Capítulo 66: Third Floor, new mission, new disciple
The battle ended, the spider collapsing onto the ground from the fatal wounds. Ace and Sova backed away, preventing themselves from being stained by the spider's venom.
"Sova, let's go. The Sword Scholar should have made it to the third floor already." Ace called out as he walked ahead of Sova.
"I'm coming right after you." Sova replied, telling himself that the spider was definitely dead.
Sova's instincts were right, but it didn't matter since the spider posed no further threat to them.
After they left, the guardian of the second floor made use of his abilities to resurrect the spider whose soul was retained by his soul weapon. A lantern that was able to contain the souls of those that have only died recently.
It was troublesome and exhausting for the guardian, but it was worth the effort if it means giving his contracted beast the chance to grow beyond its bloodline. He would also be able to train his contracted beast in battles against cultivators while giving those young sword masters a battle worth their time.
It was a win for both sides.
Right when Ace and Sova stepped into the third floor, they realised that this floor was much more direct compared to the others.
All they had to do was prove themself to be more than just a sword master. They had to be proficient in another aspect, it can be alchemy or blacksmithing, or even a profession such as being a cleric or mage which are rarely seen in the cultivation world.
"Sova, considering your identity, this test should be a piece of cake for you."
"It is, but what about you? What are you going to do about this?" Sova answered honestly and accepted the recognition from Ace, but he was also worried for his friend at the same time.
"If there's something else about me besides being a sword master, then I guess I'm someone who is meant to become a mentor. You may not know about this, but I'm the sect master of the Nirvana sect in the other cultivation realm people of the Divine realm have been conversing about."
Light flashed in Sova's eyes for a moment, concealed before Ace noticed it, his voice calm as usual, "I see, you should be able to make use of your mentoring ability to get through this test."
"Yea, my exact intentions."
"Ace, I think that we should go our separate ways after arriving at the fourth floor. The Sword Tower was meant to be a trial for us to improve ourselves to begin with, to fulfill that purpose, we would have to rely on our own strength." Sova suggested before the two of them went their separate ways, Ace answering with a nod.
Ace didn't understand Sova's intentions, but he didn't push him any further. He trusted Sova as a friend, that was the explanation he gave himself as a reason.
"Welcome to the challenge young sword master, please inform me of the area which you would like to be tested for." The guardian requested in its usual demanding voice.
"I would like to be tested for my capability as a mentor in guiding someone."
"Very well, I have the perfect test subject for you here." The guardian answered after a few seconds of silence.
The next moment, a frail looking young man walked into the dimension Ace was in. His face was pale, his body seemingly going to collapse at any moment.
"New mission has been released!"
Mission: Convince the guardian into allowing you to bring this man back with you into the sect.
Reward: Genius inflicted will an illness
Talent level: The Saint realm is only the beginning of his cultivation journey.
Penalty for failing: Sect's reputation will be harmed by an unknown rumour, previous mission will be failed immediately with the sharp decline in the sect's reputation.
Guess I don't have a choice here. Ace thought to himself while pondering about the identity of the young man. Was this young man someone related to the guardian or was he a genius trapped in the Sword Tower due to some reason?
The guardian may not know about it, but Ace was right with his first hypothesis, this young man was one of his sons, but due to an unknown illness he was born with, he had been unable to cultivate and even the Sword Court deemed his crippled.
The guardian understood that it was being selfish, but it still carried only with this plan, all because he was the father of this young man. A father who this young man has never met due to certain circumstances, only brought here this time by his mother who also wasn't willing to let this chance slip by.
Even if Ace fails, the guardian was already determined that he would permit Ace to pass through him and advance to the fourth floor, that was the best apology he could provide for his selfish actions as a guardian and his selfless decision as a father.
"What's your name?" That was the first question Ace asked.
It was a simple question to initiate a greeting. If Ace had been arrogant or overconfident of himself, then his attitude and way of speaking would have been different. If Ace had attempted to treat the frail young man as though he was someone of a higher position, then Ace would have behaved differently as well.
But now, Ace's behavior was most definitely appropriate for the current situation.
"My name is Luke. My father is the guardian of this floor." The frail looking young man gave his name honestly, adding on his status without a change in his demeanor or behaviour.
"I see, close your eyes and let your guard down so that I can observe the situation of your body internally. Don't worry, I mean you no harm."
"You should leave now and head on to the fourth floor, there's no point in you wasting your time on a crippled person like me. My father has already opened the doors, so please leave right now before this golden opportunity of getting ahead of the others slips past you."
Luke advised as he turned around and walked away, he was heading towards the exit which was the entrance he came from.
If the mission didn't exist, Ace might have just allowed Luke to leave as though nothing happened between the two of them, but due to the restriction the mission has placed on him, recruiting and curing Luke's problem was a must.
"Before you leave, tell me, what is your dream?"
Ace called out from behind.
Luke stopped and turned around, his face grinning as though he was mocking himself, "My only dream is to become a great artist and paint the beauty of this world into my own image."
"Since that's the case, don't you want to become a cultivator? To use that dream of yours as motivation in order to propel yourself forward to strive for a future that exists. Use your abilities and appreciation of art to create images that come to life, my idea may sound foolish, but if you do succeed, you'll become someone who creates a new profession even among cultivators." Ace explained, persuaded with every reason he could come up with.
"Please, I've heard such lines too many times, but none of them have failed to cure me."
"Trust me."
Ace didn't back down and before Luke could even react, he grabbed Luke by the wrist and made use of his internal energy to examine his body, only then did he understand the entire situation.
There was a bug that had made Luke's spirit core its nest, protected by an illusion array that must have been created by an outsider who managed to single Luke out for days when he was still young.
To think that someone could be this evil to such a young boy. Ace thought to himself, neglecting the fact that he was probably the youngest person roaming about in the cultivation world without a strong background unlike others.
"Luke, whatever happens next, clench your teeth and bear with the pain. Endure through it and a great future awaits you, fail and you will meet your demise in your own hands and that of the outsider."
Outsider? Before Luke could even link it to the person he was guessing of, an excruciating pain brought him back to his senses. It was only for a brief moment, but he felt refreshed, spirit energy gathering around him as his body absorbed them.
In just a few seconds, he stepped into the Martial Master realm and without any signs of stopping, his cultivation soared and stopped at the peak of the Great Martial Master realm.
"Thank you for saving my life."
Ace nodded his head, shaking his hand in disgust. At that one moment, he had reached out his hand to grab the bug and incinerate it with his flames, eliminating it and its nest immediately while bringing Luke an unexpected surprise.
"Are you willing to follow me in the future?"
"Of course, I'm sure my father will approve of my decision as well."
"That's settled then, you'll be surprised by your juniors and seniors once you meet them."
With this, Ace stepped into the fourth floor while Luke remained on the third floor, after Ace ends his journey in the Sword Tower, his father promised to deliver him to Ace. The father he never met had actually cared for him all this while, had actually been caring for him silently. Tears streaked down his face unknowingly.
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder