Several minutes later, we found ourselves back outside, on Sturm Hill Hall’s front lawn. Great Grandfather Gabe and I stood across from each other. He had set up a protection formation, using formation flags he had pulled out from a spatial storage item he kept hidden on his body, in order to create an impromptu arena for us. He used actual formation flags, with silks and everything, not the bootlegged ones I created.

Meanwhile Mother, Caitlyn, and Leroy stood off to the side to observe. They weren’t alone.

Annabelle stood with them, and so did several of the off-duty House Sturm retainers. Somehow, they must have gotten word that something important was going on, so they had all congregated outside to watch. Annabelle, who had taken a break from cultivating, joined them. She wore a tank top and jeans, since she refused to cultivate while wearing a dress.

We would need to tell the House Sturm retainers something. While we didn’t need to tell them the whole truth, we would need to tell them enough so none of them told the Church of the Sun about us. While Mother told me that the Church of the Sun knew about cultivation, the last thing we needed was a visit from the Inquisition. We didn’t need rumors that House Sturm was practicing strange magic to start floating around.

I trusted the loyalty of my family’s retainers, but if Leroy’s initial reaction to my cultivation was anything to go by, it was best to avoid potential misunderstandings.

I would discuss that with Mother after I finished with Great Grandfather Gabe’s tests. As someone who grew up in a cultivation Clan that was also a House, I imagine that she had some ideas. Perhaps it would be a good idea to consult Caitlyn as well.

Great Grandfather Gabe looked around the front yard, radiating disdain.

“I must say,” he said. “When it comes to training, this place is lacking many important facilities.”

I nodded.

“It is for now,” I said. “We have plans to expand and remodel Sturm Hill Hall.”

We would need to wait until after we started getting our share of the mythril first. House Sturm couldn’t otherwise spare the funds to renovate Sturm Hill Hall. However, it wouldn’t be long now. By the ancestors, I looked forward to having a proper training hall.

“What’s going on?” Annabelle asked Mother.

“Grandfather is going to test Gabriel’s combat capabilities,” Mother said, not taking her eyes off of me. “Gabriel’s performance will determine if Grandfather will aid us or not.”

Annabelle nodded.

“Awesome,” she said. “I’ve been looking forward to seeing Gabe fight again. I was there when he dueled Lord Bertrand’s bodyguard, Xavier.” She pouted. “Of course, I didn’t know what he was capable of at the time, so I was worried he would end up getting himself killed.”

“Yes, my son has a distressing habit of keeping important information to himself.” Mother let out a resigned sigh. “As his mother, I can only blame myself for failing to teach him proper manners.”

“You know I can hear you two, right?” I called out.

“Yes,” Mother and Annabelle said at the same time.

Great Grandfather Gabe nodded towards Annabelle.

“The young lady over there is aware of the situation?” he asked, his tone reproachful.

“Yes,” I said. “I plan on marrying Annabelle. I don’t want to keep any secrets from her.”

“Gabe!” Annabelle said. “Don’t say things like that in front of your family!”

I turned and grinned at her. Her face was bright red.

“Why not?” I asked. “It’s true.”

While this went on, Great Grandfather Gabe looked at Mother.

“Did you not teach the boy discretion?” he asked. “Given how loose his lips are, I’m surprised that no one has already discovered the truth about him.”

“I’ve tried,” Mother said in a long suffering tone. “It is a work in progress.”

“Hey!” I called out. “It could have been worse. At least I’m not selling talismans to the Adventurers Guild anymore.”

Great Grandfather Gabe stared at me.

“Selling talismans-…” He pinched the bridge of his nose. Because he kept his face in shadows, it looked like his hand had disappeared into a black void. “Nevermind, let us continue with the test before I lose my patience.” He gestured to me. “The test is simple. We will spar, and I will see just how skilled you are. Don’t worry about holding back. You won’t be able to hurt me, no matter how hard you try.”

He was right. As an Energy Condensation Cultivator, and a First Circle wizard, there was little I could do to hurt him. Even if he didn’t use a shield spell to protect himself, his body was still pretty tough. If I put everything I had into a single powerful attack, then I might be able to scratch him. Maybe.

Well, I could burn some of my lifespan in order to use techniques beyond my current cultivation level. Since I was now at the peak of the First Rank of body cultivation, I didn’t need to burn as much of my lifespan to get the same effect. Still, spending my lifespan just for the possibility of injuring my great grandfather seemed like a poor trade off to me.

I drew Crimson Fang and readied myself. Great Grandfather Gabe took a stance. Based on his form, I guessed he practiced some kind of claw fighting style. Since House Leone was apparently descended from a cat magic beast, that made sense. In that case, I needed to keep an eye out for his claw mana.

The two of us stared at each other for several long moments, sizing each other up and looking for potential weaknesses. Mine were pretty obvious. I was much, much weaker than him. No matter how skilled I was, it wouldn’t be enough to make up for the difference in our power levels. Still, I would put on a good showing.

You can do this, Gabe, Aurora said. Kick his ass.

I gave her a mental grin.

‘Thanks for the vote of confidence,’ I said. “I doubt I’ll be able to injure him in the slightest, but thank you anyway.’

Since it looked like Great Grandfather Gabe wouldn’t make the first move, and the whole point of this was to test me, I seized the initiative and coated Crimson Fang with sword mana.

[Sword Arts: Lotus Blade Dance]

A lotus made of my sword mana sprang into existence all around me. It blossomed and formed into three floating blades.

[Lightning Arts: Lightning Flash]

I dashed forward, rushing towards Great Grandfather Gabe. To the others, it must have seemed as if I appeared right in front of him. Using the body enhancement technique to increase my strength and speed, I swung my blade at Great Grandfather Gabe. At the same time, the floating blades attacked him from three different angles.

Great Grandfather Gabe moved, treating this as if it were a real fight. He didn’t fight at his full strength or speed, otherwise the fight would be over in the blink of an eye, but he still moved faster than me. It looked like he limited his power to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. More powerful than me, but not overwhelmingly so. At this speed, it was easy to keep track of him with my divine sense.

Great Grandfather Gabe dodged my initial strike, as well as one of the floating blades I sent his way. He coated his hands and arms with claw mana, and blocked the other two floating blades with his bare hands.

While he was distracted, I aimed a kick at his abdomen. Just because I favored the sword, that didn’t mean I wouldn’t resort to hand to hand combat when I needed to. Unfortunately, Great Grandfather Gabe blocked the kick with one of his own. Pain shot up my leg. It felt like I had just tried to kick a boulder. No, that wasn’t right, since kicking a boulder would have felt less painful to me.

Stupid Golden Core cultivators and their superhuman physiques.

Immediately after my failed kick, Great Grandfather Gabe launched a flurry of attacks. The mana coating his arms looked like a pair of clawed gauntlets.

[Mist Arts: Dancing Mist]

It took everything I had to dodge Great Grandfather Gabe’s attacks, leaving little room for me to launch any counterattacks. I distracted Great Grandfather Gabe with the three floating blades, while I moved back to put some distance between us. He dodged the blades and rushed forwards, not giving me the room I needed.

In that case, I would force him back and make room.

I used Lightning Flash, but not to dodge his attacks or flee. Instead, I rushed forward again and hit him with my shoulder. Our bodies collided, and I came off worse during this exchange. However, it had the desired effect. My attack pushed Great Grandfather Gabe backwards.

[Sword Arts: Rain of Blows]

I didn’t hold back, and sent one hundred crescents of sword mana flying towards Great Grandfather Gabe in the blink of an eye. He dodged most of them. The attacks that missed him hit the protective barrier that surrounded us instead. My great grandfather blocked most of the rest with his hands. A few, however, scored hits. They didn’t damage him in the slightest, but because he had limited his strength and speed, he had been unable to avoid or block them.

I grinned at this.

“My turn,” Great Grandfather said.

He slashed the air with his claws, and sent one hundred arcs of claw mana flying towards me.

Fuck. Well, turnabout was fair play I guessed.

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Using Dancing Mist I managed to dodge most of the blows, though some came within a hair’s width of hitting me. Unlike Great Grandfather Gabe, I wouldn’t be able to shrug these off if they landed.

I used Rain of Blows to block most of the remaining arcs of claw mana, limiting myself to ten slashes. Explosions filled the air as the arcs of sword mana and claw mana collided.

I blocked the remaining arcs with Crimson Fang. While they didn’t explode, the collision knocked me back several steps. Great Grandfather Gabe took advantage of this to rush forward and launch another flurry of claw attacks against me. Attacking him with the floating blades slowed him down, since he had to dodge them to avoid being hit, but didn’t stop him.

“Disappointing,” Great Grandfather Gabe said as he attacked me, sounding bored. “Considering your circumstances, I expected more from you. As you are now, you aren’t worth my time.”

I ignored him and focused on figuring out a way to turn the situation in my favor. He was just saying this to rile me up. If he really meant it, he would have already called an end to the fight. He was just testing me. If I gave in to his taunts, I would end up making a mistake.

“Since that’s the case, I’ll need to clean up after your indiscretions before I leave.”

As he spoke, I feinted to create an opening and kicked him in the gut. Thanks to the floating blades, he took the kick. Otherwise, they would have hit him. It sent him flying back.

“While I’ll leave you and your family alone, since you’re kin,” Great Grandfather Gabe said when he landed, as if I hadn’t hit him at all. “I’ll have to kill everyone else to silence them. I can’t let anyone who might know anything about cultivation leave here alive. Your friends, your retainers…” He paused. “…Lady Annabelle.”

I knew he was taunting me. I knew he was only saying these things to make me angry and throw me off my game. I would be falling into his trap if I gave in to my anger. I knew this.

Despite this, his ploy was starting to work. Threatening my loved ones was a good way to touch my reverse scale. I started to grow angry at his words, and from the way he redoubled his attacks, he knew it as well.

“What?” he asked. “Does that make you angry? You are even more predictable than I thought.”

Okay, that was it. If I wanted to win this fight and pass Great Grandfather Gabe’s test, I needed to change the situation. If things continued as they were, I would lose. Either I would succumb to his taunts, which would result in a mistake that would cost me the match, or he would win through attrition.

Even though he had held himself back to the mid Foundation Establishment stage, that was still well above my current power level. The only reason why I had lasted as long as I had was because of the knowledge and skills I had inherited from my life as Immortal Celestial Thunder.

Did Great Grandfather Gabe test all of his prospective disciples like this, or was I just a special case?

A part of me was tempted to burn my lifespan to boost my power and use a technique far above my cultivation level, but I refrained. Burning away one’s life should only be used during emergencies, in a life or death scenario. It was better to lose a few years rather than one’s life.

For something like this? Burning one’s lifespan was wasteful in the extreme.

Since I couldn’t beat Great Grandfather Gabe through my skill and power alone, then that meant that I needed to change the environment to give myself an advantage. Thanks to my great grandfather, I had the means to do so. He used a set of formation flags to set up a protection formation. With a few tweaks, it could be changed into something else altogether.

The problem was, if Great Grandfather Gabe noticed what I was up to, he would try to stop me. However, I wasn’t alone.

‘Aurora,’ I asked. ‘I need your help. There is a high chance that you’ll get noticed, but it could win me the match.’

What do you need, Gabe? she asked.

I explained my idea to her.

‘Is that something you can do?’ I asked.

Aurora snorted in my mind.

Of course, she said. I used to be a World Serpent you know. The Earth used to be my home.

‘Good,’ I said. ‘Go on my word.’

[Mist Arts: Beguiling Mist]

I breathed out, coating the entire impromptu arena with my Beguiling Mist. It wouldn’t do anything against Great Grandfather Gabe’s spirit sense. However, if I kept his attention on me, he might miss something he would otherwise notice.

I heard complaints and surprised exclamations from the House Sturm retainers watching us, as well as Annabelle. While the spirit sense of a Second Circle wizard wasn’t as hindered by my Beguiling Mist, it was still hindered. Right now, only Mother could continue to observe the fight without issue.

“Is this really the best you can do?” Great Grandfather Gabe sneered.

I used another Rain of Blows, letting out an angry shout, acting as if his taunts were working. I mean, they were, but not to the degree that I would lose control like this. One of the arcs of sword mana “accidentally” grazed one of Great Grandfather Gabe’s formation flags, knocking it away. The protection formation fell apart, and the barrier disappeared.

‘Go!’ I told Aurora.

“You’re getting sloppy,” Great Grandfather Gabe noted at the same time. “You need to learn better self control.”

I acted as if I hadn’t heard him, and continued to exchange blows with Great Grandfather Gabe. At the same time, Aurora left my body by flying out of the bottom of my foot. She swam through the ground, for lack of a better term, heading towards the formation flags.

As a spirit, she wasn’t as hindered by the physical as other creatures. Not only that, but she was a former World Serpent. Even if she couldn’t remember it, that part of her nature hadn’t gone away. Becoming my familiar changed her, but it didn’t erase her past. Swimming through the earth wasn’t an issue for her.

I hoped she moved fast, because I wasn’t going to last for long. Unlike Great Grandfather Gabe, I was hitting my limit. Using so many techniques in a short amount of time, while also continually using Dancing Mist and the body enhancement technique, drained my mana fast. I had a few minutes at most before I would need to call it quits.

If it hadn’t been for my body cultivation, I would’ve already collapsed. Cultivators were stronger and more durable than regular mortals, but even their bodies had limits.

Great Grandfather Gabe continued to taunt me, and my attacks grew more frenzied. The attacks from the floating blades of sword mana grew less precise. To an outside observer, it looked like he succeeded in riling me up. In actuality, I wanted to keep his attention on me and not on what Aurora was doing.

Done, Aurora said as she flew back into my body.

I resisted the urge to grin. This was my last chance to win the match, and I didn’t want to give anything away. If this idea failed, then I might as well concede since there was no point in continuing on.

I used most of my remaining mana to use Lightning Flash, dashing towards the formation flags that Aurora had rearranged. Great Grandfather Gabe chased after me. Just as he reached me, I activated the formation my familiar set up, using the rest of my remaining mana.

It was now a special formation called the Barren Desert Formation. It was the inverse of a mana gathering formation. Instead of collecting mana and concentrating it into a single location, it had the opposite effect. It pushed the mana out of an area, as if making it barren, thus the name.

Also unlike a mana gathering formation, which was slow and gradual, the Barren Desert Formation was sudden and violent. The moment I activated it, all the mana in the impromptu arena was pushed out, leaving behind a void.

Cultivators were used to the presence of mana in the environment. While they could get used to its absence, they still needed some time to adjust. Creating a void of mana was a good way to catch them off guard.

Wizards were just straight up screwed if something like this happened to them, since they relied on the ambient mana in the environment for all of their most powerful spells. That was why the Barren Desert Formation was so effective against them. However, it took time to set it up so it was better for setting up traps and ambushes than using it in the heat of battle.

It also required formation flags created from high quality materials. The better the materials, the more powerful the formation. The ones I created out of Brightwood wouldn’t have done the job. Thankfully, Great Grandfather Gabe brought his own formation flags. They did the job quite well.

When I activated the formation, all the mana in our impromptu arena disappeared, taking all external techniques with it. The Beguiling Mist, my sword mana, Great Grandfather Gabe’s claw mana. All of it. The mana inside our bodies remained, but any external mana was gone.

Since I knew this was coming, I was prepared for it. However, this caught Great Grandfather Gabe off guard, giving me an opening. It was a small opening, one he would recover from in less than a second due to his cultivation level, but it was something.

Taking advantage of his distraction, I swung Crimson Fang and stopped it just as it touched his neck. Even if I hadn’t stopped, he would’ve been fine. However, it was the principle of the matter.

“I win.”

Great Grandfather Gabe stared at me for several seconds, before he looked around at the formation Aurora set up. He studied it for a long while.

“That will teach me a lesson in humility,” Great Grandfather said in a dry tone. “In my arrogance, I hadn’t even noticed the trap you set for me until it was too late” He faced me again. Despite the lack of mana in the area, he face remained in shadows. “What sort of formation is this?”

I just gave him a sharp smile, and didn’t respond.

“Tsk, fine then,” he said. “Keep your secrets. I will point out that if I hadn’t held back, you would have lost, even with a trick like this.”

He was right. As a Golden Core cultivator, he had a massive wellspring of mana to draw upon. Not only that, but even without mana, he could kill me with the flick of his finger.

“True,” I said. “However, if you were a Second Circle wizard or a Foundation Establishment cultivator, you would have lost your head. That makes it my win.”

Great Grandfather Gabe let out a laugh.

“I suppose it is,” he said.

Despite this, I didn’t relax.

“Well?” he asked. “Are you going to remove your sword from my neck?”

“Not until you concede,” I said. “This match is still ongoing. I’m not going to let you get me with a surprise attack.”

My great grandfather looked at me for several moments.

“Fine,” he said. “I concede.” He shook his head. “Tsk. I was hoping to catch you off guard. You couldn’t even give your great grandfather that much face?”

I pulled Crimson Fang away from his neck.

“This was a test,” I pointed out. “Why would I do anything but less than my best?”

Great Grandfather Gabe made a conceding gesture.

“Fair enough,” he said. “I think that was the first time someone from the junior generation has ever bested me. I held back, but still.”

I shrugged, before giving him a smile.

“I have several advantages that others don’t,” I said.

“Yes, including that scaled friend of yours,” he said. “Interesting familiar you have there. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a spirit like that before.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. Oh, so he had noticed Aurora. Damn it. That meant that he saw what she was up to, but hadn’t considered her a threat. Pride and arrogance was the downfall of many a cultivator. As someone who continually overestimated himself, I was very familiar with this.

Still, it worried me that Great Grandfather Gabe now knew about Aurora. What if he took her from me? I shouldn’t have sent her out, even if it cost me the match.

“Don’t worry,” Great Grandfather Gabe said, as if reading my mind. He clapped his hand on my shoulder. “While I am curious about your familiar, I won’t try anything. Unlike some of my peers, I won’t try to take it from you. Bullying the junior generation is beneath me. Besides, you’re my descendant.” He leaned forward to whisper in my ear. “However, you should be more careful in the future. There are others out there who won’t be as magnanimous.”

They could try, Aurora muttered in my mind.

After that, Great Grandfather Gabe retrieved his formation flags, breaking the Barren Desert Formation, before walking away and heading into Sturm Hill Hall.

Annabelle rushed towards me, and hit me with a tackle hug. Mother followed behind, moving at a more sedate pace.

“That was awesome,” Annabelle said after she pulled away, her eyes gleaming with excitement. “This was much better than your duel with Lord Bertrand’s bodyguard. You’ll have to teach me to fight like that.”

I raised an eyebrow at her.

“You’re interested in learning how to fight with the sword?” I asked.

Annabelle paused at that.

“No,” she said with a sigh. “I prefer kicking. I just let my excitement get the better of me.” As if to illustrate her point, she performed a high kick. “Still, I’d like to be able to fight at that level.”

“You will in time,” I said. “Patience is a virtue after all.”

Annabelle pouted at this, though I could tell that she was just teasing.

“You did well, Gabriel,” Mother said, giving me a smile. “You managed to impress Grandfather, which isn’t an easy feat to accomplish.”

“I did?” I asked.

“Yes. Usually at this point, after testing someone, he would lecture them and point out all of their mistakes. Instead, with you, he just walked away. Coming from him, that’s high praise.”

Actually, I would have preferred if he had stayed behind and pointed out my mistakes. Just because I had the memories and experiences of an Immortal, didn’t mean that I couldn’t learn from others. Yeah, I acted like I knew everything, but I wasn’t infallible. Other people’s perspectives might prove useful, even if it was just a little. Minute improvements were still improvements.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed the House Sturm retainers talking amongst themselves. Many of them looked impressed, but just as many looked worried and apprehensive.

“Mother,” I said, nodding towards the retainers.

“I know,” she said, before letting out a sigh. “There is a lot of work to be done if we are to become a full-fledged cultivator clan.” She gave me a wry smile. “At least won’t we be bored for the foreseeable future.”

I snorted. No, there wasn’t any danger of that happening.