Eternal Thief

The man in white robes stood alone on the edge of the strange volcano, and Ace was nowhere to be seen.

“Why did you bring him here if you weren’t planning on accepting him as your disciple? Are you really planning on letting that little doll go and let him be contaminated by the others?” The Guardian Spirit of the AIG sect’s impassive voice suddenly rang at this moment.

The man suddenly smiled and replied, “Can you please not pretend to be benighted? He’s wearing a disguise treasure, and I can’t trust someone who isn’t willing to trust me.”

“Then why not just expose him and let him believe you?” The Guardian Spirit asked with a hint of intrigue.

Just as Ace guessed, this man could easily see through his disguise if he wanted. Even the Guardian Spirit, who was secretly watching everything, could expose him when he was within its detection range, unlike the formation. But for some reason, they didn’t do anything. The man shook his head as he replied, “Heh, I had a hunch that if I had done that, that brat would’ve escaped or simply thought that I was after his secret and had an ulterior motive. Although I don’t know where his confidence came from, I’ve lived enough to tell when someone is fearful or just wary.

“Besides, I found that brat quite interesting, especially the way he observes and judges things around him. As for getting contaminated by others, I’m afraid it’s the other way around. Don’t you think so as well?”

“I hate to admit it, but you’re right. There is someone unusual about that youngster. But act like the Sect Master for once. You just gave him the status of Chief Disciple despite him hiding his identity and possibly having ulterior motives. Don’t tell me you’re taking his words seriously and going to use him to cause trouble for the four clans? But what if it’s backfire?” The Guardian Spirit exclaimed with a hint of teasing; it was clearly in a good mood.

“Hah, can you not expose me?” The man smiled wryly, but a hint of deep resolution shone in his eyes. “As long as he doesn’t harm the sect directly, I don’t care about who he is or what motives he has. Just as he said, ‘We cultivators aren’t even afraid of heaven, so afraid of the world?’ I think it’s about time I joined the stage and took control from those meddlesome fossils; the sect had stagnated enough.”

“Although I don’t know what you’re planning, I like where this is going. Since you’ve decided to move forward, I’ll make sure no one gets in your way. Our sect was built to seek wisdom and development, not for fostering cowards!” The Guardian Spirit coldly declared.

The man, the Artifact Guardian Master of the Artifact Inferno Sect, also smiled coldly as he looked towards the mist enshrouding the other side of the volcano. He suddenly felt the mist becoming slightly flimsier…

The most prominent area for the AIG sect disciples was, without question, the Chief Hall Court. It was a place of greater power and mystery.

Here, the volcanic rock was infused with fiery laws, giving it a translucent, almost crystalline appearance. The buildings are more elaborate, with intricate carvings and runic symbols adorning their surfaces. Platforms and bridges connect the various structures, creating a sense of otherworldly grandeur as if they were floating.

The inhabitants of the Chief Hall Court were Chief Disciples and high-ranking officials, and the four clans’ territories were also established there. Their power and influence were evident in their surroundings.

The northern region of the Chief Hall Court divided the area into four clans. The headquarters of the Forger Halls of the Forger Faction are in the south, and the Flame Halls of the Flame Faction are in the west. The east is where the Sect Enforcement Hall and other important buildings of the sect are, and this is the largest area of the Chief Hall Court.

Also, on the east side of the Chief Hall Court was located the Chief Ignite Hall. Every newly promoted Chief Disciple would first come to register in this place before the disciple was given the passage into the Chief Hall Court.

At this moment, Ace appeared outside the Chief Ignite Hall, baffled by what had happened. Once that mysterious man said those words to him, he gave him a golden cauldron-shaped badge and, without waiting for his response, teleported him to this unknown place.

‘Don’t tell me it’s some old eccentric,’ Ace wondered as he considered his entire encounter and felt something was really wrong with that person.

Still, since he didn’t do anything to him, Ace was relieved and thought about that man’s last words more carefully.

‘Could it be he wants me to cause trouble for the four clans? As long as I do that, he won’t care about how I do it. This is the only reason I could think of after that strange conversation…’ Ace mused as he was sure he was thinking in the right direction.

But he was still unsure. For now, he decided to figure out where he was, and then he could proceed with this topic in the future.

When Ace finally looked around, he was startled to see the appearance of Chief Ignite Hall. It was a towering structure shaped like a fire bird rising from the flames. The exterior is primarily composed of obsidian, infused with fire runes that glow with an ethereal orange light. The building was crowned by a colossal bronze statue of a flaming bird; its wings outstretched as if embracing the rising sun.

Although Ace didn’t know what kind of magic beast it was, he was still awed by it and wondered if this kind of bird existed in the Spirit Inferno Domain and what kind of existence it was for the AIG to sculpt its status and place it there.

“You, who are you, and where did you come from?!” A harsh voice suddenly drew Ace’s attention, and he felt a powerful pressure suddenly lock him in.

When he looked around, he found it was a middle-aged man with a stern expression. He was looking at him with hostility and seemed ready to strike the moment he sensed anything amiss from him.

Ace quickly flashed the golden badge in his hand in front of the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man’s expression instantly loosened a bit when he saw the golden badge in his hand. But he was still uncertain since Ace wasn’t wearing the sect’s attire.

“A new Chief Forger Disciple? I wasn’t alerted about any of the inner court disciples passing the Chief Forger Disciple trail?” the middle-aged man mumbled before flicking his finger, and the badge in Ace’s hand appeared in his hand.

Without waiting, he imbued it with his Qi, and information appeared in his head. His expression suddenly changed as he looked at Ace with disbelief, making Ace uncomfortable. Things had been going out of his hands since the moment he had come to this place, and now he had become somewhat numb to them.

The middle-aged man seemed to be suppressing his burning curiosity. He quickly handed Ace the golden badge and solemnly said, “Welcome to the Chief Hall Court, young man, George. You can enter the Chief Ignite Hall and register yourself first. Only then will you get your chief disciple robes, cultivation lodging, and disciple benefits!”

Realization dawned on Ace, and he understood why he had appeared in this place. So he politely thanked the middle-aged man before entering Chief Ignite Hall.

Once Ace left, the middle-aged man thought for a moment before a talisman appeared in his

hand. It turned into a streak of light and vanished towards the northern side of the Chief Hall Court. No one knew its destination except the middle-aged man!