The talent of Gutu warriors was considered to be set in stone. There is no way a bronze level talent can overcome a silver level talent, and there is no way a silver level talent can overcome a gold level talent. This steep hierarchy of power was thought to be insurmountable until one person completely shattered that concept. The Supreme Martialist!

He was a bronze level talent who was a Reinforcer. He came from a mid-sized clan with a decent inheritance. During his generation, there was a Gold level talent from the Chikosi Royal Family, one of the three royal clans. The Chikosi focused on the body and were masters of reinforcement and lifeforce, thus their gold level talent was said to be a god in a man's form.

Never had he been injured by a weapon. Never had he bled from battle. He was said to be nigh-indestructible. Thus he was called Tendai the Immortal. He was not an immortal, but when he reached the peak of power it was believed his ascendance to immortality was a given, considering how impossible it was to kill him. His appearance ushered in a golden age for the Chikosi family, granting them unequaled power for many generations. But it all came to an end, thanks to the efforts of a bronze level talent!

It is unknown what caused this conflict, but at some point, Tendai the Immortal, the then Emperor of the Gutu Empire, chose to wipe out the Supreme Martialist's family. The Supreme martialist was a weak warrior at the time unworthy of entering the emperor's eyes. After his family's massacre, the Supreme Martialist disappeared and went into hiding. No one cared for it as he was merely a bronze level weakling.

But decades later he returned as a peak level powerhouse, and challenged Tendai the Immortal to a duel, much to the shock of the whole nation. Somehow he had managed to overcome his limits and reached the peak level of cultivation, with an incredible achievement in body cultivation.

The two fought for many days and nights, and when the battle was over the result shocked everyone. Tendai had perished in battle! This sent shockwaves across the whole empire. A bronze-level talent had somehow transcended the limits of his body and defeated the ultimate gold level body cultivator of the same level! The very concept was absurd!

Afterward, the Supreme Martialist achieved immortality and left to explore the cosmos, leaving behind his legend. No one knew his true name, nor was his face known as he was masked during his challenge. All that was known was that he was a part of a midsize clan that had been wiped out by Tendai the immortal, and that his challenge was vengeance for his family.

His legend became a motivation for others to surpass their limitations. However, it was still the mystery of how he had achieved the feat of surpassing his limitations. His whereabouts between his clan's wipeout and his challenge of Tendai the immortal were unknown. It was believed that the secret of his success occurred during this time. Unfortunately, it was lost to the sands of time and was unattainable… Until now.

"Hah!" Taku woke up with a start. The revelation of Sekuru Kaguvi's true identity was like thunder falling down from the ninth heaven. Taku facepalmed as he realized the opportunity he had just missed. As he was grumbling about his loss he failed to take in his surroundings.

"Boy, you sure took your time."

Chiwenga's raspy voice spurred Taku's attention. He quickly took stock of his surroundings. He was sitting in a simple room. All that was there was the bed he was lying on and the chair his master was sitting on. Taku quickly got up and bowed to his master, or rather he attempted to. He was groggy as he tried to bow but he swayed and landed on the ground in an unbecoming manner.

He landed on his behind a few more times as he tried to stand up. Chiwenga sighed in disappointment and waved his hand, "Boy, just stop and gather yourself. Get back on the bed. The effects of that pill are still strong."

Taku tried to heave himself onto the bed, and after a great struggle, he managed to get on. Chiwenga looked on and massaged his temples, while the eerie shadow next to him snickered in disdain.

"Master, what happened after you came?"

Chiwenga thought for a bit to collect his thoughts and explained it to Taku. He wiped out Kufa's army and destroyed her avatar. He collected Taku's body and went to a hideout that was nearby. Or rather it was nearby for him.

"What about the girl? Who was she? Why did she help me?"

Taku's question caused Chiwenga to frown somewhat.

"Don't worry about her. She has a rather unique identity. You are not strong enough to understand her true identity. Just know that she is an ally. She is the disciple of an old acquaintance of a man who has agreed to help you out. Don't bother about her. For now, focus on your own situation. You have been out for almost a week. You are unable to use zesa for a while. So you can forget rejoining your squad. Your training will also have to take a different direction from normal to adjust to your current situation."

Taku took his time to digest the elder's words. After a moment he

looked up and said, "What about my sis-… I mean Kufa? What do we do about her? She is hellbent on capturing me."

"Don't worry about her either. That acquaintance of mine bought you some time. He made a deal with the royal family, so they won't bother you for ten years."

Chiwenga's words shocked Taku, just who was this 'acquaintance'? And why was he helping him? Not to mention that he was able to deal on equal footing with his family. The Gutu were incredibly arrogant, with his family even more so. Just what identity did this person have?

Taku put his thoughts in order and said, "You said my training will have to take a different direction? What did you mean by that?"

Chiwenga thought for a moment and said, "Your situation is a bit…special. So I have pulled some strings to get you to an environment that will allow you to get stronger. It will be extremely difficult, but I need you to pull yourself together. Ask yourself this, how much do you want to get stronger?"