Limbo's Inner Territory, Frozen Dream Sect. A long time before Alexander arrived at the Core Territory's gates.

"This Alexander is here to request an audience!" Standing rooted on white tiles, facing large stairs going up toward an icy blue temple, Alexander awaited.

Soon, a gentle yet powerful voice rang out.

"Enter!"

Making his way up slowly, full of leisure, Alexander arrived to the temple's doors high above after an hour. This showed how little he cared.

Two giant doors of opaque black ice blocking the way in, they opened on their own when sensing his approaching figure. After stepping inside, he was welcomed with an expected light-blue and grey hall spanning countless kilometers. Far, far into the distance, atop a set of stairs, a beautiful figure was seated on an ice throne. Her demeanor was both gentle and oppressing.

To his left and right, quite a few thrones on each side, where elders were also seated, glaring at him from all sides.

But each was not blind. Alexander's Chaos Archetype Realm cultivation base suppressed them, yet the burning flames all over his body were the most powerful influence. Each flame radiated a powerful life force, but more so a gigantic might.

As for the most strange of things, it was Alexander's clear lack of a life wheel.

"Welcome, young man."

"Alexander, not young man, didn't you hear my name?"

Her eye twitching, the sect master Julia Fellav was still accommodating, waiting to probe the other party.

"My fault, Alexander. Why have you come here?"

"I'm here for a recommendation letter!"

"..."

"I see..." Clearly showing an uncomfortable look, Julia Fellav still kept a bright smile.

"I can give you one... if... you pass a few tests!"

"Sect master!"

"Big sis!"

Raising her hand, Julia closed the mouth of all complaining elders, ordering silence.

"This is something agreed upon with the Core Territory. I have no right to refuse him, nor any of you actually."

"Alexander, you will fight one elder here. If you win, you get the recommendation letter. If you lose, the elder gets it. Understood?"

Gulping audibly, many elders could not contain their joy. However, when looking back at Alexander, they did not feel so lucky anymore. Fortunately, this same Alexander did not seem to like this method either.

"I'm here for a recommendation letter. I've never said I would comply with your bullshit! I will receive one today, whether you want it or not! I'm not asking for one... I'm telling you to give me one!"

"Impudent!"

"What arrogance!!"

"Shut your mouth! Madam! Please kill him!"

Elders one after the other began to shout in discomfort. Having their sect master and entire Frozen Dream Sect insulted as such was a giant humiliation. And of course, Julia Fellav was not happy with it either.

"Young man... what did you just say? I might have misheard your words!"

"Are you deaf too? No wonder you lost to Lu Shu!" His last words hitting a sore spot, all seven elders within the hall jumped at him in unison.

"Die!"

"Arrogant bastard!!"

A fat man arriving first somehow, he was punched in the face without the ability to fight back.

His skull blasted open from all sides, brain matter escaped and splattered.

"How dare you!!" The strongest elder present, First Elder Ni, could not handle seeing his brother die like this. Sending a white sword's blade cleaving down, his attack appeared like air in front of his opponent.

Catching it with two fingers, Alexander twisted his hand, breaking the blade in two.

"Wha-!"

"How!?"

Feeling a shiver run down their spines, the elders felt cold sweats run down their backs.

"You all will join the Ninth Martial Dynasty's Kings in hell!" His hands reaching far on both sides, he grabbed the face of one elder in his right hand, while clutching the shin of another in his left.

Waving his arms, he forcefully manipulated the shin of the elder like a whip, sending a powerful force at another elder on the left.

"Ah!!" Shouting, an elder on the left had his chest caved in from the elder's bald head crashing into him like a whip.

"Life drain!" The elder in his right hand crying, he soon turned into a mummy, his life wheel becoming black in a heartbeat.

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The flames of life growing, Alexander felt his body near crumble.

'I should be careful! I'm being too greedy right now...' Throwing the mummified elder to the right, he saw a purple robed lady's leg fall down from above.

"Even after all this..."

"You all are quite loyal!" His fist sent above, the Sixth Elder Kallus' knee was snapped, bending the other direction. Unable to recover from the sudden blow, Alexander sent a silver laser from his index finger, impaling the elder's sternum. If it was not for her quick thinking and high flexibility at the last second, the elder would have had her head pierced instead of her chest.

"Lucky!"

"Stop!!!"

Petrifying all elders was the sect master's shout.

Breaking her armrest to pieces from anger, she was about to make them stop when a servant came in from a secret room behind the throne.

"My lady! I came to... what is going on!?"

Waving her hand, the sect master asked the young girl to continue.

"What is it?"

"M-My lady! The dead mark is glowing! It has been since earlier!"

"..." Her face turning from dignified to both horrified and wrathful, Julia Fellav turned around, watching Alexander halt as well.

The surviving elders, all injured, wondered why their sect master showed such unrestrained anger.

"You!!! Young man! Are you the one who killed my sweet Rose!?!"

Almost scoffing, Alexander lightly nodded with clear arrogance.

"I did. So what? Are you angry? She was the one who played with her wealth and humiliated me first! I just gave back what I was given... except a hundred fold of course. Manners first."

Shock coloring the faces of the elders, they scurried back, hiding behind their small thrones.

"You little rat!!" Howling at the world, she released her cultivation fully. Unfortunately, a peak Nihility Realm cultivation base was not enough to move the half-step Empyrean Realm Alexander. Not only so, but his cultivation was still growing without stop.

In reality, Alexander was only still in the Chaos Archetype Realm because of his body and own existence. He had refined too much life force and now had to slowly assimilate it, crippling his abilities. But still, his battle prowess was monstrous to say the least.

Realizing it as well, Julia Fellav nibbled her lips.

"Fine! If you came here for a recommendation letter, here it is!" Taking out a piece of paper, she held it high. But, without warning, she caused the tiles beneath to shatter, her body already nothing but an afterimage.

'!!' Clawing upfront, Alexander saw a nimble figure dodge, sending a flying kick to his left.

"You're pushing your luck!!" Irritated, Alexander could not stop his veiny face from scrunching, his muscles from tensing. His own anger was shown to the world, watching as Julia Fellav was also hiding her cultivation! She was not as strong as Lu Shu, nowhere near, but she was still at the Chaos Archetype Realm's peak.

For the Inner Territory, this was a stupidly high level of cultivation.

"I should've known! And I did!" Deflecting the leg, Alexander watched Julia land back to his left.

"This Queen is affiliated with the Core Territory, but more so a disciple of my Frozen Dream Sect's ancestor! Do you think someone as powerful as our ancestor would not have secret realms and treasures?! Even if we are equally matched now, you won't be able to run!"

"..."

"To think I would be looked down upon by Lu Shu... but also you! This Alexander cannot let this happen. You can't blame me!" Exposing his cultivation base fully, he saw Julia's face distort.

By giving her a live show of his ever growing power, he also forced her mind to spawn a clock. A ticking clock telling her that... if she failed to crush Alexander before long, she and her sect would undoubtedly be trampled on!

Her confidence took another blow. Limbo felt like an unlucky land of death for her. After Lu Shu's oppression for so long, another cultivator was here to ruin her plans!

"I don't know how strong your ancestor was... but he's not here anymore, is he?" His chuckles loud, he did not hide his contempt from everyone present.

"I don't know... maybe he is?" Her words showering Alexander with cold water, he retracted his smile.

"Sorry but... this won't work on me. Your Frozen Dream Sect will end here! I may have lost to Lu Shu... but I won't lose in this shitty territory another time!"

Two forces colliding, the elders were almost blown away, barely grabbing onto their thrones.

Ice covering the floor, green flames scorched the vaulted ceiling high above.

Heavens of life, Hells of ice.

A sculpture of ice resembling a giant feather sharper than any sword flew from above Julia, hoping to impale Alexander.

Raising his right hand, a green shield of light blocked the projectile, nullifying its contained hopes.

"You want to play with insignificant martial arts? I might as well amuse you!" Landing back on the floor, Alexander took a heavy step forward, causing the uneven ice to shatter. His body disappearing, it faded in mid-air behind Julia, whose body was now bent to the side.

"Nice dodge! But can you do it again?" Kicking the air, his speed got even faster.

Meticulously deflecting Alexander's sudden leg, Julia clenched her teeth.

'... I can't fight! I have not fought with my real cultivation base since forever! No one was strong enough!' With her unfortunate disadvantage showing itself clearer than ever each passing moment, the exchanges between her and Alexander's [Nine Steps of Ascension] revealed a slanted outcome.

A few blocks preserving her body from injuries, Alexander kicked the ice below, having landed around Julia for the eighth time.

'!!'

A kick appearing like a mirage in front of her, Julia could barely defend herself, a blade in her hand covering her chest.

The sound of metal snapping and bones breaking, Julia could be seen vomiting blood high above, her expression sour. Her sternum showed a deep depression, as if a cannon had shot her point blank.

Frowning, Alexander felt some light deter the darkness within his heart.

'No wonder Lu Shu was almost impossible to fight against! I couldn't use my martial arts most of the time because of his clear martial prowess and higher oppression. He kept anticipating my moves. But it's no wonder... Lu Shu's clone was at the Empyrean Realm's peak. Obviously his mind was leagues above my own! He could probably see the fight in slow motion the entire time...'

'This...' Gazing down at the falling body of Julia Fellav, Alexander did not seem overjoyed.

'...is the true outcome of a fight between me and someone at the Chaos Archetype Realm. This is how I would've crushed Lu Shu if it wasn't for his higher cultivation base.'

In some sense, Alexander's assumptions were correct. The Inner Territory's known and agreed peak of cultivation was the the Nihility Realm, or sometimes half a step into the next one.

Julia Fellav's problem came from this exact context. Something Lu Shu, or more so a real Monarch Lu, should have suffered from as well.

Without a proper opponent, martial abilities were bound to never make a step forward past a certain threshold.

However, this still meant that Alexander was not strong enough to compete against people even slightly above him. If Julia came from the Core Territory herself, or at least if she had opponents near her real strength, this fight would have never been so one sided. As for his fight against Lu Shu, it was not a real depiction of reality.

In both cases, the Core Territory might give Alexander's path a few thorns here and there.

Glancing at her, Alexander closed the distance in a single step, glaring at her collapsed vessel. Noticing a piece of paper in her hand, he attempted to grab it. Unfortunately, she still held onto it even while unconscious.

'...'

.

.

.

After leaving, the Frozen Dream Sect was in uproar. The sect master had been slain amidst other elders of the sect. Their foundation, which should have collapsed, remained still. The reason came from the Fifth Elder Beliun and his son, the Third Guardian. After taking over the sect using their hidden cultivation bases, they ostracized other Elders, succeeding in their treason. Alexander's appearance was truly a welcomed one for them, never expecting the sect master to perish before their plans could be executed.

They also were the reason Rose Fellav fell during the war. Truthfully, if not for Alexander, the Beliun duo would have died instead. They could still not believe Julia Fellav to have actually been so strong from the beginning.