However, he didn’t stop. This was not his goal. He gritted his teeth as he continued the painful process of cultivation.
His body was already drenched in sweat as his breathing had beco strained. Yet he persisted. The bronze halo that had originally begun to dim began to increase its radiance once again.
It was a good thing that he was attempting this breakthrough in the blood star or else, the amount of light he was emitting would be enough to make him a beacon in the fog of the Misty mountains.
Creaking sounds could be heard from his body he was undergoing a complete overhaul internally. Energy was constantly flowing to his muscles and bones, strengthening them repeatedly.
Even his internal organs were no spared as they too underwent a wave of transformation.
This process continued for about an hour until his body finally reached a breaking point.
Adrian felt a barrier that seed to be in the way of his body’s enhancent. He knew that this was the barrier he would have to overco.
Whether or not he would break through all depended on this mont.
******
anwhile, back at Stonehold City, silent undercurrents had begun rippling through the city.
Due to the beast tide, there had been a rapid influx of people into the city. This situation made it easy for the city to be infiltrated by the mbers of the demonic faction.
Multiple ’shady individuals’ were able to bypass the security checks at the city gate and successfully enter the city.
In a tavern located on the outskirts of the city, the seats were packed as the patrons were enjoying their beers. Loud and boisterous laughter could be heard as the drinks flowed.
It was the typical atmosphere present in a tavern. Multiple conversations were taking place, making a rather unruly atmosphere.
In a dimly lit corner, four figures sat around a battered table. The hooded cloaks they wore were unremarkable enough to blend in, but there was sothing about them that set them apart from the rest of the tavern’s patrons. A quiet tension.
"Esteed guests, would you like a drink?" a soft voice broke through the quiet.
The waitress, a young woman with auburn hair tied back neatly, approached their table. She balanced a tray of tankards with ease, her plain brown dress and stained apron making her seem every bit the unremarkable tavern worker.
She smiled politely, her tone cheery. "Long road ahead, I’m guessing?"
One of the hooded figures looked up, his face impassive. "Sothing like that."
As she set the tankards down, her movents were smooth, practiced. But the man who spoke noticed the way her hand lingered for just a fraction of a second longer than necessary as she slid the last mug in front of him.
Beneath it, tucked against the warped wood of the table, was a small slip of parchnt.
"Let know if you need anything else," she said, her voice carrying the sa polite cheer as before. She gave a small curtsy and walked off to tend to another table, leaving the man to subtly retrieve the note.
He unfolded the slip beneath the table, keeping his movents hidden. His sharp eyes scanned the short ssage written in tight, hurried script:
Target: Adrian Thorne
Possible location: Stonehold city
Status: Preferably alive
A quick glance was all it took for him to capture all the information written on the parchnt.
With a subtle motion, he passed the parchnt towards his silent compatriots. They all took a quick glance at it before the last mber waved his hand, turning it into dust.
They all sat in silence for a few monts before one of the other mbers broke the silence.
"Well, now we know why the elders said this mission was very important. Who would have thought we would have the chance to hunt down the ’young master’ of one of the twelve great families?
This is going to be a splendid addition to our resus, isn’t it?"
A raspy voice ca from the individual sitting to the leader’s right as he made a couple of snide remarks.
"Indeed, this was... unexpected."
A calm and serene voice responded from the mber sitting directly opposite the earlier man.
The smaller fra and beautiful voice made the gender of the individual quite obvious.
"Hmph, here I thought we were called here for so big mission. It turns out we’re just hunting a little brat."
A slightly annoyed voice ca from the last mber of the group, who was sitting directly opposite the leader.
"Alright now, there must be a reason that the elders decided to send us on the mission. He was, after all, the young master of a powerful family. Who knows how many life-saving contraptions he has?
The leader said in a nonchalant attempt to pacify his teammate. The other two nodded in agreent, leaving the remaining mber to sulk by himself.
When a few individuals finished their drinks and left, Kael motioned to his companions. "We’re done here." They rose as one, leaving a few qi stones on the table to keep up appearances.
The waitress stood by the bar, wiping down a mug. Her expression was neutral, but her eyes flicked toward the leader as they passed. He gave her a slight nod, an acknowledgnt of her role in this operation.
Outside, the air was cold and damp, the moon hidden behind a shroud of clouds. The group moved away from the tavern, the quiet night broken only by the soft crunch of their boots on the dirt road.
Adrian didn’t know this yet, but he had just beco the target of one of the most powerful assassin groups below the Nascent soul realm stage.
*****
The sound of hooves echoed along the uneven road, muffled by the dense morning mist that curled through the forest.
A convoy of carriages rolled steadily forward, all of them being pulled by a pair of sleek, muscular horses whose dark coats shimred faintly with each movent.
In the center of the convoy was a particularly luxurious carriage, far grander than the rest. A family crest could be seen hanging proudly on the sides of the carriage as it moved at a leisurely pace towards a particular direction.
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