Is That A Wisp?

by Srtyi

What if a wisp, with zero EQ about human culture and habits, gains the opportunity to cultivate and finally achieve human form? Now he can enter cities, experience technology, and fight his way to the top, right? In this universe where wisps are seen as nothing more than cultivation resources, a wisp stands up to challenge the wisps destiny! Not without causing a lot of misundersta

5. 91 - 120

Read Is that a Wisp? Chapter 91 The Divine Path Sect Arrives online for free - AllNovelFull

It had been a month since the start of Shields forging. Today, Marcus forged the thirty-first one. There were only another seven to go. Krune, of course, was there with Marcus to forge his own Divine Imprints. He couldn't help but be impressed with Marcus' skills. Every single shield connected with each other perfectly! But that made some sense: he is a Five Stars Blacksmith after all, only beneath the Hall Master himself who is at the Six Stars!

Marcus started the forging process of the next one while Krune was sat by the side. Suddenly, Krune opened his eyes, and a blast of Spiritual Energy filled the room where they are staying. Marcus was a little surprised by that, it was evident that Krune had achieved a breakthrough.

That was right. Krune had finally entered the 8th stage of the Foundation Establishment. He could have done it a few hours earlier, but he was waiting for Marcus to start a new forging process. Like that, he knew that Marcus wouldn't need his Divine Imprint for the next few hours. There was enough time to stabilize the chaotic spiritual energy inside his foundation before the next one needed to be forged.

After this breakthrough, Krune's Divine Sense and soul power increased once again. He brought out the already forged thirty Hexagonal Shields and poured his Spiritual Energy inside. According to Krune's specification, the shields were made to accept any kind of element and not just spiritual energy. Just like Lina's weapons back in the mercenary selection where they could be used with fire and lightning.

He then released the shields and used his Divine Sense to control them. They started to float around while slowly spinning. Krune then tried to make a few different formations with them, but it became harder than he thought. Marcus wasn't kidding before when he'd said that too many flying shields would put a lot of burden on the soul. And there was still another eight shields incoming.

'It seems like I will need to practice for a while. Although I have enough soul power to control them with Divine Sense, it is still hard to use them together. No wonder cultivators at my levels don't like to use too many flying weapons at the same time.'

Krune sighed and then put his shields back into his spatial ring. Without having all thirty-eight together, there was no point in practicing that time. It would only make him feel weird when more shields suddenly appeared in the situation.

In the Makui Continent, several elders, sect leaders, kingdoms representatives, guild heads, and other organizations, people from all powers in the world were gathered. It was the gathering to receive the Divine Path Sect representative, who would oversee the Martial Gathering that time around. Suddenly, a boom could be heard coming from the sky. Everyone's eyes lit up when they saw that. It was the sound of a spaceship when it entered the atmosphere. The spaceship was azure like and bigger than any other spaceship owned by the people in the Makui Planet. On its side, it could be seen the heavens symbol emblem of the Divine Path Sect.

This spaceship would also be the one to take the ten Foundation Establishment winners and the Core Formation Realm competitors under 40 years old to the Divine Path Sect entrance exam.

The ship approached the city where everyone was waiting, and not long after, it stopped right above it. The ship was so big that it could cover one-tenth of the entire city. It was also a way of showing the Divine Path Sect's power in their own territory. The comports of the ship opened. It could be seen three people coming down, an elder and two Core Formation youngsters. Judging by their appearance, they were obviously under 40 years old as well. Even before they arrived on the ground, the people there could already hear the young man complaining.

"Elder, why do I have to come to this place? There is nothing worth spending my time here anyway. This planet hadn't had a successful contestant entering the Divine Path Sect in ages. We could simply ignore them and say that we didn't find anyone worthy of taking notice."

The young man didn't hide his words at all. The disdain in his eyes was apparent for everyone to see. But he obviously was a member of the Divine Path Sect. So even the Soul Forging Realm cultivators of the Makui Planet couldn't retort.

The elder heard that, and his face darkened.

"Shut up! If our Divine Path Sect starts to neglect the cultivators in our own territory, it won't take long before our Sect's power starts to diminish."

The other youngster was a woman around the same age as the man.

"The elder is right! I've told you hundreds of times! You never know where a real talent might appear. It's our duty to make sure the talents of our territory are properly taken care of. This attitude of yours would just send the Sect to its ruins."

The young man snorted and didn't say anything else. It was undeniable that he wasn't convinced by the words of the elder and his martial sister.

They arrived on the ground and were greeted by Kaio Gleem. Gleem was the overall representative selected by vote to speak on behalf of the powers of the Makui Planet and the leader of the Divine Swords Sect, one of the world's strongest powers.

"Welcome, my name is Kaio Gleem. We have been waiting for your arrival, Divine Path Sect Elder."

He then asked:

"May I ask this esteemed elder's name?"

The elder nodded in approval.

"My name is Loni Ravser, an outer sect elder. There is no need to be so polite. It's our duty to oversee all competitions of the planets in our territory. Don't mind this idiotic disciple; he is young and hasn't seen the universe properly yet."

Everyone heard that and secretly let out a sigh of relief. It seemed this time they got an easy-going elder. There had been several times where the Divine Path Sect representative was someone hard to deal with. They had got quite a few representatives that were just like the young man beside the elder.

"The elder is too polite. We have gathered all the powers that a cultivator participating in the Martial Gathering would have. We are ready to take the elder Loni's orders."

In fact, the Martial Gathering contents were never decided by the planet itself, but by the representative of the Divine Path Sect. It was also the reason why no power would ever fail in sending someone to hear the contents. The earlier they knew about it, the better were the chances of their own contestants during the gathering. From the Yule Continent Mercenary Guild Side, none other than Bary Casfiu came to check things out.

Loni then asked:

"How many contestants have you gathered this time around?"

Kaio dutifully reported:

"Our planet has a total of 1349 Foundation Establishment contestants this time around."

"And how many under the age of 40, Core Formation Realm cultivators and demon beasts are you sending this time?"

Kaio answered again:

"Our planet was lucky this time around and gave birth to sixteen Core Formation Realm cultivators and demon beasts under the age of 40 willing to try the Divine Path Sect Entrance Exam."

Loni got a little surprised. For a world of the Makui Planet size, having sixteen Core Formation Realm cultivators and demon beats willing to participate, is an excellent number.

Of course, compared to the real strong planets in their territory, that number wasn't anything worthy of praise.

Loni then opened the screen of his communicator, and, after checking the information for the Makui Planet, said.

"This martial Gathering will have Three Phases!"

"As you probably have already guessed, the first is the elimination phase, which will cut down the cultivators' number up to 400."

"The second phase will once again eliminate the majority. Only 160 will remain."

"The last phase will be one vs. one battle. In the end, only ten will remain, who will then come with me to the Divine Path Sect Entrance Exam a few months later."

The contents always varied. There have been gatherings with up to ten phases. It was up to the Divine Path Sect representative to choose. There were even a few impatient ones that went with a single-phase only. You never know what they will be planning.

The elder then looked at everyone and revealed the contents he chose this time around.

"The first phase will take place in the Gamon Planet. The cultivators will be released at certain points of the world and have to make their way to the location specified beforehand. The first 400 to arrive will advance to the next phase. As for the contents of the second phase, you will come to know after the first phase is concluded."

"To make sure that the Martial Gathering will start at the appointed time, we will be departing in fifteen days. The travel to the Gamon Planet will take twelve days. If someone is not here by that time, we'll leave. They can only blame themselves for their luck. That's all for now."

Everyone took their communicators out and started sending the news back to their powers. They had to make sure their contestants would be there on time. Bary also did the same and immediately contacted the guild. He then passed the orders to find Shinja in the Ice Hell Danger Zone and asked for Krune and Ao to be informed too.

Shinja had left the message that she would stay inside the Danger Zone until the Martial Gathering starts. But they will be leaving the planet for the first phase, which is a very rare occurrence. So they will need to have her back before the appointed time. Fortunately, she had left the approximated location where she would be staying. Then the guild immediately dispatched three Divine Soul Realm cultivators to find her as soon as possible.

The elder then looked at his two disciples and said:

"You are free to do whatever you want in the meantime. But don't go out there and start making trouble for the people of this planet. I'm especially talking to you, Roni."

Roni then nodded and left. Since he had to wait there anyway, he might as well take a look.

The elder saw that and shook his head. That disciple of his has always given him headaches. He then looked at his female disciple.

"Lena, keep an eye on your martial brother, will you?"

Lena nodded and then set off in the direction Roni left. She has already been expecting as much anyway.

Back in the Mercenary Guild, Krune and Ao had received the message from Bary about the Martial Gathering contents. Krune looked at that and left a sigh of relief.

'Fortunately, my shields will be completed in time.'

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A week later, the three Divine Soul elders of the Yule Continent Guild came back with Shinja. Surprisingly, her cultivation had reached the second stage, basically because of her Pure Yin Body compatibility with the Ice Hell Danger Zone spiritual energy, a lot easier to convert into Elemental Source Energy. The elders had arrived at her place just a few hours after her breakthrough and were quite surprised by that outcome. It has only been more or less a year since she entered the Core Formation Realm. That speed was simply frightening!

Of course, other than her Pure Yin Body, Shinja had the Spiritual Energy Meridians. Thanks for that too. All the spiritual energy absorbed is immediately compatible with her core, so she only needs to focus on converting it into the Elemental Source Energy. Not to mention that the Ice Hell Danger Zone Spiritual Energy is easier to be converted as already mentioned.

Krune was still in the Forging room. Marcus was working in the last shield at the moment, and that would take some time to finish. But he wasn't in a hurry anyway. He took his time to separate the Elemental Source Energy from the spiritual energy he uses for cultivation while reinforcing his foundation. Even if just 10% turns into Elemental Source Energy, after a long time of cultivation, Krune already had quite a bit of it. He couldn't help but feel hopeful about his Core Formation Realm Breakthrough.

Two hours later, Marcus asked for him to forge the last Divine Imprint. By this time, Krune was already wholly used with the forging process. At first, he would take over two hours to finish making one. But now, he didn't need even thirty minutes. Marcus had to keep adapting to Krune's speed, but that wasn't a big issue. He just had to ask for it later.

After completing the last Divine Imprint, Krune went back to his corner and waited. Even after the Divine Imprint was made, the process of forging the shield would take a few hours more, for a second. Krune thought that since this is the last one, he didn't need to wait. However, he ignored that idea, he had waited for so long already, a few more hours would make no difference, so he stayed.

It was already night time when Marcus took a deep breath. The last of the thirty-eight shields was finally completed. One could see the fatigue on his face, but at the same time, he seemed quite pleased with the results. He then passed it to Krune and asked him to give a quick try with all of them together.

Krune was also happy to see that all of them were finally made and immediately took out the other thirty-seven shields. After charging them with enough spiritual energy, Krune went to an open space of the room, releasing the shields on the air. They started to float around him, following different directions. It was quite a magical scene to see Krune in the center of those flying shields. Marcus couldn't help but nod in approval. Krune could really control all of them at the same time.

Krune then performed a few maneuvers but couldn't get them to attach together as he wanted. Sometimes they didn't stop one beside the other as he wanted. Other times their corners hit the corners of the other shields, leaving the formation of the shield wall incomplete. Marcus saw Krune doing that and started to laugh out loud.

"That is to be expected. Precisely controlling thirty-eight shields at once wasn't something that a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator could do to start with. You will need to practice quite a lot, but since you can, to a certain extent, already control them, it will only be a time issue until you can use them properly."

Krune then recalled the Shields back into his spatial ring and nodded to Marcus.

"I was already expecting it as well. It's really hard to control them perfectly, but I believe I will be able to do so in no time. I really have to thank you for these marvelous shields. They are simply amazing, I can feel the sturdiness of every single one of them. Not to mention how easily the spiritual energy and the elements flow inside of them. I can definitely call them masterpieces!"

Marcus nodded.

"There is no need for all of that blabbering. I was paid for this job already anyway. So it goes without saying that I would definitely complete them to the best of my abilities. I look forward to seeing how you will use them in the Martial Gathering."

Krune nodded and exchanged a few more words. Just when he was about to leave, Marcus called him from behind.

"Krune, your talent for forging is no less than Alchemy or Formations. In the future, you will understand that a weapon, or a shield in your case, can only achieve its best results in the hands of the person who forged it. So, don't give up forging! It will be of immense help to you in the future."

Krune wasn't surprised with that statement since he'd already guessed as much. But for him to be able to make shields of that quality, he would need to be at least a Five Stars Blacksmith like Marcus, and he didn't have enough time nor the cultivation to reach that level.

"I know, I will not leave my forging skills behind. There will come a day when I forge the perfect shields."

Marcus heard that and was surprised.

"So you didn't want to simply make a few Divine Imprints, that is good. Don't forget to pay me a visit after you come back from the Martial Gathering. I want to hear how was the performance of my babies."

Marcus then passed a spatial ring to Krune.

"Inside, you will find the necessary materials to repair your shields. You might not have achieved the level to make them, but it should be no problem for you to keep them in good condition."

Marcus then laughed and went back to the Blacksmith Hall.

Krune liked Marcus very much. He was really an easygoing person and kind to talk with. Not to mention that his abilities were the real deal.

Krune went back to his room and opened his communicator. He then told Yusa and the others that he had finished making his equipment, and asked whether they didn't want to go eat something. As everyone had been busy training all that time, relaxing was much appreciated.

They gathered in Ao's room, and the one who cooked, of course, was Krune again. After the food was ready, they started to eat, while Krune explained what had happened after creating the ninth meridian. Shinja and the others couldn't help but be amazed by that, of course. Krune left out little light's existence.

"The meridians opened a spatial gate. How is that even possible? It's a totally different matter from simply teleporting! I can't believe that."

Shinja was a lot more concerned with the changes, though.

"To think you can acquire Elemental Source Energy before the Core Formation Realm! If I knew that, I would have waited for when I also had nine meridians, which would give me a nice boost."

Of course, Shinja knew that Krune was a pioneer in the Spiritual Energy Meridians, so he discovered things little by little.

Krune then said.

"I gathered some information, and it seems there are a few that can help with the core, just like the Elemental Energy Source. However, you won't be able to find them here in the Makui Planet."

Yusa and Ao were a little sad.

"In our case, it's even worse. We do know that it is possible to do that. But because our dantains can't support nine Spiritual Energy Meridians, we won't be able to do it before the Core Formation Realm, even if we know."

Krune then shook his head.

"It might be impossible! But don't forget that once you break into the Core Formation Realm, you should be able to support nine Spiritual Energy Meridians. At that time, we will know if they can also be upgraded to the Elemental Source Meridians like me."

He then continued.

"The best part of the Elemental Source Meridians is that they can convert part of the Spiritual Energy directly into Elemental Source Energy. You won't need to do it yourself, and it will increase the speed of your cultivation in the Core Formation Realm by quite some extent."

"Also, I think that their efficiency will increase once they are used by Core Formation Realm cultivators. I say that because my old Spiritual Energy Meridians got a lot better after entering the Foundation Establishment."

Everyone nodded. They had to admit that such a possibility was really high. Ao then asked Shinja about her progress with the Spiritual Energy Meridians, since she was already a Core Formation Realm cultivator.

"I gathered quite a few spirit stones doing missions and assaulting a few spiritual energy veins deep into the Ice Hell Danger Zone. I used them to open my sixth Spiritual Energy Meridian, but I'm still quite far from getting the last three."

She then continued.

"But I already tested if it is possible to create a seventh meridian, and I can start the process without feeling anything. You should be able to do the same after you enter the Core Formation Realm."

Yusa and Ao nodded. They were already expecting as much. It was then that Krune looked at Yusa and said:

"I can see you entered the 9th Stage of the Foundation Establishment. Even Ao, who had a higher cultivator than you in the past, fell behind now."

Yusa immediately showed a smile.

"That is to be expected! I said that I was going to participate in the Divine Path Sect Entrance Exam, so I will need to enter the Core Formation Realm in the next seven months before it starts. I focused a lot more on reinforcing my foundation and cultivating."

Ao also reported his progress.

"I spent every single second I had sparing against senior Orle. I don't mind my cultivation falling a little behind. I got a lot more during those fights against him. I believe that if I fought Arlan now, I definitely would be at his level. Not to mention that even if my cultivation hasn't improved, it got a lot of sturdier."

Ao then reminded Yusa:

"You should reinforce your cultivation too. Focus mainly on it. Then you can definitely avoid any instability. The worst thing you could do is to attempt a breakthrough with an unstable foundation. Even if you succeed, you won't bring the best results out of it."

Yusa agreed with that.

"There is no need to worry. I've already used some of my spirit stones to buy a few items capable of accelerating the reinforcement of my cultivation. I'm sure that my foundation will be excellent when I try to break through into the Core Formation Realm."

Yusa then looked at Krune.

"But your case is different! You were the one who lagged behind the most. Is it okay for you to be in the 8th stage already?"

Krune understood her concern.

"I did it for the Martial Gathering. My foundation indeed got a little unstable after this last breakthrough. But I'm already at the level that I was planning to be. So I won't cultivate anymore until the Divine Path Sect Entrance Exam starts, which will give me enough time to reinforce it. Not to mention that I've already got a few cultivation resources focused on the foundation from Guild Head Bary, so I should be fine."

With all said and done, they went back to enjoy their food. According to Guild Head Bary, they would be leaving for the Makui Continent next day morning. Even though there is still a week before the Divine Path Sect Spaceship leaves, Bary wants to make sure that nothing will go wrong, so they are leaving really early.

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Next morning, Bary and a few elders were already waiting close to the long-distance teleport formation. Krune's group arrived right after. Only Krune and Ao will be participating this time around. But Shinja and Yusa were going together just to see how the first phase would go out. Bary didn't mind. Many contestants are bringing their subordinates to take care of their necessities. It's a common situation in the cultivator world anyway.

"I see you achieved a breakthrough into the 8th stage. That is good! You should have a better chance of passing the Martial Gathering now. But I know you did it quite in a hurry. So, remember to spend the next few months reinforcing your foundation instead of cultivating!"

Krune nodded.

"That was my plan from the start. Guild Head Bary has no need to worry."

Bary then looked at Ao Sulian.

"How was this period of training with Orle?"

Ao immediately thanked Bary.

"He was of immense help. I was somewhat weaker than Arlan, but I reckon I should be able to fight on equal grounds against him now."

Bary and the elders heard that and were very satisfied. Arlan definitely had the strength to fight for one of the ten slots. if Ao has the power to fight against him on equal grounds, he also has a chance to get one of the ten slots. Bary them clapped his hands and said:

"Alright, get over the long-distance teleport formation, we are going to the Makui Continent."

They stepped on it. After the teleport formation finished charging up with spiritual energy, everyone disappeared with a silver flash.

The city of Marlow was where the Spaceship of the Divine Path Sect was staying at that moment. It was on the border of the biggest danger zone of the Makui Continent, the Abyss Danger Zone. Different from other cities bordering danger zones, that one was stationed right beside it. So anyone who wished to enter the danger zone wouldn't need to travel for days to reach it.

One of the various long-distance teleport formations in the city started to shine. An instant later, Krune's group appeared on it. That time, there was no one waiting for them, which is to be expected. There were a lot of contestants this time around. The city couldn't possibly arrange so many people at the same time. After arriving there, Guild Head Bary guided everyone to the Mercenary Guild Branch of that city where their rooms were already waiting.

As soon as they arrived, they bumped on the Makui Continent Mercenary Guild Head, Lowen Isfal, and Arlan Rosier was beside him. They had just arrived as well. Bary and Lowen went somewhere else to talk while Arlan stayed behind, he then turned to Krune and Ao.

"It's been a while."

Ao and Krune nodded. Ao had quite a good impression of him.

"Not that long, just one month and something. How has your training coming around?"

Arlan laughed at that question.

"You really are a sword maniac just like me. The first thing you ask was about my skills. But I like that! I've been receiving swordsmanship training from the Guild Head this time around. It seems like he has quite high hopes for me."

Ao eyes lit up. All he wanted was to spar with Arlan to see how much they had really improved, but Yusa stopped them the middle way.

"Alright! Don't go out there challenging people right when you see them! You need to keep your peak condition for the Martial Gathering, and you can display all your skills as much as you want when it starts."

Arlan and Ao nodded. In the end, Krune's group invited Arlan to have a meal with them. Surprisingly, Arlan really accepted the invitation.

"I was expecting you to refuse, you know?"

Arlan then asked.

"Should I leave then?"

Krune shook his head.

"Ignore her, I'm more than happy to cook for more people. Just meet us back here in an hour, I'm going to take a look in my room first. I believe the rest of us will be doing the same."

Arlan nodded and then went back to do his own things. The same was for Krune and the others. After checking in their rooms and looking into some information, they gathered again at the entrance around one hour later.

Arlan then asked.

"Where should we go? I know a few restaurants around here."

Since he was willing to show it for them, everyone nodded.

After taking a room for themselves, Krune looked on the menu and asked for almost everything he hasn't tasted before, making Arlan's jaw drop. He wondered if Krune could really eat all of that. Not long after, the food arrived.

While they were eating, Arlan made an invitation.

"After this, I'm going to the Danger Zone beside the city to train my sword skills a bit. Do you guys want to tag along?"

Ao immediately accepted. Seeing that, Krune and the others nodded too, they had nothing to do in the meantime anyway. Since they still have a week before the Spaceship departs, they might take a look in this danger zone. As long as they don't go more in-depth, a group at their level shouldn't have any issues.

After finishing eating, they were about to stand up to leave the restaurant when they suddenly heard a commotion coming from the entrance. After making their way down to see, they found out who was the culprit. Arlan then explained:

"That is Roni. He came with the elder of the Divine Path Sect, who is overseeing the Martial Gathering of our planet this time. I heard that he hated being on our planet and has been causing trouble around ever since he arrived."

Krune's group didn't expect that guy to be someone from the Divine Path Sect. They could see him complaining about the quality of the restaurant and its food. Then, Arlan explained the things Roni had been doing ever since and how his martial sister had to intervene every time to prevent things from scaling.

Krune's group saw how Roni was acting, and their first impression of him was as bad as bad could be. However, they decided to ignore him. This guy wasn't their problem, after all. So they moved to the entrance to exit the restaurant. It was then that Roni caught a glance from Shinja in the middle of Krune's group. As a Pure Yin Body woman, she was obviously very beautiful. He immediately stopped what he was doing and came over.

He stopped the group and talked with Shinja. His eyes didn't stop on Krune or the others for even a second, he was obviously treating them like air.

"Hello, lady! Would you like to accompany me for a chat?"

Shinja's face immediately darkened. Other than the people in her group, she usually turned a cold shoulder to anyone approaching her. Divine Path Sect or not, she couldn't care less about him.

"Scram!"

She ignored him and left with everyone. Roni was frozen on the spot. He had never expected someone of this planet would dare to ask for him to scram. A moment after his face turned ugly and he immediately went after Krune's group. However, just as he was about to start another big commotion, his martial sister appeared and grabbed his shoulder.

"She doesn't want to talk with you, so leave her alone."

In fact, Lena was very satisfied with the way Shinja treated this idiot martial brother of hers. If not for the fact they have the same Master, she would have crippled him already. She really couldn't understand why her Master kept someone like him on his side as a disciple.

Roni understood he wouldn't be able to make a move on Shinja at that moment and just snorted. He took flight and left straight away. Lena looked back at Krune's group and sighed. She knew that Roni wouldn't give up so easily. His pride was so big that it could reach the heavens. But she did all that she could at that moment. She then let out a sigh and left as well.

Arlan was still impressed by the way Shinja treated the Divine Path Sect guy. How many people on their planet would dare to do so?

"Sister Shinja, I'm really amazed by your actions. Don't you fear that guy taking revenge on you? I heard he raised a tumult every time something displeased him on our planet. Quite a lot of people got injured just because of his whims."

Shinja wasn't the only one to not care about Roni. Krune didn't give a damn about him either. As for Ao and Yusa, they were more or less following the flow. They did think that offending someone of the Divine Path Sect wasn't right, but they wouldn't stand on their side if Roni decided to bully someone of their group.

"He is just a Core Formation Realm like me. I have nothing to fear! According to what you told us, the Divine Path Sect seems to don't mind his actions. Only his martial sister is stopping by sometimes to check if he isn't starting a war suddenly, which means that no one is giving him any backup."

Arlan was taken aback by those words. He had to admit that it made some sense. Other than Lena, no one appeared to care about what he was doing.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at the city's gate. After signing the same agreement as always, they immediately left. Ao and Arlan decided to use the demon beasts to see who was better at fighting them. Although their personalities were quite different, they seemed to be very competitive when the way of the sword was involved. Krune and the others tagged along and watched the show. It was very entertaining for them to see those two fights.

There was only one thing Arlan found strange. Ao had put the condition they shouldn't kill or cripple the demons beasts, only defeat them.

'Maybe because it's harder to simply defeat instead of killing that he asked for it.'

Back at the Divine Path Sect Spaceship, Lena was taking care of a few things when she noticed that her martial brother disappeared again. She could already imagine where he went. But since that girl who said 'scram' to Roni was also a Core Formation Realm cultivator, she should be able to flee at least. So she didn't pursue him this time. Instead, she went to talk with her Master.

After knocking the door, her Master allowed her to enter.

"Master, that time bomb left again."

Loni heard that and sighed.

"Just let him be. I'm starting to feel tired of taking care of his delusions ."

Lena couldn't help but ask:

"Master, I really can't understand! I refuse to believe that you would take someone like him as a disciple. He doesn't suit Master's teachings at all."

Loni heard that and shook his head.

"I don't like him either, but that was a request from his grandfather. I couldn't simply refuse."

Lena was taken aback to make an external elder to be forced to take Roni as a disciple. His grandfather must have a great influence on the sect.

"Just who is he?"

Her Master looked away and just said:

"His grandfather is Gile Qergil, one of the Core Elders of the sect!"

Lena finally understood why her Master couldn't ignore that request. But why would they ask an external elder to take care of a member of their family? With their influence, it would be too easy to ask for an inner elder to teach him instead.

Noticing the puzzled face of her disciple, Loni explained.

"It's his talent. It turns out that his family has very little hope for his future accomplishments, so they ditched him over for me to take care, that's why he is always like that."

Lena got puzzled again.

"But he is also a 3rd stage Core Formation Realm just like me, and he is even two years younger, how come his talent is low?"

It was then that Lena thought about something.

"I see, it was through a lot of pills and resources that he got to where he is, am I right?"

Loni nodded.

"Yes, but his talent wasn't always like that. He had big hopes before, but his nature of always playing around and never cultivating affected him greatly. I heard that after he'd used some pills to raise his cultivation. He got addicted to them and thought that with his background and enough cultivation resources, he wouldn't need to care about getting strong. Of course, as you know, if you don't properly cultivate and keep using pills and whatever all the time, your foundation will become unstable. Eventually, you won't be able to improve anymore."

He then continued:

"His family has a lot of children, so they usually don't pay too much attention to every single one of them. They finally noticed how shaky Roni's foundation had become. It was already too late to fix it unless they paid a heavy price for some heavenly treasures. There is no way he can recover from that. And considering his lax attitude and laziness for cultivation, there was no way that his family would ever pay the price for him. They could only ditch him somewhere, and your Master just happens to be the one to bear the burden."

Loni then sighed.

"Of course, with his background and resources, he can still enter the Soul Forging Realm relying on it alone, maybe even the Void Breaking Realm. But for a member of the Core Elder Gile Qergil's family, stopping at the Void Breaking Realm is nothing but humiliation in their records. That's why they immediately got rid of him."

Loni then put a severe expression and warned Lena.

"Do not spread this information! It is because the Master trusts you that I'm telling you about it. Otherwise, the Qergil family might find problems with you. Your talent is a lot higher than mine. I trust that you will be able to become an inner elder or maybe even a Core Elder in the future. So, make sure to stay out of this troubled water."

Lena took a deep breath and nodded.

Roni was still holding a grudge about what had happened with Shinja. Even though he was cast aside by his family, he is still a member of the Divine Path Sect. Because of his extremely proud character, there was no way. He could simply let it go, so he made sure to keep track of where they had gone and immediately left the city after Krune's group. Since they entered the danger zone, he didn't need to care about what happened there. He was planning to kill Krune and the others and rape Shinja before killing her too.

Even though his foundation is now lost, his cultivation techniques and skills are far above those that can be found in the Makui Planet. He would still be able to fight 4th and even 5th Stage ordinary Core Formation Realm cultivators. He noticed that Shinja was only at the 2nd stage, so he wasn't afraid of her at all. As for the others, since they weren't in the Core Formation Realm, he couldn't care less about them.

It only took him a few hours to catch up with them.

"Gotcha!"

Everyone in Krune's group had powerful Divine Senses, so they immediately felt when Roni scanned their positions. They looked over, and it didn't take long for him to coming flying at them. Shinja's face immediately became ugly, only an idiot would not understand that he came for her! Arlan looked at Shinja concerned, but then, he noticed that Krune and the others didn't pay much attention to Roni.

Krune simply looked at Shinja and asked:

"Need our help?"

Shinja just gave him a side glance. Roni might be one stage higher than her. However, she was still confident in her abilities. She had the Spiritual Energy Meridians and the Soul Cultivation technique from the Rainbow Sect, not to mention the Pure Yin Body's power. If with all of that she still couldn't match Roni, then she might as well give up joining the Divine Path Sect.

"No need, I am more than enough."

Roni finally arrived, looked at everyone, and gave a sensual smile at Shinja and said:

"I can give you a chance! Warm my bed tonight, and I will only cripple your friends, what about that?"

Yusa heard that and started laughing.

"Shinja has a Pure Yin Body. It doesn't matter how much she stays in your bed, it will never get warm."

Ao and Krune heard that and started to laugh as well. Only Arlan felt they were out of their minds. That is a member of the Divine Path Sect, you know?

Surprisingly, Shinja retorted that comment:

"Don't talk as If I'm a block of ice. As long as I don't use the power of my Pure Yin Body, I am as warm as any of you. Of course, that idiot from the Divine Path Sect over there will never find out about it."

Ao didn't lose the chance.

"How can you say that about Shinja? Obviously, the one who will turn out to have a cold body is that Roni guy. After all, dead people can't get warm."

Of course! Shinja wouldn't dare to really kill or cripple this guy, but a beating should be just fine.

Roni heard all those comments and got even more furious. Let alone Shinja. The Foundation Establishment ones aren't putting him in their eyes at all. It especially hurt a lot more because his family had also lost any hope on him. So their attitude reminded him of when he was cast aside from his family.

"You are courting death!"

He ignored Shinja and immediately attacked the person closest to him, who just so happened to be Krune. Shinja saw the speed which he pounced at Krune and just snorted. He is indeed fast, but he obviously used just the necessary speed to deal with ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators. And Krune, of course, could be anything but ordinary.

"Tribulation Lightning Instant Movement!"

Roni's took out his spear and attacked Krune. He then passed through Krune's body, but he didn't feel the sensation of a weapon piercing a body. He felt like his spear hit nothing but air. It was then that he noticed Krune's body wasn't anything more than an afterimage. He spread his Divine Sense and found out that Krune was behind Shinja, which alarmed him much. That speed wasn't something a Foundation Establishment of a planet like this should be able to achieve.

Krune then looked at Roni and said:

"She is your opponent. Don't bother wasting time with me."

He then retreated to the side with his group, and they gave space for Shinja to deal with Roni.

Roni was even more enraged now. The people from this planet, who he considered to be ants, were looking at him with disdain. It should have been him the one to look at them like that. He immediately moved and attacked Shinja, using his sect movement skill. That time, he was moving without holding anything back.

Shinja finally put a serious face. Although Roni didn't seem very strong, his movement skills obviously might be better than hers, unfortunately for him. The lack of combat prowess made it easy for Shinja to deal with his speed. They exchanged quite a few blows, but no victor could be seen. Roni was starting to lose his mind already. That girl he believed he could crush with his finger turned out not to be any weaker than himself, and her cultivation was even lower!

It was then that an Ice Icicle came out of nowhere and hit him on his shoulder. Not only that, but the power of the lightning element was inside that icicle. His body immediately went numb and made him lose his attention for a second. Shinja used that chance to summon the Myriad Water Thunder Dragons and attacked him. With nowhere to run, Roni could only do his best to defend against the dragons. Every time he destroyed one, the power of lightning inside them was released and attacked him again.

Shinja's control over her Ice, Water, and Lightning element had increased by leaps and bounds. She could even use Ice and Lightning together without being afraid of the lightning destroying the ice. Myriad Water Dragons were even more so. At that moment, it was a two in one attack. If the Water Dragons failed, there was still the lightning attack behind it, and, of course, if they didn't fail, then the damage would be even more serious.

Finally, Roni wasn't able to hold the attacks anymore. When he was about to lose and suffer several injuries, an old man appeared and deflected the attack.

Be it Shinja or Krune, neither of them noticed from where this guy came from. Everyone was immediately put on high alert. Roni might be easy to deal with, but that man in front of them was obviously in another league.

His name was Harold, and his cultivation was at the Soul Forging Realm. He was given the mission by the external elder to protect Roni in case anything went wrong. But he could only appear if Roni were in real danger.

The old man looked at Shina and said:

"Let's finish it here. I could see you weren't really trying to kill or cripple him, but only give a beating, which is understandable due to the way he treated you all. Since that's the case, I will not make a move on you, just go back to the city for now."

Roni finally came back to himself just in time to hear what his protector said. He immediately got furious and rebuked the old man.

"What the hell are you doing? Kill them now! They humiliated me. Only can death pay for their sins."

The old man looked at Roni with a helpless face, covering him with his spiritual energy and forcefully dragged him back to the city. He was only responsible for protecting him. As for how to deal with this trash of their Divine Path Sect, it is something for the external elder to decide.

Shinja and the other let out a sigh of relief. If that guy really made a move, they would be doomed for sure. Fortunately, he was a reasonable person.

Krune looked at everyone and said.

"Let's go back! For now, it will be better than risk having that idiot giving us trouble anymore."

Everyone nodded and started moving back. At first, this was supposed to be a relaxing trip with no dangers involved. But it turned out to be a serious issue now that the Divine Path Sect was concerned. They could only hope that it wouldn't affect them during the Martial Gathering.

Back into the Spaceship, Harold released Roni in front of the external elder. Loni Ravser looked at Roni and sighed once more. How many sighs has he done ever since he got to take care of this idiot?

Harold took out a recording device and showed the external elder. What happened? As soon as Loni saw the battle, he got excited. Shinja's prowess far surpassed what he could expect on a planet like Makui. It was then that he heard Roni asking for Harold to kill everyone. Immediately, his expression turned livid. He looked at Roni, who pretended not to care about anything and couldn't hold himself anymore. He then gave Roni a kick and sent him flying until he hit the wall of the Spaceship. Roni coughed some blood and almost passed out, his face showed surprise, he had never thought that this external elder would dare to kick a member of the Qergil family like him.

"You trash! Instead of recognizing your inferiority and using this chance to focus on your cultivation, you asked Harold to kill them? Do you have any idea how much humiliation Harold and I would suffer if someone found out we raised our hands against Core Formation Juniors?"

Loni grabbed him by the neck and continued:

"Your family abandoned you, and that is completely understandable. With this kind of resolve of yours, the laziness for cultivation, weak mind, and meaningless pride, you are fated to be trash for the rest of your life! When will you understand that only your own power can be counted with?"

The elder threw Roni to the side and gave him an order:

"From now on, you are confined in your room and will focus only on reinforcing your foundation. Although it was damaged due to your carelessness, it still could bring you up to the Void Breaking Realm. I will check your progress in a few months. If it didn't improve even a little bit, just see if I don't give you another beating!"

Roni slowly got up and stared in hatred at his master.

"Do You dare to hurt a member of the Qergil family? You are doomed, just you wait until I contact my grandfather!"

Loni sent a wave of spiritual energy and knocked Roni to the ground again. He then opened a communicator and connected to the monitor in the room. Roni looked at who his master was video calling, and his face went pale.

On the other side, a burly old man appeared. He had white hair and a short beard. The scars in his body showed how many battles he had gone through in his life. Cultivators can get rid of scars easily, but that old man considered those scars his pride. He looked at Roni's sorry state, then at Loni Ravser, and sighed.

"What did this idiotic grandson of mine do this time?"

As soon as Roni heard those first words, he lost all hope. That old man was none other than his grandfather, Gile Qergil, the core elder of the Divine Path Sect.

Loni Ravser immediately played the video of Roni's battle against Shinja. Gile was really impressed. That Shinja's girl had amazing talents. He was told beforehand she was only at the 2nd Stage of the Core Formation Realm, and Gile didn't even know about this planet called Makui before. It goes to show how insignificant this world is. It still gave birth to such a talent, not only her, but he also saw the moment Roni attacked Krune as well. However, the later dodged the attack as if it were nothing. He was getting excited, the further the battle continued. It was then that Harold intervened, and Roni asked to kill everyone.

Gile's face contorted at every word said by Roni. He even had the urge to kill Roni himself.

"Bastard! You wanted to kill someone who defeated you in a fair and square battle, and who even had cultivation and techniques worse than yours? And she was even holding back, not really to hurt you! But instead of acknowledging their talents, which is exactly what our Divine Path Sect seeks so much, you asked to kill them? Are you even a thinking member of our Sect?"

Gile looked at Loni Ravser in the video and said:

"Well done in lecturing him, Loni, I own you one. I give you total authority to do whatever you think necessary to put this idiot grandson of mine back in line. He'd better not let me hear about anything like that again. Otherwise, the one who will kill him is none other than myself."

Gile then sent a private message to Loni.

"Also, pay attention to that group! From what I could see, they have enormous potential. A promotion might even be in line for you, depending on how good their abilities turn out."

Loni nodded.

The videocall finished, and the elder locked Roni in his room. On the sides, Lena watched everything; she was also impressed with the combat power Shinja demonstrated in the video. She made a mental note to pay attention to her.

Inside Roni's room, he was cursing everyone to no end, his family, and his master, who put him in this position. The hatred in his eyes was evident for everyone to see, but he knew he wouldn't have his way anymore. With his grandfather's final decree, no one could save him from this predicament. Eventually, he calmed down and started to focus on reinforcing his foundation. With everything said and done, there was only one way to leave that room, and it was to complete the task his master had given him.

"You just wait, I won't give up just like this."

Back in the mercenary guild, Krune and the others reported what had happened to them in the Danger Zone. Guild Heads Bary and Lowen were taken aback. Thinking that such a thing would happen as soon as they arrived, they immediately contacted the Divine Path Sect Spaceship and checked their members. They were afraid the elder would take out Krune, Ao, and Arlan's chance to participate in the martial Gathering.

But to their surprise, the one who received their call was the external elder himself, Loni Ravser.

"I've heard what happened, and I'm deeply sorry by the behavior of my disciple. I already gave him a harsh lecture, and you have my word that he won't cause any trouble anymore. As for your member's slots in the Martial Gathering, you have no need to worry, everything will continue as planned, that's all for now."

After Loni disconnected, Bary and Lowen looked at each other, and they could see their weird faces, just what happened here?

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The Guild Heads came back and told Krune and the others that there was no problem with their slots for the Martial Gathering, much for their relief. That was a Divine Path Sect disciple after all. After Guild Head Lowen left with Arlan, Krune's group went back to do their own things, just to be safe. They decided not to leave the city anymore the next few days before the Spaceship departed.

Days passed, and, finally, a week went by. Today, all the contestants were waiting in front of the Divine Path Sect Spaceship for the external elder to come out. Not long after, the Ship comports opened, and Loni Ravser appeared. He took a look at everyone and then said:

"Alright, you all can enter now. The people inside will show your own cabins. The Ship will leave in one hour. Those who aren't here by that time will not be able to participate anymore. If you have anything else to do, do it now, that's all."

After that, he went back into the Ship, and everyone immediately went aboard. It took only a few minutes for them to disappear inside. Outside, only the people from their own guilds, or whatever who aren't going, stayed looking. The clock kept moving, and, now and then, someone would come rushing into the Ship. Even at this moment, some were late. The last hour passed fast, and finally, the Ship comports closed. A few minutes later, it took off.

Krune's group was looking outside. It was the first time they all left the Planet. It had a special meaning for Krune since he still intended to keep his promise. It could be said this was the first step towards that objective. Of course, in Krune's mind, he still believes that Feifei had long since forgotten about him already, but he didn't bother with such detail at that moment.

The Ship was really spacious. Even with over a thousand participants, there were a lot of empty rooms. The Ship also had training rooms, cultivation rooms, so on and so forth. Arlan had already kidnapped Ao to spare a little with him, on the condition that they wouldn't go overboard. He also asked Krune if he wanted to come, but Krune refused. He wanted to use his free time to get used to his Hexagonal Shields. Several days of hard work were finally paying off. Although it couldn't be considered perfect, he could already make several formations with his shields.

Krune is also a Four-Star Formations Master. So he took a few items from the Mercenary Guild to inscribe protection formations on each one of them. The only problem was that the space he had to inscribe them was quite small, so he couldn't do anything too complicated. Nonetheless, it has already been much better than having nothing.

Shinja and Yusa left together. At that moment, their job was pretty much cultivation or reinforcing their foundation. So they got a cultivation room and practiced together. Now and then, Shinja would practice combat with Yusa. They used the same elements after all, and just like that, their travel continued.

Twelve days later, they finally got to the Garmon Plane. It is a planet used especially for things like the Martial Gathering. The people on the Ship could see several other ships outside. During that time of the year, it was common for several elders to select the Garmon Planet for their own competitions. So, a lot of other Planet's people could be found there. The Spaceship entered the atmosphere, and it didn't take long for it to arrive in one of the few cities of the Planet. As a planet used especially for testing, it didn't have kingdoms, countries, or anything like that, just cities ruled by the Divine Path Sect.

The comport of their Ship opened, and the external elder, Loni Ravser, guided everyone to the building where they would be staying. After arriving there, the people found out they weren't the only ones staying in this place. The building was big enough to hold tens of thousands of cultivators and demon beasts. As soon as they entered, Loni's face changed, because he noticed someone he didn't want to see.

It was another external elder of the Divine Path Sect, a woman called Kirian Lou. The elders Loni and Kirian have always been on bad terms. Whenever possible, they would find a reason to get in the other's way, and that time was not different. The elder Kirian was tasked to oversee the competition of the Ragne Planet, a planet with higher standards than the Makui Planet. She made sure to find out where elder Loni would be going. As soon as she found the information, she immediately applied for the Garmon Planet as well.

"Look who is here, isn't that Elder Loni? What a coincidence!"

Elder Loni's face was as ugly as it could be.

"Coincidence your head! Who do you think you are talking to? It is obvious that you arranged it on purpose. So, speak! what do you want?"

Elder Kirian heard those harsh words but didn't care at all. If the positions were swapped, she definitely would have done the same. So elder Kirian just laughed and said.

"Oh, it's nothing much, I heard that you were coming here to test your planet's contestants, so I also brought mine to have some fun, at the same time, we could make a little bit."

Elder Loni knew very well why she would offer it. The Ragne Planet was stronger than the Makui Planet, and so was the average combat power of their geniuses. She wanted to have their test together, and the Planet with the higher results would win.

"Hmph! You are only taking advantage of the difference in level between the planets that we are overseeing. Are you not ashamed of yourself?"

Kirian kept smiling and said:

"Oh, I know the difference between both of them. But if you think that I'm going to take advantage of that, then you are completely wrong. As far as I know, you brought over 1300 contestants this time, right? My Ragne Planet was a little harsher with this year's competitions on their Planet, so I only got fewer than 1000 people. You would still have the advantage in numbers. We both know that my Planet is only one level higher than yours, so it should be very fair, no?"

Elder Loni was conflicted. They had 30% more people than elder Kirian. He also understood that their combat prowess was bound to be higher than usual since the Ragne Planet usually had around 2000 people. Even though he knew that, if he ran away while having the numbers advantage, Loni would be the laughing stock of the outer sect when he went back. After pondering the pros and cons, he showed a determined face.

"Fine, I accept, what are we betting this time?"

Elder Kirian's smile immediately got even brighter.

"Oh, nothing much, I hear that you have just obtained a big chunk of Spiritual Luminous Ore, and it just so happens that I need some of that ore, so what do you think?"

Loni's face immediately contorted. He paid a very high price for that ore, and it wasn't something you could buy just because you had the money. Although he wasn't very willing, if Kirian asked for his Luminous Ore, then she definitely had something on par to offer back.

"And what are you putting against my ore? As far as I know, you don't have anything of that level."

Kirian laughed after hearing that.

"That's where you are wrong, I also acquired a treasure recently, here. I have a bottle of Dragon Essence Liquid I got by chance, and I shouldn't need to say anything else, right?"

Elder Loni's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. He scanned the bottle with his Divine Sense and confirmed that Kirian wasn't lying. That was really Dragon Essence Liquid!

"You! How did you get this Dragon Essence Liquid?"

Kirian put that bottle back inside of her spatial ring and just said:

"You aren't the only one with connections out there, you know?"

"So, how about it, still afraid to bet?"

Elder Loni took a deep breath. He really wanted that bottle of Dragon Essence Liquid.

"Fine, how should we do it?"

Kirian immediately replied.

"Let's follow your arrangements. If I'm not wrong, you were planning to do a team exploring contest, right? It's just that we are spicing it a bit."

Loni kept hearing.

"We will put both planets contestants together and give each team a team token. Their objective is to have at least three tokens by the time they arrive at the other side of the testing zone. With less than that, the team will fail. Let's bet on the best team of each Planet! After counting the tokens of all teams that cleared the test, we will check which team has the highest number of tokens and the Planet they are from. Depending on that result, we will know who won."

At first, Loni was going to refuse. But then he remembered the talk he'd had with Gile Qergil back in the Makui Planet. He didn't know much about Krune's power, just that he was extremely fast for his level. But Gile seemed to be really impressed with him, and Loni greeted his teeth and said:

"I accept!"

Kirian was taken aback. She was sure Loni would complain about that arrangement. After all, it totally benefited her side. But the fact that he accepted the bet without complaining about her idea made her more cautious than happy.

'Could it be that a real genius appeared on the Makui Planet?'

But it was too late to go back on her word now, so she could only follow the flow.

In fact, Loni wasn't very confident in Krune or his group. But he really needed that Dragon Essence Liquid, and it wasn't like he couldn't afford to lose his Luminous Ore either. So he decided to risk this bet.

That arrangement will probably make the number of people of the Makui Planet finish this test to be under the planned 400. That isn't a problem since he can simply adapt to the final number. Not to mention that only the best ten would be going to the Divine Path Sect entrance exam anyway.

Loni gathered all the Makui Planet's contestants and told them about the test changes this time around.

"You will need to leave this city in two days at 10 o'clock in the morning. You are not allowed to leave earlier but can do that later, it's up to you. This time around, you will be competing with the Ragne Planet simultaneously, so I doubt there will be even 400 of you in the end. But I tell you this, if one of your Planet's team has the highest number of tokens among all teams, the victory is mine against Elder Kirian. And I will bestow six drops of Dragon Essence Liquid to that team. Trust me when I say that! It totally worth giving it your all."

Krune heard that and immediately got excited. Not many people know about the Dragon Essence Liquid, but as a Four-Star Alchemist, he obviously had some knowledge. It had several uses, one of them was improving a demon beast's bloodline. As for cultivators, they could use it in alchemy for Breakthrough pill, or foundation reinforcing pills, and many other ways. As far as he knew, such pills would be efficient even for Void Breaking Realm cultivators and demons beasts. Best of all, the pills made of this essence would leave no side effects at all. And Krune knew precisely for what he would use those drops.

"A Soul Healing Pill, I can make a Soul Healing Pill!"

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As mentioned before, when a cultivator enters the Core Formation Realm, they need to feed their core part of their own souls. It will leave a severe injury right after the process that can't be healed without a lot of time. But the Soul Healing Pill can heal the soul instantly!

It is different from the Stabilizing Soul Technique. The technique simply represses the injury in the soul temporarily, while the cultivator deals with the Heavenly Tribulation. But the cultivator still needs to take his time to slowly heal it after. If the cultivator gets the soul restored right after the core is fed, their chances of succeeding against the Heavenly Tribulation is increased several times. The Soul Stabilizing Technique is excellent, but it can't be compared with the Soul Healing Pill.

Ao heard what Krune said and asked what it was. As soon as he listened to the explanation, his eyes lit up as well. He was the same as Krune now. Determined to get those six drops of Dragon Essence Liquid at all costs!

Elder Loni looked at everyone and then started to explain the rules.

"As mentioned, this is a team contest. Every team can have between three and five members. You can't leave the city until 10 o'clock in the morning for two days from now. The same is valid for the team members of the Ragne Planet. At the moment, we are on the border of this continent: your objective is to reach Ravil City, which is in the center. The time limit is one month. Each team will have one black token. Any team wishing to pass this test has to have at least three black tokens by the time they reach Ravil City. And that is also counting your own token."

Loni then continued.

"Each team will receive another blue token meant to be a lifesaving method. Every member of that group must use a drop of blood on this blue token. Once this token is crushed, it will create a barrier around you, and your team members with only a Divine Soul Realm Cultivator or higher can break. But remember that after activating this token, you will be officially out of this gathering. Obviously, your black token will be automatically released outside of this barrier. A member of the Divine Path Sect will come out and bring you back to the city after that. Remember that this is your last resort, and only your team leader can activate your token."

"There will be no one here to protect you, this is the territory of the Divine Path Sect! So no one will dare to break the rules to save your lives. There is no doubt that it is very dangerous! You will have to be careful against other teams, but there are several demon beasts and bandits who are not going to show any mercy to you all. They all signed a blood contract with the Divine Path Sect, and the contract states that they must attack any enemy that might enter their territory. But there is one thing you don't need to worry: there is no Divine Soul Demon Beast or Cultivators here. the highest cultivation you can find is the 5th stage Core Formation Realm."

No one expected for the gathering to get this dangerous, but by now, everyone had already checked what the Dragon Essence Liquid was through their communicators. Not to mention that they were all proud sons and daughters of heavens. They all went through their own powers tests to get their Martial Gathering slots. So there wasn't a single one here who wasn't confident in their strength.

"To guarantee that a team won't betray their own member so that they can get more Dragon Essence Liquid, the contract will state that loyalty must be kept till the end. If the above condition is broken, you will die. The Divine Path Sec doesn't need disloyal members, who can betray their own friends because of benefits."

It was then that someone asked a question:

"Then, what if two teams are battling and another team decides to attack?"

That was the doubt in most people's minds, with the sheer number of contestants this time around; that will happen for sure.

Loni just smiled and replied:

"Teams joining forces, gang up, ambushes, so on and so forth. This is all part of the cultivation world. Your only guarantee is the blue token. Think well how to use it!"

Some of the contestants nodded their heads. What Loni said is the truth. The only thing they won't bare is team members betraying each other. That is also a way to show that you can do almost anything, except betray your Divine Path Sect members.

Loni then laughed and said:

"You also have the option to give your black token to your enemy and then work to get another three tokens, simple as that."

Some contestants' eyes immediately lit up, which is indeed a good way to avoid a lost battle and still have a chance of passing the test.

Another cultivator made one more question.

"Is there a way of knowing if a team still has a black token or not? And, if they have, can we find out if they have more than one token?"

"You can use your own black tokens to feel the presence of nearby black tokens, but you can't tell how many that team has. Just that they do have a black token. Of course, if your team loses all your black tokens, you can only count on your own luck to find a team with one or more, and you can use the other team's tokens to feel other tokens again."

With that, the discussion was over. Everyone immediately tagged together with their own forces. Of course, there was a difference between the slots each power of the Makui Planet received for this Martial Gathering. The stronger the power, the more slots they had. Some had only one slot, while others even had up to ten. Many people joined other groups as well as forces that had more than five people and had to decide which one of them would join someone else's group.

Krune and Ao immediately smiled at each other, there wasn't any need for words between the two of them. But they also got a problem: they need someone else to have at least three members. They couldn't help but remember how Yusa sold her chance to get a slot. If they knew that it would happen, they would have dragged her by force from that room and not let her conclude that trade.

Yusa and Shinja were also there to watch the gathering when the three of them looked at Yusa. She pretended not to know anything.

"Cough, cough, so, who are you taking together with you?"

Ao and Krune sighed and started to think. At first, they thought that Arlan would be a very good choice. But Arlan is not only a member of the Mercenary Guild, but he is also a member of the Divine Swords Sect back in the Makui Continent. Arlan had told them that he entered the Mercenary Competition because he had first joined the mercenary guild, and only after did he join the Divine Swords Sect. Krune and Ao are guessing that he would probably join his sect members who are all sword users.

It's worth mentioning that the Mercenary Guild doesn't stop its members from joining another power, guaranteeing that they won't decide to leave the mercenary guild because they prefer the other guild, or sect, or whatever.

Krune and Ao were pondering if they should try to see if there is any team in need of members and then join their group. Suddenly, they heard someone calling them from behind. In fact, Krune and Ao were so focused on this question that this person had to call the two of them several times until they finally noticed it.

The one who was calling them was none other than Arlan Rosier, which greatly puzzled the two of them. What is this guy doing here?

"You finally can hear me! Were you ignoring my voice on purpose?"

Ao and Krune shook their heads.

"It's just that we were thinking about whether we should join some other team that needs two or more members."

Arlan immediately put a sad face.

"Is that how much you consider our friendship? Couldn't you have at least thought about me even for a second? Especially you, Ao, that hurts, you know?"

Ao had a weird face.

"I thought you would be joining some of your Divine Swords Sect members, no?"

Krune, Yusa, and Shinja immediately nodded. They also had the same thought.

Arlan then showed a helpless face.

"You see, the Divine Swords Sect had ten slots to distribute for the Martial Gathering. They have already made two teams of five, so I'm left out."

Krune and Ao almost fainted; didn't that mean that they were his last option and a group that he didn't want to join to start with? They couldn't help but feel like they are leftovers.

Arlan saw their disappointed faces and started to laugh.

"Alright, alright, I'm joking!!! They had indeed called me to join their groups. In fact, most of them immediately reached me straight away, but I was the one to refuse. I believe we have a bigger chance if the three of us make a group instead."

Everyone except Ao got curious. They thought that it's not like Arlan knows about Krune's real powers. But what they didn't realize was that Ao and Arlan had exchanged a few Divine Sense messages during the Mercenary Selection. At that time, Ao had told Arlan that he only had a 10% to 20% chance of beating Krune, and that was only if Krune stayed in his human form. Otherwise, he would have no chance at all. Of course, Ao hasn't told Arlan which race Krune really is from.

At first, Arlan didn't believe that, but, after seeing how fast Krune dodged Roni's attack back in the Abyss Danger Zone, he thought that Krune might at least be as strong as himself. Thus, he decided to make a group with Krune and Ao.

If the three of them miraculously get more tokens than any other group, it will mean that each one of them will get two drops of Dragon Essence Liquid! How could that not make someone excited?

Noticing Krune and the others puzzled face with Arlan's choice, Ao sent them a message explaining what they had talked through Divine Sense in the Mercenary Selection. Only then did they understand where Arlan's confidence in this group came from.

Krune already had a good impression of Arlan. Although he was also a Sword practitioner, he was a lot easier going than Ao, and they do have some friendship to speak of.

"Well, if that's the case, then welcome to the group. I guess it will be up to the three of us now. We might not be able to get first place in tokens gathering, but I doubt we will have a problem getting enough to pass the first phase at least. Still, I would like to say that we are going all out for that Dragon Essence Liquid drops, so you better be prepared to work a lot."

Arlan was more than happy with that, just like Ao, he is a sword maniac, the more battles to temper his skills, the better!

"Well, External Elder Loni is distributing the blood contracts to the teams, so let's go there."

They got to the front and received one of the blood contracts, just as they were about to sign it with their three names, they heard another person calling them.

"Hey, how come you forgot me? Let me join your group as well!"

Krune and the others looked back, but their faces were full of confusion, it was a girl, and she did indeed look somewhat familiar. Still, they just couldn't remember who she was, even Krune was having trouble to bring back that memory.

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"Errr... who were you again?"

The girl's face immediately turned dark. They had participated in the same mercenary selection. But they can't even remember her name. Just how little of an impression did she leave on them?

"Lofa Harcken! We fought for the same slots before. Just how bad is your memory?"

Krune's group finally remembered who she was. Lofa had gotten the last slot available during the selection. Still, she really left a very small impression on the three of them.

"Oh! I remember now."

Surprisingly, Ao, Krune, and Arlan said that at the same time, which infuriated Lofa to no end. Can they be even more detestable?

"You don't remember me? Fine! I won't bother with that. As I said, let me join your team too, we are all from the same mercenary alliance after all."

Krune and the others showed a complicated face. They really didn't want someone that weak to be with them. They would need to protect her, not to mention that they don't really think she can be of much help at all. They had seen her abilities in the mercenary selection and knew her strength.

"Aren't you from the Ice Continent? It should be better to join them."

But Loja Harcken shook her head.

"I don't want to. I think it's much better if I join your group since I've already known your abilities. Besides, I also believe that my support abilities would work better in a team full of attackers like yours."

Ao immediately cut her off there.

"There is no need. Krune is also a support cultivator. And I doubt you can do it better than him."

Not only Lofa but Arlan, too, was taken aback. They didn't know that Krune could play the support role as well. Of course, Arlan was now even happier to join this group. If there were something he thought they might lack, it was exactly a support cultivator for both him and Ao. Not to mention that with Krune's strength, he is more than capable of protecting himself while providing that.

Lofa's expression changed. Obviously, they don't think much of her abilities, but she wasn't willing to give up just yet.

"Hmph! Don't compare my abilities with what you saw back then. At that time, I couldn't play the support role. But if I can focus on it, I can guarantee you won't regret this decision."

Krune and the other two were feeling helpless. After all, they've already had confidence the way they are and haven't thought about adding another member to start with.

Krune sighed and then said.

"Listen, we are aiming for the Dragon Essence Liquid, so we won't be contented with just three tokens. We will be engaging in battle as much as possible, and there is no doubt that the other teams who are confident in themselves will do the same. Besides, if you really join our team, we will have to protect you, our speed would be affected, and we would also need to share the drops in the end."

Krune was being very direct.

"It's not that we are looking down on you. But from what we have seen, if we can't offer you protection against an enemy at the same level as us, we definitely won't crush our blue token just for your sake. The Dragon Essence Liquid is too important for us. Believe me when I say you will be a lot safer if you join a team that only intends to pass the first phase."

Lofa finally understood why they didn't want any extra members. She thought that with only three members, they were only trying to pass the First Test. They were right, she only wanted to pass the first test as well.

"I see, but do you think you really have a chance? The majority of the teams have five members while you only have three, and I don't think it is a good idea. There will be teams who will join forces to hunt other teams."

Krune nodded.

"We know, but we obviously have the confidence to deal with them. Besides, we are all extremely fast, I refuse to believe that we wouldn't have the ability to at least flee."

There was also another reason that Krune hasn't said. There is probably no one in this gathering with a Divine Sense as big and powerful as his. The last thing he is afraid of is ambushes.

Lofa sighed and finally gave up. She turned around and went to look for the other contestants of the Ice Continent.

Krune felt a little bad for her since they are members of the mercenary guild, after all. But his group really can't afford distractions on this journey.

"Alright, let's go back to business."

Arlan, Krune, and Ao signed the blood contract and left the hall with Shinja and Yusa. After that, Ao asked for Krune and Arlan to come to a secluded place where they could practice. They nodded and left together. Ao and Arlan knew each other quite well, but Arlan and Krune knew almost nothing about each other.

After they found a place, the training immediately started. But it was then that Krune brought out all his thirty-eight Hexagonal Flying Shields. Arlan was puzzled with that sight, not to mention that those plates are quite strangely shaped. There is also a reason why Arlan hasn't thought about them as spiritual equipment. There are too many of them!

Krune finished charging them with his own spiritual energy and released the shields. Arlan then looked at that, and his jaw immediately dropped. As soon as they took to flight, they started hovering around Krune like stars.

'How great is his Soul Power and Divine Sense? That is ridiculous! Can he even control all of them properly?'

He found the answer to his question straight away. Krune immediately started to do several unbelievable maneuvers, and the precision was terrifying. But that wasn't all! He soon found that Krune was using five different elements simultaneously, making each shield shine in a different color. He finally understood just how big the difference in Divine Sense between him and Krune is. Even if he decided to attack Krune, he wouldn't even know where to start breaking that elemental fortress. First of all, can he even break it? Just how many years had Krune practiced to achieve such control?

Ao looked at that too and nodded.

"It has been only a little more than two weeks since you got your hexagonal flying shields, but you can already control them to this extent. I thought it would still take another week at least."

Arlan's confidence crumbled just like that. Two weeks to achieve this level of control? Fuc* that shit!

But the final blow was still incoming.

"It was indeed very hard, but lately, I had been focusing on stabilizing my foundation. Otherwise, I wouldn't have taken this long to master them."

Arlan finally passed out.

Krune heard a sound of something hitting the ground and looked at it, but that body on the ground puzzled him.

"What happened to him?"

Ao immediately understood and just sighed.

"Someone like you would never understand his pain."

Krune thought that it was another one of those weird human habits and just ignored it.

After Arlan woke up, their team resumed their activities. Both Ao and Arlan had never trained with Krune while he used his Hexagonal Flying Shields, so it was a new experience for them. But they came to understand how frightening it is. Krune's defense was simply ridiculous now, and that is considering that he wasn't using his Tribulation Lightning Movement.

They also practiced while Krune used his shields to defend Arlan and Ao. Of course, the ones attacking in those cases were Shinja and Yusa, who were more than happy to help beat them. Sometimes, one or another attack passed through Krune's defenses, but the attacks gradually decreased during those two days. By the end, even Shinja, using her full power, had a hard time reaching anyone under Krune's watch.

The key to Krune's defense was the elements of each shield, and not only their sturdiness. Krune always used the right elemental shields to defend against the attacks. If there weren't enough shields of the stronger element, he then complemented with more shields of the same element, which also proved to be very effective.

They kept like that until a few hours before the first phase started. The extra hours were simply for Krune and the others to recover their strength after all that training.

It was almost 10 o'clock when External Elders Kirian and Loni came out to check the contestants for this test. When they arrived at the exit of the city where they were staying, Elder Loni came forward and started to talk with the contestants of the Makui Planet.

"There are a few minutes before the start of the test, so there isn't much more I can tell you all now. Just remember that no one is allowed to attack any other team in the first two hours of the competition after it starts. It will prevent several teams from joining forces to attack smaller teams. There will be several members of the Divine Path Sect observing the process. So forget about playing tricks before the time is up. Just use your own communicators to check the time. I wish good luck to you all."

Elder Kirian did more or less the same thing with the Ragne Planet contestants. Loni and Kirian looked at each other and then nodded, it was time to start!

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As soon as 10 o'clock arrived, all teams moved out. Those who made an alliance went somewhere together; others who decided to run alone tried to go away. Obviously, some followed other teams they thought to be good targets. And since Krune's group had only three members, they had immediately become some of those team's targets that were being pursued. The rules only said you can't attack anyone during the first two hours. They said nothing about not following potential targets.

Of course, Krune and his team noticed them straight away, but that was also good. It meant that those contestants weren't confident in a good five vs. five battles, which means that they are the real prey in the story. His group had purposely lowered their speed so that the contestants behind them could follow. At the same time, it wasn't so slow not to make their enemies think that they were being lured instead.

In the end, it was an alliance of two teams of five people each. And judging by their appearance, they were obviously from the Ragne Planet. They kept following Krune's group until the two hours were over. Krune and the others also had a plan in mind. It didn't involve their pursues, though, but the other groups. They made sure to open as much distance as possible from any other group that might intervene during their hunt. Of course, a few would still be able to follow since the first group coming for them wasn't all that fast. They probably intended to do the oriole play.

Thanks to Krune's powerful soul, no team was able to hide from Krune's Divine Sense. By playing the right movements, Krune and his group were able to lure the closest team behind them anywhere they wanted.

As soon as the two hours were up, their enemies immediately attacked. They surrounded their group and used a small battle formation to guarantee they couldn't escape. It was then that someone came forward and said:

"Just give us your black token, and you can leave to try your luck again. It's up to you whether we make a move or not."

Ao and Arlan heard that and couldn't help but smile. Krune, on the other hand, just sighed.

"They couldn't even notice we guided them here. I wonder from where that confidence comes from."

The enemy group heard that and immediately looked around with their Divine Sense, but nothing was found.

Ao shook his head while Arlan simply burst in laugh.

"Wrong! Wrong! We indeed lured you into a trap, but it doesn't mean that we have reinforcements. Simply put, the three of us are more than enough to beat all of you."

One of the enemies just snorted after hearing that.

"He! Sure, you did! So why don't you show us how exactly you want to deal with us?"

Right after, he said that all the enemies around Krune's group attacked together. Since their targets were in the mood to provoke them, there was no need to hold back. As long as they got Krune's black token or forced their leader to use the blue token, the victory was theirs. Of course, if they didn't do any of the two options, they didn't mind forcing their hand.

But just as they moved, their faces changed as if they had seen a ghost. Right in front of them, Krune, Ao, and Arlan suddenly disappeared! No! It's not that they disappeared; they could still feel Krune's group presence with their Divine Senses. It's just that they were too fast for any of them to follow their movements.

"Support formation, don't let them get close!"

Noticing that they had hit a steel wall, both team leaders immediately changed their formation so that they could give support to anyone of their teams. Since there were only three of them, they could still tire them out until they had no more Spiritual Energy to battle. At that time, they will be able to launch a counter-attack or, at the very least, force them to flee.

Ao and Arlan appeared close to one of their enemies each and immediately launched an attack. But thanks to the support formation, their companions were able to counter-attack at the same time. Several skills rained down on Ao and Arlan. But surprisingly, they didn't retreat or even defend at all, and simply charged forward.

"Are they planning to suicide?"

That was the thought of everyone. Once they saw that, they could only call such action suicide. But of course, they forgot a significant detail: Krune was still there! Just as the attacks were about to hit Ao and Arlan, several Hexagonal Shields appeared around both of them. They attached together, creating small barriers that deflected the attacks away, which was only possible due to the trust Ao and Arlan put on him. They simply didn't think Krune could miss those attacks even for an instant.

"Crescent Searing Sword!"

"Vacuum Blade!"

"Swish!"

Right after that, two enemy cultivators fell; there was simply no time to help them anymore. They couldn't understand. How did those small shields have enough power to defend against all their attacks? Once more, the secret was behind the elements of each shield! Krune made sure to use the elements of the right shields against their enemies' attacks.

However, that was of little concern at the moment, because everyone noticed over a hundred Blazing Wind Blades raining down from above. At everyone's cultivation level and superior combat prowess, Krune's Blazing Wind Blades weren't that dangerous anymore. Of course, that was in the case you had to deal with only a few Blazing Wind Blades. But each one of the remaining eight enemies had more than ten of those blades to deal with! They obviously could take care of them at regular times, but that wasn't the case at the moment.

Ao and Arlan took the chance that their attention was focused on the blazing wind blades, and used the breach in the enemies' defenses. In a flash, they got rid of another four cultivators. This battle started just a few seconds ago, but then ten vs. three situations have already become a four vs. three! Noticing that the outcome wasn't good, the two leaders of the two teams immediately used their movement techniques to try to flee. It was too bad Krune was already expecting that. As soon as they moved away from their positions, they fell inside two gigantic Water Prisons Krune had prepared beforehand.

In typical situations, they would have definitely noticed those water prisons and avoided them in time. But Ao, Arlan, and Krune's coordination were perfect! The moment the two leaders tried to flee, Ao and Arlan had sent attacks over. They had to divert their attention to those two attacks right when they entered inside the water prison range. The end result was both of them being trapped inside, not to mention that Krune's Water Prisons weren't something that cultivators at their level could easily deal with.

Ao and Arlan immediately used that chance to finish off the last two guys and stopped right in front of the water prisons. The two leaders knew that there was no way out, so they tried to negotiate first.

"We will give you our token as long as you let us leave this place. We won't try to bother you three anymore after this. Please understand that we can't simply give up like this; otherwise, our positions in our sect will be deeply affected if we are eliminated straight away."

Krune, Arlan, and Ao looked at each other. Although Krune was the one holding the tokens at the moment because he had the highest speed and defense. It was not like there was a leader in their group to start with. In Krune's eyes, everyone had the right to make decisions. While keeping his attention on both leaders, Krune then asked:

"What do you think? Personally, I don't mind either. The two of you probably noticed that. Although they did try to ambush us with higher numbers, there has never been a killing intent coming from them. I believe they were really prepared to just force us to use our blue token or give up our black token."

Ao simply put his sword away. That gesture was obviously showing his answer.

Arlan just sighed and put his sword away as well. Ao had already told him about Krune's personality and his aversion for killing. Arlan really couldn't understand how Krune became this strong with such a kind heart.

"Very well. Send over your black tokens, and I will release you."

The two prisoners looked at each other and nodded; they took out their black tokens and immediately threw them over to Krune. They were not in position demand Krune to do anything. If they tried, Krune could simply attack them until they were forced to use their blue tokens, and then their blacks would be lost anyway. They could only trust Krune would keep his words.

Krune exanimated the two black tokens and nodded. Right after that, the two water prisons skill were canceled, much for the two leaders' relief. Krune then pointed at their team members and said:

"We did inflict severe injuries to your team members, but they are not crippled or dead either. As long as you have enough healing pills, they could recover in a few days. You still have a chance to pass this first phase too. Just remember that if you get close to us and we find out that you have black tokens again, we won't show any courtesy."

That was one more reason as to why Krune wasn't forcing them to quit. The more teams out there, the bigger their chances of finding more groups with black tokens.

After that, Krune, Arlan, and Ao left straight away. While they were moving forward, Arlan and Ao seemed to be waiting for Krune to say something.

"We did our best to lure the other teams, but they just kept close enough to check the situation. I believe they were waiting for an opportunity to strike as soon as a victor emerged. So we had prepared a few traps according to our plan. Unfortunately, not a single one of them tried to join the fray from start to finish."

With Krune's Divine Sense, there was no way that he wouldn't notice the other three teams lurking in the shadows. But Krune really didn't expect that they wouldn't act until the very end.

Ao pondered a bit and said:

"Could it be that we showed too much strength and scared them away?"

Arlan nodded.

"I also think so. After all, we did get rid of those ten cultivators with a certain ease."

But Krune then started to laugh.

"Actually, the reason was much simpler! You should be able to guess it already."

Ao and Arlan's eyes suddenly lit up and started to laugh too.

"They had noticed each other, and none of them wanted to be the first to attack. None of them moved until the very end, afraid of being ambushed by the other two lurking around."

Krune nodded.

"Correct! Their fear destroyed our plans, and, finally, we only got two black tokens. Of course, the two hours of peace had just finished. Getting two black tokens just a few minutes after is already very good."

Ao and Arlan also nodded. Then, the three of them looked at each other and showed an evil smile. They totally looked like villains from some evil sect at that moment.

"But that doesn't mean that we are leaving them out of the hook. Let's keep moving this way. But be ready to move at full speed once I tell you."

Krune was playing his support role to the fullest! His recognition and tracking powers were obviously beyond those of anyone around them.

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They moved as if nothing were wrong while Krune kept his Divine Sense activated. Behind them, Krune could see those three teams following close; they thought that due to the distance, Krune's group didn't notice their presence. Krune was waiting for a chance, those three teams are close to each other, sooner or later, there would be a clash between them because of his group's black tokens. That would be the moment for them to join the fun.

Sure enough, one of the enemy teams ran out of patience and decided to get rid of the other pursuing side. As long as they were fast, they could catch up with Krune and the others in no time. Krune saw that and showed a smile. He turned around and said.

"Now!"

Ao and Arlan immediately used their best movement techniques and dashed back. But they aren't aiming at those two teams engaged in battle. They are after the last group that stayed outside of that mess. Their enemies had obviously noticed that. After all, they had kept their Divine Sense locked on Krune and the other two until that moment.

"Shit, they are coming for us!"

"What happened to the other two teams? I thought they would attack those three first."

"Let me see."

Their leader, who was focusing on Krune's group, used his Divine Sense to check the other two teams they knew to be after their prey.

"Fuc*! Those two are fighting each other!"

Noticing that they wouldn't be able to take advantage of the other anymore, they immediately prepared to receive Krune and his team. They had thought about fleeing for a moment. Their leader quickly gave up the idea once he noticed the speed Krune, Ao, and Arlan were coming at them. There was no way they could be faster than that! Split and running were also out of the question. Once a black token got too close to another, the leader could use it to track the enemy's black.

Krune arrived before their enemies and immediately released his shields. Ao and Arlan dashed one to each side and started a pincer attack. Their enemies had five contestants, but they knew that if they didn't gather up to defend together, they would be cut down, one by one. They think they were stronger than the last two teams Krune had defeated, but not to the point where they could win that fight with just two cultivators and one demon beast in human form.

The better quality of that enemy team was quickly noticeable. Even with Krune's protection, Ao and Arlan with his Shields still didn't break through their defenses in one strike. But that wasn't a problem. Like the previous ones, they failed to grasp the key point of that battle, which was obviously Krune's support.

As soon as they deflected Ao and Arlan's attacks, several Ice-Water-Thunder Dragons attacked them from all sides. This attack was a lot stronger than his Blazing Wind Blades, although not as fast. As with Shinja back then, every time a dragon was destroyed, it released a lightning attack that the enemies also had to defend against. Of course, that is considering they could destroy them at all. The Ice Armor covering the outer part of the water dragons wasn't something easy to break.

The same way, their formation defense crumbled while Ao and Arlan used that chance to take the enemies down. The group leader understood that it was over, so he immediately tossed his black token over to the enemy.

"Here's the black token, let us go with that!"

Krune grabbed the token and scanned with his Divine Sense. After that, he gave the nod to Ao and Arlan, which made them put their swords away.

"Thank you for your patronage."

After that, Krune, Arlan, and Ao immediately departed. They still had another two preys to catch!

The leader of the last group saw them leaving and just sighed. One of his companions sat on the ground to recover couldn't help but ask:

"Did those shields that demon beast was controlling have all the five major elements on them, right?"

The leader nodded his head.

"Yes. And that wasn't all. The Soul power and Divine Sense necessary to control so many simultaneously with such precision was something that a Foundation Establishment couldn't do. I've never seen someone like that! Not to mention those two swords cultivators, they are the real deal too."

They could only blame their luck and greed for what had happened there. Fortunately, their leader understood that it would be a lost battle and immediately gave up their black token. Otherwise, they would suffer grievous injuries and might have to use their blue token.

Krune's group was moving at full speed to the place where the other two teams were battling each other. They didn't notice that Krune had already turned back and defeated the third team because they had been focusing on their enemies. Of course, it didn't mean they weren't paying attention to their surroundings. They soon noticed Krune and the others' arrival when they entered their Divine Senses.

However, they were surprised to find out that it was the same team they had been trying to catch. Too bad, though! Krune, Ao, and Arlan didn't give them any chance to think things over. They immediately entered the fray and started to cut down enemies. The two other teams' leaders noticed that battling each other would bring no good for either side and immediately formed an alliance on the spot.

But how could a worn-out alliance, which had just been made, pose any threat to Krune's defenses? It wasn't even a fight anymore, but a one-sided slaughter! The leader of both teams could only give up their black tokens in the end. Krune looked at that and showed a bright smile.

"Thank you very much for your cooperation. We hope we can strike such a good deal with your teams again in the future."

The two team members' faces couldn't be any uglier. Who the hell would want to reencounter those three freaks?

Ao and Arlan laughed at that and immediately left with Krune.

Back in the previous city, Elders Loni and Kirian were watching the competitions through a few monitors. They had noticed quite a few teams that had stood out, but it was too early to think that any of them would be the victor.

"Should we start the next part?"

Loni heard Kirian making that question and pondered a bit.

"That should be enough already. Let's pass down the orders for the bandit and demon beast leaders."

Soon after, several demon beasts and bandits inside the testing zone received a message in their communicators. It was time they made a move.

Krune wasn't the only team with good harvests. The moment the two hours of peace were over, several other battles happened all over the place. Of course, such a thing would only occur on the first day. After all, teams moved far enough from the starting line. The chances of meeting one another would decrease drastically. Not to mention that lots of teams were forced to use their blue tokens and leave the contest.

Krune, Ao, and Arlan started to make a name for themselves during the first week. Even though the other teams' frequency decreased, with Krune's ridiculous Divine Sense length, they had already encountered over twenty teams and quite a few alliances. If there were too many people, they would avoid them. If it were one or two teams, they would attack straight away. And no one could say they are preying on the weak. That's because every team they attacked had more members than theirs, not to mention they engaged in head-on battles every time. So their opponents couldn't even say that they got sneak attacked.

If someone complains they were defeated in a ten against three fights, they will turn into a laughingstock. One must remember that every single cultivator or demon beast in this first phase is a famous figure in the place they came from. So their pride simply couldn't allow them to talk about being unfair. In the end, Krune's group was being called the 'Shield and Sword Freaks.'

Somewhere midway to the Ravil City, there was a fragrant smell on the air. The reason for that was obviously Krune. There is no way he would leave on a journey without bringing his cooking tools and ingredients. If one paid attention, they would see a few bodies grunting in pain around the place. Several demon beasts felt the smell of the food and came out to check. As the blood contract states, all the beasts and bandits in the Garmon Planet have to attack the contestant without mercy. Unfortunately for these ones, they just had to bump on Krune and his team.

Ao had taken a table out and prepared the utensils for lunch. By now, Arlan had already got used to this scene. It was as if eating was even more important than the black tokens for Krune. He would never pass the Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner. Of course, he wasn't sad about that. After all, Krune's food was fuc*ing delicious!

Ao, Krune, and Arlan were eating the food on the table while chatting when, suddenly, Krune's expression changed. Noticing Krune's behavior, Ao and Arlan immediately stopped and spread their Divine Senses. Unfortunately, they couldn't see anything, but they didn't let their guard down. In fact, they became even more severe after that. They knew that Krune's Divine Sense was a lot stronger than theirs. If Krune noticed something that they didn't, it meant that their opponent wasn't someone they couldn't take lightly, especially because Arlan and Ao's Divine Sense was also very strong, but they still couldn't see what it was.

Krune then stood up and put everything back into his spatial ring while sending Ao and Arlan a Divine Sense message.

"It's Core Formation Beast, and it's approaching very fast. Its speed is the same as our own when we are moving with our group at full speed. We can choose to flee now or fight it."

Ao and Arlan frowned. If Krune gave the option of fighting, it meant that they did have a good chance at winning. But he also considered the fleeing option, so their opponent wasn't any weakling.

While they were thinking if they should flee or fight, Krune's black tokens started to react.

"Hum?"

Krune took one of the tokens out, and, after checking it, he confirmed it was reacting to another black token in that Core Formation beast direction.

"Somehow, that beast got a black token. Or maybe it was the Divine Path Sect plans to start with."

Krune was right; it wasn't only the other teams that had black tokens. There was also a lot of bandits and demon beasts with them.

"Then, we fight! I refuse to believe our cooperation can't deal with a Core Formation Realm demon beast."

Krune nodded, and they got prepared.

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It turns out that Core Formation Demon Beast was a Black Demon Wolf. It is not a rare race at all. Like Krune, they can also take the human form in the early stages of the Foundation Establishment Realm. The fact that this one was able to achieve the Core Formation Realm is already very impressive. Through his powerful Divine Sense, Krune could notice that this wolf is at the 3rd stage.

This wolf was also under the blood contract agreement, so it didn't say anything and attacked straight away. As expected, it was an agility-type demon beast. And the fact that it is already in the Core Formation Realm made it even faster. Even Ao and Arlan could barely keep up to its movements.

Fortunately for them, Krune's defenses were air-tight. If even Shinja, who can defeat ordinary 5th-stage Core Formation Realm cultivators, can't pass through Krune's defense easily, let alone this wolf. After several exchanges, the wolf was already injured in quite some places. But thanks to its speed, it avoided any serious one. Noticing that it couldn't beat Krune's group like that, it immediately called for reinforcements.

It opened some distance between them and gave a deep howl to the sky. Immediately, Krune's face changed, because he noticed that several wolves started to enter into the range of his Divine Sense. But that wasn't all. This wolf is the one who controls the territory they are in, so several other demon beasts from other races also answered its call. It is to be expected, though. Wolves are creatures that live in packs to start with, so it would be weird instead of having no backups.

"Ao, Arlan, things changed. There is an army of demon beasts coming straight at us, we need to leave!"

Ao and Arlan immediately stopped their attacks. If Krune said that there is an army, then there is one, indeed. The three of them might be confident in dealing with the Black Demon Wolf alone, but definitely not against several demon beasts.

Ao and Arlan immediately retreated. The wolf changed from defense to attack once more and tried to stop them. But with Krune's flying shields and skills from the side, it could do nothing to impede it. Unfortunately for Krune's group, the black wolf seemed to have been prepared. It howled once more in the direction they started to escape, and a lot of Demon Beasts started to converge there.

"Let's go to the North-east! That's the place with the least amount of demon beasts coming in our direction. We are going to forcefully breakthrough!"

With demon beasts coming from everywhere, Krune could only choose to attack them where it was easier. Of course, the Black Demon Wolf didn't give up either and followed them at full speed. It was astonishing that those Foundation Establishment contestants could move as fast as it. But it got even more excited with that. The Divine Path Sect always bestow rewards according to the number of black tokens they can gather during every gathering. And a group like this one is bound to have quite a few.

The wolf was very confident. Although Krune had selected the direction with the least amount of Demon Beasts, there were still tens of them. Every single one was at least in the 5th stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm. The plan was to go out when they engaged in a battle against the beasts in the front. As long as it holds them back long enough, the rest of the demon beasts will surround and slowly swarm them.

Krune's group noticed it and looked at each other and nodded.

"Well, don't blame us for being nasty!"

Arlan, Ao, and Krune finally turned sober and released their full power!

"Sky Searing Swords! Descent of the Sword Hell!"

"Infernal Swords! All flames to Heavens!"

"Heavens, Thunderstorm!"

Instantly, their attacks reached brand new levels of prowess. Ao and Arlan went to the right and left sides, respectively. They looked like Fire Demons who slaughtered everything in their way. Anything under the Core Formation Realm was cleaved in two or burnt to crisp!

But the real calamity came from Krune. Heavens Thunderstorm is a weaker variation of his Heavens Fall. Krune created this technique with Lightning Element and Tribulation Lightning as a base, mainly used for wide-scale battles against several enemies at the same time. Hundreds of Lightning Bolts fell from the sky, each of them with a fraction of Tribulation Lightning. Even though it wasn't his real Heavens Fall, an ordinary new Core Formation Realm cultivator or demon beast would have a hard time to defend against it. Let alone a bunch of Foundation Establishment Beasts.

Krune might not like killing, but it doesn't mean he will give up his life for that notion!

The Black Demon Wolf's face immediately changed. With the power Krune's group was showing at the moment, it wouldn't take the risk. If they focused on it, it might really die in the end. The wolf might be bound by a contract, but it doesn't mean it should throw its life away. The wolf turned around and tried to escape while dodging as many lightning bolts as possible. They might not do much harm individually, but it can't just eat them all.

"Don't you think it's too early to say goodbye?"

"Right! You have just arrived after all."

The black wolf's back chilled when it heard those two voices! It immediately felt unprecedented danger and tried to dodge, but it was already too late. Two swords covered in flames appeared out of nowhere and impaled the wolf's heart. It couldn't believe it! It was sure Ao and Arlan had just moved to the right and left side of Krune while moving forward, not to mention that they should have been in the middle of slaughtering the other demon beasts. How come they appeared there?

It had to thank Krune, Ao, and Arlan for that. They had already discussed a plan through Divine Sense as soon as Ao and Arlan moved out. The breakthrough of the demon beast army was just a decoy; the real target was still the Black Demon Wolf. Ao and Arlan had really attacked the demon beasts in front of them, but it was right after that movement that Krune used one of the skills Yusa likes very much, which is Water Frame!

With the help of the Water Frame's imaginary cover, both Ao and Arlan used the elemental replacement. It was the same one Thunder Hawk Tasier, and Water Dragon Drorne used during the last Mercenary Selection. With those clones left to distract the demon beasts for a few seconds, Ao and Arlan sneaked beside the Black Demon Wolf. They attacked as soon as it tried to escape from the Krune's Heavens Thunderstorm area.

The demon wolf struggled a bit but soon stopped breathing. The other beasts saw that and immediately started to run away. If even their territory boss, a 3rd-stage Core Formation Realm Demon Black Wolf, cannot defeat that group, let alone Foundation Establishment beasts like them.

Silence soon returned to the surroundings, and Krune could confirm with his Divine Sense that all the demon beasts were leaving this area. He then looked at the bodies around and couldn't help but sigh.

Ao noticed that and just put a hand on his shoulders.

"There is a limit to how merciful we can get. If we go past that line, we could lose our lives instead."

Krune nodded his head.

"I know, but it doesn't change the bitter feeling that it leaves behind. Don't worry! It's not like I haven't killed before. It's just that it has been some time since it happened."

Since Krune was okay, he proceeded to check the Black Demon Wolf's corpse. Sure enough, there was a thin collar around its neck that was hard to see due to its fur, and attached to it, there was a spatial ring. Other than a few resources the wolf kept for itself, there were also four black tokens. Obviously, they weren't the first group it had attacked.

"It is as we thought. It's probably part of the Divine Path Sect arrangements. I guess the more black tokens the bandit cultivators and demon beasts get, the more rewards they will receive from the Sect. Maybe they will be able to even leave this training planet where they are being forcefully held. Both the bandits and demon beasts around there have probably offended the Sect in some way.

Instead of being killed, they reached an agreement to become the contestants' enemies."

Arlan and Krune heard that and agreed it was most likely the reason. Of course, it didn't mean that all demon beasts and cultivators were like this. With the sheer amount of time they had been there, several offsprings had been born and just took that place to be their home.

With everything over, Krune's group removed the Core Formation Wolf and the Foundation Establishment beasts' demon core and put them in their spatial rings. Demon Cores of dead beasts will lose their spiritual energy eventually. But the higher the beast's level, the longer it takes for all the spiritual energy to disappear, especially the Core Formation Realm Demon Core.

Krune and the others gathered everything they wanted and left right after. This battle will definitely catch the attention of other high-level demon beasts and cultivators. There are other teams as well. Not to mention that they used quite some spiritual energy and needed some time to recover it.

Around an hour after they left, another Core Formation Beast appeared where the Black Demon Wolf died. It looked at the demon wolf corpse and just snorted. It is a Fire Eagle that lived in the next territory and then changed into its human form to check the battlefield. It arrived so fast because it could fly much faster than the other Core Formation Demon Beasts and Bandit Cultivators from the other territories around this place. After spreading its Divine Sense to the limit, it still couldn't find any trace of the team that battled against the wolf.

"There is no one matching the description reported by the demon beasts that fled. It seems like they are very good at running as well."

But then it showed an evil smile.

"It looks like the demon beasts weren't the only ones to notice the commotion."

A group of five cultivators was also inside its Divine Sense range. It then returned back to its Eagle form and dashed away. Since it can't take the tokens of those contestants that killed the wolf, it will have to be content with the leftovers.

Somewhere not too far away, Krune, Ao, and Arlan were sat recovering their spiritual energy and discussing their next steps. Although they hadn't used all their spiritual energy in the last battle, it was still good to keep their combat prowess at their peak.

"We have been pretty slow already looking around for other teams. I think we should increase our pace and move past half the way to Ravil city. We can wait for other teams to appear around there."

"It's been only a week; I don't think many teams arrived at that side already."

"That's exactly the main point! With Krune's Divine Sense range, it would be easy to hunt down the teams that appear close to us."

Arlan also gave his opinion.

"What about the demon beasts? So far, we have been avoiding the territory of those Core Formation Realm ones, but it seems they could have black tokens as well."

Krune shook his head.

"It seems they are more like a last resort option for the teams that lost their black tokens. That way, they would still have a chance of at least finishing this first phase."

Ao agreed with that.

"Although the Black Demon Wolf wasn't hard to deal with alone, when he called those beasts over, the situation changed completely. If it wasn't us but some common team, they would have died or used their blue token without a doubt."

Krune then asked.

"Should we go past the middle then?"

After thinking about it for some time, they decided to go ahead with this plan. They were just about to leave their hiding place when, suddenly, Krune's Divine Sense picked up something.

"Uh?"

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Ao noticed something strange and asked what's going on.

"Well, I've just seen Lofa entering my Divine Sense range."

Arlan and Ao were surprised, it's not very easy to encounter a specific person in a place as big as this testing zone.

"Quite a coincidence indeed. Did she get together with the people of the Ice Continent?"

Krune shook his head.

"That's the weird part, she is alone. And she is moving pretty fast too. It seems like she is running from something, but I can't see anything in my Divine Sense."

Not only Krune, but Ao and Arlan were puzzled with that. Is there really some beast or cultivator that can hide from Krune's Divine Sense? They looked at each other and discarded that idea. It's too improbable.

"Do you want to take a look?"

Ao and Arlan looked at each other and nodded in the end. Loja is still part of their Mercenary Guild Alliance after all. Besides, it's not like it will take too long anyway. But just as they were about to move out, Krune noticed another one entering his Divine Sense.

"Not good, there is a Core Formation Demon Beast after her."

Hearing that, they immediately set out at full speed. At the same time, Krune used his Divine Sense to tell Lofa to move in their direction. Lofa was already losing her hopes when she suddenly heard Krune's voice. With no other choice, she immediately followed the directions provided by him. Although Lofa was moving towards them, the Demon beast was too fast! At this speed, it would reach her in time. Krune looked at Ao and Arlan, and they nodded at each other. They took out their swords, and Krune touched them for a few seconds. After that, Krune left straight away.

His eyes turned sharp, and the power of the tribulation lightning start to revolve around his body. With a flash of purple light, Krune disappeared from his spot!

"Tribulation Lightning Movement, 40%!"

Krune had concluded that for him not to damage his body, 30% was the limit. But if he wants to reach Lofa in time, he still needs to pay a small price. Arlan and Ao knew that he could move faster, but it was still a sight to behold when he did so. That tribulation lightning was really overpowered!

Lofa kept fleeing when, suddenly, she heard a voice from behind.

"Aren't you quite fast at running? Too bad though, it wasn't fast enough."

It was the same Fire Eagle from before. It was looking for Krune and his team when Lofa's group entered its Divine Sense. Lofa and her group had come after noticing the commotion from the nearby demon beasts. So they decided to check, and maybe they would be lucky enough to get a black token. They had battled other teams but fled quite a few times. They were still lucky enough to gather two black tokens, needing only one more to get the three necessary.

Unfortunately, they were spotted by the fire eagle who ambushed them. The leader of their group was caught off guard and killed before he could even use their blue token. But that wasn't all. The eagle is bound by a contract, so it can't just let the team go to start with; otherwise, the fire eagle wouldn't even bother with the rest of the team after it got the black tokens. Lofa's team immediately choose to separate since they weren't the eagle's match. That was their only chance to survive.

It turns out that Lofa was quite lucky, and the eagle targeted another member first. But in the end, it still caught up to her, and this is the final situation.

The fire eagle was sure to catch her soo, but then it noticed someone entering its Divine Sense, as well. After seeing who it was, it was overjoyed. That guy completely fitted the description given by the other demon beasts, which means that he has the black wolf's black tokens and their own. But its happy face disappeared in the next second because it noticed that Krune's speed wasn't the least bit lower than its own!

'How can a Foundation Establishment be so fast?'

But the eagle didn't give up. It was obvious that Krune was coming for the female human cultivator in front of him. Unfortunately for it, Lofa was moving in Krune's direction.

'I refuse to believe you can get to her before me!'

The eagle then increased its speed once again. If it can get to Lofa first, it might be able to use her to force Krune's black tokens out. Krune also noticed that change and released more tribulation lighting power.

"50%!"

Little light saw that and said:

"Your human form isn't very good to control the tribulation power. If you go back to your wisp form, you should be able to use 50% without suffering any damage."

Krune knew that. But it also means that his true form would be found out. Although he wants to help Lofa, he won't risk that much for her, because he is confident of holding the eagle back that he decided to help start with. Not to mention that Ao and Arlan would take part in the battle very soon. This much body damage wouldn't take long to heal anyway.

Lofa noticed Krune in the distance and was delighted. Just as she was about to call his name, she heard a Divine Sense scream.

"Get down!"

Lofa was alarmed with that but did as she was told.

Boom!

Right above her, several blue and red colored hexagonal shields formed a barrier and were struck by a gigantic fireball. Lofa saw that, and her soul almost left her body. If Krune hadn't warned her in time, she would have been burnt to the point that even her bones wouldn't remain. But she didn't delay even for a second, it is evident that the situation was dire. So she immediately dashed in Krune's direction.

The fire eagle's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. How can a Foundation Establishment control so many of them? Even it would have a hard time controlling that number of spiritual equipment, and it could see that Krune had even more around him that he didn't use to resist that last attack.

It's not that Krune didn't want to use them, but it was because they would be damaged instead. Only his shields with water and fire elements could resist that explosion without being harmed. The water element shields were the fire element's weakness. In contrast, the fire element shields could resist attacks of the same element. Using water shields in the center and fire on the borders, Krune was able to block out the attack.

As soon as Lofa reached Krune, he grabbed her waist and said:

"Hold tight!"

Lofa got a little embarrassed but had no time to think, so she did as Krune told her.

After that, he immediately retreated. This time, he went back to using 30% of tribulation lighting in his movement technique. The eagle noticed that he was a lot slower and immediately sent a barrage of attacks. But it soon found out that Krune's shields and defense skills were annoying as hell!

To send an attack of the same power as that fireball, it would need some time to gather spiritual energy again. The problem is that even if Krune is slower now that he is carrying Lofa, he is still a lot faster than she was. It would give Krune more than enough time to leave the area. Not to mention that he could probably block that again.

'This annoying fly!'

The eagle was enraged with that situation. It couldn't accept that a Foundation Establishment could hold it for so long and still haven't been injured yet! Well, at least not injured by one of its attacks. When Krune first arrived in the scene, his body had some burnt skin, and there was blood on the corner of his mouth. Obviously, a side- effect of using more tribulation lightning than his body could take.

Krune finally got used to carrying Lofa around and started to attack the eagle as well. But he wasn't aiming to injure it, only faking some resistance and purposely using only water element attacks. Water was obviously the element the fire eagle hated the most. So Krune was successful in enraging it even more. Noticing that, a slight smile appeared on his face. He then sent a Divine Sense message to Ao and Arlan.

"Is everything ready?"

Ao and Arlan immediately answered while paying attention not to alarm the fire eagle with their own Divine Sense.

"No problem here. Unless the eagle pays special attention with its Divine Sense, it won't notice anything."

Krune had prepared an ambush, a very simple one, though. He doesn't think it will be enough to kill the eagle, but it should be enough to scare it away. Krune's objective was to simply give a hand to Lofa since they are from the same guild after all.

To make sure the eagle wouldn't notice anything, Krune kept flying among the trees on the ground. He was seemingly trying to hinder the eagle's flight so that he could escape.

When he finally arrived at the ambush position, he passed by it and waited for the eagle to come. Sure enough, the fire eagle was right behind and jumped straight into it.

Suddenly, Ao and Arlan attacked it from both sides. There was no time for the eagle to dodge at all! But it was then that everyone received a Divine Sense message from the fire eagle.

"He! Do you think I didn't expect this little trick? I know very well you were a group of three and had been waiting for this moment."

Divine sense messages can be sent and heard in an instant. Only like this, the eagle had time to say those words. Then, the fire eagle's feathers started to shine with a metallic and fiery luster. Suddenly, almost half of it shot out from its body.

"Divine Feathers Mutilation!"

The eagle might have had no time to dodge its enemies' attacks, but the same could be said about Ao and Arlan. Not to mention that the fire eagle was very confident that its attack was much stronger than its enemies'. It could already visualize Arlan and Ao being full of holes and dropping dead on the ground. Unfortunately, it wasn't the only one to use a Divine Sense message at that moment.

"He! It wasn't only you to think about that."

Suddenly, tribulation lightning started to flow out from Ao and Arlan's swords. All the metallic feathers aimed at them were immediately pulverized by the arcs of purple lightning. Ao and Arlan had already expected that, so their attack didn't stop for even a second.

That moment of life and death, the fire eagle used a secret technique that burned away its own life. Its body started burning like a phoenix, and a powerful fire barrier appeared between it and the swords. Of course, the power of the tribulation lightning isn't that easy to block, not to mention that Krune had used around 50% of the amount available for him back then. But it was still enough to buy the eagle a precious second.

It immediately used that chance and charged out of the encirclement, soon disappearing in the distance. As Krune expected, it did really escape. Krune then looked at Ao and Arlan with a smile and asked.

"Did you get it?"

Ao shook his head, disappointed. On the other hand, Arlan burst in laugh.

"Yeap! Just as we guessed, the eagle also had a spatial ring attached to a collar on its neck. I think it is okay to assume that all Core Formation Realm cultivators and demon beasts of this test have at least one black token. Or at the very least, the bosses of each territory definitely do."

Krune was happy with this result. It turns out that the fire eagle's spatial ring had another three black tokens in it. But Krune was puzzled with one thing, Ao seemed to be somewhat disappointed.

"Is there something wrong?"

Arlan laughed even more after that.

"He's just sad because he lost our little game. We challenged each other to see who would be faster to grab the spatial ring, and he lost."

Krune finally understood what was happening and sighed. Do they have to compete in literally everything?

It was then that Arlan decided to ask something else.

"By the way, how long will the two of you keep hugging each other? I start feeling jealous."

Krune sighed and shook his head.

"I released her a long time ago. But for some reason, she simply doesn't let me go."

Lofa noticed that she was still embracing Krune, and it was so tight that she looked like an octopus!

"Ahhhhh!"

Lofa screamed and immediately kicked Krune away. Krune, who had just been injured even further by that kick, couldn't understand a thing. He looked at Ao and Arlan and asked:

"I've just saved her life, haven't I? What a poor way of thanking someone!"

Ao shook his head and said:

"In my opinion, you've already received a very good payment."

Krune couldn't help but think that sometimes humans really made no sense!

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Noticing that she made a mistake, Lofa immediately went over and apologized to Krune. It's just that she hasn't been that close with a man before, so she had that extreme reaction. Krune didn't mind too much, though. As long as she regretted doing that, he definitely could forgive her.

Krune then looked at Lofa and said.

"You should regroup with your friends as soon as possible, going alone might be too dangerous."

Before she could even answer, he then turned to Ao and Arlan.

"Alright! We finished what we wanted to do and got a few tokens at the same time, let's keep going so that we can arrive on the other side as soon as possible."

Arlan and Ao nodded, and they immediately set off. But there was a small problem; someone was following them right behind. Noticing that, Krune, Ao, and Arlan immediately stopped.

"Errr... Is there something else?"

Arlan noticed that she seemed to be moving her lips, but he couldn't hear what she was saying.

"Did you hear what she said?"

Krune and Ao shook their heads.

"Speak louder. We can't hear you at all!"

Lofa then took a deep breath and said.

"I want to go with you!"

The three men looked at each other confused. They had been very clear that they couldn't afford to protect her when they were back in the previous city. And reality proved that since they had to defend her in the end. So Krune could only be direct.

"No can do. The further we go, the stronger the demon beasts and cultivators will become. You are indeed one of the geniuses of the Makui Planet, but truth be told, you are far from our level. And there isn't much you can help us with. So you should go back and regroup with your team members, maybe you can still fight for the three tokens in the end."

Ao and Arlan agreed with that. Even though Krune is harsh, that could also be said to be for her own good. But it was then that they noticed that she was trembling a little. Krune looked at Ao and Arlan, but they seemed not to understand what was happening as well.

In fact, Lofa was merely scared. She didn't want to be alone again in this place, simple as that. As to why they didn't notice it, well, Lofa was one of the five contestants that got a slot from the Mercenary Selection. Who would believe that one of the strongest Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Mercenary Alliance would be scared of being alone?

Seeing that the three idiots couldn't even understand that much, she could only tell it herself. She looked at them with a red face and screamed.

"I'm scared! Okay? I don't want to be alone in this place again. My group is probably dead, or at least the leader definitely is! I'm afraid of wandering in this place alone, that's why I want to go with you!"

As expected, the three guys were taken aback. Now they are lost at what to do. Krune then looked at Ao and Arlan before asking.

"Should we scout her back?"

Arlan immediately shook their heads.

"There isn't enough time. We might not be at half the way yet, but we are definitely close. If we go all the way back and then come again, we definitely will lose the best period to hunt other teams there. Not to mention that we will spend a lot of time without getting any black token what so ever."

Ao agreed with that.

"We also don't know if there is any other hidden feature in this first phase. If we take too long, we might lose some great opportunity. And even if we don't, we don't know how well the other top teams are doing, so we might not have a chance of fighting for the Dragon Essence Liquid Drops anymore."

Krune's group was caught in a dilemma. They couldn't go back, but they couldn't simply leave her here either. By the looks of it, Lofa wasn't in the condition to give even a step back by herself. But what can they do about bringing her with them? Krune pondered a bit and then asked the source of the problem itself about it.

"Hey, Lofa. You know that we can't go back, but bringing you alone is as much as an issue. In that case, if we bring you with us, what can you help us with?"

Ao and Arlan said nothing since they also couldn't bear to leave a woman behind to fend for herself, especially when she couldn't put up any resistance against the dangers anymore.

Lofa thought that Krune was being too cold but knew this was her only chance at the moment. If she didn't give a good reason, they might really leave her behind. Not to mention that she wouldn't be able to catch up with them if they really focus on running away.

"I... I have quite a good Divine Sense, and I should be able to detect others from further away than most of the contestants in this first phase."

Ao and Arlan smiled bitterly.

"Cough, cough. Our friend Krune here has a Divine Sense able to cover almost 40 kilometers, can you do better than that?"

Loja's jaw dropped! 40 kilometers? The Foundation Establishment with the biggest Divine Sense range she ever saw could only reach 22 kilometers! How the hell did Krune achieve this monstrous Soul Power? Not to mention that he is still at the 8th stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm, it's not even the peak of the 9th stage like her.

"That- That I can't do."

Let alone 40 kilometers; she couldn't reach even 20!

"Maybe... Oh, I know! I'm a three stars alchemist, so I brought quite a few healing pills with me. I don't mind sharing it with you in case you get injured."

Arlan and Ao's smiles got even bitter.

"Well, our friend Krune here is a peak Four Stars Alchemist himself. Healing pill or any other pill is definitely not a problem for him."

Lofa almost fainted right there and then. She came from the Ice Continent, so she knows very little about Krune. Let's not forget the fact that until recently, no one of the other four continents' Mercenary Guilds had ever cared about the Yule Continent to start with.

"Errr... I know a little bit about formations, I might be able to set up a few traps."

Arlan and Ao had finally become helpless, Lofa looked at them and was even afraid to ask already. But Krune still gave her the final blow.

"I'm already a Four Start Formations Masters. We are good in that requisite too."

Lofa finally started crying.

'What are you? A God?!'

Arlan and Ao looked at that and sighed; they know way too well how that feels.

In the end, Lofa didn't have any other skill with which she could help them. She simply shook her head and said.

"Sorry, that is all I'm capable of. Other than that, I can only cook some of my home country food."

Krune's eyes immediately lit up!

"Great! You are in!"

Ao and Arlan almost vomited blood. Brother, what happened with your priorities? just where are your principles?

Lofa wasn't any better. She couldn't help but think.

'Since when cooking became a skill necessary for this first phase of the Martial Gathering?'

Krune's teammates were helpless. Just by looking at those shining eyes, it was evident that it would be useless to speak reason with Krune anymore.

Krune immediately grabbed Loja's hand and left straight away. They just finished a major battle, and they need to recover their spiritual energy before moving forward, especially Krune, who needs to restore the power of the Tribulation Lightning in his Elemental Core. So he took this chance to talk with Loja about what kind of food she could prepare.

Lofa was as red as a tomato, Krune was flying back to his previous group hideout while holding her hand! They totally looked like a couple at the moment. Krune, of course, didn't notice any of that. In his head, there was only one word. Food! He couldn't wait to share some recipes with her as soon as possible.

Ao and Arlan, on the other hand, obviously noticed that situation. But they didn't say anything and just sighed. Even Arlan had already come to know that Krune doesn't have those kinds of thoughts at all! There is no doubt that he only cared about the food that Lofa could make at the moment.

After arriving there, Krune immediately set up a table and the fire. He then called Lofa over and made her start cooking. Surprisingly, Lofa really did have some ingredients from her country in her spatial ring. Her love for cooking and food might not be as big as Krune's, but she still liked to cook when she needed to get some distraction. That was her way of putting her mind out of cultivation.

Ao and Arlan helped with what they could, and soon, a new dish was already served. Krune tasted that and was delighted! The food was really good. He also got some ideas about how to make it again but using his own methods and skills. After finishing eating, Krune looked at Lofa and said.

"Don't worry. I will definitely protect you until the very end!"

Lofa immediately turned her vision away from Krune's gaze. She was almost having a heart attack at that moment. Ao and Arlan started to feel pity for Lofa, though. She definitely is taking all that bullshit wrong. In the end, they could only use Divine Sense to tell her what was really happening.

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After Ao and Arlan explained how Krune's personality works, Lofa finally woke up from her dreams. One can't blame her though, that was a perfect Damsel in a distress situation. So she really got somewhat emotionally affected. Let's not forget here that Lofa is a woman, after all.

Lofa took a look at Krune, who was cleaning the cooking tools as if nothing had happened. Now that she paid more attention, he really didn't seem like he was bothered by anything that happened before. Not to mention, she can see that Krune isn't human, so it would be weird if he got interested in her all of a sudden. She then looked at Ao and Arlan and asked.

"Is he always like that?"

Arlan hasn't known Krune for long, so he refused to answer. But Ao was different.

"Yeap! That's the Krune I've always know. But you don't need to worry. If he says he will do something, he definitely will keep his words."

Lofa then took a deep breath and nodded. Now that she was back to normal, she remembered that she hasn't talked with Ao and Arlan yet about going together with them.

"Sorry for becoming a burden for you two too. After what I've seen, I know very well that I'm not as strong as you three. So I will try to keep out of your way as much as possible and help when possible."

Arlan and Ao nodded, now that it came to it, they might as well go to the very end. Ao was especially at easy with this. In the past, he was just an ordinary cultivator who liked swords. His future prospects weren't that big to start with. It only changed after he met Krune. So he can understand how Lofa feels at the moment.

Krune finished cleaning and asked everyone.

"Alright. Have you all recovered already?"

Ao and Arlan nodded. They didn't use too much energy like Krune to start with.

"And what about your Tribulation Lightning? Is it recharged already?"

Krune shook his head.

"It will take some time, but other than that, my spiritual energy and injures are done with. Also, I haven't used all of it last time, so I still have enough for average level battles. Not to mention that we are going to spend some time to reach the other side, so it will definitely be recovered by then."

Lofa finally thought back to the battle against the fire eagle, at that time, she really did feel the power of the Tribulation Lightning. But only now did she remember that it shouldn't have been there.

"Right! What is that Tribulation Lightning? How can you manipulate it?"

Ao and Arlan looked at Krune; he is the one who can use it after all.

"Well, it's not like a big secret or anything. As you probably already know, universe foundation cultivators and demon beasts need to pass through a Heavenly Tribulation after the foundation is created. I just so happened to keep some of that lightning with me, that's all."

It indeed isn't a big secret. There is no doubt that all the elders already noticed that in the last Mercenary Selection. Cultivators or demon beasts capable of using Tribulation Lightning power aren't exactly unheard of. It's just that they are scarce. Not to mention that as a member of the Mercenary Guilds Alliance, it's an excellent thing for them.

Lofa was even more amazed by Krune; she couldn't help but think that this demon beast in human form is capable of everything. She wanted to ask what race Krune was from, but she remembered that it is a taboo question for those who are hiding it. Tasier and Drorne only kept using their original forms because they can't transform while into the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Krune's group left soon after. They immediately proceeded to the other half of the testing location. On the way, they encountered two different teams and one more territory boss. But it wasn't anything hard to deal with, and they still were able to get another black token. It's just that Krune noticed the decline of contestants and couldn't help but comment.

"I wonder how many teams are still remaining."

Lofa was part of an average team, so she had a better picture of the situation.

"My team had encountered quite a few groups with no black tokens. Usually, they attacked straight away. I think the problem was when two teams without black tokens met each other. They couldn't tell if the other side really didn't have a black token or not, so they could only force their way. In the end, even more blue tokens were used because of that."

Ao agreed with Lofa.

"The initial plan was for our planet to go through this test alone, not to mention that there wasn't supposed to be any tokens to be acquired. So our world was supposed to let the first 400 contestants pass the first phase. But now I doubt that even half of that number will finish this."

Arlan and Krune also thought the same thing. The three phases of Martial Gathering might not even happen anymore.

The time passed, and a few days later, they traveled around 70% of the way.

"Let's stay around here for a while and see if we can catch some other teams."

That was the plan to start with, so they immediately began to act. There are still two weeks remaining for the end of the first phase, which is more than enough for them to arrive at Ravil City. It turns out that their plan worked, they really found a lot more teams that were making their way to the final line. Unfortunately, they got another problem now.

"The majority of the teams we encountered are forming alliances of four or more groups. We can't deal with so many top contestants like this. Not to mention that they all seemed to know about us already. There is always someone in their group keeping Divine Sense active, so approaching then without being noticed is also hard."

It was true. The main problem was that continuing alone would be too dangerous due to the teams without tokens. That's why so many alliances were made after more than half of the time passed.

Also, the Shield and Sword freaks tag was weighting a lot now. Usually, if such an alliance saw a group with only three and noticed that they have tokens through using their own, they would immediately attack. But because they are known now, no one wants to risk getting separated while pursuing those three individually.

As for Lofa, she usually stays behind before they start an attack against another group. That was the best solution to deal with her lack of combat prowess compared to them. Not to mention that the luring plan that they tried to use before needs speed as it's base, and she couldn't keep up with their pace since she isn't a wind or lightning specialized cultivator.

Krune and the others pondered a bit decided to give up team hunting for now.

"I don't think we are behind in tokens gathering, but to be sure, let's try to catch some Core Formation Realm bosses spatial rings. Considering that they usually have a lot of subordinates, there is a good chance of finding one or two with more than a single black token. After all, they could simply overwhelm those alliances with their companions."

Arlan and Ao nodded. It was their best course of action at the moment. Not to mention that they are confident in escaping in case things go south. Krune opened the map for everyone to see and looked at the areas controlled by Core Formation Realm cultivators and demon beasts.

"The closest one is the shadow leopard territory. Want to try this one?"

Ao shook his head.

"Let's choose the sky tribe instead. It's been a while since we fought cultivators. Demon beasts aren't as good for swordplay training like humans."

Arlan immediately nodded, because of the alliances, they hadn't fought many cultivators lately.

"Very well, the sky tribe it is."

Lofa also heard their conversation and asked them expectantly.

"Is there something you need my help this time? I'm sure there is something. Right?"

Other than help Krune with cooking, she hasn't been able to do anything else for them. Lofa couldn't help but feel like a useless person. It was an unbearable feeling for her who always thought to be a genius back in the Makui Planet.

Ao and Arlan immediately turned their heads away. She then looked at Krune with shining eyes. Krune saw that and felt helpless. He then gave Ao and Arlan a side glance as if asking for help.

"Isn't it a beautiful day outside, Arlan?"

"It certainly is, Ao."

"Then, let's go take a look!"

"That's a great idea!"

The two of them gave a mocking smile to Krune and left right after.

Krune saw that and almost fainted.

'Traitors!'

He looked back at Lofa and started to think hard. Usually, he would have rejected her just like before, but Krune couldn't help but feel that he is treating her like people treat the wisps. Useless for anything else than cultivation. It made him struggle with his decision.

Suddenly, Krune's eyes lit up! He then looked at Lofa as if she was some kind of treasure.

"I know exactly what you can help us with!"

For some reason, Lofa felt like she made a mistake by asking him.

Report chapter

Close to the territory of the sky tribe. Lofa was watching a scene in front of her trying her best not to laugh.

'Just how did it turn out like this?'

Ao and Arlan, on the other hand, were feeling very indignant. They wanted to refuse this idea back then, but Krune didn't give them a chance. Every time they remembered the purple Tribulation Lightning sparks gathered on Krune's hands, they felt a chill on their backs.

"Traitors have no right to chose! If you don't comply, I don't mind frying you two right here and right now."

After receiving such a 'friendly' request, how could they complain? They immediately put their hearts into the act.

The people that lived in the sky tribe were, in its majority, descendants of bandits from the Hadine Planet. Their leader was one of the very few who really came from there. He is a 4th stage Core Formation Realm cultivator called Hil Argen. Lately, he's been busy because of the cultivators doing the test. By using superiority in numbers and some traps, he was successful in gathering six black tokens already. He will be able to exchange them for excellent rewards with the Divine path Sect later.

Hil was having some rest when one of his subordinates came to report something.

"Boss Hil, we found another group."

"How many?"

"Only four."

Hil Argen was surprised, so far, the smallest team he found had at least five members, and it was only one group. The rest usually had ten or more. But then he sighed, such a small group probably doesn't even have a single black token. Unfortunately, the blood contract states that he can't ignore any contestant, so he could only set forward and start the attack.

"Have you found who the leader is between the four?"

The subordinate nodded.

"Their group had three men and one woman, and it seems like the woman is the leader."

Hil's attention was picked.

"When we used our Divine Sense to scan the area, we just so happened to see her scolding them while they were kneeling with their heads down. By the looks of it, it seems that they don't dare to talk back at all."

Hil was taken aback now, it's not every day that you see a situation like that.

"It's just..."

Hil urged his subordinate.

"What is it? Say it."

"From what we could pry, the three men seemed much stronger than her."

Hil was delighted with that information. He couldn't help but think that the woman probably had some great background. In that case, she might really have some black tokens on her!

"Have you tested their strength?"

His subordinate nodded.

"We sent three peak Foundation Establishment cultivators over, although they lost and fled in the end, the battle took more than ten minutes to finish. Not to mention that they suffered a few injuries while trying to protect the girl."

Hil was even surer now.

"Very good, we are leaving immediately!"

"Aren't we waiting for everyone to be back first?"

They sky tribe had sent several scouts around their territory to find the contestants, so there was almost no one behind.

"Wait your head! If we take too long and they escape to another territory, I might lose quite a few precious black tokens. Not to mention, with the combat prowess that they showed, it will be way too easy if I take action."

His subordinate thought that it really made sense. At the very least, they shouldn't have a problem to flee if things go south.

And just like that, Krune was successful in making Lofa become the perfect bait while avoiding too many enemies. As for feeling embarrassed about that situation? Krune has never cared about what others would think anyway. Much for Ao and Arlan's sadness.

Krune's group was hidden close to a mountain range while waiting for their guests to arrive. Although they were pretending that to be safe, Krune had already told everyone that someone was observing them from afar. Their plan was to have Krune pay attention to how many enemies will come. If there are too many, they will leave. If not, they will use Lofa to bait the Core Formation Realm cultivator out.

Lofa looked into her hand and could see the Runestone Formation that Krune had given her. It was a protective barrier that Yusa prepared for them before they started the first phase. It had the power to stop a Middle stages Core Formation Realm cultivator attack for a second.

According to Krune, that would be all that they need. So she just had to be calm and... let the Core Formation guy attack her head-on while pretending to be too scared to move. Lofa was already regretting the decision back then. Why couldn't she be satisfied with helping Krune to cook? Turns out that there wasn't even need to act, her soul almost left her body every time that she thought in receiving that attack.

Suddenly, they received a Divine Sense message from Krune.

"Seems like the big boss is here."

Lofa's heart skipped a bit at that moment. Sometime later, another message.

"Great! There are only four more guys with him. My plan was really perfect!"

Ao and Arlan almost vomited blood after hearing that. Perfect your head! Can't you think about a better way to do it?

But since the play was going already, they might as ell finish it. Not to mention that Krune was right about one thing, the big boss really came out without an army.

Hil used his Divine Sense to probe, and as he expected, they didn't show any reaction, which means that the group ahead couldn't feel it. It gave him more confidence that they are his match at all. After ordering the other four guys that came with him to encircle the arena, he and the other immediately attacked.

Krune noticed that and said.

"They are coming, they will be in front of us soon."

Ao and Arlan got prepared to take the swords in their spatial ring. Lofa concentrated in the Renustone Formation in her hand. As for Krune, he started to accumulate Tribulation Lightning power to attack.

As soon as Hil appeared, Krune's group immediately got up while pretending to be alarmed.

"Protect her!"

The three men immediately entered in front of Lofa and launched an attack against the Core Formation Realm cultivator. As for the enemy's subordinates, they were stationed around to prevent Krune's group from escaping.

Hil noticed those attacks and simply laughed, he used his spiritual energy to gather wind and fire elements and launched his own attack.

"Fire Blast!"

The attack didn't hit Krune and his group, but the ground right in front of them. An explosion went out, and the three were blasted away. Hil's main target was Lofa. When he got close to Krune's group, he used his own black token to check who between them had black tokens as well. Turn's out that krune had passed their black tokens to her even before their plan initiated.

Because of this, Hil didn't think twice about making Lofa his first target. Once he secures the black tokens, he will take his time to deal with all of them. He didn't hold back, he was planning to get rid of her in a single strike! But just as his attack was about to reach her, something started to shine on her hands. Immediately, a white barrier appeared around her body.

Boom!

Hil obviously noticed what that was.

"Runestone Formation!"

Runestone Formations need time to gather spiritual energy. Considering that his attack happened in an instant, it shouldn't be possible for Lofa to charge a Runestone Formation that can resist an attack of his level. In that case, it means that they had already been expecting him to come, which means this is a trap!

Sure enough, as soon as his attack rebounded on the barrier, Ao and Arlan appeared on his side. They aimed their swords directly at his heart. But Hil wasn't a 4th stage Core Formation Realm cultivator for nothing. Even in that split of a second, he was still able to back jump by using the remaining energy from the shield rebound, which made the swords hit him but miss the critical points.

He was just about to let out a sigh of relief when suddenly, he noticed several purple-colored Hexagonal Shields all around him, thirty-eight to be exact. Immediately, he felt an extreme sense of danger and tried to move away from that area straight away!

Krune smiled at that sight. It was too late!

"Heavens Chain Lightning Fall!"

Brrroooommmm!

The entire area covered by the shields became an enormous dome of purple lightning! It was a union of his strongest skill, the Heavens Fall, and all his shields previously charged with tribulation lighting as well. The Tribulation Lightning plus Krune's spiritual energy in the shields conducted the power of the Heavens Fall between each other. That created an attack as powerful as the Heavens Fall while increasing its effect radius several times!

When the Tribulation Lightning finally disappeared, everything inside the shield's area was burnt to charcoal. One could see quite a few sparks from the remaining energy on the ground. It was hard to say if Hil was able to survive or not. As for his subordinates, they wouldn't dare to get close at all! They are not idiot, it was easy to see that Krune's group had been faking their real strength all along.

Suddenly, a flash of red fire dashed out of the Heavens Chain Lightning Fall zone! It was none other than Hil Argen! It's hard to find a Core Formation or higher Realm cultivator without their own life-saving techniques. It was like this for Guild Head Yulie, for the Fire Eagle, and now for Hil Argen as well.

But usually, those techniques have a heavy price to be paid, and it was no different for him. Worst of all, he had to use almost all the boost in energy from the technique to resist the previous attack. He knew that once the effect was over, he would be so weak that even ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators could kill him. So he only had once chance, he needs a hostage!

He isn't a Core Formation Realm cultivator for nothing. He understood that Lofa was the weakness of this group. Different from Ao, Arlan, and Krune, she would not be able to resist a second attack like the first one.

Ao and Arlan were just about to intercept him when they heard Krune's Divine Sense.

"Wait! Don't stop him."

Ao and Arlan were taken aback, Krune would never give up on her. So why did he hold them back?

There was more time. Now that they missed the chance to intervene, Lofa is fully open for an attack, and she doesn't have the Runestone Barrier anymore!

It was at that moment that they heard another Divine Sense message that reached everyone on this battlefield.

"STOP LOOKING DOWN ON MEEEEEEE!"

After all that happened, it was too obvious what that Core Formation Realm cultivator in front of her wanted. Instead of running away, he thought that it would be much easier to kidnap her. For Lofa, that was the last straw!

Yes, she was afraid! Yes, She isn't a match for Ao, Arlan, and even less Krune! But she isn't weak! She also had her pride! If she couldn't even show that in a moment of Life and Death like this one, then all the training she had gone through during her entire life would have been for nothing!

As a cultivator from the Ice Continent, Water and Ice element was her specialty.

The temperature around her body immediately plummeted! Her trembling hands came forward and opened, Water and Ice element gathered at high speeds, all the spiritual energy of her body concentrate right in front of her body, and she was ready to release her strongest attack!

"ICE RAY!"

A powerful beam of icy light shot forward! Because of her cultivation, she still couldn't control this attack's trajectory, but there was no need for that to start with. Hil Argen was already right in front of her and had no time to dodge.

In fact, he saw the moment that she was about to do that, but he completely ignored that. Not for even a moment, he thought that this girl would be able to stop him. Not to mention that if he delayed his plans for even a second, Krune and the other might caught up to him.

"What?!"

Both his and Lofa's attack hit it other at point blank. An explosion of Blue and Red, Ice and Fire, blasted everything away. Both sides were sent flying and crashed on the ground over a hundred meters away. As for the point of the explosion, a half-frozen, and half-burnt crater appeared!

Ao and Arlan were taken aback with that exchange, Lofa counter-attacked a full-power strike of a 4th Stage Core Formation Realm cultivator. Even if it was them, they weren't sure if they could resist that clash.

As for Krune, there was just a faint smile on his face.

Lofa ended passing out after that attack, but Krune and the others could confirm that she wasn't seriously injured. As for Hil Argen, he slowly got back of his feat and looked at Lofa in hatred. He had already lost all reason.

"You fuc*ing ant, I'll kill you!"

Well, at least that was what he wanted to do.

"I don't think you can, though."

Out of nowhere, a hand had appeared on his shoulder. It was then that he looked back and saw Krune brilliantly smiling at him. Hil Argen was immediately frozen on the spot, Krune approached his mouth close to Hil's ear and whispered.

"Lightning Touch!"

Boom!

Purple and blue lightning sparks flew everywhere! In the end, just a half-dead, half-living body fell on the ground.

Ao and Arlan felt like they were put inside an ice lake. Wasn't that the same lightning that Krune wanted to use on them if they didn't cooperate?

Suddenly, their play from before didn't look so embarrassing anymore. That's right, Ao and Arlan did it for the sake of luring the boss out, it's not because they were afraid of Krune's Lightning Touch at all!

Report chapter

Krune then took Hil Argen's spatial ring. Sure enough, there were some black tokens inside. He then looked at the other four people who came together with this Core Formation Realm guy and said.

"He isn't dead, but if you don't treat him soon, he definitely will be. Well, it's up to you whether you care about him or not."

Krune grabbed Lofa's body and left together with Ao and Arlan. Due to all the commotion, it wouldn't be long until even more cultivators of the sky tribe appeared around. On their way back to their hideout, Ao asked Krune.

"Did you know that she would be able to fend off the attack?"

Arlan's interest was immediately picked. He also wanted to know that very much.

Krune shook his head, though.

"I didn't, but I could see the look on her eyes. So I decided to believe her."

Ao and Arlan were taken aback.

"Then what if she failed?"

Krune just laughed.

"If that happened, then I would think about something else."

Arlan then asked why he decided to let her fend off for herself.

"It was necessary. If Lofa kept that mentality that someone would always appear to save her, she would die sooner or later. It's evident that she had never passed through real Life and Death situations. Most likely, she just cultivated inside her Clan, Sect, or whatever. Even when she left to train, I believe that someone was always there to look after her. That is also why she was so afraid when we were about to leave her alone after saving from the Fire Eagle back then."

Ao and Alran nodded. Arlan was already strong even before he met Krune, so he obviously had his own life and death moments and knew that they made who he is today. Ao was no different, not to mention that a few of those moments he passed together with Krune.

Suddenly, Ao felt like his mind was struck by lightning!

'Wait! Every time Krune uses his Heavens Fall, it always discharges enough power to win the battle. But he still had Tribulation Lightning power remaining after that Heavens Chain Lightning Fall! So he didn't use all the Tribulation Lightning power available at that time yet.'

The more Ao thought, the crazier the idea sounded.

'Doesn't that mean that he already knew about the Core Formation Realm guy being able to resist his attack? In that case, he let that guy attack Lofa on purpose, and he knew that he would select her!'

Ao looked at Krune's indifferent face and commented.

"Brother, you have gone through a lot."

Arlan heard that but didn't understand. Krune, on the other hand, laughed happily. He knows that Ao already found out the truth behind this matter. They haven't been friends for years for nothing.

That was true! With Little Light's cooperation, how could Krune not know whether his Heavens Chain Lightning Fall had enough power to defeat Hil Argen? An attack based purely on Tribulation Lightning? Ha! That was way too easy for Little Light to measure.

Little Light was also happy with the results today. The only thing he helped Krune with was to tell him how much Tribulation Lightning would be necessary to achieve his plans. All the control, spiritual energy, and ideas about that new Tribulation Lightning skill were done by Krune himself. Little Light felt very pleased with how much Krune improved his use of that power.

'So what if he is a wisp? He is great!'

Even he had started to acknowledge the 'wisp' called Krune. Of course, Little Light's pride won't allow him to tell that to Krune.

Back in their hideout, Krune used his Wood Element to create a leaves bed and put Lofa on it. After that, he started to use his spiritual energy to heal her injuries. It didn't take long for Lofa's body to be fully recovered.

In the end, he took his robe out and covered her. After that exchange against Hil Argen, Lofa's clothes became utterly ragged. And his experience told him that it's never good to let a human female show too much, especially for his own physical health.

Krune then went to the corner and quickly prepared an element gathering formation. He still has a lot of spirit stones with him, what he needed most at the moment was to recover his Tribulation Lightning power. Of course, he made sure to make one big enough so that Ao and Arlan could use it, much for their pleasure.

Time passed, and a few hours later, Lofa finally woke up. She was feeling a little dizzy while looking around. Only after noticing Krune, Ao, and Arlan on the other side cultivating, did she remember about everything that happened.

She then noticed that a blue robe was covering her, it was a little dirty due to having been used, and it was obviously Krune's robe. She then took a look at her own clothes. Seeing that sight, she immediately felt embarrassed. By releasing some spiritual energy, a screen appeared around her bed, which she used to change her clothes quickly. Only after that, she felt relieved.

Krune had already put another robe by that time and seemed to be focused on cultivation, Ao and Arlan were doing the same, so she didn't bother them. Instead, she took that time to check herself as well. That moment of Life and Death had really opened her eyes, she felt like a new door opened and that she could cross it easily. Her soul improved quite a bit, and she thought she was able to control her spiritual energy smoother too. Not to mention the improvement of her control over her Water and Ice element.

That was the best moment to consolidate those powers, she had to focus on them while it still felt fresh on her memory, so she started to cultivate as well. After a few minutes, she was also lost in the feelings of cultivation.

Night came down, and Lofa was still cultivating when suddenly, she felt the smell of food. She hasn't eaten anything since they departed for the Sky Tribe. So she ended up waking up from her cultivation state. Only then did she notice Krune cooking while Ao and Arlan were preparing the table.

She got up and went outside as well. Seeing that she was awake, Krune called her over.

"Seems like you are okay now, come and help me with the food, I'm starving here."

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry, just half a day ago she had almost died! But here is she now, helping Krune to cook food again.

While they were cooking, she asked everyone.

"What happened after I passed out?"

They then explained everything, it's not like there was a need to keep secret anyway. After hearing that, Lofa could only sigh.

"Even after using everything I had, I still couldn't knock him out for good."

Arlan shook his head and said.

"That last attack of yours was excellent, at least I know I can't use anything more powerful than that myself."

Ao agreed with what Arlan said as well.

"You should feel proud of yourself, you still exchanged a blow against that 4th stage Core Formation Realm Cultivator all-out attack, and you two ended even. The reason he didn't pass out like you was basically due to his higher cultivator and stronger soul power."

Krune also commented.

"That Life and Death experience will be of great help to you in the future. At least you probably won't feel afraid of being alone anymore."

Lofa looked surprised at Krune.

"Was my lack of experience about it that obvious?"

Krune and the other only laughed after hearing that, Ao then sent her a Divine Sense message explaining the rest that Krune hadn't told her. That made her feel even more amazed by him. If he could go that far to help her, just how far can he go for his friends?

"Alright! The food is ready. Let's eat!"

They took their time appreciating their meal, and only when they got satisfied did krune start to clean everything for them to leave.

They quickly collected everything they wanted and left that place. Krune, Ao, and Arlan still want a few more tokens before moving to Ravil City. They are very confident in their Black Tokens numbers, but it won't hurt to collect a few more.

But there was one thing the Krune didn't notice, his blue robe had utterly disappeared without a trace.

During the next few days, Krune's group kept hunting Core Formation Beasts and lonely groups. As always, there were a lot of severely injured cultivators and demon beasts. As always, when there is no need for killing, they don't kill.

He also took his time to give Lofa some pointers just like he did with Ao and Yusa back then. Lofa heard those ideas and suggestions and was amazed! Krune's view about elements control is simply unbelievable. Even though Krune could only teach her for a few days, Lofa's combat power increased by leaps and bounds. You couldn't also compare the past and present her anymore.

But as expected, the longer it took, the harder it was to acquire more Black Tokens, so they got only another five in the past week of hunting. Noticing that it should be the same for everyone else, Krune's group finally decided to move into the Ravil City to finish the test.

There was a funny situation, though. Close to Ravil City, there were hundreds of cultivators scanning the area as if looking for something. Krune felt that it was strange and asked the other's opinion.

"Could it be that they are looking for us?"

Everyone looked at each other and thought that it was quite possible. Krune's group knows very well that they made quite a ruckus as the Shield and Sword Freaks. Using his powerful Divine Sense, Krune started to hear the cultivators and demon beasts in the distance secretly.

Turns out that they were right, everyone thinks that Krune's group had was the one with the most tokens. Hence, all those people gathered together to ambush his team and take the black tokens that they had collected.

After Krune told the rest about that, they immediately burst in laughter! Krune has the biggest Divine Sense in this competition by far! There is no way the enemies can catch their group if they can't even feel when Krune's Divine Sense scan everyone on their side.

And it was precisely by using that unfair advantage that they sneaked past the defenses without anyone noticing anything. As soon as Krune and his friend entered the City, Elder Loni came running at him! Everyone could see the bright smile on his face when he looked at Krune and his companions.

"Krune, Arlan, and Ao, well done! Come with me, you can stay at my place until the month is over. After that, we can go to the gathering to count the teams and find the one with the biggest number of tokens."

Krune and the other felt that sight to be somewhat weird but followed nonetheless. Just as they were about to enter the building where the contestants are staying, Lofa's jaw dropped! Right in front of her, she could see another two members of her group that split back then.

"Luin, Jena, you two are fine!"

She immediately rushed over to talk to them, when they noticed Lofa as well, they were just as surprised! Luin immediately said.

"Lofa, you survived, that's great!"

Jena was also happy.

"It's good that you reached this place as well."

Lofa nodded, she then brought them to meet Krune, Ao and Arlan.

"They are the ones who saved me back then. We are all members who got our slots in the Mercenary Alliance Selection."

They immediately complimented each other and then that Jena thanked them.

"Thank you for helping Lofa to get all the way here. We might have failed in the first phase and lost two friends, but as long as we are alive, everything is possible."

Luin also did the same.

Krune's group just laughed. It was then that Krune said.

"But how come you failed? Don't you have three tokens, Lofa?"

Lofa looked at Krune puzzled, since when she had three tokens? Ao and Arlan immediately understood and followed suit.

"Lofa is just being modest, she helped us to hunt down some other groups and Core Formation territory bosses. But she asked for Krune to hold the tokens until we got to the city just to be safe."

Krune then took three black tokens out and passed it over to her. Lofa looked at that with a poker face, how come she didn't know that?

"Elder Loni, we can go now, Lofa will be staying with her friends."

Elder Loni saw that but didn't say anything, Krune and his group got those tokens themselves, it wasn't his place to tell them what to do with them. Besides, he knows very well how many tokens they had, three more or three less wouldn't change much.

Lofa finally understood that it was definitely Krune's idea. Not to mention that even though Arlan and Ao confirmed that fake story, their reaction was a bit too slow. So it was evident that they only found out about this plan of giving away three tokens at the same time as herself. Her eyes couldn't help but feel a little moisty.

When Krune, Arlan, and Ao arrived at Elder Loni's place, he immediately arranged a room for each one. He told them that they can stay there until the first phase was over. With such a weird thing happening, they couldn't help but ask what was happening. Elder Loni just laughed and said.

"Both me and elder Kirian had been watching over the competition ever since it started, so we know very well how much tokens each team has. You three have more than double than the second place, so it is evident that I won that bet. We are just waiting for the first phase to be officially over now.

Krune, Arlan, and Ao immediately got delighted! No wonder Elder Loni is treating them so well, he had won big this time. On the other hand, they also got six drops of Dragon Essense Liquid! How could they not be happy? Krune then contacted Yusa and Shinja, who were already in this Ravil City to come over. He would make a lot of food to commemorate today!

Back at the building where the rest of the participants are staying, Lofa finally got some time alone and went back to her room. She sat on her bed and started to look at her spatial ring when suddenly, a blue robe appeared on her lap. She looked at that and sighed.

"Just what am I doing?"

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A few days later, the first phase was finally over. As expected, Krune's team got the most Black Tokens between all groups by far. While elder Kirian had an ugly face, Elder Loni was smiling brightly! He extended his hand and asked elder her.

"Well, where is my prize? It couldn't be that an elder of our Divine Path Sect would go back on her words, right?"

Elder Kirian heard that and replied.

"Hmph! We have fallen out hundreds of times, have I ever gone back on my words? Here it is. There isn't a single drop less than what it should have."

Overall, Elder Kirian contestants got more tokens than Elder Loni ones, which shows that they are indeed a better-developed Planet than Makui. But it didn't make her the least bit happier since she lost her bet anyway.

Elder Loni saw her angry face and felt even better. It was true, they really bickered each other who knows how many times. But neither side had ever gone back on their words. It was their pride and the pride of their sect on the table, after all.

In the end, Elder Kirian gathered her contestants and left as soon as possible. As for Elder Loni, he stayed behind and called Krune's group over. He then took out a bottle with the six drops of Dragon Essence Liquid.

"Here is what I promised for you. Not a single drop more, not a single drop less. It is up to you how you will share between yourselves."

Krune received the battle and thanked elder Loni. After that, they left straight away. Outside, Krune's group gathered together with the others and waited for Elder Loni to come out and talk about the next phase of the Martial Gathering.

"Alright! As you can see, the initial plan has changed. We have only 113 remaining participants after the end of the first phase, the rest had failed in gathering three tokens or more, so they are disqualified. Because of that, the second phase has no meaning anymore. So we will jump directly into the third phase, which is the final one."

Everyone was paying attention, the second phase was for the sake of cutting the initially planned 400 contestants to 160. It then would follow the same rule as the Mercenary Selection, which was the brackets system. In the end, there would be precisely 10 contestants remaining. But now, the numbers don't match.

"I know that we don't have the planned 160, so I'm changing this last phase to something else."

Elder Loni then asked for his subordinates to bring a few testing pieces of equipment out. After installing it in the middle of the room, they left.

"We are going to test your elemental control. There is no need to think about several elements at the same time, go and pick the one you are most confident with. It's a straightforward and simple way of finding the 10 best candidates for the Divine Path Sect entrance."

Everyone was taken aback. To think that the final test would end this way.

"It doesn't matter how many elements you can control at the same time. What I want to know is how good you are with the one you like the most. The equipment will then show your aptitude with that element through a score."

Krune looked at those pieces of equipment and noticed that they are quite similar to the Alchemist test. The only difference is that they were made to test a single element instead of several of them.

Elder Loni then continued to talk.

"The higher your realm, the easier it is to control the elements and use more than one or two at the same time. But in the end, most of the cultivators would still focus on the elements they are best at. So our Divine Path Sect puts a lot of importance on how good its members are at controlling a specific element."

Everyone was eager to try and see their scores. Some of them might not be able to use three or more elements at the same time, but they are still confident if it only counts their best one.

"Alright, you can start now."

Suddenly, Krune noticed a figure flying to one of those pieces of equipment. Surprisingly, it was none other than the Thunder Hawk Tasier.

"So, he also passed the first phase. Doesn't that mean that all five cultivators and demon beasts from the Mercenary Selection succeed in the first phase?"

Arlan heard that and nodded.

"It's not that hard to accept. The three of us already make up for three of the five slots of the Mercenary Selection, which means that as long as Tasier and Lofa passed as well, we would have all five here."

Krune and Ao agreed with what he said, it really makes sense.

Tasier then used his wings to channeling the Lightning Element power and discharged electric currents everywhere. Soon, a score appeared for everyone to see.

-Lightning Element, 4329 points.-

Although everyone could see that number, no one knew if it was good or not. Even Krune doesn't understand since the equipment back in the Alchemist Guild could only show scores up to 3000 points. So it is evident that the measure used by it is different from the alchemists.

To confirm if it was good or not, the other contestants could only try it themselves and compare their own scores in the end.

One cultivator or demon beast after another went close to the equipment and used the elements that they are most confident with. Slowly, the results started to accumulate.

-Water Element, 3910 points.-

-Ice Element, 2761 points.-

-Wood Element, 4178 points.-

-Fire Element, 3498 points.-

Elder Loni looked at that and didn't say anything. Those results were well within his expectative. What he wants to see is how well Krune and his friends will do.

Lofa finally gathered enough determination and went forward to test herself. She uses both Water and Ice, but if she were to select one, it would definitely be Ice. She took a deep breath and gave a final look at Krune's group direction.

Krune, Ao, and Arlan noticed her looking at them and waved to her while smiling. She then smiled back and turned to the equipment in front of her. Krune had helped her a lot in the last few days they stayed outside, thanks to that, her control of the Ice Element improved to a whole new level. Of course, compared to Shinja or Yusa, she is still leagues apart.

She concentrated her spiritual energy and used it to control the Ice Element around her, then she placed her hand on the machine and started to revolve it. Not too long after, the result appeared.

-Ice Element, 5628 points.-

The room went silent, around half of the contestants had gone over to test their elements control already. But the highest so far had been 4925 points from a genius of the Divine Swords Sect. That result crushed all the previous contestants to the ground.

Elder Loni finally showed some reaction as well.

"Not too bad, little girl."

Lofa got a little embarrassed with the Divine Path Sect elder compliment and immediately went back to her group. Jena looked at her, amazed.

"Lofa, since when you got so good at ice Element control? Even that guy from the Divine Swords Sect was crushed by you."

Luin was just as impressed.

"Right, right! As far as we know, you always had a control pretty similar to ours. How come it's so high now?"

Lofa was lost at words, she can't say that she got that better after just a few days of training, right? First of all, they would definitely not believe her to start with.

"I had a breakthrough during that time with the Fire Eagles attack, after I survived, I felt that everything I know was different. So I started to change my way of controlling the Ice element. But I didn't expect that it would change this much either!"

While saying that, she gave a furtive glance at Krune's direction. The reason was none other than that ordinary-looking guy with a rainbow-like hair.

Arlan decided to give a try as well, as soon as he got close to the equipment, the room turned silent again. They all know that Arlan has a Pure Yang body, which gives him a fantastic control over the Yang Elements, especially fire.

Arlan is different from Lofa, Yusa, or Ao. He already had a very high precision over the control of the Fire Element before meeting Krune. Even if they had never met, his score was bound to crush almost everyone. But he was curious now. That's because Krune still helped him to refine his control even further.

He channeled his fire elemental energy and used it on the equipment in front of him. A moment later, the results were out.

-Fire Element, 8973 points.-

Elder Loni finally looked impressed! He then opened his communicator to check Arlan's information, and soon found out that Arlan has a Pure Yang Body constitution. But even with that, Elder Loni was expecting something around 7000 points. That result is way higher than he thought.

"Boy, you are quite impressive. Haha!"

Arlan smiled back to the elder and returned to Krune and Ao's side.

Ao's competitive spirit was activated, and he immediately went further to take the test as well. Arlan looked at that and laughed.

"Hey, don't take it too seriously! This grandfather here has always been amazing to start with."

"Hmph!"

Ao ignored him and arrived beside the test machine. By now, the majority of the competitors had already finished their tests. As expected, no one got even close to Arlan's result. Ao started to use his Wind Element and let the machine measure it.

-Wind Element, 8453 points.-

Another wave of gasps appeared in the room. Elder Loni was already feeling like he found a treasure trove. Not in a million years would he expect to see so many talents at once in a plant like Makui. Everyone looked enviously to Ao. But he, on the other hand, had a disappointed look on his face. He came back to Krune and Arlan's side and didn't say anything else. Arlan didn't let it go, though.

"Haha! I told you that this grandfather here is amazing. But you weren't too bad either, remember that I have a Pure Yang Body, it does give me a significant advantage at controlling the Fire Element. Otherwise, I believe that our scores would be pretty much the same. I might have even lost."

Krune looked at that and sighed. He already gave up trying to stop them from competing for everything. There were only another five contestants to test their elements control, so Krune decided to give it a try too.

Arlan, Ao, and Lofa noticed that he made his move and stopped talking. Krune arrived beside the testing equipment and pondered a bit. He doesn't really have a preference for elements, he never had. Krune then looked at elder Loni and asked him.

"What element you think I should use?"

Elder Loni and everyone else was taken aback.

"Didn't I say to choose the element you are most confident with?"

Krune innocently nodded.

"I know, but I really don't have anything I specialize at. So I can only ask which one should be better for me to try it."

Some people felt that Krune was being too arrogant. Who would believe him to be able to use any element at the same level?

"Well, it doesn't really matter, just go for earth then. There weren't many people using it so far."

Krune nodded and proceeded with the test, he channeled his spiritual energy to control the earth element and let the machine measure it.

-Earth Element, XXXX points.-

Krune and Everyone else was puzzled, what does XXXX mean? Elder Loni, on the other hand, looked at Krune as if he was a monster. But he soon regained his composure.

"Forget earth element, just try fire element for now."

Krune nodded and did the same thing again.

-Fire Element, XXXX points.-

Krune started to feel annoyed and just tried to use other elements to get over with it, but...

-Water Element, XXXX points.-

-Lightning Element, XXXX points.-

-Wood Element, XXXX points.-

-Wind Element, XXXX points.-

-Ice Element, XXXX points.-

-Metal Elemen...

Krune's face was already ugly by this point.

"Come on, you piece of sh*t! Show me something, I can't believe I will fail here just because you can't show some numbers.

Elder Loni heard that and almost fainted.

'Fail your head! The equipment can only give a score of at most 9999 points, but your results are fuc*ing too high! It can't measure you correctly at all.'

That's what he wanted to say, but he couldn't lose his composure in front of a bunch of Juniors.

"Cough, cough. Let it be for now. I will arrange another testing machine for you."

He then opened his communicator and asked his subordinates to bring over a piece of more precise equipment. The reason they didn't bring it at first was that it was a lot bigger than the normal ones, so it takes longer to install. Not to mention that they didn't expect that the Makui Planet would have someone who would need it in the first place.

Everyone waited for it to be installed, two hours later, the equipment was finally ready. Elder Loni then turned to Krune and said.

"Alright. You can test it now."

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Krune nodded and moved to the new testing machine equipment. He just channeled earth first as he did with the first machine.

-Earth Element, 14597 points-

Finally, a precise result came out. Seeing that score, everyone in the room went in an uproar!

"What's up with that number? Is that even possible?!"

"That's wrong! I refuse to believe that my earth element score is so much lower than him!"

"Can we even be considered inside the same Foundation Establishment Realm?"

"You are wrong there! He is still in the 8th stage of the Foundation Establishment."

Elder Loni's eyes were on fire! It was as he thought, the results of the previous test machine equipment couldn't measure Krune's score.

Krune, on the other hand, was amazed by that score. He didn't expect to reach such a number. Doesn't that mean that all his other element scores are like that? Suddenly, he heard Elder Loni's voice.

"Krune, test the other elements as well, I want to see just how far you can go!"

Krune didn't want to try that at all!

"Errr... Elder Loni, one number is enough, no? More than that might attract too much attention."

Everyone heard that and felt like spanking Krune right there and then. Is it possible to attract more attention than this? They would find out that it really is.

"Cut the crap, do it!"

Krune felt helpless, but then, an idea came out, he thought about using his other elements wrong on purpose.

'Yes! It should work.'

Just as he was about to do that, Little Light advised him against that.

"If you are thinking about deliberately doing bad, you better forget about that."

Krune was taken aback! Why can't he? Little Light then Explained.

"That elder of the Divine Path Sect is a Void Breaking Realm cultivator. He will notice straight away by the moment that you channel your spiritual energy to control the elements. You will only succeed in incurring his wrath by doing it wrong."

With his fate sealed, Krune sighed helplessly and then proceeded with his tests.

-Fire Element, 15125 points.-

-Wind Element, 15628 points.-

-Water Element, 14826 points.-

Every time a new element score appeared, the voices in the room increased a fold, those scores were simply out of everyone's scope. Krune had already given up. His life, which had got pretty quiet in the last two months, was probably about to become tumulted again.

He then tried his Lightning Element, but because he was feeling sad, he subconsciously used 30% of Tribulation Lightning and 70% Lightning Element as he always does.

-Lightning Element, XXXXX points.-

All the noise in the room disappeared once again. Elder Loni was already going crazy! The others might not have noticed, but how could a Void Breaking Realm Cultivator like him not? That was definitely the power of the Tribulation Lightning! Krune noticed the silence in the room and looked at the score, after seeing it, he felt like killing himself. He immediately tried to use an excuse.

"Cough, cough. It's a mistake in the machine, I will try again.

This time, he only used Lightning Element without any Tribulation Lightning.

-Lightning Element, 29834 points.-

Krune finally vomited blood.

"What the hell is that? Is that testing equipment making fun of me?!"

Little Light answered that question for him, though.

"Tribulation Lightning is much more powerful than simple Lightning Element. Because of your constant use of Tribulation Lightning, it goes without saying that your control over the lightning element improved much faster than the other elements."

The reason that Krune didn't notice that is exactly the same. He stopped using skills of the Lightning Element without Tribulation Lightning a long time ago. So he didn't see the improvement in the Element alone.

As for Elder Loni, he couldn't be any more excited! This Krune had surpassed all his expectations! His control over the elements is on par with Middle and Late Stages Core Formation Realm cultivators. Not to mention his Tribulation Lightning! And as the elder presiding over the Makui Planet martial Gathering, great rewards are waiting for him after bringing Krune and his friends back to the sect.

Of course, although he was delighted, Elder Loni didn't let it appear on his face, he just praised Krune better than he did with the other three. It made the contestants feel like Elder Loni had seen a lot of cultivators like that before.

"Alright, the test is over. Now I will announce the ten qualified ones."

"Mercenary Guild Alliance, Krune."

"Mercenary Guild Alliance, Arlan Rosier."

"Mercenary Guild Alliance, Ao Sulian."

"Mercenary Guild Alliance, Lofa Harcken."

"Divine Swords Sect, Jade Masfey."

"Eien Clan, Rick Eien."

"Mercenary Guild Alliance, Thunder Hawk Tasier."

"Mira Kingdom's Third Prince, Abaleu Mira."

"Carlen Clan, Yona Carlen."

"Divine Swords Sect, Sword Mantis Revain.

Except for the Mercenary Alliance Members, everyone else was surprised. The Mercenary Alliance took five slots at once, not to mention that they only had five contestants to start with. They couldn't believe that everyone sent by the Mercenary Alliance successfully got five slots of the Martial Gathering.

But the results were up for everyone to see. The Divine Path Sect would never go out of its way to trick some ants of a small planet like Makui. So there is no doubt that those scores are real.

Tasier was looking at Krune's group, Arlan and Ao had scores much higher than himself. Tasier couldn't help but feel that something is wrong. But what really surprised him was Lofa's score. He knows her power very well, and she shouldn't be that proficient in Ice Element. He decided to go look for Lofa later after Elder Loni was done talking.

But things weren't over yet, Elder Loni looked at those who failed and then said.

"I know that quite a few of you are not satisfied with this Elemental Control test. You were expecting to get your places through the bracket battles. I also know that quite a few of you are thinking that you are stronger than someone who got a slot. Considering that I changed the contents of the Martial Gathering because of my bet with Elder Kirian, I will give you all another chance. I will bring to the Divine Path Sect Entrance Exam more five cultivators or demon beasts."

The eyes of those who failed immediately lit up, a lot of them were really angry with using only elemental control to select the ten winners after all. But in the end, what was supposed to be only 10 slots, became 15! This also shows Elder Loni's good mood. It seems like that that Dragon Essence Liquid Bottle was essential to him.

"The 10 who already passed can leave if they want, those who didn't will now enter the last five slots selection. 101 contestants are remaining, so I will separate you into five teams of 20 or 21 competitors. After that, we will start a round-robin competition. There will be five battles per day, in the next four days, we will find out who are the last five cultivators or demon beasts to go the Divine Path Sect Exam."

Everyone was excited, they immediately checked their weapons and recovery pills. Everyone here is the cream of the crop between their own powers, so there was no such thing as seeded players. After drawing the lots, the battles started straight away.

Krune sent a message to Shinja and Yusa to see if they wanted to watch the battles as well, it didn't take long for the two girls to appear after that. Lofa, on the other hand, went back to her room again. She took Krune's robe out of her spatial ring and held it on her arms. She wanted to stay with him but had no courage to approach by herself.

Suddenly, Lofa heard a voice coming from the window that she forgot opened.

"Isn't that the robe that Krune used during the Mercenary Selection?"

Lofa's body immediately froze on the spot. She then looked at the window and saw who was there. Turns out that it was none other than the Thunder Hawk Tasier! Lofa then screamed so loud that Tasier's ears almost exploded! But she was still holding the robe, she was so flustered that she completely forgot to put it back into her spatial ring.

"Shut up! My ears are going to break! Don't you know that Hawks have super sensitive ears?! And what are you screaming for? There is no one idiot enough to attack another contestant under the Divine Path Sect watch, don't you think?"

Lofa finally regained her senses and noticed the robe in her arms, she then immediately stuffed it back into the spatial ring. Tasier looked at her face, which was as red as a tomato, and finally understood what was happening.

"Could it be that you-"

Before he could even finish speaking, Lofa rushed over and closed his beak.

"Shut up! You have nothing to do with it. If you tell anyone, we are going to be enemies forever! Understood?!"

Tasier, of course, wasn't the least bit afraid of Lofa. But for the sake of his questions, he accepted her conditions.

The reason that he could identify that Robe was because Krune did really use it in the Mercenary Selection. Hawks have a vision that is several times better than humans, let alone a Thunder Hawk Demon Beast at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm. He was able to tell that it was Krune's robe with a single glance!

"Anyway, what you do with that is not my problem, I came here to ask you something."

Lofa looked at Tasier and then nodded.

"What is it that you want to ask?"

Tasier then explained to Lofa about the fact that she wasn't that good with elements control before, at least, definitely not better than him. After inquiring around, he had found that she spent quite a few days with Krune's group during the first phase, which led to him putting together the pieces of the puzzle.

Lofa understood that denying it would be useless, anyone with a mind in the correct place would think the same thing. Especially him who had seen her battle prowess during the Mercenary Selection several times.

"That's true, it was thanks to Krune's teachings that I got this good in controlling my Ice Element, his view about the elements control is simply unbelievable!"

Tasier was finally able to confirm his hyphotesis.

"I see, no wonder you lik-"

Boom!

The Thunder Hawk was suddenly sent flying until he hit the wall of the room.

"If you open your beak to say that again, see if I don't cut your wings off!"

Tasier was amazed, since when Lofa became this physically tough? That kick really hurt him!

"Cough, cough. Alright! Alright! I really can't understand you, humans. If it was us demon beasts, whether female or male, we would be extremely direct about our feelings. This is to show to the other gender that we are mighty and imposing, but I guess you humans are too complicated for that."

He then looked at Lofa's scary face and changed the topic.

"Okay, back to the main issue. Help me get acquainted with Krune and the others, I want to get better with my elements control too. Not to mention that Krune is best at lightning, which is exactly the one I'm best at."

Lofa was taken aback, help him get close to Krune? She doesn't know how to do that herself, how is she going to help him with it? But it was then that her eyes suddenly lit up!

'Right! If I used Tasier's training as an excuse to get close to him, wouldn't it be perfect?'

She then looked at Tasier as if he was made out of gold!

"Tasier, we are friends, right?"

Tasier was puzzled by that question. But since she is helping him and he knows her secret, it somewhat does count as a friendship of sorts, no?

"I guess you could say so."

Lofa became delighted!

"Great! I will introduce you to Krune and his friends then."

Tasier, obviously, was happy with that. But for some reason, he felt like he was selling himself off.

'I guess I'm overthinking. Yes, I probably am.'

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Krune and his group were watching the others' battles when Tasier and Lofa arrived. Lofa then came forward to talk with them.

"Since the five of us passed the Martial Gathering and are from the Mercenary Guilds Alliance as well, I brought Tasier over. I hope you guys don't mind."

She said that while avoiding making eye contact with Krune, Tasier then came forward.

"I also like this idea, we can talk with the Mercenary Guilds Later about this Gathering. I'm sure they will go crazy."

Arlan was an easy going guy, so he immediately accepted him.

"That's great! But I didn't think you were the type to join groups, Tasier."

Ao and Krune also nodded, but they didn't mind it either. Tasier heard that and explained.

"That's where you are wrong, Thunder Hawks are quite a sociable race. It's just that I'm the only Thunder Hawk around here now."

Krune and the other didn't really have a reason not to believe that, so they welcomed Tasier. Lofa then noticed that Tasier was looking at her, and the meaning was obvious. She then took a deep breath and approached Krune.

"Krune, can I ask you something?"

Krune nodded without much care.

"As long as it isn't dangerous."

Lofa shook her head.

"It has nothing to do with being dangerous or not."

"Then it shouldn't be a problem. What's it?"

Lofa seemed very embarrassed but still asked.

"You see, Tasier and I aren't as good controlling elements like you and your friends. Can you give us a few pointers again?"

Krune just laughed after that question.

"Of course, if it is something that simple, I don't even need to be the one for that."

He looked at Shinja, who was talking with Yusa and Tasier and called her over.

"Shinja, Lofa is an Ice and Water elements cultivator like you. Your Ice and Water Elements control is more or less at the same level as mine too. But as a woman, it should be much easier for you to guide her in some specific parts. Would mind giving her some pointers? We are all part of the Mercenary Guild Alliance after all."

Shinja immediately nodded, other than reinforcing her cultivation after the last breakthrough, she hasn't been doing much recently.

"Sure, I will call Yusa over as well. She has been focusing on cultivation a lot recently. I could use this chance to have her relax a bit."

Krune nodded and then said.

"As for Tasier, he is a Thunder, Wind, and Metal elements cultivator. Ao uses Metal and Wind while Arlan uses Thunder and Wind. I can use this chance to check their overall ability."

Lofa heard all of that and immediately thanked him. But deep down, she was disappointed. But she couldn't refuse Krune's logic. It made sense that a woman would be better to teach another one when the teachers were at the same level of a particular element control.

Tasier was still talking with the others when Krune came over to tell him the news. He immediately got overjoyed with that and wanted to start straight away. But Arlan, Ao, and Krune shook their heads. They wanted to watch the battles on going a little more, so Tasier could only wait for now. As for Lofa's situation? Tasier had already forgotten about that a long time ago.

Yusa and Shinja, on the other hand, decided to leave with Lofa early.

"Come on, I will take a look at your abilities. Krune's teaching is excellent, but there are really a few things that just another woman will be able to help you with."

Yusa nodded and said.

"She is right, Krune and Shinja had always been more or less at the same level when we talk about Water and Ice control. Although he shared a lot of new ideas with both of us, Shinja was still able to bring forward some issues to me that only she could understand. As you know, men's and women's constitutions are different, and that has some impact on the way we control the same elements."

Of course, they wouldn't tell her about the Myriad Energies Technique or the Soul Cultivation techniques of the Rainbow Sect. But even so, there is still a lot that can be taught without any of those. And Krune was right, they are all part of the Mercenary Guild Alliance and were participating in the Divine Path Sect Entrance Exam. But above all, Lofa is a woman too. There are already few women to start with, so Shinja and Yusa really wanted to help her.

Lofa looked at how easy going Krune's group is and couldn't help but ask.

"Have you guys always been like that? Accepting anyone who gets close to you?"

Yusa and Shinja were taken aback with that question. Now that Lofa brought up this issue, they couldn't help but agree that it seemed odd for them to act like that. Yusa pondered a bit and then started to laugh.

"I guess that you can call it Krune's infection."

Shinja laughed at that 'illness' name and nodded.

"That's a very fitting name, especially for me."

Leaving Krune aside, Shinja and Yusa immediately dragged Lofa outside. Shinja then asked her to show some skills and started to teach her what she knew.

Later on, the battles for the day were finally over. So Krune and the others came outside and could see Shinja together with Yusa and Lofa. He went to another corner and asked Tasier to show some of his skills. Just as Tasier started to channel Lightning Element to use one, Krune already stopped him.

"Wrong! Why are you using only your innate ability to channel Lightning Element? What about the Lightning Element in the surroundings? No wonder you need so much space every time you initiate an attack, it takes too long to prepare a skill."

Tasier immediately got confused.

"But I've always done like this. When I try to use outside energy, it is much slower."

Krune shook his head.

"Then you are doing it wrong, as a Lightning Element demon beast, your control over the Lightning Element is higher by default. Let me see you using external Lightning Element."

Tasier did as told and started to channel outside Lightning Element. Krune looked at that and immediately understood the issue.

"It's just incompatibility between your internal Lightning Energy and the outside Lightning Element. As long as you make them compatible with each other, you should have no problem in using both at the same time."

Tasier got confused, he had no idea how to do that. Krune then took his time explaining what he knew. After leaving Tasier to practice the things he told him, Krune then went to check on Ao and Arlan. Ao had the Spiritual Energy Meridians, so there wasn't much for Krune to help with. The rest mostly depended on his comprehension ability.

As for Arlan, he didn't have it, so his control of the other two elements was a lot worse than his Fire one. He pondered a bit if he should pass the Myriad Energy Techniques to Arlan as well. So far, he didn't seem like a bad person. As long as he had the technique, Arlan's fire control should reach a level close to his since he also has a Pure Yang Body.

Krune then sent a Divine Sense message to Ao and asked his opinion.

"I don't think Arlan would do anything wrong to us, and I believe that he already noticed that we all have something different. But he never asked what it was. He is the type who respects the other's secrets."

Krune nodded and then talked with him.

"As you probably know, my friends and I have some ways of improving our elements control even further. I don't mind telling you this, but I will need you to sign a blood contract not to divulge it outside without permission."

Arlan was taken aback with that sudden message. He then pondered a bit and then nodded. If it is just to not tell others about it, then he didn't mind. After signing it, Krune started to explain the situation.

"What do you know about the Myriad Energies Technique?"

Arlan was surprised and answered Krune's question with a question of his own.

"How did you know that I cultivated it in the past?"

This time, the one surprised was Krune.

"You did? I didn't know that at all! But that's great, how many pseudo energy meridians did you create?"

Arlan thought that Krune had looked on his background and found out that he had used that technique before. But it seems like that it was nothing more than coincidence. Still, why would he ask about such a basic technique ao of a sudden? Nonetheless, he replied about Krune's question.

"I opened seven before. You must understand that I came from an impoverished family, so this was the only technique I could afford during that time. That's why I still cultivated it up to the seventh pseudo meridian."

Ao heard that and was impressed.

"And you got this strong so fast?"

Arlan shook his head.

"It is basically the side effect of my Pure Yang Body. It helped me comprehend fire element techniques easier. With that, I took even harder missions in the Mercenary Guild and slowly got to where I am now. I can't even count the number of Life and Death situation I went through."

Krune nodded after hearing that.

"Anyway. The secret behind our much better control over the elements is in the Myriad Energies Technique itself. It goes like this."

Krune then explained how he found out about the technique's true form and the experiences he had in the past. Arlan, obviously, didn't believe at first. But the more Krune explained, the more plausible it seemed. He then looked at Ao, who also confirmed that it is true.

"You still have around five months before the Divine Path Entrance Exam. Considering that you already have seven pseudo meridians, it should be more than enough time for you to finish the other two."

Arlan nodded and decided to give it a try. The main reason being that he is already at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm. Other than the Elements control that Krune was helping him with. He really didn't have much to improve on any other side.

"Very well, I will give it a try."

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While Krune and the others were training on one side, on the other side Shinja, Yusa, and Lofa were doing the same. But there was something strange, Yusa and Shinja noticed Loja's attention being caught by the men's group several times. Specifically, by Krune. Yusa noticed that something was different and waited until Lofa's focus was away again.

She then snaked behind and whispered on her ears.

"Is there something special about Krune?"

Lofa's heart almost jumped out with that comment. She looked at Yusa with a face as red as a tomato. Yusa and Shinja would need to be blind not to understand what is going on. Shinja couldn't help but comment.

"You can't be serious, right? What exactly did you see in that blockhead that only thinks about food?"

Yusa nodded vigorously. She also couldn't understand that. Lofa tried to say that they were wrong, though.

"That's not it! I swear that's not it!"

Yusa and Shinja didn't believe it for a second and pressed forward.

"Are you taking us for fools? No one in this universe would believe that after seeing your reaction."

Lofa finally lost it and tried to leave, as long as she doesn't say anything, they can't confirm their theory. But how could Yusa ever let such a fun toy go like that? She just smiled and said out loud.

"Hey, Krune! I just found something exciting. Do you wanna hear?"

Lofa immediately charged back and begged for Yusa to not say anything. Too late, though. Krune had arrived by their side already.

"What is it?"

Shinja sighed at that sight, Yusa really has no shame. The two of then looked at Lofa, who seemed to be about to cry and then said.

"Oh, nothing much. It's just that we noticed that Lofa has an excellent talent for Ice Element control. So we are planning to help her for a little longer."

Krune then showed an understanding expression.

"Oh, that's good then. Make sure to teach well. I'm going back now."

Krune then returned to the men's side. Yusa then looked at Lofa's soulless face and started laughing. Shinja, on the other hand, just sighed.

"Enough with playing with her, you should know Krune good enough to understand that it won't work."

Shinja then looked at Lofa and said.

"Krune has someone he is interested already, so you should give up on this idea while it's still early."

Yusa finally stopped laughing and said.

"She's right. Krune definitely won't look at anyone else. First of all, he doesn't even comprehend relationships very well. So, let us tell you a few stories that will make you understand how his mind works."

Yusa and Shinja then shared a few things that happened with them and Krune. They went from the Sex Shop incident all the way to the Face Changing pill. Lofa heard those things and couldn't help but laugh quite a few times.

"Is there such a clueless figure in this universe?"

Yusa and Shinja laughed as well.

"There is, and that is who Krune really is. So, he would never notice your feelings doesn't matter how obvious you make it appear."

Lofa stopped laughing after hearing that, but then she remembered about they saying that Krune already has someone he is interested.

"Then how come he has someone? He doesn't seem the type to fall in love after all what you told me."

Shinja and Yusa looked at each other and nodded.

"Well, it goes like this."

They then explained how Krune came to know Wang Feifei and how she saved his life. Of course, they left out the fact that Krune is a wisp and the Myriad Energies Technique.

"Now that I think about it, your story is very similar. You started noticing Krune after he saved your life. But there is a big difference between you and that Feifei. The one who proposed to him was Feifei herself."

Lofa couldn't help but ask.

"But wasn't Feifei just a nine to ten years old kid? How come Krune took her seriously?"

Yusa and Shinja once more laughed.

"And do you think that Krune would pay attention to that fact? The important thing for him wasn't her age, but the promise that he made. She saved his life, and now he thinks that he owns her that much. If she wants to marry, then he will marry. It probably hasn't much to do with love to start with."

Shinja then said.

"Of course, it was something that happened over three years ago. And Krune admits that Wang Feifei most likely has forgotten about him. He told us that if he arrives at the Wang Clan and she doesn't want anything from him, then he will simply pay that life-saving debt through some other way."

Lofa's mood immediately improved.

"Then, doesn't that mean that I still have a chance? Since it's all about keeping his promise, once he finds out that she forgot or didn't want anything with him, he will naturally be free to do whatever he wants. It's just like you said. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with love to start with."

Shinja and Yusa became lost at words. Did she hear what they said? Krune doesn't have any sense about relationships, hey!

"Are you perhaps forgetting that Krune isn't a human?"

Lofa, of course, knew that as well. Anyone who felt Krune's aura would be able to tell that he isn't a human.

"I don't care. It's not like there haven't been any couples between different races. I know one from where I came too."

Shinja then pressed forward.

"But what if he is a Frog type or Insect type demon beast? Would you still think the same?"

Lofa finally stopped for a moment.

"Does it means that you know what race Krune is from?"

Shinja and Yusa looked at each other and then nodded at Lofa.

"We do, but we promised not to tell anyone without his permission. But you should know this. Any demon beast that changes into human form during the Foundation Establishment is bound to be a very common one. And Krune just so happens to have acquired his human form the moment he entered the Foundation Establishment."

Lofa was taken aback.

"That weak?"

She wasn't wrong in saying the word weak. It's common sense that the earlier the demon beasts can transform, the weaker their race is. And in fact, people couldn't think about a race weaker than the wisp race.

Shija and Yusa nodded.

"Yeap, his race couldn't be any more average. So don't blame us if you find out that he is some insect or weird looking demon beast later."

Yusa and Shinja finally thought that Lofa would give up, but her answer went against their expectations.

"Isn't that great? Look at him now! Coming from the bottom-most part of the food chain, and becoming the strongest contestant of the Martial Gathering! Just how much effort did he put to get where he is? And on top of that, his race doesn't help him with anything. He did all of that alone. I couldn't be more impressed with Krune's life than I am now!"

Yusa and Shinja almost fainted. Their efforts not only were useless; they even made Krune's image look several times better on her eyes. Yusa looked at Shinja and asked.

"Is that what they mean with 'love is blind'?"

Shinja could help but nod.

"It does seem like that."

The problem is that they know she took all of it wrong. But Yusa and Shija soon noticed what their mistake was. As long as you don't know that Krune is a wisp with a limited life span, It DOES look like he did something amazing. Wait! Doesn't it mean that the fact that he is a wisp makes it even more spectacular? The two girls finally decided to stop thinking.

"Then what will you do? Unless Krune hears from that Wang Feifei girl's mouth that she doesn't care about that promise anymore, he definitely won't show any interest what so ever to any other female."

Lofa answered with a question.

"First of all, who is that Wang Feifei and where she is from?"

Yusa sighed and reminded Lofa.

"Didn't we just say it a few moments ago? She is Wang Feifei from the Wang Clan."

Lofa suddenly opened her eyes wide!

"Wait! You can't be talking about 'that' Wang Clan, right?!"

Shinja and Yusa nodded.

"That's exactly the Wang Clan that we are talking about."

Lofa's mood became gloomy straight away.

"Doesn't that mean that Krune will need tens, if not hundreds of years before he becomes strong enough to go there?"

Shinja and Yusa nodded once more.

"Seems like we finally found a reason for you to give up. It is also good since this is something you came to feel for Krune recently. It shouldn't be too hard to forget him with some effort."

Lofa started to think about it seriously. She could at least tell that Krune would not break a promise. Not to mention that everyone trusts him precisely because of how he is.

Yusa decided to strike the iron while it was hot.

"Also, remember that with his talent, there is a very high chance of him passing the Divine Path Sect Entrance Exam. At that time, if you fail, what will you do? You won't be able to stay close to him anymore."

Because Lofa doesn't have the Spiritual Energy Meridians, her chances of passing are very slim. Not to mention that she also doesn't have a soul cultivation technique. So those words were very effective against her.

"I guess... I will think about it after the exam is over."

Yusa and Shinja nodded.

"That's an excellent decision. For now, we will still help you with your elements control. If you succeed, then we can have this conversation again. Of course, that is considering that we will pass as well.

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Tasier was having some difficulties in making his internal Lightning Energy compatible with External Lightning Element. It's not that he doesn't have a talent for it, it's just that he got too used to his own way of doing things. He then asked Krune if there was a way to keep using his own lightning only, but Krune was merciless.

"If you can't do even this least bit, then you can go away! This is nothing more than laziness from your part. If I say it's possible, then it's possible. Lofa was a much better student than you, she didn't complain about anything I said and tried all be herself. Are you telling me that a mighty Thunder Hawk Demon Beast can't even do as much?"

The reason that Tasier could use three elements at the same time had a lot to do with his innate Lightning Energy. It was very natural for him to the point that he almost didn't have to control anything. Now that he had to control the external Lightning Element, he is having a problem to do that together with wind and metal elements.

But as soon as he heard Krune comparing him with a girl that couldn't even confess and saying that he was worse than her, the fire on his heart burst forward!

'Who the hell can't do it?'

Demon beasts are very good in situations like this, nothing is more effective than saying they are worse than anyone that they thought to be weaker. Those who saw Tasier during the next day would believe that he was possessed. He really pushed his limits to the max, and he couldn't tolerate being looked down upon at all!

Krune had already told him what to do, after talking a bit with Ao and Arlan, he went back to watch the matches of the second day. He only needs to reinforce his foundation for the next few months, so he didn't need to seclude himself or anything like that. Not to mention that it was quite entertaining to look at the others' battles. There was always one or two skills that gave him a few ideas to use on his own ones.

As for Yusa and Shinja, they were still together with Lofa helping her with the Water and Ice Elements. The further you go, the harder it is to make progress, so she wouldn't change much in just a day or two. But at least Lofa's mind was back on track, so she would improve sooner or later.

After talking with Krune, Arlan went back to his room and continued to work on his eight pseudo energy meridian. As for spirit stones? He was the star of the Makui Continent Mercenary Guild. As the biggest mercenary guild between the five continents, they gave him a lot more resources than Krune got from the Yule Continent one. All he needed was time.

Tasier efforts paid off. At the end of the third day of training, he finally showed some control over both his internal Lightning Energy and external Lightning Element. The main reason might have been Krune's ideas of how to do that, but the provocation really played a big part too. Of course, this was something he learned in just three days, so he was far, far away from achieving proficiency.

Krune looked at his progress and finally nodded.

"Now that's more like it. For now, there isn't much for me to say. Because of the long-time using only the Lightning Element of your body, your senses got numb to the Lightning Element from the surroundings. So there is no point in me teaching anything about the Wind of Metal elements at the moment. Focus on your Lightning Element for the next two or three weeks, and then we will see what you can do."

Tasier nodded. He could feel those issues himself, so he was already planning to do that anyway. But before that, he decided to take a look at his Lightning Element Score again. Elder Loni had left the testing machine equipment in their places for everyone to try out. So he was curious to see if there was any significant difference now that he got a little better at both Lightning Energies.

Arriving there, he found out that there were quite a few cultivators and demon beasts as well. That wasn't anything hard to imagine. It was hard to gather the best Foundation Establishment Cultivators and Demon Beasts from the Makui Planet at the same location. So it was an excellent chance to see if their Elements Control was getting better after the several battles.

Tasier went to the equipment and started his test as well. He channeled his Internal Lightning and made sure to make it as similar as possible to the Lightning Element of the surrounds. He then made the same thing again and tried to bring the external Lightning Element compatibility as close as possible to his Internal one. Only then did he bring it to the equipment.

-Lightning Element, 4521 points.-

Tasier was delighted! The increase in points was only 191, but he had been doing Krune's training for only three days! Not to mention that only on the third day, he was successful in making his internal Lightning Energy compatible with the external Lightning Element. He knows better than anyone else how numb his feelings for the external lightning is at the moment.

'This is great! Krune, I really own you one now. Haha!'

Tasier took flight dashed outside, he was determined to train until he got half-dead. But just as he was about to start, Krune sent him a message.

"I'm cooking some food, come over and take a bite too."

Tasier got a little conflicted if he should go or not, he really wanted to go back to training again. But thinking back to how much Krune helped him, he decided to pass by anyway.

Back at Krune's place, he was taking his cooking tools out while the rest was helping to prepare the table.

"Lofa, come and help me with the cooking."

Lofa immediately rushed over with a happy face. Of course, on Krune's eyes, she just enjoyed cooking like him. Back where Ao, Arlan, Yusa, and Shinja were preparing the table, Ao commented.

"I hope she wakes up soon. Haha!"

Yusa just shook her head.

"Let her be, considering that it's Krune who we are talking about, there is no way it will advance anywhere."

Arlan and Shinja couldn't help but nod.

Suddenly, they felt some strong wind, and a second after, Tasier landed close to the table.

"Hey, don't land so close next time, you almost turned the table!"

Tasier could only apologize since it was Krune who rebuked him.

Sometime later, the food was finally ready. Tasier couldn't take the human form yet, so Krune prepared a big bowl precisely for him.

They then chatted for a while when suddenly, Tasier made a request to Krune.

"Krune, we are going back to Makui Planet to wait for the next four to five months for the Divine Path Sect Entrance Exam. Is it a problem if I stay with you guys for the time being? I was hoping you could check my progress while I'm training my Lighting element."

Yusa looked at that and then said.

"Aren't you being a little too shameless, he also has his own training to do, you know?"

Everyone else agreed with what Yusa said, to help someone with their training, some time is necessary. Krune had already spent a full day when Tasier came over for the first time. If Krune starts overseeing everyone's progress from now on, he won't have any time for himself anymore. Krune then looked at Tasier and said.

"I don't mind if you come over, but you must understand that I won't be able to help you all the time. Of course, things would be different if you are willing to pay for the services. Also, remember that I can only help you during my free time. Haha!"

Tasier eyes immediately lit up. If payment is enough, then it won't be a problem at all! First, he is the only contestant of the Borle Continent Mercenary Guild getting into the Martial Gathering and, consequently, the Divine Path Sect Entrance Exam. Second, the elders in the Thunder Hawks territory would definitely support him too. Spirit Stones really isn't a problem for him.

"No problem at all, how much is it for each time?"

Krune didn't expect that he would really pay for it. But his eyes immediately lit up, the Yule Continent Mercenary guild was already having some problems to support his expenditure. If he uses his teachings to make money, wouldn't that be perfect?

"How does a thousand Rank Five low-quality spirit stones per time sound like?"

In fact, he thought that he was already asking for a sky-high price, but surprisingly, Tasier agreed straight away.

"Deal! Then I'll be counting on you for now on."

Everyone from the Yule Continent heard that and sighed.

"Is our Yule Continent really that poor?"

They couldn't be blamed, even Rank Five Spirit Stones looked like some cheap stones for someone like Tasier. He didn't even think for a second before agreeing. Arlan looked at that and coughed.

"I don't mind paying some for the time you helped me with the fire element control, either."

But Krune shook his head.

"If I didn't ask for anything before, I won't ask now."

Tasier felt something was wrong.

"Wait! Doesn't that mean that I'm the only one paying?"

Yusa immediately refuted.

"Of course not! Lofa and Arlan will be paying from now on, right?"

Ao, Krune, and Shinja almost fainted! Can she be any more shameless than that? Can she? Can she?!

Arlan just laughed out loud.

"No problem! No problem! I'm not the only representative from the Makui Continent Mercenary Guild for nothing! Haha!"

Lofa was a little embarrassed but nodded nonetheless. In her case, she was the only representative from the Ice Continent Mercenary guild too. Not to mention that different from Arlan, she did come from a wealthy family of cultivators.

Yusa noticed Krune and the others look and retorted.

"Hmph! Why are you looking at me? We are not doing charity here! Consider the first lessons we gave them as a trying sample. Now that they want to the main product, they need to pay!"

Krune and the other two didn't even want to look at her anymore, she is simply incorrigible!

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Read Is that a Wisp? Chapter 111 Rainbow Sect Found online for free - AllNovelFull

After the fourth day of battles, the last five of the fifteen contestants got chosen. Elder Loni then Gathered everyone again and announced the previous five just like he did the last time.

"Divine Swords Sect, Kariu Rone."

"Ferlo Clan, Edil Ferlo."

"Watzen Kingdom's Second Princess, Mari Watzen."

"Purple Sea, Poison Eel Levi"

"Blazing Leopards Territory, Blazing Leopard Rasma."

"With that, all fifteen slots of this time are covered. Get ready because tomorrow, we are going back to your Makui Planet. We are then staying there during the next three months and a half. After that, we will depart for the Divine Path Sect Entrance. That's all."

Tasier went to talk with the Leopard Rasma since they are both from the Borle continent. Arlan then went to see the other Divine Swords Sect members. It turns out that the Divine Swords Sect title of strongest Sect wasn't just for show. After all, they still got three slots in the end. And if you count the fact that Arlan is part of the Divine Swords Sect as well, then they have four.

Krune and the others went back to do their own things since they didn't know any of the other contestants anyway. The day passed, and it was finally time to go back. Inside the Spaceship, Arlan was talking with Krune.

"So, you want to use the Dragon Essence Liquid to make a soul healing pill. I admit that it would help a lot to breakthrough into the Core Formation Realm. But don't you think you should ask a higher tiered alchemist to do it? You are only at the peak of the Four Stars Level, after all."

Krune shook his head.

"My tier is enough to make those pills, not to mention that if I ask for another alchemist to make it, you will need to pay a very high fee and give up any extra pills that they make. Dragon Essence Liquid is too rare, so I want to keep as many pills as possible."

Arlan then asked.

"I think that your Yule Continent Guild would still find someone, though."

But Krune was adamant.

"I think that too, but I really want to try it out. Who knows when I will have a chance to use Dragon Essence Liquid again?"

Arlan had to agree with that statement.

"Are you confident about it?"

Krune immediately nodded.

"The Four Stars Soul Healing Pill isn't super hard to make. The main issue is getting the Dragon Essence. I reckon that you most likely can't put your hands on it in our Makui Planet. So we are fortunate to six drops now."

Arlan pondered a bit and then made another question.

"In that case, how many pills you can make with a drop?"

Krune then shook his head.

"I don't know. First, I will practice making the same pill without the essence until I'm proficient with the process, only then will I have a base. But I reckon that it shouldn't be less than three. Of course, I might fail the pill creation process too, and lose everything. Haha!"

Arlan heard that and sweated all over, but then he greeted his teeth and said.

"In that case, use my two drops as well. The more drops you have, the higher your chances of making them."

Krune was surprised at that.

"Are you sure about that? I've never tried it before, and I admit that a higher tiered alchemist might have better chances. If all of them fail, there will be nothing left."

Arlan just sighed.

"Since you trusted me to pass the Myriad Energies Technique, then I will believe that you can concoct the Soul Healing Pills. Besides, even if you fail, I will consider it the price for the technique you gave me."

Krune just laughed after hearing that. It's not wrong to say that the real Myriad Energies Technique isn't the least worse than the Dragon Essence Liquid. If anything, it is probably worth even more!

On the way back, Ao seemed a little bored. The reason is that Arlan was focused on finishing the last two pseudo energy meridians. So he didn't have his usual partner to train with swords. In the end, he got to practice with Yusa instead. Yusa also needs to stabilize her foundation, and battles are an excellent way to do that. As for Shinja, she got Krune to be her spar partner. Both of them need to reinforce their cultivations too, after all.

Two weeks later, they were finally back to Makui Planet. Krune's group immediately left back to Yule Continent. Tasier, Arlan, and Lofa had to go back to their Sect or Family to report about the Martial Gathering. So they would come over to the Yule Continent a month later.

After arriving at the Yule Continent, Guild Head Bary wanted to throw a banquet to commemorate Krune and Ao's results, but they refused it. Krune wanted to go back to the Rainbow Sect to check on Lakin before coming back to concoct the Soul Healing Pill.

Of course, bringing something as rare as the Dragon Essence with him would only incur disaster. So he left the six drops with Bary before moving out.

There is no way that the Mercenary Guild would take it for themselves. After they saw Krune and Ao's results in the Martial Gathering, it was evident that their chance of entering the Divine Path Sect is exceptionally high. Even a full bottle of Dragon Essence Liquid wouldn't be worth it for them to betray Krune.

Krune's group arrived at Harta City without any commotion. Guild Head Bary made sure that no one would know that they left the Guild Headquarters. So, after changing their appearances a little, no one recognized them. As for the registration at the city gate before entering the danger zone? Bary had taken care of that as well! Krune couldn't help but think how convenient it is to have connections.

Krune's group moved without anyone noticing, and they only took two days to arrive at the place where the gate is. But as soon as they arrived, they saw a big problem. They found loads of cultivators and Demon Beast at the Core Formation Realm and above around the area. Not to mention that with the sheer number of late stages Core Formation Realm cultivators, there is bound to Divine Soul Cultivator here too.

"You four, this area is restricted at the moment. Whatever you are doing in this direction, go do that somewhere else."

After hearing that call, Shinja played the role of the leader this time and asked what was happening.

"This has nothing to do with you. We are inside a Danger Zone, so remember that even if we get rid of you here, no one will complain. Get out and don't bother us."

Krune's group could see several types of emblems attached to the cultivators and demon beasts in human form. It was evident that several powers had gathered here. That's why they didn't get attacked straight away since it would be harmful in the eyes of the other powers.

Shinja then apologized, and they left right after. By the looks of it, their team wasn't the first one to bump into this place. After they traveled far enough, They finally stopped to discuss the situation. To be safe, they used Divine Sense for that.

"We would have to be idiots to think that this has nothing to do with our Rainbow Sect. Could it be that they have already entered?"

Krune shook his head.

"They haven't. I have the power to open and close the gate at the moment. If it were open, I would have noticed. Although I have no idea how they found this place, I can guarantee that the gate is still closed."

The others let out a sigh of relief, specially Shinja, who was extremely worried about Cassy. They then looked at Krune to see if he had any idea. He is the only Legacy Disciple, after all.

"Don't worry, I have discussed with Hasik before. So I know where the other entrances are at the moment. Let's move there and see how the situation is."

After that, they immediately departed. Krune's group traveled for another day until they arrived close to a big lake.

"Is it inside the lake?"

Krune shook his head and pointed up.

"It's above it, around ten kilometers high to be more precise."

Shinja and the others were surprised! How did no one find it?

"It's because it has always been closed, so no one knows that it was there. But we have another issue. Because we are deeper inside the Danger Zone, there are probably some Divine Soul Demon Beasts overseeing the area. So they might notice what we are doing."

Ao then said.

"Then let's look for another place. It's better to prevent them from noticing."

Krune shook his head.

"There are another two entrances, but they are even deeper inside the Danger Zone. The demon beasts here might be stronger, but not to the point we can't deal with them. Unfortunately, this is our limit, going further than here would be suicide."

Krune then looked at Yusa. She noticed that and understood what he was thinking.

"The best Runestone concealing formation that I have at the moment can at most keep us hidden from the middle to late stages Core Formation Beasts. If the Divine Soul Realm Demon Beast overseeing this area decides to penetrate the formation, the Runestone won't be able to stop it."

Krune nodded but then said.

"We will have to take our chance; groups using runestone formations to conceal themselves should be a common occurrence in this place. I refuse to believe that the Divine Soul guys would waste their time to penetrate every single formation they see. Their job is to keep too strong cultivators and demon beasts from wantonly attacking weaker ones. But we just so happen to be at the right cultivation realms here."

Yusa and the others couldn't help but nod. That did make a lot of sense. Besides, it's not like they have another option.

After that, they immediately took flight while Yusa kept a concealing Runestone formation activated. It would be bad if aerial beasts saw them passing into their territory. Only after they got close to the place where the gate was would Yusa use her best Runestone formation to keep the site out of prying eyes.

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Krune checked if he could feel the gate, and sure enough, it didn't take long for him to find its exact location.

"Alright, use your concealing Runestone Formation here. If you have anything that can help conceal the flow of elements and spiritual energy, use that too."

Yusa nodded and immediately started to work. She didn't have a Runestone Formation for the second thing Krune asked, so she made two Three Stars ones on the spot. After more or less thirty minutes, the new Runestones were ready too.

"Alright. Krune charges the Illusory Concealing Runestone Formation while Shinja charges the Spiritual Concealing Runestone Formation. I will charge the Elements Concealing Runestone Formation."

They took the Runestones and started pouring spiritual energy. After a few minutes, all Runestones activated, and everyone once again disappeared. Krune looked around and asked.

"How long will it take for them to run out of energy?"

Yusa pondered a bit and said.

"Considering that they are midair, they have to cover a more significant range. So I would say that two to three hours at most."

Krune nodded and started to concentrate. Not long after, the elements began to gather in a single point together with significant amounts of spiritual energy. Suddenly, a small explosion of spiritual energy happened, and a gate appeared. Krune's group made sure to prevent that wave of spiritual energy from rushing outside the concealing formation as well.

"Let's go!"

Every one passed through the spatial gate and soon appeared inside the Rainbow Sect. Hasik had noticed Krune's presence the moment that the other gate appeared, and he couldn't help but feel relieved. He then immediately sent a message to Krune.

"There is a teleport formation right beside this second gate. Use it to teleport directly into the inner city."

Without wasting any time, Krune and the others stepped on it, and with a flash of silver light, they disappeared.

Back in the inner city, everyone was already waiting for Krune's group, which included Ruik, Lakin, Cassy, and several others.

"Master!"

As soon as Krune appeared, Lakin came forward and hugged him! Krune wasn't the only one, though. Cassy did the same thing with Shinja, which please her very much.

"Alright, alright. We can catch up later."

Krune had teleported directly inside the Order Hall, so he could already see the illusory figure of Hasik on the illusion formation.

"I believe you already know what is happening outside, right?"

Hasik nodded.

"Yes! Although I can't confirm how many they are, I can tell that they have been trying to open the gate for quite some time already."

Krune nodded.

"What happened here? The gate hasn't been found for thousands of years. But suddenly, as soon as we come back, there is an entire army trying to make its way in."

Hasik pondered a bit about the things he knew and then said.

"I can only say that someone specialized in divination is probably involved. It is like you said, it shouldn't be just a coincidence that the bumped on our dimension. Most likely, the fact that the sect's fate started to change after you became the Legacy Disciple released some destiny ripples that were detected by him or her."

Although everyone was puzzled, that wasn't important now.

"Doesn't matter, do you have any idea what we should do now? Or could it be that they won't be able to enter to start with?"

Hasik shook his head.

"If they wanted to force their way in, they would have done already. This dimension has been in existence for far too long. It wouldn't be able to stop several Divine Soul Realm cultivators from forcefully entering. But that is also one of the reasons why they haven't made a move yet."

Hasik then continued to explain.

"If they use force to break into this dimension, there would be a very high chance that it would collapse. In that case, anything inside here would be torn apart by the spatial forces. That means they wouldn't get anything in the end."

"The second reason would be the fact that they don't know that there is someone inside, let alone a lot. If they find it out, they might force their way regardless of the risks. But I reckon they will notice it soon."

Krune was alarmed.

"Why is it?"

Hasik looked in the direction of the second gate.

"When you opened the second gate, the situation changed again. That gate hasn't been opened for thousands of years too. So the explosion of spiritual energy released by its aperture has generated a few more destiny ripples."

Krune couldn't hold his curiosity anymore.

"What are those destiny ripples?"

"Everything in this universe has an action and a reaction. Those reactions cause an invisible force called destiny energy to move. You can also call it fate. Those able to perceive that destiny energy are called seers. Of course, being a seer is risky. That's because they are using a force ruled by the heavens to find their answers. So they are always in danger of suffering backlashes."

"You probably remember that one of the ten major cores is the destiny core, right?"

Everyone nodded.

"The destiny core itself is directly connected to this destiny energy, so it's easy for the users to partially or entirely hide from the heavens. It will depend on what they are trying to find answers for, though."

Krune and the others finally understood.

"But isn't the Rainbow Sect considered something extremely important in the heaven's point of view? Regular seers shouldn't be able to find its entrance or location, right?"

Hasik shook his head.

"The old Mohie Sect has long since left the stage of the big powers, and this dimension might even be the very last remnant out there. It sure would be extremely hard in the past. But not now. As long as you are willing to pay the price, a seer should be able to divine its place."

"The reason they couldn't notice its presence before was simply that this dimension did not react in a long, long time. So there was no destiny energy generated to start with. Of course, it should have been extremely hard for someone to notice the reactions that it caused in the destiny energy. So I can only say that whoever did was amazingly lucky to be around when that happened."

Krune sighed.

"Or better, we were unlucky instead."

Hasik didn't deny that notion. His face then turned serious and said.

"Anyway, let stop it here. Nothing will change, even if I say more. The main issue is that they will soon find out that someone came inside. The several powers outside will think that someone between them found some secret passage to get in. At that time, everyone there will go crazy and will throw caution to the wind; they will immediately break the dimension shell apart to get in as soon as possible."

Krune and the others nodded.

"Is there a way to take this dimension away?"

Hasik shook his head and sighed.

"If you were at the void breaking realm, you could use the central dimension formation core to compress it and then take it away. But we, of course, don't have this privilege."

Krune pondered a bit about what he knew as Formations Master.

"What about just a small part of it? I would use a formation like the same that is used to make spatial rings. Since this dimension is already formed, I would only need to compress the part that I want into one spiritual equipment. Then we leave the rest for everyone outside to play with."

Hasik started to ponder about it.

"If it is just a tiny small part, I guess it might be possible. But we have a problem, we would need a lot of spiritual energy to force the compression."

Krune smirked when he heard that.

"We, of course, don't have that many spirit stones."

He then raised his hand, and purple lightning started to run around it.

"But, I do have an idea of how to give it a good kick to make up for the lack of spirit stones."

Not only Hasik, everyone else looked at Krune as if he was crazy!

"Are you mad?! If you use such a volatile force like the tribulation lightning, you will instead break the compressed dimension straight away. Everything inside will be torn apart by the spatial force!"

Krune just laughed and said.

"That you don't need to worry about."

With Little Light inside his core, how could the Tribulation Lightning ever misbehave? Krune then focused his attention on his Elemental Core and said.

"Which means, I'm counting on you, Little Light!"

"Hmph! Using my power to save this bunch of ants, you can keep dreaming."

Krune then smiled and said.

"Is that so? It's such a pity, I was considering 'upgrading' the way I address you, but I guess Little Light is still the best then."

Krune picked Little Light's interest straight away.

"You mean it?"

Krune immediately confirmed.

"Of course, you should know me good enough to understand that I've never gone back on my word."

If Little Light said that that name didn't bother him, he would be lying. But he was feeling conflicted about being controlled like that by Krune. After a few moments of silence, Little Light finally agreed.

"Deal!"

Krune then returned his attention outside and asked.

"Now comes the main issue. What will we use to hold this pocket dimension?"

The surroundings became dead silent in a second.

"Right! How could we have forgotten that? Just what kind of spiritual equipment would be necessary to hold a dimension? A simple spatial ring would definitely not be able to!"

Everyone then looked at Hasik, only he might have something good enough for that.

"Unfortunately, whatever spiritual equipment left behind had already lost its power. The only reason that the training facilities and formations still work is that the puppets keep them in good condition. But they aren't skilled enough to maintain high-level equipment."

Krune then asked.

"What level of spiritual equipment would we need to keep the pocket dimension inside?"

Hasik pondered a bit and then said.

"A one Silver Star equipment should barely be able to do it."

Everyone got puzzled, what the heck is a one Silver Star equipment?

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"Don't you know? Oh right, you told me that this is a very weak planet in some forgotten corner. The side occupations' highest level here should be at most Eight or Nine Stars. In that case, the level above the first nine stars is the Silver Stars; consequently, the level above Silver Stars is Golden Stars."

Everyone immediately understood.

"So, we would need a piece of equipment made by a blacksmith at the Silver Stars Level?"

Hasik nodded.

"Considering the things necessary to keep a life-supporting small pocket dimension, a one Silver Star Spatial Equipment would be the very minimum."

Everyone's face became gloomy. Where would Krune's group even find such equipment in the Makui Planet?

"I can only think about Elder Loni from the Divine Path Sect. But, would he even consider giving us something of that level?"

Shinja commented.

Krune thought for a second when suddenly, his eyes lit up!

"We do have something capable of trading for that."

Shinja, Ao, and Yusa looked at Krune.

"Do you mean the Dragon Essence Liquid? Now that I think about it, you said that this thing is extremely precious. Then maybe it is really enough to do that."

Krune nodded and looked at Ao. Noticing his eyes, Ao just laughed in the end.

"Just go for it! Soul Healing Pill, or not, I'm confident in my chances of succeeding in my Core Formation Realm breakthrough."

Krune smiled and then looked at Hasik.

"How long do you think we have?"

Hasik pondered a bit and then said.

"It won't take long for their seer to find out about the changes in the destiny energy, and he might have found already. But the Rainbow Sect dimension outer shell isn't that easy to break into. I reckon that it should take at least three days for it to fall."

Krune face got serious, it would take at least two days for them to go back. Then another two days to return to the Rainbow Sect, there isn't enough time!

"I would need to make the trip alone in wisp form."

Shinja immediately refused that idea.

"No can do. There is no way that you can avoid detection for so long like that. I will go, I'm in the second stage of the Core Formation Realm, after all. I should still be quite fast, and I can keep going without stop. I believe I should take just a little more than a day if I'm alone."

But Krune immediately shook his head.

"First, I will need to take the necessary materials for the required formations. Second, I don't think Guild Head Bary would give the Dragon Essence Liquid to you. And third, Elder Loni doesn't know you."

Shinja was lost at words, Krune was correct in everything he said, but still... Krune was also thinking in a way when suddenly, Little Light talked to him.

"If all you want is to avoid not being detected by the others Divine Sense, I might have a way to do that."

Krune was surprised.

"How will you do that?"

Little Light immediately answered.

"Nothing hard, after changing into your wisp form, just keep a layer of Tribulation Lightning around your body. Do you think that the Divine Sense of some Divine Soul Realm ants have what it takes to penetrate the Tribulation Lightning power? Haha!"

Krune's eyes lit up!

"Alright, let's go with what you said."

Krune immediately told everyone that he had a way to keep his true form hidden and left right after. The others were left behind to think about a plan in case he doesn't come back in time. Once Krune arrived outside, Yusa and Shinja were with him. Yusa would have to keep the gate concealed while Shinja would help with spiritual energy.

Krune was just about to change his form when Little Light told him another thing.

"You will be immune against Divine Senses, but the same can't be said for the naked eye. You better be careful to avoid as many demon beasts and cultivators as possible."

Krune wanted to cry, why didn't he tell that before? Krune then spread his Divine Sense and found the demon beasts nearby. After deciding a path to take, he transformed back into his wisp form. He then released a little bit of Tribulation power to make a layer of purple lightning.

"Tribulation Lightning Movement, 50%!"

Brommmm!

In a flash of purple light, Krune disappeared in the distance. His wisp form has two significant advantages, the first being the fact that his elements control is much better like this. That's why he doesn't have a problem with filling 50% of the lightning energy necessary with Tribulation Lightning.

The second would be his low mass, his wisp form needs a lot less energy, which saves a lot of Tribulation lightning and Spiritual Energy.

Krune did his best to avoid other demon beasts' eyes, and he was fortunate not to be seen by anyone in the first hour of travel. That prevented those demon beasts from knowing from where he came. But his luck didn't last forever, there were situations where there wasn't a path devoid of demon beasts. So he could only outrun them with sheer speed. He couldn't simply change forms all the time since it also consumed Spiritual Energy.

When Krune was in his wisp form coupled with his Tribulation Lightning movement at 50%, he was even faster than ordinary 4th stage Core Formation Realm demon beasts and cultivators. But it didn't stop the news from spreading around. There were some demon beasts and cultivators on missions who noticed him in the end.

Krune couldn't care less, though. The closer he got to the Harta City, the lower was the cultivation of the demon beasts and cultivators. Which made it even easier for him to move. In the end, it only took Krune one day to arrive there. He found a secluded corner somewhere and transformed back into his human form. After that, he immediately entered the city and used the long-distance teleport formation to go back to the Mercenary Guild Headquarters.

Bary was in his office, taking care of a few documents when Krune suddenly barged in like a tornado. He was surprised at how tired he looked.

"Did something happen?"

Krune shook his head.

"I'm just in a hurry. Guild Head, I need to Dragon Essence Liquid."

Bary didn't mind and took out the bottle. After Krune received it, he immediately disappeared again. Bary, of course, got a little worried. It didn't seem like Krune was really okay. He checked where Krune went, and soon found out that he teleported to the city where the Divine Path Sect Spaceship is staying.

After appearing in the long-distance teleport formation, Krune immediately rushed in the Divine Path Sect Spaceship direction. But when he arrived there, he noticed something.

"How am I going to contact Elder Loni?"

The ship was enormous, not to mention that he doesn't know if the crew would even listen to his request. It was then that a voice came from behind him.

"I can help with that."

Krune was alarmed and immediately turned around, then he noticed that he had seen this person before.

"I've seen you previously with Elder Loni. Your name is Lena, right?"

Lena smiled and nodded.

"I'm impressed that you even noticed that since we never complimented each other before, you even know my name."

Krune was relieved to find someone who knows Elder Loni here.

"I've heard it from the other contestants. Anyway, I need to talk with Elder Loni, and it is very important. Would it be possible to do that?"

Lena showed a complicated expression and then said.

"Master is in seclusion right now, so I think it won't be easy. If it's not something hard to accomplish, I might help you instead. You are quite lucky already since I found you on my way back to the Spaceship."

Krune was surprised, he didn't know that Lena was Elder Loni's disciple.

"Since that's the case, then I will count on you."

Krune then explained what he needed and that he was willing to exchange his Dragon Essence Liquid for it. Lena heard that and was taken aback by that offer.

"I don't think this is good, your Dragon Essence Liquid drops are much more valuable than a piece of spatial equipment of one or two Silver Stars level."

Krune nodded since he was already expecting it to be the case. But he needed that equipment now, so he couldn't care about the price at the moment. As for the two drops that were Arlan's, Krune would explain it to him later.

"It doesn't matter, as long as I can get one, I can give all six drops I have with me at the moment."

Lena thought that something was wrong.

"What do you need it for?"

Krune just shook his head, though.

"I can't tell it, but this is extremely important for me."

Lena pondered a bit and said.

"Okay, wait here for a bit."

She then entered the Spaceship, and sometime later, she was already back. She then took a metal box and threw it at Krune.

"Here, take it. This is a Two Silver Stars spatial box, the space inside is several times that of a spatial ring that you can find here in Makui Planet. The best would be if it was a spatial ring as well, but something with the same space inside and the size of a ring would be a lot more expensive."

Krune was overjoyed with that. He then took out the bottle with the six drops of Dragon Essence Liquid and passed to Lena. But to his surprise, she refused.

"No need, I would be taking advantage of you if I accepted it. Instead, you will be owning me a favor. How about that?"

Krune didn't have time to think much about the offer, so he only thanked her and immediately left.

Lena looked at Krune, disappearing in the distance, and just smiled.

"That's what I call a good investment."

Krune immediately came back to the long-distance teleport formation and warped back to the Yule Continent Mercenary Guild Headquarters. Just as he was about to teleport again to the Harta City, Guild Head Bary stopped him.

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"Krune, wait a moment."

Krune was puzzled and looked at him.

"Can you tell me what is happening? It doesn't matter how I look at it, something is not right with you."

Krune didn't want to talk, but he couldn't simply ignore him either.

"Something did really happen, but I can't tell you about it. Guild Head, I'm in a hurry. So I'm going ahead."

Guild Head Bary then sent him a Divine Sense message.

"Does it have something to do with the new Secret Realm that appeared in the Raskie Danger Zone?"

Krune heart almost froze, Guild Head Bary was spot on!

Bary noticed the change on Krune's face and then smiled.

"Don't worry about it. I'm not an idiot, you know? Let alone the fact that you, Ao, Shinja, and Yusa's cultivation progress got the most significant boost after you started to train there. Then, a seer suddenly was able to divine that a Secret Realm appeared in the Raskie Danger Zone. Not to mention that it was just a few months after your improvement."

Bary then put his hands on Krune's shoulder and continued.

"I was already expecting that to be the case. Now your group had just gone to the Raskie Ganzer Zone, and suddenly, you came rushing back. It was too much of a coincidence. If not for the fact that I hid the information that your group had been continuously training there, I have no doubt that other powers would think just like me."

Krune was at lost of words. He couldn't refute Bary's words at all!

"Guild Head Bary, I..."

Bary stopped him.

"That's enough, I know what you want to say. But you must understand that this new Secret Realm is too important for the entire Yule Continent as a whole. So it would be best if you did not involve yourself with it. You can't possibly go against all the Divine Soul Cultivators in there either."

Krune immediately shook his head.

"I'm not planning to stop them at all, that would be suicide. But there are a few friends who I left living there who I can't just abandon."

Bary was surprised, he didn't think that that Secret Realm would be safe to the point where you could live inside without worry.

"Could it be that this Secret Realm isn't dangerous?"

Krune pondered a bit and then said.

"Except for a few illusory formations, there are not many things that are dangerous there. I'm not planning to take the treasures there with me. I only want to take my friends who are living inside away. I couldn't take the treasures there even if I wanted anyway."

Bary pondered a bit about it. Krune, Shinja, Ao, and Yusa are extremely important for their guild. Bary would not think twice to give up any treasures of this new Secret Realm if it meant that Krune's group is safe. He then came to a decision.

"You really aren't trying to take this Secret Realm only for yourself, right?"

Krune nodded. Due to the emergency situation, Hasik allowed Krune to take a copy of all the Soul Cultivations Technique with him. Of course, that was on the condition that he would only give it to those who passed similar tests as him. So the only things that Krune was planning to put inside of his spatial box were the necessary equipment that can keep a life-sustaining ambient and a few of the training rooms. He wasn't even taking the medicinal garden with him.

Of course, it was only possible because the dimension had already been created. Krune was merely grabbing a small part of it. Krune would never be able to create a dimension at his level.

Hasik had told him that he couldn't take the original copies since his job was to wait for more people to come. He is just a sliver of will, he can't go against the orders given to him in the past. But he knows that the information about this secret realm will spread. So sooner or later, their mortal foe, the Rasie Clan, will find out. That means that everything inside the rainbow sect would be destroyed in the end.

Bary looked deeply at Krune and then said.

"Very well, I will send someone to help you with it. Make sure to not take the things inside for yourself. Or at least, leave enough for those cultivators and demon beasts outside to be satisfied."

Krune didn't know if Bary had really given up or if it was just a smokescreen to use him to find the other entrance of the Rainbow Sect. But at the moment, he could only hope for the best. Krune then tried to refuse the help, but Guild Head Bary was adamant.

Just a few minutes later, Krune became surprised after finding out who it was.

"Mile!"

Mile was the Core Formation Realm female cultivator who saved his life during Shinja's Core Formation Realm breakthrough. She also knew about his real identity as a wisp.

"Hey! It's been some time. How have you been?"

Krune immediately complimented her.

"The help that Guild Head Bary said was you?"

Mile nodded her head.

"You shouldn't have any misgivings since I'm the one accompanying you, right?"

Krune shook his head and laughed.

"None at all!"

He then turned to Bary and said.

"Thank you, Guild Head Bary."

Bary just shook his hands.

"Enough of that crap. You can go now. Make sure that you aren't discovered, or it will be a headache to save your asses."

Krune and Mile nodded and immediately left.

On their way back, Krune found out that Mile is at the 8th Stage of the Core Formation Stage and that she is a Nine-Tailed Fox. She was only able to take her Human form in the 4th stage too. She also used her spiritual energy to grab Krune and bring him with her. Even with his Tribulation Lightning movement, he wouldn't be faster than her anyway.

"Something is weird."

Krune turned at Mile, puzzled.

"There is a lot of demon beasts and cultivators around. It seems like they are looking for something."

Krune then showed an embarrassed expression. He knows very well what it is that they are looking for.

"What?! Did you use your wisp form to fly back to Harta City? How did the Nascent Soul Demon Beasts even let you go like that?"

Krune then explained.

"I can use my tribulation lightning to create a protective layer that expels Divine Senses. So those Divine Soul Realm cultivators couldn't see me on my way to Harta City. The only ones who saw me where those who could look direct with naked eyes. By the time that their subordinates told them about this, I had long since left their territory."

Mile nodded, it did make sense.

"Then, how were you planning to go back if I wasn't with you?"

Krune showed a helpless expression and just said.

"Well, the same plan again. I would just outrun the demon beasts and hope not to pass close to a Divine Soul Realm one."

Mile sighed. It made sense that the first travel went without a problem. No Divine Soul Realm cultivator or demon beast knew that he was going to pass by. But the things are different now, she is sure that those high realm beasts are all looking around for him now.

"You are fortunate that guild head Bary stopped you."

Krune nodded, and suddenly, he noticed something.

"Wait! Guild Head Bary shouldn't have any idea that we are friends. As far as he knows, you just helped with Shinja's breakthrough. He doesn't know about our relationship. So how did Bary know that sending you would put me at easy?"

Mile heard than and then showed her tongue playfully.

"In fact, he knows about you."

Krune was alarmed. He knows?!

"Haha! I told him the day that the results of your Martial Gathering came out. You should have seen his face when he found out that you are a wisp. No money in this world can pay for that."

Krune was feeling like crying. What if he decided to capture him? Mile understood what Krune was thinking and then explained.

"You are underestimating your value way too much, you know? If it was in the past when you were nobody, then he might have tried to capture you to use as cultivation resource. But now, he would basically sign the Mercenary Guild death sentence if he did that."

Krune pondered a bit and asked.

"Is it because of the resources that the Yule Continent will get if I enter the Divine Path Sect?"

Mile shooked her head.

"It's only half right. But the main reason is that Bary can't touch you even if he wanted. You are a participant of the Divine Path Sect Entrance Exam, and they don't stop any race from participating. The various elders went to all planets to conduct the once in ten years competitions, and Elder Loni had already chosen Makui Planet's ones."

Krune didn't have a high IQ for nothing. With only those words, he already understood.

"It's a question of Sect dignity. If a participant of the Entrance Exam is killed after one of their elders had chosen him, it would be the same as stepping on the Sect's authority. If even our Makui Planet has seers capable of Divination, let alone the Divine Path Sect. It would be way too easy for them to find who was involved in the participant's death."

Mile nodded.

"This is also the reason why he isn't afraid of someone killing you. All you need to say is that you have been chosen to participate in the Divine Path Sect Entrance Exam. With your power, only Core Formation or higher Realm cultivators and demon beasts would be able to harm you. And no one at that level wouldn't know about the Divine Path Sect. So they definitely wouldn't touch you."

Mile then showed a serious face and said.

"But that is only considering that you don't show your real form. A wisp of your level is probably the only hope of breakthrough for a lot of Divine Soul Realm geezers. Even if they have to defy the Divine Path Sect, I reckon that a lot of them would still risk it. Especially those who are close to the end of their life spans."

Krune nodded, it made a lot of sense. Mile then smiled and commented.

"To be honest, I don't think that Bary would capture you even if you were still a nobody. He isn't that type of person."

Krune was surprised to hear such praise.

"You seem to know Guild Head Bary very well. Why is that?"

Mile heard that question and then laughed.

"Well, this is not a secret to anyone. Since we are still several hours away, I guess I can tell you a little about it."

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"Did you know that almost no organization would accept a fox demon?"

Krune shook his head.

"No wonder. Your wisp race is in a worse state than us, after all. But we fox demons aren't trusted either. Some consider us to give bad luck; others don't believe us because they are afraid that all fox demons aren't loyal. Even with the blood contract in place, they are still afraid that we would find a loophole to get back at them."

Mile sighed, then continued.

"Because of that bad impression, we have quite a hard time to survive. It doesn't matter if it is in the human world, or the danger zones. Everyone don't trust fox demons. That's why a fox demon that takes the human form will hardly show its true form again. As you know, demon beasts that live in the danger zones hardly use their human forms, but we would hardly do it after becoming able to change."

"Fox type demon beasts situation isn't as bad as wisps, but they don't have it easy either.

"So let alone me, a rare nine-tailed vixen that could only take the human form after the Core Formation Realm. My life wasn't anything good. I was pursed by both cultivators and demon beasts several times too. Of course, my chances of surviving were much higher than your wisp race, so you don't have to feel pity for me. Haha!"

Krune shook his head.

"Not having a place that accepts you is sad for anyone."

Mile just smiled.

"You say that because you don't know that I had also used wisps for cultivation in the past."

Surprisingly, Krune expression didn't change even a bit after hearing it.

"You seem very calm after I said it."

Krune sighed and said.

"I would just be deluding myself if I were to believe everyone I know hasn't used wisps energy before. This is already considered a part of the planet's culture. That's why I won't look into the past, I will only help to protect those who are in my reach. Otherwise, I would need to wage war against everyone."

Mile was surprised by Krune's point of view.

"That's a good way to see it. But you don't need to worry. I now understand that consuming them is very bad for the foundation. I took a long time to get rid of all the impurities from their energy too. Of course, it doesn't mean that I would still do it if there were no impurities. And you have Guild Head Bary to thank for that."

Krune was puzzled but waited for her to continue.

"It was he who found me a long time ago. At that time, he wasn't at the Divine Soul Realm, and I wasn't in the Core Formation Realm either. My life was the same as your previous one, running everywhere. But there came a day when I was finally caught. The one who got me was a Core Formation Realm Three-Headed Lion."

"Fortunately, I wasn't killed straight away. The lion seemed to have some personal grudges against fox demons, so it wanted to make me suffer first. Otherwise, why would he bother with an early-stages Foundation Establishment demon beast like me?"

"I can't even remember how long I was played by with that demon beast. Until one day, I heard the sounds of battle outside the lion's den. It turns out that Bary had gotten a Mercenary Mission to acquire that lion's blood. As you can imagine, he wasn't the Guild Head at that time either. In the end, he was successful in killing it and obtaining the blood."

"He then entered the den with his companions who took the mission with him. It was at that moment that they found me imprisoned inside. Even though the lion died, I didn't have much hope anyway. Fox Demons are hated by both cultivators and demon beasts alike, after all."

"Sure enough, Bary's companions showed ugly faces after seeing me. One of them then came close, planning to finish me off. I had been tortured for a long time, so I couldn't pose any defense. Not to mention that they were all in the Core Formation Realm. Even if I was completely fine, what an early stages Foundation Establishment vixen demon beast could do against them anyway?"

"But just as that cultivator raised his sword to kill me, Bary appeared behind him and held his hand. The guy was taken aback and asked him what's the meaning of that. Bary just told them to go ahead and gather whatever they wanted. Although Bary's companion was puzzled, he didn't do anything. Why would they start a fight because of a vixen demon beast anyway? And a nine-tailed one at that."

"After they left, Bary cut the chains that were holding me and used his spiritual energy to heal my injuries until I got into a stable condition. I then asked him why he helped a demon vixen like me. Can you guess what he said?"

Krune shook his head.

"Because your fur is very beautiful, he said."

Mile then started to laugh out loud.

"I thought that he was the worst lier of all times. I was completely dirty after staying there for so long, not to mention that my fur was all bloodied. Due to my caution against everyone, I obviously thought that he was trying to do something with me. So I just waited to see what he really wanted. Sooner or later, he would say what his real intention for saving me was."

"But then, he got up and... left."

Krune as a little lost.

"If your fur was looking so bad, then why did Bary say it was beautiful? Could it be that he likes dirty furs?"

Mile burst out in laughter after hearing that.

"You really have an interesting way of thinking. Anyway, that wasn't the reason, he didn't like dirty furs. After that, Bary gathered outside of the den with his companions who gathered the spoils. They had already started to fly away when I walked outside."

"Before he could leave the range of my Divine Sense, I sent him a message asking what the real reason was to save me. He stopped for a bit and told the others to go ahead without him. He then turned back asked. 'Didn't I tell you the reason already?' He said. I got a little angry and told him. 'I don't believe you! Can't you see the state I am at the moment? What beautiful fur can you see here?'"

"Bary then showed a puzzled expression and told me. 'It looks very nice to me, though. It's as white as snow, very beautiful'. I finally lost my patience. I turned my head around and was just about to show Bary how horrible it looked like when suddenly, my mind went blank. The fur that was supposed to be filthy, full of scars, and bloodied, really looked as white as snow now."

"It turned out that Bary had used an incantation back in the lion's den to clean my body too after he finished healing it. Later on, I found out that it was an effortless skill to learn, anyone who went outside the danger zone could find it to buy in any skills shop. Of course, I didn't know it at that moment. While I was looking dumbfounded at my cleaned fur, Bary laughed behind me and said once more. 'See? It's very beautiful, right?'"

Mile's face seemed somewhat red at that moment.

"I didn't know what to do, much less what to answer. Bary then turned around and was just about to leave when I asked him to wait. He asked if there was something else I wanted, but I still didn't know what to say. Should I thank him? Will he even accept the gratitude of a nine-tailed vixen? All I could say is that I didn't want it to be over like that. So I gritted my teeth and told him to bring me together."

Mile laughed once more.

"Can you believe that? First of all, what if it was all part of his plan to fool me? But then I noticed that it was unlikely to be the case. He was already in the middle stages of the Core Formation Realm at that moment. What good would be there for him to fool me when he could simply knock me out and bring me with him wherever he wanted?"

"Even I didn't know why I asked such an idiot thing. Why would someone even bother to bring a hated vixen demon beast around? It made no sense! After thinking to that point, I decided to forget what I said and just leave. But it was then that he said 'Okay.'."

"My body froze at that moment! But before I could even process what was happening, Bary enveloped my body with his spiritual energy and started to fly back to the city. He then began to tell me the rules in the country for demon beasts that haven't got a human body yet. That I would be the mercenary guild's responsibility and that I couldn't make an ID yet."

"Of course, all that information was entering through one ear and leaving through the other. I couldn't care less about that at the moment. It turns out that Bary had never cared about race issues. And that's why I told you that he probably wouldn't have done anything even if he found that you were a wisp before. This is also why I won't use wisps energy anymore. I don't want to let him down."

Krune couldn't help but grow some respect for Bary Casfiu. Krune then thought about something.

"But didn't the mercenary guild complain about him when he brought you back?"

Mile nodded.

"That was to be expected. But because Bary is the son of protector Lian, no one complained too much. Not to mention that Lian was the Guild Head back then."

Krune finally understood the situation, no wonder Mile trusted Bary so much.

"Are you staying in the guild because you want to pay your debt to him?"

Mile pondered a bit and said.

"Not exactly."

"Is it because of a blood contract, then?"

Mile looked at Krune as if he was an idiot. How could he not have noticed yet?

"Forget it, the main reason is simply that I love him."

Krune, of course, didn't notice it before. Only now, he became surprised. He then thought about himself and Feifei, and he couldn't help but ask.

"Do you think that it will work? I mean, the relationship between a demon beast and a cultivator?"

Mile just laughed and said.

"I will make it work!"

That's the good thing about demon beasts, they are straight forward with their feelings just like that.

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Mile was faster than Krune, so they took less than a day to arrive at the entrance of the gate. But because everyone was looking for the super wisp, they were stopped by Divine Soul Realm demon beasts twice. At first, they demanded them to turn back into their original forms. Too bad, though. Mile took out a token of the Mercenary Guild and told them who Krune was.

Divine Soul Realm cultivators and demon beasts have ways to communicate with others outside the danger zone. So after they heard who Krune was, they immediately gave up the idea of finding trouble with him. After all, the chances of any of those two to be the supposed super wisp was just way too small.

After arriving at the right altitude, their vision warped around. A second later, Krune and Mile could see the elemental gate open. Shinja and Yusa were there, keeping the concealing formations activated. When they saw krune and Mile together, they were taken aback.

"Mile!"

Mile just laughed and said.

"It's been some time."

Shinja and Yusa looked puzzled at Krune.

"I will explain another time, I'm going inside now. Yusa, you come with me to help with the formations set up."

Shinja stayed outside to keep guard, and the rest entered the gate. They then teleported to the inner city, and Krune called Hasik over. Mile looked at that and was impressed with the place, not to mention the sheer amount of wisps. She couldn't help but ask what was happening. Krune then called Lakin over and told him to explain everything about the Rainbow Sect to her.

Krune was just about to ask Hasik what he should take with them when suddenly, an explosion happened in the distance. Immediately after that, the entire dimension started to rumble!

"What is happening here?!"

Hasik concentrated in the Dimension Formation and soon found out the answer.

"They broke the outer shell of the dimension. It was a lot faster than I thought, though. I guess there is at least one or two Soul Forming Realm cultivators or demon beasts with them."

Krune was alarmed after hearing that.

"Does it mean that the dimension will collapse soon?"

Hasik shook his head.

"It seems like those Soul Forging Realm guys are using their power to keep the dimension stable. They are putting a lot of effort into this quick invasion too. The dimension will not collapse in the end, either. But it was still a risky move. If they were just a bit off during their attacks, the dimension would have started collapsing already."

Krune understood why they were in a hurry, it is because they already found out that someone is inside. They are afraid that their treasures are being taken away without even knowing. Hasik then checked the dimension formation once more and said.

"The Soul Forging Realm guys stayed behind to stabilize the passage while the Divine Soul Realm ones are coming. But they all fell inside the illusion formations. It will all depend on how long it will take for them to perceive the illusion formation and break out of it."

Krune knew that he didn't have time anymore and immediately asked what he should bring with him.

Hasik then passed the order for everyone to help gather the equipment necessary. At the same time, Krune set up the formation to compress the part of the dimension that he wanted to bring out with him.

One hour later, everything they needed was already inside the corner of the inner city that would be used. It only required Krune to finish the formation now, but that wasn't easy. Although Yusa had some knowledge about formations, Runestone formations are different after all. So she could only help with some of the outline parts.

Krune was sweating all over. Now and then he would hear some explosion coming from the distance as well. Those Divine Soul Realm cultivators found out that they are inside the illusion formations, and now they are using brute force to deal with it.

"It's done! Everyone; get back."

To take away part of an already existing dimension is a lot easier than making one. But because of Krune's cultivation Realm, it still was extremely hard. If not that Krune had Light Little, together with the Tribulation lightning, it would be impossible for him to compress it to put in the Spatial Box forcefully.

Krune then took a lot of spirit stones to help activate the formation. After that, a spherical barrier of around ten kilometers radius appeared inside the inner city. Everyone looked at that impressed, they could see the spatial ripples of silver light running around it. In the end, only formations can allow a low-level cultivator to manipulate spatial powers.

Krune looked at that barrier while controlling the formation. It then started shrinking little by little. But it took an entire hour to compress only 20% of the total size. Of course, the size of the space inside the barrier was still the same, it only looked smaller from the outside due to the spatial laws.

Suddenly, Hasik sent a message to Krune.

"Not good, the second gate entrance was found."

Krune was alarmed! That was the gate he was going to use to escape later.

"What about Shinja?"

"Don't worry. Thanks to Yusa's Runestone Formations, she was able to detect the Divine Soul Realm cultivator's Divine Sense before it broke through the concealing formation. She immediately entered the gate before that guy could see her. She is coming here now."

Krune nodded.

"Make sure to turn off the teleport formation that sends those from the second gate into the inner city."

"I already did that."

Krune was starting to feel worried, the time that the formation is taking to compress that land is too big. The illusion formations might not be able to stop the enemy for long enough. There is also the problem of the escape route, at this moment, he can only use the other two gates that are deeper inside the Danger Zone.

"Hasik, are the other two gates safe?"

"No, because of the illusion formations, the enemy in the outer city doesn't know the exact path to follow, so the third gate has quite a few cultivators or demon beasts nearby. Only the fourth gate is devoid of any presence for the moment."

Krune nodded and didn't say anything else.

Two hours passed, and everyone in Krune's group had already thrown all their spirit stones at the formation compressing the land. But the compression was still only 70% done. Krune could only use his Tribulation Lightning to finish the last 10% in one go. At the moment, it would be enough to force it to the end.

"Hasik, is it really not possible to take the sect's spirit stones?"

"Unfortunately, it's not possible. All the spirit stones are protected by the Dimension Formation. You would need to break through that to get them. Even I can't break that rule, it was something set up by the Mohie Sect elders back then. Only if someone passes the disciple tests, I will be able to take the spirit stones according to the reward."

Mile saw that they were running out of time and then said.

"Krune, you owe me two now."

She then threw all her spirit stones from her spatial ring inside the formation. Surprisingly, Mile was quite rich. She had over twenty thousand Rank Four spirit stones and almost five thousand Rank Five ones. With the new surge of spiritual energy, the compressing speed of the formation increased once again.

Boom!

"Not good, the cultivators are already outside the inner city. They are attacking the protection formation."

Krune was puzzled with that information.

"Didn't you say in the past that it could resist the attacks of Divine Soul Realm cultivators?"

"I did. But there isn't only one or two there, there are over ten of them. But that isn't the main issue, the problem is that one of the Soul Forging Realm cultivators is there too."

Everyone around Krune heard that and started to panic. They need to leave right now, or they will be caught by the enemy.

"Shinja and Ao, you guys guide the wisps and demon bests to the forth gate. I will be there after I finish here."

Mile immediately intervened.

"No can do. The forth gate is inside the core region of the Raskie Danger Zone, right? The moment it opens from the inside, the Soul Forging Realm protectors of the Danger Zone will immediately notice it. You are basically sending them to their deaths if you do that."

Ao and the rest felt a chill on their backs. Ruik then couldn't help but ask.

"In that case, what do we do? If our only gate in already like that, aren't we simply trapped?"

Shinja then shook her had.

"I know what Mile meant, once the fourth gate is open, it will attract the attention of the Soul Forging Realm protectors of the Raskie Danger Zone. But that doesn't mean that they will arrive as soon as it opens. As long as we are inside of the Spatiox Box Dimension and Krune uses his Tribulation Lightning concealment, they won't notice him leaving."

Mile nodded.

"You are right. Sadly, there are too many high-level wisps here. Otherwise, I could still leave this place with Krune, Ao, and Shinja right before everyone's eyes, and they wouldn't be able to do a thing."

She was talking about using Krune's identity as a Divine Path Sect Contestant to stop them from attacking. All they would do is to force Krune to show everything he has in his spatial ring or spatial box. Unfortunately, he can't do that.

The barrier was only 5% away from the last 10%, where Krune could use his Tribulation Lightning. The problem is that the further it is compressed, the higher the number of spirit stones needed. Mile alone was responsible for almost half of the total amount of spiritual energy. Still, it was only able to compress the barrier from 70% to 85%.

It was then that Hasik sent another message.

"Krune, not yet? The protection formation of the inner city won't hold anymore!"

Krune was out of ideas, he already asked Little Light if they could force the extra 5% to compress as well, but Little Light immediately denied the idea. He guaranteed to Krune that the power they have now isn't enough to do that. If he tried, he would run out of Tribulation Lightning power, and the last 5% would be even harder to overcome. It has to be 10% at the very minimum!

Everyone was looking at the sweat-drenched Krune. Lakin was especially furious that he couldn't do anything at the moment for his master. It was then that an idea came in mind. Lakin looked at Cassy beside him and then greeted his teeth. He returned back to his wisp form and rushed to the formation. He was planning to use his life to feed it.

Krune saw that and was alarmed!

"Lakin, stop right now! This is your master's orders!"

Krune then returned to his wisp form as well and was just about to intercept his disciple when suddenly, Mile appeared in front of Lakin and grabbed his core.

"Krune, focus on the formation. I will hold him."

Lakin was struggling to leave her grasp.

"Let me go! If I don't do it, all the wisps will become cultivation resources and die!"

Unfortunately for Lakin, there is no way he could get away from an 8th stage Core Formation Realm Demon Beast.

Krune saw that and let out a sigh of relief. He then focused on the formation once more. But the problem at hand was still the same, there was no more energy, and the natural spiritual energy from heaven and earth was far from sufficient. It was then that he heard a voice somewhat familiar.

"Well, I guess it's time for this old geezer to say farewell."

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Just as Krune heard that voice, he noticed a surge of spiritual energy entering the compression formation. He then looked in the direction of that voice and noticed that a wisp had thrown itself inside.

"You! Get out of there!"

That wisp heard Krune's orders but completely ignored him.

"Well, I was able to live without worry for a long time here. It was really nice, but I guess I had enough of this already."

Just like the previous time, Krune felt a surge of spiritual energy entering the formation from another side. Once again, another wisp entered the formation.

While Krune eyes were going red, Lakin was going crazy as well. But it didn't stop there.

"Haha! Lakin, you better take care of Cassy well. Otherwise, I will come back to haunt you as a ghost."

"To think that I would leave this world as a hero, not bad for a wisp, right?"

More wisps entered the formation and started to released their core energies inside. Krune understood what was happening here, so he couldn't bring himself to stop them.

It turns out that the wisps that are sacrificing themselves are the old ones. Lakin had gathered a lot of wisps, so it was evident that quite a few of them were at a higher age.

"Krune, Lakin. Don't worry about us old geezers, but make sure to take care of the young ones. That's all that I ask."

"He is right. Also, we have almost no hope to enter the Foundation Establishment to start with. So we would be able to live one or two more years at most anyway. At least like this, we can give hope to their future."

Krune could feel their determination, and as unwilling as he could be, he knew that he had no other choice either. Lakin, obviously, understood that as well. But he still wanted to stop them. Unfortunately, Mile didn't let him go.

All the wisps which were above eight years old used their own energy to feed the compression formation.

Finally, there was enough energy for the formation to finish it compressing up to 10%. Krune knew that there wasn't time anymore, he immediately contacted Little Light, and they started to coordinate.

Krune then gathered the Tribulation Lightning around the formation using his flying shields as conductors. Little Light controlled the energy so that it wouldn't go anywhere else. After Krune brought almost all the power he had available, he concentrated on the formation stability. He then told Little Light to send the attack any time he wanted.

Little Light was really good at it, the Tribulation Lightning struck the compression formation evenly from all sides. But even so, Krune was having a hard time to keep it under control. Fortunately, the last kick would be a one wave attack, so it took just a few seconds for the attack to be over.

Krune then threw the spatial box in the middle of the formation and immediately sealed that compressed space inside. In the corner of the inner city, there was now a twenty kilometers radius crater, and right in the middle, one could see a spatial box lying quietly. Finally, the pocket dimension spatial box with a life-support function was ready.

Boom!

"Not good, the inner city protection formation has crumbled!"

The only fortunate thing is that the inner city is also enormous. So even that Soul Forging Realm cultivator couldn't spread his Divine Sense to cover it all. Not to mention that Hasik was using the dimension formation to intervene with their Divine Sense too.

Krune couldn't waste more time, he immediately grabbed the spatial box and examinated it. Just as expected, the part of the dimension that he took away could be perceived inside, it was pretty much like a spatial ring. krune then came close to everyone and said.

"I will drag everyone inside, do not resist the suction power."

Lakin had transformed back to his human form but looked completely dispirited. Krune then gave him a kick an sent him flying over a hundred meters away. He then grabbed him back and said.

"Is that how you intend to act after what they have done for you? If that's all you got, then I don't need a disciple anymore."

Before Lakin could even answer, he threw him inside the spatial box too.

One by one, wisps and demon beasts disappeared inside. It only took Krune a minute to bring everyone into the spatial box pocket dimension. But Mile still stayed outside, though.

"Are you not coming?"

Mile just laughed and said.

"There is no need for it, I will stay here to catch their attention while you move to the fourth gate. Almost all powers of the Yule Continent are involved in the opening of this new Secret Realm, so the mercenary guild is obviously among them. Bary had already registered me for this mission too, so they can't find any fault with me. All they will do is to force me to show my spatial rings content."

"But you are different, you can't show what's inside your spatial box, so you need to leave without me. Now go, there isn't more time."

Krune nodded and immediately covered his wisp form with Tribulation Lightning, grabbed the items with spiritual energy, and left.

With Hasik's help, Krune avoided bumping on the other cultivators and demon beasts. He then used a teleport formation that was already active to teleport beside the fourth gate. All main gates of the dimension had teleport formations nearby. With the sheer size of the city, it would be inconvenient to move without them.

Before opening it, Krune asked what Hasik was going to do. He had spent quite some time with him, so he was obviously worried. Hasik heard about his concerns and just laughed.

"What are you even thinking? I'm just a sliver of will left behind, my true self is probably out there somewhere. So there is nothing for you to care about, just go."

Although Krune wasn't sure if Hasik true self was really alive or not, he could only believe him for now.

Krune then used his stats as Legacy Disciple to command the gate to open. Just as expected, everyone noticed the explosion of spiritual energy when it opened. The Cultivators and Demon Beasts inside the Secret Realm had already received the information that a second gate was open. So it confirmed the divination that said that someone had probably found a way in first.

"Someone is escaping! Fast, we need to stop whoever it is."

"But we are too far away from the place where that gate opened, it will take a few minutes even for Divine Soul Realm cultivators like us."

It was then that an old woman appeared, she was one of the two Soul Forging Realm cultivators that came out this time around. Her name was Kalie Nessa. She looked at the direction where the gate opened and said.

"Leave it to me, I'm much faster than you guys. Just make sure that we can control the inner city. I refuse to believe that whoever is there can leave the range of my Divine Sense in time."

She then looked at three Divine Soul Realm cultivators and said.

"You three will come with me, I need someone to protect this side of the gate."

Everyone heard that and felt relieved. With a Soul Forging Realm taking action, they wouldn't be afraid of traps on the other side of the gate.

Just as expected of a Soul Forging Realm, she was much faster than any of the Divine Soul Realm cultivators and demon beasts inside the Rainbow Sect Dimension. She only took a little more than one minute to arrive beside the Fourth gate. She then looked at it and snorted. She refuses to believe that the other side would have a trap good enough to hold her, much less kill.

She then left the three Divine Soul Realm cultivators inside for them to protect it. After that, she immediately crossed the elemental gate and appeared deep inside the Raskie Danger Zone. But contrary to her expectations, there was no trap on the other side. In fact, there was no one at all. It was evident that whoever had crossed the gate, left straight away.

But that wasn't all, she soon felt her body being scanned by another three Divine Senses, and they weren't any weaker than herself. A minute later, three figures appeared in front of Kalie.

"So it is the three protectors of the Raskie Danger Zone. Can you tell me what is happening here?"

The three demon beasts looked at Kalie, puzzled.

"We were expecting you to tell us what's going on. Suddenly, an elemental gate appears right in the middle of our Raskie Zone. Right after that, you came out of it. As far as we know, you were supposed to be overseeing the new Secret Realm exploration with Jin. Could it be that this gate is connected to that Secret Realm?"

Kalie wasn't sure if they were telling the truth or not, but she couldn't confirm it either. She then explained what happened and why she appeared inside their territory.

"Someone opened the gate and escaped through it? That's impossible! As soon as we felt its aperture, we used our Divine Sense to scan the location. However, we didn't detect anything at all. Are you sure that you weren't tricked into coming here while your enemy is still inside?"

Kalie then verified back inside the Secret Realm if something had changed, but the guys she left inside told her that nothing happened. Kalie then returned to talk with the three protectors.

"There are only two options, your targets only opened the gate to grab your attention and fled using another passage. Or they have a way to conceal their presence from our Divine Senses."

If it was the first option, then Kalie and the three protectors are just wasting their time here. But if it is the second, the targets might be escaping right under their noses at this very moment.

Kalie decided to return to the Secret Realm to keep watching its occupation. As for the three protectors, they immediately ordered all Divine Soul Realm or lower cultivators inside their territory to go out and search the place.

Krune, of course, knew that he didn't have much time to move. Another issue is that although his Tribulation Lightning layer can keep Divine Sense away, it is very catchy to those who look directly at it. So his plan after leaving the gate was to move as fast as possible in a single direction and use Little Light's help to avoid any high realm demon beasts.

But that situation wouldn't last for long. Krune had used almost all his Tribulation Lightning power back in the compression formation, so he needed to find a place to hide as soon as possible.

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Krune was sure that inside the core of the Raskie Danger Zone, the demon beasts would check everyone who wasn't supposed to be there. So a Foundation Establishment like him would definitely be inspected. Not to mention that except for the subordinates of higher-level demon beasts, you wouldn't find Foundation Establishment demon beasts inside the core zone that easy.

Krune was moving fast but carefully. He was scanning everything for a place to hide, but it seemed like any location he found was already the lair of some demon beast. Little Light already told him that several Divine Senses had passed by him ever since he left the Rainbow Sect. It was evident that they were looking for him.

It was then that he noticed something.

'I'm an idiot! There is only my spatial ring, the spatial box, and myself here. Since that's the case, I can bury myself in the ground. If Ao, Shinja, and everyone else were with me, then it would be somewhat tricky since they would need air at least. But now I only need a small hole to fit myself and the equipment.'

After thinking about that, Krune immediately found a corner that was more or less concealed and quickly used his earth element to move down. The size of the hole was really small, just enough to fit the spatial box, which was the biggest thing there at the moment. Because of that, it was almost effortless to keep digging.

Krune was very cautious. Everywhere he passed, he would fill the space left behind with the same soil again. That is not to leave behind a straight line that could be perceived by Divine Sense. He also made sure to go very deep to prevent any accidents. He doesn't know how powerful the Divine Sense of Soul Forging Realm demon beasts are, so he had to be sure that he was far enough.

After digging over 20 kilometers in the ground, Krune finally stopped. He decided to stay here for the time being.

'I doubt that their Divine Sense could reach this deep, and that is considering that the Soul Forging Realm ones are searching at all. If it were me, I would mobilize the forces that I have instead.'

Deep in the ground, Krune's Divine Sense couldn't go further than one kilometer, which is weird since he was able to reach over two before.

'It seems the deeper I go, there more affected my Divine Sense becomes. But this is also good. It means that the chances of being found are even lower now.'

After making sure that there was nothing around, Krune examined the dimension inside the spatial box. He couldn't enter since it works the same way as a spatial ring, which means that someone must be outside to bring out anything inside. He then used his Divine Sense to communicate with Ruik. As mentioned before, Ruik was forcefully made the sect master, so he had to keep an eye on everyone there.

Inside the Spatial Box, Ruik was looking horrible. Ever since they found out that cultivators and demon beasts were trying to enter the Rainbow Sect, he almost had no time to sleep at all. For him, that is as good as receiving a beating every day. He was checking all the equipment necessary for the life-supporting when suddenly, he heard Krune's voice.

"Ruik, I finally found a place to rest. How are things inside?"

Ruik let out a sigh of relief when he heard that, then he used his own Divine Sense to answer.

"Except for the gloomy mood, everything is pretty much fine. That kick you gave Lakin had really woken him up, so he is putting a lot of effort in comforting the youngest wisps. Cassy had been crying ever since then, but Shinja is taking care of her. As for Ao and the others, they have a lot of experience like us, so they are pretty much fine at the moment. The impressive one is Dier, who is helping a lot. He was one of those who calmed first."

Krune was happy to hear that Lakin didn't dwell on what happened for long. Before Krune was saved by Feifei, he saw many wisps being taken away or eaten by demon beasts. He still feels sad about those memories, he has long since understood that wisps die easily.

"That's good, after all of this is over, I will have Lakin leave to gain some experience. If he breaks down every time something happens, he will not be able to survive for long."

Ruik nodded after hearing that. Krune then asked how the life-supporting formations and equipment were.

"That compression formation of yours was excellent. While outside, everything was trembling and breaking, inside it was like nothing had happened at all. All the equipment and formations are working just fine. I can't help but think how marvelous formations are to be able to control spatial powers."

Krune was relieved to hear that.

Ruik then remembered Krune about another thing.

"Everything is working fine, but it all needs spiritual energy to keep running. Different from the Rainbow Sect dimension, this pocket dimension doesn't have a connection to the outside world. At the moment, I'm using the cultivators, wisps, and demon beasts spiritual energy. Still, they also don't have a way to recover themselves inside. We need to have some going outside to recover their spiritual energy soon."

Krune was already expecting that.

"We used all our spirit stones to feed the compression formation, so we are without any at the moment. But I already have an idea. You can also use the wisps spiritual energy, so I will let a few of them come outside to recover every time they get exhausted."

Ruik nodded and accepted that idea. According to Krune, there is no air where he is at the moment, so it would be hard for cultivators and demon beasts to stay outside. But wisps that are in their wisp forms don't need to breath. They can go outside to recover their spiritual energy without a problem.

"Very well, if anything happens, focus your Divine Sense on the wall of the dimension. If you do that, I will be able to notice you."

Krune then exchanged a few more words and moved to the next person.

Lakin was talking with the young wisps, as Ruik said. Krune saw that and contacted him.

"It seems like you understand your position now."

Lakin's heart almost stopped with that sudden voice.

"Master!"

Krune ignored his amazement and only asked one thing.

"Do you know your wrongs?"

Lakin heard that and felt embarrassed.

"I know. I let master, Ruik, Cassy, Dier, and everyone else down. I shouldn't have lost my calm like that, much less have a break down after what happened."

Krune was satisfied with that answer.

"It's good as long as you know. Your master had seen a lot of wisps dying in the past, so I'm used to it. But that doesn't mean I don't care. Don't forget that the wisps are counting on you, so don't let them down. Your situation is different from the wisps who sacrificed themselves. You are the pillar for all the wisps that you saved in the past, even more than me. If you had died back in the sect, all of them would have panicked. That would really be a mess."

Lakin knew that his master was right. That's why Krune ordered Lakin not to enter the formation. Of course, more than half of the reason was that Krune didn't want to see Lakin dying.

"I understand, it won't happen again, master."

Krune nodded and said.

"I have already talked with Ruik. After things get calm, I will have you go outside to gain experience. You better be ready."

Lakin agreed with Krune's ideas and went back to take care of the young wisps.

Krune then exchanged a few words with the rest inside the spatial box and then returned his attention to the outside. There is still over four months before the departure of the Divine path Sect Spaceship. So Krune had a lot of time. In that case, he decided to focus on reinforcing his cultivation for the time being.

Back at the Rainbow Sect, Hasik was looking at the two Soul Forging Realm cultivator and demon beast that were overseeing the operation. Hasik had done something that no one expected. After Krune and the others left, he forcefully wiped all the memories that he had about them. That was the only way he could think to prevent Krune's identity from being found out. He even went against some of the rules and also deleted the Rainbow Sect name.

Kalie looked at the illusionary form of Hasik and asked once more.

"So, you really don't know about those who came in first?"

Hasik looked at her.

"As I said, my memories had been wiped before you came in. I don't remember anything about anyone who had been here before you."

Jin Hevi is the second Soul Forging Realm and a demon beast. He was also responsible for the demon beasts' interests in this new place. He was going to ask something when a cultivator came inside the Order Hall. Jin looked at him and asked.

"Did you find anything?"

The cultivator shook his head.

"Whoever was here before did a great job, there are no traces left behind. At least none that could help us in finding their identities."

Jin nodded and asked for his subordinate to leave.

Hasik heard their coversation and simply commented.

"That is to be expected. I have control over the dimension formation of this Secret Realm, so the people before had just to ask me, and it would be easy to scan for any important clue. After that, I just have to ask the puppets to get rid of everything."

Jin looked at hasik and couldn't help but say.

"You are being very supportive, don't you think?"

Hasik nodded.

"That's the orders left behind all those years ago, I can't block anyone from taking the Mohie Sect tests."

Kalie noticed that it wasn't going anywhere and then said.

"Alright, let's end this issue here. Hasik, tell us everything about this Mohiw Sect of yours and what kind of tests are those that you are talking about."

Hasik nodded and started explaining everything about the Mohie Sect of the past. The more Jin and Kalie heard about it, the ugly their faces became. They never expected that this Mohie Sect was a mortal foe of one of the Big Four.

"Now, things had become really complicated."

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At that moment, there was only Jin and Kalie in the Order Hall that Hasik is staying. Kalie looked at Jin and then said.

"This is already out of our scope, we should contact the Divine Path Sect about this issue."

Jin pondered a bit and then said.

"The soul techniques here are extremely important for our Makui Planet. If we do as you say, we are going to lose everything. I think it's better to gather the heads of the main powers and discuss it with them first."

Kalie then said.

"If the Divine Path Sect finds out that we were keeping it a secret, they will probably punish the powers of our Makui Planet heavily."

Jin's face changed a bit since he knows that too.

"Anyway, this is beyond our scope like you said, let's report everything to the higher-ups first and let them decide what to do. We did our part and secured the Secret Realm as we are told anyway."

Kalie nodded and then asked one thing to Hasik in front of her.

"Do you know what those who escaped had taken from this place?"

Hasik nodded.

"I have a full understanding of the Mohie Sect Dimension Formation, so it's easy to find out what is missing. They took away a few training rooms and life-supporting formations and equipment. Also, they took some of the medicinal herbs in the garden, but nothing much."

Kalie and Jin were surprised by what he said.

"Does it mean that they didn't take anything of value?"

Hasik nodded.

"Everything of importance is still inside the dimension. But I don't have any records if they passed the Mohie Sect test, so I don't know if they checked the soul cultivation techniques or not."

Jin and Kalie let out a sigh of relief. At least they didn't lose anything that matters.

"It's evident that they left everything back on purpose. That way, it wouldn't make much sense in spending a lot of resources to bring them out."

Kalie then said.

"But they might have copies of the soul cultivation techniques. Is it okay to let them be?"

Jin just shook his head.

"We don't even have a clue to start with. As far as I know, they might still be inside this dimension. Or maybe they already left through that last gate. I have already sealed the entrances and am having everyone checked, though."

Kalie nodded. From now on, it's not their problem anymore. They then exchanged a few more information with Hasik and left to take care of other things.

Mile was still inside the Secret Realm. She had helped a lot during Krune's escape. It was because of her that the cultivators and demon beasts were far away from the fourth gate when it opened. After that, she blended in the middle of the Core Formation Stage cultivators who were part of this mission.

Even with the check, it was very easy for her to leave. Not to mention that she was listed as one of the demon beasts that came for the exploration. She also had a direct recommendation letter given by Bary. After that, she went back to the Mercenary Guild and reported everything to him. Inside Bary's office, Mile and Bary were alone while she was telling him what happened.

"I understand. I still didn't get any information about Krune after he left there, which means that they made their escape successfully. We need to wait to see what he is going to do. If I'm not wrong, he is probably hidden inside the core region of the Raskie Danger Zone. There is no doubt that the demon beasts there are doing a full-scale search. So it will take some time before he can move again."

Mile nodded.

"Krune is very intelligent and cautious, so he won't do anything idiotic in the meantime."

Bary nodded. If he didn't have confidence in Krune, he wouldn't have let him go in the first place.

Mile then looked at Bary with a playful smile and said.

"Now that my mission is over, I want my reward!"

Before Bary could even say anything, she had already jumped to his arm and hugged it tightly! Bary saw that and had an annoyed face.

"Why are you always so clingy? I could pay you back as I do with any other Mercenary, you know?"

But Mile immediately shook her head.

"Don't wanna, this is the best payment ever."

Bary saw that and just shook his head. He isn't clueless like Krune and knew what she felt for him. He told her hundreds of times that it wouldn't work between then, but she never gives up. The problem is, his own resolve had been shaking recently. No man could possibly remain unfazed after so many years of dedication, not to mention that Bary Casfiu isn't engaged with anyone. Also, Mile is indeed a beauty when she is in her human form.

Bary then looked at Mile, who seemed to enjoy herself very much and patted her head a little. Mile knew that her years of effort were starting to paying off. Years ago, he wouldn't even let her stay too close to him.

Suddenly, Mile's eyes lit up!

'Chance!'

As fast as lightning, Mile tried to steal a kiss from Bary. Too bad, though. Bary is still a Divine Soul Realm cultivator, after all. Before she got close enough, he had already disappeared from the spot.

Without looking at Mile, he turned around and said.

"I... I have some other issues to take care of. See you later."

Before Mile could even answer, Bary disappeared without leaving a trace behind. Mile, of course, was fuming!

"One day! One day I will definitely catch you!"

Around a month had already passed. Back in the Raskie Danger Zone, Krune had just sent the wisps that had recovered their spiritual energy inside the pocket dimension. During the last month, the demon beasts had been looking for Krune everywhere. It's not like they didn't think that their targets could have hidden underground. Just that they didn't believe that Krune could have gone so deep. Because of that, even their underground search turned fruitless.

After an entire month of search, the protectors of the core region of the Raskie Danger Zone had finally given up the search. First of all, they didn't even know if there had ever been someone there to start with. Whoever it was, they don't believe that they could have gone so long without being found. So they simply called off the search and reported back to the other powers that they didn't find anything.

But they weren't worried anyway, they had already received the news that the Secret Realm had lost almost nothing. Everything important was still there for them. As for whatever that might have been taken away, there is nothing they can do if they can't find the culprits.

Krune decided that it was already time for him to go up again. He didn't know what the situation was, but he couldn't simply stay underground forever. Moving underground was also out of the question, as it would take years for him to leave the core region if he decided to do that.

Krune then started to ascend while keeping his Divine Sense spread for around ten meters only. He doesn't want to alert other demon beasts with his Divine Sense, after all. After taking his time to go up, he finally exited the earth after a few hours. Krune, of course, already had his Tribulation Lightning layer around him. He then asked Little Light help again to check if there was any Divine Sense scanning the place.

"I can't feel anything, which is understandable. They didn't even know if you really entered their region or not, so it makes no sense to keep searching forever."

Krune then returned to his human form but kept that layer of Tribulation Lightning around his body. Although it spends more energy that way, he can't walk around using his wisp form, after all. With Little Light's help, krune started to move away from the core region. But it's always better to play safe, the core region had too many Core Formation Demon Beasts, so he moved with caution.

Back in the Mercenary Guild Headquarters, the Long-Distance Teleport Formation started to shine. After a few seconds, a Thunder Hawk demon beast appeared with a flash of silver light. That was none other than Tasier who came to keep his Deal with Krune. Tasier looked around and asked for information related to Krune and the others on the counter.

"I'm sorry, Krune's team received an important mission from the guild, so they are not here at the moment."

Tasier was surprised by that. He thought Krune would stay in the headquarters to keep his condition for the Divine path Sect Entrance Exam.

"Can you tell me where he has gone?"

The attendant shook her head.

"It is recorded as secret by the system. You are also part of the Mercenary Guild Alliance, so you should know what it means."

Tasier nodded and then gave up. He can only wait for Krune's team to come back. For them to have left during this time, it is bound to be something very important. Even Ao and Shinja had gone too. He was just about to look for a demon beast room to stay when he noticed someone he knows.

"Yo, Lofa! You are here for Krune and the others too?"

Just like Tasier, Lofa Harcken had come to show the results of her training and get some more pointers from Shinja. Of course, the main reason was that she wanted to see Krune.

Lofa noticed Tasier and complimented him back.

"That's right. I just arrived yesterday, but Krune's group was gone by the time I came."

Tasier nodded, he then pondered a bit and asked.

"Are you in the mood to spar a little? Back in the Thunder Hawk territory, there wasn't anyone at the same level of cultivation and combat power to practice with me."

Lofa had to admit that it was the same case for her. After the improvement that she had gone with Krune and Shinja, her peers couldn't put much resistance anymore. She even had a headache with her family elders, who kept pestering her about how she became that strong. Of course, she wouldn't share her abilities without Krune or Shinja approval.

"Very well, it's better than to keep wasting time here anyway."

And just like that, they spent their time between cultivation and sparing once a while.

Report chapter

The core region isn't as big as the inner region, much less the outer region, but it still took Krune over a week to leave it. He then accelerated and left the core region behind as fast as possible. After getting some distance away, he brought Shinja, Yusa, and Ao out as well. That's because it would look like they are on a mission and catch less attention.

The inner regions also have Core Formation Realm Demon Beasts, and of course, the Divine Soul Ream ones watching over the place. But there are also a lot of high-level Foundation Establishment and low-level Core Formation like Krune's team.

Krune's group even purposely bumped in some demon beasts on the way to fight. That made it much more unlikely for someone to suspect them. After traveling for an entire week, they were finally out of the inner region as well.

It wasn't before two weeks after Krune left the core region that they finally arrived at Harta City. But they didn't stay for long. After paying the fee for the teleport, they went back to the Mercenary Headquarters.

As soon as Krune arrived, he received a message from the cultivators looking over the teleport formation that Bary wanted to see him.

"Let's go there."

In the office, they noticed that Mile was there as well. Bary looked at them and said.

"I hope you don't go out during the next months to prevent anything wrong from happening."

Krune and the others immediately nodded.

"Alright then, Mile told me everything. So you now have that pocket dimension and a lot of high-level wisps inside. But what are you planning to do?"

Krune pondered a bit and said.

"I'm planning to leave it with my disciple. He is a lot more involved in gathering wisps than I am, so it would be better if he had it with him when he goes out."

Bary frowned after hearing that.

"I would advise not doing that. This spatial box that you have is a Two Silver Stars spiritual spatial equipment, not something that you could acquire easily in our Makui Planet. The majority wouldn't recognize its level, but those who did would definitely take it away. And once they find the wisps inside, their fate will be pretty much sealed."

Krune couldn't help but admit that it was true; it would be too dangerous. Bary then looked at him and said.

"You should bring it with you. It might be considered a treasure here in the Makui Planet, but it is nothing in the eyes of the Divine Path Sect. I reckon that their disciples all have Silver Stars Equipment at the very least. Some inner and core disciples might even have Golden Stars level. So no one will care about your spatial box."

Krune heard and then asked.

"But is it okay to bring more cultivators and demon beasts with me? They might not care about the box itself, but I refuse to believe that they won't notice the pocket dimension and those who are staying inside. I was also expecting to leave my disciple behind so that he could gather some experience."

Bary heard that and started to laugh.

"Seems like you really know very little about the Divine Path Sect. No, you know very little about the Big Four instead."

Not only Krune, everyone else except Mile was puzzled.

"To be honest, I'm don't the exact details. But I do know that the Divine Path Sect, like any other of the Big Four, is an all-encompassing entity. Just how many cultivators and demon beasts stop there daily? The number is simply frightening! So they need a lot of menial disciples too. Another thing is that you can't hunt any other race there, wisps included."

Krune had heard something about it before, but he thought that it only applied to the disciples who entered the Sect formally. Bary then continued.

"It is extremely common for the new disciples who pass the test to bring their own subordinates. They can even be considered menial disciples if they show that they can contribute to the Sect's management. As long as you are a real disciple, your subordinates will be under the protection of the Divine Path Sect too."

Krune then shook his head.

"That would go against my plans, I don't want a safe place for the wisps to live. What I want is a place for them to grow stronger. That's also why I was planning to send Lakin out to gain some experience by himself. As a Divine Sect Disciple, there is no doubt that I will get several missions where I can temper myself. But everyone else will stay behind living a comfortable life. That will not work since if I die, they will be done for."

Bary was surprised with Krune's determination, how come he says that his disciple is more focused than him in protecting the wisps?

"That is also not a problem, the menial disciples can also take missions themselves. Of course, those missions would not be as important or well rewarded as the real disciples. But I reckon that this would be just perfect for what you plan to do."

Krune seemed to get interested now. That would indeed be very convenient. Bary noticed that and struck the iron while it was hot.

"Lastly, the wisps that aren't at the Foundation Establishment could still live on the premises of the Sect. Although there is no doubt that they would be looked down upon because they are wisps. The cultivators and demon beasts inside the sect would never take them as cultivation resources. First, because they all know that cultivating with wisps is prejudicial to their foundations. And second, because it would go against the sect rules to attack anyone without a valid reason."

Krune was delighted after hearing everything. The wisps could live outside without being hunted, that was great. As for being looked down upon? That's even better! Krune believes that such an environment is perfect for lighting up their fighting spirits. But then, Bary reminded Krune about a problem.

"There is an issue though, you can only bring at most fifty subordinates. That is the limit accepted by the Divine Path Sect."

Krune's mood immediately turned to worse. Even after the old wisps sacrificed themselves, there are still over a hundred with him. Not to mention the few demon beasts as well. He has 163 there at the moment, and he can only bring fifty if he passes.

Shinja, Yusa, and Ao knew what Krune was thinking and then laughed. Krune was taken by that, and just as he was going to complain about them for laughing at that matter, Yusa cut him off.

"Isn't it something easy to resolve? Each real disciple can bring fifty subordinates, which means that the four of us need to become one. With that, we will have two hundred slots."

Ao then said.

"What you talking about? Isn't Arlan coming too? I doubt he won't be able to pass it, we can also ask him for a few extra slots. Haha!"

Shinja expressed her wish.

"Cassy is mine! She will come with me to take the slots. I don't want anyone competing over her with me."

Krune was feeling extremely happy. There is no doubt that each of those subordinates slots could be sold for an astronomic price. Who wouldn't want to make part of the Divine Path Sect even if it is as a menial disciple or a simple subordinate? But they gave up their slots quickly as that. Well, that is considering that they will pass the Sect Entrance Test, of course. In any case, what mattered for Krune was their feelings.

Bary looked at all of that and nodded. There would be no need to worry about Krune while those guys are there with him.

"With this part resolved, let's enter the next topic."

Everyone got silent again and waited for what comes next, the Mohie Sect issue.

"As you know already, that Secret Realm was part of the Mohie Sect, a mortal foe of the Rasie Clan, which is one of the Big Four today. Fortunately, this is the territory of the Divine Path Sect, so they won't be able to come too soon. It will probably take two to three months for that to happens. The Divine Path Sect has its own inheritance, so they won't mind this branch of an extinct sect much. Still, they will ask for a great price if the Rasie Clan wants to come and destroy it."

Bary then looked at Krune with a stern face.

"Fortunately, you left everything of real value behind and only took a few training facilities and life-support equipment. So the powers of our Makui Planet aren't paying much attention to you now. But the Rasie Clan probably won't let anything escape their grasp. So everyone is doing their best in the tests left by the Mohie Sect to take a look at the Soul Cultivation techniques before they are destroyed."

Krune was puzzled.

"They have Soul Forging Realm cultivators now. Why wouldn't they break the protection formation of the books hall and take it by force?"

Bary shook his head.

"Those formations were prepared very well. We do have the power to destroy them, but if we do that, another formation linked with the external one will explode, wiping out all the techniques."

Everyone understood the gravity of this problem, which means the powers of the makui Planet don't have too long to finish passing all tests. Even Krune took longer than that to become a Legacy Disciple. Not to mention that he has the Tribulation Lightning to temper his soul and the Myriad Energies Technique on top of that. So he is certain that the powers inside the Mohie Sect at the moment will at most become ordinary disciples. They won't have access to the Legacy Disciple books.

Bary looked at then and then asked.

"What level of a disciple from the Mohie Sect did you all become?"

Krune came forward and then said.

"Quite a few became ordinary disciples, and I am a Legacy one."

Bary didn't know the difference between those since no one from the planet powers had become an ordinary disciple yet. Let alone a Legacy one. Krune then spent some time explaining the difference between Ordinary and Legacy disciples. By the end, Bary's face was grave.

"I see, so that means that you were able to have access to all the legacy soul cultivation techniques. No wonder your soul power is so high at your level."

Bary then took a deep breath.

"That is good, it will help with your future. But you must be sure not to let this information leave this room. Understood?"

Krune nodded vigorously.