《Red Road》 Chapter 1 - Norica Chapter 1 - Norica It was the town called Norica. A small ordinary town within the Kingdom of Tranos. The sun was about to rise in Norica, most people were still sleeping in their beds. At this moment, Kiron woke up. He was ready for another day of training. It was highly unusual for someone at his age to wake up this early in order to train. Kiron was already six years old, most people start training at that age. Some, more diligently than others. Kiron would always wake up early in order to train, his goal was to become a rank 2 Profound Practitioner within one month. There are some realms that you can reach by training, the fundamental stage is the Profound Practitioner Realm, where you strengthen your body. There are 10 ranks in the Profound Practitioner Realm. When you reach the peak of rank 10, you will be able to enter the Spiritual Realm. When you enter the Spiritual Realm you will be able to draw out spiritual power from your spiritual self. Although there was no one in town who had reached the Spiritual Realm, Kiron was still aiming to one day enter the Spiritual Realm. The closest one in town to reach the Spiritual Realm was Amoh, Kiron¡¯s teacher. In the blink of an eye, an hour passed by. ¡°Mother must be awake now¡±. Kiron was covered in sweat, he had been running around in the mountain for the last hour. Now it was time to run back home. Just as Kiron opened the door he could hear a gentle voice sounding out to him, ¡°Kiron, you¡¯re back home? The bath is ready!¡± It was the voice of his mother, Charlotte. Kiron entered the bath and saw his mother, ¡°Breakfast will be ready once you get out of the bath¡±. Charlotte was already used to Kiron waking up early in order to train, so she would always prepare a warm bath for when he came back home. At first, Kiron didn¡¯t like the idea of taking a bath every time he comes home from training, since he starts training again with Amoh and the other boys his age later on, but he got used to it as the days passed by. As Kiron was sitting in the bath, he couldn¡¯t help thinking back to the time when his father was still around. His father was a kind man, he would always wear a smile, no matter what happened. One day, he suddenly vanished, and no one knows where he went. His father was the strongest man in the village, but how strong? No one knows that. There were rumors saying he was at the peak of Profound Practitioner Realm, and was about to have a breakthrough into the Spiritual Realm, some said he already was at the Spiritual Realm. But they were all rumors, no one knew for sure just how strong he was. Kiron got out of the bath, he put on his clothes and started walking towards the dining room. He sat down on the chair to eat breakfast, casually talking with his mother. As he finished eating he thanked his mother for the meal, then he left the house. Unlike most kids his age, he always looked forward to training. The kids his age started training only a week ago, Kiron was the only one who had become a rank 1 Profound Practitioner. Reaching the first rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm in less than one week could only be described with one word, genius. But still, being a genius doesn¡¯t let you compare to the large clans or sects. They have profound medicines that allows them to strengthen their bodies faster. That¡¯s not something a small town such as Norica possesses. When Kiron arrived at the beach where they were supposed to train, he found that only Amoh was there. It wasn¡¯t that he was early, it was just that everyone else were late. Finding a six year old kid who enjoys Amoh¡¯s strict training schedule, that¡¯s a rare thing. Most kids would rather just train slowly. Even if they didn¡¯t enjoy training, they still felt like they had to be somewhat strong in this world. This is a world where strength is everything, the strong will prevail and the weak will be stepped on. Even if they were young, they could still understand this. ¡°Give it some time, it¡¯s always like this in the beginning. Others will start showing up once they mature a bit.¡± Amoh said with a gentle voice. Kiron didn¡¯t really care too much about what others were doing, he mainly cared about himself. How others want to train, that¡¯s up to them. ¡°What are we going to do today? I want to enter the second rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm as fast as possible!¡± Amoh frowned at this sentence, ¡°Enter the second rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm when only six years old? That¡¯s impossible, we don¡¯t have any profound medicines here¡± It was true, reaching the first rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm when six years old after just training for 1 week? Without any profound medicines, that is something that can only be done by geniuses. Of course, for those with access to profound medicines, this can only be considered below average. Reaching the first rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm is only the first step. In the Profound Practitioner Realm there are some ranks that are harder to step into than others. The first difficulty was stepping into the second rank from the first rank. In order to step into the second rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm you will need to strengthen your body enough to be able to absorb the World Qi into your muscles. The second was stepping into the seventh rank from the sixth rank, where you will have to gather a large amount of World Qi inside your body. When you have gathered enough World Qi, your skin and bones will toughen up, becoming harder than rocks. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.As for reaching the other ranks, you will just need to strengthen your body and gather enough World Qi in order to advance to the next rank. But Amoh didn¡¯t stop his sentence there, ¡°Perhaps the Kingdom of Tranos will take you to one of their sub sects, if they do, you will be given some profound medicines. Then, it might not be impossible to enter the second rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm at the age of 6¡± These words were like music to Kiron¡¯s ears! His eyes widened up. He had always wanted to enter one of the sects, but entering one of the kingdom¡¯s sub sects was too expensive, so he had naturally given up on that thought. But now, hearing that there¡¯s a chance for him to enter one of the sects, he couldn¡¯t help but smile! ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up just yet, I¡¯ve been training kids like you for 8 years, and I have yet to see one of them enter one of the kingdom¡¯s sects.¡± Amoh said with a casual face. ¡°But, how do I apply to enter a sect?¡± Kiron wasn¡¯t going to give up just because the chances were low. ¡°Each year the Kingdom of Tranos will send someone over to check how you kids are doing, the person in charge of checking your strengths usually comes one month after you start training, he should be here in 3 weeks.¡± Kiron felt like he had stumbled upon a treasure. He didn¡¯t care that being recruited into one of the kingdom¡¯s sects had a low chance, as long as there is a chance, Kiron would not give up. Kiron and Amoh chatted for a bit while waiting for the other kids to show up. All the kids had shown up, it was time to begin training. It was a pretty standard schedule, running and swimming for endurance and lifting small rocks for strength training. There was only 2 hours of training, since Amoh also had to teach the older kids afterwards. There are 3 groups; the 6-7 year old kids, the 8-11 year old kids and the 12-16 year old kids. Everyone was done with training, and they were about to head back home. Everyone except for Kiron that is. Kiron enjoyed spending his time in the mountain forests, he enjoyed training there and he enjoyed being there. Kiron was running towards the big lake in the mountain, he would always take a bath in the lake whenever he felt tired. He was floating in the lake, thinking about what Amoh had said to him earlier. ¡°If I could enter one of the sects, I might be able enter the Spiritual Realm!¡± After floating around in the lake for maybe half an hour, he decided it was time to head back home. He was slowly walking down the mountain, thinking about what life would be like in a sect. He was behaving as if he had already been accepted into a sect. While he was nearing the bottom of the mountain he saw a wild boar, the wild boar is one of the weakest beasts out there, at most they could reach the strength of rank 3 Profound Practitioner Realm. But this was a young boar, it most likely hasn¡¯t entered the first rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm yet. Kiron stood there, staring at the wild boar, so many thoughts were rushing to his head, should he ignore it? Should he fight it? He was standing there motionlessly, he was still somewhat afraid, he had never been in a fight before. If he were to make a mistake, then he would die. This was enough to cause him to freeze. Even if he might be just as strong as the wild boar, he was still just a child. The wild boar turned its head around, it noticed that Kiron was staring at him. With a grunt it started running towards Kiron. Kiron broke out of his trance and noticed the wild boar running towards him, as the boar came charging at him, he sidestepped the wild boars attack, then he threw a powerful kick that landed on the boars head. The boar was sent flying 3-4 meters and landed on the sides, it quickly got up and started charging towards Kiron yet again, only this time, Kiron didn¡¯t try to avoid the boars attack, he threw yet another kick towards the boar. Only this time, Kiron was the one sent flying! He wasn¡¯t knocked down, but the moment he landed he had difficulties regaining his balance. The boar came charging at him yet another time, only this time, Kiron wasn¡¯t going to confront the boar directly. He dodged the boar, and threw yet another kick at the boar, only this time he kicked its leg. The boar was sent flying yet again, only this time it didn¡¯t get up. The boar was laying on the ground, desperately trying to get up. Kiron looked around for a bit, then he walked towards a rock and picked it up. After picking the rock up he went to where the boar was laying¡­ He knelt down and smashed the rock into the boars head a few times. The boar was no longer alive. Chapter 2 - Low Ranked Core Kiron was sitting on the ground, staring at the boar he had just killed. This was the first time Kiron had been in a fight, it was also the first time he had killed something... His heart was beating twice as fast as it normally was, Kiron was just sitting there, staring at the boar, thinking about everything that had just happened. Kiron raised himself and picked up the boar, he then started walking towards his home carrying the boar on his back. As he entered his house he spoke, ¡°Mom, I¡¯m back home! Look at what I got!¡± His mother came walking towards the kitchen, when she entered, she saw a boar on the table, her eyes filled with admiration. ¡°Did you get this boar yourself?¡± She was fully aware that Kiron liked spending his time in the mountains, she had been somewhat worried that he might encounter a profound beast much stronger than himself, but for him to actually bring one home? ¡°Yes, I encountered this wild boar when I was walking down the mountain!¡± Charlotte made clothes, which was her job. Making clothes doesn¡¯t pay a lot of money, so she doesn¡¯t have a lot of money to spend on Kiron, the money she made was mostly used to pay for food and taxes. If the city of Norica was unable to pay its monthly tax to the Kingdom of Tranos, they would no longer receive any support from the kingdom. Seeing a boar on the table was an unusual sight for Charlotte, if they were to eat half of it and sell the rest, which would be about 10 gold coins! Charlotte earns 8 gold coins every month. ¡°We should take half of it for ourselves, then we sell the other half.¡± Charlotte hasn¡¯t been smiling a lot lately, so when Kiron saw a smile on his mother¡¯s face, he couldn¡¯t help but feel happy! ¡°It¡¯s getting late, help me bring this boar over to the butcher!¡± Kiron picked up the boar and walked out of the house with his mother. They were having a small friendly chat while walking over to the butcher. ¡°Someone from the Kingdom of Tranos will come here in the next 3 weeks, he might take some of the new practitioners with him to one of the kingdom¡¯s sects!¡± Charlotte¡¯s face turned sour once Kiron mentioned this, obviously, no mother wants to see their child leave, especially when they¡¯re so young. ¡°Yes, but the chances of the Kingdom of Tranos picking you to join one of their sects is very small, in the last 8 years, not a single person from this town has been able to join a sect¡±, it was obvious that Charlotte didn¡¯t like the idea of Kiron leaving, but she¡¯s not one to hold him back. ¡°No matter how small the chance is, I still won¡¯t give up¡±, Kiron was still young, and he had rarely experienced any difficulties when. He wasn¡¯t fully aware what it meant when someone said that the chance of something happening was slim. A smile returned to Charlotte¡¯s face, ¡°Just like your father, he would never give up. No matter how hard it seemed¡±. They finally arrived at the butchers shop, ¡°Hey there, haven¡¯t seen you in a while! You here to buy some meat?¡± Just as the butcher finished his sentence, he saw Kiron and the huge boar, ¡°No, we¡¯re actually here to sell some. We want to sell half of this boar, how much gold would that be?¡± Charlotte said while looking at Kiron and the boar that was being carried on his back. ¡°I¡¯ll give you 10 gold coins for it. Also, are you the one who hunted that boar?¡± The butcher said while looking at Kiron and the boar on his back. He was naturally curious, did that little boy really kill a boar? ¡°Yes, when I was walking down from the mountain I encountered this boar, then I killed it.¡± Being able to kill a wild boar at such a young age, naturally, the butcher was truly impressed! ¡°Well, just bring the boar into that room over there and put it on the table, I¡¯ll be finished in half an hour¡±. As the butcher finished his sentence, Kiron started walking into the room, it was filled with the smell of blood. He put the boar on the table and walked out as fast as he could, the stench was nauseating. As he exited the room, the butcher went in, ¡°We¡¯ll just wait here until the butcher is done with the boar¡± Charlotte said with a smile on her face. 10 gold in just one day? That¡¯s more than she is able to earn in one month. ¡°I can get more animals from the mountains, I¡¯ve been there a lot, and I know where to find them!¡± Seeing the smile on his mother¡¯s face, Kiron couldn¡¯t help but feel satisfied. If going into the mountain and bringing back a wild boar is enough to put a smile on her face, then he would gladly go hunting in the mountains! Charlotte with a smile on her face ¡°As long as you stay within your limits. If it feels like there¡¯s something you cannot do, then don¡¯t do it. Just run¡±. Kiron and his mother kept on chatting while waiting for the butcher to finish his work. The butcher came walking out of the door, ¡°You finished so quickly?¡± The butcher said it would take him half an hour to finish, but only 10 minutes had passed. ¡°Incredible! Your son didn¡¯t only manage to slay a wild boar, it was a wild boar of the Profound Practitioner Realm!¡± The butcher was now even more amazed with Kiron then what he had been previously. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. When a profound beast steps into a different realm, they usually form a core. These cores that exists within the profound beasts can either be sold for a high price, or used to cultivate a person¡¯s strength. There are 3 types of cores: Low Ranked Core, Medium Ranked Core and High Ranked Core. Each of these cores are incredibly expensive! The butcher handed the low ranked core over to Charlotte, ¡°You can probably sell this Low Ranked Core for a 100 gold coins.¡± Charlotte was just sitting there with a look of disbelief in her eyes, 100 gold coins, that¡¯s more than what she can earn in one year, and she doesn¡¯t have to pay any taxes. She would normally earn 8 gold coins every month, then she would spend two of those gold coins on taxes. So she would normally earn 72 gold coins in one year. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll go back to working on the boar. I¡¯ll be done in another 10 or 20 minutes.¡± The butcher didn¡¯t care too much about the core, even if it is valuable, it¡¯s not his. Charlotte looked at Kiron, ¡°You should use this for your training¡±. Even if the core meant a lot of money, it was still something that belonged to Kiron. ¡°I can go into the mountains and get another one, you should sell it! Then you can stop working, and start living a relaxing life!¡± Kiron, hearing how much the core is worth, wanted his mother to have it. Charlotte¡¯s smile grew even bigger, ¡°If you¡¯re able to get another one, then you should take this core! With this core, you can increase your strength. Remember, the kingdom is sending someone over to take a look at all the young kids, if you can enter the second rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm by then, you¡¯ll be recruited into one of the sects for sure!¡± Kiron was just sitting there, motionlessly, thinking about what his mother had just said to him¡­ After thinking about it for a while he decided to take the core. He is confident that he can just get another core for mother later on. In the end, Kiron decided on taking the core so that he could use it to increase his strength. Time passed by, and the butcher came back out of the room with the meat. The butcher handed the meat over to Kiron, and the money to Charlotte. ¡°Here, you should take 2 of these gold coins and buy yourself a weapon, if you¡¯re going to be fighting against profound beasts then you should have something to defend yourself with¡±. If Kiron was going to spend his time hunting profound beasts in the mountains, then he should have a weapon to defend himself with, that¡¯s what Charlotte was thinking. Kiron nodded his head and accepted the gold, ¡°I¡¯ll go buy a weapon after training with Amoh tomorrow, and then I¡¯ll be sure to bring back another core for you!¡± It was getting late, it was time to head back home and eat dinner. They were walking back towards their house, the house wasn¡¯t that far away, it was a small city after all. As they got back to their house they saw a hooded man knocking on the door, as they stopped up, the hooded man turned around and spoke, ¡°Ah, Kiron, I was just looking for you! I have something I want to discuss with you.¡± The man speaking was Amoh. ¡°Why don¡¯t you come in and talk there, I got some delicious boar meat with me here.¡± Charlotte said with a gentle voice. Amoh naturally accepted the invitation and went inside together with Kiron and Charlotte. Kiron and Amoh was sitting around the dining table while waiting for Charlotte to prepare the food, ¡°So, what is it you want to talk about?¡± Kiron was naturally curious, Amoh coming over to discuss something with him, what could it be? ¡°Let¡¯s wait for your mother first.¡± This sentence just made Kiron even more curious about what Amoh was going to talk about¡­ Kiron and Amoh were sitting there and talking about the boar and low ranked core, ¡°So you were able to defeat a profound beast?¡± even Amoh was surprised at this. Sure, being able to step into the first rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm after just one week of training, that¡¯s praiseworthy! But defeating a profound beast? That¡¯s monstrous! ¡°But why would there be profound beasts in the mountains surrounding this town? Profound beasts aren¡¯t supposed to live here¡­ Oh well, probably just a profound beast that had stumbled upon this mountain.¡± After talking for a while, Charlotte finally came in with the food, ¡°Food¡¯s ready!¡± Charlotte handed out the plates with the food to Kiron and Amoh, then she sat down. ¡°Now, have you already talked about what you were going to talk about?¡± Even Charlotte was somewhat curious about what they were going to talk about. ¡°No, we¡¯ve been waiting for you to come¡­¡± Amoh took a bite out of the meat before opening his mouth again, ¡°What I wanted to ask was, Kiron, do you want to join a more advanced group for training?¡± Chapter 3 - Robin ¡°Join the older kids for training?¡± Kiron was surprised upon hearing this, the older kids were all rank 3 or 4 of the Profound Practitioner Realm. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re already far ahead of the other kids your age, grouping you up with them, that¡¯s just holding you back¡±. Amoh knew very well that Kiron was far more talented than the other kids. Not giving Kiron a chance to use his talent properly, that would just be wrong. Before Kiron had the chance to speak, Charlotte opened her mouth ¡°You should definitely take this offer! Training with the older kids would open up a lot of opportunities!¡± After staring at the table for a few seconds¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± More advanced training? Is there even a need to ask? Kiron had always been dreaming about reaching the pinnacle of power. And in order to do so, he¡¯ll need to push himself. ¡°That¡¯s great! We start tomorrow, about 2 hours after youngest kids finish their training!¡± Amoh had already finished eating his plate, now it was time to leave. Amoh got up from his seat, thanked Charlotte for the food, then he left the house. Kiron clasped his hands, ¡°The food was great, thanks!¡± then proceeded to walk into his bedroom, it was time to sleep. ¡­ A new day was here! Like any other day, Kiron woke up earlier than most. Kiron got out of bed and dressed up. He had a lot plans for today. Kiron exited the house and started running. He was planning on refining the Low Ranked Core that he got from the boar. He decided to cultivate it near the mountain lake. Using the Low Ranked Core while only a rank one Profound Practitioner, some would consider that a waste. The cores were normally filled with World Qi, which is the fundamental part of the Profound Practitioner Realm, but to use it when only rank 1, it would only allow him to strengthen the body. The World Qi within the Low Ranked Core would dissipate within the air, leaving nothing for future use. After running for a while, Kiron finally arrived at the mountain lake. He swam to the center of the lake and climbed onto a rock located in the center of the lake, he then sat down in a meditative position, holding the Low Ranked Core in his hands. Kiron could immediately feel the energy within the Low Ranked Core pouring into his body, he could feel his body strengthening. It was a good feeling. ¡­ One hour went by before Kiron had completely absorbed all of the energy within the Low Ranked Core. He could feel that he was close to having a breakthrough! It¡¯s no wonder that those of a sect or a large clan is able to progress with their training so quickly! Kiron jumped into the lake and swam back to land, it was time to test his new strength. He walked up to a thick tree and threw a punch at it. The tree had a huge dent in it, his punch wasn¡¯t enough to put the tree down, but it was close. Kiron was very satisfied with his new powers! ¡°Should be an hour until I start training with Amoh and the others¡± Kiron said with a smile on his face. Naturally, he was excited that he has the opportunity to train with the older group. Kiron started heading back, only this time he didn¡¯t run. The training would be much harsher and stricter than what it had been previously, it was better for him to save his energy. While walking down the mountain he was looking for other profound beasts, if he could find one then he would be able to break through to the 2nd rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm, and he could finally start gathering World Qi within his body. ¡­ Kiron finally arrived at the bottom of the mountain. He did encounter some beasts on his way down, but not a single beast of the Profound Practitioner Realm. ¡°It¡¯s a shame I was unable to encounter and profound beasts. But, training starts soon! I should head over as quickly as possible¡± After walking for a while, Kiron had finally arrived at the beach. He was a bit early, even Amoh hadn¡¯t shown up yet. But to his surprise, he wasn¡¯t the first guy to show up. There was another boy there, he was sitting in a meditative position with his eyes closed. Kiron started walking towards this young boy, but before he could say anything, the young boy opened his eyes. ¡°Who are you?¡± The young boy said with a casual look on his face. Kiron with a wide smile on his face, ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to introduce yourself before asking someone to introduce themselves?¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The young boy was naturally surprised by what Kiron had said, but he laughed it off quickly. ¡°My name is Robin, I¡¯m 8 years old and I¡¯m at the 5th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm¡± Being at the 5th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm when only 8 years old? Without any profound medicines or cores, that can only be considered monstrous. ¡°Wow! 5th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm? That¡¯s amazing!¡± Kiron was naturally amazed upon hearing this. Hearing that Robin, who was only 2 years older than him was already at the 5th rank, it truly was praiseworthy! ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you going to introduce yourself?¡± Robin said with a childish laugh. Kiron laughed and nodded ¡°My name is Kiron, I¡¯m 6 years old and I¡¯m at the peak of the 1st rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm. My goal is to enter one of the kingdom¡¯s sects!¡± Kiron said with an enthusiastic voice. Robin¡¯s mouth widened with a smile, ¡°Enter one of the sects? That¡¯s my goal as well! Even though I was refused the last time the Kingdom of Tranos sent someone over to check our strengths, my strength has increased by leaps and bounds! Some months ago, I went to the city with my father in order to buy myself a weapon, and when we decided to head back home we encountered a lone wolf that was at the 7th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm! My father who is at the 9th rank was able to kill the beast, then instead of selling the core he gave it to me! I was able to go from the peak of 3rd rank to the early 5th rank because of the High Ranked Core I received from father!¡± Generally, Low Ranked Cores comes from profound beasts that are between 1st and 3rd rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm, Mid Ranked Cores comes from beasts between 4th and 6th ranked and High Ranked Cores comes from beasts between 7th and 10th rank. For someone of the 3rd rank to use a High Ranked Core, of course their strength would increase by large amounts! But of course, if someone of the 9th or 10th rank were to use a High Ranked Core, the effects wouldn¡¯t be that large. ¡°Then, let¡¯s become friends and enter one of the sects together!¡± Kiron said with a wide smile on his face. Ever since he had been born, the only friends he had was Amoh and his mother. Robin got up from his meditative position, ¡°Let¡¯s do it! Let¡¯s enter a sect and become stronger than anyone!¡± Robin was also like Kiron, he never socialized with the other kids his age. Kiron and Robin were chatting about what it would be like to be stronger than anyone else while waiting for the others to arrive. ¡­ Some minutes passed by and everyone had already gathered. ¡°Everyone, this is Kiron. He will be joining us from now on.¡± Amoh said while looking at Kiron. Everyone in the group stared at Kiron for a few seconds, then they stared back at Amoh like nothing had happened. Amoh pointed towards the forest, and out came a tiger. ¡°Kiron, this is my soul beast, I tamed him many years ago when I was only at the 5th rank. His name is Glasri.¡± Soul beast is a profound beast that you have entered a bond with. When you create a bond with a profound beast, your souls will merge into one. A lot of practitioners has a soul beast. The good sides of having a soul beast is that your spirit strength will increase, whereas the down sides is that if one of you dies, the other will die as well. When you¡¯ve created a bond with a profound beast, you will be able to sense each other¡¯s location no matter where you are. You will also be able to communicate mentally. There are two different ways you can obtain a soul beast. The first method was to beat a profound beast into submission, giving it the choice of creating a bond with you or dying. Most beasts would rather create a bond than dying, but there are some arrogant creatures that would rather die than create a bond with a human. The second method is to mutually enter a bond with a profound beast. The second method is rarer than the first one. Not a lot of profound beasts are willing to consensually create a bond with a human. ¡°Anyways, it¡¯s time to start training. We¡¯ll spend half the time strengthening our bodies and the rest will be gathering World Qi¡± Once a practitioner enters the 2nd rank it¡¯s usual to spend a lot of time gathering World Qi into their bodies, but of course, they can¡¯t just rely on the World Qi to strengthen their bodies, they also have to rely on harsh physical training. Chapter 4 - Taruck Three hours had passed, the training was over at last. Kiron was exhausted, this training was meant for people at the 3rd to 4th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm. Naturally, Kiron had some struggles keeping up with the others, but he didn¡¯t mind that. Kiron enjoyed pushing himself, how can he become the strongest if he doesn¡¯t push himself to his limits? Kiron put his shirt back on, and was about to start walking towards the city called Taruck, ¡°Hey Kiron, what are you planning to do now?¡± Robin was the one who spoke just now. Kiron turned his head around and looked at Robin, ¡°I¡¯m going to the city to buy a weapon!¡± Kiron said while pointing in the direction of Taruck. ¡°Really? I¡¯m supposed to go there as well, I¡¯m going there to buy some herbs for my mother!¡± Robin opened his bag and took a piece of paper out, showing it to Kiron. Kiron looked at Robin, ¡°Then, let¡¯s go!¡± With a satisfied expression, Kiron started walking towards Taruck. It was still summer over in Trieste, the weather was hotter than it had even been before this summer. Kiron and Robin were walking down a dirt road, on their way to Taruck. ¡°So, what kind of weapon are you going to buy?¡± As Taruck said that, he pulled a short sword out of his bag, showing it to Kiron. ¡°Me? I want a colossal heavy sword!¡± When Kiron was young, his mother would always tell him stories about the experts across the world of Trieste. In those stories there was a man called Baroona who stood above all else! A man at the legendary Profound Star Realm! He was nicknamed the God of War. He would always walk around with his heavy sword Celeste and his soul beast named Musfel, striking down all enemies in his path! But one day he suddenly disappeared, and no one knows where he went. ¡°A colossal heavy sword? Just how much money have you brought? Buying a colossal heavy sword would cost you more than 50,000 gold coins!¡± Robin was obviously shocked when he heard what Kiron wanted to buy. ¡°What? I only have 2 gold coins to spend on a weapon!¡± Kiron was obviously shocked upon hearing how much a heavy sword costs, his face showed a hint of sadness. ¡°2 gold coins? You can buy a small dagger for 2 gold coins...¡± ¡°Besides, there aren¡¯t many people who prefer using a heavy sword. It¡¯s heavy and it will only slow you down. And I don¡¯t think you can even buy one in Taruck, not only do they cost a lot of money, but they¡¯re also extremely rare!¡± Robin sighed slightly. Kiron¡¯s face immediately brightened up again, ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, I¡¯ll definitely get a heavy sword in the future!¡± As his voice rang out, Robin¡¯s face filled with a strange expression. Even though Robin hadn¡¯t known Kiron for long, it wasn¡¯t hard to realize that Kiron was a stubborn guy. Once he set his mind on something, he definitely would not give up. Kiron and Robin were talking and laughing as they were moving forwards. ¡­ They finally arrived at the city Taruck. Kiron and Robin walked inside the city gates, ¡°It¡¯s your first time here, right? I¡¯ll show you where you can buy a weapon.¡± He grabbed Kiron¡¯s sleeve and pulled him towards the marketplace. ¡°We¡¯re here! This is the marketplace, you can buy or sell anything here. Weapons, armor, herbs, cores or even profound medicine,¡± Robin continued ¡°Over there is where you can buy weapons, let¡¯s go check it out!¡± Axes, swords, spears, bows and arrows¡­ This shop has all kinds of weapons! Kiron looked around for a bit, but no matter what he looked at, he couldn¡¯t afford it. ¡°I told you, 2 gold isn¡¯t enough to buy a proper weapon¡­ Here, this iron dagger costs only 2 gold coins, you should buy it!¡± Robin handed the iron dagger over to Kiron. ¡°Sir, I¡¯ll be buying this dagger¡± Kiron handed 2 gold coins over to the shop keeper. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve bought a weapon! Let¡¯s go buy those herbs¡± Kiron had a satisfied expression on his face. He followed Robin towards the center of the marketplace. Robin stopped and looked around for a bit, ¡°Strange, I remember there was a shop here that sold herbs,¡± Robin continued ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s keep looking for now. If we don¡¯t find anything, we can just ask someone for help¡± Robin continued walking forwards Kiron was feeling a bit uncomfortable, the marketplace was crowded with people. Kiron had never been in a crowd before, unless you consider 8-9 kids around his age a crowd. This place was truly different from Norica, there are more people at this marketplace than there is in all of Norica. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Ah, I found it! It¡¯s the shop over there.¡± Robin grabbed Kiron¡¯s sleeve and pulled him into the store. ¡°Wow, there are so many herbs in here! Hey Robin, what¡¯re all these herbs used for?¡± Seeing all the herbs in the shop, Kiron couldn¡¯t help but being curious. ¡°Herbs have many uses, but I only know about the healing purposes. My other is a doctor, so she uses these herbs to heal her patients.¡± Robin said as he handed the shopping list over to the shopkeeper¡­ ¡°So, are they like Profound Medicines?¡± Kiron was wondering whether or not these herbs could be used for cultivation. ¡°Profound Medicines? ¡­I think so.¡± Robin had an uncertain look on his face as he said that. Kiron was about to speak, but he was interrupted, ¡°No. Profound Medicines are different from herbs. Profound Medicines are pills that contains a large amount of either World Qi or Spiritual Energy, whereas herbs are natural plants that grows from nature itself¡±. The mysterious man looked at Kiron as he spoke. ¡°Who are you?¡± Kiron said in a low, natural voice. Just as the mysterious man was about to speak, Robin opened his mouth and said ¡°Kiron, didn¡¯t you tell me that you¡¯re supposed to introduce yourself before asking someone else who they are?¡± Robin said with a friendly grin on his face ¡°¡­¡± Kiron was obviously taken by surprise. He didn¡¯t expect that his own words would be used against him¡­ ¡°You¡¯re right, sorry. My name is Kiron¡­ Who are you?¡± Kiron said while trying to hide his embarrassment. The mysterious man laughed for a bit before opening his mouth to speak, ¡°I¡¯m Gogh, the owner of this shop. It¡¯s only natural that I know a thing or two about herbs and their uses.¡± Gogh went over to one of the shelves and picked out some herbs, ¡°Even if herbs can¡¯t help you cultivate faster, it can help you with injuries and fatigue. When some alchemists creates profound medicines, they will usually add in some herbs for added effects.¡± Gogh put the herbs back into the shelves. ¡°Additional effects? Like what exactly?¡± Kiron would always pay attention when learning something that¡¯s new and useful. Gogh took off his glove, revealing an interspatial ring ¡°That¡¯s an interspatial ring!¡± Both Kiron and Robin were incredibly surprised upon seeing the ring. An interspatial ring was worth a lot of money, and they had a lot of space within them that could be used for storage! Almost every cultivator knew what an interspatial ring was. Most sect members would receive one the moment they join. Gogh took a pill out of his ring, ¡°This is a profound medicine. It contains a healing effect that will remove all fatigue and stop your bleeding. It also contains a small amount of World Qi, maybe comparable to a Low Ranked Core¡± Kiron and Robin were staring at the pill with a look of amazement in their eyes, but unfortunately, they couldn¡¯t afford that pill. ¡°Anyways, it was nice meeting you buys, but I have some errands to run. Perhaps we¡¯ll meet again another day.¡± Gogh stored the pill back into his interspatial ring, then he walked into another room. ¡­ ¡°Here¡¯s the herbs you¡¯ve requested!¡± After hearing this, Robin turned around and took some gold coins out of his pocket and gave it to the shopkeeper in exchange for the herbs, then he walked out of the shop with Kiron. Robin turned his head around and looked at Kiron, ¡°Hey Kiron, you feeling hungry? I still got some silver coins that we can use to buy some food¡± Robin was pointing towards a small restaurant. Kiron opened his mouth, ¡°That would be great! I¡¯m starving¡±, Kiron rubbed his small belly as he spoke. ¡°Let¡¯s go then!¡± Robin started walking towards the restaurant, with Kiron following right behind. As they got into the small restaurant, they sat down and ordered some food. Robin¡¯s expression suddenly change into a more serious one, ¡°Kiron, do you want to go hunting with me on our way back from the city? Hunting profound beasts that is.¡± Chapter 5 - Hunting in the Mountains ¡°Go hunting for profound beasts?¡± Kiron looked at Robin with a surprised look on his face. ¡°Yea, if we can get our hands on some profound cores, we might be able to break through to the next rank! If you break through to the 2nd ranked and I get to the 6th, the chances of us being recruited by one of the sects is much higher!¡± Robin said. Kiron was staring at the wall for some seconds before finally opening his mouth, ¡°But, there aren¡¯t any profound beasts around here, the kingdom has killed all the nearby profound beasts.¡± Kiron said in a low voice. ¡°You¡¯re wrong about that! Recently, a lot more profound beasts has started showing up in the mountains! Although finding one will be hard, they can be found!¡± Robin had a smile on his face, it was obvious that he really wanted to get another core. Kiron looked at Robin for a second before saying, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go into the mountain forests and look for a profound beast once we¡¯re done eating!¡± ¡­ Kiron and Robin finished their meal. It was now time to head towards the mountains. It was a bit darker now than when they had first started walking towards the city, and the weather wasn¡¯t as hot as it was some hours ago. Kiron and Robin were walking in a grass field, talk and laughter could be heard from them. ¡°There it is! We¡¯ll start climbing the mountain from over there!¡± Robin said as he pointed towards a specific point. Kiron took his new iron dagger out of his bag and put it in his pocket. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± Kiron start running slowly towards the mountain. After running for a couple of minutes, they arrived at the forest within the mountain. They were walking around cautiously, they didn¡¯t want to attract any unwanted attention. If there are any high ranked profound beasts nearby, they would be killed¡­. Kiron stopped, ¡°Quiet¡­ You hear that?¡± He pointed towards a cave, there seemed to be some sound coming from it. ¡°Let¡¯s go check it out.¡± He said in a low, gentle voice. Kiron start walking, slowly, towards the cave. He stood next to the entrance, peeking into the cave. When he peeked into the cave he didn¡¯t see anything. ¡°There¡¯s nothing inside the cave¡­¡± As Kiron said that he entered the cave, with Robin following behind him. When they entered the cave, something came running towards them. It was a small squirrel¡­ ¡°Really?¡± Robin sighed. Robin was kind of sad about there not being any profound beasts within the cave, but Kiron just laughed it off. After investigating the cave for a bit they left and continued looking for profound beasts, occasionally encountering small animals, or just animals who hasn¡¯t entered the Profound Practitioner Realm and formed their core. ¡°Uhm, Kiron come here¡± Robin was looking at the ground with a frown on his face. ¡°This is the squirrel from earlier?¡± Kiron looked at the squirrel. Half its body had been torn off. ¡°No regular animals should be capable of doing this. There must be a profound beast nearby!¡± A smile appeared on Robin¡¯s face as he said that. They started following the blood trail on the ground. ¡°Hey, if we encounter any profound beasts above the 1st rank you should stay back!¡± Robin looked at Kiron with a look of worry as he said that. Kiron nodded. ¡°When we encounter the profound beast we should surround it, that way it can¡¯t run away¡± Robin continued, ¡°I¡¯ll go in front of it, and you¡¯ll go behind¡± They continued following the blood trail, until finally ¡°There, it¡¯s in that cave!¡± Robin continued, ¡°Since there¡¯s only one exit, it will be even harder for the profound beast to run away!¡± As they entered the cave, the first thing they saw was a Silver Wolf. The Silver Wolf noticed that something was staring at it, it turned around and saw the boys standing there, staring at it. The Silver Wolf growled, then it started walking towards them, slowly. ¡°Damn, the Silver Wolf seems to be at the 2nd rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm¡± Robin said with a frown on his face. Since the wolf was at the 2nd rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm, its core would only be a low ranked one. And a Low Ranked Core would almost be useless for someone of the 5th rank. The wolf jumped towards Robin, but a Silver Wolf of the 2nd rank versus a human at the 5th rank¡­ There was no hope for the Silver Wolf. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Robin stood there with a short sword in his hands. He slashed his sword towards the Silver Wolf, and just like that, the Silver Wolf had died. ¡°Hey Kiron, you want the core? It should be located near its chest¡± Robin looked at Kiron as he spoke. ¡°But you¡¯re the one who killed it! Even if the core might not be useful to you, it can still be sold for 100 gold coins!¡± Kiron didn¡¯t want to take something that Robin had earned himself. Robin sighed, ¡°Consider it a loan then. I¡¯ll give this one to you, then you give me one in the future!¡± Robin continued, ¡°Also, you¡¯ll need to increase your strength if you want to enter one of the sects. And the core will be a great help for that!¡± Kiron hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. He took the iron knife out of his pocket and walked towards the Silver Wolf. Kiron put the knife into the Silver Wolf¡¯s chest and cut it open, inside there was a small black core. Kiron took the core and cleaned it with his pants, then he put it into his bag. ¡°Hey Kiron, you know why people don¡¯t like hunting for profound beasts, right?¡± Robin looked at Kiron, who responded, ¡°Where there¡¯s one, there¡¯s many!¡± Kiron looked back at Robin with a look of excitement on his face. ¡°Correct! And especially wolves, they rarely hunt alone! They rarely hunt alone, so there¡¯s bound to be some other wolves around here!¡± Robin¡¯s smile grew even wider. ¡°Anyways, it¡¯s getting late. We should head back home, we can come back tomorrow and search for other profound beasts.¡± Robin started walking out of the cave, Kiron followed. Just as they got outside¡­ ¡°RUN!¡± Robin screamed at the top of his lungs before starting to run. Kiron with a surprised look on his face, looked to his side¡­ Silver Wolves. At least 20 of them, all staring at Kiron. Kiron shot out like an arrow, a horrified expression on his face. The Silver Wolves looked inside the cave and saw the corpse of the Silver Wolf that Robin had just killed. The wolves immediately started chasing after Kiron and Robin. His face had gone pale, his heart felt like it was going to explode. ¡°Up here!¡± Kiron looked up, seeing Robin climbing a stone wall. Kiron immediately started climbing. The wolves saw Kiron and Robin climbing the wall, then they started running in another direction. ¡­ Kiron finally arrived at the top of the stone wall. ¡°Haha, that was too close... I¡¯ve never run that fast in my life¡± Robin was laying on the ground, looking at the sky. Kiron laid down on the ground, *pant* *pant* *pant*. He was completely out of breath. ¡°The wolves¡­ They went somewhere else¡­ They might appear here¡± Kiron forced out a couple of words. The stone wall was perhaps 200 meters tall, being only at the 1st level of the Profound Practitioner Realm, that¡¯s extremely an extremely hard wall to climb. Robin looked at Kiron, ¡°Hey Kiron, you¡¯re already at the peak of the 1st rank, if you refine the Low Ranked Core, you should be able to enter the 2nd level of the Profound Practitioner Realm,¡± Robin continued, ¡°You¡¯ll have some World Qi in your body then. Climbing walls like the one we just climbed will be much easier compared to now.¡± The first rank is all about strengthening the body enough to be able to absorb World Qi. If someone tried to forcefully absorb the World Qi without being strong enough, the World Qi within the body would go berserk, killing you in the process. The same rules apply to spiritual energy. Only when at the absolute peak of the Profound Practitioner Realm 10th rank can you start absorbing spiritual energy. When you absorb spiritual energy for the first time, you will break through to the Profound Spiritual Realm. Having World Qi to strengthen your body, it was truly different than training on your own. Your strength and defense would be multiplied by 10 upon absorbing World Qi for the first time. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll refine it tomorrow.¡± Kiron had a smile on his face. Thinking about entering the 2nd realm was enough to make him happy. ¡­ Some hours passed by, it was already dark by now. ¡°Hey Kiron¡­ You weren¡¯t wrong.¡± Robin said. You could hear the fear in his voice. Kiron was about to speak, but as he turned his head towards Robin, he saw the same Silver Wolves who had chased them earlier. Chapter 6 - Desperate Measures Kiron¡¯s face turned pale as he looked at the Silver Wolves. He immediately got up on his feet, he looked at the trembling Robin, ¡°Hey¡­ Should we¡­ Fight?¡± Robin, pointing at one of the Silver Wolves, ¡°You see that one? He should be at the 7th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm¡­ We would die¡±. The reason why Robin is able to recognize the rank of a profound beast is because anyone who has absorbed World Qi will be able to sense it. He could sense how much World Qi was inside the Silver Wolf¡¯s body, that¡¯s why he could safely say that the wolf was around the 7th rank. The trembling Kiron suddenly remembered something he saw earlier! When he had regained his breath after climbing the stone wall, he had walked around for a bit, and he saw that on one of the sides, there was a river! Only problem, it was a 130-140 meter drop, and he had no idea how deep the river was. ¡°Hey Robin¡­ There¡¯s a river to your right¡­ Only problem is that we don¡¯t know how deep it is, and the cliff that leads to the river is like 50 meters away from our current position¡± Kiron tried his best to remain calm, but he was still pale faced and trembling from fear. ¡°Who cares, it¡¯s either certain death or a chance at surviving. Either way, the moment I start running, you start running as well¡± Robin still didn¡¯t dare take his eyes of the Silver Wolves¡¯ leader. It felt like the moment he would take his eyes off of their leader, he would be attacked. ¡°RUN!¡± Robin shot out like an arrow, Kiron started running as well. The wolves were following Robin. 40 meters¡­ 30 meters¡­ 20 meters¡­ Robin arrived at the cliff and jumped, with the leader right behind him. The Silver Wolf leader looked down, then turned his head around to Kiron. Robin was at the 5th rank, whereas Kiron was only at the 1st rank. Robin had already ran 50 meters by the time Kiron had run 30. 10 meters¡­ The Silver Wolf leader was about 40 meters away from Kiron, whereas Kiron only had to run 10 more meters to reach the cliff. 8 meters¡­ 6 meters¡­ 4 meters¡­ 3 meters¡­ Kiron used all the power in his legs to jump forward. The Silver Wolf leader was right behind him, he had run over 40 meters during the time Kiron had used to run 7 meters The Silver Wolf leader lifted his paw and slashed towards Kiron. Kiron was in the air, there was no longer any ground below him, just the river and a 130 meter drop. He looked down, he didn¡¯t see Robin anywhere, but what he did see was that he hadn¡¯t jumped far enough. He could see a small rock bed within the river just below him. As Kiron was panicking, he felt something on his back He turned his head back, only to see that it was the Silver Wolf leader. His claws had dug themselves deep into Kiron¡¯s back, and he joined Kiron in the fall. As Kiron and the Silver Wolf were falling down towards the rock bed, Kiron turned around, and with all his strength he grabbed onto the Silver Wolf¡¯s tail. He started pulling himself upwards, the Silver Wolf being unable to do anything at all because of its body structure. Kiron arrived at the top of the Silver Wolf and held on with everything he had. If he was going to die, then he would drag the Silver Wolf with him. Kiron had already lost a lot of blood, all his strength was currently used to stay awake¡­ *BANG* ¡­ *GASP*¡­ ¡°Kiron! Where are you!?¡± Robin could barely see anything, it was pitch dark outside. He started swimming towards the land, ¡°Come on, I saw you jump earlier, just before I went into the water¡­¡± Robin was getting desperate. ¡°KIRON!¡± Robin was screaming his lungs out. He was the one who asked Kiron to come hunt with him in the mountains. Now there was a large feeling of guilt hanging over him. ¡°Hmm? Who¡¯s that screaming over there?¡± The woman who just spoke looked at the man next to her, ¡°Let¡¯s check it out!¡± She started walking towards the location of the scream. ¡­ Robin was laying on the ground, not knowing what to think. He was scared, he didn¡¯t even want to move. ¡°Little boy, were you the one screaming something?¡± Robin turned his head slightly and looked at the woman who just spoke. His eyes brightened, perhaps this woman could help him. ¡°My friend¡­ We encountered a pack of Silver Wolves, and we had to jump from the top of that cliff up there¡­ I can¡¯t find him anywhere¡­ Please, help me¡± The man looked at Robin, ¡°Hey, you¡¯re that kid from earlier!¡± The one speaking was Gogh. ¡°Give me a second, I¡¯ll use my spiritual sense to locate him.¡± Robin looked at Gogh for a moment before opening his mouth, ¡°Spiritual sense? You¡¯re of the Profound Spirit Realm!?¡± Gogh nodded slightly before opening his mouth, ¡°Found him¡­ I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s still alive though. But I can safely say that the Silver Wolf next to him is dead.¡± Gogh jumped to where Kiron was located. Kiron was 60 meters away from their current position, and he had jumped that distance in just one jump. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Kiron is¡­ Alive?¡± Robin finally sensed a bit of relief. His ghostly pale face retrieved some of its color. The woman who was with Gogh noticed how Robin had been acting, it was rare these days to see someone care that much about their friend. ¡°Hey kid, what¡¯s your name?¡± She said while looking towards the river. ¡°Me? I¡¯m Robin.¡± Robin didn¡¯t even bother looking at her as he responded. His eyes was glued to where Gogh had jumped¡­ ¡°Not going to ask me for my name? ¡­ It¡¯s Helena¡± ¡­ Gogh looked at Kiron and the Silver wolf ¡°He actually used the Silver Wolf¡¯s body as a cushion for the fall? Haha, that¡¯s impressive. For a little kid to do that in such a situation¡­¡± Gogh stared at Kiron with a look of amazement in his eyes. Gogh took a small pocket knife and cut the Silver Wolf¡¯s chest open, he took the High Ranked Core out of the Silver Wolf¡¯s chest and put it into his interspatial ring. After storing the core away he looked at Kiron, ¡°Those injuries¡­ There¡¯s no way I can save him¡­ I¡¯ll bring his body back to that other kid.¡± Gogh picked up Kiron, then he jumped back to Robin and Helena. Gogh landed next to Robin, then he put Kiron¡¯s body down on the ground. ¡°¡­¡± Robin wanted to speak, but he couldn¡¯t. Seeing Kiron¡¯s body just made his face lose all its color again. Kiron was in a pitiful state. His arms and legs were shattered, his back was covered in deep cuts from the Silver Wolf¡¯s claw and he had lost too much blood. There was no hope for Kiron. Helena didn¡¯t lose her calm face. She had seen things like this before. It was nothing new. Cultivators were used to it. The world of cultivation was failed with death, injuries and evil people. It¡¯s the laws of nature, the strong will live and the weak will die. Gogh looked at Robin, ¡°You should take him to his parents and bury him properly.¡± Gogh said as he turned around, he was leaving. He had other matters that he needed to attend to. Gogh originally came here to gather herbs. As Gogh was walking away, Robin got up from the ground ¡°Can¡¯t you do anything? You have that profound medicine pill with you¡­ I¡¯ll do anything!¡± Robin got down on his knees, begging Gogh to save Kiron. Helena turned around, ¡°Your friend is dead. There¡¯s no reason for us to waste precious resources on saving him.¡± There is no reason for someone who has seen countless people die gruesome deaths to use their efforts on saving someone they don¡¯t even know. ¡°Please!¡± Robin was kneeling on the ground, with his head down in the dirt. Robin was just like Kiron, he wasn¡¯t a social person. He only had one friend, and that was Kiron. He didn¡¯t want his only friend to die because of his mistake. Even if it wasn¡¯t Robin¡¯s mistake, he still felt guilty because he was the one who convinced Kiron to come with him. Gogh took a knife out of his interspatial ring, then he threw it at Robin, ¡°I¡¯ll help him on one condition¡­ Cut off your right hand.¡± Robin looked at Gogh for a couple of seconds, ¡°Cut off my right hand?¡± Robin had a scared expression on his face. ¡°Yes. If you really want to save your friend Kiron, then show me how much you want to save him.¡± Gogh had a natural expression on his face as he spoke. ¡°You promise?¡± Robin said with a face covered in tears. ¡°I swear on my honor as a cultivator¡± Gogh had a serious expression on his face. For a cultivator to break his promise to someone¡­ Only a few despicable cultivators were willing to break a promise. Robin picked up the knife with his left hand¡­ He closed his eyes and stabbed it at his right hand, no hesitation whatsoever. ¡­ No pain? Robin opened his eyes, looking at the knife. It had stopped only a couple of inches away from his hand. ¡°Haha, you¡¯re really willing to go that far? It¡¯s rare to see someone like you in this world. Someone willing to sacrifice themselves for others.¡± Gogh had an amused look on his face. He had seen a lot of people who ¡®cared¡¯ about others, people saying they¡¯re willing to sacrifice themselves to save their friends. But when a moment came where they had to sacrifice themselves, or give something up, they would just run away. This was just Gogh testing if Robin was willing to sacrifice something to save his friend. He had already poured some of his spiritual sense into the knife, so it had no chance of harming Robin if he were to do it. ¡°Ahh, I suppose I¡¯ll have to save that kid now¡­¡± Gogh¡¯s face turned a little grim. He didn¡¯t really expect Robin to do it. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to use that¡­¡± Helena said as her face turned sour. Gogh laughed, ¡°I don¡¯t have any other ways to save him¡­ And I¡¯m not going to go back on my word.¡± As Gogh finished his sentence, he grabbed a pill from his interspatial ring, a golden pill. Chapter 7 - Profound Golden Dragon God Pill Helena stared at the golden pill, ¡°You have any idea how valuable that pill is?¡± Helena stared at Gogh, it was obvious that she didn¡¯t want him to give up that pill just to save a little kid. ¡°And even if you do give it to that kid, the chances of him not being killed by the pill is way too small.¡± A look of annoyance appeared on Gogh¡¯s face, ¡°This Profound Golden Dragon God Pill is useless to us. Either one of us would die if we were to consume it. And if we try selling it, every powerful force in the entire world will immediately know our location, and we¡¯ll be killed in less than a day.¡± Gogh continued, ¡°It¡¯s better for us to get rid of the Profound Golden Dragon God Pill and continue hiding.¡± Helena sighed. Gogh was right, it¡¯s better to get rid of the pill as fast as possible. A pill capable of creating a world war, how are two people of the Profound Spirit Realm going to deal with that? Robin didn¡¯t know if he should be happy or scared. Listening to Gogh and Helena talk about the pill, just what is this Profound Golden Dragon God Pill? Gogh walked up to Kiron¡¯s body and placed the pill in his mouth, and then he made him swallow it using his spiritual sense. Now it was all up to Kiron. If his soul is strong enough, he will be able to live. However, if his soul was too weak, he would die. Anyone could consume the pill, but only those with a strong soul would be able to survive the Profound Golden Dragon God Pill. It was already midnight. The moonlight was shining down upon the river it, was a beautiful scene. Robin looked at Gogh and asked, ¡°Just what is that golden pill?¡± Robin was curious about the Profound Golden Dragon God Pill. After listening to Gogh and Helena talk about it like a precious treasure, it was obvious to him that it wasn¡¯t just some regular healing pill. ¡°The Profound Golden Dragon God Pill is a pill containing the blood of the legendary Dragon God. The legendary Dragon God used to exist within the chaotic parts of this world, but it disappeared many years ago, no one knows where it went.¡± Gogh continued, ¡°But one thing is for certain, no one should¡¯ve been able to kill him. The Dragon God was at the peak of the Profound Star Realm.¡± Gogh then looked at Kiron, ¡°I¡¯m not certain what all the effects are, but I do know that anyone who is capable of absorbing the Profound Golden Dragon God Pill will have their blood converted into the blood of a Golden Dragon. The Dragon God was the last Golden Dragon ever seen on Trieste¡± Gogh continued, ¡°Your strength will increase by leaps. If you¡¯re at the 2nd rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm, you¡¯ll be able to fight someone at the 7th rank. Your skin, bones, muscles¡­ They¡¯ll be much tougher. Someone at the 2nd rank can have the defense of someone at the 7th rank¡± Robin looked at Gogh, ¡°But, who is capable of making the Dragon God bleed? ¡°It was the legendary God of War, Baroona. He fought the Dragon God to a standstill, and after that, someone from the Kingdom of Iostaria took some of the Dragon God¡¯s blood from the ground.¡± Gogh continued, ¡°That blood was enough to make every major sect, every clan and every kingdom fight each other. In other words, the biggest war ever seen.¡± Robin stared at Gogh with a look of amazement in his eyes, ¡°But how did you end up with the pill then?¡± If the pill was worth enough to make every major power battle each other, just how did Gogh end up with it then? ¡°The Kingdom of Sikam managed to get their hands on the Dragon God¡¯s blood, and I, with Helena were part of a team in charge of refining the Dragon God¡¯s blood into a pill. But¡­ While we were refining the pill, we found out that the kingdom was planning to kill everyone who was in the pill refinement team once we finished. So once we finished, I took the pill and escaped the kingdom.¡± Suddenly, Kiron¡¯s body started glowing in a golden light. His injuries were healing at a rapid pace and his ghostly pale face retrieved some of its color. Gogh and Helena were staring at Kiron with shocking expressions on their faces ¡°He¡­ He¡¯s absorbing the Dragon God¡¯s blood?!¡± Truthfully, neither of them expected Kiron to survive. Only one person out of millions would be capable of absorbing the Profound Golden Dragon God Pill, and Kiron was one of them. Helena, Gogh and Robin were staring at Kiron. Their faces were filled with amazement. None of them dared to make a sound. ¡­ 30 minutes passed by Kiron got up on his feet, ¡°What happened? What is this strange feeling?¡± Kiron was surprised upon waking up. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°KIRON!¡± Robin jumped up with a face filled with joy. Kiron was even more surprised now than he was when he woke up. Kiron looked around and saw Gogh and a mysterious girl, that mysterious girl being Helena. ¡°You¡¯re the owner of that herb shop! ¡­ What is going on?¡± Gogh explained everything that just happened to Kiron. ¡­ ¡°So that¡¯s why I felt so powerful when I woke up,¡± Kiron said with an amazed expression. ¡°Remember, never tell anyone about the Profound Golden Dragon God Pill, if any of the kingdoms learn that you absorbed it, they will either try to recruit you ¡­ Or they will try to kill you.¡± Gogh had a serious expression on his face as he said that. ¡°Anyways, there¡¯s nothing for me to do here. All I can do is give you this High Ranked Core that came from the Silver Wolf you killed¡±. As Gogh said that, he grabbed the core out of his interspatial ring and handed it to Kiron. Gogh and Helena left the river place. ¡°Hey Robin, you should take this High Ranked Core!¡± As Kiron said that, he extended his arm towards Robin. ¡°You should take it! Besides, you should be as strong as I am right now. In addition, if you can get to the 3rd or 4th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm, you will be able to take on profound beasts at the 8th or 9th rank. Then you can help me get a High Ranked Core!¡± Kiron hesitated for a moment before he put the High Ranked Core back into his pocket. It was now time to head back to Norica. ¡­ You could hear laughter and chatting from the road Kiron and Robin were walking. ¡°Kiron! Robin!¡± The boys turned their head, only to see Amoh! ¡°Where have you been?¡± Amoh said with a hint of annoyance on his face. He, together with Robin¡¯s father had been looking for them for many hours now. ¡°Sorry Amoh, but we¡¯ve been hunting in the mountains.¡± Kiron and Robin had already decided to keep everything that happened today a secret. ¡°What happened to you? Your clothes are torn up and covered in blood, but you have no injuries!¡± Amoh was obviously very surprised upon seeing Kiron with his torn and bloody clothes. Even more surprised that he had no injuries. ¡°This isn¡¯t my blood; it came from the profound beasts we fought! And the clothes being torn up, that¡¯s just ¡­ Close calls!¡± Kiron isn¡¯t a very good liar. ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s get you kids back home, your parents are worried sick.¡± ¡­ ¡°Thanks for helping, Amoh!¡± Charlotte said in a gentle voice. Even if she tried her best to seem calm, it was obvious that she had been worried sick. She was afraid that something had happened to Kiron. Amoh left the house. Kiron walked inside, ¡°What happened? I was worried sick!¡± Charlotte looked at Kiron with a somewhat sad expression. ¡°I was hunting in the mountains with Robin. I managed to get my hands on one Low Ranked Core and one High Ranked Core!¡± Kiron took the cores out of his bag and showed them to Charlotte. ¡°This¡­ You fought a profound beast at the 7th rank or above of the Profound Practitioner Realm? Why didn¡¯t you run away?¡± Charlotte remembered how Kiron had promised he would run away if he ever encountered something stronger than him. ¡°It was a dead beast! I would never dare to even get close to a beast above the 1st rank! And the Low Ranked Core came from a wild boar of the 1st rank!¡± Seeing the sad look on his mother¡¯s face, Kiron couldn¡¯t help but try to comfort her. ¡°Besides, once I refine this Low Ranked Core I should be able to enter the 2nd rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm! And if I after that refine the High Ranked Core, I should be able to enter the peak of the 4th rank of the Profound Practitioner realm!¡± Kiron continued, ¡°Once I¡¯m at the 4th rank, I can freely kill any beast at the 3rd rank or below, and since those cores will be useless to me, I can sell them for 100 gold each! Then you won¡¯t have to work again!¡± From the look of Charlotte¡¯s face, it seems like Kiron succeeded in comforting her! Charlotte had a bright smile on her face, hearing her son speak words like that¡­ Any mother would be heart warmed upon hearing thing like that ¡°Thank you!¡± Charlotte was truly happy. ¡°Anyways, it¡¯s getting late. You should go to sleep.¡± Charlotte went into her bedroom after saying that. Kiron went into his bedroom and laid down on his bed. Thinking about everything that had happened today¡­ He couldn¡¯t wait to try out his new strength tomorrow! Chapter 8 - Breakthrough, Second Rank! Another day was here. Only this time, Kiron had overslept a bit. It was to be expected, after returning home so late. Kiron had already decided that today would be the last day he would be training with Amoh and the other kids. If he could refine his two cores, then he should easily be able to enter the 4th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm! And then he can freely hunt in the mountains without much danger. Even if he were to encounter a profound beast of the 9th rank, he could fight it. Refining a Low Ranked Core could be done in a couple of hours, refining a Mid Ranked Core could be done in a day and refining a High Ranked Core could be done in one week. There was no point for Kiron to train with Amoh anymore. If he can get to the 4th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm, then he will for sure be able to join a sect! Kiron left his room and looked around the house, only to see that his mother had already left the house. ¡°¡­ Amoh¡¯s training has already begun¡­¡± Kiron continued, ¡°I¡¯ll just train by myself today.¡± There really was no point for Kiron to train with Amoh and the others. He would rather spend his time gaining battle experience from fighting profound beasts, and of course refining the two cores he obtained yesterday. Kiron left the house and started running towards the mountain lake. The mountain lake was the perfect spot for him to train! He enjoyed the calm environment up there. It was quiet, there were no beasts up there and he was all alone. Just how he liked it. ¡°I¡¯m so fast!¡± Kiron were surprised at his own strength. If he were any other Profound Practitioner at the 1st rank, it would take him half an hour to run up to the mountain lake, but now it only takes him 15 minutes! And that¡¯s only while being at the 1st rank, which is comparable to the 5th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm! When he gets to the 2nd rank, he should receive a massive power up because of the World Qi! The blood of the Golden Dragon God had already converted all of his blood. There was not a single trace of human blood in his veins, it was all Golden Dragon blood now. ¡­ Kiron arrived at the mountain lake. He walked up to the tree he had previously punched in order to test his strength, ¡°My speed has already increased by leaps and bounds! I wonder how strong I am now¡± As Kiron said that, he threw a punch at the tree. *BANG* The tree shattered, and pieces of the tree were sent flying like arrows. When he previously threw a punch at the tree, he managed to put a small dent in it. Now? The difference was too great. Kiron stared at the scene with shock, ¡°This¡­ How?¡± Kiron had a surprised expression on his face, but it was quickly replaced with a happy expression. Knowing how much power he possessed, becoming one of the strongest cultivators in this world was no longer just a child¡¯s dream. It was now a possibility. With a satisfied expression on his face, ¡°I should start refining the cores.¡± Kiron took the Low Ranked Core out of his bag, then he jumped to the center of the lake. ¡°Incredible, I¡¯m able to jump to the center of the lake!¡± Kiron had crossed a distance of 40 meters in just one jump. The Golden Dragon blood inside him was truly amazing. Kiron sat down in a meditative position, it was time to start refining the Low Ranked Core. ¡­ ¡°World Qi, I can finally sense it! I must be breaking through to the 2nd rank now!¡± Kiron was extremely happy. He was finally about to reach the 2nd rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm! A stream of invisible energy was gathering within Kiron¡¯s body, entering his bones and muscles¡­ ¡°Amazing!¡± The energy was comfortable, it felt like it was washing the body of all its impurities. A good feeling indeed. The second rank! ¡°So, I can sense the World Qi around me now!¡± Kiron tried absorbing the surrounding World Qi¡­ ¡°It¡¯s too slow. No wonder people prefer to absorb World Qi from cores instead of the surroundings.¡± Having to gather the small amount of World Qi that¡¯s in the air, then absorb it¡­ The process was too slow. It was much easier to just absorb high amounts of World Qi from a core. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Kiron got up on his feet, then he jumped back to land. ¡°I should be able to fight profound beasts at the 7th rank now that I am at the 2nd rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm!¡± Kiron continued, ¡°If I can get one High Ranked Core, then I can sell it for 1000 gold coins, then mother won¡¯t have to work ever again!¡± Kiron started running through the mountains, trying to find a profound beast. ¡­ No luck. Kiron had been running for over 2 hours, but he had only encountered a few wild beasts. Kiron didn¡¯t even bother killing them. ¡°Ahh, my luck isn¡¯t that good today. I¡¯ll head back home and try again tomorrow!¡± Kiron had a sad expression on his face. Kiron was already at the bottom of the mountain, so it only took him about 5 minutes to get to his house. He arrived at his house, and he found Robin standing near his house, ¡°Robin!¡± Kiron called out to Robin with a happy expression. Robin turned around and looked at Kiron, ¡°Ah, Kiron! You weren¡¯t at training today... Wait, you¡¯ve broken through to the 2nd rank!¡± Robin wasn¡¯t that surprised, he had already expected to see Kiron break through to the second rank either today or tomorrow. ¡°Yea, that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t show up for practice today.¡± Kiron was intentionally hiding the fact that he overslept. Robin looked at Kiron with sharp eyes¡­ Kiron wasn¡¯t a very good liar. ¡°Anyways, have you heard?¡± Robin looked at Kiron with a look of excitement, ¡°Heard what?¡± Kiron had been in the mountains, how could he have heard anything? ¡°There¡¯s going to be a tournament in Taruck in 3 days! And anyone under the age of 9 can sign up!¡± Robin continued, ¡°The tournament is sponsored by Taruck¡¯s biggest weaponry shop, the winner will be able to pick out any weapon they want from their shop!¡± Kiron looked at Robin with a look of excitement in his eyes. If he manages to win, then he can get his hands on a colossal heavy sword! Robin saw the look in Kiron¡¯s eyes and laughed, ¡°Remember when I said there were no colossal heavy swords in Taruck?¡± Hearing these words, Kiron¡¯s face instantly turned sour, ¡°As long as I can get my hands on a weapon that¡¯s better than this iron knife I¡¯ll be satisfied¡± Kiron was regretting that he bought the iron knife. It had no uses to him except cutting up an already dead beast. Robin let out a chuckle, ¡°We need to sign up by tomorrow though, if we don¡¯t sign up then we won¡¯t be able to join the tournament,¡± Robin continued, ¡°I¡¯ll leave tomorrow morning, then I¡¯ll stay in an inn until the tournament ends.¡± Kiron with a look of excitement, ¡°It¡¯s a plan! We¡¯ll leave tomorrow morning. I will also need to refine the High Ranked Core, so I can do that at the inn!¡± Kiron and Robin chatted for a while before Robin went home. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m home!¡± Kiron went into the dining room, ¡°Kiron! How did it go today? You were sleeping so peacefully, so I didn¡¯t want to wake you...¡± Kiron¡¯s face showed a bit of embarrassment, but it disappeared quickly. ¡°I managed to break through to the 2nd rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm today!¡± Kiron said with a proud look on his face. ¡°Really? That¡¯s incredible!¡± Charlotte had a smile on her face. ¡°Also, I¡¯m leaving with Robin tomorrow. There¡¯s a tournament in Taruck, so we¡¯ll be staying at an inn for the next week,¡± Kiron continued, ¡°Of course, it will only be fighting with others at the same strength as me. And it will be supervised by experts, so there¡¯s nothing for you to worry about!¡± Kiron spent the next couple of minutes convincing his mother to let him go. Charlotte hugged Kiron, then she went into her bedroom. It was getting late. Kiron followed his mother¡¯s example and went to bed. ¡­ A new day was here. Kiron got out of his bed and packed his bag with some spare clothes. Kiron left the house, only to see that Robin was outside, waiting for him. Robin had a look of excitement on his face, ¡°You ready to leave for Taruck?¡± Kiron nodded, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± And so, Kiron and Robin started walking towards Taruck. Chapter 9 - Black Turtle Sect Chapter 9 ¨C Black Turtle Sect Kiron and Robin had finally arrived at the city of Taruck. ¡°Now we just got to find out where we have to go in order to sign up for the tournament.¡± Kiron turned his head towards all directions, trying to figure out where to go next. The city was even more crowded now than it was the previous time they visited. It seems like a lot of people are here for the tournament that starts in 2 days. ¡°There¡¯s a banner pointing towards the center! That must be where we must go in order to sign up for the tournament!¡± Kiron pointed at the banner as he spoke. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go!¡± The center of the town, the most crowded place. There were kids their age everywhere, this seemed to be the location. ¡°There! Seems like we have to go over there to sign up!¡± Robin was looking at a booth that was surrounded by people as he spoke. Just as they were about to go sign up they heard a voice from behind them, ¡°Have you heard? The Black Turtle Sect and the Burning Phoenix Sect have sent some of their disciples to participate in this tournament!¡± Both Kiron and Robin turned around upon hearing this. ¡°Yea, I¡¯ve even heard that they added an interspatial ring and a High Ranked Core to the prize pool!¡± Kiron and Robin turned their heads and looked at each other, huge smiles appeared on their faces! An interspatial ring? It¡¯s like a personal treasure chest! You put some of your World Qi into it, and the ring will belong to you. The only way for someone to access your interspatial ring is to kill you. Otherwise, there is no way for anyone to access it. The best part about an interspatial ring is that while they¡¯re only the size of a ring, they have enough room to store an entire room! ¡°Let¡¯s go sign up!¡± Kiron started walking towards the booth. ¡°Ugh, we¡¯ll probably have to stand here for a couple of hours¡± Robin said with a frown on his face. There was a gigantic line in front of them. ¡­ Hours passed by. ¡°Hey there, we¡¯d like to sign up for the tournament!¡± Robin said with an impatient voice. The man in the booth looked at Robin looking at him for a couple of seconds, then he turned his head towards Kiron, ¡°How old are you? Only kids between 8 and 11 allowed in this tournament.¡± Robin wasn¡¯t the only one speaking with an impatient voice. ¡°Uhm¡­ I¡¯m 8 years old!¡± Kiron said while trying to keep his face as normal as possible. The recruiter stared at him sharply for a couple of seconds, ¡°Kid, you¡¯re not a very good liar¡± ¡­ ¡°Please, make an exception for me!¡± Kiron started panicking; he really wanted to participate in the tournament. The recruiter was about to speak, but he was interrupted ¡°Just let that kid join the tournament, it¡¯s his choice if he wants to get beaten up¡± A man wearing a black coat with a turtle emblem appeared behind the recruiter, ¡°Ah, Sir! Of course!¡± The recruiter asked Kiron and Robin for their names, and then he wrote their names down in the list. ¡°Thank you for helping me! My name is Kiron, may I ask you what your name is? Kiron looked at the man in the black coat, ¡°A brat like you wants to know my name? Forget it.¡± The man said as he walked away. Kiron looked towards the man in the black coat with a shocked expression, ¡°What a rude guy!¡± Kiron turned his head around and started walking towards the inn at the entrance of the town. ¡­ Robin paid the innkeeper, renting a room for 7 days. Robin looked at Kiron, ¡°I think that guy is a member of the Black Turtle Sect¡± Robin continued, ¡°Make sure to beat up every Black Turtle Sect member in the tournament!¡± Kiron looked at Robin with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to humiliate the Black Turtle Sect in the tournament!¡± Kiron who usually had a good temper, had for the first time in his life experienced someone talking to him like that. He did not like it. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ll start refining the High Ranked Core! I think I can reach the 3rd rank before the tournament starts!¡± Kiron took the High Ranked Core out of his pocket, and as he was about to sit down and start refining the core, ¡°Hey, wouldn¡¯t it be boring to sit here for two days? How about going to the mountain and hunt there! You should be strong enough to fight a profound beast of the 7th rank by now,¡± Robin continued, ¡°Besides; battle experience is also an important factor when it comes to fights! What good is strength if you don¡¯t know how to use it?¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Kiron looked at Robin for a moment, ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. Perhaps, we might encounter those Silver Wolves again! This time we should be able to easily deal with them!¡± Kiron thought back to the moment when the Silver Wolves had cornered him at the top of the cliff. He would have died if it wasn¡¯t for Gogh and Helena! A lucky encounter like that¡­ It won¡¯t happen twice. ¡°We¡¯ll split the cores evenly this time!¡± Robin said with a smile on his face. ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s leave, the sooner we get there the better!¡± ¡­ Kiron and Robin were walking up the mountain, looking for profound beasts along the way. ¡°Hey, you have any idea how we can get to that cave where we killed that Silver Wolf the previous time we were here?¡± Robin continued, ¡°It seemed to be the place where the Silver Wolves live at¡± Kiron looked around for a bit, ¡°All I remember is that we followed the blood trail on the ground, which lead us to the Silver Wolf and that cave.¡± He took a few steps forward, standing at the peak of the mountain, ¡°Hey Robin, I can see the river where I almost died¡­ I think the Silver Wolves¡¯ cave is located in that direction,¡± Kiron struck his hand out and pointed towards a nearby cliff, ¡°If we climb over there, we should be able to find the cave!¡± Kiron was about to start walking towards the direction of the cave, but he suddenly heard something being carried by the wing, ¡°Stop, I hear something!¡± Kiron closed his eyes and listened carefully. ¡°Help me¡­ Anyone¡­¡± Robin looked towards the direction of the voice, ¡°let¡¯s check it out.¡± He started walking towards the direction of the voice. The cries for help were getting stronger, Kiron and Robin arrived at the scene where they were hearing the cries for help. They both stepped towards the edge of the cliff, looking down. There was a young boy down there, his ghostly pale face was filled with fear. He looked up and Saw Kiron & Robin, ¡°Could any of you misters help me please?¡± He said with a voice filled with desperation and fear. Kiron looked at Robin for a second, then he jumped down into the crevice. ¡°Hey there, my name is Kiron¡­ Who are you?¡± Kiron looked at the young boy who seemed to be about the same age as him. ¡°I¡¯m Douglas, I¡¯m 6 years old and 3rd Rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm. I¡¯m a member of the Burning Phoenix Sect!¡± Douglas managed to calm down a little after seeing Kiron act friendly towards him. ¡°The Burning Phoenix Sect? Anyways, my name is Kiron, 6 years old. That person up there is Robin, 8 years old. We¡¯re not in any sects, but we¡¯re hoping to join one.¡± Kiron introduced himself and Robin. ¡°How did you end up down there? And shouldn¡¯t you be able to climb out? You¡¯re already at the 3rd rank, you should easily be able to climb out of this crevice!¡± Robin was curious, a member of a sect being here? It didn¡¯t make much sense in his head. Douglas¡¯s face turned a little sour. Robin¡¯s words had hit a sore point. ¡°I¡­ I was thrown in here by some members of the Black Turtle Sect¡­ They broke my legs and threw me down here.¡± Douglas¡¯s face was covered in fear and embarrassment Kiron¡¯s face darkened, ¡°Why would they throw you down here?¡± Hearing that the Black Turtle Sect members had gone as far as to break his legs and throw him down here, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little bit angry. ¡°I was refining a Mid Ranked Core on the top of that cliff, then I was spotted by some members of the Black Turtle Sect. They asked me to hand the core over to them, but I refused¡­ Then they broke my legs and threw me down here¡± Douglas¡¯s face was no longer filled with embarrassment or fear, rather, it was now filled with anger. Even Kiron felt angry. To be treated like that? Kiron just pictured himself in Douglas¡¯s shoes, and that was enough to make him angry. ¡°Douglas, I¡¯ll help you out! Once we get back to the city, tell me who broke your legs! I¡¯ll break his legs for you! Chapter 10 - Divine Tower Douglas stared at Kiron with a shocked expression in his eyes, ¡°But¡­ You¡¯re only of the 2nd rank! They guy who broke my legs is at the 6th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm!¡± Douglas immediately saw that Kiron was only at the 2nd rank. Kiron laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about that! Just trust me!¡± As Kiron said that, he picked Douglas up ¡°Don¡¯t lose your grip now!¡± Kiron said with a smile on his face. Douglas couldn¡¯t understand why Kiron would say that, he¡¯s only at the 2nd rank. Kiron jumped to where Robin was standing. Douglas who was barely holding on to Kiron, was shocked out of his mind. Someone at the 2nd rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm was able to jump 20 meters with a person on his back? Impossible! Robin couldn¡¯t help but laugh after seeing the shocked expression on Douglas¡¯s face. It was still bright outside, the sun was shining down on the forest. ¡°Hey Douglas, what¡¯s it like in a sect?¡± Kiron asked with a curious voice. ¡°A sect? It¡¯s like a family! Everyone treats each other like brothers and sisters, there are rarely any conflicts within a sect, and when there are they will be resolved quickly.¡± Douglas continued, ¡°But sects don¡¯t get along with other sects for some reason. Whenever two different sects meets up, there will always be some fights breaking out.¡± Robin had a hint of amazement in his eyes, ¡°How long have you been in the Burning Phoenix Sect?¡± Robin who had always been dreaming about entering a sect finally got the chance to ask some questions about what it was like to be in a sect. ¡°I was born and raised in the Burning Phoenix Sect, since my father is an elder there. But I didn¡¯t start training until I became 6 years old.¡± Douglas looked towards the sky, ¡°But recently our sect has weakened¡­ The kingdom asked every sect to send some of its members to their base near the borders. The Kingdom of Tranos might go to war with the Kingdom of Iostaria¡­ But our sect members were killed by the Kingdom of Iostaria, so our sect is now weaker than what it was.¡± A war between Tranos and Iostaria? This obviously shocked Robin and Kiron. They had never heard of any war between the two kingdoms, ¡°Wait slow down! A war between Tranos and Iostaria might happen? Why?¡± Douglas looked at Robin with a hint of regret on his face, ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be a secret, but the kingdom¡¯s are fighting over the Divine Tower!¡± Douglas continued, ¡°The Divine Tower is a tower built by the immortal gods from the higher realms, it¡¯s said to contain heavenly treasures within! That¡¯s all I know about the Divine Tower.¡± Immortal gods? The divine beings who exist in the higher realms? Kiron had read about them, but had always imagined they were just some work of fiction. ¡°I¡¯ve also heard some rumors, but I¡¯m not sure if these are true. I¡¯ve heard that there are 13 keys, one for each person to enter.¡± Douglas continued, ¡°But then again, these are just rumors. If any of this information spreads to the other kingdoms, then we might be looking at another big war between the kingdoms!¡± Kiron stopped up for a moment, ¡°Hey Douglas, are you in a rush to return to the city?¡± Kiron turned his head, he recognized this place. It was the place where they had previously found the squirrel, meaning that the Silver Wolves¡¯ cave should be nearby. Kiron wasn¡¯t the only one who had noticed this, Robin noticed the small cave where they had found the squirrel. ¡°In a rush? No, as long as I return today, everything will be fine!¡± Douglas really wanted to go home, but he felt that it would be rude to ask them to walk him back to the city first. When you¡¯re given a hand, don¡¯t take the arm. Kiron smiled, ¡°Great! Let¡¯s go find those Silver Wolves!¡± as he spoke he started walking. ¡­ Tale and laughter could be heard from the 3 boys as they walked towards the Silver Wolves¡¯ cave¡­ ¡°We¡¯re here!¡± Kiron said as he was pointing towards the cave. Kiron put Douglas down on the ground, ¡°Hey Douglas, do you mind if I borrow your short sword?¡± Kiron didn¡¯t want to go hunting with his small iron knife. Douglas took the short sword out of its sheath and handed it over to Kiron. ¡°Thanks!¡± Kiron took the short sword from Douglas¡¯s hand. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. He started walking towards the cave, hoping that it wouldn¡¯t be empty. He thought back to the moment when he had first encountered the pack of Silver Wolves¡­ He was so scared back then, but now¡­ Now he has strength! He has more confidence, more courage. He¡¯s confident that if he were to meet the pack of Silver Wolves again, he would be able to kill them all! He stood next to the cave entrance, peeking inside. One, two¡­ Seventeen! Seventeen Silver Wolves were gathered inside the cave. ¡°None of those Silver Wolves are higher than the 5th rank! Let¡¯s kill them all!¡± As Kiron spoke, he charged inside the cave with Robin by his side. The Silver Wolves saw Kiron charging at them, they instantly got up. Kiron slashed his short sword, killing a rank 4 Silver Wolf with just one strike. ¡°Amazing! He is clearly at the 2nd rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm, so how can he be that strong?¡± Douglas had picked up a stick and walked towards the cave. He could see everything that was happening clearly with his own eyes. Behind Kiron there was another Silver Wolf of the 4th rank. The Silver Wolf pounced itself towards Kiron, ready to slash his neck off. ¡°KIRON! Behind you!¡± Douglas shouted with all the air in his lungs. But, it was too late. The Silver Wolf¡¯s claws had already connected with Kiron¡¯s neck. ¡°What... What is this?¡± Douglas saw the scene with his own eyes, the Silver Wolf had clearly connected with his neck, but its claws was only able to leave a small scratch on Kiron¡¯s skin, a small drop of blood appeared from the scratch on his neck. It felt like he had been bitten by a mosquito, no pain whatsoever. Kiron turned around and kicked the Silver Wolf in its head, exploding it¡­ The other Silver Wolves saw the scene, and they immediately started running towards the exit, but to their surprise, Robin was already standing there. *Grrrr* The Silver Wolves were starting to panic. In their small moment of hesitation, Kiron had already killed 3 of them. There was now 9 Silver Wolves remaining, 2 of them being at the 5th rank, 1 of them at the 4th rank and the rest being at 2nd or 3rd rank. Robin exploded forth, swinging his sword at the Silver Wolf of the 4th rank. He wasn¡¯t able to kill them as fast as Kiron could, but he was still able to kill them without much effort. Kiron and Robin killed the rest of the Silver Wolves. ¡­ 7 Mid Ranked Cores and 12 Low Ranked Cores! ¡°Seems like coming out here wasn¡¯t such a bad idea after all.¡± Robin had a wide grin on his face. He remembered how he had to convince Kiron to come along. Kiron looked at the cores, ¡°I¡¯ll take 3 Mid Ranked Cores and 6 Low Ranked Cores, then you¡¯ll take the rest, okay?¡± As Kiron said that, he put the cores into his bag. ¡°That won¡¯t do. You did most of the work, so you should take the extra Mid Ranked Core.¡± Robin said with a self-deprecating laugh. ¡­ Robin and Kiron started arguing about why the other should receive the last Mid Ranked Core. ¡°Okay, how about this, we give the extra Mid Ranked Core to Douglas. He had a core, but it was stolen from him.¡± Kiron continued, ¡°Besides, he was kind enough to lend me his short sword!¡± Robin nodded in agreement, even though there was no point for them to hand the Mid Ranked Core over to Douglas, it would still be the right thing to do. Both Kiron and Robin believed that you should help a follower cultivator whenever you have the chance to do so! Kiron took the last Mid Ranked Core and handed it over to Douglas together with the short sword he borrowed from him, ¡°I can¡¯t possibly take this, I didn¡¯t do anything!¡± Douglas didn¡¯t want to be a person who receives things from others without giving anything back. ¡°You already let me borrow your short sword, which I used to kill the Silver Wolves! You should take this!¡± Douglas hesitated for a while before finally nodding his head in agreement. ¡°Anyways, we should go back to the city! I want to reach the 3rd rank before the tournament begins!¡± As Kiron said that he helped Douglas up, giving him a shoulder to lean on while walking back to the city. Chapter 11 - Burning Phoenix Sect The city gates were within sight, Kiron and his friends finally arrived at Taruck. ¡°Hey Douglas, where¡¯s the Burning Phoenix Sect?¡± Kiron wanted to help Douglas get back to the other sect members before starting to refine the High Ranked Core. ¡°We¡¯re staying at the large hotel,¡± Douglas pointed towards a large building as he spoke. A large hotel that could be seen from anywhere in the city. ¡°Hey Kiron, I¡¯m going to sell these Low Ranked Cores, I¡¯ll meet you back at the inn later!¡± Robin said. Just as he was about to start walking, ¡°Robin, could you sell my Low Ranked Cores as well?¡± Kiron took six Low Ranked Cores out of his bag and handed them over to Robin. Robin nodded and started walking towards the marketplace... ¡°We should be leaving as well!¡± Kiron and Douglas started walking towards the grand hotel. ¡­ ¡°Douglas!¡± Kiron and Douglas turned around to see a small amount of people wearing red coats with a phoenix emblem; they¡¯re from the Burning Phoenix Sect. ¡°Douglas what happened to you?¡± The Burning Phoenix Sect members came running over, ¡°A group of people from the Black Turtle Sect ambushed me while I was refining the Mid Ranked Core I got from the sect!¡± Douglas continued, ¡°They asked me to hand over the core, but I refused¡­ So they broke my legs and threw me down a crevice!¡± Their expressions turned dark upon hearing about what the Black Turtle Sect had done to Douglas, ¡°Those bastards! Who was it that broke your legs?¡± The person who spoke just now looked like their leader. He was the strongest person amongst their group, being at the 6th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm. ¡°I don¡¯t know the name of the person who broke my legs, but I do know he is at the 6th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm!¡± Douglas then turned his head towards Kiron, ¡°Sorry, I forgot to introduce you! Everyone, this is Kiron, even if it seems like he is at the 2nd rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm, he can easily destroy profound beasts at the 6th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm! I saw him fight 17 Silver Wolves with another person, and he killed most of them by himself! He¡¯s also the one who saved me!¡± Douglas then took a Mid Ranked Core out of his pocket, ¡°He even gave me this! Kiron treats me like a brother, so I hope you will treat him kindly! The Burning Phoenix Sect members were flabbergasted as they looked at Kiron. ¡°My name is Jin, I am 9 years old and I am of the 6th rank. Any brother of Douglas is a brother of mine! Nice to meet you, Kiron!¡± He extended his arm towards Kiron and shook his arm as he spoke. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Jin! I hope we can get along in the future! Also, are you participating in the tournament that starts in 2 days?¡± Kiron appreciated the kindness Jin was showing him, and of course, if someone treats him kindly, he would be sure to repay the kindness! ¡°The tournament? Yes, every disciple of the Burning Phoenix Sect will be joining the tournament, except for Douglas because he is too young. How about you, Kiron?¡± Jin said while looking at the small group of Burning Phoenix Sect members behind him. Kiron looked at Jin, ¡°I¡¯m joining the tournament! And I¡¯ll be sure to crush those disciples of the Black Turtle Sect!¡± Kiron said with a proud look on his face. Jin started laughing, ¡°Haha, that¡¯s the spirit! Defeat those honor less scum!¡± Jin said with a satisfied expression on his face. The Burning Phoenix Sect had been on bad terms with the Black Turtle Sect for a long time now, and even if Jin and the other disciples were young, they would still understand from their seniors that there was a huge enmity between the two sects. ¡°Anyways, I have to go now. It was nice meeting you, Jin!¡± As Kiron spoke he started walking towards the inn. The Burning Phoenix Sect members stared at Kiron¡¯s back, ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s find Elder Pavong and tell him about all that happened.¡± The Burning Phoenix Sect members turned around and started walking towards the hotel. ¡­ Kiron arrived at inn. He opened the door to the room he and Robin had rented. ¡°Seems like Robin hasn¡¯t come back yet.¡± As Kiron spoke he turned his head around, looking around. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.Kiron opened his bag and took out a High Ranked Core, ¡°I suppose it¡¯s time to start refining this High Ranked Core!¡± Kiron said as he sat down in a cross legged position. ¡°There¡¯s so much World Qi within this High Ranked Core! Absorbing it all would take me at least 5 days!¡± Kiron was amazed by how much World Qi there was inside the High Ranked Core.¡§ ¡­ Meanwhile, at the grand hotel where the Burning Phoenix Sect members were staying. ¡°The Black Turtle Sect members did what?!¡± Someone shouted with an angry voice. ¡°Elder Pavong, we will be sure to humiliate the Black Turtle Sect during the tournament!¡± Jin said with a proud voice. To treat one of their sect members like that? Of course they would be enraged! A sect was like a brotherhood, and the big brother has to look out for the younger ones. Elder Pavong¡¯s angry face turned into a smile, ¡°Good, good! It¡¯s important that you don¡¯t let others bully you!¡± Elder Pavong continued, ¡°And what about that Kiron who saved Douglas? Does he belong to any sects?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I think he does. According to Douglas, his strength is incredible. There¡¯s no way a commoner can possess the same amount of strength that he does.¡± There was a hint of respect in Jin¡¯s words. Just as Elder Pavong was about to speak, ¡°Actually, no, he doesn¡¯t belong in any sects. Kiron and his friend Robin are looking to join a sect though.¡± Douglas was the one who started speaking. ¡°Kiron and Robin lives in a small town called Norica¡± Elder Pavong looked at Douglas, ¡°They¡¯re looking to join a sect? Why don¡¯t we invite them to the Burning Phoenix Sect? You¡¯re all on good terms with Kiron, right?¡± Elder Pavong looked at the Burning Phoenix Sect members as he spoke. Jin nodded, ¡°Yea, we got along well when we met earlier, I was kind to him and he was kind to me! He even gave Douglas a Mid Ranked Core!¡± Elder Pavong started smiling, ¡°Good! Does anyone know where Kiron is currently at?¡± Elder Pavong looked around, but there was no response, ¡°What about you Douglas? Are they still in Taruck, or did they go back to their home town?¡± Douglas looked at Elder Pavong, ¡°They¡¯re still in Taruck, but I don¡¯t know where. All I know is that Kiron said something about refining a High Ranked Core.¡± Douglas continued, ¡°Oh right, both Kiron and Robin will be participating in the upcoming tournament! You will probably find them over there!¡± ... Kiron sat on the ground next to his bed, cross legged and eyes closed. ¡°I probably won¡¯t be able to reach the 3rd rank before the tournament starts¡­¡± Kiron said with a sigh. ¡°Oh well, I can¡¯t be greedy. I only reached the 2nd rank some days ago.¡± ¡°You¡¯re actually complaining about not being able to reach the 3rd rank in just a couple of days? Just wait until you reach the 6th rank, you¡¯d probably have to spend a year just climbing one rank!¡± Robin stood behind Kiron as he spoke. Kiron turned around with a shocked expression on his face, ¡°When did you get in here?¡± Kiron hadn¡¯t noticed Robin¡¯s presence at all. ¡°I got here an hour ago, but you were training so peacefully, so I didn¡¯t want to interrupt you!¡± Robin said with a laugh, seeing the shocked expression on Kiron¡¯s face was truly amusing for Robin. Robin took six gold bars out of his bag, ¡°Here, each of these are worth a hundred gold! It¡¯s much easier to carry these around than 600 gold coins.¡± Robin continued, ¡°If you want gold coins, you can exchange them at the agency that¡¯s located in the marketplace!¡± Kiron took the gold bars and put them in his bag, ¡°Thanks!¡± Kiron bowed his head slightly. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ll be refining the High Ranked Core for the next 2 days. Even if I won¡¯t be able to reach the 3rd rank before the tournament begins, I should be able to reach the 3rd rank in the middle of the tournament!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be working on refining these Mid Ranked Cores then.¡± Robin took a Mid Ranked Core out of his bag and sat down cross legged next to his bed. The tournament was starting at sunrise in 2 days, and it will be a hard tournament with the Black Turtle Sect disciples and the Burning Phoenix Sect disciples participating. Chapter 12 - Revenge The sun was about to rise. Today was the day of the tournament. ¡°Hey Robin, wake up! The tournament begins today¡± Kiron looked down on the sleeping Robin. ¡°I¡¯m awake!¡± Robin immediately got out of his bed. He put on some clothes, ¡°Hey Kiron, let¡¯s buy some food before we leave! Can¡¯t fight with an empty stomach!¡± Robin said as he pointed towards his stomach. Kiron nodded, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go buy some plates with meat!¡± Kiron and Robin left their room, then the inn. ¡°I¡¯ll go to the marketplace and buy us some food. We¡¯ll meet up at the center of the town, where the fights happen!¡± Robin said as he started walking in a different direction than Kiron. ¡­ ¡°There¡¯s so many people here! There¡¯s at least one thousand people here¡­¡± Kiron had gotten used to large crowds, so it didn¡¯t bother him as much as it did when he arrived at Taruck for the first time. Kiron was walking around the tournament grounds, ¡°I wonder if Douglas or Jin are here yet!¡± Kiron looked everywhere, but he couldn¡¯t find them. The tournament starts in one hour, there are 8 platforms in the center of the district. Every match up to the quarterfinals will be fought on those 8 platforms. The quarterfinals, semifinals and finals will be shown on a much bigger platform that hasn¡¯t been brought out yet. Registration process ended yesterday, there are currently 428 participants. Meaning Kiron will have to fight either 8 or 9 times in order to win, depending on what number he picks. 344 people will have to fight in the first round while 84 people gets to skip the first round. ¡°Kiron!¡± Robin came up to Kiron carrying a plate with meat in each hand, ¡°Thanks!¡± Kiron took the plate and started eating. ¡­ Hours passed by ¡°Hey Robin, what number did you draw? I got 231, I¡¯ll be fighting in the first round!¡± Kiron pulled up his note containing the number he had received. ¡°I got 413, I won¡¯t be fighting in the first round¡­¡± Robin wasn¡¯t too happy with receive number 413. He wanted to fight early. Chatter and laughter could be heard from Kiron and Robin as they spoke. Someone walked up to Kiron and Robin, ¡°Kiron! Robin!¡± It was Douglas, he managed to spot Kiron and Robin in the huge crowd after looking around for a while. Kiron and Robin turned around. ¡°Douglas!¡± Kiron looked at Douglas as he spoke, but he noticed that Douglas was able to walk on his own today, ¡°Your legs? You¡¯re fully healed?¡± Kiron couldn¡¯t understand how Douglas was able to walk on his own when his legs were broken yesterday. Douglas started laughing, ¡°Elder Pavong gave me a profound medicine pill! Thanks to that, my legs were able to heal in less than one hour!¡± Douglas patted his legs as he spoke. ¡°Profound medicines¡­ Incredible!¡± Both Kiron and Robin were surprised upon hearing about how fast the profound medicine pill was able to heal Douglas. Douglas looked at Kiron, ¡°Hey Kiron, you better do well in the tournament! I¡¯ve told Elder Pavong about you, and he said that if you do well in this tournament, he¡¯ll invite you and Robin to the sect! Douglas continued, ¡°If you win 3 or 4 rounds, that should be enough for him to invite you!¡± Kiron and Robin stared at Douglas with a look of shock in their eyes. They¡¯ve always wanted a chance to join a sect, and now they get the perfect opportunity? ¡°Douglas, tell Elder Pavong that I¡¯ll win the entire tournament!¡± Kiron, having received a golden chance, was not going to let it go. The boys talked for a while, ¡°I¡¯ll go back to Elder Pavong now. It should be your turn to fight soon!¡± Douglas started walking away, ¡°Hey Douglas, if you see the guy who broke your legs anywhere, tell me! I won¡¯t be able to recognize him if you don¡¯t point him out for me!¡± Kiron looked at Douglas with a smile on his face as he spoke. ¡°Will do!¡± Douglas appreciated the kindness Kiron was showing him. ¡­ ¡°Number 230 and 231, get up on platform 5!¡± The announcer called out 2 numbers. It was now Kiron¡¯s turn to fight. Kiron walked up to the platform and looked at his opponent. Seems like his opponent is at the 4th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm. The opponent looked at Kiron with surprised eyes, but those eyes were replaced with a laugh shortly afterwards. It was obvious that he was looking down on Kiron. In other people¡¯s eyes, Kiron was only 2nd rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm, but because of the Golden Dragon blood within him, his strength was comparable to someone at the 7th rank. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°That¡¯s Kiron, right? I don¡¯t see anything special about him¡­¡± Elder Pavong looked at Kiron from the V.I.P spectator seats as he spoke. Douglas looked at Elder Pavong, ¡°That was my first reaction as well! Once you see him fight, you¡¯ll be able to understand why I said his strength is incredible!¡± Douglas admired Kiron¡¯s strength. Even Jin and the other young disciples of the Burning Phoenix Sect were doubting Kiron¡¯s strength. He might be super strong compared to others at the 2nd rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm, but against someone off the 4th rank? They just didn¡¯t believe it. They believed that Douglas had just failed to recognize the Silver Wolves¡¯ strength, and that Kiron was only fighting a bunch of Silver Wolves¡¯ at the 1st and 2nd rank. ¡°Begin fight!¡± The announcer said in a loud, unrestrained voice. Kiron started walking towards his opponent the moment the match begun, slowly. ¡°Haha, Junior, I¡¯ll let you have the first attack!¡± The opponent laughed as he looked at Kiron walking towards him. Kiron arrived before his opponent, ¡°You¡¯ll let me attack first?¡± Kiron stared at his opponent, trying to hide his laughter. ¡°Junior, if I were to attack you first, I wouldn¡¯t dare show my face around the other kids in my town!¡± Kiron didn¡¯t even take a stance, he just threw his arm towards his opponent¡¯s stomach. *Bang* The opponent was sent flying, landing just outside the ring. He was barely conscious! He was coughing blood as he was trying to get up on his legs. Elder Pavong, the Burning Phoenix Sect, the Black Turtle Sect¡­ Everyone was starting at platform 5 with shocked expressions on their faces. ¡°Winner¡­ Winner is number 231, Kiron!¡± Even the announcer was shocked upon seeing how easily Kiron had won. Elder Pavong was completely stunned as he stared at Kiron. ¡°How¡­ How was he able to win? He is clearly at the 2nd rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm!¡± Douglas started laughing, ¡°Hahaha, I told you Kiron was extraordinary!¡± Douglas had personally witnessed Kiron¡¯s strength the other day, and the others simply couldn¡¯t believe him. Douglas felt incredibly amused upon seeing the shocked expressions on everyone¡¯s faces! Kiron walked off the stage, then he walked past the large crowd, arriving at where Robin was standing. He took a deep breath, feeling the calm wind blowing against him. A smile appeared on his face, his first fight against another cultivator! He had come out on top, it was a great feeling! ¡°Kiron! Incredible! I¡¯m sure no one will dare underestimate you in the future!¡± Robin had a happy look on his face! Everyone are staring at Kiron, even the fighters from the other platforms! Not even someone off the 6th rank can beat someone off the 4th rank as easily as he just did! ¡°Hey kid, what¡¯s your name?¡± Behind him was a man wearing a black coat with a turtle emblem, it was the Black Turtle Sect elder who had refused to give his name earlier. Kiron turned around and looked at the elder, ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to introduce yourself before asking someone to introduce themselves?¡± Kiron looked at the man with a frown on his face as he spoke. Elder Pavong stared at the scene with a stunned expression on his face. Was Kiron really going to join the Black Turtle Sect? Elder Pavong started walking towards Kiron and the Black Turtle Sect elder, ¡°Kiron isn¡¯t going to join the Black Turtle Sect!¡± Douglas looked at Pavong¡¯s back as he spoke, but Pavong didn¡¯t stop. ¡°My name is Ronai, I am an elder of the Black Turtle Sect.¡± Ronai looked at Kiron as he spoke. Ronai then saw that Pavong was walking towards them. He was hoping to speed up the introductions so that he could ask Kiron to join the Black Turtle Sect. ¡°A rude old man like you wants to know my name? Forget it.¡± Kiron then turned around and started walking away together with Robin. Chapter 13 - Clean Sweep! Ronai suddenly remembered, it was the kid from 2 days ago! His face went pale, he was filled with regret. If he could make Kiron a personal disciple, then his fame would blast into the sky! But he ruined his chances just because of one sentence. Elder Pavong looked at Kiron and Robin as they came walking towards him. They had both heard about him, but they had no idea what he looked like. ¡°Kiron! I knew you would win the first round with ease!¡± Behind Elder Pavong was Douglas, whose eyes were filled with amazement! ¡°Oh, this is Elder Pavong! He¡¯s the one who said that you could join the sect if you are able to win the first 3 or 4 rounds!¡± Douglas turned his head towards Elder Pavong as he spoke. Kiron looked at Elder Pavong, ¡°My name is Kiron! It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you!¡± Kiron and Robin both bowed their heads. None of them realized that Pavong actually came down here to ask them to join the Burning Phoenix Sect. Even if they didn¡¯t say anything, he would still ask them if they wanted to join! With a smile on his face he looked at Kiron and Robin, ¡°How would you like to join the Burning Phoenix Sect?¡± His voice carried a large amount of respect as he spoke. Kiron and Robin both stared at Elder Pavong in shock, joining a sect was this easy? ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll join!¡± Both of them spoke in a synchronized manner. Elder Pavong laughed, ¡°Good, good! We can talk about the details once the tournament is over!¡± Elder Pavong had a satisfied expression on his face as he walked away. Kiron and Robin looked at each other, huge smiles appeared on their faces! ¡°The Burning Phoenix Sect! We¡¯re finally joining a sect!¡± laughter filled the air, but after noticing that most people were still staring at them, they stopped laughing and returned their faces to normal. ¡°Congratulations, Kiron! Robin!¡± Douglas continued, ¡°From now on, we¡¯ll be sect brothers!¡± Douglas bowed his head as he spoke. ... The first round was now finished. There are 256 participants remaining. ¡°Number 412 and 413, get up on platform 7!¡± The announcer called out Robin¡¯s number. It was now time for him to fight. Robin walked up to the platform, he was against someone at the 4th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm. Most people were either 4th or 5th rank, the highest being at the 6th rank. There are none of the 7th rank in this tournament, the reason being that going from the 6th rank to the 7th rank could take years. You have to gather up a large amount of World Qi, and when you have enough, you skin will shed like a snake, and it will be replaced by new skin that¡¯s harder than rocks! Even geniuses wouldn¡¯t be able to reach the 7th rank while only 11 years old. Most would reach the 7th rank when between 13 and 16 years of age. All participants that are already at the 6th rank belongs to one of the sects. And they have a large amount of resources. They¡¯re given Mid Ranked Cores and High Ranked Cores, whereas those who doesn¡¯t belong to a sect or a clan has to get the resources on their own. And that is dangerous. Even Kiron had almost died just from trying to gather some resources, surviving only because of luck. ¡°Begin fight!¡± The announcer said in a loud, unrestrained voice. Robin ran up to his opponent and threw a punch, the punch connected with his opponents arms and sent him flying a couple of meters, but it wasn¡¯t enough to knock him down. Robin charged towards his opponent yet again, and this time he threw a kick which connected with the opponents¡¯ stomach. The opponent landed on one knee, then he raised his hand, ¡°I surrender!¡± ¡°Winner of this fight is number 413, Robin!¡± The announcer said with a loud voice. Robin left the platform with a smile on his face, ¡°Good job, Robin!¡± Kiron smiled at Robin as he spoke. ¡­ ¡°Number 226 and 231, get up on platform 4!¡± The crowd went wild when they heard 231! They all wanted to see Kiron fight again! Some of the people in the crowd didn¡¯t have the chance to see what happened with their own eyes, some weren¡¯t there and some weren¡¯t paying attention to his previous fight. But right now, all eyes were on him. Kiron stepped up on the platform. There was another practitioner of the 5th rank there. ¡°Begin fight!¡± Kiron started running towards his opponent. He lifted his arm and threw a restrained punch towards his opponent. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. *Bang* Instant knockout! ¡°WINNER IS KIRON!¡± The announcer used an enthusiastic voice for the first time during this tournament! The crowd was cheering like they had just witnessed something incredible happen! The first time they watched, they were just stunned. This time? They already knew what to expect, but they just wanted to confirm it with their own eyes. ¡­ Kiron and Robin both proceeded to win the upcoming matches. Round 3¡­ Victory Round 4¡­ Victory Round 5¡­ Victory Round 6¡­ Kiron managed to effortlessly sweep his way through to the quarter finals, but now it was Robin¡¯s turn. ¡°413 and 21, get up on platform 1!¡± Kiron was sitting with Elder Pavong and Douglas at the moment. Douglas had an angry expression on his face, ¡°That¡¯s the guy who broke my legs and stole my Mid Ranked Core!¡± Kiron looked at Douglas, then he turned his head back to the Black Turtle Sect disciple, ¡°That would mean he¡¯s at the 6th rank¡­ I hope Robin comes out okay!¡± ¡°Begin fight!¡± Robin stood there, he was taking a defensive position. He was not in a position where he could attack first. The opponent came running towards Robin, but Robin wasn¡¯t going to stay still and take a free beating. His plan was to run around and wait for an opening to appear. His opponent was still faster than him thought, so it didn¡¯t take long for him to close the distance between the two. Robin was still running around in a circle, but he knew that it wouldn¡¯t last for long. Robin prepared to go for a surprise attack. He suddenly stopped up, and threw his kick towards his opponent who was charging at him. *Slap* His foot connected with the opponent¡¯s cheek, making a slapping sound. Someone off the 6th rank had just been knocked down by someone at the 5th rank? The crowd went wild! Even if it wasn¡¯t as impressive as Kiron, who could effortlessly defeat those 3 ranks higher than him, it was still something that was rarely seen. The opponent got up. With a reddened face, he charged towards Robin yet again. Robin was going to use the same strategy again, to run and surprise him with a kick. It might seem like a cheap method, but Robin had no other shot at winning. Robin stopped yet again, and raised his foot towards an enraged enemy, but this time, the opponent stopped up for half a second before starting to run again. Robin¡¯s face went pale, he was completely open. Robin blinked, and when his eyes opened, a fist came flying towards him. *Thud* Robin was sent flying a couple of meters. He landed on his legs, but quickly lost his balance and fell down. Robin raised his hand, ¡°I surrender.¡± He said in a low, casual voice. ¡°Winner is number 21, Girse!¡± Girse gave Robin an ugly look before walking off the platform. He was still angry at Robin for kicking his face like that. Robin left the platform and walked up to Kiron and the others, ¡°Ah, I lost¡­¡± Robin still wore a smile though. ¡°That guy, Girse, he¡¯s the one who broke Douglas¡¯s legs! Kiron pointed towards the location where the Black Turtle Sect members were sitting. ¡°What? Glad I kicked him in the face at least¡­ Kiron, be sure to beat him up tomorrow!¡± Robin started laughing. Even if he lost, he could still remember the embarrassed face on Girse¡¯s face! ¡°The remaining 8 participants, come up to platform 1.¡± The announcer continued, ¡°You will now be drawing lots, deciding who you will fight tomorrow!¡± Kiron and Jin both got out of their seats, ¡°Let¡¯s hope we don¡¯t meet until the finals, Kiron!¡± Jin said with a smile. The Burning Phoenix Sect members brought 2 young disciples of the 6th rank. One of them had been beaten by Folam, a Black Turtle Sect disciple. Kiron smiled, ¡°That would be the best! I just hope I get Girse in the first round!¡± Kiron looked at Douglas, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure he pays for breaking your leg!¡± Kiron smiled at Douglas, then he started walking towards the platform. ¡­ ¡°Now that we have drawn the first 3 matches, there are only 2 participants remaining who hasn¡¯t drawn lots yet!¡± The host said while pointing towards the last 2 participants. ¡°Kiron and Girse!¡± Chapter 14 – We’re friends, right? ¡°Kiron and Girse!¡± A smile appeared on Kiron¡¯s face as he heard that he would be able to fight Girse in the first round! ¡°Girse, Douglas is good friend of mine! Remember him?¡± Kiron looked at Girse as he spoke, he wore a friendly smile, and almost making it seem like there was no enmity between the two. Girse actually had a good impression of Kiron, he wanted to befriend Kiron, ¡°Douglas? Can¡¯t say I remember anyone who goes by that name. Could you enlighten me?¡± Douglas had a curious look on his face. Was Douglas someone from the Black Turtle Sect perhaps? Kiron had a friendly smile on his face, ¡°Oh trust me, and I¡¯ll enlighten you during our match tomorrow! I¡¯m looking forward to it, fellow cultivator!¡± Thanks to Robin teaching Kiron how to lie, he was able to keep a calm, straight face during his conversation with Girse. Kiron had actually asked Robin how he could lie without giving it away¡­ Girse felt that a friendship was forming between the two, and with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to our match tomorrow as well, though I am pretty sure you will win!¡± Girse said with a self-deprecating laugh. ¡°Anyways, I have to leave now. I¡¯m looking forward to our match tomorrow!¡± Kiron said as he walked off the platform. Kiron started walking towards his room at the inn. ¡­ ¡°Ah, you¡¯re back!¡± Robin looked at Kiron who just came in through the door¡­ But the strange thing was, the moment Kiron came into the room, he burst into laughter! Robin was stunned, why did Kiron suddenly burst into laughter? ¡°Kiron¡­ Why are you laughing?¡± Kiron then proceeded to tell Robin about what happened, and how he managed to trick Girse into thinking that they were friends. Now, Kiron wasn¡¯t the only one laughing. The room was filled with chatter and laughter. ¡­ ¡°Elder Ronai!¡± Girse walked up to Elder Ronai, ¡°I managed to befriend Kiron!¡± Girse spoke with a satisfied look on his face. Elder Ronai was sad because he had messed up his one chance at recruiting an exceptionally talented youngster. But upon hearing Girse speak, his sad face suddenly turned into a happy one! Elder Ronai turned around and looked at Girse, ¡°You managed to befriend Kiron? That¡¯s great!¡± Elder Ronai saw an opportunity in this. If he could use the friendship between Girse and Kiron to fix his bad relationship with Kiron, then he might get a perfect disciple that can bring his fame up! Seeing Elder Ronai praising him, Girse couldn¡¯t help but be happy. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll talk to him tomorrow after our match! Whatever enmities exist between you two, I¡¯m sure we can fix them!¡± Elder Ronai started laughing, ¡°If everything works out, I¡¯ll give you 10 High Ranked Cores! You¡¯re soon 12 years old, so that should be enough for you to break through to the 7th rank!¡± Girse¡¯s eyes started glowing, 10 High Ranked Cores? Even for a sect member, that was a lot! ¡°It seems like the heavens are paying me back for some of my previous deeds! I must¡¯ve been a good person in my previous life¡± Girse thought to himself. ¡­ Kiron and Robin had been talking for that last couple of hours. ¡°It¡¯s getting late, I should probably go sleep now¡± Tomorrow was the final rounds of the tournament. He needed to get some rest. ¡­ The sun was rising, the birds were chirping and the streets were filled with people. Today was the last day of the tournament! Kiron and Robin left their room and started walking towards the stage where Kiron would fight the final matches of the tournament. ¡°Kiron! Robin!¡± Douglas sat in the V.I.P seats together with Elder Pavong and the other Burning Phoenix Sect members. Kiron walked up to the seats, ¡°Hey Douglas! I see the first match has already begun! 2 more matches after this one, and it will be my turn to fight!¡± Kiron had a somewhat evil grin on his face as he spoke. ¡°Let¡¯s just hope he doesn¡¯t surrender the moment you step on the stage later!¡± Douglas said in a jokingly manner. Robin started laughing, ¡°You don¡¯t know what happened yesterday?¡± Robin then proceeded to tell Douglas about what happened yesterday, how Kiron had managed to trick Girse into thinking that they were friends. Laughter and chatter could be heard from the boys as they spoke. ¡­ Some minutes passed by, the first 3 matches had already been decided. Jin had won his match against someone at the 5th rank, and advanced to the semifinals. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Match 4, Girse versus Kiron!¡± Kiron looked at Douglas, ¡°It¡¯s my turn now. I¡¯ll be sure to give Girse what he deserves, and I¡¯ll make sure he won¡¯t forget your name!¡± Kiron said with an evil grin on his face as he started walking towards the stage. Kiron walked up to the stage, he saw that Girse had already stepped onto the stage. ¡°Hello Brother Kiron! I hope you will enlighten me today!¡± Girse said as he bowed politely. Kiron slightly bowed his head in response. ¡°Begin fight!¡± The Black Turtle Sect members were sitting on the front row, near the stage. They were able to see the full fight clearly, ¡°Elder Ronai, who do you think will win?¡± One of the young disciples asked. ¡°I think Kiron will win this fight, but I also think a good friendship will form between him and Girse!¡± Elder Ronai said with a smile on his face. Girse charged at Kiron, raising his fist, preparing to attack. Just as Girse was about to throw his fist at Kiron he felt an incredible pain in his leg! *Crush* Kiron had thrown a kick towards Girse¡¯s knee. When his kick connected with Girse¡¯s knee, all that could be heard was the sound of something being crushed. ¡°AHHHHHHHH!¡± Girse fell down and used the leg that wasn¡¯t broken to support himself. ¡°Do you remember Douglas now? You broke his legs, stole his Mid Ranked Core, then you threw him down a crevice!¡± Kiron¡¯s friendly face had just turned into the face of anger. Girse stared at Kiron with a pitiful look in his eyes, he realized that Kiron was going to beat him up. Girse was about to raise his hand and surrender, but when he opened his eyes, he could see another kick flying towards him. *Bang* The kick landed at Girse¡¯s chest, completely shattering his rib bones. Girse¡¯s body was sent flying outside the ring. His body landed only a couple of meters away from Elder Ronai. Everyone expected to see Kiron win, but this¡­ Dead silence. No one made a single sound, they all just stared at Kiron as he walked off the stage, towards Robin and the others. Elder Ronai received an even bigger shock than the others, he had been looking forward to Kiron and Girse fighting, mainly because he thought that their fight would trigger an event leading to Kiron becoming his personal disciple, but instead¡­ Elder Ronai was stunned. He just sat there, staring at the stage. ¡°Haha, well done, Kiron!¡± Elder Ronai knew that Girse was the one who broke Douglas¡¯s legs and stole his Mid Ranked Core. As an elder, he couldn¡¯t possibly bring himself to attack a young disciple, who¡¯s not even 15 years old. In this world, when someone reaches the 2nd rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm, they¡¯ll be able to live for 100 years, when someone reaches the Profound Spirit Realm, they¡¯ll be able to live for 250 years, and when someone reaches the Profound Elemental Realm, they¡¯ll be able to live for a thousand years! A cultivator cares mainly about 2 things; Honor and Strength! And lowering yourself to deal with someone who¡¯s still just a child, that¡¯s just wrong. Doing something like that would result in losing all your honor. ¡°But Kiron, I have to ask¡­ Why are you so strong? You¡¯re clearly at the 2nd rank!¡± Elder Ronai stared at Kiron for a couple of seconds before continuing, ¡°Do you perhaps have a soul beast? No¡­ For you to possess such strength, you¡¯d need a Divine Beast as your soul beast, and there are no divine beasts outside the chaotic lands¡­¡± There are 2 types of beasts: Profound beasts and Divine Beasts. Profound beasts exist everywhere, but Divine Beasts? Divine Beasts are the strongest creatures, possessing both an incredible soul and incredible strength. But they¡¯re also exceptionally rare. Even in the chaotic lands, that covers over 90 percent of this world, they are considered incredibly rare. And there is only one man known to have a Diving Beast as a soul beast. Baroona, God of War. He stood on top of the world with his soul beast, Musfel! Though no one knows where he currently is, there are rumors everywhere. Some thinks he¡¯s in the chaotic lands, some thinks he died somewhere¡­ And some believe he turned into a god and ascended to the higher realms! Chapter 15 - I surrender! Of course, Elder Pavong didn¡¯t think thank another possibility is that Kiron has the blood of a Divine Beast inside him. ¡°I¡¯m not sure where my strength comes from. All I know is that I¡¯ve had this strength ever since I was born.¡± Kiron couldn¡¯t tell him that his strength came from absorbing the Dragon God¡¯s blood, converting his blood into that of a Golden Dragon. Elder Pavong stared at Kiron for a couple of seconds, but he decided to drop the matter. He just considered himself lucky, having found someone extraordinary! Jin stood up from his seat, ¡°It¡¯s my time to fight now!¡± Jin walked towards the stage as he spoke. He walked up to the stage and saw his opponent, someone at the 6th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm. His opponent¡¯s name was Umte, and he belonged to the Black Turtle Sect. ¡°Begin fight!¡± Both contestants immediately started running forward, meeting each other at the center. They raised their fists and started exchanging blows, blocking, dodging and hitting. There was finally a match that wasn¡¯t a complete one sided victory, in most matches so far, it was someone off the 6th rank against someone at the 5th rank, so the matches didn¡¯t last long. But now, it seems like Jin and Umte are evenly matched. ¡­ Meanwhile ¡°Elder Ronai, I¡¯ll have you know Kiron is already a member of the Burning Phoenix Sect¡­ And you know what that means?¡± Elder Pavong had walked up to Elder Ronai. Elder Ronai¡¯s face went pale. He hadn¡¯t forgotten the agreement between the 2 sects. If the Black Turtle Sect were to beat the Burning Phoenix Sect in the finals, then the Burning Phoenix Sect would have to give a High Ranked Core and an interspatial ring to the winner¡­ Same goes for the Black Turtle Sect. ¡°Of course I haven¡¯t forgotten our agreement! We of the Black Turtle Sect would never break off a promise. Even if we lose, we¡¯ll still have our honor.¡± Elder Ronai tried his best to make it seem like he wasn¡¯t affected at all, but truthfully, he was angry. ¡°Winner is¡­ Umte!¡± Jin had fallen off the stage as they fought. During the fight, he had positioned himself near the edge of the stage, hoping to push Umte off¡­ But his plan had backfired. ¡°Hahaha, seems like my disciple won!¡± Elder Ronai forgot all about Kiron for a second. Elder Pavong smiled at Elder Ronai, ¡°Yes, but is he able to beat Kiron in a fight?¡± He said while trying his hardest to not laugh. Elder Ronai¡¯s face suddenly turned dark once again, and he didn¡¯t say a single word. ¡°Next fight, Kiron versus Adleer!¡± Kiron looked at Jin, ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate. The match could¡¯ve gone either way!¡± Kiron tried comforting Jin as he walked up to the stage. But when he got there, all he could see was Adleer standing there with his hand raised, ¡°I surrender!¡± ¡°Well then¡­ We¡¯ll start the final match in 5 minutes!¡± The announcer was just as shocked as the crowd was. Well, it was somewhat understandable. After the previous match, who would possibly want to fight with Kiron? ¡­ Kiron won the battle before it started. Kiron walked off the stage with a stunned expression on his face. Even if he won, it still didn¡¯t feel right. He walked up to Robin and Douglas, whose faces had already gone red from laughing, ¡°Haha Kiron that must¡¯ve been your hardest fight so far!¡± Douglas started teasing Kiron. The boys started chatting while waiting for the final match to start. ¡­ ¡°The final match! Kiron versus Umte! Please step up on the stage!¡± Kiron stepped up onto the stage, but he couldn¡¯t see Umte anywhere. Kiron looked towards the spot where the Black Turtle Sect were sitting. He could see Umte and Elder Ronai talking about something. ¡°Elder Ronai, please, I don¡¯t want to fight him!¡± Umte had a scared expression on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that! Even if he is stronger than you, it will be a good learning experience!¡± Elder Ronai pushed Umte, and finally managed to convince him to walk up to the stage. But to his surprise, the moment Umte arrived at the stage, he raised his hand ¡°I surrender!¡± ¡­ The announcer stared at the scene, ¡°Well then¡­ The winner is Kiron!¡± The crowd started booing, ¡°Little boy, do you have no honor?¡± They were ridiculing Umte as he walked off the stage. Kiron was about to walk off the stage, ¡°Kiron, do you belong to any sects or clans?¡± A mysterious voice arrived behind him. Kiron turned around and saw a man wearing a suit. ¡°I am a member of the Burning Phoenix Sect! Also, may I ask who you are, sir?¡± Kiron looked at the mysterious man with a curious expression on his face. He hadn¡¯t noticed this man¡¯s presence at all, but he¡¯s guessing that this man is at the Profound Spirit Realm. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°I am the Governor of this city.¡± The Governor then turned around and looked at all the spectators, ¡°I have the pleasure of declaring Kiron of the Burning Phoenix Sect this tournaments winner!¡± The crowd started cheering wildly, ¡°Kiron! Kiron! Kiron!¡± ¡°And on behalf of the agreement between the Burning Phoenix Sect and the Black Turtle Sect, I¡¯d like to invite Elder Ronai to come up on stage!¡± The Governor pointed towards Elder Ronai as he spoke. Elder Ronai got up from his seat and jumped up to the stage. ¡°Here is the prize, just like we agreed on.¡± Elder Ronai took an interspatial ring and a High Ranked Core out of his interspatial ring and handed them to Kiron. Kiron accepted the treasures. He immediately poured some of his World Qi into the interspatial ring, binding it to himself. He then stored the High Ranked Core inside the interspatial ring, ¡°Thank you, Elder Ronai.¡± ¡°Then, the tournament is officially over! Thank you all for coming to watch!¡± The Governor said as he bowed his head slightly. The Governor then turned his head towards Kiron, ¡°Come to the weaponry and pick out your weapon!¡± He said as he started walking towards the weaponry that is located near his mansion. ¡­ They arrived at the weaponry. It was now time for Kiron to pick out a weapon he likes. Kiron looked around for a while before asking, ¡°Sir, do you have any colossal heavy swords here?¡± Kiron looked at the Governor with a look of suspense in his eyes. Was this his opportunity at getting a colossal heavy sword? ¡°A colossal heavy sword? For a sword to gain that title, it¡¯ll need to weigh at least 1,500kg.¡± The Governor continued, ¡°The heaviest weapon we have here is that greatsword over there, which weighs 70kg.¡± The governor walked up to the wall and picked out the greatsword hanging there. ¡°But, it¡¯s a bad sword. Not only does it weigh a lot, it¡¯s also bad quality steel. Its steel is only meant to make materials, such as frying pans and cooking pots.¡± The Governor continued, ¡°If you were to bring that into battle, it would break fast.¡± The Governor didn¡¯t want to see Kiron pick a low quality sword, when there were tons of weapons to choose from. Kiron took the greatsword into his hands, ¡°I¡¯ve already decided that I want to fight using a colossal heavy sword. Even if there are better weapons than this greatsword in here, it wouldn¡¯t matter.¡± Kiron continued, ¡°I just want to get used to fighting with heavy swords! So even if this greatsword won¡¯t last long, it will still serve as great practice!¡± The Governor looked at Kiron as he put the greatsword into his interspatial ring, ¡°Haha, very well then! I wish you the best of luck in your future!¡± Kiron and the Governor left the weaponry and went their separate ways. ¡­ Kiron was told by Douglas to meet him, Robin and Elder Pavong over at the hotel once he received his prize. ¡°Ah Kiron, you¡¯re here.¡± Elder Pavong said with a kind voice. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you two want to go back to your city and tell your parents that you¡¯re joining the Burning Phoenix Sect?¡± Kiron nodded, ¡°That¡¯s correct. Is it possible to give me 3 or 4 days to say goodbye? I still have some things I need to do back in Norica!¡± Kiron then looked at Robin, ¡°And I¡¯m sure Robin has something to do as well!¡± Robin nodded. ¡°Very well. Is one week enough? I¡¯ll ask some of the older sect members to meet you here whenever you feel ready to leave for the Burning Phoenix Sect.¡± Both Kiron and Robin nodded, ¡°One week is enough! Then, we¡¯ll be back in this city in one week.¡± Elder Pavong smiled in agreement, ¡°Then I¡¯ll have someone waiting for you near the entrance of the city in one week.¡± Kiron and Robin left the hotel and walked towards the city gates, ¡°Robin, wait here for a bit. I¡¯m going to exchange the golden bars for some silver and golden coins!¡± Robin looked at Kiron with a hint of curiosity in his eyes, ¡°Why would you do that? You can easily do that once we¡¯re at the Burning Phoenix Sect!¡± ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m planning on give the gold to my mother. That way she can retire early!¡± Kiron was going to leave home for a long time, so he couldn¡¯t be around to help his mother. But if he were to give her enough money to buy a house and live a comfortable life, then he wouldn¡¯t have to worry as much. Chapter 16 - Chaos in the Middle of the Night! Kiron exchanged 6 of his golden bars for 600 gold coins. With this much money, his mother can easily buy a house and retire. This will allow Kiron to be at the Burning Phoenix Sect without worrying about his mother. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m ready to leave the city now!¡± Kiron looked at Robin as he spoke. The tournament was already over, and they would leave for the Burning Phoenix Sect in 7 days. Robin nodded his head, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Then he started walking. If they walked at a fast pace, then they should be able to reach Norica before the sun sets. Of course, if they were to run, they could reach Norica in less than one hour. But there really was no rush, they had 7 days to say their goodbyes and finish up unresolved matters. As the boys were walking and talking, Kiron stopped up, ¡°Hey Robin, you¡¯re close to the 6th rank, right?¡± Kiron then took out a High Ranked Core and continued, ¡°You should take this High Ranked Core! With this you should be able to get to the 6th rank!¡± Kiron extended his arm, giving the High Ranked Core to Robin. ¡°I can¡¯t possibly take this core when you¡¯re the one who earned it!¡± Robin shook his head as he spoke. Kiron wouldn¡¯t give up, ¡°You have helped me out so much! Without you, I would have been dead by now! And even this isn¡¯t enough to pay you back! But it¡¯s a start!¡± Kiron said with a serious tone. Robin stared at the High Ranked Core for a couple of seconds, ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll take it!¡± Robin had a smile on his face as he spoke. Even if he at first didn¡¯t want to take it, he still felt some sense in Kiron¡¯s words. ¡°Thank you.¡± Robin said with a smile on his face. ... Meanwhile, at the Burning Phoenix Sect. ¡°I¡¯m not joking, a kid at the 2nd rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm was easily wiping the floor with the Black Turtle Sect members who were are the 6th rank! He even won the semifinals and finals because the opponents forfeited the match before it even began out of fear!¡± The one speaking was Elder Pavong. He was sitting around a large, round table with the other elders and the sect leader. The Sect Leader stared at Elder Pavong, ¡°Then, if what you are saying is true, then this kid must have formed a spiritual bond with a Divine Beast! The second person since Baroona to have formed a spiritual bond with a Divine Beast¡­ There is no logical explanation except for this!¡± ¡°Elder Pavong, did you happen to meet his soul beast? Most cultivators won¡¯t stay away from their soul beasts for a long period of time, so it should be close to him!¡± The sect leader looked at Elder Pavong as he spoke. He wasn¡¯t the only one looking at Elder Pavong, all of the sect members were staring at him! To have recruited someone who is potentially the second person in history to have formed a spiritual bond with a Divine Beast? Naturally, everyone is curious about his answer. ¡°Sect Leader Samon, I was unable to confirm it for myself. I only had a few encounters with Kiron. And those were all mainly at the scene of the tournament.¡± Elder Pavong had only seen Kiron once outside the tournament grounds, and that was at the grand hotel! Sect Leader Samon looked at Elder Pavong, ¡°Well, even if you haven¡¯t personally had the chance to confirm whether or not he has formed a spiritual bond with a Divine Beast, it still doesn¡¯t change the fact that you have personally seen him defeat those who are 4 ranks above him, with ease!¡± Everyone were silent for a couple of seconds, ¡°Even if he hasn¡¯t form a spiritual bond with a Divine Beast, he could still be the one to bring our fame and reputation back! After we lost most of our expert disciples, our fame and reputation fell. But now, we actually have a chance to reclaim what we have lost!¡± One of the Sect Elders said ¡°But, there seems to be some sort of enmity between Kiron and the Black Turtle Sect! They might try to attack him, knowing that he¡¯s about to join the Burning Phoenix Sect! Elder Pavong continued, ¡°A Black Turtle Sect Elder by the name of Ronai tried to recruit him, but Kiron humiliated him instead. And later after that, he completely shattered the leg of a young disciple by the name of Girse.¡± Elder Pavong looked at the rest of the elders with a hint of worry in his eyes. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Girse? The same kid who broke Douglas¡¯s legs? Haha, I like this Kiron already!¡± The one speaking just now was Elder Kurai, Douglas¡¯s father. Sect Leader Samon suddenly got up from his chair, ¡°Then, Elder Pavong and Elder Kurai will be sent to escort Kiron and his friend to our sect! You make sure nothing happens to them on their way over here!¡± Elder Pavong and Elder Kurai both bowed their heads, ¡°Yes Sect Leader Samon! We will bring them here safely!¡± ¡­ Norica! ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow!¡± Robin said to Kiron as he started walking towards his own home. Kiron started walking towards his own home as well, ¡°Ah, it feels good to be back home! I probably won¡¯t be coming here too often after I enter the Burning Phoenix Sect¡± He opened the door, ¡°Mom, I¡¯m home!¡± Kiron said in a somewhat loud voice. Charlotte came walking over to the door, ¡°Kiron! How did it go at the tournament? Did you win one of the fights?¡± Kiron let out a small laugh, ¡°I won the whole tournament!¡± Kiron said with a smile on his face. Charlotte looked at Kiron with a stunned expression, ¡°You¡­ You won the whole t-tournament?¡± Her voice was shaking, she wasn¡¯t sure if he was just joking or if he was being serious¡­ ¡°Yea! Oh, and I managed to slay a bunch of Silver Wolves! I sold the cores,¡± Kiron continued, ¡°Now you can buy a house and retire!¡± Kiron took out 6 money pouches, all containing 100 gold coins each and handed them to his mother. Charlotte didn¡¯t know what to feel, there was so many feelings swelling up within her¡­ Kiron then proceeded to tell her about how he had been invited to join the Burning Phoenix Sect and other things¡­ ¡°So, you¡¯ll be leaving in 7 days?¡± Charlotte¡¯s expression turned from a happy one to a sad one. Kiron nodded, ¡°Yes... And I¡¯ll probably be gone for a couple of years.¡± Kiron said with a sad look on his face. Having to leave his mother for years was not something he wanted to do, but at the same time, joining a sect is something he wanted to do. Charlotte and Kiron sat around the dining table, talking and laughing. Kiron kept talking about things he wanted to do, such as exploring the Chaotic Lands¡­ Some hours passed by. ¡°It¡¯s getting late. I should probably be going to bed now¡­ Well, I suppose I don¡¯t have to go to sleep early anymore, considering I can already retire!¡± Charlotte said while letting out a small laugh. Kiron followed his mother¡¯s example and went to bed. ¡­ *BANG* Kiron was instantly awaken by the large sound. A large boulder had crashed through his roof and landed right next to him! ¡°What¡­ What is going on?¡± Kiron had a shocked expression on his face. The outside was filled with screaming and rumbling. Someone opened the door to his room, ¡°KIRON!¡± Charlotte cried in a high pitched voice. ¡°Are you okay?!¡± Charlotte saw the large boulder next to his bed. Kiron was still in a daze, it took him some time to awaken and realize what was going on. ¡°What is happening?¡± Kiron stared at his mother as he spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but we got to get out of here!¡± Charlotte grabbed Kiron¡¯s arm and started running towards the exit. Kiron and Charlotte got out of the house safely, only to see that parts of the mountain was gone, and the forest surrounding half the mountain was burning. ¡°Let¡¯s go towards the center of the town and group up with the¡­¡± *ROAAAR* Both Kiron and Charlotte looked towards the sky. When they looked, they could see a dragon, and something chasing the dragon. It seemed to be a¡­ Human? Chapter 17 - A Call Kiron looked at the human who was chasing the dragon¡­ According to the books he had read when he was younger, only people are the Profound Elemental Realm would be able to fly! ¡°There¡¯s something¡­ A strange feeling within me!¡± Kiron mumbled to himself. Just what kind of a dragon is that? Kiron had read a book about dragons before, so he pretty much knew about all the known dragon races. That dragon¡­ It was small, perhaps the size of a large bear! *BANG* The dragon was blown into the mountain, sending countless boulders flying everywhere! Kiron grabbed his mother¡¯s hand and started running towards the center of the town. He was already comparable to the 7th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm, so avoiding the boulders was an easy task for him. *ROAR* The dragon¡¯s cries could be heard by everyone in Norica. The dragon stood still for a couple of seconds, it made no sense. Just why was the dragon standing still when it was in clear danger? ¡°You pitiful human! You dare attack me when I am at my weakest? Unfortunately for you, even if I am unable to fight you, I can still run away!¡± It sounded like the voice of a woman in her forties. This stood to confirm that this was a battle between two experts at the Profound Elemental Realm. Profound Beasts can only start speaking once they enter the Profound Elemental Realm! ¡­ Kiron had already arrived at the center of the town together with his mother. ¡°Kiron!¡± Robin came running up to him. Robin¡¯s house had already been completely crushed by one of the boulders. ¡°Look, the dragon is flying away!¡± Someone in the crowd suddenly said. Everyone felt relieved when they saw the dragon flying away. Kiron looked around and thought to himself ¡°Even if it was just a short fight between 2 experts of the Profound Elemental Realm, it was still enough to destroy half the town¡­¡± People were gathered at the center, completely shocked by the events that had just happened. Luckily, the casualties were low, only 4 people had died from the event. The grounds were covered in craters, the buildings were destroyed and over half of the mountain forest had been burned down. This was no longer a town where people could live. ¡°Mom, you should buy a house in Taruck! You should have enough to buy a house there, and if you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll just get you some more money!¡± Kiron wanted to mention the Mid Ranked Cores, but he was afraid that it would just make her worry even more. ¡°And there are many experts within the city! So if anything like this happens around the city, then the guards will take care of it!¡± Kiron had hints of worry in his tone as he spoke. Charlotte looked at Kiron, ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡± She knew that if she continued staying here, Kiron would just be worrying about her, so she just went with it. Kiron could feel something strange within him, it made him feel like there was something in the mountain, something he couldn¡¯t ignore. ¡°Then, I will take you to Taruck later today.¡± Kiron continued, ¡°But, there¡¯s something I need to check out in the mountains first!¡± Kiron looked at the mountain as he spoke Kiron then started walking, but not towards the mountains, he was walking towards Robin. ¡°Robin, you¡¯re going to Taruck with your father, right? I was planning on bringing my mother to Taruck, but there¡¯s something really important I need to do!¡± Kiron felt bad that he was leaving his mother at this time, but that strange feeling of something calling to him¡­ His body refused to ignore it. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going to Taruck with my father, we were just about to leave. I will bring her along with me and my father! But, what is it you are going to do?¡± Robin looked at Kiron with a hint of curiosity in his eyes. To be honest, even Kiron wasn¡¯t sure about what he was going to do. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I¡¯m getting this¡­ Strange feeling, and it¡¯s coming from the mountains. It¡¯s like something is calling out to me!¡± Kiron had no idea how to explain the feeling within him. Robin looked at Kiron with curious eyes, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take your mother to Taruck then. But, when will you be there?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I will be there before the Burning Phoenix Sect members sends someone to pick us up!¡± Kiron didn¡¯t know how long it would take, but he was sure he¡¯d return before the Burning Phoenix Sect would come. Kiron then started running towards the mountains. And with every step he took, the feeling within him grew stronger! ¡­ He was now at the bottom of the mountain ¡°Why¡­ Why are there so many profound beasts here?¡± Kiron was surprised and shocked upon seeing the countless profound beasts running around in all directions. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. It was as if the profound beasts had all gone crazy searching for something. The scene was hard to describe with words. But Kiron, he could feel exactly what it was he was searching for. That feeling within him, it was getting stronger, even if he was standing still. Whatever that strange feeling was, one thing was for sure! It was moving towards him! ¡°I have a good amount of time, and whatever that strange feeling is¡­ It¡¯s moving towards me. Instead of just running towards it, I can just wait for it. Besides, there are countless profound beasts here, some are even at the 7th rank! There are so many cores here, it would be a waste to ignore them all!¡± Kiron thought to himself. Kiron took the greatsword out of his interspatial ring. There were hundreds of profound beasts, all ranging from 1st rank to the 7th rank! In other words, a gold mine! Kiron started running around, cutting down and taking the cores of the beasts at the 6th rank and below. He didn¡¯t want to use his time fighting the profound beasts at the 7th rank, killing them would take too much time. ¡­ Silver Wolves, Wild Boars, Brown Bears¡­ All profound beasts below the 7th rank were being slaughtered by Kiron. The profound beasts gradually started noticing Kiron¡¯s presence, and they all started charging at him *Boom* *Bang* *Boom* ¡­ Almost all the nearby profound beasts had been slaughtered, but right now, Kiron was fighting a Hyena of the 7th rank. Fighting this Hyena was different that fighting the weaker profound beasts. This Hyena had not only incredible tough skin, but also incredibly tough fur. Making it hard to cut through, Kiron realized that he wasn¡¯t able to cut the Hyena, so he put the greatsword back into his interspatial ring. He was going to use his fists and feet as weapons against this Hyena. Kiron¡¯s strength didn¡¯t come from his speed, it came from his strength and defense. So against an agile opponent like this Hyena, he was having great difficulties landing an attack. ¡°Ugh, this isn¡¯t working!¡± Kiron said to himself with a frown on his face. It was obvious to him that he needed to work on improving his combat speed! After a while, Kiron¡¯s body was covered in small cuts. While the Hyena didn¡¯t possess enough strength to mortally wound Kiron, it had the speed too slowly cut down Kiron. After failing to land a single attack on the Hyena, Kiron took out his greatsword again. With the greatsword he was able to land some small attacks on the Hyena at least. Kiron didn¡¯t attack this time, he just stood there, waiting for the Hyena to make a mistake. If the Hyena would leave itself open, even for just a second, he would use that opening a kill it. The Hyena grew impatient¡­ It pounced itself at Kiron, and it was just the moment he had been waiting for. *Whoosh* The sound of the wind could be heard from Kiron¡¯s blade as he slashed his greatsword at the Hyena. The Hyena was sent flying, landing on the ground at least 20 meters away from Kiron! Kiron exploded like an arrow towards the Hyena, he now had a golden opportunity to kill it. He just needed to arrive before it could get up. *Bang* Kiron kicked the Hyena in the throat with all his might, crushing its wind pipe. The Hyena was now dead. He started walking around, looting the corpses of their cores. ¡°With this many cores, I won¡¯t ever have to worry about money again!¡± Kiron was incredibly satisfied with the result! 1 High Ranked Core 19 Mid Ranked Cores 72 Low Ranked Cores The entire zone around him no longer looked like a place that had just been destroyed. It now looked a battlefield. The ground was painted with blood and there were bodies everywhere! But that strong feeling within Kiron, it was now incredibly close to him. ¡°Whatever it is that¡¯s coming towards me, it is less than a hundred meters away from me¡± Kiron didn¡¯t know what to feel. Is it something he should be scared off? Kiron turned around in order to look at whatever it was that was coming towards him. Author''s notes: 4 chapters in one day... I''m gonna take the rest of the day off. Been writing non stop for 14 hours. Chapter 18 - One-Eyed Lions Kiron turned around, it was time to face that mysterious being that had been coming towards him for a while. ¡°What¡­ What is that?!¡± Kiron looked towards the sky, and what he saw was a flying creature covered in wounds. It was too dark for him to say exactly what it was.¡§ The creature fell down from the sky, landing next to Kiron. It was a Red Dragon covered with a weird pattern of black stripes! ¡°A¡­ A dragon? And I have never seen any dragon of this sort before!¡± Kiron was incredibly stunned at the moment. Finding a dragon outside the Chaotic Lands? That¡¯s almost impossible. ¡°It looks like a¡­ Newborn dragon!¡± Kiron was watching as the Red Dragon was struggling to get up. It was already at the 2nd rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm. Some profound beasts are born directly into the 1st or 2nd rank. Kiron took the greatsword out of his interspatial ring, then he walked over to the Red Dragon. The Red Dragon had already noticed his presence, it noticed him getting closer and closer¡­ But, to Kiron¡¯s surprise, the Red Dragon didn¡¯t attack him. Instead, it jumped into his arms, knocking him down to the ground. The Red Dragon was about the size of a house dog. Normally, that wouldn¡¯t be close to being able to knock Kiron down, but he was taken by surprise. The Red Dragon had a terrified expression on its face before Kiron came over, as if it had been running from something. But as soon as it saw Kiron, the terrified expression on its face disappeared. Kiron laid there on the ground with the Red Dragon hiding in his arms. ¡°Why is it behaving like this? Is it¡­ Because of the Golden Dragon blood in my body?¡± Kiron was trying to analyze the situation the best he could. But now, the terrified expression returned. Kiron lifted the small dragon and put it on the ground next to him, then he got up on his feet¡­ Kiron¡¯s face turned pale and he started shaking from fear. Hundreds of profound beasts! All ranging from 1st rank to 8th rank! This isn¡¯t a situation where Kiron could act carelessly. He instantly realized that those profound beasts weren¡¯t interested in him¡­ They wanted the Red Dragon. He wanted to start running, but the moment he turned around he noticed that the Red Dragon had been cowering behind him. He really wanted to abandon the Red Dragon, but he simply couldn¡¯t. It felt like there was an invisible barrier that was preventing him from running away from the Red Dragon! The profound beasts didn¡¯t move. They just stood there, a little less than a hundred meters away, staring and Kiron and the Red Dragon. Kiron took a deep breath. Looking at all the profound beasts standing in front of him, his mind couldn¡¯t help but being lost in thoughts. Kiron picked up his greatsword and tightened his grip¡­ His body just wanted to drop the greatsword and close his eyes, but he couldn¡¯t. The Red Dragon was rubbing its head against Kiron¡¯s leg. It was as if it was expecting Kiron to save it from those profound beasts. Kiron was able to break out of his trance thanks to the Red Dragon, but the scene in front of him was still there. Kiron took the greatsword and stored it within his interspatial ring. Fight the profound beasts? That would be suicide. Kiron struggled against one profound beast of the 7th rank, so what would happen if he were to try fighting multiple profound beasts at the 8th rank? He picked the Red Dragon up. He had decided on what to do, and that was¡­ Run! Kiron started running in the opposite direction of the profound beasts. He thought about trying to make the Red Dragon fly them away, but he remembered the scene earlier when the Red Dragon had been struggling just to keep itself in the air. The hundreds of profound beasts started running together towards Kiron, and the ground shook with every step they took. Kiron¡¯s combat speed was low, but because of the strength in his legs, he could easily match someone of the 7th rank in movement speed! But, the 3 profound beasts that are already at the 8th rank, they had a slight advantage over Kiron in movement speed, so they were slowly but surely closing in on him. ¡°This won¡¯t do¡­ I¡¯ll need to think of something!¡± Kiron was getting desperate. If he couldn¡¯t think of something, then he would surely die! Kiron looked at the Red Dragon that he was holding in his arms¡­ ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m not going to do that!¡± Kiron was considering whether or not he should throw the Red Dragon away and save his own life. But he felt an invisible bond, preventing him from doing that. He remembered reading something in a book, ¡°Curiosity will be the end of some¡± ¡­ Kiron couldn¡¯t help but thinking back to that quote. Was he really going to die, all because of his own curiosity? ¡°Even if I¡¯m going to die¡­ I won¡¯t die without trying to survive!¡± Kiron swallowed his fear as he started jumping up the mountain wall. There was a 10-15 meter gap between each landing point, and that wasn¡¯t a long distance for him to jump. At most, he could jump 25 meters into the air. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Kiron arrived at the top and started running towards the cliff on the other side. One of the 8th rank profound beasts was unable to follow due to its size. The landing points on the mountain wall were small and narrow, meaning the larger beasts would be unable to land there without falling off. ¡°This feeling again?¡± Kiron felt the same thing he had felt earlier. It came from the Red Dragon, but Kiron had no idea what it was. All he knew is that he had no time to bother with that feeling, so he just refused it. On the stone wall, there were no landing points. It was only sharp rocks and a 300 meter drop! ¡°I will have to climb down slowly¡­ But the other profound beasts should be unable to attack me while I¡¯m climbing down! If they do try, then they would most likely die!¡± Kiron saw that the 8th rank profound beasts had already arrived at the top, and they were currently charging towards him. Kiron only had one free arm, the other arm was used to carry the Red Dragon. He dropped down the mountain wall and grabbed the first rock that was sticking out. ¡°If I drop down slowly, I should be able to reach the bottom!¡± Kiron¡¯s plan was simple. He would let go of whatever he was holding onto, drop a couple of meters then he would grab onto something else. And when the distance between him and the ground was short enough, he would just fall onto the ground. The two remaining 8th rank profound beasts were both One-Eyed Lions. The One-Eyed Lions stared at Kiron was he was slowly climbing down the stone wall. One of the One-Eyed Lions dropped off the cliff, falling towards Kiron! The other One-Eyed Lion stood at the top. They were already at the 8th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm, so they weren¡¯t stupid. If both of them dropped down the mountain and failed to kill him¡­ Then he could climb back up, and they wouldn¡¯t be able to get back up there! ¡°What? They¡¯re not supposed to do that!¡± Kiron was stunned. The One-Eyed Lions might be able to survive the fall without taking much damage, but attacking him in a position like that? These profound beasts had clearly gone crazy! ¡°This feeling again? Go away!¡± Kiron looked at the Red Dragon for a split second. It was as if the Red Dragon was using some kind of spiritual magic on him. But he kept refusing it. The Red Dragon made some weird sound. It seemed a bit angry because Kiron kept refusing. Kiron was about to go crazy! This was too much for him. He had no ways of defending himself. His only option was to let go of the rock the moment the One-Eyed Lion got close enough. His head was completely vulnerable, meaning that one attack from the One-Eyed Lion might be the end of him. The One-Eyed Lion was now less than 10 meters away from Kiron! He let go of the rock and started dropping. Avoiding casualties at this point was impossible, but if he played his cards right, then he might be able to survive! The One-Eyed Lion had more momentum than him, so it quickly caught up with him in the air. The One-Eyed Lion had one chance at killing Kiron, and it wasn¡¯t about to let that chance go. While it wouldn¡¯t be able to use all of its strength due to its body structure and the fact that it was in the air, it still possessed enough strength to kill Kiron if he were to mess up. Its paw came slashing towards Kiron at a terrifying speed! Kiron was already prepared for this though, even if he was unable to bring out his greatsword due to his interspatial ring being on his right hand that was using carry the Red Dragon Kiron raised his left arm and threw a punch towards the One-Eyed Lion¡¯s paw. *Bang* Kiron¡¯s first collided with the One-Eyed Lions paw. The claws of the One-Eyed Lion had penetrated his fist, leaving a small hole in his hand. He was already drunk on adrenaline, so he managed to ignore the pain. Kiron used all his strength to pull his already numb hand towards, escaping the One-Eyed Lion¡¯s paw. The One-Eyed Lion was falling with much more speed than Kiron was, so he finally managed to get rid of the One-Eyed Lion! Kiron couldn¡¯t use his left hand anymore, so he quickly put the Red Dragon over in his left arm, he now had to use his right hand to stop his momentum. There was one problem though. His momentum was too great, and he was unable to stop. Kiron started panicking! He looked at the ground below him, it was getting closer and closer¡­ And even worse than that, the One-Eyed Lion was standing there! "Will this be the end of me?" Kiron said in a low voice as he was falling towards the ground 50 meters¡­ 40 meters¡­ 30 meters¡­ 20 meters¡­ 10 meters¡­ Chapter 19 - Two becomes one! The One-Eyed Lion was staring at the falling Kiron. *BANG* Kiron collided with the ground. Luckily, he didn¡¯t take too much damage from the fall, he had managed to stop some of his momentum using his right hand to grab onto whatever was available. The One-Eyed Lion was staring at Kiron and the Red Dragon who were lying on the ground. The One-Eyed Lion felt no threat from either of them, so it didn¡¯t feel the need to attack right now. Instead, it was just staring at them with a satisfied expression. Kiron knew that the One-Eyed Lion will attack him the moment he makes a move. But, if he doesn¡¯t do anything, he¡¯d end up dying anyways. ¡°I need to do something!¡± Kiron looked at the Red Dragon next to him, it was unconscious. That strange feeling he had felt earlier was no longer there! The One-Eyed Lion was slowly moving towards him. Kiron was starting to panic! He¡¯s wounded, and he wouldn¡¯t be able to last more than one minute against this beast. Kiron took the greatsword out of his interspatial ring and jumped up on his feet. His left hand couldn¡¯t even hold onto the greatsword, so he¡¯s forced to fight with one hand! The One-Eyed Lion saw Kiron getting up, and it immediately started charging towards him! Kiron was slashing his greatsword blindly, not intending to hit the One-Eyed Lion, but scare it. The wind was whistling every time he swung his greatsword. The One-Eyed Lion was unable to close in on Kiron, because every time it took a step, Kiron would just swing his greatsword. This was a battle of who could endure the longest. Kiron had nowhere to run, but he also had no way of killing the One-Eyed Lion. The One-Eyed Lion stood there for more than 10 minutes, waiting for an opportunity to attack Kiron. Kiron who had been standing there, trying to hide his shaking hand, looked at the Red Dragon for a split second, and the One-Eyed Lion took that opportunity to pounce itself at Kiron! *BANG* The One-Eyed Lion was sent flying! Kiron looking at the Red Dragon was just a method of luring the One-Eyed Lion in! Kiron immediately followed the One-Eyed Lion while it was still in the air. He caught up to the flying One-Eyed Lion and immediately swung his greatsword, breaking the greatsword, but knocking the One-Eyed Lion down to the ground in the process! His sword hadn¡¯t been able to leave a single external wound on the One-Eyed Lion, but it did damage some of the vitals! Kiron immediately kicked the One-Eyed Lion with all the strength he could bring up, sending it flying into the stone wall. But this time, the One-Eyed Lion managed to regain its position. The One-Eyed Lion pounced itself at Kiron, completely ignoring the broken greatsword in Kiron¡¯s hands. It latched itself onto the shoulder of his left arm, almost biting through his entire shoulder! Kiron¡¯s muscles and bones were incredibly hard because of the Golden Dragon blood within his body, so the One-Eyed Lion didn¡¯t manage to bite all the way through. ¡°AAAAAAAAAH¡± Kiron could finally feel the pain that he had managed to ignore earlier, he started screaming because of all the pain he was currently feeling. He had tried his hardest to ignore the pain earlier, but now? It was just too much for him. Kiron grabbed the One-Eyed Lion¡¯s throat and started pressing down with all his strength. Who could endure the longest? Kiron who was having his shoulder bitten off? Or the One-Eyed Lion who was being strangled? The One-Eyed Lion gave up on trying to bite through Kiron¡¯s shoulder, and it let go. But at that moment, Kiron threw the One-Eyed Lion into the stone wall and picked up his broken greatsword! He threw the broken greatsword towards the One-Eyed Lion as he started charging towards it. He launched another kick, right towards the One-Eyed Lion¡¯s head. *BANG* But he didn¡¯t stop there, he immediately threw another kick at the lion! While he couldn¡¯t even move his left arm anymore, his legs were completely fine! Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. *BANG* *BOOM* *BANG*¡­ He didn¡¯t even give the One-Eyed Lion a chance to stand up, he was kicking it non-stop¡­ *Huff* *Huff* The One-Eyed Lion was no longer alive! Kiron had just won a hopeless fight, all because he was able to endure the longest! But no matter how exhausted he was, he was still not a person who would be able to ignore a High Ranked Core. There was no longer any World Qi protect the skin and fur of the One-Eyed Lion, so he was easily able to cut it open and retrieve the High Ranked Core. Kiron put the High Ranked Core into his interspatial ring, then he walked over to the Red Dragon, who had been awake for the last 10 minutes. Kiron fell down to the ground, right next to the Red Dragon, ¡°Just where is that other One-Eyed Lion? Whatever, I just want to relax now.¡± Kiron thought to himself. The Red Dragon climbed up on Kiron¡¯s stomach and laid down there. This Red Dragon had taken a liking to Kiron. After all, it was just a newborn dragon that had been born into this cruel world! Every profound beast in the forest wanted to kill the Red Dragon, but it was suddenly able to sense Kiron and his dragon blood! It felt something from Kiron, so it called out to him! At first, the thing Kiron felt was just a cry for help, but once they met up, that feeling suddenly changed into something else, something Kiron didn¡¯t know what was. Kiron put his hand on top of the Red Dragon¡¯s head and started petting it. He was finally able to relax after a long, harsh fight. He had escaped death, but with a great price. ¡°I should try getting my hands on a profound medicine later¡± Kiron thought to himself. If he could get his hands on some profound medicine, then he wouldn¡¯t have to live his life without his left arm. At most, he would be left with a large scar. ¡­ A couple of minutes passed *Roar* The roar came from the Red Dragon who had gotten up from Kiron¡¯s stomach. It was a weak, scared roar. Kiron opened his eyes slightly upon hearing a weak roar. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Kiron just wanted to relax for a bit, but when he lifted his head up¡­ The profound beasts! They had walked around the mountain since they couldn¡¯t jump up the mountain wall like Kiron and the One-Eyed Lions. And it wasn¡¯t just the weak profound beasts, the other One-Eyed Lion and the large Brown Bear of the 8th rank was there as well! ¡°This¡­ This is the end.¡± Kiron looked at the hopeless situation before his eyes, and he realized that there was nothing he could do. He simply didn¡¯t have the abilities to survive this. The Red Dragon looked at Kiron with terrified eyes. It was obvious that the Red Dragon was scared, being surrounded by all these profound beasts and all. ¡°It¡¯s ¡­ It¡¯s this feeling again!¡±¡§ The Red Dragon no longer showed fear in its eyes, instead, it had a look of desperation! It was like it wanted to communicate with Kiron, but couldn¡¯t! ¡°Alright¡­ Whatever it is¡­ I accept it!¡± Kiron currently didn¡¯t even have the strength to speak with a normal voice. Kiron accepted that strange feeling into his body. Previously he had ignored it because he was busy with trying to survive. But now? He had already given up on survival, so he didn¡¯t care anymore. Suddenly, a transparent version of Kiron flew out of his body. The same happened with the Red Dragon, only with a transparent version of his dragon body. ¡°This¡­ This is a soul?¡± Kiron looked at his soul with an intense look in his eyes, ¡°Wait¡­ This is¡­ This is the creation of a spiritual bond!¡± Kiron finally realized what that strange feeling was! It was the Red Dragon trying to form a spiritual bond with him! Chapter 20 - Shion Kiron stared at his soul. It was currently in the process of merging with the soul of the Red Dragon! The profound beasts that were nearby started running away due to fear. It was a beautiful scene with the moonlight shining down upon them! Kiron¡¯s body was healing as each second passed! The hole in his hand? Gone! The bite mark on his shoulder? Gone! Broken bones and damaged organs? All healed! ¡°Incredible!¡± Kiron was truly amazed upon seeing that all his injuries had been healed! But the weird thing was, Kiron couldn¡¯t move at all! If any of the profound beasts decided to attack him now¡­ He would be killed! And there was a profound beast there! The One-Eyed Lion noticed that Kiron couldn¡¯t move at all, so it immediately jumped towards Kiron. Kiron saw the One-Eyed Lion jumping towards him and immediately started panicking! No matter how much he struggled, he couldn¡¯t move! *Bang* ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Kiron knew that the One-Eyed Lion was only a few inches away from him when he closed his eyes, but he didn¡¯t feel anything? Kiron couldn¡¯t even move his head, so he was unable to see where the One-Eyed Lion went! ¡­ Half an hour passed by. The spiritual bonding process was now complete! Their souls had merged into one! Kiron could instantly feel some changes. For instance, he could now communicate with the Red Dragon though their shared soul! ¡°Hey, my name is Kiron! What¡¯s your name?¡± Kiron walked over to the Red Dragon as he spoke. He had always imagined that he would one day be able to obtain a soul beast¡­ But he never dared imagine that it would be a dragon! The Red Dragon looked at Kiron, with a somewhat confused look in its eyes, ¡°Na¡­ Name?¡± This was the first time that the Red Dragon had been able to communicate with someone other than its mother! ¡°You don¡¯t have a name? Then¡­ What about¡­¡± Kiron didn¡¯t really know what name he would give to the Red Dragon. ¡°Shion!¡± Kiron thought long and hard, but he finally managed to come up with a name that fits this Red Dragon! Shion looked at Kiron, ¡°Shi¡­ Shion!¡± It said with a happy voice. Kiron then walked up to Shion and started stroking him on the head. ¡°That¡¯s right, Shion!¡± Kiron said with a smile on his face. He was happy with the results of today! ¡°Then, let¡¯s leave this place. My mother is waiting for me in Taruck!¡± Kiron turned around as he spoke. But when he turned around, he noticed something laying on the ground, ¡°It¡¯s that One-Eyed Lion from earlier! But¡­ Why is it dead?¡± The One-Eyed Lion¡¯s soul had been destroyed earlier when it tried to attack Kiron. Nothing can overcome the natural laws. Kiron remembered reading about something like that once. ¡°Nature is scary indeed!¡± Kiron thought to himself as he started walking towards the corpse. Yet another High Ranked Core! ¡°It¡¯s weird¡­ I barely used any strength on cutting the chest open! Even if there is no World Qi there to protect the skin, it shouldn¡¯t be that easy¡­ Is this because of the spiritual bond?¡± Kiron noticed an increase in his strength. Kiron looked back at the Red Dragon, ¡°Come, it¡¯s time to leave for Taruck!¡± Kiron started walking as he spoke. Shion quickly caught up to him. Shion was unable to say any complex words or sentences at the moment, but it wouldn¡¯t be long until Shion could start having a conversation! ¡­ Hours passed by Kiron and Shion were sitting around a bonfire, eating the meat of a wild boar that Kiron killed earlier. The sun had already risen, and the sunlight was shining down upon Kiron. ¡°Alright, now that we¡¯ve finished eating we should start walking again!¡± Kiron patted his stomach as he spoke. Shion nodded his head and made a sound expressing his happiness. Even if Shion was unable to communicate properly using words, he was still able to communicate with sounds and movements. They met a bunch of travelers on their way over to Taruck, and people would always stare, ¡°What¡­ What is that profound beast?¡± All of these people had never seen a dragon in their lives before. At most, they had read about them in books. The people were curious, but they didn¡¯t dare walk over to Kiron and ask him any questions. ¡°We have finally arrived!¡± Kiron said as he pointed at Taruck. Kiron was wondering how his mother and Robin would react upon seeing Shion. Just imagining their reaction was enough to make Kiron laugh! This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. He walked up to the city gates, and the guards stared at him with stunned expressions on their faces. ¡°He¡¯s the winner of that tournament! And look at that profound beast next to him! Is¡­ Is that a¡­ Dragon?¡± The guards stared at him with shock as the whispered to each other. Kiron ignored them and just walked straight through. ¡°Now, where will I find them?¡± Kiron was currently thinking about where he could find his mother and Robin. In the end, he decided to check out the inn first! ¡­ ¡°Hey there, you remember that guy I came in here with a couple of days ago?¡± Kiron looked at the innkeeper as he spoke. The innkeeper turned around¡­ ¡°Wh-what is that? Is that a¡­ Dragon?¡± The innkeeper was incredibly surprised upon seeing Shion who was sitting on the ground behind Kiron. Even if Shion was small, he was still a dragon! And most people would never get the chance to see a dragon in their entire life! ¡°Yes, it¡¯s my friend, Shion¡­ But do you remember Robin? We came in here and rented a room a couple of days ago!¡± Kiron didn¡¯t like calling Shion his soul beast mainly because of the fact that it made it sound like Shion was his slave. Kiron considered Shion to be his equal! The innkeeper was stunned¡­ It took him a couple of seconds to break out of his trance, ¡°That boy who was with you? Yes¡­ He came in here with a man and a woman earlier today. They rented room 8 and 9, and none of them have left their rooms.¡± Kiron bowed his head slightly, ¡°Thank you.¡± He then started walking up the stairs with Shion following behind him. He knocked on the door to room 8¡­ After half a minute someone finally opened the door, ¡°Kiron!¡± Robin was the one who had just opened the door. Robin smiled upon seeing Kiron, but that smile disappeared quickly upon seeing Shion. ¡°Th¡­ Wh¡­ What is that?¡± Robin was struggling with finding the right words to use. Kiron started laughing upon seeing Robin¡¯s reaction! It was just as he had imagined it would be! ¡°This is Shion! Our souls merged earlier when we made a spiritual bond!¡± Kiron looked at Shion as he spoke. ¡°So¡­ You have a dragon as your soul beast?¡± Robin looked at Kiron with a stunned expression. Kiron shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t like calling him my soul beast. We created a spiritual bond through our wills. I like to think of soul beasts as something that has been tamed and captured. My relationship with Shion is consensual!¡± Kiron patted Shion¡¯s head as he spoke. ¡°I see. Can I¡­ Can I touch him?¡± Seeing Kiron patting Shion¡¯s head, he wanted to try it out as well. ¡°Sure, if Shion allows it! I¡¯m not going to tell him to allow something he doesn¡¯t like though.¡± Kiron didn¡¯t want to force Shion into doing something he didn¡¯t want to do. Robin then stretched out his hand in an attempt to pat Shion on his head. *Grrrr* ¡°N-no!¡± Kiron could hear Shion¡¯s voice in his head. It was obvious that Shion didn¡¯t want to be patted by anyone who isn¡¯t Kiron. Kiron then laughed, ¡°He¡¯s a baby dragon. You¡¯re new and scary in his eyes, just give it some time and he will get used to you!¡± Kiron tried comforting Robin as he spoke. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ll go check up on my mother. I¡¯ll see you later!¡± Kiron said as he started walking towards room 9. *knock* *knock* *knock* Kiron waited for a couple of seconds before someone opened the door, ¡°Mom!¡± Kiron hugged his mother the moment she opened the door. ¡°Kiron!¡± Charlotte was shocked when Kiron had hugged her, she was about to open her mouth and speak¡­ But then she saw Shion staring at her ¡­ Kiron explained the situation to her¡­ Most of it at least, leaving out the details of him being near death. Charlotte extended her arm towards Shion in an attempt to pat him. This time Shion didn¡¯t refuse, he accepted Charlotte! ¡°Hey mom, do you still have the 600 gold coins I gave you earlier?¡± Kiron looked as if he was in deep thought as he spoke. Charlotte went over to her bag and took out 6 money pouches, all containing 100 gold each! ¡°Yes. I still got them! But what are you going to do with it?¡± Charlotte said as she handed the money pouches over to Kiron. Kiron accepted the money bags, ¡°I¡¯m going out to buy you a house!" Chapter 21 - Final Moments Kiron had already left the inn. Now he was planning on buying a house for his mother! His first step was to find a real estate agency. He had decided on letting Shion stay with his mother. Bringing Shion along would just result in unnecessary attention. ¡°There! They should be the ones selling houses!¡± Kiron looked at a small building that had a sign that said ¡®Real Estate Agency¡¯. He walked up to the front door and opened it. Inside the building there was an old man behind a desk. Kiron walked up to the desk, ¡°Hey there, I¡¯d like to buy a house!¡± Kiron looked at the old man with a smile on his face as he spoke. The old man stared at Kiron for a couple of seconds, ¡°Kid, go back to your parents. We only have two houses on the market, and the cheapest one of those is 10,000 gold.¡± The old man said with a somewhat angry expression. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be back soon!¡± Kiron said politely to the old man before walking out. How could the old man know that Kiron was someone capable of buying a house? Kiron searched his interspatial ring. 3 High Ranked Cores, one of them only contains 80 percent of what it should have. 28 Mid Ranked Cores 75 Low Ranked Cores ¡°I don¡¯t need any Low Ranked Cores, so I should sell them all. As for the Mid Ranked Cores¡­ I can sell 10 of them. That should give me 10,500 gold coins! And with that, I¡¯ll have 11,100 gold coins!¡± Kiron calculated carefully. He then started walking towards the market place. ¡­ Kiron walked up to the profound medicine shop. Here you could buy and sell both profound medicines and cores! ¡°Hey there, I¡¯d like to sell 75 Low Ranked Cores and 10 Mid Ranked Cores!¡± Kiron said to the shopkeeper as he took the cores out of his interspatial ring. The shopkeeper stared at him with a shocked expression for a couple of seconds before speaking, ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ That will be 10,500 gold coins!¡± The shopkeeper said as he put the cores into his interspatial ring. He then took out 105 golden bars and handed them to Kiron. Kiron put the golden bars into his interspatial ring, ¡°Thank you!¡± He said with a polite bow. It was now time to head back to the real estate agency. ¡­ Kiron arrived at the real estate agency building. ¡°You again?¡± The old man said with an angry expression on his face. Kiron, feeling slightly irritated took out 100 golden bars. ¡°I¡¯d like to buy a house.¡± He said with a frown on his face. The old man was stunned, this little kid actually brought the money? ¡°I apologize, I thought you were just another kid who wanted to buy a house with the first golden coin you had earned.¡± The old man had been working here for a long time, and he would occasionally encounter some kid who wanted to buy a house with only a couple of gold coins. The old man put the golden bars into his interspatial ring, ¡°Follow me. I¡¯ll bring you to your new house!¡± His voice was no longer that of a rude old man, but instead that of a kind old man. The power of money is truly magnificent! ¡­ Kiron and the old man left the building, they started walking towards the new house. ¡°My name is Kurs, what is your name?¡± The old man looked at Kiron with a hint of curiosity in his eyes. A kid who is able to bring out 10,000 gold coins? Creating a good relationship with someone who is able to do that¡­ It might prove useful for the future! Kiron looked at Kurs, ¡°My name is Kiron.¡± He said in a natural voice. Inside, he was still feeling slightly annoyed by the way he had been treated earlier. Kurs noticed that there was something off by the tone of Kiron¡¯s voice, so he chose not to speak off-topic anymore. ¡­ Kiron and Kurs arrived at the house. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s huge!¡± Kiron saw the gigantic house in front of him, it had 3 floors, a garden and it was close to the governors¡¯ mansion! Kiron immediately felt satisfied upon seeing the house. Kurs felt relieve that the house was to Kiron¡¯s liking. ¡°Then, here¡¯s the key for the house. I hope you will enjoy this house¡± Kurs said as he handed two keys over to Kiron. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Kiron accepted the keys, ¡°Thank you.¡± He then started walking towards the inn, completely ignoring Kurs. ¡°With this, mom should be able to live a good life while I¡¯m gone!¡± Kiron thought to himself. Now he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about anything. And the house being next to the governor¡¯s mansion was just a big bonus! No one would dare attack a house near the governor¡¯s mansion! ¡­ Kiron arrived at the inn. ¡°Hey mom, I¡¯m back!¡± Kiron said as he walked into his mother¡¯s room. He then took the keys out of his interspatial ring and handed them over to his mother. Charlotte accepted the keys, ¡°You really bought a house?¡± she said with a surprised expression on her face. She knew just how expensive the houses in a city could be. 600 gold for a decent house in a small town like Norica¡­ That was possible, but here in Taruck? Only the smallest and ugliest houses could be bought for 600 gold. ¡°Yes, and it¡¯s a really huge house! You will just have to see it for yourself!¡± Kiron then grabbed her hand and walked out of the inn. Shion walked right behind Kiron, following him and Charlotte. ¡­ They arrived at the newly bought house. ¡°This¡­ This is¡± Charlotte couldn¡¯t even finish her sentence. She was stunned upon seeing the gigantic house in front of her. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go inside!¡± Kiron said as he walked up to the front door. Charlotte took one of the keys out of her pocket and opened the door. ¡°Incredible! Just how did you afford this place?¡± Charlotte looked at Kiron with a happy expression on her face. ¡°Shion is incredibly strong! He could find and locate all the profound beasts in the mountains, and he killed hundreds of profound beasts! Thanks to that I was able to obtain a large amount of Low Ranked Cores¡­ But those cores are useless to me, so I sold them!¡± Kiron didn¡¯t want his mother to know what he had been doing. Charlotte took out the two keys and handed one of the keys over to Kiron, ¡°With this, I want you to remember that you will always be welcome to come back and live with me! No matter what happens, I want you to remember that you will always have a home that you can come back to!¡± Charlotte said with a sad voice. There were tears flowing down her face. Not tears of sadness, but tears of happiness! Kiron hugged his mother. Those words left a huge impact in his heart! It felt like everything he had ever done, all the pain he had endure¡­ It was all worth it! ¡­ Time passed by with Kiron and Charlotte talking and spending their time together. This was the last week Kiron would spend with his mother. He might not see her again before many years have passed! So he wanted to spend every moment he could with her. Charlotte had already gone to sleep, and Kiron was feeling incredibly tired. He hadn¡¯t slept properly for a good while now! It was finally time to close his eyes and relax. Kiron was planning on spending the time he wasn¡¯t using with his mother on refining the High Ranked Core! He wanted to reach the 3rd rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm before he leaves with the Burning Phoenix Sect! ¡­ 5 days flow by in the blink of an eye. Kiron was sitting on his bed, refining the High Ranked Core¡­ ¡°I can feel it! I¡¯m about to break through to the 3rd rank!¡± Kiron mumbled to himself. He could have reached the 3rd rank a couple of days ago, but he would rather spend his time with his mother, so he delayed it. His body was sucking the World Qi out of the High Ranked Core and refining it as if it belonged to him. The World Qi was slowly entering his body, refining every muscle and every bone! ¡°It¡¯s here! The 3rd rank!¡± Kiron had a happy expression on his face. He was finally breaking through to the 3rd rank! ¡­ Kiron opened his eyes ¡°I¡¯m now at the 3rd rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm!¡± Chapter 22 - A New Life Kiron was sitting on his bed with Shion sleeping next to him, he had now entered the 3rd rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm! But it was late. Everyone else had already gone to sleep, and Kiron realized he should get some sleep as well. The Burning Phoenix Sect would send someone over to escort them at sunset tomorrow! Kiron laid down next to Shion and closed his eyes. ¡­ ¡°Kiron¡­ Kiron¡­ Come on¡­ Wake up!¡± Kiron opened his eyes and saw Robin calling out to him. ¡°The Burning Phoenix Sect is here to escort us to the sect!¡± Both Kiron and Shion got out of the bed, ¡°Hey Kiron, did you break through to the 3rd rank? Congratulations!¡± Robin said with a smile on his face. ¡°Anyways, pack everything you need to bring!¡± ¡°Thanks! I¡¯ve already packed everything. I need to say my goodbyes with mother before I leave!¡± This was the day Kiron would leave. He wanted to say goodbye to his mother one last time before he leaves. Robin nodded, ¡°Alright, then I will be waiting outside the house together with the Burning Phoenix Sect elders.¡± Robin said as he pointed towards the outside. ¡°The Burning Phoenix Sect elders are here? I thought they were going to send some of the older disciples to pick us up!¡± Kiron said with a surprised expression on his face. Robin shook his, ¡°Yes, they said something came up, so they would rather escort us personally.¡± Robin had also asked the Burning Phoenix Sect elders about this, but that was the answer he was given. Kiron nodded. It didn¡¯t really matter who they sent to escort them, as long as it was someone who could escort them to the sect he was satisfied. ¡­ Kiron knocked on his mother¡¯s door Charlotte opened the door, ¡°You¡¯re leaving now?¡± Charlotte said with a sad voice. She already knew that he was leaving early this day. ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m leaving now, I just wanted to say goodbye¡± Kiron hugged his mother one last time as he spoke. ¡°Then remember, no matter how bad things get, you will always have a place where you can return to!¡± Tears were running down her cheeks as she spoke. Kiron nodded, ¡°I will be sure to come back some time!¡± He said as he walked towards the exit. ¡°Goodbye Kiron! Goodbye Shion!¡± Charlotte waved her arm as she watched Kiron and Shion leave the house. Outside the house, Robin and two of the Burning Phoenix Sect elders were waiting for him. As he started walking towards them, both Elder Kurai and Elder Pavong received a huge shock. ¡°Dragon!¡± They both noticed Shion who was walking next to Kiron. ¡°Hello Elder Pavong!¡± Kiron recognized Elder Pavong, but he had never met Elder Kurai before, ¡°My name is Kiron, and this is my friend Shion. Might I ask Senior for his name?¡± Kiron bowed his head slightly as he spoke. Elder Kurai was staring at Kiron with a shocked expression on his face. ¡°So it was true¡­ No wonder he is so strong¡­ A dragon!¡± Elder Kurai thought to himself. He had a hard time believing the rumors, but now that he had personally witnessed it, he could finally believe in Kiron¡¯s strength. What he didn¡¯t know was that Shion isn¡¯t the source of Kiron¡¯s strength. Kiron¡¯s source of strength comes from the Golden Dragon blood within him! Elder Kurai broke out of his trance, ¡°Oh right¡­ My name is Kurai! I¡¯m Douglas¡¯s father. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you!¡± Elder Kurai bowed his head politely as he spoke. ¡­ They walked out of the city and towards the Burning Phoenix Sect. ¡°Hey Kiron¡­ What kind of a dragon is that? I¡¯ve never seen any dragon race like that before!¡± Elder Kurai looked at Shion with a hint of curiosity in his eyes. Kiron looked at Elder Kurai, ¡°Honestly, I have no idea. And he¡¯s still too young to speak properly. Right now, he can at most say a few words.¡± Kiron looked as Shion as he spoke. Elder Kurai decided to not press the matter any further. If Kiron didn¡¯t know what race Shion was, then there is no need to push the matter any further. ¡­ Many hours passed by ¡°It¡¯s huge!¡± Kiron was shocked upon seeing how big the Burning Phoenix Sect was! It was much bigger than Taruck! Elder Pavong started laughing, ¡°Of course it¡¯s big, we have over 5,000 disciples!¡± Elder Pavong said with a prideful voice. ¡°Once we enter the sect, you boys will be brought to your rooms. You will be living together in one of the dorm rooms.¡± Elder Kurai said as he pointed towards a large building. As they entered the gate, ¡°Remember, in this sect, everyone will treat each other equally! No fighting or bullying is allowed in this sect. If you are caught bullying or fighting someone who isn¡¯t willing to fight, you will be expelled.¡± Elder Kurai continued, ¡°Of course, a friendly match is always allowed! We host fighting tournaments with prizes all the time!¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°Of course Elder Kurai! We will treat everyone in this sect like brothers!¡± Robin said. His voice was filled with excitement! He had always wanted to join a sect, and now¡­ He had finally joined one! Elder Pavong laughed, ¡°Haha, that¡¯s the spirit! Now come, I will bring you to your rooms!¡± Elder Pavong started walking towards the dormitory as he spoke. The sect members were staring at Kiron and Shion as they were walking towards the dormitory, ¡°Is that a¡­ Is that a dragon?¡± No matter where Kiron was, people were talking about Shion. It was his first day in the sect, and he was already a hot topic! ¡­ Kiron and Robin were brought to their room. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± Elder Pavong took 2 keys out of his pocket as he spoke. One for Kiron and one for Robin. He then left the room. ¡°Haha, so we¡¯re finally here! A new life begins!¡± Robin said as he jumped into his bed. Robin then looked at Kiron who had an unsatisfied look on his face, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Kiron?¡± Kiron sighed, ¡°We can¡¯t leave this place without supervision from one of the elders¡­ Unless we get to the 10th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm.¡± Kiron didn¡¯t want to be stuck inside. He wanted to go outside, and explore! ¡°Then, we just have to reach the 10th rank as soon as possible, right?¡± Robin said with a smile on his face, ¡°Besides, if we can convince the elders to let us go outside and hunt for profound beasts, then I¡¯d say we could get to the 10th rank within ¡­ 10 years!¡± Robin said with an uncertain voice. Kiron sat down next to Shion, ¡°Then, my main goal will be to reach the 10th rank as fast as possible!¡± Kiron said as he patted Shion on the head. Shion climbed up on Kiron¡¯s lap and laid down there. ¡­ ¡°So¡­ You personally saw this? He actually has a dragon as his soul beast?¡± Sect Leader Samon said with a normal voice. It was obvious that he was trying to keep his excitement locked up. Elder Pavong took out a book that describes all dragons and what races there are, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true! But the weird thing is¡­ His dragon, Shion¡­ We don¡¯t know what race it is! It¡¯s a red dragon with black stripes on its scales!¡± Elder Pavong had skimmed through the book, trying to find some information on Shion, but in the end he didn¡¯t find any information at all. ¡°Then¡­ Could it be that this dragon comes from the Chaotic Lands? There was reports on a fight between a dragon and some human at the Profound Elemental Realm, I received that report a couple of days ago!¡± Sect Leader Samon continued, ¡°That dragon didn¡¯t fight back¡­ Perhaps it was protecting its child?¡± The elders and Sect Leader Samon tried coming up with possible theories as to why that dragon had appeared. In the end they decided that the dragon had dropped its child off in the mountains, then Kiron had encountered it and tamed it. There really was no reason for them to treat this like a bad thing. They had just gained a powerful disciple who had a Divine Soul Beast! They decided to stop talking about the matter, and just be happy about it. ¡°But, no matter what happens¡­ Don¡¯t let any of this information leak to the outside! If any of the kingdoms finds out about Kiron and his Divine Beast, then they would destroy us just to get Kiron to join them!¡± Sect Leader Samon said with a worried voice. The other elders nodded in agreement. ¡­ 10 years passed in the blink of an eye. Kiron was now 16 years old. Nothing major happened during these 10 years. Kiron went out with Elder Kurai and hunted for some High Ranked Cores, and he spent the rest of his time either training or hanging out with Shion and Robin. ¡°Hey Shion, you finally broke through to the 10th rank? Good job!¡± Kiron looked at Shion, who was now the size of a large bear. Shion had actually grown to the size of a large bear 5 years ago, but he suddenly stopped growing after that. ¡°Yes! It¡¯s all thanks to you helping me out! And it shouldn¡¯t be long before you break through to the Profound Spiritual Realm!¡± Shion was the one who spoke just now. He was capable of communicating with Kiron now! Chapter 23 - Mountain of Rostradus Kiron smiled, ¡°The Profound Spiritual Realm, huh? I wonder how strong I¡¯ll be once I get to that realm!¡± He looked at Shion as he spoke. Shion¡¯s personality was that of a proud being. He refused to let anyone touch him. Anyone except for Kiron that is. He also thinks that every human except for Kiron is weak. Shion looked at the door, ¡°Hey Kiron, can we go outside? We¡¯ve been in this room for a while now¡­¡± He said to Kiron with a hint of sadness in his voice. Shion was like Kiron, he loved to go outside and explore! But lately, Kiron had been obsessed with training! He could feel that with a few months of training he would be able to reach the Profound Spiritual Realm! And the last time he went outside with Shion was when he wanted to hunt for some High Ranked Cores. The Burning Phoenix Sect had offered to give Kiron everything he needed, but he had refused. He didn¡¯t want to break through to the Profound Spiritual Help with the help of someone else, he wanted to do it with his own efforts. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m running low on High Ranked Cores, and I only need about 8,000 gold coins before I have enough to buy myself a true heavy sword!¡± Kiron got out of his bed and started walking towards the door as he spoke. Kiron had his own house within the Burning Phoenix Sect that was built specifically for him. One of the reasons for this was that Shion was simply too large for the dormitories. Normally, people who had soul beasts that were too large for the dormitories wouldn¡¯t receive this treatment, but Kiron was special. *Knock knock* Just as Kiron was about to open his door and go hunt for some High Ranked Cores he heard someone knocking on the door. ¡°Come in, it¡¯s open.¡± At the door was Sect Leader Samon. ¡°Hey Kiron, have you made your decision regarding the tournament hosted by the Kingdom of Tranos?¡± Sect Leader Samos said with a hint of curiosity in his voice. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve already told Elder Pavong that I wanted to go! But¡­ When is the tournament?¡± Kiron thought back to the moment when Elder Pavong had told him about the tournament. The Kingdom of Tranos has invited all the sects within the kingdom to a tournament. But no one knows just what the tournament is. All they know is that the tournament has 3 different rounds, with only one of them being a fighting competition. The prize will also be announced at the tournament grounds. Each sect is asked to bring their top 3 members! Sect Leader Samon looked at Kiron with a surprised look in his eyes, ¡°Oh, so you¡¯ve already talked with Elder Pavong? Anyways, the tournament starts in two weeks. And it should take about one week to get there.¡± Sect Leader Samon continued, ¡°We¡¯ve decided on bringing you, Manda and Weila. Manda and Weila are both at the early stages of the Profound Spiritual Realm, but because of Shion you should be able to match them!¡± A tournament hosted by Kingdom of Tranos¡­ Kiron was currently trying to figure out why they would host such a grand tournament out of nowhere. There must be a reason for all of this, is what Kiron thought. ¡°Then, when do we leave?¡± Kiron said with a hint of curiosity in his words. He wanted to go hunting with Shion and Robin at least once before leaving! If he could find enough profound beasts, then he would be able to buy a new weapon! Sect Leader Samon opened his mouth, ¡°It takes one week to get there, and the tournament starts in 2 weeks¡­ 3 days. You will leave together with Manda and Weila at sunrise in 3 days!¡± He said with a certain voice. He wanted them to arrive a bit early, just in case something happened. ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll come to the main building when the sun rises in 3 days. I will be at the Mountain of Rostradus together with Shion and Robin until then.¡± Kiron said as he looked at Shion. Sect Leader Samon nodded his head in agreement, ¡°Then, I will take my leave now.¡± He then walked out of the house. ¡°Do I get to fight this time?¡± Shion looked at Kiron as he spoke through their soul. ¡°Yes. I need to get as many cores as possible this time! I only need about 8,000 more gold coins to buy a true heavy sword from the weaponry!¡± Kiron was using a greatsword that weighs about 200kg right now. And he should¡¯ve had enough gold to spend on a true heavy sword by now¡­ But finding a High Ranked Core within the mountain range was hard. Finding beasts with Mid Ranked Core wasn¡¯t too challenging, but, those cores were useless to him. So in the end, he had to sell the Low Ranked Cores and Mid Ranked Cores in order to buy High Ranked Cores. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Kiron walked out of his house, with Shion following behind him. Robin was still living in the dormitory, so that is where they were going now. People were already used to Kiron and Shion. They were famous within the sect, so no one acted surprised upon seeing Shion anymore. ¡­ Kiron arrived at the dormitory. ¡°Shion, you wait outside while I go get Robin!¡± Kiron said to Shion as he started walking towards Robin¡¯s room. *Knock knock* Someone opened the door, ¡°Ah, Kiron! What brings you here?¡± Robin looked at Kiron with a surprised look in his eyes. ¡°Didn¡¯t you already leave for the tournament?¡± Robin already knew that Kiron was going to participate in the tournament hosted by the Kingdom of Tranos. Robin was now 18 years old, and he was at the 9th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm! Kiron had caught up to him while he was still at the 6th rank, then he had managed to enter the 7th rank before Robin did. ¡°I¡¯m going to the Mountain of Rostradus with Shion, do you want to come along with us?¡± Kiron continued, ¡°I need about 8,000 more gold coins in order to buy a true heavy weapon!¡± Robin started laughing, ¡°Haha, you¡¯re still interested in buying a true heavy weapon! And of course, I¡¯m always willing to go hunting!¡± Robin remembered when they had first met, Kiron had told him that he wanted to obtain a colossal heavy sword, just like Baroona! A colossal heavy sword is another way of describing a true heavy sword! ¡°Shion is waiting outside. He will fly us over to the Mountain of Rostradus!¡± Kiron then walked out of the room, and towards the dorm¡¯s exit. Kiron and Robin both climbed up on Shion. Even if Shion was a prideful being who didn¡¯t like any humans except for Kiron and Charlotte, he was still able to let someone close to Kiron, like Robin, ride on him. But he still didn¡¯t let Robin pat him on his head. Shion shot up into the air. He was now heading towards the Mountain of Rostradus. ¡°Kiron, I can come to the tournament with you, right? I don¡¯t want to be stuck at that boring place without you¡­¡± Shion said to Kiron with a hint of worry in his voice. ¡°You can come along. The kingdom and the other sects are bound to find out about your existence sooner or later anyways.¡± Kiron said with a calm voice. Kiron was no longer the na?ve little boy he used to be 10 years ago, he had gained a lot of experience during his last 10 years. During those 10 years, he had often snuck out of the Burning Phoenix Sect, and he had encountered all sorts of people. He had once been tricked by bandits, which almost resulted in him losing his life. Luckily, he was able to escape. Kiron had learned a lot of things during his years, one of them being to pick your friends carefully, and another one being that you should not trust anyone unless you are completely certain about them. ¡­ The Mountain of Rostradus was now within sight! Shion who was already at the 10th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm was able to fly at a terrifying speed, so it only took about 15 minutes to fly over to the Mountain of Rostradus. ¡°Land on the peak of the mountain. The higher ranked profound beasts are usually near the top!¡± Kiron said to Shion. He really had no interest in starting from the bottom, he would rather start from the top where he would usually find the higher ranked profound beasts! Shion landed on the top of the mountain. Kiron and Robin both got off and started walking towards the forest. ¡°When I reach the Profound Spiritual Realm it will be so much easier for us to find profound beasts! I can only detect World Qi if I¡¯m looking at it directly, but spiritual sense¡­ It would allow me to search everything within 100 meters! It should only be a couple of months before I reach the Profound Spiritual Realm!¡± Robin started laughing, ¡°Most people would dream about reach the Profound Spiritual Realm when they¡¯re only 20 years old¡­ You truly are incredible!¡± Robin had a hint of astonishment in his eyes as he spoke. ¡°There¡¯s a pack of mid ranked profound beasts over there!¡± Chapter 24 - Experience There are about 8 mid ranked profound beasts over there. Kiron and Robin had already decided that they would split all the High Ranked Cores they could find, but Kiron would get the Low Ranked Cores and the Mid Ranked Cores for himself, considering Robin isn¡¯t in need of money right now. ¡°They¡¯re scattered up, so I won¡¯t be able to kill all of them before they run away. You flank them from the right, while I take them from the left!¡± Kiron had run into many packs of profound beasts before, but they would always have enough time to scatter once he jumped in. So at most, he could only kill 5 or 6 of them. Kiron took his greatsword out of his interspatial, then he jumped towards the pack of profound beasts. *Boom* *Boom* *Boom* Kiron killed 3 profound beasts in the blink of an eye. With each swing he took, a beast would die. Robin stood on his side had already killed 3 profound beasts as well. Robin was nowhere near the level that Kiron was at, but when it came to killing profound beasts¡¯ 3-4 ranks below you¡­ One strike would be enough. Shion had already taken care of the profound beasts that had tried to escape. Kiron didn¡¯t want him to attack with him, but he wanted Shion to take care of any profound beasts trying to escape. ¡°Alright¡­ That¡¯s 8 Mid Ranked Cores¡­ 2,400 gold!¡± Kiron had a satisfied expression on his face as he spoke. He was now 5,600 gold away from his goal. Kiron and Robin walked around half an hour without finding a single profound beast. ¡°Hey Shion¡­ Can you fly into the air and look for some profound beast packs?¡± Kiron was getting impatient. When he had first arrived the Mountain of Rostradus he had found a pack containing 8 mid ranked profound beasts¡­ But now he couldn¡¯t find a single low ranked beast. Shion nodded his head and took off into the air. ¡°Hey Kiron¡­ How long are you going to stay with the Burning Phoenix Sect?¡± Robin looked at Kiron with a hint of curiosity in his eyes. He already knew that Kiron was a person who enjoyed adventures and such. And there was a small amount of that within the Burning Phoenix Sect. Kiron towards the skies, ¡°I haven¡¯t really thought about it too much¡­ But I¡¯m guessing that I will leave with Shion sometime after the tournament¡± Kiron continued, ¡°I want to experience most of Tranos, then I will go to the other kingdoms!¡± ¡°Kiron! I found something over here! Just run towards me!¡± Shion said with a hint of excitement in his voice. Shion and Kiron could both sense where the other was at all times. They shared the same soul, so the spiritual bond between them is incredibly powerful! Kiron started running towards Shion, with Robin following behind. Kiron hadn¡¯t been able to find a single profound beast after searching for 30 minutes, so now that he found out that there is some action over at Shion¡¯s location, he would naturally feel excited! ¡°There, I can hear some fighting over there!¡± Kiron¡¯s smile grew even wider. If he could encounter a group of profound beasts who are already fighting each other, then that would be just perfect! ¡°AAH¡± Kiron could hear a scream as he got closer. Kiron stopped up and stared at the ground. ¡°Someone from the Burning Phoenix Sect?¡± He saw a corpse on the ground wearing a red robe. ¡°Let¡¯s check it out!¡± He jumped forward only to see a group of people wearing black clothing and a group of Burning Phoenix Sect disciples. ¡°Kiron! Help us!¡± Both groups turned their heads towards Kiron. The Burning Phoenix Sect disciples felt relieve upon seeing Kiron¡­ But the other group with the black clothing just started laughing. ¡°What¡¯s a brat who¡¯s only at the 10th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm going to do?¡± A man said with a hint of amusement in his eyes. The man was perhaps the same size as Kiron, but he looked like he was at least 40 years old. ¡°He¡¯s at the 10th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm¡­ I should be able to deal with him easily.¡± Kiron thought to himself. The bandit suddenly shot himself like an arrow towards Kiron, but Kiron was already prepared for a situation like that. The bandit raised his fist and threw it towards Kiron¡¯s head. *Bang* Kiron managed to block the bandits punch¡­ But that punch was terrifying! ¡°Profound Spiritual Realm! This guy is actually at the Profound Spiritual Realm!¡± Kiron thought to himself ¡°Hey brat, what¡¯s your name?¡± The bandit was surprised upon seeing Kiron blocking his punch. He had never experienced any difficulty with killing those at the 10th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm¡­ But seeing Kiron block his punch, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little surprised. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Kiron started laughing, ¡°Didn¡¯t your mother ever teach you any manners? You are supposed to give your own name before asking someone else for theirs.¡± Even if this bandit was at the Profound Spiritual Realm, Kiron still didn¡¯t feel any worry. He was confident in his own strength. ¡°Heh, I¡¯m Naro. But, now that you know my name¡­ I¡¯ll have to kill you.¡± Naro said with a wide smile on his face. Kiron started laughing, ¡°Kill me? In your dreams. And you should already know my name. Those Burning Phoenix Sect disciples over there screamed it out earlier, remember? Or are you too stupid to remember something that happened only a couple of minutes ago?¡± Kiron had an evil grin on his face as he spoke. ¡°Hey Shion, you can take care of all the bandits¡­ Except for this Naro guy, he¡¯s mine!¡± Kiron said with a loud voice. He didn¡¯t bother communicating through their soul this time, he wanted the bandits to hear what he said. Shion immediately flew down to the ground, ¡°Thank you! I¡¯ve been itching for some good action!¡± Shion immediately attacked a bandit at the 10th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm, tearing his arm off with just one swing from his claws. ¡°A-a-a dragon!¡± The bandits were all stunned upon seeing Shion. Naro looked at Shion for a couple of seconds before turning his head towards Kiron, ¡°So that¡¯s why you¡¯re so strong. Haha, I¡¯m going to be rich! A dragon is worth a lot of money, even if it is a dead one!¡± Greed could be seen in Naro¡¯s eyes as he spoke. But just as he finished his sentence, he slashed his sword at Kiron. He wasn¡¯t afraid of fighting dirty, even against someone at a lower level than him! *Slash* Kiron was prepared for an attack like that, but he had underestimated Naro¡¯s strength. Kiron received a small cut at his chest, he thought he would be able to dodge any attack Naro could throw at him¡­ But that thought disappeared quickly. He took his greatsword out of his interspatial ring. If Naro was going to use a weapon, then he would use one as well. Naro stabbed his sword towards Kiron¡¯s stomach, but Kiron managed to jump backwards fast enough to avoid any serious injuries, receiving only a small cut. But now, Kiron was ready to fight. Naro no longer held an advantage due to superior positioning, they were now at equal grounds. Naro lifted his sword up, and prepared to slash down at Kiron. This blade contained a great amount of force, and everyone was staring at this battle. Even Shion took a break from fighting in order to watch Kiron and Naro fight it out! Kiron knows that he isn¡¯t faster than Naro¡¯s blade, so his only way of defending himself is to use his greatsword, but even that would be hard. Kiron is already equal to Naro in defense, strength and speed. The Golden Dragon blood within him increases his strength and defense, while the spiritual bond with Shion increases his strength, defense and speed. Because of this, Kiron is able to compare with someone who is already at the Profound Spiritual Realm. The difference between a normal person of the 10th rank and a normal person at the early stages of the Profound Spiritual Realm is the same as the difference between someone at the 4th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm and someone at the 10th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm. Kiron has to push his 200kg greatsword upwards, whereas Naro only has to push his sword downwards. So Naro has the advantage in this exchange. *Bang* Kiron used all the strength he could muster just to defend himself from this attack long enough to jump back. Kiron used all his strength to jump backwards. ¡°I can¡¯t let him control the flow of this battle¡­ It¡¯s time for me to be the one who controls the flow!¡± Kiron thought to himself. Kiron hadn¡¯t fought a lot of cultivators before, and when he did, there would be a large difference in power. So the only reason why he¡¯s struggling in this battle is because of a lack of battle experience. Being good at fighting profound beasts won¡¯t help him that much when he¡¯s up against other cultivators. ¡°Even if you have created a spiritual bond with a Divine Beast¡­ You shouldn¡¯t be this strong!¡± Naro had already come to the conclusion that Shion was a Divine Beast. But he still couldn¡¯t figure out why Kiron was able to match him in strength! Kiron tightened his grip, then he exploded forth like an arrow towards Naro... Chapter 25 - Profound Skills Naro stood there watching as Kiron was flying towards him, Kiron stopped up and swung his sword towards Naro, but to his surprise, Naro somehow disappeared in the air. That¡¯s one of the advantages of being at the Profound Spiritual Realm! Not only will you be able to use your spiritual power to strengthen your body and defend yourself, you can also use it to learn Profound Skill that can only be comprehended with spiritual sense. Kiron didn¡¯t know much about these skills, he was planning on learning more about them once he got to the Profound Spiritual Realm. Kiron¡¯s face went pale and he stepped forwards using all the speed he could bring up. *Slash* Naro¡¯s sword had left a huge cut on Kiron¡¯s back! ¡°Haha, even if you are able to match my strength, I still have profound skills!¡± Naro had just used a skill called quickstep. Quickstep is a skill that allows you to move quickly for a short period of time. Very useful for appearing behind someone¡¯s back! The only disadvantage of learning a profound skill is that the better the skill is, the harder it is to learn! Kiron frowned as he looked at Naro, but he didn¡¯t speak. Kiron swung his sword towards Naro again, not giving him any time to use quickstep, but he still had enough time to block Kiron¡¯s attack with his sword! *Boom* Their swords collided, creating an incredibly explosive sound. Kiron looked at his great sword¡­ At least the remains of it. Both Kiron¡¯s greatsword and Naro¡¯s sword had exploded upon the impact, sending small pieces of iron flying in all directions. Normally, a sword wouldn¡¯t be broken that easily. When you fight with a sword, or any weapon for that matter, you cover it with your World Qi or Spiritual Energy, allowing it to be more durable. If you want an unbreakable weapon, then that would cost more than 30,000 gold, and most people don¡¯t want to spend that much money on a weapon. Kiron reacted almost instantly upon seeing the broken swords. He threw his sheath down on the ground and threw a punch towards Naro less than a second after the swords had broken. The punch sent Naro flying into a large boulder, which ended up exploding into thousands of pieces. Kiron arrived before Naro, and threw a kick towards his left leg. Kiron had already learnt from his fight with the One-Eyed Lion that you should never allow your opponent a chance to get up if possible! *Bang* Kiron managed to throw in another kick before Naro broke free. Naro had a small knife in one of his pockets which he used to make Kiron retreat a few steps. Everyone were staring at the battle between Kiron and Naro with stunned expressions in their faces. The only one who wasn¡¯t surprised was Shion. He was already used to Kiron¡¯s strength, and he considered Kiron to be his master, even if Kiron told him not to call him that. Naro was back on his feet, but it was obvious that he had taken some damage from Kiron¡¯s attacks. He was trembling slightly, but he was doing his best to hide it. His face had already gone pale from fear. Naro realized that his chances of survival were¡­ Slim. He couldn¡¯t try running away now because of his leg, and even if he somehow managed to kill Kiron, he would still have Shion to face after that. ¡°Then, if I¡¯m going to die¡­ I will take you with me at least!¡± Naro said with a voice so low that only Kiron could hear it. He then used quickstep, arriving right in front of Kiron. *Bang* ¡°You already used that skill!¡± Kiron said. He had already anticipated that Naro would use his quickstep skill another time, and he had prepared a counter for it. Naro was sent flying yet again, and Kiron immediately followed the flying Naro. Kiron grabbed Naro¡¯s leg and threw him into the ground, but he didn¡¯t let go. Kiron ran over to the mountain wall and started hitting it, using Naro as his weapon. Stones were tumbling down the stone wall, and Kiron had already destroyed a large part of the wall. He didn¡¯t stop until he could confirm that Naro was dead using his World Qi. Kiron dropped Naro¡¯s body on the ground. Everyone were staring at him in shock, ¡°Haha, master is the strongest!¡± Shion enjoyed the scene! He took Naro¡¯s interspatial ring and put some of his World Qi into it, binding it to himself. ¡°Hey Shion, you¡¯re just as strong as me. Stop calling me master, we¡¯re equals!¡± Kiron said to Shion through his soul. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Shion walked over to Kiron, ¡°Even if I were stronger than you, I would still call you my master! You¡¯re the one who saved my life, and you¡¯re the only person I respect!¡± Shion was arrogant by nature. And he respects Kiron from the bottom of his heart. Kiron decided not to push the matter any further¡­ ¡°Hey, what about those other bandits?¡± Kiron stared at the remaining bandits as he spoke. ¡°Master, please forgive us!¡± The bandits all got down on their knees and started begging. The Burning Phoenix Sect disciples all frowned upon seeing the bandits act like that. Kiron walked over to the bandits, ¡°Hand over everything you have that is valuable!¡± Kiron had an evil grin on his face as he spoke. He stood there with his hand out, signaling them to hand over whatever they have. The bandits didn¡¯t hesitate at all, the ones with interspatial rings all emptied them, and the ones with bags handed their bags over to Kiron. ¡°That¡¯s everything we have, we promise!¡± Kiron received 15 Low Ranked Cores, 4 Mid Ranked Cores and about 2,000 gold coins. The Burning Phoenix Sect disciples looked at Kiron with sad eyes. It was obvious that they didn¡¯t want the bandits to leave. After all, they had still killed many sect members. Kiron noticed the stares, but those stares weren¡¯t going to change his mind. His mind was already set. ¡°Thank you Master! We will never forget your kindness!¡± The bandits got up and bowed their heads yet again. An evil laugh could be heard from Kiron, ¡°Hey, I told you to hand over all your valuables. Only reason I told you to do that is because I don¡¯t want to bother looting your dead corpses!¡± Kiron punched one of the bandits as he spoke, destroying his throat. The bandits tried running upon seeing Kiron killing one of them, but they were quickly killed by Robin, Shion and the rest of the sect members. ¡°Thank you, Kiron!¡± The sect members clapped their hands and bowed their heads to Kiron. ¡°Hey Kiron, these guys won¡¯t need their interspatial rings anymore, do you want them?¡± One of the members took the interspatial rings from the bandits and handed them over to Kiron. Kiron accepted the ring, ¡°Thank you.¡± Kiron wasn¡¯t in need of any more interspatial rings right now, but who knows when it could prove useful. Robin looked at Kiron, ¡°Hey, what¡¯s inside that Naro¡¯s interspatial ring?¡± There was a hint of curiosity in his voice as he spoke. Kiron put his World Qi into the interspatial ring in order to check it, 17 High Ranked Cores 2 Low Ranked Spirit Cores 42,753 gold coins And two Profound Skills, Quickstep and Meteor Slash! Kiron started laughing, ¡°We no longer need to hunt!¡± Kiron then told Robin about everything he had gotten from Naro¡¯s interspatial ring. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the sect!¡± Kiron had a look off happiness on his face. Who wouldn¡¯t be happy upon gaining treasures like those? Robin climbed up on Shion¡¯s back, but Kiron was busy with something. ¡°Hey Robin, I put 8 of the High Ranked Cores in here! Besides, you still haven¡¯t bothered buying an interspatial ring yet.¡± Kiron threw the interspatial ring over to Robin as he spoke. Robin was a good friend, and he didn¡¯t want to take all the loot for himself! Robin bowed his head slightly, ¡°Thank you.¡± He didn¡¯t feel like he deserved it, but saying no would just create an awkward situation. Kiron got up on Shion¡¯s back, and they took off! It was now time to head back to the sect. ¡°Hey Kiron, what do you think will happen at the tournament hosted by the King of Tranos?¡± Robin asked with a hint of curiosity in his voice. He knew that there would be 3 different rounds, all contributing with points. But he only knew that one of them involved fight, so he thought that Kiron might know something more. Kiron shook his head, ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know any more than you do. According to Sect Leader Samon, no sects knows anything. The King of Tranos is purposely keeping it a secret.¡± Kiron continued, ¡°But, whatever it is, I¡¯m interested in coming out on top!¡± He wasn¡¯t sure if he would be able to get first place, but he would always aim for the top, no matter what it was! If he wanted to become the strongest, then he would need the proper mindset! Chapter 26 - Crimson Devourer Chapter 26 was sponsored by Will. C ! _______________________________________________________ Shion landed near Kiron¡¯s house at the Burning Phoenix Sect, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll see you some time in the future.¡± Robin waved his hand as he walked away. Kiron already had enough gold to buy a true heavy sword! ¡°Finally I get to buy myself a true heavy sword!¡± Kiron felt incredibly satisfied at the moment. He had been using bad weapons so far, but now¡­ Now he was finally going to get himself a decent weapon! Of course, the sect would¡¯ve given him a true heavy weapon for free if he asked for it, but he wanted to achieve his goals using his own efforts! ¡°Finally! I¡¯ve been waiting so many years for this day!¡± Kiron had a satisfied expression on his face as he spoke. Shion couldn¡¯t speak in human tongue, so he could only speak through their soul, ¡°Tonight is worthy of celebration! Lots of food!¡± Shion had a hint of excitement in his voice as he spoke. Kiron started laughing, ¡°Haha, you just want to eat some good food! But you¡¯re right, tonight we will celebrate! I¡¯ll buy tons of food and wine!¡± Shion wasn¡¯t the only one who wanted to eat something good today! ¡°Then, I¡¯ll fly us to Chemil!¡± Shion was happy upon hearing Kiron agree to his request! He would often be stuck with some profound beasts that they hunted in the Mountain of Rostradus, but whenever they went to the City of Chemil, Kiron would always buy something delicious for him to eat! Kiron smiled unconsciously, ¡°Hey Shion, let¡¯s go visit mother when the tournament ends!¡± Kiron hadn¡¯t seen his mother in 10 years, so he really wanted to visit her! As for Shion, he also liked Charlotte! She¡¯s the mother of the only man he respects, so he will naturally be kind to his mother as well! ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go visit your mother once you¡¯re done with that tournament!¡± Shion had a hint of happiness in his voice as he spoke. He couldn¡¯t remember much about Charlotte except for the face that she had taken care of him during his stay in Taruck! ¡­ Shion and Kiron arrived at the City of Chemil The city was crowded with people! It was a city that had everything, medicines, gambling, weapons, profound skills, slaves¡­ If you need something, then this would be a good place to check! Kiron and Shion were walking through the streets, ignoring all the stares that were directed towards them. Their first goal was to find the city¡¯s weaponry! They had been walking around for a couple of minutes before finally arriving at the weaponry. The weaponry was a gigantic shop, the same size as a small mansion! Kiron entered the weaponry, with Shion staying outside to wait. ¡°Welcome, young cultivator!¡± The shopkeeper said as he looked at Kiron. He instantly recognized the Burning Phoenix Sect uniform that Kiron was wearing, so it was obvious that he must have some money on him! Kiron looked at the shopkeeper, ¡°Hey, are you currently selling any True Heavy Swords here? No matter what the weight or cost, I will buy it!¡± Kiron spoke with a decisive voice. The shopkeeper looked at Kiron with a surprised look in his eyes, ¡°A True Heavy Swords? We do have one!¡± The shopkeeper continued, ¡°Just follow me into the weaponry and I will show you!¡± He started walking towards a large, secure door as he spoke. Kiron followed. The shopkeeper opened the door and they arrived at a huge room containing all sorts of weapons, armors and scrolls. Kiron turned his head around, looking at all the stuff that was located within the room, ¡°Hey, are these scrolls Profound Skills?¡± Kiron was still at the Profound Practitioner Realm, so he couldn¡¯t use Spiritual Sense to check. The shopkeeper turned his head around, ¡°These scrolls? Yes, they are all Profound Skills! Are you interested in buy any of these?¡± Kiron shook his head, ¡°No, I was just curious.¡± ¡°There it is!¡± The shopkeeper who was at the 10th rank of the Profound Practitioner Realm picked a Crimson Blade up with both his hands, struggling just to keep it from falling into the ground. He ended up putting it back in place, ¡°This Crimson Blade is too heavy for me to carry,¡± The shopkeeper continued, ¡°It was made from some Red Iron that was found at the borders near the Chaotic Lands! This sword is practically unbreakable!¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Kiron went over to the Crimson Blade and picked it up, shocking the shopkeeper, ¡°You¡­ How are you able to pick it up so easily?¡± The shopkeeper was at the same rank as Kiron, yet he had been unable to hold the Crimson Blade for more than 10 seconds. Kiron on the other hand, he picked it up with both his hands, and he didn¡¯t struggle! ¡°How much money do you want for this Crimson Blade?¡± Kiron was quite satisfied with this Crimson Blade. It was just what he had wished for! The shopkeeper broke out of his trance upon hearing Kiron speak, ¡°Ah yes¡­ The Crimson Blade will cost you 65,000 gold coins!¡± Kiron looked at the shopkeeper with a shocked expression on his face. 65,000 gold? He currently had 80,000¡­ It didn¡¯t cost that much money the last time he was here. If Kiron had failed to kill Naro, then he wouldn¡¯t have had enough to buy this Crimson Blade. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to spend money on the Crimson Blade, it was just that he was surprised. Kiron took the money out of his interspatial rings and handed them over to the shopkeeper as he put the Crimson Blade into his interspatial ring. ¡°Thank you.¡± Kiron said as he started walking towards the exit of the weaponry. ¡°Hey, can I ask you something? Just how are you able to lift that Crimson Blade so easily? I even have a soul beast, but I can¡¯t lift it properly!¡± The shopkeeper looked at Kiron with a hint of curiosity in his eyes Kiron turned around and smiled at the shopkeeper, ¡°Some things are best kept secret.¡± Kiron said before he started walking away towards Shion. Shion saw Kiron coming towards him, and before he could say a single word, Kiron had already taken out the Crimson Blade! ¡°Incredible! What¡¯s the name of the sword?¡± Shion had a hint of amazement in his voice as he spoke. Even if he wasn¡¯t in need of any weapons, he could still recognize a good one if he saw it! Kiron looked at the Crimson Blade, ¡°A name? Hmm¡­ Crimson Devourer!¡± Kiron nodded in agreement to his own words. He liked that name! Shion on the other hand, he was happy that Kiron had finally bought a weapon! Because now it was time to buy some delicious food and celebrate! They went over to the marketplace and bough some good meat, paying more than 100 gold coins for one large meal! ¡°Hey Shion, let¡¯s go make a camp fire outside the city, we can eat the food there!¡± Kiron said as he put the food into his interspatial ring and climbed up on Shion¡¯s back. Shion nodded in agreement, he then took off. ¡­ They arrived near the forests. Kiron brought some wood out of his interspatial ring and put them on the ground. Shion then blew some fire at the wood. They were sitting around the camp fire, eating delicious food and enjoying the scenery. The moon was shining down upon them. ¡°This might be one of our last peaceful moments! Once the tournament is over and we finish visiting my mother, we¡¯ll start our adventure!¡± Kiron said as he laid on the ground, staring at the stars in the sky. Shion was looking forward to the start of their adventure, ¡°Yea! And when we are strong enough, we can go into the Chaotic Lands!¡± Shion knew that most dragons were located within the Chaotic Lands, so he really wanted to go there and meet some of his kind! The night continued with Shion and Kiron talking about their future adventures. This was just the beginning of their lives! Kiron pointed towards the sky, ¡°And our adventures won¡¯t end just here! If the higher realms truly does exist, then we will one day end up there!¡± Kiron thought back to Baroona as he spoke. There was a lot of rumors regarding Baroona. Some says he is dead, while some says he ascended to the higher realms! Shion was about to speak, but he was interrupted by someone. ¡°Could you spare me some food?¡± An old, mysterious man appeared behind Kiron and Shion. Kiron was stunned upon hearing the voice of an old man behind him, he hadn¡¯t noticed his presence at all! Chapter 27 - Kalan Kiron turned around with a shocked expression on his face upon hearing the voice of the old man. ¡°Young man, there is no need to be shocked. I¡¯m only interested in tasting some of that meat!¡± The old man said with a friendly voice. It didn¡¯t seem like he was someone who wanted to cause harm. Kiron looked at the old man for a couple of seconds before asking, ¡°Then, shouldn¡¯t you at least give me your name first? I¡¯m Kiron, and over there is Shion.¡± The old man started laughing, ¡°That¡¯s true! My name is Kalan, nice to meet you!¡± He didn¡¯t expect Kiron to act like that, but he did find it amusing. Shion and Kiron were both full, so they weren¡¯t going to eat any more food. Kiron handed the remaining meat over to Kalan, ¡°Here you go. Shion and I have already eaten a lot of food, so we can¡¯t eat any more.¡± Kalan accepted the meat, then he started eating, ¡°Thank you for the meat, Kiron.¡± He said with a friendly voice. Kiron just couldn¡¯t see through this old man! He appeared out of nowhere, and he was able to hide his presence so well that Kiron was unable to notice him. Just as Kiron was about to speak, ¡°Then, I have matters to attend to. Thanks for the meat, youngsters.¡± Kalan said as he started walking rapidly towards the City of Chemil. ¡°Who was that?¡± Shion didn¡¯t understand what had happened just now. Kiron shook his head, ¡°Don¡¯t know, but it doesn¡¯t matter. As long as it¡¯s not someone hostile, I won¡¯t care.¡± They sat around the camp fire, staring at the stars and talking to each other about all sorts of things. ¡­ Time passed by slowly. 3 days had passed and it was time for Kiron and Shion to leave for the tournament. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Shion! The others should be waiting for us at the main building!¡± Kiron said as he opened the front door in his house. Shion arrived at the door, ¡°Then let them wait! We don¡¯t even know those guys.¡± Shion was back to acting arrogant. If he didn¡¯t know someone, then it was because they weren¡¯t worthy. That was his logic. Kiron started laughing, ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s go.¡± Kiron climbed up on Shion¡¯s back, then they started flying towards the main building. ¡°Hey Kiron, why do you think the King of Tranos is being so secretive? It doesn¡¯t make sense¡­¡± Shion spoke with a somewhat worried voice. But he was right, the King of Tranos was being incredibly cautious about this tournament. Kiron stared into the air for a couple of seconds before responding, ¡°I¡¯m honestly not sure why he is being so secretive, but one thing is for sure, we will find out what it is!¡± Kiron had a look of determination on his face as he spoke. ¡°But¡­ We should be careful. The King of Tranos might be keeping it secret for a good reason! It might be something bad, and it might be something good.¡± Kiron¡¯s look of determination was quickly replaced with a look of curiosity. The secrets could lead to something good, but it could also lead to something bad! And Kiron had learnt that curiosity can be deadly, which is why he instantly realized he should be careful. There¡¯s a quote saying, ¡°Curiosity shall be the end of me¡±. Kiron had read that somewhere, but he couldn¡¯t remember where. But even if he couldn¡¯t remember where he had read that quote, it was still something that would stick with him during his life time! ¡°Ahh, there he is.¡± Sect Leader Samon looked at the sky as he spoke. Manda and Weila had already arrived a couple of minutes ago. Shion landed on the ground and Kiron jumped off his back. Kiron clapped his hands and bowed slightly, ¡°Hello, Sect Leader Samon¡± Kiron then turned to Manda and Weila, ¡°My name is Kiron, and over there is Shion. Pleasure to meet you!¡± Kiron said ¡°Hello Kiron and Shion! My name is Manda, and she is Weila! Pleasure to meet you!¡± Manda and Weila both bowed their heads slightly as they spoke. Elder Kurai and Elder Pavong came out of the front door, ¡°Are you ready to leave yet?¡± Elder Pavong said. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.Kiron nodded, ¡°Shion and I are ready!¡± After Kiron spoke, Manda and Weila both signaled that they were ready to leave as well. All of them received a lot of time to prepare, so if they weren¡¯t ready by now¡­ It would leave a bad image. ¡­ Somewhere else A large room, filled with treasuries, paintings, scrolls¡­ Everything a rich person should have! This place was not lacking in anything! ¡°How did it go? From the look on your face, I would say it went as expected!¡± A woman said in a natural voice. Kiron would have recognized the man she was speaking with if he was here, because it is Kalan! The old mysterious man whom Kiron and Shion had met earlier! Kalan stared at the woman, ¡°Yes Princess, but it was more than we had expected!¡± A hint of excitement could be heard in Kalan¡¯s voice as he spoke The Princess stared at Kalan with a hint of curiosity in her eyes, ¡°More than we had expected? Just what did you see while you were watching that person?¡± The Princess spoke with excitement. This was obviously good news for her, so she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little bit of happiness! ¡°He fought someone at the Profound Spiritual Realm, and he was able to win with mid difficulty!¡± Kalan was trying to hide the excitement in his voice as he spoke. The Princess stared at the surroundings for a bit, her smile grew wider, ¡°Then¡­ There might be hope for us after all! Treat that person like a treasure! He might be the one to save us from what¡¯s about to come!¡± ... They arrived at the capital in the Kingdom of Tranos, Majule! Majule was the biggest city Kiron had ever seen. There are buildings, crowds, shops ¡­ Everything! This place was bigger than anywhere Kiron had ever been! ¡°It¡¯s so big!¡± Manda and Weila were both staring at their surroundings with a look of astonishment in their eyes! Just as the group started walking forwards, someone interrupted them, ¡°Are you from the Burning Phoenix Sect?¡± Two people were white robes and a Tranos emblem on their robes came up to them. Elder Pavong stepped forward, ¡°Yes, we¡¯re from the Burning Phoenix Sect. We came here for the tournament.¡± Elder Pavong spoke with a decisive voice. It was important to make good first impressions. ¡°Then, come with us. We will bring you to your rooms.¡± The two Kingdom of Tranos servants started walking towards the castle after they spoke. This was a town of nobles. Unlike Taruck and Chemil, this was a place where only the rich could afford to live! Rich people could be seen everywhere. The ones who are able to live like royalty in smaller cities such as Taruck or Chemil, live like commoners in this city. After walking around for a while, they finally arrived at their rooms over at the castle. They all received a room each, except for Kiron and Shion who gets to share a room. As everyone started walking towards their own rooms, Kiron asked Elder Pavong, ¡°Hey, did anyone in the sect tell the Kingdom of Tranos about Shion?¡± ¡°No. We have all been keep it a secret, and we have made sure that no one could spread any information.¡± Elder Pavong said as he started walking away towards his own room. Kiron found it strangely odd that they had prepared an extra-large room for him and Shion. However, he quickly shrugged it off. It would only make sense that the kingdom was able to find out about him and Shion after all this time. The room was gigantic; there were large paintings, sculptures, food sources¡­ This room alone must have cost the kingdom a fortune! For them to spend so much gold on just one room, it only made Kiron wonder what he would see in the future! ¡°Hey Shion, I¡¯m going to start training now. You should also spend your time training! The faster we can get to the Profound Spiritual Realm, the better!¡± Kiron took out a High Ranked Core and sat down on his bed in a meditative position. ---- Chapter 28 is a sponsored chapter, and it will come later today! Chapter 28 - Hidden Snake Sect Chapter was sponsored by Will. C ! Days had passed and now was the time for the tournament to begin! The sun was rising and people were getting out of their beds. Kiron was already awake, and he was currently sitting around a large table eating breakfast. Shion came walking over to the table. He also wanted to eat some food before the tournament would begin! ¡°Hey Kiron, how did the training with your Crimson Devourer go yesterday? I fell asleep while waiting for you to come back¡­¡± Shion said in a casual voice. Kiron had spent half his time refining High Ranked Cores, and the rest was spent on getting used to the Crimson Devourer. ¡°I¡¯ve been able to master the Crimson Devourer! I¡¯m used to its weight now, and I know its limits.¡± Kiron continued, ¡°But, when I get to the Profound Spiritual Realm, I will be able to train with Profound Skills!¡± Shion finished eating a fried pig that was on the table, ¡°You already got 2 skills from that Naro guy, are you going to use those? That Meteor Slash seems very powerful if used by a sword like the Crimson Devourer!¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going to learn both those skills when I get to the Profound Spiritual Realm!¡± Kiron spoke with a smile on his face. Whenever he thought about reaching the Profound Spiritual Realm he would start smiling. He had also heard that comprehending and using the Profound Skills properly could take years for some, which instantly brought him out of his trance. But, while it might take years for some to comprehend and use a Profound Skill, it can also be done in weeks, depending on talent. *Knock knock* Kiron got out of his seat and started walking towards the door where someone just knocked. He opened the door, and there was a man wearing a white robe and a Tranos emblem. In other words, a servant of the Kingdom of Tranos. ¡°Come with me, you will be brought to one of the tournament grounds. There you will receive information regarding the tournament.¡± The man said. Kiron and Shion followed the man. They arrived at a large room that was located at the bottom of the castle. There was a small stage, large enough for one man to stand on and the room was filled with disciples from all kinds of sects and clans! ¡°Then, just wait here and someone will come and explain the details to you.¡± The man said as he walked away. Kiron looked at the surroundings. It was a huge, black room filled with nothing but pillars and a small stage! A room this huge that¡¯s not being used for anything? It makes one wonder. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re Kiron right?¡± A small group of both men and women came up to Kiron and started speaking with him. They were all around 20 years old. It made sense for almost everyone in this room to be at least 20 years old. Reaching the Profound Spiritual Realm before being at least 20 years old? And only the large clans and sects were invited to this tournament, so they would only bring out their best disciples. Kiron being an exception, considering he can already be compared to someone at the Profound Spiritual Realm! Kiron couldn¡¯t sense if there was anyone other than him who was still at the Profound Practitioner Realm, but right now he¡¯s sure that he is the only one below the Profound Spiritual Realm. ¡°Yea, I¡¯m Kiron.¡± He said with a hint of arrogance in his voice. He¡¯s not going to treat every stranger with respect, especially not when they are his opponents. Kiron realized after spending all his time with Shion, that he was way too kind to some people. Kindness can be a huge weakness. ¡°Then that must be Shion! It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you!¡± The group bowed their heads slightly as the clapped their hands together. Kiron stared at the group with a look of surprise on his face, ¡°You know who I am?¡± He wasn¡¯t one to spread his name around. Kiron hates being the center of attention. ¡°Of course, everyone knows! You¡¯re the first guy aside from Baroona to have tamed a Divine Beast!¡± The group of people spoke with respectful tones. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Kiron¡¯s face turned a bit angry, ¡°I never tamed him. We¡¯re friends, and we created a Spiritual Bond consensually. Don¡¯t talk about Shion like he¡¯s some kind of creature that I had to tame.¡± Kiron never had a good temper when it came to things like these. The faces in the group instantly turned sour. Their plan was to build a good relationship with Kiron, thinking that he might be the next person to stand on top of this world! But they were instantly shut down. Making a good first impression means a lot, but you only have one chance at doing so. The group then turned around and started walking away from Kiron. They simply didn¡¯t want to dig their graves even further. A lot of people came walking up to Kiron, hoping to befriend him¡­ But they were all turned down. One by one. Manda and Weila were both standing in a corner, laughing silently every time someone was turned down. They found it amusing that so many people were willing to try and kiss his ass. Only disciples were allowed in this room, all the elders have to wait in another room where they will be given information regarding the tournament. A small group of people started walking towards Kiron, ¡°What¡¯s so great about that brat? He¡¯s only at the Profound Practitioner Realm! Nothing good about him.¡± The man walking towards Kiron had an angry look on his face. He was wearing a green coat with a snake emblem. He is from the Hidden Snake Sect! ¡°Hey, we really shouldn¡¯t¡­ There¡¯s so many people here! We should just take care of him during the tournament, where no one is watching! Don¡¯t you agree, Rovo?¡± A woman said. She obviously cared about honor to some degree. She didn¡¯t want to be seen beating up a 16 year old kid of the Profound Practitioner Realm. Kiron who was standing next to Shion, noticed the small group coming towards him with angry expressions on their faces. But, instead of worrying, a small smile appeared on his face! ¡°Kiron, how about a little match between us? I¡¯m sure the guards would allow a friendly match!¡± Rovo tried putting on a friendly face, thinking that he might scare Kiron away if he wore an angry face. Kiron started laughing. He had already realized Rovo¡¯s intentions. ¡°If you¡¯re interested in tasting some pain, then go ahead.¡± Rovo¡¯s face started reddening from all the anger. But what Kiron couldn¡¯t understand was, just why would Rovo be so angry? Jealousy? Sure, Kiron could see why some people might be a bit jealous, but to become so angry, just because of someone you don¡¯t even know¡­ The reason why Rovo was so angry is because he considers Kiron to be nothing more than a weak ant, but the weak ant actually dares talk back to him in such a manner? Everyone were already staring at Kiron and Rovo. A match between a prodigy at the Profound Practitioner Realm and the strongest disciple from the Hidden Snake Sect, who is also at the Profound Spiritual Realm? Everyone wanted to watch this! ¡°Hey everyone, make some room so that I and this brat can fight!¡± Rovo shouted out with an angry voice. The guards were staring at Kiron and Rovo, ¡°Hey, what should we do about this?¡± They sent a message to a person in another room using their spiritual sense. ¡°Let them fight!¡± The mysterious voice in the other room said back. The guards then went back to their positions and started acting as if nothing was going on. But even they couldn¡¯t help but feel a little bit excited. This was a match they wanted to see as well. Everyone walked away from the center of the room, leaving a spot for Kiron and Rovo to fight in! Shion walked up to the front row and sat down there. No one dared to get close to Shion. ¡°Hey Kiron, are you going to kill him?¡± Shion said to Kiron through their soul. He wouldn¡¯t mind if Kiron killed him or not. He would follow Kiron no matter what choice he made. Kiron looked at Shion, ¡°I¡¯m not sure. We will first see how this goes!¡± Chapter 29 - Blinded by Fury Kiron walked into the circle where Rovo was standing. But to his surprise, Rovo started laughing, ¡°Fists and feet have no eyes, right?¡± He said with an evil grin on his face. ¡°That¡¯s correct. No one can be blamed for any injuries!¡± Kiron decided to play along. If he could harm Rovo without receiving any form of retaliation from others¡­ It¡¯s a good situation for Kiron! One of the disciples that were standing around the ¡®arena¡¯ walked out of the spectators¡¯ crowd, ¡°Then, we all agree that no matter what injuries are seen here today, no one will receive any punishment later on?¡± Both Kiron and Rovo nodded in agreement. ¡°Alright¡­ Then, begin the match!¡± The disciple said with a loud voice, allowing everyone in the room to hear. Rovo immediately exploded forwards like an arrow. He came charging towards Kiron, who was just standing still, waiting for Rovo to arrive. ¡°Hah, he must be so scared that he doesn¡¯t even dare move!¡± Rovo thought to himself. He thinks that Kiron isn¡¯t moving because he is too scared. Rovo stopped up right before Kiron, lifting his arm, preparing to throw a punch towards Kiron. But, Rovo wasn¡¯t the only person to throw a punch. Kiron who stood still, positioned himself properly and threw a punch towards Rovo! *Bang* Everyone stared at the scene with shocked expressions on their faces. Kiron had actually met Rovo head on! Their fists collided, creating a huge sound. The reinforced tiles on the ground all had cracks in them, the impact from the colliding fists had almost destroyed the ground below them! The spectators all stared at the scene, they expected Rovo to come out on top¡­ But they were actually equal in strength! No¡­ Kiron was actually able to make Rovo retreat a few steps! Kiron at the Profound Practitioner Realm was able to force Rovo at the Profound Spiritual Realm to step back! A scene like this was truly incredible in the eyes of the spectators. ¡°How?¡± Rovo thought to himself while trying to hide the trembling in his arm. Being forced back by some brat at the Profound Practitioner Realm? This only made Rovo even angrier. Rovo had only mastered Profound Skills that works with his axe. So he couldn¡¯t use any Profound Skills without his weapon. ¡°Just a fluke¡­ Something like that won¡¯t happen again! I must¡¯ve underestimated that Kiron a bit. I¡¯ll use all my strength this time!¡± Rovo kept trying to convince himself that he was pushed back because he didn¡¯t use all of his strength. Kiron got tired of standing at the same spot, so he pounced himself towards Rovo, throwing a punch towards his face. Rovo noticed Kiron pouncing towards him, so he prepared to counter with a kick. He put all of his Spiritual Energy into his leg, hoping to destroy Kiron with that one kick. ¡°Not good!¡± Kiron thought to himself. He can¡¯t take that leg head on, and his positioning was bad, so he has no way of avoiding it. He should¡¯ve been more patient! Kiron stared at the leg that was coming towards him, he changed the direction of his punch. He was going to meet Rovo¡¯s leg head on! *Bang* Kiron managed to stop Rovo¡¯s leg, but his arm was knocked back in the process. But, he wasn¡¯t going to stop there. He was currently in a position where he is unable to punch hard enough to damage Rovo, so he decided to kick him instead. As Rovo was preparing to take advantage of the situation, he saw a kick coming towards him! *Boom* An explosive kick landed on Rovo¡¯s chest! Rovo was sent flying at least 50 meters before landing on the ground. His balance was a mess, so he ended up falling down onto his back after landing on his feet. Everyone stared at Rovo as he got back up on his feet, then they turned their heads towards Kiron. From their point of view, Kiron had absolutely no injuries on his body. He was actually dominating someone at the Profound Spiritual Realm! Rovo got back up on his feet and looked at Kiron, ¡°Brother Kiron, you are indeed formidable! It¡¯s a shame that I am not good when it comes to unarmed fighting. How about we bring out our weapons? Then we can fight with all our strength!¡± The spectators started roaring. Bring out their weapons? Everyone knew that Rovo got his fame from being formidable with his axe. And Kiron¡­ He was just known as someone who had created a Spiritual Bond with a Divine Beast! Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Kiron started laughing, ¡°You really want to fight with weapons? I don¡¯t mind. But remember, weapons don¡¯t have eyes!¡± Kiron had wanted to try out the Crimson Devourer for a while now! A smile appeared on Rovo¡¯s face as he took a gigantic green axe out of interspatial ring, ¡°That¡¯s right! Our weapons don¡¯t have any eyes!¡± Everyone stared at the gigantic green axe in Rovo¡¯s hands. The axe was bigger than Kiron, and it seems to weigh at least 1,300kg! But, just as everyone were staring at Rovo, Kiron took his Crimson Devourer out of his interspatial ring. While the Crimson Devourer is smaller than Rovo¡¯s green axe, it did carry a more profound aura. Rovo didn¡¯t want to wait any longer. He pounced himself towards Kiron, aiming his axe towards Kiron¡¯s head. It was obvious that he wanted to kill Kiron. Kiron didn¡¯t hesitate at all upon seeing the axe coming towards him. He instantly positioned himself properly, then he lifted the Crimson Devourer, which weighs 1,500kg, and started preparing for the Rovo¡¯s attack. *Bang* The Crimson Devourer collided with the Green Axe! But again, Kiron didn¡¯t move a single step! Rovo struggled just to not lose the grip on his axe! ¡°HOW?!¡± Rovo was furious. He just couldn¡¯t understand why he was losing to Kiron in such a manner. And Kiron hadn¡¯t even used all his strength! He wanted to take it slow and enjoy the battle! This was the first time he got to try out his Crimson Devourer! Rovo jumped back 10 meters. He changed his stance, he going to use a Profound Skill! ¡°Then¡­ You¡¯re strong enough to fight me evenly! I will use my Thunder Strike skill on you!¡± Rovo wanted to kill Kiron, but he didn¡¯t want the others to think badly of him. So he tried to make it seem like he was showing Kiron his strongest move out of respect. The spectators stared at Rovo, ¡°He¡­ He¡¯s using Thunder Strike in a spar against someone at the Profound Practitioner Realm? Does he not care about his honor!?¡± Everyone admired Kiron¡¯s strength, but for him to match a Profound Skill¡­ Impossible! Thunder Strike was a Profound Skill that was available to anyone. The only problem with the skill is that mastering it takes way too long. Most people don¡¯t want to spend years on learning one Profound Skill! Spiritual Energy surrounded the Green Axe is Rovo¡¯s hands. It was almost as if the axe had double in size! Taking that axe head on¡­ Not a good idea! ¡°Then¡­ I suppose it¡¯s time for me to stop holding back.¡± Kiron mumbled to himself. He remembers the time he fought against Naro! He had the advantage until Naro started using Quickstep! Kiron lowered the Crimson Devourer, he was going to slash upwards in response to Rovo¡¯s Thunder Strike! Both Rovo and Kiron started running towards each other, and in the blink of an eye, they met! Rovo swung his Green Axe downwards using all his might! He really wanted to kill Kiron with this one blow! He was expecting Kiron to try and meet his attack head on yet again, so he spared no strength! Kiron had already realized that he can¡¯t take that attack head on, so he decided to fight with his brain instead! The Green Axe came crashing down towards Kiron, like a bolt of lightning! But Kiron¡­ He sidestepped it! Instead of meeting the attack head on, he decided it would be much wiser to sidestep and attack from another position! The enraged Rovo didn¡¯t consider this a possibility, so he didn¡¯t prepare for a situation like that. *BANG* The floor had already been completely destroyed by the Thunder Strike! The tiles were sent flying in all directions, and a huge crater had appeared. Almost everyone in the castle could feel the strike from Rovo, it was like an earthquake! ¡°Not good!¡± Rovo¡¯s face went pale. He realized that Kiron was standing next to him, and he was completely open! Kiron swung his Crimson Devourer upwards, towards Rovo¡¯s arms! *Slash* No one dared make a single sound! The scene just now had shocked everyone! On the broken ground in front of them laid a Green Axe and 2 arms! Chapter 30 - Ariadne So, I wrote the entire chapter once without saving... Needless to say, I had to write this chapter twice. And I am super tired, so I ended up rushing the chapter towards the end... Rovo fell down on the ground and started screaming. Both his arms were laying on the ground in front of him. Aside from Rovo¡¯s screaming, no one dared make a sound. The situation around them was simply too shocking. Everyone in this room are at the Profound Spiritual Realm¡­ Except for Kiron! And everyone here thinks that there is no one in the Profound Practitioner Realm who can beat them¡­ That¡¯s what they used to think. Upon seeing Kiron crush Rovo, they all lost some of their confidence. ¡°Kiron! There was no need to go so far!¡± The remaining 2 Hidden Snake Sect members came walking up to Kiron with enraged looks on their faces. Kiron turned his head towards them, ¡°Hey, have you forgotten what we all agreed on before the match?¡± Kiron tried his best to not laugh. He had pretty much predicted this result! ¡°We remember¡­ We¡¯re just here to pick up Rovo.¡± The Hidden Snake Sect members picked up Rovo¡¯s Green Axe, his arms and then they carried him away. Kiron who is at the Profound Practitioner Realm had just dominated someone at the Profound Spiritual Realm! Everyone were still trying to process what had just happened. Everyone had believed Kiron to be invincible within the Profound Practitioner Realm, but to defeat someone at the Profound Spiritual Realm? Everyone here had considered that an impossible thing! But Kiron had proved them all wrong just now! But while they were all amazed at Kiron¡¯s strength, they also felt that he was a bit too ruthless. Killing someone or cutting their arms off¡­ Sure, it¡¯s nothing new. Most of these disciples had either killed or harmed a person in such a manner before¡­ But to do it in a ¡®friendly¡¯ match in front of others? None would dare do that! ¡­ In a hidden room located above the gigantic room where Kiron was in. ¡°Incredible¡­ He actually cut that persons arms off! What an impressive youngster!¡± A middle aged man with silver hair said! ¡°My King, he might be the one to come out victorious in that place!¡± The man speaking just now was someone Kiron was familiar with. It is Kalan! The King looked at Kalan, ¡°How many times do I have to tell you to call me Lorai! We have been together since we were both kids, there¡¯s no reason for you to act like that when we¡¯re alone!¡± Lorai said with a smile on his face. Kalan nodded in agreement. ¡°But¡­ What if he refuses? We can¡¯t force him to enter that place.¡± Kalan said with a hint of worry in his voice. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. The winner of this tournament will be given the chance to marry my second daughter!¡± Lorai said with a sour face. He cared about his children, but he didn¡¯t want to be a father who marries his own daughter away for his personal benefits. It was obvious that he wanted to get Kiron on his good side! Anyone could see that Kiron would grow up to be someone strong! He might just become another Baroona! A person who stands on top of the world! Kalan¡¯s face turned sour, ¡°But¡­ Second Princess¡­ She would never agree to that! You know just how much she hates being forced into doing something she doesn¡¯t want to! ¡°I know¡­ That¡¯s why I¡¯m setting them up. If I can make it seem natural, then there won¡¯t be any problems! But of course, if it fails¡­ We can just hope that Kiron is willing to join us without marrying her.¡± Lorai said with a worrisome expression on his face. For him, the best case scenario would be that Kiron and Second Princess falls in love and gets married. Then Kiron would naturally become a part of their family! But if that fails¡­ Then all he can do is hope that he is able to befriend Kiron without relying on his daughter! ¡­ Kiron sat on the ground next to Shion, waiting for the tournament host to come and give them the information regarding the tournament. People were still discussing the events that had just happened. But now, no one dared get close to Kiron. Before, people had come up to him in hopes of befriending him¡­ But now they all believe that he is not someone you can easily get close to. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. A man stepped up on the stage, ¡°Welcome to the tournament hosted by Tranos! My name is Waile will be the host for this tournament!¡± Before giving out any details, ¡°This tournament will be done in groups of 2! You will all receive a partner who is assigned to you randomly!¡± Waile said in a loud voice. As Waile finished the sentence, someone came walking through the door carrying a table and 2 large boxes. ¡°Everyone form a line! You will all receive a random number.¡± Waile jumped down from the stage and got next to the table, ¡°There are 2 of every number, so if you get the number 150, then your partner will also have 150! After receiving your number, go look for your partner!¡± Waile said as he started handing out papers with numbers on them. ¡°Will I get a number as well?¡± Shion asked Kiron through their soul. Kiron looked at Shion who was standing next to him, ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ I will ask the tournament host once it¡¯s time for me to receive a number.¡± ¡°I was allowed to enter this room, so I think I should be able to receive a number¡­ But I don¡¯t want to end up with some random human!¡± Shion said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. He¡¯d rather just pair up with Kiron instead of some random person. Half a minute passed by and it was time for Kiron to receive a number. Waile drew a paper out of the box, ¡°Number 83.¡± He said with a loud voice. He already knew that this was Kiron¡¯s pre-determined number Kiron then asked, ¡°Hey, does Shion get a number as well?¡± Kiron asked with a hint of curiosity in his eyes. He knew Shion would just be bored out of mind if he didn¡¯t get to participate. ¡°Shion is bonded to you. The two of you counts as one, he will be with you.¡± Waile said with a friendly voice. The kingdom was already fully aware that Kiron hated it whenever someone said Soul Beast. So they had told everyone not to call Shion his Soul Beast, because that could only create bad relationships, which is not what they want. Kiron with a satisfied smile on his face nodded in agreement. People had already heard that Kiron was number 83, so they quickly expanded their efforts to find out who else got number 83. Pairing up with Kiron would be a great chance! But¡­ None of them managed to find out who got number 83. ¡­ A couple of minutes passed by. ¡°Number 83.¡± Waile said with a loud voice. Everyone turned their heads to look at the person who had drawn number 83! But their looks of curiosity turned into faces filled with shock ¡°The Second Princess!¡± Most of the disciples in here recognized this young girl. She was a genius in the Kingdom of Tranos. She 17 years old and already at the early stages of the Profound Spiritual Realm! The Second Princess was not someone easy to build relationships with! She usually kept to herself, and she rarely bothered speaking with others. Most people here had already seen here at some point, but none of the people who had seen her before had even heard her voice! Even princes from other kingdoms had come over in attempt to speak with her, but they were all shut down! Her looks were good enough to draw in people from all over! But in the end, all they could do was dream about what it would be like to end up with someone like her! Kiron looked at the Second Princess for a couple of seconds before turning his head back to Shion. He had already heard all rumors regarding the Second Princess, so he didn¡¯t bother his time thinking about her too much. He simply wasn¡¯t a man interested in finding love. All he cared about was strength! He does not want to waste his time on things he doesn¡¯t enjoy, and he always considered relationships to be a bad thing. The Second Princess walked up to Kiron and Shion, ¡°Hello. My name is Ariadne, it¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± People were staring at the scene with shocked expressions on their faces. Ariadne and Kiron are both people who purposely avoids socializing with those whom they are not close with, so just how is this situation going to escalate? Even Kiron who did not care about love at all couldn¡¯t help but admire her looks. She truly lives up to the rumors! ¡°My name is Kiron, and this is Shion. Nice to meet you.¡± Kiron bowed his head slightly as he spoke. Chapter 31 - Perfect Synergy I probably won''t be updating chapters on this site until I''ve written up to chapter 50 at least. If you don''t want to wait, then you can check out my site. TL;DR - No more chapters on this site until I''ve released ch. 50. Ariadne and Kiron didn¡¯t say much. They merely introduced themselves to each other, then they went back to being quiet. Kiron had earlier thought about the possibility that the Kingdom of Tranos wanted something from him, considering the fact that they had been treating him better than the others. He was not sure yet, but he didn¡¯t drop the thought from his head. ¡°Everyone should be ready by now. The first round of the tournament will start shortly, but first, I will explain the details of this first round!¡± Waile said as he walked up to the stage yet again. Kiron turned his head towards Waile, ¡°Hey Kiron, what do you think the first round is about?¡± Shion asked with a hint of curiosity in his voice. Shion liked these mysterious aspects of this tournament! ¡°¡­ You will find out in a couple of seconds¡± Kiron started laughing as he spoke. Shion truly was impatient. Kiron didn¡¯t mind though, he found it funny how Shion can be so impatient at times. Ariadne turned her head towards Kiron, she had a confused look on her face. Why would he start laughing out of the blue? She didn¡¯t realize that Kiron was communicating with Shion through their soul. ¡°Alright, now that everyone has gathered, it is time to announce the details of the first round!¡± Waile continued, ¡°The first round will be a maze run! You will all be sent into the maze at different times, and whoever reaches the center in the shortest amount of time will win the first round!¡± As he spoke, a large door located at the very end of the room opened up. ¡°But, there will also be Profound Beasts at the Profound Spiritual Stage in there! Reaching the center of the maze will take at least one day, so be prepared!¡± Waile said with a loud voice, allowing all the disciples to hear! ¡°Once you enter the maze you will find some hints as to where you should go next!¡± Waile said. It wouldn¡¯t be a good tournament if all you could do was rely on luck! ¡°You will all enter one minute after the previous group has entered! If you¡¯re number 60, then you will have to wait 60 minutes from now to enter!¡± Waile continued, ¡°Of course, if you¡¯re number 60, but number 1 finishes 5 minutes before you, you will still be ahead of number 1!¡± Waile finished explaining the rules. Just as everyone started walking towards the maze, ¡°What about attacking others? Is that allowed?¡± One of the disciples asked Waile. This naturally caught the attention of the other disciples. Knowing whether or not you need to watch out for attackers¡­ It can be useful information! ¡°Yes. Attacking others is allowed, but killing someone is not. If you do kill someone, then you will be expelled from this tournament.¡± Waile answered as he kept on walking towards the maze. Most people upon hearing this felt a bit of pressure, but knowing that there was a no-kill rule, they also felt a bit relieved. But there were some who smiled upon hearing this, Kiron was one of them! They arrived at the maze¡¯s entrance, ¡°Number 1, enter!¡± Waile said in a loud, decisive voice. The duo entered quickly upon hearing their number being called out. They did not want to waste any time! The faster they finish, the better! Kiron and Shion sat on the ground next to the entrance, talking about all sorts of things while waiting for their turn. ¡°Hey Kiron, how strong do you think I am compared to a Profound Beast at the Profound Spiritual Realm?¡± Shion had never fought someone at the Profound Spiritual Realm before, but he had sparred with Kiron many times! Kiron stared into the air for a couple of seconds before answering, ¡°I think¡­ You should be able to kill most of the ones at the early stages!¡± Kiron knew how strong Shion was, so he had no trouble determining his strength compared to the ones he had fought before! ¡°You should be able to kill Rovo and Naro!¡± Kiron was certain that Shion is stronger than Naro and Rovo. Even though Kiron and Shion had fought each other for practice a lot of times, Shion had always lost to Kiron! It was usually really close fights though. As Kiron and Shion were sitting on the ground and talking to each other, Ariadne came up to Kiron, ¡°Hey, we¡¯re the next ones to enter the maze. Be ready.¡± She said with a soft voice. Kiron got up on his feet and nodded in agreement as he heard Ariadne speak. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Number 83, enter!¡± Waile said out loud. It was now time for Kiron, Shion and Ariadne to enter! They walked through the entrance only to arrive at a large room! This room was filled with paths to all directions. There were 100 different doors in here! 50 of them on the left side and 50 of them on the right side! And the walls, floor and roof¡­ They were all made of a special kind of rock, making it almost impossible for anyone under the High Ranked Profound Spiritual Realm to break it! The Profound Spiritual Realm consists of 3 stages, Low, Mid and High! There are no 1 to 10 there. Kiron started walking around, looking for something, ¡°According to what Waile said earlier, there should be some hints around here that will tell us where to go!¡± Kiron said. But just as he was about to continue speaking he found something! ¡®The doors on the left side all leads to dangerous monsters while the doors on the right side leads to victory, choose with care.¡¯ Without waiting for Ariadne to read the message, Kiron started walking towards one of the entrances on the left side. He had already told Shion about what was written down there, so Shion followed without hesitation. ¡°¡­¡± Ariadne read the message, then she looked at the door where Kiron and Shion had gone. ¡°He might be strong, but he¡¯s not invincible.¡± She muttered to herself before she followed the path where Kiron and Shion had gone. She considers Kiron to be weak¡­ At least like he is right now. Profound Beasts at the Profound Spiritual Realm are stronger than humans at the Profound Spiritual Realm. The reason for that is simple, any human can enter the Profound Spiritual Realm by refining World Qi and cores, but Profound Beasts can only rely on natural talent to get there. A Wild Boar or a Silver Wolf has absolutely no chance of entering the Profound Spiritual Realm, it¡¯s simply impossible for them. ¡°But, I guess I¡¯ll help him out. If he were to become injured, or die¡­ Then that would be bad for me!¡± Ariadne¡¯s logic was simple! If Kiron couldn¡¯t participate anymore, then she would automatically be knocked out of the tournament, and that¡¯s not something she wants. She¡¯s aiming for victory! She took her time walking over to the room where the Profound Beast was located at. Even if Kiron could be injured or killed by the beast, it won¡¯t happen too fast. Besides, she wouldn¡¯t mind seeing him struggle a bit. She viewed Kiron as someone who overestimated their own abilities, so her impression of him was bad. Kiron and Shion had run at a fast pace, so they arrived long before Ariadne did! After running for what seemed like 15 minutes, they finally arrived at an exit! There was a medium sized door there. Kiron opened the door and entered the large room in front of him with Shion following behind him. But to their expectations, when they opened the door they encountered a gigantic Black Wolf! The Black Wolf was at least 10 times bigger than Shion! And it made Kiron seems like a small bug. ¡°Hey Kiron, I can fight with you right? Just like the time when we killed that 10th rank Mantis when we were still at the 6th rank!¡± Shion spoke with a hint of excitement in his voice! He really wanted to join Kiron for this fight! Kiron nodded, ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s try to kill this Black Wolf quickly! I want to get 1st place in this tournament!¡± Without hesitating, Kiron pulled out his Crimson Devourer and started running towards the Black Wolf. At the same time as Kiron pulled out his Crimson Devourer, Shion had already flown up into the air, and was preparing to attack from above! The Black Wolf had already discovered his presence, and was about to start its counterattack! But the only problem was that it didn¡¯t know who to attack! Shion who was coming from the air above it, or Kiron who was coming from the ground! It had already started with its back against the wall, so it couldn¡¯t move backwards! The Black Wolf ignored Kiron and jumped straight for Shion¡­ *Slash* What the Black Wolf didn¡¯t know was that Kiron possessed a terrifying amount of both strength and speed! He had cut the Black Wolf¡¯s throat with little effort! If it hadn¡¯t underestimated them, then it might have stood a chance¡­ But it chose to take on Shion, leaving itself completely defenseless in front of Kiron. Shion and Kiron¡¯s synergy in this also played a huge part! If Kiron was to fight alone against the Black Wolf, then he would¡¯ve struggled! But when they worked together they were able to take it out in only a couple of seconds! ¡°¡­¡± Ariadne arrived at the scene, only to see a dead Black Wolf! She had a shocked expression on her face, this was not what she had expected!