In the corner that Akata turned his head to it looked very insignificant. Dust covered everything in the corner and that made the items over there look useless.

Akata looked towards the corner and sized it up. He then strode forth and made his way to the corner. He didn’t walk fast nor slow, it was almost like he was being drawn over by the corner. He didn’t focus on anything but the corner, not paying attention to the other treasures or to the Elders.

As he approached the corner Second and Third Elder could tell which specific item he was heading for. It had a long wooden shaft about two meters long and a curved black metal blade at the top about a meter in length. It didn’t look spectacular and didn’t give off a special kind of aura.

“The Bludhaven Scythe?” Third Elder exclaimed with surprise.

“I wonder why he is choosing this? This is interesting indeed.” Second Elder was first curious and then thoughtful.

Akata was upon the scythe after a few breaths. He reached his hand out and grabbed the scythe by the shaft and used his cultivation base to clean the scythe from dust. “It’s not particularly special but when I was scanning with my nature sense I came across this and it stood out. I wonder why that is? Even the other treasures didn’t show up as clearly as this scythe.” Akata inspected the scythe from top to bottom but couldn’t find anything outstanding about it.

Akata turned around with the scythe in hand and bowed to Second and Third Elder. “I would like to choose this scythe as my first item Second and Third Elder.”

Second Elder was the one to respond to Akata. “Why of course you can choose that scythe. But what made you choose this? I am curious as to know what led you to it.” She truly was curious as to what led him to the Bludhaven Scythe. He scanned his surroundings with nature sense, which was different from divine sense, and he had found the scythe. Second Elder was powerful and therefore had a strong divine sense, so she didn’t need to cultivate nature sense, she wanted to know the difference between the two right now.

“I actually don’t know. It had stood out to me so in order to find out why I am going to take it.” Akata said respectfully telling the truth.

“I see, then I shall not stop you. What is your second item?” Second Elder was rather disappointed but she didn’t let it show as she felt it was understandable. Akata was still just starting cultivation out so he really wouldn’t know, especially since he doesn’t have divine sense yet.

Akata stood there thoughtfully for a moment and then said, “For my second item I want a daoist technique. Specifically the World Omen of Lord Dullahan.” Akata spoke clearly and honestly.

Second Elder looked deeply at him as he finished saying what skill he wanted, in fact Third Elder looked seriously at him for a moment too. Although most of the items in the Treasure Pavilion were useless to them, some of the items were pretty outstanding. One such item was the very World Omen of Lord Dullahan.

It was dark skill meant for cultivators who wanted to become assassins. It was extremely adept and profound at assassination skills. Lord Dullahan was an ancient mythological figure that could kill anybody by just saying their name. He rode on a black horse and carried his own head in his hand. He was feared for his skills in killing and he ended up making this skill book. Of course his true skill book was something low tiered cultivators couldn’t comprehend, the World Omen of Lord Dullahan was just a simplified version.

“Why would you want that technique? There are plenty others that are well suited towards you and in fact more powerful. Why choose this one?” Third Elder was the one to speak this.

“Although the World Omen of Lord Dullahan is an assassination daoist technique, it helps you cultivate many things. It improves your speed, power, agility, mental energy, etc. Not only that but it gives tips on how to use various weapons, including the scythe. I’ve read over most of the techniques in the Treasure Pavilion and have found this one to be the most beneficial to me.” Akata spoke clearly and with earnest dignity. He sounded righteous as he spoke about this technique as if it was the most holy of skills.

Second and Third Elder couldn’t help but continue to look deeply at Akata and then smile wryly before nodding.

“If that is what you want then this can be your second item then. Now that you have gotten your two items it is time for me to test you. Grab your things and come with me.” Even though she had some misgivings she gave up in the end since Third Elder agreed to Akata getting the two things also.

Akata went to the shelf that had the World Omen of Lord Dullahan and grabbed it. He went along with Second Elder to take his second test. Third Elder stood there thinking about what just happened. Nobody could know what he was thinking though. He eventually shook his head and swiped his sleeve, cleaning up the mess him and Second Elder made. Then he took a step forward and vanished from the Treasure Pavilion.

Second Elder and Akata walked out of the Treasure Pavilion and stopped in front of the building by the guards.

“I’ll take you to take my test right now, but the place I’m taking you to is secret so you won’t be able to see where we are going.” She didn’t wait for Akata to agree and swished her sleeve towards Akata where he was picked up and vanished. She took a step forward and vanished.

“Was that Akata with Second Elder too? Just what kind of importance does he have to the sect?” One guard said looking confused and surprised.

“This is huge news, even I can’t believe what I’m seeing.” The other guard couldn’t hold back his curiosity either as he voiced what he was thinking.

Akata opened his eyes to find himself in a dark location. He looked around and couldn’t see anything not even his hand in front of his face. He couldn’t feel any wind, didn’t feel hot or cold, or did he feel pressure from anything.

“Hello.”

The sound didn’t echo or anything it just stopped. As if it wasn’t even there to begin with. Not only that but he could barely smell anything. All his senses had been restricted in this place.

‘I wonder what this place is. It is so peculiar and strange. It’s like I’m in some kind of secluded dimension or something. Did Second Elder place me in here? I read that only people in the Nascent Rank has the ability to open their own dimension, and even then it isn’t as big as this.’ Akata was at a loss and couldn’t figure out if he was in the process of taking the test or not. And if he was, what did he have to do.

Akata eventually sat down in meditation and tried to use his nature sense to feel the environment. He tried to spread his nature sense out but it felt like something was blocking it. It was only able to spread out about a meter. ‘Even my nature sense can’t spread out. What do I do?’

Akata didn’t get up but instead sat there in meditation trying to figure out what to do to get out of this place. He came up with many ways and even tried them out. He tried forcefully breaking his way out using his body strength, but all it did was push the air aside. He tried running as fast and as far as he could, even using his [Shadowfeet] skill, but to no avail. He even attempted to cast his Astral Obliteration but even after multiple tries and finally succeeding, it still couldn’t break through.

“What the WHAT?! What kind of place is this. Nothing I try gets me out of here, I can’t even see where I am.” Akata was getting frustrated and couldn’t help but wail out to let loose some of his steam.

He took in some deep breaths and eventually calmed down. He sat back down in meditation to recover his strength. Two hours passed while Akata was in meditation when his eyes snapped open and he jumped up from meditation and rolled to the side.

Boom!

The place he was just at was hit by some kind of blast from something. Akata couldn’t see what did it or where it came from. All he did was feel the pressure in the area immediately become intense.

“Something is attacking me in here. How am I supposed to fight it when I can’t see, hear, or smell it. Is this what the test is? I’m supposed to fight this thing at a complete disadvantage?”

Akata didn’t stop as he ran away in the direction where it seemed like there was less pressure. He ran and ran but the pressure never lessened and in fact seemed to increase. “It’s getting closer to me? Looks like I won’t be able to run away from this thing then.” Gritting his teeth he stopped running, turned around, and threw out a punch with his full power.

The red rune in his soul region rotated under his command and when he threw his punch out the air was moved aside. But even after this, the pressure didn’t lessen in the slightest. “Did I even hit it? I can’t see or feel anything right now.” He was at a complete loss of what to do but then an idea rang into his head.

“All of my senses have been severely restricted but I still have my nature sense. I’m not able to use it while in motion though and it only spread out to a meter but it’s better than nothing.” He sat down and immediately calmed his mind in order to connect with his surroundings.

After a few breaths his mind was calm and he spread his nature sense out as far as it could go, then he waited for the right opportunity. He had to wait for his opponent to get in the range of his nature sense so that he could attack.

After about ten breaths of time, Akata sensed something enter the range of his nature sense. It was a creature about 3 meters tall with black fur covering its body. It had three canine heads and sharp claws that dug into the ground wherever it stepped.

“What kind of creature is this?” Akata thought but then put the question out of his head as he rotated his red rune and clenched his hand into a fist. He then immediately punched out towards the three-headed dog and sent it flying.

The whole process took less than a breath of time. Almost as soon as the three-headed dog entered his nature sense Akata had struck out. The dog was in the middle of unleashing an attack but didn’t even have the opportunity to do so. It was caught completely off guard. Akata moved too fast just then! And he had to because by the time he started rotating his red rune his nature sense was fading away.

“If I’m able to keep up my nature sense when I move then I’ll be able to fight way better in here. Well now that I finished that weird dog off, I should have completed the test.”

“Good job Akata.” A voice that was soft and angelic reached Akata’s ears. He instantly recognized it as Second Elder. “You have completed my test for you. All your senses are restricted in this place and therefore you have to rely on your divine sense to scan and feel your surroundings. Since you don’t have that you had to rely on your nature sense. Even though you had to use a different kind of sense you still completed my test, even if it was just barely.” Second Elder gave a light sigh and continued.

“Now that you have completed my test, you shall begin your training with me right away. The first part of training will consist of you staying in this place to enhance your nature sense. Until you’re able to use it while in combat for at least thirty breaths of time then you can’t leave this place.” After she finished speaking everything grew quiet as if she had never been there.

Akata was left there standing blank faced with his mouth gaped open. It was hard enough to maintain his nature sense for less than a breath while he was moving, now he couldn’t leave this place until he was able to maintain it for thirty breaths of time.

Akata sank down and sat cross legged with his eyes closed in meditation. After a while his eyes snapped open to show his red eyes glowing with determination. “If this is the training then I will complete it as fast as I can! I have no time to waste! thirty breaths of time isn’t much anyways so let’s get started!” As he thought this he rotated his red rune and let out a punch to the side where he sent another three-headed dog flying away. “Tsk. Only half a breath. To beat this training I have to beat myself!”

He closed his eyes again sank back into meditation where he spread his nature sense out.