"While it was a good idea to feed him medicinal pills to stimulate his growth, I wouldn't recommend doing that in your cases."

Standing in the exact same spot from where I used to observe Veriel's cultivation, the emissary from the headquarters gave us a piece of advice before pressing the glass doors and entering the inner garden.

Like in any other sect, there was a need for a place with artificially enriched spiritual energy where one could more efficiently cultivate. This garden, while projected just like any of the others around the sect, was known to possess the greatest thickness of energy within it.

Truthfully speaking, the whole concept was even closer to creating a separate world rather than just a tool to make one's cultivation easier.

The vast abundance of various medicinal herbs and small magic beasts roaming the place guaranteed a constant and closed flow of the energy, supplemented by the influx from the spirit stones hanging from the ceiling.

"When I first heard about you, I was told that despite joining our sect while below the spiritual realm. Despite that, you managed to reach an expanding senses realm! That's quite an achievement!"

With how focused Veriel was on his cultivation, not even the deep aura emitted by the emissary was enough to wake him up from his trance. Only after the sain took initiative to speak up did this damned youngling opened his eyes to assess the situation.

"This humble junior pays his respect!"

Despite how awful his character is, as soon as he noticed the presence of a being whose strength he couldn't even fathom, Veriel didn't even hesitate before rising up and bowing deeply while cupping his hands over his chest.

"Now, now, there is no need to stand the ceremony!"

Noticing polite manners of the young disciple, the emissary graced him with an amiable smile before reaching to his hand and pulling out an unknown pill from his storage ring.

"This pill here will allow you to greatly augment your strength. Treat it as a reward for your hard work!"

While the sheer pressure that this pill emitted was more than enough for every elder's eyes to shine with greed, I couldn't help but shrug when I felt a hint of viciousness from it. Maybe others were blinded by their own desires, but it didn't look like they noticed this peculiar occurrence.

"This disciple humbly accepts Senior's gift!"

The eagerness in the Veriel's eyes spoke wonders about his real personality. Not even trying to refuse the gift, he snatched it away from the emissary's palm as if he was worried that it would disappear were he show any hint of hesitation.

As soon as his fingers took hold of the pill, he raised it towards his mouth, only for the saint to grab his hand halfway through.

"It will be better for you to consume it right before the duel. With how potent this pill is, you might need to release a great portion of it to avoid being crippled. It would be a waste to do it here, instead of using it to enhance your strikes!"

While the emissary kept his smile for as long as we were inside the garden, after exchanging some pleasantries with Velier and asking about the magical beast cultivating alongside him, I could see his face turning sinister as soon as the doors to the cultivation garden closed behind our backs.

This expression lasted only for a fraction of the second, but nevertheless, I was sure it appeared.

"Since we still have some time before the duel, I would like to inspect the rest of the sect."

It went without saying that this saint didn't care about the overall wellbeing of our family, but just kept the appearances. There was no way that headquarters would send someone so powerfull at such a great cost just to get an accurate report of the state of our sect!

Wasting away the remaining time strolling and idling around the place, it finally came time for us to depart.

I have to say, the moment we stepped outside of the sect's compound, my heart filled with anxiety. Most of Veriel's power came from various medicinal pills and other resources, augmenting his cultivation in an artificial way. While he reached the expanding senses stage, every elder knew how fragile this kind of fake cultivation was compared to someone who achieved it through innate talent or hard work.

As our entourage strolled through the city towards the arena where the duel was set to take place, I could see more and more people joining a long line behind us. With everything that this reckless boy did to antagonise Katenaris, there was no way that neither the local folk or even the tourist would miss such a promising fight!

Sending Veriel off with a blessing when we reached the main entrance of the arena, the emissary actually leads everyone to our seats, as if he knew this place better than us. Even if he was far more powerful than anyone we ever meet, this didn't mean that he magically obtained sufficient knowledge to pass out like a local!

I guess the intelligence department of the headquarters did a good job preparing this guy for this mission.

"Tell me, who was tasked with grooming this youth?"

As soon as everyone settled in their seats, the emissary asked.

"It was this humble elder."

Without a second of delay, one of the high elders that I didn't really like presented himself in front of the saint.

"Take those pills. Treat them as recompensation for all your efforts, but abandon the thought of this idiot eve reaching Saint realm."

Out of nowhere, a bomb struck everyone gathered. While the elder accepted a bunch of precious pills that possessed even greater aura than the one that Verilel received from the emissary, they didn't possess this strange savage aura.

"I beg your pardon if I managed to raise him so fast, why should I kick him after he came so close to reaching maturity? It's not that I'm doubting yours words, respectable senior, but I seek your guidance to avoid potential mistakes in the future!"

Bowing his head to the emissary, the elder was clearly dumbstruck. While the pills he received were great and would be able to help him break through establishing dominion realm to the collapsing spirit stage or even all the way to the Saint realm, the rewards that one could receive from grooming such a promising disciple didn't pale in comparison!

"With how his cultivation bases on the residual energy of the medicinal pills rather than a healthy accumulation, this duel will be as far as he will ever reach. If you count the core devouring pill that I gifted to him, as soon as his fighting drive dies off, he will end up as a cripple!"

Only now openly showing his vicious smile, the emissary looked around at the confused and angry faces of the remaining elders. At this moment I could only bless my luck and wit that made me pick the seat as far from this person as it was physically possible!

"Don't look at me like that! If this Eve turns out to be the genuine descendant of Katenari's family, forcing her into obediently following me to the headquarters will be worth far more than just a single, stupid disciple. Not to speak about the fact that his cultivation is already tainted by the use of forbidden, blood arts!"

If emissary's previous words sounded serious, this last sentence of his was akin to a bomb detonated right in the middle of the tribune.

Forbidden blood arts referred to the set of techniques that allowed one to refine the blood of his own kin, allowing him to immensely improve his own, inborn talent upon consumption. As this action broke all taboos present on the continent, it was no wonder why the emissary didn't hold any qualms about sacrificing this damned youth for the sake of obtaining this mysterious girl!

"I beg your pardon, senior, but the stake of the duel refers only to a single session of clashing essences! If we were to attempt to snatch the girl afterwards, we wouldn't be able to avoid a full-scale war with the heavenly sword sect that is backing her fiance! While I do not doubt senior's powers, it's hard for me to believe that those people won't have a protector on their own!"

Unable to suppress my inner thoughts any longer, I voiced my protest.

Years of serving as an elder taught me that it was the best to keep one's place in the line, never stepping out even for the length of one's nose, but with everything that was recently happening in the city, the emissary's words finally broke through the limit of shenanigans that I could accept.

"It's not something you will have to worry about. We already prepared a whole set and actors that will save the girl from this fucker and make her unable to oppose to our proposition. But let's not linger on this topic any longer, it seems that the fight is about to start!"

Just like he said, while we were all talking, not only did the tribunes filled just as much or even more than during the closing ceremony of the first phase of the tournament, but both of the contestants were already exchanging some kind of taunts, preparing to start the fight.

Due to the low volume of their voices as they stood merely one meter apart from each other, I was unable to discern what they were talking about, but it didn't mean that I was completely blind.

Switching to my spiritual vision, I could see slight fluctuations in the aura of both men, only to get suddenly blinded by a bright outburst of the Veriel's opponent!

It was something that I never saw before in my life outside of those few occasions when the saint protectors decided to emit killing intent! But from what I know, this was something that only those at the pinnacle of the realm master stage could ever dream of achieving!

"Interesting…"

Those were the last words that the emissary spoke before a loud ringing of the bell announced the start of the fight.