Hearing Irene's voice transmission, Liliane fell into silent astonishment before looking around, seeing a few nosy disciples glancing in their direction. Their attempts at eavesdropping were obvious.

After sighing at their flagrant gall, a sense of pride welled up inside her heart.

To any Outer Sect Disciple, even being able to apply to become an Inner Sect Disciple was among the highest of prestigious accomplishments, just short of successfully entering the Inner Sect.

Reaching the Foundation Establishment realm was merely the easiest among the despairing list of requirements.

As Liliane hadn’t reached the Peak of Qi Refinement as of yet, she didn’t know much about the process, but she did know that the applicant must complete a predetermined Sect Mission that at many times seemed random and unsuited to the applicants’ talents. And any of the frequently made complaints were promptly shot down, because the Evaluation Missions were curated directly by the Inner Sect.

In most instances, the Evaluation Mission forced the applicant to leave the Sect, so Liliane wasn’t surprised. However, she still wasn’t happy about it. The areas outside the Sect mountains were not nearly as supervised as the mountains themselves. Anything could happen out there!

She didn’t have any more time to fret for her friend. All of a sudden, cheers and loud claps erupted, causing Liliane and the rest to turn towards the arena.

A bell rang from an unknown location, and a muscular man with short, fiery red hair jumped through the air. With a huge sword hanging vertically on his back, he landed onto the stage rambunctiously.

Standing in the most eye-catching spot of the arena was Victor, his lazy smile full of youthful confidence inspired an even louder wave of shouts and applause.

Glancing at Nathaniel, who was cheering wildly along with the rest of them, Irene scoffed. "Victor really thinks himself a celebrity."

...

Meanwhile.

Standing on a stool, Auslen worked busily around a cauldron, which was sitting on a work surface obviously not designed with a 120 cm child in mind.

Lifting away his hand from the Ignition Plate, Auslen waved his sleeves. Five glass bottles appeared, which he used to gather the completed Qi Refinement Elixir.

Auslen muttered quietly to himself while testing the Elixirs with one of the Stability Testing Needles he brought back from the Elixir Refinement Hall.

Stable! Thank goodness.

This was his second refinement attempt since returning despondently from the Palace of Methods and Techniques. He had sadly found his previous attempt unstable, diminishing his already pitiful stash of Pseudo Spirit Plants further.

A helpless smile spread across his fair face.

I need to cultivate more Pseudo Spirit Plants quickly.

No wonder the Five Profound Elements Sect could continue to maintain its place among the Three Great Sect for so long, even with providing for such a ridiculous number of disciples. They’re working the snot out of their talents!

Auslen had already done the math.

Each batch of five successfully refined Qi Refinement Elixirs was worth 225 Merit Points, 45 Merit Points per Elixir. Even if Auslen was successful once every day, only after six years and a bit more 10,000 Qi Refinement Elixirs would he obtain the bare minimum to purchase but the cheapest Heaven Tier Cultivation Method.

And that didn’t include his failures.

As of now, he hadn’t exploded a cauldron since last month. However, his stability success ratio was still a bit less than 50%. At the generous rate of one refinement attempt per hour, spending half of every day refining Spirit Elixirs would grant him only the wistful hope of meeting the tentative deadline he’d set with his father!

Of course, Auslen had never once thought about how ridiculous it sounded for a seven-year-old to have expectations of achieving an endeavor of such magnitude. The vast majority of Outer Sect Disciples were struggling with the goal of purchasing merely an Earth Tier Method by the age of thirty! If he were to tell anyone else his thoughts of obtaining a Heaven Tier Cultivation Method before the age of 13, without outside sponsorship, most would have assumed him to be insane.

Auslen took a deep breath, and put away the Qi Refinement Elixirs. While he was at it, he circulated a few strands of Profound Qi, stimulating his body and refreshing his mindset before measuring his next set of ingredients.

Soft footsteps pattered right outside the cave abode’s Refining Chamber. Auslen glanced over as urgent knocking sounds followed.

“Come in.”

Auslen’s eyes widened as he stared at Vincent, whose face was pale and breathing agitated. It appeared as though the teary-eyed boy had been terribly frightened by something.

But as soon as Auslen spotted the blood stains splattered across his gray robes, he jumped over the cauldron at once to land in front of Vincent.

Auslen’s sleeves flapped as he hastily maneuvered Vincent’s clothing around, checking for signs of injuries possibly hidden underneath the soft linen.

Relief replaced Auslen’s concern after confirming Vincent’s perfectly fine health. But a question still remained.

Where did the blood come from, if not from Vincent?

Vincent grabbed onto Auslen’s arm urgently. “She… she needs help!”

…

Auslen followed Vincent as they descended down a mountain path. However, the ambient sounds from wildlife typically inhabiting this section of the mountain were disconcertingly absent. Their steps across the cobblestone pathway and the rustling foliage in the breeze were the only noises sparking life into the tense atmosphere.

“It was around here, I think,” Vincent nervously uttered. “Where I usually collect the spring water…”

Auslen nodded, not doubting his words. The smell of blood was unmistakable and only growing stronger.

Soon, Auslen saw the body.

“There she is,” Vincent whispered as he worriedly grasped Auslen’s right sleeve. He then pointed towards the thin, percolating brook, where the figure of a female was collapsed and unmoving.

This looks like nothing but trouble...

Auslen frowned, but he continued forward at a steady pace, not immediately retreating but also not in a hurry as he examined the bloody figure.

If Vincent hadn’t explained before, Auslen would have assumed the woman deceased. Only after paying close attention could Auslen catch the faint movements indicating weak, irregular breathing.

“She was collapsed when I got here,” Vincent anxiously explained once more. “I tried help her back to the cave, but I couldn’t keep her up because she’s really, really heavy. The only thing I could do was stifle some of the bleeding…”

Auslen scrunched his nose and stopped about two meters away from the body, not interested in getting any closer. Instead, he turned to look at Vincent.

Vincent’s intentions of bringing Auslen here were obvious, but after seeing Auslen’s stony expression, he gradually stopped speaking.

“I apologize, Your Highness.” Vincent wasn’t sure where, but he knew he had done something to upset his master.

Reminding himself to teach Vincent properly later, Auslen turned away from the boy before muttering softly into his glowing Identity Medallion.

He was sending a message to one of the patrol disciples assigned to this Outer Sect Mountain, informing them of the current issue.

After just a few heartbeats, the Identity Medallion vibrated. Auslen placed it on his forehead.

“Is the woman an Outer Sect Disciple? Please verify,” was the response.

Having no other choice, Auslen covered his nose with his wide sleeve before nearing the unconscious woman, Vincent trailing close behind.

Kneeling down, Auslen frowned as he was met with a closer look.

From head to toe, her body was slick with blood. Auslen couldn’t even tell the true color of her hair, only knowing that it appeared nearly black from the blood caked from root to end. Her soiled clothing, which Auslen assumed to be robes, were torn to literal shreds, to the point where portions of the woman’s breasts and other delicate areas were revealed.

Auslen’s expression remained impassive, but Vincent's head was already pointed away from her body, face flushed with apologetic embarrassment.

Thanks to Vincent’s basic medical knowledge, gauze and bandages covered much of what seemed to be numerous bleeding lacerations and spreading bruises. From the cleaner portions not covered in bandages, blood, or injuries, Auslen could see that her skin was dangerously pale.

And from Vincent’s earlier explanation and from the nauseatingly pungent smell of her blood, Auslen knew that this woman was a cultivator, at the very least within the Foundation Establishment realm. Who or whatever could have done this to her must have been incredibly fearsome.

However, none of this was Auslen’s business. His goal was to remain as uninvolved as possible.

“Hand me a towel, Vincent.”

A small, white towel was quickly placed onto his extended hand. Auslen then held his breath and reached out, loosening a piece of fabric sticking to the woman’s torso. Once he rubbed at the blood, Auslen judged by the color of the cloth that she was indeed not an Outer Sect Disciple.

Auslen didn’t feel the need to look further for any sort of insignia emblazoned on the robes to verify that she was an Inner Sect Disciple. The color was enough of an identifier. And if she wasn’t, there was no way she would have been allowed to traverse this far into the Outer Sect.

As for being Core Disciple? For certain reasons, that possibility did not exist.

“No. Inner Sect,” he answered to the Medallion as he stood. “Sword Controlling Peak.”

After sending the requested information, Auslen grabbed Vincent’s arm, prepared to leave the messy situation behind.

That is, until he received an unwanted reply.

“Please stand by at your current location. A patrol disciple will arrive shortly.”

Sigh.

…

Auslen stood underneath the shade of a redwood tree about 10 meters away from the bank of the brook, eyes closed and breathing soft while leaning against its large trunk. Fluttering in the wind, his loose golden hair brushed against Vincent’s face at times, who was sitting next to him, silver eyes occasionally shifting to the distant woman laying still.

Auslen glanced at Vincent. The boy’s perhaps overabundant concern for the unconscious figure was clear in Auslen’s eyes.

He understood Vincent’s thoughts, although he did not share them.

He was not a doctor, and he held no desire to become one. Like Vincent silently insinuated, Auslen indeed had multiple life-saving Mystic Artifacts, but he was not charitable.

This was not a peaceful world. Casually revealing your wealth to those stronger than you was equivalent to giving up the right to your agency. You could only hope that those saved would remain thankful and not grow greedy. If this were a more public venue, perhaps Auslen would not have minded. After all, it was only expected for a prince to have at least a few handy Low Grade Mystic Artifacts on hand.

As they were currently alone in an uninhabited section of the mountain, Auslen preferred that the Inner Sect woman with unknown strength remain incapacitated, even at the risk of her own life. Although the Outer Sect mountains had rules forbidding attacking fellow disciples outside of prescribed events, Auslen was never one to place his trust in rules and regulations.

But for a boy whose parents were killed with no one there to save them, who had always relied upon the assistance of others, Vincent’s actions of trying to selflessly help the injured woman were only reasonable.

Unfortunately, it was difficult for the kind-hearted and righteous to survive in the cultivation world for very long.

“Auslen.”

Auslen nearly jumped out of his skin from the sudden and intrusive voice transmission.

Feeling the warm amulet hanging under his robes, Auslen calmed down before Vincent could catch on his abnormal state of mind.

With a bit of Profound Qi, he felt an unseen connection forming between his Soul Force and the amulet.

“Hello, Grandfather,” Auslen replied. “To what do I owe this unexpected, heart-stopping pleasure?”

“What’s your cousin doing right now?”

Auslen’s brows furrowed. “He’s watching a few of the Qi Refinement Tournament’s Preliminary matches with our Mentor. Did something happen?”

“No, no. It's not that. He’s doing fine. I was just curious who little Nathan was conversing with just now.”

Perplexed, Auslen chose not to question Tobias' reason for such an out-of-the-blue request at the moment. “If it's nothing urgent, I'll have to ask him later. I’m sort of busy right now.”

“Hmm? Is it serious?”

“Well— Hold on.”

Something flashed in Auslen’s peripheral. He raised his gaze towards the blue sky partially obstructed by the tree branches above.

However, Auslen still was able to glimpse the bright trail of silver light piercing towards their location like a sharp shooting star, the accompanying sound of shrieking metal growing louder. The beam of light tore through the canopy of leaves, finally stopping right beside the unconscious injured woman.

The brilliant silver aura broke away into motes of light, revealing a striking young man, standing tall upon a levitating silver sword. His eyebrows were like swords and his handsome face was spiritless, besides the occasional eerie twitch. However, his unbound, brunette hair, whipping and stabbing at the surrounding air like thousands of flexible swords, was a blatant indicator as to his hidden anger.

'No, his face isn't twitching...' Auslen realized.

Profound Qi revolved inside his golden eyes, anything within the span of 20 meters suddenly just as clear as if it were right in front of him.

It wasn't until then that he was sure.

The young man's expressions were actually alternating within those split seconds, each time settling into a seething grimace, bouncing to heartbreaking sadness before reverting back to vacancy.

This man is dangerous.

While Vincent rushed to stand, Auslen's pupils contracted.

They were supposed to send a simple patrol disciple, Auslen thought with annoyance while watching the man descending from his floating sword, his black layered robes billowing against the wind.

But instead, such an unstable Inner Sect Disciple from the Sword Controlling Peak has arrived.

Hair still flying wildly, the man removed his outer robe and bent down to the bloody woman. He gently covered her body before placing a white Spirit Pill into her mouth. The medicinal fragrance was so strong, Auslen could smell its intoxicating richness from over ten meters away, fresh floral notes cutting right through the overpowering smell of iron.

Sensing the unconscious woman’s breath stabilizing, the young man stood. The woman’s body then slowly levitated from the ground before gently landing in his outstretched arms.

Darting a glance towards Auslen, his gaze shifted, lingering for a few seconds on Vincent’s blood-stained servant’s robe.

He opened his thin lips to speak.