《Summon Me From The Demon World》


 Chapter 1 - Nyx

    Nyx blinked as the glimmering morning light pierced his eyelids and disturbed his peaceful slumber. His breathing accelerated, blood rushing with anticipation to his brain and purging the drowsy feeling immediately. It was a great day. His day.


    For weeks, he had observed his mother¡¯s attempts at hiding the preparations for his coming-of-age celebration. A smile tugged at his cheeks before a grin exposed the demon''s sharp teeth. Flexing his hands in the sunlight, he marveled at his dark gray skin turning to a crimson hue, his sharp white claws cracking menacingly.


    Finally, he would be considered a fully-fledged adult, a member of the Eternal Blossom Family, allowed to venture out into the world and reclaim memories of his past lives. Nyx threw on a black shirt with short sleeves and a pair of cloth pants, both woven from Xilix fibre and made by a sister of the Eternal Blossom Family for the household. He put away his sleeping futon after giving it a good shake. His small room was pristine.


    The wooden floor, decorated with alternating patterns of black Salix and white Tecoma wood, only carried Nyx¡¯s desk, a mess of papers thrown into disarray a little more with every studying session. A disorderly mess of bundled-up scrolls containing stories of being summoned to different worlds piled up against the wall in a risky fashion, threatening to expunge themselves over the floor at the slightest touch.


    They contained exploits of heroic cultivator demons and the powers they gained during their journey, as well as theoretical implications for cultivation and application to one¡¯s own growth.


    Nyx nodded to himself. Yes. Pristine. Nothing to clean here.


    He stealthily hushed out of his room, hoping to spot a few more preparations for his celebration, only to be promptly surprised by his little brother in the corridor.


    ¡°Nysch!¡±


    The three-year-old stumbled towards him, failing to pronounce the ¡®x.¡¯ Nyx retracted his claws subconsciously, protective of his sibling, and picked him up lovingly. ¡°Nyx,¡± he said, trying to correct the young demon.


    ¡°Nysch! Nysch!¡± the child exclaimed excitedly, his little hands touching the dark cheeks that had given Nyx his first name. It was tradition to name demons after birth based on their skin color. The dark gray and black hues, which he showcased in his youth, tended to invoke ¡®Nyx.¡¯ His skin had since then developed a crimson hue, especially during the daytime.


    Meanwhile, the light blue aquamarine color of his cute little brother, who now curiously pulled Nyx¡¯s ears, would invoke the name ¨C ¡°Azrx, don¡¯t cut me with your claws. I¡¯ll eat you,¡± Nyx protested, softly biting his little brother¡¯s arm, resulting in the little one squealing with joy.


    He must have snuck away from his mother, curious to explore. ¡°You want to explore?¡± Nyx asked the little rascal. ¡°Nysch! Paka!¡± Azrx added while slapping his forehead enthusiastically. He clearly enjoyed the sound it made. Nyx grinned at the suggestion. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he whispered, hurrying down the stairs with Azrx giggling, his tiny hands gripping his shirt.


    Nyx gestured for him to be quiet and made for the kitchen through the great entrance hall. Stairs led into every corner of the Eternal Blossom House, and he let his bare feet stride across the polished andesite stone floor, stealthily concealing as much of his movement along the walls as possible to not be spotted by unsuspecting passersby. With great haste, he strode into the dining hall, avoiding the creaking sound of the white Tecoma floor by stepping on the decorative stone mosaics that broke up the floor pattern and adorned the walls of the empty room.


    His little brother¡¯s breath was raised in anticipation, but he showed enough discipline to make no sound.


    Within seconds, Nyx was peeking around the corner of the kitchen entrance, his mother humming a melody as she prepared dozens of Vigen fruits¡ªplants that could be harvested year-round, producing a starch-filled, mud-brown fruit with a round, beige, and rather tasteless core. However, mixed with spice and meat, it could be fashioned into a delightful meal. The ovens bellowed, and boiling water covered the sound of the two unsuspecting thieves as Azrx pointed at the solid polished stone slab that formed the kitchen counter.


    Holding his brother carefully, Nyx used the opportunity to slide a short way across the kitchen floor, ending in a sitting motion, hidden behind the counter. His eyes gestured towards Azrx before he raised his brother¡¯s body to peek above the counter.


    The little rascal immediately used the opportunity to grab as many Paka cookies as his hands could carry, dropping two of them down to Nyx in the process.


    ¡°Nyx, don¡¯t give your brother so many Paka; we are having dinner later.¡±


    Defeated by the sensitive ears of his mother, Nyx sheepishly rose to his feet, his brother¡¯s face already twisted in horror at the notion of having to give away his newfound treasure.


    Nyx kissed his adorable brother¡¯s cheek and whispered, ¡°We¡¯ll try again later.¡± He let Azrx enjoy at least one Paka cookie and returned the rest to the counter. ¡°Yes, matriarch.¡±


    His mother chuckled and turned away from her work. Her hands were still pristine, despite clearly having worked on the messy Vigen fruits just seconds ago. Her long white hair flowed down her shoulders, parting at her forehead to reveal a youthful appearance. Demons were blessed with ageless immortality. The matriarch, having lived for over a thousand years, showcased her experience only through her hair.


    It was a symbol of pride and prestige to have fully white hair. Demonic Ascended, they called them. She had been on hundreds of adventures and was mother to hundreds of immortal children and leader of the Eternal Blossom Clan.


    She caressed his cheek gently. ¡°My, how you have grown.¡± Her eyes glinted with sadness and pride. ¡°They always grow so fast,¡± she sighed, eyeing him melancholically, before interrupting his little brother, who was going rogue for a second cookie. The Eternal Blossom Clan Matriarch made the little demon levitate back to the stone floor, his grip strength on the cookie not strong enough to claim it as a prize. ¡°Azrx, go wake up your sister, then you can have another one.¡±


    With that, the tiny legs of the blue demon hurriedly carried him out of the cooking area.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Anything you want for today?¡± his mother asked, fixing his apparently messy hair by lovingly combing through it with her claws. ¡°It¡¯s your special day.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s the Matriarch cooking, everything will be good,¡± Nyx said sheepishly.


    ¡°Aw, you.¡± His mother drew him close and kissed him on his cheek. ¡°Go, do some work. The Kukar plants need milking. Some of the cubs are strolling around trying to get into the chicken coops.¡± She ruffled his hair. ¡°It¡¯s better messy. That suits you better.¡±


    Nyx grabbed a single Paka cookie and enjoyed the sweet taste of the complex dough, soaked in Kukar milk for weeks before being baked with a hint of salt. If he ever developed a taste for cooking, he would have to ask his mother how to make them.


    When he exited the front door, his father connected to him telepathically. ¡°Nyx, could you take care of the Horned Rabbits today? One of your brothers came to visit late last night, and we have much to discuss.¡±


    Nyx¡¯s shoulders sank. His father had a real talent for finding him work when he least wanted it. At least it wasn¡¯t cleaning. He hated cleaning. And another thing irked him:


    The question was rather rhetorical. Nyx did not have the ability to answer through his mind like his long-lived father had. So far, his demonic bloodline had only exposed a small affinity for shapeshifting. Barely enough to retract his claws or change his appearance slightly. However, the prospect of talking to one of his brothers who had regained their memory of the Eternal Blossom Family made Nyx giddy with anticipation.


    How old was he when he regained them? What stories would he have to tell? Would he share tales of his summonings? His parents refused to share their stories about that, which was a real shame. Maybe he could get his returned brother to make them share some? Eternal Blossom Family members had to stick together after all. Nyx glanced back at the innocent-looking, tiny farmstead that was the clan¡¯s domain.


    From the outside, the tiny farmhouse of the Eternal Blossom Clan looked unassuming, yet looks were deceiving. The inside was enlarged to a frightening degree, most of which Nyx had never even explored. A visiting sister of the clan had once told him that there were over four hundred rooms, hidden in an ever-growing maze of long-winded staircases and hallways. Yet, his mother always seemed to find him in mere seconds when he ventured off and got lost.


    He found that the chicken coops were safe and sound, even with the two young bronzetooth curbears gnawing at the edges. The protective enchantment would not yield to the strength even a hundred adult curbears could muster. Not that a hundred adult curbears would be a huge threat. At least, not the bronzetooth curbears. When fully grown, they barely reached a height of 25 to 30 centimeters. The cubs barely reached 15. Nyx chuckled at their efforts.


    Cute little furballs they were. And marvelous creatures for generating wool. As long as they were well-fed, they grew their thick fur up to 10 centimeters in all directions before they got tired of it and shed it voluntarily, provided it was warm enough. In the deep winter, they preferred to sleep and only woke up to drink.


    He picked up the two complaining critters and dropped them off in the barn before raising the 40-centimeter-high wooden barrier that prevented the furballs from escaping. Nyx wiped down his clothes, freeing himself from hair.


    When he turned the corner, a familiar green-skinned individual was already hard at work. His twelve-year-old sister Verx was taking care of the Kukar plants, extracting the thick and sweet light blue liquid that could be turned into many delicacies. It was unsurprising to find her choosing the chores she loved the most. She had a real sweet tooth.


    The gigantic plants towered under the barn¡¯s roof, lowering their swelling, green liquid pods. Kukar plants could be quite dangerous in the wild. Aside from their liquid pods, which they used to preserve nutrition for hard times, they grew snap traps¡ªjaw-like maws that caught everything their size could handle with astonishing precision. When domesticated, it was simple enough to cut the snap traps when they grew beyond what one would be comfortable with, and they made for a great source of sugar.


    Nyx backed off stealthily. He could not help but be a little bit gleeful. If his sister wanted to handle a part of his chores, he would not complain.


    So, he took the long way around the house, picking up four more cubs that were playing with each other and dropping them off at the barn. Grabbing a sack of Briga, a sort of black-grained wheat, he headed out beyond the Eternal Blossom Family house.


    An innocent-looking wooden fence protected the perimeter, spanning all around the farmstead. However, it was anything but. Powerful enchantments ensured that no creature other than a demon would enter their domain. A giant torii gate marked the entrance, engraved with hundreds of names of the children who had returned to the Eternal Blossom Clan. Fittingly, the wood was a hue that resembled cherry blossoms. Though, Nyx knew how little Pakira trees had to do with the innocent cherry trees he often found in his stories.


    Passing through the exit, where trees blocked the view of the farmstead on all sides, the landscape widened up. A valley between large, evergreen hills, covered in golden Briga wheat and broad roads constructed on top of a roughly 2-meter-tall wall that was 5 meters wide, stretched throughout it. The golden color surprised Nyx. They had been green just two days ago! All the sunlight of the recent days had done wonders for the crop.


    He also spotted a large wooden cart on the side of the road next to the entrance. Likely his brother¡¯s. Maybe he had a spirit companion that had carried it? He would have to ask him later.


    The thought accelerated his pace, and he quickly dropped off the wheat in the small watermill next to the cage with the horned rabbits and grabbed a sickle to cut some fresh grass. He had worked up quite a sweat by the time the grain was finished milling, and the horned beasts, which grew to the size of 60 centimeters, were already working their way through the first batch of grass he dropped.


    Now he would deliver the flour to his mother, pick up his little brother, and then head down into the family crypt below to see what his father was up to.


    It was exciting to have visitors. The Eternal Blossom Clan was far too quiet otherwise. And his father always found work for him to do when he voiced his boredom.


    His pace accelerated once more, stopping when he arrived at the torii gate. Something curious was rolling around in front of the barrier¡ªa little furball. Nyx dropped the flour and inspected the little guy. He was clearly trying to get inside, but the barrier denied him. How did he get outside?


    ¡°Little buddy, you will have to explain yourself.¡± Nyx sighed and went to pick the cub up.


    Just as he was about to touch it, the black fur changed into a black, oozing liquid, and a spike shot out of its center directly aimed at his hand. A mimic. And a really tall mimic. The tooth crashed against his retracted claws, only scratching his skin slightly, and Nyx disengaged.


    This had to be the biggest mimic he had ever seen. They tended to grow well in a pond nearby the horned rabbit enclosure, feasting on insects and digesting them while hidden as stones. His father cleaned them out of the pond every year, as they could grow to be quite the plague over time.


    Nyx flexed his claws and engaged the black ooze, which was slowly transforming into a piece of wood. Mercilessly, he dashed through another attack that failed to even penetrate his shirt and crushed the mimic core between his sharp claws. What he did not expect, however, was how extreme the death of a mimic this size actually would be.


    The black ooze exploded with much more force than the tiny black creatures he had seen so far, covering him from head to toe in black polymorphic fluid. Nyx knew from experience that the fluid would just dissipate into water over time, as the mimic core no longer provided it with signals, but it was still gross. He stripped the drenched shirt from his body and approached the wagon. Surely his brother would not mind if he left it here to dry?


    Then the sideboard of the wagon moved.


    Before Nyx could even react, he gazed into the maw of a mimic one hundred times the size of the one he had just killed. He turned to run, but the surprise predator was quicker. Hundreds of teeth tore into his upper arm, and a quick sideways motion ripped the demon¡¯s arm clean off below the shoulder.


    Nyx got thrown off the road against a tree, where the impact made him lose consciousness.

 Chapter 2 - Burning Blood

    When Nyx came to his senses, there was a loud pounding sound in his head. Not just his head. His entire body pulsated heavily. As he opened his eyes and stared at the space where his right arm used to be, the rhythmically squirting blood made him realize that it was his heartbeat. He must have passed out briefly when the mimic threw him.


    The black creature, partly still consisting of wooden wagon pieces, crunched down on his arm repeatedly, the sound haunting Nyx¡¯s ears. Then came the pain. It suddenly radiated through his entire body, blood rushing to his brain, filling him with a single emotion: rage.


    His first instinct was to rise to his feet, grabbing the polymorphic fluid-covered shirt and pressing it against his stump, the pain sending another wave of demonic rage through his system. His fist clenched into his shirt as he tried to deny himself a charge into the maw that was currently disassembling his arm with disgusting noises.


    Blood seeped through the cloth, making Nyx painfully aware of his new problem. The mimic was right between him and the safety of the Eternal Blossom Clan¡¯s protective barrier, with a clear blood trail leading directly to him. Mimics hunted through smell and the feel of vibrations.


    Nyx was sure that he could outrun a mimic. His eyes darted left and right. Through the woods, over the fence? Did the fence always have this dark a color? Was that dead tree close to the fence another mimic? Had this boulder always been there?


    His heart pounded as the blood loss slowly made Nyx dizzy. The mimic had finished ripping his right arm apart and was moving quickly along the blood trail. There was no time.


    Nyx threw his shirt as hard as he could past the mimic. The shirt did not land nearly as far away as he had hoped, the missing right arm and clear exhaustion ruining his throwing motion. He stumbled and fell forward, the mimic reacting to the thrown object with several tooth spikes skewering the air.


    Nyx¡¯s left hand caught his fall, skidding through the gravel road and scraping his hands in the process. Blood trickled down his side. Slower than before. Not a good sign. Nyx tried to run to the left, past the mimic, and hop over the fence. Three steps into his run, his rage had dissipated and made way for a deep drowsiness. Nyx¡¯s run crawled to a slow walk despite his best efforts. Had the torii gate always been this tall?


    His peripheral vision faded as well, giving way to darkness. He could hear the mimic nearby. It felt close, yet his legs refused to move properly. He tried to hit them with his remaining arm. Huh? When did they get this bloody? Why did it feel so cold?


    Then he reached the torii gate, stumbling forward, scraping his knees on the gravel, and landing on his chest. He was too slow to cover his face. Barely registering the pain, Nyx just felt tired. Was he safe now? Was he inside? Now he just had to rest a moment, catch his breath and call for help. Trying to make himself heard, he barely managed a coarse whisper. His chest felt tight.


    Then a sharp pain impacted his ankle, overriding his thought process with raw pain again. He could not feel his shoulder or the pain of scraping through the gravel as he was dragged outside by the mimic that had apparently pierced his exposed foot. It had been outside the barrier.


    Nyx cursed himself. Idiot. He mustered his last bit of strength, flexed his left hand¡¯s claws, and turned toward the mimic to potentially strike its core through sheer luck.


    His right eye lost vision. His left eye could only spot the black maw of teeth, attached to a wooden wheel, while the mimic¡¯s tentacle kept his body pinned in place. There was nothing to strike at. No opportunity presented itself. Only a cold maw closing on a failing body, the mimic mercilessly taking a huge bite out of his midsection.


    His chest felt heavy. Crushed. Liquid filled his mouth; his body twitched, and the pain followed moments later. It was brief. Then he felt nothing.


    <hr>


    Nyx stood naked and unharmed in a white and empty space. He flexed his restored limb in unbelieving comfort. Had he died? Was this the space one¡¯s soul inhabited before reincarnation?A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Fog hindered his vision at first, but parted to reveal a set of broad stairs. He suddenly remembered something his father had once said when Nyx had heard about the death of his older brother, who had died a few years after leaving the Eternal Blossom Clan.


    ¡°Nyx, death is just the next journey. You will be born to other parents who try their best to raise you well and send you out into the world. Then you will encounter others, share challenges with them, improve and learn and fight and laugh. Eventually, you will remember your past lives. Remember your former parents, your brothers and sisters. And so will they. You will be separated, and it is sad. But in time, you will meet again. Now, here. Have a Paka cookie.¡±


    Nyx started to climb the cold stone stairs. He would have to meet his mother again. Ask her about the recipe for the cookies. And meet his little brother. On second thought¡­ If he was reborn, he would be the younger brother this time. Nyx chuckled to himself. He would always be the younger brother. He would just pretend to be older still.


    The stairs gave way to a giant royal hallway. Red carpet was laid above polished black granite tiles. Walls, half hidden in white fog, showed countless banners of demonic clans. One of them resembled the Eternal Blossom Clan. Before Nyx could ponder the meaning of the symbols and runes, he felt a sharp aura radiate down the hallway.


    It was a feeling very familiar to him. The rage he felt radiating through his veins when he stood against the mimic was now rushing through him, suppressing him, breaking his willingness to fight, making every step forward a challenge of will. He felt¡­ fear.


    Yet he pressed on forward. Slowly, like walking against a strong gust of wind, he worked his way forward, the pressure increasing.


    Then he stood before another set of stairs. When Nyx looked up into the bright, burning red eyes of an Elder Demon, the aura made him stop entirely.


    He made for an imposing figure. Clad in pitch-black metal armor, a skillfully crafted plate helmet was stylized in the shape of a phoenix, the red wings clashing with the charcoal metal underneath. Long, white hair fell from his shoulders, and a fierce gaze prevented Nyx from losing eye contact.


    His heart hammered in his chest, the pulsating sound heavy in his ears. Memories of the mimic flashed before his eyes. How tiny it now felt. It was like comparing a mere pebble to a cliff.


    The demon¡¯s form changed to that of a woman, the armor adapting its shape alongside it, revealing a demonic queen, adorned with a diadem of metal, clad in a revealing black dress. The red skin color changed its hue to a darker shade of blue. Then, impossibly, there were two of them, both radiating the same aura, as if the rules of the material world did not apply to them. Even their eyes changed color. Slowly, they drifted from red to a calculating violet.


    ¡°You are rather eager to claim your gift.¡±


    Nyx did not register them speaking; their tone blended together as one. Half slap to the face, half friendly embrace. When he tried to open his mouth, he felt that he couldn¡¯t.


    Was this the Ancestor of Demons? The most powerful entity of demonkind?


    The warrior tapped his forehead with two fingers.


    The cold metal touch of the blackened gauntlets was the last thing he felt.


    <hr>


    Nyx felt a burning sensation flaring through his body, originating from his right cheekbone. It radiated through his battered body, rousing his demonic blood to burn. Flames burst forth through his skin, making the surprised mimic retract its maw from his midsection. The flames felt familiar. Powerful. His body was burning, his pants were cleansed of blood, dirt, and polymorphic fluid.


    Yellow and orange flames danced on his dark red skin, giving the appearance of a colorful sunrise. This burning sensation coursed through his veins, restoring his injuries, burning away the excess of blood he had spilled, and Nyx felt his arm regrowing with a speed that invigorated him to rise to his feet with a scream. The mimic, having retreated, switched to coiling its teeth into black springs of tendrils, soon to be launched toward Nyx.


    The flames burned away scrapes, restored bones and tissue, and within seconds, Nyx flexed his right hand¡¯s claws just as well as his left hand¡¯s. The flames flared meters high, energy giving way to rage as mimic tendrils pushed toward him, making mimic teeth shatter against his burning body.


    This disgusting little thing had killed him. Nyx wanted to rip it apart piece by piece.


    He stepped forward and his overabundant energy catapulted his body forward, and the burst of momentum carried him through it. He felt as if he could rip a tree appart with his bare hands. The mimic had been parted into two pieces, burning and screeching as half of it dissipated into black polymorphic fluid.


    Nyx carefully walked toward it, barely able to control his newfound power. When he flexed his claws, they tore deep gashes into the mimic¡¯s body from a distance, laying bare the light blue mimic¡¯s core.


    Its teeth jolted forward again, trying to defend itself, unable to pierce the demon¡¯s skin. Nyx rammed his claws into the core, cracking it in the process, and ripped it out of the smoldering remains of the screeching shapeshifter.


    Oddly enough, he enjoyed the sound.

 Chapter 3 - Grace of Undying

    The power coursing through Nyx¡¯s veins left him as quickly as it had appeared. The boundless energy faded as the burning flames subsided, leaving him feeling starved. His stomach rumbled loudly as Nyx stretched.


    The area was covered in black polymorphic fluid, consisting largely of water and the mimic''s inherent shapeshifting essence, which slowly absorbed into the dirt. It was satisfying to watch it disappear.


    The flames had burned the dirt, blood, and grime from his body, leaving him oddly spotless after this struggle for survival. Aside from a growing feeling of hunger, Nyx felt great.


    A gentle breeze of fresh air carried the scent of wet moss and resinous pine needles. He could hear the continuous gurgling of the nearby spring that joined the stream near the watermill and the chirping of birds throughout the woodlands. His senses felt heightened, and even his vision felt more vibrant, though Nyx had difficulty knowing whether this feeling came from an actual improvement or if he had just gone delirious from hunger.


    The dream, which had been etched into his mind, was now quickly fading. The details of what their faces had looked like or what it had felt like to stand in their presence were now vague and difficult to describe. Gone, just like his newfound power. Was it a power he had in his previous life? Would he be able to reproduce it once he remembered fully? Was this how his mother and father always felt?


    Nyx had underestimated how good this would feel and had largely planned to cultivate to make his parents and the Eternal Blossom Clan proud. But he could get used to this. Power like this was worth it in itself.


    With a thunderous growl, his stomach protested further thinking and demanded that Nyx move on.


    His xilix shirt was ruined; the mimic had torn it apart in multiple places, so he used it as a carrying bag for the core of the large mimic, the various scattered mimic teeth that had not shattered against his empowered body, as well as the remnants of the broken core of the smaller mimic.


    Shouldering the sack of briga flour, Nyx passed the threshold of the torii gate, a survivor.


    Everything seemed beautifully peaceful. The curbear cubs struggling against the barricade of the barn, the clucking of the chickens as they picked through the grass inside the ever-so-slowly moving chicken coop. Nyx eyed some objects suspiciously; the habit would likely stay with him for a while as his growing hunger added to his discomfort.


    Then his younger sister Verx passed the corner, a large wooden bucket in her arms. She struggled mightily with carrying it, the bucket as large as her torso.


    Nyx put down his things and hurried to help her before any accident might spill the contents all over the yard. ¡°Let me help you. Verx, I told you not to make it so full,¡± Nyx complained as he saw the liquid almost overflow with every small step she took. However, taking it off her hands made it feel a lot lighter than it usually did. ¡°I¡¯ll carry it. How are the kukar?¡±


    The green-skinned demon scoffed, caught between protesting that she did not need his help and reprimanding him for not helping sooner. Then her eyes wandered over Nyx¡¯s body, and she settled on a third option. ¡°Why are you not wearing a shirt? Pervert!¡± she called out and continued to slap his bare upper body and poke his sides in an effort to make him squeal and drop the bucket.


    Her harassment did not have the desired effect. Verx¡¯s attacks felt much more muted, and he could not help but smile at the absurdity of his situation. He had died just minutes ago. Almost died? It felt strange, as he remembered losing his arm and being torn open by the mimic, but his completely healed condition made it feel like a daydream.


    ¡°Stop it. My shirt is all torn up. I can¡¯t wear it,¡± he complained as he weakly kicked in her general direction. His defensive move was immediately evaded and countered with more poking. Then the scent of the kukar milk wafted up to his nose, and his aching stomach gave him a sharp urge to eat¡ªto drink this disgustingly light pink juice raw. Right here. Right now.


    Nyx hated kukar milk. It was far too sweet, the consistency was odd, and everything made from the milk tasted so much better than the raw product.


    Yet here he was, raising the bucket to his mouth and tilting it to drink from it.


    ¡°Wha¡ªWhat are you doing? It¡¯s not even strained yet,¡± his sister protested.


    But the allure of nutrition was too strong. Nyx¡¯s stomach happily welcomed anything. Even as he felt the coarse and grainy parts that were commonly part of raw kukar milk flood his mouth and stick to his teeth, and his taste buds could only taste the overwhelmingly sweet liquid, he kept drinking. Hungry as he was, this liquid was the best thing he had ever tasted.


    Verx eyed him with furrowed brows and squinted her eyes, observing her brother in his strange act. Now that she looked more closely, his pants were missing a large chunk at his left ankle and at the back of his right thigh.


    Even more curiously, had he grown taller? ¡°You look different,¡± the cheeky green demon finally declared.


    Nyx finally stopped obliging his urges and lowered the bucket, still almost fully filled. He looked at his sister curiously. ¡°I look different?¡±


    She nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Yes, yes. You are¡ªyou are taller now, and¡ª¡± She hesitated. ¡°Your eyes are dark red now. Not black like before. And there¡¯s something on your face.¡± She squinted again, while Nyx just shrugged and carried on.


    ¡°Wait. You pervert! Oh! Ohhh! And your horns have grown a bit!¡± She exclaimed, jumping up and slapping his forehead near the location where horns usually grew. ¡°Is it because of your coming-of-age? That¡¯s so cool.¡±


    Nyx had never shown any sign of growing horns. It wasn¡¯t too rare a phenomenon, but only one in every 50 demons grew them. Far fewer grew them when they were younger. Horns grew with age.


    The immediate image in his head was one of fierce black horns that he could use to ram into his enemies with a headbutt. That reality quickly shattered as his fingers moved over a pair of stumps, barely larger than a fingernail.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Verx kept jumping around him, poking him, and speculating about growing her own horns. It felt like any other day until his bundled-up belongings reminded him that this incident had indeed happened.


    The simple-looking front door of the Eternal Blossom Estate was unassuming, yet the slight touch that Nyx applied to a decorative ornament instantly teleported him and his sister down into the estate''s basement. The brief sensation of falling lasted only a moment, and the cool air of a shadowy hall welcomed them.


    Here, hundreds of autonomous stone statues stood at the ready to receive goods. Nyx handed off the bucket and added to the abundance of enchanted storage containers that held years¡¯ worth of harvests and perishable goods stored for centuries.


    The Eternal Blossom Estate could have housed all of its 478 children, if they returned, for decades to come. However, most chose to add to this growing collection with their skills rather than deplete it. There were thousands of barrels of kukar milk alone, the steady harvest of each generation adding to a growing stockpile.


    Nyx and Verx teleported back to the front door. There were a dozen other locations one could go through this door: great crafting halls for alchemy and furnaces for smelting tools and weapons; workbenches aided by golem assistants; vast libraries filled with books on how to enchant and inscribe; knowledge of foreign worlds captured in diaries and research papers; and a lot of fiction, recounting the exploits of great demonic heroes in foreign lands.


    The thought made Nyx want to venture out into the world rather than read. He yearned for adventure.


    Verx dashed ahead into the dining hall, loudly exclaiming that Nyx had grown horns, to the laughter of their father upon hearing it. His little brother immediately came running out of the room on his wobbly legs with a curious look on his face.


    Before he could even react, Nyx had already scooped him up and walked with him back into the dining hall, the little demon curiously poking at his horn stumps.


    Nyx felt his stomach protesting again as the smell of fresh bread and meat made his mouth water. The large table, which could be extended to fit hundreds, had shrunk to just the size to fit a few people. His father sat at the head of the table, a demon with light purple skin to his right, and his sister on the other side. ¡°Azrk, have you said hello to our brother?¡± Nyx asked the little demon.


    ¡°Mm. Nosch yasch,¡± he confirmed and pointed at the purple demon. Nyx smiled and walked to shake his hand. ¡°Brother. I am Nyx. 476th Brother of the Eternal Blossom Clan.¡± He was deeply curious to ask him questions about topics his parents did not like to discuss.


    His outstretched arm was promptly locked in a warrior¡¯s greeting. ¡°Nox¡¯Yanxiou. 91st Brother of the Eternal Blossom Clan. Got my memories back a few weeks ago. Our little brother told me all about you,¡± he said, poking Azrx¡¯s cheek. ¡°It¡¯s your coming-of-age day? I¡¯ll gift you something, then.¡± He studied him closely with a bright smile before his expression took on a sorrowful note. ¡°When did it happen?¡± Yanxiou gestured at his own right cheek.


    Suddenly, Nyx felt his father''s sharp gaze on him, and his influence spread through the room like a wet blanket. It only happened for a brief instant, but it garnered everyone¡¯s absolute attention.


    His father gestured for Nyx to take a seat next to Yanxiou with his brother. The patriarch, second only to the matriarch, had a complex expression as he observed the shirtless demon. Nyx knew he should have gone and changed briefly before joining them. Then his father voiced his suspicion. ¡°It happened today.¡±


    ¡°Today? But there isn¡¯t anything¡ª¡± Nox¡¯Yanxiou raised his doubts with eyes wide open. His brows furrowed, and his body language grew tense. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be anything around here that could pose a threat. What happened?¡±


    Nyx unfolded the destroyed black xilix shirt he was carrying and showcased its contents while explaining what had happened to him. His father¡¯s face grew from alert to concerned, and by the time Nyx had finished telling his story, the patriarch showed a hint of pride.


    Then his mother joined, and after a quick gesture from his father, she almost dropped a plate of food, swarming all over him, checking his vitals and health. She loaded a ton of food onto his plate, urging him to eat and withdrew a fresh xilix shirt from her storage ring while Nyx told the story a second time.


    Apparently, the burning sensation he had felt on his cheek had left a permanent golden mark there¡ªa fine line no longer than a fingernail and about as broad as a shoelace. It would permanently mark his face as someone who had defied death itself.


    ¡°What is this mark? What does it mean?¡± Nyx asked with concern, his and his younger sister¡¯s attentive gazes firmly rooted on their father, while Azrx exploited the opportunity to wrestle a paka cookie from underneath Nyx¡¯s arm.


    The patriarch nodded sagely and proceeded to create an illusionary projection above the dinner table, made of different colors of light, while the rest of the room darkened with a gesture from Nox¡¯Yanxiou. He had a big smile on his face; apparently, it was not the first time he had heard this story.


    ¡°The original world of demonkind is called the Demonic Realm. Our great ancestor witnessed our world¡¯s destruction by a great catastrophe, fleeing to this world, where he rebuilt. It is his goal to bring back all the lost souls through the cycle of reincarnation and unite demonkind once more.¡±


    The projection showed the destruction of a city in brief flashes before a shadowy figure opened a portal and helped others flee. Then it showcased a land uninhabited: evergreen hills and valleys, and the efforts of demons as they built houses and cities Nyx had never seen before.


    Nyx was reminded of his dream. Had he encountered a vision of the Demon Ancestor?


    ¡°A lot of energy is required to shield us away from our enemy, so our great ancestor devised a plan to harvest souls from other worlds. Every once in a while, a demon is chosen and summoned to serve. It is a noble but dangerous adventure, full of possibilities of death. And this practice is ensuring the peace and prosperity we live in today.¡±


    His father continued to show his own memories: volunteering for a summoning, arriving in a foreign world. Adventure and battle, success and setbacks. And then showing the souls, the price of the summoning, being brought back into their world, fueling a giant barrier stretching across the entire continent demonkind inhabited.


    Nyx nodded. This much he had known. Every story he had read had dealt with the noble purpose of serving everyone¡¯s peace by getting summoned. A responsibility every demon carried. One that he would carry soon.


    ¡°While death only keeps us away from home for a while, as reincarnation takes time, there is one foe that can truly threaten us.¡±


    The projection showed a terrifying abomination of steel and golden fire. Its light radiated, reducing entire cities to rubble, with white wings that carried it swiftly toward more destruction.


    ¡°Angels. Their fire can burn our very soul. They cut right through the chain of reincarnation. The only true death that demons can find in this world. They are rarely encountered and even more rarely slain.¡±


    His father made the projection fade away after the abomination cut through a symbolic chain, and he fixed his gaze on Nyx.


    ¡°But every once in a while, they are. Killing them grants you a gift. A gift that forever alters your soul. Once reborn, it will protect you from your first death by restoring your body and mind and borrowing power beyond your abilities.¡±


    The patriarch reached out to Nyx and caressed his cheek with a look of sadness and pride in her deep blue eyes. ¡°You died today, Nyx. You are a Slayer of Angels.¡± Her thumb followed the golden streak that would forever mark him.


    ¡°And you were reborn through this Grace of Undying.¡±

 Chapter 4 - Brother Nox’Yanxiou

    As the matriarch took her seat next to her husband, she lazily waved her hand, commanding half a dozen golems to appear. The slim stone constructs made no sound, gliding across the floor effortlessly into the kitchen, where they gathered plates filled with various foods, as well as drinks: fried chicken with thin vigen slices that had been roasted, bread and cheese, and various hard sausages, cut into small pieces and impaled on toothpicks.


    Nyx hastily stored away his destroyed shirt, which carried his loot, when the golems arrived with drinks.


    Refined kukar milk that had been strained of impurities and enhanced by various spices was served alongside various blends of tea and ice-cold varieties of both, refined with sour and bitter herbs.


    Crystal-clear water, elaborate elixirs containing alcohol, and various drinks spiked with a diverse range of honey and nectar¡ªall possible combinations Nyx could think of were available; his mother had mastered the art of cooking for centuries.


    While Nyx pondered the implications of his Grace of Undying, he absentmindedly picked his favorite drink, a black tea blend to which he added sour leaves. He much preferred this taste over the heavy, sweet flavors his sister enjoyed. Azrx did not seem to agree; his little brother had insisted on trying the drink as well, and Nyx chuckled as his face twisted against the sour taste.


    All in all, there was not much to speculate about. He had killed an Angel in a prior life, so he would remember it at some point. Even if he died tomorrow, he would be reborn, age and remember then. His parents had once explained this to him, but now he fully understood that death was really just the next journey.


    He had already worked his way through most of the meat that his mother had quickly piled onto his plate. Nyx¡¯s progress was fast, his hunger spurring him on to eat while feeding his little brother, who was happy to help. The table settled into a more cheerful mood as everyone complimented the matriarch¡¯s cooking and offered their thanks.


    Dinners like these were rare. The Eternal Blossom Clan leaders preferred to bring their children up in an environment that was not full of luxury. Every family member grew up in moderate wealth, toiling for their own food and drinks and only enjoying luxurious foods or the comfort of servants a few times a year.


    As the conversation turned to his sister reporting on her chores of the day, Nyx grew suspicious. His hunger was not subsiding; in fact, he barely felt full at all. How was it possible that he could eat four large steaks, drink all that kukar milk just minutes before dinner, and still feel like he could do it all over again?


    ¡°Why am I so hungry?¡± Nyx exclaimed, half to himself, half in complaint, while picking a bowl of rice and some noodles to hopefully address his never-ending hunger.


    His father, who had sat back in silent contemplation for a while, stood with a glass of Ember Blossom Cider, tiny specks of flame dancing on the drink¡¯s surface as he raised it in Nyx¡¯s direction. The patriarch¡¯s gaze was burdened with the weight of responsibility. There was a weight to his words that belied his usually casual and parental demeanor. The matriarch grabbed his hand in support.


    ¡°It is a grave oversight of mine,¡± he declared as his gaze swept across the table. ¡°To have lost myself so deeply in a sense of security that my negligence has allowed a monster to wander into our midst and ambush one of my children.


    ¡°The responsibility of guarding our territory against all creatures lies with me, and had it not been for my son''s great legacy, I would have to mourn another child dying before they were made an adult member of our Eternal Blossom Clan.¡± He raised his glass towards Nyx before emptying it with a proud and regretful gaze.


    The patriarch''s fingers tightened around his wife''s hand, remembering an incident long past. ¡°I will tighten our formations, fortify them anew, and ensure that something like this will never happen again.¡± Then he moved on to address Nyx¡¯s question. ¡°As for why you are so hungry¡­ You lost an entire arm and part of your body when you were attacked today. Your gift restored them, but the energy for that recovery did not appear out of thin air. You borrowed energy, and now your body is demanding it back.¡±


    Nyx bowed slightly in his father''s direction. ¡°Thank you, patriarch, but the fault lies entirely with me. Had I been more attentive, my death might have been avoided. I do not blame anyone but myself.¡± Then a peculiar thought invaded his mind, and he grinned, trying to lighten the mood. ¡°So that means today I can literally eat an arm and a leg from all these delicious options without growing full? How can I be mad at that?¡±


    His mother chuckled at that. ¡°Not the worst day to receive such a blessing, is it? To receive it just before your coming-of-age celebration?¡± While she was clearly not fully serious and saddened that this had happened under their watch, Nyx appreciated her supporting his effort to ease the patriarch''s guilt.


    His father nodded. ¡°Once you have replenished yourself, the hunger will subside.¡± With a burdened smile, he continued, ¡°So, let us all celebrate Nyx¡¯s coming-of-age. Let us feast and enjoy each other''s company before you leave the Eternal Blossom Estate and spread our family name, like so many before you.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Brother Nox¡¯Yanxiou was the first to applaud and nod approvingly before giving a toast to Nyx. ¡°I remember my own coming-of-age celebration. Our patriarch had gifted me a beautiful recurve bow. I still remember how devastated I was when it broke, years later.¡±


    His smile remained frozen as if he took a moment to step back into that particular memory. ¡°Being part of the Eternal Blossom Clan is a great honor. Our upbringing teaches us about our humble origins, our responsibility toward demonkind. And we all have the urge to leave this world better for other demons than we found it ourselves.¡±


    Nyx, Verx, and Azrx listened intently to their older brother, as it was rare to hear any stories from outside the Eternal Blossom Estate from their parents.


    ¡°It was not in this life that I was born here, so realizing the difference between who I am and who I was made me reconsider many choices. Instead of chasing after the heights of power and fighting on the front lines of our military, I realized I cannot neglect the smaller things in life¡ªto build and restore things for the next generation.¡± Nox¡¯Yanxiou raised his glass. ¡°To Nyx, being successful in any path he chooses for himself. And to the Eternal Blossom Clan.¡±


    They all raised their respective drinks to that, Azrx almost tilting his drink over Nyx¡¯s freshly restored mountain of fried chicken and fire lotus spring rolls.


    Nyx whispered to his older brother, ¡°You were in the military? What did you¡ª¡± But the stern gaze of his father silenced his attempt to gather information about the front line. He clearly did not want him to consider joining military service anytime soon. Not that he could; they only recruited demons who had ascended beyond the body cultivation level.


    ¡°I will tell you later,¡± Nox¡¯Yanxiou mouthed before continuing. ¡°Sister Verx, our matriarch has told me that your natural ability is to manipulate minds? I have the same ability. If you want, I will leave you a few cultivation pills for the body cultivation level. I found them very helpful.¡±


    ¡°Really?!¡± Verx almost jumped from her seat. ¡°But aren¡¯t those super expensive?¡± Her eyes were shining with anticipation. ¡°Can I manipulate Nyx to do my chores then?¡±


    The Eternal Blossom Clan''s matriarch chuckled. ¡°Oh, dear." She shook her head. ¡°Verx, your natural ability does not work against other demons. But you will find it quite helpful. It allows you to feel others'' emotions, and it is quite powerful in some other worlds when you are summoned, for instance. And you shouldn¡¯t force your brothers to do something they don¡¯t want to.¡±


    Verx¡¯s excitement immediately dimmed. ¡°Okay,¡± she murmured and continued to dig through an enormous slice of sweet cake that had more than one variation of kukar milk as a base component. Nyx almost shuddered at the thought of eating something that sweet.


    ¡°I¡¯m a shapeshifter,¡± Nyx explained to his brother, showcasing his claws protracting and reforming on top of his fingers and knuckles like a set of bone brass-knuckles. Demons'' claws were highly durable, and continued use without breaking them would harden them even further. ¡°And Azrx,¡± he said, poking his younger brother''s side and tickling him, ¡°is clearly not like me; he always scratches me with his claws. Little devil.¡±


    Nox¡¯Yanxiou considered that information for a moment. ¡°I could try and create a pill for you from the mimic core you have, or something from the teeth, though I am not very advanced in carving rune totems. Alchemy and the pill furnace are my second home.¡± He grinned, his sharp teeth showing. ¡°Let us try after the celebration.¡±


    And celebrate they did. Long after everyone was done eating, Nyx was still shoveling food into his mouth in an attempt to sate his ever-present hunger. His body demanded fuel for the expended energy.


    Nox¡¯Yanxiou brought out a military game that soldiers sometimes used for drinking games, enticing everyone to take part. The game was a large cylindrical object with thousands of tiny obstacles inside. It was constantly spinning in various directions at the same time, making it impossible to predict where the marble thrown into the funnel at the top would end up.


    Apparently, it was also a method of training one''s perception, as high-level cultivators would be able to predict the outcome at least seven out of ten times.


    Everybody received a marble to throw in and a drink of their choice. For Verx, their mother allowed a slightly alcoholic honey-syrup that was terribly sweet. For Nyx, his older brother recommended a pitch-black liquid that stung his nose when he tried to smell it. Azrx received paka cookies; he didn''t understand the rules but just took a bite whenever any marble ended at the bottom in any of the five market areas.


    The little rascal enjoyed watching the marble dance up and down various obstacles, centrifugal force propelling it upwards, before quickly being knocked down again, back and forth until it ended at the bottom. Astonishingly, the youngest demon at the table had the most luck. Out of the 20 tries they played, he had only once ended at the worst field: ¡°Empty your drink.¡±


    Sixteen times, he ended up at ¡°Lucky,¡± and only three times showed ¡°Take a sip,¡± while his sister Verx was pretty drunk and had refilled her glass multiple times before the matriarch finally disqualified her from playing.


    Nyx had been suspicious of his drink, but the pitch-black liquid had almost no taste, and its burn moved from his mouth all the way into his stomach, spreading warmth throughout his body and giving him a lightheaded feeling.


    By the end of the drinking game, Azrx found himself hugged by his sister, unable to break free of her affection, which their mother couldn¡¯t stop laughing at. She and her husband had also lost quite a few games, but their cultivation gave them a higher tolerance, so they remained as composed as ever.


    Nyx was quite inebriated, but he had been lucky to avoid most of it. He was also finally able to work his way through the hunger. He could feel his stomach protesting with each further bite, but it had tormented him so much over the past hours that he felt like he owed it to himself to get a little payback.


    And Brother Nox¡¯Yanxiou had achieved his goal. Passed out, drunk, and with a blissful grin on his face, sleeping at the table, despite his cultivation.

 Chapter 5 - Legacy of the Eternal Blossom Clan

    The sun had well and truly set, and with the dinner finished, they moved to the final part of the celebration. It was customary within the Eternal Blossom Clan to receive five gifts upon reaching adulthood, so it came as no surprise to Nyx to see Verx congratulate him with a tight hug and hand him two beautifully carved wooden armguards. They were made of a darker variant of pakira wood, less durable but still several times harder than most metals.


    ¡°We will see each other again. I will catch up to you,¡± she said confidently before adding, ¡°But don¡¯t die again before we meet.¡±


    Nyx hugged her again, thanked her, and received another gift from his younger brother. It was a pair of cultivation robes that, according to his mother, looked very similar to the robes the sect wore. They showed a beautifully stylized flower on the back, symbolizing the Eternal Blossom Clan. Azrx did not fully understand what was happening or that his older brother was going to leave soon, so Nyx exaggerated his happiness and asked the little rascal how he had done such a good job making such a cool gift.


    His mother then presented him with sandals made from leather straps and enchanted. They would attach to his legs in a comfortable way, where he hardly noticed that he was wearing any footwear to begin with.


    Nyx briefly went to his room to change, left his old clothes behind, and stored the mimic loot in the many convenient pockets of his robes. The sandals attached all the way up to his knees, yet he hardly felt their presence. Even the armguards had no straps to tie them to his arms, yet they stayed firmly in place.


    A last glance at his study table left Nyx tempted to take one or two scrolls for entertainment, but he ultimately reconsidered. He would add to the stories himself and leave them with the Eternal Blossom Estate¡ªadd to the family, not take from it.


    When he arrived back in the dining hall, everything had been restored to its pristine condition. Brother Nox¡¯Yanxiou sipped on a sickly green-looking tea, likely to address his inebriated condition.


    His sister and brother said goodnight, and a few hugs later, they had disappeared into their rooms. In the presence of the Eternal Blossom matriarch and patriarch, he was ready to receive the two remaining gifts.


    First, his father brought forth a bronze sword from his storage ring, a beautifully simple, straight weapon. It had no decorations, no inscriptions, no runes. The only decoration was a round circle above the handle that had the Eternal Blossom Clan¡¯s symbol etched into the bronze metal.


    Nyx received it and immediately felt its sharpness before he had even touched the edge. It felt dangerous. But it was simply a beautiful weapon, neither magical nor enchanted.


    He stored it away in a simple, white wooden sheath made of tecoma. Lacking storage rings, Nyx fixed the sword to his back.


    Next, the matriarch brought forth needles¡ªhundreds of tiny needles that hovered in the air around her. Nyx removed his clothing to uncover his chest and braced himself. He had seen it before, when his older brother had his coming-of-age ceremony. The needles assaulted him, poking precisely where they intended, leaving a black mark whenever they retreated. Each of them stung him about four or five times; the pain was minimal, but the feeling of watching so much metal assault him made him feel nauseous.


    Before he knew it, it was over. The Eternal Blossom Clan¡¯s symbol marked his chest, the black hue quickly fading to match his already dark skin tone. Within a minute, it was invisible.


    ¡°You can activate it by declaring yourself a family member of the Eternal Blossom Clan. Your brothers and sisters will come to your aid if they are close,¡± the matriarch smiled before continuing with a stern look. ¡°I expect you to do the same.¡±


    Then his mother hugged him lovingly before asking a question that Nyx had thought about for months now. ¡°What will be your name? Have you thought of one?¡±


    Nyx nodded. Demons typically chose the second part of their name when they reached adulthood, signaling a permanent departure from their childhood and a step into immortality. He had considered a few names that he liked, but the vivid memory of orange and yellow flames dancing on his dark red skin had given him another idea.


    ¡°I will choose Sol. Nyx¡¯Sol of the Eternal Blossom Clan,¡± he declared proudly.


    ¡°Sol,¡± his mother spoke gently. ¡°It suits you, I think. Darkness that meets the sun.¡±


    Nox¡¯Yanxiou joined them, having recovered from his poison, and handed Nyx a white pill. ¡°Here, a restoration pill. You will need some energy. If you want to leave tomorrow morning, I will need your assistance with making the shapeshifting pill. Come to the alchemy workshop when you are done.¡± Then he clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Welcome to the family.¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Nyx eyed the white pill questioningly before a heavy hand laid itself on his shoulder. The patriarch showed an approving smile. ¡°Take it. It will keep you awake until tomorrow evening. If you take them too often, they can poison you, but every once in a while they are quite useful. Now come. I will have one more thing to show you before you leave.¡±


    Nyx hugged his mother goodbye and left to follow his father.


    They exited the dining hall into the hallways and took a set of stairs deeper into the Eternal Blossom Estate. Winding stairways led into hallways that had been carved into stone, with rooms that Nyx knew were either guest rooms, rooms for various types of closed-door cultivation, or training facilities.


    He wondered why his father had chosen to walk the long way but soon realized that it was a ritual to impress the Eternal Blossom Clan¡¯s age and legacy onto new family members.


    Nyx knew that his mother exclusively managed the farmstead, its harvest, and the storage of goods, while taking care of their children. They shared educating their children in whatever they showed keen interest in and had done so for centuries, while his father worked tirelessly to expand the Estate, fortify its defenses, and build wherever he could.


    To Nyx, his entire life had been spent here, part of the family. To them, he was one of many children that had grown up under their guidance while restlessly toiling away at creating something that would withstand the centuries to come.


    ¡°Nyx,¡± his father called him calmly. ¡°If you ever find yourself a woman that you want to share the rest of eternity with, do not make the same mistakes that I have.¡±


    Surprised at the patriarch''s openness, Nyx demanded clarification. ¡°What do you mean? You regret your choice to¡­¡± Nyx swallowed. ¡°To be here?¡±


    His father laughed. ¡°No, child. No. I found your mother in a previous life. We fell in love and agreed to meet here in this very place after finishing our next assignments. Then I set out to fight on the frontline. And your mother set out on a mission for the sect.¡± He contemplated sorrowfully. ¡°We both died. And were reborn. Both without memory of the other. Without the memory of our love. It took me 87 years, Nyx. 87 years to remember your mother and to return to this place. And find it empty and forgotten.¡±


    Nyx frowned. He had no idea what love felt like. Maybe it was similar to what he felt for his family? His little brother? He would feel sad to be unable to see them again. But they would be reborn; he would meet them again? Surely his father would have also realized that?


    The patriarch laid his hand on Nyx¡¯s shoulder as they walked down the last long-winded staircase into the depths of the estate. Countless golems guarded the way. A security measure? ¡°The worst thing about waiting is not how long it took. It was quite tranquil to cultivate, build something, and carve something useful out of this deserted valley in the middle of nowhere.¡±


    His father sighed. ¡°The worst thing is not knowing whether my love would even want to return. And wondering every day, that maybe her feelings were not the same as mine.¡±


    ¡°Uncertainty?¡± Nyx asked. ¡°That is the worst?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that was the worst,¡± his father confirmed. ¡°How long do you think I have waited?¡±


    Nyx pondered for a while, and when their steps finally arrived at the lowest floor of the Eternal Blossom Estate, he turned to his father and reassuringly laid his hand on his back. ¡°I only know that it was long enough.¡±


    Leaving the patriarch perplexed, Nyx took in the sight of the caverns. Round doors were cut into the stone, one door followed by another, each with beautiful decorative designs. Water fell from the ceiling into a small fountain, which spilled all over the floor. Except, there was no floor. The liquid formed a floor made of pure water, separating each floor from the one below, with thin layers of stone, hovering in place, that served as a staircase towards the next water platform.


    There were exactly 50 doors for every layer, each door showcasing a number. One chamber for each of the Eternal Blossom Clan¡¯s children.


    Nyx stepped out onto the liquid that resisted his weight with ease. ¡°This is amazing!¡± The stone doors reacted to his presence as he walked past them. A faint yellow light highlighted the outline of a handprint. ¡°What does this do?¡± he asked his father.


    ¡°Try it,¡± the patriarch demanded. ¡°You will see.¡±


    Nyx stretched his hand out for the palm print, the light turning deep red. Then a painful shock ran through his fingers, and he retracted his hand, turning questioningly to his father.


    ¡°They detect the soul they are imprinted to,¡± the patriarch pointed at the door''s inscription. ¡°Only the 2nd sister of the Eternal Blossom Clan and her reincarnation may open this vault.¡± He nodded towards the stairs. ¡°Let us go and see yours.¡±


    The design for the vault doors had changed over time, each floor following a different design choice. It was difficult for Nyx to pinpoint the intricate differences, but he could tell that his father had put a lot of thought into it.


    It took a while to descend towards the lowest level, where a lot of vault doors stood open, and others had been carved into the stone, without a door still.


    Nyx followed the numbers to arrive at 476. His number. Walking past all these vaults had imprinted the size of the Eternal Blossom Clan on Nyx. He would not be surprised if he met members of his family quite often. Vault number 476 was closed. It did not react to Nyx; no yellow light indicated that he should reach out to open the vault.


    His father¡¯s presence flooded the room, Nyx for the first time feeling a fragment of his father¡¯s power. His energy made the vault door light up in intricate patterns, flooded with light blue energy. Then the familiar yellow light appeared, and Nyx stepped forward to imprint the vault to his soul.


    The door to his vault opened.


    And it was not empty.


    Something was waiting for him.

 Chapter 6 - Alchemy 101

    The vault door opened with a quiet rumble. The huge, round stone circle swung outward, prompting Nyx to take a step back. The vault floor was empty but beautifully polished stone. It would not have been surprising to see such a good-looking stone floor in the hallway of the estate. Instead, it hid away here, guarding his vault. Lights made of pure energy lined the walls of the vault, giving its interior a light blue color. His father really did quality work.


    Protruding from the stone floor stood a roughly hewn stone pillar, standing in stark contrast to its surroundings. It was an ugly thing, dark gray basalt with white furrows carving streaks of violence onto its surface.


    On top of the pillar, Nyx found the only thing this vault carried for him: a small silver necklace with a white teardrop pendant. The accessory weighed down a folded piece of parchment paper. Nyx curiously took the necklace, which felt slightly warm to the touch, and read the note.


    ¡°Little Nyx.


    Crush this necklace when you arrive


    at the Verdant Reflection Sect.


    Your sister Nyx¡¯Anethra will show you a good time <3¡±


    Nyx¡¯Sol eyed his father curiously. ¡°Who is she? Have I met her before?¡±


    The patriarch smiled in a way that a father does when teasing his son. ¡°Why, yes. You have met her before. You can put the necklace on. It has a minor enchantment that will keep you warm at night.¡±


    ¡°When was that? I cannot remember meeting a sister who had the dark demonic skin that her name suggests,¡± Nyx wondered aloud before putting on the necklace. The jewelry immediately adapted his temperature to his environment. It was damp and cool down here, yet he immediately felt warmer. This did not feel like a minor enchantment.


    ¡°About 16 years ago. She arrived a few days before you were born,¡± his father said with a sly smile. ¡°She was ecstatic about having another Nyx in the family. Over the centuries, we have only had a few, and she was the first.¡± He gestured him out of the vault. ¡°Let us go. You should not make your brother wait, especially when he is about to make you a great gift. Good cultivation pills for the body cultivation realm are not easy to come by. Usually, they are produced only by aspiring alchemists who are still body cultivators, and their quality is often low. It takes about the same resources to produce a body cultivator pill as it does for a pill in the qi gathering realm. Thus, very few people produce them.¡±


    As they ascended through the layers and layers of vaults, another question began to form in Nyx¡¯Sol¡¯s mind. ¡°What number is my sister Nyx¡¯Anethra?¡±


    The patriarch remained silent until they arrived at the first layer, where he pointed at vault number two. ¡°This is her vault. And she is the oldest of our children. She has never died. If you choose to break this necklace, she will make you her disciple.¡±


    He stopped at the entrance and gestured for Nyx to come closer. Then he teleported them both through the array into the workshop for alchemists. ¡°But if you do, be aware that she is a lot harsher than me.¡± He winked at Nyx and hugged him goodbye. ¡°You still have a few hours until midnight. The process should be done way before the first light. Make sure to be on your way by then. It is bad luck to leave during the day.¡±


    Nyx¡¯Sol nodded seriously. He knew many of the children''s stories that started with rebellious youth leaving the home during the day and attracting the gaze of the strong. If you are weak, leave quietly, keep your head down, and you will not attract danger. It was silly, but customary. ¡°Yes, patriarch. We will meet again.¡± And Nyx bowed in respect before heading into the workshop.


    The workshop halls were separated from each other topically, and that had a practical reason. Alchemical processes often demanded a neutral environment with little latent energy and temperature. Pill furnaces condensed their energy internally, so they did not influence these conditions. However, large smelters and smithies layered a lot of fire energy, and their temperature tended to influence their environment.


    Instead of controlling for these conditions with expensive arrays or temperature-controlling resources, the Eternal Blossom Clan had built multiple halls that had sectioned off various workstations in different rooms to ensure enough space for any project while keeping the cost of arrays low.


    The alchemy hall had a vast library filled with books and scrolls that documented delicate crafting processes. Reading desks were abundant, and each room could be lit up with various lightstones to be as bright as possible or as dark as anyone could need.


    Nyx had snuck down here to read when he was younger, but back then, even the simplest books had made his head hurt, and his understanding of alchemy ended up being even more confused than it had been at the start. Hopefully, his brother would be a better teacher than these dusty old tomes.


    Only one of the rooms was lit up, all the way at the other side of the library. The workspace specialized in electricity and frost. Nyx¡¯Sol had no idea what that meant, but he had a vague recollection about Yin and Yang energies being connected to fire and frost¡ªwhatever those were.


    Inside, Nox¡¯Yanxiou was already working on a lowered workbench that reached only a bit higher than his knees. There, he was fixing a dark blue platform on it, with various carved symbols and markings. ¡°Brother. May I help you somehow?¡±


    His brother checked the platform again, murmuring silently as he went through a mental checklist. Then he registered Nyx. ¡°Oh, you are already here. Great, you can help me with cutting the nepeta.¡± He hurriedly moved beyond another desk, where a large alchemy tome lay open at a section about ¡°potential dangers with shapeshifting essence,¡± and showed Nyx his workspace.


    ¡°Here, in the bag,¡± he grabbed into a bottomless storage bag and pulled from it a handful of thick leaves that were heart-shaped and had coarsely serrated edges. The leaves also had an almost invisible fine fur that felt soft to the touch. ¡°Don¡¯t worry; there are only nepeta leaves in the bag, so feel free to just grab in and get more once you are done.¡± Brother Yanxiou pulled another tome out of his storage, this time a rather thin one that only showed roughly ten to twenty pages.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    After a quick scan through it, he placed it on the workstation and tapped the page. ¡°Here, the nepeta leaves and how to cut them. It is really simple, but you need to be exact. The cut cannot be too deep, or you will destroy the essence below the surface. Just parting the skin in the right places is enough to prepare them. We need about 40, maybe 50.¡± He handed Nyx a sharp and thin knife.


    The leaves in the book showed well over a hundred cuts per leaf, carefully placed along the plant¡¯s internal network. The leaves smelled of mint, but not quite. It was more earthen. Salt?


    Curious, he eyed some descriptions that mainly referred to essence extraction techniques. One had to feel the internal energies of the plant itself, something that was way beyond his level of cultivation. The concept was rather simple, and it calmed Nyx down a bit to see it explained that essence could be forcefully extracted from any leaf; the cuts just allowed it to be more efficient and increased the potential harvest.


    Still, he hoped to do a good job. It was for his own cultivation pill, after all.


    Meticulously, he applied his tiny blade and cut along the plant¡¯s nodes and channels, making sure not to cut too deep, which happened a lot at the start. His first leaf ended up with roughly one out of five cuts too deep, but his control and feel for the plant''s skin improved quickly. He knew where to expect the skin to be thicker because it was an older part during the plant¡¯s growth cycle and where the younger sections were.


    It was a bit counterintuitive, because the plant seemed to grow ¡®fingers¡¯ of sorts that then spread out in weird directions and connected seemingly at random before thickening. Yanxiou was meanwhile preparing another plant and its essence, but Nyx did not have the time to observe much of the cutting process. He had work to do.


    When he finished his eighth leaf, his brother extracted the essence from his own ingredients. It was quite the sight to behold. The plant shimmered in a golden light, particles sucked directly out of the plant matter and condensed into a small, bright orange orb. ¡°Messy business, alchemy,¡± his brother lamented at the host of broken plants across the worktable.


    His brother opened the pill furnace, a bulky, ugly thing that was made of the green fake jade rock called aventurin. It was not even polished, only roughly cut. Practicality over beauty.


    The rock lacked the spiritual properties of jade, but exactly this quality made it so special for pill furnaces. It rejected spiritual energy and essences.


    Yanxiou opened its door and added the orange essence orb to a pure white energy that was already present.


    ¡°What is that white thing?¡± Nyx curiously asked. ¡°Another plant?¡±


    His older brother shook his head. ¡°No, that is just raw spirit energy. You can make it yourself when you reach the next realm, but it takes some effort and time. I just used two spirit stones.¡±


    Nyx knew from his stories that spirit stones were worth a lot, since every cultivator used them to advance and cultivate during their qi gathering stage. ¡°Is that not wasteful? They are worth a lot, are they not?¡± With a frown, he watched an amused smile dance on his brother''s purple skin while he continued to cut his leaves.


    ¡°You could say that. But I cannot let my younger brother, who has killed an Angel in his past life, leave the house without a little advantage, can I?¡± He winked at Nyx, placing a small purple pouch in front of him. ¡°This is a little gift as well. But keep it a secret from our mother.¡±


    Nyx hurriedly opened the small pouch and stared inside. It was filled with a handful of spirit stones. Most of them white, some of them a different color. Immediately, he stood up, bowed to his brother, and clasped his hands. ¡°Thank you, Brother. I will not forget it.¡±


    Nox¡¯Yanxiou just laid an arm around his shoulder and slapped his chest lightly. ¡°Come, we have work to do. We need more leaves before we take a look at your core.¡±


    In the next few minutes, Nyx truly could see the difference that cultivation bestowed on those who ascended. While he cut one leaf in mediocre fashion, his brother cut ten with perfect precision and accuracy. He could have possibly made one single leaf that perfect if he had practiced on a thousand. Yet his brother made it look trivial.


    Before he knew it, there was a minty scent in the air, as his brother extracted and condensed the plant''s essences into a shiny, light blue orb. Added to the furnace, the three energies orbited each other in disharmony, yet never collided with one another. It was mesmerizing to watch, almost hypnotic. Maybe alchemy was not so boring after all. This seemed rather practical.


    ¡°Now, the mimic orb, please.¡±


    Nyx brought it forth from his robes, the surface still slightly cracked where his claws had impacted it. It felt a bit heavier than he remembered. ¡°What are we going to do with it?¡±


    ¡°We will freeze it at a certain temperature with the array here,¡± Yanxiou tapped the surface of the dark blue platform, which now had a tripod on top, large enough to hold the orb. ¡°And then you will cut it with this.¡± He handed Nyx a thin and long bone that had very sharp edges filed into it.


    ¡°The bone is essence neutral, so it can touch anything without spoiling the essence while cutting. I would love to have a tiny one; they waste far less material than the steel blades do.¡± He sighed, placed the mimic core, and activated the array with a hand sign.


    Nyx could feel the energy surge and freeze the orb in an instant. And immediately after that, only a cold wisp of air remained. The temperature inside the room had not changed at all. It was impressive. ¡°How does this work? The array?¡±


    Yanxiou shrugged. ¡°I do not know. I just borrow them from conjurers. They have to be maintained after a while, but I have never studied it. Why not take a few lessons when you are at the sect? You will learn a lot.¡± He smiled. ¡°Just stay away from alchemy if you want to keep your spirit stones. It is a very expensive profession.¡±


    Then Nyx cut through the frozen core with care. The saw slid through it like it was soft bread. Inside, the core was hollow, frozen black essence at the bottom.


    ¡°Ah. Very good. This will be enough for two pills easily. You are lucky, brother,¡± Yanxiou said happily, extracting the essence and adding it to the furnace. Now the black shapeshifting essence was orbited by the two plant essences while it absorbed the white spirit energy.


    The door remained open, Yanxiou sitting in front of the furnace, hand raised with a concentrated look on his face. Nyx observed the whole process, all the essences absorbed into the middle one after another before the furnace was closed.


    ¡°That is it. Our work is done.¡± He looked around the room. The workbenches were a mess of plant matter, drained of essence, but the furnace happily brimmed away. Its light gave a bonfire vibe.


    ¡°Now, Nyx.¡± His older brother pulled him closer, hand on his shoulder. ¡°You get to enjoy a special pleasure that comes to all students of alchemy.¡±


    Nox¡¯Yanxiou smiled at him with a toothy, excited grin. ¡°Are you ready to tackle it?¡±


    Nyx anticipated that he had to open the furnace and receive the first pills that he had made together with his brother. Maybe the way he opened the furnace was especially difficult and exciting? He happily nodded in confirmation.


    ¡°Cleanup.¡±

 Chapter 7 - Breaking Tradition

    The most important quality to the Eternal Blossom Sect was family, and Nyx''Sol was happy that it was just so.


    Otherwise, his older brother might have really let him clean all this mess by himself. Luckily, he started helping immediately but warned that Alchemy Masters in the sect did indeed just ignore their mess and move on, leaving it to the assistants and disciples they took in.


    Nyx had considered going to some classes at the sect. Now, he was not so sure. Maybe it would be better to study arrays and formations? Or he would just go with the flow and pick everything. Something would stick.


    The two brothers cleaned the workspaces properly, stored away the remains of the used herbs, a large part of which they cut up for animal feed. They just had to remove some poisonous sections of the herbs Yanxiou had prepared, and they were good to go. Nyx delivered them to the storage area.


    Then they settled in for the wait.


    Nox¡¯Yanxiou grabbed the bisected mimic core as they were sitting in front of the furnace. ¡°It might take a bit longer since we had so much shapeshifting essence. It must have been an unusually large mimic.¡± He scratched at the edges of the rough cut with something that resembled a piece of sandpaper.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Nyx asked, pointing at the sandpaper.


    ¡°Oh, that? A friend of mine crafts them for the sect. They use silk from weaver ants found in the east. He infuses it with spiritual essence and adds their ground-down carapace on top. It¡¯s rather interesting; their armor always breaks in a way that forms a sharp edge. Look here,¡± he held the piece of hardened silk towards Nyx. ¡°These very tiny kernels are all sharp, breaking away almost any rough surface. They last a while, too. Very durable.¡±


    ¡°What is the east like?¡± Nyx asked carefully.


    Yanxiou raised a brow. ¡°Right. I wanted to tell you about the military. Father does not like it when we tell stories. He has his reasons. Before he founded our family, he had died on the frontline. And he had to-¡±


    ¡°Wait for mother for a long time,¡± Nyx finished the thought.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Yanxiou smiled. ¡°What he often forgets to say is that that¡¯s not why he¡¯s cross with them. Our mother had spent quite a few lives repeating the cycle of reincarnation. It¡¯s tradition and common practice for many cultivators to join frontline service. Before she finally survived every challenge life threw at her and got to be the powerful matriarch of the Eternal Blossom Clan that she is today, she made our father wait for some 700 years.¡±


    He poked Nyx in the shoulder. ¡°Take my advice, brother. Enjoy yourself, take it slow. You will remember your past lives before long, and that experience will set you straight. It will make you much stronger than just advancing a few steps of cultivation.¡±


    ¡°And our lives are dangerous enough already. We risk it in sect missions, during our cultivation advances, for petty rivalries and tournaments, lovers¡¯ quarrels and accidents, and, of course, when we choose to serve in summonings.¡±


    He then hovered his hand before him, creating a javelin out of thin air. ¡°Summonings grant us powers. We may use them for a time, and when we can, we serve. I can produce ammunition of decent quality that can last up to a decade. My military service was spent arming arrays with disposable weapons, building temporary fortifications, cannonballs, and arrows.¡±


    The javelin flickered and disappeared. ¡°I will have to go through another summoning to regain that power. Cultivation elevates our ability to control this power, to shape it, to enhance our bodies with it. But it will always fade in time. I am no frontline warrior. Maybe I will never be. But I found a way I can help us win regardless.¡± He smiled and winked at Nyx. ¡°Maybe you will be? Grace and all.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    While the older brother ground away at the core to polish the internal surface and the rough cut, it slowly revealed some insights.


    ¡°Mimics are sometimes used by our enemy. Their cores are corrupted, and it makes them hunt for more than just sustenance. They use flying creatures in large numbers to try and get behind the frontline, where they drop them. Over time, however, the mimics lose their corruption. See?¡± He pointed at the cut. Here several light blue layers in different shades were stacked, with a peculiar pitch-black streak running throughout.


    ¡°They form new layers to grow their core and reinforce it. That¡¯s how they are no longer in contact with the corrupting influence and mellow out.¡± He frowned. ¡°We don¡¯t really know how they create this corruptive effect. Hopefully, one of the sects will have a solution in the coming years. I will report this. We are far away from the front lines, and Mimics aren¡¯t well known for their habit of moving large distances.¡±


    ¡°How did it go unnoticed? Father said it might have been the ward formations,¡± Nyx threw in. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Yanxiou thought about it for a few moments and observed the core again. ¡°The core only shows two layers? I am not an expert on these creatures, but it seems likely to me that they somehow got dropped nearby, far from the frontline, then found easy prey, ultimately consuming enough to be unable to continue without reinforcing the core to grow.¡±


    He paused with a frown and then continued the thought. ¡°And that might already have turned it back into a ¡®normal¡¯ mimic. After another growth spurt, it must have moved after not finding prey for a while. It could have all sorts of reasons. When we meet next, I will have an answer for you. I know someone who might be able to tell me more.¡±


    ¡°What about the eastern lands? The ants?¡± Nyx was almost giddy to question his older brother about all sorts of things. It reminded him of when he was little and his other older brother, Nox¡¯Tharu, who had left after his coming-of-age ceremony a little more than nine years ago. ¡°Have you seen them?¡±


    Yanxiou laughed. ¡°Not in this life. But in my last one. Almost died to them when I was on a sect mission to gather materials.¡± He raised the silken sandpaper. ¡°Most likely almost died for this.¡±


    Nyx spent the next few hours laughing and listening to stories of his brother. He was glad that he came to visit just the day before he would leave himself. Otherwise, they could not have shared those memories.


    The pill furnace finished its busy work, producing three light gray, transparent pills. Nyx thanked his brother again, watched him clean the furnace of impurities that had burnt away, and almost retched at the smell. Yes, maybe Alchemy really was not for him after all.


    He pocketed the pills and then sought to find some excuses to ask Nox¡¯Yanxiou a few more questions about alchemy, about what to pack, and how to be best prepared for his journey¡ªmostly to spend some more time together before he would leave. In reality, he had already packed weeks ago and merely had to pick his belongings up from storage. Nyx had had a lot of questions.


    Which, in hindsight, had not been a good idea. He had listened to stories and information for so long that the night had slowly passed them by. Now he stood at the front door of the Eternal Blossom Estate, the door wide open where the morning sun cast an orange glow onto the valley, remnants of morning mist still hanging around the trees. It was inviting him to go.


    The cold nighttime air was fading, warmth was rising, and the smell of flowers hung in the breeze.


    ¡°It is bad luck to leave during daytime.¡± His father''s voice still echoed in his head as he remembered their prior conversation. Maybe he had to stay another day? Have breakfast with Azrx? Do chores with Verx? And fall asleep in the grass outside after a busy afternoon?


    Then he heard familiar tipsy footsteps behind him. And a tug at his clothes. Azrx was an early riser. Little rascal.


    When he looked down, he had to laugh. His little brother had stuffed his pants full of paka cookies, his left arm raising his shirt, on which he carried another six. Another one lay abandoned in the doorway to the dining hall.


    Azrx grinned deviously and waved to him before stumbling up the stairs. Did he have a hiding spot for these that mother was unaware of? He would miss the little devil.


    His little brother had it right. Be bold. Get what you want. His body hummed to the tune of adventure. It was time to see the world.


    With a large step, Nyx, the 476th child of the Eternal Blossom Clan, was gone.


    Nyx''Sol stepped into the world. Slayer of Angels. Slayer of Mimics.


    Tradition be damned. He would be fine.


    What was the worst that could happen?

 Chapter 8 - Saving Time Builds Character

    Nyx¡¯Sol had passed the threshold that marked the farthest he had ever been from home an hour ago and was gnawing on a piece of hard sausage in one hand and studying a far-too-large map with his other.


    So far, his adventure had been rather uneventful. Green trees and forest. Green boring trees and forest. And more green trees and¡­ boring forests.


    They smelled the same as at home, the resinous smell of pine needles and moss. He heard the occasional bird and had seen a few smaller critters cross the road, mostly ants, beetles, and a forest turtle. All normal animals; otherwise, the wards against spirit beasts that were bound to the road would have denied them access.


    The road was in a terrible state as well. Grass, dirt, and gravel had long since overgrown the pristine white stone slabs that his stories had mentioned. But such was life for those who lived in the faraway wilderness that had not seen expansion efforts in centuries. His parents enjoyed the isolated region, but Sol felt like the sects could at least maintain the road.


    Studying his map, he realized another curiosity: the roads did not seem to follow a straight line. They often took unnecessary curves, twists, and long-winded paths or curved up hills, where it would have been much simpler to just build a road straight as an arrow.


    Whoever had drawn the construction plans for these roads had clearly been drunk. Sol sighed. It would take him hours, if not an entire day, just to progress four kilometers towards the sect as the bird flies.


    In fact, the road just took long detours that seemed entirely unnecessary. Did powerful cultivators just not care about the convenience of younger demons that were just starting out?


    Nyx¡¯Sol talked himself into a bad mood internally as he approached the fateful crossing that would send him, from what he had calculated, sixteen hours of travel southwest on the left path and about seven days of travel to his destination towards the east on his right. And he only made this calculation because the eastern road could save him several days'' worth of walking down the line, which the southwestern path would waste later.


    Or he could shortcut four kilometers through the woods and save himself a few days of traveltime. Sixteen hours or seven days worth of time saved, depending on which direction he would walk after taking the shortcut:


    The road that would save him seven days of travel time but was safe.


    Or the long winding road that saved him sixteen hours and where he could take more shortcuts down the line to be even faster.


    Sol really wanted to arrive at the sect as soon as possible, and this would save him valuable time. But the unrestricted sections of the forest that lay before him were dangerous for someone who was not a cultivator yet.


    Sol had read stories about mushroom drakes, silverfang wolves, and cinder bears that came to mind when he thought about forest adventures. But those were stories of great demon cultivators; surely such an enormous threat would not even notice a young demon stealthily skipping through a forest section.


    And these were just stories. They over-exaggerated constantly. If they were accurate, Sol would have been married twice already since he left his home, with chance encounters of beautiful girls marking his every step.


    He finished his breakfast sausage, which left a delicious, salty aftertaste, and hurried into the woods before him.


    His decisions rewarded him greatly. Not only had he not encountered any danger for the past twenty minutes, Sol also came across a large thicket of plukar berries, which just innocently sat there, in a light green, almost white coloration.


    Just how he loved them. Green and sour. His mother had told him that they were usually only used for making wine once they turned a deep purple color. Finding green berries was more difficult since they only stayed green for a few days and ripened rapidly.


    Nyx¡¯Sol hurried to gather a few handfuls of berries before moving on.


    Whoever had come up with the saying that leaving during daytime was bad luck clearly did not have his. After the deliciously sour berries, just fifteen minutes later, he stumbled onto a cornucopia of mushrooms! He then quickly stuffed them in his already full backpack. A crystal-clear water stream to refill his water bottle, as well as an old ruin that was half-buried under moss, followed shortly thereafter.


    This was less practical but roused his sense of adventure. There were clearly deep cuts along the stone and what he guessed were impact craters where the moss formed a suspiciously round hole.


    A large stone sword penetrated a section of what seemed to have been a watchtower. It must have been formed by a cultivator''s ability.


    Nothing useful seemed to remain in these ruins, so after marveling at the sight for a few minutes, Sol carried on. He was reasonably sure that he had passed the halfway point just before reaching the ruin.


    Twenty minutes later, he stumbled into another lucky encounter.


    A really fat squirrel. The chonky fellow sat on top of a large boulder, gnawing away at a pine cone. The surrounding area was full of them. Sol knew from experience how quick squirrels could be, but this tank of a guy might be too slow to escape.


    Nyx¡¯Sol grabbed a few berries and a tiny piece of bread and approached carefully, avoiding sudden movements. While the fat squirrel did not approach to take Sol¡¯s bait, it also did not move. It just sat there, eyeing his approach while cracking open pine cones and retrieving the seeds within.


    Cheeky fellow. Nyx¡¯Sol readied his footing to dash towards it and grab it with his claws. If it ran away, he gave himself an optimistic one-in-five chance to catch it. It was worth trying. He could already smell the grilling meat above a bonfire in the evening while eating his newfound berries. A mushroom stew could also be a good option, but he did not have a large pot to cook them with.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    The chunky rodent turned away from Sol, and he took that opportunity to commit.


    His muscles flexed, a short dash carried him forward, and his claws dug into the fur victoriously.


    But that was all they did. The squirrel stared at him with eyes that were uncaring. Nyx¡¯Sol realized his mistake too late. This was no ordinary squirrel. It was a spirit animal.


    Its fur turned a light blue color, and a burst of energy made Sol slide backwards several meters, furrowing the mossy forest floor. Then the squirrel readied a jump and dashed at him with disturbing speed. The stone cracked below its tiny feet audibly.


    A disturbing squeak of death announced that the hunter had now become the hunted.


    Nyx¡¯Sol barely dodged the dash and charged past the boulder, hastily fleeing from the spirit animal''s territory. He tightened his backpack as much as possible to center his body weight more consistently and made a mad dash through the forest, which slowly began to turn downhill.


    The squirrel gave chase, angrily squeaking and shooting like a cannonball from tree to tree, its fur a shiny light blue color. It clearly wanted Sol to leave its territory; otherwise, it would have likely dashed directly at him.


    Sol quickly found himself in a dead end of tight trees and boulders. With nowhere to run, he could only hope to fight or pray that the chunky rodent would be satisfied with chasing him here.


    Sol withdrew his sword as the squirrel approached.


    The weapon seemed to make it hesitate. Then the light blue fur lost its luster, and the critter hurried back up a tree. For a moment, he had thought it would seriously try to kill and eat him. Now he felt a little bit silly.


    It was just a squirrel, after all.


    Then a drop of warm liquid fell onto Sol¡¯s shoulder. Glancing at it, it looked like blood.


    His eyes darted upward at the towering brown wolf that was now casually standing on top of a boulder. Its mouth was bright crimson with blood.


    Nyx¡¯Sol took a slow step forward while turning towards the predator. Then he sheathed his sword very slowly. He prayed that the scrolls of the Eternal Sword Demon had been an accurate accounting of the pride of spirit animals. They tended to recognize aggression and weapons, and backing off was smarter than running away in a panic.


    That was better suited for a squirrel that was just violently asking him to leave.


    The wolf was clearly a spirit animal, its eyes shining in a beautiful green color. A brown jade wolf? Or an emerald woodstalker? There were a thousand different permutations of wolves across the continent. And the knowledge would not help either way.


    Sol slowly and carefully walked backwards, paying close attention not to make any rapid movements and keeping his eyes peeled on his new predator, without staring into its eyes.


    The animal licked its bloody snout and took a few lazy steps off the boulder in his direction. Was it still hungry? Would it attack him after all?


    Nyx¡¯Sol almost cursed at that and continued his slow walk backwards and then, back turned to the wolf, downhill. The wolf still towered above his own height, even on even ground. It was nerve-wracking to have such a giant animal follow him. But it had not dashed at him yet; neither did it seem too intelligent, otherwise, it would have long since attacked him.


    A young spirit beast, then. Still way too strong for him. Sol would have bet his newly found berries on the fact that his sword would likely not even penetrate its skin with a full-force attack.


    Sol¡¯s heartbeat made him feel like it would give away how scared he was under his calm demeanor. It was pounding in his head, making him fear that he would not hear the wolf if it attacked.


    Then the forest cleared up ahead of him. Through a few bushes, fallen tree trunks, and a multitude of boulders and smaller trees, he could spot the road. Safety.


    Then the predator behind him growled. Its gait turned hostile, ready to pounce.


    Sol saw the muscles flex below the fur, preparing for an easy meal. He did not have to be warned twice. In a mad dash downhill, he made sure to bring every possible obstacle between himself and the animal. Even if he wanted to stop and halt his movement, the soft forest floor and gravity downhill would not have allowed him to.


    The best he could do was to ignore the howl behind him, the sound of claws shredding tree roots, and pivot his rapid descent into a direction that brought semi-safe obstacles between him and the predator.


    It worked. The giant predator tried to follow his zigzagging motion downhill, lost footing, and slid downwards uncontrollably.


    Downwards. Like Sol. The predator realized the inevitable destination and dashed ahead, repositioning itself on a fallen tree trunk just a few meters away from the road, where the downhill slope came to an end.


    Sol did not have time to think as he was descending downhill. His only focus was to not trip and fall right in front of the deadly beast.


    His heartbeat had accelerated to a point where he could feel it in his fingertips, rapidly pounding away, his body trying its hardest to get him to safety.


    Inevitably, unable to even pivot anymore, the speed carried him straight to the waiting predator. Sol decided to bet on the last available resource he had: his voice.


    With a booming war cry, he reached the fallen tree, his suddenly increasing voice making the wolf unsure and hesitate for a second, his wildly swinging arms an indicator of violence.


    But it did not back off.


    Using his momentum, Sol slid under the tree trunk, the speed rapidly decreasing, allowing him to shoot to his feet right after and make a mad dash towards safety.


    The wolf had taken the bait of him sliding under the tree and was now staring at Sol darting away on the other side. It quickly gave chase.


    He recalled his fight with the mimic. This time, he would make sure that he was absolutely safe when he reached the road, not let that overgrown puppy drag him back into the woods by his ankles.


    He heard claws on wood behind him and could almost feel a warm breath on his neck when he stepped onto the road, continuing his run right into the forest on the other side.


    Here, he slowed and walked back onto the road carefully.


    The giant emerald-eyed dog showed a confused face, patting the invisible beast barrier with its paw in frustration.


    In safety, the spirit beast looked kind of cute with how disappointed it was.


    Sol put down his backpack, gulped down the fresh spring water he had found earlier, and grabbed a handful of sour berries as his heartbeat calmed down.


    The dog stood there menacingly, watching as Sol patted down his clothes, freeing himself from pine needles and remnants of moss.


    Satisfied with the result of his shortcut, Nyx¡¯Sol stretched. The excitement made him feel alive. A very similar feeling to how he had felt after defeating the mimic. It had not been the drunkenness of power, rather the thrill of life and death.


    Then a cold gust of wind ran a shiver down his neck. The oversized dog whimpered audibly and scrambled to retreat below a nearby bush, its face covered by its paws, its fur standing up straight, and its body shaking in terror.


    Nyx¡¯Sol could not help but feel satisfied at the sight of its retreat in fear. Maybe he would inspire something similar in the future?


    Sol could spot the origin of this aura immediately.


    The pressure it emanated felt like cold, hardened steel.


    A lone demon had appeared on the road''s horizon, walking towards him.

 Chapter 9 - Sword God

    Nyx¡¯Sol took a deep breath. This aura was hard to be comfortable with, but it was not oppressive. It did not constrain his movement or hinder him from picking his map from his backpack. It merely felt cold and threatening, like a steadily projected warning.


    His movement felt normal, but every twist and turn he made felt forced, as if overcoming a fear of¡­ being cut. Sol realized that the necklace around his neck was not influencing the perceived colder temperature. Therefore, the cold was not real. It was merely the feeling of a sharp, cold steel blade hovering over his skin, which would mean that this cultivator was a swordsman.


    Nyx¡¯Sol shouldered his backpack. Since he could take either direction of the road from here, he would just take it as fate and walk the more interesting route.


    After a few minutes of walking, he could finally properly assess the traveler.


    The aura had remained steady, neither increasing nor decreasing. It seemed that the traveler just wanted to make himself known to fellow travelers. On his hip hung two swords: a shorter one in a black sheath and another, longer and curved blade. As they approached each other, Sol realized that the shorter blade was what he would classify as a standard-sized sword.


    He doubted that he could have even lifted the much longer blade that effortlessly hung on the traveler.


    While his aura and swords brought the traveler immediate attention, his clothes were unassuming and simple¡ªa plain black cultivator uniform and a brown traveler''s cloak.


    The same could not be said about his face. Short, white hair framed an ageless face, contrasting against dark blue skin. A Demonic Ascended.


    Already, this was a sign that the cultivator had endured decades of hardship, as demons did not age. Their hair would slowly turn white as they journeyed into different worlds through summonings. Each time, some of their hair would permanently change to a pure, white color.


    Demons reached the status of Demonic Ascended when not a single hair remained in its original color.


    This traveler was dangerous, ancient, and his elder in every way imaginable. Therefore, it was only logical to be polite.


    Sol bowed and clasped his hands before himself in a sign of respect. ¡°Greetings.¡±


    The swordsman stopped before him. The aura vanished, as if he was satisfied with the younger demon¡¯s greeting. ¡°Look at me,¡± he spoke in a calm but demanding voice.


    Nyx¡¯Sol did as he was told and looked into his cold gray eyes.


    Fine, thin scars ran across a face that bore a curious look. ¡°Why do you carry a sword?¡± he asked.


    The traveler''s presence was overwhelming but also deeply interesting to Sol. Why had he asked that? He answered, ¡°It was a gift.¡±


    ¡°It is not a gift anymore,¡± the traveler pointed out. ¡°It is your weapon now?¡±


    Sol nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Then he continued, ¡°May I ask you something in return?¡±


    ¡°You may.¡±


    ¡°Your aura. Is it the constant presence of,¡± Sol tried to put it into words, ¡°blades that are ready to cut? It feels that way.¡±


    The traveler raised an eyebrow. ¡°What a peculiar question.¡± Then something spread out from him, like a thousand invisible blades piercing Sol¡¯s body. There was no pain, and it felt less threatening than the aura had¡ªjust a wave of something washing over him. Through him.


    As rapidly as it had happened, it disappeared.


    ¡°You are very young,¡± the swordsman lamented. ¡°Barely awakened as well. You have good senses, to feel an aura¡¯s intent so early on. You are largely correct in assuming my intent as something like a promise to cut.¡±


    Sol smiled and bowed. ¡°Thank you for answering my question.¡±


    ¡°It might also be the mark you carry on your cheek. Death so early in life will change a great many details in how you perceive your surroundings.¡±


    The comment took away Nyx¡¯Sol''s good mood. Would he always be seen as the idiot who had died early to an enemy he would have no problem defeating down the line? He gritted his teeth, only to be cut off before he could respond.


    ¡°There is no shame in death,¡± the traveler said casually, lifting his right arm and rolling up his sleeve. Dozens of golden marks adorned his arm, from just below his elbow up to his shoulder.


    A shiver ran down Sol¡¯s back as he realized the implication.


    Immediately, he bowed and clasped his hands again. ¡°I did not mean to offend.¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± the traveler said in a conciliatory voice. ¡°I challenge you to a duel.¡±


    Sol¡¯s eyes opened wide as he remained bowing. Cold sweat ran down his spine. ¡°I apologize for offending you, elder. May we resolve this matter through words rather than force?¡±Stolen novel; please report.


    The swordsman shook his head gently. ¡°You are rather young to talk of testing your dao against my own. I would assume you are arrogant, had I not just confirmed your young age myself,¡± he sighed. ¡°You do not know who I am, do you?¡±


    Meanwhile, Nyx¡¯s entire body was sweating, his brain frantically throwing water onto the burning inferno that demanded he find the right words. After a few seconds, he realized there were none. If this cultivator wished to kill him, there was nothing he could do.


    The realization made Sol calm. Death was just another journey. He brought himself upright again and confirmed the traveler¡¯s guess. ¡°I do not.¡±


    ¡°Draw your blade and introduce yourself,¡± he demanded.


    Sol dropped his backpack and unsheathed the sword his father had gifted him. He felt as if his opponent would cut him down at any point during the process.


    ¡°I, Nyx¡¯Sol of the Eternal Blossom Clan, greet this elder.¡± His heart pounded in his chest. ¡°I accept your request for a duel.¡±


    The traveler smiled. ¡°My name is Krax¡¯Ousay d¡¯Enoy, and I am the Sword God. Carrying a blade in my presence is a challenge.¡± He drew a blade from his storage space that looked exactly like Sol¡¯s. ¡°I shall only use as much power as you yourself have.¡±


    Nyx¡¯Sol''s eyes widened. The Sword God. The title of Krax that only one swordsman may carry. The title of the strongest. He had read tales of a Sword God who had slain monstrous beasts before, but he would have never imagined himself meeting a legend this quickly.


    Even if he used half of Nyx¡¯s power, he would likely still defeat him quickly.


    Either way, he would fight this duel, so he would make good use of the experience. It might help him if he survived. And if he did not, he would remember eventually.


    His opponent had not lied about limiting himself. With fluid movement, he approached, and the blade cut forward like a snake, impacting Sol¡¯s blade. The well-practiced motion stood in stark contrast to the lack of power the strike showed.


    The next strike came overhead. Nyx managed to block just in time before a small kick to his left leg made him lose his footing. Another sword strike aimed for his throat but was barely parried.


    ¡°Your footwork is lacking,¡± the Sword God explained as he kicked Sol in the stomach.


    The words struck something deep inside of Nyx¡¯Sol.


    As his opponent''s foot connected, he could feel snowflakes melting on his skin and the soft, cold texture of snow on his fingers.


    <hr>


    Sol was suddenly searching for a very different kind of sword, half-buried in a layer of freshly fallen snow. He felt rage and anger burning within him as he grabbed the blade¡¯s handle with his bloody fingers. The pain that ran down his arm felt muted and distant.


    ¡°Your footwork is lacking,¡± he heard in a familiar voice.


    A deep breath relieved him of all emotions, thoughts, and raging feelings. He gripped his sword and¡ª


    <hr>


    Nyx was thrown backward by the kick, which acted like a spring to throw him off balance further rather than delivering heavy impact damage.


    But he was calm. Relaxed and ready. His body twisted midair, barely landing on two feet that skidded backward through the road''s gravel as Sol stabilized himself with his free hand.


    His sword snapped forward, slicing at the space before him, but the Sword God had not followed.


    Nyx¡¯Sol did not know where this calm and collected feeling came from, but it felt natural. To just give in to his reflexes and instincts and let the blade do its work. A smile spread across his face, recognizing the familiar thrill of battle.


    A quick dash forward with an outstretched blade was nonchalantly parried and diverted. It seemed so effortless that Sol was unsure if he had even struck him with full force.


    For every slash the young demon tried to inflict, a slash of his opponent tore open his skin. A strike to the chest? The Sword God parried and sliced into his upper arm with ease. A stab to the center? He spaced out of it after having stabbed Nyx¡¯s chest.


    Despite the absolute focus he found himself in, the swordmaster was simply more skilled.


    Stab after stab in an attempt to achieve something resulted in his upper body riddled with wounds, drenching his clothing with blood.


    One last feint was read through before Sol even started it, and a big gash opened across his chest. His sword flew through the air, and a kick sent him to the floor.


    His fingers gripped the gravel. If he just had more power, he could have enjoyed this for a little longer. He bit his lip in frustration as he slowly bled out.


    Was he even bleeding out? The wounds were not very deep and had avoided his vitals¡ªanother testament to the skill of his opponent, which somehow made this even more frustrating.


    ¡°I thank you for our duel. But let me give you some advice,¡± the swordmaster spoke, standing above him. ¡°You enjoyed this fight, this dance of blades, the pain that came with it. You lost yourself in it, without realizing that you had already lost something important.¡± He said this while storing away both his and Sol¡¯s blades in his storage ring.


    Then he crouched and fed Sol a small green pill. As he swallowed, his wounds slowly started to close, and some semblance of strength returned to his legs.


    Krax''Ousay d''Enoy drew the smaller sword from his hip, his aura radiating out toward Sol. Compared to their earlier fight, now he could feel the pressure clearly.


    ¡°When fighting a stronger opponent, only draw your blade with the intent to kill,¡± the swordmaster spoke after sheathing his sword. ¡°Otherwise, you surrender the fight before it even begins. It is a minor thing, but it applies to more than just swordsmanship. If you intend to do something, do it right.¡±


    Nyx¡¯Sol nodded, still too weak to try and sit. ¡°Thank you for the advice, elder.¡±


    ¡°Another thing,¡± the imposing man added. ¡°I can feel how desperate you are to grow quickly. So many of us are when we are young. I will give you the same advice my own master gave me: ¡®Become more of who you are before cultivation will make you more of who you are right now.¡¯¡±


    Sol blinked. Right now, he was weak. Would quick advancement make him even weaker? How did that work, when everyone always aspired to grow quickly? ¡°How?¡± He tried to shape the concept of the question properly, but his mind failed to supply the words, so he repeated it instead. ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my master liked to speak in riddles. I would like to think that he meant that a strong foundation always has to come first. Do not advance. Stay humble and grow within your realm. Work on yourself until you are sure that you are ready to advance. Then rapid growth will come all on its own. A shaky foundation brings the whole house down. My earlier killing intent made the beasts in the area flee. If you wish to clean yourself, there is a stream in this direction.¡± He pointed toward the woods opposite Nyx¡¯s earlier shortcut.


    The Sword God smiled fondly and nodded toward Sol. ¡°Good day to you.¡±


    Then he continued his journey.


    Nyx could not help but call out after him. ¡°What about my sword?¡±


    ¡°You can come find me and challenge me for it. Anytime.¡±

 Chapter 10 - Lun’Archessa

    Nyx¡¯Sol started to think that it was indeed bad luck to leave home during daytime. He had been almost killed by a squirrel, mauled by a wolf, and stabbed to death by the most proficient swordmaster in current existence¡ªall before the sun had even passed its highest point. Surely, leaving the safety of the path to clean up at a stream would not be a decision that he would regret, right?


    He sighed. It was the literal Sword God that advised him to. Who was he to question his wisdom?


    Barely four hours into his journey, he had already ruined one of his Eternal Blossom Clan robes¡ªsoaked in blood and cut apart. At least his wounds had closed properly, and the pill the swordmaster had fed him also seemed to restore his blood loss.


    His sandals were still pristine, the leather holding out far better than he had hoped and the self-cleaning enchantment slowly broke down bits of leaves and dirt that had stuck to them. But that could not be said for all of his gear.


    One of his wooden armguards had a deep cut through it, which could only mean one thing:


    He had cheated! He did use more power than he was supposed to! Outrageous!


    Sol was suddenly in a far better mood than he had been a few minutes ago. Shouldering his backpack, he hurried into the woods, looking for the promised stream.


    On the way, however, he discovered a devastated section of forest just 100 meters off the side of the road. Trees had been uprooted as if something very large had left in a hurry. Large footprints cleared a path through bushes, with splinters of wood almost creating a carpet for Sol to walk on.


    Following the path of a giant spirit beast in order to find some water? Yes, no problem.


    On the bright side, the forest was quiet and peaceful, and there had been some rather unlucky squirrels that had died in the stampede of whatever came through. Sol picked them up wherever they had not popped open like ripe watermelons, so dinner was taken care of as well.


    After two minutes of following the pathway that something had created, it turned toward the left, deeper into the woods, while the sound of rushing water ahead indicated that the desired place had been spared destruction.


    Not only did Sol find a stream of water, but he also found a small pond with crystal-clear water above a suspiciously artificial stone formation. He checked the water and quickly found that it was warm to the touch. Who built something like this in the middle of nowhere?


    It was so suspicious that he did not dare touch the water further and washed his body and clothes upstream in the much colder water. The last thing he needed was to accidentally trigger the entrance to someone''s hidden domain. No, thank you.


    As he was taking a cold but welcome bath and had cleaned off most of the blood from his body, he spotted a tiny critter observing him. It was not stalking him or intending him harm¡ªthat much was clear from the giant boulder that sat on top of it. The head of the white fox stayed perfectly still, clearly waiting for Sol to leave so it could continue digging itself out.


    If that huge boulder would not kill it, nothing would. The damage to his robes was not too terrible since the cuts were clean and none of the cloth had been lost, so he built a little fire to dry them while he tried to fix them with his poor stitching skills. He had always hated that work and been glad that his sister had enjoyed it.


    It took him more than twenty minutes to sew the cuts shut, cut one of the squirrels open, and put it on top of the bonfire. While the clothes dried under the scorching heat and the smell of grilled meat filled the clearing, the little observer made itself known.


    ¡°Give me some,¡± the white fox telepathically voiced its complaint.


    After the events he had been in so far, Nyx¡¯Sol just shrugged. ¡°Sure, what do you want? Bloody innards or cooked meat?¡±


    The white fox licked its snout. ¡°Both.¡±


    Sol sighed. ¡°It is not done cooking yet,¡± he said as he dropped the bloody entrails before the little fox and took a seat with a handful of his plukar berries.


    The little fox tilted its head in a confused manner, as if it was waiting for the other shoe to drop.


    ¡°Go ahead. I have two more squirrels if you are starving,¡± Sol comforted the spirit animal while eating his sour berries. ¡°So,¡± he began, ¡°what happened to you, to be stuck below this boulder?¡±


    The fox licked the blood off the food in front of it as it explained telepathically. ¡°A cultivator put this seal on me a while ago.¡± It sounded as if it was the most minute problem in the world to face. Intelligent spirit animals were usually very powerful, so that might be the case.


    ¡°I see,¡± Sol replied. ¡°So, yes to the other two squirrels?¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the offer,¡± the little fox said, as if it was about to decline a gracious offer. ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    Nyx chuckled and rose to skin the other two squirrels. It was always something he had found rather easy to do¡ªhe had skinned horned rabbits since his father had shown him when he was four years old. His sharp claws made the effort trivial.


    Preparing the other two squirrels had given the first one enough time to roast. His clothing looked almost dry on one side, so he flipped it over. In ten to fifteen minutes, he would be ready to leave again.


    He sat down in front of his new friend and offered both cooked and uncooked squirrels. ¡°Try them both. If you like them better cooked, I will roast them for you before I leave.¡±


    The white fox did as he suggested before voicing its verdict. ¡°It smells delightful roasted on top of flames, yet the taste of raw meat remains my preference.¡± Then it picked apart the three squirrels in record time. It managed to look dignified while ripping the meat skillfully off its bones.


    Sol put out the campfire, put on his dried clothes, and stashed the rest of his berries in one of his pockets before going to see the fox off. As he approached, he spotted a red piece of paper on the side of the boulder, fluttering in the breeze. Curious, he approached it.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    [Heavy]


    Just a single word was written on it. Sol tested how heavy the paper really was by pulling on it¡ª


    And ripped it right off the boulder, which audibly cracked and crumbled into nothingness.


    ¡°Huh, I found the seal, I think.¡±


    The little fox squinted at him, its two beautiful white tails revealing themselves below the now-disappearing boulder. ¡°Proceed, young cultivator,¡± the fox said, taking the last remaining squirrel into its mouth. ¡°I will escort you until you get out of my forest safely.¡±


    Nyx¡¯Sol chuckled and bowed to his new friend. ¡°My thanks.¡±


    With another thought, he added, ¡°Do you like mushrooms? I could make us some meat with mushrooms tonight if you want.¡±


    The fox trotted along next to Sol, showing little care about the devastating condition the forest was in. ¡°With squirrels?¡±


    ¡°If you want to save yours for later, we can use it, but I also have some dried meat.¡±


    The little fox quickly agreed, and Sol added the skinned animal to his backpack as they approached the vicinity of the road.


    However, fate had decided to throw a little problem his way. With audible cracks two large spirit beasts rose out of the shadows of the forest ahead.


    With a sigh, Nyx¡¯Sol eyed the two giant, four-meter-tall silverrock-back gorillas. He had read about these spirit beasts. They were aggressive about their territory, rushing to fight even opponents that were beyond their station. Their cores held a special use for alchemy. Sol was not sure what use, as it had been a long time since he had read that particular book.


    The drawings in the book really did their originals justice. They looked fierce.


    ¡°Why are we stopping?¡± the little fox asked, casually walking ahead, its tails raised high.


    Sol was about to warn it when it voiced a simple command telepathically: ¡°Sit.¡±


    The silverrock-back gorillas both knocked their heads into the ground with full force, trying to comply with the command, unable to raise themselves up afterward.


    Completely smitten with how lucky he had been to make a new friend, Nyx passed the two giant threats and stepped onto the road, where the little fox casually followed.


    ¡°You have just earned yourself some extra meat,¡± Sol proclaimed happily. ¡°Thank you for your help.¡±


    His newfound companion just trotted along the road. ¡°You would have done the same.¡±


    ¡°How do you know?¡± Sol argued, glancing back at the huge spirit animals still burying their heads in the dirt.


    The little fox replied, ¡°It did not escape my attention that you have already done so by freeing me from my temporary predicament.¡± It had already walked ahead of Sol, turned, and tapped the road impatiently. ¡°Come along now.¡±


    ¡°How long are they going to stay like this?¡± Sol inquired. ¡°I feel a bit bad for them; they were only defending their home.¡±


    ¡°Until sundown. Their hearts had been consumed by rage, clouding their feeble skulls'' judgment,¡± the fox proclaimed happily. ¡°It will do them well.¡±


    ¡°I see. I really should call you Master, since you are so kind in protecting me,¡± Sol mused.


    The little fox audibly huffed before speaking in his mind again. ¡°After alleviating that tedium of senseless boredom, I owe you some gratitude. While I do not intend to take disciples, you may call me ¡®Great Master of Wisdom.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Yes, Great Master of Wisdom,¡± Sol chuckled. This little spirit beast either had quite the sense of humor or was really old and really took pride in its wisdom. ¡°What is your name?¡±


    ¡°You demons really do take pride in names,¡± the spirit beast yawned. ¡°They have called me many names over the years.¡±


    ¡°Which one did you like the most?¡± Sol mused, picking up the occasional fallen twig as firewood for the evening campfire. ¡°Surely there must have been one?¡±


    The white fox transformed into a huge white fox, its body reaching Sol¡¯s hips with ease. Its two tails split apart, forming four. ¡°Ahh! This feels better.¡± It shook its pristine fur. ¡°They called me ¡®Nine-Tales of the South.¡¯ I appreciate the name because it plays on my appearance, mentioning my beautiful nine tails, and praising the feats of my earlier journeys, of which there are nine.¡±


    Sol could hardly resist touching the beautiful spirit animal''s fur. The implications of its size were not very encouraging for his meat supply. Especially if it grew to its full size. Four tails already seemed huge, how large would it be at nine tails? ¡°You are right; that is a nice title. What about names?¡±


    The little fox tilted its head. ¡°There is a difference? What about the demon you call ¡®The Rise of the Dawn¡¯? Is that not a name?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Sol reminisced about a book on the Dawn Fortress he had read a few months ago. ¡°Maybe ¡®Nine-Tales of the South¡¯ is more of a moniker, describing your feats and exploits, while ¡®The Rise of the Dawn¡¯ might be more of a title since it describes the leader of the Dawn Fortress.¡±


    The little fox shook its head wildly. ¡°Are there really even more distinctions between names, titles, and these monikers? Tiresome concepts. What is your name? I never had a conversation about names before.¡±


    Sol happily explained. ¡°When demons are born, they are usually named after the color of their skin. It is a short name. There is ¡®Nyx¡¯ for dark gray or black skin. My sister¡¯s skin is green, so she was called ¡®Verx.¡¯ My younger brother has blue skin, named ¡®Azrx,¡¯ and my older brother has purple skin, called ¡®Nox.¡¯ But there is also red skin. That is called ¡®Rax.¡¯¡±


    The spirit animal thought about it for a bit. ¡°I see. What about white?¡±


    ¡°There are no demons that have white skin,¡± Sol explained. ¡°Not everyone is as lucky to have such beautiful white fur. It looks very soft.¡±


    This seemed to improve the fox¡¯s mood. ¡°You may continue.¡±


    While the fox had probably meant the compliment, Nyx used the opportunity to explain a little more about names. ¡°When demons awaken¡ªwhich is typically during their 16th birthday at the latest¡ªthey choose their own name, adding it to the first part of their name. ¡®Nyx¡¯ for me became ¡®Nyx¡¯Sol.¡¯¡±


    The fox eyed him. ¡°Should it not have been ¡®Nyx¡¯Rax¡¯? Because of the tone of your skin taking on a red hue in the sun?¡±


    Sol smiled. ¡°That would be confusing. There are a lot of demons. If someone has the same skin color and thus the same name as me, how would you know who you are talking about when naming them? A name should define who you are.¡±


    The fox contemplated these thoughts as Nyx gathered a few more sticks for firewood. ¡°So, the sun defines who you are? That is why you chose Sol?¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Sol agreed, thinking of the fire dancing on his skin. ¡°It fit me.¡±


    The fox shrank down to a three-tailed version, the size of a curbear cub. ¡°What name would you choose for me?¡±


    Sol thought about it for a while. ¡°Your white fur would definitely be your first name. Do you like the moon?¡± he asked curiously.


    ¡°Yes. The full moon is beautiful, like me,¡± the now little two-tailed fox agreed. Its size was apparently whatever it chose to be at any given moment. ¡°You mean to suggest ¡®Luna¡¯ as a first name?¡±


    Sol nodded. ¡°And then add something that describes you best. You are a Great Wise Master, so you might choose something that invokes that?¡±


    ¡°But I am also the ruler of this forest. Would that not come first in describing myself?¡± the little fox argued. ¡°Ruler of Great Wisdom.¡±


    Sol thought back to one of the scrolls he had read. ¡°I remember some accounts of a demon describing different worlds during his adventures. One of the rulers of a large empire had been called ¡®Aracheos the Wise.¡¯ A ruler of wisdom.¡±


    His traveling companion tilted its head. ¡°That does sound like me.¡±


    ¡°How about using ¡®Lun¡¯ of the moon as your first name and adding Archos?¡± Sol suggested. ¡°Lun¡¯Archos?¡±


    The beautiful white fox grew to five tails in the blink of an eye, its head towering slightly over Nyx¡¯Sol¡¯s shoulders. ¡°It sounds too male. I do not like that. But the idea is good.¡±


    They both thought for a while before the spirit beast arrived at a choice first. ¡°Lun¡¯Archessa. I will call myself that. Less like a wise king and more like a wise princess.¡±


    ¡°Excellent choice, Great Wise Master Archessa,¡± Sol chuckled as they continued their travels.

 Chapter 11 - Arrival at the Lake of Reflections

    Nyx¡¯Sol relaxed against the roots of a large tree, enjoying the radiating heat of the fire. He had bolstered the spot with some soft, dry moss while his little spirit fox companion, Lun¡¯Archessa, had curled up opposite the campfire. The smell of mushrooms and grilled meat still hung over the area.


    This first day of traveling had been rather turbulent. Sol touched the stitches on his uniform. The Sword God had given him valuable advice as well as a harsh beating. Overall, he was mostly thankful to have crossed his path. If he had to do it again, he would, without question, repeat this day just as it happened. Well, maybe he would avoid the fat squirrel and stealthily sneak past the emerald-eyed wolf.


    But ever since his encounter with the swordmaster, everything had gone very well. He had made a new friend to accompany him on his journey through the woods, which would make the countless hours of walking in silence a bit more enjoyable.


    Having a conversation partner and someone to share good food with was valuable.


    The memory he had experienced so vividly during the fight with Krax¡¯Ousay was still clear in his mind. It was like peeling at a piece of skin that stood out. As he tried to remember more, his head started to hurt, only allowing him to replay the short experience in his mind, over and over.


    Snow, dulled pain from an injury on his arm, the cold wind and snowflakes melting on his skin, and the slight smell of smoke. Anger and fury. That familiar voice, telling him, ¡°Your footwork is lacking.¡±


    And finally, the most important piece of this memory: the relaxation as all that fury fell away and gave way to a trance-like state. It must have been a body cultivation technique. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for Sol to utilize it during the fight with the Sword God.


    He would have to try again during the next fight he found himself in. Calm and peaceful as he was, the technique did nothing. Maybe it converted anger and negative emotions into a more useful state of mind?


    Reflecting on this, he fell asleep, the exhaustion of the day finally taking root. He dreamed of waking up at home, days away from his coming-of-age day. Having to do chores and waiting. The constant waiting to finally get out into the world and see it for himself.


    He also dreamt of talking with his family, and when he woke up several hours later, the thought of it left a bit of a painful feeling.


    The sun had not risen yet, and the black cover of night, with its glittering stars, was starting to slowly fade from the night sky. Lun¡¯Archessa had rolled up between his legs, her head resting on his knee. It looked like a comfortable spot.


    Sol rummaged in his backpack and retrieved another pair of sausages. He would run out shortly after reaching the edge of the woods, but food was there to be shared with friends and family. While he had planned to wait for the fox to wake up, biting into the meat had the same effect.


    ¡°Good morning. You may hand me one of these. I will graciously clean the mess you made before we continue,¡± the white fox proclaimed.


    So Nyx fed her the share she asked for and stood to continue as the spirit animal made the earth part below the campfire, swallow coals and stones whole, and the forest reclaimed the area by growing a soft cover of moss all over it.


    Their journey from here was rather uneventful. Sol had decided to follow the path until they reached the edge of the woods, where they would part ways.


    They discussed a great many cultural things, which Lun¡¯Archessa was curious about: the natural demonic abilities like shapeshifting and mind control, which also encompassed empathy, as well as control over fire and ice, illusions, teleportation, and the ability to conjure demonic blood for healing purposes.


    Archessa revealed to him that she too had relatives that had been born with innate abilities that she had never been able to copy¡ªone of a poison mist that could devour only undesirable targets. She speculated that it was the natural state of this world that everybody was a little different.


    They passed a few sections of forest that had been burnt down, some rather recent, while others showed the signs from weeks or months past, already recovering from the damage slowly. Shaking her white fur, the fox was unconcerned about the damage. ¡°The forest reclaims its land¡± was all that she had to say as they walked by several kilometers of destruction that ran like scars up the hillside and down into the valleys.


    The roads helped to break up the spread of fire, which the little fox was appreciative of. It made Sol wonder about the cooperation between her and the sect, but any question he posed on the matter was promptly dismissed as an ¡°insignificant and rather boring¡± topic.


    Instead, she proceeded to ask about his interests and goals, then about alchemy and whether he enjoyed gathering herbs. A hundred little questions, to most of which Sol had no real answer. But as the duo reached the edge of the forest a day and a half later, the midday sun basking them in her warmth, the fox stopped walking.


    Lun¡¯Archessa grew to her four-tailed size to be eye to eye with him. ¡°Child, it is time for me to take my leave.¡±


    Nyx¡¯Sol bowed slightly in her direction. ¡°I thank you for accompanying me, Great Wise Master. I will likely never encounter someone like you again.¡± He clasped his hands audibly, being grateful for the short amount of time they had spent together. ¡°I am thankful for meeting you, Lun¡¯Archessa. May we meet again.¡±


    The white fox inclined her head a bit in appreciation. ¡°I am indebted to you for alleviating my predicament, and it had been a while since I had good conversations. Nyx¡¯Sol, I will leave you a gift.¡±


    Archessa made a graceful motion, arching her head backward, a soft white glow shimmering through her fur. Her throat moved rhythmically, something large moving upwards with every bit of movement, causing ethereal light to shine into her surroundings. Finally, she expelled a large egg with colorful markings, which she held between her teeth and carefully placed into Sol¡¯s hands.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    The egg sent an immediate warmth through his body before it dematerialized, and, in a rain of colorful particles, it imprinted itself on the back of his right hand: a small symbol of an egg with two tails.


    Sol was speechless. He had just obtained a spirit bond before he had even taken his first step into the realm of body cultivation. The implications were immense.


    ¡°This bond to my child will serve you well in the future,¡± the white fox spoke, slowly growing in size. ¡°We are a fragile race, and raising one of us is not an easy feat. But in time¡­¡±


    She grew to her full size, all nine tails floating in the air behind her. The tip of her claw, resting on the road before Sol, was almost as large as him.


    ¡°¡­in time, you will find her quite useful. Raise her well. And make her visit sometimes.¡±


    Sol wanted to thank her for the immense gift, but before he could even move, the giant white fox had disappeared. He had only perceived the slight shift of her body that suggested a vague direction, then she was gone, leaving only a light breeze affirming her prior existence.


    Sol bowed toward the forest once more, clasped his hands in front of himself, and shouted with all his might, ¡°Thank you, Great Wise Master!¡±


    Then he turned to continue his journey. Thousands of questions came to his mind that he wished he could have asked. Answers that he would only find in time. It felt frustrating to have been so close to answers that Lun¡¯Archessa could have given him. Before he had even realized what was happening, she was gone.


    Now she was gone, and Sol bet that even searching through the entire forest would do little to locate her. Was it intended to be a test for his skill? It felt a bit irresponsible, considering he would take care of her offspring.


    A spirit bond got nurtured by a cultivator¡¯s growth, starting at the Qi Gathering Stage. He was a long way from that. He felt the urge to hurry, to run. To sprint ahead and save every second he could.


    But as he started to run along the road, which slowly turned from the last remnants of hillside forest to a wide and flat grassland, he remembered the words of the Sword God:


    ¡°Become more of who you are


    before cultivation will make you more of who you are right now.¡±


    Sol slowed his run to a walk. Foundations. He had to build good foundations. If he built a weak base, his house would crumble, and he would likely harm his spirit companion in the process. She would not be happy to be born to a weak cultivator who could not take care of her properly.


    If he thought about how fluffy the baby spirit fox would look and how he would be able to pet it without concern, he was giddy with anticipation. Honestly, that had been his only complaint about Lun¡¯Archessa. She was so formal that it almost seemed offensive to approach and try to pet her. It had cost him a lot of self-control.


    He could teach his bond all sorts of things, and he could not wait to introduce it to his brother and sister. Azrx and Verx would love a cute new family member, and Sol could already envision a name: Lun¡¯Affiora. White fox of the Eternal Blossom Clan. With a bandana around her neck, carrying the symbol of the clan. Or something similar.


    Nyx was thrilled at the prospects and hoped that he would end up being a good adoptive parent. It would be a great responsibility. He would protect her and make her big and strong so she could fend for herself, just like her mother.


    With a mood as good as ever, Sol¡¯s journey through the endless grasslands remained interesting. However, for the first two nights, he slept on the road to not tempt fate too much.


    In stark contrast to the woodlands, the grassland had not been marred by the scars of fire devastation. Sol was unsure if that was the case because fires tended to not happen as frequently. Maybe the fires would only start when the grass wilted and dried as winter slowly crept closer, then burn down in a blazing inferno?


    The grass gave way to a vast network of rice fields as the land sloped just slightly downhill for kilometers. Smaller villages sprung up near the roads but never connected directly to them. Maybe that was a way to avoid traveling cultivators from disturbing the peace of a village?


    He met a few demons that were clearly farmers, not interested in hurrying to join a sect but rather regaining their memories through a peaceful life and letting fate choose them rather than chasing it. Their rice fields gave way to golden briga fields, the black-kerneled wheat growing slightly higher than Sol.


    They stood on firm stalks and were already ripe beyond harvest. It would take about two more weeks before the plants withered away. Sol almost felt like it would be a waste to lose them. Did they not have enough demons to help with the harvest?


    Nyx helped one of the farmers he encountered to carry a few bundles of briga, the stalks shortened and bound skillfully to each other, forming a half-circle of wheat spikes. Quite smart to bunch them up that way. At home, they had just harvested them rather early and bundled the entire stalks to bring in the harvest. A lot heavier.


    Sol also recognized a few cultivators working the scythe in the fields, mowing down square miles all on their own, with dozens of farmers behind them bundling the briga up.


    In exchange for his help, Sol received a place to sleep as well as a piece of bread and some water to freshen up his travel rations. He also washed his clothes and finally exchanged them for his secondary uniform before he continued on his journey.


    The grassland of the south was commonly called the granary of the Verdant Reflection Sect, as it produced all the food requirements the sect had and would have for the next centuries. Their storages provided safety and food security for all settlements and cities in the larger regions. Food was given freely and could be demanded freely.


    A carefree symbiotic relationship among demons that upheld the southern prosperity for all.


    Nyx passed orchards and herb fields, more exotic and specialized plants, as well as a large-scale kukar field that looked entirely too unsafe. Their hunting pods had already grown to the size of heads, making it quite dangerous for younger demons. But maybe that was more of a feature than carelessness. If operated by cultivators, that would be entirely alright.


    Then, finally, the various settlements and fields ended at an upward slope that rose slowly to about 100 meters before it tapered off into a large-scale flat crater that spanned for kilometers. The grassland here was just a few centimeters high, giving a vibrant green color to the valley, a flat sea of special pristine green grass.


    No flower, no other weed took root here. Only spirit grass.


    Sol had read that the sect''s variant of spirit grass was often used as a spirit bond due to its versatility for Qi Gathering disciples. It was used as a powerful bond that quickly lost its value over time as other solutions became more practical.


    The Sword God¡¯s words resounded in his head: a weak foundation for rapid growth.


    Nyx clenched his fist. He would build a strong foundation.


    With strong conviction, he descended through the green sea and the settlement at its center that touched the edges of the Lake of Reflection.


    High above the sea, countless floating rocks and a shimmer of invisible barriers were the only things that announced the buildings of the Verdant Reflection Sect to the casual observer.

 Chapter 12 - Testing Talent

    Nyx¡¯Sol managed to arrive at the Verdant Reflection Sect Town roughly an hour before sunset. The town was bustling with activity; dozens of younger demons were skimming the wares and arguing with one another. Their attire was not uniform, suggesting that they were not cultivators of the sect.


    ¡°Psst.¡± A shopkeeper waved Sol closer. ¡°You want to buy some neutral-looking cultivator robes? Displaying your clan can lead to people taking offense.¡±


    When he approached, the shopkeeper laid out a few simple cultivator robes in various colors. ¡°I could also quickly change your own robes, stitch some¡ªoh, that is xilix, marvelous¡ªpure cloth over it so it covers your clan symbols.¡±


    Sol was curious but not sure if something like that was truly needed. ¡°Is there a lot of animosity between families?¡±


    The purple-skinned sales demon raised an eyebrow and pointed toward the right. Down the street, Sol could spot some commotion. He even heard some of their shouts faintly: ¡®How dare you,¡¯ ¡®Your clan could not even do,¡¯ ¡®The only thing good about your family is how good your sister looks.¡¯ The ensuing fistfight thereafter was self-explanatory.


    ¡°Yes, that would be lovely,¡± Sol said with an innocent smile.


    Within a minute, the skilled salesman had stitched the back of his uniform seamlessly. Sol retrieved a spirit stone from the depths of his bag, awkwardly thinking about how much this was even worth.


    ¡°I apologize, but I can only pay with this,¡± he said, showing a spirit stone of the lowest quality.


    The tailor scratched his head. ¡°Yes, we have that problem sometimes. This is far too much for my small service. You should have mentioned it earlier.¡±


    ¡°I apologize,¡± Sol said sheepishly. So these were worth a lot.


    The purple demon looked him up and down. ¡°I do not have enough money on me to exchange this with you. But if you want, can I trade you a temporary storage ring for it? It has a decent capacity and a few months left on it.¡±


    Sol¡¯s mind raced. A storage ring was surely very valuable. Do temporary versions of storage items even exist? Was he getting scammed?


    The salesman put a small bag with metal bars on the table. ¡°And some change to even out the trade. What do you say? Then you are all set for tomorrow¡¯s Sect Admission Test.¡±


    Opening the bag, Sol found a mixture of gold and silver bars. The ring was made of simple wood but quite durable. He had the feeling that this trade was still not in his favor. Firstly, because it seemed too good to be true. Secondly, because he simply did not know the value of a spirit stone, a temporary storage ring, or the services of a tailor in the Verdant Reflection Sect Town.


    So he just agreed with a smile, packed all his belongings into the temporary storage ring, and carried on, vowing to research the value of spirit stones more closely before using them to pay for anything.


    Over the next hour, he was careful not to get involved in any fights and browsed a few shops where the prices were always given in sect points, likely earned by completing missions for the sect.


    Nyx¡¯Sol found a tavern, booked a bed for the night, and paid for one of the more expensive meals, the ¡®Verdant Lake Special.¡¯ It was just a few silver bars, and he was curious.


    It consisted of seafood¡ªpieces cut from very large seafood, to be exact. There was a suction cup the size of his fist, removed from the tentacles of an octopus-like creature. Whatever this creature was, it must have been the size of a building or two, at least.


    But that, paired with smaller fish and large mussels grilled and overlaid with a sour liquid Sol had never tasted before, filled his stomach to the brim before he even knew it.


    Resting on a comfortable futon atop a mattress, after almost a week of traveling, also felt divine. He spent the rest of his evening flipping the last plucar berry, which had sadly ripened to its far less tasty and sweet variant, back and forth between his hand and the storage ring.


    Retrieving items from his storage ring was quite tricky. It required a great deal of concentration to pinpoint the right location inside the storage space and then retrieve it in a fluid motion that did not throw the item through the room but with enough force to ¡®lift it out¡¯ of the storage dimension.


    It did not require any Qi, like he had assumed. Instead, the ring drained his stamina, likely to replace the energy that Qi provided through other means. He merely retrieved a berry back and forth and found himself quite exhausted after a while. Sol would have to be careful not to retrieve his entire belongings on a whim. He was not sure if he could handle that drain.


    Sleep came fast, and faster came the morning still.


    Nyx¡¯Sol walked through some shops near the sect plaza, browsing their wares, trying to gain a better understanding of the local economy.


    Local cultivator herbs seemed expensive, but compared to some materials, they were downright free. Most shops sold raw resources to cultivators for their professions, but if Sol had to guess, the sect¡¯s internal pricing might be more beneficial than the nearby¡ª


    His thought process was violently interrupted by his fellow future cultivators running toward the plaza. It was a bit too early for the admission ceremony, so of course, a fight had broken out.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Sol shrugged and walked closer as well, arriving early enough for the insults to end and the fight to begin.


    A demon with green skin raised his hands in a loose fighting stance toward a much younger individual. His opponent had crimson skin that blended into a lighter shade of brown. This was a child. Yet something about him radiated confidence. No, arrogance. Despite being the smaller of the two, he was looking down on his opponent.


    The younger demon casually stripped out of the upper half of his robes, revealing a heavily trained body. Muscles flexed down his chest and arms, and the upper end of a solid six-pack was visible.


    ¡°This Rax¡¯Rathos of the Aurelius Vox will take your first strike,¡± he casually declared to the crowd. His skin then turned a bronze hue, confidently spreading his arms away from himself.


    Sol immediately upgraded his perception of the younger demon. If he had enough control to activate a body technique¡ªwhich his bronze skin seemed to indicate as a defensive one¡ªthen he was already solidly in the first step of body cultivation, at least.


    His opponent already had a furious look on his face and charged him immediately. He put all his body weight behind a palm strike that impacted Rax¡¯Rathos¡¯s face.


    Sol could see the skin bend when it impacted. Clearly, the technique did not have the power of the first level of cultivation behind it¡ªSkin Tempering.


    Nonetheless, some of the force seemed to have been lost. Quick successive strikes impacted the green-skinned demon in vital areas. A kick to the lower leg and knee brought his opponent low. Rax¡¯Rathos was merciless¡ªan uppercut to the chin, a hook to the side of the chin. Despite the size difference, the fight was over.


    ¡°I am Rax¡¯Rathos! Know the name!¡± He took a victorious lap around the fallen body with arms outstretched, as if waiting for a challenger.


    Nyx¡¯Sol estimated the younger demon to be at most 14 years old. Despite that fact, he had the clear glow of awakening in his eyes. He might not have advanced to the first step of body cultivation yet, but he would surely do so in due time¡ªa natural-born genius.


    Then the orb, positioned in the middle of the sect plaza, started to glow. The admission had begun.


    As Sol walked away from the fight toward the plaza, even he drew some stares. Smaller groups sticking together clearly whispered about his Grace of Undying.


    It was irritating to be stared at, like he was something special. His only talent had been to die early. Part of him wanted to yell at them when they whispered in hushed voices, gesturing at their cheeks.


    So he stood stoically in the crowd and waited for his turn. The orb displayed a name: Rax¡¯Ounoth. A clumsy girl with light red, almost pink, skin approached and laid her hand on the orb. Her name disappeared, and the number ¡®17¡¯ appeared.


    A score for innate talent, measuring whatever factor the sect was looking for. As long as your score was above ten and you had awakened, you were granted access as an outer disciple. Sol was optimistic that he would at least score that well. He had to. Sol clenched his right fist. The spirit bond had faded into invisibility, hiding itself.


    He would do well and take care of the child that was left for him. Eleven was enough. As long as he passed.


    ¡®7.¡¯ A young blue demon was laughed out of the plaza, not qualifying.


    It took quite a while for the orb to select a new name, so Sol started listening to his surroundings. Worries, optimism, hope¡ªa lot of different sentiments were going around. Then, Rax¡¯Rathos and his friends shoved their way through the crowd to stand at the front. Soon, they stood next to Nyx¡¯Sol.


    ¡°Branch family trash should just hide instead of challenging me,¡± Rathos complained. ¡°If he had at least been from the Aurelius Vox, I would understand. Our branch family is better than other main families. Is that not right, Nox¡¯Rictus?¡±


    ¡®22.¡¯ A young demon girl with a white facemask had passed.


    The purple demon in question replied, ¡°No one compares to you, young master.¡± He bowed.


    ¡°Of course not. I am a genius. Awakened at just twelve years old, and I still had to wait another year to gain permission from my family to join the Verdant Reflection Sect.¡±


    ¡®19.¡¯ A lanky demon with bright blue skin raised his fist victoriously.


    A nearby red-skinned demon raised an eyebrow. ¡°Are you saying you are better than us?¡± He stepped closer, puffing up his chest. ¡°I could take you on any day.¡±


    Rax¡¯Rathos glared at him. ¡°We will see about that. I will make sure you regret the day you ever met me.¡± Then he arrogantly disregarded his adversary entirely. He was beneath his attention.


    ¡®34¡¯ and ¡®14.¡¯ A pair of identical-looking demons passed.


    The gesture had not been missed by the nearby demons, all giving their own little warnings to the younger demon. But he confidently endured them.


    ¡®27.¡¯ A dark-skinned Nyx had passed as well, somehow giving some courage to Sol.


    Meanwhile, Rax¡¯Rathos stood there, in a sea of insults, just staring down his adversaries, finally pointing upward at the floating rocks and shouting at them with a booming voice.


    ¡°Do not presume that one such as I will be trapped up there with the likes of you.¡± He laughed. ¡°No! It is you who are bound to these walls with me!¡±


    Nyx¡¯Sol stepped into the circle Rax¡¯Rathos had formed for himself. ¡°Little guy,¡± he said to gain his attention.


    The younger demon flipped around with a hissed, ¡°How dare you?¡± before realizing that Sol was pointing toward the plaza. ¡°Your turn.¡±


    Irritated, the younger demon stared at Sol¡¯s face. Sol could feel his eyes darting to the Grace of Undying on his cheek before stepping past him. ¡°We are going to solve this afterwards,¡± he growled.


    Sol really admired his confidence. It must be delightful to not fear your own failure. He watched the young genius step toward the stone, flipping it from his name to ¡®81.¡¯


    Loud talking replaced the quiet that the moment had created in a heartbeat.


    ¡°I would not wish to follow up on that.¡±


    ¡°This guy is insane, and he is so young!¡±


    ¡°81? Really?¡±


    Nyx¡¯Sol watched with dread as the younger demon approached, keeping his eyes locked on him the whole time. Then the orb showed ¡®Nyx¡¯Sol.¡¯


    Sol remembered the memory he had unlocked. With a deep breath in, he walked out, no longer needing to fake his confidence. He was calm and collected.


    The prior score had created a lot of anticipation, and you could hear a needle drop in the crowd.


    Only Rax¡¯Rathos did not care. ¡°Go ahead! Show us who you are!¡± he shouted with a mad laugh. ¡°No running away afterwards!¡±


    Nyx looked back at him briefly. What natural confidence he had. Incredible.


    Then he faced the orb and pressed his right hand onto it.


    It flickered. And then it lost all light and cracked with a thunderous noise through the middle, shattering the backside and throwing fragments across the plaza.

 Chapter 13 - When Everything Falls Away

    The sound of cracking stone reverberated between the flying rocks of the sect, audibly accompanied by falling debris. Sol suddenly found it very simple to manage the upkeep of his concentration skill. He was guessing his true emotions were wildly running rampant.


    He was utterly calm even as a core disciple appeared out of nowhere with a movement technique, silencing all talk among the young prospects in the crowd. Glancing over, it was satisfying to see Rax¡¯Rathos speechless for a change. The younger demon had crossed his arms in front of his body, head tilted slightly, and observed with a raised eyebrow.


    Just like Sol, he could not believe it.


    The crowd was in equal parts stunned or suspicious, whispering among each other.


    ¡°Feedback loop in the array. But what could have caused that?¡± The core disciple, a demon with dark green skin and hair that was half black and half white¡ªalmost giving it a gray coloration in motion¡ªwaved his hand, and the destroyed stone flew back, assembling itself with a loud grinding noise.


    A multitude of smaller orbs was revealed for a moment, forming an elaborate circle. Was that a featureless array? Nyx took note; a book had described that as drawing formation cycles with energy rather than material. So it was done by connecting nodes.


    Then the core disciple stared at Nyx¡¯Sol. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, he let a wave of Qi wash over the suspect, searching for an explanation. Sol¡¯s muscles flexed at the invading presence. Then the core disciple groaned audibly. ¡°Do these families have no shame these days? For a sixteen-year-old!¡± He threw his hands briefly up in exasperation, then continued making adjustments to the invisible array, adding several essences from his pouch.


    Sol had not known that essences could also be stored for later use. That was interesting to know. ¡°You can store essences like this?¡± he asked the core disciple, his lack of fear or emotion making him oblivious to the potential danger. ¡°I thought they needed to be harvested fresh.¡±


    ¡°You better not test my mood. If your family had not sent you here with an established spirit bond right after awakening, I would not have had to deal with this overloading mess,¡± he sighed. "Be silent," the core disciple warned when Sol opened his mouth to reply.


    So instead, he nodded. Apparently, the spirit bond¡¯s internal spirit energy had overloaded the orb. Sol had no idea what a feedback loop was in the context of arrays, but maybe the orb was amplifying the minimal amount of energy an awakened non-cultivator could bring to pass?


    And the spirit energy was amplified and broke the orb? A shame that he could not ask more; this was highly interesting to him.


    A few minutes later, the orb¡¯s array had been fixed, now with the added functionality of creating two duplicate orbs. They seemed as solid as the original, apparently done to catch up with an established timeline.


    The main orb showed ¡°Nyx¡¯Sol¡± again, so he stepped closer and pressed his right hand on the stone. His name disappeared and was replaced with a two-digit number.


    ¡°81.¡±


    Sol returned to the crowd while his focus skill slowly faded. He was surprised that he had been able to maintain it for that long. For future use, he would need a name for it, to give it a clearer concept and find out better how it operated.


    Rax¡¯Rathos was furious. He said nothing as Sol returned to the crowd, standing quietly near him. But his rage was now a cold fury. The spectacle of destroying the orb, paired with the same talent assessment as himself? It must have shoved him all the way from slightly angered loud disagreement to silent rage.


    ¡°14.¡± ¡°32.¡± ¡°28.¡±


    Nyx¡¯Sol was just glad that he would not immediately have to fight the younger demon off, especially since he seemed much more competent in hand-to-hand combat.


    This newfound ability to focus his emotions into a comfortable calm was truly thrilling. The problem was that he had no idea how it really worked. It somehow fed off his emotions, and the resulting state felt good, but he was unsure if it was something that could be used for every situation.


    It was not just a calm, collected state of mind, but rather the calm before striking with an attack. A battle-ready mind. In retrospect, he had almost considered that core disciple like he would have to retaliate against him¡ªcombative and ready.


    ¡°44.¡± ¡°11.¡± ¡°26.¡±


    Sol eyed the rest of the crowd and slowly counted. There were roughly fifty people; the assessment would still take a while.


    ¡°56.¡± ¡°24.¡± ¡°10.¡±


    The demon that had just barely scratched by the requirements with ten points was visibly relieved. Sol had to chuckle. He could relate. It was difficult to tell where your talent would be. He would have never estimated his own to be that high.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Rax¡¯Rathos said quietly, clearly intending it for him.


    Sol felt anxiety growing in his chest, but his calming technique would not activate. ¡°Nothing much,¡± he said calmly, glancing at the shorter, red-skinned demon.


    His fury was like a bonfire. Standing next to it, you could feel the heat. It was also very apparent that he was holding himself back. ¡°How did you do it?¡±


    Had the younger demon been fooled into believing that Sol was a lot stronger than he thought? Was that why he held back?


    ¡°Tell me,¡± he demanded, angrier this time. ¡°How did you do it?¡±


    Sol took a deep breath and tried to enter focus again. This time his ability obliged. ¡°How did I do what?¡± he asked innocently. Somehow, he could not help but provoke an attack. He just wanted to see what would happen.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    The shackled rage, held in place by a thin line of reason, broke. ¡°How did you¡ª¡± he began, growing louder and louder with each word. ¡°CHEAT THE SCORE TO BE EXACTLY LIKE MINE!¡± Rax¡¯Rathos yelled, his strong voice carrying through the crowd.


    People that had already been assessed turned toward the commotion, expecting another fight to break out, another grudge match settled before admittance. ¡°You think his Grace of Undying has caused the explosion?¡± someone speculated audibly. ¡°No, those only protect you from death. Are you an idiot?¡± another attendee dismissed him.


    ¡°I do not wish to fight you, Rax¡¯Rathos,¡± Sol said with a calm voice, holding his arms behind his back, mentally ready to be attacked. He was sure that the younger demon was stronger than him, but his anger might cloud his judgment. ¡°It is just a coincidence that we received the same score.¡±


    The words, like fuel on a flame, ignited the inevitable battle. With a loud scream, Rax¡¯Rathos invoked his bronze skin, making quick, well-practiced foot motions toward Sol. He slid over the plaza¡¯s stone floor, methodically closing the distance to then strike with his right fist, turning his entire body with the punch in a fluid motion.


    Nyx sidestepped it, having paid close attention to where his opponent had placed his feet. Rathos shifted his shoulder slightly; the telegraphed punch also ended a few centimeters short of Sol¡¯s chest. He felt a slight smile creep onto his face. This was the same feeling he had during the fight with the Sword God, only for it to be denied time and time again.


    The misses made his opponent channel even more rage, unleashing a short staff from his robes and, with a quick gap-closer, brought it down toward Sol¡¯s head with a heavy strike.


    The strike never connected. A demon in a black traveling cloak and hood had put themselves between the two young demons. Sol could smell a putrid stench that reminded him of mold and rot. His voice made his skin crawl, and a cold feeling ran down his neck.


    ¡°My, what eager little¡­ children you are.¡± His voice was a rasping whisper, dry and unnatural, echoing as if trapped in another world. ¡°Do not be hasty.¡±


    After Rax¡¯Rathos retrieved his staff into his robes, he bowed. ¡°I apologize, honorable elder of the Verdant Reflection Sect.¡±


    Sol moved to do the same, but the elder had turned and placed his hand on his shoulder, where his claws buried themselves uncomfortably into his robe.


    ¡°I see that you both are eager to fight,¡± he said, his raspy voice echoing uncomfortably in their minds. Rax¡¯Rathos grimaced briefly. ¡°The same talent, a young genius from a well-known family and a mysterious beastmaster.¡±


    He emphasized the last word as he turned to Sol, the bare hint of a smile forming under the shadow of his hood. ¡°You will both enter the temple of our ancestor the very day one of you first advances into the first step of the first realm.¡±


    ¡°You will pray, give your blood in thanks, and complete a summoning. Both of you. I will come and see to you after that,¡± his voice, a dark promise rather than encouragement. ¡°Cease your fighting among one another. That is an order.¡±


    Nyx¡¯Sol and Rax¡¯Rathos bowed and acquiesced to the elder¡¯s wishes. ¡°Yes, honorable elder of the Verdant Reflection Sect.¡±


    Sol could not help but feel thrilled. So many interesting things were happening, all at once.


    They waited for the elder to walk up to the orbs, inspect what seemed to be the work of the core disciple, and then vanish, his speed betraying his slow and raspy, echoing voice.


    ¡°I had you,¡± Rax¡¯Rathos claimed. ¡°If he had not intervened.¡±


    Sol disagreed. He had aimed for a counter after dodging. His focus had disappeared again, making him feel his emotions more clearly. Aside from an intense feeling of something wrong that he connected to the sect elder, he mostly felt an intense sense of joy.


    His regained memory had made him stronger than he would have imagined. Even if it was only a snippet of an entire life, it had unveiled a technique to him that was very useful. He wondered how a fight between him and the younger genius would look in the future. Would he outgrow him because of his prior training and talent as a young genius?


    ¡°We agree,¡± Sol said with a nod. ¡°To disagree.¡± Then he walked toward the core disciple that had ordered all the passing grades to assemble.


    ¡°I will reach Skin Tempering before you do,¡± Rax¡¯Rathos growled. ¡°See how you like getting summoned without cultivation.¡± Then the younger, red-skinned demon stormed off to his friends.


    Sol chuckled. He had never seen anyone be so consistently angry. It was fun to tease him, but his confidence was really something to admire.


    ¡°You think he is funny?¡± a timid, gentle voice spoke, its owner appearing next to him. She wore a plain black mask with red fire markings.


    Sol shook his head. ¡°I like him. I think he is a lot of fun.¡± His eyes shone with a glint of mischief.


    She shook her head. ¡°You are mad. He is from the most famous family for Skin Refinement Techniques. He will advance tomorrow and drag you into a summoning that you will never return from.¡±


    Sol shrugged. ¡°How do you know?¡±


    ¡°Because without cultivation, you will not be able to control otherworldly powers. At all. You will die helplessly, struggling without any blessing.¡± Her voice grew annoyed, shifting from a timid, gentle tone to a cute little growl.


    ¡°NINETY-FOUR? WHO?¡± Rax¡¯Rathos yelled audibly as they all gathered in front of the core disciple.


    ¡°Someone reached 94 points?¡± Sol asked curiously.


    ¡°That would be me,¡± she said casually.


    That made Sol raise an eyebrow. He had expected there to be more than one person with higher talent than himself. In fact, he had been worried about even passing. He had no formal training, as the Eternal Blossom Sect¡¯s philosophy was to bet on a humble upbringing rather than rapid advancement for its children.


    The core disciple¡¯s voice drowned out all conversation. ¡°Congratulations. You are hereby candidates to the Verdant Reflection Sect. However, you are not disciples of the sect.¡± He let his Qi wash over the attendees, an invasive feeling settling behind Sol¡¯s eyes. It revealed the invisible staircases that spanned all around each hovering boulder, went inside invisible buildings and courtyards, and gave a massive outlook on how large the sect even was.


    And it was possible that there were hidden staircases and buildings so well-hidden that they could not even be seen with the enhancement the core disciple had just given them temporarily.


    ¡°You have six months to advance into the first step of cultivation, Skin Tempering. If you fail, the sect will exclude you from applying for ten years. Then you may apply again.¡± He eyed Sol with an annoyed gaze before beckoning them all onto the stairs. ¡°Follow me; I will see you to your living quarters.¡±


    The timid girl raised the issue once again. ¡°You should absolutely worry. I don¡¯t understand how you can be so confident. He is¡ª¡±


    Sol raised his hand, signaling her to stop. She was not wrong.


    ¡°You are correct,¡± he said, making her tilt her head fully in his direction.


    He took a deep breath, making himself aware of all his emotions in the moment. Then he let them fall away.


    ¡°I should worry. And I do,¡± he sighed. ¡°I am scared of failure. I am scared to make mistakes and feel restless just thinking about how to improve.¡±


    ¡°Then how are you so confident?¡± she tried again.


    ¡°Rax¡¯Rathos makes me admire his confidence as much as I fear confrontation with him. But you are wrong,¡± he spoke softly. ¡°I am not confident.¡±


    ¡°But when everything falls away¡­¡± His face twisted into a childlike smile, amusement shimmering in his eyes. ¡°I just think it¡¯s so much fun.¡±

 Chapter 14 - Arguments

    Chapter 14 - Arguments


    Their journey led them high above most of the sect buildings that glimmered, invisible inside barriers below. The floating boulders slowly rotated between the stairs and around them, floating off a fair distance before returning, all seemingly at random, giving the impression that the entire sect was permanently in a slow cycle of shifting and transforming.


    Then the core disciple finally approached and guided them into a building. It was entirely invisible from the outside until the gate opened, making the wooden frame visible and allowing the young recruits of the Verdant Reflection Sect to enter an idyllic garden. "Garden" was the most apt descriptor, but such an enormously large area could house the entire Reflection Lake Town multiple times over.


    There were multiple houses, tents, and even dirt holes that looked lived-in. Some of the houses were luxurious mansions in their own right, while others were either large, expensive-looking houses or more simple ones, ranging from solid stone to various types of wood.


    In the distance, far beyond the housing area, there were training facilities, various buildings, and training obstacle courses that spanned a larger body of water. Sol was already curious to see them and try them out. How did the sect approach teaching Skin Tempering advancement?


    His train of thought was interrupted by the core disciple, who sharply ordered them to silence with an audible sound that pierced them to their bones¡ªnot quite a peaceful, sharp whistle.


    ¡°It behooves you all to pay attention. This is the area where all those who seek to enter the sect but have not yet taken a solid step into the realm of body cultivation find themselves. There are many accommodations here. Each home can be claimed by a single person.¡±


    He gestured behind himself toward the housing area.


    ¡°If you claim one home, it is designated ¡®safe¡¯ for six hours at night, as well as two single hours during the day, which you may choose at your own leisure. That time period has to be chosen before sunrise and may not be changed.¡±


    The core disciple raised his voice a little, smiling at the roughly forty cultivators in training.


    ¡°As you can see, there are not enough homes for everybody, and older generations still remain. New arrivals like yourself will have to ¡®argue¡¯ for housing in order to have a safe space to sleep or to be provided food beyond what the dirt holes provide. You may ¡®argue¡¯ for any home once per day. If you harm anyone outside of arguments¡­ Well.¡±


    He stepped aside as the rock the group was standing on slowly descended downwards into the ground, forming a staircase in the process. Half the group was lowered alongside the stone. It was a long staircase, but one could easily spot the first cells that lined its descent into darker depths.


    Sol wondered how deep or far this environment could stretch. From the outside, it had given the impression of a small estate. Now it seemed like a whole world of its own. He eyed the temporary storage ring on his right finger. If a tiny ring such as this could hold easily a thousand times its size, the same would likely apply to domains such as this. Fascinating.


    ¡°These cells are energy absorbent,¡± the core disciple voiced with audible boredom. ¡°You may stay here two weeks without food if you dare fight among one another. Enforcement is strict and quick. Do. Not. Test it.¡±


    The stairs retracted upwards, forming a solid surface once again, lifting the group members standing on it upwards with it.


    ¡°There is also a temple shrine at the center of the housing complex. If you wish to pray or are foolish enough to attempt a summoning, touching it will teleport you there. Mind you, if you have not reached Skin Tempering, you will not be able to control otherworldly forms of power, such as mana, runes, or totems. The success rate for summonings attempted before reaching the first step is lower than one out of ten.¡±


    Sol frowned. He would really have to be careful not to lose to Rax¡¯Rathos. He could easily see that creepy elder forcing him into a summoning.


    The core disciple made an inviting gesture toward the garden before eyeing Sol. ¡°Don¡¯t break anything I have to fix.¡± Then he disappeared with a movement technique, leaving the new group behind. The gate closed behind them, seamlessly blending into the imitation of a natural horizon line.


    As the group either slowly dispersed into smaller groups or as singular individuals, some made a dash to claim housing for themselves. Even Rax¡¯Rathos abandoned his fellow clan members as he ran toward the largest mansion with confidence.


    A familiar female voice next to Nyx¡¯Sol finally broke the silence that had now taken hold in the entrance area. ¡°He really does not like you very much,¡± the masked girl said with a gentle voice.


    Sol shrugged as he eyed the much shorter girl. The mask, paired with her black hair and wide cultivator robes, hid her skin color entirely. He would have liked to address her by a name, but if she did not introduce herself, he would not ask. ¡°He does not, my masked friend. He really does not.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    She tilted her head and turned to walk away. ¡°We are friends now, so at least escort me home, friend,¡± she said teasingly.


    Sol tagged along, almost towering over the smaller girl. He was at least a head and a half taller. ¡°I assume you, the most talented of us all, will go for the best mansion?¡±


    ¡°It would be nice to see what they look like at least,¡± she opined, ¡°since I do not fancy sleeping out in the dirt. Do you?¡±


    Sol nodded. ¡°I do not mind sleeping outside. It would not be the first time.¡± His journey through the woods still made for a vivid memory. ¡°But I want to argue with Rathos. We were interrupted, after all.¡±


    His companion sighed. ¡°Why pour oil into the fire? Do you enjoy feuding with other families that much?¡± The mask turned toward Sol. ¡°What family are you from, anyway?¡± She eyed him from top to bottom.


    ¡°I was born in the woods. Made a lot of great friends there,¡± Sol said with a shrug. ¡°And¡ª¡±


    ¡°Clearly,¡± she interrupted with sarcasm.


    ¡°And I¡ª¡± Sol frowned as they passed the first smaller houses, where some fighting sounds could be heard from the inside. The cracking of wood and audible grunts did little to distract him from the conversation. ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°You are not honest with your words. You clearly enjoy confrontation. Why hide what family you hail from?¡± She tapped his right armguard with her gloved finger. ¡°Pakira wood is not the cheapest material. You are from a wealthy family. Not to mention your storage ring.¡±


    Sol readjusted his arm guards and thought about how to respond. ¡°You are quite observant. I hid it on a whim. I want to see how things go without help first. It feels more fun that way. But I do not seek to feud with Rax¡¯Rathos. However, he is clearly the strongest here, so¡ª¡±


    ¡°He is not,¡± she refuted.


    ¡°The strongest here that I have seen so far,¡± Sol refuted in turn. ¡°So I will fight him and learn from that. It is¡ª¡±


    ¡°More fun that way,¡± she said in a gentle tone that implied a smile before tilting her mask again. ¡°The cut on your armguard. What happened? Pakira wood is not easily scratched.¡±


    ¡°Oh, this?¡± Sol said casually. ¡°Someone taught me a valuable lesson. He was quite insightful.¡±


    She continued to walk next to him as they passed the last houses before a small hill raised the largest of mansions above the competition. A throne for whoever was strongest.


    They walked in silence until they had almost reached the front door of the estate.


    ¡°What lesson did he teach you?¡± she finally inquired. ¡°Was it a harsh one?¡±


    Sol nodded. ¡°Yes, but he was very gentle in the end. And he taught me the value of a strong foundation.¡±


    They arrived at the door, which was shut and refused to open. Someone was ¡®arguing¡¯ inside.


    ¡°What advice did he give you?¡±


    Sol remembered the words vividly. ¡°Be more of who you are before cultivation makes you more of who you are right now,¡± he said wisely.


    She chuckled. ¡°You are also from the east? Is that not the old saying, ¡®Know yourself before growth defines you¡¯? My father used to say that all the time.¡± She pulled a heavy silver coin from her robes, the front carrying the words ¡®Know yourself,¡¯ revealing ¡®before growth¡¯ after she flipped it around. ¡°See? The saying you used is much older but well-known. But how does that teach you the importance of a strong foundation?¡±


    Sol was unshaken in his belief. Out of everything he had read about cultivation, this saying made the most sense to him. If he mastered the concept of each step fully and built them up as much as he could while refusing to advance, he would be forced to advance by his own growth regardless. And when it did, he would be more than anyone else, the nature of breakthroughs amplifying his earlier progress.


    He could also be proven wrong upon advancing, but why worry about that now? Wiser men than himself had thought up that saying and found the meaning worthy of passing on to their students. And such a student became the legendary Sword God. How wrong could it be?


    Before he could elaborate on his thought process, the door slid open, and Rax¡¯Rathos appeared, his lower lip bruised and split. His clothing showed quite a bit of blood, though it was not his own, as he dragged an unconscious demon with bright red skin out of the mansion and threw him at their feet. The demon looked unfamiliar.


    ¡°Previous generation?¡± Sol mused aloud, the nod of Rax¡¯Rathos confirming his suspicion. ¡°Nice home?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I did not expect you to come, Nyx¡¯Sol,¡± Rathos said with a deep breath, quenching his thirst with a water bottle from his robes.


    ¡°Call me Sol. I merely accompanied a friend of mine to her future home.¡± He gestured at the smaller demon girl and then broke out into a deep smile, activating his focus skill. He had no deep emotions at the moment, but it still felt trivial to use. ¡°But first, let us have an argument.¡±


    Rax¡¯Rathos stepped back into the house with a shrug. ¡°Come on in then, Nyx¡¯Sol.¡±


    ¡°Call me Sol. May I call you Rathos?¡± Sol said with a sly smile. The younger demon did not seem to like it when he attempted to stand in the same hierarchy as him.


    ¡°You may not, and I disapprove of your overfamiliarity.¡± Rax¡¯Rathos pulled out the familiar quarterstaff and strode confidently into what seemed to be a living area. Comfortable furniture, sitting pillows, a fireplace, and an indoor pool carved skillfully into the stone set the scene.


    Sol reapplied his focus, withdrew his claws over his hands, and readied himself mentally for the inevitable attack. It did not come immediately.


    Instead, Rax¡¯Rathos paced around uncomfortably in the room. ¡°I dislike this place anyway. It reminds me too much of home. It is too comfortable. Are you not going to draw a weapon, Nyx¡¯Sol?¡± he emphasized the name.


    Sol thought of the sword sheath in his storage ring. That would come across as mocking his opponent. The younger demon would not appreciate it. ¡°I have had an idea that I wanted to try. I respect your strength; nothing better than to test a theory on a strong opponent.¡±


    The young demon scoffed. ¡°Your funeral. I will not hold back.¡±

 Chapter 15 - Struck in His Sternum

    Sol strode deeper into the living area, his focus making him confident and observant. The indoor pool was covered by a barrier of sorts, making it an extension of the floor. As Rax¡¯Rathos paced around him with his quarterstaff, Sol took in the state of the room.


    A few pillows seemed out of place, a comfortable chair had fallen over, and a few drops of blood marked the path his current opponent had dragged the former estate owner through. Apparently, he had fled upstairs to make his last stand.


    Sol readied himself in a reactive posture while the younger demon strode around him confidently, sizing him up. His form seemed lazy and cocky, arrogant and confident, but his muscles were tensed in anticipation of combat.


    Rax¡¯Rathos was a lot smaller than Sol, but he had likely trained to fight his entire life. His muscles were honed¡ªnot just random physical fitness from labor like Sol¡¯s. He did not envy his experience, but if he had known that fighting could be so relaxing and thrilling at the same time, he would have liked to start at an earlier age.


    Rax¡¯Rathos kicked a sitting pillow into Sol, who ignored it. He would not take his eyes off his opponent. But the pillow gave him a fun thought.


    Then the younger demon swung his staff around and lunged forward as if thrusting a spear.


    Sol had trouble reading the motion fully at first, so he decided to dodge, only to realize the strike led into a second thrust.


    There was a nasty, audible sound of wood heavily impacting the transformed claws that protected his fists. The impact reverberated into his shoulder as Sol observed the movements of his opponent. Shoulders turned, the staff retreated, and a quick, seemingly motionless swing sought to impact his head lightly. Sol shifted his claws further back to the back of his hand and blocked the strike in time.


    At the same time, he sneakily moved the pillow into Rax¡¯Rathos¡¯s path.


    The younger demon reacted quickly, adjusted his footwork, and shoved the pillow aside while bombarding Sol with a range of staff attacks. Thrust here, jab there, short strike from above, then below, then an all-out strike from the side.


    Sol took a bit of punishment. The weapon grazed him at times when he tried to dodge, and when he was too slow to match his fist to the attack, he took some nasty strikes to his chest, shoulder, and arm.


    But his focus sharpened, and so did his defense. Soon he was able to read the movement of his opponent with an exciting ease. A smile crept up his lips as he blocked the staff with concise strikes. Despite the bruises he would carry away from the experience, Sol would not have traded away this argument.


    The staff strikes soon increased in force, the anger of its wielder making them heavier and heavier. But it also made them easier to block defensively. Soon Sol was able to advance forward while parrying and push his opponent towards the entrance hall, out of the living area.


    Rax¡¯Rathos screamed his frustration as he moved to javelin the staff at Sol.


    ¡®Never interrupt your opponent when they are making a mistake,¡¯ Sol thought, so he dodged and moved closer to face his now weaponless opponent.


    How wrong he had been. Sol quickly learned that Rax¡¯Rathos¡¯s fury was best applied in close-quarters combat. His protected fists were harder than his opponent¡¯s bronze skin technique, but Sol quickly learned there was more to the technique than protection. The strikes hurt¡ªbeyond the physical impact alone.


    As he matched fists with his opponent, he quickly realized that his experience with boxing meant a big gap between him and Rax¡¯Rathos. Soon, various small movement counters, like uppercuts and hooks, made Sol retreat with his head behind his arms.


    Rax¡¯Rathos really excelled in close-quarters combat. Concise footwork brought him barely close enough to strike Sol. Dodges were used to position himself better, and the constant onslaught of impacts made Sol¡¯s arms feel like burning iron. They stung, felt heavy, and dragged his movement even further down into the abyss that was this fight.


    Who had ever thought it was a good idea to give a calculating weapon like a quarterstaff to a fighter like Rax¡¯Rathos? Who, much smaller and less heavy, still managed to out-fistfight his opponents while making it look easy. Sol slowly retreated, throwing feints to buy a bit of time and make one last stand.


    His opponent''s fury was his strength but also seemed to be a weakness. The younger demon had worked himself into such a raged frenzy that Sol doubted he cared much where he moved. He was already close to the entrance.


    Two strikes hit Sol hard: one clipped the top of his head, reverberating through his body, while the second strike fainted as an uppercut only to hit him as a hook. The accumulated damage got to him, and Sol lost his focus for a second as his mind disconnected briefly.


    When he came back, his vision was narrow, and he was falling toward the ground.


    Hurriedly, he re-applied his focus, rolling off his fall and raising his guard just in time for another strike. It was a bit of luck, but this fall had given him the perfect positioning. Now Rax¡¯Rathos stood exactly between him and the entrance door.


    Sol feinted a few quick jabbing motions before he kicked against the bronze-reinforced body, briefly knocking him off balance.


    The skin technique was great at amplifying impacts and absorbing damage, but it did not stop people from moving you. So Sol did just that. He dashed into the opening, ducked below a quickly thrown punch, and rammed into the lighter and smaller demon at his stomach, carrying him off his feet toward the door.


    A few well-placed elbows into his back made Sol¡¯s spine tingle. The door opened as they approached, revealing the outside, where a small demon girl with a mask was patiently waiting. Sol let go of his opponent as they reached it, throwing him away.


    Dizzy, battered, and bruised, Sol stood in the doorway. Blood ran down his nose, his hands felt heavier than stone, and even his claws refused to move back into place despite his efforts. His spine radiated pain down into his legs, and his vision constantly narrowed and expanded as he struggled to stay conscious.


    ¡°I win,¡± he said breathlessly. Rax¡¯Rathos moved to punch him, but his fist hit a barrier that had formed in the doorway. One ¡®argument¡¯ per day per house. Which technically meant¡ªvictory.


    The younger demon¡¯s skin technique faded as he blinked away his battle rage. He now stood eye to eye with Sol, whose weakened posture had made him hunch over in the doorway. ¡°You win¡ªwhat exactly?¡± Rax¡¯Rathos said with his brows furrowed. ¡°I was never going to stay here. You win a house you can¡¯t defend.¡±


    The bronze-skinned demon eyed Nyx¡¯Sol from top to bottom. ¡°Especially not after fighting me. You did some interesting things, but now I know how you fight.¡± He turned to leave. ¡°Next time I will destroy you fully. Don¡¯t expect it to go that easily.¡±


    The demon girl with her white mask bowed her head toward Rax¡¯Rathos with a friendly tone. ¡°Greetings, young master of the Aurelius Vox family.¡±


    The younger demon just shook his head. ¡°Bloody vulture,¡± he grumbled under his breath, disregarding the greeting.


    Nyx could tell by her body posture that it bothered her before she turned and stepped past him into the estate. A faint flowery scent accompanied her.


    Sol turned to follow her into the living area. ¡°I think he dislikes formal greetings. Just be honest and say what you mean,¡± he said as he sank into a comfortable chair, the process sending sharp pain into every muscle. The damage now really started to make itself known.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°You look terrible,¡± the demon girl said gently as she passed his chair, her mask tilting sideways as if she were thinking about something. ¡°You really should stop using this technique of yours. It clouds your judgment.¡± She grabbed a set of teacups from a nearby cupboard and retrieved hot tea from her robes before sitting opposite Sol with a warm cup in her hands.


    Sol eyed her curiously as she brought the cup to her mask, the cup phasing in and out seamlessly. Apparently, she also came from a wealthy and influential clan if she could afford storage items and a mask like this.


    ¡°Do not be rude now, drink,¡± she ordered.


    Sol sat there for a few moments, his body aching all over, his mood still elevated from his focus ability. The warm liquid ran down his throat, making him notice how parched he had been. Weird. He could not turn off his ability. It was just¡­ there.


    Sipping tea and focusing on his inner emotional state, he just found relaxed joy and a feeling of deep satisfaction. Rationally, he knew this was not how he felt and that this victory of his was not something to be happy about. He was in a terrible state and likely would not be able to claim any house. If he could even find a dirt-hole shack for the night, he would be lucky. He would likely not get food or less than if he had gone for one of the other houses.


    Yet his emotional state was calm, relaxed, and happy. He frowned. He did not want to feel like this permanently. Had this happened before? Did this technique activate without his knowledge sometime after his encounter with the Sword God? ¡°I¡ªI do not think I can stop using the technique.¡±


    The demon girl took another sip of tea through her mask. Sol could imagine her smile or even a frown, but he had no other indicator than a slight shift in her posture. Maybe he was imagining it.


    ¡°My uncle used to play me beautiful songs when I was little. Every day, he would find me playing in the garden, sing and whistle for me, make funny noises, and play instruments. I enjoyed these moments a lot.¡± She took another sip, her body posture slouching more into the chair. ¡°Until I turned eight years old. That was when I noticed that he never smiled. Never laughed. His mouth might have, but his eyes never once did.¡±


    Sol¡¯s focus technique made him analyze the purpose of the story rather than the emotional weight she had just shared with him, which made him frown more. Her uncle also had a technique similar to his. Could he also not control it? Sol thought about his little brother he had played with many times. He had genuinely smiled and laughed with him. If he did that now, would he too not be able to feel affection for him?


    The demon girl eyed him patiently, waiting for him to comment.


    ¡°He could not turn it off?¡± Sol asked with a focused demeanor. If he was stuck with this, that could be a problem. How long had it been that way? Ever since he had regained this one memory of snow and swords in his encounter with the Sword God?


    The girl put down her teacup and adjusted to a cross-legged sitting position. Her gloved right hand rested on her knee while her left caressed the side of her head, half-vanishing through the mask. ¡°I have asked him many times. He always confirmed ¡®I can,¡¯ but never did. Even begging him did not change his mind.¡±


    Sol was glad to hear that his lack of control was likely temporary. As to why someone would use a technique such as that, he could immediately think of a reason. ¡°A painful memory? If you cannot bear the memory or the feeling is too strong? It feels good to let go of your emotions, especially if they are negative ones.¡±


    Sol continued after a brief pause. ¡°Your story has made me think about something. I have regained a memory where my past self uses this technique. I assumed it was done by letting go of strong emotions. But that does not seem to be the case. I do not know how to¡ª¡± He struggled to put it into words. ¡°How it works. How to start and how to stop. It has been a week since I regained that memory.¡±


    His conversational partner sighed, gathered her cup, and emptied it before she answered with a patient and gentle voice. ¡°Well, at least you are not intentionally blocking emotions in a conversation with others. I felt it was rather rude.¡±


    ¡°I apologize,¡± Sol said sheepishly.


    ¡°Once we awaken to cultivation, our body becomes an empty vessel that is thrown into a body of water. But instead of rapidly filling with water, only small cracks all over are letting in a small drip. As we continue to grow accustomed to cultivation, when we use this water¡ªthis energy, this Qi¡ªwe improve the rate at which we let in this outside source.¡±


    She stood and approached his chair. ¡°You know how to activate the technique but have no concept of how to end it. While I can help you with that temporarily¡ª¡± She drew a thin needle from her pocket. ¡°If you activate it again, your technique will drain the energy you gather continuously, and you will not have any to apply to your Skin Tempering training.¡±


    Sol let her approach. Her slender fingers brushed aside his robes around his throat and stung him with the needle at the upper part of his sternum. Immediately, he felt his focus drop away, replaced by an odd feeling of emotional emptiness. It was not the same sensation he had felt when his focus dropped before. Maybe this was a continued effect that persisted beyond the active focus?


    He felt relieved, as if a weight had been dropped from his shoulders. A tear formed in his right eye and fell on his cheek. ¡°Thank you,¡± he rasped with a heavy voice before coughing to say it again with more gratitude. ¡°Thank you, really. Have you been trained in medicine?¡±


    The demon girl refilled her teacup with more steaming tea and sat down gracefully before answering. ¡°You are very welcome, though I must say I am a bit disappointed. I had assumed you had a solid grasp on your ability and decent control of Qi. If you did, you would have managed to stop by forcing all of your Qi to do¡ª¡± Her mask tilted as she observed him. ¡°Well, anything, really. If you run out, your technique will stop working.¡±


    Sol noticed that she had dodged the question about her training. She was clearly a very private person, so he decided not to press the issue¡ªespecially after she had just helped him greatly. There was, however, another thing he wanted to ask.


    ¡°May I ask you a question? You may ask me anything in return,¡± he suggested. ¡°In fact, you may not even answer my question. After all, I owe you for your help.¡±


    She considered for a moment, sipping her tea. The beverage had cooled sufficiently, and Sol finished half of his. It reminded him of home; he had tasted this blend of tea before. For the first time in a long time, he felt very raw emotions: missing his siblings, the safety of home, and relying on someone. The smell of his mother¡¯s kitchen and the idyllic peace of a hardworking farm life.


    If she was taken aback, she did not show it. ¡°Did the same person that taught you your ¡®lesson¡¯ of a ¡®strong foundation,¡¯ as you put it, kill you? They must have been very strong to slice through pakira wood that easily. Did the moment you received your Grace of Undying awaken that memory you mentioned?¡±


    Sol suppressed a slight smile. So she had been curious about these things, since she even asked two questions at once. ¡°I do not know if my death and receiving the Grace of Undying influenced how quickly I regained a memory. The day of my sixteenth birthday, my coming-of-age day, I died. I was blessed and destroyed what killed me.¡± He frowned as he thought back to the moment in the aftermath. He had been very calm and collected despite having faced death.


    ¡°What does it feel like?¡± she asked, leaning forward in her seat.


    ¡°Death? I don¡¯t know if I even felt that. It felt like a dream and waking up again, in the moment and location that, I think at least, I died in.¡± Sol saw her shake her head gently. ¡°Oh. The Grace of Undying felt like a surge of power that restores you fully, your body full of energy. It was the best I ever felt.¡±


    Picking up the thread of his earlier thought, he continued. ¡°But you also feel in control, calm, and like nothing could harm you. Maybe that is the case? This feeling might have triggered my memory later on. I have never thought about it from this perspective.¡±


    She nodded with enthusiasm. It was calming to tell her about his experience, to have someone listen to his problems. ¡°After leaving my home for the sect, a few days later, I encountered someone on the road to the sect. He wore two swords on his hips, one regular sword in a black sheath and a longer, curved sword in a white one.¡±


    ¡°You met the Sword God?!¡± she shouted, rising to her feet before collapsing back into her seat. She sat cross-legged, her leg moving rhythmically in an effort to contain herself. ¡°I apologize, please continue.¡±


    Sol nodded. ¡°Yes. It was the Sword God. We briefly talked. I refused to fight him. He insisted. His words made me remember as we fought. I think I might have met him in another life¡ªor someone like him.¡± He sighed. ¡°Needless to say, he cut me apart with ease, healed me afterward, and his words of advice stuck with me.¡±


    A long moment of silence followed. Sol almost felt like telling her about his beast bond. It felt cathartic to talk about his journey with someone. Maybe another time.


    Her posture suggested deep thought. Sol finished his tea and withdrew the needle from his sternum, placing both on the chair''s armrest. This might be a great place to conclude their ¡®argument¡¯ and let her take control of the mansion. Even if he had been in peak condition, he would not have tried to take it from someone who helped him and gave him good advice¡ªboth before he wanted to hear it and after.


    ¡°Now to my question,¡± Sol said with a friendly smile as he stood to leave. ¡°What is your name?¡±


    The masked girl straightened up and sank back into her chair, presenting an authoritative figure despite her small stature and Sol towering over her.


    ¡°We are friends. Friends should remember each other¡¯s names,¡± she chided him with a coy, facetious voice. ¡°Now leave, friend. I am going to take a bath and want some privacy. The protected hour and lunch will be soon.¡±


    Sol raised an eyebrow as he observed her. Her leg moved slightly up and down on top of the other, her gloved fingers tapping the armrests rhythmically.


    If she was staring at him in mock anger or with a devious, daring grin, he could not tell. But he knew that he would very much have liked to know.


    Then he nodded and turned to leave.

 Chapter 16 - Reflections

    Sol was in a good mood after leaving the estate, despite the fact that he could barely raise his arms. His chest hurt in several places; his right shoulder, in particular, felt as if it had been broken, and his back radiated pain down his spine whenever he walked either too straight or hunched down too much. His body felt exhausted, as if he had been on his feet all day, the midday sunlight claiming otherwise.


    Yet, the leaves on the trees felt more vibrant and green, the air felt fresh and welcoming, and Sol felt an emotional clarity that he had not experienced in a long while. It was now painfully obvious to him how much his focus skill had impacted him. It clearly must have had both a passive and an active component. One active state that he would use to consciously focus in a fight, while the other muted or regulated his emotional state continuously.


    Sol surveyed the Verdant Reflection Sect¡¯s training area for the Skin Tempering disciples. Multiple houses offered him a promising resting spot and a warm meal for lunch, as well as an hour''s respite, but Sol was in no condition to contest anyone''s claim right now.


    The only option he had was to leave for one of the dirt holes on the outskirts of the area to recover some strength. Every step sent painful stings through his body, stirring a multitude of emotions in his mind: anger and disappointment at himself, excitement at being at the sect and seeing all these new things, relief at no longer being emotionally muted, and fear.


    Fear was slowly creeping closer to him. An elder of the Verdant Reflection Sect was interested in him and his beast bond and had set him against a generational genius who would likely outperform him in cultivation progression and endanger his life in the challenges the elder would throw at them.


    A shudder went down his spine when he thought about the feeling that the hooded man had given off: rot and decay. A feeling as wrong as darkness during daytime.


    The shudder made him straighten up, sending another fresh wave of pain through his body¡ªanother thing the focus skill had muted for him. Right after the fight, it had felt negligible, barely worth mentioning.


    Sol passed a few rather luxurious houses on the way to the outskirts, some of which had ongoing fights. If he had his focus skill active, would he have jumped at the opportunity to fight an exhausted owner even in his condition?


    As he passed the houses, he thought back to Lun¡¯Archessa. Her enormous size when she said her goodbye was still a vivid picture in his mind. Yet, he had felt no fear, no anxiety¡ªjust calm focus.


    When Sol had inspected the seal on the boulder that prevented her freedom, he hadn¡¯t even asked himself if it was a good idea to unseal her. It was merely morbid curiosity that had driven him to try. Had he caused a lot of damage by doing so? What if she went on a rampage? Was that now his fault?


    As he passed the entrance to one of the smaller houses on the outskirts, he dodged a body that came tumbling out. His aching muscles obliged grudgingly. The superior expression on the current owner of the home vanished and was replaced by doubt when he spotted Sol, who was looking through him, hardly registering the situation.


    The more Sol tried to rationalize the situation in his mind, the harder it was to avoid feeling freaked out about his focus skill. He had felt amused at the notion that he just stumbled upon a powerful spirit beast rather than weighing his options to leave and hurry to safety after cleaning up.


    It was impossible to say how he would have really reacted if the skill had not been active. The emotions did not come back, and remembering a situation was not the same thing as feeling a new one.


    The owner of the home had a relieved look on his face as Sol ignored the scene and continued past them into the woods.


    His thoughts haunted him all the way to a quiet piece of forest on the outskirts, where a damp, shadowy hole offered a resting place against a large tree. A stamped dirt floor and a wooden bowl under a roof of leaves and sticks.


    Sol eyed the cover. If rain existed here, it would not protect him. Shrugging, he sat in the damp dirt and was immediately greeted with a feeling of ownership. Instinctively, he knew that there had been no prior owner and that he could pick his own lunch and dinner times.


    Sol knew many of the new arrivals were more interested in checking out the training area rather than claiming a home, so not every spot had been taken. Maybe he could go around and steal lunch times from unclaimed spots?


    When he determined for lunchtime to start immediately, he felt a barrier setting itself up around his spot, protecting him from outside influences.


    The wooden bowl filled itself, and Sol immediately discarded his earlier thought. No one would want to steal this type of food: a hardened piece of bread, over- or undercooked cold vegetables of different varieties, as well as raw meat.


    Lovely. Additionally, a plain wooden cup appeared, offering: stale water.


    Very stale.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Sol was afraid to take more than a sip, retrieving his water bottle from his storage ring. The strain of using the artifact without Qi added to his exhaustion.


    With the less stale water from his water bottle, Sol ripped a few strings of flesh off the raw meat and chewed on them while cleaning his bloodied nose. The nosebleed that Rax¡¯Rathos¡¯s hook had caused had dried up and clogged his nose severely. Sol pulled out clumps of blood and cleaned his nose with some water while he finished the cold, stringy meat.


    A few carrots and vigen later, he was entirely sure that this was the worst food he had ever eaten. He had even considered turning on his focus skill again, just to not be bothered as much by it. When he put the bowl back, it refilled itself. Sol blinked. No stealing of food necessary, huh?


    He grabbed the new piece of meat from the bowl and held it outside his shelter. It immediately dissolved upon leaving its boundaries.


    Interesting. It was impossible to share food.


    Sol ignored the refilled bowl and took the state of his body into account. There were some nasty bruises forming on his dark skin. The shade no longer shifted from dark grey to crimson; now his skin had turned purple or green.


    The injuries were far less severe than his injuries during and after his fight with the Sword God. They were minor, not life-threatening, and as long as he did not touch them or move around wildly, they did not even hurt that much.


    He chewed on a piece of a cold, mushy carrot, the crude taste further souring his mood.


    Back then, he had been cut to the point of bleeding out, yet his focus skill made the memory rather painless. Dulled, as if he had hardly been injured.


    Which was another terrible aspect of the focus skill. Sol was unable to accurately judge his own situations when he was using that skill. He would take almost any fight¡ªamused, jovial, and excited, he would focus all his attention on improving for the current fight and winning at any cost. Even during his fight against the Sword God, he had tried to win.


    It was stupid. If Sol could not trust his judgment when using it, the skill was quite dangerous to him. Retreating from a fight was a valid strategy. Especially when facing greater odds, larger groups, or stronger foes, he could not just approach and fight them casually.


    Sol slumped back against the tree, knocking his head into it repeatedly. It hurt, but he felt it was the right reaction, given his own stupidity over the past week. Sighing, he forced himself to eat the other cold vegetables¡ªsome burnt as well¡ªin order to diversify his food choices. It felt as if he was punishing himself with bad food. Good.


    On the other hand, it was very convenient to turn off and discard your emotional state of mind.


    His focus might allow him to get better results from skills that did not put his life at risk. Alchemy, arrays, or even simple weapon training might profit from his focus. For this purpose alone, it would be important to learn how to apply it and how to get rid of it.


    Sol thought back to the Eternal Blossom Estate. He missed his mother and father, his annoying little sister, and his cute little brother.


    The mysterious masked demon girl had been right to call him out on his behavior, and he was very grateful for her help. It was horrifying to realize that he had no control over his own emotions, unable to turn the technique off. Sol felt he might overuse it and rely on it too much, even if he had perfect control over it. Confidence felt very comfortable.


    He would have to set very strict rules for himself, even after mastering control over it.


    Sol massaged one of his arms. A nasty bruise sent a sharp pain through his body, but it was comforting. It grounded him a bit more and made the situation feel more real. A small bird landed in front of the hole, eyeing the food with interest before knocking into the barrier and flying away.


    As Sol recalled the conversation with the demon girl, the key to advancement in Skin Tempering would be to feel how his skin absorbed the Qi in his environment.


    His focus skill was also fueled by Qi, which meant that he would only be able to stop it once he had a better understanding of how this felt. Rax¡¯Rathos and the masked demon girl both seemed to have a basic understanding of how to ¡®feel¡¯ Qi. Sol wanted to catch up with them.


    This would be his first focus point. Until he had a more solid understanding, he would ban the focus technique and then apply it selectively in strategic moments only.


    Sol retrieved three small transparent light-grey pills from his storage ring and observed them. Brother Nox¡¯Yanxiou would likely advise him to keep them for later use, but in the stories that Sol had read, cultivation pills often offered new insights.


    He might be able to glean a better feeling through this, even if a body cultivation pill was typically best used for cleansing meridians and solidifying his body for the Qi-gathering stage.


    During his fight with Rax¡¯Rathos, his focus skill had allowed him good combat intuition, better reflexes, and an uncanny ability to improvise, but it was very clear to him now that the younger demon was far more advanced in his application of Qi.


    His skin technique alone indicated that he would advance sooner rather than later.


    Deciding to take the fight with Rax¡¯Rathos had been idiotic in the first place, but his focus skill had gained him quite a few new insights. Against the Sword God, it had felt like Sol was a toddler fighting a giant. Nothing he had done had worked even remotely. Against Rax¡¯Rathos, he had been able to adapt to the fighting style and improvise some techniques for blocking and reading his opponent throughout.


    Sol washed the taste of cold vegetables out of his mouth and put his bottle back into his temporary storage ring, watching the birds in the tree fight over a large beetle.


    In the future, Sol would use stealth and traps, cunning, and strategy rather than over-relying on his falsified confidence. He would pick fights on his terms.


    He considered using his focus skill before taking one of the cultivation pills for a few moments. It was possible that he could gather better insights that way, but Sol ultimately decided against it. He would be able to try that theory in the future, preferably after mastering his control over it.


    Nyx¡¯Sol popped the pill into his mouth and crushed it between his teeth. An icy feeling radiated through his mouth, down his throat, and up into his nose and head.


    As the two birds in the tree were still bickering over the ownership of their meal, a prickling feeling spread throughout Nyx¡¯Sol¡¯s body, and his entire world changed forever.

 Chapter 17 - Yin and Yang

    Nyx¡¯Sol¡¯s entire body prickled with a new sensation as the ice-cold feeling of the pill slowly spread down his throat and stomach, up his nose, and radiated into his eyes. The cold feeling mellowed out the more it spread, and soon the sensation of touching ice faded into the feeling of a cool breeze.


    Sol adjusted the position he was sitting in, his aching body protesting his straightened posture. Every breath he took sent a comfortable chill through his body, renewing the cool feeling the shapeshifting pill had awoken in him. The pill radiated its energy throughout his body in what Sol assumed to be his Qi channels, interconnected networks that spiritually ran through his organs, bones, and tendons.


    In his mind, he could envision a rough map, like a painting of lines that had been smudged and was barely visible. He could will this newfound energy to move. It took effort and was tedious since the channels seemed to resist this effort, and bottlenecks in certain places only allowed a small amount to pass. Were these bottlenecks meridians? Were they just minor impurities blocking his channels?


    He moved his Qi forward into his hands, returned it back to his body, and then did the same with his feet. It was a slow process, but his feeling of handling a broomstick like a drunk toddler was slowly fading.


    His Qi started to obey more smoothly, and moving a large quantity also began to tire Sol out physically. He did not dare break his concentration to open his eyes to check how much time had passed, so he decided to just sit and observe for a while.


    The demon girl with the white mask had told him that after awakening to cultivation, there would be cracks that let in natural Qi from the outside. Now that Sol could feel the Qi inside his body, he would heavily disagree. They were like needle-sized holes all over his body, constantly letting in energy from the outside. A prickling feeling that almost bordered on itching accompanied the process.


    Sol observed how tiny motes of Qi were pressing through the holes eagerly, wedging themselves into his larger pool, greedily adding to it. They immediately adjusted from their natural state to the state of his Qi, assimilated and added to his own. While the stream of energy was constant all over his body, the amount was minor. Compared to the seemingly bottomless abyss that the pill had provided him, they seemed like dewdrops on a sunflower in the morning.


    He would have to spend all of this energy. Otherwise, he would not be able to turn off his focus skill by running out of Qi. And that was the first step to understanding how it worked.


    Sol retracted and protracted his claws with his shapeshifting ability. It did not require any Qi to do so, but the process felt tiresome and slow. When he tried to add Qi to his claws, it was even harder to move them, his application making them stick to the surrounding skin more than usual. He frowned. This was not as simple as he had thought.


    Instead of focusing on his claws, he decided to try and make his skin more durable. Harder skin would be better, right? He slowly moved his energy to the outer side of his forearm. Then he carefully tried to spread it along a line upwards.


    He was greeted with a sharp sting of pain and felt a few prickling holes disappear. Touching his forearm confirmed that he had cut himself from the inside. Not a deep cut¡ªhe did not bleed¡ªbut his skin had been cut.


    It took him what felt like hours and several more minor cuts to figure out what he had done wrong. Instead of violently shoving out his energy through his skin, he slowly brought it up toward it and let the skin soak in it. He felt the local Qi absorption points expand slightly, and his skin was slightly more rough and hard to the touch.


    Sol let his internal energy spin in excitement. It was a thrilling feeling to discover new concepts such as these. If only he had paid more attention when reading theory books. They had always bored him to death.


    This must be the key to achieving Skin Tempering. Being able to take in more energy and apply it to strengthen yourself against external force. Immediately, Sol went to apply this newfound concept to his entire body. Every skin cell he could find he slowly fed more of his energy, making the uncomfortable prickling sensation disappear entirely.


    He fed his energy into this process continuously, first supplying only his fingers and arms, then moving on to his back, head, face, and finally his legs. It was a difficult process of keeping up his concentration while his mind was constantly occupied with managing the greater collective force moving in his body.


    When he was done, his entire body had a smooth sensation, without the annoying prickling feeling he had initially experienced. He opened his eyes slowly, but the expected daylight was nowhere to be found. How long had he been in meditation? Sol caught the presence of a little bird on his shoulder. It had taken him as a resting spot underneath the cover of the dirt hole hideout. Outside, light raindrops periodically dropped into the grass.


    Nyx noticed that his robes were slightly wet, but with a mental shrug, he closed his eyes and dove back into meditation. He happily took the little bird as a good sign to continue his exploration. There was still quite some energy left for him to use.


    The facilities of the Skin Tempering Garden of the Verdant Reflection Sect were all temperature-themed¡ªsnow, ice, pools of water, and likely also some heat-based training spots. In order to ascend through the Skin Tempering step of his body cultivation, he would have to master how his body processed basic protections against temperature as well as blunt blows.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The patriarch of the Eternal Blossom Clan had once read him a book when he had been younger. It told a love story about two demons. One was fierce as fire, and the other was cold as ice. They roamed their world and destroyed whatever they encountered, the fury of fire devouring cities and a wave of ice and snow burying towns and settlements.


    Whenever they would meet, they would fiercely clash, before finding calm in each other''s presence. They danced, their forces equal in nature, and they quickly found understanding for each other through this. But their newfound love would have destroyed their very nature, and so the Demonic Ancestor intervened. He threw them to the horizon, leaving them to chase after one another ever since. Sometimes, they meet and cast our world in darkness.


    Sol had to smile when he thought about the silly story. His father likely saw himself and his mother in the two. Maybe he had made the story up himself. But it was a cute way of teaching about Yin and Yang, and it had stuck with Sol.


    He tried to analyze the Qi streaming into his body in trickles. He had expected the process to be very hard, but after just a little while, he realized that each trickle of energy was equal parts composed of positive and negative forces. He tore apart some skin cells after he had tried to apply either force in full. Yin Qi let his cell crumble and break under a freezing force, and Yang Qi burnt the cell outright, leaving charred remains.


    Balance in all things. Yin and Yang both had part of each other, Sol reminded himself. That application went a lot smoother, and after a while, he was able to apply his energy fully across his hand. Touching it made it feel either cold as steel or warm like heated bread. It took a lot of focus to just apply the effect on his arm after separating the Qi accordingly.


    Soon, he noticed that if he used too much of the Yang Qi that entered his body to apply heat to his arm, the Yin energy assimilated into his Qi reserves and slowly made his internal body colder. His heartbeat increased. Suddenly, it felt dangerous, like he had stepped outside into the freezing cold in the middle of winter. Nature would not discriminate.


    It was not so easy after all. Sol hastily tried to balance the forces out once more. He did not want to waste all of the remaining pill energy by just applying either Yin or Yang Qi and expelling the other from his body. Even if he knew how to go about doing so, he did not want to. There was still more he wanted to try.


    He now knew how to apply Yin and Yang energy to his skin as well as harden his skin by soaking it in Qi. He was unsure how well this would work in combat, but the concept was there. It also seemed to alleviate his struggling Qi intake. Maybe he could use his Qi to heal wounds as well? At least in his skin?


    Sol moved a large portion of energy to a bruised area on his forearm. He had strengthened the wounded skin cells there by soaking them before, and they had hardened and felt soothed just as any other spot. But what would happen if he tried to nudge the cell to¡ªdo something?


    Maybe it was greedy to think that way, since there likely were a lot of teachers in the sect who could instill a sense of the theoretical concept of healing in him. Sol comprised a small amount of Qi of equal parts Yin and Yang energy, each containing the other, and made them spin around each other slowly. Then he applied that force to one of his cells. The skin cell pulsated. Then vibrated and exploded violently.


    On a very small scale. Sol had opened his eyes only to be unable to even spot the tiny cell he had just annihilated by accident. The bruise had spread a bit and radiated more pain into his arm when he touched it. Maybe it was not such a good idea to do this. But the violent explosion gave him an idea for future offensive techniques. Why not apply this energy at the end of a punch?


    Sol bit his lower lip in excitement. Maybe he could even fight against Rax¡¯Rathos¡¯s defenses like this. But offensive techniques like this would take a higher cultivation to execute. It was nothing that he would be able to conjure in the Skin Tempering step.


    Lastly, he wanted to focus more on his shapeshifting. The pills were made with that goal in mind after all, were they not? Sol focused on his fingers and the back of his hands. Picking individual skin cells, he focused on shapeshifting them, just as he did with his claws. Unlike that natural instinct that functioned seemingly without energy, this skin cell began greedily devouring his Qi reserves.


    It changed shape into a smooth metallic substance that mirrored the look of his own skin. Its durability was comparable to his claws. Cell after cell, he changed the composition of the back of his right hand until roughly a fingerprint-sized field had been created. It was a tedious process, since his Qi still moved rather tediously through the nearby bottleneck of the channels.


    Sol also discovered that applying force¡ªhis own claw in this case¡ªeasily broke the cohesion and pushed some skin cells deep, ripping their connections. He had used half of his remaining energy just for these few cells, and now he would have to spend the rest fixing them into a shape that mirrored the cohesive structure of his natural cells. Otherwise, they would not bend and absorb, but rather break like loose bricks stacked on top of one another.


    He needed mortar to fill the gaps, so he went about changing the cells again. This time, he stacked his ¡®metal plating¡¯ on top of his normal cells and tried to shapeshift them into a harder, yet malleable, organic substance. His first few attempts failed, creating weird-looking cells or material that he had not wanted to change into before finally getting the process right. He fixed the previous fingerprint-sized area and then went to add a few more cells before running out of energy fully.


    Immediately, physical exhaustion hit Sol like a horse. Slumping against the tree, he opened his eyes again, eyeing the night sky. He had no idea how long he had spent cultivating, but he was satisfied with his progress.


    Nyx had started the day without knowledge or understanding. Now, he was aware of his focus technique, could detect his own body''s generation of Qi, could apply it in different ways, and he had made a friend who had helped him gain perspective and understanding.


    Glancing to his left, Nyx¡¯Sol¡¯s satisfied smile vanished, replaced by a frown accompanied by an annoyed twitch underneath his eye.


    The bird had left him a gift.


    Great.

 Chapter 18 - A Frosty Ascent

    The Skin Tempering Garden was slowly starting to greet the morning light when Sol left his uncomfortable dirt hole. He was unsure how long he had slept after his hours-long cultivation session, but it could not have been much. An uncomfortable tree root had pressed into his lower back, his neck had stiffened from his sleeping posture, and an early breakfast had made him want to hurl the wooden bowl out into the woods.


    The early meal had not even given him raw meat or cooked vegetables that had cooled off¡ªit preferred to enrich his day with half-rotten fruit and what seemed to be insect meat. Sol instead finished his own water and ate the few remnants of travel rations that he had left before heading toward the training area.


    An eerie fog hung over the area, making it difficult to see further than a few dozen meters.


    Since they were technically inside, Sol guessed that it could also be a technique or a feature of the floor. Maybe it could help his training in some way? The added moisture might shift the concentration of Qi flow?


    Sol hurried toward the pathway before slowly walking in a straight line, closing his eyes and taking in the state of the Qi that his skin absorbed. He quickly realized that it would be impossible to do so while walking. It simply took him too long to judge it accurately, and veering off the path every minute was enough to break his concentration again.


    So he tried to feel his inner Qi state with open eyes, walking toward the training area. The damp fog clung to his clothes, and by the time he reached the first area¡ªa large-scale snowpit with a wooden obstacle course above¡ªhe could at least feel his current Qi reserves. He would have to train this new perception more in order to move, much less take the finer details of his surroundings into account.


    The temperature around the snowpit slowly decreased the closer he got. It was not unpleasant. Maybe the areas were designed to give an impression rather than mimic the real deal?


    Two skin-tempering students were already up high on the wooden construct, towering dozens of meters above the pit, slowly ascending it with deliberate steps. Sol did not recognize them from the acceptance ceremony. So they were likely from an older generation. He would have liked to talk with them¡ªmaybe they could share some insights¡ªbut he did not want to interrupt their training.


    There were fewer people around than expected. As Sol dipped his fingers into the lake he found the water to be rather pleasant. The warm water lake and its obstacle course were about twice the size of the snowpit, wrapping around it in a curved shape.


    Since no one had shown up to train here, Sol took the initiative. He climbed the wooden poles that ascended into the sky in various degrees of steepness before they branched off from one another, forming a web, some paths more difficult than others.


    Nyx¡¯Sol took great care with his steps, as there was an odd amount of liquid running down the wood. It made for a very slippery experience, and one false step would mean a quick fall and swim in the lake below. The obstacle course became steeper, diverted into two smaller poles alongside one another, and had holes that had to be jumped over.


    The jumps made his heart race, knowing that nothing protected him from a fall into the lake below. There were a variety of even harsher challenges further up, but Sol quickly learned the path itself was not the real challenge.


    It was the wind. With every meter of height he ascended, the wind picked up more and more, carrying small droplets of water with it. At first, this merely stung a little on his skin, and it took him some effort to soak his skin cells in Qi and brace against the newfound onslaught.


    But as he advanced, the increased wind and force punched right through his defenses, slowly but surely wearing away his energy and reddening his skin. It was quite obvious that he had a long way to go with applying his defenses efficiently. He could have continued with his current defense¡ªat the cost of all the reserves the few hours of respite had replenished for him.


    As he contemplated a jump into the water, visible through the fog below, another realization kicked in. If he did not wear sandals, could he apply some Qi to stick to the surface? Was this the purpose of this?


    Sol pictured himself sticking to the surface of a tree horizontally, ignoring gravity and waiting to ambush someone below. It would be useful to learn such a technique. If someone knew how to do it, then surely it would immediately become obvious when they applied it. He would have to pay attention to that.


    Looking down into the lake, the constant wind still assaulting his body, he grew a bit dizzy. It was quite high. He had never been that high up above the ground before. He had only focused on the challenge and the obstacles in his wake before¡ªnow that he looked down, jumping seemed insane.


    He could spot the water through the fog, as that had dissipated with the increasing wind of the upper layers of the obstacle course. Sol had not noticed how much progress he had made. The distance to the watery surface was easily more than fifteen meters. Maybe twenty?


    What if the lake was shallow? It was an irrational thought¡ªof course, the sect would not build a training facility that would kill its students. Yet his feet would not obey. Looking down the path he had come from, he immediately decided that it would be even harder to descend it.


    With the constant reminder of a potential fall, looking down was making Sol even more nervous. So he advanced a bit further toward a small wooden platform that served as a jumping point to grab the next wooden pole above, and sat down.


    He closed his eyes and tried to efficiently apply the Qi that he absorbed through his skin toward his cells. Instead of just generally soaking it, Sol tried a few different approaches. First, he tried to infuse the cells directly, letting the inner parts of the cells soak in the energy directly, which made his defenses stronger but also required more Qi.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Finally, Sol tried to make his Qi spin on top of his cells¡ªwhich seemed to make his defense even weaker, as the wind seemed to carry parts of the energy away. For a while, he thought that maybe it was just a flawed approach on his part, and moved on to observe his permanently altered skin on the back of his hand, and noted that they resisted the outside forces adequately.


    It took a few more minutes of shifting his seating position with the wind, to avoid getting harassed from one side only, before Nyx realized his error. It might not be his approach that was wrong. It might just be the fact that he could not gather enough energy. If he trained his absorption rates further, he would be able to defend himself, even with unpolished mastery.


    Apparently, there were multiple solutions waiting for him here. Pathways of power through efficiency and pathways to power through quantity alone. He remembered the word of the Sword God: ¡°Be more of who you are, before cultivation makes you more of who you are right now.¡±


    Nyx had always thought it to mean that a strong foundation was necessary to be better than others at his next cultivation level. This might mean one could reach Skin Tempering through the quantity of Qi or through the quality with which it was applied. If Sol trained his defense to be as efficient as possible, would he advance as well? Quantity was the obvious solution to brute force his way through.


    But could quantity be increased indefinitely? Could efficiency be improved beyond a certain limit? How would he know that he had advanced both of these areas far enough to advance? Or was mastery in both the bare minimum requirement?


    Sol could feel the way in which he defended against the harsh winds improve slightly. When he opened his eyes, his skin was reddened significantly, and his Qi reserves had diminished as well. He would have to train this in friendlier conditions.


    He stood, refusing to look down. Nyx knew that the moment he did, he would likely stand up here for a long time. Instead, the climb upwards seemed like the only logical approach. If you fail to climb upwards, you fall. No choice to make. Fear of heights he would tackle when he was not so high up. Maybe three meters. That sounded like a better height to struggle with.


    Sol jumped, reaching for the slippery wooden pole, his claws cheating the spirit of the challenge somewhat, and hauled himself up. Here, the wooden pole was uneven, curving and bending at odd angles, while the wind changed tempo. The wind speeds accelerated from still to quick bursts of energy, then changed directions rapidly.


    The path of wood up here no longer resembled thick round poles, but rather broken pieces of trees that had randomly assembled themselves, some with bark, others slippery as glass. They curved up, down, demanded jumps and quick crouching, all while sharp winds blew left and right to try and knock you down.


    All of this Sol peacefully considered on his way down toward the water, as he had fallen at the first rapid gust of wind.


    The water welcomed him with a sharp burning sensation that knocked the air out of his lungs briefly. Nyx¡¯Sol¡¯s scream of frustration underwater made ice-cold water flow into his mouth, which he spat back into the lake as soon as he breached the surface.


    Huh? Ice cold? The water he was currently swimming through was by no means cold. He could have sworn that it was neither warm nor cold. With a few heavy strokes, he reached the grass. The lake¡¯s depths fell off sharply right where the grass ended¡ªlikely made so whoever fell into the water from up high would never dive into the ground below the surface.


    Sol sat at the edge of the grass and brought a handful of water to his mouth. As soon as it touched the inside of his lips, it was ice-cold.


    Sol did not immediately connect what mystery had made this happen. When he did, the harsh sound of his flat hand impacting his forehead audibly hollered over the surface of the lake into the remnants of mist that slowly dissipated against the ever-increasing sunlight.


    He had forgotten the necklace! Sol pulled it from his robes, the white crystal from his older sister, protecting him against the cold.


    A horrible realization crept its way into Nyx¡¯Sol¡¯s head.


    What if? He hastily pulled off the necklace and stored it away in his ring, wincing at the ice-cold clothes that clung to his body. Ignoring the stinging cold, he pulled his feet out of the water and took a sitting lotus position. With eyes closed, he immediately focused on the Qi that his body was taking in.


    Suddenly he was much more aware of how long it took him just for a simple check like this. His body started shivering, the cold feeling unbearable, before he confirmed the changes. The Qi that was entering his body now was largely composed of Yin Qi. The necklace had balanced the Qi around him in order to protect him against changes in temperature.


    Suddenly he was a lot more grateful for his sister''s gift. Not only had it served as protection against temperature changes, but it also had given him the chance to practice cultivation in a state that had a perfectly balanced Yin-Yang balance. Since it always provided him with equal parts Yin and Yang, he could easily analyze and work with it.


    Now that he had taken the necklace off, his experience had changed. Some drips of Qi were composed of nine parts Yin and one part Yang, others were closer to a seven-three or a six-four split. Some were pure Yin. And that was just a few nodes on his forearm that he analyzed.


    It would take him hours upon hours to just get an accurate picture. The constant intake of a Yin surplus made his body cool down. He would slowly but surely freeze to death over time. Now he had a new problem that had replaced his perceived solution. He would not be able to simply always split the two forces and apply Yang Qi to heat himself while expelling Yin Qi through a technique.


    In cold situations, there would not be a lot of Yang Qi. The colder the environment, the more Yang energy he would need¡ªbut the colder the environment got, the less Yang Qi would be present.


    For cultivators that had formed a core, this would be child''s play, since they generated their own Qi in vastly higher quantities than a body cultivator could ever dream to absorb from his environment.


    Maybe the goal here would be to cut off one type of Qi and only let in the other? But then your Qi generation would suffer in cold or hot environments.


    Sol stopped his cultivation efforts and exhaled in exhaustion. He had thought himself some kind of genius, for understanding it so easily! And then it immediately got complicated again.


    He retrieved his necklace with shivering fingers and put it on, sighing in pleasure as warmth immediately crept back into his body. Did the necklace adjust the Qi to mostly Yang Qi to balance his internal composition? He would have to find out later.


    Nyx stretched himself as he stood up. It sure was good to have a supportive family.


    He would have to give his sister a big hug when they would finally meet.


    After he advanced through Skin Tempering.

 Chapter 19 - The Library

    Chapter 19 - The Library


    Before Sol could depart from the lake towards the other areas of interest, a green-haired demon broke through its surface from below, audibly cursing the ice-cold nature of the water. With quick and hurried strokes, she made for the nearest lakeside¡ªright towards Nyx.


    Had she been training underwater? How could someone even hold their breath for such a long duration? Had he missed her fall into the water during his cultivation just now? No, even then it would have taken a few minutes for him to have missed it entirely.


    Curious, Sol stepped towards the spot of her arrival and offered his fellow sect trainee a hand. As she reached the grass, she glanced upward at him with a raised eyebrow that had been cut apart by a nasty scar reaching all the way into her green scalp. Her yellow eyes, green hair, and bright red skin created an intense contrast.


    ¡°Do I look like I need help?¡± she asked incredulously, her dislike of cold water seemingly far weaker than her sense of pride, as she undercut her refusal to take his hand with a casual demeanor while treading water in front of him.


    She reminded Sol of Rax¡¯Rathos¡ªa confidence clearly underpinned by an intense desire to prove herself and a fire in her eyes that matched that ambition.


    As Nyx wanted to step back to give her space, she reached upward, grabbed his hand, and put her feet against the grass. Then she flexed her muscles and leaned backward to drag him into the water.


    Sol attempted to resist her, but she had the superior leverage and angle. As he was thrown overhead into the cold lake and flew farther than he had anticipated, he immediately understood the reason for the power difference. This girl had already ascended past the Skin Tempering stage.


    When he broke through the lake¡¯s surface again, the girl had already brought forth a small portable campfire from her robes that quickly ignited. Her sect robes seemed to be made from Xilif fibers, which tended to dry fast due to their water-repellent qualities.


    ¡°You are one of the new arrivals?¡± she asked without looking at him.


    ¡°You broke into Muscle Tempering recently?¡± Sol asked casually, before breathing in deeply to stay afloat in the lake without having to swim or tread water. The reclined view into the sky allowed for a different perspective on the hundreds of obstacles that spun their net above the body of water.


    The girl had taken a meditating position next to the flames, seemingly absorbing the heat through her cultivation. She pursed her lips and eyed Sol with a frown. ¡°I do not like you. You are vexing.¡± She shook her head in mock annoyance before sighing. ¡°Yin cultivators. Oh man.¡±


    Sol adjusted his position and brought himself to the lakeside in two casual strokes before resting his arms on the grass with his head placed on top. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Is it not obvious?¡± The girl rolled her eyes. ¡°You are swimming in ice-cold water without a care in the world. Clearly, you are doing well with Yin Qi.¡±


    The white pendant his sister had given him rested against his chest, keeping him in a cozy temperature range. ¡°I guess. How did you break through?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not telling you that,¡± she huffed. ¡°I don¡¯t even know you.¡±


    ¡°What were you doing underwater? Training?¡± Sol continued unabated. Something about her irritated expression made him want to tease her. At the same time, his heart rate accelerated. Would she snap? Maybe he should give her a compliment to avoid that? His mind raced to supply him with one, but they all sounded weird. If he told her that he liked her eyes, she would surely take it as an insult.


    ¡°Ah, right. So you are one of the new arrivals.¡± She waved her hand dismissively at him. ¡°Just dive down. You seem to enjoy the cold; might as well enter that way.¡±


    When Sol refused to move from his position and kept staring at her, she raised an eyebrow at him.


    ¡°I like your eyes,¡± he blurted out, his voice breaking halfway through, and he felt his blood rush to his face. The weird look on her face added to his embarrassment, and before he really knew what he was doing, he had stammered a barely audible ¡°thanks¡± and let himself sink below the surface of the lake.


    He hadn¡¯t even taken a deep breath but immediately pushed himself away from the lakeside, the diving lessons of his father still clear in his mind.


    Demons were natural swimmers, but their bodies fooled them when it came to the amount of breath they had available underwater. Demonic bodies naturally ¡°refined¡± and stored the invigorating parts of air over time, resulting in the ability to last quite a while without breathing¡ªvery helpful underwater. His own record had only been a few minutes, but his father claimed this ability would only grow with age and cultivation.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Sol let himself sink rapidly and soon found himself in the darkness of the lake. The light hardly reached down here, yet the body of water seemed endless. Peeking up, his blurred underwater vision hardly showed the surface anymore. He must be down ten, fifteen meters already.


    Had the girl messed with him after all?


    Not wasting any time, Nyx pushed lower and lower with rapid strokes, the water pressure increasing slowly but surely. That was not the worst part of the all-encompassing darkness.


    He could have sworn something had just touched his leg, and there were faint sounds to be heard. His mind immediately conjured up all manner of sea creatures, and he decided that he would stop advancing and return to the surface.


    Just as he made the first stroke upward, a faint purple light appeared in the distance, illuminating three giant tentacles.


    Then panic set in. His body froze, and he was unable to move, so he remained as still as possible before finally mustering up the mental strength to swim upwards with patient strokes.


    Two more tentacles appeared before him. Lights all around him made it clear that it was already too late. He had been found, and whatever this creature was, it was aware of him.


    Quickly, Sol found himself screaming and paddling upwards in a struggle void of all logic, before being pushed down by a large tentacle, the likes of which he had eaten just a day ago in the sect town.


    A brief push and pull later, the tentacle shoved him lower and lower toward an underwater bubble, where Sol broke through the water and rolled over the smooth stone floor.


    He barely scrambled to his feet to get his bearings when the light disappeared again, leaving him in darkness. His heart pounded in his chest so hard that he could hear each individual beat. The fierce girl had definitely messed with him; even if the creature was friendly, sending him into its depths without knowledge was quite evil.


    Sol waited a bit for his eyes to adjust from being opened underwater in darkness to the dim light of this stone tunnel. Faint, thin lines of light were worked into the stone. Barely visible, they guided the way.


    His wet steps echoed oddly against the barriers that kept the water around him from collapsing on top of him until he stepped on an array that instantly dried his clothes and body, serving as a sort of doormat. The faint lines ahead increased in brightness, revealing a stairway leading down into the rock that seemed to encompass the lake.


    Sol had to remind himself that all of this was still inside the sect building that hovered far above the Lake of Reflections. Whoever had built and established this was a master of their craft. Maybe he should take lessons in array building. The possibilities seemed endless.


    The stairway was steep at first and then slowly smoothed out until it revealed a large stone door, stylized as hundreds of book spines arranged chaotically and stacked into each other in various ways. Horizontally, vertically, and as a wild pile, the door seemed to exclaim its contents: knowledge.


    Before Sol could even touch the stone, the door swung open, revealing a cozy fireplace surrounded by thousands of books, stacked on shelves, piles, and desks. Wooden stairs led up and down, and hallways seemed to stretch the library onward in all directions, each glance revealing rows and rows of books.


    ¡°Welcome to the Skin Tempering Section of the Verdant Reflection Sect¡¯s Library,¡± a young man chirped from behind a book-laden desk next to the underwater entrance. ¡°The entrance hall is this way.¡± He lazily pointed toward a hallway opposite him while continuing to read a book titled Movement Techniques & Yin Qi Interactions.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Nyx mumbled passively, taking in the vast knowledge around him. The section he found himself in seemed to be the ground floor. Peering over the wooden railings revealed a vast reading or study area below, with desks and comfortable-looking chairs, wall-to-wall stuffed full of books.


    The memory of the tentacles in the underwater darkness still fresh in his mind, Sol collapsed onto the chair next to the cozy fireplace and grabbed the first book near him to calm down a bit.


    It was a simple brown booklet, some sixty pages long. The cover read: Military Procurement in the Ardent Region - World 107-ED.


    Shrugging, Sol opened the book to a random page.


    ¡°Military standardization has proven to be a major contributing factor for the campaign¡¯s success going forward. As discussed in the previous chapters, the alliance structures have proven vital in establishing a continuous flow of steel. It remains policy, at the time of my summoning contract at the end of two years, that steel is taxed significantly when used for any purpose beyond standard-issue weaponry.


    The cultural influences remain. Nobility has viewed swords as a weapon of significance and elegance, regardless of their usefulness in military campaigns. The existence of ¡®Soul Knights,¡¯ as mentioned in Chapter One, has further exacerbated the issue. Their prowess has led to a glorification that remains at odds with battlefield realities. Even if they were theoretically the superior weapon, higher costs would reduce the overall effectiveness of armies.


    It is through this reality that my final project was born under this summoning contract. Disinformation campaigns and propaganda under a network of merchant spies bore little fruit; however, the distribution of battlefield glory through songs led to some viral outcomes. To this day, taverns of conquered regions tell tales of the glorious Soul Knight and his magical sword that cost the invaders thousands of lives.


    Now young nobility on the verge of ascension in at least two duchies have been inspired to raise elite forces in heavy metal armor and sword. Even if their efforts produce six knights in ascension, the resulting imbalance in their army¡¯s equipment will be nullified by our standard-issue equipment. The spear remains the most effective weapon, even in scenarios without cavalry, such as this world. A solid formation of pikes, with a shield-bearing frontline that specializes in simple blunt weaponry, has outperformed sword-wielding armies at least three to two¡ªoften performing four to one.


    In regards to ranged weaponry, I am somewhat at a loss. The establishment of the bow has been slow, and the lack of knowledge on my part hinders progress. Theoretical frameworks may carry this knowledge forward and establish¡ª¡±


    Sol closed the book when he heard a familiar voice in the distance.

 Chapter 20 - You wouldnt dare

    Sol had not been wrong; the voice he had identified indeed belonged to the branch family member of the Aurelius Vox that he had last seen with Rax¡¯Rathos at the acceptance ceremony in the Verdant Reflection Lake Sect Town.


    The dark-red-skinned demon with long black hair that fell in curls over his shoulders conversed with a girl in the sect robes of the Verdant Reflection Sect just a few meters away, his arms laden with books, eagerly receiving volume after volume from the enthusiastic woman.


    Nyx immediately questioned whether that enthusiasm was genuine for the topics she piled onto him or if he was more interested in speaking to her. With the enchanted looks he gave her, Sol suspected the latter.


    Rax¡¯Rathos did not seem to be with him, and since he did not want to interrupt the blissful moment of his fellow initiate, Sol took to perusing the shelves for interesting books, keeping the one on military procurement in his possession. Maybe he would find a shelf that dealt with military theory or summonings, where he could deposit it.


    After wandering in and out of corridors for a few minutes, he concluded that this book, in particular, seemed to be very out of place. The topics here were neatly organized, and most of the floor dealt with cultivation techniques, theory, and concepts for Skin Tempering.


    Sol grabbed a few books that sounded interesting while keeping an eye on the girl, who now beamed a friendly smile in his direction as she put what seemed to be the ninth book into the arms of an eager trainee.


    He settled on three books in addition to his fate-encountered book on military procurement: Theory of Quantity: A Body Cultivation Breakdown, a neat little book that was only a few dozen pages thick and as small as his palm; a heavy, beautifully adorned book featuring warm-to-the-touch ice sculptures titled Yin Qi - Moonlight Shadow Technique; and an ordinary-looking book, with dozens of copies across various shelves, titled Skin Tempering: How to Break Through.


    Sol had not really planned on reading today, but after his unnerving diving encounter, he preferred to sit and relax a little. If the other entrances to the library were equally ¡°exciting,¡± he would probably think twice before visiting often.


    Sol descended the stairs into the cozy-looking reading area toward a set of comfortable armchairs arranged around a hovering stone slab. Underneath the table was a glowing orange light source that pulsated rhythmically and emitted a pleasant stream of warmth. Taking off his necklace, he noted the rather cool temperature of the library, and the cozy stream of warm air at the table made him collapse into the chair with a relieved sigh.


    The lighting was perfect for reading, and Sol quickly found himself perusing the vivid pictures in the Yin Qi technique book. Each page had a section on the left, essentially an animated set of ice sheets explaining a concept visually, and a dense chunk of text on the right, which introduced the concept in three steps.


    The first sentence provided a simple overview of the concept, explaining it so plainly that even a five-year-old could understand. Then it detailed the application, usually in about one hundred words, and finally, it presented a theoretical view exploring how the Yin technique would interact with different cultivation styles and foundational techniques.


    Sol quickly realized that much of the vocabulary in the theoretical section was too complicated. Without the easier explanation or the opening sentence, he would not have been able to piece together what the ice was even depicting.


    Then the book suddenly snapped shut as he was reading it, almost hitting Sol in the face.


    Was someone messing with him? The book would not open, even with considerable force. Sol looked around the room, but aside from a few recruits browsing the shelves and some official sect members quietly reading, only the Aurelius Vox branch family member was staring at him with a blank, neutral expression from the table next to his.


    As Sol tried to store the book in his temporary storage ring, the book refused his effort and levitated out of his hand before smacking him on the head. Now the demon was audibly suppressing a laugh, quickly averting his gaze when Sol met it.


    Nyx grabbed his books, moved them to the neighboring table, and pulled up a chair before addressing the boy quietly. ¡°Why are you laughing?¡± he hissed. ¡°Why does it do that?¡± Sol asked, wary of the book that now hovered slightly above the stone slab, seemingly aggravated by his presence.


    The Aurelius Vox demon just shrugged with a sly smile and continued reading. ¡°Who knows?¡±


    Nyx furrowed his brows. Then the book lightly tapped against his head again, yet persistently. His counterpart once again suppressed a smile with effort.


    ¡°What was your name again? You¡¯re related to Rax¡¯Rathos, right? A family member of Aurelius Vox?¡± Nyx asked in a neutral tone. The guy was seriously pissing him off now.


    That seemed to wipe the smile off his interlocutor''s face.


    ¡°Branch family,¡± he replied with a sour expression. ¡°Nox¡¯Rictus is the name. I¡¯m not telling you. Now leave me alone.¡±


    Nyx held his gaze for a few seconds before sinking back into his armchair and nodding his head to the right, gesturing for Nox¡¯Rictus to look. When he did, he spotted the girl who had helped him select books earlier. His head immediately snapped back toward Sol. ¡°What?¡±


    Nyx graciously folded his hands in front of himself, raising an eyebrow toward Rictus. ¡°Does she know,¡± he began slowly, interrupted by his book tapping against the side of his head again, ¡°that you are crushing hard on her?¡±


    This time Sol could count the veins building on Nox¡¯Rictus¡¯s throat, his muscles straining against his willpower, barely holding him back from jumping over the stone slab to beat Nyx¡¯Sol to death with his own books¡ªor at least his murderous gaze suggested as much.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare,¡± he scoffed finally. ¡°Do you even know who she is?¡±


    Nyx leaned forward in his chair, bringing forth his biggest bargaining chip. ¡°I picked a fight with Rax¡¯Rathos. What makes you think I wouldn¡¯t?¡±


    He was, of course, bluffing. His body still ached from the "victory" he had achieved against Rathos, and he doubted the Aurelius Vox branch family hadn¡¯t prepared their children well for the day they joined the sect. Another ¡°win¡± against one of them, and Nyx would have to resign himself to a long recovery vacation.


    ¡°I was wondering where the bruises came from. I assumed your girlfriend taught you a lesson,¡± Rictus said, looking at him with pity. ¡°It¡¯s not easy to fight him. I can respect that.¡± He made a gesture with his hand toward the book that was persistently tapping against Sol¡¯s head. It immediately complied, floating into Rictus¡¯s hand, where he set it down on the table.


    ¡°How did you do that?¡± Nyx asked.


    ¡°Have you not paid any attention since entering the library? You must have passed several desks with helpers along the way.¡± He frowned. ¡°Did you sneak in? How did you get past them?¡±


    Sol shook his head. ¡°No, I went through a secret entrance. Not many helpers there.¡± He remembered the welcome of a demon deeply engrossed in his reading. Hadn¡¯t he referred him to the entrance hall? ¡°However, someone did say I should go to the entrance hall when I arrived.¡±


    Nox¡¯Rictus perked up at the words "secret entrance." ¡°Can you show me?¡±


    Sol shrugged. ¡°If you let me know what¡¯s with the book? Then¡­ sure.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a fee for reading. One sect point for every day past thirty minutes that you spend with a book. Even just possessing it in the library counts,¡± Rictus explained. He moved his and Sol¡¯s books into the middle of the stone slab and tapped it twice. A faint blue barrier surrounded their books.


    Noticing Sol¡¯s curious look, he added, ¡°That also costs points. There are a lot of features around the library you can pay for.¡± He shrugged, as if to say, Nothing is free in life. ¡°Got money? You can exchange it for points, but the sect takes a large cut. Otherwise, you¡¯d have to do sect jobs to pay for it.¡±


    Nyx nodded. ¡°Yes, I have some. What jobs are there?¡±


    ¡°Mostly cleaning and library duty. We get access to better ones after breaking through,¡± Rictus said, leading Sol up the stairs toward a hallway not far from where he had entered.


    ¡°Are you close?¡± Nyx asked, curious about how far along Rictus and Rax¡¯Rathos were in their cultivation progress.


    ¡°To breaking through?¡± Rictus scoffed. ¡°Maybe. Maybe not.¡±


    Perhaps the question was too personal? Sol mused about it while following him quietly.


    ¡°How about you?¡± the dark-haired boy finally asked as they stepped into a wide open area. Lots of sect disciples sat at nearby tables, frantically working to restore book bindings or mend pages.


    ¡°I had a rough idea, then learned something new, and now I know my idea was silly. I have a long way to go,¡± Sol admitted.


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°I need to work on the rate of Qi absorption through the skin, for example,¡± Sol struggled to explain. He didn¡¯t really have a theoretical understanding of what people called this¡ªor if it was even a good thing to practice. So he added, ¡°And the Yin and Yang balance is hard to control. I can¡¯t keep my temperature regulated, and¡ª¡±


    Rictus gestured for him to stop and pointed to the wall. A round, polished marble stone slab embedded into a wooden support pillar displayed the number zero. It had a beautiful white hue intermingled with red specks. Nyx stared at it for a few seconds before his companion helped him out.


    ¡°Put money in. The slab shows your points. No one else can see how many you have.¡±


    Sol retrieved a handful of spirit stones of differing values from his bag and passed them through the slab with ease. Upon retreating, the stone slab read [119]. He realized he wouldn¡¯t be able to read a lot of books; Rictus had been right when he said the sect took a huge cut. One hundred nineteen days of book-lending or one hundred nineteen books for one day.


    ¡°You can sense Yin and Yang energy?¡± Rictus asked casually, leading him away from the slab toward a shopping area. ¡°It¡¯s quite difficult to do. What technique are you cultivating? Frost or fire?¡±


    Sol shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s important to have a good foundation. I want to equally master the quantity and quality of my Qi control, I think.¡±


    ¡°Hm,¡± Nox¡¯Rictus replied with acknowledgment to his vague answer.


    The boy stopped at an unmanned serving station where fresh bread and tea were being served, warm and steaming hot respectively. Another stone slab, this one white and green, displayed [119]. Sol followed his example, taking a loaf of tasty-looking bread filled with meat and a set of teacups. He stored them away for later. The tentacle incident was still fresh in his mind, so he wasn¡¯t hungry yet.


    Six points were deducted, and Rictus looked at him expectantly. ¡°Show the way. I¡¯m curious to see your secret entrance.¡±


    They spent another few minutes retracing their steps, valuable time Sol used to try to learn more about the Aurelius Vox family. Rictus answered only in vague generalities. The only thing Sol could be sure of: Aurelius Vox was amazing, and even the branch family was more influential and powerful than any other family in the south.


    Nyx made a mental note to research this later. Rictus might not be the most unbiased source.


    When they stepped through the chiseled stone door decorated with book spines, Rictus slapped his forehead lightly. ¡°Of course. This is stone. I must have looked at the door four or five times before and didn¡¯t see it!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s pretty detailed,¡± Sol agreed, feeling his legs weaken at the thought of encountering the tentacle monster in the dark again. Hopefully, the light stayed out so he could ignore it. ¡°How is the other entrance?¡± he asked, hoping for normalcy.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not a secret like this. Just a small building with a long staircase. Really long,¡± Rictus exclaimed in exhaustion. ¡°I feel tired just thinking about climbing it again. Many more stairs than here.¡±


    Nyx smiled as they reached the top of the stairway. ¡°Well, this one is probably quicker,¡± he said mysteriously, stepping onto the formation that dried his clothes once more. This time, he hardly felt a difference¡ªjust the removal of sweat.


    ¡°This tunnel¡­ is it underwater?¡± Rictus asked, astonished by the barrier keeping the water perfectly in check.


    ¡°Yes, and the lighting is pretty dim. You can hardly see it when diving down. I couldn¡¯t see it at all,¡± Sol confessed. ¡°You want to leave through here? I¡¯ll¡­ stay and read some more.¡±


    Rictus waved him off. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Thanks for showing me.¡± His gaze was curious and determined.


    Nyx felt a little guilty but didn¡¯t warn the boy about the other presence nearby. Was this how the green-haired girl had felt? Had someone done the same to her when she was new? It felt mischievous.


    He waved Rictus goodbye, turning back toward the library. Then the lights turned on all around him.


    Rictus was no longer swimming casually into the darkness. Instead, he was being pushed upward toward the surface by Mr. Tentacles.


    The grin on Sol¡¯s face lasted all throughout the tunnel. And the stairway. Through the door. Past the curious passersby and into the reading area.


    Then his face dropped. He was greeted by a familiar light blue barrier.


    Right.


    Rictus had locked the books.

 Chapter 21 - Still Cold

    Sol spent the next hours reading one of the many copies of Skin Tempering: How to Break Through that were seemingly placed at random throughout the shelves. The unnamed author gave a clear overview of how the progression of cultivation seemed to work while constantly mentioning examples that stood in contrast to his theory.


    For example, Skin Tempering was generally understood to have a simple breakthrough method: to try and push as much energy through your body as possible in order to clear the Qi pathways between the meridians and thus advance toward the next step, which required said pathways.


    After taking the shapeshifting cultivation pill, Nyx had a better understanding of Qi and was now able to feel it. His assumption was that the key to advancing was either mastering quantity¡ªmeaning how much Qi he was able to intake from his environment¡ªor mastering quality, which he understood to mean being able to shape his skin both against physical force and hot or cold environments.


    His guess had been vague, just a feeling based on assumptions. This book claimed that quantity was the determining factor, and mastery over quality¡ªor efficiency, as the author put it¡ªdid not contribute directly. Instead, a more efficient use of Qi would allow less energy to be wasted, achieving a breakthrough earlier.


    The author then went on to mention the advantages of a breakthrough: first and foremost, the increase in physical power. A Skin Tempering cultivator would boast twice the strength of a freshly awakened demon, so a rapid breakthrough could bring many advantages. Secondly, the book mentioned the second step of body cultivation: Muscle Refinement.


    Training here would permanently enhance one''s physical capabilities through hard work. This was seemingly a step that could not be accelerated by the use of Qi at all¡ªalthough the author mentioned half a dozen examples of rare bloodlines and cultivation methods that stood in contrast to this general theory¡ªwhich meant it was the step best suited for the most hardworking cultivators.


    Sol¡¯s reading session was then interrupted by Nox¡¯Rictus¡¯s return. The black-haired demon had bound his long, curly hair back with a hairpin stylized with a fancy golden symbol. Sol guessed that it was an Aurelius Vox family sigil or the sigil of their branch family. Contrary to his expectation, Rictus had returned with a cheeky smile on his face and a small bowl of tea cookies that he wordlessly placed on their reading table before unlocking the books.


    Sol had honestly feared the worst, so he retrieved the tea he had bought earlier and offered Rictus a cup. Apparently, he had made a bet with his older brother that he would be able to find all seven secret library entrances by a certain time, and this took care of the second out of seven.


    Sol had assumed that Rictus would also read about cultivation techniques, but instead, he had buried himself in books about arrays, runes, and a book about energy sources. Four books lay open in front of him; another one leaned against the pile of books he had not yet opened, equally wide open, while Nox¡¯Rictus scribbled note after note in tiny writing on a sheet of parchment.


    His enthusiasm was infectious, and Sol soon found himself reading the book decorated with moving sheets of ice: Yin Qi - Moonlight Shadow Technique. Sol did not really care about learning the technique itself; he was trying to figure out how to apply Yin or Yang energy to his skin in order to protect himself from outside temperatures.


    No easy feat, it turned out. This Yin technique built up an intricate way of circulating Qi in order to neutralize it so it could not harm your body and to convert the unnecessary Yang into Yin energy. According to the book, this would initially be difficult but would show beneficial results when synergizing with frost techniques, as well as training in cold regions, at night, and in winter.


    After a few hours of trial and error, Sol finally managed to understand how the technique worked and applied it on a microscopic scale. Yin and Yang energy were never pure; they always contained lesser parts of one another when they were ¡°neutral¡± within a cultivator''s system. It was thus his objective to make as much of the Yin Qi ¡°neutral¡± within his body, while allowing the remaining Yang Qi to be purified as much as possible.


    If Sol had 100 Qi, 50/50 Yin and Yang, his internal temperature would be neutral. If he had to sit in a snowpit or in ice water, however, the incoming Yin would outweigh the Yang over time, resulting in his body cooling down. If he now stacked small amounts of Yang with the Yin in a ratio of 95/5, he would have a lot of ¡°neutral¡± Yin Qi as well as some ¡°pure¡± Yang Qi, resulting in a rise in temperature despite the frosty weather conditions.


    In theory.


    Practically, this was much easier said than done. It took a massive amount of concentration to keep the composition of energy the way he intended, and he realized pretty quickly the downside to this system. Every time he dissolved the composition of energy again through a lack of focus, something made part of it dissolve.


    Even if Sol could perfectly adapt his entire Qi pool to stay warm, it would still cost him a not insignificant amount of energy when he stopped. It could also be the case that adjusting the composition again to achieve a different outcome¡ªor losing control over his entire Qi reserve when he had changed it thoroughly¡ªwould bring some backlash.


    Nyx could feel his control improve rapidly. When Rictus tapped his shoulder to bring him out of his concentration, he had roughly 5% of his Qi in a carefully adjusted state and managed to keep it active and maintained as he spoke with his fellow trainee.


    ¡°We ought to leave soon,¡± he said casually. ¡°The library is closed to us body cultivators at night.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Did we spend so much time here already?¡± Nyx stretched himself and stored his books away in his temporary storage ring. ¡°Do you mind if I tag along with you back to the housing area?¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Rictus shook his head. ¡°You fought the young master; it is never bad to have some fighters around. I am more of a crafter myself,¡± he said, tapping his Almanac for Herb Growth.


    Then another thought presented itself. ¡°I guess I have to fight for housing today.¡±


    Nox¡¯Rictus waved him to follow. ¡°Unless you want to sleep in a ditch? Yes. However, fighting off invaders in the middle of the night seems tiresome. You really only get one hour of uninterrupted sleep if you pick one of the really good houses.¡± He scoffed. ¡°But you likely would enjoy this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to avoid too much today,¡± Sol lamented. ¡°My body is still sore and bruised, and after finding that surprise when diving toward the secret library entrance, I need a good quiet night of sleep.¡±


    ¡°No kidding. That thing was massive! Oh, are you familiar with the families that exist in the south?¡± Rictus asked as they passed into the entrance hall. ¡°I assume you do not, given your robes.¡± The black-haired demon eyed them unenthusiastically.


    Nyx frowned. ¡°What is wrong with my clothing?¡±


    ¡°It does not show your family name, no affiliation. And it''s visibly apparent that you have not washed or changed it in over a day,¡± Rictus said with a shrug.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°No? Of course they are. Look at them!¡±


    ¡°I mean, ¡®No, I do not know about the families in the south,¡¯¡± Nyx said patiently. ¡°I assume the Aurelius Vox family has a lot of students in the Verdant Reflection Sect?¡±


    ¡°Naturally. If you have no family connections, you might as well come and fight one of my rivals. They all have houses.¡± Rictus stepped through the entrance door, appearing in a large stairway. ¡°But first we climb.¡±


    And climb they did. It took the better part of 15 minutes just to ascend from the depths of the library, step after step on the monotonous path draining their stamina. Sol would have liked to ask a few more questions, but his breathing went ragged after just a few minutes, and with the quick pace they kept, it quickly emptied his gas tank.


    Finally, as the staircase narrowed and split off in different directions, Rictus stepped through an unassuming wooden door and led Sol to exit into the entrance of an overgrown cave. Inside, there were a number of baths lined up, all seemingly herbal in nature, a cavern filled with various types of plants, and a cave of pure ice. A group of young cultivators stood before them, raised eyebrows and furrowed expressions greeting them.


    Nox¡¯Rictus turned away from the group immediately.


    ¡°Ah! Aurelius Vox trash! What, are you not going to stay?¡± their leader mockingly shouted after them. ¡°What a shame!¡±


    Nyx hurried to catch up and asked Rictus, ¡°So, those are the families that rival yours?¡±


    He condescendingly raised his left brow. ¡°¡®Rival¡¯? No. They are irrelevant. All of their families combined are smaller than the branch family.¡± His chest swelled with pride. ¡°I¡¯m not engaging them because the young master has ordered me to not fight with anyone for any reason. That is all. Come now, let us wait here for a bit.¡±


    They hid between a few trees near a path toward the housing area. It did not take long before the group they had encountered earlier passed through, and Rictus signaled to follow them silently.


    It did not take them long to figure out which houses the group occupied.


    ¡°Ah, I see,¡± Sol nodded. ¡°You promised not to fight anyone. But conversations for housing are... well.¡± He laughed.


    Rictus nodded. ¡°Yes. They have also refused others access to that training area, fighting whoever wants to access it in order to get them thrown into detention cells. Fighting is not allowed outside the houses.¡±


    Nyx frowned at the new information, made up his mind, and then pointed toward a run-down shack, no more than a collection of piled-up scraps of wood and stone. ¡°Since I did not warn you about the tentacle beast today, let me make up for it. I will take this house.¡±


    ¡°Much appreciated,¡± Rictus said. ¡°They are quite cocky, but you never see them challenging the young master. That you really have earned some respect for. Happy hunting.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. And to you as well.¡±


    Then he stepped toward the door and made his intentions clear with a clear knock and the opening of the door. After all the sitting he had done over the past few hours, this might not be so bad. His body itched for some more movement.


    Inside, at the sparingly decorated kitchen table, a young demon sat, hurriedly storing away his belongings in a bag.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± he brought forth with anger. ¡°Do you even know who this house belongs to? Do you know who I am?¡±


    Nyx just shrugged. ¡°I just need a place to sleep. Just get another place and let me have this one.¡±


    ¡°If you fight me, they will come for you.¡± The young demon stood, blue hair falling over his red-skinned face. ¡°Spear Saint Mountain will make your life miserable for this!¡±


    He grabbed a wooden quarterstaff and mimicked a few spear motions before stepping closer.


    Nyx¡¯s heart beat loudly in his chest. This would be his first fight without focus. He shapeshifted his claws to his fists. His lightly flexing muscles sent a few pangs of pain through his body, making him painfully aware that he was not in peak condition.


    Against Rax¡¯Rathos, he had done rather well against a spear. How well would he do without his focus?


    His opponent was irritated at the seeming lack of reaction. His body language was unsure. Since Sol had not drawn a weapon, it seemed as if he was underestimating his opponent.


    The Spear Saint Mountain demon frantically observed the room. His eyes darted to the door multiple times and back to Sol. ¡°You can still leave!¡± he exclaimed.


    Nyx just slowly shook his head.


    Then the weapon dashed forward with a fierce scream and plenty of power.


    The first thing Sol noticed was how terrible this Spear Saint Mountain student was. His form was different from Rax¡¯Rathos¡¯s¡ªterribly unsure, and he moved much slower. Even without his focus, he managed to knock away the incoming thrust and step closer with rapid forward strides. Two steps and another jab and strike to his head parried, Nyx buried his fist hard into his opponent¡¯s nose.


    Sol kicked at his opponent¡¯s hand, knocking the weapon away, and tried to follow up with another strike, but his opponent sank to the ground with a whimper. ¡°You are terrible with a spear,¡± he said to the unconscious body in frustration.


    Since the fight was over, Nyx dragged him outside and closed the door behind him, declaring his dinnertime.


    The table immediately produced a pitcher of milk and a bowl of stew.


    Sitting down, Nyx put a finger to the bowl, and his unhappiness increased significantly.


    Cold.


    Next time, he would really have to go for a better house.


    And maybe thus... also a better fight.

 Chapter 22 - No Problem at All

    Nyx decided not to eat anything and use the hour he had for cultivation. If Spear Saint Mountain was going to take offense and challenge his claim on this measly home, they would do so right after the protected hour.


    The rundown home did not have many amenities. A simple table and some chairs made up the only furniture¡ªaside from a large straw-filled sack that posed as a bed¡ªas well as a "wardrobe," a simple deer antler nailed to the wall next to the doorway. In essence, it was one large room with plenty of space to fight.


    Plunging himself down on the bed, which was far more comfortable than the dirt hole he had spent last night in, Nyx went to work. His afternoon in the library had replenished a large portion of his Qi reserves, which now yearned to be spent so he could recover some more during his slumber.


    Sol thought it was most important to have a strong foundation, which he judged to be both a strong quantity of Qi through refining his intake and a strong quality of Qi, which he deemed to be his efficiency in applying his Qi against outside forces. It did not really matter if the forces were heat or cold, rain or ice, fire or wind, or if they were simply physical in nature.


    Rax¡¯Rathos had shown him how far good control over Qi, in combination with a technique, could go in terms of defense. He was, of course, under no illusion that he could mimic a prestigious family technique of a large clan easily. But he wanted to at least be able to do something similar with a high degree of efficiency¡ªeven if it was weaker.


    The third issue was his internal balance of Yin and Yang to regulate his own temperature. If he could shift his internal balance from one to another without losing a lot of energy, this would likely be beneficial in the future as well.


    This practice required a lot of energy, so first, he focused on building up his energy absorption rate. When he had last taken a cultivation pill, it had shown him how his skin took in Qi and that slowly soaking his skin cells with energy had allowed them to expand and handle a stronger intake.


    Nyx took a comfortable lotus position and let his focus drift inwards. It took him a few moments to get his bearings and circulate his Qi outward toward his skin. His senses were less clear compared to when he had been under the influence of the shapeshifting pill, but he could nonetheless feel that he was applying it in the same manner.


    He rhythmically shifted his Qi outward into his skin, let it soak some energy in, and then shifted it inward again, repeating this with his breathing. His aim was not to lose any Qi to the outside by pushing it beyond his skin.


    Then Sol felt his focus activating against his will, a tiny trickle of Qi being siphoned off. His clarity of his Qi flow expanded tremendously; he could see finer details of pathways not yet carved out and felt his own concentration push the Qi along these pathways to form an intricate network of lines that made the Qi not push in and out like breathing, but rather use his breathing rhythm to push the Qi along a spiraling pathway all throughout his body.


    It moved easier, formed solid pathways that had been vague before, and cleared out some impurities along the way. Sol opened his eyes. His heightened concentration still allowed him to maintain the flow as he crawled from the bed toward a corner of the room, where he vomited up a rancid black bile that he eagerly spat from his mouth.


    Immediately, he felt better. His body felt lighter, and every breath felt refreshing and revitalizing.


    Anger flared up in his chest. Why did this focus skill activate?!


    With burning anger, he sat down on the wooden floor next to his expelled bile and turned inwards once more, aggressively cutting his Qi flow to what he thought to be the skill¡¯s usage.


    He had not consciously used it. Therefore, he had no control over it. He did not want it if that was the case. Even if it gave him an advantage!


    Ironically, it was his heightened state of awareness that allowed him to locate the thread of Qi that supplied the skill and cut it mercilessly.


    A wave of sadness spread through his body, and he could feel a soft hand caressing his cheek before the feeling of focus vanished.


    Yet the circulation he had created remained stable. It was perfectly circulating throughout his body, soaking his skin cells with just enough energy while expending seemingly no energy at all. It also seemed to move faster in this intricate pattern than when he had just vaguely directed his Qi in bulk from one area to another.


    Thousands of recurring loops that supplied his skin with just enough energy formed all across his body as if it was the most natural thing. Even after ridding himself of the focus skill, it felt as easy as breathing. It still used more energy than his body could generate from his environment, but Sol had the feeling that this would change rather quickly.


    He opened his eyes again and slowly moved his hand. Then he started counting with his fingers and finally stood up. His control over the Qi flow was not breaking! He could keep it up. It really felt like breathing. In fact, it was odd to pause the flow. It felt wrong to stop now.


    Sol was dumbfounded. This was amazing!


    Immediately, he sought to activate his focus again. Breathing in, trying to contain his excitement and euphoria, he tried to let it go. But the focus skill did not respond to his effort. Even trying to reconnect the Qi thread to where it had seemingly connected earlier was a futile effort. No matter how hard he tried, it refused to activate.


    This was no ordinary skill. If he could regain his memories fully, he might have better insight into how it worked and what it did. Nyx hoped that he had not destroyed the connection entirely.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Before he could go any further, his housing arrangement announced to him that the protected hour was about to be over. The lack of windows in this shack was a bit strategically unlucky for him; otherwise, he could have checked how many people the mighty Spear Saint Mountain would bring to his doorstep.


    Either way, each of them would only get one try, so Sol grabbed a chair and the wooden bowl from the table, which was now empty, and waited near the entrance patiently.


    It did not take long before the first person entered stealthily. Their attempt at sneaking through a hurriedly opened doorway was commendable. If Sol had been sleeping, they might have pulled off a decent ambush. Instead, they were immediately confronted with a wooden bowl flying at their head¡ªunder which they ducked¡ªonly to be rammed by a chair-wielding defender.


    The intruder exited with a loud curse, pushing the door wide open. Outside, Sol could spot four people, including the former owner.


    ¡°Spear Saint Mountain?¡± he asked them directly while withdrawing his claws to form bone knuckles on his fists.


    ¡°You must be a new arrival. This home has been in our possession for the past four months. I¡¯m afraid I must insist you leave,¡± a cocky young demon in light gray robes with a spear explained. He had a calm attitude and exuded confidence.


    Sol shrugged. ¡°I just needed a place to sleep.¡±


    The way they looked at him made him want to tease them, especially since one of them was the previous owner. He scratched the side of his head in mock contemplation when they did not reply. ¡°I can leave?¡±


    Immediately, their faces lit up.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you chose to form good relations over short-term gain,¡± their leader said with a sneering stare. ¡°We can introduce you to our leader on the morrow if you wish.¡±


    ¡°If you find me a better one.¡± Sol said, still scratching the side of his head in mock contemplation. ¡°What did you just say? I was not listening.¡±


    It took less than two seconds for the grin to vanish from his opponent''s face. He nodded toward the girl, who quickly approached the door.


    Nyx shrugged and let her enter. The challenge for the home underway, the barrier immediately made it impossible to glean what their leader was doing or saying outside. He gestured toward the table and conjured a teacup for his guest and himself before sitting down.


    She frowned and stared at him. ¡°You look down on women?¡±


    ¡°Have a seat. Let us talk for a bit,¡± Sol invited her again to sit, taking a relaxed but ready pose.


    Women were dangerous, his father always said that. And he knew best, so it was always good to be on high alert around women. Come to think of it, he should have taken that advice into account when he had met that green-haired girl. Why had he trusted her so easily?


    The eyes. It was the eyes. She had striking yellow eyes. Contrary to his current conversational partner. Brown eyes. Brown hair. Light green skin.


    ¡°Tell me a bit about the Spear Saint Mountain.¡±


    She frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not from there. Some of them are.¡±


    Nyx took a sip from his tea before he rebutted, ¡°That was not what I asked.¡±


    The tea was still very hot, so he put the cup down. ¡°I asked you to tell me a bit about them.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± She too took her cup, seemingly contemplating if throwing it would be an effective way of starting the fight. She hesitated for a moment mid-motion, then brought it to her lips and emptied the steaming hot cup in one go.


    ¡°They are controlling the good heat-based cultivation spots. I need them, so I play along. I¡¯m from the north; it beats me who they are.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Sol mused contemplatively. ¡°Anything else you care to share?¡±


    She just shrugged. ¡°No. Let¡¯s get to it. Or are you one of those guys? The ones that refuse to hit women?¡±


    Her eyebrow was raised, disdain on her face.


    She was confident enough to beat other boys regularly, it seemed. Sol put his drink away instead of finishing it and moved toward the middle of the room. He took a ready stance, trying again to enter focus, but the skill was still unresponsive.


    Maybe there was a daily use limit, and cutting it off from his Qi flow was what caused it?


    The girl dashed toward him and threw a strike with a long motion. Sol swayed backward in response, the fist still a few centimeters away from his body. Then he heard a whipping sound, and the force connected with his body anyway.


    Her attack reverberated through his chest just like a normal fist would. A striking technique? At Skin Tempering stage?


    He stepped back quickly, this time sidestepping her attack. The whipping sound, paired with the wind it caused, gave him a good idea of her range. The power was not very high when dodging the attack, but getting hit directly would be far less enjoyable.


    Her technique was far from complete, likely needing higher cultivation steps to fully utilize it. Sol decided to test the power some more, meeting her strike head-on with his bone knuckle-covered fist.


    A stinging sensation immediately snapped through his arm all the way up to his shoulder, while the strike made his opponent slide back slightly. Apparently, there was a bit of a recoil on her end as well, albeit the non-damaging variety.


    Having seen his opponent''s technique, he stepped in close, countering her strike with a kick to the side of her legs. She was far less resilient than Rax¡¯Rathos, and each attack he sent her way made her buckle and squirm.


    She was not fast enough to connect with him directly, so it was just a matter of time until her Qi ran out or Sol overpowered her.


    He kept working her legs, heavy, long kicks landing while she tried to connect ever-slower punches. Nyx was slow and methodical. When she buckled on her knee, he saw an opportunity but guessed for a feint and surprise attack. He was right, resulting in her counter being countered instead.


    His kick landed high this time, knocking her shoulder heavily to the ground. He did not waste his opportunity and kicked her in the head when she was about to recover. She rose to her feet with a weary expression, her hands shielding her face when a knee connected with her unprotected side.


    She managed to land one of her exploding strikes on Sol¡¯s knee, but her power had already diminished significantly. Whatever her conditions were to deliver a decisive technique, they were gone now. Sol brought down his bone-knuckled fist on her face as she tried to rise from the ground, knocking her head against the floorboards again, the impact reverberating between his strike and the wood.


    A cut opened on her forehead where he had impacted her.


    Now the only question was how long he could stall this situation to annoy the leader outside even longer. Maybe he could even get some sleep with her being knocked out. How long was it even possible to keep your challenger inside your house with you?


    Sol frowned. She was already moving again. Slowly at first, then her hands found purchase on the floor, and she slowly moved her upper body to raise her head from the ground.


    That¡¯s when Sol¡¯s fist impacted her head again with heavy force, forming a nasty bruise on her face in exchange.


    Her earlier comments truly were uncalled for.


    Yes, Nyx was quite sure.


    He had no problem with hitting women.

 Chapter 23 - Unexpected Mentor

    Nyx¡¯Sol had retrieved a knife, not for self-defense against the still unconscious girl lying on the floor next to him, but rather to fiddle a single strand of thread out from his clothes. He had been trying to wedge a Xilix strand out of the cloth for a couple of minutes already, painfully aware that his accuracy was atrocious.


    Either that, or Xilix was far more difficult to work with than he had expected. Four times he had managed to get a few centimeters of loose thread¡ªfreed through painstakingly cutting the other fibers around it¡ªbut had been unable to loosen a longer one.


    As for what he intended with the strand of thread: he wanted to bind it to the girl''s arm while he cultivated next to her. In the event of her waking up, she would move and alert him to it, so he could knock her unconscious again or talk her into staying passive for the remaining duration of the ¡®argument.¡¯


    Sol was curious how long the respective challenges to housing were allowed to last. So, he would sit one out as long as possible. If he lost his sleeping spot, he could always find an alternative or return to a dirt hole. It did not bother him too much, but fights like these and strategizing around them were part of growing as a cultivator. He was under no illusion that continuous fights would not just lead to his loss. He did not like losing.


    The homes allowed for two hours of protected time, each could not be set less than five hours apart from one another, and six hours of protected sleeping time. Sol was not quite sure at what time it began, as he did not possess a device telling him the time of day, but when he ¡°inquired¡± about it through his connection to the house, it gave him a very accurate feeling: it would take another three hours and forty-one minutes for the home to lock itself for safety.


    Sol watched the girl stir in her slumber with a groan. She was clearly feeling the pain on her face. It had been necessary. Had she not denied his efforts to talk for longer, he would not have minded knocking her down instead of out.


    It depended entirely on her, and it depended entirely on how long each ¡®argument¡¯ was allowed to last if he had to do it to more people.


    Finally, he had wedged a long enough thread out from his clothes, tying her wrist to his finger. Even if she woke gently and recognized the thread, it would require quite some skill to get herself in a position that allowed for a quick attack without moving it at all.


    It had been roughly half an hour since she had entered, maybe more, and Sol used his newfound time to improve on his new Qi circulation technique. Whatever his focus skill was, he could only imagine it being a skill way beyond his capabilities of control¡ªone that he would not have been able to access without his acquired memory.


    He was, in both parts, suspicious of it as well as grateful. The technique felt natural to him, the circulation made logical sense, and it did not focus on a very specific aspect. Instead, it just followed his natural pathways and distributed his energy evenly into his skin. He would have to adjust this later on. Muscle Refining and Bone Tempering would both require different energy flows. It was very obvious that his current flow was avoiding both bones and muscles entirely, and Sol could not even feel his meridians yet, much less judge how to supply them with energy without disrupting the complex technique.


    So he focused on observing. He mapped out every pathway in his mind, slowly following along, quickly realizing that it was not one single pathway that worked in unison, but rather hundreds of smaller ones that moved around certain voids in his Qi system. Maybe those were meridian spots? And the pathways circulated near them in anticipation? It was incredible how quickly his focus skill had set up knowledge that he did not have access to.


    Or maybe he did? If his focus skill heightened his awareness, maybe he was aware of this circulation because of the memory? And the mere subconscious application allowed him to apply it? Maybe¡ª


    The girl stirred again, moving her wrist and pulling Sol out of his cultivation process.


    He checked the time again¡ªthree hours and 17 minutes remaining. Almost an hour had passed. Would it allow for two hours of ¡®argumentation¡¯? Maybe it did so in order to allow for cultivators to meet for prolonged periods of time with a high level of privacy rather than expecting hour-long fights?


    Just when Sol was about to accept his luck, he received clear information from his connection again. Two minutes remaining. Failure to end the fight results in disqualification of both.


    Hurriedly, he untied her wrist, stored his thread away, and gently slapped her face, but she remained still. Then he twisted the skin on top of her hand painfully. Immediately, she gritted her teeth. She was faking it.


    ¡°You are obviously awake. Leave immediately, or I will hit you again and drag you outside myself. You have thirty seconds to leave.¡± He stood and poked her side with his foot. ¡°Now.¡±


    The girl rolled away from him, quickly getting to her feet and flexing her claws defensively. She wanted to buy time, clearly seeking to evict him through that, but Nyx had already anticipated something like this. He was already next to her; the rolling and a likely headache made her sluggish to respond. Just as she realized that he had moved as well, his knee was already buried heavily into her chest.


    She collapsed to one knee, Sol using the opportunity to shove her toward the door with a forceful stomp to her shoulder. Still well above a minute remaining. She breathed heavily, stumbling as she got up again. Sol merely waited a second for her to stand so he could tackle her with his shoulder.


    His visitor stumbled through the door. Immediately, the leader of the small group entered. Nyx had not expected him to enter that quickly, and it had completely slipped his mind to ambush whoever appeared rather than allowing them to set the pace of the fight.


    Sol quietly moved away from the door, slowly pacing to get an idea of what he would fight like. Meanwhile, he flexed his claws backward to his knuckles again. He had relaxed them subconsciously during his cultivation. His body felt surprisingly light, and he realized through his elevated heartbeat that he was looking forward to this fight. A confident opponent. Someone he could learn from.


    His heart beat loudly in his chest as he slowly paced around the room. His bruises from his fight with Rax¡¯Rathos had healed quite a bit over the past two days. Sol could still feel them ache whenever he touched the areas, but it was worlds apart from how he had felt back then. He would be able to give it his all here.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°My name is Azrx¡¯Ibahros. I am a son of Spear Saint Mountain.¡± The young demon with pitch-black hair and dark blue skin let his spear crash into the floor to emphasize his point. ¡°Your weapon of choice? Bare fists?¡±


    Nyx¡¯Sol was taken aback by the formality. Were they not trying to reestablish their dominance over their possessions at all costs? Fine, then. ¡°I am Nyx¡¯Sol. I chose this place to sleep. I do not have a weapon of choice. I use whatever I feel like.¡± And he truly meant it. If he, over the course of their fight, felt that strangling his opponent with string or beating him with a wooden bowl would be effective, then he would use those methods too.


    The only thing resembling a weapon he had in his possession was his sword¡­ scabbard. One could count the tiny pocket knife as well, but his bone knuckles would do more damage.


    His opponent grabbed his spear and drove the sharpened tip upward into a wooden support beam that held most of the roof in place. He casually stepped forward with his hands held high in a fighting position. ¡°I shall feel like using fists as well, then.¡±


    Nyx shrugged off the sentiment of fairness as he eyed the spear that was now ready for the taking. Something to keep in mind. Then he kept his eyes peeled on Ibahros. The confident demon had his hands raised high alongside his head, his body moving rhythmically up and down, step by step closing the distance.


    He could not have been more different than Rax¡¯Rathos. Instead of a wild, dashing approach that threw heavy punches loaded with the promise of pain, Ibahros showed a methodical, clean, and emotionless approach.


    Without the quick-paced, reactive nature of a wild fight, Sol felt out of place. While his opponent closed the gap with carefully placed sliding steps, his punches made sure that he had nowhere to run but back¡ªwhich he could not do forever.


    Soon the jabs landed on his guard as Nyx attempted to dodge them, which did not work and pushed him off balance. His counter punches tried to connect his bone-covered knuckles with the jabs of the blue-skinned demon. Quickly, he realized that the skill difference was staggering. He was better than Rax¡¯Rathos with his punches!


    They were light and did not carry a lot of weight, but again and again, jab after jab, they piled on damage to his upper body and arms. Whenever Sol attempted to strike back, a quick step in delivered a hook or uppercut to his face¡ªagain, pretty light but accurate¡ªand saw his opponent retreating before he could even catch his bearings.


    An odd form of martial arts that he had never seen before. This, he liked. The quick, precise movement and fast delivery would deliver a devastating amount of force with his bone knuckles. Nyx immediately adjusted his stance to try and mimic his opponent. He punched a few light strikes against his foe and frowned. How did he make these so snappy and quick?


    ¡°Your stance is too tall. Your center of gravity needs to be lower; otherwise, you get knocked off balance easily,¡± Ibahros commented after a quick analytical glance. Then he stepped in with a snap, delivering more force than before while retaining the speed of his punches.


    Immediately, the consistent step-ins forced Sol to slide back, realizing he was already near the wall.


    ¡°Beware of your surroundings,¡± Ibahros said, delivering a light and quick jab to Sol¡¯s face. Then he delivered four heavier gut punches in quick succession from his hip and returned to the center of the room. ¡°And raising your hands to avoid strikes to the face leaves you open. Lower your center of gravity, foot forward. Arms not too high, nor too low. Then react to what is coming.¡±


    Nyx realized that he was being tested, rather than fought seriously. But this was interesting. ¡°How do you deliver such quick punches? They also look light but are powerful,¡± he frowned.


    Azrx¡¯Ibahros smiled. ¡°You relax your fist and arm. Keep it slightly open and close it right before impact.¡± He showcased it briefly before jabbing the air again. ¡°Always retract your punch afterward, and never swing widely; you will get tired far quicker.¡±


    Adjusting his stance again, Sol did as he was told, and even though he could not imagine how exactly the rotation came into play, his punches immediately felt quicker. Interesting.


    ¡°How did you make those fists?¡± Ibahros curiously inquired. ¡°What material is that? Bones?¡±


    Nyx shook his head. ¡°No, shapeshifting. I always knew how to retract my claws backward, and with a bit of practice, I managed these.¡± He flexed the claws in his right hand, then showcased how they shifted back up toward his fist.


    ¡°Oh, good to know. Since I am a shapeshifter too, I will look into this. However, your control seems monstrous. I am barely able to make my claws sharper, though I never tried to retract them entirely,¡± Ibahros mused. ¡°Be that as it may, I am not here to give you a lesson¡ªcuriosity aside. I will do my duty and punish you for going against the Spear Saint Mountain and then attempt my breakthrough in a few days. If you wish to have a rematch or simple sparring, find me again.¡±


    ¡°Shifting hair colors or length is good practice if you are struggling with it,¡± Sol said. His heart was once again pounding with excitement. Ever since he had felt that Ibahros was not taking the fight seriously, he had felt disappointment. He had caught a glimpse of a stronger opponent. Now he wanted to beat his head in! To punch him as he retaliated¡ªan exchange of blows and technique, trading pain and hurt. ¡°I am ready.¡±


    ¡°You are not. Be that as it may¡­ keep in mind that variety is everything when attacking. I will show you. I will punch with my right at first, then add my left. Then I will add rhythms and variety in pace.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because your opponent gets used to it. They cannot help it unless they are either well-trained or have a higher cultivation. Ready?¡± Ibahros smiled briefly before returning to his signature cocky demeanor.


    Sol nodded and was quickly able to discern what the blue-skinned demon had meant. Right-handed jab after jab either connected with his guard or was consistently denied and pushed away, which made him entirely oblivious to the hook that followed with force that reverberated through his spine. Then Ibahros started mixing left-handed strikes into the mix, and the time it took Nyx to recognize the type of attack slowed down his defenses.


    Quickly, the tide turned, and Sol found himself outclassed in skill. As more and more damage piled up, he no longer tried to avoid anything. Instead, he just mercilessly drilled either of his fists into his opponent, letting his heavy fists crash into him.


    It had the opposite effect. Instead of backing off and shifting his stance and rhythms, Ibahros merely retaliated with powerful strikes. A tradeoff. Blow for blow.


    Of course, Sol managed far fewer hits compared to his opponent, and the tide of battle inevitably brought the final outcome closer: a battered, bruised, and exhausted Sol lying on the wooden floor and Ibahros leaving through the front door.


    Sol felt precisely as he had felt after the Rax¡¯Rathos fight two days ago. But he had learned a lot of new things. He thought back to the green-haired girl. He had underestimated her strength before she had thrown him into the lake just as much as he had now judged Azrx¡¯Ibahros wrong. There were a lot of talented demons gathered here to learn and study. And Sol imagined that there would be even more past the Skin Tempering stage. Judging them by their cover would be something that he ought to avoid.


    This punch-focused fighting style was something Nyx really wanted to add to his skill set. He would have to find Ibahros later for some sparring.


    Apparently, the Spear Saint Mountain group maintained an iron grip on certain cultivation spots and housing in general for a reason. They were well-organized and defended what they owned.


    Sol was just about to crawl to bed to sleep off his beating when his next opponent stepped through the door.

 Chapter 24 - Something Else Entirely

    Reality caught up with Nyx''Sol as his next opponent entered. Unlike the highly mobile and agile Azrx¡¯Ibahros, who had been wearing a standard set of cultivator robes, this man was entirely clad in armor. Heavy, reinforced leather boots reached up to his shins, where they seamlessly transitioned into bronze greaves stylized in the shape of wings. They, in turn, disappeared under a heavy-looking broad tower shield made of wood. It was crude and simple, marred by dents from use.


    The man behind the shield looked at him with determination. A long metal spear was leveraged against the shield''s notch, allowing for strikes from a safe position. The spear had no lethal tip but was a simple metal rod. Nonetheless, it would incapacitate someone quite quickly if they were struck by it.


    Time moved slowly as Sol took in his challenge and wiped some blood from his face, a trickling reminder of the nosebleed that Ibahros¡¯ uppercut had left him. His upper body ached with every twist, and as he pushed himself from his fallen position, a ringing headache complicated things. It radiated from his neck and chest area down his spine, wobbling his legs and threatening to down him again. Oh, how relaxing the floor now looked to him.


    A flash of anger flared through Sol¡¯s body as the shield slowly approached. No, he would not give up before giving his all. He gritted his teeth and sent all his Qi into his legs while maintaining the nature of the energy flow. He had a lot of Qi remaining since he had no fighting techniques to speak of. Somehow, his legs managed to support him and carry him a bit further away from his opponent with calm, albeit shaky, movements.


    Nyx eyed the shield. He would not achieve anything against this with his fists, especially not now that he was exhausted, injured, and slow. He needed something straightforward. An all-out attack. Something that pushed him beyond his limits for a brief moment. Oh, how he longed for the energy he had felt when his Grace of Undying had activated.


    Desperate, Sol sought out his focus skill again, searching for that guiding light of intuition and concentration that would surely deliver him from his challenge. He breathed in, then out.


    And he felt it at his fingertips. But it denied his call.


    Nyx gritted his teeth as he managed a burst of motion to sidestep the thrust of the spear and was immediately hit by the tower shield¡¯s charge afterward, sending him tumbling against the wall, where it pinned him with force.


    With hoarse lungs, he screamed out his frustration as he tried once more, a renewed nosebleed streaming down past his lips. He gathered all of his Qi internally, where he had felt his focus skill connect to his energy as the shield retracted and crashed into him once more, pressing the air from his struggling body.


    And the skill responded. All of his energy was immediately drained away as he felt it activate. His frustration, pain, and refusal to lose were suddenly gone, replaced by an intense feeling of disheartened and angry indignation. Nyx¡¯Sol¡¯s emotional state was immediately changed, now defined by a sadness and melancholy that seemed to mix with helplessness. But at the same time, there was anger. Anger and a target that he could vent his lack of recourse toward.


    The absorbed Qi pushed back into his body like a stream of raging fire, singeing the pathways that just seconds ago had been carefully arranged to advance his growth. Now they had abandoned all semblance of grace, surging through his chest into his arms and legs.


    Sol¡¯s mind was sharp, noticing his opponent''s minute movement, immediately recognizing that he would go for another tackle with his shield in a moment. He remembered the sliding footwork of his last opponent and how it had outclassed his own, and immediately as the shield lifted off of his body, he followed it.


    His left leg positioned itself forward, sliding underneath the shield as his skill directed the Qi into action. His muscles exploded into motion that otherwise would have been impossible. A perfectly executed step-in motion accelerated his arm forward, the rotation of his body adding even more momentum, and his bone knuckles impacted the shield just as it approached again.


    A sharp pain ran through Nyx¡¯Sol¡¯s muscles, all the way from his foot up his back and into his arms. It felt as if his arm would be torn off, muscles strained well past their limit, but his skill allowed him to push forward even after his fist had cracked the wooden shield audibly. His retracted claws had buried themselves into his hand, and blood marked the shield that was now pushed away as his opponent stumbled and fell.


    Wooden splinters zipped past his head as he stepped in regardless of pain, his focus skill beckoning him to move. He dodged the sloppy spear thrust that had aimed for his head as his opponent was falling and surged his energy once more to stomp the shield into him, the impact reverberating loudly throughout the wooden house as the shield-bearer got smashed into the floor.


    Sol heard him audibly curse as he tried to leverage the shield and free himself from being pinned to the ground. While pain burned savagely through his entire body, he somehow found the willpower to strike a third time. His fist impacted the hastily risen shield as he had aimed for the head, rocking both his injured fist as well as his opponent''s head.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Then a small bag was thrown. Blast blistering powder crackled as it tasted air and hastily spread in all directions as if it had a will of its own. A moment later, they were bathed in a shroud of darkness.


    The shield was abandoned after a quick push, and his senses, sharpened by focus, proved to give him the upper hand. Heavy leather boots scraping over the floor, a wide swing with a metal pole, and most easily of all, his opponent¡¯s breathing gave Sol a clear mental picture.


    As he tried to call for another surge of Qi, he noticed that his arm was already hanging limp at his side. He could not move it below his shoulder, and his right foot was limping. He was barely able to feel it anymore. There was enough energy for another strike, but if he used it, there would be nothing left. However, clad in absolute darkness, his heightened focus gave him a huge advantage.


    He approached quietly, and a well-placed hook later, his opponent audibly collapsed onto the floor, where Nyx mercilessly made sure that the fight was truly over.


    The black powder dissipated roughly one minute later¡ªor at least it started to do so¡ªrevealing the extent of his own injuries. His fist was bleeding slowly onto the floor, his right leg was shaking uncontrollably even though he did not put his weight on it, and the muscles in his arm, chest, and back sent sharp waves of pain through his body whenever he moved.


    The shield lay shattered, cracked into half a dozen pieces of wood that barely held together. Its owner bore a red bruise on his face as well as a few cuts on his chin. He breathed quietly and rhythmically, indicating that he was unconscious. Sol attached his loose thread to the man¡¯s neck and grabbed a chair from the dining area. Sitting there, he was determined to rest until the hour had passed.


    His own relief pushed to the forefront of his emotions but was quickly muted and overshadowed by concern and impatience. The anger and sadness were still present, but to a lesser degree. His focus skill was definitely not a normal skill. In fact, the focus was likely the only consistent thing. Sometimes the skill deleted his emotions outright; sometimes it amped up his amusement and excitement for battle.


    And now? Now it made him feel things that did not fit his state of mind. He was not frustrated, yet he felt it. It was there.


    Not to mention that he seemingly arrived at conclusions and techniques that he otherwise never would have. He was grateful for it, but it was frightening to not be in control of his emotions and decision-making.


    Sol glanced inward, ignoring the rampaging nature of his Qi flow, and reached out to the area where he suspected his focus skill to originate.


    He reached out and tried to calm the fiery, burning energy where it originated. Roughly a fifth of the original energy was still rushing into every corner of his body and returning the same way. Only now, Nyx did his best to reestablish the prior Qi flow and to calm his system.


    It was like building a castle out of sand without moisture. As soon as he had reestablished the flow, it was already crumbling again. Several minutes passed¡ªonly interrupted by his opponent stirring in his slumber¡ªwhen Nyx finally managed to return everything to its original state. He felt his focus skill retreating into the background, and when he felt relief and gratitude toward it, he received a colorful mix of emotions in return.


    Anger, sadness, trembling impatience, and frustration coursed through him briefly, overshadowing his own emotions, before the skill deactivated once more.


    Sol wished that he could unlock more of his memories. It was clearly not a simple technique. Maybe a way to inscribe knowledge into a skill construct that could self-reinstate itself to guide a new reincarnation?


    Exhausted, he sank into the chair, his head tilting back as he stared at the ceiling, ignoring his injuries. The peace, quiet, and rest were enough for now. He could deal with it later.


    His opponent woke soon thereafter, agreeing to leave the house just before the hour of the ¡°argument¡± expired. He had a few questions about Sol¡¯s technique and injuries, advising him to seek out one of the older disciples in the library. They usually had recovery pills or could get some, albeit at a steep price. Since Skin Tempering recruits had no access to sect infrastructure beyond the library, they could charge a lot more than market value.


    Beyond that advice, they spent the remainder of each other''s presence contemplating the fight on their own, and Sol was relieved when his opponent had no intention of making a last-minute stand against him.


    As he was leaving, Sol positioned himself near the door, reading his Qi flow internally to change into the fiery blaze he had felt before. When his next opponent, a thin and gaunt-looking demon with pale purple skin and two daggers, entered, Sol let forth a brutal assault of empowered strikes that expended the rest of his Qi.


    Luckily, his surprise attack worked. Sure, he got stabbed in his shoulder and sliced on his upper leg and ear in the process, but all things considered, he was relieved.


    An hour and an opponent later, there were only ten minutes remaining, and the Spear Saint Mountain group had apparently directed their efforts to retain their other housing spots and retire for the six hours of protected nighttime.


    Emptied of Qi, suffering from a minor stab wound, several cuts and scratches, a major headache, bruised arms and legs, and injuries from overexerting his body beyond its limitations, Nyx was in excellent drowsiness.


    Nyx could not remember the last time he had barely touched his sleeping spot before falling asleep.


    He did not even register how uncomfortable the bed of straw, shoved into a crude and rough pillow, actually was.


    He dreamt of a demon clad in a red dress, laughing and dancing under a brightly lit nighttime sky. Whenever he tried to approach her to see her face, she turned away from him. The resulting chase, a dance of persistence, seemingly lasted forever. When someone finally grabbed his shoulder to shake him out of his land of dreams, all Nyx was able to hear was her mocking laughter.

 Chapter 25 - [For Skin Tempering Recruits]

    Sol was woken gently from his slumber by a firm hand that grabbed his shoulder, only to be viciously assaulted by his senses¡ªnamely, pain.


    Even without moving so much as a single muscle, he could feel the soft burning sensation throughout. Then he moved his toe and immediately cursed at the stinging sensation, which firmly woke him up. Cursing, of course, created further movement and more pain.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± A dark red-skinned demon with grey eyes and short black hair stared down at him. ¡°My name is Rax¡¯Illya of the Spear Saint Mountain. I believe you took it upon yourself to claim my home last night.¡± He stared at him expectantly, but Sol¡¯s persistent silence made him move on. ¡°I see it has taken quite the toll on you, and I am no savage. If you wish to simply leave¡­ you have an hour.¡±


    Then he turned to sit at the nearby table in lotus position and seemingly started to cultivate.


    Sol shrugged mentally. He would have decided to leave either way¡ªor at least, that had been the plan. Now he was not even sure if he could make it to the door. Thinking back to last night, he mentally sighed and thanked his focus skill for pulling him through once more. It pulsed softly in response.


    Then Sol focused inward. His Qi reserves were almost non-existent because his circulation technique had stayed active even during sleep, and his Qi channels felt rugged and tender, apparently still recovering from their overuse yesterday. It was honestly quite the wreck. He could feel how all the perfectly efficient circulation was slightly off everywhere in his damaged areas, resulting in more Qi being wasted. But there was nothing he could do about that. It would heal over time.


    Focusing his senses on his body, a much more serious picture presented itself. He was no longer bleeding, as he likely still had been when falling asleep, but the wounds had neither been cleaned nor sewn. They would open again if he moved the areas too much.


    His claws were still firmly stuck to his knuckles, indented in skin and encrusted in dried blood. Sol considered himself lucky that he had not subconsciously retracted them, as he often did. They would have torn the freshly closed wound immediately. The stab wound on his shoulder had not hit any major blood flow, so it had closed quickly, albeit it had soaked his clothes somewhat. At least his fist had had the awareness to bleed off the bed and onto the floor.


    He could also feel his muscles had torn¡ªthe degree of which varied, from minor in his back and chest to severe in his right leg. His right arm could not move at all; the muscles in his arm were completely wrecked. When Sol tried to activate his focus to see if he had any idea of how to deal with this, he only received a muted feeling of exhaustion.


    He was on his own. Speculation about the nature of the skill made the pain of his slow and considerately placed movements a bit less present in his mind. How could someone even create a technique that could replicate itself from a mere memory? Nyx had read about cultivators who left small gifts to their future reincarnations to bridge the necessary progress required to regain their memories, but those had often been physical objects rather than skills such as these.


    Either that, or the Grace of Undying could have gifted him more than just temporary protection from death? If the Demon Ancestor could grant a post-reincarnation power such as that, he would surely be able to transfer skills as well?


    Sol thought about the girl with the white mask. She had helped him realize the magnitude of influence the skill seemed to have on him. He wondered what she would think now that the skill had established a cultivation technique for him that seemed to work really well.


    Sol gritted his teeth as he finally got on his feet. The effort sent waves of pain throughout, but once he was firmly standing, he felt that it was possible to walk.


    Despite his bad condition, there was a quiet voice in the back of his mind that looked at the demon who had introduced himself as Rax¡¯Illya and wanted to fight him. After all, he had entered Sol¡¯s house. He had challenged him for the house, regardless of whether or not he had owned it yesterday. And the thin black metal rods that the demon had tied to his side looked interesting. How would he fight?


    Nyx took in the remainder of his Qi and briefly tried to imitate the violent surge that had injured him yesterday. He found it far easier than he could have imagined, but when his focus skill pulsated with concern, he closed his eyes to regain his original flow.


    When he opened them, he noticed Illya had risen to his feet. ¡°You want to fight after all?¡± He drew three of his metal rods, about as thick as two fingers and as long as his forearm, and held them casually.


    He radiated a confidence that Nyx liked. Fighting him would be fun, but his injuries would make it difficult¡ªnot to mention that it would add to them as well. Nyx was about to turn around and leave when Rax¡¯Illya spoke again, his voice filled with disdain. ¡°Just another lucky brat that clings to the Vox family and curries their favour. You will realize one day what self-serving cowards they really are.¡±


    The words irked Sol. In his head, he replayed the memory of his fight with Rax¡¯Rathos. He was confident and fearless¡ªa tough fighter who gave it his all. Far more competent than anyone he had fought since, even if he included that martial artist who had taught him a lesson yesterday. And Nox¡¯Rictus? The demon had not even cared that Sol had led him into the tentacles of that monster without forewarning him. He had been happy about it!


    Which was fine¡ªthey were rival clans, fighting each other constantly. If he thought less of them, that was his prerogative. But the way he eyed Sol with this arrogant superiority? That did not sit right with him. If he had spoken like this about the Eternal Blossom Family, he would have buried his fist in that smug face before he could even finish that sentence.


    ¡°You want to see if I¡¯m lucky? Let us find out.¡±


    <hr>


    Nyx dragged the unconscious Rax¡¯Illya out of the small house by his throat. His left hand was the only reasonably intact body part he had left, and even pulling an unconscious body threatened to make him collapse in exhaustion.


    He found that a few familiar faces were already waiting for him. Immediately, the girl he had beaten yesterday and the initial homeowner stepped closer, their faces a mixture of concern, shock, and disdain. A sharp warning glare made them stop immediately as he let the unconscious body drop to the ground. They flinched back at his eye contact, their faces still bearing the aftermath of contact with his bone-knuckled fist.


    A thin black rod was driven through Sol¡¯s shoulder and left thigh. His left eye was swollen shut, and a nasty bruise had started to form on his forehead. His muscles burned more than they had in the morning, his fist had torn open and was bleeding again, and he felt a familiar warm trickle running down his chest¡ªunbeknownst to everyone present, the stab wound had reopened too.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    He knew he looked like a wreck, the image amplified by the wooden chair that was affixed to his back.


    The thin black metal rods were material used in array building. They phased through solid objects to anchor them to something beyond. In Nyx¡¯Sol¡¯s case, it had been the wooden chair that he had tried to bash his opponent with from overhead. The resulting disruption of his body weight had almost lost him the fight afterwards.


    Luckily, he had not been pinned to the floor with the second rod, and two heavy strikes with the remaining metal rod against his head were all he had to endure before finally burying his bone knuckles into Rax¡¯Illya¡¯s temple, knocking him out.


    The angry looks of the two Spear Saint Mountain members made him flex his claws instinctively. They painfully tore themselves free of the remainder of the closed wound and played themselves over his fingertips. Gritting his teeth at the resulting bleeding, his face shut down any attempt at retribution in spite of sect rules.


    ¡°You will regret challenging us like this!¡± the boy yelled impotently, which made Sol continue with a smile on his face and put a spring into his tired steps.


    He ignored the odd looks that other disciples sent his way as they passed him. His walk was slowed by pain, every step dampening his motivation for the journey further, and his instincts screamed at him to just sit down.


    By the time he arrived at the library, his headache was threatening to make him black out, and he simply approached the first senior Verdant Sect Member he could spot, vaguely asking for medical help.


    Apparently, only disciples who had been unconscious for a longer period or those in acute danger were picked up for medical care; the rest were left to figure things out on their own. The sect took a strict hands-off approach to the body cultivation realm.


    Luckily, he was told that senior disciples were allowed to help, and Sol was pointed toward an innocent-looking girl with light pink hair that showed a few strands of white. She essentially told Nyx to ¡°screw off unless you have money to spend.¡± She did it in a very polite manner, her tone suggesting she was simply complimenting him, even as she was calling him stupid for not knowing the obvious. It was quite the skill.


    She waited for him to exchange the rest of his money for sect points, the only currency she was interested in. The walk from her desk to the library shop was tricky, as he almost passed out a few times.


    After depositing all of the spirit stones he had received from his brother, Nox¡¯Yanxiou, at the library deposit plate and buying a token that allowed for remote transfer of funds to others, Nyx had 1,416 points. How he got back to the girl, he could not remember¡ªhe simply found himself staring at her with double vision as he confirmed his liquidity to her.


    Saving him from the binding rods that pinned the wooden chair to his back cost him 100 points, and the girl charged him 400 points each for two mid-grade recovery pills that she recommended.


    After asking her about the differences between mid- and low-grade recovery pills and how they worked, she went into a detailed explanation that made it clear she knew what she was talking about.


    Apparently, the cost-benefit ratio¡ªin her mind¡ªwas way higher for mid-grade recovery pills, as the market for low-grade ones was far too saturated, resulting in lower prices. This saturation made it unlikely that competent alchemists worked on them.


    So, in terms of quality, the product had degraded to such a degree that it was better to invest in a mid-grade pill rather than risk shoddy quality for a lower price.


    If his head had not been pounding aggressively as he bled into his clothes, Sol would have found that type of information quite interesting. In his current state, he would be happy if he retained anything at all. Then she charged him another fifty points for the pleasure of explaining it to him, and he quickly stored away his belongings and left, lest the girl charge him even more just for talking to her.


    Four hundred sixty-six points remained, and Sol had no idea how long he would have to work to make up for almost a thousand sect contribution points.


    Sinking against a library shelf in a quiet corner of the library, he popped one of the pills and tried his best not to move anymore. He was quite exhausted, and the pill added to that. Observing internally, the pill did not contain any Qi, but instead provided a substance that absorbed his energy and directed it to heal the nearby area. After it was eaten, his bloodstream carried the substance into every corner of his body, where it greedily sucked in Qi to repair and mend.


    It took several hours for his body to accumulate enough energy to feed the pill¡¯s healing efforts, and it remained active well after. Sol drifted in and out of consciousness during that time and found himself a lot more refreshed afterward. As the girl had said, he would be recovering for at least a day or two.


    Nyx stealthily changed into his second set of clothes, hoping no girl would randomly walk into this corner of the library, and felt like a remade man. Well, almost. A long bath would do wonders to alleviate his exhaustion.


    Sol then visited the library store and bought two sets of Verdant Reflection Sect uniforms for ten points each, becoming more and more convinced that the girl had ripped him off. Granted, the uniforms seemed cheap and were probably subsidized by the sect itself, but if Sol assumed he would eat in the library every day, he could likely live off 100 points for a month. And they were supposed to fight for houses for food, so the library was likely expensive to encourage that behavior?


    Still exhausted and without a Qi pool to use for cultivation, Sol retrieved his book on military procurement and started skimming through it for hints about summoning. Rax¡¯Rathos could break through at any moment, and he had no doubt about that elder dragging him off to a summoning, prepared or not.


    It was relaxing to read for an hour or two, enjoying the toasty warmth of the library chairs and their soft comfort. However, he did not gain much information on summonings from his book, aside from the fact that the author described being contracted to multiple generations of the same house or clan. Sometimes he was contracted by the family head for years at a time; other times, he was called on briefly for the span of a few months or even weeks. There was even a rare incident where a branch family member revolted against the house and summoned him to assist.


    Apparently, it was quite relevant if the knowledge of how to summon a particular demon was passed on in that world. Sol made a mental note of that. This could both be a boon and a curse. It could either turn out to be a method of gaining a soul through little work for a family that relied on your wisdom or a hostile world that summoned him as a soldier or disposable pawn repeatedly.


    Frowning, he made a mental note to research that further and returned his book to the shelf so it would not drain his already dwindling sect point account any further. Then he browsed the shelves some more, covertly looking for the girl with the white mask, even going so far as to ask a particularly bored senior if he had seen someone matching her description.


    Unsuccessful, he left the library. On the way out, he came across the job postings board: [For Skin Tempering Recruits]. A huge wooden panel contained hundreds of job offers, most of them posted by the sect itself as well as senior disciples.


    It did not take him long to find the best-paid job on the entire board, thanks to some sort of array or ward that highlighted relevant information in yellow light. Since it filtered based on his thoughts, it barely took a minute.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 39.8863%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    [Alchemy Assistent - 20 hours/week]


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Required Reading: Nyx¡¯Tdours Guide to Elemental Stones


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Working Hours: 03:00-06:00 daily


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Pay: 2 SP/hour


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Break the Seal below if you fulfill the requirements and want a job interview.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Below the job posting, six paper seals were attached to the board, seemingly notifying whoever had posted the offer that someone was interested and where they were.


    Nyx bit his lower lip. Yeah, the pink-haired girl had fleeced him quite a bit¡ªalmost 500 hours'' worth of work, by the looks of it.

 Chapter 26 - Sitting at the Snowpit

    Ascending the stairs of the library exit, Sol noticed how quickly his stamina evaporated. The mid-grade recovery pill did take its toll, so he moved slowly and deliberately, taking every step patiently. Step by step, he ascended and stepped into the basking sun of the mid-day cultivation grounds.


    Where the cold lake and snowpit had been frequented less, the central hub was bustling with activity. People were engaged in conversations everywhere. Small groups had formed in the grass with books open, studying and discussing topics together. Some exchanged combat pointers and martial stances, executing complicated dance-like movements¡ªthe likes of which Sol assumed to be foundational for their techniques.


    For the first time since his fight with Rax¡¯Rathos, his body did not hurt at all while walking, and it made him eager for the pill to run its course so he could gather Qi and cultivate again.


    There was, however, a quiet and unspoken discomfort hanging in the air, and it did not take him long to figure it out. The Spear Saint Mountain group walked around like they owned the place and made others get out of the way whenever they felt like using a particular cultivation spot.


    Furthermore, they seemed to block off access to the cave near the library entrance. Two members stood like guards and denied entry to anyone who asked unless they paid for the privilege. Quite a few did. It made a lot more sense to Sol now that they banded together like this. Security, housing, and access to the best cultivation spots. Even if they were not affiliated with the group outside the sect, here they gained immediate benefits.


    Since fights outside of housing arguments were forbidden and punished, it presented the question: How did they enforce their dominance? Sure, they could go after your home of choice to harass you back, but that would not stop you from just waltzing in and taking whatever cultivation spot you wanted to use.


    Curious, Sol took to a flat rock nearby in lotus position and observed the group through half-closed eyes. It did not take him long to figure it out. They were abusing the spirit of the rule ¡°no fighting allowed.¡± Instead, they invaded people''s personal space, ¡°accidentally¡± spilled their sticky drinks on them while walking past, or acted distractingly in general. They provoked a fight but never actually engaged in one.


    At least, that was his theory. He could not say for certain, since he had only observed a few incidents of rude or obnoxious behavior, but the tense atmosphere seemed to suggest that it was a common occurrence.


    They were the dominant force in the Skin Tempering Garden of the Verdant Reflection Sect. It was no surprise that they carried themselves so confidently. It was not the confidence of the individual but rather their status as a group. Power gave way to confidence.


    Since Nyx was unable to locate the mysterious girl with the mask, he decided to check the cold lake again, and if she was not there, find a quiet place to relax and try to recover some Qi. The recovery effect would slowly fade out, freeing up more energy.


    Another reason why he could not locate her was that he had no idea what she looked like below the mask. She could have just taken it off and disappeared within a number of unknown cultivators, and he would never know. It bothered him. It was impossible to sense Qi outside of his body, so he could not even memorize her Qi signature as described in some of the books he had read at home.


    Home. He missed his mother¡¯s cooking. What advice would the Matriarch of the Eternal Blossom Clan give him? Come to think of it, he did not even know the girl''s name, only that she hailed from the east. Maybe she would advise him to be patient instead of pestering the girl for information. Had his father not waited an eternity just for a chance to reconnect with her?


    Sol found her sitting at the snowpit, one hand emerged in it. He eyed the obstacles above. Should he just ¡°accidentally¡± fall into the snow near her? It felt awkward to approach her casually, and he had no idea what he would even say. Annoyed, he reached for his focus. All he received in response was a pulse of amused encouragement. Not helpful. What would he even say? Or call her?


    As he approached, he noticed her tense posture. She was trying to concentrate and¡­ cold? He noticed a slight tremble, and she opened and closed her gloved hands repeatedly. But it did not seem likely that she would stop anytime soon, so now was as good a time as any.


    ¡°Greetings, friend,¡± he said smoothly after testing it in his head a few times.


    She responded in an annoyed and snappy, almost grumbling manner. "Greetings."


    Oh, he was disturbing her. Clearly. ¡°Sorry, I did not want to disturb you¡­.¡± He barely managed to say, growing quieter with every word. He immediately chastised himself. Why was he so weird all of a sudden?


    Just as he turned to leave, the girl let out a frustrated moan that turned into an angry growl before she responded to him. ¡°I apologize, it is vexing me. Please sit.¡±


    Nyx quietly did as he was told, relieved that her anger was not directed at him. ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± he asked before he remembered that techniques were often a sensitive issue. She might have inherited it from her clan. ¡°If you want to share?¡±


    The familiar white mask turned toward Sol and deflected his question. ¡°You found a healer?¡±


    ¡°Recovery Pill.¡± He brought forth the second pill from his clothes and showed her reluctantly. ¡°I think I overpaid for them, though.¡±


    She lifted the pill from his hand and held it against the sunlight. ¡°Mid-grade? My family processes¡ª¡± She stopped herself with a cough. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are fully recovered then. That is good. How did your emotion-blocking skill react after my needle blockade wore off? Did you manage to contain it fully? You seem¡­ more open?¡± The masked girl inspected his face curiously.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    As Nyx tried not to blush at the sudden attention, his focus skill sent a feeling of annoyance throughout his body. What should he tell her? His father had always said, ¡°Honesty is important¡ªshe will always find out anyway,¡± so he decided to tell her everything.


    ¡°I think the skill is much more than just something that heightens my focus and blocks emotions,¡± he began, immediately sparking her curiosity.


    ¡°More how?¡±


    ¡°More in the sense that it seems to direct me toward certain ways of cultivating, giving me ideas that work so well that it cannot be simply focus or heightened concentration.¡± He tried to find the right words. The fact that he could talk about something that mattered to him, instead of continuing with awkward questions, was a bonus. ¡°And sometimes it does not block emotions at all but is rather helpful. Uhm. Helpful for the focus. And I feel like it gives me feelings I do not have when it is active as well? It''s hard to describe.¡±


    The masked girl nodded thoughtfully. ¡°What do you think it is? Do you have control over it now?¡±


    ¡°It is more like¡­ asking it to help? And I was able to stop it the last time it helped on its own.¡± He frowned. ¡°Although it did not like that very much and refused to help afterward.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know!¡± The girl suddenly turned her sitting position toward him, pelting him with some snow in the process. ¡°Ah, I apologize.¡± She cleared her throat briefly and sat a bit straighter. ¡°I believe it could be your bond. Did you not have a familiar? Maybe it is acting through you?¡±


    ¡°I do not think a spirit beast egg can already direct such drastic changes? And it seems to understand how a demon¡¯s body works and functions?¡± Sol shook his head. ¡°No, my thinking was that it could be a technique that is inherited through reincarnation. I have died once.¡± He pointed at the golden mark on his cheek. ¡°And it might have something to do with this? Or it activated itself when I unlocked a memory of my past life? It seems to be something like that, but I cannot say for certain.¡±


    Furthermore, he had used the focus skill in his fight with the Sword Saint and received Lun''Archessa''s gift a few days later.


    ¡°You seem to have regained your control over it. I would suggest looking up what capabilities your bond has. If not to explain your skill, at least to rule out that it is not responsible.¡±


    Nyx thought about it for a moment. Maybe the bond had hijacked the focus skill and was using it to communicate? It was likely worth the time. ¡°Yes, that sounds like a good idea. But I have some other things to figure out before that.¡±


    ¡°And that would be?¡± she said teasingly.


    ¡°Improve my Qi intake, first of all, then permanently change my skin to¡ª¡±


    "Permanent?" she interrupted him. ¡°How do you do that?¡±


    Sol showed her his hand. ¡°See that spot? I changed the skin cells there with my shapeshifting. My idea is to make them able to hold Yin energy to protect against heat and cold.¡±


    She tilted her head. ¡°How does it protect you against the cold? It would only neutralize Yang Qi on contact. Did I miss some secret law of the universe?¡±


    Nyx felt the heat rise to his face as he blushed. At least his dark skin color made it not immediately obvious. Had she just called him stupid for this idea? ¡°Uhm, no. No. I am really bad at regulating temperature. I tried another technique to balance it internally, and I want to use that as well, but the idea is to just ¡®store away¡¯ the Yin Qi my body cannot handle into my skin, so it''s technically away from my body?¡±


    She grabbed his hand to observe more closely. Now Sol¡¯s ears practically burned. She was so close to him he could smell her, so he immediately stopped breathing. He did not want to be rude.


    ¡°Fascinating. I¡¯ve never heard of a technique like that, but there are alchemy enhancements that permanently alter your body in various ways. They are very strong but need to be upgraded as you progress further. It is costly.¡± She gently placed his hand back onto his knee and continued. ¡°This way of permanently changing your skin could be combined with that, or you use a variation of bone tempering as you progress. There are thousands of books written on it. I wish I had such good ideas. All I am doing is following my bloodline technique. And even there I fail,¡± she said as her voice lost the spark she had shown earlier.


    ¡°Fail?¡± he asked, both curious and seeking a way to cheer her up.


    ¡°Breaking through. I have attempted it twice. Both times¡­¡± Her sitting position sank slightly lower. ¡°I have worked hard to increase my Qi levels for almost a year prior to arriving here. I cannot¡ªit is frustrating!¡± she growled forth.


    Nyx nodded. ¡°If your Qi pool is large already, maybe try to apply it to something that is outside of your technique for some perspective?¡±


    She shook her head quickly. ¡°I cannot deviate from what I practice. It will have consequences in the future. My bloodline requires and synergizes with it.¡±


    Nyx raised his finger to get her attention. Then he shifted his claw at his fingertips to form a round ball before moving it back toward his knuckles, where it reformed to a defensive layer, only to move forward again and retake the shape of a claw. It took him all of his currently heavily demanded Qi, but he got the point across.


    ¡°Ah. My innate demonic ability. I have never really tried it, but that idea does not sound too bad.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve played with it for a long time. I did not want to accidentally scratch my little brother and sister, and it took a while, but it gets easier,¡± Nyx encouraged her. ¡°In exchange for my great idea¡­ may I ask you for your name?¡±


    The girl grew silent, her excited body language disappearing. ¡°Mm. You may guess my name. If you are correct, I will confirm it.¡±


    That was ridiculous. How was anyone supposed to guess something like that? Nyx¡¯Sol frowned. ¡°How about guessing the birth name only?¡± Guessing her skin color and thus birth name would at least bring him a bit closer. Then he remembered something and cheekily added, ¡°Otherwise, I will just call you nine-four.¡±


    She tilted her head. ¡°Nine-four?¡±


    ¡°Your talent score at our initiation was ninety-four.¡±


    ¡°Ah. But that is horrible. To be named as a number.¡± She sighed. ¡°You may guess my birth name twice. But do not dare call me nine-four if you get it wrong.¡±


    Nyx grinned sheepishly. He would have never called her that anyway. Just imagining the silence and her tilted mask in response to it made him want to sink into the ground.


    He guessed the most common demon skin tones. ¡°Rax? Nox?¡± He guessed the red ¡®Rax¡¯ because of a story he had read, where an eastern clan consisted entirely of red-skinned individuals, and the masked girl hailed from the east. And he guessed ¡®Nox¡¯ mostly because of his own bias. When he imagined her taking off her mask, it was the first thing that came to mind, though he had no idea as to why.


    She shrugged and rose to her feet with a sly smile. ¡°Wrong and wrong. Maybe next time.¡±


    Her smile made him suspicious. Had he guessed right, and she just refused to admit it? Or were there different naming conventions in the east? He would have to look that up later. ¡°You are leaving?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I have restored enough Yin Qi. Now I will work on your suggestion.¡± She pointed to his hand. ¡°Permanent changes like this are quite hard to do, you know? If your fine control and efficiency are that good because of your continued training with shapeshifting, then I hope it will help me as well.¡±


    Her hand touched his hair and pulled forth a piece of straw that had been stuck there. Her mask tilted curiously as he felt his face heat up again. How long had that been there!? Then she waved him goodbye. ¡°I will consult some books to clear my head. Good luck to you, Mr. Nyx¡¯Sol.¡±

 Chapter 27 - Breaking Through

    Over the next few days, Nyx¡¯Sol fell into a rigorous training schedule. His cultivation technique had grown his intake by leaps and bounds. Three days after his healing break, it had grown fourfold. His Qi pool, after resting, was also significantly expanded, and while the technique showed further improvements, they had diminishing returns. He was rapidly approaching the natural limits of the skin-tempering step of body cultivation.


    Since his progress was slowing down, less energy was used by his Qi circulation, allowing him to experiment more with the two remaining problems he wished to tackle. Internal temperature regulation by manipulating his Yin and Yang Qi had proven to be far too difficult for Sol to make work, resulting in him depleting his energy over and over again¡ªwith minor to no success.


    He consulted Yin Qi - Moonlight Shadow Technique again and realized that the aforementioned energy regulation was a technique that cultivators in the Qi-gathering stage would utilize. It merely gave the conceptual idea to practice on, translated to the body cultivation stage, which made Nyx abandon the prospect entirely.


    He decided to focus on his second problem, namely that his defense against temperature changes and physical attacks was non-existent. Permanently altering his skin cells felt easy enough¡ªstoring Yin energy inside was not.


    The main issue proved to be the fact that the stored energy seemed to freeze the storage medium over time, resulting in his skin cells dying, which was quite painful. Reading a small book on freezing techniques revealed the issue. Compressed stationary Qi states resembled the same state a Qi-gathering cultivator was trying to introduce to energy they projected outside to achieve a freezing technique.


    It took Sol over a day to find a working solution after skimming through Fire Resistance and Insects: The Hives of Un¡¯gholor. The hives of these colony-forming bugs stored the heat generated by their massive colonies inside their chitinous plating, which allowed them to forego underground ventilation and conceal their hives much better than other hives in the region.


    Since those hives were native to the east, Nyx went on a four-hour research spree trying to find established cultivator families that specialized in recovery pills because of the little hint the masked girl had dropped in their conversation. Instead of a name, it led him on a wild goose chase through trading registers, courtesy of which he was now intimately familiar with the ingredients, where to find them, and suppliers in the region¡ªbut no hints about families with secret Yin bloodlines that engaged in that type of trade at all.


    The finished product of his research looked quite impressive: a thin, dark grey scale with a metallic hue, about the size of his fingernail. The larger size, which he mimicked from the Un¡¯gholor warrior bugs, contained Qi pathways that shared the energy with surrounding scales over time, resulting in a quietly achieved equilibrium requiring no further manipulation on his part. And they stored a significant amount of energy.


    This would effectively more than double his carrying capacity for Yin Qi.


    On the other hand, this created two entirely new problems. First of all, the creation of each scale was vastly more expensive than his former, much simpler shapeshifting process, not least because the difficulty far surpassed the former exercise.


    The second issue was that he could only store one type of energy in his new armor, which would suit him well in cold environments and against opponents that utilized a lot of freezing techniques, but Nyx had no idea how effective it would be at blocking out heat or, worse: fire.


    A skin-tempering cultivator''s mastery over temperature was minor to begin with. They would never be able to stand in a firestorm or a blizzard and survive for weeks on end, like a Qi-gathering disciple fueled by their own internal energy generation could. They could only mitigate the passive absorption of ambient energy.


    There were three ways of achieving this, each better than the one before. Cut off any intake of Qi, which would protect fully from the absorption imbalance. Take in the most Yin in hot environments and the most Yang in cold environments and at least achieve a bit of Qi generation with full protection intact. Or, as a third option, take in everything and then manage your energy through a technique.


    His energy storage solution was temporarily achieving the third, so Sol felt that he had to at least master the second stage of this problem.


    Hence, he spent the majority of the next few days in various cultivation spots, without the necklace from his sister on. His focus skill still remained unwilling to help but sent encouragement his way whenever Nyx was looking for it.


    Cultivation and reading occupied most of his day, and claiming a home at night had been suspiciously easy. Nyx did not complain since he had been able to relax in a house with a simple bath and decent food, and the Spear Saint Mountain group had not come for him with a vengeance like they had the first time.


    Suspicious, because they still projected their power heavily toward others anywhere else. In fact, they seemed to more aggressively protect their spots and tax more for the privilege of using them. In the beginning, Nyx had assumed that they just avoided excessive confrontation because he had been hanging out with Nox¡¯Rictus. Their animosity toward the Aurelius Vox clan seemed to be a motivating factor in any case.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    But evidently, that was not the reason, as one of their leading members had gone out of their way to visit him in his current training spot, a wooden platform high above the snowpit.


    ¡°Greetings, Nyx¡¯Sol,¡± Azrx¡¯Ibahros greeted him, clad in a thin short shirt, shorts, and barefooted. He seemed to also practice against the ambient cold, but his visit was for another reason. ¡°I had hoped to have a conversation with you. May I join you?¡±


    Sol nodded. ¡°You seem to have a good grasp of your Yin management. How did your breakthrough go?¡±


    ¡°I have broken through in essence. I merely need to give it a slight shove to cross over,¡± the dark blue-skinned demon replied, eyeing him curiously. ¡°You never came to ask for sparring. Why is that? Are you hostile to the Spear Saint Mountain group?¡±


    Right to the heart of the matter. Sol supposed it was better than having a longer conversation, though he would have danced around the issue for as long as possible.


    ¡°You taught me a lot already,¡± he replied evasively. ¡°It would have been rude to ask for more than that.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. I would have been happy to. Your enthusiasm for hard fights has not gone unnoticed, you know? It is rare for a new initiate to challenge the group so heavily and succeed.¡±


    Nyx let the silence drag on, calmly watching as his conversational partner slowly grew more agitated before answering. ¡°I assume my claim to a home has gone unchallenged for a reason?¡±


    Ibahros smiled at this. ¡°A token of goodwill. We do not need to be enemies.¡±


    Nyx raised an eyebrow. ¡°Enemies? We had some ¡®arguments¡¯ over where we sleep. That hardly makes us enemies.¡±


    ¡°While that may be true, I want to explain something to you. The Spear Saint Mountain group has been in control of the Skin Tempering Garden for well over two years. We control a certain number of houses, rotating through them in day and night shifts. Half of our group sleeps at night, half during the day. Whenever someone challenges our control, we all retaliate. It is a system that works well. Whichever group is awake protects and controls the cultivation spots, and our members always have the best spots available to them.¡± Azrx¡¯Ibahros explained with a confident smile. ¡°If you joined us, you would be able to enjoy these benefits as well. You can learn from the older disciples of our group, get sparring advice, and the Spear Saint Mountain is not secretive about their combat techniques either.¡±


    Nyx frowned and tilted his head. He knew what he thought about their ¡®system¡¯ and how they went about doing things. They carried themselves as confident and arrogant, and most of their members had little to back up such a claim. It did not sit well with Nyx that they abused this position while others of similar strength were bullied by their system.


    Maybe it was silly to think this way. A sect tried to bring forth the best talent of a region and hone it. Why couldn¡¯t they work together? Share like a family would? Strictly leave conflict at the door? But his father had often said that tradition mattered, and Sol knew that cultivators were easily offended. It mattered how you said things. ¡°I do not doubt it. I merely sleep where I want to sleep.¡±


    Ibahros blinked at him. ¡°Then¡ª¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Nyx cut him off on purpose. Maybe Ibahros would get the hint without him having to spell it out.


    ¡°That is unfortunate,¡± he hummed. ¡°Unfortunate, because I cannot return with just that. May I ask... why?¡±


    Nyx sighed internally. He wanted a clear answer. ¡°The way the Spear Saint Mountain group behaves towards the other initiates is unseemly. It brute-forces its way into any spot they wish to claim and has no regard for what is good for the sect as a whole. They pressure others into payment and, in essence, reduce their progress through this.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Before we controlled the Skin Tempering Garden, there was mere anarchy¡ªanyone fighting anyone for scraps. The rate of fighting was much higher than it is now! Our system takes in the new arrivals that are promising and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Makes them yours to own. You are tyrants, only justified in your behavior by the power you possess. It aggravates others, and the moment you lose your strongest members because they break through and move on¡±¡ªSol pointed his hand towards Ibahros to highlight one such member¡ª¡°then you lose grip on it, and it will fall apart because there is nothing that holds it together but greed and power.¡±


    ¡°What else is there? We are all together under one powerful entity. The Demon Ancestor himself is living proof that the strong rule lifts us from anarchy. What other way is there?¡± Ibahros asked with a frown.


    Nyx was stunned for a few moments. He had never thought about this before. ¡°It is just cruel and unfair to conduct yourself this way. And you are not our Great Demon Ancestor.¡±


    ¡°Of course not, but life is unfair. No matter where you go outside of our world¡ªyou will find enemies. They will not be fair to you either.¡±


    Silence stretched out between them. It was difficult to argue against this way of conduct because Sol had no idea what he would do as an alternative. Just assuming everybody would get along if no one exerted control was naive. There would need to be a system that did... something.


    ¡°I assume your answer is still a firm denial?¡± Azrx¡¯Ibahros sighed. ¡°A shame.¡±


    Nyx nodded. ¡°I am against it as long as things remain as they are.¡±


    ¡°Well, at least I am not going to be responsible for dealing with you. Speaking with you is my last task here.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I will advise you to not try and claim Spear Saint Mountain homes again. This time, there will be consequences.¡±


    Pondering his words, Nyx¡¯Sol was still thinking about what system would work and how it would be managed and enforced while also noting that his concentration on Qi intake had been flawless throughout the conversation, despite differing levels of wind. He would be able to move on to continue his chitinous plating project! What was a bit of trouble? Fights were there to be enjoyed, and he would learn from them.


    The silence of Ibahros made him stop his train of thought. Ibahros had also assumed the lotus position during the end of the conversation and was now cultivating with closed eyes. Soon, dark ink-black liquid secreted from his skin, sticking to his clothes¡ªexpelled from his body. The wind carried away the worst of the stench Nyx knew to associate with it.


    He had broken through. Casually, right next to him, shortly after a conversation. The amount of concentration it must have taken to remain right at the edge of this achievement and not slip into failure? His foundations must have been flawless.


    Nyx¡¯s eyes shone brightly. That was exactly what he wanted.

 Chapter 28 - Smooth as Silk

    When Nyx¡¯Sol descended through the wooden obstacle course a few hours later, his body was frozen stiff. His internal body temperature was quickly dropping, with any available storage space in his newly created skin cells already used up. He had assumed that he could handle the creation of new un¡¯gholor-plated scales but had neglected the fact that using up all his stored energy would accelerate his Yin-Yang imbalance due to the cold and harsh winds high above the snowpit.


    Nyx had a good grasp of his Qi intake now, so he was limiting himself to small trace amounts of Qi, which meant that if he stayed in this cold area, it would take several hours to resolve the imbalance. To make matters worse, he had dropped the Qi-balancing necklace his sister had given him because of his stiffened fingers. It could have quickly alleviated his problems by increasing his Qi intake and balancing it out for him, saving him a painfully cold descent into warmer areas.


    Instead of falling all the way into the soft white of the snowpit, the necklace had landed on an obstacle below his platform. This was usually impossible, lest students fall from one obstacle onto another, breaking bones and injuring themselves in the process, rather than landing in the soft snowpit or water below.


    However, this obstacle was of a special variety, connecting loose threads of silken strands through wooden rings over a vast area, like a tensed spiderweb. One had to carefully balance their weight, like a spider balancing on multiple strands of her web. If Sol had fallen onto it, the silk would have quickly given way and, besides slowing his fall, done nothing to stop him.


    Sol had seen some of the other students attempting it, but it seemed to train a very specific skill set that not many initiates fancied.


    Sol had no delusions. He would not even know where to start with something like this. Luckily, he did not need to, since all he had to do was shake the strands and hope his necklace would fall.


    It took him twenty more minutes before he finally stood at the edge of the artificial net. With cold fingers, he grasped the net and shook it, realizing two things in the process. Firstly, the net was sticky. Like a spiderweb, it softly clung to his fingers, refusing to let go easily. Secondly, the same seemed to apply to his necklace. Even if he failed and fell through the net, destroying it in the process, the necklace would still silently cling to the strands and remain in the exact same spot once the net had magically repaired itself.


    Suddenly, he felt a shiver run through his body. It was not his own. His focus skill had activated and sent a disapproving, shivering feeling throughout. Sol sighed apologetically and tried to relay that he was working on it. Instead of approval, his unfamiliar companion activated. His mind grew razor-sharp, and with a childlike feeling of happiness and wonder, he was emotionally drawn to touch the string.


    He felt his Qi rush through his fingertips, gently aligning itself against the web and hooking into it. His hold on the sticky surface was now much more solid, and his slight movements shifted the silken strands, the minute feedback of their vibrations revealing the secrets of the net. He felt a wave of childlike nostalgia and immediately knew what he had to do.


    Nyx¡¯s focus skill vibrated the Qi in his fingers as he concentrated on it¡ªfreeing him from the solid hold on the sticky surface. Quickly, he pulled his sandals from his feet, storing them away in his ring, and walked onto the web with smooth steps. His focus kept him upright, walking confidently. Only after he had passed the outermost ring did he duck down and grab a few strands with his fingers.


    Pulling left, then right, then left again, he steadied his march forward, adjusting the net¡¯s fragile integrity through his hands as well as his carefully placed weight. The focus skill retreated after a few minutes with a mischievous sort of happiness.


    With all that concentration gone, it was hard to remain upright, and his progress slowed down. But Nyx sent a grateful nod inward and, without paying any further attention to his skill, struggled onward. By the time he approached the necklace, he was crawling on all fours, holding six strands between both his hands as well as his teeth. He knew he would fall the instant he grabbed the necklace from that unstable section of the web.


    With a desperate groan, he snapped his neck to solidify his foothold and jumped for it. His middle finger caught the necklace and pulled it free, down toward the snowpit.


    Welcomed by the cold powder, the necklace wormed its way into his clothes, quickly accelerating his temperature imbalance. The snow was much colder down here, below the surface.


    Putting on his necklace, he sighed in relief as a steady trickle of warmth slowly filled his body, and he fought his way out of the pit. As he broke through the surface near the edge of the snowpit, he heard a rapid clapping sound. When he spotted the source right in front of him, he quietly debated taking off his necklace again, just in case it could stop the heat rising to his ears and cheeks.


    A slender figure in a smooth white mask and black clothes sat on a light blue and white blanket in the grass. A tea set and a small plate of paka cookies rested on a thin stone plate next to her. He even noticed a second, still empty cup.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°You know, you are quite good at this. I think I can see a spider weeping for its web somewhere.¡± She shook her head mockingly. ¡°If you had wanted to be pushed into the snow, you could have asked me. I would have obliged.¡±


    Sol felt his ears heat up even more. What could he even say in this situation? How long had she been sitting here? He eyed the untouched cookies and still-filled teacup. Unless she had refilled it¡­ not very long.


    The snow was slowly melting in every corner of his robes, so he quickly freed his muscular upper body from its prison and began to pat the stuck remnants of snow from the robe¡¯s insides. He then noticed the girl averting her gaze and holding a hand in front of her face.


    ¡°You know, it is quite the bold statement to undress in the presence of women.¡± Her voice was flustered, and she spoke a little faster than she usually did.


    Nyx felt his face flush again, internally thanking his black skin with its red hue for not revealing how awkward he always felt when talking to her. He turned his upper body away from her, revealing only his muscular back, and quickly finished clearing out his clothes. ¡°You could also just not look. I would prefer not walking around with snow melting down my body for the next hour. This is not the private show you seem to pretend it is.¡±


    ¡°I¡ªI am not looking! And I would have a better show watching the snow melt!¡± she snapped at him and quickly turned away, sitting with her back to him to make it clear she had no intention of looking. Then she paused briefly before quickly adding, ¡°Just the snow, not the snow on you.¡±


    He sighed as he felt a chunk of snow slip through his clothing and slowly melt as it descended down his leg. ¡°At least I made it halfway across the net and got my necklace back. That has to count for something.¡±


    ¡°I give you a six out of ten,¡± she teased again, her mask still stubbornly averted from him, despite the fact that Sol had already dressed again. There was a quiet laugh of amusement in her voice. ¡°You started skillfully, but then you got worse and worse as you progressed.¡±


    Eying her with a raised brow, he decided to defend himself a little. ¡°Oh, so you can do it better? Alright, show me then.¡±


    She sighed and helplessly raised her hands. ¡°If I ever show you the beauty of my skills, you might fall in love with them, and I am not ready to deal with a disciple yet.¡±


    Taken aback by her wording, he just stared at the blanket, frantically searching for a comeback in his mind before she turned to face him again and tapped the blanket she sat on.


    ¡°I will share some tea with you. Come, sit.¡± She then tilted her mask in the way she usually did when she was about to ask an honest question. She contained her curiosity until he had seated himself and she had served him some tea. ¡°This necklace is¡­ special to you?¡±


    Nyx nodded. ¡°Yes, it was a gift.¡±


    ¡°Fianc¨¦?¡± she teased, making his ears feel hot again.


    ¡°No,¡± he said far too quickly, his mind racing at the question. Why would she ask him that? ¡°No. It was a gift from my older sister.¡± After she nodded, he hastily added, ¡°I do not have a fianc¨¦. I know it is a custom for many families to engage their children when they are young, to encourage them to live their lives before reclaiming their memories, but my clan does not practice that.¡±


    She took a cookie from the plate and brought it to her face, eating it through the mask playfully. ¡°I see. A lot of my brothers and cousins are, so I was wondering.¡±


    He wanted to ask her the same question, but the girl would tease him about it again and¡­ Was it too revealing? Would it show that he quite liked their little conversations?


    And it was bad etiquette to ask a girl about such things when he did not even know her name, much less her face! He could hear his mother chiding him, just as she always had when he put both elbows on the table during his meals.


    Quickly, he diverted the topic. ¡°How did your breakthrough attempt go? Was the practice of your¡ª¡± He paused, realizing he had never asked her what her innate ability was.


    ¡°Thank you for asking. I broke through quite easily,¡± she exclaimed proudly with a huff. ¡°Hardly a problem at all after only a few days of training.¡±


    ¡°Congratulations,¡± Sol said, nudging his teacup in her direction. ¡°Are you just taking some free time before moving on?¡±


    ¡°Something like that.¡± Her voice sounded introspective and distant. ¡°I had planned to leave earlier, but I wanted to see if you managed the challenge on that net.¡±


    ¡°Sadly not,¡± Nyx sighed. ¡°Maybe I will try again. It was fun. You wanted to leave without saying goodbye?¡± He added with a raised eyebrow.


    She huffed at that. ¡°I wrote you a letter, you know? Besides, you will catch up in no time anyway.¡±


    Sol frowned. ¡°A letter?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. But never mind that now.¡± She spoke with concentration, raising her sect point token in front of her, seemingly paying for something. A blank white card materialized and fell into her lap. She quickly read it and frowned. ¡°It seems I ought not to keep you distracted much longer.¡±


    The slender girl rose to her feet gracefully and adjusted her clothing before executing a graceful dip toward Sol. ¡°I will have to ask you to deliver my tea set back to me once you have caught up. It would not do to let you sit idly in the grass, reading the letter I have left you.¡±


    Sol was confused at her sudden departure. She seemed a bit apprehensive before chuckling at his expression. ¡°Here.¡± A slender, gloved hand reached out to pass the white card to him. ¡°One of the older disciples sells information about the Skin Tempering Garden to the disciples here. You will have to pay ten points to read it.¡±


    Before she could turn to leave, Sol paid the card no mind, focusing on the important question that had lingered in his mind. ¡°The letter?¡±


    She paused a few steps away from the blanket to turn her mask toward him in confusion. ¡°What about it? It is a letter; it will explain itself.¡±


    ¡°Will you not give it to me?¡± He teased her, pointing out that he had, in fact, not received it yet. She seemed to be in a hurry to leave.


    The white mask tilted slightly with her head. ¡°You are sitting on it, silly.¡±

 Chapter 29 - Holding a Grudge

    Nyx¡¯Sol was almost glad that the girl had left so suddenly. After pulling the now slightly crumpled letter from underneath himself, his face felt like it could have melted the entire snowpit and then some. Sighing deeply, he finished his tea and started to eat all of the paka cookies that she had left him.


    The flavor reminded him of home as he inspected the white card the girl had handed him. Her demeanor had been quite shaken, and she had recommended that he check it out.


    At first glance, the card was just simple, albeit pristine white, paper. Only when his eyes lingered on it did it reveal its secrets. Black letters started to appear and form a short message.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 34.7879%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center">Verdant Reflection Sect Beryllium-News</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center">Special Subscription Offer for Nyx¡¯Sol!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center">Test it! 10 SP for the first two weeks!</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    It was not the first time that Nyx had read about information brokers who distributed their services openly for everyone to see. The concept had been picked up in other worlds and quickly became rather popular in recent centuries. Most often, these information brokers still operated independently from more public information, and some took bribes to ignore certain details.


    If a sect allowed information brokers, as they did in this case, to operate in their name, then they would be beholden to the sect''s rules and demands. Complaints about the factuality of their claims would likely find an open ear.


    Eager to know, he paid ten points and read through the most recent information. Each section was labeled with a heading that indicated the information''s relevance, as well as a timer showing how long ago the information was published.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 59.8788%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Skin Tempering Garden News</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%; text-align: right">12 hours 31 minutes 47 seconds ago.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center">SSMG at War - Seek to Temper New-Arrival Morale</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">The currently dominant force in the Skin Tempering Garden, SSMG, has finished their weekly meetings. Due to an official statement, we can confirm that their intentions are ¡®A Show of Strength¡¯ in light of recent provocations in the housing departments. With the departure of the latest generation talent in their leadership, such as Nox¡¯Veihlen or Azrx¡¯Ibahros, their strength has doubtlessly declined. A show of strength is likely to ignite a conflict that could slowly burn out over the course of several weeks. The group named no targets, although¡ª[read more]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Nyx blinked at the information. They already knew all about Azrx¡¯Ibahros'' departure, apparently quite aware that he would break through just hours later. When he pondered the meaning of SSMG, the writing shifted and expanded the abbreviation to Spear Saint Mountain Group. Curious, he tried it with other words, and ¡®latest generation¡¯ expanded to ¡®the initiates to the Verdant Reflection Sect who have been in the Skin Tempering Garden for more than one month but no more than two months are classified as ¡®the latest generation¡¯.


    The new arrivals seemed to refer to anyone who had not yet spent one month here. When Sol focused on [read more], the article expanded.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 59.1515%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">The group named no targets, although speculations and rumors indicate that the Aurelius Vox and highly talented individuals affiliated with them are the most likely targets. According to initiate reports, over half of the recent housing disputes in the Skin Tempering Garden have been caused by them. SSMG has resorted to ¡®soft rule breaking¡¯ in the past, and experts estimate a return to these norms.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Nyx had not been mentioned by name, but his conversation with Azrx¡¯Ibahros had indicated that the Spear Saint Mountain Group had intended to recruit him rather than target him directly by other means. While he had not tried his luck and pushed them from their favorite cultivation spots, that was mostly due to the fact that they could not monopolize the library and seemed to have less interest in both the snowpit and the cold lake.


    Maybe he would have to tease them some more to elicit a stronger response? He had advanced quite steadily in the last few days, and he was starting to miss fighting again. How well would his new un¡¯gholor scales hold up in battle? Would they reduce some impact, or would they be a liability?


    Nyx continued reading the next article, which made him curious. Was information such as this given to any reader, or was he being targeted by this specific information simply because he had browsed through the ledgers for hours?


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75.0303%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Financial Eclipse Update - Body Cultivation Realm</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%; text-align: right">7 hours 11 minutes 4 seconds ago.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center">Bulk Harvests of Herbs Lead to Spike in Elemental Stone Prices</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Recent harvest forecasts have been left in the dust as the first reports have hit the market. Due to optimal weather and the overperformance of next-generation fertilizers for Calamot herbs, we can now say with certainty that the harvest will outperform even the most optimistic forecasts: Calamot supply is up 127% from last year¡¯s harvest and up 31% compared to the recent forecasts, which¡ª[read more]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Financial information was always valuable, and his apprehension about spending his rapidly declining sect points on news was quickly thrown out of his mind. He knew what Calamot herbs were and was familiar with elemental stones and their prices through his library research, where he had tried to find out the masked girl''s name. This would come in handy once he could sign up for some alchemy lessons or gather some himself.


    For now, he could not use that information, so he skipped the rest of the article and focused on the most recent update.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 51.3939%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr style="text-align: right">


    <td style="width: 100%; text-align: left">Skin Tempering Garden News</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%; text-align: right">17 minutes 12 seconds ago.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center">First SSMG Statement Blunders Hit on Aurelius Vox Newcomer</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">In a stunning return to ¡®soft rule breaking,¡¯ the SSMG targeted a new-arrival member of the Aurelius Vox. They employed an isolate-and-destroy tactic, aiming to injure and incapacitate their target. Theft of cultivation resources as a motivating factor is suspected but not confirmed. [read more]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Nyx¡¯s mind raced. Had they targeted Rax¡¯Rathos? They were brave to do so. He focused on the ¡®soft rule breaking¡¯ part of the article and quickly got an explanation. Soft Rule Breaking referred to fights outside of the housing ¡®arguments¡¯ that were allowed and encouraged in the Skin Tempering Garden. Any fight that took place outside was technically forbidden, albeit enforced slowly.


    The sect allowed fights to come to their natural conclusion, meaning initiates were only punished once their opponent had either yielded, surrendered, or fled. Furthermore, they only punished those who had actively taken part in the fight.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 64.4848%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">The incident lasted for over an hour. According to witnesses, the initial assault and capture took the SSMG more than thirty minutes. Capture and subsequent humiliation in a central location followed. Seven SSMG members have been punished and incarcerated for seven days. Their target did not yield and fainted with severe injuries.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Frowning, he stuffed the last cookie in his mouth and rose to his feet. Seven people. Rax¡¯Rathos had evaded seven people for half an hour? Yes, that did sound like him. But not fighting back? That was odd. The masked girl had been right¡ªit was definitely worth knowing. And if the Spear Saint Mountain Group thought it was a good idea to intimidate others by fighting them when they were outnumbered, he would show them that it was not.


    He stored the tea set and blanket in his storage ring, noting that he was slowly running out of space, and then stared at the letter in his hand. The light red and crumpled envelope would have to wait. He would read it once he had broken through. Or maybe tonight. If he was restless enough, he would likely succumb to temptation. For now, he added it to his storage.


    On his way toward the central cultivation hub, he began to incorporate the new information into his thinking. If he was attacked near the library entrance or the cold lake, he would try to get to safety that way. If it happened closer to the housing units, then they were the safer option. Or were they? It would certainly buy him an hour of safety, and beyond that, it would at least avoid being outnumbered. However, the group could still send more people one by one, and if they sent their strongest members, what would stop them from evicting him only to employ soft rule breaking afterward?


    The Skin Tempering Garden was not a safe place. Violence could find you anywhere if you made enemies. Instead of depressing him, the thought actually made Sol giddy with anticipation. New ideas formed in his mind. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to take note of all the dirt holes in the area as well. He would be able to ¡®reset¡¯ an attack there, leading to their punishment¡ªif it worked that way. Was it even possible to ¡®argue¡¯ for those spots? There was certainly not enough space inside to do so. Maybe they did not count as safety spots either?


    A light breeze carried the smell of smoke toward Nyx and threw him from his thoughts. Up ahead, near the cave system that housed the more precious cultivation spots and the library entrance, he saw two wooden trunks forming an ¡®X¡¯ cross. On one of the upper edges, he spotted the origin of the smell. A piece of cultivation robe had been nailed to it with a spear. The color and symbol were no longer visible, heavily charred by a still slowly burning fire. Members of the Spear Saint Mountain Group flanked the location, preventing anyone from getting too close to the cross.


    Apparently, this was the location they had used for their statement.


    Nyx quietly approached two girls who were staring at the cross with deep frowns on their faces. Their faces looked identical¡ªsame light green skin, same dark eyes, and the same curly black hair that fell in waves toward their shoulders. He would have assumed they were twins, but both their height and stature differed slightly.


    He stepped next to them and gauged their mood. ¡°My, my, what has happened here?¡±


    The girl next to him deepened her frown. ¡°You new arrivals sure are in a good mood. You think they won¡¯t target you next?¡±


    ¡°They tied him up and¡ª¡± her sister began to explain before she was cut off.


    ¡°Ghivain, he obviously knows what happened.¡± She snapped at her before focusing on Sol. ¡°What do you want from us?¡± But before he could answer, she already continued. ¡°No, you know what? Keep it to yourself. I¡¯m not interested in politics. If you belong to that group, kindly shove a needle in your¡ª¡±


    She proceeded to hurl more insults his way, growing increasingly graphic with each word. Nyx, lost for words, simply stood there and took it until she stormed off.


    Her sister cringed at her expense. ¡°I apologize on her behalf. She¡¯s quite cross today¡­ Her boyfriend broke up with her yesterday. It¡¯s nothing personal.¡±


    Nyx nodded. ¡°I see. Whom do I owe a grudge for these insults, then?¡± he asked with an amused grin.


    The girl smiled. ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t said anything if my sister asks. Since he left, we both got cut off from our favorite cultivation spot, so I don¡¯t mind you holding a grudge against him.¡± She waited for a nod from Sol before she continued. ¡°He¡¯s called Azrx¡¯Ibahros.¡±

 Chapter 30 - Mischief

    Not every cultivator nearby was in a bad mood. Some took the incident in stride, as it was in line with what they expected from the Spear Saint Mountain Group. The cultivation spots were a lot emptier than they usually were, and since the group was outright denying anyone access, there was little reason to stick around.


    While Nyx would have liked to gauge the mood in the library and talk to other initiates about what had happened exactly, he would much prefer to seek out Rax¡¯Rathos himself. Since the younger demon had refused to yield¡ªrefusing to give up after not fighting back¡ªhe must have been left in a terrible state. While he doubted that the young master of the Aurelius Vox would be in need of recovery pills, he would still talk to him and offer him some help.


    The Spear Saint Mountain Group had attacked the rival the elder had picked for him. Nyx wanted to compete with Rax¡¯Rathos through his own efforts; if someone messed with the balance of training they received, that would just feel unfair. Sure, Nyx had also fought with them and taken quite some damage, but his fight had been educational. He had learned a lot due to his struggle.


    If he had been assaulted by seven people and beaten mercilessly on a whim? It was doubtful how much he would have gained from such an ordeal.


    Where would a beaten-down Rax¡¯Rathos be? In Sol¡¯s mind, the confidently angry younger demon would likely ingest a recovery pill of the highest grade, courtesy of the Aurelius Vox clan''s status, and then await whatever challenger might come to see him¡ªwith fury and a barrage of blows. Nyx had little doubt that even a wounded Rax¡¯Rathos could handle most, if not all, members of the Spear Saint Mountain Group in single combat.


    He returned to the most spacious and grand of estates, where he had clashed with the younger demon before. Had the masked girl kept the estate? Nyx had been so absorbed in his cultivation and fights that he had entirely forgotten that he could have also just¡­ visited.


    As he ascended the path towards the estate entrance, he pondered an important question.


    How would she have reacted if he had paid her a visit? They could have discussed their progress together. He would have appreciated her insights since her knowledge was vastly superior to his own. They could have had tea and read together near the fireplace¡ªthe chairs inside the estate had looked incredibly comfortable. His thoughts spiraled about the luxury, and he briefly wondered what the other rooms had in store. After all, there was a bath in the middle of the living room.


    Before his thoughts¡ªimmediately conjuring a picture of a bathing girl in a white mask¡ªcould run rampant, he was interrupted.


    ¡°Halt right there! What are you doing here? This is the Spear Saint Mountain¡¯s property!¡±


    A pair of spear-wielding initiates barred the entrance to the estate door. Their weapons were no longer wooden quarterstaves but actual spears, with elaborately dangerous blades attached.


    Nyx casually strode closer. Neither of the two were known to him. Their demeanor clearly showed that they cared little about starting a fight in order to defend their property. Interesting.


    His focus skill activated and added a mischievous edge to his thoughts, prompting him to immediately push it down and gently coax the skill to withdraw. While he would have appreciated focus, he would have acted far too confidently through it. It was interesting to see his focus skill pick up on his plan, however, since he was about to mimic one of the Spear Saint Mountain Group¡¯s own tactics that he had observed.


    ¡°Greetings, fellow disciples. I¡¯m just here to deliver a letter for the lady of the estate¡ª¡± Sol pretended to search his robes, withdrawing a set of clothing and draping it over his arm. He grabbed the still half-filled teapot and closed the distance to the two even more with a strained expression on his face, frantically making searching motions in the folds of his robes.


    The green-skinned demon to his left rammed the spear''s shaft audibly into the ground in an effort to make him stop and declared, ¡°The girl you seek no longer resides here. If you have no business with the Spear Saint Mountain, leave!¡±


    Nyx smiled. So the girl had taken permanent residence here after all.


    He allowed his focus to take root and could immediately feel a wide grin form on his face as he pretended to stumble and empty the contents of the teapot into the face of his adversary. Then he repeated the line some of the Spear Saint Mountain Group loved to use when they harassed others from the spots they intended to claim.


    ¡°Oh, my hand slipped. How clumsy of me! I apologize!¡±


    While the green-skinned individual had maintained his composure even after being doused in aromatic herbal tea, his red-skinned companion had a shorter temper. His spear was readied and thrust toward Sol¡¯s chest¡ªcaught by the inhuman reflexes that his skill provided him with. Not with his bare hands, of course. He had used the spare clothes to catch the spear thrust in front of him and divert it slightly.


    There had been apprehension in the attack. His opponent was not used to the feeling of striking with lethal force.


    Nyx stepped into the attack and let the spear graze past his arm, inflicting a shallow cut, before he cast the spear aside and closed the distance. Distance towards the entrance of the estate, that is, because Sol did not use that opening to strike his opponent, but rather to make a run for ¡®safety¡¯ after being assaulted out in the open like this.


    His grin grew wider as the red-skinned demon hurried to the side to adjust his spear defensively. He would make it to the door now!


    Since Sol had been attacked outside, they had broken the rules. If he reached the safety of a home¡ªeven if it was for the purpose of claiming it¡ªit would effectively end the fight, resulting in their punishment.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Realizing his intent, the green-skinned demon readied his spear to throw. Sol¡¯s focus screamed at him to keep his eyes on the weapon, his muscles tensed with every running step to potentially change direction.


    But the spear throw never came, and Sol threw open the door and entered, almost dashing against the doorframe at full speed because of his focused gaze.


    Another member of the Spear Saint Mountain down!


    He took in the surroundings of a familiar hallway and immediately exited again. There was no value in laying claim to the estate¡ªhe wanted to talk to Rax¡¯Rathos first.


    As he exited, he was greeted by a raised spear. Notably, the second demon was already gone. That had been quick.


    His focus still burned at the challenge the lethal spear provided. However, now he would be unable to use the estate entrance as a safety point. And the next home was a fair distance downhill.


    There was doubt in the green-skinned demon¡¯s eyes, mixed with a displeased frown. Good. Maybe he could intimidate his way out of this?


    He strode toward the edge of the spear, bringing it close to his chest, and his opponent stepped back. He was keenly aware that if his spear touched and even slightly injured Nyx¡¯Sol¡¯s skin, he would be the aggressor and given a seven-day punishment should he escape. It was clear that he was calculating it in his head, and the confident stride that Nyx advanced with, along with the mischievous grin he held on his face, gave him pause.


    He was keenly aware that his skill was flooding his mind with confidence and a keen lust for provoking his opponent unnecessarily, so he forced it to the back of his mind as much as he could, forcing himself to drop his smile, stop his advance, and shift his gaze slightly to the right into the empty distance beyond.


    The sudden shift in his demeanor gave his opponent pause, and he glanced over his shoulder in paranoia for just a moment.


    A moment that gave Sol the needed opening.


    His hand struck forward, cutting itself on the spear¡ªdeeper than he would have liked¡ªand allowed his skill to take over completely. Every movement, every running step away from his taunted adversary burned with overexertion, somehow retrieving every ounce of strength in his body to spring into action. Instead of running away in a straight line, he shifted his body left and right at random intervals, even if it meant taking an inefficient path.


    If his opponent threw his weapon and missed, then Sol would have a great opening¡ªeither separating him from his spear by dashing in the opposite direction or forcing him to give chase without a weapon. Either way, the chase would end immediately.


    The throw never came. Instead, the green-skinned demon had seemingly abandoned the idea halfway through his throwing motion and started chasing him instead.


    Not good.


    Now he would be able to close the distance over time if Sol continued to disguise his movement with sudden changes.


    Sol jumped over the chest-high border wall of the estate in as low a diving motion as he could manage, terrified that the throw might find him here.


    It never came.


    Past the wall, he rolled onto the ground and barely managed to continue his mad dash without falling, as he realized the terrain was quite steep, and ornamental bushes that looked well-groomed threatened to slow his movement.


    Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the green-skinned demon use the wall as a jumping-off point, using his flight to ready a spear throw.


    Smart. Cunningly so.


    Sol had to cut some speed from his run, feeling the strain in his lower legs as he fought against his momentum, then dove right into a pair of bushes where he could have otherwise run unobstructed.


    The spear impacted the empty ground there, and while his opponent cursed, it still meant that he would gain on Sol. When he reclaimed his spear, Sol had barely finished fighting through the greenery¡ªand now his pursuer was nearly in striking distance!


    Luckily, the lower estate was already close. Sol shifted to a straight dash, ignoring the danger of another throw.


    He was immediately grazed by the sharp weapon below his shoulder blades, resulting in a warm trickle down his side and a stinging pain with every step.


    His focus roared with anger and fury, and he felt the overwhelming urge to turn around and bash his opponent¡¯s head in.


    It took all his effort to shove the skill aside. The momentary lapse in concentration made him collide with the incoming wall. The hip-high obstacle hurt, but its height luckily meant that his momentum flipped him right over it. A scramble to his feet and a narrowly dodged spear throw later, he realized that he was at the backside of the estate.


    His breath was ragged, his muscles tense and burning, and his opponent was tightly on his heels.


    Nyx suddenly remembered one of the lessons he had learned from Azrx¡¯Ibahros.


    Feints.


    Surely, they could be applied to running instead of punching as well.


    Nyx shifted his body to the left and briefly brought his foot in that direction¡ªonly to pivot and make a mad dash to the right.


    In addition to his convincing feint, the direction was also the shorter one if he wanted to reach the entrance, making his deception even more effective.


    The green-skinned demon cursed audibly as he skidded to a halt, two steps to the left. All his running momentum was gone, and he nearly fell from the quick directional change.


    Sol had increased the distance comfortably.


    Now his opponent only had bad choices remaining.


    Either he could chase after Sol and slowly catch up without his spear¡ªwhich was likely too slow, given the remaining distance to safety.


    He could reclaim his spear and try for one last throw before Sol rounded the corner¡ªbut now from an even greater distance.


    Or he could take the left side and arrive at the door sooner¡ªbut that would open a myriad of other escape paths for Sol.


    Given the options, it was no surprise that he reclaimed his spear, yanking it from the ground and throwing it mid-motion.


    Focus reclaimed Sol fully. He slowed his mad dash to a comfortable walk, entirely fixated on the incoming projectile.


    It missed him, zooming right past the corner of the estate¡ªperfectly aimed at a disappearing runner who no longer existed¡ªand buried itself in the ground there.


    Distance increased yet again. Amusement and confidence gripped him, and he tapped his forehead lightly with a finger to taunt his stunned opponent.


    Then he quickly began to jog again, conserving his energy, even as he tucked the weapon from the ground as he passed and arrived at the door several dozen meters before his opponent could.


    The mischievous smile drained from his face as he realized the familiar barrier adorning the front door.


    Someone was ¡®arguing¡¯ inside.

 Chapter 31 - Sunrise

    Nyx¡¯s mind raced at the barred entrance. How long had it been since this ¡®argument¡¯ started? When would the dispute for the house conclude? He grasped the wooden shaft he was carrying tightly. The silver sheen of the steel blade that decorated the weapon and elevated it from a simple ¡®stick¡¯ to a lethal weapon glinted in the slowly setting sunlight.


    Sol cleaned the dirt off the blade as he leaned against the doorframe in order to obstruct the view as much as he could. He could catch his breath a bit if his opponent did not realize that he had maneuvered himself into a corner. The peaceful and relaxed facade that he had put up at a moment''s notice threw off his pursuer as he rounded the corner. Surprise that Sol had not yet entered danced on his face, which only served to accelerate Sol¡¯s heartbeat.


    Even though he had gained hold of his opponent''s weapon, he felt that it was he who was trapped. If he fought back, even so much as hitting or kicking his opponent in self-defense, he would be punished for fighting¡ªjust as his opponent would be. However, with potential safety directly behind him, it would only take a stroke of luck for him to escape this predicament.


    His foe warily approached and started to circle him to assess the situation. The weapon was a deterrent. How quickly he would have leaped at the opportunity was readily apparent. Seven days of confinement was better than seven days of confinement with a serious injury that drained resources. Nyx beckoned his focus skill to guide him while holding himself back as much as he could. A sudden bloodlust flared, sending anger and excitement through his veins. The spear felt familiar.


    He whirled the spear contemplatively as he eyed his opponent. The green-skinned demon backed off a few steps as he circled and flexed his claws readily, yet his steps felt¡­ uncertain. They lacked the confidence and assuredness they had shown during the chase. Sol tried to resist his own emotions, finding it harder and harder to hold back against someone who so clearly projected weakness in front of him.


    But initiating the fight was losing.


    He was on the edge of losing his reason and pushed his skill aside. This was a strategic situation; skill would not give him an edge here.


    ¡°You seem to be trapped here. Why do you not return my weapon to me? And I will¡­ consider leaving,¡± the green-skinned demon tried.


    Sol felt his heartbeat again. How useful it would be to just tap into his skill to calm himself down. But it had its own mind and would lead to him abandoning all reason to attack. He held the spear ready at his side. ¡°It is you who is trapped,¡± he reasoned. ¡°I will gladly return the weapon to your chest if you want it urgently.¡±


    His statement made his opponent''s hands twitch, and he stepped back further, prompting Sol to continue. ¡°Otherwise, wait,¡± he emphasized sharply. ¡°I will not rob you.¡±


    Conflict was warring on his adversary¡¯s face, prompting Nyx¡¯s focus skill to push back to the forefront, stronger than ever. It demanded to be used. Wielded. Unleashed. Asked for control. Turning his mind inwards despite facing an opponent, Sol got ready to cut himself off from his ability sharply and was just about to do so¡ªwhen the door opened.


    A perplexed-looking demon with dark blue skin and light blue eyes that held a glimmer of orange stepped into the last few streaks of sunlight that the day would offer. Nyx immediately turned his attention to action and dashed for the entrance, his opponent having reacted far quicker than he had. His inward focus had cut down on his reaction time. Nyx threw the spear to the ground next to him with a lazy twist of the wrist, uncaring about who picked it up. It was unnecessary weight now.


    The new arrival was an unknown quantity. Was he an ally of the Spear Saint Mountain? Would he fight him? For a moment, Nyx contemplated provoking his instincts to get him to punch or kick him reflexively. With the exit so close, he could succeed.


    His focus skill flared, and his hunger for conflict twisted into something more playful. Like a cat chasing a bird simply because it could, he eyed his new target. It would be terribly funny, wouldn¡¯t it?


    The blue-skinned demon quickly sidestepped Nyx¡¯Sol¡¯s mad dash, denying him the opportunity.


    Momentum carried Sol toward the door, and the last thing he saw was his pursuer picking up the spear from the ground. He looked relieved as he quickly stored his weapon away. Then dark tendrils of ink-black mist crept up and encompassed him¡ªpunishment underway.


    The rest remained mysterious to him as his entrance into the estate closed the door. Immediately, the by-now-familiar barrier set into place. His muscles relaxed, and the tension in his posture finally dissipated.


    Breathing a sigh of relief, he studied the hallway. It was oddly a different shape compared to what the building suggested from the outside. Where the estate had seemed to be a broad and elegant wooden mansion of great finesse and architecture, the inside gave off a brooding, dark, and sinister aura. Black, smokeless candles burned in spiked metal cages along the crimson walls. Each step on the pale white floor reminded him of stepping on bones, the creaking sound of wood contributing to the mental image.


    Sol had no intention of leaving immediately since, this time, he had no idea if the owner¡ªand therefore his prior visitor¡ªwas affiliated with the Spear Saint Mountain Group. He would at least find out before leaving. His focus skill still screamed bloody murder in his mind, hints of bloodlust tempting him to abandon reason for fun and battle.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    As he refused its call, he stepped into the main living room. An elegant black marble table stretched out in its center, maps and books piled onto it. Dozens of books. Hundreds even. Glancing at their spines and covers, he found them to be market ledgers of alchemy ingredients¡ªquite familiar to the ones Sol had perused not so long ago.


    ¡°Come in,¡± a croaking, bruised voice harrowed from upstairs. Sol did as he was told, carefully surveying the stairs for possible traps or ambushes. Then he entered what seemed to be the master bedroom at the center of the upper floor. The pale floor creaked as he entered a much friendlier room. Light blue color lifted the mood as spiked metal candle holders made way for charming water lamps carrying glowing stones.


    A soothing feeling spread throughout his body. At first, he tensed, then dropped his guard as it seemed to actually soothe his sore muscles, not mute his senses or induce sleep.


    Around the corner, he found the current owner of the estate, aiming a small crossbow at him.


    ¡°Ah, Nyx¡¯Sol.¡± The weapon was quickly discarded, and the bed¡¯s occupant relaxed. His face was twisted and bruised, deep cuts ran through his face and disappeared into his hairline. Swelling contorted his appearance, and his face was not the worst of it. Several soaked bandages lay next to the bed, revealing a serious amount of blood loss. The new ones had not fared much better, already showcasing a hint of red trickling through them.


    The patient continued with a hint of relief in his voice. ¡°I assume you must have heard about what happened. I am glad to know that¡ª¡± He spat blood into a cup nearby. ¡°I apologize, the regrowing teeth are opening the wounds again.¡±


    Sol sat down in a chair that held no bandages, his expression mortified. He did not know what to say. The body on the bed was riddled with injuries and told a grim story. This was not a beating. This was not a mere assault. He had been tortured. For over an hour, they had tortured him.


    Rage pulsed in his veins, and bloodlust came to him as he watched the victim try to cleanse his mouth of a fresh stream of blood before speaking to him. This time, it was his own emotions. This was not how initiates of the same sect should interact with one another.


    ¡°Sorry, give me a minute.¡± The patient nodded appreciatively as Nyx handed him a fresh cup of water.


    Maybe Nyx had a na?ve view of what a sect should be, but to him, it meant being part of a group that sought to better one another - a family that helped each other, teaching through love and conflict how to become something¡­ more. He had not hated his conflicts with the Spear Saint Mountain group. No, he had rather enjoyed learning from them, even if it meant struggling.


    But outnumbering someone to inflict such injuries needlessly, in an effort to make them lose face? To humiliate them and strengthen one''s own position? That went against everything he thought a sect should stand for.


    ¡°Ah, it stopped bleeding, finally.¡± Nox¡¯Rictus put the cup down and gave Nyx a bloody smile. ¡°I was concerned that they might get to you as well. I apologize for pulling you into this. I should not have.¡±


    Nyx did not answer. Instead, he met his eyes.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Rictus asked him seriously.


    Nyx was unsure. ¡°I had only heard what happened, not who was attacked. And I only stumbled into the estate by accident. I was searching for¡ª¡±


    ¡°The young master? This is his estate. He ordered me to rest here and had one of the medically gifted initiates come see me. Well, bandages and such. No techniques, but still.¡± He smiled through his bruised face. It was barely visible. ¡°Do not make such a long face. Such things happen. Overcoming pain is a virtue for a cultivator.¡±


    ¡°Why do you¡ª¡± Nyx began, but was promptly interrupted by Rictus.


    ¡°What did you mean by ¡®accidentally¡¯?¡± he probed.


    Nyx was shaken out of his thoughts. This might at least cheer Rictus up a bit. ¡°I provoked two Spear Saint Mountain members into attacking me. One I lost in the bigger estate up the hill, and the other I managed to lose here when your guest left just now.¡±


    As he leaned back into the bed, the bruised swellings of the Aurelius Vox branch family member shifted. Was that a frown? Anger? Or just a thoughtful face?


    ¡°While I am appreciative of the outcome of your actions, I do not condone aiding the Aurelius Vox Clan without our express permission. Unless you are asked to join hands with us by the young master, I ask you to stay out of it.¡±


    Nyx could not understand why it was so important for them to act so formally, so composed and distant. Was it not better for him to simply help? He disapproved of how the group tried to control territory and housing, but he did not mind the conflict. Rax¡¯Rathos and Nox¡¯Rictus were targeted, so why would they not work together?


    So, he pretended to understand and respect their wishes, even if he disagreed with them. ¡°I did not mean to cause offense. May I ask a question?¡±


    Rictus adjusted himself to sit more upright. ¡°How could the Aurelius Vox be offended by a mere child?¡± He waved his hands dismissively. ¡°What is your question, Nyx¡¯Sol?¡±


    The comment stung a bit, but Nyx gladly accepted the little jab if it meant giving them some face. He was, after all, just a lone cultivator initiate without a family connection. Since he had recounted his ¡®help¡¯ to Rictus, the demon had taken a more formal position, clearly having realized that his personal friendliness toward Nyx may have suggested a more official position with his clan.


    ¡®You are not our ally.¡¯ It was clear.


    Still, it bothered him. Why? ¡°Why did you not fight back?¡± It burst out of him, unable to understand what could possess someone to passively accept an hour-long torture without defending himself.


    The left side of Rictus¡¯s face rose. ¡°Could the sun decide not to rise one day?¡± he challenged.


    ¡°Do you equate defending yourself with the sun not rising? What does that have to do with it?¡± Nyx asked, perplexed.


    The boy spoke with severe reverence and a firm, stone-cold voice. "Nyx¡¯Sol, I am Nox¡¯Rictus and a scion of the Hest¨¢ia that belongs to the Aurelius Vox. The young lord has ordered me not to fight, and I heed his command. The sun would sooner never rise again than bear witness to Hest¨¢ia disobedience.¡±

 Chapter 32 - Chrysus, Beware

    Nyx was growing increasingly frustrated. Nox¡¯Rictus was more stubborn than he had assumed. He refused to return to the more friendly type of conversation that he had shown during their earlier encounters. Being jovial acquaintances was apparently acceptable, while trying to ally with him against the Spear Saint Mountain Group put him squarely into a corner that was refused any sort of friendly treatment.


    While the assault on his person had likely reminded Rictus of grimmer realities and his place in this world and within his own family, the concept was utterly foreign to Nyx. He could not imagine being so stubborn even when no one else was present. If he had drawn lines in public, Nyx would understand. Family politics mattered to them a great deal. But to even adhere to it in such a situation, where no one would bear witness to how they spoke to one another? It was odd.


    The healing ward had cleansed his own fatigue, and Nox¡¯Rictus¡¯s face was already looking a lot better. Within the next few hours, the deeper wounds would start to heal, and he would likely be moving comfortably by tomorrow. Nyx could only imagine how much this must have cost. The young master Rax¡¯Rathos was taking good care of his¡­ cousin? How were the two related within their clan structure?


    He would have asked, but the formal way of speaking made him want to gouge his eyes out. It was like talking to a mask. Besides, his ¡®argument¡¯ with Nox¡¯Rictus would expire in a few minutes and expel him from the mansion. His deeply furrowed displeasure must have been clearly visible on his face, as the Aurelius Vox demon chided him for it.


    ¡°Nyx¡¯Sol, do away with your displeasure. It is unseemly. May I inquire what bothers you so?¡± Rictus said before he continued trying to fish part of a broken tooth out of his inner cheek.


    What was bothering him? The fact that a fellow sect initiate was so immensely prideful about his family? No, that was not it. Nyx could understand that. He was proud of his family as well, and he had no doubt that he would protect them at any cost. His mother and father, to whom he owed so much; his younger siblings, whom he cared for deeply; and even his older siblings, many of whom he had not yet met. They had all grown up the same way he had¡ªtending to the same farmstead and animals, harvesting the same corn, and creating many of the farm''s pathways and fields that he had maintained.


    ¡°My apologies. It was not my intention.¡± Nyx tried to put it into words, figuring out his feelings on the matter as he spoke, much contrary to Nox¡¯Rictus¡¯s careful facade of formality. ¡°Something bothers me, but I cannot put my mind to the exact thing. The Spear Saint Group being in conflict with me is not it. Neither is the fact that they are attacking you. My fighting them has nothing to do with the conflict you have with them.¡±


    Nyx made a slight throwing motion with his hand, metaphorically throwing the thought away. While saying that it had nothing to do with it was not quite accurate¡ªafter all, it bothered him that they could have attacked the one person he was competing with in terms of cultivation¡ªthe one thing that irked him was how these cultivators were thinking. A sect should strive to tie its students together closely. What was this petty infighting between clans accomplishing? Nothing.


    ¡°What bothers me¡ª¡± Nyx paused, still struggling for the right words. ¡°You have seen how the Spear Saint Mountain Group goes about controlling their territory.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Rictus eyed him curiously before quickly returning to his more formal speech. ¡°I mean¡ªnaturally, it has not escaped my notice how they operate like lowly insects. Even ants may move a mantis in large numbers.¡±


    Nyx rolled his eyes after closing them and continued unabated. ¡°One of them, Azrx¡¯Ibahros, argued to me that they behave the way they do because their tyrant behavior is good for everyone¡ªbecause otherwise, mere chaos reigns. It bothers me.¡±


    Rictus nodded. ¡°A might-makes-right argument. They are stronger, so they are right.¡± He paused thoughtfully. ¡°It is a dominant opinion of many cultivators. After all, we are all under the Honored Demon Ancestor¡¯s protection, and without his tyrannical guidance¡ªand I am not saying that it is a bad thing¡ªit has brought us prosperity and a safe haven within the demon world for millennia.¡±


    Nyx scowled at the argument. How could one deflect all blame and responsibility simply because the demon god was an all-powerful deity? It was cheap. ¡°It is not fair to deflect the entire argument like that! That system gives resources to people who have a fraction of the talent and determination of others that I have seen. They stalk around with pride and arrogance, like they deserve it. Is the group even that strong? They just have numbers.¡±


    ¡°Why not join them, then? You could try to change them from the inside. It is the same as your joining the Verdant Reflection Sect, is it not? They are tyrants of the region, imposing their rules, shaping their territory as they see fit, and you joined them too.¡± Rictus sat back with an amused smile on his still quite bruised face.


    ¡°You are saying that it is no different?¡± Nyx cupped his cheek with his right hand, thoughtfully scratching his temple with his claws, the bone relieving an itching sensation. ¡°I suppose¡­ I will assume you are right, but since I have never seen any unjust actions that are destructive to the sect or its talent¡­ how could it bother me at all? It bothers me precisely because I know.¡±


    The purple-skinned demon shrugged. ¡°Is it your ignorance, then, that makes you so blissful? Go forth and forget, then. Be happy. Content.¡±


    Did Nox¡¯Rictus think the same way? He knew the argument at least, but it did not seem that he agreed. Nyx frowned. He had thought about this before! Of course. ¡°You have considered all of this before, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. The Hest¨¢ia are all taught ethics and morality from an early age. What is right? What is wrong? If I am unaware of evil, does that excuse me? Am I a good person if I''m just not aware of it?¡± Rictus asked him with a coy smile.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Yes. How could one not be? That did not make anyone a bad person. ¡°Yes?¡± he asked, less sure than he had been a second ago. ¡°I have seen their behavior. How could I ever join them now?¡±


    ¡°Well, you see, ignorance is not moral failure¡ªyou are not wrong. But it does not make you good either. I can tell you story after story about the Verdant Reflection Sect that would make you view them similarly. After I tell you¡­ what are you going to do? Act? Or continue as you have?¡±


    Nyx sank back into his chair in frustration. ¡°What could someone without strength do? Is that not what you are going to say? That they are right, after all? There has to be a better way of doing things.¡±


    ¡°Oh, there is. I assure you, Nyx¡¯Sol. There have been many smart demon cultivators before our time. Clans rise and fall, views change. Opinions about morality exist like cultivators¡­ no grain of sand is the same in this desert of power that we live in.¡± He glanced to the left and frowned. ¡°I am afraid our time has come to an end. Thank you for visiting me, Sol. If you want to continue our talk tomorrow, come find me.¡± He handed Sol a little white book. ¡°It is one of the Hest¨¢ia founders¡¯ ways of morality. We are proud and loyal servants¡ªto the death and beyond, from this life into the next. I doubt you will glean much insight for yourself from it, but it cannot hurt to learn new perspectives. Lay low for today.¡±


    Nyx nodded at his friend''s advice. At least, he would consider him a friend. Even if such a thing was foolish, considering the Aurelius Vox denied themselves alliances with outsiders. It was alright. He would accept that as it was. They had their traditions.


    Why had his own parents never taught morality? Or had they?


    A sense of urgency suddenly made itself known. His heartbeat accelerated in alert, and a mere five seconds later, Sol was dragged through the building and placed at the estate entrance by an invisible force. It had pulled him through the floorboards and wooden doors¡ªan odd feeling.


    He stepped outside slowly when the sensation returned once more and was immediately greeted by a blade near his neck.


    ¡°Who are you?!¡± the blue-skinned demon he had observed before yelled in clear frustration. ¡°You better not have touched my patient.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a friend of his,¡± Nyx claimed, before the raised eyebrow made him elaborate. ¡°At least, that is what I think. Acquaintance, maybe?¡±


    ¡°What is your name? You are not part of the Aurelius Vox faction here. Who do you belong to?¡± the demon sharply questioned.


    Nervousness at the sudden interrogation was quickly quelled by his focus skill, granting him a relaxed confidence. ¡°It is rather rude to threaten someone for their name when you have not introduced yourself.¡± Now it was Nyx¡¯s turn to raise his eyebrow, mimicking the blue-skinned demon¡¯s earlier gesture.


    He hummed. ¡°Tell me, or we both go on a vacation in detention.¡± He inched his sharp blade closer to Nyx¡¯s flesh, his eyes serious and determined.


    Huh. He was serious about the tradeoff. Was he trying to protect his investment? They could have paid a large sum of money for his services¡ªcompared to others, anyway.


    ¡°Nyx¡¯Sol. And you are?¡±


    The man withdrew his blade¡ªa short surgical knife that quickly disappeared within his robes. ¡°You should have said this immediately. Everybody knows you are not with them by now.¡±


    ¡°By now?¡± Nyx asked curiously. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    The demon raised a spotless, white news card. ¡°You have rejected their recruitment, and they are looking for you now.¡±


    The implication made Nyx shift uncomfortably, even through his confidence-laden bones. ¡°I see. I should find a safe spot¡ªor at least stay near one, then.¡±


    ¡°Not everyone is allied with the Spear Saint Mountain.¡± He smiled. ¡°Come, I will allow you some respite and anonymity. Let us hurry, though.¡±


    He started running at a leisurely pace, rounding the homes of the Spear Saint Mountain group and avoiding their patrols by dragging Nyx into some bushes here, some thorny vines there.


    He had not even introduced himself.


    Nyx considered leaving on his own, provoking more people and having them chase him around. But nighttime had arrived, the library was closed, and more than a few homes on their way had visitors with ¡®arguments¡¯ in progress.


    Finally, he realized. ¡°The other initiates protect themselves by visiting each other¡¯s homes?¡±


    ¡°Well, no. Not quite. If you do this¡ª¡± he gestured toward one of the barriers, ¡°then the Spear Saint Mountain group assumes you are afraid. You are not trying to fight back. So they do not consider investing resources into conflict with you.¡±


    ¡°Resources?¡± Nyx asked.


    ¡°Their numbers.¡± He nodded. ¡°Each time they assault and beat someone down harshly to make a statement, they lose them for seven days. If they overextend using the tactic before they recover manpower, they will be replaced as the dominant force. They try to avoid that, even though it happens sometimes¡ªfor a while. Then they regain the upper hand again, and it begins anew.¡±


    A cycle of violence and rule of the ¡®strong.¡¯ Strength, in this case, meant numbers.


    Nyx was still preoccupied with the arguments Rictus had made. ¡°How would you rule if you were them?¡±


    The blue-skinned demon raised both eyebrows before frowning. ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± His claws slid through his hair, slicking it back. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t bother. What do I care about controlling the spots and houses? A simple home is good enough until you advance.¡±


    ¡°If you had to rule? Would you also do it through power? Just by having superior numbers?¡± Nyx pressed on.


    ¡°I¡¯m too preoccupied. Not everyone is brought up in a home of gold and jade, with servants and lickspittles. I don¡¯t need a fancy home. Comfort is not everything, and I have too much to do. Earning sect points to gain access to resources for medical training is not easy, you know?¡±


    He stopped walking and pointed toward the home they had just passed. ¡°I know that this one is leaving soon. You may visit there and hide yourself for an hour. And then¡ª¡± he stretched to point at the other side, a cabin beyond the current home, ¡°over there. Hide in the bushes if you want to avoid being seen.¡± He waved. ¡°See you around.¡±


    Well, Nyx could not demand his name after so much kindness. He would ask him next time.


    But the man had raised a salient point. What was comfort really worth to those not used to it?


    He cupped his chin and repeatedly tapped it with his claws, reminiscing about a new argument as he slinked into the shadows of the house, waiting.


    Inside, he heard soft impacts and groaning. They were arguing. Not just visiting.


    Be that as it may, Sol thought, the argument was interesting.


    What if there was a system that was entirely organized and enforced by one resource other than violence?


    Money.