,'' Ken mused to himself as he watched the battle between Lioz and Clint against Kwame and Z. ''He''d make a good target.''

 Chapter 302 302 - The Right to Challenge

    Chapter 302  302 - The Right to Challenge


    "Nobody has the right to issue any further challenges. THIS IS OVER, THE DEADLY COUPLE, KEN SUE AND KARA FROM THE SERENE LOTUS SECT WIN THIS ROUND!" Steve announced the end of thepetition, Ken and Tiara''s figures were projected in the sky along with a few selected scenes from their fights. The sect provided an alias for Tiara so her family wouldn''t identify her.


    The pir underneath Ken and Tiara''s feet grew, soaring far above the other pirs. Next to them, two more pirs rose but lower, carrying those who won the second and third ranks.


    "ording to the agreement of the twenty sects, the Serene Lotus Sect wins this year three high Qi Stone mines!"


    The crowd cheered for Ken and Tiara, shaking the valley with their voice. The prize was merely the official one; outside the official prizes, the sects engaged in many other bets among themselves, including all the top 512 ranks. The winning team did not gain a specific prize, and rewarding them was up to their sect.


    "In the second ce, we have Lioz and Clint from the Jade Sky Sect, earning their sect one high Qi Stone mine!"


    "In the third ce, we have Monica and Shira from the unranked Mysterious Mountain Sect. They earn a challenge token, allowing their elders to challenge one of the great twenty sects for their status!"


    Murmurs spread throughout the audience, making the excitement everyone felt from thest prize palpable.


    "Must unranked sects have their juniors secure a top three position to challenge the ranked ones?" ric questioned, turning to George beside him.


    "No, that''s just the only way to gain a challenge token quickly. The ranking is set ording to the strength of the elders of the sect, but to prove a sect deserves to be called a top sect, they need to show they have the ability to maintain their prowess in the long run, namely by having powerful disciples."


    "What other ways exist to prove the worth of their younger generation?"


    "Instead of being among the top three, the unranked sects can gain a challenge token by upying at least 3% of the top 512 spots."


    "Hmm, I guess it doesn''t have anything to do with us. No unranked sect would try to duel with our elders," ric shrugged.


    As if to confirm George''s word, Steve talked again, this time about another unranked sect.


    "I just got exciting news! Another unranked sect had met the conditions to gain one challenge token! The Loving Mist Sect, which specializes in illusions and generating confusion among their opponents, has the right to challenge another sect! Are we watching history in the make?!"


    Mostly there were no fights between elders in the Martial Arts Summit, so the revtion of a possible fight made everyone eager to watch it. But for now, it was time to continue the tournament and move on to the next bracket.


    "Say goodbye to our fighters, they have all done splendidly!" Steve said, and the participants started being teleported outside starting with the lowest rank, leaving Ken and Tiarast. When they were teleported to the outskirts of the arena, many eyes wereid on them, many of which were filled with hatred and anger. Ken was already popr before, but his high kill count during thepetition only increased it.


    "Good job, Team Leader! You were okay too, Tiara," ric greeted them, prompting a dissatisfied snort from the icy princess.


    "Congrattions on winning," George echoed while Henry only offered a short nod.


    "Are you prepared? It will be our turn to fight as a group soon," Ken reminded them. They were registered to the 5v5 bracket, which was nned as thest one after the 1v1, 2v2, and 3v3. Other than that, they still had to wait for the rest of the brackets of the 20-29 age group to finish.


    "There''s some time, I''m going to get some rest," Tiara replied and left the group, walking to her tent.


    Since each tournamentsted between five to seven days, they still had some time until then. Even the audience themselves would consist of different spectators when Ken next goes up.


    "No problem," the remaining two men answered confidently. The four passed the next few weeks busy in their cultivation, not bothering to watch the matches. Real cultivators did not spend much time on entertainment during their youth, and the time they spent on Ken''s bracket was enough for them.


    As for George, he preferred to spend his time losing his Qi Stones in gambling over the next few brackets.


    ---------


    While Ken and his friends left the tform, the disciples of the various sects were talking about the future of the Martial Arts Summit:


    "That kid sure did a number on us, but Serene Lotus Sect is not going to be so lucky in the next battles," a man with red hair said in disdain.


    A group of young men and women sat around arge round table, filled with delicacies and top-quality wine. They all wore white robes with the symbol of a cloud, sun, leaf, and flower on their shoulders.


    "You said it, Big Brother Felix. We will crush them in the next matches, having a fifth-stage cultivator in that bracket was just lucky." A man with long dark brown hairmented as he ced a cooked m in his mouth.


    "Indeed, they cannot win against all the other sects. My father told me that out of the great sects, 14 agreed to do their best to kill Serene Lotus Sect''s disciples in the tournament in return for rewards," Felix shared.


    The group, consisting of five men and three women, conversed a bit more before one dared to broach the ring subject.


    "Good to see you, Vivienne, it''s rare to have you sit with us. Did youe with Brother Felix?" He hinted that she was not part of their group and had nothing to do there unless she was Felix''s guest.


    "It''s truly rare, I normally don''t like to y with dirty hints and subtle insults, but dear Felix insisted Ie with him," Vivienne said with a fake smile as she returned to her silence. Her gaze drifted, imagining thefort of her bedpared to the stifling atmosphere here. She held back a yawn when she thought of sleeping rather than listening to the yapping young masters around her.


    "Little Sister, our ranks and traditions matter, so you shouldn''t be too rude. He was merely inquiring, given your usual... distance," Felix''s voice was soft, but his arm around her shoulder tightened, hinting at an underlying threat.


    Her fingers twitched for a moment in annoyance, but she fought the urge to hit it away from her and let it slide, understanding Felix wanted to assert their status. She did not want to be sent to fight dozens of battles in the tournament and ended up putting up with Felix''s touch with the condition he wouldn''t bother her all day long.


    "I see, you''re right. Although Senior Brother Kuro is weak, he is still my senior brother and I should show him basic respect for his old age," Vivienne''s smile was sugary, clearly mocking. Even if she temporarily let Felix have some control, her wild nature was harder to tame.


    "I''m only 52 years old, and I''m one of the best in my age group!" Kuro clenched his teeth in anger and spat his words.


    "Haha, Junior Sister, you cannot expect normal people to be as talented as you. More than speed, it matters how far we get in the future," a woman with ck hair chuckled, reminding everyone that Vivienne might only be allowed to get a certain amount of strength. Some sect seeds were not supposed to be too strong to control and the sect wanted them to serve as weapons until the day they died.


    "Enough with the teasing, everyone. Since she is here as my guest, I hope you can give me some face and act respectfully to each other. Cheers, let''s drink!" Felix broke the tension and raised a ss.


    "Right, right. Cheers, to our victory in the tournament and to the downfall of the Serene Lotus Sect''s new generation!"


    "Cheers!"


    Everyone raised their sses and gulped down their wine before signaling to the waitress to pour more. One would be surprised to find out she had a decoration on her ck robes, showing she was a ranked inner disciple.


    ''Hmph, I will get out of this sect soon enough. I''m sure I will have an opportunity soon,'' Vivienne thought to herself bitterly. She recalled the individual who had exposed the harsh realities of her position within the sect. The cor he had ced on her neck was no longer feeling as heavypared to the shackles she felt on her limbs.


    If her ns go well, she will get a chance to try her luck in a different ce, a ce where those strong flourish, and there are no elite families.

 Chapter 303 303 – Alarics New Inheritance

    Chapter 303  303 ¨C ric''s New Inheritance


    Only a whileter did Ken and his group emerge from their tents, when all the brackets for the 20-29 age group were done. They thought they still had time until the 5v5 of their age group, but it seemed La had other ns.


    "Disciple Ken, do you think you and your group will be fatigued after one bracket?" She asked, "Or will it be as easy for you as the previous time you participated?"


    "Maybe not as easy, but it shouldn''t be a challenge either. What did you have in mind, Elder La?" Ken bowed respectfully. She beckoned the four of them out, allowing George to continue sleeping off the previous night''s indulgence, clearly recognizing his auxiliary role.


    "I thought to extend my offer. Our sect took great losses in the other brackets without having someone like you tilting the scales in our favor. I''d like to offer you and your group to participate in all four brackets, unleashing a massacre on their top disciples."


    She scrutinized the team for a moment, impressed by the high spot they managed to get on the mountain among the peak sixth-stage disciples. "Of course, I''m talking to Ken as the team leader, but each one of you has the right to ept or decline the offer for themselves," she eventually added and her eyes lingered on Henry for a moment due to his higher stage.


    "Amitabha. This monk thinks our enemies have relinquished their humanity with their cruelty," Henry remarked, as he often degraded his adversaries into animals. The fact that Henry did not have a shred of bloodlust never ceased to amaze Ken. If monks and demons were Tiara''s nemesis, hypocrites like Henry were Ken''s.


    "What about the rest of you?" She asked them all, "The rewards will be the same as I promised to Ken, or you can ask for other rewards if you are not on his team."


    "We will support our team leader, we don''t abandon each other," ric said righteously, including everyone else in his speech. "We also don''t need other rewards, we will go with what Team Leader says."


    "Ah, yes," Tiara said hesitantly, her body paused for a moment before she agreed. Henry kept a stoic expression as always and confirmed with a nod.


    "Good. What are the teams going to be for the 3v3 and the 2v2?" La could see they were going to pay a great number of Immortal Qi Stones, but the safety of their future pirs was more important.


    "In the 2v2 bracket, I will go with Tiara again. In the 3v3 bracket, I will stay out," Ken decided the order for the team. He knew it would be most efficient if he and Henry were on separate teams since they were the strongest of their group, and as for the 3v3 bracket, he preferred to use this time to train.


    "I will stay out of the 1v1 bracket, I feel like I''m on the verge of a breakthrough in my cultivation," Tiara added. Ken said nothing; he nned to force hispanions intobor when needed, but not when it didn''t matter much.


    "Fine, I will register you to all the 30-39 age group brackets, be prepared. The first one, which is the 1v1 bracket, starts soon. I cannot change the registration for this age group after tonight, so you cannot have second thoughts."


    La gave them thest instruction and disappeared, returning to her temporary residence at the peak of the mountain.


    Time flew, and soon the three team members stood on the very tform where Ken had once stood alongside Tiara.


    "Good luck everyone, are wepeting for the most kills?" ric asked enthusiastically, moving restlessly. His excitement was easy to read given the twitches in his fingers. He had a doctrine against betraying friends, but he never had anything against killing enemies. If anything, those people were targeting his sect members, and he was doing the holy job of protecting friends.


    "One should never aim to kill others. Inner peace is gained when you understand others," Henry said, denying thepetition.


    "Get to work as soon as we are teleported inside. See if you can surpass Tiara''s kill count from the previous round," Ken ordered before giving them some sort of a n.


    "It''d be optimal if we could each settle in a different quarter. We will fight wherever we start, but keep moving in a certain direction. I will head to the pond, ric can go to the forest, and Henry to the stone in. We will just leave the Icy in alone since it doesn''t fit any of us." Ken received a nod of agreement from both of them.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen, wee back to the next phase of our Martial Arts Summit! As always, we will begin with a fierce battle royale to cull down the numbers, let the carnage begin!"


    Steve delivered a short hyping introduction to the audience and the participants found themselves inside before he finished speaking, letting his final words signal the beginning of the round.


    "What are we seeing here? Are those people brave, confident, or just in stupid? They are jumping to the sky without any fear!" Steve shouted when three men, or more precisely, two men and a teenager, leaped to the sky without hesitation and looked around them to find their way.


    "Wait, wait, wait! A mask, red eyes, and this body build, is it possible that Ken Sue is here, fighting cultivators three times his age?!" Steve screamed into the microphone, pulling the crowd''s attention instantly to a projection that zoomed in on the teenager. By his side were the projections of the other two, one masked and the other blindfolded.


    "It''s him! The instant dash and the swift beheading, it''s him! He ughters the fifth-stage cultivators as if they are no different from his previous fourth-stage opponents! Can we expect another bloodbath?!"


    Steve was a neutral cultivator who didn''t belong to any sect, and he prioritized exciting the audience over anything else as long as it was not offending the top sects or their elders directly.


    "OOOHH!" The audience groaned in collective expectance when they heard one member of the Deadly Couple was fighting.


    "Where is Kara?!" Some shouted, "Show us Kara!" They demanded to see the one they even considered as a goddess walking on the continent. The veil hiding her face only made her beauty mysterious and attractive.


    "KILL! KILL! KILL!" Many began to chant, showcasing the bloodlust of a crowd.


    "Kara is not here everyone, but with so many capable and beautifuldies, you cannot be dissatisfied!" Steve said with a dry chuckle.


    While Ken was busy dashing out of the forest while beheading every disciple belonging to a sect that targeted his, Henry and ric had their own fights.


    Henry walked peacefully toward the stone area with stable steps, his calmness almost annoying. He would often raise his palm and bring it back down, and an ethereal hand would form in the air and drop to crush enemies from afar. Every time such a palmnded, someone got killed.


    ric, with a smug smile on his face, chose afortable-looking branch on a thick tree nearby and sat on it. He brought out a fancy guqin, its wooden body intricated with beautiful signs and could be easily discerned as top tier.


    *Ring*


    The first note reverberated throughout the forest, and the next one was not toote toe. Melodious music was yed, pulling all cultivators nearby. They seemed dizzy and unfocused as if they were following a dream. They all walked hypnotized and gathered around ric''s tree.


    As the music spread far and wide, more and more people converged around the musician, all of them lifting their eyes to the man who was lying on a branch, his back leaning against the trunk and one of his legs dangling in the air.


    ''Symphonie of Peace,'' ric mused to himself while his fingers danced on the strings of his guqin, producing the hypnotizing effect with the slow, calming melody.


    ''I think I''ve gathered enough of them,'' he decided. His fingers suddenly moved fast, the rxed notes turning into loud music with a fast beat. Before the participants'' eyes could regain rity, lightning started falling from the sky, leaving charred corpses behind them.


    ''Symphonie of Tribtion,'' ric whispered while the bolts of lightning butchered the helpless, drowsy enemies. They could not fight back against ric''s robust cultivation base and foundations.


    shes of lightning descended from the sky and exploded, awakening the entranced men and women assembled. Confusion crept into their eyes while they looked around them in fear, seeing dozens of bodies scattered on the ground. Those were the luckiest ones, those who were among thest people to be attacked.


    However, they did not know who the perpetrator behind the attack was, and they looked at each other in suspicion before they took any action. However, the lightning never stopped crushing down, and they soon shared the same fate as the less lucky cultivators.

 Chapter 304 304 – Symphonies

    Chapter 304  304 ¨C Symphonies


    "The first round concludes with 1024 participants left standing! Join us again tomorrow morning for the next thrilling round!"!" Steve announced and everyone apuded, satisfied by the bloodbath presented in the first round.


    "You may stay and enjoy the scenes our runologists chose to highlight, they include the best moments of the first round!" Steve reminded them of the avable attraction. On the sky were scenes of colorful techniques, swift kills, and mboyant attacks.


    "This round, 4111 were killed, surpassing even the record set earlier by Ken and Kara!" Steve eximed while the statistics were shown in the sky. "It seems like Ken Sue''s presence doubles the number of casualties!"


    The Serene Lotus Sect were prepared better for thebined assault after watching it happen many times in the previous rounds, and they could take better advantage of Ken''s group''s attacks that createdrge holes in their enemy''s lines.


    The statistics showed that the Serene Lotus Sect lost only 78 members this time, a huge improvementpared to the previous rounds where the number was even above 200.


    "Let''s get some rest ande back tomorrow," Ken said, climbing the mountain back to their tents area.


    "I''ll remain behind to study some potential future adversaries," ric declined. Unlike Ken who was still growing up, ric and Henry were adults and did not need much sleep anymore. With their enhanced bodies, they could easily stay up a few days in a row without affecting their well-being or fighting prowess.


    They did not meet Tiara. A frosty aura came from her tent despite the runes carved on it for istion, making the three men wonder what the enchantress was doing there. However, none of them thought to disrupt her training just to ask.


    The next day, while they stood on the outskirts of the tform, they weren''t teleported right away.


    "The second round for the 1v1 bracket is here! The rules are simple ¨C one disciple from each sect will be teleported to the arena until there are no more disciples left! Disciples from the same sect will not fight each other in this round, so those who won''t get a match from the sect with the most representatives will pass by default!"


    Steve exined the rules shortly and 25 squares were projected on the sky, one for each sect participating. The pictures of the different cultivators passed at high speed before stopping, revealing the cultivator who will fight next. As the first ranked sect, Serene Lotus Sect''s participant was chosenst.


    "In this round, the disqualifications seem random, entirely contingent on the count from the second-ranked sect," ric remarked to hispanions. Unlike the previous bracket Ken fought at, here the number wouldn''t be 256 or 128.


    Among the three of them, ric''s turn arrived first. "Good luck," Ken wished him when his face was projected in the sky. The fights took ce in a different terrain every time, and ric was teleported to the ice ins. There were 16 other cultivators around him, signifying nine sects were already out of representatives.


    Looking around him, ric found out that four of the unranked sects were still there. Overall, he had eleven enemies who aimed to kill him. He noticed that the unranked sects were not any less bloodthirsty than anybody else, but they were not aiming to kill anyone in particr. If he had to choose, he''d say they disliked the monks of the Peaceful Demon Sect.


    "Start!"


    Other than a few icebergs there was nothing to hide behind. ric''s guqin came out of his ring, floating in front of him. Eleven disciples, men and women alike,unched themselves at him with a burning killing intent.


    ''Repulse,'' ric thought, and his nails moved swiftly in a long motion on his instrument. The sound created a shockwave that sent him backward and blocked his enemies for a short while, but they easily resisted it with their own techniques.


    The disciples of the unranked sects charged at the monk who remained behind, leaving ric to deal with the other eleven by himself. He sighed, this format was bad for his sect; it made sure they were always outnumbered, and there were even some intermediate Nascent Soul cultivators among his opponents.


    Lightning covered his feet as he slid on the ice, leaving a trail of purple electricity behind. His hands almost moved instinctively to the form of holding a spear.


    ''No, I need to get used to fighting with the guqin. The potential is higher with my inheritance,'' ric thought and denied his automatic response. Instead, he continued to remain away from his opponents while concentrating on his music.


    *Ring* *Ring*


    The melody started to fill the air, mixing high and low tones that evoked different emotions in the listeners. Some felt a rush of excitement, some a sense of bliss. They found themselves enjoying the chase for some reason, throwing their techniques at the air recklessly. The mess made it easier for ric to cope with so many enemies instead of fighting an organized unit.


    Then, the music turned into a suspensive rhythm, one that made everyone''s hearts race in their chests.


    ''Symphony of Madness'', ric almost closed his eyes in his concentration before remembering he had to focus on dodging the iing attacks.


    As the beat continued to stir chaos in everyone''s emotional state, their eyes turned bloodshot and their killing intent rose to the sky. Their attacking pattern turned more and more chaotic as they stopped caring about hitting each other, creating many openings for ric to use and slip away from their chase.


    "AH!"


    It was sudden. One of them apparently forgot about their target altogether and attacked the woman standing next to him directly, not just as coteral damage, but as his main target. She noticed itte, and her defense was not enough. Her technique broke and a deep cut appeared on her side.


    ric did not let the opportunity slide, and he summoned his spear from his ring and kicked it while it was still in the air, imbuing it with his Spear Qi. It flew at high speed and pierced the woman''s skull, killing her on the spot before she could surrender.


    "Traitor!" Someone shouted, and everyone assaulted the attacker from earlier. However, it was not the normal way to handle a betrayal situation; they were crazed and disorganized, wounding some of each other in the process.


    It continued to escte as everyone med each other for trying to backstab them, leading them to change their targets to their former allies until everyone got killed but one. His eyes regained some rity as he looked at ric approaching him, realizing it was the man''s fault for the situation.


    "Wait, please, have mercy and let me go! I will surrender! No, I can''t help you fight the others and then surrender!" He yelled and banged his head against the floor in a kneeling position, making the elders of his sect clench their teeth in anger and their faces distorted in humiliation. Even if the disciple gets away with his life, he will not enjoy a warm wee when he returns.


    "You just betrayed yourrades. Treachery has its price," ric dered, his voice icy as he plucked the strings of his guqin, producing a shockwave that hit the man''s chest and made his heart explode.


    ''The Symphony techniques are amazing, but they have the weakness of taking time to affect the target, forcing me to run or be protected by others,'' ric reflected on his new fighting style. ''It''s perfect, that''s what friends are for, they will have my back.'' In a sense, it fitted his ideology to cultivate in a way that relied on others.


    ''That was exhausting. I can only hope the rest of our sect fares well in this brutal setup,'' ric reflected while he caught his breath from the constant dodging and tidied his robes.


    He eventually turned around and returned to the ce they had started, finding out the battle between the unranked cultivators and the monk was still ongoing.


    He did not intervene, instead, he used the time to replenish his lost Qi. He had enough Qi reserves for the bracket, but knowing that he would have to fight sequentiallyter in the other brackets, so it''d be better not to drain himself.


    The monk used his limbs to block and attack, creating an ethereal Buddha figure that enveloped him with light and blocked the weapons of his enemies. He purified his mind from any external influence, canceling the illusions and maniption of two of his enemies.


    ''I guess they are not on the same level as a top-five sect,'' ric mused to himself as he watched the monk cope with a 1v4 battle. However, the numerical advantage proved fatal.


    The monk''s face distorted in pain for a moment before he regained his calmness when a heavy blunt of a mace hit his side, sending him rolling away. He stood up shakingly, spitting some blood from his mouth as he took his fighting stance again.


    The four engaged in battle again, and it ended once more with the monk taking a grave injury. They all noticed ric''s silent presence by now, but since he was waiting patiently instead of taking advantage, they didn''t switch targets.


    "I guess I will y some music to pass the time," ric said with a sigh, making the five pause their battle in wariness. However, the monk acted first, trying to catch them off-guard, signaling the continuation of their fight.


    This time, ric''s fingers moved quickly from the very start, generating thick, melodious tones that seemed to bode ill news for the listeners. A rain of ethereal spears made of Spear Qi and Sound Qi took form above him and rained down on his opponents.


    ''Symphony of Arms.''

 Chapter 305 305 – Sword Intent

    Chapter 305  305 ¨C Sword Intent


    The second round ended with 221 disciples left. The second-ranked sect of the round was the Divine Sword Sect with 162 participants, meaning that 59 disciples of the Serene Lotus Sect passed without a fight.


    Henry and Ken also go to fight, and they both finished their battles within a few minutes after killing their opponents, excluding the unranked sects'' representatives and the Peaceful Demon Sect''s whom they defeated without inflicting a lethal injury.


    The days passed and Ken and hispanions hadpleted the bracket, winning all the top three spots of thepetition for their sect, earning further respect from their fellow disciples and elders.


    In theter days, while his friends were busy at the 3v3 bracket, Ken sat in his tent and held his sword in his hands, the de resting on his right hand while his left hand was under the hilt. He closed his eyes and delved into deep meditation, feeling the metal touch against his skin.


    ''The sword¡­ it''s sharp, it cuts, it pierces, it''s made of metal.''


    Ken pondered about the characteristics of the sword while he reyed many scenes of himself using it. He recalled the lessons and sparring he had with his grand-uncle, Fernando. The eighth-stage cultivator had let him experience a lot of techniques imbued with intent.


    ''Not only that, I also experienced Sword Intent in the challenges of the secret realm, it wasn''t any less impressive, probably even of a higher quality.''


    In his mind, the sword disappeared and only his arms remained. In a weird sense, his arms were the sword, and the sword were his arms. The two merged into one another, and his muscles whistled as they moved flexibly, the tip of his fingers as honed as the sword itself.


    He reyed in his mind the moments in which he had cut, sliced, stabbed, or shed at enemies or objects, his brain calcting and analyzing the way the sword worked. It was not science or physics; in the cultivation world, actions had meaning, and the world itself had meaning. Not one given by a superior being, but one given by the one who executes the action and by the objects involved.


    When he cut something, it was to destroy, an action meant to take a life away. His Sword Intent implemented his Bloodlust Intent, both were embodiments of death and destruction.


    Quiet noises echoed inside his tent, confined within the formation that did not allow them to get out. It was the nose of a de hitting stones, generated by the Ken''s wave toward the tent''s walls. It was a casual attack from a distance, and the runes inscribed on the tent could easily absorb them.


    ''Sword Intent,'' Ken let a long sigh out as he rxed his tensed body and looked at his fingers. It was powerful. Extremely powerful.


    When he developed Bloodlust Intent, he could only estimate the way it would affect his enemies'' minds, and he never even used it so far, keeping it as a trump card forter.


    However, the physical attacks of the sword could be assessed easily, and he knew that those attacks were far stronger. With intent, he could produce the same power with his strike as he could with a weapon without intent. In essence, he could win the 5v5 bracket using only his arms for a weapon at the same ease that he could win it with a sword.


    He spent more than 3 days in reclusive cultivation, exploring the secrets of intents, until he couldprehend his.


    He understood a long time ago that his wish from the god he met during his rebirth, to be capable of understanding everything and anything after a single nce, was not truly granted as he was not capable of achieving something like that.


    However, he did not have bad feelings about it. That god was probably a cultivator themselves, and the best they could do for him was enhance his brain in a way that changed its constitution to something superior to that of other humans.


    The boost they provided to his brain allowed him to achieve more than any other mortal could ever dream of. Even the "long three days" it took him toprehend intent was an unimaginable achievement for a fifth-stage cultivator like him.


    ''Good, now it''s time to see how I can integrate the intent into my techniques.'' Ken did feel happiness about having one more breakthrough, however, his cold mind process worked pragmatically, urging him to find a practical way to use his intent.


    He spent the next days implementing his intent into his techniques within his tent, even strengthening it further with formations to withhold his blows as he experimented.


    The aura of danger and sharpness emanated from his location to his surroundings, making George avoid his proximity. Even the other three felt ufortable whenever they came to rest between rounds, making them go watch the projections of the previous rounds rather than rest.


    "Team Leader, it''s time for the 5v5 bracket in half an hour."


    Ken stopped his training when he heard ric''s voice from hismunication device. His muscles twitched a little as if they were going to attack the wall once more, but he held back and returned the sword to its hilt. While he wanted to train more, he could not avoid thepetition.


    He removed his robes and washed himself with a water technique before putting on new, clean robes. He still disliked dirt and sweat, and the piles of clean clothes in his storage ring were a good testament to it. He stored the dirty robes in his storage ring along with the others he had changed, intending to give them to Soul when he returned.


    The young teen left his tent and found hispanions waiting for him outside. The five descended the mountain together, receiving respectful nods and fist cups from everyone on their way down; nobody thought they did not deserve their spot near the summit anymore, not even those who considered themselves stronger. The group''s exploits in the Martial Arts Summit have earned them everyone''s appreciation.


    They stepped onto the tform as always before a round began and waited for Steve''s deep voice to announce the beginning of a new bracket.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen, wee back for the 5v5 bracket of the bloodiest age group we have had in the Martial Arts Summit in thousands of years! This year is a tragedy for every sect in our continent. The best inner disciples and core disciples were killed, let''s hope for a less deadly bracket!"


    Steve''s voice sounded sincerely worried, somewhat calming the bloodthirsty crowd. It was all a fa?ade he had to put on, a front that ''reminded'' the audience that thepetition was a friendly bout andparison of strength. Righteous people did not kill others where it was uncalled for.


    In the first ce, killing was only allowed so the disciples could unleash their deadliest techniques and not for the sake of killing. Aside from when sects wanted to settle wars between themselves by pitting the young generation against each other, the number of deaths wouldn''t get to the double-digit in a bracket.


    "Let us apud the contenders as they enter, we have 1621 teams today! The first round is a battle royale until only 256 teams remain!"


    A countdown appeared in the sky, and the audience shouted the numbers with it until it reached zero, and all the participants were sent away.


    "There aren''t many teams this round, it seems like the sects didn''t fill their quotas. Do you know why?" George pondered as the five appeared on the open stone quarter. If the sects sent as many disciples as they could, there would be 2100 teams.


    "Because we killed them already. Most disciples participate in two brackets, and many of the current fighters are the survivors of the 2v2 bracket," Tiara exined what she had observed. "Since we killed thousands of cultivators back then, the sects are out of teams."


    "Haha, how unlucky! They managed to avoid usst time only to get killed now!" ricughed when he heard her.


    "We guide lostmbs to the light; those who meet us are lucky and enlightened," Henry opposed ric''s words that depicted them as killers.


    "Enough chatting. Since every team has five participants, there will be someone who can counter illusions or resist mind control in every team. ric and Henry you can stay here while Tiara and I go to the frosty in to hunt more teams. George, just stay with them and you will be safe."


    Unlike the time they had to deal with up to 18 enemies at once, the battle royale was not limited to a certain number, and even Ken himself could be overwhelmed if hundreds cooperated to take him down, let alone Tiara and ric who were weaker and did not develop intent as far as he knew. Hence, they did not separatepletely but worked in pairs.


    Ken leaped into the sky fearlessly, inviting anyone to challenge him if they dared. He looked around him to find the way to the icy quarter while he slowed down his descent with his Qi.


    "We are going over there," Ken pointed at a certain area and the two set out. They killed those in their way, both staying on guard with their detection techniques. Tiara''s technique relied on heat and coldness to find living creatures while Ken''s depended on bloodlust.


    "Are you ready tobine our techniques and see if we can makebinations work?" Ken asked the woman by his side. The power of a group was not when they fought at the same time, but when thebined power of the members was stronger than a simple addition of the two attacks.


    "Sure."

 Chapter 306 306 – Combined Techniques

    Chapter 306  306 ¨C Combined Techniques


    "Are you ready tobine our techniques and see if we can makebinations work?" Ken asked the woman by his side.


    "Sure."


    The two were surrounded by over a hundred enemies that found them by therge booms and theirplete disregard for hiding their presence. While they could engage in a hard battle ande out victorious, it was a good chance to test their heavier weapons.


    ''Mind-Poisoning Domain ¨C Frenzy Mode.''


    ''in of Love.''


    "Frenzied Love," Ken said the name he hade with for theirbined technique. Their enemies, circling them with weapons unsheathed, had found Tiara attractive from the beginning, and she was one of the most famous figures in the tournament alongside Ken due to her elegance and lithe shape.


    When the Qi they exuded washed over the dozens of disciples in their proximity, everyone''s eyes turned somewhat foggy before turning bloodshot, their expressions twisted. Only a very few, experts of the mind, could resist the heavy influence on their minds, only thanks to the fact that it was a mass technique.


    "Kill everyone."


    "Kill everyone."


    Ken and Tiara''s voices echoed together through the silent icy ins, and the many cultivators emanated killing intent that rose to the sky as they turned against each other.


    "What are you doing?!"


    "Resist their evil technique!"


    Those still sober screamed and tried to clear the minds of their former allies, to no avail. The crowd watched in surprise as a gory battle took ce with group members stabbing each other in the backs or in the chests.


    Fire, lightning, and every other element could be seen shing in swift attacks. Spears, swords, hammers, and every kind of weapon appeared as the members of the 18 sects yed each other.


    "What is going on?! Whose technique is it, and what does it do? It reminds me of the Charm Qi of the Qiteria Continent, yet it''s not that. Did we just get a clue to the origins of Kara''s beauty???" Steve shouted into his microphone, riling up the spectators.


    The fights raged in the arena as Ken and Tiara stood in the middle, unaffected by the chaos. Nobody aimed for them. Those under their technique did not see them as targets for their frenzy while those resisting were busy fighting the others.


    "Let''s help them end it faster," Ken instructed and started waving his sword around, sending shes at the fighting cultivators to put an end to their lives.


    Tiara did not stay idle and produced many of her beautiful ice birds, their frosty beaks sharp and deadly. They shot themselves at their master''s enemies and pierced their backs and chests, creating a frightening hole before exploding and freezing the whole area.


    The bodies piled up rapidly, making the crowd and thementator forget about the early remark that called for peace.


    "The Deadly Couple is back, and they are deadlier than ever this time! Hundreds of cultivators are caught in their techniques, this is nothing short of a massacre!" Steve shouted as the watchers cheered.


    It only took ten minutes for Ken and Tiara to kill over a hundred of their peers, cultivators who were supposed to be the best of the continent and of an equal stage to the two.


    "I wouldn''t be able to cause so much destruction with my technique alone, thebined effect is impressive," Tiaramented as she surveyed the corpses lying on the red ice.


    "True," Ken nodded. He knew his technique could bring forth just as much damage by itself, but he''d need to spend much more Qi and maybe even his Bloodlust intent.


    The two continued their hunt, taking down every single enemy they came across while allowing only the disciples from the unranked sects and the Peaceful Demon Sect to forfeit the match alive.


    While Tiara and Ken were busy umting future Immortal Qi Stones, Henry and ric did not get to rest and were upied with their own trouble. After Ken took a look at the tform from above to find the icy quarter, revealing their presence in the process, hundreds of haters had gathered together to take the hateful Devil''s Heir down.


    "Haha, let''s if you can survive long enough for the token to activate and carry you out of here!" The duo''s enemies jeered andunched their attacks, sure that the two already tried to use their tokens to saves their lives.


    "Team Leader is quite mean, letting us handle this mess he had created on our own," ricmented with a wry smile as endless attacks hit the golden bell they were hiding in, producing countless ringing sounds.


    "Trust in yourself alone and be the guide of your own path. Since we must handle this ourselves, should we try abined technique?" Henry turned his head as if he could see the situation through the blindfold. He was expending his Qi at a rapid rate, and he could not hold on against the attacks of so many cultivators on his own for long.


    "Sure, which one?" ric asked and his guqin levitated in the air in front of him, his fingers waiting above the strings.


    "I''ve already produced a bell." Henry straightened his head and concentrated on working together with ric.


    "Hmm¡­ How did Team Leader call it? Right, it''s called Retaliation Bell¡­" ric whispered to himself as his fingers started moving. This time the music''s flow was not constant; it did not even have a clear rhythm. It changed from fast to slow, only depending on one thing that only ric and Henry knew what it was.


    *Ring!* *Ring!* *Ring!*


    This time the guqin mysteriously did not y any music nor made any sound. However, Henry''s bell started ringing vigorously. Rather than the muffled dongs it had created earlier, the sounds now matched that of a bell empowered by runes.


    Powerful shockwaves were sent at the cultivators attacking, sweeping them off of their legs with unstoppable momentum and crushing their bones and organs.


    "Attack! We must destroy this bell, it''s the one sending the sonic shockwaves!"


    Someone screamed and everyone sent their most powerful attacks in an attempt to break it. However, they were no match for the duo, and the shockwaves continued wreaking havoc in the 18 sects'' ranks.


    "We can''t win¡­ run, we just need to survive to get to the next round!" Thest dozen or so enemies looked around them, seeing everyone groan and puke blood as they writhed in agony on the cold hard ground.


    "Time to take out the garbage," ric sighed and Henry made the bell disappear. Fast-paced war music was emitted by the guqin, and one could hear brandished spears in the background as a rain of ethereal spears made of Spear Qi began to rain, killing the few who were on the verge of death and hunting those running away.


    "Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding." Henry nodded seriously and heavy palms descended from above alongside the spears, bringing despair to those who tried to run.


    Those who were not killed already broke their tokens and waited for the 7-second countdown to end to be teleported to safety. How unfortunate, most of them didn''t make it.


    -------


    "What is this kid''s technique? I don''t get it, does he have a fourth type of Qi, or did he find a way to influence the girl''s Charm Qi with Sword Qi? Could it be that he found a way to utilize Runic Qi or Alchemical Qi as an offensive type of Qi?"


    Those words were told by many elders across many mountains as they tried to understand what was going on.


    They all knew that Tiara and Ken pulled off abined technique, something they already found quite amazing. They also realized that Tiara practiced Charm Qi since they had experienced it before.


    However, none of them had witnessed Blood Qi in the past, hence nobody could discern Ken''s abilities and fourth Qi type.


    "Even if he has four, he will have to give up on one type eventually if he ever wants to get to the seventh stage, so why does it matter?" many of them mumbled, shrugging their shoulders.


    Ken might be a genius who had invented revolutionary theories in many fields, but some things could not be solved and there was no way around them.


    Or at least, that''s what they all believed currently.


    --------


    "Hmm, that boy''s inheritance reminds me of Grand Elder Martha''s techniques, doesn''t she also have a set of melodies she ys to cause different illusions and attacks?" La asked Yuhua.


    "She does, it''s the inheritance passed from Supreme Elder Urs, but nobody managed to get to the ninth stage with it ever since Elder Urs... ascended. However, it seems different from Elder Martha''s melodies and has different effects. Elder Urs''s inheritance did not include a weapon, and the records don''t mention that she had ever used one."


    Yuhua told the higher-ranked woman what she knew about the topic, her expression twitching for a moment when mentioning the elder suspected to be part of the infamous Bloodthirst Sect. Yuhua was in charge of many administrative jobs due to her position, making her a reliable source of information on many subjects.


    "I see. Is he the one from the Divine Sword Sect?"


    "Yes."


    "Hmm¡­ I don''t think they have something like that there. And now we might have even identally put our hands on a Charm Qi inheritance as well after chasing it for so long to no avail. This child is interesting, seems like he has brought many treasures to us, haha!"


    La startedughing at the thought that they might have acquired four great inheritances when they thought they were doing a favor to a single child in exchange for his single one, one of them even a coveted type of Qi they failed to steal for many years.


    "When you deliberately nt a flower, the flower doesn''t bloom; whereas when you slip a willow casually in the mud, it grows to give shade, (1)" Yuhua agreed with a smile.


    -----


    A/N: (1) When you deliberately nt a flower, the flower doesn''t bloom; whereas when you slip a willow casually in the mud, it grows to give shade ¨C an idiom meaning that when you search for something you might never find it, but then it might fall to your hands at an unexpected moment.

 Chapter 307 307 – Sending Vivienne Out

    Chapter 307  307 ¨C Sending Vivienne Out


    Meanwhile, at the Four Seasons Sect:


    "DAMN IT! HOW CAN THEY KILL SO MANY PEOPLE FROM THE SAME STAGE SO EASILY?!"


    An elder with flowing white hair and a shaved masculine face screamed at the summit of the mountain upied by the Four Seasons Sect. His face was red, and his breathing uneven, forcing the other elder by his side to spread his own Qi to confine the sound. The sect would lose too much face if their elder was seen losing control.


    "Elder Gerald, please rx. We couldn''t know he would participate in this age group nor that he would be strong enough to overpower everyone else. His teammates are quite perverted too, something else we never heard about. Let''s hope he will be brave enough to enter the next age group as well; with his strength, he probably thinks he can fight everyone at the fifth stage."


    His peer, a man seemingly in his early twenties despite probably being over two hundred, calmed the white-haired elder.


    "You can be so calm because your direct disciple did not die there! Look how Little Ben was beheaded!" The former elder shouted in anger, pointing at the coffin in their tent. When a disciple died or surrendered, they were teleported outside the tform for their sect to treat them or collect the corpse.


    "I''m sorry for your loss, Elder Gerald, but we cannot lose ourposure now. We will send Anwar to the next age group, he will get rid of his kid for sure," the young-looking man replied coldly, his baby face somewhat contrasting his cruel and calcted words.


    "Anwar? Why are we not sending the girl, she should be stronger. Even better, send them together," Gerald frowned.


    "The Ashford n told us not to send Vivienne before the 50-59 age group since she will probably fight many other battles throughout thepetition¡­"


    "Ah, they spoil their shitty brat again, aren''t they? Did she wiggle her little butt and made the Ashford boy drool and promise to let her ck off again?"


    "He is quite desperate for her attention, I don''t think she had to use her butt for it," the baby-faced elder answered dryly. "We can pressure them to send her brackets now and remove one or two brackets from the next age group by saying Ken Sue must die and her presence is important. Felix will still have some face to say he removed some of her workload."


    "Fine, let''s do that. But I know she would avoid facing a strong opponent and go to kill weaklings instead; tell that little girl I will lend her my back and name against her n if she brings me Ken Sue''s head. Even better, I want his friends'' heads too."


    Gerald decided with a growl. If Vivienne were there and heard how the two decided to force a mission on her, she''d curse them in her mind for certain.


    -------


    Back at the valley, the sun was peeking above the smaller mountains, casting an orange light on the tform. The audience as well as the sects present were amazed by Ken''s group performance, Steve himself included.


    "Did you see that? Of course you did, because it was projected everywhere! I was so focused that I don''t even know if there were other battles taking ce on other parts of the tform! The easiness, the butchery, it''s like watching cultivators battling mortals, how can the difference in power be so vast?!"


    Steve''s shouts riled up the audience, making them cheer loudly. The project in the sky showed the image of five youths, all masking their faces in one way or another. Three stood on a t stone ground that seemed to stretch for kilometers while the other two were in the middle of a frozennd.


    Both groups had something inmon in their environment, and it was the endless pools of blood staining the ground in their proximity, thest evidence of their battles before their enemies'' bodies were teleported outside to be handled by their sects.


    Many murmurs could be heard on every mountain, a result of many cultivators discussing the same topic; why are Ken''s teammates so strong? Are they Ken''s teammates because they''re that strong, or are they so powerful because they''re Ken''s teammates?


    While it might not sound important, the answer would be life-changing. If it was the second option, it meant that Ken could create as many powerful cultivators as he wanted, and that''d break any kind of bnce in the continent.


    If the Serene Lotus Sect could mass-produce these geniuses, the other sects would be unable to fight back even if they united.


    Everyone understood what they had to do. This tournament was the graveyard of geniuses for a reason. Long ago, the twenty great sects had a tacit understanding; they all wanted to kill each other''s most prominent disciples, and that''s the only time they could without consequences. For the chance to kill others'' geniuses, they risked their own.


    If Ken would join the next age group as well, they all thought, he must be killed. For now, they only know about three geniuses, but who knows how many others there are in other brackets or not even in thepetition?


    "I wonder who the fifth member of Ken Sue''s team is! He must be as powerful as his teammates, but why isn''t he fighting? I''m told he is only at the fourth stage ording to outside observation, but can it be true?!" Steve pondered out loud while watching George standing inside Henry''s bell and looking around nervously at the barrage of attacks aimed at them.


    Ken''s group passed the next rounds easily, with everyone refusing to enter the arena whenever they were matched against Ken. There was no point in fighting a team that could kill hundreds, and there was nothing shameful about retreating when only death waited ahead.


    As the five returned home, four were silent and one acting smug despite contributing nothing, they found Grand Elder Yuhua waiting for them.


    "You may go. Here''s some reward for your contribution," Yuhua nodded at George and sent him away after tossing him a storage ring. Checking the contents of the ring, George''s eyes lightened up as he left hurriedly toward the Infinite Wisdom Sect''s market.


    "Ken Sue greets Grand Elder Yuhua."


    "ric Sonora greets Grand Elder Yuhua."


    "Henry Karras¡­"


    "Tiara cier¡­"


    The four disciples spoke together and bowed with their fists cupped. The five entered Ken''s tent for a better environment for conversation and privacy. While Yuhua could easily block any leakage with her domain, everyone would notice it.


    "How may I help you, Elder Yuhua?" Ken asked as they sat down around a luxurious wooden table he ced there when he first came to the mountain.


    "You four, you have great power. We usually only approach seventh-stage cultivators for inheritances, but I want you to leave behind your legacies in case something happens to you in the next bracket. Either that or give up on participating."


    "How many Immortal Qi Stones have we earned so far?" Ken asked before making his decision.


    "Ah," Yuhua forced a smile out, remembering her superior''s reaction when she calcted the numbers. The worst part was making the decision whether to send Ken out again in order to save their disciples'' lives and kill the enemies in exchange for the great price she would have to payter.


    "You have participated in five brackets so far, and killed 6572 enemies. With the price of 25 Immortal Qi Stones per head, you have earned 164,300 Immortal Qi Stones. Do you really need that many¡­?" Her voice contained even a hint of desperation when saying that number.


    "I do. I think that''s almost as much as I need, but I will participate in one more bracket in the next age group," Ken thought to himself as he estimated the number of Immortal Qi Stones he''d need to secure the replenishment of his Godly Qi while cultivating and supporting his threepanions'' cultivation.


    "Then I have to ask for your inheritances. They are too precious to be lost, and next time, even the Peaceful Demon Sect might try to kill you," Yuhua said.


    "Looting corpses is not allowed in thepetition, so I promise to write it down and ce it in my storage ring. If one of us dies, you can just get it from our rings, how does that sound?" Ken offered, unwilling to give away his techniques. If they force his hand, he''d give them an inferior version.


    "I guess that''s fine. I hope you''re aware this is only temporary, and you will be expected to take in disciples and pass your inheritance when you make it to the seventh stage one day. Our sect is not at the top because our members are selfish," Yuhua left with a warning hanging in the air.


    "I will remember your words," Ken told the disappearing back.


    He turned around to look at his threepanions. The three truly did not care about the politics of the sect or Ken''s agreements with others. ric would support Ken in every decision while the other two were fine with his arrangements as long as they benefit from it.


    "As you heard, this is going to be ourst fight, we will do it at the 2v2 bracket so we can spread out and collect as many bounties as possible," Ken told hispanions.


    At the same time, a certain gorgeous tinum-haired girl pouted when she found out she was sent to fight in all four brackets of the next age group, but suddenly an idea popped into her mind.

 Chapter 308 308 – The Sect Seeds Join the Competition

    Chapter 308  308 ¨C The Sect Seeds Join the Competition


    "Team Leader! Bad news! Four Seasons Sect sent their two sect seeds to this age group!"


    A panicking voice came out of Ken''smunication device while he was busy cultivating. He recognized George''s voice easily and smiled coldly at the news. He never had to worry about the sect seeds, after all, he had one of them in a tight leash.


    He had already done his research. There were only two sects with sect seeds under 120 years old on the continent currently. Among them, only the Four Seasons Sect had ones under 70 years old, meaning the others were never relevant.


    "Why are you panicking about it?" Ken asked. He disliked hearing George''s high-pitched voice.


    "How can you be so calm about it? Sect seeds are much more powerful than normal cultivators! Vivienne Ashford and Anwar Sand defeat their enemies easily! Anwar also makes sure to kill his enemies, disregarding their origins, while Vivienne lets them surrender. Oddly, she is even more aggressive toward the other sects than toward ours. But they''re bad news! She is at the sixth stage while he is at the peak of the fifth stage!"


    George spilled out all the information he knew as fast as he could. He was relieved his role in the tournament was over. Still, havinge to view himself, perhaps presumptuously, as part of Ken''s group, he didn''t want harm to befall his teammates.


    "Only at the peak of the fifth stage? Doesn''t he have any equals then?" Ken was surprised to learn that the second seed was so much behind Vivienne, still a major stage behind her. Of course, if he was the same age as Vivienne, he was only 30 years old, which made his cultivation speed amazing, but Ken had topare.


    "Yes, but his talent with Qi maniption is much better, and he got one of the best inheritances of his sect. He overpowers everyone else, and there are only a handful of other peak fifth-stage cultivators in this bracket. Almost everybody else is still at the high substage," George borated.


    "Fine, thank you for warning me. You don''t have to worry, we will be safe."


    Ken didn''t worry. Even if Anwar was strong for his stage, Ken was confident in his own skills, as well as the team techniques he had developed for himself and hispanions.


    As for Vivienne, she had a ve cor around her neck; now would be a good time to kill her off before she could break free from that cor since he had already made it to the Serene Lotus Sect safely. She was only a drawer n in case things went south and he''d be captured by the Four Seasons Sect.


    He was still curious to watch his potential enemies and left his tent, finding the blindfolded monk waiting alongside the icy princess and "the judge".


    "Did you also hear the news from George?" ric asked somewhat worriedly.


    "Yes, but you don''t have to worry. Let''s watch those seeds'' performance."


    --------


    On the battling tform, countless fights urred, each fighting for the attention of the crowd. However, the crowd had already picked their crowd favorites, none other than the two strongest fighters.


    On half of the projections, one could see a man walking on water, theke acting as his shield and weapon as it sent its water to fight every enemy he encountered, swallowing and constraining his opponents'' bodies. Anwarughed almost maniacally as he ignored their plight, executing them all.


    Even if the sects cooperated to take down the disciples of the Serene Lotus Sect, it did not mean that they were notpeting, and the confident young man did not believe he needed to cooperate with others, prompting him to take down everyone who wasn''t from the same sect as him.


    "Hahaha, who''s stronger than me now? Who has greater potential??" He asked andughed every time he shot a water bullet at his enemies, leaving a hole in their heads and chests.


    "Young Master Anwar, we are not your enemies, it''s just apetition, please let us surrender!" Some shouted while they tried to resist his attacks desperately as their tokens loaded the teleport.


    "The weak die, don''t me me for your weakness!" Anwar smiled as he relished his strength and trampled on the normal disciples.


    ''They think they can use me as a war weapon? That idiot girl might not see it because everyone licks her ass for being stronger than me, but I see it clearly.'' Anwar thought angrily as he dispatched another opponent.


    ''They look down on me for being weaker than her as if I''m a useless tool despite being far above any of my peers. I won''t let them discard me. Let them all die!'' Anwar''s face even distorted in his fury as he executed his opponents.


    He knew that killing members of his own sect would be crossing the line, so he avoided attacking the Four Seasons Sect''s disciples, but in his mind, he wished to attack them too. He hated how they all treated him as inferior to Vivienne.


    "It seems like the kids they told me I need to kill are not here, I was told they''d jump to the sky to find their favorite tforms, but nothing like that happened so far," he muttered to himself. "Oh well, I will just kill all the others." He shrugged and a wave of water suffocated another prey.


    While Anwar was going berserk with his Water Qi, Vivienne was busy in her own fights in the forest. She held a whip made of fire in her hand, and it was sent between the trees in long motions like a slithering snake.


    She utilized the whip for both attack and movement, flicking her wrist to make it wrap around a tree and pulling herself from branch to branch at high speed.


    ''Another enemy, huh. How bothersome, I''m making so much noise on purpose to make them run away yet they''re stupid enough to run into me for a fight,'' Vivienne sighed when another woman misunderstood her noises as ack of concealing ability and tried to approach Vivienne silently for an ambush.


    She lifted her second hand and a barrage of fire arrows was sent, threatening to burn everything in their path. The tform was meant to survive the heaviest blows of the strongest sect seeds, and runes inscribed wouldter cause the regrowth of all trees in the forest quarter.


    "AH! Lady Vivienne, I surrender!" The sneaking woman shouted when she realized who her opponent was. She quickly poured her Qi into her token, and Vivienne ceased her assault, letting the girl teleport away safely.


    "Is Ken here?" She wondered while scratching her neck unconsciously when the one who could be considered her owner came into her mind. However, there was no sign of him. She even tried to ask some of those she had defeated before they were teleported out, and none of them saw him or hispanions.


    The young woman was not sure if she wanted to meet Ken again or not. His actions were cruel and murderous. He never seemed bothered by the pools of blood he had created around him throughout thepetition. Yet something inside her told her she should go and see him.


    ''I must seek him if I want to stay alive anyway. Hismand doesn''t allow me to avoid helping him when I know he is in danger, and Anwar''s presence would put him in danger once they meet,'' Vivienne sighed and continued moving. As long as she moved, it could be considered that she was looking for Ken.


    -----------


    Ken and hispanions used the Divination Pool outside their tents. the tool had a fancy name, but it was just a device they had purchased at the Infinite Wisdom Sect''s market before the Martial Summit started to help them watch the fights. It was connected to the formations inscribed on the tform and projected in its water any scene they wanted.


    "Vivienne seems like a nice girl, she didn''t kill a single person so far," ric remarked, surprised.


    Tiara''s eyes seemed to linger on the woman''s face, and her fondness for beauty showed. "I think her beauty is equal to mine despite not cultivating a charm inheritance. Team Leader is the only one I''ve seen who is so naturally beautiful," shemented. While she loved beautiful things, she did feel a tinge of envy.


    Ken raised an eyebrow for a moment when he heard the way she addressed him, realizing that being in his presence had caused that change. After she witnessed his strength in person, she adopted ric''s way of addressing him.


    "Beauty is only a dress. The personality underneath is what''s important." Henrymented. Ken had no idea how the monk''s technique allowed him to see projections inside the water, but it seemed that the monk did not have any trouble observing the battles in his unique way.


    "Anwar is dangerous, he seems to be a crazed killer. Do we have a n to deal with him?" ric turned to Ken.


    "Yes. I will jump to the sky during the battle royale to pull his attention, you can leave this problem to me. You two can just take care of the enemies you run into naturally and avoid those two. They both don''t seem to bother with concealing."


    "What if they will be a pair? Can we handle both at the same time?" Tiara asked worriedly. She was Ken''s partner and preferred not to risk herself.


    "I count on it," Ken dered, his beautiful face forming a confident smirk that held no good intentions.

 Chapter 309 309 – Ken & Tiara vs. Anwar

    Chapter 309  309 ¨C Ken & Tiara vs. Anwar


    "Ladies and gentlemen, wee back to the Martial Arts Summit! Today is the time for the 2v2 bracket for the 40-49 age group. Will any of our previous stars make an appearance today?"


    The sun seemed to lift its head just high enough to look at the tform in the early morning hour, yet the cultivators were all fresh and full of energy as they listened to Steve''s voice reverberating across the valley.


    The said stars all stood in different regions of the area. Four stood at the base of the mountain upied by the Serene Lotus Sect with masked or veiled faces while the other two stood near the Four Seasons Sect.


    "Ok, they can''t beat our teamwork and friendship, there is nothing to worry about. Henry and I will head toward you as soon as we see you jump," ric said with confidence despite the excited shake in his arms. Every age group turned more dangerous than the previous, and this one could pose a serious threat to their lives.


    "Don''t, just explore your own area wherever you''re teleported to. You cane to us if you see me jump for the second time," Ken instructed. He didn''t want ric to be present while he manipted Vivienne through her cor.


    The zealot might consider Vivienne''s actions as backstabbing, which wouldn''t be a problem, but he also might see Ken''s actions as backstabbing Vivienne, and Ken preferred not to gamble on the way a madman''s mind worked.


    "Are you sure we don''t need their help?" Tiara asked in surprise. She did not want to face two sect seeds of much higher stages without even a numerical advantage.


    "I''m sure, it won''t be even a close fight," her team leader calmed her down as he fixed the golden demonic mask that covered his face. He soon felt a strong bloodlust surging through his veins, demanding death.


    -----------


    While Ken and his group were discussing the next round, the other two stars of thepetition also ''discussed'' their own ns.


    "I don''t know why I was paired with you, I can kill all four of thembined if I meet them. Don''t hold me back, I heard you couldn''t kill even a single personst round," Anwar, tanned and adorned in long flowing dark brown hair, said in disdain to his partner for the 2v2 bracket.


    "Don''t be too proud of your insanity, Anwar, I''m saddened to see you in your current state," Vivienne said, her porcin face revealing pity in her expression.


    "Don''t pretend to care! I will surpass you eventually, and I will see if you can look down on me that day," Anwar''s tone rose as soon as he recognized that pity.


    "Whatever. Remember, we only have four targets, you can''t kill the others," she said.


    "When did you turn so soft? You have killed entire ns when it was the required mission, what changed now?" The young man looked at her suspiciously. He never heard that Vivienne had any problem with killing. "Ken Sue might not jump to the sky confidently after we revealed ourselvesst round, we need to sprint through the tform and kill everything we see."


    "I''ve been enlightened on the value of life, now let''s just wait for thepetition to begin," The girl shrugged and stifled a yawn.


    ''Why am I stuck with this fucking idiot? They should treat his broken brain first,'' she cussed him in her mind.


    ---------


    "Let''s countdown for teleportation! Ten¡­ Nine¡­ Two¡­ One¡­ Fight!"


    When the crowd shouted ''fight'' along with thementator, the participants were all teleported to the fighting tform, and Ken found himself at the same ce he fought when he first stepped into the arena.


    "Good, we got the best quarter for me," Tiara felt better about fighting in the icy ins where her Ice Qi techniques were at their best.


    "Alright, you can take out those guys, I will jump to let everyone know of our position," Ken said and leaped, letting Tiara charm the two pairs nearby and create a hole in their chests with her favorite ice birds.


    He remained in the sky for a moment as he slowly descended, making sure everyone saw his shiny golden mask reflecting the sun. This time, only one sect took the challenge ¨C the Four Seasons Sect.


    While everyone wanted to hunt Ken Sue down, they all knew who else would be charging there, and Anwar was blindly killing everyone. Many sects have set their eyes on Anwar and Vivienne by now, but they wouldn''t send their disciples after him in this age group but in the next one.


    "What am I seeing?! It''s Ken Sue, and he is provoking Anwar Patel and Vivienne Ashford, are we going to watch a sh between the giants of thepetition so far?"


    Many of the projections focused on Ken as he was in the air, slowly returning to the ground. Other projections switched to Vivienne and Anwar, showing the duo sprinting through the water tform after pinpointing Ken''s location.


    "They are going to meet in forty minutes! They both ignore the other participants as if they are of no importance, and it seems like nobody has a problem with it!" Steve remarked, making the audience jeer at the scared disciples who backed away from the area.


    Ken and Tiara could see the enemy disciples escape in the distance due to the clear sight provided by the endless ice but they did nothing to chase after them. They only waited in ce, and since they could not hear Steve''sments, they could not know when their targets would arrive.


    They waited patiently, and indeed, two figures jogged toward them before long. The four recognized each other and entered a face-off, standing two dozen meters apart.


    "You must be Ken Sue and Kara, you''ve caused many problems to my sect, but you made a stupid decision by letting me know where you are," Anwar said with a wide smirk. He was in no rush to battle, he wanted to enjoy the death of a genius.


    "Are you going to surrender?" Vivienne asked the two of them, her calm demeanor contrasting with the beastly behavior of her partner. Her back was straight, her hair fluttering behind her in the cold wind, and her expression showed rxation.


    "Don''t offer them to surrender! They are the only ones we must kill without negotiation!" Anwar hissed at her, his eyebrows frowned in annoyance.


    "I''m sorry, but I have no idea who you are," Ken lied, causing a light carve of amusement on Tiara''s cherry red lips. The two easily discerned Anwar''s anxiety for attention, and the response they expected to elicit indeed happened.


    "Huh? You don''t know me? I''m ANWAR, THE SECT SEED!" The tanned man shouted and charged at them.


    "Stupid, don''t let them provoke you, he obviously knows you!" Vivienne sighed and watched the fight unfold without trying to help. She couldn''t attack Ken anyway.


    The ice was melted into water as Anwar tried to take control of his environment and a wave was formed, raging toward Ken and Tiara.


    "It''s a fight! Anwar the sect seed against the Deadly Couple!" Steve announced outside, and the battle was highlighted in the projections, covered by multiple angles.


    "Let''s fight, Tiara. Support me by weakening his water techniques." Ken instructed and thedyplied. She was ready to act from the very beginning, and her actions were not dyed by a single moment.


    Her Ice Qi attacked the wave, freezing it and making it fall apart. She did not destroy it entirely, but she significantly weakened it. While Tiara was confident in fighting peak fifth-stage cultivators on equal grounds and even having the upper hand, sect seeds were much more powerful than the other elites, even allowing them to fight someone at a higher major stage.


    ''One Step,'' Ken burst through the leftovers of the cave directly by coating himself with Sword Qi and Sword intent, catching his opponent by surprise.


    ''sh Unwind.'' Ken''s sword shed at a high speed as he unsheathed it, threatening to decimate everything in its path. The direction curved before the end, making it difficult to intercept and block.


    With astonishment and momentarily fear written all over his face, Anwar propelled himself away with a st of air and tried to use the few drops of water in his proximity to defend himself. The sword was too swift, and despite trying to retreat as soon as he recognized Ken passing through his wave, he still took on a deep cut in his abdomen.


    "Argh! FUCK! How can you be so strong at the early phase of your stage?!" Anwar swore and gritted his teeth to resist the pain. As a cultivator, he was subjected to a lot of pain during the natural course of cultivating, and he had no problem blocking the wound and ignoring the injury for now.


    "You shouldn''t look down on your enemies. You''re still young and inexperienced," Ken'' face seemed emotionless under the mask, enraging him further.


    "YOU''RE ELEVEN YEARS OLD, DON''T TRY TO TALK TO ME ABOUT MATURITY!" His sect already got all the information there was to get from the Sue n, and having a child look down on him irked him to no end.


    They were surrounded by disciples of the Four Seasons Sect who did not dare approach them and remained watching from the back, ready to aid their representatives in case Ken somehow tried to escape or managed to win.


    ''Airpression,'' Anwar muttered and bubbles of air began topress around Ken. Touching them would be enough to leave a hole in his body.


    "Let''s see you dash through these, hahaha!" The manughed loudly and pulled out his hammer, his favorite weapon.

 Chapter 310 310 – Ken & Tiara vs. Anwar 2/2

    Chapter 310  310 ¨C Ken & Tiara vs. Anwar 2/2


    "Let''s see you dash through these, hahaha!" Anwarughed loudly and pulled out his hammer, his favorite weapon.


    Ken looked around him at the many translucent bubbles formed by Air Qi before returning his indifferent gaze back to his enemy. With his mask on, he could only see prey in front of him.


    "Cheap tricks," Ken said and swung his sword down.


    ''sh, 81 in 81.''


    ''One Step.''


    Executing those two techniques together, Ken dashed forward. Each sh took down one bubble, clearing his path to his enemy again.


    Tiara did not stay idle either. With a graceful pirouette that captured her enemy''s attention, she raised her arm, making the man''s eyes follow its movement with unfocused eyes. As soon as her arm reached over her shoulder, multiple icebergs also came out of the ground, trying to impale her enemy. The only direction free of icebergs was the one Ken came from.


    Sensing the immediate danger, Anwar awoke from his stupor, and his face revealed a hint of dread when he realized Ken was ready to attack again. He brandished his hammer, and a st of air in the hammer''s back made the weapon fly at incredible speed as if he were wielding a light sword.


    His technique was not over, and twelve ethereal hammers appeared around him, rotating at a high speed before being shot away when the centrifugal force could not keep them in their course anymore. Nine icebergs and the hammers destroyed each other, while Ken had to face the weight of the remaining three.


    ''Cloud Running.''


    He switched movement technique and his body twisted like a snake''s, dodging two hammers just barely while leaving him in front of the third. Luckily, at the fifth stage, he could use his Qi much more freely thanks to the support of the nascent soul.


    He did not bother to execute a technique and wasterge amounts of Qi for a single hammer, and just hacked it with his sword, cleaving it in half. Looking forward, he saw that their opponent already pulled back, opening distance between them to allow himself breathing space.


    "Argh, you will pay for this, bitch!" Anwar barked at the seductress, frustrated by the fact he fell for her charm. In his trance, his reaction was dyed, and an iceberg pierced his calf.


    "Your attacks are like poison, it''s lowly!" he said as he isted the Ice Qi in his veins. He was already busy suppressing Ken''s raging Sword Qi, and now he had more trouble to worry about.


    "Do you need help?" Vivienne asked him from behind, mainly for formality''s sake. A short nce at her revealed she already pulled afortable chair out of her storage ring.


    "No, I just underestimated them. I will go all out now," Anwar growled. He held his hammer in two arms and brought it down, hitting the ice so heavily that cracks formed in a radius of over a hundred meters.


    ''Land of Geysers.''


    Steam blew out of the ice cracks, prompting Ken and Tiara to step back while looking around them cautiously. The ground trembled, and the two felt condensed movements underneath their feet.


    "Dodge."


    Ken and Tiara jumped to the side when multiple geysers burst out of the ice, sending a violent stream of water and hot steam that reached the sky.


    "These geysers have Hammer Qi imbued in them, be careful," Ken warned his partner as the two jumped on shards of ice. The ice in had melted, and hot water kept being generated underground before shooting a new geyser that could break half of their bones upon contact.


    "What''s the n?" The icy princess asked. Her Ice Qi was spreading out of her body constantly, fixing the ice and allowing her to slide over it in a beautiful dance as she dodged the iing attacks.


    "We can engage him. He is only at the fifth stage, his mind has not been strengthened yet, which means his concentration and thinking power are limited. He has to iste our invasive Qi, stop his blood from draining out of his body, and prevent his intestines from falling through the hole in his stomach," Ken pointed out his observation.


    "Then it means that such a big attack needs a lot of concentration as well, and he can''t do much more beyond that. I guess you could call it a mind game, let''s overload him," Tiara smiled under her veil when she understood the right way to battle their enemy.


    Ken was still holding back, keeping his Bloodlust techniques secret. If he so wished, he could inflict an additional deep wound on his enemy by taking him by surprise with the Paralysis technique, however, he preferred getting used to working with Tiara as a team.


    Besides, if he finds outter that he was over-reliant on the ve cor around Vivienne''s neck and she had already managed to break out of it, it could be his trump card to take her down.


    The woman was dangerous, even extremely so; when he was at the peak of the fourth stage, he barely managed to beat her when her power and senses were heavily restricted. Now that she was in peak condition, a fair fight with her almost seemed impossible to win.


    "Exactly, let''s go," he confirmed.


    ''Ice Shard Barrage.''


    Tiara pointed her saber upwards and the misting out of the geyser turned into hundreds of tiny sharp ice des. They rained down at her enemy, trying to puncture him until nothing was left.


    "That''s not enough to beat me!" Anwar spat and a few geysers rose in front of him, creating a wall of water that blocked all the shards.


    "There''s still more, don''t celebrate yet," Tiara said viciously. Even her speech was meant to force him to speak. Every additional action he made came with the cost of his avable concentration, also known as working memory.


    "Bring it on!"


    Ice shards formed from all his directions this time, forcing him to surround himself with geysers. He did not want to reduce the pressure on his enemies, forcing him to stand in ce while he manipted dozens of geysers at the same time.


    Ken, not forgetting to fulfill his part in this battle, twirled as if he had no bones to pass through another geyser, and sent a heavy sh at the wall of water.


    ''sh, 81 in 1.''


    The attack cut through the water, creating a gap in the stream. Ken''s heaviest attack was nothing to scoff at.


    "Break!" the older man usedpressed air to bounce his hammer at a rapid speed at the sh, meeting it head-on. A loud gong of metals sh reverberated around them, and Anwar was pushed out of his geysers'' protection.


    "Was that enough to beat you?" Ken said, his young voice serving to agitate his opponent further and make him act hastily.


    "Damn it!"


    Anwar had to stop the geyser behind him when he was pushed back toward it, but while he stumbled behind it, he pushed his palm forward and touched the water next to him.


    "AH!" Two pained groans were heard almost at the same time. Anwar was one when multiple shards touched his skin. They could not prate his armor of condensed Air Qi, but their explosions scattered frost through his skin like toxic.


    The other groan belonged to Tiara; when Anwar touched the geyser with his palm, six water shots were fired from the geysers, one from the tip of every finger and a bigger one from the center of the palm.


    The enchantress couldn''t dodge in time and two of the smaller shots pierced through her shoulder, leaving two bloody holes behind. Her left arm was hung from her shoulder, proof that the shot had hit the bone.


    "Hahaha, there''s going to be more of that!" Anwar tried to take advantage of Tiara''s pain to continue his attacks, and with a wing motion, tens of water bullets were discharged from the tips of his fingers.


    "Nice trick, but it can''t work more than once," Ken stood between them and his flexible sword jumped at a speed that even Vivienne could not perceive. The attack was weak, and its main purpose was to take out with its speed an enemy who wasn''t focused on the battle because of sudden pain.


    "I have already dispelled the foreign Qi from the first attacks on me, you''re not going to have it easy anymore," Anwar threatened. He took a fighting pose with his hammer held in his two hands, ready to engage in battle again.


    *SWISH!*


    A sharp whistle passed right next to Ken''s ear, and he felt coldness that froze the left side of his face in the split second it passed next to him. Surprised, he realized that Tiara hadunched an ice attack with far more power than he believed she had.


    ''Intent! That''s what she did during the bracket she stayed behind!''


    The world seemed to move in slow motion, and everyone''s eyes were glued to the captivating arc of the sh that came out of the enchantress'' saber. Ken, Anwar, Vivienne, and the Four Seasons Sect members that surrounded them. Nobody could resist the appeal.


    "No!"


    Anwar saw an illusion in front of him; the attack took the form of beautiful rainbows in his mind, something that he must not harm or resist. However, he knew better than to sumb to beautiful fantasies.


    When he snapped out of his reveries, he could only swing the hammer while coating it with as much Qi as he could muster. There was not enough time to execute a technique of his own.


    The hammer and the long-range attack met each other, and the intent behind the frost covered the man in ice from toe to head.


    "That''s enough."


    A beautiful figure with long tinum hair stood before the ice sculpture.

 Chapter 311 311 – Viviennes Offer

    Chapter 311  311 ¨C Vivienne''s Offer


    The hammer and the long-range attack met each other, and the intent behind the frost covered the man in ice from toe to head.


    "That''s enough."


    A beautiful figure with long tinum hair stood before the ice sculpture. She looked at her partner and shook her head with a sigh. They used to be friends as children, each of them was the only real friend of the other.


    However, their personalities changed because of the treatment they received in the sect, and it was even harder on Anwar who turned violent and developed anger issues due to the pressure he was under as the weaker seed.


    "Hello, Fairy, are you going to fight us?" Ken asked in curiosity. He was unsure if the fact she stood in his way meant that she had found a way to free herself from the very cor.


    "Oh, that couldn''t be, don''t you already know it?" She smiled and casually moved her finger over her neck. While others wouldn''t pick up anything strange about it, Ken knew she was pointing at the cor.


    "Then why are you standing in my way?"


    "I have an offer for you, will you listen to it?" The beautiful woman said mysteriously and walked toward Ken, getting closer in small steps. "But I want to tell you in secret, without letting the spectators hear it."


    "Break your right arm."


    "Argh!" Vivienne grunted in pain, holding the broken arm in her left hand. "What was that for?" She asked with a spiteful gaze.


    "You want to get close to me, I was just ensuring my safety," Ken shrugged, unbothered by the painful expression on her face. "You maye now, what do you want to tell me?"


    "You could have just ordered me not to harm you, damn it." The pain caused some of her vulgarity toe out before she gathered her act together. "Let me prevent any type of listening," she raised her arm and formed a small dome around them made of Wind Qi. It blocked all sound from exiting or entering, silencing the area entirely.


    Ken could only sense a strong intent imbued in the element, probably somehow blocking the transmission of the formations. Rather than speaking, he just waited for her to tell him what she wanted. She was already dead in his eyes, so he saw it as granting a final wish to a dying woman.


    "Let me join you. For real, as apanion and a friend," Vivienne said, making Ken raise his eyebrows in surprise.


    "Why should I trust you?"


    "You were right, I''m just a tool and a weapon in my sect. Look at Anwar ¨C he lost his mind and became mentally unstable because of the istion we went through there. Even those who wanted a good rtionship with the seeds came to me while leaving him alone because of my superior cultivation. I don''t want to end up like him."


    Ken pondered on her words for a while, unsure whether to trust her or not. ''Let''s try to ask her.'' He believed she was still under the effect of the very cor due to the decisive way she broke her own arm when he told her to.


    "Speak only the truth. Do you have an ulterior motive?"


    "I just want to be free. I heard the Serene Lotus Sect''s disciples do as they wish, and I heard you also moved there to run from your sect. I''m a promising cultivator who can be useful to the sect for sure, so this is a win-win situation." She spoke urgently, knowing that it was looking bad to both sides from the outside.


    "And what is your n if I say yes?" Ken asked, intrigued. Vivienne was indeed a good asset.


    "You will surrender, and I will hold your hand when the token teleports you outside, this way, we will be both sent to the side of your sect, and I can easily cut the connection between me and my token."


    Ken didn''t take long to understand she wanted him to surrender in order to move out as soon as possible to be under the protection of the Serene Lotus Sect. If they dyed and the Four Seasons Sect suspected treason, they could easily intervene and capture her.


    As long as they don''t interfere in battles of others or harm other disciples, the other sects would let it slide. After all, there are 18 sects that hope the girl will die no matter which side she is on.


    "Fine. The Four Seasons Sect is already our enemy, so the Serene Lotus Sect might take you in, however, I can''t promise that they will. If they decide it''s better to kill you or sell you back to your sect, there will be nothing I can do as a fifth-stage cultivator." Ken made sure to warn her about the consequences of her actions. It was a gamble that she might win, but also one she might lose.


    "That''s fine by me, I know the risk. However, I heard the sect epted a few more disciples because of your demands, it means they at least respect your opinion." Vivienne disyed the long reach of her sect''s intelligence, repeating some of the facts she had learned from Felix. ''Besides, aren''t you going to kill me now anyway? It''s better to take a gamble,'' she grumbled in her mind but kept it in.


    "Good, then make sure to do something that would make our elders believe you''re sincere."


    Tiara, who had kept silent all this time since she didn''t understand what was going on or how Ken and the sect seed of the Four Seasons Sect knew each other, finally spoke.


    "Then it means we are going to let her attack us? How can you be so sure she won''t take this chance to kill us?" She was bothered by their agreement. The few seconds it took for the token to activate were enough for the elders of the Four Seasons Sect to intervene, which meant they''d have to do a convincing y.


    "She has to obey my words, we are safe," Ken exined shortly, "You must not use an attack that can risk our lives, cripple us, or deal any kind of long-term damage," he told the tinum-haired woman.


    A spark lightened in Tiara''s eyes when she remembered the day in the secret realm when they imed the prizes in the final stage of the Labyrinth of Blood. Everything finally clicked, including Ken''s confidence in dealing with the enemy''s sect seeds.


    One of the rewards, she recalled, was a very cor that allowed someone to control other cultivators, and Ken purchased it back then with the righteous words of "making sure it doesn''t fall into the wrong hands."


    "I see. There is no problem then."


    Their conversation took almost half a minute, and everyone outside was intrigued as to the content of it. Unluckily for them, Vivienne''s technique blocked it all. The elders of both sects watched it with squinted eyes and suspicion, confused about the unexpected events.


    Anwar was still frozen solid by their side, and none of the other disciples of the Four Seasons dared toe closer before their strongest representative''s situation became clearer. If Anwar was strong enough to ughter them, Vivienne could crush them like flies.


    The veil of wind cast by Vivienne was reduced, and the three figures stood in a face-off.


    "Are they going to fight now? Did theye to some sort of agreement? What''s going on?!" Steve shouted, echoing everyone''s thoughts. The suspense was so thick it could be felt in the air as if it were tangible.


    "I''m sorry Ken Sue, but please die for me and for my sect," Vivienne said in a soft voice that could be heard clearly, making the elders of the Four Seasons Sect rx with a smile. They could always find out what they were talking aboutter when she came back.


    At that moment, the woman known as the tinum me Maiden disappeared from her ce and reappeared in front of Ken and Tiara. Her fists, covered with Wind Qi, connected with their abdomens, sending her flying and spitting blood.


    ''Her speed! It''s at least as fast as my One Step technique!'' Ken thought in astonishment. It was the first time he witnessed someone under the seventh stage replicate his dashing speed. He practically moved so fast it could be considered teleporting, and the only weakness was the predictability of a straight line, which allowed his enemies to react to it sometimes.


    "Tiara, we are leaving!" Ken shouted and the two used their tokens to get teleported outside. However, there were still a few seconds remaining until the token activated and took them away.


    "You cannot escape!" Their opponent said and chased after them, sending a shy barrage of attacks that Ken and Tiara could barely block. They were umting shallow wounds to their skin and flesh, bleeding from various spots in their bodies.


    "We just need to hold on 3 more seconds!" Ken''s voice contained resolution and determination to survive. The spectators could hear their hearts beat fast and loud in expectation. Some were biting their nails as they waited to see the final oue.


    "Our fairy must remain alive! Don''t kill Kara!"


    "Don''t kill Ken Sue!"


    "Death!"


    All kinds of opinions and desires echoed from the crowd, rooting for Ken''s side or just cheering for blood.


    "3¡­ 2¡­" Steve counted, his voice shaking. Almost no projection showed different battles. Everyone held their breaths to see the final result. The audience soon understood his intentions and counted down with him.


    However, at 2, something strange happened. The battle suddenly paused, and Vivienne straightened her back, looking at the many fellow disciples surrounding her. If someone looked closely, they might have found a hint of pity in her eyes.


    ----------


    A/N:


    We are heading towards a long time skip. I thought to fill it with a volume about Aaron, Ken''s little brother. Tell me in thements what you think - Aaron volume, or just do the time skip and and integrate the most important parts of Aaron''s story in the main story.

 Chapter 312 312 – Switching Sides

    <h4>Chapter 312 Chapter 312 ¨C Switching Sides</h4>


    However, at 2, something strange happened. The battle suddenly paused, and Vivienne straightened her back, looking at the many fellow disciples surrounding her. If someone looked closely, they might have found a hint of pity in her eyes.


    "I, Vivienne Ashford, am tired of the constant oppression and detention I go through in the Four Seasons Sect, and ask for asylum within the Serene Lotus Sect. As a token of sincerity, I will treat my past fellow disciples as any other contenders in the contest."


    As soon as she said it, she waved her hand arge wave of fire, an unbearable explosion, swept through the ice tform. Everything exploded as all hell broke loose, and screams could be heard throughout the valley.


    Disciples tried to defend themselves, execute their techniques, or just coat themselves with all the Qi they could muster, yet it was all for naught. Vivienne wasn''t known as the tinum me Maiden for nothing. Her mes were deadly, and the disciples disintegrated into ashes in a single second.


    "What are you doing?!" Elder Gerald''s deep voice raged from above, slicing through the barrier that isted the tform from the noises and sights of the mountains around the valley. His voice was strong enough to make almost everyone cease their battles and look up in confusion, but it was toote for those facing Vivienne''s fire.


    He already left his seat and levitated above the dome, taking a second to contemte whether to barge inside against the rules or not. The situation took such an unexpected turn that he did not know how to react, and Ken''s token countdown ended.


    Before he vanished, he used one step to appear by Vivienne''s side and grabbed her hand, teleporting the two of them out of the arena into his sect''s territory.


    "You love bringing us trouble, huh?" He heard La''s voice grumbling in his ears, but he just shrugged since he couldn''t do anything about it.


    "Please help us out, she is trustworthy," Ken said. He knew his opinions were valued because of his endless contributions to the sect. His theories in Alchemy and Formation Mastery developed the sect''s knowledge in these fields to a new level when it came to the fourth and fifth ranks, making it much easier to produce better pills and train new alchemists to these ranks.


    "Fine. You better be able to exin yourselfter," the elder said. She sighed and stepped into the sky to face the livid elder of the other side.


    "GIVE US OUR DISCIPLE, HAND HER OVER!" Gerald screamed in fury while standing above the Serene Lotus Sect''s mountain. The news was told in short to the HQ of both sects, and every other sect, and dozens of elders were on their way to the scene.


    "We apologize. Your disciple has asked for asylum after being abused in your sect, do you want us to be heartless and hand over a powerless woman?" La asked in a tone that sent chills in the spines of the listeners.


    "Don''t mess around with me! A powerless woman wouldn''t butcher her fellow disciples, she had killed at least a hundred of them!" Gerald gritted his teeth in anger as he spat out his words. He could not believe the incident happened under his watch.


    "She simply wanted to show us that she treats them as other contenders in thepetition, so she attacked them. I''m certain that in her unstable emotional state, she sent an attack without expecting them to be weak to the point of being unable to handle a single technique with a hundred of them working together," La exined, highlighting the horror and stress the poor girl must have been under because of her oppressors, while using the chance to mock the rest of the Four Seasons Sect''s disciples.


    "Bullshit! She massacred her fellow disciples, she deserves death! Are you going to intervene in another sect''s internal problems now? Does the Serene Lotus Sect think it can terrorize the continent with its strength?" Gerald spoke in a threatening voice, but he didn''t take a step toward the mountain.


    His sect only sent eighth-stage cultivators while La was at the ninth stage. The Serene Lotus Sect expected trouble to happen since there were many people who wanted Ken dead, hence, they sent La to keep the situation stable. Normally, ninth-stage cultivators didn''t leave their seclusions to deal with such earthly matters.


    "Like I said, what kind of a cruel person would I be if I abandoned a scared girl looking for help? I promise that my Serene Lotus Sect will look into the matter objectively and unbiasedly. We will interrogate the little girl and give back a satisfactory exnation to the great twenty sects. However, we must not look away when we hear of cruelty unbing of a righteous sect. I only hope that the Four Seasons Sect can revise their ways and be a safe ce for their own disciples."


    La''s words turned Gerald''s face red with anger. Vivienne''s words before she went rogue were meant exactly for that purpose. She wanted to give the elders of the Serene Lotus Sect an excuse for their behavior to prevent the other sects from having a reason to unite against the first-ranked sect.


    Nobody even watched the rest of the round anymore, which was progressing rapidly toward closure. The disciples, Henry and ric included, were oblivious to the events taking ce outside, and despite being confused when Gerald''s voice prated the arena, they just continued to fight normally when they saw nothing happening.


    "We will remember this, Serene Lotus Sect. Don''t think you can act willfully in the Verdant Qi continent. The great twenty sects are not a joke, and the Serene Lotus Sect better learn this sooner rather thanter, or you might bring destruction upon yourselves."


    "Are you threatening us? You should know by now that my Serene Lotus Sect does not like threats. The great sects will not follow you blindly to death only because of your greed and evil deeds toward your own disciples. The Four Seasons Sect better take a step back and stop embarrassing itself," La growled at him, silencing him with a threat of her own.


    Gerald, although frustrated, took a step back, knowing he was not La''s match. ''This will be the other elders'' problem when they get here,'' he thought bitterly, knowing he was going to get scolded for losing a sect seed when watching the tournament was his duty.


    Since he could do nothing for now, he picked up Anwar''s frozen body from the outskirts of the tform and returned to his tent. Vivienne knew that she could kill the other disciples saying she saw them as opponents, but killing Anwar would be murdering her own teammate, something she would not be able to make excuses for.


    Thepetition continued normally with ric and Henry taking the first ce, and silence reigned supreme in the valley. The audience''s mountains were empty, and Steve did not dare say a single word. Even most of the disciples of the various sects have evacuated to behind the mountains, Ken and hispanions included. His new recruit was not there, and he did not know what arrangement La had for her.


    The reason was the hundreds of elders of the Supremacy Phase levitating in the area as if everyone was looking for a signal to go to war.


    "Elder La, what is the meaning of this? Why are you shielding our traitors?" A ninth-stage elder of the Four Seasons Stage spoke. Over three hundred elders surrounded them, each wearing robes with one of twenty-five embroideries on their shoulders. Even the unranked sects had called their elders.


    "Like I already said, this poor girl had asked for asylum due to the suffering she goes through in the Four Seasons Sect. It saddens me that a righteous sect like yourselves gets into a situation where one of your most talented disciples is desperate to run away."


    "Are you sure you want to shield her? Everyone has set their eyes on your sect for having a few disciples as strong as seeds, can you handle the bacsh of having so many people who can affect the power bnce of our continent?"


    "I''m sure, now take your seat and watch the next battles. The Martial Arts Summit cannot be stopped because of disputes or some of your elders will get a heart attack soon for breaking all the oaths we took."


    "Fine, I hope your sect is ready to bear with the consequences when the tournament is over then."


    With this final threat, everyone returned to their tents. The tension between the sides was so strong that the sensation of danger did not leave any of the people present.


    "Steve, where are you going? Go back to your post as thementator of the event, we have paid you to do this job."


    La''s voice froze the escaping man in his spot. He could only chuckle nervously and return as ordered. He was not even in the Supremacy Phase, and was not affiliated with any sect, which was the normal standard for thementators of the event. The sects did not want someone who would favor one sect over the other in that position.


    The disciples of all the sects were returning slowly to their mountains, ready to participate in the next rounds out ofck of choice.


    "Let the Martial Arts Summit continue with all its glory¡­" Steve mumbled nervously.


    "Is that what we paid for?" La asked in a stern tone, her voice echoing throughout the valley loud and clear.


    "Let the Martial Arts Summit continue with all its glory!" He forced out an excited shout this time.


    -------


    A/N: Just reminding you that I will update only 4 chapters a week in November.

 Chapter 313 313 – Challenging the Great Sects

    Chapter 313  313 ¨C Challenging the Great Sects


    "Before the next round, apparently, we have news you have been waiting for! The unranked Mysterious Mountain Sect is challenging a ranked sect using the token it had earned in previous brackets!"


    Amidst the chaos, there seemed to be people who wanted to take advantage of it. The righteous sects did not like changes, and they''d usually manipte the situation from behind the scenes to fail anybody who tried to ruin the existing order. The fact that the great twenty sects did not change in the past thousands of years testified for that better than anything else.


    While everyone was interested in the challenge, two beautifuldies sat next to each other at the summit of the Serene Lotus Sect. One had a tanned skin that indicated she had been honing her skills outside for a long time, while the other had a whiter color, with light yellow tones.


    "Elder La, do you know where those five sects came from?" Yuhua asked the tanned woman by her side.


    "I believe they are¡­ old friends of ours. They did not materialize out of nowhere, and many of their disciples'' skills remind me of the famous techniques of the top ten evil sects. Some, on the other hand, remind me of the Qiteria Continent''s techniques, many of them even exist in our very sect."


    "Evil cultivators? If so, why aren''t we banning them from the contest and hunting them down?" Yuhua asked while raising one leg and putting it on top of the other, her pose says anything but tension.


    "Because we do not know their ns yet, and we do not have proof yet. Anyway, unless they think they can challenge us, they can be useful; I''m sure the reason they popped out now is the tensions between the great sects. I expect we will have a vote soon on whether to support them, and our troublesome members will probably vote for it."


    La smiled as she shook her head when she remembered some of the quirkier elders of the Serene Lotus Sect. Her red hair moved from side to side with her head''s movements, looking like a flowing river ofva. Even if they wanted to challenge the Serene Lotus Sect, first, they''d have to be in the top twenty for the right to do so.


    "Hmm," Yuhua only hummed in response while thinking about the situation. For now, the Serene Lotus Sect faced neen hostile sects, although the level of hostility differed between the various sects.


    If the Serene Lotus Sect insisted on letting the unranked sects challenge the others and they won, they''d have five fewer enemies, and perhaps five allies that could shift the threat back to the other sects.


    In the end, no matter what kind of war they were going into, the great twenty sects had to make sure their overall power was significantly higher than the five kingdoms of the smaller continent by the end of it, or else the oppressor would be the oppressed, and the resources of the Verdant Qi continent would be snatched by their enemies.


    The Serene Lotus Sect could now choose whether to prefer certainty and cooperate with the other sects to keep the evil sects away, or feign ignorance and support the evil sects, allowing them to get a foothold on the continent, which could be a dangerous gamble.


    "Yeah, they''ll probably choose the risky option," Yuhua nodded when she finished reviewing the different options in her mind.


    It''s not that the elders of the Serene Lotus Sect wanted to give legitimacy to the evil sects, but they were selfish enough to do it for their benefit before going to hunt the evil cultivators down after the other things settled. Their risk-taking tendencies were the reason they were at the top, and it was a necessary characteristic for a sect that specialized in stealing others'' specializations.


    "But for now, everyone will just watch what the evil cultivators are capable of. The first sect they will choose¡­ will be sacrificed for the sake of probing those new sects."


    While they talked, a big burly man stood in the sky, and his aura was made clear to everyone. He radiated the overwhelming power of a ninth-stage cultivator, raising an instinctive sense of danger and fear in the weaker cultivators'' hearts.


    "I, Tai Anderson of the esteemed Mysterious Mountain Sect, ask to challenge the sixteenth-ranked sect, the Myriad Beasts Sect!" He said in a clear and loud voice that everyone could hear.


    "As par with traditions, we will guide this challenge with our authority as the top five sects." Five ninth-stage elders appeared in the sky above the valley. Each of them had a different symbol, each belonging to another top-five sect. Their role was to guide the contest now as it was out of Steve''s capabilities given the power of the participants.


    They looked at each other before a blue-wearing elder with the embroidery of a sword on his shoulder spoke, "The Myriad Beasts Sect has 24 hours to assemble its elders and answer the challenge. We ask a representative of the sect toe forth and set the time they need."


    It didn''t take too long for the said sect to respond, and a short man with a shaved face had leaped to a face-off with the burly challenger.


    "I''m Grand Elder Tony Gurira of the Myriad Beasts Sect. We have 30% of our sect''s elders here. If the challenger agrees to a challenge on a 30% basis, we can start now."


    Tony''s suggestion meant that the two of them would take an oath that they would only use 30% of their sect''s elders, and would engage inpetition with the numbers they had avable instead of calling all the avable elders to participate.


    "Sure, that''s fine by me. But are your pets here?" Tai asked with a hint of mockery in his smirk.


    "We have those we need. They are our partners." Tony spoke coldly, not caring for the tease in Tai''s words. His sect was specializing in rearing beasts, and almost every disciple and elder there had a beastly partner by their side. The cost, of course, was their weaker fighting strength when separated from their beast partners.


    "Rivalry is good, it encourages us to rise higher than our peers," the elder from the Serene Lotus Sect said. It was not La, but a man who hade to back her up in case of a fight. "However, let''s not waste everyone''s time and let the challenge begin. Elders of both sides are asked to assemble here."


    In response to the man''s call, about 132 elders stepped to the sky. Forty of them had the symbol of a tiger, snake, and rhino heads on their shoulders, the symbol of the Myriad Beasts Sect, while the other 92 were adorned with robes embroidered with mountains.


    "That''s impossible! Are you telling me that an unranked sect has more Supremacy Phase cultivators than we do?" Tony shouted in protest, knowing it wasn''t possible. He wasn''t stupid; he understood that those were evil cultivators who kept their existence secret until now, and he knew that the other sects were using them to probe those neers.


    "This is indeed hard to believe. Elder Tai, you must take an oath that your sect will not send more than 30% of its elders, and of course, so does Elder Tony," the elder of the Divine Sword Sect took back the role of hosting the event.


    "I swear that the Myriad Beasts Sect will not send more than 30% of its elders, and that there are no elders promoted, hired, poached, or recruited for the purpose of inting our numbers." Tony took the lead to swear first in order to set a standard for the oath.


    "I swear that the Mysterious Mountain Sect¡­" With a smile on his face, Tai repeated the same oath himself without any hesitation.


    The agreement of the ten evil sects was to truly fuse two sects into one, knowing that there would be oaths including such conditions. They made sure to keep the matter "clean" from any dirt that could be prevented by oaths. Besides, they had to remain united to keep their spots at the topter.


    "Good. In the name of the great twenty sects, if we find outter you had found a loophole in the oath and took advantage of it, the rest of the continent wille together to destroy you. Knowing that, do you want to revoke your challenge? This is yourst chance to change your mind."


    "We would like to continue. Our consciousness is clear, and we have no reason to regret our choice." Tai spoke resolutely, exuding an air of confidence. He did not let the presence of the top five sects affect him.


    "Good," the elder of the Divine Sword Sect nodded. "The Supremacy Phase is about strength and absolute control. We normally respect a more straightforward approach when ites toparing strengths in those stages. Although you canpete in any way you see fit, we rmend solving it directly in battle."


    ''This asshole wouldn''t give up on using us to probe their strengths!'' This thought crossed the heads of many of the present elders from the Myriad Beasts Sect. By demanding a head-on battle, the sects wanted to gauge the evil sect''s strength and estimate the others as having equal value.


    "The challenger may offer the format of the challenge, but I rmend using battle royale across stages or elimination rounds of one versus one battle."


    The two sects took a few seconds to think about their answers.

 Chapter 314 314 – A Duel Between Seventh-Stage Cultivators

    Chapter 314  314 ¨C A Duel Between Seventh-Stage Cultivators


    After taking a bit of time to consider their options, Tai made his first offer.


    "We can do elimination rounds of one-versus-one battles until one side is out of elders."


    "We refuse," Tony said in annoyance.


    "Remember, after five offers, the challenged side must pick one of the five formats. Continue to your next suggestion please," Arjun, the representative of the Divine Sword Sect, beckoned with his hand.


    "Matching pairs to fight, also in one-versus-one format, and the extra elders of our side count as a free win," Tai smirked with another offer that would put the pet users at a disadvantage.


    "We refuse. This is not the way righteous sects do things. Others might get suspicious if you insist on being despicable and win in underhanded ways, Elder Tai."


    With this remark, Tony informed the rest of the sects of his misgivings about the way they used them to test the strength of the evil sects. However, since everybody yed ignorant, the negotiations could only continue normally.


    "I''m sorry, I forgot that your sect''s power is impaired in normal one-versus-one fights. However, would we be the ones at a disadvantage if you allow your pets to participate? As far as I know, the beasts of your sect do not have an elder positioning," Tai raised a point that almost seemed to make sense.


    "Elder Tai, let''s put aside these trivial games. The twenty sects have acknowledged the beasts of the Myriad Beasts Sect as integral to their power. No other sect has elevated beast-rearing to this degree. Preventing them from fighting alongside their partners would not reflect their true strength. If the Mysterious Mountain Sect does not believe in their ability to win in a fair fight, we must request you to retreat."


    The spectators got tired of Tai''s games, and the elder from the Four Seasons Sect scolded the burly man for his behavior.


    "I apologize, the Mysterious Mountain Sect is a righteous sect, and we must uphold justice. We suggest fighting two-versus-two battles until no elders remain," Tai took a step back and stopped trying to oppress the Myriad Beasts Sect unfairly.


    "We ept. ording to the rules, every seventh-stage elder remaining by the end is worth one point for their sect. Eighth-stage elders are worth 3 points, and ninth-stage elders are worth 10 points. Is that right?"


    "It is. Please, all seventh-stage elders remain here while the rest should wait on their assigned mountains," Dima, the elder of the Divine Sword Sect, instructed.


    The area was cleared quickly, and only twenty-seven elders remained behind from the Myriad Beasts Sect, by their sides appearing twenty-seven different beasts, all at the seventh rank.


    On the other side, seventy-four elders waited. The ratio of the seventh-stage elders among the evil sects was higher since they could mainly send those who remained in the shadows, or in other words, the newer elders who did not have to make outside appearances for the sake of gathering high-grade materials for their cultivation.


    "Per the mutual agreement, each sect will put forward a two-member team topete. The teams will engage inbat until incapacitated. Two points are awarded for each team left standing at the end of the round."


    -------


    While the drama took ce, a certain group of four people sat together in their tent area. Ken and hispanions were watching the show from a safe distance on their mountain, ready to fully enjoy the fight of cultivators at the Supremacy Phase.


    "Did you guys ever witness a serious fight between two Supremacy Phase cultivators?" ric asked his friends while theyid a few snacks on a table in front of them.


    "I did see a few exchanges, but I could not watch properly in both times it happened," Ken said while he recalled the time the Serene Lotus Sect''s elders protected him before the opening of the secret realm, but he was too focused on his own fight to appreciate the show.


    The second time was when his great uncle Fernando defended him from an elder of the Four Seasons Sect, and back then, he also had to run away.


    "This monk did not watch such a fight before," Henry added. Unlike his usual stoic and indifferent expression, he seemed interested in watching, or sensing, the fight.


    "My grandmother demonstrated her powers sometimes, but she never went out in front of me, so I guess I never really saw the full capabilities of these stages," Tiara shared.


    The seventh stage was when a cultivator became free and powerful enough to garner respect even from the top sects. Every practitioner''s dream is to reach that level and beyond. Those in the Supremacy Phase were seen as different beings than those under it.


    While the team kept their sight on the sky, the two sides had finished their arrangements. A pair from each sect stepped onto the tform, passing through the barrier dome that kept it separate from the rest of the world without the need for teleportation. The rest of the elders had paired up and stood outside.


    ''Seems like the tform can even contain battles between seventh-stage cultivators,'' Ken mused. The ce proved to be much more impressive than he originally thought, and the Infinite Wisdom Sect must have inscribed it with higher-ranked runes.


    The first pair included a big man with messy ck hair alongside a muscr woman with tanned skin and a hawk nose. In front of them waited the partners of the Myriad Beasts Sect ¨C a woman wearing long grey robes and a tall horse with the head of a dragon, also known as the Longma.


    "Fight!"


    The four weren''t on the ground; they were levitating in the sky, walking on air as if it were solid ground. The different quarters of the tform meant nothing to them, and the beasts lurking inside hid in fear in the deepest holes they could find.


    The woman, Sofia, leaped on the longma''s back, and the beast galloped forward. Their opponents, Rosa and Anil, didn''t forget to bring out their weapons. Anil swung his heavy, blunt club forward at an invisible target while Rosa did the same with her greatsword.


    Before anybody in the crowd could wonder why they would attack the air, a st was heard, and the weapons were met with two heavy hooves.


    *CLANK!*


    The horse was on its back legs, and as it was pushed back from the two heavy blows, its rider pulled the string of her bow from that short distance, sending a swift wave of Qi at her enemies.


    "I can hardly tell what''s going on," ricmented, echoing everyone''s thoughts.


    The elders seemed to vanish from the ces and only appear again during the shes that forced them to stop moving for a split second. Loud explosions echoed with every exchange, ice broke and melted from the sts, and trees were torn by the shockwaves.


    Rosa had to stop her chase after the longma when another barrage of arrows was shot at her, each one powerful enough to st through a whole mountain if left unattended. Using the focus on his partner, Anil threw his club like a boomerang, trying to catch Sofia off-guard.


    The longma recognized the threat earlier than its master, raising its hoofs again to meet the flying club before it could reach the woman on his back.


    "How can a beast resist a weapon attack from the same stage head-on?" Tiara asked. She never studied much about beasts and was busy with her own business most of the time.


    "While cultivators cultivate their stages by strengthening different parts of themselves, animals only need to strengthen their bodies, which leadster to a big difference in physical power between the two," Ken exined what he learned from the manuals he earned in the secret realm.


    "As for who is more likely to win, that mainly depended on the cultivator''s quality among their peers and the power of the beast''s bloodline as well as its diet. Beasts benefit a lot from eating beings of a higher stage than them," he finished his exnation.


    Back to the battle, Anil used his club to hit the air as he would beat the ground, and shockingly, an "earthquake" started. The air visibly shook, and the longma found itself struggling to stand properly, let alone gallop like it used to.


    A rain of arrows materialized in response, and sharp arrowsnded from the sky, trying to impale the pair of humans. The longma, knowing it could not move anymore, also opened its maw, and fireballs were shot alongside the arrows.


    "They''re immobilized, take care of them!" Anil shouted, and his partner cleaved toward the iing attacks.


    Ken could sense the immense Sword Intent; it seemed like the greatsword was created to halve the world. The arrows and the fireballs were all cut in half and dissipated while Rosa continued her charge to close the gap on the archer.


    Recognizing the pinch she was in, Sofia charged one of her greatest techniques and shot an arrow into the sky. A great typhoon was generated around the arrow, and revealing the limitless potential ofbined attacks, her beast inserted its mes inside.


    "Burn in our Firestorm!" Sofia shouted with clear schadenfreude as the attack enveloped the swordswoman.


    "Break!" Anil did not wait to react and released his own technique, and a huge rock descended from the sky into the storm, blocking it. The heavy intent made it like a shelter that kept its residents safe from any external threat.


    "Go down!"


    Using the opening the stone had allowed her, Sofia burst out of the firestorm and attacked. The longma put itself in the way of the attack to defend its rider, and a huge cut was opened across itsrge stomach.


    ---------


    A/N:


    I thought about it for a long time. In the book''s first version, Ken didn''t kill Ron in chapter 25 (Ken''s first victim).


    However, the readers back then pressured me to justify the viin tag, which was supposed to happen in the second volume. Eventually, I surrendered to their demands and changed those chapters before publishing them, which made Ken''s killing spree a bit sudden.


    Since you''re here, it means it never bothered you, maybe you even liked it, but I decided to rewrite thest 5-6 chapters of the first volume, and now it''s in the original version in which Ken only injured Ron.


    Do not worry; there''s no need to reread the novel. There''s no practical difference, and the only change is that his first kill was when he beheaded Sol. Other than that, everything is the same, and it didn''t affect the plot of thetter volumes.


    As always, thanks for your support, and I''m d you enjoy my creation.

 Chapter 315 315 – Efficiency Over Power

    Chapter 315  315 ¨C Efficiency Over Power


    "It connected!" ric said when he saw the huge gashes of blooding out of the longma''s body.


    The beast could barely hold itself up as it kept bleeding profusely, but it remained standing, nheless. Many things happened at the same time earlier, causing aplicated scene that led to the current situation.


    First, Anil''s attack was nullified almost instantly, showcasing the importance of efficiency over power. His attack was far weaker than thebined technique of the trainer and her beast, yet it was enough to stop the attack just for a second, the time his partner needed to break out of the siege set by the firestorm.


    Rosa, who liked her life, did not let the opportunity her partner opened go to waste, and she charged out of the opening in the firestorm. The burly woman did not get out of it unscathed. Her robes were damaged, she suffered from burns of various degrees, and most devastating was the absence of her left arm.


    Sofia concentrated on thebined technique and could not react in time to the swift attack from her opponent. Seeing that its owner was busy, the longma had to sacrifice itself to defend her.


    "It was a great example of using your abilities right," ric nodded in appreciation, referring to the way Rosa and Anil used a weaker attack to defeat a stronger one.


    Meanwhile, Sofia shot another arrow at Rosa who blocked it with the t side of her greatsword. The swordswoman was thrown back in the air, but other than a tinge of pain in her remaining arm, she was fine.


    "Titus!" Sofia shouted in worry, finally revealing the name of her partner. She could tell that the injury was fatal and needed urgent treatment; the beast would be unable to handle one more heavy strike. With a regretful nce at her opponents, she turned to the five judges and bowed.


    "We surrender." Unwilling to let her partner die for the sake of the tournament, she could only forfeit the match.


    Rosa and Anil reassembled toward the next match. First, Rose changed her tattered clothes with new robes she brought out from her ring. It happened instantly, directly from the storage ring. Next, she took out a healing pill and ate-


    "You can''t take pills unless you concocted them yourself. Did you concoct this pill, Elder Rosa?" The elder of the Infinite Wisdom Sect questioned.


    "I did not," she admitted unwillingly and put it back in her storage ring. She looked at her partner and the two agreed silently to prolong the battle as much as possible to weaken, injure, and exhaust their opponents for the sake of the next fighters from their side.


    After Sofia and Titus left the tform, the judges looked at the side of the Myriad Beasts Sect, signaling them to send their next fighters.


    "I wonder where such powerful cultivators suddenly emerged from. They''re obviously experienced and as powerful as a top sect, so howe we never heard of this unranked sect before?" ric pondered out loud.


    "They didn''te out of nowhere. I believe they are well-acquainted with the top sects," Ken enlightened hispanion.


    "What do you mean? The elders know this sect?"


    "Yes, under a different name. I recognized some of their participants in our age groups, I''ve seen them in the secret realm," Ken exined. While others might not remember random faces they had nced at for a brief moment, the same couldn''t be said about Ken. He only had to have one look at someone''s face to remember them forever.


    "That''s impossible!" ric eximed, "Only the top five sects entered it. Even the great twenty sects didn''t send anybody¡­"


    "This monk can tell, thepetitors of the unranked sects exude the rotting scent of murder and blood," Henry added another clue.


    ric''s eyes suddenly opened when realization struck him, "They are evil cultivators?! Is it possible that nobody here knows it but us?"


    Even Tiara was surprised to hear the cultivators were none other than the evil sects, but she understood the way politics worked better than ric. "Of course, the elders know about it. They must have a reason to let it happen anyway."


    "I can only assume that there is no proof or they are trying to learn more about those sects. I''m not sure what the twenty great sects are nning by letting the evil cultivatorspete." Ken brought up his own spections.


    "Evil cultivators should just be killed without mercy," ric growled in annoyance when he remembered the way he was kept prisoner and had his Qi sucked out of his dantian before Ken rescued him.


    After a short chat, Tiara eventually got up from the ground, straightening her spotless white robes. "If we could barely follow the seventh-stage cultivators'' fight, we probably wouldn''t be able to tell what''s going on in theter stages. I''m going to cultivate."


    Some of them chose to stay and watch more matches while the rest of the group went to cultivate. By the end of the round, the beast tamers showed better sync with their pets than their enemies by executing powerfulbined techniques, but the evil cultivators exhibited far more fighting experience.


    Evil cultivators fought for resources among themselves and against the righteous sects. They fought and fought, killed and got killed. Their experience inbat allowed them to make better decisions amidst the battle just like Anil and Rosa demonstrated in the first round.


    "This is the end of the elimination round for the normal elders of the sect. It concludes with 24 points for the Mysterious Mountain Sect. The grand elders are requested to form teams and send the first fighters to the arena."


    The end of the first round was announced, and the beginning of the next round had arrived. For the next round, twelve grand elders from the Myriad Beasts Sect appeared with beasts by their sides, meaning the remaining one was their supreme elder.


    The Mysterious Mountain Sect could only offer sixteen grand elders, putting them at a disadvantage of being four teams short.

 Chapter 316 316 – New Alliance

    Chapter 316  316 ¨C New Alliance


    lights¦­¦Ïvel ?


    "Hmm, hello, Elder¡­?" La asked while she satzily on afortable wooden chair, her body supported by pillows from every direction.


    "Jabari Syed." He exuded a hint of his aura, revealing he was at the ninth stage. Yet, La remained in her unguarded position, not showing any sign of caution.


    "Right, the supreme elder of the Mysterious Mountain Sect. How may I help you?" The woman was in her tent when she was told she had a visitor, and the big man had arrived. Their sect seemed to consist of big muscr people and feminine cultivators, only offering one of the two extremes.


    "Don''t pretend that everything is fine on your side. Although the Serene Lotus Sect''s disciples killed more than any other sect, your sect took the most losses so far. After all, the number of casualties on the other side is divided by neen." Jabari sneered at her calm front.


    "Consider your words carefully. Another displeasing remark and your life may be the cost," La squinted her eyes as she threatened. She agreed to meet him because indeed, he had something to offer. While he had some value, she had her own pride as a supreme elder of the first-ranked sect of the continent.


    "Fine," Jabari shrugged. He was educated in the evil path where "face" had no value when it served no purpose. "Since you already know what I want, I won''t beat around the bush. Help us against the great sects and our disciples will unite with yours to kill your enemies."


    "Hmm," The female elder hummed as if she was contemting. She tapped with her fingers under her lower lip and her pout said she did not know what to decide.


    In reality, the sect had already voted, and they decided to let the evil sects make a mess in the tournament and back them up, regardless of whether the evil sects would help them back. The point was to add new variables to the current situation, making it unpredictable.


    "How about that, wait outside for a few minutes, and I will contact the rest of the elders so we can make a smarter decision together," she said with a slight smile.


    "What are the cons in this deal for you?" Jabari frowned. It couldn''t be helped; they came from different cultures. The righteous sects worked with hidden knives, hints, and petty tricks. In contrast, the evil cultivators, especially those from Jabari''s original sect, were more straightforward with their wishes.


    "I don''t know, please wait." The pause after La''s words lingered for a few seconds before Jabari left the tent with a dissatisfied grunt.


    He had to wait 30 minutes to get the positive answer he was looking for, and thus, a new alliance had been formed.


    "However," La conditioned, "We have one more term we want to add to our agreement." She finally got up from her chair, circling around him with her palm touching his shoulder.


    "What is it?" He remained unmoving, his towering figure almost touching the ceiling of the tent.


    "When you challenge the elders of the other sects, you need to be VERY aggressive¡­" La emphasized her words.


    "That¡­ should not be a problem," Jabari agreed with a surprised raise of his eyebrows.


    "Pleasure to do business with you. Remember, this deal entitles all the five unranked sects." After finishing her words, she waved her hand and he disappeared, finding himself at the base of the mountain. Annoyed by her antics, he spat on the ground and returned to report to the rest of the elders.


    --------


    Not far away, just a hundred meters beneath the summit, Ken and ric remained behind and watched the matches of the grand elders. They were not alone anymore. Instead, they were apanied by a dozen fellow disciples from their sect who came by to say hello.


    "Even at the intermediate phase of the Sea of Consciousness Expanding stage, I still can''t follow the nuances of this battle. I can barely tell when they use a technique and when they just sh," One disciplemented as they watched a man fighting alongside an animal that reminded Ken of a T-Rex.


    "That''s true. Little Brother Ken, you are quite powerful for your stage, but can you perceive anything in this battle?" Another shifted everyone''s attention to the young boy reclining backward in his chair. Ken''s mind was not strengthened to the same extent as theirs yet since he was still in the fifth stage.


    "Just barely. Barely. I focus on intent rather than technique or visuals," Ken shrugged, not minding admitting that a battle between two cultivators in the eighth stage was out of his league currently.


    "Junior Brother is great, you still train even when presented with such rare entertainment."


    Ken was not exactly friends with those people. They were only there to make some connections with him after seeing his exploits in the Martial Arts Summit, which helped him earn a spot of respect for his strength and potential in their eyes.


    They watched as the trees of the forest grew at themand of the beast, working like endless long snakes to entrap the enemies. One of the opponents, a big woman with shredded muscles, swung her club to generate powerful sts that sent the trees away.


    Her partner was busy with the owners of the dinosaur, and the two were casting their illusions on each other.


    ''Ah, it''s unfortunate that spectators cannot see the illusions, maybe I would learn something to apply in my Bloodlust techniques,'' Ken thought somewhat dejectedly.


    While the spectators could enjoy the loud explosions that tore the trees in arge radius, the intense battle of Qi maniption and mind control remained vague. All they could perceive was the figure of a delicate genderless human standing in front of the cultivator from the Myriad Beasts Sect.


    The second round ended with three teams remaining for the Myriad Beasts Sect, gaining them 18 points and cing them at a disadvantage of 6 points. In other words, the next battle between the supreme cultivators would decide the result, and the Myriad Beasts Sect could not ept a draw.


    "Thepetition between the grand elders is over, the supreme elders of each side are requested to enter the tform. Please wait a few minutes for our formation masters to stabilize and restore the formations and the valley itself."


    For the great showdown between the supreme elders, tens of formation masters from the Infinite Wisdom Sect surrounded the valley.


    There were formation masters from the seventh rank to the ninth, all channeling their Qi into the formations in the valley. They would have to stay that way during the battle as well to make sure the ninth-stage cultivators do not destroy the area.

 Chapter 317 317 – Duel Between Ninth-Stage Cultivators

    Chapter 317  317 ¨C Duel Between Ninth-Stage Cultivators


    Everyone stopped their actions and came to watch when it was time for the supreme elders to sh. This rare opportunity rarely presented itself. Ninth-stage cultivators seldom left thefort of their seclusions to make an appearance outside, much less fight in public.


    Among the audience were the top disciples, elders, grand elders, and even many supreme elders. Due to the tension between the sects currently as well as theplicated situation with the unranked sects, every sect sent at least one supreme elder to oversee their sect''s forces and make sure their interests remained unharmed.


    On one side of the tform, stood a man with a long white beard and flowing hair in a matching color. Around his body coiled a long, ck snake, and its head rested on the man''s shoulder, its tongue asionally slipping out of its maw with a hiss.


    On the other side of the tform were a man and someone who was probably a woman. The evil sects sent one supreme elder each, meaning one of them specialized in brute force and a heavy weapon, while the other was a master of charm and illusions. Because of the distorted charm of the evil cultivators, some called it Lust Qi or Bewitching Qi.


    lights¦­¦Ïvel "Fight." The elder of the Divine Sword Sect guiding the challenge dered the beginning of the match.


    The androgynous opened their eyes, and the whole audience, even behind the veil cast by the formations, was entranced. Ken and hispanions found the person beautiful beyond measure.


    The weak-willed cultivators were already kneeling with their faces pressed to the ground while yelling for the genderless human to please them, punish them, or tease them.


    Ken himself was already on his knees, bewitched by the powerful technique. Before he was forced to disgrace himself, a powerful wave washed over the mountain, and everyone sobered up from their enchanted state.


    Simr scenes took ce all over the mountains surrounding the valley as the local supreme elder of each sect saved their disciples. The technique was considerably weakened by the formations, leaving enough power to subdue only those under the Supremacy Phase.


    "A disciplined mind brings happiness," Henry shared his wisdom. He was the only one who still wasn''t on his knees, although he wasn''t far from it either.


    "You''re just castrated, it has nothing to do with discipline," Tiara mumbled in annoyance. Her pride as an enchantress was hurt from being affected by another''s enchanting.


    "Speak only that which brings you honor," the monk replied with his vague words. Ken thought the monk meant that he still had his family jewels intact, but he wasn''t sure.


    Meanwhile, on the tform, the snake stopped its hissing, and a load of poisonous liquid dripped out of its mouth as if it gave up on spitting it but had nothing else to do with it. In fact, that''s exactly what happened, a result of the evil cultivator''s bewitching.


    "Hmph," The white-haired man snorted and his Qi released the beast from the illusion it was in.


    "Don''t forget I''m here!" The big man, Jabari, shouted. He had a two-handed broadsword. Its de was over forty centimeters wide and two meters long. Cutting the air toward the man casually, she sent a long heavy sh.


    The snake, awakened from its sleep, met it with a whip of its tail, and a loud gong reverberated throughout the valley. An explosion pulled everyone''s attention toward the mountain behind the white-haired man, finding out it was the sh of the shockwave from the sharp attack and the barrier set by the cultivator protecting the area.


    Those maintaining the formations would be exposed to extreme danger if they were not directly protected by their grand elders.


    Next, the beast tamer, Atad, and the snake responded with abined attack of their own. The snake spat its venomous gas while Atad scattered it in the air with a strong gust of wind that carried the poison everywhere instantly.


    "Will they lose?" Someone asked. The Poison Qi seemed impossible to resist. Luckily, it was not powerful in the sense of sts and shockwaves, and the barrier held it in easily.


    However, instead of rejoicing about having the upper hand, Atad squinted his eyes in suspicion before widening them in realization and covering both himself and hispanion with a strong shield of wind.


    Everyone snapped out of the illusion together and found the androgynous behind their opponents. They sent their palm forward to touch Atad''s back, but he came out of his reverie and the shield of wind exploded, sending strong gales that took his enemy away.


    Ken''s hair ttered behind him as he stabbed his sword at the ground to stop himself from being sent away by the shockwave. The strong st of wind sent all the poison away, putting Jabari and his friend in safety.


    The pace of the sh soon took a step up, and they began rushing from side to side of the tform. On the unranked sect''s side, Jabaritook the role of heavy hits and defense while his partner, Corey, confused the snake and its master often to break their dangerousbined attacks.


    The battle was entering itsst stage as the whole ce was melting underneath them from the snake''s venom. The trees lost their shape and turned rotten, the stone grounds lost their shape as every part touched by the toxic turned liquid, the sea creatures were dying in their sea that turned into a dark shade of purple, and the ice quarter was turning into water.


    It was not all the damage done; the sts from the broadsword user left deep craters and long shes on the ground.


    The four were in a standoff, and the battle renewed. Dozens of sharp, heavy broadswords formed in the air and rotated at high speed as they flew at the Atad and his snake. Atad''s specialty seemed to be enhancing the snake, and indeed, the beast''s tail whipped from side to side, destroying all the ethereal swords.


    Atad himself created many figures of realistic snakes that pounced on Corey with open maws. Ken would not have been able to recognize the secrets of the attack if not for the clear Whip intent that made Ken physically sense the existence of a whip cracking in the air.


    At that moment, Atad''s eyes widened in surprise when a sword appeared out of thin air and pierced his side. He did his best to defend, but the heavy strike managed to pass through the small space between the snake''s coiling.


    "Argh!"


    The elder stepped back, but the damage was done, a huge bleeding hole that was big enough to make his intestines visible was opened in the left side of his stomach. Blood could be seen dripping from his wound for a short moment, but soon he channeled his Qi and forced his blood cirction to continue regrly.


    The snake hissed in distress and squeezed its owners gently as if trying to fill any holes in their defenses. Despite the pain and the pressure, Atad remained cold and calcted, knowing that a single hint of weakness would tilt the battle further in their enemies'' favor.


    "Break!" He said and his Qi swept through the valley. The illusion was broken, and the secret was revealed; Corey''s technique made their enemies think they were one meter to the left. The effect was subtle enough to go unnoticed, and the experience of the evil sects made the difference again.


    The fightsted two full days before Atad sumbed to his wound and fell, putting on full disy the might of ninth-stage cultivators. Despite the length of the battle, nobody left their camp.


    During the intense battle following, Corey and Jabari were unable to inflict even a single additional wound, but the one they made decided the oue of the duel.


    "Winners, the Mysterious Mountain Sect. They won the challenge with the advantage of 26 points. However, the great sects are suspicious of their origins."

 Chapter 318 318 – Rematch?

    Chapter 318  318 ¨C Rematch?


    "The winners are the Mysterious Mountain Sect, triumphant with an advantage of 26 points. Yet, the great sects harbor suspicions about their origins."


    The deration came from Elder Bao of the Infinite Wisdom Sect, a man whose flowing blonde hair contrasted with rather generic facial features.


    "What does Elder Bao mean by that?" As Corey spoke, their voice flowed through the tense air like a soothing melody, soft yet resonant, neither deep nor high - each syble dancing gracefully upon the ears of the listeners. The elders, aware of the persuasive effect in Corey''s voice, consciously steeled themselves against its subtle pull.


    "I mean that your sect had arrived out of nowhere, and we suspect youe from a hidden background with malicious intentions. For your sect''s victory to be admitted, we hereby ask you to let us pick ten disciples and two elders, and feed them with high-grade truth pills. After questioning them about the Mysterious Mountain Sect''s goals, we will ept your victory as justified and well-deserved."


    Bao''s lips curved in a slight smile that seemed to mock the evil cultivators for their attempt to gain legitimacy and status through the channels of the righteous sects. Normally, his mockery would befit the situation, however, someone thought otherwise.


    "Elder Bao, aren''t you bullying a new sect that worked hard to rise to the level of the top 20 sects? Are you perhaps trying to manipte the ranking and have control over the continent? I don''t remember anybody asking to have your sect''s members investigated when you received a spot among the top 5 sects."


    A sarcastic voice arose to Bao''s side. When he turned, he found his peer from the Serene Lotus Sect, Ravi.


    "Elder Ravi, what are you implying? I agree with Elder Bao, we cannot let unknown forces contaminate our continent with evil. We must ensure it''s safe to give them a territory to reign, or else we might find out we had brought disaster upon the millions of mortals and cultivators in that area."


    A ck-haired man scolded Ravi sternly. On his shoulder was the symbol of a cloud, sun, flower, and leaf, marking him as a supreme elder of the Four Seasons Sect.


    "I mean that unless you have sufficient proof to justify an investigation, you must not vite the privacy and freedom of the unranked sects only because they''re weaker. Bullying the weak is not the way of the righteous sects," Ravi answered with a confident smile.


    The tension in the elders'' area was so palpable that the air itself seemed to thrum with vibrancy. In fact, it indeed moved and changed, a result of the powerful intents those supreme cultivators of the mortal realm radiated.


    Despite the stifling sensation, Ravi remained unbothered by the pressure of going against many ninth-stage cultivators at once.


    "Thank you, Elder Ravi, for your support and just nature," Corey cupped their fist and bowed. "Indeed, I think the great sects are bullying us into submission due to their fear of change, forcing the ranking to stay the same even when a sect does not deserve it."


    Their words made the various elders distort their faces in annoyance. Everyone present was 99% sure that the Mysterious Mountain Sect was nothing but a proxy of evil sects. Truth be told, they were not used to them being subtle with their words and ying the righteous game correctly.


    Before the other sects could refute Corey''s words, Ravi took the chance to insert additional trouble. While the Serene Lotus Sect was full of troublemakers, none of them was stupid or incapable of twisting reality with their words as expected from a top righteous sect.


    "I think it might be even worse. I heard that the Infinite Wisdom Sect has some deals with the different sects under the table, which encourages them to make sure those indebted to them would not lose their power and influence," Ravi said with a shake of his head.


    "nder! Do you have any proof?" Bao shouted angrily at the usation. It had some truth to it, but it wasn''t something someone could say openly.


    "No, but how about you eat a ninth-grade truth pill and prove me wrong by letting me question you freely?" Ravi asked with a smirk. Everyone knew very well it was an impossible offer. All sects had some dirtyundry that they did not want to air in public. Such an act would make them lose face and expose their underground activities.


    "Ridiculous! We are an esteemed top-five sect, how can you request something like that from me?" Bao clenched his teeth when he saw where this was heading.


    "And the Mysterious Mountain Sect is an esteemed sect that entered the top twenty fairly. If you wanted to disqualify them, you should''ve done it before thepetition began; banning them now is unfair to the disciples they had lost in thepetition and the elders who had fought hard to earn a foothold in our continent."


    With that, Ravi rested his case with an eloquence that Ken might say wouldn''t put awyer of his previous world to shame.


    "Then, what if they cheated the oath to participate with only 30% of their elders somehow? Unlike the long-established Myriad Beasts Sect, which we are familiar with and know a rough estimate of their numbers, we know nothing of the Mysterious Mountain Sect. I believe we must feed them with truth drugs and check whether they followed the rules. Otherwise, we should organize a rematch with 100% participation, it''s the only way to ensure the integrity of the challenge."


    An elder with the embroidery of a lightning spoke with a smug expression on her face. She was a supreme elder of the Thunderp Peak Sect, the seventh strongest sect of the continent.


    "I object!" Jabari said resolutely. "We have worked hard and took an oath before the match to keep the matches clean. Is the Martial Arts Summit nothing but a ruse of the great sects? Do the rules mean nothing to you?"


    To everyone''s surprise, the one to make that judgment true was none other than Ravi from the Serene Lotus Sect.


    "No, no, their fears are right. Since the sects fear you might have cheated, please agree to a rematch tomorrow," Ravi dered his support for the rematch solution. Nobody knew what crossed his mind. Until a few seconds ago, they all thought he was siding with the evil sects to add chaos.


    "Elder Ravi¡­?" Jabari and Corey looked at him in confusion, a hint of betrayal written on their faces. They could not understand why the Serene Lotus Sect would renege on their word to support them.


    "Good," Bao was just as surprised as the others, but he did not let the chance go. "Does anyone have an objection to this arrangement?"


    The elders around remained silent, giving their support to the decision to allow a rematch. Since the unranked sect consisted of evil sects, it meant that they could not deploy arge number of their elders, since those would be recognized and persecuted. It meant that the Mysterious Mountain Sect would never be able to fill the numbers for apetition relying on 100% of the elders.


    "Fine, we will fight tomorrow then," Jabari said with gritted teeth while ring hatefully at Ravi for his backstabbing. However, he missed the yful glint that passed in his eyes, as if he knew that a rematch would be irrelevant by the next day.

 Chapter 319 319 – Backstabbed by the Serene Lotus Sect

    Chapter 319  319 ¨C Backstabbed by the Serene Lotus Sect


    After the sects agreed on a rematch with full teams the day after, everyone went back to their tents, except for Jabari. The muscr man visited La''s tent again, seeking an exnation for Ravi''s shift of stance.


    "What is the meaning of this? Didn''t the Serene Lotus Sect promise to support us?" Jabari asked La in a tone that was borderline shouting. His fingers twitched, clenching and unclenching into a fist as if undecided about whether to punch the woman before him.


    "Rx, it will be fine. I''m sure you can beat them tomorrow," La shrugged, angering the big elder further.


    "Fine, you say? By whose assurance? Should we summon the elders starring on the continent''s wanted list for thepetition''s aid? How can you im we will be fine?" Jabari rained questions, frustrated at the nonchnt attitude of their supposed ally.


    "You better watch your tone. I''m being lenient because I know you''re nervous, but I only have so much patience. If you cannot even win the match tomorrow, our sect will have to revise our alliance."


    "You¡­! You are going back on your words! I warn you- Argh!"


    Jabari was amidst his shouting when he was suddenly sent flying out of La''s tent into the sky. Her strike pulled everyone''s attention; a strike of a top-tier ninth-stage cultivator, uncontained by any barrier.


    The wind swept through the mountains surrounding the valley, awakening everyone from their sleep and pulling their attention from their current undertaking.


    "Do you dare threaten us? Know your ce!"


    La''s calm voicecked any ill intentions, yet it filled Jabari with trepidation from the possibility he had invited cmity upon himself. He desperately positioned his broadsword before him in defense, but to no avail ¡ª an iprehensible strike hurled him kilometers away from the mountain.


    Behind themy chaos: tents were ravaged by shockwaves, disciples scarcely shielded themselves, with some wounded so severely they spat blood.


    Elders, grand elders, and supreme elders followed the fighting duo in curiosity. None of them intended to stop the battle; they were just curious to see the results of it. Everyone thought the two sides were on the same side, and they were all excited to watch the fallout.


    A few kilometers into the Peaceful Demon Sect''s territory, aloft in the sky, dozens of elders circled La and Jabari, eager for the impending fight.


    Jabari looked around him, his eyes squinted. Earlier, it was a private meeting, thus, he could say whatever he wanted. But now they were in front of hundreds of elders of the great 20 sects.


    "What happened here, Elder La? Did this man attack you?" An elder from the Divine Sword Sect called Linley asked.


    lights¦­¦Ïvel "No, I''m only reminding him of the difference between the first-ranked sect and his," La replied indifferently. She struck again, and her opponent swung down his broadsword in an attempt to cleave her attack. Yet his technique broke instantly, and he was injured again.


    "Jabari! What happened? Serene Lotus Sect, what is the meaning of this?" A neer stepped into the battle. Corey''s face showed slight hesitation, exposing the fact they did not want to join the fray after seeing how easily La overpowered their partner.


    Their eyes shone for a second when the charmer tried to execute an illusion technique, but La pinpointed their true location in a moment before sending them both crashing into the ground below.


    ''She is at the peak of the ninth stage, and her foundation is too deep!'' the two elders thought in panic.


    "Do you still want toin?" The woman''s smaller frame seemed towering to the two as they got up on their legs.


    They looked at her worriedly before exchanging a quick nce and agreeing on their next course of action silently.


    "No. We apologize for bothering Elder La during her free time," the two answered together and bowed down with their fists cupped. Once they saw it was a hopeless fight, they could only retreat with gritted teeth.


    "Good. Everyone, are you here because you also want to spar with me? You''re wee to step forward; I''ve already done my warm-up," La''s mocking smile irked the spectators, yet nobody dared ept the challenge.


    "We were just worried that your battle would affect the low-stage disciples and came to help suppress its shockwaves and coteral damage. Since the three of you havee to an understanding, we will take our leave," someone said awkwardly before turning to leave.


    The gathering scattered quickly with everyone going back to their respective tents, and the rest of the night passed without any further incidents.


    Ken and hispanions remained unaware of the specifics of the events unfolding in the valley among the high-stage cultivators. They only noticed the tent being unrooted and barely managed to defend against the shockwaves withbined efforts, being injured lightly in the process.


    The night passed, and the team met again. "Let''s go see today''s drama," Ken said, and they sat down in their usual watching spot.


    "Do you think that the Mysterious Mountain Sect will win the rematch as well?" ric asked his friends. He could see that the real politics were veiled behind the external words of the elders, but he did not know how to interpret them.


    "I think they can''t unless something unpredictable happens. If they''re truly evil cultivators, it means that they cannot mobilize their full sect since many of them would be recognized," Tiara shared her own opinion.


    The four turned their eyes back to the valley. The tform was still destroyed, and its condition was only slightly restored by the formations. When the Infinite Wisdom Sect heard there would be a rematch the following day, they did not bother fixing it.


    "Where is the Myriad Beasts Sect?"


    Soon, everyone noticed the absence of thepeting sect. They were wondering what was going on when a representative of the said sect came, a regr elder of the seventh stage.


    "I was sent to announce that the Myriad Beasts Sect forfeits today''s match. We will work hard to improve ourselves and reim our rank in the next Martial Arts Summit."


    He turned around and departed, leaving everyone to look at him in surprise. An awkward silence remained behind as nobody knew how to react to the unexpected development.


    "Haha, I didn''t see that oneing!" Raviughed, pulling everyone''s attention. "I guess that means the Mysterious Mountain Sect wins the challenge by default!"


    Seeing his grin, the cultivators finally understood.


    ''The Serene Lotus Sect did something.''

 Chapter 320 320 – The Massacre of the Sixteenth Mountain

    Chapter 320  320 ¨C The Massacre of the Sixteenth Mountain


    During the previous night:


    "Do you dare threaten us? Know your ce!" La''s voicemanded everyone''s attention. Every elder in the valley followed the sts of the battle, leaving the ce empty of Supremacy Phase cultivators behind them.


    However, there was an exception. Many figures dressed in ck assembled around the sixteenth-highest mountain. As if they knew it would happen, they all channeled their Qi simultaneously a few seconds before the first st of La''s attack, isting the mountain from the rest of the valley.


    The ck-hooded cultivators split into two teams. The first team created a human formation as they circled the mountain, covering it with a dome made of Darkness Qi, Wind Qi, Sound Qi, and Light Qi. It was practically one hugebined technique generated by all those cultivators.


    Due to the barrier, the sect members residing on that mountain remained unaware of La''s attack.


    The most amazing detail about those dozens of cultivators was their stage. All of them were in the Supremacy Phase. While the first team consisted of cultivators ranging from the seventh stage to the eighth, the second only included eighth and ninth-stage cultivators.


    "Who is there?" A ninth-stage cultivator came out of his tent. It was none other than Atad, and his snake was slithering on the ground by his side. The snake only had shallow cuts on its skin, but it was exhausted from the prolonged battle. As for Atad, he was not only exhausted but also still wounded and weakened.


    His question was met with silence, and his fellow cultivators came out of their tents, raising their weapons in caution and ready to engage in battle.


    "Disciples of the Myriad Beasts Sect, run to the base of the mountain and form a united front to resist the shockwaves!" Atad shouted when he understood there might be a battle.


    Disciples rose in surprise,ing out of their tents and casting curious nces toward the mountain summit. They only wasted a single second before they all started running in an organized manner as they were told.


    The mysterious neers surrounded the elders at the summit, ignoring the younger disciples and letting them run away. First, they were not the targets, and second, they could not leave the mountain. The disciples would eventually face a wall that they would not be able to break.


    "Who are you? What are your intentions?" Atad asked. He raised his hand and brought it down, sending a few des made of Wind Qi that flew at almost unperceivable speed. The attack was meant to probe the strength of his enemies, and the results were unsettling.


    One of the shadowy figures stepped forward, arm extended with an open palm facing the oing des. A momentter, the air before the hand warped as if reality itself was bending, a vortex of invisible force pulling at the fabric of the air. The wind des, caught in the distortion, unraveled into nothingness before they could so much as graze the figure''s cloak.


    ''Their Wind Qi maniption and control are better than mine!'' Atad thought to himself, worried. This demonstration was enough to humble him.


    "Your Honor, May I ask who you are? Why are you attacking my sect?" When the man saw the invaders only readied themselves for battle without answering, an idea popped into his mind. "Are you from the Mysterious Mountain Sect? Evil cultivators, do you think you can eliminatepetition in the middle of the grand event of the great 20 sects?"


    On the Myriad Beasts Sect there were forty humans and forty beasts, the same elders who epted the challenge earlier that day. Most of them were exhausted, some even heavily wounded.


    The snake hissed in anger, and it seemed to be the signal to start the battle.


    "Defend and strike back!" Atadmanded, and all the elders on their side usedbined techniques with their pets to hurl powerful streams of Qi at their enemies.


    On the other side, the hooded figures worked in teams of four, and there were over sixty of them. Eachbined technique was so powerful it took a chunk from the mountain, and explosions were loud enough to be heard in a radius of hundreds of kilometers if not for the barrier set around the mountain.


    "AHHH!"


    Disciples at the base of the mountain screamed in fear as their defenses crumbled. Nobody aimed their attacks at them, but the coteral damage was enough to im the lives of many of the weaker cultivators despite their efforts to work together.


    When the Qi attacks collided, loud roars and shouts cut through the air, mixed with the sounds of the earth cracking open. The sharp smell of burnt things filled the air, and the ground shook hard enough to make everyone unsteady. The energy bursts pushed out waves that shook everything, making even the brave feel their hearts beat against their ribs.


    "ARGH!"


    The situation was not any better on the elders'' side. Their techniques got swallowed by their enemies'' attacks, and they took the direct brunt of the assault.


    "No! The evil sects should not be that strong! You¡­" Atad eximed in fear as his partner barely raised its head. The snake was riddled with holes and burns; it was on the verge of death.


    The dust sunk with the aid of the mysterious cultivators'' Qi, and a horrifying scene was revealed. Dozens of cultivators and beasts sprawled on the ground, many of them missing a few limbs or carrying other lethal injuries. They groaned in pain while trying to manipte their Qi to force their bodies to keep functioning.


    "Again," the leader of the invaders said softly, revealing the voice of a man.


    "No, wait! Just tell us what you want from us, and we canply with any demand!" Atad shouted desperately.


    "Don''t attack! We surrender!" Another grand elder yelled.


    However, their window of begging time was rendered short, and another barrage of attacks followed. After the second barrage came the third and fourth before the techniques finally stopped.


    Only one man remained on the Myriad Beasts Sect''s side. Atad, with the skeleton of his dead snake coiled around him, was kneeling on the ground. His left arm was missing, his face was burnt, and he was bleeding from many other spots.


    *Cough* *Cough*


    He barely raised his head and looked at the attackers. As Atad saw his allies go down one by one, unease crept in. Memories flickered in his mind: his first day with the sect, the promises made, and the shared ambitions with his snake. Now, as each friend fell, those shared dreams seemed to dim. ''Will our sect survive?'' he thought.


    The execution of the finishing strike was momentarily dyed. Out of respect to the ninth-stage cultivator, they chose to hear hisst words.


    "Serene Lotus Sect¡­ you are evil."


    The leader of the hooded forces gestured with his arm and Atad''s head rolled off his shoulders. The fight was over; none of the elders remained alive.


    "Clean the ce up and instruct the disciples to call their elders to take them home."


    The operation took less than 10 minutes and was over by the time La finished distracting the rest of the sects.

 Chapter 321 321 – Change in the Top 20

    Chapter 321  321 ¨C Change in the Top 20


    "I was sent to announce that the Myriad Beasts Sect forfeits today''s match. We will work hard to improve ourselves and reim our rank in the next Martial Arts Summit."


    At the deration, Ken and hispanions raised their eyebrows in surprise. Forfeiting meant they gave up on theirnds and handed it over to the winner, namely the Mysterious Mountain Sect.


    If they gave up theirnds, they would lose the right to mine the area''s treasures. Deprived of theirnd''s resources, staging aeback would be significantly more difficult. It was not only about the resources; the most important thing was the shift of power. The bnce of the continent changed with this twist of events.


    "I¡­" Bao tried toe up with something to prevent the change of the top sect. "We still need to investigate the Mysterious Mountain Sect further to ensure they are not evil cultivators who would harm the locals for their own benefit. Evil cultivators only care about themselves and cause great damage to future generations by destroying the poption and the environment."


    Let''s talk specifics after the Martial Arts Summit," said Ravi with a shrug. "We can''t predict how many spots in the top twenties will change hands in theing days."


    The eighteen supreme elders present could only sigh and ept the development for the time being. Now, they all looked at one elder with a questioning gaze.


    "Elder Kai, did you hear anything about it?" One woman asked. "The Shadond Sect must have some kind of information about it, doesn''t it?"


    "Indeed, I can offer a basic information package. Since all of you will learn it once I say it, I''m going to charge each one of the ranked sects fifty thousand high Qi stones for it. Are you interested?"


    Elder Kai, a man garbed in simple-looking grey robes with a ck circle embroidered on his shoulder, smiled at his customers.


    The Shadond Sect, ranked 6th in the continent, was a broker of information. Their spies were everywhere, and all sects tried to boycott them at one point or another before giving up when their secrets were spread throughout the continent.


    They even published many ranking lists. Some were about professions, including Alchemy and Formation Mastery, while other lists were about thebat prowess of the elders. Furthermore, they sold almost any piece of information one wanted to know.


    "I''m not interested," Jabari shrugged, unwilling to pay such an exorbitant price for information he might find useless.


    "Elder Jabari, could it be that you are responsible for whatever reason made the Myriad Beasts Sect forfeit?" Aziz, the elder of the Four Seasons Sect, hurried to point a ming finger.


    "Of course not, I just meant that the reason would be known soon enough. Since you''re anxious to hear the details, my sect will participate too," Jabari forked out the amount unwillingly. He realized that any action that diverts from the norm would be used against him. Unlike the evil cultivator, Ravi did not hesitate to pay his share.


    "Thank you for your patronage," Elder Kai happily ced the Qi stones in his storage ring. "Although it''s not confirmed yet, it seems that hooded cultivators attacked the Myriad Beasts Sectst night and killed every elder and seventh-rank beast present, effectively weakening their sect by 30%."


    "Not confirmed yet? How dare you sell unconfirmed information for such a high price?"


    "It''s most likely true," Kai shrugged. "So, what are you going to do now?"


    "Killed all the elders? Ridiculous, How could we not notice it happen under our noses? Are you saying ninth-stage cultivators had a fight and all of us remained unaware?" Ravi''s face seemed angry.


    ''You must be the one who did it!'' The other elders thought bitterly when they saw Ravi act. However, they were all curious to hear how it was achieved; indeed, it was strange that such a war took ce nearby and they knew nothing about it.


    "Our sources say that during the assault, there was a barrier set around the mountain the Myriad Beasts Sect resided on, and it blocked any noise and shockwave from passing."


    By then everybody understood that the fight between La and the Mysterious Mountain Sect was nothing but a distraction to pull them away. However, nobody dared use the Serene Lotus Sect without proof.


    Even Jabari himself moved ufortably in his ce that he was part of the operation without even knowing, his eyes twitching in annoyance. He hated it when others used him, especially because of the stereotype about his sect that they were all muscle and no brain.


    "Fine, we will ept the challenge''s results. Congrattions to the Mysterious Mountain Sect on getting a rank among the top 20. We will discusster how to supervise the new sect and guarantee it is trustworthy."


    "Congrattions on the new rank," the elders echoed.


    "Thank you, everyone. We will dedicate ourselves to aiding the Verdant Qi continent''s progress and prosperity," Jabari said, cupping his fist in a traditional gesture of gratitude.


    "And now, back to the Martial Arts Summit," Ravi joyfully called. "Steve, you can go back to your seat; your job as amentator resumes for the next round."


    "Thank you, Elder Ravi. We are all excited for the next age group topete¡­" Steve was still shocked by the fights of the elders, filling him with fear of what might happen if he angered any of them. The fact that a massacre took ce only made him more anxious.


    "Is that what we paid for?" Ravi''s threatening tone made thementator sit on the edge of his seat and straighten his back.


    "Are you all hyped? After this disy of the Supremacy Phase''s might, we are back to the Martial Arts Summit!" He yelled his words with palpable fake excitement while cursing the elders of the Serene Lotus Sect for threatening him for the second time.


    Meanwhile, Ken''s group was watching the scene from their usual spot. The four were rtively indifferent to the situation; they knew they had no say in the Serene Lotus Sect''s policies. Since they could not influence the ordeal, they stayed out of it.


    "Did we register for anypetition? We didn''t fill our quota of Immortal Qi stonesst time," Tiara recalled that Ken and she did not fight. They only waited for Vivienne and her partner to locate them.


    "No, we will make do with what we got. We are done with thispetition."


    Ken realized that thepetition was out of control currently. There were too many variables he might be unable to deal with, making him give up on participating altogether.

 Chapter 322 322 – Conclusion of the Martial Arts Summit

    Chapter 322  322 ¨C Conclusion of the Martial Arts Summit


    "Ah, this was an eventful tournament," ric stretched his arms. The group boarded a ship heading back to the sect. They had to stop every few seconds to cup their fists in a traditional greeting toward the other disciples who wanted to make friends with them.


    A few weeks passed since the ordeal of the Mysterious Mountain Sect and the Myriad Beasts Sect. After a three-day break to repair the damage from the Supremacy Phase cultivators'' battle, the Martial Arts Summit continued.


    In the uing rounds, the unranked sects'' disciples worked alongside the Serene Lotus Sect and fended off the cultivators from the rest of the great sects as agreed by the elders. As for the Myriad Beasts Sect, they pulled out of thepetition, and none of their disciples remained in the valley.


    "Our fellow brothers and sisters were quite lucky, they didn''t have to fight alone against neen sects," ric kept talking when he saw nobody was nning to answer his previous remark.


    "True, they had it much easier. Not only did they have allies to share the burden with them, but they also had fewer enemies," Ken replied, knowing that talking to friends was important to ric. Ken saw it as rtionship maintenance.


    "Amitabha, share peace and make friends." The monk found a cozy corner for himself and delved into meditation as always, although the group knew he was still listening to the conversation.


    They had noticed the reduction in cooperation among the great sects after a few rounds in the next rounds. Most sects outside the top ten have kept their heads low ever since the incident with the Myriad Beasts Sect.


    It didn''t take a genius to deduct they held the Serene Lotus Sect ountable for the massacre and preferred not to pull fire on themselves. Losing 30% of the Supremacy Phase cultivator would be a huge blow to any sect, one that almost ensured losing their title for a couple of hundred years.


    Although their legacies were recorded and remained behind, there would be no elder to guide the new generation on how to cultivate them, increasing the difficulty of entering the seventh stage multiple times.


    After that fated night in which the Serene Lotus Sect sent a warning to all sects, their disciples only had to face an organized front from nine sects while working together with the five unranked sects to resist them. The new bnce achieved allowed to reduce the casualties by more than half and increase them on the other side.


    The unranked sects also did not stay idle; they challenged the other ranked sects, and the precedent of the Mysterious Mountain Sect made it much easier to pass any doubts the other great sects had. Now, they were ranked 20th, 18th, 16th, 15th, and 14th, taking into their hands around twelve percent of the continent''snds.


    Ken was not privy to the details, but it was general knowledge that the rest of the great twenty sects had agreed to monitor thends for the time being and make sure the new sects were righteous and took good care of the locals. There were even rumors that any spark in the area could turn into a full-fledged war.


    "By the way, do you know what is going to happen to the sects who were stripped of their ranks?" This time it was Ken, he had a few goals to achieve with one of the fallen sects.


    There was a slight tension whenever the topic of the new order in the continent came up in a conversation. People couldn''t help but feel threatened. The position of a great sect seemed set in stone, yet five sects were overthrown in a single Martial Arts Summit.


    Worst yet, the Shadond Sect still hasn''t published the full information on the new five ranked sects, which helped shroud them in uncertainty and mystery.


    "I believe their recruitments will drop in the next 50 years, their ie will also drop significantly, and they might try again in fifty years if the status quo remains the same without regional wars," Tiara spected based on her logic.


    "One should not be consumed by greed and anger. This monk thinks those sects should introspect themselves," Henry added. His meaning was that rather than focus on their current loss, they should reinforce their current forces.


    If they bring out their stash of treasures and resources to boost their disciples in the short term, they have the chance to get their spot back fifty yearster in the next Martial Arts Summit. None of the great sects were poor, and all of them had treasuries filled with wealth for such unexpected situations. In a sense, it was not different from war.


    "By the way, you guys never told me what you think about my new fighting style. Pretty awesome, isn''t it?" ric said with a proud smile, his chest puffed like a male peacock. He brough the guqin out of his storage ring for emphasize.


    "You are too coarse for it, it''s better if you use the spear again," Tiara shrugged. She also thought his symphonies were good, but she did not appreciate the secrecy he enforced until the demonstration.


    "I''m sure Tiara liked it. You two can now work together as a entertainers; You can y, and Tiara can dance," Ken smiled and teased them both before they could start another quarrel.


    "I''d rather y for a prettier girl," ric red at his teammate, unwilling to take the jab without returning the favor.


    "Hmph."


    "Anyway, I guess it''s time to go home and keep training. We need to hone our intents and techniques. We also need to look into the seventh stage soon. If the chance to take advantage of those sects arises, we will think of a n to use it."


    Ken learned from his great uncle, Fernando, that during the breakthrough to the seventh stage, one would have to pick one or two major Qi types. The creation of a domain seed requires too much Qi, and one can only absorb enough Qi to form a single seed.


    Solely with the aid of high-rank formations, one has the chance to achieve two domain seeds. Ken and his group, however, all had more than two attributes. Even if they were given the required resources from the sect, they still would have to give up on one attribute, even two in Ken''s case.


    "We are not giving up on our strengths. We will continue to be at the top at every given time, and we will notpromise on our cultivation," Ken said decisively, ensuring that none of his teammates had any thoughts of escaping difficulties by conforming to the norm of the cultivation world.


    "But how? It''s impossible and even the Serene Lotus Sect and the Infinite Wisdom Sect are unable to produce such cultivators. How can we do it?" ric voiced his doubts. He saw Ken do the impossible and create new Heaven-rank techniques for the whole group, but it was something entirely different.


    "I don''t know the righteous way to do it, but I''ve made some preparations to do it in the unconventional way supposing we fail to do it traditionally," Ken smiled coldly in response.


    ------


    Volume 6 - Martial Arts Summit - The End.

 Chapter 323 323 – The Fifth Companion

    Chapter 323  323 ¨C The Fifth Companion


    Volume 7 ¨C Opportunities in Others'' Misery


    -------


    A young man sat in his house, surrounded by four friends. The man had long, flowing ck hair that would make any woman jealous, skin tanned from long stays in the sun yet smooth and pleasant to touch, and celestial facial features that barely testified to his gender. Even among these extraordinary traits, his bright red eyes captivated everyone''s minds.


    "Did you fail again, Vivi?" asked the young man, his red eyes showing a hint of disappointment.


    "I did. The domain seed requires too much Qi, I cannot provide it enough before it crumbles."


    Vivienne''s hands were slightly trembling, and her skin seemed paler than usual. Her friends could easily sense her unstable Qi raging and trying to lead to a Qi deviation in her meridians.


    "I see¡­"


    Despite being in histe twenties, Ken still looked in histe teens. One mightbel him with the age of eighteen. He sighed when he heard about Vivienne''s failure to advance to the seventh stage. After fifteen years, he was more patient and had a better grasp of the right way to make others do his will withoutpelling them.


    "It''s already her fourth attempt. Team Leader, even you have failed once by now, are you sure we can advance without making some sacrifices?"


    The speaker was another young man with ck hair tied neatly behind his head, two stray bangs framed his strong, kind face. As for his face ¨C his strong jaw and amiable expression stayed almost the same as fifteen years ago. ric did not change much, at least not in visage.


    "The rest of us are nearing the peak of the Sea of Consciousness Expanding Stage, we should agree on a limit for the time we try to break through withoutpromising."


    This time a woman voiced her opinion. A gracefuldy with sleek blonde hair and charming blue eyes. Her face seemed to be carved with utmost care to perfection. Even her voice had an enchanting effect that calmed the listeners.


    Tiara only turned more beautiful as she advanced through the stages, and with her mind strengthened significantly in the sixth stage, her Charm Qi had a natural effect without her intentional efforts.


    "It is fine. I believe we cannot harness enough Qi for our breakthrough in the traditional way, but I have another n," Ken calmed hispanions. The one who needed those words the most was Vivienne, whom the group gave the nickname "Vivi".


    "You better have one, because I''m not attempting your manuals again," Vivi said with a pout. Despite being a "natural" with no Charm Qi, she was still not inferior to Tiara, although shecked Tiara''s special allure. Since her body was not tuned to Charm Qi, she did not pressure bystanders into submission.


    Sprawled across the couch, the tinum-haired beauty lounged with an ease that unted convention, indifferent to the disarray. Ever since she switched sides to the Serene Lotus Sect and nobody nagged her to train, she only did things at her own pace.


    "Pain is unavoidable, suffering is optional," a blindfolded monk rebuked the woman for her reluctance to go through pain. Henry sat in the room''s corner in a lotus pose, remaining silent other than asional remarks.


    "Optional? After spitting up blood for the fourth time, I feel more like ab subject than a cultivator! No more, I''m done!" She pursed her lips and spoke with her eyes shut, as though she was conserving her strength or trying to catch some sleep. Even the girl''s attire was messy like she just got up from bed.


    ''Ah, maybe I shouldn''t have removed that cor¡­'' Ken mused as a memory from fifteen years ago surfaced in his mind.


    -----------


    Fifteen years earlier:


    "Young Master Ken, you''ve been called to meet with Elder La," a messenger arrived at Ken''s house a few days after thetter made it back home from the Martial Arts Summit.


    ''It should be regarding Vivienne''s fate and future in the sect,'' Ken thought to himself. He was rather satisfied with the recovery of the "Young Master" title. Many had referred to him that way ever since his exploits in thepetition were publicized.


    "Sure, I''ming," Ken replied casually and put his white core-disciple robes on before heading outside. He followed the young woman to one of the highest peaks in the area until she stopped.


    "Climb to the peak to find Elder La. I''m not allowed to go any further." She bowed and cupped her fist before turning around to leave.


    ''Mhm, why do those elders love living on mountains'' peaks? It has slightly purer Qi, but they all use training chambers equipped with formations for their meditations and training, so the peaks'' benefits are meaningless,'' Ken sighed as he climbed on the mountain with light steps, jumping from stone to stone on his way to the summit.


    "You may enter," La''s voice came from the building when he arrived. It was too big for a house but too small to be called a mansion. Two-story building made of wood with delicate carving and style, a beautiful and peaceful corner amidst the sect.


    "Ken Sue greets Supreme Elder La," Ken cupped his fist and bowed ording to the traditions. "Did you call me to pay me the immortal Qi Stones we agreed on?" Ken asked with a slight smile.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t go back on my word. Here are your Qi Stones. You have killed 6968 enemies and earned 174,200 immortal Qi stones. It''s about twenty percent of the sect''s savings, so I hope you can justify this number. After all, my fellow elders want to crucify me for taking out so much for the sake of one Nascent Soul cultivator," La groaned in regret.


    If it were within her power, La would rewind time and adjust the reward to a mere 15 Qi Stones per head. s, some choices, like the flow of time, were beyond her reach.


    "Pleasure to do business with you. Don''t worry, recruiting me was an expensive decision, but certainly a lucrative one," Ken said confidently.


    "Hm, big talk. Anyway, back to the topic I called you for. We still haven''t interrogated the sect seed of the Four Seasons Sect since she''s your recruit, but it''s inevitable. What makes you trust her so much?"


    "I bound her to me with an item I received as a prize in the Bloodthirst Sect''s secret realm. They called it the "very Cor", and it should make her unable to lie to me or disobey my orders. Of course, since she switched sides, I will take it off," Ken exined.

 Chapter 324 324 – Viviennes Attribute

    Chapter 324  324 ¨C Vivienne''s Attribute


    "I bound her to me with an item I received as a prize in the Bloodthirst Sect''s secret realm. They called it the ''very Cor'', and it should make her unable to lie to me or disobey my orders. Of course, since she switched sides, I will take it off."


    La raised an eyebrow in surprise at his words, feeling a mix of impression and annoyance.


    "Enving the sect seed of a top five sect?" she eventually chose tough, "That''s rather courageous. However, it''s also foolish. very Cors are evil items that are condemned in our continent, you''d only give more legitimacy to the Four Seasons Sect''s ims that you''re an evil cultivator who should be turned over."


    "This kind of legitimacy is an empty way to justify taking from the weak. Is the Serene Lotus Sect weak?" Ken partly teased her, partly asking a serious question. He knew that after demonstrating his strength in thepetition, his value had only risen, but he overestimated his credit.


    "Argh!" Without warning, the room blurred around Ken. A sharp, jarring pain exploded in his side, catapulting him across the room. He hit the floor with a resounding crash, the impact rattling his bones. Dazed, he barely registered the echo of his body hitting the ground, a split second of confusion before realizing he had been attacked.


    "Don''t overstep your boundaries, Ken. You might be valuable, but it doesn''t make you immune tows nor does it exempt you from paying respect to those above you. One day, your status might be even higher than mine, but that is not going to happen any time soon."


    "I understand, Elder La," Ken groaned as he got up. From a quick check, he could tell that he had fractured at least three ribs and broke his nose from La''s show of might. During the whole conversation, she never changed her position, remaining seated with one leg crossed over the other.


    In a moment of anger at the humiliation, he exuded a hint of bloodlust and killing intent, but he quickly suppressed it, making it vanish as though it had never been there.


    La nodded upon seeing his control over his emotions, ignoring his brief outburst. With a quick eye-to-eye nce, they knew neither of them held a grudge over what took ce. La saw him as a young teen who needed discipline, while he knew how she saw him. He could respect that she only did it in private without harming his reputation.


    "Good." La''s voice was calm but carried an undercurrent of sternness. "Consider this, Ken. It''s not about fearing the opinions of other sects. It''s about the seeds we sow with our actions. Evil, once rooted, tends to spread its tendrils far and wide. Once you legitimize enving outsiders, it would only take a few days at worst, and at best, a few centuries before disciples start using such underhanded controlling methods on each other. Once this happens, the fall of the sect would be only a matter of time."


    "Thank you for exining, Elder La, I was wrong," Ken replied without hesitation. He only thought about it from his own perspective, but he could see the truth in her words now.


    Of course, he did not regret his actions; he just agreed that he should not overuse the very cors and that no sect should legitimize using it officially. If Ken thought using it would carry more benefits than risks, he''d enve as many people as needed, and his crime wouldn''t interrupt his sleep for a single moment.


    "Good. We will make sure she''s on our side and then you can remove the cor," La decided, ignoring the hypocrisy in her words. Despite speaking ill about the very cor, she thought it''d be a shame not to put it to use if it was already there.


    --------


    Back to the present:


    ''Hmm, even the Godly Qi is not enough for the advancement. I just can''t make my body absorb the amount of Qi needed in time, I''m certain of it after my attempt; it''s not Vivi''s ipetence orziness,'' Ken thought to himself. He had all the Qi he needed, he simply could not suck it into his body fast enough.


    "Does it mean Vivi will never make it to the seventh stage?" ric asked in curiosity, "We could just give one of our attributes up, but she can''t do that, can she?"


    "If the road is unpaved, make your own path. This monk thinks we should listen to what Team Leader has to say," said Henry as he released some of his Buddhistic Qi, calming everyone''s minds. Since there were no malicious intentions behind it, nobody tried to fend it off.


    "Indeed, she only has a single attribute, but as I said, none of us is going to give anything up, so this is irrelevant," Ken dered.


    "It''s unfair to treat it as a single attribute, you know?" Vivi protested against their wording, "I worked hard to develop my Elemental Qi. In fact, technically, I have many more attributes than all of you."


    Even Ken had to admit that Vivienne''s powers were incredible. The woman''s Qi made every elemental technique stronger, meaning she could use many different attributes without any disadvantage. While her favorites remained Fire Qi and Wind Qi, she could execute lightning attacks, earth moves, and more.


    He remembered how surprised everybody in the room was when she was forced to confess her attributes before he removed her cor. ording to her words, her exact affinity was not known even in the Four Seasons Sect. She only practiced Fire Qi and Air Qi in public before she advanced to the Core Formation Stage.


    He recalled the elders'' hands shaking with excitement, the passion in their eyes, and even asional hints of greed. Fortunately, none of them could change their attributes now, making Vivienne feel much safer amidst the jealousy.


    The elders'' enthusiasm for weing such an astounding inheritance into their sect was only overshadowed by their disappointment a few yearster when they learned that she couldn''t advance to the seventh stage, decreasing its worth significantly.


    ''The Serene Lotus Sect is obsessed with collecting inheritances, and the more unique they are, the more passionate they are about it. Every time a new inheritance is found, they act like children who haveid their hands on a rare game card,'' Ken thought, amused.


    "Don''t worry about it," he eventually chose another approach. "Bag your things, we are going to switch to another sect."


    "As in betraying the Serene Lotus Sect? Are you sure we can afford that?" Vivi asked cautiously. She never managed to make Ken change his mind since she joined his team fifteen years ago, so she could only try to be privy to his reasons.


    "True, I''m not joining a suicide mission that turns the strongest sect on the continent into our enemy when we still aren''t in the Supremacy Phase," Tiara stated, making her stance clear. Nobody in the continent liked them, and turning theirst ally into an enemy was a death sentence.


    "We are not betraying the sect. We will go on a long mission out of the sect''s territory undercover. We haven''t made an appearance outside in many years and we were forgotten. It''s time to remind the continent who we are."


    "Don''t act so cold, Icy Princess," ric said, patting her shoulder. "We both know the five of us have great potential and strength when webine forces."


    Ken smiled coldly as ric brought out his guqin and yed a cheerful melody. The young man knew that he might be wanted by the whole continent for his future actions, but he''d fight the whole world in order to maximize his cultivation.

 Chapter 325 325 – Taking a Mission in the East

    Chapter 325  325 ¨C Taking a Mission in the East


    "Team Leader, what do you think about the ''growth spurt'' in the top five sects?"


    Ken and ric were walking together down a wide avenue on their way to the Mission Hall. They were both adorned in the white robes that identified them as core disciples. While many disciples preferred to wear colorful or fashionable clothes during their free time, Ken and ric did not care about it.


    They were not young people of the fourth stage anymore; they were at the sixth stage, only one step away from bing elders. Their strengthbined with their performance in the Martial Arts Summit made them famous throughout the sect, and everybody recognized them.


    "Hello, Young Master Ken."


    "Salem greets Young Master Ken."


    Ken nodded to the people and continued his trip. He preferred to be referred to as "Young Master," and he even paid off some of the more well-connected disciples in the sect to make sure everyone called him that way.


    "I think the ''growth spurt'' is none of our business. First, we aren''tgging behind anybody. Second, I''m sure we are stronger than those people," Ken dismissed hispanion''s worries.


    The ''growth spurt'' was a phenomenon that took ce in the top five sects in the past fifteen years. There were a few dozen cultivators who advanced the stages at the speed of sect seeds despite not being ones.


    Those people, who were at the fourth and fifth stages only fifteen years ago, were already nearing the desired elder status. Their stages ranged from the lower sixth stage to the peak of it.


    "Then what about all the challenges we gottely? Our status has been undisputed for nearly a decade now, yet those people think they have a chance."


    The reason ric brought up the topic of the growth spurt was that ten fellow disciples challenged them.


    If an inner disciple challenged a core disciple and won, the sect promised to let them be the next core disciples, getting rare inheritances and mentorship from an elder. Ken and his group were all nominated as honorary core disciples.


    "We will make an example out of them to ensure that nobody dares challenge us for a while, then we can go out on the mission. It might take quite a few months until we are back, even a whole year or two, so we need to leave an impact."


    "I will pass the message to the rest of the group. Let''s ept all challenges on the same day and conduct the battles one by one?"


    "Yes."


    The five were powerful beyond reason. They advanced through the stages with the help of the Godly Qi, practiced extraordinary inheritances, and enjoyed the best pills that Alchemy could offer. Taking on someone from the same stage who wasn''t even a sect seed was too easy for them.


    The two entered the Mission Hall and approached a smaller counter on the side. It was meant for those in the sixth stage. Since it was serving much less people than the other counters, it was only manned by a single clerk.


    "Young Master Ken," the clerk bowed while stealing a long nce at Ken''s face. He had to admit that this man was better looking than his girlfriend. "Senior Brother ric," he cupped his fist toward ric.


    "We are from the same sect, you can call me Big Brother if you''d like," ric smiled at him. He saw his fellow disciples as his friends; he didn''t want to stand on ceremony with them.


    "Ah, okay, Big Brother ric," the clerk said awkwardly. ric was his senior brother because he was exponentially stronger, but the clerk was older than him, which made the ''Big Brother'' title weird.


    "We would like to ept a mission for five people on the east side of the continent," exined Ken as he browsed the papers on the board behind the clerk.


    "In the east? As in a different sect''s territory?"


    "Exactly, the Divine Lightning Sect''s territory, to be precise." The Divine Lightning Sect was one of the five unranked sects that participated in the Martial Arts Summit, and they were the ones to challenge and overthrow the twentieth-ranked sect, the Jade Sky Sect.


    "Young Master, I''m sure you are aware of the suspicions against the Divine Lightning Sect," said the receptionist, referring to the fact it was an evil sect. "Missions there are ssified as dangerous, some even as extremely dangerous. It''s not very stable right now."


    "I am aware, and I still want a mission there."


    "I see. The least dangerous ones are to collect a few ingredients unique to the east or y some monsters that only reproduce in that area. As for the more dangerous ones, I don''t know much about them; they are top-secret missions, and I can only infer you to the elder in charge."


    "Who is the elder in charge?" Ken ced his fingers on his smoothly shaved shin and contemted the option. He used his Alchemy skills to destroy his hair follicles, preventing his beard from growing again unless he chose to heal them.


    "Grand Elder Elmer."


    "I will take it then. Where can I find Elder Elmer?"


    Ken and ric left the Mission Hall after getting the details they needed. They parted there ¨C ric went back to let the rest of the group know about the recent news, and Ken went to find Elmer in the Security Department of the sect.


    "Young Master Ken, may I help you with anything?" One of the guards at the entrance stopped him. He remained respectful, but he also had to do his job. Ken was not part of the Security Department, hence, he needed a reason to enter.


    "Yes, you can lead me to Grand Elder Elmer''s office. I need to meet him regarding a mission," Ken showed the mission token he received from the clerk earlier.


    "Oh, please go inside. It''s on the second floor-"


    "Since you offered to help me, you can lead me there," Ken insisted. He was just a bit petty, but it came with the ''Young Master'' title.


    "I¡­ I need to stay guard¡­" the man stuttered while looking around him, trying to find external help. However, his partner for the shift looked straight ahead, avoiding eye contact. ''Screw him, he is doing it on purpose!''


    "Okay, follow me," he relented.


    The two climbed the stairs and soon made it to a big door covered with formations that kept the noise outside. The guard knocked on it, and soon the formation turned green, a sign that the noise cancetion was off.


    "Elder, Young Master Ken Sue is here to see you regarding a secret mission you published."


    "Let him in," a deep masculine voice came from the other side of the room, and the guard beckoned at the door before cupping his fist and going back to his post.


    Ken pushed the handle and went inside, finding a minimalistic room with only a desk, a library filled with folders, and a chair upied by a certain elder he hadn''t seen in a while.


    "Ken Sue, long time no see," Elmer smiled. Ken Sue was his personal sess story. The boy he had recruited for the price of antagonizing plenty of sects had proved his worth during his years in the Serene Lotus Sect. Even the stingy alchemists gave him a few rare pills for free to show their gratitude.


    "Elder Elmer, we haven''t seen each other in too long, perhaps it''s time we work with each other once again," Ken cupped his fist and bowed.


    "Again? When did we ever work together? It was just me saving you and you trying to make my job harder than it should have been."


    "Haha, tell that to the free pills you have been eating," Ken smiled at the elder''s surprised face, "Yes, I know about them. The elders there are my fans, do you think they wouldn''t tell me?"


    "Oh, those old ass-lickers, I should have known they''d use it to suck up to you. Anyway, what brings you here?"


    "This," Ken threw a jade token that only instructed its owner to go to Elmer for further details.


    Elmer looked at it for a brief second before raising his eyes back to Ken. "Ken, do you know what my job is in the sect?" He asked.


    "No?"


    "It''s to cause trouble. More specifically, it''s to weaken potentialpetition within the continent, there''s someone else in charge of causing trouble in the Qiteria continent. I also work with other elders who are in charge of collecting intelligence on other sects. Do you think you can y this game?"


    "Didn''t I weaken plenty of sects during my short life? I think you need to step up your game if you want to work with me," Ken shrugged, making Elmerugh.


    "Oh, really? Which sects have you significantly weakened? Those 10 thousand members of the Four Seasons Sect? almost none of them was truly expected to be an elder in the future, so you only killed the pawns."


    "You know that''s not true, and you have no idea how many people I have killed inside the secret realm. Besides, do you want to know a secret?" Ken stepped forward, nearing the elder''s desk.


    "What secret?" Elmer raised an eyebrow, but the tension of his body gave away his interest.


    "The mini-war between the Divine Sword Sect and the Four Seasons Sect, I might have had something to do with it," Ken confessed.


    "Now you are just bragging, it had nothing to do with you. Besides, most of the dead were useless cultivators from other sects," Elmer shook his head, not believing a word Ken said.


    After a short pause, Elmer continued, "But fine, your achievements were impressive for a ten-year-old, I will give you that. You can take a few days toe up with a way to weaken the Jade Sky Sect and the Divine Lightning Sect ande back to me to report."


    "No need, I already have a n. I''m going to join the Jade Sky Sect."

 Chapter 326 326 – Preparations for the Mission

    <h4>Chapter 326 Chapter 326 ¨C Preparations for the Mission</h4>


    "Join the Jade Sky Sect and weaken it from the inside?"


    "Yes, and weaken the Divine Lightning Sect from the outside during the two sects'' skirmishes," Ken dered his intentions.


    "Hmm, are you going alone?" Elmer asked. "I''m not sure whether you would be recognized or not. Although you look different from thest time you made a public appearance, it''s probable that spies from within the sect had reported your current visage to the other sects. Besides, your face is too unique, and you only look a few years olderpared to fifteen years ago."


    "I understand the problem, but there''s nothing to worry about, I got it all covered," Ken reassured the elder.


    "How? I''m not going to just take your word for it and risk my golden goose''s life. No matter how strong you are, you will die from a single p of a Supremacy-phase cultivator, and that''s not something I can approve of. Besides, it''s not that easy to gain the trust of a sect when you''re at the peak of the sixth stage, they would want to know your whole past."


    Ken sighed. He did not want to reveal his techniques and secrets, but it was the only way to make Elmer trust his capability to pull his n off. Everything would be much easier if he had the sect''s support than doing it on his own.


    "Am I really in the sixth stage?" Ken said, and his aura shrunk at a rapid pace until it was gone, leaving behind only the weak presence of a third-stage cultivator.


    "That''s¡­ interesting," Elmer leaned back in his chair and focused his mental power on Ken, probing his aura. He was trying to find a hole in the technique that would give away the truth.


    "You can''t see through my disguise, you are wasting your time," Ken spoke in confidence. In the sixth stage, his mind was strengthened and everything he had done was executed more perfectly due to the increased mental capacity.


    "Cocky," Elmer frowned when he realized Ken was correct. However, he was not one to admit defeat. He vanished from his chair and reappeared before Ken, grabbing the young man''s shoulder. His Qi seeped into Ken''s body, trying to break the fa?ade that hid Ken''s true stage.


    "Well, found anything yet?" Ken smirked, annoying the elder. His pose was calm and he did not budge at the least from Elmer''s invasive actions.


    "Fine, I will break through it forcibly," Elmer was just about to follow his statement when Ken pped his hand away and stepped backward.


    "Don''t injure me for no reason. We both know that no elder would even superficially check a third-stage cultivator, let alone try to break their disguise forcibly," Ken refused to have his meridians cracked for the sake of Elmer''s pride.


    "You are right, I was rash. But you still haven''t solved the problem of your face. I know you love your masks, but you cannot wear them there. They''d be even worse giveaways than your real face."


    "First of all, I have plenty of masks, I''m sure many of them would fool the sect, but it was not my intention. Give me your word that you don''t share my secret means with others, I only show them to you to reassure you that everything is under control."


    "You have my word," Elmer agreed. There was no need for something dramatic like an oath. First, it would be disrespectful, second, Elmer would have found a way around it if he really wanted to. People at Elmer''s stage gave a heavy weight to their face and credibility, so having their word was usually enough.


    Ken produced a few pills from his storage ring and put them on disy. Next, he took out a few small bandages inscribed with many small runes on them. Last, he set aside a set of makeup he made himself.


    "Is this your disguise kit?" Elmer asked, guessing what was going to happen next.


    "Indeed. Watch it."


    Ken first started with the pills. One changed the color of his eyes to green, and the other made his face-bones softer. Thest pill added a bit of fat to his cheeks, making him look chubbier.


    Elmer sat silently and watched the process as Ken took a few minutes to digest the pills and let them work their magic.


    Next, Ken took the bandages and stered them on his high cheekbones, changing the structure of his face. The runes sucked some Qi from Ken and assimted into his face as if they were never there.


    For the final touch, Ken applied some makeup, using a lighter shade foundation on his skin to hide his tan. Hepleted the art with a few touches of powder and creams until a whole different man stood in front of Elmer.


    Now, his skin had a lighter color, his face was longer, and most of his prominent characteristics were gone. The fat in his cheeks made him look more childish, and as a result also more trustworthy and amiable.


    He could have gone for the gender-bender solution again as he did to run away from the secret realm, however, he preferred not to. This time he would be in disguise for a long time, and while being a girl had its own benefits, he did not want to handle wooers or horny fellow disciples for months. He''d rather leave those hardships to Vivienne and Tiara.


    "I see, this is indeed quite the transformation. Those sters are a great invention, why don''t you share them with the sect?"


    "Because then people would know about them, and countermeasures will be made against those tactics. I can share them with the sect after this operation is over and I won''t need them as much anymore." By the time he was done with the Jade Sky Sect, he nned to be at the seventh stage, and whole new possibilities would be at his disposal after that breakthrough.


    "Fine. Are you going alone?"


    "No, I will take my teammates with me, the five of us will go."


    "I see, good luck. You may leave whenever you want, make sure to dispose of any belonging that connects you to a different force before you enter their territory, and preferably, leave everything you don''t need here. Furthermore, we have been lenient with you for the past years, but whoever takes a mission ssified as extremely dangerous must leave their inheritance behind in case they die."


    Ken took a few moments to ponder about the issue, but Elmer did not show any signs of changing his mind.


    "Those are the protocols, they aren''t going to change for you. I promise that nobody will copy or steal the inheritance before three years pass from your departure. If you are not back or showing a clear sign of well-being after three years, the inheritance will be taught to a promising young disciple."


    Ken nodded slowly, knowing that he couldn''t get out of it. Since this was the case, he would only need to write lesser versions of his sword techniques. Good enough to be considered heaven grade, but not strong enough to be considered peak heaven grade.


    As thankful as he was to the sect for the resources and trust they had showered him with, he wouldn''t risk his secrets, and he didn''t care about the sect''s development in case he died.


    "Fine, I will leave the five inheritances in your hands before I go, but I expect to see them still sealed when I''m back," Ken agreed and turned around, leaving the room and closing the door behind him.


    -------


    "We are leaving right after the challenges against us are over. I wrote your inheritances for you and sealed them, you can hand them over to Elmer before we depart toplete the mission."


    Ken and his four teammates, all adorned in white with a pinkish lotus on their shoulders, walked toward the arena where the duels would take ce. Ken''s robes were also embroidered with the design of a Xuanwu, the ck tortoise that represented the Sue n. Although he was not part of it, he liked the way it looked on his robes.


    Soon, they had a face-off with a group of ten disciples. The audience for the event was huge; Tiara used her charm to ask some of the most influential figures in the sect to publicize the battle, an action meant to ensure many would witness the difference in power. This way, nobody would try to take their spot while they were away.


    "Are you telling us you don''t need to rest between our fights? Being overconfident will cost you the victory, Brothers," One of the opponents frowned at the tant disrespect.


    "We are telling you that we don''t need to separate the fights. It''s a pain in the ass, and I want to get it over with so I can go tour a few restaurants in the city instead," Vivienne let her tongue loose.

 Chapter 327 327 – Facing the Challengers

    Chapter 327  327 ¨C Facing the Challengers


    "We are telling you that we don''t need to separate the fights."


    "Separate the fights? This isn''t a five-versus-five challenge," the disciple, Edmund, did not understand the situation yet.


    "She means that we won''t take you in turns, each one of us will take the two challenging them together. We want to make an example out of you for the rest of the challengers," Ken exined.


    "An example? Do you think we are the same as your friends from the Phoenix Feather Sect?" A vein popped above the man''s temple and his lips twitched in annoyance.


    "Yes, I do," Ken shrugged. "Let''s begin then, I will go first. The two who challenged me can enter the arena with me."


    He tapped on the ground with his feet and jumped, letting himself slide to the ground gracefully. He did not wear his mask today, a good omen for his enemies. He usually avoided killing fellow sect members, understanding it would paint him in a negative light within the sect.


    "Fine, we will check if your skills can keep up with your mouth," two women jumped to the stage, their green robes fluttering behind them. "But, Little Brother, since you are so confident, why not make a bet with us?"


    "Can you offer me something that I want andck?" He asked them. He was one of the richest people in the Nurturing Phase in the whole continent, interesting him with a bet was not an easy thing to achieve.


    "I could offer you my body for the night," one of the women, She, said with a finger on her lower lip. Her eyes scrutinized Ken from head to toe.


    "If I wanted your body, I wouldn''t need a bet for it. Cut to the chase and tell me what you have to offer," Ken rejected without a hint of a smile. He could already guess what they wanted in case they won; women in the sect wooed him almost as aggressively as men wooed Tiara.


    Vivienne, however, managed to escape this fate. At first, she had plenty of admirers looking for a chance with her, but her approach was slightly different than her friends'' constant refusals.


    She smiled at her admirers and epted their offers happily, using them as humanbor and piggy banks. When those admirers saw how tantly she took advantage of them, even dating a few of them one after the other, they started leaving one by one until nobody bothered her anymore, and she turned infamous in the sect.


    "You are right, you don''t need to win a bet to have it. Do you want it then?" The woman pushed harder.


    "No."


    "Are you really a man?" She squinted her eyes in suspicion, "Whatever, we do have something else that will catch your eye. Look what this is, I spent quite a lot of time and treasures to get it," she took out from her storage ring a huge carcass.


    "A wolf?" Ken looked at it carefully before a spark of greed shone in his eyes. "A carcass of an eighth-rank Moonwolf, that''s not bad. What do you want in return?"


    "Oh? Little Brother, you have a good eye for merchandise. I hope you don''t mind me calling you ''Little Brother'', I''m a huge fan of yours," She said smugly when she noticed a slight movement in his eyebrows every time she referred to him that way.


    "So you want me if you win, but I must warn you, I don''t think it would work between us, I dislike long-winded women. Your friend there has a better chance than you."


    "Fine, we will do it your way then. Since you are aware that you are the prize, let''s fight." She spat it out in anger as her teammate smiled happily. "Judge, start the fight."


    "Ready? Fight!"


    Ken did not move from his ce. There were 50 meters between them, which was considered the minimal distance for cultivators in their stage. For them, that distance amounted to nothing; they could cross it in the blink of an eye.


    "Fight!" The judge said again when he realized all the three of them just stood there.


    "I¡­" E, thedy who did not speak the whole exchange between Ken and She, stuttered and moved her hand to her neck. She rubbed her neck and looked at her palm, seeing it stained with a few drops of blood. "I surrender."


    "Me- me too," She joined.


    The two hurriedly left the stage under the confused eyes of the crowd. Only the elders of the Supremacy Phase understood what happened. It was beyond the scope of the Nurturing Phase as they knew it.


    "Winner, Ken Sue!"


    Ken left the stage and Henry took his ce, waiting for the next opponents. However, they did not jump on right away, they were too worried about what happened to their friends.


    "Hey, hey, E, She! Come here, what the hell happened? Why did you forfeit without a fight?" One of Henry''s opponents ran to the girls and blocked their way, demanding an exnation.


    "He is too strong. If hispanions are that strong, you shouldn''t try to challenge them," E said without exining anything.


    "What do you mean ''too strong''? Aren''t we all in the top ten of the inner sect? Aren''t we as strong as core disciples?!"


    "No, look at that," E stretched her neck and showed him a shallow, thin cut on it. She already used her Qi to make it stop bleeding, and Ken did not inject his Sword Qi into it either.


    "What is that?"


    "I just felt a caress of a sword on my neck, and I saw myself from a bystander''s point of view. My head was separated from my body, I was headless. Now that I think about it, maybe it wasn''t a bystander''s point of view, but from where my head was. I just knew that he could kill me if he wanted to."


    Arthur looked at her, doubtful. "It''s an illusion, how can you just surrender to it?" he said in disdain.


    "It wasn''t an illusion, it was reality. Whatever, go to your fight and see for yourself."


    "Fine."


    Arthur and his partner both jumped onto the stage and faced Henry. This time, nobody had the mood for useless talking. Henry rarely talked, and the two were too nervous to talk.


    "Ready? Fight!"


    Henry thrust his hand forward with his palm open and his fingers together. An ethereal golden hand was projected from his palm, huge enough to make dodging it impossible. The two men cleaved their weapons at the technique, working together to resist the pressure.


    However, two explosions resounded and their techniques crumbled, only leaving small cracks in Henry''s attack. The palm crashed into them like a train, and the two were sent at high speed into the arena''s barrier. They both remained where theynded, unable to get up.


    "Winner, Henry Karras!"


    The judge announced the winner, and a team of healers hurriedly transported the losers away and gave them first aid. Henry did not kill them, but he did cause too many fractures in their bones.


    "Is it my turn?" Vivienne asked.


    "No, you joinedst, so you gost. I will go now," ric teased her.


    "Then I will go now since you joined fourth," Tiara smiled and hopped onto the ring, leaving ric to open and close his mouth in frustration as he tried toe up with a retort.


    Two hairless men came forth to oppose her. At the beginning of the ordeal, those two believed to have the best chance at winning, yet now they weren''t so confident anymore.


    "You guys¡­" Tiara frowned, her face distorting in disgust, "You are mutted, aren''t you?"


    "We knew it, your charm wouldn''t work as well against us. We sacrificed those parts for the sake of power, and today, we will be your natural enemies." The two took their stances, clearly encouraged by Tiara''s response.


    Behind the arena, Ken, ric, and Vivienne turned their heads to Henry by instinct.


    "Gossip is poisonous to the heart," the monk said in dissatisfaction, "Look for the inner you inside yourself, what others do does not matter."


    "Ready? Fight!"


    Tiara waved her hand and millions of tiny ice shards appeared around the arena, making a spectacr scene. Nearly everyone diverted their concentration from the fight in favor of the sight, hence, when they looked again, they had no idea what happened or why the two men hadrge ice spears stuck in their four limbs.


    "Winner, Tiara cier!"


    The icy princess left the stage after a swift victory, letting the healers take care of the injured. Unlike Ken, she also injected Ice Qi into their bodies with that attack.


    "I guess it''s my turn now," ric dered.


    "Good luck, I hope you can y your music before they pluck the strings," Tiara bullied him.


    "Hmph. Do you think I don''t notice how you tap your foot against the floor with the rhythm every time I y?"


    ric faced a man and a woman. Ken, who has read their information before, saw through their n to counter ric. Ironically, it was exactly what Tiara said.


    "One of them is a Wind Qi user while the other is a Mental Qi practitioner. I assume thetter will try to slow down ric while the former uses her speed to tackle him head-on and prevent him from ying his music," Ken analyzed the situation.


    "This n is as good as sending castrated men against me," Tiara shrugged. Despite her teases, she knew how strong ric was.


    "Ready? Fight!"


    Just like Ken predicted, techniques of illusions and mind prations assaulted ric within a second, and the Wind Qi user sprinted at an inconceivable speed. However, they were not fast enough to prevent ric from caressing the strings at least once.


    *Ting* *Ting* *Ting*


    The sound sent forthrge waves of Qi that bombed the iing mental attacks and kept the woman at bay. With another strum of the guqin, the two became too busy defending, and with every second the notes turned into a melody. The two only managed to resist for twenty seconds before failing to keep up.


    "Winner, ric Sonora!"


    ric left the stage and joined his friends, but he was visibly unhappy about how things turned out. The reason was that he knew Tiara''s next words.


    "Nearly half a minute for winning. Aren''t you worried everyone will know you''re the weakest link in our team?"


    "Shut it, it''s a very short time to overpower two top disciples," he snapped.


    "She knows how strong you are, ric, your inheritance just isn''t built for quick solo fights," Ken calmed him down. "Vivienne, it''s you now," he jabbed at the absent-minded sloth.


    "Oh, right," she came back to reality and entered the arena. Thest two did not have a shred of confidence left after seeing thest four battles. None of them could be considered a battle; everything was too one-sided.


    "Ready? Fight!"


    Two explosions happened, and the two''s very techniques burned into nothingness. The shockwaves sent them sting into the wall, losing their consciousness right away.

 Chapter 328 328 – One Last Visit

    Chapter 328  328 ¨C One Last Visit


    "That was fast," ricmented.


    "Keep training, maybe you will also be able to defeat nobodies quickly," Tiara patted his shoulder as the five left the ce, ignoring the cheering crowd.


    "Team Leader, aren''t you going to see your parents before we leave?" Vivienne chimed in, stopping the banter before it could develop. "I can alsoe if you go, I like to visit them."


    "The truth cannot be obscured by clouds made of lies, just like the sun will not be hidden by the rain for long," Henry used one of his quotes with a serious expression.


    "Hey, I''m not lying, I DO like to see them!" Vivienne protested.


    "Vivi, I know you are after Emrys'' fluffiness and my cooking, but I already went to say goodbye a few days ago," Ken crushed her hope.


    -------


    A few days ago:


    Ken looked back at his house where he had left Soul with a few instructions and brought his fingertips to his lips. Forming an open circle with his fingers, he used them to produce a sharp, loud whistle that reverberated in the area.


    *Howl!*


    The howling of a wolf answered, and in the blink of an eye, arge wolf dashed toward Ken.


    "Hello, Big Glutton," Ken stroked his fur. It was extremely soft, making the young human feel like he dipped his hand in a pond of fluffiness. He immediately recalled Vivienne and her love for the big wolf; she would often apany him on his trips to his parents ever since she learned Emrys carried him there bareback.


    Emrys'' new nickname, ''Big Glutton,'' was not in vain. Raising him cost Ken as much as it would cost a person to hire Ken''s service to support their cultivation from the first stage to the seventh. In other words, it was an exorbitant price.


    Due to Ken''s extreme nurturing, the wolf was picky in his food. He never ate meat below his stage, and only agreed to eat the finest of beasts in his stage. If their bloodline was too weak to his taste, he would p their carcasses with his big paw and send them away, dering he would never consume such junk food.


    "Grr," he purred under Ken''s touch and rubbed his nose against his master''s chest. Just as Ken liked the wolf''s fur, the wolf liked Ken''s smooth silk clothes.


    Ken scrutinized the wolf with his eyes. Emrys was now a sixth-rank beast. His fur was snow-white with strong hues of gold, a result of the Sun Dragon bloodline embedded in his veins.


    It was not the only thing his bloodline added to his body. Two razor-sharp horns, akin to glistening daggers, sprouted from the wolf''s head, curving menacingly towards the sky. They glinted under the sun, adding a terrifying majesty to the creature''s already fearsome visage.


    "Let''s go, I''m going to visit my parents," Ken told him, getting a soft growl in response. He jumped on Emrys'' back, two meters and a half high, andy on the fur. He could easily understand why Vivi was obsessed with it, even with therge muscles moving underneath, the stay was still pleasant.


    Emrys kicked the ground and ventured out of the sect, his speed so high Ken''s sight blurred into tunnel vision. They only stopped twice ¨C once at the exit from the inner sect and another at the exit from the sect''s base.


    dly, Emrys used a barrier to stop the wind from inconveniencing his master, letting Ken enjoy a ride with nothing more than an enjoyable breeze. Ken took in the sights of the forest.


    The forest was a realm of enchantment, its towering trees radiating vibrant Qi that tingled on Ken''s skin. Leaves shimmered iridescently, and the ground was a tapestry of vividly colored flowers, pulsating with Qi.


    It was only during his trips that Ken appreciated the beauty surrounding him in the cultivation world, especially there, near the central zone, where the Qi density was at its peak, nourishing the beast and vegetation worlds.


    Before, he used to only focus on achieving his objectives and ignored the rest, but now, perhaps under Tiara''s influence, he also appreciated the beautiful view.


    Above, the treetops formed a dense cover, sometimes parting to show the blue sky. Sunlight poured in, casting a golden glow over the woods.


    Disciples were scattered in clearings, either dueling with the local beasts they needed to defeat or meditating under ancient trees, drawing from the rich Qi instead of paying for the training rooms. Others collected rare herbs and spiritual fruits, treasures of the Qi-dense woods.


    Emrys navigated the terrain with ease, his presencemanding respect from the intelligent beasts that lurked, allowing them unchallenged passage. His bloodline was pure and his rank was high, prompting the beasts under the Supremacy Phase to retreat.


    As they approached the forest''s edge, the dense trees gave way to rolling hills and meadows, revealing the walls of a city in the distance.


    The trip took one hour, and they stood outside his parents'' door. They didn''t bother passing through the gate, simply jumping above the wall fast enough to go unnoticed by the guards.


    *Knock knock*


    The door was opened, and Ken saw his smiling mother behind it. She didn''t wait a second to step forward and embrace her son before dragging him inside.


    Emrys could only make a sad whimper and wait outside, trying to ignore the curious gazes of every single person passing by. He was too big to enter the house, forcing him to remain in the street.


    He could only grit his teeth in annoyance and ignore the few kids brave enough to approach him and touch his fur before their parents hurriedly pulled them away.


    "Mom, Dad, how are you two doing?" Ken broke free from his mother''s hug and sat on the sofa.


    "We are fine, I just found a job teaching the kids of a few officials in the city during the day, I guide them into the first stage. Aiya, I was lucky that I learned the manuals you gave me, the expectations here are much higher than in the branch of the Phoenix Feather Sect," Haoranughed as he sat down.


    The maid served them some tea and biscuits before excusing herself. She already knew the protocols ¨C when Ken came to visit, she would get the day off.


    "I just keep practicing the alchemy theories you gave me and sell some of my more ordinary crafts. I gave Henry my umtion of pills just a week or two ago."


    Ken, knowing his mother''s fondness for Alchemy, had provided her with the knowledge to experiment with in her free time, which was most of the time as she had no responsibilities as a normal resident in a mainly mortal city.


    Since everything she needed was supplied by Ken, she gave his subordinates her best pills to sell along with Darma''s, although Mei never manufactured pills for that purpose.


    "How is your cultivation?" Ken asked as he caressed his mother''s arm gently.


    "Even with all the resources you gave me, I''m still at the peak of the fourth stage. I can''t break through, I miss my nascent soul," Mei said in sadness.


    "She is still as feisty as she was at her peak though," Haoran joked, earning a hateful re from his wife. "Ahm, sorry," he looked away.


    "There''s nothing to worry about, Mom," Ken smiled, "I came here today for two reasons. Do you want the good news or the bad news first?"


    "Bad news. Is it about Aaron?" Mei immediately asked, imagining the worst. Even though everything was nearly perfect in the past fifteen years, there was always one sore point, one blemish on those beautiful years under Ken''s protection. Aaron, their missing son. Even after all these years, Ken had no reliable news about him.


    "No, it''s not, nothing changed on that front," Ken sighed, "The bad news is that this is a goodbye, I might not return for a year or two."


    "Where are you going?"


    "On a mission. And for training. Both, those interests are intertwined."


    The mission was secret and dangerous. Telling them the details would only make them worried and potentially even endanger them.


    "I see," Haoran replied softly, not asking for further details. He understood Ken''s intentions and chose to trust his son as he had done many times before. "What is the good news then?"


    "That today I''m here to restore Mom''s nascent soul," the young man smirked at his parents'' expression.


    "Are you a seventh-rank alchemist?!" Mei eximed in excitement. It officially ced him among the elite of the continent, a person with great influence on the great twenty sects.


    Knowing that her son achieved this special status was enough to make the mother inside her ignite, turning her breath hurried, her eyes burning with fervor. Shepletely missed the point of having her nascent soul healed, only caring about her son''s aplishment.


    "Exactly. And to make it even better, I haven''t concocted the pill yet; you get to watch a grandmaster alchemist in action today!"

 Chapter 329 329 – Nascent Soul Restoration Pill

    <h4>Chapter 329 Chapter 329 ¨C Nascent Soul Restoration Pill </h4>


    ?Ken and his parents left the living room in favor of Mei''s training room. It was the room where she trained and practiced her alchemy, while Haoran had his own training room on the other side of the inscribed wall.


    "Dad, Mom, stand over there and don''t interrupt me. I need my whole focus to concoct a seventh-rank pill."


    Ken pointed at a corner and the two stood there. Haoran did not know much about Alchemy, but he was curious to see a seventh-rank pill being made, especially by the hands of his own son. Even if he couldn''t learn much from the experience, it''d at least broaden his horizons.


    Ken took a deep breath and exhaled it out before sitting in the center of the room. Items floated outside his ring and arranged themselves on the floor, creating formations to aid with the process toe.


    The runes glowed on the ground, sucking the Qi out of the many high Qi stones Ken used to keep them running.


    They came in many shapes ¨C first was the most basic formation used almost under every circumstance, the Qi Gathering Formation, which worked to pull more Qi into the room. Since it was a training room, it was already inscribed, but Ken still had to take its triangle into consideration while drawing the next ones.


    Next was a formation in the form of a pentagon. The stones and flower powder made it seem glistening in red hues. It was the Noise Canction Formation, and its role was to prevent the noise of the bustling city from entering the training room, another formation that already existed.


    The third formation, however, he had to draw himself. Four rhombuses were inscribed in his four cardinal directions ¨C north, south, east, and west. He himself stood inside a circle along with his eighth-grade Golden Sun Cauldron which he won in the Library of Eternal Wisdom in the secret realm many years ago.


    In each rhombus surrounding Ken was a seventh-grade cauldron, waiting silently to be used. Before starting his concoction, he took out a Qi Absorption Pill and a Mind Sharpening Pill. The former was meant to increase his Qi reserves while thetter''s job was to enhance his mind activity, giving him an easier time managing so many details.


    "What kind of formation is that?" Haoran asked his wife, expecting her to know enough about Alchemy.


    "I have no idea, I have never seen someone use five cauldrons simultaneously before," she whispered back.


    It was only natural they could not recognize the mysterious technique. It was none other than the Automatic Manufacturing technique taught by Galen, the elder of the Bloodthirst Sect. However, Ken made a few tweaks, changing it to help him in a different way than its original purpose.


    Now, fully prepared, Ken ced all the ingredients he would need on the floor in front of him, organizing them in portions by the order they would go in the cauldrons.


    "Now, watch the miracle," Ken announced.


    Ken''s gaze swept over the array of ingredients meticulously arranged before him. Eachponent was crucial for the Nascent Soul Restoration Pill, a concoction of immenseplexity and power. The main ingredients wereid out in a precise order, ready to be transformed into a life-altering elixir.


    His intent filled the small room entirely, and the ingredients he needed to cook first levitated in the air and started processing themselves. The stones were crushed into dust or melted, the flowers were ground, and the animal parts were cleaned.


    He only had to do it to the ingredients in the main formation and the same happened to those at the support ones as long as they were the same ingredients.


    Among the main ingredients, the seventh-grade ones, Ken picked up the Azure Dragon''s Root first, its faint glow a testament to its potent Qi-harnessing abilities. ''This is the foundation,'' he thought, feeling the root''s pulsating energy. ''Stable and strong, just like how the nascent soul of a cultivator should be.''


    When he finished processing the ingredients required for the first part of the concoction, he led them into the cauldrons with his hands and closed the doors behind them. With the help of the fire, he started extracting the essence of the materials carefully, letting nothing go to waste.


    In the following step, the different essences began to merge into one another, turning into one big mass. The golden Qi produced by his nascent soul flowed from his hands toward the main cauldron and spread by the formations to the others as well.


    His golden Qi was parted in half ¨C while they both were distinctively gold, half of it had red hues in it while the other half was stained with white. Through the years, Ken learned he should use the reddish Qi for fighting and the whitish Qi for creation.


    The Qi was expended quickly, but everything moved stably. Once he finishedbining the essences into a single one he started working on the next batch of materials, repeating the same process.


    Next, he turned to the Phoenix Feather, its fiery colors captivating his eyes. ''Regeneration, rebirth... essential for a shattered nascent soul,'' Ken mused. He respected the feather''s power, knowing it was the key to knitting back the delicate threads of a soul. After all, they weren''t making a new soul but restoring the old one.


    Mei and Haoran could only stand in the corner, struggling to breathe under the stifling intent clogging the room. Ken''s Alchemy intent was extremely potent, and with theck of supervision, it could burn or damage random objects in his proximity.


    The young alchemist then carefully uncorked the vial of Lunar Dewdrops. The soft, glowing liquid inside was as tranquil as a moonlit night. ''Bnce in all things,'' Ken reminded himself. ''The potency of the Azure Root and Phoenix Feather needs the calm of these dewdrops.''


    He appreciated how these delicate droplets could harmonize the more vigorous energies of the other ingredients.


    Finally, his fingers brushed against the Spirit Binding Crystal. Its cool, smooth surface resonated with a deep spiritual energy.


    ''The binder, the unifier,'' he thought. ''Without this, the pill''s essence would be as fleeting as a passing breeze, quickly dissipating beforepleting its job.'' Ken understood that this crystal was not just an ingredient; it was the anchor that would hold the restored nascent soul in ce.


    The two parents watched in awe at Ken as hepleted preparing all the ingredients, extracting the essence of each one of them, andbining those essences together. Now, he remained with fiverge masses of essences in five different cauldrons. Each mass had the seventh-grade materials in the center with dozens of supporting substances of lower grades.


    "Huh¡­" he let the air out of his lungs as he readied himself for the next step. Using five cauldrons for theponents of the same pill had many demerits, and the main one was the need tobine them at the end.


    However, processing the seventh-grade materials was too demanding, and he had to do it in the absence of a domain, lest his intent would waver before thepletion of the procedure.


    "Sorry, room," he mumbled to himself.


    The next instant, the four supporting cauldrons rose in the air and started floating toward him along the lines of the formations. He led them carefully, not letting them deviate from the lines even by a millimeter.


    *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*


    Explosions followed the cauldrons as the formations crumbled, but Ken remained focused, guiding the cauldrons just fast enough to outrun the explosions but not too fast which might cause other trouble.


    When the cauldrons finally reached the central circle, they all rested on its border, leaving behind a scorched room on the verge of copse.


    Now, the Golden Sun Cauldron was in the center of the circle surrounded by the other four. It opened in four directions, revealing the sight of a burning fire with a mass of essences that radiated different lights as it rotated above.


    The other cauldrons were opened too, in the direction of the Golden Sun Cauldron. As soon as the essences were ejected, Ken''s intent and Qi enveloped them in a protective manner until they reached the main cauldron safely.


    ''Great, the hardest part is behind me,'' Ken thought as he ignored the droplet of sweat dripping from his forehead. His hands were slightly shaking from the exertion, and his robes were soaked in sweat.


    The red eyes squinted in concentration as the five massesbined into one and a pill slowly took shape under the effect of the fire and Ken''s Qi.


    "Here it is," Ken wiped off his face with a handkerchief and took the translucent pill in his hand, coating himself with Qi beforehand to ensure the pill wouldn''t crumble. "Take it, Mom," Ken handed it over.


    Mei took it before looking hesitantly at the ruined room, unsure whether she should train there.


    "You can use my training room," Haoran suggested, and his wife nodded in agreement. The three exited the room and moved to the other, letting the woman take the center.


    Mei swallowed the pill without any qualms, believing in her son''s capabilities. Even if concocting seventh-grade pills in the sixth stage was unheard of, she still believed Ken was an exception to this rule.


    "It''s working, it''s working!" she cried out in astonishment, letting the pill take effect and heal her old injuries. The Phoenix Feather kick-started the restoration effect, and the rest did their own magic.


    She hurriedly sat down in lotus pose and cultivated, guiding the energy in her body to create the best nascent soul she could manifest. Finally, twenty years after being crippled, Mei Jinn was cured.

 Chapter 330 330 – The Allegedly Dead

    <h4>Chapter 330 Chapter 330 ¨C The Allegedly Dead </h4>


    ?Back to the present:


    "Ok, everyone, hop on."


    They all cramped on Emrys'' back, and the wolf set out on the trip to the east. The five had nothing to do on the way; Emrys knew the map and was avoiding the dangerous ces acting as habitats for Supremacy-rank beasts.


    As for the others, the most they dared do was growling while cowering away. Emrys'' pure bloodline acted as a strong deterrent against beasts. The downside was that stronger beasts would take huge risks to hunt him down should they locate him and believe he had no backer.


    "We will take a break in Blooming Lotus City, the easternmost city in the sect''s territory. Henry, have you handled what I asked you for?"


    "Diligence is a good quality. However, you haven''t told this monk you wanted to visit the city so soon."


    Ken turned his head to look at the monk in surprise. Henry was unusually talkative; he rarely offered more words than necessary.


    "I only decided to go with this n when I asked you to take care of it two days ago," Ken shrugged. Due to theirrgeworks, Henry and Tiara were in charge of most long-distance tasks. Tiara had a long list of admirers, while Henry¡­ was surprising.


    Emrys ran faster than a racing car of Ken''s previous world, often running in the air while condensing Qi underneath his feet as stepping pads when crossing mountains or forests. The travel took some days until they finally reached their destination.


    The Blooming Lotus City was rather special in its design. Before them, a magnificent city made of wood and flowers was revealed, a green city. Even the wall surrounding the city was in fact a palisade made of excellent wood wrapped in beautiful bloody roses that did nothing to hide the dangerous spikes the climbing rose nt aimed everywhere.


    "Emrys, I can''t let you be seen with us publicly yet, go hide," Ken instructed the wolf. Emrys had a supply of Beast Concealing Pills just like the rest of the group. The pill dimmed one''s presence much like Ken''s Sheathed Man technique did. Emrys'' pill was a bit special because it was adjusted to beasts and worked on concealing the bloodline rather than the cultivation.


    "Grr," the wolf growled in annoyance but nodded obediently. He was often left out of important missions, making him feel like a mount instead of an important group member.


    "Don''t worry, you will have a major role to y in the future," Ken patted his head and whispered some sweet lies. He had no idea if Emrys would ever y a major role, but giving him a sense of belonging was important.


    After the wolf galloped away, the five walked toward the guarded gates. There, they saw five guards outside and five inside plus two who were in charge of opening and closing the gate in case of an emergency.


    As a border city, they took matters more seriously; there were two cultivators of the fourth stage on each side of the gates. Their role was to prevent smuggling and to identify rogue cultivators who tried to cross the border.


    ''If that''s the security in the western side of the city, it should probably be even tighter in the eastern side,'' Ken mused.


    Ken and his group shed out their discipleship tokens to the guards, and the five bowed with their fists cupped.


    "Wee to Blooming Lotus City, Senior Brothers, Senior Sisters" the two fourth-stage cultivators greeted them.


    "Senior Brother?" Ken asked.


    "Yes, we are outer disciples in the sect, we are here on a mission to stay guard," they exined. They were both around the same age as Ken, perhaps a bit older, but they referred to all inner and core disciples as seniors.


    "I see. Is it a routine mission?" Ken wondered if there was anything special going on.


    "Yes, the outer disciples always go on missions to work as guards in cities, major paths, or other important ces."


    "Alright, good luck."


    "Work hard," Vivienne nodded, making the rest of the team smile and greet the guards with their own words.


    "This monk will go to check everything is ready," Henry said and disappeared from his spot.


    "Wait." Ken appeared in front of him. The two had traveled a couple of hundred meters in that instant. "Take me there with you, I don''t mind if it''s messy." Ken was suspicious and wondered what was going on.


    Henry hesitated for a moment but then just nodded. His assignment was to purchase a small house in the city in a ce with a low crime rate and ensure that the mayor or someone else of influence would be aware that they must not touch the house until Ken''s return.


    "Is it over there?" Ken pointed in a certain direction where he picked up three familiar presences.


    "Mm," Henry nodded.


    "I see how it is," Ken remained calm and the two stopped a cab to take a ride there. The cab was a simple wooden cart pulled by tworge ck horses. They didn''t seem perfectly nurtured, but they were still healthy, nheless.


    "To The Wizard Avenue," Henry instructed and tossed a silver coin.


    "Right up!" The driver said happily and ced the coin in his pouch without offering the change. The two were clearly from out of town. Henry and Ken did not mind, a single low Qi Stone was enough to get a thousand gold coins. The only reason they did not overpay was that it would pull robbers, which was unnecessary trouble.


    "Stop in front of house number 24."


    "Hiyaa," the driver pulled the reins, signaling the horses to stop. "Have a great day, gentlemen."


    The two nodded and entered the small yard surrounding the house. It was a simple one-story building, made of wood like the rest of the city. As a matter of fact, Ken did not see a single house made of bricks since he set his foot inside the walls.


    They ducked under a branch of a lemon tree that invaded the walkway leading to the door and entered without knocking.


    "Who is there?"


    Two women and a man instantly unsheathed their weapons. The man held a silvery spear carved with intricate runes that Ken could easily recognize, meaning it was a sixth-grade weapon. One woman held a bow of the same grade, and thest woman also used a spear as her weapon.


    "Young Master Ken," the three paled and made their weapons disappear immediately, bowing instantly and keeping their heads low. They sent a few desperate nces at Henry whose face remained stoic and expressionless as ever.


    "Maria, Odette, Yuri," Ken named the three. They were his allegedly dead subordinates. Allegedly killed by Henry.


    "We are honored to have our names remembered, Young Master," they said, their heads still kept low.


    "I would never forget you," Ken stated. He did not mean anything special by that. He remembered everybody he had crossed paths with, which was how he recognized their presence despite the years that had passed since hest met them.


    "We will talk about itter, you may go. Find another ce to stay in."


    His order to kill them was from over fifteen years ago. Since they were still alive and worked on Henry''s assignments, there was no reason to kill them now. However, the monk would still have to offer some answers.


    "Why didn''t you kill them?" Ken asked.


    "This monk judged them as loyal and useful. They have performed many tasks in recent years and have helped this monk establish the movement of inner peace."


    "They are key figures in your cult?" Ken asked in amusement.


    Henry''swork was built on his cult, or ''Inner Peace movement'', in his words. He swept thousands of people in his journeys across the sect''s territory, teaching others to receive enlightenment and affecting them with his dubious Buddhist Qi.


    A few years prior, the independent ''fans'' started finding each other, creating a cult together with Henry as a leader. The members came from all walks of life; some were insignificant workers from the slums, others were part of the city guards, captains, merchants, and even one mayor.


    "Fine, it''s pointless to get angry over it," Ken shrugged. Fifteen years ago he might have seen it as a betrayal, but things have changed. His team had their own goals and thoughts, and as long as those did not hold him back in some way, he did not try to oppress them.


    Henry nodded in silence, albeit his face revealed a hint of relief. Fifteen years ago when he was sent to kill those three, he found them helping a stranger. He was unable to see them as beasts, meaning killing them would contaminate him with bloodlust. Unable to kill them, he converted them, a prototype of what would beter known as the ''Inner Peace Movement''.


    Ken brought out hismunication token from his storage ring and contacted the rest of the team.


    "You can hang around the city for the rest of the day. Talk to Henry to find the house he purchased for us. We will leave here all our belongings above the third grade and leave the city at nightfall."

 Chapter 331 331 – Alaric and Vivienne’s Quality Time

    <h4>Chapter 331 Chapter 331 ¨C ric and Vivienne''s Quality Time </h4>


    ?Tiara, ric, and Vivienne remained behind, watching the backs of their teammates get further away.


    "I don''t feel like chasing them," Vivienneinedzily, walking as slowly as a mortal woman on high heels.


    "If you keep walking at this speed, you might catch up with them by nightfall," Tiara shrugged and walked away at a more reasonable speed for a sixth-stage cultivator.


    "I''m injured, I can''t run. Doctor''s orders," Vivi retorted, letting her friend get away without any second thoughts.


    ric, presented with the choice of sticking with the sleepy girl or following the annoying ice princess, picked the former. He felt like Ken and Henry had some disagreements, so he preferred not to follow them as they were both his friends.


    "Hey, Vivi, how about the two of us go and explore the city? I have never seen a city made entirely of wood and flowers," ric slowed down to match his pacing with the woman''s.


    "Hmm, it sounds interesting, but I thought to rent a house and spend my day in bed¡­" Vivi thought about how to reject before adding, "recuperating," she nodded happily when she realized that she had the best excuse. She was going to reuse the injury exnation until nobody harbored a single drop of sympathy toward her.


    "Oh, that''s a shame. The cuisine in this city must be unique, who knows what kind of delicacies we could find," ric sighed, doing the best he could to prevent his lips from forming a curve.


    "The cuisine?" Vivi''s face turned contemtive, "Indeed, we are in a new ce, I didn''t think about it," she admitted. "Come, let''s tour the ce, we need to pick the tastiest ones to make the trip worthwhile."


    "Tiara, do you want toe, too?" ric asked for politeness'' sake, getting the answer he expected to hear.


    "No, I''ll go to cultivate," she replied before the distance between them turned toorge to continue the conversation without amunication token. She was not interested in a mortal city. The highest grade of food they would serve was fourth grade if they were lucky.


    "I guess it''s just the two of us, what a shame," ric did his best to fake sadness.


    "No need to pretend. Anyway, I sense many people in that direction, let''s check it out. Perhaps it''s a central district in the city."


    The two strode in the noise''s direction and soon made it to a wide avenue. A big chunk of it was blocked by a fence and the stores in that area were closed. Hundreds of people stood on the sides of the road yet the center of it remained open.


    "Hey, Handsome. Do you mind telling me what is going on here?" Vivi leaned toward a random young man who tiptoed in a desperate attempt to see something thaty beyond the crowd blocking his way.


    "Hm?" He turned around when he heard the feminine voice, only to be stumped by the beauty waiting for his answer.


    "Ah¡­ I-" He stuttered, confused. "I''m sorry, what did you ask?" He eventually uttered.


    "What is going on here? Why are all those people here?" She repeated her question.


    "Oh! I''m surprised you don''t know it! it''s a wedding between the young missy of the Fulgencio family and the young master of the Tuestague family, they blocked the main avenue for the wedding and invited the whole city to celebrate alongside them," the man exined.


    He then looked at her expectantly, "If you don''t know your way around the city, how about watching the wedding with me? I could take you to dinner afterward," he gathered the courage and asked.


    "Haha," she giggled, "I would love to," she leaned over and whispered into his ear, making him almost jump in excitement. "But my boyfriend is right beside me, and he is a third-stage cultivator. Aiya¡­" she sighed regretfully,menting at the lost chance.


    "I- I see. Forget it then, since you are taken, it''s not good to talk with another man''s woman," he said and stepped away immediately, ncing worriedly at ric.


    "You didn''t have to use me to get rid of him, you know," ric shook his head. He did not mind though, it was better than listening to Vivi flirt with men.


    "It made things easier," the girl grinned.


    "WOOOO!"


    ps echoed throughout the avenue when a woman adorned in red hanfu embroidered with intricate designs of gold walked down the road, two older people by her sides, presumably her parents. The three smiled widely, even waving back at the audience from time to time.


    ric could only tell she had an alluring shape but had nothing to say about her beauty. She was covered with a red veil that hid her face, only showing a blurry silhouette behind it. However, he knew he would be numb to her visage even if she was a belle. Hanging out with Vivienne and Tiara every day took its toll on his standards.


    The three reached the blocked area, remaining at the bottom of the staircase leading to a small stage. Red silk was hung above the stage on the wooden structure, a sign that a wedding was taking ce.


    "Who are the Tuestague and Fulgencio families?" ric asked an older woman standing by his side.


    "Oh, Young Man, you must be from out of town. They are two of the most influential families in the Blooming Lotus City, and their heads are both said to be in the sixth stage. Their battles and skirmishes have been a pain in the rear for the normal citizens of the city; many were killed as coteral damage or lost their shops and homes without receiving anypensation."


    "Then the wedding is a joyous event, I reckon they will not battle anymore," ric nodded and thanked her for the information.


    "It''s too crowded, how about we find a better spot to watch the event?" Vivi suggested, pointing at the rooftop of a building right in front of the stage. Without waiting for his confirmation, she leaped in one strong jump andnded right on the edge before folding her robes and sitting down.


    "Huh, why phrase it as a question?" ric muttered to himself before joining his friend.


    "It''s the groom!"


    Shouts and apuse reverberated in the avenue again, pulling the duo''s attention to a man in red clothesing from the other side. By his side were his parents and his two brothers.


    "They are quite impressive for non-sect members," Vivimented when she sensed they were all in different phases of the fifth stage, excluding the older man who was in the sixth stage.


    ric, having nothing better to do, took out his guqin, letting it float above hisp.


    *Ting* *Ting* *Ting*


    He started with a slow and rxing tone. Vivi reclined back, enjoying the music and the festive atmosphere. The groom stood by the bride''s side while the four parents climbed the staircase, waiting for the ceremony. As for the siblings, they stepped back for the time being.


    "Who are you?! Get down and surrender yourselves!"


    Two guards brandished their spears in ric and Vivienne''s direction. The two chose to ignore them, not paying attention to random third-stage cultivators.


    "Stand back," the patriarch of the Tuestague family ordered, "Two travelers, we are honored to have you attend the wedding of our children. Are you¡­" he tried toe up with the right way to ask his question. As a sixth-stage cultivator, he could sense enough to know that it''d be better not to fight the two, but he also wanted to know why they were there.


    "We have nothing to do with the couple, we happened to pass by and wanted to watch the blessed event," ric said with a soft voice, his fingers still dancing on the strings, producing mesmerizing tunes.


    "Let the ceremony begin!" The patriarch shouted, satisfied by their answer.


    "Bow to the Heavens and the Earth!" The marriage officiant yelled. The bride and groom turned around slowly and bowed in tow.


    "A second bow to your parents!" He instructed next, and the couple turned again, facing their parents before bowing.


    "Bow to your spouse!" The two now turned to each other and bowed, big smiles on their faces that could not be hidden.


    "Thus concludes the bows!" he ended the short tradition.


    As the groom reached forward, his hands moved with gentleness, carefully lifting the veil that had shrouded his bride in mystery. As the delicate fabric slid away, it revealed the breathtaking visage beneath.


    Her hair, dark as the midnight sky, was elegantly held in ce by a golden hairpin with the design of a blooming lotus that seemed to grow from her hair. A tiara, crafted from the purest gold and studded with polished white jade, sat atop her head, entuating her regal bearing.


    Her features were a harmonious blend of traditional beauty; almond-shaped eyes, rich with anticipation and joy, sparkled like jewels under the ceremonial lights, and her skin, fair and wless, seemed to glow with an inner radiance. Her lips, tinted the softest shade of pink, curved in a shy, yet joyful smile,pleting the picture of a bride in her moment of elegance.


    "The heavens willed this union, and may your lovest for a thousand years! Now, a gift from the father of the bride!"


    ric lowered the sound of his music, and the effect was enough to let the few who were on the verge of tears finally break.


    "Jonathan, this is one of my family''s heirlooms, the Azure Dragon Sword, crafted from the scale of a seventh-stage dragon. It''s a seventh-grade sword and will serve you for the rest of your life."


    The older man nodded and a young man stepped forward, holding a long wooden box in his stretched-forward arms.


    "Please inspect it."


    Before the groom could follow his instruction, a third man appeared on the rooftop.


    "There is no fire like passion. There is no shark like hatred. There is no snare like folly. There is no torrent like greed."

 Chapter 332 332 – The Tragedy

    <h4>Chapter 332 Chapter 332 ¨C The Tragedy </h4>


    ?Before the groom could follow his instruction, a third man appeared on the rooftop.


    "There is no fire like passion. There is no shark like hatred. There is no snare like folly. There is no torrent like greed."


    "Hm, Henry? What do you mean?" Vivi asked, lifting her head from the wooden roof. A bed of flowers had cushioned it for her.


    The monk remained silent, letting the wedding unfold. The groom opened the box and took out a silvery sword with azure hues on the broad side of the de. When ced in the sun, it turned entirely azure.


    "I will treasure this sword. Thank you, Father-inw!" The groom cupped his fist, keeping the sword in his hand. The gift-giver shook his head and raised a cup of wine as he gave a speech.


    "In the presence of these two ancient and esteemed families, we gather today for a momentous asion that marks not only the union of Tenessa and Jonathan but also the harmonious joining of our once rival families.


    The journey here has not been simple. Our history, rich in itsplexity, has been one of rivalry. Yet, in the faces of Tenessa and Jonathan, we find a bridge between our worlds, a testament to the enduring power of love and unity.


    As Tenessa''s father and a proud member of the Fulgencio family, I stand before you embracing this union with a heart full of hope. Today, we set aside past differences and look towards a future where our families share not only bonds of respect but of kinship.


    May this marriage be a symbol of new beginnings, bringing prosperity, honor, and joy to both the Fulgencio and Tuestague families. To the happy couple, Tenessa and Jonathan, may your life together be blessed with the same harmony and happiness we celebrate today.


    Please, let us raise our sses to the newlyweds and to a future of shared fortunes and enduring peace between our families."


    "Cheers!" Everyone raised their cups and drank. They all wore smiles as they poured another cup in preparation to the toast of the groom''s father.


    "Now, for the gift of the father of the groom!" The announcer called.


    "This ne is made of the w of a white tiger at the seventh stage and was inscribed by a seventh-rank runologist. It can help you replenish your stamina without needing a Qi Gathering Formation."


    "It is as beautiful as it is helpful. Thank you, Father-inw," the bride smiled sweetly and bowed.


    "Good, great! This daughter-inw of mine has great eyes¡­" The man delivered a speech of his own about the union of the two families.


    Suddenly, ric understood Henry''s words. The rxed music turned angry, the beat turning a few times faster. The volume rose, making everyone frown at the inauspicious music.


    "Oh, I see," Vivienne sighed, "There are only two happy people in this wedding."


    The newlyweds went to hug their parents, and the schemes behind the scenes all took ce at once.


    "Hey, you, y something more cheerful!" A young guard shouted at ric, missing the show in the short moment it took him to turn back.


    Dark Qi that the trio recognized as Demonic Qi seeped out of the two gifts held by the lovers into the wielders, corroding their minds. They both lost their sanity for a short moment, but it was enough to cause irreversible damage.


    The Azure Dragon Sword pierced the Tuestague patriarch''s heart while a fan appeared in the bride''s hand as she decapitated her own father.


    "Patriarch!" hundreds of cultivators unsheathed their weapons in an instant. All of them were ready for a war, yet none thought their patriarch would be a casualty.


    "NO! FATHER!" Two cries resounded when the two youths returned to their senses. They gazed into one another''s eyes, understanding that they were both used by their families to set a trap for the other. War raged around them as one cultivator stabbed another only to be stabbed the next moment by another.


    They stumbled in their fancy clothes, tears washing their faces. They intertwined their fingers, leaning on each other for support.


    "CAN''T YOU STILL SEE IT? THIS WITCH HAS CHARMED YOU!" The Fulgencio''s patriarch screamed as he crawled on the ground to his wife for help. However, she was busy fending off multiple enemies, unable to give first aid to her husband. The remnants of Demonic Qi were corroding his flesh, and a trail of blood marked his path.


    "No, both of you have betrayed us! I might be unfilial for marrying the daughter of the enemy, but you are not any better!" Jonathan shouted at his father. He fell on his knees along with Tenessa in tandem. He did nothing at the sight of his father dying a few meters away.


    Meanwhile, on the rooftop, the three figures remained unmoved, spectating without interfering.


    "He is right, you know," Vivi jabbed ric''s shoulder, "These parents did backstab their children. Won''t you do something?" The years they spent together were more than enough for her to learn all about ric''s friendship perversion.


    "They have both died due to their own evilness," ric replied, "There''s no need to kill the pawns who followed their loathsome n. However, someone else will pay for it."


    His music colored the district that now turned into a battlefield with a strange yet fitting atmosphere. With every pull of a string, a thread of life was torn. With every echo of his melody, another tragedy befell. ric inhaled, sensing the sound waves spreading in the air.


    "Oh," Viviughed lightly when she found the same man ric did. "I assume he did not expect such a righteous man would observe the event. By the way, won''t you help all those people?"


    She pointed not at the main stage where most of the battles took ce, but at the ces where themoners who came to spectate the wedding previously stood. Thousands were running away, screaming. Those who fell would never stand up again, being trampled by the stampede of escaping humans. Others died from the explosions generated by the battles of the cultivators.


    "I''m not a hero of justice," ric dismissed her words and continued to y his music, escorting the fighters to the afterlife with his tunes.


    "You! With which side are you?!" Two members of the Tuestague family leaped to the roof, pointing their swords at the trio.


    "Neither."


    "Then die!"


    Before they could take a step after saying those words, two sts hit their chests, leaving a gaping hole where their hearts used to be. Their lifeless bodies were crushed on the ground beneath the house.


    "Don''t bother us," Vivi frowned. She came here to watch a wedding, but the tragic twist in the story was not half-bad either. She did not appreciate the interference.


    "Give me a hand, Henry," ric asked. He knew that asking the sloth would be no good.


    "Hmm." The monk hummed and mixed his own Qi into a loud tone produced by the guqin. The five have almost perfected theirbinations and teamwork during those fifteen years.


    "Ah!"


    All the metallic sounds of weapons meeting one another and the screams of death stopped. Everyone froze in their spots, shockwaves pulsing through their bodies. Even the mortals stopped amidst their escape.


    Next, a man screamed and fell from the branches of a tree, blood flowing from his orifices.


    "Do you know this man?" ric''s voice was carried in the silence and the people suddenly regained their ability to talk.


    "Hey, isn''t it the patriarch of the Benvolio family?"


    "It''s Friar Benvolio!"


    Murmurs swept through the crowd. ric could guess the gist of the matter from the whispers his ears picked up. Henry, in sync with his friend, sent his hand and grabbed the air. A huge ethereal palm closed its finger on the injured man''s body and pulled him to the rooftop.


    "The truth will set you free," Henry recited and his Buddhist Qi enveloped the powerless man.


    "Tell me, what do you stand to gain from this battle?" ric asked. The whole street turned silent. Everyone understood that the mysterious stranger with the guqin was responsible for their paralyzed state, and they knew better than to protest against a cultivator that powerful whose personality they did not know.


    "I¡­" Friar paused for a moment as though contemting whether he should spill the beans. His morality eventually won, prompting him to share the details.


    "If two of the great families join forces, my family would suffer as the third great family. We would stand alone against thebined pressure of the other two families," he exined.


    "You were right, Henry, it was a matter of greed. There you go, dear people, today''s tragedy was caused by this man."


    "You¡­ You sold the Azure Dragon Sword to my father!"


    "Friar, you dare set my husband up? You sold us the ne!"


    Both families lost their desire to fight when they learned they were dancing in the palm of a third party. Every additional death would only serve Friar''s interests. The three families were special because they were the only ones hailing sixth-stage cultivators, but two died now, putting them at a big disadvantage.


    "Hypocrites! You would have suppressed my family if I did nothing, killing us all slowly!" Friar yelled back. "You, why do you get involved in this matter? You specifically said you had nothing to do with the wedding!" He turned to ric, his lips quivering.


    "If you don''t want to take credit for your actions, it must mean those actions are evil ¨C don''t do them."


    ric had no idea that those words woulde back like a boomerang one day, and that day was sooner than one might think.

 Chapter 333 333 – Two for One

    <h4>Chapter 333 Chapter 333 ¨C Two for One </h4>


    ?"You, why do you get involved in this matter? You specifically said you had nothing to do with the wedding!" He turned to ric, his lips quivering.


    "If you don''t want to take credit for your actions, it must mean those actions are evil ¨C don''t do them."


    "It still has nothing to do with you, why are you interfering with the inner politics of our city?" He med. People of ric''s strength were normally above the mortal world. They were treasured by the best sects and their budget was higher than they could ever gain bypeting in a mortal city housing a few independent cultivators.


    "I dislike backstabbing," ric shrugged. He did not owe an exnation to the weak, that''s how the cultivation world worked.


    "It''s not backstabbing, I have never been on their side! They are the ones who have done the backstabbing!"


    "That''s why I did not kill you. I only exposed you for orchestrating all this. Now that you all know the situation, good luck dealing with it."


    *Ting*


    Everyone was freed from the binding technique, all turning to the wounded man. His condition was far from peak. ric has caused tremors in his body, wounding him in different organs.


    "If we want to have a future in this city, we must kill Friar!" The matriarch of the Tuestague family shouted.


    "Tuestague family, I suggest a temporary truce. Let''s put aside our differences and join hands to weaken the Benvolio family by killing Friar," the matriarch of the Fulgencio suggested.


    "We ept!"


    There was no time for hesitation. The best chance would onlyst until reinforcements from his family woulde to his aid.


    "Attack!"


    Friar stood alone, a single sixth-stage cultivator against abined force counting two hundred. About a dozen were in the fifth stage while approximately fifty were in the fourth, leaving over a hundred people in the Foundation Phase.


    "BRAZEN!" He shouted. With a swap of his hand, twenty arrows froze in ce and dropped to the floor. He did not have time to stand idle; he was swarmed by the melee attackers.


    The battle erupted into chaos as thebined forces of the Tuestague and Fulgencio families surged towards Friar. The air crackled with an intense energy, a maelstrom of Qi colliding and intertwining.


    From the ranks of the attackers, streams of Fire Qi shot forward, igniting the air with brilliant shes of orange and red, while bursts of Sound Qi resonated, sending shockwaves that rattled the wooden structures of Blooming Lotus City.


    Friar, standing tall amidst the onught, remained calm and collected, knowing his concentration would determine his life. His eyes, sharp and focused, betrayed a mind honed by the sixth stage, acutely aware of every movement around him. As a cultivator specializing in Wind Qi and Wood Qi, his techniques were a spectacle of natural forces.


    With a swift motion, Friar summoned a gust of Wind Qi, redirecting a volley of iing arrows back at their senders. The arrows whistled through the air, their flight now erratic and dangerous. The Fulgencio and Tuestague cultivators in the Foundation Phase ducked and dodged, but at least a dozen fell with an arrow plunged into their chests.


    Simultaneously, Friar''s connection to the Wood Qi allowed him to manipte the many nts in the city. Vines and flowers decorating the buildings responded to his will, entangling the feet of his attackers, tripping them and disrupting their formations.


    The area was filled with the scent of crushed flowers and upturned earth mingled with the pungent smell of burning wood, a testament to the barrage of attacks that met with the vines under his control.


    From the ranks of the fifth-stage attackers, it rained hell down upon Friar. A cultivator with Sword Qi unleashed a flurry of ethereal des, each one shimmering with deadly intent. Friar deflected them with a barrier of swirling wind, his expression unchanging.


    Another opponent, a master of Water Qi, attempted to ensnare Friar with tendrils of water. The tendrils moved like serpents, seeking to bind and immobilize him. Friar countered by meeting the water tendrils with real ones, turning the fluid assault into harmless droplets that fell to the ground.


    The sounds of battle echoed through Blooming Lotus City, explosions, shouts of exertion, and the groans of the wounded. The city itself seemed to tremble under the force of thebat, its wooden structures creaking and swaying.


    Friar, now surrounded, was a whirlwind of destructive power. He leaped high, propelled by a burst of Wind Qi, and then descended like a meteor, a fist charged with Qi mming into the ground. The impact sent a shockwave rippling outwards, knocking back dozens of assants and shattering the street.


    In the midst of the chaos, the sixth-stage cultivator''s mind remained clear and focused, his tactics adapting seamlessly to the evolving battlefield. Each move was calcted, each technique perfectly executed. Men and women fell victim to his assault, weakening the great families greatly. However, it was not one-sided.


    Not only the numbers were too great for him to handle alone, but he also was not in a peak state, to begin with. Swords opened wounds all over his body, spears pierced him in multiple ces, and some of his bones were fractured by different blunt attacks.


    "The Benvolio Family is here!" Someone shouted before a de sliced him to death.


    "Damn!" The matriarch cursed, "The Tuestague Family will hold the Benvolio''s forces back, you guys kill him quickly!"


    "We ept! Everyone, don''t hold anything back!"


    At that moment, two people acted in unison, their emotions bursting out of them. None other than the groom and bride sprung forward, each holding a sword in their hands.


    "You have destroyed my life!" Jonathan and Tenessa both screamed as they attacked with their best techniques. They both jumped, performing a roll in the air while swinging their swords with the momentum.


    A huge sword appeared as an ethereal extension of their two swords,bined. Fire and water ran around it in aplicated loop that resembled the digit 8. Fire Qi from Jonathan and Water Qi from Tenessa.


    Friar, battered by the endless attacks he had taken earlier, was on hisst legs.


    "You can''t use such big attacks without backup!" he hissed and sent two quick vines, their tips enhanced with Wind Qi for maximum pration effect. His goal was to force them back, yet it did not work.


    "We can!" They shouted back. The vines collided with their chests, only missing their hearts by a bit thanks to a twist of their bodies.


    "Die!" Three people shouted together. The Wind Qi blew inside their bodies, ripping apart their organs from the inside. The swordnded at the same time, and the injured man''s defenses crumbled under the pressure.


    "AHH!" He screamed in pain as it cleaved through his body, leaving a long gash from his neck to his waist. Fire enveloped his body while the water pressured him downward. It was an exchange of life as onest act of revenge, two for one.


    ---


    "You are going to let them die?" Vivi asked, surprised.


    "Yes, it''s their family''s fault for being stupid, and they are part of their families. If they weren''t, they could easily elope," ric shrugged.


    It was not the same situation as Ken''s parents; there were no Supremacy Phase cultivators involved, and the great families of the Blooming Lotus City were only a local force without any influence outside.


    "I guess that''s true, but I still feel bad for them," Vivienne sighed. She lifted her palm and her Elemental Qi streamed out.


    "It''s mainly Wood Qi and Light Qi¡­ Are you going to intervene?"


    "Indeed, they put up a good show for us, they can count it as payment for the tickets we did not purchase," she smiled. Her beauty was enhanced by her bright expression, prompting the musician to close his mouth and watch silently.


    "Life Supplement," she whispered. The Qi seeped into the newlywed couple''s bodies, pulling their meat like puzzle pieces back to their right ce. Vivi''s eyes closed in her concentration, her enhanced mind monitoring the two''s conditions at every moment.


    The organs, bones, veins, and every other part were stitched together and regenerated. Nobody paid attention to the two of them anymore. Now that Friar was gone but his family was still around, an all-out war was ongoing.


    The two families had slightly higher numbersbined, but they were all in bad shape due to their battle against Friar, many heavily injured or dead.


    "Haahhh!" The two started breathing again. They were on the verge of death, pulled out of its open maw a split second before it closed on them. Water Qi helped their blood production, and the two sunk into a deep sleep.


    "I''m done, they should survive if nobody performs a double tap, let''s go." Vivi dered and got up, dusting her robes with her hands. Double tap referred to attacking seemingly dead people to ensure their death.


    "Hey, what is going on? I felt the disruption of Qi, why is there a war here?"


    Before the three could leave, a feminine voice came from behind them. It was none other than Tiara who could not hold back her curiosity after all.


    "Haha, wouldn''t you love to know, Ice Princess?" ric gloated overtly, "However, since you are so high and mighty that you don''t care about mortals, you should go back to your cultivation instead of searching for mortals'' gossip." He nodded in self-approval, satisfied.


    "Vivi?" Tiara turned to the other woman in the group. While Henry did not lie other than distorting the truth, it was too annoying to get him to talk or decipher his quotes.


    "Just local families fighting for money. Let''s go."


    "Ah."

 Chapter 334 334 – Waiting for an Old Friend

    <h4>Chapter 334 Chapter 334 ¨C Waiting for an Old Friend </h4>


    ?"This city was fun."


    Ken and his group left the city the next day after the tragic wedding. They left behind them theirst identifications as Serene Lotus disciples in the rented house, and three new members joined the team for the mission, namely Maria, Odette, and Yuri. Those three remained quiet the whole time, knowing that it was not their ce toment.


    There was no room for more on Emrys'' back, and the wolf also did not deem them worthy of riding him, so Ken had to use his usual carrot-and-stick trick on a bird passing by ¨C beating it first to establish hierarchy and paying it with a Bloodline Refining pill to appease it and make all bad feelings disappear.


    "Slow down, Emrys, the bird can''t keep up."


    The ten of them, Emrys and the bird included, soon made it to an empty in inhabited by flowers and critters. Ken patted his pet''s back and Emrys hit the brakes, stopping quickly but not too abruptly.


    "Team Leader, why are we stopping?"


    Ken jumped off the wolf''s back and walked down the air as though it was a staircase, using his mind to conjure stepstones made of Qi underneath his feet. ric did not get an answer.


    "Henry, find a burrow."


    The monk, his eyes hidden behind his blindfold, brought his palms together and scanned the area using his Earth Qi. After a minute, he pointed at the south, and Ken could almost hear him saying "this way," from the intent embedded in his gesture.


    "Erge it," Ken instructed.


    Henry turned his head in Vivienne''s direction only to see her avoiding eye contact. He shook his head and did the job himself without asking for help. He knew that she knew that he disliked speaking, so as long as she averted visual contact, he wouldn''t approach her at all.


    Henry stomped the ground with his left foot, causing it to quake in arge radius. Over time, the entrance to the burrow widened and so did the tunnel inside, making enough space for the five of them to campfortably.


    "Team Leader, it''s too soon for a break," ric spoke again despite not getting an answerst time. They barely left the territory of the Serene Lotus Sect a few hours ago. Before they could make it to the Divine Lightning Sect''s territory, they still had to cross thends of the Tiger Fang Sect and the Sunfire Sect, respectively ranked 9th and 12th.


    "I''m waiting for a guest," Ken exined, "Be prepared for battle, it won''t be an easy one."


    He did not waste time. He stood in the center of the underground cave and dozens of ingredients, treasures, herbs, animal parts, and ores floated out of his ring. They were each levitating to different ces, finding their rightful ce in the iplete formation.


    "Hey, Vivi," ric whispered to the woman beside him, preferring not to break Ken''s concentration, "If he prepares that much stuff, doesn''t it mean we are going to fight a whole army? Either that, or¡­"


    "Both options seem too troublesome," Vivienne pouted in annoyance, "I hope his formations will make things easier."


    She never got to participate in a battle where Ken used his formations for support, simply because he had not taken part in any battle that difficult since she joined his team. Thus, she did not know how useful they were.


    "Oh, you have no idea. They can make the impossible possible," ric said in pride as though it was his own achievement.


    "I hope they also make the possible easy sometimes," she mumbled.


    "I wouldn''t count on it, he doesn''t tend to waste resources to make things easier," ric patted her shoulder, trying tofort the sulkingdy.


    "Vivi, Henry," Ken called amidst his activities, "Dig identical burrows around us, I want at least thirty. You have ten minutes per burrow."


    "That''s very!"


    "Hm."


    "Work hard, you guys. I will y some calming music for you to help you concentrate. Tiara, you might be unable to help, but it''s ok as long as you don''t stand in their way."


    ric sat down with a wide smile, happy by the free chance to tease Tiara. He took out his guqin and started ying, spreading his Sound Qi.


    ''Symphonie of Peace,'' he yed his special piece for everyone to enjoy and benefit from.


    Tiara could only snort in response and find an empty corner to sit at. She contained her Charm Qi, including its natural effects, preventing it from leaking and bothering the others despite knowing they have grown ustomed to her cultivation due to their long time together.


    *Ting* *Ting *Ting*


    The music soaked them in a rxed ambiance where their minds raced freely, and previously eluding enlightenments turned within reach. Their working speed improved, helping them do their jobs efficiently.


    Thirty-one burrows hid underground with the original one as the center of therge. Each one of them was mined and dangerous even for peak sixth-stage cultivators to the point of killing them on the spot if they took one wrong step.


    "Now what?" Tiara thought when everyone took a break to rest.


    "Now we wait until our target arrives. He will find us soon, no worries."


    ---


    "Atum, are you finally leaving?" A chubby man called out in happiness when he saw his roommate for thest two decades pack his things.


    "Yes, Frank, will you miss me?"


    "Hell no! You have been lodging here for free for way too long, you are lucky I haven''t killed you in your sleep. You owe me over two million high Qi Stones for the rent," Frank grinned. He sat on his bed and watched Atum prepare to leave without offering a hand.


    "Ah, I will pay it all when I pick up my treasures, you already know I don''t carry much with me."


    Atum''s emerald eyes shone with green light for a moment as he introspected something. He couldn''t stop his smile, he had the same reaction in the past few years every time he saw he waspletely healed. However, there was a chain of reactions, and happiness was only the first one.


    Next, his expression turned into a frown, followed by rage, andstly a sting of pain. Not a physical pain, but one of a great loss.


    "Are you thinking about him again?" Frank chuckled at the series of emotions on Atum''s handsome face.


    "Yes, but this time, I''m not only thinking about him. I''m also nning his death, and it''s going to be spectacr. It''s a shame I can only kill him once before he is¡­ well, dead."


    Atum changed to clean robes and walked toward the entrance. It was a of underground tunnels, the house of the peak seventh-stage evil cultivator, Frank. Frank was a famous illegal trader, and his customers said they had never visited the same tunnel twice, even if they were regr buyers.


    "Does it mean you have news of his location?"


    "I always had news of his location, but I could do nothing about it even when I was fully healed," Atum shrugged.


    "Top five?" Frank knew that there were only five sects which neither of them wanted to poke due to theirrge number of Supremacy Phase cultivators and resources. Those five were, obviously, the top five of the great twenty sects.


    "Yes. Before I could heal enough to go after him in the Phoenix Feather Sect, he switched sides."


    Atum recalled Ken''s smirk as thetter threw a top-tier talisman at his face. The explosion was so powerful it left Atumpletely battered. Worse yet, another talisman followed, leaving Atum on the verge of death.


    ''He cost me so much luck¡­'' the ck-haired man remembered the sense of loss after Ken left. There was a difference between Atum''s luck cultivation and Ken''s.


    While Ken avoided damaging his own "luck container" as he called it, Atum did not. He stole forcibly from others which would allow him to go beyond his limits, but also damage his limits. When one''s natural capacity reached zero, they would be hunted by the heavens, struck with disasters and misfortunes until they died. Ken, however, borrowed the capacity of a luckier person.


    Unlike his goons who were sent to bully anybody and everybody, Atum was more of a gourmet eater. He only consumed his own envoys after those had consumed the luck of many others, this way, he would pay the penalty to his luck container only once in exchange for thebined luck of many others.


    "This kid is a little psycho," Atumined for the millionth time. When his luck affected Ken''s judgment and made him run away after using two of his precious talismans instead of finishing Atum off, his hard-earned luck took a huge dent.


    Whenever Atum was met with fortune, it would cost him luck. Luck usually regenerated, but only up to one''s maximum capacity. Since Atum has gone beyond that a long time ago, each luck point used would never return, only at the cost of another devour, which would lead to another penalty.


    "He just defended himself, I think that''s pretty normal," Frank said in amusement. He was not privy to Atum''s luck cultivation since it was the man''s most treasured secret, hence, he did not know the way luck was calcted.


    "Trust me, I know," his friend replied bitterly. The more unlikely the scenario that one''s luck created for them, the more luck it would cost. Making Ken turn away without killing him cost a thousand luck points. Points that he hoped would lead him to his desired breakthrough to the eighth stage were wasted on not being killed instead.


    ---

 Chapter 335 335 – Expected Guest

    <h4>Chapter 335 Chapter 335 ¨C Expected Guest </h4>


    ?After quickly packing his belongings, Atum bid Frank farewell. He knew how to return favors; not because he cared about repaying but because it was necessary in order to get other favors in the future. As a Supremacy Phase cultivator, he had enough money to pay for twenty years'' worth of rent.


    "I will be going then. See youter when I pay for everything."


    The bulk of his payment wasn''t just for rent; it primarily covered Frank''s extensive healing expenses. Since he returned in a broken state, Frank had to expend quite a few rare materials and pills to get him back to life, even going as far as participating in an auction for an eighth-grade pill.


    "I will be waiting, bye-bye."


    Atum kicked the ground and disappeared, starting his long trip toward the border with the Serene Lotus Sect. Back in the day, he looked down on the young kid and did not bother asking for his name, but he found out about Ken''s identity since then.


    Frank once returned with a rumor about a boy known as the Devil''s Heir. He was described as cruel, powerful beyond his stage, young, and recognizable by his piercing red eyes. No matter what, Atum knew he would never forget the boy''s mocking red eyes as they saw him get caught in the explosion.


    As the desert wind whipped his hair, Atum''s mind seethed with the rey of that fateful day, each recollection more twisted than thest. The young boy''s smirk in his memory had morphed into a tauntingugh, echoing endlessly in his head.


    The humiliation of being bested by someone so young gnawed at him, fueling a deep-seated desire for vengeance. It wasn''t just the physical pain that had been inflicted upon him; it was the blow to his pride, a wound that time had only deepened.


    ''I will kill him! I will kill him! This was a quarter of my luck!'' He fumed in his mind. The worst thing yet, his luck summoned a healing opportunity for him. A pelican crossed the desert one day, and Frank who chanced upon it shot it down with his Qi for barbeque.


    Later on, they found out the pelican held in its mouth Purified Water from a special pool located in the Central Zone. The water was a rare ninth-grade product with a very limited stock.


    ''Ah¡­ I get pissed just remembering it,'' he thought. This water helped him shorten his healing process by at least five years, which would be very lucky if his luck could regenerate itself, but it couldn''t. He wanted his luck to be used for opportunities to get stronger, not for healing!


    s, one could not control their luck.


    Traversing the barrenndscape, Atum moved under a merciless sun, which cast long, distorted shadows across the sand. The quiet of the desert was a stark contrast to the turmoil in his mind.


    "Hm?" Atum stopped in his tracks. He sensed a powerful presenceing in his direction, prompting him to hide himself and wait.


    "A dog?" He looked at him in confusion. He introspected himself, seeing that this encounter cost him an additional hundred luck points. At this point, every drop of luck lost pained him.


    The dog sniffed the air around it and locked its eyes with Atum, making the human understand there was no use in hiding. The man canceled his concealment and readied himself for battle.


    The dog was at the peak of the seventh rank, simr to Atum. It moved at an inconceivable speed while holding a domain of its own inside Atum''s domain of Demonic Qi. It dodged its enemy''s strikes with agile movements, squeezing itself between the dangerous Qi.


    It tried to bite Atum, its teeth coated with Darkness Qi that would leave the man struggling against corrosion. Atum, however, only snorted.


    "A mere beast is trying to prevail against a human? Know your ce!"


    His hands were both strengthened by endless refining with Demonic Qi. He washed his body inva, poison, fire, water, air pressure, and many other methods he had collected with lucky encounters. Despite being an independent cultivator, Atum was at least as strong as an elder of the same stage from the top sects.


    He grabbed the dog''s open maw from its jaws, his muscles bulging as he strained them.


    *Woooooff*


    The dog let out a pained whimper before his head was ripped in half forcibly by Atum''s pulling force. He threw the corpse into his storage ring and inspected his body. He noticed that his palms were slightly injured from pressing on the dog''s teeth so hard, and he was losing sensation. He calmly removed the Darkness Qi until he regained full control of his arms.


    He looked around him, searching for a treasure. He also followed the dog''s path from before encountering him, still finding nothing of value.


    ''What is going on? I lost some luck, shouldn''t it mean something good happened? If there''s no treasure then it''s time-wasting. How can it be considered a lucky encounter?''


    He scanned the area twice and thrice making sure he wasn''t missing his opportunity for a breakthrough in his cultivation. When he was convinced that there was nothing to take, he sighed and left.


    ''Luck is mysterious. Perhaps this dy will make me cross paths with someone or somethingter.''


    Atum rushed to intercept the Devil''s Heir, flying for hours without a break so fast he generated a strong gale behind him.


    As dusk fell, the eerie calm of the mountainous area he just arrived was shattered by the sudden, high-pitched screeching of bats. Atum tensed, instantly alert to the new danger.


    "Another animal?" Atum gaped when he sensed a sound wave of a bat scanning him. It was toote to hide. Soon, sound waves washed over him as a flock of bats screamed to find their way.


    The night air was filled with the pping of wings and Atum''s grunts of effort. Each swing of his arm was precise, a dance of death under the moonlight. The bats, a swirling mass of darkness, descended upon him in waves. Atum''s movements were a blur, his Demonic Qishing out like whips, tearing through the night predators. But for every bat that fell, another seemed to take its ce, an endless, screeching tide.


    After another bloody fight that left him covered in blood and filled with wounds, he scanned his area again, finding nothing but the corpses of the many bats he yed.


    ''What is going on? Why does my luck keep making me run into trouble?'' Atum was confused. Luck was supposed to be a good thing, yet it interfered with his goals without any rewards whatsoever.


    ''Screw that, I will just go in stealth from now on,'' he decided. Finally, he managed to cover the distance without further distractions, avoiding all the packs of beasts he encountered on the way. To his anger, his luck kept dropping, but he did not dy his trip. He had lost 400 luck overall from this single travel without earning anything.


    ''I can''t wait any longer, who knows when he''s going to get rid of the pill,'' he decided. He was sure that Ken knew that the pill made him trackable, which meant he was in a race against time.


    "He is close. I will have his head by tomorrow," Atum gloated at the thought. He soared over variedndscapes, his single-


    minded focus rendering the breathtaking scenery ofkes, forests, and deserts mere blurs in his vision. As an independent evil cultivator, he had traveled across the continent many times, and those sights paled inparison to his excitement of taking revenge.


    ''Huhhh, he is here¡­'' Atum sighed and smiled widely, his face a distorted mix of madness and happiness. He leaked killing intent without noticing, making every living being in his proximity shiver and run silently the other way.


    ---


    ''Oh, this is a strong killing intent,'' Ken was somewhat impressed. He had killed tens of thousands and had relived those moments millions of times, and the killing intent he sensed in the distance was not too far from his own in terms of quantity, albeit light-years away in terms of quality.


    "ric, y some music for our special guest. Tiara, I might have you perform for him, too. Vivienne, you cannotze around, he is somewhere at the peak of the seventh stage."


    The in was all set for the iing battle; it was a hugendmine where every wrong step could result in danger. The four were only expected tounch long-range attacks and support Ken from behind while he battled it out with Atum. Luckily, he had no problem remembering the exact location of each trap.


    Henry floated in his lotus pose, Qi converging around him as he prepared to be the protector of the group.


    ric summoned his guqin, letting it levitate above hisp. His eyes started dancing on the strings of his instrument, releasing a beautiful melody. His stronger techniques often required a build-up, and now was a great time for it.


    Tiara brought out her translucent blue saber, made of Ice Qi and Metal Qi from rare minerals found in the Central Zone''s frozen area.


    Vivienne made her preparations as well, stretching her arms like a cat after a long sleep. Despite her appearance, the air around her seemed sharper as she took control of all elements in the vicinity.


    The battle was about to start, a chance to sort out the trouble he picked up with the evil cultivator twenty years ago.

 Chapter 336 336 – Fighting Against Supremacy

    <h4>Chapter 336 Chapter 336 ¨C Fighting Against Supremacy </h4>


    ?"HAHAHA DEVIL''S HEIR, I''M COMING FOR YOU!"


    A crazedughter echoed through the empty in. The group of five heard it loud and clear from the of burrows and tunnels they had dug for themselves.


    "Oh, it has been a while since someone called me that," Ken nced at Vivienne as he recalled the name everyone used to refer to him in the secret realm of the Bloodthirst sect. She ignored him, pretending she did not have anything to do with it.


    "Team Leader, are you going to reveal our position to him?" ric tried to understand the n.


    "I do, more or less. You guys support me from behind, it would be hard for you to move without triggering any traps."


    "Alright."


    Ken climbed out of his burrow, facing the man standing in the sky 30 meters away.


    "Hello, simple nomad, you have traveled far away from the desert," Ken cupped his fist in a pretense of respect.


    "Tsk," Atum clicked his tongue in annoyance, remembering he first introduced himself as a simple nomad in the desert. He descended to the ground easily, stepping on the grass barefoot. "Your expertise in annoying those you shouldn''t has not diminished in the seventeen years we haven''t met."


    "Thank you. Will you give me your name this time?" Ken asked.


    "Of course, I want you to know who killed you. I am Atum. Just Atum, I discarded myst name two centuries ago." The green-eyed man said. He held himself back. On the one hand, he wanted nothing more than to tear this youth in front of him apart, but on the other hand, he wanted to make Ken regret his past choices. He wanted to see him kneel and beg for mercy, then kill him anyway.


    "Atum¡­ Your luck cultivation is a fascinating concept. It had saved my life once and offered me many opportunities in other chances. For that, I thank you," Ken gave him the credit he deserved. If he lost his mind to madness back then when Jane and Diana died with his original luck value, he''d be dead for sure now.


    Only the luck he had borrowed from Henry indirectly saved him by guiding him to set the challenge against the Four Seasons Sect where the entrance to the secret realm was, and then also made Elmer help him survive until he was sucked into the realm.


    "Since I saved your life once, it''s my right to take it now," Atum''s smile revealed his white teeth. His face seemed enraged despite the happy gesture, making one wonder if he was insane.


    "Oh, but I doubt that. Why are youing to fight me, anyway? You have been collecting luck for at least a century, meaning you are close to your limit. Do you really want to spend yourst bit of luck on escaping me with your life?" Ken asked.


    "How- how do you know about the limit?" The older man''s smile vanished instantly. It was his greatest secret, one he had not told any of his proxies.


    "Because only an idiot would blindly follow a manual given to him by an evil man. Since I''m not an idiot, I researched your manual first. I wonder how much luck was spent during yourst attack on me, will you tell me?"


    Atum moved ufortably in his ce, trying to calcte the implications of Ken''s knowledge. Does it mean that the Serene Lotus Sect knows all about his luck manual? Does it mean that there are select others who know it and the secret still has hope to be kept?


    "Your mental state is unstable, old friend. How about listening to some music?" Ken suggested as Atum kept radiating fluctuations of killing intent.


    *Ting* *Ting* *Ting*


    ''Symphony of Peace.''


    "Music?" The man frowned. His senses did not pick anyone else other than Ken, so who was ying the calming melody?


    "May all beings have happy minds," A deep voice rang in his ears. He tried to scan the area more carefully to recognize the source of this voice but found nothing. Strangely enough, he only rxed instead of tensing up from the unknown.


    "See? Everything is better when there''s music in the background."


    "Hm, right¡­ Since you know about the limit, are you trying to find a way to bypass it?"


    With the calming effect on his mind, Atum''s expression slowly eased, and he was able to engage in a conversation. It was more important to find out whether someone else had progressed where he had failed.


    "I''m not, one should ept their fate," Ken lied.


    Enticing him with the knowledge of conquering his problem might break thebined technique that affected him. No matter how strong Henry and ric were, and how amazing abined technique consisting of two heaven-grade techniques was, there was a huge chasm between the sixth stage and the seventh.


    "ept it, huh? I have done a lot¡­ maybe¡­" Atum mumbled to himself, thinking that it might be a good time to stop the endless pursuit of luck.


    *Tu-um*


    A strong off-key sound ruined the melody, apanying Ken''s attack.


    ''sh Unwind.''


    Ken unsheathed his sword, and the world split around him. His intent mixed in his attack, and his strike hit everything in a huge circr dome with him as the center. The space itself seemed to crackle.


    Atum, who was already on the verge of negotiating peace became aware of the situation thanks to the scream of his danger sense. He opened his eyes in surprise and did his best to defend, but the sword seemed to be aimed at every single inch of his body.


    Unable to expand his domain due to the limited time, the evil cultivator could only channel the Demonic Qi throughout his body, hardening his limbs and skin to the maximum degree.


    *Cling!*


    A loud metallic rang in the area when the sword met with the hardened body.


    "Argh!" Atum groaned, his body filled with shallow cuts. He was naturally one of the hardest cultivators to ambush thanks to his Demonic cultivation. His body was refined to an unimaginable level, making him insanely durable. As long as he noticed the sneak attack, it was impossible to stop him from channeling his Qi on time and saving himself.


    "Hmm, this is the second time you impressed me today," Ken remarked as he squeezed something between his fingers. Atum looked carefully before raising his left hand, inspecting it with visible fury.


    "You managed to take off my finger. Good, very good, let''s see if you can stop me from tearing your toes, fingers, and limbs one by one for this humiliation!"


    Atum''s domain epassed the whole area, and Ken could feel a weird sensation washing over him as he was included in it.


    The implications of a domain were huge. Inside one''s domain, the owners could use the Qi in the air to execute their techniques from a distance. First, they would never run out of Qi, second, even close-range attacks acquired a long range.


    Inside one''s domain, there was no concept of long-ranged attacks and close-ranged attacks. Long-ranged attacks could beunched a meter away from the target and close-ranged attacks could beunched from a long distance as though the cultivator was one meter away from their target.


    The man swung his fist at Ken as though they stood in front of one another, and Ken vanished from his spot, appearing a hundred meters away. Where he stood earlier, a blow so heavy happened that the airpressed into itself before being released, resulting in an explosion.


    "Ugh!" Atum groaned once more. He flew a hundred meters away as though a mountain rammed him, saliva flying out of his mouth. "What did you do?" he looked at Ken warily.


    "You destroyed your own finger," Ken sighed, ignoring his enemy''s question. Now that it was destroyed, Amun would have to regrow it.


    The evil cultivator grimaced at the realization his enemy did not tend to share his battle tactics with the other side. "Doesn''t matter, I am a seventh-rank alchemist. Let''s see how long you can keep up with me."


    Amun was surprised enough by the fact that Ken''s attack could deal any damage to him, but it was just as shocking that the youth could dodge one of his strikes. Only Supremacy Phase cultivators should be able to keep up with him. Now that Ken managed to reflect his attacks back at him, he turned serious, seeing the youth as an equal.


    Meanwhile, the music seemed to continue being off-key, giving it a rough and nerve-wracking nature. It moved fast, the notes unpleasant, making any listener wish for nothing other than for it to stop while scratching a wooden board with their fingers to relieve the shivers down their spine.


    ''Mind-Poisoning Domain ¨C Paralyze Mode.''


    ''Symphonie of Nightmares.''


    ''One''s biggest fear is within one''s mind.''


    Three techniques. Bloodlust Qi, Sound Qi, and Demonic Qi intertwined with each other as their performers released abined attack.


    Atum''s eyes opened widely at fear, his lips parted in a mix of shock, horror, and confusion. A huge dragon towered above him, a remainder from a traumatic past. Its shiny blue scales seemed more real than the real ones in his memory.


    ''I''m helpless'' he thought.


    Toplete his thoughts of despair, another technique was added to the pile.


    ''Hell Landscape.''


    The in that was once beautiful and filled with blooming flowers now turned into a battlefield. Everything was ck, charred, destroyed. Fire from a dragon''s breath turned the area into waste, his mind filling the missing details with the destroyed houses out of his memory from so many years ago.

 Chapter 337 337 – Illusions

    <h4>Chapter 337 Chapter 337 ¨C Illusions </h4>


    ?Over 200 years ago:


    "How was your day at Miss Rosenfield''s?"


    "I missed Mommy!"


    Atum held his mother''s hand, the two walking side by side. Atum was eight years old, and he just finished his day at Miss Rosenfield''s, the teacher of their vige. He would sit there for a few hours with some breaks in between and listen to her teach different subjects that the residents required.


    "Haha, I missed Little Atum too!" His momughed and tweaked his cheeks. For some reason her face was blurred, only her ck hair and emerald eyes seemed clear.


    Atum skipped by her side, their hands swinging with the rhythm of his bouncing. The blurreddy stayed silent, although Atum instinctively knew she was watching him with fondness and a wide smile.


    *ROAR*


    That''s when everything went wrong.


    The windows shook, the houses felt fragile and unstable. It was all from one single roar, nothing more. A single roar that made everyone freeze in fear and look around them anxiously.


    His mother once told him that the sound of thunder was cooler than the sh of lightning, so the sound always camete. However, not this time. The sight that apanied the sound was majestic, spectacr even. To prove it, it came second, just a second after the roar.


    Arge beast that slithered in the air without wings made its appearance. Its blue scales shone under the light of the midday sun as though a bundle of diamonds was hung above the vige for a holiday.


    ''It''s beautiful,'' Atum thought. However, it was hisst positive thought about the creature.


    The dragon opened its maw, revealing two rows of fangs that could easily cut through the thickest house they had in their vige like butter. The Qi that the dragon sucked into itself was so abundant that Atum could sense it despite being a normal mortal. A sphere of fire took form before it was unleashed upon the vige.


    "AHHH!"


    People screamed in fear as they were burned alive. Once the fire touched someone, he simply evaporated, leaving nothing but ashes behind.


    "Atum, we must run!"


    His mother finally overcame her frozen state of fear, now driven by the impulse to run away.


    "Mommy!" Atum yelled in fright, tightening his grip over her hand. The two ran away with Atum being dragged. They ran back home to where the kid''s father should be, believing they could run away together.


    *Roar!*


    Another menacing roar echoed between the walls of the still-standing buildings. Looking back, Atum thought it must have been some sort ofughter. Hundreds of humans flee helplessly, a tragedy, and also an amusing show for the culprit.


    "Dorothy!" his father called. The scene made Atum recall a name he had long forgotten.


    "**** We need to run! Let''s go south!" Dorothy shouted while dragging Atum behind her. Apparently, he could not recall his father''s name.


    "We don''t have time, we are about to be killed!" he shouted in despair. He looked at his wife and his child decisively before separating them with a pull of their hands.


    "Hey, what are you doing-" Dorothy yelped in surprise.


    "I''m sorry, Atum, we can''t take you with us. I''m so sorry!" His father''s eyes were filled with tears, but Atum, who did not understand why his family would abandon him, did not care about them. His father did not even have a single clear feature, presenting only a foggy silhouette.


    "Wait, Mommy, Daddy, don''t leave me behind!" He cried as he watched their backs get further away. He was lost, he did not know where to go. He could not catch up with his parents, and he did not know where he should run.


    "AHHH!"


    A familiar scream reached his ears, and through his tears, he managed to see those who had forsaken him being forsaken by luck. Dorothy and her husband burned to death by a casual tilt of the dragon''s head who did not even aim at them specifically.


    The creature soon got bored by the little game and left, leaving behind a destroyed vige where most of its poption died. It was not for food or anything, just the misbehavior of a young dragon.


    ---


    Back to the present:


    He remembered the helplessness on the day a dragon invaded his vige, killing dozens of humans and destroying several buildings in the process. Back in the day he just watched as the only ce he knew turned into rubble and the people he loved were killed randomly like pests.


    The music made him see the image as realistic. He heard the dragon''s roars, the vigers'' screams, himself begging his mother to run away with him, yet nothing helped.


    ''Dorothy¡­'' he thought, letting the forgotten name roll off his tongue.


    He nced at the hell surrounding him and remembered himself as the young child he was, crying in ce without any option of retaliation. He felt like he was in the same situation again.


    He sensed the dragon''s ws tear him apart, opening bloody gash after bloody gash, but he knew he could not fight back, so he stayed put, detached from feelings.


    ''Wait, ws?'' He realized. His mind sharpened and his Demonic Qi sted the whole area. With his sight clear again, he saw Ken backing off, and the sight of the in returned to its original state. There was a small pool of blood beneath his legs, his blood.


    Many flowers withered while others were cut by Ken''s sword, but it was undoubtedly the in.


    "Illusion!" His eyes turned bloodshot. He was in a critical condition. Sword Qi rampaged into his body, dealing additional damage.


    Ken was systematically cutting through his refined body, each time cutting slightly deeper, until multiple deeper wounds umted. It only took him one second to break the illusion, but the price was devastating.


    "Destroy!" He shouted and used his muscles and body to close on the Sword Qi affecting him. While others normally used their Qi to dispel it bit by bit, he knew he could not spare his mental resources for that.


    If Ken could make him fall for an illusion with his mind free, twice, then it''d be fatal to pile up the tasks. Luckily, his body was much more durable than most cultivators.


    ''Hmm, he is much tougher than I thought,'' Ken mused. He never imagined someone only one stage above him could survive so many strikes. Ken''s sword could cut a small mountain and each of hispanions'' skills could make someone get lost in an illusion until they starved to death. Atum was strong, Ken recognized that.


    "Fine, let the real battle begin now," Atum gritted his teeth. His aura turned almost tangible, causing a foreboding to everyone nearby.


    Ken and Atum both vanished and reappeared in front of each other, one using a sword while the other swinging his bare fist. The punch passed through Ken''s body and Atum was sent back again.


    "It''s a Reflecting Formation! Let me see how many blows it can handle before it shatters!" Atum recognized the problem this time. He clenched his fist and brought it down like a hammer to the ground.


    He knew that each strike caused heavy damage to the formation; it was the nature of the formation. Taking damage and reflecting at the enemy.


    He ignored the pain caused by his own attack, preparing to deal the next strike.


    Suddenly, he sensed a presence creeping up on him, and the moment he did, Ken who seemed to do nothing 100 meters away from him dissipated and materialized behind him, his sword seeming like a nest of snakes aiming to bite him. He executed a technique, turning his whole body into a shield.


    *Cling!*


    The sword lost its momentum after prating his skin, failing to cause serious inner damage. Ten such holes were opened in a single Snake Thrust execution, but they were not enough.


    "Haha, you cannot pierce my defenses so easily, Young Boy. I admit, you are amazing for bing so strong within less than twenty years, but you are still far from fighting a peak seventh-


    stage cultivator!" Atumughed and stomped the ground, finally breaking the formation at the cost of a small fracture in his foot. He bathed in magma to get stronger; pain never yed a factor when it came to him.


    ''Symphony of Arms''.


    The music turned rhythmic. With a fast beat that resembled the music of war, the air seemed to be loaded with sharpness. Back underground, ric''s fingers rocked the guqin back and forth, his face a mask of concentration as he struggled to match it with Ken and Tiara''s techniques.


    ''Beautiful Death.''


    Everything became artistic in the area. Tiara''s charm affected the whole scene, turning it breathtaking.


    ''The Snakes of Eden,'' Ken called thebined technique. Its name was based on the biblical story from his previous world in which a snake seduced the first woman, Eve, to her own doom.


    A hundred snakes appeared this time, enhanced and multiplied by the melody in the background. They all appeared graceful, leaving Atum to watch them mesmerized until they bit him.


    "ARGH! FUCK, YOU HAVE TOO MANY ILLUSIONS!" Atum was furious, confused, and scared. The terrifying part was not the number of illusions; a cultivator of his caliber would never fall for the same trick twice. It was the fact that each illusion worked with different mechanics, meaning that he fell for a different trick every time.


    The first illusion cast by Henry and ric was based on peace and rxation. Next, the technique done by Ken, Henry, ric, and Vivienne relied on fear and past traumas. Now, it was beauty and charm.


    Atum kneeled on one knee. His body was battered with holes. His blood, contaminated by Demonic Qi, turned the whole area dead and withered.

 Chapter 338 338 – Alchemists’ Power

    <h4>Chapter 338 Chapter 338 ¨C Alchemists'' Power </h4>


    ?Atum knelt on one knee. His body was battered with holes. The area around him, tainted by his Demonic Qi-infused blood,y dead and withered. Thebatants listened to Atum''sbored breath in the silence of the in.


    He looked up at his opponent towering above him. Ken seemed like the god of death in his eyes, a natural enemy, a predator that was there to devour him.


    ''Mind-Poisoning Domain ¨C Paralyze Mode.''


    "Imend your power. You have done well, surviving against the five of us while forcing out our best moves."


    Ken was not in a rush. His opponent was kneeling, injured beyond recognition. Atum sniffed out the rampaging Sword Qi with his muscles again, and his wounds only worsened.


    His veins were sliced, organs punctured, and bones fractured. He was practically naked with nearly half of his skin gone. No mortal would ever survive this condition. As a matter of fact, even a sixth-stage cultivator might not be able to survive it for long, let alone fight in it.


    "Don''t think you have won, Devil''s Heir. I still have a few tricks up my sleeves," Atum gritted his teeth and produced a few ck pills out of his ring. "Many see alchemy as a weakness, a crippling blow tobat prowess. However, it''s not true. Pills are just as dangerous as techniques if exploited correctly."


    With those words, the ck pills turned into dust in his fingers and ck smoke enveloped the whole area in a radius of kilometers. It was his one final move before deciding to run away. Onest attempt to kill his enemies and abduct Ken for his potential knowledge about luck cultivation.


    From that point on, his enemies would only grow stronger while he might remain the same. The earlier he could kill them, the safer his future would be.


    ''Hmm, my technique has dissipated,'' Ken noticed right away. Every ounce of Qi he let out of his body was lost instantly, leading him to believe the fog made the control of Qi impossible within it. ''It also means he can''t form his domain, otherwise, it''d be useless against seventh-stage cultivators.''


    Ken''s conjectures were right. Atum never imagined he would need the pills'' help to deal with sixth-stage cultivators, so he never tried to create pills that would give an edge to domain users.


    "In a world without Qi, let me see how you fair against a Demonic Qi cultivator." With his lips torn and gums damaged, Atum''s smile was a terrifying sight. His bloody teeth made him look like a true demon.


    "What a coincidence, we also have a Demonic Qi user in our team," Ken smiled back and a heavy figurended by his side. The blindfolded monk took his fighting stance, ready to fight alongside Ken. Three more figures appeared behind them.


    They all had their constitutions changed into what Ken called Demonic Body by thebination of the Godly Qi and Henry''s Demonic Qi. They were strengthened enough to hold their ground using seventh-grade weapons.


    As though they agreed on a signal, the wind blew the withered flowers away, and the six of them vanished from their spots. Henry and Ken took the front line while ric backed them with his spear. Vivienne did not use a weapon either, but the group learned that she always had her methods, while Tiara could only dash for a bit of support and retreat.


    Atum''s arm collided with Henry''s forearms, propelling the monk backward with a ng akin to two metallic clubs striking each other. Despite having the upper hand, the evil cultivator did not enjoy any respite, and his palm tried to close on Ken''s de to shut it down. Without their weapons, most of the team would be harmless to him.


    Ken''s sharp mind captured the intention, and with a slight twist of his wrist, the flexible sword changed its course, leaving a shallow scratch on the enemy''s palm while escaping his grasp.


    ric used the chance to thrust his spear, but Atum crouched, letting it miss his face. He sent a kick at Ken who managed to rotate on his leg in time to evade it by a hair width, and Tiara used that split second to sh at his thigh, leaving behind a small cut with ice that melted right away due to the ck fog.


    Vivienne did nothing, standing behind and concentrating on something that nobody knew what she was nning.


    After blocking one more swing of ric''s spear, Atum stomped the ground, generating a quake through sheer physical strength. The three lost their bnce for a moment, but Henry was already there to back them up, exchanging a few fists with the evil cultivator, each leaving a blue mark on the monk''s skin.


    As Atum and Henry exchanged blows, the others circled, looking for openings. ric''s spear danced dangerously close, while Tiara and Vivienne readied for their turns.


    "ARGH! DIE ALREADY!" Atum screamed in frustration. Henry aside, he had no idea how the others were not overwhelmed by his superior strength. He expected to swat them like flies, not to struggle when his body was already on the verge of copse.


    Ken joined the monk to share the burden, however, with his Qi unable to leave his body without disappearing, his techniques turned much weaker. He could not even coat his sword with enough Qi, and even direct hits only left superficial scratches that healed within a minute if he did not re-open them.


    "I have bathed in fire and ice, if this is a tenancypetition, you will fall first!" Atum spat in anger.


    "Atum," Ken smirked widely as his sword whipped the iron-like body of his opponent repeatedly, "Many see alchemy as a weakness, a crippling blow tobat prowess. Some hold the misconception that alchemists can only bridge that weakness using pills. Let me teach you something today, alchemists can fight!"


    ''What?'' Atum recognized his own words, but he did not understand thest part. Unless you could ce your enemy inside your cauldron and cook them, what good was Alchemy in a battle without pills?


    *Cough* *Cough*


    Atum started coughing out blood, causing him to lose his step and take on Henry''s heavy strikes directly.


    "What''s going on?" He asked anxiously as he backed off the closebat battle and stumbled back. He was sure that he could still hold on for a few minutes before his body fell apart from the umted damage it had sustained.


    "You, second-rated alchemist, have consumed impure pills in your life."


    Kenughed loudly as he charged, forcing the coughing enemy to stay in close-rangebat.


    "What¡­ what are you talking about?"


    It was true. As far as Ken knew, he was the only person he knew who had never consumed an impure pill, only taking those he managed to create with 100% purity. Hispanions'' pill diets improved after meeting him, but they also consumed junk before.


    Atum inspected his body carefully while fending off the closing-in enemies. To his fright, he finally understood.


    "You made my impurities act up!" The realization struck him like a bolt of lightning.


    When one took a pill without 100% purity, they would have to expel the impurities from their body. However, it was impossible to expel them all. There would always be a tiny bit, less than 0.1% of the impurities, that would remain behind. They generally remained dormant and only caused damage when too much of them umted.


    Ken''s new technique, Impurities Revenge as he called it, caused those impurities to rage inside the target''s body. Each time Ken''s sword touched his enemy, the impurities would get a pulse that made them cause inner damage to Atum''s body.


    ''I must run!'' Atum thought in despair. He sprinted through the ck smoke, outrunning all the others. He saw the border of the smoke right ahead of him, yet before he could celebrate his escape, he sensed a gale of wind, and a stunning woman with tinum hair blocked his path to freedom.


    "I don''t really want to fight. Stay put obediently and we can avoid all the hassle," she said.


    "Move!" He screamed and tried to ram into her. He was still confident in his power to bulldoze his way through someone of a lower stage who couldn''t use Qi.


    Unfortunately, his share of surprises was not over yet. The woman raised her palm and the ground itself bent to her will, sending a thick pir from beneath her feet to meet with him.


    The stone shattered upon their sh, but it slowed him enough to allow Vivi to hit his chest with her palm and send him back with a strong gust.


    "You¡­ how can you use Qi inside the smoke?" He asked in disbelief. It was a seventh-grade pill that even prevented him from channeling Qi out of his body, let alone one measly cultivator at the Sea of Consciousness Expanding stage.


    "Why should I tell you?" She asked with an annoyingly beautiful grin. "I told you to stay put. If you listened, wouldn''t it be easier for everyone?"


    Her attack hardly did any damage, but the wind was enough to send him back a few meters, letting the other members of the group catch up.


    "Seems like you are surrounded."


    In a moment of resignation, Atum closed his eyes and epted his fate, sitting down on the hard cold ground. He would never run away. Now he knew the reason all the mishaps on his way consumed his luck. The heavens were trying to prevent him from meeting with Ken because meeting with the Devil''s Heir marked his doom.

 Chapter 339 339 – Life-Binding Formation

    <h4>Chapter 339 Chapter 339 ¨C Life-Binding Formation </h4>


    ?In a moment of resignation, Atum closed his eyes and epted his fate, sitting down on the hard cold ground.


    "That''s the right call. Here, take this."


    Ken handed over a grey pill that the seventh-rank alchemist had no trouble recognizing. With a bitter smile, Atum swallowed the Qi Disrupting Pill. The pill rendered him unable to channel Qi inside his body, and it was the base of the Qi Disrupting Smoke Pill he had invented.


    As soon as the pill''s medicinal effects mixed with his blood, his hardened body rxed, and only the natural firmness achieved by endless strengthening remained. Although it was impressive, Ken could slice through that.


    "Are you going to kill me?" Atum asked in a lifeless voice. It seemed that he epted the battle''s oue. He simply was unsure of Ken''s ns regarding him.


    "And give up a seventh-stage servant? With your skills as a seventh-rank alchemist, you could easily fund my cultivation, and my cultivation is costly."


    "Huh?" Atum grimaced at the implications of Ken''s words. "Do you think you can keep ME on a leash? Do you think you can replicate today''s results whenever you want?" Although it would be smarter to keep his mouth shut and scheme silently, he lost his self-restraint momentarily at the weight of the insult.


    If Ken was so stupid that he thought he could control a peak seventh-stage cultivator, then Atum''s loss would feel even more humiliating than it already did. After all, his only source offort was believing Ken was extraordinary.


    Meanwhile, Vivi nervously tip-toed to Ken''s side, giving him a whiff of her scent. She did not wear perfume, but she kept her body odor pleasant with her Elemental Qi, mainly entuating her Wood Qi.


    "Team Leader, isn''t it wrong? I don''t want to fight against him again," she whispered.


    "Let''s discuss it in the cave. We have plenty of time until the pill''s effect wears off."


    With the inability to control Qi, Atum would die within seconds from his umted wounds. Ken had been maintaining the man''s life himself as he lifted him from the ground and made him float before them on their way to the main cave.


    Most of the other caves were destroyed during their fight, specifically when the demonic cultivator destroyed the Reflecting Formation.


    Navigating between the traps that still remained, they made it back to the cave where the beasts and the subordinates waited for them.


    "Young Master, congrattions on your victory," the three humans bowed with their fists cupped. Maria had known him for the cruel man he was since she met him, while the other two had also awakened from their misconception that he was a virtuous man.


    They all watched as Ken ced their enemy on the ground, unsure what his n was. He did not let them wait much longer for the answer.


    "Today, you will get a new tattoo. I will inscribe a seventh-rank formation called Life-Binding Formation onto your body, using your skin and bones as materials among others. Once I''m done, your life will be connected to that formation. You will stay alive as long as it''s unharmed, and you will die once it''s destroyed. For your information, I''ll be able to destroy it whenever I want. Pick, simple nomad, do you want to serve under me, or do you rather die?"


    Atum only needed a moment to contemte the issue. On one hand, it was a hit to his dignity. On the other hand, Ken did beat him, and he would get to keep his life. Being under Ken would allow him to remain near his captor, which in turn would give him many chances to find out whether Ken found a way to bypass the heavens''ws in Luck cultivation.


    It was not even a question; dignity was very low on the priority list of evil cultivators.


    "Serve and live," Atum said, clenching his jaws as he imagined the scene of Ken engraving runes into his bones. However, he had no choice now.


    "Good. Everyone, stand guard and pick one of the still-standing caves. Leave me here alone with Atum."


    Ken knew he had to work fast while keeping Atum on the verge of life and death without taking it too far. The riskiest time was the time of the procedure before Ken held aplete grip over the evil man''s life.


    "I will stay here to y my Symphony of Peace. It will help you concentrate."


    ric sat at the corner and his guqin floated above his legs, allowing him tofortably run his fingers on the strings. He soon closed his eyes and focused on ying the serene piece.


    "Amitabha, this monk will take part in guiding this lostmb."


    Henry sat down by the musician''s side and emanated his Buddhistic Qi, adding to the tranquilizing effect. Everyone in the room looked at the girls.


    "My Charm Qi can only distract you, I''m leaving to cultivate," Tiara shrugged and left. She was feeling the urgency of breaking through to the peak of the sixth stage ever since Ken did. She did not know how long his n to break through to the Supremacy Phase would take, but she did not agree to stay behind. If there was only a narrow time window, she''d be ready for it when it opened.


    "I¡­ I''m a very talkative person, I better go to¡­ cultivate, yes, cultivate," Vivienne chuckled dryly and left, ignoring ric''s scorning gaze. It was impossible to feel any gaze from Henry, and Ken simply did not care. It was reassuring to see the two men stay behind to help, but he believed he''d be sessful whether they aided him or didn''t.


    "Alright, we don''t have much time. If we leave him without Qi for too long he will die with those injuries. Let''s start."


    He immediately started the operation. With his fingers operating using a sharp needle that could pierce through the demonic cultivator''s skin and bones, he injected the ink and the other materials, etching it into the man''s body. A three-


    dimensional formation started to take form, parts of it on Atum''s skin and parts of it on his bones.


    Atum grunted in pain, but overall kept his lips sealed. The path of demonic cultivation was far more painful than having an intrusive surgery without anesthetic. He closed his eyes and waited for the procedure to be over, asionally checking whether he could channel his Qi.


    ''Laying a seventh-rank formation will take him a whole day. There''s no way his pill willst enough time. I only need a split second to attack, and once I do, it will be the end of the road for him.''


    As though he could read his new subordinate''s mind, Ken raised his head for a moment and ced a grey pill he produced from his storage ring on Atum''s lips.


    "You can have it as a snack while you are waiting."


    Atum gritted his teeth and took the second Qi Disrupting Pill. He hoped Ken wouldn''t ount for his Alchemy skills and feed him the pill in long gaps, but apparently, his new master didn''t make rookie mistakes.


    The operationsted twenty-four hours until it was finallyplete, during which Atum was forced to eat four Qi Disrupting Pills. A ck and red tattoo could be seen on Atum''s skin for a short while before it sank into his body and disappeared. As for Ken, his Qi was depleted and his mind was exhausted. He had to take a long break to replenish his stamina.


    "Vivi,e help him heal faster," Ken brought out a token and called for thezy gal. "As for you, feel free to use your stash of healing pills to stabilize your condition. Remember, I can kill you now any time I want. Don''t worry; working for mees with many benefits and opportunities. I''m sure the day wille that you fear being free."


    Atum only snorted in response. He has been an independent cultivator for nearly 200 years now, and he didn''t n on stopping aspiring to be free any time soon.


    "How should I refer to you?" Atum asked. He knew that the nickname "Devil''s Heir" was no longer appropriate.


    "Young Master. That''s what all my subordinates call me. For your first merits, I will teach you the recipe for my Impurities Discharging Pill. It''s far more effective than what''s circting in the market."


    Atum didn''t understand it at the time, but it was a verdict. No matter how much he contributes, he will never be part of Ken''s core team. His foundation was too deep; Ken would never be able to strengthen him to his team''s level. Since that was the case, Ken did not n to strengthen him at all except for asional rewards.


    Ken left the cave and found another empty one to rest. He yed with a wooden token in his hand before cing it in his storage ring.


    ''That contains a Supremacy-Phase cultivator''s life, huh?''


    It was linked to the formation in Atum''s body. When one breaks, so will the other. If Ken broke the token, Atum would die instantly, and if Atum died, the token would break, informing Ken of his subordinate''s death.


    It was called the Life Binding Formation due to the binding of life to the token. He did not let Atum know the mechanics behind the formation despite not seeing a disadvantage in that. After all, the less Atum knew, the harder it''d be to n an escape.


    ''Well, let''s rest.''


    Ken fell asleep, ignoring the puppy eyes of the elephant-size fluffy wolf that wanted some attention.

 Chapter 340 340 – People of the Rivers

    <h4>Chapter 340 Chapter 340 ¨C People of the Rivers</h4>


    ?Three weeks passed, and Ken''s entourage passed through the territories of the Tiger Fang Sect and the Sunfire Sect without any mishaps or remarkable events, arriving at the Divine Lightning Sect''s area, formerly known as the Jade Sky Sect''s ce.


    "Here we separate. Emrys, you are a beast, you don''t cultivate. Keep doing whatever you''re doing until you break through to the seventh rank. Pick one of the forests nearby and settle in it without pulling too much attention to yourself."


    Ken had tied a short rope around the wolf''s neck as a ne with a small ring on it. Emrys learned long ago how to operate storage rings. Inside it was his pills supply for the next year and a token he could crush to call for help in case something out of the ordinary happened, putting him at risk. On the wolf''s front legs were two silver bracelets with runes meant to suppress aura and presence.


    Ken did not expect anything dangerous to happen, but both the big local sects had practitioners in the Supremacy Phase, so it was better to be cautious. He did not want to find out one day that the wolf he painstakingly raised was hunted by someone in his absence.


    "Maria, it''s time for you to return to your origins. Odette and Yuri, you are serving under her as underlings."


    After Ken gave his orders, the three bowed with a quick "Yes, Young Master," and left the ce to fulfill their roles. They were all in the lower phase of the sixth stage, and they could move about freely in this region governed by weaker sects.


    "Atum, you should know the exact location of the Jade Sky Sect, right?"


    "Yes."


    "Good, settle in a city nearby. I want you to generate profits of at least a thousand high Qi Stones per month, you can do whatever you want in the rest of your time. Establish connections and present yourself as a fifth-stage cultivator. If anybody gives you problems, deal with them in secret."


    Atum nodded and left the ce. On their way, they passed through countless formations and scanning tools in the borders. The evil cultivator had his own ways of avoiding detection, developed by necessity due to his long life as a lone cultivator who hid from authorities. No sect would allow an evil Supremacy Phase practitioner to roam in their territory unchecked.


    As for Ken and his group, they have already lowered their cultivation to the peak of the third stage. They have left every valuable object that was unlikely to be held by third-stage cultivators, including their weapons and Immortal Qi Stones, hidden. Some of those items were in the in where they fought against Atum while some were left behind in the house rented in Blooming Lotus City.


    "What''s the n?" Tiara asked as the five remained on their own.


    "Elder Elmer gave me a list of a few informants who can help us join the Jade Sky Sect. We will pay one of them a visit."


    Following the elder''s instructions, they found a small house on the border with nearby woods. Perhaps that''s where the Jade Sky Sect got its name from; most of their terrain was forests while the cities were ced on cleared areas.


    ric walked first, knocking on the door and waiting for a response. Soon, a middle-aged man opened the door and looked at them suspiciously.


    "Who are you?"


    "We are the inhabitants of the rivers and the seas, we are here to seek guidance on thend."


    The man threw his long ck hair behind his back, tidying himself before bowing to the group. "Of course, are you thirsty?" he asked. He knew that inhabitants of the rivers meant representatives of the Serene Lotus Sect while those of the seas enjoyed a higher status and priority.


    "We live in water, what weck is direction."


    This time it had no real meaning, it was just a password.


    "Come on in." The man gestured and stepped aside. The five entered the small wooden house, scrutinizing the simple design. With their Qi, they could tell the ce was separated into a living room and two bedrooms, while Henry and Vivienne also found a secret cer underneath their legs.


    "Wee, I''m Niram. Here, this is a local tea I produce from the rose hips I''m raising behind the house." He served them the tea in porcin cups as they sat down around a simple rectangle table. "What brings you here?"


    Ken chose not to speak, letting ric do the talking.


    "We want to join the Jade Sky Sect," ric said.


    "Infiltrating mission?" Niram looked at them for a moment. It was weird to send a bunch of weaklings to infiltrate a powerful sect. While they wouldn''t be detected, they also wouldn''t get ess to any important information or treasures.


    "Yes, a long-term one. We will be called back to the sect when we reach bottlenecks in our cultivation and return immediately as we solve them."


    Niram nodded slowly. It made sense; the earlier they joined the Jade Sky Sect, the less suspicious the sect would be, treating them as trustworthy people who have grown in the sect.


    "If you are as young as you look, then you can join through the normal entrance exams. They are banned from conducting them outside their sect''s grounds now, so you''ll have to go there yourselves."


    Throughout the continent, there were many small sects. However, all of them were based in territories controlled by the great twenty sects, as those controlled almost the entirety of the Verdant QI continent, aside from a few areas ruled by beasts.


    Those smaller sects were allowed to exist, but they had limited rights. For example, they had to receive an affirmation from the ruling sect in order to conduct a public recruiting event. Without it, they were only allowed to do house-to-house recruiting or have the events in their sect''s base, and only those with both interest and means of transportation would make it there.


    Unfortunately, the Divine Lightning Sect wanted to weaken the Jade Sky Sect, thus not giving them their permission to recruit freely. Unwilling to open war yet, the Jade Sky Sect could only obey the rules until they couldn''t take it anymore.


    "Here''s a map to where the test is. They ept people in the Foundation Phase to the outer sect. As third-stage cultivators, you''d have to be under twenty-four years old and preferably master at least one technique to the Advanced mastery realm."


    He handed them a piece of paper and ric ced it in his ring after everyone took a nce at it. As sixth-stage cultivators with enhanced minds, they didn''t need to look much to memorize something so simple, but they took it to avoid raising suspicion.


    "Thank you. We will find a ce to lodge in the meantime." ric threw him twenty medium Qi Stones as the five left. They only carried about thirty each, which would make them incredibly wealthy for their stage, but would still be believable.


    "Of course, you cane any time for further help," the man smiled. He was at the fourth stage and he made about a hundred medium Qi Stones per year excluding payments for cooperating with other sects. For him, making ten Qi Stones for providing a bit of general information was a good trade.


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