A voice lazily called out when the group arrived, “Who is at the gates?”

“We are here by invitation from instructor Yi De,” Kairos called out in reply.

When the gatekeeper heard Yi De’s name, he promptly opened the gates.

“Your presence has been long expected. Come on in,” he said.

When the group of nearly thirty entered, the gatekeeper received a shock and his face took on a strange look. He had not expected that except one person, all of them are children! And the only adult in the group seemed extremely laid back, walking at the side instead of the head.

It is common courtesy that the person with the most seniority should be the one who speaks first, yet Vouno had no intention to do so. The father felt it is time for Kairos to learn everything that is needed to be the leader. As a self-made noble, the boy will be facing so much more in the future and the arms of time would not slow down for him to be ready.

As the group walked in, the boys allowed their eyes to wander around the simple but beautiful looking sect. The place was unadorned with any kind of decorations. White and grey are the two primary colours everywhere.

In such a place, everywhere reeks of practicality, and the air itself is filled with more heavenly energy than they have ever felt before, tremendously more than the foot of the mountain.

Young disciples walked about in haste, seemingly hurrying in-between lessons. And aged masters stopped to give the group a sharp look, before returning to their business.

Kairos had heard from Jones before, that although many of the elders’ families belong to the clan, they also recruit young talents oftentimes. Therefore, the Solitary Blades could be considered as a clan, and at the same time, a sect.

Led by the gatekeeper, they continued towards the guest hall where the elders and leaders of the sect are already waiting. The presence of the group has long been notified by a crushed red talisman.

When Kairos’ group entered the hall, a stern voice resonated across from the other end, “Finally you arrive, you young rascal. Just where did you take my son?! How did he go missing?! Give me an answer!”

Being called out, Kairos walked straight across the hall and bowed slightly before the owner of the voice; the disciplinarian Head Instructor of Saint cadets academy. He could see the concern on the older gentleman’s face, and he did not blame him for being worried.

However, when Kairos straightened his back, he saw another familiar face among the others.

A pale face stared frighteningly back at the boy, and then the person swiftly turned towards Yi De and whispered in a subdued tone, “Please calm down elder Yi, I’m sure that this young fellow must have a reasonable excuse for us. Am I R..right…?”

The Head Instructor’s rank in the Solitary Blades clan is a Grand Elder, and it is right for him to be called ‘elder Yi’ in this place.

The one speaking then turned back to Kairos and asked with a panicked whisper, “And... By the w..way… Is T.thhat… one here as well?”

Aisa is here~

“AHHHH!!” the person shouted in shock as a girlish voice sounded in his head.

“Senior Ye! Are you alright?” a few of the higher-ups almost jumped out of their seats as they asked in concern.

This person standing among them is a legendary being, one that is only seldom heard about from the stories and old scrolls, and even more rarely seen.

It is a person who has such immense talent that he managed to transcend his mortal shell and entered the immortal realms. With merely a wave of his finger, he could defeat everyone seated here. And if he ever wishes to, the entire Solitary Blades clan will become history.

When he shouted, the others nervously reacted to him, fearing that they had somehow failed as hosts.

“C… call me Old Ye, this one could not call himself senior in front of her.”

“Her?”

The leaders of the set looked around carefully. Is another senior in their midst?

Although they could see nothing, their new guest appears to be even more powerful to make the immortal tremble like a student about to be reprimanded.

Old Ye~ let's go out and play!! Do you know a good place? Hehe.

“No esteemed one. I am unworthy,” Old Ye started talking to the air like a mad person, but one thing is clear. From the tone of his voice, he is trying his absolute best to weasel out of something.

At this moment, no matter how crazy he sounded, no one else dared whisper lest they accidentally interfered and be dragged into something they’d regret.

If a being that could wipe off their sect from the face of the map is acting meek and docile, then the best course of action for them right now is to pretend to be air: transparent and ignored.

The elders and the sect leader are all staring hard at Yi De right now. At this critical moment, this doting god-father better now lose his calm and shout at Kairos for answers, who knows if Yi De will become Wu De and Solitary Blades clan will become the Broken Blades clan?

At this time the immortal felt a pair of eyes looking at him. He felt like a tiny insect scrutinised under that gaze, and all the hairs on his arm stood on ends.

Hmm? Don’t worry, Aisa knows a place, I’ll send you there!!

“N…no wait! Wait!! Old Ye remembers a good place now. Please follow my humble lead!”

Without waiting for a reply, the immortal disappeared from sight in a flash, vanishing without a trace right in front of everyone. Likewise, Aisa quietly left Kairos’ inner pocket, and except the boy, none seemed to be the wiser.

…..

On the great plains at the bottom of the Solitary Blades’ mountain, an immortal and a divine dragon hovered in the air facing each other.

“Divine one, why have you called me here?” Old Ye asked politely. His voice sounded strained as he tried to keep himself from stammering.

Immortal Ye~ I want to thank you for the gameee! Hehe. Let’s play hide-and-seek here!

“W..WHAT? N..o! No need to thank me!”

Hmmm?

“I..I…I mean... sure,” he said with despair in his eyes, and defeat on his lips.

……

Meanwhile back at the guest hall of the sect, everyone had calmed down, even Yi De who was worried sick about his god-son. But the immortal panicking shook them out of their intensity, like a tub of cold water pouring over their heads.

The elders and sect leader finally properly received Kairos and the group, and then after the formalities are done, they worriedly asked about the trip back from Saint City and how Jones went missing. When they heard that Jones left on his own, their hopes of having a new lead were dashed.

“Seniors, why are everyone looking so grim?” Kairos asked.

Surely there is more to this than just a missing disciple for them to be this concerned?

Even if Jones is the heir to the Solitary Blades clan, he is not yet at the level where the entire clan is dependent on him, yet they are now behaving as it the end of the world is upon them.

Yi De, who has returned his senses, cleared his throat then spoke hesitatingly while addressing the other elders, “Perhaps the young Viscount has a right to know. They are as close as brothers and there is not a day Jones had not spoken to me about this boy.”

The Sect Leader of Solitary Blades nodded at Yi De who after getting the approval continued, “A little more than a month ago, our clan was visited by an ambassador from the upper realms. The one who just left moments ago called himself Immortal Ye, and he came with a mission to recruit Jones.

His sect, the Immortal Blue, proposed that in exchange for resources our mortal realm could not access we will send my godson over there as a shared disciple.

He will gain unbelievable cultivation manuscripts and training materials that we can never offer. However, without the boy’s acceptance, we old folks dare not accept it for him. Thus, the immortal had waited until today.”

Another elder interjected at this point, “Lord Kairos, our Solitary Blades clan had no illusion that those immortals had anything to ask of us. If we cannot find Jones, we fear…”

Kairos nodded, “It’s true that when truly angered an immortal may have little need for restraint in our realm, after all, every day of waiting in our realm, he is losing cultivation. But do not worry, I have met with this immortal before. He is very easy-going, I assure you he will not harm your clan.”

Kairos smiled at them.

The others smiled at him in return.

For a while, there is only silence.

At this time, Old Ye who is at the bottom of the mountain suddenly shivered uncontrollably.

Although the boy may not have said it openly, the elders of the Solitary Blades could tell that he has a way to suppress even an immortal. Though it sounded outrageous, they couldn’t help but believe in it.

He knows about the immortals’ plight of having their energy taken by the mortal realm, a secret that only the top executives of a great clan would know. And through Yi De, an instructor of the academy, they already heard about Kairos’ achievements.

Creation of unknown formations.

Creation of newfound runes.

Creation of a new weapon that could challenge across levels and even change the very fundamentals of martial arts in the empire.

And most recently, their rumours have reached them, that the Devilheart family and the Hope family had angered the Emperor, all because they offended this boy.

They trusted him. It wasn’t ‘despite he is only twelve’ but precisely because he is only twelve yet already had such wisdom.

Then Kairos declared, with the stubbornness of youth on his voice, “I will find Jones back no matter what. He is my brother!”

His voice begged them to trust him, and his eyes filled with confidence.

Although spoken by a boy centuries younger than any elder in this place, his words felt heavier to them than the very mountain they are sitting on.

A strange sense of relief blossomed in their hearts.

“Maybe Jones will really return!”

Kairos continued, “Does the esteemed elders have any idea which direction he was taken, what parties are involved, or any factions hostile to the Solitary Blades is a possible culprit?”

The elders quickly decided to tell him of whatever they know.

“You must have checked for his traces on your way here?”

Kairos nodded.

“Then, after parting from you from Rutea village, he might have crossed into these places instead,” an elder quickly unrolled a map in front of Kairos and pointed several places.

One of them is the forest towards the Solitary Blades Clan, and another is a small settlement named Tiny Town.

“We have sent our men to check out those two areas, but they came back with nothing at all.”

“To kidnap Jones without our detection, they must have rerouted this way,” another part of the map is pointed out, an area with a fast river and dangerous swampland. The marsh itself is filled thickly with miasma and poisonous fumes, but otherwise, it is empty of people.

Kairos nodded once again, their reasoning seemed to be correct.

“That is likely the direction Jones were taken. I will bring my friends to Tiny Town first and see if we can find any clues were overlooked.”

A few of the elders frowned. Although it is a prudent thing to suggest, they felt the boy had spoken as if he could do better than them. Everyone that could preside over this hall are wily cultivator that lived more than a century.

Yi De may know not to presume the boy by his age but a few old chaps were quickly becoming indignant.

The Head Instructor gave them a hard stare and silenced the rest.

The powerful gaze of a Disciplinarian Head made these old people act as if they were once again cadets in an academy. His clan leader did not stop him, trusting in his judgement.

Yi De said, “It will be great if the young lord could take a look around. Would you need any men from us for this task? Our clan can lend you, A rank protectors.”

Kairos thought for a long while but shook his head in rejection.

Having A rankers around will help them in their search mission, but the possibility that it would attract more attention than required will also increase. If their opponents, the kidnappers, catch on to their intention, it will make the tracking even harder than before.

More than their own safety, Kairos is concerned with what kind of drastic actions the other side may take if they were found.

And, practitioners that are three whole ranks above them would hardly be obedient to orders.

Besides that, there is also a possibility that the existence of Origin Energy may be leaked to an outsider. They will surely be using Soul Perception frequently to find the missing Jones, and Origin Infusion in battle. It would be unwise to seal these trump cards up because of outsiders. The number of questions he foresees they have to handle, from those ‘protectors’, will undoubtedly become tedious.

Of course, at this moment, the twenty members of Snowdrifts do not know of Origin Energy either. However, it is in Kairos’ plans to teach every one of them a tailored Origin cultivation method on this trip.

They are, after all, comrades-in-arms.

…..

Back at the foot of the mountain, the Land Wyrm is looking happily at the ongoing game. It had never understood why this activity is called Hide-and-Seek instead of Hide-and-Hit or perhaps more fittingly, Hit-and-Hit.

It had wanted to ask the creator of this game of the reason, but instead, settled to watch the game unfold.

As it is relieved of its usual role as a punchbag, the giant beast thought happily to itself, “TODAY IS THE GREATEST DAY FOR WYRMY!”

It flipped to the side, letting the warm sunshine on its belly as it took a well-deserved break from this dreadful game.