Zack leapt out of the crumbling cave, blue lightning wings bursting from his back as he took to the air.

Twisting in midair, he narrowly dodged another swipe from the monstrous limb. Putting some distance between himself and his attacker, Zack finally got a good look at the beast.

It was an enormous blue dragon, easily the size of a mountain, covered in snow and ice.

Zack's eyes widened in realization. This entire time he thought he had taken shelter inside a snowy hillside. But it had actually been the sleeping dragon! No wonder his concealment talisman hadn't worked as well as he expected.

The dragon must have been slumbering here for ages for a full ecosystem of caves and wildlife to develop on its body. Just how long had it been asleep?

The dragon lunged again, jaws wide open. Zack quickly veered to the left, the rush of air from the snap of its jaws buffeting his robes.

He studied the beast with a critical eye as he evaded its attacks. Judging by the dragon's size and the overwhelming pressure of its Nascent Soul realm aura, it had likely reached the late stage.

Comparing this wild dragon to Val, Zack assumed that it must be of a much lower bloodline purity. Despite possessing intelligence seemingly on par with an adult human, this dragon clearly lacked the capacity for speech like Val had. Not only that, but Val was only a baby at the Nascent Soul realm whilst this dragon seemed fully matured.

That makes sense considering the System rewarded me for simply locating Val, Zack thought. Higher purity bloodlines were exceptionally rare.

Just because its bloodline was diluted didn't make the dragon any less dangerous. A late-stage Nascent Soul dragon was bad news for a new Core Formation cultivator like himself. But Zack was confident in slaying it, especially with the treasures the Main Body provided as insurance.

However, he wasn't ready to rely on those just yet. Not until he was certain the situation was truly dire. Until then, he would have to handle this with his own strength which meant he needed a new plan, fast. Running wasn't an option with the dragon's mobility and flight range. He'd have to play matador, dancing around the strikes and waiting for an opportunity to deliver a decisive counter blow.

The dragon reared its head back, an icy glow building in its throat - definitely not good! Zack zipped behind the dragon in a flash of golden light just before it unleashed its frozen breath attack, the torrent of icy wind blasting the spot he had just been.

Capitalizing on the opening, Zack unsheathed his sword and stabbed at the dragon's neck with all his might. But the scales were like divine metal, his sword point barely sinking an inch into the thick hide.

"Tch!" Zack clicked his tongue in annoyance as the dragon twisted its neck furiously. He released his lodged sword and flashed away right before the beast's massively spiked tail pulverized the spot.

Okay, new plan. His attacks were basically useless, so he'd irritate the beast with tricks instead, waiting for it to overcommit and leave an exploitable gap in its defences. Then he could finish it off in one decisive strike using the treasures in his ring.

Putting on a burst of speed, Zack shot through the air, zig-zagging unpredictably to throw off the dragon's aim. It stomped after him, each thunderous footfall setting off localized avalanches. Zack kept just outside its attack range, letting it waste stamina on clumsy grabs and chomps.

When it reared back for a concentrated breath attack, Zack stuck his finger up in a taunting gesture, further enraging the beast. As expected, it abandoned the breath weapon in favor of a direct physical strike, overextending itself. Zack rolled smoothly under the oversized claw swipe.

The dragon thrashed violently, its huge frame becoming a liability as it struggled to line up a clean hit on the annoying gnat flitting around it. Zack utilized the terrain, weaving through stone arches and ducking into narrow ravines where the dragon couldn't fully maneuver.

After almost an hour of this exhausting dance, the dragon was frothing at the mouth in mindless fury. NOW was his chance! Just as Zack readied to bring out one of his trump cards, he sensed two powerful qi signatures closing in fast.

Crap, no choice but to play the helpless disciple!

Changing plans in a split second, Zack put on a panicked expression, doing his best to appear like a terrified young disciple in over his head just as an overwhelming pressure slammed down. The dragon froze mid-strike, actually seeming unnerved.

An instant later, a blurred sword flash parted the beast's head from its shoulders in one clean strike. The severed dragon head tumbled down the snowy slope, initiating a small avalanche. Its body spasmed briefly before collapsing with a ground-shaking thud.

Zack looked upward, face arranged in an expression of gratitude and relief. "Thank you for saving me, senior!"

Hovering in the air above was a middle-aged man garbed in fine purple robes. His stern face and sharp eyes marked him a seasoned cultivator who had seen countless battles. Despite appearing only forty years old at most, a dense aura swirled around him - the unmistakable pressure of peak stage Nascent Soul realm.

The man simply nodded in response to Zack's thanks, his gaze studying the young cultivator curiously. But before he could speak, another figure arrived, winging through the air on top of a flying sword.

It was a young girl, looking about sixteen years old, also dressed in purple robes. Her fair face was twisted in a scowl as she pulled up next to the middle-aged man.

"Master! Why did you rush off and leave me behind?" she complained in a shrill voice. "I nearly got lost tracking your aura through this blizzard!"

The man's severe expression softened as he regarded his complaining disciple. "Apologies, Mia," he said gently. "When I sensed a fellow cultivator in grave danger, I couldn't delay."

The girl huffed as she followed her master's gaze to focus on Zack. Her scowl returned even fiercer than before.

"Hmph! It's just another talentless insect trying to curry favour with you! Look at him - he probably lured that dragon here on purpose, knowing you would come and rescue him!"

Zack smiled wryly at the girl's wild accusation, holding back a laugh. He shook his head. "While I admire Senior's heroism, this was just an unfortunate ambush, nothing more."

He clasped his hands together respectfully toward the man. "I'm grateful you arrived when you did, Senior. Without your help, I fear I would have ended up as dinner for sure."

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The purple-robed cultivator waved a hand in dismissal. "No need for such courtesy. Helping fellow cultivators in times of trouble is only expected."

He stroked his chin thoughtfully as he studied Zack. "Still, you appear quite young to be roaming the Northern Wastes alone. And your sect robes seem unfamiliar to me. You aren't from around here, are you?"

Zack hesitated briefly. These two had a strange accent he couldn't quite place. He had known that the moment he opened his mouth to speak, they would know he was an outsider. He had considered feigning muteness, but decided openness might serve him better here. After all, if things went badly, with the treasures in his arsenal, he was confident he could deal with even a peak Nascent Soul opponent if absolutely necessary. Though he would rather avoid such conflict since he still needed information on this place.

Still, their friendly demeanour surprised him. Weren't they known for hating outsiders like himself? Zack plastered on his most disarming 'innocent disciple' smile.

"You have a sharp eye, senior. I'm not from the Northern Region. I left my sect on a journey to see the world." There, nice and vague.

The cultivator nodded thoughtfully. "An admirable goal for one so young. My name is Hallibur, and this is my disciple, Mia. Tell me, what is your name?"

Before Zack could respond, the girl interrupted. "Hmph, he's probably just some talentless loser that his sect banished here. I bet they were glad to be rid of him!" Despite her harsh words, Zack noticed a glint of curiosity in the girl's eyes as she ogled his handsomeness. Just another junior with a crush. He was used to that sort of thing after his experiences at the Black Rose Sect.

Suppressing a chuckle at the thought, Zack replied earnestly, "I promise you, I am neither talentless nor a loser seeking to take advantage of your master."

He then turned back to the man. "I am Alfie."

“Alfie…Would you care to join us?” the man asked. “These lands can be treacherous to navigate alone."

Before Zack could respond, Mia interjected once again. "Master, we barely know this person! What if he's secretly evil?"

Hallibur gently chided his disciple. "Now Mia, let us not judge others too hastily. As cultivators, it is our duty to aid fellow wanderers in need."

Mia sighed, shooting one last petty glare Zack's way before schooling her face.

Zack smiled gratefully at the two. "Thank you for your kindness. I would be happy to join you.”

***

Back at the Black Rose Sect headquarters, Slifer strolled casually down the hallway lost in thought. Suddenly a notification chimed, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Ding!

Congratulations! Your avatar Zack has broken through to the Core Formation Realm

You have gained 500 Karmic Credits

"Excellent," Slifer muttered under his breath, pleased Zack's breakthrough had proceeded smoothly. The extra karma points were welcome too. He would need all the karma he could accumulate for when his own breakthrough attempt came. That heavenly tribulation would not be kind.

But pushing his own advancement aside, Slifer refocused his thoughts on the task at hand - interrogating Vowron. He needed to uncover what the demonic sect leader was after in the mysterious Sealed Realm. Only then could he act decisively against whatever scheme was brewing.

Before Slifer could delve back into planning, a weight suddenly dropped onto his head, followed by a cheerful chirp. "Master! Found you!"

Slifer glanced up to see Val perched on top of his head like a hat, scaly tail swishing excitedly. He couldn't help but grin at the young dragon's antics. "What are you up to now, you goofy lizard?"

Val huffed at the teasing nickname. "I was playing with Leah earlier, but got bored. Wanted to find you!"

At the mention of Leah, Slifer winced internally. In the chaos of everything happening, he'd totally forgotten to check in on the girl's progress. Some righteous mentor he was turning out to be.

Just add it to the pile of things I need to deal with eventually...

Pushing those thoughts aside for now, Slifer refocused on Val who wanted to know what he was up to. "Well, I'm headed to have a talk with our bad friend Vowron.”

Val's eyes lit up at the prospect of action. She bared her tiny claws. "Ooh! Can I help, Master? I wanna scare the bad man!" To emphasize her scariness, Val made her most ferocious face - which looked about as intimidating as an angry kitten.

Slifer chuckled at the display. "I appreciate the offer, but don't worry. I'll call you if I need dragon backup."

Val pouted but didn't argue further as Slifer shooed her off so he could prepare. Soon he was seated comfortably in his quarters, browsing the System Shop. He needed options to restrain Vowron in case the cauldron's sealing power proved inadequate. An ambush was guaranteed once he opened the lid.

Let's see...too expensive, too situational, aha - perfect!

After browsing for a minute, he purchased three cards - Heavenly Chain of Light, Vampiric Mist, and Paralysis Charm. The first would conjure golden chains of pure sun essence that could temporarily bind a demonic cultivator. The second produced an inky mist that weakened liches and vampiric creatures. And the Paralysis Charm would freeze Vowron in place for a few crucial seconds when applied.

The cards cost a total of 9,000 karma points, making Slifer wince. Credits were so easy to burn through yet so hard to earn. But it was a necessary expense.

Shaking his head at the expenditure, Slifer steeled himself. "Right, time to find out the truth."

He retrieved the jade cauldron containing Vowron from his spirit ring, the vessel thumping heavily as it landed. Muffled swearing came from within - Vowron was clearly still lively and eager to talk.

"Let's get this chat over with so I can move on to more important things – like getting stronger," Slifer muttered. With a wave of his hand, the heavy lid flew off, revealing a withered Lich head glaring murderously up at him.

"Damn you, Slife-" Vowron's curse was cut short as Slifer slapped the Paralysis Charm onto his forehead. The demonic sect leader froze in place, limbs locked in an awkward position.

Slifer wasted no time triggering the Vampiric Mist and Heavenly Chains cards in quick succession. The inky mist flowed over Vowron, drawing out his strength, while golden chains formed of streaming sunlight wrapped tightly around his body.

“Y-you’re an Immortal!” Vowron’s eyes were wide with shock.

After all, only an Immortal could manhandle him like this.