Born In Blood Chapter 171-180

Chapter 171 Advancement

 

Breaking through to the second Rank of the core didn’t take much effort from his side.

In the span of five minutes, Liam’s core churned with high amounts of world essence as it slowly shrank in size, compressing the solid state ‘Ora’.

The process required his constant focus and care, often to push back the walls of his core using his mental energy so it wouldn’t collapse.

His abdomen burned and chilled at the same time, but he was accustomed to those feelings.

As it slowly condensed, Liam felt like his core would explode.

To his relief, it didn’t. Instead, the solid-state ‘Ora’ began to melt due to the pressure it faced.

From solid it changed to liquid, and from liquid to gaseous.

It was back to the starting point!

However, the quality of gaseous ‘Ora’ inside his core was brilliantly pure and dense.

It easily trumped his Rank 1’s solid-stage.

His new core walls were sturdier and thicker – even though it was barely the size of a pinhead – and naturally absorbed gaseous ‘Ora’ that vitalized Liam’s body.

‘My ‘Ora’ reserves doubled!’

Without a second of delay, he took out his Shadowfire cultivation technique and memorized it for later.

When his core had filled up to a decent amount, Liam stopped absorbing ‘Ora’ and prepared to test his darkness.

PHOOF!

At once, his hand burst into dark flames that surged around his palm.

They were pure black, letting no light pass through or escape.

Liam’s control over his element was much more precise.

He willed it again, and darkness exploded from his entire body, corroding the wooden planks he stood on and the ceiling above his head.

Liam snuffed out the darkness before he accidentally wrecked the ship.

He couldn’t help but let out an excited chuckle for the future.

‘Forging should be much easier too. I can purify and cleanse magical beast parts without sacrificing their natural strength and endurance.’

Realizing he didn’t have any of his own blades remaining, that’s exactly what Liam did.

He took out a preserved wolf type magical beast from his ring and began forging away.

As he expected, he could easily shape the bones, teeth and nails without much difficulty.

In fact, he made both a katana and wakizashi at once, then absorbed the Beast Will.

Liam expected there to be a drastic effect when the Shadow Panther formed in his mental sphere, but thankfully, there wasn’t anything alarming – it was just a bit more vicious and enraged than normal.

Liam’s goal was to find out what tier his blades were on their own.

Once settled in Ilali, he could try his hand at selling weapons and armor for steady income, even without the Beast Will imbued.

Defeating the wolf that ravaged his mental sphere walls, Liam quickly padded it with mental energy and imbued the Beast Will within the blades.

Examining his blades, Liam pursed his lips.

Unfortunately, his expectations were too high.

The elegant shortsword was close to the upper tier, due to being smaller and easier to imbue with the Beast Will, and the katana was at the low end of the middle-tier.

‘If I let the Beast Will cook and used it on one blade at a time, it probably would have pushed past to the second Rank.’

‘I should start adding meanings to it.’

///

Another month passed with Liam repeatedly forging, inscribing and cultivating the entire time.

He hadn’t gone out from his room since, with Jargon giving him brief updates on their smooth journey.

His attempts to add meanings into his forgings were more complicated than he thought.

Liam’s experience with Blood Weaving couldn’t be applied to Primordial Forging.

They were different methods and functioned in different ways.

One used blood, and the other used the remnants of a magical beast.

Liam was a complete newbie in that regard, incapable of making anything usable, but he was quickly learning from his mistakes.

Blood Weaving progressed much smoother.

Due to Liam’s blood purity going up, he could inscribe blades that neared the middle-tier of Rank 2.

An amazing feat that was completely unthinkable for someone his age.

However, actually reaching the middle-tier was another hurdle Liam had a bit of difficulty with.

He seemed to have reached a bottleneck.

His understanding of the concepts lagged behind his Ink and Linking ability, which was understandable to say the least.

The overall result of his seclusion gave him the freedom to practice other pieces of weaponry and armor.

A Beast Will took whatever form was given to it.

Liam tried his hand in making armor to absorb attacks with, throwing needles and knives, daggers and more.

Obviously, his experience with those items were lacking to say the least, and none went above the middle-tier of the first Rank.

Nonetheless, they were usable, and the Blood Troupe could use them.

On the other hand, the Shadowfire cultivation technique was something Liam was satisfied with.

It made him feel like someone was sticking an acid-coated dagger in his abdomen each time he cultivated, but it was effective as it was painful.

Concluding his forging and cultivation for the day, Liam decided to leave his room.

The Blood Troupe members around his cabin were playing cards and insulting each other when Liam exited.

Their laughs died down as they fumbled and hid the cards, respectfully greeting Liam with their heads lowered.

Liam’s aura was chillingly cold due to the migraine he was going through, with his unkempt hair and bloodshot eyes making him look like a wild beast.

With a snort that sounded more like a chuckle, Liam walked past them and entered the main deck.

The Blood Troupe members were rowdy at first, but their voices dwindled down at Liam’s arrival.

‘Did Revel torture these guys or something? Why are they so timid?’

Seeing his leader finally come out, Jargon left the ship’s helm and came to Liam’s side with a smile.

“Sir! You’ve finally come out of seclusion. I was just about to inform you…”

Liam raised a brow. “Of what?”

Jargon’s smile broadened as he pointed to the distance.

The Ilalian Lands had come into view.

Chapter 172 Beautiful

 

It was nighttime as the Ilalian Lands came to view… and it was just beautiful.

All the others could see were silhouettes, but Liam zoomed in and saw the vast array of colors that lands consisted of.

Towering mountains stretching into gray clouds filled his vision. They were blocky in shape and weren’t sloped like normal, like square pillars connected to the skies gradually thinning out from the base.

Lowering his gaze, Liam inspected the borders and docking ports that accepted the incoming ships, stretching as far as his eye could see.

Scattered orbs of bright white light illuminated the space. Like pole lights, they were connected to the end of a tall, curved plant.

On high towers, stern-faced, burly men wearing layered robes firmly directed the sailors on where to go.

‘They’re strong. There are even Rank 3 Magi among them. Hiding my appearance won’t be as easy anymore.’

The towers were made with colorful, arched, interwoven wood, glowing with a gentle light.

Any structures Liam saw erected at the border looked naturally made, as though the colorful plant life willingly decided to shelter and take care of its inhabitants.

Even the waters grew clearer as the ship approached, with glowing, koi-like fish creating faint ripples beneath its surface.

The naturality of Ilali was truly breathtaking for any normal person.

Even Liam was amazed by its beauty. Learning about it through books and interactive pictures didn’t do it justice.

“You’ve been here before?” Liam asked Jargon, who responded with a quick nod.

“Once with Revel. He didn’t stay for long, though. For some reason, he looked offended and angry when we returned to Echoria.”

Liam hummed in thought.

Nobles from Echoria were strictly barred from entering Ilali.

That was part of the reason Liam chose it as his destination.

After several incidents of clashing against other Sects and local folks, Ilali just banned any noblemen or women from coming to their country.

A wise decision, Liam realized.

Ilali only accepted migrants and Royalty, as well as any Zenith Ranked cultivator they couldn’t afford to offend.

That said, Liam desperately needed a bath before making his first impressions.

With his current state he didn’t doubt getting deported on arrival.

Jargon promptly showed him a shower-room and gave Liam a set of new clothes. One of Ilalian custom.

It was a plain inner robe, padded with a black outer robe and loose martial art pants of a similar color.

“I’ll go make the preparations, sir.”

///

As Liam bathed, the Blood Troupe members switched out their clothes to match with Ilalian customs.

The weaker ones resembled farmers and workers, while those with relatively strong centers of power wore various martial arts robes.

Jargon directed the ship to the closest jetty, where an Ilalian martial artist approached and gestured for them to exit.

The tall, tanned, muscular middle-aged man wore black and white robes, and radiated a powerful aura.

Liam had finished bathing by then. His appearance wasn’t entirely switched this time, since the IDs were only required when exiting Echoria.

The martial artists themselves were the inspectors/judges that determined entry into the country.

Only Liam’s dark red and golden eyes were switched out with black, with minor changes in his facial features and skin.

Jargon was a capable man.

He was well-versed in the Ilalian language and made a good impression on the martial artist, dubbing himself a rich village leader that sought better living conditions and expansion of trade.

Jargon even pointed to Liam and mentioned him as his son.

That irked Liam for some reason, but he let it slide.

The inspector looked convinced. He did a brief inspection and noted down everyone’s faces, names and even Ranks.

Liam himself wasn’t an exception. Although he heavily suppressed his aura and resembled a Rank 1 Magus, it still made the Ilalian shoot him a strange look.

Coupled with Jargon’s story of investing most of the village resources on his young son, the inspector eventually gave them a pass into the country after giving them a brief rundown on how the lands operated.

“Be careful not to venture into unnamed territories. Some Sects are not welcoming and are violent enough to kill on sight,” the inspector said with a firm voice.

“There are areas that no Sector has jurisdiction over, Safe Zones where duels or killings are not allowed. Most civilians live in those regions.”

“For your own safety, don’t venture too deeply into the forests or mountains. Not all Spirit Beasts are friendly.”

‘Spirit Beasts? Is that another term for magical beast?’ Liam wondered.

With that, the group was finally allowed entry.

“Well done,” Liam voiced beside Jargon as the Troupe began unpacking their supplies and carrying them past the jetty.

“T-thank you, my liege… I apologize for calling you my son, but it was—”

Liam raised a hand. “It’s fine.”

Liam shifted his attention forward.

The landscape was straight out of a painting.

Further ahead were small hills covered with lush trees, lined with orbs of light that illuminated the packed walkways.

The grass below was a million shades of red, shimmering like metal and varying in length – barley-like stalks and blossoming flowers protruding from its surface.

Tents lined the vein-like walkways, where merchants wearing eccentric garments greeted the new migrants with happy faces and offered them paintings, large canvases with calligraphy on them, including wearable trinkets.

There was even a river of azure water that flowed past the hills, the source of which were gushing waterfalls from the blocky mountains.

Liam noticed how the ‘Ora’ surrounding them functioned way differently compared to the norm. It was of a purer density, and came from every nook and cranny.

‘This place is much more complicated than I thought. Are the magical beasts different, too?’ Liam wondered.

A soft gust of wind fluttered Liam’s hair.

“It’s… beautiful,” a Troupe member couldn’t help but voice.

Liam agreed.

But that was that.

A moment later, the group withdrew towards a more secluded side of the country entrance, where Liam had to give orders to the two thousand-some Blood Troupe members.

Chapter 173 Seven Clans

 

Liam began with giving the Troup the Jades he had in his possession.

They were linked to Jargon’s communication device, but only Jargon’s Jade was connected to Liam’s.

“We will part here,” Liam spoke to Jargon, but his words were spread from one person to the other.

“Split yourselves into groups and spread throughout the lands. Those who are able, should join a Sect. If you cannot, then settle for work and familiarize yourself with how the regions function. Once a month, report to Jargon anything of importance.”

Taking out several space-rings from his pocket, Liam gave it to Jargon.

“Those should have about 250 cubic meters of space total. I’ve added 45,000 ‘Ora’ Stones for you to divide amongst the groups.”

Reluctantly accepting them, Jargon looked concerned.

The surrounding Blood Troupe members raised their brows in shock. That was no little sum.

“My liege… this is too much. Won’t you need them yourself? Where will you go?”

Liam raised a brow at Jargon’s concern. Studying his mental waves, Liam realized the man was truthful in his worry.

‘He’s trustable. I don’t know about the rest, but if they’re all like him, then I won’t have anything to worry about.’

“Those rings aren’t just for storage and money. They’re filled with Rank 2 and 3 techniques, spells, pills, body tempering and cultivation methods, as well as Psionic Runes. I’ve separated them into different elements for you to distribute.”

At his words, Jargon began sweating profusely, and the Troupe members had wide-eyed expressions.

Jargon stuttered as he tried to find words to say, but his tongue was tied to a knot.

“I don’t need a thank you. Grow strong and become useful. Think of it as an investment that you’ll eventually pay me back with.”

Silence ensued.

“…What’s an investment?” a scrawny member questioned, instantly suffering a silencing slap to the back of the head.

“If I have a need for you some time in the future, I’ll let you know.”

Liam shot Jargon a knowing look, who gulped and began to spread the rings among the twenty groups of people containing one-hundred? men each.

After paying their deep respects to Liam, they dispersed in random directions.

Jargon lingered. There was a solemn look on his face, and he couldn’t but slightly smile.

“Thank you, my liege. I will never forget your generosity.’

Taking out one last ring, Liam gave it to the man.

“There’s a Rank 4 tempering method in that ring attuned to your element including a Rank 3 cultivation method.”

Jargon felt his heart-rate spike.

The man was in luck. Only Janice had a Rank 4 tempering method in her ring, and her water element matched his.

Liam raised a hand to stop the man from expressing gratitude. He had no need for techniques and spells he didn’t use. Although he could sell them, Liam decided to gamble a bit with Jargon.

“Don’t disappoint me. Join the biggest Sect you can and report to me once a month in secret. I have high hopes.”

Jargon nodded firmly. He would feel more uncomfortable if Liam didn’t have a mission for him.

After a few more words (Jargon repeatedly thanking him), the two parted ways, and Liam was alone again.

The first thing he did was explore.

Liam quietly changed his appearance and blended into the crowd of randoms.

Ilali was peaceful and serene.

At least, for the time being.

Liam was still in a Safe Zone, browsing through the items sold by the jolly merchants.

He picked up a few items of his own.

Simple wearables that helped him blend in – black wrappings around his hands and arms, hiding the faint etchings on his skin, and a silver, chinese-looking hairpin to tie up his long hair in a bun.

Moving forward, Liam decided to ask around.

“Can you point me to the nearest Sector, senior?” Liam asked a stern-faced, short, wrinkly old man sitting leisurely behind a clothing stall.

Liam was familiar with the tradition of the Ilalians.

He cupped his right fist over his left palm, which was a gesture of respect.

At the same time, he had to be careful not to do it the other way around… since that would apparently initiate a duel to the death.

“A thousand steps from here, past the hill, is the Soaring Rain Sect,” the old man grumbled, scratching his goatee. “You look like an ambitious young buck, but unless you’re of water, ya can’t join.”

“They’re element exclusive?”

The old man nodded, his dark eyes fixed to Liam’s.

“It’s common ’round here. Most Sects have special martial arts that they refine and pass down over the generations, and more often than not it requires a specific element. The Seven Clans are the same.”

Liam paused for a second.

“Can you tell me more about them?”

Although Liam knew about the Seven Clans, it was of the general kind. He quietly slid 10 ‘Ora’ Stones across the old man’s counter as he asked his question.

Sighing, the old man pushed back the Stones, which made Liam raise a brow.

“Kid, I know your people aren’t the best, but not everyone can be bribed. Be careful when doing things like that. I’ll tell you about them nonetheless.”

Taking back the ‘Ora’ Stones, Liam nodded firmly.

“They’re over at the Main Lands. The hotspot where all the powerful martial artists gather. Civilians are not allowed there due to its dangerous wildlife, but the men and women there are even more dangerous.”

Liam nodded, intrigued.

“The Seven Clans live there. My knowledge of them is little, but the most powerful of them all, is the Luminous Light Sect. They are few in number, but all of them are of the light element.”

Liam raised his brows, amazed. After lingering for a second, he pursed his lips and asked casually:

“Are there any darkness exclusive Sects?”

Instantly, the old man’s features twisted. A mix of fear, disgust and anger.

“Look. If you want to go far in this country, don’t ask those kinds of questions. I’ve said enough, hurry along!”

Chapter 174 History

 

Liam was taken aback by the man’s change in demeanor.

He was ushered and literally shooed away after asking his question.

‘Now I definitely need to ask about that. Why was he so afraid?’

Though, with the grave looks given to him by those who heard the conversation, Liam couldn’t ask the stall right next to him.

‘I need a map. That should help me locate the more sketchy areas of this country so I can ask the right questions.’

Liam set out once again, this time, muddling through the crowds and arriving at the hilltop.

Once again, a beautiful scene met his eyes.

From the somewhat high vantage point, Liam could see a vast night market, consisting of large, tall and loose tents with spacious walkways in between – bustling with all kinds of colors, people and sounds.

Here and there, towering white wisteria trees with purple, elephant ear-like leaves protruded from the ground and illuminated the regions with soft light.

Thick ‘Ora’ naturally oozed from those trees and spread a fragrant, relaxing aroma.

Multicolored orbs of light illuminated the countless walkways that spread like snakes in every direction, continuing up and down the hills.

Thankfully, there were places to stay. Spacious, natural-shaped inns made from the same wisterian wood.

Changing his appearance once more, he merged with the crowd.

‘I should stay inside for the rest of the night and train. I’ll pick up a ma— am I being followed?’

Liam cut his thoughts short as he felt a figure’s hidden gaze on his back.

It was there ever since his talk with the old man, but he figured it was just the crowd.

Just to be sure, he went thirty steps forward, then took a right, followed by a left.

He was being followed.

Liam’s gaze turned cold.

This was a Safe Zone.

He couldn’t kill anybody without the risk of getting killed or jailed himself, assuming there were jails and not outright execution.

The figure in question wasn’t looking at him with any bloodlust or ill intent, and it didn’t even seem like the man was a cultivator, but Liam didn’t want to take any chances.

As he was contemplating where to kill the figure, a hiss rang out behind him.

“Psst!”

Turning his head to the source of the voice, Liam’s eyes narrowed as he sensed the man waving at him from a dark alley.

‘Well, his grave.’

Approaching the alley, Liam was prepared to unsheath his blades when he realized his pursuer wasn’t even a cultivator.

He was a scrawny, weasley looking man wearing a large cloak.

“I heard you asking about any darkness exclusive Sects?” he asked with a mischievous grin.

Frowning, Liam remained silent.

“I can tell you about them for a price… 30 Stones.”

With a sigh, Liam took out 30 ‘Ora’ Stones and threw them to the man.

He accepted them with a smile, greedily storing them in his pockets before turning to Liam.

“There is one,” he whispered, anxiously checking his surroundings in case there was somebody listening.

“Long ago, they were exiled due to the Forbidden Arts they practiced. They weren’t so much as a darkness only Sect… but only those with a so-called “black heart” could join.”

Leaning forward to Liam, he uttered a name:

“The Temple of Shadow.”

Liam remained pensively silent, his gaze hard.

“What Forbidden Arts? Where are they now?”

The weasel shook his head.

“I don’t know… it was bad enough for them to get exiled by the Seven Clans, though, so it was pretty damn forbidden.”

“Rambling old timers say they’re still out there, planning something in secret, but it’s been so long I doubt most of the new generation even cares anymore.”

Noticing the confused look on Liam’s face, the man continued, his tone lowering in volume.

“See, our country has a long history with the Dual Empire and the Imperialists.”

“Way before my great-grandparents were born, they constantly attacked our Lands and tried to take over them.”

“With the birth of our powerhouse, we became stronger than ever and they stopped like the cowards they were.”

Liam wanted to ask who the powerhouse was, but the man shrugged. Locals only knew so much.

“Some factions split and wanted revenge, others wished for order and peace. The Temple of Shadow was the former… that’s all I know.”

With that, the weasel pulled his cloak over his head and scurried away.

Liam hummed to himself in thought.

He didn’t know if his best interest would be searching for an exiled clan that may or may not exist anymore. If the locals didn’t find it, he sure as heck could not.

Even if it did exist, there was no guarantee of them being strong enough to provide resources for Liam to cultivate, forge and train with.

Though, the Forbidden Arts aspect certainly made him curious.

Not to mention, if they were in hiding, it was all the better for Liam… if they were to accept him, of course.

‘I should at least explore the other Sects and see if they suit my needs. If I can’t find anything, I’ll try and look for them.’

Liam left the alley and looked for a map stall.

Finding one, he quickly bought the biggest and most detailed map he saw, which named the regions of Ilali and vaguely described the sects they belonged to.

Ilali wasn’t nearly as vast as Echoria was, but he was still at its front door. The Main Lands were more than two million steps away.

Storing the map in his ring, Liam made his way to an inn with a changed appearance.

The interior was lit by orbs of violet light, filled with laughing, flush-faced men and women having a good time.

“One room, please,” Liam asked the plump lady wearing a martial arts robe behind the counter.

She smiled and asked for five Stones, which Liam quickly paid, receiving a glowing white token in response and directions to a room.

The room itself wasn’t much, but everything was made from natural wood and plants. Even the bed and light hanging from above.

Liam laid out his parchments around him and began studying, cultivating and training until morning.

Chapter 175 Display

 

Hours passed.

As Liam cultivated, he was simultaneously studying the Blood Arts and Revel’s attempts at creating spells with Blood Weaving.

All the while, his core was repeatedly corroding away the impurities.

At the same time, he had tried to inscribe and try his hand at creating a simple spell for his darkness.

His understanding of it was so weak (by his standards) that Liam felt embarrassed as he made the Meanings and created the Links.

It was like a legally-blind person attempting to describe colors.

That’s how difficult creating a spell really was, partially due to Liam’s unorthodox method of inscribing.

Liam’s motivation didn’t wane.

Everyone had to start somewhere.

Studying Revel’s parchments definitely gave him an edge over others, and the Blood Arts weren’t so difficult to understand anymore.

After he concluded his cultivation session, Liam had a slight frown on his face.

He was a complete Rank 2 cultivator… by human standards.

With a fourth center of power, his ranking system had changed, and so did his progression speed.

However, Liam was sure he could easily kill any Rank 2 cultivator on the same level of strength as him.

And with his Ashura form?

He killed Janice. A Rank 3 battle professor with a Rank 4 body.

Though that caused him to suffer for weeks on end and he couldn’t actively train due to the backlash he suffered.

Concluding his training session, Liam wore his clothes and exited when it was daytime.

During the morning, the stall owners worked on resupplying their merchandise.

Shouts and orders echoed around every corner, but the warm sunlight and the chirping of birds softened the atmosphere.

Looking at the map in his hands, Liam scanned the regions.

Most Sects were separated by natural landscapes, like rivers, lakes or mountains.

Some Sects actually did live in mountains, and others above waterfalls.

Not all Sects were big.

Depending on their size, they spanned from having a few hundred disciples, up to ten thousands.

This also determined how much land they possessed and were given control over.

For a Sect to claim more land, they would have to challenge another Sect for theirs.

Some Sectors didn’t even have land.

The Seven Clans were different.

Although their numbers weren’t the highest, especially the Luminous Light Sect, their disciples were all powerful experts.

At the same time, they split the giant Main Lands into seven different sections, where the largest Sects lived under.

Although the Safe Zones made it seem like everything was perfect, the real gangho was dog-eats-dog.

As Liam continued exploring, he got to discover the wildlife of Ilali.

Spirit Beasts were indeed, a different kind of magical beast.

On farmlands, Liam saw truck-sized turtles that helped irrigate the crops, carrying farmers on their backs without tearing them apart.

They were indeed magical beasts, only way friendlier and more docile. It was only like that in the Safe Zones, Liam presumed.

‘Would forging with their parts produce a different effect? I need to exit this Safe Zone already!’

Liam missed the grip on his blades.

///

Three days passed.

Liam had finally exited from the Safe Zone, along with crowds of other people that did the same.

Most were ambitious mercenaries planning to make it big.

A regular warning sign informed the groups of the dangers ahead, but there wasn’t any abrupt attack waiting in ambush.

In fact, civilization bustled just as much outside the Safe Zones as it did inside. There were small villages erected upon lush plains, in the crevices of mountains and atop rocky cliffs.

Although he had planned to enter the wilderness first thing and hunt Spirit Beasts, Liam held off.

‘The Soaring Rain Sect won’t accept me because of my element, but they can always point me in the right direction.’

Between training and cultivation breaks, Liam took another three days to arrive at the Soaring Rain Sect, following the lines of people heading there.

The Sector itself was a grand pavilion.

Architecturally, it resembled ancient Chinese buildings, with curved tiled roofs and flying eaves. It was erected over a small area of land surrounded by gushing rivers.

Azure-robed ladies at the entrance gave directions to those willing to take their Sector’s test.

After briefly asking them, Liam found out the bare minimum requirement to join was a Rank 1 sea of consciousness, a Rank 3 body, and a Rank 2 core.

And of course, being attuned with water.

Depending on age, they could even lower those standards and accept non-cultivators to train early on.

‘The Soaring Rain Sect is a mid-sized clan. Honestly, their system resembles Echorian politics… only they’re less restrictive over resources.’

Depending on one’s cultivation base and proficiency with the Clan’s unique martial art, they’d be given a specific rank within the Sector.

More talented disciples would be given greater resources and techniques, while those weaker off had to complete missions and assignments in order to achieve the same results.

‘They’re not bloodline based, which is a good thing. Hard work is rewarded.’

“Would you like to see our martial arts, young man?” said the beautiful robed lady who explained everything to Liam.

“Since you’re so inquisitive,” she added with a dazzling smile.

Curious of their abilities, Liam nodded.

With his suppressed aura, the lady didn’t know Liam was of the same strength as her.

The Soaring Rain disciple withdrew to the side and unsheathed her patterned blade.

It was smaller than Liam’s katana but longer than his shortsword, while the material it was made from didn’t have a metallic sheen.

It glowed azure on its own, making Liam raise his brows.

‘Is it made from a Spirit Beast?’

Before he could ask, the disciple closed her eyes then flickered them open.

With a series of lithe and delicate movements, she swung her blade through the air as though performing a dance.

To Liam’s surprise, mist gathered on her sword and formed tiny raindrops that radiated sharpness.

With one last swing, all the raindrops tore through the air like bullets.

THUCK.

They smashed against a boulder and pierced through it!

Chapter 176 Tester of Resolve

 

By then, a crowd had gathered around the woman and began cheering loudly at the display of abilities.

Even Liam was amazed at the woman’s martial arts.

Echorian martial arts were entirely different.

They were simple and had basic functions even until the third Rank, and none had as much power and ability as the one displayed by the lady.

Liam noticed how her ‘Ora’ patterns fluctuated with each light swing of her blade.

At the same time, she switched footing and stance constantly.

Obviously, a martial arts country would have complex martial arts!

It only made Liam more curious in what the Seven Clans themselves specialized in.

But even more so, the Temple of Shadow.

“How about it, lad? Will you join? I know you’re hiding it, but you’re pretty strong yourself,” the lady clicked her blade into her scabbard and approached Liam with a smile.

Liam cupped his fist.

“Thank you, senior… but I am not of the water element. Besides, I am much too lacking with the blade, and the movements you have displayed are too delicate for my two hands.”

Regretful, the woman sighed.

Before Liam could shamelessly ask more questions, the lady was called back inside.

Liam simply moved on.

Not too far out were several Sects in close proximity to one another.

Those were by far the weakest, as smaller Clans didn’t have much jurisdiction, and they were tightly packed in large areas.

Another slow week passed.

Moving from Sector to Sector and asking more questions, Liam eventually found one that caught his eye.

It was the Piercing Sword Sect.

As the name suggested, they were a sword-focused Clan that was slightly less renowned compared to the mid-size Sects, but a league above those below it.

They weren’t element exclusive, and it didn’t matter anyway.

The entrance to the Sector was packed like usual.

The cultivators joining were much more powerful compared to the Soaring Rain’s.

As the martial artists looked towards Liam, they sneered and glared at him from a distance, confusing his youth for weakness.

Liam didn’t feel the need to respond or even acknowledge their existence.

He felt superior in every way to them, and his pride as a half-Ashura wasn’t hurt due to how weak they were.

Eventually, his turn came.

Piercing Sword’s Sect colors were white and silver.

Their buildings and robes matched it perfectly, and their disciples took care of their appearance.

The instructor in charge of inspecting the tryouts nodded in approval when seeing Liam.

“Young, dual-wielder, and already has a powerful cultivation base. You are a Rank 1 Magus, correct?”

Liam nodded with cupped fists, a bit surprised the man guessed his choice of weapons.

“Come with me,” the horse-faced instructor said with a smile, leading Liam in.

Meanwhile, Liam assessed the surroundings for any formations or inscriptions, and found the entire Sector grounds riddled with them.

There was another long line of people waiting to get inside the building itself, but the man skipped past them and entered with Liam at his side.

Within the ornately decorated rooms, ten men and women sat side by side on the carpeted floor with an older, tanned instructor in front.

Coiled around his arm was a horned viper with iridescent scales. It poked its head through the man’s shoulder, softly hissing with a white forked tongue. On its head, there was a black slit resembling a diamond.

The horse-faced instructor gestured for Liam to sit down, which he quickly did.

The two instructors exchanged a knowing look, before the man that led Liam in left and slid the door closed.

Liam’s eyes were fixed to the snake. It was merely Rank 1, but there was something strange about it he couldn’t put his finger on.

“Our Piercing Sword Sect doesn’t have any restrictive requirements. However, our Clan’s martial arts are quite demanding… requiring a determined and resolved user.”

On his words, the snake on his arm dropped to the floor and began slithering over to the nearest tryout.

“This is a Tester of Resolve, a Rank 1 Spirit Beast. It measures a cultivator’s determination, resolve and character. Don’t be afraid. It won’t bite unless provoked or threatened. Place your palm on its head, and it will do the rest.”

The burly, middle-aged man it slithered to nearly slapped it away, but the instructor’s firm words stopped him.

Hissing, the viper raised its head, and the man put his palm on it.

Slowly, the snake automatically began absorbing the man’s ‘Ora’. As it did so, the iridescent scales started to change color from top to bottom, turning faintly blue, green, red and yellow with black marks in between.

“I’m sorry,” the instructor said with a stern look. “But you have low resolve and lack character. We cannot accept you.”

The tryout snorted derisively and stomped the floor in anger as he left.

Indifferently, the snake moved to the next tryout.

Liam watched with curious eyes.

To think there were animals that could test a person’s character…

Wait.

…This was against him in every way!

There was nobody that was worse in character than Liam himself.

Still, he was curious enough to linger. He wanted to know how deep his resolve and determination went.

There wasn’t much the Sect could do against him even if it implied his wicked personality.

He was there as a guest, after all.

After absorbing another tryout’s ‘Ora’, it changed colors again. This time, the scales were a vibrant green, milk white and azure blue with no black marks.

“You pass! Hardworking, compassionate and headstrong. The servants will take you inside and give you our Sect’s robes,” the tanned instructor smiled as the tryout was taken into another room.

One after the other, the tryouts were being tested for their compatibility to the Clan.

Three more men managed to become disciples, and the rest had failed.

Before long, it was Liam’s turn.

Putting his hand on the viper’s head, the snake slowly absorbed his ‘Ora’.

At once, the snake’s scales turned pitch black, and it lunged at Liam with a loud hiss.

Chapter 177 Threat

 

HISS!

The instructor saw the change in the snake’s behavior and attempted to stop it, but Liam already grabbed it by the neck.

About to clench and turn the daring viper into mush, Liam noticed the instructor’s frown.

He threw it away, and the snake instantly slithered back to the dumbfounded instructor, hiding in his robe sleeve.

Instantly, the room’s atmosphere changed.

The other tryouts yet to leave the room looked at him with frowns, while the instructor himself looked aghast.

Before they could do or say anything, Liam cupped his fists.

“I will take my leave, senior. I am clearly not fit for your clan.”

As he left, the instructor had a dark look on his face.

‘A black heart devoid of remorse… and from such a young age. That boy is a threat.’

///

Liam managed to leave the Sect without trouble.

The instructor apologized for the snake attacking him and offered him 100 ‘Ora’ Stones for compensation, which he accepted without qualms.

It was a pity, really. The Piercing Sword Sect was ideal. Not too famous and not too weak… but Liam didn’t worry too much.

Liam could afford to hold off on finding a sect.

He wasn’t too close to his breakthroughs and had the required techniques for the moment.

His sea of consciousness wouldn’t advance for a long time. His body was closer than the rest, but still far.

Not too long ago, he had just advanced to the second Rank of the core.

Until then, he would work on finding the Temple of Shadow!

…Among other things, of course.

Like finding out how to advance his chaos pearl thingie (he still hadn’t given it a name) and forge items from Spirit Beasts. Giving himself some seclusion in learning how to attune the Blood Arts to his body was also something to think about.

Speaking of, that was Liam’s next goal – living in the wilderness for a few months until he could find clues as to where the Shadow of Temple was.

He hadn’t completely given up on finding another Sect, but in truth, none really gave him the comfort of being under.

They were too public, and all Sects wanted to venture into the Main Lands at some point to expand their territories and make a name for themselves.

It was a pointless desire, really, but who was Liam to judge?

If anything, he agreed with the expansion of territory – taking over more land and resources from Sectors.

Looking at his map, Liam thought of where to go next.

Past the north, there was a magical forest filled with various kinds of Spirit Beasts.

To the east, there were blocky mountains and pillars connecting to the clouds.

Waterfalls and deep canyons to the west.

Here and there, there were small villages, but they were regular civilizations with a few martial artists as guards.

Overall, Ilali’s center consisted of the Main Lands, but surrounding them were contrasting biomes and plains.

Surrounding them were different quadrants of the largest Sects under them.

Cultivators of a stronger realm were allowed to enter those areas for a price, but Liam was in no rush to go there.

However, Liam quickly noticed how past the main body of land, there were individual islands and Danger Zones separated by sea.

Liam didn’t think they were Zenith ranked Danger Zones, but most likely contained one or two of them.

The map didn’t give details to those areas, probably since it was too dangerous for normal people to venture towards.

‘If there really is a Temple of Shadow, they wouldn’t risk living in the central regions. They’d most likely live on the edges or separate islands.’

With a goal in mind, Liam began with making his way to the Rey’io Forest first, the nearest to him.

Stretching across 130 kilometers, the forest was brimming with life. The trees there were giant, resembling willows with drooping, rainbow-like colors.

Critters and small-sized creatures like squirrels skittered this way and that way, but Liam’s expression was grave.

He was being followed.

Again!

‘Was it those Piercing Sword guys? So much for being righteous and virtuous.’

They were skilled, he gave them that.

They made sure to stay out the range of a Rank 1 Magus, not knowing Liam had sensed them ever since entering the forest. Their footsteps were also silent and they didn’t even breathe, and their presence was hidden.

If Liam had to guess, they were roughly the same Rank as him, and were only three in number.

Liam’s eyes turned cold, but he suppressed his aura from changing.

‘I hope they have their Clan’s martial arts in their rings.’

Acting as though he didn’t notice them, Liam casually strolled through the forest and admired the scene.

Eventually, he laid his back against a willow tree and closed his eyes, a peaceful expression on his face.

Slowly, the Piercing Sword Sect disciples were gradually closing the distance.

They hid atop the trees surrounding Liam’s resting place and patiently waited until he fell asleep.

Once they were absolutely sure he was sleeping, judging by the cartoonish snoring noises he made, they exchanged knowing looks.

WHOOSH!

At once, they erupted from their trees with their blades drawn, a gust of wind violently blowing back the leaves.

CLING! CLANG!

Liam awoke with a nonchalant expression on his face and his blades magically drawn, instantly intercepting the three that attacked him.

His calm expression made the three grimace, but they quickly realized the swords he deflected with were riddled with cracks, oozing with dangerous black smoke.

Simultaneously, the three took a short step back before shooting forward again, their glowing white swords drilling through air as they focused on Liam’s blades and weak spots.

SHING!

Their combined attack managed to drill through Liam’s swords and body at once.

However, their swords didn’t meet blood, but gaseous, liquid and solid darkness.

“Wha—!”

As their expressions twisted to a grimace, a sharp pain invaded the back of one of the disciples, and black needles flew towards the other two.

Chapter 178 Desperation

 

Just as Liam threw the needles and stuck his katana into the disciple’s spine, he swiped horizontally with his shortsword and formed a nasty gash on the man’s neck.

SHING! BOF!

The Umbral Needles exploded into fumes, corroding the other two disciples’ Rank 3 bodies like acid.

It had managed to pierce through their chest, then spread to their faces and marred them beyond recognition.

After Liam’s advancement, the Umbral Needles were at the gaseous stage of the second Rank.

The darkness that oozed from them melted away layers of flesh with ease.

They weren’t dead just yet.

Only one was.

The disciple with the neck wound desperately attempted to scurry away and run, but corrosive chains wrapped around his face and yanked him back.

With another thrust of Liam’s sword, a hole formed in the man’s heart, killing him.

Liam shifted his attention to the other two.

They had dispelled the wisps of darkness remaining on their figures using their wind and water elements.

Their robes and faces were heavily corroded, and they looked distraught, but pieces of their skin were starting to reform.

To their credit, they managed to fix their bloodshot eyes at Liam and prepare their spells.

Two mental attacks were shot his way but Corrosive Mind and Thicken brushed them off. They fixed the grip on their swords and assumed a defensive stance.

Liam took slow steps towards them with his blades lowered to his sides. Darkness tightened around his feet, then sprung him forward.

Before they could even think of countering, Liam executed the first form of the Phantom’s Way while activating his Dark Wraith body.

‘Endless Passage!’

Liam turned into an ethereal, thin streak, while his blades turned into wafer-like black lines.

WHOOSH!

A soft gust of wind blew forth as Liam appeared between them.

SPURT!

Blood sprayed from their jugular veins like water, drenching the leaves below.

They thumped lifelessly on the ground, leaking bodily liquids.

‘I don’t understand. They stick their hand into a snake’s den and don’t expect to be bit.’

Sheathing his blades, Liam moved to their corpses before anyone else arrived.

He took off their rings and put them in his robe pocket, before storing their bodies and putting them into preservation containers.

‘There’s something I need to test out. It’s disturbing, but if it’s true, I’ve found a way to advance my Chaos Pearl.’

His complexion had become slightly pale after using so many spells at once.

Shadow Clone paired with the King’s Eye was incredibly useful, and his usage of both had gotten better as he practiced by himself. He even gave it swords, albeit weak ones.

Though, he wasn’t skilled enough to manipulate the clone’s face to replicate emotion, hence why it was expressionless.

On the other hand, the blades Liam used were the best forged item he managed to make during his time in seclusion.

After his core advancement, he was finally able to make forged items that reached the Rank 2 middle-tier threshold.

Blood Weaving only increased its sharpness and potential, but it was thanks to his Primordial Forging that it reached that level.

Liam ventured further into the forest, eventually coming across his first Spirit Beast after two whole hours.

It lived inside a hill cavity – a large cave with an arched entrance veiled by pieces of leaves and vines.

It was a Rank 3 bear-type Spirit Beast with vibrant blue and red fur, gently resting on its nozzle as it slept. Its cubs were there too, of a lower Rank.

It was more than 4 meters in width and height, with dangerous looking claws and a maw bigger than Liam’s chest.

Studying it for a few minutes, he realized it was a fire type Spirit Beast… except its aura was blue instead of a fiery orange.

‘So they’re just variants of what normal magical beasts can do.’

It made him curious.

What about darkness beasts?

Having examined it enough, Liam unsheathed his blades and burst through the entrance, hurling five needles at the beast’s mouth, chest and limbs followed by one at each of its cubs.

The cave instantly filled up with black smoke, but Liam purposefully didn’t use most of his spells. He wanted to see the Spirit Beast’s abilities first.

ROAR!

Enraged and pained, the giant beast burst into blue flames, blowing away Liam’s smoke with ease and coating its giant body with burning armor.

The heat radiating from the beast was much hotter than normal, but didn’t actually smoke.

Noticing its cubs dead, the bear let out another cry, then fixed its bloodthirsty eyes to Liam who gave it a blank look.

It roared again, then charged with a flaming swipe of its claws.

Liam dodged with ease, yet purposely let some of the flames singe his skin.

Instantly, he realized how much hotter it was compared to regular flames, leaving a black burn mark on his semi-hardened arms.

Within the next moment, the beast roared and spewed wild flames from its mouth like a dragon.

Liam raised his brows in amazement as he instantly sidestepped.

‘Are all Spirit Beasts like this?’ Liam thought.

Although its abilities weren’t exactly the strongest, Liam was surprised by how the properties of their element was changed.

Somehow, their innate fire abilities had managed to sacrifice its destructive properties for more heat.

Liam questioned how deep those abilities could go.

Changing the core properties of an ability was something Mortal Ranked cultivators couldn’t do.

Presumably, Zenith and Celestial Ranks could do something like that. Even the academy didn’t provide much knowledge in those areas.

Still, how a Rank 3 magical beast to have that skill was something Liam was going to study.

Eventually, he had enough of the beast’s antics.

Dodging another swipe and ducking under the beast, darkness surged around Liam’s fist and compressed.

BOOM!

The explosion made the beast recoil and blew away his flame-made armor, creating an opening for Liam to thrust his blades through and tear apart the bear from within.

Eventually it lost enough blood and strength for Liam to kill it with one last slash.

Chapter 179 Double-edged Sword

 

After killing the Spirit Beasts, Liam exited the forest and made his way to a distant village.

On the way there, he killed a few more Spirit Beasts.

A pack of white wolves that had mental attacking capabilities, near-invisible snakes that blended into the surroundings, and a pack of small-sized elephants that ran faster than tigers.

Although magical beasts were stronger in most aspects, Spirit Beasts were way more diverse.

Nonetheless, all Liam could do was analyze them until he found a darkness attuned Spirit Beast to forge with.

‘Primordial Forging’s main ability isn’t powerful on its own. It was when I was weaker and relied on my weapons, but I barely use its function anymore.’

Although using a magical beast’s innate ability was amazing in its own right, he wasn’t skilled enough yet to bring out its full potential.

Not to mention, Liam had gone through an endless amount of changes since learning how to forge from Rogan.

With his six-armed form, Liam really didn’t imagine the need for swords. He had extreme physical prowess that could chip and shatter any weapon with ease.

Unless he learned how to make special weapons similar to that level (or at least near it), Liam’s usage of blades were more like a necessity for his half-Ashura form.

After another week, Liam arrived at the village.

Changing his appearance and swapping to another set of clothes, he paid a small fee at the entrance to enter.

The village itself was nearly the size of the peasantry back in Ucladd, but with way better living conditions. A few buildings even sold inscribed weapons and spells.

Liam found an insignificant dwelling place and bought a small room for the day.

The first thing he did was make sure the place was secure enough and not spied upon.

Concluding that it wasn’t, Liam took out the body of the disciples he killed. He inspected the contents of their rings first, and their clan’s martial arts were indeed inside.

Liam took them out and put them aside for later.

His gaze shifted to the dead body laying on the floor, then to his Chaos Pearl.

‘If this works…’

Liam willed out a minute piece of his chaos and spread it towards his mouth.

As the chaos passed through his body, it reacted with his muscles and transformed bits of him into a full Ashura. He felt a threshold. If passed, he would transform fully.

He felt a surge of strength… but also felt like his ability to think straight and clear dimmed. Thankfully, it was still mild. A full transformation was way more drastic.

As the chaos reached his mouth, Liam’s teeth sharpened and grew razor-sharp.

Liam semi-transformed his body!

Before he could lose himself any further than he did, Liam grabbed the disciple’s shoulder and ripped off a chunk, then threw it in his mouth!

The taste wasn’t anything new.

Liam’s palette had experienced a vast range of taste. From raw magical beast, to vampire Nexus’, to human flesh. All of them were disgusting and horrid, but for Liam, it was another Tuesday.

Liam’s teeth ripped through the stubborn Rank 3 flesh. It had the consistency of rubber, but he made sure to reduce its size before he swallowed.

As the flesh reached his stomach, Liam felt a change.

The reason why Liam was eating another human was because cultivator’s had something called Lifeforce.

Vampires consumed each other’s Lifeforce to grow stronger.

Ever since Liam gained blood manipulation abilities, he wondered how he could increase his blood purity and improve his control over it.

At the same time, he wondered how his Chaos Pearl would expand and grow stronger.

The answer was simpler than he thought.

All he had to do was become a cannibal!

Cultivators also had Lifeforce, and so did every other living creature. He hadn’t tested out his hypothesis on magical beasts or Spirit Beasts just yet, but he was sure it would yield the same results.

The only drawback was that Liam had to eat them shortly after their death, and with their blood and raw parts intact.

A small price!

As the flesh melted in Liam’s stomach, he felt the Lifeforce spread and nourish his body. It wasn’t enough for a drastic change to take place, but Liam continued chewing.

Eventually, he ripped off the right side of the disciple’s arm, then began wolfing down his flesh.

As he gulped down the entire limb, Liam wasn’t satisfied.

He ripped off the left side and ate it right after.

It still didn’t sate his hunger.

Liam ripped off the disciple’s head with two of his arms and pulled out his eyes with two others.

He threw the organs in his mouth as though they were a snack, then began gnawing away at the head. The taste had actually become quite nice as he continued to eat—

Wait… four arms?

It took Liam a full minute to realize what happened. He pulled himself out of the trance with a loud curse and swallowed what remained in his mouth.

Liam quickly undid his semi-transformation before he became a full Ashura. His teeth receded and the two extra arms protruding from his waist withdrew into his body. Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.𝘤𝑜𝓂 for the best novel reading experience

‘When did I lose myself?!’

Liam cursed again when he realized half the disciple’s body was missing, melted away in his stomach.

All that remained was a lower body that looked cruelly torn apart, organs and viscera vomiting out from what was left.

Liam quickly realized he needed to stop regarding the Ashura transformation as a blessing.

It was a double-edged sword, and he could easily cut himself with it.

…That said, his Chaos Pearl was a tiny bit more expanded, and his blood purity had also gone up by a small amount.

A double-edged sword indeed.

As for how he knew his Chaos Pearl grew bigger by eating other humans, it was an instinctive piece of knowledge that came with his new race.

Liam erased any trace of the body being in the same room as him using his darkness, including the blood and viscera, then began running towards the edges of Ilali to find the Temple of Shadow.

Chapter 180 Alter

 

Two weeks passed, marking the one month point that Liam had arrived in Ilali.

By then, he had traveled more than 150 kilometers of distance, with breaks of cultivation, exploration of cities, and killing/studying Spirit Beasts.

What Liam silently added to that list was eating humans and Spirit Beasts fresh… and raw.

Of course, just because there was a small chance of him going crazy didn’t stop him from purifying his blood and expanding his Chaos Pearl.

And it was arduously slow, too.

Especially the Chaos Pearl.

It expanded an unnoticeable amount each time Liam ate a Spirit Beast or human flesh. His blood purity wasn’t any better.

Liam was careful of who he chose to eat, avoiding most of the main Sects that governed the regions.

Rogue martial artists were a problem in Ilali. They were basically bandits that lived in the random corners of the land and formed gangs.

Liam was just cleaning the streets like any good samaritan would!

The higher ranked the human or beast was, the more effectively their Lifeforce added to his.

Humans provided much more Lifeforce compared to mere beasts, since they had three centers of power instead of two.

He also paired it with absorbing their blood using his vampiric nails, but its effectiveness was far less than simply devouring flesh.

Of course, Liam couldn’t eat the sea of consciousness or the core.

The former because it existed within the cultivator’s mind, and the latter because the contents inside it were poisonous to anyone else but the user.

If that wasn’t the case, there would be mass killings of everyone attempting to tear each other’s cores apart.

However, it still vitalized the body to an extent.

On the other hand, Liam diligently studied Spirit Beasts. He found out the source of their diverse and amazing abilities belonged to their cores, which directly affected their bodies.

It was a chaotic, mumbo-jumbo of foreign and colorful energies that somehow worked harmoniously within the core.

Some beasts had exchanged their destructive abilities for more damage. Some sacrificed one of their senses to heighten another, and so on.

Liam was genuinely intrigued.

In theory, that shouldn’t be possible.

To change the core properties of their bodies, senses and elements was something otherworldly.

For example, wind could compress into a blade’s form and cut just like it, but it couldn’t actually solidify into one.

The same thing with fire, except its burning properties couldn’t be altered.

Earth couldn’t liquify, but mud attacks were also used.

Unless water cultivators had wind as a spare element, they couldn’t harden it.

Spirit Beasts denied all of that.

Liam’s darkness was the exception to the rule, able to shift between gaseous, liquid and solid states at whim… but the corrosive nature of it stayed the same.

Even then, the states weren’t constant – more like a continuous state of ‘triple-point’.

Not to mention, it wasn’t as rigid as earth, or free-flowing as water. And it didn’t burn like fire or cut like wind.

Of course, he didn’t apply that reasoning for the Zenith and Celestial realms of strength, but the beasts he was studying were still in the Mortal Ranks.

In truth, Liam imagined that could be a way for his physical abilities of the Ashura and his mental capabilities as a human to merge together and synergize.

If a beast with no sea of consciousness could alter their body’s composition, why couldn’t he?

He knew he wasn’t the only person to think that, and there were probably billions of cultivators that tried to harness the strength of Spirit Beasts.

But he wasn’t among the billion.

Only… he had absolutely no idea where to begin!

Somehow, it was the same problem he had with the corrupted magical beast parts back in the Korsan Lands.

He still had the blood daggers and corrupted magical beast corpses, but he hadn’t been able to synergize his Blood Weaving with his forgings.

…But now that he could manipulate blood, he would definitely revisit that topic.

Once he was settled and set, of course. Until then, he made sure to note down any findings about the Spirit Beasts.

///

Currently, Liam was inside a large prefecture governed by the Snow Moon Sect within the northern side of Ilali.

He wore a regular fur coat around his black martial arts robe, his hair reaching knee-length.

Meanwhile, the shift in weather was a complete 180, since the snow was so heavy it cast a white blanket across the entire prefecture of the gangho.

No daylight passed through the thick veils of cold mist, snow and fog that enshrouded the region.

Men with lower ranked bodies shivered, and the northern side was known for its ruthless and frigid cold.

Still, the streets were packed with fur-coated martial artists who spent their lives in such a place.

The buildings within the prefecture resembled towering Sects, but they served differing purposes – gambling dens, dueling arenas, brothels and dwellings.

In front, past the buildings and over a towering cliff, was a giant Sector that resembled more like a marble palace. The Snow Moon Sect – a mid-tier Clan with powerful martial artists.

‘From what I know, every Clan has various Elders, and above them, a Sect Leader,’ Liam thought over his findings as he walked through the streets. ‘Between them are the disciples and their relative rankings.’

Although he wanted to ask around and see what he could buy, Liam held off and found a place to stay.

‘Jargon will call soon. I want to know if there was any visit from an Echorian Zenith to these lands in search of me. Even commoners would know of an event that big.’

Liam came face-to-face with a small, run-down building covered top to bottom with thick snow.

He did the same old dance of changing his appearance and buying a room for a single night.

It was a dull journey all things considered, but Liam still enjoyed the steady growth in his strength and knowledge.

Entering his room and sitting cross-legged in cultivation, his Jade flickered.

Liam answered it.

“My liege. Are you well?”

Jargon’s voice was a whisper, with the sound of wind gushing past him.

“I am.”

Liam’s response was brief. But he was glad his men hadn’t died straight away.

Relieved and sensing Liam’s choice to skip the pleasantries, Jargon began explaining.

“More than one third of the Blood Troupe have been accepted into Sects around the region. They’ve been training diligently and raising their strength. The remaining two thirds have divided themselves into working regular jobs and becoming wandering martial artists. I myself have joined the Gushing River Sect, a large-sized clan west of the Main Lands.”