Path to Transcendence

Chapter 637: Axe to the Face

He kicked around the shards of his beloved axe while Cassandra sized up Velmora. He had no plans to interfere in whatever was happening between the two of them. He would just get smushed.

“So I’m guessing that this creature isn’t a threat to you,” Cassandra surmised with a brief glance at him.

“You are correct, human. I am not a threat to Julius,” Velmora said sharply. To his surprise, her tone was a lot more abrupt than it was with him. “After all, I owe him my life,” this last part was said with a gentle look at him.

If the tone bothered Cassandra, then she didn’t show it. She nodded, pleased with her answer, and she tapped her finger on her cheek. “So can you tell me what happened?” she asked him.

He nodded and explained to her what had happened. From the mission to the trip and what occurred after they arrived at the hidden valley. He left out some details about his skills, but she was able to get the gist of the events.

However, she had some questions for him after he finished explaining.

“So why are you still here then?”

“I stayed to heal Velmora,” he responded.

“You stayed to heal her?” Cassandra asked with a skeptical look and glanced at the picnic he had set up. “Are you sure that was what you were doing?”

“What? Can’t I heal in comfort? Plus, we had some interesting conversations. She is helping me with that technique I was having a hard time with. You know which one.”

Cassandra should know about the one he was talking about. She had been there during some of his failed attempts. She might have understood it better than anyone else.

She narrowed her eyes. “You told a random monster about your technique? What are you thinking? It’s not just something you tell everyone.”

Julius waved away her concerns. “I’m a good judge of character. Not to mention, she has already helped me a lot. I don’t know if you noticed earlier, but I was able to use the technique to much greater success.”

She stared flatly at him. “Yes, I noticed that when you greeted me with a sharp axe to the face.”

He raised his hands. “In my defense, that was an unfortunate mistake. Secondly, while I did recognize the small possibility that it could be you, I couldn’t take the chance. Not to mention, I knew I would not have been able to hurt you in the first place.”

He pointed at the broken axe. “As you can see, my hypothesis was correct.”

He saw her deflate. She listened to his explanation and found no fault in it.

“Well, at least you reacted in time. Not many would have sensed the spatial movements until it was too late,” she said with a scratch of her head and looked at him curiously. “So what are you going to do now?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Are you going to stay here or are you coming back with me to the sect?” She asked.

“I can stay here? You don’t care?”

She shook her head. “Not really. You said you were improving your technique, right?”

He nodded.

“Then learn what you can from her. You saved her life, you might as well take advantage of the favor she owes you.”

“When you say it like that, it sounds bad,” he pointed out.

“It’s the truth. From what you’re telling me, she would have died without your aid. Right?” That last part was directed at Velmora.

“Yes, I would have died,” Velmora confirmed.

“Then would it be correct to assume you feel some kind of obligation to Julius?”

“Yes, it would be.”

She looked back at him. “See? She owes you a life debt, and helping you figure out a technique is a very small thing in comparison.”

“But—” he started before she cut him off.

“You might not understand it, but dragons and all species related to them all have one thing in common. Pride. They are all prideful and donʼt want to be in debt to anyone. So she will do her best to repay her debt until she no longer feels it weighing on her soul.

“Is this true?” He asked Velmora.

“Of course. This is absolutely nothing compared to what you did for me. If you wish to, I will continue to help you improve your technique,” she answered confidently.

He smiled and looked at Cassandra. “I guess I will stay here for another couple of days if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all, just let me know when you are going to be done. I have a meeting with the Inferno Array Sect I need to get back to,” she said to him, throwing a marble at him.

He held up the crimson communication orb in his palms. This would have made it a lot easier; he should have asked for one before he left. He examined it for a moment longer before he shoved it into his soul space for safekeeping.

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And before she left, he asked her some questions. Specifically, about the new skill he had been offered. If he had her all the way out here, it would be a waste not to take advantage of it.

”You said it was called [Harmonic Circulation]?”

”Yeah, why? Have you heard of it?”

”No, but from the name itself, it sounds like a passive skill that will help you improve your control over your new technique and the interaction between two different energies,” she explained.

”Do you think I should get it?”

”Hmm. Itʼs up to you. Iʼm not sure how many skills you have and how many slots you have left. As you get stronger and gain more skills, you need to be more selective about which ones you want to keep or accept.”

”What do you think about not getting it and trying to figure it out on my own?”

She tapped her chin thoughtfully. ”Itʼs not a bad idea. I know some people do similar things for fire magic, only to get the skill later on to combine with other relevant skills. But it will take you longer, and it will be harder to make improvements with.”

”I understand.”

”Then do as your heart desires. I donʼt believe there is a right or wrong choice in this matter,” she reassured him.

He smiled and bowed his head to her in thanks. Then he talked to her about [Harmonic Circulation] for a few more moments. Velmora also added her input, and it would seem the general consensus was that Julius would hold off on it for now. At the moment, he was still getting used to it.

If he had a skill like that, it would have made his life easier. The two of them, himself included, thought it was a good idea to make sure he could use it on his own before he began relying on the skill to do it himself.

It was the same thought process he had when he was learning to use mana. And look how that worked out.

She finally had to leave, though, and get to her meeting with this Inferno Array Sect. Who, apparently, was a smaller sect that the Burning Sun Sect had a close relationship with.

She leaned over and patted his head roughly. “I will come and get you once you break the orb. Be a good boy and make sure you learn some things, okay?”

He rolled his eyes and shoved her hand away. ”Fine, fine. Get going, youʼre going to be late.”

***

Cassandra POV

Once she made sure Julius was okay, she headed back for the sect immediately. She didn’t have many worries about his safety. Not only was he strong and resilient as a cockroach, but he also had a very powerful creature protecting him. He wouldn’t get much better protection than that drake.

She still didn’t know how he did it. You normally didn’t just dive into a pool of mysterious liquid and heal a massive creature at the bottom of the lake. But then again, she was quickly learning that he wasn’t exactly normal when it came to stuff like that.

She was more concerned about the circumstances behind the incident. The mission was a weird one in the first place. A new hidden valley like that? And a group of inner disciples just leaving him there to face a Tier 5 alone?

She was going to make sure these disciples were properly investigated and punished. It was a disgrace to their sect.

When she returned to her residence, she was greeted by Loreyn. The woman must have finished up with her work, but it was odd that she had come here. She normally didn’t come over unless it was necessary.

“Is he okay?” Loreyn asked right away. She, more than most, realized the importance of Julius and his continued relationship with the Burning Sun Sect.

She nodded. “Yeah, he’s fine. He wonʼt be back for a little bit, though. He is finishing up some things.”

Loreyn nodded, relieved upon hearing that. “That’s good to hear.”

“So what are you doing here? Is there something else you need from me?”

Loreyn grimaced. “Yes, there are a few things I needed to talk to you about. They are urgent.”

“What is it? Did something happen?”

Loreyn scrunched up her nose. “For one, your meeting with the Sect Master of the Inferno Array Sect is waiting for you. I told him you were on your way. Also, I found out that Grand Elder Rhynus has been quite upset with how you have brought Julius into the sect and given him so many privileges. He also has been trying to convince the other elders that Julius has been torturing the outer disciples during his willpower lessons.”

Cassandra frowned. “Torturing them? Why is he trying to cause unnecessary problems?”

Rhynus was a pain in the ass, much like Koenn was. But unlike Koenn, this man was ambitious to the extreme. Koenn was just a stickler for the rules and traditions. He might have been annoying at times, but she knew that he had the sect’s interests at heart and was a good guy.

Rhynus wasn’t exactly a piece of shit, but he wasn’t far off. His father had been the previous Sect Leader before Kaelor took over. Rhynus knew he wasn’t experienced enough to get the sect leader position, but he had been hoping to become the vice sect leader at the very least.

Hence, he had always been a bit upset that she had been chosen instead. By his own father, of all people. This might be just another one of his plans to make her life miserable and to thwart her from getting what she wanted.

He probably had no idea of Julius’s true value to the sect, but simply wanted to spite her. So he was causing issues and making a fuss about Julius.

“What is he proposing to the elders?” She asked, knowing that if Rhynus was talking to the elders, it meant he wanted something.

“He is proposing that Julius’s privileges be revoked and that he undergo a full examination,” Loreyn said.

Cassandra laughed. “Yeah, not going to happen. Julius wouldn’t agree to it either.”

It would appear that Rhynus not only wanted to annoy her but also figure out why she brought Julius to the sect. The man was an ass, but he wasn’t dumb. He knew that she had a reason for bringing Julius along. She wasn’t the type of person who would just adopt a pet for the sake of it.

“Tell him no and tell him to stop spreading rumors about Julius torturing our disciples.”

Loreyn had a funny look on her face.

“What is it?”

“The rumors aren’t exactly without cause or validity. I’ve heard that Julius has been pretty hard on the outer disciples. A couple of them even had to get healing done. One even had bad enough soul damage that we needed to give them a soul healing treasure.”

Cassandra sighed. “Okay, I’ll talk to him about it. What else is there?”

“We need to organize a mission to the Scorched Wastelands sooner than anticipated. Reports state that there has been an increase in the number of monsters from the region, and they are overflowing into surrounding areas. Two towns have already been attacked by various hordes of monsters. Thousands dead. I believe thatʼs what the Sect Master of the Inferno Array Sect wants to discuss as well.”

She cursed. That wasn’t good news. She had no doubt that other sects would use this opportunity to weaken the Burning Sun Sect’s influence and reputation. After all, overseeing the Scorched Wastelands was a double-edged sword. While they got first rights to treasures, they were responsible for taking care of them and would get flak for not taking care of the surrounding territories.

However, she suspected that a certain young man would love this opportunity. He had asked her about the wastelands a few dozen times in the past several weeks. He wanted to enter the region and test himself. Not that she could blame him, when she was his age, she was just as bad.

She would let him know when he returned to the sect and finished with his little lesson with the Gleaming Azure Drake.