by Yuri Ajin
“Can I help you?” he asked relatively politely.
“Yes, please.” Lily was the first to speak. “We’re new in the city, and we’d like to know more about the local currency. What is this hardened silver and hardened gold coins that the price tags are referring to?”
The seller grimaced but decided to be polite. These were still potential customers.
“Here.” Two small coins appeared in his hand. They looked like they were made from ordinary silver and gold, but still, there was something different about them. “This is it. These coins contain energy and a bit of the Force of the minter who created them. One gold piece is usually worth a thousand silver pieces.”
“And is this also hardened gold?” Surprising everyone and making the seller finally smile, Kai displayed a similar coin.
“Right!” The man nodded happily. Good, so they did have money.
Kai looked first at his coin in surprise and then turned his gaze to the old ring on his finger.
Jongo, Jongo… Is this your homeland, then? What were you doing so far from home? he wondered, looking at the coin he had taken from the old man’s laboratory. How and why did you come to Caltea?
“So, would you like to buy something?” the seller asked.
“Bro, where did you get their coin?” Ash asked, dumbfounded.
“Long story. Let’s just say that I was lucky...” Kai waved him off and looked around the store. The quality of goods turned out to be really impressive. “Tell me, what kind of Energy Restoration pills and potions do you have?”
“Oh, we have a lot of them! Here, these are Energy Potions suitable for Mind Stage cultivators.” The happy seller pointed to a high-quality, Silver-rank potion.
“Are there any stronger ones?” Kai arched an eyebrow.
“Hm… Well, if you’re confident in your level of energy control, I can suggest the peak-quality, Silver-rank pills, which are commonly used by Soul Stage cultivators.”
“And that’s all?”
Looking at Kai like he was a fool, the seller nevertheless continued to wear a friendly mask.
“Well, the very best low-quality, Gold-rank pills are only used by Exorcists. If someone weaker tries to absorb them, they risk becoming a cripple or dying.”
“Great!” Kai smiled. “How much?”
The man’s eye suddenly began to twitch.
“The Gateway Source Pill is worth one gold coin,” he replied coldly. He couldn’t understand what kind of game the boy was playing.
“Give me ten of those.” Kai put the coins on the counter.
He had already absorbed a Spirit Fruit of a similar level and was fine. Considering that he could see the amount of energy in the pills, he knew that there was little difference between them and the Fruit. However, he didn’t need either of those just for the sake of his future development, but also to prepare for the upcoming test where he’d have to prove himself worthy of joining the Thunder Serpent Clan. He didn’t know what kind of people he might run into, so the smartest thing to do would be to prepare himself and make sure he had enough energy for anything.
In addition to the pills, he also bought a large supply of the Calm Endurance Potion. For future purchases, he’d need to place an order with a city alchemist, so that, according to Rune’Tan’s recipe, he could prepare the necessary amount of extract and strengthen his spinal cord and brain. But those were all bridges he’d need to cross in the future. At the moment, he had no idea whether he’d stay in Namesh after joining the clan or not.
Having finished shopping for himself, Kai also spent some coin on Julie. After all, it was her money, too. He bought her a couple of Healing Potions suitable for an ordinary person, a Spatial Ring that allowed its owner to disguise themselves, and a special, one-time artifact, which could temporarily protect its owner by creating a low-quality, Gold-rank shield. He also gave her ten gold coins, just in case.
In the end, Kai spent a total of twenty-seven gold coins that day, which, judging by local prices, was a rather impressive amount. He had exactly one hundred gold coins left. Spending more would be foolish, for he had no idea when they could come in handy.
And although he wanted to get some weapons or armor, such items cost an arm and a leg, starting from a hundred gold coins and going up to thousands.
This was how Kai’s seventeenth birthday passed, in the company of his sister and friends. They were so distracted that none of them managed to notice a strange man who had been watching them since they had arrived in the city.
Chapter 3
THE ROAD TO THE CELESTIAL PLATEAU
The next morning, a crowd of about ten thousand people gathered at the main square. They had come from various different locations, wishing to join the Thunder Serpent Clan. Lily, Kai, Ash, as well as many other natives of Alkea, were also there.
An hour after dawn, the clan representatives who were in charge of accepting the candidates finally arrived. People in navy-blue robes climbed to the roof of the main building. Since there was no one below the Sensory Organs Endurance level among the candidates, everyone present immediately noticed them.
“Greetings, everyone!” the amplified voice of one of the peak-level Exorcists echoed throughout the square. “You’ve been promised to be accepted into our clan. I’ll explain to you what you have to do to make this happen. But first, you need to decide something for yourself. There are four levels of apprenticeship in our clan. The outer- and inner-circle students, disciples, and apprentices. Unfortunately, to become an apprentice, you must either be born in your clan’s ruling line or prove that your talent is unique while being an inner-circle student.”
The man made a short pause, letting the information sink in. No one could just become an apprentice, it seemed. At least not based on the results of this test.
“Now, I’ll explain the differences between the first three levels. By becoming an outer-circle student, you receive a privileged status in Namesh, as well as in the vassal states of our clan. You’ll also have the right to carry out special high-paying assignments for the clan or get a permanent job. You can spend the coin you earned in a special trading house, the access to which comes together with your status. Only there will you be able to find Gold-rank items, equipment, and rare resources of medium and high quality! But most importantly, you’ll get an opportunity to buy Wisdom Particles!”
The last sentence got the crowd seriously excited. However, there were also a small number of people, especially from places like Alkea, who didn’t understand what the excitement was all about. Kai was among those.
“Wow… I didn’t think it’d come to this!” Rune’Tan said.
“What are you talking about? Do you know what’s going on?”
“Yes. These Particles are really good. To put it simply, starting from the Elementalist Stage, talented masters can introduce any Force they know into a special structure. This requires a lot of energy but there’s enough of it here. By meditating with these Particles, a person receives a powerful source of Force for cultivation and further development. This is so much better than those training zones you had in the Sect.”
“I see…” Kai nodded, realizing the importance of these Particles. “But, judging by the reaction of the majority, even in the Lowlands, these things are very rare, which means that their price must be sky-high...”
“Also,” the man from the clan continued, “if an outer-circle student manages to reach the Soul Stage before the age of thirty-five, they will immediately become a disciple...”
He was silent for a moment and then spoke again.
“Having received this status, you’ll be given access to the clan’s grounds. You’ll have the right to visit special training arrays. You’ll also be given access to most of the clan’s techniques. In addition, by helping out other students or completing tasks for the elders, you can earn a significant amount of hardened gold, which will allow you to buy Gold-rank items up to the highest quality, and Particles with the rarest types of Forces.
”
Taking a longer pause, the man continued.
“And the last thing. Being an inner-circle student gives you access to almost all of the Thunder Serpent Clan’s techniques and special areas. In addition, all inner-circle students receive a set of rare, Gold-rank resources each year, which also includes one Energy Stone.” Having turned his head toward the person standing next to him, he nodded. The other member of the clan retrieved a small chest from his Spatial Ring.
Looking at it through the energy spectrum, Kai could see how certain Forces thickened around it, seemingly separating it from the surrounding space. In order to prevent its contents from losing their energy, the chest had to be insulated from its surroundings.
Opening it, the man stunned the crowd. Inside was a spherical blue stone that emitted a tremendous amount of energy. The man closed the casket a few seconds later. He had achieved his goal of sweeping the crowd off its feet.
Kai found it hard to believe his own eyes. Looking at the stone with his energy vision, he was able to understand that it contained ten times more energy than all the pills he had bought yesterday. In fact, one such pebble could be enough to open all three hundred and sixty acupuncture points without any problem.
Where did the Thunder Serpent Clan get such a treasure? It was unlikely that even monsters above the Soul Stage could form such an energy source in their bodies. And if inner-circle students received one such stone per year, then how many of them did the clan actually have?
Having waited for another minute, the man finally moved on to an explanation of how to become a member of the clan.
“You’ve just learned about the different statuses within the clan. Now it’s time to tell you how you can join our ranks. First, if you decide to become an outer-circle student...” He stopped and smiled for a second. “You don’t need anything! The moment you were allowed on board, you fulfilled both requirements — to be no more than twenty years old and not below the Mind Stage. Therefore, once I finish my speech, those wishing to become outer-circle students can proceed to the neighboring buildings, where they’ll be registered.”
The man nodded and his face turned serious.
“Let’s move on to how to become disciples and inner-circle students. To get one of these statuses, you have to pass a test. It’ll be an exam in which usually only fifty out of a thousand people survive. You have a ninety-five percent chance of dying! Your main task is to get to the clan lands on your own. They’re located on the Celestial Plateau, six hundred miles from here! Those who do decide to take this journey will be given a map with one of five possible routes. And only those who manage to reach the finish line in a month will pass the exam. However, only the first three people will become inner-circle students. That’s all. Those who decide to remain outer-circle students can go right away, and the rest can come to me.”
With this, the speech ended. The candidates formed two rows, depending on what status they wanted to achieve. In the end, even after having heard about the mortality rate, as many as one thousand five hundred people decided to try their luck. Naturally, Kai and Lily were among them. Ash, loyal to death, followed. Lily tried to dissuade him but didn’t succeed.
Gathering at the main building of the Thunder Serpent Clan in Namesh, they learned that they’d be divided into twenty-five groups of sixty-one people, each of which would set off from one of the twenty-five city gates. To make sure that everyone had equal chances, the order was selected at random. Kai was to depart from the north-eastern side of the city. Lily’s group got the south-western side. Ash, by some miracle, was lucky to find himself in the same group. After saying goodbye and wishing each other good luck, they parted.
Kai’s group, following an outer-circle student, reached the gate in a couple of hours. There, they were assigned a separate passage and given maps, after which they were informed that from the moment the exam started, they’d go out one at a time at an interval of ten minutes. All in all, a little more than ten hours. Unfortunately, Kai ended up in the middle of the line.
After waiting for almost four hours, he finally set off, rushing at full speed to the woods surrounding Namesh. Lingering near the city was forbidden, but once you got a certain distance away, everything was allowed. And this was exactly what he needed.
Two hours later, having traveled for more than twenty miles from the city wall, Kai moved east.
“Yes,” he whispered, seeing a distant, human-like figure in the energy spectrum.
Rushing toward it with several combined Steps, he quickly approached one of the other participants. The poor fellow didn’t even have time to react to the figure that suddenly flew out from behind the trees. He just dropped, unconscious.
Removing the Spatial Ring from the young man’s finger, Kai quickly erased the mark and found what he wanted. A yellow scroll appeared in his hand.
“Yes! Finally!” he exclaimed, delighted. “Now I have all the maps. Thanks,” he said, glancing at the guy lying on the ground, and threw back his Ring. He decided to take the scroll just in case, not daring to rely solely on his memory. Maybe they would come in handy.
With that, he continued moving further east.
In the beginning, he thought it was suspicious that there were so many different routes. But hearing that only the first three people would become inner-circle students put everything in its place. Chances were that one of the routes was the shortest. So, he needed all five maps to determine which one it was.
He had no doubt that many others had reached the same conclusion. However, there was hardly anyone here who could, like him, easily erase the owner’s mark off the Rings. In this case, there was only one option — hacking. However, this process would take candidates anywhere from several days to a week. During that time, Kai would definitely bypass many. And even if someone strong enough managed to force everyone they met to give up their maps until they found the right one, they’d still take more time than he did.
Six hours later, Kai suddenly felt a strange wave of energy. Without slowing down, he looked to the left. Eight energy lumps loomed in the distance through the dense forest, approaching him at high speed.
Chapter 4
AN UNKNOWN ENEMY
Speeding up, Kai decided to escape rather than confront his pursuers. However, no matter how much he ran, he continued being chased.
How do they know where I’m going? There’s definitely no mark on me. Is this some special tracking technique? Hell, in that case, they’re unlikely to lag behind. I better confront them now… I don’t want them getting in my way in the middle of a fight or something. Judging by their speed, they won’t be able to catch up with me so easily.
Kai’s appearance began to change, and two blades appeared in his hands. Spotting a clearing, he stopped and turned to his pursuers. A few minutes later, they finally caught up with him. There were eight of them, all at the Brain Endurance level. They came out from behind the trees and immediately surrounded him.
“So, you noticed us,” said a dark-haired girl, taking out her sword. By the looks of it, she was the strongest one in the group and close to reaching the next level. “What? A new face? Hahaha! Do you really think that such a pathetic technique will deceive us? I know that you’re the one we’re looking for!” she exclaimed, and pointed the tip of her blade at him. “I don’t want things to get messy, you see... Therefore, if you give us all your hardened gold, as well as the other goodies hidden in your Ring, then we’ll let you go. Maybe.”
Common thieves among the participants… How low have people fallen… They probably found each other the same way that they tracked me down... But how do they know about the coin? This is clearly not a random attack.
“Why are you so quiet?” barked the big guy who was standing closest to the girl. “Cat got your tongue, hm? Drop your weapon! Quickly!”
“Tell me, if I leave you alive...” Kai turned to the girl with a smile. “Will you tell me how you knew that I have hardened gold?”
His beha
vior surprised the bandits for a second, but then all eight of them laughed as if they had just met a jester.
“Oh, you’re hilarious!” The girl smiled back, waving her hand. However, after a moment, her expression changed dramatically. “I’m bored, kill him.”
The big guy was the first to rush at Kai, wanting to show off to the leader. Raising his sword to attack, he swung and... Pieces of his body scattered to the sides, splashing blood on his teammates, who froze in shock. However, not a drop of the scarlet liquid fell on their victim.
“Looks like you’ve underestimated your opponent.” Still smiling, Kai slashed the air with the left sword, shaking blood off the blade. Cracking his neck a couple of times, he continued. “I’ve been wanting to warm up for so long!”
“To the sides!” the girl shouted.
The bandits immediately jumped back. She swung her blade and sent a peak-quality, Silver-rank technique that looked like a crimson tiger toward Kai. Opening its mouth and releasing its claws, it roared and leaped at its victim.
Kai chuckled.
Four months had passed since his battle with Greenrow, and although Kai was at the same level as he had been back then and although he didn’t even try learning any new Forces, his strength had definitely increased. During the journey to Namesh, he constantly worked on improving his skills. He only had the basic understanding of Forces he had learned during the battle with the young Yoni and, therefore, couldn’t use them effectively. So he had to master them first before he moved on to anything else.
What he did do, however, was gain ample experience in using the Sword Forces in battle, which greatly increased his strength.
The seven Forces he summoned didn’t manage to shock the bandits. They might’ve managed to do so had they had the time to stop and look at them. However, Kai wasn’t about to give them that time. In the very next moment, he swung his blade. The incredibly dense sword energy, reinforced by the Forces, swept the bandits away. His ability to control any sort of energy helped him neutralize any remnants of their attack. The girl’s technique fell apart right in front of her eyes. However, it didn’t end there.
