Back at the Sect, everyone was converging on the arena, where, in the future, disciples could and would resolve their conflicts if the need arose. Or where future tournaments would be held between those brave enough. The moment it was teleported over, it could accommodate around 20,000 people at once, which was more than enough for what Aerthus was pnning. Not to mention, the arena itself could be customized to the Elders' liking.

  The seats were empty now, yet the three guest stars on the field gulped with nervousness, standing on the sg field. As for Aerthus and the rest of the elders, they sat at the VIP podium, while Ren stood behind the captured mercenaries, arms folded, smiling, watching their shivering backs.

  "Don't worry, take it as a game," She chuckled.

  "What guarantees do we have that we can survive your… game?" their newly elected leader, who called himself Garth, snorted when hearing her speak.

  "I told you multiple times I can't help you if you don't believe me." She shrugged, waving a hand, "Now rex, because you will go st, first you two… um…."

  "Jess. He is my sworn brother Kafu."

  "Mm. Sorry, I'm bad with names." She nodded, not really meaning it, "You will have the first round; just use your full powers while fighting them, don't worry about holding back."

  "What if we injure them?" Garth asked, feeling that this was a trap.

  "Then you can go and be free, immediately." She ughed with confidence, "Sorry, I don't want to rub it under your nose, but you look down on them if you think this way. You may have advanced into Harmony, but you're nothing but fakes." She shook her head, riling them up without meaning to.

  While speaking, on the other side of the arena, Isha was excitedly looking over, waiting for their opponents to make the first move.

  "Try not to kill them." Zern patted her shoulder, warning her.

  "I can hold back. Still, it's going to be refreshing to fight against someone who is not you!"

  "Sure." He rolled his eyes, but before Isha could ugh, their opponents stepped out.

  Thanks to Ren's words, they were already determined to finish this as quickly as possible and maybe really be released if they adhered to what Ren said. Their cooperation through the years was evident from their first move, proving they were indeed sworn brothers. Jess showcased his affinity with fire by immediately conjuring a fireball the size of a pumpkin and throwing it out, while Kafu, precisely at the same time, released his own powers, which was a strong gale, hitting the fireball as it flew towards Isha and Zern. By the time it reached the two, the combined effects made it bloat in size and become unstable, violent, and really explosive as it whistled towards them.

  "Leave it to me." Zern stepped forward, stomping on the ground, and with his third step, a few meters before him, an earth wall formed from nowhere, rising high, obstructing the incoming fireball's path.

  When the combined attack smmed into it, it immediately exploded, sending fmes in all directions, but Zern's wall held firm, deflecting the bst to the side and shielding them from its heat.

  "They can do a pretty good combo attack, but I can do it even better!" Isha ughed as her arms lit up, turning into fmes, surprising their opponent. How was someone at the body refinement realm able to conjure spells?! "Oh? This new uniform kicks ass!" Isha stopped, feeling surprised, "It resists my fire and doesn't burn up... Hah! I don't need to always buy new ones~" She giggled in a surprised voice before actually focusing back on the fight.

  As she punched out, the fmes from her hands flew out, forming dozens of bzing fists in the air, each of them easily the size of the duo's previous fireball, all heading towards Jess.

  "They are weird!" Kafu gulped, watching it happen.

  "Again, with the obvious! Up!" Jess shouted as they flew toward the sky, dodging the attack and taking advantage of their advanced realms and the ability to fly.

  "Oh? Do you think you are safe up there? Zern!" Isha ughed, not backing down.

  "Sure!"

  Their teamwork was quick and fwless as Isha just yelled while already running forward. At the same time, Zern was touching the ground and forming floating steps before Isha's feet, making her run up the sky, straight towards them at a speed far faster than any of them expected.

  "Fuck!" Jess groaned, quickly forming a shield that blocked the incoming kick from Isha, yet it made him gulp back a painful moan as that one attack alone had almost shattered his defenses. "Go get the other! Cut her footing!"

  "On it!" Kafu flew down while Isha focused on assaulting her enemy with close combat skills, empowered by her powers, spewing fming outbursts every time she nded a hit. In contrast, ptforms flew under her feet from the ground, supporting her every move in the air, without her having to bother looking.

  "You are done for, boy!" Kafu arrived, sshing in the air with his arm, releasing a wind bde, but Zern's body turned metallic, letting out a ringing sound in the arena when the attack nded on him.

  "You sure?" He smiled, looking up at him, suffering no injuries. "Sorry, buddy, I'm the best in my group when it comes to defense. I barely felt that."

  While the battle was going on, Garth looked on nervously, realizing Ren was right; they had underestimated them. As his men split up, they were already at a disadvantage, especially as Zern ignored Kafu's continuous attacks that bounced off of him like nothing.

  "Disappointing." Ren sighed, shaking her head. "I hope you are stronger than those two… but I highly doubt it. I'll need to transfer my pythings over sooner than ter; they can be the perfect training partners for them... You just... ain't it."

  "W-what… are you talking about… wh-who are you all?"

  "Mmm? We are the Immortal Wonders Sect." Ren answered, gncing at him sideways, "I am the head disciple, and those two are core disciples of the Sect. If you are not an experienced fighter or not someone who has advanced beyond the sixth level of body refinement… then you have no chance of beating them, it seems." She murmured, scratching her chin with a thoughtful expression

  "But… they are just… just body refinement cultivators!"

  "Not just." She scoffed, "Your worldview is small and confined to a small imagination. You just peek through the cracks... This is what it means to be a body refinement cultivator."

  "No… no… they must be in the harmony realm; they are using spells! Yes, that's the only logical expnation!"

  "Heh… soon the world will change, and the likes of you who now call yourselves experts will be ashamed to even cultivate. You'll see." Ren chuckled as Jess nded on the ground, being smmed into it as his shield broke into fming pieces. Standing up, he received another kick from Isha to the neck, almost breaking it, crashing him back down again, and finally, making him lose consciousness.

  Kafu was already feeling out of breath when it happened, backing off in horror, while Zern just looked at him, cracking his neck.

  "Are you done? I still have some sore spots." But before Kafu could answer, he rushed at him, giving him a punch in the guts, making him gasp for air before his eyes rolled back, falling face forward into the dirt.

  "Great work." Leinor came up with a smile, checking on the two defeated opponents, touching their necks and transmitting some of his own energy, ensuring they wouldn't suffer significant injuries. Just enough to make it hurt when they wake up.

  "Hardly. I'm honestly disappointed." Isha sulked, nding back on the ground, shrugging her shoulders.

  "Wait until the Sect starts grooming disciples; just one or two geniuses, and we will be left in the dust." Zern shook his head. "Both you and I have average talent; our only advantage is being under Ren's immediate guidance for years."

  "Bootlicker," she rolled her eyes, hearing him speak. "You still have a bias towards your master."

  "Ahaha… Master for a day, Master for life." Zern joked while Leinor picked up the two unconscious men, bringing them over to Ren.

  "Are you ready?" his wife smiled at him while Garth was already in panic mode, wanting to do anything but fight.

  His worldview, someone being in the Harmony Realm and being as accomplished in his life as he was, he couldn't accept what he was seeing now. They were not harmony realm experts, revered by others! Just... nobodies... This shouldn't be happening… They shouldn't be able to win!

  He was recruited by the Elroth family, one of the nine kingdoms, only under the Naulins in power. Their wealth, power, and influence rivaled those of every other family he knew! This region was entirely under their absolute rule, with the Qun Kingdom as one of their puppet states... Yet even they couldn't fathom something like this...

  Yes, the Elroths had a family head who advanced to the 9th level before breaking into Harmony, being a true powerhouse. He even had descendants who also advanced to the 7th or 8th level, and dozens of weaker but still… All of those people were... harmony realm experts, including Garth. They were paid handsomely every month, living like nobles on their nd, doing every task the family gave out to them, and when they announced themselves, everyone was awed by their presence.

  But now, two body-refinement cultivators have defeated someone above their tier? How was this possible? This must be some trick… or the work of demons. That could be the only expnation for his fractured mind.

  "You… You are not humans! You are demons! Coming to trick and consume us!" He screamed out as his hand was suddenly covered in a thick yer of ice, forming a bde, striking at Leinor from point-bnk range.

  Garth's transformed hand quickly made contact with its target, and he could feel it as it sank deep into Leinor's chest while his icicle-like bde came out at his back, spttering red, hot blood behind him. As it appeared, it released pinkish water vapor, melting under the heat of Leinor's blood... But that wasn't all... Because Garth could feel his ice melt inside him, slowly disappearing into nothing... getting absorbed. And now, his fingers were lodged into his ribcage, looking dumbfoundedly at Leinor's calm face.

  "Pretty cold," Leinor said calmly, looking down at his wound and grabbing Garth's hand. "And has less energy than yours, dear." He added, smiling at Ren, "I can absorb this."

  "That was a stupid move." Ren shook her head, but she wasn't speaking to Leinor. "Now, I can't guarantee your survival." She sighed as Kafu and Jess regained consciousness, seeing and hearing what was happening before them.

  "How.. can you still… be so calm! I punctured your lungs! You... you should be... Ugh!" He groaned as he started to feel his energy getting drained, switching from a tingling sensation to a slowly rising speed, horrifying him and making him weak in mere seconds.

  "Yeah, you did. So what?" Leinor tilted his head as the ice finally disappeared and he slowly pulled his enemy's now thin, bone-like hand out of his chest, letting it close up and heal before their eyes. "You should've aimed to cut off my head or something. This is hardly an injury I can't heal."

  “You… you… are…” He stammered, but his body started to dry up like a mummy...

  Jess and Kafu watched with dreadful eyes as Garth's hair turned white, falling out in patches. A moment ter, his skin was already cracked and aged... and he soon looked like someone who went from thirty to a hundred in a few blinks. At the end, he couldn't muster the strength to speak, but he realized what was happening and which famous bloodline was his enemy. But it was too te.

  Leinor, at the st moment, let go of his hand, making the now ancient-looking Garth colpse with faded-looking eyes and fallen-out teeth, parched lips, gasping for air with much, much difficulty… but he was still alive.

  "How was it?" Ren asked curiously, ignoring the wheezing mummy completely.

  "Not enough." He shook his head, furrowing his brows, "It was still waaaay too fast. I couldn't control it yet... I wanted to only sap a little to make him weak, but I almost drained all of his life force."

  "Don't worry, I'll lend you Yurik." Ren answered with a chuckle, "He is stronger than these three combined. You can train on him!"

  "You sure? What about-" He faltered, thinking about Anya, but Ren just shook her head.

  "I'll speak with my mother. Leave it to me!" She giggled as she patted his buttocks. "You are the first to ruin the uniform; nice job!"

  "Tsk… thanks? I guess?" he ughed while on the VIP stands, Carthus was watching with conflicting emotion in his eyes, old nightmares fshing in the back of his mind.

  "If he can moderate it, he can inherit my nickname from back when I was just starting out." Aerthus ughed, thinking of something entirely different.

  "What was it?" Dermitos asked with interest, looking at him.

  "Cockroach. Every time I was stomped down, I came back."

  "Ugh…" The others looked at him, not knowing whether to dare to ugh.

  "Hehe, they were right; I survived many nasty events thanks to it." He chuckled with nostalgia, "With how he can siphon lifeforce, he could do so, too, just like me. Destroyed heart? Lungs? Even an injured brain? It would be only an inconvenience, especially if he advances... We may not have the best offense or defense, but we can survive longer than anyone," he ughed proudly, patting Carthus's shoulder. "I know your father went overboard with it... But this is our bloodline."

  "I swore an oath to never use it." Carthus sighed softly, shaking his head.

  "I don't ask you to train in it again; I respect your oaths. But the kid needs guidance. Don't be a hindrance to him."

  "I understand, Sect Head." Carthus nodded, taking it as an order from his forefather.

  "Good." Aerthus smiled before announcing the end of the exhibition matches.

  …….…..

  "My Lord, the ruler of the Qun Kingdom, requests help," came in a butler, bringing a letter to the current family head of the Elroths, Kaipan.

  He was in his hillside vil, where he usually enjoyed his favorite hobby, tending to grapes and making the best wine he could. From the outside, he looked like a run-of-the-mill, middle-aged man with short bck hair, a short beard, and steel-colored eyes, usually wearing farming clothes or just a blue robe, like now.

  "Mmm? What is it about?"

  "A few days ago, something happened… something I'm still in the process of verifying. It's too incredible to believe it at face value, My Lord." His butler sighed, expining the letter about buildings appearing from nowhere, with many fshes of light and strange, clothed people coming and going from there… to top it off, a flying boat. "The people we have at that border region went to scout out the strange phenomenon immediately, but failed to report back."

  "This is too strange to be made up." Kaipan muttered, "Call up my son and the top three family retainers. We'll go and see what's going on!" He said at once, turning deadly serious, "Meanwhile, block this information from the other Kingdoms and from the Naulins. If we can profit from this, I would hate to see others put their hands on it..."

  "I already did so, My Lord. But the other families will notice something happened as their spies failed to report back."

  "That still gives us time!" He downed the wine from his cup in his hand, smacking his lips. "I heard the failure of the Naulin envoys... This also could be something the Empire did as retaliation... If this is the case, we can notify them, let those silvery-haired bastards deal with their own shit," he smiled, looking through the now empty gss, falling silent for a moment, with a small smile.

  …….…..

  "I have the first mission for you," Aerthus spoke up, looking around the people inside the mission hall. A few days ter, "Feynor already started the nationwide selection in the Empire; he will round up a thousand talented individuals to be sent here and take my test to see who has the aptitude to join up."

  "What kind of test will it be?" Leinor asked, curious.

  "You'll see, I'll conduct it myself at first, as it can only be done by someone at my level." Aerthus answered coolly, "The selection will take months on Feynor's end, so until then, I want you to scout for individual talents and spread the name of the Sect." Aerthus added happily. "First, I heard about the demonic vilge you all helped establish, and that there are some talented demons there, especially the one named Shaman. I want him to join the alchemy department."

  "Ahaha, Master, I think he will be pretty excited about that!" Ren ughed, her grin growing double its size.

  "I hope so."

  "Don't worry, I'll talk to him!" She spped her ft chest. "Leave it to me!"

  "No. You'll have a different mission." Aerthus said, surprising her, "For the demons, I'll send Poli, Reignar, and Zern with Elder Poli as the group's lead."

  "Understood." Poli saluted with a grin, but soon got a bucket of cold water from Aerthus, which spilled all over him.

  "This will be a test." He warned him, "If you fail to lead, you will be demoted to Core Disciple."

  "Understood." Poli gulped at once, now answering with a completely different tone.

  "Ren, you will head to the Rorik Kingdom with Isha, meet with the royal family, expin what is going on, and assure them of our support." Aerthus continued at once, "Also, Lacuss is on his way, waiting for you, and after meeting up with you two, with you in the lead, tour the Kingdom's side."

  "You are sending Ren into the Kingdom?" Xendar raised his eyebrows, quickly correcting himself. "Sect Head… this is… I don't know if this is a good idea."

  "I agree," Anya answered, and even Carthus agreed with it.

  "You are over-worrying about this!" Aerthus shook his head, "She is an expert in strength and needs the experience to grow. The Kingdom is as big as the Empire, but it is fractured within. The different territories are ruled by different families, and the constant backstabbing and dancing around each other make it chaotic. Her looks, giving the air of someone from the Naulin family, is the best cover." He smiled, gncing at Ren for a moment, "Also, do you think they are leaving the core region that often? They are busy pying the chess game of their masquerade." He added, shaking his head. "Your main objective is to tour the Elroth's territory, spread the Sect's name among the people, and if you spot some talented youngsters, bring them back. You have two months."

  "That's not much… but okay." Ren nodded excitedly, already rubbing her hands.

  "Good! Finally, Leinor, you stay back; you must train and prepare to advance." He finished expining, cpping his hands, "That's all. You can go and get ready; as for the Elders, stay for a moment."

  After the younger generation left, Aerthus once again looked over them with a smile.

  "Rumors are popping up in the Empire that Feynor is selling it out to the demons and whatnot. Probably the work of Rudrick or, at least, his idea." Aerthus reported, unbothered by the news, "After we accept disciples who will be demon folk, these rumors may gain more footing than they should. I want you to get ready for everything because they could use this and fan the fmes, making some experts band together and trying to use them as fodder to see how deep our foundation is and test out what we are made of."

  "It shouldn't pose a big threat with Sect Head at the helm." Dermitos thought out loud.

  "That would achieve nothing. What if I were gone?" He snorted, "Or went to retreat to try to break through? So better to prepare yourselves! I want the outside world to remember, if they see our bck and purple uniform, recognize it as the most prominent Sect in their known world that can take on anything!" He ughed as he stood up, while the others also showed a fired-up expression at his words. They understood what he meant. "Carthus and Boursat, you help Leinor get ready for his breakthrough. Meanwhile, I'll work on Ren's method to streamline it more and pce it in the Sect's library. When the disciples come, everything must be ready to be used as the basis of our cultivation. Our Sect's members are going to stand their ground against someone from a higher level and be able to beat down multiple foes at the same level! I accept nothing less!"