"Working. And gathering intel." Tarkos took off his outer coat and placed it on a hook. He stretched a bit, then cracked his neck. "I've mapped out all the sub-factions within the Jade Serpent Sect operating here."
Victor's interest imdiately perked up. "Spill."
Tarkos walked to the table and unfurled a long scroll. It showed the rough layout of Yinfrost City—and in red ink, several marks.
"First off, there are four factions within the Jade Serpent Sect that operate out of this city. Not all of them are directly aligned with each other. So compete for favor. It was one of these factions that placed the bounty."
He pointed at a mark near the southeast quarter of the map. "The Erald Coil Pavilion. They're the ones who lost a few n during the Dragon Tears incident. Apparently, so of their elite disciples were present. They're the ones who put a bounty on you."
Victor frowned. "So what now?"
"We don't start a war," Tarkos said. "We pick at the edges. Their outer mbers. Their safe houses. We make them bleed slowly. Once their elders are exposed, we strike."
Victor nodded slowly. "A thodical take-down, huh?"
Tarkos looked at him with a grin. "You're finally starting to think like an assassin."
Victor chuckled. "Well, I did get kidnapped last ti. Not a mistake I plan to repeat."
"Good," Tarkos said. "We move at dawn. Rest while you can."
Victor turned and headed toward the small chamber he had been assigned, but not before one last glance at the mist-shrouded window.
...
...
Victor spent the entire night cultivating, seated cross-legged within the quiet confines of the chamber Tarkos had secured for them.
The ambient spiritual energy was far less potent than that within sect grounds, but still rich enough to help him progress slowly. As dawn approached within Ascendant Realms, Victor opened his eyes to a fresh system notification:
[ Nascent Soul Realm: 9% Progress ]
His eyes glead with quiet satisfaction. Even though the progress felt slow, every incrent pushed him toward greater strength. He stood, stretched, and walked out of the room.
Tarkos was already waiting by the entrance of the building with his arms folded and a mask in hand. "It's ti."
Victor nodded and followed Tarkos out into Yinfrost City—his first true glimpse of the cityscape since arriving days ago. A cold gust brushed against his cheeks as they stepped through a frost-rimd archway, and what Victor saw made his steps falter.
Yinfrost City was a wonder of frost and symtry. Built along a descending valley, the city shimred under a pale blue mist.
Elegant crystalline structures stretched skyward like frozen cones, adorned with icy vines.
And right through the heart of the city ran a massive frozen stream, so wide it could host battleships side by side. Yet, despite being frozen, strange aquatic creatures glided beneath the surface—slithering eels with silver eyes, glowing finned serpents, and schools of translucent fish that swam like flickers of light.
The stream branched in two at a certain junction, where a shrine-like structure floated above the confluence. Small bridges laced with hanging frost lanterns arched over the stream, connecting one half of the city to the other.
Every few monts, one could hear faint singing from so distant tower—haunting lodies laced with spiritual resonance.
Victor whispered, "Now this is a city worth rembering."
"Try not to gawk too long," Tarkos said without looking back. "This place is beautiful, but the people here are vile."
Their destination was the Erald Coil Pavilion—a minor sect branch affiliated with the Jade Serpent Sect.
Their path led them through winding alleys of frost-slick grounds and into an eerie passage coiled like a serpent between two cliffs. The air here grew colder but fortunately the Jaded Robes kept them from turning into frozen statues.
They stopped near a bend. "This is where their outer disciples pass daily. Sotis for errands, sotis for patrol. We're going to start thinning them. Slowly. Quietly."
Victor and Tarkos pulled on their masks.
Not long after, three robed figures slumbered down the icy path, laughing among themselves. One of them who happened to be a tall skinny male, spoke with crude bravado about his recent abuse of a rchant woman who had failed to pay "tribute" for protection.
"She pleaded and pleaded but I still peed in her mouth hahaha!"
Tarkos suddenly moved like a phantom.
With no warning, his arm pierced straight through the chest of the laughing disciple.
The laughter stopped as blood misted into the cold air from the hole in his chest.
The other two froze.
Victor had already moved as well and swiftly activated...
[ Shadow Crescent Strike ]
His blade unleashed a crescent of shadowed energy, slashing through the left arm of one of the remaining disciples.
The disciple scread in pain and staggered back while clutching his bleeding stump.
He instantly turned around and tried to flee but Victor shot forward using...
[ Wind Dash Activated ]
He appeared in front of him in a blur.
Before the disciple could activate a cultivation technique, Victor thrust his blade through his chest, impaling him clean.
He turned back just in ti to see Tarkos already wiping his blade and sitting cross-legged on two corpses.
He had already killed the third disciple.
"You really do take your ti," Tarkos muttered. "My grandma kills faster and she's a cripple."
Victor rolled his eyes. "Remind to never et her."
They piled the bodies together and dragged them to a small crevice beneath the cliffside where the ice was thick. The scent would be masked for at least a week.
For two more days, the process repeated.
They lurked along the winding snake path, killing in bursts of silence.
Victor mostly used [Phantom Moon Slash] and [Wind Gale] in tandem, slicing down multiple targets. Each encounter helped refine his reflexes and blend his sword skills with his bloodline techniques.
One ti, a group of four disciples walked into their trap. Tarkos handled two with his bare hands while Victor trapped the others between conjured wind walls, then skewered them in rapid succession.
Although it was brutal, each disciple they killed proved to be exactly as vile as the last—one had kept spirit beasts in cages for torture training; another had human fingernails in his pouch.
By the third night, the entire Erald Coil Pavilion was beginning to stir.
"They'll notice soon," Tarkos said as they returned to the safehouse. "Rumors are spreading. Their junior disciples are vanishing. No one knows who's doing it yet."
Victor sat back with a tired sigh. "We'll go for the higher ranked ones next, right?"
"Soon. But first, we wait for them to panic. Let them investigate. Let them waste energy. That's when we strike harder."
Victor checked the ti in his system UI. He'd spent nearly four days in-ga.
"Looks like it's your turn to take over," he said.
Tarkos smirked and waved a hand. "Go rest, oh mighty cultivator. Try not to dream about ."
Victor scoffed. "Never going to happen."
With that, he summoned his logout interface. A ssage appeared:
[ Avatar State: Stable - Safe Zone Confird - Dematerialization Initiated ]
Victor gave Tarkos one last glance before the world of Ascendant Realms dissolved around him.
...
...
Victor returned to the real world with a slow blink. The digital helt detached from his scalp and his eyes adjusted to the soft, pale lighting of the dorm room.
It was around 4 a.m.—a dead hour where even the moon held its breath. He exhaled wearily and flopped back into bed, telling himself a thirty-minute nap wouldn't hurt.
But his exhaustion had other plans.
When Victor next opened his eyes, golden daylight peeked through the dorm window. A quick glance at the ti sent him launching out of bed.
"Shit, it's nearly five!" he groaned while hastily pulling on his uniform.
Kairo who was already combing his damp hair and zipping his boots, raised a brow. "You finally awake?"
Victor shoved a foot into his combat pants while glaring. "You couldn't wake ?"
Kairo smirked. "And miss giving you the opportunity to work four tis as hard this morning? You're lucky you woke up just in ti..."
"Tch. As expected from an asshole that wouldn't even let copy his assignt."
Kairo chuckled while standing up and grabbing his datapad. "Relax. It paid off, didn't it? You did the damn assignnt. You found the Uncharted Wilds and even got bonus marks."
Victor rolled his eyes before slinging his strap over his shoulder. "Still, I could've copied from soone like a normal human. All that suffering... I bla you."
"You're welco," Kairo replied dryly.
They left together and parted ways at the junction where Camp 9 and Camp 11 split.
Victor's lectures that day flew by in a haze of mana application theory and elental resistance training. His last class involved practical sessions, sparring with elent-charged blades and responding to spell pressure using warrior techniques. The instructors were increasingly pushing them harder, as if bracing the students for sothing.
After lectures, Danny and Selene caught up with him near the recreational quadrants. Selene twirled a lollipop. "Hey, you ghosting us again today, handso?"
Victor flashed a tired smile. "I've got stuff to work on."
"Ascendant Realms again?" Danny asked with a teasing grin.
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