Cade enabled all the protective formations built into the training hall and watched the air shimmer for a moment before the barriers sprang to life. He then dragged his weary, battered body into the coffin, filled to the brim with fresh blood essence. He had made the right decision to spend some of his crystals on an oversized corpse of a Rank 2 desert stomper, though at the time he didn't expect the bloodseeker's blood would cost him half of everything he owned. It was a slow, bulky, and mostly timid four-legged herbivore of enormous size, its height comparable to the largest man-eating apes. Desert stompers were known for their succulent meat, but other than that, the creature had no special uses. This made it much cheaper per pound than any other second-tier carcass, though still fairly expensive overall. For Cade, who needed a lot of Rank 2 blood, this was the most efficient choice by far.

  He was originally planning to use its blood for cultivation, but right now, he needed some of the essence to help him recover as swiftly as possible. Even though his sixth sense appeared dormant, Cade didn’t want to spend any more time than necessary in this weakened state. At least Oasis provided a semblance of safety.

  Thanks to his insight ability, he knew the exact scale of his internal injuries.The long list included torn muscles, ripped tendons, cracked bones, and ruptured organs. If not for his high pain tolerance, he strongly doubted he would have been able to remain conscious. On the outside, his body looked like it had fallen into a meat grinder, his skin marked with dozens of bleeding fissures.

  This was one of the reasons he decided not to return to the inn for now; he didn’t want anyone to see him like this. More importantly, he wanted to avoid answering any questions in case some overzealous elf decided to call the authorities. Within a day, all his wounds should be fully healed and his appearance restored.

  He still couldn’t get over the recent situation. Not only did he have to spend a ridiculous amount of crystals due to that girl’s obsession with seeker blood, but he was also forced to flee like a dog from her Master—or somebody else of comparable power. There were now less than 70,000 crystals left in his ring, which should be enough to afford admission into the Sword Dao Monastery, but he really needed to save up more so as to not be left with nothing once he paid the fee.

  He had less than six weeks until the trial. His best option now was to hunt peak Rank 2 creatures and sell their carcasses on the beast market. This way, he could gather potent blood and still sell the corpses for a decent amount. After asking around, he found out there were very few cultivators who ever had to pay more than 50,000 crystals for admission to the monastery, and a vast majority ended up paying much less. Knowing his luck, he’d be told to hand over double this amount. Closing his eyes, he submerged himself in the blood and focused on recovery.

  “Good morning, Daoist Ward! We’ve not seen you for a few days. Was everything here to your liking?”

  Cade smiled broadly upon receiving this cheerful greeting. It was the same elven receptionist he had met the first time he stepped through the doorway of the Hanging Leaf Inn—a beautiful woman of indiscernible age. For all he knew, she could be old enough to be his grandmother.

  “Thank you, Miss Ameria. Everything is great. I was a little busy, that's all,” Cade answered politely, heading towards the stairs when the woman stopped him.

  “Daoist Ward, just a moment please. I know you’re probably in a hurry, but we have a letter waiting for you,” the receptionist smiled apologetically, handing him a sealed envelope.

  “Oh? Alright, thank you.” Cade grimaced upon observing the emblem pressed into the wax seal. Naturally, it was a symbol of a black sun; what else could it be? He offered the receptionist a strained smile before taking the letter.

  “If you’d like, you can leave a reply here. The messenger will be back to collect it,” she added. Cade nodded in response, the cogs of his mind already turning at full speed. Is this what Master Lao Ren meant when he said that as an Asura, I’ll have little respite? Or do I truly have shit luck?

  Sighing, he broke the seal. After unfolding the square piece of paper, his pupils widened almost instantly. Well, well. Since this old man decided to offer some sincerity, how could I refuse?

  “Golden Dragon” was one of the more famous restaurants in the city, known for its extravagant dishes and proportionally high prices. His eyes swept over the numerous swirling serpents carved into the wooden facade, the restaurant’s front plainly visible from his position on the opposite side of a broad street. Like most streets in Oasis, it was mostly empty, barring a few mortals traveling by rickshaws and a young couple unhurriedly walking to some unknown destination, maybe just taking a stroll to enjoy each other’s company. With so many cultivators in the city and no ban on flying, the vast majority of traffic took place above their heads.

  The Asura stretched his life sense into a five-mile sphere. Other than one powerful expert inside the restaurant, there wasn’t anyone nearby that he would need to worry about. While it wasn’t rare to encounter many high-ranked cultivators in the city, middle and late True Core—or Muscular Enhancement, the equivalent body refinement realm—still wasn’t a common sight. Cade strongly doubted the old man would try anything while in Oasis. In addition, his danger sense maintained complete silence, which was the main reason he decided to come to the meeting. Well, that, and the 50,000 chiming tokens of sincerity he was offered. Without further delay, he crossed the road and entered the venue.

  The restaurant was extravagantly furnished, its walls and ceiling dripping with gold—not a place he'd choose himself. After being politely greeted, he asked to be directed to the right table, though of course, he already knew which way he needed to go. After walking up the stairs, the young waiter pointed him towards one of their VIP chambers. The Asura walked inside, hearing the waiter close the door behind him. He looked at the two cultivators seated on one side of a large, heavily sculpted wooden table, its legs carved into images of a coiling dragon. The girl was dressed in an elegant black gown with golden trimmings and still wore her veil, though it was now black as well. She stared at him with a slight frown. The old man sipped on tea, his face expressionless.

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  Cade cupped his fist, offering an additional slight bow to the elder. “Thank you for the invitation, Senior, Miss."

  The man pointed with an open hand towards the chair on the opposite side of the table. “Please, take a seat, young man,” he said in a voice weighted down by age, carefully putting down his cup. The young woman observed Cade’s every move like a hawk. The Asura nodded and sat down on one of the cushioned chairs. The elder then took out a plain silver ring, placing it on the table, and pushed it with his index finger towards Cade.

  “For your trouble,” he remarked as he turned to introduce his charge. “This is Jade Brightheart, the sole scion of the reigning Emperor Richard Brightheart. She’s set to inherit the throne, and if everything goes well, she’ll become the future Empress.”

  The young Asura couldn’t hide an expression of surprise, his brow rising slightly. “Cade Ward, a rogue cultivator.” He once again cupped his fist towards the young woman, politely rising from his chair before sitting back down. Only then did he pick up the ring. Inside were 50,000 crystals, just as the letter had promised. Nice!

  The elder continued, “As you might have guessed, Jade is also my personal disciple. It was she who wanted to talk to you. You two youngsters can ignore my presence and speak freely.”

  Yeah, right. I don’t think I’ll ever have a conversation where I’ll be speaking less freely than now.

  The heiress immediately skipped all courtesy, impatiently firing off her first question. “Was it you who killed Duval, Archie, and Roy?”

  “Who?” Cade blinked.

  Jade’s brow furrowed. “They were the three outer elders in my Master’s sect. Are you saying you don’t know them?” she asked with an inquisitive tone.

  Shit, this old man isn’t just some high-ranked Elder; he’s the damn Sect Master! “Should I know them?” Cade answered her question with one of his own.

  “Yes, because you killed them!” Jade exclaimed in an accusatory tone, pointing her finger at him. In the corner of his vision, Cade could see the elder’s chest deflate as he released a quiet sigh. He gently lowered the woman’s hand.

  “Calm down,” he said softly, then turned his eyes towards Cade. “My elders were in the wrong. No harm will come to you, so speak freely. My hot-tempered disciple had known these men since she was a child. As you can see, she is troubled by their unexpected death. She just wants to know what happened,” the old man explained in a quiet, tired voice.

  The Asura’s eyes flickered between the two people in front of him before he finally sighed. “That situation was forced on me. At no point did I do anything to offend these men; I’ve never even met them before they decided to rob me. I’m guessing they witnessed our exchange in the auction house and thought that my things should become theirs,” he shrugged.

  “Why would they want anything from you?! They were elders in the Black Sun Sect, the most powerful qi cultivator sect in the whole Empire. You must have provoked them somehow!” Jade said, her raised voice showing hints of building anger.

  Cade’s jaw tensed, but he forced himself to stay calm. The naivety behind this accusation astounded him. If he wasn’t being paid to be here, he wouldn’t have come, but he couldn't pass on 50,000 crystals. He began to realize what was likely going on. It seemed the young woman in front of him had lived a mostly sheltered life, and this elder was using him to expose her to the ugly reality of the cultivation world. Apparently, she had to hear it from someone directly involved in order to be convinced.

  “Princess…” he started but was immediately interrupted.

  “Call me Jade. We’re far away from the Empire,” she cut him off impatiently.

  Cade nodded. “I’m just a wandering cultivator. A nobody. You’re right in saying that those three elders shouldn’t have wanted anything to do with me. And yet, where there are benefits to be gained, there will always be people willing to do anything to obtain them. I’m not sure if you know how prohibitively expensive it is to be a cultivator. What the outer court elders earn is a drop in the bucket compared to what they need to progress at a decent rate. Some will take on additional jobs; others… well, they might resort to robbery. This isn’t the first, nor the last time someone would have tried to steal from me. It’s a rather common thing, I’m afraid,” he calmly explained.

  Jade’s eyes were focused on him all that time, her slight frown still present. When he finished speaking, she glanced questioningly at the elder, who gave a small nod. “I thought they followed you to discuss buying back the bloodseeker’s blood…” she said, her tone no longer as confident.

  “They probably weren’t interested in the blood. Trying to sell it would unnecessarily complicate their situation. Dark deeds such as these are best done in secrecy. I’ve never been part of a sect, but I can imagine many elders at the top of the hierarchy don’t reward theft or murder, especially in the case of a respected, well-known sect,” he noticed the elder’s jaw muscles ripple. “Those three wanted to kill me, snatch my ring, and destroy my body as swiftly as possible. That would have been the best outcome for them. I’d become yet another missing person nobody cared about. I honestly doubt it was their first time doing such a thing,” Cade stated with brutal honesty.

  “I… I had no idea…” Jade’s eyes glistened, her voice quivering. She couldn’t imagine the mild-mannered Archie, the always-smiling Duval, or even stern Roy turning into heartless killers. While living inside the imperial castle, she had never had to worry about resources; everything was handed to her. She realized she didn’t even know the value of spirit crystals; to her, they were just numbers without deeper meaning or cost attached.

  Cade sighed internally as he observed the change in emotional fluctuations within her life signature. This girl might have been hot-tempered, but apparently, her heart was in the right place. A very uncommon trait in cultivators. “I’m sorry. Such is life. One has to take the good with the bad. Most of us are people you should never place your trust in, as long as you can avoid it,” he added.

  Jade’s shoulders sagged as she sat with what was probably a rather dispirited expression under her veil. After a moment of silence, she lifted her eyes, placing her gaze on Cade. “Would you at least consider selling the drop of blood to us? We need it badly. We will pay you well,” she asked in a pleading tone.

  His eyes narrowed slightly. Being too curious isn’t good for longevity. Still, what need could be so dire?

  “Miss Jade…”

  “Call me Jade. Our ages aren’t that different, and my status here doesn’t really mean much,” she once again interrupted him, but this time her voice was subdued, her tone devoid of any loftiness.

  Cade smiled lightly. He wasn’t one to judge a whole group of people by the actions of a few; nonetheless, he had expected nothing good from the Brighthearts. This girl was the Emperor’s daughter, yet she had nothing in common with the likes of Marius and his children. “Jade, I’m afraid I’ve already used the blood. I’m sorry. If I had another drop, I’d gladly sell it to you. Sadly, I do not,” he said with a softened voice.

  Her shoulders slumped. Although Cade couldn’t see her face, just from the way her eyelids dropped, he knew she was saddened and disappointed. He didn’t need her life signature for that.

  “If you don’t mind me asking… why do you need so much of it? To my knowledge, one drop is enough for any pill.” His curiosity finally got the better of him.

  Jade glanced at the elder with hesitation, who offered her an almost imperceptible nod. “I suppose it’s not really a secret anymore… the Tower alchemists can use the blood to prepare a miraculous pill that can regenerate the pre-core of one of the Empire's heirs. He was recently mutilated in a vicious, unprovoked attack. Luckily, we only need two more drops!”