Later that evening.

“You should have been there, Auslen. Senior Brother Victor was so cool!” Nathaniel was still reeling from the excitement of the Preliminaries as he followed Auslen outside the cave abode, towards the iron fire pit Vincent was kneeling beside.

“Was he?” Auslen replied as he beckoned Nathaniel over to the cushions surrounding the fire pit. “It smells great, Vincent.”

Vincent scratched his head, a bit embarrassed as he replied, “Thanks, Auslen.”

“Yeah, it does smell great!” Nathaniel exclaimed as he plopped down onto one of the cushions, crossing his legs while the bright flame reflected in his eyes. Feverishly, he waved his hands and continued illustrating, “Also, Victor had this big sword! And when he swung it, the blade would turn bright red! And then…”

Auslen listened quietly, saying a few words here and there as he smiled once in a while. During that time, he was helping Vincent flip some of the skewered meats.

Although he was only half listening, Auslen didn’t reveal any impatience, allowing his cousin to let out his enthusiasm fully.

“By the way,” Auslen began during one of Nathaniel’s rare pauses. “Did you happen to see or talk to anyone interesting today?”

“Not really.” Nathaniel shook his head while wiping the saliva from the corner of his mouth. The skewered beef and pork chops sizzling on the fire pit rack were glistening with fat, releasing a delicious aroma into the air.

Although the strange man he talked to did flash through his mind for a second, he couldn’t even remember the guy's face, let alone find him particularly interesting.

“Oh!” Nathaniel shouted, the thought jogging his memory. “Look what I got!”

Auslen was not expecting what Nathaniel proudly presented.

“A chess board?” Vincent glanced over and asked.

Chess? They have that here too?

Perhaps it’s not what I’m thinking of. It looks a little different...

“Yeah! Have you played before Vincent?”

“Plenty of times.” Vincent picked up a skewer and passed it to the eagerly awaiting Nathaniel while continuing. “We played a lot of board games back in the orphanage.”

Nathaniel’s eyes sparkled as he bit into the succulent piece of beef.

He finished the beef in just a few bites before tossing the skewer. Two small boxes suddenly appeared in his hands. “Then let’s play!”

…

Compared to the Outer Sect mountains, this mountain bore much less vegetation. Trees were sparse, leaving a barren scenery, full of rocks and rugged terrain. There were numerous caves peppered underneath the peak, with cave mouths so smooth they must have been carved out by a sharp object. Lower down, the stone walls were as sleek as mirrors, obviously unscalable. And yet, there were signs that people resided there.

The steep peak had multiple sharp protrusions jutting into patches of thick and heavy clouds, appearing similar to dual-edged blades.

This was one of the Inner Sect Peaks of the Five Profound Elements Sect, known as the Sword Controlling Peak. And upon this peak, the profiles of Inner Sect Disciples could be seen practicing diligently and flying atop resplendent swords.

However, the atmosphere on the Peak was much less lively than the Outer Sect. Where tens of thousands could be seen at any point on the Outer Sect mountains, perhaps barely a thousand were visible here. Leisurely chatter was almost nonexistent. Besides those who could be seen training in whatever space they could find, the rest were walking silently and with a purpose.

Suddenly, the clouds above the Sword Controlling Peak split. A metallic sword light descended towards the Peak cliffs like a bolt of lightning, dissipating to reveal Samuel’s stern figure. His eyes emitted a piercing presence, and in his arms was the same injured and unconscious woman he left the Outer Sect with.

The Inner Sect Disciples near the location of his descent trembled a little at his cutting presence, hurriedly backing away before realizing who was walking in front of them.

Whispers broke through the focused silence, and many of the surrounding disciples backed away even further.

One of them looked confused after realizing that most others recognized the young man. “Who is he?”

“That’s Senior Brother Samuel,” a disciple nearest to him silently replied. “He’s one of the few Personal Disciples of the Peak Master! He was extremely famous a long while back, before you became an Inner Sect Disciple. Back then, he was among the top 20 Foundation Establishment talents in our generation of disciples, even taking the 6th place spot on the Inner Sect’s Battle-Roll!”

“Really? Then why haven’t I heard of him if he’s that famous?”

“He broke through to the True Core realm years ago! He’s been in closed-door cultivation ever since. I’m not sure why he’s left though, as there’s no way he’s broken through the realm already. And what poor disciple is he carrying… It couldn’t be…”

Another disciple quietly exclaimed, “I think… I think that’s Junior Sister Rosalind.”

“That beauty? Holy crap, it really is her…”

Samuel didn’t pay any heed to them and merely strode forward. His silver longsword twirled around his moving figure, releasing faint ringing sounds as it pierced through the air.

Soon, the cliffs grew awfully silent. However, the news of Samuel’s exit from closed-door cultivation spread throughout the Sword Controlling Peak in no time.

The clouds were rolling and swelling as sword lights broke through them, sword cultivators arriving in the air above the Peak. Several luminescent figures stood on their swords, quietly watching as Samuel calmly walked along a rocky path past various stone buildings and into one of the few tree-laden areas on the Peak.

Samuel strode onwards amidst the refreshing stretch of green. From somewhere, the crisp sounds of moving spring water could be heard, resonating tranquilly through the quiet environment.

Right at this moment, a gust of wind blew behind him.

A cold voice surged into Samuel’s ears just when he was about to turn.

“What are you doing out of closed-door cultivation?”

Samuel turned toward the sound. No emotional changes occurred in Samuel’s green eyes as he saw the severe-looking middle-aged man gently landing on the path several meters away from him. Neither his unbound gray hair or deep black cloak undulated against the wind even slightly.

His presence was strangely muted, practically resembling a mortal.

The middle-aged man’s name was Jing Qijing, the Peak Master of the Sword Controlling Peak.

Peak Master Jing’s tone was even, but his words were grave. “I have warned you before, Samuel. During your True Core cultivation, you are not to abandon your isolation without my consent. Nothing should distract you or give cause for your emotions to falter, lest you bring ruin to your Dao Seed.”

His dark brown eyes glanced towards the injured disciple in his grasp.

“Artorius, take the girl to the Medical Pavilion.”

“Yes, Peak Master.” A youth's voice sounded from above, soft and respectful.

An additional male figure descended then, lightly jumping off of his heavily embellished silver longsword. His handsome face was formed into a welcoming smile, long locks of silver hair framing the friendly expression strikingly well. His blue eyes were pure and clean, seeming almost naïve.

Then, Artorius walked past the Peak Master to arrive before Samuel’s slightly taller stature.

“Nice to finally meet you, Senior Brother.” Artorius smiled.

He didn’t expect an answer, and he did not receive one. Nevertheless, his movements were simple and attentive as he reached out towards Rosalind, acting as though Samuel’s hard gaze wasn’t boring into him ceaselessly.

Samuel’s viridescent irises blurred whilst rapidly examining every inch of the disciple he hadn’t seen before. A small prickling of irritation stabbed through his subconscious, but it faded soon after, not strong enough to cause any fluctuations in his Soul Force.

In the end, he didn’t resist as he handed Rosalind over, but his eyes remained glued in the direction of her unconscious figure even after she had long left his sight.

Peak Master Jing frowned slightly before shaking his head.

“Follow me to receive your punishment.”

…

“Senior Sister!”

A 15 year old, brown-skinned Inner Sect Disciple came sprinting into the medical room, his eyes red with grief. Just before, he had accidentally carved out two ruts into the stone floor right outside the entrance of the room, evidence of his fast running and abrupt stop.

Breathing heavily, the boy’s anxious eyes were drawn to the cot sitting in the center of a sterile stone room, and lying upon which was a clean, beautiful young woman who showed no signs of consciousness. She was mostly wrapped in thin white cloth, And with the help of the medical assistants working efficiently around the cot, the uncovered portions, where her external wounds were located, were being lathered in this green, gel-like substance, known as enhanced regenerative paste.

Shock and sadness racked his young body. Wiping his face clean of stray tears, he swallowed the lump in his throat and stepped forward. But before he could question one of the assistants, he was pulled outside the room by a strong grasp.

“Calm yourself, Junior,” a masculine voice urged. “You shouldn’t interfere. There will be time for visitors shortly.”

The teenager whirled around, only to be surprised by the distinctive youth standing before him.

His distraught expression partially gave way to a tint of respect. He backed away before bowing. “My apologies, Senior Brother Artorius. I just wanted some answers, and um... My anxiety got the best of me.”

Artorius nodded reassuringly. “No worries, Junior Brother. That’s the very reason I’m here.”

“How is my disciple?” A silky feminine voice resonated close by, attracting Artorius’ attention.

“Greetings, Elder.” Artorius bowed towards the petite blonde woman approaching with a restrained pace. He glanced back inside the medical room and said, “Your Personal Disciple will be fine with time. Senior Brother Samuel managed to feed her a Tier 3 Life Rejuvenating Pill in time, greatly relieving her damaged vitality, which was the most serious threat to her well being. There shouldn’t be any permanent injuries, however it’ll be some time before she awakens, sadly.”

“I see.” The Elder nodded, shifting her turquoise eyes to glance inside the room before turning away.

“Come, Rami. We’re leaving.” She didn't question why her disciple was injured so terribly, nor did she mention her other disciples who failed to return. She just walked away.

Rami, the young brown-skinned boy, looked upset that they were leaving so soon, but he did not contradict her orders. After nodding gratefully towards Artorius, he hurried to catch up with the Elder.

As he had successfully relayed the information, Artorius’ original duties were complete.

‘What a pity,’ he thought, glancing one last time at the unresponsive Rosalind. Sighing softly with regret, he turned to make his departure.

What he found regrettable was unknown.

…

The sun was beginning to set on this beautiful summer evening. In the cooling air, fireflies were emerging from their hiding places, flying around the mountain forest like fairies in an old folk tale.

Auslen sat cross-legged across from Nathaniel, each of them taking turns fiddling with the pieces on the plain looking chess board in front of them. Soft clacking sounds rang from the board at times, but the sounds began gradually slowing until coming to a near standstill.

Nathaniel groaned and scratched his forehead, thinking hard about his next move.

Auslen smiled, sipping some cool water whilst casually conversing with Vincent.

Naturally, Auslen was familiar with chess from his time on Earth. After watching Vincent slowly guide Nathaniel through the game with some curiosity, Auslen found himself surprised that the rules were nearly the same as he remembered! There were only two major differences.

The board was over twice the size of what he was used to, altering the gameplay to accommodate the increased number of spaces and chess pieces. In addition the actual chess pieces themselves were different, featuring many varieties of mythical existences.

The few black and red chess pieces left were spread across the chess board, as though they were illustrating an epic final battle between Immortals and Demons, giving the silent ambience surrounding them a grandiose feel.

Admittedly, Auslen was not particularly good at chess. It was merely a game played with company every now and again. But against an overly eager child brand new to the game, he may as well have been a grandmaster. And from how the game was currently proceeding and the wrinkles on Nathaniel’s forehead, it was easy to see whose favor the match was currently in.

With visible hesitation, Nathaniel carefully slid a piece into place, only retracting his hand after five full seconds of confirming silence.

Internally chuckling, Auslen finally felt that he had enough fun bullying the child.

Auslen’s right hand reached for a piece, sliding it forward to capture one of Nathaniel’s, ‘accidentally’ providing his young opponent with an opening in the process.

Nathaniel seemed more and more aggrieved as seconds ticked past, until suddenly, his eyes widened exaggeratedly. Soon, a triumphant grin took over his previously gloomy expression.

“I won!” Nathaniel stood, childish laughter erupting from his mouth as he waved Auslen's captured black dragon proudly. “I beat you, Auslen!”

“Yeah, you did, Nathan,” Auslen concurred with a chuckle, even clapping a little for the ecstatic boy, as he found himself in a rare generous mood,

The most surprised over the game’s outcome was Vincent, whose brows were raised high while staring at the board. But Auslen didn’t give him much of an opportunity to catch his act of throwing the game, quickly cleaning off the board so they could get ready to go inside.

He would have a busy day tomorrow. Well, he’d have a busy few years, to be accurate.

Taking the chess set from Auslen, Nathaniel was still giddy over the first win he managed to achieve over Auslen! It didn’t affect their bet, because it was just a game that had nothing to do with their cultivation. But the exultant feeling of defeating the undefeatable was undeniable. He was already thinking of when they could play again!

Suddenly, he covered his mouth to hide his foolish grin. ‘Maybe... Does Mia likes this chess game? I wonder if we could play together...’