An old man gazed back at him, his expression serene and his face relaxed; as if he were not holding the tip of a sharp, enchanted spear with his bare hand, inches away from piercing his chest. His other, freehand played with an ornate red dagger, the bright gemstone socketed into its center involuntarily drawing Jack’s gaze a second time. He wore a set of white robes highlighted by vibrant floral imprints running across its surface in a set pattern, the outfit tied together at the waist with a modest gray sash. Besides a small sheathe attached to his waist, and a pair of shoes made of a cloth-like material, there was nothing else visible on his person.

Jack’s face blanched when he realized that the man’s hand didn’t even twitch under the weight of Sarah’s thrust, a sense of dread welling up in his heart. Sarah’s hand began to tremble as she tried to yank her spear free, her face horrified when it didn’t even budge in the slightest.

“Who are you?” Jack spoke with gravity weighing down on his every word, knowing that each could be his last. The old man had the means to kill him, and plenty of opportunities, but he hadn’t. That was his only source of confidence in broaching dialogue.

“I am many things to many people,” his eyes danced with amusement, as he sheathed his dagger in a flicker of motion. “To you two, I suppose I am the closest thing to a mentor you will get,” He released Sarah’s spear and she was pushed back a few steps due to her strength.

Jack took a moment to process the information, thoughts flashing through his mind one after the other. Finally composing himself, he asked, “Why us?”

The old man glanced at him, and suddenly Jack felt a pressure weigh down on him. The pressure was not physical or uncomfortable, but more like a sensation, the picture of a vast, unrestricted sea flowing through his mind. His hands trembled when he realized that the sea was like a metaphor of sorts for the man’s qi reserves, not knowing if it was his senses or some sort of skill that let him grasp such an understanding.

Jack took a deep breath, letting the anxiety flow out of himself. The man in front of him… he could kill him instantly, at any time. There was no point in lying to someone as weak as him, and so far the system had been balanced in the challenges it threw at him, in its own, twisted way.

“You passed the illusion array, which is a point in your favor. You killed my boars, which means you just lost the point you earned. A pity,” The old man shook his head wistfully.

“Your boars?” Sarah raised her eyebrows, giving the old man an odd gaze.

“Well, I was free to take anything that was in my territory. An exotic new species of animal, even if pathetically weak, is still worth taking back to the Sect,” The old man sighed again, before shaking his head.

Jack felt his anger rise at his anger flare at his wronged expression, but with some difficulty managed to keep his expression in check. The old man’s concerns seemed so trivial, so distant from theirs that it was almost humiliating. For once, Jack regretted his prudent nature— how cathartic would it be to scream at the old bastard before charging at him with his sword? A pity, for Jack, had no intention of displaying his arrogance to a man so clearly above his own level it was hard to see the peak.

“This illusion array you speak of. We felt nothing of the sort?” Jack questioned him out of curiosity, maybe the effects of the item or skill he spoke of were different than the name entailed.

“Oh, you weren’t supposed to. If you were too weak, you’d just walk around this location because there would be some sort of a structure here, perhaps a massive boulder or a small chasm,” he explained casually, not finding that impressive in the slightest.

“Anyway, that is beside the point. I offer you two options, Jack Fletcher, and Sarah Jackson. Continue to proceed on your journey unimpeded, and I shall let you pass. Otherwise, you may choose to train with me for the next six hours, with me guaranteeing your safety. I am afraid that is all the time I can offer, otherwise, it would be unfair to the other cultivators,” he offered graciously, the relaxed expression on his face unchanging.

Jack turned to face Sarah, her eyes glinting with clear desire. Jack too was curious about the experience of a trained cultivator elder, but his behavior confounded him. They were happy to kill off millions of humans for their trial, but treated them with respect? Moreover, the old man seemed to belong to their species, a fact that would have surprised him more if he had not seen Oathbreaker Melkrys earlier. Though perhaps it would be more apt to say that Jack belonged to his species, since humans had no natural way to access the magical power of Qi naturally.

“I want to stay,” Sarah whispered under her breath.

Jack sighed and then nodded. If nothing else, the man offered them safe haven for a few hours… and he sorely needed a break from the fighting.

“We stay,” Jack replied, causing the old man’s eyes to light up eagerly.

“Follow me, then,” He turned around abruptly and started moving towards the northwest. Jack just shrugged, and followed after him. Being angry at the man would serve no purpose, so he would just learn what he had to teach and hope that it increased his chances of survival.

“Oh, wait. This foolish old man almost forgot. System, please do the honors,” The old man clapped his hands together, and seconds later a notification popped up in front of them.

Congratulations, you have discovered a hidden piece: Adept Lanhai’s Abode. As long as you remain within the bounds of the illusion array, your safety is guaranteed personally by Adept Lanhai. You may choose to receive his training or continue on his journey, there will be no penalties imposed for either choice.

Time Elapsed: 7m 34s

Time Remaining: 5h 52m 26s

“A hidden piece? I thought it would be more….. well, violent,” Jack observed with slight surprise.

“Assume nothing, little initiates. Now follow along, the clock is ticking.”