“Ahhh—, this might be bad.”

[What is bad? They have just begun to walk the path, that any human with higher aspirations would desire, by just doing nothing, and only receiving it as a gift.]

[Your gift—, well, my gift had not only been painful, but this---, they are going to be mad at me.]

[Disciple, disciple, do not freet and face what is yet to come, in the worst situation we will just beat them to death.]

[I do not think that is the answer, but alright. Let us go and see Rowen---, I want to know what has he decided about those two.]

[It is your life, not mine, you make your own decisions as to where you want to walk, no need to tell me about it, as long, as you do not do anything too stupid, as to reveal your existence at large, I will not have any problems. Though, what you have made now, might result in a small problem.]

[What? Never mind. However, I have a question, about, how am I to find the missing bandit's leader, and the ones that made, the snow and wind?]

[All in time is what I would normally say. However are you not going to use those two for this reason?]

[Ahh, yes, right, I omitted this for a moment.]

As Levis had his conversation with Urger in his mind, in a dozen or so breaths, as he moved out from the Chief's tent, he notice some villagers look strangely at him, as though waiting for him to run like a madman for some unknown reason.

“Levis! Wait!”

Although, as he was about to move towards Rowen's tent, the familiar voice of Hubert reached his ear, prompting him to turn around, to look at the friendly face of the guard, that had helped and kept him company for a few days in the village.

“Hubert?”

“I finally found you-!”

“Found me!?”

“Yes, the captain had sent me to bring you to him, I think is about your agreement.”

“I was just about to go towards his tent.”

“What? Good thing I found you, otherwise I would have looked for you, while you would have been with the captain. Let us go, I will accompany you there.”

At his words, Levis simply nodded at the man, while following from behind. Though unknown to Hubert, Levis was giving him a deep stare from a face that seemed somewhat unfocused, while giving no intent, so as to not make him sense anything strange.

[He is slightly stronger, however, the growth is not at all big. I am slowly catching him. In a day or two, I will reach him, if I go as slow as I go right now. I really want to absorb more energy, my “cells” are itching for some reason!?]

[He is stronger now than two days ago, you can evaluate others better now, though be careful not to do the same with the white-haired boy, as he will notice you. As for absorption, is time we go into phase two. However, keep yourself in check, do not let your body go out of control, if it is too much or too serious, tell me immediately.]

[Alright.]

“So how are you cultivating with the rank 6 shards?”

“Ah? Yes, I am doing it well, I think I will break to rank 2 in a few days?”

“Good you will—? Wait you will break to rank 2 in a few days? How is your rank right now?”

“When I was first inspected I was rank 1 medium, but right now I am rank 1 high, I think.”

“You think?”

Though, as Levis was speaking with out thinking much, believing his progression was something normal, he did not look adequately at the man that had his eyes revealed, a kind of a shock that one would give, to someone that they would both fear and envy.

[Kid! Stop saying things you do not know about, this is not how fast cultivators grow. If you take yourself as a comparison you are going in the wrong direction. This one has started late in his cultivation and is slow to the point that 1 rank in growth takes one or two years with the resources he has on hand.]

[What!!! One year to grow 1 rank, how slow is he?]

[It is not him that is slow, but you that is the abnormality. However as slow as they are to you, do not look down on anyone, as time completes and refines, one’s skill and abilities to mastery, not one's power. Unless you can drown them in your overwhelming force, that is. Now, say that this is a joke, and say something like a few months.]

“Aha-aha, you actually taken me seriously? I will likely reach rank 2, in a few months from now.”

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

“Ahh!? This—, for a moment, I was too stunned to say anything, though this is still something amazing. As you are starting cultivation at a far younger age when compared with me or Adrian. Well, you caught the eyes of this "Captain", you must be like this or else it would not make sense to choose you.”

“You know the Captain well?”

“Do I know him well? No. Most of the time I was behind Adrian, this is the first time that he had addressed me this much. Though—.”

However, as Hubert was talking, while he seemed rather enthusiastic about this argument, he suddenly stopped before looking at his surroundings for a moment, as he dragged Levis behind a tent, as he lowered his voice while beginning to speak again.

“Though, you did well to accept his proposal. Although he hides his family name, I have heard it by coincidence onetime. His family could be said to stay at the top of the Kindom, just below the King, though that stems from his father, East General of the Kingdom, The King of Fire. One of the greatest talents that the kingdom has had in the last hundreds of years, apparently. This is all that I know, unfortunately, I never like learning about this stuff and I do not know much, though if you want I can help you buy information once we return to the Green City.”

“East General, King of Fire, thank you.”

“No problem, If you remember about me in the future, is more than enough---, aha, little brother Levis. And yes, his family name, is Field”

[Kid. He is trying to ingratiate himself with you.]

[Ingratiated?]

[A favor, he wants to have a future favor from you.]

[Ahhh? That is why he is telling me this?]

[Yes.]

“Let us move, the captain is waiting for us. I was supposed to bring you to him, quite some time ago.”

“Let us go.”

As they begin to move thru the tents, they reach for the middle of the camp where Rowen's tent was, in just a few moments, while a bunch of guards, were patrolling and observing the surroundings, as some of the villagers were moving between the rows of tents.

“Captain! I have brought Lev—.”

“Come in already, how long are you going to let me wait for you!?”

Though once arrived, Hubert did not make it in time to end his phrase, as he was cut by the voice of his captain, that was having the inclination of being rather impatient and irritated.

Although once they enter the tent, they could observe Rowen who was staring at them, with his hands crossed, while he was rhythmic tapping and moving his index as he was frowning at them. At the same time, old Wan was preparing a few empty cups on the main table, as well as some biscuits on a large plate.

Yet, the one to attract the attention of the two was the now conscious Adrian, that was looking at them.

“How long are you going to stare at me, and say nothing.”

“You bastard! Are you alright?”

“Adrian, you are alright!?”

“It is vice-captain to you, and yes, I am in no life-threatening danger, as you can see.”

And yet, as Levis and Hubert were looking at him they could see that he was still fatigued and weak, although far better than the day before.

“You two sit! Adrian, do not move, and do not get excited for no reason, focus on healing and stay on your back!”

As the young man ordered, the two sat at his table, though while Hubert took a seat on the side, Levis took the one on the opposite side of Rowen, making them raise their eyebrow. Still, once they looked again at who they were considering, all they could do was to throw out any notion of respect and etiquette.

“Now.”

Though, once they were seated, Rowen nodded towards the old man that was preparing a pot, of what it seemed to be just water boiling from a red stone under the pot. However once, old Wan registered the action of the young man, he took a round stone in his hand, as the air seem to have a strange change, that made both Adrian and the two recently seated at the table, slightly surprised.

“Now, we can talk freely.”

As everyone was more or less still and with eyes on him, Rowen took a good look at Levis, Hubert, and Adrian, while making himself more at ease and comfortable, before resuming to talk again, as old Wan was preparing cups of tea for all of them.

“I will be honest, the reason for me coming to the southern province, is to find good followers, as this is the most important off-the-record rule that exists in any part of the world, be it for humans, animals, or anything alike. However, for all the time spent here, I have found no one but you two.”

While Rowen began to talk about his real endeavor, the eyes of the two young men and boy squinted at his words, as it was the first time that Adrain and Rowen had any kind of understanding of their captain’s real motivations. While at the same time, Levis was more preoccupied with his deal, as he was aspecting for the moment to hear, on how he would proceed to fulfill his part of the offer.

“Levis, I have already talked with your village chief, and understand your current situation. However, I will ask you again, do you still want to continue with my offer?”

“Yes, As long as I can get what I want, and I am not restrained by you, it is alright.”

Though as Rowen was conversing with Levis, Adrian and Hubert could only stay silent and wait, even though Hubert’s eyebrows were frowning as he had a strange feeling, while he was seeing and listening to them.

“Adrain!”

“Yes.”

However as He was done with Levis, Rowen turned to Adrian that was still on the “bed”, recouping.

“You have entered the military, though you did not enter of your own accord. However, I will give you the opportunity to follow me and reach greater heights, though you will follow me on the military path, you are not permanently impaired from your injury, and can grow in your cultivation still, that alone proves, that you are not meant to stay as a guard for all your life.”

At the same time for a brief moment, Adrian closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as he looked directly at the young man before replying with a slow and deep nod of his head.

“Good!! Now a short break, you can eat and drink, what old Wan has prepared, and remember, that we will leave this place in the ensuing days.”

Although, as the tea and biscuits were positioned by the old man before each one of them, Hubert was on the verge of crying, as he was neither addressed nor asked of anything, leaving him, with the feeling of being alone and excluded, as he began to gulp down on the tea and the biscuits haphazardly, while questioning himself, as to why he had been allowed to stay with them in the first place.

Nonetheless, while Hubert was eating and drinking with a confused mind, Levis was swallowing and consuming everything even faster, as he was putting no restraining whatsoever on his behavior, making himself the focal point alongside Hubert.

[This is good, the tea and biscuits are sweet, and they have easy-to-absorb energy, although there is not all that much of it in these biscuits, there is quite some energy in this tea. How do they not grow fast with this kind of good stuff?.]

[ [He sure does not care about how he looks to the others.] ]

[They do not absorb the energy, as you do. However, you should stop asking stupid questions, and stop measuring yourself to the rest of them. Though, why care when you can get your hands on a good free meal.]

“More, please!”

However as he was done with his cup of tea, Levis immediately extended his hand towards the old man with the pot in his hands, as he was already prepared to refill his cup, while smiling wryly at the boy.

“Young Levis, you should slow down, and focus more on absorbing the energy from the tea, while calming your mind.”

“But—, alright! Slower.”

Although he was slowing down with his rapid consumption of the consumables he was given, his eyes were still on the pot in the old man's hands, that was shaking his head while smiling.

However, from Rowen's perspective, the whole situation was rather strange, as he was looking at the bedridden Adrian that was eating and drinking alongside them in absolute silence, to the absent-minded Hubert, and at Levis that had his eyes on the pot of tea, that old Wand was keeping in his hands, not too far from him.

“Levis, it is time we discuss the agreement regarding those two.”