The shock from Gael and Zane made them take a step back, and the weight of the giant whale made a light sound on the floor. Immediately, Langrum and Mira turned around, seeing them standing there, looking silently at them.

"You bastard. I should have killed you inside the tower; the world would be much better without you," shouted Langrum.

Gael was reflecting on that and couldn't say anything, but Zane didn't bother to think too much; they had heard this phrase a lot in the past. "With just you? It seems my furnace's kindness was unnecessary."

"You..." Langrum turned to Mira and spoke slowly. "If you want, I can protect you from him. And you never have to see him again. Even if I die, I won't allow him to touch you."

Mira heard those words confused but responded without hesitation. "Hmm? I didn't understand well... but master always takes good care of me. He always trains me hard; my body always feels like it's going to be crushed. But he quietly eases the burden by helping me."

Crushed? Langrum looked at that giant whale and started to tremble, almost drawing her weapon immediately and attacking Zane and Gael. Gael remained silent and astonished, and even Zane made a strange face at those words. 'She must be doing it on purpose, right? There is no way her selection of words could be this bad!'

When Langrum threatened to take a step forward in their direction, Mira lightly put her hands on her hilt, stopping her.

Then, a smile full of meaning bloomed on her face, and she spoke. "We are inseparable even when I sleep. I like being with him, and I 'must' always be with him."

Langrum clenched the saber's hilt tightly. She looked deeply into those eyes and seemed to understand something in those words. "I understand..."

Langrum began to think coldly about something, then spoke softly. "I saw that you read several techniques for sword fighting."

Mira nodded innocently while still looking into her eyes, and Langrum continued, "Here, take this. This saber was a gift from my master. It's made from the bones of pure Yin beasts. It will help your body develop quickly."

Langrum then slightly furrowed her brows and spoke with more emphasis, "It has the ability to pierce the defenses of much stronger cultivators. It's a great weapon... it will be more useful for you." She seemed to complete a part of the sentence in a mental message to Mira, who just smiled innocently.

Langrum handed the bone saber to Mira. It was too large for her size, but to Mira's surprise, it wasn't heavy. The bones were hollow and, at the same time, extremely hard. Langrum helped secure the saber on Mira's back with the blade covered with black fabric. Mira was small, but the saber on her back barely touched the ground.

Langrum gave one last look to Zane and Gael; there was only a bloody intent in them. Gael remained silent, seeming to realize something, but Zane couldn't contain himself. "Don't forget, I'm the one who saved you. You still owe me one."

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She almost spat blood right there, her face contorted with rage. But she took a deep breath and turned away, leaving silently.

In the next moment, Mira approached them with a huge smile on her face. Gael was speechless, while Zane was clearly smiling strangely; he was very pleased.

"Good job, little one. It's a good weapon."

Zane lightly stroked her hair, and Mira waved happily. Gael felt like something was missing, but he didn't pay much attention. Little did he know that, in fact, Mira had acted a bit... but it was only in the last part when Langrum said she would take care of her.

Mira didn't quite understand why she said that. Genuinely, she asked Langrum for tips on the dual cultivation technique. She had actually read and studied this first volume without Zane and Gael suspecting. In the end, sensing an opportunity opening up, she explored Langrum's strangely kind nature.

"Did you study the sword and saber techniques here?" Zane asked.

Mira nodded affirmatively. In their minds, Mira didn't really care about the dual cultivation technique. She had their guidance, which was supported by the system, after all. It was all for the sake of getting something from Langrum. Naturally, Zane liked that a lot. They soon placed Mira back in her spot on their shoulders; the saber lightly touched their backs. However, with their physical cultivation, it didn't even scratch. They quickly left the building.

***

As soon as they stepped outside, they felt several distant gazes directed at them. They simply didn't bother and walked towards their rooms. However, it didn't take long for them to be interrupted.

It was an elder in black robes with a long beard. He stepped in front of them with a sinister look, and a strong scent of blood permeated the air.

Then he spoke. "Are you Goku?"

"And you are?" Zane replied emotionlessly.

The elder quickly narrowed his eyes, and his cultivation burst out furiously. A mass of Qi immediately emanated from his body towards them; it was so dense that it seemed like mystical and pure liquid. Zane and Gael knew that this was a characteristic feature of someone in the Core Formation Realm.

They placed their hands on their backs and activated the Yin and Yang tattoos on their fists. And they just looked at the elder sarcastically. A small but very dense amount of Qi being freely given to them like that? How wonderful!

'See! There are good people in this sect, after all,' Gael commented, almost laughing inside.

'Hmph! Just an idiot offering a free meal,' Zane obviously accepted that with open arms.

The elder felt something strange in the air and was startled that the giant whale had no reaction. In this place where the strongest completely oppressed the weaker, he was used to being a god to the young disciples. Soon, a killing intent surged within him.

"Was it you who oppressed my disciple and killed all his subordinates?" he roared. At this moment, dozens of evil cultivators watched from a distance as the show unfolded.

"Your disciple?" Zane was in charge, so it was at that moment that Gael lightly activated the array. Then something made his mind tremble, and an infinite killing intent surged in his soul.

'Zanou... he's not in immediate danger, that's why we didn't feel it right away. But now he's extremely weak and unconscious. That old bastard beat him...' Gael spoke mentally, with his soul pulsating, ready to kill. His little brother had been beaten by someone, and he couldn't let it slide. 'Only we can give him a beat!'

Zane then clenched his fists but remained calm. He always calmed down when he was focused on killing. "Ah, you were talking about my new pet? He's mine now; I was just coming to get him."

The elder heard that, and a macabre smile appeared on his face. But before he could say anything, Zane continued. "From the look on your face, it seems Zanou has already done what I told him."

The elder made a strange face. "What are you talking about?"

Zane then said in a calm tone, "Hm? He said he wanted to bid farewell properly to your master's ladies before coming with me. Since his master was old and impotent and couldn't handle so many girls in dual cultivation, he practically covered all of them by satisfying them. He said it was tough, but he felt sorry for the poor girls, so he had to say goodbye one last time."

"Well, thanks for taking care of him," Zane concluded, and immediately, dozens of laughs around the city reverberated like thunder.

The elder's face changed color rapidly, from red to black. He looked like he was about to explode and pulled out a red spear as his bloodlust peaked.

It was at that moment that his vision changed... then spun and spun and spun...

The sound of a thunderous slap exploded in the ears of everyone who was laughing, making them stop immediately, startled.

Then, the elder flew through the sky, spinning wildly like a kite that had its strings cut. And in the same second, Zane and Gael ran at a terrifying speed in a specific direction.