ã€ŠThe Wheel of Samsaraã€‹


 1 Prologue - Before a Beginning, There Is an End

    A cold breeze blew in the night, gently brushing past the green grass that grew by a small lake. The clear water shone with a dim silvery light, looking like a mirror reflecting the moon and the stars. There were no clouds in the sky, so it was easy to see those beautiful dots of light shining brightly in the darkness, looking like a black mantle riddled with diamonds.

    It was a very pleasant night of spring, and anyone would find it refreshing to take a breath of fresh air in such conditions. Therefore, it was completely reasonable to see two people lying down on the grass side by side, looking at the stars. They were very close to the lake, where they could hear the rustling of the grass and the gentle crashing of the waves while watching the sky.

    One was a man who held a wineskin in one hand and caressed the grass covered in dew with the other one. His somewhat long golden hair was a mess, but his sharp, green eyes still caught attention behind it. His features could be described as handsome, but the coldness of his expression would make most people look away.

    He was dressed in a simple blue clothing, which was as messy as his hair. Although the person in question preferred to be seen as a carefree person, no matter how one looked at him, the word ''sloppy'' would be the only way to describe him. His friends would laugh at his face when he brought it up, but very few dared to use another word to describe him.

    He never moved his eyes from the full moon that hung above his head, and he seemed to be in deep thought. The silver moonlight illuminating his face only added to the coldness he exuded. He brought the wineskin to his mouth to take a sip, but realized it was already empty.

    It was the fourth wineskin he emptied that night, and the last one he had. He liked to drink when he was tense, and tonight he was drinking a lot more than usual. He grumbled for a while, before turning quiet again, clearly uncomfortable.

    By his side, a slender sword was stuck in the grass, glistening with the droplets of dew. It was made with nothing but the simplest of materials. The blade was three fingers wide, made of iron and polished to the point one could see his reflection in it. The grip was bundled in cheap black leather, so worn out it was almost possible to make out the shape of the man''s fingers when he gripped it. The guard was just as simple, but its half-moon design gave the sword an air of finesse. The only luxury the sword had was a translucent gem with a light red color embedded in the middle of the guard.

    Despite being simple, no one could find a flaw in it. It was the pride of the blacksmith that made it, but no matter how much care was put into its making, it would never stop being a common iron sword; unfit for the one who wielded it. Nevertheless, its wielder was someone that despised things like common sense, and anyone that dared to underestimate the sword in his hands paid dearly when facing it.

    Between the man and the sword lied a woman, her figure as slender as the blade. Her body seemed to be a bit blurry, as if a pale light was covering it. Strangely enough, there were no shadows on her face, almost as if she had a natural glow instead of the moonlight falling from the sky.

    She wore a simple white dress that was a bit short, showing a glimpse of her long legs. Her icy blue eyes were gazing intently at the moon just like the man by her side. Her brows were lightly furrowed, her lips tightly pursed. She was clearly worried about something, but she avoided voicing it aloud. Yet, not even such an expression could hide her beauty.

    The pair didn''t face each other; they simply looked at the sky, each one with their own thoughts. They were both quiet, as was their surroundings. At some point, the breeze stopped blowing and the waves stopped crashing. There was nothing but an unnerving silence, almost as if Nature was holding its breath. A calm before the storm.

    The man threw the empty wineskin he was holding to the side, his expression serious. He sighed, as if facing a problem he couldn''t solve. He gently patted a crystalline ring on his finger, seemingly lost in thought for a split second. When he came to, he just shook his head. That had indeed been his last wineskin.

    "At this rate you might really get drunk." His actions didn''t escape the eyes of the woman besides him. Her melodious voice broke the silence, the tone a bit sarcastic. A normal person would be way past the point of being drunk after having four whole wineskins, but that wasn''t the case.

    "Heh, I wish I could. It''s been so long that I forgot the last time I managed to do it." The man gave a wry smile, a look of disappointment on his face while he stated a fact. He knew she was joking, but that was a sensible topic for him, especially in recent years.

    "Isn''t that a good thing, though?"

    "Well, being able to enjoy the alcohol without worries is nice sometimes. But not being able to get drunk when you want to is not worth it."

    "Your life must have been really awful as of lately, then."

    "It isn''t as if you don''t know about it."

    "I''m just trying to ease the mood a bit."

    "I know. Sorry."

    They both stopped talking again. The woman was clearly unsatisfied with the way the conversation went, but she decided to give up on the matter. She knew very well how troubled he was.

    "Are you really sure about this? There is still time to turn back." She finally spoke after a few moments, her voice so low that could almost be a whisper. Her concern was evident.

    "I won''t turn back. This is what I believe is right. Even if others don''t¡­ Well, I''m giving them the chance to stop me." His response was firm, yet indifferent, as if it was only natural.

    "I don''t like this. Not a single bit. I know you are not one to give in, but I really think that this time you should." Her concern grew deeper as she spoke. She knew him well.If she didn''t change his mind, no one would.

    "My decision won''t change. Now all that is left is see it through. I will change things, Lya." He turned his gaze away from the moon. "I had enough of being restrained by things I don''t understand. I had enough of being controlled by things I cannot see. I had enough of walking a path that was set by things I cannot grasp."

    His hands emitted a pale glow as he extended them into her direction. He touched her lightly, as if afraid that she would scatter with the wind. He raised her chin with care, looking into her eyes.

    "Look, this is all for the best. If it wasn''t I would never do something like this, and I would never have found others that think like me." He stated it as if it was a fact. Finding others that shared the same opinion he did was proof that he was right about this matter. Both of them knew that it was sophistry, but he didn''t really care.

    Lya really didn''t agree with this. Her dissatisfaction was evident while she replied softly." Well, Arthur can certainly use the same argument as you. And we both know what is his opinion regarding this."

    She realized she made a mistake almost immediately. The man''s brow furrowed even further, dark lines creasing in his forehead. He was starting to lose his temper.

    "Arthur can have his own opinion, I don''t mind it. What I do mind is he painting us as criminals and deciding we were his enemies." His voice grew louder and hoarser as he spoke. It was certainly a sensible matter. "He betrayed us, Lya. He abandoned us."

    "Alexei¡­"

    "Lya, we''ve know each other for years. Decades. Centuries. We have travelled all around the world. You saw the same things as I did. I want to change those things. I wanted to do so then, when I was weak, and I still want to do so now, when I''m strong enough for that. So tell me, why shouldn''t I?"

    "I¡­ I''m not saying your concerns are wrong, or that you mustn''t change things. It''s just that I don''t think this is the right way to do it.If you really want to do this I can''t really stop you, but things have gone too far. I don''t think you should pay the price you are willing to pay, and I don''t think others should pay it too."

    She looked deep into his eyes, trying to sound as firm and secure as possible.

    "What you are doing, isn''t it the exact same thing you are fighting against? Aren''t you deciding the fate of others? Controlling their lives? Making their decisions for them?"

    His gaze turned grave as he heard her words. He seemed somewhat frustrated.

    "Lya, what I''m doing is giving them freedom. I''ll destroy these shackles that bind us to death. I''ll destroy this disgusting cycle that brings nothing but suffering. People might be scared at first, but soon enough they will realize the good we are about to do. Hell, even the people we fight with today will be brought back when we succeed. No one will ever have to be pained by the loss of a loved one again. No one will have to fear death anymore."

    The light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter, as if saying these words out loud helped him reassure himself. Lya could only look down, disappointment spreading across her face. She didn''t want this. It would be a bloodbath. In this war there would be no winners, no matter the victor.

    Before she could answer, they heard a loud rumbling far away. The earth started to quake, raising clouds of dust in the distance. The water in the lake started rippling as if trying to jump out from there.

    The night sky grew bright with golden streaks of light that looked like shooting stars colliding in the distance. A violent wind blew, shaking the trees surrounding the lake and bringing a dust cloud with it. The man started coughing and covered his mouth. He jumped to his feet and waved his hands, annoyed.

    The dust was blown away and the wind grew quiet again. He directed his gaze towards the lights, mumbling to himself.

    "It began¡­"

    While he was saying that, a loud screech echoed far away, and roaring scarlet flames rose from the ground near the place where the golden lights were gathering. They incinerated everything in their path, tainting the dark sky with a hellish light. The flames were so hot that he could feel the temperature rising from where he stood.

    "He is here. That annoying bird is with him." He spat those words, not hiding the despise in his voice. He adjusted his messy clothes and used his fingers to try to comb his hair, before looking at the woman again.

    The woman got up too. Not a speck of dust could be found in her dress, which was as white as ever, almost ethereal. She raised her hands and gently fixed his still messy hair. He had his eyes closed, enjoying the somewhat strange feeling he had of a weak breeze tidying his hair.

    Lya took her time and gave him a light nod when she was done, confirming that his appearance was at least acceptable now. She knew that when he gave himself the trouble to look presentable, he was taking the matter seriously, and when he did so, people would inevitably die.

    "There is no turning back anymore, do you understand?"

    She looked at him without hiding her anxiousness when she heard those words.

    "If you can''t compromise¡­ Can you at least not kill each other?" She was worried for their friend, and she was even more worried for the man by her side.

    He grew hesitant. He didn''t know what to do when he inevitably confronted their friend. He was not doubting his decision, rather, he was afraid of what she would say, what she would do when he presented his answer with action.

    "I''ll try my best, but¡­ Even if something happens, if we win we can always bring him back. Lya, can''t you trust me with this?" He said while he extended his hand to her. He was waiting for her answer, the final permission he needed to do what he had to do with a clear mind.

    She said nothing, just looked at his eyes one last time. The sorrow in her eyes was evident. Still in silence, she gently grabbed his hand and disappeared into thin air.

    He let out another sigh, walked towards the sword and gripped the hilt tightly. The red gem in the guard glowed dimly. He brought the blade close to his face, looking at his reflection in it. He whispered gently, "Don''t worry Lya, it will all end well."

    He looked at the moon once more for nothing but a mere moment, reminiscing about happier days. No, he would be happier after today. Everyone would. His life would truly begin after this battle. He raised his foot and stepped in the air. Surprisingly, he didn''t lose his balance, but somehow managed to float instead. Golden light glowed at his feet as he accelerated, turning into another streak of light that shot into battle.

    In a dark space, where just a faint red light glowed everywhere, Lya was silently crying. From the depths of her heart, she felt fear. Alexei had changed too much since they first met. She regretted that she couldn''t do a better job in easing the pain that set him in this path. She regretted not seeing what would come if she allowed him to tread it instead of stopping him when there was still time.

    She too started reminiscing about the past, but she knew that things would never go back to what they were. She knew their happy days were long gone and would never return. Maybe she had changed too. Alexei''s words started echoing in her head, and her expression somehow turned into disappointment.

    ''Destroying the shackles that bind us to death''? She knew that these shackles were life itself. Destroying them was the same as losing all purpose in their existence. Nothing would come from it but despair.

    In the end, people might fear death, but she couldn''t think of anything more horrifying than immortality.

 2 The Sect of Scraps I

    It was a dark room. There were no windows or cracks in the walls through which light could enter. If it were not for the glowing runes on the floor, it would have been impossible to see anything.

    The runes seemed alive, connecting with each other in strange ways at strange angles, forming what seemed to be words that twisted and coiled around like snakes. Then the snakes would break apart and the runes would slide away before connecting with others again, forming a cycle that repeated itself over and over.

    The moving runes formed different shapes and had different sizes, but somehow they were all restrained to a single area, moving only in set paths, forming what seemed to be a circle. At the center of the circle lied a boy. His black hair and eyes were quite common, as was his face. The only thing out of the norm on him was the frightened expression he had, as if he was about to cry.

    In front of him, a tall man was standing. His ravenous black eyes were intently staring the boy at his feet, a shred of excitement and ruthlessness giving them a cruel glint. His hair was as black as his eyes and reached his shoulders. His face seemed to be chiseled, with sharp angles and a certain handsomeness.

    The man kneeled, reaching the same eye level as the boy. His voice was serene as he spoke. "I need you to be brave, son. This is going to hurt, but you can''t leave. It is okay to cry and scream if you want, but never move from where you are."

    With that, the man turned his back at him and step away from the strange circle made by the runes. He didn''t spare a glance to the terrified expression his son had as he started to desperately struggle, but seemed to be restrained by the air itself.

    He stood in a corner of the room, by the side of a small man that had been silent the whole time. This man''s face was hidden behind wriggling shadows, making him look menacing. The tall man gave him a nod before observing his son with unmoving eyes.

    The man hidden by the shadows bent a knee and touched two runes on the floor with his hands. He gave a sneaky look at the terrified boy in the center of the array with eyes full of pity. This was going to hurt a lot. He took a deep breath and a strange pulse seemed to flow through his arms, hitting the runes he was touching.

    The two runes started glowing with a blinding golden light that eventually spread through all the other runes on the floor. A strange humming sound was emitted, as if they were resonating.

    Then, hell began.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Amon woke up abruptly. He felt pain all over his body and he was drenched in cold sweat. His clothes clung to his body, making him feel restrained and uncomfortable. His body was heavy and he felt as if he hadn''t caught a wink of sleep. It was the same nightmare every time.

    He dejectedly threw the white linen sheets covering him to the side. He sat on the bed and slowly got up, feeling the warm wooden floor under his feet. He walked to the window, through which cracks of light could already be seen, dimly illuminating his small room.

    He opened the creaking windows made of wooden boards and the sun greeted him, hanging up above in a bright blue sky. The light lit up his room.

    His bed was close to the wall, the bedding stained by his sweat. A small and neat desk was in the wall opposite to it, with a few pieces of paper and a pen still sitting on it. A black mat lied in the center of the room. In another wall, Amon had hanged a simple mirror and put a small table below it, where he usually let a basin filled with water to wash himself in the morning.

    Amon stood in front of the mirror, washed his face and rinsed his mouth. He still felt weary. When he looked at the mirror, he saw his youthful face, framed by black hair that contrasted his strange golden eyes. Dark circles caused by his not-so-well slept night surrounded his golden eyes, making them seem like lamps in the dark.

    He run his fingers through his black hair, but felt something was off. He looked at his hand and saw a black stain tainting his skin.

    He couldn''t help but sigh. He would have to buy a new batch of black nuts soon. He rubbed his hand hard, but only managed to dampen a little of the stain. Giving up, Amon took off his wet clothes and used a towel washed his body with the water in the basin. He kicked a chest next to his bed open and put on a fresh set of white clothes.

    He exited his room, heading straight to the shabby kitchen in his house. He looked at the old iron pot in the countertop and saw that there was still some rice porridge left over from last night. He carefully reheated it and served it in a small bowl.

    Carrying the food, he went past the living room, if you could even call it that. It was just a table and a few chairs in the biggest room in the house. He arrived in front of a wooden door, on which he gently knocked twice.

    "Come in." A weak voice answered. Amon carefully opened the door, getting inside his mother''s room. The window by the bed was already open, letting Amon see the room clearly. It was very similar to his own, but there was no desk or mat, there was just a bed, a mirror, a small table and a chest to store clothes.

    "Mom, I brought some food." Amon slowly walked to her bed, carefully placing the bowl in his mother''s hand and offering her a spoon. His mother smiled brightly before accepting the spoon from his hand.

    Her hands were a bit shriveled and her arms thin. She could barely hold the bowl alone.Her blond hair was thin and frail, its color looking more like sand than the golden luster it used to have. Her face was pale and her cheeks a bit sunken. Her bright eyes were misty, not as clear as they used to be. She looked decades older than her actual age.

    "You did eat some, right?" She asked, worry showing in her face. Her voice was weak, but her tone was as gentle as ever.

    Amon nodded repeatedly to assure her before changing the subject. "I''ll need to go exchange some contribution points. We need more rice and vegetables and I need more black nuts, too."

    His mother couldn''t help but giggle a little at his serious tone. She beckoned to him, telling him to approach. Amon quietly sat by her side on the bed. His mother started to gently ruffle his hair. Amon quite liked the pleasant feeling. He closed his eyes as he enjoyed her spoiling of him.

    Suddenly, she lightly poked at his shoulder. Amon opened his eyes and saw her showing her hand, where a faint stain of black could be seen. He avoided her gaze, feeling a bit ashamed.

    "Why don''t you forget about the black nuts? You could save the few points you use on it every week and you could have a lot to use for yourself after a few months." She had started ruffling his hair again as she spoke, casting a lovingly gaze at him.

    "I need them, mom. I don''t need anything for myself, having them is enough for me." He still didn''t face her. If he did, he knew he would lose the discussion and give in.

    She started poking him again, this time at his belly, trying to make him laugh at the tickling.

    "I''m already thirteen, don''t do that!"

    "Oh, I''m sorry mister grown up. You are old enough to refuse my tickles, but not so old that you want me to stop ruffling your hair, are you?"

    Amon grumbled at her comment before giving up and facing her. She poked his nose as she smiled. "You know I love your hair, don''t you? And your eyes, I find them so beautiful. You should really stop with the black nuts Amon."

    "I''m sorry mom, but not yet. Let me keep buying them for a bit longer, alright?" He felt dejected as he spoke, his shoulders drooped and his head hang low.

    "Sigh. Fine, but you have to promise me to stop it within the next month, or I''ll get mad, alright?" She gave up too. If she could compromise here, she could have him make a promise on the long term. Then, he wouldn''t have any excuses. She extended her pinky finger to him.

    "It is a pinky promise. Or are you too old for that, too?" Before he could even speak she had cut off his path of retread. Amon could only accept his defeat.

    "Fine. A pinky promise." He held her pinky with his. Her smile widened.

    "Now go, it is a beautiful day outside and I don''t want you inside this house all day losing on this great sun."

    "I''m off."

    "Have a great day."

    Amon got up and left the room, but left the door open. His mother liked it more when her door was open, she didn''t feel as restrained. Even with a window by her side, all she could do was dream about going outside again.

    Amon entered the living room, making his way to the main door. He stopped in the way, directing his gaze at the wall on his right. A strange sword was hanging on the wall. The scabbard was completely black and looked like some kind of glass. The thin single-edged blade was slightly curved, made for slashing and chopping and was as black as the scabbard. The sword had no guard.

    Amon didn''t know if it would affect the handling or the balance of the weapon as it had a strange design, but the lack of a guard made it seem menacing even in its sheath. It was a sword made with only killing in mind, focusing on being swift and aggressive, forgoing defense in exchange of efficiency in murder.

    Amon had never held the sword in question, even less unsheathed it, but he had seen his father putting it to action. Raven, he called it. Even if he held curiosity towards it, he had no affection whatsoever to the weapon, just hate. If his mother hadn''t been so persistent on leaving it there he would have sold it away at the first chance he had.

    He felt his mood was going to be ruined, so he forgot about the sword and left the house. As soon as he got out he caught sight of an expansive sea of trees. They were all incredibly tall, their leaves lush.

    Amon lived with his mother in the northern outskirts of the Abyss Sect, as a member of the Outer Sect. The sect''s headquarters was in a mountain eerily named Hell''s Keeper Mountain. It was massive in scale and the surrounding land was not only fertile but was also not lacking in streams and rivers.

    Members of the Outer Sect tended to the farms and the livestock and lived on the ground level. All of the land and animals belonged to the sect, so people were only working for the sect as they managed them. They exchanged their work to receive contribution points, which they could use to buy almost anything. From food and medicine to technique manual and cultivation pills, from classes and guidance from specialized teacher to a few hours in the infamous Red Quarters.

    Contribution points were needed to rent land and housing too. The closer you lived to Hell''s Keeper Mountain, the more expensive rent was and the higher your standing in the Outer Sect. It was even possible to buy your way into the Inner Sect if you had enough contribution points.

    If the Outer Sect was in the ground level, the Inner Sect was in the mountain itself. People in the Inner Sect lived with just one worry: cultivation. The sect covered all of their daily needs, and the Elders would handle any specific requests or troubles they might have as long as it was worth the trouble. Similarly to the Outer Sect, the closer to the peak you lived, the higher your standing not only in the Inner Sect, but in the Abyss Sect as a whole.

    Amon turned south, looking at the massive mountain in front of him. He couldn''t even see its complete width, much less the peak hidden in the white clouds that swirled around the mountain. He felt intimidated just looking at it, almost being crushed by its sheer size.

    He slowly made his way to the mountain, making sure to enjoy the fresh air and the cold breeze that blew from the forest at his back.

 3 The Sect of Scraps II

    Amon was following a stone paved path, leaving his small house behind as he walked towards Hell''s Keeper Mountain. The irregular stones below his feet where mostly covered in grass and dirty, but one could still see some of them timidly peeking from beneath the earth, making sure the path was at least visible.

    There were small streams of clear water and large expanses of farmland in every direction he looked. There were people working everywhere, be it small girls and boys gathering water in the streams or adults taking care of the crops and feeding the livestock. The sounds they made together with the rustling of the grass and trees, the flowing water and the chirping of birds only added to the scene of the always lively Outer Sect.

    It took more than an hour of walking until Amon started seeing the first few buildings of the Northern Station. It was nothing but an agglomerate of administrative buildings and stores. People of the northern reaches of the Outer Sect could come here handle almost anything, including exchanging contribution points and taking new jobs. It served as a central hub for those that didn''t want to waste almost a day to reach the headquarters at the foot of the mountain.

    If going to the mountain was indeed necessary, anyone could ride a carriage from any of the four stations in the Outer Sect and arrive at the mountain in a few hours if they paid a reasonable price in contribution points.

    The four Cardinal Stations consisted the Middle Ring of the Outer Sect. All one had to do was draw an imaginary line in a map of the sect around the mountain and connect the stations to have an idea of its size. The Outer Ring naturally was the boundaries of the sect''s living area, while the Inner Ring was the whole area at the foot of Hell''s Keeper Mountain.

    Amon quietly made his way into the station. There were no gates, wall or fences. The outermost buildings delimited the boundaries of the Northern Station.He quickly arrived at the main street, which was just a bit wider than all the other streets. It was paved with square slabs of stones and was surprisingly clean.

    Soon enough, Amon saw the Northern Exchange Pavilion at the end of the street. It was a three-storied building made with green jade that glistened in the sun, almost coming alive in a light-green fire. The thick, white doors were already open, and the ground floor was bustling with activity.

    There were wide windows letting the sun light the inside of the pavilion. The inside walls were of the same green as the outside, but the floor and the pillars were pure white like the main door. At one side a set of stairs could be seen leading to the next floor, and further along a few counters made with the same green jade where the clerks could attend were placed.

    People made long lines in front of the clerks that stood in the counter and patiently awaited their turn. Anyone that caused a ruckus was thrown out by white robbed guards that stood in the corners with their backs to the wall and golden spears in their hands.

    Amon chose what seemed to be the shortest line and waited for his turn.

    "Have you heard? It seems like Jake managed to kill an Earth Dragon in his last mission. That kid is only sixteen and can already kill a class 4 monster."

    "The son of the Second Protector? Of course he would be able to do something like that. Even if we ignore his father, he still is the direct disciple of Sect Master Borgin."

    "There he is, slaying monsters left and right while the most dangerous thing we do is face this terrifying line."

    "If you want to go in a hunt mission you can always finish your Body Tempering and reach Elemental Purification to get into the Inner Sect. Just remember to send me a picture from the dreamland you will be visiting at the time."

    People were gossiping everywhere in the pavilion, bored by the long lines. Amon stood in silence, mechanically walking forward whenever needed, thinking on how many contribution points he would end up spending.

    "Found you!" When it was almost his turn, a familiar voice dragged him back to reality.

    Amon turned around to see a young man looking at him. He seemed to be in his twenties, had black hair and eyes and a handsome face punctuated by a sharp nose. He was a bit short and somewhat slim, but one could see his well-built muscles bulging slight from his blue clothes.

    "Hey Daniel. What''s up?" Amon asked with a smile. Daniel was one of his few friends. Maybe the only one he could really count on. Daniel, on the other hand, had a annoyed look on his face.

    "Nothing much. I was sure you would be still sleeping when I visited your house, but, to my surprise, you were already up and had even left without me. I thought we had agreed to come together and discuss our plans for the Scavenging."

    "Sorry about that." Amon had a look that said ''not really sorry'' as he said that, which made Daniel even more annoyed.

    "Forget it, we''ll talk later. Look, it''s your turn." Amon saw that indeed there was no one in front of him anymore. He walked to the counter and took a purple card from his clothes. He faced the clerk, a pretty woman wearing neat purple clothes and a somewhat stiff smile.

    "I''ll need three bags of rice, one of onions, one of carrots and ten black nuts. Add a bottle of Nourishing Pills too." He said, while offering the card in his hands.

    The clerk nodded and took the card from his hands. She took a crystal ball from behind the counter and her hands glowed for a moment. The crystal ball slowly float above her open palms and a stream of white words flowed from it, gathering in the air in front of her.

    She pressed a few of the words with amazing speed, and a number popped out from the ball.

    "It will be two hundred contribution points." The woman said with an indifferent voice.

    "Two hundred? Are you kidding me? Last week it only cost me one hundred and seventy points!" Amon was surprised. There is no way the price could increase so much in a mere week.

    "I''m sorry sir, but this week we received fewer supplies than normal. Except for the pills that are made by the sect, everything had a slight increase in price. I would say that it is thanks to the Scavenging, as many of our providers are busy with their preparations and are selling less than usual."

    The Scavenging was a big event for the Outer Sect; people would naturally reduce their workload as they made time to prepare for it. They would in turn have less things to sell to the Exchange Pavilion. Since everyone still had to buy food and supplies, the prices would rise as the amount available lessened.

    Amon calmed down and thought for a while before making a decision. He gave a long sigh, unconsciously running his fingers through his hair.

    "Forget about the black nuts, then." He had a sad face as he spoke to the clerk.

    The clerk nodded and waved her hands. The numbers disappeared and the words scattered in fragments of light before joining again. She tapped a few of the words again and a new number popped up.

    "It will be one hundred and seventy contribution points." It was the same price as last week but he didn''t take any of the black nuts now. Things were indeed much more expensive.

    "I''ll take it."

    The clerk touched the ball with the purple card. The words dissolved and the card lit up with a faint light before dimming again. The clerk offered Amon his card back.

    "Done. Your balance is seventeen contribution points." As she spoke, a tall man wearing purple clothes appeared from the back, carrying five bags of food.

    He dropped then on top of the counter. Amon took the heavy bags and thanked the man and the clerk before leaving. Daniel followed him outside.

    As they left, Daniel took the bags from Amon''s hands and signaled him to stop by a small tree in the shade of two buildings.

    They sat under the tree and Daniel put the bags on the floor. He then retrieved a small leather pouch from his clothes. He carefully opened it before sticking his hand inside, looking for something.

    His brows furrowed as he couldn''t find what he wanted, so he pushed his whole arm inside the tiny pouch, creating a bizarre scene.

    It took him a good while searching inside the pouch, making Amon laugh at the sight. Daniel finally retrieved a tiny bottle and a bundle of cloth from the pouch before closing it and putting it back in his clothes. He then offered the bottle and the bundle to Amon. "Here. Aunt Becca asked me to give you these. She said you didn''t have breakfast and didn''t sleep very well, so she was worried."

    Amon''s face sank. He couldn''t fool his mother in the end. Still, he couldn''t accept Daniel''s things. He refused the objects extended to him. "No, thank you. My mother worries too much. I can handle it."

    Daniel didn''t waver. "It is just a piece of cheese and a drink, nothing much. I got these for free from a friend and didn''t have to pay a single point."

    "No thanks." Amon was resolute.

    "Just take it. I don''t care of what you want, what I don''t want is auntie nagging me because I didn''t take care of you properly." Daniel pushed the objects into Amon''s arms despite his protests. He then put a satisfied expression on his face as he leaned against the tree and closed his eyes, enjoying the refreshing shade.

    Amon pouted for bit, but was completely ignored. He then sighed and opened the bundle. There was a piece of strong smelling yellow cheese inside. He then used his mouth to rip off the cork of the bottle and a sweet and delicate smell invaded his nostrils. A clear red liquid was churning inside the bottle.

    "Thank you." He said. Daniel waved his hands dismissively at his words. Amon then turned his attention to the food.

    He ate the cheese in one bite and took a gulp from the bottle to get rid of the sour taste in his mouth. The drink was sweet and acid, leaving a strong aftertaste. It was cold, but seemed to turn hot as it went down his throat. Amon liked it quite a bit, but as the bottle was small, he could only drink so much.

    After he finished he left the bottle and the cloth beside the bags of food and leaned on the tree like Daniel. He was still somewhat stiff from the uncomfortable night, but he managed to relax. He was starting to feel drowsy as he close his eyes.

    "Hey, don''t go sleeping now." Daniel''s voice woke him up. Amon opened his golden eyes, giving him a reproachful glance.

    "Don''t look at me like that, we still have plans to discuss." As Daniel said that, he out his pouch and retrieved a tightly bound piece of parchment. He opened it in the floor, revealing a detailed map. Amon''s face fell.

    "I said to you before, I''m not going."

    "Is that why you left without me today? To avoid me?" Daniel narrowed his eyes, asking with a suspecting expression.

    "If you really want to know, yes." Amon didn''t hide it. It was Daniel''s fault if he didn''t take him seriously before.

    "You hurt me." Daniel put on a disappointed face a lowered his head. Amon didn''t buy the act as Daniel loved to mess with him.

    "Oh please, you have twice my age, act like it."

    "Aunt Becca was right, puberty is indeed starting to act up, mister grown up." The counter attack was swift and fierce. Amon couldn''t take the blow.

    "Not you too!"

    "Hehehehehe." Daniel reveled in victory, his fake sad expression of a moment ago completely gone.

    "Anyway, the Scavenging is in a week and you are going with me."

    "I refuse. Even if you drag me there I won''t go."

    "Oh, really? Then how are you going to make it through next week?" Daniel struck a weak point. Amon was basically broke, and because of the Scavenging it wouldn''t be easy for him to find work that could pay for the weekly expenses of him and his mother.

    "I''ll manage somehow. Even if I do go, chances are we will return empty handed and I would have wasted four days without getting any contribution points." His reasoning was sound. The Scavenging was nothing short of a bet. A bet that people lost most of the time. It was never a big loss, but few could spare the days with no work without carefully planning for months, saving enough to make up for it.

    Hearing that, Daniel put a smug smile on his face. "True. But only if we go in blind, just turning every rock we find and praying to find anything worth a few points."

    His words didn''t match his expression. Amon was suspicious. "Yes, it''s obvious. What''s your point?"

    "What if I have a commission to investigate a certain place?"

    "What!?"

    Commissions were one of the faster ways to gather contribution points in the sect. Someone filed in a request in the Commission Center and after processing it, the sect would divulge it to anyone interested. Some of them were for hunting monsters; others were for gathering materials or herbs. Even if the difficulty was low, the pay was always good.

    Most of the commissions were directed for members of the Inner Sect, but a few managed to get into the Outer Sect, causing people to fight over them as if their lives depended on it. Commissions issued by the sect itself were exclusive to Inner Sect members and were treated as official missions.

    "I''m not joking. One thousand points to search in a specific place. We''ll get paid even if we find nothing. If we do find something, the client will have seventy percent of the points. We''ll get thirty percent plus the thousand points he will pay anyway."

    Amon was surprised. He couldn''t even begin to understand who would be insane enough to spend this many points in a such a crazy way. The only explanation would be that they were reasonably certain that something was there.

    He narrowed his eyes, trying to read Daniel''s expression.

    He had a many questions. Why Daniel? Why now? Why this absurd pay?

    This commission sounded awfully suspicious to him.

 4 The Sect of Scraps III

    The Scavenging was an event that took place every five years in the Abyss Sect. It was one of the few opportunities the common people in the Outer Sect had to explore the Broken Forest to the north of Hell''s Keeper Mountain. The forest was usually out of limits and limited to Inner Sect members to go out on hunts and get experience, whereas Outer Sect members would most likely just die.

    In the Scavenging, anyone could apply to leave for the Broken Forest and the surround regions for four days. Even if there were Elders roaming the place to guarantee the safety of the involved, the forest was too large and the spirit beasts were too many. Ultimately, everyone would be responsible for their own lives.

    The Broken Forest was actually an old battlefield, and the Abyss Sect had made use of its location for generations, organizing the Scavenging so people could search for remnantsof the war and return them to the sect in exchange of contribution points. Armors, weapons, talismans, rings and even techniques, everything found would be appraised and could be handed to the sect. There was also the possibility of keeping to yourself your gains, as no one was forced to turn their findings to the sect. Anything you could find was your own luck.

    As such, even if the battlefield could be considered wiped clean for decades now, people still ventured outside every five years in hopes of having some luck and turning their lives around. Hundreds would take part in the Scavenging every time it was organized, and if even a handful manage to find a piece of broken armor or the fragment of a sword it would be already a surprisingly bountiful harvest.

    Amon was not sure how the Scavenging started, but he knew the other sects all despised these actions. ''Grave robbers'' was one of the many way people from other sects referred to members of the Abyss Sect, which came to be known as the ''Sect of Scraps''.

    Still, not many dared to utter such words in front of anyone from the Abyss Sect. Even with the snide comments, the Abyss Sect was the biggest sect in the Central Continent and one of the Five Sacred Sects of the whole world. Even if it had lost a fair share of its power over the years and was still losing strength, it demanded respect.

    "How the hell did you manage to get such a commission?" Amon asked, his eyes narrowed with suspicion.

    "Dumb luck. I was hanging out in the Commission Center trying to find something when someone posted the thing right beside me. I just reached for it before anyone else could even read it, and that was it." Daniel said, scratching his face.

    Hearing that, Amon''s eyes narrowed even more. He didn''t buy it, but decided to let it go for now.

    "So, are you in or not?" Daniel asked with an innocent smile on his face.

    Amon was still suspicious of the commission, but the pay was good. With a minimum of five hundred contribution points to be won after he shared the pay with Daniel, he could pay for the expenses of almost a whole month. "Before I decide, what is the plan?"

    Daniel smiled hearing that. The fish had caught the bait.

    "Look at this map." Daniel said as he stretched the parchment map on the ground. He pointed at a mountain in the south, the largest mountain in the map.

    "Here is Hell''s Keeper Mountain. To the east we have the Red River." His finger run through the map, going from the mountain to a wide river drawn next to it.

    "The Red River flows to the north for miles on end. When it more or less surpasses the Sword Abyss, it makes a turn to the east before turning into a series of smaller streams."

    Amon studied the map carefully. The Abyss Sect was on the lower edge of the map. The Red River occupied most of the right edge. The center and a good chunk of the left edge were covered by a vast expanse of forest that spanned hundreds of miles, the Broken Forest.

    There was a blank in the left corner of the map. It had an irregular shape that resembled a distorted circle. Based on the map, it should be at least a hundred square miles. That was most likely the Scorched Lands.

    More impressive than the Scorched Lands was a single stroke of black paint that almost divided the map in two horizontally. It should be hundreds of miles long and at least two miles wide in its real scale. Amon had never seen the thing with his own eyes, but everyone knew of the legendary Sword Abyss.

    It was most likely the biggest mark that war had ever left on the land, and the Abyss Sect''s name came from it. Even the mountain cut in half east to the Scorched Lands paled in comparison to the huge gaping chasm a sword strike had left on the forest. Amon shuddered thinking about the person that managed to do it. How powerful one had to be to do that? How much would have he wanted to kill someone to unleashed such a terrifying strike?

    "We are interested in the northern bank of the Red River, exactly in the place it turns to the east. Can you guess why?"

    Amon thought for a moment at Daniel''s question, looking at the map. He then pointed somewhere east of the Red River and somewhat close to Hell''s Keeper Mountain. Long blanks crisscrossed on the map in that area, representing barren land. It looked like the thin scars someone would have after being cut by a knife repeatedly. It was another mark the war had left in the forest.

    "It should be the Scars, no?"

    Daniel''s smile widened hearing that. "Smart kid. Yes, it is because of the Scars. Chances are many things fell in the Red River during that war from long ago. The river would drag all of that stuff north, and chances are a few of them would end up in the northern bank when the river changes direction."

    "So the client want us to search there? It is not a bad plan, but he certainly is not the first one to think of this."

    "True, but that is not our problem. If we are to find something, chances are it will be there, no matter how small these chances might be. Our client decided to make a bet after using his brains for a bit. He probably has the points to spare and didn''t want the trouble to check his theory himself, so he made the commission."

    "Are you sure about the details? Is it really such a simple job?" Amon asked to reassure himself. Daniel tried to put on a serious face as he nodded, but failed horribly in hiding his smile. He was one step away from victory.

    "It is. There is no catch. We go, check the area, retrieve anything we find and come back. At the very least, we will get a thousand contribution points."

    Amon had a strange look on his face as he thought for a good while. He then shook his head slowly. "I''ll speak with my mother before I decide. Don''t ask me about it again before that or the answer will still be no."

    "Fine, do as you wish." Daniel opened his arms and shook his shoulders as if he didn''t care. Actually, he knew that he had won, even if Amon didn''t. This had never been Daniel''s idea in the first place. He quietly put the map away.

    Amon was about to say something when he suddenly turned his head as he heard a low whistling sound. Daniel reacted one heartbeat later, swinging his right arm abruptly. A low thud was heard as something collided with his hand next to Amon''s head.

    "Damn it, Daniel. Do you really need to be together with Old Grandpa all the time?" A high-pitched voice echoed from the direction Daniel was looking. A group of people was walking down the street and at their lead was a thin youth.

    His red clothes were expensive and reflected the sunlight, making him seem to be on fire. His long brown hair was neatly tied up with a golden string. By his side were a few boys and girls, and behind him was a burly red-haired man, his muscles bulging through his clothes, giving off an oppressive feeling.

    Daniel looked at the man with a cold look as he slowly opened his hands and revealed a small, sharp stone. It had embedded itself in his palm, and blood had started to flow from his injury.

    Amon on the other hand had a scare. He had reacted to the sound he heard, but he wasn''t fast enough to dodge the stone. If Daniel wasn''t by his side he would have been hit on the head, at the very least losing consciousness, if not badly injured.

    "I hope the one who threw this stone wasn''t you, Roger." Daniel''s voice was cold as he looked at the burly man behind the youth.

    The red-haired man shook his head. "Young master just finished his first round of Body Tempering and wanted to test his new strength a bit."

    Hearing this, Daniel didn''t show a reaction at first. He just direct his cold gaze to the youth. The youth didn''t flinch, just shook his shoulders and asked: "What of it? People say that even if Old Grandpa here is just at Qi Gathering he has some really good senses. I wanted to help him sharpen them for a bit."

    Amon was surprised not at the ridiculous excuse he used for him throwing the stone, but at the fact that the youth had already reached Body Tempering. Amon himself didn''t even make it past the initial stages of Qi Gathering, much less breakthrough the next realm, and he was one year older than the youth.

    "Is that true, Erin? You are already at Body Tempering?" He couldn''t help but ask.

    Erin didn''t give himself the trouble to answer, but one of the girls was glad to sing his praises. "Of course he did! Erin here is someone that will reach the Inner Sect in but a few years, while you, Old Grandpa, will forever stay a farm boy¡­"

    Erin interrupted her before she could finish, waving his hands dismissively. "Let it go, Amber. Don''t waste your breath on such pitiful people. It must be really hard being abandoned by your own father and having a crippled mother."

    He had a derisive smile on his face as he said the words that cut through Amon like a sharp sword. Amon''s breath turned rough and he started turning red in anger. His fists were held tightly and his arms trembled. His jaws were clenched so hard it hurt. A fierce light shone in his golden eyes. He started walking towards the group, but Daniel extended a hand to block his path.

    "Well, then allow me to help you in your Body Tempering too." Daniel said.

    He had a blank look on his face and his voice was chilling. It was a strange expression, completely devoid of emotions. His eyes, however, were burning with rage. Amon himself had never seen Daniel like that. It gave him chills. He unconsciously found himself stepping back. At the same time, Daniel moved.

    The red-haired man, Roger, reacted instinctively. He dragged Erin behind him as a loud piercing noise echoed. He crossed his arms in front of his chest as he braced for the impact. Roger took two steps back as a gray streak cut through the air and hit his arms at a blinding speed before he lost his balance and fell backwards.

    He grunted in pain and tried to get up, but he realized he couldn''t raise his arms. As he looked down, he saw that both were bent at weird angles, his right arm even had a white bone sticking out from it, and blood had started to flow from the pierced skin. He made an incredible effort to endure the pain and not scream.

    Erin was in shock, his face deadly pale. The kids following him were shuddering in fear.

    "Are you insane? That would have killed me!" He shouted, incredulous. Daniel had thrown the stone Erin had aimed at Amon, but its strength and speed was many times greater than his own throw. If him hitting the head of Amon would have knocked him out or caused some injuries, Daniel''s throw hitting his chest would have opened a hole in it.

    To Erin''s luck, Roger was at the middle stages of Body Tempering and somehow managed to resist the blow, breaking his arms in the process.

    "So what? I doubt anyone but these boot-lickers beside you and maybe your parents would miss your ugly face." Daniel still had the same blank look he had before he threw back the stone in his hand.

    "Do you know who I am? I''ll have your whole family whipped in public for that." Erin''s face started turning red, he pointed his finger at Daniel as he threatened him.

    "Well, I would certainly appreciate if you did that. Please do so, Erin Drey, son of Claude Drey, the richest bastard in the Inner Ring." Daniel''s blank face distorted into a strange smile as he spoke, as if he was trying hard to not laugh at a joke only he knew. Erin was taken aback, no words coming from his mouth.

    Daniel start walking towards him. His creepy smile grew wider and wider as he stepped forward. Erin stepped back, his face turning whiter and whiter.

    "Young master, that is enough. Leave it at that. We already got what we wanted from this Station anyways. Let''s just return home." Roger, who managed to stand up somehow, put himself between Daniel and Erin. Erin was somewhat unwilling and tried to evade him and face Daniel, but Roger blocked him again and sent him a warning glance.

    Erin was still enraged, but eventually gave up. He looked at Daniel begrudgingly before directing his gaze at Amon.

    "You missed a spot, Old Grandpa." He said, patting the top of his head as he laughed awkwardly, trying to hide his embarrassment of what just happened. The boys and girls following him laughed too, and they left with Roger in tow, his arms hanging strangely form his shoulders as he walked slowly, grunting from the pain.

    Amon quickly covered his hair with his hands, turning away from them in shame.

    "What is up with kids these days? Are they all so dumb?" Daniel spoke after they left, genuinely surprised at Erin''s behavior.

    "Not all of them." Amon''s low voice answered him. It had been a rhetorical question, but Amon felt somewhat offended.

    Daniel shrugged. It was mostly his fault that things developed like that.

    This had been going on for a while, but never to the point of physical aggression. For him it was just a bunch of kids being stupid, so he never interfered unless things started getting out of hand. For, this was a chance for Amon to learn to stand up to himself in situations like that.

    Still, Daniel never imagined that Erin would be crazy enough to attack Amon like that with no reason or warning. Maybe Daniel should teach him and his family a lesson. They only lived in the Inner Ring and were already acting so arrogantly¡­

    He then realized Amon was covering his hair in the same place Erin had patted his own head. "Hey, there is nothing there. Erin was messing with you. Your hair is still black."

    Amon slowly released his hands, insecure. The he patted his clothes and straightened his expression. "Of course I know that."

    "Where was this cockiness when that brat was here?" Daniel rolled his eyes.

    Amon avoided his gaze, his ears slightly red in shame.

    "If you didn''t stop me I would have kicked his ass." He said, almost whispering to himself.

    "Well, I saw that you were finally angry enough to take action, but it is too late. He is now at Body Tempering, heads and shoulder above you in strength. You can''t face him head on anymore. You lost your chance."

    Amon was really saddened by it, but he couldn''t deny Daniel''s words. He had been left behind by a peer and he probably wouldn''t have a chance to catch up. He would now have to either completely avoid Erin or just tolerate his insults. His chance to fight back was gone.

    Daniel had stopped him for two reasons. The first one was because he himself had been incredibly angry at Erin and he really wanted to teach him a lesson. Maybe he overdid it a little; he did throw the stone with a dangerous strength in his anger. The second was because Amon had no chance of winning when fighting him. One thing would be losing a fight where you put up some resistance and managed to get in a few good punches, other was being thrashed around like a toy by an opponent you had no chance of even hurting.

    "Thank you for helping me out." Amon managed to say. He really was thankful for Daniel''s help.

    "No problem." Daniel had a smile on his face as he wrapped an arm around Amon''s shoulder. Amon noticed that his hand had stopped bleeding. Body Tempering was really something else.

    "Anyway, let''s return to your house. I''m sure you still didn''t meditate today and I need to speak with your mother anyway."

    "Didn''t you just talk to her?"

    Taken by surprise at the question, Daniel scratched his face.

    "I forgot to ask about something. It isn''t that important, but we finished what we had to do here, so I might as well help you with your meditation and talk to her at the same time."

    Amon just nodded quietly. He was almost giving up in cultivation. He could sense the Qi surrounding him, but he still didn''t manage to absorb even a tiny bit of it. His talent was just excessively low.

 5 The Sect of Scraps IV

    It didn''t take long for them to return to Amon''s house. The sun was high up on the sky when they arrived, and the temperature was rising sharply.

    As they walked into the house, Amon made his way to his mother''s room, leaving Daniel behind.

    Daniel just smiled wryly as he dropped the bags with food in the kitchen and found himself a seat in the living room.

    He was staring intently at the black sword hanging there, Raven, with eyes full of reminiscence. His smile turned sad as he remembered the matters of five years ago. Although Erin''s words had been sharp and offensive, they held some truth. Daniel truly felt that Amon was somewhat pitiful.

    Thinking about this, his smile turned into one of self-loathing. His own situation was not really much better. Maybe the Rebecca of ten years ago had found Daniel to be as pitiful as he found Amon now and thus decided to take him under her wing.

    He sighed. Being a scion of a powerful family and not living up to their expectations was complicated. He wondered how his little brother felt when his father told him that Daniel ''decided to live on his own'' and left the household.

    It had been years since they had last seen each other, and now he even heard that the little brat had gotten himself the position of direct disciple of Sect Master Borgin. His talent was really something else, even more than what their father ever expected.

    He wondered if they would see each other again. Maybe at the time Jake would be old enough to share a cup of wine with him. Daniel''s smile widened a bit at the thought. He really missed the days when they would play together, the laughter of the young lad echoing through the halls of the house¡­

    While Daniel was lost in thought, Amon had quietly knocked his mother''s door. The familiar and warm voice welcome him in. "Come in."

    Amon opened the door and made his way inside. His mother was still in the bed, looking outside through the open window beside her. She continued gazing at the trees and the sky for a moment before turning to face Amon.

    "What''s wrong?" She asked, seeing something in his expression. His eyes were growing red and his face was tense. Amon shook his head, made his way into her bed and hugged her tightly. "I love you, mom."

    Rebecca was surprised at him acting like that, but she returned the hug and gently started patting his back. "I love you too."

    They stayed like this for a while, before Amon finally managed to recover somewhat. He released his arms and looked at her.

    "Want to tell me what happened?" She asked, but he simply shook his head again. She started ruffling his hair as she looked at her son.

    "Daniel somehow got a commission and he want us to go in the Scavenging. The pay is really good and the job seems to be easy." He started talking with a weary voice. Rebecca quietly listened to him explaining the details.

    After Amon finished talking, she asked: "So, what do you want to do?"

    Amon had a pensive look as he pondered. "I don''t want to go, but the pay is good. We could cover the expenses for almost a month in just four days."

    "And why don''t you want to go?"

    Amon frowned at her question. She knew the answer very well. "I''m afraid. I don''t want that to happen again."

    Hearing this, Rebecca''s expression turned even gentler. "Why do you think it will happen again?"

    "Mom, I felt it. Even before that thing appeared, I felt it coming. And I''m sure it felt me too. I knew it was coming for me. I don''t know how to explain it, something just started churning inside me, and somehow I knew there was something coming." Rebecca nodded gently as he spoke, never stopping to ruffle his hair.

    "Do you think it''s your fault?"

    "Of course it is, mom! If I hadn''t been there, if I had listened to you and had never taken part in the Scavenging that thing would have never attacked you. You¡­ you wouldn''t be like that today."

    She stopped ruffling his hair. Amon continued, his voice growing louder and louder. "I have no idea what fath¡­ that man did to me, but I haven''t been myself since that day. I can hear things, mom. I can see things. I can sense them. And my eyes and hair¡­"

    Tears started spilling form his eyes as he spoke, and before he could finish he was sobbing so much he wasn''t able to speak. Rebecca''s expression turned serious as she used her hands to hold his face close to hers and sent him a penetrating glance.

    "Listen to me, Amon. What happened is not your fault. There is no way anyone could have seen a Silverback Wolf showing up so close to the sect. Sometimes, coincidences happen. They change the courses of our lives, for the good or the bad. They are trials fate throw at us. We need to surpass them if we ever want to grow. It is part of life." She gave a sad smile as she spoke, her eyes turning blurry.

    "These were words your father said to me once. No matter what he did after, there are truth in them. If you just cower in fear inside this house, life will simply pass by you, and when you realize it, it will be too late to try and live again."

    "I want you to go with Daniel. I want you to do the commission and have a good time. I want you to surpass your fears. There is nothing as a mother that I want to see more than you growing up, but for that you must never let fear hold you back." She hugged him again. It was a warm, firm hug. One of those only loving mothers could give. Amon hadn''t stopped crying yet, but he nodded his head as he silently accepted what she told him.

    After a good while, they finally let each other go. Amon wiped his runny nose and his tears with his sleeves, making Rebecca lightly poke his forehead.

    "Alright. I''ll go." His voice was low, but it was enough for Rebecca to hear.

    "Good. But don''t do anything reckless, listen to Daniel."

    "I will. I promise." His words made Rebecca satisfied.

    "Are you hungry? I bought food for the week. I''ll go make lunch." He said, standing up.

    "I love your food." She said with a smile.

    Amon made his way into the kitchen and saw Daniel in a daze looking at the wall were Raven hung. Daniel must have realized it, because he broke out of his daze and looked at Amon. Amon''s face was still somewhat wet from the tears and his eyes were red, but Daniel made no comments.

    Amon used the iron pot he had and quickly made some rice porridge with carrots and onions. He took a wooden bowl and served food in it. He then looked around him, making sure Daniel wasn''t watching before he took a small porcelain bottle from his clothes.

    In the bottle were the Nourishing Pills he had paid a fortune for in the Exchange Center. He opened the bottle and took a single pill, crushing it in his hands and throwing the powder into the bowl. He quietly mixed the food with the powder, before being satisfied. It had a very faint smell of medicine, but he thought it was not enough to be noticed by his mother.

    He returned to his mother''s room and gave the bowl with the porridge. She smiled and thanked him.

    "I''ll meditate for a bit now."

    "Remember to focus." Her voice echoed in the room as he left.

    Amon sent Daniel a glance and walked into his own room. Daniel stood up and accompanied him.

    Amon sat in the black mat in the middle of his room with his legs crossed. He closed his eyes, trying hard to control his breathing. Daniel was standing beside him, carefully watching his actions. "You are still too tense. Relax your body. Relax your mind."

    Amon tried his best to follow his instructions. He relaxed his members as he breathed rhythmically, clearing his mind.

    "Spread your divine sense outwards. Don''t try to use it to see your surroundings, feel them instead." Daniel continued to patiently guide him.

    It took a good while, but Amon was slowly entering a strange state. Daniel''s voice seemed to be echoing from the distance, as if he was walking away as he spoke.

    "There are no memories."

    "There are no emotions."

    "There are no thoughts."

    "There is no one."

    "There is no you."

    Daniel slowly recited the mantra cultivators used when preparing their minds for meditation. For one to open their divine sense, they must first give up their notions of self. They had to enter a stated of conscious emptiness. Only then would one be able to feel the Qi that permeated the world. It was a delicate balance to maintain. Only with years of practice and self-discipline could one enter and leave such a state at will.

    "There is only the nature."

    "There is only the world."

    "There is only Qi."

    His voice was hypnotic, echoing inside Amon''s head while he tried to perceive his surroundings.

    Sensing Qi had nothing to do with the five senses, it had to do with a special talent only few people ever developed. Some called it a sixth sense. Cultivators called it a divine sense.

    Amon gradually lost himself in the nothingness, Daniel''s voice still echoing in his mind. Eventually, the voice faded away and there was only the dark. Then, Amon sensed it.

    It was as if he opened his eyes, but they remained closed. The world around him presented itself through his divine sense, and he could feel everything around him. He could not see anything.He could not hear anything. He could not touch anything. He could not taste anything. He could not smell anything. He simply knew what was happening in his surroundings.

    Everything 10 meters around him seemed to be covered by a faint mist. It emanated from the earth, it flew around with the wind and it swirled around Daniel like a whirlpool. The mist was sometimes thick, sometimes thin, but it was always there. The way it felt changed when it was in touch with different things.

    This mist was the Qi that permeated everything in the world. Anyone with divine sense could feel it. People with a bit of talent could manipulate it with their wills. A few of those could absorb it into their bodies.

    These were the three stages of Qi Gathering. Sensing, manipulating and absorbing, the initial, middle and late stages. When one managed to absorb Qi in their bodies and make it flow through their meridians and into their dantian, one would be able to step into the Body Tempering realm.

    Amon had been stuck at the initial stages of Qi Gathering for years now. He could feel it, but still couldn''t manipulate even a tiny bit of it. His affinity with Qi was low, and therefore, so was his talent.

    Daniel put on a satisfied smile as he saw Amon breathing at a regular pace, having entered a meditative state. He quietly left the room and made his way to Rebecca''s after picking up a chair from the living room.

    Before he could even knock on the door, he heard her voice. "Come on in, Daniel."

    He closed the door behind him after he entered. He put the chair in the ground and sat on it, facing Rebecca. She was sitting on the bed, an empty bowl of food by her side. Daniel could smell a faint fragrance. Rebecca realized it. "I have a good, yet stubborn son. I don''t know how many times I told him to stop buying Nourishing Pills for me and just get something for himself."

    Daniel smiled hearing that.

    "So, what happened at the Station?" Her voice was still warm and gentle, but there was an authority hidden in it. It sounded more like an order for a report than a question.

    Daniel showed her his right palm. A faint mark could still be seen were the stone had pierced his skin. "Erin. He reached Body Tempering."

    Rebecca sighed when she heard this. It would be troublesome.

    "There were no provocations. He just threw the stone at Amon''s head." Daniel continued.

    As Daniel said that, he felt a chill creeping up his spine. The room''s temperature seemed to drop several degrees as a cold killing intent surged from the woman facing him.

    It was as if Daniel was facing a completely different person. Rebecca''s clear eyes were filled with fury, and all the gentleness surrounding her disappeared, swallowed by pure hostility. There was no Qi or technique involved, just sheer rage. Very few cultivators in the whole Abyss sect would have been able to produce an aura like that.

    "Looks like Claude is as incompetent a father as he is a cultivator. I should have taught him a lesson long ago." Rebecca''s voice could freeze one''s soul, but it was also filled with regret.

    In her current state, there was not much she could do. To think people once feared her name. The White Flame of the Abyss, Rebecca Skoller.

    "Don''t you find it funny, Daniel? When you are strong, people all around you will show respect and avoid getting on your bad side. If you show respect back, they will gladly sing your praises and call you a role model. If, however, you step on them, they will only cower in fear." Rebecca spoke with a dull voice, like a machine. Her eyes were distant, as if she was gazing at something far away.

    "Still, if you ever fall from grace, the end result will mostly be the same. It doesn''t matter if you were kind or cruel when you were strong, what was important was the fact that you had strength. The moment you become like them, you are just like everyone else. They never wanted to be respected back by the strong, and they didn''t mind being stepped on. They just wanted someone they could rely on. As soon as they can''t rely on you anymore, you disappear from their eyes. After all, they want to be carried by the strong, not to carry the weak."

    "Talking about this with you might be raining in the wet, but sometimes I''m surprised at just how low humans can be." Her look turned sad, her threatening aura slowly subsiding, like a ball slowly deflating after having a hole poked on it.

    Daniel nodded his head firmly. Of course he knew all of that.

    "I think the best decision I ever made in my life, other than having Amon, was helping you that day. I''m really glad I could become friends with one of the few decent people in this hell hole." She smiled as she said that. A genuine, but sad smile.

    "You can always count on me, auntie."

    Rebecca laughed hearing that. Every time Daniel called her ''auntie'', she felt strange.

    "Of course you know this, but Amon agreed on going to the Scavenging. You pulled off a nice trick. Even if he was suspicious it was too good a deal for him to ignore."

    "Well, he would have never accepted my contribution points if I just gave it to him. Doing things this way will also help him out with his problems related to the Scavenging, so it is killing two birds with one stone."

    Rebecca agreed with his words. Her son was a bit too proud and stubborn in some ways. "Really, thank you for the help, Daniel. I can''t thank you enough."

    "Don''t mind it auntie."

    "Please, promise me you will take good care of him."

    "Of course I will. For me, he is a little brother."

    Rebecca smiled gently hearing that. She knew Amon saw Daniel as an older brother too.

    "Good luck on the Scavenging. I really hope you do find something. The spear I found twenty years ago was buried right there." Her eyes were filled with good memories of those times when she was still a young girl, trying hard to become a strong cultivator.

    "Well, Amon is meditating in his room. I''ll go take care of the preparations."

    "Goodbye, Daniel."

    With that, Daniel left the house. Rebecca turned her eyes to the open windows, wistfully looking at the white clouds in the blue sky, thinking that life was unfair with the good people of the world.

    Maybe that was the reason this world was filled with trash. She couldn''t help but remember her husband''s broad back as he left, the cold wind of the night entering through the open door and making her shudder as tears fell from her face. In the end, what kind of person was he?

 6 The Sect of Scraps V

    In meditation, the longer one could maintain the ethereal state of conscious emptiness, the bigger the benefits. Naturally, the longer they sensed the Qi of the world, the higher their understanding of it become, no matter how slow the process was.

    Qi Gathering was nothing more than a preparatory stage. It is said that with enough talent and affinity, one could soar through it in just a single day. It was nothing more than the basic sensing, manipulation and absorption of Qi, there was no finesse involved.

    Even so, such a high level of talent and comprehension was only seen once every hundred years. Of one thousand mortals, one would have the ability to develop his divine sense. Of one thousand people with divine sense, ten would be able to absorb Qi, direct it to their dantian, and be able to start Body Tempering.

    This time, Amon had managed to stay in meditation for a few hours. When he woke up, the sun was setting and the sky was darkening. Daniel had been long gone.

    He reheated the porridge he had made and ate some of it, since he had skipped lunch. He then took some for his mother as dinner.

    When he entered her room, she was looking out the window in a daze. Amon quietly left the bowl with food next to her bed and left again. He knew that when his mother was like this she was reminiscing, so he found it better to leave her to her memories.

    One week quietly passed.

    Amon still didn''t manage to control a single strand of Qi, just like all the other times he tried in the past years. He didn''t go to the Northern Station again, but still took a few strolls around the area on the mornings.

    As the sun rose on the day of the Scavenging, Daniel visited their house again. He made his way to Rebecca''s room and took a small leather pouch from his clothes. Amon was gathering a few spare clothes in his room.

    "Here, auntie. In this Bottomless Pouch you will find bread, cheese, dried meat and water enough for a week."

    Rebecca carefully received the pouch, looking at it with a funny expression.

    "It''s been a while since I''ve held one of those. I could never really adapt to the strange feeling you have when you put your arm into it. It is like submerging it in water, but without getting wet. It gives me the creeps."

    She laughed merrily as she said that. Daniel too couldn''t help but smile. Then, her laugh disappeared and her expression turned serious.

    "Daniel, be very careful in this Scavenging."

    Her gaze was unmoving.

    "Did something happen?"

    He asked, surprised.

    "No¡­ at least I think not. It is just a nagging feeling. Still, it is the Broken Forest. Keep your guard up."

    She seemed to be in a daze for a moment, confused as to why she felt this way.

    "I promise you, auntie. I''ll be careful and take good care of Amon."

    She smiled hearing that.

    "Thank you."

    As she thanked him, Amon entered the room.

    "Well, I''ll be going. Goodbye, auntie. See you in a few days."

    Daniel stood up and left. A strange expression on his face.

    Amon had a small linen sack full of clothes on his shoulder. His black hair had a strange glint to it, almost as if it as shining. It had been more than a week since he last used the black nuts and soon the dye would lose effect.

    Rebecca opened her arms and welcomed him in her arms, hugging him and ruffling his hair, just like she loved to do.

    "You have to be careful, okay?"

    She whispered in his ear, her voice full of worry.

    "I''ll take care mom."

    "Listen to Daniel and if something happens, promise me you will run."

    "I¡­"

    "Promise me!"

    "I promise. I''ll run."

    Amon was starting to feel insecure. What was this about?

    "Good. You can go. See you in a few days."

    She tightened her hug and kissed his forehead. Amon kissed her cheek before leaving through the door. Rebecca stared at his back as he left the house with Daniel.

    There was a strange feeling churning in her chest. Was this worry? Fear?

    She had a strong sense of foreboding. She reached for something inside the sheets and recovered a small necklace with a green jewel attached to it. A strange blue light seemed to be floating inside of it, flickering nonstop.

    She always felt somewhat relieved every time she held it. It was the last gift her husband had ever given her, and the one thing she managed to retrieve from their old house beside Raven. Not even Amon knew about it. She didn''t know why she never showed it to him, but thinking again, it would have most likely only brought him pain.

    She looked at the sky that was slowly brightening through her window as she held the necklace close to her chest. She had dismissed Amon''s worries a week ago. She thought it was just him blaming himself for a situation he obviously had nothing to do with, but now she felt strange whenever she remembered his words.

    What if it wasn''t just his guilt speaking? Even she didn''t know what Lloyd had done to her son that day.

    Maybe she had made a mistake. She clutched the necklace even harder, really hoping that she was wrong.

    --------------------------------------

    Amon and Daniel took a few hours by foot to reach the boundaries of the Broken Forest. There were watchtowers made with black stone placed every few miles in the limits of the forest and there was always someone standing watch. A thick wall made of the same black stone connect all of the watchtowers, completely dividing the sect''s living grounds and the forest.

    Spirit beasts invading the sect''s grounds were extremely rare, but the people in the Outer Sect would have no chance to fight make if it ever happened. Plus, even if there were no records of it, a stampede could happen without notice, so the Abyss Sect always kept security tight close to the forest.

    As Amon and Daniel approached the golden gate in the wall, they saw that there was already a multitude of people gathered there. There were even a few children here and there. They were divided in lines, confirming their prior applications to the Scavenging. There were at least twenty lines, and an Elder was handling each one.

    Amon and Daniel chose a line and soon it was their turn. As Daniel had applied for both him and Amon, he showed to the Elder two wooden plaques with their names on it. The Elder glanced at the plaques and just had the duo stand on the side after he confirmed their application.

    Not long after, a middle-aged man walked in front of the golden gates. He wore the fiery red clothes of an Elder, and his black hair had streaks of gray all over it. With a light kick on the ground, his body shot up, creating a gust of wind that blew into the faces of a few dozen people next to him. He landed atop the wall and started talking. Somehow, his voice seemed to sound directly in the ears of everyone listening.

    "Good morning. As you all know, today we will open the Broken Sect for the Scavenging."

    His voice was calm and serene, his tone steady.

    "As you might know, all of the twenty Elders here will be roaming the forest for the next four days and helping every one they see in danger. Still, the forest is big and the Elders are few. Your lives are ultimately in your hands."

    "For the parents that brought their children, I don''t recommend staying more than a mile from the gates. Their lives are your responsibility and the Abyss Sect will not answer for their deaths if you ignore this warning."

    Amon could see more than one mother bringing her child closer to her. It reminded him of five years ago.

    "This Scavenging will four days long. You might return anytime between now and the deadline. If, however, you return late, a penalty will be applied for trespassing the limits of the Broken Forest, as the Scavenging will be already over and the permission granted will be nulled."

    The Elder then opened his arms wide, raising his voice.

    "I declare the Scavenging officially open!"

    The enormous golden gates slowly opened, and soon the multitude started flooding towards it.

    There was pushing and pulling everywhere. Daniel grabbed Amon by his collar and somehow managed to drag him beyond the gates.

    As soon as they were out, Daniel pointed east.

    "Come on, we have to be fast!"

    He shouted, still dragging Amon behind him.

    They ran for a few minutes. Daniel seemed to be jogging rather than running, but Amon was trying his best to be fast. They had barely covered a mile, but Amon was already panting for breath and covered in sweat.

    "Alright, guess this should be enough. We can slow down a bit."

    Amon didn''t manage to speak as he was catching his breath, but he gave a slight nod.

    "We are twenty miles or so away from the Red River. We should get there by nightfall if you can keep up the pace."

    "I¡­ huff¡­ fine, just¡­ give me a second."

    Amon managed to speak with difficulty.

    He sat down on the ground and slowly regulated his breathing. They were still near the wall, but he could already see the forest from up close.

    The trees were dozens of meters tall, with dark green leaves at their crowns. Their branches intertwined, blocking the sunlight. Their twisted, dark trunks were at least four meter thick. The trees should be hundreds of years old, if not thousands.

    Amon couldn''t see past a few meters inside the forest. It was incredibly dark, as if a wall of shadows blocked his view. Looking at it gave him chills.

    He suddenly felt a pressure in his heart, almost as if it was heavy. He found it difficult to breathe, and his face paled.

    Daniel realize it and slapped his back, snapping him out of it.

    "Are you okay?"

    Amon didn''t have a good expression. He was actually trembling a bit.

    "I''ll be fine. It is just¡­ Getting out here again is hard."

    Daniel gave a nod. Sitting beside him. Amon clenched his fists hard and tensed his muscles, trying to stop his body from trembling. It took him a few minutes to recollect himself. When Daniel saw that he was somewhat better, he jumped on his feet.

    "Let''s go, or we will never get there in time."

    Daniel offered him a hand. Amon accepted it and Daniel pulled him up.

    "So, what will we do? I don''t know if we could reach the place and return in four days¡­"

    Daniel scoffed hearing that. He continued walking east and Amon followed suit, looking all around him like a scared cat.

    "Well, if I was alone I could get there in a few hours if I wanted to be fast, but since I''m with you I had to use my brains for a bit."

    Amon pretended not to hear the first part.

    "What do you mean by that?"

    "Once we reach the river we will build a raft. With me here, we can make it in half an hour at most. I have some ropes in the Bottomless Pouch to speed up the process. The river will give us a ride straight to our destination. We would be there before sunrise if we build the raft as soon as we reach the river. If you get tired you can sleep on the raft as we travel."

    "That is a really good plan."

    Amon was very impressed, but not surprised. Daniel always seemed to be thinking a few steps ahead.

    The sun rose above their heads and the temperature rose sharply. The walked closer to the edge of the forest to seek refuge in the shadows as they moved.

    Amon was tense the whole time as they walked. Daniel tried to loosen his mood a bit, to no avail.

    When the sun started to set, they finally could hear the running water of the river ahead. They had spent at least eight hour walking on the woods. Amon had to take a break three times, as he was just too young and weak.

    Hearing the sound of the river gave him back some energy, and he started rushing ahead. Daniel shook his head, but followed suit.

    The Red River was at least one mile wide.It had muddy, brown waters, that made it seem dirty. The water rolling on the surface was incredibly fast, and the sheer sound produced by the current made Amon somewhat fearful. He was sure he would drown in no time if he didn''t manage to grab into something or return to the riverbank fast enough.

    Daniel didn''t waste time. He opened the Bottomless Pouch and retrieved an axe from it. He choose a few of the younger trees near the river, being only half as thick as the one deeper in the forest and started chopping.

    His axe whistled through the air every time he swung it, and the impact produced was enough to make the leaves of the surrounding trees rustle. The impact was so strong Amon could feel it in his chest, as if someone was punching him. It didn''t take long for him to take down three of the trees.

    He then took his time chopping off their crowns and whatever branches remained, leaving only clean trunks about four meters long.

    "Help me out a bit."

    He requested Amon''s help as he retrieved some ropes from the Bottomless Pouch. Amon helped him hold the ropes in place as Daniel firmly tied them around the trunks. After he was satisfied, he let out a long breath, cleaning the droplets of sweat in his face. Even he got tired from it.

    By the time they dragged the raft to the water, the sun had already set, only a few slivers of red light still shone in the horizon of dark sky.

    Amon climbed on the raft as Daniel pushed it into the river, before jumping on it too. He used a long stick he made from one of the branches of a tree and pushed the raft away from the riverbank.

    By then, Amon was nearly passing out. His face was pale and his clothes clung to his body, covered in sweat. It was getting colder, so he started shivering.

    Daniel retrieved Amon''s sack of clothes and handed it to him together with a blanked. Amon covered himself and used the sack as a pillow before he fell soundly asleep, not even acknowledging the rocking of the raft.

    Daniel, on the other hand, was still fine. He had done most of the work, but he only felt slightly tired. He could actually go on for days without sleep.

    He seemed to enter a trance as he conducted the raft downstream. Stars slowly started lighting up in the sky, and a full moon appeared from behind the clouds, almost like and eye gazing at then.

    The dim light shone on the river, making it look like quicksilver.

    Although the current was strong and fast, they had a long way to go.

    Time slowly passed.

    Sometimes a bigger wave would pass beneath the raft, making it shake abruptly and wake Amon up, but he would soon fall back asleep. It was far from comfortable, but was better than staying awake. He felt as if he was in a dream that would not end as he woke up and went back to sleep again and again.

    Eventually, without him noticing, the raft came to a stop. Daniel''s strong hand gently shook his shoulders and he woke up for good.

    "We are here."

    The sky was still dark, but Amon could already hear the chirping of the birds alongside the screeching of cicadas.

    "What time is it?"

    He asked, rubbing his eyes. His golden eyes seemed like lanterns glowing in the dark.

    "There are still two hours until the sun rises. Let''s go, the faster we search here, the faster we can return."

    As Daniel said that, he jumped down from the raft and into the riverbank. He dragged the raft into it, away from the water. Amon scooped some of the cold water and washed his face, trying to properly wake up.

    Daniel slowly took a flat disk from his Bottomless Pouch. He gave Amon the disk as he continued to search for something inside the pouch. He had a serious looking on his face a he pulled a slender sword from it.

    The scabbard was azure, but the handle had a pure white color. It was a high grade artifact that his father had gifted him long ago, years before Daniel ''decided to live on his own'' in the Outer Sect.

    Daniel tied it to his waist, being able to draw the sword quickly if anything happened. He still had Rebecca''s warning in mind. She had been an outstanding cultivator, so he trusted her senses. No one could reach the heights she had if they couldn''t feel danger coming.

    He also recovered a small paper talisman from the pouch. It was an expendable treasure that could create a thick barrier around the user for a limited time. It was a basic tool for self-protection.

    He extended his hand and Amon returned the disk. It was made of green jade and was filled with strange runes that glowed with a green light. Daniel injected Qi in it and it started to madly spin in his hands and slowly started to float.

    It was a tool used to search for high concentrations of Qi. It would tilt in the direction where the Qi was thicker. As artifacts also had high concentrations of Qi, the disk would react to their presence. It had cost Daniel a fortune, so not everyone could use one of those and make their lives easier in the Scavenging.

    Daniel and Amon started to slowly walk through the riverbank. They tried to cover a wide area, but the disk simply spun in Daniel''s hand, showing no reaction.

    They had walked for over an hour, covering almost a mile to the east of their starting point, yet they found nothing. They had been thorough, but maybe there was really nothing there after all.

    When they were about to give up and return, the disk suddenly tilted right, in the direction of the river.

    "Oh?"

    Daniel was surprised. He had never expected to find anything and was just waiting for Amon to give up so they could return. Amon''s eyes shone with excitement, and they slowly started walking in the direction the disk pointed, taking small and careful steps.

    Suddenly, the disk almost fell out of Daniel''s hands and started floating above the ground. Daniel didn''t waste time and spread his divine sense towards the ground.

    A few feet underground, what seemed to be a spear''s tip was buried. Daniel carefully started digging, completely absorbed in his task. The sun had already started rising on the horizon, painting the river with a hellish red light.

    They didn''t realize. There were no birds chirping. No cicadas screeching. There was no sound at all, almost as if time had stopped.

    Amon felt his hair stand on end, and his body started to heat up. He could feel his blood churning in what seemed to be excitement, and he suddenly felt eager. He could feel something coming from the forest at an incredibly fast speed. He could feel it in his blood; it was almost like the primal excitement a warrior would feel when being challenged to a fight.

    His face paled, and he started trembling. Cold sweat started running through his back. This feeling was very familiar. It was not nearly as strong, but it was very similar to how he felt five years ago.

    "Daniel, we have to go."

    Daniel was still digging on the ground. He glanced at Amon and saw his pale face.

    "Daniel, we have to go now!"

    Amon screamed, full of terror. Daniel didn''t ask, as he seemed to sense something wrong. He ran to Amon, caught him on his arms and started running back in the direction they came.

    However, it was too late.

    He felt a chill and almost lost his balance. He managed to stop in time, as a black shadow jumped in front of him and blocked his path. Daniel put a terrified Amon in his left shoulder and drew his sword with his right hand. A piercing trill echoed through the forest as the shiny blade revealed itself.

    As he did that, he heard something snapping to his right. He slowly turned to face the tree from where the sound came, and he saw it.

    A huge shadow was slowly taking shape between the trees. They could feel each step it took making the ground lightly shake beneath Daniel''sfeet. When it got closer they could finally hear the muffled sound it made when it walked.

    A pair of red rubies that burned like the flames of hell was staring at them. Soon, a paw that was as big as an adult''s torso made it out of the shadows. Claws as big as daggers left scars in the ground as they grazed it when the creature took a step forward.

    Something as big as Daniel made its way into the light, completely covered in black fur that seemed more like an armor of sharp and hard needle. The pair of rubies were stuck into the sides of this thing. Amon finally realized that the rubies were eyes, and what he was seeing was an enormous head.

    The beast opened its mouth, and a row of fangs as big as spear tips showed themselves, the saliva dripping from them giving them a cruel glint. A bite from it could rip a tree from the ground, roots and all.

    Amon and Daniel could feel a cold wind blowing at their backs that made their hair flutter when the beast''s lungs expanded. It then released a howl that made the trees sway and a cloud of dust to rise from the ground.

    "AWOOOOOOOOOO"

    It felt more like an air cannon than a howl. Amon was blown away from Daniel''s shoulder and fell on the ground, while Daniel stumbled a few steps backwards.

    The pair of rubies locked into Amon while hundreds of leaves were blown away from the trees and slowly fell to the ground, swaying in strange ways. Amon started shivering uncontrollably. His ears started bleeding from the howl. He couldn''t move a muscle.

    The beast slowly approached him, one step at a time. Finally it come to a halt five meters away from Amon, looking at him full of hostility, the fur at its back erect as a low and deep grow resonated from its throat.

    Daniel finally snapped out of his trance. He recovered the shield talismanfrom his clothes and shattered it, moving closer to Amon. A thick and translucent golden light enveloped them. Daniel grabbed Amon and turned away, running at full speed in the direction they came from.

    They heard another air splitting howl that made the surface of the shield ripple like water, and the beast ran towards them.

    Daniel was scared out of his mind. A beast like that shouldn''t be here. He wanted to deny it in his head, but the name still made its way into his lips.

    "Direwolf!"

 7 The Sword of the Immortal I

    Daniel was confused. He was afraid. These spirit beasts should be seen only in the far north, dozens of miles away from where they were. The only exception happened five years ago, when a pack lead by a Silverback Wolf made its way into the region near the Hell''s Keeper Mountain, close to the northern walls.

    The sect wiped them all out after a dozen disciples were attacked by them. Still, a Silverback Wolf was a class 6 spirit beast. Even if Rebecca was one of the strongest cultivators in the sect, she suffered grievous injuries and ended up crippled protecting her son and stalling until reinforcements arrived.

    Even if Direwolves were ''only'' class 4, they were still incredibly rare. Daniel didn''t know why one of them would leave their territory again, even more so in broad daylight. How bad was their luck?

    A creature that seemed to be born from the union of wind and shadows. A creature that could run faster than the wind and crack the earth with a stomp. Direwolves like that could face a cultivator in the Elemental Purification realm and win. Worst of all, they usually moved in packs.

    The Direwolf in front of them was at least six meters long and three meters high. A behemoth of a beast, made for the simple purpose of killing.

    Daniel knew they had no chance. Rebecca had told him to be careful, but in the end he lowered his guard for but a moment. Still, that moment was enough. This was on him.

    He could only hope that the talisman shield would protect them until they made their way back to the raft. Amon was in a daze, as if fighting with something inside of him. Daniel could only carry him over his shoulder as he tried to run away.

    The trees were no more than an indistinct blur as Daniel ran like mad. The ground cracked where he took a step, and any tree trunk was utterly decimated if he used it as leverage to jump forward.

    Body Tempering cultivators used the Qi to reinforce their bodies. It was a very painful process, where they would hurt themselves over and over and circulate the Qi in their body following the directions of the cultivation manuals they had in hand.

    The Qi would not only heal then faster, it would make the flesh and bones being repaired stronger. It was a necessary stage in any cultivator''s life, otherwise their bodies wouldn''t withstand their own Qi and techniques if they grew too powerful.

    Having their bodies being remade and perfected using Qi, Body Tempering cultivators couldn''t be compared to normal humans anymore. Their strength, endurance and speed were far above any mortal. Stepping into the Body Tempering realm was the first true step in order to pursue immortality.

    The black shadow that had blocked him earlier was a smaller Direwolf, probably in his pubescent years. Daniel used the shield covering him and Amon and smashed through the wolf like a cannon ball, not slowing down a bit.

    Alas, it was all for naught. Daniel saw a dark blur passing by his side, and the gigantic wolf surpassed them just like that, coming to a halt in front of them. Daniel tried to change directions but it was too late. The Direwolf brandished its claws, hitting the shield that surrounded Daniel and Amon.

    They took no damage, but the shield distorted for a moment when the claw made contact with it, and they were sent flying back. Daniel and Amon smashed through a pair of trees before they finally hit the ground, leaving a long trail of destruction in their path. Splinters and dust flew everywhere, blocking their vision.

    The shield lost its luster and started flickering, as if it would go out at any moment. Daniel knew it would only last a few more seconds and it wouldn''t protect them from another hit. He hesitated for a moment before continuing his sprint. They shouldn''t be too far from it; if he rushed they could make it in time.

    He once again sped through the trees without even looking back. Worries would only slow him down, and he had to be as fast as possible.

    Amon seemed to have snapped out of his dazed state, as he suddenly started to try to free himself from Daniel''s grasp.

    "Daniel, you have to let me go!" He screamed with his high-pitched voice, his face flushed while he struggled.

    "Now is not the time to throw a tantrum kid! Do you want to die?" Daniel rebuked in a harsh tone. He was not going to put up with this right now.

    "You don''t understand, that wolf is coming for me! If you don''t let me go you will die!" Amon cried out, desperate to break free. Daniel was taken aback. What the hell was Amon talking about? The wolf was after him?

    Daniel shook his head to clear up his thoughts. Now was not the time to worry about such things. He continued dashing through the forest while Amon shouted in desperation. Daniel had no idea what had gotten into him, but if he didn''t calm down he would make things worse.

    Daniel caught sight of the Direwolf surpassing them again. He didn''t even think before he launched himself into the nearest tree and used it as foothold. The tree''s trunk cracked as he shot like a bullet over the wolf right when it sent another claw strike in their direction.

    That enormous claw grazed right past his leg, colliding with the shield. The shield shattered like glass, sending speckles of light everywhere as they made it past the wolf and Daniel continued his mad escape towards the raft.

    They heard another howl coming from the wolf, making Daniel''s ears hurt and Amon''s bleed even more. Amon covered his ears with a scream of pain before he started mumbling to himself, saying "I''m sorry" over and over again.

    Daniel was about to knock him out when he saw the raft in the riverbank ahead. They had finally made it back. When they were about to reach it, Daniel''s blood froze. He heard another howl coming from the right, but this one was weaker than the ones from the wolf pursuing them.

    Then, another howl echoed from the back, followed by another from the front. From the shadows, three more wolves made their way into Daniel and Amon''s direction. They had the same burning eyes and black fur, but were half the size of the Direwolf following them. One of them was the same wolf Daniel had smashed away before, seemingly unhurt at all.

    Despair filled Daniel when he saw this. They were surrounded, there was no way for them to escape. Amon started crying in his shoulder, drenching Daniel''s clothes in tears. Then he looked over Daniel''s back and went silent.

    Daniel didn''t need to guess why. He heard the rustling of the bushes behind him. He slowly turned around, prepared to face the Direwolf they first ran into.Its eyes were like gateways to hell, burning with a rage that could make any grown man shiver.

    Daniel gripped the sword in his hand tightly. The sword made clinging noises as his hand trembled in fear. The gigantic wolf got closer in closer. Eventually it came so close that Daniel could feel its hot breath in his face, bringing together a foul stench of blood and rotten meat.

    Daniel could clearly see pieces of meat and bones stuck between the fangs of the beast. His mind raced, trying to figure a way to get out of this situation. He discovered he had no hope. He would never leave Amon and try to run by himself. He would never be able to face this small pack of Direwolves and live to tell the story. He could only distract them and somehow send Amon away.

    He closed his eyes for but a moment before making a decision. When he opened them again, they shone with determination. He suddenly spun, turning his back to the Alpha Direwolf. He held Amon up and looked past the wolves in front of them. The raft was about thirty meters away. For any normal human, it would be an impossible feat, but Daniel was not a normal human. He was a cultivator.

    He took aim and mustered every ounce of the strength his tempered body could produce, before throwing the crying Amon over the trees, in the direction of the river. Before he could see if his aim was on point, he spun again, sword in hand.

    This lustrous sword was the first gift his father ever gave him, and was by far the best. It was a high quality artifact. It wouldn''t rust and the edge would never go dull. In the right hands, this sword could pierce through a rock. In Daniel''s hands, this sword could pierce through an adult''s Direwolf fur. It was enough.

    The sword shone brightly while it drew a beautiful arc in air, propelled by Daniel''s momentum as he spun. The blade hit the enormous Direwolf behind him, cutting its fur and flesh. The sword had opened a deep gash in the Direwolf''s head, almost hitting an eye and partially blinding him.

    The Direwolf stood in place, its eyes burning while dark blood dripped from its face. He didn''t howl and he didn''t growl. He simply opened its mouth and jumped at Daniel, baring its fangs. It didn''t feel like it was hunting a prey or fighting for its territory. It felt more like it was crushing an annoying ant.

    Daniel saw those knife-like fangs approaching his head and he knew he wouldn''t be able to dodge it. When he was about to be ripped in pieces the sound of a heavy object hitting something made its way from the river. Amon had finally fallen in the raft after a few moments airborne.

    The Direwolf suddenly stopped and turned its hellish gaze from Daniel and looked past him, into the Red River and its raging waters. It paid Daniel no mind and started making its way past the trees.

    Amon was squirming in pain atop the raft. He somehow managed to not fall into the river and stay in the raft after the initial impact. Daniel throwing him to safety came at a price, though, as he was clearly hurt.

    Daniel used all his willpower to focus for a moment. He had no more than a second to gain control over a huge ammount of Qi that was far away from him. A very difficult feat even for talented people. Yet, he somehow managed to accomplish it in his desperation.

    He used the Qi to blast the raft away from the riverbank, pushing it into the river. The raft hit the waters and soon the waves started dragging it away at a fast pace.

    There was but one problem: the river was dragging the raft towards them.

    The Direwolf had its gaze fixed on it, and slightly bend its hind legs, as if preparing to jump.

    Daniel broke in cold sweat. He would never be able to stop the beast from pursuing Amon if he didn''t distract it first. Daniel was trembling in fear, but still chose to attack the Direwolf a second time. He was just saved from death, but he had to face it yet again to protect his friend.

    "Hell no!" Daniel shouted while brandishing the sword again, jumping in the air and trying to hit the Direwolf''s back.

    The Direwolf turned around and clawed at him as if swatting a fly. An utter lack of interest. The Direwolf only saw him as an annoyance, never as a threat. Still, a grown Direwolf was a menace even if it didn''t take the victim seriously.

    That halfhearted strike could still cut Daniel in two. He desperately twisted his body in midair, barely avoiding a hit on his waist. The claws hit his right shoulder and slashed at his arm. Daniel screamed in pain as the sword in his right hand escaped from his grip. He looked at his right arm in shock.

    Something was hanging from his shoulder. It was nothing more than an indistinct mass of flesh and blood. Daniel had avoided the brunt of the strike and the claws hit his arm with nowhere near the power they would hit his waist, yet most of his arm had been torn off.

    He could see shreds of muscles peeking out from the torn skin, covering the white bones in his upper arm. His hand was somehow intact, but most of his forearm was gone, standing as bloody chunks of flesh in the ground.

    Blood flowed from his injuries nonstop and dripped in the ground, forming a dark-red pool that slowly grew, like a blooming flower.

    The Direwolf sent him one last glance before turning towards the river and started speeding away with the other three in tow. Daniel grimaced in pain. He knew that he would never be a match for it. But he had to do something or Amon would die. His mind started fading away, as if he was about to lose consciousness.

    Daniel gritted his teeth, trying to resist the urge to pass out. His eyes were bloodshot as he started searching for something in his clothes with his left hand. He retrieved a strange piece of jade in the shape of a tiny sword. He didn''t want to use something like that, but he had no hope of even leaving alive otherwise.

    Daniel held the tiny sword in his finger and madly sent his Qi into it. The jade sword started glowing in a golden light and a terrifying aura burst out from it, as if a wild beast had been uncaged. The Direwolves sensed something and turned around to look at him again. This time, their eyes were full of apprehension. A crazy smile made its way into Daniel''s face.

    Some people, when facing death, would cower in fear. Some would silently accept it. Some would be resentful of the injustices life imposed to them. Some would be full of regrets, wishing they could start over and better enjoy life. Some would go crazy and deny it to the very end. Some would know what was coming and would still keep fighting with all they had.

    No matter what one said in life, only in death would someone show their true self, because only when the fire started waning it would receive attention, even if just because the creeping cold of death was becoming unbearable as the warmth of life slowly vanished. The last flickers of the flame would burn the brightest, revealing what lied in the shadows of a person''s mind.

    Daniel always saw himself as a failure. He was shunned from his family the very moment his younger brother showed the talent he never had. He walked alone through the depths of despair and all of those that called themselves his friends flew away with the wind the moment he lost all connections to his father.

    When he was alone, going mad in that dark and crushing loneliness, only one person extent her hand to him, bringing him back to the warmth of the light. He owed her his life. He owed her his happiness.

    Because of that, he would never let her son go through any of the sufferings he experienced, and neither would he let her son die. Because now she needed his help to take care of him, and he refused to let her down, even if it meant dying in this place. And so, the disgraceful Daniel bravely faced his death with a savage look on his face.

    "You are all dead!" Daniel shouted as if mad while he slashed at the wolves with the tiny sword from far away.

    That jade sword was the last gift his father had given him. You could say it was his somewhat guilty conscience that made his father prepare it, or maybe his wife, Daniel''s mother, had forced him to do it. Daniel would never know and he didn''t care.

    This tiny sword was a one-time use offensive artifact, and his father made it clear that he wouldn''t be giving him anything after this. It was, for all intents and purposes, a parting gift for his disappointment of a son.

    For the first time in many years, Daniel felt grateful for his father. He could feel how powerful it was, and was actually impressed. Turns out his father didn''t hold back when making this for him.

    As Daniel''s thoughts became nostalgic, the tiny sword drew an arc in the air, leaving behind a trail of golden specs. A blinding light shone from it, as if it contained a blazing sun. All color in the world seemingly vanished for a moment, leaving only the golden light as a gust of wind blew away everything in its path.

    Following the wind, there was just a frightening wave of death and destruction.

 8 The Sword of the Immortal II

    Amon slowly opened his golden eyes, only to be greeted by the blinding light of the sun. He was confused, almost as if in a daze. His head felt light and his body heavy. All he could hear was a loud buzz that seemed to be echoing inside his head.

    The sun in his eyes was too strong. He tried to turn his head away, but a sudden piercing pain in his left shoulder made him scream.

    The pain properly woke him up. It was enough for him to feel hurting all over. A splitting headache made him grunt and almost pass out again.He closed his eyes hard until his head''s throbbing lessened and the pain became somewhat manageable.

    Then, he looked around. He saw that he was still on the raft, stranded in a riverbank. He had no idea if he was still in the Red River or in one of the streams that originated from it.

    He was feeling cold despite the blazing sun, and realized his clothes were completely drenched, clinging to his body. They were in tatters, and strange stains of black could be seen in his chest and shoulders. Amon didn''t mind them one bit, he had other things to worry about.

    He tried to move again, but his left shoulder hurt in protest. Amon tried to slowly move his arm, but realized he couldn''t handle the pain. He probably broke his left collarbone when Daniel threw him in the raft.

    He slowly turned to take a closer look, resisting the pain and he saw that his shoulder was incredibly swollen. He had for sure broken the collarbone.

    He could also faintly see bruises all over his arms and legs, and moving them was hard. He felt very lethargic, and even if he had just woken up, he was starting to turn drowsy.

    He tried to take deep breaths. Even breathing made waves of pain run through his body.

    He slowly turned on his right shoulder, trying to slightly move his right hand and his legs and get used to the pain.

    It took what seemed to be an eternity, but Amon eventually managed to stand up. Limping away, he started walking upstream.

    He had no real choice. He didn''t know where he was, all he knew was that going upstream would lead him back, even if he wasn''t in the Red River anymore.

    He had no food and he had no medicine for his wounds. His hearing was blown away with the Direwolf''s howl, so he couldn''t even hear the running water of the river over the buzz echoing in his head. He wouldn''t even hear a spirit beast that might approach him. His chances of making it back alive were grim.

    Still, he looked at the sky and started crying in sorrow and relief. He had somehow survived the ordeal, but he didn''t know what price Daniel had paid because of him.

    He didn''t know what had happened after he was thrown in the raft and blown into the river. Before he lost consciousness, he remembered seeing what seemed to be a small sun flashing from the direction Daniel was.

    It was his fault. It had been his fault five years ago and it was his fault again now. His mother had been hurt because of him, and now Daniel was hurt too. He was sure he was the reason Direwolves appeared where they shouldn''t have. That strange feeling he had when he was close to them¡­ he had no idea why, but he was sure it had something to do with the wolves targeting him.

    "Daniel is alive. I will find help and save him." Amon started muttering, trying to convince himself while he travelled as fast as he could. His steps were uneven as he walked. His dirty appearance and pale face, combined with his unceasing muttering made him look like a ghost.

    He was just a kid, and now he somehow had to survive through a situation like that.

    He walked for what seemed to be like hours, almost in a trance. He fell more than once, but always got up. The pain was still there, but was greatly numbed by his clouded mind. He didn''t know how far he walked alongside the river, but he never stopped.

    "Eh?"

    A shock ran through him, clearing his mind. He looked around, confused. He felt something tugging at his mind, almost calling to him.

    He realized he knew this place, what should have been impossible. He gazed somewhere in the middle of the trees, and had a sudden impulse to go there. As he walked he felt the headache returning, stronger than ever.

    A strange voice echoed in his head, whispering. It managed to stand out from the ever present buzz in his ears. However, it was so faint and low that he couldn''t understand what it was saying.

    His head throbbed and he fell on his knees.

    "What the hell? Stop!" He screamed to the air.

    His impulse started getting stronger and he stood up. It was almost as if his body wasn''t his own. He wanted to get somewhere, but he also didn''t. He knew where he was going, but he also didn''t. It was almost as if his mind was split in two and the halves were superimposing, making for an unharmonious whole. The only clear thing he felt was an inexplicable sense of longing and anxiousness.

    As he was being dragged by his own body somewhere away from the river, he suddenly felt a jolt. He looked ahead and realized he was walking directly into a tree. Behind it, there was just a dirty ground and more trees, just like everywhere in the forest.

    He tried to stop, but to no avail. That part of him that had taken over his body threw itself into the tree.

    He braced for an impact that never came. He felt a cold sensation running through his body, as if he was underwater. The air turned almost viscous and it was hard to move.

    The feeling didn''t last long. It disappeared as suddenly as it came, and Amon fell to the ground.

    To his surprise, he didn''t fall into hard ground, but into a patch of soft, green grass. He looked around, confused, and suddenly felt as if he had teleported to another world.

    It was a wide, open space, at least a mile wide. Lush green grass grew everywhere, still moistened by the morning dew. Small trees filled with delicate white flowers were everywhere. A gentle breeze made the trees and grass rustle and, in the middle of the space, shining in the golden light of the sun, was a lake. Amon felt he was inside a painting rather than the real world.

    The lake was not big, being only a few hundred meters wide. It reflected the white clouds and the blue sky like a mirror, which seemed to be set ablaze when the sunlight shone on it, creating golden patterns in the water. The light that reflect on the water twisted around itself as small waves rolled over the surface of the lake.

    However, the scenery wasn''t all beauty. Looking closer, Amon saw long gashes crisscrossing everywhere on the ground, as if someone had cut the earth open. Many of the trees were chopped in half, what remained of their trunks withered and cracked.

    It didn''t feel like a battle had taken place here, rather it looked like someone had lashed out at their surroundings in a fit of rage. The sword scars covered most of the mysterious space.

    Amon started feeling grief and regret as he looked at the scars. He didn''t know why, but he could feel great pain hidden in these marks. The sudden emotions took him over by storm and he was overwhelmed for a moment.

    As he was trying to get ahold of himself, he suddenly tensed up. He had caught something at the corner of his eyes. He turned around and saw something lying by the lake. He walked towards it carefully, when he realized what it was.

    In this hidden world covered by sword scars, by that beautiful lake, lied a corpse.

    This corpse was no more than a skeleton. One could still see scraps of what might have been blue clothes under it. The skeleton''s bones had a strange luster to it, almost as if they were made of crystal.

    Amon knew that he must have been a powerful cultivator in the past. Only when someone''s body was tempered innumerous times one''s bones would become like that. It was one of the easy ways to appraise the worth of whatever a corpse might have. If the objects belonged to an expert, they were valuable. The way to identify the corpse of an expert was exactly the luster their bones gave.

    Decades or even centuries of Qi condensed running through their bodies fundamentally changed their flesh and bones. This was a step further than Body Tempering. A process that was much more natural than a forced tempering, and took place over a cultivator''s whole life. Their corpses could be preserved for centuries as long as nothing destroyed them, and even that wasn''t an easy thing to do.

    Amon examined the skeleton closely. The deceased died lying down on the grass, looking up. Amon could almost feel the wistfulness that certainly showed in his eyes as he died gazing at the sky. His two arms were wrapped around a sword, holding it into his chest in a tight embrace. He obviously held it in high regard. In one of his fingers, a crystalline ring could be seen.

    For some reason, Amon felt sorrow seeing this. He felt as if a hand was crushing his heart as a strange pressure spread through his chest. He wanted to cry, and he had no idea why he felt like this.

    He hesitated for a bit before carefully moving the skeleton''s arms away from the sword. It was a beautiful, yet simple weapon. The blade was about one meter long and the hilt was a bit shorter than 30 centimeters. Amon took it in his hands, taking a better look.

    The sheath was made of simple black leather, with a few silver lines running through it in a somewhat complex pattern. A strap was attached to it, so one could tie the sheath to their waist or their backs.

    The handle of the sword was wrapped in the same black leather, and was worn out from the use. The sword guard had a silver color and was shaped like a half moon. A small red gem was embedded in it, looking like an eye.

    He found it strange for the weapon of an expert to be so simple. Powerful cultivators usually customized their artifacts to their liking, and the results varied greatly. Their artifacts became a symbol of their identities. Cultivators liked being recognized, so it was really rare to see such simple artifact in the hands of an expert.

    When an expert used an artifact for many years, his Qi would permeate it, slowly changing its properties and strengthening it, not in the least unlike the natural tempering cultivators experienced with their bodies. The materials used in an artifact defined the upper limit of the artifact''s growth, and such a limit was what defined an artifact''s tier.

    He caught himself wondering how much this sword would be worth. At least a few thousand contribution points. Enough to sustain him and his mother for years. Maybe even buy a medicine strong enough to heal her.

    Even as he thought of this, he couldn''t smile. He actually started feeling guilt. The thought of selling the swordmade him aggrieved.

    He gripped the handle and unsheathed the sword with difficulty as he did so with only his right hand. The blade hummed with trill as it was revealed to the world after who knows how long. It was a simple, unadorned blade, but it was polished to the point of reflecting light like a mirror. It had a good balance, although not perfect.

    He realized the grip of the sword was so worn out one could see the marks of the fingers of the wielder. Amon''s fingers were quite small compared to his.

    Amon was really excited as he held the blade, like he had found a long lost companion. Suddenly, a name came to mind.

    "Brightmoon." He quietly mumbled to himself.

    Wait, how did he know that?

    A sudden scorching pain came from his in his palm. He dropped the sword on the ground, surprised. He looked down at his hand. It had turned bright red and was throbbing violently.

    "Who dares!" A shout made its way directly into Amon''s head. The voice was filled with anger and so loud Amon felt his brain would crack.

    The air around him seemed to freeze and he found himself unable to move. It slowly started constricting on him. He was completely powerless.

    The pressure increased and he found it harder to breath. The pain in his shoulder flared up again and he screamed.

    The sword on the ground slowly floated up, and a silhouette materialized from thin air, holding the sword.

    The silhouette slowly turned clear, taking the form of a woman.

    She was breathtaking. Her figure was slender and she had long legs. Her white dress seemed to be made of moonlight as it shone with a silver luster. Her hair fell like a waterfall on her back, as black as the night sky. A pair of clear blue eyes that seemed to pierce at one''s soul could be seen in a delicate and pale face.

    Amon would certainly be dumbstruck by this woman''s beauty if he weren''t terrified or suffocating. The thick killing intent exuding from her didn''t help either.

    The woman''s eyes shone with a cold glint as she raised the sword. The pressure over Amon''s body grew heavier and his vision started to fade. Everything around him turned dark, except for the pair of blue eyes that gazed at him with hostility.

    As he was prepared to feel the cold blade slashing at his neck, he heard the woman speaking again directly to his mind. This time, he could clearly hear the melodious tone of her voice as it wasn''t the same angry shout as before. Instead, it was full of surprise and incredulity.

    What echoed in his mind was a single name.

    "Alexei?"

    Then, he passed out.

 9 The Sword of the Immortal III

    The Abyss Sect''s Third Elder, Richard Layn, was hovering above the trees of the Broken Forest, enjoying the fresh air. It was the second day of the Scavenging and the sun hadn''t risen yet. A gentle breeze blew above the trees, rustling the leaves and lightly messing Richard''s hair as he looked at the dark sky.

    He had long white hair that fell on his shoulders and a long beard that reached to his chest. His face was gentle, but filled with wrinkles. A pair of black eyes shone brightly with life behind his hair, making him seem really energetic despite his old age. His red clothes were impeccable, with not a single speck of dust to be found on them.

    Richard was a respected figure in the sect, and he only ones above him were the Sect Master and the four Protectors. The First to Tenth Elders comprised the Elder Council, so they all held the same authority. Still, it was strange for someone as powerful as Richard to be overseeing the Scavenging.

    Truth be told, Richard was bored out of his mind. He might be old, but he still hated deskwork and bureaucracy. He really felt he wasn''t fit for such responsibilities as a member of the Elder Council, but he was forced on the job by Sect Master Borgin.

    It was already planned for a more powerful Elder to take part in it this year anyway, as the happenings of the last Scavenging were still fresh in the minds of the Elders. They still found no reason for a Silverback Wolf to be so close to Hell''s Keeper Mountain. As such, Richard as the first to offer his services in this year''s Scavenging and make use of this chance to take a small break.

    He was really enjoying the peace he had found doing this.

    As he was thinking of this, a blinding light shone from the trees a few miles away. A terrifying aura rose from the golden light that blazed like the sun.

    Richard was incredibly powerful, but he still had to close his eyes and turn his head away from the light. As the light started to subside, a rumbling sound reached him, so loud that he felt as if he had been punched in the chest.

    Right after that, a windstorm rose, ripping trees from their roots and throwing them in the air and raising a cloud of dust and splinters.

    Richard was surprised. Even he would have been hurt by the phenomenon that happened. When the light disappeared and the wind calmed down, he started to make his way to the origins of the catastrophe.

    There was no sound to be heard in the forest except for the sound of the running waters of the Red River. The dust blocked Richard''s vision as he tried to see what happened. When the dust finally settled, all he saw was destruction.

    A wide trail of splinters and dust that extended for fifty meters was left near the river bank. At the start of the trail was a man lying face down, unconscious. His clothes were in tatters and he lied in a pool of blood. His right arm was a mangled mess of bone and blood. His left hand was tightly holding a broken amulet. At his feet, a thin sword lied in the ground.

    Richard was surprised. He was unsure if the man was dead or not, but if he didn''t help it would become a certainty soon. While he got closer to the man, he looked at the other side of the destruction.

    At the end of the trail, one could see pieces of flesh and bone scattered everywhere near what could be barely recognized as the carcass of three black wolves. Next to them, a large trail of dark blood made its way into the trees, as if something dragged itself away from the remains of the disaster that took place there.

    Richard shivered when he saw the size of that blood trail. He crouched and checked the pulse of the man collapsed on the ground. It was incredibly weak, but he had a pulse. Richard took a medicinal pill from a Bottomless Pouch and gently turned the man, preparing to feed it to him. When he saw his face, he went pale.

    "Daniel? What the hell happened here?" He asked more to himself than to Daniel.

    Daniel of course, didn''t answer. Richard cursed and started feeding him all the pills he could get from his pouches. If Daniel died in his care, Richard would have trouble, no matter what people said about Daniel''s relationship with his father. He retrieved some bandages from his pouch and wrapped Daniel''s arm with it.

    Being very careful, he slowly made Daniel float in the air using his Qi. A deep frown could be seen in his face. Whatever it was that Daniel faced was somehow still alive, even after that strike he used. Richard had no good feelings when thinking about that blood trail.

    Looking closely, what remained of the dead animals could be attributed to Direwolves. If that was the case, then the beast that dragged itself away from the scene had to be a fully mature Direwolf, a dangerous class 4 spirit beast.

    "This is the second time they leave their territory during a Scavenging. What is going on?" He asked to himself.

    Richard shook his head and fished a flat golden disk from his clothes. It flashed with a blue light and started floating above his palm.

    "This is the Third Elder. I''ll need the personnel in the Medical Pavilion ready, the Second Protector''s son is gravely injured and needs urgent care. I''ll be returning in a few minutes with him.Prepare to issue a sect mission for a Direwolf hunt, I''ll be sending the coordinates soon."

    Richard''s voice was calm and slow as he spoke to the disk, trying to be as clear as possible, even if the message was brief. The disk flashed again and fell back on his hand. Richard put it away and brought Daniel closer.

    Then, he shot up to the sky at an amazing speed, disappearing in the distance as he sped back to the sect.

    ---

    Lya was floating in front of an unconscious and strange boy, still holding Brightmoon tightly in her hand. She looked like a ghost, floating slightly above the ground and glowing with a silver light.

    The boy cut out a sorry figure: his clothes were in tatters and bruises could be seen everywhere in his body. His left shoulder was also terribly swollen. He certainly didn''t have a good time before he reached this isolated space.

    Strangest of all were his features. He had a common face, but his eyes were of a bright gold and they seemed to glow. His hair was ashen-gray, but faint streaks of black could be seen here and there. His clothes were also stained with black in the shoulders and chest, as well as his neck and some of his face.

    "Is this a dye or something?" Lya asked herself. Then, she gently waved her hands and cleaned the boy with a burst of Qi. The black dye dissolved and the dirt was blown away from his clothes and face. Looking at him better, his hair made him seem somewhat exotic, like some kind of beast.

    Lya turned her head to the skeleton lying on the grass. Her heart hurt and sorrow took over her. She took a good while looking at the skeleton before she managed to turn away.

    "I''m sorry." She whispered. She lost count of how many times she had said that, but she always felt it wasn''t enough.

    A few tears stained her face as she waved her hands again. The crystalline ring flew away from the skeleton''s finger and fell on her palm. She lightly swiped the ring and looked dazed for a moment, as if daydreaming. When she recovered, the ring flashed with a faint light and a red pill was seen in her pale hands.

    "This might be a bit too much, but it is not as I have anything worse than this¡­" She mumbled as she threw the pill.

    The pill flew straight into the boy''s mouth and dissolved in his tongue. It turned into a viscous and bright liquid that churned in his mouth, almost as if it was going to explode. She flickered a finger lightly, and a small strand of qi pushed the red liquid in his mouth down his throat.

    The boy coughed hard and his body started to heat up. His skin turned red and steam started to rise from his body and clothes. The bruises rapidly faded away and the shoulder swell started diminishing.

    "I''m sorry in advance." Lya said, as she focused and clapped her hands together, making the Qi around the boy''s shoulder clamp together.

    A loud cracking sound was heard as the boy''s shoulder suddenly returned to place before the pill started to mend the collarbone. Still unconscious, a pained expression appeared on the boy''s face as he started twitching.

    It took some time before he finally stopped twitching and his skin gradually returned to normal. Lya then carefully laid him on the ground as she looked at him with a thoughtful expression.

    Earlier when the boy had held Brightmoon, she had felt immense anger as was prepared to kill him in the spot, thinking someone had managed to take down the array that protected the lake and was trying to rob the sword.

    To her surprise, not only was the array intact, the boy gave her a familiar feeling.

    Lya focused and spread out her divine sense. She was now a lot stronger than she was in the past, so she felt confident she could sense it.

    She focused solely on the boy in front of her, trying to scrutinize every single part of him. She then let out a long breath, a complex look in her eyes, a mix of longing and regret.

    "It really is you." She said after a long while. It was just a small piece, a fragment that had become a small whole, but that was enough for her.

    There was no similarities between them. The boy''s face didn''t have his handsomeness. His hair was gray instead of golden and his eyes weren''t green. His hand were also small and his fingers didn''t have any calluses. He probably never even held a sword.

    He also didn''t have a shred of the proud and cold aura, but felt instead rather passive and weak. They were almost opposites.

    Lya smiled when she realized this. A sad, tired smile. Maybe it was for the best that things were this way.

    Amon slowly opened his eyes. He felt quite comfortable, almost as if he just had a great night of sleep. His body didn''t hurt and he felt full of energy. He raised his upper body and sat down. When he saw the beautiful woman in front of him, he almost screamed in terror. Then, he realized she was in a daze.

    He slowly started sneaking away. When he thought he managed to get to a safe distance, he decided to sprint. Suddenly, his face hit something solid and he was thrown back. He looked ahead and saw nothing but air in front of him. What happened?

    "You know, running away without thanking the person that helped you is quite rude." A melodious voice rang behind him.

    Amon felt a chill running through his back and slowly turned, just to see the woman glancing at him from far away. She had a smile on her face that creeped him out. He slowly backed away, facing her and trying to create some distance, like a scared beast.

    "Don''t worry, I won''t do anything to you." The woman said.

    This time, her voice didn''t echo inside his head. Amon could properly hear. He was confused when he realized this. He also didn''t feel any pain anymore. Even his shoulder looked to be fine.Did this woman really help him?

    "Look, before it was my fault, you caught me in a bad mood and I thought you were a robber." She said, with an amiable smile on her face.

    "I''m sorry." She added when she saw he didn''t lower his guard.

    "Who are you? Why did you help me?" He asked, still backing away.

    The woman was suspicious and Amon wouldn''t trust her so easily even if she healed him for whatever reason. Yet, he couldn''t look away from her mesmerizing eyes. He was starting to

    "My name is Lya." She said, with a slight, but charming, bow. "I reside in Brightmoon, the sword you touched before." She still wore the same smile as she presented herself.

    Amon was in a daze. She resided in the sword?

    "Are you¡­ a Sword Spirit?" He asked, full of incredulity, his voice trembling.

    Weapon Spirits were things of legends. Only a few cultivators in history ever had a weapon that contained a spirit within. They could be counted on one''s hands.

    "Oh, please! Do not compare me to those things. I''m me." She said, as she crossed her arms and turned away. Amon found it really cute.

    "Again, why did you help me?" He asked.

    Lya realized he had stopped moving backwards. A slight smile formed on her face.

    "Because we are fated. No one wouldn''t be able to get past the barrier without breaking it first if he wasn''t fated." She said, her tone serious. "Since you simply walked in, this is fate."

    Amon remembered the strange feeling he had when he first stumbled upon this space. So that was the barrier¡­

    "Thank you for the help." He said after thinking for a while.

    "Not a problem." The answer was simple, direct. Lya didn''t say a thing after that. She just stood still, gazing at Amon, her blue eyes seemed to shine as she didn''t blink.

    Amon understood this. This was a chance.

    He thought of how Daniel had thrown him in the raft and blown him away to safety, his fate still unknown. All because he was weak. Weak to refuse his mother. Weak to defend himself.

    He thought of when his mother jumped in front of him, facing that horrifying wolf. Now, she lied injured, unable to even walk properly. All because he was stubborn that day and ventured too far into the forest.

    He thought of when his father left and the last words he ever said to him before he left. All because he couldn''t meet expectations. All because he was a failure.

    Amon tightened his fist and gaze seemed to change. He held his head high, an incredibly serious look on his face. He faced Lya, meeting her eyes with his.

    Lya lightly trembled. She felt something from that gaze. A strong desire. She was sure it was going to lead far away, maybe far being her reach, maybe far from the light. Still, only looking ahead like that could one chose their path.

    She had seen a gaze like that many centuries ago, when a golden haired boy promised her he would climb to the top of the world and change everything wrong in it. A futile dream. A futile path that he still treaded until the very end, only to fail. Still, he went further than anyone else had ever managed to. All because he never lowered his head. All because his gaze never wavered, always focused on his objective.

    "You say we are fated¡­" Amon started, his voice firm. Lya gently nodded at his words.

    "If so... please teach me to be strong." He asked her, still unwavering.

 10 The Sword of the Immortal IV

    "If so... please teach me to be strong." Amon''s words echoed in the isolated space.

    Lya thought it was a good choice of words. He wasn''t asking her to lend him her strength, nor was he asking her to make him strong. He asked her to guide him, so he could become strong himself.

    Lya smiled hearing that, meeting his steel-like gaze with hers. It felt really strange, the boy seemingly turned into a different person as soon as he realized what chance he had in front of him. However, the moment she saw those unwavering eyes she had decided on her answer. A single word.

    "No." She said softly.

    The boy was taken aback. He probably never expected this. His face flused a bit, but his ears turned bright red in shame.

    "Why?" He asked with a confused expression. He was certainly wasn''t sure that Lya would accept his request, but going through all of the trouble of healing him and pressing herself to just deny him like that didn''t make much sense to him.

    "We are fated, yes. But do I know you?" She looked at him, her blue eyes shining with a ferocious light.

    "Why do you want to be strong? How would you use such power? What kind of person are you? What kind of person do you want to be?" She stepped forward at each question, her voice full of authority. Amon''s face paled as he started stepping back.

    "Can you guarantee to me that you will always think like you do now? Can you guarantee that you will never throw everything away and disregard everything and everyone because you think you are right?" Her voice turned louder, the fierceness in her eyes grew stronger. Amon paled even further, overwhelmed by the stream of questions.

    Then, she made a long pause, as if taking a breath.

    "Who will you become?" Was the last thing she asked. Not in a loud voice, nor with those piercing eyes, but looking down, almost mumbling to herself. She knew better than anyone that eternity might always be the same, but those that experienced it would certainly change.

    Amon was silent for a long time, dumbstruck. He was surprised at her reaction to his request, but all the questions she asked made some sense. He took a deep breath before opening his mouth. The first thing he said after that barrage of questions was quite simple.

    "My name is Amon Skoller." He said in a calm manner. Lya''s brow perked up as she heard that. It was almost as if she recognized the name.

    "I don''t know the answer to most of these questions, nor can I give you the guarantees you want, but I can answer one thing." He spoke slowly, carefully choosing his words. "I want to be strong so I won''t be weak."

    It was an obvious statement. People would certainly laugh at him if he said it to anyone else, but Lya didn''t. Even if it was obvious, it still could be interpreted in many ways.

    "I want to be strong to protect the ones dear to me. Nothing more, nothing less." He finally said, his eyes as calm as his words.

    Lya closed her eyes. They certainly were different. A weak breeze blew past her. She always found it funny, how Alexei loved to feel the breeze by the lake so much, while all she could do was watch and imagine how it felt.

    "What would you do if you lost everyone you hold dear? If you lost your reason for being strong? What would you do then, Amon?" Her eyes were still closed as she asked.

    Amon didn''t answer. He didn''t because he had no answer. He truly didn''t know what he would do if he lost Daniel. He was even less sure of what he would do if he ever lost his mother. Just the thought of it gave him fright.

    "The stronger you are, the longer you live. That means that the stronger you are, the more you will outlive the ones dear to you." Lya said, opening her eyes.

    "That is a reason I will not accept. The answer is still no." She gave her final words on this matter.

    The breeze blew stronger, hitting Amon, making his clothes flutter and messing his hair. He had a terrible expression on his face. One of disappointment and regret.

    "Still, we are indeed fated. We do not need to part ways." Lya said. She flickered her fingers and the crystalline ring flew into Amon''s hands. "You can hold unto it for now, even if you cannot use it."

    Amon looked at the ring with attention. It was crystal-blue and translucent, as if made of ice. A few silver runes were inscribed in it, so small that they weren''t visible unless one took a closer look.

    The ring seemed to be too big for his small fingers. He looked at Lya, but she just gave a light nod, telling him to go on. He quietly put it in the ring finger of his left hand. The ring shone with a dim light, and seemed to contract, perfectly fitting his finger.

    He extended his fingers and raised his hand against the sky, appreciating how the ring glowed in the sun. Lya waved her hands again, and the black sheath on the ground floated to her. She gently sheathed Brightmoon in it, and offered it to Amon.

    "You can take me and Brightmoon with you." She said with a light smile. Amon carefully took the sword in his hands, feeling its weight. He strapped it to his back, making sure it would not fall.

    "Thank you." He said to her with all of his sincerity. Lya simply nodded.

    "Uhm¡­" He suddenly looked flustered and agitated, as if he had remembered something important.

    "What''s the problem?" She asked, coking her head.

    "I don''t know where we are or how to return to the sect?" He said, looking away. His ears reddened.

    "Is it close? Can you draw a map for me to see?"

    "Yes, I can!" He said, his hopes renewed.

    He picked dried branch on the floor and slowly drew the map he remembered from what Daniel showed him. He pointed at Hell''s Keeper with the branch. "The sect is here."

    He slowly made his way to the Red River, tracing the path he took with Daniel until they reached the riverbank where they searched for artifacts. "The raft I was in dragged me for a few hour from this point. I was unconscious, so I don''t know where exactly we are."

    Lya nodded hearing his words. However, it was not enough. She didn''t recognize much of the landscape. It had certainly changed in the years she was isolated from the world.

    "Is there anything else you can show me?" She asked him.

    Amon thought for a while, and his face suddenly lit up. He carefully drew an irregular circle in the west part of the map, as well as a bunch of crisscrossing gashes in the southeast.

    "This is the Scorched Lands." He said, pointing at the irregular circle.Then, his finger made its way to the gashes. "These are the Scars."

    "They are remains of a war that happened centuries ago." He said, turning to face Lya. She had a deep frown or her face, as if she was trying to puzzle a few things together. "Was it not enough?" He thought to himself.

    "Ah, I almost forgot!" He held the branch firmly, and in a single stroke almost divided the map I two.

    "This is the Sword Abyss. It is hundreds of miles long and is a really dangerous place. It is what named our sect, the Abyss Sect." To his surprise, Lya''s eyes widened. Her face paled and she had a strange expression.

    "Have you seen it before?" He asked, confused. Lya recovered somewhat, and tried to put on a blank face, but failed miserably.

    "Yes, I have." She said, her voice trembling, her eyes misty, as if she was about to cry.

    Amon said nothing, deciding to keep silent. Lya seemed greatly affected by it. He never expected to see her so vulnerable all of a sudden.He sat down, looking at the lake and feeling the breeze as he waited for her.

    "We are not far from your sect. Luckily you were only dragged a few miles away." She said after a few minutes. She didn''t look at Amon, but was looking at the skeleton instead.

    "We need to bury him." She said. She tried to sound indifferent, but her voiced trembled slightly. This didn''t escape Amon.

    He walked over to the skeleton and looked at Lya as he pointed to the spot it was lying. She just nodded, her eyes blank and lifeless. Amon carefully moved the skeleton away and started digging at the spot it had been with his bare hands.

    Lya raised a hand to stop him, and waved her other hand. The air seemed to undulate as a huge chunk of earth rose from where Amon had been digging.

    Amon gently placed the skeleton in the newly dug grave, and looked at Lya.

    "Do you have any words you want to say?" He asked carefully. She shook her head.

    "I already said all I wanted to long ago." She said, her sadness evident.

    She quietly approached and Amon stepped back. She leaned over and kissed the skeleton''s forehead. A few tears streamed down her face and fell into it. They simply went through the bone, as if they had no substance. They left no sign of ever existing.

    "What was his name?" Amon asked carefully. It didn''t feel right to not know the expert''s name after all of that.

    "Alexei. Alexei Vine." Lya said softly. Amon nodded in silence before bowing to the skeleton lying in the grave, expressing his gratitude.

    Lya then lowered her hands, making the chunk of earth still floating mid-air fall in place, covering the skeleton.

    All that remained in the isolated space was the lake and the scarred landscape.

    "Let''s go." She said, as her figure slowly blurred and finally dispersed.

    "I''ll be waiting for the day you find an acceptable answer." Her voiced made its way into his mind, melodious and ethereal.

    Amon nodded without saying a word. He knew it was best to not speak. He was also not surprised at Lya''s disappearance, as she was a Sword Spirit. She had just returned to Brightmoon.

    He turned away from the lake, taking firm steps in towards the boundaries of the isolated space.

    ---

    In Hell''s Keeper Mountain, there was a certain room. It''s walls were of a deep blue and the floor was completely black. Runes made of light connected to each other, forming words that slid across the room and twisted around themselves in a strange manner. A thin layer of ice covered everything in the room, and a cold mist made it difficult to see.

    It was an incredibly spacious room, being able to accommodate at least one hundred people. However, only one had the right to use it. A middle-aged man was sitting in the center of the room.

    He had black hair and a straight nose. His features were sharp, and he gave off an oppressive feeling. He wore robes as black as his hair, and a curved saber laid in his crossed legs.

    A layer of frost covered his black hair, and his clothes and his chest wasn''t moving, as if he wasn''t breathing at all. He seemed to be frozen to death. Suddenly, a cracking sound was heard.

    The man slowly opened his eyes, and released a long breath, making a thick white mist flow from his mouth. He slowly raised his hands, looking at a thin golden thread tied around it. Numerous ornaments of different shapes and sizes could be seen attached to the golden thread.

    The man looked closer, and saw that a small, inconspicuous sword-shaped green ornament had cracks in it. After a few moments, it finally gave in and shattered, falling apart.

    The man didn''t mind one bit. He just flickered his finger and sent the remains of the ornament flying to one side of the room. He was just a bit surprised. He didn''t think that his son would manage to hold unto the talisman he had given him for ten whole years. He had completely forgotten the existence of that particular talisman.

    He took a deep breath and returned to his meditation. Unmoving. Unbearably cold. However, it didn''t take long before he was disturbed again.

    A light knock echoed in the room, making the man sigh. He then flickered a finger, making the mist and the frost on him disappear. The layer of ice and the cold in the room, however, remained.

    "Come in." He said, his voice as cold as his surroundings.

    A small door hidden in a corner of the room opened, and a youth entered the room. At first he seemed to be affected by the cold, but a burst of energy exploded from him, and his body started emitting steam as his temperature rose to fight the cold. Every step he took made the ice at his feet melt.

    Looking at this, the man gave a satisfied nod. His son''s progress was fast as usual.

    The youth had black hair and eyes, very similar to the man in front of him. Also very similar to Daniel. He had a handsome face, that exuded an heroic bearing that he could not hide. He had a prideful air about him, but didn''t feel unapproachable.The youth bended a knee and kneeled on the floor.

    "Father." He greeted. His father gave a light nod.

    "You may speak." He said as his son stood up.

    "Daniel is gravely injured. I heard he was attacked by a grown Direwolf in the Scavenging." Jake said, worry all over his face.

    "He did use his talisman¡­" The man said, stroking his chin. His expression hadn''t changed one bit at his son''s words.

    As he realized this, Jake''s expression turned sour, feeling sad for Daniel. Their father was truly a cold man.

    "The Elder Council has issued a hunt mission to take down the beast. I accepted it." He said, still trying to read some emotion from his father. "I''ll be leaving with Karen and Joshua for a few days, so I came by to tell you."

    "What if I say no? You still haven''t finished you final round of purification." The man''s voice was still cold, but a hint of annoyance could be felt in his tone.

    "Well, Master already allowed me to go, so I''ll be off. I just stopped by to notify you." Jake said as he bowed. A half-hearted, shallow bow.

    Then, he turned around to leave, leaving behind a trail of steam and puddles of water as he walked out of the room. His father''s brows pricked up, but before he could say anything, Jake was already gone.

    Jake left the room greatly upset. The only reason he came by was to tell his father about his brother''s predicament, but he got no reaction at all. Was it really worth to value strength to such lengths, to the point of ignoring your own blood?

    Jake started rushing away to the place he would meet up with his companions. He would hunt that Direwolf down, even if to just avenge his brother.

    Towards his older brother, Jake felt a mix of longing, love and pity.

    Towards his father, Jake was starting to feel more and more disappointment.

    Abyss Sect''s Second Protector Lawrence Meyer could only sigh looking at his son. Jake was certainly starting to enter his rebel phase.

    He sat down again and returned to his meditation. A new layer of frost covered him, and the mist covering the room formed anew. This time, no one disturbed him again.

 11 The Sword of the Immortal V

    The sun was starting to set as Amon left the isolated space. Following Lya''s directions, he walked for a few minutes and reached the Red River again, returning to his upstream journey. A red light tinged the muddy waters, making it seem like a river of blood.

    "So you were searching for remnant artifacts of the war¡­" Lya''s voice echoed in his head. Amon had been giving her a brief explanation regarding the Abyss Sect, the Scavenging and what happened to him. She seemed to be pondering over something.

    "Yes. It is a tradition in the Abyss Sect. It happens every five years." He said, not really minding the conversation. He was worried about Daniel. He still didn''t know if he was dead or alive, and where he was.

    "How old is this tradition?" She asked, curious.

    "If I''m not wrong, it has been organized since the creation of the sect. The Founder himself organized the first Scavenging a few years after the War of Falling Leaves that broke this place apart." Amon answered, trying to remember the details.

    "Such a strange thing to do¡­ Who was that Founder you mentioned?"

    "I think his name was Arthur¡­ Arthur Royce." Amon said with a pensive look. The sect''s history was never a worry for those in the Outer Sect. He only knew of such things because his mother had told him so long ago.

    When Lya heard this, she stood in silence. All Amon could hear was the running water of the river and the chirps of birds as he walked through the forest. He had no way to understand what she was thinking, since she hadn''t materialized and he couldn''t see her face. For all intents and purposes, she was just a voice in his head.

    "This Arthur¡­ is he still around? Is he alive?" She finally asked after a long time.

    "I don''t think so. I think he died a few decades ago." He shook his head.

    "I see." Was all Lya said, returning to her silence. Amon could feel some disappointment in her voice. Did she know Arthur? That wasn''t entirely impossible. Amon thought for a while, but decided not to ask. Lya seemed to mostly avoid any subject related to the past.

    The sun set and a full moon shone in the sky, shedding a silvery light over the pitch black forest. Amon didn''t stop for a break and continued walking, using the moonlight and the sound of the river to keep on track. He still felt full of energy thanks to the pill Lya had given him earlier. He decided he would reach the Abyss Sect as fast as possible and ask for help.

    He suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked around, his face pale and full of fear.

    "What happened?" Lya asked, concerned.

    Amon didn''t answer. His hair was standing on end and his body was heating up as his blood churned. He knew this feeling too well by now. He raised his head and looked to his right, in the direction of the trees.

    "Amon?" Lya asked again, turning anxious. She then spread her divine sense outwards, focusing on the direction Amon was looking.

    There was something hiding in the shadows, slowly approaching them. It was limping a bit and a long gash covered in blood could be seen in its right flank.

    Coming in their direction, was a gigantic black wolf.

    ---

    A black shadow hovered above the trees of the forest, blocking the moon. One had to have a sharp eyesight to be able to see it during the night.

    The shadow had the form of a small black ship. It had sharp and defined edges, and the prowl was narrow and long, resembling a spear. If such a vessel smashed against an obstruction, it would certainly open a hole in it. It was a vessel used for combat, focused on speed and offense.

    The vessel could accommodate at most ten passengers, but only three were seen in it. In the prow, a young man in his teens had his eyes closed. His fiery-red hair and his gray clothes fluttered with the wind as the vessel moved forward and a few beads of sweat fell from his youthful face.

    Behind him, a girl with brown hair was leaning over the edge of the vessel, looking down. A frown showed in her pretty face as her dark eyes shone like lanterns with a strange light. She was carefully scrutinizing the trees bellow them, looking for something.

    Further behind, a black haired youth with blue clothes was sitting with his legs crossed in a golden circle in the floor that glowed with a dim light. His eyes didn''t waver and he barely blinked, carefully watching the movements of the one in the prowl.

    The red haired youth slowly raised his right hand, and the black haired one nodded. The vessel slowly tilted right, making a slight turn. As the red haired youth dropped his hand again, the vessel stopped the turn and followed a straight path ahead.

    "Jake, you can stop. We are close." The red haired youth said after some time, his face completely covered in sweat. There was a large stain in his back and his clothes clung to his body.

    Jake, still sitting, nodded and the vessel slowly came to a halt.

    "Eeew. Joshua, you are stinking." The pleasant voice of the girl echoed from the side. Joshua could only sigh and shake his head. Not satisfied with the reaction she got, the girl pouted.

    "Come on Karen, leave him be. Maintaining the divine sense for hours while following a blood trail in the middle of the forest takes a toll on anyone. Joshua did a great job." Jake rebuked her. The girl pouted even further, and turned her head away, mad.

    "I had to keep my Eyes of Clarity for hours and I don''t see you praising me." She said, still refusing to look at him. Hearing this, Jake looked at Joshua, who just shook his shoulders.

    "You know what she wants, this is not my problem." Joshua said, unconcerned. Hearing this, Jake sighed and approached the girl.

    "You did a great job, Karen." He said. The girl turned around, a bright smile on her face.

    "Really?" She asked, her eyes bright.

    "Really." Jake nodded, making her smile turn wider.

    Joshua closed his eyes for a moment and the air around him turned cold. His clothes dampened and slowly turned heavier as water seemingly coming out of nowhere drenched them. The water covered him from head to toe, making him look like he had fallen into a river. He then glanced at Jake and asked, "Help me out here."

    Jake lightly tapped his shoulder, and a cloud of steam rose from Joshua. Soon enough, he was completely dry. Joshua gave him a slap in the back as thanks.

    "We should prepare properly. Even if that Direwolf is hurt, it is still a class 4 spirit beast." Jake said, his tone serious. Joshua placed a hand in a Bottomless Pouch hanging from his waist and took out a silvery short spear. Karen retrieved a black whip from her pouch and tied it to her waist.

    "Where is it, Joshua?" Jake asked, taking a red saber from his own pouch and tying it to his back.

    "It should be at most a few hundred meters ahead of us, close to the river. I could faintly sense it from that direction." Joshua said, pointing straight ahead. "I have no idea why it would go there since his territory should be in the opposite direction."

    "Well, it shouldn''t be here in the first place. It is expected that it would be acting strange." Karen said, looking where Jake was pointing as her eyes began to shine again.

    "It is four hundred meters ahead." She said, squinting her eyes. Then, a look of surprise appeared in her face. "Wait! There is someone there. The Direwolf is heading straight to him."

    "Jake, we have to go now. It is just a boy." Karen said, worried.

    "Then let''s end this beast at once!" Jake said as he controlled the vessel again, sending it speeding in the direction Joshua had pointed.

    ---

    Amon was paralyzed in fear, looking ahead at the growing figure appearing from the trees. His hands were trembling and he couldn''t make his feet move.

    "Calm down." Lya''s voice echoed in his ears. "Don''t make sudden movements, slowly raise your hand and try to unsheathe Brightmoon."

    Her voice was slow and steady, helping to calm Amon down. He slowly managed to raise his right hand to Brightmoon''s hilt, and a low clinging sound started to be produced as the sword trembled in his shaky hands.

    "Wait. Are we going to fight it?" He asked, incredulous.

    "Of course we will."

    "Lya, I am not even able to manipulate Qi, you want me to defeat a grown Direwolf!?"

    "Of course not, I just want you to face it."

    "Why?"

    "Because you are afraid." Her answer was simple, her tone indifferent. She was stating a fact.

    Amon had no time to discuss with her. The Direwolf made its way out of the trees and faced him. Looking at the gash on its flank, Amon''s heart clenched. He was sure it was the same Direwolf they had faced before and that Daniel had certainly caused that terrible wound. However, the Direwolf was alive and Daniel was nowhere to be seen.

    Amon knew that Daniel would never have let that thing get away if he could stop it. That meant that he was either badly injured or¡­

    His grip on the sword tightened. The shaking stopped. The Direwolf looked at him and lowered its enormous body, a low growling coming from its throat as the fur in its back stood erect.

    Lya realized something was strange. She didn''t quite believe Amon when he said he could feel the wolves coming, but something was off. This Direwolf was not hunting them. It was challenging them.

    She suddenly remembered something. Wasn''t his surname Skoller? His ashen hair and golden eyes¡­ Could it really be true? The suspicion she had when he presented himself¡­ If Arthur was the one that founded the Abyss Sect it was very possible that this was the case. She would have to speak about this with Amon later.

    As she was thinking, she noticed that he had stopped trembling. His grip on the sword was so tight his fingers were turning white, and his breathing had turned rough. He looked at the Direwolf with a clear murderous air. It was as if his realization had made his fear melt away and substituted it by sheer rage.

    "Lya." Amon called for her, his tone grave as he unsheathed Brightmoon.

    "Yes?" She asked, uncertain.

    "Can you help me kill it?" He didn''t hide the anger in his voice. Lya shook her head. She couldn''t blame him for the way he was acting, but it just confirmed her previous decision. Amon was indeed far too green.

    "No." Amon was flatly denied by her again. "Do you still want to try to kill him?"

    "I wouldn''t be able to. I would only kill myself." His tone was harsh, but it was in self-loathing. This answer satisfied Lya.

    "Don''t worry, you won''t have to. There is someone coming." Her voice slowly drifted away and she stopped talking. Amon was confused, but he suddenly heard a loud screech coming from somewhere above the trees. The Direwolf too sensed something, as his flaming eyes looked away from Amon and into the sky.

    A gust of wind came out of nowhere and almost blew Amon away as a black ship broke through the trees, sending splinters and leaves everywhere and slamming at the Direwolf at an incredible speed. Amon could see three passengers on the ship for the split second he had a good look on it amidst the chaos.

    The Direwolf managed to jump back, barely dodging the attack. The black ship struck the ground, sinking straight into it and opening a huge hole. The ground quaked, making the trees rustle and Amon almost lose his balance. The three passengers jumped off as soon as the surprise attack failed, avoiding the crashing of the ship.

    Amon was surprised when he saw it. A spirit vessel made for combat like that was worth a fortune. The three youths that jumped from it were certainly not ordinary people.

    The black-haired youth seemed to be the leader, as he gave orders as soon as they landed on the ground. "Karen, stay at the back and cover me. Joshua, you go to the left. Hide in the trees and wait for the opening I will give you."

    The red-haired youth nodded and sped up to the forest, never giving his back to the Direwolf that was looking at then carefully. Its chest expanded abruptly and it let out a howl.

    "AWOOOOOOO"

    When Amon saw that the howl was coming, he covered his ears and braced himself. However, it was unnecessary. The girl, Karen, hastily waved her hands and the air seemed to freeze. Thanks to the dust and dirt that the ship had thrown in the air as it fell, Amon could actually see what was happening.

    The air around them turned completely still, almost as if a bubble was formed. The air blown away in the howl seemingly brushed past this bubble and no sound was heard at all. There was also no impact. It was almost as if the Direwolf had not howled at all.

    "Wind cultivator!" Amon exclaimed as he looked at the back of the girl. One would only be able to gain control over the elements when they reached the Elemental Purification realm. This girl certainly had affinity with wind.

    The Direwolf was still howling, but seemed to be almost finished.

    "Jake, now!" The girl exclaimed. The black haired youth jumped ahead, unsheathing the saber at his back in a fluid motion.

    Bright red flames covered his saber and his body as he shot forward like a fireball. The Direwolf couldn''t react in time and Jake smashed into it, sinking his saber in its flesh. A terrible smell of smoke and burnt flesh invaded Amon''s nostrils as Jake retreated, still holding his saber.

    The Direwolf''s fur on his left flank was charred and the saber had left a deep wound in it. It wouldn''t be able to properly move now that both his flanks were injured. Its movements would certainly turn even clumsier and his reactions would be slower. The Direwolf growled in anger, fury making his red eyes burn even more as he faced Jake. This moment was enough.

    Joshua appeared like a ghost from the trees, his short spear in hand as he accurately pierced the Direwolf''s already injured right flank. The spear sank all the way into the body of the beast and Joshua couldn''t rip it away as the Direwolf bit at him. Joshua let go of the spear and kicked its exposed handle, making it sink even further and propelling him away from the Direwolf''s attack.

    The moment Joshua had struck the Direwolf, Jake moved again, making use of the opening created as soon as the beast turned to bite Joshua. This time, he went for the kill. His flaming saber pierced the Direwolf''s exposed neck. Jake was actually surprised as he couldn''t manage a clean cut. The saber was stuck in the Direwolf''s neck and Jake''s legs were dangling in the air as he didn''t let go of it.

    The Direwolf leaned its body, preparing to smash into the ground and crush Jake with its weight. A loud crackle was heard and the beast howled as its left eye started to bleed, taking a step back. In front of Amon, Karen was holding a whip firmly in her hands, prepared to strike again.

    Jake let out a breath of relief as he saw he had been saved on the nick of time. He used all his strength to raise his legs and support them in the Direwolf''s neck. Then, he pushed out with them, almost as if he was jumping.

    The saber worked as a lever, and the blade stuck inside the wolf finally managed to cut down, opening a huge gash in its neck. Jake was covered in an ocean of blood as he turned in the air and lost his balance when the saber cut its way out of the Direwolf''s flesh and he lost his support. When he was about to land painfully on his back, a gust of wind blew bellow him, greatly reducing the impact as he fell.

    Jake had to hand it to Karen, she had saved him twice today. A huge thud echoed as the Direwolf finally fell to the ground, raising a cloud of dust. It was still alive, even if in its last breaths.

    Jake slowly walked to it, saber in hand, prepared to deal the final blow.

    "Wait!" A juvenile voice made him stop. He turned back and saw the boy they had saved running towards him, holding a sword in his tiny hands. His ashen hair had a silver glow under the moonlight and his eyes looked like molten gold.

    "Let me do it." The boy asked.

    "Why would I? We defeated it." Jake answer was direct, and he was annoyed. The boy didn''t even thanked them for saving his life and was even making demands instead!

    "It¡­ it probably killed a friend of mine. This is personal." Amon said, downcast.

    "Who was this friend of yours?" Jake couldn''t help but ask. His brother was still alive. If the Direwolf had indeed killed someone else, Jake wouldn''t mind letting the boy finish him off.

    "Daniel. Daniel Meyer." Amon answered with no hesitation.

    To his surprise, Jake was taken aback by his answer.

    "You know Daniel?" Amon asked, uncertain.

    "Of course I do." Jake let out a sigh. "That fool is my older brother."

    "Daniel has a brother? Wait, why are you here? Do you know what happened to him?" Amon was the one surprised this time.

    "Daniel is gravely injured, but he has a good chance of making it. An Elder was close when Daniel fought with the Direwolves and managed to bring him back to the sect in time. A hunting mission was issued to take the Direwolf down." Jake explained. "As his brother, I naturally accepted it."

    Amon was relieved when he heard that. His legs gave in and he fell to the ground as all the tension in his body disappeared.

    "That is great." He managed to say with shaky voice. Jake patted him on the back, an awkward look on his face. Karen was holding back her laughter as she saw his expression.

    "Well, I already took that thing down, I don''t mind if you finish it." Jake was really feeling strange. He was Daniel''s brother, but he ended up having to comfort this kid he just met a few minutes ago.

    "Sorry about that." Amon said as he recovered. He held Brightmoon tightly as he walked to the Direwolf.

    Its black fur was either covered in fresh blood or charred. A strong burnt smell exuded from it and its breaths were shallow and irregular. Amon stopped close to its head, looking straight at its eyes. The red eyes were already dimming, like a flame going out.

    Amon said nothing, simply raising Brightmoon. It''s edge hovered above the Direwolf''s neck and reflected the silver light of the moon, seeming to glow. A sharp, cold glow. The sword was trembling slightly as Amon''s hands started shaking.

    "Why hesitate now? You already made your choice." Lya''s words echoed in his ears. AMon took a deep breath and steeled himself.

    The sword came down, and Amon put all of his weight into it. Surprisingly, it cut at the Direwolf''s neck like hot butter. The sword sank in the beast''s flesh, leaving only the hilt exposed.

    The Direwolf shivered once. Amon looked intently at the huge red eye that was close to him. It was a clear, limpid eye. Amon could faintly see his reflection on it as the its light faded and the Direwolf stopped moving.

    Amon didn''t move too, still staring at the lifeless eyes. Staring at himself. His ashen hair was a mess, and his golden eyes showed hesitation.His face was pale and he looked frightened. Amon could only see a small and scared boy reflected in those lifeless eyes of the Direwolf.

    "No more." He said to himself.

    He let out a long breath and recovered Brightmoon from the Direwolf''s neck. He cleaned its blade in the Direwolf''s fur before sheathing it again.

    Jake nodded seeing this. He then sent a glance to Joshua, that took a shiny knife out of his Bottomless Pouch and approached the Direwolf.

    Amon slowly returned to his side.

    "Thank you." He said.

    Jake nodded. He found strange that the boy could pierce the Direwolf''s neck so easily, but he didn''t inquire further. He walked over to the spirit vessel that was impaled on the ground and jumped on it, making his way to the golden circle that was still exposed.

    As he touched it, the vessel shook and started floating again, freeing itself from the hole it had buried. Surprisingly, it was completely undamaged, as if he had never crashed on the ground.

    The spirit vessel slowly approached them. Karen offered a hand to Amon. He accepted it and she held him in her arms as she jumped on the vessel. Joshua followed suit, his hands covered in blood, holding his short spear in one hand and a black crystal the size of a grown man''s fist in the other.

    "Let''s go home." Jake said as soon as he saw that everyone was onboard.

    The spirit vessel rose above the trees and made a sharp turn before speeding off to the distance.

 12 A Sword Cultivator I

    The sun was rising in the sky as the spirit vessel made its way into Hell''s Keeper Mountain. Like a shadow, it silently pierced through the clouds and flew to the top of the mountain.

    When they were getting close to the peak, the vessel suddenly tilted to the left, guiding them to what looked like a village. It was a few times bigger than the Northern Station, and every single building seemed to be more expensive than anything Amon had ever seen in the Outer Sect. It was certainly a place reserved for the elite of the Abyss Sect.

    It was Sky Reach Village, a place where only the High Elders that were part of the Elder Council and the Protectors of the sect, together with their families, could live in.

    If Amon was suspecting before, now he was sure. Jake was indeed Sect Master Borgin''s disciple. Karen and Joshua most likely didn''t fall far behind in terms of status.

    The spirit vessel circled around the village for a moment as Jake tried to find a good angle to land. They had a good view of the shiny mansions and pavilions bellow.

    This village would never leave Amon''s memories. He had lived in Sky Reach Village when he was younger and his father was still part of the sect.

    He unconsciously looked at an inconspicuous building at a corner of the village. A serene and cold voiced echoed in his mind, from the depths of his memories:

    "I need you to be brave, son." As he remembered his father''s words, chills went down his spine. He could almost feel the pain of that day again.

    The black spirit vessel slowed down as it approached a golden platform in the boundaries of the village. A few other spirit vessels were atop the platform, having varied sizes and shapes.

    Jake carefully controlled the landing, making it as smooth as possible. Amon was a bit surprised seeing this, considering how Jake didn''t hesitate to smash the vessel into the ground in an attempt to kill the Direwolf.

    When the vessel finally stopped, Jake got up from the golden circle and smiled to Amon. "We are here. Karen, take care of Amon for a bit, I''ll go report with Joshua."

    Karen nodded. Jake left with the taciturn Joshua and left Amon with Karen.

    "Come with me, Amon, I''ll take you to a nice place to eat." Karen gave a sweet smile and took Amon away.

    They went to a red and shiny building. It was only two stories tall, but considering the size of the village, it was enough. A small board hanged above the doors, saying "Sky Reach Restaurant".

    "This place has some really good food, Amon. You can order anything, it is my treat." Karen said as they walked in. The inside of the restaurant was tidy and neat. A few tables made of expensive wood were distributed in the ground floor, glossy and spotless. A few servants were waiting behind a balcony, wearing azure robes and standing in place with a perfect posture.

    "Young miss Karen, welcome back." And old servant made his way to them from behind the balcony wearing an amiable smile. "Would you like the same table as always?"

    "Yes, please." Karen said. The servant bowed and showed them to their table, but the strange way he looked at Amon didn''t escape Karen''s eyes.

    Karen thought it was expected, considering that this was Amon''s first time in the place and the servant certainly didn''t know him. Plus, his clothes were a mess, and his hair and eyes were a bit bizarre.

    Amon''s thoughts were different from Karen''s, mostly because he had visited this restaurant all the time when he was younger. He actually recognized this servant.

    He was Old Lu, and he had been working at Sky Reach Restaurant for decades, always serving the most powerful people in the sect. He probably found Amon familiar but couldn''t recognize him, giving the five years they hadn''t seen each other and Amon''s change of hair and eye color.

    Amon was feeling nostalgic as they sat in a table in a corner. He took Brightmoon off his back and let it stand against the wall, close to his feet. Karen politely ordered a few pork ribs and looked at Amon, telling him to order something.

    Amon pondered for a moment, but he had already decided what he wanted to order. "I''ll have some rice cakes." He said in a calm manner.

    Old Lu nodded and left them alone as he made his way to the kitchen. Amon looked at Karen wanting to say something, but was hesitant to do so. It didn''t go unnoticed, as Karen looked at him and said "Tell me what''s on your mind."

    "To be honest, I''m quite impressed by the way you and your friends treated me." Amon was blunt and honest. Not only did they save his life, they also took him to Sky Reach Village when they could just have dropped him off at the sect''s gates, if not leaving him alone in the Broken Forest. Now, Karen was even treating him to food.

    "I''m also not so sure. I understand why you would be feeling that way, and I don''t mind speaking or treating with respect anyone on this sect, but I know I am not the norm in the Inner Sect." Karen said after thinking for a moment. "But I do admit that bringing you here was a bit too much."

    "If I had to take a guess¡­ I would say it is because of his brother." She said, with a wry smile on her face." Jake really likes his brother and just doesn''t see him because his father always gets in the way. I think he was really surprised by the way you acted"

    Amon''s ears turned red as he heard this, and he remembered the way he just fell to the ground when he heard Daniel was alive.

    "Daniel never told me about his family. Actually, he always avoided the subject completely." Amon said. "But I''m sure he likes Jake too." He added hastily, thinking he was making Daniel look bad.

    "Well, it is understandable. From what Jake told me, Daniel acting like that is not strange at all." As Karen was saying that, Old Lu returned with two plates in his hands. One with steaming hot pork ribs and one with a large serving of rice cakes. He left the food on the table and respectably left again.

    "Go on, dig in." Karen said, not standing to ceremony. She took a rib and carefully nibbled it, trying her best to not let anything fall in her clothes. Amon sheepishly extended a hand to the plate with rice cakes and took one.

    He took a bite, enjoying the rich taste of the food. It was really nostalgic. He loved when his mother brought him here to eat rice cakes every week. He started feeling warmth in his chest. He really missed his mother.

    Before he realized, he had wolfed down half of the plate. Karen laughed seeing his desolate expression, but Amon didn''t take another rice cake from the plate. Instead, he asked Old Lu to wrap up the remaining rice cakes so he could take them to his mother when he returned home.

    As they finished eating, they stood up and Amon retrieved Brightmoon, tying it to his back again. He was finding it strange that Lya had been silent ever since he got into the spirit vessel to return to the sect, but he couldn''t just ask her in front of Karen.

    Amon carefully held the silky cloth with the rice cakes and stashed it in his clothes. As Karen led him away, Jake and Joshua were coming in their direction.

    "How was it?" Karen asked when she saw them.

    "Just fine. We got ten thousand contribution points from the bounty and three thousand for the spirit core Joshua retrieved from it." He said, doing some calculations. "Adding up, it should be three thousand and a few hundreds to each one."

    "That doesn''t add up at all! What kind of math is this?" Karen asked, confused.

    "Of course it does. We are dividing it by four." Jake replied. This time, Amon was confused. Why would they do something like this?

    Before he could deny the contribution points they were giving him, Jake cut him off. "You faced that thing twice and even managed to distract it enough for us to try that surprise attack. Not only that, you dealt the finishing blow. It is only fair."

    Jake was twisting the situation around so it would look like Amon had been a huge part of the battle. As Amon opened his mouth to say something, Karen subtly poked him with her elbow, hinting at him to keep silent and accept.

    To be fair, even if Jake didn''t tell her about this before, she didn''t mind. She would never be lacking in contribution points and this mission was an unexpected benefit.

    Adding to that, the greatest reason they were allowed to go in this mission was to get experience fighting spirit beasts, not to get contribution points.She knew Joshua had also accepted this distribution of points, as he was even more unconcerned about such things than she was.

    "I¡­" Amon was still reluctant to accept such favor, but Jake threw a glowing ball he took from his clothes at Amon. "Touch your contribution card with it and the points will be added."

    Amon clumsily managed to hold the ball. When looked at Jake''s eyes, he gave up declining the favor. Turns out Jake was as stubborn as Daniel when his mind was set on something. They were really alike in some ways.

    "Thank you all." Was all Amon could say. Karen smiled and Joshua just shook his shoulders. Jake gave him a slap on the back.

    "Come on, I''ll find someone to take you home." He said, taking Amon away. Amon hastily thanked Karen for the food as he left.

    "I''m sorry about this, but I can''t take you home by myself. I can only leave the village on missions and my father is quite rigid regarding such matters." Jake sighed.

    "Not at all. Thank you for going through all of this trouble for me." Amon said. "By the way¡­"

    "You want to know about Daniel, right?" Jake read his mind. Amon nodded.

    "He is in the Medical Pavilion. We can''t visit him as of now. And since you won''t be able to return here, I think you will only be able to see him when he is able to return home." Jake said with a sorry expression. "I''m sorry, but I think it will take a few months."

    Amon was downcast hearing this, but it was for the best. At least Daniel was alive. "Please tell him that I''m sorry about what happened. And that I''m really thankful for what he did and happy that he is alive."

    "Heh, Daniel has a really good friend." Jake said with a smile after hearing Amon''s words.

    "He is also a good friend. A great one." Amon replied. "And you also have some good friends from what I could see."

    Jake laughed hearing that. He was starting to really like this kid.

    They walked to the golden platform where the spirit vessels where landed. Jake quietly approached a white-clothed man and traded a few words with him. After a while he called Amon to join them.

    "Luke here will take you home. Just tell him where you want him to drop you off and he will take you there." Jake said.

    "Thank you for everything, Jake. Please thank Karen and Joshua again too." Amon said, genuinely grateful.

    Jake smiled again hearing that, and gave Amon another slap on the back. "You worry too much kid. You should be more carefree." He then looked Amon in the eye, unblinking. "I hope you continue being a good friend to my brother. And I hope that one day you join the Inner Sect so we can see each other again."

    "I''ll do my best to get in the Inner Sect. And I give you my word that I''ll always be a good friend to Daniel." Amon didn''t flinch as he answered that. His golden eyes shone with assurance as he spoke.

    Jake nodded. "I''ll wait for you." He said, turning around and leaving.

    Luke quietly approached Amon. "Where should I take you, sir?" He asked.

    "You can leave me in the Northern Station, if it isn''t much trouble." Amon replied.

    Luke then guided him to a small spirit vessel. It was even smaller than the one Jake had used, and was completely white. Amon got on board and Luke took off.

    ---

    "Are you there, Lya?" Amon asked, concerned as he walked home. Luke had dropped him off close to the Northern Station. He didn''t fly into it at Amon''s request, as he didn''t want to attract too much attention.

    "Of course I am!" Lya''s voice echoed in his head, excited.

    "Then why didn''t you speak before?" He asked, confused.

    "Because I didn''t want you to sound insane to your new friends, talking to yourself and all."

    "If you say so¡­" He said, dropping the matter. "You heard everything that happened, right?"

    "Yes, I did. Why?"

    "Just to be sure." Amon said, and turned quiet, leaving Lya confused.

    Soon enough, he reached his shabby house. He made his way in, not trying to keep his silence at all. He went past the living room and stood at his mother''s door. He gently knocked it twice, before a familiar voice answered as always.

    "Come in." The warm and gentle voice invited him in.

    Amon opened the door, seeing his mother lying in the bed, looking at him.

    "You should only be back tomorrow. What happened?" She asked, but soon her brows furrowed slightly.

    She saw Amon''s clothes that were still in tatters. His hair wasn''t dyed anymore and anyone could see the ashen color it had. On his back, there was a sword she had never seen in her life, and in his finger, there was a strange crystalline ring. Even stranger than that, she didn''t see Daniel.

    Amon threw himself in her embrace, just like he had done a few days ago after he met Erin. This time, however, he didn''t cry. He just hugged her tightly.

    She returned the hug, slowly patting his back and ruffling his hair. Even if he wasn''t crying, she could feel that her son was having a hard time controlling his emotions.

    After a while they separated. Her eyes were calm, albeit full of worry. His eyes were red, full of pain.

    "Can you tell me what happened?" Rebecca asked, concerned. She growing anxious, and remembered the bad feeling she had the day Amon left. She quietly grasped the green necklace under the sheets.

    Amon slowly told her all that happened from the moment he and Daniel left the house. When she heard about the Direwolf, her face paled and she hugged Amon again, almost suffocating him.

    "I''m sorry." She said as silent tears fell from her eyes. Still being hugged, Amon continued recounting what happened. When he was about to tell about the isolated space, Lya''s voice interrupted him.

    "Don''t tell anyone about that lake! Just tell her you found a corpse lying around with the sword." Her voice was urgent. Amon hesitated for a moment, but then quietly nodded. If word ever got out about that isolated space, there might be trouble. Even more so if someone found out about Lya. It would be better if he didn''t get his mother involved.

    "Then, I was walking back, I stumbled upon a corpse¡­" He slightly altered the story and told her everything that happened afterwards. How he stumbled upon the Direwolf again and how Jake and his friends saved him.

    His mother hugged him with even more strength at each word he spoke, clearly worried. When he finished the story, he took the pack of rice cakes from his clothes.

    "Here, I managed to save these from the restaurant in Sky Reach." He said, offering her the rice cakes.

    Rebecca put her hands on his face and gave him a long kiss in his forehead before saying, "I love you."

    "I love you too, mom."

    They ate the rice cakes together and talked for a long time. Rebecca never once touched on the matter of what he would do with the ring or the sword, as she decided to let him choose. In the end, Amon stayed in her room until it was almost sunset, when he left to whip up some dinner using the food Daniel had given her before the Scavenging.

    He quietly brought the food to his mother, and then left to his room. He sat on the black mat on the floor, took Brightmoon from his back and laid it in his crossed legs.

    "You saw my mother, didn''t you, Lya?" He suddenly asked.

    "Yes, I did." She said in a low voice.

    "Do you know how she ended up like that?" Amon made a question, but Lya didn''t need to answer.

    "It was five years ago, in the last Scavenging. My father had just left us and a lot of things I couldn''t understand were happening to us. We had to move from Sky Reach to the Outer Sect, and a lot of strange people visited our house everyday." He said, his voice full of sadness.

    "I really wanted to go to the Scavenging that year, because I wanted to find a huge artifact and sell it for a fortune, so my mother wouldn''t have to worry so much."

    "She didn''t want me to go. She was worried for me, and probably had too much in her hands and couldn''t waste four days for nothing." He took a brief pause, as if fighting hard to choose the words to say. "In the end, she gave in."

    "In the first three days, nothing happened, and we also found nothing. On the fourth day, a Silverback Wolf found us." He looked up as he said that, and looked at the ceiling.

    "An interesting fact about Silverback Wolves is that, even if they are class 6 spirit beasts, they are nowhere near as big as Direwolves. The Silverback Wolf that attacked us would be able to enter this room without a problem." Amon said, looking around. That Silverback Wolf had been only two meters high and four meters long.

    "What they do have to compensate their size, is speed and strength. This is important, because even if my mother was stronger than it, she wasn''t faster. If she was alone, she could have made it retreat, even if she sustained some injuries. At the very least she could hit him hard and escape, and the wolf would hardly follow her." He had a blank look in his face as he spoke, almost as if he was trying to distance himself and present the facts.

    "The problem is that my mother had to focus on protecting me that day. She couldn''t show her full strength because I was close, and she couldn''t outrun the wolf. All she could do was fight with a gigantic disadvantage."

    "You already saw the end result." Amon finished speaking. Lya was still silent, quietly listening.

    "Five years ago, my mother was crippled because of me. Yesterday, Daniel almost died because of me." He said, holding Brightmoon tightly.

    "That happened because I was weak, Lya. Because I couldn''t protect myself" He raised the sword, looking intently at it, almost as if he could see Lya inside it.

    "Please, help me become strong enough to protect myself, so such things will never happen again!" He pleaded, almost begging.

    What answered him was only silence.

    Amon could only loathe himself. What utter foolishness. He shook his head, disappointed.

    At that moment, however, a melodious voice made its way into his mind.

    "This is a reason I can accept."

 13 A Sword Cultivator II

    "Really?" Amon asked, dumbstruck.

    "Yes. This is a reason for becoming strong that I can accept." Lya said seriously. The sun had already set, and silver moonlight illuminate his room through the open window. Amon left a long shadow on the floor. Specs of the silver light started gathering in front of Amon and Lya''s beautiful figure materialized in front of him.

    "There is a huge difference between wanting to be strong to protect others and being strong to protect yourself." She looked at Amon intently, her blues eyes seemed to glow in the dim room. As she moved around, the light seemed to pass through her, and no shadow could be seen at her feet.

    "It is related to the question you made me, right? When you asked me what I would do if the people I wanted to protect died." Amon asked. Lya gave a satisfied smile hearing this. Even though he didn''t understand the difference in full, he had some grasp of it.

    "The difference is in your motivations being dependent on others." She explained. This was something he needed to understand.

    "It is okay to rely on others, but some things we must do for no one but ourselves." Her blue eyes didn''t blink as she stared Amon. "Cultivation is one of such things."

    "Humans are fickle, Amon. You never know what one might do, because one can ever truly completely understand another human. You might know them for years, decades, or even centuries, and they might still surprise you when you least expect." Her voice trembled a bit as she said that. She looked down and had a wry smile on her face.

    "Humans are ever changing, and so are their motivations. And when you don''t know what motivations they have, you don''t really know what to expect from them, nor can you know how far they are willing to go for such motivations."

    "Some humans don''t even know themselves, so how would others understand them?"

    "As such, the search of strength, longevity and knowledge that is cultivation must be exclusive to one''s self. Because you never know what will happen, nor do you know how and when fate will sever the ties you have with others." As she finished speaking, her eyes showed a deep sadness. This is how the world worked and to survive in it, one must understand this. "The only person that will always accompany you while you are alive is yourself. That being the case, you must cultivate for you and you only."

    Amon was in deep thought as he heard her words. He might not understand all of what she meant, but he understood the essence of it. He couldn''t help but think of his father. He realized he never really knew him. If he did, maybe things wouldn''t have turned out the way they did.

    "Well, the first thing we must do now is¡­" Lya clapped her hands, excitement showing in her face. Amon grew expectant. "For you to explain to me how cultivation works."

    He almost fell to the ground when he heard that. What the hell?

    "What do you mean? Don''t you know about cultivation?" He was incredulous.

    "I do, but I don''t quite understand how you people cultivate nowadays. From what I understand, in this sect you are all Elemental Cultivators?" Lya asked, dead serious.

    "Yes, we are. But isn''t that the norm? How can you not know about this?" Amon was confused.

    "Brat, I''ve been isolated for hundreds of years. Do you expect me know anything at all related to recent times? From what I know, Elemental Cultivation was supposed to be an alternative path, and quite a weak one at that." She was starting to get annoyed.

    "What was cultivated in your time, then?" Amon asked. Lya had implied

    "The soul." Lya''s answer was simple, but made Amon dumbstruck. He had never heard of Soul Cultivators.

    Seeing Amon''s confusion, Lya sighed. This was to be expected, given the situation, but a few doubts remained. Wasn''t Arthur one of the most powerful Soul Cultivators that ever existed? How could Amon be a part of the sect he founded and not know about Soul Cultivation?

    "Looks like we have a lot to explain to each other." Lya said, her brows furrowed, still thinking about what could have happened. "You can go first."

    Amon nodded. "Well, I guess I''ll explain the realms." He said, stroking his chin and thinking.

    "It starts with Qi Gathering. In this realm, we must feel the worldly Qi, manipulate it, and finally absorb it, making it flow through our meridians and gathering it in the dantian." Lya nodded. It seemed that she knew about this too.

    "After that is Body Tempering. A normal person wouldn''t be able to execute the techniques that use Qi, as it would ruin their bodies. As such, you can consider Body Tempering a preparatory realm."

    "In this realm, cultivators systematically hurt themselves and channel specific techniques to heal faster and perfect their bodies in the process. There is a lot of differences in strength in this realm, as the techniques and how much a cultivator is willing to temper his body all affect the final results."

    "The consensus is that once a cultivator goes through the first round of tempering he reached the initial stages. His strength will then be measured and when he becomes five times as strong, he will be in middle stages.When he becomes ten times as strong, he will be in the late stages."

    "I know of Body Tempering too." Lya said.

    "The next realm is the Elemental Purification realm. Each person has elemental affinities, and a Elemental Cultivator must purify the Qi in their bodies to match the element they have highest affinity with. This way, they can quickly execute techniques with their own reserves of Qi, not needing to gather it from the surroundings and extracting the elemental energy they need from it."

    "For that, they absorb Qi in special locations where it is naturally aligned with such element, or absorb Qi from special Elemental Crystals to speed up the process. The stages are defined by how full their dantian is with purified Qi. Up until one third is the initial stages. From that to two thirds is middle stages and after that is late stages." Amon said.

    "Then, one must use the elemental Qi to condense their Elemental Cores. The degree to which they managed to purify the Qi and how much their dantian can handle changes the quality and size of the core, so we also have great differences in strength."

    "Elemental Cores can automatically purify the gathered Qi and compress it, so a Elemental Core cultivator has a lot more power than any cultivator at Elemental Purification and they can also fight for longer periods of time."

    "After that is the Divine Foundation realm, but I know nothing of it." Amon finally finished his explanation, letting out a long breath. Lya had a pensive look on her face.

    "Wait, so every cultivator only uses one element?" Lya asked, a strange expression on her face. Amon nodded in response, making her frown.

    "There are special cases when one''s affinity is high with more than one element. I heard rumors that a very small number of people managed to cultivate more than one at the same time, and that they were quite stronger than usual cultivators, but I never saw one." He answered. Such cases would be extremely rare.

    "What about Natural Laws?" Was Lya''s next question. Her frown turned greater every time Amon explained something.

    "Natural Laws? I think it is related to Divine Foundation, but I''m not sure¡­" He had heard of it before, but he didn''t know anything about it. "What of it?"

    Lya gave a long sigh. "Alright, I can kind of get the picture here."

    She closed her eyes for a moment, thinking deeply. When she opened then again, her gaze was firm with resolution. "Amon, what I''m about to teach you must never leave these walls. You must never speak of this to anyone, or you might put yourself at risk."

    Amon turned serious hearing this. He gave a light nod.

    "Let''s start from the beginning. What do you know about the soul?" She asked, her eyes unblinking, her face serious, just like a teacher.

    "The soul¡­ is us, right?" He said, unsure. "Is where our consciousness resides. It is our soul that goes through the cycle of reincarnation as we die."

    "That is mostly correct, but also terribly lacking." Lya nodded hearing his words. She was already expecting this. "What do you know about Qi?"

    "Qi is the origin of everything we have here. It is from the Qi that all matter is created and all elements are derived. All of the phenomena in this world is a manifestation of the Qi that permeates it." Amon gave a textbook answer. His face was blank as he recited what he heard from his mother years ago.

    "That is a good answer. Now tell me, how can cultivators control Qi?" Lya looked at him, waiting for his answer.

    "We expand our divine sense to perceive the Qi. Then we¡­ control it." He said after pondering for a moment. Lya smiled hearing that. The conversation was going the way she wanted.

    "Then what is the divine sense?" She asked, still with the same expression, analyzing him as he answered.

    "I¡­ I don''t know. I never thought of it" He lowered his head, a bit ashamed. This was supposed to be basic, wasn''t it?

    "Then, allow me to explain to you." The conversation reached the point she wanted.

    "Both the soul and the Qi have similar origins. Because of that, they share a deep connection. It is because you have a soul that you can sense Qi. It is not something special in any way. This divine sense is just you perceiving the world through your soul." She looked at him, already expecting the question he would make.

    "If that is the case, then why can''t all people develop a divine sense? Why isn''t everyone a cultivator?" He asked, confused. That didn''t make much sense.

    "Everyone can be a cultivator. It is just that their souls are weaker than yours. Some people are simply born with stronger souls. They have a head-start of sorts. Even so, everyone strengthen their souls during their life, even if they don''t realize it." Her answer was simple. She was still looking at him, trying to see how much he was understanding of what she explained. She slowly opened her hands and the air above her palms seemed to ripple.

    "As you develop your soul, you will feel and control Qi more easily. You will be able to understand Qi better, how it transforms, how it changes the world around it. These are the Natural Laws. And if you understand them, you will be able to emulate them." A small flame appeared over one of her hands. Its light overtook the moonlight, painting the room in an orange color. Dark shadows started dancing in the room as the flame flickered.

    "If your soul becomes strong enough, you might even be able to look at the Foundations and better comprehend the Natural Laws. This is what we Soul Cultivators do. This is what cultivation should be. Understanding what is around you and ultimately being able to influence everything that you wish. Change it at will. Create or destroy." The flames in her hand grew and started flickering, changing colors. The orange light turned red, then green, and then a blinding white.

    "This world is ours, Amon. What you do is entirely up to you. And that is why cultivators are so dangerous. One cultivator alone can completely ruin the balance of the world if he is strong enough." As she said that, the flames suddenly froze in place. They were still shining, but they didn''t move, nor did they flicker. It was almost as if they turned solid, frozen in time, making for a bizarre sight.

    As Amon looked at them, they suddenly turned gray and started falling apart, like glass shattering. The flames ultimately dispersed in specs of light that floated through the room before disappearing. Amon was impressed. He had never even imagined such phenomena.

    Amon was in deep silence after hearing what she said, in daze. Lya''s words were too overbearing, too absurd. Yet, he knew them to be true. He had seen the strange flames in her hands and he somehow was sure no Fire Cultivator he heard of could do that.

    "Any questions?" She asked, smiling widely, her eyes glowing with a strange light.

    "You said the soul and the Qi have similar origins. What did you mean by that?" He finally managed to ask.

    "You can say they originated from the same place, although ''place'' wouldn''t be the right word. I can''t go into detail because I myself am not too sure. This has always been one of the great mysteries of this world, and spawned countless studies and theories." She tilted her head, looking up as she formulated the answer.

    "What are these Foundations you spoke of?" He asked again, his golden eyes shining with curiosity.

    "Do you know the Divine Language?" Lya questioned him instead of answering.

    "I know about it." He nodded, a weary expression showing on his face.

    He didn''t knew the Divine Language, but he had seen it. He remembered the day his father left. The day his father put him inside that golden circle filled with runes of light that connected twisted around each other in strange ways. Divine Language was the basis for any array formation like the one his father used.

    The Divine Language channeled the Qi in such an array formation and produced the desired effect. Maybe it did have something to do with the so-called Natural Laws?

    "The Divine Language has this name for a reason. They say it is the language of the Creator. The Foundations are nothing more than a higher level of perception that the divine sense can reach."

    "The Divine Language is the prose that wrote this world, Amon. When we peer into the Foundations, we can read it, understand it." She had a dreamy expression as she explained. In truth, these words weren''t hers. Still, they brought back good memories. "But this is a matter for another day. You are far from the level you need to reach to worry about such things."

    Hearing that, Amon couldn''t help but sulk a little.

    "From all of that, I believe you can understand my point." Lya completely ignored his sulking and continued, still smiling.

    "While a Elemental Cultivator might be able to control one element, a Soul Cultivator can control them all as long as he comprehends the Natural Laws. The only advantage Elemental Cultivators ever had over Soul Cultivators is the speed at which they can attack and control the Natural Laws respective to their elements. This is why Elemental Cultivation has always been an alternative and nothing more." Her smile turned into one of derision.

    She raised her hands again. The same small flame lit up in her right hand. Then, on her left, the air started swirling, forming a miniscule hurricane. Amon''s eyes bulged seeing that. She really could control more than one element.

    "With that, I believe the basics are covered. Again, never repeat to anyone what I just told you." Amon nodded repeatedly at her words, assuring her.

    Lya smiled. A strange, restrained smile, almost as if she was thinking of a joke only she knew of and she didn''t want Amon to know. Her blue eyes had a glint of expectation on them. This smile gave Amon chills.

    "Well then, let''s get started!"

 14 A Sword Cultivator III

    "I already explained why we Soul Cultivators cultivate the soul. Now, I need to teach you how we do that." Lya said, dispersing the flames and the swirl of air in her hands.

    "After countless years of study, it was discovered that the soul is divided in two parts. Firstly, we have the core, that we call the Truesoul. It is in the Truesoul that our ''self'' is developed, and is where our wills originate."

    "Surrounding the Truesoul, we have what we call the Nebula. It is nothing more than the energy and vibrations your thoughts and feelings produce." Her hands were still raised, and what seemed to be a small white ball slowly took form in her hands. It shone with a silvery-blue light, looking like a star.

    "When your soul becomes strong enough to perceive other souls, you will see the Nebula as some kind of mist swirling around the Truesoul. That is why it has this name." As she explained, a white mist formed around the ball, covering it. All one could see inside the mist was a blurry silvery glow.

    "The Nebula is the bridge between the Truesoul and the physical world. It is how your Truesoul affects the physical plane."

    "In the cycle of reincarnation, your Truesoul is wiped clean of the memories and will contained in it, and your Nebula is erased before the Truesoul is sent back to the world, into a new living being." The mist was erased, and the glowing ball was revealed again, but dimmed considerably.

    "Soul Cultivation is nothing more than to use the energy in the Nebula to nourish the Truesoul, making it grow. This process happens naturally over the course of one''s life,but is really slow. The degree to which one''s Truesoul grows naturally is entirely dependent on how much they have been through in life."

    "How much they felt. How much they loved, hated and suffered. How much they cried and how much they laughed." As she said that, the mist formed again around the ball, this time much thinner than before. As it slowly grew thicker and thicker, the ball started to get brighter and brighter and seemed to be slowly growing as the mist increased.

    "Still, there is a limit. Soul Cultivation speeds this process and allows us to break this limit." Suddenly, the glowing ball started absorbing the mist, and its size grew considerably in a matter of seconds.

    There was almost no mist remaining around the ball, making Amon frown. "The mist is almost gone. If that is the case, then¡­"

    Lya shook her head, knowing what he meant. "Soul Cultivators naturally have an almost perfect control of their emotions after they reach a certain point in their cultivation. Because of that, they might strike as excessively cold and indifferent as you speak with them."

    "Their beliefs are incomparably firm and their resolve is unshakeable. In other words, they are stubborn." She had a wry smile as she spoke, her eyes expressing sadness.

    "But make no mistake, it is not that they don''t feel, it is just that every time they are feeling something they use it as a chance to cultivate and get stronger. As such, they end up not showing much of their emotions. The Nebula is just a manifestation, not the source. Never forget that." Amon nodded hearing that. It made sense.

    "When you said some people are born with a stronger soul¡­" He started to ask, stroking his chin and thinking.

    "Yes, their Truesouls are bigger and stronger. This means that they either experienced many eventful lives or¡­ they were Soul Cultivators once before." Lya put on a satisfied smile as she spoke. Amon understood what she was saying.

    "Then I guess my past lives weren''t that interesting¡­" Amon said with a wry smile, drooping his shoulders.

    Hearing that, Lya didn''t know whether to laugh or to cry. If the boy knew who he was in his past life, he would never say something like that. She made a huge effort to keep a neutral expression on her face as she asked, "Why do you say that?"

    "Even if I can sense Qi, I can''t manipulate it. By your explanation, my Truesoul must be lacking."

    "You are right, your Truesoul is lacking." Lya said after thinking for a long time. She decided to keep what she knew to herself. "We will deal with this, don''t worry."

    Amon nodded hearing that, and asked, "When a Truesoul goes through that ''cleaning'' process you mentioned¡­ Is there a chance that something might remain?" He asked with a frown. What happened in the Broken Forest, when he found the isolated space and the way he knew Brightmoon''s name¡­ it was really strange.

    To his surprise, Lya shook her head. "To be honest, I don''t know. In theory, it would be possible if a person can somehow seal a very small part of their Truesoul, protecting it. But that person would need to have a deep understanding of the soul and an incredible power."

    "Still, even if they managed to do something like that, it would be a part so small that it would at most be an impulse to do something, or a broken memory, nothing more. However, this is all speculation. I never heard of such things." She looked at him cocking her head, curious to the reason that made him ask that.

    This made him frown slightly. Looks like it was indeed possible, but the chances were absurdly low. And if he had a weak Truesoul, there is no way he was a Soul Cultivator in a past life. What was going on?

    Looking at his expression, Lya could more or less guess his train of thought. "Don''t mind these things. Now, pay attention here." She tried to divert his attention and raised a finger. The slender finger started dancing in the air in a methodical way, leaving behind a golden trail of light. The light slowly connected, forming strange runes. Little by little, more golden runes appeared in the air, floating in the dark room.

    When Lya was finished, she had drawn two incredibly long strings of runes. "Look at this Amon. These lines are what we call the Soulrousing Technique." Amon was surprised seeing the lines. The runes that composed them were familiar.

    "Is this¡­ the Divine Language?" He asked, looking at the runes without blinking.

    "Yes. The first line here increases the production of Nebula. In other words, it magnifies your emotions. The second one catalyzes the Nebula and makes the Truesoul grow." Lya said with a smile. "The effects of the second one are really simple. The effects of the first one, on the other hand, are really interesting to see¡­" Her smile grew wider, and beads of sweat started forming in Amon''s forehead as he heard her.

    "All you need to do is think about them. I''ll engrave the lines in your mind, to make sure you remember them right. If you get one rune wrong, who knows what might happen¡­" Lya extended a pale hand to Amon. "Do not resist."

    Before Amon could react, a finger descended upon his forehead. It felt strange when that finger touched him. It was as if a cold breeze was blowing in his forehead. His forehead started to itch and his body tensed as an unbelievable amount of information suddenly appeared in his mind.

    As the stream of information gushed in his memory, a splitting headache took over Amon, making him want to scream. However, he endured. He shut his mouth firmly, gritting his teeth.

    After countless seconds passed, the stream of information slowly dried up, eventually stopping. Amon''s was left with his head ringing as Lya took her finger away from his forehead.

    "Good. Now all you have to do is picture the lines in your mind as you meditate and they should work."Lya gave a satisfied smile. "You already have an impressive Nebula around your Truesoul, so for now skip the first line of the technique."

    Amon decided to not comment on how she never told in it would hurt like that, and instead took a deep breath, adjusting his mind. He close his eyes and the world turned dark. His breathing became rhythmical, and the dark world start to lit up in monochromatic tones.

    The grey mist that covered everything, the Qi made itself known through Amon''s divine sense. He carefully started thinking about the second line Lya had written in his mind. The golden runes seemed to be almost floating in front of his eyes as he focused on what was now a memory.

    The runes started to dance around his head, and he suddenly shuddered.He felt a cold sensation creeping into his body, as if ice snakes started to slither around him. He felt unbearably cold for a moment, and then he felt extremely hot, as if the snakes had turned into lava. He started sweating profusely, and the sensations in his body seemed to alternated from hot to cold nonstop.

    His muscles started contracting and the sweat made his clothes cling to his body. He started shivering, his teeth clattering. In that dark room illuminated by the moonlight, Amon was trembling nonstop.

    When he thought he wasn''t going to be able to endure anymore, a loud ''peng'' echoed in his mind, as if something was broken. His sense suddenly expanded outwards, reaching outside his own room, covering the whole house.

    The monochromatic tone was taken over by a faint color pallet, and the indistinct grey mist suddenly turned clear, as if Amon could see every billowing wisp of Qi in the smallest details. The whole world turned clear through his divine sense.

    "This¡­" He was dumbstruck. So this is how his divine sense would evolve as his soul grew stronger? Wouldn''t he really reach a point where a single swipe of his divine sense would be able to pierce through anything and he would sense everything about his surroundings? Maybe that talk about sensing the Foundations wasn''t nonsense after all.

    Lya''s gentle voice echoed in his head "Oh? Looks like you advanced quite a bit. Why don''t you try moving the Qi now?"

    Amon focused on a particular wisp of Qi swirling in front of him. He extended his hands to it, imagining himself grasping it. "Move." He swiped his hands on the opposite direction the wisp of Qi was moving. To his surprise, the wisp of Qi stopped before slowly moving in the direction he willed.

    "It worked!" He said, excited. After almost eight long years, he finally managed to move Qi! If he could absorb it, he would be able to start tempering his body and turn many times stronger than he is.

    "Of course it did. You thought I was lying to you?" Lya said with a sneer. Amon''s ears turned red in shame as he looked down.

    "I would never doubt you." He said. "Do you think I would be able to absorb Qi?" He asked sheepishly, still embarrassed.

    "Well, the only real hurdle is the fine control. All you need to do is absorb Qi through your acupuncture points and get your meridians full of it before moving it into the dantian." She said, shaking her shoulders.

    The meridians were the channels through each one''s energy would flow through their body. The acupuncture points overlapped with the meridians, allowing one to use it to directly send the Qi into them, and even controlling the flow of Qi.

    In a certain way, acupuncture points worked as both floodgates to control the stream of Qi in the meridians and doorways that allowed the absorption and expelling of Qi from one''s body. The dantian was the core of the meridian system, the center of the energy distribution and were it was gathered. It was located a few centimeters bellow the navel.

    Amon took a deep breath and concentrated. He tried his best to focus on his surroundings, willing for all the Qi he sensed to start gathering in his direction. It was a slow process that demanded an absurd amount of willpower and concentration. Soon enough, the grey mist in the room started swirling around his body like a whirlpool.

    Amon could barely be seen through the divine sense, but using the naked eye it looked like a hurricane was forming around him as the displacement of Qi made the air move.

    He let out a long breath, and controlled a wisp of the Qi surrounding him, sending it to one of the acupuncture points in his arm. Amon''s acupuncture points were closed, as this was his first time trying to absorb Qi. He had to open them one by one.

    The wisp he controlled seemed to be gently knocking in a door, trying to slowly peer it open instead of forcing its way in. Slowly, the wisp of Qi burrowed in his skin, making its way into his meridian. The Qi seemed to glow for a moment underneath his skin.

    It was a very long process. A human body had more than four hundred acupuncture points, and a cultivator needed to manage then all, trying to optimize the absorption of Qi and the flow in his meridians.

    Lya patiently floated by Amon''s side, using her divine sense to supervise his effort. He was quite clumsy and took an excessively long time to open each one his acupuncture points, but it was a fine result for a first try. Furthermore, he was slowly getting better and better, and it looked like he would try to end the process in one go.

    She made no comments nor did she gave him any help. It was best if he experienced it all by himself, adapting to the control of Qi overtime.

    After what looked like hours, Amon finally let out a long sigh. His face was pale and his whole body was drenched in cold sweat, but also seemed to be glowing, full of energy. His meridians were all filled to the brim, and his acupuncture points had all been opened. What was left now were the smaller adjustments, but these would come later.

    Amon had never maintained a meditation for so long before. Maybe his Truesoul growing indeed could make him a better cultivator.

    He cleared minds of such thoughts. What he needed to do now was direct all of the Qi he gathered into his dantian. He was incredibly tired, but he refuse to take even a small break. He wanted strength, and would chase after it as fast as he could.

    The glow in his body started to dim, but a shiny dot lit up in his abdomen. As his body dimmed, the radiance in that point grew brighter, as if all the light was concentrating in a single point.

    By the time his body returned to normal, that small dot seemed to be a star. It flashed once with a blinding light, and then went out.

    Amon looked ar his dantian. All of the Qi he had gathered was inside it, forming what seemed to be a dense, grey cloud that glowed with a pulsating light, full of energy ready to burst out at any moment. He had finally done it. He finally was ready to step into Body Tempering and leave this frail and weak body behind.

    After almost eight years stuck at the initial stages of Qi Gathering, he managed to reach the peak in a single night. This was nothing short of a miracle.

    Soul Cultivation seemed to truly be a far better path than Elemental Cultivation. If that was the case, why had he never heard of Soul Cultivation before if it was so miraculous?

    "Congratulations." Lya said, opening her bright eyes. Amon gave her a tired smile. Sweat dripped down his face. The whiteness of his skin made his golden eyes stand out even more.

    "Now we can officially start your training." Lya looked at him, her eyes shone with expectation. Then, she said to herself, in a voice low enough so Amon wouldn''t hear.

    "I''ll make you into the best Sword Cultivator this world has ever seen."

 15 A Sword Cultivator IV

    Lya would make Amon the best Sword Cultivator that has ever existed. It was what she promised herself. She wanted to be sure that Amon would never repeat the same mistakes she and Alexei had made. It was what she wanted to prove to herself she could. That if she ever had a second chance, things would have a different end.

    Being the ''best'' and being the ''strongest'' were different things in this case. Because being a good cultivator meant one would have minimized his flaws, while being strong simply meant having great combat capabilities.

    For Soul Cultivators, being a good cultivator naturally meant dealing with the flaws in their souls. The flaws in their personalities.

    Alexei had been the strongest Soul Cultivator in his generation, but he was far from the best. He never managed to overcome his flaws, and he paid the price for that. A sad smile made its way into Lya''s face as she thought about him.

    "Do you know any Body Tempering techniques?" Amon asked, excited. Lya woke up from her daze as he called for her.

    "I don''t know of the techniques, but I know a method to guarantee maximum efficiency when you use one." Lya said, looking at him with a penetrating gaze. Amon turned downcast hearing that.

    "That Jake kid gave you some contribution points, didn''t he?" She asked.

    "Yes, he did." Amon answered, raising his brow.

    "I''ll need you to buy a few things for me to check." She said, and started counting on her fingers as she named everything she needed. "I''ll need all the manuals for Elemental Cultivation, Body Tempering, Sword Arts and Movement Techniques you can find."

    "The points I got will hardly be enough." Amon''s brow raised even further hearing her requests.

    "Doesn''t matter." Lya said, extending her hands to the ring in Amon''s finger. The ring flashed and two small daggers appeared in her hands. She promptly threw them to Amon. "You can sell these, I''m sure they''ll fetch a good price."

    "I didn''t ask this before, but this ring¡­ Is it an interspatial ring?" He gulped looking at the ring in his finger. Interspatial rings were incredibly rare.

    "Of course it is." Lya said with an arrogant smile.

    As far as he knew, in the Abyss Sect just the four Protectors and the Sect Master had one. Having an interspatial ring was the same as having a vault in your fingers, with no waste of space or unbearable weight.

    An interspatial ring was engraved with an array formation that acted as the key to a pocket dimension where the owner could store their belongings and retrieve them at will. Its value was unimaginable.

    "I won''t show it off around the sect, it''ll be for the best if I leave it here." He said, taking the ring from his finger and trying to hide it inside the chest with his clothes. Lya stopped him.

    "No need for that." She said, snapping her fingers. The ring undulated and started changing. What looked like a ring made of ice before now was a simple iron ring with a few spots of dust here and there.

    "This¡­" Amon was going to say something, but Lya cut him. "Just as trick using light. It will also word off divine senses, so no one will notice." Amon nodded hearing that, putting the ring back in his finger. If Lya saw no problems with it, then he would trust her judgement.

    "We will go to Hell''s Keeper Mountain tomorrow to sell the daggers and buy the manuals. Although the Northern Station has some manuals in the Exchange Pavilion, the headquarters has copies of all of the manuals in the sect, so we will be able to buy more stuff there." Amon said, taking off his clothes.

    He threw them in a corner of the room, washed his body with the water in the basin and passed out in his bed, exhausted.

    Seeing this, Lya gave a gentle smile. As she was looking at him, her face suddenly fell and she direct her gaze to wall, as if she was trying to see through it. She gave a sigh and floated away, traversing the wall into the hallway eventually entering another room.

    What greeted her in the dark room she walked in was a pair of green eyes shining with a menacing light, and a killing intent so strong it was almost corporeal. The window of the room was open, and the silver moonlight shone on it, casting a dim light over Rebecca''s face.

    Lya, on the other hand, seemed to glow, being perfectly visible, almost as she was made of light. She looked at Rebecca for a moment before deciding to say something.

    "Hello." Lya smiled as she greeted the woman sitting in the bed. The woman didn''t smile back, nor did she respond. Instead, her oppressive aura grew even stronger, and the air seemed to wrap around Lya, as if trying to crush her.

    "That is not very polite." Lya snorted and the pressure disappeared. "You know, I just showed myself here because I felt like it, not because you demanded it." Her tone was serious, but she said it with a sneer.

    "What¡­ no, who are you?" Rebecca asked with a grave voice, tightly holding the green necklace in her hands, ready to crush it at any time.

    "My name is Lya, resident spirit of the Brightmoon sword your son found." Lya gave a slight bow as she presented herself.

    "A Sword Spirit?" Rebecca showed no surprised, but was inwardly shaken. "What do you want with my son?"

    "I recognized him as my new master."Lya looked deep into Rebecca eyes, to show that she was not telling a lie. "I will naturally guide him in his path to cultivation."

    "Why did you recognize him as your master?" Rebecca had a blank face as she asked, unconvinced.

    Lya hesitated for a moment, but managed to say "You can say he and I are fated. I really have nothing but good intentions toward him. All I plan to do is guide him."

    Rebecca still didn''t show any expression hearing that, so Lya added "I''m sure you''ve seen that he has already managed to absorb Qi."

    "How did you managed to do that?" Rebecca finally showed concern as she asked. "He hasn''t been able to manipulate Qi for years, and now in a few hours he gets ready for his Body Tempering?"

    When Lya explained to Amon about Soul Cultivation, she had made sure to block all sound from escaping the room, but decided not to block Rebecca''s divine sense, as it would only bring trouble to Amon. As such, when Amon started to cultivate and move Qi, attracting Rebecca''s attention, she managed to see all the process of him unblocking his acupuncture points and gathering Qi.

    "You can call it a lost method." Lya said, shaking her shoulders. Rebecca raised a brow hearing that, so Lya added "It will bring him no harm at all. Plus¡­ I think we both know this is the only way he will ever manage to cultivate."

    Rebecca frowned hearing Lya''s words, but said nothing. She knew there was some truth to it. Her son''s talent was terrible, no matter how good a person he was. Sometimes good people never got what they deserved.

    In truth, Rebecca knew this was an amazing chance for her son to overcome his shortcomings. Maybe he could finally obtain the strength he wanted so much. Maybe he would be able to take care of himself when the day came for then to part ways. Still, he was just a thirteen-year-old boy.

    Rebecca had scanned Lya with her divine sense many times, and all she could feel was a bunch of Qi refracting light, with no real physical form. She was most likely a Sword Spirit, just as she said.

    Rebecca could also see no reason why Lya would hurt her son, and she saw herself the results of her guidance. Even if she knew what this ''lost method'' was, she decided to make a bet.

    "I''ll allow this¡­ for now." Rebecca said, and the room seemed to lighten considerably. Her green eyes locked into Lya''s blue eyes as she said, "I hope you can take care of him when I''m not around."

    By the way Rebecca looked at Lya, Lya knew she would not be satisfied with a simple answer. She took a deep breath and proclaimed. "I, swear I will guard Amon Skoller with my life, and will never bring harm to him."

    Rebecca stared at her unblinkingly for a few seconds before nodding. "I hope you stay true to your words. From what I know, Sword Spirits can never betray their masters."

    Lya flinched for a moment hearing that, but didn''t deny. That was absolutely true. Sword Spirits never betrayed their masters, as they were a part of them.

    "If something happens to him, however, you can be sure I''ll smash that sword into smithereens and destroy you." Rebecca''s eyes flashed with a cold light and an even stronger pressure emitted from her.

    The pressure turned incredibly powerful, and Lya''s body distorted for a moment. If Lya had a physical body, maybe her bones would be breaking and her lungs would collapse. Her respect for Rebecca shot up.

    "What a strong soul." Lya couldn''t help muttering to herself. Rebecca was certainly not a Soul Cultivator, but her Truesoul was incredibly developed and the Nebula surrounding it was thick and dense. Even if her dantian was crippled and she couldn''t cultivate through the standard means of the sect anymore, she could still use her divine sense and manipulate Qi.

    Still, Lya wouldn''t teach her about Soul Cultivation. She would teach Amon and Amon alone.

    "You can rest assured." She managed to say to Rebecca, a bit distraught.

    "Thank you." The pressure faded and Rebecca looked away, at the night sky. She was thanking Lya for her promise, and also thanking her for helping Amon.

    Lya knew that, and knew the conversation was over. She wasn''t the least bit worried about Rebecca saying anything about her to anyone. She was sure Rebecca would protect Amon''s secret.

    Lya bowed again and quietly disappeared. Rebecca was left alone in the room again, looking at the window, her body leaving a long shadow in her room. Her blond hair seemed to be made of silver as the moonlight shone on it. This time, a smile could be seen in her face as she gazed at the stars.

 16 A Sword Cultivator V

    The next day, Amon woke up as the sun rose. He washed his face and put on a clean set of clothes. He looked at himself in the mirror for a long time, paying attention to his ashen hair. Then, he shook his shoulder and turned away.

    "You know, I like your hair. Gives you an exotic air." Lya''s voice made its way into his mind as usual.

    "Good morning." He said, as if he ignored her, but his ears reddened slightly. Lya chuckled seeing it, but didn''t point it out.

    Amon took Brightmoon from under his bed and was about to strap it to his back when he hesitated. He looked at Lya, a bit unsure.

    "I see no reason for you to carry the sword with you." She said. As she didn''t materialize, Amon couldn''t read her expression, but he was sure he sensed some hesitation in her voice, as if she was avoiding something.

    "But I''ll be inside the ring. You can just call me and I''ll answer." With a ''swoosh'', the silver sword flew through the air and disappeared as soon as it was about to hit his hand. Amon looked at the iron ring in awe.

    "Come on kid, are you going to stand there in a daze?" Lya''s voice made him awaken form his daze. His ears turned red again and he left.

    He said goodbye to his mother and said he would go to the mountain to buy some stuff. To his surprise, Rebecca didn''t ask, simply nodded and told him to be careful.

    A bit confused, Amon took the Bottomless Pouch Daniel had left behind and decided to use it to carry the manuals back.

    He made his way out of the house and slowly walked to the Northern Station, enjoying the morning sun and the cold breeze that blew in the Outer Sect.

    "This really is a nice place." Lya said from the ring. She could use her divine sense to probe outside the pocket dimension and look around.

    The farmland glistened with droplets of dew, making it seem as if small diamonds had been sprinkled all over it. The small streams flowing through it seemed to be made of gold as the sunlight shone on them. It was really a beautiful sight.

    "Yes, it is." Amon agreed. One of the reasons he liked to walk from his home to the Northern Station was to enjoy the view.

    As soon as they arrived at the Northern Station, Amon found a carriage and paid a few dozen contribution points to the owner to take him to the mountain. It was a somewhat small carriage, but the two horses pulling it seemed to be strong and healthy. As the carriage was small, they would take longer to tire and the trip would be faster.

    It was a pleasant trip. As the carriage followed the stone-paved road, Amon enjoyed the large expanses of green around them and the breeze, and Lya couldn''t stop mentioning how beautiful the Outer Sect was.She was like an excited girl, pointing out everything she saw. This made Amon smile for a moment, but the smile soon disappeared.

    Maybe in truth she was excited about leaving that lake where he found her rather than the landscape in itself. Thinking about all the years she spent alone, Amon started feeling sad. He was inwardly surprised at how she managed to stay sane.

    It took them almost two hours to reach the foot of Hell''s Keeper Mountain. What greeted them was a huge golden gate, at least twenty meters tall and ten meters wide, carved in the mountain itself. The gates were opened, and beyond them was only a pitch-black darkness.

    Taking a deep breath, Amon stepped through the gates, only to be stopped by a curtain of light that blocked his way.

    "Entrance to Hell''s Keeper City is three hundred contribution points." A mechanical voice echoed, making Amon displeased.

    He knew about the rules, but it was still a bit too much. All of this was to hold traffic in Hell''s Keeper City to a minimum. He took his purple card from his clothes and swipe at the curtain of light with it.

    The curtain seemed to dissolve, clearing his way. Amon was slowly engulfed in the darkness as he walked through the gates.

    When he walked out of the dark, he had to squint his eyes at the blinding light coming from inside the mountain. Hell''s Keeper Mountain was actually hollow, and from the huge hole in its peak, sunlight could enter and shine on the inside of the mountain. Hell''s Keeper Mountain was actually an inactive volcano, and the headquarters of the Abyss Sect was actually located inside Hell''s Keeper Mountain.

    What greeted Amon was a myriad of small houses occupying most of the space inside the mountain and surrounding a few palaces made of jade and gold. It was really extravagant, but Amon knew that these palaces were actually the most important buildings in the whole sect.

    The inside of the mountain was close in size to a small city, so people called it Hell''s Keeper City. Still, the vast majority of Hell''s Keeper City was nothing but empty houses.

    Living in the city was strictly forbidden for anyone but members of the Inner Sect, common Elders and servants. That meant that in a city that could house tens of thousands, only two thousand at most lived in it.

    The empty houses only existed in case the Abyss Sect found itself in a dire situation, so the entire Outer Sect could take refuge inside Hell''s Keeper City. The mountain itself would be more than enough for defense. It was not unlike a stronghold.

    The streets were paved with black slabs of stone, and a few trees were planted between the houses, giving a bit of color to the monotone of the place. In the exact center of the mountain, a gigantic tree towered above everything.

    The tree was more than three hundred meters high, and its crown could cover all of the jade palaces surrounding it. Its trunk was pure-white, with a few blood red lines twisting around it, like veins. The massive trunk had a diameter of at least fifty meters. The leaves were the size of Amon and were all ashen-gray, just like his hair.

    "The Ashen Heart Tree." Lya mumbled, seemingly impressed.

    "You know of it?" Amon asked, raising a brow. From what he knew, the Founder himself had planted this tree when Abyss Sect was founded.

    "I know of its existence, nothing more." Lya said and returned to her silence.

    Amon himself didn''t know much about the tree, but no matter how much he asked Lya just kept quiet. He gave up as he walked through the empty houses, making his way to the palaces always covered in the shadows of the Ashen Heart Tree.

    He stopped in front one of the biggest palaces. Much like the Exchange Pavilion in the Northern Station, this palace had light-green walls, but the scale was completely different. The palace was at least twenty times larger than the Exchange Pavilion, and it was focused solely on trading technique manuals. A golden pillar was place in front of it, and a black sign affixed to it showed "Myriad Exchange Palace" in golden letters that seemed to be alive.

    Just looking at the sheer size of the place made Amon feel intimidated, but he composed himself and slowly walked into it. Everything in the inside of Myriad Exchange Palace seemed to be made with gold and jade.

    The already extravagant Exchange Pavilion in the Northern Station looked like Amon''s house in comparison to what he saw. He could use the tiles on the floor as mirrors, but he got ashamed of his shabby clothes that completely put him out of place.

    Not to his surprise, the palace was almost empty. There were very few Inner Sect members in the Abyss Sect, and they spent most of the time cultivating. Adding that to the fee of three hundred contribution points the members of the Outer Sect had to pay just to enter Hell''s Keeper City and naturally few people would use the facilities.

    Overwhelmed by all the luxury, Amon walked into one of the many empty counters and was greeted by a young man dressed in purple clothes. His clothes were tidy and his posture was perfect. No expression could be seen on his face except for a trained smile.

    "How can I help you, sir?" The man politely asked, giving a bow to Amon and making him a bit embarrassed.

    "I would like to sell two artifacts I found in the Scavenging." Amon said in a serious tone. The clerk didn''t ask any questions, just nodded and asked Amon to show him the artifacts. Amon quietly retrieved the two daggers Lya gave him from the Bottomless Pouch and put them on the counter.

    The young clerk took them and analyzed them carefully with trained eyes. He checked their balance and slowly scrutinized the polished blades. He them gave a sigh.

    "Excuse me for a moment." He said, placing the daggers back on the counter and walking through a side door. Amon raised a brow, a confused expression showing in his face.

    As the clerk didn''t return, Amon turned anxious, until the side door opened again and an old man walked from it, with the clerk following suit. The old man also wore purple clothes, but he seemed to have a somewhat noble bearing instead of the passiveness of the clerks.

    His hair fell over his shoulders like snow, and his clear and penetrating eyes made everyone that tried to look at his wrinkled face divert their gaze unconsciously. He had a long beard that reached his chest. Small rings of gold adorned it, making the old man seem quite rich.

    The old man approached the counter and ignored Amon, looking at the daggers. He evaluated the daggers much like the clerk before, making Amon realize that he was probably the one that taught the clerk.

    "It really is danasian steel¡­" The old man mumbled to himself as he stroked his beard. "Good job. I''ll take over from here." He said to the clerk by his side, which gave a deep bow and left.

    The old man looked at Amon and presented himself. "I am the Elder in charge of this palace. You can call me Elder Li." He said, looking at Amon with his penetrating gaze and making Amon look away.

    "I am Amon Skoller, Outer Sect member." Amon quickly bowed and stated his name. He was incredibly nervous. The old man in front of him was not only an Elder, but also the one in charge of the Myriad Exchange Palace! This meant he had to be an extraordinary appraiser.

    "Where did you find these daggers?" Elder Li asked, raising the daggers at his eyes level and carefully looking at them.

    "I found them near the northern bank of the Red River, being held by a corpse." Amon said while sweating. Was there something wrong with the daggers? Elder Li looked at him, analyzing his expression just like he analyzed the daggers. End the end, he put the dagger back on the counter.

    "You are very, very lucky Amon." He said as he stroked his beard, never taking his gaze away from Amon. "I''ll offer you fifty thousand contribution points for both daggers."

    Fifty thousand contribution points!

    It was a fortune! Amon could buy everything he needed and there would still be thousands left. He would be able to cover months of expenses with just the leftovers!

    He made a great effort to control his breathing and not seem incredibly excited. I truth, he was almost jumping in happiness.

    Elder Li didn''t explain why Amon was lucky, but Amon could guess. Whatever it was these daggers were made of, it was incredibly valuable.Amon wanted to thank Lya, but he couldn''t do so in public.

    "I¡­ I accept." He managed to say, his voice trembling a bit in his excitement. Elder Li nodded and extended his hands to Amon.

    Amon politely handed him his purple card. Elder Li swiped it in a glowing ball floating behind the counter and returned it to Amon.

    "If you ever have anything you want to sell, you are always welcome here." Elder Li said, giving Amon a light nod and walking away with the daggers in hand. Amon bowed deeply, and quietly left the palace.

    "Lya, what the hell?" Amon asked her as he left the palace, incredulous.

    "How would I know these cheap daggers would be so valuable?" She answered in annoyance. In truth, she was as surprised as Amon was. How bad were things nowadays that such common daggers were so precious?

    "If your previous owner was so rich and could casually take such artifacts from his ring, why did he use an iron sword like Brightmoon?" Amon didn''t know why someone so rich would do such a common weapon.

    "Brightmoon had an emotional value. That''s all I can say." Lya''s voice was emotional as she spoke, and she returned to her silence as she finished.

    Amon didn''t pester her further, realizing he had been insensitive. He walked for a few minutes until he reached another palace. It had white walls instead of the green of the Myriad Exchange palace, but a similar pillar and sign stood in front of it, saying "Divine Arts Palace."

    This was the palace that held all of the manuals and techniques of the Abyss Sect. It was almost a sacred place for the cultivators in the sect.

    Amon slowly walked through the golden doors, entering the palace.

 17 A Sword Cultivator VI

    Amon entered the Divine Arts Palace, and what he saw astounded him.

    Rows and rows of golden bookshelves were neatly organized in the ground floor, with just barely enough space for one to walk between them. They almost reached the ceiling, and were packed with books of all sizes and colors.

    The shiny bookshelves were divided in sections. The ''Weapons'' section had bookshelves labeled ''Sword Arts'', ''Spear Arts'', ''Saber Arts'' and so on. Amon had never even heard of most of the weapons named in it.

    There were also sections for Qi Gathering, Body Tempering and Elemental Purification, with bookshelves in the Elemental Purification section labeled according to the respective elements.

    The sheer number of books made Amon impressed, but he knew this was all the tip of the iceberg. The higher floors of the palace had manuals of a higher level and quality. However, the higher the floor one manual was in, the higher the price one would have to pay for it.

    Blocking the way to the bookshelves was a curtain of light, very similar to the one that blocked entrance to Hell''s Keeper City. There was a wooden counter in front of the curtain of light, with a couple of clerks dressed in purple behind it.

    "I''ve come here to get a few manuals." Amon said to the clerk closest to him.

    "Very well." The clerk nodded and took a small ball from behind the counter. He put it in the counter and lightly tapped on it. The ball flashed with a blue light and started glowing, looking like a small star.

    An overwhelming number of letters started materializing in the air in front of the ball, forming countless lines of words and numbers that shone with a pale white light. Looking closely, the lines were names followed by numbers that were probably the price.

    "Touch any manual you are interested in and an introduction will appear. You can select as many as you want, as long as you have the contribution points to pay for them." The clerk explained patiently as he saw Amon''s hesitation.

    "You can change sections by swiping the list to the side. All manuals in the ground and first floor are listed here; all the others need an Inner Sect token to be unlocked." The clerk finished speaking and waited for Amon to choose what he wanted.

    Amon looked for the Sword Arts section. He felt a little strange doing that, but it was mesmerizing seeing the light letters break apart and reform in new words as he threw the list to the sides.

    "Let''s see¡­" He mumbled to himself as he started skimming through the list.

    "Lesser Art of the Sword, a manual that covers the basics of the uses of sword in combat."

    "The Earth-shattering Sword. At completion, a cultivator would be able to shatter the earth with each strike, using unstoppable power."

    "The Stormbreaker Sword, a Sword Art that allows a cultivator to use the wind as blades and strike from a distance. At completion, one would be able to cleave storms apart."

    "The Flaming Sword, a sword Art that brings forth hellish flames to burn your opponents to cinders. A simplified version of the Hellblaze Sword Art."

    "The Windhowler Sword¡­"

    He started reading the titles and introduction to the Sword Arts in a low voice, so Lya could follow his pace. The prices varied from a few dozen to about one thousand contribution points.

    "That one looks good." Lya said as Amon touched a name in particular.

    "Fundamentals of the Sword?" Amon raised his brow. This manual was one of the oldest in the palace and covered nothing but the basics of the uses of the sword. There were just stances, no real techniques in it.

    Amon sighed and touched the Fundamentals of the Sword manual again. The light changed from white to green, signaling that he had select the manual.

    "Pick two more manuals to your liking." She said casually.

    He spent almost one hour skimming through the rest of the list, but he couldn''t use any of the manuals now. They either put a huge strain on the body or had different elemental alignments than his affinity.

    In the end, he chose the Stormbreaker Sword and the Lesser Sword Art manual in addition to the Fundamentals of the Sword. The Lesser Sword Art taught about the basic uses of Qi in combat using swords.

    Stormbreaker Sword, on the other hand, was a complex Sword Art, fitting for Wind Cultivators to use.

    "So you have wind affinity?" Lya asked, to chich Amon nodded. His strongest affinity was with wind, even if it was quite a weak one, making his situation quite tragic. He was deemed as being untalented because of that, and the years he took to manage to absorb Qi only proved that point.

    "Well, they were good choices. It will be perfect to teach you. Also, that Stormbreaker Sword will be really useful." She approved of his choices.

    "Now I need you to pick about ten more manuals. The more varied and different they are from each other, the better. This includes manuals from other elements." She said.

    "But my only affinity is wind¡­" Amon whispered as he tried to complain, but Lya didn''t let him.

    "Doesn''t matter. I''ll explain latter." She interrupted him, clearly showing she was starting to get annoyed.

    Amon took another half hour to pick the manuals Lya asked, including the Flaming Sword, the Earth-shattering Sword and a water aligned manual called Myriad Streams Sword.

    He was sure it would all add up to at least five thousand contribution points, but Lya didn''t give in.

    "Well, now I guess I''ll see some Movement Techniques." Amon mumbled to himself, feeling the pinch.

    Choosing a Movement Technique was the same struggle. Amon took the "Basics of Movement in Combat", that was similar to the Fundamentals of the Sword, as well as the "Essence of Movement Techniques". He also chose "Gale Steps" as the Movement Technique he would use.

    He also picked ten more manuals of different elements and with different characteristics.

    With that, the expenses were already close to twelve thousand points.

    "Lya, with this much¡­" He started whispering again, and the clerk raised a brow seeing him talking alone. Amon''s ears started turning red.

    "It''s fine. For Body Tempering we just need one. You can get the best you have available to you."

    He went to the Body Tempering section, trying to look for the more expensive manuals, while he was skimming through the list, Lya suddenly interrupted him with a shout.

    "That one!" She said full of excitement. Amon looked at the name he had his finger on.

    "The Skyreacher Body?" He mumbled, taking a sneaky glance to the clerk, but he seemed to be too bored to keep paying attention to Amon.

    Looking at the price, Amon held his breath. "This one costs almost ten thousand points!"

    "And it is damn cheap." She said with conviction. "I know that technique. Your dear Founder developed it himself."

    "What?" Amon raised his voice, making the clerk glance at him again, very annoyed. What was wrong with kids these days?

    "How do you know that?" Amon whispered sheepishly, his ears burning.

    "It doesn''t matter. Just trust me and take it." She answered indifferently.

    This manual was unreachable for ninety nine percent of the members of the Outer Sect, and even for some of the poorer members of the Inner Sect.

    Amon didn''t hesitate anymore as he chose it, but felt the pinch.

    Then, he chose ten cheap Elemental Purification manuals. He then took a step back, nodding at the clerk.

    Looking at the list, the clerk raised his brow and looked at Amon, full of doubts. Still, he said nothing.

    "The thirty-seven manuals you asked add up to thirty eight thousand contribution points." The clerk said, trying to maintain a neutral expression. Amon felt his heart tighten, but still gave the man his purple card. As the man swiped the card in the light ball, Amon felt as if he was cutting his heart.

    The clerk quietly left the counter to get Amon''s manuals. He walked through the light curtain as if it didn''t exist, and started going from section to section looking for the manuals. After a few minutes, he returned. His upper body was hidden behind a gigantic pile of books that shook the counter as he placed them on it.

    Amon took his Bottomless Pouch and stored the books in it one by one. He then quickly left the Divine Arts Palace. He still had around fifteen thousand contribution points adding what Jake had given him, so he could cultivate in peace without worrying about his expenses.

    It took him a great deal of time to return home after that. The sun was already setting when he finally caught sight of his house. The red light made the grass seem to be set ablaze as he returned home.

    He greeted his mother and had a light dinner with her, before finally getting to his room and throwing himself on the bed, exhausted.

    Lya materialized by his side, and took the Bottomless Pouch from his waist. She took out all of the manuals and started to read, making them float in front of her and sending gusts of wind to turn the pages.

    Amon closed his eyes, hearing only the occasional crisp sound of the flipping pages as he slowly fell asleep.

    When he woke up the next morning, the first thing heard was the flipping of a page. He opened his drowsy eyes and saw Lya still reading in the same position, her face calm, completely absorbed in the task at hand.

    He sat on the bed and rubbed his eyes. Lya slowly closed the book she just finished reading and added it to a huge pile by her side.

    "Good morning." She greeted him. Amon greeted her back with a weary voice.

    "Give me your ring." She asked him. Amon promptly took the ring from his finger and gave it to her.

    Lya took the iron ring in her hands and retrieved a simple sword from it, offering it to Amon. The blade was thick and was a few centimeters longer than Brightmoon. It was also wider, making for a much heavier blade.

    The black handle seemed to be sculpted from stone, giving it an ancient feel. It was a crude weapon. As Amon took it in his hands, he felt he almost couldn''t lift it even with all of his strength. He barely managed to keep it from falling to the ground.

    Then, Lya searched through the pile of books she had by her side and fished the Lesser Sword Art manual from it. She threw it to Amon, saying "I already read it. The content was concise and there was no problems with it. The explanations were also really good, so chances are you will learn more form it than from me explaining to you."

    Amon managed to catch the book in the air. It was very thin and the pages were all yellowed from the age.

    "You will read this book and train what you learn on the sword I gave you. This will help you learn to infuse your Qi in a sword and refine your control of Qi at the same time. When you reach a satisfying level on both, we can start your Body Tempering." Lya said, before taking another booking and starting to read it.

    "Why can''t we start the Body Tempering now?" He asked while frowning.

    "Do not be too hasty." She reprimanded him. "The Skyreacher Body is a great technique, but it requires an incredible complex maneuvering of the Qi in your body, and you have no chance to properly use it as you are now."

    Being struck down like that, Amon couldn''t retort. All he could do was grumble, making Lya chuckle a bit.

    "How do you know of the Skyreacher Body?" He asked her again.

    "It was a technique that was already famous in my time. If your Founder managed to polish it even further, then it is certainly among the best in the world." She spoke without hesitation, as if she was waiting for the question to come again and had already rehearsed the answer.

    "Sounds like an amazing technique." Amon managed to say. He had no idea that the Founder himself had developed it. He sneaked a glance at Lya, thinking. In the end, he decided to say nothing. If Lya wanted to talk about it, she would.

    "It is an incredible technique. So be patient and train on the Lesser Sword Art." She patted him on the head, making Amon feel a cold breeze ruffling his hair.

    Amon nodded, and decided to read the thin manual of the Lesser Sword Art.

    The Lesser Sword Art''s pages were mostly occupied by large amounts of text and a few, but precise, illustrations.It gave advices on how to properly control Qi and how to imbue a sword with it.

    Cultivators had a way to control Qi that best suited them. Just as everyone had personal traces in their calligraphy, cultivators had personal traces in the way they handled Qi. As such, one would have to experiment until he found what they felt more comfortable with when manipulating Qi.

    When a cultivator spent a lot of time using an artifact, the Qi they imbued in it would make it evolve, but also naturally engrave the pathways the cultivator''s Qi used to imbue the artifact. As such, one''s artifact would be best suited to them. Using another person''s artifact would not have the same effects, as the Qi pathways were already set and would affect the flow of the new owner''s Qi in the artifact. It was like using someone else''s hand instead of your own.

    Amon was enthralled as he read the book. It didn''t take too long for him to finish, and as he did he stood in silence for a long while, his eyes closed as he pondered.

    When he opened them again, he got up left the room. He took a quick break to eat breakfast and talk with his mother, clearing his mind. When he returned, he read the book again, and again pondered on its contents.

    He realized that the Lesser Sword Art was incredibly important for inexperienced cultivators or those that didn''t have a master. He would certainly have trouble cultivating any of the Sword Arts he bought even if he was strong enough.

    "Any questions?" Lya looked at him over a book, a smile on her face.

    "Not right now." Amon shook his head and closed his eyes, entering meditation and making Lya''s smile grow wider.

    As his divine sense spread around, Amon extended his hands. He called forth small wisps of Qi and started playing with them. It was as awkward as it had been when he first opened his acupuncture points, but he focused, trying to get as relaxed as possible.

    He stretched the wisps, broke them and joined them together. He kneaded them together in a ball, and then threw the ball around. The ball turned out to be obviously misshapen, but he took his time trying to perfect it.

    He dispersed the ball and formed it again, before making it circle around him a few times. Then he would disperse it again, and this time would make it spin as fast as he could.

    Those were all exercises that the Lesser Sword Art recommended for beginners. Maybe most would feel it was boring, but Amon was completely invested in the marvelous feeling of being able to control and shape Qi at his will.

    Sweat started forming in his forehead and his veins started bulging, but he didn''t seem to realize. He didn''t stop until Lya told him to take a break. It was only then that he realized his clothes were drenched and his face was red from the effort.

    He ate something and took a small break before returning to his exercises.

    Very slowly, his control grew smoother and smoother. Amon started trying more complex exercises, controlling greater amounts of Qi and turning them in different shapes. A week passed as he trained his control without him realizing.

    It was night and the clouds covered the stars, making everything seem pitch black. Rebecca was waiting in her bed as always. Before long, specs of light materialized in the air in front of her, gradually forming the figure of a beautiful black-haired woman.

    "He was training until now?" Rebecca asked with surprise. Lya nodded at her question.

    "He is more resilient than I thought." Rebecca sighed. Her son was starting to grow up.

    "But I still can''t believe he didn''t tell me he managed to absorb Qi and is preparing for his Body Tempering." She was somewhat bitter as she complained. If this had happened a few weeks ago, the first thing Amon would have done would be to storm into her room and tell her, jumping in happiness.

    "Well, he is trying to hide my existence." Lya gave a wry smile. "I''m sure he will tell you when he goes through his first round of Body Tempering."

    "Hmpf." Rebecca grumbled in a sour mood. "Well, how is he doing?"

    "It is not a spectacular speed, but it is above average. It seems he is having fun." Lya answered, chuckling a little.

    "That is a good mindset to have." Rebecca''s expression eased somewhat.

    "I''ll give him a slight push to tell you something." Lya thought for a while before adding. "But he will probably say he found a pill or something together with the sword that allowed him to control Qi and he didn''t want to make you worried."

    "So you think he will lie." Rebecca turned bitter again.

    "Some people are like that. When they think lies will protect someone, they won''t hesitated to tell one, even if it causes greater damage than the truth." Lya said with a sad smile. "The problem is that not many realize that."

    Rebecca could only sigh. She knew it to be true. She hated the idea, but understood why her son was lying, or at the very least withholding the truth.

    "I''ll be sure to set him straight. Do give me some help with that." Rebecca asked, looking at Lya''s blue eyes. Lya silently nodded.

    "Do you think he is ready?" A frown could be seen in Rebecca''s pale face and her green eyes were full of worry.

    "He will start training with the sword tomorrow. I believe that in two to three days he will be ready." Lya answered seriously.

    Rebecca nodded hearing that and sighed again.

    "Thank you again for the help." She said with genuine gratefulness, making Lya smile.

    "You are welcome." Lya answered, giving a bow and dispersing in the air.

    Rebecca was left alone in the room. Her window was opened as always, but she couldn''t see the sky. She could only sigh.

 18 A Sword Cultivator VII

    "Again!" Lya''s voice was full of authority as she guided Amon.

    His face was red and large beads of sweat dripped form his forehead, falling in the floor like raindrops. His breathing was rough and his ashen hair was wet and sticking to his face. In his hands was a crude sword that was obviously too heavy for him to lift, as he was holding the handle while supporting the blade on the floor.

    He gave Lya a glance full of resentment, but closed his eyes and focused, trying to control his breathing. He tightened the grip on the sword and his hands seemed to glow. Small lines of light started appearing in the sword, coming from his hand.

    Like snakes, they slithered on the sword, making the blade shine. They started dividing and multiplying, like branches on a tree, eventually covering the whole sword in a strange pattern. The entire sword started glowing, except for a small corner of the blade that the lines didn''t reach.

    "Again!" Lya said with an unsatisfied voice. Her blue eyes shone with a fierce light, making Amon cower.

    He retracted his hand from the sword and the lines of light disappeared, returning the sword to its original state.

    He took a deep breath, but it didn''t help much. His hands were pale form the excessive strength he was putting in his grip and he was trembling. His whole body was sore.

    Lya made him circulate all of the Qi in his body once before trying to imbue the sword with it. It was a way to test his control and get him used to circulating his Qi when he started his Body Tempering.

    "Come on, stop stalling and do it again!" Lya said again, her voice louder.

    Amon felt she was heartless. He had been going through this hell for almost two days straight. From morning to night, he would repeat the cycle nonstop. In the first day, he actually passed out from the effort.

    Keeping his focus at its peak and maintaining his divine sense for this many hours took a toll on anyone. And controlling the Qi to make sure it passed through each and every one of his meridians was exhausting in both body and mind.

    Still, even if he felt somewhat resentful, he couldn''t deny the results. He had advanced by leaps and bound under Lya''s constant pressure. Plus, even with her nagging he was still thrilled by what he was doing. Learning about the intricacies of Qi made him fascinated.

    The reason why he simply didn''t bombard the sword with Qi to cover it all was a good example. Some artifacts of lower grades couldn''t handle much Qi, so they would break if one did that. It was also a huge waste of Qi to do things that way.

    Controlling the Qi and spreading it the way Amon was doing, using lines to form pathways for the Qi, was a good way to optimize its use and not overcharge the sword with it. The problem, however, was that if he missed a spot, it would turn into a weakness. The artifact could break if it was hit with a strong strike in a ''dead spot'', as Lya called it, leaving Amon unarmed and putting his life at a greater risk.

    He let out a long breath and held the sword again. The lines of light spread again, slowly covering the sword. This time, however, as the last line was drawn, the sword flashed with a blinding light and the lines disappeared.

    The blade started to glow as Amon injected Qi into it.

    "I did!" He shouted, dropping the sword to the ground as he raised his hands in victory. A satisfied smile spread through his face. As soon as the sword left his hands, the glow disappeared, revealing the lines of light before they slowly faded again.

    "Good job." Lya said as she nodded to him. "You even managed to be a bit faster than what I expected."

    Amon gave a satisfied smile as he fell on the bed, looking at the ceiling.

    "I think you are ready to start your Body Tempering." Lya fished the Skyreacher Body manual from the pile of books beside his bed and passed it to him.

    "Read this very carefully and be sure to memorize everything properly. When you do, we will practice it for a bit before properly using the technique." Lya said with a serious tone.

    Hearing that, Amon frowned. Lya gave a chuckle "Did you think it would be easy to just read it and use the technique?"

    Amon diverted his eyes, confirming her suspicions. She shook her head "Things are never easy, Amon. You must always be sure to be perfectly ready before using a technique. You don''t want to try it without proper preparations and ruin your body, do you?"

    "You are right, I don''t want that." Amon shook his head. He promptly took the thick manual for the Skyreacher Body and started reading. To his surprise, the first few chapters were an introduction to the human body.

    Amon raised his brow as he read. The first lines on the book were a long string of runes, probably the Divine Language. He would have to memorize all of the runes perfectly and in order to mentally recite them as he used the technique.

    There were detailed explanations and drawing of a human''s anatomy, as well as the meridians. It also explained in detail what Body Tempering really was. Amon''s eyes grew wider and wider as he read, surprised by the contents.

    "So this is what goes on in our body during the tempering?" He glanced at Lya, that just gave an uninterested nod.

    Amon knew some basics of the human body. He knew about the acupuncture points and meridians. He also knew about organs, bones and a bit about cells, but just from the explanations of the manual alone he suddenly understood that knowing anatomy was essential for a proper Body Tempering.

    Body Tempering wasn''t simply breaking down one''s body and channeling a technique to increase the healing speed and perfect one''s cells. That was an overly simple explanation. Much like imbuing and artifact with Qi, there was a proper method to imbue one''s cells with it and increase their efficiency.

    The great disparity in strength in the Body Tempering realm came not only from the limits a cultivator would go through to temper their bodies, but also because of the different methods used in the imbuing of Qi.

    Human bodies were incredibly feeble next to spirit beasts. Their cells had a low capacity to handle Qi, so one had to find a proper way to compress the Qi and distribute it to maximize the efficiency, as they saturated quickly.

    A great Body Tempering technique would allow one to heal their injuries faster, compress the Qi better and store more Qi in the new cells produced during the healing process.

    Not only that, but a proper Body Tempering technique would enhance a cell''s functions rather than simply strengthening it. If someone managed to temper their nervous system for instance, they would have greater reaction speeds. If one were crazy enough to temper their eyes, their vision would be enhanced.

    Of course, this was all in theory, as a single mistake could make one ruin their bodies beyond help when they dealt with such dangerous ideas.

    A cultivator would extend his lifespan in the Body Tempering stage. If a mortal''s lifespan varied from seventy to eighty years, a cultivator who properly tempered his body with a strong technique would live from three hundred to four hundred years. They would also start aging slower, being able to retain their youth for decades.

    The Skyreacher Body, when properly cultivated, would allow one to live at least five hundred years. This was the greatest proof that this manual was miles above the others.

    "This is mind-blowing." Amon said as he flipped the pages. He couldn''t take his eyes away from the manual as he read it nonstop. Lya chuckled hearing that, her eyes wistful. Arthur had really been a cultivation genius.

    "I told you it was a great technique." Lya said with a smug face.

    Amon didn''t answer her as he was too focused reading the book. He also took this time to properly rest his body, recovering a bit of his energy.

    He ended up skipping lunch without realizing it, and only closed the book by nighttime. He had a headache from spending the day reading such complex contents nonstop. He rubbed his temples with his eyes closed, trying to absorb what he just read.

    "Are you finished?" Lya asked when she saw him putting the book aside. He nodded with a tired expression.

    "Go eat something and go rest, tomorrow we will start practicing it." Lya said as she saw his condition.

    Amon nodded with a weary face. He left the room, had something to eat and went to sleep.

    On the next day, he woke up early, made some breakfast for him and his mother and read the manual again. It was a habit he was starting to develop, and that way he could properly remember the contents of the manuals and minimize mistakes.

    He closed his eyes and entered a meditative state. He slowly gathered the Qi surrounding him and absorbed it until the replenished all of the reserves of Qi he had used in the past days.

    When he was brimming with energy, he started practicing the movements of Qi in his body according to the Skyreacher Body manual. To complete a single revolution of the technique took a few minutes of intricate and complex maneuvering of the Qi in his meridians that spanned the entirety of his body.

    As he wasn''t using the Divine Language runes described in the manual, moving his Qi that way was inconsequential and served only as training. At the same time, he took a blank piece of paper and a pen and started inscribing the runes of the technique as he circulated his Qi. It was a way for him to make sure he properly remembered all of the steps necessary.

    At first, it was incredibly hard, almost like trying to look at two directions at the same time. He made many mistakes and had start over from scratch as Lya carefully observed his training. The effects of making a mistake in such a technique were unknown; it might even lead to deformities in his body, so Amon took the task very seriously.

    It was during the practice that he realized how important training in the Lesser Sword Art manual had been. Had he not spent almost ten days of nonstop practice, it would have been impossible for him to complete even the first few steps required in a revolution of the Skyreacher Body.

    It took him a few hours to finally complete the first revolution of the technique perfectly. He didn''t stop after the success, instead, he tried to do it with a faster speed.

    He failed and failed, but the more he failed the more proficient he got with the technique. Eventually, he started succeeding more than failing.

    Amon entered a trance as he mindlessly trained without stopping. It reached the point where he was almost doing it on instinct. Looking at it made Lya somewhat worried, but she didn''t dare to interrupt him.

    The pile of used papers slowly started growing in height as Amon trained repeatedly. Eventually, his body shivered and he snapped out of the trance. He was ghostly pale and his limbs were trembling.

    "I¡­ think¡­. I''m ready." He said with great difficulty as he gasped for air. His chest was burning, and he felt as if he had been holding his breath. He had rehearsed dozens of times, and succeeded his last twenty tries in a row.

    "I think so too, but take a break and recompose yourself." Lya said gently as her expression loosened.

    Amon closed his eyes and was trying his best to control his breathing. He was feeling very confident on his chances.

    "So, are you planning on telling anything at all to your mother?" Lya asked as she sneak him a glance. Amon shuddered hearing that. What would he tell his mother?

    "I do have to tell her something, but I can''t talk about you. It would only bring trouble to all of us." He said, pondering what to do. "I think all I can do is tell her that I found a treasure that increased my talent, but I didn''t tell her to not have her worried for me."

    As he nodded to himself, satisfied with the answer he would give, Lya rolled her eyes. Amon didn''t realize it.

    "Maybe lying isn''t a good idea." She said in an uninterested voice, as if it had nothing to do with her.

    "I have no real choice, Lya. I will do anything to save my mother from trouble, even lying to her." He answered while looking at her intently. His golden eyes showed no hesitation, making Lya sigh.

    "Well, are you ready?" She asked as her gaze turned serious. Amon silently nodded.

    "What I will do now will hurt. It will probably hurt more than you might believe possible, but you must not give in, no matter what." She silently approached Amon, making his hair stand on end.

    "We will use your Body Tempering to boost your Soul Cultivation too." She said as she glanced at him. Amon gulped hearing that.

    "You don''t mean¡­" His voice shivered in fear.

    "I''m sorry, but you will have to use the first line of the Soulrousing Technique. It will boost the pain even further, but it will be the fastest way for you to produce more Nebula and further develop your soul." She said with a somewhat worried expression.

    "What will you do?" He asked with a low voice.

    "I will send my Qi into your meridians. I will make sure the Qi spreads through your whole body." She said casually. "Then I will use the Qi to slowly grind away at every inch of your body."

    "I will leave no organ untouched. I will make sure to slightly damage every cell in your body, just enough for the technique to work, but not enough to compromise anything. This is the only way to guarantee a uniform tempering in all of your body and attain the best results." Amon grew paler at each word she said.

    "I don''t think this is a good idea..." He started retreating, but soon his back hit the wall.

    "You want to become strong, don''t you?" Her question made Amon''s resistance disappear.

    "You can start using the first line of the Soulrousing Technique." She said with a gentle voice. Cornered, Amon could only pray for things to go well as he started focusing. The runes of the Divine Language appeared in his mind, and started to spin around.

    "I''ll try to be as gentle as possible." Lyatried to reassure him. Amon was too worried to notice the hint of hesitation in her voice.

    She extended her hands and reached for him. Amon closed his eyes, focusing solely on the runes of the Soulrousing Technique. Still, a little part of him was screaming, saying that he had made a grave mistake.

    Then, for the second time in his life, he felt as if he had been thrown in hell.

 19 A Sword Cultivator VIII

    "I need you to be brave, son. This is going to hurt, but you can''t leave. It is okay to cry and scream if you want, but never move from where you are."

    Amon couldn''t help but remember his father''s words as his father activated the array formation that changed his life. The burning sensation that spread through his whole body, making him feel like he would explode. The splitting headache that numbed his consciousness, the incessant shivering of his muscles, the skin that ruptured and the blood that seeped from every pore in his body.

    That day had been the day his eyes and hair had changed from black to golden and gray. That day had been the day his father left him and his mother after betraying the sect. Amon always thought that he would never feel so much pain in his life again, but he was terribly wrong.

    As Lya channeled her Qi into his meridians, he felt even more pain. All of that was thanks to the Soulrousing Technique. This is no different than torturing himself, but he still held on.

    He held on because he felt he had no choice. He needed strength, he wanted strength, and the moment he plunged Brightmoon into the dying Direwolf he decided he would do everything possible to obtain that strength.

    He would endure hell again if it meant he would get the power he needed. He knew this pain was necessary. He would not run away from it, he would face it and grown stronger doing so. Because he was weak, unbearably weak, as his father so coldly pointed out to him as he left a broken and crying Amon behind that day.

    "ARGH" Amon couldn''t help but scream. He felt as if worms made of lava were crawling under his skin, eating away at his flesh and burning what remained. His eyes were completely closed, but he still felt them aching so much that they seemed to be about to burst. He couldn''t think clearly, as he felt like someone was stirring the insides of his head with an iron spike.

    All he had was pain, and in that pain he steeled his resolve.

    Time turned into an indistinct blur to him. It might have been hour, or it might have been seconds. He didn''t know. Still, eventually the pain subsided.

    He felt his whole body numb as the burning stopped, and all he could hear was a buzz in his head as he started feeling dizzy.

    "Don''t pass out!" Lya''s urgent voice ringed in his head. "Start channeling the technique so you can recover!"

    Hearing that, Amon pulled himself together somewhat and started circulating the Qi in his body following what he had trained all day. The runes of the Divine Language naturally came to mind, and slowly the Qi in his body started moving according to his will.

    Even if somewhat clumsily, he managed to complete the first revolution. The effects were immediate. All the pain he felt started to subside and he managed to think more clearly. It was as if a cold stream of water was flowing inside his body, nourishing his limbs and refreshing him.

    Every time he completely a revolution of the Skyreacher Body, his pain subsided a little more, and his head cleared further. Every successful revolution made the next one easier.

    When all the pain subsided, all he felt was numbness. He couldn''t lift a finger and all he managed to do was open his eyes. What greeted him was a Lya that looked pale as a ghost, her face full of worry and anxiety.

    "You will be unable to move for a few hours. I recommend you use the chance to properly rest." She said with a frown.

    Amon closed his eyes. The numbness made his body feel incredibly light, as if he was floating. It didn''t take long for him to fall asleep.

    As Lya watched him sleep, she wanted to punch herself.

    "I overdid it. I should have done the normal thing and slowly temper each part of his body instead of all at once." She thought to herself in regret.

    The truth was that tempering each part of the body at a time was the common procedure. When one finally finished this process, they had gone through one round of tempering. The problem with this method was that it was unbearably slow, and the chances of creating an unbalanced body were big, as it was extremely hard to temper each part of the body to the exact same degree if it was divided in sections rather than treated as a whole.

    It would also be incredibly hard to temper more sensible parts of the body like the eyes, as the cultivator would most likely pass on the opportunity.

    Lya had never gone through Body Tempering, and when she met Alexei he had been way past that level. All that she knew had been theoretical.

    Soul Cultivators also went through Body Tempering, but they paid almost no attention to the inner Qi in their bodies. At most, they would make sure to always keep their dantians and meridians full of Qi in case of emergencies. Their strength came from the outside, not the inside.

    The method she chose to use in Amon was a method Alexei and Arthur devised together, but she had never seen its effects. Thankfully, she had a great control over Qi, so she managed to apply the theory she knew perfectly.

    Still, the way Amon squirmed in pain had scared her deeply, and she seriously thought that he would pass out before he finished his tempering.

    She spread her divine sense and checked his body. To her surprise, he was healing at a much faster rate than she imagined, even without the help of any medicine. Not only that, his cells were brimming with energy, and his body seemed to emit a pale glow under her divine sense.

    The effects of this first round of tempering had been even stronger than what she expected. This made her even more suspicious of Amon''s identity. However, there was only one way to confirm it, and she really didn''t want to resort to it.

    She shook her head, clearing her mind. After that, she floated into Rebecca''s room.

    As she expected, Rebecca had been waiting for her. She was gripping the edge of the sheets so tight that her knuckles were white, and her face was full of worry.

    "How was it?" She asked with a glint in her green eyes. To spare her of worrying too much, Lya had blocked all the sound in Amon''s room, as well as Rebecca''s divine sense.

    "It all went fine. He is already resting" Lya said with a comforting smile. Rebecca let out a breath and her hands loosed the grip a little.

    "The results?" Rebecca couldn''t hold back her curiosity.

    "Better than expected. I think he will be able to reach the middle stages by the end of the year." Lya gave an honest answer. Rebecca''s eyes widened hearing her prediction.

    "The Skyreacher Body is really as tyrannical as the rumors describe." She couldn''t help but mutter. Rebecca had started in the Outer Sect. As such, the best Body Tempering manual she managed to get her hands on had been mediocre at best. It was only when she stepped into Elemental Purification and gained entrance into the Inner Sect that her talent bloomed.

    With that mediocre Body Tempering technique, even with all her willpower and dedication she took two whole years to reach the middle stages of Body Tempering.

    "I am happy for him." She said with a genuine smile.

    "He deserves it. The effort he has been putting into it is second to none." Lya evaluated Amon.

    Rebecca''s smile grew wider hearing that. "That is good to hear."

    "Well, he will probably spend the next day recovering, but I''ll try to get him to speak with you." Lya smiled.

    "I would be grateful if you managed to do that." Rebecca nodded thankfully. Lya smiled again and dispersed in the air.

    The way Rebecca cared deeply for her son and her intelligence made Lya have a deep respect for her. It was one of the reasons Lya gave herself the trouble to reveal her presence and ease Rebecca''s worries giving reports from time to time.

    More than that, the sheer willpower she showed of not giving up and doing her best to raise her son in the condition she was in moved Lya. It was naturally hard for Rebecca to do anything more than to talk to him and give him advice from time to time, but Lya could she how much she regretted being able to just do that much. Nevertheless, just the fact alone that she got herself in that state to defend her son was worthy of Lya''s admiration.

    That being the case, Lya decided she would do her best to help Rebecca. It was also a good way to get to know Amon, and help him to make up for his flaws. Even if some of these flaws were glaring, the real danger was in the ones he hid. He never spoke of his father, for instance, and Lya could see that there was something more to it than he and Rebecca showed.

    She would do everything she could to make sure Amon would not stray from the correct path. She would prove to herself that she could do it. Because even if it was just a mere fragment, a shadow of him, Alexei had returned to her, and she would never let him make the same mistakes again.

    ---

    When Amon woke up, his body was still numb. He managed to make small movements, but his limbs felt heavy and lethargic.

    "You should use the second line of the Soulrousing Technique to absorb all of the Nebula you generated yesterday." Lya materialized by his side and gave him a careful look.

    Amon closed his eyes and focused. As the runes of the Divine Language started spinning in his mind, his weary body was once again overtaken by the alternating feelings of heat and cold, making him shiver and sweat.

    The process this time was much faster than the last one. Even if he had generated a great amount of Nebula, it couldn''t compare to the amount he had accumulated over the years. The results were also not obvious, but Amon did feel he could perceive things with a bit more precision when he spread his divine sense.

    "Cultivation is a long process that takes time. You can''t expect to have immediate results." It was as if Lya could read his thoughts as she spoke. Amon forced himself to nod hearing that.

    "You should start using the Skyreacher Body again; it will help you recover faster. When you manage to get up you will be done." She advised him.

    He didn''t waste time as he closed his eyes and started circulating the Skyreacher Body. Slowly, the numbness in his body subsided and his weariness disappeared. After what seemed to be a few hours, he managed to sit on the bed.

    His body felt light and somewhat clumsy, as if it didn''t belong to him. Amon discovered it was very hard to move as he wished. He couldn''t apply the right amount of force in any of his limbs and his balance was off, making him barely be able to sit straight.

    "This is all very common. You have to get used to your new strength." Lya explained to him as she watched his struggle. "The first time is the worse, by far. You will realize every new round of tempering will have a smaller impact in your body and you won''t need to go through this every time."

    "Lya, this is strange but¡­ I feel amazing." He said with a strange voice. His tone seemed to change at every word, as if he couldn''t properly control his voice.

    Even if his body was clumsy, his senses were not. He felt as if he was seeing the world for the first time. He could feel the weakest current of air grazing his skin. He could see the smallest imperfections in the walls of his room, and he could clearly hear and pinpoint the locations of the chirping of birds coming from trees dozens of meters away from his house.

    Most of all, his mind was clear. It was as if a gauze that had been covering his mind this whole time without him realizing had been lifted. He was slowly starting to feel inebriated in this strange feeling of discovery.

    "About that¡­ Let''s not do it again. Maybe we should use the normal way and temper each part of your body at a time." She said full of regret. Hearing that, Amon''s face fell.

    "No." He said, looking straight into her. His eyes seemed to be blazing, a gaze so intense Lya actually looked away for a moment. This made her surprised. What had gotten into him?

    "I think the pain is too much for you to handle." She glanced at him back.

    "The pain is something I can take. I know the results will be far less impressive if we do it any other way." Amon didn''t avert his gaze from hers. His eyes were as hard as steel, making Lya feel uncomfortable. Suddenly seeing he being so assertive made her feel strange.

    "I want to keep doing it this way." He said as his expression loosed somewhat. "Please help me with that."

    Lya was taken aback. In the end, she could only accept. It was his choice, and the results were indeed far better.

    "Fine, we can do it that way." She nodded, making Amon happy. She thought for a moment before adding "But only if you speak to your mother right away."

    It was a test to see what Amon would truly say to her. He was sure Rebecca would corner him with a ton of questions. She wanted to see how far he would go to hide the truth in his attempt to protect her.

    "This¡­ fine, I''ll talk to her." Amon said, trying to sound uninterested, but his shoulders drooped. His uncontrolled voice and the uneven drooping of the shoulders made Lya laugh and his ears turn red.

    He managed to stand up from the bed, but fell to the ground. He tried to stand up again, but his balance was terrible. Lya couldn''t hide her laughs as she saw Amon struggling to stand up.

    "A little help, please?" He asked, his face as red as a tomato.

    "Sorry, but you need to adapt to the changes." Lya said with a serious face, but the corner of her mouth were twitching. "Plus, there is no way I will spoil the fun." She said, disappearing.

    Amon cursed at her, but could only fight his body for control. It took him a few minutes before he barely managed to stand up and take a few steps. Supporting his upper body in the wall, he slowly walked to his mother''s room.

    "BAM, BAM!"

    As he tried knocking, the sound he produced was way louder than what he intended. The door shook and seemed to be about to crack. His face paled, but his mother''s voice showed no surprise as she asked him to enter.

    "Hi mom." He managed to say before he fell to the ground. His mother raised a brow seeing the scene.

    "Is this¡­ Body Tempering?" Rebecca asked in a surprised voice. Her face was full of shock as she looked at Amon.

    Amon could only give a wry smile. "Yes, it is." He said in his uneven tone.

    "How..." Rebecca was still shocked. From the ring, Lya secretly complimented her acting skills. However, Rebecca was truly shocked. She was probing her son with her divine sense, and saw that there was no inch of his body that was not glowing with Qi. All of his organs, muscles and bones were filled with a densely packed Qi.

    Even if the glow was still weak, she had never seen such a uniform and complete tempering. No wonder even her son''s voice had been affected.

    "Mom, to tell the truth¡­ I hid a few things from you." Amon said, doing his best to stand up. "In the Scavenging I did not find just that sword."

    Rebecca''s eyes shone with expectation hearing that. Still, she put a serious expression and asked in an angry voice. "What do you mean by that?"

    "Well, I¡­ also found a pair of daggers." He said sheepishly, averting his eyes from his mother''s gaze.

    "And?" She asked, still angry.

    "And¡­ a bottle of medicine." Amon still didn''t look at her. Because of that, he didn''t see Rebecca rolling her eyes and the disappointment that she showed.

    "Let me guess, you just took the medicine?" She got even angrier. This time, it was for real.

    "Well, in the expert''s Bottomless Pouch there was a brief explanation on how the medicine worked¡­" Amon''s face started growing red as he lied.

    "What kind of person wouldn''t know the use of a medicine they carry around?" Rebecca was ruthless in her rebuttal, making Amon flinch.

    "I have no idea. Truth be told, I thought it was a trap, but something told me it was a chance." He still didn''t look at her. It was like the feet of her bed were incredibly interesting as he simply focused his gaze there. "So I decided to risk it."

    Rebecca sighed. At the very least her son was a terrible liar. She put her hand in her forehead, unsure if she should laugh or cry.

    "And the medicine worked?" Rebecca asked as she raised her brow.

    "Yes. I felt something strange. My body started feeling hot and cold and I couldn''t move. When it finally stopped, I felt my mind incredibly clear. When I spread my divine sense, I realized I could move Qi." Amon described the effects of his first use of the Soulrousing Technique in an attempt to hide the lie with some truth.

    "What else?" Her tone was turning impatient.

    "Well, the other day I sold the daggers for a fortune. It allowed me to buy the best Body Tempering manual in the sect and there is still enough to sustain us for years." He said, looking at her with puppy eyes.

    "Why didn''t you tell me any of that? Body Tempering is incredibly dangerous! You could have ruined your own body!" She scolded him.

    "I''m sorry. I wanted to make a surprise." He looked at her pitifully.

    "Come here." Rebecca beckoned to him. Her green eyes were full of conflict as she looked at him.

    Amon slowly approached her bed. Rebecca hug him tightly, almost suffocating him. Her thin arms were surprisingly strong.

    "Never do anything like that again!" She said in a worried voice.

    "I promise I won''t." Amon tried to reassure her. "I know it was a risk."

    "I hope you truly do." She had a sad smile on her face that Amon couldn''t see.

    Amon hugged her back, his tension loosening.

    "Is there anything else you''ve been keeping from me?" She asked that question in a cold told. Almost as if she was giving him an ultimatum, making Amon shiver.

    "No. It was just that." He said slowly.

    "Alright them." Rebecca sighed. She let him go form her arms.

    "Don''t lie to me like that again." She pointed her finger at her and reprimanded him in a harsh tone.

    "I promise." Amon said looking at her seriously. Rebecca''s face fell hearing that.

    "Promises are to be kept Amon." She looked at him full of resentment. "Can you truly keep this one?"

    Amon felt his chest tighten. There was something different in her tone as she said that. It was a seriousness he hadn''t felt in the conversation before. Guilt was starting to take over him. All of the happiness he still had of his first tempering was gone just like that.He looked at his mother, gazing intently at her green eyes.

    "I can." He said with his golden eyes full of resolve. Rebecca nodded hearing that, and Amon left the room, barely able to walk. He didn''t look back, as he knew his resolve would crumble if he did so.

    Rebecca was left in the room, looking at her son''s back as he left. She couldn''t help but remember Lloyd. The thought ripped her heart.

    "He lied again." She started sobbing as clear tears started spilling from her eyes.

 20 A Sword Cultivator IX

    Amon walked in silence. He had a sour expression on his face. His lips were tightly pursed and somewhat pale from the pressure, but his golden eyes were glowing with decisiveness.

    He was walking to the Northern Station, but, naturally, the trip was taking longer than usual. His movements had smoothened somewhat, and he was slowly growing more used to the changes in his body.

    Lya watched his clumsiness in silence, not even trying to laugh. She had seen Rebecca''s reaction when Amon left, and it had bothered her deeply. She understood what Amon was trying to do, but she would have to teach him a thing or two.

    However, this was not the moment to say anything. He was really bothered by the situation too, even if he didn''t know what happened after he left the room.

    It took Amon almost three times longer to get to the Northern Station than usual. His movements were still a bit awkward, but were already acceptable. The real problem were his five senses. He wouldn''t be able to adapt to them so easily, and the heightened sounds and perception were starting to really get under his skin.

    Every small noise that like an explosion right next to his ear. He felt he was turning deaf, but as time passed, he could hear even clearer as his body adapted even further.He wanted to cover his ears and scream, but managed to refrain from doing so. Adding that to the conversation with his mother, he was overall in a terrible mood.

    He made his way into the Northern Station and walked through the streets with a cloud above his head. He entered the main street and went past the Exchange Pavilion. Behind the Exchange Pavilion was a small plaza.

    The plaza was covered in grass, and small trees provided shade for those that wanted to take a break and enjoy the breeze and the sound of the rustling of leaves. To Amon, however, the breeze was like a chilling wind, and the rustling of leaves was like grating of steel in his ears.

    He shuddered in discomfort, but kept going. The sooner he finished this, the sooner he could return home.

    The biggest building in the plaza was the Administration''s Pavilion. It had lustrous golden walls, and just looking at it made Amon''s eyes hurt. He had to squint his eyes to just barely be able to see the path to take without being blinded by the damn building.

    "What a great idea." He grunted to himself. Hearing that, Lya turned suspicious of what was truly happening to him, but didn''t say a word. She decided to see how things would play out before doing something.

    Inside theAdministration''s Pavilion were the usual counters and the clerks dressed in purple. When he entered, he was sure the guards dressed in white direct their looks at him, what made him even more annoyed.

    Amon made his way to a line and started to impatiently move his right ankle up and down, stomping the ground. It made a loud noise that annoyed him even further, but he didn''t stop. The longer the line took to move, the faster he hit the floor with his foot.

    When it was finally his turn, the clerk that attended him rolled his eyes, clearly unhappy, and the previous person on the line gave Amon a reproachful look as he walked past him. Amon''s face fell even further and he creased his brows.

    "What can I help you with?" The clerk asked after giving an almost unperceivable bow. The way he looked at Amon, including the almost unnoticeable disdain in his eyes as he looked at his hair made Amon start to fume in anger.

    "I want to measure my strength and update my records, as I reached Body Tempering." Amon said with his voice still uneven. The clerk raised his brow, but stood in silence. He simply nodded and called someone from a side door.

    A burly man dressed in purple came from the door. He had a shaved head and had ripped the sleeves from his purple clothes, so he could show his bulging arms. The man reeked of someone who needed attention and Amon was instantly displeased when he laid eyes on the man.

    "So, little boy, I heard you just went through your first round of tempering?" He said with a smile, ignoring Amon''s hostile expression. To Amon, it felt as if the man was screaming at his ears.

    "Yes, I did." He managed to say while gritting his teeth.

    The man''s smile didn''t disappear as he presented himself. "My name is Brandon. Please follow me outside, so we can properly gauge your strength with a Measuring Pillar."

    Amon forced himself to nod and followed Brandon through the side door. Inside it was just a small room and a set of black, spiraling stairs.

    "We go to the third floor." Brandon continued to smile. To Amon, it was unnerving seeing that damn smile. He could see with detail every little yellowed patch in Brandon''s teeth, as well as the slightest misalignment and imperfection. Amon closed his eyes and crackled his neck, trying to get ahold of himself. He was starting to lose control.

    They climbed to the third floor and Brandon opened the small door that they reached. He politely gesture to Amon go first. Amon walked in, refusing to look at Brandon''s smile.

    The third floor was a simple, but vast open space. There were no rooms or any kind of division. The only thing in the floor was a large pillar made with black stone covered in golden runes that moved through it, as if alive.

    Amon already knew that the runes were Divine Language, and they formed an array formation. They would probably measure the strength of one''s punch and display the corresponding numbers. A simple, stupid array.

    Next to the pillar, a small ball glowing with a golden light was floating above what looked like an altar. Behind the altar, about twenty people waited in a line. The age and clothing varied greatly. Amon could see a middle-aged man with gray hair, and behind him a small girl who was certainly even younger than Amon.

    Not to his surprise, the youngest had the most luxurious clothing. It was proof of the power their families had to invest on them and make their strength quickly rise. Talent might not be something you can buy, but you certainly could make the most of your potential if you have the resources you need.

    Brandon gestured Amon to stand in the end of the line. As he was walking, he heard a high-pitched voice that deeply annoyed him and made him squirm. The voice was no different to a screeching bird to him.

    "What is Old Grandpa doing here?" A girl asked with surprise.

    Amon stopped in his tracks, looking to the source of the annoying voice. She had brown eyes and hair, and a somewhat pretty face. To Amon''s misery, one of Erin''s followers, Amber, stood on the line.

    Amon''s breathing turned rough, his chest started heaving up and down, but he somehow managed to control himself. Lya was watching carefully with her divine sense, as Brightmoon was still hidden inside the interspatial ring.

    "Everyone, you know the drill! Just punch the pillar with all you have and I''ll oversee the results. This will be the basis we will use to measure your stages of Body Tempering in the future, so don''t hold back!" Brandon said as he stepped next to the pillar, still using that horrible smile.

    "As I call you, swipe your identification cards on the ball in front of you and punch away!" Brandon instructed them and started calling them forth in order.

    The first on the line was a teen that seemed to be about sixteen years of age. He had a confident attitude. He took a purple card from his clothes and swiped it at the ball. The ball started spinning as the youth positioned himself in front of the pillar.

    He took a deep breath and then punched out, his strength surging like a river.

    "Bam!"

    The pillar trembled as his fist struck a golden light surrounding it. Amon felt as if someone had given a loud shout right in his ears. His head buzzed as the runes moving in the pillar seemed to be in disarray for a moment before they stopped in place and a huge number showed on top of the pillar.

    "Two hundred and fifty units, not a bad punch." Brandon nodded in approval.

    The youth smiled in satisfaction and quietly left.

    "Next!" Brandon called.

    A small girl made her way to the pillar. She had a blue skirt made of silk, and was somewhat chubby. She was without a doubt from a rich family.

    She had some difficulty reaching the glowing ball in the altar, and had to tip toe and stretch her arms to manage to swipe her card, making for a cute scene. However, when she punched the pillar, everyone''s smiles disappeared.

    "Bam!"

    The pillar shook violently, just slightly less than the youth before her. Amon had already covered his ears, but it wasn''t of much help. He still felt as if he was going to go deaf at any moment.

    "Two hundred units! Amazing! When you go through your growth spur you can easily increase this number!" Brandon smiled widely. Body Tempering wasn''t lost over time. If it was done properly, one would maintain that level throughout their lives. This meant that any new tissue produced after healing an injury or growing would still be filled with Qi.

    When the girl was fully grown, she would certainly get even stronger. Brandon was really satisfied seeing the results.

    "Next!"

    As people stepped forward to punch the pillar, the floor started emptying. The numbers varied greatly, from one hundred and fifty to almost three hundred units. The best results were naturally from those of rich families. Even if the kids were weaker, it was not by much, and when they grew, their strength would soar.This was the effect of having good Body Tempering techniques and resources.

    However, to Amon''s disgust, the highest result so far came from Amber.

    "Bam!"

    The pillar shook and the ground quaked weakly. Even Brandon had a surprised expression as he looked at the numbers shown.

    "Three hundred and twenty units! Incredible" He couldn''t stop praising Amber as he looked at the numbers. Every hundred units was more or less the same strength a bull would produce when charging ahead. This meant that one of Amber''s punch was equivalent to three charging bulls hitting someone in the chest. It was more than enough to instantly kill anyone that had not tempered their body.

    Amber looked extremely satisfied with herself. She look at Amon without hiding the derision in her eyes.

    "I think I''ll wait a bit. I want to tell Erin how you will embarrass yourself." She said as she gave a poisonous smile. "And you certainly should dye your hair again, that ashen color hurts my eyes."

    Amon was still covering his ears, but he heard every word. He looked at Amber with a burning gaze filled with rage. He started trembling and he was about to step in her direction, but he managed to turn away in the end. He wanted to kick her teeth away. He wanted to see her smile with a mouth full of blood. He really wanted to punch her.

    Amon was focusing all of his attention at his feet. He was moving his right ankle again, incredibly impatient. He was covering his ears, trying to isolate himself from the world. Still, it was in vain.

    Amber was watching him as if he was crazy, an amused smile adorning her face.

    "Next!"

    Brandon finally called to him. He was still smiling with those terrible teeth. Amon walked looking down. He took his purple identification card from his clothes and swiped at the ball. When it started spinning, it emitted a swishing sound that pierced Amon''s ears.

    He stood in front of the pillar, gazing intently at it.

    "Hey Old Grandpa! Just so you know, Erin got four hundred units!" Amber shouted from behind. "Don''t get too demotivated."

    Amon heard all of that, but he was too busy picturing Amber''s face in front of him. He really wanted to punch her nose and make her annoyingly high-pitched voice stop. He stepped back, took a deep breath and shouted with all he had as he punched out.

    "BAM"

    The pillar shook and the ground quaked. Faint cracking sounds could be heard coming from the floor beneath the pillar. Amon shivered at the sound his own punch produced and he quickly covered his ears. He had a pitiful look on his face as he retreated.

    "This¡­" Brandon''s mouth was gaping with surprise as he looked at the numbers the pillar displayed. "Five hundred units¡­ we only have this kind of result in the Inner Sect¡­"

    Amon started walking away, not caring at all. His ears were ringing and his head was starting to spin. He just wanted to get home as soon as possible.

    "What did you do!?" Amber''s annoying voice pierced his ears. He was starting to feel a strong headache. He ignored her as he made his way to the door leading to the stairs.

    "You dare to ignore me, Old Grandpa?" Amber grabbed his arm and tried to pull him back.

    Amon looked coldly at her "Get your dirty hands away from me."

    He shook his arms and freed himself from her, still trying to make his way to the door.

    "Don''t ignore me you filthy son of a¡­" Before Amber could finish, Amon''s fist was already on its way to her face.

    She knew what she was about say, and it was the last straw. He wouldn''t be taking any more of her stupidity. He did not hold back at all in the punch, putting all of his strength into it.

    Amber''s face paled and Brandon shouted, but he was too far from them to do something.

    As Amon was about to hit her, his fist stopped in place, as if it had hit a wall. Amber fell to the ground as her legs gave in. Her was face deathly pale, her lips were trembling and her eyes were misty. She had clearly not expected such agressiveness from the alwasy passive Amon.

    "Amon!" Lya shouted in his mind. "What the hell do you think you are doing?"

    Amon didn''t answer, he just silently glared at Amber, who was paralized on the ground. He raised a foot, about to stomp on her legs, but something grabbed on it and pulled him away, carrying him through the open door.

    Amon was dragged down the stairs all the away to the ground floor. He felt as if there was a rope tied around his body, keeping him immobile. He was floating slightly above the ground, as if an invisible force was carrying him.

    "Lya¡­" He was about to say something, but she interrupted him.

    "Shut up and get back home!" The ties binding him disappeared and he was able to move again.

    He stormed away from the Administration''s Pavilion and soon was out of the Northern Station.

    He was as silent in his return home as he was in his departure. He knew he had made a terrible mistake.

    When he finally got home, it was already night. A sea of twinkling stars covered the dark sky, and a crescent moon smiled at them.

    Yet, Amon didn''t oay attention. He entered the house and went straight to his own room and closed the door.

    Lya materialized by his side. Her face was full of anger and incredulity as she stared at him, trembling in fury. Her black hair waved around as she floated from side to side in the room, trying to calm herself.

    "Did I ever tell you to use the Soulrousing Technique after you left the house!?" She shouted in his mind. He could feel how upset she was.

    "I¡­" Amon couldn''t formulate an answer. The truth was, ever since he had the conversation with his mother he had been channeling the first part of the Soulrousing Technique.

    "What is wrong with you?" Her blue eyes were cold and ruthless and Amon could see no forgiveness in them. Dark lines creased her forehead as she glared at him like a predator at the prey.

    "I just wanted to train¡­" He said in a low voice, looking away from her eyes.

    "You would have at the very least gravely injured that stupid girl, if not killed her!" Lya was still taken somewhat shocked by what had happened. She never thought he would go to such lengths after he lost his nerve.

    "Is that what you wanted to do with the strength I helped you obtain?" That was the final nail in the coffin.

    Amon fell to his knees, in a daze. What had he done? He knew he hadn''t been acting like himself, but he just couldn''t stop.

    "It is not." He said full of regret. She was right; he didn''t want to use his power for such things. "I am sorry."

    "Good." Lya nodded, but was still angry. "Do you know why I said nothing to you, even if I realized what you were doing?"

    "I suppose it was a test." He had a sad face as he added "And I failed."

    "No." Lya shook her head. "This was a warning."

    She looked directly into his golden eyes, demanding absolute attention. "I just told you before you left that cultivation takes time. There is no shortcut."

    "You just barely started using the Soulrousing Technique. Do you really thing you are ready to keep your emotions in check if they are as strong as you made them today?" She asked with a serious expression. The cold stralight made her face feel menacing in the dark room.

    "I¡­ no." Amon admitted, downcast.

    "Then why did you do it? Just because you felt upset? Just because you wanted to get stronger faster?" Lya''s gaze turned even more serious. "To punish yourself for lying?"

    Amon tried to look away in shame, but she held his face in place with two walls of Qi. This made him even more embarassed and regretful, as he had no choice but to face her.

    "Do you take such things as a joke? Cultivation is not something you do at a whim, nor is it something you do when you are mentally unstable, especially in Soul Cultivation!" Lya was slowly getting closer to him as she spoke.

    "Mess up with your cultivation and it will ruin you. If I weren''t there to stop you, you would have killed that girl, Amon. Do you realize that? Are you ready to take the burden for something like that?" Amon''s face was alternating between red and pale as Lya''s words hit him.

    "You would have killed her just because she offended you! A few words! Damn vibrations in the air!" She looked at him outraged. "Is this the cultivator you want to be?"

    Amon was desolated as he stood on the floor. Lya''s outburst was ruthless, and he knew she had reason in all of her arguments.

    "Killing people is not a walk in the park. And if the day comes when you feel it is easy, then I will cut you down myself." She had her eyes closed as she spoke, but Amon could feel the coldness in her voice. He grew incredibly pale hearing her words. He knew Lya was not joking.

    "I''m horribly sorry, Lya." He was shocked at himself. As Lya spoke, he became as disappointed on him as she was.

    "I promise you, I will never do such things again." He said, looking in her eyes.

    "Promises are to be kept, Amon." Lya was looking at him coldly as she said the same words Rebecca said. "Can you truly keep this one?"

    Amon was taken aback. He knew Lya wasn''t happy about him lying the way he did. As he looked at her in misery, she said, "For us, Soul Cultivators, promises are of extreme importance."

    "I want you to make that promise to me and to yourself." She said with a weary voice.

    "Promise¡­ to myself?" Amon didn''t understood the meaning behind that.

    "You know, breaking a promise made to others is not uncommon." She look up, as if trying to remember words from long ago. "Things change. People change. Therefore, sometimes you cannot help but break a promise made long ago. " Her eyes were hazy as she continued. "That is forgivable."

    "The problem is if you break a promise you made to yourself." Tears started spilling from her eyes, looking like pearls under the dim silver light coming from the sky. "That means you changed, thatyou are no longer the same."

    "If you were decisive enough to the point of making a promise in the first place, then maybe the changes that you''ve been through are not good ones." She closed her fists tightly, and they started to tremble.

    "So, tell me," She looked at Amon, crying in sorrow for a memory he couldn''t know of. "If you live for centuries on end, how many promises you made to yourself will you end up breaking?"

    Amon stood in silence for a long time. The look in his eyes was blank, and he seemed lifeless. He was blaming himself. He had acted brashly and made a series of awful mistakes.

    As he thought on Lya''s expression, he knew she had remembered a painful memory. He had made her cry. Just like she cried as she said her goodbyes to Alexei, she cried now because of him. Seeing her crying face hurt him much more than her words did.

    He wasn''t sure why he was so affected by it, but the guilt he was feeling was immense. There was only one thought in his mind: he didn''t want to see her like that ever again.

    Lya observed him, trying to recollect herself. She shouldn''t show him such miserable sights.

    "Lya, I don''t know how long I''ll live. I also can''t even fathom what kind of man I''ll be if I ever life for centuries." His golden eyes were clear as he looked at her. They were limpid, pure. Genuine. "But what I can say is that I myself don''t like the person I''ve been today."

    "As such, I promise to you, and I promise to myself: I will become a cultivator you can be proud of. No matter what happens, I''ll be sure you can put a smile on your face as you remember me."

    Lya raised her head, looking at him with those glowing blue eyes.

    "Do you really understand what this promise means? Are you ready to bear the responsibility for that promise?" She asked in a weary voice.

    "I am." Amon looked in her eyes as he said that, nothing but determination on his face.

    Lya gave a bright smile hearing that, even if a few tears still streamed down her face. It was a smile that could eclipse the beauty of the moon.

    "Then you are ready to learn about swords."

 21 A Sword Cultivator X

    Lya gazed at Amon, her eyes full of expectation and excitement, but her expression was deadly serious. The last sign that she had cried disappeared from her face as she asked a very simple question, yet, it was enough to leave a deep impression on Amon.

    "What do you know about swords?" She asked with a mild voice, her eyes looking deeply at his reaction.

    "Do you mean Sword Arts?" Amon asked, confused. He cocked his head as he thought and his golden eyes were full of doubt.

    Lya shook her head. "Your Sword Arts are not Sword Arts. I read all of the manuals you bought. Not to my surprise, they were nothing like the true Sword Arts of the past."

    Amon raised a brow hearing that, to which Lya continued explaining. "What you understand as Sword Arts is nothing more than channeling Elemental Qi into the sword and using it as a medium to concentrate and attack. The sword is no more than a catalyst, if you will."

    "A true Sword Art should be based on the sword, not on the element being channeled."

    Listening to her, Amon was still clueless. Lya sighed seeing his expression, so she raised a hand, beckoning for the crude sword lying on the floor. The sword trembled once, and shot through the air, stopping near Lya''s hand.

    "This is the Earth-shattering Sword." She said as the sword hovered in the air. Its blade started humming, as if resonating with something. It floated through the window, as if a ghost was holding it. Lya lowered her hand, making the sword swing once.

    The air seemed to be split by the sword as a deafening howl echoed through the room. The ground quaked and nearly made Amon fall. As the blade lightly touched the ground, a dust of cloud rose and the ground quaked even further.

    "It is a somewhat powerful strike, but it is not fitting for a sword." Lya''s emotionless voice echoed in Amon''s mind as the dust settled.

    He expected his room to be in shambles, but somehow everything was in place. "Don''t worry, I protected the house." Lya eased his worries.

    Amon slowly approached the open window, being greeted by the night sky. Outside the window, illuminated by the moonlight, Amon could see a gigantic hole on the ground, surrounded by a web of cracks. The hole was so big it could probably swallow his whole house.

    "Such a crude technique. It looks more like someone smashed the ground than used a sword to strike at it." Lya sighed and moved a finger. The sword stuck to the ground shook and hovered to her side again.

    "This is the Myriad Streams Sword." She waved a finger again. The air around the sword seemed to ripple and droplets of water condensed around it, covering the blade in what seemed to be morning dew.

    As Lya started waving her fingers, the sword started dancing. A beautiful, complex dance. Every movement of the sword sent a wave, that left shallow gashes on the ground. When the sword finally stopped, it was at the center of what seemed to be a catastrophe.

    The gashes it created twisted around each other like snakes, looking more like a complex web of small riverbeds than anything else.

    "This technique is all about the rhythms, the flow. It might be shallow and somewhat weak, but if you grasp it, it will be very hard to stop your attacks." Lya looked at Amon as she said that. Amon was still looking confused, even if his mouth was agape with her display.

    "This is a real sword strike." Lya said, her face serious. She made the sword hover to her again, but this time, something was different.

    Amon''s hair stood on end as he saw Lya focusing. Thin lines of light started glowing in the blade, turning more and more numerous as they connected with each other and spread in a strange pattern. The sword flashed with light, and started vibrating violently, making a low buzzing sound and the air around it ripple.

    This was the imbuing of Qi that Amon learnt, but on a completely different level. He watched without blinking as Lya raised and arm and the sword stopped vibrating. It slowly rotated, point its edge to the sky, standing parallel to Lya''s arm.

    "Pay attention." Lya glanced at Amon as she cut the air with her hand, chopping down. The blade swung downwards, and a blinding light shone from it. Like a wave, a strange mass of light shot from the sword at an incredible speed, whistling like and arrow and leaving a deep gash on the ground as it cut through it.

    The wave looked like a crescent moon as it shot to the distance, hitting the trees behind his house and cutting them down. Amon could see clouds of dust and a storm of fallen leaves rising as the wave of light moved on without stopping.

    As Amon heard the trees still falling from far away, he looked at the sword hovering next to Lya with a pale face. In front of the sword was just a long gash on the ground that lead to a trail of destruction.

    "Can you tell me what''s different in this strike compared to others?" Lya asked as she looked at Amon. She had no expression, but Amon was sure she was grinning inwardly.

    "The power was miles ahead the others." Amon observed, still impressed.

    "Yes, but not because of the reasons you might think." Lya shook her head. "I used the exact same amount of Qi in the three times I used the sword."

    "What was it them? Wind instead of earth or water?" He asked while still lost.

    "There was no Elemental Qi involved in that strike." Her eyes glistened as she spoke. "What I used was what we call Sword Qi."

    "Sword Qi?" He cocked his head. "What would that be?"

    "We use the Qi as a sword, and that increases the power of a strike to an overwhelming degree."Lya raised a hand and extended her forefinger and her middle finger. "If you manage to condense the Qi enough, you can even launch it just like I did."

    Qi swirled around her fingers, so condensed it seemed solid. It shone with a bright light as it took the shape of a small blade that surrounded her extended fingers. Lya waved her hand, and the Qi in it shot out, assuming a similar form to her previous strike.

    "That¡­ how can it be that powerful?" Amon was dumbstruck. "If it is simply condensed Qi in the form of a blade, at most it should be sharp, that strength is absurd!"

    "The secret is not in the Qi itself. It is in the blade." Lya said dismissively.

    "I said to you, the soul can affect the material world through your will and emotions. The Nebula is a manifestation of that." Amon listed to her words attentively, eager to understand.

    "The strength of your will determine the limits of the power you can use, as it is the will that moves the Qi and makes it do your biding."

    "Now, tell me, what is the purpose of a sword?" Lya glanced at him as she asked.

    Amon didn''t have to think for too long. Even if he wanted to deny it, the sword had only a single purpose. It was a weapon made for battles. A weapon made for wars.

    "To kill." He answered in a serious tone.

    "Yes." Lya nodded very satisfied. "Now, if you give the Qi the properties of a sword, what would it entail?"

    "A blow used to kill an opponent." Amon said as he stroked his chin.

    "The true Sword Qi is not simply manipulating the Qi and making it sharp. True Sword Qi is formed when you have an unbearable will to kill. That is when your Sword Qi will be the strongest, and that is when you must draw a line." Lya looked seriously to Amon as she said that, making sure he understood that point. "Because those that can kill on a whim are the ones that must value life the most."

    "Soul Cultivation was mostly the same for every Soul Cultivator, but the weapons each one of them chose told a lot about who they were. The Soul Cultivators that used swords were called Sword Cultivators."

    "We had a saying back then: you know the value of a Sword Cultivator by seeing what it takes to make him draw his sword."

    Hearing this, Amon turned ashamed again. It was as Lya had said before, because of a few words he had almost killed Amber.

    "Nevertheless, every single Sword Cultivator had one thing in common: they never drew their sword to make threats. A sword leaves its sheath to draw blood, nothing more, nothing less." She closed her eyes for but a moment as she focused. "Never forget this, for this is the Path of the Sword."

    "If you walk this path, death and destruction will forever follow you." When she opened her eyes again, they shone with a fierce and merciless light. "You must understand them, embrace them. Because if you ever reject them or refuse to accept that this is how things are, no matter how strong you might be, you will certainly fall."

    "Still, you must never enjoy them. I''ll say it again. Those that can kill on a whim are the ones that must value life the most."

    "If you act any different from this, then you are nothing but a rabid animal, and such animals were put down without hesitation by true Sword Cultivators."

    Amon stood in silence, trying to understand all of which he just heard. He closed his eyes, calming his mind. After the outbursts of Qi that Lya caused, the surrounds of the house were silent, as if all animals had escaped. There was just an unnerving silence in the night.

    Amon now understood even more why Lya got so mad at him before. If he was going to inherit the way of a Sword Cultivator from her, killing must be nothing more than a last resort.

    ''You know the value of a Sword Cultivator by seeing what it takes to make him draw his sword''. Amon engraved these words deeply in his mind.

    When he finally opened his golden eyes, Lya was staring at him, waiting for him.

    "Now, do you know why I had you buy all of those Sword Arts?" She asked out of nowhere.

    "No, I don''t." Amon was honest. Hadn''t it been a waste of contribution points?

    "You will learn them all." She said with a mischievous smile.

    "But I just have a weak affinity to wind¡­"

    "The point is not using them; the point is grasping their essence." She approached and bumped his forehead. All he felt was a light breeze as she continued. "Any Soul Cultivator worth their names had a degree of mastery over all elements."

    "A true master in the art of combat has a grasp over all elements, because even if faintly, combat involves all of them." Lya turned away and held her hands behind her back as she started talking. Amon stood quiet, paying close attention.

    "Your attacks must flow like water, so you can understand and control the rhythm of the battle."

    "Your attacks must be unpredictable like fire, so you can catch your opponent unprepared to receive them."

    "Your attacks must be as swift as the wind, so you can attack before he can defend."

    "Your attacks must be stable as the earth, so they may never waver."

    "You must be able to adaptable, fierce, precise and powerful."

    "Most of all, you must learn to understand."

    "Look around you, try to pry into the secrets of this world. You do not need to make a flame to be like fire; but to do so you must understand what fire is and how it works."

    "Being able to observe and understand are basic requirements for any decent cultivator or warrior."

    "Understand where you are, so you know where you will be in the next move. Observe what is around you, so you can use it to your favor."

    "Understand yourself, so you know your weaknesses and how to make up for them."

    "Understand your opponent, so you can predict his decisions and know where, when and how to strike him."

    "If you understand everything, then you can defeat anything."

    "However, never be too arrogant. One misstep, a small mistake in your judgement and something you oversaw may make you lose everything."

    "Be prepared for failures and be suspicious of those around you. In the moment that might spell victory or defeat, someone might do something that even they didn''t expect, and that will bring disaster." He voice turned somewhat heavy as she said that, as if it was hard to say those words.

    "So always see what is around you, Amon, and pay close attention to the ones close to you. It is exactly because they are close that it is easy for them to hurt you." She turned around, facing him with a sad smile.

    "Do you understand?" She looked at him, and her eyes told him not to lie.

    "Yes." Amon nodded sincerely.

    "So, what do you think?"Lya looked away, gazing at the stars. "Can you walk though such a path?" She asked almost in a whisper.

    Amon approached her and looked deep into her eyes. "I can."

    "Then prepare yourself, boy. I promise I will make you the best Sword Cultivator this world has ever seen."

    She had already promised this to herself. This time, she was promising it to Amon.

 22 Siblings I

    Daniel could faintly hear the chirping of birds. He slowly opened his eyes, and was greeted by a pure white that surrounded him. His sight was hazy, as if there was gauze over them, and he felt incredibly drowsy, to the point of nearly falling unconscious again.

    His body was heavy and numb, and he couldn''t feel all of it, as if there was something blocking his senses. He tried to move, but his body did not respond. He tried to ask for help, but only a low mumble escaped his parted lips.

    He suddenly felt a sour taste in his mouth, as well as an unquenchable thirst. It was an incredibly uncomfortable sensation, and his body seemed to start responding to his commands as he tried to somehow move.

    He squirmed on a fluffy surface, and mumbled like a crazy person. He didn''t know for how long he did it, but it took a long time for him to finally hear a door opening next to him. He heard increasingly loud steps as a gentle voice sounded in his ears. "Oh, you woke up?"

    Daniel tried to answer, but failed. "You must be thirsty, let me take care of that." The voice sounded again, and Daniel felt a careful, but firm hand slowly lifting his head.

    "Here, drink it slowly." The voice said as a cold and refreshing feeling gushed into Daniel''s mouth. He eagerly drank what was being given to him. It cleansed the sour taste in his mouth, and subdued the thirst. Daniel felt his numbed body heating up as a sweet after taste was left in his mouth and the hand supporting his head slowly let it rest again.

    Daniel felt very comfortable, and slowly closed his eyes again. The warmth spreading through his body made him completely relaxed, and soon he fell asleep.

    When he woke up again, he felt somewhat energetic, and he could see clearly. He was in a neat white room, covered by a warm bed sheet and lying on a fluffy bed. There was a big window in a wall not far from him, from which he could hear a faint and gentle pelting.

    Was it rain?

    He could hear it. He could feel a cold breeze blowing from the cracks of the window, carrying the humid scent of rain. Daniel could feel all of it. He was alive! Somehow, he was alive!

    He tried moving his feet, and he could see his toes moving slightly under the white sheets.

    He decided to slowly sit on the bed, raising his body. His left hand moved very clumsily, but he somehow managed to support his weight on it. Then, he tried moving his right hand, and his face froze. He couldn''t feel it.

    He turned his head in fear, and what he saw made him deathly pale.

    From his shoulder to the tip of his fingers, his right arm was wrapped in bandages. Worst of all, it was clearly that there were big chunks missing on it, as some parts were eerily thin compared to others.

    He wanted to laugh, but cried instead. Silent teardrops fell from his face as he looked at his crippled arm. He knew there was no chance he could ever recover from that injury. Even if his Body Tempering had been of an incredible quality thanks to the effort he put in it with his father''s help long ago, he wouldn''t be able to regenerate the parts of his body that were lost.

    If there was any kind of medicine that could do that, they certainly wouldn''t use it on a waste like himself. Daniel lost himself in his despair as he knew that whatever hopes he had of ever turning his situation around were over.

    He remembered the hellish eyes of the Direwolf that did this to him, and couldn''t help but shudder. It was at that moment that he realized it.

    "Amon!" He shouted. What had happened to Amon? Where was he?

    Daniel needed to find him. He mustered all of his strength and managed to sit on the bed. He moved his legs out of it and was about to force himself to stand up when the door opened.

    A tall woman entered through it, dressed in white clothes and carrying a bundle of cloth and a basin filled with water. Her glossy black hair was tied in a bundle at the back of her head, and she had a delicate and gentle face.

    She was shocked for a moment when she saw Daniel dangling from the bed, but hurriedly put what she brought on a small table by her side and rushed to Daniel.

    "What are you doing?" She asked in a concerned voice. Daniel looked at her with a serious look.

    "Where is Amon?" He asked with an intense gaze.

    "Who?" The nurse raised a brow, looking at him as if he was a madman.

    "The kid that was with me when the Direwolves attacked, where is him?" Daniel asked hurriedly.

    "I''m sorry sir, but Third Elder only rescued you¡­" She answered, averting her eyes from his.

    "The Third Elder? What was he doing¡­ no, does that means I''m in Sky Reach?" Daniel''s mind started racing, trying to figure out what had happened.

    "Yes." The nurse nodded at his question.

    "How long was I unconscious?" He was already preparing himself for a harsh answer.

    "Tomorrow it completes one month." Her voice was calm, serene, as she tried to use her tone to pass Daniel a sense of security.

    "One month¡­" He put his left hand in his head. His right arm dangled uselessly from his shoulder. "Why so long?"

    "Your wounds were serious and you lost a lot of blood. Fifth Elder decided it would be best if we kept you sedated until you were fully healed, to make sure nothing unexpected would happen." She answered with a gentle expression, her tone still calm. The Fifth Elder was the one with the highest medical skills in the whole sect. She was the one responsible for managing the Medical Pavilion on Sky Reach Village.

    Daniel looked at the closed window with a dazed expression. The nurse silently observed him from the side, waiting.

    One whole month¡­ It was too long. If Amon had been in need of help, it was far too late now. Dark lines started creasing Daniel''s forehead as his expression turned sour. He did all he could at the time, but still felt as if he had failed.

    "Can you try to find someone for me?" He asked in an uneasy voice.

    "I can ask someone to do it, sir." The nurse replied, still calm.

    "He is thirteen years old and is from the Outer Sect. He is about this tall, has golden eyes and his hair will be either black or gray. His name is Amon Sk¡­" Daniel started describing Amon the best he could as he gesticulated with his left hand.

    He almost had a slip of tongue and said his surname. Change were that no one in Sky Reach would help if they knew who he was. "His name is Amon."

    "Just Amon?" The nurse asked as she cocked her head.

    "Yes, just Amon. His house is in the northern reaches of the Outer Ring. Not too far away from the Northern Station." Daniel provided her some more information.

    "I''ll do what I can." The nurse nodded. Then, she approached Daniel and with surprising strength forced him to lay down again. "What you''ll do is rest until Fifth Elder comes to examine you."

    "Thank you." Daniel said, genuinely grateful. Then, he seemed to think of something as he asked. "I''m sorry for not asking before, but what is your name?"

    "You can call me Delia." She answered, brushing her black hair behind her ear.

    "Thank you, Delia. I''m Daniel." He said with a smile.

    Delia nodded, and promptly left the room. Daniel was left alone with his own thoughts. He looked at his right arm with a sad smile as the rain hammered the window in his room.

    The rain started getting stronger as time passed, and by nightfall it seemed to rage with the power of a storm.

    Daniel was having serious trouble in getting some rest. His mind raced nonstop, and he couldn''t stop thinking about Amon.

    What would he do if he found out he died? What would he tell Rebecca?

    He was growing incredibly anxious, when the sound of the rain suddenly increased, and Daniel felt a splash of water in his face. He looked at the window surprised, and saw it was open.

    A slim silhouette was standing next to it, dripping water on the ground as steam slowly started to rise from it.

    "What the hell?" Daniel was about to shout when the figure raised a finger in front of his lips, telling him to keep quiet as it slowly approached. Covered in steam, that dark silhouette looked like a ghost from the depths of hell.

    It slowly raised its right hand, and a small and bright flame lit up in it, shedding light on the obscure form. It was a youth dressed in azure clothes. His hair and eyes were pitch black, and he was handsome. He had a noble bearing to him, an aura that couldn''t be acquired by just anyone.

    The youth smiled as he looked at Daniel.

    "It''s been a while, hasn''t it, brother?"

 23 Siblings II

    Daniel opened his mouth in shock as he saw the youth approaching him.

    He was not as chubby as he remembered him to be, nor did he have that glint of curiosity in his small eyes, questioning everything.

    The youth had a wide smile on his face, but it paled in comparison to the ones he used to give. His small arms and legs had grown and he was now as tall as Daniel, and all of the excess fat he had was substituted by muscles.

    Daniel simply couldn''t believe what he was seeing as he looked at the person his younger brother became over the years.

    "Jake¡­" Daniel found it hard to choose the words he wanted to say. What could he say? It had been ten years. He loved his brother, but the sad truth was that he didn''t know him.

    He didn''t know if he should open his arms for a hug or test the waters first. It took him a while before he managed to say something. "It is good to see you."

    Jake smiled wryly at his words. "Too bad you had to almost die for this to be possible."

    "How are you doing?" Daniel asked, feeling awkward.

    "Just fine. Master treats me really well and father, well, as long as I improve he doesn''t care." Jake had a sad smile as he said that.

    There was an awkward silence again, lasting for a few seconds. Daniel felt that the longer it took for any of them to speak, the harder it would become.

    "How is mother?" He asked, squirming a bit, trying to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling he had.

    "I don''t remember much of how she was before, but she''s been really quiet over the years." Jake shook his head. "I would say she is very lonely and depressed."

    "She told me tell you that no matter what father says, you will always be her son. She will always love you." Jake looked down, depressed.

    "I love her too." Daniel''s eyes were turning hazy. It had been so long. He barely remembered his mother''s face.

    "I feel it is too bad that she never managed to stand up to father." Jake looked at Daniel as he said that.

    "It is not her fault. You know how father is. The moment she brings trouble to him he will get rid of her." Daniel shook his head. Then, he look at Jake, with an intense gaze. "She already gave him all that he wanted from her anyway."

    What could Lawrence Meyer want from a woman? Love? Companionship? Of course not. He wanted nothing more than a worthy heir to his mighty name. When Daniel was born, Lawrence did all he could to try to make the most of his poor talent.

    Unfortunately, Daniel''s affinity was too low. He never managed to purify a single wisp of Qi. All that was left for him was to be stuck at the late stages of Body Tempering, dealing with his worthlessness during the centuries he still had in front of him.

    The expenditure his father had with him was not low. Not only that, the bigger problem was his father''s reputation. How could the Second Protector of the Abyss Sect have a son that would never get past Body Tempering? Every breath Daniel took was a slap on his face.

    Luckily for Lawrence Meyer, Jake was born blessed by the Heavens. He was all he wanted on a son and even more. As such, not only did Lawrence cut all resources available to Daniel, he even banished him from the household, trying to get rid of that walking reminder of his failure as a progenitor.

    He also hoped Daniel would forever leave the memory of everyone that knew his name. He refused to have such abominations associated with him.

    Lawrence Meyer believed in absolute strength and in nothing else. He was probably the second strongest cultivator in the sect, losing only to the Sect Master, Lars Borgin.

    "Oh, there was something else." Jake said, ignoring what Daniel had implied in his comment. "We killed that Direwolf that attacked you and that kid."

    "Didn''t the talisman kill him? Wait, what kid!?" Daniel asked, anxious.

    "He said he was friend of yours, Amon. Strange kid, with golden eyes and ashen air¡­" Jake said, describing Amon as he tried to remember his traits.

    "Amon is alive! Hahahahaha!" Daniel started laughing out loud in relief and happiness. Amon was alive. He had managed to save him in the end.

    "Want to hear the story?" Jake asked as he quietly took a chair and sat by Daniel''s bed. Daniel nodded heartily hearing that.

    As Jake told of the events that followed Daniel being rescued, Daniel frowned more and more. Still, only relief showed in his face by the time Jake was done.

    "He said he is thankful for what you did, and very glad that you are alive." Jake finished telling the story and added, "He is a good kid."

    "Yes, he is." Daniel said, in deep thought. So Amon even asked to kill the Direwolf himself¡­ Maybe he was really starting to grow up.He raised his eyes, facing Jake "I''m glad that both of you are fine."

    "It was nothing much." As these words left his mouth, Jake regretted them. Luckily, Daniel didn''t seem to take them in a bad way.

    "There is something else." His face turned serious as his brows creased. Fury was showing in his eyes. "Father has a message too."

    Daniel''s face fell hearing that. It was surely nothing good.

    "A Promotion Competition will be held by the end of the year. Everyone in the Outer Sect is eligible. The ones that reach the top ten will be promoted to the Inner Sect, regardless of talent or cultivation."

    "There will also be a chance for the Elders to pick disciples from any of the participants, so not only the best ten will enter the Inner Sect."

    "That is a good opportunity for many." Daniel nodded. Jake''s face turned darker.

    "Father said that it was about time you stopped messing around with business that is not yours." Jake took a deep breath as he tried to control his anger.

    "He said that you will prove that even if you are trash, as you are his son you can still crush everyone else on the Outer Sect with one hand." Jake''s voice trembled for a moment, and Daniel wanted to laugh.

    His father was truly heartless. Not only did he make fun of his lost arm, he even gave Daniel a warning to stay away from Rebecca and Amon.

    "He said that if you can''t do that, there is no reason at all to keep you on the sect." Jake''s voice was so low it was almost like a whisper. Daniel laughed again. Turns out this was what was happening.

    "I''m sorry, Daniel. It is my fault. If I hadn''t defied him when I went to kill the Direwolf¡­" Jake had a regretful expression on his face as he spoke. It was the first time in ten years that he had seen his brother and it was only to give him such news.

    Lawrence knew that Daniel would never win. He might have had a shot before the Scavenging, but with one arm crippled there was no hope at all. Lawrence banished Daniel from his household ten years ago, and now was banishing him from the Abyss Sect.

    "It is not your fault. It is not about you." Daniel had a strange smile as he said that, and soon started to laugh.

    "What do you mean?" Jake was taken aback.

    "Father¡­ no, Lawrence is mad because I got hurt by a mere class 4 spirit beast, showing weakness and giving him trouble with the medical expenses. Worst of all, I did so saving the life of the son of the person he hates the most." Daniel had a hard time speaking as he was laughing like a mad man.

    "Wait, Amon¡­" Jake''s eyes bulged hearing that. How couldn''t he know of this?

    "Yes. Amon is the son of the White Flame of the Abyss, Rebecca Skoller. And also the son of our former Fifth Protector, Lloyd Kressler." Daniel explained, still laughing. Tears were streaming down his face as he did so, making for a very sad scene.

    "You know, there is just one person that I loathe as much as I do Lawrence Meyer." He said as he tried to recollect himself, "He is just a bad a father as he is, and is also a traitor. Still, he has one redeeming factor on him."

    "I am really glad that Lloyd Kressler wrecked our father as he stole from the sect and got away unscathed." Daniel smiled widely thinking on how bad his father had been beaten for the rumors to spread all the way to the Outer Sect and no one manage to suppress them.

    Jake was in silence for a very long time as he heard that. Even if he held some hope in his heart, now he knew that his family would never be together again. He had grown up dreaming of making his older brother make up with his father and seeing his mother smile again. Now, this dream had been shattered by his father himself.

    "Maybe if I speak with Master¡­" Jake wanted to say something, but Daniel stopped him.

    "It will only makes thing worse. The moment Lawrence realizes how far you are willing to go for me, the more he will want to get rid of me." He gave a wry smile, "I am just a dead weight in your life."

    "Daniel¡­" Jake''s voice trembled and tears started spilling from his face. How long ago had it been that he had cried? He didn''t remember. Looking at his brother and what his father was doing to him was breaking his heart.

    Seeing his younger brother crying, Daniel couldn''t help but feel emotional too. All of the awkwardness between them was cast aside as Daniel gave him a hug.

    "You are my brother, Jake." Daniel said as he patted his brother''s back. "We are family. This is all that matters."

 24 The Keeper of Hell I

    It was a very spacious room, whose location only the four Protectors and the High Elders knew of. The floor was ashen-grey, and the walls were of a dark red that seemed to be pulsating with light, as there was a faint glow coming from them, as if they were made with lava.

    "We started announcing the Promotion Competition as requested." A man said in a grave voice. He had one knee on the ground and a respectful look on his face.

    He had black eyes and hair, and the air around him seemed to be frozen. It was almost as if he was enveloped in a bubble, and everything inside it was full of bone-chilling coldness. A faint mist swirled around him, and his black clothes were covered with frost.

    This man was naturally none other than Lawrence Meyer, whose arrogance knew little to no bounds. There was only one man he would kneel to, and that man was sitting in front of him, in a twisted and distorted throne made with charred wood placed atop a small golden platform.

    Hanging from the throne was a sword sheathed in a blood-red scabbard. The scabbard was glossy, looking like colored glass. The black guard had the form of a cross, and an eye-catching red gem that looked like an eye was embedded in it.

    It was a discrete sword, seemingly very common, but Lawrence knew better. This was the legendary Crimsonroar, the companion sword of the Founder himself. It was made with the best materials in the world, and was the strongest artifact they had in the sect.

    Only the Sect Masters could wield this sword, which was the greatest symbol of their position. Lawrence couldn''t help but give the sword a wistful look, but managed to contain himself.

    The man sitting on the throne had short brown hair and clear eyes. He wore red silk clothes perfectly fitting for him, decorated with intricate designs made with golden strings. His features were sharp and his expression was amiable. Even so, Lawrence could only feel uncomfortable as he sensed the terrifying aura that leaked from the man.

    The man was looking somewhat distracted as he couldn''t stop moving a shiny dagger between his fingers. It had an incredibly lustrous blade that seemed to produce its own light.

    "Very good." Lars Borgin nodded as he looked at Lawrence kneeling in front of him. The dagger never stopped moving. "Our sect has been on decline for a few decades now. We need to invest in the future. Even if the winners are nothing much, the resources they obtain can be used in their descendants, and eventually the sect will harvest the benefits."

    "It will also be good for the Elders to scout for hidden talents in the Outer Sect. Even if the requirements for reaching the Inner Sect are quite loose, we have too few disciples there." Borgin said as he stroked his chin with his free hand.

    "It is as sir says." Lawrence nodded, looking at the ground.

    "I heard something happened to Daniel a few weeks ago¡­" Borgin gazed at Lawrence as he said that, and the disgust Lawrence showed in his face didn''t escape his eyes.

    "It was taken care of." Lawrence said gritting his teeth. Borgin only let out a sigh hearing that.

    "Forget it, you''ll handle things as you wish." Borgin looked at the ceiling for a moment, thinking. "You are dismissed."

    Lawrence gave a bow and rose to leave the room. Borgin stared at the ceiling the whole time, his right hand still holding the dagger. With his left hand, he lightly caressed the left armrest of the throne, feeling the crisp texture in his fingers.

    "Tell Old Lu he can come in." Borgin said before Lawrence left. Borgin was lost in thought. He looked at the dagger is his hands with a frown. It was a very strange story.

    As he was thinking, an old man slowly entered the room. His face was wrinkled and his hair was completely white. He stopped a few meters away from the throne and gave a deep bow. Then, he kneeled with some difficulty.

    "Sect Master Borgin." Old Lu greeted as he looked down.

    "Tell me about the kid Jake brought to Sky Reach Village." Borgin demanded with a deep voice. Old Lu felt a chill running down his spine.

    Old Lu lowered his head even further and started shivering as he spoke. "It was Amon Kressler, sir. Miss Karen brought him to Sky Reach Restaurant."

    "I recognized him in a glance, but decided to keep quiet. They chatted for a while and he asked for rice cakes, as he always did when he lived in Sky Reach."Old Lu recounted the facts of that day. "He left soon after. Young master Jake paid Luke to take him to the Outer Sect."

    Borgin closed his eyes as he heard Old Lu''s report. "Anything noteworthy about him? Anything strange?" The dagger danced between his fingers, reflecting the light in his face.

    Old Lu thought for a moment before saying with a trembling voice."Y-yes¡­ His hair was ashen-gray and his eyes were golden. I might be wrong, but he had black hair and eyes before."

    "You are not wrong. Something changed on him the day Lloyd betrayed us." Borgin was frowning as he said that. He remembered the reports, but he had no idea what Lloyd had done to his son. Either way, it didn''t seem to have taken much of an effect, as his talent was still low.

    "Anything else?" Borgin frowned even further. "He was returning from the Scavenging. Did he have a treasure on him? A token? A pair of daggers?"

    Old Lu was surprised at the question, and seemed to be in a daze for a moment. His face paled as he grew nervous. Suddenly, he almost jumped from his position. "There is something, sir."

    "Speak." Borgin ordered, his eyes shining. The dagger in his hand stopped moving.

    "He had a sword strapped to his back." Old Lu said. He felt Borgin''s stare on him, so he started telling details. "It had a black and silver sheath, and the guard was in the shape of a half-moon, with a red jewel on it. I have never seen Lloyd or Rebecca using anything like that, so I found it a bit strange, but didn''t think too much into it."

    "Is that all?" Borgin asked with a milder tone.

    "Yes, sir. This is all I remember." Old Lu said as he bowed so deeply that his forehead touched the ground.

    "Very well. You did a good job." Borgin said as he started moving the dagger again. "You may leave."

    Old Lu stood up and gave a deep bow before he left the room.

    Borgin was left alone, playing with the dagger in his hands. It was very interesting piece. It had a simple design, but the blade was forged with danasian steel, what made it very precious. Borgin could melt this dagger and its pair and make a new high-grade artifact.

    He looked at the golden words that shone above the doorway to this room. As he did that, he started caressing the charred armrest of the throne again.

    Legends say that Arthur Royce, the Founder, made this throne when he finished building the sect. He used the wood from the Ashen Heart Tree to build a beautiful, magnificent throne worthy of a king.

    The first thing he did when the throne was finished was to set it on fire. He sat on it as the flames blazed and the wood cracked, deforming the once beautiful seat. Then, gazing at the few onlookers preset in the room, he said, "You all know the price we paid for this. We must not be captivated by the beauty of power; we must be disgusted by it."

    These words were engraved on the wall opposing the throne, so whoever sat there would see it every time they gazed ahead. A reminder from the greatest cultivator in history to his successors. Still, this was no more than a legend. No one would know the truth, or at least that was what most would think.

    There was one existence in the Abyss Sect who knew the truth, because he had been there in that very moment. He had accompanied Arthur for most of his life, and Arthur left the true control of the sect to him.

    "Nemeus." Borgin called as he frowned. "What do you think?"

    The scarlet sword hanging from the throne flashed, and the air distorted as a figure materialized in front of him.

    It was an incredibly tall man, with messy flaming red hair that reached his waist like a mane, and a body so full of muscles one would wonder how he reached that point. His features were crude, and his scarlet eyes were filled wisdom, but also had a savage glint, like a cunning beast.

    "I was right." The towering man said with a deep voice that seemed to reach to the depths of one''s mind. "I''ll have to keep an eye on Amon Kressler."

 25 The Keeper of Hell II

    "Are you sure about this?" Borgin asked.

    "I am." Nemeus answered as he also looked at the dagger.

    "You''ll send Jake to oversee the Promotion Competition." It was not a request; it was an order. An order that Borgin could only obey. Nemeus continued, "I''ll accompany him. It is about time we started teaching him what it truly means to be the inheritor of Master''s legacy."

    Borgin frowned hearing that, but couldn''t disagree. Jake Meyer was the best candidate to be his successor. He had dazzling talent and a cool head. Even if his personality was a tad too gentle, this could be fixed over the years.

    Borgin looked at the dagger in his hands. They finally reached the end of the trail, but only Nemeus knew what was there.

    "Are these daggers so important?" Borgin asked, still unsure. "It is nothing more than danasian steel."

    Hearing that, Nemeus shook his head. "It is not the daggers. It is who they belonged to."

    Nemeus was almost completely sure that Amon Kressler had stumbled upon Alexei''s corpse, wherever it was hidden. The Scavenging had finally paid off, even if after centuries.

    The sword Old Lu described was awfully similar to the Brightmoon Nemeus knew. Still, there had been tens of thousands of cultivators in what came to be called the War of Falling Leaves. Nemeus couldn''t be sure without seeing for himself. Even if Old Lu had remembered the ring Amon had in his finger at the time, Nemeus would have still treaded carefully. This was a very sensitive matter, after all.

    "Who was it?" Borgin couldn''t help but ask. It was a strange story. After one Scavenging, not only had Amon Kressler found two incredibly precious treasures, he also bought a suspiciously high number of manuals from the Divine Arts Palace.

    Adding to that, after he bought the Skyreacher Body manual, it only took him a few more days to register his breakthrough, and the results had been astounding. He had been stuck at the initial stages of Qi Gathering for years, and now it looked like he turned into a genius overnight.

    Whatever he found in the Scavenging was certainly not a trivial matter. Worst of all, Borgin would have never noticed that if Elder Li hadn''t given him the daggers as a gift, sparking Nemeus'' suspicions.

    "It does not concern you." Nemeus'' deep voice answered him, making Borgin''s face twist.

    "Even if I am the Sect Master?" Borgin tried to use his position to convince Nemeus, a very poor move, but there was not much else that he could do.

    "What of it?" Not only did Nemeus not give in, he was also ruthless in his rebuttal. His scarlet eyes seemed to be ablaze as he faced Borgin coldly. "One word from me and you''ll be crippled of your cultivation and banished."

    "The only person that had the right to know about this was my Master, and now that he is gone it does not concern any of the living." He glared at Borgin with a savage look. This was the only warning he would give.

    Borgin was silent hearing that. He knew Nemeus wasn''t one to joke around. The truth was that no one knew about the secrets of the Abyss Sect as well as Nemeus did, and most likely, no one ever would.

    "The Promotion Competition will be held in six months." Nemeus said as if stating a fact. How Borgin would make it happen was his problem.

    It should be time enough for Amon to develop further. Then he would be able to confirm his suspicions. "Make sure the news reach the boy."

    After Nemeus said that, he dispersed into the air. Borgin had dark lines creasing his forehead, thinking deeply. This was certainly related to the war of four centuries ago, the problem was that not even he knew much of it.

    The only ones that could have known what Nemeus was thinking were all dead, and they made sure to bury the past with them.

    ---

    "Very good." Lya''s voice echoed in Amon''s head as he held the crude sword with his right hand. The sword was covered by a layer of light, and exuded a dangerous feeling.

    "You managed to properly control the shape of the Qi you imbue into the weapon in only three days; it is not a bad result at all." Lya said.

    Amon smiled hearing that, and the light on the sword subsided. Innumerable lines of light could be seen covering it, much more than the first time he managed to successfully imbue a weapon with Qi.

    He had been training under Lya for more than a month now, and his progress was very satisfying.

    Besides practicing imbuing his Qi in the sword, Amon also read the manuals on Sword Arts. Every time he finished one, Lya would make questions nonstop, measuring his comprehension. If he failed a single one, he was forced to read the manual again.

    "Now you will imbue the sword as you execute the stances of the Fundamentals of the Sword." Lya ordered as she floated next to him.

    Amon nodded. He easily lifted the sword that had been so heavy for him before. The lines of light reappeared on the blade, and soon it started shining brightly. He slightly bent his knees and straightened his back. He raised his right hand and pointed the sword downwards, covering his upper body. With his left forearm, he supported the flat side of the blade.

    This was one of the basic stances described on the Fundamentals of the Sword. Amon could defend from blows from most directions in this stance, and also attack quickly.

    Lya approached him and moved her hand, making a stick lying on the ground to fly to her side. Lines of light started slithering through its surface, and soon the stick was glowing. Amon started sweating bullets as he saw that.

    "Start the Soulrousing Technique." Lya said with a gentle smile that sent chills down Amon''s spine.

    He started reciting the runes of the first part of the Soulrousing Technique in his mind, shivering in fear.

    "I''ll give you a second to adjust what you think needs to be adjusted." Lya said in a sweet voice.

    "Damn!" Amon thought to himself, trying his best to reposition his body in what he felt was a more accurate representation of the descriptions and illustrations of the manual.

    "Time is up!" Lya said as she slowly started circling around Amon, her eyes scrutinizing every inch of his body.

    "You right knee is pointing outwards, your stance is a fail." She said as the stick cut the air, hitting his knee mercilessly.

    "Ouch!" Amon shouted in pain, but held the stance. He sent Lya a resentful gaze as he corrected his knee.

    "Your left arm is too relaxed. One strong strike and you will hit yourself with your sword as your arm gives in." The stick hit him in his left elbow, making it burn in pain. "Your elbow was also too flexed. Your stance is a fail."

    Amon focused and corrected his stance again. Lya spend a few seconds looking at him carefully.

    "Your stance is good." She said as she nodded. Amon sighed in relief.

    "But your grip is too loose." The stick hit his right wrist and the sword flew from his hand, falling heavily on the floor with a ''clang''. "Your grip is a failure."

    "You old hag!" Amon shouted as he held his wrist. It was red and was starting to swell. "That hurt!"

    The Soulrousing Technique enhanced both his pain and his impulse in cursing at the one that hurt him. Amon was still far from dominating his emotions. The result was a terrible slip of the tongue.

    Lya''s face fell and a vein started popping in her forehead.

    "Old hag?" She asked as a menacing aura started emanating from her.

    Amon''s face paled as he realized he made a grave mistake. His golden eyes shone with fear as he shuddered.

    He tried to run away, but invisible ropes tightened around his body, immobilizing him as the stick started mercilessly hitting his whole body. He squirmed in pain and fell to the ground.

    "Your manners are a failure." Lya said with a cold voice. "How dare you call me an old hag? I am merely a few cen¡­"

    She stopped what she was going to say and gave a loud cough. "Cough, you can''t say such things to a lady!"

    "I''m sorry, I''m sorry!" He cried pitifully as the stick kept hitting him.

    "Hmpf. Start again!" Lya snorted as the stick flew back to her. Her blue eyes were ice-cold and she seemed greatly displeased.

    Amon could only blame himself. He shook his head and recovered the sword from the floor, reassuming the stance.

    "Your grip is too tight." Lya said as the stick flew again, hitting his wrist a second time. Amon grunted and loosened his grip a bit. This time, he managed to endure in silence.

    "A loose grip will be the fastest way for you to lose your weapon." Lya said in a serious tone. "A grip too tight is the fastest way for you to waste energy. Not only will your movements be stiff, your hand will tire more easily."

    Amon nodded hearing her. Lya seemed to be satisfied as she commanded "First move!"

    A whistling sound echoed through the room as the sword in Amon''s hands cut the air in a horizontal swing from right to left, leaving a trail of light in its path. As the strike was finished, he held the sword in place, next to his waist and pointing backwards.

    "Too slow and too low, start over." Lya said, using the stick to slight move Amon''s arm upwards and showing him the correct height the strike should end at.

    Amon took a deep breath and returned to his initial stance. This had been his life lately, reading manuals and training nonstop.

    "You need to engrave the basics in your memory. Your stance must always be perfect, or your opponents will strike at your glaring openings." Lya said every day.

    To Lya, Amon was nothing more than a beginner. He had never properly used a sword before, and his foundations were nonexistent. She had to help him build them from the ground up.

    Still, this was a good thing. He had no bad habits and no set idea of what his style should be. Amon was a blank slate that she could paint with any color. That was a chance, not a problem.

    Adding to that, his Soul Cultivation was also going well. Amon listened to every word she said, and followed her instructions with precision. His body was also close to ready to his next round of tempering.

    Overall, Lya thought that things were going well. Soon enough it would be time for him to put what he was learning into practice, and completely absorb the knowledge he knew only in theory so far.

    As she was thinking of this, a rare knock could be heard from the front door.

 26 The Keeper of Hell III

    Amon had a confused look in his face as he heard the door being knocked. No one knocked on that door for years, except for Daniel. Could it be?

    Amon''s eyes lit up as he hurriedly dropped his sword on the bed and rushed to the door, almost ripping it off from the wall as he opened it violently.

    "Daniel!" He almost shouted as the warm sunlight entered the living room.

    However, his excitement was soon gone. The standing on the grass on the other side of his door was not Daniel, but a complete stranger.

    It was a short woman wearing purple clothes. Her blond hair looked like molten gold under the sun, and her delicate face had a healthy glow and she looked very pretty.

    She looked at Amon strangely for a second, but her expression soon turned gentle.

    "Excuse me, is this the residence of the Skollers?" She asked politely as she gave a smile.

    "Yes, madam. Why do you ask?" Amon answered as his brow rose. The purple clothing meant she worked for the sect. He turned apprehensive as he looked at her carefully.

    "I am here to give you your invitation to the Promotion Competition that will be held in six months." The woman smiled again as she retrieved a small silver token and passed it to Amon.

    "Just present it together with your identification card in the arena in six months and you will be qualified to take part on the Promotion Competition."

    "What Promotion Competition?" Amon was confused.

    "You didn''t know?" The woman was taken aback. The news had been spreading like wildfire since the last few days.

    "I''m sorry madam, but I''ve been very busy at home lately." He said with a wry smile. All of his body was still sore from the beating he took from Lya.

    "Very well, I''ll explain." The woman didn''t seem bothered as she started talking. "In six months'' time, a Promotion Competition will be held in Hell''s Keeper City. Every member of the Outer Sect is allowed to participate as long as he has this invitation in your hands."

    "You will all take part in a tournament, and the ones that are placed in the top ten by the end of the tournament will be promoted to the Inner Sect." Her expression never faltered, as if it had been extensively trained.

    "Also, all the Elders of the sect will be present. They might choose anyone participating as their disciples, so not only ten fighters will be granted entrance to the Inner Sect."

    "What?" Amon couldn''t believe what he heard. These were definitely great news. He looked at her and asked, "Will it be a single tournament?"

    "Yes." She nodded.

    "How are Qi Gathering cultivators going to stand a chance?" Amon felt it was a strange way to choose disciples when it was guaranteed that most of them didn''t stand a single chance of winning, even if counting on luck.

    "They can only rely on themselves and maybe catch the eye of one of the Elders. That is my honest opinion." The woman looked seriously at Amon as she spoke.

    "That seems unfair." He was not convinced.

    "Is it? They are getting the chance to go to the Inner Sect before fulfilling the requisites. The only ones allowed to do so are the families of Elders and Protectors." She shook her head. Even if it seemed unfair, a small chance was better than nothing.

    Amon thought for a while. If he entered the Inner Sect, he would receive resources from the sect, as well as access to manuals from higher floors in the Divine Arts Palace and to other facilities. He would also be able to take his home with him to take residence in Hell''s Keeper City.

    "Very well. I will participate." He said after a while. It was a great chance that he couldn''t waste. If his father''s name would give him any sort of trouble, he wouldn''t have been invited on the first place.

    "Good. Also, there is an invitation to the other member of the house¡­" The woman said as she offered a second silver token to Amon.

    "There is no need. She can''t take part on it." His face turned sour as he denied the woman.

    "I see. I''m sorry for the inconvenience." She said, seemingly bothered. "I''ll be taking my leave."

    She turned away and left, her golden hair waving in the air, ablaze at the sun.

    Amon returned to his room and saw Lya looking at him with a gigantic smile. Her blue eyes shone with excitement and she could barely contain herself.

    "A tournament!" She said, full of energy. "It will be a great place for you to truly understand about combat!"

    "Six months¡­ It will be tough, but it is possible to get you ready by them." She looked at him with those eyes full of expectance. Somehow, they made Amon feel more fear than when she was mad. He felt he was going to have a bad time.

    "W-well, the best part is the place in the Inner Sect¡­" He said, trying to hide the trembling in his voice.

    "Is there a place in this sect were you can train combat?" Lya asked as she cocked her head, looking at Amon.

    "I think the Warrior Hall had something like that." Amon said, stroking his chin as he thought. "If I am not wrong, there should be an arena there were we can challenge other cultivators, and also a few sparring puppets controlled by an array formation."

    "That is perfect!" Lya nodded nonstop as a big smile showed in her face. Amon remembered that the only time she seemed so excited was when he first went to Hell''s Keeper City.

    "A tournament! It has been an eternity." She said as she floated in the air. "We have much to do! If we speed things up you can reach the middle stages of Body Tempering! You must also properly learn about Movement Techniques after you grasp the basic of the sword¡­."

    "I think I''ll need to be a bit more rigid from now on, just to guarantee that our time will be optimized and you won''t slack." She started nodding to herself, as Amon turned pale.

    "Lya, it is only a tournament." He couldn''t help but say.

    "Only a tournament? What do you know?" She looked at him with an annoyed expression.

    "Do you think you stand a chance against the scions of wealthy families that have been training with the best resources from the Outer Sect the moment they were able to first sense Qi?"

    "You''ve barely trained for a month. You only have six more to get ready to face people that have been training for years, or even decades!" She didn''t avert her blue eyes from him for a single moment as she approached his face. "Do you think I should go easy on you?"

    "No." Amon shook his head. She was absolutely right. But he still shuddered thinking in the future. It would certainly be hell.

    "This will be a great chance for you Amon, I am sure you will learn many things participating in this tournament." She said as she thought for a moment.

    "Like properly using Sword Qi? Applying Movement Techniques to their maximum effect? Learning to observe my surrounding and opponents as you spoke before?" He asked what came to mind. Lya had told him before that only with actual experience he would grasp all of these things.

    "Well, yeah, but something comes before all of that." She waved her hands, dismissing his opinion.

    "What?" He cocked his head.

    "You will learn to properly take a beating." She said with a bright smile as her blue eyes shone with an evil glint.

 27 Warrior Hall I

    "You want me to learn how to take a beating?" Amon asked dumbstruck.

    "Of course. Or do you expect to go unscathed in all the fights you take part in?" Lya cocked her head, as if she didn''t understand were his surprise came from.

    "Well¡­" Amon looked away somewhat ashamed. She had certainly seen through him to a certain extent.

    "The sooner you learn how to keep your cool even if you are losing, the faster you will grow." She said as she approached him.

    "It is not because you know good techniques and is stronger that you will automatically win in a dazzling fashion." She lightly patted his head, making a cold wind slightly mess his hair. "That is utterly nonsensical. People who think that have never fought before."

    "What do we do now?" He asked.

    "We train, train and train some more." "When I think you are good enough, we can go to that Warrior Hall you mentioned so you can at least get some experience before the tournament."

    "Very well." Amon nodded as he took a deep breath.

    "It''s good that you understand. Now go back to your room and go back to the first stance of the Fundamentals of the Sword."

    "There is one thing I must do first." Amon said as he walked to his mother''s room.

    He entered the room after knocking. As always, his mother was sitting on the bed, looking out the open window.

    "Good morning." He said with a soft voice.

    "Good morning." Rebecca answered in a somewhat low voice.

    Amon felt it had been really awkward talking to Rebecca ever since he lied a few weeks ago. It was as if a wall had appeared between them.

    "I just received an invitation to a Promotion Competition." Amon said as his eyes looked at hers, his tone gentle. "I want to participate."

    Rebecca looked at him for some time in silence, pondering her words. She finally asked after some time, "Participating would be good, but do you think you can win?"

    "I have six months to prepare for that. I think I have a chance if I don''t slack." Amon said seriously. Rebecca''s gaze turned serious.

    "How do you have such confidence? You are inexperienced and training alone." She said dejected. She was already expecting a lie.

    Amon closed his eyes and sighed. He remembered Lya''s words about the importance of promises. He wouldn''t lie to her again, but he also didn''t want to tell her the truth.

    "Mom, I don''t want to lie to you." His golden eyes shone with regret. "Please don''t ask about my training."

    "I won''t ever lie to you again, but I also can''t tell you about this matter." He had a troubled expression as he faced her. "Please trust me on this."

    Rebecca closed her eyes and gave a sigh. When she opened then again, they were bright and full of life. Still, there was a hint of coldness hidden in then, a suspicion, a fear of being hurt again.

    "Can you promise me that?" She asked looking at him with such eyes. Amon didn''t avert his eyes from her gaze, instead, he received it gladly.

    "I promise you." He said as he looked in her eyes.

    Rebecca smiled hearing that and opened her arms. Amon hugged her tightly, feeling her warmth.

    "Then I''ll trust in you." Rebecca said as she ruffled his ashen hair.

    They separated and Amon stood up.

    "I''ll be off to train." He said with a smile.

    Rebecca nodded and he left the room.

    ---

    "Hmm¡­" Abyss Sect''s Fifth Elder frowned as she examined Daniel''s right arm. The wound on the arm were closed, but it was scarred beyond recognition. The skin that covered the wounds was thick and distorted, and when put together with the missing chunks of flesh it made for an awful sight.

    "Well, the muscles and skin have healed completely, and the fractured bones are also nearly fully healed." She diagnosed Daniel with her piercing eyes still fixed at his arm.

    Many imagined the Fifth Elder as an old woman that spent her life studying the ways of healing, however, she was surprisingly young for her role and the knowledge she possessed.

    Natasha Barnes seemed to be a middle-aged woman with a gentle face. Her brown hair was tied up in a knot in the back of her head, and her brown eyes could pierce one''s soul. Her brows seemed to always be furrowed, as if she was always pondering over something. Even so, she was a beautiful woman, and had a scholarly bearing to her.

    "The severed meridians¡­ well, there is nothing we could do." She said with a soft voice. "I''ll say to you again, but I''m sorry that the sect could not fully heal your arm."

    "Managing to keep my life is enough for me, thank you very much." Daniel smiled as he thanked her. "Do you know when I''ll be able to leave?"

    Hearing his question, Natasha looked up for a moment, thinking.

    "It will take one more week for the bones to be fully healed." She looked at Daniel as she answered with a serious look. "That would usually be the end of it, but you haven''t moved your body in over a month."

    "Because of that, you will need to undergo physiotherapy." She looked up again and held her hands behind her back. "One month of daily sessions should be enough. At most, one and a half months."

    "That long?" Daniel couldn''t believe it. He was in the late stages of Body Tempering, even if he indeed needed physiotherapy, he doubted it would be as long as one month.

    "My job is to guarantee that you are fully healed and in peak form before I let you leave." Natasha gave him a meaningful glance as she spoke, hinting at something.

    Daniel''s face fell as he heard that. "I imagine the Second Protector asked you to be very cautious regarding that."

    She gave a beautiful smile as she nodded. "Indeed, it is as you say."

    Daniel''s face twisted hearing that. He would lose almost two months of preparation for the Promotion Competition. His father wasn''t even giving him a chance. He couldn''t help but send a resentful glance to the Fifth Elder.

    Her smile turned even wider as she saw his expression and she spoke again. "Well, to be honest, I feel that you are too injured. One and a half months will hardly be enough."

    Daniel''s face turned deathly pale. His left arm started trembling as he closed his fist beneath the bedsheets. He gritted his teeth so hard they creaked.

    "I believe that six months will be enough." Natasha said the words that cut into Daniel''s heart.

    "I doubt you can hold me here for more than a week if I am willing to leave." He said through his gritted teeth.

    "You are merely at the late stages of Body Tempering. Do you think that you can resist a Divine Foundation High Elder like me?" She asked with a sneer.

    "Why would you waste your time doing that?" Daniel was dumbstruck and completely confused. This was absurd. "You said so yourself, I am only at the late stages of Body Tempering. How am I worthy such trouble?"

    "Someone asked me to." She said with an uninterested voice as she brushed some dust out of her white clothes.

    "Would Lawrence really go that far?" Daniel while smiling bitterly. This was far worse than simply cutting his preparation time.

    "Of course not. You father is very heartless. He always like to give a glint of hope to the ones he wants to destroy, even if such hope is meaningless. He feels that it is much more satisfying than to simply crush someone to smithereens." Natasha had a bored look in her face as she rebutted him. It was as if Lawrence Meyer was of no significance to her at all.

    "Then who?" Daniel asked, exasperated.

    "Someone I have a higher regard for. More importantly, he will owe me one. You can call it an investment." She answered as she checked her nails as carefully as she did Daniel''s arm.

    Daniel was still confused as he looked at her. She gave him a slight smile, as if cheering him on into discovering what she meant.

    Daniel started thinking. It was someone other than Lawrence Meyer that had made this absurd request, and the Fifth Elder held this person in an even higher regard. This meant that the person had to have at least the same status as Lawrence, or higher.

    The problem was that none of the remaining three Protectors would lose their times doing something like that, it made so sense. The remaining option was Sect Master Borgin, but he didn''t care about anything other than the sect. Such schemes were beneath him.

    Then who?

    Wait, the Fifth Elder called it an investment. What if that person was still not in such a position of power? Then the only one that would fit the descriptions would be¡­

    "No way!" Daniel had a surprised expression as the pieces fell into place.

    "Have you figured it out?" Natasha asked with a bored expression.

    "It makes no sense. How would keeping me here help me?" Daniel couldn''t think of a reason for that.

    "Didn''t I tell you before? My job is to make sure that you leave here at peak form. I''ll be satisfied with nothing less." She sent him a meaningful glance.

    Daniel was surprised as he heard that. The meaning of her words this time was completely different from before. These words were like a beacon of hope to Daniel.

    "But my arm¡­" He looked at his useless right arm with a frown. What would they do? Even Natasha Barnes hadn''t been able to recover it.

    "We will find a way to get around this problem." She said, still bored. It was as if she could find a solution any time she wanted.

    "Is he insane? Lawrence will never¡­" Daniel started mumbling. This would bring him a great deal of trouble if Lawrence ever found out.

    "He knew you would say that. So he asked me to tell you this:" Natasha''s bored expression faded away as she passed the message to Daniel. In her expression, there was nothing but respect. "We are family. It is all that matters."

 28 Warrior Hall II

    "I''m off!" Amon''s voice echoed in his mother''s room.

    "Don''t overdo it!" Rebecca said in response, but a smile could be seen in her face. Amon gave her one last hug and left the house.

    He had left her a Bottomless Pouch filled with food and water to last two weeks. It was the amount of time Amon would be training in the Warrior Hall.

    Together with Lya, they decided it would be best if he spent a few thousand contribution points to rent a room in the Warrior Hall for a few days. This way he could optimize his training schedule in the Warrior Hall, and his growth would be larger.

    The time limit the Abyss Sect allowed anyone that was not from the Inner Sect to stay in Hell''s Keeper City was no more than a total of thirty days in a year. Amon and Lya decided they would use half of the limit now, and the other half would be used two weeks before the tournament, so Amon would already be in Hell''s Keeper City and he would already be in top shape when the tournament started.

    As Amon left the house, he took a deep breath. It would take a good while for him to return.

    A cold breeze blew his ashen hair as he looked at the trees near his house. He could see the leaves hundreds of meters away in the smallest details, as well as hear them rustling in the wind. He could feel the warm sunlight gently caressing his skin and the slightest imperfection in the ground beneath his feet.

    He was wearing black clothes and the crude sword hung from his back. He decided to call it Windhowler, and even if it was ''just'' a middle-grade artifact, it was still very suited to him.

    It had been three months since he first started training with Lya. As Amon approached his fourteen years of life, he started growing taller, and his thin and frail body was starting to develop muscles.

    Every three weeks he would undergo a new round of Body Tempering with Lya''s help and even if it the pain he had to endure was absurd, the results were clear. He had already undergone his fourth round of tempering and his body felt incredibly light and full of energy. His senses were also incredibly developed and his soul was getting stronger by the day, especially with the boosts the Body Tempering gave him.

    "I already explained to you how this training will work, so be ready." Lya''s voice echoed in his mind. An unsuspecting stick was hovering by Amon''s side, covered in a faint layer of light. He shuddered ever so lightly as he saw the stick with the corner of his eyes. That thing brought him nightmares.

    He started reciting the first part of the Soulrousing Technique in his mind, preparing himself.

    "Start!" Lya said and the stick split the air, aiming at Amon''s head in a downward slash. It was an incredibly fast attack, but the stick ended up hitting nothing but the ground.

    Amon had twisted his body out of the attacking trajectory, and as soon as the stick passed by his chest, he started running southward. There was a faint light covering his feet as he ran at full speed.

    His steps were light and agile and he covered a great distance every time he moved.

    "Very good, keep this up." Lya said to him with a satisfied tone.

    Amon was using the most basic of the Movement Techniques described in the Essence of Movement Techniques he had bought long ago. It had a similar use to the Lesser Sword Art: it covered the basics of Movement Techniques and had a myriad of exercises for him to train focusing the Qi in his legs and enhancing his movements.

    Movement Techniques needed to accomplish two things: allow the cultivator to move faster and for greater distances.

    How one would use these techniques were up to them. The unpredictability and effectiveness of their movements depended on their experience and creativity, and that was where the Basics of Movement in Combat came into play.

    Like the Fundamentals of the Sword, this manual gave the reader a few insights on how and where to move depending on the situation. When to retreat? How great should be such distance? How to recognize an opening and how to position yourself to take advantage of it? How to use feints and create openings?

    The Basics of Movement in Combat covered all that in detail, but, at the end of the day, it was only a book.

    As Lya had said to Amon, it was all still in the hands of the cultivator. Amon would need to learn to make incredibly difficult decisions in a split-second, and have his body move as fast as his mind. More importantly, he would have to learn to commit to each of his strikes, for hesitation and self-doubt would lead him to create openings for his opponents.

    "First stance!" Lya shouted as the stick blind sided Amon in an horizontal slash.

    He promptly drew Windhowler and assumed the first stance of the Fundamentals of the Sword. The sword in his hands glowed as lines of light spread through it''s blade in but a moment.

    ''Clang!''

    Amon successfully blocked the strike, but he didn''t lose time, he started running again. Using a Movement Technique was similar to imbuing Qi into a sword, the difference was that the cultivator reinforced his feet and legs, and the pathways for the Qi to flow through were already defined, being the meridians.

    Having trained imbuing his Qi in a sword, Amon didn''t have much trouble learning the basics of Movement Techniques. The most troublesome part was to keep his body under control and to not lose his balance as he moved at such speeds.

    Combining a good Body Tempering with a Movement Technique was a great way to become incredibly fast in a short period of time.Still, one needed to be extremely careful. The slightest misstep could lead to a disaster in battle. Most cultivators avoided moving as fast as they could, because they would lose proper control of their balance and positioning.

    Luckily for Amon, his Body Tempering was as perfect as it could have been. There was no unbalance in the strength of his limbs and his heightened senses and reaction speed allowed him to sprint at his maximum speed without much worries. All that he lacked was experience using the technique.

    "Second stance!" Lya shouted again as the stick came slashing skyward. Amon promptly blocked the strike using the proper stance.

    Lya had decided that the trip to Hell''s Keeper City was a good opportunity for him to train using all of what he had learnt and also testing the limits of his body. It would be a good warm-up for the real training Warrior Hall.

    As such, Amon would have to run, dodge, block and strike his way to Hell''s Keeper City instead of taking a carriage. Lya had her divine sense spread to not only control the stick, but to check the surroundings and avoid prying eyes.

    It was a long and exhausting trip. Amon let in the morning and arrived at nightfall. The starts riddled the dark sky like shiny diamonds and the full moon stared at him like an eye. The silvery moonlight was barely enough to illuminate his sorry figure.

    His black clothes were completely drenched in sweat and his face was pale. His breathing was rough and his legs trembled as he finally arrived at the golden gates that led to the interior of Hell''s Keeper Mountain.

    "Entrance to Hell''s Keeper City is¡­" The mechanical voice started to sound as Amon approached the curtain of light that covered the gates.

    "Yeah, yeah¡­" He said in annoyance as he swiped his purple identification card at the curtain and entered the pitch-black tunnel.

    He was tired, sore and annoyed. Thanks to the Soulrousing Technique, he was feeling even worse than his real state. He couldn''t help but give a resentful glance to the stick still following him.

    Halfway through the trip, Lya decided to stop giving him a heads up for her strikes and telling him how he should block. This of course result in Amon being hit over and over again and having to keep his divine sense spread to the maximum as he kept his guard up at all times.

    Amon silently walked through the darkness, using his divine sense to not get lost or stumble into any walls. When he walked out of the tunnel, he held his breath.

    "It is beautiful." Lya said in a daze.

    Most of Hell''s Keeper City was in the dark, but the central zone was not.

    Silver moonlight illuminated all the area surrounding the Ashen Heart Tree, making its leaves glow with a pale light and the trunk to have a shiny luster to it, like steel. A few crystals stood atop the buildings that had someone living on, shedding a cold blue light where the moonlight couldn''t reach.

    It was almost as if there was a small sky filled with stars just above the city. Looking up, the full moon shone directly above the gigantic hollow of the mountain, creating such a breathtaking scene.

    Amon couldn''t help but agree with Lya. It was truly beautiful.

    He walked in a daze as he looked all around him. The city felt completely different during the night.

    Eventually, he stood beneath the glowing leaves of the Ashen Heart Tree, in front of a black palace. Its walls absorbed the moonlight, making it seem to be made of shadows. The pillar in front of it said "Warrior Hall", and a pair of enormous silver doors from which light could be seem welcomed people in.

    This was the place every member of the Inner Sect and the wealthy members of the Outer Sect came to sharpen their skills. It was without a doubt one of the core facilities of the sect, if not the one with most importance.

    Amon slowly entered the palace as a feeling of oppression burst from its sheer magnificence.

    The ground floor was brightly illuminated with the same crystals as the ones used outside. There were one long counter set in the side of the entrance, and a single clerk stood there, wearing the usual purple clothes.

    His hair was a mess and dark circles surrounded his eyes. He gave a long yawn as Amon approached him.

    "How can I help you, kid?" He asked in a drowsy voice as his eyelids trembled. He looked like he would fall asleep at any moment.

    "I want to rent a room for fifteen days." Amon said as the clerk yawned again. He retrieved a glowing ball from the counter and put it in front of Amon.

    "It will be six thousand contribution points for fifteen days here." The clerk said. This price included the rent of the room and the right to access the facilities daily. It was a good deal, but the numbers were still very high.

    Amon swiped his card in the ball and it flashed once, showing a number. The clerk squinted his eyes at the flash of light, annoyed.

    "Room 33. It is in the third floor." The clerk explained as he looked at Amon.

    Amon thanked him and hurriedly climbed the stairs next to the counter, reaching the third floor.

    There was just a single hallway made with the same material as the palace. A row of silver doors stood in each of the walls of the highway, with a shiny crystal above them and a number. If it weren''t for them, Amon would have lost all sense of direction thanks to the material that seemed to be pure darkness.

    He felt strange was he walked, since he couldn''t see where the floor ended and the walls started. He felt as if he was in an open space, even if the doors reaffirmed him it was just a hallway.

    "What an interesting array." Lya''s voice echoed in his mind. "A very cunning use of light."

    "Is this shadow thing just an illusion?" Amon was troubled as he tried to find his room.

    "Yes, a weak illusion." Lya said in a dazed voice. "This is actually a good way for you to rely less in your sight and trust your other senses more. This illusion was made to make you feel disoriented. It is also a kind of training."

    "Oh." Amon nodded as he understood her words.

    It didn''t take too long for him to find his room. He swiped his purple card at the door and it creaked as it opened inward, revealing a simple room.

    It had a comfortable bed, a mirror, a small desk and another silver door that most likely led to a bathroom.

    All of the food would be taken to his room daily at set times, so he didn''t need to use a kitchen. What troubled Amon, however, were the walls.

    "Even here they put this damn illusion!" He said outraged.

    "Every time is time to train." Was Lya''s comment to his outburst.

    Amon took his dirty clothes away and washed his body in the bathroom. He dejectedly sat on the bed, feeling a bit nauseated and dizzy. His sense of balance was all messed up.

    "This will be a great place to train Movement Techniques." Lya said with a sneer, making Amon''s heart clench.

    He closed his eyes as he lied down, preparing himself mentally for what was to come.

 29 Warrior Hall III

    ''Clang!''

    ''Clang! Clang!''

    In a dark space that seemed to be made with nothing but shadows, two figures clashed repeatedly. It was hard to measure their exact position, as the dark space seemed to have no boundaries. It was an endless void, where the only source of light came from a spear and a sword that clashed repeatedly.

    The light they emitted was pale and weak, but was enough to barely illuminate two figures entangled in combat.

    One was a boy in his early teens. His face was full of sweat and his ashen hair was wet and sticking to his face. His golden eyes shone with ferocity as he used a sword to block a series of stabs from the spear.

    He felt that his body was light and nimble as he fought his opponent. It was a very pleasant sensation, a thrill that he never felt before.

    The one holding a spear was tall and was from head to toe completely white. It had no eyes, nose, ears or mouth and it didn''t show any expression at all. Still, every single one of its attacks were deadly precise and swift. When added to his lack of expression, it made for a complicated opponent.

    The faint light shining on his white expressionless face and the shadows that covered most of his body made for a startling appearance. Fighting with it gave Amon chills every time he looked at it.

    It was a sparing puppet available in the Warrior Hall, and one could chose the weapon it would use and the cultivation level it would emulated. Even elemental affinities could be set up to maximize the options for training.

    This puppet was set up at an average level of the initial stages of Body Tempering. This meant that it was weaker and slower than Amon. Still, the way it moved in combat and the way it fought was miles ahead of Amon.

    Experience and intelligence was enough to close any small gap in cultivation, and even far surpass it. This was a lesson Amon was learning the hard way.

    ''Clang!''

    Amon blocked another stab aimed at his chest using the flat side of the blade, and pushed the spear out, breaking the sparring puppet''s stance. He hurriedly stepped forward, holding his sword with both hands as he tried to pierce the puppet''s head with the sword.

    To his surprise, he hit nothing but air. The puppet lightly twisted his body, and as Amon''s strike went past him, he grabbed Amon''s arm and pulled him. Amon lost his balance and fell to the ground, still holding his sword.

    ''Pak!''

    He felt a blunt strike on his back as the puppet hit it with the spear. Amon felt pain, but there was no real damage. The weapons there were using had no real edges or tips, they were all blunt weapons.

    "You lose." Lya''s voice reached his mind as the darkness in the room melted away and revealed a wide room with white walls and a solid floor.

    The puppet retracted his spear, took a step back and assume a neutral stance, holding the spear by his side.

    The light on the spear subsided and the puppet stood still, as if it was nothing but a statue. A stark contrast to the nimble and precise movements it had been displaying until now.

    "You managed to withstand him for about a minute." Amon heard Lya speaking and his ears started reddening. This was his tenth fight, as well as his tenth loss.

    "What was your mistake in this fight?" Lya asked.

    Amon thought for a while, trying to remember every movement and decision he made in the fight since it began. To his luck and shame, it was quite easy to do that, as it was an incredibly short fight.

    "That last strike I tried to use." Amon said as he stroked his chin. "I was late by a split second to use the opening I created, and the step I took was too long. My strike arrived late and my stance was wrong, resulting in a weak strike. My wrong stance also made me lose my balance when he pulled me."

    "Not a bad analysis." Lya agreed with him. "I already told you before, do not trust your eyes, try as much as possible to rely on your divine sense instead of your sight."

    "I know that, it is just¡­" Amon was somewhat ashamed as he spoke. "Maintaining the state of conscious emptiness while fighting is incredibly hard, I can''t do much else besides controlling the Qi on the sword and the Qi on my body to use the Movement Technique."

    Amon hadn''t shown great difficulty in using his divine sense as he moved ever since he first used the Soulrousing Technique. He even managed to use it in his trainings with Lya, although the mental strain was high.

    However, in a real fight it was completely different. Amon had to maintain the Qi in his sword, properly control and circulate the Qi in his legs, observe his enemy''s movements and always know what was surrounding him.

    It was the same as trying to look at four different directions at the same time. He was bound to make mistakes in all of those tasks if he didn''t balance them properly.

    "So now you understand why experience is important, don''t you?" Lya asked seriously.

    Amon could only nod. He had to admit that he thought he would have an easier time training in combat. One part of him secretly thought that it was going to be easy and he would surprise Lya with his performance.

    The truth was that he was overconfident. Now all he could do was gather the pieces of his shattered pride and move on with his head lowered as he learnt from his mistakes.

    Lya, of course, knew all of that. She was actually surprised at how cool-headed Amon was regarding his constant failures after the confidence he built up in three months of training. "It is good that he can keep focused." She thought to herself.

    "Even if your analysis is right, it is still lacking." Lya said. "You are still having a hard time with stabbing attacks."

    "You are not moving as you should, and that forces you to block attacks rather than dodge and position yourself to counter." Lya was precise as she exposed Amon''s flaws. "It is a waste of energy and puts you in a passive position in the fight."

    Amon nodded. It was true. They were hard to see and hard to dodge and block. Moreover, in the illusion had made him lose all sense of depth and distance in his sight, he had been moving carefully. Even if he was focused on using his divine sense rather than his sight, it was still hard to have a satisfactory result.

    "What can I do, Lya?" He asked as he looked at the ring in his hand.

    "You can only keep training. Eventually you will get used to doing all of that at the same time." Lya answered without hesitation, as if she was expecting his question. "This has to become second nature to you, it is the only way you will be able to properly use all of the tools at your disposal in combat."

    "So what you can do is to keep fighting, keeping making mistakes and keep correcting them." She concluded her explanation. "This is the most reliable way for you to learn and grow properly."

    Amon nodded. He took a deep breath and relaxed his body as he closed his eyes. Lya was right, as always. He had to be patient and keep practicing.

    Cultivation was not a race, it was a marathon. He had to find his rhythm and keep improving at a stable pace. Impatience and hurry would only make him tire faster in the long path he had ahead.

    "Again!" He shouted as he gripped his sword firmly. His grip was not too tight, nor too loose. He assumed the first instance of the Fundamentals of the Sword as the room darkened and the spear in the puppet''s hand started glowing.

    Amon didn''t realize this, but he was smiling as he faced his opponent with a savage gaze.

 30 Warrior Hall IV

    "Faster!" Lya shouted in Amon''s mind as he dodged left and right.

    A shiny ball grazed past his temple, ruffling his hair and giving him a chill. Still, he couldn''t get distracted for even a fraction of a second.

    There were a myriad of metallic balls the size of a fist shooting through the room from all directions. Amon was moving between them, trying his best to dodge the ones that came in his direction as he tried to reach the other side.

    His feet were glowing with Qi as he used the Movement Technique to nimbly move through the dark room. Still, his body was already full of bruises.

    Amon''s steps were light and agile as he twisted his body and moved around. He was covered in sweat and his face was flushed. There was absolutely no light in this room, so Amon could only rely in his divine sense to perceive the metallic balls.

    The balls didn''t kill, but they hurt a lot. Every time Amon missed a dodge, he was hit with the force of a kick, which would make him move from his original position if his stance was not firm and that would lead to more injuries.

    To properly pass this test, Amon had to spread his divine sense and try to keep track of all the metallic balls flying through the room. This way he would not be hit from a blind spot and he could slowly try to find a pattern to take advantage of.

    Lya said that this was an incredibly useful exercise. Amon would be able to properly use his divine sense to focus on multiple things at the same time, learn to observe his surroundings better, get more used to Movement Techniques even in strange spaces like the rooms in the Warrior Hall and learn about the flow of battle.

    Amon would have to grasp a proper rhythm of advancing, dodging and retreating to reach the other side of the room. It was almost like a dance. As Lya explained, all combats had their particular rhythm depending on who were the opponents. Amon would have to learn how to ''dance'' if he wanted to take full control of the situation in a combat.

    Adding to all that, Amon was using the Soulrousing Technique to generate more Nebula and boost his soul''s growth. He had to admit that this was an incredible training in paper, but he had been failing miserably.

    "It is better this way. The array doesn''t stop when you are hit, so you are forced to get yourself out of a tight spot instead of taking a break." Lya was very satisfied with how this training room worked.

    Like the Sparring Room, the Myriad Projectile Room had a series of adjustments that the user could make, like the speed of the balls, the strength of their impact, the quantity of balls and the complexity of the flying pattern they used.

    Amon would be forced to find a way to properly use his divine sense, otherwise he would be hit. If he was hit, he would feel pain and get anxious, and he would generate Nebula, boosted by the Soulrousing Technique. This would allow his soul to grow faster and his divine sense to get stronger. This meant that even if he failed, he would still benefit. It was only a matter of time for him to grasp what he needed.

    Amon would wake up as the sun rose and spend the whole day training, only taking a break for lunch. In the morning, he would train his dodges and the use of his divine sense in the Myriad Projectile Room, and, in the afternoon, he would fight in the Sparring Room.

    He spent the first five days failing miserably. In the sixth day, he failed the Myriad Projectile Room, but managed to defeat the puppet using a spear in the Sparring Room after a dragged out match in his last fight of the day.

    He spent a good part of that night excitedly talking to Lya about how the fight had gone down and how he properly applied what she taught him. Lya only nodded with a smile.

    On the seventh day, Amon finally beat the Myriad Projectile Room and walked confidently into the Sparring Room after lunch. To his surprise, the puppet now held a saber and his physical ability was the same as Amon''s.

    Its attacks patterns, movements and speed were completely different from before. Adding to that, the saber was a completely different weapon than the spear. It had a lower range, but it shone in close-quarters with wide sweeping attacks and ferocious blows.

    Needless to say, Amon lost miserably. He held no chance at all and the most he managed to hold on was forty seconds. He could only send a resentful glance to the ring in his finger, but he knew this was a warning from Lya. "Don''t get cocky." He could hear her saying it, even if she didn''t speak.

    On the eight day, the Myriad Projectile Room was many times harder than before. Amon could only give a wry smile as he stepped in. As he had expected, he left the room a few hours later feeling sore and with his body completely covered in bruises.

    On the eleventh day, Amon failed to pass the Myriad Projectile Room, but managed to defeat the saber puppet. That night he went to sleep without saying a word to Lya about his victory.

    On the twelfth day, Amon managed to overcome the Myriad Projectile Room for the second time. After lunch, what he faced was a sword-wielding puppet.

    "This one is set to have the strength of an average cultivator in the middle-stages of Boy Tempering." Lya warned him, making Amon turn pale. This meant the puppet was stronger than him.

    "It will be good for you. You will not be the strongest cultivator in the Promotion Competition." Lya''s voice was serious as she spoke to him. "You will need to rely on your skill and wits to close the gap between you."

    "I do recommend for you to look closely at what he does." Lya said. "This is the first sword wielder you will fight, analyzing how he moves, how he strikes and the decisions he makes will also be training."

    Amon nodded with a serious expression as he faced the puppet, trying to obtain as much information as possible on how to approach this fight. This was a habit he was starting to develop as a way to train his observation skills and his decision-making.

    The puppet''s sword as the same length as Amon''s but the puppet was taller. This meant he had a greater range.

    The puppet was holding his sword with his right hand. This meant that his most powerful blows would be aiming at Amon''s left side. Amon would have to double his attention on his left side.

    The puppet positioned himself in what Amon recognized as the third stance of the Fundamentals of the Sword. This meant that he would be using the moves of that manual.

    "No." Amon thought. This could be nothing but a feint. The saber puppet had done something similar. He had attacked with sweeping attacks for the most part, so Amon got used to dodging or blocking them.

    In one particular strike, Amon saw the attack coming and promptly blocked. To his surprise, the puppet changed his stance mid-strike into a stab, sliding through Amon''s guard and hitting his chest.

    Amon would be expecting strikes from the Fundamentals of the Sword, but he would not believe the puppet would use just them.

    He took a deep breath as he himself assumed the first stance.

    "Start!" He shouted, looking closely at the shiny sword in the puppet''s hand. Shadows started to swallow the white walls and the floor, immersing the room in a boundless darkness.

    As the puppet had no expression, Amon had no way to tell where he was aiming. He could only try to focus on the puppet''s body as a whole, analyzing his movements and trying to deduce where and how he would strike.

    Amon didn''t know this, but it was a good habit. Seasoned warriors could feint with nothing but their eyes, making one believe they would strike at where they were looking and attacking on the opening the opponent created when they tried to react to the feint.

    The puppet held the sword with both hands, raising it horizontally next to his head and having his body in an angle, with his left foot in front. It was a classic stance to a diagonal sweep downward, aiming for Amon''s left shoulder.

    Amon looked at him closely. The left foot was in a forty-five degree angle. Making a sweep like the one his stance hinted at would be wrong, as the puppet''s body positioning would actually make such a strike slow and weak. It could even make the puppet lose his balance.

    For such a strike, the puppet''s left foot would have to be pointing straight at Amon. The puppet would spin anti-clockwise using the left foot as a support as he took a step forward with his right foot. It was the only way to maximize the range and power of such an attack. Having his left foot in an angle would make the attack slow and would give Amon an opening.

    "A feint." Amon concluded. The way the puppet was positioned was strange.

    "It is the opposite!" Amon realized as he hurriedly raised his sword to block an attack aimed at his right side.

    He was spot on. The puppet spun using his left foot, but it his spin was clock-wise. The puppet almost did a complete spin as his sword cut the air. The puppet''s sword came at Amon in an upward diagonal slash aiming at his right leg.

    ''Clang!''

    The swords collided and Amon felt a numbing pain in his right hand. He was pale as he stared at the puppet''s eerily illuminate face. That puppet was incredibly strong.

    The swords started trembling and emitting clinging sounds as the puppet forced the strike in. Amon could only gaze in terror as that blank face slowly approached him and Amon''s sword was pushed back bit by bit.

    Amon hurriedly stepped back to escape this entanglement, but the puppet accompanied him with a step forward, their sword still touching each other.

    "Damn!" Amon shouted in frustration. He swung his sword outwards, trying to break the puppet''s stance. As he did so, the puppet took a step back. Amon''s sword whistled through the air as he violently swung at nothing, being completely exposed.

    The puppet took a step forward and stabbed at Amon''s chest.

    ''Pak!''

    Amon was completely defenseless. He could only look in resignation as the blunt sword hit his ribcage, sending him tumbling back as he lost the fight.

    The room lit up as the shadows dissolved and the puppet returned to his starting position before turning immobile.

    Amon''s breath was rough

    "To be honest, you surpassed my expectations." Lya''s voiced echoed in his mind. "I was surprised at how you saw through his feint. It was an incredible move on your part."

    "Of course, after that you danced in that puppet''s palms." She said with a sigh. "There is still much work to do."

 31 Four Months I

    The warm sunlight shone on the light expanses of green of the Outer Sect as a carriage slowly made its way to the north. The morning dew glistened on the light, making the grass look as if it was covered with uncountable small stars.

    Inside the carriage, a young boy was lying with his head on the wooden wall with his eyes closed. His breathing was slow, and the rocking of the carriage didn''t seem to bother him one bit as he enjoyed a deep sleep. By his side was a crude sword in a simple leather sheath standing against the wall.

    To make the most of the last days in the Warrior Hall, Amon had decided to go on without sleep. As a Body Tempering cultivator, he could forfeit sleep for a few days without much problem, so Lya allowed it.

    It was also a good way for him to test the limits of his stamina and mental resistance as he dealt with one failure after another without rest. He also decided to use the Soulrousing Technique during this time, as a way to make the most of the time.

    Lya realized that he was turning more and more irritable by the hour, but he managed to channel all of his negative emotions into fighting spirit. He decided to vent his frustrations on the training.

    This was a lesson for him. Because Amon started losing his cool and making more mistakes than usual.He had to learn to clear his mind during combat or it would make him perform at a lower level than usual.

    To her surprise, the results were good. On the thirteenth day, Amon managed to pass the third level of the Myriad Projectile Room and he almost beat the sword puppet on the Sparring Room after a combat that took a full fifteen minutes to finish.

    Most fights would end in mere seconds, as any mistake during a fight was potentially lethal. For a fight to drag on for minutes while Amon faced a stronger opponent meant he was starting to properly analyze his movements, detect feints and what the puppet could be planning to do next.

    In other words, Amon was starting to attain a warrior''s mindset: he was starting to look past what was happening and taking a glimpse on what would happen after each move in combat. His experience was accumulating and the possibilities of counters, attacks and dodges possible after each of his moves or the puppet''s were starting to be engraved into his mind. He was starting to learn how to react under each situation, and as such he managed to balance a fight where he was at disadvantage.

    More than that, the last exchange, where Amon lost, would have been his victory if he and the puppet had the same level of physical strength. Lya had to admit that even if Amon was no genius, he had a good head on his shoulders and the proper mindset of looking past his mistakes and learning from them rather than letting them weight down on his mind.

    Considering that he fought dozens of rounds each day and lost all of them, it was an incredible achievement. He was nothing more than a kid approaching his fourteen years of life, acting this way showed a great deal of maturity and focus.

    In the fourteenth day, Amon failed the fourth level of the Myriad Projectile Room, but almost managed to win. His eyes were bloodshot as he left the room in defeat without a word. Looking at his expression, Lya knew that his exhaustion and frustrations were piling up again and he wasn''t able to deal with them anymore.

    During the combat with the puppet, his strikes turned more and more aggressive, lacking the cunning and cool-headedness of the last day. As such, his results worsened very swiftly. This only added to him getting more and more frustrated as he felt he was taking a step back instead of a step forward. It was in that moment that Lya decided to act.

    "Amon, pay attention." Her voice was incredibly serious as she spoke with him. "You can''t let yourself be influenced by emotions this way."

    "I know that, Lya, but what else can I do?" He asked in frustration. His brows were creased and he looked very annoyed. "At most I''ll learn how to hold it back."

    "It is not about holding them back; it is about dealing with them." Lya''s tone was grave. This was an essential lesson. "Sit down and close your eyes."

    Amon had a weary look on his face and dark circles surrounded his dark eyes as he hesitated for a moment before sitting down and crossing his legs.

    "We must never hold our emotions back. This will eventually numb us to it, and your cultivation will suffer greatly." Lya started lecturing him with a calm and serene voice.

    "What we must do is face these emotions head on. You have to accept them, but not let them influence your thoughts or your decisions."

    "You are tired, you are irritated and you are frustrated." Lya voice was like a stream of cold water extinguishing a fire as Amon slowly calmed down. "When you are feeling negative emotions, you must balance them, otherwise you will always be a slave to your emotions."

    "Soul Cultivators must use their emotions, not the other way around."Care and concern showed in her voice as she advised him. "Find a way to use all of this negativity to your favor. Let it power a strike of your instead of deciding how you should act in the fight."

    "Your emotions control your sword; your reason controls your body." It was a common saying in the past. You should let your emotions power your strikes, as the emotions originated from the soul and the soul controlled the Qi. You should let your reason dictate how you act, for this is when you would avoid making mistakes. The emotions were the sword; the reason was the hand wielding it.

    "This is how a Sword Cultivator should act. You must make a clear distinction of reason and emotion." Lya concluded.

    Amon took deep breaths as he listened to her. He knew he was being overwhelmed by his emotions, but getting back in control was incredibly hard.

    "Try again." Lya said when Amon seemed to have calmed down.

    Amon slowly got up, still taking deep breaths. He opened his eyes and faced the blank puppet.

    "Start!" He shouted. The room went dark and the puppet moved in his direction.

    This time, the fight lasted longer. Amon had gotten a better hold of himself than in his previous fight. Still, the result was a loss.

    By the fifteenth day, Amon was still failing in everything, but he was slowly improving. He was far from the level he was at before the marathon, but he was also above than when Lya interfered.

    This meant that his progress was actually very good, because he was getting better at controlling himself while his frustration and exhaustion only grew. In other words, his rate of improvement was higher than the worsening of his mood.

    On the sixteenth day, Amon packed his things at sunrise and left Hell''s Keeper City. His ashen hair was a mess and his eyelids were falling all the time, as if he was going to sleep on his feet at any moment. Still, there was a faint and cold confidence in the glint of his golden eyes that had not been there before.

    It was different from being cocky. It was not an overestimation of his capabilities; it was simply complete understanding of what he could do. Amon had taken truly taken the first steps in the path of Sword Cultivators.

    Now, what was left was for him to further reinforce his foundations and learn more under Lya, all of that to prepare for the Promotion Competition in four months.

    In the dark-red space, Lya smiled tenderly as she saw Amon sleeping soundly through her divine sense. He was a very eager kid, and it was only normal for him to make mistakes. There was no such thing as a perfect human. Every single person had flaws, and those that believed otherwise were the most flawed of all, because they would never grow.

    The bright sun rose higher and higher in the sky as the carriage got closer to the Northern Station. It was a beautiful day, perfect for one to take a walk and enjoy the fresh air and the view.

    "Arthur really built something nice." Lya thought to herself. Arthur Royce¡­ he had been a strange man.

    On one side, he fought for his ideals with everything that he had, just like Alexei. On the other, even if he did his utmost to avoid killing, Lya knew that Arthur had no real regard for life. She had never been able to understand Arthur and she thought that she would never be able to.

    In that regard, Arthur was almost the opposite of Alexei. Because Alexei cherished life like no one Lya had ever met. Yet, he wouldn''t hesitate to kill if needed.

    They had been the strongest cultivators of their generation, and they were most likely the most flawed of them all.

    She could only give a wry smile thinking of this as tears started falling down her face. Maybe if they accepted their flaws they would have been able to deal with them. Because only when you recognize the existence of a problem you are able can solve it.

    She would not let Amon go down that path. She would give it her all to be sure he wouldn''t have his pride stand in the way of his growth. Because pride was what held a person back when it was time to rush forward, and cultivation was an endless path.

 32 Four Months II

    "So, how was it?" Rebecca asked Amon with a gentle voice and a smile. The sunlight coming from the window made her blond hair shine like gold as she looked at Amon with a warm gaze.

    "It was incredible." Amon answered with a weary gaze. He had slept for a few hour in the carriage, but he was still feeling exhausted.

    "Tell me about it later. Go rest, I can see how tired you are." Rebecca said as she gave him a firm hug and a light kiss on his cheek. "I missed you."

    "I missed you too, mom." Amon said before slowly making his way to his own room, where he fell on the bed and immediately entered a deep sleep.

    Rebecca stood in her own bed, gently tapping the wall with her slender fingers as she waited. It didn''t take long for the air to distort next to her and Lya materialized by her side.

    "It''s been a while." Rebecca greeted her with a nod. Her green eyes shone with anxiety as she looked at Lya with a somewhat eager expression.

    "Yes, it''s been a while." Lya greeted her back with a smile.

    "So, how was it?" She repeated her question to Lya.

    "His progress was far above what I expected." Lya said as her smile widened. There was a hint of pride in her blue eyes as she thought of the past two weeks. "He has talent. He might not be a genius, but he has talent."

    Rebecca laughed aloud as she heard that. Her laugh was clear and reverberated through the room like the chimes of a bell. She showed her white teeth as she smiled widely and her eyes reddened.

    She laughed for a very long time, so much that she lost her breath. When she finally stopped laughing, she started sobbing. Clear tears fell down her eyes, but she was still smiling.

    "You know, this is the first time someone said my son was talented." She said as she hurriedly wiped her tears. It was a strange feeling, a mix of pride and relief. She loved her son more than anything in the world, but this was the very first time someone said he had good prospects in his path to cultivation.

    Lya stood silent for a long time as she heard Rebecca''s words. She couldn''t help but feel touched. She looked intently at Rebecca''s eyes.

    "We will spend the next three months or so further developing his Sword Arts, his Movement Techniques and his use of divine sense." Lya was serious as she spoke. "Then, we will use the last two weeks before the competition in the Warrior Hall again, to make sure he gets enough experience."

    "I promise you; by the end of the Promotion Competition a lot more people will say that your son is talented." She said as her blue eyes shone with determination. This was a promise, and Lya would make sure she followed through with it.

    Rebecca smiled gently hearing that. As she looked at Lya, there was nothing but gratefulness, a completely different situation than their first meeting. "Thank, you Lya. I will never be able to repay you."

    "There is no need to repay me, Rebecca." Lya''s tone was gentle as she looked at Rebecca. Her body started to disperse as her words echoed in the room. "Just be sure to keep being a great mother."

    "This is also the first time someone said I was doing a good job." Rebecca looked at the place Lya had been as tears started falling from her eyes again.

    Rebecca Skoller needed no recognition from others. She spent her whole life doing her best and she slowly reached out for the peak with nothing but her own efforts. Still, the moment Amon was born, cultivation gained a new meaning for her.

    It was not about proving to herself that she was as good as everyone else anymore. She was strong to protect him, and nothing more. She did not hesitate to put his life above hers when Lloyd betrayed the sect and left them alone to deal with the aftermath.

    She did not hesitate to use her power to fight for her rights against the backlash her husband''s betrayal brought them. Her rampage had been so violent that even Sect Master Borgin had to give in, even if he was the one enraged the most in the situation. She was sent to the Outer Sect to be ''observed'' as they judged if she was involved in Lloyd''s betrayal.

    She also did not hesitate to put her life on the line to protect her son when the Silveback Wolf attacked. The result as her losing all of the strength she once had, but she did so with a smile on her face.

    She was not kicked out of the sect after this. Not because people respected her and what she did, but because she was not a threat anymore. There was no reason to keep her and her son under surveillance, and there was no reason to keep them at bay and fear them. They held no importance anymore, so Rebecca was promptly forgotten.

    Rebecca never once regretted what she did for her son, but she was incredibly bitter about the fact that she could do nothing but be under his care. She did her utmost to counsel and support him, but that was the limits of what her situation allowed her to do.

    Daniel had been of great to help to her in that regard, but now he was gravely injured too, and it was her fault. She was the one that proposed the idea of going to the Scavenging. If she hadn''t done that, Daniel wouldn''t have been hurt and Amon wouldn''t have been in danger.

    She had to raise her son alone, dealing with the trauma of abandonment and not even being able to properly move out of the bed. She still had delusions of Lloyd Kressler one day returning to take them away, but she knew deep down that it would never happen.

    She gripped the green necklace and the bedsheets tightly, looking at its beautiful glow.

    She was doing all that she could, but she always felt it was not enough. She felt that she would break down at any time, but somehow her son managed to help her to hold it together. All she could do every day was look out the window in her room and remember how it had been when she could take Amon for a walk through the sect, when they both were still happy.

    All she could do was imagine how it felt to walk outside, because Rebecca had been stranded in that bed for years. She would never be able to move forward again.

    That was why she was so glad when Lya said that he had talent. Because this meant Amon would be able to move forward. He would obtain strength and he would grow.

    Rebecca Skoller needed no recognition from others, but she still felt immensely glad when she received it. Because she was truly doing her best.

    ---

    ''Clang!''

    ''Clang! Clang! Clang!''

    Sparks flew everywhere in a dark room as a sword collided over and over again with a spear and a saber.

    Amon''s golden eyes were icy-cold and focused as he carefully dodged and blocked the strikes of the two puppets facing him in a frenetic rhythm.

    He blocked a saber strike coming at his right. The sound of scraping metal echoed in the room as he moved in the direction of the puppet, making his sword run through the saber release sparks.

    Amon charged at the puppet with his left shoulder, sending it tumbling back. He made use of his momentum to spin clock-wise, blocking a stab aimed at his back.

    The spear puppet took a step back as soon as his strike failed, but instead of advancing, Amon stood still for a moment.

    "A feint." He could see that, even if the puppet stood back, its body was slightly leaning forward. He was about to charge at Amon again.

    Amon took a step back and twisted his body to the right. The stab he was expecting came a heartbeat later, scrapping his clothes. As the puppet went past Amon, his sword came crashing down on its head.

    ''Pak!''

    The blunt sword hit the spear puppet, and it fell to the ground like a ragdoll.

    Amon had no time to enjoy the taste of victory, as a saber was slashing at his neck from behind.

    "Those guys are really fast." He couldn''t help but think.

    His sword was still in a low position thanks to his last strike and he would have no time to raise it and block the strike. Amon decided to take a step back, colliding with the saber puppet.

    He managed to get out of the range of the saber''s blade, and what hit his neck was the upper arm of the puppet.It hurt a lot, but did not count as a lethal blow. Amon lifted his left elbow and struck it with everything he had at the puppet''s abdomen that was behind his back.

    The puppet lost its balance and created some space as it took a step back. Amon spun anti-clockwise, using his left foot as a pivot. The blunt sword made a whistling sound as it cut through the air, chopping at the puppet''s left shoulder in a diagonal slash.

    ''Pak!''

    The sword hit the puppet, which fell to the floor lifeless. The shadows in the room dissolved and the two puppets got up, stand still side by side in the center of the room, as expressionless as ever.

    Amon let out a long breath as his tension subsided and he sat on the ground. His body was shivering and he was finding it hard to properly breathe. He felt his body was hot and he couldn''t stop with the trembling. Was it the adrenaline?

    "Not bad, not bad at all!" Lya''s voice echoed in his mind as she complimented him. "It took you five whole days to get obtain a victory, but you still managed to do it in the end!"

    Amon grunted hearing that. This was already their second round of training in the Warrior Hall. Lya decided that this time he would be facing two opponents at the same time in the Sparring Room instead of a single one like last time.

    As such, Amon took longer than usual to obtain victories over the puppets. Still, he managed to pass the test twice counting this victory. He had faced two puppets that were at his level of strength. It was a very good result for him.

    "The middle stages of Body Tempering are amazing." He managed to say. He could feel his body coursing with explosive power at every movement he made. He had managed to reach the middle stages of Body Tempering just a few days before he set out to the Warrior Hall again. He had needed more than ten rounds of tempering to advance from the initial stages to the middle stages of the realm.

    The benefits to his soul had also been great. His divine sense was stable and he could grasp his surrounding better than ever. Coming to the Warrior Hall again before the Promotion Competition had been the right call. Amon had gotten used to his new strength and had further developed his skills.

    "Still, don''t get overconfident." Lya was serious as she warned him. "This much puts you above average, nothing more."

    Amon nodded hearing her words. It was true. The people living in the Inner Ring had combat training their whole lives, and they certainly visited the Warrior Hall every year. He was still far behind them.

    "What are your expectations to this tournament?" Lya asked him.

    "Top ten if I get lucky." He answered seriously. "But my greatest chances are in getting the attention of an Elder and turning into a disciple."

    "Good. Have your expectations grounded in reality, this way you won''t get disappointed." Lya approved his words. "Nevertheless, that doesn''t mean that you shouldn''t aim higher. It is what makes us improve, after all."

    "I understand." Amon said as his eyes glinted with expectations.

    "Now go rest. We will have a big day tomorrow." Lya advised him with a tender voice.

    Amon made his way to his room, barely controlling his excitement. This was the fifteenth day of his second round of training in the Warrior Hall. It had been almost four months since he had finished his first training in it.

    His cultivation had increased and his skills too. He was feeling confident, even if not excessively so. He looked at Windhowler standing again the dark wall, looking as if it was floating. He really wanted to use it in combat.

    He lied down on the bed and closed his eyes, but sleeping well would be hard, because Amon was too excited and anxious. The Promotion Competition would start the next day.

    He wanted to prove to himself that he was stronger than he had been. He wanted to prove that he had worth. Because he was doing his best.

 33 Promotion Competition I

    Amon left the Warrior Hall in the morning of the next day. He was wearing a black set of clothes and Windhowler was strapped to his back. His black clothes contrasted with his hair, making it even more eye-catching.

    Amon didn''t mind it anymore. He would own to who he was, and if Erin or anyone come looking for trouble, he was ready to give it to them.

    The sun was still not high in the sky, so Hell''s Keeper City was covered in shadows and the blue crystals still shone above the buildings.

    Amon walked to the Ashen Heart Tree still a bit drowsy. He hadn''t managed to sleep well that night, but as a Body Tempering cultivator he needed just a few minutes to get himself together.

    There was a circular black counter surrounding the white trunk of the Ashen Heart Tree. Dozens of clerks wearing the standard purple uniform were standing there, waiting for the members of the Outer Sect to register for the Promotion Competition. There were nothing but a handful of cultivators being attended, as it was still too soon and most people would take hours to move from their houses to Hell''s Keeper City.

    Amon found an available clerk and greeted her. She was a young woman in her late teens, and had her black hair neatly arranged in a ponytail. She looked at him from head to toe, and an almost imperceptible hint of curiosity showed in her eyes for no more than a moment as she looked at Amon.

    "Good morning, sir." She smiled to him. "How can I help you?"

    "I''m here to register for the competition." Amon answered as he took out the silver token he received almost six months ago. He handed it to her alongside his purple identification card.

    "Thank you very much, sir." She held the token and the card, and swiped them at a glowing ball by her side. It flashed with a green light before she gave Amon his identification card back alongside a wooden plaque with a number engraved in it.

    "Your identification number will be 42, sir." She said politely. "The competition will be held in the Hell''s Keeper Arena, located in the West Zone of the city."

    "Alright, thanks." Amon thanked the clerk and promptly left. He would have to walk a fair bit to reach the Hell''s Keeper Arena.

    As he left, Amon enjoyed the fresh air in the city. It was somewhat cold inside the mountain, but he didn''t mind. The chill helped him wake up properly, and Amon always liked to feel the light prickling at his skin from a cold breeze. It made him feel refreshed and alert.

    "There will be a lot of people participating." Lya said as Amon walked.

    "I think it will be a number around three thousand or so." Amon answered.

    It was just a fraction of the number of people living in the Outer Sect, but it stood to reason. Even if they were eligible, those that were too old and too young wouldn''t be taking part on the competition, except for a few isolated cases.

    Those that felt they were too weak would also avoid taking part in it. It would be a waste of a whole day of work, and there was a good chance of them taking a beating on top of that.

    Even if it was an open tournament, everyone knew that the crushing majority would be of cultivators in their teens and twenties.

    Amon felt that it was a heartless setup. It was giving hope to those that could never really achieve it.He was sure that the final competitors in the top ten would be from the Inner Ring, as they had the resources to grow strong.

    For him, it was nothing but a ruse to shake things up in the Outer Sect for a bit, giving people the impression that the higher ups did care about them when the real results would be pushing forward the promotion of a few members of the Inner Ring without having to truly meet the requirements.

    The sooner they got into the Inner Sect, the better, because then the sect could invest on them at an earlier date and properly make use of their youth and potential.

    Nevertheless, Amon was excited. He had a real chance of being taken as the disciple of an Elder, even if he did not make it to the top ten.

    As he walked, the buildings surrounding him turned more and more sparse and the street turned wider, until he was in front of a behemoth of a construction.

    It was a circular stadium that stood seventy meters high, with glossy white walls that looked like porcelain. It had to have at least half a mile in diameter. Its sheer scale made Amon stupefied.

    A huge golden gate stood in front of Amon, a full ten meters tall and six meters wide. It was opened outwards, and lead to a spacious hall with white walls and floor. On the other side of the hall stood another golden gate, but this one was closed. It probably led to the fighting arenas inside the stadium.

    The hall could hold about one thousand people at once, and there were five clerks in front of the gate, as well as five guards holding spears and wearing white uniforms.

    Amon approached a clerk and showed the wooden plaque he had received.

    "You can wait in the hall." The clerk said to him and signaled for a guard to let Amon pass. "The competition will start in the afternoon, so you will have to be patient."

    Amon thanked him and entered the hall, not minding the wait. He found a corner and sat there, hugging Windhowler as he closed his eyes to rest. He wasn''t too worried about anything, as Lya would certainly wake him up as soon as something happened.

    He controlled his breathing and soon entered a trance-like state. As he stood in the corner, more and more cultivators started entering the hall and taking their places to wait for the competition to begin.

    They were, as Amon expected, mostly in their teens or twenties, but here there an older man or a younger girl could be seen. The quality of their clothing spoke volumes about where they came from and the bored people soon started to speculate about each other.

    The truth was, in the Outer Sect no one knew each other. The area of the Outer Sect alone was in the hundreds, if not thousands of square miles. The number of members of the Outer Sect could be imagined.

    Adding to that, the competitions in the Outer Sect where rare and far-between. The only consensus was that cultivators from the Inner Ring were more powerful, for obvious reasons. A few of those were famous, but not many knew their names.

    All the wealthy families could really do was promote competitions between their younger generations, but they were hosted inside Hell''s Keeper City. This meant that virtually anyone outside the Inner Ring would not be able to watch such competitions.

    It was no more than a way for the wealthy families to present their scions to the Elders and see if they were talented enough to be turned into disciples. With this Promotion Competition, those that failed to prove their talent before had a new chance.

    The Inner Ring would naturally capitalize on that. They started spreading rumors about the deeds of their scions, trying their best to reach as far as possible. They wanted to have their names reverberating through the Outer Sect, so not only would they have a crowd to support them in the competition, they would also get people to bet on them.

    The main interest of the Inner Ring in this Promotion Competition were the bets and nothing more. Because their outstanding scion were already in the Inner Sect. Whoever was left now had a chance to get in too, but it would be nothing but profit.

    The Abyss Sect would get a few more Inner Sect disciples, the Inner Ring would profit from the bets and the Outer Sect people would be entertained. Everyone would win something in this event.

    Time slowly passed, and the hall got crowded. The outside of Hell''s Keeper Arena was crowded too, with thousands more competitors waiting by the gate and spectators finding their way in to take a seat.

    The sound of chit chattering was so loud and chaotic it would hurt one''s ears. It was at that moment that a calm and serene voice echoed through the hall, overwhelming all of the chaotic sound and silencing everyone.

    "We will be starting the competition in a few minutes." The voice spoke, seemingly directly in their ears. "You will all enter the respective arena following your numbers."

    The golden gates that were closed started shuddering, and with a deafening howl, they slowly opened outwards. A blinding light shone in the hall as the gates opened, and the crowd started flooding in to the Arena.

    Amon held Windhowler tightly, caressing the leather sheath as he made his way through the crowd.

    "Oh, did I forget to mention?" Lya asked suddenly, almost making Amon jump.

    "What?" He asked through gritted teeth, trying to muffle the sound of his voice.

    As he asked, Windhowler disappeared from his hands, leaving him grasping nothing but air.

    "You are not allowed to use a sword until further notice." Lya said with a sneer, making Amon feel a chill. "Use this instead."

    There was a flash of light and something fell in Amon''s open palm. He looked at it with bloodshot eyes and an open mouth. She had to be kidding.

    "If you imbue it with Qi properly, it won''t lose to any other weapon, you know?" She said trying not to laugh.

    Amon felt that Lya was really heartless. Where did she pull this torture from?

    "Oh dear, every fight is a struggle." Amon could picture her smiling widely as she said that. "I will not let you have an unfair advantage over others regarding weapons in these first stages of the competition."

    "You make do with what you have." She said that and no more.

    Amon was left alone, fuming as he looked at the stick in his hands.

 34 Promotion Competiton II

    Amon walked through the golden gates, still amidst the crowd of competitors. He was grasp the stick in his hand firmly, and his expression was not friendly in the least.When he stepped out of the blinding light and his eyes adjusted to the interior of the Hell''s Keeper Arena, he was surprised.

    There were thirty two platforms disposed in a wide area covered with grass. The walls of the Arena were used as support for stands that supported tens of thousands of spectators. The sound coming from the stands was deafening, and Amon felt his chest trembling with each soundwave. He felt as if the whole place would come crashing down on him at any moment, making him tense.

    There was also, what seemed to be an exclusive cabin for important guests. It was made with what seemed to be green jade and stood high above every other stand, sticking out like a sore thumb.

    The platforms were pure white and a barrier of light covered them, like a curtain. Glistening numbers floated in the light, like leaves in a puddle. The platforms could hold at least two to three hundred competitors, but the numbers floating on the curtain of light was no more than one hundred or so.

    "Everyone, find the platform with your number in it. This is where you will be fighting." The serene voice spoke again, and the competitors started dispersing, climbing on their own platform.

    "Let''s see¡­" Amon started searching carefully, his golden eyes giving a cold sheen as he scrutinized the curtains of light one by one. "There!"

    Amon''s platform was situated right under the green cabin, to which he would not complain. It would raise his chances of being noted by any important figure and, hopefully, get a place in the Inner Sect.

    He walked to the platform and, with a light jump, got past the curtain of light. As he crossed the light, he felt as if he had taken a dive in a cool lake and he couldn''t help but shiver for a moment. The wooden plaque in his clothes heated up and he finally crossed the light, standing atop the platform with dozen other cultivators.

    Most of them were older and bulkier than Amon. As they looked at his face and the stick in his hand, they couldn''t help but have strange expressions, but none bothered to say anything. Everyone had to focus for the upcoming fight.

    More and more competitors started climbing the platforms and soon, there was no one left outside.

    One of them managed to stand out. It was a handsome youth with golden hair and blue eyes. He wore blue clothes made of silk and grasped a long black spear in his hands. He climbed up the platform in silence, and simply walked to the center, standing there with his eyes closed.

    It was at that moment that the voice rang again.

    "The rules are simple. The last one standing on each of the platforms will be the victor of the round and will guarantee a place in the next round. Weapons are allowed, but do not worry about injuries."

    "The plaques you have on you will instantly generate a shield in case of a blow that would be considered lethal and it will count as your loss. Being forced out of the platform is also a loss, so try your best to not be pushed out."

    "This is all for the rules. Now, I humbly invite our special guest, Jake Meyer to do the honors of declaring the start of the Promotion Competition."

    As the voice faded, the green cabin trembled and seemed to dismantle itself, revealing a tall young man. He had black hair and a heroic bearing. Across his back, a sword hung in a blood-red sheath.

    "Didn''t he use a saber before?" Amon couldn''t help but ask himself as he looked at Jake. There was something different about him, a coldness in his eyes that wasn''t there before.

    Jake raised his right hand, and all the noise subsided. "The Promotion Competition starts now." He said in a calm, yet imposing manner.

    A loud buzz rang through the Hell''s Keeper Arena, and the curtains of light started shining with a blue light.

    The competitors started at each other with hesitation. No one wanted to make the first move and have chaos break out. Tension could be seen in everyone''s faces. In the midst of such tension, the blond youth opened his eyes and took a step forward.

    It was at that moment that a burly man with dark skin moved forward, throwing a punch at the back of the head of the blond youth. He recognized the youth as a threat, so he decided to take care of him with a swift sneak attack.

    ''Swoosh!''

    His fist tunneled through the air, hitting nothing. As he opened his mouth in surprise, he only caught a glimpse of gold. The youth had lowered his upper body, taking a step forward with his right foot and spun on his left as he turned his waist to face the burly man in but a split-second.

    ''Crack!''

    Before anyone could move, a spear stabbed forward, aiming at the head of the burly man like a snake striking the prey. A layer of light covered the man, stopping the tip of the spear millimeters away from his forehead.

    He stood in a daze looking at the shiny tip of the spear that would have killed him. Suddenly, the burly man flew backwards, as if dragged away. He crossed the curtain of light and fell heavily on the ground, still shocked. One of the numbers floating in the curtain of light started trembling, and then burst into specs of light that faded. The shield had been triggered, so he had been eliminated.

    The blond youth recovered his spear, striking the floor with the handle. Cracks spread around his spears like a web as he held it alongside his body. His eyes were like rocks of ice as he looked at the competitors surrounding him.

    "You better come at me at once, because I sure as hell will get in a bad mood if I have to eliminate you one by one." He said in a chilling voice.

    Looking at this, Amon couldn''t help but smile excitedly. Still, he did not move. He slowly backed away as the other competitors hesitated even more. When Amon was somewhat isolated, he sat on the ground with his legs crossed, looking at the blond youth.

    As no one moved, a hint of annoyance appeared on the blond youth''s face. He started to look around him again, and eventually locked eyes with Amon. A sneer appeared on his face as he saw that ashen-haired brat so blatantly disrespecting him.

    "Don''t worry, I''ll be sure to take my time with you after I deal with the trash." He said as his face turned cold. He let his spear go, and it stood there, sunk in the ground, like a flagpole. He cracked his knuckles as he said, "Whoever dares to touch that brat will pay."

    The few people sending strange looks at Amon immediately averted their gazes, a hint of fear showing on their faces. The blond youth smiled savagely as he shot forward, punching a man in his late twenties in the chest.

    ''Crack!'' A layer of light covered the man and sent him out of the platform. Another numbers in the curtain of light burst and faded.

    "Even his punches are that dangerous?!" A girl in her teens couldn''t help but comment, dumbstruck. Her face paled as she did her utmost to retreat to an edge of the platform.

    ''Crack! Crack! Crack!''

    On beam of light after another lit up in the crowd of competitors as the youth came for them. The numbers on the light curtain were disappearing by the second. Amon looked at him closely, almost unblinkingly as he analyzed his movements. He started to mentally recite the information he got as he watched the youth.

    "He is right handed. His strikes are straightforward and he seems to prefer to use sheer force to suppress rather than use smart movements to conserve his strength. He isn''t cunning."

    "His Movement Techniques are effective but basic, just like mine. That is expected, as neither of us are in Elemental Purification." Amon thought as he calmly watched. "He also seems to have a good grasp of his surroundings. He exposing himself in the beginning was a bait to try to frighten the competition."

    "Hmm¡­ He also left his spear on the ground. I take that back, he is cunning. He is deliberately avoiding showing his moves with a spear and hiding it under a pretense of arrogance.He is also never letting me get out of his sight."

    "He wants me to watch this and he is also wary of me deciding to attack. He could also be trying to bait me into sneaking on him, only to counter as I approach."

    "This whole show is nothing but a feint." Amon concluded as he watched the youth. "He sees me as an opponent."

    Why would that arrogant youth see Amon as an opponent if they didn''t even exchange blows? Simply because Amon showed no fear after his first move and because Amon even dared to sit down and wait after the youth told everyone to come at him.

    This meant that either Amon was stupid or he had strength. At the very least more strength than the other competitors in the platform. The blond youth might be arrogant, but he wouldn''t underestimate a foe and leave his back open for a potential threat. He was incredibly focused in Amon as he dealt with the others.

    "He has some nice moves, doesn''t he?" A sweet voice rang by Amon''s side, almost making him jump. Amon did his best to not show any reaction as he slowly nodded. He looked to his left, facing a young girl that was stretching her arms as she walked to him.

    She had brown hair and eyes, and a delicate face. She was wearing white clothes, made of silk just like the blond youth. A thin sword hang from her waist in a black scabbard. Her clothes and her attitude screamed ''Inner Ring'' to Amon. The girl sat by Amon''s side with a bored expression, making a slight clanging sound as the sword scraped against the floor.

    "I hope John doesn''t take too long, it''s been a while since we had the chance to play." She said while pouting. "But it does make me mad that he didn''t even realize I was here."

    "So, who are you?" She asked sweetly, with a smile as bright as the sun.

    "I believe you must first introduce yourself if you want to ask my name." Amon said with a cold voice, despite all of his instincts telling him to run away. That girl was dangerous, he could feel it.

    The girl laughed out loud as she heard his words, making the bystanders look at them with a surprised expression. Still, they didn''t dare to approach them.

    "You are a very interesting person." The girl said still smiling. She looked at Amon with bright eyes and gave him a slight nod as she presented herself. "My name is Cecilia."

    "My name is Amon." He answered, keeping a neutral expression.

    "Well Amon, why did you sit here?" Cecilia asked while cocking her head.

    "Nothing much, just a bit tired." Amon answered, making her squint her eyes for a moment.

    "I see." She said, still smiling.

    ''Crack! Crack! Crack!''

    More and more competitors were eliminated as John continued his rampage. It might seem like a needless effort from his part, but had a different opinion. John was clearly not getting tired, and he was the focus of attention in the platform. If he managed to eliminate everyone, it would be quite impressive, even if most of the competitors couldn''t take more than a punch of his.

    It took about five minutes for him to clear the platform. Even if people wanted to run, they couldn''t leave the platform and they were slower than him, so at most they could hold on for a few seconds more. Be it man or woman, boy or girl, John didn''t hold back at all. He wanted to be done as soon as possible.

    Cecilia was yawning as she looked at the other platforms. The scenes were similar. There were three to four members of the wealthy families of the Inner Ring sweeping the competition in each platform before fighting it out for real to see who would go to the next round.

    ''Crack!''

    Another person covered in light flew through the platform, and another number faded away. There were only three numbers left in the curtain of light.

    John still had the same cold face and the savage smile as he turned to face Amon. As he did so, Cecilia clapped her hands loudly as she got up.

    "Very good John!" She said as she patted her clothes. "You took way longer than I expected but it was still in the acceptable range."

    John''s face froze and his eyes showed apprehension as he looked at Cecilia.

    "You talk too much." He said coldly, slowly retreating to the center of the platform, taking care to not show a single opening.

    He had seen her only when she sat by Amon''s side, and his heart had almost stopped at the time. Luckily to him, Cecilia liked to show off, so she would never use a sneak attack, at least not while he was busy cleaning the arena for them to fight properly.

    "No need to be scared, Johnny, I won''t bite you if you are unarmed." Cecilia said smiling again. This time, her smile sent chills down Amon''s spine as he quickly jumped up and created distance between them, making her smile grow even wider.

    John grasped the spear with his right hand, and with a strong pull ripped it out of the floor, never taking his eyes of Cecilia.

    "Are you sure this stick of yours will be enough to stop me?" He asked trying to taunt her, but his tone showed for careful he actually was.

    "Well, if you are talking about sticks, you should be asking our friend Amon." Cecilia looked at Amon as she squinted her eyes. A piercing trill echoed through the platform as she drew her thin sword. It shone with a blue hue as the light of the curtains fell on it, but it only made its appearance colder.

    John also assumed a stance with his spear, holding it tightly as he pointed the tip to Cecilia. To Amon''s surprise, the tip was shaking slightly. He realized John''s hands were trembling.

    Amon took a deep breath, trying to not be drawn into John''s abnormal reaction. If Cecilia was that strong he would discover it himself. He mentally cursed Lya with all that he had as he assumed the first stance of the Fundamentals of the Sword.

    Thin lines of light slithered through the stick in his hand, covering it in a split second. When they finished spreading, the stick flashed as a pale layer of light covered it.

    Looking at this, Cecilia narrowed her brown eyes even more, but her smile didn''t disappear, making her seem like a snake glaring at the prey.

    "Come on, boys! It is about time we started a real fight!"

 35 Three-Way I

    Neither Amon nor John moved after Cecilia''s taunt. They were busy keeping their eyes on her. Amon thought that having John and Cecilia fight it out would be good for him, because that way he would be able to learn about both of them.

    As Amon decided to back up, Cecilia and John locked eyes on him and shot in his direction almost at the same time. The ground beneath their feet cracked as they came like cannonballs in his direction, sword and spear in hand.

    "Damn!" Was all Amon could say as his mind raced.

    Cecilia was closer, but she was probably stronger than John. Facing her would not be a good idea as he would be probably too busy with her to avoid any strike John dealt from his blind side. On the other hand, if he faced John, he would leave an opening to Cecilia, and he wasn''t sure if he would be able to deal with that.

    Amon would have to keep them close to each other to be sure he wouldn''t leave his back exposed, but the only way to do that was¡­ to make one attack the other.

    Amon took a deep breath, calming himself. Time seemed to slow down as he kicked the ground and sped in John''s direction. John seemed surprised for a moment, and Cecilia gave a sneer as Amon got out of her reach. She promptly followed him, not giving him the least breathing room.

    Amon was rushing as fast as possible in John''s direction, his golden eyes showing complete focus. John raised his spear and prepared to stab it at Amon. Amon looked at him carefully, analyzing his stance, where the weight of his body was supported, the distance between them and how fast John was moving.

    When John tightened the grip on his spear a split-second before he unleashed the stab, Amon thought, "Now!"

    He hurriedly stomped his left foot on the floor, making it crack as he forcefully stopped. Then Amon lowered his upper body and jumped to the left just as a deafening whistle ran past his ear.Amon saw the shiny edge of the spear''s tip grazing past his hair as he got out of the way in the very last moment.

    The air howled as the spear moved forward, but the stab that missed Amon was now going in the direction of Cecilia''s chest, taking her by surprise. Amon hastily recovered his balance and swung the glowing stick in his hands at Cecilia''s exposed back as she ran past him.

    Being attacked at the front and the back, Cecilia was in a though spot. Her eyes flashed with a cold light as she raised her thin sword. With a firm flick of her wrist, the sword collided with the spear, changing its trajectory to the left of Cecilia''s head.

    "You cunning snake!" Amon almost shouted as he forcefully changed his own strike. Cecilia had changed the spear''s trajectory back to him, forcing Amon to block the spear instead of hitting her. Like Cecilia, Amon swung his stick at the spear, sending it to his left and creating an opening in John''s stance.

    Amon felt his hand going numb as the stick forcefully sent the spear away. John had immense strength. For Cecilia to change that stab with a flick of her wrist meant she was even stronger!

    Cecilia raised her sword and stabbed at John''s exposed chest, aiming straight for his heart. With his stance broken and no time to retrieve his spear to block, John was doomed to be eliminated. At least that is what Amon though.

    The next moment, John let go of his spear jumped backwards, letting his body fall to the ground and landing on his back. As Cecilia moved past him, he supported his hands behind his head and raises his knees, kicking out.

    Both his feet hit Cecilia''s abdomen, sending her flying back into Amon''s direction. Cecilia hit Amon and they both fell to the ground, entangled in a mess of limbs and clothes as John used his momentum to jump back to his feet. AsAmon and Cecilia tried to get away from each other, John jumped up high.

    Seeing this, Cecilia''s eyes turned serious as she kicked Amon and slid away from her original position just as John started falling. Amon hurriedly rolled out on the nick of time as John fell exactly where he and Cecilia had been, punching the ground.

    ''CRACK!''

    The floor quaked and a dust cloud rose where John landed. He walked away from it moments after, allowing the spectators to see the massive hole on the ground surrounded by a web of cracks.

    "Is that how you treat a lady, John!?" Cecilia asked as she got back to her feet, raising her sword again and assuming a fighting stance. Her breathing was rough and her hair was a mess. There were two clear footprints in her abdomen, making her feel embarrassed and mad.

    "What lady? All I see is a snake!" John replied as he kicked his fallen spear, throwing it in the air and grabbing it again. In this exchange, he had been the winner.

    Amon also recovered, but his ribs were throbbing in pain. Cecilia''s kick had been not only strong, but also precise. She managed to dodge John''s strike while hurting Amon at the same time. She was really a terrible opponent.

    The three of them only had one real exchange, but their breathing was already rough and two of them had been hurt. The three stared at each other, waiting for the next one to make a move.

    Amon had to make a decision. He either attacked John together with Cecilia, as he was the only one that hadn''t been hurt yet, or he attack Cecilia together with John, as she was the strongest of them and it was a good chance to take her out.

    In such fights, alliances and enmities would change at each strike, because no one would allow any of the others to have an advantage. Fights like these would either be dragged out or be over in seconds. Amon had to think very carefully on who to take out first.

    "It has to be John." He concluded. Even if Cecilia was stronger, John was not hurt and he showed that he could have a proper exchange with her and come out on top. At the moment, he was the one in advantage.

    Amon locked eyes with Cecilia for a moment, and they both seemed to reach an agreement. Amon grasped his stick tightly as he shot forward to John again, with Cecilia closing on him from the other side.

    John didn''t seem surprised at all as he saw the pincer attack coming at him. He took a step back as swung his spear in a wide sweeping attack. Amon had to stop on his tracks as the spear nearly hit his head, but that was enough. That single moment was enough to break his pace and give John a split-second of time to deal with Cecilia.

    The spear was still swinging in her direction as she smiled at John. That strike was too high. It was just a little bit, a few centimeters, but that was enough. Cecilia continued running as she lowered her head.

    The spear whistled through the air as it hit nothing, leaving John exposed again. Like a lightning bolt, Cecilia rushed to him, her sword ready. John''s expression sunk as he slid his hand through the shaft of the spear.

    It was a move that demanded incredible reflexes and incredible strength. As John changed his hand''s position to get closer to the spear''s tip, he took a step forward with his right foot and pushed out with his right hand, that was now in the middle of the shaft at the same time as he pulled his left hand, that was close to the tip.

    The spear seemed to shift, as what had been a sweeping strike with the tip outwards now turned into another sweeping strike, but with the lower end of the shaft whistling through the air, aiming for Cecilia''s waist.

    Cecilia was forced to heavily stomp the ground and force herself to stop as she raised her sword to parry the strike. John''s brows furrowed as he saw this but he had no time to think as Cecilia smiled again.

    She spun her body and kicked the end of the shaft, making the spear stab at John. The tip was pointing at his chest, and he cursed out loud as he was forced to yet again drop his spear, or he would be eliminated by his own weapon.

    It was enough time for Amon to get to him. He swung his stick at the back of John''s head at a breakneck speed. Somehow, John managed to turn in time and he blocked the strike with his left arm.

    ''Crack!''

    John wanted to scream as his bones cracked, but he gritted his teeth. He was about to punch Amon with his free arm when he felt a heavy impact on his back and he was sent flying through the arena.

    He almost fell on his face, but managed to roll and stop sliding just a bit away from the edge. He had difficulty breathing and his back hurt far too much. Moving would be hard from now on.Rage was burning on his eyes as he looked at Cecilia, which smiled sweetly at him. At his back, there were now two clear footprints.

    She calmly grabbed his black spear with her left hand and swung it a little. Then, she threw it out of the platform, still smiling as she looked at John. The spear flew in an arc through the air before it fell to the ground with a heavy sound, on the other side of the light curtain.

    "You really got a lot better, Johnny." Her smile turned into a pout, but her eyes were brimming with happiness. "I can''t play around with you anymore."

    John gritted his teeth as he forced himself to hold back his words. An unwilling expression appeared on his face as he looked at his broken arm. He then raised his eyes to Amon, with nothing but hate on them.

    "Who would expect that you would manage to break one of his arms, eh?" Cecilia turned to Amon as she said that, beaming. "Looks like you are stronger than I expected."

    Amon felt his hair stand on end as she looked at him, and every cell in his body screamed at him to run away as fast as possible.

    "Why don''t we have some fun, just the two of us?"

 36 Three-Way II

    Amon shivered as he looked at Cecilia, raising his guard and not keeping his eyes out of her. Cecilia held her thin sword in front of her chest, pointing the tip at Amon. It was a somewhat strange stance, making Amon even more apprehensive.

    John grunted in pain as he held his broken left arm on the other side of the platform. He hurriedly used his right hand to rip off a strip of his blue clothes and used it to tie his broken arm to his chest, making sure it wouldn''t get in the way. He took as deep breath as he watched Amon and Cecilia face-off.

    He had lost the use of one of his arms and Cecilia had thrown his spear out of the platform. The only chance he had now would be if he found a chance to take both Amon and Cecilia out at the same time. As such, he decided to stand back and calmly await for his opportunity. He knew of Cecilia''s cunning from long ago, but that Amon kid surprised him.

    He somehow managed to keep up with their rhythm, so John would have to be extremely careful when moving. He needed a plan.

    Cecilia looked at Amon with smiling eyes as she slowly approached him, still maintaining that strange stance. Just by looking at it, Amon knew that the thin sword was made for swift and precise stabs. Cecilia''s stance only confirmed his suspicions further.

    He did not have the confidence to be able to block her stabs faster than she could unleash them, so his best choice was to avoid getting in her range of attack. That in itself was a problem, as Amon and Cecilia were of approximate height, so their natural attacking range was more or less the same.

    The only option left for him was to strike and retreat before she could strike back, or force her into a passive situation where all she could do was defend. The problem was that Amon had no confidence in being faster than she was. He needed a plan.

    He sneaked a glance at the other side of the platform, where John was looking at them with cold eyes. He was sure that the moment John decided to jump back in the fight would be the key to victory, to all three of them.

    Even if Cecilia held the advantage in a one on one confrontation, she was hurt. Adding to that, she was sure John would try to eliminate her first, as she was the greatest threat right now. She would have to go all out against Amon to eliminate him in the shortest time possible if she wanted to truly deal with John alone.

    Nevertheless, she was somewhat careful when looking at Amon. He had managed to keep up with them for two exchanges and had the lightest injuries, even if he was also the weakest. She wasn''t completely sure if she would be able to eliminate him as fast as she would need for John not to meddle in the fight.

    This meant that she should prepare. She should use the fact that John would choose the best moment to attack and eliminate her and Amon together. She needed a plan.

    In the end, a three-way fight was that. Three people trying to outwit the other two at the same time. When all competitors were at an approximate level, it would be their capabilities to make the best choices in a split-second and to plan ahead that would decide the victor.

    The three of them seemed to take a deep breath at the same time as they prepared for the next exchange. It would certainly decide the victor.

    ''Crack!''

    The tiles on the floor cracked as Cecilia stomped on it and shot towards Amon at breakneck speed. Amon narrowed his eyes as he focused on her movements. Her upper body was leaning forward, and her grip on the sword was tight. She would unleash a flurry of stabs on him the moment he entered her range, and she would make use of her momentum to make sure that even if he retreated, he wouldn''t escape her.

    The best path of retreat would be dodging to the right, towards the edge of the platform, as Amon would be able to face both Cecilia and John without turning his back to any of them. However, Amon wasn''t going to retreat.

    The moment before Cecilia got close enough to unleash a stab, Amon also shot in her direction. The had to be perfect, so as he would reach her a split-second before she could attack him.

    With the glowing stick in hand, Amon swung at Cecilia''s head, aiming for her left temple. Cecilia gave a sneer, but interrupted her attack to block Amon''s strike. The sword and the stick collided, making Amon shudder in pain as he felt the bones in his hand starting to creak.

    Cecilia still had a sneer in her face as she slid her sword through Amon''s stick, slashing at his neck. Amon hurriedly lowered his head to avoid it, but a knee was already coming at his face as he dodged the sword.

    He jumped to the right, not the least bit concerned about his appearance as he dived. He slid one or two meter through the floor before getting up again, close to the edge of the platform.

    Cecilia squinted her eyes, but still raised her sword and charged at him again. With his back to the edge of the platform, Amon did his best to hold on against Cecilia as she attacked. Her stabs were like raindrop sin a storm, mercilessly raining over Amon as he did his best to defend.

    Her strikes were odd. They seemed to follow some kind of flow as the sword in her hands twisted and turned mid-strike, giving unpredictable strikes that Amon just barely managed to dodge or block.

    Her sword was like a snake as it entangled Amon in a flurry of unorthodox moves, little by little breaking through his guard. Her sword seemed to slide through his blocks even if he successfully defended, making him have to twist his waist or move his head to avoid her strikes.

    He started being forced back, getting closer and closer to the edge of the platform. Seeing this, John couldn''t help but curse. He looked at Amon with a cold look as he was forced to jump in the fight.

    If he didn''t stop Cecilia, she would eliminate Amon in the next few seconds and go for him next. He crossed the platform in the blink of an eye, throwing a punch at Cecilia''s back.

    Cecilia interrupted her flurry of attacks as she twisted her body to avoid John. Amon showed no satisfaction on his scheme having worked as he took a step to his left, raising his right foot and kicking John''s exposed ribs.

    John grunted in pain as he was thrown to his left, almost smashing on Cecilia and nearly falling from the platform. Cecilia raised her sword to slash at his neck, but Amon was already upon her, aiming at her head with the stick, not giving her the chance to eliminate John.

    "You are one troublesome brat!" She said as her eyes lost all playfulness. Amon didn''t mind her as he looked at john with the corner of his eyes. John was still on the ground, but he was slowly extending his right hand to something outside of the platform. He could feel a slight movement of Qi as John focused.

    "Good, it was close enough for him." Amon thought as he retreated before Cecilia could corner him again.

    She looked at him with a cold face that would give one chills as she raised her sword in that strange stance again. That brat had purposefully put himself in a tough spot to force John to make a move before expected, making her scrap all of her plans.

    Amon blinked, and the world seemed to stop for a moment. When his eyes opened again, Cecilia was upon him, her sword about to pierce his heart. She moved too fast. She started taking this fight seriously and had decided she would give it her all to eliminate Amon before John recovered.

    Amon gritted his teeth as he forcefully twisted his body and swung his stick at her head. To his surprise, she showed no reaction at all, doubling down on her own strike. Amon could only do his best as he twisted his body even more, watching that sword getting closer and closer to his skin.

    ''Puchi!''

    The sword pierced his left shoulder, making him scream as a burning sensation and a sharp pain took over his senses. His own strike was still coming at her head, but she simply raised her left hand and held his arm.

    "No more playing around." She said, as she knocked the stick away from his hands, sending it spinning to the edge of the platform.

    Cecilia looked at him with a murderous expression as she twisted her sword, making Amon scream again and nearly pass out. If it was not a lethal strike, the shield would not activate. As long as one didn''t suffer the risk of dying, they would still be injured and feel pain.

    As Cecilia tried to take her sword away from Amon''s shoulder, he grabbed her wrist with an iron grip. She looked at him with surprise, as there was a dumb smile on his face. She was far stronger than he was, he would at most manage to hold her for the fraction of a second.

    Nevertheless, it was enough. Cecilia''s face paled as she realized something. She kicked Amon''s chest and sent him flying away, but it was already too late.

    The air howled as a spear stabbed at her back with unstoppable momentum. Cecilia tried to turn and block it, but there was no time all. Like a black dragon, the spear crashed again her back.

    ''Crack!''

    The spear''s tip stopped millimeters away from Cecilia''s back as a layer of light covered her. She could only look regretfully at the blond man on the other end of it, grasping the shaft with a single hand.

    "You shouldn''t play so much, Cecilia." John said, looking at her with his icy eyes. Cecilia smiled wryly as she heard his words. It was true. If she had gone all out from the beginning them victory would most likely have been hers.

    She looked at Amon, almost as if asking with her bright eyes if it had been on purpose. Amon lightly nodded, his golden eyes shining as Cecilia was pulled away from the platform while laughing. She had truly been careless. She looked intently at the golden eyes of the brat that outsmarted her, feeling that she was looking at a cunning wolf.

    A number shattered in the curtain of light, leaving only two floating in it. Amon and John faced it other in silence, as the blue light fell on their faces, making their expression seems abnormally cold.

    "I didn''t take you for a smart person. At least not to this degree." John said as he pointed his spear at Amon. "To kick me like that just to let me recover my spear and catch Cecilia off guard¡­ the Middle and Inner Rings really have some interesting people."

    The members of the younger generation from the Inner Ring knew each other. Even if Amon were a discrete person, his appearance would never go unnoticed in a place like that. He was clear a common member of the Outer Sect and nothing more.

    John struck the floor with the shaft of the spear as he looked at Amon.

    "John Lucan." He presented himself, still with the same cold expression. For someone of the Inner Sect to present himself like so was a sign of respect. Amon was surprised, but answered his gesture.

    "Amon Skoller." He said, never taking his eyes out of John. He could feel his warm blood slowly flowing from the wound on his shoulder. He discretely tried to move his fingers, to see if they would respond as he presented himself.

    John gave a light nod as he heard the name, retrieving his spear again.

    Amon raised his right hand, tying a wisp of Qi around his stick that was fallen on the floor. It whistled through the air as it made its way back to Amon''s hand. The same trick John had used to retrieve his spear from outside the curtain of light.

    They both did their best to assume the best stance possible with nothing but one functional hand. The stick in his right hand started glowing as Amon''s left arm hung useless on his shoulder. They were both injured and tired. Neither of them could afford a drawn out fight. They would go all out.

    Almost at the same time they rushed forward. John raised his spear stabbing at Amon. Amon narrowed his eyes as his parried with his stick, feeling his hand numbing. He run across the spear, going straight in John''s direction.

    Amon raised his stick, aiming for John''s head. John was expecting this. For the third time in the fight, he dropped his spear and raised his right hand to hold Amon''s arm. His left leg was already moving in a kick that would certainly eliminated Amon.

    Amon narrowed his eyes as he watched that arm coming for him. Now was the moment. He gritted his teeth to endure the pain as he struck John''s arm with his left hand.

    He felt the pain in his shoulder exploding as his hand hit John''s arm. It was a weak and desperate strike, but it was enough. John''s arm was forcefully moved ever so slightly as Amon''s right arm descended with the glowing stick.

    ''Crack!''

    The stick was stopped by a layer of light as it was about to touch John''s forehead. John looked surprised for a moment, but the coldness in his eyes grew even stronger as he looked at Amon''s left arm.

    "Truly a cunning brat." He said resentfully as the light pulled him away.

 37 To the Second Round I

    Another number shattered in the curtain of light, leaving only a 42 floating alone.

    Amon looked at it wistfully, trying to keep his calm. He couldn''t believe it had all worked out in the end. He took a deep breath as he did his best to endure the pain in his shoulder. His left arm was burning in pain, and his fingers were starting to numb.

    He looked in a daze, looking at the crowd of spectators. He realized he couldn''t hear then. All he could hear was his own heartbeat. They seemed to be cheering, but he really didn''t care. As he looked absent-mindedly at the stands, the serene voice echoed again.

    "We have our tenth competitor qualified to the second round!""Congratulations number 42, you may go back to the waiting hall to rest."

    Only now Amon realized that the voice had probably been narrating the fights to the crowd the whole time, but the sound had most liked been blocked by the curtain of light. Amon sighed, and slowly got out of the platform, dragging his feet and cutting out a sorry figure.

    As soon as he got out of the blue curtain, his ears almost exploded. Deafening cheers echoed through Hell''s Keeper Arena, to the point of making the ground lightly tremble. This was really a huge event.

    He made his way back to the white hall, where a purple-clad young woman was waiting for him. She gave him a light smile and said, "Follow me to the Medical Center, sir."

    Amon lightly nodded, holding his left shoulder with his right hand as he followed her. The woman brought Amon through a side door, taking him to a long hallway full of rooms.

    It was somewhat hard to see, as the light was dim and the walls were dark, making Amon remember the Warrior Hall. The woman guided him to an empty room, which had nothing but a small bed in it.

    "Please wait here, sir. An Elder of the Medical Pavilion will see you shortly." The woman politely bowed to him and left, leaving Amon alone. He spread his divine sense, confirming that there was no one close to him as he sat on the bed, still holding the stick.

    "LYA!" He shouted through gritted teeth, muffling the sound somewhat. His eyes were bloodshot as he glared at the iron ring in his finger.

    "Yes?" A calm and gentle voice answered to his angry shout.

    "Are you insane!?" Amon was fuming as he started venting. "A freaking stick!?"

    "What of it?" She asked as if it had nothing to do with her.

    "You saw that fight! If I had a sword¡­" Before Amon could finish, Lya interrupted him.

    "If you had a sword they would see you as much more of a threat, and you would have been eliminate as they wouldn''t have underestimated you so much." Her tone was indifferent, as if she was stating a fact. "Plus, didn''t the pressure of not having a weapon to rely on force you to properly plan every move of yours?"

    "Yes." He answered honestly as his ears reddened slightly. "I don''t know what happened. Things just started clicking in my head as I thought on what to do."

    "This means that it is becoming almost a second nature to you, which is good." Lya said.

    "I was very impressed with the way you handled that fight." Lya said as she praised him. "You should keep up the good job, I am sure you can get to the quarter finals at the very least."

    Amon nodded happily. "But can I ask you something?"

    "Yes?" She asked innocently.

    "Can I use a sword in the next fight?" His ears reddened even more.

    "No." Lya said, returning to her silence. Amon didn''t know this, but she was really very satisfied with the way he fought.

    Amon was about to complain, but he heard steps outside the room. He promptly stopped talking as a middle-aged man wearing white clothing entered through the door.

    "Hmm¡­" The man said as he looked at Amon''s injured shoulder. Amon could clearly see streaks of white in his black hair. "It did not hit the bone, it is easy to solve."

    He searched inside his clothes for a moment before recovering a red pill.

    "Eat it and you should be fine in a few hours. You can sleep in here, the second round will only start tomorrow." The man said before hurriedly leaving the room. Amon could only guess how many injured the staff had to deal with.

    He looked at the pill in his hands and ate it without much concern, closing his eyes as he lied on the bed and falling asleep.

    ---

    "Hmm¡­" A deep, cold voice sounded in Jake''s mind, making him shudder.

    It had been only a few months since Jake had been told of the existence of Nemeus, but he still couldn''t get used to the feeling of someone speaking directly in his head. It was as if someone was invading his mind every time Nemeus spoke something.

    "What is it?" Jake asked in a low voice, keeping his eyes on the platforms.

    He was in a separated place in the green cabin that held all the Elders attending to the competition as well as some of the leaders of the wealthy families in the Inner Ring. Luckily, his position was so high that he didn''t need to pay much attention to them. All they would do was to nag and try to get on his good side all day, and Jake hated fake people.

    "What did you think of that boy?" Nemeus asked in an indifferent tone.

    "What boy?" Jake asked, distracted. He had been focusing most of his attention on a single platform, where a fierce fighting was happening. Jake seemed to be tense as he watched it. His black eyes couldn''t hide his worry.

    "The one with gray hair. That won a few minutes ago." Nemeus answered.

    Jake finally averted his gaze and looked up, thinking. He seemed to ponder for a moment as he chose his words.

    "His performance was very good. Both his opponents were stronger than him, but he managed to keep up with the and even ended up victorious using his wit and nothing but the basics." Jake spoke calmly as he recalled the fight. "He has a very good foundation."

    "When you met him before, did he look so well-trained to you?" Nemeus asked.

    "Actually¡­ no. He wasn''t even in Body Tempering, and he seemed to be really frail, even if eager." Jake knitted his brows as he thought. "He was almost a completely different person, at least regarding his bearing and the impression he gave."

    "Is it possible to go from his level at the time to the one he is at now in a mere seven months?" Nemeus'' voice was cold as he tried to get every guarantee he could from Jake, even if he himself already knew the answer.

    "Not unless you are abnormally talented, or use means unknown to me." Jake said with a thoughtful expression. "I really don''t know how he managed to do it; I heard that his talent was horrible."

    "This is enough for me." Nemeus said and returned to his usual silence.

    The truth was, the moment he laid eyes on Amon he knew the truth. He had heard every single the detail of the life the boy had, and he knew very well how much he had been through. He should have an extremely thick Nebula surrounding his Truesoul.

    Yet, when Nemeus probed him with his divine sense, he saw no Nebula at all. At that moment, all of his doubts had been cast away. Amon Kressler was a Soul Cultivator. To be more precise, he had turned into one after the Scavenging.

    The sword he had found was Brightmoon, and Lya was probably teaching him the way of the Sword Cultivators. Nemeus was sure because there was only one technique that allowed one to use the Nebula to nourish the Truesoul.

    Amon Kressler was cultivating the Soulrousing Technique, a Forbidden Technique that had been banished four hundred years ago.

 38 To the Second Round II

    A light knocking on the door awoke Amon the next morning. He almost jumped out of the bed, feeling refreshed. A warm feeling spread from his shoulder, and when he looked at it he saw that it was healed, leaving only am almost imperceptible scar behind.

    He washed his face quickly and opened the door. The same young woman from the last day greeted him and asked him to accompany her back to the waiting hall. Amon smiled wryly as he took the stick from his bed and followed her.

    Most of the rooms in the white hallway were already vacant as Amon passed through them. He could only imagine how much the sect spent on medical care just in the first day of the Promotion Competition.

    As they reached the door leading to the waiting hall, the woman politely opened it and gestured Amon to go ahead. He gave her nod and a smile as he walked in.

    The spacious waiting hall was almost empty, an absurd contrast to the way it had been the day before. There was a grave silence in the hall and a strange tension was in the air. Amon could feel the floor at his feet shaking lightly, making him wonder how many people would be spectating the competition that day.

    There were only thirty or so people in it, keeping their distances from each other as they carefully looked at the other competitors.Not to Amon''s surprise, almost all of them were wearing expensive clothing and had arrogant looks on their faces. Clearly, they were Inner Ring members.

    The only exceptions were a tall and slender woman that was sitting by a corner, looking at the ceiling a bit distracted. Her clear eyes were a bit hazy and unfocused. Her blonde hair fell over her shoulder and glistened in the light as she moved her legs up and down, clearly bored. Her gray clothes seemed to be in tatters, showing a lot of her white skin through the holes ripped in it.

    The other exception was a man wearing black from head to toe. A black cloak covered his whole body, and a hood hid his face in shadows. He didn''t seem to be particularly tall, but the cold aura emanating from him made people shudder and feel apprehensive.

    Amon felt odd looking at the man. He could sense a familiar feeling hiding in that oppressive coldness. As Amon walked through the hall, the man also turned his face to look at Amon, making him feel chills. Amon could see the man turning his head to follow him with his gaze as Amon tried to find a place to wait.

    While Amon was distracted, someone bumped into him. He raised his eyes and saw a handsome boy looking to him with cold eyes. The boy had a pale face and his long brown hair was tied at the back of his head. The boy''s red clothes fluttered as he turned to face Amon. He didn''t have the usual sneer on his face he used to give when facing Amon, only neutral expression.

    "It really is you, Old Grandpa." The boy said as he glared daggers at Amon.

    Amon locked eyes with him, not even blinking as he faced the boy. A slight smile formed on the corner of his lips as he said, "Nice seeing you, Erin."

    "A pity you stopped with the black nuts." Erin Drey said in a cold tone. He had no derision in his voice, not a hint of sarcasm. It was a half-hearted insult that Erin had thrown as he tried to analyze Amon''s reaction. "It hurts my eyes seeing this awful hair."

    "One more reason to keep it that way." Amon retorted, not hesitating in the slightest.

    Erin narrowed his eyes, carefully looking at Amon from head to toe. There was something strange. Erin couldn''t believe when he first heard that a ashen-haired boy with golden eyes had beaten both Cecilia Faye and John Lucan in a three-way battle.

    He didn''t believe it because there was no such boy in the Inner Ring, and he knew how tough Cecilia and John were. This meant that a nameless kid from the Middle or Outer Ring had managed to defeat two of the most powerful competitors from the Inner Ring, and Erin only knew of one person that fit the physical description of such boy.

    The problem was, the boy he knew was a talentless failure that had never been in a proper fight and was so weak and frail that he gave the impression that a breeze could blow him away.

    Erin remembered a day a few months ago when Amber came crying to him, with a deathly pale face and trembling like a leaf, making Erin incredibly worried for her. He didn''t hide the anxiousness in his face as he hurried to her.

    "What happened?" He had asked as he tightly embraced her, trying to comfort her. Her voice was weak and trembled as she spoke to Erin.

    "Old Grandpa¡­ he tried to kill me." Amber said sobbing.

    "What!?" Erin had asked, dumbfounded. There was simply no way such a pathetic brat would be able to reduce Amber to such a state.

    "It is true, Erin." Amber said as she hugged him back and trembled even more. "Somehow he got to Body Tempering. His result was five hundred units!"

    "This¡­ how?" Erin was shocked as he looked at Amber. To his surprise, all he saw in her eyes was confusion. She clearly had no idea of how it happened.

    "I was certain he had cheated, so I was asked him what he had done, and them¡­ them¡­." She couldn''t finish her sentence as she started sobbing even louder. Erin patted her back slowly as his eyes turned cold.

    He knew very well that there was no way to cheat the Measuring Pillar. If Amber was not exaggerating, Amon had soared in strength in nothing but a few weeks. Worst of all, his results had been better than Erin''s.

    There was certainly something fishy in the situation. As Erin was about to do something, the Drey family received the invitation for the Promotion Competition. He was forced to put the matter on hold as he did his best to rush to the middle stages of Body Tempering and trained like a mad man for six months nonstop.

    Still, even if Erin refused to believe that such a brat would suddenly be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with people like him, but the truth was there, right in front of him at that very moment.

    That being the case, Erin wouldn''t hold back anymore. One thing was messing with a weakling just for fun; another was when someone tried to hurt his girlfriend like that. He looked at Amon with nothing but hatred.

    "I''ll be sure to make you pay for what you did with Amber." Erin said with a voice as chilling as his gaze.Amon''s eyes narrowed as he looked at Erin.

    "You are welcome to try." He said in a firm voice, showing no fear at all. Erin''s eyes turned even colder for a moment.

    Amon was indeed different from the past. There was no way Erin would let him run rampant after he obtained some strength. Erin would beat Amon into submission and teach him a lesson.

    Erin turned his head away and moved to a corner. He sat with his legs crossed, and started breathing deeply, trying to calm himself. He had beaten people stronger than him to get to the second round. He had proved that, despite his young age, he did not lose in talent to anyone in the Inner Ring. Losing his mind to the rage he felt would only drag him down in his next fight.

    Nevertheless, behind all of the blazing rage he felt, there was surprise and some apprehension. Whatever Amon had done was certainly not orthodox. This meant that he was dangerous. Erin would not let his pride blind in a fight with a opponent of unknown strength. He would take Amon out with all he had.

    "Congratulations to all of you for advancing to the second round of the Promotion Competition!" A serene voice echoed through the hall. It was the same voice from the day before, but this time its owner appeared in person.

    It was an old man with a long white hair and a beard that reached his chest. He had a pair of lively black eyes and a gentle, if wrinkled, face. Seeing him, everyone immediately bowed.

    "We greet the Third Elder." They said almost in unison. An almost imperceptible hint of annoyance flashed in Richard Layn''s eyes. He really hated when people reminded him that he was a High Elder. It immediately brought him memories of all the boring deskwork.

    He gave a light cough, looking at all the participants. "The second round will be a standard duel. The thirty-two of you will draw lots to decide the matchings. The sixteen winners will advance to the next round."

    "You may all go now, just form a line and wait by the platform that was set up." Richard said as he dismissed them. He almost shivered thinking of all the work he had avoided to be able to participate in the Promotion Competition.

    The competitors quickly formed a line and crossed the golden gates, being cheered by the crowd. Richard''s eyes narrowed as he looked at the man in the back of the line. He could use his divine sense to probe through the hood, looking at the familiar face.

    "It''s good to see that you are fine." He said in a low voice when the man clad in black passed by him.

    The man stopped for a moment, turning to look at Richard. He then gave a deep bow and turned away without saying a word. His black clothes were engulfed in light as he walked to the interior of Hell''s Keeper Arena.

    Pity was all that showed in the eyes of Richard Layn as he watched the man walk away.

    "Truly a stubborn family. All of them" He sighed, shaking his head. All he could do was wish him luck.

 39 To the Second Round III

    Amon squinted his eyes at the strong light. As his pupils adjusted to the brightness, he saw that there were less platforms in the interior of Hell''s Keeper Arena. The platforms went from thirty-two to four.

    As soon as the competitors entered, the crowd started cheering. It felt almost as if the world would come crashing down on them as the ground quaked and the deafening sound of the spectators reached their ears.

    The platforms surrounded a few cushioned seats and a long and black table.A shiny box was sitting on the table, glowing with a golden light that made it seem like a small sun. Two beautiful women were on each side of the box, wearing golden clothes.

    As the first in the line of competitors approached the box, the Third Elder''s voice echoed through Hell''s Keeper Arena. "The competitors will now draw lots to decide the pairings for the second round!"

    The pair of women by the box slightly bowed and gestured for the first in line to touch it.A young man with scarlet hair stepped forward with confident steps. His hair seemed to be on fire as the strong light from the box shone on it while he extended a hand to touch it.

    The moment his fingers touched the box, a click was heard, and a huge number 6 was projected above it, making the crowd gasp. The youth was then directed to sit in one of the luxurious cushioned seats as the next in line approached the box.

    Number after number shone on the air as more and more competitors took a seat. The highest number so far had been sixteen, and a lot of them had been repeated. Soon it was Amon''s turn.

    He showed no hesitation as he firmly grasped the box. A wave of heat spread through his fingers and the box shuddered once, before flashing and projecting a huge number 6 on the air.

    "Seems like I''ll face that red-haired guy." Amon thought as he walked to his seat. He turned his head and locked eyes with the youth. The youth sent him a piercing glance with his clear eyes, but Amon didn''t bother. He carefully examined the youth.

    The red-haired youth was wearing red clothes embroidered with golden threads. His tightly packed muscles slightly bulged from underneath his clothes. Amon could see that he had a well-trained body, as expect form someone of the Inner Ring.

    His eyes were bright and energetic, but he couldn''t hide the cold glint of pride in them. Adding that to the overbearing confidence in his face made him seem extremely arrogant. Using his divine sense, Amon could see that his body was glowing with a bright light. The youth was clearly in the late stages of Body Tempering, maybe in the threshold to Elemental Purification.

    He should be even above Cecilia''s level, but he didn''t seem to be one to play around. He was going to be a tough opponent.Amon would have to rely on his wits again to win his next fight. Maybe he could make use of the boy''s arrogance in some way¡­

    As Amon was looking at the red-haired youth, the man clad in black took a step forward. All the sound he made as he walked was muffled by the crowd, making him seem like a silent shadow. He extended his left hand and touched the box. The number 1 shone with a bright light above him, making for quite a scene.

    After he took his seat, the Third Elder spoke again. "As you all might have guessed, the duels will be between the competitors that drew the same number. The eight competitors that drew numbers 1 to 4, please proceed to the platforms."

    The eight competitor stood up, glaring at their opponents with cold eyes. They jumped to the four platforms surrounding the seats, and the crowd started cheering even more. Amon fixed his golden eyes on the man clad in black.

    As the man in black landed heavily on the platform, he slapped his Bottomless Pouch. He took out a golden buckler and held it on his right hand. The buckler was so polished it seemed to glow, reflecting the strong lights in the Arena and making people squint their eyes and avert their gazes due to the uncomfortable brightness. He also took a silver sword from the Bottomless Pouch, wielding it with his left hand.

    Facing him was a beautiful girl on her late teens. Her silky black hair fell over her shoulders like a waterfall, and her charming dark eyes drew one in, like the undertow during a storm. Her delicate brows were deeply furrowed as she looked at the man in front of her with apprehension. She had long white robes that fluttered as she walked, and long sleeves covered her slender arms.

    To Amon''s surprise, she was not wielding any weapons. One had to be incredibly confident in their fighting skills to go into combat barehanded. It was the same as putting one''s self at a disadvantage. If she was going to fight barehanded, this meant that she was an incredible expert in hand-to-hand combat and should not be underestimated.

    "Clara White." The girl said as she gave a polite bow. She was not dumb. Every single competitor in this round was powerful, even if they were not form the Inner Ring. This actually meant that their talent and effort was higher than those of the Inner Ring. She would show nothing but respect for such people.

    The man in black didn''t utter a word, but gave her a bow too. Clara''s brow furrowed even further as she saw this. The Third Elder''s voice echoed again as the competitors sized each other up, "May the second round begin!"

    Clara kicked the ground and rushed to the man in black''s position. She wouldn''t let him make the first move and put her in a passive situation. She raised a fist and threw a punch at the man''s face with unstoppable momentum.

    ''Clang!''

    The buckler rang like a bell as it intercepted the punch. Clara tried to force the punch in, but the man''s stance was incredibly stable. She raised her left fist to punch him again, but she was forced to give up. She twisted her body and hastily dodged as the sword violently whistled through the air. The blade shone with a cold light as it barely missed her.

    She used her momentum to spin in her feet and send a kick at the left side of his head, but the man simply lowered his head. His hood fluttered lightly at the wind created by her kick, but he didn''t even flinch as he bent his knees to stabilize his stance as he slashed with his sword again.

    Clara seemed annoyed as she punched at the man''s left wrist with lighting speed. It was a very swift strike, made even more impressive by its precision and power. Her fist smashed into the man''s wrist, deflecting his strike. Clara could clear feel the man''s bones cracking under her punch, making her satisfied.

    ''Clink''

    The sword fell to the ground and spun in the air. Before Clara could enjoy a small victory, a knee hit her chest, making her lose her balance and take a step back. The man didn''t gave Clara any breathing space. As she retreated, he advanced with a shield bash. Clara grunted as the shield hit her waist, sending her tumbling away.

    Amon narrowed his eyes as he spread his divine sense. There was something strange about that man. Amon could feel a slight movement of Qi every time the man moved the shield. It was almost as if the Qi itself was sustaining the shield, not his arm.

    Clara fell back even further, trying to retrieve her balance. She narrowed her eyes as she gazed at the man in black. Dark lines creased her forehead as she tried to find a way to deal with him. Just that short exchange was enough for her to know how tough an opponent he was.

    She took a deep breath and her eyes turned cold as she stared at the man carefully. He had a strong defense and good movements. He knew how to use her openings to his advantage and he gave no openings of his own.

    The only way Clara would be able to deal with such a fighter would be to force him into a situation where he couldn''t help but give her an opening. She would have to either overwhelm him or bait him into attacking her, as she had done just now. Thankfully, she now held the upper hand in the fight.

    To her surprise, the man extended his left hand and retrieved the fallen sword. Clara couldn''t hide her confusion, as she was sure she had broken his wrist. What was happening?

    Unfortunately, the man wasn''t going to give her a chance to think properly. The ground cracked beneath his feet as he shot towards her like a cannonball, curling up his body behind his shield. She fixed his gaze on him, focusing.

    Clara quickly jumped to her left. If she jumped right, the man might strike at her with his sword. A fierce wind hit her face as the man flew past her. As the man stomped the ground to bring himself to a stop, Clara rushed to his direction, trying to attack his exposed back.

    As the man recovered, Clara came crashing down on him, sending a flurry of punches and kicks. The man took a step back at every step forward Clara took, keeping their distance the same while he skillfully parried her attacks with the shield, hiding his body behind it.

    Clara narrowed her eyes as she punched slightly to her left on purpose. The man in black promptly moved his shield to his right to block the strike. Clara smiled as she rose her right knee, kicking his shield even more to his right.

    The man''s stance was broken as his arm forcefully moved, exposing his body. As Clara was about to give him a punch that would ensure her victory, her smile disappeared.

    "No way." She thought as she saw why the man had only been defending while hiding his body. His left arm was grasping nothing. His sword was gone.

    ''Crack!''

    A layer of light surged from her suddenly. Clara looked in shock as she turned he head to see a shiny sword hovering in the air, that incredibly sharp blade mere millimeters away from her neck. She was dumbstruck as the sword slowly hovered back to the man, circling around him slowly.

    "What insane control." She couldn''t help but mutter. "Did you drop it while you were rushing to me?"

    As she expected, the man said nothing, but only gave a nod. He had reached the same conclusion as she had. He would have to either overwhelm her or bait her into attacking to create an opening. That flashy move earlier was nothing but a ruse to distract her from the sword he dropped close by, waiting to strike at her back.

    "How the hell did you train your control over Qi to such level?" She asked, genuinely curious.

    The man shook his head. He would not talk about it. Clara could only give a wry smile as she was pulled away. The man climbed down the platform calmly. No one could say what he was thinking, as he didn''t show even an inch of skin. Like a shadow, he left to the waiting hall, unaffected by the crowd cheering madly for him.

    Amon kept his eyes glued on him the whole time. Not even minding the other fights. Somehow, he felt that he knew who that person was, but he had no idea why he would act like that. He shook his head and closed his eyes, focusing for the next fight.

    After a few minutes, the Third Elder''s voice echoed in their ears again. "Competitors that drew numbers 5 to 8, please stand on a platform."

    Amon opened his golden eyes, looking at the red-haired youth. In silence, they both jumped into a platform, never taking their eyes away from each other. Amon firmly grasped the stick in his hands as the youth took a saber from his Bottomless Pouch.

    "You may start!" The Third Elder announced.

    Amon''s eyes glistened as the red-haired youth moved.

 40 To the Second Round IV

    As the youth came rushing to him, Amon waved his stick, making a layer of light cover it as it was imbued with his Qi. The red-haired youth''s eyes shone as he approached Amon with his saber ready to strike. He gave a savage smile as he swung his weapon in Amon''s direction.

    The wind howled as the saber came crashing down on Amon in a violent strike. Amon''s pupils constricted as he looked at the incoming attack. It certainly contained absurd power and speed, but¡­ it was also absurdly straightforward. It was a simple downward slash, nothing more.

    Amon slightly bent his knee to stabilize his stance. He held the glowing stick with both hands and positioned it above his head, slightly tilted down over his right shoulder. Amon took a deep breath preparing himself for the impact that was to come.

    ''Bak!''

    The saber hit the stick with a horrifying strength. Amon felt his hands numbing and the bones in his body creaking as he forcefully tilted the stick even more to the right. The saber slid down the stick and the strike passed by Amon, hitting the floor by his side.

    ''Crack!''

    The saber sunk deeply on the ground, creating a web of cracks around it. The red-haired youth seemed somewhat surprised at how his attack had been deflected, but he had no chance to dwell on the thought as a glowing stick was coming at his head.

    He forcefully pulled the saber out of the floor, ripping out huge chunks of stone with it as he retreated. A cloud of dust rose from the ground as he looked at Amon coldly, a hint of annoyance in his eyes.

    Amon was fighting with all that he had against the absurd pain in his body as he looked at the youth and sneered. He took a breath and managed to say with a calm voice, "I expected more."

    Amon had been right. That youth was incredibly arrogant. John Lucan was arrogant, but he knew how to evaluate his opponents and didn''t let it cloud his judgement. Cecilia was also arrogant, but her fighting style relied on using cunning and precise moves, so she would only be caught off-guard when she lost her temper.

    The youth in front of Amon, on the other hand, was probably used to crushing all opposition with brute strength. He finished his battles fast and he used his power to overcome all of the schemes from his opponents. In other words, he was so strong he had no need to scheme his way to victory.

    That did not mean he was dumb. His straightforward style was predictable, but also incredibly efficient. A simple style meant a faster training. As a result, his fighting style was actually more refined and polished than the others. The youth''s speed and power would make up for any deficiencies in it.

    However, he was very much like Cecilia on one point. Amon would make him lose his temper, what would lead to a mistake, which would lead to a landslide of mistakes if Amon made use of it. He had learned the hard way in the Warrior Hall that fighting with the wrong mindset would bring nothing but failure.

    The youth knitted his brows at Amon''s mocking, but said nothing. He had a cold look on his face. He assume a stance and slowly approached Amon. He took light steps as he started circling around Amon, trying to look for a chance, like a hunter waiting for an opportunity.

    He didn''t know in how much pain Amon was just from deflecting his strike. If he knew, he would be sending a barrage of attacks that would certainly eliminate Amon. He being this careful meant he had bought Amon''s bluff, giving Amon time to recover and think on his next move.

    If for even a second Amon turned passive in this battle, it would be his loss. He would need to lead the youth by the nose until he managed to create an opening he could make use of. This would have to be a short fight, or Amon would surely lose.

    "Two more exchanges." He though, thinking of a plan.

    Amon''s eyes were cold as he looked at the youth, but he was shivering inwardly. One mistake on is part and the fight would be lost. He took a step forward with his right foot, and the youth''s eyes glistened.

    He shot towards Amon sending a horizontal strike at his exposed left side. Amon took one step back and the saber hit the air, sending a huge blast of wind to Amon''s face, making his ashen hair whip about.

    The saber did not stop after it missed Amon, leaving the youth vulnerable. The youth''s face fell as Amon''s stick came whistling through the air at his head. He hurriedly twisted his body and retreated, avoiding Amon''s strike.

    The youth knitted his brows looking at Amon, clearly annoyed. Amon could see impatience and confusion hidden deep in the coldness of his eyes. The first exchange was over, now Amon would finish the fight.

    He shot towards the youth with a ferocious look on his golden eyes. Amon jumped as he aimed his stick at the youth''s head, putting his all in the strike.

    ''Brak!''

    The youth blocked the strike with his saber, with one hand in the handle and the other supporting the blade. The floor started cracking at his feet. Amon might be weaker than he was, but that didn''t mean he was not incredibly strong.

    Amon''s feet touched the ground and he brought his face closer to the youth''s as he forced his strike in. "Truly a waste of my time."

    One move. It was all Amon needed. A single mistake. The youth''s eyes flashed with rage as the muscles in his arm bulged. Then, he forcefully pushed his saber to the side, trying to break Amon''s stance.

    Amon couldn''t help but give a wry smile as he took a step back. He had been on the receiving end of such a cheap move before. He knew how frustrating it was. The saber made the air howl as it swung violently at nothing. Amon took a step forward with the stick in hand.

    The youth looked dumbstruck as he realized his mistake. His stance was a mess and he wouldn''t be able to block the incoming strike. He could only look resentfully as that glowing stick descended on his head on the exact moment he gave the opening.

    ''Crack!''

    He shouldn''t have lost that fight. In truth, he wouldn''t have if Amon hadn''t suffered with a certain sword puppet on a specific day in the Warrior Hall. Because Amon knew exactly when and how the opening would present itself, and he was prepared to make use of it.

    All that he really needed to do was to make the red-haired youth lose his temper for just a moment. Every mistake in battle was potentially fatal. Every opening given was a moment between life and death.

    That is why fights between experienced warriors could either be dragged out or end in seconds. All they needed was a single opening to assure victory. The moment it appeared, the fight would end. The amount of time it took for a mistake to be made was the duration of the fight, there was no avoiding it.

    Experience was incredibly important because of that. It allowed one to minimize mistakes and have an innumerable amount of strategies to create openings for his own use.

    Amon gave a long sigh as the youth was dragged away by the light. He had won, but he didn''t feel satisfied. This fight somehow lacked the thrill of his fight with John and Cecilia. His opponent was far above him in terms of strength, but he also had a fatal weakness in his pride.

    Amon couldn''t help but feel a bit disappointed. It was a fight bound to end prematurely, because either he would be crushed by the youth, or he would make use of that obvious flaw to obtain victory. It felt somewhat dull.

    He slowly descended from the platform in deep thought. A clear expression of dissatisfaction was on his face as he walked to the waiting hall, his body still a bit numb.

    "Real fights are to the death, Amon." Lya''s voice echoed in his ears as she seemed to understand his thoughts.

    "You should learn to enjoy every victory, no matter how dull they might have been." Her voice was somewhat wistful, somewhat regretful. "Because every fight you win is a day more you live."

 41 Lines that Canâ€™t be Crossed I

    Daniel was sitting in a bed in one of the white rooms in the Medical Center of the Hell''s Keeper Arena. He had already eaten a Recovery Pill that was mending the broken bones in his wrist. Unfortunately, such pills could only accelerate the healing speed, not regenerate tissue, otherwise his right arm wouldn''t be useless.

    He took the hood out of his head, showing an abnormally pale face and sunken eyes. He glanced at the sword on the floor lying at his feet, and as if answering to a call, it started hovering around him. Daniel looked at it wistfully. He owed Natasha Barnes a lot. He owed his brother a lot.

    He remembered the six months he spent with Natasha helping him prepare to the competition, feeling as if it was a long time ago.

    ---

    "What we are going to do about your arm is simple." Natasha said with the bored look she seemed to always have. "Nothing."

    Daniel was dumbstruck as he heard her words. "What do you mean by that?"

    "There is nothing to be done about your arm, so we won''t do anything." She didn''t even look at him as she checked her perfectly filed nails, looking for flaws, "What we will do is train your Qi control."

    "I understand that Qi control is important, but I am only at Body Tempering. How will that help me?"

    "Words of an amateur. I expected a more insightful person, considering your childhood years." Natasha said as she lifted her gaze to his eyes. Daniel had been trained with everything that Lawrence could give before Jake was found to be incredibly talented. She truly expected him to know better.

    "Why wait for Elemental Purification to train your control? Why are people stuck with such an obviously wrong concept?" Natasha seemed to be asking herself in a painful voice. She gave a sigh and made a gesture to Delia, who was waiting outside the room.

    Delia promptly walked in, carrying something large bundled in cloth. She put it in the small table in Daniel''s room in the Medical Pavilion, bowed deeply to Natasha and left. Natasha walked to the table and slowly removed the cloth from the bundle, as if peeling a fruit.

    What she revealed to Daniel was a wooden arm. A complete model of an arm, with joints, bones, tendons and all. She gave it to Daniel with a serious look on her face. "Hold it for me for a moment, dear."

    Daniel looked confused as he held the model arm with his left hand. He started examining it carefully, when suddenly the arm moved in the wooden hands grabbed his wrist. Daniel almost fell from the bed from the scare he was given and he started cursing while Natasha laughed with delight.

    "How¡­ why¡­" Daniel couldn''t find words to say as he looked at the wooden arm, making Natasha roll her eyes at him.

    "Spread your divine sense and look it up." She said with a bored voice.

    Daniel promptly did so, and was surprised. Thin and glowing lines of Qi were evenly spread across the arm, shining from inside the wood.

    "Is this¡­ and artifact?" Daniel asked dumbstruck.

    "Yes, it is." Natasha answered. "I gave myself the trouble to carve Qi pathways that matched perfectly with the meridians in a real arm."

    "Using the Qi in the meridians to execute movements instead of the muscles and tendons is a hard task. It is no more than the work of a puppeteer, and such movements will lack true strength." Natasha looked at him with a blank expression. "Still, it is doable."

    Daniel didn''t muster a word after hearing that. Natasha gave a sigh. Seemed he was finally catching up.

    "You will use this arm to train your control over Qi. I want you to be able to execute a series of complex tasks with it." Natasha said dispassionately. "Furthermore, you can''t have any physical contact with the arm as you train. All will be done through Qi control."

    "After that¡­ You might start training using your own arm." Natasha said with sad eyes. "The parts missing from your arm also affected most of your meridians. Your control will have to be even better because of that, as you will have to make up for the missing pathways for the Qi to flow."

    "It will be far from perfect, especially in a fight where your focus will be divided in many other tasks, but it will be usable. I recommend you use this arm for simple tasks, nothing more." Natasha said, holding her arms behind her back.

    "This¡­ how did you think of this?" Daniel asked, looking at her with his dark eyes. "I don''t think you just had this idea."

    "You are right." Natasha looked up, as if reminiscing something. "I had this idea five years ago, when a friend was hurt."

    "Did it work?" Daniel couldn''t help but ask.

    "I wouldn''t know." Natasha sighed gently. "All I managed to do was tell her about the theory."

    "Borgin and your father made sure to get in my way after that." A rare trace of emotion was shown in her face as it distorted into a mask of anger and her eyes turned cold. She directed those cold eyes to Daniel, making his hair stand on end.

    "You better make that bastard suffer a loss." She said in a chilling voice.

    Talking about such matter had made Natasha lose her calm for a moment, but it was enough for Daniel to see how deep her hatred for Lawrence ran. He gazed at her calmly as he nodded firmly.

    "You can be sure that I won''t let him feel the least bit of satisfaction from this." Daniel said in a serious tone. Natasha sent him another piercing glance before her face returned to the usual bored expression.

    "You can train on your own. How you will use what you get from this experience is up to you." Natasha slowly made her way to the door. "Delia will help you with anything you need. I will visit you every day to guide you through physiotherapy and check on your progress. You might also start training to use your left arm as your dominant one."

    She turned around, looking at Daniel one last time. "I expect nothing but total dedication on your part."

    "You can rest assured about that." Daniel said, making Natasha nod quietly.

    "Thank you for saving Amon Skoller." She said in an unusual gentle tone before turning her back away and leaving.

    Daniel looked at the wooden arm he was holding in a daze. He looked at it in silence for a long time, pondering something. He then took a deep breath, and spread his divine sense.

    ---

    Daniel''s sword was still hovering next to him. Looking uninterested, he sent it flying through the room.In the dark room, the sword seemed to glow as numerous strings of light were tightly bound around it as the sword moved in a stream of complex strikes. They lacked strength, but were more than enough to draw blood in a sneak attack.

    Natasha had been right. Using the Qi to forcefully move his right arm made it lack strength and finesse. Still, just as she said, it was enough for simple movements. Because of that, Daniel had decided to use a shield. Not only would he cover for the weakness in his right side, he would also be able properly use it with his arm.

    He could also use the Qi to directly move the shield in dire situations, instead of using his arm. It was a good way to hide the deficiencies he had.

    He looked at his left arm, trying to close his fingers. A stinging pain made him give up on the idea, but he couldn''t help but smile. He had bluffed when Clara broke his wrist. He had used Qi to control his sword and pretend he had grabbed it with his injured hand. It had been enough to confuse her and give him an opening.

    Daniel closed his eyes, looking tired. Still, he couldn''t rest yet. Soon enough there would be the final phase of the second round, where the winners of the first phase would draw lots again, to fight and decided the top eight.

    He gave a sight. He needed to win this Promotion Competition no matter what. But as he thought of this, a youthful face made its way into his mind.

    "What happened to you, Amon?" Daniel couldn''t help but ask. When he saw the boy in the waiting hall, he had to make an incredible effort to hide agitation. The boy was too different from what he remembered.

    He didn''t dye his hair black anymore, and he walked with his head raised, carefully analyzing everything around him as if he were a seasoned warrior. His golden eyes had a confidence in them that hadn''t been there in all the years Daniel knew him.

    Not only that, but he somehow managed to get into Body Tempering and, considering how he had made his way to the second round of the Promotion Competition, it had not been a trivial tempering. Daniel was confused. How could he have changed so much in less than a year?

    Amon Skoller was like a different person. Nevertheless, Daniel didn''t feel it was a bad thing. He was happy that Amon was growing up.

    Unfortunately, Daniel had no wish to talk to him until the competition was over. Daniel had to send his father a message, and he would. He would win the competition and get to the Inner Sect, but he was going to be sure that no one knew his name.

    Sure, the Elders and the people with access to the records of the competition would know, but no one else would. For the crowd, for the thousands of people of the Outer Sect and for the disciples of the Inner Sect he would be a mystery and that was what Daniel wanted. He refused to play his father''s game and let him profit from it.

    It would be an empty victory. A dull one. Nothing but a childish move, but Daniel didn''t mind. A victory over his father was a victory nonetheless. If this ruse could make his father knit his brows for even a second, it would have been worth it.

    Because Daniel had grown to hate his father.

    For the first time since he was born, he wished nothing but misery to one person.

 42 Lines that Canâ€™t be Crossed II

    Nemeus was using his divine sense to probe Amon Kressler as he slowly left the platform and walked to the waiting hall. In the dark red space, his scarlet eyes shone with a sanguine light as he focused his perception on the ring the boy wore in his finger.

    Nemeus was long past the point of simply sensing Qi with his divine sense. When the towering man wanted, the world presented itself to him through gold and black. There was no matter, there was only the Divine Language.

    Everything he saw was combinations of the godly runes. The way the air flowed from the lungs of a cheering spectator, the light quaking of the ground as the crowd jumped on their seats, the blue of the sky. Everything was the Divine Language. Everything was nothing more than an array formation.

    Even the people themselves, they were billions of complex formulas that broke apart and recombined thousands of times per second. Arthur had told Nemeus once that maybe if one went deep enough, one would be able to peer into the thoughts of the people they target their divine sense at and read them like an open book. Maybe even peer at the makings of the soul was possible.

    As such, Nemeus had no real difficulty to look past Lya''s illusion, seeing the true form of the ring in Amon''s finger. He narrowed his eyes and his mane-like fiery hair seemed to stand on end as he sent an enraged bellow.

    "LYA!"

    He called, transmitting his voice to the ring. His deep voice seemed more like the howling of a beast than the shout a human could give. Still what answered Nemeus was silence. His scarlet eyes were bloodshot as, like a beast, he started to growl and the muscles in his body bulged.

    "LYA!"

    The dark-red space started trembling as if it was going to shatter when Nemeus howled her name again. His deep voice echoed through the space for a long time, more and more distorted as it slowly faded away into silence yet again.

    Nemeus took a deep breath, calming himself. His rage was mostly gone, but the savage look in his eyes remained. A cold expression was all his face showed as he said in a soft, but chilling voice, "Ignore me if you want. I''ll make you show yourself."

    Then, he closed his eyes, as if focusing. He would make sure to be discrete as he sent her a message that no one else noticed. He opened his eyes and his gaze fell on the shiny box lying on the table as a bloodthirsty smile made its way into his lip, making him reveal a sharp row of fangs. For all intents and purposes, Nemeus was a beast enjoying the thrill of the hunt.

    "Eh?" Amon suddenly shuddered as his ashen hair stood on end. He stopped on his tracks as he walked to the waiting hall. He had a bad feeling. He turned his eyes to the green cabin where the important guests were watching the competition, but the feeling soon faded away.

    Somehow, the finger he had the interspatial ring on started to itch and the ring seemed somewhat hot, but it only lasted for a moment. In the blink of an eye, it was as if the feeling was never there. Amon was confused as he started walking again, picking up his pace.

    "Lya?" He asked in a low voice as he crossed the golden gates. To his surprise, Lya didn''t answer. Amon''s expression turned serious as he looked at the ring in his fingers.

    "Is everything okay?" Amon asked in a worried tone, a bit agitated.

    "Yes, don''t worry." Lya''s voice echoed in his mind calming him down a bit. Nevertheless, he could feel something strange with her. "Just¡­ be careful in the next fight."

    Amon gave a slight nod, but worry seethed deep within his mind.

    He got into the waiting hall, where the same woman of the last day was waiting for him. She gave him a polite bow and gestured him to come with her. Amon quietly followed her to a room in the Medical Center.

    "We will call you when the next phase starts." The woman said, bowing again and leaving.

    Amon jumped on the bed and closed his golden eyes. He started replaying the fight with the red-haired youth in his mind. Maybe there was an easier way to get things done. As he thought about the fight he couldn''t help but remember Erin. He was certain Erin was as arrogant as that youth, even if weaker.

    Amon''s hands started trembling without him noticing. He somehow felt excited as he remembered the look in Erin''s eyes when he threatened him. Deep down, hiding in that coldness, Amon was sure he saw a shred of hesitation. Erin was apprehensive.

    "I sure hope we face each other." Amon mumbled to himself. The room was dark, as Amon hadn''t lit the lamps on it. Because of that, it was impossible to see the savage smile he had on his face.

    ---

    ''Knock! Knock!''

    Amon jumped from the bed as soon as he heard the knocking on his door. He opened it swiftly, being greeted by the same woman as always. He gave her a nod and promptly left for the waiting hall.

    It had been nothing but a couple of hours since his fight had ended. It looked like none of the winners had any serious injury, so the break after the fights were done was somewhat short.

    The other fifteen competitors were already waiting in the hall. Amon couldn''t hide his eagerness as he saw Erin between them. They locked eyes, exchanging cold looks. Erin couldn''t hide the displeasure on his face as he glanced at Amon.

    The Third Elder appeared again, his voice as calm as ever as he instructed them. "Please, line up again. We will draw lots a second time."

    "The eight winners in the next fights will be guaranteed entrance to the Inner Sect. Tomorrow they will compete for extra prizes from the sect. The loosing eight will also compete tomorrow for the remaining two slots of promotion." The Third Elder sent them a long and piercing glance as he looked at each competitor in the eyes.

    "I wish you all good luck." He said as he gave a gentle smile, making his wrinkled face seem even older. Nevertheless, his eyes were as energetic as ever.

    As they lined up again, Amon couldn''t help but stare at man the clad in black a few spot ahead of him in the line. He was almost sure the man was Daniel, even if he hadn''t seem his face. He turned insecure as a multitude of possibilities made their way into his mind to justify him avoiding Amon.

    Amon couldn''t help but turn a bit sad. He grew hesitant as he tried to call Daniel''s name. At that moment, the man turned to him, his face still covered by the hood. The chilling aura he exuded made Amon even more uncertain, but he steeled himself.

    As he was about to call Daniel, the man put a finger in front of his face, signaling Amon to keep quiet. Amon was dumbstruck, and in his moment of confusion, the line started moving. He was in a daze as the line moved, following it without even noticing his surroundings.

    The Third Elder announced something to the crowd, but Amon didn''t hear what it was. He simply looked at that back clad in black with a blank look in face.

    He started having a bad feeling again, as if something bad was about to happen. He looked at the green cabin again, and the worry he had before started resurfacing. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He close his eyes and shook his head, clearing his mind.

    He had to focus. He had to win. He needed to get in the top ten, or at least leave a impression great enough in one of the Elders to turn into a disciple. He closed his fist tightly as the competitor started to touch the box and their numbers started to shine.

    Erin was one of the firsts in the line. When it was his turn, he walked with firm steps to the box, and grabbed it firmly. The golden light shone on him like a beacon, and his red clothes seemed to be set ablaze as a huge number 4 was projected above him.

    After Erin, was the man in black. Like a few hour before, he seemed to slide to the box, touching it with his left hand. He got a number 1, so he would be the first to fight. As he saw that Amon''s senses seemed to explode.

    "What the hell is happening?" He thought, lost in confusion. Why was he having such a bad premonition?

    "I need to take the number 4." He started mumbling to himself nonstop, trying to calm down and put his worries aside. It soon was his turn. As he walked to the box, he couldn''t help but cast a glance to the man in black that was sitting in one of the cushioned seats.

    Time seemed to slow down as Amon looked at that golden box. He extended his fingers to it, during what seemed like an eternity. He felt the coldness of the box as he grabbed it, looking at how the light shone through his fingers, falling on his face.

    Then, the box flashed once, and Amon looked in shock to the number above him.

    "BASTARD!" He heard Lya screaming with all her power inside his mind. Her voice was somewhat desperate, somewhat regretful, as if she realized she made a mistake. Still, to Amon it felt as if it was nothing but a distant sound, an echo brought by the wind from a far away place.

    Nothing seemed to affect him, because Amon had lost the capacity to think as he looked at number floating above his head.

    A huge number 1 was project in the air, deciding his opponent in his next fight.

 43 Lines that Canâ€™t be Crossed III

    Daniel was dumbstruck as he saw the number floating above Amon''s head. Like Amon, he had lost all sense of his surroundings, as if he had been frozen in time the very moment he laid his eyes on the number.

    "Ha.. haha¡­ hahahahaha!" Daniel started laughing out loud, making the surrounding competitors look at him with strange eyes. It was the first time anyone had heard his voice since the competition started. Still, he didn''t care.

    It was always like this. It had been like this his whole life. Whenever he felt he could accomplish something, life made sure to remind him who he was. Daniel couldn''t help but laugh.

    It was a strange laugh that seemed to be filled with regret and anger rather than joy. For everyone around, it was as if the black man was laughing of himself. No one could see how he looked under the clothes, but they were certain it would be a rather sad expression.

    Daniel looked at Amon as the boy slowly turned his gaze to him, in shock. His golden eyes, always so bright, were now misty, as if the flame in them had gone out. A silent tear rolled down Amon''s face as he looked at Daniel. They both knew that neither of them could go on with this fight.

    Still laughing in a tragic manner, Daniel jumped to a platform. His black clothes fluttered in the wind, flapping behind his back like dark wings. He landed heavily on the platform, raising a cloud of dust that hid him.

    "Let''s end this already." He said with his grave voice.

    Amon didn''t show reaction at first, still looking at Daniel with a sad expression. Then, he lowered his head and slowly walked to the platform, making a pitiful figure. Seeing him like this made Daniel even more upset.

    Couldn''t he have just lost a fight to a strong opponent? Couldn''t he have given it his all, climbing as high as he could before he feel?

    He had a sour taste in his mouth as he looked at the boy in front of him. He had grown taller in these seven months they hadn''t seen each other. His muscles were well defined under his clothes, even if not fully developed. His features were turning sharper, and Daniel could already see traces of what one day become a beard on his youthful face.

    Nevertheless, right now Amon looked like nothing more than the pitiful kid Daniel threw in the raft during the Scavenging.The way he looked at Daniel, clearly torn on how to act made Daniel feel even worse.

    "You may begin." The Third Elder''s voice echoed in their ears, but none of them moved.

    This was it. His journey of redemption would end here. Even if he won the next fight and got in the top ten, it would be meaningless. Being the champion was all that mattered. He looked at Amon''s eyes as he pulled his hood away from his face.

    His black hair was a mess, and his dark eyes were sunken in his pale face. Daniel looked really worn out, as if he hadn''t slept for days.

    "We had a good time." He said with a wry smile, making Amon''s eyes even dimmer. The masked man was truly Daniel. Having the last shreds of doubt blown away from his mind, Amon felt even worse.

    Daniel had no problem showing his face. Hiding who he was didn''t matter anymore. He was going to lose to his father anyway.

    Amon was family to him, and he would rather be kicked out of the sect than get in the way of his growth. Daniel refused to be like Lawrence, who cared about nothing but strength. This was a line he couldn''t cross. Daniel would rather be a decent person than a decent cultivator.

    Daniel gave a sigh as he raised his left hand in the air. He gave Amon a sincere smile as he said with a low voice, "Sorry I didn''t speak with you before; I had a few things going on."

    "It is good to see you are fine." His smile widened before he turned to face the Third Elder that was near the other competitors. He opened his mouth, uttering words he would never regret "I conc¡­"

    ''Pak!''

    Something hit his wrist with unbelievable strength. Daniel could feel his bones creaking, almost breaking again. He couldn''t hide his surprise as he looked at the floor beneath his feet. The glowing stick that had been thrown at his hand was lying there, its light dimming before it turned back to normal.

    Daniel turned to look at Amon with a dumbfounded face. To his surprise, none of the sadness or unwillingness from before showed in Amon''s face. There was only anger.

    "Don''t you dare!" Amon screamed at him, his eyes blazing like wildfire as he extended his right hand. The stick on the floor shuddered before shooting back to his hand.

    "If you dare do something like this I''ll never forgive you!" Amon said with an enraged voice.

    Amon wouldn''t let Daniel do yet another sacrifice for him. Amon wouldn''t be able to handle. He owed Daniel so much and he would still willingly sacrifice even more for him¡­ Amon wouldn''t take it. He would not accept such things anymore.

    Letting others sacrifice themselves for him, letting them make his path easier while they bore the price¡­ This was no different from being weak. Amon refused to be weak again, even more so when he owed Daniel so much. This was a line he couldn''t cross.

    "Amon¡­" Daniel looked at him with a complicated expression, but Amon was having none of it.

    "Take out your sword and your shield." Amon said in a serious voice. He raised his stick and assume the first stance of the Fundamentals of the Sword. He looked at Daniel, that still showed no reaction. He seemed to be in a daze.

    "Take your sword and shield!" Amon shouted, almost ordering Daniel.

    The shout made Daniel wake up. Dark lines creased his forehead as he sent Amon a piercing look. His expression was grave as he slapped the Bottomless Pouch hanging from his waist and recovered his sword and his shield.

    "Are you sure about this?" Daniel asked with furrowed brows as he prepared himself.

    Instead of answering, Amon kicked the ground and shot towards Daniel.

    The ashen hair whipped about as he covered the distance between them in a heartbeat. Daniel was surprised when he saw those golden eyes so close to his face after a split-second. He instinctively raised his shield to cover his body.

    ''Clang!''

    The glowing stick hit the golden shield with tremendous force, greatly surprising Daniel. He was forced to take a step back to not lose his balance as Amon forced the strike in. Amon''s golden eyes shone with determination as he looked intently at Daniel before retreating and creating some distance between them.

    Daniel had great difficulty to hide his surprise at the strength of Amon''s attack. He was not entirely ready to receive the strike, but it was incredibly powerful nonetheless.

    "How the hell did he manage to get to this level in less than a year?" Daniel was asking himself as he looked at Amon carefully. He knew Amon had gotten stronger, but he never imagined it was to such a degree.

    Amon''s eyes glinted as he approached again. His stick whistled through the air with a sound that could pierce the ears as it made its way to Daniel. This time, Daniel was ready. He stomped the ground and held his stance as the strike hit his shield.

    ''CLANG!''

    The strike this time was even stronger. Daniel could actually feel the shield trembling for a moment as the strike hit it.

    It was even stronger than the last strike. Daniel was forced to take a step back again, but this time Daniel did not have the excuse of not being ready. The shock in his eyes grew stronger and stronger as Amon unleashed a flurry of attacks, making Daniel retreat to the edge of the platform.

    In this fight, Amon didn''t care about strategies. He didn''t care about giving or creating openings. He didn''t care about being witty and cunning. He didn''t care about victory. He pushed Daniel back step by step because he wanted to make a point. This was what he cared the most in this fight. As long as that point came across, he didn''t mind the results.

    Daniel gritted his teeth as he held his ground. He looked at Amon with a serious look as he took a step forward instead of retreating. He used a shield bash to push Amon away, but as soon as Amon''s feet touched the ground, he jump forward again, not giving Daniel a chance to breathe.

    Amon seemed to be in a frenzy as his face started reddening and his eyes shone with a ferocious light. He didn''t hold back at all in his strikes, and Daniel had no chance to counter.

    No, that was wrong. In truth, Daniel had many chances to strike back, but as he saw Amon''s look he understoodwhat he wanted. Daniel welcome his intentions with open arms as he never once looked away from Amon''s eyes.

    He wanted to understand him better. He wanted to see how much he had changed. Daniel wanted to give Amon the chance he wanted to prove himself. As such, Daniel faced that barrage of strikes head on, using his own strength to hold Amon back.

    Daniel took a deep breath, and Amon seemed to understand. He stopped his attacks and took a step back, breathing heavily. His chest heaved up and down as he tried to recover and beads of sweat were falling from his forehead.

    Daniel stomped the floor, making it crack as he reassumed his stance. He bent his knees slightly to maintain a better balance, and his body stood in an angle, almost sideways as he used his shield to cover his body.

    Amon looked at him calmly, waiting. When Daniel was ready, he gave Amon a light nod. Amon closed his eyes for a moment, focusing. When he opened them again, he threw his stick to the side and closed his right hand into a fist.

    He kicked the ground, flying towards Daniel like a cannonball. His eyes where shining with resolve as he approached Daniel in the blink of an eye. Amon extended his arm as he threw a punch with all that he had.

    ''BANG!''

    The shield seemed to resonate as Amon''s fist collided with it, making a deafening noise. Hidden in all that noise, a ''crack'' could barely be heard.

    Amon hid the pain in his eyes as he forcefully opened his right hand again. His fingers were trembling, bent in awkward direction, and the skin in his knuckles had been torn away. Blood started seeping out from the injury, flowing down his hand into his wrist. Amon had broken all of his fingers and his wrist in that punch.

    Amon raised his eyes to look at Daniel, and saw that he hadn''t taken a step back. Daniel had firmly received his strongest punch. Amon couldn''t hide the disappointment in his face as he saw that. He gave a wry smile as he looked at Daniel.

    Daniel undid his stance, but didn''t look at Amon. He looked down, at his own feet. There was a very faint mark on the floor, made when Daniel was pushed back a few centimeters and his feet dragged in it. Even if his stance hadn''t been broken, even if he hadn''t taken a step back, Amon had moved him.

    He looked at Amon, giving a wide smile. He couldn''t hide the praise in his eyes as he said "You have grown strong."

    "I worked really, really hard." Amon said as his eyes teared up. Daniel took a step forward and ruffled his hair playfully.

    "I can see that." He gave Amon a pat in the back with his left hand.

    Amon looked at him and gave Daniel a tight hug, ignoring what anyone watching was thinking. He didn''t mind one bit their opinions. He didn''t know any of them and they didn''t mean anything to him. Daniel was more important to him than the words these people would utter. As Lya had said, they were nothing but vibrations in the air.

    "I missed you. I''m glad that you are fine." Amon said in a trembling voice as tears started falling form his face. Daniel didn''t say anything, and hugged him back with his good hand.

    "I missed you too, brat."

    "Thank you." Amon said with a smile as he walked away. He was thanking Daniel for what he did in the Scavenging. He was thanking Daniel for how he helped Amon take care of his mother. He was thanking Daniel for being Daniel.

    Amon locked his golden eyes with the Third Elder, Richard Layn, that was watching the scene in silence with a strange look in his eyes.

    Amon gave a very happy smile as he raised his left hand, which was still in one piece, and uttered without hesitation.

    "I concede this match."

 44 The Fallen Foe, the Lost Love I

    Amon jumped down from the platform unworriedly. He walked slowly through the other competitors, ignoring the gazes they threw at him.

    "You are more stupid than I though." Amon heard a mocking voice coming from behind him. He recognized it as being Erin''s.

    "Some things are more important to me than this competition." Amon retorted without giving himself the trouble to look back and face Erin. "To me, some things are more important than the Inner Sect."

    Amon walked away, going back to the waiting hall. He didn''t know if the crowd was cheering, booing or in complete silence. He couldn''t hear a thing, and he didn''t want to hear it. He had a smile on his face as he walked out.

    From the green cabin, Jake watched the scene with a sad expression. On one hand, he felt incredibly happy for Daniel. He was on the top eight and had a real shot to become the ultimate champion. On the other hand, he felt bad for Amon. He had shown potential and Jake liked him, but he couldn''t hide that seeing Amon concede the match had made Jake relieved.

    Jake felt a little guilty as he watched Amon slowly walking away from the platforms.

    "What a terrible luck for both of them to end up fighting each other." Jake sighed. He found it somewhat strange that Nemeus had been quiet all day, but he didn''t mind it. Jake didn''t like when Nemeus spoke directly to his mind, he actually preferred the silence.

    "Such a pity, he had so much potential." A weary voice made its way into Jake''s room, coming from the other side of one of the walls. Jake closed his eyes and silently focused on hearing. It was somewhat old and tired voice, belonging to one of the Elders close by.

    "They seemed to know each other. Still, to willingly give up such a chance¡­ Even if he still make it to the top ten tomorrow, the risks are too high." A younger and more energetic voice answered. "How far can such a person go in the path of cultivation?"

    "Not very far. Cultivation is a selfish concept. We fight for treasures, we fight for knowledge and we fight for power." The old voice echoed again, seeming more and more tired at each word. "There is no room for mercy in this path. There is no room for personal feelings. That kid might be a good person, but he will be a terrible cultivator. "

    Jake couldn''t help but give a wry smile hearing this. The Elders were not wrong. The world they lived in was a cruel one, and cultivation was for no one but one''s self. Nevertheless, the mentality they had would only make the situation perpetuate.

    He felt very regretful for Amon, but he knew his chances of being accepted as an Elder''s disciple were now incredibly low. Giving up a fight because of his emotions and feelings of gratefulness might not have been a truly bad thing, but openly admitting that for him such things were more important than the Inner Sect revealed a lack of ambition.

    Even if he was talented, even if he showed incredible adaptability and insight in combat, even if he reached this far having come from the Outer Ring, it wouldn''t matter. Lacking ambition, lacking an objective to pursue and lacking a resolve to do whatever it was needed to make such things come true meant one would not walk very far in the path to immortality.

    No Elder would waste effort, resources and time with such a person. As they had said, Amon Skoller might be a good person, but he would be a terrible cultivator.

    ¡ª-

    Amon was in a room in the Medical Center of Hell''s Keeper Arena. His right hand was wrapped in bandages to hold the bones in place as the Recovery Pill mended them.He was looking at the ceiling absent-mindedly as he lied on the bed.

    He had been like this for the last hour or so. Lya didn''t want to interrupt him, as she thought it would be better if he sorted out his feelings by himself. She didn''t voice it, but she felt really proud of what he had done. She was certain that Amon would become a dazzling cultivator, a star shining in the bright sky above the blood-soaked earth where the other cultivators walked.

    She hoped he would become a beacon of light, an example that the world did not need to be the way it was. An example that decent people could reach the top. An example that decent people could do more than to simply survive in such a reality.

    This was nothing but a single step in a thousand-mile journey, but as long as Amon walked in the right direction, Lya would cherish each and every one of these steps.

    It didn''t take too long for Amon to fall fast asleep. His breathing was light and regular, and he seemed to be having a good rest. He certainly was incredibly tired and emotionally worn out.

    ''Knock! Knock!''

    Someone lightly knocked on the door a few hours later, waking Amon up. He sat on the bed and rubbed his eyes with his left hand before answering the door. To his surprise, it was Daniel.

    "Sorry to wake you up." He said a he scratched his face, feeling somewhat awkward. "Want to walk around?"

    "Sure." Amon smiled as he heard Daniel. He washed his face with the cold water in a basin in the room, getting rid of the drowsiness.

    "Amon." Lya called him in a low voice.

    "Leave the interspatial ring here." She asked him with some hesitation. "Don''t ask why, just do it."

    Amon was confused at her request, but took out the ring and left it by the basin. He gently tapped it once before he left with Daniel.

    Daniel and Amon walked in silence, leaving Hell''s Keeper Arena. It was nighttime, and the blue crystals shone above the city, like a small, more personal sky. Above the mountain, a full moon shone with a bright light, surrounded by countless stars.

    Even if Amon could only see a tiny piece of the sky though Hell''s Keeper Mountain''s opening, it was enough for him. He liked watching the night sky, especially when it was a night of full moon.

    Daniel brough Amon to a somewhat small building near the Ashen Heart Tree. The building was clearly empty and only was two-stories high. Daniel gestured for Amon to follow him as he jumped to the roof.

    To Amon''s surprise, there were two chairs in the roof, as well as a small table. Daniel took his Bottomless Pouch from his waist and started taking out food, placing it in the table. He then sat on a chair, gazing at the Ashen Heart Tree.

    Amon sat in the other chair, enjoying the view. He could never get enough of how the Ashen Heart Tree seemed to shine under the moonlight of the night sky, and it''s gray leaves seemed to glow with a pale silver light.

    They both looked at it in silence for a moment. The city was deathly quiet, leaving them to their own thoughts. After a while, Daniel stretched and patted his Bottomless Pouch, taking out a wineskin.

    He also took out not one, but two wooden cups from the pouch and poured wine into them until they were half-full.

    "Here." He said, offering a cup to Amon. Amon looked at the dark-red liquid churning in the cup and sent Daniel a doubtful glance.

    "I thought you and my mother agreed to never let me drink any alcohol." He said as his golden eyes shone with a faint mockery.

    "Well, as long as you don''t tell Aunt Becca we will both live another day." Daniel said, giving a hearty laugh.

    He then turned to Amon, with a serious look in his eyes. "Kids can''t have wine, but I don''t think you are a kid anymore. You might still be a somewhat whiny brat, but certainly not a kid."

    "Cheers." He said with a smile as he raised his cup with his left hand.

    Amon also raised his cup, wearing an awkward expression on his face.

    ''Cluck!''

    The cups lightly hit each other, and Amon took a sip of the wine. A bitter taste made it''s way into his mouth, making him almost spit it. Daniel started laughing as he watched the scene.

    "Horrible, right?" He asked with a playful voice as a cunning smile showed on his face. "Only adults are entitled to good wine. You are still far from it."

    "Shameless!" Amon complained, but still tried to take another sip. He discovered that if he drank it slowly it wasn''t so bad, even if it still was incredibly bitter.

    "You''ll get used to it." Daniel said, still smiling. He then looked at the Ashen Heart Tree again, thinking of something. He extended his hand to the table and chewed on some jerky he had laid there.

    "So, tell me what happened to you." Daniel asked, still looking at the glowing leaves of the tree.

    "Well¡­" Amon took another small sip of the wine and his lips twisted a bit thanks to the bitterness. He slowly started retelling his story.

    ---

    Somewhere in Hell''s Keeper Arena, there was a room completely shrouded in darkness. It was hard to day if it was underground or if it was simply isolated from all light. All that could be seen in the room was a towering man that seemed to emit light from his body.

    His long and wild scarlet hair reached his waist, and a pair of blazing eyes shone with impatience as he glanced somewhere in the darkness. His bulging muscles seemed to be made of steel as he unhurriedly extended his arms.

    The air in front of him seemed to distort and specs of light lit up one by one in the dark room. They slowly joined together, materializing the figure of a beautiful woman. With silky black hair and icy blue eyes.

    The man opened his arms even wider and gave a savage smile to the woman, revealing a row of sharp fangs in his mouth.

    "Hello, Lya." He said in a deep voice that seemed more like the growling of a beast. "It has been what, a bit more than four hundred years?"

    Lya didn''t bother with Nemeus as she faced him with a expressionless face. Her voice was as cold as her gaze when she asked him, "Why did you do it?"

    "You decided to ignore me." Nemeus said as his distorted smile grew wider, making him seem quite frightening.

    "Well, I am here now." She said with the same cold voice.

    "I have many questions for you, and you will answer them." She said in a commanding tone as her eyes gave Nemeus a threatening glance.

    "Why would I?" Nemeus asked as his smile disappeared. The fire in his eyes blazed even wilder as he looked at Lya.

    Lya stood quiet for a moment before answering. When she finally spoke, she tried to make her voice sound cold and indifferent, but she couldn''t hide the regret and pain in it. Her voiced ended up being feeble and sad.

    "Because you owe me."

 45 The Fallen Foe, the Lost Love II

    Nemeus was in deep silence as he heard her words. He looked at her for a long while, his expression a mix of unwillingness and rage. However, in the end, he didn''t deny it.

    "You know, we call it the Sword Abyss nowadays." Nemeus said in his deep voice, looking away from Lya. It was almost as if his eyes could pierce through space and time and reach that gaping chasm carved in the Broken Forest.

    Nemeus remembered very well the expression on Alexei''s face as he dealt that strike. The sheer killing intent he exuded, the coldness in his eyes, the blazing rage in his heart. Alexei had poured his all into that sword strike.

    It was, without a doubt, the strongest Sword Qi Nemeus had ever seen. Arthur would have certainly been decimated by such a strike with no chance to resist at all. Unfortunately, for Alexei, the strike was a miss.

    It was nothing but a few centimeters, a distance so small that would be negligible in almost all situations. Nevertheless, it was what decided life and death in that fight. Alexei missed, and Arthur countered immediately.

    "You know, Master never knew for sure, but he always felt it had been you." Nemeus'' voice was serious, and most of his animalistic features had been somewhat smoothened. He looked at Lya with a complex gaze.

    "Sometimes we do things that even we did not expect." Lya said in a trembling voice. A few shiny tears started streaming down her face as her expression turned sorrowful.

    Lya had been impulsive. The moment she felt how much Alexei wanted to kill Arthur she was horrified. She didn''t want to see the man she loved fall to such a level, where he would even kill his best friend. She didn''t think, she just acted on instinct. Her feelings took control of her. She moved Brightmoon ever so slightly the moment Alexei unleashed that astounding blow.

    "Even I was caught by surprise at what I had done." She gave a pitiful smile. "But what surprised me even more was the blow that Arthur dealt."

    "To try to erase Alexei''s soul like that¡­" A cold rage and indignity could be seen in her crying eyes as she faced Nemeus. "It seems even I underestimated Arthur''s despise for other lives."

    "I guess the moment he created you was a flag, but neither I nor Alexei sensed it." She said with her eyes still glued on him, with a self-loathing smile on her face.

    "How cruel was it, to shatter the soul of the proud Hellblaze Lion he defeated and combine a fragment of it with a piece of his own soul to make such a monstrosity as you." She shook her head, making her black hair gently wave behind her back. "Arthur made that incredibly strong Godbeast into nothing more than a slave."

    "All Sword Spirits are slaves. All Sword Spirits are parts of their masters." Nemeus seemed unaffected by her words. He had no memories of anything before he was created. For him, Arthur Royce was the one that gifted him his existence and meaning, nothing more. How he came to be was not of his concern.

    "Don''t compare me with your kind. I am me." Lya''s blue eyes shone with a fierce light as she looked at Nemeus. It was as if he had offended her.

    "And how did that turn out to you?" Nemeus asked with a blank expression. He knew he had no need to say anything more. Lya was taken aback by his retort, but soon enough her face changed.

    "I''ve dealt with it for more than four hundred years, Nemeus." She looked at his eyes with a somewhat crazed look. "For four hundred years I was stuck with nothing but the consequences of my actions."

    "For four hundred years I saw his body slowly decay, until only the bones remained." She said in a desperate voice. Her face was distorted in pain and sorrow as she finally took a huge weight out of her chest.

    "For four hundred years I stood in the edge of madness, crossing the line and returning innumerable times." She sobbed uncontrollably as she remembered those awful memories.

    "For four hundred years I thought about my life. I thought where things had gone wrong." Her voice was trembling as she shuddered. Lya seemed rather pitiful as she spoke to Nemeus. "What mistake had I made? When? How could I have changed it?"

    "I could have left anytime. All I had to do was get away from the array formation Alexei had set up." She shook her head with a wry smile, her tears never ending. "But I would never do that. I couldn''t run from what I did. I owed Alexei that much."

    "He broke many promises in his centuries of life. By the time he died, he was a completely different person than the man I fell in love with centuries ago." Lya didn''t expect Nemeus to even have an understanding of what love was, or what kinds of pain and joy it could bring. She was simply venting her feelings, not expecting any reaction from him. "Nevertheless, he managed to accomplish the one he made on his dying breath."

    "It took more than four hundred years, but he did return to me." Lya said as her expression eased. She was still crying, but a gentle smile appeared on her face, showing all the appreciation she had for the boy that had run into that lake. Amon would never know how much that moment meant to her.

    "Amon Kressler is not Alexei Vine." Nemeus said in a grave tone. It was an obvious thing to say, but it also wasn''t. For them, that lived for centuries and had knowledge far beyond the humans of this time, things were not as simple.

    "Yes, he is not." Lya shook her head, still smiling."But I think it is better that way."

    Nemeus closed his eyes as he heard her words.

    "He seems to be a decent person." He let out a long breath and slowly opened his eyes. Almost all of his ferocity was gone. Looking at Lya with red eyes was nothing more than a weary person. "And for him to reach that level in seven months, you did a good job."

    "However, we have a grave problem here." Nemeus sent her a piercing glance as his expression turned grave.

    "I figured."Lya slightly nodded. Nemeus was more than likely talking about Amon. "What happened to Soul Cultivators?"

    She found it strange that the sect Arthur Royce founded would follow the weak path of Elemental Cultivation. It made absolutely no sense, unless something had happened to Soul Cultivation as a whole.

    "Virtually extinct, even if some few still remain." Nemeus answered. "Most of them died in the war, but the survivors didn''t pass on the method."

    "Why?" Lya''s face fell and she furrowed her brows.

    "Master decided it would be best to follow other paths." Nemeu looked uninstered as he spoke. "Soul Cultivation was an inherently flawed concept in his view. It brought nothing but the worse in people, while also giving them power."

    "What utter hypocrisy for him to spew." Lya''s face distorted in a mask of despise. "What is the real reason?"

    "To hide the Rift and the Starry River." Nemeus looked up as he pondered his words. "He wanted to be sure that there would never be a second Alexei Vine."

    "Hahahahaha!" Lya couldn''t hold it in anymore. She started laughing. A tragic, sad laugh. "That is so like him! Such arrogance, just like Alexei."

    "The Four Sacred Sects agreed with his decision. Master founded the Abyss Sect to become the Fifth and to stand on guard over the spatial array locking the Rift." Nemeus didn''t bother with her comments as he continued to explain.

    "I bet he was really satisfied with people holding him in such a high regard. He must have really liked being considered a hero." Lya still had a derisive smile on her face as she spoke about Arthur. She might have liked the view of the sect he had built, and she admitted that he was a cultivation genius, but she would never forgive him.

    "You are misunderstand something." Nemeus looked at her, and for the first time since they met Lya saw something more than rage or coldness in his eyes.

    "For my master, this place was nothing more than his personal Hell." Nemeus had a sad look as he spoke, shaking his head. "A dark Abyss from which he would suffer for his mistakes until the end of his days, while he followed through with the choice he made."

    Lya turned silent hearing this. She looked at Nemeus as if trying to see through his soul and look at his intentions.

    "The Scavenging?" She asked, with a somewhat hesitant voice.

    "Trying to bury the corpses of the ones who fell on battle." Nemeus answered looking straight in Lya''s eyes. He was being honest. "More specifically, trying to find his only friend. The only man that truly understood him and that he killed with his own hands."

    Lya said nothing as she heard this. She only looked at Nemeus with a complex glance. She couldn''t sort out her feelings after hearing that.

    "What happened to him?" She asked with a low voice, almost a whisper.

    "Master is dead, Lya." Nemeus'' expression turned even sadder. He looked somewhat unwilling as he faced Lya.

    "Who?" Lya asked, feeling a chill.

    Arthur Royce still had many centuries ahead of him when he won the War of Falling Leaves. This meant his death was not natural. Arthur had been killed. However, who would be able to kill Arthur Royce if Alexei Vine was already dead?

    For some reason, Lya felt incredibly anxious. Nemeus'' scarlet eyes seemed to lit up again as they blazed with immense rage and hate. With nothing but despise in his voice, he uttered a name that made Lya freeze in shock.

    "Dale Loray."

 46 The Fallen Foe, the Lost Love III

    Dale Loray. Lya remembered him. How could she not?

    She remembered the very day Alexei met him as a child, soaked in his own blood on a street. His brown eyes were dim and his brown hair was a dirty mess. His clothes were in tatters and barely covered his malnourished body.

    Alexei''s green eyes had a strange magnetism to them, a unique charm. When he looked at the child with a curious gaze, fate had already been decided. Alexei extended a clean hand to the boy as he smiled.

    "Do you know anything about swords?" Alexei asked in a carefree tone, as if the boy was not in the miserable situation Lya could see. Just like that, Alexei got a disciple. Lya never knew why he chose Dale, nor did she know how he managed to see the abnormal potential that broken kid had.

    Under Alexei''s guidance, Dale proved to be incredibly talented. He grasped all of the concepts Alexei passed to him with ease, and was incredibly eager to learn. Like a sponge, he absorbed all of the knowledge Alexei poured on him.

    He also showed incredible will power, and his strength soared the very moment he started cultivating his soul. Dale''s life changed completely in nothing but a few days. He was no longer a nobody left to die on the streets; he was the only disciple of the great Alexei Vine.

    His prowess with a sword increased at a crazy speed, and he showed an incredibly cunning mind when needed. His path to brilliance was set, except for one fatal flaw. He was extremely dependent on the man that saved his life.

    To Dale, Alexei was a God. An untouchable existence that he could never reach. Dale did not cultivate to himself. He cultivate because he wanted to make Alexei proud. He wanted to prove day after day to Alexei that he had worth. Dale always feared being alone, being left behind.

    Lya could not imagine what changes he had gone through after Alexei died. She actually thought that he would have certainly died in the war. There was no way Arthur would leave a threat like him alone, especially after Arthur himself had killed Alexei.

    "How¡­ Why¡­" Lya couldn''t properly form the words she wanted to say.

    "Even gravely injured, he managed to kill Geralt Borgin and Lara Riven." Nemeus said with an enraged voice. "He slipped through our fingers, and disappeared."

    "How did he kill Arthur?" Even if Nemeus was personally telling Lya all of that, she couldn''t quite believe it. She knew it was true, but a part of her refused to accept it.

    "I am not sure." Nemeus shook his head. "One day, Master received a message."

    "He said nothing about it, but I never saw him so pale in my life. Master was scared, Lya." Nemeus had a frustrated expression. He hadn''t been able to help Arthur Royce in a situation grave enough to make him scared.

    What could make Arthur Royce scared? He didn''t even flinch when he faced a war. He didn''t run away from a fight to the death with Alexei. Yet, Nemeus had no idea of what Arthur would be afraid of.

    "He looked at me and said that he would leave the control of the Abyss Sect to me. He appointed his personal disciple as new Sect Master and left without a word." Nemeus could barely speak, as his voice turned more and more like a growl. "The very next day¡­ I could feel his soul being extinguished."

    Nemeus and Arthur Royce shared an unbreakable bond. Nemeus was born from a piece of Arthur''s soul, so they could feel each other to a certain extent. It was like a bridge that connected them.

    "How do you know it was him?" Lya couldn''t help but ask.

    "I have no proof at all." Nemeus smiled bitterly. "But I don''t think anyone else had the potential to surpass Arthur in strength, neither the cunning to apparently get hold of a weakness of his. And everyone that had a reason to kill Arthur was long dead, except for him."

    Lya stood in silence as she heard his words. She had a deep frown in her face as she pondered deeply. If Dale was indeed alive¡­ He would either be seeking vengeance or trying to finish what Alexei started.

    Either way, it was an incredible dangerous situation. Lya couldn''t help but shudder. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Such matters would better be left for later.

    "I have something else to ask about." She looked at Nemeus with a piercing gaze. "Is Amon a descendant of Grant Skoller?"

    Grant Skoller, a legendary cultivator that had sided with Arthur Royce in the War of Falling Leaves. Unfortunately, he had fallen in battle. Alexei himself had finished him off.

    "Yes." Nemeus nodded, giving a sneer. "Ironic don''t you think?"

    Lya ignored his comments and asked another question. "Did his father try to awaken his bloodline?"

    Grant Skoller had been nothing but an orphaned vagrant cultivator in his youth. He was untalented and had no prospects for life, but had a good heart. No one knows how or why, but somehow he received the blessing of the Suneater Wolf, Skoll. Grant''s eyes turned golden, his hair turned silver and his body became incredibly strong. He also received an almost innate understanding of the Natural Laws of Fire.

    From an unknown cultivator, he became a dazzling figure. As a gesture of gratitude to Skoll, Grant adopted the Skoller surname, leaving his old one behind.

    "Apparently so." Nemeus nodded, but soon sighed. "However, the effects seen to be no more than aesthetic."

    The only explanation for the physical changes Amon had experienced five years ago was that Lloyd Kressler had, through unknown means, managed to partially awaken his son''s bloodline. However, his son''s talent didn''t increase, and the only effects were changes in his hair and eyes.

    "No, his body has changed considerably." Lya shook her head as she heard Nemeu''''s words. She had an inkling of suspicion when Amon completed his first round of tempering, as time passed, her suspicions grew into certainty.

    "Oh?" Nemeus raised a brow, showing some interest.

    "That boy is in what could be considered the middle stages of Body Tempering, as his physical strength is five times greater than after his first round of tempering." Lya said with a wry smile on her face. "The problem is, his cells aren''t reaching the point of saturation at all."

    She refrained from mentioning that his aura was also the reason why so many wolf spirit beasts had been leaving their territory to wander close to the Outer Sect. For them, Amon''s aura was like a beacon of light in the dark. It made most of them feel threatened, but the stronger spirit beasts would see him as an opportunity.

    His bloodline, that had the blessing of the Suneater Wolf, a Godbeast, would probably help them grow stronger if he was consumed.

    "So his limit is above that of a normal human¡­" Nemeus'' interest seemed to fade away as he thought. He eventually shook his massive shoulders. "That will give him a powerful body, but nothing more."

    Then, he looked at Lya as his eyes blazed with a savage light. He smiled like a beast again, and his aura turned cold. "I doubt you came to meet me just for that."

    Lya could have gotten mad at how he manipulated the lots of the Promotion Competition, and she might have wanted some answers, but Nemeus knew this was far from enough to convince her to finally talk to him. Not only that, she had already brought up that Nemeus owed her.

    "I need a favor from you." Lya said as her brows furrowed and her expression hardened.

    "What do you want?" Nemeus asked as he squinted his eyes.

    "I want Amon Skoller to be allowed into the Hellblaze Secret World."

 47 Lines that Shouldnâ€™t be Crossed I

    "I am sorry, father." A somewhat high-pitched voiced could be heard echoing through the spacious room of a mansion. Everything one could lay their eyes on in this mansion was either gold or covered in it. The only exceptions would be curtains, sheets and cloths that were all silk of the most exotic colors.

    A young boy dressed in red clothes was kneeling in the floor, looking to the shining tiles bellow him with a regretful look. His long brown hair was neatly tied to the back of his head with a golden thread, and his eyes were misty.

    In front of him, a middle-aged man sat in a scarlet cushioned seat. His brown hair had streaks of gray on it, and a few wrinkles were starting to appear on his face. Even if he looked to be in his forties, the man was actually reaching his third century of life.

    Age was coming for Claude Drey, whether he liked it or not. He never went past the late stages of Body Tempering, but with his keen mind and business sense, he managed to fight his way into the Inner Ring, eventually securing his spot as the richest man in the Outer Sect.

    He was used to the ruthlessness of the Inner Sect. He accepted it, and he used it. Because if he didn''t, he would still be nothing more than another face in the Outer Ring, slowly waiting to die as life went past him without accomplishing anything. Claude Drey knew what kind of world he lived in, and he was not afraid to play by its rules.

    He looked at his son while lightly tapping the golden armrest of his seat. Erin Drey was his pride. The Heavens had blessed his son with good affinity to fire and a strong will to improve. not only that, his son was born with an ambition even greater than his own.

    While Claude Drey didn''t want to stay in the Outer Ring during his youth, Erin Drey didn''t want to stay in the Outer Sect. His father provided him a solid foundation through which he could soar to the skies.

    Erin Drey was not only ambitous, he was also very arrogant. Claude closed his eyes for a moment, thinking. Maybe having had a setback now was not a bad thing. He glanced at Erin, but his gaze was gentle. "Do you know why you lost?"

    Erin seemed to freeze for a moment, before he sighed. He raised his head to look at his father with a look of regret appearing in his eyes. "I overestimated myself."

    "It is good that you know." Claude nodded hearing these words. "You grew too arrogant, son."

    Erin looked down again, ashamed. His father was right, he had been arrogant. He let his streak of victories get over his head, and faced an enemy stronger than him head-on. Naturally, he lost. Still, it was hard to accept. He gritted his teeth and said, "If I was at the late stages¡­"

    "You are not at the late stages." His father interrupted him. "You should never count on things you don''t have. You work with everything you have at your disposal, nothing more. How many times have I told you this?"

    Erin didn''t answer, just lowered his head further. Claude gave a sigh. In the end, his son wasn''t even thirteen years old. Making mistakes like this was natural. "Don''t lower your head. You still have a chance to reach the top ten tomorrow."

    Erin silently nodded at his father''s words. Hope was not lost, he still could get one of the remaining two slots for a direct promotion to the Inner Sect.

    "You will have to keep your head in place and never look down on your enemy." Claude had a serious look in his face as he spoke to Erin. "Arrogance will bring us nothing but hate. Look at what happened to that Amon kid."

    At these words, Erin flinched. His father had a cold look in his eyes as he continued, "What did picking on that kid bring to you, Erin?"

    "He always minded his own business, but you had to show off. Now you have an enemy, and a powerful one at that, from what I heard." His father shook his head in disappointment."No teacher. No guidance. No easy path. He is now on the same level as you, relying on nothing but his own efforts and has nothing but hate towards you."

    "He is now someone that can block your path to the Inner Sect." Claude gave a deep sigh. "Your arrogance brought you trouble yet again."

    "I will strike him down." Erin said, not hiding the rage in his eyes. "When he attacked Amber he made it personal."

    "You made it personal! She made it personal!" Claude hit the armrest of the seat in anger, making Erin flinch. "Don''t waste time doing such pointless things as flaunting! This is not what I taught you!"

    "I will deal with it." Erin said, averting his eyes.

    "I hope you do." Claude couldn''t hide his disappointment. "I''ll tell you this, do not look down on the son of Rebecca Skoller. Anyone that ever underestimated that woman or anything related to her paid dearly. And that is not mentioning his father. We don''t know what he was taught."

    "His father is a traitor and his mother is nothing but a cripple." Erin tried to argue, but his father turned livid as he heard it.

    "That is now! Before that, his father was the damn Fifth Protector and his mother was months away from becoming a High Elder!" Claude shouted as he got up, towering above a cowering Erin. "Time changes everything. We must understand these changes and follow the flow. This way we will never have a loss in business or in life."

    "Before he was an ant, now he can stand up to you. We have no idea what he will be tomorrow." He said with an exasperated look on his face. If his son did not learn the lesson now, he would only suffer when he left Claude''s protection.

    "I''ll say this again: do not look down on your opponents." Claude said with a weary voice as he sat down again, looking incredibly tired. "I expect to see a performance worthy of the Drey name tomorrow."

    "Yes, father." Erin said as he clenched his fist hard.

    "I mean it, son." Claude looked at Erin with a loving gaze. "You won''t always be the strongest, and the world does not lack wolves in sheep''s clothing. I am afraid one day you might really offend someone you can''t afford to."

    "It pains me to say this, but we bear the Drey surname. We are the richest family in the Outer Sect, nothing more. In the grand scheme, we are not even pawns. Your arrogance has no ground to stand on." Claude sent his son a deep, meaningful glance. "If you ever want to change that fact, you need first to accept it."

    Erin stood in silence, before nodding his head firmly. He looked at his father''s eyes and said without hesitation. "One day, the Drey name will be the greatest name in the Central Continent, nothing less."

    His father smiled as he heard Erin''s words. He gave his son a nod and allowed him to leave. Erin still had to rest for the third round of the Promotion Competition the next day.

    ---

    Amon woke up the next day with a smile on his face. He was feeling really happy. He and Daniel had exchanged stories and had chatted and laughed all night. They were both different from a few months ago, but they also weren''t. It was a strange feeling, knowing that even if they had been apart, they were still close.

    Amon jumped from the bed in the Medicial Center and stretched his limbs. He washed his face with the water in the basin and looked at the interspatial beside it. He out it back on his finger, and looked at it intently.

    "Good morning, Lya!" He greeted in a happy voice. He felt light, as if a weight had been lifted from his back.

    "Morning." Lya greeted back. "Are you ready for today?"

    "Yes, I am!" Amon nodded as he recovered his stick from the floor, swing it in the air.

    "Good." Lya''s voice sounded cheerful as she said, "Here, a gift."

    The ring flashed and the stick disappeared form Amon''s hands. In its place, Windhowler appeared in its leather sheath.

    "Really?" Amon asked, sounding even happier. Maybe Lya was in a good mood today, just like him.

    "You need to take the next matches seriously." Lya said with a grave tone. Amon could picture her blue eyes glaring at him. "Plus, I think you are ready."

    Amon didn''t say anything, he simply nodded. If he lost even one more match, he would be done for. From now on, there was no room for mistakes.

    He left the room and walked to the waiting hall. It was still early, so no clerk had to come call for him. The white hall was mostly empty, but to Amon''s surprise, the Third Elder was already there, looking with reminiscing eyes to the platforms on the other side of the golden gates.

    Amon walked silently, trying to not disturb him as he sat in a corner. He held Windhowler in his arms, almost hugging the sword as he also looked at the platforms. He didn''t know who amongst the competitors had lost their fights, so he also did not know who he could face, nor how they fought.

    "I shouldn''t have left like that¡­" He thought to himself. He had been a little too impulsive after he conceded his fight with Daniel. He lost a precious chance to gather information. As he was thinking, a familiar voice hang in his ears.

    "You know, must people would take this chance to try and get on my good side." The Third Elder spoke as he looked at Amon. He had a strange expression on his face as his eyes shone.

    "Well¡­ I just didn''t want to disturb you, Third Elder, sir." Amon said, averting his golden eyes as his ears reddened in embarrassment.

    "What a polite kid. Just call me Richard." The Third Elder laughed. "May I ask you something?"

    Amon nodded quietly, still feeling somewhat embarrassed.

    "What happened to your stick?" Richard wanted to ease the mood a bit, but only made Amon feel awkward.

    "Well, I managed to get a good sword. I don''t need the stick anymore." Amon mumbled. "Also, I can''t lose anymore."

    "Then why did you concede that fight yesterday?" Richard asked with a curious expression.

    "I wanted to." Amon said as his ears reddened even more. He didn''t want to speak about his relationship with Daniel or how he owed him. He didn''t feel it was right.

    "You just made your path to the Inner Sect harder." Richard pointed out, looking at Amon with increased interest in his energetic eyes.

    "As I said yesterday, some things are more important to me than the Inner Sect." Amon repeated the words he uttered to Erin, looking at Richard Layn''s eyes. There was no hesitation nor regret in his golden eyes, making Richard somewhat surprised.

    "A strong mentality. Not a bad way to think, I suppose." Richard spoke while stroking his beard, thinking. "Nevertheless, you might want to know that those words certainly cut off all possibilities of an Elder taking you in as a disciple."

    "If such words disturbed them in the first place¡­ then I don''t think I will regret not becoming their disciple." Amon didn''t know why, but he felt he could be honest around Richard. He didn''t measure his words as he uttered what was certainly be an offense to the Elders of the Abyss Sect.

    To his surprise, Richard laughed heartily as he heard it. This kid certainly had courage. Nevertheless, Richard felt Amon was right. If he really thought like that, sooner or later he would have a fallout with whoever took him in as a disciple.

    "An interesting kid indeed." His gaze turned sharp as he looked at Amon. "What will you do if you lose the chance to get in the top ten?"

    "Keep working hard." Amon answered without hesitation.

    "Rebecca did raise a good son." Richard smiled, making even more wrinkles appear on his aged face.

    "You know my mother?" Amon was taken aback as he looked at the Third Elder. He was not surprised at the fact that Richard knew his mother, rather, that Richard recognized who he was.

    "I do. A pity what happened to both of you." Richard gave a deep sigh as he shook his head."I know that neither of you had something to do with what your father did, but still¡­"

    "I wish you good luck." He said, looking at Amon with a serious expression. There was pity in his eyes as he turned away and walked to the platforms.

    This was all Richard could do. He hated politics and had no wish to get involved in them. He also had no heart to tell Amon the truth of his situation. All he really could do was wish him good luck. No matter what happened, there was only a harsh path ahead of him.

 48 Lines that Shouldnâ€™t be Crossed II

    As Richard left, Amon closed his eyes, trying to relax and focus. The remaining fifteen competitors also walked into the hall one by one, but silence was all that could be heard.

    The eight that had secured their spots in the top ten were relaxed, knowing that all they would fight now would be bonus prizes. Their main objective had been accomplished, so they could have an easy mind.

    Inversely, the other eight were tense. There were only two remaining slots, and any other loss would inevitably mean failure. No one was willing to fall after getting this close to the promotion, after getting this close to change their lives.

    "We will now draw the lots for the first phase of the third round!" Richard Layn''s voice echoed through Hell''s Keeper Arena, making the crowd cheer and the Arena tremble. Naturally, the losers would fight first. It would be a warm-up for the real event of the day, when the ranks of the top eight would be decided.

    Amon slowly got up and dusted his black clothes. Then, he strapped Windhowler to his back as he made his way to the golden gate, and a line started forming behind his back. To his surprise, Erin was also in it, stand a few spots behind Amon.

    "So he lost his match too¡­" Amon realized as he started to get excited. He really wanted to face Erin in a fight. He wanted to take Erin down with his new strength.

    He wanted to prove to himself that he was strong, that Old Grandpa was long gone. Amon wanted to prove to himself that his weakness died with the Direwolf in the Scavenging.

    He took a deep breath. He was two fights away from the Inner Sect. He clenched his fist tightly. Two more fights and he would change his and his mother''s life. Amon didn''t realize this, but his fists were trembling slightly. He was getting nervous.

    "Calm down." Lya''s gentle voice echoed in his head. "Remember, your emotions will power your strikes, nothing more. Don''t let yourself be overwhelmed by them."

    Amon gave a discrete nod as he walked through the golden gates leading to the platforms. The table with the golden box was in the same place, but today there were only two platforms in the Arena.

    Amon gave a polite nod to the Third Elder and the women waiting by the box. Richard gestured him to move on, and Amon walked to the shiny box, feeling incredibly excited.

    The golden light reflected in his eyes, making them shine like the sun as he extended his fingers to the box. The box flashed as his fingers touched its ice-cold walls and a gigantic number 1 appeared above it.

    Amon smiled as he immediately jumped to one of the platforms, not bothering with the seats by the table at all. He sat with his legs crossed as he observed the other seven competitors drawing lots.

    Number 3¡­

    Number 4¡­

    One by one, the pairing were being decided, until it was Erin''s turn. Amon didn''t know why, but he was sure what number Erin would pick. Erin seemed to feel it too, as he turned his head to look at Amon with cold eyes.

    Amon''s expression was serious as he stood up and Erin touched the box. The light flashed over him, making his red clothes seem to be on fire as he firmly held a side of the box. He looked up, gazing coldly at the number 1 floating above the box.

    Erin gave a savage smile as he looked at Amon. He didn''t jump to the platform, instead he slowly walked to it, using a set of stairs on the side. His smile was wild, but his eyes were incredibly cold.

    "By the looks of it, we were both looking forward to this." Erin said in an indifferent voice as he took a white sword from his Bottomless Pouch. Amon spread his divine sense, immediately recognizing it as a middle-grade artifact.

    "You have no idea." Amon answered, as he drew Windhowler with a piercing trill. His golden eyes were blazing with excitement, and his blood seemed to be boiling as he looked at Erin. Neither of them moved, they simply stood there, sword in hand, looking at each other.

    Thin lines of light spread through Windhowler''s blade, like branches of a tree. The sword flashed as a pale layer of light covered it, making Erin narrow his eyes as the coldness in his gaze grew.

    "You may begin!" The Third Elder''s voice echoed through the Hell''s Keeper Arena, making the crowd cheer even louder.

    "Crack! Crack!"

    Amon and Erin stomped the floor at the same time, making the tiles crack as they shot forward in a violent collision. Both sword whistled through the air in a deafening sound before hitting each other, making sparks fly in all directions.

    Amon raised his right foot and stomped the ground again, forcing himself to stop and not bump into Erin with the sharp swords between them. Erin also seemed to have thought of this, as he also forcefully stopped his advance.

    Amon''s arms were numb due to the impact, but he was feeling more and more excited. Both sword started trembling and creating sparks as Amon and Erin tried to force the other one back, measuring strengths.

    Erin''s brows started furrowing as his sword was slowly pushed back, coming closer and closer to his chest. Amon''s eyes looked like molten gold as his face also slowly approached Erin.

    With a sneer, Erin took a step back, but Amon followed suit, keeping their distance the same. Their swords were still locked, and their arms were trembling due to the strength both were using.

    Erin didn''t want to admit it, but he was weaker than Amon. He wouldn''t be able to directly lead the fight if he wanted to win. He would not make the same mistake twice. He would have to avoid a direct contest of strength.

    Erin took a deep breath, calming himself. His eyes shone coldly as he broke his stance, raising a knee and hitting Amon in the chest.

    Amon felt the air being expelled from his lungs as he was sent tumbling back, giving Erin some space to retreat and time to think. Erin didn''t take his eyes out of Amon as he tried to calm his breath.

    It was true that he was physically weaker, but it was also true that Amon was behind him in terms of skills. He might have amassed a great deal of experience in the past months, but it could not compare to the years Erin spent training bitterly even before Body Tempering.

    They both maintained the distance, and started circling around each other. They both had cold looks in their faces as they used the information they acquired in the clash to come up with a plan.

    Suddenly, Amon took a step a bit too slow. Like lighting, Erin shot towards him with his sword raised, stabbing at Amon''s head. Amon''s eyes narrowed as he focused. Erin was attacking, but his balance was perfect and he showed no openings.

    Amon raised Windhowler in front of him, and with a flick of his writs, he used the flat side of its blade to deflect Erin''s strike to the left. His golden eyes widened as Erin took a small step to his right and twisted his wrist, changing the angle of attack.

    His white sword seemed to slide past Amon''s guard, piecing the air as it came towards Amon''s head yet again. Amon was forced to take a step back to avoid it, but Erin didn''t give him space. Like a storm, he unleashed a series of quick stabs at Amon, forcing him to block in one direction and immediately stabbing at the opening created.

    Like Cecilia, Erin''s knowledge about a sword-fight and skills far surpassed Amon. Amon was forced to retread at each of Erin''s stabs. Erin looked carefully at Amon''s movements, making sure to follow up to them. When Amon extended his right leg to take a step diagonally to the right, Erin moved to not grant him any space.

    Amon''s eyes suddenly seemed to shine. Instead of shifting his weight to his right foot and retreat, he stood his ground and, holding Windhowler with both hands, made it spin clockwise. The blade collided with Erin''s sword, sending it to the right and breaking his stance.

    Amon jumped forward as made use of the opening and unleashed a slash at Erin''s throat. Erin''s face paled as he hastily jumped to his left, barely dodging the strike. This time, Amon took the lead as he followed suit and sent a flurry of slashes into Erin''s directions.

    ''Clang! Clang! Clang!''

    Sparks flew everywhere as Erin blocked each and every one of the strikes, making the swords vibrate and the steel sing. To Amon''s surprise, Erin stood his ground. As Amon was about to unleash a downward slash, Erin smiled. He twisted his body as he locked swords with Amon.

    Amon''s hair stood on end as Erin''s smile grew and he flicked his wrist and forcefully pushed both swords to the left. To Amon''s surprise, Erin let his sword go. He closed his hand in a fist and sent it smashing into Amon''s face.

    ''Crunch.''

    Amon was blown away, landing on the floor heavily and sliding through the tiles before he finally managed to stop. He slowly got up, feeling the left side of his face burning in pain. He was certain he had broken something on his face.

    He felt a sweet taste in his mouth and he spat on the ground, seeing in horror as blood came out. The insides of his mouth had been torn open, making it bleed. He felt his face throbbing and he was certain that it was starting to swell.

    "This was for Amber." Erin said with a chilling voice as he recovered his sword from the ground. "Don''t think that it will be over with just that."

    Erin looked at Amon. The left side of his face was already turning purple, and his lips were injured, making blood seep down his chin. Seeing Amon like this brought him great satisfaction.

    Still, he knew the fight was not over. Amon had been surprisingly skillful. Erin was not completely assured of his victory, so he had to make sure Amon would get on his own way.

    "I will make sure to destroy you today." Erin squinted his eyes as he taunted. "After that I will make sure to pay your mother a visit, maybe teach her a lesson too."

    He knew very well of Amon''s soft spots. Making him go over the edge would not be a hard thing.

    Amon''s expression turned blank as he heard those words. The rage and excitement in his eyes dispersed in the air, and they suddenly turned cold. Erin''s brows furrowed as he saw that, making him unconformable.

    "Are you threatening my mother?" He asked in an uncharacteristically hoarse voice.

    Erin did not answer. He felt something was wrong. He hurriedly raised his guard as he looked at Amon with apprehension.

    Amon''s grip on Windhowler tightened and the sword seemed to change. The light covering it started to twist around itself and the sword vibrated madly, making a humming sound echo through the platform.

    The layer of light seemed to condense around the sword, forming a sharp edge. Erin felt a chill run down his back, as he looked at Amon dumbstruck.

    ''CRACK!''

    The tiles under Amon''s feet flew to the air as the floor cracked and Amon shot forward. Erin''s face paled as he hurriedly raised his sword with both hands to block the incoming attack.

    ''CLANG!''

    The swords hit each other and the floor beneath Erin started to give in.

    Erin was confused as he started to hear a faint cracking sound coming from the blades. He looked with shock at his own sword, as a small chip appeared in its edge, where that sharp Qi was colliding with it.

    Erin''s hands started trembling due to the effort he was making in holding his ground as he looked at Amon with a blank face. To Erin''s surprise, there was no rage in Amon''s eyes, no frustration and no fury.

    All Erin could see was a chilling coldness that made him shiver.

 49 Lines that Shouldnâ€™t be Crossed III

    Erin was alarmed as he saw the chip on his sword. He narrowed his eyes, keeping calm as he twisted his body and deflected Amon''s strike to the ground. To his surprise, there was no deafening sound or a strong impact. Amon''s sword simply cut through the floor of the arena as if it was butter.

    Erin quickly retreated, asserting the situation. He had no idea of what Amon had done to the sword, but it was certainly dangerous.He felt a chill running down his back when he saw the sharp Qi covering Amon''s sword as he retrieved it.

    Erin was already on the losing side of a contest of strength, and now even his weapon would be on the line if he locked sword with Amon. All Erin could do was to dodge and make use of an opening.

    Amon''s eyes were still cold and his expression was blank. He was like a completely different person as he shot towards Erin again. Erin jumped to his right, feeling the wind hitting his face as the shiny blade in Amon''s hand whistled through the air centimeters away from his head.

    Erin promptly countered, taking a step forward and stabbing the sword in Amon''s back.

    ''Clang!''

    Amon spun on his feet and blocked Erin''s strike. Erin felt the sword in his hands trembling as another chip formed on the blade. He took a step back and slashed forward. His eyes were cold as he tried to think of a plan to deal with Amon.

    "Tsk." He had an unwilling look on his face as he looked at his sword. It had been gift from his mother. Erin would feel regret if it broke, but he had no choice. He was weaker than Amon and his weapon couldn''t handle the blocks and clashes.

    Erin gave a sigh as the look on his face steeled. He raised his sword, pointing it at Amon and shot forward like a lightning bolt.

    ''Clang!''

    The swords collided, sparks flew and another chip appeared on his sword. Erin gritted his teeth as he sent a flurry of attacks in Amon''s direction.

    Amon narrowed his eyes as he saw Erin coming for him. He twisted his body to dodge the stabs and used Windhowler to block the slashes and swipes that Erin sent his way. He never looked away from Erin''s eyes, trying to figure out what he was thinking.

    Suddenly, Erin took a step forward, raising his sword to send a downward slash to Amon''s head. The timing of the attack was wrong, Erin was exposed.

    "A feint!" Amon realized. He took a step back, but Erin smiled as he saw that.

    ''Thud!''

    Something hit Amon''s ankles, making him fall heavily on his back. The air was expelled from his lungs and he was confused. Before he could think, Erin''s sword was coming down at him, in the same attack Amon took as a feint.

    Amon hastily rolled away as the white sword struck the floor.

    ''Bang!''

    The tiles under the sword turned to dust as a huge crater appeared on the arena. Amon managed to stand on his feet, but a whistling sound made his hair stand on end. He lowered his head and felt something grazing his hair.

    He looked back and saw a piece of the platform''s tiles flying through the air at an amazing speed. He raised his golden eyes to look at Erin. Erin was playfully throwing a piece of the tile up and down on his hands as he looked at Amon with cold eyes.

    Amon realized that what had hit his ankles before was probably one such piece that Erin moved with his Qi. His eyes turned even colder as he gripped Windhowler tightly. The condensed light around it seemed to turn even denser, and the edge even sharper.

    "You work with everything you have at your disposal, nothing more." Erin muttered to himself, throwing the rock at Amon''s head.

    The moment Erin had threatened his mother was the first time Amon really wanted to hurt someone. It was not an unbridled rage, nor was it a simple impulse. His hate for Erin ran deep from long ago, but there was a limit.

    Even if Erin was taunting him, Amon knew that Erin had no lines he wouldn''t cross to get what he wanted. Windhowler started humming as Amon took a step forward and swung the sword, turning the stone into dust.

    Time seemed to slow down as h run to Erin, and saw him sigh. Erin''s eyes flashed with a strange glint as he readied his sword, clashing with Amon head-on.

    ''Clang!''

    The swords collided again. This time, Amon let go of the sword with his left hand and threw a punch at Erin''s stomach.

    Erin coughed loudly as his body bent forward and Amon sent a knee to his face. He felt something giving in under his strike, and Erin was send tumbling back.

    When he raised his head, his nose was bent in an awkward angle and blood flowed freely from it.

    "That makes us even." Amon said, shooting to him again. He focused all of his Qi in Windhowler and smashed with the sword at Erin''s head.

    To Amon''s surprised, not only did Erin not dodge, he blocked the strike with a slightly regretful expression. Amon felt something was wrong, but it was too late.

    ''Clang!''

    The swords collided yet again, and Erin''s arms started trembling. His sword made a screeching sound as it vibrated and scraped against Windhowler''s edge.

    ''Crack Crack Crack!''

    The white sword in Erin''s hands started cracking. However, Erin did not retreat. Instead, he put even more strength in his arms. Amon didn''t understand why he would do so, but he forced the strike in. He would win in a head-on confrontation. Victory was in his grasp.

    ''Crack Crack!''

    Cracks run all over Erin''s sword as he sighed. He was holding it horizontally over his head, with the edge pointing to his left. He took a deep breath and stepped forward with his right feet, not hiding the pain in his eyes.

    ''CRACK!''

    His sword shattered. Under Windhowler''s Sword Qi, Erin''s middle-grade artifact finally gave in, exploding in what seemed to be countless shards. Amon looked horrified at the glistening fragments of metal that reflect the light of the arena like mirrors as his body moved forward.

    With the sword broken, Amon had nowhere to put his weight into. He was forced to take a step forward to not fall, passing by Erin, who had taken a step forward before.

    Amon looked with surprise as Erin still held the handle of his broken sword. There was still a few centimeters of blade attached to it, cracked and about to break, but as sharp as ever.

    Amon''s golden eyes reflected the cold glint of the broken sword as it came in his direction. Time seemed to have stopped, and he saw the scene in horror as he realized his mistake. He looked at Erin unwillingly, but all he saw on his opponent''s face was pain and regret.

    Ever so slowly, taking what seemed to be years, the broken sword tunneled through the air arriving with a lethal blow at Amon''s exposed neck.

    ''Crack!''

    A layer of light covered Amon, making the broken blade stop millimeters away from his skin.

    Erin looked at Amon with a strange look on his face.

    "You work with everything you have at your disposal, nothing more." He quoted his father again with a heavy voice.

    "And, should the need arise, we must not be afraid to make sacrifices if the victory is worth it." This was the second part of his father''s lesson, one that he had taken to heart the first time he heard and that his father never had to repeat to him.

    Amon''s eyes were wide as looked at Erin, but he realized that Erin was talking to himself. The boy dressed in red carefully put the broken sword in his Bottomless Pouch, and with a wave of his hands, gathered the remaining fragments on the ground, putting them away too.

    "You cost me my sword, Amon Kressler." Erin looked at him with a cold stare and piercing eyes, but somehow, Amon could see no disdain in them, only unwillingness.

    "You should be proud of this." Erin looked away, gazing somewhere in the sky. "You made this victory worthy of a big sacrifice."

    "You lost because of your arrogance." These were the last words Amon could hear before he was pulled away by the light and thrown outside the platform.

 50 What Remains I

    Amon landed heavily on his back as he hit the ground. His ashen hair was a mess, and his golden eyes were still widened in shock. He couldn''t believe what had happened.

    He had lost. Erin had beaten him in a fair fight. There was nothing he could complain about. The truth was he had been inferior. He had the upper hand, but he didn''t manage to turn it into a victory.

    He stood there, laying on the ground for what seemed to be an eternity. Had he really been arrogant? If he had been more careful, would he have won the fight?

    Victory had slipped through his fingers, and, worst of all, he had lost to Erin Drey. He couldn''t get rid of the bitter taste in his mouth as he looked at the boy dressed in red standing in the platform above him.

    The blood running from Erin''s broken nose fell on his clothes, but he didn''t seem to mind. He had a victorious smile on his face as he slowly descended from the platform, walking to the waiting hall. He was limping a little, but still managed to walk with confidence.

    Amon forced himself to stand up, feeling his body turning numb. The left side of his face was throbbing in pain, and he realized walking was hard. His legs weren''t moving well, and he suddenly felt incredibly exhausted.

    As the adrenaline rush from the fight faded, Amon felt a headache and dizziness made his vision somewhat distorted. Everything around him was a blur by the time he arrived at the waiting hall.

    He could faintly hear someone calling for him. He looked up and saw Daniel with his face covered holding his shoulder. He could only give a wry smile.

    "I lost." He said, before passing out.

    ---

    Daniel was feeling sorry as he carried Amon to the Medical Center of Hell''s Keeper Arena, guided by a woman dressed in purple.

    He felt it was a pity that Amon had lost his chance to get to the Inner Sect, especially since Erin was the one that defeated him. Daniel could only sigh as he placed Amon in the bed and waited for the physician to arrive.

    It didn''t take long for a middle-aged man dressed in white to enter the room. He held Amon''s wrist for a few seconds while he had his eyes closed, frowning slightly.

    "He just overexerted himself." The doctor said as he looked at Daniel. "He spent too much Qi in the fight, nothing more. A day of rest and he will be fine."

    Daniel gave a sigh of relief as he heard these words. The doctor fed Amon a Recovery Pill before politely leaving.

    "Sir, it would be best if we go too." The woman reminded Daniel. "The second phase should be starting soon."

    Daniel gave her a nod, looking at Amon one last time before leaving the room. He was a bit downcast and somewhat regretful. He had no idea how Amon would react after he woke up.

    Daniel made his way to the waiting hall, in time to see the last fight to decide a slot in the top ten.

    Erin was fighting the blonde woman from the Outer Ring, and neither seemed to be having a good time. Erin''s nose had been put back into place, but he didn''t have enough time for it to heal. He was also using a new sword, even if he seemed a bit unfamiliar with it.

    There was still some blood trickling down from his nose, falling on his lips and on his clothes, contrasting with his pale face. Nevertheless, it didn''t seem to affect him. He was stronger than the woman, and even if she seemed to be more agile, Erin''s skill in combat were higher than hers.

    It was a one-sided match from the start. Erin cornered the woman as he made blows rain over her, not even giving her a chance to counter. Surprisingly, she managed to hold on for a few minutes, before being struck on the chest and eliminated.

    At that point, Erin was deathly pale. He had spent too much energy in his fight against Amon and didn''t have the time to rest properly. He seemed very satisfied as he slowly made his way to the Medical Center, clearly exhausted.

    Daniel glued his eyes on him with a resentful look, but there was nothing he could do. Amon had lost in a fair fight, it was as simple as that. Now Amon would be stuck in the Outer Sect, while Erin would go to the Inner Sect and his strength would soar.

    Nevertheless, Daniel was proud of Amon. He had done his best and had gone incredibly far in the competition. He was sure Rebecca would be proud too, even if Amon didn''t manage to get any reward other than experience from the competition.

    As the first phase came to an end, it was time to decide the rankings for the top eight. Whoever managed to get in the top five would get increasingly precious rewards according to their positions. Daniel wasn''t particularly excited for such extra rewards, given that the sect hadn''t even announced what they would be.

    He absent-mindedly walked to the golden box when the second phase started, not worrying at all on who he would draw as his opponent. He was feeling tired. He was feeling anxious. Daniel just wanted this to end already. More than anything, Daniel was feeling guilt.

    He didn''t want to think about it, but he knew that if he had conceded the match against Amon, even if Amon really never forgave him and Daniel was banished from the sect, it would have been worth it. Amon would have guaranteed his entrance to the Inner Sect and his life would have taken a turn for the better.

    Daniel jumped to a platform as soon as his opponent was decided. He had an apologetic look on his face, even if it was hidden by the black hood. The young man facing him, however, seemed really excited.

    "I hope we have a good fight." The man said as he drew a saber from his Bottomless Pouch as his brown hair waved about. He couldn''t hide the eagerness in his eyes. From just a glance, Daniel knew that he was the kind that loved to fight, no matter the opponent or the situation.

    Daniel gave a wry smile as he himself patted his Bottomless Pouch, retrieving the sword and the golden shield that he promptly wielded.

    "I am sorry, but I don''t think this will be a good fight." Daniel said in an apologetic voice, making the young man furrow his brows.

    Before he could say anything, Daniel patted his Bottomless Pouch again.

    ''Clang! Clang!''

    Two more swords appeared from it, falling on the ground with a clear sound. The young man had a confused expression as he looked at Daniel, not understanding the situation.

    ''Swoosh!''

    The two swords cut through the air at a blinding speed, shooting towards the young man''s head with a piercing sound. The man twisted his body and barely managed to dodge the swords. Looking horrified at Daniel, he hurriedly retreated with a deathly pale face.

    The swords returned to Daniel, hovering around him in circles as his aura turned incredibly cold.

    The young man unconsciously shuddered as he saw the swords floating around Daniel in a deadly dance.

    "You know, I feel it is about time we ended this competition." Daniel said while shaking his head. "I don''t have time to play around anymore."

    He raised his head, looking at the frightened man in front of him as he sent the swords whistling in his direction in an unending stream of complex attacks. He knew the fight would be over in seconds. He knew no one here truly had a chance against him.

    He only held back before to keep his ace hidden until the final round. Since Amon was out of the competition, he had nothing more to look forward to, nor did he have a reason to lose.

    It was about time he went all out and slapped Lawrence Meyer''s face.

 51 What Remains II

    "Congratulations." Lars Borgin broke the silence that had taken over the room ever since Lawrence Meyer arrived. The light still seemed to undulate on the red walls of the room, and the golden words still shone above the doorway.

    The only difference in the room compared to a few months ago was that Crimsonroar was nowhere to be seen. Borgin was sitting comfortably on the charred throne, looking with an amused expression at Lawrence''s cold face.

    "To acquire such fine control over Qi in Body Tempering, your son is really something else." Borgin poured more salt on Lawrence''s wound. Even if there was mockery in his words, they still held some truth.

    The way Daniel Meyer had fought in the final round of the Promotion Competition had attracted attention. His style of manipulating multiple swords with Qi and using them for ranged attacks was something unseen in the sect.

    On further thought, it was something natural. Most people disregarded a proper training in Qi control until they reached Elemental Purification, at which point such techniques were of not much use.

    It was incredibly hard for a cultivator to channel Elemental Qi into objects that he had no direct contact with, as the Elemental Qi was stored in his dantian. Therefore, even for cultivators in the Elemental Purification realm, adapting such technique to their necessities would be incredibly hard.

    Therefore, such a technique would be used as it is, manipulating weapons from a distance, nothing more. A concept not so useful in fights involving rampaging elements and volatile environment. Nevertheless, it could have some uses for assassinations techniques.

    For Body Tempering cultivators, on the other hand, they were completely overpowered. The strikes would not be as strong as if they were dealt while holding the weapon, but the flexibility, speed and agility of the weapons made up for such a disadvantage. Whoever mastered such fighting style would be able to take on multiple opponents at a time from a safe distance.

    Borgin was in deep thought. Maybe he should speak with Daniel and develop a training routine and a manual for such technique. The Body Tempering cultivators of the Abyss Sect would have a qualitative leap in strength, and would learn how to properly control Qi earlier, making their Elemental Purification smoother.

    It was not something he had paid much attention to before, as the Inner Sect disciples usually had masters that guided them through the process and taught them Qi control. Maybe spreading the knowledge outside the Inner Sect would be a good idea in the end.

    As Borgin was pondering over what to do, Lawrence still had the same cold face as always. He ignored Borgin''s comments, but he still felt somewhat dissatisfied inwardly.

    "He gained fame in the Outer Sect, nothing more. Nevertheless, he is now a member of the Inner Sect." Lawrence''s voice was as cold as his expression. "I will expect and demand nothing less than perfection from him."

    Borgin send Lawrence a weary glance. The red light coming from the walls made Borgin''s face have a hellish glow as he stared at Lawrence for a long time. In the end, Borgin directed his gaze to the cold area Lawrence always surrounded himself in.

    "Still suppressing your injuries?" Borgin asked, truly concerned. It had been more than five years, yet Lawrence Meyer had never healed the injuries Lloyd Kressler inflicted on him. All he could do to use his own Frost Qi to directly suppress it.

    As such, all that Lawrence could ever feel in these five years was his own coldness.

    For the first time in a long while, Lawrence showed emotion. His face distorted in a mask of hate and loathing as he remembered that day.

    "Not even the Fifth Elder could help me with the injuries." Lawrence said with a voice filled with hate. His black eyes seemed to be pools of viscous darkness as hatred shone in them. "But I will be sure to repay this debt one day."

    Borgin started tapping the armrest of the charred throne with a pensive look on his face. He closed his clear eyes, trying to focus. Nemeus had surely thrown a bomb to him the previous morning.

    "I have some news for you." Borgin said as he sighed. Dark lines creased his forehead as his gaze turned unbearably sharp. "They concern Lloyd."

    Lawrence narrowed his eyes, failing to hide the cruel glint in them. Borgin''s gaze turned even sharper as he saw that.

    "The Hellblaze Secret World will open in a few months." He said, with a serious tone.

    "What!?" Lawrence couldn''t hide his surprise. His cold eyes widened for a split-second before he managed to control his expression, but he couldn''t hide it from Borgin.

    "This will be a good opportunity to train the Inner Sect members." Borgin ignored Lawrence''s reaction as he continued explaining. "As always, five members at Elemental Purification and five at Body Tempering will gain entrance to the Trials."

    "Are you sure about this?" Lawrence''s tone was indifferent, but he couldn''t fool Borgin. "Lloyd stole a Hellblaze Gateway. He will surely know when the Secret World is open and he will be able to create a backdoor to it."

    "I know. That is exactly why we are doing this." Borgin said, closing his eyes. "It is about time we smoked the rats have infiltrated our sect."

    "But the members we send in¡­" Lawrence tried to argue. He was sure this would be a great opportunity to harm the future generation of the Abyss Sect.

    "As you know, all of the Five Sacred Sects will send representatives." Borgin said with as he tapped the armrest with more strength, making the crisp sound of his knuckles hitting the wood echo through the room. "But yes, our members will be at risk."

    "The other Sacred Sects most likely have spies infiltrated on them, too." He continues, hitting the armrest harder and harder. "This will be a good opportunity to try and make whoever is acting from the shadows to show himself."

    "I suppose you have the members in mind." Lawrence asked, returning to his cold expression.

    "I do." Borgin nodded, making shadows dance over his face as the red light shone on it. "Jake, Karen, Joshua, Evan and Skylar will comprise our Elemental Purification members."

    "Daniel, Abraham, Malia, and Orson¡­" He said, closing his eyes and letting out a long and weary sigh. "As well as Amon Kressler will comprise our Body Tempering members."

    "Are you planning on sending that traitor''s son in there?" Lawrence asked in a chilling voice as his aura rose.

    "That is the best way to confirm if he and Rebecca are truly unrelated to the actions of Lloyd." Borgin answered, straightening his back and unleashing his own aura with an annoyed look on his face.

    Lawrence shuddered once, before an unwilling look showed in his face as he retracted his aura. Borgin snorted coldly, but didn''t make any more comments.

    "If anything at all happens to my son¡­" Lawrence''s voice was poisonous as he glared directly at Borgin with a savage expression. "I''ll make sure both Rebecca Skoller and Amon Kressler don''t live another day."

    "You have two sons, Lawrence." Borgin said as he sent another piercing look to Lawrence Meyer.

    Lawrence ignored his words and gave Borgin a slight bow. Borgin sighed and waved his hands dismissively, excusing his Second Protector.

    In absolute silence, Lawrence stood up and left the room, always enveloped by the cold mist he produced.

    Borgin didn''t bother with Lawrence''s threat to Lloyd''s family. Truth be told, he didn''t really care about them. Nemeus'' interest on the boy was strange, but he didn''t explain anything to Borgin, so Borgin would ignore it.

    Truth be told, Rebecca and Amon were a problem for him. He was actually glad that Rebecca got herself crippled and stopped being a threat five years ago. This calmed down most of the High Elders opposing her.

    The exception would be Natasha Barnes, but there was no way Lars Borgin would let her find a way to cure Rebecca and create a ticking time bomb inside his sect yet again. He blocked Natasha to protect the newly found internal peace, while Lawrence blocked her out of spite towards Lloyd.

    That being the case, he couldn''t bother with Rebecca nor Amon. He would rather have Lawrence calm down than to protect them. If anything did come to happen to Jake Meyer in the Hellblaze Trials, sacrificing them to salvage the situation to a certain extent would be a price he was willing to pay.

    Because not only would it calm Lawrence Meyer to some extent, it would be an indirect attack to Lloyd Kressler. Borgin doubted that the man really had no concern for his family, no matter how much Lloyd''s actions contradicted Borgin''s intuition.

    Therefore, he would not be afraid to turn over Rebecca and Amon to Lawrence if push comes to shove. Because Jake was not only Lawrence''s son.

    Jake Meyer was also his disciple, after all.

 52 What Remains III

    Amon opened his golden eyes, but didn''t move for a long time. He only stared blankly at the white ceiling above him, in a daze. The realization that he truly had lost, and that all of his effort had been for naught hit him hard. Even more so when considering he lost to Erin Drey, even when he had the upper hand in the fight.

    He had a bitter look in his eyes as he carefully touched the left side of his face. His skin was smooth and somewhat cool, and there was no pain at all. His face was also not swollen, and the injury in his mouth was healed. There were no marks left of his loss, just the memories and the bitterness.

    "Lya." Amon called with a weak voice. He was feeling disappointment on himself, and incredibly regretful.

    "Yes?" Lya asked in a gentle tone. She certainly knew what Amon was feeling.

    "Was I arrogant?" He asked her, still in a daze. He couldn''t accept Erin''s words. He refused to be called arrogant by the likes of Erin Drey.

    "You were." Lya''s answer was simple, and it cut through Amon like a sharp knife.

    "It was for nothing more than a moment, but you were arrogant." She explained calmly, her voice serene. "You started counting on victory before it was certain, and that made you lower your guard to what Erin might do."

    "You lost because of it." She concluded her explanation.

    There was no need to point out when that had happened. Amon knew it was in that final clash, when he realized Erin''s sword would break. Indeed, he had been counting on his victory. He left his cunning on the side for a split-second, but it had been enough.

    That split-second on which he counted on victory were an opening that Erin made use. Their battle, like a proper battle, ended the moment one of them showed an opening.

    Amon sighed as unwillingness showed in his face, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn''t change time. That single mistake, that single moment, had cost him everything he had fought for the past days.

    As he was sulking, the air in front of his bed distorted, slowly condensing into Lya''s figure. She had a gentle expression on her face as she approached Amon. Amon was surprised seeing her showing herself like this. She usually avoided leaving the interspatial ring when Amon was not on his own home.

    Lya extended a pale hand to Amon, lightly caressing his chin with the tips of her slender fingers. Amon felt as if a soft breeze was blowing there, making him feel a bit awkward, but comfortable at the same time.

    Lya sent Amon a deep glance with her blue eyes, a glance filled with meaning.

    "You are still alive, aren''t you?" She asked in a soft and comforting voice.

    Amon nodded slightly, still feeling bitter inside. Even if he was alive, even if his life had not been at stake, he lost his chance to make life easier to his mother. He lost his chance to make her feel proud of him. All because he had been arrogant.

    He was still alive, but all that did was leave him facing the consequences of what he had done.

    Lya''s gaze turned even more intense, while still being incredibly soft as she looked at Amon.

    "So long as you live to learn from your mistakes, it will be worth it." She said to him with a sad smile on her face. "You just have to make sure to never repeat them again."

    They had a similar conversation before. Nevertheless, speaking of what could happen and experiencing it were completely different situations. Like combat training, one would only truly absorb the knowledge and lessons about life when they failed and survived to learn from such mistakes.

    Amon needed to make as many mistakes as possible now that his life was not in danger so he would not repeat them when the stakes were real. In the end, he was still a thirteen-year-old boy. Expecting him to do exactly as he was told and not committing mistakes was a ridiculous idea. There was no such thing as a perfect person, even more so when they haven''t experienced enough to grow.

    "Even if I learn from it, the mistake was still made." Amon''s expression didn''t turn any better after he heard Lya''s words. "The consequences are still there."

    "Then you deal with them." Lya''s eyes shone as her expression turned grave. "You take responsibilities for what you did. Own your actions, for who you are now was defined by them."

    "What you must never do is to feel guilt." Lya slowly shook her head, making her black hair wave behind her back. "Learning from your mistakes and letting guilt take over you are completely different matters."

    "You might recognize a mistake you made, but you should not let it weight down on you." She looked at Amon with a meaningful glance."That is especially true for Soul Cultivators."

    Guilt was a dangerous feeling. Guilt led to remorse, and having remorse was no different than shackling yourself to the past. A cultivator that was stuck in the past would never be able to reach the future. Their growth would be stranded, and their minds would be tormented by the demons of their own making.

    This world was ruled by strength. You could do anything as long as you were strong enough, but you may never betray your beliefs, for this would be your own undoing. One should walk steadfast, never taking your eyes from what lies ahead, and never lose faith in the path you chose.

    "I understand." Amon said, but his mood didn''t seem to have improved one bit. Lya only sighed before dispersing in the air again. All she could do was give him time to sulk and get over it.

    Amon slowly got up, and washed his face on the water basin of the Medical Center one last time. He quietly left the room, walking to the waiting hall. To his surprise, it was not empty. The Third Elder Richard Layn was there, looking at the platforms on the other side of the golden gates like on the previous day.

    "I see you recovered well." Richard said with his serene voice. He turned to face Amon with his dark eyes, sparkling with both interest and pity.

    "I did." Amon answered as he gave s polite bow before turning quiet again.

    "I believe the results of the Promotion Competition are of your interest." Richard slightly rose a brow as he spoke. Amon gave him a light nod, confirming his interest.

    "Erin Drey managed to get one of the slots for the Inner Sect promotion." Richard looked back at the platforms, turning his back to Amon. "And, even if people don''t know his name, Daniel Meyer became the ultimate champion."

    "That is great." Amon said, giving a sincere smile. He didn''t even mind knowing that Erin had been promoted to the Inner Sect. For a moment, all his worries and regrets were gone. He felt really happy for Daniel.

    "Daniel will be busy in the coming days, so he asked me to tell you to not wait for him." Richard said, looking very satisfied with Amon''s reaction. Amon nodded once before turning silent again.

    Richard gave a long sigh as he slowly approached Amon. He gently placed a shriveled hand on Amon''s shoulder and a comforting smile appeared on his wrinkled face.

    "You did a good job." Richard said, before and slowly walking away.

    "Thank you." Amon said in a low voice. Without turning back, Richard gave an almost imperceptible nod.

    Amon left Hell''s Keeper Arena, walking with no hurry and enjoying the view. He looked for a long time at the building where he and Daniel had drank wine and chatted for almost a whole night.

    "What do we do now, Lya?" Amon asked absent-mindedly as he looked at the distant Ashen Heart Tree.

    "You said it yourself, didn''t you?" Lya spoke with an almost scornful voice, as if his question had been incredibly foolish.

    "We keep working hard."

 53 Sword Abyss I

    Amon was very calm as he finally returned to his home after almost three weeks. He carefully closed the door behind him as he entered, and ignored Raven hanging in the wall as he made his way through the living room and walked towards his mother''s room.

    ''Knock Knock.''

    As always, he gently knocked twice on the door, and waited patiently for his mother to invite him in with her warm voice. As soon as Rebecca called him, he came in with quiet steps.

    Rebecca couldn''t help but smile seeing her son. He looked healthy, and she even felt he had a grown a tiny bit in the weeks they had been apart. She gladly spread her arms, receiving him in a firm hug.

    "I missed you." She said tenderly, putting a warm hand on his pale face. Amon closed his eyes, enjoying the comfortable feeling.

    "I missed you too." Amon said. Rebecca could see the regret in his eyes, making her sigh. She could guess how things went in the competition. Nevertheless, she thought it was better if Amon decided to talk about it himself, instead of her asking.

    They didn''t talk for a long while, rather, they stood still. It was almost a routine now, to stand hugging each other after some time apart and not utter a word, simply enjoying the proximity between each other.

    "I messed up." Amon said after a while with a low voice. He was looking down with a very downcast expression. "I''m sorry."

    "You are sorry for what?" Rebecca asked with a gentle smile.

    "We won''t be able to move to the Inner Sect because of me." Amon shook his head regretfully.

    "Why are you blaming yourself?" Rebecca cocked her head as she fixed her green eyes on Amon.

    "I had a real shot at making it to the top ten." Amon closed his fist tightly "But I made a mistake that cost me everything I had fought for in that competition."

    "Want to talk about it?" Rebecca asked, ruffling his hair, as she loved to do. Amon looked at her deeply before nodding quietly.

    He took his time, telling her what happened during the training in the Warrior Hall and the Promotion Competition. He couldn''t hide the pain in his voice as he spoke of his defeat to Erin.

    "That moment¡­ I thought I was going to win." Amon was looking down as he spoke in a low voice "I lowered my guard, and that made me lose the chance I had."

    "Amon, look at me." Rebecca said, gently lifting his chin and looking at his eyes with a gaze full of love.

    "I am proud of you." She said without a shred of hesitation in her voice.

    "You barely trained for seven months and you had a real chance of beating the likes of Erin Drey." Rebecca smiled widely, making Amon somewhat surprised. "So what if you lost in the end?"

    "Erin himself said you made his victory worthy of a great sacrifice." Rebecca shook her head as she thought of her son''s silliness "He acknowledged you, Amon."

    "Raise your head and look up" She said, pointing at the open window by her side. It was still afternoon, and the sun was high up on the sky. The grass swayed to the wind and the trees rustled in the distance.

    "The sky is still bright." She said with a wistful look on her face as she gazed through the window. Then, with a smile as bright as the sun shining outside, she said, "As long as you raise your head and look, you can always find a way."

    She raised her hand and gave Amon a light flick on the nose, making his ears redden as he looked at her with puppy eyes. Rebecca gave a small chuckle seeing him acting like that.

    "Stop sulking over such matters." She put an end to the discussion.

    Amon looked somewhat better, even if he was still clearly sad. He said nothing more, simply agreeing with his mother''s words with a nod of his head.

    "What are you going to do now?" Rebecca asked.

    "Continue my training." Amon said with no hesitation. "When I reach the late stages of Body Tempering I will worry about Elemental Purification and the Inner Sect."

    "Very good." Rebecca nodded in satisfaction hearing his answer.

    Amon slowly stood up, preparing to leave the room when Rebecca extended a thin hand to hold his arm. Amon looked at her with a confused expression.

    "You know what made me the proudest?" Rebecca asked with a happy look on her face. Amon shook his head in denial. He did not the answer

    "What really made me proud was not how you defeated a lot of members of the Inner Ring, or how far you made it in the competition." She said, while shaking her head. A smile was on her face as she spoke.

    "What made me really proud was that you conceded that fight to Daniel."

    ---

    "What is the plan?" Amon asked, sitting on his bed as he faced Lya. His eyes shone like lanterns and he seemed earnest, unlike his sour mood from before.

    "We will do our best to make you reach the late stages of Body Tempering in a few months." Lya said with a serious face. "In the meantime, we will also train your use of Sword Qi."

    "I¡­" Amon didn''t know what to say. He didn''t lose control when Erin threatened his mother, but it had been enough to trigger killing intent on Amon, even if small.

    "You are a Sword Cultivator." Lya said, sending him a supercilious look. "You need to find no excuse or apologize. The fact that you kept your calm actually makes me happy."

    "From now on, your training will consist on trying to trigger Sword Qi at your will." Lya explained with a calm voice. "When you manage to do so, we will advance to the next step."

    Amon was still disturbed by it. He felt he had done something wrong when he triggered Sword Qi in his fight against Erin. Lya naturally knew what he was feeling.

    "I said before, didn''t I?" Lya raised a brow as she spoke. The room seemed to turn cold as she gazed at Amon. "A Sword Cultivator only draws his sword to kill."

    "That being the case, your skills using a sword should be overwhelmingly strong." Her voice was indifferent as she spoke naturally. "Controlling Sword Qi is a part of it, and of course we will train it."

    "How do we do that?" Amon asked with his brows furrowed. Dealing with Sword Qi was not something that would be easy.

    "Firstly, you will learn how to deal with your impulses to cause harm to someone." Lya looked up, as if struggling with something. Her eyes were somewhat strange as she looked back at Amon.

    "Then¡­ I will show you how Sword Qi should be." Lya gave a long sigh as a complex array of emotions flashed in her eyes.

    "What do you mean?" Amon asked, somewhat worried by her reaction.

    "We will be going to the Sword Abyss."

 54 Sword Abyss II

    "I want Amon Skoller to be allowed into the Hellblaze Secret World." Lya asked while staring at Nemeus without blinking.

    "How do you know of it?" Nemeus asked, raising a brow.

    "I saw the Ashen Heart Tree." Lya answered simply.

    That was enough. The Ashen Heart Tree was no common tree, after all. Its purpose was to serve as an anchor and a gateway. The Ashen Heart Tree was the bridge that connect this world with the Hellblaze Secret World. Without it, finding the spatial coordinates of the Hellblaze Secret World would be nigh impossible.

    "There are rules I must follow, Lya." Nemeus sent her a sharp glance as his scarlet eyes started burning with a ferocious light. "Some of them regard the Hellblaze Secret World. Others are even more important and have no relations to it at all."

    "One of such rules is not allowing Soul Cultivation." Nemeus said in a clearly threatening tone as he bared his fangs.

    "Are you going to ruin that child because of something that happened four hundred years ago?" Lya asked as her face turned cold. The air around her seemed to freeze as she faced Nemeus.

    "I will ruin Amon Kressler because of the threat he is to the peace we achieved!" Nemeus roared, baring his fangs as his hair stood on end, looking like a flaming mane.

    "You said so yourself, he is not Alexei!" Lya retorted coldly. Her blue eyes glowed with a dangerous light as she looked at Nemeus.

    "Yes, and I''ll be sure that he never even comes close to resembling him!" Nemeus didn''t back down, roaring again and making the dark room quake violently. Lya was unfazed at his display, her aura turning even colder.

    "That is my responsibility to take, not yours!" She shouted back, her cold face distorting into a mask of rage.

    "How can I trust you?" Nemeus asked, almost growling at her. The room quaked even more, and the walls started making faint cracking sounds.

    "How can you not trust me?" Lya asked indignant.

    She had betrayed Alexei when she thought he had been wrong. She clearly never denied that he had been wrong in the conflict and she was raising Amon Kressler into a Sword Cultivator with care. It was obvious that, more than anyone else, Lya wanted Amon to be different from Alexei.

    Nemeus stood in silence for a long time as he looked at Lya carefully. Like a predator sizing up an invader in his territory, he gazed at her. More than anything, however, Nemeus seemed conflicted. He closed his scarlet eyes and his beastly expression eased somewhat. He pondered for a long time, before eventually looking at Lya again.

    "This will even out our debt." He said in his deep voice.

    For him, the trouble he would be going through to overlook Amon Kressler''s cultivation was a price equal to what Lya had paid four hundred years ago. Naturally, Lya disagreed.

    "A life can only be paid with a life. This has no relations to the debt." She said with an emotionless voice.

    Nemeus owed her because she had saved Arthur''s life. Overlooking Amon Kressler''s cultivation had no relation to it. That was a matter of the clash of the past and the present. That was a matter of Arthur Royce''s arrogance. Furthermore, Lya herself would deal with her mistake if Amon ever walked the same path Alexei Vine did.

    "About the rules, I''ll make sure he meets the requirements." She continued, not giving Nemeus time to think too deeply. "I am not asking you to give everything inside it to him, just to let him in."

    "Even if I allowed it, there is a grave problem." Nemeus shook his head, his expression turning grave.

    "The moment I open it, his father will know." He said as he raised his eyes to look at Lya. "The only reason he wasn''t able to enter the Hellblaze Secret World yet and steal whatever he wanted from it was because I completely sealed it from our dimension."

    "If I open that world for the Hellblaze Trials, I cannot guarantee that Amon Kressler will leave the place safely."

    "I will be with him." Lya answered bluntly. She would take responsibility for Amon Kressler.

    Nemeus pondered on how to act. Lloyd had stolen a Hellblaze Gateway. It was a tool that could create a secondary passage to the Hellblaze Secret World. It was made for emergencies only, and it was intimately connect to the Ashen Heart Tree.

    The moment Nemeus found out what Lloyd had stolen, he sealed the Secret World from this dimension. He sealed the object that acted as the dimensional anchor and the primary gateway, the Ashen Heart Tree. That way, only when the seal was lifted would the Hellblaze Gateway be able to function properly again.

    Lifting the seal would mean Lloyd Kressler would act. This would both be a risk and an opportunity. Doing so, Nemeus would have a chance to find out exactly what Lloyd wanted from the relics Arthur had left behind, and possibly deduce his intentions from that.

    Adding to that, the timing was in his own hands. Nemeus would have enough time to make the proper preparations.

    Having reached a conclusion, he looked at Lya again.

    "I''ll give Amon Kressler six months." He said as his eyes blazed. "He must reach the late stages of Body Tempering by then."

    "I will make it happen." Lya slowly nodded

    "Also¡­ there will be a total of fifty cultivators entering the Hellblaze Secret World, ten from each one of the Five Sacred Sects." Nemeus'' look was intense as he sent Lya a meaningful glance. "Those were the rules that Master set."

    "Even if Amon Kressler goes inside, I don''t know if he can get anything." He said

    "We both know that the Trials are not decided by strength." Lya argued.

    Arthur Royce had envisioned the Hellblaze Trials long ago. It would be a series of challenges directed at young cultivators, trying to measure their willpower, intelligence and heart. Appropriate rewards would be given according to the results.

    That is, if the results were in line with what Arthur Royce considered ideal in cultivators. Especially in the Trial of the Heart, that was an in-depth analysis of one''s psyche and mindset.

    "That is exactly why I am saying this." Nemeus shook his head, making his mane-like hair seem even messier. "I don''t know if he has the right mindset to partake the Trials."

    "I can''t deny that." Lya looked down with an unfocused look, in deep thought. "In that case, I''ll need another favor."

    Nemeus furrowed his brows, but did not deny her.

    "Allow him to leave the Outer Sect for a few months." She asked to Nemeus.

    His brows furrowed even more as he heard those words. There was only one reason he could think of as to why Lya would want to take Amon Kressler outside.

    "Are you sure about this?" His gaze could pierce through stone as he confronted Lya.

    "I am." Lya nodded without hesitation.

    Nemeus could only sigh as he looked at her with a weary gaze.

    "So be it." He said as his figure started fading. "Remember, Lya. Six months."

    ---

    "Haaa!" Amon shouted as he swung Windhowler. A bright layer of light covered its blade, condensed in the form of an incredibly sharp edge. It glowed with a pale light that reflect in his golden eyes and made his ashen hair look like silver.

    The sword almost noiselessly cut through the air at each movement Amon made, a stark contrast to the first time he properly wielded. As he performed the stances and moves of the Fundamentals of the Sword, Windhowler left a trail of light in its wake, surrounding Amon in its pale glow.

    Seeing this, Lya couldn''t help but remember her talk with Nemeus. The way she looked at Amon now was different. In less than a month, he was already managing to control Sword Qi to this level. It was still an embryonic form of Sword Qi, and the control in itself was also incredibly rustic, but Amon was able to do it at will.

    "His is starting to learn faster and faster." She mumbled to herself.

    This shouldn''t be surprising, given that Amon was a Soul Cultivator, but even the rate at which his soul was growing was unexpected.

    "He has talent for it." Lya finally managed to see it. She saw beyond the shroud of his tender age and initially unstable emotions, beyond his tormented past and his passiveness. Amon Skoller had true talent for Soul Cultivation.

    "You are ready, Amon." She managed to say, even if still somewhat absent-minded.

    His Sword Qi was in the embryonic stage. His will to kill was not deep, and his resolve was shallow. He needed something to strive for. He needed to see the wonders and dangers of what True Sword Qi could bring.

    It was time to take him to the Sword Abyss.

 55 Sword Abyss III

    It was a very dark night. The stars were dim and the moon was nowhere to be seen. Even so, a bit of the starlight managed to get past the leaves of the trees that covered the Broken Forest, tainting the earth in a pale white color. In such a night, the forest had an eerie atmosphere, and any kind of sound would make the pair traversing the forest shudder in fear and get tense.

    The air was cold, and white mist shot out of Amon''s mouth while he took light breaths. He had a black cloak tightly wrapped around his body in a vain struggle against the biting chill of the night.

    As he walked in silence, the trees slowly started turning sparse, and he had more space to walk the deeper he went into the forest. The ground under his feet was turning less and less green at each step, as the grass and fallen leaves disappeared and were replaced by muddy soil. At some point, the trees around him abruptly disappeared, and he saw himself facing barren land.

    The cold at this point was almost unbearable, and Amon felt his skin prickling, as if countless needles were piercing every inch of his body. On the ground filled with cracks there was only a fine dust that blew at his faces, carried by a chilling wind. There was no other sound than the wind blowing through the air and rustling the leaves of the trees on his back.

    No life could be seen in just a place. No plant could grow its roots here, for the cold slowly would wither them without a doubt. No spirit beast could live here, for the sharp energy that emanated from the chasm ahead would pierce through their skins and they would bleed to death. They had finally stepped into the domain of the Sword Abyss.

    "You won''t be able to walk closer without getting injured, so I''ll give you a hand." Lya said in her melodious voice.

    Amon watched in surprise as a translucent sphere of light formed from thin air and covered him. Looking at his surrounding, he couldn''t help but shudder. More than once, weak disciples that had more bravery than intelligence ventured alone in such lands only to be found dead, their skins ruptured and their insides in pieces.

    As he continued to walk, the cold wind grew stronger and stronger. It now carried an inherent sharpness, as if it hid blades that tried to slash the shield open. Each step he took was heavier than the last one, and exhaustion slowly started to creep through his face. Deep footprints were imprinted in the dust as he faced the opposing wind. Beads of sweat started rolling down Amon''s face. The effort was too much for him, he would soon reach his limit.

    His pace was slowly turning to a halt. The wind was now like a barrier that grew tougher and tougher as he advanced. Cracks were slowly appearing in the shield, and it didn''t take long for it to start to creak.

    "Lya¡­" Amon called, clearly worried as he saw the shield starting to distort.

    "It will hold on, don''t worry." Lya said in a serene voice, trying to calm Amon down.

    The wind brought dust that violently clashed against the shield before being dispersed and blown away. From above one could only see a tiny commotion in the middle of a sandstorm that was slowly but resolutely moving forward.

    Amon would barely be able to withstand the winds without the shield, but he had no desire to try. When he felt he couldn''t go further, he saw ahead of them a pair of gigantic wooden poles.

    The poles were side by side, being at least thirty meters high and six meters wide. Attached to them were ropes as thick as a person that disappeared in the distance, above a terrifying darkness that devoured the ground.

    A gigantic rift had split the ground apart. The ground simply ended out of nowhere, as if something had carved out a huge chunk of it. At one moment, there was solid land; in the next, there was only a fall to the nothingness. The Sword Abyss stretched as far as the eye could see, like a gaping mouth ready to devour anything and everything that fell into it.

    As he slowly got closer to the Abyss and the poles that held the ropes of the bridge, the pressure disappeared. Amon sighed in relief and Lya dispersed the luminous shield around him, before he fell on the ground, panting heavily.

    His clothes were drenched in sweat and his legs were trembling. Some parts of his tattered clothes couldn''t resist the pressure and were ripped, while his black cloak barely survived unscathed.

    Nevertheless, he was happy. He had managed to get to the Bridge of Lamenting. While he recovered, he gazed in fear to the legendary Sword Abyss in front of him.

    The Bridge of Lamenting had a formation inscribed in it, negating the effects of the Sword Qi from the Abyss and protecting it and everyone in the range of the formation. Even so, he could still feel a chill deep in his heart as he looked at that endless dark.

    Amon took a long while catching his breath before he managed to sit with his legs crossed and closed his eyes in meditation to try to recover a bit. The air surrounding him seemed to blur a bit, and a faint halo emanated from him.

    Slowly he stopped trembling from the cold and exhaustion, and his breathing became regular. He was in the boundary of the protective formation of the Bridge of Lamenting, so he could relax.

    "You should pay attention to your surroundings." Lya advised him from the interspatial ring. Amon gave her a slight nod as he focused.

    Probing the surrounding with his divine sense, he felt the Qi that came from the Abyss. It felt unnatural. It was sharp, cold and unforgiving, like a sword dealing a killing blow. The misty Qi would gather into strands as thin as a hair, much like spider webs.

    These strands would cut through the air, splitting apart everything in its way and speeding towards the bridge with a terrifying momentum that would make anyone shiver in fear.

    When they got close enough to the bridge, however, they would suddenly disperse, as if they never existed. What caused it to disperse was naturally the protective formation on the bridge, but Amon had no idea of how it worked.

    "This¡­ is this Sword Qi?" He asked in awe. His golden eyes shone with expectation as he felt the blades of Qi shuttling around him.

    "This is only remnant Qi." Lya explained to him. "It is not even close to what you would have in the depths of the Abyss."

    "This is nothing more than a weak echo, a mere fraction of what that strike was." She said in a serious voice, making Amon even more impressed. He was sure that if he was not being protected by the array formation in the bridge, just a single wisp of this Sword Qi would be able to split him in half.

    He focused on recovering his energies and calming his mind. When he finished, he got up and walked towards the Bridge of Lamenting.

    The Bridge of Lamenting could be called a simple rope bridge, however, its scale was massive. It crossed the whole width of the Sword Abyss, meaning it had about 2 kilometers. The boards used in it were 10 meters long and 3 meters wide.

    It was hard to even imagine the size of the trees that originated them. They would have been at least as big as the trees used to make the poles that anchored the bridge.

    The wooden poles that supported the ropes and the boards were covered with strange inscriptions made with elegant and intricate runes. Those inscriptions glowed in golden light, and moved freely in the poles and boards, twisting and turning like snakes.

    The runes sometimes converged and dispersed, connected with each other and then broke apart. It was hard to discern what could have been words or sentences. The runes spiraled around each other, their glows varying according to their positions and to which runes they were connected.

    "To do a formation on such a scale¡­" Amon couldn''t help but mutter to himself. The Bridge of Lamenting was huge. For every inch of it to be inscribed with formations like that was a feat in itself.

    As he walked, the boards at his feet creaked a little and the bridge lightly swayed. He had no need to fear falling from the bridge or being cut into pieces, but he still felt uncomfortable as he sensed the Sword Qi smashing in his direction.

    "This should be enough." Lya said as Amon got halfway through the bridge.

    The strands of Sword Qi in the middle of the bridge were many times bigger and more aggressive than on the extremities, making Amon pale as he carefully observed them. He felt he was seeing blades shooting at him rather than Qi.

    He sat down on the bridge, closing his eyes as he focused. The moonlight fell over his lonely figure as the bridge slightly swayed with the wind.

    "Now what you must do is focus on each strand of Sword Qi you see." Lya guided him, her voice seemingly echoing from afar, like a fleeting dream. "Feel it closely. Don''t try to analyze the shape, try to see behind its behavior."

    "Try to see behind the will contained in it."

    The most important part behind of the concept of Sword Qi was not simply the sharpness. Behind Sword Qi, lied murderous intentions. A strong soul would have a strong will. Naturally, the strongest Soul Cultivator would have the strongest will. The strongest Sword Qi he ever produced would also contain the strongest murderous intention.

    What Amon needed to do now was to dwell in it, learn from it. Amon Skoller needed to learn what trying to kill a person really felt like. This would be a part of his life that he wouldn''t be able to run from.

    He was a Sword Cultivator, after all.

 56 Sword Abyss IV

    The moonlight shone over a lonely figure sitting cross-legged in the middle of the Bridge of Lamenting. The silvery light made Amon''s pale face suffuse a pale glow, looking unnaturally chilling. His eyes were closed, and beads of sweat were slowly rolling down his face, glistening in the faint light like morning dew.

    He observed closely how the Sword Qi emitting from the Abyss acted. The way it moved through the air, unstoppable until reaching the array formation, the way it seemed to be attracted towards life, making Amon feel incredibly nervous as all the Sword Qi in the area shot in his direction.

    "It is not enough." He thought, retracting his divine sense as his body shuddered unconsciously. He felt as if he was being stalked by a beast and that at any moment he would be ripped apart in pieces. He could not get rid of the anxiousness in his heart, and focusing was hard.

    "Do not be afraid of it." Lya''s calm voice echoed in his mind, as clear and refreshing as a stream in spring. "You must lower your guard, and let it reach you."

    "Open yourself to it, invite it in." She said gently in his ears, almost in a whisper. "It is the only way you will be able to deal with such a feeling."

    "When it reaches you, then you might reach back to it." She continued. "At that moment you will be able to understand what Sword Qi is."

    Amon furrowed his brows for a moment, but eventually took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He adjusted his position, trying to get more comfortable as he slowly spread his divine sense outward again.

    The murderous intent of the Sword Qi took over his sense yet again, making him freeze in place. Remembering Lya''s words, he made an incredible effort to not try to resist it. He felt more and more anxious as the sensation of being pointed a sword at grew stronger, but he managed to hold on.

    His clothes became drenched in sweat and he started shivering as he started to feel the Sword Qi slashing at him. It was as if the air surrounding Amon had suddenly turned unbearably cold and started to press down on him. He felt as if he was going to be crushed by the cold aura he was feeling, and breathing became difficult.

    The cold sensation invaded his body, as if thousands of sharp blades were crawling under his skin, splitting his flesh apart and making him feel maddening pain. His organs seemed to twist and rupture and his muscles turned useless, having been torn to shreds.

    Amon tried to scream, but he found no voice coming from his throat, as he tasted the blood seeping from his destroyed organs leaking through his mouth. His thoughts started to scatter, and his vision started fading. As the coldness took over his senses, Amon realized he could feel nothing¡­

    "Aaaah!" He woke up screaming, finding himself still on the Bridge of Lamenting. He was panting heavily, making a dense white mist shoot from his mouth as he gasped for breath. He felt his body numb, and he could not move properly. He was so tense that his muscles had locked him in place.

    He looked confused at his surroundings, trying to understand what had happened. There was no pain in his body, and no pressure around him. The Sword Qi was still shooting in his direction, but it was all being blocked by the array formation, making it harmless.

    "An illusion?" He asked to himself as he recovered his breath. Having calmed down, he could analyze the situation.

    "I guess you could call it that." Lya answered him. "What you experience was sheer killing intent. What you felt was nothing more than what the person dealing the strike wanted to cause to his target."

    "But¡­ how?" Amon asked in confusion. "I understand that having a strong will affects the Qi, but how can something as abstract as killing intent remain behind like this?"

    "The Nebula." Lya''s answer was very simple.

    "What?" Amon was taken aback. Wasn''t the Nebula the energy and vibrations generated by the will and emotions in the Truesoul?

    "If a soul is strong enough, the will can leave behind an impression in the Qi. It is like an echo of the emotions the person had." Lya explained slowly, making sure Amon would understand. "This echo is a kind of Nebula."

    The Nebula was the bridge between the soul and the material plane. As everything in this physical world was a form of Qi, it could be said that the Nebula was the connection between the soul and the Qi. For a strong soul to leave an impression in the Qi was not surprising, considering that the will contained in it could manipulate the Qi in the first place.

    "Sword Qi is naturally filled with murderous intentions. Sword Cultivators could use the Sword Qi not only in physical attacks, but in psychological attacks too." Lya continued her explanation patiently.

    "Such attacks could affect the minds of the targets and the surrounding spectators. It is a good way to create openings." Lya had to be sure Amon understood this. The psychological aspect of such an attack was as important as the physical one.

    "What you felt just now was what the person in the receiving end of such a strike would feel." She said, waiting patiently for Amon to ponder over her words.

    Amon was in awe as he thought of Lya''s words. It truly made sense. He now understood why Lya wanted him to come to the Sword Abyss. It was not only for him to get a better sense of Sword Qi, it was also for him to understand this facet of its use.

    "I have one question, Lya." Amon had his brows furrowed as he thought of something. His gaze was incredibly serious, and the matter he wanted to bring up seemed very important.

    "You can ask." Lya assured him. His expression had made her curious.

    "The first line of the Soulrousing Technique¡­" Amon''s brows furrowed even further. "It is not to simply aid in cultivation at all, is it?"

    For the first time, Lya was caught off-guard by one of Amon''s questions. If she had projected a body in front of him, her mouth would be open and her eyes would be widened in surprise. She never expect him to bring this matte rup.

    "Why did you think of this?" She asked suspiciously, trying to understand his train of thought.

    "I just thought that, since Sword Cultivation seemed to make such ingenious use of the makings of the soul and the Qi¡­" Amon explained hurriedly as his ears reddened. He thought he had spoken something absurd and was starting to feel ashamed. "Then maybe the cultivation technique would be related to it too."

    All that answered him was a long silence. Amon got even more nervous at Lya''s lack of reaction. It took what seemed to be an eternity for Lya to finally say something.

    "You are right." She said in a somewhat hesitant voice.

    "The primary use of the first part of the Soulrousing Technique is indeed to boost the speed of cultivation." She spoke slowly, trying to ponder her words carefully. "Nevertheless, its second use is as important as the first."

    In truth, Amon was not ready for this knowledge, but if he had managed to catch on, it would be better to explain properly to him.

    "The Soulrousing Technique can greatly boost the strength of the Sword Qi a Sword Cultivator produces." She said, confirming Amon''s suspicions.

    It was only natural. If the Sword Qi''s strength was so dependent on the will imbued in it, naturally if you could boost such will, the Sword Qi would be stronger.

    Nevertheless, such a use had its risk. The stronger the killing intent was, the harder it would be to control it. Using the Soulrousing Technique as a means to boost an attack should not be done lightly under any circumstances.

    "I believe I have no need to explain to you why you should leave this matter to rest, right?" Lya asked in a serious voice. Amon could almost feel her blue eyes glaring at him.

    "No. I understand." He said, not showing disappointment in his voice. He knew very well he was not ready for it.

    "Good." Lya seemed satisfied at his answer. "Now go on, try to produce Sword Qi."

    Amon nodded heavily as he slowly drew Windhowler from the sheath in his back. He slowly stood up, shivering from the cold as a violent wind blew in the Bridge of Lamenting.

    As he assumed a stance, the air in front of him distorted, and Lya materialized out of thin air. Amon was dumbstruck as he saw her, not understanding the situation. To further his confusion, the interspatial ring in his finger flashed, and Brightmoon appeared by Lya''s side, hovering around her.

    "Why do you look so confused?" Lya asked with a charming smile.

    "Come on, attack me." She said with a strange glint in her eyes. Amon felt a chill run down his back as he faced her, and he had a bad feeling.

    Lya ignored his reaction as her smile widened. Brightmoon flew to her hands as she also assumed a stance. Under the moonlight, her figure seemed to be immersed in flowing mercury, and her white dress had a silver sheen. Her smile suddenly scared Amon as she looked at him with a piercing glance.

    "I''ll judge your progress."

 57 Sword Abyss V

    A dazzling layer of light covered Windhowler as Amon swung it in a downward slash. The sword shone with a silvery light as it descended, making the air howl. It drew an arc towards Lya, who only scoffed as Brightmoon rose to block the strike.

    ''Clang!''

    The swords collided with a deafening sound. Amon tried to force the strike in as the muscles in his arms bulged as him eyes glinted ferociously. The layer of light covering Windhowler seemed to flash as the light grew even stronger, forming a sharp edge.

    However, it was not enough. Brightmoon did not budge one inch under Amon''s strength, and the layer of Sword Qi covering Windhowler seemed to have no effect at all on the stalemate. With a sneer, Lya flicked her fingers, and Brightmoon started moving forward, pushing Amon back.

    "Too weak." Lya shook her head, making her luxurious black hair wave behind her back, reflecting the starlight. "Also, your Sword Qi formed too late."

    She waved her slender hand, making Brightmoon return to her side, giving Amon a break. He had a weary look on his pale face, and his golden eyes were filled with hopelessness.

    "It is still hard to trigger Sword Qi." Amon said as he look down, somewhat downcast. Lya gently nodded her head. It was understandable. Asking a kid to have a killing intent strong enough to trigger Sword Qi at will was not something easy.

    "I will demonstrate it once." She said, as Brightmoon flew to her hand and she assumed a stance. Under the moonlight, Lya seemed like a goddess as her body was covered in a silver glow and Brightmoon shone in her hands.

    Her beauty suddenly turned extremely cold, and Amon felt his hair stand on end as he looked at Lya. Her blue eyes shone like stars, but all Amon could see in them was a blazing hostility. Like a beacon, beams of light shone from the blade of Brightmoon, until it flashed once.

    Lya held Brightmoon with both hands, and the light condensed around the blade, in a luminous edge so sharp Amon could feel his eyes hurting. The light seemed to turn fainter as the layer surrounding the blade grew thinner, almost disappering. However, Amon only felt more and more danger as the light retracted. He realized that all the Qi was being compressed in the sword itself, turning almost solid and even sharper.

    He looked at Lya hesitantly, and when he locked eyes with her, he knew. He was going to die. There was nothing but thick desire to kill him in those bright blue eyes, and Amon could not even move as Lya waved Brightmoon in his direction.

    "See?" She asked with a gentle smile, as the hostility dissipated as if it had never been there in the first place. Amon looked hesitantly at the shiny blade floating millimeters away from his neck, almost feeling its cold kiss.

    "You should not hold back any of the hostility you have in you when you use Sword Qi."Lya spoke in a clear and gentle voice. It was a stark contrast to her previous murderous coldness. "You must have the desire to kill your opponent, nothing more, nothing less."

    "What you felt from the remnant Sword Qi coming from the Sword Abyss is a good guide for you." She looked at the darkness bellow them and an array of complex emotions showed in her face.

    "What you must be willing to do with a sword strike is to utterly annihilate the opposing party." She said with a sad smile.

    "I know it is hard, but I spoke of it before, didn''t I?" She looked at Amon, not hiding the bitterness that slowly took over her voice. "Sword Cultivators draw their swords to kill."

    "I know that, it is just¡­" Amon remembered her words. There was no way he would ever forget them. The problem was¡­ "I can''t see myself trying to kill you."

    "Well, you should." Lya look at Amon with a solemn expression. "I told you before, didn''t I?"

    "The people close to you are the ones that can hurt you the most." She shook her head lightly, giving a bitter smile. "You must be ready to protect yourself in moments like this, even if such moments never come."

    "This seems too ruthless." Amon''s eyes showed unwillingness as he spoke out what was on his mind.

    "Life is ruthless." Lya retorted bluntly. "If you do not adapt, you die. It is how things work."

    They lived in a world ruled by strength, a world where the interests of a few far outweighed the interests of the many. It was a world where greed was a common trait in its residents.As Lya said before, you can never fully trust someone, for this could turn out to be a fatal mistake.

    "Still¡­" Amon understood it, but he did not want to follow such a path.

    "I''m not saying for you to kill your loved ones." Lya had a weary expression. She seemed tired as she spoke such words, as if they weighted down on her chest as she spoke. "I am saying that you should be ready for it."

    "There is nothing more precious than your life." Her gaze was solemn as she spoke, looking at the moon hanging above their heads. "It is something worth protecting at all costs."

    "I disagree." He retorted immediately, with a strange light shining deeply in his golden eyes.

    "Oh?" Lya was taken aback. Her expression turned blank for a moment as she faced Amon, not knowing what to say.

    "People would not sacrifice themselves if such a thing was really true." He shook his head with a bitter smile on his face.

    "I believe some things are more important than my life." He looked at Lya with bright eyes, in a gaze so intense it almost made her look away.

    "Like what?" She asked in a cold tone, sustaining his gaze with a blank expression on her face.

    "My family." He answered bluntly. A simple answer. The only answer he had.

    He remembered clearly the way his mother''s red clothes fluttered behind her as she stood between him and that terrifying Silverback Wolf. The way her golden hair glistened on the sun and the wolf''s silver fur shone coldly as both moved almost at the same time.

    The look in his mother''s eyes as she pushed him behind her back. It was a look filled with nothing but savagery and resolve. The look of someone willing to lose everything as long as they could protect something.

    Amon knew his mother would have died happily if this meant he could live. This was a weight on his mind, but also something that further fueled his love. He knew it was a reciprocal feeling. It was something that he felt towards Daniel too.

    He knew that they were the most precious things in his life. Without them, life would be worthless. He would rather have them live on than live without them.

    "A great ideal." Lya looked at him with a gaze as cold as the night. "I hope the day never comes for you to prove it."

    Amon didn''t know why she suddenly turned so heartless as she spoke these words, but he refused to give in. He looked at her with no hesitation at all in his eyes.

    They stood in silence for a long time, almost as if they were competing. Finally, Lya could only sigh as she closed her eyes.

    "This should be enough for now." She said, with a somewhat annoyed voice. Her brows were furrowed deeply, and she was clearly unsatisfied.

    "I don''t think you will advance in Sword Qi until you truly wish to kill someone." She looked to the night sky, pondering deeply. Her blue eyes seemed desolate as she stood alone, somewhat distant. "I believe that you will understand it then."

    Even if Lya said these words, she was uncertain. She looked at Amon meaningfully, at those clear and innocent eyes. She was sure life would break him if he did not listen to her advice. He was young, but he lacked flexibility.

    She didn''t think it was something bad, but such a unmoving stance was dangerous. A lack of flexibility makes something brittle.

    They lived in a heartless world. If Amon did not adapt, he would either die or break.

    She wanted him to be a decent person, an example that could bring change for such twisted world, but for that, he would need to survive until he was strong enough. It was not an easy balance to find. She suddenly found herself worried.

    If Amon ever broke, if he ever lost everything meaningful in his life, she was not sure what would remain. She could only do her best and make sure he would be able to gather his pieces.

 58 Ashen Heart I

    In the heart of Hell''s Keeper Mountain, in the center of Hell''s Keeper City, lied a gigantic tree. Its height spammed hundreds of meters, and its crown overshadowed everything beneath it. In a place that was either in the dark or in the gloom, it was almost a miracle for such a tree to appear.

    Its white and twisted trunk looked very beautiful, almost ethereal, as it seemed to glow under the faint starlight that managed to get past the gray leaves above it. Under the night sky, it seemed to be a tree made of light and silver.

    The scenery was almost ruined by the lonely figure standing beside it. It was a towering silhouette that gave an oppressive feeling just by looking at it. Looking at it from the back, a wild fiery-red mane seemed to cover all of the back of its upper body, but it couldn''t hide the figure''s wide shoulders.

    One would feel that such a being would be able to crush rocks with a wave of its arms, and the aura it emitted gave nothing but the impression of overwhelming strength. However, the silhouette''s shoulders were drooped, and its back was somewhat arched, as if the figure was carrying an unbearable weight. The pale glow the figure suffused made it seem sickly, but also gave it an eerie feeling.

    Nemeus had a rare look of weariness on his face as he reached for the Ashen Heart Tree. His hands could cover a grown man''s head and crush it without difficulty, but there was nothing but tenderness in his touch as he extended his thick fingers to the tree.

    "I am sorry." He said in a low voice, with nothing but regret showing in his scarlet eyes.

    It was an expression Lya had never seen him make. A rare moment of vulnerability for one that had to handle the matters his master had left to him. A moment of vulnerability for one that should never show weakness, or his master''s work could fall apart.

    In truth, Nemeus was truly tired. He felt he would not be able to handle his responsibilities for much longer. Something told him a change he would not be able to stop was coming. It did not start with Amon Skoller or Lya, but they certainly had a big part to play in it.

    He looked up, to the night sky. The sky Nemeus saw was not the same anyone else but Lya and the remaining Soul Cultivators had the privilege to experience. In the sky only them could see, there was a river.

    It was comprised of countless dots of bluish-white light, shining with varied intensities and having a host of different sizes. A beautiful river that seemed to be made of stars and moonlight. It was wide, and shone over the sky like a beacon of light.

    In the past, very few cultivators would spend a night without looking up even once, because no matter how many times one gazed upon it, it would always feel different. There was a certain magnetism to it, a certain attraction that seemed to affect the strong Soul Cultivators.

    It was a river that never stopped flowing. A river that twisted and turned around the whole world they lived in, covering it all. A river that did not end nor began in the place they called home. If anything, this small world of theirs was nothing but another of the countless places in its never-ending journey through the universe.

    Nemeus could faintly sense in the distance countless dots of light falling from the river like shooting stars, as well as many other dots of light rising from the earth and joining the stars in the river.

    Because that wide river, the Starry River, was not made of stars.

    The Starry River was a river of souls.

    "Dale Loray¡­" He mumbled to himself, thinking.

    Dale was not one to move in the open. Unlike Alexei, he would never give his opponents a chance to win. He would slowly build up strength, and even more slowly set his pieces in the board, in such a subtle way that no one would notice.

    By the time he finally revealed himself, the board would be in his hands. It was how he lived, and it was how he fought. Nemeus knew that even if he was not as strong as Alexei Vine was, he was a much more dangerous enemy.

    Just the fact that Nemeus was unsure if he was indeed alive made him worry. On one hand, it was possible that whoever was moving in the shadows was not him. On the other, if it was indeed Dale, than he had the power to hide from Arthur and even kill him.

    Worst of all, even after that he had not revealed himself. This meant that he was still placing his pieces in the board, still scheming, and still turning stronger.

    Nevertheless, this could be a good thing. Dale was still not assured of his victory. He knew he could still be stopped and, if Dale himself felt that way, Nemeus could only agree.

    If his enemy was not Dale, Nemeus was assured he could deal with him. If his enemy was Dale, there was still some hope.

    His eyes suddenly turned sharp as his hand seemed to melt and pass through the glowing trunk of the Ashen Heart Tree.

    "I''ll need your help, brother." He spoke in his usual deep voice, but a surprising tenderness could be felt in it.

    Nemeus was still looking tired, his shoulders were still drooped, but a fire had been lit in the depths of his eyes.

    ---

    The sun was rising, tainting the farmlands and streams in the Outer Sect in a reddish light. The stones in the crude path that Daniel followed were slippery with the morning dew, still darkened by the humidity.

    Even if the sun was rising, the temperature was still very cold. White mist shot out of Daniel''s mouth as he breathed lightly while walking to an unsuspecting and shabby house in the Outer Ring.

    Daniel''s face was pale, and his eyes were still surrounded by dark circles, but his complexion was better than it had been in the Promotion Competition. Two days had passed since Amon had been eliminated and Daniel had won the competition, but he felt it had been weeks.

    Jake had been very eager about his success, clearly very happy, but the Elders presiding the competition were clearly not excited. They had cold faces as they gave a half-hearted applause to his victory, before turning silent again.

    Daniel did not expect anything else but that. Anyone that showed the smallest trace of happiness would, without a doubt, be seeking trouble with Lawrence Meyer.

    Daniel had been promoted to the Inner Sect, receiving the rights to live in a residence of his choice in Hell''s Keeper City. In addition, as a bonus reward for being the champion, he received from the hands of his smiling brother ten Water Crystals.

    Elemental Crystals were an incredibly rare treasure. They were a form of crystalized Qi, naturally formed in areas where the Elemental Qi was thick and some kind of phenomena made it condense in a single place.

    The degree of such crystals varied greatly according to where they were formed and their size, but even a crystal of the lowest grade would be incredibly helpful for one to undergo their Elemental Purification.

    Daniel had received nothing more than ten low-grade Water Crystals. It was a very valuable prize, but it would not be of much use to him. His father had spent maybe dozens of high-grade crystals with Daniel before Jake was born, and Daniel had failed to enter Elemental Purification even with that huge boon.

    Daniel''s low affinity meant he would waste the vast majority of the Elemental Qi in the crystals, and the small quantity he managed to absorb would be lost in his body, mixed with the regular Qi flowing in his meridians.

    He would need an overwhelming number of high-grade Water Crystals to get himself into Elemental Purification. Ten low-grade crystals would not make the cut. That being the case, he decided to put them to better use.

    He stood before the wooden door of the small house in a daze. He felt a bit awkward a he knocked on it a few times. The knocks were not too loud, but were also not too low, but they were somewhat hesitant.

    It took a couple of minutes for him to hear light steps coming from the other side of the door, and with a faint ''creak'' it opened, revealing Amon.

    He had a deathly pale face and beads of sweat rolled down his face, making his clothes damp. He walked with some difficulty, as if his legs were weak and could not sustain his body. His ashen hair was a mess and his golden eyes had a pained look in them.

    "What happened to you?" Daniel couldn''t help but ask instead of greeting Amon. He raised his brow as an inquiring gaze showed in his dark eyes.

    "Another round of Body Tempering." Amon said a wry smile. Daniel gave him pat on the back, showing support and making Amon freeze in pain for a moment.With a disgruntled look in his face, he invited Daniel in, ignoring the wide grin he had on his face.

    "Is your mother up?" Daniel asked with some hesitation as he sneaked a glance at Amon. Amon raised a brow seeing him acting like this, but shrugged it off.

    "She is." He answered bluntly.

    "Good. I need to speak a bit with her." Daniel said with a smile, but Amon could see the deep hesitation he showed in his eyes. It was almost as if Daniel was afraid.

    Amon could understand if he felt awkward or ashamed of speaking with his mother after seven months of absence. However, the way Daniel was acting was too strange. He decided he would not think too hard on it as he made his way to his room to continue his recovery.

    As Amon walked away, Daniel furrowed his brows deeply. He walked to Rebecca''s room with a complex look on his face, a look that bordered unwillingness.

    Taking a deep breath, Daniel raised his left hand and lightly knocked on the door.

 59 Ashen Heart II

    "Come in." Rebecca''s familiar voice welcome Daniel. He clutched his chest, feeling his heart heavy. He gave the door in front of him a weary look, before he gave a long sigh and managed to put a smile on his face.

    He raised his left hand, holding the doorknob tightly. Daniel felt he was holding a block of ice as he gripped it tightly and slowly opened the door. Through the crack that was slowly opening in front of him, golden rays of sunlight shone, giving his pale face a somewhat healthier glow and gently caressing his cheeks with their warmth.

    He had to squint his eyes for a moment to deal with the brightness of the room. As always, Rebecca sat by the open window next to her bed. The morning light shone on her blonde hair, giving it a golden luster. Her green eyes were full of energy as she gave Daniel a smile as bright as the sun rising outside.

    "It''s been a while, Daniel." She said in a warm voice. Looking at her eyes, Daniel knew she was genuinely happy. This made him feel even worse.

    "It is good to see you again." Daniel said with a forced smile, but he couldn''t hide the pain in his eyes as he looked at her.

    Seeing him, Rebecca''s expression changed slightly. Her eyes showed worry as she gazed at him, and she gestured for him to come closer. Daniel was taken aback, but when he saw the worry in her eyes, he slowly approached her bed.

    "Come here." Rebecca said as she pulled him into a hug, making Daniel freeze in surprise. His eyes widened and his mouth opened as he tried to say something, but no sound came from it.

    "Thank you for what you did." Rebecca said tenderly, hugging Daniel even tighter.

    "No need to thank me." He managed to say after he recollected himself. "There was no way I would let him get hurt."

    As Daniel spoke, Rebecca gazed at his right arm. A black gauze covered it from the shoulder to the tip of the fingers, and Daniel wore long-sleeved clothes to hide the deformities in his arm. He hesitated as Rebecca asked him to show his arm, but seeing her unwavering gaze he could only acquiesce.

    He rolled his sleeve and slowly unraveled the gauze protecting his fingers, eventually revealing all the skin he had up to his upper arm. Rebecca''s green eyes seemed to dim greatly as she looked at the scarred and deformed skin, as well as the missing chunks of flesh that made his arm uneven.

    "Oh, Daniel¡­" She lamented with trembling voice. Daniel silently covered his arm again, acting as if it was all normal.

    "It is not so bad." He said, trying to cheer Rebecca. "Fifth Elder helped me deal with it."

    As he spoke, he focused his divine sense, controlling the Qi in the broken meridians of his right arm to move it and move his fingers, making sure Rebecca saw it all.

    "Natasha always had some very novel ideas." Rebecca said, trying to smile. However, as she looked at Daniel''s right arm her smile faded away, and her expression showed nothing but sadness.

    "I owe you too much." She said a she lowered her head, making her blonde hair seem to be set ablaze under the sun.

    "I am sorry." She said in a heavy voice. "Going to the Scavenging was my idea."

    "Forget it, auntie." Daniel shook his head and his brows furrowed. "We decided on it together. Moreover, I lowered my guard, so the fault is on me. If you talk like that again I''ll be mad."

    He rebuked her and wanted to put an end on the topic. He had to speak about matter of greater importance. His expression turned solemn as he gazed at Rebecca, and she saw the unwillingness in his eyes.

    "The Hellblaze Secret World will open again in six months." Daniel said with a stern gaze, his brows furrowing even further. "I was selected to go¡­ as well as Amon."

    Daniel did not know a better way to say it. He knew this was a sensitive matter for Rebecca. As he expected, her face turned cold, and her aura seemed to change. A deep frown showed in her face as she pondered.

    "Why?" She asked after a long while, looking at Daniel with a serious gaze.

    "I don''t know." He shook his head. "All I know is that something big is about to happen."

    His brother had warned Daniel to be very careful. Daniel asked why, but it seemed that even Jake did not know the real reason behind the danger or the opening of the Secret World. No matter how Daniel looked at it, it was strange.

    He knew from Rebecca that the Hellblaze Secret World would be sealed because of Lloyd, but he was not sure about the specifics. The Hellblaze Trials were an event organized with the cooperation of the Five Sacred Sects. For the Abyss Sect alone to simply decide to open it and just notify the other sects was suspicious. This situation was abnormal for sure.

    Even stranger than that were the choice of members of the Body Tempering realm. More precisely, Amon. He was still not in the late stages of Body Tempering and, considering his identity, he would usually be the last person to be chosen for such an event.

    It was almost as if the Abyss Sect wanted trouble. Such a train of thought made Daniel worried. He spoke with Rebecca because she knew more about the situation than he did. If she reached a similar conclusion, Daniel did not know what he would do.

    Rebecca had her green eyes closed as she pondered for a long time. When she looked at Daniel again, there was nothing but a chilling coldness in them.

    "They most likely want to force my husband to act." She said in an indifferent voice. "The fact that Amon will be involved is to verify if we are spies or if Lloyd still has any attachment to us."

    "We will be traitors or hostages by the end of this, depending on what happens." Rebecca spoke as if the matter had nothing to do with her, as if what she analyzing was not her own situation. "Because something will happen for sure, and Lloyd will be responsible. As such, we will not be left alone."

    Rebecca Skoller might have been abandoned and might have been betrayed, but she knew what she needed to know about Lloyd Kressler. When he wanted something, he would take it. When he stole the Hellblaze Gateway, it was obvious that something he needed was in the Hellblaze Secret World, and that he would not be able to take it through conventional means, nor relying on his own strength to simply rob it.

    There was a catch, and the only way to get past it was using the Hellblaze Gateway. Not only that, what Lloyd wanted was important enough for him to throw away his position in the Abyss Sect and his family.

    If he wanted something so much, he would certainly take it as soon as possible. He had five years of preparations to do for this moment, while Borgin changed his mind just now. Rebecca was sure Lloyd would come out on top. She gave a wry smile as she thought of this.

    "Maybe we should leave." Her voice was low, almost as whisper, as if she didn''t really wish to utter the words that were coming out of her mouth.

    Yes, maybe it was time to leave. Staying in the Abyss Sect would only put them in risk. Rebecca did not have the power to protect her and her son anymore. Adding to that, given their history, neither Daniel nor Amon would ever have a standing firm enough in the sect to guarantee their own safety.

    Daniel''s face fell as he heard her words. He knew what she meant, and he knew why she was thinking like this. Nevertheless, it was not a simple matter to discuss. The real problem, however, was different.

    "It is too late." Daniel had a wry smile on his face as he shook his head.

    Rebecca did not deny him. She knew it was most likely true. If this event was indeed a bait to attract Lloyd, them there was no way the sect would lose the chance to have Amon involved. Lawrence Meyer and Lars Borgin had probably already put them under surveillance, to make sure they would not get away and ruin their plans.

    Rebecca sighed. She closed her eyes as a tired expression showed in her face. Daniel felt that Rebecca had suddenly aged decades as she gave that sigh. He could feel her situation weighing on her, and the burden that it truly was.

    "I''ll do my best to protect Amon, and my brother will help." Daniel tried to cheer Rebecca. "He will also do his best after the Hellblaze Trials are over."

    "Thank you." Rebecca said in a warm voice. Still, the weariness in it did not go unnoticed by Daniel. He clenched his fist tightly, as his nails dug deeply in the palms of his hands.

    "I''m sorry." Was all he could say in a regretful voice.

 60 Ashen Heart III

    "The Hellblaze Trials are divided in three parts." Rebecca was looking intently at Amon with her green eyes as she spoke, raising three slender fingers in her hand.

    She had called him not long after Daniel left and told him the news. Her son would need to prepare for the trials. More than that, he would need to be ready for what was to come. The Hellblaze Trials would be the least of his problems.

    "The Trial of the Will, which will test the limits of your will power."

    "The Trial of the Mind, which will test your creativity and wit."

    "The Trial of the Heart, which will peer into your psyche and mindset."

    "Those are the qualities our Founder wanted young cultivators to excel at." Rebecca explained with a calm and gentle voice as Amon heard her eagerly.

    Rebecca''s eyes turned somewhat wistful as she remembered the past. She couldn''t help but smile softly as she quoted the words she once heard herself from an Elder as she prepared for the Hellblaze Trials years ago.

    "Cultivators need a strong will, to make sure they never stop striving for their objectives."

    "Cultivators need a sharp mind, to guarantee a good use of this will and deal with all obstacles they will face in life."

    "Cultivators need a good heart, to make sure their will and minds are set in the right direction."

    "As such, you will have to rely on yourself for the Hellblaze Trials." Rebecca said in a warning tone as she looked at Amon. This was not a test of strength, and there was no way to get around it.

    Whether they liked or not, the greatest opponent the participants would have to face would be themselves. The only fact the participants could count on was that they would leave the Trials with a complete knowledge of who they were, be it a blessing or a curse.

    "If these trials are hosted in the Abyss Sect and the Founder was the one that created them, why are the other four Sacred Sects involved?" Amon could not help but ask. He felt that it was not in the best interest of the Abyss Sect to share its resources like this, since all of the rewards from the Hellblaze Trials were provided by the founder.

    "The Hellblaze Trials were made for the younger generation of cultivators as a whole." Rebecca shook her head gently. "The main purpose of these trials is not the rewards; it is guiding the young cultivators to the right direction. It is not something our Founder wanted to restrict to his own sect."

    In other words, the rewards were just an incentive. Hearing this, Lya silently sneered in the interspatial ring. The real purpose was to make sure the young cultivators would follow the path that Arthur Royce deemed worthy. If they had a mindset similar to what he deemed "correct", they would be rewarded. If not, they could only leave in empty-handed, knowing that the way they thought was "wrong".

    "There is something else." Rebecca said as she looked at Amon with a pained expression. Her hesitation was clear as she tried to find the right words to speak to him. "More than likely, the Hellblaze Trials will be dangerous."

    "How so?" Amon raised a brow, clearly confused. Killing was strictly forbidden in the Hellblaze Secret World. Not only that, even if no one else but the participants could enter the Secret World, the Elders and representatives of the Five Sacred Sects still had means to know what was happening inside.

    "Your father will be involved." Rebecca spoke the words that had been stuck in her throat, and she could only look regretfully at her son as his expression greatly changed.

    His face kwpt changing from to white to green, and his golden eyes widened. His brows furrowed deeply, and slowly his expression distorted into one of nothing but hate. Seeing her son like this was very hard for Rebecca, but she was powerless to do anything.

    "Excuse me." Amon said in a low voice, as he stood up and silently left the room. He couldn''t think straight, and he did not know exactly what he was feeling in the raging volcano that his emotions had turned into. What he knew was that it certainly was not something good.

    Rebecca sighed loudly, as if trying to push away the matters weighing in her chest. She had a very tired look on her face as she stared at the door through which Amon left. She knew her son wanted to be alone to sort out his feelings. She too, had a lot to deal with regarding such matters.

    While Amon and Rebecca were left alone with their troubles, Lya too as going through an array of complex emotions. The Hellblaze Secret World was something that had been achieved after the War of Falling Leaves, as Nemeus called it. All that Lya knew about it were things that Arthur had planned alongside Alexei, the Ashen Heart Tree included.

    Hearing Rebecca''s explanation on how the Hellblaze Trials worked, Lya felt a deep contempt for all that Arthur Royce had done.

    "Truly arrogant." Lya thought to herself. She understood Arthur''s choice, but for him to do things that way was the same as admitting he thought he could dictate how people needed to think.

    Nevertheless, she could not deny the usefulness of the Hellblaze Trials, especially for Amon. He would be able to confront all of his flaws and weaknesses, and that was a major step he needed to take in his path as a proper Soul Cultivator. In the Hellblaze Trials, Amon would have nowhere to hide from himself. He would be forced to understand himself, and what would follow would be growth.

    "A pity that neither Arthur nor Alexei had this chance." Lya shook her head as a wry smile appeared on her face.

    If, long ago, something like the Hellblaze Trials had existed, maybe things would have been different. Lya found it very ironic that Arthur was the one that made the Trials, even more so considering that he also decided to sever the path of Soul Cultivation.

    Her expression slowly turned cold and ruthlessness appeared deep in her eyes. She was not Nemeus. She did not have to understand Arthur Royce, much less forgive him. The mess he was as a person was not her problem. Her responsibility was to properly raise Amon and take him to a different path from what both Arthur and Alexei had taken, nothing more.

    Arthur Royce and Alexei Vine were very similar and very different. Nevertheless, they both had an unbearable arrogance that came with power. They could bend the world itself to their will, and they were not afraid to do so with people too.

    They had strength to rule the world, and they never hesitated to do so. They felt it was only natural. In that regard, they were very similar. The point where they differed was in which direction to take the world, and that was what split them apart and eventually led to war.

    They never once considered that maybe they should not meddle with the lives of others. However, while Alexei did what he wanted without a care, Arthur Royce hid his intentions behind his ideals, always trying to be in the moral high ground.

    Lya gave a long sigh as she resentfully remembered the past. As her thoughts drifted, her expression turned solemn, and the ruthlessness in her eyes gave way to an unbreakable resolve. She would not let Amon fail where Alexei and Arthur did.

    What she had to do, what she decided to take upon herself, was to prove that a strong Soul Cultivator could be a decent human being.

 61 The Gates of Hell I

    Six months went by in what seemed to be the blink of an eye.Amon completed fourteen years old without much ruckus, and spent his birthday hanging out with Daniel and his mother. He didn''t mind the date at all.

    He had turned strangely silent after his mother told him about the Hellblaze Trials. His brows were always furrowed and his golden eyes glinted with a strange light. It was as if he was constantly fighting something inside him.

    He started training nonstop, and even asked Lya to cut the time they gave his body a rest between rounds of tempering. He wanted to get as strong as possible for the Hellblaze Trials, and he would not mind the pain or the constant exhaustion.

    He successfully stepped in the late stages of Body Tempering at the four-month mark, but Lya was surprised to see that his cells were not even close to being saturated yet. He could go on tempering his body for many years at the current rate of improvement.

    Lya, however, did not tell him any of this. Amon''s psychological state was somewhat delicate, and telling him about his body would possibly worsen things. She did not tell him that he had entered the late stages of Body Tempering, and they continued with his training routine.

    The strength of his soul also increased greatly. His divine sense seemed to grow by the day, and turned much more stable and powerful than before. Amon felt that in a bit he would be able to sense beyond wall and objects. His control over Qi also grew together with his divine sense.

    Nevertheless, he did not feel joy at all in his newfound strength. He had nothing but a sour taste in his mouth whenever he thought about the Hellblaze Trials. Whenever he thought about it, his father''s voice would echo in his head.

    "I need you to be brave, son."

    That serene, indifferent voice.

    That cold, ruthless expression.

    Those cruel, dark eyes.

    That hateful man.

    Amon gritted his teeth with enough strength to make them creak. He felt anger bubbling inside his chest, like a simmering volcano ready to explode. However, he soon realized he was losing his temper.

    He took a deep breath, calming himself, and recited the second part of the Soulrousing Technique. It was a habit he had been developing, almost like a ritual to help him keep his emotions in check. As he felt the familiar sensation of his body''s temperature alternating between hot and cold, he felt his anger dissipate.

    He let out a sigh, before jumping down from his bed, where he had been cultivating. He washed his face with the water in the basin beneath the mirror, he put on a clean set of black clothes and he carefully tied Windhowler to his back.

    He silently left his room, leaving everything clean and organized. As soon as he crossed the door, however, he looked back. He did not know why he did it, nor did he think about it for more than a moment. Still, it was the first time he had done so ever since he started living in this house six years ago.

    He looked at his simple bed, where he had cried for many sleepless nights. He had also undergone his first round of Body Tempering there.

    He looked at the mirror hanging in a wall, which in the past he used as he carefully dyed his hair black almost every week. Now, it served for not much else besides tidying his ashen hair when he woke up in the mornings.

    He looked at the black mat on the floor, which he had used for years on end as he fruitlessly tried to manipulate Qi. Now, he used it in his training of Qi control.

    He looked at his open window, through which the sun shone. In the past, he enjoyed looking at the grass and the trees outside. Now, however, what he could see was mostly the destruction Lya had left when she first taught him about swords.

    He suddenly realize what was wrong. He had left the window open. He made his way back to the room and slowly closed it. The warmth sunlight shining on his face gave his way to a monotone gloom as the window finally closed.

    Amon was going to leave for a long time; there was no reason to leave the window open.

    Unknowingly, Amon turned somewhat sentimental. There was longing in his eyes as he left the room. He had no idea why he felt that way, but he could not get rid of the feeling.

    He gently knocked on his mother''s door, and carefully opened it as she invited him in.

    Rebecca was looking through her window, as always, but this time there was a deep frown on her face. Her green eyes were full of concern and her complexion was pale. She also seemed to be gripping something tightly under her bedsheets, as Amon could see her hand slightly trembling under the sheets from all the strength Rebecca was putting in her grip.

    She turned her look away from the window, glancing at Amon''s golden eyes with tenderness. She gestured for him to approach, and she gave him a hug. They did not speak a word to each other, they just stood there, hugging each other as Rebecca gently started ruffling his hair.

    Rebecca seemed very concerned as she held Amon in her arms. She was having a very bad feeling, just like when he left for the Scavenging. It was as if a dark cloud had started gathering above Amon, following him wherever he was, a terrible omen.

    She looked at him not hiding the worry she had at all. She felt there was something tearing at her chest as she looked at, making her feel incredibly sad. She extended a hand and tenderly held his face, looking at him deeply.

    "Amon¡­" She had trouble finding the words she wanted to say. It was as if something was clutching her throat, not let her speak or even breathe properly.

    Amon looked at her with concern. Naturally, he had no idea of what was going in his mother''s mind beside the potential trouble he would have in the Hellblaze Trials. Seeing Rebecca like this made him uneasy.

    Rebecca took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, it was as if all the negative feeling weighing down on her had disappeared for a fleeting moment.

    "No matter what, remember that I will always love you." She said as she ruffled his hair again, bringing him closer to her chest. "I want you to be happy. It is all I ever wanted."

    Amon hugged her tighter. He felt his chest tightening and his feelings were in turmoil. He was suddenly very anxious. He could feel there was something wrong in his mother''s words.

    "Look at me." She said seriously, gently pushing him away from his chest. She had a complex look on her face, a mix of unwillingness, tenderness and serenity. It was a gaze that pierced straight into Amon''s heart, making him even more anxious. He opened his mouth to try to say something, but he found no words.

    "Promise me that no matter what happens, no matter how bad things get, you will always try to be happy." Rebecca spoke with a trembling voice, and her gaze turned even more intense. "Promise me that you will never give up on yourself, Amon."

    She did not explain her request, nor did she elaborate on it. She felt she did not have to. She knew her son very well; she knew his flaws more than anyone else did.

    Amon was growing up and he was dealing with his flaws. He also had experienced much more than a kid his age should ever have, but Rebecca knew things could always get worse.

    She knew that a single push was all it took to make someone walking on the edge to fall from the cliff and be swallowed by the darkness below.

    Amon looked at his mother with a serious expression. The way she was acting greatly alarmed him, but he knew better than to question her. The last time he saw his mother this serious was when his father had betrayed the sect.

    He did his best to hide the fear that was starting to creep up in the depths of his mind as he faced his mother. His gaze was solemn as he spoke to her. "I promise."

    There was no need to say anything else. Even if this seemed to be a simple promise, he knew it was not. Nevertheless, he still made it. He would follow through with it, for his mother''s happiness.

    It was not a half-hearted promise in any way. He now knew the weight a promise should have. He promise it as a Soul Cultivator, and he would do his best to accomplish it.

    Rebecca''s expression eased greatly as she heard his promise. She hugged him tightly one last time before they parted.

    "I love you." Rebecca said with a gaze full of warmth.

    "I love you too, mom." He said from the bottom of his heart. His voice was somewhat heavy, somewhat weary as he spoke.

    "Take care." She said as she tried to put on a smile. Her green eyes seemed to glow, and the sunlight gave her golden hair a bright luster, but it also made her face seem even paler.

    "I will." Amon said in a low voice.

    As he was leaving, he heard steps coming from the other side of the door. He opened it only to see Daniel standing outside with a hurried look on his face.

    "We will be late." He said in a light tone, to which Amon only nodded.

    "I''m sorry aunt Becca, but we have to go now." Daniel said in an apologetic tone. There was a serious glint in his eyes as he looked at Rebecca, and they seemed to have a whole exchange in the split second their eyes met.

    "You take care too." Rebecca said to Daniel in a gentle tone.

    "Thank you." He gave her a deep, meaningful glance as he spoke.

    "Hopefully, we will see each other soon." There was some hesitation in his voice as he spoke, as if he hadn''t found the right way to express himself.

    Nevertheless, Rebecca understood his meaning. He would do his best, but he was also very worried about the Hellblaze Trials.

    "We will." Rebecca spoke with a serene and soft voice, almost as if she was whispering to herself.

    Daniel gave her a light nod, before turning back and hurriedly leaving the house with Amon.

    Rebecca was left alone in the house, looking at the sky through her window. It was of a beautiful azure color, and the sun shone brightly. However, Rebecca had no joy as she looked outside.

    Nevertheless, a small, weary smile made its way into her lips. For a moment, her worries were gone as she remembered the look in Amon''s eyes as he made her the promise.

    "He didn''t lie." She seemed incredibly tired, but she couldn''t hide the happiness in her voice as she spoke.

 62 The Gates of Hell II

    Amon and Daniel were rushing to the Northern Station at full speed, trying to make up for the lost time.Their surrounding were nothing more than a blur as the wind wiped at their faces and they rushed ahead.

    Daniel felt somewhat awkward as he saw Amon running by his side. The last time they travelled together was during the Scavenging. At the time, Daniel had to hold back and take several breaks, but now Amon was following his pace with ease. He most likely could go even faster without a problem.

    While Daniel was thinking about how much things had changed, Amon was absent-minded. He was thinking about the way his mother had acted, and the anxiousness he couldn''t get rid of in the depths of his mind. He had a deep frown on his face as he lightly stepped on the grass, propelling himself forward.

    It took no more than a few minutes for the Northern Station to appear on the horizon. Amon and Daniel exchanged glances and started running even faster. They entered the Station and rushed to the main plaza.

    There dozen of members of the Outer Sect gathered there, looking above with amazed expressions on their faces. A few children couldn''t stop waving to whatever they were looking at in the sky as they jumped with red faces, full of excitement.

    Amon and Daniel paled slightly as they saw the scene, also looking up as they rushed even more.

    A few meters above the plaza, hovering on the air, was a massive spirit vessel. It had a deep red color, so dark it was almost black. It was very similar to the spirit vessel Amon had seen Jake using before, but its scale was even bigger. This combat vessel could easily accommodate more than thirty passengers.

    Even so, there were only six passengers there. From the distance, they would seem like nothing more than faint silhouettes, but Amon could see them clearly. Standing with a clearly annoyed expression as he sat on the golden circle in the middle of the vessel, the Third Elder Richard Layn gazed at him.

    Neither Amon nor Daniel stalled anymore as they jumped up, surprising the people around them. They heavily landed on the prow of the spirit vessel, but it didn''t even move after the impact.

    "You are late." The Third Elder snorted as he looked at them with a piercing glance.

    "We are very sorry." Daniel took a step forward and lowered his head. He made no excuses for their delay, for he knew it would only displease Richard even more.

    "Do not let such things happen again." Richard said in a cold voice as he turned the spirit vessel toward Hell''s Keeper Mountain. The golden circle around him flashed once and the spirit vessel sped forward suddenly, making Amon nearly lose his balance.

    After he found his footing, he looked around. He saw the red-haired Joshua as well as Karen and Jake sitting on the back of the spirit vessel with their legs crossed and their eyes closed. They seemed to be focusing before the Trials started, so Amon decided not to greet them.

    Sitting next to them, there was a young blond girl and a black-haired youth, also meditating and focusing. Daniel leaned closer to Amon and spoke in a low voice.

    "These two are Evan Wylde and Skylar Burton." He explained to Amon briefly. "They are disciples of the Fourth and Seventh Elders."

    Amon gave him a slight nod. It seems all of the Elemental Purification members came from Sky Reach Village, what was not surprising in the least.

    "What about the Body Tempering disciples in Sky Reach?" Amon asked as he raised a brow.

    "They are too young. They don''t have the maturity to make proper use of the Trials." Daniel shook his head. "The best choice is to use common members of the Inner Sect at an appropriate age and close to Elemental Purification."

    There was no Body Tempering cultivator in the Sky Reach Village above eleven years old. They were far too talented to be at that level in what would be an appropriate age for the Hellblaze Trials. As such, the common Inner Sect members, that had more maturity and experience, even if less talented, would be a better choice.

    Daniel did not mention that the only reason he was going was because of his fighting style. If something dangerous did happen, as Jake had warned him, Daniel would be a valuable asset in the fight. Thinking about this, he did not know whether to laugh or to cry. He was the less talented member of the Abyss Sect in the Hellblaze Trials, but somehow he ended up being some sort of ace in the Body Tempering level.

    The air around the spirit vessel seemed to twist and distort as it flew in such an absurd speed that Amon could not even locate himself. All he could see clearly was Hell''s Keeper Mountain growing larger and larger in front of him by the second. There seemed to be some sort of ward in the spirit vessel, as Amon felt no wind at all, even when the spirit vessel travelled at such speed.

    Without stopping, the spirit vessel suddenly divided, and traversed the golden gates to Hell''s Keeper City as if the curtain of light blocking it did not exist at all. They rushed through the tunnel and suddenly they were above Hell''s Keeper City.

    The spirit vessel finally slowed down as Richard looked at the Ashen Heart Tree. He breathed a sigh of relief, and directed the spirit vessel to it in a gentle flight, unlike his previous rush. Amon looked carefully at the Ashen Heart Tree as they approached, and he saw a few figures standing beside it.

    The spirit vessel took a sharp turn as Richard made it fly at a low height, barely above the buildings. It was necessary, given that otherwise they would hit the crown of the Ashen Heat Tree.

    They came to a halt as soon as they reached the major plaza, and Richard carefully landed the spirit vessel near the Warrior Hall. As soon as it touched the ground, Jake, Karen and the others opened their eyes and stood up

    "Good to see you again." Jake greeted Amon politely while Karen waved her hands and Joshua shrugged. The youth called Evan and the girl called Skylar didn''t seem to bother with being polite at all, and simply ignore him as they jumped out of the spirit vessel.

    "Nice to see you too." Amon greeted him back as he jumped down the spirit vessel with Daniel and approached the people gathered near the Ashen Heart Tree.

    There were a handful of cold-faced Elders looking at Richard Layn with raised brows, but they dared not voice their objections. Richard was a High Elder, and they were below him. Seeing this, Richard had an annoyed look on his face.

    "My apologies for the delay." He said in an uninterested tone, in a clearly half-hearted apology. Nevertheless, it somewhat eased the expression of the other Elders. It showed that Richard at least knew he was in the wrong.

    Next to the Elders, two youths and a girl awaited with anxious faces. The girl in particular couldn''t stop moving her hands, holding them together and twisting her fingers nonstop. Her brown hair was neatly arranged in a ponytail, and her yellow clothes seemed to be fluttering due to her incessant movements.

    When she saw Jake approaching, her face turned red and her fingers started moving even faster. She quietly stepped behind the brown-haired boy by her side with a bashful expression, but never took her eyes away from Jake.

    "Not now, sister." The boy said between gritted teeth in a clearly annoyed tone. His sister didn''t seem to mind as she kept looking at Jake with a flushed face, making the boy even more annoyed.

    Amon heard a snort by his side, and he saw Karen glancing at the girl with cold eyes. The girl, however, showed no signs of hearing that, as she kept following Jake with her eyes.

    "Hello, Malia." Karen said with a cold expression.

    The girl suddenly froze in place as she heard that indifferent voice. She slowly turned her head and saw Karen glaring at her. Like a frightened kitten, she shuddered and shrunk her body behind her brother, making him give a long sigh and look at Karen with pleading eyes.

    Karen snorted again, but looked away and walked past them, rushing to Jake''s side.

    "Youngsters..." Amon heard someone say in a low and weary voice, almost a sigh. He looked around, but only person he saw from the direction he heard the voice was the Third Elder. He was walking with a cold and authoritative expression, not at all looking as if he said something like that. Amon looked at him suspiciously, but Richard seemed to not notice his gaze at all.

    As they approached the Ashen Heart Tree, the ten members of the Abyss Sect chosen for the Trials stood side by side in absolute silence. Amon closed his eyes, trying to calm himself and focus.

    "Our guests should be arriving soon." Richard said in his serene voice after some time of silence.

    Not long after, a low, piercing sound started echoing somewhere far away from them. Amon opened his eyes and saw in the distance three bright blurs shooting in their direction.

 63 The Gates of Hell III

    Amon squinted his eyes as the piercing sound turned louder and louder, to the point of hurting his ears. The bright blurs approached them at a high speed, before suddenly slowing down and revealing three gigantic spirit vessels, even bigger than the one Richard was controlling a few moments ago.

    The first spirit vessel to land seemed to be carved out of ice, with a translucent hull that made the light ripple around it.A faint mist surrounded it, blurring the view of the prow and the passengers. It had an elegant and sleek design, full of curves rather than the aggressive edges and corners the combat vessels of the Abyss Sect seemed to have.

    It landed without a sound, and didn''t raise even a spec of dust. Twelve silhouettes jumped from the spirit vessel, still hidden in the mist. Richard took a step forward and gave a polite bow.

    "The Abyss Sect welcomes the members of the Noan River Sect." He said in a monotone, almost robotic voice.

    "Still annoyed by formalities, Richard?" An aged, but sweet voice echoed from the mist as a figure took a step forward. It was an elegant woman clad in deep blue clothes. Her silvery hair was tied in a bundle behind her head, and the wrinkles of her face turned even more apparent as she gave a smile.

    Richard snorted as he heard her comment, but his expression was somewhat strange as he faced her. The woman''s smile grew wider, but before she could say anything, another spirit vessel arrived, raising a gust of wind and a cloud of dust.

    "As rude as ever." The elderly woman complained with an annoyed expression as she waved a shriveled hand. The wind calmed down and the dust settled, revealing the spirit vessels behind it.

    Unlike the elegance of the spirit vessel of the Noan River Sect, this one looked crude in comparison. It had a wide deck and a stout design, giving it a solid feeling. What drew attention to it, however, was its material. It glowed with a deep, purplish light that seemed to flicker nonstop.

    "My apologies for that, Sarah." A middle-aged man jumped from the spirit vessel with an apologetic expression on his face. His golden clothes fluttered in the air as he gracefully landed on the ground.

    "The Abyss Sect welcomes the members of the Roaring Mountain Sect." Richard greeted the man with an indifferent expression on his face. The man gave him a polite bow before gesturing for the passengers in the spirit vessel to come down too.

    The ten young cultivators of the Roaring Mountain Sect and a woman dressed in the same golden clothes as the man jumped down from the spirit vessel.

    A young man took a step forward as he looked up. He had dark-brown hair that reached his shoulders and a pair of dark eyes that exuded nothing but coldness. His brows were furrowed as he looked at the incoming spirit vessel.

    Jake''s eyes seemed to shine with a ferocious light as he saw the young man. His aura rose unconsciously as his face turned solemn.

    "The Southern Flame Sect is here, but I don''t see the spirit vessel of the Storm Peak Sect." He commented, not looking concerned at all. The man dressed in golden clothes gave him a sharp glance, but the youth ignored it completely, never taking his eyes away from the spirit vessel that was landing.

    The Southern Flame Sect''s spirit vessel was of a bright red color, covered in motes of pale light that seemed to flutter in its surface, much like ashes. It landed a bit further than the other two spirit vessels, and the passenger did not lost any time to jump out from it.

    "The Abyss Sect welcomes the members of the Southern Fire Sect." Richard greeted again, in an even more robotic voice than before. It was as if he was struggling to not show annoyance.

    An elderly man with a shaved head looked at Richard with a serious face, not pleased at all. His clear eyes were blazing with indignation as he looked at Richard. His bright red clothes seemed to be on fire as he walked toward Richard with heavy steps. The clothes could barely contain his bulging muscles as he walked with his back straightened, full of authority.

    "Is this the way your sect welcomes visitors, Richard?" He asked in a biting tone. Richard, on the other hand, showed no further reaction, making the man furrow his brows. "You can''t even take the Hellblaze Trials seriously. Maybe your Sect Master should have sent someone else."

    "Come on, Baldwin, don''t be so stuck up." The High Elder of the Noan River Sect, Sarah, said with a naughty smile. Amon had to make an incredible amount of effort to control his expression. He couldn''t believe that a woman as old as her and in her position was acting like this.

    "Grow up, Sarah. You are acting a few hundred years younger than you should." Baldwin said with a displeased expression. Sarah seemed to shrug it off, and didn''t mind him anymore.

    "The Storm Peak Sect is indeed late." Richard said as he frowned deeply. "Eustace is not one to be late like this."

    As he said it, Sarah''s expression turned serious and Baldwin furrowed his brows.

    "I am sure they will be arriving soon." The High Elder dressed in golden clothes from the Roaring Mountain Sect said in a calm voice. Sarah gave him a piercing glance, making the man look at her coldly.

    "You might not know this, Leonard, but Eustace is even more stuck up than our dear Baldwin here." Sarah said with a sneer. "He would rather kill himself than run late in a gathering for the Hellblaze Trials."

    "Something happened in the Storm Peak Sect." Baldwin closed his eyes, pondering deeply. "I believe we should try to contact them."

    The four High Elders looked at each other, thinking. At that moment, a weary voice echoed from the middle of the plaza. "There is no need for that."

    The four of them froze for a moment as they looked at the small man that seemed to have appeared out of thin air, without any one of them noticing. Richard immediately fell to one knee, as did all the other Abyss Sect''s Elders and Jake. The other disciples were a heartbeat late, but they also fell to one knee.

    Seeing this, Amon followed suit, even though he had no idea who the man was.

    "We greet the Sect Master." Jake proclaimed for all of the disciples present.

    "Is he¡­ Lars Borgins?" Amon asked himself as he saw the small man standing alone in the plaza. His brown hair was tidied and his clear eyes had an indifferent gaze, but just looking at him made Amon feel a horrifying pressure, as if he could he killed with the snap of a finger.

    A blood-red sword was hanging from his back, and Amon found it quite familiar. He frowned deeply as he looked intently at the red jewel embedded in the guard of the sword. His golden eyes had a strange glint as his suspicions grew.

    Sarah, Baldwin and Leonard, as well as the common Elders from their sect and the disciples all bowed politely as they saw the Sect Master of the Abyss Sect.

    Borgin didn''t seem to care about the greetings as he waved his hands dismissively.

    "There were unforeseen circumstances in the Storm Peak Sect." Borgin spoke with a calm, but cold voice. "They will be late, but should be arriving soon."

    The expressions of the High Elders eased somewhat, but Sarah still had a deep frown on her face. Something was very wrong. As she was pondering, however, a new piercing sound started to echo through the interior of Hell''s Keeper Mountain.

    Amon looked up and saw a new blur speeding in their direction. This one, however, was much, much faster than the previous three spirit vessels. In the blink of an eye, the blur was already upon them.

    It suddenly stopped, revealing a spirit vessel that looked more like a needle than a boat. It seemed to be made of silver, but had a strong metallic luster that made one want to avert their eyes from it.

    A slender and graceful figure jumped down from it, dressed in lustrous green robes. It was a very beautiful woman with silky black hair and dark eyes. She bowed deeply at Borgin and spoke in a polite tone.

    "My apologies for the delay, Sect Master Borgin." She said with an apologetic expression.

    "No problem. Your Sect Master told me about it." Borgin answered in his indifferent tone.

    The woman gestured to the spirit vessel and all the passengers descended. As they approached, the High Elder''s expressions turned serious and they all had a frown.

    Not only they, Jake and the youth from the Roaring Mountain Sect also frowned as they saw the members of the Storm Peak Sect.

    "Where the hell is Derek?" A youthful voice came from the side of the disciples of the Southern Fire Sect. A young and tall man had a displeased look on his face as he looked at the Storm Peak representatives. "I also don''t see Thomas, Clarice and Helen."

    Baldwin sent the young man a piercing glance as his aura shot up. A gust of wind formed around him and the ground cracked. The air itself seemed to turn heavy as the young man felt an almost unbearable pressure fall on him, pressing him to the ground.

    "Mind your manners!" Baldwin said in a cold voice. "I wonder what Sect Master would think of his disciple if he saw this pathetic display."

    The pressure suddenly disappeared, and Baldwin turned to Borgin. He gave a polite bow as he spoke in a soft voice. "My apologies."

    Borgin gave him a slight nod, not minding at all. Jake had a strange look in his eyes and the young man of the Roaring Mountain Sect was barely holding his laughter.

    "Enough of this." Borgin said in a cold, authoritative voice. "Now that everyone is here, it is time to start."

    Everyone present turned silent as Borgin pointed a finger to the Ashen Heart Tree.

    To Amon''s surprise, the tree started shuddering, making its gray leaves rustle. One by one, its branches moved, pointing to the skies as the twisted white trunk started moving. The tree''s rustle turned even louder and a creaking sound started echoing from it, as the white trunk began to slowly untwine.

    The process took several seconds, and when it was done, Amon held his breath. The Ashen Heart Tree''s twisted trunk untwined in two thinner trunks, which arched in what looked like a gateway.

    A curtain of light shone between the trunks, glowing with a hellish sheen. In the gloom of Hell''s Keeper City, that ominous light was like a beacon in a dark night.

    Amon felt an intense heatwave coming from the gateway, making him start sweating even before crossing it. The air around the gateway seemed to distort, giving it an oppresive feeling.

    As he saw the Ashen Heart Tree and the gateway it formed, the anxiety he had somehow managed to suppressreturned at full force. He felt like his chest would explode due to the anxiety and he fear he had when he looked at that curtain of light.

    All Amon could see beyond that hellish light was a sinister omen.

 64 The Gates of Hell IV

    "You all know the rules." Borgin said with a cold voice as he looked at each one of the young cultivators present. "Break any of them and you will be disqualified. We will all be watching."

    He sustained his look over Amon for a long time, his gaze so intense that made Amon feel uncomfortable.

    "Whatever you get in the Hellblaze Trials will belong to you alone." Borgin held his hands behind his back as he spoke, taking sluggish steps as he walked to the Ashen Heart Tree. He looked at the curtain of light in the gateway with cold eyes before he turned around, facing the young cultivators again.

    With a wave of his hands, fifty golden tokens appeared out of thin air and flew to each one of the cultivators undertaking the Trials.

    "If you find yourselves in danger, crush this token and the Guardian will safely send you back here." Borgin''s face was indifferent as ever as he looked at their dumbfounded faces.

    Amon looked at the golden token hovering in front of him with hesitation as he extended his hands to it. It was the size of a fist and had a smooth surface, where red runes of the Divine Language seemed to float. It felt cold to the touch when Amon grasped it firmly and put it in his clothes.

    Jake had a serious look in his eyes as he carefully put the golden token away. He couldn''t help but look at his surroundings. No matter how he looked, however, nothing caught his attention.

    Even so, he felt an almost palpable tension in the air. In the surface, everything seemednormal, but he could feel that underneath the appearances there was something hiding, like a beast lurking as it prepared to strike.

    He looked at the cultivators of the Roaring Mountain Sect and saw the brown-haired youth from before giving a subtle sneer as he grabbed the token. He seemed to find the idea of him getting into a dangerous situation he could not solve by himself ridiculous. Jake furrowed his brows, but did nothing more.

    Amon did not pay attention to his surroundings at all. It was as if a shroud had been clouding his thoughts. He stared at that red curtain of light with a dazed look on his face, as if he could not take his eyes away.

    Amon was jolted awake by a pat on his back. He looked around and saw Daniel looking at him with a worried face.

    "Are you okay?" He asked while not hiding his concern at all.

    "I¡­ I''m fine." Amon said after hesitating. "I just have a bad feeling."

    Daniel gave him an understanding nod. He suddenly looked very tired. There was no way Amon would not have a bad feeling. Even if Rebecca hadn''t told him about how the situation would turn out after the Trials, telling Amon about Lloyd was enough.

    "I am sure it will be fine." Daniel said with a forced smile. Amon, however, was not fooled. He could see the hesitation in Daniel''s eyes

    "Thank you." Amon said in a heartfelt manner. He knew Daniel was trying to cheer him up, and he was truly grateful for it.

    "You may begin." Borgin said in an indifferent voice. The red light shining on his face gave him a sinister appearance as he scrutinized every one of the fifty participants with his cold gaze.

    The members of the Five Sacred Sects formed five lines, standing side by side as they approached the gateway together. Every step closer to the gateway made Amon sweat more as the heat intensified. A loud rumbling sound came from the gateway and the ground started quaking as the curtain of light rippled like water.

    Taking a deep breath, Jake stepped forward. The light suddenly turned viscous and started twisting around itself. Jake launched himself into the gateway, being swallowed by the rippling red light and disappearing.

    All of the remaining cultivators followed suit, being devoured by the hellish light as they crossed the gateway. When Amon''s turn came, he could help but tremble.

    As he approached the red light, he looked back once. He did not know for certain why he did that, but he locked eyes with Lars Borgin. They stared at each other for but a heartbeat, but it seemed to be an eternity.

    All Amon could see in those clear eyes was a deep, cold ruthlessness that made his hair stand on end. Before any of them could say anything or even show a change of expression, the red light enveloped Amon.

    It was a bizarre sensation. Amon felt as if he had been immersed in a pool of a viscous liquid. He had nothing supporting him, but he didn''t feel as if he was falling. Apparently, there was something holding him in place.

    The air seemed to hold him back, almost stick to his limbs as the red light turned into a terrifying darkness. Motes of light floated around Amon before they started spinning madly in a circle, forming lines of a pale light.

    Amon felt dizziness as the lines of light distorted and started overlapping and twisting around each other, as if someone was kneading them in a messy bundle. Amon felt nauseous as he lost all sense of direction. He was not sure if it was the lines of light or him that were being distorted as he tunneled through space.

    When he felt he would not be able to hold on anymore, the lines of light seemed to untwine, returning to their original appearances of neat circles. The lines then broke up in motes of light again, and the darkness gave way to a red gloom.

    Suddenly, Amon felt solid ground beneath his feet. His senses were a mess, so he could not avoid falling to the ground. All he managed to do was fight back against the urge to puke due to the nausea.

    When he finally managed to recover, he stood up. The dark ground beneath his feet seemed to be made of rock, but it had a glossy sheen to it. It was incredibly smooth, even if uneven.

    "Is this vitrified rock?" He couldn''t help but ask as he looked at the ground dumbstruck.

    A terrifying heat was being emitted from it, and all Amon could do was to make the Qi around him spin, moving the air and artificially creating a wind. It did not help much, though, as even the air itself seemed to be scalding hot. In a matter of seconds, Amon''s clothes were already drenched in sweat.

    His breath was rough as he looked around. The sky was dark, but there were no stars nor a moon in it. The only source of light Amon could see coming from it were ominous red clouds that glowed with a sinister light. The faint light was not enough to properly illuminate Amon''s surroundings, immersing them in a reddish gloom.

    No matter where he looked at, all he could see was a vast expanse of the vitrified ground below and red clouds above. The visage made him shiver. He had no idea which direction to follow, and he was completely alone.

    "Where are the others?" He asked in a loud voice, even if he did not expect anyone to answer.

    He was turning more and more nervous and his feeling of anxiousness only got worse as time passed.

    "Lya, are you there?" He called for her in a worried voice, clearly agitated. His face was pale, and the gloom made it seem sickly.

    To his surprise and despair, there was no answer. He closed his eyes, thinking. Windhowler was still strapped to his back. The interspatial ring was still in his fingers. His senses were still somewhat messy but they were working.

    There could only be three reasons for Lya to not answer his call.

    One, she couldn''t hear him.

    Two, she couldn''t answer to him.

    Three, she did not want to answer him.

    No matter the real reason behind her silence, Amon knew the cause. Whether he liked it or not, the Trials had started.

    Amon chose a direction and started moving forward. He no guide nor anyone to talk to. He did not know which direction to follow and he did not know where he wanted to go.

    For the first time since Daniel threw him in that raft during the Scavenging, Amon was truly alone, completely lost.

    In the Hellblaze Trials, he would not be able to count on anyone but himself.

 65 A Will Grows Through Struggles I

    Amon''s steps were uneven and hesitant as he walked forward. His face was deathly pale and his dried lips were cracked. He found it hard to open his mouth, as the dried saliva was gluing his lips together. His throat was sore and every breath he took was an agony in and of itself, as the searing hot air made his throat dry even more and the pain in it to flare up.

    He did not know for how long he had walked. He did not know if he was walking in circles or not. He did not know where he needed to go. The only certainty he had was that no matter where he looked at, the ground would be that black vitrified rock and red clouds would light up the dark sky above his head.

    Amon''s eyes were misty as he moved forward in a daze. The uneven ground made him lose his balance more than once. His arms and legs were full of bruises of the many times he fell, and the temperature was turning so hot he did not even sweat anymore.

    His feet were full of blisters, and they only made walking worse. For some reason, he could not open his Bottomless Pouch and take even a drop of the water he had there. It was as if some force was holding the pouch shut and Amon was not strong enough to force it open.

    He started dragging his feet through the ground rather than take proper steps. He felt too weak to even lift a foot. It was a really strange feeling. He did not feel such exhaustion even once in his life, much less after his Body Tempering. It was as if the atmosphere of the place was draining his energy, not letting him last as long as he should.

    Not even his divine sense worked properly. He could manipulate the Qi around him, but he could not absorb it into his body to recover his stamina. It was as if an invisible membrane had coated his body, deflecting the Qi every time it was about to touch his skin.

    The golden token weighting down on his clothes was turning more attractive each time Amon took a breath. Some time ago, Amon had started gripping the token underneath his clothes. It felt cool as Amon touched it, the only thing that seemed unaffected by the heat.

    The thoughts of breaking it were not strong, but they seemed to linger in his mind without ever going away. It was like very faint voice that grew stronger the weaker Amon became. Amon did not know when that voice had started echoing in his mind.

    It could have been mere minutes. It could have been hours. It could have been days.

    Either way, even if the voice was still weak, eventually it would overwhelm him if he did not find his way out.

    ''Thud!''

    Amon''s feet got stuck in a depression in the ground and he fell down powerlessly. He landed on his shoulder, and a sharp pain spread through it. Amon did not mind it, though. He felt his whole body numb. If anything, this pain was somewhat refreshing.

    He somehow forced himself to turn on his back and he gazed at the sky. The red clouds were still, unmoving. As if frozen in time, they quietly stood above him. Looking closely, Amon realized all of them seemed to have the same size and the same shape. It was impossible to use the clouds to try to guide himself.

    He tried to laugh in his despair, but he found no voice nor the energy for it. He could only look up with a regretful expression.

    This was a place with no life. A place with no disparity. A place with no movement.

    A place where the only thing that seemed to try to struggle against the stillness was himself.

    The heat coming from his back did not bother Amon in the least. He thought it was very comfortable.

    He stood still just like the clouds, looking up mindlessly.

    Unknowingly, his vision darkened, and all he could see was nothingness.

    ---

    "What an unlucky kid." Sarah said with a sigh. She could not hide the pity in her eyes as she looked down.

    All of the High Elders and Elders, in addition to Borgin were in a dark, but spacious room. From the ceiling, innumerable pale white roots hanged, pointing down like spears. The twisted roots glowed with a beautiful pale light, a stark contrast to their ominous appearance.

    From the roots, droplets of a viscous and bright liquid dripped down, falling on a wide, but shallow pool in the center of the room. The pool was filled with the viscous liquid glowed with the same light of the roots, shedding its pale light on the overseers and making shadows dance through their faces.

    Strangely enough, the liquid was completely still, looking more like a bright mirror than a pool of sap. Even the dripping of the glowing droplets did not make the surface ripple.

    What was reflected in that bizarre mirror, however, was not the roots hanging from the ceiling. The wide pool seemed to be divided into fifty sections, with the sap dripping from the roots falling in each one of them.

    Each section showed a different image, and each section had only one person reflected on it.

    This pool of sap lied under the Ashen Heart Tree, and it was through it that the representatives of each sect could supervise the ongoing Hellblaze Trials.

    Sarah had her eyes fixed in a figure in particular. He was lying down on a dark a glossy ground, with his eyes closed and his bizarre ashen hair a mess. The boy had clearly passed out.

    "For the Guardian to throw him in the Purgatory¡­" Sarah shook her head with a desolated look.

    "The Guardian decides what a fitting Trial is for each one of the contestants." Borgin said with his cold, indifferent voice. "If he was thrown in the Purgatory it is because it is where he needs to be."

    Sarah sighed again but said no more. The Guardian was known for being impartial and precise in his judgement. Furthermore, from her previous experiences overseeing the Trials, Borgin''s words were right. If the boy was there, it was because he needed to be there. Sarah couldn''t imagine for what other reason the Guardian would put the boy through such suffering.

    Sarah moved her eyes away from the boy, looking at a section of the pool not very far from him.

    A graceful, but lonely figure walked through a field of ice and fire. The ground at her feet changed at each step she took, either being covered in chilling snow or turning into smoldering rock. Snow fell from the endless white sky above her, being thrown while violence at her by searing winds.

    Her light blue clothes were torn and wrinkled under the effects of the opposing elements, and they were clinging tightly to her body. Her silky black hair whipped about as the hot winds and the snow hit her, but she moved on stubbornly.

    Sarah could imagine the fearless expression the girl had, even if she had covered her face with a dense white mist that not even the wind could blow away.

    Nevertheless, even if she was moving forward, the raging elements were certainly taking a toll on her.Her shoulders were drooped and her steps were slow. Even under such conditions, however, Sarah could feel her burning desire as the girl forcefully proceeded forward, leaving small, but deep footprints on snow and smoldering rock alike.

    Sarah pitied Amon for his bad luck, but she also pitied the girl she was looking at. Maybe she had an even worse luck.

    "Oh, Anna¡­ when will you change?" Sarah asked herself in a whisper, feeling heartbroken as she saw the unwielding figure struggling alone in the tempestuous conflict of ice and fire

 66 A Will Grows Through Struggles II

    Anna Hale was taking uneasy steps forward, but it was getting harder to move at each step she took. The ice would turn colder, and the fire would turn hotter. The wind would blow harder, and she would get weaker.

    Anna would usually not have a problem with the ice at all. Ice was nothing but a form of water, and she was a Water Cultivator. If anything, she would use this opportunity to cultivate. The problem, however, was the fire. It intermingled with the ice, denying Anna any control.

    She could not even protect her body from it. The strange combination of ice and fire wore down on her body slowly, and when her body was barely able to take it anymore, it started wearing down her mind.

    Looking at it, Anna could only sneer inwardly. That Guardian was surely a very cruel being. In truth, this was just the unacceptance of the defeated. She could not deny that she was surprised at how the Guardian had seen through her.

    Because Anna knew exactly why she was in this place. She knew exactly why her Trial was that way. She had lived her life in such conditions, after all.

    The mist covering her face turned fainter as she let out a sigh. Her shoulder drooped down even more and her steps almost came to a halt. She was moving forward at a pace so slow it was unbearably frustrating.

    She raised her head, looking at that infinite expanse of white that was the sky above her head. The searing winds made her black hair whip violently behind her back, and the fluttering snowflakes were thrown in face with violence, disappearing from view as they penetrated the shroud of mist.

    She looked ahead, gazing intently at the intermingling ice and fire. As they collided, the snow would melt, turning into water. The smoldering rock would cool down, hardening. The water would evaporate, turning into a faint mist of steam. The flames would disappear, dispersing in the air.

    Anna stopped walking. She stood still, looking ahead in a daze.

    Even if the elements collided, even if they neutralized each other, there was a balance. It lasted for no more than a split-second; a moment so fleeting it would seem like an illusion. Nevertheless, she saw it.

    For but a moment, in the middle of that tempestuous and mutual destruction, there was a point of equilibrium. A moment where there was stillness and ice and fire coexisted in harmony.

    Moving forward without knowing where you are going was nothing but foolishness. Moving forward while ignoring your surroundings was nothing but foolishness. There was a point where moving forward would bring nothing but suffering. One had to know when to stop, or they might lose all they had achieved.

    If you moved back or moved forward at that point, balance would be ruined, and everything would disperse in the air. Like the heat of the dying flames. Like the water turning into steam.

    For the first time in her life, she stopped moving. For the first time in her life, she understood that she was a fool. Because if you never stopped moving, you would never be able to properly look around.

    Sometimes, standing still was the best way to move on.

    ---

    Amon slowly opened his eyes. This alone was a struggle in and of itself. His eyelids were heavy, and he felt it would be easier to simply keep his eyes closed and let his consciousness fade away again than to try and wake up. Still, he could not give up.

    A simple act, which should have taken no more than the fraction of a second, seemed to take a few minutes. When he finally managed to completely open his eyes, Amon was greeted by the same sight he had seen before he passed out.

    The red clouds were still above his head, glowing ominously in the sky. All of the same size. All of the same shape. All unmoving.

    Amon looked at the sky in despair. His body was completely numb and it felt heavy, as if invisible chains bound him to the smooth ground beneath him. His throat and mouth were so dry that his tongue seemed to stick to the insides of his mouth.

    His head throbbed in pain, almost in sync with his heartbeats. It clouded his thoughts and made him even more uncomfortable. He could not even move his head to look at his body properly. Just the thought made his head nearly explode. Maybe waking up had been the wrong choice, after all.

    In such conditions, he could only look up to the dark sky, silently gazing at the red clouds.

    Amon had lost track of time long ago. He could have been stuck there for ages, or maybe moments. His senses seemed as confused as his thoughts, and he had trouble discerning what was real or not.

    In a daze, he looked at the equal red clouds in the sky. He did his best to focus on them, but no matter what he did, they were all the same. Unmovable and equal in all ways. He could see every deformity in their shape, every depression, every imperfection.

    His thoughts started scattering again, and his mind was turning more and more sluggish. Just like him walking before, it was as if his mind was dragging its feet, about to fall down from the exhaustion.

    Even if his body was numb and heavy, Amon could still feel the cold golden token gripped tightly in his right hand. He could not move to look at it, but he knew it was there. He, however, was not sure of he would be able to break it.

    The scalding heat coming from the ground had probably filled his back, legs and arms with blisters long ago, but Amon felt none of it. As he looked up, his senses of time seemed to turn even blurrier. He did not know if time was slowing down or speeding up. All seemed the same, and he felt even more lost.

    There was an incongruity. It was as if he did not fit in at all. There was no sync between him and his surroundings, almost as if they were experiencing different times.

    A chance occurred. Along with that even greater uncertainty, the clouds above him seemed to turn blurrier too.

    "Eh?" He thought to himself, with great difficulty.

    The clouds seemed to be blurry, even if the sky was clear. Amon tried to focus his gaze, and realized the clouds seemed to be vibrating. It was a very subtle movement, very hard to see. Amon wasn''t even sure if he was truly seeing it or he was hallucinating.

    Maybe it was true. Maybe the only way for him to get out of this predicament was for him to understand what was different between him and his surroundings.

    ---

    Sarah and the other Elders were looking with attention to the pool made of the Ashen Heart Tree''s sap. All of the cultivators showed on it were struggling against conditions tailored by themselves.

    They did not know it, but the place they were sent to was nothing but a basis to their predicament. What they realized in it and what they gained in it was all shaped by their subconscious.

    A will was a resolution. A drive that moved them forward. Only a strong will would propel them in their path to cultivation. The Trial of the Will was nothing but a way to show them what they already knew, but never understood.

    What they had to do now was to understand what their drive was. What they wanted. They had to find a path they wanted to tread. Those who failed to find their wills, or those that did not have willpower strong enough would never overcome this Trial. Even if they did well in the other, this meant that, at least right now, they were not truly fit for cultivation.

    As Sarah was thinking of this, a faint rumbling sound started echoing through the dark room, and the ground quaked lightly.

    She looked in surprise at the pool, as five of the sections started rippling wildly, distorting the images of the cultivators in it.

 67 A Will Grows Through Struggles III

    The red clouds were a blur, almost as if they were surrounded by a faint mist of blood. Under their sinister glow, they looked even more bizarre and ominous. Amon, however, was not concerned about it.

    He was trying his best to overcome the overwhelming feeling of exhaustion and numbness he had and properly focus on them. He had the impression the clouds were vibrating, so he wanted to look at it better.

    The sense of incongruity he felt eased somewhat as he looked above intently. That bloody light reflected in his eyes as he gazed at them, and for the first time he was sure there was movement. The red clouds were indeed vibrating.

    The speed of their vibrations, however, was absurd. It was too fast for him to properly see, even with his heightened senses thanks to his Body Tempering.

    He spread his divine sense, trying to reach for the clouds. If he managed to reach one of them, maybe he could slow them down. Yes, if he could adapt the clouds to his own pace, maybe he could solve the problem.

    The moment he thought of this, his divine sense shot up, expanding way farther than usual. It easily covered the clouds, the ground and everything around him in a radius that spammed kilometers.

    It was a strange, but addictive feeling. Even if everything was the same, Amon felt that the whole area was under his control. He could feel every depression, every nook and cranny of the vitrified ground.

    He could also feel every wisp of red steam, every billowing part of the red clouds as they vibrated lightly. In this area, Amon was in absolute control. It was as if it was an extension of his body, something he could move at a whim.

    And so he did. With a mere though, the clouds'' vibration started turning unstable, and Amon was able to see it more clearly. It became slower and slower, and Amon felt the discomfort going away as he started being able to see what was happening.

    A loud rumble started echoing from far away, but Amon paid no mind to it. He wanted to discover what was behind the clouds. He felt there was something there he needed to understand.

    The vibrations he saw¡­ were no vibrations at all. The clouds were actually dispersing and reforming in an endless cycle. Just like that, there was so much happening that he could not see. Only if they were slower¡­

    He focused again, trying to make the clouds slow down even further. The cycles that were repeated a few times every second started almost coming to a halt. The rumbling became even louder, and the ground started quaking.

    Amon was surprised, but still forced the clouds to slow down. For the first time, he saw it clearly. In an incredibly slow pace, a cloud gradually faded out of existence. Amon was able to feel every detail about it; he knew its shape with a precision of millimeters.

    When it disappeared, a new one took its place. However, there was a difference. It was a very subtle, very minute difference in their shape.

    There was no way Amon would be able to see it looking at it from afar. Much less if his divine sense hadn''t expanded like crazy or he had forced the world to adapt to his own pacing. As he looked at the clouds and an idea formed in his head, the rumbling turned as loud as a thunder, and the ground started to crack under the intense quaking.

    Amon felt it all, but even if he tried to calm it down, he failed. His will was supreme under his divine sense, but the world was fighting back. Being forced like this was tearing it apart. Amon looked in dismay as the cracks on the ground grew wider and deeper, and the rumbling got wilder and louder, as if the sky itself would fall over his head.

    With a regretful look on his face, he let go of his surroundings, retracting his divine sense. The clouds returned to their vibrations, and eventually turned completely still again. The rumbling stopped, and the ground quaked no more.

    Everything was still again. A place with no life. A place with no disparity. A place with no movement.

    A place where the only thing that seemed to struggle against the stillness was himself.

    However, was that really the case?

    No.

    The clouds were ongoing countless cycles of being dispersed and reformed as he looked at them. Even if the difference was minimal, there was also disparity between them. It was simply that Amon could not see it.

    The cycle of the clouds was too fast.

    Or maybe Amon was too fast.

    Was his notion of time slower, making it almost come to a halt or was he experiencing millennia in what seemed to be the blink of an eye?

    What Amon realized as he looked at the clouds was that it was relative.

    He looked up again, spreading his divine sense. This time, however he did not focus on the clouds. He focused on himself.

    Maybe what needed to change was he, not his surroundings.

    He spread his divine sense again, sensing the clouds. This time, however, he did not move the clouds, he did not restrain them. Rather, he moved himself.

    Yet again, the clouds turned blurry, and slowly Amon could see them vibrating.

    A rumbling sound echoed again in the distance, and the ground quaked as he focused further.

    Like before, as he and the clouds got closer and closer to a synchrony, the rumbling increased, and the quaking turned more violent.

    This time, however, Amon felt a sharp pain spreading through his body. It was only them that he realized his state. Something was weighing heavily on him, obstructing his breathing and rupturing his skin.

    There was no rumbling coming from the skies, rather it was coming from his muscles tensing up and tearing apart, as well as his bones creaking and fracturing.

    There was no quaking in the ground, rather, it was his own body trembling as it could not resist the pressure.

    If the world could not endure as Amon forced it to adapt to his time, Amon also could not endure when he tried to adapt to the world.

    He wondered if this was what immortality would feel like. Looking at people come and go as if they were the red clouds in the dark sky, being born and dying so fast that he would not even realize it, as if they were still. Being so similar in the distance that he would not be able to tell the difference.

    Because an immortal would live in a different dimension. His time would be completely different from that of a mortal''s. He wouldn''t be able to bring them to his own pacing. It would break them, or it would break the world.

    If, however, he adjusted to their pacing, it would only bring harm to him. He would end up destroying himself as he tried to live in the world from which he had ascended. As an immortal, he had discarded his own mortality. Trying to return to it was the same as denying all that he was.

    There would be no balance when two different times collided like this. All that would happen was the destruction of one or the other.

    The immortal and mortal would never be able to coexist.

    Cultivators were at the boundary between both worlds. They would either die as any other mortal or leave that realm behind forever. This was what cultivation was about.

    Cultivators were nothing but mortals struggling alone. They died alone if they failed, and they forever lived alone if they succeeded.

    Cultivators were truly pitiful.

 68 A Will Grows Through Struggles IV

    Cultivators were quite pitiful.

    This was the conclusion Amon arrived at as he looked at the clouds. Cultivators struggled in the boundary between the mortal and the immortal. This was a point where there was no equilibrium. In the end, they would end up as mortals and die or would turn into immortals.

    It was a very sad matter when one thought about it carefully. Of all the mortals, the cultivators that failed lived the most, but alas it was all for naught. Their struggles would mean nothing at all.

    Worst of all, Amon could not recall even a single person that managed to truly achieve immortality. As far as he was concerned, it was nothing but a myth. At most, it was a possibility that had never been verified.

    Supposing it was truly possible, would it be worth it?

    Was immortality a blessing given after countless struggles or was it a curse placed upon those that went against the natural order?

    As Amon looked at the red clouds in the sky, he could not help but ponder deeply. Cultivation brought one power. Cultivation brought one knowledge. Most important of all, it brought one an extended lifespan.

    Only with an extended lifespan would one be able to make the most of knowledge and power they obtained. Thinking that way, it was reasonable to assume that, to some extent, living more was the goal of every cultivator, or at the very least a necessary step to achieve or enjoy it.

    One that cultivated could not escape the pursuit of immortality, no matter if they wanted to tread that path or if it was just a milestone on the way. Every cultivator that denied this was bound to be mediocre at best, because their lifespan would grow alongside their strength. For them, there would always be a down side to every breakthrough. At some point, they would stop moving forward.

    Real cultivators wanted to live more than anyone else, so they fought for it nonstop throughout their lives. And the stronger they became, the longer the fight would be. This made their deaths even more tragic. Cultivators were the ones that lived the most after all, so they were the ones that wanted to avoid death the most.

    Cultivation was a struggle in and of itself. Maybe it was a foolish one, maybe it was a struggle impossible to overcome.

    Why would Amon cultivate, then?

    Why did he start cultivating in the first place?

    What did he want for the long, long life that lay ahead of him if he followed this path?

    Amon was in a daze as he pondered. He remembered the day he met Lya. The day he buried Alexei Vine''s corpse and took Brightmoon.

    He remembered what he had discussed with Lya that day.

    He remembered how he was denied, and how he later found an answer that she found acceptable. He thought about the answer she gave her at that time.

    He remembered the reason he gave her to pursue strength and to cultivate.

    Was immortality his desire?

    No. It never had truly been. It was not something he could comprehend or seriously consider. He had barely started his cultivation, and he had barely lived. He knew, however, that for him, a greater lifespan would be nothing but a side effect of his true pursuit.

    Was knowledge his desire?

    No. He didn''t really mind how the world worked, and even if its mysteries were interesting and elusive, for him cracking them open would be nothing but entertainment, not what drove him forward.

    Was strength his desire?

    Yes and no. Strength was a necessary step to achieve what he wanted, but it wasn''t his objective. Rather than that, he was forced to become strong given his situation.

    What he wanted¡­

    He closed his eyes, and a clear image made its way into his head. He saw a pair of clear and bright green eyes looking at him tenderly. He saw flowing golden hair glistening in the sunlight that came from a window. He saw a pure smile, full of warmth.

    A smile full of happiness.

    A promise was echoing in the depths of his mind.

    Amon knew he would be an awful cultivator, because cultivation was merely a necessary step for him. He would never cultivate whole-heartedly.

    Amon also knew that he would be an amazing cultivator, because cultivation was a necessary step for him. He would always cultivate doing his best.

    Amon knew what he wanted. It was very simple, almost unbearably so.

    What he wanted was no different from what anyone else wanted. When one pursued a wish,the result when it was fulfilled was the same, no matter what wish it was.

    He was no different from any other cultivator, but he was also not nearly the same as them.

    He did not realize it, but, ever so slowly, the clouds above him started to move. There was a wind that had started blowing in the sky, pushing them forward at will. Slowly, but surely, they moved on without stopping.

    When Amon finally opened his eyes, the sky above him had changed. The clouds blown by the wind above him were pure white, and the sky was of a bright azure color. He was lying on a vast expanse of grass, and on the horizon, he could see mountains and trees.

    Amon felt refreshed and full of energy, as if everything that he had experienced for who knows how long had been nothing but a dream, a faint thought in the back of his head.

    He jumped up, patting his Bottomless Pouch and taking a jar filled with water. He knew he was not really thirsty at all, but there was still a lingering feeling of pain and numbness in his body, even if in truth there was nothing at all.

    What happened was not something he would forget so soon. No, it was not something he could forget in his life. In that unbearable suffering, at the point where he was about to give up, he found the answer he always knew, but never understood.

    He gladly gulped a mouthful of cold, refreshing water, feeling really satisfied.

    He did not know if the answer he found was something acceptable to the Guardian or whoever it was that judge him in the Trials. He also did not mind it one bit.

    His answer was his, and no one else''s. Nothing more mattered other than that. As Lya had said, cultivation was something that he had to do for no one but himself.

    For the first time in a long while, he felt fulfilled.

 69 A Will Grows Through Struggles V

    Anna was breathing heavily as she sat on the ground with her legs crossed. A dense mist clouded her surroundings in a pure-white color. Everywhere around her, fire and ice were colliding violently and turning into steam.

    The searing winds pierced through the mist, blowing at her face, but quickly faded away. The snow they carried melted even before reaching her, being swallowed by the monotone whiteness that surrounded her.

    Her blue clothes were drenched and clung tightly to her body, making her movements clumsy and sluggish. Her wet hair was sticking to her face and her back, and her whole body was covered in droplets of water that dripped down on to the ground below her unceasingly, as if she had just jumped in a lake.

    She did not mind it one bit, however, as she was a Water Cultivator. This was a state so natural to her that she barely even realized it anymore. Her true concern lied with the task at hand. She still did not manage to have a grasp of that elusive moment of balance between ice and fire.

    She never managed to make the elements coexist without mutual destruction. She knew from the beginning it would be hard, but failing repeatedly still made her increasingly frustrated and somewhat irritated.

    She knew better than anyone else did what this Trial meant for her. The steps she would take after the Trials all would depend on the answer she found now. Anna Hale was truly lost, and she realized that she would never be able to move forward while ignoring the conflict inside of her. If she did not solve it, it would consume her.

    More than anyone else, Anna struggled. She opened her eyes, still hidden behind that shroud of mist that she never dispersed. No matter what she did, no matter how much she tried to control the ice or how hard she tried to capture that single moment of balance, it was all futile.

    She looked at her surroundings in a daze. What she wanted was a perfect balance between ice and fire where neither of them would change. There was no middle ground in such a balance, there was just a perfect coexistence.

    Such a balance, however, lasted for no more than a fraction of a second. A window of time so small it could be completely disregarded. Its existence made no difference, because it was such a fragile balance that any interference, no matter how small, would make the scales tip to one side or the other.

    Maybe her pursuit was futile. Fire and ice could not truly coexist, at least not without change.

    The billowing mist surround Anna made her mood turn sour. She did not want that. The endless mist surrounding her blocked her view, and all she saw was pure whiteness whenever she looked around. All she saw was emptiness.

    That mist was the true balance between ice and fire, the remnant of their mutual destruction. A middle ground that she knew would never satisfy her, because she did not want her fire to die. She did not want to waste the burning passion inside her to melt that coldness, that stillness.

    That fire was all that kept her from being frozen in place. That fire was what made her feel alive.

    If balance was not possible, then she would have to choose a side.

    She lowered her gaze, looking at the blue clothes clinging to her body. Truth be told, she really hated that color. Whenever she wore such clothes, she felt that she was bound by heavy chains rather than wearing comfortable silk. Over time, she even came to hate the color of her eyes whenever she looked at the mirror.

    She extended her hands to her neck, grabbing a thin chain of silver that hang from it. A silver ring with a small sapphire embedded in it sparkled brightly under the white light that managed to get pass the mist around her.

    It looked like a small star under that tiresome sky. A glistening light that shone with a beautiful light, but one that she would never be able to reach. No more than an idea, a dream shattered long ago.

    Anna gently caressed the ring with a wistful look in her eyes as she reminisced. The ring suddenly seemed to become unbearably heavy as she held it, making her hands tremble. She closed her eyes as she put the ring away, and her expression turned solemn, yet mournful.

    The answer was an easy one. She had known it all along, but she always avoided it. Making that choice would be the same as inviting a change she would never be able to control. It would set her in a path she would never be able to return from.

    She had also been hesitant because, no matter what had happened, she could not help but hold some things dear to her. That decision would bear a heavy price.

    Nevertheless, a choice was made.

    She knew of her duties, but she also knew what her bottom line was.

    She silently stood up, waving her hands and blowing all the mist surrounding her away. Her wet clothes released steam as the temperature rose, and soon started to flutter under the assault of the hot winds as they dried up.

    Her black hair whipped behind her back as a sea of fire rose from the ground and the ground quaked. The white sky started distorting and twisting around itself, being torn apart as the flames devoured all the ice in that world.

    The balance had been broken. Even if the ice weakened the flames, it was not enough to extinguish them.

    Soon, all of the whiteness of the world gave way to a hellish red, and the coldness was overtaken by unbearable heat.

    As the flames rose to the skies and the ground cracked under her feet, Anna straightened her back.

    The mist was still covering her face, somehow unaffected by the overwhelming heat that had spread through the world. That mist was enough to hide the satisfied smile Anna had on her face as the fire reached her.

    Just like that, her figure disappeared under the flames, right before the world broke apart.

    ---

    As a particular section of the pool made of the Ashen Heart Tree''s sap rippled wildly, blurring Anna''s image, Sarah gave a very long sigh.

    Her wrinkles suddenly seemed to be even more apparent, and her back slightly arched somewhat as her shoulders drooped. There was no trace of a smile on her face as she looked at Anna being engulfed by the flames she spread through the world.

    Her eyes showed nothing more than worry, and she had a tired expression. Just like that, Sarah seemed to have aged decades, as if the flames engulfing Anna were burning Sarah''s life away.

    "If you made your choice, you can only follow it to the bitter end." Sarah whispered with a serious voice, as if talking to herself, but also trying to reach Anna somehow.

    Sarah knew all too well of Anna''s struggles, as she knew of her personality. It was a regrettable matter, but also unavoidable.

    While Anna was the daughter of the Noan River Sect''s Sect Master and the inheritor, she was also herself. She had given almost everything she had to the sect without ever complaining, but she would never give up the only thing that remained.

    Anna made the choice Sarah knew she would make, even if she hoped otherwise. Sarah also knew she would never change her mind about it.

    Sarah sneaked a glance to the Leonard, the High Elder of the Roaring Mountain Sect, and saw him looking at a particular disciple of the Roaring Mountain Sect with a strange look on his face.

    The boy he was looking at was the same boy that had questioned the delay of the Storm Peak Sect''s representatives, and that completely ignored Leonard''s reproaching gaze. Reynard Stark, the most likely successor to the Roaring Mountain Sect.

    Sarah furrowed her brows as she looked at that confident young man. Reynard was walking through a vast expanse of green, moving towards the mountains that could be faintly seen in the distance. He was already at the Trial of the Mind.

    Sarah sighed yet again, looking even more tired. Trouble would certainly come.

    The Noan River Sect had pushed Anna into making a decision that would not benefit anyone. Sarah knew that the Sect Master would certainly come to regret this.

    All of that because, unlike her mother, Anna Hale was the kind of person that would rather die than regret her choices.

    She would rather set the world ablaze than give up on herself.

    She was truly very stubborn.

 70 A Sharp Mind Cuts Through All Obstacles I

    The azure sky above Amon''s head was bright, and a refreshing breeze blew behind his back, ruffling his ashen hair. The white clouds floating up high all moved toward the same direction, no matter where Amon looked at. They were converging to a specific place, as if something was attracting them all.

    In the distance in front of Amon, a mountain range could be seen, stalwart and solid in the dark horizon. Like spear tips, the mountains rose to the skies, piercing through the clouds and hiding their peaks in the unknown boundaries of the world.

    The clouds seemed to be gathering around it, twirling over the mountain range as the converging winds collided. Like a white vortex, they blocked the sun, leaving the mountains in a perennial shade.

    Amon knew this was the direction he had to follow. There was no real mystery, nor did he need any other hint. The world itself was converging to the mountain range, so he decided to follow the flow.

    The grass beneath Amon''s feet rustled lightly as he stepped on them as he walked. Not far away from him, a wall of gigantic trees covered his view of anything but the mountains.

    Their wide crowns cast deep shadows underneath them, and their green leaves glistened underneath the sunlight. Their branches swayed with the wind, throwing their leaves in the air, where they were caught up by the breeze and carried away.

    Each tree seemed to reach dozens of meters high, their trunks even wider than Amon''s height. Even if the trees were enormous, there was quite some distance between them. They were far from being as densely packed as they were in the Broken Forest.

    The grass also seemed to grow between them without much problem, making for a very lively visage. Nevertheless, Amon could not hear a sound that was not the rustling of the leaves or the swaying of the branches. There were no birds, insects or any other kind of animal in sight.

    Light and shadow intermingled on Amon''s face as he walked beneath the trees. His brows were slightly furrowed, and he was clearly tense. He could spread his divine sense and could even absorb Qi this time, but something was still giving him a bad feeling.

    Even if he could use his Bottomless Pouch, there was still no answer from Lya at all. This made Amon feel even stranger. He knew he was in the Trial of the Mind, but the way the world changed was suspicious.

    As he walked while pondering, the trees around him turned even sparser, gradually opening up to a wide clearing in the forest. Warm sunlight shone over a mostly empty space. The clearing would have nothing at all if it were not for a bizarre door stuck in its center.

    The door was at least five meters tall and two meters wide, and it absorbed all of the light that shone in it. Looking at it made Amon remember the Warrior Hall. It also made him remember the Sword Abyss.

    This door looked more like a window to a world made of pure darkness than a passageway.

    Amon approached it hesitantly, taking slow and uneasy steps. His divine sense was completely focused on the door, probing for even the most minute of changes. When Amon was a few meters away from it, something churned inside his clothes and made him jump in surprise.

    Cursing aloud, Amon searched inside his clothes and retrieved the golden token he had received before entering the Hellblaze Secret World. It was emitting a bright and vivid light while vibrating wildly in his hands.

    Amon raised a brow as he held the token tightly. He looked at the door with suspicion showing in his golden eyes and approached it slowly. Each step he took would make the token vibrate even more.

    When he got close enough to that terrifying black door, he raised his hand as he grasped the token. The door started buzzing violently, and the darkness inside it started to churn, as if it was a viscous liquid.

    It started to distort and twist, giving way to a blinding light that came from the other side. Soon enough, the darkness completely faded, leaving only a visage that made Amon hold his breath.

    In front of him, across that strange doorway, was a brightly lit room. No, room was not the right word. It was trove. A trove filled to the brim with every kind of treasure he could picture.

    The walls of the trove were made of red gold, and the tiles on the floor were made of white jade. Everything inside the trove glowed with a pale light, looking like priceless enchanted artifacts.

    There were rows and rows of swords of all sizes and shapes. Their blades reflected the light like mirror as they stood in silver racks, as if waiting for someone to take them away. There were also spears, halberds, sabers, bows and a myriad of weapons Amon did not recognize.

    Looking further into the trove, Amon could see bookstands filled with heavy tomes bound in leather riveted with gold and silver. They gave a mysterious aura, making Amon incredibly curious about their contents.

    Even further were glossy stands filled with porcelain jars and bottles, covered in a faint mist of varied colors. Amon could tell from a glance that those were most likely pills, ointments and other kinds of medicine.

    Whenever he looked at, he could see a new section of the trove filled with amazing trinkets, scrolls and weapons. Whatever Amon could think of, the trove seemed to contain somewhere in its depths. He looked at it in a daze, enchanted by the mystical treasures the trove held.

    "What the hell is this place?" He asked to himself, waking up from his trance. His face turned grave and fear showed in his eyes. That had been dangerous. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind.

    This trove was most likely a trap, one for which he almost fell for. Fear showed in his eyes as he slowly backed away. The token in his hands started shaking and vibrating in protest, but Amon did not mind.

    The viscous darkness soon spread again from the edges of the doorway, covering the view of the trove in endless shadows. His hair stood on end as he took a deep breath and sent the door one last glance before looking away.

    He looked up, seeing the wind carrying the leaves it had ripped from the trees, and soon found the direction to follow again. As fast as he could, he left the clearing behind him.

    He closed his eyes as he walked, trying to calm himself. There was something wrong. Something was tugging at his mind, making his thoughts return to that ominous door no matter what he was thinking.

    Amon, however, had no time to worry about it. He soon found himself in another clearing, almost identical to the first one. Amon froze in place as he looked to the clearing, and his face was drained of all color.

    Lying down in the middle of the clearing was horrendous creature.

    It had thick white fur that covered his body like an armor of sharp needles. Its size alone was enough for it to tower over the trees in the forest, and its paws were big enough to crush Amon with a single step.

    Its hind legs seemed somewhat short, while what seemed to be its arms were far too long. If it stood up, Amon was sure the claws in its arms would scrape against the ground. Its paws ended in curved, sharp claws so massive they looked like sabers.

    A narrow and long head that looked like the mix of a wolf and a bear complemented the creature''s bizarre appearance.

    Amon stood completely still, hearing only a heavy breathing sound coming from the creature at regular intervals. It was clearly in a deep sleep.

    Slowly, Amon backed away. Cold sweat dolled down his back and all of the muscles in his body were tense as he left the clearing. Breathing heavily, he walked to his right for a great distance before following the winds again.

    His breathing had calmed down as he entered another clearing again. A spacious, mostly empty clearing showed itself in front of his eyes. Except for a door made of pure darkness standing in front of it.

    Amon''s hair stood on end and all of his senses screamed at him to run.Without thinking twice, he turned back, running with all his might. He did not return to the direction he came from nor did he follow the winds, instead, he started running against them, trying to leave the woods.

    As he ran madly away from the clearing, he looked around him. The trees surrounding him were not as sparse as before, meaning he had successfully left the clearing behind. He gave a sigh of relief, but soon enough his heart clenched.

    The trees in front of him were turning more and sparser each step he took. Yet again, he would reach a clearing. The first thing he realized, however, was the sound. A heavy, regular breathing sound. Amon could not hide his fear and confusion as he looked ahead, seeing the sleeping white beast in the middle of the clearing.

    "How is that possible?" He asked himself dumbstruck. He had guided himself using the winds. He was sure he was nowhere near the place where he originally found the beast. What was happening?

    "It is useless." A cold voice echoed in Amon''s mind. It was a crisp, chilling tone that made his head hurt, sounding more like the scraping of metal.

    Amon raised his golden eyes, and his gaze was met by a pair of translucent blue eyes that seemed more like ice.

    The beast had woken up, and was looking at Amon with a gaze that gave him chills.

 71 A Sharp Mind Cuts Through All Obstacles II

    The white beast gazed at Amon with curious eyes. Its head slowly rose, revealing an incredibly long neck, giving the beast an even creepier appearance. Like a snake, its head approached Amon as the neck stretched out.

    "You will never be able to leave unless you manage to get past me." The beast said again, opening its mouth and revealing a white tongue and a sharp row of black fangs that looked more like daggers.

    Its piercing voice echoed inside Amon''s head, making him disoriented. In a daze, he looked up, and saw that pair of icy eyes right in front of him. There was disdain deeply ingrained in them, and that distorted head had its mouth opened, making it seem like it was laughing.

    It was a bizarre, twisted view. Amon said nothing more as he looked at the beast, jumping back and tightly gripping Windhowler''s hilt over his right shoulder. With a trill, the sword saw the light of day.

    The disdain in the beast''s eyes grew even more apparent, and its mouth opened a bit more, widening that horrible smile. Amon could smell putrid flesh coming from the beat''s mouth, making him even more disgusted.

    "I suppose that is one way to go about it." Amon heard the beast''s voice in his head again, in a tone full of scorn.

    Amon was actually surprised that the beast was speaking to him. The only kind of spirit beasts he knew that could talk were the legendary Godbeasts, but he had never heard of a Godbeast that had an appearance as grotesque as that.

    "This¡­ feels wrong." Amon thought to himself as he looked at the beast glaring at him. Something told Amon that this was not the right way to approach the situation.

    As his mother had told him, the Hellblaze Trials were not about strength, at least not physical strength, nor were they about combat. They were trials made to mold the next generation into worthy cultivators and help them find their own path.

    Amon pondered deeply, and the disdain in the beat''s eyes slowly gave way to curiosity, even if never completely disappearing. After some time, Amon lowered his sword.

    Neither he nor the beast spoke anything. All that could be heard was the incessant rustling of the leaves and the swaying of the branches coming from the trees surrounding them. A light breeze made Amon''s clothes flutter, and the beat''s fur whip about, turning even messier.

    Amon was thinking about what he had experienced since he had passed the first Trial. The dark door that lead to a trove filled with all kinds of treasures, as well as this spirit beast with high intelligence.

    The fact that it could talk was surprising, but thinking about it, the way it was acting was even more surprising. It showed no hostility at all, no matter how oppressive its appearance was, nor did it make any sudden movements. It was also taking its time to speak with Amon.

    Amon looked at the beast for a long while, before slowly sheathing Windhowler again. His golden eyes were full of hesitation, but also curiosity as he faced the beast.

    "How can I get past you?" He asked as he raised a brow.

    The beast''s expression froze for a moment, full of surprise. When its surprise faded away, the disdain in its eyes grew even greater. It then opened its mouth, making a strange, rhythmic gurgling sound. Amon, however, could hear an unabated and displeasing laughter echoing incessantly in his head.

    Amon''s face fell, and he started getting irritated. The beast''s laughter grew even louder as it saw his reaction, making the gurgling sounds echoing from his throat almost surpassing the sound Amon heard in his head.

    It took a good while for the beast to stop, making Amon even more frustrated. When it finally stopped, it looked at Amon with eyes full of scorn.

    "There are many ways to get past me." The beast said with a sneer. "You just have to find one."

    "I suppose I need to find it out by myself." Amon said, not even asking a question. He already knew what the answer would be, after all.

    "What I can say is that you already have everything you need." The beast said as he looked at Amon with a strange glance. "However, don''t think you won''t pay a price to move on."

    Amon sank in silence again after hearing this. He had what he needed? His interspatial ring was not working, and he doubted that the beast knew about it. What was left was Windhowler, the items in his Bottomless Pouch that were basically food and water, his clothes and¡­

    "The token!" Amon suddenly realized it.

    The token opened the trove. If the trove was part of the Trial, it would probably be safe. Not only that, it certainly held the answer to his predicament. What made him furrow his brows, however, were the words of the beast.

    Amon would have to pay a price to move on.

    "Would you be willing to do a trade?" Amon asked as he looked at the beast again.

    The beast''s ears perked up, and it looked at Amon with interest shining in the depths of its blue eyes.

    "Of course I am willing to trade." The beast said as it opened its mouth again, showing that twisted, dangerous smile. "As long as the price paid is enough, I will allow you to pass."

    "In that case, what would be a fair price?" Amon asked, showing hesitation.

    "That is up to you to find out." The beast answered in an indifferent tone.

    "How do I do that? How would I know what is fair?" Amon asked again, somewhat irritated, somewhat frustrated.

    "Have you ever heard of the tale of the old emperor and the dragon?" The beast did not answer his question. Instead, it made another one.

    "Never heard of it." Amon said, looking suspiciously at the beast.

    "It is quite a simple tale." The beast said, closing its icy eyes as if focusing for a moment. Soon, its chilling voice started echoing in Amon''s head, in an indifferent tone, as if the beast was emotionlessly reading a book.

    "Once upon a time, there was an emperor that ruled the world of mortals."

    "He was the richest man in the world, and no matter what he wanted, he could get. Except for one thing: time."

    "His life was at the end, and he did not want to die. He used his influence to search far and wide, and, after a long time, he came across rumors about a medicine that could give immortality."

    "The problem, however, was that this medicine was in the treasure trove owed by a black dragon."

    "Nevertheless, the emperor, as expected of a good ruler, knew of such dragon living in his domains. He took his royal carriage and travelled far away, coming across a cave deep inside a mountain. There, the emperor met the dragon."

    "The emperor politely greeted the dragon, and the dragon allowed him to talk."

    "The emperor asked about the medicine, being careful to not show the slightest disrespect for the dragon. With a glance, the dragon knew what was on the mind of the emperor, and said that he indeed had such a medicine. The dragon, however, would only give it to the emperor if he traded his most precious belonging for it."

    "The emperor thanked the dragon and returned home, pondering deeply. What would be the most important thing for an emperor like him? His people? His treasure? His land?"

    "The answer he found actually encompassed all of these things: his lineage."

    "The emperor arrived at the conclusion that his lineage was more important, because the lineage ruled the people, owed the treasures and governed the lands."

    "That being the case, with a pained heart, the emperor chose his youngest granddaughter and, as tears streamed down his face, took her with him to see the dragon again."

    "When they arrived, the emperor took his granddaughter''s hand and proclaimed ''I offer you my most precious belonging.'' "

    "The dragon nodded, took the frightened and crying girl in his scaly embrace and allowed the emperor inside the trove."

    "The emperor soon found the medicine of legends, and promptly gulped it down. Time seemed to reverse as he turned younger, regaining his youth, strength and vigor."

    "Very satisfied, he prepared to leave, but was blocked by the dragon. His granddaughter was nowhere to be seen, and the dragon''s eyes were cold and full of scorn."

    " ''What are you doing?'' The emperor asked, frightened. ''Where is my granddaughter?'' "

    " ''I sent her home.'' The dragon said. ''Our trade did not involve her.'' "

    "The emperor was confused, and the dragon started laughing. Then, the dragon said the words that sealed the fate of the emperor forever: ''If you were willing to sacrifice your lineage to save your life, obviously your life is what is the most precious thing for you.''"

    " ''The trade was completed. Your life is now mine.'' The dragon said as his laughter echoed through the trove, and the emperor''s face paled as he realized his mistake."

    "For eternity, the dragon guarded over the trove, and for eternity, the emperor was imprisoned in it, as he was now one of the many treasures owed by the dragon."

    The beast finished its tale, opening its eyes and sending Amon a piercing glance.

    "You know nothing, kid." The beast''s voice was indifferent, as if stating a fact. "Life is nothing but a constant stream of trades. You take and give all the time. This is how the world maintains its balance without ever stagnating. It is all a cycle."

    "You breathe in and breathe out. You consume throughout your life, and in the end, you are consumed."

    "Even if things are balanced in the end, this does not mean it is all equal. There is an inherent disparity in this cycle." His voice was as indifferent as ever, but his started glinting with resentment as he spoke. "Some might have a blissful life, while others live in misery. Some die young, others die old."

    "Each living being is unique, so there is no way for there to be no disparity. It is all relative."

    "All that matters in the end, is that you are born with nothing, and you die with nothing. No matter what you did during your life, the cycle will be complete, and everything will start over."

    "All that happened in-between the beginning and the end is meaningless, because Nature will balance it all out." The light in his eyes turned unbearably cold as he looked at Amon, and a silent pressure started to weight down on him, restricting him. "No living being can escape from this. Everything will be balanced by death."

    "Thinking that way, fairness is also relative." The beast said in an irritated tone. "That being the case, you must never underestimate a trade, because while you might think you are coming out on top, the other party might actually be the one winning the most."

    "We might even consider a fight as a trade." The beast said as those icy eyes came closer and closer to the restrained Amon. "We can trade blows and see who hits harder. It is one way to solve your predicament."

    "Nevertheless, do not forget that this is the Trial of the Mind." It said, clearly growing more and more annoyed as it spoke. "Think for yourself. Didn''t you get past the Trial of the Will that way?"

    "Go do what you think you need to do and only return when you feel you have an answer." The beast snorted, turning away and retracting its neck, going back to its previous sleeping position.

    The pressure weighting down on Amon disappeared, and he was left alone in the edge of the clearing, in a daze.

 72 A Sharp Mind Cuts Through All Obstacles III

    Amon stood alone in the edge of the clearing, looking at that strange beast returning to its deep sleep, not bothering with Amon at all. He was still trying to wrap his head around all of what the beast had said.

    It sure was a lot to think about, so Amon would not try to bother the beast again. As the beast had said, this was the Trial of the Mind. Amon would have to find a way to move forward alone.

    In silence, he slowly walked away, leaving the clearing and the beast behind. In a daze, he walked between the trees. The direction he followed did not matter anymore. He was stuck in a cycle until he managed to get past the beast. He would always find the treasure trove and then find the beast. There was no way to get around it.

    What would be a fair price for him to obtain passage? The trove had innumerable treasures, and Amon had no idea of what would catch the beast''s eye.

    He doubted a cultivation manual would be worth anything for the beast. Weapons would also be useless to it, following this logic. What was left to consider was¡­ a lot. That trove was way too big. Going there and picking something blindly would be simply ridiculous.

    "How am I going to deal with this?" Amon muttered as he finally reached another clearing. As he expected, the dark door stood in the center of it, as if waiting for Amon.

    The golden token started vibrating again as Amon approached the door, but this time Amon was not bothered by it. He walked with confident steps as the darkness on the door started to wriggle and collapse on itself, retreating towards the boundaries of the door and revealing the treasure trove again.

    He took a deep breath as he stood in front of the doorway, and finally took a step forward. A feeling of dizziness took over Amon as he lost all sense of direction for a moment. It was a very similar feeling to when he stepped through the gateway to the Hellblaze Secret World.

    However, the feeling lasted for just a moment, a blink of an eye. Before he realized, he was standing in the treasure trove, and through the doorway behind him, he could see the grass and trees that covered the forest. As he was looking back, a mechanic voice sounded in his ears.

    "You can only choose one treasure in this trove." It spoke with a dispassionate, cold voice. "Choose wisely."

    The voice said no more, and Amon was left alone in the trove, looking at all the countless treasures in front of him. If could only take one treasure out, his choice would truly be of major importance, as he had expected.

    Looking around, Amon did not even know where to start. As he looked carefully around, he saw the stands containing medicine.

    The tale the beast told him came to mind. Was there a deeper meaning in it? Was the tale actually a hint?

    Amon walked towards the jars and bottles, but none of them were labelled and the fragrances were all mixed in the air. He could not identify any of them. Somewhat unsure, he looked around a bit embarrassed as his ears reddened a little.

    "Excuse me." He called in a low voice. "Is there a way to identify the medicine?"

    "There is." The mechanical voice answered, and soon bright letters condensed out of thin air in front of every bottle, box and jar of medicine in the stand.

    Amon started looking carefully at it, not truly sure about what he was looking for. If the tale had been a hint, then there was a chance the characters and situations were references to Amon''s predicament.

    "Is there any medicine for immortality here?" Amon asked again, his tone firmer as he knew the voice would answer and he was not talking alone.

    "We do not have such medicine here." The voice answered again, in the same dispassionate tone as ever. The answer, however, made Amon very dispirited. Of course such a thing as a medicine for immortality would not exist, but maybe there was a substitute, a symbol to show the beast that Amon had found the right answer.

    Amon looked around again, completely overwhelmed. He could not see the end of the trove, it was truly massive. Amon could spend days walking around and not see all of it. Every step he took revealed a whole new section filled with wonderful objects for him to analyze.

    "There is no way I''ll find the answer like that." He muttered to himself in a low voice, thinking. He did not know what the beast could want to let him pass, nor did he know the limits of what the trove could offer.

    He closed his eyes, sinking into a deep silence as he contemplated. He tried to carefully remember everything the beast had told him in their conversation. Amon was sure that there was a hint there somewhere.

    "Fairness¡­ is relative?" Amon opened his eyes after a long time. A glint of excitement showed in their golden color, giving them a brightness that seemed to set them ablaze.

    The beast had also said that there were many ways to get past it. For Amon, this meant that there had been no right answer from the start. Nevertheless, a fair price was still important, but there was no way for him to know what the beast would consider fair.

    The story of the emperor was the key. Even if the emperor had not realized himself what he held most dear, the way he found his answer gave Amon an idea. What the beast asked, after all, was not what Amon held most dear to him.

    The more Amon thought, the more his idea seemed to make sense.

    "Is there any limit for what this trove holds?" Amon asked suddenly, raising his voice as he stood up.

    "As long as it exists, it can be found here." The mechanical voice answered, as cold as ever. This time, however, its answer made Amon very satisfied.

    "In that case, I need you to go find something for me."

    ---

    Amon walked out of the treasure trove with firm steps, not losing time at all as he returned to the forest and walked forward, not even choosing a direction. Soon enough, he saw himself facing the beast.

    "You are finally back." The crisp, chilling voice of the beast entered Amon''s ears again as it opened its icy eyes and looked at him with no interest at all.

    "I have something to trade for my passage through this forest." Amon said as he looked at the beast intently with his golden eyes.

    "What do you have to offer?" The beast asked, stretching its snake-like neck and approaching Amon.

    Amon slowly reached for the insides of his clothes, retrieving a small, golden token and raising it for the beast to see.

    "I offer this." He said, keeping a straight face and a neutral voice.

    A strange light flashed in the beast''s eyes as it looked at the golden token Amon was showing. It opened its mouth, letting its warm and putrid breath over Amon''s face as its dagger-like teeth came dangerously close to him.

    "Are you sure?" The beast asked him. "You might need to use it later."

    Hearing this, Amon gave a slight smile. With his other hand, he reached again to his clothes, fishing a second golden token. "Not a problem, I still have mine."

    The beast''s eyes widened for a moment as it showed surprise. It raised its head, and, like in their first conversation, gurgling sounds started echoing from its throat as it laughed nonstop. The flesh of its neck undulated in a strange rhythm as the beast laughed, making Amon feel somewhat strange.

    "That is a good deal." The beast finally said after it calmed down. It moved its head even closer to Amon, looking at him with nothing but interest. All of the disdain and scorn in its eyes were gone as he spoke. "I accept."

    With surprising care, the beast lowed it head and bit at the token gently, raising it from Amon''s hand. The beast then retracted its neck, dropping the token by its massive body.

    "In this edition of the Trials, this was the best trade so far." The beast spoke with its chilling voice, but Amon somehow managed to feel a tinge of satisfaction in it.

    Neither he nor Amon needed to talk about what this trade implied. In the end, Amon had thoroughly understood all of the beast''s hints.

    Like the emperor, Amon''s offering encompassed all of the things that he could give up.

    The token was a key to the treasure trove, where the beast could choose any of the treasures it wanted. Amon had offered the beast a treasure while also not having to make the choice.

    The token was also a second life, as Amon could use it to be sent away from the Hellblaze Secret World if he found himself I a dangerous situation or if he decided to give up.

    For the beast, however, the token had a potential third use. Leaving the Hellblaze Secret World would also mean its freedom.

    Because as the beast regretfully spoke about trades and fairness, especially after talking about the emperor of the tale, Amon found it quite pitiful. He doubted it could leave this world on its own. It was most likely bound to it, and, as far as Amon had guessed, it probably involved a trade where he got what he wanted, but paid an unbearable price for, just like the emperor.

    Amon had given to the beast everything he guessed the beast could want. At the same time, he was also getting what he wanted and not really losing anything. He still had his token and his belongings. He would leave this Trial the same way he arrive. The cycle would be complete, and balance would have been met.

    "You know, so far I was hacked to pieces by a rude guy that got a sword from the treasure trove and used it to ''kill'' me, as well as trapped by an array formation by a girl that seemed really annoyed." The beast said, not hiding the annoyance in his eyes.

    "The guy in particular, the first time we met he already had the sword. He was not scared at all the first time he found the treasure trove. The moment I saw the sword I knew what kind of trade he would want to make." It grew more and more annoyed as it spoke. "Shows you the kind of cultivators we have nowadays."

    "The girl¡­ well, we spoke a little, but she didn''t seem like the kind to want to think things through too much. I am actually surprised she showed the consideration to simply restrain me rather than kill me."

    "Nevertheless, they were all valid ways to overcome the Trial." The beast sighed, making Amon shudder under the effects of the piercing noise in his mind. "They used what they had in hand, and defeated me in their own ways. The world we live in is like that anyway, so I it is not like I can''t see where they are coming from."

    "Maybe there is some hope for you, afterall." It finally said, as the look in its eyes eased somewhat. The next moment, however, its eyes turned full of disdain again. "Still, don''t let it get over your head. This was not the best approach I have witnessed."

    Amon was surprised at first as he heard these words, but soon came to understand. The Hellblaze Trials had been happening for centuries. It was bound to receive a myriad of dazzling figures and geniuses.

    "In that case¡­ what was this best approach someone tried to use to get past you?" Looking at the beast, he couldn''t help but ask.

    "Many decades back¡­ there was a girl." The beast started speaking while reminiscing. Amon could faintly discern a warm smile in the beast''s bizarre face. "She showed no fear at all and approched me wih a smile. We had a long and pleasant conversation, and we got to know each other somewhat after a while."

    "She was a really polite girl, and obviously smarter than all the other cultivators so far." The beast said, looking up as if pondering. It then looked at Amon, with that twisted smile on ots face. "That includes you, by the way."

    "What did she do?" Amon did not hide his curiosity as he heard the beast speaking with such an expression.

    "She looked at me and said ''Mister, could you please allow me to pass?'' " The beast said with wistful eyes. It was certainly a precious memory.

    "What?" Amon was taken aback. "Just that?"

    "Yes." The beast''s answer was simple, as had been the girl''s approach.

    "Did you accept it?" Amon raised a brow as he looked at the beast. His curiosity was turning too great for him to restrain.

    "As if I''d answer that." The beast answered with a sneer, its eyes regaining the previous disdain as it looked at Amon.

    "Well, kid, it is a pass." It said, ending that conversation. "I kinda like you somewhat, so I''ll give you one final piece of advice."

    Its eyes turned even colder, and Amon knew it was speaking seriously for the first time in a long while.

    "There might come a time in your life when you realize that the worst obstacles you ever faced were no obstacles at all." It spoke slowly, and its voice turned graver, drawing Amon in as it echoed in the depths of his mind. "All you needed to do was to look at it another way and see the truth."

    "In the end, it is all relative."

    "If you look at it again, you might realize there was nothing there in the first place." With a final gurgling sound echoing through its throat as it laughed and a last look of disdain, the beast disappeared, scattering with the breeze blowing towards the mountain range in the distance.

 73 A Sharp Mind Cuts Through All Obstacles IV

    Reynard Stark was a very confident person. He was already outstanding in the sect when he was a child, and after his master took him in, he soared to new heights. The moment he met his master, he knew the man looking at him would be able to propel his ambitions, and the man knew that Reynard would be able to accomplish what he wanted.

    Like that, master and disciple formed a bond that would not be broken, at least not until one of them accomplished his goals. This was the kind of relationship they had, but neither of them were bothered by it. They were both smart people and they both were profiting from it. It was a fair trade.

    Reynard looked at the vast mountain range in front of him with an annoyed look on his face. The breeze blowing on his back messed his dark-brown hair, and made his yellow clothes flutter. His hands were empty, but not long ago he had been holding an incredibly powerful sword in them.

    Reynard naturally knew that the sword would not last. The moment he glanced at the treasure trove, he knew it was related to the Trial of the Mind in some way. Nevertheless, losing it so soon left him disappointed.

    The moment he looked at that sword in particular, he could not help but take it away. The moment he saw the beast, he could not help but slash at it. With a glance, he knew what the beast''s purpose was. That being the case, he did what his master had taught him to do.

    Reynard Stark used his sword to draw a line.

    A line was meant to divide. A line was meant to cut. Under a line, everything would be split.

    The world itself was split, when one thought about it.

    Everything had more than one side to it. What his master had taught Reynard was to simply use his sword to seek these lines.

    If anything was truly whole, it would never be able to be cut down, would never be able to be split. Therefore, when Reynard saw the beast in front of him, he saw an obstacle, and, like all obstacles, Reynard could use his sword to split it and get past it.

    It was a simple logic, a simple way to look at the world. Nevertheless, it still had its nuances and complexities. Furthermore, to apply such logic, to live that way, there was a single requirement: strength.

    Reynard Stark was strong. Far stronger than any of his peers in the sect, and most likely stronger than all of the inheriting disciples, as the ones most likely to succeed their sects were called.

    Reynard had defeated Alden Bren from the Southern Flame Sect when Alden challenged him to a duel. He had also defeated Jake Meyer when Reynard himself issued the challenge.

    Reynard never fought with Anna Hale and never intended to do so and, no matter how much he tried, Derek Tyrell always avoided his challenges. Therefore, he could not proudly say he had indeed defeat all of them.

    Nevertheless, Reynard was confident that he could defeat them all if they ever fought. All he had to do was to draw lines. All he had to do was show them that they were not whole. All he had to do was show them that they could be divided, that there was a weakness Reynard could exploit in them.

    They did not matter in the end. There was only one person that Reynard was worried about defeating, and he did so day after day.

    The only person Reynard Stark cared in defeating was himself.

    As he was the strongest, surpassing his own limits would make him even stronger. It was as simple as that.

    Reynard walked for what seemed to be hours until he finally saw himself close enough to the mountain range to get a proper look. The mountains all seemed to have the exact same size, but all of their peaks were hidden in the white vortex formed by the convergence of the clouds and winds.

    They hulked over the horizon, so massive Reynard could feel pressure by simply looking at them. The mountains were smaller than Hell''s Keeper Mountain and the Roaring Mountain that served as headquarters to the Sacred Sect of the West, but seeing so many of them so close to each other in the mountain range gave a feeling that no lone mountain could give.

    He smiled lightly as he continued moving forward. He emptied his mind as he walked, in silent meditation. He always did his best to maintain his peak state, no matter the occasion. It was also a good way to make use of the time he had to spend travelling to the mountain range.

    Allowing himself a break would be unforgivable. It meant that, even if he wanted to continue, his body or at least part of his mind wanted to stop. There would be a division, a line between those parts of him. There would be a weakness.

    As such, Reynard always moved forward, never looking back. His eyes were also never on the ground or on the horizon. He walked with his head held high, always gazing at the peak.

    He would not, he could not accept anything else. That place was his alone. It did not matter how many years it took, how many times he would have to defeat himself to reach it, or how many more times he would need to defeat himself to stay on it. The peak was his, and no one else''s.

    He patted his Bottomless Pouch, taking a new sword from it. It certainly paled in comparison to the sword he got from the treasure trove, but it was still a high-grade artifact. Its blade was slightly curved, and gave a cold, metallic luster as the light reflected on it.

    It was a single-edged sword, wielded by a single-minded person. Reynard only knew of one more person that used a sword like that, and he was certainly an obstacle Reynard would have to draw a line on eventually.

    Reynard could not help but give a cold smile as he thought of him. The time would surely come, and it would not take too long.

    As he got ever closer to the mountain, Reynard saw a building in the distance. Its red walls glowed with a bright light, contrasting with the darkness of the mountains under the perennial shadow of the vortex of clouds. It shone like a beacon of light in the shade, and so Reynard knew that he had to go there.

    It was a simple building with a single floor. Compared to the mountains behind it, the building was like a speck of dust. If it were not by its bright light, Reynard would probably have missed it entirely.

    He walked to it, standing in front of a simple door made of wood. It was a plain door, but had no flaws at all. It seamlessly aligned with the frames, and the frames seemed to somehow meld in the red walls of the palace. It was a simple design, but the artisanship used was certainly not ordinary at all.

    Reynard, however, did not bother. He simply opened the door and got inside the building.

    He was greeted by a spacious, and empty, hall. There was nothing on it but the dark tiles of the floor, the glowing red walls and the ceiling. Snorting loudly, Reynard walked to the center of the hall with an annoyed face.

    "Do you mind explaining?" He asked in a clearly impatient tone. His voice echoed through the hall, turning fainter and fainter as it repeated itself many times over.

    He might seem like a crazy person for asking a question to an empty hall but, surprisingly, a voice answered. It was a crisp, chilling voice that pierced the ears.

    "You will have to wait for the others." The voice said in a cold tone. "The third Trial will start when everyone gathers."

    The hall sank in silence again and the voice did not speak anymore. Reynard did not bother complaining. It would be a waste of his time and a waste of the Guardian''s time. He might as well keep silent and meditate.

    He sat in the center of the hall crossing his legs. He took a deep breath, adjusting his mind. As he was about to enter a deep meditative state, however, he heard the door opening again.

    He opened his dark eyes, and saw a slender and elegant figure entering the empty hall. Her silky black hair fell behind her shoulders like a waterfall, and her blue clothes gave her an air of elegance that could not be hidden.

    It would certainly make for an extremely beautiful figure, but Reynard never had the pleasure to confirm it, because his vision had always been blocked. The face of the young woman that just entered was shrouded in a white mist, shielded from prying eyes, as it had ever been.

    He stood up, patting his yellow clothes and dusting them before slowly approaching the young woman, not hiding his satisfaction at all.

    "How have you been, dear?" Reynard Stark, the inheriting disciple of the Roaring Mountain Sect asked with a smile as he faced Anna Hale, the inheriting disciple of the Noan River Sect.

 74 Those at the Peak I

    Anna frowned in disgust as she heard Reynard''s words. He, of course, could not see it, but the way her body suddenly tensed and her silence were enough for him to understand her feelings. Nevertheless, he was not bothered at all. His smile even widened.

    "As cold as always, I see." Reynard said, never taking his eyes from her. "Well, I suppose it is fair for you to act like this while you have the chance."

    Anna did not answer, but the air around her turned colder. A faint mist spread through the hall and Reynard''s breath started condensing in the air. He raised a brow as he faced Anna, but said no more. Still smiling, he simply shook his head and retreated.

    "Have it your way, then." He said, shrugging.

    "Believe me, I will." Anna''s voice echoed through the hall, as cold as the air surrounding her as she finally broke her silence. Reynard''s smile faded away and a frown appeared on his face as he looked at her. There was something different about her, but he could not quite see what it was. This feeling made Reynard somewhat uncomfortable.

    He opened his mouth to say something, but changed his mind and closed it again. He shook his shoulders and returned to the place he choose to meditate at before Anna appeared. He sat with his legs crossed and closed his eyes, not bothering anymore.

    Anna Hale would not be able to change anything. She was the inheriting disciple of the Noan River Sect, and as such, there were some matters she would never be able to avoid. Their situation was one of such matters. Inheriting disciples had to consider the sect''s circumstances before their own and, if the Roaring Mountain Sect and the Noan River Sect wanted to strengthen their relationship, Anna and Reynard could only abide to the Sect Masters'' wills.

    Reynard emptied his mind, forgetting about such matters. He wasn''t worried at all about it. The agreement between the sects meant nothing for him, it was but a necessary burden he would have to bear during his climb, nothing more.

    Anna''s attitude, however, made something churn inside of him. Her coldness and her strong opposition to him¡­ he saw it as a challenge. The finger in his right hand twitched somewhat, as if they yeaned for the sword hanging from his back. He could see the line that divided Anna very clearly, and he really wanted to draw it.

    He however, knew it was nothing but a personal interest. He liked to defeat strong people, using a sword or not. He also knew that there was no need to do such things. Anna herself was aware of that line, and Reynard could see throughout the years how it had been slowly eating away at her.

    Now, however, it was different. It was just a feeling, a guess, but Reynard thought that the line had blurred somewhat. No, rather than that, one side of her seemed to be slowly consuming the other.

    With a long breath, Reynard expelled such thoughts away from his mind, and entered a deep state of meditation. In absolute silence, he stood in the middle of the hall, like a rock.

    Anna gave him a glance full of disdain and disgust before she walked to a corner and started meditating too. The hall sank into silence yet again, as the distant figures of the two turned unmovable.

    At that moment, the door opened for a third time, and a small figure made its way inside. His clothes were pitch black, and his messy hair was of a bizarre ashen color. His golden eyes shone like lanterns under the red glow of the walls, and they quickly moved around as the figure scouted the hall.

    "A young man and woman¡­" Amon though as he looked at Reynard and Anna meditating silently in the hall. They were most likely the two that the beast had spoken about. He gave Anna a more careful look, as the mist covering her face attract his attention.

    He stood there in a daze, as if hypnotized, when he felt the air turning cold. His hair stood on end and he saw the girl moving her head. Somehow, he was sure she was glaring at him with a piercing gaze. His ears reddened as he embarrassedly moved his gaze away.

    Amon made his way into another empty corner and sat, somewhat distraught. He took a few breaths to calm himself and soon started to meditate like the other two. If both of them were waiting silently, then it made sense that he should too.

    What made Amon confused, however, was why they were all gathering in the same place. The Hellblaze Trials were supposed to be individual, and he had not met anyone else in the Hellblaze Secret World until now. Was the Trial of the Heart going to be different in some way?

    As he was thinking, the door opened for a fourth time, and Jake entered the hall. When he saw Reynard, his eyes blazed with competitiveness, but he did not utter a word. He gave Anna a glance before turning his head and seeing Amon.

    Jake could not hide the surprise in his eyes at all when he saw Amon standing in the same hall with them. Not only that, Amon had arrived before him. This was quite a shock to him.

    Nevertheless, Jake''s surprise was a pleasant one. He put on a genuine smile as he quietly approached Amon, sitting not so far from him and entering meditation as well.

    The door opened again violently, as if someone had kicked it open, and another person entered in the hall. The four cultivators inside opened their eyes with an annoyed expression as they glared at the newcomer.

    The fifth person to enter was the tall youth of the Southern Flame Sect that had been publicly reproached by Baldwin when he asked about the Storm Peak Sect''s members. He had a dark-red hair that made Amon remember the red wine he drank with Daniel, and a solid body barely hidden by a set of fiery red clothes. His features were sharp and defined, giving him a very stout look.

    "God damn it, I can''t believe I was the last of the four of us to arrive." He said in a disappointed voice. He looked a somewhat angry as he looked around, but was most likely angry at himself. When his gaze landed on Amon, his brows perked up.

    "And who the hell are you?" He asked in a surprised tone. His words were disrespectful, but he looked genuinely surprised. At a glance, Amon could see that he was not a bad person, but he surely spoke before he thought of the words he would use.

    "Amon, from the Abyss Sect." Amon answered simply, sustaining the youth''s gaze.

    "Great! I am Alden Bren, from the Southern Flame Sect!" Alden proclaimed his name almost shouting as he opened his arms. Anna rolled her eyes behind the misty veil and Jake gave a wry smile. Reynard however, was not very enthusiastic.

    "We get it Alden, it is you. Now be quiet for once, would you?" Reynard spoke in a cold voice, not trying to hide his annoyance in the least.

    Alden looked around and seemed to finally realize that all of them had been meditating. His shoulders drooped and he grumbled to himself as he dejectedly walked to an empty corner to sit at.

    Time slowly passed as more and more cultivators arrived. Joshua, Karen, Skylar and Evan all managed to reach the third Trial. Daniel too managed to arrive after some time, being the twentieth person to pass the second Trial. He quietly sat down close to Amon and Jake as they all awaited for the remaining participants to arrive.

    Amon, however, did not see any more of the Body Tempering disciples of the Abyss Sect. This was, however, still a great result. The Southern Flame Sect had no more than five disciples reaching the Trial of the Heart, and the Storm Peak Sect had only three.

    The Noan River Sect, however, had eight disciples, and the Roaring Mountain Sect had nine. In total, thirty-one participants had gathered in the red hall close to the monumental mountain range that lied in the center of that world.

    The moment the last of the thirty-one cultivators arrived, the walls of the hall shone brightly and the same voice that answered Reynard before echoed in the ears of all the present.

    "Since all of the remaining participants are gathered together, we shall start the Trial of the Heart." It proclaimed, in a crisp, cold tone that was awfully familiar to Amon.

 75 Those at the Peak II

    Amon felt that the cold and crisp voice was very familiar. If that voice was from the Guardian, and if he was indeed right about its identity, then the things Amon did, heard and said in the last Trial were even more important than what he had thought. Nevertheless, he was sure of one thing: the Guardian certainly had a purpose to gather them all together for the last Trial.

    The red walls of the hall began to tremble fiercely and started to crack. The floor under their feet quaked and the tiles broke apart. The ceiling was blown away, and the walls started falling apart in huge chunks that disintegrated in the air as they fell.

    The participants bundled together closely to those of their own sect, soon being completely divided in five groups as the building collapsed.

    Just like that, the building that sheltered them had been ground to dust, leaving just a broken floor beneath their feet. It was quite the surprise for them. Most of the participants looked around with worried expression, as if waiting for something else to collapse.

    "Your task is very simple." The voice echoed again, jolting them awake. "All you have to do is reach the highest peak in this mountain range."

    "As long as you don''t break the rules of the Hellblaze Trials, you can use all means available to you." It spoke slowly, as if trying to make sure all of the thirty-one participants understood what it was saying. "What matters is only reaching the peak, nothing more and nothing less."

    The voice stopped speaking, and soon an uncomfortable silence took over the cultivators gathered. Only the sound of the wind blowing could be heard near the remains of the collapsed building.

    Jake looked upwards, as did the other inheriting disciples present. They had to reach the highest peak, but they could not see anything beyond the white vortex that overshadowed the mountain range. Nevertheless, it was not very hard to guess which would be the correct mountain to climb.

    The four of them seemed to reach the same conclusion as the set their gazes in the mountain right at the center of the vortex. The mountain that lied in the center of that world.

    As long as one was a proper cultivator, they would understand. The highest peak had always been the center of their world. Everything else depended on it, and moved towards it.

    Not only that, the Guardian had purposefully gathered all the participants together for one reason. His choice of words also seemed to be very deliberate. As long as they did not break the rules, everything was valid.

    As the four of the inheriting disciples exchanged glances, they all understood it, and the atmosphere suddenly turned even tenser.

    Everyone stood completely still, barely being able to breathe as a silent pressure seemed to fall over every one of the participants. Reynard had his right hand over his shoulder, gripping the hilt of his curved sword. Anna and Alden had their arms relaxed at the sides of their bodies, but the air around them was distorting as they silently gathered Qi.

    Jake had a deep frown on his face as he held the grip of the red saber hanging from his waist with his right hand. Very slowly, he sent a meaningful glance to Karen, Joshua, Evan and Skylar that stood on guard by his side. He then extended a finger in his right hand, lightly tapping the hilt of his saber twice. The other four gave an almost imperceptible nod as the heard Jake''s instructions.

    Even if it was a very and subtle light tap, the sound exploded like a thunderclap in the tense silence that had fallen over all of them.

    Hearing the taps, Anna slowly dragged her feet on the ground, adjusting her posture. The Noan River Sect''s disciples all tensed even further, unable to hide the anxiousness in their faces.

    Reynard smiled with disdain as he gripped his sword even tighter, and the Roaring Mountain Sect''s disciples all took a deep breath before raising their weapons.

    Surprisingly, Alden''s reaction was to stay still, not even moving. He had his eyes closed, and the disciples of the Southern Flame Sect all looked extremely relaxed compared to the others.

    The two disciples of the Storm Peak Sect stood back to back, looking very nervous as the wind made their green clothes flutter.

    Amon was also not moving among the members of the Abyss Sect. He had a displeased look on his face as he remembered the Guardian''s words. However, before he could think properly, one of the Noan River Sect''s disciple took a step forward as his whole body trembled. He was clearly incredibly nervous, and wasn''t able to deal with the tension.

    It all happened in a moment. Reynard''s smile widened as he stomped heavily on the ground, shooting forward like a cannonball as he unsheathed his sword with a fluid motion. It glinted ominously under the sunlight, making Amon shiver.

    "Now!" Jake shouted as he unsheathed his saber and a wall of raging fire sprang to life in front of him. The sudden heat sent a blast of hot air in all directions, raising a cloud of dust that blocked everyone''s vision.

    Karen took a step forward and waved her hands. A piercing howl echoed through the air as a blast of wind hit the wall of flames, sending them spiraling in Reynard''s direction. Amon could only see a smile of disdain in Reynard''s face before he was engulfed in the fire.

    ''BOOM!''

    With a deafening sound, the ground quaked violently.

    Amon lost his balance and almost fell to the ground.Rather than stopping, however, the quaking got worse. Gritting his teeth, Amon managed to stay on his feet as he drew Windhowler with a piercing trill.

    "Come on, don''t stand there!" Someone called out to him, and Amon recognized Evan and Skylar running to his direction with Daniel.

    "What about the others?" Amon asked in a hurry.

    "They are just buying time!" Skylar answered, grabbing Amon''s clothes and almost dragging him with her before he managed to properly turn and run with them.

    "We were lucky that we were standing in that side of the building in the first place." Evan murmured as he stomped the ground with violence, speeding up even more. "Our group was the closest to the mountain range; we got a good advantage there."

    They had an advantage because no one stood between them and the mountain range, while the other four groups had to get past them to get there using the shortest path. Jake had decided to stay behind with Joshua and Karen so he could hold the others back as much as possible to properly make use of the advantage they had.

    Amon looked back and saw flashes of fire raging wildly as the wind howled and the ground rumbled. Streams of water pierced the air, some travelling upwards and dispersing in a weak rain.

    A faint mist started spreading through what was now a crater rather than the remains of the building. The mist was being blown away by the wind and the fire before forming again as the humidity in the air increased. The sounds turned even louder as the fight seemed to turn fiercer and the clash of the elements intensified.

    Amon was sure that all of the other groups were fighting amongst themselves too and not only trying to get past Jake, Joshua and Karen. The problem, however, was that he did not know why a fight had broken out.

    "I don''t mean to sound inconvenient, but why is all of this happening?" Amon asked in a hesitant tone.

    "You don''t understand the situation?" Daniel asked while raising a brow. The fierce winds made his black hair whip wildly as he turned to look at Amon.

    "This is a race, Amon." Daniel said in a serious tone.

    There was no other explanation. The Guardian gathering all of them together and setting the highest peak as the objective, and even allowing all available methods to be used, all of it pointed to the Trial of the Heart involving a competition to the top of the highest mountain.

    A race to the top of the world.

    The Hellblaze Secret World was, after all, a world of cultivators. More than that, it was the world they lived in.

    In one way or the other, cultivators were all racing to some sort of peak, a place were they could stand above all else.

    For them, anothing was more important then the climb.

    When Amon heard Daniel''s explanation, his eyes dimmed somewhat, and he couldn''t hide his disappointment.

    If all of the present had arrived at the same conclusion, than maybe that white beast had been right. This was the kind of cultivators that existed nowadays.

    Amon wanted to laugh. The Guardian of the Hellblaze Secret World was surely a very cunning and cruel being. To lead them all into this fight was a very twisted thing to do.

    No, this was wrong.

    Maybe cultivators were cunning and cruel beings. The Guardian had only chosen the precise words that would lead people with a certain mindset to the same conclusion.

    Amon shook his head. The Guardian himself had said it. All that mattered was to reach the peak, nothing more and nothing less.

    This race, this fight, was nothing but an illusion the participants had created themselves. They were standing on their own way.

    He could only sigh. This was not a race he would be taking part of. If he needed to reach the peak in order to move on, he would do so in his own terms, at his own pace. His cultivation was his alone.

    Amon remembered the words the beast said as it looked at him with a serious gaze in its icy eyes. Every time he though about them, he felt he understood it a bit more.

    In the end, it was all relative.

 76 Those at the Peak III

    The Hellblaze Trials did not require strength. It had never been about combat, and that was a well-known fact since centuries ago. There were some slight changes to the Trials from time to time, but their purpose had always been the same.

    The Trials were deeply personal, so telling someone how to act in a few of the common situations in the Trials would be counter-productive. Most of the Elders and High Elders of the Five Sacred Sects even went out of their way to avoid giving detailed information to the participants of their sect.

    Even if someone got detailed information, however, it would not be of great help. The Guardian was not someone easy to fool. He would know when people were following a script rather than thinking on their own. Their rewards would be decreased and the participant would not get any personal benefit at all. It would be waste.

    Getting rewards was good, but knowing yourself was far better. With this mindset, it was rare for any information about the Trials to be passed on, except what the purpose of the Trials were. This was a consensus of sorts.

    That being the case, it was expected that the smart people in that collapse building would know that this was a trap set up by the Guardian. It was a deliberate choice of words on his part that give space to an interpretation of the Trial of the Heart that would lead to unnecessary competition.

    The Trial of the Heart was made to peer into the psyche and mindset of the participants. In truth, it was fair to say it had started from the moment they set their foot on the gateway to the Hellblaze Secret World.

    Jake Meyer knew that all of that, as did Anna Hale, Alden Bren and Reynard Stark.

    This fight was pointless, or it should have been.

    In the world of cultivators, however, such things were the norm. As long as one person chose a path of conflict, others would inevitably be dragged into it.

    Their world was all about strength, after all. The weak had no place in such a world so, when someone decided that something was worth a fight, others would have to fight too and be sure to not fall behind. A single spark could light a wildfire.

    The Trial of the Heart should not have been a race, all things considered, but it was open to interpretation. That opening was enough for it to become a race. All because a single person chose the path of conflict, as the other three knew he would. Worst of all, neither of the three were confident in stopping him.

    Reynard Stark had been the first to attack, and he had not stopped attacking since his first charge towards Jake and the members of the Abyss Sect.

    The earth would quake and rumble at each step Reynard Stark took. His steps seemed to be incredibly heavy, but were also fluid and nimble. He slid through the battlefield, as if the earth itself was aiding him, giving him a dangerous combination of sheer strength and agility.

    He had a wild smile on his face as he promptly dodged a wisp of fire thrown at him and slammed into the cultivator that had thrown it, sending him tumbling back. He turned around and saw Alden and the Southern Flame Sect disciples all as composed as they were before, simply defending themselves and not striking back. A surprisingly cool-headed decision made by Alden.

    Reynard frowned slightly as he saw it. Of all people, he did not expect Alden to be keeping his calm in such a situation.

    "Stop wasting time!" Anna shouted as she waved her hands. The air turned colder, and the mist that was taking over the crater turned even denser. More than that, it seemed to contain substance, as if it was some kind of viscous barrier.

    "Disperse and go to mountain!" She instructed with authority. The clashing sounds seemed to diminish somewhat, and the mist slowly started to fade away. The Noan River Sect''s disciples were nowhere to be seen.

    Jake clicked his tongue twice before turning around and leaving, followed closely by Joshua and Karen. Their job had been done. They were somewhat haggard and their clothes were a mess, but they were all unscathed. They rushed to the mountain at full speed, not wasting time looking back.

    "I''ll give a special prize to the first one to reach the top!" Alden shouted to the members of his sect as they too left the fight and sped up to the mountain. If Reynard wanted competition, Alden would gladly give it to him.

    The two disciples of the Storm Peak Sect were long gone, disappearing with the wind as soon as Anna made her move. Only the Roaring Mountain Sect members remained in the remains of the battlefield.

    "You all know what to do." Reynard said in an indifferent voice. All of the remaining eight disciples gave him a slight nod before speeding off to the distance.

    Reynard Stark knew very well that his actions were not considered ''ideal'' by the Guardian or Arthur Royce. Nevertheless, it did not matter. He never cared about the Hellblaze Trials in the first place.

    As he remembered the burning look of rage in the eyes of the Southern Flame Sect''s disciples as they left, he couldn''t help but smile. He couldn''t see the expressions of the others, but he knew his task was done, even if Anna had ended his fun earlier than he thought.

    Reynard Stark had a few things to take care of in the Hellblaze Trials, and one of them was to disrupt the competition. This show he started had been nothing but a way to disturb all of the present. A way to affect their mood, their mindset.

    Even if Alden had made a good decision in sparing the strength of his group during the fight before by simply defending, he had still gladly taken up the challenge Reynard had set, and his companions were surely very enraged at Reynard.

    Jake Meyer too, had taken up the challenge. All of the decisions he had made, considering the context, had been right, but Jake taking up his bait was itself a mistake. He was still too green, too prideful.

    Alden had been that way his whole life, and would hardly change. In fact, his mindset was most likely not affected at all, simply stimulated. Jake, on the other hand, had lost his cool and let the emotions make the call for him. He did not want to lose to Reynard again, so he accepted the challenge, even if he knew it was wrong.

    Anna too, had most likely taken the bait. Reynard had taunted her before, and given their own circumstances, there was no way she would let him show himself superior to her in any way, no matter how meaningless it might be. She too, had probably fallen in the trap because of her pride.

    Pride was without a doubt one of the strongest sparks one could use to start a wildfire in the world of cultivators.

    The Storm Peak Sect''s members were simply irrelevant. If Derek Tyrell was not involved, Reynard had no interest at all in them. He was, however, interested on the reason he and the other three did not show up. Something on Derek simply did not click.

    Reynard never managed to understand him the way he understood the others. He couldn''t see the lines that divided him.

    Such thoughts, however, had no importance right now. All that Reynard was concerned about was if the stance of the Roaring Mountain Sect would affect the others throughout the duration of the Trial of the Heart. His companions constantly pressuring the others would surely help the effects last, but it all depended on the inheriting disciples, after all, and how much they were affected.

    Even if it disrupted their mindset just a tiny bit, even if the end result was meaningless in the Hellblaze Trials, it was worth it on the long run. Reynard was planting a seed, nothing more. What was lacking, however, was the event that would make the seed germinate.

    After that, no matter how many years it took, a flower would eventually bloom.

    Reynard looked up at the gigantic vortex of clouds that overshadowed the mountain range. That vast expanse of pure white reflected in his dark iris, and he gave a savage smile. He couldn''t see it, but he set his eyes in the position where he imagined the peak would be. Even if it was meaningless, he would get there first.

    Not only because he wanted to, but also because he had to.

    His master had ordered him to do it, after all.

 77 Those at the Peak IV

    Daniel, Amon, Evan and Skylar were running to the mountain range at full speed. Their steps were light on the ground, and they were already under the shade under the vortex of clouds. The mountain in front of them seemed to grow more massive at each step they took, standing stout and unsurmountable in front of them.

    They rushed ahead in complete silence. Amon had a deep frown on his face. He had been like that ever since he heard Daniel''s explanation. No matter what he said, however, was useless. Jake had made a call, and they would follow through with it.

    Amon understood their logic, as well as Jake''s, but it still bothered him deeply. He could not accept such a thing. He knew the world was like this, but as long as there was another way other than conflict, he would take it.

    This single-minded pursuit of strength and the pride of cultivators was what had twisted this world in the first place. It turned into a vicious cycle that few could escape from; as the weak had no choice but be trampled upon or to trample others to obtain the strength they needed just to survive.

    As such, well-intentioned people would eventually be killed or change their ways. Either way, this world would consume them. A world of mindless devouring rather than creation. A world like this would eventually fall apart, unless a balance of some sort was met.

    What would that balance be?

    Amon was not sure. He also did not mind it much. It was not truly of his concern as of now. His reason for cultivation was very simple, so he would keep his methods and objectives simple. He did not have to worry about anything else.

    The moment Amon found his reason to cultivate as he looked at the red clouds in the dead world he already had decided to tread a different path from the other cultivators. His conviction was later reinforced by his conversation with the white beast at the forest.

    This was a world he could not accept, but was also a world he could not change.

    As Amon was reflecting, they finally arrived at the foot of the mountain. He snapped out of his thoughts and looked ahead. The mountain had no vegetation on it. There was also no snow as far as Amon could see. It was simply a horrendous mass of gravel, gargantuan rocks and gigantic cracks and crevices, forming together into an abhorrent whole that stirred one''s mind. It was surprising that a grey abomination like that could reach for the heavens above, piercing the pure white clouds in the sky.

    The four exchanged glances, and, as they were about to rush again, Amon stopped on his tracks. He looked at Evan, Skylar and Daniel and took a deep breath.

    "I am sorry, but I won''t follow you in this rush." He said, shaking his head.

    "Are you kidding me?" Evan asked, not hiding the anger that started to distort his expression.

    Skylar said nothing, simply giving Evan a light tap on the shoulder as she looked at Amon with a piercing glance. He sustained her gaze, not showing hesitation or regret at all. Skylar shook her shoulders and turned away.

    "Amon, why¡­" Daniel was dumbstruck. He looked at Amon with his mouth agape, but when he saw the resilient look in those golden eyes, he sighed.

    "Are you sure about this?" Daniel asked with concern in his voice.

    "I am." Amon answered with no hesitation at all as he looked at Daniel with an apologetic smile. "I think it would be better for me to deal with this my own way."

    Daniel looked at Amon for a long while, as if trying to see through him. In the end, he simply patted Amon''s shoulder as his expression eased.

    "If you are sure then it is fine." He said with a smile.

    Daniel would not question Amon''s decision. He had decided not to do so long ago, when Amon he offered Amon wine during the Promotion Competition. He would not be able to take care of him all his life, and the Hellblaze Trials were personal, after all.

    "Come on, Daniel." Skylar called, seemingly anxious. They could hear a faint rumble in the distance, as well as almost imperceptible clashing sounds and shouts. "They are getting close."

    "As long as you believe this is the right decision, I''ll support you." Daniel sent Amon one last glance as he tightened the grip over his shoulder. It was a warm grip, and a gesture of affection. Amon looked up and saw the genuine smile on Daniel''s face.

    "Good luck, Amon. I''ll see you at the peak." With one last smile, he turned away, rushing forward with Evan and Skylar.

    Amon looked at Daniel leaving, and for some reason his chest felt heavy. The anxiousness he felt when he first saw the gateway to the Hellblaze Secret World seemed to be stirring again, churning in the depths of his mind.

    The sounds of fights coming from the distance were turning louder and louder as time passed. Amon shook his head vigorously, trying to clear his mind. He looked up, at the white vortex that devoured the peaks of the mountains, and he could not sort out his emotions.

    He looked back, and saw a few tiny dots rushing at his direction. Other challenger were approaching the mountain.

    He frowned for a moment, before turning away and rushing off. He, however, was not running towards the mountain. Rather, he was moving to the side, trying to avoid other cultivators and their conflict. It was the only way to get some peace in his climb.

    He did not know for how long he had walked. The breeze that never seemed to stop ruffled his ashen hair, and the green grass was tousled as Amon stepped on its blades. He had no set destination; he only wanted to avoid trouble.

    At some point, he stopped. He closed his eyes, and focused. He could feel the cold touch of the air in his skin. He could feel the light tingling in his head as the breeze messed his hair. He could hear the faint rustling of the grass.

    There was nothing else. No one was in view, and no sound of conflict could reach him. Now, there was only him and the mountain. As it should have been from the start.

    Cultivation was, after all, deeply personal.

    He doubted that one day the mountain would turn any less horrendous in his eyes. The world around it was so beautiful, but the mountain was so disconnected from it, so disjointed, that Amon could not find any way to appreciate it.

    Amon looked up again, having to bend his body backwards just to properly see the white vortex that cast a shade over him and blocked his view of the peak.

    Unknowingly, his body had turned tense. He started lightly shaking his limbs to loosen them a bit.

    Climbing this mountain would bring no joy at all.

    Maybe at the peak he would be able to properly appreciate the vast expanses of beauty this world offered him, and it would be worth it.

    Maybe the peak would be so high that he would not be able to see any of it, and it would be worthless.

    Nevertheless, there was only one way to find out.

    Amon took a deep breath, and started his long climb.

 78 Those at the Peak V

    Amon was panting heavily as he climbed the mountain. His absorption of Qi was suppressed just like it had been in the Trial of the Will. He could only rely on his body, and even so, it did not seem to be enough.

    His Body Tempering did not seem to matter one bit, as exhaustion crept upon him after just a few minutes. Sweat covered his red face and his clothes were clinging to his body.

    The mountain was very steep, so it was hard to find a path to climb where he could rely on his legs alone. He had to use his arms to pull himself up, and all that he could himself into was a sharp rock peeking out of the mountain, or a narrow crack where he could stick his fingers into.

    It was not an easy climb at all. His fingers and hands were full of deep cuts from where the blood flowed profusely, sticking to his arms and falling on his face if he was not careful. More than anything, it hurt a lot. Every inch Amon climbed upwards meant holding himself into what seemed more like a dagger''s blade than a proper support for his hands.

    Climbing the mountain was suffering. It was a very slow and painful process, and the higher he climbed, the harder it became. When Amon could not go on any longer, he would find a place where he could properly step, and carefully hug the wall of the mountain to take a deep breath and recover his stamina.

    It was, however, incredibly hard to find such places, and they were turning rarer and rarer as Amon climbed. He was sure that at some point, there would be no return. He would either reach the peak in a rush or fall off and die.

    Cultivation was like this, after all.

    Amon was no longer sure how high he had climbed, nor how much more he had to climb. All he could do was look up and search for the next sharp protrusion he had to hold in other to climb further. His fingers and hands were incredibly pale due to the effort and the blood loss, and all of his limbs trembled nonstop due to the exhaustion, making his climb even harder.

    Ever so slowly, the white vortex of clouds was turning closer. Like a solid wall, it blocked his view from what lied beyond. Amon was not sure what he would find there, but he could only hope for the best.

    The speed at which he climbed fell at a rate even steeper than the mountain itself. He was no longer sure how much he would be able to continue. His arms and legs were burning in pain, and he couldn''t feel his fingers anymore.

    Some of the blood flowing through his arms had dried, and it glued his clothes to them, making it even harder for Amon to move his weakened limbs. He had no idea how he was still managing to continue his climb, even if his pacing almost came to a halt.

    He wasn''t looking up anymore. His neck was hurting too much for him to move it in a way that would allow Amon to look directly up. All he could do was stretch his arms and slowly try to find by touch a place to hold. He, however, realized that a faint mist covered his surroundings, and the temperature was dropping. He surely was close to the white wall of clouds.

    Like that, he raised his arms again, almost not managing to bear its weight, and reach above. He managed to stretch his arm with great difficulty. The moment he moved it to where the wall was, however, he felt nothing but a refreshingly cold sensation on his arm.

    Surprised, Amon looked up, gritting his teeth and bearing the piercing pain that came from his neck. Directly above him, there was only a endless, almost solid expanse of white. Amon could only see the elbow of the arm he had extended. His hand and forearm had been swallowed by the white wall.

    He reach out again, and felt nothing above him. His eyes shone with sudden relief as Amon realized what was happening. He slowly descended his arm as he moved it forward, searching for something.

    A weak spark flashed in his already dim eyes as his hands finally reached an edge. Amon had been right. There was levelled ground above him.

    Mustering all of his strength, he gave a shout with a hoarse voice as he dragged his weary body upwards. First were his arms, then, his upper body. As he dragged his head over the edge, his vision was overtaken by a dense white mist. Nevertheless, he still had some sense of touch in his numbed body.

    With his lower body sticking dangerously from the edge, Amon wriggled his body and stuck his fingers on the ground, ignoring the pain as he pulled himself further into the safe haven he finally found.

    When his knees were finally in contact with the ground, he let his body loose, barely managing to turn on his back. He laughed like a lunatic with a hoarse and weak voice that turned fainter and fainter as Amon closed his eyes and started taking deep breaths.

    His body relaxed as he finally managed to rest. The exhaustion he barely managed to resist all this time started taking its toll. There might have been hidden dangers around, but Amon could not even lift a finger anymore. All he could do was fight back the urge to sleep as he slowly managed to catch his breath and recover some strength.

    ---

    "How interesting." Richard Layn couldn''t help but mutter as he looked at the pool made of the Ashen Heart Tree''s sap. "To think that the kid would get the lead."

    He shook his head lightly, making his white beard wave in front of his chest. He had a wry smile on his wrinkled face and his brow was raised. He cast a sidelong glance at the other sections of the pool. The thirty-one sections that were still glowing and showing images all showed scenes of conflict and struggles.

    The Roaring Mountain Sect disciples were constantly pressuring the other, throwing blasts of Elemental Qi at the ones ahead of them. It was very clear that most of the thirty-one would burn out before reaching the peak. They were forcing themselves to keep a pace they could not maintain due to the pressure, and this would come with a price.

    The inheriting disciples were not far behind Amon Kressler, but they were holding each other back constantly or at least they were, in the beginning. Now, however, they seemed to be too exhausted to do anything other than silently climb as they gritted their teeth. This, however, was still a race.

    Reynard had the lead and seemed to be slightly less exhausted than the others were. Richard found it amazing, considering that he had a late start. The four of them pushed it other to their limits, making their pace far faster than the other disciples, but it was doubtful any of them would tire out.

    The Elders from all sects other than the Roaring Mountain Sect had deep frown on their faces. They found the situation very displeasing, but could not say a word about it. It was, after all, the decision the disciples of their sect had made on their own. Even if the Roaring Mountain Sect had pressured them, they still could ignore the rush and follow their own pace.

    The only one who did so, however, was a Body Tempering brat that most of the present didn''t know about. Adding insult to injury, he was at the lead. He had no one to hold him back, and he had no one to break his pace.

    Richard gave Lars Borgin a sneaky glance. The Sect Master had a cold and indifferent expression as he looked at the pool, but Richard could see the slightest of frowns showing on his face. What caught his attention, however, was that he was not looking at Jake''s performance.

    Lars Borgin had his eyes fixed in Amon Kressler, and his frown seemed to be turning deeper and deeper as time passed.

    ---

    Amon did not know how long he had been resting for, but eventually he forced himself to move. His body seemed to be weighting a ton, and his movements were naturally sluggish, but he still managed to stand up.

    Even if the misty clouds surrounding him were thick, he could still faintly see his surroundings. His clothes were turning damp due to the humidity, and the temperature was low. His breath was condensing in front of him, dispersing in his white surroundings, barely visible.

    Dragging his feet, Amon moved on to the direction he believed the center of the mountain would be. The eye of the vortex.

    Suddenly, his steps came to a halt. His hair stood on end and his limbs started trembling.

    He felt his blood churning wildly inside him, and he started feeling a strange excitement. Unknowingly, his face started reddening, and his breath turned rough.

    Amon knew the feeling too well, but he could not understand how it was possible. This feeling, however, was even stronger than what he felt the last time. It was as strong as he remembered it being six years ago.

    His face distorted into a mask of hate and anger as he looked ahead.

    As he expected, a pair of golden eyes that glowed with a ferocious hostility appeared in the mist in front of him. The ground rumbled and a loud sound echoed as the beats stomped the ground and took a step forward.

    Its head surged from the mist like it surged from the trees of the Broken Forest that day.

    The head alone was his size, but Amon did not need to see the rest. He knew very well the size the beast had.

    Amon saw clearly the bright silver fur that covered the beast. It seemed to emit a pale light, covering the beast''s body in what looked like a beautiful moonlight, which only made the bright golden of its eyes seem even stronger, like a pair of blazing suns.

    The beast took another step forward and growled as it gazed at Amon. The fur on its back stood on end, and it lowered its upper body slightly, as if preparing to charge ahead.

    Amon extended his hands to his shoulder, and drew Windhowler with a piercing trill. His body was still numb, but his exhaustion seemed to fade away as adrenaline rushed through his limbs.

    He met the beast''s gaze, refusing to take a step back. There was no way he could outrun it anyway. This class 6 beast was known for its speed and agility.

    In front of Amon, surging from the mist, was a Silverback Wolf.

 79 Those at the Peak VI

    Amon looked at the Silverback Wolf preparing to attack him with a mix of emotions. He was trying very hard to keep his calm, but it was difficult to be rational in a situation such as this. Not because he felt his life was at danger, but because this was a trauma of his.

    He was feeling anger, regret and fear, as well as a strong sense of foreboding. In his eyes, the wolf seemed to grow even more, and his hands turned light. He looked down, and saw that Windhowler had disappeared.

    His fingers had turned shorter, and his hands had turned smaller. It was not the wolf that had grown; it was he that had returned to the way he was on that horrible day.

    A powerless, weak being that brought trouble for everyone around him.

    His lack of talent made his father give up on him and his family.

    His powerlessness and stubbornness condemned his mother to a crippled life, one that even after finding Lya he never managed to improve a single bit.

    Amon''s face paled as he realized what was about to happen.

    "No!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. His face paled and all of his others emotions were swept away by pure fright.

    "Stop this! NOW!" He screamed again, his voice high-pitched and juvenile as he pleaded desperately. Suddenly, he heard hurried footsteps on his left, and his face pale even further.

    From the mist, she appeared. Donning stunningly red clothes, contrasted by her flowing golden hair and those fiery green eyes. She stood tall, beautiful and full of pride as she rushed in Amon''s direction. She had a sleek sword in her hand, as white as the clouds in the sky, and suffusing even whiter flames, so hot that Amon could feel the heat it emitted from dozens of meters away.

    When he saw her delicate face, her deeply worried expression and her gracious and hurried steps in his direction, Amon''s heart broke. He lost the last shreds of reason he had on him, and was overtaken by pure emotions. He did not want to live this again, no matter what. He would dearly use his life to stop what was about to happen if he had a chance to stop it.

    He gritted his teeth, looking at the Silverback wolf with a furious light shining in his golden eyes. Amon shouted as he threw himself at the beast. His ashen hair whipped again the wind as he traversed the air, and combining it with his savage expression and desperate shout made him look more like an animal than a human.

    The wolf looked at his direction uninterested, as if it could not see Amon at all. Just like that, Amon reached the wolf. The only way to save his mother was to remove himself from the battle that was about to happen. He would never be able to outrun the wolf, nor would his mother be able to do so holding him.

    That being the case, the only option he found was throwing himself to the wolf. This would surely break his mother''s heart, but for Amon it would be better than being crippled. She would eventually move on, become a High Elder, and maybe start a new family. One with which she could be truly happy.

    It was all his fault. Deep down, Amon knew it. He was better off dying right at this moment.

    He closed his eyes as he approached the Silverback Wolf''s open jaw, and those dagger-like fangs approached his face. He was ready to feel the piercing pain that would put his suffering to an end, and then¡­ he fell on the ground.

    He heard a roar behind him, and he turned back with a confused expression. His mother had her back facing the place where he had been standing, holding the sword with one hand and extending the other one behind her, as if pushing back someone that was not there.

    Amon rushed to the wolf again, trying to punch it and draw its attention. As if Amon was hitting nothing but the mist surrounding him, his hands went through the wolf, as if it was made by nothing but air. His confusion gave way to despair as he realized he could not do a thing.

    "Please stop!" He asked again, almost giving up hope.

    The young Rebecca''s movements were fluid and precise, but they were limited to a circle around the place Amon had been. Rebecca only moved to defend, not to attack.

    The world flashed as wisps of white flame covered Rebecca''s surroundings, trying to keep the Silverback Wolf at bay. It, however, was useless. The flames that Rebecca conjured were not strong enough to hurt the wolf, as they would also have hurt Amon otherwise.

    It was a drawn-out battle. Rebecca had crushed a jade token as soon as it started, but no one appeared in her rescue. She fought alone against a spirit beast that was close to her in strength, all while defending a child.

    The simple fact that she managed to hold on for so long was proof of her proficiency as a cultivator and a warrior. Nevertheless, help did not arrive on time, and the end became inevitable.

    Large beads of sweat glistened in Rebecca''s hair and face for but a moment before evaporating due to the heat. Her breath was rough and her limbs were trembling. The area surrounding her and Amon was no more than a wasteland by now, with everything in a radius of a hundred meters charred into unrecognizable chunks or turned into grey ash that floated in the air like snow.

    The Silverback Wolf had parts of his fur charred, and his front paw had a deep gash in it, making him limp. Still, it never stopped its crazed attacks, making Rebecca even more cornered as her strength faded.

    There was no way she would be able to win a fight of attrition with a spirit beast while protecting someone. The sword in her hands trembled and the flames started fading as Rebecca started running out of Qi.

    With an expression full of savagery and unwillingness, she slashed with her sword once more, sendinga burst of raging flames in front of her. This time, she not hold back at all. She focused all of her power in this strike, focusing and condensing her flames to the extreme.

    It was a strike filled with hostility. A desperate intent to kill its target. A strike that world burn the world and leave nothing more than cinders if it was necessary to kill the enemy in front of it.

    As soon as the strike was unleashed, Rebecca fell to her knees. She had been stalling for help that never came. All she could do was give her all and turn defenseless in a desperate attempt to kill the wolf.

    The wolf whined painfully as the strike hit it, opening a deep wound in its flank before charring it into a mess of burnt flesh and fur. The wolf''s beautiful silver fur was tainted black, and it was surely a grave injury.

    However, it was not enough.

    It growled again, limping even more emphatically than before. Seeing this, Rebecca''s already pale face turned deathly white. She somehow managed to stand up, supporting her weight on the sword that was stuck on the ground.

    Amon, that had been watching it powerlessly from the side, forced himself up again.His eyes were wide as he shouted and rushed to Rebecca. He managed to stand in front of her, facing the wolf. He opened his arms widely, trying to cover her whole body.

    However, it was not enough. It was useless.

    The wolf growled again, and jumped at the defenseless Rebecca, as if Amon had not been there at all. Amon felt a light wind hitting his body as the wolf passed through him, as incorporeal as ever.

    He closed his eyes tightly as tears streamed down his face. He fell to the ground, curling himself in a ball as he desperately tried to cover his ears.

    However, it was not enough.

    He still heard it. He heard the blood-curling scream his mother gave, he heard his own desperate screams, in the same juvenile voice he had that day. He heard the growling of the wolf, and he heard the horrifying sounds that came after.

    "Crunch, crunch!"

    It was the sound of bones breaking. The sound that the wolf made as it bit on legs, rupturing the flesh with its fangs, ripping muscles apart and grinding bones into powder.

    "I''m sorry." Amon cried desperately as he refused to look at the scene.

    However, it was not enough.

    The memories he had somehow managed to repress all those years all came back, as painfully clear as possible. Memories he could not escape from. A weight he would forever carry with him, holding him back, slowing him down.

    Amon did not know for how long he stood there, desperately trying to shut down his senses and hopefully pass out. Eventually, all sound had disappeared, but he could still hear it.

    "Why¡­" Was all he could manage to say.

    Why had this happened?

    What had he done to deserve this?

    What had his mother done for this?

    Why did help took so long to come that day?

    Amon knew the answer. He knew it very well. They were paying for the actions of someone else.

    Suddenly, he heard steps again. Heavy, confident footsteps that seemed to echo through the mist as if it was an empty room.

    Amon hesitantly opened his eyes. He saw a pair of black boots a few centimeters in front of him. He suddenly felt drowsy, and his body was aching miserably all over. He could not move at all, nor could he scream. Just like he had felt in his first Body Tempering. Just like he felt the night his black hair and eyes turned ashen and golden.

    His expression was a mask of anger and pain as he managed to keep his eyes open and slightly raise his head.

    What he saw was a pair of ravenous black eyes, as cold as a winter night. A hair darker than shadows reached the man''s shoulders as he squatted down to look at Amon with a indifferent expression.

    "Why?" He mustered all of his strength to utter the only question he had on his mind. The same question he asked that cold night. The answer he received was something that, deep down, he wanted to deny with all he had, even if he knew it was the truth.

    Those eyes turned even more ruthless, even more cold as the man''s expression remained surprisingly unchanged. The man slowly tilted his head down, approaching Amon.

    "Because you are weak." Lloyd Kressler said to his son, before standing up again and leaving.

    The black cloak that covered his body fluttered as he took unhurried steps outside, as if he was leaving an empty room rather than abandoning his son and his wife.

    In truth, the room might as well have been empty, because that day Amon realized that he and his mother had stopped existing for that man.

 80 Those at the Peak VII

    "Because you are weak."

    The words echoed inside Amon''s head as he dejectedly watched his father''s broad back moving away. His father never once looked back before he disappeared in the endless expanse of white that surrounded him, dispersing in the mist.

    The pain Amon felt in his body disappeared as Lloyd''s phantom left, fading along that horrible memory. Amon stood there, lying down on the ground with a blank look on his face.

    He realized he was his old self again, not the child of six years ago anymore. He looked up, trying to gaze at the skies. What he saw, however, was only a monochromatic white, a monochromatic emptiness.

    Yes, he was weak. It was something he had known all along, but deep down refused to accept. Even if he knew it was pointless, he still fought hard. Even if he knew it was useless, he still did his best at trying to cultivate. He had never given up.

    When he found Lya, when he saw that beautiful woman floating in front of him by the small lake, he knew he had a chance to turn his life around. He did not hesitate in asking Lya for help, no matter how bizarre or suspicious the circumstances were.

    At that point, he did not know what to do anymore. In truth, Amon had fallen to his despair long ago, even if he did not show it to anyone else. That was the reason why he followed Lya''s directions and advice without hesitation. He felt this was his only option, his only chance. As such, he held onto it tightly, never letting it go.

    He was willing to risk everything to prove his father''s words wrong.

    He was willing to risk everything to prove that he had worth.

    He was willing to risk everything to make his mother smile as she did in the past.

    No matter how much he convinced himself that this world was unfair, that it was twisted beyond repair, the fact would not change that he needed to be strong enough to pursue his objectives.

    As such, Amon decided to cultivate, because only cultivation would give him the strength he needed.

    "Because you are weak." His father''s words echoed from the mist again, reverberating in his thoughts, taking them over. Amon shook his head, and tried to clear his mind, but the voice would not go away.

    He was not weak. Not anymore. He had met Lya, he had undergone his Body Tempering and he was a Soul Cultivator. A Sword Cultivator. He was not weak. He was pursuing it already. He was pursuing the strength he needed. He was walking towards his goal, he was not stranded anymore, stuck with his despair in a limbo, a purgatory of mediocrity from which he would never escape.

    "Crunch, crunch!" That horrifying sound took over his father''s voice, alongside the screams that both he and his mother had given that day as the Silverback Wolf reached a defenseless Rebecca.

    "I am not weak!" He shouted to the skies, as a blazing fury burned in his golden eyes and his expression distorted into one of pure anger and denial.

    He started moving again, walking towards where he believed was the center of the vortex of clouds. The place where the peak was.

    "You are weak! You are weak! You are weak!" The voices said nonstop, coming from all directions. Mocking him. Looking down on him.

    "ENOUGH!" He shouted, extending his hand to his shoulder and drawing Windhowler. The blade hummed wildly, sending waves of sounds that fought back against the voice.

    However, it was not enough.

    Eventually, the humming stopped, and Amon had to hear it all again.

    "Crunch, crunch!"

    The sword in his hand started making clinking noises as Amon''s hands started trembling. His jaws were clenched so hard that they were starting to hurt, and his lips were turning pale from the excessive strength he used as he pursed them.

    "Because you are weak." This time, Amon clearly identified the origin of the voice. He raised his eyes, and saw a familiar silhouette standing ahead, covered in mist. He could not see it clearly, but he still could feel the cold indifference it exuded.

    His gaze turned sharp, and his grip on the sword tightened even more. Like slithering snakes, thin lines of light started spreading through the blade. With a blinding flash, a pale layer of light covered the sword.

    He was a Sword Cultivator. He refused to be weak, and he would do anything to prove his strength if it meant accomplishing what he wanted.

    "Because you are weak." The figure spoke again, but before it could finish Amon was already upon it and Windhowler was whistling through the air in a wild, violent slash.

    "SHUT UP!" He shouted at Lloyd. Lloyd looked at him with the same cold eyes, the same indifferent expression as ever. Windhowler descended with a dazzling light, hitting Lloyd''s shoulder and splitting him in half.

    Lloyd was still indifferent as he looked at Amon and his figure exploded in wisps of red mist that blew into Amon''s face. He felt something viscous in his skin, making his hair turn wet and cling to his face, staining his clothes and making them sticky and warm. However, he did not mind. Something else had caught his attention.

    In front of him, silhouettes started to silently form from the mist. Like statues, they stood in place, and like his father, they spoke the words that tore at his heart.

    "Because you are weak." They spoke as they stood on his way, blocking his path.

    Amon''s face distorted even more, the fire in his eyes turned even fiercer, and the trembling of his hands stopped.

    "Swish!"

    He slashed out with Windhowler, cutting a silhouette in half. More red mist exploded, tainting him even more. He took a step forward, facing another Lloyd.

    He was still the same, still looking at him with cold eyes and an indifferent expression, clad in black like a shadow.

    Why wouldn''t they stop?

    "Because you are weak." Lloyd said.

    "Swish!"Windhowler answered for Amon as he took yet another step forward.

    When was this going to end?

    "Crunch, crunch!" The mist answered, as if mocking Amon.

    "Swish!" Windhowler repeated, unyielding and unforgiving. However, it hit nothing, and the mist simply billowed away as the sword cut through it.

    "Why don''t you stop!?" Amon shouted in a desperate and confused voice.

    "Because you are weak." Lloyd said again, scorn appearing in his eyes this time as a mocking smile appeared on his lips.

    "Swooosh!" The Qi enveloping Windhowler seemed to change, turning more corporeal as it condensed into an edge over the sword.

    More red mist exploded, and Amon moved again. He felt he was stuck in an endless loop, an unending conversation that always went the same way.

    "Crunch, crunch!" The mist would say, and the screams of the young Amon and Rebecca would reverberate Amon''s ears.

    "Why?" Amon would ask, more and more desperate.

    "Because you are weak." Lloyd would answer.

    "Swoosh!" Windhowler would respond, making red mist explode and Amon take a step forward.

    Again and again, the same conversation would happen. Amon was stuck in a cycle he did not know how to avoid, and slowly he started to lose himself even further.

    He did not realize that, after some time, the voices had completely stopped, and the silhouettes forming from the mist were not even similar to Lloyd. They were not speaking to Amon, nor were they standing on his way.

    Nevertheless, the conversation never stopped for Amon. He could still hear his mother''s screams. He could still see his father''s cold face in every silhouette he put his eyes on.

    As long as the conversation continued, he would answer the same way he had been answering since the start. Red mist would explode, and he would move closer to the peak.

    For anyone else, however, this was not a conversation, but a monologue.

    "Swoosh!" The sword would say.

    A person would be cut down, and red mist would explode, tainting Amon even more. He had long since gotten used to whatever the red mist was, and never gave it any importance.

    Because of that, he never looked down to see the red droplets falling from his dirty clothes into the ground, forming a horrifying scarlet trail.

    Drenched in blood from head to toe, Amon continued walking.

    With no mercy nor distinction, his sword spoke to all that stood close to him in his path to the peak.

 81 Those at the Peak VIII

    Anna was looking up with a dejected expression as she climbed the mountain. This race, this mad rhythm they were following¡­ it was not what she wanted.

    Her hands and arms were covered in scratches, cuts and bruises. Her limbs were burning with pain and her body felt heavy. Her breathing was rough and she was exhausted. Still, she never stopped climbing, doing her best to not be left behind.

    She looked at Reynard in the lead, soon disappearing in the vortex of clouds that was right above them. She felt mixed emotions as she saw it.

    On one hand, she really wanted to defeat Reynard and prove to him and herself that she was above him. She wanted to prove that she was more than an asset to be used by their sects in a political maneuver.

    On the other hand, she was pushing herself to herself to her limit, and she was not sure if she would be able to keep up with the mad pace Reynard had set.

    Nevertheless, she would not give up. She refused to. Even if she lost, she would fight until the bitter end.

    Even if she lost, she would make sure the fire inside her had burned the fiercest. She would scorch in the earth the path she had treaded, making sure people never forgot her struggle.

    She looked down for but a moment. Jake and Alden were beneath her, but not by much. Her gaze, however, was set in the tiny dots far below her. She was looking at the companions she had left behind in the climb. The people she abandoned in her prideful decision.

    "I''m sorry." She said in a remorseful voice, before looking up again, to the barrier of white clouds that blocked her vision of the peak.

    She would never go down silently. Even if it was meaningless, she would always affirm herself.

    She raised a hand, tightly holding the silver ring hanging from her neck. Behind the perennial mist that masked her face, Anna''s blue eyes shone with fierce passion as she resumed her climb.

    She was done playing by other people''s rules.

    At once, she finally reached the clouds and she almost collapsed in the leveled ground that gave her a chance to rest. Her chest heaved up and down as she closed her eyes and forcefully tried to control her rough breathing.

    Her limbs were trembling and her clothes were drenched in sweat, her skin was flushed and her body was hot due to the effort. The cool mist that surrounded her was very refreshing, very comfortable as it helped cooling her down and recovering somewhat.

    After but a few moments, Anna forced herself to move again. She had no time to waste. She gritted her teeth as she hurried her steps. Her muscles were tense and her legs were rigid, about to cramp at any moment. Because of this, her movements were very awkward, but she never stopped.

    She tightly held the ring close to her chest, and her eyes grew fiercer as she moved forward.

    At that moment, however, the ground quaked. The mountain rumbled and the earth cracked, making Anna lose her balance.

    Tumbling back as she desperately tried to regain her footing, she saw a gigantic shadow looming over her. From the mist, a gargantuan figure was forming.

    It was at least one hundred meters high and two hundred meters wide. It was hard to make its precise shape due to its massive size, but Anna froze in place as she seemed to recognize what she was facing.

    The air turned unbearably cold. So cold that even Anna started trembling. The cracked ground turned muddy before a layer of ice covered it, and Anna''s surroundings started to slowly freeze, as if time had stopped.

    She looked ahead with an unyielding expression, as the horrifying cold penetrated her skin, chilling her to the bones and making her movements sluggish. There was no room for warmth in such a place.

    The fire inside Anna started flickering.

    A freezing wind blew in her direction as the figure moved. From the mist, a head surged. What seemed to be a pitch-black beak took form from the mist, adorning a mouth so big that it could swallow a hill. Full of cracks and marks, that sharp beak had a dangerous luster, and seemed to be able to easily snap a small mountain in half.

    A pair of enormous frosty blue eyes looked at Anna, surrounded by black scales that seemed more like armor plates. As it focused on Anna, the temperature fell even further, and a thin layer of frost started covering her.

    Her expression turned incredibly solemn, but her unyielding eyes were still the same.

    The flame was flickering in front of the cold, but Anna would never let it go out.

    She quietly sustained the gaze of the Godbeast that served as the Guardian of the Northern Continent, and the ultimate reliance of the Noan River Sect.

    The so-called Black Sovereign.

    ---

    Reynard was walking through the white mist on top of the mountain with confident steps. His yellow clothes were turning damp due to the humidity, but he did not pay it any mind. With his sword in hand, he walked forward, not caring in the slightest to his surroundings.

    He was certain that he would be the first to reach the peak. All of the other three inheriting disciples had been left behind in his crazy rush to the top. In truth, he felt somewhat disheartened. He had even given then a head start, but he still ended up easily taking the lead not long after.

    It was way too easy. There had been no real challenge. He played around with them for a bit, as if he was struggling as much as they were and attacking each other, but the situation never got out of his control. It was disappointing.

    It was boring.

    Reynard loved to win, loved to challenge others. As long as they were worthy opponents, that is. He found no pleasure in playing with the weak. It brought him no growth, it brought him no benefits. Playing with the weak would never help him turn stronger and, as such, he refused to do so.

    Even Anna Hale, who was clearly doing her best, was left behind. She was faster than Jake and Alden, but it was still not enough. More than anything, this had left Reynard with a bitter taste in his mouth.

    He knew the race was meaningless. He knew he had baited the others into it, but he still wanted it to be more interesting. There were some hard truths that he had to deal with, and one of those was that achieving strength was both a struggle against one''s surroundings and one''s self.

    What was the point of reaching the peak if everything would be so simple?

    What was the point of reaching the peak if he was not as strong as he believed he could become?

    It would be all meaningless, a waste. An empty victory that he would never be able to relish.

    Reaching the peak like this would never make him feel fulfilled. Reynard liked the struggle he had to go through to turn stronger. He loved it. This was probably the reason he was so strong in the first place.

    Thankfully, however, this world was filled with truly strong people. People he had not met yet. People he had not defeated yet.

    The thought alone made him tremble with excitement. Yes, he couldn''t waste time with the other inheriting disciples. There were too many lines he could draw on them. He was far above them now. This race just proved his point.

    His mission was partially complete and he confirmed his superiority. There was not much worth his attention in the Hellblaze Trials anymore, at least not until he reached the peak.

    Nevertheless, he still hoped that Anna would give him a pleasant surprise. The clear line that divided her before seemed to be fainter every time Reynard tried to probe her. She had found an interesting resolution in the Trial of the Will. He hoped it could bloom into something great someday, something that would give him the excitement he wished.

    He gave a faint smile as he walked forward. No matter how many victories he had, very few of them remained in his memories. His defeats, however, he remembered in detail.

    Only two people had defeated him during his life. Both of them being exceedingly strong, proving to Reynard just how weak he really was.

    That weakness, however, made him both bitter and glad.

    Being weak in front of others meant that he could grow stronger. There were more people he could pursue, more milestones in his journey.

    Being weak in front of others also meant just that. He was still weak; he was still far away from the peak.

    These different ideas might seem conflicting at first, but in truth, they complemented each other very well. Both of these feelings pushed Reynard in the same direction, both of them gave him the drive he needed to turn stronger.

    As Reynard moved, he heard light footsteps ahead of him. He stopped in place and raised a brow as a silhouette started forming in front of him.

    It took the shape of a tall man, fully clad in black and holding a dark, curved sword in his right hand. The sword had no guard, as if attacking was the only concern of the wielder. You would never have to defend if you were strong enough to obliterate your opponent before he could strike back, after all.

    "It is not enough." The man said in a cold voice as he looked at Reynard with an indifferent expression. "I truly don''t see how Master values you so much."

    As he saw the man, Reynard''s smile turned wider and a savage light lit in his dark eyes.

    In front of him was one of the two that had defeated him. The one Reynard wanted to draw a line upon so much that his hands started trembling in excitement.

    "What is this?" Reynard asked in a mocking tone at the figure that turned increasingly clear in front of him. Reynard had heard the words the figure spewed before. The man had said them right after he defeated Reynard years ago.

    It had not been a fair fight. It was never intended to be. Reynard had been utterly humiliated that day, and in front of his master, nonetheless. It had been a pure display of strength that put Reynard in his place, a moment of shame that branded him.

    This was what the Trial of the Heart was, after all. A trial were the cultivators had to face their traumas, their regrets, and show that it would never weight them down on their pursuit of the peak.

    A trial for cultivators to face the devils they carried in their hearts.

    A trial where their weaknesses would be exposed.

    A trial that would either break them or make them.

    "I am sorry, but you are not qualified to be my Heart Devil." Reynard said with a sneer as he waved the curved sword in his hands. A thin layer of light enveloped the sword forming a bright edge.

    Reynard took a step forward, and somehow seemed to be sliding through the ground as that single step made him move several meters. He appeared in front of the man clad in black as he slashed with his sword, splitting him in half in a fluid, calculated motion.

    The man exploded in a cloud of red mist that Reynard promptly dispersed with a wave of his sword, not letting it touch him at all.

    "At most you are a stepping stone, not something that will ever hold me back." Reynard scoffed and started walking forward again, as if nothing had happened in the first place.

    He might still be weak, but he would crush that weakness by himself. He refused to have regrets; he refused to be held back by things of the past. At most, they would push him forward.

    The only person he had to prove something to was himself, and no one else.

 82 Those at the Peak IX

    Anna looked at the humongous Godbeast staring at her with no shred of hesitation in her eyes. The chilling winds that hit her made her damp clothes freeze, holding her in place. A thin layer of frost covered her black hair, creating fragments of ice that glistened like stars under the faint light that managed to get through the mist.

    It made her unimaginably enchanting, but also unimaginably pitiful. Stuck in that layer of ice, she was unable to move. Her breaths condensed in front of her, and even with her control over Water Qi, she was unable to do a single thing to free herself.

    The layer of mist masking her face started to slowly fade away, as if being peeled off. Anna hurriedly revolved the Qi in her dantian, trying to remake the mask. Even if she couldn''t control the surrounding Qi, she could still use her own.

    She was under the influence of the Black Sovereign''s Domain. All of the Qi in a radius of miles were under the Black Sovereign''s direct control, unreachable for anyone weaker than it. A pair of majestic eyes slowly descended as the beast lowered its head, slowly approaching Anna.

    Even if the gaze gave one chills, there was a single spark of interest in those frosty eyes. Amidst the cold, however, that spark might as well have been nothing. Anna moved her gaze upwards, passing through that strange pitch-black head that seemed to be covered in both thick scales and wrinkled leather, and looking through the mist, faintly discerning the shape of a carapace covered in spikes that seemed more like mountains to her.

    As Anna looked at the form of the gargantuan turtle in front of her, light footsteps started echoing from her side, slowly approaching her direction. The mist on her side started spiraling and billowing as a middle-aged woman appeared, walking with firm steps, but a respectful expression as she stood in front of the Black Sovereign.

    Her black hair was tied in a neat bundle in the back of her head, and her ocean blue clothes were a perfect match for her sparkling blue eyes. Her pale face was starting to show signs of aging, as a few wrinkles could be seen in the corner of her vivid eyes. She could be called a beautiful woman, even if not breathtaking.

    She gave a deep bow to the titanic Godbeast in front of her, not daring to say a word until she received permission.

    "Speak, Mara." The Black Sovereign voice echoed in Anna''s and Mara''s mind, in a tone so grave and serene that its words were almost indistinguishable.

    "Firstly, I would like to apologize for my daughter''s behavior." Mara Hale, the Sect Master of the Noan River Sect said while bowing deeply again, giving Anna a reproachful glance for the corner of her eyes.

    Anna had rushed into the Black Sovereign''s lair ahead of her mother, not caring about etiquette at all. The fact that she had been frozen in place was proof of the slight annoyance the Black Sovereign felt.

    "Young ones like their freedom." It said while giving Anna an unblinking gaze, lowering its head even further and making the mist surrounding it billow away in thick wisps.

    "Nevertheless, it doesn''t mean they should abuse it." It spoke again in a powerful voice, making Anna''s mind quake and forcing her to tightly close her eyes to try to endure the headache that assaulted her. "But this is not important. What do you need, Mara?"

    "I''ve come in search of your permission for a marriage." Mara bent a knee and respectfully lowered herself in front of the Black Sovereign.

    "Oh? What do you have in mind?" The Black Sovereign asked, the spark of interest in its cold eyes growing brighter as it directed those enormous eyes to Mara.

    "We have received news that the Abyss Sect just lost its Fifth Protector." Mara said with a alarmed expression, not hiding her concern."The circumstances are unknown, but it seems to have been a betrayal."

    Anna looked at the scene with mixed feelings. The first time she witnessed it, she was just a twelve-year-old girl. She had no real awareness of the situation of the Five Sacred Sects nor of the subtleties in the conversation between her mother and the Black Sovereign.

    Now however, she could see the hidden nuances. As she grew, her mother taught her more, had let her know of more matters concerning their sect as well as the other four Sacred Sects. With this information, Anna could more or less guess the thoughts of the Black Sovereign and her mother.

    As Mara finished her words, she knew she didn''t need to explain the situation. The Black Sovereign knew very well that something strange was happening. Throughout the last few decades, the forces of the Five Sacred Sects started declining. Powerful Elders started being killed on simple missions or disappearing without a trace. Treasures and artifacts were vanishing from the vaults and external resources were slowly dwindling due to a myriad of reasons that involved from bankruptcy to the retirement or death of the providers.

    The substitutes would always ask for a somewhat higher price than before, and so, the reserves of the Five Sacred Sects were slowly being chipped away as time passed. They were paying more and receiving less. In a few years it might not make a difference, but in decades, or even centuries, the effects would be devastating.

    The Abyss Sect had it worse. Its sphere of influence had been restrained to a fraction of what it once was, and the sect had lost innumerable Elders and promising youths in recent times. Even the smaller sects of the Central Continent were starting to close the gap between them.

    Something was happening behind the scenes. Someone was moving. The problem was that the Black Sovereign didn''t seem to know who or why. The communication between the sects had also been reduced, and so did the communication between the Four Guardian Clans. It was a process so slow, so subtle that it felt only natural.

    The long-term peace that Arthur Royce had achieved would naturally bring changes to the discipline and proximity of the sects after the conflict had been resolved. Still¡­

    "Continue." The Black Sovereign demanded, its cold gaze turned incomparably serious as he gazed at Mara.

    "The Roaring Mountain Sect has shown interest in a marriage between both inheriting disciples." Mara spoke with a voice as cold as the surroundings, not showing a trace of emotion as she spoke of this. She had come to the Frozen Ravines as the Sect Master of the Noan River Sect, not Anna Hale''s mother.

    "What of the White Emperor?" The Black Sovereign asked, showing a hint of impatience in its grave voice.

    "It is a recent matter. The other side is most likely also seeking permission as we speak." Mara said, lowering her head and her posture even further.

    It was true that this matter had not been defined, but it was necessary to speak with the Black Sovereign nonetheless. It was a show of respect and obedience. The final answer on their side would come from it.

    That gigantic head moved again, returning its gaze to Anna. All traces of emotion had disappeared completely. In its frosty eyes, there was only a chilling void. A complete indifference.

    "You will come to understand that your position is much more taxing than rewarding." It said as it looked at Anna with a gaze that seemed to pierce straight into her soul. "It is the price you pay to rule over others. Freedom is but a fleeting dream in front of the responsibilities you must bear, little girl."

    "This fire you have burning inside you¡­ If you are to inherit the Noan River Sect, you better put it out. Otherwise it will either consume you or consume the sect under your guidance." Its gaze softened somewhat as it blew lightly in Anna''s direction. That light blowing turned into a gale that shattered the ice covering Anna, freeing her.

    "I have no problems with it. The Five Sacred Sects must tighten their bonds again if we are to revert the situation." The Black Sovereign spoke in an unhurried tone as it gave Mara its answer.

    "Do you have a problem with it?" It looked at Anna and asked, raising its head slightly.

    Mara too, turned her head to glare at her daughter. She had been explaining about this matter to her for months. It was a price she had to pay in order to do what was best for the sect that would one day be hers.

    Six years ago, Anna had a pitiful expression on her face as she looked at that terrifying Godbeast staring at her, as well as her mother. She had grasped the ring hanging from her neck tightly, obviously torn by the decision. In the end, however, she spoke nothing.

    The Anna of six years ago had simply shaken her head, silently accepting the burden she would have to bear, even if she did not truly want it.

    That had been the greatest mistake she had made in her life and, if she saw it through the end, it would be a mistake she would have to deal with for centuries. It would be the same as shackling herself to misery in the name of the Noan River Sect.

    Anna decided she would have none of that. The flames inside her stopped flickering, and started burning even brighter, expelling the cold invading her.

    The present Anna also stood in silence as she was faced with the Black Sovereign''s question. She looked as torn as the little girl of six years ago, but the reasons were entirely different. She too, tightly held the ring hanging from her neck.

    "You were right. This place is indeed too cold." Anna spoke softly in a sorrowful voice, her expression full of reminiscence as she spoke with a person that was not there.

    She turned her gaze to the Black Sovereign. She now knew why it had posed this question. Why it had spoken to her about such things as responsibilities and putting the sect at risk. At that moment, Anna had been presented with a choice that she couldn''t recognize, one that was not about the marriage.

    The Black Sovereign had seen through her, even if at the time she had never managed to look at herself.

    "I refuse such responsibilities." She spoke with a genuine smile on her face.

 83 Those at the Peak X

    "Because you are weak." Lloyd''s voice never stopped echoing inside Amon''s head.

    The words his father said as he left. The words his father said as he abandoned Amon and Rebecca. The words his father said as he destroyed their lives.

    "Crunch, crunch!" The horrifying sound of bones breaking and flesh being torn apart, the blood-curling screams of the past Rebecca and Amon, they also never stopped.

    Again and again, Amon was forced to hear them.

    Again and again, he struck with his sword.

    He discovered that it was surprisingly easy. A swing of his sword and a silhouette would explode. A swing of his sword and the mist would billow away. A swing of his sword and, for but a moment, the voice would stop, the screams would cease.

    Windhowler gave an ominous light as the edge of Qi covering it glowed. Not a spec of blood could be found on the sword, but the same could not be said about its wielder.

    Amon''s clothes were completely covered in blood that made his ashen hair stick to his face. The scarlet color that had covered the paleness of his face made his golden eyes even more prominent as they shone with a cold light.

    The gravel under his feet crunched as he walked forward, and the ground was slowly turning steep. Amon realized he had started another climb. The white mist still covered everything, but he knew he was in the right direction.

    He would reach the peak, and he would prove that he was not weak. He would prove it to anyone that doubted him. He would prove it to everyone.

    He did not know how long he had been walking. He did not know how many times he had swung his sword. He had never started counting in the first place. It was not important.

    "Because you are weak."

    What was important was to prove that his father was wrong.

    "Crunch, crunch!"

    What was important was to prove that he was strong enough so no one would be harmed because of his weakness.

    "Swoosh!"

    What was important was to silence the voice, to prove his strength.

    It was all that mattered.

    One step at a time, one swing of his sword at a time, he moved forward, walking in the ever steeper ground.

    At that moment, the mist in front of him started churning madly, its wisps billowing back and forth as another silhouette slowly formed, blocking his path.

    Amon raised his sword, prepared to strike again, but as soon as he saw who stood in front of him, his eyes widened in surprise, and his pulse shot up, so fast and powerful that he could actually feel his heart beating.

    The figure was very slender, and seemed to be very delicate. She was wearing a white dress that contrasted with her silky black hair that flowed down her back like a waterfall. In front of Amon stood a breathtakingly beautiful woman.

    In the hands of the woman, there was a sword. A beautiful sword, with a guard in the shape of a half-moon with a red jewel embedded in it. Even if it was made of common iron, it was an extremely refined piece of craftsmanship, a very elegant blade.

    "Why?" He asked with a sorrowful expression as he faced that pair of piercing blue eyes, full of sadness and regret.

    "Because you are weak." The voice that echoed was not cold and indifferent, nor was it masculine. It was a melodious, graceful voice, tainted by a depressive disappointment.

    "How?" He asked, dumbstruck. Deep in his eyes, a hint of fear was appearing.

    He hadn''t been able to speak to her ever since he had traversed the gateway to the Hellblaze Secret World. Lya should not be appearing in front of him right now.

    "Does it matter?" She asked back, not showing any changes in her expression.

    Lya stood in Amon''s way and, even if her eyes showed her true feelings, her expression was incredibly solemn and resolute.

    Amon did not answer her words. He did not speak, nor did Windhowler. Lya''s gaze slowly turned into one of sheer anger and outrage. The gaze of someone that had been betrayed.

    Amon looked at her in silence. A cold, overwhelming silence that turned the atmosphere tense.

    "What are you, Amon?" Lya asked in an emotionless voice, and her eyes turned sharp. Her expression too, changed into one of sheer indifference.

    It was a strange question, and a very vague one. Nevertheless, Amon understood her meaning. He knew what she wanted to hear.

    "A Sword Cultivator." Amon said, sustaining her gaze with a careful, hesitant expression.

    "What do Sword Cultivators do when they draw their sword?" Lya asked with her voice turning louder, her eyes even fiercer.

    "They kill." Amon answered. It was simple, direct answer. The correct one.

    "What is your reason to draw the sword, then?" Lya asked again, her tone and expression still lacking any emotions.

    Amon returned to his silence, but was still sustaining her gaze.

    "You don''t know?" Lya cocked her head slightly, making her black hair wave lightly. "I see that you have your sword in your hands. I''ll change my question, then."

    "For what reason did you draw your sword?" Her expression somehow turned even colder.

    Amon was a Sword Cultivator and he knew for what purpose a Sword Cultivator drew his sword. Then, if Amon had his sword in his hands, he had killed, or he was about to kill.

    Amon still did not answer her, for he knew there was no need. He knew why he had drawn his sword. She also knew why he had done so. Amon could see it in her eyes, in the disappointment she showed before.

    "You are weak." Lya said again, raising a pale arm. Her white dress seemed to flutter under the effects of an inexistent breeze.

    Yes, he was weak. He might be physically stronger than he once was, his soul might have grown and his skill with a sword might be better, but he was still weak.

    Those that needed to prove their strength to others were not confident on such strength themselves.

    Lya gave Amon a sidelong glance before turning away. She waved her left hand in a dismissive movement, looking annoyed. Amon felt she actually looked very sad.

    The mist started to revolve again, as if agitated. It billowed away from the direction Lya had waved her hands to. The direction of the peak.

    "Come with me." She said, not bothering to look back at him.

    Lya moved forward, climbing what was not more than a few meters before the steep path ended up in flat land. It was a very narrow space, only five meters wide or so. It was almost claustrophobic.

    The ground on that space was covered with gravel and sharp rocks. It was of a disgusting gray, tinged with black.

    The sky above was of a deep azure, incredibly bright and beautiful. Everything else, however, was simply white. The mist formed a barrier around that small piece of flat land, blocking all vision of everything beneath. Blocking all vision of everything around.

    In the center of that narrow space, was a throne.

    An elegant, yet simple throne made of pure-white wood. The wood suffused a pale light, visible even under the bright sun that shone above the mountain. The throne had a strangely magnetic aura to it, and Amon could not avert his eyes from its beauty.

    It was a strange contrast with that dark and ugly ground the throne stood on.

    "Congratulations." Lya said with scorn as she looked at Amon that had been silently following her. "You reached the peak."

    "What?" Amon was caught off guard. His golden eyes shone with surprise as he looked at Lya with an open mouth.

    "So, how is it?" Lya faced him suddenly with a distorted expression, a mix of frustration and pain.

    "How do you feel?" She asked in a low voice, looking deep into his eyes.

    "Does it feel good?" She coked her head, asking in a curious tone. Her expression, however, was still pained. "Do you feel fulfilled?"

    "I¡­" Amon tried to speak, but he found no words. In truth, there was no words to be said. He could only hear.

    "Was it worth it?" She asked yet another question.

    "Look at yourself." Lya said, with nothing but a profound disgust in her face. "Look at what you did."

    She raised her hands, and a layer of light formed in front of Amon. It had flat surface that seemed to be made of a viscous fluid rather than light, and rippled with the breeze. Standing in front of it, Amon saw himself as if he was in front of a mirror.

    He saw the blood-covered youth looking back at him with a blank expression. He saw a complete stranger.

    "I wonder how high would reach the pile of corpses you left behind." Lya asked with a sad gaze and her voice started to tremble. "Maybe it would be higher than where we stand right now."

    "Is this the cultivator you wanted to be?" She asked a simple question. The question that Amon knew she would ask. The question he feared hearing the most. That question being asked meant he had failed her.

    He had failed his promise.

    The promise he had made her when she decided to teach him about swords. He had promised that he would become a cultivator Lya would be proud of. He promised that she would be able to smile when she thought of him.

    Now, however, she was crying.

    "Well, it doesn''t matter, right?" She said with a horribly forced smile as a tear streamed down her face. "You are at the peak. You are strong. This should be enough, no?"

    "Was this what you wanted?" She asked, trying to recompose herself, the corner of her eyes still wet from her tears.

    "No." Amon said with a mortified expression. Guilt started creeping on him as he looked at the mirror of light. His chest felt heavy, and a swirl of emotions started to overwhelm him.

    He remembered now. The faces of the silhouettes he so easily cut. The innocent people he killed just to silence the voices for a moment. The people he had project Lloyd into.

    What had he done?

    "Why did you start to cultivate?" Lya asked with a still trembling voice, showing nothing but disappointment. "What was your reason to start this climb?"

    "Where are the people important to you?" Lya asked, as if Amon had answered the question, despite him keeping his silence.

    Brightmoon glinted with a dangerous light as Lya raised it above her head. The force pressing down on Amon turned even stronger, so much so that he could barely breathe.

    "Killing people to prove that you are strong, killing people that you think are in your way¡­" Lya looked at him with a hint of emotion in her eyes. A hint of disgust. "You are no different than an animal trying to carve his own territory as it takes down its opponents."

    "I told you before, didn''t I?" Lya looked down, slowly shaking her head. "Sword Cultivators that act like animals are put down like animals."

    "This weak being that you are, this animal¡­ it is better off dead." She shed one last tear as she looked at Amon with nothing but sorrow in her blue eyes.

    Then, she changed.

    Her gaze turned murderous. He felt his scalp turning numb, his hair standing on end, his instincts telling him to run. Still, it was all useless. He was being held in place by that crushing pressure.

    No matter how much he struggled or how much he tried to push all the Qi weighting down on him away, it would not budge. The Qi was being held firmly in place, but somehow beyond his reach.

    Lya''s aura started to rise, and Amon looked at her in a daze. Her eyes seemed to glow with pure savagery, and a bright light started emanating from the blade of Brightmoon. Like a beacon, it flashed with a blinding light.

    The light then started to retract back into the sword, eventually condensing in an almost solid form around the blade of the sword, in an edge so sharp that it seemed to cut the very space it touched. It was the same move Lya had shown Amon in the Bridge of Lamenting when he was learning about Sword Qi.

    His thoughts seemed to stop, as if his mind was shutting down. He was about to die, but he could not utter a word, nor change his dazed expression. Deep down, he never believed that Lya would truly kill him.

    Lya waved her arm, and Brighmoon descended. The earth rumbled, and was torn asunder. The skies howled in pain, and were cleaved apart. All light in the world seemed to fade away, and the only thing in Amon''s eyes was the enormous wave of bright Qi coming in his direction.

    For that fleeting moment, all that existed was that divine light reaching for him, carrying judgement. Cutting anything on its way. Destroying everything it touched.

    Amon''s vision was overwhelmed by that wave of light. All that he saw was whiteness. The same whiteness he had been surrounded by this whole time. The earth calmed down. The skies turned quiet. The world became silent, as if time had stopped.

    There was only white. There was only nothing.

    ¡ª-

    After an unknown ammount of time, Amon opened his eyes again. It felt like an eternity, but it also felt like mere moments.

    He said nothing. Somehow, he found himself lying on the ground. A dense mist covered his surroundings, and the air was cold and humid. Still, Amon felt warm, comfortable. His body was light, and his mind was clear, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

    Something was different.

    He slowly stood up, looking around. As expected, he saw nothing but the mist. He felt a familiar weight over his shoulder, and he found Windhowler sheathed to his back, as if it had never left.

    He looked down, at his feet. He could faintly see a deep scarlet color tainting the ground bellow him. A red and viscous liquid was covering the gravel and rocks in the ground, forming an ominous trail.

    A trail that Amon himself had created. A trail of blood.

    He took a deep breath, trying to put his thoughts and emotions in order. He couldn''t believe in what he had done. How he had been so easily pushed over the edge.

    Why had that happened?

    "Because you are weak." A cold, indifferent voice echoed from the mist as a silhouette formed in front of Amon.

    With ravenous black eyes, a hair as dark as the night and a cloak that covered him like a shadow, Lloyd Kressler stood in front of him, with a emotionless expression.

    "Yes." Amon said, lightly nodding his head to his father''s words. He was weak. Unbearably weak.

    His will had proven to be weak. His mind had proven to be weak. His heart had proven to be weak.

    All of the resolutions he had. All of the objectives he would pursue. All of his ideals. All of that had been scattered with the wind the moment Amon was faced with his weakness. When he so desperately tried to deny the truth.

    What came from it was nothing but pain and sorrow.

    Amon passed by Lloyd, ignoring him completely, never taking his eyes away from the trail beneath his feet.

    He had caused it. He had made this. Lya was right, he had been no more than an animal.

    More than anything, Amon felt deeply ashamed.

    "Crunch, crunch!" The horrifying sound echoed from the mist, and Rebecca''s screams reverberated in Amon''s mind.

    Amon stopped for a moment, closing his eyes. He could not change what happened. He had been weak and his mother had paid for that.

    He, however, could change what would happen. He was still weak, but he would not be so anymore. He would truly become strong.

    And so Amon walked, stepping on the blood he had spilled on the floor as the voices echoed nonstop through the mist.

    "Because you are weak." Lloyd would say.

    Silence would answer him.

    "Crunch, crunch!" The mist would say.

    Silence would answer it.

    Amon walked and walked, never stopping, never talking. He eventually reached the slope again, getting close to the peak.

    The voices never stopped, and Amon never answered. The mist in front of him started churning again, just like it did when Lya first appeared. This time, however, it was Lloyd that appeared again.

    His cloak fluttered behind his back, as if it was a pair of dark wings. He held a pitch-black curved sword in his right hand. A sword with no guard, and a single edge. A sword with only attacking in mind.

    Amon looked at him still maintaining his silence.

    Lloyd, however, said nothing this time. He simple stood there, sword in hand, looking at Amon with those cold eyes. His posture, the arrogance he could not hide. It was as if he was inviting Amon for a fight.

    Amon sneered as he looked at Lloyd standing in front of him. He somehow forgot how tall his father truly was. Even if Amon had grown a lot, the difference still felt abysmal.

    "They say that sons always feel less love for their parents than the other way around." Amon broke his silence, looking deeply at Lloyd. "I think this is right."

    "While you loathe me, I can''t say I feel anything other than sheer hatred for you."

    "The way you abandoned us, the pain you caused to mom¡­ this is not something I will ever forgive. Not that you care about it anyway."

    "That being said, I would never kill you the way I did before. I feel that existence itself is a fitting punishment for a man like you." Amon spoke the words from his heart. He spoke what he felt about Lloyd, and Lloyd only listened. "You may not be at the level of an animal, but you are certainly close to it in my eyes."

    "In truth, I find you worth of pity."

    With that, Amon ignored Lloyd again, passing through him just like that.

    He broke through the mist, and reached the flat ground of the peak again.

    It was truly rather simple, but also rather complicated.

    As the white beast had said in what now felt like ages ago, it was all relative. Amon just needed to look at the obstacles in front of him in another way and see the truth.

    He took heavy steps as he approached the throne in the center of that narrow space, leaving deep footprints on the ground.

    Lya''s voice echoed from the mist again, asking many of the questions she had made before.

    "So, how is it?"

    It was strange. Somewhat lackluster.

    "How do you feel?"

    Amon felt disappointed. Torn.

    "Do you feel fulfilled?"

    How could he? He naturally was feeling empty, rather than fulfilled.

    "Was it worth it?"

    In the peak, he could look down and see that ugly ground that sustained the throne. He could also look around and see nothing but the white mist formed by the clouds that blocked both the view of the peak for those below and the view of what was below from those at the peak.

    In truth, he could only look up, and try to peer into that cloudless sky.

    He could not see the beautiful scenery of the world below him if he stood at the peak.

    He did not feel it had been worth it.

    "You are at the peak. You are strong. This should be enough, no?"

    No. This was not enough. Strength had never been his objective.

    "Was this what you wanted?"

    No. This was far from what he wanted.

    "Why did you start to cultivate? What was your reason to start this climb?"

    He had found his answer long ago. It was all about him, but it was also about the people important to him.

    "Where are the people important to you?"

    They were down below. Amon could not see them, nor could he speak with them. He had left them behind in his climb. He had abandoned them.

    At the peak, he stood alone, only being able to look up at an unreachable sky. The peak was truly a rather pitiful place to be. A good match for the pitiful cultivators that chased after it.

    Amon looked at the throne in front of him. That beautiful throne that had never stopped charming him.

    Then, he looked again.

    At the peak, there was nothing. There were only the clouds, the gravel and the rocks. The throne was gone. It disappeared, as if it had never been there.

    In the end, it was all relative.

    Amon gave a wry smile as he turned his back to the peak and slowly started walking back.

    The mist around him slowly faded away, as if it had never been anything but an illusion.

    The voices that always echoed from it went completely silent. There were no more conversations to be had.

    In truth, there had never been a true conversation.

    Ever since he had started the climb, he had been the only one speaking, and the only one hearing.

 84 Hell Beckons I

    Reynard looked one last time at the man at his feet. The white mist billowed around him, in an enchanting, almost hypnotic dance. Reynard''s breathing was rough, his dark-brown hair was in disarray and his clothes were a mess. Nevertheless, he had a satisfied smile on his face as he looked down.

    The man''s curved black sword was a few meters away, stuck on the ground. His black cloak was in tatters, full of holes and tears. A sword was firmly embedded in his chest, and blood slowly seeped from the wound, forming a scarlet pool beneath him.

    The man''s ravenous black eyes were already dim, and his black hair was viscous with his own blood. His face was as pale as candle wax, and his mouth was slightly opened, as if he was about to say something. Words that he would never be able to utter, because the man was already dead. Reynard, however, did not take his eyes away from him for even a moment, as if trying to engrave on his mind the dying expression of his opponent. The man''s corpse exploded into a red mist that Reynard promptly dispersed.

    Yes, it had to be like this. It was the only result Reynard would accept. Every time he defeated the man, he would soon be reformed from the mist, even stronger. Reynard''s pace climbing the mountain had slowly fallen, almost coming to a halt. He, however, was immensely satisfied.

    He looked up, trying to peer through the never-ending mist that blocked his vision. It had already been some time since the ground under his feet had turned slanted. He could only move on patiently until he reached the end of the climb.

    This was a challenge worth his time. His fights were turning more and more into a struggle, and more and more Reynard felt he turned stronger. What was the point of having an easy win over the other participants? This was what he lived for, this was why he cultivated. As long as there was a chance of growth, he would fight.

    A climb like this was worthy of his efforts. Reaching the peak like this was worth his time.

    He took firm steps ahead, crushing the gravel under his feet as he moved up, never stopping. After a moment, however, he stopped. The mist in front of him was restless, excited. A silhouette was forming again, but this one was different.

    The figure formed was not as tall, his shoulders were not so broad, and his expression was not cold. His clothes were of a light green instead of dark, a color easy on the eyes, like grass under the morning light. He had his arms behind his back, and he was looking up.

    It was a very soothing scene, a very peaceful scene. Even if what lied over Reynard and the man was nothing but a dense white mist, looking at the figure Reynard had the feeling his gaze could pierce the skies, as if he was gazing directly at the mysteries that lied beyond reach to all mortals.

    The man''s brown hair was cut short, and very neat. His sharp features were framing a very pale face that bore a calm expression. If one looked at him with a glance, he would seem like a scholar. His solemn demeanor and his serene aura might fool those that did not give him a second look.

    Reynard, however, knew better. The man might have seemed composed and calm, but his bright brown eyes were anything but. If one managed to look at them for long enough, they would see a sight quite opposite to the man''s first impression.

    Seeing the man looking up like this made Reynard feel more threatened than pleased. This was the first person that had ever defeated him, the only one that truly deserved his respect. If the man he had been defeating so far was nothing but a stepping-stone in his view, the figure in front of him right now was the unsurmountable mountain Reynard wanted to climb.

    A mountain he would inevitably have to climb if he wanted to reach the peak of the world.

    Reynard took one careful step forward, and the man in front of him seemed to finally notice his presence. The man slowly lowered his head, turning his gaze to Reynard. It was a simple movement, a very natural movement. For Reynard, however, what lasted only a fraction of a second seemed to turn into ages.

    He felt his hair standing on end, and all of his instincts screamed at him to run. He however, was stuck in place, as if frozen in time. As the man slowly gazed at him, Reynard felt nothing but fright, as if a primordial beast was looking at him. It was a gaze that shook the very foundations of Reynard''s being, a gaze that almost destroyed him.

    The only man Reynard ever feared in his life looked at him in a deep, profound glance that shattered the peaceful aura he exuded at first. It was a scene Reynard had seen once before, a scene deeply engraved in his mind. At the time, he was still fully devoted to the Roaring Mountain Sect, trying to keep his ambitions at bay.

    Those eyes, however, changed everything.

    A savage fire burned in those eyes, a restless fire that made one feel threatened. A fire full of madness, full of resolve and full of hatred. A fire that blazed the hellish path that the man followed to the peak. A fire that would consume the world before being put out.

    Behind that serene demeanor, behind that calm expression, behind those bright eyes¡­ lied Hell.

    "Oh?" The man looked at Reynard with a raised brow. The fire in his eyes seemed to burn even stronger as his interest in Reynard grew. It was a gaze that Reynard felt that could burn its way into his very soul.

    "A very talented child. No wonder you turned into the inheriting disciple of the Roaring Mountain Sect." The man said in a calm voice. His tone seemed casual, but there was something in it, a certain charm, a hypnotic attraction that drew Reynard in.

    Reynard was stuck in place, still frozen after that first glance the man gave him. His thoughts were a blank, his emotions a mess. The same as he had been more than five years ago, when they first met. When his life forever changed.

    "What do you want for your life, child?" The man asked, putting a smile. A very amiable smile, complemented with a very magnetic voice.

    It was a very strange question to ask to a thirteen-year-old child. Even stranger, however was that Reynard somehow felt he could speak what truly lied in his heart. Something was telling him that there was no need to lie, that he should be himself.

    "Everything." Reynard said without hesitation. He had talent, and he was taught from a young age that the world was at his reach. Why not take it, then?

    It was a very simple, very vague answer. An answer that would usually be dismissed as a childish way of thinking. It, however, would turn into a very frightful answer if it were to be taken seriously, if someone made that mindset grow.

    The man''s smile grew even wider, and his expression turned even gentler. His satisfaction at the answer was clear. Hell turned even brighter, its flames even fiercer as the man''s gaze turned sharper.

    "How do you intend to acquire everything?" The man cocked his head slightly, never blinking as he looked at Reynard.

    "By becoming strong. By standing at the peak of this world." Reynard answered immediately, not hesitating in telling his true feelings again. This world was ruled by the strong. It was a fact that even the thirteen-year-old Reynard knew. If he wanted everything, naturally he would have to be stronger than all that would fight with him for it.

    "Just that?" The man''s brows furrowed a bit as he looked at Reynard. His smile narrowed a bit, as if the answer was not to his liking.

    Reynard stood in silence as he looked at the man, not knowing what to say. How had his answer not been satisfactory?

    "Your vision is too narrow. Why stop at the peak?" The man said, looking up again. As soon as Hell stopped staring at Reynard, the man''s aura seemed to turn serene again. He did not look at Reynard again as he spoke. "Do you know what comes after the climb?"

    Reynard shook his head. He did not voice his answer, but the man somehow knew, as if he had seen it.

    "What comes after the climb¡­ is a leap." The man answered simply. He was still gazing at the sky, as if the stars of that night were still shining brightly.

    Reynard did not speak, as he did not understand. He had a confused look on his face, and his brows were furrowed deeply. This was both true for the Reynard of five years ago, and the Reynard of the present.

    After all those years, he still did not understand.

    What he did understand, however, was what the man''s words implied. A truth he somehow had forgotten. A truth he now remembered.

    "Do you want me to teach you?" The man asked in a mild voice, its charm somehow even stronger. Hell descended upon Reynard again. This time, however, those flames seemed very inviting, very attractive. He wanted the knowledge that lied within them. He wanted the strength they hid.

    "Please." Reynard spoke respectfully, kneeling on the floor and bowing deeply. He did not hesitate to do so. No matter the consequences, he felt it was worth it. Deep down, he knew that this man held true strength. Something he wanted to pursue at all costs.

    "Let''s start from the beginning, then." The man said, taking a step closer to the bowing Reynard. Reynard couldn''t help but be consumed by the flames of his eyes, as he looked at the man in a daze.

    "Do you know anything about swords?" With a smile, the man asked him the first question as his master.

    ---

    Reynard took a step forward, breaking away from the mist. His gaze was even sharper, his steps even firmer as he stepped in levelled ground. Somehow, he felt that he was even stronger.

    He gazed ahead, not showing a hint of surprise in his eyes at the scene that presented itself to him. A narrow space covered in gravel and sharp rocks. A narrow space surrounded by a wall of clouds, that blocked the view of everything around him.

    A narrow space with only a white throne in it.

    Reynard looked at the throne with interest, not hesitating to walk to it. His dark eyes glinted with a strange light as he had his eyes fixed in it, as if savoring the view.

    He approached it, and closed his eyes a he extended his hands to it. He felt the crisp texture of the wood with his fingers, as well as a faint warmth. It was a strangely satisfying feeling.

    Without hesitation, he slowly sat on it, enjoying the light breeze blowing on his hair. Even if the throne was made of nothing but wood, it was very comfortable. Reynard felt he would never get tired of sitting on it. He deserved it, after all.

    He had been the first to get there, and the only one to stay there.

    He was alone at the peak, above everyone else. The whole world was at his feet.

    With his eyes still closed, he lightly supported his head on the tall backrest of the throne, getting even more comfortable. Then, he finally opened his eyes, and he saw it. He saw the only thing there was to see at the peak.

    The endless expanse of azure above him, the unending sky that oversaw their world.

    The unreachable heavens that lied above everyone, even above the peak.

    "What comes after the climb... is a leap" The words of his master echoed in his ears.

    Then, Reynard finally understood. His climb might end at some point, but he would still have something to strive for. He would still be able to pursue strength; he would still be able to move on.

    On his face, a smile slowly showed itself. A very satisfied smile. A very savage smile.

    On his eyes, a fire started burning, even fiercer than before.

    He would take the leap. Certainly not now. More than likely not in a few decades, or even centuries.

    One day, however, he would certainly take it.

    Still smiling, Reynard looked down. He was not sure why he did so, but he did it anyway. His smile faded.

    Not far from the throne, the gravel had been subtly moved and the rocks had been lightly kicked away, forming faint forms. The forms of feet.

    On the peak, there were footprints that were not his.

 85 Hell Beckons II

    Amon stood quietly on the edge of the mountain. He simply sat there in silence, letting his legs hanging above the enormous emptiness that lied below. He had his arms supporting his body as he leaned back and gazed at the sky. The endless billowing mist that covered his vision reflected in his golden eyes as he absent-mindedly looked up in a daze.

    He had no idea how long had it been since he left the peak of the mountain. He had no idea if he would ever regret that decision. Nevertheless, he felt it was the right choice.

    He raised his arms and let himself fall on his back on the humid grass, never taking his eyes from the mist. He unconsciously rubbed the old iron ring on his finger, his gaze turning even more unfocused. The cold sensation it gave him was somewhat refreshing, but also a bit unnerving.

    What would Lya have said about his decision?

    He felt it had been ages since he first entered the Hellblaze Secret World, and he hadn''t been able to speak to her ever since. Amon suddenly realized that he missed her. Ever since he first met that strange Sword Spirit, there was never a day that passed when they didn''t spoke to each other.

    There had never been a day that he didn''t receive her guidance, one way or another.

    "Having second thoughts?" A cold, crisp voice suddenly echoed from the mist, making Amon''s hair stand on end. Still, he somehow managed to keep his calm as he recognized the voice. Nevertheless, his heart was still racing from the sudden visitor appearing.

    "I was wondering when we would meet, sir Guardian." Amon said as he slowly stood up, turning his eyes to the blurry figure forming in front of him. A tall man walked out from the mist, covered in white from head to toe.

    "Or should I say it is nice seeing you again?" Amon said as he put up a smile. "I have to say, your human form is more pleasing to the eyes than your beastly one."

    The man''s pure white hair fluttered unnaturally, seamlessly mixing with the billowing mist surrounding him. The sharp features in his pale face where further pronounced by a pair of icy eyes that seemed to peer into one''s soul, making him seem more like a beast than a man. His thin lips were stretched in a cocky smile as he gazed at Amon with a rare interest.

    "Heh, look who is being all cocky." The Guardian said with a sneer, not hiding the scorn in his icy eyes. He smiled savagely, showing a row of black fangs protruding from his mouth.

    "I have to admit, though, I didn''t think you would realize it so soon." Although he said words that could be taken as a compliment, his eyes showed nothing but derision, making Amon somewhat embarrassed.

    "To be fair, your voice does leave a lasting impression." Amon answered. He had some suspicion on the identity of the Guardian when it disclosed the objectives of the Trial of the Heart for all disciples. That crisp, cold voice and that tone full of scorn was certainly unforgettable.

    The Guardian threw his head back as he started to laugh. That unnerving gurgling sound was still there, even if less pronounced than before. Amon felt it gave the man in front of him a rather eccentric feel rather than the previous sense of abhorrence that him laughing in his beast form gave.

    Somehow, Amon didn''t feel the pressure that the Guardian exuded in their first meeting. His human form was certainly more approachable, even if Amon knew it was nothing but a fake front. His instincts were screaming at him the same way they did when he first met the beast in the Trial of the Mind.

    Amon could only imagine why the Guardian would give himself the trouble to personally preside over the Trial of the Mind. Maybe it was simply bored, or maybe it wanted to keep a close eye on the next generation of cultivators. Unfortunately, Amon knew the Guardian would never seriously answer his question, so he didn''t bother asking.

    Eventually, the Guardian stopped laughing, and his gaze turned serious. He perked up his brows as he looked at Amon, a strange light shining the depths of his eyes. In truth, he found the youth in front of him very strange.

    "I have to ask, brat. Why didn''t you seat on the throne? Why did you walk away from the peak?" The Guardian asked slowly, glaring at Amon with a rare serious expression. The sudden change in attitude made Amon rather taken aback.

    "Well, if I have to say why¡­ It would be because it wasn''t worth it." Amon said as he looked the Guardian in the eye. "You said before that everything was relative. You said that if you took the time to look at an obstacle a second time, you might realize that there was nothing there in the first place."

    "I simply thought that rather than an obstacle, that phrase applied to everything. It should be especially so for the things we desire."

    "So, when I gave that throne a second look, I realize that for me it was the same as nothing. The peak is nothing but a barren, lonely place." Seeing the Guardian''s eyes turning even more serious, Amon was somewhat flustered. He tried to keep calm as he continued to explain. "The price I would pay to stay there is not something I could afford. It would be a trade where I would lose rather than win."

    The Guardian closed its eyes for a moment after he heard Amon''s words. A grave silence took over them as neither spoke a word. The world seemed to turn still as both of them stood there, surrounded by the endless expanse of white.

    "You know, kid, you have some interesting thoughts for someone your age." The Guardian finally broke the silence after some time. There was no longer any disdain in his eyes, nor any semblance of scorn in his expression. "Sometimes we only realize we walked a wrong path when it is too late to turn back. I would be rather interested in seeing where this path might take you. If truly choose to walk it, I can only hope that there never comes a day when you look back and regret the choice you made."

    Amon quietly looked at the Guardian, not knowing what to say.

    "Now then, I believe it is about time you and I had a talk, isn''t that right, Lya?" The Guardian spoke, directing his gaze to the ring in Amon''s hand.

    The iron ring flashed with a blinding light, making Amon reflexively close his eyes and turn his head away. The light seemed to break apart in countless ephemeral specs of brilliance that slowly gathered, turning into the figure of a beautiful white-dressed woman.

    "How rude of you, keeping a lady locked away like that without even a word." Lya''s scoffed in her melodious voice as she faced the Guardian with unfriendly eyes. "I guess some people never change, Hati."

    "Oh, I am honored of being remembered by you, ''my lady''." The Guardian said with disdain, returning to his scornful tone. "Either way, I doubt you would have interceded during the Trials anyway. It is just that Nemeus asked me to go the extra mile to be sure the kid would make his own decisions."

    Amon looked in surprise at the duo in front of him. Did they know each other? How? Who was Nemeus?

    "Enough with this." Lya said in an abnormally cold voice. "What do you want?"

    "I would like to ask you to take good care of that kid." The Guardian said while furrowing his white brows, showing concern in his otherwise indifferent expression. "I know you have your own reasons to do so already, but I still feel obliged to do this. He is a descendant of Grant''s after all, and has Skoll''s blessing."

    Amon opened his eyes wide as he heard the Guardian''s words.

    "What? Who is Grant? What is Skoll''s blessing?" Amon couldn''t help but ask with surprise, his curiosity finally besting him.

    Hearing Amon''s words, the Guardian''s expression darkened as he sent Lya a judgmental glare. "You didn''t tell him?"

    "That is for me to decide when to speak." Lya said while averting her eyes from the Guardian. Amon looked at her with inquisitive eyes, but she didn''t spare him a glance.

    The Guardian''s frown become even more accentuated as he saw that, but in the end he didn''t speak further. He looked at Amon, thinking about something for a while before he silently shook his head.

    "The Hellblaze Trials are over for you, kid. Come, I will send you to get your rewards." He said, waving his hand in Amon''s directions.

    The space surrounding Amon started to distort, making him feel dizzy and nauseous. The world around him started to spin as an indistinct roar echoed in his ears. He tightly closed his eyes to try to fight back against the uncomfortable feeling, unable to pay attention to anything else, clinging to conscience with all he could.

    As Amon''s figure started to turn blurry, the Guardian turned to the figure of the woman that was still quietly floating in front of him, ethereal as moonlight.

    "Hiding things from him is not a wise move, Lya." The Guardian said, looking at her with a piercing glance. "He is entitled to know about himself, and about you too. How much did you truly tell him?"

    "That is not up to you to question or to decide." Lya''s spoke in a cold voice, her gaze turning hostile.

    "Such stupidity." The Guardian shook his head, clearly disappointed. "You are not raising a cultivator, you are raising a puppet."

    "Do not spoil that kid''s potential with your selfish decisions. If you truly want to make things right, turning him blind and guiding him by the hand will never work." The Guardian continued in a disapproving tone.

    "You saw the things he did and the choices he made by himself. He has a peculiar way of thinking, but he clearly lacks the balance or the emotional maturity to face the hardships that are coming for him."

    "Are you done speaking nonsense?" Lya asked abruptly, not hiding her anger. The air around her turned unbearably cold, and a crushing pressure started weighting down on everything around her as she looked at the Guardian with burning eyes.

    "Those four hundred years alone certainly made your soul stronger." The Guardian said, not seeming shaken at all by her display. "Still, you lived too little, and know too little about how humans work."

    He dismissively waved his hands, and Lya froze in place, as if time had come to a halt. She was completely helpless as cracks slowly spread through her body before her figure eventually shattered in dozens of fragments.

    "It doesn''t matter how much you try to convince yourself that this is for his sake, in the end it is all because you feel guilty about the past." He said in a sorrowful voice as Lya''s fragments slowly dissipated in the air. "If you keep holding back the truth from him and making his decisions in his place, when things inevitably go awry he will certainly point his finger at you. Worst of all, he will have every right to do so."

    Hati, the Moonchaser Wolf couldn''t hide the pain in his eyes as he looked at Lya''s broken figure. He was seemingly talking to himself, reminiscing about his incredibly long life as he finished muttering what was on his mind before Lya''s figure finally vanished alongside Amon.

    "Can you bear another failure in your hands, little girl?"

    His last words echoed in Lya''s mind, making her heart clench.

    In truth, the possibility scared her more than she would ever be willing to admit, because she already knew the answer to that question.

 86 Hell Beckons III

    A fierce wind howled as it blew at Daniel''s back, pushing his body dangerously close to the razor-sharp rocks of the mountainside. Daniel gave an exasperated sigh as he tried his best to fight back.

    His whole body was trembling uncontrollably due to the exhaustion, and a burning pain had taken over his limbs long ago due to his overexertion. Scarlet blood flowed from his mangled fingers and palms, covering the thick scabs that were forming and cracking in his hand nonstop.

    His right arm was hanging uselessly at the side of his body, dangerous hovering over the ground that lied hundreds of meters away. Without being able to properly replenish his Qi, Daniel had lost the capacity to manipulate his crippled arm not long after he had started the climb.

    He had been climbing with only his left arm and his legs ever since. To his desperation, he felt that if he didn''t finish the climb soon, he would also permanently damage his left hand. After that, what would be left would only be the cold and indifferent embrace of the soft grass far below.

    Daniel grunted in pain, not hiding the frustration and despair he felt. Even if the Guardian protected his life, it would be meaningless. Everyone else had surpassed him long ago, even after Daniel had had a head start. That was to be expected, but what bothered him the most was his uselessness.

    When he saw the four inheriting disciples, Jake, Anna Hale, Reynard Stark, and Bren Alden fighting their way up with one another right below him, Daniel couldn''t even help his brother by trying to hold the others back.

    He couldn''t control elemental Qi, and the swords he sent flying in their direction were simply ignored, being thrown away in the middle of the volatile elements and their chaotic attacks. He almost shared the fate of his swords as the impact of their attacks made their way up to where he was.

    His brother tried to reach for him, but he decidedly shook his head. Now was not the time to have pity, nor to try to help those that would hold him back. Now was the time for his brother to worry only about himself.

    The climb was all about that. Cultivation was all about that. A lesson that Daniel learned the hard way throughout his life.

    He could only watch in dismay as one by one, all disciple surpassed him, even the youngest and weakest of them. The sour taste in his mouth would not go away, even if he already knew that this would be the most likely outcome.

    Daniel gritted his teeth, and stopped struggling against the wind. He let himself hit the mountainside, and held back a grunt as the sharp rocks pressed against his chest. Still, even if they punctured his skin, they gave him the support he needed to move on.

    He sluggish reached upwards with a trembling arm, fighting back against the pain and exhaustion as he firmly grasped another sharp rock. He listlessly raise his head, watching the vortex of clouds that hid the peak of the mountain.

    It was still incredibly far away from him.

    It was completely out of reach.

    He felt something weighting down on his chest, and he suddenly had the urge to throw up. He almost let go of the rock he was holding with his left hand as his body suddenly convulsed, forcing him to stay in place, barely holding on.

    A dry, weary laugh escaped from his lips. His throat was already sore from dehydration, and his voice was hoarse. It brought him even more pain, but he couldn''t stop. In truth, it was quite a sad sight.

    When he finally got a hold of himself and looked at the rock he was holding, he realized he couldn''t feel his left arm anymore. He didn''t even knew how he was still holding on to the rock.

    "God damn it." He whispered to himself, giving a wry smile. He stopped any and all attempts of continuing his climb, staying still in that exact same position. He had no idea how long he would manage to hold on.

    He slowly looked down, gazing at the towering trees of the forest that now looked like nothing but dots in the distance. He was very sure that they were swaying with the wind, as if inviting him to join them.

    For a moment, Daniel considered accepting their invite.

    "Are you done?" A strange voice suddenly echoed in Daniel''s ears, giving him a scare and almost making him lose his footing.

    He quickly turned his head to the source of the voice, seeing a tall man dressed in white hovering next to him, as if the air itself was propping him up. His indifferent expression made him seem extremely arrogant, and his strange white hair and his piercing blue eyes gave Daniel chills as he face the unexpected newcomer.

    "As much that I don''t want to say I am, I know the truth already." Daniel answered in an incredibly tired voice, as if he would pass out at any moment. The moment the man appeared and asked that question, Daniel already knew who he was.

    The man continued to look at him with indifference, but slowly cocked his head, as if watching a mildly interesting ant. He didn''t speak, so Daniel took it as a sign to continue talking.

    "I suppose you already know the answer too, don''t you?" He asked, looking unblinkingly at the man by his side.

    "Of course I do. It is my responsibility to be able to properly assess such things." The man spoke with his crisp, grating voice that greatly unnerved Daniel. "Still, it doesn''t mean I don''t have to ask you why."

    "Why bother with such meaningless questions? We both know that I am already at my limit. It is not as if I am giving up, or not giving my best. This is simply as far as I can go." Daniel said in an exasperated voice, lightly shaking his head.

    "Even if you say that, a moment ago you were still trying to push forward. Why stop now?" The Guardian asked as he faced Daniel with a blank expression.

    "Why are you so curious about that?" Daniel asked in a harsh tone. He was already in a terrible mood, and the Guardian was only pouring salt on his wounds.

    "Because you made the best deal of all the people that passed by me in these Hellblaze Trials." The Guardian answered, still not showing an inkling of emotion in his face. His eyes, however, turned a bit less cold. Daniel could see a glimmer of pity in them, what made him even angrier.

    "I see. I did think you sounded somewhat familiar." Daniel said dismissively, making the Guardian give a rare sight.

    "Pride is not something people like you should hold onto." The Guardian said as his expression finally turned serious.

    Daniel was taken aback by his words. His face contorted as his mind raced to give him an answer, but the words he desperately tried to look for never came to him. He couldn''t help but admit the Guardian was right.

    Even if Daniel had been shunned by his father, even if he had to struggle with all he had to attain the miserly achievements he had, he was still proud of himself. He knew that anyone else that faced the hardships he did would most likely have fallen short to what he managed to do.

    Nevertheless, it was all for naught. Facing the harsh reality would have never been easy on him, it could never have been.

    Lars Borgin might have taken a liking to the technique he developed to control swords with Qi, and Daniel might have managed to fight his way to the Inner Sect to slap his father''s face, but that was it.

    Daniel had reached his peak long ago, and it was simply not high enough.

    In the grand scheme of things, he still meant nothing. He never would.

    He would never be able to leave the mountainside, far from the ground and far from the peak. Inevitably, he would fall someday, joining all the others that never even tried the climb before.

    The simple mortals that could only watch from afar as countless cultivators tried the climb, and countless more fell back to the ground. Daniel would never be anything but one of those people that they watched with fervor, but ultimately meant nothing in their simple lives.

    "The climb might gift you power, but it also brings you pain. Those that are not fated to reach the peak will get nothing but suffering out of it." The Guardian spoke lightly, in an almost robotic voice, as if he had said those words many times before.

    "Maybe you should consider if the climb is truly worth it." The Guardian added, sighing yet again. "There is nothing wrong in seeking happiness instead of power and living a fulfilling life."

    Daniel gazed at the Guardian with a strange look in his eyes. He didn''t utter a word as he pondered for some time.

    "Am I the only one left?" Daniel broke the silence after some time, furrowing his brows tightly.

    "Yes." The Guardian answered simply. "All the others either fell or reached the peak. You are the only one left."

    "I see." Daniel sighed with a pained look. In truth, he had been so absorbed in his own climb that he didn''t even notice that other people fell from the mountain. Maybe they had been so far above him that he couldn''t even see them before the Guardian saved their lives.

    "Well, I can''t climb further, and I can''t safely return to the ground." Daniel spoke in a soft voice. "What now?"

    "You still haven''t told me your answer." The Guardian pointed out. For whatever reason, it clearly wanted to hear a clear answer from Daniel.

    "My answer is mine alone." Daniel dismissed him without hesitating.

    The Guardian shook his head at such stubbornness. He snapped his fingers, and the space around Daniel started to distort. It looked like he had somehow changed his mind during the course of their conversation.

    Or rather, he wasn''t willing to admit what he felt to anyone else.

    In truth, this conversation had shaken Daniel greatly. Deep down, he knew the Guardian was right. Nevertheless, how could he truly find happiness?

    If he joined the common mortals, he would outlive many generations of his own family. This was not something he would ever be willing to experience, he would rather die.

    In the world of cultivators, he amounted to nothing, cursed to never being able to achieve a higher level. Even Amon, who was supposedly even less suited to cultivation than he was, had been slowly surpassing him.

    All Daniel could truly do was try his best to keep up with them. No matter how much pain it brought to him, no matter if it ended up destroying him. It was only thanks to the Guardian''s words that he finally understood the terrifying thought that had been creeping on his mind ever since he gained some understanding of the world.

    His happiness lied on the people he loved, and they were all ever so slowly leaving him behind.

 87 Hell Beckons IV

    Reynard had an ugly expression on his face as the space surrounding him finally calmed down. His dark eyebrows were furrowed tightly, making dark lines crease his forehead. His lips were pursed into a think line, and his eyes glinted with a savage light.

    The place the Guardian had sent him to was a wide hall. Walls of a blazing scarlet surrounded Reynard, embroidered with swirling and twisted patterns made with seemed to be gold. Such gold, however, had a glow of its own, serving as the source of lighting in the hall. It gave a warm, gentle light that reflected on the white tiles of the floor, making them seem to be burning with golden flames.

    Still, Reynard couldn''t care less about the place he was sent to. The moment he felt that he was again in a stable environment, he looked around abruptly, searching for someone that was not there. The glint in his eyes turned fiercer as he realized he was truly alone.

    Who was it? Who had stepped on the peak before him?

    Reynard suddenly came to a halt, closing his eyes lightly. He took a few deep breaths, slowly easing his expression. When he opened his eyes again, his lips contorted in a strange, ominous smile. The golden light mixed with the red of the walls as it shone in Reynard''s face, giving him a sinister appearance when couple with that bizarre smile.

    Just like that, the fierce rage he showed before was gone, giving place to something simpler. Something purer. Something darker.

    How long had it been since he felt like that? How long had it been that he had tasted defeat?

    Ever since he met his master, Reynard''s strength had soared. His innate talent, coupled with his ambitions made him grow at a rate that sometimes astounded even his master. His greatest strength, however, lied in his ability to read his enemies and use their information to his advantage.

    It was a talent he had since young, and was something his master greatly treasured on him. Thanks to that, throughout his life, Reynard had only been defeated twice, both times by people far above his own level. No one of his generation had ever been his match.

    If an exception existed, it had to be Derek Tyrell, the inheriting disciple of the Storm Peak Sect. Reynard had never managed to see through him, not even once. This made him deeply uncomfortable, almost restless. He couldn''t help but hold deep apprehension towards Derek, even if the later somehow managed to avoid all situations that would lead to a fight between them.

    Reynard did not understand his reasons to lay low, but he did not believe Derek to be a coward. If anything, Derek Tyrell was extremely dangerous. Derek might be able to fool most people, but not Reynard.

    Even if Reynard was confident in defeating him, he knew it would be no easy task. The price he would have to pay would be enormous. Just the thought alone was enough to put a smile on Reynard''s face. Now he really wanted to punch that annoying guy on the face and fight once and for all.

    Nevertheless, pondering about such things was meaningless. Derek was not taking part in the Hellblaze Trials. This on itself was something that made Reynard worried. Thomas, Clarice and Helen hadn''t appeared either.Something had certainly gone awry at the Storm Peak Sect.

    Still, even if things on Storm Peak Sect were not looking so good, Reynard had the confidence to deal alone with the mission. The problem was that an undetermined variable had just appeared.

    This made Reynard frown again. All of the inheriting disciples had been far behind him when he managed to reach the misty peak of the mountain. He did not believe anyone of them could have surpassed him while facing their Heart Devils.

    Alden Bren was a simple-minded fool. Still, the ghosts that haunted him were not so easily dismissed. He would certainly have some trouble.

    Anna Hale was a stubborn woman. Reynard knew very well what bothered her, and he couldn''t help but smile lightly. Still, something in the Trial of the Will changed her. The lines that once clearly divided her were starting to blur. She was getting rid of her weaknesses.

    Even so, Reynard did not believe she was ready to simply storm through the mist and into the peak like he did.

    Jake Meyer had potential, but he was but a foolish youth, being raised with a gold spoon throughout his life. It didn''t matter if all he had was a complicated family, he lacked the maturity to deal with it. His hardships could have been easily solved if he used his position as inheriting disciple and the attention his father gave him in a proper way, but he couldn''t bring himself to do it.

    Being overly flexible and to care too much about others was the kind of weakness that made Reynard''s eyes roll. Such lines were so clear he couldn''t be bothered in drawing them.

    Reynard shook his head. None of them could have done it.

    His companions had also been specifically instructed to not stand out, and Reynard knew them as well as he did the inheriting disciples, so it couldn''t have been them either.

    All that was left was the trash, so who did it?

    Suddenly, Reynard''s expression faltered. He remembered when he finished the Trial of the Mind, when all remaining competitors gathered. The first to arrive had been himself, followed suit by Anna. The third one, however, had not been Alden, nor Jake.

    A figure came to his mind. Strange ashen hair and those insufferably bright golden eyes. Reynard slowly squinted his eyes, as his mind worked.

    "His name was Amon¡­" Reynard started remembering their conversation. The boy never stated his surname, but Reynard still knew who he was. He had all the information he needed about most of the participants of the Hellblaze Trials, the exception being the substitutes of the Storm Peak Sect.

    "Amon Kressler, but always presents himself as Amon Skoller." Reynard muttered lightly. "A failure that somehow managed to get good results on the Promotion Competition. The reason behind his presence in the Hellblaze Trials is a mystery to all but a few. It certainly involves the inner politics of the sect, as well as his father."

    "Of course, the more important information is his surname." Reynard said while a savage smile contorted his face. Whoever was faster than him was not important anymore. This was a chance. Like a beast stalking at prey, his expression turned ferocious and his eyes showed expectancy.

    His smile turned wider and the fire in his eyes fiercer. It didn''t matter if he changed the plans a bit as long as the end result was satisfactory. To his path in pursuit of strength, defeating that man was unavoidable. Risking it all for a chance to take him on was worth it to Reynard.

    It would all be worth the risk if he managed to see a line that he could draw on that person. No matter how faint, thin or small it was, as long as it was there Reynard would eventually be able to draw it, no matter how long it took.

    A blinding flash of light interrupted Reynard''s thoughts as a deafening roar started echoing inside the scarlet hall. Space started distorting wildly, making the golden lights flicker and giving Reynard an unpleasant sensation.

    One by one, figures of all sizes and ages started to materialize. From those that couldn''t even make it past the Trial of the Will to those that managed to reach the peak in the Trial of the Heart, all of them were sent to the hall.

    A corner of the hall drew Reynard''s attention. There, the silhouette of a thin-looking boy was taking form. Eventually the form solidified, and Reynard couldn''t help but smile again as he saw the ash-colored hair the boy had.

    "Well, things will certainly become more interesting now." Reynard muttered to himself, as he turned to face Amon still smiling.

 88 Hell Beckons V

    The Guardian coldly watched as the youths appeared one by one in the hall. Every one of the original fifty competitors were present. I didn''t matter if they had failed the first Trial or made it all the way to the peak; they were all due a suitable reward, even if it was nothing but broken expectations and shattered hopes.

    This was the kind of world they lived in, after all.

    When all of the competitors were finally gathered, the Guardian emotionlessly observed as they naturally gathered with the members of their respective sects, making him give a silent sneer.

    He transmitted his voice to all of them, making some jump in fright due to the sudden unpleasant sound echoing in their minds.

    "The rewards will be given out now. Step away from each other." He said, watching closely as they all promptly obeyed him.

    With a thought, the space between each of the participants seemed to solidify, as if a glass wall had appeared between them. Then, billowing tendrils of shadow started squirming in the frozen space, slowly tainting it black and blocking the view of all the participants and closing a space of a few meters around each one of them.

    Trying to not get annoyed at the competitors that showed surprise and a hint of fear at the changes happening around them, the Guardian silently focused. In front of each of the competitors, the faint light that managed to somehow pass through the frozen space blurred and flickered, making some feel dizzy. When the light finally returned to normal, a tall man with white hair stood there, facing each one of them with cold eyes.

    Splitting his thoughts in fifty-one parts and holding fifty different conversations at the same time was very taxing on the Guardian, but he had to do so. Nothing abnormal had happened in the Trials so far, so he decided to separate all of the competitors as he gave the rewards, closely observing all of them in search of abnormalities.

    Nemeus didn''t know what Lloyd wanted to take away from the Hellblaze Secret World, and neither could the Guardian guess. There were far too many treasures stored there, and they originated from all of the Five Sacred Sects. Most of them could be considered average, but a few could certainly spark the greed of a Protector of the Abyss Sect.

    The problem was not knowing which one of those treasures Lloyd wanted. If they couldn''t know what he was aiming for, they wouldn''t know his final goal. Information was vital, and they lacked it.

    Nemeus could only take the risk at Lya''s request and open the Hellblaze Secret World. They would bait Lloyd into action and, even if they failed to protect the treasure, they would at least be able to get information.

    Lloyd Kressler was not a trivial enemy, but risks had to be taken in order to have a grasp of the big picture. Considering the strange occurrences that had been happening in the Five Sacred Sects on the last decades and how they were slowly being divided, the Guardian couldn''t help but shudder.

    Since the Guardian couldn''t leave the Hellblaze Secret World, it could only hear the details form Nemeus. He knew very well that the Five Sacred Sects were suffering on all possible fronts, losing disciples, money and resources at an acceptable, but still ever growing rate.

    Although the Guardian could not witness these slow changes by himself, he could, every ten years, personally watch the current state of the relationships between the Five Sacred Sects. Since a few decades ago, however, he also started noticing gradual changes.

    The competition between the sects started turning fiercer. The eventual fights that broke out were always more violent than the last, and he could clearly see the disciples bundling together with members of their own sects and no one else.

    Also according to Nemeus, disputes over territory and resources were resulting in more and more conflicts between the sects. The flames of strife seemed to also turn brighter each passing generation, making the Five Sacred Sects relationships turn more complicated as time went on.

    The best example of all would be the Abyss Sect. Although at face value seemed to be on par with the others, in truth had fallen behind long ago. It had been the sect that had suffered the most due to these slow changes, and its reputation had plummeted due to the Scavenging. Behind the scenes, the Abyss Sect''s name brought nothing but disdain from the others due to its fall from grace. In a few short decades, it would certainly lose its position as the strongest sect of the Central Continent if the situation did not change.

    Not only that, the Four Guardian Beasts, as well as their respective clans, seemed to be turning more and more reclusive. Even if they were not always on the best terms, and the current situation could still be considered reasonable, the Guardian could not know if it wouldn''t continue degrading gradually.

    As such, year after year, the sects lost more power and their relationships turned a bit more strangled. Even if those changes were very subtle, almost unnoticeable, they were still there to whoever managed to look deep enough into it.

    The key factor, however, was that the gaps only started widening after Arthur Royce died. When the strongest cultivator in the world died, it seemed the world had fractured and the pieces were slowly drifting away.

    This could also have been considered natural. The problem was the mysterious conditions of Arthur''s death. It had certainly not been a natural one. That being the case, neither Nemeus nor the Guardian could rule out the possibility of someone moving in the shadows.

    The thought alone gave the Guardian shivers. Such an opponent had the power, the resources and the information to carry this all out. Worst of all, the person responsible for all of this had the patience to carry this all out through decades or even centuries.

    Such possibility also frightened Nemeus greatly, so there was no room to wait and see how things played out. They could either start playing the game in a disadvantageous position or risk being simple pawns on the board. For that reason, any and all sacrifices were worth the price.

    ---

    In the enclosed space, Amon quietly observed the humanoid form of the Guardian. In the midst of shadows and dim light, the tall man seemed to produce a light of its own, giving him an ominous white brilliance.

    To Amon''s surprise, his piercing and always focused icy eyes seemed to be devoid of brilliance, as if the Guardian was in a daze. Amon couldn''t help but unconsciously raise a brow, curious.

    The light by his side started distorting and turning chaotic as Lya''s figure also materialized in the enclosed space. Amon''s brows furrowed and he didn''t hide his dissatisfaction as he opened his mouth to talk.

    He wanted to ask Lya about how she knew the Guardian. About that Nemeus they mentioned, and also what was this Skoll''s blessing he had. Before he could talk, however, Lya lightly raised a hand to interrupt him, not once taking her eyes away from the Guardian.

    There were dark lines creasing her brows, and she seemed to be in an awful mood, but she didn''t speak. She simply waited as the Guardian returned his attention to them.

    "Well kid, it is about time we ended this." The Guardian suddenly said in its crisp, cold voice as it suddenly regained focus. "I already have a suitable reward for you, so I hope you use it well."

    "Our talk is not over." Lya said in a cold voice, showing a hostility that made Amon taken aback. He felt that Lya was acting in a very unnatural way.

    "As long as you don'' have a talk with the boy, there is no reason for us to continue ours." The Guardian dismissed her without hesitation. Lya''s expression sank, but when she glanced at Amon, she showed some hesitation before turning quiet again.

    The Guardian didn''t spare her a second glance as he waved his hands. A tumultuous wind rose between him and Amon, slowly converging and forming what looked like a blob of red light. It shone with a hellish color, sending terrifying ripples and distorting its surroundings, making it seem to be on fire. An astounding wave of heat took over the enclosed space, making Amon start sweating profusely.

    When the blob of light finally finished forming, Amon saw that it was actually an incredibly long feather. Its shaft was of a bright golden color and its translucent barbs were of a deep scarlet, making them seem to be made out of ruby. Circular patterns of gold and silver naturally formed on the feather, making it very similar to a peacock''s tail feather.

    Its aura alone was menacing enough. Coupled with its beauty and the heat it exuded, Amon couldn''t help but be enthralled by it. His golden eyes were glued on the feather, and his expression turned blank.

    "Arthur still had that stored away?!" Lya asked in shock. Her previous sour expression quickly melted into genuine surprise as she looked at the feather in front of Amon.

    ---

    "Is that it?" Reynard asked to the Guardian, clearly unhappy. In his hands was a very strange sword.

    Its blade was about the size of Reynard''s arm and had a very ordinary shape, unlike his curved sword. The guard and the pommel were made with a material that resembled amber, and the was covered with silver threads interwoven in a delicade pattern.

    What drew attention, however, was that the blade was made with what seemed to be a light-blue crystal. It reflect all light that touched it in beautiful rays that made Reynard seem to be glowing.

    "This is a legacy artifact left behind by one of the strongest Sect Masters your sect ever had." The Guardian scoffed at Reynard''s disappointment. "You can always return empty-handed if the Mirageclaw doesn''t suit your tastes."

    Reynard was about to answer the Guardian when his face suddenly fell. There was a very light, almost imperceptible rustle coming from the inside of his right sleeve. His brows furrowed deeply as he quickly waved his hands, shaking his sleeves.

    "Well, I suppose this sword should suffice if that is the case." Reynard spoke as his expression turned emotionless as quickly as it had changed before. The Guardian narrowed his eyes slightly, but didn''t voice his thoughts.

    The Guardian closed its eyes as the space surrounding the disciples started to ripple, and the hall soon returned to normal. The illusory bodies the Guardian had made also started to disperse, and soon only the cultivators could be seen in the hall.

    "The rewards are given." The Guardian''s voice echoed in the mind of the competitors again. "However, do not forget what are the greatest benefits you all reaped from this place."

    "The Hellblaze Trials are not about the treasures at your hands, it is about the path beneath your feet." It spoke gravely, making his already unpleasant voice even more unbearable.

    All of the competitors gathered according to their sects again. Some looked incredibly happy, while others couldn''t hide the disappointment on their faces. Reynard secretly shook his head. Such simple-minded fools.

    He glanced at the members of the Abyss Sect. Jake was one of those that looked incredibly happy. He couldn''t hide his emotions at all. By his side, the man Reynard recognized as Daniel Meyer also had a light smile on his face. Maybe he was the reason Jake was so carefree in front of others.

    Amon Kressler, on the other hand, was in a daze. Reynard furrowed his brows as he saw the boy''s expression. He did not look happy, nor did he look disappointed. If anything, he seemed to be recovering from some kind of shock.

    A strange light flashed in Reynard''s eyes as he directed his gaze to the other members in the Abyss Sect. From Skylar to Evan, Karen and Joshua, and even the other two trashes at Body Tempering looked happy.

    Reynard discreetly waved his left hand, making his sleeve sway lightly. Someone amidst the Abyss Sect members locked eyes with him. Reynard gave a sneer, glaring back until the person averted the gaze.

    Reynard looked over at the Noan River Sect members. He saw Anna Hale slowly turning her head to face him. He gave her a very gentle, very amiable smile. She quietly looked away, without showing much of a reaction. Nevertheless, even if Reynard couldn''t see her face behind the veil of mist she always used to cover her features, he could imagine her expression.

    One by one, he looked at the members of the Five Sacred Sects reunited there. From the inheriting disciples, to his own companions and even the trash to which he usually spared no attention.

    The Guardian quietly observed Reynard, but did nothing. This seemed to be his usual disposition, his usual arrogance. The only thing that drew his attention was the occasional swaying of Reynard''s left sleeve.

    The Guardian focused his gigantic divine sense on Reynard, but couldn''t find anything suspicious at all. He pondered alone in silence. Then, he diverted his attention to the outer bounds of the Hellblaze Secret World.

    There were no signs of all of the Hellblaze Gateway being activated. Lloyd had not even tried to make a move. Had he not taken the bait?

    As the Guardian was using his divine sense to carefully scan the boundaries of the Hellblaze Secret World, Reynard joined the members of the Roaring Mountain Sect. He had a subtle smile on his face as he held onto Mirageclaw, but he couldn''t hide the disdain in his eyes.

    He looked back at the Abyss Sect members again. Jake had an arm wrapped around Daniel''s shoulder, and the others seemed to be speaking nonsense about their experiences. They were all patting each other on the shoulders, and Amon Kressler seemed to have recovered from his shock, as he looked to be having a pleasant conversation with Daniel Meyer.

    Reynard''s smile slowly widened as he saw the scene. The look on his eyes turned savage, but he quickly repressed his emotions. He could feel faint ripples of divine sense constantly washing over him as an absurdly powerful soul peered into every inch of the Hellblaze Secret World.

    Reynard tried hard not to scoff.

    Eventually, the waves of divine sense died down, and the Guardian''s voice echoed in their minds again.

    "I will now send you out, be prepared for the spatial transference." The Guardian spoke with a chilling indifference.

    He hadn''t found a thing. Nevertheless, his instincts were telling him that there was danger. Something was not right, and he couldn''t discover what it was.

    "Hey." Reynard suddenly called in a low voice, and swayed his left sleeve again. "I have a question."

    "Oh?" The Guardian was taken aback. He directed a part of his senses at Reynard, while still carefully trying to scan the Hellblaze Secret World again. "Speak."

    At that moment, however, the Guardian felt something. A weak wave rippled through space from somewhere in the hall. It was so discrete the Guardian almost couldn''t feel it. His instincts started screaming at him as he desperately tried to trace the origins of the ripple.

    Another spatial wave rippled, stronger than the last one. It distorted light in a discrete way, getting the attention of the inheriting disciples. Even if it was a weak ripple, it astounded the Guardian greatly. If he couldn''t properly feel the powers imbued in the first wave, he now managed to get a glimpse of them.

    The scope and complexity of the Natural Laws in that ripple were far above his own. The Guardian turned utterly terrified. This was not something Lloyd Kressler could do.

    He managed to trace the origins of the ripple to the surroundings of the Abyss Sect disciples. He focused his divine sense in a hurry, prepare to crush space itself if he need to when Reynard finally asked his question.

    "Who did you give the Vermillion Token to?" Reynard asked as a cold killing intent flashed in his eyes.

    The Guardian hesitated for a split second. How did Reynard know about the Vermillion Token?

    It took the Guardian a moment to realize that his hesitation and surprise had costed him his chance.

    A third wave rippled throught space, making the hall rumble loudly. The walls started cracking and the ground started quacking. A terrifying shadow started spreading throughout the hall, ripping the Guardian''s divine sense away and locking space.

    In despair, the Guardian could only struggle vainly against the shadow as it spread, tearing away from him the control of the area.

    The some competitors turned frightened, while a few managed to keep their calm. All of them, however, were looking at the same place in fright, bracing themselves for the fourth spatial ripple that was forming.

    Amidst the shadows and surrounded by an increasingly twisted space, Amon couldn''t hide the confusion and fear in his golden eyes as the fourth spatial wave rippled, completely encasing the hall in darkness.

 89 Hell Beckons VI

    "What is happening!?" Sarah, the High Elder of the Noan River Sect asked in a surprised voice.Her arms were trembling as she watched the scene playing out in the shallow pool made of the sap of the Ashen Heart Tree.

    That boy with ashen hair had done something. The moment the Guardian was about to return all of the competitors to the Abyss Sect, terrifying ripples started spreading from the boy''s body.The roots in the ceiling started to twist on themselves, as if contorting in pain. The pool of sap turned black and all the connection to the Hellblaze Secret World was lost.

    "Borgin, what is the meaning of this?" Leonard, the young High Elder of the Roaring Mountain Sect asked in a fit of rage. His lips were trembling and his face was reddening as he raised his hands to hold onto the hilt of the saber that hung from his waist.

    A commotion broke out amidst the Elders and High Elders present. Sarah furrowed her brows, but didn''t speak. She directed a cold glance to Richard Layn, that was not far from her. He had a surprised look on his face as he stared blankly at the black pool of sap in the center of the room.

    This made Sarah''s frown deepen. She had known Richard for a very long time. His surprise was genuine. She then looked at Lars Borgin, that surprisingly showed no expression at all on his face. He had his eyes closed, as if pondering something.

    "Leonard, stand down! I am sure Sect Master Borgin has an explanation for this." Baldwin, the High Elder of the Southern Fire Sect said in an authoritative manner.

    Leonard, however, didn''t seem to mind him one bit. He gripped the hilt of his saber with even greater strength as a fierce anger blazed in his eyes.

    Boom!

    A terrifying pressure suddenly fell on the room, forcing them all to their knees. The ground beneath their feet cracked as all of them tried to fight back against the pressure, but it was turning increasingly stronger.

    The weaker Elders all had pale faces as they completely gave out to the horrifying strength, lying motionlessly on the ground while blood trickled down their lips. The High Elder didn''t have it much better, as they all were trembling due to the sheer strength they were exerting to fight back.

    Sarah made an incredible effort to raise her head, looking straight at Lars Borgin. He had finally opened his eyes, and a savage light shone on them. A piercing trill echoed in the room as he violently drew the crimson sword on his back. He did not spare a glance to any of the Elders and High Elders on the ground before shooting out of the room like a hurricane.

    The moment he left, the pressure disappeared is if had never been there. The High Elders all slowly stood up. Sarah looked incredibly feeble. Her silver hair was a mess, her blue clothes were ragged and her breathing was rough.

    The other High Elders didn''t look much better. Veronica, the High Elder of the Storm Peak Sect cut out a rather sorry figure. Baldwin seemed to have suffered the least, given that other than his disorderly clothes it looked like only his face was slightly paler.

    Leonard looked utterly miserable. Blood trickled down the corner of his lips and his eyes were bloodshot. His clothes were damp with sweat and covered in dirt. Nevertheless, the rage he showed had only increased, what was completely reasonable.

    This was an unprecedented matter to most of them. They had never been so thoroughly helpless against someone before. They might not compare to the strength of the Protectors and Sect Masters of their own sects, but they all were strong enough to stand above everyone else.

    Suffering such humiliation was not an easy thing for them to accept. Not even the ones above them dared to so such thing, much less people from other sects. This could certainly lead to troubles between the sects. Lars Borgin, however, didn''t seem to mind it one bit.

    "Richard, what is going on?" Sarah asked in a weak voice as she slowly recovered from the shock.

    "I truly have no idea. This is as much of a surprise to us as it is to you." Richard said with a helpless expression. He too, had suffered from Borgin''s outburst of power, as did all the other members of the Abyss Sect.

    Borgin hadn''t spared even his own subordinates. It was as if in that moment all that mattered to him was to raise his aura to the limits before he shot out of the room. Sarah could only guess that he went into the Hellblaze Secret World to intervene.

    "I don''t think you are lying, Richard." She said lightly shaking her head before sending him a cold, penetrating glance. "But is this a surprise to all of the members Abyss Sect or just for you?"

    Richard couldn''t answer that question, so he stood in silence. Even if he didn''t speak, his silence was all the answer Sarah needed.

    The High Elders slowly helped the weaker Elders to stand up, taking out medicinal pills to aid in their recovery. Such matters were very delicate, and solving them would certainly be complicated.

    "Do you think this is good enough of an excuse?" Leonard asked in a harsh tone. "First, one of your young cultivators somehow managed to isolate himself and all competitors from our eyes. Then, without any explanation, your Sect Master attacks us before running away!"

    Richard did not speak, for he could not retort. His expression turned increasingly ugly as Leonard eyes turned fiercer. With the corner of his eyes, Richard managed to see a few of the Elders of the other sects nodding their heads, even if the other High Elders did not show an explicit approval of his words.

    "Five years ago, your sect suddenly announced that it would cancel the Hellblaze Trials until further notice, without giving the other Sacred Sects any proper explanation at all. A few months ago, you announce that an edition of the Trials will be held, also without any explanation." Leonard''s words were extremely biting, mostly because they were the truth. "Now this happens. I can''t help but think this is something you all had planned before, even if I don''t know your goal with such actions."

    He slowly walked over to Richard in an imposing manner, not minding his tone at all. "Does the Abyss Sect thinks nothing of us? Do you all take us for stupid people that you can use for your own interests?"

    "If that were the truth, and this was somehow planned out, would Sect Master harm us, the members of his own sect, like that?" Richard did not take a step back to avoid Leonard. His expression was solemn as he held his ground, directly facing Leonard. "I don''t know what is happening, but from the Sect Master''s reaction you can clearly see that this was not within his expectations."

    Sarah''s expression eased a little hearing Richard''s words. Even if his argument was not exactly solid, it stood to reason. Furthermore, they all had seen the expression on Borgin''s face as he left the room.

    Baldwin stood silent, quietly watching the High Elders arguing without voicing his thoughts. Likewise, Veronica was silent. Her expression, however, was incomparably ugly. Sarah couldn''t figure out why, but Veronica''s expression was so exaggerated that made her uneasy.

    Leonard also didn''t speak further. He never took his hands out of the hilt of his saber, but he slowly walked away from Richard.

    At that moment, however, a blinding light flashed in the room.

    Crack!

    A crisp sound was heard, as if something had shattered. Leonard looked utterly baffled as he slowly raised his right hand, making his sleeve slide down, revealing his wrist. A thin silver chain was wrapped around his wrist, adorned with ten blood-red beads that looked like marbles.

    As everyone saw these beads, their expressions turned incredibly serious. Richard''s face paled, as did the faces of the other members of the Abyss Sect. They all knew what those blood-red beads were.

    One of the beads started cracking, slowly falling apart. The room was deadly silent, so they all could hear as the fragments of the bead falling into the floor, one by one. It was an incredibly clear, even if light, sound. Like the chimes of a bell, all of the pieces of the bead fell to the ground, leaving only nine hanging from the chain in Leonard''s wrist.

    "Drace¡­" Leonard said in a stupefied voice as he powerlessly looked at the red fragments on the floor.

    No one spoke a word. Baldwin''s expression turned incredibly grave, as he turned his head to face Richard. His muscles were clearly tensing, as if he was preparing to fight.

    Sarah too, slowly backed away, silently placing her aged fingers over a ring on her left hand, ready to take action.

    Veronica''s eyes darted around the room, carefully looking at the expressions each one of the present were making. She and the Elder of the Storm Peak Sect slowly backed away, side by side. Veronica''s expression turned even uglier, and Sarah could see a hint of suspicion in it.

    Leonard slowly turned to face Richard again. The crisp sound of scrapping metal echoed through the room as he drew his saber in an unbearably slow pace, as if he wanted to be sure to engrave the sound in the minds of each one of them. His eyes showed no anger anymore, and his expression was blank.

    All that one would feel from him was a freezing intent to kill.

    Ching!

    With a clear sound, the saber was finally released from its sheath, covering the room in an ominous purple glow as the blade glowed with a flickering light.

    Sarah felt cold sweat running down her back as she watched Leonard. She silently prayed for the safety of the members of the Noan River Sect, because now she was sure they were in danger.

    The Abyss Sect members all slowly gathered, not saying a word. Richard slowly rubbed the ring on his left hand, making a long and slender silver spear appear in front of him. He grasped it with a firm flick of his wrist, facing Leonard with serious eyes.

    Even though Richard did not want to fight, he knew there was no hope anymore. Leonard had been suspicious of them from the beginning, and now there was no more room for explanations or negotiations.

    Words were of no use anymore. Everyone present knew what those blood-red beads were. All of the High Elders present had a chain identical to the one Leonard had wrapped around their wrists, all of them with ten beads.

    The moment the bead shattered all chances of negotiations and peaceful interactions had fallen through.

    The moment the bead shattered a disciple had died in the Hellblaze Secret World.

    ---

    "What is going on!?" Amon shouted in surprise as wave after wave of spatial distortion rippled from his body. Even if he was shouting with all he had, his voice could barely be heard beyond the incessant roaring that had taken over the ears of all that were present.

    "There is something on your shoulder causing this!" Lya said in an urgent voice. "The distortions are too strong, I can''t stop them!"

    The shadows slithering from his body had completely encased the hall, imprisoning the fifty competitors in pure darkness.

    "Who dares!" An enraged roar echoed directly in their minds as the Guardian did not hide his anger at all. It was enough to make many of the competitors curl up in fear, trembling in the pitch-black hall as that savage roar made their consciousness tremble.

    Another wave rippled, throwing the disciples still standing to the ground. Low grunts could be heard as most of them were caught by surprise, expelling the air from their lungs due to the unexpected impact.

    "Use your divine sense to perceive your surroundings!" Amon could faintly make up Jake''s voice as silence took over the hall.

    No other wave rippled, but the darkness still remained. Amon spread his divine sense, seeing himself standing alone. He carefully inspected his body, but couldn''t feel anything wrong at all.

    What the hell was happening?

    "Jake, what is the meaning of this?" Reynard''s angry voice echoed in the hall, taking many by surprise. Reynard was walking with heavy steps toward the Abyss Sect disciples, his new light-blue crystalline sword in hand. "What are you people of the Abyss Sect up to?"

    "None of you move!" The Guardian roared as a silent pressure fell on every one of them, tightly holding them in place. The pressure was so strong Amon felt his bones creaking. He could barely breathe, much less speak. The Guardian seemed to be extremely enraged.

    Nevertheless, it was too late. Reynard had already spoken what he needed too.

    Despite the pressure, Reynard managed to smile lightly. It was time for the seeds he had planted in the Trial of the Heart to start germinating.

    The Guardian carefully scrutinized the bodies of every one of the competitors, but he couldn''t find anything abnormal. Not even Amon had anything strange in his body. This made the Guardian worried beyond reason.

    As he tried probing their bodies again, he suddenly had a bad feeling. He extended his senses outwards, trying to peer past the hall. The shadows, however, blocked his divine sense. Still, the Guardian could vaguely sense that the shadows in one of the walls was starting to churn.

    A blinding light flashed in the hall, and a beam of silver light shot out into that wall, opening a hole in the shadows. The Guardian could only observe in astonishment as something shone in Amon''s shoulder, sending the beam of light into the wall.

    It was a small medallion that was about the size of a toenail, and barely put any weight into Amon''s shoulder. Both Amon and the Guardian were taken by surprise, because somehow neither of them could feel the medallion with their divine sense.

    "It is that medallion!" Lya screamed in Amon''s head. To be precise, neither Lya nor the Guardian could see the medallion. They were nothing but pure souls, and depended on their divine sense to perceive the world.

    While Amon could clearly see it with his eyes, Lya and the Guardian could only faintly make its shape thanks to the light that covered it. The medallion to them was like a shadow in the middle of that light.

    The Guardian tried using his divine sense to crush it into powder, but his divine sense simply passed through it, as if it was an illusion.

    "Kid, quickly destroy that thing!" The Guardian ordered Amon, as he released the pressure. Amon ripped the medallion from his shoulders in a hurry. He threw it to the ground, drawing Windhowler and smashing the crude sword towards the medallion.

    However, before the blade could reach the medallion, the blade was forcefully stopped by something. No matter how much strength Amon put into his arms, the sword would not give way. There was some kind of shield in the medallion.

    Lya could feel the strength of that shield, and that made her desperate. She knew that even if she used her full strength she wouldn''t be able to breach it.

    This made both Lya and the Guardian feel dread. Whoever had planned this was many steps ahead of them.

    The medallion shuddered, letting out a loud hum as the beam of light turned even brighter. At that moment, as if it was a pond and someone threw in a pebble, the wall hit by the light started to ripple.

    The Guardian sensed something wrong. The Hellblaze Secret World itself started trembling. The Guardian could faintly feel that something was approaching, and the dimension itself was reacting.

    The Hellblaze Gateway had been activated, and it was opening a spatial tunnel directly into the hall.

    For the first time in millennia, the Guardian felt fear. It was completely lost. The enemy had sealed all of his routes of escape, had blocked all of his methods. The Guardian was nothing more than a cornered beast, and he didn''t know what the other party wanted.

    It gave Reynard Stark a grave look. Somehow, that arrogant man knew of the Vermillion Token. He even knew that it had been taken out. He was the prime suspect, even if that medallion had been on Amon Kressler''s body.

    "Lya, help me breach this seal so I can send the kids away!" The Guardian bellowed, mustering all of its strength to rip space apart and unleash a blow on the shadows.

    Lya didn''t hesitate to show herself, holding Brightmoon in her hands. The blade shone with a divine light as a thick layer of Qi formed around it, undulating until it distorted into the form of an extremely sharp edge.

    The other disciples all had their eyes open wide as they looked at the scene, not understand in the least what was going on.

    "Now!" The Guardian shouted, releasing all of his strength.

    The shadows started to ripple violently as a black line perfectly divided then in half. Space turned still for a moment, and, as if it was nothing but a painting that had been torn, one of the halves that line divined started to fall down.

    Looking at the scene made Amon feel dizzy. He felt that part of him was also falling down, just like the scene in front of him. The bending of the Natural Laws of Space were too much for someone at his level to handle.

    At that moment, Lya, struck. Brightmoon descended, and a wave of bright Sword Qi flew towards the line the Guardian drew in space, cutting through the wind with a piercing whistle.

    BOOM!

    The wave of Sword Qi made contact with the line, and the frozen space started to shatter. It fragmented in countless pieces; each containing a part of was supposed to be the wall covered in shadows. The pieces flew about, turning upside down and rotating, like pieces of a glass mural. Between the pieces, there was nothing. The pieces were surrounded by a colorless void. It was nothing but utter emptiness that surrounded the broken space.

    Amon held his head, trying hard to hold back the urge to vomit. He was feeling as disoriented as when he first entered the spatial tunnel that lead to the Hellblaze Secret World.

    "It is working!" Lya said with contained relief. Somehow, she managed to see something beyond the broken space and knew that what they were doing was effective.

    "Again!" The Guardian shouted, preparing another strike.

    The hall quaked madly, and the shadows churned. The fragments of space seemed to have been swept by a gust of wind as they suddenly gathered together, being blown away by the Guardian''s attack.

    Lya raised Brightmoon again, unleashing a second strike. The wave of Sword Qi was even stronger than before. Like the attack of the Guardian, that wave of Sword Qi seemed to tear space apart, leaving a line of emptiness through its trajectory.

    Suddenly, Lya turned her head with a surprised expression on her face. Amon felt a wind blowing on his face. A very cold, heartless wind.

    A thin wave of light whistle through the air, hitting Lya''s Sword Qi at a blinding speed and deflecting it away. The wave of light dispersed, but Amon could feel an inherent, frightening sharpness from it.

    Sword Qi?

    As Amon was dumbfounded, Lya''s attack missed, hitting an undamaged wall and being absorbed by the shadows.

    The medallion that had been emitting the beam of light shuddered once, exploding in a flash of silver light and disappearing. It''s use was over.

    "Who are you supposed to be?" A grave, cold voice echoed through the hall.

    Amon felt a shiver running down his spine. That voice was slightly more aged, somewhat graver and somehow a lot colder than what he remembered. However, there was no way he would not recognize it.

    With a pale face, he slowly turned around.

    The wall that had been hit by the beam of light had disappeared, giving way to a wide circle filled with silver light, as if it was a window to another dimension. It was the entrance, or exit, of a spatial tunnel.

    Standing in front of it was a single man.

    He had a hair as dark as the night reaching his shoulder. A pair of ravenous black eyes so cold that made one shiver could be seen in a pale face with sharp features.

    Clad from head to toe in black, the man stood straight with a sword in hand. To Amon''s surprise, he could not recognize the sword. It had a straight blade that seemed to glow with a poisonous green light, and an intricate, curved guard made of gold. A single red gem was embedd in the pommel, giving off and eery glow.

    Even if Amon could not recognize the sword, there was no way he would not recognize the man wielding it.

    Standing in front of the newly opened spatial tunnel was the former Fifth Protector of the Abyss Sect. The husband of Rebecca Skoller and father of Amon Kressler.

    Lloyd Kressler, the Dark Gale, had arrived.

 90 Hell Beckons VII

    Lloyd Kressler had his focus completely set on Lya. His brows were slightly furrowed, and one felt a chill running down their backs just by the sheer coldness in his gaze. His black clothes were fluttering wildly as the air surrounding him seemed to move around his body at a dangerous speed. It was as if a hurricane was slowly starting to form around him.

    "Lloyd!" The Guardian shouted, not hiding the rage in his voice. At this point, his composure was long gone. Things were already getting out of hand. The Guardian would have to do everything in its power to salvage the little bit he could of the situation.

    Lloyd completely ignored the Guardian, still looking at Lya with furrowed brows. To him, her presence was an unexpected variable in a plan that was running smoothly until then.

    "Who are you?" He asked a second time with an emotionless voice. With a flick of his wrist, the green sword in his hand moved, sending a sharp wave of Sword Qi in Lya''s direction.

    Lya didn''t bother answering, nor dodging. The Sword Qi slashed past her, making her figure distort for a moment before stabilizing again.

    "Indeed. Nothing more than a soul." Lloyd said, squinting his eyes as he carefully looked at Brightmoon in Lya''s hands. His eyes stopped at the red jewel embedded in the sword''s guard, and a mocking smile made its way to his blank face. "It never ceases to surprise me how much the Soul Cultivators enjoy having pets around."

    Lya still did not utter a word, but a faint light covered Brightmoon again. Her expression was solemn, and she made great effort to not show her surprise. Lloyd had used Sword Qi twice, and knew about Soul Cultivators. He clearly learned it from someone.

    The thought made Lya even more worried. Maybe Nemeus was right. If Dale was the one behind all of this, then the current situation was even graver than she first thought. Because now she didn''t know how much Lloyd Kressler had learnt, and whatever he wanted from the Hellblaze Secret World suddenly turned even more difficult for her to guess.

    "Well, it doesn''t matter. You are in my way." A fierce wind howled in the hall and the air surrounding Lloyd started moving faster, raising dust and gravel from the floor.

    A silent pressure crept up the competitors, adding up to the restraints the Guardian had set on them before. Some couldn''t take it, and directly lost consciousness.

    "Lya, hold him back! I need to send the children away!" The Guardian said directly in her mind, with an alarmed voice. Without wasting time, he dragged all of the competitors closer to the breach he and Lya were opening in the wall, trying to keep them as far away as possible from harm.

    Lya did not answer, but directly shot in Lloyd''s direction, raising Brightmoon. A thick vortex of Qi formed around the blade, gathering and solidifying around it. That layer of Qi was so bright that Amon had to take his eyes away from it.

    Lloyd still had the mocking smile on his face as he watched Lya coming in his direction. He was not scared in the least. A layer of light formed around his green sword, albeit not as bright as the one on Brightmoon, as he prepared to receive Lya''s strike.

    Brightmoon descended, aiming for Lloyd''s head. He watched the sword coming for him with surprising detachment, as if he was not the target at all. He did not move an inch, calmly watching as the opposing sword came closer to him, splitting everything in its path to take his life.

    Seeing this made Lya unnerved rather than pleased. She put even more strength in the strike, trying to suddenly accelerate the sword before Lloyd could do something. At that moment, however, her expression shifted into one of utter astonishment.

    Swoosh!

    A sudden wind blew as Lloyd finally moved. The air gathering around him had moved to his sword in a split-second, and before Lya could react, Lloyd had stabbed in her direction at a mind-numbing speed. The target of the stab, however, was not Lya''s projection.

    With an alarmed expression, Lya suddenly shifted Brightmoon''s path, missing Lloyd.

    Clang!

    A wave of berserk Sword Qi shot out from Brightmoon, obliterating the floor by Lloyd''s feet and colliding with a wall, making the shadows squirm before dispersing. However, neither Amon nor Lya could be bothered with the sudden change of direction of the strike.

    At that very moment, sparks were flying from Brightmoon''s guard as Lloyd''s sword scraped against it, making a hair-raising screech echo through the hall. That poisonous-green blade left a clear and long scratch on the iron sword, barely missing the red jewel embedded on the guard.

    Lya''s face paled as she watched Lloyd with astonishment. Before she could say something, however, another stab came at her with blinding speed. Lya hurriedly retreated, creating distance between her and Lloyd.

    "I am surprised. I didn''t expect you to be able to react to that stab." Lloyd said, never wiping away the mocking smile from his face. "Still, I don''t think close quarters combat will be the best choice for you. Even if it is the best way to try to hold me back, my hand might slip and you will end up in pieces."

    Lya''s expression couldn''t be more serious. Lloyd''s attainments in swordsmanship had surprised her greatly. He was clearly at his peak condition and his ability was nothing to scoff at. Lya, on the other hand, had four hundred years of isolation slowly rusting her skills away. Nevertheless, it was not the problem.

    The problem was that, somehow, he knew it. He knew about the Soul Stone. She looked at him for a moment, trying to scrutinize his expression. Her gaze slowly fell onto the sword in his hands, and at the inconspicuous red jewel embedded in the pommel.

    A terrifying aura exploded from her, completely taking over all of the Qi in their surroundings. Lloyd frowned when he saw that, trying to fight back with his divine sense, but his struggles were useless. Lya''s soul was much stronger than his was.

    He could only try to protect himself as the Qi itself crashed down on him, pressing his body from all sides, trying to crush his bones and stop his breathing. His movements turned sluggish, and before he could do anything, Brightmoon was pressing against his neck.

    The polished iron blade had already penetrated his skin, making blood slowly seep down his neck before disappearing in the darkness that were his clothes. He looked at Lya with unwavering eyes that glinted with hate.

    "Who sent you?" Lya asked with a dark expression.

    "Take a guess." Lloyd said in a mocking tone. He still had that annoying smile on his face, as if looking down on Lya''s attempt to get information.

    Brightmoon sank further on his neck, making even more blood flow. Lloyd didn''t make a sound, still looking at Lya with those unyielding eyes. This made her greatly displeased.

    "I find it strange that whoever sent you would even think that a weakling like you would be enough to defeat Hati." Lya whispered in a venomous voice, showing disdain in her blue eyes. She didn''t bother with Lloyd as her gaze fell on the red jewel on his sword.

    She sent a wisp of her divine sense to probe into the red jewel, but to her surprise, something blocked her. As Lya tried forcing her way in, a terrifying force pushed her back, making her alarmed.

    If the divine sense she had used to probe the jewel was a river, the opposing force was actually an ocean!

    "Hati, be careful! Lloyd is not alone!" Lya shouted as she realized what was going on.

    The Guardian was solely focused on forcefully creating a breach on the spatial seal that had locked the hall. Hearing Lya''s words, it suddenly turned around, only to see specs of light gathering in front of Lloyd, eventually forming into the figure of a woman.

    "Too bad, Lloyd, you lose. Although I can''t say it was your fault." A beautiful voice suddenly echoed through the hall.

    That melodious, coquettish voice gave Amon shivers, making him and the surrounding cultivators enter in a daze. That voice was far too charming. It gently tickled his ears, making its way into his mind, subtly calming him and making him relax.

    A sudden warmth slowly spread through his body, making him feel very comfortable. He couldn''t even feel the restraints the Guardian had placed on him anymore. His body was light, as if he was floating.

    He wanted to close his eyes and immerse himself in such sensations, but he somehow forced himself to look at the new figure that had appeared between Lya and Lloyd.

    It was a woman that had long, flowing green hair that reached her waist. It sparkled with a faint light, looking like grass covered in morning dew. Her beautiful amber eyes shone with an intoxicating light, enough to entrap the minds of any man that dared to directly look at them.

    "It really was you." The woman said with a charming smile, waving her hand dismissively as she looked at Lya.

    A formless wave of divine sense swept through the hall, throwing all of the Qi in disarray. The pressure on Lloyd suddenly disappeared, and Lya''s face paled as her divine sense was forcefully pushed back.

    Like Lloyd before her, she tried to struggle, but the foreign divine sense had taken over the entire hall. It was incredibly stable, and incredibly resilient. As Lya desperately tried to fight back, it started to slowly enclose around her, encroaching her soul and intercepting her attempts of regaining control.

    As Lya froze in place, her figure started to crumble. Having lost control over Qi, Lya couldn''t maintain her projection anymore. The strange woman made sure to let Lya sense what was happening in the hall, but not be able to do a thing besides that.

    Lloyd slowly rose from the ground, throwing Brigthmoon away as if it was trash. He absent-mindedly wiped the blood tricking from the wound on his neck. After a few moments, the long gash stopped bleeding, and slowly started to close. It was nothing but a shallow cut, after all.

    The competitors fell to the ground as the restraints the Guardian had placed on them were undone. Nevertheless, all they did was stay unmoving on the floor, still dazed by the woman''s voice.

    Amon''s mind was trembling and his limbs were surprisingly numb, but he somehow managed to raise his upper body and look worriedly at Brightmoon that had been thrown to the corner.

    The green-haired woman smiled, locking eyes with Amon and giving a bewitching smile. She started walking in his direction, never taking her intoxicating eyes from him.

    Her long and pale legs peeked out of a green dress that clung tightly to her body, looking especially tight on her plentiful chest. Every movement her body made as she slowly walked in the Amon''s direction was enthralling. Somehow, her movements looked at the same time very natural and very calculated.

    Amon shuddered as those amber eyes entranced him. His body felt limp, and he could feel a strange prickling in his mind. There was a strange buzz ringing in his ears, disrupting his thoughts and making him confused as the woman approached. He lost the little control he had over his body and fell powerlessly to the ground again.

    Looking at the woman, the Guardian was taken aback. That woman was far stronger than even he was. He was as helpless as Lya was in front of her soul''s strength. He had lived for thousands of years, and had experience more than a human could even imagine being possible, yet, somehow, that woman overpowered him.

    Very few beings would be able of such a feat. He focused his divine sense, carefully probing the red jewel in Lloyd''s sword. The Guardian was sure had never seen that woman before, but the aura she gave him was very familiar.

    The woman smiled as she felt his intentions. Surprisingly, she didn''t stop him at all.

    As he carefully analyzed her aura, feeling incredibly anxious.

    "Oura?" The Guardian asked in shock after a name finally appeared in his mind.

    "Oh, you recognized me? I am so happy, Hati!" The woman said with a bewitching smile as she continued to get closer. She seemed to slide through the floor as her waist waved charmingly with each step she took.

    "It''s you!?" Lya asked in astonishment. Oura, however, completely disregarded her, further enclosing Lya''s soul with her divine sense.

    The Guardian did not waste time pondering what had happened with Oura or how she was there. Her presence meant she was an enemy, and that was all he had to know to act accordingly.

    He ignored her, focusing again on the damaged wall beyond the broken space, trying to muster all of his strength to somehow wrestle away the control of a portion of Qi. At that moment, however, Oura''s voice made its way to his ears.

    "So rude. So many centuries since we met and you can''t even properly greet an old friend." Oura said, while putting up an exaggerated expression of betrayal. She then turned to the many youths that had been gathered in a corner, still immobilized. She had a strange look in her eyes as she looked at them. "I feel like maybe I should get to know those kids better if that is the case. After all, you do know how much I hate feeling lonely."

    The Guardian stopped. His rage was starting to boil due to the veiled threat, but he ultimately gave up on his efforts. There was not much he could do against her, especially in the current scenario, where weak cultivators were involved.

    "Now, that is better." Oura said in a pleased voice, making the Guardian even angrier. She then looked at Amon, slowly reaching out with a pale hand to him.

    "This one in particular¡­ This kid seems very interesting." She said with excited eyes, like a girl looking at a new doll.

    "Maybe I''ll make him my new toy." She licked her red lips enticingly. Amon, however, felt a shiver running down his spine. Beyond his numbed body and his muddy consciousness, his instincts were screaming at him that the woman was dangerous.

    "Don''t you dare, you old snake!" Lya shouted in Oura''s mind, infuriated. Despite being completely helpless, she couldn''t hold back her outburst.

    "So he is indeed the one that you chose. Still as emotional as ever, Lya." Oura made a cunning smile, but her eyes expressed nothing but coldness as she turned to look at Brightmoon lying on the floor. "By the way, the next time you speak without permission I will rip you apart piece by piece, even if it incurs Master''s rage."

    The Guardian stood in silence. The events that took place showed that there were traitors infiltrated in the competitors of the Hellblaze Trials. Certainly, the same could be applied to the Sacred Sects themselves. It would not be surprising someone getting wind of Amon''s sudden rise, even if it seemed insignificant at first.

    The main point, however, was that Lloyd was involved. His son''s sudden change would reach the ears of the one pulling the strings. They would know about him the best. If such a hopeless kid suddenly showed amazing progress, they would look into it, even if on a whim.

    If that person, then, heard about him returning from the Scavenging with a certain sword, and even selling a pair of danasian steel daggers to the sect to buy cultivation manuals and sword techniques¡­ If that person knew about the events of the past, then it wouldn''t be too hard to have certain suspicions.

    "What do you want Oura?" The Guardian asked in a cautious voice. Even if Amon and Lya were part of her objective, Lloyd had stolen the Hellblaze Gateway years before the last Scavenging, and abducting Amon and Lya would have been reasonably simple to do, considering their outcast condition and the spies infiltrated in the sect.

    No, their prime objective lied on the Hellblaze Secret World from the start. They had thoroughly prepared to act, and had only awaited for an opportunity. An opportunity that Nemeus, Lya, Borgin and the Guardian himself had provided when they decided to host the Trials in a bid to get information about the enemy.

    "I doubt you can guess, dear. But don''t worry, you will find out soon." Oura said in a playful tone. Her divine sense was carefully sweeping through every inch of the hall, in search of something.

    The Guardian had been thoroughly defeated. After millennia, he was finally feeling the bitter taste of defeat once again. The situation had escaped from his grasp, and he was incapable of changing it. He had utterly and completely failed.

    "Heh, a hidden layer in space. Arthur surely didn''t play around when making this place." Oura''s eyes shone with satisfaction as her divine sense locked on a particular location in the center of the hall.

    "Wait, don''t!" The Guardian suddenly shouted in terror as he realized what Oura wanted. His words, however, were cut short when Oura waved her hands and space broke in the middle of the hall.

    However, instead of showing emptiness between the fragments of shattered space, the fragments revealed a small enclosure, as if they were hiding a box. Inside it, a red jewel the size of a fist glowed with a scarlet light.

    "Found you!" Oura said with a charming smile, raising her hands. A boundless stream of divine sense enveloped the jewel, sealing the entity in it from the outside world.

    Being contained in the dark-red space inside the Soul Stone, Hati''s soul struggled fiercely. It struck wildly with its divine sense against Oura''s consciousness, trying to break free. Like a caged animal, Hati desperately fought against his bindings, unwilling to be taken away.

    "Hehe, you foolish dog. What in this place could possibly be more precious than you?" Oura transmitted her voice inside the jewel as a mocking smile made its way into her lips.

    "Hati!" Lya screamed, desperate. She too, started struggling against Oura''s domain with all her might, even if she knew it was useless.

    "Shut up." Oura said in an annoyed voice, waving her hand again. Another stream of divine sense covered Brightmoon, silencing Lya.

    Amon started squirming on the ground, trying to recover control over his body. Sweat covered his back as he grunted due to the effort. He was finding it incredibly difficult to gather his thoughts, and seeing his futile efforts made Oura smile even more.

    "To manage to fight back against my charm, your will is really something, dear. I am sure Master will be very pleased with this." She tenderly looked at him, before turning to Lloyd. "You take the sword; I''ll be taking the kid with us."

    For the first time since he arrived, Lloyd looked at his son. His gaze was as cold and indifferent as Amon remembered. Amon himself, however, was different. There was no confusion, desperation or pain in his eyes like the last time.

    The look his son gave him made Lloyd greatly displeased, even somewhat angry. Because in those golden eyes of his son, he saw nothing but scorn.

    "I don''t remember master ever mentioning this." Lloyd said to Oura in an emotionless tone.

    "There was no need to mention, because Master wasn''t sure and this doesn''t really concern you." Oura said in a dismissive tone.

    Lloyd didn''t bother refuting her. Even if Amon was his son, he thought nothing of it. Oura saying that the matter didn''t concern him meant that Oura''s interest in Amon didn''t stem from his relationship with Lloyd.

    "Oh, since we are already here, we might as well take everything." Oura suddenly changed the subject, waving her hands again.

    Another layer of space shattered, revealing a golden glow. Beyond the broken space, walls covered in gold supported innumerable rows of bottles and scrolls of all sizes and colors that shone with a blinding light.Deeper into the trove, silver racks held all kinds of weapons.

    Oura''s eyes glinted with greed as she saw this. This was an impressive collection, amassed with the efforts of all of the Five Sacred Sects. Even if most of its treasures were mediocre, a reasonable number of them were impressive.

    Leaving them behind would be a pity. Also, taking them away would serve another purpose.

    Lloyd quietly sheathed the green sword in is hand, and reached into his clothes. He recovered a small metal bracelet, which he threw to Oura without ceremony.

    Then he walked to Brightmoon, grasping the iron sword without a hint of care.

    With a light smile, Oura made the bracelet float in front of her. She extended her hands, projecting her divine sense into the trove. Like snakes, strands of her divine sense coiled around the many treasures inside, before retracting back to Oura.

    The bracelet flickered with a silvery light as treasure after treasure touched it and disappeared. When the trove was completely emptied, Oura gave a satisfied smile.

    She then gave a glance to the fallen cultivators. Besides Amon, all of them were on the ground, still in a daze.

    "Don''t forget what you have to do." She said in a low voice as she looked at the fallen cultivators before extending her hands to Amon.

    Boom!

    The hall violently quaked as a deafening sound echoed. The walls trembled, and the shadows covering them started to distort. The wall Lya and the Guardian had damaged started shaking violently, and the spatial fragments surrounding it slowly stopped floating, being locked in place.

    "It looks like those two made more damage to the seal than expected, it won''t hold on." Oura said in a serious tone. Lloyd didn''t need her reminder before he again unsheathed the sparkling green sword by his waist.

    Running away was not an option. Lars Borgin and Nemeus couldn''t be left alone with the competitors, or they would certainly spoil their plans. Their only chance was staying behind to hold Borgin and Nemeus back.

    A wisp of divine sense coiled around the powerless Amon, dragging him closer to Lloyd alongside the bracelet and the Soul Stone as Oura''s figure dispersed.

    BOOM!

    Another heavy impact sounded. Grave and dust started falling from the ceiling, covering the immobile cultivators on the ground. The floor cracked and the damaged wall started crumbling.

    Beyond his muddy consciousness, Amon could faintly hear an earth-shaking roar in the distance.

    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

    The damaged wall crumbled completely, exploding in pieces and sending fragments of gold and scarlet crystal raining through the hall. A sudden heat wave assaulted all of the present, making breathing difficult. Amon felt as if he had been thrown into the Trial of the Will again as fire blazed into the hall. Dark-red flames emerged from the newly made breach, swallowing the viscous shadows that covered the hall.

    A nauseating sizzling sound echoed as the shadows were burnt to a crisp by the hellish fire, and a small figure appeared amidst the flames.

    His brown hair was a mess, and his clear eyes shone with a rarely seen seriousness. Wild flames flickered at his feet, and his sheer presence made a silent weight press down on Amon, as if his weight had suddenly increased.

    Every step he took made the tiles of the floor crack and sink into the ground. His small figure looked impressively gigantic as he gazed at Lloyd with cold eyes, his back as straight as a javelin. In his right hand, he held a crimson sword covered in hellish black flames. The blade seemed somewhat blurry as it vibrated and hummed with a low sound, as if it was growling.

    Looking at the newcomer, Lloyd couldn''t help but smile again.

    The green sword in his hands glowed with a poisonous light as Lloyd waved it around, as if warming up. The silent pressure weighting down on the hall didn''t seem to affect him at all. A gentle wind spiraled around him, making his dark clothes flutter and his black hair sway.

    "It''s been a while, Lars." He said, not hiding the mockery in his voice.

 91 Hell Beckons VIII

    A hellish gloom faintly lit up the spacious room. The red walls seemed to be squirming strangely, as if a viscous, seething substance was seeping down through the wall''s length. This made the lighting in the room be uneven, making distorted shadows dance on the floor as the walls changed constantly.

    Such shadows masked the expression of a small and frail boy that was kneeling on the floor. His brown hair was a mess, and his clothes were in disarray. The moving shadows covering his face almost hid his swollen right cheek and the bluish-green color that covered them, but in the end, even the shadows weren''t enough to hide his injuries. Nor could the shadows hide the glint in the boy''s clear eyes. A deep fear and uneasiness could be seen in them, but far deeper, in the midst of those scared eyes, a spark of rebellion flickered.

    In the middle of the room, a row of sparking golden steps led to an incredibly ugly seat. It was a tall, wide wooden throne. Legend says that it had been white once, and incredibly appealing, but what the boy saw was a seat charred beyond recognition, twisted into a dark and deformed mess full of cracks. The little white that might have survived the ordeal of fire had been greyed out long ago by the rivers of time, or maybe its own ashes had tainted the throne.

    The boy didn''t know, and he didn''t care. He dared not look up to the man seating on the throne, lightly tapping on the armrest with his index finger in a rhythmic, but absent-minded manner. Every tap reverberated through the room, making the boy''s heart skip a beat in fright.

    Lying against the throne, a sword silently slept in its glossy blood-red sheath. The jet-black hilt in the shape of a cross seemed far too simple, far too unadorned for its wielder. The only thing that seemed luxurious at all about the sword, besides the color of the sheath, was a bright-red jewel embedded in the guard, glowing with a faint light.

    "Why do you always do such things?" The man finally asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence. His tone was surprisingly gentle, his voice mild.

    "I¡­" The boy cut himself short just as he was about to answer the question. He greeted his teeth and took a deep breath, before speaking again in a forced voice. "I find Nolan Skoller annoying."

    "Heh." The man in the throne scoffed lightly. The boy didn''t need to look up to know what kind of expression he was making. He suddenly felt constricted, and moving was difficult. There was nothing at all pressing down on him, but the boy couldn''t help but feel oppressed. The sheer thought of unpleasing that man made him instinctively paralyzed in fear.

    "Why lie to me?" The man asked, his voice still mild and gentle.

    The boy closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had been given a second chance. He could not lie again.

    "Nolan said I was too small, and he said that since I don''t have any affinity to fire I didn''t deserve my position." The boy said, trying to hide the nervousness in his voice. The result was rather strange, as his tone came out uneven, as if he was holding back his tears as he spoke.

    "What does an affinity to fire have to do with anything? We are not the Southern Flame Sect. The Abyss Sect does not have a ruling lineage, nor do we have any Guardian Beast to pass on the secrets of the elements." The man said, gently explaining to the boy. The Abyss Sect was a very young sect, much younger than the other Sacred Sects. It stood in the Central Continent, and didn''t have any direct relation to a Godbeast or the Guardian Clans. The methods in the Abyss Sect were completely different from those of the other Sacred Sects.

    "What we have here is freedom." The man lightly added. His words were light, but his meaning certain was not.

    "But sir Sect Master has affinity with fire, and even has close relations to the Vermillion Queen of the Southern Continent¡­" The boy spoke in a hurried voice, as if he was pouring out his own doubts.

    "So what?" The man asked in a dismissive tone, clearly displeased. "The one that will decide the next Sect Master of the Abyss Sect is me, and I don''t care about affinities. My successor will be chosen according to his capacity and commitment in ruling the sect, not his mastery of the same element I have."

    The boy didn''t speak, and his body shuddered lightly. The man gave a sigh watching this, shaking his head slightly.

    "I don''t care if Nolan has a good affinity with fire. His case is completely different." The man added, but his words didn''t seem to affect the boy at all.

    "Look up." The man suddenly ordered in a grave voice. The boy almost jumped in fright, but slowly raised his head, looking with those big, teary eyes at the man sitting on the throne.

    The first thing the boy saw were his boots. They were simple, black boots made of leather. They covered a pair of long legs that were hidden behind a deep blood-red robe filled with golden embroideries. The man''s chest was wide, and even the loose robe could not hide the muscles that covered it and the man''s arms.

    His features were sharp, giving his handsome face a heroic bearing. His eyes were of a bizarre bright red color, shining like a pair of burning charcoals. His hair was swept back reaching his shoulders. It was of the same color as his eyes, but a few streaks of gold gave him an even more disjointed feeling, that was at the same time also very appealing.

    The boy couldn''t help but shudder once again when he met the man''s gaze. Every part of his tiny body seemed to scream at him to run away, but the boy could barely move.

    "It was a pity what happened to your grandparents. Geralt and Lara were close friends of mine, and I promised them that I would take care of their descendants and properly raise them into worthy cultivators." The man said, not hiding the sadness in his voice. "I did the same for Nolan''s grandfather."

    "Even if your parents won''t reach far in the path of cultivation, they will enjoy the best resources we have and I will guarantee they will live a fulfilling life until the end." The man said, having some difficulty to choose words that would not upset the boy too much. "You are different from them. You have the talent, and I will do my best to make sure you tread this path as far as possible. It is my responsibility, even if I am not your master."

    The boy did not speak. In truth, he could not fathom the thought of living longer than his parents. He was far too young to truly understand what the man''s words meant.

    The man then took a deep breath, before letting out a long sigh. "It is the same for Nolan, although, unfortunately, his parents are gone."

    "So do not be too upset by what he says. This sect is all he has." The man said slowly. He did not mention, however, that Nolan was possibly trying to establish his dominance. He was already taking the competition for the Sect Master''s seat very seriously. In that regard, he was already far above the competitors.

    "But sir¡­" The boy started saying, clearly unsure of how to proceed.

    "I also don''t care if you are too small." The man said with a sigh, trying hard not to roll his eyes. In truth, he found it hard dealing with children. To his surprise, however, the boy didn''t seem convinced.

    "Who cares about height?" The man asked, giving the boy a sharp look. Unconsciously, his expression slowly turned ferocious, making the boy pale. "The smaller you are, the more humiliating it will be for your opponent to lay at your feet after you are done with them."

    "Remember this, Lars. It doesn''t matter how tall you are if everyone has to kneel before you."

    ---

    CRACK!

    The floor was smashed apart as two swords violently collided. The green and the scarlet sword released a rain of sparks that were blown away by a violent gust of wind and wisps of black fire. Both Borgin and Lloyd took a single step back to disperse the force of the collision before advancing again.

    Lloyd''s sword seemed blurry as a torrent of wind gathered around the green blade covered in a layer of light. His strikes were incredibly fast and precise, trying to slowly force Borgin''s guard open with an unending torrent of attacks at different angles. His hair was whipping about and he had a savage look on his face as he swung his sword mercilessly.

    A fierce wind spiraled around his limbs, faintly glowing with a clear green color. Every strike he unleashed sent a blast of air in Borgin''s direction, and the speed of the attacks was slowly increasing, as well as the strength behind them.

    Borgin, on the other hand, seemed surprisingly calm. His brows were slightly furrowed, and an unprecedented focus could be seen in his expression. His movements were firm and stable, and he expertly parried each one of Lloyd''s attacks with Crimsonroar. Even if his movements were slower, the distance his sword had to cover was shorter, so Borgin managed to maintain the fight in a delicate balance.

    A faint yellow aura covered Borgin, almost invisible amidst the flames coming from the sword in his hands. The blast of wind didn''t affect his balance or his concentration at all, being promply dispersed by the yellow aura around him.

    He and Lloyd were slowly sinking into the floor, as if it couldn''t hold their weight after being damaged repeatedly by their clash. The cracks on the floor were slowly spreading outwards, and tiles started to sink in by themselves, as if their weight had suddenly multiplied.

    To those looking from the outside, however, the figures of Borgin and Lloyd were almost indistinct. Colorless ripples were turning the air and space chaotic, as if the Qi itself was struggling with something. It seemed to clash against itself around Lloyd and Borgin, raising the debris on the floor and launching them at dangerous speeds throughout the crumbling hall.

    This was because, even if people could not see it, Nemeus and Oura were engaged in their own fight, trying to wrestle away the control of the Qi in the area from one another and use it to attack the enemy.

    As such, both Borgin and Lloyd couldn''t make use of the Qi in the hall, having to rely on their own accumulation. They were stuck in a war of attrition. It was at that moment that cultivation and experience would count the most, because if either side of the fight showed the slightest of weaknesses, the fight would be as good as lost. In a high-level fight, a single opening was all it took to decide its outcome.

    "Borgin, we have to take the competitors out of here." Nemeus'' voice echoed directly in Borgin''s ears, his tone grave.

    "I know about that already!" Borgin answered without patience, trying to not take focus away from his fight with Lloyd.

    He could not go all out since the start, since the aftermath would most likely be deadly to more than a few of the competitors. He had to create an opening and buy enough time to remove the competitors from the hall.

    Swoosh!

    Lloyd''s glowing sword came whistling at Lar''s head, rousing a gale in its wake. Borgin quickly parried, deflecting Lloyd''s sword to the side. It was a small opening, just enough for Borgin to barely be able to counter, stabbing Crimsonroar toward Lloyd''s chest.

    The scarlet sword let out a sizzling sound as the black flames covering it billowed toward Lloyd''s chest. Lloyd grunted, taking a step back and swiping his free hand at the flames, dispersing them with a blast of wind.

    However, it was enough. In that fraction of a second where Lloyd had only one foot on the ground, Borgin acted.

    The yellow aura surrounding Borgin flashed with a blinding light, and the floor in a radius of a dozen meters around him and Lloyd suddenly caved in, as if a gigantic hand had pressed it down.

    Lloyd''s step back had costed him his balance, even if only for a moment. A violent gale swept at his back, holding his weight in the split-second he would need to recover, but Crimsonroar was already falling down over his head, splitting the air with sundering flames as dark as his clothes.

    "Lloyd!" Oura shouted, diverting her attention for but a moment, just long enough to deflect Borgin''s strike with a blast of condensed Qi.

    Just long enough for Nemeus to act.

    With a thundering roar, he threw all of his focus at the bright Soul Stone floating near Lloyd, savagely ripping apart the divine sense that was restraining it.

    A terrifying surge of power erupted from the Soul Stone as Hati finally freed himself, throwing the already chaotic Qi of the hall into even more of a disarray.

    To the powerless Amon thrown to the side, the world was turning upside down. It would sometimes become completely white, sometimes blast with a variety of colors. The earth never stopped rumbling and quaking, and the air itself seemed to be falling down alongside the badly damaged ceiling of the hall, as if the sky was crashing down from above.

    Clouds of dust rose and fell as gusts of wind randomly swept through the place, throwing gravel at the competitors that were recovering from their daze since Oura had lost the absolute control over the hall. All they could do was desperately try to protect themselves from the chaos that the fight brought upon them. What they were experiencing was too much for them to process or understand.

    Their despair, however, did not last long. They all felt an invisible force wrapping around them, as if a rope they couldn''t see had been tied around their waists.

    Hati focused with all he had, not holding back in his use of strength at all. The breach on the wall surrounded by squirming shadows, broken space and emptiness, shuddered. The spatial fragments froze, in place, as if time had stopped.

    They then started to circle around the breach, slowly rearranging themselves. As they floated around the breach, a bright red color slowly died them like blood, before they finally gathered and formed a red curtain of light.

    Hati was utterly exhausted, but didn''t dare lose focus. With a violent sweep of his divine sense, he dragged Brightmoon and Amon towards him, severing Oura''s faint control over them. She was far too busy trying to regain the grounds she lost to Nemeus in the fight.

    "Run away, Lya. Take the boy and run away." Hait said to the red jewel embedded in the iron sword. His words were said in an urgent, almost pleasing tone.

    "Wait!" Amon tried to say, but Hati did not pay him any mind.

    The Moonchaser Wolf took a look at the boy that had Skoll''s blessing with mixed emotions. He was far too young, far too inexperienced, far too na?ve. He was not ready for what was to come.

    "Kid, I already said to you all I needed to. Now I can only wish you good luck." Hati transmitted his voice to Amon in a melancholic tone. "Hopefully, you will do right for your inheritance."

    Today he had failed far too much. He could not bear failing again. Without more delay, he threw the boy and the sword through the spatial passageway. Only when they were gone he bothered with the remaining cultivators.

    Hati didn''t bother being gentle or careful. He was not in a situation that allowed him such luxury. He was rather forceful and abrupt and, one by one the cultivators were sent away.

    Hati had expended all of his strength. He had forcefully redirected the spatial passageway Nemeus used back into the Ashen Heart Tree. Still, he had managed to do it.

    He managed to salvage the little bit he could.

    He was completely exhausted, his power almost spent. It would take months of slumbering to recover his full strength, but it was worth it.

    "Finally." Borgin said with a ferocious smile. His aura abruptly surged, and the little that remained of the floor sunk down. He looked at Lloyd with cold eyes, and his aura surged yet again.

    The already deep crater they were standing in caved in even more, and the ground in the hall actually leveled as an unbearable pressure compacted it to the utmost. Any normal human would have long been turned into no more than a bloody mess of torn flesh under the pressure, but Lloyd Kressler was completely unphased.

    Rather, he was smiling.

    "Indeed. Took you long enough." He said with a mocking smile.

    Borgin furrowed his brows, feeling something wrong.

    "It was only a pity that Hati was smart enough to send the kid and the sword away first. We could only allow it to make sure he wouldn''t take too long to send the others away too." Oura''s bewitching voice made its way from the green sword in Lloyd''s hand, surprisingly calm, even if a bit regretful.

    Crack!

    Borgin felt a light crack coming from something in his right wrist. His eyes widened in surprise as blood-red fragments slowly fell down from his sleeves. They hit the ground with a resonating boom, as if they weighted tons instead of grams.

    "You¡­" Borgin''s face paled ever so slightly, and for the first time a hint of confusion glinted in them.

    Crack! Crack!

    More cracking sounds echoed from Borgin''s sleeve, and his face slowly distorted in an unrecognizable mask of rage and bloodlust.

    "It is too late now." Lloyd said in a scornful voice, still smiling as he waved his left hand.

    Boom!

    Borgin''s aura was swept away as a raging wind blasted through the remains of the hall. Strands of light flickered through the wind, being swept away and hiding in the air. The viscous shadows in the wall sent out an ear-piercing shrill as deep gashes started appearing on them, as if the wind itself was cutting them apart.

    Borgin could feel an inherent sharpness from the strands of light. It was as if the wind itself had turned into a weapon. His hair stood on end as an unprecedented sense of danger assaulted him.

    "Lars, be careful!" Nemeus shouted to Borgin, his voice showing a rare tone of fear.

    Lloyd''s smile widned, and the winds converged to him, bringing with them the strands of light.

    "Play time is over."

 92 Hell Beckons IX

    Reynard slowly opened his eyes when the strange feeling of the spatial transference disappeared. Nevertheless, he was completely aware of his surroundings, since he never retracted his divine sense in the first place.

    Using his eyes would lead him to have nausea and dizziness while he traversed the spatial passageway, but using his divine sense would not. It was a somewhat bizarre feeling. The sense of movement was still there, but since he was completely aware of what was happening in a wide area around him, he didn''t feel lost or confused at all by the changes occurring on his surroundings.

    He was lying on his back, and, above him, a multitude of pale leaves was glimmering with a dim silvery light in the gloom that covered Hell''s Keeper City. They seemed to be gently swaying in a weak breeze, even though Reynard could feel nothing at all. Taking a closer look, it was more of a shuddering than a swaying, as if the tree itself was trembling.

    Above the tree, Reynard could barely make the bloody light of the twilight through the leaves. The Hellblaze Secret World was certainly something else. Although he was sure he had spent at least a few days there, only a few hours had passed in the outside world.

    From the little he understood about the subject, it made sense. Time would not necessarily flow the same way in different spaces. It would be the same as assuming that the currents of all rivers had the same speed or direction.

    Dismissing his thoughts, he promptly stood up, looking around. Dozens of cultivators were on the floor in the major plaza of Hell''s Keeper City. They were in strange positions as if they were nothing more than ragdolls thrown to the ground. Subtle groans could be heard as they held their heads, trying to get a hold of themselves.

    Reynard looked closely, but he couldn''t find Amon Kressler. The corner of his lips twitched slightly. The way Oura had given him special attention meant he was somewhat important, even if he was not the prime objective. Furthermore, he most likely had the Vermillion Token on him.

    What made Reynard more displeased, however, was that they had returned to the Abyss Sect. Making a move would be harder now. He could only count on Leonard to hold the Elders back for as long as he could.

    A smile showed in his expression. It was a fierce, unrestrained smile. Still, Reynard only gave himself the luxury to smile for a moment. In the blink of an eye, it was gone, as if it had never been there in the first place. In its place, Reynard''s expression was as gloomy as the lighting in the city.

    "Jake, you owe us an explanation!" Reynard said, enraged. His expression distorted into a mass of anger, and his aura shot up menacingly. The cultivators had started to get back on their feet, and many froze when they heard Reynard words.

    "I owe you an explanation?" Jake faced Reynard with furrowed brows. What was he supposed to say? Although his master had not explained him anything regarding the sudden opening of the Hellblaze Secret World, he could figure out most of the situation. There was no way he could share the truth with them.

    "I am as lost as you are." He finally said, lightly shaking his head. From the corner of his eyes, he could see a lot of brows furrowing at his words.

    Anna kept her silence. It was impossible to imagine what she was thinking behind her misty veil. She silently raised a hand, signaling the disciples of the Noan River Sect to gather and keep quiet. They would only coldly observe without taking sides for now.

    Anna didn''t know exactly how to feel. As much as she hated Reynard, she couldn''t help but lean to his side regarding this matter. The recent happenings were indeed far too strange, far too dangerous to be ignored.

    The Southern Flame Sect disciples had long gathered, slowly stepping back at Alden''s orders. Anna almost forgot how that big brute could be cool-headed in moments of need.

    The Storm Peak Sect disciples seemed lost, but they still managed to group together, showing confusion as their gazes changed back and forth between Reynard and Jake.

    "Don''t make me laugh!" Reynard immediately dismissed his answer, waving his hands violently. His tone was full of indignancy as he pointed his finger at Jake, his voice turning louder at each word. "Wasn''t that man your Fifth Protector? Isn''t that kid that brought in all those shadows a part of your sect?"

    "You saw Amon''s expression when that happened as well as I did! We all saw it! He clearly didn''t know what was going on!" Jake retorted without hesitation. It was the truth, Amon''s face had been as pale as paper, and he was clearly surprised and scared of what was happening. Either that was genuine surprise or he was an incredible actor.

    "Then have him come and explain himself!" Reynard said with a sneer. The corner of his lips twitched as he made real effort to hold back his smile. Jake was making his job far too easy.

    "Where is he?" Reynard asked in a serious tone, looking at each cultivator as if searching for Amon.

    Slowly, the other cultivators too started looking around, searching for him.

    "¡­" Jake silently gritted his teeth without answering the question. The first thing he had done when he came to himself was to confirm the state of all the members of the Abyss Sect. He naturally knew that Amon was missing, and Reynard certainly knew it too.

    "Where is he, Jake?" Reynard asked again, in a louder voice. The cultivators quieted down again. They had looked around too, so they knew the answer already.

    "I don''t know." Jake answered after a long pause, still gritting his teeth. His voice was very weak, almost as if he was speaking to himself.

    At that moment, Reynard knew he had already won. Still, it was not enough. He needed to completely convince the others, or at least plant doubts enough in their minds. Oura had certainly made his job easier, and even Amon, after disappearing had unknowingly helped Reynard with his mission.

    "Are you covering for him or did you let a potential traitor run away?" Reynard asked in a grave voice. His dark eyes shone with ferocity, and his expression had an unprecedented seriousness.

    "I¡­" Jake couldn''t find words to defend himself or his sect from Reynard''s questions. There was no way Jake could find reasonable explanations for any of those questions, especially regarding Amon.

    He took a deep breath. He had to make a tough decision.

    "Covering for a traitor? You saw with your own eyes, our Sect Master got involved in that fight to protect us!" He finally said, taking a step forward. First, he had to salvage the Abyss Sect''s reputation and solidify its position as an innocent party in this.

    Daniel''s eyes widened when he heard Jake''s words. He had discarded any thoughts of defending Amon from that accusation. That was the same as saying Amon was indeed a traitor.

    Daniel took a step forward, but Jake raised a hand to stop him. Daniel looked at his brother''s eyes and saw nothing but decisiveness in them.

    "Jake¡­" Daniel called in low, but alarmed voice. He couldn''t hide the disappointment in his eyes.

    "Don''t speak. This is for the sect." Jake said, avoiding Daniel''s gaze. He couldn''t bear the look his brother was giving him."We can think on how to prove his innocence later."

    "And how exactly are you going to do that?" Daniel asked, turning livid. If Jake was going to let the assumption of Amon being a traitor grow just so he could salvage the Abyss Sect''s name, then proving his innocence later would be many times more difficult, as it would yet again put the Abyss Sect in a delicate position.

    "If he was here in the first place this matter could have been already solved!" Jake retorted with a cold voice.

    Daniel couldn''t find the words he wanted to say to deny him. That was the truth. Amon had run away, leaving them behind without being able to prove his innocence.

    "Not to mention that strange woman that seemed to be with him." Jake added, raising his eyes to look at Daniel. "Looks like he has his fair share of secrets, Daniel. We can''t let our emotions take over our actions or words right now. The first thing we need to do is hold our ground against Reynard and then slowly move forward in search of the truth. Even if he is indeed innocent, and I believe so too, he has a lot of explaining to do."

    Jake had avoided mentioning the woman accompanying Amon that clearly seemed to know the Guardian. Using her as proof of the Abyss Sect''s innocence would only bring up more questions that he couldn''t answer.

    "Having fun discussing the excuses you are going to give?" Reynard interrupted their conversation with a sharp tone.

    "What excuses do I need to give? Our Sect Master taking part in the fight should be proof enough the Abyss Sect is not responsible for this." Jake said with a cold voice.

    His words made many of the cultivators exchange strange looks. It was indeed strange that Lars Borgin had appeared to fight against the invaders. Maybe the Abyss Sect truly was not the perpetrator.

    "Do truly you think so?" Reynard asked, not hiding the scorn in his voice at all. "Yes, your Sect Master appeared to fight your Fifth Protector, but I didn''t see him landing a single blow, nor receiving one back! Not to mention that strange green-haired woman conveniently trying to put everyone in a daze so we couldn''t see what was happening and neither fight back!"

    "There is also the fact that your sect simply decided to hold the Trials out of the blue, after declaring they were canceled for a few decades." Reynard continued, taking a step forward in an incredibly aggressive manner. "Do you see yourselves as the owners of the Hellblaze Trials? Would the Trials exist without the remaining Sacred Sects?"

    "What was the reason for canceling the Trials in the first place? Did the Abyss Sect, by any chance, knew that this could happen?" Reynard took a brief pause, letting his words sink in. "If that was the case, why reorganize them?"

    Jake had a deep frown on his face, unable to retort at all. He could not find suitable words to use. Mostly because, to make things worse, he knew Reynard was probably right. The thought alone made him secretly shiver.

    "You either brought us into a trap or used us in a trap you set up for someone else!" Reynard concluded his train of thought with a savage remark.

    "Not only that, your sect either stole all of the treasures in the Hellblaze Secret World or you lost them through sheer incompetence!" Reynard laid down the final cards he had in his hands. It was time to give the finishing blow.

    "Silence!" Joshua suddenly shouted, trying to jump forward. His face was as red as his hair, and he couldn''t hide his animosity in the least. Daniel promptly held him back. His expression was somewhat pale, and he had a deep frown on his face.

    "What motive would we have for that? Do you think this was just an elaborated ruse to try and get everything inside the Hellblaze Secret World for us? Do we think we are in such a desperate situation?" Jake ignored Joshua''s outburst and asked slowly as he faced Reynard, his expression shifting from calmness to sheer rage.

    "Yes, I actually do! Not only is your sect waning, but you have also even been robbing corpses to barely maintain yourselves over the years! If that does not reek of desperation, I don''t know what does!" Reynard did not hold back at all."You are known as the Sect of Scraps, after all. Apparently, it is not for show!"

    An uncomfortable silence took over the major plaza. The cultivators exchanged awkward glances, but no one said a word. The Sect of Scraps. A name they all had heard, and most had used.

    Although all the Sacred Sects had been on the decline, the Abyss Sect''s fall from grace had been too accentuated, and their stance regarding the Scavenging had been doubtful, to say the least. Reynard bringing this up, even if disrespectful, also made sense. If the Abyss Sect took over the Hellblaze Secret World''s treasures, they would be able to recover at least part of the lost influence, and most likely stall their decline for a few decades at least.

    "Not only that, your Fifth Protector was involved!" Reynard pointed out again.

    "Lloyd Kressler is a traitor! He left the sect five years ago!" Jake shouted, livid. His hands were trembling in rage and his face was turning red. By his side, Karen quietly grasped his hand, trying to calm him down.

    "If that is the case, then how did he get into the Hellblaze Secret World?" Reynard continued his barrage of questions, making sure to destroy each one of Jake''s defenses. "Why didn''t your sect keep an eye on his family? Why did his son take part in the Trials? Wasn''t his son the one that started all of this mess?"

    "How do you know he is Lloyd''s son?" Jake asked, squinting his eyes.

    "Are you stupid? Didn''t we all thoroughly studied the information on our competitors?" Reynard promptly dismissed any doubts Jake might try to cast over him. "If you didn''t, then you are even more of an idiot than I thought."

    "Now tell me, what sect gives that kind of liberty to traitors or their families? This was either planned a long time ago or yet again it was your incompetence!" Jake could feel every word of his hitting his face like a slap. Reynard''s momentum was unstoppable, and he didn''t seem to be done.

    "Are you people stupid or do you think we all are?" Reynard had a disgusted look on his face as he looked at Jake. His eyes, however, shone with a fierce glint behind that mask he was using in his act. It was a subtle glint, so subtle Jake couldn''t catch it in his desperation to defend himself and his sect.

    "How the hell do you want me to answer that?" Jake shouted. He had completely lost his composure.

    "With the truth!" Reynard''s demand was simple. It was almost too simple. At that moment, he knew the conversation was already over. Reynard knew it had been decided even before it started, but that simple request had finally put an end to it. What came after didn''t matter anymore.

    That short sentence had sealed the Abyss Sect''s fate as being completely at fault in the eyes of all the present. Even if they meant it or not, they were responsible for the disaster that had occurred.

    "I do not speak for the sect!" Jake shouted, exasperated. What could he do? No matter what he said, Reynard had a retort. Worst of all, his questions and the picture he was painting started making a twisted kind of sense. The situation was turning graver at an alarming pace.

    "Then what kind of inheriting disciple are you?" Reynard asked, not hiding the scorn in his eyes. He then kept quiet, asking no more questions. There was no need to.

    This was not an attack to the Abyss Sect, to Lars Borgin or to Amon. This was a direct offense to Jake Meyer.

    Indeed, what kind of inheriting disciple was he?

    He had given up on a member of his own sect in order to try to protect the rest, but he had utterly failed. His master had barely told him anything at all about the situation regarding the Hellblaze Trials, and the end result was that Jake couldn''t deflect any of Reynard''s arguments.

    Not only that, but Jake had tried to avoid responsibility in a bid to stop Reynard''s unrelenting strikes. He had only worsened the situation. Reynard had the control from the very beginning, and Jake had unknowingly played along to his plan.

    Karen''s slender fingers tightened the grip around Jake''s hand. He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling her warmth as he tried to accept his defeat and think of a way to remedy the situation.

    Throughout the one-sided discussion, the expression on the cultivators present had slowly changed. From confusion and fear, the expressions of those outside of the Abyss Sect turned twisted with anger and incredulity.

    The Abyss Sect member''s expression shift into a sheer rage for being suspected, but that rage soon numbed into a wordless shock. Even some of them had started thinking Reynard might be right. There was no doubt at all on who had won the argument, so naturally, the Abyss Sect was in a horrible position.

    "Is silence all you have to give us?" A boy dressed in blue asked, taking a step forward and separating from the ranks of the Noan River Sect.

    "Eli, that is enough." Anna said in a sharp, hostile voice. The boy looked at her for a moment. He opened his mouth to rebuke her, but in the end, he shook his head and turned quiet.

    "Enough?" Another voice broke the silence. It was a boy from the Roaring Mountain Sect, that looked at Anna with nothing but disdain in his face. "Our inheritance is lost. Do you know how many artifacts we lost thanks to the Abyss Sect? How much of our rightful inheritance was taken away from us?"

    "Not to mention the risks we were put through." The boy looked at Jake with hostile eyes and an expression full of despise. "You make us go through all of this and silence is all that we got?"

    "Big words coming from a nobody like you." Joshua said, glaring at the boy and struggling against Daniel. Daniel''s hold over him tightened, but it was useless. Joshua was much stronger than he was.

    "If you didn''t notice, we were as endangered as any of you!" Joshua shouted, hitting his own chest wildly. "Our lives were at risk too! I refuse to take the blame for what a random kid plotted with his father!"

    "Joshua!" Karen called with an alarmed voice. She blinked her eyes in confusion, trying to understand what was going on. She had never seen him losing his cool like this. What had gotten into him?

    "Well, that kid is nowhere to be seen, so I will demand an answer from you!" The boy continued, almost screaming. His tone was extremely forceful as his pointed his finger at the Abyss Sect disciples. "As Reynard said, you were either plotting this from the start or are simply too incompetent to be a part of the Sacred Sects!"

    To Anna''s surprise, Reynard made no effort at all to silence that Roaring Mountain Sect disciple. He simply stood by the side, his arms crossed as he silently watched.

    "Say that again, Drace!" Joshua challenged the boy, patting his Bottomless Pouch and pulling his short spear from it.

    "Or what? Are you going to strike me?" Drace asked, his tone as forceful as ever. He too patted his Bottomless Pouch, retrieving a silver sword that he held in his right hand. "I actually would want to see that. I want to see how you people fare fighting instead of robbing corpses."

    Something in Joshua''s eyes changed at that moment. Jake didn''t know what it was, but it alarmed him greatly. He jumped forward, trying to stand in front of him and hold him back. He should have had enough time. He had acted first, and he was faster than Joshua. He had always been.

    Still, to his surprise, it was not what happened. Joshua seemed to turn into a blur, immediately shaking off Daniel and shooting forward at an unbelievable speed. It was far too fast. Faster than Jake could even imagine someone at their level could move. He desperately extended his hands, trying to grab Joshua before he got completely out of reach, but he ultimately grasped at nothing but air.

    Drace looked at Joshua coming at him, spear in hand, with disdain in his eyes. He took a defensive stance, preparing to parry the incoming stab aimed at his chest.

    Joshua''s strike was incredibly fast, but also very straightforward. A normal disciple wouldn''t be able to parry it, but Drace was not a normal disciple. He looked at Joshua with a bit of pity in his eyes.

    It had been too easy taunting him into attacking. It had been too easy predicting the path of his spear. It would be too easy blocking it, deflecting the strike to his left and using the momentum to increase the speed of his sword, beheading Joshua with a fluid motion.

    As Drace moved his right arm to seal Joshua''s fate, his face suddenly paled. His arm was not moving.

    He turned his head in surprise, looking in horror at his own arm. It was immobile as if Drace hadn''t even tried to move it yet. A disgusting numbness was spreading through it, and Drace could feel a slight pressure constricting his arm as he forcefully tried to move it, like countless strands had been tangled around it, holding it in place.

    He turned his head to Joshua in fright. The red-haired boy had a fierce smile on his face as he looked at Drace with scorn. The tip of his spear could be barely seem in the gloom of the major plaza, but it turned increasingly clear in Drace''s eyes, as it came closer to his chest.

    With a nauseating sound, the spear penetrated his skin, digging through his muscles and breaking his ribs as it made its way to his heart. Drace looked in horror as the spear sank into his flesh, completely burying the spearhead in his chest the until the shaft hit his sternum, fracturing what was left of the ribs in the spear''s path.

    He opened his mouth, trying to speak, but only a torrent of blood came in place of words, pouring out of his mouth and spilling into the floor, dirtying his feet. Drace slowly turned his head to his right, looking at Reynard.

    Reynard still had the same cold eyes as ever, and his expression was blank. His arms were still crossed, as if he couldn''t react in the split second Joshua took to leave the Abyss Sect''s ranks and strike him.

    Nevertheless, Reynard met his gaze, and Drace realized the truth. The numbness in his arm disappeared as the countless strands of Qi that had bound it in place were released.

    "Clang!"

    Drace''s sword fell into the floor with a metallic clang, sounding like a bell. In the completely silent plaza, full of horrified cultivators that were trying to understand what had just happened, its sound was deafening.

    Drace''s eyes lost all light as he still faced Reynard, incredulous at what had happened.

    Puchi!

    Joshua violently released his spear from Drace''s chest, and his body fell violently to the floor. Blood gushed from the hole in his chest, tainting Drace''s yellow clothes and forming a pool beneath him.

    The bloodied spear looked very sinister in Joshua''s hands as he pointed it to the cultivators of the other sects with a savage expression on his face.

    "Anyone else wants to speak nonsense?"

 93 Hell Beckons X

    "Drip, drip, drip."

    Dark blood slowly dripped down Joshua''s spear as he spoke, looking menacingly to the other cultivators. Under the gloom of Hell''s Keeper City, his red hair looked as dark as the blood that slowly fell to the ground. Drace''s body laid lifeless by his side, with the terrifying wound in his chest still gushing out blood.

    "How dare you!" Someone screamed from the Roaring Mountain Sect''s disciples, stepping forward with a saber in hand.

    Reynard finally uncrossed his arms, extending a hand and holding the disciple back. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were burning with sheer anger. He looked at Joshua with a glance that gave one shivers, and his brows furrowed.

    "Is this the stance the Abyss Sect will take?" He asked with a chilling tone, not hiding the murderous intention in his voice.

    "No!" Jake shouted, desperate. His face was red and his eyes were wide open as he spoke, completely shocked. "Joshua, fall back right now!"

    The situation was critical. A singles misstep now would lead to a disaster. If Joshua retreated, he could still manage to buy time until the Elders came. Even if the Abyss Sect had to somehow compensate the other sects and suffer heavy sanctions, there was still a very fine thread of hope to not worsen the situation.

    Unfortunately, however, Joshua completely ignored Jake. Instead, he slowly turned to face Reynard, with his spear in hand and a murderous expression on his face.

    "Yes." He said, completely indifferent. No more words were needed. He quietly sustained Reynard''s gaze, not moving in the slightest.

    "Damn traitors! All of you!" The boy dressed in blue from the Noan River Sect, Eli, screamed again.

    Hearing his words, Anna''s body slightly twitched. People could not see her expression, but behind the mist covering her face, there was a deep frown. The whole situation had been strange from the start, but her instincts were screaming at her that something was particularly wrong now.

    Her clothes slowly started to dampen, turning darker and clinging tightly to her body. Her hair started to turn wet, sticking to her neck and shoulders and a crystal-clear puddle of water started forming beneath her feet. Soon, the puddle had grown large enough to cover the feet of all of the Noan River Sect''s disciples, wetting their feet and turning the ground muddy.

    Reynard looked at Anna''s actions and his lips twitched. It couldn''t be helped, she was a competent leader. He didn''t let his displeasure show in his expression, only feeling it was a pity that things would quite possibly not be as decisive as he had hoped for. Nevertheless, for the overall plan what he had in his hands was more than enough. Even if things did not fit perfectly, it was all in the realm of the acceptable.

    Reynard looked at Joshua''s eyes for but a moment. In that brief moment, his eyes flashed with what seemed to be annoyance and disappointment, but those emotions were gone as fast as they had come. His furrowed brows relaxed, and the strange, tense smile made its way to his lips.

    "Well then, this is your choice." Reynard said, turning his back to him and facing his fellow disciples. The crystalline sword Mirageclaw was raised above his head as he shouted in a voice full of rage.

    Hearing Reynard''s tone, Anna''s meticulous movements suddenly turned hasty. With another wave of her hand, the water beneath her blasted outwards, and the edges of what was now a shallow pool started to rise, soon forming a thick wall of water that enclosed all of the Noan River Sect''s disciples. Crackling sounds started coming from the wall as a chilling cold spread from Anna and the water started to solidify into a robust wall of ice.

    More water continued flowing from the wall, going higher and higher and slowly curving to Anna''s direction before being frozen by the cold. When Anna finally stopped focusing, a thick dome made of pure ice had formed next to the Ashen Heart Tree. With a flick of her wrist, a bright blue medallion slipped from her sleeve into her hand, which she promptly crushed before letting out a deep breath.

    "Just standby until the High Elder comes to our aid." She said in a tired voice before sitting down and crossing her legs to start recovering her stamina and Qi.

    "But senior sister, what about the others?" A small girl asked, looking deathly pale and clearly scared as she looked at Anna.

    "They will have to deal with it by themselves. My job is to guarantee our safety, nothing more. All you have to do is stay put and not try anything funny." She said in a cold voice.

    Beneath the misty veil, her eyes were locked into the disciple that had actually started the argument that led to all of this. The boy, Eli, shivered as he felt as if a cold wave had swept past him, but he didn''t do anything out of the ordinary, looking as nervous as the other disciples. Anna closed her eyes to focus on her recovery, but still decided to remain attentive to his actions.

    "Joel." On the other side of the plaza, Alden called in an emotionless, bland voice. His usual enthusiasm was nowhere to be seen, and he suddenly looked abnormally distant.

    A boy by his side gave him a slight nod, squatting down and placing his hands on the ground. The earth quaked, and a loud rumble started echoing in the major plaza as cracks started spreading around the Southern Flame Sect''s disciples. The cracks completely surrounded them before the earth beneath their feet start to distort and ripple as if it was water, slowly ascending a few meters above the ground.

    "Whoever tries to climb will be regarded as an enemy." Alden''s powerful voice made its way to all of the present in the plaza as he reached inside his clothes and recovered a small triangular medallion that shone with a red color.

    "Whoever tries to descend will be regarded as a traitor." He finished, decisively crushing the medallion in his hands and coldly watching how the situation would unfold from above. The disciples of the Southern Flame Sect exchanged a few looks but ultimately said nothing. They knew better than anyone that when Alden dropped his act he meant every word he said, and he had the backing and the position to follow through with his threat without consequences.

    The Storm Peak Sect members also started hastily retreating, and someone in their ranks broke a green medallion, not unlike what Anna and Alden did.

    "Kill them all!" Reynard shouted, pointing the sword to the Abyss Sect members. It was time to end this before the Elders came back. He knew Leonard wouldn''t be able to hold them back for long after the inheriting disciples asked for aid.

    In a heartbeat, the nine remaining Roaring Mountain Sect''s members pushed forward, weapon in hand. Two of them surrounded Joshua, and the other seven directly threw themselves at the Abyss Sect''s party.

    "Reynard, stop this!" Jake shouted, hurriedly drawing his saber. Reynard didn''t bother answering, instead, his pace seemed to quicken.

    Reynard seemed to slide through the earth in a graceful, unpredictable manner. It was as if he was standing in a layer of ice rather than soil. The earth beneath his feet rippled as his body moved while he barely moved his legs as if the earth itself was pushing him forward. His eyes were set on Jake, and there was nothing but a murderous rage in them while a savage smile was stamped on his face.

    "Spread out and don''t let them surround us!" Jake ordered, trying to calm his mind.

    The Roaring Mountain Sect had lost Drace that was at Body Tempering but they had left behind one member at Elemental Purification and one at Body Tempering to deal with Joshua. They still had four Elemental Purification and three Body Tempering members. The Abyss Sect had four of each remaining since Amon was gone and Joshua was stranded further away. Even if the difference in power was negligible, on the right circumstances it could make the difference between a victory and a loss.

    "Face only someone on the same level as you! Daniel, you stay behind, use your swords to aid Karen, Skylar and Evan in taking care of the Elemental Purification members they will face!" Jake quickly ordered, and the Abyss Sect members soon fanned out with Daniel in the rearguard, ready to face the incoming attack.

    Daniel''s manipulation of swords would be valuable to guarantee the Elemental Purification members had the upper hand in combat or at least were not overpowered. It would be far too risky to leave even one of the Elemental Purification member on their side in an advantageous position.

    There was a chasm in regards to destructive power between Elemental Purification and Body Tempering cultivators. If a single one of them managed to slip by, disaster might befall the weaker members of the Abyss Sect, and the remaining would soon be outnumbered and surrounded.

    "Karen, you go to the right. Skylar, you go to the left. Both of you are Wind Cultivators. When they come, your job will be to make a pincer attack and try to blast as many of them back as possible." Jake ordered as he opened his eyes. "Evan, you are a Fire Cultivator like me. When the Roaring Mountain Sect tried to defend from the pincer attack, they will most likely raise earth walls to block the windblasts. Even if they don''t, they will still bundle up together to avoid as most as possible the attacks on both sides. At that moment, we strike together."

    That would force the other party either to fall back or to directly try to block the attack in front of them, blocking their own path. Even if it didn''t hold them back for long, it would be enough to break their pace.

    Of the four Elemental Purification members of the Roaring Mountain Sect, three of them, Reynard included, were Earth Cultivators. The remaining one was a Water Cultivator. This guaranteed that at least two earth walls would be used in the upcoming clash, most likely to block the windblasts as water wouldn''t be as effective and there was no feasible time to freeze it before the attack landed.

    Jake also doubted that the Water Cultivator alone would be able to block the joint forces of him and Evan. This meant that Reynard, that was leading the charge, would most likely be forced to raise the third earth wall and momentarily pause to either change directions or wait for the attack to be over. Either way, their side would lose momentum.

    "Do not let any of them break our ranks; we must stall until the Elders come!" Jake started giving his final orders before the clash happened, and his right hand started trembling. The saber started making clinking noises as Jake tightened his grip in it, trying to make the trembling stop.

    The first clash was already planned. After that, it would be chaos. He could only do his best to guarantee the best chances for his sect when both sides collided. Taking the initiative away from the attacking side was all he could do for now.

    Regarding the most important order he could give, he was indecisive. The best course of action would be to make sure no more blood was shed, but to do so Jake would have to order his members to avoid using lethal power. The problem was that the other side obviously had no such concerns. If his side held back, it would be hard to manage to stall for time and guaranteeing that they would not lose anyone. He didn''t want to have the blood of his fellow disciples in his hands because he had ordered them to hold back.

    On the other hand, giving that order and making sure the other Sacred Sects listened to it would be enough at some level to prove that he didn''t want conflict and that Joshua had acted on his own. In the first place, Jake had already said that the Sect''s stance was not the same as Joshua, but Reynard Stark didn''t bother one bit. He lost a member and he was out for blood. Joshua had given him the excuse to act.

    If he said nothing, however, or even said to the Abyss Sect members to not hold back in order to properly defend themselves, it could be used later against him and the Sect. Even if in what was clearly a murderous rampage on the part of the Roaring Mountain Sect the defending party would have all rights to use lethal force too, the one that had started the conflict was the Abyss Sect. It would not fare well, even if they technically had the right to fight back with the same intensity.

    In other words, for the other Sacred Sects, the Abyss Sect was already in the wrong. It was now a matter of trying to ease the situation but risking lives or doubling down on hostility to make sure they lost as little lives as possible and dealing with the consequences later.

    Jake took a deep breath, making his decision. Time seemed to slow down as he closed his eyes trying to calm himself. What was but a split second felt like an eternity for him. What came after this moment would decide everything.

    "No matter what, fight for your lives!" He shouted aloud. Even if it brought trouble for the Abyss Sect later, he would not allow any of them to hold back. He already made the mistake to try to mend the situation before, and the other side was abnormally eager to attack, not to mention Joshua''s inexplicable actions. If they held back, he was afraid they would lose miserably.

    Jake had a solemn expression on his face as he looked at the Roaring Mountain Sect members approaching with Reynard spearheading the charge. Jake couldn''t help but notice Reynard''s expression. His grip on the saber tightened even more, to the point where his hand started hurting.

    "Now!" He suddenly shouted, taking a deep breath to focus and prepare for his attack.

    From the right and left sides, Karen and Skylar dashed forward in a diagonal run, moving away from both parties in a bid to get some space. When the Roaring Mountain Sect members started passing by them, they both changed directions, facing each other with the enemies between them.

    "SWOOOSH!"

    The wind howled madly, and a cloud of dust rose from the ground as two violent gusts came crashing down on the Roaring Mountain Sect members from both sides. Jake''s hair started whipping about as he spread his perception to sense what was happening in the cloud of dust, and he promptly signaled to Evan to follow his lead.

    The ground beneath their feet started shaking and the soil on the sides of the attackers suddenly rose, forming two thick, crude walls that protected their sides. A deafening roar echoed as the gusts collided against the walls, throwing gravel and dirty everywhere before dispersing. Both walls trembled, but in the end, they managed to hold on.

    As Karen and Skylar quickly retreated to the Abyss Sect''s formation, Jake and Evan took a step forward. Scarlet flames danced on Jake''s saber and Evan''s sword as they focused. Stomping on the ground, they both roared as they struck with their weapons, sending a wave of scorching flames towards the now grouped Roaring Mountain Sect members.

    Karen and Skylar then both waved their hands, sending a blast of air towards the flames, pushing them forward. The wave of flames suddenly turned wild and even hotter as the blast of air seemed to fan them, leaving a trail of scorched land and black smoke as it traveled towards the attackers.

    Being a cultivator meant primarily comprehending the Qi. This also meant comprehending the world. Knowing how the elements interacted with each other, strengthening or weakening each other as they came in contact was basic.

    When two Elemental Cultivators paired up, the results could be better than the sum of their strengths or worse, it all depended on how well they worked together and how much they knew about elemental interaction and how to best make use of their combination. This was also the reason why the rare cultivators that managed to wield more than one element were exponentially stronger than their peers.

    As one advanced in the path of cultivation, their fights would turn even more complex, and even more knowledge and resourcefulness would be needed to come out on top. Mindless blasting of Qi and forceful use of techniques would only lead to shameful defeats, especially when the fights did not only two cultivators.

    At the moment the raging wave of fire was about to hit its target, the earth started rumbling again, and Jake almost let out a sigh of relief. Behind the searing flames, he could faintly sense another earth wall being erected, and he knew he had succeeded. At that moment, however, the world came tumbling down.

    "Commendable effort, but far too predictable." A cold, ruthless voice made its way from behind the wall that separated the two opposing factions.

    Jake raised his eyes, looking at the wall directly in front of him. It was glowing with a bright red color, and parts of it were flowing down like some kind of viscous liquid. Pieces of burning dirt fell into the ground, looking like burning coals. The heat coming from the wall was terrifying, yet the walls were still standing.

    "Crack, crack, crack!"

    Innumerable cracks started spreading through the wall. The molten parts seemed to quickly cool down, turning firm enough just to crack like all the rest. Even if the surface of the wall was a malformed mess, it still had a dim glow. The heat in it hadn''t been completely dispersed. Soon, the whole wall was covered in cracks of all sizes, looking like it was about to fall apart.

    "Brace yourselves!" Jake shouted as his instincts warned him of the incoming danger.He stood in front of Daniel as a thick barrier of Qi appeared in front of him. Karen, Evan, and Skylar also covered the other members that were too weak to defend against the incoming counter.

    "BOOM!"

    A horrendous force blasted out, hitting the wall and shattering it in thousands of pieces that whistled through the air. They flew towards the Abyss Sect members at blinding speed, burning with a threatening heat.

    Jake''s face paled. Those fragments were coming at them with enough force and speed to blast a hole through a metal plate. He was not confident of facing head-on even one of them, and they would have to face thousands!

    "Karen, Skylar, try to slow them down!" Jake ordered in a desperate bid. Fire was immaterial, there was no way he could use it to block the incoming rain of projectiles. The best he could do was use a rudimentary blast of Qi to try to slow the projectiles down.

    Karen promptly waved her hands, throwing a gust of wind outwards. Skylar was heartbeat late but did the same. The dust was blown away as the wind swept by, clashing with the projectiles. They didn''t seem to slow down by any considerable margin, but some of them were thrown out of trajectory and stopped being a direct threat.

    Still, deflecting a few droplets in a rainstorm made no difference at all. The deadly rain came pouring down on them, bringing nothing but pain and disgrace.

    "Bang! Bang! Bang!"

    The fragments of the wall struck the ground, opening holes a few times larger than their sizes, and digging meters deep into the earth. The burning projectiles ripped through Jake''s protective Qi as if it was paper, poking holes in it without the slightest difficulty.

    Jake completely ignored the small fragments, but his arm moved at an inhuman speed to deflect the bigger ones that were coming directly in his direction. The impacts were enough to make the bones in his arm creak and the skin in his hand rupture, even if he was only skillfully deflecting the fragments away rather than directly slashing with his saber.

    Nevertheless, it was not enough. Many of the fragments managed to get past his defenses, scrapping against his limbs and taking away chunks of flesh. He was having the hardest time, since he was directly in front of the wall, unlike Skylar and Karen, for example. Even so, Jake did not move an inch. He knew that if he moved he would put his brother in mortal danger.

    As such, he diverted his attention to defending his life, rather than completely avoiding injury. When the deadly storm finally passed,

    "You really couldn''t see this coming? You are far too green, Jake." Reynard''s mocking voice echoed through the plaza. With a wave of his hands, all of the dust in the air suddenly fell down, clearing up the view.

    Jake cut out a sorry figure. His clothes were full of holes, and blood was covering his whole body. His hair was a mess and his face was full of scratches and bruises. His saber, a high-tier artifact, was filled with dents and cracks. His legs were trembling and his arms were motionlessly hanging from his shoulder, as he could not even move them anymore.

    Daniel was sprawling on the floor, and the right side of his clothes was drenched in blood. He was slowly trying to stand, but he didn''t seem to find the strength to do it. His black hair was glued to his face, and his eyes showed a hint of fear and dejection.

    Evan lied motionlessly on the ground. His chest and legs were filled with countless holes that still gushed blood. Even if he wasn''t dead, he wasn''t too far from it. The Body Tempering cultivator he tried to protect, on the other hand, had his arm directly blown off, and was in what seemed to be a daze as he silently gazed at his injury without blinking or moving.

    Skylar seemed to have come out relatively unscathed, but a deep wound could be seen in her right leg. She was tying a piece of her own clothes around it. Malia, the Body Tempering cultivator she shielded looked unharmed, despite her pale face frozen with shock.

    Jake raised his head, looking at Karen''s direction as his heart beat wildly. She was lying on the floor with a terrifying wound on her left shoulder. Blood didn''t stop coming out from her injuries, but she didn''t move to stop the bleeding. She had clearly lost consciousness. The boy she had protected had fallen to the ground, trembling in fright.

    "Orson, get the fuck up and stop Karen''s bleeding." Jake commanded in a weak voice, trying his best not to fall to his knees and pass out.

    The frightened boy shuddered, but after a moment of hesitation, he tried to get on his feet, only to fall down. All of his body was shaking uncontrollably, but he managed to craw over to Karen and put pressure on her shoulder.

    The members of the Roaring Mountain Sect stood behind Reynard, still surrounded by the walls they had raised previously. However, they stood motionlessly with their weapons on hand, as if standing guard for their leader.

    Looking at Reynard''s mocking smile, Jake trembled with rage. He had probably predicted what he would do from the very start. Reynard had let his plan go on without a hitch only to make a brutal counter when he relaxed after the success. That mad charge he had instilled at the beginning was most likely only a way to pressure him into making a quick decision without thinking too much.

    He had lost even before the battle started. Jake gritted his teeth, raising his eyes to look beyond Reynard. Joshua was still fighting the two cultivators from before, being pressured by them into a merely defensive role. He swung and spun his short spear wildly, masterfully blocking and deflecting all of the strikes coming at him.

    Still, he did not even spare a glance to the members of his own sect. He did not seem flustered or affected at all by what had just happened. In fact, he looked completely absorbed in his own fight.

    For the first time, Jake wished he actually failed at parrying a get struck down by the enemy. He had put them in this situation, and yet he didn''t seem to bother one bit. Was this really the person that he had known for almost ten years? Was this really his best friend?

    "This is it, Jake. It was fun while it lasted. Well, somewhat." Reynard said with a sigh. He seemed incredibly disappointed. It was impossible to know if Reynard was disappointed with Jake or himself.

    Reynard started slowly moving forward, unhurriedly waving his sword around. The crystal-blue blade refracted the faint light of Hell''s Keeper City as if it was water, distorting it in dim wave patterns that spread through it. The way Reynard swung it around made the effect seem almost hypnotic, ad incredibly entrancing.

    Jake used every ounce of his strength to stay on his feet, trying his utmost to raise his arm. Somehow, he still hadn''t lost the grip over his saber. Fighting back against the burning pain coursing through his body and the crippling exhaustion he was feeling due to the blood loss, Jake slowly raised his saber, assuming a defensive stance.

    "You are only trying to kill me, aren''t you?" He suddenly asked in a low, weary voice. His eyelids were turning heavy, and he felt his consciousness was about to fade away.

    "No." Reynard answered in an equally low voice, slightly raising a brow as he faced Jake.

    "You damn liar." Jake rebutted and his body started swaying. "Leave the others alone. They are not worth your attention. They are too weak, and even those with potential will not pose a threat to you in any way. What fun is there in killing such weak people?"

    For once, rare surprise showed in Reynard''s face. His mocking smile completely disappeared, and his dark eyes widened for a split second before he regained control. He then threw his head back and gave a hearty laugh.

    "Hahahaha." Many of the Roaring Mountain Sect members widened their eyes in surprise. They had never seen Reynard laughing like that, even more after was clearly not a joke. Reynard, however, was oblivious to all of their thoughts. Rather, he didn''t care. When he stopped laughing, he looked at Jake with a solemn, even respectful expression. "Oh Jake, this is why I always saw you as an opponent, even if you are undeniably weaker than me."

    "It was a nice try." Reynard said, shaking his head. "Too bad it won''t work."

    He then turned around, looking at the Roaring Mountain Sect members and thinking for a moment. Would it be worth to risk the moral high ground he had in order to completely wipe out the Abyss Sect''s disciples?

    "Kill them all." He finally said in an enraged tone, repeating the previous order he had given. There would be no turning back and there would be no mercy for the Abyss Sect.

    Even if it looked like an exaggeration, his side was still justified. The Abyss Sect had attack first and he had lost his mind in the rightful anger that came from it. Yes, the after effects would not be impossible to be reckoned with. Oura stealing everything in the Hellblaze Secret World would really make the difference when the Sacred Sects weighted down the possible actions.

    "You coward!" Jake shouted as the little bit of color left in his face disappeared. He looked utterly enraged, even somewhat disgusted.

    "You talk too much for a traitor!" Reynard promptly retorted, indifferent.

    He suddenly raised his sword, slashing down with Mirageclaw in a beautiful, deadly arc. Jake feebly raised his guard and changed his posture, barely deflecting the unexpected attack. Still, it was not enough. The crystalline sword swept past his defenses, scrapping against his chest and leaving a shallow, but long wound on it.

    Part of Jake''s clothes finally gave in, falling down to the ground like tree leaves in the autumn. Jake''s abdomen and chest were exposed, revealing not only the bloody line Reynard had drawn but also a multitude of minuscule holes that had been pierced into his body.

    Jake gasped for breath, losing his balance and falling forward. He somehow managed to fall over one of his knees instead of lying down on the ground. The saber finally escaped from his grasp, falling to the floor with a clinging sound.

    He then raised his sword, looking at Jake with a surprisingly wistful expression on his face. Jake sustained his gaze without showing a hint of fear.

    "Swoosh!"

    A sword whistled through the air, passing by Jake''s head. Reynard hastily retreated, being caught by surprise. The sword slashed at his neck at an unbelievable speed, making Reynard frown. He tilted his body to the side as the sword passed by, barely missing him.

    It then suddenly changed trajectories, spinning wildly in the air before shooting back at Reynard''s head. Reynard scoffed as he parried the sword without difficulty. It then flew away, stopping by the side of a man with black hair that could barely stand.

    Somehow, however, the man seemed as stable as a rock as he faced Reynard with nothing but rage showing on his deadly pale face. Above his head, five swords danced through the air, in a complex and intricate movement. The blades were vibrating wildly, making a dangerous hum as they circled around him.

    Reynard looked at him with an emotionless expression and cold eyes. He raised his arms and used the back of his hand to wipe a trickle of scarlet blood that was flowing down his cheek. There was a shallow wound in it, where the sword barely grazed in the surprise attack.

    He looked at the back of his hand and the stain of blood in it, and his indifferent expression slowly changed into one of rage. He raised his dark eyes, meeting the gaze of the aggressor with nothing but murderous intent exuding from him.

    Daniel Meyer sustained Reynard Stark''s threatening look with a firm resolution.

    "Get the fuck away from my brother." He commanded in a dreadful voice.

 94 Dying Fire I

    Reynard didn''t bother answering Daniel. He leaned his body to the front as he dashed in Jake''s direction, sword in hand. Far behind him, the other six members of the Roaring Mountain Sect also moved, aiming for the injured Abyss Sect disciples.

    Jake gritted his teeth as he tried to move, but his body refused to obey. No matter how much he tried or how desperate he was, his limbs didn''t respond. Blood flowed freely from the wounds on his chest, and breathing was difficult and painful. It was impossible to describe his anger and unwillingness as Reynard closed in and he couldn''t even defend himself. He had never been this helpless in his life. He refused to be taken down without being able to fight back, but there was nothing he could do.

    "Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"

    An ear-piercing whistle echoed in the plaza as five swords shuttled through the air at a blinding speed, aiming the six members of the Roaring Mountain Sect that were charging forward. Daniel slapped his Bottomless Pouch, producing a round shield, which he held on his left arm as he rushed in front of Jake, blocking Reynard''s path.

    "BAM!"

    With a deafening sound, Reynard mercilessly smashed his sword against Daniel''s shield, sending him tumbling back. Daniel felt his left arm numbing as he did his best to maintain his balance while retreating. He could clearly see that a part of his shield had caved in, pressing against his arm and deforming the shield. Another impact of this level would certainly break his left arm.

    "Do you think you can hold me back with just this?" Reynard asked, clearly annoyed. He looked at Daniel''s bloodstained clothes, and his gaze fell on Daniel''s right arm, that was bleeding profusely from a number of gashes and holes. Daniel had most likely used it to defend himself in the earlier onslaught. "You can barely stand; do you really think you can stop me?"

    "Well, I just did, didn''t I?" Daniel answered with a mocking tone, trying his best to keep his voice as even as possible. In truth, Daniel was inwardly shocked and deeply unsettled. Reynard''s casual strike had almost broken his arm, and that was with him using a shield.

    Reynard didn''t answer and simply stomped the ground. Daniel''s face paled as he felt the earth beneath his feet squirming. He quickly threw himself to the side, just in time to see a gigantic spike rising from the place where he had been standing just moments ago.

    Daniel furrowed his brows as he patted the Bottomless Pouch yet again, producing another sword. These swords were all low-grade artifacts. Daniel could barely afford a set with six swords when he used all of his savings, but he felt it was worth it. The sword quietly hovered by his side as Daniel regained his composure and coldly watched Reynard.

    Large beads of sweat were running down his face as Daniel focused. The movements of the five swords holding back the Roaring Mountain Sect members were somewhat strange, almost faltering. Nevertheless, they were still fast enough to give trouble to their targets. Even if they did not truly land a hit, holding them back was enough.

    The farther the swords were, the harder it was to have a proper grasp of the swords, not to mention Daniel was trying to control six at the same time while facing Reynard. It was not unlike him fighting two completely different fights at the same time, and having to face seven opponents at once.

    Reynard had a clear look of displeasure on his face as he sustained Daniel''s gaze. He remembered what he needed to know about Daniel Meyer as, for the first time, he seriously analyzed him. Daniel''s stance was weak and slightly off, mostly due to his injuries.

    His right arm, that had already been crippled once, was now most likely truly useless, even when taken into account the method Daniel found to regain some of its functions. The new injuries Daniel had sustained would continue to bleed, the pain would disrupt his focus, and even if he forcefully moved his arm by controlling Qi, what good would it bring him?

    Still, Reynard knew he did not need his right arm. Daniel''s capacity to manipulate Qi with finesse gave him the capability to control multiple swords at the same time. If Reynard were at the Body Tempering realm and facing Daniel alone, it would certainly have been a thrilling fight.

    Reynard, however, was at the Elemental Purification realm, and he was not alone. In truth, he almost pitied Daniel. He had no chance to win but was still struggling with all he could. Beyond that slumped stance, beyond that exhausted face and those burning eyes, behind too many lines, too many weaknesses to count, Reynard could feel an unbendable will, and that made him incredibly mad.

    Reynard really wanted to face Daniel in a fair fight. He really wanted to suppress his cultivation, to deny himself the advantage of manipulating the elements and face Daniel with all he could. With only his sword, his body, and his wits. It was truly a pity for him, a maddening matter.

    No matter what, Reynard couldn''t indulge in his desires today. He had many missions to take care of, and the plan had already been thrown into disarray by the presence of the woman accompanying Amon Skoller. Reynard had found the need to improvise, and even if it had worked, the results would not be the best.

    Reynard''s expression hardened for a moment as he gritted his teeth, and a rare unwillingness showed in his eyes for no more than a second. As if it had never changed, his expression returned to the usual coldness.

    What was important was the mission. Fairness, honor and the likes had no right to be in his mind today. They were only excuses, chains to hold back the ones with strength.

    Daniel shivered when he saw the changes on Reynard''s expression. Even more than before he could feel a chilling killing intent wrapping around him as if the Qi itself was turning murderous.

    What was this?

    He never had experienced such a feeling before. It was a completely bizarre sensation that put Daniel on the edge. He felt that even the smallest of movements would make his muscles tear and his skin rupture. It was as if there was a primordial behemoth hiding in the air, setting its sights on Daniel, waiting for him to drop his guard to rip him into pieces.

    Reynard suddenly moved, dashing towards Daniel. Daniel felt the earth beneath his feet rumble gently, making him jolt. It was different from the last time, this rumble was weak, and Daniel couldn''t feel the earth moving beneath him other than that. His eyes widened as he realized what was happening.

    He cursed inwardly, waving his arms desperately. The shield on his left arm shot out, flying through the air towards Jake, who was still somehow standing. Without ceremony, the shield violently bashed against him, throwing him away as a sharp spike shot out from the ground, scraping against his left calf and leaving a deep gash.

    Daniel looked at the incoming Reynard with a disgruntled look on his face. He knew he had no choice anymore. Reynard would not let Daniel buy time until help came. The only way to stop Reynard from attacking Jake would be directly facing him and putting him under enough pressure to stop him from attacking the others at a distance.

    Both Reynard and Daniel knew that. If Daniel still tried to simply stall, Jake would be killed at the first opening Daniel showed. The question was how long Daniel would manage to last facing Reynard head-on.

    The lonely sword hovering around Daniel shot out with a howl as it pierced the air, aiming for Reynard''s head. Reynard didn''t even bother dodging, instead, his pace quickened as he brandished Mirageclaw.

    "Clang!"

    Daniel''s sword went flying away as Reynard advanced. His eyes flashed with a cold glint, and the earth rippled again. Daniel suddenly felt his right foot sinking into the ground, throwing him off balance. He beckoned with his hand, and the sword Reynard had deflected changed course midair, aiming for Reynard yet again. The shield he had sent towards Jake trembled once before flying back to Daniel''s direction.

    Reynard didn''t bat an eye to the sword as he continued to push forward. He lightly flicked his wrist, and the ground that had swallowed Daniel''s foot slid to the side, breaking his poor stance and making him fall to the ground.

    With a loud thud, Daniel heavily fell, bashing his head against the floor. The sword aiming for Reynard suddenly fell down, as Daniel''s focus was broken and the Qi wrapped around the sword dispersed.

    "Clang, clang, clang!"

    One by one, the other five swords Daniel was controlling fell to the ground. With a scoff, the Roaring Mountain Sect disciples pushed forward, spreading out as they relentlessly advanced towards the fallen Abyss Sect members.

    The earth beneath Daniel rippled again, making his face pale. Blood was trickling down his head and his mind was blurred due to the headache and the impact, but he still managed to call to him the shield that had fallen to the ground. He pushed his body up, and the shield slid behind his back.

    "CLANG!"

    With a heavy impact, another spike rose from the ground, aiming for Daniel''s back and hitting the shield. The force pushed Daniel back to his feet, but his right foot was still trapped in the ground. With a grunt he punched the ground by his feet, giving himself enough space to pull his feet out.

    His pale face was covered in scarlet blood, giving him a ghastly appearance as he waved his hand again. The six swords slowly rose back to the air, trembling and almost falling again. Daniel gritted his teeth, and the swords suddenly stabilized, spinning in the air as their tips pointed to the backs of the Roaring Mountain Sect disciples.

    "Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!"

    The swords shot out at a blinding speed, and Daniel fell to one knee, grunting as a piercing pain coursed through his head. He barely managed to make the swords continue in a straight line.

    "Can you give yourself the luxury to save everyone?" Reynard''s voice suddenly sounded in front of him. Mirageclaw was already falling towards Daniel''s head.

    Daniel grunted as he took his feet off the ground, and the shield at his back pushed him away. Reynard''s strike barely missed Daniel, making him greatly displeased. With a cold look on his face, he stomped the ground.

    Six small pillars of earth rose from the ground behind the unsuspecting Roaring Mountain Sect disciples. The swords directly collided with the pillars. Instead of the expected impact, the pillars rippled like water, and rather than thrusting into the pillars, the swords seemed to sink into them, as if they were liquid rather than solid. With another stomp from Reynard, the pillars sunk to the ground, burying the swords along.

    "Come on, it is easy to neutralize your trump card if you don''t use those strange movements." Reynard said with a mocking smile. His voice, however, seemed surprisingly course.

    Reynard''s breathing was turning rough, and a few beads of sweat started rolling down his forehead. Even if Elemental Purification cultivators had obvious advantages over Body Tempering ones, their power was limited. Controlling the elements was exhausting, and they lacked the strength to do so repeatedly and for extended periods of time.

    The worst cases were the Fire and Water cultivators. If there was any source of fire and water near them, they could always use the Elemental Qi in their bodies to synchronize and take over those elements, as the expenditure would be lesser than having to spend Elemental Qi to channel and create the elements out of thin air. As such, Earth and Wind cultivators had an innate advantage.

    Even so, there were drawbacks. Reynard''s signature self-created Movement Technique, even if fast and unpredictable required him to control a large amount of Earth Qi. He had to move the earth where he was stepping and the earth surrounding it, making it flow around his feet like water continuously to guarantee minimal effort and fluid movements.

    Making earth spikes and walls, for instance, required a similar technique, otherwise, underneath them, a hollow space would be created, and the stability would be compromised. Ultimately, this meant that even if he did not have to generate the element where it did not exist, he had to manipulate much more of that element to achieve the desired effect. This had a drawback in and on itself, as the ground would rumble, and signaling that Reynard was making a move.

    Continuous use of elemental manipulation, even more so from a distance, was extremely taxing, not to mention doing it in many different places simultaneously. In other words, Reynard was starting to feel the burden of a surprisingly overdrawn fight. Even if only a few seconds had elapsed, it was still more than he had expected. Daniel was a surprisingly worthy opponent.

    His choices had been almost instinctual and he clearly lacked experience fighting Elemental Purification cultivators, but all of his choices had been serviceable. If he had managed to step into Elemental Purification, he would have had the potential to stand up to Reynard in equal grounds. It was a pity that he lacked the talent.

    Daniel looked at Reynard with a maddened look, patting his Bottomless Pouch and producing a seventh sword. This sword was of a far higher grade than the ones before. Its scabbard was azure, and the hilt was of a spotless pure-white color. Daniel unceremoniously held the sword with his left hand, pointing it to the ground and letting the scabbard slide down.

    It was a high-grade artifact. The first gift his father had ever given to him. A symbol of the hope his father had for his future. A symbol of his failure. The round shield returned to his side, hovering around him. His bloodied right arm was swinging uselessly by his side as Daniel stood on guard.

    Without a single word, Daniel shot forward, directly toward Reynard. He lost his swords because he was greedy. He did his best to try to save as many as possible, but maybe the right choice would have been to overwhelm Reynard with as many swords as possible. He could use the gaps Reynard would give to sneak attacks in the direction of the other Roaring Mountain Sect members and keep them in check. At the very least, he would have been able to protect his brother and he would take longer to get to his current disastrous state.

    Now, however, it was too late for regrets.

    He faced Reynard without fear in his eyes. He swung his sword from the right to the left, in an absurdly incompetent strike due to the openings he gave in the process. Still, he was far enough from Reynard to have an assurance of his strategy.

    He took a step forward, and his sword moved. Reynard promptly took a single step back, letting the sword get past him before countering. Daniel''s shield moved to intercept the attack. Reynard''s slash made the shield ram against Daniel''s body, but he held his ground, raising his sword.

    Aiming at Reynard''s right shoulder, the sword came crashing down with a surprising speed. Reynard leaned to his left, dodging the strike with ease. Seeing this, Daniel couldn''t help but smile.

    His shield came from the other side, slamming against Reynard''s back, pushing him to his right. Daniel flicked his wrist, changing the direction of his strike. The downward slash turned into a slash from Daniel''s left to his right.

    Reynard was already too close to the sword to dodge. He could only face the strike head-on.

    "Clang!"

    Reynard raised his sword, blocking Daniel''s slash. Daniel took a step forward, putting strength in his left arm, trying to push Reynard back as their swords interlocked in a struggle of power. It was a useless struggle that Daniel was fated to lose. He was originally weaker then Reynard, he was gravely injured, bleeding and was only using his left hand.

    Reynard took a step forward, pushing Daniel back as he stomped the ground. The earth rumbled behind Daniel, but he didn''t mind. He let himself be pushed back. As he took a step back, he let himself fall down. His previous useless right arm suddenly moved, wrapping around Reynard''s nape like a snake. The round shield slammed Reynard''s back, pushing him against Daniel before falling to the ground.

    A single spike rose from the ground as Daniel fell down entangled with Reynard, aiming for his back. It was a slender, surprisingly sharp spike. It was not very tall but looked incredibly solid, incredibly deadly as it mercilessly waited for its target to impale himself.

    "Puchi!"

    As Daniel fell, the spike sunk into his back. It pierced his skin, tore his muscles and ripped through his organs. With a light thud, Daniel''s back hit the ground, and the spike''s tip came out from his abdomen, as menacing as ever as Reynard fell in its direction.

    To Daniel''s despair, however, Reynard''s fall was cut short. He suddenly stopped moving, as if something had grabbed him. His chest hovered a few centimeters above the tip of the spike, and his dark eyes had nothing but coldness in them.

    The earth rumbled again, and the spike retracted, painfully pulling out from Daniel''s body. Daniel''s right arm powerlessly slid away from Reynard''s nape as the latter straightened his back. Both his feet could not be seen, as they were buried deeply on the ground.

    "Nice try." Reynard said, patting his clothes and turning his back to Daniel. The earth squirmed below him, pushing him back up.

    Daniel had a listless look on his face as he watched Reynard. He did all he could, he even tried to use Reynard''s strike against him in an internecine outcome, but he had thoroughly lost. Blood started to seep from the open wound on his body, and a scarlet pool slowly formed beneath him, slowly expanding outwards like a blooming flower.

    Reynard coldly watched his surroundings. Skylar, even if hurt, was somehow managing to push back an Elemental Purification cultivator and a Body Tempering cultivator with blasts of wind as she protected herself and Malia.

    Evan was still unmoving, and Reynard was sure that even if he was alive, he couldn''t be saved. A Body Tempering cultivator from the Roaring Mountain Sect was already facing the boy that Evan had protected. It was a fight that would certainly end in but a few exchanges at best.

    A bit further ahead, Orson was standing by an unconscious Karen, smashing one shield talisman after the other and trying to buy time as the remaining cultivators continuously broke past his defenses.

    Joshua was still entangled with his enemies as if the fight had nothing to do with him. Reynard could only sneer. What a bastard.

    He left Daniel behind without a second glance, running towards Jake. His face was slightly pale, but other than that he skillfully hid the signs of his exhaustion. Daniel Meyer was still a Meyer, in the end.

    "You bastard! I will kill you!" Jake shouted with a weary and trembling voice as tears streamed down his pale face. He did his utmost to push himself up, but his arms were not moving.

    "You won''t." Reynard answered with a cold voice. "Dead people can''t kill others."

    He raised his arm, holding Mirageclaw above Jake''s head. He let out a long breath, and a white mist spewed out of his mouth. The sweat rolling down his face felt very cool and refreshing.

    Reynard suddenly shivered. He gritted his teeth and slammed Mirageclaw down with of his strength. The light twinkled around the blade as it drew a straight path towards Jake''s neck.

    "Clang!"

    The sword collided with something hard. Reynard''s arm numbed due to the impact, and something slammed against his chest, throwing him back. He raised his eyes, and saw an ice dome in front of him, blocking his vision of Jake.

    Reynard roared as if mad, raising the sword again. Thin lines of light slithered on the crystalline blade like snakes, covering it in a pale glow. Reynard''s eyes turned incredibly savage, and the air around him started to ripple, as the Qi turned restless. The layer of light on the blade turned incredibly bright and incredibly sharp as if it had turned into an edge.

    He would cleave the ice wall apart, and blast Jake Meyer away with it if needed.

    He pushed his arms down, putting all of his strength into it and¡­ they didn''t budge.

    A terrifying pressure weighted down on the major plaza of the Hell''s Keeper City, locking all of the present in place. The ice dome Anna Hale had conjured fell apart, revealing the Noan River Sect members. The platform the Southern Flame Sect had summoned also started cracking, and they all fell down to the ground, motionless.

    A small figure could be seen hovering above the plaza, its white clothes fluttering in the air as the figure slowly descended.

    It was a woman with an abnormally pale face that gave her a strange appearance, even if her features were beautiful. Her eyes were hidden behind her pitch-black hair that contrasted strangely with her skin color and clothes.

    Even if her eyes were hidden, however, it was clear that she was facing Reynard.

    "Stand down." She ordered with a clear, raspy voice.

 95 Dying Fire II

    The newcomer''s voice thundered in everyone''s ears, making some of the disciples squirm in pain. However, the woman didn''t seem to mind one bit. She continued facing Reynard with her eyes hidden behind her pitch-black hair and her pale lips pursed together in a thin line.

    Reynard''s body trembled as he made an incredible effort to turn his head an meet her gaze. Mirageclaw shook in his hands, making clinging noises as Reynard fought against the woman''s suppression. With a ferocious expression on his face, the crystalline sword moved a little bit in the direction of the ice barrier that protected Jake Meyer.

    Boom!

    With a deafening sound, something smashed at Reynard''s chest like an invisible hammer, sending him flying back. His ferocious expression turned into one of pure animosity and defiance as he twisted his body mid-air and landed on his feet. The ground below him rippled wildly, as if he had fallen on a soft mattress, cushioning the impact of the landing and helping him keep his balance.

    His eyes were blazing with a silent rage, and he was about to blow up. The moment that woman appeared he lost his chance to kill Jake Meyer. He had failed. He turned his head, looking at the wretched Daniel Meyer that lied on the floor, unmoving. That damn bastard had managed it in the end. The main reason for his success, however¡­

    Reynard turned to look at the Noan River Sect members. Almost all of them were helpless under the pressure the woman was weighing on them, with only one exception. Anna Hale raised her head, facing Reynard.

    They were very distant, but they could still clearly see each other. Reynard could see every single strand of Anna''s luxurious black hair subtly moving alongside her breathing. He could see how her breathing was somewhat irregular, just like his own. A clear sign of exhaustion. Most of all, behind the billowing mist that covered her expression, he could feel it. He could feel the gaze she was giving him, he could feel the smile full of disdain she had on her face. He clenched his fist as his expression suddenly turned blank. His eyes also lost all form of emotion as he faced his fianc¨¦e.

    Watching those changes this, Anna couldn''t help but feel cold. A shiver run down her back as Reynard looked at her with that blank expression. As she looked at his dark eyes, she felt as if she was being engulfed in an endless void, an infinite darkness permeated by a soul-chilling cold.

    What she felt when looking at the young man in front of her was not the usual disdain, nor was it disgust over her fate or the begrudging respect she couldn''t help but have for him. It was a more primal, instinctual emotion. For the first time, Reynard Stark scared her.

    "I was very clear when I ordered you to stand down." The woman hovering in the air said in a cold voice. Her pale lips twitched in displeasure as she saw the defiance in Reynard''s gaze. It made her even more displeased when he refused to take the fall and landed on his feet after she threw him back.

    "I don''t remember ever being under your command." Reynard said in an equally cold voice.

    The woman''s expression turned grim as Reynard''s words reached her. A sudden gust of wind wrapped around her, making her hair whip about and blowing it away from her face. For the first time, people could see the pair of eyes hiding behind her hair.

    The world seemed to come to a sudden halt, and Reynard felt as if he was being sucked away into a different dimension, akin to when he traveled through a spatial tunnel. The color of his surroundings slowly drained away, and the only thing he could clearly make sense of was a glistening pair of eyes fixated on him.

    Looking at those eyes, he couldn''t help but shiver. They were of a pale silver color and seemed to pulsate with a hypnotic light. What made his hair stand on end, however, was the fact that those eyes lacked pupils. They were like a pair of lifeless, ominous orbs that were slowly drawing him in.

    Reynard gritted his teeth, struggling to maintain control over his thoughts. He closed his eyes, focusing solely on his divine sense as he fought back with everything he had. He felt his consciousness slowly slipping away into the illusion, even after all of his efforts to anchor himself to reality.

    The woman scoffed as she saw Reynard finally turning silent. Still, a clear look of displeasure showed on her pale face. That young man was still resisting her, even if he couldn''t break free of her illusion by himself. A deep frown made its way into her expression as dark lines creased her forehead.

    She would have been pleasantly surprised by Reynard''s resilience if the circumstances were different; after all, she had used enough strength to put people at the peak of Elemental Core into a trance. Seeing Reynard resisting her, however, only made her feel anger and a strange sense of ominous foreboding. Nevertheless, she couldn''t do much more to him, lest the situation become even worse.

    With a swipe of her hand, the Roaring Mountain Sect disciples were blasted away, being thrown in a corner of the plaza. The pressure weighing down on the disciples of the Sacred Sects increased, holding them firmly in place, barely being able to make a sound.

    The major plaza of Hell''s Keeper City turned uncharacteristically silent, as if time had stopped when the woman made her move.

    She slowly descended to the ground, looking at the disciples of the Abyss Sect with a pained heart. Jake''s body was filled with injuries of varying degrees. It looked like there was not a single inch of his body that did not bear an injury. He was making hissing sounds as he breathed heavily, and more than likely one of his lungs had been punctured.

    Treating him would take months at best, and even so, she was not sure if he could return to his previous condition, even with all of the resources the Abyss Sect had available. Just like that, it was very possible his future would be cut short.

    The woman quietly landed by Jake''s side, putting a hand on his shoulder and sending a gentle stream of Qi into his body, suppressing his wounds. With her free hand, she took a white talisman that she promptly crushed, sending an emergency signal to the Medical Pavilion and to Natasha Barnes.

    Malia and Skylar were somewhat fine and a few weeks of treatment would let them return to top shape. Orson was completely unhurt, but the same couldn''t be said about Karen. The wound on her shoulder was awful, and she had lost too much blood. Even with Natasha Barne''s skill, completely healing her would be hard.

    She averted his gaze, and couldn''t hide the pain in her eyes as she looked at the two stretched corpses near Jake. Evan had died an almost instantaneous death, lying motionlessly on a pool of his own blood, his body riddled with holes of all sizes. Abraham, on the other hand, had bled to death due to the injury that ripped his arm off. His expression was still full of shock and his intact hand was still firmly grasping held what was left of his injured arm. His lifeless eyes were wide open and she could see the fear he showed in his final moments.

    Seeing this, she couldn''t help but send the still immobile Reynard a look full of killing intent.

    The woman gently swiped a discrete white ring in her left hand, producing a blood-red pill. It was the highest grade of medicine she carried with her, and the one of the few medicinal pills she possessed. Except for her sword and a few other possessions, she had long ago donated all she had to the sect, trying to keep it from falling further into an economic crisis.

    All of the Protectors had done the same, barely sustaining the sect for a few years. Soon enough they would have to start selling their services to the other sects in order to cover the Abyss Sect''s expenses. When that day came, she was not sure how she would handle it.

    "My brother¡­" Jake managed to say through gasps as a bit of strength returned to him. The woman didn''t seem to mind the fact that Jake didn''t greet or even thank her properly. He couldn''t bother with formalities now, and neither could she.

    The woman raised a brow as she finally looked at Daniel''s direction. He was still alive, but she could tell with a glance that he was done for. He was agonizing on the floor as a solid spike protruded from his abdomen, covered with dark blood. The spike that had impaled him had torn his stomach, liver, and parts of his intestines into shreds. Had he not tempered his body to the degree he had due to his father''s backing at the time, he would have been dead long ago.

    "He is done for." The woman spoke in an emotionless voice, but she couldn''t hide the pity in her eyes as she looked at Daniel.

    "Please¡­" Jake pleaded in a trembling voice.

    The woman sighed gently, waving her hand. The earth spike piercing Daniel seemed to turn into dust, and with another wave of her hand, Daniel was gently tugged to her side. She placed a hand on his chest, forcefully stopping his bleeding and buying him a few minutes of life.

    "The pill¡­" Jake said as he tried to lift his upper body and sit down.

    The woman frowned. There was no way to heal Daniel''s injuries. Medicine could only accelerate the healing speed of a person, not regenerate tissue. Her pill could stabilize Jake and prevent further complications, but it would have no effect on Daniel. She knew that, and so did Jake.

    She lowered her gaze and saw Daniel''s black eyes staring intently at her. No more words were necessary. She flicked her fingers, forcefully opening Jake''s lips as the red pill flew directly into his mouth, melting into a bright liquid that soon went down his throat.

    "I thank the First Protector." Daniel said with a genuine smile. He knew better than anyone else his condition, as well as the fact that his brother would never have accepted the pill in his stead.

    The First Protector gave Daniel a silent nod, not really knowing what to say. Realizing what had happened, Jake''s expression turned into one full of sorrow and misery as all that was left of his self-control finally crumbled and clear tears started falling from his eyes.

    "Do you mind helping me a bit? There should be a pair of cups and a silver wineskin here¡­" Daniel asked slowly with a weary, almost inexistent voice as he looked at the First Protector. He weakly signaled at the Bottomless Pouch hanging from his waist.

    The First Protector hesitated for a moment, before sighing and reaching out to the Bottomless Pouch. She gently tapped it, producing two rough wooden cups and a shiny silver wineskin that looked very expensive.

    Daniel made an incredible effort to prop himself up, being gently supported by the First Protector''s hand. He slowly took the wineskin into his hands before clumsily pouring wine into the cups laying on the ground. Wine spilled everywhere as Daniel''s arms trembled due to the effort, but he somehow managed to make it through.

    "Daniel¡­" Jake called weakly as even more tears streamed down his face.

    "Here." Seeing his brother''s sorrow, Daniel forced himself to smile, offering him a cup.

    Jake grasped it as firmly as he could, but he couldn''t help the shaking of his hands.

    "Cheers!" Daniel said with a smile, raising his cup in Jake''s direction.

    ''Cluck!''

    The cups lightly hit each other, and Daniel took a sip of the wine, slowly savoring its sweetness. Jake did his best to bring his cups to his lips, fighting against his trembling hands and barely being able to put some in his mouth.

    "Cough, cough!" Jake promptly coughed, and the cup almost fell from his hands.

    "Good stuff, right?" Daniel asked as he looked at his brother trying to compose himself. He didn''t know if the cough was due to the strength of the wine or his brother''s injuries.

    "Yes, it is pretty good." Jake said in a weary voice, trying to force a smile.

    "You know, it cost me those ten Water Crystals I got from the Promotion Competition." Daniel said with difficulty. Speaking was turning harder and harder for him. "I bought it so we could drink it in your eighteenth birthday¡­"

    As Daniel spoke, Jake started to sob loudly.

    "We can save some and finish it by then!" Jake spoke with a broken voice, his tone almost hopeful as if he was trying to negotiate.

    "I''m sorry Jake. I won''t be here for it." Daniel shook his head slowly. He couldn''t bear seeing his brother like this. Seeing the helplessness and the pain in his brother''s face was making him hurt more than his injuries.

    "Daniel, please, don''t go." Jake pleaded to him desperately.

    "It''s alright. It was going to happen someday." Daniel said as he sighed. Death would come for all of those that failed to reach immortality. He could not be scared by it, because there was no way he would ever be able to escape it. He knew since long ago that, even if he was a cultivator, he was fated to die. If anything, he would rather choose how to go than when.

    "I am glad I managed to do something for you." He said with a warm smile. He would have turned to properly hug his brother, but he was already losing the sensitivity of his limbs.

    "Daniel¡­" Jake managed to say between sobs, quietly leaning and hugging his brother. "Please don''t leave me!"

    "The Abyss Sect shall remember your deeds today." The First Protector finally broke her silence. Her tone was full of respect as she faced Daniel. He could faintly see a glimmer of silver behind the dark hair that covered her face.

    Her words might have sounded comforting for any other person, but not for Daniel.

    "The sect had nothing to do with this." Daniel said, gently patting Jake''s back. He knew from the moment he attacked Reynard Stark that there was no way he would ever make it out alive. He had chosen this, and the Abyss Sect had never been on his mind.

    He couldn''t help but remember his conversation with the Guardian when he was stuck during his climb of the mountain. The helplessness he felt then, and the choice he had made. In truth, Daniel''s choice to face Reynard had been made there, when he decided he would die as a cultivator.

    Still, could he truly say he had no regrets over it?

    Maybe the Guardian had been right, maybe Daniel truly could have been happy if he decided to give up cultivation and settle down on a peaceful life.

    Daniel''s eyes turned wistful as he contemplated the choice he made. At the time, he had been under too much pressure, and his denial of the truth had blinded him. His despair had blinded him.

    The truth was that there had always been someone like him, someone with whom he could share such fate, someone that could escape from such a miserable way of life with him. There had always been someone that he could be happy with if he had ever had the courage to try. He had always known it, he simply never took the risk, afraid of what he could lose.

    His vision started fading, and he felt his thoughts slipping away. He couldn''t feel his body anymore, and a piercing chill was making its way to his very soul. Suddenly, in the middle of the darkness, he saw a flash of gold, and a beautiful pair of green eyes stared at him.

    Yes, he had never been alone. The Guardian had indeed seen right through him, he had been absolutely right. Daniel had been too scared to face the truth, too scared to look inwards and accept what drove him.

    Unknowingly, Daniel smiled. A name made its way to his mind, piercing through the darkness of his consciousness like a beacon of light and giving him some clarity of mind before the darkness fully took over.

    Rebecca¡­

    ''Cluck!''

    A wooden cup fell, spilling dark wine on the ground. Like blood, the wine slowly flowed outwards, soaking even more clothes that were already tainted with red. The man they belonged to didn''t move anymore.

    On the major plaza of Hell''s Keeper City, the unabated silence was broken by Jake''s sobs as he tightly hugged his brother''s body.

 96 Dying Fire III

    The First Protector quietly took her hand off Daniel''s back and lightly shook her head as she heard Jake sobbing. He was a cultivator and, more than that, an inheriting disciple. He should know better than anyone how things worked in their world.

    Such a display was proof that he was human, but also proof of his immaturity. Death was unavoidable in the path they trod. If one did not steel his heart to it, the suffering it brought would never stop. Being an immortal might mean that one would be far from death''s reach, but the journey to immortality inevitably meant having death as a companion.

    The First Protector raised her head, thinking. She had no idea how things had reached that point, but something made her restless. Sect Master Borgin was nowhere to be seen, and nor was any Elder at all. There had been too many coincidences.

    A spirit beast outbreak in the north that required two Protectors and most of the High Elders to act had dealt an almost crippling blow to the Abyss Sect''s reaction time to any crisis. Even worse, had she not interrupted her reclusion due to the emergency signal the Third Elder had sent, she would never have made it on time to save Jake''s life.

    Even so, she arrived too late to salvage the situation that led to this. As a result, the Abyss Sect had suffered enormous losses, and how the surviving disciples would fare from now on was unknown.

    She raised her eyes, to the midst of the Roaring Mountain Sect disciples. There, a red-haired boy was lying on the ground with a short spear by his side. The First Protector''s brows furrowed as she swept her gaze through the battlefield carefully. From Drace''s body to the unmoving Reynard that was covered in sweat due to his resistance to her illusion. A picture slowly started to form on her head, but its implications were even above of what she could deal with alone.

    She suddenly heard the rustling of leaves and hurriedly turned her eyes to the Ashen Heart Tree. There was no wind that would blow in the Hell''s Keeper City, yet the branches of the tree were restless as if a fierce gale was blowing at them. The enormous silvery leaves waved nonstop, and slowly the branches of the tree started to darken.

    The hellish red curtain of light in the trunk of the tree, the gateway to the Hellblaze Secret World, started flickering nonstop. The First Protector''s eyes widened as she saw the scene. The Ashen Heart Tree was inexorably linked to the Hellblaze Secret World. If it was acting like that, maybe the secret world itself was turning unstable.

    She hastily stood up, leaving Jake''s side and making her way to the Ashen Heart Tree, trying to figure out what exactly was happening. As she approached, however¡­

    "Boom!"

    The ground of the major plaza quaked and, with a deafening explosion, rocks, gravel and debris flew everywhere as a huge hole appeared in the middle of the plaza, almost swallowing the Storm Peak Sect disciples that hastily retreated.

    "Anna!" An aged voice shouted as a woman dressed in blue and with silvery hair made her way from underground, followed closely by a man with a shaved head dressed in red.

    The woman looked in horror at the scene in the major plaza and hastily moved to the remains of the ice dome near the Ashen Heart Tree. The bald man rushed to the side of the Southern Flame disciples sprawled on the floor, and let out a breath of relief as he saw no one was hurt.

    Next, a woman in green robes shot out of the hole, rushing to the side of the Storm Peak disciples. She wasted no time with formalities or assessing the situation. With a wave of her hand, the silver spirit vessel of the Storm Peak Sect flew over.

    Following the faster High Elders, the accompanying Elders of the Sacred Sects soon emerged, hastily approaching the members from their sects.

    As the ten disciples and the Elder climbed onboard, Veronica, the High Elder of the Storm Peak Sect, turned her head and looked at the Abyss Sect''s First Protector for but a moment. Without a word, she too jumped atop the spirit vessel. With a rumble, it rose from the ground in a sudden movement, blowing dust everywhere as it turned into a blur and sped off into the distance.

    Sarah was left speechless, but could not waste time with trivialities. She lightly waved her hand, dispersing the pressure that was binding the Noan River disciples down with a deep frown on her aged face.

    "What happened?" Sarah asked as soon as she confirmed all of the Noan River disciples were safe.

    "Well, the Abyss Sect-" Eli took a step forward as he started talking. Before he could even finish a sentence, however, a fierce coldness enveloped him. His face paled as he looked at the source of the cold. Anna Hale had her head turned to his direction, and he didn''t need to see her face to guess the expression she had. He promptly shut his mouth, taking a step back.

    "Someone invaded the Hellblaze Secret World." Anna spoke in her usual cold voice, trying to be as clear and a brief as possible. "They stole all of the contents of the vault and are currently engaged in a fight with the Abyss Sect''s Sect Master."

    "And what happened here?" Sarah''s expression darkened instantly as she heard Anna''s report.

    "The Roaring Mountain Sect and the Abyss Sect had a falling out. Joshua, from the Abyss Sect, made the first move." Anna explained simply, not showing any emotion.

    "The details can wait. We are leaving." Sarah closed her eyes for a moment. She half expected a situation like this when a disciple of the Roaring Mountain Sect died, but the situation was even worse than what she predicted. This matter would be completely out of her hands.

    "Wait!" An angry voice suddenly interrupted her. From the gaping hole in the major plaza, a man dressed in gold slowly appeared. His hair was a mess and he had a fierce expression on his face. On his right hand, a saber covered in blood gave him a terrifying appearance. From the gaps of the bloodstains in the saber, an eerie purple light shone, given the saber an even more horrendous appearance.

    He gave a cursory glance through the plaza, and his eyes locked into the sorrowful Jake Meyer. His expression turned blank for a moment before he saw Reynard, who was still frozen in place, and a strange glint flashed in his eyes.

    "Are you really going to leave just like that?" Leonard asked as his face distorted into a mask of hatred. "The Abyss Sect set us up, put all of the disciples we brought at risk and you are simply going to leave without demanding an explanation?"

    "This is not a matter we can deal with, Leonard. It will be up for our Sect Masters to decide how to act." Baldwin answered. His teeth were gritted and his muscles were tensed. He was clearly unwilling to say those words.

    "Well, this is far from enough to me." Leonard said as he turned into a blur, appearing in the midst of the Roaring Mountain Sect disciples.

    "Who is responsible for this?" He asked in a sharp, authoritative voice. A Roaring Mountain disciple quietly pointed to the ground by Leonard''s feet.

    Leonard slowly lowered his gaze with a chilling look in his eyes. By his feet, a red-haired youth was slowly trying to stand up. His clothes were in tatters and his body was full of bruises and scratches. He was clearly not a member of the Roaring Mountain Sect.

    "Here, I will help you." Leonard said with a murderous expression as he grabbed the boy by the neck, raising him in the air with one hand.

    Joshua started gasping for breath as his face slowly turned as red as his hair and he tried to pull away from the iron-like grip that was slowly crushing his neck. His feet dangled uselessly in the air as his hands powerlessly hit the arm holding him above the ground.

    "Put the boy down." The First Protector demanded in a cold voice.

    "Don''t worry, I won''t kill him. I will just make him pass out and take him away to deal with in the Roaring Mountain Sect." Leonard said with a strange smile on his face. "I will be sure to be really thorough with the punishment."

    "This is your last warning. Put him down." The First Protector''s voice was enough to send a chill down the spines of even the High Elders of the other Sacred Sects, but Leonard didn''t budge.

    Seeing this, a gentle breeze started sweeping past the First Protector, making her clothes flutter and slowly ascending from the tip of her toes to her neck. Seeing the veiled threat, Leonard''s face turned grim. Even he had no real way to counter the First Protector''s illusions if she went all out.

    "Fine." Leonard said with gritted teeth. His eyes suddenly locked into the Ashen Heart Tree, and a fierce light shone in his eyes. "Have it your way."

    His arm moved like lighting, throwing the already helpless Joshua in the air as if he was nothing more than a doll.The First Protector promptly raised her hands, trying to stop Joshua''s fall. As the Qi gathered at her command, the air rippled. Just as the Qi was about to reach Joshua, however, It suddenly froze in place.

    The First Protector''s eyes widened as she realized someone had wrestled away her control over the Qi. She could only helplessly watch as Joshua flew through the air in a precise arc, landing on the flickering curtain of light and disappearing from her sight.

    "Let''s go." Leonard said, pointing a finger at Reynard and finally releasing him from his constraints.

    As the illusion was suddenly broken, Reynard took a moment to recover. His legs almost gave in and he nearly lost his balance. His expression darkened as he fiercely stomped the ground, making the ground below him ripple and help him recover.

    Leonard brought the Roaring Mountain Sect''s spirit vessel to their side, carefully picking up Drace''s body as he jumped on board. One by one, the disciples joined him.

    Reynard was the last one to climb onboard. He slowly turned around as the spirit vessel rose, its pulsating purple glow casting ominous shadows on his face. He looked at the First Protector''s face with a ferocious expression. She quietly sustained his gaze with a blank face, not showing the anger nor the disdain she felt.

    "I''ll rip those eyes out of your face the next time we meet." Reynard said with a blank expression as the purple spirit vessel slowly turned away.

    ---

    "The Abyss Sect can wait for the outcome of this ridiculous stunt." Baldwin declared as he saw the Roaring Mountain Sect''s spirit vessel disappearing from sight. He looked at the Ashen Heart Tree with a frown.

    It was unknown what was happening inside, but he wasn''t willing to abandon the youths of his sect to try to retrieve the treasures. For starters, he didn''t know if this was all an act and Lars Borgin was the mastermind behind it. Entering the Hellblaze Secret World would mean taking an unnecessary risk.

    Baldwin looked at Sarah, and from her expression, he knew she had similar thoughts. This was no time to make a gamble, not when they were potentially in enemy territory. He gave a sigh, shaking his head.

    "I do hope you are ready for the consequences." Sarah said as she looked at the First Protector with a serious expression. "Considering its history, losing the Abyss Sect would be a tragedy. As shameful as it would be, let''s hope the Abyss Sect will only lose its place among the Sacred Sects."

    With that, she turned around to leave, joining the Noan River Sect members in their glistening spirit vessel. The First Protector could not find the words she needed to say. The Abyss Sect would face an unprecedented crisis.

    The First Protector quietly watched as the remaining spirit vessels rose from the ground and left as she tried to stabilize the still uncared disciples of the Abyss Sect. She couldn''t help but feel worried. She could only hope Lars Borgin would return soon so they could start taking the proper measures as soon as possible.

    Her expression slowly darkened. Lars Borgin''s situation was unknown, and she couldn''t enter the Hellblaze Secret World until the Medical Pavilion staff arrived and took over the wounded disciples. Worst of all, the Second Protector was not answering her voice transmissions and her emergency signals. Either Lawrence Meyer was not receiving them or he was willingly ignoring them.

    Ignoring the fact that he was a Protector of the Abyss Sect, what could such a man consider more important than the son he was so proud of?

    The First Protector swept the major plaza with her divine sense, finally noticing a crucial detail: there were only eight disciples of the Abyss Sect present, including the dead. Joshua had been thrown into the Hellblaze Secret World, so that made nine.

    There was still someone missing alongside the Abyss Sect''s spirit vessel.

    ---

    The sun had already set, and a pale waxing moon hung in the night sky in a cruel grin. Rebecca Skoller had a terrible feeling as she contemplated the sky, and somehow she felt sorrowful. Something was weighing down her chest, and she felt a terrible sense of loss.

    "Calm down."She said to herself as her chest heaved up and down and she started feeling nervous. "Everything is fine."

    She tightly clenched the green necklace under the white sheets of her bed. That ominous premonition she had didn''t go away, and her grip turned tighter, making the necklace almost break her skin.

    Suddenly, something caught her attention, and she hurriedly turned to the door of her house. Her green eyes blazed with a strange fire as her nervous expression suddenly turned into one of sheer coldness as she probed outwards with her divine sense and realized what was happening outside.

    The front door of the house creaked lightly as someone walked in, taking unhurried steps inside. The steps paused for a moment in the living room, as if the person had taken a small break to look closely to something. Rebecca''s expression turned grimmer as the temperature in the house turned colder.

    A white mist started blowing out of her mouth with each breath she took, and she couldn''t help but tremble due to the cold.

    "How embarrassing." She said in an emotionless voice, raising her eyes to the door of her room, that was now open. "To think I wouldn''t even be able to keep myself warm in front of you."

    "It is not surprising at all, considering you can''t even circulate the Qi in your body anymore." A cold, scornful voice answered her. "I heard you could lose control of your Elemental Core and damage yourself."

    "It would still be better than having to stand you." She said, looking deeply into a pair of black eyes as dark as the night. Eyes awfully similar to the ones her husband had, but also very different.

    "What do you want, Lawrence?"

 97 Dying Fire IV

    A fierce gale blew in the night as a shadow streaked in the sky, blocking the bright stars that riddled the sky. Its speed was inconceivable, but for the boy atop the shadow, it was still not enough.

    Amon Skoller was incredibly nervous as he rode the spirit vessel he had stolen from the Abyss Sect. He was confused, he was scared and, most of all, he was incredibly angry. After being thrown out of the Hellblaze Secret World, Lya had dragged him to the spirit vessel and quickly flew away.

    Amon didn''t need to ask where they were going or why. He understood it all too well. His life in the Abyss Sect was over. He could only hope they could escape fast enough.

    Behind him, Lya carefully controlled the spirit vessel in complete silence. She could feel Amon''s mood, and she didn''t know exactly what to say. For now, she could only make haste for the Outer Ring of the Outer Sect, get Rebecca Skoller and leave the Abyss Sect as quickly as possible.

    Hati, the Guardian of the Hellblaze Secret World was right. The best she could do was stay away from the sect. There was clearly a traitor in their midst, if not many. Not only that, Lloyd Kressler and Oura knew of her presence, and Amon was now a target. Leaving and laying low was the best option.

    Still, what could she say to him? What reasons could she give for hiding the truth? How could she explain to him what was truly happening?

    How would she explain to him about Dale Loray? About Alexei? About Arthur Royce?

    How could she explain to him what she had done?

    Lya was confused. She did not want to believe Dale Loray was alive and that he was behind everything that had happened. She did not want to believe it because this meant that Dale Loray would certainly come after her.

    Lya was scared. She was terrified of what would happen to her if Dale Loray ever managed to get his hands on her. She was even more scared of what exactly he wanted to do. Did he want to fulfill Alexei''s obsession? Did he want to do something else entirely? She couldn''t know, and that terrified her more than anything.

    Lya was angry. She was angry with herself for failing to help Hati. She was angry with herself for not being able to stop Oura. She was angry with herself for having to resort to run away from the fight.

    Nevertheless, there was hope. Hati had given Amon the Vermillion Token. With that, they could take refuge in the Southern Flame Sect and plead help from the Vermillion Queen. She would certainly help, as this matter was as related to her as it was to Lya. They could then contact the other Sacred Sects and prepare countermeasures.

    "Amon¡­" Lya called for him with a soft voice, somewhat hesitant.

    The boy slowly turned to face her, his ashen hair flapping with the violent winds of the flight, giving him a somewhat comic appearance. Once Lya saw the gleam he had in his golden eyes, however, her heart trembled. What she saw in his eyes was unwillingness, and a fair share of conflicting emotions. What made her restless, however, was that, for the first time since their met, she could clearly see distrust in his eyes.

    "We will speak later." Amon said in an emotionless voice, turning his back to her. "Once we pick my mother up and leave the sect, we will talk what we have to talk."

    "Until then, don''t speak."

    ---

    "You want to know what I want, Rebecca? I am naturally here in order to capture the traitors of the Abyss Sect." Lawrence Meyer asked with a sneer. The coldness in his dark eyes could not hide his scorn. "I will patiently wait for your son to arrive to pick you up and try to escape. We can chat a bit until them."

    Hearing his words, Rebecca stood in silence for a moment. Her weakened body trembled lightly due to the cold, but her eyes never wavered. Such a decisive, aggressive look in her eyes made Lawrence frown.

    "Even if Lloyd did something, you have no proof." Rebecca finally said, but she couldn''t hide her uncertainty. Something in the way Lawrence was acting gave her a bad feeling.

    "Oh, I do have proof." Lawrence smiled coldly as the scorn in his eyes grew even more. "You see, we have plenty of witnesses that say your son was directly involved with Lloyd entering the Hellblaze Secret World."

    Rebecca''s sickly face lost all color as she heard that. As she looked deep into Lawrence''s eyes, she knew he was telling the truth, but that still didn''t make any sense. Her son had no contact with Lloyd, and Lya was accompanying him. How could someone frame him under such conditions?

    Lawrence approached the bed, leaning closer to Rebecca. He extended his hands to her, holding her head in place with his cold fingers as his eyes turned increasingly closer to hers. Rebecca couldn''t help but show the disgust she felt on her face. She knew that Lawrence would enjoy seeing that, but she still failed to keep her emotions in check.

    "Truth be told, I would be here even without any proof. Who could guess that you were indeed traitors, Rebecca?" Lawrence spoke with a carefree tone. "I am actually very satisfied. This way, no one can say I was in the wrong for killing you and your son. Having Jake being hurt and that trash being killed was already enough for me to give an excuse due to ''suspicions'' I had, but now my actions will be completely justified."

    "For that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart." He said, finally releasing her.

    "Daniel is dead?" Rebecca asked as her eyes grew wide with shock. Her face paled even more, and she grasped the sheets of her bed tightly. No matter what she did, however, she couldn''t stop her trembling. This time, however, she was not trembling due to the cold.

    "Yes, he did. My heart aches for it, Rebecca." Lawrence said with an emotionless voice as he raised his left hand. The black sleeves of his robes slid down, revealing a silver chain with two blood-red beads attached to it. There was also a single piece of what looked like red marble attached to the chain, as if a third bead was once there, but had been broken. "As a father, I can''t help but feel the pain of losing my firstborn."

    Her words made her silent with shock. How low could a human being fall? As much as she despised Lawrence, she never thought she would turn out even worse than Lloyd.

    "What a pathetic man you are, Lawrence. Your firstborn is dead. You second son, which you claim to be the pride of your life, is injured, and possibly just underwent the most terrifying and painful experience of his life, yet here you are, speaking to me, not showing a care in the world." Rebecca said with a trembling voice. She couldn''t bear it anymore. The sadness was overwhelming her.

    "Do you truly hate Lloyd that much?" Rebecca asked with a wry smile. Pearly tears were slowly streaming down her face as she spoke, and she couldn''t hide the pain and the sorrow in her eyes. "You would even recognize Daniel as your firstborn just so you can vent your hate for Lloyd?"

    "Lloyd Kressler is the man I will do anything in my power to kill. Don''t doubt for a second that I will use any means necessary to deliver a blow to him, no matter how weak it might be." He spoke with a chilling voice as his expression turned into a distorted mask of hatred. "The humiliation he made me suffer and this hatred he planted deep into me¡­ I will pay it back tenfold."

    Rebecca felt a part of her die as she heard Lawrence''s words. This was what Daniel amounted to him, an excuse to throw a childish tantrum to take revenge of the man that defeated him.She couldn''t believe Daniel was truly dead, and she couldn''t believe Lawrence would act like this.

    Somehow, she still hoped deep down for Daniel to be accepted someday, even if she knew it would never happen. He deserved better, and now he was dead. Worst of all, his death would be the excuse the man that shunned him would use to kill the people Daniel wanted to protect.

    "It is such a pity¡­ You are far too emotional. You had everything you needed to become a legendary figure in this Sect, but look at you. Becoming a cripple because of your failure of a son, and now crying because my failure of a son." Lawrence said with a sneer. "I guess no matter how talented one is, the mindset is still primordial for a cultivator."

    Rebecca''s tears slowly stopped to fall as she closed her eyes and controlled her breathing. Her hands stopped trembling, and her expression turned serene.

    Yes, Lawrence was right. He was no human anymore. He was a cultivator.

    "Although I never really liked you, Rebecca, I want you to know that this is not personal. Well, at least not in regards to you and your son." Lawrence said, shaking his shoulders. "I will try to make it quick and painless."

    "As if I would believe that." Rebecca said with disdain as her expression slowly changed. "This will neither be quick nor will it be painless."

    "And why would that be?" Lawrence asked, barely holding back his laughter.

    Rebecca didn''t answer him. She closed her eyes, focusing. Lawrence felt a formless wave of divine sense washing over him and spreading way out of the house.

    "Hmm¡­ Three Elemental Core Elders surrounding the house from the north, east and west¡­ I guess you are waiting to ambush my son as soon as he appears." Rebecca muttered to herself, opening her eyes and looking at Lawrence with disdain. "Were you really that enthusiastic in making sure we wouldn''t somehow escape?"

    "You know how careful I am. Even if I am dealing with a cripple and a waste, someone else might barge in. I will not allow that to happen." Lawrence said, not bothered in the least by her words. "Again, this is not personal Rebecca, but there is no way you will escape today."

    "I don''t care what you say, but the moment you threatened my son this became personal." Rebecca answered.

    "You should remember very well how I paid back my grudges, shouldn''t you?" Rebecca asked, giving Lawrence a cold smile. For the first time in years, he felt a shiver running down his spine.

    Rebecca waved her shriveled hands, and a powerful blast of Qi hit Lawrence''s chest, sending him a few steps back.

    "A pointless struggle." Lawrence said with an annoyed voice as he glared at Rebecca.

    "Cling!"

    A clear clinging sound rang from the living room, and something whistled through the air, rapidly reaching Rebecca''s room. A black blur streaked through Lawrence''s vision, and his face fell as he recognized what it was.

    The blur halted as soon as it reached Rebecca, turning into a pitch-black sword. Rebecca looked at it with sorrowful eyes before extending her right hand and unsheathing the curved sword. Looking at the scene, Lawrence''s eyes gleamed.

    "It is better that way." Lawrence professed as he looked at Rebecca. A fierce smile slowly made its way into his lips. "I was afraid the White Flame had truly gone out."

    With a roar, white flames slithered through the blade, exuding a terrifying heat. Lawrence''s smile widened when he saw the intermingling shadows and light dancing in Rebecca''s face as the flames on the blade flickered. The fire that blazed in her green eyes was even wilder than the flames dancing on the black blade.

    Rebecca Skoller, the White Flame of the Abyss, raised her hand. Lawrence Meyer, the Second Protector of the Abyss Sect, extended his hands to the saber by his waist.

    A deafening explosion rang out and splinters flew everywhere as the shabby house disappeared from sight.

    In its place, a white lotus furiously bloomed.

 98 Dying Fire V

    The Throne Room of the Abyss Sect was uncharacteristically silent. A man dressed in loose red robes filled with golden embroideries was sitting in the charred throne, and a man was kneeling respectfully in the middle of the room, yet there was no tapping echoing through the room, and there was nothing being said.

    The faint light that glowed from the walls was dancing without rhythm or form as the walls seemed to churn. A few decades had passed, but Lars Borgin never stopped feeling incredibly nervous every time he had to stand in this room and speak with the man sitting on the throne. No matter how much stronger Lars got, that overwhelming pressure he felt never ceased or weakened.

    He could never grasp the strength of the Abyss''s Sect Founder and Sect Master when he was a kid, and he still couldn''t do it now. It was as if the man sitting on the throne was an ocean of energy and power. The deeper Lars dived into it, the stronger the pressure wrapping around him became. No matter how much Lars probed, all he could find was unending power and an increasingly horrifying darkness that hid the depths of the man in front of him.

    "I honestly can''t believe it." A gentle, sorrowful voice broke the silence. The man sitting in the throne gave a sight, and Lars, kneeling on the floor lowered his head even more.

    "Explain to me what happened." The Set Master asked, gripping tightly the armrest of the throne. His voice was still as gentle as ever, but there an uncharacteristic uneasiness in it as he spoke.

    "I am not too sure myself, sir Sect Master." Lars answered. His brown hair was covered in sweat due to his nervousness, and confusion could be seen in his clear eyes. "When I arrived it was already too late."

    "The conditions of the body?" The Sect Master moved a bit in his throne, somewhat restless.

    "A single strike. Nolan died instantly." Lars reported with a bitter taste in his mouth. He still couldn''t believe the news he received. "Considering the way he was facing, the fact that he had a sword in hand and that the trees behind him that were destroyed, I don''t think it was a sneak attack."

    "Go on."

    "Nolan knew someone was going to attack him and he even had the chance to draw his weapon. Not only that, he was clearly facing the attacker. It is just¡­ even with all that he couldn''t even react when the attacker made his move." The kneeling man concluded with a calm voice. Nevertheless, he couldn''t help shaking somewhat.

    "Tell me something, Lars." The Abyss Sect''s Sect Master calmly asked as he coldly gazed at Lars Borgin from above. "In such conditions, could you have done something similar?"

    "Sir, I would never-" Lars hurriedly started to say, turning visibly more nervous.

    "This is not what I am asking." The Sect Master interrupted him with mild annoyance in his voice.

    "No, sir. Even if Nolan gave me the chance, I would never have been able to take him down in a single strike." Lars said honestly. He couldn''t help but tremble as he remembered the scene he saw from the array projection the Roaring Mountain Sect had transmitted.

    Lars Borgin knew Nolan Skoller too well, and he also knew how much inferior he was compared to Nolan. That absurdly strong body of his, and his even more ridiculous control over fire¡­ if Nolan was taken down like that, he couldn''t even imagine the strength of the murderer.

    "How was the state of the trees behind him? You mentioned the after-effects of the attack destroyed them." The Sect Master asked in an increasingly cold voice, giving Lars a shiver.

    "All of the trees seemed to have been cut in two. This phenomenon manifested from Nolan''s location to about one hundred meters behind him." Lars answered with a frown. It was an utterly absurd scene.

    "What is your take on that?" The Sect Master asked, his tone still gentle, but now the coldness hidden in his voice gave Lars shivers.

    "It is very confusing, sir." He answered honestly."I can''t believe that the after effect of an attack that could take a fully prepared Nolan Skoller down would spread through only a few hundred meters."

    "Indeed." The Sect Master quietly nodded. "What would be the explanations for that, Lars?"

    "Either it was a different attack that hit the trees¡­ or the murderer''s ability and control over the elements is on a level I can''t begin to grasp." Lars answered of thinking a bit. This was the best theory he managed to develop after analyzing the facts. In truth, he had no idea how such a scene came to be.

    "Control over the elements, eh¡­" The Sect Master repeated his words in a low voice, almost as if he was scoffing at himself.

    "Sigh, such a pity. His child wasn''t even born yet." The Sect Master sighed, shaking his head. His red hear spilled over his shoulders and the golden streaks in it gleamed for a split second. For a moment, it seemed as if his hair was made of fire.

    "Sir, can I ask you something?" Lars finally gathered the courage he needed to question the Sect Master.

    "Yes." Came an uninterested answer.

    "What was Nolan Skoller doing in the Western Continent?" Lars finally asked the question that had been bothering him ever since he heard the news. Given the condition of his family and his position, leaving alone for another continent was a choice Lars couldn''t understand.

    "He was investigating something on my orders." The Sect Master answered in a dismissive tone.

    "I see." Lars said in an emotionless voice. His disappointment, however, didn''t go unnoticed.

    "Raise your head, Lars." The Sect Master commanded with a sigh. He was truly very tired, and he was starting to turn tense.

    "Tell me, if you were sent on a mission that you knew might end up with your death, would you have done it for the sake of the sect?" The Sect Master asked, looking at Lars Borgin with his bright red eyes as if trying to peer into his very soul.

    "Yes, sir." Lars answered without hesitation. "The Abyss Sect is all I have."

    "Even if you had a family that relied on you? Even if you were about to have a daughter?" The Sect Master asked, his eyes turning even sharper as he leaned forward.

    "Yes, sir." Lars answered again, not even blinking.

    "How can you say that if you have never even married? What if your mind changes once you become a father?" The Sect Master pressed on, still not satisfied.

    "That will hardly happen, sir. After my parents died, I decided that nothing would stand between my cultivation and me. A family would only hold me back." Lars admitted.

    "That was sixty years ago, Lars. Do you still feel that way?" The Sect Master insisted, slightly cocking his head, like a hawk staring with interest at the prey.

    "Yes." Lars nodded his head, his expression serious. "The Abyss Sect is my everything, sir. My climb to the peak lies here and nowhere else. My grandparents died so this place could exist, and my parents died happily here. There is no way I would feel any differently."

    "I see." The Sect Master nodded, making his hair gleam again.

    "This sense of belonging, this unwavering loyalty¡­ a Sect Master''s duty is to guarantee every single disciple has it." He said in an emotionless voice. "A Sect Master must know the disciples of his sect, and he must give them reasons to die without a doubt in the name of their sect."

    "Cultivators value their lives more than anything, so achieving such a thing is quite hard. You need intelligence. You need to understand others. You need to be able to feel empathy." He said in a serious voice, leaning even more forward and never taking his eyes out of Lars, carefully reading his reactions.

    "At least that is what people believe, and as such you must convince others that you have such qualities." He added as a very discrete smile full of disdain made its way into his lips.

    "What is truly important is the strength to maintain your position and charisma to enthrall those around you." He continued, still using the same serious tone. His eyes shone with a strange light, and a hint of scorn appeared on his expression. "If you make good use of charisma, you can gather allies to your side, and they can make up for the things you lack."

    "A Sect Master is nothing but an illusion, Lars. What exists, in reality, is just a single man strong enough to protect his ideals and willing to make use of anyone and make any and all sacrifices in the name of such ideals."

    "This is what a sect truly is. A figure bearing the ideals and illusions of others as they help him accomplish his." He concluded, and his expression turned blank. "Do you understand?"

    "I do, sir." Lars answered softly. He already knew that. He had lived enough to understand how the world was.

    "Very well. From this moment forward, you are the inheriting disciple of the Abyss Sect, and I will teach everything you must know in order to become a proper Sect Master after I retire." The Sect Master said simply as if it was nothing much.

    Lars lowered his head again, giving the Sect Master a deep bow and hiding the expression he was making. He felt both happy and conflicted. He knew that he had not been the first choice for the position, and now he would never be able to truly prove himself worthy. The blow that had taken Nolan Skoller''s life had also taken away his chance of proving his value.

    "Know this, Lars." The Sect Master said, slowly rising from the throne and descending the golden steps as he walked towards Lars. "Loyalty is absolutely necessary. Without it, the sect will fall apart, because the illusion will be broken."

    "If there ever comes a day when a disciple of your sect betrays you, then you failed." Arthur Royce said as his eyes shone with a surprisingly cold light

    ---

    Lars Borgin gasped for breath loudly as he supported his body with the blood-red Crimsonroar. The ground below his fact had been so compacted and turned so dense that the sword''s tip couldn''t even pierce it even after Borgin supported his full weight with it.

    Even so, the sword trembled nonstop as the ground quaked. The shadows squirming in the walls turned even more agitated, and a loud rumbled could be heard echoing. Without the Guardian linked to the core array of the Hellblaze Secret World, the artificial dimension was starting to fall apart. The only thing holding it together was the Ashen Heart Tree, the anchor, but even so, it wouldn''t hold out for long.

    Deep gashes covered Lars'' body, and white bones could be seen between the gaps in his flesh. His blood flowed nonstop from the wounds in his body, turning his clothes sticky and making him feel increasingly colder.

    In front of him, Lloyd Kressler cocked his head, looking at Borgin with a dark interest in his cold eyes. He waved the green sword in his hand around, sending blasts of light with each strike and causing increasingly deeper gashes to appear on the ground below his feet.

    Surrounding his body, threads of flowing light floated freely, mixing with the dust and the gales that wrapped around his body.

    "I expected more, Lars." Lloyd said with disdain in his voice.

    Borgin didn''t answer. He couldn''t answer. His vision was slowly fading away, and he knew he was about to lose consciousness. He made an effort to maintain his expressionless face, but deep down he was shaken. He could not understand how Lloyd Kressler had attained such power in that short of a time.

    "Oura!" A loud shout that sounded more like a roar echoed in the crumbling hall. The enraged Nemeus was still facing the strange entity he called Oura, but Lars Borgin couldn''t keep up with their fight anymore. Hati had long been defeated, and his Soulstone was shining brightly in Lloyd''s left hand.

    "Just give up already." A bewitching voice answered Nemeus, but Borgin couldn''t say from where it came. "Even if you have a piece of Arthur''s soul, you are a few millennia short of being able to hold your own against me."

    As the voice finished speaking, the air in the hall suddenly turned completely still, as if time had frozen. Borgin couldn''t even move anymore, nor could he spread his divine sense. A powerful force had overtaken control of the whole hall.

    "Enough of this." Lloyd said as he slowly approached Borgin. His dark hair fluttered as he walked, and he was clearly unaffected by the power that was binding the hall.

    Lloyd slowly raised the sword in his hand, never taking his eyes away from Borgin, as if expecting to see his expression change.

    "I always hated the way you went about doing things." Borgin said in a weary voice. His expression was still completely blank, but he couldn''t hide his exhaustion.

    "Hah!" Lloyd scoffed. "Do you really have the right to say that?"

    "Oh?" He suddenly stopped, turning his head away and looking at the flickering curtain of red light that shone in one of the walls of the hall.

    The light started to churn and revolve, and soon enough a small figure appeared from it, crashing loudly on the ground and rolling for a few meters before stopping.

    "Urgh, damn Leonard. That bastard really took his acting seriously." The newcomer said, standing up with difficulty. His clothes were in tatters, and his red hair was a mess. A deep mark could be seen around his neck as if someone had squeezed it tightly. He was in a really sorry state.

    "What are you doing here?" Lloyd asked, raising a brow as he faced the youth.

    "A slight change of plans. The First Protector appeared and Jake Meyer is still alive." The youth said, cracking his neck with a clearly annoyed expression.

    "Hoh, Reynard failed?" Lloyd asked in a surprisingly light tone as if he was really satisfied.

    "Joshua!?" Borgin asked in shock as he realized who the youth was.

    Joshua raised his head, looking at Borgin with surprise on his face as if he had just realized he was there. Then, he frowned.

    "Why is he not dead?" Joshua asked, turning to face Lloyd. "I didn''t think it would take that long."

    "We were about to work on that, dear." The female voice answered in a charming tone.

    Borgin couldn''t find the words he wanted to say. No, he didn''t want to say anything. There was not really anything to be said.

    He gripped Crimsonroar tightly, and his body started trembling as he forced himself to move. Nemeus roared from somewhere, and Borgin could finally move. As if he was trying to walk on a swamp, he slowly forced his forward, raising Crimsonroar.

    All of the Qi in his body slowly started gathering in his dantian. He would condense all of the energy he could and then detonate his Elemental Core, taking them all out with him.

    "As if I would let you." A sweet, but poisonou voice made its way to Borgin''s mind.

    Suddenly, he was fronze in place again. A foreign energy made its way into his body, slowly slythering through his meridian and reaching his dantian. To Borgin''s horror, he felt his dantian being sealed away, and he could only watch in shock as the Qi slowly dispersed from his body.

    "Oura!" Nemeus roared again, but was ultimately helpless in front of her.

    "This is ridiculous." Lloyd voice woke Borgin from his stupor. He raised his head, and saw Lloyd brandishing the green sword in his hand.

    Time slowed down as Borgin faced the incoming blade. He watched helplessly as the sharp tip prickled the skin of his chest, slowly sinking into his muscles. He felt his flesh tearing as the sword sunk deeper hitting his ribs. He felt it grinding at his bones, finally carving its way through them and hitting his right lung. He felt is making its way out, in a process that seemed to be as slow as it was painful.

    The green tip made its way out of Lars Borgin though his back, and he coughed. Dark blood seeped down his lips, through his chin and falling on his already bloodied clothes. A strange roaring blocked his hearing, and he could barely make out Nemeus roaring somewhere far away.

    Before he realized it, he was facing the ceiling. He didn''t even remember when he fell down. Nevertheless, he still wanted to fight. He raised his head with difficulty as the roaring in his ears turned deafening. He realized his hands were empty. Crimsonroar was nowhere to be seen.

    He moved his head, and saw the silver curtain of light on the other side of the room slowly decreasing in size, as if it was folding unto itself. It didn''t take long for it to completely disappear.

    The shadows that had covered the walls faded away, exposing the mix of red and gold that were their original colors. Borgin couldn''t feel the quaking of the ground anymore, he could only faintly feel the world around him crumbling. The roaring in his ears was also starting to fade away.

    Borgin finally realized he was hearing his own blood flowing through his body. Not that it mattered anyway.

    As the world collapse around him, he remembered his master''s words. The words of the man whose shoes he never managed to fill. The words of the man he had strived to be, but failed.

    Yes.

    He had utterly failed.

    ---

    In the major plaza, the tremors turned increasingly stronger.

    The First Protector and the newly arrived staff from the Medical Pavilion watched in shock as the Ashen Heart Tree started to tremble, and the curtain of light between its trunks started to fade away.

    They hurriedly moved the Abyss Sect''s disciple away as the silvery leaves that had hundreds of years old started to lose their luster and fall from the tree. They gently swayed as they fell, and the whole tree started to sway with them as huge cracks started to spread through it.

    Branches that were dozens of meters long started to fall into the buildings they once covered, and the tree stopped to sway. It leaned to one side, and the curtain of red light completely faded. With a loud crack, a trunk snapped, and the tree started to break apart.

    The First Protector watched in horror as the gigantic tree slowly approached the ground, crushing the buildings beneath it as its humongous crown smashed against the floor.

    White splinters flew in the air, reflecting the starlight that shone from above. They spread through the air, covering the heart of the city and gleaming brightly amidst the cloud of dust that rose.

    A last terrifying tremor almost sent the First Protector to her knees. A sepucral silence took over Hell''s Keeper City as the white splinters fell to the ground, making it seem to be covered in cinders.

    The Ashen Heart Tree had fallen.

 99 Dying Fire VI

    A blinding light erupted and roaring white flames bloomed like a hellish flower as the shabby house was torn apart by the explosion. The stars were obfuscated by the brightness of the flames, and all the shadows in the area disappeared. For a moment, a white sun shone in the Outer Sect of the Abyss Sect, casting the night away.

    As fast as the sun rose, however, it set. The blinding light died down, and as ruble and dirt rained down on the remains of the house, only fickle flames remained, dancing unpredictably as the flickered, casting light and shadows on the two figures facing each other in what was once a small room. They were both kneeling, looking utterly exhausted.

    A faint mist was spreading from one of the figures, slowly turning the area into a blur. A disturbing sizzle echoed as the reminiscent flames slowly died down and the mist expanded outwards. The scorching heat that had taken over the area was rapidly overwhelmed by a biting coldness.

    Eventually, the mist thickened, and a faint drizzle started to fall from the sky, drenching the two figures that didn''t move. The pitter-pattering of the rain soon stopped, leaving only silence.

    One of the figures slowly stood up, holding a saber in hand. His black clothes were slowly covered in a layer of white frost as the water drenching them froze. With annoyance, Lawrence Meyer violently waved a hand, as if striking the air. Glistening shards of ice fell like snow on the ground at the figure''s feet as the layer of frost broke apart and slid down from the clothes.

    The other figure also slowly stood up, albeit with clear difficulty. Rebecca''s white clothes dried down as a cloud of steam formed around her. A thin streak of blood escaped through her lips, and she couldn''t hide the pain she was feeling. Supporting her body with the sword Raven, she slowly straightened her back. Lawrence''s eyes gleamed with a fierce light as he saw her managing to stay on her feet.

    Horrendously scarred shins could be seen beneath Rebecca''s white gown. Not a single inch of skin seemed to be free of any kind of mark or scar. Lawrence realized Rebecca''s legs were slightly deformed, and it was clear the bones had been broken being recognition once. Even after putting them in place, the healing process was not perfect. Rebecca lacked proper medical care, after all. Her leg muscles were also horribly atrophied, and there was barely any flesh between the deformed bones and the scarred skin.

    "You could walk?" He asked in a chilling voice.

    "Not really. This is the same as your son did with his right arm." Rebecca said, wiping the blood on her lips with a shriveled hand and trying to find her balance.

    "From the theory alone you managed to pull it off?" Lawrence couldn''t quite believe it.

    "At our level, it is not something hard." Rebecca said dismissively. "Even if Natasha didn''t get the chance to help me, the theory she came up with was more than enough."

    Lawrence stood in silence for some time. A frown slowly appeared on his face as looked at Rebecca.

    "Since when?" Lawrence he finally asked as his expression darkened.

    "Since the start." Rebecca answered, shaking her shoulders.

    It was not a lie but was also not the truth. At most she could move for no more than a few minutes at a time, no matter what she tried. Horrible headaches would assault her after a while due to straining that properly controlling her legs with Qi alone would bring. She had to support her upper body, as well as somehow relearn how to walk by controlling every single strand of Qi that remained in the broken meridians in her legs. It was in no way an easy feat, and the deep wounds that did not properly heal would take their toll.

    A mind-numbing pain would course through her crippled legs at every step she took even if she was well rested, which only turned the process even harder. Not only that, but a single mistake could stimulate her damaged Elemental Core, and her body would not be able to withstand the incoming energy.

    After months of trying, Rebecca finally arrived at the conclusion that it was useless. She would never be able to properly walk again, at least not without Natasha''s help, and Lars Borgin and Lawrence Meyer were making sure that such a thing would be impossible. Adding to that, even if she managed to regain her ability to walk by some miracle, she didn''t know what measures the Abyss Sect would take to deal with her. She knew better than anyone the position she was in, and she knew what could happen if someone believed she was making a full recovery.

    Lawrence''s blank expression slowly morphed into one of rage, and Rebecca sneered inwardly. He had bought her bluff, and seeing him lose his cool was a small victory she would enjoy. Her satisfaction didn''t last long, however.

    She suddenly felt a surge of blazing energy coursing through her body. It spread from her dantian to all of her meridians, smoothly flowing through her arms and chest, but burning through the flesh when it reached her abdomen and legs. With damaged meridians, the energy could not circulate properly, and it would either accumulate and eventually explode or flow through her flesh and burn it.

    Rebecca knew very well what the best option was, so she could only endure the pain and make her best efforts to not show it in her expressions and not let her legs tremble. A metallic taste invaded her mouth as she felt blood surging through her throat. With a fierce expression on her face, she managed to avoid coughing blood and painfully forced herself to swallow it back.

    "I knew we should have taken the chance and gotten rid of you and your son the moment you gave us a chance." Lawrence spoke as his expression darkened even more. His cold eyes turned murderous as he spoke with pure hatred in his voice. "Lars Borgin was very hesitant in doing so for some reason, but I always knew that we should have killed you at the time."

    "As if you could." Rebecca answered with a smile full of scorn. She made no effort to hide the derision in her eyes as she faced Lawrence. "If I remember well, at the time you had your tail between your legs, shivering in fear of my husband coming to finish what he started the day he left the sect."

    As Rebecca slowly professed her words, Lawrence''s expression turned completely blank. The tension he had shown before eased completely, his frown disappeared and his pursed lips relaxed. His eyes, however, turned increasingly sharper at each word that left Rebecca''s mouth.

    Once she was done, Lawrence simply waved his hand. The ground beneath his feet froze, and a layer of ice slowly covered everything around them within a radius of a hundred meters. Even if Lawrence could expand his influence more, he chose to condense the frost Qi he had in a smaller area, making it denser.

    Rebecca took a deep breath, and let the energy leaking from her dantian freely move through her meridians in order to resist the cold. She could almost feel pity for the Elemental Core Elders that were still lurking silently on the sidelines, trembling like leaves in a storm as the chilling cold assaulted them.

    "Let''s see how long you can last." Lawrence said as a forced smile broke his emotionless expression. "I wonder if you will run out of energy or burn yourself to death first. It should be an interesting sight to watch."

    Rebecca made an effort not to frown, but she knew Lawrence was right. With him covering the area in frost Qi, there was no way for her to properly replenish her Qi. Even if she could, the strain would eventually destroy her body from the inside out.

    She finally completely straightened her back, pulling Raven from the ground and looking at Lawrence with nothing but seriousness in her green eyes. Her body was still somewhat slanted as if she didn''t find her balance yet, but somehow Lawrence couldn''t help but feel a bit of awe seeing her.

    That desire to fight to the end, that unwillingness to accept death. Those kind of people were the ones he liked to fight with the most. The fire that blazed in their eyes, the energy and resolve they seemed to take out of nowhere as they struggled¡­

    Few things gave Lawrence more satisfaction than to put out such flames.

    Rebecca stood silently as Lawrence slowly walked over. She held Raven tightly with her right hand, and the pitch-black sword was soon covered in torrid white flames. White stream billowed out from the sword as the heat clashed with the cold.

    Lawrence''s smile slowly widened as he watched the scene. The saber in his hands started making clinging noises nonstop. It was only then that he realized his hands were trembling with excitement.

    He would slowly enjoy driving Rebecca to a corner, and he would enjoy even more imagining how Lloyd Kressler would react when he knew what had happened to her and her son.

    It would be an empty victory. A dull one. Nothing but a childish move, but Lawrence didn''t mind. A victory over Lloyd Kressler was a victory nonetheless. If this ruse could make Lloyd knit his brows for even a second, it would have been worth it.

    Because Lawrence Meyer really hated Lloyd Kressler.

    ---

    Amon was turning more and more nervous as the spirit vessel streaked through the air with its maximum speed. A terrible feeling was spreading through his chest, and he felt something slowly clenching at his heart.

    The last time he felt like that was right before entering the Hellblaze Secret World, and he was afraid that his feeling would be proven right yet again. All he could do was hope he was wrong, and try to reach his mother as fast as possible.

    Lya quietly watched Amon turning more and more restless, and she couldn''t help but feel the same. Fear was slowly creeping up her mind, making her tense. If something happened to Rebecca Skoller, she wouldn''t know how to react. She knew better than anyone that it had been her fault.

    "Boom!"

    Far to the north, a horrendous explosion rang. Amon''s eyes widened as he saw that terrifying flash of white light pierce the skies. His expression darkened, and he turned to look at Lya.

    No words were needed, for she knew what he wanted to say. She gritted her teeth, and her blue eyes shook with worry. She forced Qi into the spirit vessel''s core array, increasing the speed even more. The vessel would not last for long under such conditions, but she could only hope it was enough to reach Rebecca in time.

    The spirit vessel started to sway up and down, as it almost fell apart due to the energy overload. The sound of the wind howling at Amon''s ears was almost deafening, but he somehow couldn''t hear it. He felt his body numb and his senses fading. He could only hear the sounds of his increasingly fast heartbeats.

    "BOOM!"

    Another explosion rang, even fiercer than before. A second sun rose from the ground, much closer than the first one. Amon hurriedly raised his arms, protecting his face as a horrifying heat reached him. His hair stood on end, and he could feel his skin prickling as it turned red. Lya hurriedly waved her arms, casting a protective shield around him to ward off the heat.

    A blast of air hit the spirit vessel, almost throwing it off course. The blazing sun was like a beacon in the north, and Amon was now sure of its location.

    The world went silent again as the second sun was eventually swallowed by the darkness of the night, and the stars shone again in the sky.

    Amon''s golden eyes slowly turned cold, and he reached to his back, unsheathing Windhowler. His hands were trembling, and the sword shook in his grip. Lya however, felt no fear coming from him. She could only feel nervousness and a rapidly increasing animosity.

    ---

    "Come on, Rebecca." Lawrence complained. Flicking his wrist and waving his saber. The fresh blood that covered it flew to the ground, freezing as soon as it hit the layer of ice below Lawrence''s feet. "Even at your peak you would be no trouble for me to handle, but this is too disappointing."

    Rebecca didn''t bother answering him, trying to keep her calm despite being kneeling on the ground in clear defeat. A deep gash could be seen going from her left shoulder to her waist. Blood freely flowed from it as her chest heaved up and down. She was barely supporting herself with Raven, and her hands were starting to slip from the grip.

    She gritted her teeth fiercely, forcing herself to stand up. She somehow managed to stand on her feet, but she was clearly about to fall down again.

    "Guess that surprise blast was all you had in you, wasn''t it?" Lawrence asked with a mocking smile on his face. "Is the pain really that much? I can''t imagine how it would be to feel my insides being burned each time I used my Qi. I think I would prefer death."

    Seeing his expression, Rebecca couldn''t help but frown with disgust. Lawrence was indeed very similar to Lloyd. It enervated her to no end.

    "So you say, but haven''t you been dealing with injuries of your own all those years?" She asked in a cold voice. "Don''t think I didn''t notice it."

    "You don''t have to worry." Lawrence rebuked dismissively. Despite his tone, however, Rebecca could see the corner of his lips twitching. "Even if it is annoying, it is still not enough to shake my position in the Abyss Sect. Even injured, none of the other Protectors would stand a chance against me."

    "You are really annoying. Your tone, your stance, your attitude¡­ You remind me too much of Lloyd." Rebecca said with a disgusted voice, turning her eyes away. Her left hand was closed tightly on a fist, and an explosive flow of Qi was slowly coursing through her arm from her dantian.

    "Enough of this." Lawrence''s smile faded away. "You win, Rebecca. Revel in this victory with your son as soon as I send him to meet you."

    He slowly approached her, letting the tip of his saber scrape against the ice covering the ground. His steps were unhurried, and he started putting strength in the saber, making the ear-piercing sound the saber was making even louder.

    Every step he took, Rebecca''s grip turned stronger. Soon, her left hand was trembling due to the strength she was exerting, and she could feel the object she was holding digging deep inside her palm. The skin in her arm was slowly reddening, and the pain in her abdomen was turning unbearable. She held herself back from screaming in pain as Lawrence stopped in front of her at arm''s reach.

    "You know, I will really enjoy showing your corpse to your son." Lawrence said, looking at her expression carefully, waiting to see her reaction. "I wonder what face he will make when he sees what will be left of you."

    "Fuck you, Lawrence." Rebecca answered with nothing but hate on her bright green eyes.

    Then, looking at Lawrence, she smiled.

    She opened her left hand, showing a small necklace. A green jewel was attached to it, and a small dot of blue light seemed to be floating inside, flickering gently. It was the last gift her husband had given her, and now she was going to make full use of it.

    Lawrence''s eyes widened when he saw the necklace and Rebecca''s smile. She felt her arm burning as she injected all of the remaining energy she had into the jewel at once. Not even her own body could withstand that amount of energy, even if it was flowing through intact meridians. Still, it was enough. A light crack echoed, and Rebecca closed her eyes.

    The blue light flashed, and the jewel exploded. A terrifying burst of energy was released at once, completely unrestrained. The accumulation of more than half a decade of Qi that Rebecca had stored in the jewel had been suddenly set ablaze by her own fire Qi.

    Lawrence watched in horror as that mass of energy suddenly expanded in front of his eyes, and he hastily raised his hand to protect himself. A bright light took over his vision, and for a moment, the world ceased to exist.

    ---

    Lawrence coughed violently as he opened his eyes. It took him a moment to make sense of his surroundings. As soon as he recovered the least bit of consciousness, however, a fierce pain assaulted him, making him want to writhe on the ground and scream.

    He gritted his teeth, and slowly raised his head. His black clothes were in shambles, and every inch of his body seemed to be bruised. Breathing hurt him tremendously, and he figured he had at least a few broken ribs.

    He tried moving his arm to stand up, but an even fiercer pain made him gasp. He lowered his gaze, looking in shock at the right side of his body. His hand and arm were still whole, but his skin was mostly gone, and the flesh was charred horrendously. The few patches of skin that remained were either covered in horrifying blisters or shriveled being recognition. His fingers were all broken, twisted in strange directions and in an even worse state than the rest of his arm.

    His leg was in an equally sorry state, if not worse.

    Lawrence turned his head but felt his head spin. He felt the right side of his face throbbing, and a sharp pain almost made him pass out again. He slowly moved his left hand with the intention of touching his face, but ultimately hesitated. He wasn''t sure if he wanted to know the real state his face was in.

    If he had not hastily protected himself, the right half of his body would have been blown away, and he would be certainly dead.

    He made an effort to sit down, looking around. He heard grunts coming from afar, and with a swipe of his divine sense, he confirmed the three Elders he brought were still alive, even if injured.

    He somehow managed to get up, supporting his body with his left leg and the saber that had fallen by his side. He was in a rather pitiful state, completely unbecoming of his status and the image he carefully cultivated over the years.

    As he tried to start to move, a soft grunt caught his attention. He looked at the source of the noise, and a flash of gold caught his attention. The pain in his body immediately numbed, and his left hand started trembling with rage.

    "Damn you!" Lawrence screamed with a hoarse voice, limping in Rebecca''s direction, dragging his saber with his left hand behind him.

    At that moment, however, he stopped in place and hurriedly turned his head. From the skies, a black blur was streaking right into his direction.

    Lawrence couldn''t waste time thinking or trying to identify what it was, he could only follow his instincts and kick the ground with his left leg, jumping with all his might to the side. In the blink of an eye, the blur swept past him.

    Time seemed to slow down as Lawrence recognized it as a spirit vessel. He watched in shock as the spirit vessel barely missed him, flying for a few more meters before crashing violently against the ground.

    A blast of air hit him like a hammer, making him writhe in pain. A cloud of dust rose as the ground quaked due to the impact, and Lawrence nearly lost his balance.

    His eyes turned cold as his instincts kicked in and he gathered his thoughts. A light breeze blew on his back, and he immediately twisted his body, avoiding a sneak attack. With a gust, something brushed past him.

    Lawrence raised his head, meeting a pair of golden eyes that glared at him with nothing but sheer hatred.

    Following the golden eyes, a sword covered in a sharp edge made of light howled through the air, making its way to his neck.

 100 Dying Fire VII

    A crude sword made a simple, elegant arc as it crossed the air. The winds howled in protest as the wide blade spit it in two, covered in a layer of light so condensed it looked almost solid. The blade followed its path with a terrible momentum, leaving a bright trail of starlight in its wake.

    Holding the sword was a boy. His face was pale, his black clothes were in tatters and his ashen hair was a mess. Even so, his golden eyes shone with a fierce light as the boy brandished the sword.

    Looking at the boy, Lawrence Meyer felt a strange feeling welling deep inside of him. He paid the sword no mind as it made its way to his neck and, instead, looked straight at the boy''s eyes. Deep in them, he saw cold hatred. He saw a unyielding fierceness. He saw primal, almost animalistic desire to kill.

    His brows furrowed and dark lines creased his forehead. While facing those eyes full of emotions, his own eyes were nothing but emotionless.

    Lawrence raised his saber with his left hand in a swift, fluid and precise movement. His form was surprisingly elegant as the saber in his hand seemed to come to life and tear through the air in a skyward strike.

    "Clang!"

    The saber collided with the sword with a dull, metallic sound. Sparks flew as the sword''s blade rose, passing a few centimeters over Lawrence''s head as his saber vibrated with a loud hum. Lawrence''s frown deepened as he gripped the saber with more strength, making it stop humming. He coldly watched as Amon flew by him, eventually reaching the ground.

    "Look at that, the little traitor indeed appeared to save his mother." Lawrence said with a sneer.

    Cracks spread beneath Amon''s feet as he landed heavily on the charred ground. From Lawrence''s words, he already could guess what had happened. Not that it would change anything. Amon would face whoever he needed to in order to get his mother out of that place safely.

    He gritted his teeth, enduring the pain of the forced landing as he spun in place, sword in hand. He brandished Windhowler with all his might, aiming at Lawrence''s head.

    The light covering the sword flashed as the edge on it somehow turned even brighter and sharper, making one''s eyes hurt. In the blink of an eye, Amon was upon Lawrence, and Windhowler was in front of his eyes.

    "Clang!"

    A saber fell from its wielder''s hand with a metallic sound. Fell with its tip down, burying itself on the ground and humming as it vibrated gently.

    However, neither Amon nor Lawrence bothered with it. Amon had a hard time hiding his shock, but Lawrence was still expressionless as he looked at Amon. A few centimeters away from Lawrence''s head, Windhowler was still shining with Sword Qi, but couldn''t move forward. It stuck in place, being firmly held by a bare hand.

    A soul-chilling cold started coursing through Amon''s arms, coming from the sword he held. He desperately struggle to set the sword free from Lawrence''s grasp, but it was in vain.

    "I wonder how Daniel would feel, knowing that he died because of a traitor." Lawrence said, looking at Amon with a savage look in his eyes.

    "Daniel¡­ is dead?" Amon''s eyes widened a she looked at Lawrence, and he seemed to enter a daze.

    "The stunt you pulled alongside your father in the Hellblaze Secret World was enough to make things spiral out of control." Lawrence said as his gaze turned even fiercer. "Because of you, Daniel is dead, and Jake is gravely wounded."

    Amon''s eyes changed, and his face paled. There was no way this was the truth.

    Yet¡­ what reason was there for Lawrence to lie? If Amon was already regarded a traitor, such a lie would not bring him any benefit.

    Amon glanced at Lawrence''s eyes intently, and his face turned even paler as he realized it was very likely he spoke the truth.

    Crackling sounds started echoing from Lawrence''s body, and his broken fingers started twisting and turning before finally straightening as his bones fell back in place. It was a strange sight to look at, almost unbearably unnerving. Soon, even louder cracks came from his body as his right arm and leg started to move in an eerily similar way, making Amon frown.

    The temperature suddenly dropped, and Lawrence''s clothes slowly dampened. He felt a refreshingly cool sensation as small droplets of water dripped down through his body before freezing in place, enclosing his charred limbs in a thin layer of ice. The layer of ice continued to grow, delicately covering the right side of his face ad hiding it from view. The burning pain in his body gave way to a numbing prickling in his skin, and Lawrence gave a long sigh.

    Natasha Barnes was indeed a genius. Controlling the Qi inside one''s body like this could not only serve to give movement back to crippled limbs, but also for first aid care. As long as one had enough knowledge on anatomy and a fine control, the only real difficulty would be bearing the pain.

    "Indeed; at our level this is not hard." Lawrence muttered to himself.

    He then looked at Amon again, who was still in place, glaring at him with those same eyes. Windhowler was still firmly grasped by Lawrence, and the temperature continued to fall steeply.

    The sword started to make a disturbing sound as Amon''s arms trembled as the blade was held in place. A layer of frost slowly formed on the blade, breaking apart and forming anew as the sword trembled alongside Amon and Lawrence poured more frost Qi in it. Eventually, the blade stopped trembling completely, and Amon couldn''t exert more strength as his palms were already covered in frostbite.

    "Crack!"

    A thin, almost unnoticeable crack appeared on the layer of ice covering the blade, and Amon felt his heart almost stop. With a face full of hate, he let go of the sword and hastily retreated, creating a few meters of distance between him and Lawrence. Amon looked helplessly as the layer of light glowing beneath the ice slowly faded away, as if the sword was dying.

    Lawrence continued to look at Amon with a blank expression as he violently closed his hand, turning his grip on the blade into a fist. The cracks on the blade multiplied, eventually covering the whole extension of it.

    "CRACK!"

    Windhowler seemed to scream for a moment as an ear-piercing screech echoed right before the blade finally gave in. Amon looked disgruntledly as the sword collapsed, turning into hundreds of fragments in front of his eyes. Each piece glistened brightly, still covered in ice. Like snow, they fell on the ground at Lawrence''s feet, who still didn''t change his expression.

    Lawrence looked at the pieces of the sword at his feet for a moment before discretely opening his left hand. A gash could be seen the palm of his hand, deep enough to almost reach the bone. The blood that was starting to flow through it slowly froze into red ice, sealing the wound.

    Lawrence frowned as he looked at his hand. He did not cause this wound by crushing the sword with his bare hands. He held the sword with his hand to hold it in place and give himself time to tend his wounds. He had enough experience with his body to know what it could or couldn''t withstand. He almost couldn''t believe it, but Amon Kressler had managed to hurt him.

    Lawrence extended his hand downwards, reaching for his saber.

    Suddenly, he felt an overwhelming pressure bearing down on him. It wrapped around his body, turning stronger and stronger. Lawrence''s expression darkened as he felt the changes surrounding him. The bones in his body started to creak under the pressure, and the ice covering his wounds started to crack.

    Lawrence was experienced enough to know what was happening. This was unlike Borgin''s technique that increased the gravitational pull in a certain radius. This was sheer, unbridled control over Qi, and Lawrence refused to give in to that. He fought back with all his might, and the pressure on him slowly started to ease, even if it was far from enough to give him back his freedom.

    Amon Kressler couldn''t do this. This meant there was someone else on that spirit vessel.

    "Kill them!" Lawrence ordered, still fighting against the force bearing on him.

    The three Elemental Core Elders that were still recovering from the explosion grunted, but started moving. They were far from the blast, and were hit mostly by the air pressure and the heat wave. Although they were injured, they could still move.

    Amon snapped out of his trance, and started to move, running past Lawrence as fast as he could. His expression changed from one of animosity and hate to one full of worry as he left Lawrence and the crashed spirit vessel behind.

    He couldn''t let himself lose his focus. It was all that Lawrence wanted. He did his best to hold back his feelings, but his chest couldn''t help but turn heavy. If this was the truth¡­ then the fault was his for running away.

    He could see it, a flash of gold far into the distance, and his focus returned. He shook his head as he accelerated further, trying to hold back the storm raging on his mind. The ground beneath his feet seemed to give in with each of his steps as he stomped the ground to try to go even faster.

    The closer he got, the hotter it became. It felt as if he was approaching a wild fire rather than his collapsed mother. Each step he took seemed to make the temperature increase a dozen degrees. By the time he was by his mother''s side, he was sweating profusely and his skin was red.

    "Mom!" Amon called desperately as he approached the small figure lying on the ground.

    She was lying on her side, with her back turned to Amon. What was left of her white gown was burnt black, and Amon could see terrible burns covering her exposed skin.

    He gently approached her, putting a hand over her shoulder. The first thing Amon felt was how hot her skin was. Touching his mother was no different than putting his hand on a fire. He endured the pain as his carefully turned her own her back, and at that moment¡­ his heart almost stopped.

    Amon gasped, and his hands started trembling. Rebecca gave a light grunt, and barely managed to open her eyes to look at her son.

    "LYA!" Amon shouted hastily as he took his mother in his arms. His eyes were open wide, and his lips were devoid of color as he tightly pursed them.

    A rumble answered him as the spirit vessel crashed on the ground freed itself, raising another cloud of dust. The air rippled around it as it rose, hovering mid-air and turning.

    "It is going to be fine, mom. It is going to be fine." Amon said as he raised Rebecca in his small arms, trying his best to not cry in despair. He felt a sharp prickling in his skin due to the heat, but he completely ignored it.

    From the corner of his eyes, he managed to see three figures approaching at high speeds. Rebecca lightly shook in his arms, turning her head with difficulty. What remained of her golden hair fluttered gently, falling over her shoulder as she looked at something on the ground.

    Amon followed her gaze, seeing a black hilt sticking out from the ground. He looked at his mother for a moment before giving a slight nod. The spirit vessel went over Lawrence''s head, and the pressure on him increased again, crushing him against the ground.

    The ice covering his wounds completely collapsed, breaking into pieces that were reduced to ice dust due to the pressure bearing around him. Lawrence grunted in pain as some of his broken bones were dislodged again and a crippling pain assaulted him.

    Walking carefully to not move his mother too much, Amon approached the spirit vessel trying to be as fast as he could.

    The three Elders were quickly approaching, but a sudden blast of Qi threw them away.

    The spirit vessel was finally upon Amon. He felt a warm stream of Qi gently wrapping around Rebecca and slowly lifting her from his arms with surprising care.

    Seeing Rebecca''s state, Lya drew in a sharp breath. She hurriedly sent Qi inside her body, trying to do her best to hold together her broken body.

    Amon turned around, searching for a moment before finding Raven partially buried on the ground. He spread his divine sense, wrapping a line of Qi around the sword and pulling it to his hands.

    The curved sword spun through the air, whistling as it made its way to Amon''s hand. Amon had a troubled look on his face as he held the black sword. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, before finally shaking his head and clearing his thoughts.

    "Amon, quickly¡­" He heard Lya''s voice echoing in his mind.

    Amon turned around, holding the sword tightly. At that moment, however¡­

    "It is too late." A weary voice echoed from somewhere behind the spirit vessel. It was a cold, emotionless voice. Its owner was sprawled on the ground, covered in burns and wounds.

    Amon stopped in place, slowly turning to look at Lawrence Meyer. There was no need for Amon to ask anything. He already knew all he needed to.

    "Amon-" Lya started calling to him with an urgent voice, but her voice fell on deaf ears.

    Amon gazed at Lawrence with an indescribable look. His mother''s state flashed in his mind as he gripped Raven tightly. He could still feel the absurd heat of her body in his arms; he could still see the overwhelming pain in her eyes.

    Bright lines of Qi shone on Raven''s curved blade, slithering on it like snakes. A thin layer of light formed around the blade in the blink of an eye. Amon''s hands started trembling, and the light grew brighter.

    Amon remembered his first night on the Sword Abyss. The horrible feeling of being torn apart by thousands of blades, the pain of having his innards destroyed by sharp Qi, the raw savagery, the overwhelming desire to murder and destroy imbued in the spiraling Sword Qi that remained in the Sword Abyss... That was a will strong enough to last four hundred years.

    It was not enough.

    "That look in your eyes¡­ you are just like your father." Lawrence said in a hoarse voice full of hatred as he gazed at Amon from afar.

    Yes, he knew those eyes very well. Those eyes gazed at him from above as Lawrence fell six years ago.

    The light surrounding Raven suddenly churned, as if it was boiling water. It turned even more condense, to the point of solidifying.

    Just shredding the body to pieces, just grinding the innards to a paste¡­ it was not enough.

    Amon wanted nothing but complete annihilation. He wanted every inch of Lawrence''s body to be pulverized, he wanted nothing to be left behind. He wanted to erase Lawrence Meyer''s existence.

    Simply killing would not be enough.

    "Don''t!" Lya shouted in horror as she peered into Amon''s soul and saw the amount of Nebula being produced.

    Amon kicked the ground, and seemed to turn into a blur. A streak of light tore through the air at an unimaginable speed, like a shooting star tearing through the sky. It almost seemed to be cutting through space itself as it pushed forward with indomitable momentum.

    Lawrence saw that streak of light coming to his direction, and his face changed. For the first time, he felt threatened. Still, that unbearable pressure was still holding him in place.

    Suddenly, however, it disappeared. Lawrence couldn''t even show confusion on his face before the ground beneath his feet rumbled and rippled like water. He looked to his side, and saw one of the Elemental Core Elders not far from him with a hand on the ground.

    As the flash of light arrived before Lawrence, the ground rippled again, and Lawrence Meyer was thrown away just as an ear-piecing trill echoed and something grazed past his body.

    The flash of light suddenly stopped, revealing Amon holding Raven near the ground, having just missed his attack. He suddenly raised his eyes, looking at the Elemental Core Elder with a chilling gaze.

    "You were involved." Amon said in a cold, emotionless voice.

    It was not a question, nor did it leave room for doubt. It was a simple statement. Not only had the man saved Lawrence Meyer, he had been present when the fight broke out.

    The Elder looked at him with a disgruntled, almost disbelieving expression.

    Raven''s sheath was nowhere to be seen. Nevertheless, as Amon faced the elder, he drew his sword.

    The Elder''s hand rose. Raven descended.

    Amon felt that Raven''s grip was surprisingly comfortable. The blade was incredibly well balanced, and incredibly sharp. The sword had no guard, but it had no need for one. It was not a sword made with clashes with other weapons in mind. It was a sword made to be precise, swift and sharp.

    It was a sword made to kill and nothing more.

    A sword giving a strike would always be quicker than Elemental Qi. There was no need to interface with the dantian. There was no need to control the Qi in the meridians. There was no need to harmonize with the elements. There was no need to overturn nature in some way.

    There was no need to think, and there was no mistake to be made.

    A sword strike just needed to be decisive.

    The curved blade tore through the air.

    It tore through Qi.

    It tore through cloth.

    It tore through skin.

    It tore through flesh.

    It tore through bone.

    It was surprisingly easy, surprisingly fast. Just like that, the sword was tearing through the air again.

    Blood splattered on Amon as the Elder fell. Amon turned to look at Lawrence, which was making an effort to stand up.

    Amon separated his legs and slightly bent his knees. He pulled Raven next to his waist, never taking his eyes away from Lawrence. He drew his sword.

    "Stop!" Lya shouted with a voice filled with despair.

    She waved her hands and countless threads of Qi wrapped around Amon, dragging him to the spirit vessel.

    Without giving him the chance to protest, Lya waved her hands again. The spirit vessel turned into a blur, shooting off to the distance.

    "Why did you stop me!?" Amon asked, indignant, as he looked at Lya.

    "I didn''t want you to kill someone in such condition." Lya answered in a hurt voice as she faced Amon.

    "Bullshit!" Amon retorted, getting mad.

    If the condition she referred to was his emotional state, or his use of the Soulrousing Technique to boost his will, it didn''t matter. He knew he had every right to kill Lawrence Meyer, and she had denied him the right to do so.

    He suddenly stopped in place, in shock. His eyes widened and his hands started trembling as he faced a pair of green eyes looking at him.

    "Mom!" Amon called, his voice filled with guilt.

    From the moment Lawrence called for him to the moment Lya pulled him into the spirit vessel, only a few moments had passed. Still, Amon couldn''t help but feel guilty. During those moments, he had abandoned his mother.

    He hurriedly approached her, kneeling by her side. Somehow, the heat she was exuding was even stronger than before. Amon couldn''t hide the worry on his face as he looked at him.

    A burnt hand was extended to him, lightly touching his right hand. Amon looked at it, and suddenly realized he still had Raven in his hand.

    "Clang!"

    He dropped the sword on the floor without any regard, holding his mother''s hand tenderly.

    Rebecca opened her mouth, but no words came out. She started to shake on the floor of the spirit vessel. Her face distorted into one of pain, and she looked at Lya with a pleading gaze in her green eyes.

    Lya''s heart shook as he saw Rebecca''s gaze, but she would never deny it. She extended a pale hand, lightly touching Rebecca''s temple. Rebecca''s expression eased somewhat as Lya alleviated her pain. The last she wanted was to suffer in front of her son.

    "What is this heat?" Amon asked, confused and afraid as he held his mother''s hand.

    "Her Elemental Core is breaking apart." Lya said, hesitant. She was still trying to suppress Rebecca''s injuries and she had a good grasp of what was happening.

    Rebecca had overexerted herself during her clash with Lawrence. Her damaged Elemental Core was now collapsing, and her body was almost destroyed.

    "What can we do?" Amon asked, almost shouting as he turned to face Lya.

    Instead of meeting his gaze, Lya turned her face away, not knowing what to say.

    "What can we do, Lya!?" Amon asked again, with an even louder voice. His eyes were blurry, and Lya knew he was about to break down.

    "I am sorry Amon, but we can do nothing." Lya finally said with a sad voice.

    "That can''t be!" Amon said, holding his head on his hands. Suddenly, his face beamed. "The ring! I am sure there must be some amazing medicine in the interspatial ring to help her."

    "Amon, medicine can at most speed the process of healing and minimize injury sequelae¡­ A medicine to regenerate tissue does not exist, nor does anything that can directly affect any of the Qi structures developed inside the dantian." Lya said in a sad tone. She kept her head down, as if afraid to look Amon in the eye.

    "But the medicine could help!" Amon insisted, almost bursting into tears. He was clinging desperately to anything that gave him even the slightest hope. "The medicine could help stabilize her body; we only need to find a way to stabilize the Elemental Core¡­ Maybe if we slowly control the output of Qi, it would run out of energy and the collapse would simply men a loss of cultivation¡­"

    "This is not how it works, Amon." Lya said, shaking her head gently. "The Elemental Core itself is energy condensed in a stable, delicate structure. It can''t run out, as it always has itself. Even if someone spends all of the Qi in their bodies, the Elemental Core remains unaffected. Letting it collapse would still lead to the same result, and trying to slowly undo the Elemental Core would lead to instability, and the result would still be the same."

    "There must be a way¡­ Please, we must find a way" Amon pleaded, finally bursting into tears.

    As Amon was falling to the depths of despair, the injured hand in his grasp gripped his hand tightly. Amon turned his head, looking at his mother as tears streamed down his face.

    Rebecca opened her mouth, but, yet again, no words came out. She turned clearly frustrated, and her eyes showed a hint of despair. Lya hurriedly closed her eyes, concentrating.

    Amon lowered his head, sobbing desperately.

    "Don''t worry." Rebecca''s faint voice finally made its way to his ears.

    Amon hurriedly raised his head, facing her again.

    "Don''t say that." Amon said desperately. "Please don''t say that."

    "Don''t cry." Rebecca said as her green eyes turned blurry with tears too. "I never liked seeing you hurt."

    "What should I do without you?" Amon asked between sobs, hugging her tightly. "What can I do?"

    "Whatever you want." Rebecca said with a voice so weak it was almost a whisper. "I only ask you to do one thing."

    "What?" Amon asked, trying to control his sobs.

    "Never forget our promise." She said, giving him a smile. A smile full of warmth.

    "I won''t." He answered, wiping the tears out of his face.

    Amon tightly hugged her, ignoring the heat that was unbearable at this point.

    "I love you." Amon said, trying hard not to cry again.

    "I love you too, son." Rebecca answered gently, ruffling his hair with her hand and closing her eyes.

    Amon didn''t know how long it passed. It could have been seconds, or it could have been minutes. For him, it seemed to be hours, and at least he was thankful for it.

    Eventually, the ruffling of his hair stopped, and he closed his eyes, tightening his hug even more as he sobbed silently. The heat transformed into a roaring flame, but he still refused to open his arms.

    His clothes were burned away, the frontal part of his body was covered in blisters and his clothes were burnt to a crisp. Still, he did not open his arms.

    Only when he felt the weight on his arms lightening did he open them, looking desperately at the white ashes flying from his arms into the wind. He raised his gaze, looking at the distant Hell''s Keeper Mountain in the distance, and at the specs of ash fluttering away from his grasp.

    There was nothing left.

    He cried loudly. He couldn''t hold it back anymore.

    He cried for Daniel. He cried for his mother. He cried for himself. At some point, he didn''t know for whom to cry anymore, yet the tears continued falling.

    He eventually closed his eyes, wondering when it all had gone wrong.

    Was his mistake in the Hellblaze Trials? Would things have turned out differently had he stayed behind?

    Was it the Promotion Competition? Had he drawn too much attention to himself?

    Was it¡­ the Scavenging?

    He had forgotten it. He shouldn''t have, but he did.

    The excitement of finally finding hope in his path of cultivation, the drive to find the strength to protect himself and not put other sin danger, the will to become strong enough just to be happy¡­ It had blinded him. It had given him hope.

    Now, he had paid the price for it.

    Amon turned his head, looking at Lya.

    For the first time, he felt regret in having met her. He felt regret in asking her for help.

    Had he not started cultivating, had he accepted his fate, nothing would have happened.

    Yet¡­ It had happened.

    The furious rage burning his insides, the sorrow sinking on his mind¡­ it wouldn''t go away.

    Nor would the people that cause all that.

    "I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU!" Amon shouted with all of his might to the skies as his tears started falling again. He punched the spirit vessel with all his might, making it tremble.

    Something broke.

    Lya look at Amon with mixed emotions. She felt guilt, she felt sorrow, she felt rage.

    If those emotions were aimed at Amon of herself, only she knew. She peered into his soul, and something she saw made another emotion show in her eyes.

    It was fear.

    Amon continued punching the spirit vessel, and his knuckles, already covered in blisters, ruptured. A small pool of blood was forming beneath Amon''s hand as the spirit vessel''s floor slowly caved in and his screams of rage and pain echoed in the night sky.

    Above him, a waxing moon gave a devilish smile.

    Yes, he had forgotten it, and he was a fool for that.

    This world was hell.

 101 Epilogue â€“ In the Shadows, a Sword Rises

    It was a very spacious room. Simple furniture adorned it, waiting for guests that usually never came. This day, however, there were two people in the room, both refusing to take a seat and quietly waiting next to a wide wooden door. Even if the room was well lit, one could still see the bright light shining through the door cracks.

    One of the people quietly waiting in the room was a red-haired boy. His face was somewhat pale, his hair was disheveled, his clothes were messy and clear hand marks could be seen on his neck, already turning blue. Even if he was bored, he showed nothing but respect on his face as he silently waited for his chance to cross the doors.

    By his side was a stern man. He was covered in black from head to toe, and his sharp features showed no expression at all. He stood completely still as if he was a statue as he patiently waited to be called. His hands were behind his back, hidden inside a black cape that draped over his shoulders.

    His right hand slowly rubbed a silver chain on his wrist, where a single blood-red bead could be seen hanging from.As the man''s fingers rubbed against the chain, his cold eyes glinted with a strange light for a moment. His thoughts were inscrutable, but if one could see his hands, they would think that something was bothering him as if something was missing.

    ---

    The sun shone brightly in the azure sky. The vibrant blades of green grass that grew on a small garden gently swayed as a comfortable breeze blew. A small table had been set in the garden in front of a crystalline pond. A few Koi Carps swam peacefully in the pond, rousing small ripples on the glistening water. Above the table, the steam rising from a green teapot billowed with the breeze, quickly dispersing in the air.

    It was a very refreshing day, one that anyone could enjoy. A refined man quietly sat with his back turned to the table as he gazed at the pond with a serene expression. His green robes fluttered, and he closed his brown eyes to eye the cool feeling on his skin as it was gently caressed by the breeze.

    Eventually, the breeze stopped, and the man gave a sigh. He ran his fingers through his brown hair, thinking as a tired expression showed on his face. He slowly turned his back to the pond, facing the other side of the table.

    There, a young couple was sitting in the grass. One of them was a boy with blond hair and handsome features. He had a confused look on his face, and he didn''t seem to know the situation. He gave quick glances to his left side, but the girl he was trying to communicate with didn''t seem to notice.

    Her silky dark hair cascaded on her back, swaying nonstop as the girl trembled. Her beautiful face was tense, and her small hands were closed tightly on fists above her knees and hidden by the table. She was looking down with terrified eyes, trying hard not to make a sound.

    "You know, the tea is quite good." The man in green robes said with an amicable smile. He took the green teapot with both hands and served the green tea inside it on three porcelain cups that lied on the side.

    The boy opened his mouth to say something, but the girl promptly sent him a warning glance, making him even more confused. Even so, he politely extended his hands, accepting a cup. He carefully blew on the tea, before taking a sip. His eyes immediately lit up and his expression eased. This was indeed quite a good tea.

    The girl also slowly raised her trembling hands, carefully raising her eyes to look at the cup in front of her. The tea started churning as the cup shook in her hands, but she didn''t dare spill a single drop. She slowly took a sip before putting the cup back on the table.

    The boy continued enjoying the tea as the girl lowered her gaze again. The man watched it all with a calm expression, holding his cup with his right hand and closing his eyes as he carefully drank the tea. After some time, he finally broke the silence.

    "You know why you are here, don''t you, Emma?" He asked with a calm voice as he slowly put his cup down.

    The girl''s body jolted and her fists tightened even more, but she still hesitantly nodded her head, never looking at the man''s eyes.

    "Good, that saves me the trouble." The man said, closing his eyes and massaging his temple with his left hand as if trying to ease a headache.

    "What is your name?" He asked, looking at the blond boy with a gentle expression. His voice was somehow very charming and very calming. Even so, the boy somehow couldn''t look at the man in the eye.

    "My name is Robert, sir." The blond boy said respectfully and giving a light bow with his head.

    "That is a nice name." The man said, nodding slightly. "What do you think of Emma, Robert?"

    "I think she is a wonderful girl." Robert answered immediately. "She is beautiful, smart and very gentle."

    "I have to agree. I think she would make for a wonderful wife." The man said as a small smile crept up his face.

    Hearing his words, Emma''s body jolted again and her body started shaking even more. She closed her eyes tightly and pursed his lips.

    "Well, Robert, you might not know this, but Emma already had a marriage arranged to her." The man said slowly as his expression turned serious.

    Hearing his words, Robert shuddered, before taking a deep breath.

    "I didn''t know of this, sir." He answered honestly as his expression darkened.

    "Even if you didn''t know, you have to take responsibility, don''t you?" The man asked, slowly standing up.

    "Sir, I¡­" Robert''s face paled, and he sent Emma a sharp look. "There is no way I could have known."

    "Ignorance is a sin, you know?" The man said, turning his back to the couple and looking at the pond again. "A very grave offense was made, and someone must be punished for it."

    Robert''s face paled even further, and he slowly started to back away. Something on the man changed, and Robert''s senses were screaming at him to run away as fast as he could.

    Emma bit her lips before finally standing up and raising her head. Her body was still shaking, and her eyes were still full of fear, but her hesitation seemed to vanish completely.

    "If someone must be punished it should be me!" She said with no hesitation. "Robert didn''t know, so he can''t be blamed."

    The man slowly turned around, facing Emma with a dark expression.

    "Do you agree with that, Robert?" He asked with a complex look on his face.

    Robert stopped in place as he heard the question. He was already scared out of his mind.

    "I¡­ I think that is fair." He finally spoke through gritted teeth.

    The man gave a sigh, and sat down again, pouring more tea into his cup.

    "Punishment will be dealt, then." He said, looking very tired.

    Emma lowered her head and closed her eyes. Shiny tears started streaming down her delicate face as she waited for the inevitable. Emma turned her head away while closing her eyes with all of her might. She hastily covered her ears, but she knew it wouldn''t be enough.

    "Tap."

    The man lightly tapped with a finger on the table. A swift wind brushed past Emma. Something fell loudly on the floor. Emma sobbed silently, and the man gave another sigh before drinking the tea in his cup.

    He didn''t bother Emma, quietly drinking his tea as he waited for her to calm down. When her tears finally dried out, he gave her a gaze filled with pity and empathy. He extended his hands, taking her cup and discarding the tea that had already cooled down.

    "I''m sorry." He said, pouring another serving of tea into her cup and offering it to her. "I did give him a chance."

    Emma didn''t answer him, but her lips trembled. The man wanted to sigh again, but instead, his expression steeled and his gaze turned fierce.

    "To be clear, I have no problem with it. You can marry whoever you want, it is your right." The man said, clearly disappointed. "The crux of the matter here is that you had already accepted the marriage I arranged on your own will, and you threw it out the window without telling me in any way. You have no idea how much trouble this caused me, and the consequences it might have ensued."

    "That was a betrayal, Emma." He said as his expression turned stone cold. He leaned forward, slowly approaching his face to the girls as he glared at her like a beast glaring at prey. "You know that, don''t you?"

    The girl felt her knees giving in, and she fell to the ground as her face became deathly pale.

    "Even so, I still gave him a chance, because I understand what went through your mind." The man continued, looking very indignant. "All I can hope is for you to choose better next time."

    "The last thing I want is for you to be betrayed by someone you love." He said as his aura suddenly rose. His refined appearance gave way to overwhelming power, and he suddenly looked more like a primordial beast than a human.

    "There is no sadder thing than that, and I will never let those I care about to suffer such a fate, even if I have to break their hearts again and again." He said in a chilling voice.

    The ground started rumbling and a violent gale swept by the garden, throwing the cups on the grass that swayed madly. The water on the pond started to churn wildly as if it was trying to bust out. The Koi Carps were nowhere to be found, having hidden in fear long ago.

    "I am sorry, master." Emma finally said, breaking down in tears again.

    The aura suddenly disappeared. The water in the pond calmed down, the gale quickly dispersed and the ground stopped rumbling. The man waved his hand, and the fallen cups and teapots promptly returned to the table.

    "It is fine as long you understand." He said after calming himself. "Go on and tell Lloyd to come in."

    Emma gave him a deep bow, with her face still covered in tears before turning away. She avoided looking at a specific direction, as if afraid of what lied there. The man waved his hands, and a raging flame crept up somewhere.

    "Emma." The man called before the girl walked out of his view.

    Emma stopped in place and slowly turned to face him.

    "Never betray me again." The man said in a voice that made her soul tremble in fear.

    She quickly gave him another bow, before running away. The flames on a corner of the garden died down, and with another wave of the man''s hand, a sudden wind threw the ashes away from his view.

    He sat down again, pouring another cup of tea for himself. Yet, he didn''t drink it. His mood had been spoilt, and his brows slowly started to furrow.

    He heard light steps approaching and, without looking up, signaled for the newcomer to sit by the table.

    "Master." Lloyd Kressler gave a deep bow before sitting on the ground. The green sword in his hands suddenly floated up before flying into the green-robed man''s direction.

    The man skillfully grabbed the sword with his left hand, and gently put it upside down on the ground, letting the table support the hilt. A beautiful green-haired woman appeared out of thin air, also greeting the man with a deep bow.

    "Master." She said respectfully without raising her head.

    "Report." The man commanded.

    "Our primary mission was a success. Well, more than that, to be honest." The woman said in her bewitching voice as she slowly met the man''s gaze. "Still, most of the secondary objectives were a failure."

    "Oh?" The man raised a brow, getting interested.

    "We successfully infiltrated the Hellblaze Secret World and stole the treasure vault. We also managed to secure the Moonchaser Wolf." Oura explained.

    "Nevertheless, we failed to secure the Vermillion Token. It was confirmed that one of the competitors has it, but we couldn''t identify who. Not only that, Reynard failed in his mission of killing Jake Meyer and we can''t say for sure how well we actually managed to rile up the Sacred Sects against the Abyss Sect." She said with a

    "What happened?" The man asked lightly.

    "Lars Borgin and Nemeus managed to breach the spatial seal sooner than expected. We had to send the competitors away so Reynard and Joshua could continue the plan without being put at risk by the fight. We thought that letting the competitors see Lars Borgin being defeated would not fare well to the plan, so we could only let them go." Lloyd gave a second bow as he answered. There was no trace of scorn or disdain on his face, only respect.

    "I assume that Reynard failed because he was interrupted, then?" The man muttered to himself, pondering deeply."Why, did Lars Borgin breach the seal before the expected time?"

    "The Moonchaser Wolf had¡­ help." Oura hesitated somewhat before answering. She knew how sensitive this topic was, even if Lloyd had no idea. "You were right. The sword reported being in Amon Kressler''s possession was indeed Brightmoon."

    "Furthermore, we had no choice but to let the boy escape with the sword. The Moonchaser Wolf decided that he escaping was a priority, so we had to let them go in order to give Reynard and Joshua a chance." She concluded, showing uncertainty in her eyes.

    "I understand." The man said, his expression unchanging. "It doesn''t matter. It was only personal interest, it is not related to the plan in any way."

    Lloyd didn''t seem to notice anything wrong at all, but the man''s words made Oura give a sigh in relief.

    "Still¡­ I find it very likely that the Vermillion Token is in Amon Kressler''s possession." The man said after thinking for a while. If Lya was involved, then the Moonchaser Wolf would have most likely given the Vermillion Token to her.

    "I think so too. Joshua managed to get his hands into Jake Meyer''s Bottomless Pouch, but the Vermillion Token was not there. Reynard too thinks that the boy would be the second most likely to have received it after Jake, although I have no idea how he would reach such a conclusion." Oura nodded her head in agreement.

    "Reynard is indeed very impressive." The man gave a satisfied smile. "Maybe this failure will help him grow. He is not very used with defeat, no matter how small it might be."

    Sometimes, defeat was the best teacher one could have. The man''s eyes glinted with a fierce light. It was a lesson he had been taught the hard way.

    "Well, I assume you managed to get your hands on Crimsonroar?" The man asked as a cold smile appeared on his face.

    Lloyd reached inside his clothes, retrieving a metallic bracelet. He carefully put it on the table in front of the man.

    "Good. Very good indeed." The man said as a strange expression appeared on his face. "You did well, Lloyd. Tell Joshua that I will speak with him tomorrow. You may go."

    Lloyd gave the man a third bow and promptly turned to leave. His dark clothes swayed behind him like a pair of dark wings as he made his way out of the garden.

    The woman looked at the man with a slightly unsatisfied expression, and her amber eyes shone with disappointment.

    Seeing this, the man gave a small laugh, before extending his hands to the woman.

    "You did very well, Oura." He said with a smile.

    An elated hissing sound was heard, and the woman''s figure distorted, transforming into a small snake.

    Its green scaled glowed with a strange light, and its amber eyes hid unmeasurable power, but the small snake happily coiled around the green-robed man''s arm and rubbed its head against his shoulder. The man naturally felt no real weight on his arm or shoulder, it was as if an air current had wrapped around his arm rather than a snake.

    "Now then, what to do¡­" The man muttered to himself, looking at the pond.

    "Are you thinking about the Storm Peak Sect?" Oura asked, tilting her triangular head.

    "Indeed." The man admitted as a savage smile appeared on his face.

    "You seem to be having fun." Oura pointed out, elated.

    "I am pleasantly surprised. I would never guess that the baby dragon would already have grown claws." The man said as his smile widened.

    "To think that he would kill Thomas and Helen¡­" Oura lamented, looking genuinely sad.

    "That was just the result. What impressed me was that he actually managed to get information from us." The man said as a fierce fire started burning in his eyes. "To think that Drace would betray us like that¡­"

    "He had what was coming for him. I can''t imagine what went through his mind at his last moments, he had no that idea Joshua was one of us." Oura said as if trying to comfort the man. "Having their death further our plans is how a traitor should be dealt with."

    "It doesn''t matter." The man said as the fire in his eyes flickered with madness. "Traitors will be crushed, the Sacred Sects will fall into our hands and the Abyss Sect will be burnt to the ground."

    "We are about to take control of the Noan River Sect. The Storm Peak Sect will eventually fall too, even if that kid managed to cause some trouble." The man continued as the fire in his eyes grew brighter and brighter. "After that¡­ all that will be left is the Southern Flame Sect."

    "If there is someone that can make things interesting I will welcome it with open arms."His smile widened even more. "Derek Tyrell, was it¡­ He will make a wonderful stepping stone for Reynard."

    He closed his eyes for a moment, and his expression turned blank. He completely emptied his mind as he started thinking. After a while, he opened his eyes again, and the fire in them was almost unbearable to look at.

    "Oura, have Fafnir seize control of the Crystal Mines of the Southern Continent. It is about time we opened a rift between the Guardian Clans of the South and the West. Even if the Vermillion Queen and the Azure Monarch don''t bite the bait, having doubts creeping up on their clans will be enough."

    "What about the Vermillion Token?" Oura asked.

    "Although it is not important, it will speed thing up in the Southern Flame Sect considerably. Even though I hate to admit that, that annoying bird is tough to deal with¡­" The man pondered for a moment. "Have our people in the Southern Continent keep an eye for the Vermillion Token. Reynard will return the detection amulet we gave him, make as many copies as necessary."

    Oura gently nodded, but suddenly seemed to hesitate. She gave the man a gaze filled with uncertainty, unsure on how to proceed.

    "You can ask me, Oura, even if I can guess what is on your mind." The man said, holding his hands behind his back. Even so, his expression darkened considerably.

    "Why didn''t you ask Lloyd about his son?" Oura finally asked. "I mean, if his son was talented enough to enter the Hellblaze Trials we could certainly make use of him¡­"

    The man didn''t answer immediately. Instead, he drank some of his tea.

    "I didn''t ask because I already know the answer, and so does he." He finally said as his expression darkened even more. "I allowed it then, so I can''t really bring it up now. If this will turn out into a mistake, then I can only do my best to fix it at a later time."

    "So you won''t go to the Southern Continent after them?" Oura asked in a somewhat hesitant voice.

    "No." The man answered simply, seemingly very calm. His hands trembled slightly as he exerted more force into them. After a moment, however, the trembling stopped.

    "All in due time, Oura." He said after a while. "I already waited for four hundred years; I can wait for a few more."

    "I can''t let my emotions ruin my plans." Hell was set loose, and the man''s face slowly distorted into a bizarre smile. "When the time is ripe, I will naturally go after then."

    "And then¡­ well, you said yourself how we deal with traitors." Dale Loray said, raising his eyes to the sky.

 102 Prologue - The Drunken Dragon

    Shouts and laughter echoed abound coming from a two-storied building in the city of Expiria. The building, like many others in the western outskirts of the city, seemed to be falling apart. The white ink of yesteryear was so abused by the constant drizzle and the dusted winds that one could barely call it grey anymore. A few wooden boards were loosening from the walls, showing glimpses of the inside bustling with activity. The only thing that drew the eye in such a miserable building - just one among many others - was a shiny sign, depicting a lavishly painted blue dragon coiled around a silver jug. In gold, "The Drunken Dragon" was written beneath it, with the dragon''s tail resting above the letters.

    "This ale is damn good!" A voice made itself heard among all the others, a surprising feat considering the noise that assaulted the ground floor nonstop.

    The man that gave the shout slammed a wooden mug on the table in front of him, making it shake and creak dangerously. His muscles bulged from under his clothes, a shabby linen shirt whose sleeves had been ripped off and a leather vest that most likely served as a made-up armor. His tanned skin was a rare trait in the city where it almost never stopped raining, showing that he was an outsider. His shaved head exposed rough features, contrasted by a pair of turbid eyes that were darting around sneakily, assessing the surroundings.

    A dozen or so more tables were placed around the ground floor, all occupied by at least three or more people, and all covered by mugs. A few waitresses were walking around the tables, taking orders and serving customers. Opposing the door to the pub, a wide counter seated a few more people as a bartender filled mugs nonstop, looking rather raggard from the unstoppable work. By his side, a tall wooden board was placed, almost hiding the stairs to the second floor. Various drawings and notices dangled from the board, from edicts of the citylord to bounty notices of various criminals.

    "I told you, didn''t I?" A youth in front of him gave a satisfied smile, showing a few yellowed and crooked teeth and snatching back the man''s attention. "The ale from the Drunken Dragon has been regarded as one of the best in the city, on par with the stuff those damn stormlings drink in their sect."

    The youth was the complete opposite of the tanned man. His worn out clothes seemed to be a few sizes too big, making his already skinny body look even frailer. His greasy black hair came all the way down to his shoulders, covering most of his sickly pale face and barely exposing his beady eyes. In some ways, he resembled a rat, while the man in front of him resembled an ox.

    "How come I haven''t heard of it before? I''ve done missions here not too long ago!" The tanned man took a long gulp from his mug, looking so desperate that one would take him for dying of thirst.

    "This place hasn''t been around for long, just a couple of years. Despite that, it only really blew up a few weeks ago, when the owner decided to take this seriously. I heard he was a big shot in some other city, coming from a line of merchants. His family had the most luxurious pub in town, but he screwed up and had to turn tail and run," the youth gave a quick glance to his sides, before leaning in and whispering the answer to the question he knew was about to come. "Word is he slept with the citylord''s daughter."

    "For real!?" The tanned man was incredulous.

    "Not only that, he did so just to mess with the citylord, that was trying to bring trouble to his family''s business." The youth''s voice was so low it was almost impossible to discern amidst the rukus around them. "Hugo, you have no idea. That guy is insane."

    "Insane? Such a man deserves my respect! Daring to sleep with a citylord''s daughter and doing so just to fuck with the guy on top of that! It takes balls the size of the Roaring Mountain!" The tanned man, Hugo, gave a hearty laugh before finishing the ale in his mug.

    "Two more!" Hugo shouted to his side, drawing the attention of a waitress passing by.

    Her bronze hair was neatly tied in a ponytail, contrasting with the azure dress she wore. It was a mostly plain piece of clothing that ended up in silver frills a bit above her knees. The waitress turned her hazelnut eyes to the man, before giving him a light nod and quickly walking away with a reddened face and a few beads of sweat rolling down her white face as she rushed to the counter. Hugo was momentarily struck by the sight, amazed at how good-looking the girl was.

    "This place seems better off than what I thought," Hugo pondered as he sneakily followed the waitress with his gaze. "The workers have a decent uniform and even her shoes seem to be pretty expensive," He pointed at the waitress'' feet, covered by a pair of surprisingly delicate silver shoes. "Not to mention their appearance. You chose a good place, Ian."

    "Well, considering how this place is always full I wouldn''t be surprised, even more so if the owner brought as much money with him as they say." Ian shrugged.

    "Why bother with this run-down building, then?" Hugo asked, supporting his chin on his hands, never taking his eyes off the waitress. "I get it that such a horrible building would be cheap, but with that much money on his pocket he could have gone to something better, possibly drawing a richer clientele too."

    "Who knows? Maybe he wants to make a name in the city before going to a richer area, have some sort of foundation before competing with the big guys." Ian pondered.

    "Nah, that''s not it," Hugo fatly rejected Ian''s thoughts. "Those proud nobles and those guys from Storm Peak would never lower themselves to enjoy something that started in the outskirts like this, sustained by scum and mercenaries like us. I''ve worked my fair share around the world to know how those guys act towards us."

    "Huh, didn''t think the cultivators from other sects would be as annoying as the stormlings." Ian mumbled.

    "Cultivators are all the same. Just like nobles. Just like us," Hugo sighed. "Give sect cultivators a kowtow and they will be as happy as a noble with a kiss in the ass and us with money."

    "Well, I have no idea then," Ian gave up.

    "Anyway, let''s talk business. You said there was a job here, no?" Hugo finally took his eyes off the waitress and turned to Ian. "You better have something that makes my trip worth it, and even more so to stay around. I fucking hate rain."

    "Three days of work, the pay will be ten mid-grade elemental crystals." Ian raised three fingers.

    "What the fuck?" Hugo was dumbfounded. "What do they want us to do, rob the citylord?"

    "Actually no. All we have to do is go to a fishing village to the west. Small place, no cultivators. As body tempering cultivators we would be gods there," Ian smiled. "All we have to do is clean up the place."

    "Clean up?" Hugo raised a brow.

    "Yeah. We either politely convince the villagers to leave or rough them up."

    "Whose orders?"

    "Some noble. Rumor is that he wants to take a hold of the land to build a big port or something.

    "I doubt the Storm Peak Sect will let this happen."

    "Word is the guy has a few stormlings on his pocket, they shouldn''t pose too much of a problem."

    "Why not convince the villagers to work for him, then? I am sure it would be way cheaper."

    "Not my problem."

    "Who else is going?"

    "Possibly Stevens and Hawkings."

    "Sheesh, Hawkings? Might as well just hire street thugs."

    "Again, not my problem."

    "I don''t know, seems very suspicious."

    "This is a very private thing, to be done in secret. If you refuse the job you''ll possibly be taken care of."

    "By either Stevens or Hawkins, I''m sure," Hugo grumbled for a while before sighing. "Fuck you Ian, look at the mess you dragged me to.

    "Come on, it is not that bad." Ian showed his crooked teeth through a disgusting smile.

    "Is the paid guaranteed at least?" Hugo asked with annoyance.

    "Yep, just show up, help throw them out and you get your share."

    "This makes no sense."

    "When has anything those nobles did make any sense to the likes of us?" Ian spat.

    "You know what, fuck it, I''m in." Hugo gave up on asking more questions. In the end, as he said himself, money was all that mattered. Money and his life.

    Just at that moment, the bronze-haired waitress approached, holding a silver tray with two mugs filled to the brim with ale.

    "Here you go, sir." She placed the mugs on the table.

    "Thank you." Hugo sighed again.

    "Come on, it won''t be that bad." Ian tried to cheer him up.

    "Here I thought you had a lead on that kid from the Abyss Sect, turns out you just wanted me to play a thug and beat up some poor villagers." Hugo spat.

    "Heh, that gray-haired freak? No one knows where he is, might as well try your luck hunting the Tyrell brat." Ian scoffed.

    "I am not insane, you know? I heard that brat killed two of his own and even made a run for it with a girl tagging along. If he could kill two of those stormlings and escape unscathed from the fucking Storm Peak Sect, what trash like me do against him?" Hugo was not amused. "At least the Abyss Sect kid is at body tempering, with him I would have a shot. For one hundred high-grade elemental crystals on top of that? Kid better pray for his luck, people will be chasing him to the ends of the world."

    "Well, you never know. The bounty notice is from one month ago, if he wasn''t found out yet we might have a shot." Ian shrugged.

    "He probably holed himself up in some forest and is trembling in fear. If he ever shows his mug around, he is done," Hugo sneered. "But I doubt that will happen. Kid that stupid wouldn''t have managed to cause that much trouble in the first place. If you wanna try your luck be my guest, I can even help you out: I narrowed down his whereabouts to anywhere but the Abyss Sect."

    "No need to be a cunt about it. Anyway, you accept the job?" Ian asked, extending a hand to Hugo over the table.

    Hugo furrowed his brows for a moment, before drinking a mug of ale in a single gulp and taking the hand. "Whatever, it''s not my first time doing this anyway."

    As they finished their business, the bronze-haired waitress was still serving other tables, but slowly getting closer to the stairs leading to the second floor. As soon as she felt it had been enough, she walked up the stairs very naturally.

    Walking down a hallway, she gently knocked on the door at the end of it.

    "Come in." A charming voice answered her. She sheepishly pushed the door open, revealing a wide room.

    A few candles were placed across a central table that could sit twelve, just enough to occupy most of the room. The light of the candles flickered nonstop with the breeze coming from an open window on the eastern wall, showing a sky darkened by grey clouds and the broken roofs of hastily put together houses and buildings. If the Drunken Dragon was looking like it was slowly degrading, those houses looked like they were about to fall apart. Dusty winds made the boards on their walls creak dangerously, and some were so unstable they looked like they danced with the coming of the wind, preparing to fly away with it at any moment. At this point, it was doubtful the owners dared to stay inside them during the constant rain, as they for sure would be drenched in their living rooms and quarters in a matter of moments.

    Two men and a woman were sitting at the table, but only the woman seemed to be doing anything at all. She was slouched over the table, examining carefully a parchment map spread over it, and slowly drawing circles and lines with a quill. Her flaxen hair cascaded over her shoulders, shining with the candlelight and falling over her face. She blew it out of the way with a bit of annoyance, putting a few strands behind her ear and revealing her face. A pair of charming hazelnut eyes drew one''s gaze in, framed by a heart-shaped face and a somewhat pointy nose. A jade bracelet could be seen on her right wrist, a good match to the green dress she wore, despite how plain it was. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and her lips were a bit pursed as she looked at the map pensively.

    By her side, a young man was lazily stretched over a chair, with both feet crossed over the table. A jug of ale was close by, half-filled. In his hands, a mug went up and down constantly as he took hearty gulps now and then. His wavy black hair was cut short, but even so, it was still so messy it resembled a bird''s nest. The young man had his eyes closed, looking very relaxed as he mumbled something to himself. He had a well-defined chin and gentle features, giving him a handsome look and a somewhat magnetic appearance only accentuated by a very imposing, Romanesque nose. A single ring adorned his left hand, a worn-out silverware that wouldn''t usually draw one''s attention. Wearing grey pants and a simple white shirt, the only thing that truly looked luxurious on him was a blue vest embroidered with silver threads.

    "Master Alan," the waitress gave a small bow as she approached the young man.

    Alan opened his eyes and beckoned her to approach with a gentle smile on his thin lips. She carefully leaned by his ear and whispered something.

    "Oh, that. No need to worry, I heard it when they said it," Alan''s smile widened a bit. "You may go back to attending the tables, Triss, no need to worry."

    As the waitress left, he let out a troubled sigh, before directing his attention to the woman by his side. "Nessa, looks like Hugo and Ian will join Stevens and Hawkings on the raid to the fishermen''s village."

    She gave an almost imperceptible nod as she drew a sheet of paper already scribbled halfway through and added a few names to it. She then returned her attention to the map, putting the quill down and analyzing the lines and circles she had drawn before.

    "So, any news on the boy?" The remaining man in the room asked with a hoarse voice.

    He had dark circles around his brown eyes, and a few wrinkles were already sprinkling his middle-aged face, making him look very tired. His greyed out hair was swept back, showing the dark lines creasing his brows and bringing one''s attention to his aquiline nose, that was slightly bent to his right. No doubt the result of entering a fist fight and not receiving proper medical care afterwards. A very common occurrence in the western side of the city. Thick, dark-green pants covered his lower body, being accentuated by shiny, brand-new leather boots. His linen shirt was simple, but kept clean and spotless, being covered by a layer of hardened leather armor. The shaft of a short spear peeked from behind his right shoulder, being strapped to the shoulder-pad of his armor. He looked like a seasoned hunter through and through.

    "None at all," Alan took his feet out of the table and sat straight. "Rumors are popping up all over the Western Continent, it is hard keeping track of what might have some truth and what is complete bullshit."

    "It always is," the hunter spat. "Which is why I hoped you of all people would know something."

    "Sorry Zen. I would like some extra money as much as you, but today is not the day." Alan smiled apologetically. "On the other hand, despite a few bumps in the road, I am happy to say to you that our plans have been working out nicely."

    "Are you really pushing forward with it?" Zen''s lips curled up.

    "Why not? Crashing the Expiria Auction and screwing that citylord of ours would be pretty good, I''m not gonna lie." Alan smiled deviously.

    "Any changes on the plan given the new information?"

    "Not really. Why, any advice?"

    "You might want to ditch that sign of yours. People in this city usually don''t take lightly to any kind of offense to the Dragon Clan." Zen gave Alan a meaningful glance.

    "Well, it''s the third sign already, might as well leave it be. If the stormlings or the Dragon Clan itself have any trouble with my humble pub they are welcome to come complain to my face." Alan sneered, looking out the open window.

    Far into the east, above the horizon, the grey clouds covering the city of Expiria darkened as they approached a barely visible mountain range, turning pitch black. While Expiria had constant wind and rain, the area belonging to the Storm Peak Sect was enveloped in a perennial storm.

    "Don''t step on the dragon''s tail." Zen gave Alan a last warning before turning around to leave without another word.

    "Don''t be so cold. Here, you can take it as a gift, it''s your favorite." Alan pointed at the half-filled jug over the table.

    "If you feel like being generous you might as well give me a barrel." Zen sneered.

    "Well, look at that, aren''t we bold?" Alan scoffed before waving his hands dismissively. "Whatever, ask Triss for it and go fetch it at the back. Next time you are paying, though."

    "Cheers to you!" Zen waved goodbye and left the room.

    "What an asshat." ''Alan'' complained, sprawling all over his chair.

    "It feels kinda good seeing you being taken advantage off." Nessa finally took her eyes off the map and gave Alan a bemused look.

    "As if you don''t do that all the time." Alan snorted as he crossed his arms, displeased. Nessa gave a hearty laugh as she walked to him.

    "So, let''s be real, why bother with a guy like that?" Nessa inquired, sitting by his side.

    "That guy can take down a dire wolf by himself, despite being just at body tempering. His experience and ability is second to none."

    "I know that, but he works for the citylord. I want to know why take the risk of exposing our plans. As far as I know he might be loyal to the citylord and is just pretending to both get our services and have something to use against us if we step out of line."

    "That''s exactly what he is doing, you know?" Alan''s eyes narrowed. "As for why I still am playing along¡­ the best way to create an opening during a fight is to pretend you have one yourself."

    "I don''t get why you like playing such games." Nessa gave a hopeless sigh.

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    "It brings no joy to be straightforward. It would be too simple, too bland. I would rather have some fun while doing what I need." Alan shrugged before pointing at the map on the table. "Anyway, did you find something?"

    "Not really. As you said, rumors are coming from everywhere. Not only in the Western Continent, even in the Northern and the Southern Continents too. Specially from the south." She pondered for a while, charmingly resting her chin in her hands. "Why do you take an interest on that Amon kid anyway? It''s not like we need the money."

    "It''s nothing in particular. It is just that after digging around for some info I feel what happened to him was similar to what happened to us," Alan lowered his eyes. "I feel we might as well try to find him. That way we can either get an ally or more money."

    As he was about to answer, Alan suddenly flinched. His brown eyes suddenly changed, turning a bright silver for a moment. He buried his face on his hands, shivering as he took deep breaths. Nessa leaned in, giving him a hug as he slowly calmed down.

    "You can stay here and rest, I''ll take care of thing downstairs," she proposed worriedly.

    "It''s fine, I just lost focus for a moment. If only I had a second glamour bracelet..." Alan sighed, still clenching his head. His silver eyes slowly darkened, turning brown again.

    Nessa uncomfortably put a hand around the jade bracelet on her wrist, feeling guilty.

    Seeing this, Alan smiled gently. "No need to feel guilty, it can''t be helped. I might as well use this opportunity to train."

    "Don''t overdo it." Nessa gently put a hand on his cheek. "Rest a bit, I''ll take care of things."

    Without waiting his answer, she left the room, leaving him by himself. Alan looked a bit troubled as he put a hand on his pocket and retrieved a folded piece of paper. Unfolding it revealed a drawing depicting a boy on his teens with bizarre ashen hair and golden eyes. Some information was written below the drawing, detailing his cultivation stage, crimes of treason and the exaggerated reward of one hundred high-grade elemental crystals issued by the Abyss Sect if the boy was returned to them dead or alive.

    "What a mess. Worst of all, his drawing is better than mine." Derek Tyrell lamented, looking out the window again. The wind coming through the window was turning colder, and Derek could faintly smell the scent of humid earth. Soon enough, a faint pelting started echoing from outside. In the city of Expiria, it started raining again.

 8 Prologue - The Drunken Dragon

    Shouts and laughter echoed abound coming from a two-storied building in the city of Expiria. The building, like many others in the western outskirts of the city, seemed to be falling apart. The white ink of yesteryear was so abused by the constant drizzle and the dusted winds that one could barely call it grey anymore. A few wooden boards were loosening from the walls, showing glimpses of the inside bustling with activity. The only thing that drew the eye in such a miserable building - just one among many others - was a shiny sign, depicting a lavishly painted blue dragon coiled around a silver jug. In gold, "The Drunken Dragon" was written beneath it, with the dragon''s tail resting above the letters.

    "This ale is damn good!" A voice made itself heard among all the others, a surprising feat considering the noise that assaulted the ground floor nonstop.

    The man that gave the shout slammed a wooden mug on the table in front of him, making it shake and creak dangerously. His muscles bulged from under his clothes, a shabby linen shirt whose sleeves had been ripped off and a leather vest that most likely served as a made-up armor. His tanned skin was a rare trait in the city where it almost never stopped raining, showing that he was an outsider. His shaved head exposed rough features, contrasted by a pair of turbid eyes that were darting around sneakily, assessing the surroundings.

    A dozen or so more tables were placed around the ground floor, all occupied by at least three or more people, and all covered by mugs. A few waitresses were walking around the tables, taking orders and serving customers. Opposing the door to the pub, a wide counter seated a few more people as a bartender filled mugs nonstop, looking rather raggard from the unstoppable work. By his side, a tall wooden board was placed, almost hiding the stairs to the second floor. Various drawings and notices dangled from the board, from edicts of the citylord to bounty notices of various criminals.

    "I told you, didn''t I?" A youth in front of him gave a satisfied smile, showing a few yellowed and crooked teeth and snatching back the man''s attention. "The ale from the Drunken Dragon has been regarded as one of the best in the city, on par with the stuff those damn stormlings drink in their sect."

    The youth was the complete opposite of the tanned man. His worn out clothes seemed to be a few sizes too big, making his already skinny body look even frailer. His greasy black hair came all the way down to his shoulders, covering most of his sickly pale face and barely exposing his beady eyes. In some ways, he resembled a rat, while the man in front of him resembled an ox.

    "How come I haven''t heard of it before? I''ve done missions here not too long ago!" The tanned man took a long gulp from his mug, looking so desperate that one would take him for dying of thirst.

    "This place hasn''t been around for long, just a couple of years. Despite that, it only really blew up a few weeks ago, when the owner decided to take this seriously. I heard he was a big shot in some other city, coming from a line of merchants. His family had the most luxurious pub in town, but he screwed up and had to turn tail and run," the youth gave a quick glance to his sides, before leaning in and whispering the answer to the question he knew was about to come. "Word is he slept with the citylord''s daughter."

    "For real!?" The tanned man was incredulous.

    "Not only that, he did so just to mess with the citylord, that was trying to bring trouble to his family''s business." The youth''s voice was so low it was almost impossible to discern amidst the rukus around them. "Hugo, you have no idea. That guy is insane."

    "Insane? Such a man deserves my respect! Daring to sleep with a citylord''s daughter and doing so just to fuck with the guy on top of that! It takes balls the size of the Roaring Mountain!" The tanned man, Hugo, gave a hearty laugh before finishing the ale in his mug.

    "Two more!" Hugo shouted to his side, drawing the attention of a waitress passing by.

    Her bronze hair was neatly tied in a ponytail, contrasting with the azure dress she wore. It was a mostly plain piece of clothing that ended up in silver frills a bit above her knees. The waitress turned her hazelnut eyes to the man, before giving him a light nod and quickly walking away with a reddened face and a few beads of sweat rolling down her white face as she rushed to the counter. Hugo was momentarily struck by the sight, amazed at how good-looking the girl was.

    "This place seems better off than what I thought," Hugo pondered as he sneakily followed the waitress with his gaze. "The workers have a decent uniform and even her shoes seem to be pretty expensive," He pointed at the waitress'' feet, covered by a pair of surprisingly delicate silver shoes. "Not to mention their appearance. You chose a good place, Ian."

    "Well, considering how this place is always full I wouldn''t be surprised, even more so if the owner brought as much money with him as they say." Ian shrugged.

    "Why bother with this run-down building, then?" Hugo asked, supporting his chin on his hands, never taking his eyes off the waitress. "I get it that such a horrible building would be cheap, but with that much money on his pocket he could have gone to something better, possibly drawing a richer clientele too."

    "Who knows? Maybe he wants to make a name in the city before going to a richer area, have some sort of foundation before competing with the big guys." Ian pondered.

    "Nah, that''s not it," Hugo fatly rejected Ian''s thoughts. "Those proud nobles and those guys from Storm Peak would never lower themselves to enjoy something that started in the outskirts like this, sustained by scum and mercenaries like us. I''ve worked my fair share around the world to know how those guys act towards us."

    "Huh, didn''t think the cultivators from other sects would be as annoying as the stormlings." Ian mumbled.

    "Cultivators are all the same. Just like nobles. Just like us," Hugo sighed. "Give sect cultivators a kowtow and they will be as happy as a noble with a kiss in the ass and us with money."

    "Well, I have no idea then," Ian gave up.

    "Anyway, let''s talk business. You said there was a job here, no?" Hugo finally took his eyes off the waitress and turned to Ian. "You better have something that makes my trip worth it, and even more so to stay around. I fucking hate rain."

    "Three days of work, the pay will be ten mid-grade elemental crystals." Ian raised three fingers.

    "What the fuck?" Hugo was dumbfounded. "What do they want us to do, rob the citylord?"

    "Actually no. All we have to do is go to a fishing village to the west. Small place, no cultivators. As body tempering cultivators we would be gods there," Ian smiled. "All we have to do is clean up the place."

    "Clean up?" Hugo raised a brow.

    "Yeah. We either politely convince the villagers to leave or rough them up."

    "Whose orders?"

    "Some noble. Rumor is that he wants to take a hold of the land to build a big port or something.

    "I doubt the Storm Peak Sect will let this happen."

    "Word is the guy has a few stormlings on his pocket, they shouldn''t pose too much of a problem."

    "Why not convince the villagers to work for him, then? I am sure it would be way cheaper."

    "Not my problem."

    "Who else is going?"

    "Possibly Stevens and Hawkings."

    "Sheesh, Hawkings? Might as well just hire street thugs."

    "Again, not my problem."

    "I don''t know, seems very suspicious."

    "This is a very private thing, to be done in secret. If you refuse the job you''ll possibly be taken care of."

    "By either Stevens or Hawkins, I''m sure," Hugo grumbled for a while before sighing. "Fuck you Ian, look at the mess you dragged me to.

    "Come on, it is not that bad." Ian showed his crooked teeth through a disgusting smile.

    "Is the paid guaranteed at least?" Hugo asked with annoyance.

    "Yep, just show up, help throw them out and you get your share."

    "This makes no sense."

    "When has anything those nobles did make any sense to the likes of us?" Ian spat.

    "You know what, fuck it, I''m in." Hugo gave up on asking more questions. In the end, as he said himself, money was all that mattered. Money and his life.

    Just at that moment, the bronze-haired waitress approached, holding a silver tray with two mugs filled to the brim with ale.

    "Here you go, sir." She placed the mugs on the table.

    "Thank you." Hugo sighed again.

    "Come on, it won''t be that bad." Ian tried to cheer him up.

    "Here I thought you had a lead on that kid from the Abyss Sect, turns out you just wanted me to play a thug and beat up some poor villagers." Hugo spat.

    "Heh, that gray-haired freak? No one knows where he is, might as well try your luck hunting the Tyrell brat." Ian scoffed.

    "I am not insane, you know? I heard that brat killed two of his own and even made a run for it with a girl tagging along. If he could kill two of those stormlings and escape unscathed from the fucking Storm Peak Sect, what trash like me do against him?" Hugo was not amused. "At least the Abyss Sect kid is at body tempering, with him I would have a shot. For one hundred high-grade elemental crystals on top of that? Kid better pray for his luck, people will be chasing him to the ends of the world."

    "Well, you never know. The bounty notice is from one month ago, if he wasn''t found out yet we might have a shot." Ian shrugged.

    "He probably holed himself up in some forest and is trembling in fear. If he ever shows his mug around, he is done," Hugo sneered. "But I doubt that will happen. Kid that stupid wouldn''t have managed to cause that much trouble in the first place. If you wanna try your luck be my guest, I can even help you out: I narrowed down his whereabouts to anywhere but the Abyss Sect."

    "No need to be a cunt about it. Anyway, you accept the job?" Ian asked, extending a hand to Hugo over the table.

    Hugo furrowed his brows for a moment, before drinking a mug of ale in a single gulp and taking the hand. "Whatever, it''s not my first time doing this anyway."

    As they finished their business, the bronze-haired waitress was still serving other tables, but slowly getting closer to the stairs leading to the second floor. As soon as she felt it had been enough, she walked up the stairs very naturally.

    Walking down a hallway, she gently knocked on the door at the end of it.

    "Come in." A charming voice answered her. She sheepishly pushed the door open, revealing a wide room.

    A few candles were placed across a central table that could sit twelve, just enough to occupy most of the room. The light of the candles flickered nonstop with the breeze coming from an open window on the eastern wall, showing a sky darkened by grey clouds and the broken roofs of hastily put together houses and buildings. If the Drunken Dragon was looking like it was slowly degrading, those houses looked like they were about to fall apart. Dusty winds made the boards on their walls creak dangerously, and some were so unstable they looked like they danced with the coming of the wind, preparing to fly away with it at any moment. At this point, it was doubtful the owners dared to stay inside them during the constant rain, as they for sure would be drenched in their living rooms and quarters in a matter of moments.

    Two men and a woman were sitting at the table, but only the woman seemed to be doing anything at all. She was slouched over the table, examining carefully a parchment map spread over it, and slowly drawing circles and lines with a quill. Her flaxen hair cascaded over her shoulders, shining with the candlelight and falling over her face. She blew it out of the way with a bit of annoyance, putting a few strands behind her ear and revealing her face. A pair of charming hazelnut eyes drew one''s gaze in, framed by a heart-shaped face and a somewhat pointy nose. A jade bracelet could be seen on her right wrist, a good match to the green dress she wore, despite how plain it was. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and her lips were a bit pursed as she looked at the map pensively.

    By her side, a young man was lazily stretched over a chair, with both feet crossed over the table. A jug of ale was close by, half-filled. In his hands, a mug went up and down constantly as he took hearty gulps now and then. His wavy black hair was cut short, but even so, it was still so messy it resembled a bird''s nest. The young man had his eyes closed, looking very relaxed as he mumbled something to himself. He had a well-defined chin and gentle features, giving him a handsome look and a somewhat magnetic appearance only accentuated by a very imposing, Romanesque nose. A single ring adorned his left hand, a worn-out silverware that wouldn''t usually draw one''s attention. Wearing grey pants and a simple white shirt, the only thing that truly looked luxurious on him was a blue vest embroidered with silver threads.

    "Master Alan," the waitress gave a small bow as she approached the young man.

    Alan opened his eyes and beckoned her to approach with a gentle smile on his thin lips. She carefully leaned by his ear and whispered something.

    "Oh, that. No need to worry, I heard it when they said it," Alan''s smile widened a bit. "You may go back to attending the tables, Triss, no need to worry."

    As the waitress left, he let out a troubled sigh, before directing his attention to the woman by his side. "Nessa, looks like Hugo and Ian will join Stevens and Hawkings on the raid to the fishermen''s village."

    She gave an almost imperceptible nod as she drew a sheet of paper already scribbled halfway through and added a few names to it. She then returned her attention to the map, putting the quill down and analyzing the lines and circles she had drawn before.

    "So, any news on the boy?" The remaining man in the room asked with a hoarse voice.

    He had dark circles around his brown eyes, and a few wrinkles were already sprinkling his middle-aged face, making him look very tired. His greyed out hair was swept back, showing the dark lines creasing his brows and bringing one''s attention to his aquiline nose, that was slightly bent to his right. No doubt the result of entering a fist fight and not receiving proper medical care afterwards. A very common occurrence in the western side of the city. Thick, dark-green pants covered his lower body, being accentuated by shiny, brand-new leather boots. His linen shirt was simple, but kept clean and spotless, being covered by a layer of hardened leather armor. The shaft of a short spear peeked from behind his right shoulder, being strapped to the shoulder-pad of his armor. He looked like a seasoned hunter through and through.

    "None at all," Alan took his feet out of the table and sat straight. "Rumors are popping up all over the Western Continent, it is hard keeping track of what might have some truth and what is complete bullshit."

    "It always is," the hunter spat. "Which is why I hoped you of all people would know something."

    "Sorry Zen. I would like some extra money as much as you, but today is not the day." Alan smiled apologetically. "On the other hand, despite a few bumps in the road, I am happy to say to you that our plans have been working out nicely."

    "Are you really pushing forward with it?" Zen''s lips curled up.

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    "Why not? Crashing the Expiria Auction and screwing that citylord of ours would be pretty good, I''m not gonna lie." Alan smiled deviously.

    "Any changes on the plan given the new information?"

    "Not really. Why, any advice?"

    "You might want to ditch that sign of yours. People in this city usually don''t take lightly to any kind of offense to the Dragon Clan." Zen gave Alan a meaningful glance.

    "Well, it''s the third sign already, might as well leave it be. If the stormlings or the Dragon Clan itself have any trouble with my humble pub they are welcome to come complain to my face." Alan sneered, looking out the open window.

    Far into the east, above the horizon, the grey clouds covering the city of Expiria darkened as they approached a barely visible mountain range, turning pitch black. While Expiria had constant wind and rain, the area belonging to the Storm Peak Sect was enveloped in a perennial storm.

    "Don''t step on the dragon''s tail." Zen gave Alan a last warning before turning around to leave without another word.

    "Don''t be so cold. Here, you can take it as a gift, it''s your favorite." Alan pointed at the half-filled jug over the table.

    "If you feel like being generous you might as well give me a barrel." Zen sneered.

    "Well, look at that, aren''t we bold?" Alan scoffed before waving his hands dismissively. "Whatever, ask Triss for it and go fetch it at the back. Next time you are paying, though."

    "Cheers to you!" Zen waved goodbye and left the room.

    "What an asshat." ''Alan'' complained, sprawling all over his chair.

    "It feels kinda good seeing you being taken advantage off." Nessa finally took her eyes off the map and gave Alan a bemused look.

    "As if you don''t do that all the time." Alan snorted as he crossed his arms, displeased. Nessa gave a hearty laugh as she walked to him.

    "So, let''s be real, why bother with a guy like that?" Nessa inquired, sitting by his side.

    "That guy can take down a dire wolf by himself, despite being just at body tempering. His experience and ability is second to none."

    "I know that, but he works for the citylord. I want to know why take the risk of exposing our plans. As far as I know he might be loyal to the citylord and is just pretending to both get our services and have something to use against us if we step out of line."

    "That''s exactly what he is doing, you know?" Alan''s eyes narrowed. "As for why I still am playing along¡­ the best way to create an opening during a fight is to pretend you have one yourself."

    "I don''t get why you like playing such games." Nessa gave a hopeless sigh.

    "It brings no joy to be straightforward. It would be too simple, too bland. I would rather have some fun while doing what I need." Alan shrugged before pointing at the map on the table. "Anyway, did you find something?"

    "Not really. As you said, rumors are coming from everywhere. Not only in the Western Continent, even in the Northern and the Southern Continents too. Specially from the south." She pondered for a while, charmingly resting her chin in her hands. "Why do you take an interest on that Amon kid anyway? It''s not like we need the money."

    "It''s nothing in particular. It is just that after digging around for some info I feel what happened to him was similar to what happened to us," Alan lowered his eyes. "I feel we might as well try to find him. That way we can either get an ally or more money."

    As he was about to answer, Alan suddenly flinched. His brown eyes suddenly changed, turning a bright silver for a moment. He buried his face on his hands, shivering as he took deep breaths. Nessa leaned in, giving him a hug as he slowly calmed down.

    "You can stay here and rest, I''ll take care of thing downstairs," she proposed worriedly.

    "It''s fine, I just lost focus for a moment. If only I had a second glamour bracelet..." Alan sighed, still clenching his head. His silver eyes slowly darkened, turning brown again.

    Nessa uncomfortably put a hand around the jade bracelet on her wrist, feeling guilty.

    Seeing this, Alan smiled gently. "No need to feel guilty, it can''t be helped. I might as well use this opportunity to train."

    "Don''t overdo it." Nessa gently put a hand on his cheek. "Rest a bit, I''ll take care of things."

    Without waiting his answer, she left the room, leaving him by himself. Alan looked a bit troubled as he put a hand on his pocket and retrieved a folded piece of paper. Unfolding it revealed a drawing depicting a boy on his teens with bizarre ashen hair and golden eyes. Some information was written below the drawing, detailing his cultivation stage, crimes of treason and the exaggerated reward of one hundred high-grade elemental crystals issued by the Abyss Sect if the boy was returned to them dead or alive.

    "What a mess. Worst of all, his drawing is better than mine." Derek Tyrell lamented, looking out the window again. The wind coming through the window was turning colder, and Derek could faintly smell the scent of humid earth. Soon enough, a faint pelting started echoing from outside. In the city of Expiria, it started raining again.