《Transcending Chaos》


 Chapter 1

    Transcending Chaos


    Red, overwhelming shades of red. When one looks from a spatial view at the planet, it would be appear in many shades of red. This was the Crimson Tide Planet, a planet considered a part of the Mortal Realm. Its atmosphere crimson and its oceans scarlet.


    For reasons unknown, there was never a true day cycle. The sun was always in a state of perpetual sunset for the Crimson Tide Planet. Sunset and night, these were the only two phases of the planet. Many cultivators speculated that the planet was in its current situation because there wasn''t a balance of the elements.


    Clearly fire was dominant, and yet, although the majority of cultivators used flames because of this belief, they weren''t overwhelmingly stronger than other cultivators who didn''t primarily use flames. At the most, they simply cultivated slightly faster and their ability to fight was slightly higher due to the environmental advantage. It was truly an enigma that researchers were still trying to understand to this day.


    Of the hundreds of millions that encompassed the Crimson Tide Continent, a mere ten million made up the worlds smallest country, the New Dawn Kingdom. They were the weakest of the nations, never once able to give birth to a Heavenly Emperor. Despite this, they had survived for a rather simple reason.


    Even if they had a plethora of natural resources, if one empire attempted to conquer them, another would surely intervene. Each of the empires wanted to monopolize the New Dawn Kingdom for themselves, but it was much easier said than done due to the precarious position that the New Dawn Kingdom was in.


    And yet it was in this small country that Lute resided. Standing at full height, he was a little over five feet tall. A mass of disheveled red hair flowed freely as he travelled through the surrounding forest. Covered in mere animal skins, he lived on the outskirts of the Crimson Tide Mountain Range that pierced through the entire continent.


    At thirteen years of age, Lute was already passed the time that a child should start cultivating. Raised in a small farming village of mortals, he never had any chance to learn cultivation. This was a regret he held deep in his heart, he had always wanted to learn, but there wasn''t a way.


    The more he thought about it, the more the feeling of guilt arose within him. At the age of eleven, two years ago, bandits who were Nascent Qi Realm Cultivators, assaulted his village and slaughtered all the men within, they took the women and children as slaves, and plundered everything available. Had Lute not been outside hunting deer for his father because the house needed to be repaired, he woulda€?ve been forced to watch his father die and be taken with his mother and sister as slaves.


    When Lute had returned to the small village that was burned to the ground, he found the corpses of all the men piled in the center of the village. His father appeared to be one of the first killed as he was at the bottom of the pile. With tears of agony, Lute had one by one, taken each member of his small village, and buried them. On that day, a child who should''ve had a happy childhood despite living a life of farming and hunting, had lost all emotions pertaining to happiness and pleasure.


    After that fateful day, the Lute that all the family, neighbors and friends of the village had once known died. The previously cheerful and energetic youth was replaced by an emotionless person with stern eyes. A cold heart that lost all emotions of happiness; all that remained in his heart was anger, sadness, and most of all, guilt. Becoming a cultivator was something he always dreamed of like most boys his age, if only he''d pursued that dream in earnest and achieved strength before the bandits had come.


    Every night, revenge was all Lute dreamed about. But, two years had passed since that dreadful day. Lute knew that it would take a miracle to obtain such a chance, especially since he would be years behind other child cultivators. If he could take revenge, then he wouldn''t mind giving up his life. However, he''d learned the cruel reality of the world years before most other children. The strong were always in the right, it was that simple. The only way he''d be able to live life the way he wanted was to have the strength to back up whatever actions he took.Stolen story; please report.


    With thoughts of the past constantly floating around in Lute''s head, he flitted through the trees. After two years, he had gauged roughly when the safest time for him to be outside of his make-shift shelter was. Each day he would have roughly six hours to hunt and gather the necessary resources for survival in the Crimson Tide Mountain Range.


    If he dared to tread too far into the forests that were on the outskirts of the mountains, the probability that he would encounter a Vicious Beast multiplied. Even the weakest one could slaughter a third level Foundational Qi cultivator with relative ease. At least this much was common knowledge, even among mortals. To kill one Vicious Beast that was considered weak, it would take tens of mortals to even make an attempt. But with such a deterrent, Lute wasn''t afraid; he''d been travelling these forests for years, even before he started living on his own.


    Flitting through the woods at top speed, Lute was tracking a doe from the tracks he spotted a few hours ago; they lead deeper and deeper into the forest. However Lute still relatively knew the area he was in and considered it safe. But just to be safe he remained on high alert at all times and kept his bow and arrow notched.


    After travelling for a few more minutes, a clearing began to open up. Appearing in the middle of the clearing was a doe that was eaten and mutilated almost beyond recognition.


    Strange, something is not right here, there shouldn''t be any predators out yet, especially one that could dismember the doe to such an extent. Why would such an occurrence happen?


    Almost as if on que, when Lute finished thinking about how abnormal the situation was, an almost sixth sense activated from years of surviving alone. Rather than turn around, or even attempt to figure out how he knew something was approaching from behind him, Lute dove forward and ran at top speed. Diving to the right and left, zig-zagging through the trees, he kept running.


    From his peripheral vison, sometimes small tufts of black fur would appear and then meld into the surroundings again. But that was enough for Lute to realize the severity of his situation. He was being toyed with by a Vicious Beast, and most probably a wolf because of the black fur.


    Despite being driven further and further into the forest, Lute kept on running, he remained calm but anxiety tugged at his heart.


    Is this how it ends? Does my pitiful thirteen years amount to nothing? Are mother and sister still alive? Is my fate so terrible that the heavens just want to end my life?


    "Hehe, it seems that contemplating about your life and its entirety before you die is true. So will that mean it will flash before my eyes when I am about to die?" Said Lute in a ragged voice as he continued to run without care.


    Panting heavily, Lure ended up coming to a chasm with a waterfall piercing its depths. Turing around, his eyes met with none other than the Vicious Beast. It stood at close to two meters in height. Long fangs were protruding from its vicious snout and even though he wasn''t a cultivator, Lute swore that he could sense bloodlust emanating from the giant black wolf.


    Slowly it crouched down and began to stalk towards Lute. Its eyes were clearly mocking him as Lute just stood at the edge of the cliff. Then when it was within five meters of Lute, it began to pounce with its fangs and claws outstretched.


    Contrary to its expectations, the prey, Lute, chose his own way to die. He wasn''t going to die under the sadistic glee of a wolf that toyed with him and probably wouldn''t even eat him after he died. Instead, when he saw the wolf begin to approach, Lute chose to live the last moment of his life in freedom by making his own choice about how he would die.


    As the wolf began to pounce, Lute turned around while making an obscene hand gesture at the wolf. Then he jumped with all the might he could muster from his tired and ragged body. Colliding into the waterfall, Lute began a high speed descent into the chasm.


    The more momentum his body began to pick up and under the weight of the water pouring down on him as he fell. Lute quickly began to lose consciousness as he quickly approached the bottom of the chasm. Slowly closing his eyes, Lute simply let gravity take complete control.


    So this is how it ends? What a pitiful way for it all to end. At the very least I died under my own decision and not under the whims of another looking for entertainment.

 Chapter 2

    With the sound of trickling water, Lute began to stir. As he slowly opened his eyes, barely anything was visible except for a small light off in the distance. If he was able to see, the surrounding area would be an underground cavern that took millennia to form.


    Deep underground, the waterfall had carved out this cave over the years, forming an underground river. By all rights, Lute shoulda€?ve died, and yet here he was. Lute had many cuts all over his body, and his fur skins were all but useless and full of holes. However he was still alive despite soaking in his own blood.


    Slowly sitting up, and trying to gather his thoughts, Lute put his hand down on the cavern floor, only to meet a metallic smell and a sticky sensation upon his hand.


    "This is my blood? Some of it is almost dried upon my skin, just how long have I been unconscious,"? said Lute in a muddled manner.


    Staggering in an attempt to stand, Lute listened carefully and ascertained that he was within a few feet of a source of water, which was the underground river. Limping over, he slowly washed as much of his body as he could without wading in too far as his visibility was close to null, his only source of light was ? the blue luminescence off in the distance that was hardly enough to allow him to see his hand.


    The more Lute washed, the more confused he became. His body was full of cuts, some deeper than others, but surprisingly his blood clotted enough so he wouldn''t bleed to death. The only long term problem so far was that there would certainly be permanent scars all over his body.


    Salvaging what little of his animal fur that was usable, Lute tried to crudely make a loincloth, so he could at the very least cover his lower regions. Finally, turning towards the small light in the distance, Lute began to trudge forward with small steps. For all he knew there could be pitfalls in this cave of darkness.


    As if it was alive, the light seemed to increase in luminescence the closer Lute came to it, almost as if it was welcoming him to come forth. It shined with a bright blue light which seemed to pulsate.


    Without paying heed to any danger that there might be in this unknown environment, Lute finally climbed up a small slope, peering into a small crevice, there was what appeared to be a slender needle that was translucent.


    " Is that a needle, all the way down here in such a random place? More importantly, why would a needle shine in a blue light and seem as if it is alive? Is it one of the fabled spirit armaments that Father spoke of in his stories?" Said Lute in a slightly shaky voice as he remembered his father.


    Rather than look at the needle and its beauty, Lute slowly raised up one of his arms clad in cuts and moved to grab it with two of his fingers. It was quite long, the length from the tip of his finger to base of his wrists, but it was also quite thin, perhaps only the width of a sewing needle.


    Contrary to his expectations, Lutes eyes widened, his breathing stagnated and he involuntarily swallowed as all of the sudden the needle emitted a blinding light. Before he could even react, the needle levitated off of the ground and shot right at Lutes chest exactly into the region where his dantian was located and pierced his body.


    The force of it entering his body caused Lute to fly backwards but he didna€?t fall unconscious, the needle had turned into what he could only assume was a spiritual form and entered his body without drawing blood. Without being able to move an inch, a piercing sensation began to transmit all across Lutea€?s body.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Writhing in agony, it felt as if metal was trapped in the veins and travelled through his body along the path blood circulated. Yet, every time the pain became unbearable, a cold feeling enveloped the entirety of Lute''s body forcing him back to clarity and henceforth feeling the pain even more.


    After what seemed like an eternity of torment, and on the verge of collapsing, the image of a needle appeared in Lurte''s mind, and his consciousness was forcefully dragged into the depths of his very being and within the needle that took on a spiritual form. Slowly opening his eyes, Lute looked around in bewilderment.


    "What is this space? Did I finally die, was that the end? God damn cursed needle, if I ever encounter you in my next life, I will surely destroy you," exclaimed Lute in an annoyed but slightly angry tone.


    Lute furrowed his eyebrows and squinted in thought as he contemplated what to do henceforth, because clearly being in an unknown space for an eternity didn''t seem very appealing.


    "Well this is extremely boring, at the very least, shouldn''t I meet someone who is supposed to come reap my soul and send me onto a path of reincarnation or something,"? Said Lute while tapping his finger against a thigh trying to relieve his boredom.


    "That isn''t the case, once a soul is extinguished, it will cease to exist, without a chance at reincarnation. Very few have strong enough souls to live without a material body for any period of time, unless there is a special circumstance such as the one that you and I are in."?


    In front of Lute, a woman began to manifest from the space itself. She was quite slender, wearing a qipao that was blacker than even the night skies while adorned with gold trimmings. Her hair was free flowing and an exuberant shade of black. Cold eyes seemed to pierce right through Lute. Upon her neck was a necklace with a small vial. It seemed to defy physics as it was the only thing about her that didn''t seem to look like a spiritual body and was actually a part of the material plane.


    Upon the realization of seeing the vial, Lute realized his body was the same. He didn''t seem almost transparent like this woman who shouldn''t be past her mid-twenties.


    Lute glared at the mysterious woman with an equally cold and malignant glare. "If I am not dead, then what is this? What did you do to me? Clearly this is not normal by any stretch of the word,"? Spat Lute with an annoyed tone.


    Lute simply stood there with an angry look, after all, other than anger; He didn''t feel many other emotions. Either icily composed or angry, there was no in between. Any other emotions Lute should have felt died over two years ago.


    The spatial dimension seemed to be still and silent, not a sound was prevalent except for Lute''s light breathing. The mysterious woman and his eyes in a deadlock, seeming to be at war to who would give way first.


    Finally, the woman seemed to sigh, just by looking at eyes that should not belong to a child, she knew Lute''s heart submerged into bitterness. With a flick of her finger, an illusory bed appeared and she gracefully layed on it.


    After what felt like time stopping for an eternity, the spatial dimension seemed to come alive as the woman began to relax on the bed and address Lute.


    "You, you are a mortal of this lowly planet, clearly you know absolutely nothing of the universe in the slightest, and as such you have no right to stare at me in such a manner, I am your senior, deal with it. I don''t care what sorrowful past you might''ve had, there is always someone out there who has it worse."?


    Lute''s eyes darkened at the words she said. She had no right to decide how he should feel or act. "Watch your tongue; you know nothing of my past. I may be incompetent, but I can faintly guess that this space was something produced by that needle and you are a soul trapped within it. So even if you wanted to forcefully make me submit, I have a feeling the needle would restrain you,"? Said Lute in a dangerously low voice.


    The woman however did not get angry in the slightest, how could she, who toiled through life and hardships far worse than this child has had in his entire life, fall for such petty words meant to aggravate her.


    "I know far more than you think, it is extremely hard to hid your age from a cultivator, and it is especially impossible to hide it if you are a mere mortal. Just based on what I can sense from you, you are plagued with anger, and hatred for what I am guessing what is either one person or a group of people. Either they killed someone or multiple people precious to you, took them hostage, or maybe you had something precious stolen. At your age, you do not have any material wealth, so that leaves only one option, something happened where you live, something with your family most likely. And based on how much you have bottled up this anger and let it fester, I am quite sure it didn''t happen recently, perhaps within the last few years you were forced to live on your own?"?


    Silence, Lute just sat there in silence; this woman was able tell what had happened just two years ago, as for how she knew, the words Mere Mortal said it all. She was a cultivator, and possibly quite a strong one at that. So clearly, as a mortal, even if he was safe thanks to the powers of the needle, silence was the best course of action.


    But then, words he never though he would here thundered into his ears as the woman looked at him with what could only be the eyes of a temptress and the smile of a devil. Ever so slowly the words "Do you want the power to change your destiny," resonated within his ears like thunder and kept repeating over and over again.


    Almost succumbing to the temptation, Lute turned to the devil of a woman lounging on a transparent bed before him. Narrowing his eyes, Lute simply stared at her before replying.


    "At what price, would I obtain such power?"?

 Chapter 3

    "Well aren''t you the smart one. Naturally there will be a price, especially for a lowly mortal such as you to learn from one such as me." Said the woman arrogantly, but then her face softened ever so slightly that it was almost imperceptible, "Let''s start negotiating, as there is nothing free in the universe, I am known as Isla Ravenshadow. Now then, what is your name?"?


    "Lute"?


    "I see, well then, naturally you have already deduced that I am a soul trapped in this needle, it is known as the Origin Soul Needle, ranked third out of the five Origin treasures that were born with the birth of the universe itself."?


    Lute glanced at the surrounding space. Black and blue as far as the eye could see. It certainly didn''t seem impressive if this was one of the five greatest treasures of the universe. If all it could do was hold the soul of a single entity then there really wasn''t a point of ranking it among the strongest treasures.


    "What is the point of this then; it''s not as if this needle is going to spontaneously make me become the number one under heaven on the Crimson Tide Continent."? Said Lute in a shallow voice.


    A glint appeared in Isla''s eyes, slowly raising her hands to the back of her neck, she unclasped the vial from her body. Opening the lid, a large drop of blood that was the deepest of crimson appeared.


    "Do you know about the fall of immortals and the rise of man? Of course you don''t, nobody in the mortal realm should know."? Spoke Isla in a somewhat arrogant tone.


    "At the beginning of time, the true immortals were born from the universe itself. They were the Divine Beasts, True Gods, and Demon Clan. Of the three, the Beasts Qi was relatively neutral, it wasn''t positive or negative, and because of this, the beasts have an extreme affinity towards one or more elements. The Demon Clan had extremely negative Qi, allowing for them to wield the powers of Death and Darkness with ease. Lastly was the True Gods who wield positive aligned Qi, which is primarily attributed with powers such as light and life."?


    "For thousands of eras, they ruled within the Primordial Chaos of the Divine Realm, creating Life and spreading their will to the lower life forms that they created or that were created naturally at the behest of the universe. But all must come to an end eventually. The Gods and Devils were like Fire and Ice, born to oppose each other. The beasts were divided, some aided the gods and the other aided the devils. And over the course of many millennia, wars were fought, each side vying to exterminate the others in order to have a universe that encompassed only their own unique vision and ideals."?


    Isla then stopped talking for a moment, seeming to get caught in the beauty of the blood droplet before her. It seemed as if she was reminiscing about the past. Clearly this blood had history. Which Lute could faintly guess based on how intently she stared at it.


    "How does that blood droplet relate to this Age of Immortals?" Spoke Lute with earnest feeling of confusion. For how could a blood droplet be so important?


    "Be quiet and listen, I am getting to the part where this blood comes into play!"? Isla spoke in an annoyed tone. Apparently she didn''t enjoy Lute interrupting her reminiscing of the past.


    Finally she continued, "There are five Origin Treasures in the Universe. Ranked first is the Origin Chaos Sword. It is said to change its form and the way its power comes forth depending on who is using it. But it is an insufferably arrogant weapon and is said to kill anyone that ever tried to subdue it."?The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "Ranked second is the Pearl of Myriad Tribulations. Although this one is ranked second, in actuality it is far more dangerous than the first ranked treasure. As its name suggests, it will cause tribulations strong enough to wipe out an entire realm if the balance of its positive and negative Qi is disrupted. This is the reason the Age of Immortals came to an end. The pearl almost wiped out all life in the Divine Realm. It is said to be at the converging point of the four Realms, so no one dares to go near it."?


    "Ranked third is this very needle. The Origin Soul Needle, just by having this needle in your possession, your soul strength will increase to an unknown limit. It can store the souls of those who die in its vicinity if the owner of the needle allows it. But instead it will typically devour the souls of those it kills, under normal circumstances. If your soul is stronger than the souls of those that die, you can absorb a small portion of their soul''s strength while the needle absorbs the rest."?


    "Ranked Fourth is the Primordial Chaos Cauldron. Although it is simple in effect, it is quite tyrannical. It allows for the concoction of pills, elixirs or poison without the slightest of impurities. Products of this cauldron are said to be at the bare minimum, four times stronger than if concocted in another cauldron."?


    "And the very last, ranked at fifth, is the Origin Stone of the First Qi. Its effect is ranked last, but the effects are heaven defying. If the cultivator who owns this item lives long enough, it is quite the evil little stone. It will constantly refine Qi and condense it to an even more pure and powerful form. It will increase the physical body strength of the cultivator and slowly increase the thickness of their blood essence. At first, its effect isn''t noticeable at all, but given a thousand years or tens of thousands of years later, it can turn even the most ordinary Divine Realm cultivator into someone that can directly affect the balance of power in the entire Divine Realm with their mere presence."?


    Tsk! Annoying, this woman was really annoying thought Lute. He asked one question in earnest and she hadn''t even answered it. Instead she began to ramble on and on about the strongest treasures in the universe. Honestly, he couldn''t care any less. What was the point of fantasizing over such things if you couldn''t obtain them? This woman needed to be more of a realist with the fact that he more than likely wouldn''t obtain another Origin Treasure. The needle had only been found by pure chance, nothing more, and nothing less.


    "About the blood floating in front of me."? Said Lute in a slightly annoyed tone.


    "You''re such an unappreciative person! Most people would drool at the thought of knowing such treasures existed, and apparently they can even be in the Mortal Realm considering the needle fell to this lowly planet."?


    Isla almost seemed to pout. Seriously, she was not acting her age, she had to be twenty five at the minimum, but who knew how long she was sealed in the Origin Needle.


    "You really stick your mind to one thing and never let go, the same with your emotions too, honestly that isn''t healthy. Learn from this almighty one and don''t fixate on one thing for an extended period of time, or you will go mad."? Spoke Isla in an almost playful manner, whilst trying to sound haughty.


    "Right, so you want to know this bloods origin?"?


    "Yes"? Said Lute in an exasperated and tired voice.


    "This blood, it has quite the history. Out of the strongest existences during the Age of Immortals, there is only one entity that remained a mystery, both then and now. He was known as the Invincible Spiritual God. He was an existence that was basically his own faction of power in the Divine Realm. Gods, Devils, and Beasts all payed extreme respect to him and no one from the three factions dared quarrel or fight around him. To have such power that all three factions wouldn''t dare offend you, just how many secrets would you have?"?


    "The Spiritual God was an enigma to all. He spent almost his entire life in solitude; Gods, Devils and Beasts alike all attempted to find out his secrets and curry favor with him in the hopes he would join their factions. Of course it was to no avail. His powers were completely unknown, the only record of his power is when he was successfully enraged and participated in the ongoing war. The warring factions apparently brought their war to a planet the Spiritual God was particularly attached to, perhaps he created it. But needless to say, the planet was decimated; all life on it went extinct."?


    "In his rage, he entered the war on his own. A single entity entered the war, a single person. And yet, on that day blood was shed. In a bloody battle of Gods, Devils and Beasts, he took them all on by himself. Not one of them successfully made it out alive. He alone caused the war to end for a period of years while the factions recuperated and regained their strength. Ever since then, anything that was even remotely tied to the Spiritual God was off limits, the factions all had a unanimous agreement that the war was not to go anywhere near the Spiritual God."?


    "Now do you understand?"? Said Isla in an extremely serious voice for the first time since Lute met her. "This blood is the blood inheritance of the Spiritual God. Toiling through countless ruins and slaughtering all before me, I finally obtained this blood, and yet for me it was unusable, I would have to sacrifice my entire cultivation to obtain it and that was something I simply could not do."?


    "However",? Isla seemed to bore into Lute with her eyes as she put on a devilish grin. "For you who had never cultivated a day in their life, it is not too late to begin, and catch up to weak little mice of this planet."?

 Chapter 4

    The Spiritual God''s blood inheritance, this blood droplet was freely flowing around in the Origin Needle separate spatial dimension. Bouncing back and forth between Isla and Lute, the blood seemed to glisten in this black and blue world.


    With the influx of historical information, Lutes eyes were locked onto this miniscule liquid. To think such a thing could change his life. If his Mother and Sister were still alive; he could search for them, or at the very least he could hunt down their captors.


    Despite the enticement, Lute wasn''t going to agree so readily, as there was still a price to obtaining such an object. Isla said it herself; she had slaughtered many for this blood. Just what circumstances was she in where she would need this blood in the hopes it would give her power to change her life.


    "Your price, |what is your price for giving something like this to a mere mortal. It''s just as you said, nothing is free in this universe." Spoke Lute in his usual cold mannerisms.


    Isla narrowed her eyes, and she had a slight smirk that was becoming more prevalent. Clearly this child, Lute was starting to bite, and if so, he was her chance at resurrection.


    "My price is not as easy as it sounds. It will be a contract where we both submit to certain conditions. More precisely it is a soul contract. But everything I have said thus far is all I will say, if you want anymore, you need to agree."?


    Silence, utter silence was the only thing in the spatial dimension, this could be a turning point but also a disaster. Who knew what types of problems would arise if Lute jumped into the world of cultivators. A soul contract sounded problematic, but it was also as Isla said, Lute would dwell on something for extreme time periods, inaction was just as ignorant as recklessly taking action. It was a world fraught with danger, and yet, it felt like this type of place was suitable for people with cold dispositions such as the one Lute now possessed. A land of danger but also opportunity, it simply couldn''t be thrown away.


    Lute came to his decision rather surprisingly quick and he turned to Isla with eyes radiating coldness, but for the first time in over two years, they had the slightest hint of warmth in them.


    "I accept your condition. In return for the granted power and your knowledge, I shall agree to this soul contract."?


    Isla happily cheered, "Good! Good! Let''s begin right away."?


    Isla began to dissipate; she turned into a transparent blue ball of light, tinged with white flames. Hovering before Lute, her voice was transmitted directly into his very being.


    "Quickly, with the restraints of the Origin Needle, I need permission to enter your body."?


    "Wait, you need to enter my body?!" Uttered Lute astounded.


    "Yes! Now shut up and invite me to enter your body, you shouldn''t care if I am of the opposite gender, I would never be interested in a child like you."? Said Isla in agitation.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    "Fine, fine, I grant thee permission to leave the restraints of the Origin Needle and enter into my body."? muttered Lute.


    A blinding flash occurred and it seemed as if the soul of Isla was pulled by a vacuuming force into Lutes body, and then his perception changed from the spatial dimension to a completely black space, with two balls of light, one was obviously Isla, her soul was nearly triple the size of what Lure recognized as his own soul.


    "So what do we do now, is it over or is something else needed."? Asked Lute.


    "Now it truly begins, we shall make a vow that will never break unless we die. If you purposely don''t attempt to fulfill your vow, tribulations from the Heavens will strike you down, erasing your very existence. Not even the immortals survived them, but it is too late for you to turn back now."?


    "In return for me granting you power and knowledge, you shall aid me in rebuilding a body that can contain my soul that is all I ask. By that time, you should have enough power to become independent and not rely on me anymore. You must enter into the Divine Realms in order to achieve this, but there is no excuse not to be able to, aside from the Spiritual Gods blood, there are many things that I can teach you to further enhance your powers. Are you ready?"?


    Without a hint of hesitation or fear, Lute nodded in acceptance for what was to come. But what he didn''t expect was to see Isla''s soul begin to suddenly cause a portion of itself to shoot off into his very own soul forming a bridge, the two of them began to merge and intertwine until they were undiscernible. One vibrant soul was now visible in the entirety of this black space. Thunder seemed to resound throughout.


    Next, Isla''s voice began to resound throughout the space, "With the heavens as my witness, I, Isla Ravenshadow, hereby do solemnly swear to form a Soul Contract with Lute, I shall provide him with all the aid I can until the day he builds me a body. Should I fail, May my soul dissipate to nothingness."?


    Thunder and lightning immediately struck the mixture of two souls causing Lute to feel numb. Then he heard Islaa''s voice from the depths of his body as if he was thinking to himself. "Quickly, you have less than a minute to make your vows once we start. My only condition is that you help me rebuild a body that my soul can inhabit."?


    Breathing deeply, Lute quickly steadied his mind and began his vows without any regrets, a€?With the heavens as my witness, I, Lute, hereby do solemnly swear to form a Soul Contract with Isla Ravenshadow, I shall agree to help her build a body in which her soul can inhabit in return for the aid she is able to provide me for the duration of the Soul Contract. Should I fail, May my soul dissipate into nothingness.a€?


    Thunder resounded again; lightning struck the soul again, seeming to merge the two together on a fundamental level. And Lute felt something change within his most inner self. His body was no longer completely his; he was no longer completely himself. That much he could understand. As for what it was, he wasn''t sure, but he was feeling emotions that were most certainly not his. Even more so, he felt like his personality changed in some way, as for how he even knew that, Lute didn''t know.


    "Isla, what is this, I don''t feel... normal. What occurred during this Soul Contract that you didn''t tell me?!"? Said Lute in a dangerously low voice.


    From within the depths of his body, Lute was able to "feel"? Isla''s consciousness fluttering about. It almost felt like he was a part of her on a fundamental level, as if he wasn''t Lute, but Isla Ravenshadow.


    Seeming to be fazed but able to respond, Isla began to explain. "Our souls have merged into one soul sharing one body. Two separate existences together. It would be abnormal if there weren''t side effects. To put it in the simplest terms possible, we fused our existences into a completely new one. You are no longer the Lute you were a few minutes ago and I am no longer the same Isla."?


    "If your attention focuses towards it, you should be able to sense my emotions. But that is not the complete extent of it. A portion of our personalities merge as well, as for what part those are, we shall have to wait and see in the future, all I can say is that a part of my personality and yours merged to form something new."?


    "Of all the people we will ever meet, you and I will be the only ones who truly understand each other the most. It can be said that we are an entire new personality, our worst and our best traits, all merged into one. A Mortal and a Divine, what will become of such an anomaly"?


    ....


    "Don''t feel disgust! This is the best case scenario, you will be able to cultivate much quicker and with half the effort! I am from the Divine Realm, you will easily catch up to the trash of this planet and then surpass them, after all, if we share the same body, I can simply transmit the proper methods for training in techniques and how to cultivate into you directly as if you''d done it your entire life."?


    "Don''t read my emotions!"? Screamed Lute in outrage, "Instead, let''s hurry up and get started, I want to leave this cave and hunt for some food as soon as possible."?


    "Fine, we shall, although the moment you step onto the path of cultivation, the need for food and water consumption can be supplemented with the world''s natural energy as you increase in strength. At the very first level, you already only need half the food and water that a mortal would need to sustain themselves."?

 Chapter 5

    Sitting in the cave, Lute retained a lotus position. Now in the material plane, and no longer within his inner self, all he could do was exasperatedly sigh. Isla appeared before him in a transparent form, clearly visible and yet she was fading in and out of his sight. However she wasn¡¯t all that Lute was looking at either. It was finally time, time to begin his new life. And it all would begin with this droplet of blood.


    Isla who was happily humming at the fact she could see the outside world, even if it was in a dreary cave, suddenly narrowed her eyes. Being connected to Lute on a fundamental level, she could see that he was slowly getting excited, even if he tried to hide it. After all, this blood would certainly be fought over by the top powerhouses of the Divine Realm, being able to obtain it was truly pure luck on her part.


    "Even I don¡¯t know what will happen when you merge with the blood. All I can tell you is that this will be extremely painful as you are a mortal, not even at the very first level of the nine Mortal Realms of cultivation," Said Isla.


    Lute narrowed his eyes, steeled his nerves, and forced the slight trembling of his body to stop. Clearly he was a mess. There was a needle now inside his dantian, he shared a body with a Divine and deep gashes were all over his chest, back, and shoulders. They were clearly going to scar, and yet, he felt no pain.


    A cold smile slowly made itself apparent upon Lute. He looked as if he would go insane at any moment as he made a guttural noise that couldn¡¯t quite be considered laughing or growling.


    "What is there to fear? If it is pain, I can bear it. Now that I have my lifeline, nothing shall stop me from using it. We made a contract; do you think something as trivial as pain will be enough to stop me from fulfilling it?" Spoke Lute in an ice cold mannerism.


    Silence pervaded the cavern, yet all of a sudden, laughter resounded about. Isla was floating around Lute and chuckling until she finally calmed herself down. Her black eyes pierced through Lute. Her evaluation of him rose through a level after hearing his response.


    "I never would have thought I¡¯d say this ever in the entirety of my life. But, you know what?"


    Isla paused and looked directly into Lute¡¯s eyes, and with a smirk, she raised her hand and pointed it at him.


    "I dare say that you are going to be a very entertaining individual to be around. Even in the Divine Realm, no one casually says that pain is trivial. This planet is a place that I would ruin on a passing whim if I had my body. Who would¡¯ve thought that there was such a crazy person with a strange charm?"


    Isla shook her head as if she was contemplating the conundrum that was Lute¡¯s existence. First, he was a mortal who was somehow living despite the near fatal wounds he had, and he didn¡¯t even seem to be in pain. Then he somehow became the master of the Origin Soul Needle and merged with it, which she hadn¡¯t been able to even do. But to top it all off, he was a crazy bastard that somehow made her interested!


    "Are all mortals like this? No, perhaps he is unique?"


    Isla kept muttering in dismay. Lute himself was beginning to think that she herself went insane after being inside of the needle for who knows how long? But, a contract was a contract, there wasn¡¯t a way out, so Lute decided to deal with any problems that arose when the time came.


    "So Isla, are we going to do this, or are we waiting until I get a foundation, or what¡­.?" Lute asked.


    Isla snapped back to reality, looking at Lute she had her typical devilish glint; a pressure that was becoming heavier by the second began to envelop Lute.


    "Don¡¯t think for even a second that we are on equal footing. I may not have my body, but I am still your senior in every way. As of right now, if I had my body, I would rain destruction on this shitty planet; I¡¯ve been here for far too long. You are the only Mortal Realm individual that is just the bare minimum level of trash where I could, with alot of effort, make you into an actual human worthy of respect from anyone but me. I would bring you up to the Divine Realm simply to entertain me, if even a little with your crazy thought processes. As for any other mortal, if they so much as even tried to look at me with anything other than fear and submissiveness, I would cripple them. They wouldn¡¯t even be worth the effort to kill."


    Lute simply looked at Isla with a bewildered look. Were all Divine Realm practitioners of the same standing as her? If so, why hadn¡¯t the Mortal Realm been destroyed?


    "Lute"


    "Y¡­Yes"


    "You are to call me Master, or Teacher, and nothing else. If you don¡¯t understand, I am going to beat it into you until you learn¡­."


    Lute almost choked on his own saliva at her words, she was starting to show violent traits. He didn¡¯t even have the ability to regret. He was stuck, at least until he constructed her body.


    "Well then, let¡¯s begin the process. Since you are so confident, then we shall test your mettle. The Spiritual God Blood shall be inherited here and now." Spoke Isla in a sudden voice that resembled a master teaching their disciple.


    "I¡¯m ready"The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "I know you are did you already forget that we are connected¡­" Spoke Isla while sighing.


    "I am going to insert the blood through the largest wound on your chest, don¡¯t move at all, focus on absorbing it into your body and learning of all the capabilities it has. With most inheritances, there should be information transmitted, so pay attention." Isla said.


    Without giving Lute a chance to make another ignorant remark, the blood shot forth. The moment it connected to the wound on Lute¡¯s chest, a burning sensation invaded his body.


    "Ah!"


    After the initial yelp of pain, Lute forcefully shut his mouth. It felt like molten lava was traveling through his body as well as weapons ripping apart his muscles and tendons, the bones felt like burning puddles of mush. However, Lute persisted upon sheer willpower alone.


    I don¡¯t need to have an all-powerful ability, the power gained can even be a worse than others; all I need is the ability to catch up to the people of my age group who have cultivated since childhood. A solid foundation, yes, that¡¯s all I need.


    With such thoughts, time passed on. One minute turned to ten, and ten turned into an hour. Finally after nearly six hours, the constant feeling of his body falling apart and being built back up began to lessen. The pain eased and Lute slowly opened his eyes.


    Examining his body, Lute stared at himself, he begain to feel happiness, something he hadn''t felt in a long time. Somehow the small remnants of fur that he made a make-shift loincloth out of ripped apart. His body had mostly healed, but it seemed that as a memory of the past, he¡¯d retain the scars across his body. Standing up, Lute didn¡¯t look much different from his past self. He was now at least six feet and two inches tall compared to a mere five feet. His mass of red hair turned into a deep crimson, however the eyes had become the clearest of blue compared to the dull gray that he¡¯d inherited from his mother. But the most dramatic change was that the previously scrawny thirteen year old had to have gained nearly eighty pounds, and all of that was muscle.


    Clearly toned and muscular, with more refined features, Lute looked closer to someone that was sixteen or older, compared to the mere age of thirteen. Looking at his hand, and balling it into a fist, he could clearly feel the difference in his body. Without even starting to cultivate, Lute could already feel it. His body was ten; no it had to be at the least twenty times stronger and sturdier than in the past.


    It certainly felt euphoric, without a doubt based on body strength alone, he felt as if he could run his previous forms full sprint casually for quite a long time. Had he not experienced it first-hand, Lute would¡¯ve thought this was all a dream. But there was no way that amount of pain could be felt within a dream.


    "This¡­ To think I would change this much from a single drop of blood. The power of the fallen gods truly lives up to the stories of Master." Lute said in a satisfied voice. His body trembled in anticipation with the hardships and also the hope of a new future to come.


    "This is nothing; you aren¡¯t even at the start line. Do you think this much is all there is to a gods blood inheritance? It¡¯s only natural that for you, who is only a mortal would receive significant changes, since you can¡¯t be any worse than you already are! If it were someone that was already of the Divine level, their appearance would hardly change." Isla sternly said in a reprimanding voice.


    Clearly she wanted to keep Lute from thinking that every small change was momentous. It was of utmost importance that he realized sooner rather than later that he was an infinitely small figure in the vast cosmos. A seed of arrogance must not be sowed, especially because it was her soul at risk!


    Sighing upon the realization of just how much work had to be done to groom Lute; Isla could only trudge forward with his training.


    "This isn¡¯t without its benefits though; the price for someone obtaining this is their cultivation. However, I am almost certain that the Spiritual God had intended for the inheritor to already be in the Divine Realm, so it probably would¡¯ve had them begin at the start of the Divine Realm again. Even so, it wouldn¡¯t easily change them because they already have some strength, even if it¡¯s miniscule."


    Sitting back down, Lute listened to Isla in earnest. Any information, no matter how small, was important. Based on her words, someone from the Divine Realm had an advantage because they already had some amount of strength. But, they had to start from the beginning of the Divine Realms again. But, what was this benefit she was speaking of? It went without saying that this inheritance was an enormous boon to anyone with sufficient strength and resources to quickly return to their original power.


    "Master, I don¡¯t understand, what is the point of me using this blood then? Wouldn¡¯t it be for the better that I use it when I successfully enter the Divine Realm?" Lute said


    "No, I had originally planned on using the blood myself. But I am the only one that actually knows that it will reset your cultivation. When I found this out, naturally I thought that if I for certain would be safe then it¡¯d be worth it. But clearly you see how that turned out for me. I am only a soul now." Isla said in a depressed tone


    "Then are you saying that is better for the long term that I used the blood now compared to when I am an initial Divine?" Lute asked


    Isla smiled her student who clearly wasn¡¯t one that could catch on easily finally caught on to what she was implying, even if it was ever so slightly.


    "Naturally, if this blood is able to only change a person for the price of their cultivation which has already permeated their very being and became their foundation. It won¡¯t be as effective. However, you are much different, you haven¡¯t even started to cultivate, and yet look at you. Without having any foundation, you merged with that blood. Think of yourself as an empty vessel. If you were already a Divine, changing an already filled vessel would be difficult because it has already changed and built up itself to support your power." Isla said sternly


    "So, in short, because I am not storing any strength I can more easily resonate with the strength of the blood?"


    "Bingo! That is precisely it, since you are an empty shell; the Spiritual God¡¯s Blood was able to successfully merge with you in its entirety. Not a single sliver of the remnants of the Spiritual Gods last remaining power was wasted in the synthesis. This means that although you have to build up your cultivation from the very beginning, your foundation will be so incomparably stable that it makes even me jealous. Your foundation will originate from what was arguably one of the most powerful existences from the Age of Immortals."


    To think that was the case! Lute actually cast aside his cold atmosphere for a moment to revel in the joy that he was able to obtain what he wanted. If he didn¡¯t have anything else from the Divine Realm or even the Origin Soul Needle, he would still be content.


    Thanks to this one chance I was given and most of all, Isla. I needed was a strong starting point, and now I have it. There is no excuse for me not to catch up to the cultivators of my generation. If I fail, then it is my own fault. The journey into the future starts now!

 Chapter 6

    Lute was currently enveloped in a mood of elation. He¡¯d resonated with the Spiritual Gods Blood deeper than even someone with strength of the Divine would be able to. But, his mood quickly grew somber when an ice cold realization hit him. He didn¡¯t gain any information regarding the inheritance as Isla said he should¡¯ve. Even more so, he couldn¡¯t freely look into his inner body since he wasn¡¯t even a cultivator.


    "Master, I think we might have a problem, I haven¡¯t received any information upon the changes that occurred within me. All I know is that my body has changed fundamentally for the better." Lute said dejectedly.


    "I know" Spoke Isla. She was already aware the moment the Lute woke up and simply marveled at his changed body. If he really knew the knowledge of what he had obtained, then he wouldn¡¯t have been so impressed with the new body he acquired.


    Being a soul with the strength of the Divine, albeit injured, Isla was still connected to Lute. And with her seemingly endless soul strength compared to Lute¡¯s soul, the changes in his body were apparent to her. The extent of which even shocked her. Slowly she began to notice just how inferior even some of the Immortals from the past era were compared to the Spiritual God.


    Slowly, Isla withdrew her sense from within Lute¡¯s body. "I haven¡¯t been able to discover much, but needless to say, it is far above even my comprehension. Perhaps we will discover more as you increase your cultivation. For now, all I can say are you having what appear to be five spiritual doors, all of which are transparent, and are placed in a pentagonal formation surrounding your dantian." Isla said slowly.


    All she knew at the moment was that there was extreme power hidden in those doors, perhaps directly linked to why the Spiritual God was unmatched and seemed to have limitless power, despite him having only displayed it once in known history.


    Lute shuffled back and forth in place. Not knowing what was within his body crazily sent danger signals. Especially if he wasn¡¯t aware of their existence on his own.


    "Are the doors permanently shut? Will they cause a deviation in our plans?"


    "Honestly I don¡¯t know, I have never heard of anything like this, not once have I heard of an inheritor of a God with such things. Perhaps it was unique only to the Spiritual God, or maybe only Gods of his level had these. However, I forbid you from opening even the first door, for if you did so right now, your body would spontaneously combust and explode." Isla said coldly.


    A cold sweat drenched Lute. Even his bones seemed to shiver. This was something far from what he was expecting, but it was too late, the damage was already done. He shouldn¡¯t have expected to obtain all that he¡¯d gained without any risk involved.


    Lute simply sat in place, collecting his thoughts and quelling any surging emotions he might have. For now, in a time of uncertainty it was best to listen to what his Master instructed for that was his best chance of survival. Acting irrational or egotistical was not something he planned on doing.


    For a few moments Lute simply sat and waited as he could feel through his connection with Isla that she was deep in thought. At times he could even catch glimpses of her doll-like face in this deep darkness of a cavern. But thankfully, with his new body came more than just advantages in strength. Endurance, reflexes, and senses. All of them seemed to rise multiplicatively; so being able to see somewhat in this dark cave became a boon.


    After what seemed like an eternity, Lute felt his consciousness jolt. He didn¡¯t expect Isla to suddenly appear in front of him as he was dozing off to sleep.


    "Well, let¡¯s begin, it¡¯s not as if we¡¯ll be able to change the circumstance just based on what we know with the power at our disposal. You won¡¯t even be able to leave this cave without at least entering into the first level of cultivation." Spoke Isla once more in her typical haughty manner. It appeared she was starting to really fit into the role of being a teacher.


    To Lute her arrogant look wasn¡¯t very appealing and diminished some of her beauty, but he wasn¡¯t about to tell her that for fear of what she would do to him.


    Sitting up, and forcing all sign of fatigue from displaying upon his body, Lute focused intently upon the lesson to come. Others his age would find all that he was about to learn as common knowledge, but to him it was a treasure trove. Of course, the things he could learn from Isla were a heaven and earth difference between what other cultivators could learn from their masters. Such was the difference in skill of the Divines and Mortals.


    "Now listen up, I shall only say this once, if you don¡¯t listen, I shall beat you until you learn."


    "Yes, I shall listen with all I can, not a word shall be forgotten." Lute said enthusiastically, with all sign of fatigue seemingly vanishing.


    Finally, Isla began to teach in earnest, "I shall only start with the Mortal Nine Realms, as you don¡¯t need to set your sights any higher for now. In order they are the Foundational, Nascent, Spirit Opening, Earthen Practitioner, Ascension, Emperor, Soul Opening, Overlord, and Heavenly Emperor Realms. Each Realm is broken into ten levels. Every three is one small realm. The difference of one small realm is greater the farther along you cultivate. The gap between one for a Heavenly Emperor would be considered a chasm whereas a small realm difference in the Foundational Qi Realm is like a puddle."


    "So a third level Foundation Qi cultivator would be able to fight a fourth or fifth level under the right conditions whereas a third level Heavenly Emperor wouldn¡¯t be able to win against a fourth level Heavenly Emperor unless they had an overwhelming advantage in talent, equipment, or techniques?" Asked Lute


    "That is about it, and the gaps only widen once you enter into the Divine Realm cultivation levels. The gap from a peak Heavenly Emperor to the weakest of Divines is extreme, and with a planet with such weak laws and essence, it is almost impossible for you to step into the Divine Realm. You perhaps might be able to, but for anyone else I don¡¯t see it as feasible." Isla said


    "For now, all you need to learn to do is gather Qi from the nature¡¯s essence of this world. For reasons even I don¡¯t know, it is slightly skewed toward the element of fire but not so much that everyone would want to use fire related skills. Based on the density of fire compared to the others, if you were to use fire related skills and techniques, they would be slightly stronger, but this can be easily overcome with the proper methods."


    "The key to cultivation isn¡¯t as hard as it may seem. All too often the reason someone doesn¡¯t step into the Divine is because they are only focused upon the quantity of Qi that they have absorbed. However, everything is linked. You need a strong soul, body, and Pure Qi to truly have a chance to take that final step."A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Isla paused to let her words sink into Lute, this was the most important foundational information he could learn. If he one-sidedly focused on increasing the amount of Qi and rushed through the Nine Mortal Realms, he would never be able to step on the Divine Path.


    So this is the reason that it is only in legends that people step into the Divine Path. To people like me of this planet, even the weakest of them would be considered an invincible existence that is unsurmountable. Thought Lute in wonder.


    All at once it seemed to click. A knowing look appeared upon Lute. That malicious glint in his eyes returned.


    Yes, they are all linked. If that is the case, why should I rush to catch up to my generation? They are all doing it wrong. I will not be so conceited to think myself a talented genius, I am only lucky. But if it comes down to it, they all must be under the thought process of the quicker they advance while maintaining stability, the more talented they are.


    A cruel smile then appeared along with the cold atmosphere Lute was emitting.


    "Say, Master, if all these so called geniuses think that a big cultivation means they are strong. What would happen if someone with a weaker cultivation decimated their entire pride? From my understanding, they wouldn¡¯t have very strong bodies or souls. And their Qi might not be as strong as it could be. That is your plan for me isn¡¯t it? You are also teaching me this because you are tired of being on a planet that is unworthy of your presence? Do you¡­perhaps want me to shame this entire planet in your place because you are sick of thought that you fell here?" Asked Lute with an evil smile that surprisingly suited him.


    He wasn¡¯t going to call himself a Saint. After seeing the mountain of corpses that even his father was a part of. The entire planet could fall to ruin for all he cared. Except for his mother and sister, he held no regard for such a planet. However, Lute was also clear that no matter what planet he was on, such tragedies as the one from his past were daily occurrences and he wasn¡¯t the only one that suffered, even so, this train of thought wouldn¡¯t be changed easily.


    "Hehe, yes, perhaps I should change my thoughts about you. For certain things you catch on very quickly. All these mortal cultivators advancing incorrectly, and it is depressing; what kind of moronic idiot proposed that having the most Qi meant you were the strongest in the Mortal Realm. I have spent many years here in this disgusting place. The quality of everything is nonexistent, I feel as if I am suffocating being in a place of such polluted essence. So, before we leave this planet for the Divine Realm, we shall "Teach" them the error in their ways!" Isla shouted in joy. Her voice seemed to transmit throughout Lute¡¯s very being.


    This¡­this is her usual nature. Now I understand, thought Lute. She just inherently has a much higher standard to living conditions. And¡­ perhaps she just likes to slaughter anything and everything. So it¡¯s not that Divine Realm cultivators would destroy a Mortal Planet on a passing whim, it¡¯s simply the fact that they disdain the thought of even going to one.


    Isla cut off Lute¡¯s train of thought. Fluttering about, she began to twirl a strand of her raven black hair. She seemed to come to a decision about what she planned to do about the conundrum that was her disciple. Despite acting all knowing, she never actually bothered to teach anyone before, so she was actually slightly lost about where to start.


    Without a doubt, if anyone that knew her saw the event before them, they would gawk in awe. Isla was well known for never accepting a single disciple. She radiated an aura of cold arrogance and had very few who could be considered friends. They could be counted on a single hand.


    Finally, she looked at Lute and smiled evilly. Without a doubt he was special to her. That much Lute could feel through their connection. However it wasn¡¯t special in the sense that she cherished him. No, it was more terrifying than that, he was special to her because his very existence was an enigma to her, and she was going to unravel all of his quirks and understand why he was so interesting at any cost. All in all, in her eyes he was not only a toy to play with, he was also a small mouse for her to experiment on!


    Lute felt a sense of dread as he could only imagine the things that Isla was going to force upon him. From her look, he could tell that she was going to enjoy seeing him in pain. Her devilish and warped smile seemed to penetrate into his very soul. Then he shuddered in fear at her declaration.


    "Oh you child, you are going to have a great honor bestowed upon you! The first and the last! You shall be the first and last disciple I ever teach! Naturally, I can¡¯t lazily teach you. One hundred percent of my attention shall be on you at all times. Every aspect of your life shall be devoted to training. I will not tolerate failure in the slightest! I already said it in the contract but I will elaborate upon it here and now! I shall grant you power, power enough that will garner you respect even in the Divine Realms! So¡­ suffer, teeter on the edge of life and death. It shall not be easy; you will fight for every step you take." Isla declared in extreme arrogance.


    To make such a declaration, Lute wasn¡¯t wrong to shudder in fear. It was very difficult to get noticed in the Divine Realm. And typically if you were noticed, it was because someone wanted to kill you, whether it was because you had a treasure or you offended somebody.


    "You¡¯ve perhaps obtained the best possible starting line that would make even the young nobles of the Divine Realm jealous. From what I have seen in your body, when you merged with the Origin Soul Needle, it cleared away all of the impurities within your meridians. This will make starting off cultivation a thousand times easier because you don¡¯t need to clear them as you grow stronger. Then with your new body, your meridians even became far more durable, and larger due to the Spiritual God Blood. I have only heard of rare constitutions people are born with that allow for larger and more durable meridians." Isla said with a hint of envy.


    Isla quickly regained her composure. Despite that, Lute still felt how she was envious of his situation.


    "Now quickly, if you can get even one strand of Qi, even if it is thinner than a hair strand, it will be enough to enter the first level of the Foundational Qi Realm. This is where the benefit of us sharing a body comes into play. I can already sense it and transmit the proper method of allowing it to flow into your dantian and then through your meridians. Let us begin." Isla said


    Without even being able to ask a question, Lute didn¡¯t have time to prepare. Still in a sitting position, he watched Isla disappear from sight. He felt her existence within his body, which was a feeling he couldn¡¯t get used to quickly. Knowing someone inhabited your body and feeling their existence as well as emotions was quite eccentric, the feeling wasn¡¯t able to be described.


    However, all of that quickly went to the back of Lute¡¯s mind as he felt something foreign. This feeling, it was almost out of his grasp, however, it seemed to gravitate towards him and get stronger.


    "Hurry up; forcefully sharing my sense with you is much harder than you think. This isn¡¯t my body after all, so the amount that I can actually tamper with is very limited and draining on my soul. You should be feeling the essence of the world right now, also known as Qi. It is already gravitating to you on its own accord. Now simply absorb it into your dantian. Once enough is built up, revolve it through your body in a clockwise manner." Isla said tiredly.


    Holding onto the feeling, Lute focused on it, and let it grow stronger. Almost as if it knew his intentions, the Qi began to gather in very small wires, each thinner than a hair strand. Ever so slowly, they began to congregate and enter his body through the pores of his skin. Travelling through his body, the extremely weak Qi began to build up in his dantian although it was a pitiful amount.


    Almost an hour later, Lute hadn¡¯t realized that he was the one that was now sensing the Qi without the help of Isla. What would take months for an average person in the Mortal Realm to successfully sense Qi and absorb it had been completed in an hour. Such was the benefit of Lute sharing his body with Isla.


    Lute simply continued to absorb the Qi nonstop. Under the vision of Isla however, he could feel her discontent. Clearly he wasn¡¯t at her level of expectations. The thought of failing her right at the start didn¡¯t sit well with Lute and it was almost as if something broke within himself. The speed of which he could absorb Qi from the environment had increased nearly three-fold. Then a thunderous roar seemed to occur from within his body. His Dantian overflowed like a damn and the rest of the Qi it couldn¡¯t hold spilled into his meridians.


    Success! Lute broke into the first level of the Foundational Qi Realm!

 Chapter 7

    Lute was seated in a Lotus position within the cave. It had been nearly twenty-four hours since he had fallen. Yet, in this damp and dreary area, he had successfully stepped onto the path of cultivation. But under Isla¡¯s fierce gaze he felt as if he failed her from the start. He could clearly feel her anger as if it was he himself who was angry. Little did he know that it wasn¡¯t directed at he himself, but this world.


    Isla simply watched Lute in anger as he was cultivating for the first time and as quickly as well as desperately as he could. He had felt the presence of Qi very quickly with her help; that much she had expected. However, Isla forgot one important fact that she hadn¡¯t taken into account, and that was the fact this world had extremely low quality Qi or in other words the essence of the world.


    Lute was certainly cultivating quicker than she thought he would. That was a surprise. She felt his desperation and willpower to not let her down. The problem lied in the fact that the Qi he was absorbing was extremely polluted to the point that it shocked even her.


    Are all Mortal Realms like this? If that is the case, this might be much slower than I had originally thought. But time is fine; we have all the time in the world as long as he doesn¡¯t die. The problem lies in how low quality this Qi is, even to the point where I am starting to wonder if this can be called the essence of the world. He managed to become the master of the Origin Soul Needle and absorbed the Spiritual God Blood without screaming in pain except for the initial grunt. Perhaps¡­just perhaps he might be able to learn that because of the anomaly that he is.


    Having made up her mind, Isla manifested in front of Lute. "For the first time absorbing Qi, you are certainly in an acceptable range of absorption speed. However, you don¡¯t get a passing mark. The quality is absolutely horrendous, so much so to the point I don¡¯t even want to call this Qi." Isla said without a hint of sympathy. She wasn¡¯t going to be lenient with Lute, even if it wasn¡¯t his fault, she would use this to give him more conviction to not fail.


    Lutes mood sank immediately, the previous elation of being a cultivator finally all dissipated. He failed completely. Just because he could absorb Qi to her level of acceptance, he didn¡¯t absorb it purely. Or so he thought, Lute didn¡¯t know that this was simply a problem tied to the world itself.


    "My apologies Master, I shall not make the same mistake again." Lute mumbled in dread.


    "I shall forgive you just this once. You¡¯d better make it up to me, because I shall give you a method to increase the purity of your Qi." Isla said


    Lute sat up straight, his body shivering slightly. Just how many things was he going to receive in a single day? Just obtaining either the Origin Soul Needle by themselves or the Spiritual Gods Blood would send the entire Divine Realm into an uproar, much less one person having both of them. Heaven defying luck was what Lute was going to sum it up to.


    "What is it? Forgive my ignorance, but I don¡¯t know about skills at all." Lute said while annoyed at his lack of knowledge.


    "Although they can be called skills, typically the most common names for them are Techniques or Arts. During my travels to prepare for my final Tribulation, I had searched many ancient tombs for the last remaining power left behind by the immortals, and some I had learned from my homeland. But where I got them doesn¡¯t matter. There are some things I can pass on to you without you requiring a bloodline." Isla said


    "Bloodlines, what do those have to do with me being able to learn something? Isn¡¯t it simply a matter of insight and training? What would I being of my father¡¯s bloodline have to do with learning an Art?" Asked Lute


    "You really are a dense idiot!" Isla screamed in rage.


    "Huh?"


    "Honestly what am I going to do with you? I wasn¡¯t speaking of your parents. Bloodlines refer to the powers left behind by the Immortals for us because they didn¡¯t want to see the last vestiges of it disappear forever. Currently, nobody has ever successfully taken the final step and become a True God, but let it be known that powerful Arts are being developed over time, and gradually, ever so slowly the current peak of cultivation is being expanded until finally someday somewhere a practitioner will take that final step to become a True Immortal from the past era." Isla said


    "What does that have to do with me learning an Art though?" Asked Lute, Isla still hadn¡¯t made any sense to him.


    Isla sighed in dismay, Lute caught on to some things very quickly, but apparently he was an idiot in other areas. "The closest that somebody can get to a True God so far is to inherit the blood left behind by an Immortal before they died. The only immortals to leave behind any Arts are the truly powerful ones from the Age of Immortals who survived for a time before finally falling. Naturally, these inheritances will become too diluted or disappear someday. However, they will be fought over until that time, because they can bring someone infinitely close to being an Immortal. Each Art left behind is incredibly powerful, even if somebody inherited a diluted bloodline. However, some of these Arts left behind can only be used if the bloodline was inherited."


    "So what you are saying is that some Immortals left behind a single Art or not even an Art but a technique, and they don¡¯t require the corresponding bloodline?" Lute said


    He finally understood even if only a little. Most Arts needed bloodlines to be used, however there were some exceptions. And these inheritances would run out someday, so they were fought over. But there were also practitioners who were creating Arts and Techniques that were extremely powerful, and slowly, ever so slowly, the Divine Realm practitioners were going to break the bottleneck that would allow the Age of Immortals to once again return. But the ones who already had an inheritance had a higher chance of taking that final step.


    Well, basically it is a power struggle then? The Divine Realm is really full of bloodthirsty hounds who covet each other¡¯s treasures. No doubt they are racing against time to produce a True Immortal first because it would shift the balance of power exponentially. That is something I must stay far away from for it not only will endanger me, but also Master as well.


    Lute kept contemplating while continuing to cultivate, he felt sure that he could break into the second level by then end of the day. Basically, from what he understood, then in the all the Realms, he was the only person of the Spiritual Gods bloodline, and only his children would hold a diluted shred of his powers.


    "Lute, we have strayed too far from the original topic. The point is, one such Art that I encountered in my travels is something that even I was unable to successfully cultivate. However if it is you who seems to be an enigma, you might be able to cultivate it. After all, you became the master of the Origin Soul Needle without even wanting to, and as a mortal to boot!" Isla said


    "Then what is it? If you believe I can do it, then I will certainly attempt it." Lute said enthusiastically.


    "At first I was debating even telling you of this Art, because although it is quite tyrannical, the chances of somebody successfully learning such an Art are almost none. From that alone I can draw the conclusion that although a bloodline isn¡¯t needed, perhaps this Art is only for one who is fated to learn it¡­and that person wasn¡¯t me."


    Sorrow seemed to fill Isla¡¯s voice as she mentioned even she was unable to learn it. But it didn¡¯t matter to Lute, all that mattered was she thought he had a chance to succeed.


    "The name of this Art is called Divine Chronicle of the Primordial Way. The creator was the Primordial True God. He wasn¡¯t the first or even one of the oldest. He obtained his name because the power he exhibited was the most primal of Qi. The power of the Qi lied in its purity. It was so pure that it was almost considered the most powerful form of Qi. Using this Qi, the Primordial True God became one of the supreme existences versus the devils because they didn¡¯t have anyone like him within their ranks. That is the extent of my knowledge of this Art. Its actual effects on the practitioner are unknown because I failed in cultivating it. However, I have no doubt that it will certainly increase the purity of the horrendously polluted Qi that you have." Spoke Isla in a defeated manner once again.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The fact that there was something she was unable to accomplish was really starting to get to her mentally. But never the less, she still was about to give Lute a chance.


    Isla disappeared from view, her spirit body once again within Lute. But this time rather than sharing her senses with him, Isla only transmitted a memory of the Art directly into Lute, he wouldn¡¯t be able to forget it even if he wanted to. This method was far easier for her as it wasn¡¯t as draining on her soul¡¯s strength compared to sharing her senses with Lute.


    "This, this is¡­."


    An extremely complex technique appeared within Lute. Loosely stated, he needed to become one with nature. He needed to obtain the approval of the world before him. Then he had to revolve his Qi through his body as the method stated. It seemed easy, but in actuality it was quite difficult. Half his bodies Qi needed to flow through the meridians in a single direction, while the other half had to flow through the opposite direction.


    This went against everything he had literally just learned about cultivating. Within each meridian, the Qi needed to flow in two opposite directions! What kind of methodology is that?! Then even if he learned the Art successfully, wouldn¡¯t this impede on his ability to cultivate because the Qi would permanently flow in such a manner!


    However, he wasn¡¯t deterred. This was a mountain worth the attempt to climb. Lute felt, although their reasons were quite different, he might in the end, be slightly similar to this planet after Isla mentioned the dreadful state it was in. And Lute, his first thought to why the planet was the way it was, there could only be one reason in his mind, and that was the sick and disgusting existence that was a human.


    There is no reason I can¡¯t accomplish this. This Planet and I, we are one and the same, both of us were extremely pitiful. I, who lost everything, this planet who is losing everything right now due to the pollution of man. The difference being that I have some luck. I may not care for whether this planet dies or lives, but that isn¡¯t the case for my sister and mother. Perhaps everything wouldn¡¯t be so bad if it all just returned back to its roots, which is nature. Human nature is ugly, all of us have greed, and that greed destroys everything without a second thought.


    "Is that your answer youth?"


    "What¡­what was that, you are definitely not Master." Lute said in surprise, his mouth agape in wonder.


    "Hehe, no I am not. I am the Crimson Tide Planet itself. That Art has temporarily called out to me. All planets are living, even if we typically aren¡¯t sentient."


    "So then¡­ you are the judge?" Asked Lute


    "That is basically it, if I don¡¯t think you are worthy, you will simply have to attempt to use that Art on a different planet. Now I repeat, was that your answer?"


    Lute slightly gulped, the planet probably wouldn¡¯t take kindly to him not caring whether or not it died. However he wouldn¡¯t try and flatter the Crimson Tide Planet. There was no need since it already knew what he was thinking. He had probably already failed from the start.


    "Yes, that is my final answer." Lute said resolutely


    "¡­. You¡­ pass."


    "Huh?" Lute was dumbfounded, how he managed to pass was beyond his realm of understanding. He¡¯d clearly thought that it wasn¡¯t his problem whether or not this planet lived or died.


    "Ha, you are quite clueless aren¡¯t you? Well the answer is quite simple. I also don¡¯t care whether the humans live or die. You understand that your kind is full of gross and evil things. The Qi of this planet may be polluted, but it is nowhere near as polluted as an evil heart. In that regard, we are one and the same as you said, we both suffer at the hands of your kind. It would be simpler if everything returned to the roots. However we both know that will never happen. You¡¯re a child that doesn¡¯t care if I live. Then there am I, the planet who doesn¡¯t care if your race dies."


    "Hehe, so we are the same in some ways. Well, that¡¯s quite interesting. But, even if you approve of me, don¡¯t expect me to start worshipping you." Lute said in a cold and dangerous voice. Clearly expressing he wouldn¡¯t suddenly start caring about the wellbeing of the Crimson Tide Planet.


    "And I don¡¯t expect you to, but, a parting request. If you feel so inclined, please do clear some of the trash that continues to pollute me. My consciousness is quickly fading, at this rate; I will only be able to cause a one natural disaster before my temporary sentience leaves me."


    Lute sighed, since he knew that he would slaughter people in the future anyways, why not? "Sure, I guess that is the least I can do since you showed me a shred of good will when you didn¡¯t have to for any reason." Lute said


    "Well then, farewell, you will feel an earthquake, but rest assured I will make sure this cavern doesn¡¯t collapse."


    "Gee, thanks for the consideration." Lute said dryly.


    True to its words, Lute felt an earthquake erupt beneath his feet. However the cavern didn¡¯t collapse.


    Ha, damn crazy bastard, he really did it. Who knows how many humans just died to his antics? But who cares, he got a little revenge and I get to purify my Qi, which should be a trade of equivalent exchange.


    Lute had no idea what Isla was up to as she wasn¡¯t manifested all the time. Perhaps she was taking a nap. But for whatever reason she was quiet and hiding. That was fine for Lute.


    Regaining his composure, he began to earnestly attempt to cultivate the Divine Chronicle of the Primordial Way. Using the first half of his Qi, Lute revolved it through his body for ten revolutions. This took approximately thirty minutes, with three minutes per revolution.


    That speed is not fast enough. If I ever fight, it needs to revolve even faster. But, patience, I need patience. These things cannot be rushed. If they are, I will not step onto the Divine Path.


    Finally, Lute took the remaining half of his Qi and began to revolve it through his body in the opposite direction. At first it was painful, but after a few revolutions, the pain lessened, eventually so much so that it was to the point it felt refreshing to have his Qi flowing in opposite directions. If anyone were to learn this was how his body operated, they would be dumbfounded. It was proven through errors in the past that if Qi didn¡¯t flow in the same direction. It could seriously damage the cultivator and possibly cripple them.


    And yet here was Lute, not only was it not painful, he was now actually starting to prefer revolving his Qi in such a manner. As for why, he didn¡¯t know. But soon his answer came.


    Cultivating in this manner for nearly four hours, Lute felt extremely refreshed. Not only had he broken through to the second level of the Foundational Qi Realm. He¡¯d even noticed the Qi became much more solidified and white compared to the cloudy color of before that was not even as wide as a strand of hair.


    Suddenly, out of nowhere, a thunderous roar shook within Lute. Far stronger than any he had heard in the outside world before. But this time, it came from within his body!


    Slowly a translucent image of a pearl began to float in front of Lutes forehead as he continued to cultivate the Divine Chronicle of the Primordial Way. It¡¯s color a deep forest green. Shining radiantly as if saying to the world, look upon my glory.


    A voice that seemed to be as old as time itself began to transmit itself and imprint upon Lutes very soul.


    "Young one, you have successfully cultivated the first level of the Primordial Way. If you choose to teach this Art to someone else and give them the chance, then do so at your own discretion. However only you will hear me, this is the final power I have left behind to communicate for one last time. Think of it as leaving a recording behind with some information. I am already long dead due to that nasty pearl."


    "Uh, ok" Lute said. Just how many voices was he going to hear in one day?


    "The Primordial Way doesn¡¯t grant techniques. However, it is a passive effect. First, your Qi shall flow in the inverted manner for the rest of your life. This cannot be changed. This inverted form is obviously painful at first as you know. That is because as you advance, the inverted flows will constantly fight each other and breakdown your meridians. However, the benefit of this; you will autonomously revolve your Qi without consciously doing it. So even if you¡¯re asleep, you shall always be cultivating and regaining used Qi, which is particularly useful in fights of attrition."


    That is so broken, am I the only one that can do this? Are people not able to regenerate Qi in the middle of a fight unless they take pills that grant a fixed amount? Shit! He is still going on, got to pay attention.


    "Next, this inverted flow that breaks down the meridians will force them to become wider and more durable. Third, each level is an increase of bodily strength. At the first level, you should be able to exert a bit over 200 hundred pounds in one arm. Your body will become harder and sturdier."


    Lute¡¯s mind went blank; he didn¡¯t know what to think anymore. And yet the voice was still going on in a very dry and monotone way.


    "Finally, this is extremely purified Qi from nature itself. So its ability to aid you and regenerate your wounds is far superior to Qi of other cultivators. In a fight, just imagine, as your opponent is forced to use pills or their own Qi that won¡¯t regenerate without them consciously cultivating to heal themselves. You will be regaining Qi and healing without having to flee. However, if you stopped and focused only on cultivating, the rate at which you heal and intake Qi multiplies. Naturally, as you advance this Art, the passive rate at which you heal and absorb Qi will dramatically increase. There are levels. But alas, I fear that as you are not a True God, your limit will probably be the seventh level. But who knows, maybe you will shatter fate and break through the seventh level."


    Numb, that was how Lute felt. No wonder Isla failed in cultivating this, it was simply too absurd. Seriously, did he even need to consciously cultivate anymore¡­probably. But this was too stupid, at this rate he would be able to fight those at his level without having to even use Qi because they wouldn¡¯t even be able to damage his body. He wouldn¡¯t even have to waste Qi using it to protect his body!


    Rather than think about it anymore. Cultivating in quiet with a blank mind was probably the best thing to do. At least until Isla appeared again¡­ perhaps she really was sleeping because of the soul¡¯s strength she used?

 Chapter 8

    Lute didn¡¯t know if his heart could take any more surprises. In a span of a little over twenty-four hours, he jumped off a cliff and somehow survived with near fatal injuries that should¡¯ve killed him. He managed to obtain one of the top five treasures in the known universe and obtained a Master to guide him. But that still wasn¡¯t the end. He practically got two inheritances of some of the strongest Immortals.


    One of which gave him a bloodline that only he could have, and the other which gave a near impossible Art to cultivate and could only be taught to others at his own discretion. This wasn¡¯t just luck at play anymore, there clearly had to be a detriment to all of this as recompense. And currently one strong scenario was making itself more plausible by the hour. That detriment was Isla¡¯s soul.


    Ever since she had transmitted the Primordial Gods Art to him, Isla hadn¡¯t manifested in her spiritual form once. Even more so, through the connection Lute clearly felt that her "Existence" had weakened somewhat. It had become harder to read her emotions or sense her within his body. With just this much evidence alone, there was a pretty strong conclusion that there was a price for Isla¡¯s actions.


    She had done three things. First she shared her senses with me directly. She transmitted an Art directly from her soul to me. And she used her power to send the Spiritual Gods blood to me. She did all this while only being a soul. I¡¯d be an idiot to think that she isn¡¯t paying some price to do this.


    She already mentioned that she had been using her soul strength. But does she have a way to replenish it? Perhaps she will sleep until she stabilizes with the remaining strength that she has left.


    Arriving at such a conclusion, Lute stood up and began to make his way deeper into the cave. He had now come to the realization that he couldn¡¯t rely on Isla to constantly give him a powerful Art or be there all the time to help him. No doubt there would be times where she would slumber, and who knows how long it would last each time. If he wanted to advance, he needed to do it without relying on the safety net that was Isla, for it could only hinder his growth if he relied on her all the time. With that thought, he moved forward on his own.


    Under normal circumstances, it would have been smarter for Lute to simply return to the location he landed from his fall. Then it would be child¡¯s play for the current him to climb up the chasm and to the surface. Even with his cultivation of a mere second level Foundational Qi practitioner.


    However, whether he was simply crazy, or had a sixth sense, Lute felt as if he should travel deeper into the cavern in his attempt to leave. Perhaps there would be something else of unknown origin that he could obtain. The chances of such an occurrence, however, were quite close to none.


    Advancing forward, there was nothing notable. The slight sounds of dripping water and the occasional insect were all that appeared. Other than that, for the most part, the cavern was exactly the same as any other. It was devoid of any light and on all sides it was simply rock.


    The only reason Lute was able to see somewhat was thanks to the Spiritual Gods Blood. It changed his body down to the smallest units on a fundamental level. The easiest difference in his body to notice at the time of his change was naturally sight. Originally having a hard time even seeing his hand, after the change, it was easily visible. Just that much alone was helpful in this place without a shred of light.


    For nearly half an hour Lute trudged on. All the while his body was still absorbing Qi without him having to. The Primordial God had certainly been right; this would be extremely painful under normal circumstances. But, he¡¯d failed to notice his inheritor had also inherited from the Spiritual God ¨Csince it was a mere shred of his will that he left behind- so at the least, for now the pain was hardly noticeable in Lute¡¯s meridians because they were already quite wide and durable as they originated from an Immortal.


    The strength of the meridians were certainly on a completely different level compared to the cultivators of this era, but even in the Age of Immortals, having abnormally large and strong meridians was rare. The Primordial God could be said to be one of the few who had the strongest because the Divine Chronicle of the Primordial Way constantly expanded and strengthened them.


    If Lute had any problem with them, it was the fact in comparison to the size of his meridians and the amount of Qi he had, it felt as if he had no Qi at all revolving through his body. It seemed almost nonexistent. At this rate, he had no idea how long it would take for him to completely fill his body with the power of Qi, because at the moment he felt like an empty vessel.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    The concept of breaking through, at least in the Foundational Qi Realm, was to gather as much Qi as the body could hold in both the dantian and meridians. Eventually, the body would be forced to condense all of the Qi and compact it even more to allow more space for the body to hold Qi. This was the essence of breakthrough in the first small realm. The constant condensing of Qi, forcing it into a stronger form, albeit there being less of it, was the goal.


    Once this couldn¡¯t happen anymore, the Cultivator¡¯s Dantian would be forced to adapt. This was when a breakthrough to the Nascent Qi Realm occurred. Now, not only does Qi have to constantly fill the body and then compress to a stronger form, each level of cultivation would start increasing the Dantian capacity to hold Qi. In essence there wasn¡¯t a problem with this in the Mortal Realm or the Divine Realm. But Lute was beginning to realize the problem with this for his unique situation.


    While being able to revolve larger amounts of Qi at once without a problem, doesn¡¯t this mean that I will need far more Qi to breakthrough compared to other Cultivators? This will seriously slow down my ability to cultivate. As for how much, I¡¯ll have to wait for Master. I don¡¯t know how much larger my meridians are compared to a normal cultivator. The power of the Immortals is really something that eclipses all that we understand in this era. But even so, this empty feeling is really not something that I enjoy. I bet that other cultivators at my level certainly don¡¯t feel starved like this.


    Finally up ahead, Lute began to see a speck of light in the distance. Worrying about how fast he could actually cultivate had in actuality passed a lot of time. Nearly two hours had gone by since he trudged forward initially. As expected, he hadn¡¯t found anything interesting, but he didn¡¯t care.


    Finally, not only will I be able to obtain some food, maybe I¡¯ll even be able to craft some fur clothes as well. To think that instead of ending up in death, I will have a second chance.


    Lute picked up his pace and began to jog towards the light. As he approached closer and closer, he began to feel a sense of foreboding, as for what it was, he had no idea. Once again he slowed down, only to be met with a grotesque sight. Directly in front of him was a nest of bones. They weren¡¯t even randomly scattered, it seemed that this was made intentionally as a nest. There were bones, twigs and an assortment of grasses and leaves woven in. Whatever it was, something built this by slaughtering many animals and possibly people.


    The closer Lute came to the nest, the greater his sense of danger felt towards the surroundings. Currently there was nothing here, but Lute felt certain that this was a nest of a vicious beast. Checking in all directions, he then sprinted as fast as he could to the entrance.


    Blinding light enveloped Lutes vision. After about a minute his eyes finally adjusted to being in the light again compared to the darkness of before. Just based on his immediate surroundings, Lute began to feel a sense of dread.


    "God damn it! Of all the places I could have ended up, why it would have to be here?!" Lute spat angrily.


    This place, it was the forbidden zone that he¡¯d set for himself the past two years. This portion of the Crimson Tide Mountain Range was the place that was fraught with Vicious Beasts only. The greatest problem now¡­ Lute came to the realization that he didn¡¯t actually know how to fight upfront. He¡¯d only ever set traps for small animals or used the bow and arrows he previously had to shoot deer. Despite being a cultivator he didn¡¯t actually know martial arts.


    Shit! Master never actually taught me how to fight using Qi! I don¡¯t even know how to fight in close combat¡­. I sincerely hope that having a strong body makes up for those deficiencies.


    Not wanting to stay near this deathtrap of a cave any longer. Lute began to move away as quietly as possible. He didn¡¯t want to alert anything in the vicinity through sound that he was nearby.


    On the Crimson Tide Planet, for reasons unknown the sun was in a perpetual state of sunset. The only other time was night. But, thanks to this, Lute started heading towards the sun because through it being sunset at all times, he knew that it would head west. For now, heading in that direction didn¡¯t seem any worse than another.


    After traveling for roughly another hour, while taking care to avoid any areas that he felt had a high risk of danger. Lute finally heard a familiar sound.


    Water! Finally, if I am careful, I should be able to make a shelter hidden from the sight of any Vicious Beasts that come around. However I must not be impatient, who knows what is around here.


    True to his thoughts, Lute began to scan the surrounding area for anything that might pose a threat to his life. At the moment, there was nothing that he had noticed. It was eerily quiet but that was all. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary.


    After looking around for a while, and based solely on his experience from the past, where Lute actually was had become apparent.


    Hmm, so this is a small valley within the mountain range. Perhaps it¡¯s so quiet because either most of the Vicious Beasts have not found this place. Or the more probable scenario would be that they were driven off, most likely by a few older, stronger beasts that have made this place their home.


    The latter is probably the case, if so; a small shelter where their bodies can¡¯t fit would be the safest. Small fires at the most, and finding out when anything is active. Those are the three keys to living here, if I don¡¯t live in this way, I¡¯ll probably die.


    And so, Lutes survival in the unknown valley began. A time of uncertainty was all that the future showed. Such was the life of a cultivator. Nothing was ever guaranteed.

 Chapter 9

    Well over ten days had come and gone in the Crimson Tide Mountain Range. In a small valley, devoid of most life, there was a young teenager simply foraging around for food. Honed with years of survival experience alone, Lute was moving around quickly. He never completely focused on any one task, and he didn¡¯t stay in any area for a prolonged amount of time. This was his secret to survival.


    The only exception was where he had set up a shelter. Following the river of water towards the edge of the valley, there was a small offshoot that ended in a small pond. Next to this pond, Lute had found a large rock with as flat of an edge and as knife-like as possible. With his new bodily strength that he steadily was growing accustomed to, Lute dug into the side of the hill over the course of multiple days. After a space large enough inside of the hill was dug out just enough for Lute not to feel cramped, he went and found as large of a rock as he could carry to block the entrance.


    It was a very crude shelter, and if a Vicious Beast really wanted to, it could simply dig in towards Lute from another direction. However, he was confident that wouldn¡¯t happen, because a beast like that wouldn¡¯t want to go through so much effort. It would instead probably search for easier prey.


    This had become Lute¡¯s new home for the time being. There was a small stash of twigs and dead logs that Lute used for a fire only when he was sure nothing was nearby. Now, his days were full of foraging and information gathering, and his nights were spent cultivating. And that was only an accidental discovery, as he couldn¡¯t sense time changes; Lute had accidentally cultivated an entire night and discovered that it felt as if he had slept for six hours.


    It wasn¡¯t equal to a full night of sleep, but surely in the future, cultivation would be able to supplement it as a substitute.


    Lute sighed as he came out of a state of cultivation. There wasn¡¯t much to do at this moment in time. He had a small stash of edibles built up for when he felt hunger, but aside from that, he cultivated¡­and cultivated.


    How long will it seriously take to break through to the third level? I broke into the second level within one day, and yet here I am¡­.more than ten days later. Shouldn¡¯t cultivation be quicker than this in the beginning? I even have the benefit of my intake of Qi being multiplicatively increased if I consciously focus on it with the Divine Chronicle of the Primordial Way. Even still¡­ this is abysmal. I must really have no affinity towards cultivation.


    With such depressing thoughts, Lute stretched his slightly stiff muscles. Leaving his crude make-shift shelter, he simply walked around aimlessly searching and exploring so he would be prepared for the eventual day that he left this secluded valley.


    Very quickly, more than half the day went by, there was nothing important occurring. For the entire time he had left, all Lute was attempting to do was figure out a way to increase his cultivation speed.


    I know that according to Master, simply rushing to increase the amount of Qi that I have is the wrong way of cultivating. I must temper my body, soul, and purity of my Qi. But certainly there must be ways to speed up the process.


    Then almost as if he was struck by an epiphany, Lute came to a realization. He still had an advantage that he was sure of. The Spiritual God Inheritance was a chance he still had.


    Lute began to laugh at his own ignorance. Hehe, of course, I am doing perfectly fine. It¡¯s only natural that it will be harder for me to advance. I have those five doors. But in reality, aside from giving me a stronger body, and those doors that will kill me if even the first one is open, I don¡¯t actually know anything about the Spiritual Gods Inheritance.


    Virtually no information was granted. I wouldn¡¯t have even known about the doors without Masters Aid. So, that only leaves one conclusion, I was only supposed to learn of their existence when I reached an approximate predetermined cultivation. For now, I must painstakingly and slowly advance until the day that I am worthy to learn of the true power that this blood has.


    Lute felt refreshed upon the realization. Isla had also stated that he shouldn¡¯t have been impressed with his body simply being changed. That wasn¡¯t even enough to call it an inheritance. Especially of one rumored to be one of the most powerful existences from the Age of Immortals.


    With his enlightenment, Lute began to return to the shelter he made. But after a few mere steps, his expression became extremely dangerous. Years of survival alone hadn¡¯t all been for naught. Even if he didn¡¯t have the ability to sense everything in his surroundings like Isla, Lute still had the "Sense" that someone or something was watching him.


    Stopping in his tracks immediately, he scanned his surroundings for any moment. There was almost no movement to aid in finding the location of whatever was watching Lute¡­almost.


    But, off to his right, Lute saw the slightest movement of the foliage, it was almost imperceptible. Quickly scooping up a stone from the ground; Lute threw it with as much strength as he could in that general direction.


    The stone, almost the size of Lutes hand flew at an extreme speed off to his right. It broke all of the thin branches, vines and general foliage of the forest in its trajectory. Finally somewhere off in the distance, a thundering crash was heard as it landed, probably indented into the ground.


    His action payed off, Lute soon saw his stalker. Coming from where he expected, the massive form of wolf came into view. When he locked eyes with it, Lute recognized immediately that this wolf was quite special¡­to him anyway.


    "Heh, to think we¡¯d meet again you bastard. You must love the scent of me so much that you waited and waited until I reappeared eh?" Lute said in a dangerously low and mocking voice.


    Although it couldn¡¯t understand human speech, the wolf clearly understood that the human before it was mocking it. In a short span of time, this little furless creature had a completely different air about it. To taunt so it so soon, the wolf was going to enjoy tearing the prey that it lost the first time to shreds.


    Vicious Beasts were by no means unintelligent, no matter how weak they were. At the very least, they would hold enough intelligence to strategically judge a situation. Despite feeling a sense of danger from the seemingly defenseless Lute, it began to prowl forward while snapping it fangs.


    Now I have your attention eh? Well, I guess this is as good a time as ever to figure out how to use Qi in a fight.


    Strangely enough, instead of feeling fear at the sight of his would-be killer, Lute was extremely calm. His mind was ice-cold and clear. He wasn¡¯t trembling in fear at all; instead adrenaline was rushing through his body. This was perhaps the first time Lute actually wanted fight of his own initiative. Even if he had no idea how to properly fight with his body alone¡­or even fight at all.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "If it¡¯s a battle you want¡­ I shall give you a war instead." Lute said arrogantly


    Without any feeling of distress despite the very real possibility he could be slaughtered, Lute simply stood there in the same position as if he was an immovable sentinel. Based upon instinct alone, he spread his legs shoulder width apart and readied his fist. Lute attempted to create a stance where one arm was like a shield, always ready to defend the vitals of his body, while the other was poised to strike in retaliation.


    From a casual glance, it would actually seem as if Lute was very clumsily posing. However, if someone that wasn¡¯t astronomically superior to Lute in cultivation was the opponent, he most definitely wouldn¡¯t appear that way.


    Almost as if on que, when Lute entered such an awkward stance and readied himself to the approaching Vicious Beast, his eyes seemed to change. The already ice-cold eyes now seemed to have an extremely sharp and murderous glint in them.


    The approaching wolf momentarily paused. The dangerous feeling it felt from the furless beast intensified. An invisible pressure seemed to envelope it and began to push on the wolf. Its fur began to stand on end. But, from such a young furless beast, it must be bluff. Once again, it began to approach Lute. And finally, with bloodshot eyes and fangs thirsting for blood, it pounced.


    The wolf pounced and the distance was rapidly closing between the two of them. Lute still remained calm despite this. Rather than retreating to regain better positioning. Lute stepped back with his right leg only and firmly planted it in the ground with as much strength as possible. Then, as the fangs were about to find their target which was Lutes throat, Lute brought up his defensive arm and slammed it upwards into the bottom of the wolfs jaw. Meanwhile, Lute brought his attacking arm, and slammed the forearm into the side of the wolf, connecting with the ribcage.


    Not just Lute, but even the wolf was surprised. The trajectory of its lunge path was forcefully changed and it went flying off to the left and unable to stop itself from falling, it rolled on the ground until it slammed into a nearby tree.


    Its breath was now coming in ragged gasps, but it forcefully stood itself up and despite spitting up some blood, the wolf stared at Lute. It was clearly was intelligent enough to wait and think about whether it should retreat or attempt to kill Lute again.


    Lute on the other hand, while still being aware of his opponent, was thinking about his arm in wonder.


    I¡­I could¡¯ve sworn that I felt the ribs crack when I retaliated. Why don¡¯t cultivators focus on tempering their bodies more?! Yes, Master was correct that simply amassing Qi doesn¡¯t mean you are invincible. Wait?! I didn¡¯t even attempt to revolve my Qi when I used that attack. What would happen if it was used while my fist was infused with Qi?


    While Lute¡¯s thoughts were running amuck, he was forced to snap back to reality. The Vicious Beast before him began to howl at the top of its lungs towards the sky. Off in the distance, countless return calls responded, some closer than others.


    "So that is your strategy¡­ That¡¯s fine, let¡¯s involve as many in the war as possible." Lute said with a murderous edge


    Lute¡¯s self-confidence rose when he successfully won the exchange without even using Qi. If all Vicious Beasts were like this wolf, then maybe he was worrying too much. With strength at this level, Lute felt confident he could take on as many of them that came, as long as he defeated them quick enough to where the numbers weren¡¯t overwhelming.


    This time I shall be the aggressor. There is no reason to hold back as long as I don¡¯t waste the Qi within my body.


    Furiously revolving his Qi as fast as possible, Lute chose not to encase his whole body with it or even attack with the full strength he felt he was capable of if he used it. Instead, he sent it towards his legs only.


    Already strong legs now being used in conjunction with Qi, Lutes ability for instantaneous eruption of movement and his fastest speed increased multiple times. Such was the difference between fighting with Qi or without it.


    Lute shot forward in a straight line, moving at his top speed, he arrived in front of the wolf before it even had time to comprehend what just occurred. This entire time, it had thought that Lute was already using Qi, now it was confused beyond help.


    It quickly tried to snap at Lute with it long fangs, attempting to rip Lute to shreds. Despite the effort, it only managed to nip Lutes arm drawing only a small amount of blood.


    In actuality that "Nip" on his arm would¡¯ve went through any other Foundation Qi Realm practitioners arm, severely mangling it. This was clearly a tempered body showing its true strength. Fatal wounds for others would be mere scratches to Lute.


    Lute didn¡¯t even feel the pain in his battle haze. Now that he had the wolf in his sights he wasn¡¯t going to let go. Spreading out both arms to the wolf that already lunged at his left arm, Lute grappled it into what appeared as a hug. Rather, it wasn¡¯t that at all, without even infusing Qi into his arms, Lute began to squeeze and constrict the wolf in both of his arms.


    Bones became strained and began to crack. Every time the wolf breathed, Lute would be able to squeeze a little tighter. However it was taking Lute to long, he knew that the other Vicious Beasts would appear momentarily. Infusing Qi only to his arms now, Lute squeezed even harder. The Vicious Beast that was weakly struggling went limp. All of its chest bones were shattered and some of the organs burst or became disfigured. It was impossible to live under those conditions.


    Lute simply threw the beast onto the ground and surveyed is surroundings. Noise could be heard from all sides.


    It seems I won¡¯t be able to escape without slaughtering all of them, or making them retreat in fear. Fine then, let them come. The more experience the better.


    If anyone that wasn¡¯t Lutes Master knew what he was thinking, they¡¯d think that he was insane. To any cultivator of a sect, or even if they were a rogue cultivator; it was common knowledge that you should fight a Vicious Beast only if they were weaker than you in strength. This was because in actuality, even if they were weaker in cultivation alone, their combat ability and bodies were far superior to a human. So if a Vicious Beast was comparable to a second level Foundational Qi practitioner, it was actually comparable in strength to that of a third level Foundational Qi practitioner.


    And yet, here was Lute. Although he didn¡¯t know how to determine the strength of this Vicious Beast, at the second level of the Foundational Qi Realm, he managed to kill it in a head on clash. Most cultivators would employ hit and run tactics against a Vicious Beast. It was widely accepted as suicide to enter a head on clash unless other variables made up for the weaker human, such as equipment, how strong their Arts and Techniques were, as well as talent.


    If anyone knew that Lute didn¡¯t even know how to properly use Qi either and hardly used it, they might just vomit blood and contemplate their existence. In the Mortal Realm at least this was phenomenal, not so much in the Divine Realm where many freak existences resided.


    Quietly catching his breath, Lute consciously absorbed Qi, the speed instantly increased multiple times. The cut on his arm quickly stopped bleeding, but that was it. The Divine Chronicle of the Primordial Way was only at the first level so even a cut would take at the least one day to heal. At further levels, Lute had no doubt injuries this minor would heal within minutes.


    However, the few minutes of rest he obtained were more than enough. The miniscule amount of Qi used was already restored. Lute was still battle ready. Quietly cultivating for a few minutes, the sounds of multiple beasts in the distance were coming ever closer.


    Lute however was ready, killing the Vicious Beast that almost murdered him before had cleared away the doubt in his heart. He had a grasp of his true battle strength now, even if it was a barbaric, clumsy and unrefined style full of holes.


    Lute slowly opened his eyes. Facing him on all sides was now four wolves, each with fur pitch black. And eyes full of hate piercing into him. Yet Lute still wasn¡¯t worried about these ones, or even the wolf that was hiding in the thicket just ahead that was clearly stronger than the rest. Most likely it was the pack leader.


    Standing up, Lute returned the hateful glares at him with one of his own. His icy blue eyes with a murderous glint, and his crimson hair danced under the light of the sunset and slight breeze, almost as if it was on fire.


    Finally, Lute smirked; "If it¡¯s a battle you want¡­I shall give you a war instead." Lute said with unmasked pride.

 Chapter 10

    Surrounded on all sides, Lute surprisingly looked content. Despite not knowing any combat Arts or Techniques, he held no fear for his life, at least not yet. It was not an exaggeration to say that the current Lute look as if he was a seasoned veteran of the battlefield.


    He had a maniacal grin on his face; his icy blue eyes seemed to be the eyes of death itself. Underneath the sunlight of the sunset, his crimson hair seemed to be alive, dancing like fire. And he unconsciously put a pressure upon his foes, despite not actually knowing how to emit pressure or intent. But combined with all of this were the many scars of varying lengths and width across Lute¡¯s chest, shoulders and back.


    If someone were to see them, two thoughts would come to mind. Either Lute doesn¡¯t have good luck, or he didn¡¯t know how to dodge. He was the former, but that bad luck had led to great fortune, so could it really be called bad luck? Everything put together made Lute look like a person who lived upon the battlefield and breathed only for carnage.


    Currently, he was only just beginning to realize this feeling of enjoying fighting. This feeling of wanting to push past your limits and squeeze out more power than you actually had to win. The simple joy of shedding blood to protect your ideals and beliefs, this was all coming to light. Then there was the even more vicious ideology of fighting simply because it was fun and it felt ecstatic to fight on the edge only to survive.


    This, this isn¡¯t me thought Lute as he readied himself into his crude amateur stance. Is this¡­ Is this from Master?


    Lute finally blinked and sighed in defeat. He understood finally why he was now enjoying combat to such an extent. It wasn¡¯t all from Isla, but a large chunk was. Previously living a life of survival, Lute never had the ability to think about fighting, every action was taken in order to live. Perhaps he already had the seeds of a warrior from the beginning. If he became a cultivator and never met Isla, maybe he still would have these feelings toward combat.


    Yes, perhaps that is the most probable cause. It was the soul contract; she did say that a portion of our personalities would merge. And I already knew she had violent tendencies. So I had the seeds already and she caused them to germinate. I can assume I wouldn¡¯t have minded combat even if I never met her. But now¡­ these feeling are hers¡­ no¡­ now they are mine. Master has given me the ability to stand resolute on the battlefield and slaughter when needed, and not feel any guilt over it. For that, I am grateful.


    Upon further analysis, it might have been a match determined by fate. Lute, the Mortal who was originally a quiet and reserved person that tried his best to not let emotions control him ¨CAside from the negative ones that shaped that reserved personality-, and Isla the Divine who was arrogant and haughty, she let her emotions run free and rampant. It was the calm and collected mortal who knew restraint because he had no power and the arrogant and rampant divine who knew no bounds in their actions because they had a degree of power. Fate truly was an ironic trickster.


    Perhaps that is the key. I was and still am originally a reserved person. She seems to be an arrogant person that tends to have outbursts of emotions. Maybe I gave her the ability to restrain herself and control herself, while she gave me the ability to let myself go and rampage without a care in the world. Maybe other aspects of our personalities have transferred or merged, but this in and of itself wasn¡¯t actually bad.


    "No there was never a problem with the merged personalities from the start; it shall give me the ability to slaughter all of you." Lute said in what appeared to be calm manner. But deep in his eyes, there was a small glimpse into the insanity of living for battle that Lute had come to terms with and accepted was a part of him now.


    Even if he was lost in thought for a small degree of time, the Vicious Beasts never actually assaulted him. First they saw the decimated state of the wolf corpse beside Lute, and as he came to terms with his new personality, the more accepting he became towards himself, the stronger the pressure he emitted.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    As for what this pressure was, Lute was beginning to understand how it formed. It was something that he would¡¯ve gained at some point. Perhaps it awakened earlier because he merged personalities with Isla, who no doubt slaughtered many, many beasts and cultivators alike. And that was what he would call battle intent for now. Perhaps the stronger he became and the more he killed, maybe even the stronger the life was that he killed, would cause the pressure to increase.


    "Come" Yelled Lute in a frenzy.


    Receiving the stimulus from his yell, all at once, the four wolves charged from each direction. However the larger wolf hadn¡¯t charged in yet, it still stalked Lute from the shadows of the surrounding forest, watching him, studying him.


    Even now, especially after awakening to his love for combat, Lute wasn¡¯t nervous at all. Comparing these four wolves to the one he just slaughtered, there were more of them, but somehow he knew that they were weaker by a substantial margin individually. The only difference, they had numbers for an advantage.


    "Tsk, too bad for you, I don¡¯t care about a numbers advantage, If I want you dead, then you ARE DEAD!" Lute said, making sure that even though the words were misunderstood, his intent was unmistakable.


    This time, it was no holding back, Lute let his Qi release at maximum strength, and covered his whole body. Charging forward, he slammed a fist directly into the muzzle of the wolf directly in front of him. It didn¡¯t even have a chance to react as it met its demise. The force of Lutes impact slamming into it caused the body to go flying in the opposite direction.


    Alas, Lute still hadn¡¯t ever fought more than one opponent before, and here he was now fighting a one versus four. Due to his inexperience, he left many opening for the other three wolves to take advantage.


    Not only was he clawed on his back, Lutes right arm was bitten and the left rib area now had a deep gash going down the side. Grunting in pain, he didn¡¯t retreat, rather, the wounds seemed to further increase Lutes anger and bloodlust.


    He grabbed the wolf that was still holding his right arm, now with both arms, Lute lifted it up all the while it was still biting harder and harder into his body. Using the struggling wolf as a weapon, Lute basically turned into a berserker who felt no pain. With all his weight and strength, Lute swung the wolf in a sweeping manner and separated the final two from each other.


    Once separated, Lute turned his attention to the wolf still biting into his right arm, lifting it up over his head, he slammed it into the ground over, and over, and over until it went limp.


    Seeing this sight, the final two wolves actually began to cower and whimper. Finally they actually ran away. These were Vicious Beasts. All were known to fight to death with humans and never retreat, disregarding all wounds. And yet, for the first time in who knew how many years. A single youth, who had no combat Arts or Techniques, fought one versus four with Vicious Beasts and caused two of them to retreat in fear, with only his bare body and Qi alone!


    Slowly clarity seemed to return to Lutes eyes. Standing there, he was dripping in blood. He already had scars all over his body. The original scars remained because they were an important symbol for Lute and subconsciously he didn¡¯t want them healed, but perhaps the Divine Chronicle of the Primordial Way would be able to heal these other wounds and prevent them from scarring.


    Standing like a warlord, with an indomitable atmosphere, Lute then turned his attention to the final Vicious Beast. Clearly it was the leader of the pack as it was larger and stronger than all the others.


    Lute and the leader locked eyes. "Are you next? Shall you encroach upon my territory?" Lute said in an extremely low and dangerous voice.


    Despite not knowing his words, the exchange between man and beast was understood. Lute claimed his territory, and the wolf wasn¡¯t stupid, it knew that if it wanted to fight, even if the furless beast was wounded, it still wouldn¡¯t win without paying a hefty and bloody price. The leader of the pack blinked once towards Lute, its bloodshot eyes seeming to lose some of their hatefulness. It bowed its head once and then turned around trotting off back into the shadows away from the direction of Lutes shelter.


    Respect, this was respect between a wild man and a wild beast.


    Lute felt slightly dizzy from the blood loss, but other than that, he was alright. Without waiting any longer, he gathered the usable corpses that weren¡¯t disfigured and slung them over his back while holding them by their tails.


    Ah, that was refreshing; I finally got to blow off some steam and gained clothes and meat. It¡¯s been so long since I had meat for dinner, I can¡¯t wait.


    That night, Lute had no fear as he confidently lit a large fire. Tonight was going to be a feast of meat, while the rest of it was smoked to last longer. While the meat smoked, Lute began to skin the wolves with the knife-like rock that he¡¯d been using for days now. It was about time he gained some clothes so Isla didn¡¯t have to stare at his naked body anymore. No matter how much she said it didn¡¯t bother her and said she saw him as a child, Lute still felt uncomfortable about it.

 Chapter 11

    Nearly two months had passed. In this timeframe, Lute was now fourteen years old, only one year away from being considered an adult in society. At the age of fifteen, all youths were considered adults and held accountable for their actions in society. However this held no meaning to Lute, there was no reason for him to obey the rules of society because he didn¡¯t know them to begin with! Should he enter a city, he would simply avoid as much contact as possible with other cultivators and non-cultivators alike.


    During the entirety of the two months that he¡¯d been within this valley, Isla still hadn¡¯t woken up. However, Lute didn¡¯t worry at all. Day by day, he felt her existence within him getting stronger. At first he didn¡¯t know how she was regaining used soul strength when she didn¡¯t possess a physical body. But what kind of existence was the Origin Soul Needle?


    Isla had clearly stated it¡¯d passively temper and increase the strength of his soul over time. However that was just one of its myriad effects. The only problem was he had no control over the needle yet. Despite numerous attempts, the separate dimensional space of the Origin Soul Needle couldn¡¯t be accessed. But, once he gained control over its abilities, he¡¯d be able to store the souls of the dead if he chose to. And he could also absorb a portion of a soul¡¯s strength if he was stronger than it. However, the most dangerous effect was that he held the option of utterly annihilating a soul, erasing its existence.


    Erasing a soul¡¯s existence was something that nobody would want to wish upon another cultivator. The thought of your own soul being erased would make anyone tremble. Well¡­anyone normal. In this regard, there was the enigma that was Lute.


    He¡¯d already firmly come to terms with such a power. If a soul needed to be erased from existence, then he would do so without hesitation. There was nothing more dangerous or idiotic than letting a threat survive, only to come back and kill you. There was no point to such actions, if he wanted to make it in this world of slaughter; living by such a rule was paramount. Perhaps this resolve was what originally convinced the Origin Soul Needle to submit. It might¡¯ve sensed Lute¡¯s resolve before even he had known of it.


    In the end, Lute simply waited each day with the hope his Master would awaken soon. Until she did so, there was no point in doing anything other than cultivating since he only had two ambitions, to find out if his remaining family was alive, and to step upon the Divine Path. He couldn¡¯t complete the former without successfully forging ahead towards the latter, so the best option was to cultivate until he held a degree of power in the Mortal Realm at least.


    This was a perfect example of the saying that this was easier said than done, especially in Lute¡¯s case.


    Seated in his shelter with a small fire lit, Lute had cultivated nonstop for the past two months. In this timeframe, even with the added obstacle of needing many times more Qi than other cultivators, he¡¯d successfully advanced multiple levels. The current aura exuded from Lute was that of a fifth level Foundational Qi Realm practitioner. He had successfully stepped into the Intermediate Foundational Qi Realm. Perhaps in another two months, he¡¯d become a late stage practitioner.


    Compared to other cultivators in the Mortal Realm, Lute was correct in his assumptions. They¡¯d be able to advance much easier, but the increase of strength per level for them couldn¡¯t even be compared to Lute. It was a Heaven and Earth difference. Just one small realm breakthrough for him was a dramatic increase in strength each time, but most importantly his foundation was one of the best, even in the Divine Realm.


    Comparatively, cultivators in the Mortal Realm only had meager increase in strength with each breakthrough ¨CAlthough they didn¡¯t think it was meager- and their foundations were like a brittle collapsing bridge compared to Lute¡¯s who was as firm as a mountain. They would have virtually no chance of stepping upon the Divine Path, no matter how talented they were. The only advantage they¡¯d have upon Lute, they¡¯d been cultivating for more time compared to him, and had much more combat experience.


    Although he would advance much slower, the long term benefits of cultivating the true correct path, albeit with an inverse Qi flow, Lute would be incomparably stronger than those at the same cultivation in the Mortal Realm. This benefit would naturally be null if he was in the Divine Realm where countless cultivators could obtain power through inheritances like him.


    As he was finishing a final revolution of Qi through his body, Lute felt a jolt in his consciousness. Isla¡¯s "Existence" within his body suddenly became much more vibrant and strong. He could easily feel her emotions. Once again, the peculiar feeling of two separate of entities sharing one body pervaded Lutes senses. Over the past two months, he felt as if he was back to normal before the soul contract ever occurred. But he didn¡¯t dislike this feeling either, Lute surprisingly adapted pretty quick to thinking that the way it felt to share a body was normal.


    Isla manifested before Lute in her spiritual form. Compared to the time before in the cave, she was much more transparent. But, even so the features of her arrogantly looking down upon everything were easily discernable. Through the connection, and how she was looking at him as if deciding whether to be pleased or disgusted, it became apparent that she was measuring the changes that occurred in Lute.


    Lute sat in agony, not knowing whether he was living up to her expectations or if he failed again. He¡¯d painstakingly focused upon training for three months and nothing else, aside from hunting an occasional Vicious Beast for sustenance.


    Then Lute didn¡¯t know whether to be happy or sad with Isla¡¯s ruling.


    "Average, your talent is average for cultivating. And yes I am factoring in that you need close to three times the Qi required to advance one small realm of the Mortal Nine Realms. Whether you are talented at fighting, that is a different story." Isla said mercilessly.


    However, not everything was unacceptable; the first thing Isla noticed when she awoke from her slumber was the abnormality in Lute¡¯s body. The purity of his Qi had increased to an unprecedented level for this planet. It was hard to believe that he¡¯d obtained this from the polluted "Qi" that really wasn¡¯t worthy to be called as such. But even more noticeable was his inverted Qi flow, so there was no doubt his freak existence pulled through in cultivating the Divine Chronicle of the Primordial Way.


    "Well¡­ Explain, what benefits did you obtain from the Divine Chronicle; clearly something must¡¯ve occurred to make you so confident in fighting above your cultivation level without even learning any combat Arts. Just from my limited senses, I can tell the weakest of the beasts in this valley are at the fourth level." Spoke Isla impatiently.


    Lute shifted uncomfortably, how he was going to explain this; he didn¡¯t really have a clue because it was such a broken concept that he had learnt. Swallowing reflexively, Lute decided to explain it in its entirety without hiding anything, if he couldn¡¯t trust his Master then who could he trust?


    Following the beginning of his explanation about all of the passive effects granted by the Art, Isla began to become increasingly numb, she couldn¡¯t even express shock. The simple fact that he¡¯d gather Qi autonomously without having to consciously cultivate was already a disgusting concept. Only taboo arts that had fearful prices for their use could achieve a similar effect. And originally she thought his explanation would stop there.


    She couldn¡¯t have been more wrong. Isla was beginning to regret giving this to Lute, it made her feel as if all the trials and obstacles she went through to gain power were all for naught. This damn disciple of hers could breakthrough while sleeping if he so wanted. Not only that, the meridian expansion, bodily strength gain, body tempering, the ability to replenish Qi and heal in combat, the purity of Qi and finally the increased speed of Qi intake when earnestly focusing on cultivation.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    This would cause even those old monsters that ruled the Divine Realm to turn in their graves if they knew about such an Art. Anyone that heard this would feel compelled to cough up blood. But¡­ to top it all off! As if it wasn¡¯t enough, all those benefits would exponentially increase because this Art wasn¡¯t completely tied to one¡¯s cultivation. It had multiple levels, with a dramatic increase in performance at each level.


    Of all the Arts that focused upon one¡¯s body that Isla knew of, this one was the absolute pinnacle. There was nothing above it; she could say that with absolute certainty after learning about its effect. Lute basically didn¡¯t have to worry about anything now¡­ his foundation was set. This Art would focus on Qi purity and the body as a vessel for that Qi and then the Origin Soul Needle would aid in soul strength. All he needed to focus on was comprehension and breaking through to the next level, one day at a time.


    "You¡¯re a little devil that is going against the Heavens, do you know that?" Isla said dryly.


    "Then what does that make you who made me this devil?" Spoke Lute with sarcasm upon seeing his master depressed.


    "I am definitely not an idiot for creating such a monster! It should be expected that my disciple is at least this much, now you know why I never took a disciple ever except for you, who may not have talent in cultivation speed, but you certainly are talented at learning Arts apparently."


    Lute decided to disregard his Master¡¯s remark. He could easily tell from her puffed out cheeks and pouting expression that she was lying. But, in the end, even if she hadn¡¯t expected such circumstances it was her who gave him all of this.


    Of course, Lute didn¡¯t think any more into the Art. But that was different for Isla. For she knew what Lute didn¡¯t, and that was with these Arts that tempered the body in a unique way, there should typically be Techniques for combat which only someone with a body from the corresponding Art could use.


    This is only a reaffirmation that compared to the Immortals, we are pitifully weak. Just what would happen if he learned the combat Techniques of the Primordial God? The passive effects are already so strong; it¡¯s terrifying to think of the Techniques that require such a powerful body granted by this Art. At least for now, it seems that the Primordial God didn¡¯t leave behind his combat Techniques. If Lute learned those, forget everything else he has, if he had peak cultivation, he¡¯d be a top figure in the Divine Realm.


    "By the way, Master, whenever I revolve my Qi and have the will to fight, I release a pressure unconsciously, is there any way for me to control it, such as focusing and converging it all upon one opponent instead of the whole surrounding area" Asked Lute, what he had called Battle Intent had become of great interest."


    Finally, something that wasn¡¯t outside of her expectations, this was a concept that Isla was well versed in. "That pressure is known as Slaughter Aura. I am surprised you entered into the realm of it so quickly. You would first have to manifest killing intent, but instead you directly bypassed it. The greater your emotions of anger, the greater your will to fight and kill, the stronger you are. These are all ways to manifest a strong Slaughter Aura." Isla said while seeming to reminisce, perhaps upon the day she first manifested her own Slaughter Aura.


    There were levels to bloodlust, the first realm was Killing Intent, and it allowed a cultivator to pressure whoever it was directed at. This pressure could slightly sway the tide of battle. If someone couldn¡¯t cope with the pressure, they would be bound to make mistakes that could lead to their death. But the realm after this, that was Slaughter Aura, it was far more impactful, there were numerous ways for it to affect someone other than impair their decision making.


    "There are two sure ways of increasing it rapidly though. First, slaughter countless numbers of lives. Second, slaughter very powerful individuals. If you do this, your Slaughter Aura will increase by leaps and bounds."


    So all cultivators could have it, and then it must be a pretty typical part of cultivation. At least, this was how Lute thought of it. But what was the point of Slaughter Aura? Based on strength of the aura, you could be able to tell whether it was a good choice to fight someone, but that seemed to be it. Other than that, didn¡¯t it simply act as a deterrent?


    "So, it¡¯s a deterrent and that is it? I don¡¯t see how that is beneficial, if someone wanted me dead, with my strength; I wouldn¡¯t be able to deter them." Lute said in a disappointed manner, he thought that something with the name Slaughter Aura would have more of a use.


    Hearing his remark, Isla chuckled and startled him. Slaughter Aura was much more complex than he thought it was, and she would clear away this doubt because Isla was of the strong belief that a strong Slaughter Aura could determine the outcome of a fight between truly powerful cultivators.


    "You are too narrow-minded. Yes, it can act as a deterrent and give you a rough gauge of how strong someone is. But it is far more in depth. Slaughter Aura, the stronger it is, can even impede someone¡¯s cultivation progress. Just imagine someone had a problem with you even if you did nothing. They anger you, so what do you do? Release your Slaughter Aura, and if they are weak hearted enough, it could leave a shadow in their hearts and breed doubt of their own strength. This could prevent them from breaking through in cultivation. But this is not all that there is to it."


    "What other use could there be, it¡¯s not as if it can save your life." Asked Lute


    "Again, you fail, stop being an imbecile. If your Slaughter Aura is extremely baleful and built up in strength, it will eclipse your opponents Slaughter Aura. You won¡¯t even feel the pressure as you like to call it from them at all. But the opposite isn¡¯t true, if yours is so much stronger than your opponents where you don¡¯t even feel their pressure. Imagine how it must feel to them, who had to withstand your Slaughter Aura. They will not be able to bring out one hundred percent of their strength, they will make mistakes, Qi flow might become sluggish, fear of death, there are many factors that it will affect, and this can all sway the tide of battle. Sometimes what decides a death match is who has the stronger Slaughter Aura. This is the most basic explanation of what would occur in the Mortal Realm at least. When you truly step onto the Divine Path you will learn the true uses of Slaughter Aura."


    So that¡¯s it, no wonder the Vicious Beasts didn¡¯t attack me outright at first. Perhaps my Slaughter Aura was strong enough where they slightly felt it. Even so, I shall kill when needed, but I shouldn¡¯t needlessly go out of my way to increase it as I am sure it will build up over time.


    "Master, I am not going out of my way to build up my Slaughter Aura, I will kill when needed, but I am too weak to make enemies right now." Lute said resolutely.


    "Wow, I think that is the first smart thing you have said. Why would you want to build it up when you are still weak? It¡¯s best to let it build up over many years because it¡¯s safer, especially when your body has so many secrets. We wouldn¡¯t want someone trying to investigate you because you had a strong and baleful Slaughter Aura. It¡¯s better to remain low key and inconspicuous at the moment. Until the day you are the number one under heaven on this shitty planet, you shouldn¡¯t exhibit your true strength. Don¡¯t fight anyone unless you need to." Isla replied sternly, she didn¡¯t want Lute going around picking fights simply because he thought his inheritances would keep him safe.


    Right now, he was simply too inexperienced, and that would get even someone from the Divine Realm killed. Inexperience and arrogance ¨CIsla was certainly arrogant, but even she knew to tone it back when needed-, it was the number one killer of all geniuses. Although she said Lute was average, she didn¡¯t really know yet, it was too early to tell if Lute was talented at cultivation and fighting, because right now he simply had a perfect foundation, but that shouldn¡¯t be mistaken for talent. The only thing Isla would admit at the moment was Lute had a degree of luck, and a talent at comprehension because he managed to cultivate an Art that virtually no one should be able to. The chances should be less than one percent, and yet he managed it.


    But to think he even managed to directly jump into the realm that was Slaughter Aura, it was certainly a boon. Isla had no doubt this was probably because her soul was merged with his, Slaughter Aura was one of the things she had the most skill and experience in, perhaps with the merged souls Lute had unknowingly acquired some of her insights into Slaughter Aura and its uses, otherwise there was no feasible explanation how he could bypass the first realm of bloodlust that was Killing Intent.


    With all this taken into consideration, they couldn¡¯t hide here in a valley forever, which would only slow Lutes growth. It was time to move on.


    "Lute, get ready, it¡¯s time to leave this valley, during your travels I shall teach you the proper way to fight. For now, we have no predestined location. We¡¯ll simply travel the world and gain experience." Isla said in one of her rare moments of no arrogance.

 Chapter 12

    ¡°Master, where are we travelling?¡± Asked Lute, it had been nearly two days since leaving the valley and at the moment, they seemed to be wandering around aimlessly.


    ¡°Shut up and keep walking until there is an area that I take an interest to.¡±


    Sheesh, why is she in such a cranky mood. Is she still annoyed that I managed to do something she couldn¡¯t¡­


    Upon a planet of eternal sunset, Lute continuously walked towards it. With no thoughts in particular, he simply walked. There was no need to stop, with his current strength reserves, walking for a day was of no problem. However, this didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t amassing power. No one else would be able to sense it, but Isla who was merged with Lute was clearly able to feel the worlds Qi gravitating towards him, as he was cultivating at a speed an average cultivator would be able to if they were meditating.


    If Lute earnestly cultivated like anyone else, the speed would increase exponentially. But right now, simply walking and absorbing the worlds Qi kept him on par with anyone else. This allowed for more free time to travel and temper himself. Travel and train during the day, and cultivate at night. He was still at the fifth level of the Foundational Qi Realm, however after two days, his cultivation was stabilized. What would take an ordinary person more than a week to adapt to, had only taken Lute two days, such was the benefit of having a strong foundation.


    All of this was apparent to Isla, just the fact that Lute could nonchalantly do anything else and still manage to cultivate Qi, that wasn¡¯t something which should be feasible.


    ¡°Lute, out towards the northwest, there is a small lake. Set up camp there, we shall finally start, you are ready to begin learning how to formally fight, and not use the brutish methods that you have grown to adore.¡±


    Huh? Adore? Since when have I said that I like the way I fight. Those stances are simply something I did from instinct. Will she ever let up on the passive-aggressive verbal abuse?


    Despite the annoyance he felt, Lute did what his Master instructed without error. Sure enough, out to the northwest there was a small lake. In the direct center was an island. The way the land was, it was almost as if a dome shape had come into being, with the lake and its small island as the center, surrounded by the green foliage of the forests and encased by the mountains.


    Not fearing Vicious Beasts anymore, Lute took the initiative to make a small lean-to shelter. It was simple enough, trees tied together by vines and a small roof made from the left over coarse fur of the wolves. Inside of it, there was simply a small bedroll of wolf fur and left over smoked meat. Lute held nothing else of importance.


    ¡°Master, what is it that you wanted us to stop for; there are quite a few hours of daylight from the sunset on the horizon left. It shouldn¡¯t take that long to learn the proper way of combat, so why¡¯d we stop so early.¡±


    Isla manifested in her spiritual form, a smug, yet serious look prevalent across her face. Just one look at her, and sensing through their connection, Lute had a feeling he was about to be done in by this foul woman.


    ¡°I must apologize; I have committed a grave sin. It¡¯s not your fault, but as your Master I shall rectify it with due haste.¡± Isla said in a malignant manner.


    Lute silently swallowed, he clearly saw a sadistic look in her eyes. Her bewitching smile appeared evil and dangerous to him, others might faint from the beauty, but he knew better, she was an extremely dangerous contrary to her appearance. So, rather than try to talk his way out of the situation, silence was definitely the best course of action¡­hopefully.


    Isla narrowed her eyes, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re not going to challenge my words or ask me anything. Perhaps you are finally starting to become a filial disciple and learning to not question my actions which are above your comprehension. But alas, that will not save you from what is about to come, for I need to change your behavior and thought processes on a fundamental level.¡±


    ¡°W¡­Why, I thought my thoughts and behavior already did change after our soul contract.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes they did. That isn¡¯t the problem though. You have mistaken luck with cultivation. Cultivation has not nor will it ever be¡­ easy. Just because it may appear easier now, that attitude of yours needs to change. The only way to advance is with your body, soul, and very existence on the line. That is your conviction, I will not have a disciple who believes in anything less.¡± Isla said harshly, there was no room for argument. Whatever Lute¡¯s conviction had been, apparently it wasn¡¯t enough.


    ¡°Fine, you want conviction! Throw it at me, I¡¯ll take anything that you shall force upon me to train, I shall not fail. I will not falter. I shall not shatter into nothingness. My body, soul and existence on the line! People who only have that are nothing in my eyes; I am prepared to give up more than that. If there is such a thing as reincarnation, I would put my chances at it up for wager!¡±


    Isla¡¯s mood quickly became elated. This was what she was aiming for. The typical child who wasn¡¯t prone to outbursts of emotion had just done so. This conviction, in truth it was abnormal, very few people thought along the lines of Isla and wagering everything for power. You¡¯d have to be a bit insane to say such things.


    ¡°Ha, there we go. I am holding your words to you child. Wager it all, I shall break you down, over and over and over again. Let us see where your breaking point is. Let us remove your limiters that hold you back, only those who truly have what it takes are allowed upon the path to cultivation. Cultivation is inevitably a place far worse than your mind can comprehend and it shall never be easy. For cultivation in its very essence is to go against the heavens, hells and universe itself!¡±


    With a flick of her fingers, Isla began to slowly point towards the ground. All at once a pressure began to envelope Lute. Without a chance to react, he had begun to be forced down onto his knees. Fear slowly crept into his heart. A cold sweat almost as if it was ice clearly visible all over his body.


    Then it clicked, understanding dawned upon Lute. This was his Master¡¯s Slaughter Aura. It was so strong that it felt as if the aura was tangible and could be touched. The smell and taste of blood pervaded all of his senses. An indescribable sense of fear was beginning to well up within even more than earlier as the pressure slowly increased.


    Finally Lute was forced to his knees, his body blanched in sweat. Fear was uncontrollably swirling around his body. His eyes glazed between being focused and unfocused. Conscious awareness of his surroundings began seem hazy.


    ¡°Is this all my disciple is capable of? How pitiful, you almost make me want to break our contract and extinguish both of our souls to nothingness. What happened to those words of grandeur that you spoke so valiantly a minute ago? Was everything for naught? Do you give up in the face of true adversity? Stand up, prove me wrong!¡±


    Isla nonstop added insult to injury. Lute was already on the ground and listening to her ever sharpening tongue. However, her words were keeping him conscious of his surroundings and not blacking out. Even more so, they lit a small fuse, an almost imperceptible spark, but it was there. In the depths of his heart and soul, he began to question his predicament. Then all at once, that small spark erupted into a flame.


    Yes, I can do this. Who am I to give up to something as trivial as this? If only someone who is mentally deranged can stand up to something like this. I shall become the most insane bastard there is. With undying resolve, I shall keep moving forward, even if my body and soul fail me in the end. Now move, get up, and come on my body, GET THE FUCK UP, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO NOT MOVE WHEN I STILL HAVE THE WILLPOWER TO KEEP GOING!


    It began with a twitch of the finger of Lute who was almost facedown upon the ground underneath such pressure from Isla¡¯s Slaughter Aura. Then that twitch became a movement of the arm, then two arms. All the while his resolve kept growing. The fear had completely vanished. Instead, Lute had decided to look death into the face, and that was Isla at the moment. His eyes were full of insanity, clearly something within his mind that worked as a limiter had shattered.


    This was all to Isla¡¯s delight. She clearly knew from the look Lute was giving her, and that deranged smile he now had, that those limiters in his mind had disappeared. This was the conviction she was looking for. Slowly, ever so slowly and clumsily as he was, she watched Lute force himself up into a kneeling position.


    His muscles were all bulging out and screaming in pain, it felt as if his entire body was being torn asunder. Blue veins were popping out all around Lutes body. The strain upon them was reaching near critical levels. Even so, he forced himself to stand upright in a perfectly straight position.


    ¡°There, I told you, I can take anything that you throw at me. This much is nothing¡­¡± Lute said forcefully, the energy taken to simply speak was enormous.


    Contrary to what he was expecting Isla to look like upon seeing him stand, she had an amused expression. Her finger, once again began to slowly point and move towards the ground. The pressure once again began increasing.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°Really now¡­ That wasn¡¯t even five percent of what my Slaughter Aura is capable of right now. And this is only my weakened Slaughter Aura, due to my soul falling to the initial stages of the Divine Path. If I had my body and former cultivation, forget five percent, even one percent of the pressure from my Slaughter Aura would be enough to flatten you to death.¡± Isla said mercilessly.


    The pressure marginally increased in strength. It was taking all of his energy and Qi to simply stand. With muscles that had ballooned to nearly three times their size from strain and veins that seemed like they¡¯d burst at any moment, Lute finally lost consciousness and fell to the ground. His body devoid of any Qi or movement, breathing barely perceptible, from an onlooker he¡¯d appear to be a corpse. Thanks to the Divine Chronicle of the Primordial Way, the worlds¡¯ Qi already began to be absorbed by Lute, the healing process of his body and refilling of his body with Qi was occurring at an average rate, but this was enough. Color began to return to his face and heart as well as breathing rate slowly returned to normal.


    Isla simply floated there looking at Lute, waiting for him to wake up. There was no fear for his life, she¡¯d made sure to keep it at a level where Lute would suffer injuries he could heal within a day. But also, the pressure she emitted had made any beasts in the surrounding area cower in fear and avoid the lake.


    With the limiter removed, I can begin in earnest, hopefully with this; he will understand that he needs to train at this level for the minimum. If possible, he should be nurtured in this way without any outside influence aside from real combat experience. However, this is impossible as there will always be unknown occurrences. The only thing I can do is train him so that the damage such variables cause will be minimized as much as possible.


    Although he had fallen unconscious rather quickly, it took almost nearly six hours for Lute to awaken. At that time it was already past twilight, with visibility near zero. Tonight, there was virtually no moonlight, but this wasn¡¯t a problem, with a body such as his Lute didn¡¯t fear the darkness. His vision was severely hampered but in a diameter of about ten feet most things were visible.


    ¡°Bout time you woke up,¡± Isla sighed in dismay, ¡°You seriously know how to disappoint me. With all your vows and violent emotions a while ago, I thought you¡¯d really come to terms with what you must do. And yet¡­ you stayed asleep for almost six hours. How lazy can you get¡­?¡±


    Lute inhaled sharply, it was easily discernable from his body language that he was annoyed, ¡°What do you mean lazy! You just forced me unconscious and almost flattened me to death, did you expect me to wake up quickly after that!¡±


    An invisible pressure immediately slammed Lute against the ground face first, ¡°Looks like I really need to instill loyalty within you. Already talking back to your Master, do you not understand that my word is law to you, any more outbursts like that and I shall really punish you within an inch of your life.¡±


    Lute silently sat up, blood trickling down his forehead. He angrily stared at Isla, but that was all, he didn¡¯t feel like being pummeled again.


    ¡°Finally, now listen carefully; I cannot impart techniques and arts to you without a price,¡± Isla paused to let the declaration sink in, ¡°Each time I do, I permanently use some of my leftover soul strength. And at the moment it is extremely difficult to recover.¡±


    Lute wasn¡¯t surprised in the slightest, no matter what way he looked at it, there had to be a price for obtaining everything obtained. So he already knew from the moment Isla went into a state of slumber.


    ¡°I already guessed as much from when you slept for such a long period of time,¡± Lute narrowed his eyes, a vicious look appearing within, ¡°So what you are hinting at is in order for you to impart things to me, I need to absorb the souls of things I slaughter for you, right?¡±


    Lute was certainly not an idiot; reading between the lines was something he had always been able to do, even when he was still living as an insignificant villager a few years back. Just from the way Isla worded her statement, her tone of voice, and what he knew of her personality, it wasn¡¯t hard to guess the implications behind her words.


    Isla floated around in front of Lute, her demeanor made if feel as if the surrounding area¡¯s temperature dropped a few degrees. ¡°I am glad you could catch on so quickly, however, you are half correct.¡±


    ¡°Oh please tell, as far as I can know, you are using the Origin Soul Needle to gradually replenish the soul strength you lost. Aside from devouring souls that the needle lets you have, I don¡¯t see how you can impart me with anything.¡±


    There really was almost no ways to impart things directly into Lute. Under normal circumstances, this wasn¡¯t a problem since when something was imparted, that usually implied both parties actually had bodies. But, Isla only had a spirit body so the present situation was understandable. This however, didn¡¯t mean there weren¡¯t loopholes.


    ¡°Yes, I shall no longer directly give them to you. Instead, how shall I put it, we are going to rely on imitation, or mirror imaging. I shall demonstrate and explain how to do it, and you will copy me. Every time, we shall practice like this from now on, since I share your body, it shall be incomparably easier to explain to you what is going wrong than if we didn¡¯t share bodies.¡±


    Lute cocked his head in puzzlement, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same thing as imparting them to me? I am still learning them in the end.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not, they are not going to be transmitted directly into you, so instead of learning how to perform an Art or Technique within mere moments, it will take days, weeks, months, even years to obtain absolute mastery. Even after achieving mastery there is¡­never mind, when you step into the Divine Path I shall explain it, but the steps after achieving physical mastery are beyond your comprehension right now.¡±


    Isla cut herself off from continuing any further, but it hadn¡¯t escaped Lutes awareness. There was clearly something else above the realm of absolute mastery with Arts and Techniques. And for whatever reason, his master was hesitant to talk about it, it must¡¯ve been important enough that she wasn¡¯t going to tell him beforehand because it would hinder him.


    So she slipped up, what did she mean about a realm beyond physical mastery? Is there some spiritual difference between two people using the same Art? If so, does that make it so the same Art and Techniques can be executed in myriad forms depending on the cultivator? Perhaps I should strive to make the things I inherit into my own original skills.


    ¡°Ok, everything you have said so far makes sense, what is it that you wanted to pass on then? What way of fighting shall I learn, or rather will it be a style unique to you or easily replicate able by anyone for use?¡± Asked Lute, he was trying to probe for any information that she was trying to hide, his curiosity was really too great to remain complacent.


    ¡°Let me clear one thing up, there is no such thing as an unusable Art or Technique, they were all created for a purpose, whether they met with success of failure or if they were created for a single person or the countless masses. Even in the Mortal Realm I shall give them that much respect. If you can merge all that you learn into your own unique fighting style that is best.¡±


    Isla¡¯s demeanor then changed, she became far more stern, ¡°What I shall teach you is the most basic of the basic ways of fighting, the Art may seem like a treasure down here on this filthy planet, but up in the Divine Realm although it is highly regarded as something created by a genius, it is the most foundational of the basics, it could be considered as the building block for all Arts and Techniques created in this era.¡±


    ¡°So it isn¡¯t an inheritance of a God. Who was it created by then?¡±


    At Lutes question, Isla¡¯s face actually blanched a little for the first time since he met her. Her voice actually had the slightest tone of respect. ¡°In this day and age, he is known as the Thousand Hand Martial Emperor. He is aligned to no power, he moves about unrestrained through the realms and no one dares block his path for fear of death. Since time immemorial he has stood at the pinnacle of the Age of Man. No one knows his true strength or dares to test it, but one thing is for certain, he is probably the closest to becoming a God and it is unknown what inheritances he has acquired.¡±


    Lute sank deep into thought, to make someone as haughty as his master to show a slight amount of respect was impressive. But, could someone clearly acquire that much respect without committing sins along the way. Lute didn¡¯t fear the strength of such a being; he feared what they were capable of in order to gain that strength. Rather than ponder on it any further, Lute buried the question in his heart and continued to listen.


    ¡°The Thousand Hand Martial Emperor has pioneered the path towards becoming a god, and occasionally, he has shared his insights. One such insight was the Thousand Ways Scripture. Although it is called the Thousand Ways, it is in reality infinite. You are able to infinitely change your way of combat. The thousand stances it shows are only a base, but once you have mastered all one thousand, they can be altered in any way you see fit, making styles unique to you. This Art has no techniques within and has been universally accepted to be something every single Divine Way cultivator must learn, whether they are a peasant or of noble birth.¡±


    After hearing this final explanation, it finally clicked for Lute. This now officially put him at the starting line involving comprehension compared to other Divine Realm cultivators.


    ¡°So the reason it is a treasure down here in the Mortal Realm is because it is a concept that hasn¡¯t been figured out yet. Does everyone use the same Arts here and there is nothing unique? In other words, I now only have my own comprehension to blame if I can¡¯t create my own style?¡±


    Isla clapped her hand slowly and in a sarcastic manner, ¡°Bingo, you finally figure it out. Down here in the Mortal Realm, although there are Arts and Techniques created, they are stagnant and very few are original and tailored to one person. They are created in a way that everyone is able to use them. That is not the proper way. If I used the same Art as someone else, it would purely come down to power for the most part. Luck, battle prowess, talent, these would all be factored into the outcome even less. But if two people used the same Art however each one was tailored to suit them specifically, what would happen? If the cultivation and power output is similar, then luck, battle prowess, and talent would be all the more important. So¡­yes you can now only blame yourself if you fail at fighting in the Mortal Realm.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in for a long night then aren¡¯t I¡­?¡± Lute muttered dryly. Isla was now in a cheery mood, but that was when she was most dangerous. No doubt, he was going to start learning right now, and that meant she wouldn¡¯t stop until he was within an inch of his life.


    ¡°Yes, without further ado, let us formally begin your combat training,¡± Said Isla in an elated voice, however her eyes were anything cheerful, they looked at Lute as if he was a test subject to be experimented and tortured upon. The in a cheerful voice, she made Lute dread his existence, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, every time you mess up, I¡¯ll only increase the pressure of my Slaughter Aura upon you. But that¡¯s nothing for you right? Didn¡¯t you say that you can take anything...?¡±


    This crazy bitch, she is going to be the death of me, I am seriously going to die before I can even fulfill my portion of the soul contract and make a body for her. Honestly, does she even want to be resurrected or will I be stuck with her torturous methods until the end of time¡­

 Chapter 13

    Currently in front of Lute, a massive Vicious Beast was hissing. A water serpent nearly twenty-three feet long and its width had to be nearly three feet. Truly a massive monster compared to him. Its scales were an extremely clear aqua, so much so that in the lake it could be rendered invisible. The only thing that stood out were the eyes, the vertical reptilian pupils were a deep crimson, the exact same color as Lute¡¯s hair.


    Once a few days had passed since Isla released her Slaughter Aura in the surrounding area, the wildlife began to return. As such they became tools for Isla to use in Lute¡¯s training. Each day, through her senses, she¡¯d find a suitable beast nearby that could pose a threat to Lute, but not enough where he would die as long as he was careful. Thus the days passed in torture for Lute.


    First he¡¯d cultivate through the night. The moment the light of the sun appeared on the horizon, it was time for imitation of the Thousand Ways Scriptures. Every day, Isla went through ten stances, explaining in depth the methods of utilizing the stances taught through the Scriptures as well as her own insights that she¡¯d made on her own over time.


    Despite her personality, whenever Lute had a question, Isla was extremely patient and took time to answer, but if he failed in executing a stance properly or so much as flowed his Qi slightly the wrong way for a particular stance, he¡¯d immediately get flattened to the ground to the brink of unconsciousness.


    Surprisingly, the stances were much harder to execute than he originally thought and the strain placed on his body and meridians was quite shocking, especially with how durable he was on a fundamental level. This still didn¡¯t prevent Isla from beating Lute to a pulp with her Slaughter Aura whenever he made a mistake. Even now she took a liking to keeping a constant increasing pressure on him while he was executing the stances, forty of which he¡¯d learned so far. This was all to his dismay, Isla was beginning to become extremely scrutinizing towards his perfection of the stances.


    However for the past few days, more and more Vicious Beasts were appearing, they were all at a level Lute could win with some effort, but not enough where he¡¯d be seriously injured. Honestly, Isla flattening him to a pulp was scarier than a beast nowadays. And so, here he found himself against the water serpent, training the use of his stances in real combat.


    If anyone else saw this, they would think Lute went insane. You don¡¯t use Vicious Beasts to practice skills you just learnt, that was simply suicide. And yet, here was Lute, as normal, fighting a Vicious Beast, but this time with much more grace, weaving the forty stances he¡¯d learnt in myriad ways depending on how the battle progressed. His way of fighting made almost a complete one-eighty degree turn. There were still snippets of his brutish methods that was used upon the wolves some days prior, but now those barbaric ways would only momentarily show themselves within Lute¡¯s movements, whether he attacked or defended.


    The water serpent coiled up, once again, it eyed its prey, and Lute had proved to be a much harder target than it once previously thought. Even more so, the pressure he was emitting was almost equal that of it. It still wasn¡¯t deterred however; there was no way it felt that it could lose to such a small human.


    This is certainly a challenge, but nothing I can¡¯t handle, my combat strength feels as if its doubled in the past few days, if I didn¡¯t have these stances, there is no way I would be able to fight this serpent, but now¡­. its dead.


    Revolving his Qi at maximum strength, Lute charged towards the serpent. It shot out of its coil like a spear towards him, but it had done this many times previously. Lute quickly changed to a stance while charging that would easier allow him to maneuver while giving up some defensive posturing, but he had faith in his tempered body.


    And it held true, a long cut was all that appeared on Lute¡¯s right forearm, grazed by the water serpents¡¯ fangs. It didn¡¯t seem to be venomous; instead due to its size it probably constricted and squeezed its prey to death. The reality though was that had anyone other than Lute at his cultivation done the same maneuver, they wouldn¡¯t have a long cut; instead their entire arm would¡¯ve been ripped from their body.


    Finally approaching the water serpent, Lute combined and switched his stances so that he could attack its weak points most efficiently. Swinging his right leg, Lute slammed it into the weakest point of the water serpent, the joint right below and behind the eye, where the jaw connected to its skull. The force sent a shockwave through the serpents¡¯ body, but with the head as the primary receiver of such an injury, despite its tough scales, the water serpents skull all but shattered, bone fragment entering the brain.


    Now half dead, the water serpent was in a daze, Lute quickly finished it off by diving to the other side of its body and delivering the same attack to the opposite side of its head, thus throwing away any hope for survival.


    ¡°How was that master, was I successful in the time limit this time?¡±


    Isla laughed, this disciple of hers could truly be funny sometimes, and he proposed as a part of the training that he had to beat the Vicious Beasts within a specified time limit to be a success, all so he could defeat enemies quickly. And she actually wasn¡¯t adverse to the idea since it would increase the pressure upon Lute.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t even remotely close to my standards, to beat these weaklings you shouldn¡¯t even need more than thirty seconds. Look what happened when you hit its weak point, it practically died on the spot. So why¡¯d it take you over five minutes to kill it and even suffer an injury.¡±


    Isla¡¯s words ripped into Lute¡¯s pride, he proposed this idea and now he was regretting it, he¡¯d thought that the serpent died plenty quick. Apparently it wasn¡¯t enough. He needed to find the weak points of the beasts quicker.


    ¡°So within thirty seconds, and beasts of this level, I need to find the weak points and vitals of them and kill them using those points?¡±


    Isla clapped her hands and floated around Lute, then looked at the Water Serpent and back to him. ¡°This beast was only at the eighth level, three sub-realms above you, there is no reason you are incapable, especially as you are getting stronger each day. Sure, in combat you can leave non-lethal wounds that worsen over the course of the fight, but in real life and death combat, every attack should be aimed at vitals, you are killing your opponent, and they are killing you, there is no time to be a coward.¡±


    Flipping his overgrown hair to his back, Lute then looked at the disfigured head of the water serpent. Its body clearly was a gruesome scene, but such things were now a daily occurrence for Lute.


    Yes, it¡¯s kill or be killed in this world, there is no in between so there is no need to be soft-hearted. Well it¡¯s not as if there is anyone who is truly pure on this world, everyone has ulterior motives, with myself included. We truly are the worst possible race, the absolute trash and scum of the universe. And yet, there is nothing I can do about it, but it doesn¡¯t mean I have to live with it anymore, all I need is enough power to complete the soul contract and I can live in seclusion.


    With nightfall, approaching and the Vicious Beast already dead, there was nothing else to do before cultivating through the night, rather than wait for it to rot, Lute prepared a fire and began to skin the Water Serpent with one of its own fangs. Despite its massive size, the entire task of skinning and butchering took only a few hours. All unnecessary meat that he wouldn¡¯t finish, Lute through as far into the forest of the mountain range as possible so he wouldn¡¯t attract hordes of beasts.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Lute kept only four things, enough meat which would last for a little over a week, the fangs, scales, and a small orb he found, all from the Water Serpent.


    The orb was the most mysterious thing he¡¯d seen; it was a translucent pale shade of blue. Its luster shining underneath the light of the sunset, and the most mysterious attraction was Lute felt power emitting from such a small orb.


    Lifting up the orb, holding it out to the sunset, Lute procured it before Isla, ¡°Master, what is this pale blue orb I extracted from the Vicious Beast?¡±


    Isla gazed at the orb in Lute¡¯s palm, finally returning her attention to the material world instead whatever was distracting her, ¡°It¡¯s the physical cultivation of a Vicious Beast. This will not happen with humans, the method is simply different for beasts and humans.¡±


    Different, how could cultivations be so different, the end scenarios was the same was it not? And yet, here was this orb that might not be emitting the complete strength of the Vicious Beast from before, but it was certainly close.


    Lute stored the orb away within a makeshift bag from animal skins he had made within the past few days, ¡°What makes it different then, why don¡¯t humans create orbs?¡±


    Hearing his question, Isla looked pointed to the surrounding area, ¡°This is the difference, Vicious Beasts are inherently loved by nature. This is why they are so much stronger than cultivators of the same level, the price though, they cultivate slower than humans. The gathered energy of the world takes a physical form known as a core. This core has many uses for a cultivator, but mostly they are used in pill making.¡±


    Lute gaze towards his animal skin bag, within such a small orb, he could turn in into his own cultivation, if that was true, he¡¯d make up for the lost time rather quickly.


    Lute turned towards Isla, a new light in his eyes filled with determination. ¡°Then how do I turn its energy into my own? Surely I would at the very least be able to advance to the same cultivation the water serpent was at previously.¡±


    Isla almost burst out laughing, did Lute really not think when asking questions such as these. It should be obvious that it wasn¡¯t as easy as he thought it was. Regaining her composure, Isla finally began to answer his request in earnest.


    ¡°For an average cultivator, with nothing, the power of a core flowing through them would be suicide; this is why they are used for pills. The pills condense the power of the core into something a human can ingest without internally destroying themselves. But, that is for an average cultivator, even if you took the core directly, it wouldn¡¯t be of much use for you. Not with your special circumstances.¡±


    For an average cultivator directly ingesting a core or pill above what they could control was akin to suicide or at the least would cripple them. For someone that gained an inheritance, the risk was at a much lower level, especially if the inherited strength changed the meridians and body on a fundamental level such as Lute. With his ability of self-recovery, and the durability of his meridians, even if he absorbed a beast core, the damage would be minimal at best, unless the core was many great reams above his cultivation.


    Lute once again took the core out of his makeshift bag, he wanted to try and absorb the energy within it, from the amount that he felt within he believed the core would allow a breakthrough into the ninth level of the Foundational Qi Realm.


    Based on instinct alone, Lute chose to sit with the core on the palm of his hands instead of swallowing it. Circulating his Qi as if he were cultivating, he included the core in his revolutions. Flowing the Qi through it then allowing it to reenter his body. With each revolution the foreign strength rampaged through Lute¡¯s meridians, but compared to the average man, he was perfectly fine. His meridians filled to the brink and felt sluggish due to forcing a vast amount of foreign Qi through them, but they did not tear or burst.


    With each passing revolution, the Qi that was trying to act violent became more and more pure, it lost all of its berserk properties and assimilated into Lutes Qi, eventually becoming his own.


    As more and more Qi was absorbed from the core, it gradually lost its luster. The core shrank until it was nearly half of its size, all of the translucence and power Lute sensed from it before was gone, what was left could be considered a dull crystal of no worth. However, Lute made no attempt to throw away the core, instead he continued to cultivate, gradually in taking more of the world Qi.


    Nearly four hours later, Lute opened his eyes, releasing his aura; it was at the seventh level of the Foundational Qi Realm. Despite breaking through two consecutive small realms, Lute¡¯s Qi was for the most part stable, it would take a few days to acclimate to the new strength, but that was far quicker than most cultivators who needed weeks.


    Contrary to his expectations, Lute became slightly disgusted. Annoyance was clearly visible within his body language, tapping his fingers against his outer thighs aggressively and a cold expression was prevalent.


    ¡°Master, with the amount of energy in that core, I should have easily broken through to the ninth level of the Foundational Qi Realm. I don¡¯t see why cultivators can¡¯t absorb these, they don¡¯t provide much energy, and although it rampaged through my meridians at first, it turned out to be easily controllable.¡±


    Isla¡¯s reprimanding voice resounded in the area almost at the exact moment he finished his question, ¡°Don¡¯t compare yourself to other cultivators in the Mortal Realm. They would not be able to absorb a core of a beast at a higher cultivation than themselves, not without the help of someone who was stronger than the beast. And if they did successfully absorb the energy without wasting it, they¡¯d jump many small realms at once.¡±


    The misunderstanding stemmed from the fact Lute didn¡¯t truly know the power gap from the Mortal Realm to the Divine Realm. If it were another cultivator at his level in the Divine Realm, they would probably be able to pull off what he¡¯d done by absorbing the core directly. But in the Mortal Realm, the only way to absorb a core directly in the safest manner was to be multiple small realms above it in cultivation, even then there was a chance the rampaging Qi could cripple the cultivator if they didn¡¯t have the utmost caution.


    Lute was about to give a curt reply to Isla when he heard something in the surrounding forest. The problem was it didn¡¯t sound like a beast or even one life form. The sound was more reminiscent of his own movements, which could only mean that there were other people in this part of the forest, as for what reason, it was unknown.


    ¡°Master there is cultivators coming in this direction¡­¡±


    Isla dissipated, her spiritual form once again merging with Lute¡¯s body. Even if her soul was still in the Divine Path she couldn¡¯t actually harm anyone with her Slaughter Aura or Soul. The only exception was Lute because he was merged with her in body and soul. It was instead much safer that she didn¡¯t show her spiritual form around anyone other than Lute so rumors wouldn¡¯t spread, for that could mean their death. However, being inside Lute didn¡¯t stop her from being able to order him around.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been keeping an eye on them for a while now, that¡¯s why I¡¯ve seemed so distracted today. There are four of them. Two at the seventh level of the Foundational Qi Realm, one at the eighth level, and another that seems to have just broken into the ninth level as his strength seems especially unstable. I¡¯m willing to guess he is impatient at cultivation.¡±


    Lute narrowed his eyes and suppressed his aura to hide his cultivation. It would be better for the four strangers to not know his exact strength. If things went wrong he¡¯d be forced to fight, and it¡¯d be best if he had a hidden advantage, such as his Slaughter Aura not being found out yet.


    Since he knew they were approaching, Lute returned to cultivating, there was no use hiding as he wouldn¡¯t escape in time. Instead he was judging his chances of killing the cultivators that approached if he was forced to fight.


    ¡°Master, do you think that I could take them on? I know beasts are intelligent, but they are much straighter forward and direct in fighting. Humans are more deceptive and cunning so I¡¯d assume that puts me at a disadvantage.¡±


    Through the connection, Lute was able to somewhat tell that Isla was seriously contemplating for a moment, and the footsteps of the party coming towards him were ever closer, however he felt somewhat relieved upon her response.


    ¡°You need to be careful upon the fact that they will probably have weapons while you don¡¯t, they will have much better teamwork, and yes they are much more deceptive. But I think you could win, the Water Serpent was far stronger than any of them individually. The only one that could fight it is the strongest of the four... that is if he cultivated normally. But because he rushed his cultivation, his strength is about half of what a mortal at the ninth level should be on this trash planet, even the cultivator at the eighth level could probably beat him if he was careful as his cultivation is stable enough to consider him a bit more than average in talent¡­at least for someone in the Mortal Realm.¡±


    Lute ignored the direction in which the group of four was approaching, he didn¡¯t want to give any signal he knew they were already coming, although with how loud they were traveling, they didn¡¯t seem to know about the concept of being quiet when travelling through a dangerous area, especially one full of Vicious Beasts.


    I should be ok, if the strongest one is barely able to fight blow for blow with the water serpent, then I should win. Their weapons can¡¯t be stronger than the fangs of the water serpent, and neither should their attacks. My Qi is purer and my strength originates from a higher plane of existence. If I lose, then I deserve to die, there is no reason for me not to win, especially when Master says I shouldn¡¯t lose.


    With that final thought, the clearing became noisy. Entering from the east, four figures, all adorned in simple leather tunics and breeches with a black cloak over each of them entered the clearing where Lute resided.


    Upon seeing what little remained of the corpse on the ground of the Water Serpent that Lute hadn¡¯t dismembered and the core of which could easily be seen was drained of power, the apparent leader of the groups eyes widened. This water serpent was something that they were requested to dispose of, and the reward was a bonus amount of cultivation resources from the sect if they performed exemplary. He¡¯d specifically paid special care to preparing to kill this beast in order to breakthrough into the tenth level of the Foundational Qi Realm and obtain the chance to become a direct disciple of an elder.


    With that chance now gone, it might be a delay of months before he could become an elder¡¯s direct disciple. All through a sick twist of fate did this happen. Since clearly this wild savage had a group village somewhere, if he couldn¡¯t get resources from the sect then he might as well take all the cores this barbarian¡¯s village probably saved up since it could be discerned that they knew the value of cores as the one by the youth was drained of its energy.


    Feigning a smile, the leader approached Lute who was cultivating, ¡°Oi, you there, we need to have a small chat about the problems with this scenario. I won¡¯t take no for an answer as it is a matter of grave importance.¡±


    Contrary to what he thought would happen, the leader of the group felt an extremely cold chill run down his spine as Lute opened his eyes. They were extremely sharp and cold, as if he wasn¡¯t even an ant in the eyes of this savage. Deep down in his consciousness, he had the feeling he was prodding a sleeping beast, but it was too late to turn back.

 Chapter 14

    Lute opened his eyes to meet the owner of the voice. In front of him was a youth much shorter than he was. Standing at about five foot six and a mass of black hair tied neatly back into a hair band, the youth had the unmistakable eyes of a swindler. He simply looked no good as a human being, from this much alone, Lute could guess that the smile was false and this person had a rotten personality.


    With a quick glance at the newcomer¡¯s compatriots, Lute couldn¡¯t discern anything from them aside from the fact that one of them was a female. So he simply disregarded them, turning to meet the disgusting fake youth before him, Lute noted all important information he could.


    The boy had what appeared to be a short sword and vials attached to a belt. Other than those, nothing else was apparent about his appearance. His cultivation on the other hand was a different matter altogether. Just from how unreservedly he let it show, Lute could tell this person had pride in their ability to cultivate quickly. It was almost as if he was subconsciously boasting about his cultivation.


    Compared to the Water Serpent, he might have a higher level, but in truth, even Lute in his limited experience could easily tell that this cultivator was nowhere where his strength should be for a ninth level cultivator in the Foundational Qi Realm. Even the eighth level cultivator was nearly of the same strength as this person. To think they wanted to kill the Water Serpent, it seemed impossible when such an unintelligent and boastful person was the leader.


    Lute already had a polarized personality, the only person he ever opened up to was Isla, being in the wilderness had only honed it even more to the extreme, giving Lute the appearance and mannerisms of a savage when interacting with anyone but Isla, and it was clearly visible when he seemed to look directly into the cultivator¡¯s soul before him.


    His piercing blue eyes were as cold as ever, seeming to cut right into anyone. His crimson hair flowing freely as if dancing in fire, but the most noticeable, and most intimidating was he hadn¡¯t released his Slaughter Aura but pressure still seemed to suppress the cultivator in front of him, a cold sweat clearly forming on their brow.


    ¡°Watch your tongue boy, if I want to say no, I will.¡± Responded Lute to the pompous brat before him. His voice was extremely sharp, not caring about any formalities with people who he felt no need to fear or associate with.


    Silence pervaded the surrounding area, Lute didn¡¯t say more than a few words, yet it seemed to hit the cultivator¡¯s nerves. His face began to swell into a bright red color. Putting a palm on his short sword, he completely forgot about the ominous feeling of before.


    ¡°You dare to take the authority of the Fallen Tide Hall to be unworthy of respect?¡±


    Lute smirked at his answer, clearly this piece of trash thought that being offended himself was the same as offending his sect, while that may be true if he held a high position or degree of power within the sect, Lute doubted that they¡¯d care about a measly disciple with no real talent to speak of.


    Flipping his overgrown hair back, Lute locked eyes with the cultivator and replied as sarcastically as possible, ¡°Well I wonder about that, does it really count as offending a dignified sect when they are ashamed of the trash that uses their name so flamboyantly. Who ever said I was mocking your sect and not just your personality.¡±


    The cultivator was stunned, within all the people he was associated with, not one of them dared to offend him like this, after all he was the best at cultivation within his age group, there was no one at the same level as him, as such he commanded absolute respect with those he was affiliated, and if he could become an elders disciple, his status would rise by leaps and bound.


    ¡°You dare mock me?! I am Glen!¡± replied Glen in a commanding voice, ¡°This entire mountain range is under the Fallen Tide Halls authority, this Water Serpent and all its possessions belong to us, to dare poach it when we were sent to retrieve it is a grave offense. You must be used as an example for those who disobey my sect¡¯s authority.¡±


    A murderous glint appeared within Lute¡¯s eyes, apparently the younger generations emotions were easily aroused, even more so, they seemed to think they wielded power which they did not have. He wanted to see what punishment Glen would arbitrarily decide upon with his own annoying sense of self-righteousness.


    ¡°Oh, just what kind of punishment is one such as you capable of administering?¡±


    Glen drew his short sword and pointed it towards Lute, an arrogant look of one who didn¡¯t know his place in the world, was what Lute thought he looked like.


    ¡°You have two choices, one, surrender to me here and now, bring me to your village of barbarians and hand over all materials and cores obtained from Vicious Beasts. Or two¡­ I¡¯ll cripple you...¡±


    A cold grin appeared on Lutes face, however that smile never reached his eyes, ¡°Sorry to shatter your petty world, but to the first condition, I don¡¯t have a village I live in, I am a solitary existence.¡±


    Suddenly, Lute let loose the suppressed Slaughter Aura he had; it immediately covered the surroundings making all four of the cultivators flinch. A look of fear appeared upon the two seventh level practitioners figures. They were barely able to raise their heads to meet Lute¡¯s eyes and trembled as he replied, ¡°As for the second condition, I am afraid that is far too soon for you to think that I can be crippled by the likes of you or your companions.¡±


    Not only his companions, but even Glen was shocked. The savage before him was only at the seventh level of the Foundational Qi Realm, and yet he couldn¡¯t feel the depths of his strength, it felt like an immovable mountain was pressing upon him. Even he knew what this was; every cultivator obtained it at some point it was Killing Intent. Although he misunderstood, Lute''s Slaughter Aura for Killing Intent. In the Mortal Realm it was quite likely no one knew about the realm of Slaughter Aura that came after Killing Intent.


    Mustering up what little courage he had, Glen looked at Lute with a face full of anxiety due to the Slaughter Aura pressuring him, clearly he had never felt any real life and death battles, otherwise this pressure would be nothing to him, after all Lute¡¯s own Slaughter Aura wasn¡¯t even one percent of what Isla¡¯s was.


    ¡°We shall not falter before you; having such an evil aura simply con¡­confirms the fact you need to be disposed of.¡±


    With a fiendish grin, Lute simply looked at Glens companions, one of which looked as if he was on the verge of pissing his pants. These young teenagers had clearly never done anything except fake sparring before, or maybe they only killed extreme early stage Foundational Realm Vicious Beasts.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Oh¡­Now you say it is you and your companions who will cripple me, what happened to it simply being just you doing it yourself?¡±


    Glen swallowed loudly, his face drenched in sweat, ¡°Silence! Enough, there is no more need to listen to someone who is about to die anyways. Everyone, gather and attack as a group, this is a beast in human form. It is suppressing its cultivation, with effort; we shall bring its head back to the sect for an even greater reward.¡±


    Despite feeling immense fear, the other three members of Glen¡¯s group were spurred into action; they had relatively simple thought processes, even for cultivators who should be cunning. They believed that no matter how strong Lute was individually; he was still only at the seventh level of the Foundational Qi Realm. With the four of them working in tandem, their survival rates should increase by a large margin.


    Common sense however, shouldn¡¯t have been applied to Lute in the first place. If these cultivators had any attention to the basics they had learned. It was that a cultivator will typically fight a beast one or more levels below their cultivation because a Vicious Beast¡¯s rank didn¡¯t depict their complete strength.


    This water serpent was confirmed to be at the eighth level, which meant that its strength was actually at the ninth level of the Foundational Qi Realm. Lute, who was at the seventh level had actually killed it and with minor injuries as well.


    Whether it was due to ignorance, or they simply didn¡¯t have the frame of mind to think properly in this situation, all four of them failed to realize this point. Not one of the four had the mental capabilities at this moment to think rationally and notice the problem with the scenario of a dead Vicious Beast and Lute who had only a minor cut upon his forearm.


    The four cultivators of Fallen Tide Hall approached Lute in a semi-circle formation. Each armed with a short sword, which was probably the standard weapon for all the lowest level disciples of the sect.


    Lute had already released his Slaughter Aura at full strength, and effects were already apparent in his vison, his opponents seemed to move sluggishly, hesitation apparent in all of their steps, the hands holding their weapons shaking slightly.


    Lute quickly entered into one of the stances he learned, with experienced movements, the air about him seemed to change, now the pressure that felt like a bludgeoning tool seemingly transformed into a powerful sword, an air of sharpness seemingly able to cut through anything.


    Glen, who was at the forefront and closest to Lute finally scraped up whatever courage he could, with a high-pitched cry, he sliced at Lute with and overhead arc. It couldn¡¯t have been more basic of a strike, but behind that strike was his Qi.


    Lute snorted, such simple maneuvers wouldn¡¯t work on him. While keeping an eye on the other opponents¡¯ positons, Lute sent out a palm, as if swatting an insect from the air and made contact with the flat of the blade. His palm had no Qi at all increasing his strength; it was strike completely from his body strength which was slowly increasing every day.


    But it was more than enough against Glen who had extremely impure Qi even by the worlds¡¯ standards. All of this was because he thought it was better to cultivate quickly. To achieve the same strength compared to someone at his cultivation that had cultivated properly, he¡¯d most definitely need to utilize all of his Qi to block one strike.


    With the force of the blade redirected, Glen went flying off to the left, stumbling and falling to the ground. Although his eyes were following Glen¡¯s figure, Lute was by no means unaware of three simultaneous attacks coming at him. Three more swords were aimed at his vital points that were exposed.


    Instead of trying to dodge, Lute never stopped moving even after he made contact with Glen¡¯s blade and kept up the momentum, further increasing it. Spinning at an angle, Lute sent out a fist, this time filled with a portion of his Qi because he was dealing with three attacks at once.


    The fist made complete contact with wrist of the closest Fallen Tide disciple, the apparent youngest one who almost pissed his pants. The disciple even utilized Qi to cover the wrist, but it was to no avail, when Lute made contact, forget about the wrist being injured. The Qi being used for defense was dispersed, and a cracking noise could be heard from not the wrist, but the entire arm.


    In that one second, every bone from his wrist and throughout his arm had suffered severe damage. The wrist bones were shattered, perhaps beyond repair; his hand had several broken bones, and the arm up until just after the elbow joint had cracked. Despite how young he was, the disciple would probably never fully recover from that one fist.


    Lute was never lenient when it came to fighting after all, for him it was either injure your opponent until they pose no threat, or do the much safer method which guaranteed they won¡¯t be a threat, and that was to simply kill them. Part of this resolve came from surviving for years on his own, but the vast majority was taught to him by Isla, and Lute agreed, it was better to have not even the slightest chance of death because of deciding to be lenient.


    The seventh level cultivator, a young youth who had thought he¡¯d have a decent future within his sect, had just lost all hope, his dream shattered. Screaming in pain, he fell to the ground unconscious, cruelly falling onto the injured arm, further adding to the injury.


    But Lute didn¡¯t have time to think about how weak that boy was as there were still two opponents left. One was the female at the eighth level of the Foundational Qi Realm and the other was another boy who looked remarkably similar the one he¡¯d injured. He was in a rage, seemingly having lost all fear, perhaps they were twin brothers?


    Without thinking, Lute acted on instinct as the cultivator in a rage blindly swiped at him, with ever increasing power behind his sword swings. Lute could even begin to feel a tinge of Killing Intent beginning to emanate from his opponent because of his intense emotions.


    Revolving his Qi at maximum strength, Lute chose not to retreat from the flurry of blows, but instead jumped forward into them, with a flick of the wrist he grabbed the sword blade, letting it slice into his palm, but there was no injury, Lute¡¯s Qi was on a different level of strength after all.


    As quickly as he went into frenzy, the youth just as quickly left it, in its place was terror. With bulging eyes, he tried to pull the sword from Lute¡¯s grip, but it failed. Instead he let go of the hilt, and revolving his Qi at maximum strength, he sent a fist flying towards Lute¡¯s dantian, hoping to cripple him as he saw his sect member approaching Lute from behind, hoping to slice his neck.


    Lute, who although in his opinion thought he didn¡¯t have enough battle experience, already had more than even some Nascent Qi Realm cultivators, this was the difference between fighting in life and death battles every day and sparring in a controlled environment. The differences were just too numerous between the two, so even though Lute seemed to be in a precarious positon, in reality he felt no fear, instead his heart was racing in anticipation, fighting multiple opponents at once was something he enjoyed almost as much as fighting a Vicious Beast, provided they were all near his strength, or somewhat close in capabilities.


    With a fist headed towards his dantian and a sword at his neck, Lute¡¯s eyes narrowed in anticipation, emitting Qi to cover his whole body, despite the trust he had in his physical strength alone, Lute suddenly lurched forward and grabbed the opponent in front of him by the collar of his leather tunic while avoiding the punch that attempted to cripple him.


    With a speed that shouldn¡¯t be possible for someone at his cultivation, Lute turned around and viciously thrust the paralyzed lump of meat that was his opponent in front of him. The youth had already stopped moving due to fear, and all he could do was watch in terror as his fellow disciple who had already put her full strength into a killing attack plunged her sword directly into his neck, severing the arteries and veins.


    Blood spurted from the wound and fell upon the cloak and blade of his accidental killer, shock was apparent in her eyes. Dropping the fresh corpse onto the ground, Lute had a devilish grin, he felt no remorse of such actions at all, since they wanted to take his life, they should¡¯ve been prepared to put theirs at stake as well.


    Looking at the girl before him, Lute was about to end her life when a sudden dangerous feeling appeared, turning around, he narrowly swatted away Glen¡¯s blade, but rather than follow through with the attack, Glen used the opportunity to move past Lute and grab the girl, leaving the other youth to die like his brother.


    Lute simply stared as Glen vanished into the distance, perhaps he wasn¡¯t such an idiot after all, if he wanted to live, running away was the best course of action and that was exactly what he¡¯d done.


    Ah well, perhaps my time in the forest will become more lively, there is no doubt that he¡¯ll come back for revenge with his personality type. They¡¯ll probably at the least be peak Foundational Qi Realm Cultivators for maybe they will be in the Nascent Qi Realm. With such a threat, I should probably leave this area, and find a new home in the mountains for now, until I am strong enough to fight off all the trash that is sent my way.


    Off in the distance, Lute narrowed his eyes, what he could see was a pair of yellow eyes staring back at him. It was the wolf pack leader he had come to terms with before. Looking at the unconscious youth before him, Lute made a sick and evil smirk, quickly grabbing a remaining sword, and tearing the cloak off of the fresh corpse, Lute looked at the pack leader again.


    He pointed at the dead brother and the unconscious one while saying, ¡°They are all yours, I have no need for anything on them, they are my gift to you.¡±


    With his statement finished, Lute casually turned around and walked off deeper into the forest. Minutes later he heard the dying screams of the remaining brother. The world was cruel place, and Lute had no intentions of escaping it, he would be cruel if he needed to be, since someone aimed at his life, they deserved to die in a horrible manner. Was he too cruel? Absolutely not, strength was all that mattered, if you had it then no matter what actions you took, they would be overlooked by those who would oppose them.

 Chapter 15

    Lute walked even deeper towards the interior of the mountains. At the moment he felt no reason to leave, at least not before he felt ready. While fighting off the Fallen Tide Hall disciples, no matter how weak they were, he didn¡¯t feel comfortable with his strength, in the end he had to rely on Qi, and for trash like that he shouldn¡¯t have to. Until then, the best course of action seemed to be cultivating and slaughtering Vicious Beasts until he was at the peak of the Foundational Qi Realm.


    Right now, Lute already felt himself closing in on the eighth level of the Foundational Qi Realm, combat in a one versus four scenario, while he didn¡¯t feel too pressured, allowed Lute to gain some insights, for cultivation wasn¡¯t merely amassing the worlds¡¯ essence, it was also an understanding of oneself and the universe.


    Continuing deeper into the forest, towards stronger Vicious Beasts, Lute felt wary and excited at the same time. He¡¯d be able to test his mettle against truly competent opponents, but with this chance was also extreme danger, he didn¡¯t know what he¡¯d do if a Nascent level beast appeared.


    As he was lost in thought, Lute finally noticed Isla begin to stir through the connection they shared. She had been silent ever since he¡¯d encountered the Fallen Tide Hall disciples. In front of him, her spiritual form began to slowly manifest.


    Lute stopped in his tracks and addressed her; clearly she wouldn¡¯t appear directly in front of him unless she wanted to talk. ¡°Well¡­ I guess you were wrong about those four, they were surprisingly much easier to deal with than you made them out to be.¡±


    Isla slightly smirked at Lutes words, he was certainly moving towards becoming a disciple of hers in the truest sense. All direct disciples would typically inherit some trait or quirk their master had. And what manifested in Lute, whether it was due to the merged souls or not was he would kill someone without a second thought, he had no qualms about whether it was right or wrong, and he just did it to eliminate all possible unknown occurrences that would arise had he not killed anyone.


    Isla replied in kind, a slight reprimand within praise, ¡°You performed at nearly and acceptable level, especially letting the wolves finish the job that was especially vicious, now if only you hadn¡¯t let the other two leave, then I could truly say that you are someone worthy of being my disciple. I don¡¯t let people get away when I have set my sight upon their life, and neither should you.¡±


    Lute bowed slightly, ¡°Thank you for your praise and advice.¡±


    After walking until twilight, Lute was now truly deep into the Crimson Tide Mountain Range. In every direction, there was foliage so thick; he could barely see a few feet in front of him. This was precisely the reason for plundering a short sword; Lute hacked away at it creating a small clearing to live within.


    Sitting in a lotus position, Lute attempted to cultivate, the wall to the eighth level had shrunk even more, with a push, Lute felt as if he could force his way through the bottleneck.


    Under the lunar light of the moon, he constantly in took Qi, purifying it and condensing it to a stronger form. Towards the end of the session, the wall to the eighth level of the Foundational Qi Realm was virtually nonexistent. With a final revolution of his Qi, it compressed and a fundamental change occurred within, its strength increasing once over as Lute now exuded the aura of someone at the early stages of the eighth level.


    Stretching his body, removing the stiffness, Lute examined himself. He was steadily growing in physical strength each day, even if they were minute increases. If he had to compare himself to cultivators that didn¡¯t temper their bodies, it was a vast chasm between them. It was better to compare his physical body to that of a Vicious Beast; they would never need to rely on equipment like humans because their bodies were their armor and weapons.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    With this breakthrough Lute felt himself steadily leaving the bounds of a mortal, even if he was at the starting level of cultivation. Non-cultivators most certainly no longer possessed the power to harm him. He¡¯d truly entered a world of monsters, both human and nonhuman.


    Even with the increase in strength, Lute didn¡¯t get overconfident; he knew that he was only a small insignificant speck of dust in the universe. But, he couldn¡¯t hide here in the Crimson Tide Mountain Range forever, there was no place for cowardice, he¡¯d have to leave at some point, but when? For this, Lute turned to his Master.


    ¡°Master, I can¡¯t stay here forever, I think we both know this. Despite us not having any particular destinations on this planet, I think we should leave the mountains at some point. But, do I have the strength to do so?¡±


    Isla looked at Lute once then turned away, Lute stood there in silence for close to five minutes and was about to continue walking when Isla finally responded. ¡°You already know about the dark side of human nature in the cultivating world, they will attack you without reason as the previous ones you met. You already know about the strength of Vicious Beasts, and you know your limits. So, when you are able to kill a Nascent Qi Realm Beast or when your reach the Nascent Qi Realm, I believe it would be in our best interest to leave and find a new journey to embark upon. It is as you said, we can¡¯t stay here forever.¡±


    Lutes¡¯ eyes unfocused and refocused as he thought about her declaration. At the rate he was advancing, it would probably take some months of serious cultivating to reach the peak of the Foundational Qi Realm at the tenth level. And he had to reach the Nascent Qi Realm too! The bottleneck between two great realms, he didn¡¯t know how long it¡¯d take to break through; it might be as quick as a few hours or as long as a year. It was different for everyone.


    This only left him with one option, to kill a Nascent Beast while in the Foundational Qi Realm, ideally when he was at the peak level. He¡¯d then be able to leave the Crimson Tide Mountain Range having completed Isla¡¯s conditions. But, this path was far more dangerous because he didn¡¯t know how much the gap in strength was per level of the Nascent Qi Realm.


    ¡°How much does the gap in strength increase per level of the Nascent Qi Realm for Vicious Beasts? It can¡¯t be all that great because it¡¯s only the second of the Nine Mortal Realms right?¡± Lute asked in a blunt manner, not hiding his intentions from Isla.


    A flash of light seemed to go through Isla¡¯s eyes, a slight grin now apparent. She had thought Lute would do this, and he didn¡¯t disappoint her. His path to the peak would be dyed in blood that much she knew.


    Her voice, was as cold as humanely possible, her eyes depicted an insanity that only those who lived and died for combat could understand, ¡°So you choose the path of blood eh? That¡¯s a fine choice. It is more entertaining to fight with your life on the line to gain strength instead of just sitting in a small square room and cultivating at all times. You¡¯ll grow in power quicker that way, but the risks are also greater.¡±


    The same flash of insanity appeared momentarily in Lute, however he unconsciously suppressed it. Unlike Isla who blatantly showed she lived for combat, Lute for reasons unknown to even himself would suppress his cultivation, slaughter aura, and the same insanity he¡¯d inherited from Isla. If he was walking in a city, no one would know he was a cultivator and they especially wouldn¡¯t know how savage he could truly be until he stepped onto a battlefield where there were no rules or regulations, only the loss of lives.


    ¡°There are no shortcuts to true power, if I want to grow faster to make up for the fact I need more Qi, I will need to temper myself through combat. And I think I will start with a Nascent Beast, as long as I can survive more than one attack.¡± Replied Lute with a sharp edge to his voice, he was ready to leave the mountains, as long as he had the strength he needed.


    Isla looked off into the distance, and then turned back to Lute, her body posture changing, a challenging look in her eyes. ¡°The gap between Nascent and Foundational Qi Realms is the amount of Qi the body can hold. A Nascent Realm first level could probably take on multiple peaks Foundation Realm cultivators because of the sheer difference in amount of Qi. But, for you who already need more than three times the amount of Qi to cultivate as others, the chasm isn¡¯t so large. Combined with your body, talent for combat and purity of Qi, with an extreme struggle, you might be able to go blow for blow with a first level Nascent Beast right now. And I meant that literally when I said right now.¡±


    Isla floated off to the side, with a smile that seemed to sarcastically say good luck, she waved Lute towards the forest in front of him. The next thing Lute heard, a lumbering Vicious Beast, seemingly some sort of bear, but with some type of acidic substance drooling from its fangs and claws.


    It was more than five times the size of Lute, brown fur, acidic claws and fangs, and cloudy blue eyes, the opposite of Lutes that were clear sky blue. The aura it was emitting was that of the first level of the Nascent Qi Realm. And the pressure of it had surpassed Lutes¡¯.


    Lute quickly backed away, but instead of fear, he emitted a dry laugh. This Master of his, she really wanted to kill him. He didn¡¯t want to fight a Nascent Beast until he was at the peak of the Foundational Qi Realm, and yet she sensed this beast and hadn¡¯t told him about it. If he wasn¡¯t careful he might even die, escaping was not an option either as despite its size the bear had to be quick as its cultivation was the next Great Realm above Lute.


    Lute unclasped his cloak, and took off the fur vest he usually wore. He now showed his bare chest and all its scars, his anticipation for battle rising, Lute released slaughter aura, and held his short sword in a reverse grip. With a maniacal grin he looked the Vicious Beast eye to eye.


    ¡°Fine then, I was looking for a challenge anyway, if it¡¯s a battle you want¡­ I shall give you a war instead.¡±

 Chapter 16

    The sunset was dipping below the horizon; barely any light was left as the world shifted into darkness. Typically, this was when the mountains became less active; there were very few Vicious Beasts that chose to be active during the night. And yet, if anyone was deep enough into the Crimson Tide Mountain Range, shockwaves were resounding, echo¡¯s travelling in every direction.


    The source of these sounds, Lute and his opponent the Vicious Beast, it was the strongest one he¡¯d faced yet, three levels above him which included one great realm level. The disparity lying in the fact Lute hadn¡¯t entered the Nascent Qi Realm; his dantian hadn¡¯t expanded to store more Qi.


    They hadn¡¯t been in combat long, yet the previously dense forest foliage was all but gone. The ground was broken, trees had claw marks, and some even had large portions of wood blown off the trunk.


    Lute wasn¡¯t faring much better, with the last paw he took from the bear, he was sent flying. Standing up, he spit out a mouthful of blood. His arms were riddled with claw and acidic burn marks. His Qi, while being extremely pure and of a higher plane, it still couldn¡¯t completely block the attacks because of the difference that was cultivation levels.


    But he was still faring much better than anyone else would have, even if they were the same level as the bear. This was because Lute¡¯s body was increasing in strength each day, becoming stronger and firmer, it had even surpassed his opponent¡¯s physique by a small degree.


    But it wasn¡¯t omnipotent, there would be a bottleneck. Once Lute came to the peak of the Divine Chronicle of the Primordial Way¡¯s first level, he would stagnate, all the passive effects granted by it, while they didn¡¯t outright stop improving Lute¡¯s body as vessel for power, would become imperceptible as the rate would drastically slow down. As it was an Art hardly relying on one¡¯s cultivation, it was a matter of comprehension. But once Lute stepped into the second level of the Art, he¡¯d immediately and explosively increase in strength on a physical level once again. All the passive effects would increase many times over until he once again reached the peak and stagnated.


    Thanks to this Art, it was the only reason Lute was surviving this fight. The Spiritual God¡¯s inheritance had proved useless thus far, as Lute still didn¡¯t have any thought as to what powers he had gained from it. His only clue, the five doors that were in a pentagonal formation around his dantian, but if he opened one he¡¯d likely incur massive injuries.


    Combined with the combat stances he was learning each day from Isla, whenever Lute struck it was as if a hammer was bludgeoning its target to a pulp. The only problem, the Vicious Beast before him was anything but a mass of crushed flesh. Its physical body was much closer to Lute¡¯s in physical strength than anyone he¡¯d met.


    The both of them had suffered injuries on par with one another, Lute with burns and deep gashes along his arms and bruises upon his chest, and the Vicious Beast, it had visible dents within its ribs, and they weren¡¯t broken, but fractured from Lute¡¯s heavy strikes. It also had a cut above its right eye, blood dripping down upon it. This forced the bear to blink rapidly in the right eye, its vision deteriorated.


    The blinding wound upon the Vicious Beast had been made at the expense of Lute¡¯s short sword. As it wasn¡¯t anything other than iron, which any mortal could acquire, it had broken under a heavy paw strike from the bear in retaliation, saving Lute from another nasty bruise and burn marks upon his chest. It hadn¡¯t even proved that useful as even if the bear was blinded, Lute was positive it would fight using its hearing and smell. Until he acquired a weapon made specifically for a cultivator, he might as well use his fists which were stronger than any weapon a mortal could possibly make.


    Lute, despite having injuries, was still stable mentally and physically. The pain he felt was nothing compared to being rebuilt all the way down to his body¡¯s smallest units by the Spiritual Gods Blood. Although he should be worried about his life, he wasn¡¯t, although he had already used more than half his Qi, he didn¡¯t dare run away, even though he felt like he could now that he¡¯d gotten a grasp of the bears strength.


    It was his thirst for battle that demanded he stay, he might be calm but that didn¡¯t mean completely rational, if he was, he would¡¯ve retreated from the very first exchange of blows because the chances of him coming out of this with anything less than a serious injury was miniscule.


    Despite all the strategical and logical reasons about why he should escape floating around his head, Lute ignored them, in a battle of no rules, while he portrayed himself as calm on the outside, Lute was in actuality aggressive, there was nothing like the thrill of teetering on the very edge of death like he was. It made him truly feel alive; everything seemed so much more vibrant and less dull when he felt like this. This was the trait that all cultivators who decide to live on the battlefield share; they simply couldn¡¯t escape this feeling, the most common thing they all share in common, dying with a smile or laughing as they die at the hands of their opponent.


    Although he was injured, Lute took the initiative, with the trademark cold smirk upon his face as he approached his adversary, his eyes were clearly showing murder in them, he wanted to kill his opponent if it was the last thing he did. The more he thought about victory, the stronger his Slaughter Aura became.


    Revolving what limited Qi he had left, Lute decided to focus all of it into his arms, instinctively deciding to put his faith in the strength of his body, he disregarded using any of his leftover Qi for any other defense. It was all within his arms, prepared to be unleashed at a moment¡¯s notice. Without a shred of fear or anxiety, Lute continued his approach, there was nothing else but to end it here and now, if he didn¡¯t then the chances of escaping would significantly drop the moment he used up all his Qi.


    The bear before him bent down, its leg muscles visibly contracting in a ripple effect as it channeled its strength, and within a second it leaped forward surprising Lute. He quickly lifted up an arm as he had no time to dodge. A stinging sensation started to travel up and down his left arm, and it began to lose feeling.


    The bear had cleverly gathered up all the acidic saliva it had and spit it at Lute as it leaped in for the kill. In mere moments it was about to be upon Lute, shaking off the saliva, Lute furiously revolved all of his remaining Qi, he planned to use all of it in this final strike.


    Stepping into the bear instead of attempting to back away, Lue planted his body firmly into the ground before him, he became an immovable sentinel. The Slaughter Aura he had emitted never weakened once, instead throughout this trial it was steadily growing stronger, until now, it had finally overtaken the pressure of the bear.


    With a final fist, Lute used up all of the Qi in his arms, sending it out through his left fist, he made contact with the snout of the bear. A bludgeoning sound resounded through the area; both of them were mutually thrown backwards from the force of their own attacks.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Lute flew backwards, slamming into a tree, putting a major dent into the wood. All of his breath was knocked out of him. He slowly sunk down until he was on the ground, in that last attack he certainly felt his left hand start to give way, there was most definitely a slight fracture in his hand. But it was only a slight fracture; it¡¯d heal within a week due to his physique.


    The bear on the other hand was worse off, its snout was mangled and portions of it fangs were knocked out of its mouth or chipped off. Colliding with Lute who was like a mountain when he didn¡¯t want to move, had caused a rebound in force for the both of them, this caused the fractured ribs to be on the verge of shattering.


    Lute finally sat up and looked towards the bear, looking to see if he finally won, ¡°Did I finally do it?¡±


    Almost immediately after he said those words, it was like a challenge was sent to the bear, it opened its eyes, even the one clogged with blood, and then it stood up. Its body was much frailer, but it planned to kill Lute, it wouldn¡¯t let its prey get away.


    Lute laughed dryly, and almost without any energy, his entire body felt extremely heavy and lethargic, even keeping his eyes open was a hassle. This was the difference between the Nascent Qi Realm and the Foundational Qi Realm. Lute¡¯s reserves despite being many times more than the average weren¡¯t enough. And the Divine Chronicle of the Primordial Way wasn¡¯t enough either, despite the autonomous intake of Qi, even though that was all he focused on right now, trying to increase his absorption speed of Qi, it wasn¡¯t enough compared to what Qi the bear had left stored in its core.


    All that the bear had to do was use its leftover Qi and with a little bit of time, it¡¯d be able to tear Lute to shreds even with his physique. Slowly it approached with a severe limp, and yet Lute still held no fear towards death, a defiant grin and murderous look was still easily discernable from him. He didn¡¯t plan to go out without fighting till the last moment.


    Slowly standing up, Lute was trembling slightly, he really had no energy left, and the Qi was even more pitiful, he¡¯d only managed to absorb a small amount within those few minutes he was on the ground slumped against the tree. Hair thin strands were flowing through his body, and with the size of his meridians, Lute felt like an empty vessel once again as the amount of Qi was so small they might as well be nonexistent in his meridians.


    He didn¡¯t feel deterred though, the shroud of death, he could clearly feel it, and yet Lute felt tranquil. But it was at this moment, with the bear almost upon him, Lute felt a sudden change within his inner body. A sound of chains rattling like someone wanted to break them was all Lute could hear.


    Of the pentagonal formation in his body, at the top most point, closest to his heart, Lute felt the door furiously struggling. He could actually see within himself the door moving, trying to force itself open. Apparently the doors were sentient or partially sentient, but Lute couldn¡¯t worry about that at the moment as the specter of death was looming ever closer towards him.


    But, a small smile appeared once again on Lute¡¯s lips, a knowing look showing upon his face, the message was clear from how fiercely the door was struggling. It wanted to be opened, it clearly felt danger to Lute¡¯s life, and at that moment, Lute knew the doors didn¡¯t want to kill him; they wanted to be used by him. Perhaps, if the first door was struggling so much, he could open it for at least a second, and if he closed it quick enough, he might survive. That was what flashed through Lutes mind.


    Well, there¡¯s no reason not too, it is a gamble I am willing to take. If I can¡¯t place my trust in these doors entrusted to me through the blood, why should I be allowed to use them then?


    With this final thought, the door seemed to feel Lute having come to terms with what he was going to do, it began to forcefully struggle even more, so much so that a small crack appeared and it opened slightly before slamming shut again, but that small crack of the door opening was enough, Lute felt knowledge rush into him, and it was precisely how to open the doors.


    Without another second to delay, Lute moved what pitiful amount of Qi he had left; he sent it to the first door and forcefully bombarded it against the door that was working as hard as it could to open. Over and over again, he slammed it against the door, and eventually some of his Qi disappeared through the slightly open crack he and the door mutually made. The small cracks of the opening door expanded a thunderous occurred roar within his body, the door finally opened. Information rushed into Lute¡¯s mind but he couldn¡¯t pay attention to any of it at the moment.


    With the opening of the door, Lute¡¯s wounds instantly expanded, the cuts on his arms exploded, cracks appeared all over Lute¡¯s skin, blood bled from his seven orifices¡¯. But that wasn¡¯t the worst of it, an unimaginable pain, even worse than when he inherited the Spiritual Gods Blood assaulted Lute. His whole body felt as if it was going to spontaneously combust, sharp pain assaulted his mind and his nerves overloaded, breathing was so painful he didn¡¯t want to breathe. Even worse, his dantian and meridians felt as if they were going to rupture.


    But with this came his Qi as well. Lute retained enough consciousness to just barely think and move. He was able to tell that the amount of Qi he had didn¡¯t increase at all. There was no change in quantity; but the quantity of Qi was now emitting a power far stronger than it did before. It also had expanded; it was no longer just a hair¡¯s width. If he had to compare it to something, then it¡¯d be density. If before his Qi was like vapor, then now it was like an extremely thick syrupy substance. The difference between the density of his Qi from a moment ago and now was a vast difference.


    The purity was the same, the amount hadn¡¯t increased, but now if he used the same amount of Qi, it seemed he would get a lot more power out of it than before. He could use less Qi to achieve the same outcome, what a terrifying concept.


    The bear on the outside actually stopped in its tracks, it had been slowly moving towards Lute to finish him off. With its severe limp and mangled body, it was very hard to move, but now, what appeared in front of it was not the boy it saw earlier. Now there was a bloody beast in front of it. At the sight and sound of Lute, it actually began to feel fear and struggle to turn around and escape.


    Lute however didn¡¯t completely lose his sense of reason. He was a bloody beast though, the bear was right in thinking that. His entire body was breaking apart, he didn¡¯t look human anymore and he was howling an extremely unnerving and inhumane cry due to the pain. But he wasn¡¯t going to let the bear get away now that he came this far.


    From the first second he opened the door, Lute could tell he had roughly thirty seconds before he died from spontaneous explosion. Taking one painful step after another he approached the bear. The only part of Lute¡¯s body that wasn¡¯t dyed a scarlet red was his piercing sky blue eyes which had an extreme murderous intent.


    With his Slaughter Aura surging, and his will to annihilate all before him, Lute raised his right fist and converged all the Qi within it. But just as he was about to punch, an image of a technique flashed through his mind. With roughly half of the time left that he could bear to keep the door open, Lute instinctively changed how he revolved his Qi and attempted the technique whose name was simply oppressive.


    With a final bloodcurdling scream, Lute connected the technique, known as Shifting Time Collapsing Void with the bear. Almost instantly, the lower ribs where Lute attacked exploded from the force behind the technique. A massive gaping hole went through the bear, and the ground below both it and Lute collapsed and broke apart. The force of that techniques shockwave actually sent a complete see-through hole in the trees surrounding him.


    The scene of this battle didn¡¯t look anything like that of Nascent or Foundational Realm cultivators and beasts, it looked much more like a battle involving Spirit Opening Realm cultivators.


    The bear immediately died on the spot, half of its body blown to shreds, gaping holes everywhere below the shoulders. Even though its skull wasn¡¯t damaged in that strike, there was a chance from the strength behind it that the core of the now dead Vicious Beast would be damaged and leak out all of its energy.


    Lute, covered in wounds and blood collapsed upon the ground, he didn¡¯t even close the door, and it seemed to do it on its own when it knew the Vicious Beast was dead.


    This was where the Divine Chronicle of the Primordial Way would become the most useful. As Lute lay there unconscious, his meridians and dantian were on the verge of rupturing, his skin and muscle had broken down a significant degree, he was covered in burns, bruises, and now, most of his bones had fractured from releasing a door and technique his body wasn¡¯t ready for. But all of this could be healed.


    It might take weeks, but although this was something an ordinary cultivator might not completely recover from, the Divine Chronicle of the Primordial Way would allow Lute to reach one hundred percent again. When he healed, his body would become even more durable and closer to the second level of this Art than before. As long as he wasn¡¯t crippled or lost a limb or organ as he didn¡¯t reach the level where growing limbs and organs were possible, a complete recovery would always happen.


    Even now, the healing was already starting to take place, Lute was absorbing Qi and his body had already clotted the blood. At the moment he was in no danger of dying, that much Isla could ensure, she also thoroughly released her Slaughter Aura, and although she couldn¡¯t actually kill anything, the Vicious Beasts were too low in cultivation to know that this was all just fa?ade, if it was a beast at the Heavenly Emperor level, they would certainly feel fear but come to realize that Isla couldn¡¯t do anything. But with these levels of beast, Isla could ensure Lute a few days to simply heal and do nothing before any of the Vicious Beasts returned.

 Chapter 17

    A cold feeling, as if it came from icy waters was seeping throughout Lute¡¯s body. He was drifting between consciousness and unconsciousness; he didn¡¯t know how much time had passed, it felt like an eternity. Sometimes an image of the Origin Soul Needle would flash through his mind. It was an image of it releasing a resplendent icy blue light, this light seemed to be the source of the icy feeling throughout his body, dragging him to consciousness each time and forcing Lute to remain in clarity.


    This time of clarity would only last for brief moments at first, but as time went on, Lute retained consciousness for longer periods of time, and eventually he began to stay awake long enough to inspect the state of his body.


    It was truly in shambles, he was lying in a pool of his blood, but thankfully the bleeding had stopped. Many ribs were either fractured or broken, and his left arm which released the overbearing technique from before was a mess. The muscles were torn to shreds and the wrist bones were broken, many of the fingers fractured. Aside from this, there were many sickly colored bruises and burns on his body. Were it not for his physique, he would¡¯ve died long ago.


    Even the meridians and dantian were in shambles, and on the verge of rupturing. But, all of this was slowly being healed. As long as Lute didn¡¯t cripple his body, he could be on the verge of crippling himself and still be able to heal back to peak strength given enough time.


    This was all thanks to the Primordial God, and the Origin Soul Needle. Much like when he first assimilated with the needle, Lute could guess this portion of its functions, it was an unknown function nobody knew about, at least until now. The resplendent light released was the needle actively stimulating Lute¡¯s soul and consciousness, while it didn¡¯t take away the pain, the icy cold feeling he had would clear his mind, and although he would sense the pain even more, Lute realized his pain threshold was increasing. He would be able to deal with pain easier, it wouldn¡¯t nullify or lower the pain he felt, but he would be able to persevere through it. His willpower would steadily increase.


    The other entity responsible for Lute surviving was the Primordial God. Even though Isla said he wasn¡¯t the first God or one of the longest surviving gods, he was certainly on a higher plane of existence compared to most Gods, Devils or Divine Beasts when it came to physiques.


    Lute felt that nobody knew the true strength of the Primordial God. Although he was powerful, perhaps he had never truly been serious in combat as there¡¯s no way a physique like this would go unnoticed. Had Lute not cultivated the first level of what he decided to call the Primordial First Physique, he would have most certainly died. It was as Isla said, in the past, present and future there more than likely wouldn¡¯t be a body tempering art that surpassed this one. There would certainly be some that came close to the Primordial First Physique in strength and ability, but absolutely none would surpass it.


    As time passed the sense of touch gradually began to return to Lute¡¯s body, so much so that he finally managed to sit up from his paralyzed state of lying on the ground. Such movements however were extremely painful. This caused his skin, which throughout nearly all his body was cracked and split open to seep blood from their wounds. The price of opening the first door was not light.


    Finally in an upright positon, Lute struggled to slide backwards in order to lean against a tree, his body still devoid of energy and Qi, as it was all being used to heal his wounds. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he was now able to physically see his body and just how much of it was in tatters. He was also practically naked again, the fur he¡¯d been wearing was drenched in blood to the point it was unusable.


    The surroundings were silent, not a single lifeform was in this area for almost a kilometer in every direction. Sadly, Isla wouldn¡¯t be able to do this in order to protect Lute in the near future, especially if he went to areas populated by humans. Humans always have and will use their uncanny willpower to deal with persevere through times of danger, so it was best that she remain hidden when the time came, Lute would have to rely on himself from now on to stay alive.


    In such silence, the only things Lute was able to hear were his ragged and painful breathing, as well as the slight breeze and rustling of leaves. Isla remained hidden in his body, choosing to let Lute recuperate somewhat before speaking with him. As such, it was actually the perfect environment for Lute to heal and cultivate, there would be no danger or distractions.


    This was the exact thought of Lute. He immediately began to cultivate in earnest, attempting to heal himself while the Origin Soul Needle was giving him clarity of mind through its icy light. He already autonomously in took Qi from the surroundings due to the Primordial First Physique, but now that he was actively trying to focus on absorbing it, the speed at which he could gather the world¡¯s essence and purify it increased many times over.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Slowly, ever so slowly, he focused upon healing his wounds. The strands of Qi that flowed through his body felt refreshing like a cool stream of water, giving him a place of refuge for his mind to focus upon rather than the pain of his wounds. During this period of recuperation, Lute lost himself, he was devoid of any thoughts or emotions, and he truly became one with nature as he healed.


    Just like that, the day passed in silence, it would take more than a few days to heal such wounds, but the world didn¡¯t stop moving simply because Lute was holed up in the Crimson Tide Mountain Range healing and cultivating.


    A few days later at the outskirts of the Crimson Tide Mountain Range, there was yet another group of cultivators, taking requests from the sects to investigate rumors, subjugate Vicious Beasts, and any other task befitting their cultivation.


    If they completed enough requests in a commendable way, then they could earn merit points upon which they could spend. The method for giving merit points were under tight knit security of only the Sect Master and their closest aides in order to prevent the disciples or any Teachers from bending the rules or finding loopholes in order to obtain more points than they deserved, as points could not be stolen from a disciple who already had them and they couldn¡¯t be counterfeited.


    This was precisely the reason that this group of cultivators had arrived in the Crimson Tide Mountain Range. They all were in the Nascent Qi Realm and the strongest was at the third level, on the verge of breaking through to the fourth level. Each one of these cultivators was far more talented than Glen would ever be, they knew not to rush cultivation so their cultivation realm accurately represented their strength.


    The subject of their request¡­.Lute, when Glen had escaped with his one remaining group member, he immediately went to the requests hall, telling everything that happened. However he exaggerated the story beyond the scope of what actually happened. He spoke of how he valiantly fought a rogue cultivator in the Nascent Qi Realm and despite is heroic actions of acting as the sacrifice, the twin brothers of his group were still slaughtered as they were the weakest.


    None of this actually happened, as Glen simply hid in terror after Lute swatted him away without even using Qi. Lute had accurately depicted his personality the second he met him. Glen exaggerated and lied to get a request put up that would make Nascent Qi sect members interested.


    The subject of the request, a wild savage who somehow made it to the Nascent Qi Realm by themselves, he had crimson hair and piercing blue eyes, an aura so thick it smelled of blood and his body was unnaturally strong, almost comparable to a low level Vicious Beast in physical strength. He was thought to be an insane berserker that thought of nothing except killing. This was how Glen described Lute, facts mixed in with falsified information. But it had successfully enticed this group.


    They were made up of Seren, Ley, and Halsten. Seren was the weakest of the group, only at the early stages of the first level Nascent Qi Realm. Although the difference between a first level and third level Nascent Qi cultivator wasn¡¯t as large a gap as there was between a third and fourth level, jumping a small realm was still uncommon, and Seren was able to do this.


    Even though she was only an first level, her strength was comparable to a second level Nascent Qi cultivator. This was not unheard of, many talents who rose to the pinnacle of the Crimson Tide Planet could jump cultivation to fight, but typically nobody fought even one small realm above them, the only people that did so were considered more than average cultivators who rose to prominence.


    But being able to jump cultivation to fight wasn¡¯t everything; there were many different ways to identify a genius. Being able to jump realms and fight was just one way, but a genius could mean strategical mastermind, a person talented in comprehending an art or technique to its limit, being able to produce well-made tonics, pills or medicines as an alchemist or even diplomacy.


    There were many ways to define talent, cultivation alone wasn¡¯t looked at. A true genius was one who was talented in multiple aspects. Lute was already talented in comprehension and his battle instincts were surprisingly decent, if he was talented in any other fields he would definitely be considered above average at the minimum.


    Seren was the same, most of her talent lied in combat. Unlike most girls her age, she let her platinum silver hair flow freely and never tied it up unlike others. Her eyes were a deep sea green. She would wear a leather tunic and breeches that the male disciples wore though, she didn¡¯t enjoy the frilly battle skirts that most of the more feminine girls wore. But hidden behind the leather was a figure above average in this world, she could be considered one of the top ten beauties in the Fallen Tide Hall.


    The only problem was her personality; it was extremely stubborn and unyielding which made it hard for her to be approachable and sociable. Her icy atmosphere was something very few could easily get along with.


    The only reason she was in a group at all was because of this request, due to its nature she wanted it in order to push herself to the limits of combat against what was deemed to be and insane and unpredictable cultivator. But the request that had been approved by an Elder mandated that a minimum of a group of three must go because it was in the middle of prime Vicious Beast hunting grounds.


    As they camped outside the foot of the mountain range, Seren didn¡¯t dare sleep, she would¡¯ve taken anyone else for partners except these two, Ley and Halsten were notorious through the sect¡¯s underground association.


    As with any organization, there was corruption, which was an absolute fact. Ley, although she was short and lithe, had formidable abilities at moving around covertly and Halsten was of an extreme build with a massive two-hand broadsword around him. They were suspect of more than a few murders¡¯ for hire in the sect, but there was no proof against them. It was even thought that they had an Elder backing any actions they took, as for who that person was; they remained in the shadows unnoticed.


    Even if she was slightly dull in the senses during the day, she would rather know that she wouldn¡¯t be backstabbed in the middle of the night by staying awake and cultivating, but not too deeply to the point she was unaware of her surroundings, these two were just that dangerous. Even more so, whenever Seren made eye contact with one of them, it felt as if they were plotting to kill her.

 Chapter 18

    As Seren and her loathed companions were finally headed into the Crimson Tide Mountain Range, starting from the outskirts and working their way in ever deeper, Lute had been healing. Over these past few days he didn¡¯t talk to Isla, he didn¡¯t bother with anything involving his inheritances, he didn¡¯t even think. All he did was remain in the state of being one with nature; it was the equivalent of him remaining in a deep sleep or possibly even a comatose state as he was barely breathing.


    Roughly four days ago was when he finally was able to move and start healing in earnest. Since healing and recuperating was the only thing he focused on, it was occurring multiple times faster than when he was drifting in and out of consciousness uncontrollably.


    Observing his body, Lute was satisfied with how much he healed in these eight days. All signs of external injury had disappeared; the skin healed and stitched itself back together, all burns disappeared and he no longer had cuts or any wounds from the bear upon him. The only outward signs of injury he had were the scars that he always kept as a reminder of his past, if he so wanted, they would heal within a day, but he would rather keep them as a sentimental memory of what he had to go through to obtain his starting point in the universe.


    When he switched his observation to his internal body, Lute was less than pleased. The dantian and meridians were mostly healed, with no obvious signs of permanent damage. The only problem was revolution of qi in his left arm from releasing the technique from days ago known as Shifting Time Collapsing Void. If it was as the name implied, it was a strike that was unhindered by time and could shatter the void around the origin of impact.


    The other problem was his bones, the wrist bones were healing at an extremely fast pace, perhaps within a week they¡¯d be healed, but right now his left wrist was still broken an unable to be used lest he injure it further. As for the rest of his fractures, Lute wasn¡¯t too worried. He had come to understand the scope of the first level of his Primordial First Physique after this latest trial by combat and the healing afterwards. Fractured bones for him meant that they were then on the level of what he was before cultivating the Divine Chronicle of the Primordial Way, while fractured bones for others were a devastating injury that could impede their cultivation for weeks.


    As long as he was careful in combat or any task, Lute felt that he needn¡¯t worry about the fractured bones. His physique of the bones was now on the same level as those at the same cultivation as him instead of being superior, but that didn¡¯t mean his muscle and skin were. His skin had already healed, the broken down and torn muscle was for the most part grown back and stronger than before. The same would occur with the bones, after suffering such extensive injuries; his body would grow and repair itself to be stronger than before, meaning he could adapt faster to withstand more pressure.


    In a slow manner, tenderly standing up just to be safe and not reinjure himself, Lute began to walk towards the nearest source of water. Right now he was practically naked once again; the only thing that wasn¡¯t caked in dried blood was the fur vest he¡¯d taken off before fighting with the Vicious Beast, but that had been torn to shreds in mere moments after combat began.


    So right now, the best Lute could do was wash out what little fur he could, and cut away any usable pieces to once again create a small loincloth to cover his little brothers.


    Upon thinking this, Lute sighed slightly; his father would often scream ¡°My Little Brothers¡± whenever his Mother hit him below the belt for doing something wrong such as looking at another woman.


    Those were truly the blissful days, even if his family was poor and didn¡¯t have much, if he had to do it all over again, Lute didn¡¯t know what he¡¯d do. He¡¯d never admit it but he was growing attached to Isla¡¯s existence, not just because of her extensive knowledge, but it was an indescribable feeling having someone who understood all one hundred percent of who you were, not to mention that they also had linked emotions and shared one body. They were connected on a level that some lovers could only wish to reach, but what they felt for each other was not love, it was only a give and take relationship, they both understood this and there was no need to confirm it.


    But on the other hand, he wanted to do anything to live a normal life again; he didn¡¯t need to be a cultivator, if he could live happily as a mortal, then he would have. So that left only one choice since he couldn¡¯t do that, after he gave Isla a body, he would go on a journey for himself for enlightenment, he¡¯d become a free spirit that travelled on the whims of his thoughts.


    ¡®Damn emotions stirring up again¡¯


    Lute forced these thoughts out of his head as he found small lake he¡¯d been to before. As he began to wash, he began to ponder over the important things he¡¯d learned. This was the information that flowed into his mind after he opened the first door, or should he say path.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    The true name of the pentagonal formation surrounding his dantian was the Five Paths of Severance. What this meant was to sever one from the universes restrictions of predetermined laws and fate and anything that it would use to hinder oneself. What Lute took from this was the Spiritual God was able to sever himself from being controlled by the restrictions of the universe while staying connected to what wouldn¡¯t hold him back.


    This was the true source of the Spiritual Gods Powers; he could assimilate with any type of power to an absurd level while discarding any part of those powers negative aspects. He could also freely merge, dissect and change all that he controlled. Being able to wield contradictory things such as fire and ice at the same time was possible. Being able to wield taboo arts without the price, this was the aspect that made him terrifying.


    But this wasn¡¯t the end; he could also lock out powers rendering them ineffective against him. Because he severed himself from the universe, the only effective method of injuring him would be pure Qi, unchanged in anyway, something on the level of the Pear of Myriad Tribulations, or to ingest a terrifying poison that could kill even a God, Devil or Divine Beast.


    However Lute clearly understood the drawback of this immediately, the Spiritual God¡¯s physical body wasn¡¯t as strong as someone like the Primordial God, no it could be said to be one of the weakest of the immortals physiques because he relied on the laws of severance to nullify anything except pure unchanged Qi. Had he also tempered his body like the Primordial God and not relied so heavily on the immunities he cultivated, the Spiritual God might''ve survived long enough to stay alive during the Age of Man and personally find an inheritor, raising them up as his disciple.


    ¡®Damn this is really too much information, the benefits are a great boon, but these Arts and Techniques are seriously too strong for my body to bare and the new technique here is going to be a pain to learn.¡¯


    Lute massaged his temples as he forcefully comprehended all the information that until now was floating around in his head, he couldn¡¯t forget since it came directly from the paths, there was no choice but to continue sorting through all this rubbish.


    If anyone knew that Lute thought this knowledge was rubbish, they would probably die on the spot. This law was something anyone would die to get as they would basically be denying the universes right to control them.


    In order to lock out the secondary effects of any Art, for example, if Lute wanted to sever himself from the flame attribute governed by Heaven. He would need to go to places of an extreme polarized version of that attribute. So if he wanted to be immune to the burning effect of Qi that had the flame elemental energy, Lute would need to go to a place of extreme flame elemental energy and absorb it, assimilating it with the laws of severance.


    This was known as the Origin Art of Severance, it held no techniques. Instead there were three stages for each body. Minor completion, Mortal Completion, and Heavenly Completion, upon reaching Heavenly Completion, Lute would gain a new physique, for flame attributed energy it would be known as the Negative Flame Origin Body. He would then be completely immune to fire and its effects upon him, however if he wanted to use flames, how well he could control them and use their power was up to his own comprehension. The Negative Flame Origin body wouldn¡¯t increase his affinity for using fire attributed attacks.


    This alone portrayed why the Five Paths of Severance was so terrifying, Lute already had one physique, the Primordial First Physique, and yet he could learn more¡­.many, many more. As long as it was a singular attribute that was its own type, he could cultivate a Negative Origin Body to be immune to it, provided there was a place that only had that energy for him to use. Lute even felt that if he used the Laws of Severance properly, even the attributes of Life and Death itself wouldn¡¯t affect him.


    It could be cultivated without going to places of polarized attributes, but the rate would be at the very least a thousand times slower if not more. But this didn¡¯t deter Lute, he already had a plan in mind, he¡¯d start off with all the elements, then any attributes after them, he would also cultivate a Negative Origin Body.


    ¡®At the least I now have a course of action, should I become immune to everything, even the effects of pure unchanged Qi which would simply be the strength of its impact upon my body wouldn¡¯t pose too much of a threat due to the Primordial First Physique, my chances of survival would drastically increase. I¡¯ll simply have to wait until I can sense and use other energies and attributes besides Qi alone. The only problem is I can¡¯t cultivate the Origin Art of Severance yet, for now, I am still bound by the heavens.¡¯


    As all of this came from the Spiritual God, this was why he was considered one of the strongest. But it wasn¡¯t as if he was invincible. From the information that Lute learnt, it was also that the Age of Gods, which was ended by the Pearl of Myriad Tribulations was still the reason that the Spiritual God died. When the pearl went out of control, the Spiritual God rushed forth, ahead of all Gods, Devils and Divine Beasts alike, he grabbed the pearl and focused all of its tribulations upon himself, yet even with the myriad Negative Origin Bodies he cultivated and his laws of severance, he still died.


    But his tenacity was certainly the strongest of all the Gods, Devils and Divine Beasts, he focused all of the tribulations upon himself, he was the first to be struck and the last to fall, giving time for all the other immortals to leave the last vestiges of their power behind before they were killed off by the tribulations.


    This was the eye opener Lute needed; the resolution in his heart reaffirmed itself that despite all of his immunities and heaven defying abilities, and even what was perhaps the strongest immortal died. So for a Mortal Realm cultivator, he mustn¡¯t get cocky with his abilities, for even if he was in the Spiritual Gods place taking on the pearl he would surely die.


    The Age of Gods also known as the Age of Immortals was something Lute couldn¡¯t wrap his head around. But there was one thing he was sure of, somebody somewhere had an unknown inheritance that not even anyone in the Divine Realm knew about which was on par with the Spiritual God¡¯s Inheritance, it couldn¡¯t be explained in words, Lute just ¡°Felt¡± that he was on the mark with this guess, it was almost as if he sensed foreboding from his bloodline when such a thought came to mind.


    Lute furrowed his eyebrows at this thought, despite what Isla said about the Spiritual God being invincible, from the information he attained he knew the Spiritual God wasn¡¯t. But also it was because of intuition and one important belief Lute had. He believed that everything in the world had its opposite, nothing went without balance.


    What that meant to him was if the Spiritual God severed from the way of the Universe, then there was an existence that was his opposite and of equal strength to him, maybe, just maybe the Spiritual God was having his own private war with someone that was his rival and his equal but opposite in every way. Perhaps this was why the Spiritual God was unknown; he wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything if he had to be wary of his actions and his life due to an adversary. At the least that was what Lute would do, if he knew someone was against him, he¡¯d take great care not to expose himself.

 Chapter 19

    Having finished washing up, the blood all flowed away, dispersing in the water. What little fur was usable, Lute managed to make a loin cloth out of. So at the least he was no longer exposed in front of his master. An image of a wild savage was becoming an accurate depiction of himself.


    Lute typically liked to keep shorter hair, but all of these months alone he had not so much as cut a single strand of hair. It was overgrown and messy, but somehow it added to his attractiveness. Combined with a fur loincloth, and all of his scars, and those piercing sky blue eyes that could inspire respect from even a Vicious Beast such as the wolf, Lute was most definitely a rustic and yet also a handsome person. The Spiritual Gods Blood had enhanced all his acceptable features while discarding the others, leaving Lute with the body he had now.


    He seemed frail, but he wasn¡¯t. His body mightn¡¯t have excessively large muscles but they weren¡¯t small either, they were also extremely toned and defined, not a shred of fat was visible on Lute¡¯s body. He was extremely lean, and his body was compacted with an extreme explosive physical strength hidden within. This was something he¡¯d learnt when he fought with Glen; he realized the difference between cultivators who didn¡¯t body temper versus those who did.


    Since he had yet to meet another cultivator who body tempered, he might as well surprise them in combat with his physical strength and end the fight quickly if possible.


    Once a slightly cold lakefront wind came in, Lute decided to disappear into the forests once again. He gathered wood for a fire, even if he could withstand the colder temperatures with his physique and Qi, it didn¡¯t mean he liked to feel cold. At least, not until he cultivated a Negative Origin Body for it.


    Once he got a flame going, it was time, he needed to recalculate how he was to cultivate from this moment forward, he now had many other Arts and Techniques he could learn, even Taboo Arts were of no consequence to him. And the most precise decision that would lead to the most benefits would be to ask Isla, even if she never taught a disciple before and would certainly make mistakes as a teacher, she was a genuine Divine with more knowledge and experience, given the information he learned, Lute felt she would be able to help him make the best choice for the future.


    With no further thoughts, Lute called out to Isla. ¡°Master, I need your guidance.¡±


    At first there was no response, it was as if she¡¯d disappeared, her existence was frail, but after a minute, her existence within him became active again. Perhaps she had been slumbering for a bit. Eventually her spiritual form manifested and she looked at Lute grouchily.


    ¡°What¡­ I thought we weren¡¯t conversing until you fully healed, why¡¯d you have to wake me up from a nice nap you dumbass.¡±


    Lute was taken aback, but he quickly recovered, the way she was acting was still normal, her haughty attitude still apparent. But, Lute wasn¡¯t too worried, once she found out the information he learned, she¡¯d forget all about how he woke her up.


    Lute slowly replied, making sure no words could be misinterpreted, ¡°I have information about the Spiritual Gods Inheritance, and I have learned the origins of his power.¡±


    Isla suddenly became stiff, her eyes shifting from tiredness to seriousness almost instantly, this was the reaction any Divine would have when talking about an immortals inheritance, and these things were never taken lightly. Her body language was clearly telling Lute to continue.


    Within the span of twenty minutes, Lute recited everything he learned, and even his speculations of another entity on the same level as the Spiritual God and the sense of foreboding he felt from the Spiritual Gods Bloodline every time he had such thoughts.


    Isla floated around in silence for nearly half an hour as she ingested the information, her eyes unfocused and uncaring about the world before her.


    Five Paths of Severance and the Origin Art of Severance, Shifting Time Collapsing Void, a God, Devil or Divine Beast that could be on the same level as the Spiritual God, how the Spiritual God died, all of this was a treasure trove of information, the question was how to utilize it. The problem right now was Lute was simply too weak, he had five paths, and yet he could barely open one.


    As she thought about it, Isla then came to a conclusion, Lute already might¡¯ve had a decent comprehension, but now that he had the Five Paths of Severance, his ability to comprehend rose to an absurd level where the Heavens would want to eliminate his existence.


    Something unique to an inheritance such as the five paths wasn¡¯t unheard of. Lute would have an advantage until he met someone with a similar inheritance that was unique, and had something similar to the five paths, or atleast something with an ability on the same level.


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    The way he would have to be trained would change drastically; they now had a reason for their time on this planet. Lute would have to go all over the world to places of extremely polarized attributes, and he would also travel and learn all the arts and techniques he could, even if they were created in the Mortal Realm. At this point, there was nothing he couldn¡¯t learn given enough time.


    Isla¡¯s focus finally returned to the world before her, there was much to discuss with Lute about his future.


    ¡°I will start off saying this, the intensity at which you must train has now increased, you shall work a thousand fold harder than you were previously and even this might not be enough. Also, while it isn¡¯t based on any concrete evidence, the chance of there being an existence on the same level as the Spiritual God is actually quite high, I don¡¯t know why no one, including myself, has ever thought of this.¡±


    Isla didn¡¯t even give Lute a chance to talk a she continued, ¡°Next, we shall have you learn as many Arts and Techniques as possible, normally this is bad, if you know too many, you won¡¯t know which one to use in a given situation due to having too many options, so typically a cultivator will focus on a few categories of techniques and master them to their limits such as being a swordmaster; but I believe you will be able to given what you inherited. Also, you must never tell anyone what Inheritances you have in the Divine Realm, many people are adept at figuring out what Inheritances others have, although no one knows what the Spiritual Gods Powers are, if there is someone that has an inheritance on the plane of existence that is the Spiritual God, it is best to hide your powers as much as possible. In the mortal realm, you won¡¯t have too, at least not as much since their knowledge is limited.¡±


    All of what Isla said, Lute somewhat expected, although it still didn¡¯t stop him from shifting uncomfortably upon the last thing he heard, he would have to be an idiot to say he wasn¡¯t afraid of all his inheritances getting found out, especially if having more than one was unnatural, he already had two.


    ¡°Master, is it normal to have only one inheritance in the Divine Realm, can you acquire more?¡±


    So, the question finally came out, Isla didn¡¯t really know how to explain it as inheritances were so strictly controlled by the respective factions that it was uncommon to have more than one. All she could do was give her opinion on the subject and not facts.


    ¡°In theory I believe you can have more than one inheritance, provided they don¡¯t clash with one another. Someone won¡¯t have a fire and a water inheritance for example within one body. But yes, as far as I know, as long as your body and soul are strong enough as vessels of power to hold the strength of multiple immortals, then yes you can have as many as your body and soul can contain. But this isn¡¯t usually put into practice as inheritances are strictly controlled, someone typically won¡¯t have more than one, and most will only have diluted bloodlines if it requires a bloodline.¡±


    Lute¡¯s face blanched and became a slight pale color, when he eventually reached the Divine Realm, he¡¯d have to hamper down his fighting capabilities and limit himself until he was able to protect himself and expose all his true capabilities. This was dangerous and safer at the same time. While he could hide his powers and potentially survive longer, it¡¯d also be harder to survive if he couldn¡¯t use his powers.


    But maybe there was hope, as long as there were at least a few people who had three or more inheritances; then he wouldn¡¯t seem abnormal with two. The possibility couldn¡¯t be too far-fetched, as Lute recalled the Thousand Hand Martial Emperor was supposedly invincible in this Age of Man, he was able to go anywhere by himself and be perfectly safe, so just maybe he was like Lute and had multiple inheritances, if so then he was what Lute would aspire to be.


    There was only one more thing Lute needed to be reassured of, he didn¡¯t quite understand how the First Path worked, what was the point of opening it if he¡¯d incur injury each time, and no matter how much he tried to execute Shifting Time Collapsing Void, he couldn¡¯t. It was as if it hid once again behind what he had learned what was called the First Path of New Beginnings


    ¡°Master do you perhaps know how the First Path of Severance works. All I know is that it is called the First Path of New Beginnings and I incur massive injuries upon use. At the time, I wasn¡¯t paying much attention to the changes in my body as I was barely able to retain rational thought and consciousness.¡±


    Although she wasn¡¯t the owner of the paths, Isla still shared a body with Lute, so she was able to witness first-hand the changes in Lutes¡¯ body. From what she knew, eventually Lute would be able to use all five paths permanently if he so chose to, seeing as how the first path struggled so much to open for Lute so he could survive, despite it almost killing him.


    ¡°All I can do is to tell my thoughts on them as I am not the owner; it seems that fist technique can only be used when the first path is open. Also, you might not have noticed it, but when you opened the first path, your meridians and dantian forcefully expanded by five times, while they already are expanding naturally due to the Divine Chronicle of the Primordial Way, I am actually somewhat terrified at how much Qi your body will be able to hold when all is said and done. That is why they were so injured afterwards; thankfully your physique will heal and strengthen them to deal with this stress.¡±


    ¡°I am also quite sure you realized this, but even if you open a path, it seems that the amount of Qi in your body doesn¡¯t increase immediately, you¡¯d have to absorb it from the world like normal, this means if you successfully keep one path open permanently, your body will be able to hold five times more Qi in the Dantian and meridians. However if you close that path and your body is full of all that extra Qi, it might cause your meridians to burst or become severely damaged if you don¡¯t use it quickly.¡±


    ¡°But even if it doesn¡¯t increase in quantity, its quality drastically increased. The density of it increased many times over, you could use less Qi to acquire the same outcome or the normal amount to achieve something inconceivable. But don¡¯t let this get to your head, just because the Qi became that way it still doesn¡¯t mean your total amount of Qi increased when you open a path, so what I am saying¡­. Don¡¯t wantonly waste it thinking the path gave you five times more Qi; it instead gave you the ability to fight long battles of attrition even more so than your physique already allowed you too.¡±


    Lute gulped slightly, but he expected as much, this portion of the paths, he was already aware of the moment he opened the First Path of New Beginnings. From what he could tell, the key to all of this was a strong body, if he could withstand more stress on his body without being injured, it would be infinitely beneficial for him.


    This was what his goal should be, since he couldn¡¯t temper his soul, he left that to the Origin Soul Needle and his Qi purity was already fine, so all he had to focus upon was his body. The sooner he broke through to the second level of the Primordial First Physique the better. And the easiest way to do that was to break down his body and comprehension. He could bring his body to the brink of the second level through repeated abusive training over time, but in the end, he would have to have a bout of enlightenment while cultivating to break through to the second level.


    Just as he finished this course of thought and planned his future, Lute shuddered in terror. Isla¡¯s harsh voice resounded through his ears as if it was torture.


    ¡°I did say you will have to train a thousand fold harder, and also¡­ you couldn¡¯t win against a measly bear without injuring yourself to such a degree and opening a path. That is unacceptable, as punishment, we are going to get to the two hundredth stance of the Thousand Ways scripture from where we left off. I will not be lenient because you were an idiot and injured yourself.¡±


    Throughout the rest of the day, in the mountains, Lute could be heard grunting in pain as he practiced, Isla was truly a devil; she wasn¡¯t lenient and even increased the pressure upon Lute despite his injuries if he messed up.

 Chapter 20

    A total of ten days had now passed since Lute fought the Vicious Beast in the Crimson Tide Mountain Range. Currently, he was for the most part healed, externally all of his wounds had disappeared, his dantian and meridians had returned to normal. There were no longer any issues circulating Qi through his left arm. The only injuries he had was the broken bones in the left wrist. They had healed a significant amount in ten days, but the injury was still in a precarious enough state where Lute refused to use his left hand to prevent further injuries.


    Over the course of these ten days, it was more torture than relaxation. Isla kept true to her word and forced him to learn up to the two hundredth stance within the Thousand Ways Scripture, he was officially one fifth complete with this art. But that didn¡¯t mean he¡¯d reached mastery. Only when he could fluidly create his own style from these thousand forms would it be considered mastered. And that was still a long, long way to go as merely knowing the thousand forms and using them to their complete potential was two entirely different subjects.


    But these ruthless days were not without their gains. Only eating, cultivating and training, that was what he did, and with the experiences from the last battle and now all of this training plus the fine tuning of his ability to fight, Lute had leaped past early stage of the eighth level Foundational Qi Realm and ended up at the peak of the ninth level. He was only a step away from entering the peak Foundational Qi Realm.


    This was a very quick speed, even though Lute was two years behind those of his age group. They should more or less be late Nascent Qi Realm to early Spirit Opening Realm cultivators. Lute had already made up almost one year of cultivation. He was roughly one Great Realm lower than those of his age group. Given enough time, and provided he acquired the experience and resources, the gap could close even more. If he didn¡¯t require more Qi to breakthrough than almost anyone, he would¡¯ve probably caught up to, if not surpassed them already.


    Fluidly moving in practiced motions, Lute was moving through every single stance he¡¯d learned from Isla. With every single movement of his body, he was free and agile; these weren¡¯t locked movements that were rigid. The key was to practice, practice, and practice. Isa was never lenient in this regard, even if Lute was injured. If he wasn¡¯t performing to her expectations, the pressure put on Lute¡¯s body would increase, making the task she wanted done even harder, until the point where Lute would practically collapse every time.


    These days paid off very well in the long run, Lute could feel his strength was multiple levels above what it was before, and he¡¯d already adjusted to the increase in strength. Each breakthrough was much more noticeable for him compared to others due to cultivating the proper way, focusing upon other aspects other than pure Qi quantity.


    As for his physical body, Lute felt reborn. After having it break down in such a gruesome fashion due to the First Path of New Beginnings, the skin and muscle of his body was stronger than before, having healed, his body adapted even quicker and was steadily approaching the second level of the Primordial First Physique. Even his bones were almost completely healed aside from his left wrist and they felt more solid.


    Finishing the training of the Thousand Ways Scripture, Lute sat down tiredly, he began to cultivate and regain the energy expended. Even this was occurring at a faster rate than before, although it wasn¡¯t as noticeable or as large an increase compared to his physical body increasing in strength.


    After confirming everything he¡¯d learned and did over the past days, Lute¡¯s confidence soared. He felt as if the gap between him and a Nascent Qi Realm Cultivator wasn¡¯t as large.


    ¡®With the increased physical strength and recovery rate, and having broken through to the ninth level, if I encountered even a third level Nascent Vicious Beast I would be able to win as long as I wasn¡¯t stupid and recklessly get injured like last time.¡¯


    After a quick session to recover his vitality Lute stood up and confidently walked towards his usual lake, it was populated by many vicious beasts at the peak of the Foundational Qi Realm now that they realized it was safe. But Lute was safe, even with his broken wrist, only nascent level beasts could pose a threat to him now.


    The most important reason that Lute could act so nonchalant was because he¡¯d been in the Crimson Tide Mountain Range for such a long time, the Foundational Qi beasts had all learned that he was an existence to be avoided. But eventually, they began to follow suit with what the wolf pack leader from before had done, and this was to ignore Lute. It was an unspoken agreement that they wouldn¡¯t cause problems for each other.


    It was a nonaggression pact cemented by respect for each other. The beasts were usually able to sense the nature of those they meet or fight. From Lute, he was the first human that they felt any sense of respect for, the air about him simply seemed to command it, much like the beasts that lorded over the mountains. They could easily feel that his thoughts were the same as them, the strong survive and the weak die, eat or be eaten and there were no ulterior motives, he was simply living as he was.


    For the beasts on the other hand, Lute¡¯s respect for them stemmed from the fact they were so much simpler than humans, they didn¡¯t have any greed or try to manipulate each other. They had their hierarchy and they respected it, the weak could become strong through their own strength, there was no trickery to gain power. In this way, they were much more likeable and easier to find common ground with compared to humans.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    If it came down to it, Lute decided he would rather have a beast as a companion than another cultivator as there wouldn¡¯t be anything hidden in the relationship. It would all be out in the open. This wouldn¡¯t change no matter how strong and intelligent a beast was, they didn¡¯t adhere to deception or anything of the sort as it would be considered a dishonor.


    With thoughts such as these, Lute drank water and bathed, not fearing the beasts surrounding him in the slightest.


    ¡®Perhaps it wouldn¡¯t be so bad to chat with a Vicious Beast capable of speech sometime in the future. As for humans like me, they¡¯ll probably lie and deceive to further their own goals. Truly a repulsive nature¡­ and I am one of them.¡¯


    Lute finished bathing, but he didn¡¯t leave the shore side, opting to stare into his reflection and contemplate about what to do next. He was ready to leave the Crimson Tide Mountains even though he wasn¡¯t a peak Foundational Qi Realm cultivator. He¡¯d already completed Isla¡¯s ultimatum for killing a nascent level beast before he left.


    ¡®There are beasts that could surely kill me with a halfhearted attack within the mountains, but I need to leave. The world is vast and I can¡¯t continue to hide here; I won¡¯t be able to advance quick enough if I don¡¯t gain many experiences, both good and bad.¡¯


    -----


    Fate was an ironic trickster when it came to the lives of people. Even if Lute now had the Laws of Severance, he hadn¡¯t actually cultivated it to completion; he was only at the beginning stages; so he was still quite tightly bound in the palm of the heavens, unable to escape it. He was given the necessary tools to escape; now he just needed to put them to use. But that time wasn¡¯t to come just yet, it seemed fate had other plans.


    This would show itself in the presence of Seren who was dripping with blood. Her standard sword had shattered; all she carried was a hilt with a sharp stub.


    Her leather tunic and breeches were torn in multiple areas and her cloak had massive slashes sent through it. There was a multiple cut marks made from a small blade, most likely a dagger across her forearms.


    The source of all these injuries was as expected from Ley and Halsten, the duo that wasn¡¯t afraid of acting as murderers for hire within the Fallen Tide Hall. She already expected that they were hired to kill her when they were so adamant about traveling with her on this expedition. She had her fair share of sect members who didn¡¯t like her.


    She never submitted to anyone else that was a disciple. She had no friends, was unapproachable, had a great figure and was considered a talent in the sect for her age group. She¡¯d ruthlessly turned down men in the sect, even some who were in the Spirit Opening Realm offering her resources for ¡°Favors¡±.


    Even while being on guard versus these two killers, Seren still ended up in such a pitiful state. She had abilities on par with second level Nascent Qi cultivators while being at the first level herself. But both Ley and Halsten were at the third level, with Halsten being nearly half a step into the fourth level.


    The moment they entered into the outskirts of the forest in the mountains, she hadn¡¯t let them out of her sight for even a moment. Always making sure they were in front of her. But, a few days after entering deeper and deeper into the mountains, the atmosphere suddenly changed. She had felt the two had set up a trap, but it was only a Foundational Qi beast at the ninth level.


    It wasn¡¯t something the three of them couldn¡¯t handle, but as combat began. Ley suddenly disappeared from sight. She was already small, her body a complete dwarf when standing next to her and Halsten.


    With Halsten suffering the brunt attacks from the beast, suddenly he retreated towards Seren. She knew something was off, but it was too late. Ley had appeared behind her and slashed at her back, dancing around Seren who was now dealing with a frontward charge from Halsten.


    At a disadvantage in cultivation and numbers, it was a miracle she survived that first exchange. But this was the reason she ended up in such a situation. Her long sword had shattered under the brute strength of Halsten as these weren¡¯t weapons that were made for the strength of cultivators. The knife wounds were from Ley.


    The only reason she manage to be in the position of fleeing as she was now, more Vicious Beasts had showed up, all of different races. With their eyes on Halsten as he was the most dangerous at the moment, Ley had disappeared to protect him from the shadows, and Seren seemed to be injured. With a scene like this, Halsten was naturally the target of the numerous beasts.


    This was the only diversion Seren had, and she took it. While the would-be killers fought, she tried to escape, but to no avail. Instead of leaving the mountains, she had travelled deeper and deeper into uncharted territory that wasn¡¯t mapped out by the sect. For the most part it was unexplored.


    Over the past days, she barely ate or slept. The wounds she had although were only moderate at the time were worsening over time from the strain she put on her body.


    There were a few close calls though; Ley and Halsten still were pursuing her, not wanting to let their prey escape. To them this was a simply game of hide and seeks, with a gruesome twist. They had almost found her once, but each time they had to be wary of the Vicious Beasts as they could smell the blood seeping from Seren¡¯s wounds. So each time, Seren luckily managed to slip away when the Ley and Halsten stagnated at the sound of beasts.


    This was the other worry, she was still being chased by Vicious Beasts as well, the only thought that ran through her mind was ¡®Survive, survive, survive.¡¯ In due time, she could return to the sect, gain enough strength on her own, perhaps become an Elder¡¯s direct disciple and exact revenge. But first, she needed to survive.


    But this was much easier said than done, with almost no energy left, Seren was lost in the mountains. This was an area where sect disciple didn¡¯t travel to, even if they were in the Nascent Qi Realm as beasts were inherently stronger than human cultivators, and the gaps only increased the further along in cultivation you were.


    Luck seemed to have caught up to her today finally; it wasn¡¯t Ley or Halsten, but rather another Vicious Beast. This one was a panther that had been tracking her for days, stalking her. And Seren was truly devoid of any energy left or even Qi. She might¡¯ve won against it in peak condition as it was only peak Foundational Qi Realm cultivation, but in the state her body was in, Seren hadn¡¯t rested or stopped much at all. Her body was all ragged, clearly trying to avoid being caught while sleeping. But her mistake was in the end immature and unwise.


    This wasn¡¯t human society, it was the Crimson Tide Mountain Range, and decisions could not and should not ever be made lightly here. She thought it would be smart to waste all her strength in escaping? While in a normal scenario that might be wise when faced with an enemy stronger than yourself and you were trying to evade them, it would be useless in a place where one wrong turn could lead to death.


    Seren finally realized this but it was too late. She was about to die to a Vicious Beast at a lower cultivation than herself. What a bullshit way to die. She knew this was bound to happen and yet she still went along with having those two bastards as her ¡°Companions¡± for the request.


    ¡®I hope I have better luck in my next life.¡¯


    Seren slumped down to the ground and waited for her fate, she was so tired and about to pass out. With that action, the panther jumped its fangs and claws aimed at her throat. But contrary to what was supposed to happen, Seren felt no pain, instead she heard a shockwave.


    Opening her eyes, Seren thought she was in a dream, the now dead and caved in body of the panther was slammed against a nearby tree. Slightly turning her head towards the sunset, Isla could barely make out a pair of sky blue eyes piercing into her before she finally lost all strength and passed out, not knowing what would happen to her life.

 20.5 Author Note

    As I was reading future chapters -editing-. I noticed my words might lead to confusion since even I was thinking along the lines of ''What the hell did I just write''. So I wanted to clarify just in case.


    Cultivation: Every three levels (1-3 4-6 7-9) is a Small Realm (Early, Intermediate and Late). Level ten is the Peak and the equivalent to an entire Small Realm on its own. Levels one through ten is considered one Great Realm. In between two Great Realms is considered a half step. Not quite into either Great Realm, half way through the bottleneck. Difference of about 2-4 times strength between Small Realms depending on the person.


    To keep it simple I will use numbers representing cultivation levels in one Great Realm: We will assume all examples are in the Nascent Qi Realm


    A 4 could fight a 1v2, -vs two 3''s- at the minimum or more depending on talent, equipment, comprehension, complexity/strength of Arts and techniques, or foundation etc. This is a quality and a quantity difference in Qi. Thats why the difference is so much more.


    But for a 1 and 3 its not a diifference in quality. Its only quantity of Qi. So a 1 could fight against a 3 but would eventually lose if it was a battle of attrition due to the difference in quantity. But if the battle was short, and the 1 was talented, or was able to ambush, had better equipment etc, then they could beat the 3 in a 1v1.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    One level is a Subrealm


    Subrealm -----> Small Realm ------> (Half Step between Great Realms) ----->Great Realm


    Subrealm Example: First Level Nascent Qi Realm


    Small Realm Example: Nascent Cultivaton levels 1 to 3 is a Small Realm also known as the Early Stage Nascent Qi Realm


    Great Realm Example: Nascent Qi Realm


    I''ll work on my wording in the chapters, because if I am getting confused when I am the author that is very bad.

 Chapter 21

    ¡°What is happening? Why are the beasts getting aggravated?¡±


    Lute lifted his head up from the lake; he was currently floating on his back, enjoying the feeling of relaxation after long days training. But it was very quickly disturbed; all of the Vicious Beasts at the lake had grown very agitated, looking towards the forests.


    Isla didn¡¯t bother to manifest before Lute, she had been sleeping for a while, but her voice could still be heard replying lazily to Lute through their connection. In his mind he heard Isla speaking, ¡°Well go check it out, seeing as how you¡¯ve made all of these insects your friends.¡±


    Lute quickly swam to shore, he dressed himself in the fur loincloth he had and began running into the direction of where the beasts were looking towards. With each step he bounded like a deer through the forests. Each step was strong enough that it cracked the dirt ground underneath Lute.


    It wasn¡¯t long before the stench of blood permeated the air. What he found was corpse after corpse of Vicious Beasts, all at the peak of the Foundational Qi Realm. There were clearly signs of a struggle, a broken sword, a dagger stuck in a tree and a broadsword left behind that was larger than any sword Lute had ever seen.


    Everything was ransacked; there was blood and entrails everywhere. Surveying the seen, Lute somewhat could guess there was cultivators here, and they were injured. The only reason that they would be in this far was to come after him, that much was for certain. And it all stemmed from Glen.


    ¡®I should¡¯ve killed that prick when I had the chance. Now look at the problems he¡¯s caused. People are simply throwing their lives away, do they not know any common sense. Might as well go put whoever is left out of their misery.¡¯


    Lute began running through the direction towards the lake again, hoping to catch whoever was injured and kill them. It could be seen that someone had escaped towards the inner mountains, clearly not knowing that it would be suicide for them to head in deeper instead of leaving.


    The further he ran, the more Foundational Qi Beasts Lute noticed, but they didn¡¯t look at him with any hostility, they were the ones that lived with him at the lake. They might not interact and ignore each other, but it was enough that they shared a home, and investigating when people encroach on your territory was a given.


    Some of the weaker beasts decided to eat the piles of corpses; there was no need to let the bodies go to waste. They had no problems with eating each other; food was food in the wild, no matter where it came from.


    After about another five minutes of a high speed dash, Lute came across who he was searching for. Quickly suppressing his aura and hiding within the foliage, Lue practically disappeared and became invisible. The other beasts were doing the same thing, clearly letting the beast that was already their claim its prize.


    Looking forward, Lute saw the cultivator and thunder seemed to go off in his mind. She had a strikingly similar face to his sister. Her hair color and eyes were the same color. The body figure was almost the exact same. But at the same time, he knew this wasn¡¯t his sister.


    First, his sister was slightly shorter than this person. Next she wasn¡¯t a cultivator; she was only a mortal as far as he knew. But the most important factor was his sister had a unique aura around her, it was like a raging volcano, and she was a high energy person living off her emotions without putting a single thought to logical decisions. She was the complete opposite of Lute who tried to hide his and prevent them from influencing his decisions.


    The cultivator before him, while having a striking resemblance, was not who he thought she was, the aura about her was ice cold yet gentle, but it seemed to be capable of ruthlessly lashing out at a moment¡¯s notice. That is¡­ if she were in her prime state. Blood was seeping from many cuts along her body and she was devoid of any strength, so much to the point that Lute could barely make out her cultivation.


    But he was just barely able to tell she was in the Nascent Qi Realm.


    ¡®Nascent Qi Realm, but with those wounds, and her strength clearly depleted, she won¡¯t survive a single attack from the panther. But, those cuts are too clean to be a Vicious Beast¡­. Perhaps her sect members tried to kill her¡­.¡¯


    In that moment, the panther decided to pounce upon the cultivator, she had slumped down to the ground, without the energy to support he body anymore. She should¡¯ve died. But in that moment Lute made a choice, one he hoped he wouldn¡¯t regret, as part of it was based off emotions and the other part based off logic. He¡¯d never made a decision utilizing both of these traits before.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Exploding forward using only his physical strength, Lute catapulted out from where he was hiding and body slammed the panther with his right shoulder, immediately destroying all of the organs and bones within its chest. The panther didn¡¯t even have time to feel the pain before its world became black and it died without being able to put up any resistance.


    It slammed into a tree, and fell limply down onto the ground. The surrounding beasts weren¡¯t surprised, Lute was easily the strongest here, but they had a slight misunderstanding. The human on the ground was clearly female, Vicious Beasts weren¡¯t idiots, they were comparable to humans in many ways, and they became even smarter and capable of human speech as they became higher ranked.


    They thought that since Lute was male, and she was female, he wanted to procreate with her and leave his offspring; such was the natural instinct of any Vicious Beast that was a young adult. So they all quickly scampered off, assuming the situation was resolved.


    In actuality, Lute had no such thoughts, he could easily control such urges, and frankly he wouldn¡¯t want to do the deed anyways since he shared a body with a woman who was also his Master.


    There were two reasons as to why he saved this girls life, the first, this person reminded him of his sister based on appearance. Although he had originally come to kill her and be rid of the nuisance preventing any problems, he just couldn¡¯t do it, not when the resemblance was so close.


    The other reason, there was information to be had from her, clearly she wasn¡¯t alone as Lute doubted she could lift a massive broadsword on her own with ease, she¡¯d need to use a lot of Qi. Any information was better than none, if he could learn some useful things about these worlds¡¯ cultivators and their customs; the easier it would be for him in the future.


    The cuts on her arms and body gave it all away in Lute¡¯s eyes; he could easily tell she was betrayed, so perhaps she would be more willing to converse with him since she needed someone to protect her. But he wouldn¡¯t do it for long, only until she could protect herself, then Lute would leave her.


    Lute casually walked over and with his right hand, he picked her up from the waist and threw her over his shoulder like a sack. Not caring about anything or thinking of any ulterior motives. If anyone else did this, they might¡¯ve lost themselves in obscene thoughts as portions of her clothes were ripped and her chest, which wasn¡¯t large, but not small either, was pressed against Lute¡¯s back.


    He didn¡¯t have any feelings for this girl, and as such felt he did nothing wrong with these actions. Of course if she was conscious, she¡¯d probably attempt to kill him for even touching her, not even mentioning the fact he was carrying her like a sack.


    The time was close to twilight as the sunset was dipping below the horizon. Lute had returned to a small cove at the lake. There was a hill which he had dug into; creating a relatively large space that he could even stand in, with his physical strength, this was easily done in a few hours. Inside of his small homemade hermit cave there were numerous pelts, claws and fangs of beasts stupid enough to challenge Lute. There were even some cores, but Lute didn¡¯t use them as they couldn¡¯t progress his cultivation. Only cores of beasts at multiple levels of cultivations above him would be of any use.


    As for food and furnishing, off to the side, Lute had carved out a wooden box; it was extremely crude but served its purpose. Underneath it was a small channel Lute had built to the lake, which had water that was quite cold. In this way, Lute smoked meat to preserve it the best he could, and the box which was floating in this cold water, while it didn¡¯t get cold enough where it would freeze the smoked meat, it would allow it to last for a few days longer.


    There was a pit inside the shelter that a fire could be started in and the smoke would leave through a hole in the roof. There was nothing else notable aside from many pelts stacked on the ground which Lute used as a makeshift bed. This was truly the most effort he¡¯d put into making a home in the wilderness in years. It was crude and simple, but comfortable.


    Lute returned here with the girl, he had no qualms about the beasts attacking her as he could be considered the overlord of this small lake, only the beasts that didn¡¯t live here at all times were the ones to challenge Lute and lose their pitiful lives. As long as he was in this girl¡¯s immediate vicinity, she could be considered safe from harm.


    Entering his home, Lute brazenly threw the unconscious girl down onto the pile of pelts he used as a bed. He didn¡¯t know restraint or care much for her comfort, as long as she was alive, he didn¡¯t care how she felt.


    Turning his back around Lute quickly grabbed some wood from his stash and began to light a fire in the pit. At which time he half covered it with a rock slab and began to cook preserved Vicious Beast meat. But he didn¡¯t take his attention off of the girl lest she wake up and immediately try and kill him.


    After eating a simple meal of meat, Lute occupied his time with carving, a habit he picked up when he had nothing to do and didn¡¯t feel like cultivating since he absorbed Qi autonomously. At this moment in time, he was busy using a sharp rock fragment as a knife and was attempting to carve a cask with which he could store water as Lute didn¡¯t want to trudge all the way down to the lake in order to drink. Then he wanted to carve small cups to drink from.


    All of this was because his stay in the mountains just extended. There was no way this girl would heal as quickly as he could. Although her wounds were moderate and non-lethal, it would still take at least a week, maybe more for her to make a full recovery.


    While Lute was trying to usehis feet to steady the wood, and his right hand to carve since he couldn¡¯t use his left wrist, he ended up in awkward positions that looked quite weird. From behind it seemed as if he had his arm stuck in the walls of the shelter.


    It was precisely this seen that Seren woke up to. Groggily sitting up, she was silent and graceful, even if she was devoid of any strength; all she had was a shred of Qi left for use. But looking over to her right, what she saw was Lute busily working off in a corner of the room.


    Murderous Intent flashed through her eyes. Covering her hand in what little Qi she had left, Seren felt that this would be more than enough to kill Lute as she realized that although he was the savage she¡¯d come to kill, his cultivation was below what she was told. With that, it wasn¡¯t hard to realize that Glen had lied, but she would deal with that later, right now, it was better to kill Lute as he dared to drag her off to who knows where and touched her in the process, that was a taboo.


    Moving as quietly as possible, Seren moved behind Lute, seeing that he wasn¡¯t moving his left arm and using his legs, she guessed he¡¯d injured it. With a silent movement, she slashed down at the base of Lutes neck, intending to sever the connection between his brain and body.


    Contrary to her expectations, Lute immediately turned around and stood up, towering over her by more than a foot in height, he grabbed her Qi covered hand and shoved her against the walls of the room. Slaughter Aura slowly leaking out, his eyes seemed to pierce into Seren¡¯s soul. She didn¡¯t move, but defiance was clearly showing in her eyes.


    Lute moved his face closer to Seren, until they were mere inches apart. A disdaining looks apparent from his face. With anyone but Isla, he held no regard for them or their lives under normal circumstances. Lute would be respectful to the strong as that was the key to living in the world of cultivation, but that didn¡¯t mean he was a coward or kind.


    His voice, razor sharp as he spat out each word with utter disdain for Seren¡¯s existence, ¡°Is that how you treat the one who just saved your pitiful existence form being extinguished. Learn to respect your superiors whelp.¡±

 Chapter 22

    Seren was pinned against the wall by Lute, unable to move a muscle. But she showed defiance. However on the inside she was fuming.


    ¡®This bastard dares call himself superior and me a whelp! If I weren¡¯t already void of any strength, I would¡¯ve slit out your tongue for such remarks.¡¯


    But even so, there was nothing she could do in this situation, even if Lute was only in the Foundational Qi Realm. She was the powerless one at the moment, and it was true that he had saved her life, that much she was able to understand.


    Weakly struggling a bit, Seren finally gave in slightly, Lute despite his cultivation had an overbearing and baleful aura, and it made her feel like she would suffocate. For now, she¡¯d have to abide by what he wanted, at least until she regained her strength.


    ¡°L¡­let me go; I won¡¯t try to kill you again as long as you don¡¯t try to do anything illicit.¡±


    Lutes eyes narrowed, his bone chilling gaze piercing into Seren once more. But finally he let go of her, sitting back down and starting to carve out a cask again. But not before he stepped on her pride, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll let you go, but it¡¯s not like you¡¯d be able to kill me anyway with that paltry strength.¡±


    Seren¡¯s eyes were fuming with rage at that remark, but she quietly let it pass as she could do nothing. She didn¡¯t know where she was or anything about the person before her. All she knew was that she was safe and this was the subject of her request.


    Crimson hair, sky blue eyes that were cold as ice and murderous, scars all over his chest, shoulders and back, as well as dressing like a barbarian and living like one as well. These were all true, but she also realized Glen had falsified information. He¡¯d portrayed Lute as an insane savage that lived for nothing but killing. From the baleful aura she felt, he¡¯d certainly done his fair share of killing, but he was nowhere near insane like Glen made him out to be, otherwise, why would he save her life?


    The more she thought of it, the dots began to connect. Glen probably picked a fight with this person, but instead of losing his life, he sacrificed his friends instead.


    ''Pfft, so much for valiantly fighting a Nascent Cultivator, you sacrificed the twins because you couldn¡¯t fight your own battles that you picked. How much more of a scumbag could you be?¡¯


    The real question though was how Lute could fight one versus four by himself. Or even live out here alone with all the Vicious Beasts. Anyone of them should be able to kill him easily. After all the strength of a Vicious Beast and a Cultivator in the same realm was fundamentally different, the Vicious Beast would always have the advantage.


    If she was going to stay here for an awhile then it was of the utmost importance to find out Lute¡¯s strengths and weaknesses. Even though she was confident he could be beaten once she was at full strength.


    Returning to the pile of pelts, Seren wrinkled her nose in disgust. The pelts smelled disgusting, as a matter of fact, everything in here was disgusting. The hygiene that she had high standards for was nonexistent here. She couldn¡¯t help but voice her disgust, ¡°How do you live like this¡­ in this filth.¡±


    Lute momentarily paused his carving, not even bothering to turn and look at Seren, then he once again began his work, but not before Seren heard him mutter under his breath, ¡°Humans really have no appreciation for anything, no matter how trivial. Perhaps our kind should really go extinct and let the beasts rule the universe.¡±


    Such a sentence, never did she expect such a sentence to come out of Lutes mouth. What did he mean by that? Was it wrong to care about your hygiene?


    But slowly an understanding dawned upon Seren, she may appear cold and arrogant but she wasn¡¯t unintelligent when it mattered. Perhaps Lute had always lived like this, with a lifestyle centered on such a dangerous area, perhaps all of this filth was treasures that helped him survive day to day. If that was the case, despite them being trivial, he cherished them none the less.


    An unknown feeling struck Seren, Lute was completely different from any other person, especially guys that she¡¯d met. They all had ulterior motives, and yet here with Lute, he wasn¡¯t sparing her even a glance, not even paying attention to her existence unless she talked to him, but even then he only muttered to himself. Unknowingly she began to feel the need to talk to him and have a conversation, something she usually disdained doing. She wanted to figure out just who Lute was if she was to live with him in this¡­dirt home...


    ¡°Name, what is your name. If we¡¯re going to live together for a while then we might as well know each other¡¯s names.¡± Seren asked with seriousness, wanting to earnestly have a conversation without the hostility from before.


    At first Lute didn¡¯t respond, but after a moment, he decided that he would have to talk eventually even if he didn¡¯t want to, and if he wanted to ask the questions he needed.


    Lute stopped carving and turned around, ¡°Lute, the names Lute, and yours?¡±


    ¡°Seren Windcross is my name. I am from the Windcross House. What is your family name?¡±


    Lute grew quiet once again; this girl had a given family name already, meaning her family didn¡¯t come from a small village like his. In smaller villages, at the age of fifteen when you officially became an adult, the males were given their own family name with the name based off of what your occupation and talents were. The females would get one when they married off into a family. But Lute was only fourteen and didn¡¯t have a family name.


    But such names were false, they weren¡¯t officially registered. Only people who lived in cities and had the money and status were allowed to have family names. This meant the girl before him had some money or background behind her. Clearly she should know that people of lesser status like him didn¡¯t have a family name, or maybe she did know and knew that commoners gave themselves unregistered family names.


    Lute was slightly distressed, he had never bothered to ask his father what the family name was since his would be different when he became fifteen, and in the village everyone was on a first name basis, so he never knew anyone else¡¯s family names either.


    Sensing his distress through their connection, Isla sighed. Sending her voice to Lute¡¯s mind, she gave him a bailout, something that he wouldn¡¯t know the significance of until the far off future.


    ¡°You can use my family name of Ravenshadow, don¡¯t you dare disgrace it or I will beat you to death when I regain my body. The only reason I dare let you use it is because you are my direct disciple and as such our relationship is not only Master and Disciple, even once we part ways, you will still have had learned many things from me that I would never teach others, that is the equivalent of a parent passing on everything they know to their offspring, that is how heavily weighted a Master-Disciple relationship is in the Divine Realm, the two basically become family. But understand this¡­you and I will never have a parent child relationship although I said that¡¯s how heavily it is regarded, I will not dote on you or care for you and we will part ways once I have my body.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Lute quickly sighed with relief on the inside, while he could just say he didn¡¯t have one, he always did want his own, to feel like he belonged somewhere instead of being a nameless nobody. But this was the next best thing, although it wasn¡¯t his own name, to be allowed to carry Isla¡¯s family name, despite what she said, to him that was an honor he couldn¡¯t possibly tarnish. He would uphold it and protect that honor unto death.


    However before he spoke, Isla once again mentioned something before going back to sleep, but it seemed like a bad omen to Lute, ¡°Never mention that you carry my family name in the Divine Realm unless I permit you too. Lest you be killed by my family or anyone that knows of me. It is tantamount to suicide for you to carry it until you have sufficient power to protect yourself from harm.¡±


    This declaration terrified Lute to the bone, but he didn¡¯t have time to think upon it, Seren was still waiting expectantly so he hurriedly spoke, ¡°Ravenshadow, my family name is Ravenshadow.¡±


    Seren angled her head sideways; Lute was becoming more intriguing by the minute. ¡°What a peculiar family name, even by commoner standards, I would¡¯ve thought it¡¯d be something along the lines of your father¡¯s first name and son connected to it to make a family name.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just something simple, nothing as grandiose as yours.¡±


    ¡°I see, then Lute, now that we know each other, and I will be in your care for the next few days, let¡¯s get straight to the point, my plight was caused by yours. So what¡¯s the real reason that Glen wanted to kill you? You are similar but different to how he described you. He made you out to be a berserker.¡±


    At mere mentioning of Glen¡¯s name, Lute¡¯s Slaughter Aura began to emit. It wasn¡¯t all of it, but Lute couldn¡¯t completely control it as the pricks name pissed him off. He should¡¯ve killed Glen when he had the chance and he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about people being sent after him.


    Although it was only a portion of his Slaughter Aura, Seren was able to feel the terror it could inspire. Through that alone she could tell the gist of what went on between Lute and Glen.


    ¡°That piece of shit disturbed me while I was cultivating and started mouthing off as if he doesn¡¯t know the difference between heaven and earth. When he threatened to cripple me that was the last straw, he wasn¡¯t getting out unscathed. He attacked and failed so he shamelessly asked his so-called friends to help after saying he was enough.¡±


    ¡°So you ended up killing the twins instead? Pray tell, why didn¡¯t you spare them and just kill Glen then?¡±


    This was the determining factor for Seren whether or not Lute was truly a savage, depending on his answer; she would contemplate killing Lute once she recovered.


    ¡°At first I only knocked out one of the twins, injuring his arm a bit, but that was all, I didn¡¯t kill him. Until the other one seriously came at me with the intent to kill. I am never light handed with those who want to cripple me or kill me. If they want to then they should be prepared to suffer the consequences. I killed one and the other was eaten by a Vicious Beast.¡±


    To Seren that seemed reasonable in her mind she was thinking, ¡®They reap what they sow¡¯, but that was because she didn¡¯t understand Lutes¡¯ words. To him the light injury to an arm was completely shattering the boys arm to the point it wouldn¡¯t be fully healed. With a physique such as his, that could be considered light. As for the Vicious Beasts, Lute left the unconscious twin to die by fangs of a wolf. He could¡¯ve prevented it but didn¡¯t feel it was his problem. He tried to kill Lute, so why shouldn¡¯t he die.


    ¡°That is fine then, that is the law of the cultivation world, if you wish to kill, prepare to be killed instead.¡±


    After reciting his part, Lute stoked the fire before asking Seren her part, as she mentioned that her problem stemmed from him. ¡°Then what was your reason for coming here how¡¯s your betrayal tie to me?¡±


    Seren didn¡¯t have strong aura of killing like Lute, especially since she was weakened. But that didn¡¯t prevent Lute from seeing her eyes filled with murder, after all his eyes were the same; it was easy to spot those traits in someone else.


    ¡°It all started when Glen sent a request to kill you, saying you were an insane savage who did nothing but kill for no reason other than killing.¡±


    To Lute, this wasn¡¯t too far from the truth. ¡®Well, I do tend to lose myself in combat. I keep rational, but the closer I am to death, the more alive I feel.¡¯


    ¡°I took up the request because he said you¡¯re a stronger than average Nascent Qi cultivator. As for the betrayal, I wasn¡¯t allowed to take this request without two sect mates because of the area that is surrounded by Vicious Beasts. I ended up with Ley and Halsten. Notorious killers for hire in the Sect, but nothing has ever been proved against them, there is probably and Elder backing their actions. There are many people who would feel they¡¯d be better off with me dead. So even knowing this I took the request thinking I¡¯d be fine if I remained vigilant, I was wrong.¡±


    Lute was smirking inwardly at her words, she was intelligent, he¡¯d admit that, but she was utterly stupid as well. To take a request with people you knew wanted to kill you and when you couldn¡¯t fight even one of them by yourself. Why would you ever do that? If it were him, it¡¯d be different; he would either not take the request or just kill them before they tried to kill him, therefore preventing the situation that Seren got into.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t very intelligent, in fact I find you doing that very cocky, has no one ever told you not to bite off more than you can chew. First off, you know nothing about the mountains and second you took a request despite knowing how dangerous the risks were.¡±


    Lute wasn¡¯t the slightest bit sympathetic, let alone fighting him, she went about going in the Crimson Tide Mountains all wrong. Not matter how dangerous the predicament, you always save your strength, and find time to rebuild it whenever possible. Instead she ran until she couldn¡¯t stand anymore, thus leading her to a sure death situation had Lute decided not to help.


    Seren had no choice but to bite her words, Lute¡¯s words, although painful, had certain wisdom to them, or rather than wisdom it was just common sense, don¡¯t do something if you can¡¯t handle it or know enough about it.


    Before Seren could reply, the atmosphere changed, a loud roar could be heard in the distance. Coming towards the lake, Lute judged it was another beast not from this area coming to claim it as its own. But right now, Lute was the overlord of this place, as long as he was here, it was peaceful, he didn¡¯t have to fight every day and could focus on recuperating because of the unspoken agreement he and the beasts had.


    Standing up, Lute began to leave the shelter, an extremely baleful Slaughter Aura released at full strength in the direction of the roar. Seren actually was somewhat shocked, she thought earlier the pressure he released was full strength, but that wasn¡¯t even a shadow of what he was emitting at this moment. Lute seemed like an entirely different person now.


    Although she thought he was quite a bit eccentric, not showing many emotions other than anger towards Glen. He seemed like a quiet and reserved normal person, she thought that maybe he was just a bit shy. But his entire personality seemed to change in an instant. He suddenly became far more vicious and closer to the depiction that Glen had described.


    Seren actually unknowingly shivered when Lute glanced at her and said in an extremely cold and evil mannerism, ¡°Stay here unless you want to die a painful death.¡±


    Then he left to face his challenger. Seren didn¡¯t even move for nearly five minutes.


    ¡®What was that¡­? He suddenly seemed to become a different person, no; he became the most dangerous of Vicious Beasts. This is probably his true nature that he keeps hidden. When someone is coming to kill him, he will become like this. I don¡¯t think Glen knows the true monster he picked a fight with.¡¯


    As much as she hated to admit it, Seren actually felt that she might even lose to Lute at full strength. But this was a chance to see his fighting capabilities and learn his weaknesses if their relationship took a sour turn, they were only acquaintances at the moment.

 Chapter 23

    Seren was about to disobey what Lute had just said and leave the small hole in the hill she ¨Cregrettably- called home. When she reached the opening of the shelter within the hill, her body and mind both stopped in tandem. She was the epitome of a corpse. The reason for this, just one look outside of this small hole in a hill and you could see well over forty Vicious Beasts of all types, shapes and sizes. Every single one of them ranging from the seventh level of the Foundational Qi Realm to its peak, there wasn¡¯t a single beast here that was below the late stage Foundational Qi Realm.


    ¡°W¡­What is this?!¡± Seren stuttered in dismay. Never once had she seen so many Vicious Beasts living in a single place, and in harmony at that. There was no bloodshed or fighting.


    But that wasn¡¯t the most shocking thing that made Seren appear to be dead. Her eyes almost shot out of their sockets when she saw Lute. He had the atmosphere of a tyrant about him. He was casually walking forward and every single beast even those above him in cultivation at the peak of the Foundational Qi Realm were giving way to Lute.


    Every single one of them knew to avoid Lute, he was like a death god in the form of a human at this cultivation level. Despite being in only the very first realm of cultivation, he was commanding respect with his Slaughter Aura.


    Roughly one hundred meters in front of him, there was a large dragon-like lizard. But it wasn¡¯t a true dragon; those shouldn¡¯t appear in the Mortal Realm that much Lute was sure of. This lizard was probably only one hundred millionth of a true dragon¡¯s bloodline. There was absolutely no way that it would possess any more than that much on this waste of a planet, all life was of low quality here.


    This lizard had two heads and was in the first level of the Nascent Qi Realm. If it were the previous Lute, he wouldn¡¯t dare fight it. But this was the new him, whose physical body was coming ever closer to the second level of the Primordial First Physique. He was almost half a step into the peak of the Foundational Qi Realm at the tenth level. There was no way he would lose to a first level Nascent Vicious Beast anymore, even though he was handicapped and unable to use his left arm to fight.


    He also could fluidly weave and change the two hundred forms he knew in any way he saw fit. Despite not knowing any techniques aside from Shifting Time Collapsing Void, Lute was confident he would win.


    All at once, Lute¡¯s Qi surged, releasing all of his pent up Qi, Lute revolved it throughout his body. With a surging intent to kill, Lute¡¯s Slaughter Aura strengthened once more. Charging forward, Lute went for a direct head on clash with the double headed serpent.


    The nascent beast was quick on the uptake, it clearly knew Lute was the master of this lake, if it killed him, it wouldn¡¯t have to worry about anything else here.


    It similarly charged forward, opting to come to a sliding stop and tail swipe Lute. Lute was ready though, changing stances ceaselessly; he maneuvered without losing momentum and sent his right fist directly into the thigh of the Vicious Beast. The sound of a shockwave resounded, under the force of Lutes strength which was very close to the second level of the Primordial First Physique, it caused the thigh to cave in and muscles tore and the bones fractured. This was also a strike enhanced by Lutes Qi, so the strength behind that strike would¡¯ve instantly killed a human cultivator, even in the Nascent Qi Realm.


    Only now did Lute realize his own strength, he¡¯d previously thought he would struggle against a second level Nascent Qi Realm cultivator or beast. But the effects of his body breaking down and then repairing itself into a stronger adaptation was truly monstrous, combined with the fact each time he broke through a cultivation realm, the increase in strength was also larger for him compared to someone at the same level, he realized that he was underestimating his own powers.


    This strike would be enough to even cause third, maybe even fourth level Nascent Qi Beasts to be severely injured if they didn¡¯t defend properly. Without even letting the Nascent Beast a moment to recover, Lute recklessly charged in again, weaving the two hundred forms in a manner that allowed him to keep momentum and this time, Lute struck a heavy blow upon a vital point.


    The bones were shattered, organs displaced, and without even a moment in time to react, the lizard, which had great pride in its bodily strength fell dead. Lute didn¡¯t even feel any emotions despite realizing how much he didn¡¯t understand his strength. Instead he got to work extracting the core, and then left the corpse for the other beasts in the area.


    Seren was awestruck. Lute had no arts or techniques to speak of from what she witnessed. But what she did realize, he had fought that beast with one arm, as clearly she could tell his other was injured since Lute refused to use it. In a brute strength match, Lute won in two moves. One hit to the thigh, immobilizing the beast, and another at a vital point within its chest, completely caving in the body.


    What kind of body would a person need to fight a Vicious Beast head on with no Arts or Techniques? All he used was some mysterious fighting style that was too profound for her to understand and his Qi. That was all, nothing else besides directly clashing with the beast.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    It was actually very anticlimactic there wasn¡¯t even a shred of Lute¡¯s usual lust for battle because this wasn¡¯t a worthy opponent. Although his Slaughter Aura surged, Lute didn¡¯t show the characteristics battle maniacs had, he had withheld the sadistic smile all battle maniacs had in common when fighting.


    Seren had never heard of someone being able to fight a Vicious Beast above them in cultivation, much less clash head on. That was only something that people did if they had not only talent, but extreme high quality equipment and powerful arts. Lute had no equipment, he was only in a loincloth which she disdained, and he didn¡¯t seem to have any arts or techniques. That only left him with talent, and an extremely tough body!


    This was the first time Seren was so interested in another person. She was your typical ice queen that never associated with anyone. And yet Lute piqued her interest. Although she would never admit it to Lute, he was captivating on the battlefield.


    With a baleful aura, scars all over the upper half of his body, piercing sky blue eyes that showed nothing but disdain and the urge to slaughter, and being in a loincloth of Vicious Beast fur, Seren had to admit Lute looked like a savage, or perhaps he looked more like a War God that went into combat with nothing but his body.


    With a talent like his, it would be a waste to live out his life here in the mountains. There was no doubt that he could easily become an Elders direct disciple in the Fallen Tide Hall with his ability.


    With such thoughts roaming through her mind, Seren actually began to feel pity for Glen and even more so for the twins. They had all aggravated a monster. And if she were to bring him to the Fallen Tide Hall, problems would arise. But now that she had the thought she wasn¡¯t going to let go. Lute was a potential sparring partner and an acquaintance that she could have for the first time. He did not look at her lewdly like all the other males in her sect, nor did he demand any favors, if anything he ignored her, but he would still talk if she pushed him to.


    Perhaps she would finally be able to appear as something other than an arrogant noble to others in the sect if she was seen conversing with someone, because even though she acted the way she did in the sect, it wasn¡¯t as if she was actively trying to be antisocial, it was just people were either jealous of her or wanted to use her, or even worse, they put on a fake personality in front of her, hiding their true nature. But Lute seemed to be the opposite, he made his personality or perhaps two personalities easily show. There was the calm, reserved and quieter version of Lute. And then there was the extremely violent version that wanted to exterminate life. If this wasn¡¯t the definition of a split personality she didn¡¯t know what was.


    Seren however was wrong, Lute didn¡¯t have two personalities; he just hid the violent parts deep down within until he felt the need to kill. This was the culminations of not only his desire for combat, but also Isla¡¯s as well, she was also very violent. So when the souls mixed, the bloodshed Lute craved on the battlefield had already been portrayed to an extreme level. His calm demeanor was only a fa?ade, while it was a part of him, and he did remain calm most of the time, the bloodshed Lute was involved with was closer to his true self. Not submitting to anyone unless he knew that they for sure would win against him.


    Seren was formulating a plan in her head when Lute returned, holding a small pearl sized core in his fist. Walking over to a corner of the shelter, only then did Seren realize that there was a pile of many cores built up, the majority being Foundational Qi, a few Nascent Qi were mixed in. This would be a rather large sum of merit points for disciples in the Nascent and Foundational Qi Realms.


    She almost lost her mind when she saw Lute casually throw the newest core onto the pile not caring if it broke.


    ¡°What are you doing? Do you know how fragile those are?!¡±


    Lute, which had made a returned to his quieter less violent self after suppressing his Slaughter Aura, looked at Seren in confusion. What was the point of cores if he couldn¡¯t use them? Right now they were like pretty rocks to him, without any use.


    ¡°Is there a problem, it¡¯s not as if I can use them.¡±


    Seren began to furiously tap her foot against the ground. ¡°Yes, there is a problem¡±, ¡°Those are worth a lot of currency, and you¡¯re just throwing them in a corner?¡±


    Lute rolled his eyes, it didn¡¯t matter if they were valuable to others, and he didn¡¯t need to sell them. What mattered was if he saw value in them, and right now they were useless colored rocks, with absolutely no value. He didn¡¯t even know why he was stockpiling them.


    ¡°Well don¡¯t touch them, rather, why don¡¯t you just regain your strength, I am leaving to cultivate, don¡¯t leave lest you want to die.¡±


    With those parting words, Lute dashed out of the shelter. He knew she was too weak to leave and frankly, he was beginning to regret his decision. She was a lot more talkative than he first thought, and she was apparently easily angered. He hadn¡¯t gotten a shred of information regarding the sect she came from or anything of the sort.


    ¡®I should probably ask my questions soon, but talking is annoying, it is so much better to just stay secluded by myself. Having to converse with others that fly of the handle at useless things like cores is useless.¡¯


    Lute began to earnestly cultivate, after grasping a new understanding of his strength he felt as if he could finish that last half a step and formally enter the peak of the Foundational Qi Realm.


    Seren on the other hand was angry that Lute just left, leaving her alone. It was annoying but he was right, if she wasn¡¯t directly next to Lute, the moment she left the shelter the beasts would all probably attack her together which she had no chance of survival against.


    Forcing herself to calm down, Seren entered a state of cultivation as well, focusing on restoring her used Qi. Unlike Lute, her and all other cultivators couldn¡¯t autonomously restore their Qi reserves by doing nothing. They had to actually focus on absorbing it from the world. The only way to achieve similar affects as Lute would be to use taboo arts that came with a hefty price and probably only half of the results that Lute could achieve.


    The day turned into night, and night into day. Finally, Lute stepped into the tenth level. Now that he understood his strength, he knew how much more of a qualitative change each level for him was compared to before. He had no doubts about jumping to fight in cultivation anymore. At least not until the middle levels of the Nascent Qi Realm.


    The only thing he was lacking was techniques. He had the martial arts from the Thousand Way Scripture, but in the end that wasn¡¯t a technique, it was simply smarter ways to move his body while fighting. Its main goal, to prevent whatever action he did from losing effectiveness and wasting as little energy as possible, the Thousand Ways Scripture cut out all unnecessary movements.


    Seren had spent this entire time regaining her Qi. Despite having wounds still, her complexion was much better. Once her injuries healed, she would be back at full strength. But right now she was roughly at sixty-five percent. But even if she was at one hundred percent, she doubted that she would win against Lute, as when he came back she was able to tell he broke through in cultivation. He was very adept at suppressing his cultivation, but since he just broke through, she was able to sense it¡­.barely.


    Now that there were no interruptions, they both had the same thought. How to effectively leave the mountains, for Lute, he wanted to know about the world, and for Seren, it was how to get Lute to join her sect as he was a talent that they couldn¡¯t let go of.

 Chapter 24

    Lute returned to the shelter, the first thing he saw, Seren staring at him. She appeared to have a look of resolution as if she¡¯d made up her mind about something, and the way she was looking at him, it unmistakably was a resolution that had to do with him!


    ¡®Great¡­ just what could she have come to terms with where she found the resolve to look at me like that, it¡¯s disgusting.¡¯


    Lute walked over to the fire and added more logs and twigs to it. Then he sat down to finish carving those cups and the cask that he needed if storing water was ever going to be achieved. He sat in silence, because Seren clearly wanted to talk so why not? He couldn¡¯t evade her forever.


    Seren had to work up her courage to talk to Lute, attempting to choose her words carefully now that she realized he could kill her even if she was at full strength. But she couldn¡¯t let someone like him go, so perhaps she would be able to convince him upon knowing whether or not he was willing to leave.


    ¡°Are you going to stay secluded in the Crimson Tide Mountain Range forever, or do you plan on leaving?¡± Seren asked, her tone showing a slight hint of respect due to knowing the violent portion of Lutes personality.


    Lute continued his work, after hearing Seren start this conversation off with that question, he felt slightly relieved. This would obviously lead to answers about the world as long as he worded his own questions properly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, I guess I will eventually, but I know nothing of this world. Not the geography, nor the powers that govern the continent. All I know is this mountain range. Perhaps if I learn more, I¡¯d contemplate leaving someday.¡±


    As he expected, the moment he phrased his wording in such a way, Lute saw Seren¡¯s eyes seem to flash, her face looking relieved. There was no doubt about it, whatever she wanted, it hinged upon Lute leaving the Crimson Tide Mountain, more than likely not alone but with her.


    ¡°Then¡­ why don¡¯t we make a deal, if I can provide you information about this world, the country we are currently in now, and anything applicable that you wish to know, then you will leave this place with me and return to the Fallen Tide Hall.¡±


    ¡°Why would I do that? There is no reason that I should go to that festering cesspool. The moment I set foot there, people would start plotting to kill me.¡±


    Upon his words, Lute¡¯s Slaughter Aura began to leak out. Just that small amount made the atmosphere feel as if it was suffocating. He didn¡¯t like causing unnecessary problems that would impede his life moving forward, and joining the Fallen Tide Hall would most assuredly cause problems that would give him a headache.


    Seren clamped her mouth shut; Lute¡¯s reaction was within her expectations, but not this much. Who would¡¯ve thought that just one threat from a disciple who had no real power in the sect would cause him to hate them to such a degree?


    But she couldn¡¯t back out now, there was no way that she could lose Lute to another competing sect if he ever decided to leave the mountains. It was unheard of to directly clash with a Vicious Beast with no arts or techniques and only your physical body. If he ever advanced further, there would be no doubt that Lute could be an influential power in a few decades.


    ¡°If you are worried about Glen, or anyone that would cause you problems in the sect, I can guarantee your safety. I am a part of the Windcross House, a group of nobles in the Fallen Tide City, if you are affiliated with me, for the most part you will be safe.¡±


    ¡®Does she think I am an idiot, no one is going to protect someone that is unknown, the only way they would is if I showed off my ability to jump even more than just the first level of the Nascent Qi Realm.¡¯


    Lute scoffed inwardly at her remark because of this. He wasn¡¯t willing to show off the true scope of his strength as that was suicide and frankly speaking, Seren¡¯s words were full of holes.


    She could guarantee his safety? Then why say not even a few words later ¡°for the most part you will be safe.¡± There wasn¡¯t any doubt in his mind that even if he got some protection, there were some things that she couldn¡¯t save him from.


    But even more so, she was only at the first level of the Nascent Qi Realm, she probably didn¡¯t have much influence in her family or sect. And to top it all off, there were people even willing to attempt assassination of her life, if her family held so much power then why would mere Nascent Cultivators attempt to kill her?


    Lute narrowed his eyes in anger at Seren, his voice ice cold and malignant as he refuted her very words, ¡°End this bullshit sweet talk, do you think I am an idiot? There is no way you can guarantee my safety when you can¡¯t even keep your own life secure. Being a noble doesn¡¯t matter; you have no influential power if your sect members are willing to attempt assassination without a thought of the consequences.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    It felt as if water was poured down on Seren, her very pride was just stomped upon. Lute didn¡¯t even hold any respect for her family claiming they had no power if she couldn¡¯t even protect her own life. They were the second most influential family in Fallen Tide City next to the actual Fallen Tide Royal Family.


    But what hurt the most was not the fact that her pride as a Windcross was trampled upon, it was that Lute was right. How could she guarantee his safety when she couldn¡¯t even protect herself? What was the use flaunting her family name if she didn¡¯t have the results to back it up, even more, Lute probably didn¡¯t know what it meant to be a part of nobility and the power it represented, so she couldn¡¯t even threaten him if he didn¡¯t understand the meaning behind the threat.


    ¡®I took the completely wrong route, he¡¯s a commoner, and has lived in the wild all his life, there is no way he will understand the power of sects and nobilities.¡¯


    Seren sighed, ¡°I guess I can¡¯t expect you to understand what a family name truly means. You are right; I can¡¯t give complete asylum under my family since you are a commoner with nothing to give credence to the thought of even protecting you.¡±


    But then, right at this moment, Seren let her pent up anger erupt, she still couldn¡¯t let her pride be injured like this and not have a retort. ¡°However, don¡¯t you ever assume that nobility has no power, the likes of you¡­ a commoner¡­ has no understanding of the power that I can use at my disposal being my father¡¯s only daughter and child.¡±


    Lute¡¯s violence that he typically kept suppressed when he wasn¡¯t fighting began to leak out slightly. This girl was beginning to get on his nerves, in the end she was just another typical human, thinking that they had power because they had someone to back them. There was a difference between yourself having power, and thinking you have power when it was in actuality someone else¡¯s.


    With himself as an example, the first thought that came to mind was the Path of New Beginnings. In the end it was power that wasn¡¯t his, it was the Spiritual Gods, and if he thought that he himself owned that power, he wouldn¡¯t get away with serious wounds again, he¡¯d die a horrible death of spontaneous combustion. He¡¯d have to wait until the day that he could use the Path of New Beginnings freely, and master control of it. Only then could the strength it held be considered as his strength.


    This was the same concept with Seren. She didn¡¯t hold any individual power with her cultivation, and now she was basically threatening him with her family. The power of her family was not her own, not until she became someone capable of leading it with her own strength. This was one of the most disgusting parts of human nature, assuming you were free to say or do things without any regard to the rules or your life because you thought you could get away with it. And Lute was going to teach Seren this lesson right now.


    Lute didn¡¯t respond, instead in less than a second he went from carving in a seated position to releasing every single shred of Slaughter Aura he contained. With movement fast enough that Seren lost track of him, he slammed her against the wall with his one usable arm clenched against her throat. With the slightest amount of strength he could crush her neck and there wasn¡¯t a thing she could do about it.


    Under Lute¡¯s Slaughter Aura, and the raw physical strength that she could feel from Lutes arm, Seren stayed silent, the angry yet smug look from a moment ago left her and was replaced by terror. Seren couldn¡¯t even use her Qi to ease the pressure on her neck, it was actually moving sluggishly due to the Slaughter Aura that enveloped her.


    Lute leaned in until he was almost brushing the right side of her face as he whispered threateningly, ¡°There are people above people, heavens above heavens and hells beneath hells. You would do well to realize this. Your families power is not your own. The proof, they can do nothing about me slaughtering you right here and right now, they wouldn¡¯t even find your body as I¡¯d feed you to the Vicious Beasts.¡±


    After reciting his lecture, Lute increased the pressure on Seren¡¯s throat, thoroughly terrifying her before letting go, causing blood to rush in to her head making her dizzy and fall to the ground. Lute then returned to his carving and suppressed his violent thoughts once again.


    It took nearly fifteen minutes before Seren returned to clarity. She had brushed sides with the incarnation of death. Had she said anything worse, there was no doubt that Lute would¡¯ve killed her. But she couldn¡¯t even leave. There was no doubt if she left without his help, the Vicious Beasts would kill her.


    ¡®To think he was so quick to anger. But people above people, heavens above heavens? Does he really think one person can take on an infinite number of people by themselves? That is impossible; there isn¡¯t anyone that is capable of such a feat.¡¯


    Of course, Seren was ignorant, the Spiritual God had done it, he slaughtered from all three factions and the result¡­ they refused to interact with him and he single handedly put an end to the war for many years while all three factions recuperated. The devils, divine beasts and gods had all suffered a great number of losses.


    Lute was also the same, from the Nascent Qi first level and below, he could be considered invincible, no one could kill him in a fight, no matter how many there were. Traps, high quality equipment, cultivators above the threshold he was invincible, poison. It didn¡¯t matter what it was, it would take careful planning to kill Lute if you were around his cultivation level, in a head on clash, he was invincible, at least in the Mortal Realm.


    Lute never let this get to his head just because the Spiritual God never lost a fight and he hadn¡¯t lost one yet. He knew he was too weak, there were too many variables and the future was unknown, it was best to remain cautious as although he wouldn¡¯t die in a head on clash, there were many other ways of fighting that didn¡¯t rely on brute strength like his.


    As Seren was beginning to find another way to convince Lute without giving him a reason to kill her, Isla¡¯s voice resounded within Lute, with a commanding tone.


    ¡°Join the Fallen Tide Hall, there is no reason not to. You may want to avoid conflict, while that is smart, as long as you don¡¯t stir up trouble, then you should be safe. If that moronic idiot of a cultivator tries to send people to kill you again or stir up trouble, I¡¯m sure you could kill him in secret, much like how assassins went after this little girl who thinks her father is invincible.¡±


    Lutes face darkened, but as his back was turned to Seren she didn¡¯t notice. No matter what his Master said, many problems were bound to arise the moment he joined such a disgusting place. But he also caught her underlying meaning even if she didn¡¯t say it. The hidden message was simple, he was her disciple so he should fear no one, and as long as he was smart the problems that arise would be easily handled.


    ¡®¡­ I guess as long as I don¡¯t expose my true strength, I can crush anyone that tries to aggravate me. From Seren¡¯s account of what happened, they all think I am in the Nascent Qi Realm due to that pricks swindling lie, but I¡¯m not so disciples in the Nascent Qi Realm and above shouldn¡¯t bother me. If I remain low key, no one should find me very interesting.¡¯


    With a tired sigh, Lute turned to Seren, just as she was about to spew more nonsense, this time about how it was duty to pursue strength because of his talent. He didn¡¯t even give her a chance to speak.


    ¡°I¡¯ll agree to your request, but I have more conditions than just your knowledge about various things.¡± Lute said in a tired voice, women were truly going to be the death of him, either his Master with a stupid order or someone like Seren who was full of problems that gave him a headache.


    If all people were like this, forget about leaving the mountains, he¡¯d enter deeper into seclusion and forget about the world until deal with anyone that caused him problems by either suppressing them until they felt terror or killing them.

 Chapter 25

    ¡®Agreed, he agreed just like that? Wasn¡¯t he threatening to kill me just a moment ago?¡¯


    Seren was thoroughly confused. She felt as if Lute had many personalities forced into one body. His mood kept changing at too rapid of a pace for her to comprehend. The thought that he had a Master telling him what to do was nonexistent so it was reasonable that Lute appeared that way as originally he would¡¯ve kept refusing had Isla not interjected.


    Regaining her composure, Seren calmed down and became as tranquil as possible. Ready to hear what additional demands Lute had, and if they were within reason she would unhesitatingly accept.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I will be able to accommodate whatever demands you have aside from knowledge. As long as they aren¡¯t too outrageous I will immediately accept.¡± Seren said unhesitatingly.


    ¡°My request is extremely simple, but if you ever disobey without my consent, there will be hell to pay.¡±


    Lute once again released his Slaughter Aura to emphasize the point. He wanted Seren to realize how serious he was and that this was not a joking matter.


    Seren shivered underneath the pressure as she replied, ¡°Understood.¡±


    Lute nodded his head, glad that Seren finally was beginning to have some common sense, it was much easier talking to her when she threw off that snobbish arrogant attitude of being a noble.


    ¡°You are not to tell anyone that I can jump cultivation levels to fight. I don¡¯t like others knowing the depths of my strength, you knowing some of my strength were simply because you had been lucky enough not to die under my hand.¡±


    Seren didn¡¯t miss out on hearing when Lute said ¡°Some of my strength.¡± From her point of view, she could guess that he certainly was stronger than he showed.


    She had no idea how accurate she was. Lute¡¯s actual combat prowesses were closer to a fourth level Nascent Qi Cultivator. That was in the intermediate stages of the Nascent Qi Realm. While this was the limit of his fighting capabilities and he¡¯d need to expend a vast amount of Qi to fight someone at the fourth level, he was still confident that he could at the least run away if he didn¡¯t win. Of course this wasn¡¯t factoring in the First Path of New Beginnings, but if Lute had to use that, he would sustain heavy injuries. It was a last resort where he could guarantee mutually assured destruction between his opponent and himself.


    ¡°When I heal, that is when we set out; we won¡¯t leave the Crimson Tide Mountain Range any earlier.¡± Lute said authoritatively.


    Lute wasn¡¯t willing to head into the world of man again until he was at peak strength. There were an infinite number of ways that he could be killed by a human, even if they were weaker than him. That was how dangerous humans were; they were conniving, shameless and cunning. Especially if they were full of greed, that was when the danger reached its peak, this was why Lute didn¡¯t let his inheritances and the power they gave go to his head no matter how strong he was.


    He would instead take a note from Isla¡¯s story of how the Spiritual God¡¯s powers were unknown and he only displayed it once in known history because of an entity he was having a private war with so he needed to hid his strength. It was to always hide the power he was capable of and never let anyone know what his limits were, at least not in front of others that could then exploit that knowledge.


    With the deal struck, Lute felt slightly nervous, he didn¡¯t feel like entering into another soul contract, so he was trusting Seren at her word. Hopefully she kept it, especially when he asked her to under the effects of the Slaughter Aura. Intimidation was the only thing that was hopefully keeping her from telling everything that happened to her father.


    After making a deal with Seren, Lute cultivated through the night, making sure to stabilize his Qi as he had just broken through to the peak of the Foundational Qi realm at the tenth level. Since he was now at the peak, it would definitely take a while to break into the Nascent Qi Realm as this was a bottleneck between two Great Realms.


    The days passed in silence, Lute focused on recovering. His meridians and dantian were in perfect conditions, none of his muscles and tendons was injured, and all of his bones were healed. Even the left wrist which he had shattered was no longer a problem, it still had a slight fracture, but in one day it should be fully healed.


    Seren had also spent the days cultivating in silence, she still had slight cuts on her arms, but those were inconsequential, she could be considered to have returned to her peak strength, nothing was ailing her anymore. But she still felt disgusted with herself, comparing how she was to Lute there was absolutely no chance that she would win a duel.


    As the sun was situated on the horizon like normal, Lute took his cask down to the lake and filled it with water. In preparation to leave the Crimson Tide Mountain Range he had finished carving the cups and cask. All the remaining pelts were tied together using vines, creating a bag in which Lute was able to hold beast cores and left over preserved meat. Today was the day, he was finally ready to leave, and from now on the relatively peaceful life he¡¯d been living at this lake would end.


    With everything packed, Lute left the shelter that¡¯d been his home for more than a month. With his physical strength, he punched and kicked until it collapsed, successfully eliminating any evidence that he¡¯d ever lived there.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go¡± Said Lute without a shred of emotion towards Seren. Despite all the memories he¡¯d have of this place, there were no emotional attachments he felt.


    They began walking east, as that was the direction Seren indicated was the path to Fallen Tide City. It would take at least a week if they were fast and two weeks if they were slow.


    They truly were an odd duo. Seren while she was covered in dirt, much to her disgust, still had the tunic, ripped cloak and breeches she always wore plus boots that reached her knees; however they were made special by her family who were nobles in the end. Her clothes were more expensive then multiple years of salary that Lute¡¯s original family would make.


    Lute on the other hand wore nothing but a fur vest and loincloth that barely covered his lower regions which were all handmade. The rest of his body was covered in a bloodstained cloak he pilfered from one of the twins he slaughtered nearly a month ago.


    Seren was the ice cold beauty who despite appearing in a haggard state retained her noble aura and stature. Her body language didn¡¯t show any sign of tiredness or strain from living in the wild for a few days. She was used to living in the dorms of the Fallen Tide Hall, and was meticulous about hygiene, yet just a day with Lute and she had learned that sometimes filth and dirt were unavoidable.


    Meanwhile Lute was the opposite of her in aura, his crimson hair and piercing eyes made him stand out without even taking into account the scars on his chest, shoulders, and back. The aura he had, while suppressed most of the time was the opposite of Seren¡¯s. If hers was gentle but had the capabilities of lashing out viciously, then Lute¡¯s was like a raging inferno that couldn¡¯t be controlled no matter how much he contained it.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    An aura would change based on a cultivators personality, fighting style, arts and techniques. It was a testament to how polar opposite the two were. Seren was most likely rational and calm when in combat, not letting anything influence her, making sure not to rush her decisions.


    Lute¡¯s violent aura was based on how he clashed head on with anything. He was always calm in combat; but he was much more violent and usually in a battle frenzied state where he did nothing but lust for battle. The closer to death, the more alive he felt.


    The Slaughter Aura he had and the ruthlessness of Shifting Time Collapsing Void were a testament to this, as they promoted this way of fighting even more with how well they synergized to Lute¡¯s personality and fighting style.


    While walking towards Fallen Tide City, Lute began his studies with Seren. She started from the complete basics as she was smart enough to realize that Lute knew nothing about the world at all, or even society in general.


    First, there was the currency system. While in the mundane mortal world, copper, silver, gold, and platinum coins were used. But this held no use for cultivators; instead, they traded in spirit gems. They were any gem that had soaked in the world¡¯s essence and absorbed its power. Spirit Gems were divided into three quality tiers of low, middle and high. Then, they were split into two categories, Mortal and Divine, the former was mined from the planet and the latter fell from the Divine Realm every few hundred years.


    Diving Spirit Gems were so rare, that it could be hundreds of years before any fell from the Divine Realm. Anyone that found some was considered to have heavenly luck and would be set for life if they successfully sold it. But if they were weak and happened upon it, they would be murdered within a day.


    Next, Lute learned that Vicious Beast weren¡¯t classified based on the same cultivation as humans as it wasn¡¯t exactly the same, despite Lute doing this for months now. They were ranked according to the danger levels. A rank one beast was not a problem for the current him, but a rank nine was equivalent to a Heavenly Emperor even if it hadn¡¯t reached the level of Heavenly Emperor in strength.


    If it was rank nine, it meant the beast had the potential to reach that level or it was already at that level. Flood Dragons, descendants of true dragons were an example of this, even if it was just born, it was classified as a rank nine because they were known to always reach rank nine if they lived long enough.


    The ranks were decided on the beast¡¯s inherent abilities, how old they were, and where they stood on the hierarchy of beasts. One example was the Fanged Worg which he had encountered many times. The ones that he slaughtered were only rank one. But the Acidic Forest Bear was considered rank two because it had the special ability of its acid, it was equivalent to the Nascent Realm and it was stronger than Fanged Worgs on an individual level, meaning it didn¡¯t rely on fighting in packs.


    Aside from money, and beasts, Seren then got into all the serious information that Lute needed to know. This was the balance of power on the continent.


    Currently he resided in the New Dawn Kingdom. The absolute weakest kingdom, a sect in the New Dawn Kingdom hadn¡¯t once given birth to a Heavenly Emperor. There were many empires and kingdoms, too many to name. But the kingdoms and empires weren¡¯t the rulers of the continents so they were relatively unimportant.


    They were formed to rule mortals, so for people like Lute who were cultivators, they didn¡¯t have to abide by the countries laws. Instead the true powers that ruled the continent and its cultivators were the sects, all cultivators were punished according to the rules of their sect and the laws that all sects on the continent came to a consensus upon and abided to. There were hundreds, and Fallen Tide Hall was just one amongst many. They weren¡¯t even in the top one hundred strongest sects.


    Of the many powers on the continent, there were eleven sects that were truly the top powers that ruled the continent. They were the Five Elemental Sects, the Three Grand Craftsmen Sects, and the Three Primordial Sects.


    The Elemental Sects were easy enough to understand, they were filled with cultivators talented in the elements. They strived to use the power of the elements to their limits. Each element had its own respective sect with one or more Heavenly Emperors presiding over it. The five sects then came together and worked as a whole, with all five of them in an alliance to be one of the rulers of the continent. The Heavenly Emperors of each element was a part of a council that made decisions for the five sects as a whole.


    Then there was the Grand Craftsmen Sects, made up of three sects. One for Formation Masters, one for Alchemists, and the other for Craftsmen, they, like the elemental sects were part of a council with their respective Heavenly Emperors making all the decisions. While they didn¡¯t have much combat strength, they controlled the wealth of the cultivation world on the Crimson Tide Continent, and their formations, pills and elixirs, as well as high tiered equipment were what prevented others from brashly attempting to plunder them.


    Lastly was the three Primordial Sects. In order to qualify to even hold the name, a sect must have over twenty thousand years of history. The sect must also have no less than ten Heavenly Emperors of at least the intermediate stages, and the most important of all, they had Arts and Techniques that were recognized as the strongest on the continent.


    All five of the elemental sects would have to work together to even attempt to fight with one Primordial Sect. That was how great the strength of one Primordial Sect was. If they worked together, then there might be no one that could stop them. But each of the Primordial Sects were insufferably arrogant, none of them believed that they weren¡¯t stronger than the other two combined. This was the only reason that the Crimson Tide Continent wasn¡¯t under their iron clad rule as they were constantly fighting with each other.


    Much bad blood had been built up over the years between the three. The Grand Craftsmen sect made over twenty percent profit from the Three Primordial Sects fighting on its own, not to mention the business dealings it head with all the rest of the sects and kingdoms on the continent.


    The Five Elemental Sects sold themselves off as mercenaries to protect smaller sects and the Grand Craftsmen Sects for when they got caught in the crossfire between the three Primordial Sects three-way war.


    The three Primordial Sects were comprised of the Eternal Sword Sect, Mountain Kings Palace and the Ancient Emperors Crypt. Each one had their own unique power that directly countered the other Primordial Sects, causing a delicate triangle of power to be formed.


    The Eternal Sword Sect, although it had Sword in the name, focused on mastering any bladed weapon to the limits of its capabilities. The Mountain Kings Palace were one of the few who thought the same as Lute and put equal focus upon tempering the bodies as they did cultivating, thus they had an innumerable amount of body tempering arts and the techniques that went with them.


    Lastly was the Ancient Emperors Crypt, they were collectors of any and all techniques as it wasn¡¯t their main focus, what they truly mastered was strategy, mastering the use of anything they had to win. They had the largest wealth of knowledge, arts and techniques on the continent. From books on history or strategy, to taboo arts or even the weakest most useless technique, the Ancient Emperors Crypt had unimaginable records they could derive inspiration, strength and knowledge from.


    If they were forced to be put in order of strength, and then based purely on raw strength alone, the Eternal Sword Sect was the strongest as they had the most Heavenly Emperors, and those Heavenly Emperors were mostly late stage. But, it was a delicate balance of power.


    The Eternal Sword Sect was the strongest on the surface, but in reality each of the three Primordial Sects had an overwhelming advantage and disadvantage over the other two.


    The Eternal Sword Sect had the highest offensive power among the three, but they lacked defensive strength. Whereas the Mountain Kings Palace had the strongest defense, speed and could hold more Qi in their bodies because of the body tempering. But because of focusing on this, they lacked the overwhelming attack power of the Eternal Sword Sect.


    Most body tempering arts came with techniques that only a person who cultivated the specific physique could use -Lute was unique in this regard as he didn¡¯t have any combat techniques that came from his body tempering art- but these body tempering combat techniques weren¡¯t anywhere near as strong as the Eternal Sword Sect who focused completely on offensive power.


    Then, considered the weakest was Ancient Emperors Crypt. They didn¡¯t have the most Heavenly Emperors and even fewer were at the Late Stage of the realm. Nor did they have powerful bodies or arts. What made them dangerous is the knowledge and strategy they had at their disposal. The Eternal Sword Sect and Mountain Kings Palace had to be wary of them because there was no predicting what the Ancient Emperors Crypt had at its disposal.


    The Ancient Emperors Crypt wasn¡¯t afraid to use five versus one tactics, no matter how much others might call them shameless. They weren¡¯t afraid to use taboo arts, and with their knowledge of history and strategy, their foresight in conflicts was remarkable. Although considered the weakest, in reality they were the most dangerous, as their actions were always held in secret and they moved in the shadows. Any information on them, no matter how inconsequential was payed for with many Spirt Gems of the highest grade.


    All of this, Lute learned upon his travels with Seren. Only now did Lute truly grasp the soul contract he made. These Heavenly Emperors who ruled the continent, he would have to be stronger than all of them by himself with his power alone. That was what this soul contract meant.


    But¡­ that was just the starting point as from what he understood, even the weakest of the Divine Realm cultivators thought that Heavenly Emperors were no more than ants in their eyes. Until the day where he could subdue the entire continent by himself with but a mere thought, he would not be ready to travel to the Divine Realm.


    The length of the road ahead entered into clarity for Lute. The amount of time¡­. It was infinite. He couldn¡¯t see the end of his path of cultivation after learning all of this, who knew how many years it would be before he could trample upon the pride of every sect combined on the Crimson Tide Continent. But instead of being deterred, Lute was confident as he had at least what he thought was a gift from the Heavens.


    It wasn¡¯t the Spiritual God or Primordial God Inheritance; it wasn¡¯t the Origin Soul Needle, or even having his Master, Isla. No, what Lute treasured more than all that was the things that allowed him to obtain it all despite the pain he had to go through. And that was his willpower.


    Lute truly felt he had the most unshakeable and ironclad will in even the Divine Realm. He was willing to bring himself to the very brink of death or being crippled in order to accomplish whatever he set his mind to accomplish. Not many cultivators had such extreme thoughts that he did, especially when it came to crippling themselves. But this was precisely what made Lute so special, he didn¡¯t fear crippling himself even before he gained the Primordial First Physique.

 Chapter 26

    Nearly a week had gone by, in this time, Lute had learned many things from Seren. All of which he had spent many hours pondering over. To Lute there was no such thing as useless knowledge so he listened intently. But never would he expect that Seren would use the opportunity to get a favor from him because she had shared knowledge.


    It was about two days before they reached Fallen Tide City, and Lute was sitting, cultivating and contemplating all that he¡¯d learned when Seren approached him.


    Seren had increased her training load, effort, and cultivation time the moment that they left the mountains. All of this was because she hated being inferior to Lute, especially because he was below her in cultivation.


    Her craziness paid off; from the extreme torture she put herself through ¨CWhich looked like a child playing to Lute- had allowed her to break through to the second level of the Nascent Qi Realm. But her actual strength was now that of someone at the early stages of the third level. Upon this breakthrough she felt much more confident, and what better way was there to test her strength than against Lute.


    Seren approached Lute, her intent unmistakable as the atmosphere changed between the two from the content silence of cultivation to Seren releasing her aura.


    ¡°I have shared knowledge with you and made you understand the powers of this world. I think the least you can do is spar with me.¡± Seren said as her confidence was spilling out; she felt like Lute wouldn¡¯t be that hard to fight anymore.


    Lute narrowly opened his right eye and stared at Seren, he didn¡¯t feel any happiness for Seren breaking through as he wasn¡¯t her friend, and at the most they were acquaintances.


    From a quick glance it was easy to tell she wanted to fight him right away, and she had high confidence about winning. But Lute could easily see the difference. Lute¡¯s absolute limit without opening the First Path of New Beginnings was the Nascent Qi Fourth Level, as long as it was a human he was fighting. If it was a Vicious Beast then his limit was the Nascent Third level, equivalent to a Rank Two.


    But apparently Seren thought she could now win against him. However a quick glance at her and he could see that her Qi was unstable, apparently cultivators didn¡¯t think they needed to stabilize after a breakthrough in the Mortal Realm. Even Lute needed to spend time doing this, albeit he could do it much faster than almost anyone else.


    ¡®Perhaps I should take this moment to repay the favor of all the knowledge and show her the error in her cultivation.¡¯


    With such a thought, Lute stood up and stretched, maybe sparring with Seren would alieve the boredom he now felt every day. He had grown used to Vicious Beasts challenging him; they were the equivalent of exercise for Lute, but on a much deadlier level.


    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll partake in this so called sparring.¡± Lute said in a somewhat bored manner.


    He stood in the exact spot that he was sitting a moment ago. Not moving an inch or bothering to take a stance. Lute was the complete opposite of how he normally was. As he didn¡¯t intend to kill Seren, he had to subdue his violent thoughts and Slaughter Aura.


    Seren on the other hand did take a stance a few meters away, clearly intending to put her all into this sparring session. It was a good chance to test her strength as she wasn¡¯t close to anyone in the Fallen Tide Hall, resulting in her being unsure of her limits.


    Seren revolved her Qi and waited for Lute to take his stance¡­ until she realized he wasn¡¯t going to.


    ¡°Are you shaming me by not taking this seriously? You¡¯ll regret performing such a rude action.¡± Seren said, her tone rising in annoyance. To her it was extremely disrespectful that Lute said he¡¯d spar and then didn¡¯t intend to take it seriously.


    Lute stood there as an immovable sentinel, he didn¡¯t really care what Seren thought. He was going to teach her the error in her ways. Had Seren actually stabilized her Qi and adjusted to her new strength threshold. Lute would have to take this seriously, but right now, he could easily tell her Qi was in a chaotic state, and because of this she would have problems executing Arts and Techniques, leaving many loopholes for him to take advantage from.


    Because of this, Lute felt that he would feel rather bored; he had to seal himself away from the thought of using his full power unless he killed Seren in a state of battle frenzy.


    With a remarkably bored and overall disdaining look, Lute lazily replied to Seren, ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with; I want to get in at least five more hours of cultivation before we start travelling again.¡±


    A quick flash of murderous intent made itself apparent before Seren suppressed it.


    ¡®You¡¯ll regret acting so disrespectful; I¡¯ve caught up to you.¡¯Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    The wind began to blow fiercely, the moment a leaf flew in front of Lute¡¯s eyes and blocking his vision, Seren charged in. She didn¡¯t use Qi because Lute wasn¡¯t using any. It was only fair, she thought, but that only put her at an insane disadvantage.


    With a roundhouse kick aimed directly at Lutes head, Seren unconsciously lowered the strength behind it as Lute¡¯s eyes were half closed; he appeared to be in a dazed state.


    The power of that kick, even if it wasn¡¯t aided by Qi was still from a Nascent Qi cultivator, and Lute hadn¡¯t evaded or bothered to defend, and yet¡­ nothing happened. Seren¡¯s attack was successful. It connected with Lute¡¯s neck.


    But rather than Lute crying in pain or falling unconscious, his eyes slowly awakened from their half dazed state.


    Once again, in a lazy manner, he began to speak. ¡°Is that all you¡¯ve got? Aren¡¯t you from a noble family? I thought nobles had especially powerful martial arts, arts, and techniques.¡±


    Lute was indeed bored, Seren wasn¡¯t trying hard enough where he had to put in any effort and he couldn¡¯t fight with the intent to kill. This wasn¡¯t really something he enjoyed, not even enough to be considered loosening the muscles.


    Putting the palm of his hand on Seren¡¯s foot that was still planted on his neck, Lute put some force behind it and shoved Seren away. The force behind that simple shove sent her spinning off to the right. She almost fell to the ground under the force behind that one palm.


    Seren was slightly dumbstruck, not only had she felt pain when she kicked Lute in the neck, he felt nothing and simply pushed her away with a palm. Yet within that simple palm was a great physical strength of which she couldn¡¯t grasp. How had Lute gained such physical prowess?


    ¡®I don¡¯t understand I know he has a strong body but he should still be forced to defend, and yet he isn¡¯t¡­ if that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯m sorry for being impolite, but you forced me to do so.¡¯


    Regaining her positioning, Seren revolved her Qi at full strength. To her it seemed a little slow, but there wasn¡¯t a problem. But to Lute, her entire stance and form were now in disarray, Seren seemed out of sync with herself because of the unstable form the Qi was in.


    ¡°You shall now witness the arts that my family has culminated and built up over many decades, please bear witness to the strength that is the Sweeping Gale Style.¡± Said Seren with a hint of pride, for that was all she held to her families self-created art.


    It allowed the user to become in tune with the wind allowing strikes to become unpredictable and violent as a true gale of wind was.


    ¡®Hmmm, is she going to use a technique of this Art? With her Qi in such disarray, the strength behind those attacks will be less than half, how does she not realize this?¡¯


    Lute was actually beginning to become quite confused. Seren was acting very similar to how Glen was. She was only exhibiting slightly less than half of the power she should be able to manifest. Why did people not feel the need to stabilize themselves every time they broke through a bottleneck? What was the rush?


    Isla, who had woken up from a slumber and was silently observing had realized the problem after the very first attack of Seren which didn¡¯t even have Qi, Lute could actually hear her mumbling in disgust within his mind.


    ¡°Trash, they are all trash who blasphemies what cultivation truly is how can they not literally feel their body in disarray right now?¡±


    Seren once again charged forward, this time she chained many attacks together. Punches, kicks, jabs, all of them were straightforward. But under the Sweeping Gales effect, sometimes the trajectory of Seren¡¯s attacks would change mid-strike and explode with power every time they connected.


    While Lute was proud of his tempered body, he would still take damage from Seren if he was careless, as no matter how impure her Qi was that this world produced or how unstable her body was at the moment, she was still above Lute in cultivation and hence had the ability to injure him. But as Seren was now, he didn¡¯t need to utilize everything at his disposal.


    ¡°Weak¡± muttered Lute out of boredom.


    He covered only his palms with Qi and finally he used only the defensive stances of the Thousand Ways Scripture. After blocking merely a few strikes, the Thousand Ways Scripture allowed Lute to keep the built up momentum, allowing his body to flow between defensive stances without pause.


    Every single attack of Seren, no matter where it came from or how much power was behind it, Lute blocked casually with his palms. This exchange occurred for more than ten minutes until Seren finally began to give in.


    Her entire body was covered in sweat, her entire body ached. Every time she hit one of Lutes¡¯ palms, it was like hitting the hardest metal, she actually was injured instead. Bruises covered her fists. Throughout this entire time, she was expending massive amounts of Qi, even overdrawing her strength causing an extreme depletion of mental and physical stamina, and yet she hadn¡¯t done any damage to Lute, he didn¡¯t have the slightest shred of sweat and still looked bored.


    Even worse, he used the bare minimum amount of Qi to block her attacks. This was an utter disgrace.


    Seren then sunk to the ground in utter shock as she realized something utterly horrifying. As she looked around the area, it was in shambles, all of this was caused by her attacks and none from Lute. And at the center of all this was a mound of unbroken ground which Lute was standing on. He hadn¡¯t taken a single step for the entire duration of this so-called sparring session!


    ¡°Hehe serves the stupid bitch right, thinking that she could do anything to you with Qi in such a chaotic state as hers.¡± Isla said in utter contempt within Lute¡¯s mind. She found the look of terror on Seren¡¯s face quite satisfying.


    Lute stood there, staring at Seren with no sympathy whatsoever, he had used maybe ten percent of his total Qi at the most. The rest of this fight he¡¯d absorbed her attacks with most of his body and used that small amount of Qi as a cushion to absorb the attacks into his body with as little harm as possible. Any damage he would¡¯ve sustained was almost nonexistent.


    Lute then sat down again, once again starting to cultivate, the sparring session had failed to erase his boredom, but he did not start cultivating before he left Seren with words to contemplate over.


    ¡°Had you stabilized your Qi instead of challenging me the moment you broke through, I would¡¯ve had to fight you seriously and you would¡¯ve been releasing your strength at double the power you just did. Why rush cultivation, there is no reason to.¡±


    Seren sat in a dazed state. The wind kept blowing; the ground beneath her was broken and falling apart from all her attacks earlier. And before her Lute sat on a mound cultivating in the center of all these ruins that was made from the sparring session, he didn¡¯t even care.


    All that she could do to cope at the moment was focus on Lute¡¯s words instead of the utterly miserable defeat that she suffered under the hands of Lute not even putting much effort. He didn¡¯t even retaliate and still won.


    ¡®Stabilize Qi, why wouldn¡¯t it be stable? Is that a secret to his strength?¡¯


    Seren then decided to carefully sit and observe Lute who was lost in cultivation, not a thought was apparent in his mind. From what she could see, the Qi of Lute compared to her own was significantly different. Only after comparing differences for hours did she finally understand what Lute meant by stabilization.


    Her Qi was moving erratically through her body, it was in an agitated state, and it looked as well as felt like a wall that had holes in it. Compared to Lute her stabilization was horrendous. From her observation, Lutes¡¯ Qi was incredibly stable, it moved at a steady rate without the slightest hint of disarray, even more so it was incomparably solid when she compared it to her own Qi. There were no holes or weaknesses in it.


    ¡®So that¡¯s why he was able to use such little strength. With all the weaknesses I exposed, he naturally took advantage of it. He is correct; if I can rectify my weaknesses then he would need to fight me seriously.¡¯


    Seren earnestly sat down to cultivate, with this new enlightenment, she felt that the gap between her and Lute had closed a bit. When she stabilized herself in the second level of the Nascent Qi Realm that was when she would challenge Lute next, and force him to take her seriously.

 Chapter 27

    Fallen Tide City was looming on the horizon. It arrogantly looked down upon the shanty towns of the mortals who were unable to cultivate that surrounded it. For the most part, only wealthy mortals and cultivators held the right to live in the city. Anyone else lived on the outskirts or in its slums. Lute would¡¯ve been no different if it was a few years ago.


    But now everything was different. He held the right to enter the city as he was a cultivator, there was nothing holding him back except his own worries. And it was rightfully so that he was cautious.


    In the city, there was an untold amount of dangers. Swindlers, thieves, assassins, upstart egotistical brats. There were many here who could do harm to Lute, whether physically, mentally or in some way he couldn¡¯t think of. After all, despite his inheritances, he was still only a peak Foundational Qi cultivator that was pitifully weak.


    Seren glanced at Lute, he seemed slightly apprehensive, no matter how well he hid it. After interacting with him for a few weeks, Seren gradually began to pick up on these things. It wasn¡¯t that Lute was emotionless or had a split personality, it was actually rather simple. He was insanely adept at concealing what his emotions were in front of other people. She had no idea why he felt the need to be so masterful at this and concealing his cultivation.


    Well¡­ for cultivation it was obvious, it was like showcasing how strong you were, if you could hide it, then at the very least, for a moment someone could doubt whether they really wanted to mess with you.


    Seren attempted to ease Lute¡¯s thoughts, ¡°Stick close to me when we enter Fallen Tide City, nothing should go wrong, we¡¯ll get you some clothes and then it¡¯s your lucky day, the sect actively recruits disciples once a month. And today is that day.¡±


    For anyone else, Seren wouldn¡¯t say very much, if at all. As she was the daughter of the second most powerful noble in the city, many wanted to curry favors with her or find a way to blackmail her. As such, she didn¡¯t converse with many, Lute was one of the few people she actively took the initiative to chat with and drop her persona of being unapproachable.


    ¡°Uh huh¡±


    Lute didn¡¯t say anything else; they had approached the gates of the city finally. Upon receiving pervasive gazes from all the people loitering around the streets, Lute quickly put up his hood and held his cloak shut, preventing anyone from seeing his scarred body and fur clothes.


    But alas that only made him appear more suspicious as he walked next to Seren who was well known throughout the city. After all, Lute was now over six feet tall and the majority of people on the Crimson Tide Planet rarely, if ever, made it to five foot ten inches. It also didn¡¯t help that he had deep crimson and overgrown ragged hair peeking out from his hood. Its color stood in stark contrast to his clear sky blue eyes.


    In the end, Lute stood out like a sore thumb; the majority of people had black, brown or blonde hair with brown or gray eyes and was an average of five foot five in height.


    Lute didn¡¯t feel fear, rather he felt slightly awkward at having so many gazes upon him. He would actually feel more comfortable with the eyes of a Vicious Beast looking at him with the intent to kill instead of all the questioning gazes.


    As they travelled through the streets, Lute took note of all the different signs and street. There were many vendors, the ripe smell of fruits and other foods could be smelled in the air. Countless merchants were straining their voices to be louder than their competitors. It was truly a hustle and bustle place.


    But Lute wasn¡¯t paying attention to this, he wasn¡¯t ignorant. What he saw was the darker side of this city almost immediately. While the majority of people were cultivators, many of which could casually kill him with a palm of their hand, there were some mortals, all of which were in dark alleyways. They were emaciated, bruised and smelled of fecal matter. They were the equivalent of the living dead.


    Then with a casual look in another direction, Lute could see a group of cultivators beating up and stealing from a single weaker cultivator. He didn¡¯t let this affect his mind though, in the end Lute knew he was just as despicable because he didn¡¯t help those who were suffering or feel any guilt over it.


    Maybe if he had the strength, he¡¯d attempt to help¡­ or maybe not, Lute didn¡¯t know, his personality was truly warped after merging with Isla, he felt no problem with letting millions of people die even if he was the cause. If it was wrong to feel that way, he didn¡¯t know, but there was no use dwelling on things that weren¡¯t easily prone to change as he doubted that he¡¯d feel any different on this predicament at any point later in time.


    Gradually, as they were cutting through the main roads, a mansion appeared in the distance that was quickly approaching. It was adorned with a pointed roof, was fenced in and had many guards, all of which Lute wouldn¡¯t want to even take one casual slap from.


    ¡°We are almost at my home; there shouldn¡¯t be anyone there right now. My father and mother work all day and I have no siblings. There are some guards and maids, but they should let you in.¡± Seren said with her voice full of confidence. As she was the only one to succeed her father, she had been trained to easily command those who were her subjects.


    As they approached the mansion, Lute noticed that he couldn¡¯t read the cultivations of the guards, only if they released their full strength would he know their cultivations but if they were suppressed like his was he wouldn¡¯t be able to see through the deception, they were out of his league¡­. At least they were for now.


    Very slowly and almost imperceptibly, Lute muttered under his breath so Seren wouldn¡¯t hear him. ¡°Master, what is the cultivation of the guards? How many Great Realms are they above me?¡±


    Isla was, after all a soul at the Divine Level, Lute even speculated her soul was stronger than that before she ¡°Died¡±. Only someone with soul strength at her level would be able to sense her within Lutes body, even if that action she took was simply talking to Lute, they would be able to notice. That was why she needed to hide in Lute and barely speak with him around humans, but no one had reached the Divine Path in this world, so she could take the risk to help Lute in such manners, even if it meant risking herself being exposed since the chances were in her favor.


    If she was found out though, Lute would be tortured by Heavenly Emperors as their greed to learning how to enter the Divine Path would supersede any thoughts about torturing a teenager. At that point, Isla would just accept death, letting herself die with Lute, there was no way she would casually tell a Mortal Realm planets cultivators the secret to breaking through or about inheritances.


    Isla responded in a serious manner, Lute was now in a place where danger was around every corner. If she was able to help out even a bit, even if it was telling him cultivation levels of others, it would increase his chances of survival.


    ¡°The ones armed to the teeth with weapons and armor are in the Earthen Practitioner Realm, the ones that are casually walking around the premises trying not to expose their strength and act weak are in the Ascension Realm, then there is one more who is hidden, she is looking at you, this person is in the Intermediate Emperor Qi Realm at the sixth level.¡±


    Lute silently swallowed, a cold sweat starting to perspire down his back. He wasn¡¯t afraid to die, but even he would be a liar and an idiot if he said that he didn¡¯t feel nervous about catching the attention of someone five Great Realms above him.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Lute didn¡¯t enjoy having problems arise unexpectedly, especially when he was too weak to do anything about them. And the notion that he was travelling with Seren would cause him to meet someone in the Emperor Qi Realm was sending off many danger signals in his mind. It suddenly felt like a much better idea to leave Seren and buy his own clothes with the money he could get for selling cores.


    ¡°Say, Seren, I think it would be better if I didn¡¯t travel with you in the city. I¡¯ll just sell the cores that I have and buy my own clothes. Why don¡¯t we just meet back up in a few hours?¡± Lute said, trying to sound as persuasive as possible.


    He really didn¡¯t want to meet this unknown woman who would probably kill him if he even stuttered a word in her presence. It would be much safer and rational to avoid this mansion all together.


    Seren eyed Lute, she was puzzled as to why he suddenly changed his mind, neither of her parents were home, and her father wouldn¡¯t object anyway as he knew Seren¡¯s plight of not having any friends her age.


    ¡°Why, there isn¡¯t any problem, if you fear my father, he isn¡¯t home right now, I already stated that.¡±


    ¡®Come on, take the hint, don¡¯t you know the strength of and how many bodyguards you have¡­ Well I wouldn¡¯t know if it weren¡¯t for Master, but that¡¯s beside the point.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I am unwilling, I just don¡¯t think I would be welcomed on the premises by your subordinates, especially the one who wants to kill me right about now.¡±


    Lute then pointed behind Seren, he wasn¡¯t wrong about sensing a threat to his life, and after all whom was more sensitive to others killing intent than he who used Slaughter Aura. It was blatant killing intent directed at him as well as the Emperor made no attempt to hide it.


    It wasn¡¯t the same as his where he could make others feel like they tasted and smelled blood, as well as feel like they were suffocating under the pressure, that was only something he could do because of the overbearingness that was Slaughter Aura as it was the realm after killing intent.


    Instead, it was a pressure that was one level weaker than Slaughter Aura. It wasn¡¯t nearly as suffocating but it still seemed to seep into Lutes bones. But for Lute who had directly bypassed the level of killing intent and entered the realm of Slaughter Aura, even if it was killing intent from a peak Heavenly Emperor, he wouldn¡¯t suffer from deviations such as Qi flowing sluggishly because of fear. At the most it felt like a slightly prickling sensation that came from his bones which he felt the need to itch but couldn¡¯t.


    Walking out from the mansion gates, the Emperor had suppressed her cultivation, but it didn¡¯t matter since Lute already knew. She was exceptionally tall, only a few inches below Lute in height. Hair as black as Isla¡¯s and dull gray eyes that seemed full of wisdom but violence as well were locked onto Lute.


    She was dressed as if she was prepared for war, with full body armor that seemed to be made from Vicious Beast scales. But what was most overbearing was the weapon she held in her hand. It was a spear with a picture of a True Dragon on its blade. The aura it was emitting seemed to add to the Emperors killing intent.


    Lute stared at the spear in awe, this was a true spirit armament, a weapon with its own will. It couldn¡¯t even be remotely compared to the mundane mortal weapons that were so common. A spirit armament was tailor made for cultivators only; there was no possible way a mortal would be able to obtain one, no matter how wealthy they were.


    While Lute was staring at the spear, he momentarily forgot about the reason this Emperor even appeared from hiding in the shadows was because of how suspicious he looked. It was a testament to how vast of a chasm it was between Killing Intent and Slaughter Aura. With his mind fixated on the weapon, Lute didn¡¯t even feel the Killing Intent anymore.


    The Empress, since she was a female Emperor Qi cultivator, approached Lute and Seren outside of the mansions gates as the two had stopped due to Lute attempting to leave. All the people in the surrounding area left immediately, no one wanted to be on the receiving end of the spear of the Empress had become angry.


    ¡°Young Mistress, where have you been for the past half a month? Shouldn¡¯t you be at the Fallen Tide Hall and furthering your studies?¡± The Empress asked with her tone that was full of respect for Seren; after all she was the Patriarch¡¯s successor and only child.


    However she didn¡¯t take her eye off Lute as she spoke to Seren, this child seemed suspicious and dangerous, a person Seren shouldn¡¯t associate with even if she had no friends and wanted one.


    With just one look at him, she knew that he wasn¡¯t someone that Seren would normally even put in her eyes. He was covered in a bloodstained cloak, hiding his body from her sight, which made her even more suspicious. But most of all, she felt the air about him was different, most people would shiver underneath her Killing Intent, but he didn¡¯t even twitch.


    Seren looked at her subordinate and it all clicked in her mind.


    ¡®No wonder Lute wanted to leave on his own, Alda was thinking of killing him, and with how she is, there is no doubt she made it known to Lute the moment she spotted him with me¡¯


    Now that she understood the situation, Seren intended to resolve it. It wouldn¡¯t do to fail after this far and convincing Lute to come with her. He was a talent that quite possibly would surpass the Soul Opening Realm if he lived long enough, and that was something the Fallen Tide Hall needed. No sect in the New Dawn Kingdom had successfully raised a Qi Overlord or Heavenly Emperor.


    The New Dawn Kingdom had more natural resources to raise even a Heavenly Emperor than most countries, but with how the power of the world worked, because they had resources but nobody with the strength to protect those resources, all the other countries and more powerful sects took them for their own, leaving only scraps for the New Dawn Kingdom. They were only a kingdom in name; all the sects were weak and were constantly shoved around by others that had even one Qi Overlord.


    The only reason all the sects hadn¡¯t been destroyed and all of the New Dawn Kingdom hadn¡¯t been taken over was because they had so many valuable resources such as Spirit Gem mines. If one country tried or even one of the Primordial Sects attempted to take this vast sum of wealth for themselves, then all the sects and countries would immediately attack them and wipe them out, once again returning to the predicament the New Dawn Kingdom was currently in.


    No matter how powerful one of the Primordial Sects were, if for example the Eternal Sword Sect which on the surface was considered the strongest due to having the most Heavenly Emperors, most of which were late stage as well, had attempted to take all of the Spirit Gem Mines of the New Dawn Kingdom. Even they wouldn¡¯t survive under the onslaught of the other Primordial Sects, the Elemental Sects and the Craftsmen Sects, as well as the hundreds of other sects on the continent, some of which were closing in on the title of being a considered a Primordial Sect.


    There were numerous peak Soul Opening Realm cultivators, such as Seren¡¯s father, but they had reached the limit of their talent and wouldn¡¯t advance anymore, they instead chose to involve themselves with helping the younger generations or deal with politics over seriously cultivating. This was why Lute was so important, he could fight Vicious Beasts without using any Arts or Techniques and only had Martial Arts, and this was unprecedented. Seren couldn¡¯t let him go to another nation or sect that already had Qi Overlords or Heavenly Emperors.


    Seren turned to Alda, her atmosphere was once again that of a noble. It was no longer gentle like it had been for the past few weeks. With Lute she learned to cast off this aura and act like any other cultivator would who wasn¡¯t of the nobility. At first glance she wouldn¡¯t have been seen as noble because she learned to hide it so thoroughly. But now that she was around Alda, she once again had to act like a person befitting her station.


    The only difference between this commanding atmosphere from before she met Lute and after she met Lute was the fact that Seren no longer had a snobbish attitude, her pride had been stepped on by Lute too much, he had shattered her reality of being invincible as long as she mentioned her family name.


    The personality of a snobbish and arrogant noble who thought they were invincible had been replaced by someone who actually seemed as if they deserved respect, and not just because of their family bloodline, but instead it was because they Seren actually deserved it.


    ¡°Alda, I had taken a request to go to the Crimson Tide Mountain Range. As you can see I have returned. This was my companion that aided me in my travels. His name is Lute Ravenshadow; he is covered in the cloak because he stands out too much.¡±


    Seren had a commanding tone in her voice, clearly emphasizing that Lute was her companion and someone that could be trusted. She didn¡¯t want Lute to go through any hassle because of how he looked. It was understandable he would hide his body due to abnormal eye color and hair color, his clothes, and all of the scars on his body.


    He truly did stand out, as his features, although there were people with blue eyes and red hair, it wasn¡¯t typically seen. And Lutes eyes were the clearest of blue and not cloudy like most, and his hair wasn¡¯t red but instead a deep crimson, making him even more of an abnormality.


    Alda kept gazing at Lute, even though the Young Mistress phrased her words in a way that now she couldn¡¯t kill the boy, she still couldn¡¯t shake a feeling of suspicion. She had released her Killing Intent at its peak strength. Lute should¡¯ve been pissing in his pants as it was all centered upon him, and he was only at the peak of the Foundational Qi Realm, yet he wasn¡¯t even trembling in fear.


    Alda narrowed her eyes, ¡°Well forgive me Young Mistress, but I still need to see what secret this young child is hiding.¡±


    Alda didn¡¯t wait for a reply; suddenly she struck out with her spear towards Lute.

 Chapter 28

    Lute had been staring in awe at the spirit armament Alda possessed. It captivated him to the point he momentarily forgot about Seren and Alda. He wanted his own spirit armament eventually, and someday without fail he would obtain one, even if it was off someone else¡¯s corpse.


    But within that momentary lapse of concentration, he missed the short conversation between Alda and Seren. The next thing he knew, the spear was aimed at his throat and closing in at a blinding speed. But this blinding speed was actually Alda suppressing her strength to the absolute limit. Since Seren said he was a companion she couldn¡¯t outright kill him, but it didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t slice that cloak off him and see why he remained hidden.


    With her strength suppressed to a cultivator at the first level of the Nascent Qi Realm, Alda thought this much was safe enough where Lute wouldn¡¯t be injured¡­much. But, although she had suppressed it to the first level of the Nascent Qi Realm, she was an intermediate stage Emperor Qi Realm cultivator so this strength was actually closer to that of the fourth level of the Nascent Qi Realm despite being suppressed. There was nothing amplifying the strike either; it was a simple thrust of the spear.


    Lute immediately used all the physical strength he had, the cobblestone path cracked beneath his feet as he bound backwards. But it wasn¡¯t quick enough, the spirit armament managed to cut the ties on the cloak causing it to fall off of Lute, Alda had done what she wanted, exposing Lute for her to see.


    ¡®God damn that was close, had I been a second later she would¡¯ve added another scar to my chest.¡¯


    Lute felt adrenaline pumping through his body; he managed to react just in time. For whatever reason, this bitch was now intent on impaling him; this caused Lute¡¯s anger to begin surging. He had done absolutely nothing, not one action that should get him impaled, he hadn¡¯t said a single word, and here someone was trying to impale him. He knew it¡­ he just knew it¡­. Coming back to the world of man already led to problems arising within a few hours.


    It wasn¡¯t just him that felt anger either; Isla who witnessed this began to stir within Lute. Even in the Divine Realm, it was extremely shameless and disrespectful to suddenly attack someone so many Great Realms below you in cultivation without reason. The only time it was allowed was if the weaker one was actively taunting, humiliating or challenging the senior cultivator, but even then they could only discipline them as it would be a shame on their honor to seriously attack someone that much weaker, even if their strength was suppressed. Lute had done none of this, so he didn¡¯t deserve such treatment simply because of the way he ¡°Looked¡±.


    Alda stopped her lunge forward and stared at Lute who was now in full view. He was extremely different to what she expected he was hiding, it all made sense. He looked like a wild savage, no one would want to associate with someone uncultured and uncivilized like this. He was covered in scars which made her think Lute was simply unlucky or didn¡¯t know how to dodge.


    But what really caught her attention was his eyes and hair. Under the light of the sunset Lute¡¯s hair which was ragged and overgrown seemed to dance as if it was on fire in the slight breeze. But his eyes, they were far more mature, they were easily recognizable, and she had seen it many times before. Those eyes that showed murder in them, they were the eyes of a person that lived on the battlefield, a veteran of warfare.


    How could someone so young look as if they had so much experience in combat? But now Alda understood why Lute seemed so suspicious, he wasn¡¯t like any other child in the Foundational Qi Realm up to the Spirit Opening Realm.


    Typically, up until the Spirit Opening Realm, disciples would only spar, maybe compete in regulated tournaments. They also couldn¡¯t take request to kill Vicious Beasts by themselves. If they did, they had to go in a group, and the beast had to be much weaker in cultivation than them to prevent accidental death. Because of this, they wouldn¡¯t have much experience with real combat where a single mistake could lead to death.


    As a result, it wasn¡¯t until the Earthen Practitioner Realm would a cultivator become truly experienced in combat. This realm was when they truly started to have life and death experiences. But Lute was different, he¡¯d been fighting all this time, for many months all he fought were Vicious Beasts, he¡¯d even been close to death a few times, or he¡¯d fight at a disadvantage of him alone versus multiple Vicious Beasts, all above him in cultivation.


    There was no faster way to garner real experience. If Lute had one disadvantage, it was that he didn¡¯t have enough experience fighting other humans. Vicious Beasts typically fought head on, human cultivators were much more cunning, deceptive and full of guile. But now that he was in a city and about to enter a sect, he would be able to quickly adapt, raising his combat expertise another level due to already being leagues above even some Spirit Opening Disciples in real life decision making that could lead to dreadful consequences if there was even the slightest mistake.


    Alda was now interested, she kept her strength suppressed, but this time she took a stance, her killing intent flaring even more. If Lute had eyes like that, then he was like her, someone who had lived and tempered themselves through real combat. She wanted to see just how far he could last under her onslaught.


    Seren was horrified, her subordinate might end up really killing Lute and that was a severe problem. She couldn¡¯t lose someone like Lute who had a future.


    ¡°Alda what are you doing, I said don¡¯t kill him, he¡¯s a friend!¡± Screamed Seren I dismay, but there was nothing she could do about it.


    Alda only smiled her lust for battle and wanting to test Lute had reached the peak.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Young Mistress, I won¡¯t kill him, I simply want to test his mettle a bit. I want to see just what captivated you to finally bring someone over to the mansion. And look, he is even willing to partake in this trial.¡±


    ¡°Damn right I am going to partake, you think you can get away with acting so shameless and attacking a defenseless person!¡±


    Seren could only sigh upon hearing Lute¡¯s words, he was about to get thrashed and beat to a pulp. When she¡¯d trained with Alda, she beat her to a pulp as well. But the main reason Seren was now backing away to spectate, she saw Lute revert to the portion of his personality he kept suppressed. But before she backed away, she quickly ran to Lute and took the cores he had, it wouldn¡¯t do to shatter all of them, which was a waste of merit points in the sect.


    Despite the calm rational demeanor he kept, Lute¡¯s anger was surging to new heights; he had never been so pissed off. He could no longer contain his violent thoughts and the Slaughter Aura that was suppressed had now reached a new all-time high, its strength almost double what was previously Lutes limit.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Part of this was because Lute was furious and wanted to beat the bitch before him until she was minced meat, no matter if she was an Emperor Qi Ream cultivator or not. The other reason his Slaughter Aura was so strong right now was because of Isla.


    She was angry at the shameless actions of what could be considered a senior cultivator picking on a child. Even she, who was insufferably arrogant, would never deign to do such things to someone weaker than her if she still had her body. The anger she felt transmitted through Lute and bolstered his Slaughter Aura. Luckily, this didn¡¯t count as Isla exposing herself, her emotions were simply adding onto Lutes Slaughter Aura as the angrier someone was, the stronger it became, and since the two of them were connected, his Slaughter Aura was feeding off of the anger of two people.


    Alda, who knew nothing of Slaughter Aura, was surprised. She thought this was all Killing Intent. But, since she was so far above Lute in cultivation, she didn¡¯t feel the effects that Slaughter Aura was capable of. She felt the same sensation as Lute, a prickling that came from her bones.


    The two of them both took a stance, the battle field, the surrounding area in front of the Windcross Mansion as there was no one but the Alda, Seren and Lute present, aside from the guards who were watching from afar. All bystanders left long ago after feeling Alda¡¯s Killing Intent.


    Lute focused on the Thousand Ways Scripture, fluidly moving through all stances that prioritized defense, building up momentum and waiting for Alda to attack. He already knew it was disadvantageous to attack since he lacked the reach and Alda had a spear that was quite lengthy.


    Alda felt disinclined to use any arts of techniques since it appeared Lute wasn¡¯t going to use any either. Instead, she would likewise use martial arts or in her case weapon arts using only her body and the spear.


    Once again Alda lunged forward, but this time Lute was ready, with his body covered in Qi, he skillfully deflected the spear to the side and moved inside its range.


    Instinctively knowing that he didn¡¯t have the strength to break through her armor, Lute sent a fist viciously towards Alda¡¯s face, the only portion of her body besides her neck that wasn¡¯t protected.


    Two fists collided, Alda had brought her left hand that wasn¡¯t holding the spear, and sent a fist directly in the trajectory of Lute¡¯s. Under the collision, the force between the two caused the entire cobblestone street beneath them to fracture and break apart. They were two immovable sentinels that refused to budge.


    In less than a minute, they were locked in a deadly close quarter struggle. Alda was forced to discard her spirit armament as it was useless in extreme close range fighting. The battle had turned into a battle of only martial arts and Qi.


    Flurries of blows were happening, every attack was Lute¡¯s full strength, and his Qi was used only for attacking. He relied on the Primordial First Physique to bear the brunt of the attacks from Alda. With his firm willpower, Lute felt that any pain Alda could give him was nothing compared to the First Path of New Beginnings.


    Alda also took note of this. Lute¡¯s blows were becoming stronger and stronger; this had already exceeded what a Foundational Qi Realm cultivator should be capable of. His Qi was depleting, but at a much slower rate than Alda thought possible. But what had surprised her was the fact that Lute wasn¡¯t protecting his body with Qi, every attack he took from her, he absorbed with his body alone.


    The martial arts he used were even profound; they seemed to maximize the efficiency of Lute¡¯s attacks, defense and movements, while wasting as little Qi as possible. This, combined with the Primordial First Physiques ability to autonomously recover Qi, the rate at which Lute used up his Qi decreased exponentially, and this didn¡¯t even take into account that he needed nearly four times as much Qi due to the size of his meridians so he already had more Qi than another cultivator of his level.


    Battles of attrition like this were what suited Lute the most. But, his rate of autonomous Qi absorption wasn¡¯t enough. In the face of Alda whose Qi seemed infinite compared to his, due to the gap in cultivation Lute was steadily starting to lose.


    At first he started to only let one attack through, but then as time went on, as he suffered more injuries and used up more Qi, Lute was growing fatigued. Gradually he began to barely be able to deflect Alda¡¯s attacks.


    His entire body felt like lead, it was heavy and completely numb; bruises covered his fists from hitting the armor of Alda¡¯s gauntlets every time their fists connected. Lutes eyes were glazed over and he was devoid of thought, his breath coming in ragged gasps, and yet he continued to suffer under what could now be considered a beating from Alda.


    His body was also covered in bruises and large red welts with fist imprints had appeared. But Lute still didn¡¯t give in. For people like him, they would die with a sadistic smile on their faces in combat instead of giving in to the inevitable. Even more so, his Slaughter Aura hadn¡¯t weakened in the slightest, if anything, it was continuing to grow stronger the more Lute fought on, as long as his will didn¡¯t falter, and then his Slaughter Aura wouldn¡¯t either.


    Managing to block Alda¡¯s right fist, just barely with both hands, Lute suffered an extremely heavy blow to his gut from Alda¡¯s opposite arm, sending him flying back a few meters and landing on the ground. After that last fist, Lute¡¯s body seemed to end up devoid of all energy, he was truly running off willpower alone, his Qi had long since dried up and his body barely responded to him.


    Before he could even make an attempt to sit up, Lute¡¯s vision began to have black spots, he spat up a mouthful of blood, and he also suffered internal injuries. But it didn¡¯t matter because now, even with impaired vision and a numb body, he could still feel the incredibly sharp tip of a spear pressed against his throat.


    Straining to see, Lute locked eyes with Alda who similarly had a sadistic smile, apparently they were similar in that regard, neither one would die in regret, they would die laughing on the battlefield.


    Alda slightly pressed the tip of her spirit armament into Lutes neck, his Primordial First Physique unable to stop it in the slightest from drawing blood, ¡°Do you give in you cheeky bastard, did you really think you could beat me?¡±


    Lute smiled gruesomely, his Slaughter Aura not weakening in the slightest as he struggled to reply, ¡°N¡­never know until I try, mi¡­might as well kill me then.¡±


    Upon hearing Lute¡¯s response Alda laughed out loud, her clear laughter surprising the guards and Seren who were spectating. She then withdrew her spear from Lute¡¯s throat. Reaching down, she grabbed Lute by his right arm, forcibly picked him up, and slung him over her shoulder. She began walking towards the Windcross Mansion as if he was a deer she just slaughtered and was bringing home.


    ¡°I like you kid, you are much more entertaining than those pretentious brats of Fallen Tide Hall who expect everything to be easy and handed to them on a silver platter, you¡¯ve got more spunk, attitude, and backbone, I can see why the Young Mistress took a liking to you.¡±


    Lute trembled slightly and laughed at the situation he was now in while coughing up blood, he could hardly move. Then he lost consciousness as Alda carried him.


    As she approached Seren, Alda could see that she wasn¡¯t happy. ¡°Look what you did; he needs to enter the trials in about eight hours. If he misses them he will have to wait another month.¡± Seren reprimanded Alda harshly; she didn¡¯t want to make Lute wait an entire month. But Alda was an Empress, it sounded like a child throwing a tantrum instead of a reprimand from a superior.


    Alda only laughed and smirked, based on what she just witnessed, those trials would be nothing for Lute, especially the final one. As for him being able to attend the trials, she would take care of that. All her suspicions of Lute from before had vanished; instead she was intrigued, wanting to see just how far his path of cultivation would take him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Young Mistress; he will be able to attend the trials.¡±


    ¡°Humph, you better have some method, or you will be hearing from father.¡± Seren said as she seemed to be pouting after realizing that Alda didn¡¯t take what she said seriously despite the fact she tried to reprimand her for disobeying orders.

 Chapter 29

    Lute woke up in a room filled with the fragrance of flowers. The bed he was in, worth more money than he was able to comprehend, as his mindset was still that of a mortal when it came to concepts such as material wealth.


    As he sat up, Lute noticed his Qi had recovered somewhat while he was unconscious, the red welts of fist imprints all over him had stopped swelling and shrunk instead. But he was nowhere close to peak condition.


    ¡®Damn, I didn¡¯t even scratch her, now look at me¡­ Even if I restore my Qi, with these internal injuries added on to the external, I might not even be able to use seventy percent of my strength for a few days.¡¯


    Lute grimaced in pain as he stood up from the bed and looking to his left, there was a small desk with clothes on it prepared for him. There was a cotton undershirt, and a loose fitting silk shirt that had a V-neck deep enough for a necklace to sit in the slit, visible for anyone to see, both of which were pure white. Then there was a miniature leather vest, its length was short, stopping only a few inches below Lutes sternum. There were fingerless black gloves the same color as the vest. A belt adorned with the emblem of what Lute could assume was the Windcross family that also had a small sack attached to it for storing what would probably be Spirit Gems to casually spend. Lastly there was a pendant of again what Lute thought were the Windcross Nobility and knee high black boots.


    Lute grunted slightly in pain as he relented, choosing to adorn the clothes. Once he was fully dressed, he casually brushed his fingers through his hair. Looking at himself in a mirror upon the wall, Lute truly looked like a noble, the clothes combined with his eccentric features and ragged haircut gave him a rustic charm that had its own unique appeal. It was the opposite of most nobles whose aura of nobility was gentle and serene, as that was the demeanor a noble was taught to have, always maintaining a rational mindset no matter the situation. Lutes charm made him appear ruff and overbearing yet at the same time refined.


    The attire represented his personality well though, it was saying, ¡°I have class but I¡¯m not afraid to get physical if needed.¡± Lute didn¡¯t know that this was all a part of Seren¡¯s plan. With Lute¡¯s attire, she mixed and matched clothes that were her father¡¯s when he was a youth, he had kept them in the event he had a child that was male, because despite being the second most powerful noble in the city next to the royal family, he was actually quite frugal when it came to spending Spirit Gems.


    If something might have a use in the future and it¡¯s still useable, why get rid of it? That was Seren¡¯s father¡¯s mindset when keeping his clothes from childhood on the off chance that he had a male son in the future.


    After spending nearly two hours mixing and matching different combinations, Seren finally came across the mixture of what Lute was wearing right now. She definitely had a taste for things such as this ¨Calthough she would deny vehemently if asked- whereas Lute didn¡¯t care what he wore as long as it fit and didn¡¯t rip easily.


    With these clothes, the most important part was that the belt and necklace would be clearly visible; this was Seren basically sending a hidden message to all the other nobles in the city that Lute was property of the Windcross house and not to be trifled with. She didn¡¯t do this on a whim though, first, Seren consulted with Alda who she trusted the most out of anyone other than her parents.


    After discussing the chances of Lute becoming someone of power in the future, and his unyielding personality which Alda especially liked, she agreed that it would be ok if they made it show to others that Lute was affiliated with their family. If Seren¡¯s father had a problem with this, then she would take the blame instead of Seren, but she highly doubted he would care too much as he was an easygoing person.


    This was Seren¡¯s protection that she could offer to Lute, the Emblems couldn¡¯t protect him from everything, but it was better than nothing.


    All of this, Lute wasn¡¯t completely dense; naturally if he was wearing the Windcross Emblem, he knew that he¡¯d be representing them.


    ¡®Did they really think that I wouldn¡¯t notice despite my limited experience, if any, with politics? These emblems that scream, hey I¡¯m connected to the Windcross House are clearly what she meant when she offered protection. Also, there is no doubt that she is trying to rope me in with her family for some reason.¡¯


    Lute still chose to wear the necklace and belt anyway, he couldn¡¯t think of any logical reason not to. Despite how annoying Seren could be in his opinion; she hadn¡¯t given him a real reason not to accept this ¡°Gift¡±. There wasn¡¯t any reason to deny another possible lifeline. As for Seren having ulterior motives, Lute was confident that he could deal with it when the time came.


    After putting on the belt and necklace, Lute limped slightly towards the door, opting to explore the mansion in order to find Seren. But as soon as he opened it, he was met with an unexpected visitor. It was Alda; she was carrying a small portable box, most likely the size that one would put a ring in.


    ¡°What an unexpected visit, did you come to show me my place again you old monster.¡± Lute said sarcastically, he had gained an understanding after ¡°Sparring¡± ¨CMore like suffering a beating- with Alda. She was surprisingly similar to him in that she lost herself in combat and was blunt when speaking, preferring not to talk in circles.


    Lute actually didn¡¯t mind talking with her too much because she was much more straightforward compared to Seren, she also didn¡¯t have a pervasive gaze when she looked at Lute. Perhaps, not all humans were absolutely horrible people that he couldn¡¯t associate with, maybe; just maybe he could have a relationship with a few select people.


    Alda forced her way inside, causing Lute to back up, his eyes locked on the small box, and sweet smelling fragrance was wafting from it.


    Alda wore a thin smile at Lute¡¯s remarks; it was refreshing to meet someone who wasn¡¯t tied up acting with proper formalities. ¡°If I am an old monster, you¡¯re a little devil, an insane child with a death wish.¡±


    Lute could do nothing but inwardly agree with her remark, he did have a death wish, and if he was going to die someday he would die fighting.


    Eyeing the small box, Lute had a feeling its contents were for him, but more importantly, he was confused as to how Alda knew how he was awake, ¡°How¡¯d you know that I was awake and about to leave?¡±


    ¡°When you reach the Spirit Opening Realm, you will have a new perspective and understanding of the world, you will open yourself to the Dao and it will open itself to you. You would be able to sense far more than what your five senses would allow you to. This is known as Spirt Sense, although in legends it is said if you achieve the Divine Path, it would evolve, becoming Divine Sense.¡±


    ¡®Dao, what is the Dao? I¡¯ll have to ask Isla later¡¯ Alda mentioned something that Lute had no clue what she was talking about. Instead, he made a mental note to ask Isla when he reached the Spirit Opening Realm since this wasn¡¯t something he¡¯d need to worry about until that time.


    With her Spirit Sense, nothing escaped Alda¡¯s notice within the Windcross Mansion. She had been monitoring Lute and the moment he was awake, that was when she prepared to meet him, with a gift.


    ¡°I will admit that I was a bit heavy-handed with our little bout of fun. I have also heard that you are going to join the Fallen Tide Hall with the Young Mistress, but to do that, you need to pass a series of trials.¡± Alda spoke in a light-hearted manner because she could see that Lute wasn¡¯t ailing too much, obviously what Seren said about him having a tough body was true.


    Lute wasn¡¯t surprised, if anyone could join a sect, then it would be a waste of their resources. They could only allocate so much time and resources to an individual. So people with high talent or status were favored. That was why trials were in place, it prevented the weak from leeching off of the resources the sect could provide, it could be considered unfair from the point of view that effort surpasses talent, but this was simply the way the world of cultivation progressed. It favored the strong and discarded the weak.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°I presume you are here to tell me what those trials are?¡± Lute asked with a hint of curiosity, if he knew the trials beforehand, he could be prepared.


    Alda chuckled with a knowing look; Seren had asked the same thing before she joined the Fallen Tide Hall, ¡°No, I will not tell you the trials. But rest assured I am confident that you will pass. Even if I wanted to tell you, I wouldn¡¯t be able to, as I am not only a paid bodyguard of the Young Mistress, that job is only because I am a close friend of her father and I owe him a few favors. I am also an Elder of the Fallen Tide Hall, but it is more of a part time position as I only show up when I feel like it.¡±


    Alda then moved her left hand that held the small box, with a flick of her fingers, the lid opened, a fragrance immediately filled the room, overpowering the previous scent of flowers. Situated in the center on a cushion was a delicate looking pill. It was a translucent pearl white sphere that had an overpowering scent, just one whiff of it and Lute¡¯s mouth watered slightly.


    ¡°This is a pill from my personal stash, it has a rather simple name but it has quite the effect. The rejuvenation pill focuses upon replenishing Qi and healing the body, for someone with as shallow cultivation as you; it might even aid you, bringing you ever closer to a breakthrough. There are four more hours before you need to be at the Fallen Tide Hall, within this time, absorbing the pill, rebuild your strength. Then a maid will come find you when it¡¯s time to leave.¡±


    With that final statement, Alda placed the pill box on the desk and abruptly left, leaving Lute alone. Originally she had planned to help Lute absorb it as it was a pill that was effective for even Spirit Opening Realm cultivators. Its strength was useless from Earthen Practitioner and upwards though, so it had been sitting in Alda¡¯s storage. But after thinking about his abnormal physique, she thought he should be safe.


    With Lute alone, Isla finally began speaking after affirming no one was in the immediate vicinity. ¡°Quickly, absorb this pill, with its effects, not only will you be healed, you might even step half way into the Nascent Qi Realm.¡±


    Upon Isla¡¯s order, Lute didn¡¯t stall at all, he sat down, then with the pill in hand, and he swallowed it whole and began cultivating. Almost at once a cool stream of energy started to make its way through his body; it felt the same as when the Origin Soul Needle forcibly kept him conscious after suffering the repercussions of opening the First Path of New Beginnings.


    The refreshing sensation kept travelling through Lute¡¯s body as he cultivated. With each revolution of Qi, the feeling grew weaker, but Lute¡¯s body visibly began to heal. His Qi was also returning very quickly. The welts on his body eventually faded, the bruises on his fists disappeared, and the Qi that Lute used up had returned, stronger than ever.


    With its strength, Lute certainly felt as if he had advanced half a step through the bottleneck into the Nascent Qi Realm. His body even made a small advancement, inching closer and closer to the second level of the Primordial First Physique bottleneck to the second level. In about a month, maybe even two months, he would reach it, then the progress would stagnate, the physical strength increase of each day would stagnate to almost imperceptible levels, it would become a matter of comprehension, only when he was enlightened would Lute step into the second level.


    ¡®That was certainly an effective pill, it felt almost as euphoric as the rebirth of my body after it broke down from opening the first path. It was truly a pill befitting something an Emperor would keep in their possession.¡¯


    After absorbing the rejuvenation pill, Lute stood up, stretched his stiff muscles and left the room to find a maid. But little did he know that his praise was short sighted. That pill was enough for even a Spirit Opening Realm cultivator to have a marginal increase in strength. Yet he didn¡¯t even advance in cultivation, it certainly helped progress his cultivation forward through a bottleneck, but that was it. Now that his body had meridians originating from a True Immortal, what Lute decided to call the Spiritual God Meridians, only pills of legend would be able to advance his cultivation.


    After walking for a bit in the maze of a mansion, Lute found a maid and instructed her to bring him to Seren. He spent nearly three hours absorbing the pill; it was past time that he prepared to leave.


    Upon entering the foyer where Seren was waiting for Lute so they could leave, Alda was visibly shocked, but she recovered before Lute noticed. Although he was adept at suppressing his cultivation, at a five Great Realm disadvantage, there was no way that Lute could hide it from Alda, she had expected Lute to advance to the Nascent Qi Realm, the pill was effective for Spirit Opening Realm cultivators after all, but he was barely half a step into the Nascent Qi Realm, stuck at the bottleneck.


    But the constitution between Lute and the average man were a vast disparity, with the Spiritual God Meridians, and Primordial First Physique, it was to be expected that pills of the Mortal Realm weren¡¯t especially effective for increasing Lute¡¯s cultivation. The only effect that remained at peak strength was the pills ability to heal Lutes body, but even then that was because it was a pill for Spirit Opening Realm cultivators. If it was a pill for the Nascent Qi Realm and below, it would probably be useless for Lute, it would be quicker to heal on his own with the Divine Chronicle of the Primordial Way.


    Seren who knew nothing of this was marveling at Lute¡¯s appearance, praising herself for being able to turn him from a savage into someone that looked as if they were born a noble.


    Now that she wasn¡¯t fulfilling a request from the request hall, Seren had to return to wearing clothes that befitted her station, mostly under the forcefulness of Alda who kept saying that she shouldn¡¯t where men¡¯s tunics and breeches when in public. Instead she had returned to wearing a white skirt, a formal shirt and black jacket with her pendant symbolizing her as the Young Master of the Windcross family. She once again had a simple sword, as only Spirit Opening Realm disciples were permitted to obtain a Spirit Armament. Then, she had put her platinum silver hair into a side ponytail with a hairband the same color as her eyes which were sea green.


    She was a true noble, emitting the aura befitting one of high birth, and now she looked the part as well, no longer living the dirty and ragged lifestyle she had gotten used to while on the road with Lute. The two of them showed no signs of ever having set foot outside of the city and slaughtering Vicious Beasts.


    ¡°Well, are you ready to go through the smelting trials and become a true disciple of a sect, learning true Arts and Techniques?¡± Seren asked.


    Lute tried to keep himself from cringing.


    ¡®Learn true Arts and Techniques? I feel like I should be the one who is saying that, everything I have is from the Divine Realm, the complexity and profoundness behind them is beyond all of your imaginations, saying such a thing to me, that holds no meaning.¡¯


    But Lute didn¡¯t voice his thoughts; Isla couldn¡¯t teach him everything she knew because of the price that she had to pay. She had slept for months simply because of passing on one Art. While her soul was recovering, it would be awhile before he could learn anything again from her, so, that forced him to learn the Mortal Realm Arts and Techniques, if he didn¡¯t then he would have to rely on only the Thousand Ways Scripture, but that was only a method for maximizing the efficiency of every action he took.


    Anticipation flashed through Lutes¡¯ eyes, luckily, he had the Laws of Severance. While he couldn¡¯t cultivate its Art, the Origin Art of Severance, because his cultivation was too weak, if he had to force a description upon it, he had fused with the Laws of Severance on a fundamental level due to opening the First Path.


    Lute had already comprehended the Divine Chronicle of the Primordial Way which he had less than one percent of a chance to actually cultivate before he even acquired the Laws of Severance as they were sealed behind the First Path of New Beginnings.


    But from the information Lute knew, and his instincts, once he opened a new path, even one time, it would free more Laws of Severance, increasing his ability to comprehend, and he already was talented in this regard without them, he successfully cultivated the Primordial First Physique after all.


    He would sever from the Heavens, being unaffected by their control, while at the same time taking their laws, and changing them, fusing them, assimilating them to suit himself. From this, Lute could take any Art or Technique and make it original to himself, even if someone else had the same exact Art, his would be different as he severed the Arts and Techniques from the control of Heaven¡¯s Way.


    This was the path Lute was bound to walk upon, a path that severed him from the Heaven¡¯s, no one would be in control of him, only he could control his fate. It was the same as his predecessor the Spiritual God, he would sever from Heavens, but at the same time, he would use the Heavens and their power, taking their power and changing it, allowing the Spiritual God to exhibit strength and abilities that shouldn¡¯t be possible, but were since they weren¡¯t bound by the laws of Heaven.


    ¡®My first task, to learn as many Arts and Techniques as possible, merge them with the Thousand Ways Scripture to maximize their efficiency and power, then create my own fighting style unique to me, one that can¡¯t be replicated by anyone because they are bound by the laws of Heaven and I am not. I shall forge my own path.¡¯


    To talk about merging Arts and Techniques was insane, to do so was incredibly difficult, some cultivators never achieved such a feat in their entire lifetimes, no matter how high their comprehension, but for Lute, with the Laws of Severance, he felt that this was definitely possible.


    With such a thought, Lute replied in a dangerous voice, ice cold, and full of arrogance, ¡°Yes I am ready, let us leave for these so called trials.

 Chapter 30

    The city was bustling; it was at its peak of activity for the day. Countless non-cultivators were working, either as merchants, or their servants. These were typically the only non-cultivators allowed within the inner city. For the most part, anyone that didn¡¯t cultivate, lived either the outside the city walls, in small villages, where farming was the predominant way of life, or they lived in the slums, where murder, thievery, plague and rape was rampant.


    Contrarily, despite many people knowing of this, they paid it no mind, this was the law of the world, if you were poor, then you were fated to be poor, if you were withering away in the slums of the city that was the most your existence amounted to.


    Some people did manage to increase their status in society from either luck, which was what Lute had, or intelligence and effort. These were how most of the wealthy became as such, they originally had nothing, but through scheming, working, and using their exceptional ability to converse with others, they had built up their status in society.


    That was one such world that was seen in Fallen Tide City. Lute used to reside in this world, withering away his life with thoughts of revenge, but not being able to do anything about his predicament. But now, now he was a part of the other world, the world of cultivation.


    At first, Lute couldn¡¯t understand the difference between the two. However, the more he casually glanced at his surroundings, the more he began to learn. The world of cultivation was equally as repulsive as the world of mortals, but the reasoning was different.


    In the world of mortals, you could toil all day working, and it still wouldn¡¯t be enough to support yourself, let alone a family, you were at the beck and call of cultivators. Your life was short, filled with hardship and labor, and less than one percent on non-cultivators rose to prominence in society. But even then, that prominence was short lived, as it only meant prominence in the world of mortals, such things meant nothing to cultivators.


    As for the world Lute now resided in, the repulsiveness lied in the greed, jealousy, and arrogance. No matter where he looked, society was skewed. He could see many groups of cultivators beating a single person weaker than them to a near state of death, or even worse than death, being crippled.


    If you showed talent, people less talented would form a group and kill you because they were jealous. If you had something of value, they would cripple you and take it for themselves. If you were of low birth, you didn¡¯t reserve the right to even look at the feet of a noble. Absolute strength ruled supreme; there was no toleration for anything less.


    Lute understood this concept painfully well, this was the entire reason he didn¡¯t want to join the Fallen Tide Hall and remain as a rogue cultivator. Although he always planned to never use his full strength, making sure he had a trump card, he had to suppress himself even more since he was surrounded by many unknown variables now.


    The moment he showed his true capabilities, greed and jealousy would turn anyone he met against him. This was why he made Seren promise to not reveal his ability to jump more than one or two cultivation levels, as it was abnormal.


    If you were talented, you could jump one or two levels, possibly even three if you were considered a once in a thousand years talent. But Lute, with the difference of Foundational Qi and Nascent Qi, could release strength on the level of someone at the fourth level of the Nascent Qi Realm as the absolute limit of his capabilities, and this was even without combat Arts or Techniques!


    He had the Thousand Way Scripture, but in the end, it wasn¡¯t a combat art, and it didn¡¯t have techniques, it only made all of his movements waste as little energy as possible while increasing their efficiency. As for the Primordial First Physique, while it could be considered a body tempering art, Lute didn¡¯t learn any combat techniques from it because it had none.


    Once he truly began to learn combat Arts and Techniques, albeit from the Mortal Realm, Lute had a gut feeling that he might be able to even beat fourth level Nascent Qi cultivators without having to use all of his Qi.


    ¡®Todays goals are make sure I pass the tests without exposing myself, it would be hard to explain my strength. All I have to do is see what other people¡¯s limits are at and make sure I am in the middle of the rankings after completing a trial.¡¯


    As a large pavilion appeared in the distance, these thoughts kept repeating in Lute¡¯s mind. While he didn¡¯t know the trials, as it was basically a competition to enter the sect, he could guess there would be rankings of some sort.


    His goal was to compare his strength to the others, see what their limits were and then lower his to a level where he could pass unnoticed as an average cultivator. Then he would seclude himself in learning combat Arts after he joined the sect, cutting himself off from associating with others and putting himself at risk.


    The large pavilion was only the outermost entrance to the Fallen Tide Hall; it was actually only the gateway. Once Lute, approached, he could see countless cultivators all waiting outside, the cultivation levels were a complete mess, some people actually thought they could enter the sect if they were only at the first level of the Foundational Qi Realm, then there were some as high as late stage Nascent Qi Realm


    Lute fell within the median; the majority of people were ninth level Foundational Qi to second level Nascent Qi cultivators. The only way he saw anyone below the eighth level of the Foundational Qi Realm having a chance was if the cultivator came from a prestigious family. But those were few and far between.


    As for how Lute knew that, Seren was leading him to the area that nobles resided, and the ratio was easily noticeable. There had to be nearly a hundred commoners for every noble, and there were thirteen including Seren, and since he was affiliated with her then it could be seen as fourteen. There were nearly one thousand five hundred people attempting to enter the Fallen Tide Hall, for many of them, it was their third of fourth attempt.


    The sect had no qualms about trying to reenter every month, as long as the age of the cultivator didn¡¯t surpass sixteen. They only accepted one hundred disciples each month. Since nobles were basically guaranteed to enter due to their status, that left roughly seventy five positions for the remaining over one thousand participants.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    However, for Lute, since he wasn¡¯t actually a noble¡¯s child, he wouldn¡¯t get this special treatment¡­but he didn¡¯t need it anyway, Alda already said he would pass easily, so he wasn¡¯t worried.


    When Seren, Lute and Alda entered the area for nobles to register for the trials, many eyes shifted towards them. How could they not, Seren was the daughter of the second most powerful person in Fallen Tide City, he was second only to the Fallen Tide Hall sect master, who was the strongest person in the city. The Fallen Tide Royal Family was then considered the third most influential.


    Considering that Seren was one of the most attractive in the city, well known due to her status, and the fact she was being escorted by an Emperor, there was no way the three of them wouldn¡¯t get noticed.


    There were many confused gazes as well, why would Seren be entering the registration area, she was already a disciple? This was when eyes began to turn towards Lute and the emblems on his necklace and belt. How could anyone not realize the significance of this, since Seren was an only child, and her father was faithful, choosing to remain with only his wife although polygamy was considered normal, it meant that Lute was being sponsored by the Windcross family?


    The commoners could only guess this, but the other nobles eyes flashed with a knowing look, although it was rare, their families had sponsored aspiring talents in the past, who then grew up to work for and protect their families faithfully. This sight wasn¡¯t too uncommon, except for one significant difference. Even if they were sponsored, the social stratum dictated that nobles and commoners were to easily be differentiated.


    Yet Lute stood out quite a bit, not only with his hair color and eye color, his height taller than anyone and his muscle build was far more developed than anyone else, they seemed fragile compared to him. He was wearing clothes befitting a noble and his aura, although suppressed, seemed to suffocate anyone that came too close.


    Furthermore, they couldn¡¯t sense his cultivation, only someone in the Spirit Opening Realm and above would be able to find out as Lute was adept at hiding his strength. However, the most shocking thing was, he was walking stride for stride with Seren, next to her, and it was an Emperor behind the two of them.


    Normally, an Emperor walking behind someone of Seren¡¯s status wasn¡¯t considered abnormal, after all her father was extremely influential. But even if Lute was sponsored, he should be walking well behind Seren and the Emperor, wearing clothes befitting a servant. Yet this hadn¡¯t happened, what was it that the Windcross House saw in Lute that they would deviate from the cultural norm.


    Lute¡¯s attempt at hiding within the average crowd so far had failed, and he was already painfully aware of this as murderous and jealous gazes could be seen from some of the commoners close enough to notice him. Their thoughts were along the lines of, ¡®What makes him so special compared to me?¡¯, after all, no matter how weak, cultivators typically had a large ego, always thinking of themselves in a better light than they actually deserved.


    Under these gazes Lute didn¡¯t back down though, seemingly unaffected on the outside, he acted as if he hadn¡¯t noticed it, and walked with Seren in silence until they reached the registration panel, where there was an old robed man, who had jade slips.


    Seren, eyed the old man, she knew more about him than most. Although he always appeared to be in a dazed state, with glazed over eyes, he was much stronger than he appeared, that much she was assured of, especially since Alda had once said she wasn¡¯t confident in fighting him.


    ¡°We are here to register my companion for the trials. He is affiliated with the Windcross House.¡±


    Very slowly, almost as if he was on his death bed and barely able to move, the old man who was originally hunched over, and seemingly sleeping opened his eyes, not to gaze at Seren, or Alda, but instead at Lute. They flashed with an intelligence that went unnoticed by Lute, Seren or Alda.


    Then, in an ancient, hoarse voice that sounded like it would give out at any moment, he spoke one word, ¡°Name.¡±


    Clearly this was directed at Lute, as the old man seemingly returned to a decrepit and ancient state, as if he were so fragile he could die any moment, his eyes once again glazed over.


    Lute approached, and despite feeling something was off about this old man, he couldn¡¯t do anything about it as Isla was sleeping in his body. Unless she was awake, there was no way he would figure out this person¡¯s cultivation.


    ¡°Lute Ravenshadow, my affiliation is with the Windcross House.¡±


    Stating the information that was requested, the old man then lifted one finger that was trembling, qi manifested around it that was so thin, Lute almost couldn¡¯t sense it, then he began to etch into the jade slip. After he finished, it stated only his name and affiliation.


    Handing the jade slip to Lute, the old man once again hunched over, seemingly becoming a corpse. All signs of life fading from him.


    Lute clasped the jade slip onto his right shoulder, as every trial participant was required to wear one. But his thoughts were in disarray.


    ¡®Who was that, why did I get a dangerous feeling from him as if he was a Vicious Beast when he was seemingly lifeless.¡¯


    ¡°Seren, who was that person, he is mysterious?¡±


    Seren shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t know all I can tell you is that even Alda wouldn¡¯t fight him with confidence to win.¡±


    ¡°I see¡±


    ¡°We must part ways here, as I am a disciple already, I am not allowed to stay any longer, but I shall spectate from the audience, try not to kill anyone¡­.¡± Seren said dryly.


    Now that Lute was actively going to interact with others, she earnestly felt that if he let his violence take control, someone was bound to die, as no doubt people already had a negative view of him due to being affiliated with the Windcross House, and those were just the commoners, nobles could be far worse, she was afraid that Lute might kill one because he got annoyed and so far, only she and Alda knew the true extent of Lute¡¯s capabilities, especially Seren, as when she saw Lute fight Alda, he released his full strength, combined with his violent aura, it made her feel like a tiny boat in the middle of the sea during a storm.


    On the contrary, Alda¡¯s parting words were the exact opposite and made Lute smirk slightly upon hearing them, ¡°Sure, don¡¯t kill anyone, but do me a favor and beat the annoying Young Master attitude that so many of those pricks have out of them, give me an entertaining show.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can, to the extent that my abilities allow me to.¡±


    Although Lute agreed with Alda¡¯s outlook, he didn¡¯t totally commit. As he had to use all of his Qi to beat someone at the fourth level of the Nascent Qi Realm, but there were even late stage Nascent Qi cultivators, and those were among the nobles. But most importantly, it was because he wanted to hide his realm jumping abilities, at the most, Lute planned to fight a first level Nascent Qi Cultivator, and purposely lose against anyone else above that cultivation.


    After Alda and Seren left for the spectators seats, Lute sat in a corner of the noble¡¯s area, alone. Nothing escaped his awareness. Off in the distance, he could see the 12 nobles split into two groups of six and each group would occasionally stare at him, some mixed with interest, others with disdain.


    As for the commoners, all they could do was stare at Lute in jealousy, but that wasn¡¯t what Lute was worried about, he had the itching feeling that despite the old man who gave him his jade slip for admission into the trials, and he was seemingly lifeless with his eyes closed, Lute felt as if that man was staring at him.


    ¡®Did my secrets get discovered already?¡¯


    That was Lutes¡¯ final thought as he got up and headed into the Fallen Tide Hall trial grounds as the announcer shouted, ¡°The trials shall now commence, please make your way inside in an orderly fashion.¡±

 Chapter 31

    Walking into the main grounds of the Fallen Tide Hall, Lute was slightly taken aback at the sheer size of it. Every building at the minimum was fifteen stories tall. The main area wasn¡¯t what Lute was expecting.


    ¡®Why admit so few disciples? With the size of this complex, they could easily accommodate thousands of disciples. Even if they couldn¡¯t allocate resources to everyone, it would increase the will to cultivate, allowing people to break their limits so they can acquire resources.¡¯


    Each building was a pure lustrous white, it blindingly reflected sunlight, but Lute wasn¡¯t too bothered by it. The direction that all the trial participants were headed to was what appeared to be an arena. The size of which looked as if it could hold thousands upon thousands of people easily.


    But that wasn¡¯t the most important; instead it was the enlightenment that struck Lute.


    ¡®Just how much of the city does Fallen Tide Hall own as private property? To build on a scale such as this, the amount of property they must own is quite the sum. Perhaps this is why sects hold the real power and the city doesn¡¯t have the qualifications to argue with them.¡¯


    In total, the Fallen Tide Hall owned nearly a fourth of the entire Fallen Tide City, hence why the royal family and the city were named after the Fallen Tide Hall.


    As Lute was walking, he began to notice the cliques. Almost everyone was grouped together with other participants that they knew from the past. Clearly attempting to pass the trials together, this was especially noticeable with the nobles, they were in two groups of six, and broken down even further into groups of two.


    But there were some that he noticed were the same as him, in the commoners despite the vast majority being in the Foundational Qi Realm, there were a few who were by themselves like Lute, he took notice of them, because their atmosphere was the same as his, their aura seemed to cause anyone who approached them to suffocate.


    He even locked eyes with a few of them, a mutual understanding would pass between them each time, and with a slight nod respect Lute would turn his head away. Just because he didn¡¯t like to deal with people, and the vast majority were trash, Lute was attempting not to judge too harshly as he was now in a place where he was bound to interact with others, his beliefs didn¡¯t change, but he had to accept that not everyone was like this, Alda and Seren were a prime examples. He could get along with Alda because she was actually pretty similar to him, she didn¡¯t like being deceptive and said what she wanted to say, but for the most part, she was someone who preferred to live on the battlefield.


    As for Seren, despite his initial regret of saving her, Lute finally decided she didn¡¯t have the worst personality, she had helped him more than she needed to as all he requested was knowledge and an oath of silence, but she gave more than that.


    However, the people who Lute made eye contact with -5 in all- were slightly different; it was more of an unspoken preeminent rivalry. They weren¡¯t judging Lute based on his affiliation with the Windcross house, but instead based on the atmosphere he was emitting, as it was easily recognizable.


    All six of them had immediately noticed each other in this vast crowd of people because their auras were similar¡­. Almost, Lutes aura was suppressed while theirs weren¡¯t, naturally if Lute released his full aura, an Elder would come investigating. There was commonality between them though, it was the thirst for battle; they would all probably die laughing in combat.


    Shoving his way through the crowd, Lute arrived in the arena, which was on an absolutely enormous scale, inside there were thousands of disciple from the Fallen Tide Hall, from what he could count, there were nearly two hundred elders, all of which he couldn¡¯t even sense their cultivation, but with Alda as an example, they were probably at the very least, peak Ascension Realm experts.


    Lute was unable to spot Seren, he assumed she was in the spectators seats, but instead, he found Alda mingling with some Elders, all of which looked like they had the same unyielding personality as her.


    With how spacious the arena grounds were, it was hardly filled even after more than one thousand trial attendees were present. Lute, walked off to his left, in a shaded corner of the arena, he sat down by himself, alone, with a casual glance the he noticed the other five commoners had done the same, all of them were alone.


    The rest of the trial attendees stayed in their groups mingling in the middle of the trial grounds. The nobles were separate, they went off to a corner by themselves the opposite direction of Lute, and they were within the closest proximity to the Elders.


    Finally, the announcer screamed, his voice projected using Qi, ordering everyone to become silent. The Elders¡¯ all lined up in front of the over one thousand trial participants.


    ¡®Looks like it¡¯s starting, well, let¡¯s get this over with¡¯


    Lute locked eyes with Alda, and she gave him a slight sarcastic smirk, which confused all of the trial participants who noticed because Lute was off in a corner by himself, behind all of them, so Alda smirking gave them a sense of foreboding, as if there was something special going to happen in this month¡¯s entrance exam.


    Floating up in the air, the announcer projected his voice through the arena, ¡°As you know, every month, we are able to accept one hundred disciples due to disciples dying, abandoning the sect, going missing, graduating etc. For most of you, this is not your first attempt so I will go through this quickly.¡±


    The announcer took a scroll out of his black robes and unfurled it; it wasn¡¯t very long at all, so there must¡¯ve been only a few rules.


    ¡°One, all cheating will result in immediate disqualification and you will be unable to ever attempt the trials again, this includes, using spirit armaments, pills, formations, scrolls, and any other consumable item. Two, crippling another participant is forbidden, in the event you do this, you will also be crippled. Three, our word is law, attempting circumvent the rules because of your families status will result in a fine of spirit gems and disqualification. Four, all personal grudges you have with another is not allowed on the trial grounds, if you need to resolve it, the sect shall do so by crippling all involved in the problem if they can¡¯t resolve it outside Fallen Tide Halls property.¡±


    ¡®So far this seems fair, there are penalties for the nobles and for the commoners, at the least; I am safe from others because of their jealousy.¡¯


    Lute sighed in relief, upon hearing the rules, although few, they covered the most important aspects, cheating, using outside influence, and grudges. For the most part, if they enforced these rules, Lute felt pretty confident that he wouldn¡¯t have any surprises.


    The announcer then lit a flame in his hand, burning the scroll to ashes before grabbing yet another scroll from is robes.


    ¡°There are numerous trials that we have, they change and are randomized every month. This month¡¯s trials are as follows: One, Strength of the Martial Heart. You shall face your inner demons, if you are unable to wake up within the time limit, you will have failed, and must try again next month. Two, the comprehensive examinations, an elder will give you a random copy of an Art; you have a limit of five hours to comprehend a technique from it. Third, combat examinations, you will individually enter a formation and fight progressively stronger illusions until you either die in the formation or give up. Rest assured you won¡¯t actually die when you receive a fatal blow. These trials are to pick the top 200 hundred disciples. The final trial will be announced at that time.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Lute narrowed his eyes, seeming to pierce into the announcer with them. These trials, while seemingly easy for him, he needed to be careful. He didn¡¯t fear the Martial Heart examination; he earnestly believed there was no one with a Martial Heart as strong as his. The second trial though, that was when Lute needed to be careful, as well as the third.


    ¡®Whatever happens, I can¡¯t expose the Laws of Severance, no doubt it will be a simple art, but comprehending and mastering are two very different things. I must make sure that I don¡¯t show that I have mastered the art and merged it with the Thousand Ways Scripture, as for the third trial, I need to make sure I give up after I survive long enough.


    Repeating these thoughts over and over in his mind, Lute stood up and walked to the crowd, it was time to start the first trial of the Martial Heart. Sitting down in a lotus position along with the other over one thousand participants, Lute closed his eyes and began meditation.


    An elder who specialized in formations then flew into the air, sending out four banners adorned with many materials and symbols, imbued with his Qi, they landed in a square around all trial participants.


    He then left a final word of warning before activating the formation, ¡°Are there any participants that wish to give up now, if your Martial Heart is not firm, you will be plagued by nightmares, and you might doubt yourself and enter cultivation deviation, regressing instead of advancing. This is my one and only warning, if you have the slightest doubt, get up and leave now.¡±


    Just like that, under the warning of the Formation Master, nearly three hundred participants, all of which were Foundational Qi sixth level and weaker stood up and left. Under the Elders piercing gaze and thunderous voice, their wills caved in.


    After they left, the Elder sighed, ¡°So be it, then let us begin, I wish you all luck children.¡±


    With a flick of his hand, all four banners lit up, a dome of light surrounded all the participants. Lute sat there, just like everyone else, in silence and meditating.


    At first nothing happened, Lute listened to his rhythmic breathing, concentrating on nothing, sinking into nothingness, simply cultivating. But soon, his perception changed. He was no longer in the material plane, due to past experience with the Origin Soul Needle, he had an advantage on the other cultivators, he had experienced this out of body experience of having his consciousness dragged to a different plane of existence, and clearly, this was his inner self.


    He had no need to adapt, this was his inner self, what was there to be afraid of, if there was any place he could control, it was his own body. But most cultivators didn¡¯t know this, they thought they were dragged outside of their body into an illusion, while this was half right, they were experiencing illusions, and it was illusions created from their own self-doubt.


    Outside the formation, in the material plane, almost all of the participants were making expressions as if they smelled something rotten, their bodies slowly getting drenched in sweat as they experienced their inner demons. Already, barely ten minutes in, nearly one hundred of the remaining roughly one thousand two hundred had collapsed, falling to the ground unconscious.


    The elders would then use their strength to make the disciple float out of the formation boundaries. As for Lute, the five commoners he noticed and a few nobles, their Martial Hearts were already so firm that they weren¡¯t even experiencing inner demons. This didn¡¯t escape the Formation Masters gaze.


    ¡°Oh? It appears we have some strong willed competitors this month,¡± He then chuckled light-heartedly, ¡°But I am afraid that this trial is about facing your inner demons, so I am afraid that is what you will be experiencing.¡±


    With but a thought, individual domes of light surrounded Lute and the others who weren¡¯t experiencing heart demons due to a firm will. Under the strength of the Formation Master, he forcefully increased the formations strength upon them.


    However, his gaze narrowed in shock slightly, all of them suddenly became drenched in sweat, their faces red and slightly in pain, they were finally experiencing their heart demons, and their level, they were suffering heart demons nearly three times as strong as what all the other participants had while within their own individual domes of light. That is, all of them except for one.


    Lute was still perfectly calm and stable, not a shred of sweat, he didn¡¯t look pained, he had no thoughts, and was simply cultivating without a care in the world, both in the material plane as well as in his inner self. He did nothing but cultivate, experiencing no heart demons at all.


    ¡°Oh, interesting, Alda really brought someone interesting to this month¡¯s trials.¡±


    The Formation Master of the first trial was now intrigued by Lute, with a quick command; he had another Elder experienced in formations take control. Then, in an instant, an afterimage appeared from where the Formation Master was originally standing; he then appeared directly in front of Lute. Reaching out his right hand, he was about to place it upon the dome of light surrounding Lute, when it was knocked away.


    A cold voice resounded for all to hear in the arena, ¡°What do you think you are doing directly interfering with a disciple in the middle of the trial you have started.


    Alda¡¯s voice was like a razor sharp sword, cutting into the Formation Master, he shuddered a bit, naturally, and he would never win in one on one combat without time to set up many formations.


    Everyone in the arena, both Elders and spectators turned upon hearing Alda¡¯s words, they weren¡¯t particularly paying attention because this trial could be considered boring. The Formation Master¡¯s actions almost went unnoticed, almost, but Alda was always watching Lute this entire time, especially after he received his own dome of light. She wasn¡¯t ignorant, she knew that the Elder had already increased the strength of the heart demons Lute was facing, and yet here he was about to do it again, if he wasn¡¯t careful he could shatter Lute¡¯s Martial Heart.


    ¡°The trial states that you must face your inner demons, and yet, look at his boy, do you think he is facing his inner demons? No he isn¡¯t, he is simply cultivating. As the trial commencer and judge, I reserve the right to make sure he faces the trial properly, just like everyone else here.¡± He said in a stern manner, no matter what Alda said, he believed in fairness, if Lute wasn¡¯t facing his inner demons, then why should anyone else.


    ¡°While you may be right, you¡¯ve already increased the strength of the formation by nearly four times upon him; do you really think that this isn¡¯t enough for him to pass the first trial? If you keep increasing it, you might shatter his Martial Heart.¡±


    ¡°Naturally, I wouldn¡¯t do such a thing, although we don¡¯t speak much, you should know of my abilities, I only pursue formation mastery, and nothing else in life, I am confident that I wouldn¡¯t shatter his Martial Heart.¡±


    Alda had to force herself from releasing her aura in anger, for it would disturb those taking the trial, ¡°If you are giving him such special attention, and he has to forge through a trial many times harder than anyone else to achieve the same result, do you think that is truly fair¡­¡±


    Just as the Formation Master was about to retort, another person appeared, shocking the audience even though he had suppressed all of his strength, he was still extremely imposing, standing even taller than Lute, with blonde hair and blue eyes, which were rare, considering most people only had gray or brown eyes.


    Alda¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of her head in shock, ¡°V¡­Vice Sectmaster why are you appearing at such a trivial place as this.¡±


    The Vice Sectmaster, Toros, one of the few Soul Opening Realm experts within the New Dawn Kingdom, had appeared in the trials, the reason, he¡¯d heard there was going to be an interesting event, and apparently it was true.


    ¡°Why I am here doesn¡¯t matter, but since I am here, I will resolve this matter personally. Elder Alda, while I have heard your statements from earlier and I also have heard Elder Gerard¡¯s statements as well. I agree with both of you, so as to resolve this, I will be the one personally increasing the formation¡¯s power upon him, and if he succeeds, he will receive a bonus if he passes all the trials.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Alda couldn¡¯t say anymore, there was no way she could argue with someone who was a Great Realm above her and also her superior. So she could only relent.


    This was the same for Gerard, all he wanted was fairness in the trial, and for the most part, it would be kept. Lute would face a trial that was indicative of his true ability.


    In an instant both Alda and Gerard left the formation, returning to the other Elders, leaving only Toros alone with Lute.


    The attention of everyone in the arena was now upon Lute, never in the history of the sect had a Vice Sectmaster ever personally interfered in the trials. As for Lute, when he awoke, he¡¯d probably suffer a migraine after realizing he was anything but low key during the trial.


    Toros had a light smile, his eyes full of intrigue, but no one besides he himself heard what he mumbled, ¡°Don¡¯t blame me for what you see, I¡¯ve been ordered to use my full power on you, make this interesting for me as was promised.¡±


    Reaching his right hand forward, Toros placed it upon the dome of light surrounding Lute, from what appeared to be a spatial ring, he pulled out four banners, each one nearly three times as powerful as the ones used in the trial and placed them around Lute.


    They immediately lit up, and a shocking aura came from the palm of Toros¡¯ hand, but no one was disturbed as it was all focused upon Lute and this new formation that was personally for him to have a separate trial.


    Lute finally began to show signs of having encountered heart demons, but he was then hidden from sight. Under the full strength of the formation and Toros¡¯ power, he made the light surrounding Lute became a pitch black shell, covering him from everyone¡¯s view. He was now isolated, Toros kept his palm on the shell to maintain the formation at full strength.


    If the others faced heart demons, what Lute was about to witness was infinitely worse; it was as if he was brought directly to hell, the place of devils.

 Chapter 32

    ¡®Oh? What is this? Is someone forcefully interfering with me from the outside?¡¯


    Lute was cultivating in the empty space of his inner self, it was an inner world under is control, there was nothing that should be able to change without his consent. It was a vast void of nothingness, except for the twinkling of starlight.


    As for Lute, he was cultivating absentmindedly, floating around without a care in the world. This entire time, he never encountered a single inner demon because of this belief, how could a heart demon form in a world under his absolute control?


    But now, it was no longer an empty void, the stench of blood permeated the void; the metallic taste filled his mouth. And finally the world flashed a scarlet red, blinding Lute momentarily.


    When his vision returned, Lute¡¯s inner self was completely changed, instead of a vast void full of starlight and silence. It was instead a world of carnage and bloodshed. The ground was skeletons, flesh, and sinew, the sky was raining blood. The air was permeated with the smell of rotting flesh.


    Surveying his surroundings, Lute began walking forward, sifting through this world of carnage, this much wasn¡¯t enough to faze him in the slightest.


    Walking past a mound of corpses, Lute stopped moving, as if he was paralyzed. In front of him, memories of his past were playing out.


    The mental shock and change in Lute was enough for Isla to wake up from her slumber. Peering out from Lute¡¯s body, she immediately realized that she was dragged into his inner world as well.


    ¡®So this was one of the trials¡­. A test of the heart, bringing painful memories back to the surface, amplifying them.¡¯


    Isla quietly manifested her spiritual form in Lute¡¯s inner world, floating behind him, not saying a word; she intended to see his memories of the past that shaped who Lute was.


    What Lute was seeing now was himself when he was eleven years old, still a whelp in the eyes of any adult, at the edge of his village¡¯s territory peering in.


    What he saw, his father standing in front of his mother and sister who were collapsed onto the ground cradling each other attempting to protect them.


    In the next instant, the leader of the bandits, rogue cultivators who made their living selling off woman and children as slaves struck Lutes father down.


    Stabbing him, he fell down to the ground dead. But that wasn¡¯t the end, grabbing Lute¡¯s sister from his mother, he had instructed his men to force her eyes open and made her stare in horror as he desecrated Lutes fathers¡¯ corpse, mutilating it, pissing on it, and splitting open the body.


    Finishing this, he had proceeded to tear apart the woman¡¯s clothes and threw them into the back of an iron cage within a wagon used for carrying slaves, all women and children were naked and trembling in fear within the cage. While all men, age fifteen and older were slaughtered and ravaged in the same manner as Lute¡¯s father, and then all the corpses were stacked upon his body, left to rot.


    All of this Lute wasn¡¯t able to stop, at the age of eleven, he was returning from the forests, but he was paralyzed in fear upon seeing this. He had hid, until they left, sobbing uncontrollably for hours, until finally, it was as if a crystal ball that represented Lute, had cracked, then finally shattered.


    At the mere age of eleven, he witnessed the destruction of his village, and was forced to bury the bodies of the mutilated men. While events such as this happened throughout the continent, and was considered normal in the cultivation world, it didn¡¯t mean that it hurt any less.


    Compared to the Lute who was eleven, trembling in a repeated looping replay of this memory. It was different for the Lute who was witnessing his memories, his true body, not an illusion. Although he couldn¡¯t change the past, at least he could in his inner world, even if just a little, he would vent out his anger here and now.


    Lute walked forward, every step he took seemed to make his inner world tremble, within his own body, he considered himself a True Immortal, he had absolute control, and his power was infinite. That was how firm his belief was, that he wouldn¡¯t let anyone or anything mess with his inner self because they wanted to.


    With every slow and methodical step he took, a natural disaster would appear, earthquakes erupted, a monsoon of raining blood formed, lakes of blood would form tsunamis. Tornadoes of flesh and bones formed. The center of all this was Lute as he altered the landscape in this land of carnage and bloodshed.


    Finally, he appeared behind the memory of his younger self who kept witnessing this trauma in a never ending loop, this time, Lute leaned down, whispering gently into his ear, ¡°This time, I¡¯ll take care of it, you already persevered through this suffering enough.¡±


    With that said, Lute lightly struck the younger illusion of himself on the back of the neck, knocking him unconscious. With a wave of his hand, a golden light flashed upon him, Lute wished dreams of happiness upon the illusion of himself.


    But then Lute¡¯s gaze turned to his old village, and it was anything but gentle and softhearted. They weren¡¯t cold murderous eyes that he normally had; instead, they had changed color and were a deep crimson red, just like his hair, not a shred of the clear sky blue from before. They were the eyes of a demon god, preparing to destroy and torture all life.


    Just as the repeating loop of his father was about to be killed again, Lute took action. This time, Lute instantaneously appeared in front of him by teleporting. He grabbed the sword of the bandit leader with his bare hand.


    ¡°Who are you, do you want to die!¡±


    ¡°You, you are?¡±


    There were two replies Lute received, one from the bandit, and one from Lute¡¯s fathers¡¯ illusion. Ignoring the bandit, Lute turned to his father, ¡°I¡¯m just a wandering demon, and it¡¯d be best if you closed your eyes and plugged your ears.


    Naturally, after resonating with the Spiritual God Blood on such a fundamental level, Lute was unrecognizable to anyone that knew him previously from before he met Isla, none of his old features remained. Not even his family would know who he was.


    With that warning, Lutes father turned and grabbed Lute¡¯s mother and sister, fleeing to their house. Feelings of gratitude were in his heart, even if the traveler proclaimed himself as a demon. With such an opportunity, he would follow the instructions to the letter.


    Following Lute¡¯s father as an example, everyone else in the village did the same, until finally; it was only Lute and the bandits, all of which were in the Nascent Qi early stage, but the strongest being the leader, almost a half-step into the eighth level.


    ¡°You¡¯re really looking to die kid, you try to obstruct me from my profit, and you will be ripped apart.¡±


    Lute looked at his opponents, a total of twelve in all. If he was alone he might not have attempted to fight all twelve head on, and instead resort to guerilla warfare, but this was his inner world, if there was any place he had absolute power, then it was here.


    With a snap of his fingers, he and all the bandits¡¯ teleported, returning to the fields of blood, skeletons, and flesh, in the distance the natural disasters Lute was causing had amplified nearly a hundred fold, causing mass destruction.


    As for the bandits, they all had blank faces, unable to comprehend just what had happened. But soon their faces were filled with horror. With another snap of his fingers, Lute had shattered all of their weapons; all of their armor fell apart.


    One by one, twelve spires of bones, and flesh raised from the ground, all of them shot out strands of flesh that grappled and pulled the bandits who were powerless, until they were embedded in the spires incapable of moving.


    Unable to do anything, some of them fell unconscious due to the terror, and other pissed their pants. A vile stench filling the already horrible atmosphere of rotting flesh, Lute didn¡¯t even show the slightest signs of pity.


    He knew these were all illusions, and that he shouldn¡¯t torture them as that would make him the exact same type of person as these vile creatures.


    However, he wasn¡¯t going to let these illusions live, if the heart demons wanted him to submit in terror, shatter his Martial Heart, and kill him, then he would give them a show.


    Starting from the left, Lute would point at one of the twelve, in an instant, they would spontaneously explode, their remains splashing on those closest to them. Then he would point to someone at the right, and the same thing would happen, until finally after alternating sides, it was only the leader who was left.


    The leader had started foaming at the mouth, already going insane and incapable of understanding human speech, he was forever incapable of living on his own, not even able to eat without aid.


    Despite not being able to comprehend speech, it didn¡¯t stop Lute from handing down his judgement, ¡°Oh for you, who have sinned, let my wrath fall upon you.¡±


    With a wave of his arm, the entire inner world of Lute shook, blood colored clouds formed and lightning that was also blood colored fell down, striking the bandit leader, completely disintegrating him to ashes.


    ¡°That was only a taste of what is to come, I¡¯ll be sure to pay you a visit in the material plane.¡± Lute said hatefully, his voice filled with rage, because after all, in the end these were only illusions.


    As the ashes dispersed, Lute teleported to his old village, and made mound after mound of platinum coins appear, he wished a true dragon into existence that would protect his village for eternity, and then he disappeared.


    Appearing once again in the blood colored plains of flesh, Lute narrowed his eyes, staring at seemingly nothing, ¡°I know you are there, show yourself demon who contaminated my void with this world of flesh and bone.¡±


    A blobbing mass slowly started to come from the air and seeped out of the ground until it formed into a giant mass of darkness, seeming to suck all light into it.


    Its raspy voice seemed to cause everything in the surrounding area to tremble. ¡°This is rare, there aren¡¯t many who can realize my existence within their world, normally they pass the tribulation but fail to encounter me.¡±


    ¡°This is my inner world, nothing escapes my sight, and naturally it was child¡¯s play to realize who was behind the endless loop of my memories.¡± Lute said in a voice that didn¡¯t seem angry, but was filled with his will to kill this mass of darkness.


    ¡°I am afraid you can¡¯t extinguish me with a snap of your fingers so easily, as just like you, I have a degree of control within this world, and after all, I am bred from your self-doubt.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    The mass of darkness then began to vibrate, spreading its will to the inner world of Lute. Almost at once, the scenarios changed, this time, it wasn¡¯t the past, but possible futures that Lute had no way of denying could happen.


    In one, his sister was being raped every night by a different noble of the mortal world. In another, his mother was being beaten and whipped for not scrubbing the floors of a mansion properly. They were sleeping with pigs and cows during the night; they were emaciated, and teetering on the edge of death every day. Finally, there was an image of their corpses being thrown into a trash mound to be eaten by rats and wild dogs after being worked to death.


    Lute quietly stared at all of these scenarios, he had indeed thought that all of these things had possibly already happened, or were going to happen. His rage was silently building; he didn¡¯t need anyone to tell him that these were possible futures.


    With a quiet wave of his hand, the scenarios disappeared and instead, images of his mother and sister living a happy life in the middle of nowhere, far from human society appeared. With Lute protecting them, this was his ideal hope that kept all of the self-doubt at bay.


    The mass of darkness, the heart demon appeared once again upon seeing this image, ¡°You are very stubborn, even with them most definitely having the highest chance of being dead after all these years, you still stubbornly hold on to that hope. If that¡¯s the case, have you thought about what they will think of their only son, and brother who became a murderer, you are nothing like they remember, you who were always happy and talkative, are nothing like this anymore.¡±


    After such a statement, a final image appeared, this time; it was Lute covered in blood, with his current appearance of red eyes, crimson hair, scars all over his body, and corpses of men behind him, with a decapitated head in his hand, from ripping it off by brute force.


    His sister and mother were staring at him with eyes full of terror, calling him a demon, and the closer he approached them, the more fear they had until finally, rather than seeing their long lost son and brother who saved them, they chose suicide instead, choosing death over meeting a demon.


    Lute¡¯s heart actually quivered slightly upon this this image, he had never thought about what his sister and mother would think of the current him, who had killed people, and did indeed appear as a demon due to his Slaughter Aura, and changed appearance.


    The heart demon jumped upon the opportunity, Lute was an adversary it never dealt with before, his heart was the strongest it had seen in centuries, but, every Martial Heart had its weakness, and it found Lutes¡¯.


    ¡°Yes, this is what will happen, you cannot protect your family, if you attempt to, they would choose death instead of knowing that they raised a demon. The mere sight of you makes them tremble in fear, you are worse than the bandits that killed your father. You know nothing but killing, how can someone who lives like this give and receive love.¡±


    ¡®My family would see me as a demon, a demon worse than Father¡¯s murderer? They would choose death over looking at me?¡¯


    Disparaging thoughts were now running rampant through Lutes¡¯ mind, his eyes glazed over, with every single thought that he had filled with doubt. He lost a portion of his absolute power within his inner world.


    This was the true reason a heart demon was so dangerous, and a concept that Lute misunderstood. He didn¡¯t have absolute power in his inner world when a heart demon was present; instead it was a game of territory or tug of war. Whoever had more territory had more power.


    Lute was currently losing this territory by the second, his power shrinking rapidly, and it was visible to Toros on the outside, he could feel Lute wavering, but, he couldn¡¯t do anything to help Lute, if he failed, he failed.


    By the second, the mass of darkness that was the Heart Demon was growing in size and power, it was starting to gain complete control of Lutes inner world, with a final push, it would be able to devour Lute¡¯s soul, extinguishing his life. All that was left was to extinguish the tiny remaining shred of willpower Lute had, they were two flickering lights, on the cusp of extinguishing.


    One tiny light within Lute was something he had in the back of his mind. Almost unknown, deep in his subconscious, it was a thought he had from the first moment he began cultivation, ¡®Would it be wrong for me to become a demon? If I had to become a demon to protect what was close to me, could I?¡¯


    The other light was Isla, she was a part of Lutes soul, merged with it, being able to feel Lute¡¯s erratic emotions and crumbling willpower, she was waiting for the right chance to interfere. The special ability of a heart demon was being able to read the thoughts of self-doubt within cultivators Martial Hearts, but others couldn¡¯t, so she had to wait, to find out what Lutes last remaining doubt was.


    The heart demons last statement was enough though; Isla now understood Lute¡¯s past, and what that last flickering light was. Would he be able to give up his humanity to protect what he loved, could he do unspeakable things to protect what he cherished?


    Long ago, when she faced her own heart demons, Isla had encountered a similar scenario. And her answer, she would forego humanity; she would become a demon to protect what she valued. But, for Lute, in the end he was facing a trial far above what he should; he was still considered a child, not even an adult yet, what he was experiencing was beyond the measure of his abilities, at this rate he would die, and she would die as collateral.


    Normally it was forbidden, and also impossible to interfere with an individual¡¯s trial of the Martial Heart. But being merged with Lutes soul, Isla could interfere. She hadn¡¯t at the start, because she could influence Lute negatively, ruining him, regressing his cultivation if she wasn¡¯t careful. So it was safer to go unnoticed.


    But now, not only was her life at risk, so she had no choice to interfere, but now that the trial which was on a level Lute shouldn¡¯t have dealt with for at least a decade in the future, he wouldn¡¯t be able to survive on his own now, not without her help. She was earnestly surprised he had lasted for so long on his own already.


    But now¡­ now that things had progressed the way they did, not only was she forced to interfere, but it also wouldn¡¯t damage Lute¡¯s Martial Heart and cultivation if she interfered, because the final thought that Lute had lingering in his mind, it was easily something she could use to strengthen his Martial Heart instead of damaging it. If it was any other lingering thought of doubt, she might¡¯ve not been able to meddle with this trial safely.


    Time was of the essence, Lute had lost virtually all the territory of his inner world to the heart demon, his last line of defense was about to flicker out. The resolve to become something vile in order to protect what he cherished, he didn¡¯t know if he could do it.


    The heart demon, which had swelled in size and was more than five times the size of a mass of darkness that it was previously, it felt that it was time. It began to slide forward, and as it was about to envelope Lute, it suddenly recoiled in pain, as if it was burned.


    A divine light erupted from Lute, and in front of the heart demon, it was dumbfounded, a woman had appeared, wearing a black Qipao adorned with gold trimmings. Pale white skin, black hair and eyes, and an aura of arrogance, it was none other than Isla.


    ¡°Impossible, there is no way that anyone can interfere with this, and even if you could, you¡¯ll only damage his Martial Heart.¡± The heart demon erupted in anger, attempting to use the territory it gained, it summoned calamities upon Isla.


    Countless lightning bolts bombarded her, but nothing happened, she simply reflected them off of her index finger as she floated about nonchalantly.


    Pointing her finger at the heart demon, it instantly was sliced into multiple pieces, then with a flick of her finger, it began to float in the air, shrinking by the second until it was sealed in a bubble of divine light, unable to speak or move, and especially unable to comprehend what just occurred.


    Isla portrayed a look full of disdain, ¡°Silence trash, you are not worthy to even prostrate yourself before a Divine. You call yourself a demon? I¡¯m afraid you have yet to see a true demon.¡±


    Not giving further attention to the heart demon, Isla then turned to Lute, who was in an extremely haggard state, his eyes glazed over, almost on the brink of succumbing to unconsciousness that would lead to death had the heart demon been able to devour him.


    Placing her palm upon Lute¡¯s chest, Isla used some of her soul strength to bring Lute back from the brink of unconsciousness, there was no doubt she would have to sleep again after this, and let the Origin Soul Needle replenish her soul strength, but it was better than dying.


    Divine light enveloped Lute and he regained clarity; Isla had suppressed the thoughts that were ravaging his mind. Forcing himself to stay upright despite being void of energy, Lute was shocked when he saw Isla, he hadn¡¯t known she as able to interfere with this.


    ¡°M¡­master what did you do?¡±


    ¡°Stupid, stupid, you are so weak! My first and last disciple can¡¯t even kill a blob of nothingness! At this rate you¡¯re going to kill the both of us with your petty strength. And here you thought yourself invincible! Pfft, you are so weak I could kill you with my pinkie finger alone.¡±


    Lute cringed underneath Isla¡¯s words ¨Cespecially because he knew she was right about her ability to kill him with ease- but he would never know that she was lying, because he indeed shouldn¡¯t have been given a trial of this level. It was beyond his abilities. The fact he survived so long without her aid was astounding.


    ¡°Thanks to you, I have to hibernate and replenish my soul strength again! Probably for a month, so don¡¯t kill yourself during that time. And as for that petty resolve of yours, you listen carefully; there is nothing you can¡¯t do. If you must become a demon to protect someone, then become a demon. You are forgetting the fact that you can just hide this from them, don¡¯t let them know what you¡¯ve become, protect from the shadows. Let your family live in the light and happiness that is ignorance, while you deal with the true problems within the world of darkness.¡±


    Under Isla¡¯s words, Lute came once more into clarity. Yes, why should he show his mother and sister the world of cruelty he was involved in? If they could live in blissful ignorance, then that would be for the best. Even if he ended up never meeting them again, never being able to talk to them face to face, that was enough, it wouldn¡¯t be so bad being a demon then, as long as they were alive and unaware, he could protect them from the shadows while they lived freely in the light. He would be the shadow to their light.


    With this newfound resolve, the heart demon practically lost all of its power at once; Lute once again was the master of his inner world. Isla was growing more and more transparent, her ¡°Existence¡± and the connection between her and Lute was weakening by the second.


    ¡°I shall sleep for a month at the minimum because of this little stunt you pulled. Don¡¯t ever let something as weak as those pieces of shit manipulate you again. Or you¡¯ll meet something far worse, and that is me.¡± Isla said icily, as her last words before fading, falling into a state of unconsciousness within Lute¡¯s soul.


    When she faded, Lute looked at the heart demon, it was no longer sealed by the bubble of divine light, but it was now incredibly small, and weak, trembling in fear because of the invincible existence it just met.


    ¡°Who¡­ who was that? There is no such existence that should be able to interfere with a heart demon and its prey.¡±


    Lute looked at the heart demon in pity, but he was also upset with himself, he thought his Martial Heart would never be swayed, and yet this weak mass of darkness had almost killed him. Clearly not only did his body need tempering, but so did his Martial Heart. Isla had strengthened his resolve somewhat, but he still had a long path to trek.


    ¡°That,¡± Lute said, ¡°Is my Master, she is an invincible existence on a planet as weak as this, for she has achieved the Divine Path, and comes from the Divine Realm. It should be expected that you could do nothing in the face of her invincible might.¡±


    The heart demon trembled in fear, ¡°That¡¯s cheating; you rely on the power of others!¡±


    Bloodlust emanated from Lute, ¡°Do you think that I am happy either, when she returns I¡¯ve got hell to pay because I failed at killing you without her help.¡±


    Lute took a step forward, approaching the heart demon, ¡°Speaking of Hell, let me show you my new resolve, forged from the teachings of my Master, which has successfully strengthened my Martial Heart.¡±


    Lute stopped moving and raised his right arm towards the sky, ¡°I shall embrace hell and become a demon, I will forego humanity if I need to in order to protect what I must, I shall forever protect my family from the shadows, they will never know of the actions I shall take to protect them. To protect what I cherish, I will do anything, even if it means becoming a taboo existence, all to let them live in blissful ignorance.¡±


    At the end of his declaration, the entire inner world of Lute shook, he released his Slaughter Aura at a new level of strength, eclipsing what it previously was capable of. Lute¡¯s warped and twisted inner world of carnage and bloodshed created by the heart demon, all the flesh, bones, blood, calamities, negativity, bloodlust, everything disappeared, and formed a ball of energy. Everything that was impure, evil and tainted, it formed a stream of energy, and entered Lutes forehead.


    The world once again changed back to the endless void, full of starlight, all that was left was the heart demon who was powerless and Lute. Lute had absorbed all of the impure, tainted evil energy that the heart demon had produced within him, attempting to corrupt him, devour him and extinguish his existence. Instead of being devoured by this, Lute was the one that devoured it instead, increasing the strength of his Slaughter Aura.


    Lute¡¯s Martial Heart grew firmer, stronger than before; he accepted all his flaws, self-doubt, characteristics, and hopes. Everything that made up the current him, Lute didn¡¯t try to suppress or discard any of it, he accepted that he would change in the future and it was inevitable. If he had to become someone that was considered a demon in the eyes of the world in order to accomplish his goals, then he would do that. There was no reason not to, his family didn¡¯t even need to know if he was alive, but as long as he could achieve his end goals, then it didn¡¯t matter what he became in the end.


    While at first, this sounded like he was becoming what he despised most, which was a human full of greed, guile, and cunning who did anything to achieve their goals, Lute decided to look at it differently. If he obtained what he wanted by sacrificing his humanity and not involving people who truly were innocent, then maybe, just maybe, he could feel slightly at ease with his decision. Because in the end, even if he gave up his humanity and became a demon in the eyes of others, he couldn¡¯t run away from the traits that made him a human such as greed, they weren¡¯t so easily discarded.


    With this final thought, Lute released his Slaughter Aura at its new level of strength. The heart demon trembled in fear. Its final thought as Lute created lightning to disintegrate it was, ¡®Did I, who is a monster, just aid in creating something infinitely worse? Will a calamity now occur wherever this ¡°Thing¡± walks?¡¯

 Chapter 33

    With his newfound resolve, Lute had released lightning, destroying every last trace of the heart demon that had almost caused him to succumb to self-doubt. As its ashes dispersed, his world was once again silent. A void of nothingness except the light of stars, this was his ideal inner world. Everyone¡¯s inner world was different, uniquely representing the essence of who that person was.


    Lute¡¯s was a void of nothingness, but it was filled with infinite stars. To him, each star represented a different possibility, a different choice, and a different fate. To him, this meant his path was endless and he would never be pigeonholed into something he didn¡¯t want to do.


    Finally Lute calmed down, but he didn¡¯t suppress his Slaughter Aura. The violent thoughts, and the aura itself, had suppressed itself of its own accord; Lute didn¡¯t have to forcibly do it himself. This was the benefit of accepting everything about himself, both the good and the bad.


    When he had achieved this new resolve and strength, in the material plane, not only had Lutes Slaughter Aura strengthened in his inner world, it also was released of its own accord, shocking Toros. Had he not formed a dense black shell around Lute, the aura Lute was emitting would¡¯ve disturbed everyone else taking the trial.


    ¡®This, this is inconceivable.¡¯


    Toros was astounded, to think that Lute went from wavering and almost succumbing to in less than a second he was releasing such a baleful aura that it was hard to believe it came from someone who wasn¡¯t even considered and adult in society yet.


    Toros laughed under his breath, ¡°Looks like it was worth it to come here, we might just have someone who is a rare talent.¡±


    Finally, the baleful aura he felt from Lute began to recede, and disappear, but if it were anyone below the Earthen Practitioner Realm, they would still feel suffocated by simply approaching Lute.


    Toros removed the banners and the released the black shell that kept Lute¡¯s aura from leaking out to the other contestants. Then, the youth before him woke up, taking first place; he was the first to conquer his inner demons before anyone else.


    Lute was confused at first but then he began to despise himself, ¡®Fucking hell, so much for being low key, not only am I the first done, there was even an Elder presiding over me and everyone in the arena is staring at me.¡¯


    ¡°Nice to meet you lad, the names Toros, I am sorry about earlier, but in order for you to successfully have the chance to pass the first trial, I had to put a separate formation around you and with increased strength because you weren¡¯t experiencing inner demons, and in order to pass you must meet and conquer them.¡±


    Lute narrowed his eyes, he almost died and it was all because of this¡­ He wouldn¡¯t pass unless he experienced inner demons, but he was given his own personal formation with stronger demons than the others.


    ¡°There was no need to use that much strength, as far as I know it isn¡¯t the goal of you all to kill your trial participants¡­¡± Lute said icily, he was less than pleased, despite passing; it was a close call, had Isla not saved him he would¡¯ve died.


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t die, clearly you passed, and achieved first place at that, but because you had to complete this at a much higher difficulty than the other contestants, if you successfully join the sect, you will be given a bonus reward.¡±


    ¡°I see¡±


    With those two simple words, Lute began to walk out of the formation, but not before Toros called out to him once more. ¡°Wait, I am curious though, how did you pass the trial, you were wavering and on the brink of failing, then you suddenly passed.¡±


    Toros left out the Slaughter Aura Lute had emitted, as he didn¡¯t know how Lute was capable of such balefulness and even if he asked, Lute wouldn¡¯t tell anyways.


    Lute stopped, turned around and stared Toros in the eye, ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious, I killed it. The heart demon I met now ceases to ever exist.¡±


    All the Elders present were dumbstruck upon Lute¡¯s words, the disciples didn¡¯t understand, but they did.


    Alda quickly ran over, ¡°Did you just say it, as in one demon? You had a trial that dangerous and you only faced one demon?¡±


    When you faced the heart, typically many small demons would try to corrupt the cultivators with enticements of their dreams, offering power. But if it was one singular heart demon, which was more dangerous as it was much more intelligent, this kind tried to corrupt based on self-doubt. But even more astounding was Lute said he killed it, not suppress or banish it, but killed it.


    Alda¡¯s mouth was still slightly agape from shock, ¡°You killed it¡­ how?¡±


    Lute was beginning to get annoyed, he didn¡¯t feel the need to explain, it was self-explanatory, and he killed it, what more needed to be said. He couldn¡¯t reveal Isla to them, so the less he said, the better.


    ¡°It was a black mass that tried to breed self-doubt in me. When it tried to devour me, I killed it, it now ceases to exist within me, what else do you need?¡± Lute said in an annoyed tone.


    ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just that in this trial, there were supposed to be many small demons that tried to corrupt your Martial Heart by enticing you with empty promises. And typically you can¡¯t kill inner demons, you suppress or banish them, to say that you killed it is¡­. unheard of.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Well then it is a matter of perspective, it¡¯s your own inner world, you have absolute influence and power there, nothing should be able to interfere unless you let it interfere. Anything that tries to, just kill it. Why suppress it within yourself or try to banish it when killing it is easier.¡±


    The Elders went slightly numb, a matter of perspective, just kill it since it only had control if you gave it control? It wasn¡¯t that simple, a heart demon was bred from your own power, so it wasn¡¯t easily killed when it originated from within yourself. Perhaps Lute was just a freak.


    As contestants finally began to wake up and pass the test, Toros laughed heartily, ¡°Alda you really brought back a talented kid, to think that he would pass in such a way.¡±


    Lute ignored the comment, and walked off into another corner, deciding to wait until the second trial. He failed to remain low key here, but that was unchangeable, there was no way for him to alter the outcome, but here, in the next two trials he would be able to.


    Sitting down in a corner, Lute noticed that Elders and disciples in the stands alike were staring at him occasionally. However, he ignored them, as long as he didn¡¯t display his other abilities, he should be able to return to going through the trials unnoticed.


    He sat there quietly and watched all the participants, two nobles failed and two of the five commoners he noticed failed. They couldn¡¯t deal with the increased strength of the formation. As for the remaining total of one thousand and two hundred participants, after this trial ended, there were only six hundred remaining, many had failed the trial of their Martial Hearts.


    After roughly a twenty minute rest period, for all of the trial participants that passed, the time for the second trial quickly approached. It was a trial about comprehension. There were ten random Arts of Fallen Tide Hall that were open to the public as they were mostly for cultivators below the Spirit Opening Realm, and weren¡¯t nearly as valuable. Each one had three techniques within.


    An elder would assign a random art to a participant, and in a five hour time limit, they had to learn the art and display one of the techniques that they managed to learn from it. This was very difficult, at the very least, it would typically take almost a whole day to understand the basis of an art, let alone cultivate one of its techniques.


    The purpose of this trial was to see how well an individual could perform under pressure. With a time limit of five hours, this pressure would allow the Elders to see where a person¡¯s breaking point was. Some students couldn¡¯t even understand the basis of an art that was given, while other would manage to learn more than one technique, even if they couldn¡¯t display those techniques at a level of mastery and were very crude.


    After the announcer discussed the basis for the second trial, it began; every Elder began to casually hand out one of the ten Arts randomly. As Lute waited, Alda approached him; apparently she was going to give him his Art to cultivate.


    ¡°Oops, I just casually picked out a random Art, but this one really seems to suit the way you fight. What good luck you have Lute.¡± Alda said with a grin, she then handed the scroll to Lute before quickly moving along to other disciples.


    ¡®Crazy woman, she didn¡¯t pick that out randomly, she purposely picked out the Arts most suited to my combat style.¡¯


    Lute grinned slightly after reading the contents of the scroll; it really did suit his brutish style of fighting head on with his opponent. The name of the art was Qi Explosion Tactics; there were three techniques that could be derived from it, an offensive, a defensive and a movement technique.


    It was an all-rounder art that made up for Lute¡¯s current weaknesses. He didn¡¯t have any arts centralized on combat. So although, for example, this movement technique wouldn¡¯t be as powerful as one from an art focused solely on movement, it gave Lute one technique for offense, defense, and movement.


    With the sound of a bell, the time limit started, light surrounded every remaining contestant. Another formation had been placed, under the power of the two hundred Elders; an illusionary formation was made that allowed each participant to enter their own individual illusionary training room. Each room was based on where a cultivator felt most at home. So for Lute, he was once again at the lake in the Crimson Tide Mountain Range where he had lived for numerous months. The only difference, there were no Vicious Beasts.


    Lute immediately started meditating, from the moment he read the scroll, with his already monstrous comprehension ability, as well as the boost in understanding he gained from the Laws of Severance released from the First Path of New Beginnings, he already understood the basis behind the Qi Explosion Tactics.


    Revolving his Qi through his body the way he needed to, Lute immediately felt the difference. His Qi grew more violent and compressed itself wherever he specified it to within his body. At such points, such as his fist, when he punched, the Qi would explode outward releasing a force two to three times stronger than it would be if he simply covered his fist in Qi.


    After experimenting for a while, Lute already saw through the techniques. He successfully learned the Art and it automatically severed itself from Heaven¡¯s Way the moment he completely understood and learned it.


    Lute couldn¡¯t put it into an actual thought, but instead he could ¡°Feel¡± the Art becoming original to him, as if he was the one who invented it when it severed from Heavens Way, he just knew instinctively that when he felt such a sensation the Art was severed and became his.


    It felt as if there were infinite ways he could change the Art and modify it to better suit him. This was why the Laws of Severance were so unique, because now that Lute severed this Art and made it original to him. Anyone else that used the same art wouldn¡¯t be capable of what Lute was going to do next or display it on the same level of mastery because as with any Art, only the creator of it could truly use it to the limits of its capabilities.


    And the first thing he was going to do, he was going to merge the Qi Explosion Tactics into his Thousand Ways Scripture. The effect Lute was hoping for was that less Qi would need to be used for the techniques and it would always release maximum power, while costing less Qi.


    Lute was going to create a combat art unique to himself, by combining and merging the Mortal Realm Arts that he felt would be useful into the Thousand Ways Scripture, until eventually, a new Art was born, with new Techniques that only Lute could use. This was the essence of the Laws of Severance, to break down and fuse.


    He would break down any Art, completely understanding it, and then completely modifying it however he wanted, as well as fuse it with other Arts and Techniques without consequence. The only thing that Lute needed was time, if he had enough, he could create anything within his imagination using the Arts he learned as a foundation to build upon. Others could spend their entire lives trying to create and merge Arts together and still be unsuccessful, but given enough time, no matter how long it took, Lute would eventually succeed in whatever he was trying to create.


    His goal, to create a continually evolving Art that had many techniques usable for any situation. Lute wanted to birth an Art that could infinitely evolve and adapt.

 Chapter 34

    Within the illusionary formation, Lute had trained for nearly four hours. Recklessly expending his Qi and utilizing Qi Explosion Tactics. He¡¯d already mastered the Art and Techniques, as if he was its original creator, but merging Arts turned out to be much more difficult than expected.


    Lute released another palm, full of explosive might before he crumpled to the ground panting, breathing erratically. He hadn¡¯t rested even once.


    ¡®To think that there would be such a drawback to the Laws of Severance¡­ but it¡¯s to be expected, I doubt the Spiritual God intended for his inheritance to go to someone that wasn¡¯t already on the Divine Path.¡¯


    As he focused completely on trying to merge Qi Explosion Tactics with the Thousand Ways Scripture, eventually, sharp pains would come from the very depths of Lute¡¯s body; his head began to feel as if it was being crushed. This was the drawback of trying to merge Arts and Techniques. Lute was too inexperienced and weak.


    After repeated failed attempts, the pain gradually grew, and the more Lute realized, it wasn¡¯t a physical problem, but a spiritual problem. Even though he could successfully merge the arts as long as he had enough time, which was precisely the problem. His soul was too weak; he could only focus on merging the arts for roughly two hours with any degree of success before the pain began to transmit.


    After this two hour limit, the success and breakthroughs of merging the arts decreased by a noticeable level. It wasn¡¯t without its success, but after the three hour threshold, the pain was too great, and Lute stopped attempting to merge the arts for fear that he would permanently injure his soul. Instead, he opted to familiarize himself even more with the three techniques of Qi Explosion Tactics which were, Exploding Palm, Burst Steps, and Qi Burst Guard, despite achieving mastery, executing them without a flaw, knowing when to use the techniques in combat was a different matter altogether.


    With every punch, Lute¡¯s Qi would explode outward violently, causing a noticeable disruption in the air. The Exploding Palm was an extremely simple technique, but its difficulty lied in not disrupting Qi flow while exploding it outward in a violent manner. If there was an error, the explosive penetrating power would drop exponentially.


    This was the same concept for Burst Steps, and Qi Burst Guard, if the flow of Qi was off slightly, then it was the equivalent of wasting Qi.


    The Burst Steps allowed for instantaneous straight line movement, it was difficult to move in any other way because of the fine-tuned control needed while exploding the Qi, the slightest error, and the cultivator would propel forward and violently slam into the ground face first.


    This wasn¡¯t a problem for Lute though, he had an advantage as he could modify a technique to better suit his capabilities due to the severing the Art from Heaven¡¯s Way. His modification, instead of taking many small steps for his burst of instantaneous movement, he changed the Qi flow, allowing for long strides that had equal power.


    This allowed for more movement, and the ability to turn instead of only moving in a straight line. The speed dropped by half, but now the technique could be considered to have two forms. The faster form was suitable for charging forward and not changing direction. It was better for head on clashes. But this new adjustment was another form, while it was noticeably slower, Lute could change direction while using it, this allowed for him to not be disadvantaged if he was unable to clash directly with his opponent.


    As for defense, the Qi burst guard was actually useful, synergizing with Lute¡¯s already tough physique. Instead of covering the body with Qi and absorbing the attack, through the method of Qi Burst Guard, when he was struck, if he pulled off the technique properly, it would counter the opponents strike, causing the Qi they used to rebound upon them, disrupting their actions.


    The downside to the technique, the Qi Burst Guard couldn¡¯t be used if you were covering your body externally with Qi. It needed to explode outward from the meridians at the exact moment of contact. One mistake and a cultivator would suffer grave injuries if they were even a millisecond off in timing.


    However for Lute, he didn¡¯t typically cover his body in Qi for defense due to the Primordial First Physiques toughness, it would just be a waste of Qi since the defense of Qi covering his body was hardly superior to his physical body. The only reason he deigned to cover his body in Qi in the past was he had no other use for it, there was only Shifting Time Collapsing Void, but he could only use that when the First Path of New Beginnings was open.


    But now that Lute had techniques he could use Qi for, it was even more of a reason not to cover his body externally with it, and it would be a waste. Now, since he gained the Qi Burst Guard, even if he messed up the timing, the injuries he suffered wouldn¡¯t be anywhere near as severe due to his physique.


    There was only an hour left, Lute stopped everything he had been doing and cultivated, restoring his Qi. In this time period, he completely mastered every technique. He was even satisfied with the fusing progress of Qi Explosion Tactics and the Thousand Ways Scripture.


    ¡®Mortal Realm Arts are indeed easier to learn compared to Arts from the Divine Realm, putting in the same amount of effort, I am learning them in half the time, as for the merging process, minor completion is already good progress,¡¯


    The last hour quickly passed, light flashed, and Lute¡¯s illusionary world disappeared, he once again was surrounded by other trial participants. Some of them looked extremely depressed knowing that they failed, then there were some who had their noses pointed towards the sky in their arrogance thinking no one could compare to their comprehension ability.


    As for Lute, he didn¡¯t pay attention to anyone other than himself. He mastered the Art and Techniques given to him, so now he had to focus on purposely making mistakes to hide his mastery.


    ¡®To think my problems are that I need to suppress myself, I really am an enigma.¡¯


    Lute sighed in dismay, ¡°At least I have attained minor completion.¡±


    The minor completions he was thinking of, was the progress of merging Arts based on how they were performing. The stages Lute chose were minor completion, middle stage, and grand accomplishment. Minor meant that he could technically use the merged arts, but the proficiency and power would be drastically reduced. While grand accomplishment meant that the Arts could be considered merged, able to be used at complete strength.


    At minor completion, the power of the merged Art would be around thirty percent, at middle stage, it was above sixty percent, and grand accomplishment meant they could execute the merged Arts at ninety-five percent or higher of its true capabilities.


    Minor completion was where Lute was at right now when merging Qi Explosion Tactics and the Thousand Ways Scripture, when he used the merged form, the power output he obtained in two hours was roughly thirty-three percent. But progress was slowing down as he fine-tuned and mastered it. Also, with the time constraints due to a weak soul, it would probably take around a week to achieve the middle stage.


    While Lute was lost in thought over his progress and the need to hold back his power, the announcer once again flew up into the air, preparing to announce the next phase of the trial.


    ¡°For the next phase, when it is your turn, please share with your judge what technique you have learned, you will then be instructed to perform it at a testing area. If you have failed to learn a technique, don¡¯t waste our time and leave. The offensive area will be a totem imbued with formations for durability. When you strike it, the strength of the light emitted will represent your progress. In the movement area, you will be put into a cage with a Vicious Beast, supervised by an Elder. As for the defense, you will suffer and an attack from an Elder.¡±


    The options were laid out without any hidden criteria, it was relatively straightforward. As Lute was pondering which technique he could show off without exposing himself, nearly one hundred participants stood up and left with ashen faces, they hadn¡¯t even comprehended a portion of one technique.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡®Each has their demerit. If I went to the offensive area, I might not be able to hold back my strength. For the movement area, it is abnormal for a cultivator to win one on one against a Vicious Beast, and as for suffering a strike from an Elder, that is just asking for me to be exposed. It really is a pick your poison situation.¡¯


    With a problem for each testing area, Lute finally decided to head towards the speed testing area, which had the fewest trial participants. Although he could go to the offensive area, even if he subdued his physical strength, it would still be out of bounds, the strength would be far above what he should be capable of.


    Going to an elder to suffer one attack, while seemingly simple, would expose his physique and true capabilities, there was no way that he would be able to hide it against a disadvantage of more than three Great Realms.


    This left the only option as the speed testing area, it was¡­hopefully¡­. The easiest to fake, Lute planned to evade at the very last second, intentionally putting false mistakes into his Qi flow and footwork, in order to hopefully deceive the eyes of the proctoring Elders.


    Approaching the cage, Lute noticed the disparity in trial participants was easily discernable. Over two hundred had gone to the offensive and defensive technique areas. While a mere fifty were at the speed testing area. Apparently no one wanted to test themselves against a Vicious Beast, which was understandable as no one typically lived with them for a period of months such as Lute.


    Their understanding of a Vicious Beasts behavior, strengths, weaknesses, and intelligence was paltry compared to Lute.


    Waiting for his turn to take the trial, Lute noticed someone staring at him, clearly with a hint of disdain and mockery. The emblem he was wearing, Lute didn¡¯t recognize the dragons head engraved upon it. But that was all he could see, and with his limited knowledge of politics, that observation was useless.


    ¡®Seeing as how I¡¯ve never met this person before, he probably has a grudge against the Windcross House.¡¯


    The brash youth then began to walk over towards Lute. Clearly with something to spout off about how Lute didn¡¯t belong in this place.


    ¡°Time for the shit show to begin, I expected something like this eventually, but who would¡¯ve thought it would occur so soon.¡± Lute muttered under his breath, cursing the fact that he had bad luck when it came to situations such as these. Why did he have to attract trouble?


    ¡°Who do you think you are, thinking that you belonged in the area of nobles? Do you have any idea how disrespectful it is to not prostrate yourself before your betters?¡± The unidentified youth said snobbishly.


    Lute turned towards him, one of his eyebrows rising by the second. This person had a problem with him because he was in the same area? How narcissistic could you get, how much did you have to love yourself and look at yourself in a mirror to think that no one could even be within a hundred feet of you?


    But what disgusted Lute the most, this noble seemed similar to Glen, he was flaunting his cultivation, trying to suppress Lute with his aura of a cultivator at the fifth level of the Nascent Qi Realm.


    Now that he was a half-step into the Nascent Qi Realm, almost through the bottleneck, and now that he learned three techniques, Lute was confident he could fight blow for blow with this person, even if he couldn¡¯t win, he could at least force a draw.


    Despite feeling that this person didn¡¯t know how utterly stupid his actions were, Lute attempted to give respect for the fact this he was meeting a noble and it would be better to not make an enemy out of his family, even with Seren¡¯s protection.


    But he did have bottom line, he wasn¡¯t going to submit, at the most he would apologize and walk away, which was what he intended to do.


    ¡°My apologies sir, I will quickly leave this vicinity then.¡± Lute said, forcing himself to sound as respectful as possible, attempting not to think of breaking these egotistical idiots¡¯ arms.


    With that said, Lute bowed, this was the closest he would come to prostrating to this youth. Turning around he began to walk away, towards the opposite side of the cage, putting well over one hundred feet between him and the youth.


    However, this person clearly couldn¡¯t see two feet in front of him, reaching out to take a mile after being given an inch.


    He was annoyed that Lute hadn¡¯t trembled at all under his aura, and the fact that he didn¡¯t have a submissive look at all. He didn¡¯t even prostrate himself on the ground as he instructed. He dared to defy someone of his stature?! To think this person was so conceited just because he was sponsored by the detestable Windcross House, he was still a commoner, and had to act as such before someone like him.


    Imbuing his hand with Qi he reached out, grabbing Lute¡¯s right shoulder with all of his strength, attempting to stop Lute and force him to submit. If it was the last thing he did, he was going to make sure this tramp knew his place.


    ¡°Know your place commoner filth, kneel!¡±


    The moment he grabbed Lute¡¯s shoulder, the atmosphere seemed to change, so much so that everyone in the speed area, Elders and trial participants included, began looked in Lutes¡¯ direction. Even the caged Vicious Beast began to grow aggravated, striking at its chains.


    What they saw was a Nascent Qi Cultivator with his hand reaching out, imbued with Qi, about to strike what the Elders could see ¨Cas disciples were too weak to see through Lute¡¯s concealed cultivation- was a Peak Foundational Qi Cultivator, but Lute suddenly grabbed his wrist, and no matter how much the Nascent Qi cultivator struggled, he couldn¡¯t escape the iron clad grip.


    The youth began trembled slightly, now that he touched Lute, he felt like he just touched ice, his hand lost feeling and went numb. Lute stopped mid step, with his left hand he reached out and wrapped it around the wrist of the noble, squeezing so hard the wrist began to turn purple from blood constriction.


    Turning his head around, Lute could no longer contain his anger and contempt for this person, he had given enough respect, and yet with that hand, this person seriously thought he could brazenly grab him and force him to kneel?


    That was an action that surpassed Lutes bottom line, to try and physically make him submit after he gave in and forcefully acted with formalities of respect. That was the equivalent of asking for a death match.


    Lute freely let his Slaughter Aura out, his face contorting slightly in rage and disdain, an evil grimace upon his face. His eyes had gone from tranquil and quiet to becoming an ice cold gaze that was so sharp it seemed to pierce into the depths of anyone¡¯s soul. He looked as if he was ready to kill.


    But Lute remained logical, he knew the rules for the trials, ¡°Do we need to resolve this outside of the property that the Fallen Tide Hall rules? If you think that you can casually touch me without suffering the consequences, then you are a blithering idiot.¡± Lute said harshly, at this point he didn¡¯t care if he exposed his true realm jumping abilities; there were some things you couldn¡¯t let go because it was your bottom line, your ultimatum, and for Lute it was his morals.


    He wouldn¡¯t let someone push him around, nor would he let them think that he was weak and could be manipulated or abused. If this person thought that Lute would let him have his way, then he was about to suffer under Lute¡¯s wrath.


    Lute was simple, if someone gave respect, even if he didn¡¯t like them, he¡¯d reciprocate it, but if someone acted rudely, he would throw all formalities out the window and make sure that person knew not to mess with him.


    This was one such situation. Lute already tried doing things with formalities, attempting to avoid conflict, but since it failed, he would gladly assert his position as someone not to be trifled with.


    From the points of view of everyone present, they were confused. Despite the astonishing aura Lute was emitting that made some of the Elder¡¯s question if they should forcefully intervene. It seemed more like Lute was a cat puffing out his fur to look bigger. He was at the peak of the Foundational Qi Realm whereas as the noble, while acting as an idiot and embarrassing himself was an intermediate stage Nascent Qi Cultivator at the fifth level, he should easily be able to annihilate Lute.


    That was the thoughts of the trial participants, but a small faction, a very small number of the Elders were intrigued, because they noticed that Lute had his opponent in an ironclad grip, so much so the wrist was turning purple and blue from constriction, and no matter how much they struggled despite being a higher cultivation, they couldn¡¯t escape it. And he should¡¯ve easily been able to escape because not only was it a difference of a Great Realm, it was even a difference of five levels.


    So maybe what Lute said was backed by the ability to really fight at half a Great Realm higher than his cultivation, which although wasn¡¯t unheard of, it was extremely rare, typically rare talents that joined the Primordial Sects were capable of this feat of strength.


    With his threat finished, Lute let go of the wrist, causing the struggling noble to fly backwards, and landing on the ground. Lute didn¡¯t even bother to look at him as he continued walking, going to start his trial of speed. But in the distance he heard one final threat.


    ¡°You will pay for this shame; I am Elias Kaydriff, the inheritor of the head position within my family. Watch your back peasant, or you might find yourself in a predicament.¡± Elias said as his voice cracked and became high pitched, he didn¡¯t seem imposing at all, and was just another idiot thinking that they had power but in reality it didn¡¯t belong to them.


    Lute smirked as he walked away, not caring to answer.


    ¡®Walk into the dragons¡¯ lair, then you better prepare to die, but for someone who was terrified by Slaughter Aura and has no backbone, you are just a coward.¡¯


    Lute smiled, once again returning to the subdued, gentle and tranquil atmosphere he had from before. No longer showing a hint of the malice and intent to kill, this change didn¡¯t go unnoticed by other trial participants, as long as they held a shred of rationality, the danger they felt from Lute rose by multiple levels and he was not to be taken lightly.


    All he was thinking about now was how to hide his true fighting abilities even more. After what he said, naturally some of the Elder¡¯s would be suspicious of his strength because you don¡¯t casually threaten to thrash a cultivator who was five levels above you, especially with a Great Realm included in a disparity.


    ¡®Hopefully, hopefully I didn¡¯t dig a grave for myself, and I can go unnoticed, clearly some of those Elders are interested in my true fighting abilities, but so far the only one who should know is Alda, as for anyone else, it should only be their intuition.¡¯

 Chapter 35

    Lute entered the trial of speed. Clearing all thoughts except passing the trial from his mind, there was no use worrying about problems and events he had no control over. If Elias still wanted to confront him in the future then he would deal with it, but not before. What mattered now was facing what was in front of him, and that was a Vicious Beast.


    The elder presiding over this trial blandly repeated the same lines that he had said nearly fifty times now, a mandated sentence for each trial participant.


    ¡°You are to use the evasive technique you managed to comprehend. The time limit is five minutes. Failure is unsuccessfully dodging an attack of the Twin Tailed Thunder Leopard.¡±


    Upon speaking the mandated sentence, the elder locked Lute in the cage. Flipping an hourglass, sand started to fall. The Twin Tailed Thunder Leopard was released from its chains.


    With hiss that made any of the trial participants¡­. Any except Lute, feel a chill move down their spines. Its two tails were moving about violently, clearly angry at being subdued and forced to fight. It was going to kill at least one person if it was the last thing it did.


    Unfortunately the last trial participant for the speed trial was Lute, who had a plethora of experience versus Vicious Beasts, as well as the feline types. If it came to predicting the Leopards behavior, thought processes, their strengths, and weaknesses, out of all the participants, Lute had the greatest advantage.


    This was the results of living alone surrounded by Vicious Beasts; they couldn¡¯t take any action that he wouldn¡¯t be able to predict. Lute stood there, waiting for the Twin Tail Thunder Leopard to pounce.


    It was at the first level of the Nascent Qi Realm, or known as a rank two, and its eyes were filled with only hate for Lute. But he paid no mind to it; there wasn¡¯t any reason to fear this beast.


    As the hourglass clock slowly ticked down, the Twin Tail Thunder Leopard finally made its move. Flexing its leg muscles, it lowered itself down to the ground before exploding outward, with a sweeping circular motion, running not in straight lines, but snake-like motions. Trying to disorient Lute, it constantly moved in and out of his blind spot.


    ¡®It¡¯ll take more than shifting in and out of my vision to win against me.¡¯


    Lute stood there, waiting, and waiting. Under the Elder¡¯s scrutinizing gaze, he slowly and methodically revolved Qi through his body in the method that the Qi Burst Steps indicated.


    This was the first purposeful mistake Lute made; revolving his Qi at an alarmingly slow rate was expected when you had barely five hours to learn a technique, it would all be for naught to hide his comprehensive strength if he was able to instantly use the technique without a time buffer.


    As the Twin Tail Thunder Leopard rapidly approached Lute, he still didn¡¯t move. Waiting for the opportunity to arise, which finally presented itself right before the Elder was about to intervene if Lute didn¡¯t attempt to dodge.


    As fangs and claws approached his neck, Lute finally used the Qi Burst Steps. But this time, he didn¡¯t use them to their full capabilities although he was able to. With straight line movement, the Qi Burst Steps moved in sets of five steps. If you could successfully explode the Qi from your legs, the five steps would allow for instantaneous straight line movement that was hard to keep up with.


    This was Lute¡¯s second intentional mistake, narrowly avoiding the claws and fangs of the Twin Tail Thunder Leopard; Lute was now standing two steps from where he was previously. He had only used two of the five steps, refusing to use any more.


    Enraged, the Twin Tail Thunder Leopard continually assaulted Lute without rest, stirring up sand and dust within the iron cage. A flurry of motion ensued, each time, Lute narrowly avoiding a claw slash of fangs to his throat. Sometimes he would purposely make mistakes in the footsteps, or fail at revolving Qi through his body.


    However, since these mistakes were intentional, it didn¡¯t lead to Lute getting injured. But, even if he was bitten, it wouldn¡¯t lead to such a severe injury; his physique was too tough for a rank two, early stage Vicious Beast.


    The hourglass clock ticked down, more than two minutes had already passed, and there was only half of the time remaining. Lute cautiously moved, making sure to keep himself suppressed, subdued and seemingly struggling.


    As he was flitting about the cage, only using the Qi Burst Steps when he absolutely had to, Lute didn¡¯t notice he was being watched. Toros and Alda were hidden at the side of the cage, not a single person noticing them.


    ¡°This is impressive; he has lasted so long against a rank two beast while only in the Foundational Qi Realm.¡± ¡°Toros said in surprise. It was already impressive that this kid had a Martial Heart that was so strong, but apparently he wasn¡¯t lacking in comprehension either. While he was making mistakes, they were extremely minute and could easily be rectified.


    Alda was looking at Lute with a slightly confused expression. Unlike Toros, she had directly clashed with Lute, and he should be able to fight up to the Nascent Qi Realm fourth level. To seemingly struggle versus an opponent below that, she couldn¡¯t understand why.


    ¡°This shouldn¡¯t be his limit. I have seen him release strength at a much higher level than this; there is no way that he should be struggling so much.¡± Alda said, while watching Lute¡¯s every movement.


    Even without a movement technique she was confident that Lute should easily be able to evade instead of narrowly avoiding the claws of the Twin Tail Thunder Leopard.


    ¡°Oh, interesting, then shall I weaken the suppressive formation on the Twin Tail Thunder Leopard? It¡¯s renowned for being able to wield lightning before becoming rank three, shall we make this interesting?¡± Toros replied with a playful expression. Even if Lute failed, he would pass him since he was directly interfering with the trial.


    ¡°No one can stop you except the Sect Master, so by all means do what you want.¡± Alda replied blandly.


    Removing a banner from his spatial ring; Toros imbued it with Qi, sending it directly to the control matrix of the suppression formation surrounding the iron cage. When the banner inserted itself, the atmosphere in the cage changed.


    Lute instantly realized that something was wrong, the Twin Tail Thunder Leopard stopped assaulting him, with nearly a minute left on the hourglass. It began to look at its paws, and to the shock of Lute, he witnessed it make consecutive breakthroughs to the fifth level of the Nascent Qi Realm.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡®This, this might be a problem, if it¡¯s at the fifth level, then its equivalent to a human sixth level.¡¯


    Lute instantly took a stance, with techniques, he was confident in going up against a fifth level Nascent Qi Cultivator, fighting them to a draw at the least. But this was different; it was a Nascent Beast at the fifth level, which was outside the range where he felt comfortable.


    The Twin Tail Thunder Leopard eyed Lute viciously, now that it felt its true strength levels returning, it was confident that killing Lute wouldn¡¯t be too far out of reach.


    With renewed vigor, it charged once again, its speed had increased by nearly ten times because at the fifth level of the Nascent Qi realm, it was in the intermediate stage, the difference in strength between a cultivator at the third level and the fourth level was a difference of three to five times depending on talent, foundation, and luck.


    But the Twin Tail Thunder Leopard had jumped in cultivation an entire four levels, and it was a Vicious Beast exhibiting strength of a sixth level Nascent Qi cultivator, Lute couldn¡¯t hold back much anymore.


    When the Twin Tail Thunder Leopard once again sprinted at full strength towards Lute, he felt a sense of foreboding even though his mind was calm, and crystal clear. It was moving quickly, but just barely at the level where he could still evade in time.


    Unable to suppress himself anymore, Lute used the Qi Burst Steps, instantaneously moving in a straight line. With each evasion, he was now truly evading by a hairs width. Every strike of the Twin Tail Thunder Leopard was far stronger than previously, every strike with the clear intent to kill.


    Toros was delighted; he hadn¡¯t had so much fun for a long time. This child was giving him more surprises by the second. He went from being unable to use his movement technique proficiently to almost the level of mastery in a mere second.


    ¡°You truly did bring an interesting person, never have I seen someone try to hide their strength during the admittance trials of the Fallen Tide Hall. It really was right to agree to ¡°Their¡± request to interfere and make his trials more difficult.¡±


    ¡°Who do you mean, when you say ¡°Their Request¡±, it¡¯s not like you to listen to anyone except for the Sect Master but he¡¯s been missing for years?¡± Alda asked her tone slightly pensive.


    ¡°Heh, if you need to know that answer, then you will know, but right now you don¡¯t need to know, so you won¡¯t get an answer. But let us watch the show, the little beasty will soon begin to use its famed lightning.¡± Toros said while seemingly in a dazed state, he was almost ignoring Alda all together and was absorbed into watching Lute¡¯s every movement.


    Lute had showed him what true talent was, he had the same level of talent as someone who could join a Primordial Sect, and yet, here he was, attending their sect. He was a diamond that had to be polished, then maybe in a couple decades, the New Dawn Kingdom would have its first ever Overlord.


    Just as Toros predicted, the atmosphere changed in the caged area once again. There was thirty seconds left, and the Twin Tail Thunder Leopard was thoroughly enraged.


    Purple lights gathered around its body, congregating upon the paws. With a thunderous roar, purple lightning then erupted from the Twin Tail Thunder Leopards body.


    Burning smells and cackling sensations overrode Lute¡¯s senses. The sense of danger he felt rose to an enormous degree. This was probably the next most life threatening circumstance he was in since having to open the First Path of New Beginnings.


    The Twin Tail Thunder Leopard instantaneously moved; Lute couldn¡¯t even see its movements anymore because of the speed.


    ¡®Its speed rose beyond the sixth level! Is this the power of lightning from the third rank?¡¯


    Only when the Spirit Opening Realm was reached could someone start sensing the world around them from a spiritual view. At this time, light, darkness, the elements, even time and space; any attribute that could be sensed, could be manipulated. Among them was lightning. This element was the fastest moving and although there was a misconceived notion that fire held the most destructive capabilities, which was only true if it was an area of affect attack; Lightning actually held the most destructive power.


    Lightning, the element that was known as Heaven¡¯s Wrath because it was tribulation lightning that struck cultivators if they broke a vow sworn upon the Heavens. It was the strongest single target attack element, most suitable for a one versus one scenario. The power of lightning lied in its extremely destructive and unstable strength as well as its ability to pierce through defenses because of this unstableness.


    Lightning was the hardest element to control of all, it was extremely unpredictable and the slightest mistake would cause a cultivator to become severely injured, or in the worst case scenario, crippled.


    It was precisely this reason that Lute was now at an extreme disadvantage. Not only was he lower in cultivation, but he couldn¡¯t use any attributes as he hadn¡¯t achieved the Spirit Opening Realm. Even more so, he was against a lightning user, which excelled in one versus one, or in some cases, small group battles of at the most.


    There were three disadvantages of a Lightning manipulator; first it was extremely difficult to control and more often than not, led to severe injuries due to a backlash of power, because of this, the number of people that used lightning on the Crimson Tide Continent was by far the fewest at a ratio of one for every ten thousand.


    They also had weaker defenses as they were typically all-in offensive fighters, aggressive and disregarding anything except raw attack power and speed.


    The other disadvantage was they didn¡¯t excel in group combat. In any situation where they were fighting more than three people at once, they would struggle as lightning didn¡¯t excel in area of effect attacks like fire. Often times, this was how a lightning user died, they would find themselves in a one versus five scenarios and die because of this weakness.


    From another point of view, it could be seen as them being overly powerful because more than three people would be needed to assuredly kill a lightning user, preventing them from escaping, as even in a one versus three, they could usually fight to a draw or escape if the cultivation levels were the same.


    ''What Lute was dealing with now, a lightning beast, who was not only above him in cultivation, but it was also a one on one fight, and he couldn¡¯t use attributes yet.


    However, Lute continuously dodged, expending all of his Qi and focusing completely upon dodging. Each time he did so, it was because he began moving before the Twin Tail Thunder Leopard actually attacked, from living in the mountains for so long, and slaughtering so many Vicious Beasts, he could accurately predict where it would attack, and move beforehand.


    Only in this way did Lute survive. If even one attack hit him, even with the Primordial First Physique, he would suffer serious injuries. This was the limit of his abilities at the moment, he couldn¡¯t even put up a fight, the moment he had any other thought than trying to predict the attacks of the Twin Tail Thunder Leopard, he could be considered dead unless an Elder intervened.


    The time slowly ticked down, only ten seconds left, and Lute was running off of fumes. His Qi was practically dried up, with but a few drops of Qi left. In order to survive, he hadn¡¯t stopped using the Qi Burst Steps even once; he was in a deadly dance where one misstep would be his death.


    The Twin Tail Thunder Leopard hadn¡¯t grown weaker in its attacks, but at the least it didn¡¯t grow any stronger, or it would¡¯ve seriously been able to kill Lute with only one attack.


    Over the course of the combat that ensued, its entire body instead of just its paws had become covered in lightning. The purple flashing color was extremely dangerous, yet eye catching. As time finally hit zero, Lute used up the last of his Qi and dodged once again, but this time, a strand of lightning barely touched the skin of his right cheek.


    An immediate burning sensation came from that spot, and then numbness struck. This tiny amount of lightning made Lute lose all the feeling from the right side of his face down to the right shoulder. Truly a terrifying concept, as the lighting only flickered past his right cheek.


    It was truly an eye opening experience, an enlightenment that would aid for the future. The power of lightning, Lute was entranced by it; the destructive beauty of it was mesmerizing. Perhaps this was the first Negative Origin Body he would try to create. With it, he wouldn¡¯t need to fear the backlash of lightning running rampant through his body unstably.


    This wild and unrestrained power, Lute wanted it. If there was any choice, lighting would be the first thing he was going to comprehend once he entered the Spirit Opening Realm.

 Chapter 36

    Time had run out, Lute was void of all Qi. The stress upon his body finally began to release as he was no longer in danger.


    The suppressing formation around the cage once again reactivated, forcibly suppressing the Twin Tail Thunder Leopard¡¯s cultivation to the Nascent Qi first level. Losing its ability to use lightning, it became of no threat to Lute; he could take it one with his physical body alone, without using the slightest amount of Qi.


    Only when chains once again clamped around the Twin Tail Thunder Leopards neck did Lute relax, collapsing to the ground, gasping for breath, ¡°That¡­. That was¡­. Much harder than expected, to think that its cultivation would raise so much in less than a minute.


    Only after a few minutes of resting did Lute finally sit up from the ground, walking slowly outside of the cage. When he left, his eyes fell upon the Elder who was supposed to be his judge, and annoyance filled his eyes. Why wasn¡¯t he told that the Nascent Beast would suddenly rise in power?


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stop the trial? That beast almost killed me!¡± Lute asked because he didn¡¯t like risking his life because due to being misinformed, a mistake he wouldn¡¯t make again.


    The Elder looked up from the sheet he was recording times upon. Many names were already crossed out as more than half of the trial participants failed. His expression was showing that he didn¡¯t understand what Lute was so angry about. He passed, although he struggled.


    The Elder replied curtly, ¡°Why are you so upset boy, it was only rank two beast at the beginning stages. Although you looked to be struggling slightly, and you aren¡¯t too competent with the Qi Burst Steps, you still passed.¡±


    ¡®Huh, early stage second rank? What is he talking about, that was clearly a Vicious Beast that was at the fifth level of the Nascent Qi Realm, and it even had powers that it should only acquire when it achieves rank three.¡¯


    As Lute was about to retort, he forced the words back down his throat. This Elder just said that the Twin Tail Thunder Leopard was only in the early stages of its cultivation realm?


    Lutes eyes grew cold and he turned around, stalking off to wait for the next trial. As always, Lute was adept at noticing abnormalities in other¡¯s speech. Clearly someone interfered with his trial again. Not only did they know his true strength, they were forcing him to transcend his limits each time. First it was in the Martial Heart trial, and now in the comprehension trial.


    Each time, he went into the trial expecting to hold back his power. Hiding it, making sure that no one knew what he was capable of. It was the best method to stay alive, as long as he passed unnoticed through the trials, no one would pay special attention to him, except for anyone with a grudge against the Windcross House like Elias.


    But now, only one person came to mind. Toros, the cultivator who was stronger than even Alda, he already interfered with one of Lute¡¯s trials so why wouldn¡¯t he do it again?


    ¡®Humph, he clearly is forcing me to break my limits each time. Alda must have told him of my strength. But apparently he understands my thought process, hiding the true events that happened during my trial with an illusion, how crafty of you.¡¯


    A cruel light flashed through Lutes eyes as he said to no one in particular, ¡°Alright I¡¯ll play your game. You want to test my limits, then I will show them to you, let¡¯s see if you can keep my true abilities hidden from the eyes of the masses, it¡¯ll be a game between you and me.¡±


    Hidden in the surrounding area, Toros grinned; Lute discovered it was him almost immediately after this trial. He heard every word in clarity, every word Lute said, it made his mood rise in elation.


    Toros chucked as he said, ¡°You show me your limits, and I will hide your true abilities from the masses. An interesting game indeed, if I am forced to save you because you reach your limits, then I would have to directly interfere with the trials and lift the illusions exposing the both of us, in which case everyone would know your true power. Quite the risky game we will have, I will enjoy this and savor it to its fullest!¡±


    Although Lute didn¡¯t hear Toros say this, or expect him to hear what he had said about playing a game. He did have the feeling that Toros would interfere again. But this time he would go in prepared.


    The third trial was all about fighting to your absolute limit. Entering an illusionary world, countless illusions would assault the cultivator, growing progressively stronger each time. Sometimes they would attack in groups, other times it would only be one. But eventually a cultivator would fall, unable to free themselves from the formation.


    In order to pass, it was required that at least twenty illusions of appropriate cultivation levels were killed off within half an hour. If time ran out or the cultivator failed to kill the required number of illusions, they would fail the trial.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Although it was simple in theory, it was actually the hardest trial. This trial simulated what it would be like in a real life and death situation. It wasn¡¯t a sparring session where the disciple could just back out when they became tired.


    In this trial, they would feel pain as if they really suffered the injury, they would experience what it¡¯s like to fight with their life on the line, but most importantly they would realize that the world wasn¡¯t fair, and eventually succumb under the combined strength of many illusions ganging up on them, showing that in combat, sometimes it was one against many.


    Most participants would be weak willed and give up after feeling real pain for the first time. This was why it was the hardest trial, anyone that was a coward would eliminate themselves by giving up, refusing to suffer through the pain. In this way, the top two hundred that were left, they had the proper mindset, that in order to advance they would need to suffer.


    Lute waited for this trial with anticipation, he didn¡¯t fear battles, and he lived every day of his life like this for many months. Instead, he was excited, as he knew he couldn¡¯t die, he could fight until he technically ¡°Died¡±. He was predicting that Toros would interfere with his trial, making it harder.


    Fighting at a disadvantage, fighting one against many, dancing upon the edge of life and death, Lute was excited for such a battle. This trial, he was hoping it would give him the sufficient pressure that was needed to break through and finish the last half step he needed to shatter the bottleneck that was the wall into the Nascent Qi Realm.


    At long last, with only four hundred trial participants remaining, it was time for the last trial. With no exceptions, two hundred participants were going to be eliminated.


    Lute stood silently, meditating and preparing mentally for this trial.


    ¡®Up to the second level of the Nascent Qi Realm, I don¡¯t need to use any Qi. Due to my strong physique, I should be able to beat the illusions to death. From the third level on, which is when I need to be the most careful, not wasting any of my Qi.¡¯


    The announcer stated the rules which were simple, if you didn¡¯t kill enough, or time expires, you were disqualified. If there were more than two hundred who successfully completed the trials, there wouldn¡¯t be exceptions, everyone would gain one hour rest and then retake the trial, until there was only two hundred trial participants remaining.


    Without any more time to wait, every trial participant, including Lute lined up. Just like last trial, each of them would enter their own illusionary realm, but this time, it was a battlefield created based upon the worst fears of the cultivator. This trial was meant to bring out every last ounce of power from the participants, and fear was a great motivator, it could cause even the weak to have a short burst of power.


    As light enveloped Lute¡¯s consciousness, he opened his eyes. He was no longer within a void, which was his inner self. Instead he was once again on a field of carnage. The sky rained blood; the atmosphere was permeated by the smell of rotting flesh. No matter where he looked, bones and flesh were littered upon the ground. It was a mass graveyard.


    Lute calmed his mind, and cultivated, although he was in the formation, it was still an hour before the trial would officially start. Lute prepared by absorbing Qi. He was already at maximum strength, but instead he had an idea, it was based off what Isla had once said would happen if he closed the First Path of New Beginnings while he had absorbed the extra Qi into his body that it would allow.


    His body would be put under stress because of having more Qi than his body should be able to bear after losing the extra space the First Path gave him to store Qi.


    With this idea in mid, Lute forcefully absorbed more Qi than his body could bear. He kept at it until his Spiritual Gods Meridians and Dantian were full, so much so to the point they had swelled. Lute felt slightly sluggish, but it wouldn¡¯t affect his ability to fight.


    The reasoning behind this, he wanted to have an advantage, even if it was minute. This extra Qi, even if it only allowed him to achieve one more Exploding Palm, or one more Qi Burst Step, it was still helpful. He would willingly feel bloated to get even one more attack off before he was forced to surrender.


    Slowly, Lute adapted to the bloated feelings within his meridians and dantian. With the trial about to start, he was ready. Whatever Toros decided to do in order to make it harder, he was prepared, nothing would surprise him.


    A thunderous roar shook the blood colored skies within Lute¡¯s illusionary world. Lights descended from the sky, and the figures that appeared were sentinels, covered in full body armor, with a myriad of weapons. Some had bows, some had spears, while others had swords, shields, or war hammers.


    The only commonality between every single one of these sentinels was that each and every one was accompanied by a Vicious Beast. Some were avian, others were land based. There wasn¡¯t a sentinel that didn¡¯t have a pet with it. Every single entity was at the first level of the Nascent Qi Realm.


    Lute¡¯s blood began to boil; he excitedly released his Slaughter Aura at full strength. This was a challenge he was looking forward to. A pressure upon him that would aid in helping the bottleneck into the Nascent Qi Realm, it was everything he wanted.


    Toros had really done as promised, the game had now begun, Lute was able to go all out, Toros had meddled with the formation Lute was in, but now, Lute was on his own, because there was one difference with his formation compared to every other participant.


    He had to survive for the half an hour. If he were to give up or ¡°Die¡± beforehand he would be found out by the Elders presiding over the trial. This was the game that made not only Toros elated, and excited as he enjoyed wagers like these, but Lute also was ecstatic as well, he would be able to go all out, and with such a risk, it made him feel even more alive, as now, he absolutely couldn¡¯t ¡°Die¡± in a trial where you technically could receive a fatal injury, but you would be ejected from the formation.


    With his Slaughter Aura at maximum effect, Lute wore a maniacal expression, a twisted smile was upon his face, his hair danced as if it was on fire, and his eyes became the eyes of a killer¡­ no, they were the eyes of a War God. He wanted to bathe in carnage, much like the bloody world before him.


    With strong will to annihilate all before him, Lute¡¯s voice was ice cold as he said his favorite saying for when his blood was truly boiling and he wanted to fight.


    ¡°If it¡¯s a battle you want¡­ I shall give you a war instead.¡±

 Chapter 37

    The third trial had begun. Within his personal illusionary world, Lutes¡¯ blood was boiling in excitement. He felt an overwhelming urge to annihilate the enemies before him. His Slaughter Aura was overwhelming, but against illusionary entities that had no souls, they were unaffected, standing still and motionless like statues.


    What descended from the bloody sky were sentinels. They were covered in full body plate armor. They all had different weapons. There were spears, bows, one handed and two handed swords, axes, maces, flails, and even fist weapons. The sentinels had a vast array of fighting styles at their disposal due to the myriad weapons.


    They were all humanoid, standing even taller than Lute, the plate armor they wore was black, and seemed to suck light into it. But the most noticeable features were the eyes, there were none! In place of the eyes was a fog-like substance that varied in colors, some were crimson, others blue, even purple, and green were among them. What this signified, Lute didn¡¯t know, but he wasn¡¯t afraid.


    The totals number of sentinels numbered around twenty, then each one had a Vicious Beast as well. Avian predatory birds, feline panthers, wolves, bears, serpents, lizards, even massive spiders that were the size of a full grown human, with fangs that secreted venom.


    All in all, Lute was facing nearly forty foes all alone, without anyone to aid him. If it were anyone else, they would¡¯ve probably given up immediately, even if they were a late stage Nascent Qi Cultivator as they would be overwhelmed by the sheer difference in numbers. However for Lute, he was instead itching for combat.


    The fundamental strength difference for Lute and the average man were different; this was why he didn¡¯t fear such a vast difference in numbers. Due to the Primordial First Physique, up to the second level of the Nascent Qi Realm, he didn¡¯t feel the need to use his Qi. When he was up against the equivalent of the third level within the Nascent Qi Realm, he would have to start using some of his Qi, and at the fourth level, this was when Lute needed to be serious, and against the fifth level, he would need to have the utmost concentration, not wasting the slightest amount of Qi or he would lose. As for the sixth level onwards, he had no chance of winning, and would be forced into retreat.


    Right now, he held no fear for his life at all, as long as he didn¡¯t get cocky, slaughtering this group of nearly forty opponents with pure physical strength alone was inconsequential, and at the most, he would be slightly short of breath.


    Lute¡¯s eyes flashed with murderous intent, with a slight breeze his hair began dancing around as if on fire. With his Slaughter Aura released, Lute formed one of the evasive stances learned from the Thousand Ways Scripture. He refused to utilize Qi Explosion Tactics.


    ¡®Once I face opponents at the third level, that¡¯s when I shall use my techniques. But the most important factor of all, I can¡¯t defeat them too quickly, I have to last for half an hour after all, if they jump in strength too much, that is the equivalent of asking for failure.¡¯


    No matter how much his blood was boiling and he wanted to fight, Lute remained rational, judging all that was before him, he deemed the greatest threat as the bow user.


    ¡®Found you, you¡¯ll cause the most problems if I am stuck in a melee, shooting me when I am occupied with the others, so I am sorry but your life is now forfeit.¡¯


    With this final thought, Lute let his violent thoughts take control and he thought of nothing except extinguishing the sentinel that wielded the bow. It was his only goal and he would do nothing else until it was accomplished.


    Springing forward, the bloody ground cracked underneath Lute, he ran straight into the group of Sentinels and Vicious Beast illusions. The moment he sprang into action, so did they. Killing Intent manifested from all of them and combined into one mass. But this wasn¡¯t a problem at all for Lute who used Slaughter Aura. Even if it was Killing Intent from a peak Heavenly Emperor, he would be unfazed.


    The first opponents Lute encountered were spear wielders and avian birds, while the spears pierced towards all of Lutes¡¯ vitals, the birds dove towards his eyes, attempting to block his vision.


    With just this much information, Lute could tell they were a far more experienced than the disciples he encountered from Fallen Tide Hall previously; they only knew how to spar and didn¡¯t understand how to truly survive on a field of life and death. For many, this trial would be the first experience of such an environment.


    Lute seemed as if he was dancing. Utilizing the Thousand Ways Scripture stances that emphasized speed and evasion, he lithely moved in and out of the spears thrusted at him. Whenever a bird swooped down, he glided out of its trajectory.


    It was only a few seconds, but now the sentinels that wielded spears were at Lute¡¯s back and he ignored them. He continued to rush into the mass of adversaries. His vision was locked onto the lone bow user that was situated at the back of the group who was taking aim at him. He held no one else in sight; it was the eyes of a reaper that locked onto this sentinel.


    Continuing to evade in rapid succession, Lute didn¡¯t feel pressured yet, he hadn¡¯t used any Qi and despite how fast he was moving, he hadn¡¯t even depleted any of his stamina.


    As Vicious Beasts would pounce toward him, and sentinels hacked, thrusted, or slashed at Lute, he avoided them all. No matter how quick they tried to move, their physical strength, and reflexes were all below Lute. It was a vast chasm between skill levels.


    Swatting away the last Vicious Beast, a panther, Lute now only had the bow user in his sights. His Slaughter Aura surged, the intent to kill reached its peak. Lute dove forward, fluidly moving through the stances, switching to an offensive stance from evasive and struck the sentinel with his fist.


    Despite wearing plate armor, Lute¡¯s fist was strong enough that it caved in the armor; a metallic thud resounded from his strike. Forget illusions, even a real opponent that was in the same position as this illusionary sentinel, even if they were at the fourth level, would still suffer serious damage, as the sentinel didn¡¯t even attempt to defend because Lute was too quick.


    Withdrawing his fist, Lute watched as the sentinel dropped to the ground, its body began to dissipate, its purple clouds that were in the place of eyes floated down to the ground and remained there unmoving and idle.


    Lute instantly turned around, now that the greatest threat was gone, without even a chance to retaliate, he was now free to rampage to his heart¡¯s content. Lutes eyes seemed to change once again. This time instead of a reaper locking onto a single target, his eyes now radiated an unsurpassed bloodlust.


    Slamming his legs into the ground, Lute¡¯s muscles could be seen rippling as he catapulted high into the air by using the ground as a spring board. While rising into the air, Lute settled upon his next target, it was the spider secreting venom and attempting to spit it towards him.


    Falling down, Lute slammed onto the top of it, thoroughly crushing it. But when he killed it, Lute was slightly surprised. Its body had collapsed far too easily.


    ¡®It seems that since these are illusions, it can¡¯t replicate the physique of a Vicious Beast. For one that is rank two, its physique might be weaker than even some rank ones.¡¯


    As the spider dissipated, once again, Lute noticed that the colored clouds representing its eyes, just like the previous victim of Lute¡¯s wrath floated to the ground and sat there, idle and motionless.


    But Lute didn¡¯t care about what this meant or the reasoning behind it; instead he had a malicious smile upon his face. The illusions of vicious beasts couldn¡¯t replicate the physiques of the ones they were created from as a reference.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡®This just got easier, that means if it¡¯s at the nascent first level, then is its real strength won¡¯t be comparable to a second level. Perhaps this is the same for the sentinels; maybe they are weaker than the average first level Nascent Qi cultivator.¡¯


    The sentinels slashed at Lute after he landed, attempting to block all paths of retreat. But Lute never intended to retreat from the beginning, estimating how much time had passed, roughly five minutes, Lute began to once again begin his deadly dance of evasion, moving within the attack range of a sentinel or beast wherever he moved. Making slow deliberate movements, he stalled for time, but with every strike of Lute, something would die, falling to the ground dissipating, and leaving behind the mysterious clouds each time.


    After a few minutes, the bloody plains of carnage grew quiet; Lute exterminated the last sentinel, one that wielded a heavy sword. With his physical strength he directly clashed with a strike from the sword, and despite an initial stalemate, Lute won, smashing his fist into the area where a dantian would¡¯ve been had it not been an illusion.


    Despite having a slightly labored breath, Lute felt fine, there was nothing difficult about this first part of the trial. Within a minute, his breathing and heart rate returned to normal. Then, as if on que, light fell from the sky and enveloped the clouds that littered the ground, about forty in all.


    Images of all the slain foes reappeared, and the clouds once again rose up. The illusionary images of every foe that he just killed reappeared however the air about them was fundamentally different.


    Lute narrowed his eyes, attempting to figure out what the difference was.


    ¡®Nascent Qi second level¡­.no¡­.. It¡¯s not just that, it seems that these images have the ability to learn.¡¯


    Within Lutes¡¯ vision, every opponent had increased one sub realm. But this wasn¡¯t the most important fact that made him cautious. Instead, the illusions seemingly learned from the last killing festival that Lute had partook in.


    They were in a close knit formation. With the bow user hidden at the very back, the spear users were lined with spears pointed out. In between the spears, lowered to the ground, ready to pounce were the entire melee Vicious Beasts. At their flanks, were any Vicious Beasts that were like the spider and capable of using ranged attacks.


    The avian birds flew around, trying to distract Lute. As for all the other sentinels, they manned the flanks of the formation, prepared for Lute. This was why Lute was cautious, it wasn¡¯t that they increased in cultivation, but the atmosphere around them was completely different, tactics were being utilized and it would no doubt be harder to rampage freely without suffering injuries.


    ¡®Perhaps this will be much harder than I previously thought, even though my strength is superior, if they utilize tactics and teamwork, I might actually sustain injuries versus them.¡¯


    But no sooner did Lute have this thought; he gave the illusionary foes a vicious grin, full of his bloodlust. Even if he was now at a disadvantage, Lute was still prepared to win.


    With a voice full of killing intent, Lute spoke to the illusionary images, even if he knew that they could not understand human speech.


    ¡°No matter what you do¡­.Your lives are all forfeit!¡±


    After saying something this overbearing, Lute didn¡¯t fail to back up his words with action. He recklessly charged forward. Not worrying about the time as almost more than half had now passed and he already doubled the requirement of slaughtering twenty opponents.


    Taking into account that his adversaries were utilizing teamwork and had learned after being killed the way Lute fought, he instead chose to not become rash and not believe only in the Primordial First Physique. Lute began to revolve his Qi; he was going to limitedly use the Qi Explosion Tactics.


    Revolving his Qi at full strength, Lute confidently began walking towards the group of Sentinels and their beasts. This caused them to become slightly confused, Lute¡¯s actions were not the same as before, he wasn¡¯t blindly rushing into them.


    Despite this, they didn¡¯t lower their guard, no matter how close Lute approached. When he was almost within striking range of the spear wielders, one of the Vicious Beasts illusions grew impatient. It jumped out from the formation at Lute who was walking forward confidently.


    As it pounced towards Lute¡¯s throat, it failed to strike Lute. Lute had become blurry; an instantaneous movement from Qi Burst Steps had allowed him to move to the left, it was almost quick enough to the point that it could form the haziest of an afterimage.


    Instead of killing Lute, the beast had met with a fist to the face; Lute¡¯s fist had caved in its skull. Had it not been an illusion, and was a real Vicious Beast at the rank two level, it might¡¯ve survived that strike, albeit with heavy injuries. But for an illusion whose physique was hardly on par with a rank one beast, they were like cannon fodder to Lute.


    Now that one was down, Lute found his opening. The last Qi Burst Steps he used was only one step of the five he could utilize. This time he began to utilize the full strength of the movement technique, bursting forward in sets of five steps. With the full strength of Qi Burst Steps, the opening in the formation caused by the death of one beast had given Lute the chance he was waiting for.


    The Sentinels all converged upon the weak point in the formation, but it was too late. Lute dove into it, and carnage ensued. Lute evaded until the enemies had clumped up around him, only to be met with an Exploding Palm. The force of the strike would immediately kill one sentinel or beast. Every time they tried to strike Lute, Qi Burst Guard would rebound the force of their attack against them, and as illusionary images that had physiques which were weak; the injuries caused from the backlash were severe.


    As Lute had rebound another sentinels strike against them, a sort of sixth sense activated one which he honed for years. Lute immediately dove forward, but it was too late. An arrow, one condensed from Qi, allowing it to possess a strong piercing power struck Lute¡¯s right shoulder blade, viciously tearing the muscle and causing slight fractures in the bone.


    If his Primordial First Physique wasn¡¯t nearing the second level, his entire shoulder would¡¯ve been blown off, forcing Lute to forfeit. Luckily, the strength of his body was almost at the peak of the strength it could achieve within the first level of the Primordial First Physique.


    Struggling to stand up while deflecting attacks, Lutes eyes turned slightly blood shot, locking on to the bow user from before. He had judged correctly, it should¡¯ve been killed first.


    Revolving his Qi at full strength, Lute thrust forward, suffering some cuts and bruises in the process as he disregarded everything but the sentinel wielding the bow in his vision.


    Appearing in front of it, he savagely struck with an Exploding Palm from extreme close range. The entire upper half of its body ceased to exist at that moment.


    ¡°You reap what you sow, now lie there dead for a while before I come to kill you again.¡±


    As he spoke, Lute locked his vision onto the remaining opponents, about thirteen left. He had spent roughly twenty minutes in here, and gained a new gauge of his strength. Although they were easily crushed, the sheer numbers and tactics of the Sentinels and Beasts were making up for their lack of attack power. Lute had started to accumulate small injuries that were becoming worse with every other one he acquired.


    This was a valuable experience, allowing Lute to understand that even though individually he completely eclipsed their power, he wasn¡¯t strong enough where he could take on an infinite number of opponents at this level yet without suffering an injury.


    His body was ravaged by small cuts and bruises, but they were negligible for now, the only one worth paying attention to was his mangled right shoulder, it had become stiff, and moving it took a second longer than normal.


    Lute locked his Slaughter Aura onto his remaining opponents, the will to annihilate them rising within, ¡°Why don¡¯t we finish this, if you had souls, they would become mere food for me.¡±


    Lute dashed forward, this time without the Qi Burst Steps, or using any Qi. He¡¯d expended about forty percent of his reserves; this was far more than he anticipated. But for only thirteen opponents, he felt that it would be safe to only use his physical strength.


    Approaching one of the remaining sentinels, Lute clashed head on with it. Both of them crashing their fists together, naturally, Lute came out the victor. Completely crushing the fist and arm of the Sentinel; warping its Fist Weapon until it crumpled and further crushed the sentinel¡¯s hand.


    Lute didn¡¯t meander, quickly finishing it off with a fist to the chest, he moved on to each opponent, until there was only one left. It was once again the heavy sword wielder. Rather than clash directly, Lute waited for it to make a strike. As every time it attacked, a large opening in its defenses would occur.


    Missing Lute, the heavy sword slammed into the ground. With this opportunity, Lute struck. He used Qi one last time, using Exploding Palm; he annihilated the legs of the Sentinel intentionally. Keeping it alive, not allowing it to dissipate.


    ¡°Good, that should leave me with enough time.¡± Lute said, with a relieved look.


    Retreating a large distance, Lute sat down onto the ground with a Lotus Position. He purposely destroyed the legs of the last remaining sentinel. As long as it was alive, the rest wouldn¡¯t respawn. Since it couldn¡¯t move, Lute had retreated nearly 100 meters. He was sitting on the ground, focusing on recovering his Qi and meditating.


    He expended far more Qi than intended, and he also realized that despite being weak, each wave became stronger not only in cultivation, but also in decision making, they were learning the way Lute fought, adapting to fight him and nullify his fighting style.


    If time ran out while he was regaining strength, then so be it, Lute was content with what he learned from this experience, he learned new limits of his strength, not for a one versus one, but for one versus many. The fundamental mindset when approaching these scenarios¡¯ was different. Now, he felt that no matter what situation he found himself in, or how outnumbered he would be, he would be able to adapt quickly.


    After nearly three minutes passed, as Lute was regaining strength, he failed to notice all the previously idle cloud eyes were slowly floating towards the last remaining sentinel.

 Chapter 38

    All of the clouds that represented eyes moved to the crippled sentinel. Merging into one large mass, they then let the sentinel absorb them. Almost immediately, it swelled in size. The legs regrew, the sentinel¡¯s cloud eyes became multicolored, a mixture of the eye color of all beasts and sentinel illusions that Lute had slaughtered


    Its body armor also became multicolored; the heavy sword remained blood red. The aura around its body swelled until it was at the fifth level of the Nascent Qi Realm almost on the verge of breaking through to the sixth level.


    Lute who was meditating, opened his eyes, shocked at first, but then understanding dawned upon him.


    ¡®I see, in order to prevent recovery time, no matter how small; this is the failsafe mechanism that shall force me to fail.


    Lute stood up, he barely recovered even ten percent of his Qi, and he was still thirty percent short of a full recovery. If he was at full strength he might¡¯ve grudgingly went blow for blow with the Sentinel, trying to whittle down the remaining seven minutes of time.


    Instead, Lute decided to cut his losses and run since he was already over one hundred meters separated from the Sentinel. Without even thinking of preserving his Qi, Lute revolved it at full strength, and utilized the Qi Burst Steps to their limit.


    He immediately dashed away, increasing the distance between him and the Sentinel. Every step shattered the ground beneath him, every step propelled him further and further away.


    As much as he wanted to fight, Lute knew that this was one he wouldn¡¯t be able to win, no matter how hard he tried, it was better to run away and let the time run out.


    Although his actions were unexpected as previously Lute was rashly charge into a head on clash. The sentinel quickly recovered. It made large bounding strides that would propel it forward, every step thunderous under its weight.


    Hearing the Sentinel slowly close the distance, Lute furiously overdrew his Qi, forcing more and more power into the Qi Burst Steps, barely a minute had passed, there were still six left, and the sentinel was gaining on him.


    Off in the distance, instead of a bloody field of carnage, blood colored trees appeared. Lute changed directions and charged towards the forest edge. It was here he that would become his saving grace.


    Boom!


    Off to his left, a crater formed next to Lute. If he was hit, forget about having a strong body, he would¡¯ve exploded.


    ¡®What the hell was that, had I been a few feet to my left I would have been forced to forfeit.¡¯


    Quickly glancing behind him, Lute was barely able to make out a condensed arrow made of Qi travelling on a trajectory, its target, his face.


    Lute yelped in surprise and dove to the left, barely dodging the arrow as it caused another crater to form, this one, even larger than the last.


    ¡°Seriously, he can morph his weapon to all the previous illusions?!¡±


    Lute shouted in dismay, but there was no one to answer his dumbfounded plea. So he kept running for his life, overdrawing his Qi, forcing every last drop of its power out, all in the hopes of surviving.


    Nearly three minutes were left, as Lute dodged arrow after arrow; he finally made it to the forest edge. Now, instead of craters, trees were exploding everywhere within his general vicinity due to the force of the condensed Qi arrows.


    Within the forest, Lute could hear sentinel smashing trees left and right with what was now a Warhammer. Trees were completely decimated. But instead of trying to escape, Lute focused on suppressing his aura and cultivation, through this method, hopefully the sentinel wouldn¡¯t lock onto his aura.


    Choosing to climb up the tallest tree he could find, Lute watch as the sentinel loomed ever closer, demolishing every tree within its path. Attempting to find Lute within this thick blood colored foliage.


    But it was to no avail, Lute had survived long enough in forests to know how to evade detection, and with his aura suppressed. He jumped from tree top to tree top observing every action the Sentinel took, attempting to find its weak point.


    ¡®Should I even try to assassinate it? I have never attempted such an action before, and its cultivation is far superior to mine, would I even be able to kill it in one strike?¡¯


    Such thoughts were running rampant through Lute. If he was in his peak condition, then he would¡¯ve most certainly tried it. But after overdrawing all of hi Qi, forcing out more power than ever before, he only had about twenty percent of his reserves left. This was only enough for a few Qi Burst Steps or Explosive Palms.


    The sentinel began to rage, annoyed that it couldn¡¯t find its prey, it began to furiously release strikes with ever increasing power, destroying multiple trees at once instead of just one at a time.


    With every strike containing its full power, Lute noticed the Sentinel begin to weaken, its cultivation was actually starting to drop because it only had a fixed amount of power and if it used all of, then it would dissipate. Lute failed to notice this before because he killed the illusions so quickly, had he fought a war of attrition, and forced them to expend the life force sustaining them, then he would¡¯ve noticed sooner.


    The sentinel fell to the strength of someone that just barely broke through to the Nascent Qi fifth level. Which still eclipsed the current Lute¡¯s strength, but as it was still continuing to release strikes at its full power it kept weakening.


    Lute¡¯s eyes flashed with a cruel glint, they were the same as a predator that stalked its prey for days. ¡°Found your weakness.¡±


    Lute muttered this with a cold edge to his voice, with barely thirty seconds left, he wanted to try and assassinate his opponent.


    Jumping from tree top to tree top, Lute positioned himself above the sentinel. With a murderous look in his eyes, and barely ten seconds left, he jumped. In the same manner as how he killed of the illusionary spider, Lute focused every last strand of Qi he had, forcing it all out, he wouldn¡¯t have any left after this attack.


    The Sentinel felt Lute¡¯s overflowing Slaughter Aura and as it looked up, it was too late. Lute released the Exploding Palm Technique from his legs, which was one of his newest adjustments to the technique, allowing him to release it from other parts of his body aside from the hand.


    The strike, amplified by this technique, caused a thunderous roar. Lutes foot collided with the base of the Sentinels neck, causing it to shatter. With just a few seconds left on the timer, Lute followed through with the entire attack, causing his leg to bury itself into the back of the Sentinel.


    It didn¡¯t dissipate, but was severely injured, it began to swing its large weapon, the warhammer, clumsily in an attempt to retaliate but it was too late.


    3¡­


    2¡­


    1¡­


    0¡­


    Light flashed, and as the Warhammer was about to connect with Lute, he disappeared, once again he was standing with many other competitors, all of which were just as devoid of Qi and stamina as he was.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡®Looks like I am not the only one who struggled.¡¯


    As he looked around, Lute realized that the test catered to each individual, increasing to a strength that would push you to your limits. For Lute, this was especially noticeable as he and Toros had a game. Lute had to survive an increased difficulty of the formation that Toros secretly meddled with, naturally, although it was a close call towards the end, Lute won.¡¯


    Looking around, off in the distance, Lute made eye contact with Toros, who gave him a secret thumbs up motion, outside of the view of anyone else. Only Lute noticed, he glanced at Toros, then he forced all thoughts from his mind. Sitting on the ground, he focused only on recovering Qi and stamina.


    There was only one test left, as for what that would be, he didn¡¯t know, but Lute was going to spend every precious second he could trying to regain the strength he lost in order to maximize his chances of passing, and entering as a formal disciple of the Fallen Tide Hall.


    There were only two-hundred trial participants left. From tests of the Martial Heart, comprehension and endurance, over one-thousand had been eliminated. As for the final trial, it had yet to be announced. The Fallen Tide Hall was letting the remaining participants recover their Qi reserves.


    Lute was focusing on restoring his Qi. But even more so, he was focusing on breaking through. After going through trials that originally should¡¯ve been easy but instead pushed him to his limits; he felt that he could take that final half of a step and become an authentic Nascent Qi cultivator.


    With each revolution of Qi, it condensed, purified, and grew in strength. Once Lute reached peak strength once again, he didn¡¯t stop his cultivation session. With every revolution and intake of Qi, his now bloated meridians and Dantian felt as if they were going to rupture. But he could feel the wall shattering by the second. Beyond it was a new realm of strength that he was on the cusp of connecting with.


    Lute perspired slightly as he forced the Qi through his body. Pain was noticeable as he kept absorbing strength from the world. With every revolution, the wall that blocked Lute from the well of power that was the Nascent Qi Realm began to crumble. Each passing moment, the gap was becoming more and more transparent and nonexistent.


    With thoughts of only advancing forward, Lute suddenly shivered, he felt his entire body jolt as if he was electrocuted. A thunderous roar shook his inner self. This was the first sign of the breakthrough occurring. Although feeling pain, Lute was excited.


    ¡®Finally, it¡¯s finally happening. My Dantian is forcefully expanding, strengthening, and adapting in order to act as a vessel for more power.¡¯


    With each passing second, Lute¡¯s Dantian expanded; in order to reach the Nascent Qi first level the Dantian needed to expand two to three times its size. This was where the age old saying of a first level Nascent Qi cultivator, no matter how weak, was able to take on three Peak Foundational Qi Cultivators at the same time came from.


    ¡®What is this? It¡¯s still not stopping?¡¯


    Lute completely focused upon even the infinitesimally small changes that occurred within his body. From what he knew, his Dantian had already reached the size needed to be a first level Nascent Qi cultivator.


    With each level of progress in the Nascent Qi Realm, the Dantian would increase anywhere from two to three times per level depending on the cultivators luck, talent, and whether they cultivated secret or taboo arts. If they were from the Divine Realm, bloodlines and their purity could also affect this.


    The Dantian would permanently stop expanding in size once the cultivator reached the peak of the Nascent Qi Realm, never able to expand in size again unless extreme heaven defying resources, and secret or taboo arts were used in tandem, but such events could only occur within the Divine Realm, and even then it was so rare that anyone who accomplished such a feat could be considered a legend.


    However, Lute¡¯s body had obtained a virtually perfect foundation. There would be no luck about it, his dantian was always going to increase in size to the limit of it capabilities without rupturing because his body could handle far more stress than someone else of his level.


    The Nascent Qi Realm wasn¡¯t about just increasing total quantity of Qi anymore. In order to breakthrough, it also required the Dantian to expand. With this breakthrough, Lute experienced what all cultivators went through, which was a brief moment in time where they became one with the world, allowing the intake of the world¡¯s power to increase to an extreme degree.


    For Lute who possessed the Primordial First Physique and already had a much faster intake of Qi, adding on this brief moment of becoming one with the world; the speed at which he absorbed Qi, purified it, and condensed it became tyrannical.


    As quickly as it began, the advancement ended. Lute who was basking in Qi of the world opened his eyes and reflexively made fists. Looking to his surroundings, people were staring at him, some with interest and some with pity.


    ¡®Why would they look at me in such a way? Did I do something¡­ Oh¡­¡¯


    Examining his body, Lute realized he completely skipped the first level of the Nascent Qi Realm, and also the second level. He leapt straight to the third level, and he was already closing in one the fourth level!


    Although Isla claimed that no one on the Crimson Tide Planet knew how to cultivate the proper method. For the most part, although they made many errors, most people knew not to rush cultivation, for it would hinder further growth.


    For those who knew Lute such as Alda and Isla, they wouldn¡¯t be worried. With a glance at Lute, they would be able to tell that Lute¡¯s foundation was incomparably firm, and this was the benefits. However some didn¡¯t know that and only saw Lute as a child who was immature, rushing his cultivation.


    ¡®I see, with the Divine Chronicle of the Primordial Way and becoming one with the world, as well as the fact my body already holds more Qi than most, it was able to support a breakthrough to this extent. Instead of increasing in size two to three times per level. My Dantian expanded roughly four times a level; this is most definitely the benefits of cultivating the proper way. However this shouldn¡¯t be too impressive in the Divine Realm, I¡¯m sure there are those who achieved an increase of five times a level.¡¯


    Lute was right and wrong; in the Divine Realm there were those who achieved an expansion of up to five times a level. No one had ever achieved a Dantian expansion of six times a level. However, the majority of people only had a Dantian expansion of three times a level.


    If you were a genius or had powerful bloodlines and arts, then you could achieve four times Dantian expansion. In order to achieve the five times limit, powerful and pure bloodlines were needed, as well as the proper resources. While Lute had one of the most powerful bloodlines, and it was extremely pure as it came directly from the Spiritual God himself, in the end, he was within the Mortal Realm, unable to acquire the resources to reach the five times Dantian expansion per level.


    Comparing his previous peak strength to what it was now, it was as if his previous Qi amount was a small stream of water filling a bucket. Now, it was like a river was flowing through his body and it was connected to a lake. The river being his meridians filled with Qi and the lake being his Dantian, full of even more Qi.


    ¡®With this new power, I should be able to fight late stage Nascent Qi cultivators. However, I probably still can¡¯t open the First Path of New Beginnings. The injuries suffered will be less as I advance, but they will still cause injuries great enough I will need multiple days of recovery. Perhaps when I break through in the Primordial First Physique, and achieve the Spirit Opening Realm, I will be able to keep the First Path open permanently.


    Lute stood up, stretching out his body, flexing and getting used to this new feeling. For the most part he understood what his new level of strength was. He felt as if he could easily fight against someone in the seventh  of the Nascent Qi Realm without fighting with his life on the line.


    After waiting for a while, the final test was soon to begin. During this time of waiting, Lute felt the piercing gaze of Elias upon him, but it was inconsequential. Lute held no fear. Although most people knew his cultivation level now, it wasn¡¯t a problem. He originally wanted to hide his power, and now he could.


    Letting people think he was weak because he rushed his cultivation, Lute obtained a new chance to become low key. Only a few elders were suspicious. But aside from Alda and Toros, as well as Seren who all knew Lutes true strength, he would be able to hide himself well, as he doubted he¡¯d need to fight against someone that was a late stage Nascent Qi cultivator.


    Waiting in the crowd of two hundred, Lute watched the announcer fly into the sky with an ornate box, it was black and adorned with jewels.


    The announcer then used Qi to project his voice. ¡°We will now move onto the final test for you final two-hundred trial participants. Within this box are many slips of parchment, each one with a different trial on it, minus the ones you¡¯ve already completed. I shall draw a random piece of parchment, what is written upon it shall be your trial.¡±


    Unclasping the lock off of the box, the announcer sunk his hand into it, rummaging around without looking within, seemingly taking his time choosing one. Finally after nearly a minute, while all the trial participants held their breaths, he chose a parchment.


    Slowly and methodically opening the folded piece of parchment, the announcer read it and his eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion before he began to speak. ¡°This is a trial that we have no had in nearly two centuries, but it seems that today, it shall once again be used. All two-hundred of you are going to enter into a suppression formation. You shall be pressured until you pass out; the one-hundred who stay awake the longest shall pass. It is simple but difficult at the same time. I truly wish it could have been a different trial¡­but¡­ think of this as a test of will power.¡±


    While everyone else had ashen looks upon their faces, Lute was unfazed for two reasons. First, he felt that Toros wasn¡¯t going to mess with this trial, so it should be easy. Second, there was no possible way that such a formation could be as suppressing as Isla¡¯s Slaughter Aura. Staying awake until he was within the first one hundred should be child¡¯s play.


    ¡°It seems that my entry into the Fallen Tide Hall was just confirmed.¡± Lute whispered to himself in satisfaction.

 Chapter 39

    The final test was about to begin. Most of the trial participants had ashen looks prominent upon their faces. The majority of the cultivators left out of two-hundred were within the Nascent Qi Realm. This trial was a death sentence for those who were still in the Foundational Qi Realm. There were only a few who appeared to be relaxed like Lute, they were all above the fifth level of the Nascent Qi Realm and with this trial they were guaranteed to pass.


    As Lute sat on the ground preparing for the trial, multiple formation masters flew to the perimeter of all the trial participants. Forming a pentagonal formation. Then, each one withdrew a scarlet red banner, planting them into the ground and then almost simultaneously they all withdrew a sticky blue liquid and poured it on the ground before morphing it into runic symbols.


    All at once, the five scarlet banners lit up. A hazy gray dome of light formed and surrounded Lute and the other contenders. At first, nothing seemed to happen. Everyone seemed tranquil, even those who were anxious before stopped trembling, forcing himself or herself to become calm in order to give his or her all during this final trial. After a minute of time passed by, some people began to furrow their eyebrows.


    The dome of light was no longer just a hazy gray. As the formation grew stronger it became less and less transparent. The gray color was becoming darker and thicker, until it was closer to black. Eventually, a suppressive aura began to emanate from the dome, those closest to it that was only spectating had to stand up and leave their seats. Upon this sight, those who had never been suppressed in such a formation before began to imagine just how terrifying it must be if they were within the very center of the suppression formation.


    Within the suppression formation, everyone was feeling its effects full force, even Lute was starting to clench his teeth under the pressure. However he was better off than the others. There were multiple ways to suppress someone. The easiest of way was to put pressure on the meridians and body, Qi flow would become sluggish and slow. For most, they were struggling to use their Qi to ward off the pressure. This became especially apparent with the Foundational Qi cultivators ran out of Qi. Blood would begin to leak from the facial orifices before they passed out.


    After roughly ten minutes, more than half the participants, all Foundational Qi to early stages of the Nascent Qi Realm had been eliminated. For the most part, only those at the fourth level of the Nascent Qi Realm and above were still able to go on further.


    ¡®Not much longer, there are only about twenty more of us that need to fail before the trial ends, I can do this, it¡¯s nothing compared to Master¡¯s suppressive aura.¡¯


    As Lute thought of this, his mind was already in a haze. His eyes were glazed over and a small stream of blood was leaking from his nose. Compared to others, he was faring much better. There were others who were practically spurting blood from their bodies as well as virtually unconscious.


    As for Lute, he was supporting himself on mostly physical strength and willpower alone. He didn¡¯t feel any pressure on his meridians; after all it would have to be a suppressive formation at the level of the Divines to affect them due to possessing the Spiritual God Meridians. If he was at the same cultivation level as the Elders who activated this formation, he wouldn¡¯t have even felt any pressure at all. But, since he was only in the Nascent Qi Realm, and the Formation Masters were either Ascension or Emperor level experts, it was a given that he couldn¡¯t come out unscathed.


    Because of this, a crazy thought came to Lute at the beginning of the trial, ¡®If I could withstand this with my body alone, would it bring me closer to the second level of the Primordial First Physique?¡¯


    Since he possessed the Primordial First Physique, bolstering his body¡¯s defense with Qi was meaningless. The difference in his defenses was negligent anyway, whether he covered his body in Qi to defend himself or not made no difference whatsoever. So why not abstain from using Qi then?


    ¡®I am not even sure if this can help progress the Primordial First Physique, but since I am bleeding from the pressure, I can only hope that is will.¡¯


    Lute shifted slightly under the pressure and a mouthful of blood spewed from his mouth. With a slight glance to all those around him, the puddles of blood forming around them were far larger than him. They all bled from many orifices. This was the benefit of body tempering. Lute could withstand more pressure than the others while at the same time, he wasn¡¯t using Qi.


    As minute by minute went by, the dome of light which was now pitch black and seemed to suck in all light began to dissipate. The pressure began to lift all at once. The sudden relief actually caused some of the participants to pass out due to the extreme change of environment.


    Lute tiredly looked around; his eyes became unglazed and began to focus once again. He was successfully one of the final hundred that passed. Sighing in relief he slowly stood up to stretch his body.


    Everyone looked tired, and completely devoid of energy. Large puddles of blood had formed on the ground and many had bloodstains all over their robes. This was why the suppression trial typically wasn¡¯t used within the last two-hundred years, in the past some trial participants had been crippled by this formation, but apparently today everyone had luck as no one, even those who failed were crippled.


    ¡®This was truly nothing compared to Master¡¯s Slaughter Aura that I trained within for months. Sadly, I don¡¯t think it will aid in breaking through to the second level of the Primordial First Physique.¡¯


    Lute secretly praised Isla in his heart. He already had understood that his meridians weren¡¯t pressured by the formation due to the Spiritual God Meridians, but he still attributed everything to Isla.


    Compared to the suppressive force she made him suffer within for months using her Slaughter Aura, this formation was nothing. Under her torture, his muscles and meridians had ballooned in size to the point of rupturing which shouldn¡¯t be possible since he had the Spiritual God Meridians, but since they shared a body, and he was only a Foundational Qi cultivator at that time while she was a Divine, it became possible. Through that hellish training, he had learned what true suppression was.


    The announcer once again appeared for the final time. This time, he had a warm smile upon his face. This month¡¯s disciples accepted were above the norm, with most of them being in the intermediate levels of the Nascent Qi Realm.


    Using Qi to transmit his voice throughout the entire arena, the announcer began to explain what was to occur next. ¡°Congratulations upon passing such trials. Starting from today on, you are official disciples of the Fallen Tide Hall, do not shame your new brothers and sisters and teachers. First, go and receive your official slip that shows you are a member of this hall, and then get your robes. After, you may enter the inner sanctuary of the sect where you will receive your dorm and a tour. Each dorm holds two disciples.¡±


    Lute looked around and finally saw where everyone was shuffling off to. A small desk where that same mysterious man from before gave him a sense of danger was changing the contents of everyone¡¯s jade slips.


    Lute grimaced but then waited in line until it was his turn. Eventually, when he reached the front desk, he had an extreme sense of foreboding, but his time, it came from the very depths of Lute¡¯s soul.


    When he made eye contact with the old man, Lute involuntarily gulped. For a split second, he could¡¯ve sworn that he was staring at an ancient monster that was extremely cunning and intelligent. Those eyes didn¡¯t seem dead; instead they seemed full of disdain for the world before him. But this only lasted for a second before the eyes seemed to glaze over again.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    With this silent exchange, Lute hurriedly unclasped his jade slip and handed it to the old man, who then changed it to the identity of an outer disciple. As Lute received the jade slip again as well as his robes which were white with black trimmings, he quickly scampered off. Although he didn¡¯t look behind him, Lute felt as if a Vicious Beast was staring at its prey.


    ¡®That¡­.he is too dangerous. I must avoid him at all costs. It¡¯s almost as if my body is screaming at me that if I am even on the same planet as him I am a dead man. Hopefully Isla will be able to see through him when she awakens.¡¯


    Donning his new attire, Lute looked off to where the tours began. Waiting for him was Seren, Alda and Toros. Lute quickly walked over. To which he was bombarded with praise from Alda.


    ¡°Look at you! Those trials you faced were far more difficult than any of the other participants. Due to this man right here, the Vice Sectmaster, you thoroughly surprised him, although I must apologize on his behalf, he is a free spirit and is fond of betting.¡±


    Lute looked at Toros while he replied dryly to Alda. ¡°Yes, I certainly did face a much harder trial than needed.¡±


    Locking eyes with Toros, Lute discarded all sense of formalities, for an unknown reason, he felt that it would be fine to talk without formalities to Toros. ¡°Well, I guess we should get down to business. I won our game, so what is the reward you promised me?¡±


    Toros¡¯ eyes twinkled playfully as he looked at Lute. Much to Alda¡¯s displeasure, ¡°You did what?! You guys were betting and playing games while Lute took the trials!¡±


    ¡°Hah, yes we did. This little monster showed me a wonderful time, entertaining me to no end. The first trial, I interfered because I was the mediator, the second trial I was curious, but the third¡­ that was when we truly bet. I increased its difficulty by giving his opponents sentience and the ability to learn.¡± Toros said with a playful tone of voice.


    Alda massaged her temples in a frustrated manner. She knew Toros messed with Lute somewhat, but she didn¡¯t know how much. She only had the second trial as reference. But if Toros made the First and Third trials just as dangerous; then Lute was undoubtedly being tested to his limits.


    ¡°You did know he was taking trials to enter the sect right?¡± Alda said while sighing.


    ¡°Of course I did, but anyways¡±, Toros turned to face Lute with a broad grin, ¡°For performing so spectacularly and entertaining me today. I will give you a special reward. After you settle into the sect, I will come get you. Then I shall personally create an Essence Gathering Formation for you to spend six hours cultivating within.¡±


    ¡®An Essence Gathering Formation, just how much will that aid me?¡¯


    It certainly sounded great, but since he didn¡¯t know anything about formations and the fact he needed more Qi than others of the same level to breakthrough, Lute didn¡¯t understand the value of such a formation. They were costly to make, and only Spirit Gems of the highest grade could be used in their creation.


    Toros then began to walk away, ¡°Well, I have been here longer than expected today. I have matters to attend to. Alda, this is a direct order as the Vice Sectmaster, you are to personally give Lute a tour and explain the rules and uses of the sect to our friend here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Vice Sectmaster. Lute let¡¯s go.¡±


    Lute, Alda and Seren began to walk towards the true area of the Fallen Tide Hall. Many onlookers were jealous as they saw Lute. He was being guided by an Elder on his own while everyone else, even the nobles were in groups of eight or more. They were all being escorted by Spirit Opening Realm disciples. Seeing Lute, they were burning with envy, but he didn¡¯t spare them a single thought or even care to acknowledge their gazes.


    Seren who had been observing Lute until now finally spoke up, ¡°How did you do it? How did you make consecutive breakthroughs until you were almost at the intermediate stages of the Nascent Qi Realm? I¡¯m sure you know that advancing too quickly will hurt your future progress.¡±


    Lute glanced at Seren, despite all she¡¯d done for him; he didn¡¯t hold her as much more than an acquaintance. Now that he was a member of the Fallen Tide Hall, he didn¡¯t plan to associate with anyone and instead seclude himself until he learned more combat arts and expanded his knowledge of cultivation, as those were his two weaknesses.


    Without Isla, he knew basically nothing about how to advance his cultivation beyond the Nascent Qi Realm, and with Qi Explosion Tactics and the Thousand Ways Scripture, he didn¡¯t have anything else besides Shifting Time Collapsing Void which would severely maim him upon use.


    Lute vaguely replied, refusing to let anyone know about bloodlines and Divine Realm arts, the only person he truly trusted was Isla. ¡°I know nothing of how to advance past the Nascent Qi Realm. As such all these years while I was alone, I only focused upon building my foundations. I did nothing except for this; my best guess is that my foundation was so stable I was able to leap past the first and second levels of the Nascent Qi Realm, right Alda?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, it is not unheard of to for something like this to happen if you have an extremely strong foundation and your strength built up naturally over an extremely long period of time. It¡¯s rare, but it does occur, and from what I see, Seren his foundation is still far more stable than yours, perhaps you could learn something from him.¡±


    There was no way that Lute was going to say that the reason he broke through consecutively was due to having a near perfect foundation, becoming one with the world, possessing a pure powerful bloodline, having the Primordial First Physique and already requiring more than three times the Qi someone else would need to advance. Feigning ignorance and saying it was because of his foundation, which was the best way to avoid the topic.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Seren muttered as she started to sulk and become dejected. There was no longer anyway she would have a chance to win against Lute in a fight, and he was even better at cultivation than she was. He eclipsed her in talent and ability.


    As they walked forward, Lute marveled at the surrounding area as Alda began to explain the rules of the sect. ¡°There are very few rules, but they are iron clad. First, don¡¯t kill or cripple your sect mates or the same will happen to you, also any personal grudged, if not resolved outside the sect will cause us to intervene by crippling both parties involved. No stealing, or cheating, or extorting from fellow disciples. Third, the Elders word is Law. You are required to attend at the least, two classes at all times. Lastly, don¡¯t become a sloth; anyone who doesn¡¯t actively try to advance will be kicked out, no matter how talented they are. That¡¯s the gist of it. There are a few unspoken rules, but you¡¯ll learn them in time.¡±


    ¡°I see¡±


    The rules were straightforward and simple yet harsh. But Lute didn¡¯t mind, it wouldn¡¯t be too difficult to adapt, and if he had a personal grudge, he wouldn¡¯t want to get the sect involved anyways and would rather deal with it himself.


    Alda then began to point out the various buildings. ¡°That building is the Library. You can rent out up to five books at once of any topic. However some books are restricted and can only be loaned out to you if you spend merit points, which leads to the next building, the request hall. This building is where you can sell items of value for merit points, as well as take on requests such as killing a specific Vicious Beast. You may spend the merit points how you see fit. Also, you must take at the least one request a month. The largest building at the center of the sect is the Academy, where many subjects are held. You must attend two classes at all times. Lastly, aside from the dorms, there is the craftsmen hall where you can become an apprentice to an alchemist, craftsmen or formation master to learn their trades; however they are very stringent in their requirements for accepting an apprentice. You already know of the arena. If you want a secluded place to cultivate on your own, the caves underneath the arena are built in a way where each person has their own individual space.¡±


    ¡°Is that everything?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s about it; you don¡¯t need to know buildings such as the dorms of the Elders. I¡¯m sure I forgot a few places, but that is the gist of everything.¡±


    ¡°I see¡±


    Alda withdrew a card from her spatial ring; upon it was Lute¡¯s name. ¡°I already knew you¡¯d make it into the Fallen Tide Hall, so I took the liberty of getting you a merit card. This card represents how many merit points you have. Don¡¯t ever lose it, the sect doesn¡¯t enjoy replacing the cards of irresponsible disciples and will purposefully make you wait for months before you acquire a new one. Seren gave me the cores of the Vicious Beasts you killed. I turned them into merit points for you. Don¡¯t waste them all, spend frugally.¡±


    Accepting the card, Lute looked at the number upon it.


    ¡®Seven-thousand, that¡¯s quite the sum. I don¡¯t know how expensive things are, but Alda is right, I shouldn¡¯t waste my merit points.¡¯


    Seren, Alda and Lute finished the tour by heading to the residence hall of all outer disciples. It was a massive complex where Seren lived. Outside the hall, Alda handed a talisman to Lute.


    ¡°Inject Qi into this talisman and place it upon the handle of the door as you turn it. This way only you and your roommate may enter your room. Your room number is 305. Good luck in the coming days. I don¡¯t typically stay at the sect, so until next time.¡±


    Alda then casually walked off. Seren wished Lute a farewell and headed to her own dorm on the fifth floor. As for Lute, he began to search for room 305. It was situated on the eighth floor of this complex.


    Upon reaching his room, Lute did as instructed with his talisman in order to open the door. As he walked in he didn¡¯t have time to observe the room. Instead his tranquil atmosphere was disrupted and he felt the need to cough up blood. Within his room sitting on the other bed reading a book was none other than Elias.

 Chapter 40

    Lute felt a migraine starting to manifest. Even worse, it felt as if blood was going to hurl from his mouth at any moment. The reasoning behind this, sitting upon one of the beds in his dormitory was Elias Kaydriff.


    ¡®How horrendous must my luck be? Of all the people, out of the thousands within the Fallen Tide Hall, why did my dorm mate have to be him? Couldn¡¯t he have been placed with another snobbish pile of scum instead of me? Wait, does that mean I am a pile of snobbish scum?¡¯


    As he was reeling over such thoughts, Lute sensed a slight killing intent coming from in the dorm room. Obviously it was none other than Elias. He had placed his book down upon the nightstand next to his bed and was staring with a piercing gaze towards Lute, a look of disgust easily apparent upon his face.


    Lute decided to pay no attention to the miniscule killing intent. Instead, he casually took light steps into the dormitory that was so small it was almost the size of a large closet; Lute would be able to easily reach from his bed to Elias¡¯s bed. The room only had enough space for two small beds, two nightstands, and one shared closet. However, his thoughts were anything but tranquil.


    ¡®Is it going to be endless conflict every day? Should I find other places to sleep? Perhaps I should just continue ignoring him? Or instead get to the root of the problem and make him indifferent towards me so that we can mutually ignore each other?¡¯


    Lute didn¡¯t have many possessions, all he had was his talisman to enter the room, and the merit card he possessed, also, other than the few sets of robes he was to wear day to day and his jade slip showing that he was a member of the sect, he owned no other personal property. He didn¡¯t dare put his talisman and merit card within his nightstand though. Since he wasn¡¯t on good terms with Elias¡­ no¡­. it could be considered downright hostile, Lute instead chose to keep them in his pockets at all times.


    Lute sat down on his own bed, it was already nightfall, and he was simply assuming that all disciples had a curfew of sundown unless told otherwise. Still ignoring Elias, he looked at his own nightstand.


    Reaching out, Lute picked up a book that was placed upon it. When he glanced at the title and then at Elias¡¯s nightstand, he realized they were the same book provided to all new disciples, it was titled Fallen Tide Hall¡¯s Catalog of General Information.


    ¡®Interesting, although I received some information from Alda, since she doesn¡¯t typically involve herself with the sect and even admitted to forgetting some information, this should go much more in depth.¡¯


    As Lute opened up to the first page and was about to read, he heard a cold voice from the right side of the room. Clearly Elias was annoyed at being ignored; perhaps he was never ignored throughout the entirety of his short life.


    ¡°You dare to just ignore me like this? Do you know who I am, I am Eli¡­¡±


    Before he could finish spouting out his name, Lute sighed and cut him off. ¡°Yes, you are Elias Kaydriff of the esteemed Kaydriff Household. I am a peasant who should be groveling at your feet and you seem to have a problem with the Windcross Household. Yeah, I get it, you don¡¯t like me, but did it ever occur to you that people only answer you if you call them out, how are they supposed to know you want to talk otherwise? Did I miss anything¡­ no¡­ ok then, let¡¯s agree to mutually ignore each other then since the dislike you have for me is a mutual feeling, I don¡¯t like you that much either.¡±


    Lute went back to reading the first page of his book in silence, Elias was just sitting on his bed with his mouth agape, strands of his long brown hair entering into it. He was shocked beyond all belief; there was no one, not even his Father spoke to him like this. It took him close to three minutes before he got his bearings straight.


    His anger rising, the piercing gray eyes of his locked onto Lute once again, his killing intent easily recognizable. With a bony finger he pointed it at Lute as if it would pierce him.


    ¡°You have some nerve, if I so wanted, even with the Windcross Households protection I could have you head strung up outside of my house for all to see, it would be as easy as snapping my finger. But out of respect for Seren and her alone, I will spare your life.¡±


    Lute lazily looked at Elias, however his eyes had a hint of murderous intent, Slaughter Aura began to slightly leak from his body. This tiny amount of Slaughter Aura easily eclipsed Elias¡¯s Killing Intent and caused him to slightly tremble.


    Even more lazily, Lute returned to reading his book; however his voice resounded coldly throughout the room as he read from his book. ¡°Rule number four of the Fallen Tide Hall, all personal grudges must be resolved outside of the property of the Fallen Tide Hall, if the offenders are unable to both will be crippled by the sect. Rule number seven, no matter how influential, a noble is not allowed to exercise their families influence if within the sect or they will be expelled.¡±


    Lute once again turned his head to Elias with a provoking smile that never reached his eyes, ¡°You¡¯ve already broke rule number seven. As for rule number four, I would gladly take this outside of the property of the Fallen Tide Hall, but I can¡¯t promise that you will survive. Do you still want to continue?¡±


    Lute retracted his Slaughter Aura within his body and waited for Elias to respond as he seemed to pierce into Elias¡¯s soul with his eyes.


    Elias gulped slightly, not only did he already break one of the rules; Lute was even willing to take this outside of the Fallen Tide Hall. Despite being arrogant, he wasn¡¯t an uneducated imbecile as well, he could clearly feel danger signals coming from Lute, and he decided to listen to those signals lest it lead to something he would regret.


    But what he remembered most, Lute was willing to fight him when he was still in the Foundational Qi Realm, but now he was in the Nascent Qi Realm. From some hearsay he heard from an Elder that he knew who was close to Elder Alda as a friend, although Lute made multiple breakthroughs at once, his foundation was incredibly stable so even though technically he rushed his cultivation, there was actually no demerits to what he did, this was what Elias feared most, he didn¡¯t want to make enemies out of a monster of a cultivator, who could possibly be a genius that jumped cultivation levels to fight.


    Despite how he portrayed an aura of arrogance and seemed to detest everything, Elias was actually quite shrewd. In this situation, danger signals kept going off in his mind which unlike most esteemed children born of high birth, he chose to listen to those signals instead of thinking his reputation would protect him.


    ¡°Fine, I will accept mutual silence between us.¡±


    Elias then turned away from Lute and attempted to go to sleep but before he could, Lute called out to him.


    Lute originally didn¡¯t understand what Elias despised about him. However, after this interaction, he could make a guess since he was particularly adept at picking up the hidden meaning of words that people spoke. Seeing as how Elias backed off, it became apparent to Lute that although they would have a mutual silence where they ignored each other, he might be able to make sure it wasn¡¯t an awkward atmosphere for the near future if what he thought Elias said was true or better yet, he might be able to get something from Elias, something dear to his heart, information about his family.


    ¡°It¡¯s not necessarily that you don¡¯t like me right? Instead, is it possible¡­. Do you like Seren; are you planning on courting her?¡±


    As Lute spoke this with an aura of seriousness, he made sure with his intonations that he wasn¡¯t trying to offend Elias. Despite how much he was annoyed by him, Lute tried to make a bridge between the two of them so that there wouldn¡¯t be conflict in the future.


    To Lute it was rather simple, even if he didn¡¯t like a person, as long as there wasn¡¯t conflict, then perhaps, just maybe he could speak amicably with them for a short period of time. The less people that wanted to slice his neck, the better off he would be. It was a rather simple but effective way to think.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Elias¡¯s body went cold, the accuracy of Lute¡¯s statement was right on the mark, so much so that he was terrified by the perception that Lute had. Slowly he turned over and sat up. Staring Lute directly in the eyes, this time he didn¡¯t back down. Lute brought up a topic that they definitely couldn¡¯t just let float about in the air.


    With a hint of anger that he was trying to repress, Elias replied to Lute. ¡°Yes, and what of it, we are the two largest noble houses in Fallen Tide City. Its¡¯ only natural there would be a political marriage eventually. It hasn¡¯t been announced but I am sure a few years in the future she will be betrothed to me. All the more, I actually do happen to like her and want to court her before then. But then I find you walking close and intimately with her, you who are nobody and you expect me to not get furious, we come from two completely different worlds.¡±


    Lute listened carefully, hearing the root of the problem he wasn¡¯t surprised. He didn¡¯t know the proper etiquette of nobles, and Seren had wanted to chat with him, so naturally she walked side by side with him.


    ¡®I guess to others that could be seen as an intimate relationship. I guess he is rather intelligent, we do come from two different worlds, for the first thirteen years of my life I was just some mortal living in a small impoverished village. But, it¡¯s good I made some progress, at least for now he is trying to hold back his anger.¡¯


    Lute carefully thought of his next words before he actually said them, he didn¡¯t want to lose all this progress he just made. If he was careful, Elias wouldn¡¯t cause him problems in the near future and would instead aid him.


    ¡°I see this is all one large misunderstanding. I actually don¡¯t have any romantic feeling towards Seren and as far as I am concerned you can have her. Her feeling towards me are only temporary, I saved her life not too long ago."


    Elias¡¯s eyes narrowed in anger, someone tried to take the life of the person he fell in love with? Killing intent then began to spew forth; however Lute was unfazed by it.


    ¡°What do you mean someone attempted to take her life? Do you truly have no intentions of stealing her from me?¡± Elias said with a voice full of bloodlust.


    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t have any such feelings towards her. Plus, I could never fall in love with someone who looks so similar to my missing sister.¡±


    ¡°Oh, she looks like you sister?¡±


    Lute also let out his Slaughter Aura which caused Elias to tremble slightly, but right now, he was too angry to feel fear.


    ¡°What do you say we make a deal, I will do two things. First I will swear upon the Heavens that I won¡¯t pursue Seren. Second, I will tell you about who tried to kill her and maybe, if it¡¯s possible, I will even aid you in protecting her. But I will require two favors in turn.¡±


    Lute spoke with honeyed words. They were devilishly persuasive. Everything so far as to even predicting Elias¡¯s responses and emotions were going as planned, if it all went as he predicted, he could get a favor from Elias.


    Elias calmed down slightly, not many were willing to make a vow to the Heaven¡¯s lest they suffer their tribulations and have their souls dissipate upon breaking the vow, no matter how minor the infraction. Just this alone put him at ease, and the fact Lute was willing to aid him. To Elias that was worth a few favors to a commoner.


    ¡°Did anyone ever tell you that you speak like a Devil? Your mouth is scarier than your aura.¡±


    Lute smirked, ¡°Actually, yes I have been called a Devil.¡±


    Elias grinned slightly and then snorted. ¡°Well then, I think that I can agree to those requests. Now that I have calmed down and understand the situation, I feel stupid for how I acted today. I apologize for trying to humiliate you in public.¡±


    ¡®Well, who would¡¯ve thought, this guy is capable of apologizing.¡¯


    Lute then grinned slightly in turn, ¡°So do we have a deal.¡±


    ¡°Yes, what are those favors you wanted?¡±


    ¡°First off, this whole thing clearly was blown out of proportion by a misunderstanding. I have a rather simple philosophy, the less people that want to slice my throat, the better off I am. So I want to restart this interaction with you.¡±


    Lute then put out his right hand, ¡°I am Lute Ravenshadow, sponsored by the Windcross house after I saved Seren Windcross¡¯s life within the Crimson Tide Mountain Range. I am only a commoner, but I hope to get along.¡±


    With this new introduction from Lute, Elias sighed, today he went from wanting to kill this person to doing him a few favors, one of them was as measly as this, reintroducing themselves. He felt a wide range of emotions today that was for sure.


    Elias likewise put out his right hand and firmly shook Lute¡¯s, ¡°The pleasure is mine, and I am Elias Kaydriff, heir apparent to the Kaydriff house. Our family symbol of the dragon represents strength, honor, and fortitude. We are the third most powerful noble house in the Fallen Tide City. I am a noble, but I hope to get along with you despite our differing social statuses.¡±


    After a handshake, the atmosphere changed once again. Simultaneously they both said, ¡°Now then, shall we get down to business."


    Lute took a deep breath, ¡°I, Lute Ravenshadow does solemnly swear before the Heavens that I shall not pursue Seren Windcross as a love interest. If I fail to uphold this vow my soul shall dissipate under Heaven¡¯s wrath.¡±


    Thunder randomly rumbled throughout the night sky as Lute made the vow.


    Lute then took another breath deciding to start off. ¡°Well first, let me state this. I was originally a peasant living in a small village; it was known as the Crimson Blossom Village due to the Crimson Blossom Flowers that bloom every spring outside of the Crimson Tide Mountain Range. That village is no more, it was destroyed by bandits. I am the sole male survivor aside from the ones younger than fifteen since I wasn¡¯t home at the time. They along with all female children and female adults were kidnapped. My request is that hopefully you could locate my sister and mothers whereabouts, even if they are dead. As a noble family, I am sure that you could find more information than I would be able to dig up.¡±


    Elias sighed, these occurrences happened all too often within the cultivation world. But, he understood if even a little how Lute felt. He couldn¡¯t imagine the horror he would feel if Seren or his family were kidnapped and he didn¡¯t know if they were alive or dead.


    With a resolute voice Elias replied, ¡°I can¡¯t promise that I will find anything, but I swear upon the Heavens that I will give an earnest attempt to search for any and all information regarding your request until we come to a mutual agreement that there is no more information to be found or your family is found. If I break this vow, my soul shall dissipate under Heaven¡¯s Wrath.¡±


    Lute was shocked; he didn¡¯t expect Elias to make a vow to heaven.


    ¡®Well, he really is a completely different person when he doesn¡¯t intend to kill you.¡¯


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do that.¡± Lute said in a respectful voice.


    Elias grinned, ¡°I know, but you made a vow as well, I will feel bad if you made on and I didn¡¯t, vows to Heaven are serious you know. Now we both know each other¡¯s resolve. But, I need more information than that; are there any defining characteristics of your mother, sister or the bandits?¡±


    Lutes¡¯ aura grew serious. ¡°My mother has piercing gray eyes, and is elderly; she has a lotus shaped birthmark upon her right wrist and has shiny white hair with black streaks from when she was younger. My sister¡­ she looks almost exactly like Seren, they could look like twins. The only physical difference between the two is height; my sister was taller by nearly six inches. Also her personality is volcanic; her emotions were always spewing out. Basically it¡¯s the opposite of Seren''s which is calm and gentle. Aside from height and personality those two are so similar that it creeped me out. But that was why I originally saved Seren as she looked like my sister.¡±


    Elias had taken out a small notebook and began to write everything Lute said upon it. Despite cultivators having a great memory, he wanted to be safe.


    ¡°What about the bandits? Was there anything notable about them?¡±


    Lutes Slaughter Aura leaked out once again, his eyes grew extremely cold. How could he forget the features and figures of those who threw his life into disarray?


    ¡°Every single one of them had a tattoo of a spider on their right shoulders and a dagger with a drop of poison tattooed on their left shoulder. The leader was tall, stocky, had a Warhammer as a weapon, and he had brown eyes and hair. Lastly there was a nasty scar on his left eye that went down to his neck.¡±


    ¡°I see, is that everything?¡±


    ¡°Yes... actually no, one more thing. They don''t have the same last name as I do. Ravenshadow is mine it''s.... it''s made up.¡± Lute replied icily.


    ¡°Ok... I will see what information I can come up with. At the very least I should be able to find out about the man you described.¡±


    Elias¡¯s face grew equally as cold as Lute. ¡°Now it¡¯s your turn, who tried to kill my Seren.¡±


    ¡®Looks like he can be as bloodthirsty as me, at the least, I can help him out a little.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much, but I know their names. After I rescued Seren from a Vicious Beast, we had a long conversation. I am sure she told Elder Alda who is also her personal bodyguard, but she said that two disciples known as Ley and Halsten attempted to kill her. I¡¯ve heard they are notorious as murderers-for-hire in the Fallen Tide Hall and an Elder is backing up their actions so that they are never caught? For whatever reason, she said she escaped by pure luck, but those two were hired to kill her.¡±


    Elias was furious. He knew about the disgusting murder-for-hire business in the Fallen Tide Hall. To think his Seren was almost a victim of it. This information was already enough to get him started, but he didn¡¯t only want Ley and Halsten¡¯s heads, no, he wanted the head of whoever hired them as well.


    ¡°That is more than enough information, I will be sure to go after who hired them as well. I might need your aid in the future if there are any more attempts on Seren¡¯s Life. As she sponsored you, you are duty bound to return the favor and protect her, that is what it means to be sponsored by a noble house. Do we have deal? I find your kidnapper and you help me find the person pulling the strings behind Seren¡¯s attempted murder.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think we can both agree to those terms.¡± Lute said icily.


    With a murderous look by both Lute and Elias, they shook hands once again. Then while Elias went to sleep, Lute substituted sleep with cultivation. The next morning they were both going to be busy, not only with their new lives as disciples of the Fallen Tide Hall, but also this particular deal that would intertwine their fates for the foreseeable future.

 Chapter 41

    As the next day approached, Lute finished his cultivation session. Leaving his bed, he stretched and prepared for his first day of classes. Elias had already left, but Lute wasn¡¯t too worried that they would be on hostile terms again; they had a deal and an understanding of each other¡¯s resolve, cemented by vows to Heaven.


    Donning his robes, Lute was just about ready to leave the dormitory when he noticed his cultivation. It had surprisingly moved forward, and unknowingly through the night he¡¯d stepped into the fourth level of the Nascent Qi Realm. He was successfully an intermediate stage cultivator of the Nascent Qi Realm.


    Lute sighed, ¡°It¡¯s nice to see that from such a stable foundation I was able to advance so smoothly that I didn¡¯t notice. But, at this rate it will surely take longer and longer to advance, I will probably need to put in even more effort.¡±


    Normally, this would be the perfect situation, anyone would be ecstatic at being able to advance so easily, seemingly without a bottleneck and with a near perfect foundation. But the only other person was Isla who knew Lute¡¯s true situation. The root of the problem was much different than most would expect.


    Within the Nascent Qi Realm, each level was expanding his Dantian¡¯s capacity for Qi by four times. However, right now he already needed close to five times the Qi of another cultivator at his level to advance, and even before he was in the Nascent Qi Realm he needed close to four times more Qi than a normal cultivator of his level. This was because of his meridians.


    When Lute had inherited the Spiritual God Meridians, they already were so large that it surprised Isla. They were the meridians of an authentic immortal from the Age of Immortals. With the additive effect of the Divine Chronicle of the Primordial Way which constantly expanded and strengthened the meridians alongside tempering the body, Lute was now leaving the bounds of what could be considered ¡°Normal¡± in cultivation, even by the Divine Realms standards of ¡°Normal¡±.


    The meridians were the ¡°Pipes¡± that were used when absorbing Qi into the body or expelling Qi from the body. If other¡¯s meridians were like small pipes made of wood, Lutes¡¯ were many times larger and made of metal. At the same cultivation level as him, virtually no one would be able to cripple Lute unless it was he himself who did the deed.


    Perhaps if he was cultivating in the Divine Realm this wouldn¡¯t have affected his speed of cultivation until many Great Realms later, but on the Crimson Tide Planet, the Qi quality was horrendous and thin. The density of Qi of the world was by far the lowest that Isla had ever seen Lute and anyone else on the planet were cultivating at a much slower speed than they could have if they were on a planet saturated with dense Qi of a high purity and quality.


    Not only was his Dantian now expanding, his meridians were also expanding and strengthening, becoming more durable to deal with stress of the amount of Qi within his body which was only at the very beginning of the path of cultivation. His body as it was now, if he didn¡¯t have the Primordial First Physique, with the amount of Qi his body contained Lute would¡¯ve spontaneously combusted.


    The total amount of Qi he had and its purity were that of an eighth or possibly ninth level Nascent Qi cultivator of the Divine Realm. But he wasn¡¯t at this level of cultivation; his Dantian was much, much smaller than someone at this level, by all accounts he should¡¯ve died a horrid death with no corpse left behind. It was truly a testament to how much of an abnormality his body was.


    Lute felt like vomiting, the thought that the amount of Qi he¡¯d need to advance cultivation in the future was just nauseating. If it was already close to five times now, how much would it be when he actually entered the Divine Path and became a Divine Realm cultivator? Even worse, for every path he opened from the Five Paths of Severance, his Dantian and Meridians would forcefully expand five times. It was a terrifying concept to think about how much Qi he¡¯d have.


    Lute already had a headache at such a thought; however there was a saving grace. He actually wanted to have a bottleneck.


    ¡°At the least, once my Primordial First Physique stagnates at the peak of the first level. The tempering of my body, the increase of bodily strength, the Qi intake rate, purification rate, bodily healing rate, and tempering and expansion of meridians will practically stop, stagnating where they are until I break through to the second level. Hopefully this will give me time to catch up in cultivation. At this rate, the others of my generation will advance many times faster than me until eventually they are multiple Great Realms ahead of me. The geniuses of my generation are probably already in the Spirit Opening or Earthen Practitioner levels within the Divine Realm. I can¡¯t let the gap increase anymore. Instead I must shrink it.¡±


    Lute understood that he truly did have an advantage with this demerit. Once he was at the same level as his peers in cultivation. It was guaranteed; at least in the Mortal Realm that he would completely eclipse anyone in the total amount of Qi that they possessed. A war of attrition at that point would guarantee him the win in a fight. The problem was time, although he seemingly didn¡¯t need to rush in order to advance, the quicker that he revived Isla, the better off he would be.


    He was not going to relinquish the thought that someone in the Divine Realm who wanted Isla dead probably knew that she hadn¡¯t truly died. To him, he was against a clock, someone somewhere must be searching for the Origin Soul Needle, Isla, and the Spiritual God Blood, and it was only a matter of time until they found Lute who was in the possession of two of those and shared a body with Isla. He was consigned to damnation if anyone found out.


    Consigning to the fate that he¡¯d be advancing slower and slower in the future, Lute sighed. But he finally left the Residence Hall, heading towards the shop where he could spend merit points. It was the first of a number of things he planned to do today.


    First, he wanted to see if there was anything of use he could buy with seven-thousand merit points. Based on the general knowledge book, it was the equivalent of six months¡¯ worth of requests. Then, Lute planned to go to the library, and search for anything of use. Third, he needed to attend his two classes. After, and probably the most important errand of the day, he needed to meet with Toros the Vice Sectmaster in order to use his reward, six hours in an Essence Gathering Formation. To finish his day, he was going to spend the rest of it, including the nightfall within the caves since he could now completely substitute cultivating for sleep. It was a truly busy schedule, with little to no time for rest or anything else such as a social life, but he never really had one to begin with, even when he was a child.


    Walking with purpose, Lute approached the store where he could spend merit points. It was excessively crowded. Disciples were shoving each other and practically racing to buy what they wanted before someone else snatched the item they desired away. More often than not, the weaker disciple ended up buying the weaker store wares.


    This store was for the outer disciples only. There were others that catered to inner disciples and core disciples. But within all the stores were myriad wares. Practically anything could be bought except for arts, those were restricted to the library and couldn¡¯t be bought, but instead rented out for a weekly fee of merit points.


    Stepping into the merit store Lute glanced around. The closest to the entrance were all of the weakest disciples. Towards the middle, where most of the more valuable items were, that was where the Late Stage Nascent Qi cultivators had crowded.


    For anyone else of his level, it would seem like they were swaying like a small boat in an ocean with how crowded it was. But for Lute, his body was incredibly sturdy and with every step he was seemingly cemented into the ground as an immovable sentinel. Every time someone knocked into him, he didn¡¯t move at all, instead they rebounded off him.


    Lute paid no heed towards these people. Instead he calmly looked around at all the merchandise. There were many weapons, pills, apparel, and accessories, even Vicious Beast eggs that could be hatched in order to adopt as a pet. Most of the prices ranged from one hundred to four-thousand merit points. Naturally the higher the quality, the more expensive it was.


    As Lute carefully searched, he made sure to remember Alda¡¯s words to spend frugally and not make any insignificant purchases. As such, he had to put careful consideration towards the thoughts of what he could live without and what he absolutely needed.


    ¡®Let¡¯s see, pills are out of question. Despite how effective the rejuvenation pill was allowing me to advance an entire half-step into the Nascent Qi Realm, I highly doubt these pills for sale are of the same quality. As for weapons, my body itself is a weapon; I¡¯ll wait until I can have my own spirit armament. I don¡¯t have the time or patience to adopt a domesticated Vicious Beast yet. That leaves apparel and accessories.¡¯


    Cutting out the majority of the things for sale, Lute narrowed his sights on the shelfs of accessories and apparel. The accessories were the most expensive, the majority costing three to four-thousand merit points. Lute slightly furrowed his eyebrows; Alda said that seven-thousand merit points was the equivalent of six months of taking requests. With this in mind, he decided to look at apparel first which was relatively cheaper.


    There were numerous clothes made from Vicious Beast hides. One set of clothes included an undershirt, vest, and pants. Wearing those clothes, Peak Foundational Qi cultivators could probably block a full powered strike from a first or second level Nascent Qi cultivator for a short period of time. But, based on his body¡¯s strength, there was no need to wear such clothes, at the most he would only where those if he cared for fashion¡­. To which he absolutely didn¡¯t care whatsoever.


    With a sigh, Lute once again returned to the accessories section of the shop. ¡®Well, it seems these are the only things of use for now.¡¯


    There were numerous rings, necklaces, and earrings enchanted with formations upon them. For the most part, these were created by apprentice craftsmen and formation masters working together and splitting the profit. By doing this, based on the book he read last night, it was possible to forego taking requests from the request hall every month, and create these instead.


    With a scrutinizing gaze, Lute read the descriptions of every single accessory; he had the time to do so since not many outer disciples could afford these. After looking carefully, there were two pieces that caught Lute¡¯s eye.


    The first was a spatial ring; within it was a separate dimension that was only a three meter cube of space to store objects. It was quite a small space. This spatial ring was low quality even among other spatial rings of the same level. However Lute didn¡¯t know this since he wasn¡¯t a formation master or craftsmen.


    It was three-thousand merit points, but, compared to all the other spatial rings that were six-thousand it was a much better deal. Although they offered a larger dimensional storage, for him a three meter cube was more than enough.


    As for the second accessory, it was a pitch black armband. The formation implanted into it was a three time use mirage formation, summoning four mirror images of the owner of the armband. This armband was 2500 merit points. The reasoning for wanting to obtain this was it was hopefully an emergency life-saving card he could withhold.


    After thinking once again about whether he truly wanted to buy these, Lute finally came to the conclusion that he couldn¡¯t have spent his merit points any better. He still had 1500 merit points left that he could spend within the library to rent out skill books that contained arts and their techniques.


    Walking up to the lady at the register, Lute handed over his merit card. ¡°I would like to purchase the minor spatial ring for 3000 merit points and the Mirage Armband for 2500 merit points please.


    ¡°Yes, please wait one second while I grab them.¡±


    The lady at the register grabbed the requested items, removed 5500 merit points from Lute¡¯s merit card and then handed him everything before pulling out a small needle.


    ¡°You need to bind them to you by blood. Then they will truly be yours.¡±


    Staring at the small needle, Lute seriously doubted that it would be able to pierce his skin. He glanced quizzically at the woman before him but she only stood there smiling amicably at him.


    ¡°Hold out your hand please.¡±


    Still doubting it, Lute put out his right hand as the woman then pressed the needle against Lute¡¯s index finger. As expected, with his body nearing the peak of the first level of the Primordial First Physique, something as trivial as a needle was incapable of puncturing his skin.


    ¡°Oh, how mysterious, do you perhaps practice body tempering?¡±


    The woman glanced at Lute with a knowing look. Lute just quietly put his left index finger up against his lips indicating for her to keep the secret. With a sly smile, the woman understood, it was better to keep all your secrets while you could instead of exposing them.


    With a smile, instead of using the needle she injected Qi into her finger, and with ease she put a cut onto Lute¡¯s finger.


    Drops of blood fell onto the spatial ring and armband; they glowed with a crimson light before they lost the luster. Lute then put the spatial ring on his right hand and the Mirage Armband upon his left arm.


    Turning around to leave, Lute heard the woman say, ¡°Thank you for your purchase, and please come again.¡±


    ¡®Heh, there isn¡¯t much else that I would want from a place like this since not much is of use, I guess I will be spending merit points within the library from now on. Now then, what¡¯s next on the list? Ah yes, the library is next.¡¯


    Bound to him by blood, Lute could easily feel his mind connected to the ring, with but a thought he was able to put his room talisman and merit card within. Then he trekked to the library and it was a massive ten stories tall building which held not only skill books, but also books spanning across any subject.


    Entering within, compared to the merit store it was silent and almost empty. Most people valued learning in class over reading a book, they would mostly just rent out skill books, and anything besides those was left untouched.


    However Lute understood that an Elder could only teach so much. Sometimes a new perspective was needed, and a book could provide that. With such a massive building, Lute thought that others were crazy for not taking advantage of the knowledge that could be found within.


    Walking up to the librarian, a gruff old man who seemed grouchy, stout, and over all had an appearance like he belonged in an army as a soldier instead of being the librarian. Lute waited patiently, pressing the bell once to symbolize his arrival.


    Looking up from his book, the librarian looked at Lute. ¡°So you are the new blood within the sect as of this month? What brings you here; you don¡¯t even have a book to sign out?¡±


    Bowing deeply to show his respect before an Elder, Lute addressed him with as much sincerity as possible. ¡°Sir Elder, I am new here, this young outer disciples name is Lute, as you stated I am the new blood. Forgive my ignorance, but how many novels and also skill books can be rented out at one time?¡±


    The librarian narrowed his eyes, seeming to probe Lute in his entirety. But rather than answer his question, he responded with one of his own. ¡°What is a book worth to you? Most will just learn from an Elder and choose to learn arts that the Elder tells them to, it is far easier and the Elders are quite wise as well as powerful.¡±


    Lute thought for a moment before replying, ¡°A book to me¡­ If I had to say it, they are the records of all those before us. A fountain of knowledge that many forget to tap into, only so much can be learned from an Elder within the sect. Sometimes one should take it upon themselves to learn instead of relying on someone older and wiser to tell them what to do. While talking in person can be valuable, personally diving into a book to come to your own conclusions and new insights is just as important. I am certain that the arts and knowledge an Elder can pass on are powerful and important. But¡­ if everyone decided to learn from only those Elders then they will all have the same arts and techniques, they will all think the same way and they will all have the same flaws, all of this passed onto them from an Elder. There are books most certainly written by Elder¡¯s who have long ago died. But their knowledge and wisdom still remains in the novels that they wrote, so why wouldn¡¯t I take advantage of them. If others could learn from only a few Elders in person, I could learn from an infinite number of Elders from the wisdom they pass on through their novels and combine all their wisdom into something profound that aids me on my path of cultivation.¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    After Lute finished speaking, he looked the librarian directly in the eyes. He spoke his mind, these were his true thoughts. While Isla said that these planets cultivators were wrong, and that they didn¡¯t cultivate properly, while that may be true, Lute was sure there was some wisdom they could pass onto him that Isla couldn¡¯t. Everyone was different and unique, each one with their own personal view of the world before them, if he only learned from Isla, then he would only look at the world from her point of view which could lead to his demise if he wasn¡¯t careful. It was better to view the world from many angles, not just one view.


    After a long stalemate of silence where they just stared at each other, the Librarian finally broke the ice between them. ¡°A young lad such as you can just call me Cal. You are one of only twenty disciples in the last seventy years to answer like that. You are correct. Take the initiative to try researching and learn something by yourself before seeking the aid of others. That is something I have always believed in. As per tradition, since you provided an answer to my liking, you can take out up to seven skill books instead of five. You can also take out as many non-skill books as you heart desires. The loan price is also half for every skill book and you can pay biweekly instead of weekly. Lastly, you can come into the library even when it¡¯s closed for the night.¡±


    ¡®Well that was unexpected, but I shall make great use of this. I¡¯ll get as many books as my spatial ring can hold.¡¯


    Lute bowed once again, ¡°Disciple Lute thanks Elder Cal.¡±


    ¡°Just call me Cal or I¡¯ll smack you over the arse young¡¯un.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to search for book Cal.¡±


    Right as Lute walked off, he heard another disciple fail to answer the question of what a book was worth to them which made Lute smirk as Cal said, ¡°Just get a book and I¡¯ll loan it out. Stop bothering me with useless drivel!¡±


    Before he even looked at the skill books, Lute spent a few hours looking at books spanning across many topics. He could¡¯ve spent all day in the library and still not have read the title of every book. Rather than look at them all, Lute narrowed down his search to specific topics he was interested in. He decided to grab the most informational books on etiquette, blood essence, geography, advancing past the Nascent Qi Realm, formations, alchemy, crafting, the worlds history, politics and diplomacy, economics and trade, negotiating, types of plants and beasts, rare treasures, legends, cartography, books that detailed the dangers of taboo subjects, and lastly, a book that caught his eye titled: A Compendium of all known knowledge on Auras, Intents, and Domains.


    There were many other topics within the library, some going extremely in depth. But there was no way Lute planned to read them all in one day. Each book ranged anywhere from six-hundred to one-thousand pages, but as a cultivator memorizing these books was a simple manner, but whether he understood and comprehended what they explained was a different matter altogether.


    As Lute finally made his way to the section of skill books he made a new resolution to himself. ¡°My time here is precious. I should make a concentrated effort to become an educated person across many fields. As I used to live in an impoverished world, I am severely lacking in any and all fields of knowledge compared to others. Because I grew up knowing nothing, I understand that there is no such thing as useless knowledge. By the time I leave this sect forever, I shall have read every book it has to offer.


    With this resolution, Lute finally made it to the highest floor of the library. This floor didn¡¯t have anywhere near as many shelves of books. However there had to be at the least, four hundred different arts. However this floor was different. Lute didn¡¯t plan on learning any and all arts even though Isla wanted him to because of the Laws of Severance. Instead he seriously began to ponder how he would fight in the future. Then he wanted to only incorporate arts that would be of use to him.


    Instead of searching through the skill arts, sat down and began to meditate.


    ¡®What way do I want to fight? First and foremost, I want to create an infinitely evolving art. It should change to match me in the future as I change. I know that I want to use lightning. I am a frontline fighter, one who doesn¡¯t shirk from close combat. But at the same time, I must not be disadvantaged when at range. It would be best to rely on my body as its own weapon, or at least a spirit armament that takes the form of a fist weapon and boots. Auras such as Slaughter Aura are important to me. Arts that rely on the soul would be important as well, it would be useless for me not to utilize my soul when I have the Origin Soul Needle. Bows do not suit me, so perhaps when at range, instead I can use an eye technique or illusion technique to disorient my opponent while I use extreme movement speed to close the gap and force a close range fight. Stealth and illusion are also important; I cannot always just march into a fight head on. The day will come when I have to assassinate someone, I am sure of it, so an art that aids in concealing my presence is also important.¡¯


    Meditating on his fighting style and what he wanted to do in the future. Lute finally stood up and began to choose his seven skill books. The types of arts he was looking for fell into the categories of: Martial Arts which emphasized arts executed through the body, these were used for close combat. Lightning Arts which was self-explanatory, they used lightning. Then there were arts that emphasized the manipulation and use of Aura¡¯s, Intents, and Domains. There were also Soul Manipulation Arts, which focused on using ones soul in various ways such as suppressing an opponent; Illusion Arts, arts executed through the eyes and also sealing arts, all of which would aid in ranged combat. Lastly he wanted extreme movement and concealment arts.


    Since he wasn¡¯t in the Spirit Opening Realm or Soul Opening Realm, Lute discarded the thought of finding any soul manipulation or lightning arts. He would find arts for those in the future. Instead, after carefully reading through more than a hundred skill books, he chose his seven.


    After much indecisiveness, Lute finally chose these seven arts for three reasons. First, he truly felt that they were compatible with how he wanted to fight in the future. Second, they were the best arts to make up for what he thought were his current weaknesses when fighting. Lastly, and most important, Lute had a hunch that he would be able to improve these arts to the point they would be useful even in the Divine Realm after he severed them from Heaven, it was almost as if his bloodline was guiding him in picking arts that would be able to improve the most after being severed from Heaven¡¯s Way.


    In order they were Illusionary Mirage Steps, Aura of the New Moon, Falling Sky Scripture, Shadow Snake Mesmerizing Gaze, Shadow Binding Tome, Mortal Chronicle of Aura Manipulation, and Wings of the Mortal Heavens.


    Storing everything in his spatial ring, the three meter cube of space filled quite a bit, with more than thirty large books all over 800 pages a piece. Then there was the skill books that he was carrying in his arms personally, while they weren¡¯t anywhere near 800 pages, the profoundness within them would no doubt make up for the lack of page count.


    Lute descended the floors of the library until he was on the bottom floor. Approaching Cal, he rang the bell once again.


    ¡°Well Lad, how¡¯d you make out, you spent a much longer time here than I thought you would. You are quite nit-picky when it comes to deciding what books to read aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Lute smiled thinly then with a mere thought, he extracted every book he wanted to loan out. Seeing all the novels, Cal¡¯s jaw slightly dropped before a wide grin spread across his face.


    ¡°Ah, I see now. You are the opposite, there were so many books that you wanted to read that instead didn¡¯t know which ones to pick?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is the case. I will be a frequent visitor here Cal, I hope you get used to seeing me.¡±


    Cal chuckled as he loaned each book out to Lute one by one. ¡°With such a bookworm as you, you¡¯re always welcome here. I¡¯ll tell you what, these skill books, are originally fifty merit points a week. You can already pay biweekly. I¡¯ll let you pay twenty five merit points instead especially those are rather hard for you to learn at your level. While they can be learned before the Spirit Opening Realm, they can only reach their true potential after you are in the Spirit Opening Realm, do you know why that is?¡±


    Lute blankly looked at Cal, he had a guess that it might have to do with the enhancement of his senses when he reached that point and it probably dealt with the Dao which he planned to research.


    Before Lute spoke, Cal began to explain. ¡°I originally used to teach at the academy building before I got annoyed with teaching snot nosed brats, but toady I¡¯ll make an exception. Follow me.¡±


    ¡°Uh, ok.¡± Lute quickly stored away every book he just gained. Quickly jogging after Cal. Cal closed the library and then they went behind the reception desk into a staircase that climbed up a tower which was attached to the library. Upon reaching the top, Lute found himself in a simple room full of books, a bed and a dusty desk full of ancient historical documents.


    Cal sat at the desk and stared directly at Lute. ¡°This is my office and bedroom. I live here. But anyway I brought you here so we won¡¯t be disturbed. Are you ready to learn?¡±


    Lute blankly stared at Cal, who would¡¯ve thought that he¡¯d receive a lesson before he formally went to class, which he still had a few hours before he had to attend anyway.


    Regaining clarity, Lute quickly bowed in obeisance. ¡°Disciple is ready to learn from Sir Elder.¡±


    ¡°Good, then sit down, I will first explain and then demonstrate. You won¡¯t be able to do this until you are in the Spirit Opening Realm, but if I let you experience if before you are in the Spirit Opening Realm, it will make the breakthrough easier.¡±


    Lute sat down, and then began to listen with intent. This had to do with realms beyond the Nascent Qi Realm, he already planned to research the topic so it was all the more important to listen if an Elder was going to go in depth and explain it to him.


    ¡°I know that you¡¯ve heard of the Dao, but do you actually know what it is?¡±


    After thinking for a moment, Lute confirmed, ¡°No, I do not know what the Dao is, all that I know is what Elder Alda said. She explained that when I enter the Spirit Opening Realm my view of the world will change, I will sense the Dao and I will awaken Spirit Sense.¡±


    ¡°Well she is right. Your view of the world will change. Well¡­ I will start with Spirit Sense. Spirit Sense is basically a perception of the world down to the smallest speck of dust. With Spirit Sense, you know all that happens in an area around you. Think of it as a bubble or sphere around you. Within that area, you can sense all that happens, nothing escapes your notice. As the strength of your Spirit Sense grows, this bubble or sphere increases in size allowing you to sense more. Then if you were to achieve the Divine Path in legend, it is said to evolve into Divine Sense, supposedly you can even sense karma itself. Are you able to comprehend this?¡±


    ¡°Surprisingly, I did understand it on the first try. Is this why concealment arts are increasingly important the stronger you are?¡±


    Cal¡¯s eyes grew stern. ¡°Concealment is everything, the moment your opponent knows you¡¯re every strength and weakness, the moment they know where you are going to move in a fight, it¡¯s all over, you die. Concealment isn¡¯t just about concealing your aura, its far more profound than this, but in short, yes the better you conceal yourself, the more of an advantage you have.¡±


    Those words opened Lutes¡¯ eyes to new possibilities to the future. It made him feel all the more assured that although he didn¡¯t pick a concealment art for the reason that Cal dictated, he was till content that he knew well enough that he should have one.


    ¡°Disciple understands what you have taught, I will make sure to strive for advancements on this path and not forget concealment is more than just making my aura imperceptible.¡±


    Cal nodded his head, glad that Lute could catch on slightly. ¡°Now then, I have already explained Spirit Sense, but I didn¡¯t tell you the most important reason you need a strong Spirit Sense¡­. Spirit Sense allows you to sense the Dao.¡±


    ¡°What is the Dao? I have only heard of it.¡±


    Cal snorted in annoyance, ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself child, I¡¯m getting there. To put it plainly, the Dao is the Laws of the Universe. They are what govern how this world works. The stronger you Spirit Sense, the easier a time you will have sensing the Dao. So just like your body, soul and Qi, don¡¯t forget to train your Spirit Sense.¡±


    ¡®Laws of the Universe, so that¡¯s what he meant by the arts I picked can¡¯t be used to their full strength.¡¯


    With understanding dawning on Lute¡¯s eyes, he realized just how profound cultivation would be as he advanced; it wasn¡¯t just about increasing Qi quantity and tempering the body and soul.


    ¡°So in order for these arts that I picked to work, I need to merge them with a specific Dao?¡±


    Cal withdrew a pitcher of water from his spatial ring. ¡°Do you want some water?¡±


    ¡°No thanks.¡±


    ¡°Ok then¡­¡± Cal poured himself a cup and took a large sip before continuing.


    ¡°Within the Mortal Realm, there are Mortal Dao¡¯s. They are infinite, new Dao¡¯s are being created every second as well. It is impossible to master every single Dao. For every Dao you comprehend, it becomes harder to learn another. In order to merge Dao¡¯s you have to fully comprehend two Dao¡¯s. But merging Dao¡¯s is so hard that most will never attempt it. Also, if you merged the Dao of Fire with another Dao and someone else merged those same two Dao¡¯s as well, the results will always be different because although you both fully comprehended those two Dao¡¯s, your understanding and viewpoint of it might be different than the other person. You fully comprehend the Dao in a way that suits you and only you, don¡¯t try to mimic others. Do you understand?¡±


    Lute¡¯s was struggling to comprehend, but he thought he had the gist of it.


    ¡°So in the Mortal Realm, there are Mortal Dao¡¯s and there are an infinite number. For every one I comprehend it is harder to learn another. It¡¯s even more difficult to merge two of them. Also if I was to comprehend an entire Dao and someone else comprehended the same one even if we used the same art and infused it with the same Dao that we both mastered, there would be differences in the way the art is used by us individually?¡±


    ¡°That is it. Also, I should mention this as it¡¯s important, if you even start to comprehend one Dao, such as the Dao of Fire. Then it will become extremely difficult to comprehend the Dao¡¯s of Ice and Water. Sadly I can¡¯t tell you how to advance to the Divine Path. All I can speculate is that since the Mortal Realm has Mortal Dao¡¯s, then in order to enter the Divine Path, you need to comprehend a Dao that Surpasses the Mortal Dao¡¯s.¡±


    Lute smiled slightly, ¡°That is fine, and you have already enlightened me more than enough. I hope to repay the favor someday.¡±


    Cal chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s the duty of the old to guide the young, but I am not done yet. Mastering a Dao doesn¡¯t have anything to do with cultivation level, remember this; it can give you an advantage, or it can be a disadvantage. If you haven¡¯t comprehended a full Dao and you are of a lower cultivation, and then run for your life, your only chance to live would be if you were significantly higher than you opponent in cultivation if they mastered a Dao and you did not. Now then, as my final lesson, I¡¯ll immerse you in a Dao.¡±


    Lute fidgeted slightly in his chair, although he didn¡¯t want to show it, he was excited. ¡°Which Dao is it?!¡±


    ¡°Forgive me for being biased. Most of the arts you picked are especially compatible with Mortal Dao of Darkness. I have completely comprehended the Mortal Dao of Darkness. So I shall ask. If I forcibly immerse you in the Dao of Darkness, are you prepared? Although you aren¡¯t in the Spirit Opening Realm, if I do this, then when you do reach the Spirit Opening Realm, although it¡¯ll be easier to sense the Dao of Darkness, it will be many times harder to sense the Dao of Light. Once again, are you willing at accept me preemptively dictating which Dao¡¯s you struggle with comprehending and which ones you excel in?¡±


    Lute went into deep thought for a minute. But the only thing at the moment he wanted to make sure this didn¡¯t interfere with was the Dao of Lightning.


    ¡°Is it compatible with lightning? That is all I wish to know. I know for sure that in the future I will use lightning. If it will affect this negatively, then no I don¡¯t want to experience it.¡±


    Cal laughed at upon hearing Lute. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. A Dao only affects each other negatively if they are polar opposites, which are all you have to remember. The closer they are in similarity, the better. Otherwise if they have no relation you won¡¯t have to worry much. The same goes for merging Dao¡¯s, the more in commons between the two, the easier it is. In all honesty though, the Dao¡¯s of Darkness and light are rare down here in the Mortal Realm. There aren¡¯t even established sects for them. That goes for all the rarer Dao¡¯s; they won¡¯t have sects built around them.¡±


    Lute¡¯s gaze penetrated into Cal, he clearly picked up on the hidden meaning, ¡°So that¡¯s why you offered to help me sense the Dao of Darkness. How rare are cultivators who walk the paths of the Dao¡¯s of Darkness and Light?¡±


    Cal shifted slightly in his chair, surprised at Lute¡¯s question. ¡°Well, you mentioned lightning right? Well¡­. If the ratios for them are one out of every ten-thousand, then the ratio for a cultivator of the Dao¡¯s of Light and Darkness would be about one out of every ten-million. They are exceedingly rare down here in the Mortal Realm. But even so there are Dao¡¯s in the Mortal Realm that are even rarer. The quickest one I can think of is the Dao¡¯s of Life and Death. Although Death and Darkness are similar just as Light and Life are similar, their ratios are one out of every hundred-million. Even more so, there are some Dao¡¯s that have never been comprehended down here in the Mortal Realm.¡±


    ¡®Never been comprehended? Wait?! Didn¡¯t Master once mention that there was much more to Slaughter Aura?  I at first assumed it had to do with manipulating it, but what if it has its own Dao?¡¯


    Lute¡¯s demeanor changed once again, his eyes became colder and more ruthless, ¡°Then¡­. Is there a Dao of Slaughter?¡±


    Cal dropped his glass cup; it shattered all over the floor. The air temperature in the room seemed to drop by more than twenty degrees. Cal¡¯s eyes narrowed and he became furious. ¡°Boy! Don¡¯t you dare walk the path of evil! Over a hundred-thousand years ago, there was a single man who comprehended the Mortal Dao of Slaughter who was dubbed the Heavenly Slaughter Emperor. When he was a peak Heavenly Emperor, he was the absolute summit of the power on this planet, second only to the Divines. Wherever he walked, thousands upon thousands of lives were lost. It took ten Peak Heavenly Emperors working together to finally kill him. Even then, nine of them were killed and the last one ended up a cripple. Although there is much bloodshed in the cultivation world, cultivators that focus solely on killing are a taboo in society. That is considered walking the path of a devil, I am absolutely sure it would be the same in the Divine Realm. Since that time of darkness, there hasn¡¯t been a single person who comprehended the Mortal Dao of Slaughter or any other Dao that walks the path of killing and the path of the devil. BANISH SUCH THOUGHTS FROM YOUR MIND! Do not ever walk this path unless you want the entire world to turn against you.¡±


    ¡®Who would¡¯ve thought this was the answer? Just what are the origins of Master?¡¯


    However, Lute could only depressed make smile inwardly as he put on a fake smile outwardly.


    ¡®It¡¯s too late, I am already resolved to become a demon to protect what I want to protect. Just because it walks that path of killing it doesn¡¯t mean I have to forego my humanity, I will not become like the Heavenly Emperor of Slaughter, I won¡¯t take thousands of lives because I want to. I will instead kill all who intend to impede me when it doesn¡¯t involve them or affect them in anyway.¡¯


    Lute then faked a smile to Cal, with a warm smile that was an illusion to what he truly felt, Lute replied, ¡°Perish the thought, I was only curious because it¡¯s like you said, there are infinite Dao¡¯s, and the cultivation world is full of bloodshed which is what made me think that there was such a Dao. If there is something so evil, I doubt that I would be able to sense such a Dao. Instead, let us begin, I must attend class soon. I would be honored to let you immerse me in the Dao of Darkness.¡±


    Cal gave a relieved sigh, thinking that his warning made it through to Lute when in reality it hadn¡¯t. ¡°Well then, let us precede young¡¯un. I am not getting any younger, I hope you can be a cultivator of the Dao of Darkness so that when I die, I know that someone still can represent this Dao in the Mortal Realm and show others that the Elements, Weapon and Martial Dao¡¯s aren¡¯t the strongest. Call it biased pride, but I think the Dao of Darkness if more terrifying than any of the Element, Weapon or Martial Dao¡¯s.¡±


    With that final prideful remark, Lute¡¯s vision went black.

 Chapter 42

    The tower room was enveloped in darkness. All light seemed to have been snuffed out. There wasn¡¯t the slightest sound. The atmosphere changed instantaneously, it seemed to grow heavy, cold, and damp. If one were to stay here, they would feel their skin begin to crawl. In the darkness, one truly felt alone, they couldn¡¯t see anything. This solitude, for some it drove them insane. For others, they felt a sense of relief, embracing this sensation.


    The dangers weren¡¯t prevalent and at the forefront; instead they were more subdued, feelings of fear would well up within. Every moment, there was the need to check the surroundings because of this feeling. Yet, at the same time, within this nothingness it was able to wash away thoughts, if you could embrace it, then you could feel a sense of security.


    Lute felt all of this. As he tried to look around, he couldn¡¯t see anything but the darkness. Even the chasm he fell into within the Crimson Tide Mountain Range wasn¡¯t as dark as this. At the least he could still make out silhouettes. But now, he couldn¡¯t even do this. There was nothing but the sound of his breathing and heartbeat.


    Instead, Lute closed his eyes, trying to take in every possible feeling. The atmosphere around him was growing heavier and heavier. A cold sweat dripped down Lute¡¯s face. Even with his willpower, fear unconsciously welled up within him. There was the sensation that no matter what he did, he was completely vulnerable, all of his weaknesses felt as if they were exposed to the world.


    Focusing on controlling his breathing, Lute sat within this eternal darkness, although he felt naked, there was another sensation. He felt exposed, but there was also a sense of security. Everything would be alright if he hid within the shadows. It was as if the dark was telling him not to ever forget his own weaknesses but at the same time, it also was showing that the dark could be a refuge.


    ¡®This, this feeling feels as if it¡¯s almost in reach, and yet so far away.¡¯


    Lute stirred slightly, although it was awkward feeling vulnerable and slightly fearful. He also felt safe, it was a mixture of feelings he couldn¡¯t quite understand. However as quickly as it started, it all ended. All at once light returned to the tower.


    Lute inhaled sharply, the heavy atmosphere disappeared all at once. He no longer felt chilled to the bones. But his robes showed some sweat stains. Standing before him was Cal who didn¡¯t show any emotion upon his face. Instead, he expectantly looked at Lute.


    ¡°Well, what did you experience?¡±


    Lute came back to reality after hearing Cal. It only lasted a few minutes, but just with that alone, he felt that even if he was at the Peak of the Nascent Qi Realm, he¡¯d be hard-pressed to win in combat against a Spirit Opening Realm cultivator. His only advantages would lie in amount of Qi, its purity, and the strength of his mortal body.


    Lute shuddered slightly; forcefully experiencing a Dao before he was in the Spirit Opening Realm had gave him an equally forceful enlightenment. It couldn¡¯t aid him much right now because he didn¡¯t understand much of what he felt, but it would be beneficial in the future nonetheless.


    ¡°I am sorry. I was unable to understand most of what you graciously showed me. The most I can tell you is that I felt extremely vulnerable, but at the same time I felt safe and secure.¡±


    A small glimmer passed through Cal¡¯s eyes. Although Lute got hardly anything from this, hopefully it would allow him to sense the Dao of Darkness in the future.


    Cal sighed, ¡°Truth be told, I am nearing the end of my life. That is why I stopped teaching and instead waited, and waited for someone like you who has a chance to wield the power of the dark. Call me selfish, but I wanted to search for someone to learn the Dao of Darkness within the Fallen Tide Hall before I passed on. I am probably the only one who wields it within quite a few thousands of miles. As I have said, in the Mortal Realm it is rare to have a cultivator that controls this Dao.¡±


    Listening to Cal, Lute thought he could understand if he compared it to his inheritances. Wielders of the Dao of Darkness were few and far between in the Mortal Realm. Cal didn¡¯t want to simply see it disappear, which was why he wanted to help someone forcefully comprehend it, if even a little. But, Lute had wanted to focus on lightning, so what did Cal see in him?


    ¡°Then why choose me? I have already stated I want to wield lightning.¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Looking at Lute, Cal seemed to shrink, aging in years on the spot. ¡°I am old, far older than most think. I have no hope of breaking into the Qi Overlord Realm. My talent has already been spent. However, I already mentioned your cultivation realm doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t completely comprehend a Dao. When I knew that I couldn¡¯t advance anymore, I spent the later portions of my life focusing on the Dao of Darkness. I have been searching since I became the librarian for someone like you. I always asked a disciple the same question I asked you. The reason for this is because although comprehending a Dao is mostly self-taught, you can still search for guidance from others if for example you were to comprehend the Dao of Fire. It is common, many cultivators focus on this Dao, hence they have more resources such as books and teachers to aid in their comprehension.¡±


    As Lute listened, he began to understand. Some Dao¡¯s were easier to learn because they were far more commonly used. Others were rarer and because of this, harder to learn.


    ¡°So, at least in the Mortal Realm, there are hardly any records about the Dao of Darkness and even fewer actually manage to comprehend it. That is why it must be self-taught on an even higher level than the elemental Dao¡¯s which seem common on this planet?¡±


    Cal depressingly smiled, although he regretted it, this was the way the Crimson Tide Planet functioned. Most only focused on the Elemental Dao¡¯s, or Dao¡¯s that focused on weapons. But there were an infinite number of Dao¡¯s, however, rather than try to comprehend new ones, everyone went for the status quo and only focused on what everyone else had comprehended. For this planet, it was mostly Elemental Dao¡¯s.


    ¡°I originally started to think of you when you answered my question to my satisfaction. Then, after you picked some arts that were extremely compatible with the Dao of Darkness, that is when I decided that even if you decided not to walk its path, I would try to give you the chance if you so wished because I probably wouldn¡¯t have another chance with anyone else in the future. Even now, I feel the last dregs of my life fading. I don¡¯t believe I will be able to live even one more year. But, I don¡¯t want the Dao of Darkness to simply disappear from this planet. There are very few who actually use it. If I had to guess, I would bet the number of Dao of Darkness wielders on this planet won¡¯t exceed fifteen at the most.¡±


    When he listened to Cal, Lute instinctively knew he was telling the truth. Although he attempted to put up an air of confidence and wisdom, Lute could see that Cal truly was old, who knew how long he had lived for. But for someone of his cultivation level which was probably the Soul Opening Realm, maybe even its peak, he seemed quite thin. No, he could even be considered emaciated. His eyes, although they had moments where they blazed with passion, when he looked at them carefully, Lute thought they were dim, and almost lifeless. If Lute truly payed attention to him, he could even see that Cal was involuntarily trembling.


    ¡®If he is at the peak of the Soul Opening Realm, I bet he wouldn¡¯t even have the strength to fight someone at the intermediate levels of this realm. He probably won¡¯t be able to make use of even half the strength he had when he was in his prime. Truly a sad display, I would rather die on the battlefield instead of in a bed.¡¯


    With such a thought, Lute stood up and was about to leave. ¡°I thank you for this opportunity, but I must be going now, I have to attend my first classes.¡±


    Lute then began to walk out, but Cal called out to him. ¡°Wait! I have one question before you go.¡±


    Lute stopped in his tracks, and half turned around, staring Cal in the eyes. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°You, are you going to attempt to tread the Dao of Darkness?¡±


    At the question, Lute didn¡¯t immediately respond. Instead he opted to think about the skill books he rented and how Cal said most of them were compatible with the Dao of Darkness, the feelings of being submerged in darkness and his own future.


    Finally, with a noncommittal tone, he responded. ¡°Since you have graciously allowed me to feel such a sensation before I entered the Spirit Opening Realm, I don¡¯t see why I couldn¡¯t make an attempt to understand the mysteries within the Dao of Darkness.¡±


    ¡°I see¡±, Cal then reached into his desk and pulled out a black journal and tossed it to Lute, ¡°Since there is so little knowledge available on the Dao of Darkness and very few have the chance to learn from another, I decided to compile a journal of my insights. Whether you understand them is up to your own comprehension when you enter the Spirit Opening Realm. I fear that I shall die before you reach the Spirit Opening Realm so I wouldn¡¯t be able to personally aid you. Whether you keep it or throw it out, that journal is now yours.¡±


    Opening the journal, Lute saw pages upon pages of words, whenever he looked at the words, he got a sense he was in the domain of darkness again. A cold, damp and heavy atmosphere seemed to saturate the journal.


    Closing the book, Lute began to leave the tower. ¡°Thank you for this journal, I will not attempt to throw it out.¡±


    As he left the tower, Lute heard Cal call out one last time, ¡°Remember the vulnerable sensations as well as the secure ones. The dark can be as gentle as it is dangerous. It shows your flaws, but also that it will protect those flaws from being exploited by others. The dark can inspire fear but also awe and respect.¡±


    Lute smiled grimly, ¡®The sensations, his words, and this journal. While I believe that I understood them only slightly, it is a drop in the endless sea. All I can do is waiting until I achieve the Spirit Opening Realm and truly step onto the path of the Dao. Lightning and darkness, how could I utilize them both? Then there is the Dao of Slaughter, there is too much that I don¡¯t know. Perhaps Master can enlighten me when she wakes up.¡¯


    Skimming through the journal that seemed to have become saturated in the Dao of Darkness as Cal wrote it over the years, Lute walked to his first class. It was an unusual choice, but nonetheless he want to have skills other than combat skills. The first class he chose was Spirit Smithing.

 Chapter 43

    Within the manual he received upon entering his dorm, Lute had read through all of its contents. Within it, there was a list of all the classes that a disciple was able to take. No prerequisite skills or knowledge were required beforehand in order to enter one. There were classes that spanned across many subjects. After looking through the majority of them, Lute settled upon the two he would take. Spirit Smithing and Rune Mastery were what he picked as they coincided with his interests.


    The driving factor behind picking these classes over others was because it would allow Lute to have another skillset besides fighting, but even more importantly, Lute didn¡¯t want to rely on equipment made by others. He wanted to make his own Spirit Armament and anything else he needed for the future.


    However, there was also another benefit, since this was considered one of the tradeskills classes, he didn¡¯t have to take a mandatory request from the request hall once a month and would be able to culminate his knowledge and skills in the sect undisturbed. He had more than enough real world knowledge of Vicious Beast subjugation, so he didn¡¯t feel the need to leave on subjugation requests anyway.


    While he needed to be in the Spirit Opening Realm to create a true Spirit Armament, it didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t learn the most basic principles behind it, which was blacksmithing. Before you could become a Spirit Smith, you needed to be able to actually forge properly first. However, Spirit Smithing was a misleading name; it didn¡¯t only focus on making weapons. A Spirit Smith could make anything from a weapon, to accessories or apparel. But they were most well-known for making Spirit Armaments, hence the name Spirit Smith.


    As for becoming a Rune Master, it was actually considered an offshoot branch of the Formation Master. They were Formation Masters that specialized in enchanting formations upon objects such as rings. The Mirage Armband that Lute was wearing was one such object; it was created by a Spirit Smith Apprentice and enchanted by a Rune Master Apprentice. Because they specialized completely in such formations, they garnered the name Rune Master for themselves as they didn¡¯t use banners but instead they utilized runic symbols imbued with power as their formations. In order to become a Rune Master, one first had to learn the fundamentals of formations.


    Since they specialized so heavily in enchanting formations onto objects, the Rune Master was weaker at using standard formations. They would only be mediocre at wielding a formation such as the ones Lute was enveloped in during the trials to enter the Fallen Tide Hall. The opposite was also true, since they focused only on one type of formation, when they enchanted a formation onto an object, it was far stronger than an ordinary Formation Master would be able to accomplish.


    Although it was always a sunset on the horizon, the people of the Crimson Tide Planet instinctively knew how long it was until nightfall. Currently it could be considered the afternoon, there were still quite a few hours left before nightfall approached and Lute had to meet with Toros.


    Instead, he kept walking towards a building that had smoke clouds billowing out of it. One glance inside showed countless apprentices hammering away at molten metals, and they were using techniques to meld their Qi into it as they crafted whatever it was they were making, increasing the strength and durability of the item with every strike of a hammer. Every single one of them, even the women, had strong burly figures, their hands were callused, and soot was covering their faces and arms.


    Compared to most cultivators who seemed frail and graceful, their muscles were overly large and toned. As time passed, working in such an environment would temper the body as well as the mind because even an infinitesimally small mistake could ruin the finished product. These people probably had some natural resistance against fire as well since they worked with it for hours on end every single day. It also wouldn¡¯t be too farfetched to guess that most Spirit Smiths focused on body tempering arts instead of combat arts.


    To be a Spirit Smith, not only did you need finesse, you had to perfectly wield your Qi, physical strength, and manipulation of the Dao. Under such stringent circumstances, it was an absolute fact that a Spirit Smith was able to control their strength far more efficiently compared to other cultivators. But most didn¡¯t bother to learn many combat arts so it was rare to see them in battle even though they tempered their bodies.


    When Lute walked into the smithy, the first thing he saw was apprentices running all over the place. Countless materials were spilling out of their hands; it was truly a place full of hustle and bustle. Not one person was slacking off; everyone had a strong work ethic as it was always a competition to see who could produce the best quality items.


    Lute just stood there and adjusted to the surrounding atmosphere. It was completely different from being in an arena full of thousands of cultivators or alone in a library that was so quiet you could hear your own heartbeat. In this smithy, the rhythmic swinging of hammers, dousing in water, boiling of molten metals, it was as if a melody was playing in his ears. Every sound seemed to occur at a specific interval. Everyone seemed to be completely engrossed with their work and hadn¡¯t noticed Lute.


    Finally, rather than wait, Lute began to carefully walk forward so as to not disturb anyone. As he progressed, it was as if he was invisible, even if someone bumped into him, they didn¡¯t even notice because of how focused they were, such occurrences had to have happened daily.


    After looking around for a few minutes, Lute finally found a door. It was clearly marked to show that it was a classroom or perhaps it was better to say that is was closer to a hands-on training facility as when Lute opened the door, the first thing he saw was a woman brutally smacking a disciple and shouting at them, clearly for failing in some way or another.


    ¡°How many times do I have to tell you that blatantly swinging the hammer randomly won¡¯t do anything? If you won¡¯t take this seriously I don¡¯t want to bother teaching you and wasting my time!¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    In front of Lute, a woman with black hair and equally dark eyes was walking around and critiquing the disciples. She wore a heavy black apron that was flame retardant and a massive hammer hung from a belt that clearly had seen use, she¡¯d probably been wielding it for decades. Burn marks covered her arms and she had a stern expression. She wasn¡¯t pretty by any means of the word, if she didn¡¯t have soot and ash covering her and didn¡¯t have burn marks on her arms, she might¡¯ve been average in the eyes of others.


    However this didn¡¯t make her seem any less terrifying to the other disciples. She had an oppressive atmosphere and a stern look that seemed to manifest itself in a permanent scowl upon her face.


    As for Lute, he wasn¡¯t perturbed by her mannerisms in the slightest. The more she berated those disciples, the more Lute felt like he was seeing her true character, which was someone who had an extreme passion for Spirit Smithing.


    As if the miraculous cloak of invisibility that allowed him to come into here without anyone else noticing seemed to just vanish, the Elder turned and saw Lute standing there quietly.


    An invisible pressure seemed to overcome Lute, it wasn¡¯t killing intent or he would¡¯ve easily been able to withstand it. Perhaps it was just the aura that this stern Elder exuded. She was most certainly someone who was prideful. More than likely she wouldn¡¯t tolerate anything less than perfection which was why she wouldn¡¯t allow her disciple to have even a single flaw when using a forge.


    ¡°Get over here! What, did you think I am just going to let you stand there all day? If you¡¯re here, then you¡¯re obviously the new blood that came in this month.¡±


    Lute quickly scuttled over to this Elder. When he reached her, Lute yelped slightly in surprise. None of the trainees noticed because they were engrossed in their work, they were terrified of disappointing this Elder.


    The reason Lute yelped, the Elder ripped off his robe, then she ripped of his undershirt, all within a second, there were now fine rips through the clothes, they would have to be repaired. Lute couldn¡¯t do anything about it or even react aside from a surprised voice leaking out. He was standing there in only his pants, belt and boots.


    Then, she began to poke him, grabbing his hands and peering at his fingers. Tracing his muscles with her fingers and even injecting Qi to put a slight cut upon Lutes right arm.


    ¡®Is he checking my physical capabilities?¡¯


    Lute was slightly dumbfounded that an Elder would be so impulsive as to randomly rip off a disciples robes and their undershirt. But then it made sense as well. More than likely, although there wasn¡¯t any prerequisite or foreknowledge required taking the class, the body was probably a different topic all together. Seeing as how every apprentice of this Elder had a well-built body of muscle, if your physique was lacking, she¡¯d give training to build it.


    With a scrutinizing look, the Elder seemed satisfied for the most part.


    ¡°Hmm, although your muscles aren¡¯t as built as the others, within them are hiding an explosive strength that my other disciples don¡¯t necessarily have, and they are well toned. From the scars on your body and the amount of force I had to use to cut you, I would venture to guess that you are a beginner at body tempering. Your hands aren¡¯t callused, while body tempering alleviates that mostly, if you use a tool enough, no matter how much you temper your body callus will appear, so you most likely never wielded a weapon or hammer in your life. Am I right?¡±


    Lute cleared his throat, reallocating his thoughts from the shock.


    ¡°Yes, that is correct. I am tempering my body however the scars are from an accident in the past. I have never wielded a hammer; however I still wish to learn nonetheless how to use a forge.¡±


    The Elder raised one eyebrow, an interested look appearing on her face that still maintained its scowl. ¡°Interesting, learn to use a forge eh? That is the right mindset. Most come here saying they want to learn to be a Spirit Smith. I have to beat that thought out of them, you¡¯re lucky; I won¡¯t beat you since you spoke correctly.¡±


    The Elder then turned around and waved her hand towards the training room. ¡°I am Elder Irida; I don¡¯t teach you how to be a Spirit Smith. For all disciples, I teach you how to be a blacksmith before I teach you how to Spirit Smith. You can¡¯t even begin to learn how to Spirit Smith before you learn how to wield a hammer and forge. The better the base quality of the item is, the more powerful the formation a Rune Master can enchant into it. The better the foundation is, the more powerful it will be when it becomes a Spirit Armament. Do you understand? At the root of Spirit Smithing is blacksmithing. If you are a shoddy blacksmith, then forget about even attempting to Spirit Smith.¡±


    ¡°I understand¡±


    Elder Irida¡¯s scowl seemed to slightly vanish before reappearing again; it seemed that it would always be stuck there on her face no matter her mood.


    ¡°I will teach you how to be a blacksmith, by the time you are in the Spirit Opening Realm and can begin to be a Spirit Smith, you will have learned to be a master blacksmith, and every movement will be instinctive. If you aren¡¯t up to my standards, even if you are in the Spirit Opening Realm, I will not teach you Spirit Smithing until you¡¯re a blacksmith of my standards.¡±


    ¡°This compound has many disciples all ranging from the Nascent Qi to Earthen Practitioner Realms, there is no fighting, I won¡¯t tolerate it. I still haven¡¯t taught some of the Earthen Practitioner Realm disciples Spirit Smithing because they aren¡¯t to my standards.¡±


    Elder Irida walked over to an empty forge, with a flick of her finger, she manipulated the Dao of Fire, lighting up a flame in the forge. Then, she grabbed a spare forging apron and tossed it to Lute.


    ¡°Come, throw your robes in the corner, and then every class from now on return here bare-chested like that since your shirt and robes would burn anyway even if you wore the forging apron over them. I will demonstrate the techniques once, and then you will replicate them until they are perfect. As you probably know, failure is not accepted, I don¡¯t care if this is the first time you¡¯ve used a hammer.¡±


    Today, you will learn the how to use the tools of a blacksmith, then you will learn the first set of techniques. All of this will be done without Qi. However, from now on, don¡¯t come so late, we only have a few hours. Blacksmithing can easily take up to over twelve hours; sometimes one project can take weeks. So starting from tomorrow, come at the first crack of dawn.¡±


    Lute quickly threw his robes and undershirt into the corner. Then he donned the forging apron. Walking up to Elder Irida, he stood next to her, she then looked at Lute with that stern aura he felt before that seemed to pressure him, as if forcing him into the ground.


    ¡°Are you ready? Blacksmithing is not something you can try half-heartedly on. If you do no put forth the effort, I will kick you out. I have no use for lazy and lackluster disciples who aren¡¯t worth my effort to train.¡±


    Lute stood there, ready to observe then replicate. When he wanted to accomplish something, he never tried half-heartedly, whether it was opening the First Path of New Beginnings in a last ditch effort to survive or blacksmithing, or learning a new art. He always put in the effort.


    ¡°I am ready to observe and replicate. I will learn to be a blacksmith.¡± Lute said with conviction.

 Chapter 44

    Blood was dripping and sliding down Lute¡¯s back. At this moment he was in his dorm bandaging the wounds to prevent blood from staining the robes he was about to change into.


    Elder Irida had demonstrated the absolute basics of blacksmithing one time to Lute. Mostly it only involved how to properly adjust temperature of a forge and how to properly melt metals as he only had a few hours to learn. However this didn¡¯t make her any less ruthless. She handed the tools to Lute and ordered him to replicate what she¡¯d done.


    From the very first attempt, Lute was assaulted. Every single time he attempted to replicate what Elder Irida had done, he made a mistake. Each time Elder Irida verbally berated him and struck him on his back causing small cuts to form. If he even held his tools incorrectly, he¡¯d be assaulted.


    To put it lightly, she was overbearing and a perfectionist. But this was why most of Elder Irida¡¯s disciples were accomplished in their craft, she tolerated no failure. None of them would ever talk back to her or complain if she said a finished item was a failure then it was a failure.


    Unknown to Lute, he was advancing quick enough; he was meeting Elder Irida¡¯s expectations. With each new attempt at forging and melting metal, he was making one less mistake. But this was still far from enough, this was only the first step onto the path of blacksmithing, it would be many months before he could attempt Spirit Smithing.


    Lute groaned slightly as he put on his new robes. Even if he was body tempering, he still ached after those wounds were caused by Elder Irida. He didn¡¯t know how she¡¯d done it, but despite only being small cuts, they were quite painful. The pain actually seemed to magnify as time went on, no matter how much they¡¯d begun to heal under the effects of the Primordial First Physique the pain was actually increasing.


    ¡®That woman really needs to learn how to hold back. While the pain increasing is something I can deal with, it¡¯s quite irritating. Getting so angry over not having the temperature of the melted metal within one degree was seriously uncalled for.¡¯


    Finally, after making sure the blood wouldn¡¯t stain his new robes. Lute threw his old ripped ones on the bed. He¡¯d have to learn how to sew in the future.


    He then quickly left; time was of the essence and not to be wasted. There were still two things he needed to do before nightfall. He needed to meet his new teacher of formations and Toros.


    With due haste, Lute quickly found the academics building where all classes that weren¡¯t involved in the trades such as Spirit Smithing took place. Once he walked inside, Lute quickly found the stares and ascended to the top floor.


    On this floor, there were very few disciples. For the most part, disciples didn¡¯t get involved in the trades or classes that involved subjects such as Formations. Most attended classes that either would improve their insights into cultivation, or ones that directly allowed them to improve their combat capabilities. There were numerous different types, and they all had their own unique flare allowing for no two to be exactly the same.


    This could be considered normal as the trades or subjects like Formations were typically outside the bounds of most cultivators¡¯ understandings. Or¡­ it would be easier to say they didn¡¯t have the patience for it.


    Heading to the end of the hall, Lute stopped at a large oaken door, upon it were many symbols that he¡¯d never seen before. Upon closer inspection, he could only surmise that he was certainly at the right place, these symbols definitely were used for a formation that was etched onto the door, but as to what it was, he didn¡¯t know.


    Inhaling deeply and ignoring the throbbing from his back Lute pushed open the oaken door. After his eyes adjusted, what Lute saw was a small classroom. There were very few desks, probably no more than ten at a glance. There were also shelves that had books so thick it would take weeks to read them.


    The room was dark, on the walls were crystals releasing a dim light. But in order to read candlelight was needed. Inside, there were only three disciples that Lute could see. It was so quiet that the library appeared once again in Lute¡¯s mind, he could hear his own heartbeat.


    Each disciple was concentrating so hard; it was as if they were in the hardest battles¡¯ of their lives. Sweat threatened to drip onto the hide before them, but they would quickly wipe it away before it did. This was so their work wouldn¡¯t be ruined. Each of the disciples was holding a massive quill easily over a foot in length. These quills originated from an avian-type vicious beast. They were also using blood of vicious beasts that was mixed with other materials as ink.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Each disciple was carefully injecting Qi into their quills and blood-ink. Then, with painstaking care they would etch into the vicious beast hide, creating a basic formation. Parchment could also be used for etching formations. But it was all a matter of preference.


    Carefully moving about and restraining his aura as much as possible. Lute walked silently to the other side of the classroom. There was a door labelled with the title ¡°Professor¡±. Lute gently rapped on the door with his knuckles trying to make as little noise as possible, while at the same time getting the attention of whoever was inside.


    Only when he heard someone say, ¡°Enter¡±, was when Lute traversed inside. Upon opening the door, his eyes slightly bulged and dilated in shock, however he quickly recovered as it was somewhat expected.


    Sitting in the office before him was none other than Toros. Seeing as how he could meddle with the formations during the trials, Lute suspected that he was a Formation Master, but who would¡¯ve thought he taught the Rune Mastery class. He¡¯d also had his reservations about whether or not a Vice Sectmaster would teach a class since they had much more important duties other than looking after a bunch of children.


    Toros cheekily grinned upon seeing it was Lute. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this a surprise, do come in. Shut the door and sit down in the chair. We have some catching up to do.¡±


    Lute did as he was told, after sitting down he began to speak his mind. ¡°Why would a Vice Sectmaster be teaching a class, don¡¯t you have more important things to attend to?¡±


    Toros chuckled slightly. ¡°I guess I can be considered abnormal. While I do have other duties to the sect, very few wish to become Formation Masters and even fewer decide to become Rune Masters. Since there are so few, I forcefully make time every day to teach the few disciples that I have. Right now, they are learning to combine the most basic of formations into their first runes. Of course this took them many months to accomplish.¡±


    Lute nodded in understanding, since there were so few who embarked on this path, it wouldn¡¯t be the same scenario as forcefully making time to teach an entire class. If it was only a few disciples, then it was a capable feat as the Vice Sectmaster to take time out of his schedule to teach.


    Toros shut his book he¡¯d been studying, finally giving Lute his complete attention. ¡°So I assume you want to walk down the path of Rune Mastery?¡±


    Lute confidently nodded his head, ¡°Yes¡±.


    ¡°Then first you need to learn the basics of Formation Mastery. Lucky for you, I happen to be a unique cultivator. Most of my combat strength lies in formations rather than arts. I am not only a master of runes; I have also attained vast knowledge in formations as a whole. My class is different from other rune mastery classes. While most think of runes as an offshoot branch that is its own unique world, which is separate from formations, I do not believe this.¡±


    ¡°Formations and Runes are much more closely linked than most believe. This is the culmination of my unique insight into the Dao of Formations. I believe that if you only study runes for your entire life, then you won¡¯t make any meaningful advancement in Rune mastery. The same is also true if you think of it in reverse, if you only focus on formations, then advancing in this field will also suffer.¡±


    After listening to Toros, it became apparent to Lute that he¡¯d technically be taking three classes instead of two, but this wasn¡¯t a bad thing, the more he could learn the better.


    ¡°So what you are saying is the more knowledge I have of both fields, the better off I will be. I must not only know how to construct and wield runes effectively, I must also know how to skillfully use formations as well as the other disciples who are only taking the class on formations?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is the way. Those that think like me are a relatively small faction on the Crimson Tide Continent. Perhaps only a tenth of us out of all Formation Masters and Rune Masters think like this, but we have showed results so we haven¡¯t been ostracized yet.¡±


    ¡°I see¡±


    As Lute thought upon Toros¡¯ words, Toros himself waved his left hand that had a spatial ring upon it. Appearing in one of his hands was four banners, all of which had runes etched upon them. The complexity of all these runes was unfathomable to Lute.


    ¡°These are the banners used for an Essence Gathering Formation. It will last for a total of six hours as it wasn¡¯t made with rare materials and only common ones. However for a Nascent Qi cultivator such as yourself, it should be extremely beneficial for you. When you are ready to use it, place then four banners in a square, each banner equidistant from the next, then you must sit in the very center of the formation. To activate it, inject your Qi into the runes.¡±


    Toros then handed over the banners to Lute who stored them away in his spatial ring.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Lute said.


    ¡°You earned them. Now, let us begin talking about formations. What you need to know is that you are going to struggle; you won¡¯t be able to understand how to properly utilize a formation until you enter the Spirit Opening Realm and gain insights into the Dao of Formations. However, what we can do is work on your ability to draw them and learn them. Extreme precision is needed when drawing a rune or creating a formation. What you will do until you enter the Spirit Opening Realm is draw runes and create formations upon banners without the use of Qi. If you are off by mere millimeter, it can ruin the effectiveness of whatever rune or formation you are making. Then you will also study the history of formations, runes, and their uses, as well as all the types of runes and formations.¡±


    ¡°Are you ready to learn?¡±


    Lute replied with the same intensity as when he replied to Elder Irida, no matter how much he struggled, he would accomplish what he set out to accomplish.


    ¡°I am ready.¡±


    ¡°Good, the best part about this class is that before you reach the Spirit Opening Realm, the mental strength you will expend will be far greater than if you had insights into the Dao of Formations, hence before the Spirit Opening Realm, you willpower and mental strength will be trained.¡±


    Finally, Lute dove into the world of formations and runes as Toros started to lecture him about formations and runes.

 Chapter 45

    Time seemed to flow by at an astounding rate. Before he realized it, Lute had already spent six months within the Fallen Tide Hall. During the entirety of this time, he hadn¡¯t rested even once. From the moment the sun dawned over the horizon until the next time it did so once more, Lute was always actively repeating the same day in a cycle.


    At the crack of dawn he would rush over to the smithy where Elder Irida would teach him alongside the other trainees. Until the afternoon, she would teach him new blacksmithing techniques. But she would still ruthlessly and savagely abuse him whenever he made a mistake. This went for every trainee, but for some reason, he seemed to suffer from her wrath the most.


    However Lute put up with it, he was advancing steadily enough with his blacksmithing that he didn¡¯t mind whatever it was Elder Irida did. However the cuts she left on him were still as agonizing as ever, the pain he felt had been increasing many times over these four months. They would heal enough to become scabs, and then the next day Elder Irida would reopen them when she hit Lute for making a mistake.


    After suffering but also making advancements in blacksmithing, Lute would then clean himself. After donning his robes, he would then rush over to the class Toros taught. Although he couldn¡¯t craft formations or runes that functioned because he wasn¡¯t in the Spirit Opening Realm, Lute still learned a plethora of information.


    He¡¯d learned the history of formations and runes and their uses. He¡¯d also learned of the many different types of runes and formations. But this was the easier part of the class. The true difficulty lied in the repeated drawing. Under the watchful gaze of Toros, for hours on end, Lute would etch different runes and formations onto the hide of Vicious Beasts.


    He¡¯d copy them exactly from an image in a book. This was extremely draining mentally, if Lute lines were off by even a single millimeter, Toros would make him restart entirely. It didn¡¯t help that earlier in the day; he¡¯d already been physically and mentally drained by Elder Irida so it pushed Lute towards the limits of how long and how intently he could focus. Being forced to restart upon making a mistake went for all the disciples, since Toros only had four disciples including Lute, he was able to personally watch over all of them.


    Once his classes finished, Lute would retreat to the caves beneath the arena. Securing one for him, every night he would read and memorize one of the many books he acquired from the library. This was Lute¡¯s favorite aspect of being in a sect. He was like a sponge, greedily soaking in all of the knowledge he could because he never had the ability to before.


    In his village, although there were enough books where he could learn to read, they were mostly fantasy stories meant for children. When he saw a library full of books that weren¡¯t fantasies and spanned across many subjects, Lute¡¯s inner scholar came out, he wanted to read everything. Legends and mysteries were especially of interest to him.


    What caught his attention the most were the three forbidden areas of the Crimson Tide Planet. They were the Desert Tomb of the Heavenly Emperors, Shadow Spirit Caverns, and Heavenly Tribulation Valley. Each one was full of mysteries. Even a peak Heavenly Emperor wouldn¡¯t casually waltz into these three places.


    Not a single Heavenly Emperor had ever entered the forbidden desert and came out alive. This was why it was called the Desert Tomb of Heavenly Emperors. You could be a peak Qi Overlord or even a half-step through the Heavenly Emperor bottleneck and you would be able to enter this desert and leave alive. But the moment a Heavenly Emperor entered, they would never return.


    Shadow Spirit Caverns at first didn¡¯t seem as dangerous, many would come out alive. But it was what happened to them afterwards that was absolutely terrifying. No matter your cultivation level, those who entered were never the same afterwards. Some went insane; others were driven to commit suicide because of nightmares. A few crippled themselves, and even worse, some became mindless and feeble, seeming to age until they were on their death bed, they would foam at the mouth, and be unable to do anything without aid or even think for themselves.


    Lastly, the most mysterious of the three Forbidden Areas was the Heavenly Tribulation Valley. It was a land wreathed in lightning of many colors. What made it the place that was most mysterious and unknown was the fact that specific rules, some known and others unknown couldn¡¯t be broken, even by accident. An example was that a cultivator couldn¡¯t enter if they were above the Ascension Realm. Even if a Peak Heavenly Emperor were to try and force their way in, they would be struck by the lightning, not even ash would remain.


    Because of this, many of the sects, especially the Primordial Sects would send in their most talented disciples with protective equipment that only a Peak Heavenly Emperor would have. Sometimes they would return after entering, and other times they wouldn¡¯t. Of the ones that did return, they would have used up all their protective items and appear to have one foot in the grave.


    However when asked what they experienced, the answer was always the same thing, ¡°I saw the truth.¡± These disciples would often seclude themselves for many years or they would abandon their sects. The only commonality between all of those that survived, they would usually grow into Peak Heavenly Emperors that were so powerful it was said they had stepped half-way onto the divine path. Just like the Heavenly Emperor of Slaughter, it would take many Peak Heavenly Emperors to subdue and kill them.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    While all three of the forbidden grounds were of interest to him, Lute was enamored by the Heavenly Tribulation Valley. Not only was it because of the lightning, instead he wanted to also see the truth. Before he entered the Emperor Qi Realm, he wanted to enter this forbidden area and learn its secrets. But even more importantly, he felt from his inner self that it was a chance to cultivate a Negative Origin Body for lightning. Although he wanted one fore darkness and fire as well, lightning was his top priority.


    With this goal in mind, for the past four months, Lute had cultivated in earnest, always putting forth as much effort as he could. Every night for the past four months he¡¯d been practicing the seven arts he rented. He¡¯d already returned them to Cal since he memorized them. Instead, he was focusing on merging them with the Thousand Ways Scripture since he could use them at an acceptable level.


    Lute had already finished merging Qi Explosion Tactics with the Thousand Ways Scripture. However, he¡¯d only managed to merge two of the seven arts with it; they were the Illusionary Mirage Steps and the Aura of the New Moon as they were the easiest. For every art he merged into the Thousand Ways Scripture, it became harder to merge another. Right now it seemed he was at his limit and couldn¡¯t merge a fourth art because of cultivation level, soul strength, and not having all the Laws of Severance free from the Five Paths of Severance.


    With the goal of creating an infinitely evolving art, Lute was using the Thousand Ways Scripture as the foundation. It didn¡¯t have techniques but instead made it so he would always fight in the most optimal way, wasting little energy but always moving, attacking, or defending with the most strength possible that he could use.


    Whenever he merged an art with it, they would be become fine-tuned. Being perfected even more after they already had severed from heavens way, they would be able to exhibit more power but also waste less Qi. However, for this new art that he wanted to infinitely evolve, Lute had no idea what to name it as of yet.


    Through all of this persistent training, Lute had reached the bottleneck of the fifth level, and then with the assistance of the Essence Gathering Formation, he¡¯d broken through to the fifth level of the Nascent Qi Realm.


    Today was no different, Lute was cultivating, steadily closing in on the sixth level of the Nascent Qi Realm. However, at the crack of dawn, as he left for the smithy he caught movement out of the corner of his eyes. At all times except when he broke through in cultivation, Lute had kept his cultivation suppressed, so for now, if we was at odds with anyone they would think he was at the third level of the Nascent Qi Realm. The truth was that he was nearing the sixth level of the Nascent Qi Realm, in a few months; he would smoothly cross the bottleneck.


    Lute slowed down his walking speed but acted as if he hadn¡¯t noticed. But, every so often as he walked, he would see shadows out of the corners of his eyes. Flitting around in the dark alleys, they would stop and observe him.


    Lute¡¯s eyes seemed cold and staring straight ahead but on the inside he was laughing, these people thought they were hiding.


    ¡®They seriously think I haven¡¯t noticed them? I¡¯m afraid that unless they are in the Spirit Opening Realm I will always be able to find them.¡¯


    Lute casually walked forward without any fear, if these people wanted to observe him, then he would let them. If they wanted to make a move against him, he would retaliate ruthlessly. There was no one around so he felt no fear of being caught.


    Finally, as he approached the smithy, more people began to gather in the streets. There was a crowd of people. Lute quietly revolved his Qi so as to make sure his stalker wouldn¡¯t notice what he was doing. Then as Lute walked into the crowd, he used Illusionary Mirage Steps and Aura of the New Moon. In the crowd, his footsteps became silent and unpredictable.


    When he moved his feet it seemed as if illusionary images of his legs appeared with every step he took, making it appear as if he was stepping in many directions at the same time, combined with Aura of the New Moon suppressing his already nonexistent aura, Lute disappeared into the crowd. He wasn¡¯t invisible, but instead he became another face in the crowd of people disappearing into the masses. He was specter that freely moved within the people unnoticed.


    After delaying his arrival to the smithy for about ten minutes, Lute finally reached his destination after he was sure he lost the people tailing him. In front of the smithy was Elias, clearly he was waiting for Lute.


    As Lute approached him, Elias had a stack of papers. Elias walked up and handed the papers to Lute in passing as he whispered in a cold voice, ¡°Here¡¯s all the information I could scrounge up. Now it¡¯s up to you to hold your end of the oath, I will need you in one weeks¡¯ time, so prepare to take a leave of absence for a about a month, your excuse, a joint mission from the request hall.¡±


    Lute¡¯s eyes narrowed, the atmosphere around him grew increasingly cold. Swiftly putting the paper reports into his spatial ring, as he continued walking past Elias he replied in an equally cold voice that was abnormally sharp and cold even for Lute as he whispered, ¡°Fine, but you better know what you are doing, I was being tailed by multiple people, and I am certain you are too. I don¡¯t care what you¡¯re planning, but I didn¡¯t agree to sacrifice my life, if I am going to die, I will bail out on this scheme of yours.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to fret about dying; the possibility of a Spirit Opening Disciple coming after our lives is slim at the most. But the information about us being tailed is important; there is only one possibility as to why someone would tail us. One of my siblings had been watching my movements apparently. Tonight, I will come to your cave that you cultivate in, those are secure and they won¡¯t be able to eavesdrop, and we shall speak further there.¡±


    Lute nodded, and then they both went their separate ways. Lute strolled into the smithy; however his mind wasn¡¯t in tune with blacksmithing. This showed itself as Elder Irida savagely cut Lute more than normal. But he didn¡¯t care, all he wanted to do was quickly end his day so he could look through the intelligence report that Elias had obtained for him using his families influence

 Chapter 46

    Within the smithy, Lute was putting the finishing touches upon a pair of gauntlets and boots. However, they were a bit different from the normal pairs that could be found almost anywhere. While they were a common black color and had a dull luster that seemed to absorb the surrounding light, the equipment had an ornate structure.


    The gauntlets each had a small hole upon the inside forearm. A curved blade then had a handle which would be inserted into this opening upon the gauntlet, this allowed for a simple flick of the wrist to rotate the blade edge from pointing inside towards the elbow to pointing outwards, extending beyond the arm, ready to pierce and slash.


    Both gauntlets had this blade on the inside forearm. When he was making these, Lute had his fists and legs in mind. They were to be the foundation of his fighting style, however he also felt the need for a bladed weapon in a situation where blunt force wasn¡¯t enough and instead a piercing or slashing attack would be most effective.


    The added ability to rotate the blades was an afterthought, but it increased the utility so as to prevent the blades from becoming a hindrance that didn¡¯t allow him to punch because they were extended outwards from the wrist.


    As for the boots, they had a similar function. On the calves of the boots were blades. Whenever he reverses kicked, bones and muscle would be viciously crushed to a pulp if the blades made contact. These blades were larger and thicker than the ones on the gauntlets. They were heavier, and served no other use except to pulverize whatever they came into contact with.


    Today was the day that he finally finished them. At first they were extremely crude, but over these months of nonstop training. He finally made a pair that was usable for actual combat. They weren¡¯t perfect but had the potential for improvement if he found rare metals and other materials; after all, these were only made out of the common materials provided to the disciples.


    After he finished polishing his gear, Lute threw them into his spatial ring. Donning his robes, he quickly left the smithy and finished went about the rest of the day the same way he had been for months. However, it was easily noticeable that he was distracted. With great haste, after he finished his final class. Lute hurried to the cave that he typically cultivated in throughout the night.


    ''Finally, it¡¯s time to learn who they are after all these years.''


    Lute withdrew a stack of papers from his spatial ring. He began to thoroughly read through them with great care, he didn''t want to miss a single detail.


    The more he read, the colder the atmosphere seemed to become. Slaughter Aura began to slowly leak out from Lute''s body. Elias had done his part, not only had he found who was behind everything. He also found any organizations they were connected with.


    But, what was also able to be felt was sadness. A morose atmosphere had become tangible. If someone were to look at Lute, they would see a single tear rolling down his face.


    "I will avenge you Mother; your death will not go unanswered."


    According to the reports, his mother had died a mere six months after she was enslaved. She was immediately separated from his sister and forced to work hard labor as a servant within a crime syndicate called the Fallen Kings. Apparently she wasn''t working hard enough and was punished so harshly that she died from stress, wounds, and no longer having the will to live.


    The Fallen Kings were an underground organization that was based in the capital of the Argenta City, which was situated on the west side of the Crimson Tide Continent.


    The west side of the continent was where all of the most powerful sects were. On the east side, there were a few that sects could be considered relatively powerful, but none of them would be able to compare to the west side of the continent.


    Lute crumpled the report of his mother. He was furious that there wasn''t even a grave; her body was just left to rot in some unknown area of the wilderness. He''d never be able to give her a proper burial. Instead he channeled the sadness he felt in anger, feeding it to his Slaughter Aura.


    "Aside from Hell''s Brigands who were responsible for the actual kidnapping, I will have another organization to topple, and bring to its knees."


    As Lute spoke with conviction, he didn''t sound human; instead, it was as if he was a devil that came from the depths of hell itself. He already had a list now. There were two organizations he now had to destroy out of revenge. As he picked up the report on his sister, he was already prepared to add more to the list.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Lute finally calmed down after he read through the report on his sister. He was still furious, but he wasn''t outwardly expressing it. His sister, whose name was Vera, wasn''t dead. She wasn''t a slave either. Apparently, she escaped; how she did it was unknown. But, she was no longer a part of the mortal world. She had become a cultivator. While Lute was still angry, this information was enough to calm him down.


    "At least she is safe as far as I know. Who would''ve thought that she is a prodigy? I happened to be lucky, but she appears to have actual talent since she is already in the Spirit Opening Realm."


    Vera had been accepted into a sect, while it wasn''t one of the Primordial Sects, it was extremely close to one in power and wealth. The Misty Mountain Sect, a place that only accepted women was where she resided. In order to join, you had to renounce not only men, but also your family.


    It was a place of refuge for women who were like Vera that had suffered at the hands of others. This sect was extremely secluded from the world. There was no news about them for the past two thousand years. As for how Elias found out this information, Lute had no clue, but he was thankful none the less.


    After learning this information, Lute felt slightly at ease, if Vera was secluded from the rest of the world, then that was fine. Since she already renounced her family, believing that Lute and their parents were dead, it was probably for the best if he didn''t let her know he was alive... at least not yet. Once he had the power to crush anyone on the Crimson Tide Continent with ease perhaps that would be when he''d make his presence known to her.


    Lute crumpled the report after memorizing the entirety of its contents. He had a devilish glint in his eyes.


    ''The Fallen Kings and Hell''s Brigands, they have such horrendous naming sense. But, who cares, the Hell''s Brigands Leader is now at the peak of the Spirit Opening Realm and all of his subordinates are even weaker. If he advanced so quickly in cultivation, he probably is rushing it. This group will be easier to take care of. The real problem will be the Fallen Kings.''


    The Fallen Kings had Heavenly Emperors; they were the largest criminal organization on the Crimson Tide Continent, with subordinates everywhere. They would be far harder to subdue.


    However Lute now had a goal in set in his sights. Before he left the Crimson Tide Planet, he would destroy these two organizations and make sure that Vera was safe from harm.


    As if it was on cue, once he finished going through all of the information. Lute heard the sound of footsteps. Walking in was Elias, he had a grim expression on his face.


    The atmosphere was already grim. When Elias walked in, it seemed to make it even heavier.


    ¡°Those people tailing you, they were sent by my sister. I haven¡¯t been on good terms with Lena for years. I am the heir to the house, but I know that she has always wanted the position. She is the most ambitious of my siblings and would inherit the house if I were to die.¡±


    Lute narrowed his eyes, politics and scheming for power were things he didn¡¯t enjoy getting involved with, just thinking about it left a bad taste in his mouth.


    ¡°So she wants you and Seren to die, allowing her to inherit your positon. As for me, since I am associated with both you and Seren, perhaps she sees me as a threat.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t put it past her to think up such things. However, she is cocky; I don¡¯t think she believes you are a threat. Those tails were probably to following you because I was already waiting at the smithy for you.¡±


    Lute had an extremely thin smile, and it never reached his eyes. To be underestimated, that would be a fatal mistake of Lena¡¯s.


    ¡°What is it that you have planned? Where are we going a week from now?¡±


    Elias suddenly exuded an aura of killing intent.


    ¡°How confident are you against someone at the eight level of the Nascent Qi Realm?¡±


    Lute: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lute zone out Elias from his perception and pondered upon his own strength. While disparity between levels grew the further along you cultivated. He was already extremely close to the bottleneck of the sixth level of the Nascent Qi Realm. With his arts he was confident. He also had his newly forged gauntlets and boots, while they weren¡¯t Spirit Armaments, they would certainly be able to injure someone even in the Spirit Opening Realm if they didn¡¯t have enough Qi to defend, especially since most cultivators didn¡¯t body temper.


    After pondering for a moment, Lute replied. ¡°I could probably take on one or two without worrying for my life.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Elias put on a slightly devilish grin. ¡°Good, this join mission I mentioned, my sister offered protection, which is really going to be an assassination attempt on my life. I have yet to accept. There would be two cultivators at the eighth level of the Nascent Qi Realm. Also Ley and Halsten were volunteered by here; the two of them have stepped into the fifth level of the Nascent Qi Realm. Are you still confident?¡±


    Lute didn¡¯t even hesitate, Ley and Halsten probably wouldn¡¯t even be able to wound him, at the very least, the he would have to run away if he couldn¡¯t win, but he was confident that he wouldn¡¯t lose, his Qi reserves were truly massive now compared to when he was in the Foundational Qi Realm, there was not use even comparing the two of them.


    ¡°At the worst I will need to run away¡± Lute said assuredly.


    ¡°Good, one week from now we will embark on a month long mission. I plan to kill Ley and Halsten, and then eventually I will have the elder who supports assassination within the sect¡¯s answer for his crimes. I hope that I won¡¯t have to kill my sister no matter how sour my relationship with her, but if she keeps plotting against me, I might have no choice but to return the favor.¡±

 Chapter 47

    Elias left Lute, leaving him alone in the caves beneath the arena. Lute sat down and began to meditate, clearing his mind of all the information he¡¯d received. Since he didn¡¯t have the power to deal with the Fallen Kings or Hell¡¯s Brigands, it was of no use worrying about them until he was strong enough to do so.


    Lute quietly cultivated most of the night. He was calmly absorbing Qi, inching ever closer to the bottleneck of the Nascent Qi sixth level. When he finished the session of cultivation, Lute withdrew his gauntlets and boots from his spatial ring.


    He had one week to get comfortable enough to use them in live combat. He began to practice rotating the blades on the gauntlets in rapid movements. He would flick his wrists causing the lock to undo itself, allowing the blade to rotate, pointing outwards and extending beyond the wrist, ready to slash and pierce. Then with another flick of the wrist the blade would rotate once again hiding underneath the forearm where they could be used to defensively.


    A few hours later, Lute was moving around rapidly, throwing out fierce punches filled with Qi. Sometimes he would reverse kick, making use of the blades on his calves. Other times he would have one blade extended while the other wasn¡¯t, or he would have both of them extended outwards.


    His fighting style which used to be filled with only blunt force attacks consisting of front kicks and punches now had variability. Instead of always punching or kicking, now he could slash and pierce.


    With a few hours left before sunrise, Lute put the gauntlets and boots into his spatial ring once more. However, as he was about to put his robe back on over his undershirt and pants, Lute furrowed his eyebrows in frustration.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to adjust the gauntlets. Instead of having those blades rotate outwards as they extend, making it so they can slide into the extended position would be better. This way I can wear them at all times. If I tried to fight wearing a robe as I am right now, the blade would get caught in my robes. One week should be enough to change the functionality of them.¡±


    As he muttered this to himself, Lute once again began to cultivate until sunrise, but the session didn¡¯t last. He felt a jolt coming from his inner body. He¡¯d almost forgotten the peculiar sensation of sharing a body with someone, but now, that feeling once again returned.


    Lute felt Isla¡¯s existence strengthen immediately; he was easily able to sense her. But during these four months her existence was so transparent that Lute felt as if she disappeared and he once again his soul was the only one inhabit his body.


    Manifesting before him was the spiritual body of Isla. Her looks hadn¡¯t changed and she still arrogantly looked down upon the world, even if she was a spirit body.


    ¡°You¡¯ve slept a lot longer than one month. It has already been over four months.¡± Lute said.


    ¡°Whose fault was that? Wait I know whose fault it was¡­ if a certain someone wasn¡¯t so weak-hearted, I wouldn¡¯t have been forced into that situation in the first place.¡± Isla said in annoyance.


    Isla then swept her senses through Lute¡¯s body, taking in all the changes that had occurred over the last four months. She seemed to have a look of approval on her face.


    ¡°Your dantian has expanded at an acceptable rate. While it isn¡¯t quite at the level of the young masters and geniuses of the Divine Realm, it¡¯s still quite a respectable size. Your meridians have also grown in size and become more durable. If I am not wrong, you have arrived at the bottleneck to the second level of the Divine Chronicle of the Primordial Way.¡±


    Lute inwardly felt relieved. Ever since he entered the Nascent Qi Realm, he wasn¡¯t sure as to how acceptable his advancements were, especially since he was advancing at a relatively quick pace. For now, it seemed he was a bit better than average in terms of dantian capacity for Qi. As for the Primordial First Physique, he stagnated at the bottleneck to the second level months ago so it wasn¡¯t a surprise.


    ¡°That¡¯s reassuring to hear, but¡­. Master, Disciple has some questions about the future.¡±


    ¡°Speak¡±


    Isla could feel that Lute had turbulent emotions, as to what he was going to ask, there were a few possibilities she could think of.


    ¡°Well¡­ why is the path of killing a taboo. The Dao of Slaughter is considered heresy. The world of cultivation is full of bloodshed, and yet, on this world the last person to comprehend the Dao of Slaughter was hated by the whole world and hunted down until he was killed.¡±


    Ever since Lute had learned from Cal that the Dao of Slaughter was considered heretical, he had still maintained the resolve to walk the path of killing. However, it did not mean he wasn¡¯t wary. From what he learned, it caused Lute to have questions, one of which was Isla¡¯s identity and powers, if she had Slaughter Aura which was considered a taboo, then what else would she teach him that was shunned by others.


    Isla sighed, this was one of the outcomes she expected, she planned to tell Lute when he was in the Spirit Opening Realm, but the question came out earlier than she anticipated.


    The atmosphere in the cavern seemed to change, the arrogance that seemed to embody Isla disappeared, instead the air about her changed as if she was truly a teacher who¡¯d taught many disciples¡¯.


    ¡°There is no such thing as a path of killing. That is just a made up term for those who abhor bloodshed and Dao¡¯s that focus on combat and nothing else. But before I explain Daos such as the Dao of Slaughter, I think you need to learn the basis of Daos and Divinity. Your knowledge is limited to what those in the Mortal Realm know.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°As you know there are Mortal Daos. However that is just the beginning. Dao¡¯s are classified into three tiers. They are Mortal, Heavenly, and Universal. In order for the Age of Immortals to return, someone needs to comprehend a Universal Dao. In legends, it is then said that they will instinctively know how to ascend to godhood. However this is truly going against the heavens, only the most powerful individuals of the Divine Realm have any insights into the Universal Daos, and not a single one of them has comprehended even one fourth of a Universal Dao. Do you at least understand this much?¡±


    Lute barely nodded as he focused on the information at hand. To think it was so difficult to comprehend a Dao when there were only three tiers.


    ¡°But why is it so difficult when there are only three tiers to the Daos is the disparity so great?¡± Lute asked.


    Isla pierced into Lute with her gaze, only now did she understand that she left out an important piece of information. ¡°Daos aren¡¯t so simple. Every Dao has what I shall call subsidiary Dao¡¯s. Think of them as Daos within Daos. Take the Dao of Water as an example. Within the Dao of Water is the Dao of Ice. In order to comprehend the entire Mortal Dao of Water, you would have to comprehend its entire subsidiary Mortal Daos.¡±


    Lute¡¯s thoughts shifted to the book that Cal had handed to him. If what Isla said was true, then it compiled all of his insights into the Mortal Dao of Darkness and its entire subsidiary Daos. It was up to him to comprehend its insights, but it was a head-start towards advancing along its path, it would certainly be easier than if he didn¡¯t have it.


    With this in mind, Lute looked towards Isla with an expression that thirsted for knowledge. She mentioned that he would learn some information about divinity, what he truly wanted to know. Anyone, even a peak Heavenly Emperor would want to learn of this.


    ¡°What about the Divine Path? How does that tie into the Daos?¡± Lute asked in anticipation.


    Isla quickly released her pressure and slammed Lute against the ground in annoyance and then retracted it before anyone in Fallen Tide City would notice.


    ¡°You should learn patience, I will beat it into you¡­. So stop fidgeting whenever you want to learn something, that¡¯s a disgusting habit you formed and I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    Lute groaned slightly as he sat up, it had been a long time since he¡¯d been so easily crushed within a second. Shaking his head slightly and trying to refocus, he waited in silence for Isla to begin speaking.


    Finally, after she felt Lute was paying attention, Isla began to speak. ¡°I will not tell you all of the realms within the Divine Path. There is no reason to when you are not even a Heavenly Emperor. But it is necessary to divulge some information that ties into the Daos and to clear this misunderstanding of taboo Daos that you have learned about in the Mortal Realm.¡±


    ¡°I will once again state that there is no such thing as a path of killing. It seems that this planet despises Daos that focus on combat and bloodshed. But comprehending a Dao such as the Dao of Slaughter won¡¯t turn you into a mindless killer. The cultivators of this planet were probably terrified of the Dao of Slaughters might, so they labeled it as something evil and to be avoided.¡±


    Lute deeply nodded, his brows tightened however inwardly he was relieved. He was prepared to use something labelled as evil to achieve his own goals, but knowing that it was a misconceived notion of this planet was a relief. It meant that when he ascended to the Divine Realm, things such as Slaughter Aura wouldn¡¯t be too uncommon and he wouldn¡¯t immediately be a target for extermination. But then, why would it be classified as something devils use in the Mortal Realm?


    ¡°Master, previously it was said that the Dao of Slaughter was something that only devils use, is that true,¡± Lute then looked at Isla resolved to find answers with an unwavering gaze, ¡°Slaughter Aura seems to not be normal either, while it must be more common in the Divine Realm, I find it hard to believe that everyone has it. Is there such a thing as a devilish path of cultivation¡­? Are you walking that path?¡±


    The atmosphere in the room seemed to drop. The air felt as if it was sharp enough to cut into Lute. When he asked Isla the question, her demeanor changed. Her eyes seemed even crueler than before as she pierced into Lute with her gaze, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Lute gulped slightly, his pulse increased as well. An instinctive fear seemed to well up from in as Isla coldly asked him what he thought about her origins.


    Lute stuttered slightly as he replied, ¡°I D¡­do not know. I believe that you are abnormal. As for whether you are a demonic cultivator there could be an equal probability whether you are one or aren¡¯t one, I don¡¯t have enough knowledge at hand to make such a judgement with certainty.¡±


    Isla floated about for a moment in silence, seemingly coming to a stance upon a difficult decision. ¡°There are no such things as devils or gods in this era. However, there are cultivators that have the potential to become a god or devil if they comprehend a Universal Dao. You will have to make this choice eventually. It is known as the Soul Splitting Realm.¡±


    ¡°Soul splitting, so I will have to choose whether I want to cultivate the way of the gods or devils?¡± Lute asked in astonishment.


    Isla seemed to reminisce about the past as she replied, ¡°¡­ Yes, when the time comes you will have to choose. I will not influence you in this decision. But I will tell you the advantages of each.¡±


    ¡°The Gods and Devils can be summarized as positive and negative. Gods use positive aligned Qi and Devils use Negative aligned Qi. Positive Qi is denser and cultivators recover from wounds using Positive Qi quicker than those of Negative Qi. Negative Qi is thinner, less dense, and the cultivators won¡¯t heal as quickly. But, Negative Qi can be recovered faster and it is degrading like poison, if you¡¯re infected by Negative Qi, it eats away at your positive Qi until you have none left or you expel it from your body.¡±


    Gods and Devils, humans rise to Divinity and become a god or they could fall to Demonic Divinity and become a devil.


    Isla continued to speak, not giving Lute any room to ask questions. ¡°There is one more advantage. Dao comprehension is affected as well. Gods are better at comprehending the Dao of Life while Devils were better at comprehending the Dao of Death. While Gods could master the Dao of Death or a Devil could master the Dao of Life, it would be more difficult. When you split your soul, you will immediately know what Daos are easier and more difficult for you to gain insights into and manipulate. This is why I wished to explain a part of one of Great Realms of cultivation within the Divine Path. What I mean is the Dao of Slaughter is easier for Demonic Cultivators to learn than the God Cultivators.¡±


    What path you chose would affect what Daos you learned? That was a rather important concept that he didn¡¯t know. For this information, Lute as grateful. However, there was one thing still bothering him. Were humans there an equal number of cultivators of both paths? Would demonic path cultivators hate god path cultivators and vice versa?


    ¡°Then, how many demonic cultivators are there, also what is their relationship with the god path cultivators?¡± Lute asked.


    ¡°Most choose to cultivate the path of a god. I¡¯d estimate that roughly twenty-five percent of the Divine Realm cultivate the demonic path and have demonic arts and inheritances. As for relationships, it¡¯s a mutual dislike, but that¡¯s about it. It¡¯s not a kill on sight as it was during the Age of Immortals.¡±


    ¡®To be a god or devil¡­ what do I want to be? As for Master, she¡¯s probably a demonic cultivator. But for me I¡¯ll choose depending on what Daos I focus upon. But for now I shouldn¡¯t worry about such things¡­ getting to the Spirit Opening Realm is the most important thing to do at this moment.¡¯

 Chapter 48

    One week quickly went by. During this time Lute informed Isla of everything that had occurred in the past four months as well as what he planned to do. She wasn¡¯t interested in the petty schemes of mortals like Elias, but instead it was the Heavenly Tribulation Valley she wanted to learn more about.


    On a planet like this that wasn¡¯t suitable for cultivating, it was of great interest to hear that whoever entered this valley and survived would grow strong enough to have been considered to step halfway onto the Divine Path. This half-step was far more important than it appeared. To have achieved this, one would be unmatched in the Mortal Realm. They would become second only to a true Divine.


    Lute didn¡¯t understand the meaning of this. The differences between a Mortal and a Divine, he couldn¡¯t picture it within his mind. When he heard about the half-step between a Heavenly Emperor and a Divine, he thought that if enough Heavenly Emperors grouped together and fought in unison, a half-step Divine could be killed. He couldn¡¯t be more wrong; however he didn¡¯t voice his thoughts to Isla because of this ignorance.


    Instead, Lute went back to the smithy and spent the whole week modifying his gauntlets to make the blade slide forward to its extended positon instead of halving it rotate. Now, it could be unsheathed and sheathed faster, his movements also became more fluid when he constantly changed forms while fighting.


    But today, today was the day that he left on the month long mission. Lute already applied for extended leave. When he grabbed the mission from the Requests Hall, Lute understood why it would take so long.


    Jade Skies Valley, this was the area that he needed to go to. It was a valley that was fraught with Vicious Beasts that were typically late stage Nascent Qi, Rank Two beasts. For one month, these beasts needed to be hunted and have their cores extracted. Then, upon the night of the Blood Moon time became of the essence.


    On the night of a Blood Moon, the Scarlet Demon Orchid bloomed. It was a terrifying flower that absorbed the blood essence and Qi from any living thing that came into its surroundings. Aside from collecting Vicious Beast Cores, this flower was the main objective.


    In order to pluck it from the ground without dying from its devouring strength, anything with Qi or blood essence needed to be absorbed by it as a distraction; this was because the Scarlet Demon Orchid could only devour one target at a time. If a core was first thrown into its range, then a cultivator could quickly rush in and pluck the flower out of the ground. It would then need to be stored in a spatial ring or anything else that had a separate dimension until daybreak and the Blood Moon had passed.


    It was now finally time to leave. Lute had made all of his preparations. He had read all of the books he¡¯d gotten from the Library and returned them. However he didn¡¯t rent anymore. Right now, all he had in these spatial rings were his gauntlets and boots, as well as daily necessities.


    Lute withdrew his weapons from his spatial ring and equipped them. The ornate black gauntlets were hidden inside of his robes. With a simple flick of the wrist the blade would easily extend, ready to slash and pierce. The boots were not hidden, they shined with a dull luster, and the black color seemed to absorb light from the surrounding area, making them stand out even more.


    Lute actually didn¡¯t mind this because he believed that if his opponent¡¯s eyes were drawn to the boots, his opponents would assume that he planned to do combat with his legs, allowing for his blades to slide out while they were focusing only on defending against his legs.


    With his weapons equipped, and having finished checking that he had all provisions for this trip. Lute left, heading to the entrance of the Fallen Tide Hall.


    When he got there, Lute found Elias already waiting. Elias wasn¡¯t wearing a robe like Lute. Instead he seemed to be wearing a protective armor made of Vicious Beast Hide and he was holding a spear in hand.


    ¡®Interesting, he¡¯s a spear wielder, and with his families¡¯ wealth, with the spear and  the armor made from a Vicious Beast, he should be able to fight above his cultivation level, especially since he probably has a few life-saving artifacts upon him provided by his family.''


    When he noticed Lute, Elias walked over waving his arm. He had a thin smile upon his face, however Lute could easily tell that schemes were floating around in Elias¡¯s head, he was constantly plotting something. This was something Lute was sure of after interacting with him for a few months.


    Elias narrowed his eyes as he saw two approaching disciples ¡°Are you ready? I hope you weren¡¯t bluffing about being able to fight against eighth level cultivators.¡±


    Lute looked in the direction Elias had turned to. There were two disciples within view. One of which was male, the other was female. Ironically, they seemed to be polar opposite of each other.


    The male disciple seemed to be ice cold. The aura he exuded was heavy and cold. His eyes seemed to be permanently squinting. His body seemed frail; as if it was so brittle it would fall apart under the slightest pressure.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Strapped on his belt were two small daggers which surprisingly were emitting auras. They were authentic spirit armaments that had a blue hue to them. They seemed even colder than the aura that the youth was emitting.


    As for the female disciple, her aura was comparable to a volcano. It seemed to ferociously move about in unrestrained waves. She seemed robust and full of life. Strapped to her back was a massive Warhammer that seemed out of place because of her petite body. It was also exuding a fiery aura, seeming to increase the temperature around. There was no doubt; these were the two henchmen of Lena that were going to accompany them.


    There was only once commonality between the two. Both of them had a cold glint in their eyes. As they approached Lute and Elias they both wore smiles of greeting, however, even if Lute hadn¡¯t known beforehand they were dangerous, these smiles were fake, they weren¡¯t too adept at hiding their true intentions.


    Lute swayed slightly in place, but he remained silent. He stood behind Elias and didn¡¯t return the smiles of greeting. He stood in place and coldly stared at them with piercing eyes, observing every movement they made.


    ¡°Hello Elias, Lena sent us to accompany you on the mission for the Scarlet Demon Orchid.¡±


    The girl reached out with her right hand and pointed at herself, ¡°The name¡¯s Mirelda,¡± then she pointed to her companion, ¡°The silent one to my right is my twin brother Kale.¡±


    Elias nodded in affirmation, despite knowing these were adversaries, he still acted with formalities befitting a noble. He bowed and introduced himself.


    ¡°As you know, I am Elias Kaydriff, heir apparent to the Kaydriff House,¡± he then pointed to Lute, ¡°This is also my friend Lute, he will be accompanying me as a companion, but please forgive him, he doesn¡¯t talk much.¡±


    Mirelda¡¯s vison locked onto Lute. She had already known of Lute was someone who Elias spoke to frequently, but it was believed to be an attempt by Elias to get into contact with the Windcross House and Seren since it was known within the Kaydriff House he held affection towards her.


    Surprisingly, she couldn¡¯t sense his cultivation, but they had already done their research. He was focused on Spirit Smithing and Rune Mastery so his combat potential was probably weaker than an ordinary disciple because he didn¡¯t bother to show up to sparring classes. He was also only at the Nascent Qi Third Level, so there was nothing to worry about. Mirelda quickly dismissed him from her vision deciding that he was of no threat.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to bring him along. He will probably become baggage; a Vicious Beast at the first level of the Nascent Qi Realm could probably easily kill him.¡± Mirelda said in a dismissive tone clearly meant to insult Lute as she spoke about him like he wasn¡¯t even there.


    Lute forcefully prevented Slaughter Aura from leaking out. He seriously wanted to strangle this person. However, he didn¡¯t because he realized based on what she said that despite the people who tailed him every day, they seemed to still think he was at the Third Level of the Nascent Qi Realm and was weak at fighting.


    But the main reason he didn¡¯t speak up was because Elias looked at Lute with an unmistakable look that could be interpreted as, ¡°Wait until later before you vent your anger.¡±


    Elias turned back to Mirelda; he spoke in a light-hearted manner that Lute felt didn¡¯t suit him. ¡°Thank you for your concern, however despite what you may think Lute can at the very least run away. He has at least that much ability to survive or he wouldn¡¯t be coming along. He¡¯s coming because he needs to experience the outside world a bit¡­ it was favor from the Windcross house.¡±


    Lute felt like sighing, this person, he had a glib tongue when he wanted to. Elias spoke as if he had a completely different personality. He was light-hearted, he seemed docile, and he looked as if he acted this way every day of his life.


    It was opposite of the cold, calculating, scheming personality Lute was used. Elias was lying, and portraying Lute as no one of significance and yet he was also saying that Lute still needed to be in the group nonetheless.


    Elias then changed subjects to one of more importance. His mind was racing because there were still two more people that needed two show up, he needed them to arrive.


    ¡°Pardon me for asking, but are the disciples Ley and Halsten coming with us? I had heard they wanted to participate in this mission as well.¡±


    Mirelda looked at Elias with suspicion. He changed the subject too quickly. But what made her the most suspicious was they hadn¡¯t had any reports of Elias making contact with the Windcross House. If he really had, they would¡¯ve known about it. There was no feasible way he should¡¯ve escaped their detection.


    ¡°They have already gone on ahead and will meet us at our destination when we arrive. They wanted some time to train together against the Vicious Beasts on their own. I¡¯m sure you have heard that the two always fight together. It takes a lot of coordination to not end up hindering each other¡¯s strengths while in group combat.¡± Mirelda said.


    ¡°That is understandable¡­.¡±


    Neither Lute nor Elias believed what Mirelda said for even a second. However, this just meant they had to be on high alert when travelling to Jade Skies Valley.


    ¡°Shall we get going then?¡± Elias asked.


    ¡°Yes¡±


    Finally they set off. Elias was at the front with Mirelda walking stride for stride next to him. Kale was walking just behind Mirelda, seemingly staying within her shadow. Lute was behind them, ever since they had left. He was forgotten by the Mirelda and Kale. He was of no threat in their eyes.


    However, Lute silently walked behind them. He continuously observed them, judging their strengths and looking for their weaknesses. Both Mirelda and Kale were at the eighth level of the Nascent Qi Realm.


    Mirelda seemed to be a type that rampaged about, releasing heavy attacks where ever she went. However she probably lacked in movement and defense. As for Kale, he seemed to be the opposite, he was lacking in offensive ability, but he was quick and agile.


    ¡®So, they are like that huh¡­ She rampages about, and he defends the openings in her defenses. Eventually they outlasts their opponents stamina until they overtake them, they were probably picked because Elias most definitely had lifesaving artifacts that could tip the scales in his favor¡­.¡¯


    Lute coldly smirked, unbeknownst to Kale and Mirelda; their ignorance would be their undoing, this much he was sure of.

 Chapter 49

    One week had gone by. Jade Skies Valley was visible along the horizon. Above the valley was why it received its name. It was said that the valley was heavily saturated with the element of the wind. This caused the clouds to become an iridescent green. They covered the valley blotting out the sky. Eventually it became known as the Jade Skies Valley.


    The lunar light of the moon was shining down upon Lute. He was silently cultivating through the night as he always had. Every night, he would seclude himself and remain alert, waiting until Mirelda and Kale fell asleep before starting to cultivate.


    He knew the only reason that they hadn¡¯t betrayed them was because of the Scarlet Demon Orchid. It absorbed blood essence and Qi. In order to retrieve it, they probably planned to use his or Elias¡¯s body to distract the flower while they grabbed it.


    Knowing they had such a plan, Lute could only laugh inwardly. ¡®I¡¯m afraid that it won¡¯t be me who is absorbed, it will be the two of you instead.¡¯


    Lute continued to cultivate, he felt as if he was on the cusp of entering into the sixth level of the Nascent Qi Realm. He was brimming with more power than ever before. Every day, his Qi was condensing into a purer and denser form. Although he progressed slower than others, he still was trudging along the path of cultivation at an acceptable speed.


    However, because he wasn¡¯t safely secluded within a safe area, Lute didn¡¯t dare sink into a complete state of cultivation where he couldn¡¯t sense anything other than his inner body. He remained absolutely focused upon his surroundings; he focused only on listening to the area in his immediate vicinity.


    Thankfully, it paid off. Off in the distance, Lute heard leaves rustling and twigs breaking. The footsteps were quiet, almost inaudible, but he heard them. They were approaching the camp that had been set up.


    Lute stood up, and under the light of the moon he quickly began to suppress his aura with Aura of the New Moon. His already faint presence seemed to vanish all together. Lute silently began to move towards the sounds. Sticking to the shadows casted by trees in the surrounding area, Lute practically vanished. Whenever he moved, he didn¡¯t make a sound, moving through forests and mountains had become second nature to Lute, if there was any place he felt confident moving stealthily, it was here.


    Entering into Lute¡¯s sight were two figures. These people, he could easily guess who they were.


    ¡°I somewhat expected they would try this, but who would¡¯ve thought that they¡¯d do it so soon.¡± Lute muttered under his breath.


    Before him were Ley and Halsten. They were just within forest, on boundary of the camp site. Lute quickly looked them over and noticed that they both had spirit armaments. Ley had two short swords and Halsten had a Broadsword. They also seemed to both have advanced since Lute had least heard. Halsten had entered fifth level, and Ley was at the fourth level of the Nascent Qi Realm.


    ¡°They haven¡¯t advanced much; I¡¯ve already caught up to Halsten. But, how¡¯d they obtain Spirit Armaments while in the Nascent Qi Realm? Mirelda and Kale had them because of being servants of Lena. Elias has one because he¡¯s a noble. But these two¡­. Did they get it from the Elder supporting them?¡±


    Once he saw Halsten and Ley whispering to each other, Lute silently sneaked up behind them until he could hear the conversation.


    ¡°Are you ready? If we kill all three tonight and return with proof of the deed, we¡¯ll surely be given bonus rewards for returning early.¡±


    Ley spoke with a sadistic glee that made Lute sick to his stomach. The more he heard her talk, the more he felt that there was something wrong with her mentally. The tone of her voice and the way she was acting as she talked to Halsten creeped Lute out, it wasn¡¯t what she said but rather the intonations of her voice as she said it.


    ¡°We need to hurry though, it¡¯ll soon be sunrise. We can¡¯t take them on if their awake. They don¡¯t even know that we are against all of them.¡± Halsten said.


    Lute stopped in his tracks mid-step. The information he learned from this conversation was the same as the last piece of a puzzle falling into place.


    ¡®They weren¡¯t siding with Mirelda and Kale, they were pretending too? These two are too stupid to think of such a plan or even profit from it. To make use of Elias and Lena¡¯s family feud, who is the Elder behind them and are they really that calculative? What could he or she gain from this?¡¯


    Some questions were answered, but it only caused others to form? It seemed like the nobles of Fallen Tide City were going to dance in the palm of someone¡¯s hand in the near future. The prime suspect was an Elder from Fallen Tide Hall, but what could one sole Elder have such a need for where they plotted to have nobles against each other?


    ¡®I will need to leave that city as soon as possible. I don¡¯t have the personal strength to protect myself from someone like this, especially because I am affiliated with the Windcross House.¡¯Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    After such a thought went through Lute¡¯s mind, his eyes flashed with a murderous glint, he slowly sneaked behind Ley and Halsten.


    Unsheathing his right gauntlets blade, extending it from underneath his forearm, Lute suddenly focused all of his Slaughter Aura upon Ley and whispered into her ear.


    ¡°No one appreciates those who backstabs and betrays their allies. I will have to dispose of the trash.¡±


    These past months, Lute had learned seven skills. One of the techniques was the Mortal Chronicle of Aura Manipulation. With unceasing practice, Lute finally was able to control his Slaughter Aura a bit. He could now focus all of it upon one person or spread it over and area. This was only a basic function he¡¯d learned from a few months of training, however, the difference between letting his Slaughter Aura flow uncontrolled and controlled was enormous.


    When he focused it all upon on person, the effects upon the target multiplied. This was easily apparent with Ley. Her entire body was drenched in sweat; her pulse and heartbeat were reaching an unprecedented speed. When she slowly turned around and saw Lute, it was as if she was a prisoner of hell looking at a demon who tortured her for an eternity.


    She began to tremble in complete fear, powerless to do anything. Comparatively, Halsten wasn¡¯t feeling any effect of the Slaughter Aura because it was all focused on Ley. Instead he was just spooked that someone had appeared behind him in the dead of night, and he hadn¡¯t noticed them at all until they were only a few feet away.


    Halsten quickly revolved his Qi and brandished his Spirit Armament Broadsword. He attempted to lash out at Lute, but it was too late, Lute was far too close.


    Lute swung his left palm and made direct contact with the flat of the broadsword, he then sent his Qi outwards, exploding it. The broadsword, with Halsten holding it went flying into the forest.


    As Halsten was standing up and about to charge Lute once again, Lute towered over Ley. She was trembling in fear. Below Lute in cultivation, she felt complete despair as if she was immersed in a sea of blood. She was paralyzed. Lute showed no mercy though, he utilized the already extended blade from his right gauntlet and slashed with his blade that  seemed invisible because of the dark of night.


    Lutes blade flashed once under the lunar light of the moon before it stabbed into Ley. Her lung was pierced. But before she could even scream, Lute had already flicked his wrist and sheathed the blade underneath his forearm once again. Then he mercilessly slammed his right fist into her gut, forcing all the air out of her lungs. It was as if Ley was body crushed by a Vicious Beast. She crumpled to the ground, many bones in her body had snapped in half or shattered.


    From the hole in her lung and the shattered bones due to Lutes¡¯ fist, Ley died without being able to put up a fight. She wasn¡¯t even able to retaliate because of the fear or scream because of Lutes¡¯ actions. He¡¯d successfully kept Mirelda and Kale from waking up.


    Lute turned around to face Halsten; he then began to focus all of his Slaughter Aura upon him as he said in a voice so cold it seemed to pierce into the depths of Halsten¡¯s Soul, ¡°One piece of trash disposed of, one more to go.¡±


    Lute began to casually walk towards Halsten. A devilish smile was apparent on his face. He kept unsheathing and sheathing the blade from his forearm as he approached Halsten.


    Halsten felt the same fear that Ley felt. He trembled, and kept looking at the blade  extending from and then sheathing itself within Lute¡¯s robes every time he flicked his wrist. However, due to an instinct for self-preservation, Halsten brandished his broadsword.


    Although he was trembling, he attempted a war cry to bolster his courage as he swung at Lute with all his might. However his mind was still in disarray and didn¡¯t even think of attempting to use his arts or techniques.


    Lute raised his left arm, covering it in Qi. The broadsword collided with the blade that was on Lute¡¯s forearm as he blocked.


    It felt as if Halsten swung at an immovable mountain. Lute didn¡¯t even budge after Halsten used his full strength in that attack. This only caused the fear he felt due to the effects of Slaughter Aura to amplify.


    Lute once again had the same devilish smile from before on his face. His eyes flashed with a cold glint. With a speed that Halsten couldn¡¯t comprehend, he suddenly shoved Halsten backwards.


    Before he knew it, Halsten¡¯s throat was being held by Lute¡¯s right hand and in danger of being crushed. For Lute it would be as easy as the parchment he drew on for his Rune Mastery classes.


    With a flick of his left wrist, a blade extended from Lute¡¯s left forearm. Pointing the tip at Halsten¡¯s neck, Lute began to speak.


    ¡°One trash is already disposed of; now if you want to live, answer my questions. If you lie or don¡¯t answer me, you might find yourself starting to lose limbs and organs¡­.one¡­..by¡­.one.¡±


    Halsten slightly gulped as Lute squeezed his throat.


    ¡°W¡­.What do you want to know.¡±


    ¡°Who is the Elder that you work for? Why did you attack Seren, and why are you after Elias?¡±


    Easing the pressure that he was putting on Halsten¡¯s throat, Lute started counting backwards from ten until Halsten began to panic and answer his questions one by one.


    ¡°I serve Elder Temporal; he¡¯s the one that lets us get away with killing people. Usually he tells us who to kill. We targeted Seren because he told us to. That is the same reason we are after Elias, he told us to. For reasons I don¡¯t know, he plans to uproot the nobles.¡±


    Lute nodded as he pondered over what he just heard. He now knew the name of the person behind everything, and that they had a plan for all the nobles and possibly any prominent person in the city.


    While he was thinking, Halsten interrupted him, breaking off his train of thought.


    ¡°S¡­So¡­Can I¡­.Can I be freed, I gave you what you wanted, I¡¯ll never bother you again.¡± Halsten said fearfully.


    Lute¡¯s eyes flashed with a cold glint, ¡°You¡¯ve outlived your usefulness. Garbage is still garbage; it needs to be disposed of.¡±


    Halsten¡¯s eyes showed utter despair, he couldn¡¯t even cry out in pain or fear as Lute crushed his neck with little to no effort.


    Lute cleaned the blood off of his blades, stored the Spirit Armaments in his spatial ring, and then began walk back towards the camp after dragging Ley and Halsten¡¯s bodies far into the forest to be eaten by the Vicious Beasts.


    ¡°The midnight chores are finished, I gathered some useful information, and all in all it was a successful night, there won¡¯t be any surprise of new people showing up.¡± Lute said in a satisfied mood as he once walked back to the campsite.


    Lute then looked at Mirelda and Kale when he returned; his eyes once again depicted a ruthless nature within them. ¡°Soon it will be your turn. You¡¯ll regret not making sure you know your opponents true strength before simply dismissing them from your thoughts and sight.¡±

 Chapter 50

    The sun slowly rose until stopping just above the horizon. As always, the world was stuck in a permanent state of sunset. Elias, Kale, and Mirelda had no way of knowing that Halsten and Ley had disappeared from the world, never able to return.


    As for Lute, he was busily cultivating, until suddenly he felt the Origin Soul Needle stirring within him.


    From the very first Vicious Beast he¡¯d killed until now, having killed other cultivators, there weren¡¯t many changes with the Origin Soul Needle. It just quietly floated in orbit around his soul. He had no way of making contact with it or controlling its powers.


    This was still the case, and he had much respect for it as it was slowly increasing the strength of his soul as the days went by. It cleared his meridians of blockages allowing him to cultivate, and it gave him ice cold clarity of thought when he needed it the most.


    But he never would forget its absolute power over the soul and its ability to extinguish his own soul if it felt inclined to. As he cultivated, he kept reassuring himself and forcing him to remember that he didn¡¯t control the needle, it did what it wanted.


    As for why he thought this, after Lute killed Halsten, surprisingly the souls weren¡¯t immediately extinguished and absorbed of their strength by the Origin Soul Needle. When Lute had returned to the campsite, Ley and Halsten¡¯s Souls were feeling utter terror, Isla was suppressing them and making them feel the very meaning of the word fear because she felt like it and for no other reason. Since the Origin Soul Needle didn¡¯t restrain her from doing this, she kept playing around with Ley and Halsten¡¯s Souls as if they were toys.


    Lute had only known their souls were there, he couldn¡¯t enter the space of the Origin Soul Needle at will. But as he began to cultivate, his consciousness was dragged into this space.


    When he was dragged into the Origin Soul Needle, the first thing Lute saw was Isla playing with¡­.torturing, Ley and Halsten¡¯s Souls. This didn¡¯t bother Lute, he killed them anyways, so why would he care what happened to their souls.


    Instead, this scene reminded him that aside from him, Isla didn¡¯t care about any mortals; she didn¡¯t regard them as being anything more than playthings that could be easily disposed of.


    As Lute watched the scenes play out in front of him. He had begun to wonder why the Origin Soul Needle wanted him within its space; he hadn¡¯t been here since the first time it merged with him.


    This question was answered very¡­very quickly. A rumbling sound like thunder soon overtook the space. Isla quickly stopped tormenting the souls and floated over to Lutes side. She had told him, ¡°The needle wants you to witness its power.¡±


    The moment Isla had said this, countless black chains with black and purple flames upon them manifested. They wrapped around the trembling souls of Ley and Halsten. Immediately they began to cry out in pain and terror. A sizzling sound pervaded the atmosphere, the souls were being burned.


    As Lute watched, the souls became increasingly more transparent and began to dissipate. As time went by, the cries of pain became increasingly weak and eventually they stopped all together. The chains slowly unwrapped, within the space in front of Lute, there was a white energy the same color as his own soul.


    This energy split itself in half. Then under the power of the Origin Soul Needle, each half went towards Lute and Isla. The energy was absorbed by Lute. The same occurred for Isla.


    ¡°Does this occur every time I kill something?¡± Lute asked in awe.


    ¡°Yes, you never felt it before since your consciousness wasn¡¯t within the depths of the needle. The Origin Soul Needle absorbs most of the soul¡¯s strength, and then it leaves a portion for you and some for me. However, for you it¡¯s a noticeable increase, for me it is barely a drop in the ocean for recovering my soul¡¯s strength, it¡¯s quicker just to let the Origin Soul Needle Passively restore my soul¡¯s strength.¡± Isla replied.


    Lute memorized the feeling of this energy nourishing his soul. It was a slightly intoxicating sensation that brought him increased clarity of thought. The image of the chains ignited with black and purple flames were seared into his mind.


    What he had just witnessed reminded Lute of the power the Origin Soul Needle held, he had no control over the needle, and perhaps never would in the future either.


    As if on cue, Lute¡¯s consciousness was forcefully expelled from the depths of the Origin Soul Needle. He had returned to the material plane.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Lute was awestruck by the power of the Origin Soul Needle; there was no doubt that it would play an extremely important role in his cultivation for the foreseeable future.


    Lute touched his chest with the palm of his right hand as he thought back to his soul and the strength that it would contain years from now, ¡®What would happen if I had ways to apply my soul strength? Is this what the needle wanted me to know?¡¯


    Lute had the feeling that the Origin Soul Needle was silently watching his growth, waiting for the day he could fully its power. He had the suspicion that the needle was trying to tell him not to forget about his greatest advantage, which was his soul.


    Lute pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind as he noticed his group begin to stir. Mirelda, Kale and Elias all began to wake up. Lute carefully watched all three of them in silence. He was actually surprised that they had slept so carefree. What this told Lute was that they didn¡¯t put neither him nor Elias in their eyes, perhaps they didn¡¯t even feel apprehensive about the Vicious Beasts that lived in the Jade Skies Valley.


    They were overconfident and careless, that would be their downfall. This much Lute was sure of as a malicious glint flashed through his eyes while watching them.


    Finally, they began to set off again, Jade Skies Valley was extremely close, and there would be enough time in the day to begin exploring it and hunting Vicious Beasts.


    After a few hours of travelling Lute, Mirelda, Kale, and Elias approached the entrance to Jade Skies Valley. The pathway descended downwards. The further they trekked the more the environment shifted. The sky was blotted out by misty jade clouds.


    The entire valley was filled with thick foliage. Wherever Lute looked, it was jade colored; apparently this place wasn¡¯t just full of jade colored skies. What was most noticeable though was the mist, the further he descended into the Valley, the mistier it became, and until eventually it was difficult to discern Elias and the others who were in front of him.


    Suddenly, noises came from every direction. The Vicious Beasts that lived here clearly knew that they had arrived. These howls seemed to come from all types of Vicious Beasts of every kind.


    Alerted to their presence, Mirelda who was up front stopped moving and began to observe. But, as expected, she didn¡¯t seem apprehensive at all, instead her aura began to surge as she felt the thirst for battle.


    Mirelda turned towards Lute and Elias. ¡°You two, split up from me and Kale. Let¡¯s meet up at the entrance to the valley every few days until it¡¯s time to harvest the Scarlet Demon Orchid. Until then, hunt for core of Vicious Beasts.¡±


    Without giving Lute or Elias a chance to respond, Mirelda and Kale raced off into the mist, disappearing entirely from the surroundings and leaving Lute alone with Elias.


    Elias smiled grimly, clearly he wasn¡¯t as confident in his plan for revenge now that he¡¯d actually come to Jade Skies Valley. He felt vulnerable and isolated as he was surrounded by the unknown.


    Elias turned to Lute and asked with a slightly nervous tone, ¡°Are you still confident? We will be fighting two against four and there are also numerous Vicious Beasts. I am not one to back out when we¡¯ve already committed, but the more I look around, the worse it is for us, we could be backstabbed at any moment.¡±


    Lute shifted his attention from the green and misty environment around him to Elias who was slightly trembling in the damp atmosphere. Whether it was from fear or if he was cold, Lute didn¡¯t know, but he gave a slight reassuring grin nonetheless.


    ¡°I already took care of Ley and Halsten last night, they were going to ambush us in the middle of the night but I was alert enough to notice them. I also have a decent amount of experience with fighting Vicious Beasts in the wilds, as long as you¡¯re with me, we should survive, albeit with some injuries. Besides, unlike me, you have extremely valuable life-preserving items upon you, so staying alive shouldn¡¯t be a problem for you.¡±


    Lutes reply boosted Elias¡¯s confidence. Yes, he did have items that he could use to guarantee his safety, why should he be so concerned? As for revenge, apparently he already had accomplished some of it while he slept through the night, if this was true, then they wouldn¡¯t have to remain on constant alert for the unknown.


    ¡°What did you learn? Who is the one that allowed them to run so rampant through the sect?¡± Elias asked.


    Lute thought back to what Halsten said, confirming the information in his mind before he replied, ¡°His name is Elder Temporal, as for what he wants to accomplish, I can only assume that it is to uproot all the nobles who hold influence within the city. Perhaps he is acting in such a way to accumulate power.¡±


    ¡°Elder Temporal¡­. Elder Temporal¡­.. Ah! Him! He is unknown within the Fallen Tide Hall; I¡¯d almost forgotten that he was even in the sect because he is so low key. He doesn¡¯t teach anything and is hardly ever seen. To think it was him¡­¡±


    Lute looked at Elias quizzically, unlike Elias, he had somewhat guessed that the Elder behind it everything would choose to hide themselves from others. Sometimes the more they hid themselves from others, the more dangerous they were. If this person was so reclusive that almost no one knew of him, then than quite possibly meant that they head a reason to be so secluded form others.


    As Elias was lost in thought and probably thinking up a plan of action, Lute heard a howl in the distance, but this one was closer than the others.


    Turning to Elias he whispered, ¡°Pay attention! You can¡¯t lose focus here! Focus on what you can do now and leave everything else for later. You can¡¯t fight against an Elder yet, so bide your time. Now focus, I don¡¯t feel like dragging your body back to your family.¡±


    Not caring whether Elias answered him, Lute sped off into the distance towards the howling Vicious Beast. He wanted to use this trip to test his strength and hopefully breakthrough in cultivation.


    As for Elias, after Lute sped off, he finally came to his senses and began to run after him; however this time he was actively looking for danger since Lute was right, he should worry about what was happening here and now, not what would happen in the far off future.