CHAPTER 217 THE STEALTH (PART ONE)
'Have they somehow detected our true identities?' Darren grew worried. He knew that something was
wrong.
His forehead furrowed as he contemplated their situation. The recommendation letter he held in his
hand had been written by a respected elder from Dragon Holy Land. It was supposed to allow them
entry into the competition. Since the letter was not fake, why were these people stopping them?
Darren tried to determine the reason by pretending to be offended. Displeasure laced his voice as he
remarked, "You worthless disciples! How dare you prevent the disciples of Dragon Holy Land from
entering? You will regret your behavior today." Darren glared at the disciples, trying to intimidate them
with his threatening words.
However, the two men did not show the slightest signs of fear. Instead, they laughed at Darren's
bravado. "What can you do to us if we refuse entry to you? Where did you get the recommendation
letter, anyway? Read it, boy! The letter says that the principal disciple of Dragon Holy Land is at the top
level of the Wonder Realm primary stage, not some weak and frail boy from the Mysterious Realm like
you," one of them taunted. As he spoke, his remarks were followed by an obnoxious chortle from the
other guy.
Darren peered at the letter.
His eyes widened when he realized that the recommendation letter specified the realm of the fighter
selected to participate in the competition. Thinking back, this embarrassing situation must have been
caused because the Dragon Holy Land's elder had seen Darren defeat three prominent fighters single-
handedly. The elder believed that Darren belonged to the top level of the Wonder Realm primary stage
and mentioned his realm in the letter. But the fact was that he was still in Mysterious Realm.
Darren sensed that he needed to show his skills to the disciples to get into the competition ground.
Mere explanation by words would be a waste of time and might not change the disciples' minds. So,
without another word, Darren released his spiritual power to demonstrate his ability. A gust of strong
power shot out of his body and headed for the Blade Holy Land disciples. A split second later, Bruce
also released his spiritual power. When Darren's spiritual power had almost reached those disciples,
Bruce's strong power was already on its way. Officially at the Wonder Realm, the aura he released was
so dense and potent that the disciples felt tremendous pressure that made them gasp for breath.
With evidence of their real strength, the disciples could no longer stop Darren and Bruce from entering.
"You are, indeed, cultivators at the top level of the Wonder Realm primary stage. We apologize if we
offended you. You can enter now!" The Blade Holy Land disciples stepped aside and bowed with
respect.
Although their apology did not sound sincere, Darren and Bruce ignored the disciples as they walked
past. Since the purpose of their trip was to find Elsa, they did not linger at the gate. Instead, they
headed for the palace.
As they neared the main building, an attendant disciple emerged and led them through the maze of
halls and yards. Finally, they reached a well-maintained garden lined with houses. They knew from the
contour of the houses that this was the dwelling district for the disciples of Dragon Holy Land.
As Darren had disguised himself, he did not worry about being recognized by anyone. There was a
small possibility that someone from Dragon Sect might have seen his picture, and would hence,
recognize him. However, Darren could handle the situation easily as he carried the Holy Lord's token. It
was rumored that anyone who possessed the token represented the Holy Lord and that others were
duty-bound to show complete obedience.
After the attendant disciple had shown them their room and left, Darren spoke to Bruce, "Would you
please go and find where the Lotus Holy Land disciples have been stationed? See if Elsa is there. If
you find her, tell her that I am here and remind her not to do anything foolish. I need to attend to
another matter. Once it is done, I will find you guys," Darren instructed. Bruce knew of Darren's plans.
Grimacing at Darren, he replied, "Okay, I will look for Elsa right away. But, please be careful when you
survey the area. After all, this is Blade Holy Land's territory, and we cannot afford to start a riot here."
After hearing his reminder, Darren flashed him a broad smile. "Dude, when did you become so smart?
It is extraordinary that you were able to guess what I was thinking," Darren said, his voice laced with
humor. Bruce released a little hollow laugh and did not say anything.
Then he left to search for Elsa.
Darren stayed in his room until darkness fell and the moon rose high in the sky. After dressing in black
clothes, he exited the room and vanished into the shadows.
He understood that Elsa had suffered ever since the Blade Holy Land people had captured her father.
Considering his close relationship with Elsa, and his deep respect for Elder Thomas, Darren could not
watch them suffer. His conscience would not be at ease until he had rescued Elder Thomas and
relieved Elsa's agony.
In terms of strength, Darren had now reached the stage where he could move through restricted areas
without being detected. Aside from an exceptional and talented master, no one else could spot him.
Happy with the knowledge that he could safely explore the area because of the superior skill, Darren
decided to go deep into the palace to find where Elder Thomas was imprisoned.
'It is lucky that they captured Alan before Elder Thomas. Otherwise, they might have beheaded Elder
Thomas first. If that were the case, Elsa would be utterly devastated and inconsolable!' Darren mused.
Darren could have come to their rescue several months earlier. However, he did not act until now as his
strength was weak, and he was afraid of the consequences of provoking the Blade Holy Land at such a
troubled time. Any hasty action would have alerted the disciples and caused more harm to Elder
Thomas.
So, Darren had waited patiently. He used this time to pay close attention to the matter and work on his
skills. Once he felt that he had become strong enough to win against his enemy, Darren headed for
Blade Holy Land. Coincidentally, he arrived at the same time as the annual martial arts competition at
Blade Holy Land. As the event attracted cultivators from all over, Darren could enter without much
difficulty.
While searching through the area, Darren used his spiritual sense to check for any hints of possible NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.
sword intent. Since he knew that Elder Thomas practiced the sword, the easiest way to detect his
whereabouts would be to identify areas with strong sword intent.
Suddenly, Darren sensed sword intent emanating from a palace in the distance. 'This is weird. I was
not expecting to find Elder Thomas in such an extravagant place, ' he deliberated over his discovery.