Later that evening.
You should have been there, Auslen. Senior Brother Victor was so cool! Nathaniel was still reeling from the excitent of the Preliminaries as he followed Auslen outside the cave abode, towards the iron fire pit Vincent was kneeling beside.
Was he? Auslen replied as he beckoned Nathaniel over to the cushions surrounding the fire pit. It slls great, Vincent.
Vincent scratched his head, a bit embarrassed as he replied, Thanks, Auslen.
Yeah, it does sll great! Nathaniel exclaid as he plopped down onto one of the cushions, crossing his legs while the bright fla reflected in his eyes. Feverishly, he waved his hands and continued illustrating, Also, Victor had this big sword! And when he swung it, the blade would turn bright red! And then
Auslen listened quietly, saying a few words here and there as he smiled once in a while. During that ti, he was helping Vincent flip so of the skewered ats.
Although he was only half listening, Auslen didnt reveal any impatience, allowing his cousin to let out his enthusiasm fully.
By the way, Auslen began during one of Nathaniels rare pauses. Did you happen to see or talk to anyone interesting today?
Not really. Nathaniel shook his head while wiping the saliva from the corner of his mouth. The skewered beef and pork chops sizzling on the fire pit rack were glistening with fat, releasing a delicious aroma into the air.
Although the strange man he talked to did flash through his mind for a second, he couldnt even rember the guy's face, let alone find him particularly interesting.
Oh! Nathaniel shouted, the thought jogging his mory. Look what I got!
Auslen was not expecting what Nathaniel proudly presented.
A chess board? Vincent glanced over and asked.
Chess? They have that here too?
Perhaps its not what Im thinking of. It looks a little different...
Yeah! Have you played before Vincent?
Plenty of tis. Vincent picked up a skewer and passed it to the eagerly awaiting Nathaniel while continuing. We played a lot of board gas back in the orphanage.
Nathaniels eyes sparkled as he bit into the succulent piece of beef.
He finished the beef in just a few bites before tossing the skewer. Two small boxes suddenly appeared in his hands. Then lets play!
Compared to the Outer Sect mountains, this mountain bore much less vegetation. Trees were sparse, leaving a barren scenery, full of rocks and rugged terrain. There were nurous caves peppered underneath the peak, with cave mouths so smooth they must have been carved out by a sharp object. Lower down, the stone walls were as sleek as mirrors, obviously unscalable. And yet, there were signs that people resided there.
The steep peak had multiple sharp protrusions jutting into patches of thick and heavy clouds, appearing similar to dual-edged blades.
This was one of the Inner Sect Peaks of the Five Profound Elents Sect, known as the Sword Controlling Peak. And upon this peak, the profiles of Inner Sect Disciples could be seen practicing diligently and flying atop resplendent swords.
However, the atmosphere on the Peak was much less lively than the Outer Sect. Where tens of thousands could be seen at any point on the Outer Sect mountains, perhaps barely a thousand were visible here. Leisurely chatter was almost nonexistent. Besides those who could be seen training in whatever space they could find, the rest were walking silently and with a purpose.
Suddenly, the clouds above the Sword Controlling Peak split. A tallic sword light descended towards the Peak cliffs like a bolt of lightning, dissipating to reveal Samuels stern figure. His eyes emitted a piercing presence, and in his arms was the sa injured and unconscious woman he left the Outer Sect with.
The Inner Sect Disciples near the location of his descent trembled a little at his cutting presence, hurriedly backing away before realizing who was walking in front of them.
Whispers broke through the focused silence, and many of the surrounding disciples backed away even further.
One of them looked confused after realizing that most others recognized the young man. Who is he?
Thats Senior Brother Samuel, a disciple nearest to him silently replied. Hes one of the few Personal Disciples of the Peak Master! He was extrely famous a long while back, before you beca an Inner Sect Disciple. Back then, he was among the top 20 Foundation Establishnt talents in our generation of disciples, even taking the 6th place spot on the Inner Sects Battle-Roll!
Really? Then why havent I heard of him if hes that famous?
He broke through to the True Core realm years ago! Hes been in closed-door cultivation ever since. Im not sure why hes left though, as theres no way hes broken through the realm already. And what poor disciple is he carrying It couldnt be
Another disciple quietly exclaid, I think I think thats Junior Sister Rosalind.
That beauty? Holy crap, it really is her
Samuel didnt pay any heed to them and rely strode forward. His silver longsword twirled around his moving figure, releasing faint ringing sounds as it pierced through the air.
Soon, the cliffs grew awfully silent. However, the news of Samuels exit from closed-door cultivation spread throughout the Sword Controlling Peak in no ti.
The clouds were rolling and swelling as sword lights broke through them, sword cultivators arriving in the air above the Peak. Several luminescent figures stood on their swords, quietly watching as Samuel calmly walked along a rocky path past various stone buildings and into one of the few tree-laden areas on the Peak.
Samuel strode onwards amidst the refreshing stretch of green. From sowhere, the crisp sounds of moving spring water could be heard, resonating tranquilly through the quiet environnt.
Right at this mont, a gust of wind blew behind him.
A cold voice surged into Samuels ears just when he was about to turn.
What are you doing out of closed-door cultivation?
Samuel turned toward the sound. No emotional changes occurred in Samuels green eyes as he saw the severe-looking middle-aged man gently landing on the path several ters away from him. Neither his unbound gray hair or deep black cloak undulated against the wind even slightly.
His presence was strangely muted, practically resembling a mortal.
The middle-aged mans na was Jing Qijing, the Peak Master of the Sword Controlling Peak.
Peak Master Jings tone was even, but his words were grave. I have warned you before, Samuel. During your True Core cultivation, you are not to abandon your isolation without my consent. Nothing should distract you or give cause for your emotions to falter, lest you bring ruin to your Dao Seed.
His dark brown eyes glanced towards the injured disciple in his grasp.
Artorius, take the girl to the dical Pavilion.
Yes, Peak Master. A youth's voice sounded from above, soft and respectful.
An additional male figure descended then, lightly jumping off of his heavily embellished silver longsword. His handso face was ford into a welcoming smile, long locks of silver hair framing the friendly expression strikingly well. His blue eyes were pure and clean, seeming almost nave.
Then, Artorius walked past the Peak Master to arrive before Samuels slightly taller stature.
Nice to finally et you, Senior Brother. Artorius smiled.
He didnt expect an answer, and he did not receive one. Nevertheless, his movents were simple and attentive as he reached out towards Rosalind, acting as though Samuels hard gaze wasnt boring into him ceaselessly.
Samuels viridescent irises blurred whilst rapidly examining every inch of the disciple he hadnt seen before. A small prickling of irritation stabbed through his subconscious, but it faded soon after, not strong enough to cause any fluctuations in his Soul Force.
In the end, he didnt resist as he handed Rosalind over, but his eyes remained glued in the direction of her unconscious figure even after she had long left his sight.
Peak Master Jing frowned slightly before shaking his head.
Follow to receive your punishnt.
Senior Sister!
A 15 year old, brown-skinned Inner Sect Disciple ca sprinting into the dical room, his eyes red with grief. Just before, he had accidentally carved out two ruts into the stone floor right outside the entrance of the room, evidence of his fast running and abrupt stop.
Breathing heavily, the boys anxious eyes were drawn to the cot sitting in the center of a sterile stone room, and lying upon which was a clean, beautiful young woman who showed no signs of consciousness. She was mostly wrapped in thin white cloth, And with the help of the dical assistants working efficiently around the cot, the uncovered portions, where her external wounds were located, were being lathered in this green, gel-like substance, known as enhanced regenerative paste.
Shock and sadness racked his young body. Wiping his face clean of stray tears, he swallowed the lump in his throat and stepped forward. But before he could question one of the assistants, he was pulled outside the room by a strong grasp.
Calm yourself, Junior, a masculine voice urged. You shouldnt interfere. There will be ti for visitors shortly.
The teenager whirled around, only to be surprised by the distinctive youth standing before him.
His distraught expression partially gave way to a tint of respect. He backed away before bowing. My apologies, Senior Brother Artorius. I just wanted so answers, and um... My anxiety got the best of .
Artorius nodded reassuringly. No worries, Junior Brother. Thats the very reason Im here.
How is my disciple? A silky feminine voice resonated close by, attracting Artorius attention.
Greetings, Elder. Artorius bowed towards the petite blonde woman approaching with a restrained pace. He glanced back inside the dical room and said, Your Personal Disciple will be fine with ti. Senior Brother Samuel managed to feed her a Tier 3 Life Rejuvenating Pill in ti, greatly relieving her damaged vitality, which was the most serious threat to her well being. There shouldnt be any permanent injuries, however itll be so ti before she awakens, sadly.
I see. The Elder nodded, shifting her turquoise eyes to glance inside the room before turning away.
Co, Rami. Were leaving. She didn't question why her disciple was injured so terribly, nor did she ntion her other disciples who failed to return. She just walked away.
Rami, the young brown-skinned boy, looked upset that they were leaving so soon, but he did not contradict her orders. After nodding gratefully towards Artorius, he hurried to catch up with the Elder.
As he had successfully relayed the information, Artorius original duties were complete.
What a pity, he thought, glancing one last ti at the unresponsive Rosalind. Sighing softly with regret, he turned to make his departure.
What he found regrettable was unknown.
The sun was beginning to set on this beautiful sumr evening. In the cooling air, fireflies were erging from their hiding places, flying around the mountain forest like fairies in an old folk tale.
Auslen sat cross-legged across from Nathaniel, each of them taking turns fiddling with the pieces on the plain looking chess board in front of them. Soft clacking sounds rang from the board at tis, but the sounds began gradually slowing until coming to a near standstill.
Nathaniel groaned and scratched his forehead, thinking hard about his next move.
Auslen smiled, sipping so cool water whilst casually conversing with Vincent.
Naturally, Auslen was familiar with chess from his ti on Earth. After watching Vincent slowly guide Nathaniel through the ga with so curiosity, Auslen found himself surprised that the rules were nearly the sa as he rembered! There were only two major differences.
The board was over twice the size of what he was used to, altering the gaplay to accommodate the increased number of spaces and chess pieces. In addition the actual chess pieces themselves were different, featuring many varieties of mythical existences.
The few black and red chess pieces left were spread across the chess board, as though they were illustrating an epic final battle between Immortals and Demons, giving the silent ambience surrounding them a grandiose feel.
Admittedly, Auslen was not particularly good at chess. It was rely a ga played with company every now and again. But against an overly eager child brand new to the ga, he may as well have been a grandmaster. And from how the ga was currently proceeding and the wrinkles on Nathaniels forehead, it was easy to see whose favor the match was currently in.
With visible hesitation, Nathaniel carefully slid a piece into place, only retracting his hand after five full seconds of confirming silence.
Internally chuckling, Auslen finally felt that he had enough fun bullying the child.
Auslens right hand reached for a piece, sliding it forward to capture one of Nathaniels, accidentally providing his young opponent with an opening in the process.
Nathaniel seed more and more aggrieved as seconds ticked past, until suddenly, his eyes widened exaggeratedly. Soon, a triumphant grin took over his previously gloomy expression.
I won! Nathaniel stood, childish laughter erupting from his mouth as he waved Auslen's captured black dragon proudly. I beat you, Auslen!
Yeah, you did, Nathan, Auslen concurred with a chuckle, even clapping a little for the ecstatic boy, as he found himself in a rare generous mood,
The most surprised over the gas outco was Vincent, whose brows were raised high while staring at the board. But Auslen didnt give him much of an opportunity to catch his act of throwing the ga, quickly cleaning off the board so they could get ready to go inside.
He would have a busy day tomorrow. Well, hed have a busy few years, to be accurate.
Taking the chess set from Auslen, Nathaniel was still giddy over the first win he managed to achieve over Auslen! It didnt affect their bet, because it was just a ga that had nothing to do with their cultivation. But the exultant feeling of defeating the undefeatable was undeniable. He was already thinking of when they could play again!
Suddenly, he covered his mouth to hide his foolish grin. Maybe... Does Mia likes this chess ga? I wonder if we could play together...
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