Lord Of Martial Arts

Great significance was given to martial arts cultivation in the Lothlann Continent. It was, thus, natural that the higher a person's innate talent in martial arts, the more respect they earned.

According to one's talent for martial arts, people could be graded at the Heaven Degree, the Earth Degree, the Black Degree, and the Yellow Degree. In each of these degrees, people were ranked from level one to level nine based on their aptitude level. It was said that if someone reached the Heaven Degree, centuries of cultivation would turn him or her into the lord of martial arts, the legendary being.

But the fact was that ninety-nine percent of people in this continent only had the talent of the Ordinary Degree, which was inferior to level one of the Yellow Degree.

In Valmar, Doriath.

"Have you heard the news? The chief of Chu Clan has been killed. It's shocking!"

"Yeah! It's fucking unbelievable! I guess there is still an unknown strong presence in the world. I heard that it took only one attack from a blade to kill the chief. Can you believe this? He's a cultivator of the Spirit Realm! Millions of cultivators practice desperately to reach his level, and yet, he died so easily."

"The chief is gone now, but his property and rare books on martial arts didn't go with him. The Chu Clan must be in chaos."

...

"Please! Please don't kill me!"

Darren Chu cried out as he woke from his dream. When he looked around, Darren Chu saw that he was in a woodshed. His nightmare had left him soaked to the skin in sweat.

Darren Chu was the seventh son of Gavin Chu, the chief of the Chu Clan. The Chu Clan was ranked topmost among the martial arts clans in Valmar.

A masked man in black had killed Gavin Chu, the legendary cultivator, three days ago. The whole country had been shocked by the news of Gavin Chu's death.

Three days later, infighting began and the Chu Clan was in mayhem and disorder.

Darren Chu, the son of the chief, had only the Ordinary Degree. Everyone thought of him as a loser. That was why he became the first target for the members of the Chu Clan. In such a big clan, it was easier to target the weakest member.

Although Darren promised his abductors that he would give up his right of inheritance several times, they didn't release him.

"Am I still alive?"

Darren remembered that his brother, the sixth son of Gavin, tried to provoke him with any excuse he could find. No matter how tolerant Darren was towards his brother's insults, his brother had never stopped. Instead, he kept pushing Darren into a corner.

In the end, he fabricated an excuse to kill Darren. He accused Darren of neglecting his filial duties because of his mediocre talent for martial arts.

At the critical moment, a fireball fell from the sky and hit Darren on the head.

His brother assumed that the fireball had killed Darren, and so, he stopped attacking. What he didn't know was that Darren had narrowly escaped because of the fireball.

"Damn it!"

Darren threw a hard fist on the ground as he thought of everything that had transpired between him and his brother.

"Wait!"

Despite his anger, Darren remembered the pain he felt when the fireball struck his head. Shortly after, the world had turned dark as Darren lost consciousness. 'Why am I still alive?' Darren wondered.

When Darren stroked his forehead, he felt the scab from the injury after being hit by the fireball. He was surprised when he didn't feel any pain.

"That's so strange! Why doesn't it hurt? And the fireball, what's that?"

As Darren was racking his brains for a plausible explanation, he heard barking outside the door. In the next instant, he heard people speaking.

"Oh, it's Miss Belle! I knew it. You must be here to guard the loser's corpse."

"Miss Belle, the loser and you must have accumulated lots of treasures over the years, right? Mr. Evan has ordered us to reclaim all the property you own. You'd better hand them to us quickly. Otherwise, your brother's body will be fed to the dogs. These bad guys have been hungry for many days. Be quick! Do you want your brother's corpse to turn into chops?"

Belle Chu, who was only thirteen years old, paled when she saw the vicious dogs. She had been made to stand outside the woodshed, where her brother's body had been stored. She was terrified as she knew that these dogs had evolved from a kind of ferocious beast. Darren's death had struck Belle Chu a significant blow. And now, she had to accept the possibility that she would lose her brother's corpse.

"My brother is dead! Why don't you leave him be? Why?" Tears poured down her cheeks. Belle Chu felt nothing but desperation. Greed had led to a terrible fight for power in her family after the death of her father. Now, with Darren gone, she felt as though she was all alone. "Please! Please! Let him be! We have nothing of value. Please believe me! I'm telling the truth," Belle sobbed.

Belle Chu was Darren's only little sister. Their mother had passed away after she gave birth to Belle. Since then, Darren and Belle had been bullied by the rest of the Chu Clan.

No matter how much injustice they suffered, both Darren and Belle refused to tell their father about it because they knew that if their father helped them, it would only earn them more torment from their siblings.

Darren's other siblings were influential factions in the Chu Clan because of their mother's family background or their powerful sects. Darren, however, had no advantages in terms of both.

"Bastard!" Darren, who had been listening from inside the woodshed, screamed with fury when he heard their conversation.

Evan Chu, the sixth son of Gavin Chu, was Darren's half-blood brother. Evan's mother was the daughter of the Yue Clan in Valmar. Although the power of Evan's mother's family was inferior to Gavin's other wives, Evan's family background was superior to Darren's.

Evan Chu would be at a disadvantage if he went against the other siblings in the family strife. That was why Evan had chosen Darren as his target. The fewer the inheritors, the more property Evan would gain.

Darren wanted to rush out to kill the two bastards Evan had left as guards, but he restrained his anger. He knew that his enemies were not only Evan's subordinates but also from his faction. They could perhaps, even be all of his half-blood siblings. So Darren told himself that he could not take any actions without careful consideration.

"Miss Belle, have you decided yet? Are you going to follow Evan's orders or not?" One of the men screamed at Belle.

"I've told you before that we have nothing. I'm not lying!" Belle cried.

"Well! You have had your chance. Go now! Boys!"

The fierce dogs barked at Belle before rushing into the woodshed.

"Stop! You two assholes! Stop!" Belle covered her face with her hands as she wept. She wanted to rush into the room to protect her brother's body, but the two subordinates blocked her path. Belle fell to the ground and cried as helplessness coursed through her.

The dogs' green eyes fixed on Darren's body. As they neared their prey, smelly saliva escaped their mouths. Since the dogs had evolved from ferocious beasts, they were unusually aggressive.

"Shoop! Shoop! Shoop!"

The dogs pounced on Darren.

Darren had heard the conversation between Belle and the two subordinates. Prepared for the attack, he threw a hard fist at the closest dog.

"Bang!"

The dog's head smashed into pieces. Darren had begun his cultivation when he had been three years old. Although his talent for martial arts was mediocre, it was easy for him to kill a fierce dog.

The remaining dogs stepped back after they saw the scene.

"Wait! What's that? Why is a ball of yellow light flying toward me?"

The yellow light moved so quickly that Darren failed to dodge it. The light flew into his head in the blink of an eye.

Darren was expecting to be injured by the light. On the contrary, he felt refreshed. He strode toward the rest of the dogs.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Darren had moved so quickly that the dogs didn't even have time to whine before their death.

As before, a ball of yellow light appeared and flew into Darren's head after each dog died.

Darren had never experienced such a feeling before. The whole world was fresh and clear to him now. He could tell that he had gained significant improvement in his senses, including eyesight, hearing, and perception.

"I've read about this before. This feeling is similar to the description of the Yellow Degree. Did I get an upgrade?"

Darren was thrilled. He speculated that his upgrade was because of the fireball.

"I read that all the creatures in this world have a talent for martial arts. Did that fireball empower me with the ability to assimilate other creatures' talent?"

Since a yellow light had flown into his head after each dog had died, Darren knew that his theory had been correct. Now, he had acquired the Assimilation Skill.

What an incredible skill! As long as he had enough targets, Darren's talent for martial arts would gain endless upgrades. He might even reach level nine of the Heaven Degree!

Darren wondered what would happen after he surpassed the Heaven Degree through the Assimilation Skill.

Such a skill was an invaluable gift sent from heaven. When Darren thought of this, his eyes became moist.

"All of you will regret what you've done to me. Evan, you will see!"

Outside the woodshed.

"Hey! Jim! Why is it so quiet inside? Have they already eaten the loser's body? Ha-ha!"

"It's highly possible. Ha-ha!" Then Jim turned to the other subordinate and said to him, "Ted, look at Miss Belle! What a pretty girl! Look at her body! So attractive! Are you wondering what she feels like?"

"Jim! Are you out of your mind? She's the chief's daughter. Anyway, Mr. Evan didn't give us such permission. We'd better behave ourselves."

"You are such a wuss! Don't you want to try? We can explain that she killed herself because she couldn't take the loser's death. Come on! It's a rare chance for us to share such a beauty."

Belle broke down when she heard the two men speak about her in such a wicked way. She felt that everything around her was spinning.

"That makes sense. Even if the Elders Cabinet tries to find out who is to blame, we will have Mr. Evan as our support. Ha-ha! My little Belle! I'm coming for you!" Ted stared at Belle obscenely.

"No! Get away!" As they forced Belle into a corner, she shivered with fear. Helplessness filled her eyes.

Bang!

A loud bang was heard just as the woodshed's door was smashed into smithereens.

The two men exchanged somewhat worried glances, both probably thinking the same thing: who could possibly be at the door? As they approached the door, or at least what was left of it anyway, they were met by Darren's face. The looks of worry on the two men's face were instantaneously changed to looks of complete and utter surprise.

"It's you!" Ted exclaimed.

"Impossible! How are you still alive?"

Darren glowered at them, seething with fury, chest heaving with anger. Belle was the only family he had left in the world. He would have done anything for her. He would have even sacrificed his life for her safety. "You bastards will regret what you've done to my little sister!" he bellowed.

The two men were without a doubt astounded by what they saw. Darren was alive. He looked exhausted and weary, but undeniably alive.

"Darren?" came a soft cry from the corner. Belle was initially frozen on the spot, her brain not processing what she was seeing. It took her a few seconds to realize that what she was seeing were actual facts and that her brother really was alive. Overcome by the intense happiness, she ran towards Darren and leapt up in his arms.

"You're alive. You're alive. You're alive." Almost a whisper, she kept repeating the words, afraid that if she didn't, it would suddenly not become true. "Thank God." "It's alright now, little sister. Don't cry," he reassured her. "I'm here, I'm alright."

Darren then turned to look at the two men who dared hurt his sister. "I'm going to give you two choices. End your life now or I will help you end it," he casually proposed all the two while looking daggers at them.

Jim guffawed at Darren's bold statement. "Ha! That's so hilarious! You're still alive, so what? The chief is dead. There's no one else in the Chu Clan who would protect you!" he stated as a matter-of-factly. "Ted, seize this loser. Let's show him the ways we could enjoy his beloved little sister. Ha-ha!"

Jim didn't care at all whether Darren was alive or not. He knew that the boy was only at the first stage of the Primary Realm. And although he and Ted were also still at the first stage of the Primary Realm, with both of them working together, they had the advantage. Killing Darren would be a piece of cake.

"You're so screwed!" Darren roared. His heart thumped, the anger continuing to build up inside him.

Whoosh, whoosh!

Darren leaped into the air and in just a matter of a split second, he was hovering beside Jim.

Bang! Darren drew out his hand into a hard fist.

The next second, Jim's head was exploding. Then a ball of yellow light was sucked into Darren's head.

Ted, with a devilish smile still plastered on his face, was seemingly frozen and at a loss for words - too shocked to process what just happened.

After a few moments, his body finally reacted and his jaw dropped.

"Y-you! You broke through the first stage! You've reached the second stage of the Primary Realm! How is that even possible?" he exclaimed disbelievingly.

'How could it even be possible that a loser of the Ordinary Degree made a breakthrough and had now reached the second stage of the Primary Realm?' Ted kept racking his brain for all the possible reasons, but he kept on failing to come up with something. He clearly remembered that Darren was only at the first stage of the Primary Realm before his death.

"Mr. Darren! I'm so sorry! Please, please forgive me!" Ted pleaded. "It's-it's Mr. Evan's order! I have no choice but follow his order!" Seeing the gap between two different stages in the cultivation base that he and Darren were in intimidated him to the core. He didn't want to end up like Jim. After all, he wasn't dumb. 'It's better to be safe than sorry, ' he thought.

"It's Evan's order?" Darren asked the pleading man. "Did he also give you the order to molest my sister?" he added, the anger inside him building up more and more.

This left Ted speechless, sweat trickling down his forehead.

"Well, it's...I-" Ted was still trying to come up with an excuse, but without a warning...

Bang!

A fist killed him before he spoke out his next word.

Darren would never let assholes like them go off so easily. He could not even imagine what would have happened to his little sister if he actually did pass away.

Darren turned back and looked at his sister. "Belle, are you all right?" he asked, a mix of worry and relief painted his face. In return, he was greeted by a dumbfounded look on Belle's face. It wasn't every day that the girl witnesses bloody scenes, after all.

Belle realized how terrifying her brother could be. It was terrifying watching someone killing people, let alone watching her own brother doing the killing. "I-I'm y-yeah! I'm all right!" she finally said. "Anyway, the most important thing is that you are still miraculously alive! And you've become so powerful!" She hopped over to Darren and hugged him. "I'm so happy for you!" she added.

Belle understood how difficult it must have been for Darren, a cultivator of the Ordinary Degree, to make a breakthrough in cultivation base.

The cultivation base was made up of the Primary Realm, the Spirit Realm, the Mysterious Realm and the Wonder Realm. People of every realm were ranked from the first stage through the ninth stage. The more talented a cultivator was, the more quickly he or she broke through the stage. Of course, the breakthrough in cultivation base also required a cultivator's effort and resourcefulness no matter how naturally talented he or she was.

According to the legend, what came next to the Wonder Realm were the Grand Realm and the Holy Realm. But the cultivators with such a premium cultivation base were almost like legendary beings, a myth. Only a few people had had the chance to meet one of them.

Although Darren was not a naturally talented cultivator, he was more diligent than anyone. He had always tried hard and given his all.

Darren's martial arts talent was the topmost level of the Ordinary Degree. After he killed the dogs and adopted their talent, he reached level one of the Yellow Degree.

The recent upgrade in his martial art skills was most probably brought about by his higher talent. That was why he could make a breakthrough in cultivation base so suddenly.

Darren sensed that his talent for martial arts had a great improvement after he adopted the two men's talents. He guessed that he had reached level two of the Yellow Degree. He was delighted about this, but he decided not to tell his little sister about this recent upgrade.

The Chu Clan was the supreme clan in Valmar, and there were lots of talented cultivators among the clan. Four of Gavin's seven sons were level six of the Yellow Degree, and all the four had joined famous sects in order to further their cultivation base. And Nicholas Chu, who was hailed as the super genius of the Chu Clan, was level seven of the Yellow Degree. Each of them was absolutely far beyond Darren's cultivation base.

"Evan is in level three of the Yellow Degree. Years of cultivation has got him into the fourth stage of the Primary Realm. Plus, besides Evan, there are other cultivators who are probably level six or seven of the Yellow Degree in the Chu Clan. Their cultivation base is far beyond mine. I have to work harder to be able to defeat them."

"Darren, what are you whispering to yourself?" Belle asked. Tears started to swell into Belle's eyes. Seeing her brother muttering to himself made her feel worried that the injuries he acquired was affecting him in some way.

"No - it's nothing! Belle, you go on and head home. I need to stop by the Elders Cabinet first."

"Darren, that place is not our home anymore," Belle said, the tears from her eyes threatening to fall all at once. Fear crept inside her. Just the mere mention of going home frightened her. "Darren, let's leave this place. We could run away to some unknown village for safety. I don't want to come back!" Belle exclaimed. "Or did you forget that our siblings want to kill you and expel me from the Chu Clan?"

"No! Listen to me, Belle. Evan is a cruel man! He would never leave us alone no matter where we fled to. But I have a plan. Just trust me, Belle! I will survive and I will protect you." Through clenched fists, Darren silently swore that he would never forgive them. He would definitely make them regret what they had done to him and his sister for all those years.

There were two reasons why Darren wanted to stay in the Chu Clan. Firstly, he was now qualified for the guaranteed protection of the Elders Cabinet since he was now level two of the Yellow Degree. With that, Evan would at least stop explicitly lashing out against him and Belle.

The second reason was the more important one. Darren was hoping to grasp the rare opportunity of being a disciple at the Ilmen Sect. The Ilmen Sect was the top sect, surpassing all the other sects of Doriath. They recruited new disciples every ten years and as long as he became one of the disciples, he would gain a powerful support. With that support, he would be able to take revenge.

But the test was not an easy one to pass. It was almost impossible, even. Only a super genius would be able to pass it. Even Nicholas Chu's plans to join the sect had faint results, and he was considered the number one genius of the Chu Clan, not to mention he was level seven of the Yellow Degree.

If Nicholas didn't have any luck in joining the sect, what more for Darren who was only level two of the Yellow Degree? There were only two months left for Darren to prepare for the test, and the pressure was starting to dawn on him.

"Talent! I have to upgrade my talent as soon as possible. The higher, the better!" he blurted out.

The outer disciples of the Chu Clan murmured among themselves when they saw Darren heading toward the Elders Cabinet. The very fact that Darren was still alive shocked them. After all, they had heard that Evan had killed Darren. The outer disciples could not figure out how Darren had survived.

Darren, however, just ignored them.

Darren had arranged for Belle to return home. He wasn't worried about her safety now. According to the family rules, females didn't have the right of inheritance. Since Belle was not a threat to any of them, none of the Chu Clan members saw her as a target.

After a while, Darren arrived at the Elders Cabinet.

The Elders Cabinet was a unique place within the Chu Clan. No one, except the chief, had the right to enter without permission.

It was said that all the elders in the Elders Cabinet were cultivators of the Spirit Realm. Only major family events could bring them out of the cabinet.

However, the elders took no action when they heard the news of the death of the chief. That was strange.

Darren knocked on the plain gate and shouted, "Darren Chu, a ninth generation member of the Chu Clan, requests permission to meet the elders."

A great clan, like the Chu Clan, had strict rules and could be cruel if the rules were not followed.

For example, why did the Elders Cabinet disregard the fact that others had preyed on Darren, the son of the chief?

Because members whose talent for martial arts was lower than the Yellow Degree would never gain the recognition of the family. What was worse, such members would be expelled from the Chu Clan as soon as they were sixteen.

Darren was only fifteen now. So, despite his inferior martial arts talent, he had the right of inheritance. That was why Evan had attacked him.

The gate opened with a creak.

A disciple in grey walked out. When he saw Darren, he frowned and asked, "Why are you here?"

"I'm here to request the Elders Cabinet to protect Belle and me." Darren shared his purpose bluntly.

"You are not qualified. As you are inferior to the Yellow Degree, you are not considered as a member of the Chu Clan," the disciple replied to Darren with a disdainful look. The disciple, as a servant of the elders, had lived in the Elders Cabinet for years. Although he had few chances to go out, he had heard that Darren was only a mediocre talent in martial arts.

"And you are unqualified to make this decision. You are only a servant. What gives you the right to decide on behalf of the elders? What's more, even the elders don't dare to violate the rules of the Chu Clan. Did you think that a servant like you can change the rules now?" Darren retorted harshly.

"You!" The disciple turned grim-faced with anger. He wondered when this untalented martial artist had changed into this confident man. "Well! You will see."

After a moment, a voice came from inside.

"Go back to where you came from. You are inferior to the Yellow Degree, so your life or death is of no concern to the Chu Clan."

The voice was as loud as thunder, although the speaker couldn't be seen. Darren marveled in his mind as stories of the powerful level of the elder's cultivation base were, indeed, true.

Darren bowed respectfully and said, "Sir, I've reached the Yellow Degree. People of the Chu Clan are preying on me. As the son of the chief, I ask for the elders' protection."

"Oh?" In the blink of an eye, an elder with a frail build appeared in front of the gate. He looked at Darren doubtfully.

The talent of every immediate family member was on record in the Elders Cabinet. The elders knew that Darren was only a cultivator of the Ordinary Degree. Why did Darren say that he had reached the Yellow Degree? The possibility that his talent for martial arts had changed was as unrealistic as fairy tales. The elder thought that Darren was lying.

"Hey! You! Don't you know that lying to the elders will only bring you severe punishment? Everyone knows that you are only a loser of the Ordinary Degree. And now, you have the nerve to cheat the elders," the disciple, standing beside the elder, sharply rebuked Darren. He accused Darren of being untruthful. He thought that Darren was scared enough to make up a lie to seek the Elders Cabinet's protection.

"Well, don't you know that being irreverent toward your young master will lead to your death?" Darren retorted with a sharp glare.

"Ha-ha! You are only a dying loser. Young master? You don't even compare with a dog. Bah!" the disciple said to Darren, scornfully. He thought to himself, 'Only a person's talent, not background, matters in this world. A loser like you is a nobody.'

"Shut up!" the elder reproached the disciple as he could not stand the disciple's taunts. The disciple trembled with fear and kept silent.

"Kid! Although we are the elders of the Chu Clan, we can't do whatever we want. Of course, we don't want to see our family members prey on each other. But this is how this world works. This is the law of the jungle. Since you are the son of the chief, I will provide you with protection for three days. You can run as far away as you can during these three days. You can go now, kid." Then the elder intended to walk away. He had broken the rules by providing Darren with protection for three days.

"Sir! I'm telling the truth. I've reached the Yellow Degree. Please carry out your duty to check my talent for martial arts, sir," Darren pleaded again.

"You!" Apparently, the elder had lost his patience. He yelled at Darren, "You have had your chance, but you threw it away. If I check and find out that you are lying, you won't even survive six hours."

Darren could tell that the elder was not bluffing. If Darren failed to get any protection, Evan would resume his attacks at once.

The second the elder finished his words, he hovered in front of Darren. Then he stretched his hand over Darren's head.

The disciple said nothing but smiled. 'He's so screwed this time, ' he thought with a smirk.

However, the elder didn't say a word for a while. During the silence, his facial expression changed fast. The eyebrows on his dismissive face frowned. Then he widened his eyes with a shocked look.

"You are at level two of the Yellow Degree!"

The elder, staring at Darren, was struck dumb with amazement. He could not believe the result. Darren was at level two of the Yellow Degree. 'Is there a mistake in the former record?' he wondered. Only nature's gifts or rare elixirs could upgrade a person's talent for martial arts, but both were challenging to acquire.

"Sir, please carry out your duty to protect my sister and me," Darren said, calmly.

The protection of the Elders Cabinet covered the whole faction. If Darren got their protection, his sister would be included as well.

Although the elder still had many doubts, the rules didn't allow him to refuse Darren's request. "Accepted. I, Abner Chu, the elder of the Chu Clan will carry out the duty to protect you. But the protection will expire in two months. After two months, your life depends on your fate. Don't ask me the reason. You should go now."

The Elder Abner, with a mixture of emotions on his face, turned and disappeared behind the gate.

The disciple, however, was stunned to hear that Darren was at level two of the Yellow Degree. And, he had succeeded in gaining the protection of the elder. 'Damn it! I fucked up this time. I'd better run for my life.'

Then the disciple turned and slid behind the gate.

Darren didn't follow him. After all, he had no right to walk into the Elders Cabinet. Besides, Darren knew that he would have many opportunities in the future to teach the disciple a lesson.

"Two months?"

Darren wanted to ask the elder about the reason, but he controlled his curiosity. Everything that had happened recently was bizarre. The Elders Cabinet did nothing to avenge the death of his father. There must be an extraordinary reason for their lack of action.

"Two months later, the Ilmen Sect will start recruitment among the clans. Once I pass the test, no one in the Chu Clan will prey on me anymore. Even the royal members have to show respect to the Ilmen Sect."

Darren had made his plan, but he was not highly confident about whether he would pass the test. After all, the Ilmen Sect wanted super-geniuses. However, he was only at level two of the Yellow Degree. His only tiny chance to pass the test was to reach level seven of the Yellow Degree, like Nicholas Chu.

In the adytum of the Elders Cabinet.

"What happened, Abner?" the Chief Elder with white hair asked with his eyes closed.

"This is so weird. How's this even possible? A cultivator of the Ordinary Degree upgrades to level two of the Yellow Degree," Abner Chu said. Upon hearing him, the other two elders opened their eyes at the same time. Doubt reflected in their expressions.

"What? Is this real?" The Chief Elder could not believe it as well.

"Yeah! It's true. I've checked it out," Abner Chu said reverently.

"Never mind! Perhaps he gained rare elixirs by chance. Although he has upgraded his talent, he is only at level two of the Yellow Degree. There's no great future for him. This is a critical period. You two also felt the aura of the man in black that day. I think you will remember his power. We would all have died with his first attack had we also been his target that day."

"I guess he is a strong cultivator of the Mysterious Realm."

"Yeah, I agree with you. Our chief was at the ninth stage of the Spirit Realm, but he was beheaded with only one blow. The man in black may be a cultivator of the Mysterious Realm. Such a powerful being is rare to see. It's even few and far among the royal members. The man in black perhaps comes from one of the foreign sects. The best alternative for us is to wait out this critical period. If one of the members from our young generation passes the test and becomes a disciple of the Ilmen Sect in two months, we will gain a little more assistance."

"Yes, Chief Elder! We should provide Nicholas, Blake, and Leo with as many resources as we can offer. As long as one of them passes the test, it will be a great relief for us."

"All right! Let's focus on our cultivation instead of such a little deal. Only those three geniuses deserve our attention. They are the future of the Chu Clan."

Then the three elders began their meditation.