Ziven smirked, sure that he would easily put this demonic scum in his place. But before he could make a move, Dentos suddenly vanished. Ziven's eyes widened in surprise - where did that weirdo go?

A split second later, Ziven felt a strong hand clamp down over his face as Dentos reappeared directly in front of him. With lightning speed, Dentos tried to smash Ziven down towards the ground.

Caught completely off guard, Ziven only just managed to twist his body and blast out a surge of qi to counter the attack. The force was enough to throw Dentos back.

Ziven touched his face and scowled as he regained his footing. "I should have expected such a cowardly sneak attack from demonic filth like you," he spat.

Dentos merely smiled, a true demonic cultivator didn’t care about honour. Honour only led to a swifter death.

“I’m going to wipe that smirk off your face,” Ziven concentrated qi into his legs.

In the blink of an eye, he appeared right in front of Dentos, hand formed into a sharp wind claw aimed right for his face.

He would return the favour.

But Dentos easily avoided the blow, his movements smooth like flowing water.

“H-how can you be this fast?” Ziven's eyes narrowed in frustration.

He was renowned for his speed, yet this lanky guy with a dumb-looking smile not only matched his speed but exceeded it!

Ziven knew this was a bad matchup, but with so many eyes on him, he couldn't just walk away now. It wasn’t easy for him to enter the Heavenly Light sect and rise to the level of Legacy Disciple, he couldn't fail, not yet.

Before Ziven could attack again, his senses screamed at him to move. He immediately did a backflip, just barely dodging a blast of purplish energy that tore through the space he had occupied only a moment before.

Ziven growled as he recognized the energy; there was only one person he knew that used soul-based attacks. He turned to face the silver-haired woman.

"You!" he snarled.

Amelia smirked, her long silver hair flowing behind her like a snake. "I'm surprised you have the audacity to show your face here after you scurried away with your tail between your legs last time," she laughed.

“Y-you bitch!” Ziven's face flushed red with embarrassment and anger at the memory.

After some fortunate encounters, his own battle prowess had increased tremendously since their last meeting. He was certain he could wipe that annoying smirk off that girl’s face now.

But looking between the troublesome Dentos and the infuriating Amelia, Ziven noticed a black-robed youth reaching for the sword in his scabbard..

He’s not like the other two, he’s dangerous…

Cursing internally, Ziven took a step back. "Just you wait - in the tournament, you won't have anyone to bail you out," he declared. With that, he strode away, the other Heavenly Light disciples hurrying after him.

As they retreated, the other disciples shot their own heated glares and curses.

"You just wait, demon scum! Our Senior Brother Ziven is invincible!"

"He'll crush you all when he gets serious!"

"Yeah, he was only playing with you!"

Their arrogant words faded into the distance.

Amelia turned to Caelum as the Heavenly Light group disappeared from view. "Master was right. That brat really did find his way into the tournament," she said.

Caelum nodded, releasing his hold on Bloodthorn.

Their master had warned them to be on the lookout for Ziven, instructing them to kill him if they encountered the arrogant youth in the competition. Killing him before the tournament begins would cause more than a ruckus. The strongest sect in the Mortal Realm, the Heavenly Light Sect would not let that slide.

If he doesn’t die in the tournament, then I’ll just end him in the Sealed Realm…

Even though Caelum was now a righteous cultivator, he didn’t shy from killing when it was necessary.

He shouldn’t have attacked Amelia…and he definitely shouldn’t have threatened Master.

"I will go inform Master of this development," Caelum muttered as he walked away.

As he left, he heard Dentos calling out behind him, "Don't forget to let Master know of what I did here, them two troublemakers won’t be walking for a few weeks at least…and the same with the arrogant kid when I next see him."

Caelum just shook his head, wondering not for the first time about the eccentricities of those that surrounded his master.

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Zack soared through the sky atop his flying sword, the wind whipping through his hair. The Intersect competition began tomorrow, but he still had one final task from the main body - reach the Peak Foundation Establishment stage as a dual cultivator.

Zack smirked to himself. As an avatar rather than the main consciousness, he could act however he wanted without damaging Slifer's image.

While the main body had to play the part of an all-powerful old man, Zack could be cocky and carefree, kinda like a high school student. And he planned to enjoy every moment of it!

If only I knew my stats, then I could see how I compare to the disciples…

The main body had tried using his Insight skill on Zack, hoping to learn his stats and cultivation level. But unfortunately, the only information that came up identified Zack as Slifer's clone.

At least he bought me some cool stuff.

Now that they had a steady influx of karmic credits, the main body no longer had to be stingy. He had purchased a High Heaven Rank spiritual cultivation method for himself, and another for Zack as well.

Having two separate methods was better than sharing the exact same skills. After all, what was the point of an avatar if it was just a carbon copy? Different cultivation methods provided unique abilities to develop. And since Zack didn't have access to the System, he needed to rely on cunning rather than brute force.

So, the main body had chosen methods well-suited to Zack's needs.

The High Heaven Rank Thunder Wings focused on speed enhancement - perfect for Zack's preference to dodge rather than block attacks.

Not to mention it sounded incredibly cool. Who wouldn’t want wings, even Amelia loved wings!

Grinning, Zack leaned back and rested his hands behind his head. The wind whipped through his hair dramatically.

Oh yeah, I bet I look so cool right now!

After a few moments, Zack coughed. He couldn’t get distracted, no matter how handsome he looked.

I need to keep my spiritual cultivation at the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Zack could feel it itching to break through to the Core Formation stage. But he firmly reined it back. For the tournament, he intended to compete at the Foundation Establishment level where he would have the greatest advantage. There was no need to rush into the Early Core Formation stage against all those Peak experts.

Thanks but no thanks, Zack thought, nodding to himself.

He planned to simply make the breakthrough inside the sealed realm instead. That's why reaching Peak Foundation Establishment now was so crucial. As a dual cultivator, Zack knew he wouldn't be quite so outmatched when the Core Formation cultivators entered the Nascent Soul Realm.

With the treasures the main body gave me, I should be able to achieve my goal in the Sealed Realm.

Arriving at his destination, Zack looked down at the scroll in his hand, checking the instructions one last time. His body cultivation level already hovered at Late Foundation Establishment from the main body passing the early stages.

Now it was time for the final push to Peak.

Zack hovered over the base of the Lightning Peak Mountain, a place coveted by all lightning-aligned cultivators. The very core of the mountain was said to harbour a rare Heaven Rank treasure that attracted heavenly lightning, the strikes growing even more frequent and intense the higher one ascended.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Though impressive, such lightning tempering grounds could be found in all the top sects across the Mortal Realm. The reason why it was so common was because the benefits were limited to those below the Origin Realm.

But that’s good enough for me.

The Lightning Peak Mountain was separated into nine sections.

The first two sections were for Qi Refining cultivators, the third and fourth sections were for Foundation Establishment cultivators, the fifth and sixth sections were for Core Formation, whilst the seventh and eighth sections were for Nascent Soul cultivators.

As for the ninth section…it was for the breakthrough to Origin Realm.

All Zack had to do was bear with the fourth section.

Doesn't sound too bad, hopefully it isn't too painful…well it doesn’t really matter, I better start climbing!

Lightning flashed overhead in agreement.

Zack landed lightly on top of the rocks. Immediately a bolt of lightning cracked down from above, splicing through the space he had just occupied. Zack didn't move, allowing the violet fork to splash over his body.

Rather than turning him to ash, the lightning was rapidly absorbed. Zack closed his eyes briefly, sensing the lightning qi flowing in a spiral as it circulated through his meridians, subtly enhancing his muscles, organs, and bones.

Opening his eyes, Zack continued onward. The strikes came faster and stronger in the second region, though still manageable. Only at the third section did he need to slow his pace, each Foundation Establishment level bolt requiring more time to temper his body without harm.

Finally entering the fourth section, Zack had to stop completely after each step, the force of the blows nearly buckling his knees.

Gritting his teeth, Zack stood his ground.

Immediately a thick cord of lightning crashed down, the impact driving him to one knee. His teeth ground together as he desperately channelled the Thunder God cultivation method, trying to subdue the volatile energy before it destroyed him.

For those several heart-pounding seconds, Zack grappled with the lightning. It was like a raging dragon, trying to break his will. His meridians felt like they would rupture, his organs were on the verge of liquification.

But Zack only threw his head back and laughed maniacally. "You think that's enough to make me quit? I'm Zack! A little lightning won't stop me!"

How could he return to the main body as a failure? He was the avatar; he was created for this exact purpose!

His robes, despite being buffed by runes, had turned to ash, but he wouldn’t give up.

Better it than me…but this…this is enough.

With a roar, Zack summoned his sword from his storage ring and launched himself into the sky, sweat dripping off his face.

It was done. His task was complete.

He had become a Peak Foundation Establishment dual cultivator.

Being an avatar was such exhausting work!

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Slifer was back under that frigid waterfall with four massive boulders over his head. The waterfall not only helped strengthen his body but also muffled any embarrassing noises he made as he pushed his limits.

Ding! Your Avatar Zack Broke Through To The Peak Foundation Establishment Realm Karmic Credits Gained: 250

Slifer burst out laughing, the boulders shaking over him. "I've lost against myself!"

He and Zack had made a challenge to see whose body could reach the Peak Foundation Establishment stage first.

Since I'm the main body, whenever the avatar wins, so do I. Slifer nodded to himself.

With a final loud grunt, he felt his body break through the bottleneck, the telltale sign of popping tendons announcing his advancement.

Ding! Congratulations On The Breakthrough To The Peak Foundation Establishment Realm Karmic Credits Gained: 250

Only a few seconds late…

With a wry grin, Slifer tossed the huge rocks aside and stretched. It always felt strange when he experienced a breakthrough, his body would naturally adapt to the sudden increase in power. Well, as long as he wasn’t breaking through multiple stages at once.

Ding! Your Spiritual & Body Cultivation Are Now Equal You Have Unlocked A Perk! Dual Cultivator Perk: Combining Both Cultivations In Attacks Increases Battle Prowess By 35%

Slifer's brows shot up in surprise. He had hoped that something would happen when both his spiritual and body cultivation reached the same stage, he just hadn't expected a perk. He didn't even know the System even had such things as perks, it certainly wasn't in the shop.

Hmm, maybe it's saved for Version 2.

Reading the description, he nodded to himself.

So this explained the legendary fighting ability of dual cultivators at the same stage. An innate buff was granted to anyone meeting the criteria. Just one more hidden advantage among many it seemed.

As the Supreme Elder of the Black Rose Sect, it would be foolish for him not to read the stories of the exceptional cultivators that graced this world. The stories were not only interesting, but gave him a few ideas on how to increase his battle prowess without having to rely on the System.

At least Zack now has another trump card.

His avatar was already set to dominate the Foundation Establishment tournament. But inside the sealed realm, Zack would need to face the top Core Formation - and even Nascent Soul - experts.

A 35% power boost could prove invaluable, especially when he used some of the toys that Slifer provided him with.

Now I just need a few cards that could keep me alive, Slifer’s eyes narrowed. The thought of being in the company of the other Ascendants for any duration of time unnerved him.

Now that I have a modest number of credits, I don’t have to rely on my luck gambling, Slifer thought as he brought up the System. But the smart thing to do would be to save some credits, who knows, luck may save me once again.

----------------------------------------

Thirty Minutes Later…

Slifer laid back as he closed the System’s interface. Since he entered this new world, he had relied on cards, cards that disappeared after one use.

Now that he wasn’t dirt poor, he had the chance to go a...different route.

“Master, the Ascendants…they’ve arrived…”

“Ah yes, Morvran. I’m ready.”

More than ready...