Chapter 81: Chapter 81: Begin
Until the middle of the night, Vahn spent time with Seraphina. He asked for more kisses, wanting to taste her lips more, and she complied submissively, equally interested.
While doing so, she also asked about his future plans.
Specifically, how would they go against the Seven Great Holy Lands when they were so weak?
In reply, he said, "I have a good idea, Seraphina. But for now, we’re going to enter that Secret Realm and steal as many resources as we can. Then, we will head to that place."
Seraphina looked worried.
"Why do you need to go to that Secret Realm, Vahn? That secret realm is not only filled with Spirit Beasts, but also the Five other Saintesses will be there too. What if someone finds out about your true identity and tries to kill you?
Lilith can’t enter since she’s a fugitive. And my offensive powers are very lacking. I won’t be able to protect you even if I wanted to.
I think you really shouldn’t go there."
Vahn gently pulled back from their embrace.
His gaze remained focused on her. "Seraphina, I know your concerns are genuine, but we have no choice. The Seven Holy Lands are vast and powerful. To fight them, we need resources—not just a little, but enough to rapidly increase our strength.
That Secret Realm is a treasure trove, and the opportunity won’t come again soon."
He touched Damien’s face saying, "As for the other Saintesses, I am sure this disguise can help me pull it off. Besides, my Shadow Transformation Art is far more advanced than you know. And my overwhelming Light Affinity is the key. It allows me to sense their spiritual probes, including the Drunken Master’s. I can evade them all."
He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a low, intense whisper. "As for your fear of not being able to protect me, don’t worry. I am stronger than you realize. I didn’t come here just to steal. I came here to use this opportunity to create something precious; something that will be vital for our future plans. It is a risk we have to take to gain the power we desperately need. Do you trust me?"
Seraphina responded, "Yes. I trust you, Vahn," with hopeful eyes.
---
Vahn left Serenity’s Peak when it was middle of the night.
From there, he directly went back to the cave on Drunken Master’s Peak and started cultivating with mad fervor.
He had everything ready; now all he needed was a higher cultivation base.
He had just two days until the competition started, and he hoped to reach the Peak of Foundation Establishment or maybe form a Golden Core, if possible.
And that’s how his secluded cultivation began.
He closed off all connection from the outside world completely.
Even when Veerion came to meet him, or Kimon came to guide him to the Inner Court as he was new, he still didn’t leave.
They were helpless...
But thinking he might be at a major point of breakthrough, they didn’t disturb him again.
The Drunken Master used his Spirit Sense to pry a few times, but he only saw Vahn’s unmoving shadow, sitting cross-legged, deep into meditation.
"Sigh, I hope this brat doesn’t turn out to be a cultivation maniac..." he muttered before going to his business: drinking wine.
In the blink of an eye, two days passed.
[ Status ]
[ Name: Vahn Necrotis ]
[ Title: Master Storyteller ]
[ Lifespan: 17 / 150 ]
[ Physique: Void Refining Physique ]
[ Cultivation Level: Foundation Establishment - Stage 9 ]
[ Cultivation Arts: Art Of Healing (Verse - 1), Nine Heavens Lightning Swords, Dream Manipulation Art, Shadow Transformation Art, Ancient Shadow Summoning Art, Infernal Spirit Summoning Art, Fire Phoenix Wings ]
[ Elemental Affinities: Light (Bonded), Darkness (Innate), Lightning (Merged), Fire (Bonded) ]
[ Special Skills: Divine Cook, Saber Mastery, Curse Monarch’s Halo ]
Vahn glanced inward at his Dantian, which had now completely transformed into a Spiritual Ocean of potent, liquefied energy.
He had condensed millions—no, precisely 99,999,999 droplets of Qi, entirely converting the gaseous energy that once filled his Dantian.
The reason for this speed was the evolution of the Void Refining Manual’s Second Technique. The Black Vortex had responded to his ambition and will, evolving into a true Black Hole that devoured all incoming spiritual energy like crazy, delivering potent, liquefied Qi on the other end.
Without this sudden, heaven-defying evolution, Vahn never would have made it to Foundation Establishment Stage 9. His requirement for breakthrough at each minor stage was massive, demanding energy that would take any ordinary person years to accumulate.
Yet, this monstrous requirement was not without its benefits.
He felt almost ten times stronger than before. Ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators were nothing but inexperienced kids to him now.
He had a vast, deep reservoir of energy to feed his demanding Heaven Grade Arts and Weapons.
Coupled with the Void Refining Physique’s incredible energy regeneration speed, he was a terrifying contender poised to overwhelm any participant.
The world still remained ignorant of his astonishing, Heaven-Defying cultivation speed.
But the time had come. They would all soon witness Vahn Necrotis’s true might.
---
The whole Imperial City was electric.
Spectators from 20 Empires, and countless smaller kingdoms had already gathered in the Radiant City.
In just a few hours, the long-awaited clash between the continent’s top prodigies and Saintesses would commence.
The Royal Colosseum, a colossal marble structure capable of holding up to ten million souls, was rapidly reaching full capacity.
The air inside the city walls buzzed with a constant, low roar and the collective sound of a realm eager for spectacle.
The VIPs and nobles, cloathed in fine silks and radiating spiritual pressure, were escorted to their reserved skyboxes with calm, entitled ease.
But down in the main stands, chaos reigned. Ordinary pass holders were forced to navigate a crushing, desperate tide of people just to reach their benches. Scuffles and brawls erupted every few seconds; elbows were thrown, curses were spat, and flashes of minor spiritual energy flared as onlookers literally fought over the best vantage points.
"Bastard! Get your filthy hand off my railing! I’ve been here since midnight!" a burly man roared, shoving a student.
"Look at that! Isn’t that the Third Prince of the Azure Kingdom? I hear he has a chance to be chosen by the Fire Saintess this year!" a woman whispered excitedly, straining her neck.
"Yeah, I think Saintess Of Fire has a great chance of being at the top spot."
"Nonsense," a gruff voice countered. "The only one worth watching is the War Saintess, Aria Stormsong. Her talent is untouchable."
"Brother, I was so eager to watch Saintess Of Darkness dominate the battles like last time, but alas, I heard she will not be joining this time."
"I feel you brother. She was such a strong warrior. What a shame."
The sun finally crested the horizon, its first golden rays sweeping across the city’s vast rooftops. As the light struck the colossal granite façade of the Colosseum, a deep, resonating gong echoed, drowning out the ten million voices for a single, pregnant moment of silence.
DONG!
The sound signaled the start of the Seven Saintesses Competition.
In the center of the massive arena, surrounded by protective barriers and a palpable tension, all the key figures were in position. All the prodigies stood ready, and all the Saintesses were in their respective ceremonial spots, their auras like beacons in the dawn light.
However, unseen by the millions and unsensed even by the powerful elders, shadows of a greater evil lurked. They were a dark current beneath the excited surface, a fate no amount of cultivation or military might could yet perceive.
The stage was set, the players were ready, and the whole world was watching, blind to the true forces at play.
How this Competition would end up, and what catastrophe it might birth, no one knew.