Zanou, confused by the words, followed the gaze of the muscular woman and noticed Mira kneeling... and breathing frantically...

Only after that moment did Zanou notice someone's absence, frantically turning his gaze in all directions. "Where the hell is that giant whale? Did he disappear? How can something that big disappear in the first place?!" He raged furiously.

Then, a message resonated in his mind. 'Fight with everything, or she'll kill you. Don't cower, this is your first test.'

It took Zanou a while to process the information, but his instincts echoed like torture, almost begging him to flee. Driven by this urgency, he leaped with all his might to the left.

BOOM!

The black saber descended exactly where he was as if cutting through the void. A wave of dirt was lifted while a violent sound echoed everywhere.

When the dust finally settled, Langrum stood still, searching for something. Then, she let out a furious scream and advanced again.

"WHERE DID YOU HIDE HER, YOU BASTARD!?"

Zanou felt death looming over his head and drew a spear as his arms trembled with fear. The fear of death took hold of him, but instinctively, he burst with all his Qi in desperation.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Zane and Gael were on top of a relatively small hill nearby, observing the fight. Sitting on their shoulders was Mira, watching everything with a mischievous smile.

'This coward idiot. Langrum is only at the first level of the Foundation Establishment Realm, and he, at the third level, can't even counter a single move from her.' Zane commented angrily.

'He... he's not cut out for fighting like this.' Gael sighed wordlessly. Zanou not only was a coward but had skills so poor that they elicited pity. His facade of a young master was just a mask to hide how mediocre he truly was.

'How did he become known among the young disciples and still survive until now? Did he sell himself to the elders?' Zane spoke, completely distraught. 'He must have some hidden card.'

Then, Gael remembered something. 'He used to like studying plants and reading books more than fighting... even as an adult, he never showed interest in cultivation. Maybe his talent lies in something specific.'

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'A trash! If he can't fight, what good is he then? Is he going to depend on external forces?' Zane retorted.

Zane and Gael decided to test their brother in a life-or-death battle first. They needed to know what Zanou could really do; only then could they think about how to train him in the future. But... even with low expectations... it was truly bad.

'I thought about the worst... but this is worse than I thought...' Gael shook his head.

'That's a terrible pun,' Zane answered.

'I know,' Gael didn't seem to mind.

It was at that moment that a giant gash opened in Zanou's chest, spraying blood everywhere. Langrum quickly understood Zanou's ridiculous defense pattern and injured him violently.

She raised her saber for the finishing blow, but Gael and Zane sensed in Zanou's gaze that he still had something up his sleeve.

Zanou's eyes gleamed in intense red. An explosion of flames emerged like a supernova, causing Langrum to take several steps back.

'That idiot!' Zane spoke sharply, and both jumped forward quickly.

They ran a few steps and then stopped.

'What?' Zane spoke, looking ahead. 'That was a beast core from a fire beast... how come he didn't get burned?'

In the midst of the flames, Zanou was with his lance thrust on the ground, leaning on it and breathing deeply. The wound on his chest was closed by the fire, creating a very ugly black mark; it clearly burned intentionally.

'He has an affinity with fire... even the flame of a core didn't hurt him... interesting,' commented Gael.

Zane then replied, 'What good is that shit if he can't fight normally?'

It was clear to both of them that inside the tower, Zanou had a lot of confidence because he thought no one was watching him. Surrounded by lackeys and having high cultivation compared to others, it was impossible for him to be killed.

In the next second, the flames were cut by a black saber, creating a tunnel to Zanou. Langrum, with her slightly burned skin, advanced even more furiously.

All her power was concentrated in a single blow; she wanted to kill Zanou and not let him reveal any more tricks. Zanou had no more strength to fight back and just looked trembling at the falling black saber.

When the saber was a few inches from Zanou's head, a sudden tremor caused the saber to petrify, and Langrum's face twisted even more in anger. Her entire body and weapon were covered in earth runes, and a subtle mental aura sealed all her Qi and movements.

"You finally showed up, you bastard!" She shouted.

"Sorry, sister, that was a mistake." Mira's gentle words sounded, making Langrum turn to her on Gael's shoulder.

"I called you and said I needed help. But... it wasn't that kind of help..." Mira continued slowly, with tears in her eyes, making Langrum completely lose composure.

Zane and Gael asked Mira to send a message to Langrum. They used some of Zanou's abyss crystals for this; the sect had a paid messaging mechanism for anyone inside a city.

Mira knew where Langrum was in the city they were in before, so she asked for help. Of course, her words were in a completely different tone, attracting Langrum, who came running furiously.

Langrum made a strange face... what was that scene when she arrived and saw Mira kneeling? Mira simply made an excuse, saying that her master made her train with her new sword while doing other activities.

Mira's words, "Master was busy," and the meaningful look made Langrum understand a hidden message, or she created it in her mind. Being subtly manipulated by that innocent face.

"Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, I came to collect my favor. I need a pack mule to complete the group and carry out some missions." Zane spoke in a sarcastic tone.

"WHAT?!" Langrum shouted.

"Don't get worked up. I didn't want a pack mule to protect. If you weren't even stronger than my pet, how could I accept you?" Zane replied calmly. Zanou clenched his fists, completely upset.

The hand holding the black saber trembled violently, but Langrum didn't dare to attack. Mira called her, so there must be something or an opportunity to kill this whale. She wasn't strong enough to kill him... so she just had to be patient and wait for an opportunity.

Zane then laughed at that woman holding back her anger. "So much unwillingness. I don't remember doing anything to deserve this; I'm starting to think that maybe this is actually love. Don't get the wrong idea, I'm a one-woman man."

Langrum then exploded. "A GROTESQUE WHALE LIKE YOU? IT MAKES ME SICK JUST TO THINK ABOUT. DON'T BE RIDICULOUS."

Mira then waved and murmured. "Hm... master is a bit chubby... but! He's cute."

Zane and Gael glanced before thinking to themselves. 'How come we clearly remember her saying we were ugly before?'

Zanou immediately saw a chance to get back at 'Goku.' "He's a wild beast! You have no idea of the bloody scene in his room with this poor little girl. He's a shameless fatso!"