Nameless's scythe left a dark, bck trail behind it as it cut through the trees. It went through their trunks as if they were made of marshmallows, felling one after another as he relentlessly assaulted the young girl's surprisingly stable defenses. Still, it soon became clear he was much more experienced in battle, capitalizing on all her small mistakes, not giving her even a second to breathe while he dictated the fight's tempo, slowly taking it over. Soon, his scythe made an opening for a fatal strike as Nameless used its sharpened other end, stabbing through the girl's heart before letting her vomit out a mouthful of blood and falling back lifelessly.

  "I told you." He looked down at her before turning to leave. "Nobody could take it... yet."

  It was that moment when the chained sword whizzed past him, and only his sharp reflexes, honed in hundreds of battles, were what saved his head from being exploded into multiple pieces. Turning back, the girl was once again standing, uninjured... The only change was her eyes, which now resembled those of a cat.

  "Strange," Nameless whispered, but he was already attacking again.

  As another fight broke out, the result was the same after a somewhat longer, drawn-out csh of sword and scythe. This time around, the girl got her head chopped off, nding meters away in the shrubs as her neck spurted dark red blood everywhere before she finally colpsed.

  This time, Nameless stood there, watching the body fall and then convulse a little. He watched vigintly for minutes before turning his back again, leaving, but only took four or five steps when an attack nded on him, striking at his back, throwing sparks as his armor, strapped to his body under his robes, saved his life.

  "What…?!" He turned around, clearly stumped, as the girl stood there again, his hands and legs covered in bck fur, ending in cat-like paws.

  "Tsk... It's hard holding a weapon like this... I couldn't strike with enough strength…." She murmured under her breath, frustrated, losing the ability to hold things well, no longer having opposing thumbs.

  "What… are you?"

  "Nobody. If you are Nameless, then I am Nobody. It's that simple." She giggled, taking him on again, and now the battle seemed even more equal.

  The drawn-out duel was something Nameless didn't wish to indulge in, and already looked for a way out, but Nobody was trying to be the one to lead the rhythm of their fight. She pushed on relentlessly and adapted to his moves much better than ever before.

  "Tsk…!" Nameless clicked his tongue, biting on it and spurting fresh blood onto his scythe, turning it somewhat slimy, as if it were made out of ink. He bent it around Nobody's weapon, making it stuck in its now tar-like form, while its sharp edge had gone through her forehead, before he pulled it out with her brain still attached to it, solidifying it once again.

  This time, he didn't hesitate and immediately merged with a nearby tree's shadow, disappearing. The moment he was gone, Nobody's body flickered a few moments ter, and she stood back up, changing shape. After reforming, her whole face resembled that of a bck cat, with no human features present except for her girlish torso below her neck.

  "He escaped…" She meowed, shaking her body as her cat tail wiggled behind her. "He is strong... All of his finishing blows made sure the target was eliminated… tsk-tsk! He cut me down to having only two lives remaining! That decapitation alone took three away…." She rubbed her sore neck, wanting to compin a little.

  "I told you he is not easy to deal with." Sentios's voice came as he arrived, nding beside her, patting her head, scratching it behind her cat ears.

  "Ahaha, but Master, it was fun to try him out! I learned a lot!"

  "You just love to hunt, that's all…." He sighed. "How long will it take to earn those lives you lost back?"

  "A few years. Maybe more? Don't worry. I still have two deaths I can spare!"

  "You are over-reliant on your gift, my little demon. This is going to be your downfall in the end... Once you die in your cat-form, that's it... Don't be reckless."

  "What good is having this gift if you don't use it?" She purred, pressing her head into his palm.

  "It would be best if you don't use it this easily. You had to nd a perfect strike at him multiple times, yet you missed all of it."

  "Uuuu…" She moaned with an embarrassed expression.

  "Come, we have to go back. You need time to revert to your human shape, so you can't show up like this! It's best if nobody knows that we are connected." He swept her up before leaving.

  While they were flying back, Nameless also appeared in a faraway pce, emerging from a dark cave, panting for air before sitting down and reguting his breathing.

  "The st time I felt this close to losing my life was when Aerthus VII tried to get rid of us." He smiled before getting ready to recover some energy with his pills to continue the road back home. "I'll need to open up a case and make a detailed report. An ability like this is dangerous. She was definitely a demon... We'll need to ask the others in the Valley if they know something about a species like this."

  Finally, he felt that Ren's actions were correct, as they provided a source for more information that they did not have before. The information reted to demons. He was already ready to start cataloging the different demon species they knew about and to build pns so that, if they came across one as an enemy, they would have enough knowledge to deal with it swiftly...

  …….…..

  The days slowly turned into weeks as life in the Sect began to pick up speed, and in the end, almost all the advanced inner disciples chose to have their cultivation reset by Leinor. It was a hard decision, setting them back to square one, yet they quickly realized it was the best choice for their future. This was especially true for Lulu. Following the new cultivation technique, she saw exceptional progress, even if she had to start over. When she climbed back to the second stage, after only a week and a half, she realized her affinity manifested far more strongly than she expected.

  At the moment, she was occupying a small part of the training field, trying out the basic movesets recorded in the Sect's technique, focusing on and releasing their own powers through her energy points. After going through the same movements repeatedly, hundreds of times a day, she finally threw out a punch, and her fist lit up with blinding light, sending out a needle-like ray. It was weak and flew only a few meters before dissipating, yet she watched it with an excited expression.

  "Ahahaha~ This is awesome! Give me a few years, and not even father will be able to order me around!"

  "Rebellious, aren't we?" Ren arrived with a pyful grin, and Lulu turned towards her with a smile, cupping her hands.

  "Elder."

  "Oh? Surprising. No grudges from before?"

  "I am now part of the Sect. Rules must be followed." She replied with a respectful voice.

  "Mmmm… I see." Ren hummed, watching her with curiosity, "You have an interesting mindset."

  "I would lie if I said I didn't have any grudges from before, but I know when to leave them behind," Lulu said honestly, looking into her eyes fearlessly. "Also, it does not matter now. This is a new start."

  "It is. I would be pleased if you really thought this way!" Ren answered as she looked at her fists. "I saw that you are making great progress. You learn quickly."

  "As I previously refined my body once to the fourth stage, it is not as hard as I expected to do so again." She answered with a tinge of pride, "The only difficult part was the energy points, but there were clear instructions for finding them. It even had tips for different affinities on how to circute the energies within us. Even for me."

  "Yeah, a lot of obscure affinities were the Sect Head's addition." Ren expined carefreely, "Keep up the work, and soon you'll be making your own movesets! I have a heads-up for you as the first to form visible results amongst the newcomers. You can also spread it to them if you want."

  "I am all ears, Elder Ren!" She smiled happily, cupping her hands once again.

  "If you develop a technique, work it out well and submit it to me," Ren said straightforwardly.

  "For corrections?"

  "For that too." She nodded as a grin crept up to her face. "Also, every new technique gets recorded, points given for grading, and then they are going to be cssified by the Elders, and stored in the Sect's library for future generations. The one who developed a skill that is accepted by the Elders has rewards given to them in the form of cultivation resources. Also, if the skill is borrowed from the library in the future, part of its price goes to the creator." Ren finished, smiling and patting her shoulder before leaving.

  "Well, father…" Lulu sighed, looking up to the sky where she disappeared into. "This time, you were right in making me join something... This pce is awesome!"

  …….…..

  "Master." 01 and 02 arrived at Ren's residence, kneeling before her as she sat in her small garden, meditating cross-legged. "We took the trip to Thunder Valley as you instructed. Everything is progressing smoothly. Niji says he is ready to contact the other smaller tribes and try to establish some working retionships."

  "Great! The Sect Head wishes to make a unified region there." She nodded, turning towards them, "It would be best if we could use it as a training field for the future disciples."

  "Wouldn't that hurt our retions with them?" 01 asked as he raised his head.

  "Why do you think there were hordes of beasts flooding downwards, going back centuries?" She asked back instead, "They overpopute easily, and keeping the beast-like demons in check is in their own interest, too. What about the second task I gave you?"

  "We found a few clues about the whereabouts of those mongooses you said to keep an eye out for, yet we couldn't find their ir." 02 expined at once.

  "So they are still there and did not leave. I guessed so much." She muttered, furrowing her brows, "Go back, keep a low profile, and try to find their whereabouts. We need to deal with them before they become a bigger problem... Who knows what pns they are hatching right now? If you find their whereabouts, message me!" She flipped a communication jade to them, "I'll come personally and deal with them, do not engage them by yourself!"

  "Understood," the duo answered at the same time.

  Not long after they were gone, Leinor walked in, sitting beside her.

  "How's training?" He asked, watching his wife's face.

  "Still walking in circles. Making me reaaaal dizzy.." Ren smiled, leaning against him, "The second level of harmony won't come easily. I still need a lot of time to survey the world and learn how to become part of it. You?"

  "I have not even considered advancing or anything like that." Leinor ughed, rubbing her head. "I am happy discovering what I can do now, so I still have a long way to go!"

  "That's good. No rush. We have all the time in the world." She leaned against him with a happy smile.

  "Yet here you are, looking to advance. What, are you threatened by Frenir?" He teased her.

  "If he turns out to be a prodigy, that's good! I won't cry if my position gets stripped from me and taken over by him."

  "Really?"

  "Yeah, why?" She looked up at him. "Titles given by others mean nothing to me. My main goal is still the same: walking my own road at my own pace, going as far as possible. I'll continue going forward anyway. Having this position and its benefits only helps me travel faster. That's all."

  "Heh, others wouldn't believe you~!"

  "I only need you to believe in me," Ren whispered as she kissed his cheeks. "I am satisfied being accompanied by you. Everything else is just a bonus."

  "You… when you say things like this, I'll feel like a little boy once again…." Leinor chuckled, hugging her closely.

  "Fufufu, really now? I feel otherwise down here~ You have grown nicely~!" She giggled, pressing against him, pushing Leinor down onto the soft grass, enjoying the setting sun and his warmth.