DEPARTURE
During the following two weeks, Lynne spent every moment training the three Spell Arts that he had obtained from the Principal. Due to his innate Gift of Comprehension, he was able to gain basic mastery in all three; while not anything outstanding, he was still pleased as he had more options to deal with unexpected situations.
In addition, he had managed to reach the rank of Three Star Dao Archmage, but was surprised to find out just how impactful following two Origin Paths was. Despite the fact that he had come to the point where his Mana reserves have caught up to his peers, and the purity of his Mana far outstripped them, he still knew it wasn’t enough. To follow two Origin Paths, he needed much, much more. Despite that, his battle prowess was akin to a soaring tiger, was he was certain he could even defeat ordinary One Star Master Archmage.
In relation to ranks, even defeating someone who was one star above was considered accomplishment. As for those who could skip an entire rank and battle those stronger than them by an entire layer, they were considered outstanding geniuses.
While Lynne wasn’t exactly jumping with joy when he inspected his strength, he was nonetheless pleased, as his sourness due to the torment he suffered because of the two paths had slightly dulled.
The monkey had returned only on the day of the departure. Due to the fact that the little creature had completely exhausted himself, he required more than just sleep to recover. Because of what monkey did, Lynne had already prepared one hundred 8 Rank pills and fifty Rank 7 potions to give him. While most were of rather ordinary quality, that didn’t deter the monkey from jumping around with joyful expression.
When Lynne told him about the expedition, the monkey naturally decided to follow him, as he itched for an adventure. With the monkey in tow, sitting on his shoulder and processing pills and potions, Lynne headed off towards the Central Plaza, main gathering place within the sect. Today, though, the Plaza was beyond packed; thousands upon thousands of disciples were all neatly tucked into rows of two hundred. That alone spoke to the Plaza’s size.
In front of such enormous Plaza was a stairway, towering massively towards the sky, with a small, hovering platform at its end. Upon the platform, six figures were seated; Lynne recognized only one – Principal Seed. At the moment, all six figures had their eyes closed, as if they were waiting for something.
As Lynne arrived at the Plaza, he immediately spotted Anna and Elynal sitting cross-legged at the far front, in front of the staircase. It was clear that they had squeezed slightly, as there was room for one more person next to them. Lynne casually walked past thousands of standing disciples, all of which cast multitude of gazes at him; some of reverence, awe, respect, but mostly of envy, jealousy and anger.
After all, Lynne was barely a Dao Archmage. While his rank wasn’t ordinary, it wasn’t anything extraordinary either. The reason, though, no one ever complained about Elynal and Anna, despite their ages and their ranks, was because they had powerful backgrounds. But who was Lynne? Absolutely no one. With that in mind, while no one spoke a word, Lynne could feel countless gazes screeching ‘DIE’ at him.
As thick-skinned as he was, it was a breeze for Lynne to ignore them all and arrive in front of the stairway, whereupon he sat cross-legged. However, what stunned the disciples behind the trio, was the little furry ball on Lynne’s shoulder.
Dammit! Even a freaking monkey gets to sit in front of everyone!
God, why are you so unfair?! Why am I forced to stare at monkey’s butt?!
Practically everyone wished to cry, but held it in. Indeed, thousands of disciples were staring at two pink plums which formed monkey’s behind. Perhaps, even dying was less humiliating.
Lynne sat so for nearly three hours before a whispering hum echoed throughout the Plaza. The hum carried refreshing gale with it, causing the emotions of all disciples to soften. As Lynne opened up his eyes and glanced to the top of the stairway, he spotted that all six figures had opened their eyes, looking at the disciples beneath them with indifference, while Principal was standing in front of others, slight smile on his face.
“DISCIPLES GREET THE PRINCIPAL!!!” Plaza suddenly boomed out with voices, causing the stone beneath to shake, and startling Lynne into an inhumane screech. Fortunately, due to sheer volume of the mass of voices, nobody except those close to him heard it; as he slowly moved his head sideways, he saw mocking smiles on Anna’s and Elynal’s faces. Even the damned monkey released a ‘pft’ sound before calming down. What the hell are you looking at me for?! Isn’t my reaction normal? You freaking freaks. I’d like to see you stay still with a cannon blowing past your ears!
“Ho ho,” the Principal softly laughed as he stroke his white beard. “Good, good, your heart was in it. The sun had already arisen; those who wished to come are here, and those who didn’t won’t. I will spare you insufferable torture of an old man humming even older tales, but, as you all are akin to my children, I do wish to remind you of a few things.”
“Firstly, you cannot leave the Rolyhard Kingdom. Wherever your destination may be, it has to be within the borders of our homeland. Second, stay away from the North. I need not say more, as I am certain your families had already informed you. Third, try not to get into scuffles with other sects. However, if they cross the line, beat them senseless.”
“Fourth, you need to spend at least three months after the day of departure outside, and at most a year. However, naturally, if you are severely injured prior to the deadline of three months, you can come back. While you will still be penalized, I am certain that is better than losing your life in vain.”
“Fifth, I’d like to remind you all to be careful still. World is a boundless place, and within it, countless dangers persist. What appears to be glittering gold may turn out to be crimson dagger; what appears to be friendly smile may be deadly grin. You are no longer children, and you are not fools.”
“Sixth; even if you are children of mine, proud sons and daughters of Immortal Magus Sects, whatever grudges you create outside will not be harmonized by us. If you flaunt your status and get beaten, it is your fault. Above arrogance stands humility; above humility stands pride; above pride stands arrogance. Find the balance, and move forth.”
“Lastly, you are allowed to form groups greater than four. If you wish, all seven thousand something of you can move as one. However, this continent is a vast place, and staying in the safety of familiar bosom will not sharpen your blade.”
“That is all I wish to say,” Principal paused for a moment, looking at the crowd meaningfully. “You may either depart now, or by the midday if you still have unfinished business here. I wish you all best of luck on your journey, and may it help you all greatly.”
“DISCIPLES THANK THE PRINCIPAL!!!” this time, Lynne was prepared. His expression remained indifferent even though his heartbeat quickened.
“Let’s go.” Anna said smilingly as she got up. Elynal simply followed in silence, and Lynne got up after him, calmly walking after the two.
The trio immediately headed towards the gates, as all three were prepared. They were not alone, though, as majority of those who were present at the large Plaza were rushing out of the sect’s grounds and towards the city gates. As the matter of fact, the trio was amongst the last ones to leave the city. White, fluttering robes spread throughout the horizon as disciples scattered into groups. While some maintained the base four, majority had created much larger groups. Some moved towards the far forest, some moved towards ever further away mountain range, while some even willed wind to carry them off into far distance.
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The trio walked shoulder to shoulder with unhurried steps. Five stars shimmered brightly atop their chest, and those remaining disciples that passed them avoided them in large circles. Lynne inspected the road they took; they were heading towards East. Horizon was filled with sharp mountain peaks, beneath which countless forests arose. Hills heaped up and down, some barren, some brimming with life.
“Where are we headed?” Lynne asked at last, as he was truly in the dark. In reality, he didn’t wish to participate that much, but was forced by the Principal. He’d rather stay in the comfort of his own home than camp out in the dark. He had enough of that after he escaped Edgemaw.
“There’s an ancient city near the Eastern Border,” as Anna remained silent, Elynal took the opportunity to explain it to Lynne. “Legends say that the city was built during the Era of Dragons, and was the first stronghold of mankind. While that’s probably not true, the city truly is old; even Master estimated that it’s at least one hundred thousand years old.”
“It must be in crappers though, right?” Lynne asked, somewhat shocked.
“On the contrary,” Elynal shook his head, smiling. “While the stone appears aged, in reality, it’s in its original state. It’s simple how the stones are. That’s not important though. The reason we’re headed there is because of the sect grounds beneath the city.”
“Oh?” Lynne arched his brow, expression of curiosity dancing on his face.
“Ha ha,” the First Prince softly laughed when he saw it before explaining. “In truth, the entrance to the underground layer opens up a few times every year. There are some strange formations within the sect’s ground which allows it to condense Worldly Energy much faster than on the outside. This, in turn, makes it possible for various, strange medicine to ripen within a few months’ time, whereas on the outside it would take years, if not decades.”
“What’s more mysterious is that majority of those medicines have never been found elsewhere – at least not within the borders of Rolyhard. In truth, though, we aren’t headed there for the herbs. While tempting, our sect isn’t lacking strange flowers. The sect underneath the ancient city is called Emperor’s Flame, and there are very few records of it in the history books.”
“The oldest one dates it all the way back to twenty thousand years ago, while the nearest one to roughly fifteen thousand. What’s more interesting though, is that the underground place is layered. So far, people have entered the three layers; first layer only has herbs and other medicinal items, second floor has precious stones and gems for weapon, armor and all other kinds of crafting, while the third floor has Spiritual Beasts.”
“About fifty years ago, a low-ranked Summoner somehow managed to enter the third floor, and had made contract with sixty powerful Spiritual Beasts. He’s now a Sect Master of the only sect built solely for Summoners in Rolyhard Kingdom: Spiritual Beast Sect. However, rumor has it that the sect had seven layers in total. We’re aiming for those four unexplored layers.”
“Eh,” Lynne gasped in surprise. “You really think highly of yourself. For countless years, people barely explored up to third layer, yet you think you’ll reach fourth on your first try? Damn, and I thought I was arrogant.” as if doused in cold water, both Anna and Elynal paused, their bodies shivering slightly. In truth, they knew how arrogant-sounding they were; however, that was confidence that was instilled in their bones since their birth. Always believe you can do whatever you set out to do.
“Ho ho,” Anna suddenly laughed, mockingly looking at Lynne. “Could it be that Brother Lynne lacks confidence?”
“Of course I do,” Lynne replied bluntly with deadpan expression. “Forget the fact that I’ve never ventured past the sect grounds in my life, and the fact that I never even heard of this city or the Emperor’s Flame sect; even if I had all that experience, I would have absolutely no confidence in doing something many people couldn’t – most of which were far stronger than me.”
“… you truly are thick-skinned.”
“He he.” Lynne chuckled.
“Regardless, you are right,” Anna sighed softy, her face filled with yearning. It appeared strange-looking her on her youthful face, but Lynne didn’t ponder. “However, I truly wish we could reach the bottom layers. After all, we’re headed there for this moron’s sake.” he flipped her hand backwards and pointed at Elynal, whose expression immediately turned awkward.
“Rumor has it that fourth layer has Immortal Pills of Rank 10 and up,” Elynal explained after he saw Lynne’s confused face. At the moment they were crossing a rather steep hill, with a few shaven off sides, clearly done with spells. “Ah, it is a long story, and not for today. However, I truly do require a specific Rank 10 pill. Without it, perhaps, I’ll never grow stronger in my life. Which is why I asked Sister Anna to accompany me to the ancient city.”
“Eh, it’s a small matter,” Lynne said casually. “Of course I’ll help my good friend. However,” his gaze suddenly turned cold. “To help, I ought to be asked first, no?”
“He he.” it was First Prince’s turn to chuckle awkwardly now.
“Ah, whatever, I’ll just-- Crap.”
Lynne’s expression suddenly turned solemn and serious; due to his further increased affinity with space because of the Imperial Decree Dagger, he felt slight fluctuations in space not to far away from them. What’s worse, it was clearly headed towards them, and it wasn’t just a single person causing it.
A moment later, Lynne suddenly shoved Anna and Elynal sideways, causing them to scream out, unaware, while he motioned his had sideways. Suddenly, a blade formed entirely out of water, good ten meters in length, appeared hovering next to Lynne. In addition, Lynne engulfed his feet in blue flames, whereupon he immediately shifted sideways and moved slightly. A single strand of light bolted through the space he was at a moment ago, shaving off a corner of his robe. However, Lynne had no time to pay attention to that.
He motioned the floating, water sword to spin around. Within a flash, it turned into a shape of a buckler, and it moved sideways, towards Anna and Elynal. Just as the shield arrived, a burst of flames appeared from seemingly out of nowhere, crashing into the shield. While it couldn’t destroy it, the shield nearly halved in its size.
After casting Aqua Blade and Fiery Sweeps, Lynne still didn’t stop. Engulfing his feet in yet another layer of blue flames, he moved forward slightly, whereupon another array of light flashed past behind him. Afterwards, motioning slightly with his finger, space above Lynne shook and distorted, as if engulfed in massive heat. A moment later, a full hundred blade-shaped flames appeared, causing the temperature to immediately increase. They were all two-fingers thick and an arm’s length.
Engulfing his feet in golden flames, Lynne suddenly took a step back, whereupon he was blown backwards like a falling star. However, just as he blasted backwards, hundred blades above him shook slightly as they rotated in a downward angle, bursting out towards the hill. Hundred blades truly was a horrifying sight, and it finally caused Anna and Elynal to wake up from shock. They had finally realized what happened.
In truth, a mere two to three seconds had passed since he shoved them, so it wasn’t that strange for them to have recovered only now. As they stared at the falling blades and the flying Lynne, their expressions turned grim and serious as they finally realized they were stealthily attacked.
The blades flown at great speed towards the hill. However, just before the flaming formation destroyed the already damaged hill, a flash of blue light formed a spherical shape, causing the hundred blades to clash into it. The following explosion was massive, sending out powerful shockwaves. Anna and Elynal barely stood in place, and that was with the water buckler still protecting them. Although the blue spherical object cracked, it didn’t completely break. However, the massive shockwaves had already blow surrounding hill to bits and pieces, while trees were uprooted and flung away.
Finally, from within the blue sphere, ten black-clad figures appeared, with only their bloodthirsty eyes showing. Currently, they were frowning as they stared at the distant figure. Lynne had flown back at least five hundred meters before landing and stabilizing, but had immediately used Emerald Gale in the most straightforward manner, increasing his speed by at least four times, quickly arriving next to Anna and Elynal. There was a serious expression on his face, and his complexion had grown slightly pale; in just that short exchange, he had nearly consumed half his total Mana reserves, and he didn’t even manage to injure the assailants, let alone repel them.
“He he,” a strange chuckle suddenly emerged from one of the ten-black clad figures. “I truly didn’t expect that our attack would be thwarted by a brat.”
“Who’s a brat you ugly assface?” Lynne immediately turned into a cursing old man; after all, he was slightly looking forward to exploring this Emperor’s Flame sect. Yet, not only was his journey interrupted, he was also attacked. He was truly in a foul mood. Even monkey, who was refining pills, woke up forcibly and stared daggers at the group of ten. “Damn your ancestors, you dare attack us like a bunch of dogs? Who do you think you are you brainless cretins? I’ll screw your brains out with my finger you waste of air!” forget ten black-clad people, even Anna and Elynal were shocked at the sudden outburst. Even though they knew Lynne wasn’t as simple as he seemed, not only did he not even ask who the attacker was or why were they attacked, he immediately cursed the assailants to no end.
“Ho ho, someone has a sharp ton--”
“Shut up!” Lynne angrily interrupted. “Who gave you permission to speak? Kneel down you worthless shit! Damn, I was even in a good mood you bunch of worthless animals! Scram! Scram before I boil yours souls!” with that, the thirteen people suddenly sank in silence. Ten black-clad figures expected a lot of things, but not to be bombarded with curses that never seemed to stop.