Chapter 604: Obliterated

“Hmm, you are more diligent than one would expect from one so young,” Caldrus noted.Julius sat up and swiveled around on the rock. He glanced at the old man who was shuffling toward him. Caldrus hadn’t spoken much to Julius during the past week, but Julius had spotted the old man observing him from a distance multiple times when he thought Julius wasn’t looking.

“What do you mean by that?” Julius asked, looking away and shifting his attention back to the orb in his hands.

“Most children your age don’t appreciate or understand how much time and effort it takes to improve. They are so concerned with the promises and allure of power that they fail to do the small things. The things that they won’t see a direct benefit for years to come. Only once they are older do they realize the folly of their mistakes. Young Master Shin is an example of this.”

Julius shrugged uncaringly. “If you know this, then why don’t you stop or tell him?” He had a feeling where this was heading. Maya had already asked him earlier, but he told her that he wouldn’t go around begging to help Shin of his own accord.

The old man let out a raspy chuckle. “You should know that the young don’t always listen to their elders.”

Julius sighed, stabilized the orb, and turned back to the old man. “Is there something I can help you with? I suspect there is a reason why you came out here when we are .”

Caldrus was old, but he wasn’t a fossil. He had gray hair and wrinkles, but Julius didn’t let that fool him. The man was still dangerous, and thus, he was already prepared for the worst. Perhaps he thought that he could bully Julius into helping Shin.

Ever since his last assassination attempt, he was a little more wary. His regeneration gave him more confidence in his survivability, but against a Tier 5 on Caldrus’s caliber, he didn’t think it would be smart to rely on it to save him.

“Calm down, boy. I am not here to fight you. I am here with a proposition,” Caldrus said with a chuckle, sensing Julius’s wariness and sounding like he was amused by it. “The fact you are even the notion of fighting me is another reason why I wanted to ask you.”

“Ask me what?”

“Would you be willing to help Shin as well? I know you have been helping Maya, but Shin could really use some help too.”

“If he wants to join our sessions, he is more than welcome to join us. But it’s up to him. Like I told Maya, I am not going to beg some guy my age, just so of helping him.”

“He wants to, but the boy is too proud to ask for any help,” Caldrus said with an exasperated shake of his head.

Julius shrugged. “Well, that’s not my problem. Like I already told Cassandra, I am not traveling back to the Burning Sun Sect with you guys. I am coming with you to Corvus, but once we get there, I will be going my own way. I don't have any plans on being a teacher to either one of them.”

“Yet, you are helping Maya.”

“She is helping me too.”

“Please, you are going above and beyond to help her. I have seen the diligence you have shown while training her. You aren’t just showing her random things and sparring with her. That willpower training you are helping her with is fascinatingly remarkable. She has already seen quite a nice growth in her willpower. Plus, you are giving her constructive criticism while allowing her to figure out her own problems. You are quite a good teacher, you know.”

Julius narrowed his eyes at the old man and scoffed. “Is that what this is about?”

“What do you mean?” Caldrus asked with a glint in his wrinkly eyes.

“Did Cassandra send you to do this?” He asked with a sigh, looking over at where he knew Cassandra was likely watching from. Was this her next strategy to get Julius to come back to her to the sect?

Caldrus chuckled. “Nope, this was my idea. But I didn’t think it would be a bad idea for either party. We could easily get you a position as a tutor or a personal trainer at the sect.”

“I’m sorry, but I have other plans,” Julius denied.

“Really? Because, from what I have gathered, you have no idea what you are going to do and have no real knowledge of our country. What are you going to do? Run around and hunt down monsters and bandits all day?”

Julius shrugged. “That doesn’t sound too bad. It gives me the freedom to explore and try tasty new foods.”

“But will you have access to restricted regions or rifts?” The old man pointed out.

Upon mentioning this, Julius couldn’t help but frown and think about that. He already knew just how important connections were. He took it for granted sometimes because of Lily and Derek’s families, but if he were still in the Empire, he would likely have a plethora of rifts available to him.

“I’m sure I can find some on my travels,” he said with a shrug.

“Perhaps, but that will rely entirely on luck. All of the known rifts, especially the valuable ones, will have been taken over by various sects. The majority of the rifts in Corvus are protected by the Ten Great Sects. You will only be able to access one of these rifts if you are a part of one of these sects. Even if the sect you join doesn’t have ownership of the rift, they can negotiate with other sects to enter the rift,” Caldrus explained.

“What is this? A monopoly?” Julius asked with a scoff.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“Yes. A large portion of a sect’s revenue comes from various rift materials. And it is one of the biggest reasons, other than specialized techniques, why people join sects. Without the backing of a sect, it becomes a lot more difficult to enter or even find rifts.”

Julius scrunched his nose. “What about these regions you mentioned?”

“You have similar things in the Empire. You are aware of places like the Endless Forest, correct?”

Julius nodded. “I am.”

“Well, there are a number of specialized regions or territories that are similar. They probably aren’t as large as the Endless Forest, but they contain special opportunities for those who enter them. Of course, there is a substantial risk of entering these regions, but the risk is worth it for those who make it out alive.”

Caldrus took note of Julius’s interest and smiled. “For example, the Burning Sun Sect oversees the Scorched Wastelands.”

“Oversee? Not ownership?” Julius noted curiously.

Caldrus let out a dry laugh. “No, not ownership. Nobody would dare to say they own the Scorched Wasteland, for too many powerful monsters lie deep in the sands of the wasteland. They don’t care that humans enter the region to hunt its residents; if anything, they approve of it. By entering the region, it provides the monsters living there the chance to get stronger by fighting humans. It’s a brutal region where strength and survival reign supreme.”

“What kind of monsters?” Julius asked curiously, unable to help himself.

“The kind that could slaughter an entire sect if angered. So don’t get any ideas. They keep to themselves, and as long as you don’t anger them, they won’t attack humans,” Caldrus said seriously.

“Why don’t they then?”

“Because the Scorched Wastelands is the only place that can sustain their existence. The high concentration of fire mana allows them to live comfortably. It is also why it is a perfect place for people who use fire techniques to train. People like you,” Caldrus said with a meaningful grin.

Julius frowned and kicked a pebble in front of him, watching it tumble down into the shallow waves of the lake.

“Come on, don’t tell me you don’t want to test yourself against those types of monsters. They are much stronger than monsters you would find wandering around the country. Imagine how much you could challenge yourself if you had an endless supply of powerful monsters to fight. Even at Tier 4, there are creatures who can challenge Tier 5s.”

Julius glared at the old man. “You are a sly old man, aren’t you?” Caldrus apparently knew exactly what Julius wanted, and he was cornering him with that.

Caldrus laughed. “I saw that disappointed look after you took out those weak Tier 4 bandits. I’ve seen that look before. You want a challenge. You want a proper fight where you can improve your skills and cultivate your authority.”

“Still, I don’t want to join a sect,” Julius said directly.

Caldrus smiled. “And you don’t have to. If you come to the Burning Sun Sect as an honored guest, you won’t have to join the sect, but you will get all of the privileges as one of our elders, I promise you that.”

Julius grimaced and stayed silent. He couldn't even lie to himself. It was a very alluring offer. If he had come to Julius offering treasures and whatnot, he would have easily said no. But this was different. If Caldrus wasn’t lying, just gaining access to the Scorched Wastelands could do wonders with his fire affinity.

He didn’t need special items or treasures. He needed opportunities and strong monsters to fight against.

“If that isn’t enough, then we can easily negotiate with other sects for you as well. I understand that the Verdant Willow Sect has a few powerful Tier 4 rifts you could enter. They even have access to the Everspring Valley, a region that is comparable to the Scorched Wastelands except it focuses on high concentrations of life mana instead. I’m not aware of any regions that hold any kinetic treasures, but I am sure we can find something to fit your needs as well,” Caldrus offered.

“Why are you going so far for me?” Julius asked, tilting his head.

Caldrus barked out a laugh. “Why wouldn’t we? A talent like yours doesn’t come around very often. Even if you don’t join our sect, having good relations with you will only benefit us. And if you actually decide to join our sect, then it would be wonderful. It’s a win-win.”

Julius found himself at a loss. He didn’t really know how to reply, and Caldrus’s offer was more than generous. Just the ability to enter a place like the Scorched Wastelands was already alluring.

He didn’t say so out loud to Caldrus, but he had already heard of the Scorched Wastelands. The place was indeed one of the most tantalizing places to a person who cultivated fire mana as he did. His seed of Phoenix's Ruin would likely improve by absorbing the potent mana. There wasn’t a lot of information, though, which meant he didn’t know that the Burning Sun Sect had control over who was able to enter. He thought it to be like the Endless Forest, where anyone could enter at their own peril.

He was thinking about how he wanted to answer Caldrus when he sensed a fluctuation of hostile aura in the direction where Drasil and Seraphyne were playing. He immediately flooded his body with mana and aura.

He also prepared several powerful constructs. Ruinous flames spawned into existence, and he wove them into dense needles of dark blue fire. However, he wasn’t the only one who sensed this presence.

Seraphyne was already reacting. The small turtle had already vanished from his spatial senses; her stealth skill still confused them, so he had to use their connection and change the frequency of his spatial senses to detect her again.

Once he found her, he also spotted the fish-like creature that was approaching them. He was about to send his constructs flying at it, but he felt Seraphyne give him a nudge, as if telling him to fall back. He only listened because he sensed the monster was a Tier 3. A very strong Tier 3, likely at the peak of Tier 3, but he had seen Seraphyne fight before.

He knew she was more dangerous than her small frame would suggest. So he let his constructs fall back and hover over his shoulders. But ready to deploy them at any moment’s notice.

Jets of heavily pressurized water pierced towards the fish, slamming against its body. The pressure was intense and ripped through their metallic scales with little issue, injuring the beast.

The fish panicked and couldn't find where Seraphyne had attacked from. Instead, it locked onto the only thing it could still detect. That lone thing was Drasil, who was still blissfully ignorant as he kicked his little legs around the lake in his floaty.

The monster used some kind of water magic to propel itself forward, and Julius nervously watched as the monster neared Drasil. The only thing that stopped him from panicking was the emotions he felt coming from Seraphyne, who was watching the thing completely unbothered.

He got flashes of pity, but these emotions weren’t directed toward Drasil. No, they were directed toward the fish monster.

Julius was confused. But watched as the fish launched itself out of the water. It was five feet long, and its silver body was covered in spikes. The scales, which had already been damaged by Seraphyne, glistened in the moonlight.

It was only at the last moment that Drasil finally seemed to realize that the monster was about to attack him and turned around in his floaty. Drasil raised his small hand and, with a derisive snort, flicked his hand as if one would slap a fly.

A surge of life mana blasted out of Drasil, and the fish was absolutely obliterated the second Drasil made contact. There was nothing left but a few mangled fins and blood that rained down on the water’s rippling surface.

As for Drasil, the little guy whistled brightly and continued to swim along the lake as if nothing had happened.

Julius stood there stunned, unable to comprehend what had happened.