Sharv returned to the same place from where the Death Hall Master had begun chasing him. He came back to the resting building and entered his room.

  The Vice Leader treated his wounds and gave him a new white bandage to wrap around his face again. It was one of the rules of the Society’s entrance trials that all participants had to follow.

  “Haa!... I almost died back there…”

  Sharv said as he lay down on the bed. That moment began replaying in his mind the time when the Death Hall Master had been chasing him. The dagger strikes aimed at him had been terrifying and powerful. But more than that, the thing that left the deepest impact on Sharv’s mind was the arrival of the Society Leader.

  That had been completely unexpected something he had never even imagined. When he used to live with his uncle Harshvardhan and his cousin brother Anuj, he had often heard about the Society Leader of the Crimson Heaven Society, about how powerful he was.

  People used to say that if he wished, he could even pierce the sky.

  At first, those words had seemed like mere rumors to him. But now that he had seen the Society Leader face-to-face, he understood one thing clearly; those rumors were not false at all. In fact, it now felt to him that those rumors actually underrated the Society Leader.

  In reality, he was far more powerful than what people claimed.

  ‘And along with that… he is quite cunning and shrewd as well…’

  Sharv thought to himself, recalling how the Society Leader had demanded proof of his manhood. From the outside, it had seemed as if the Society Leader was simply speaking casually, or even joking. But deep inside, Sharv understood what he truly wanted.

  In reality, he was trying to extract information from Sharv trying to find out how he had obtained lunar energy despite being a male. He kept emphasizing Sharv’s masculinity, even implying that he might be impotent.

  The intention was clear; to make Sharv either feel ashamed, get angry, so that he lose control due to humiliation and, in that state, reveal how he had acquired lunar energy.

  However, Sharv responded without any trace of shame or anger. In truth, he had not felt embarrassed or furious at all. He knew that the Society Leader was merely trying to manipulate him for information. But it did not work on Sharv.

  Back then, when Sharv used to live at his home, he often overheard his father and the elder members of the family talking; discussing important things regarding their clan. From those conversations, he realized how much people could hide within their words, how they would subtly hint at things, and how easily information could be extracted just through clever conversation and manipulation.

  When he became a slave at the age of eight or nine and spent five years in the Five Lotus Sword Manor, he observed the same thing, that words carry immense power. There are hidden layers within them, especially when someone is trying to coax information out of another person. The way people speak and conduct conversations can be crucial in such situations.

  This skill of handling words is not something one is born with; it is learned and understood gradually over time. Sharv had been doing exactly that observing and understanding. And today, his observations had proven very useful.

  However, if the Vice Leader had not intervened them midway and brought up the matter of the Abyssal Shakti Kundalini Body, who knows what else the Society Leader might have asked? Perhaps, in the end, he might have succeeded in extracting information from Sharv.

  Sharv still had much to learn to truly master this skill, but for now, this was enough.

  ‘Black Spear King… he must be just as powerful in reality…’

  The thought arose in Sharv’s mind. The Black Spear King was counted among the five greatest and most powerful martial artists in the Indian Subcontinent, and the Society Leader of the Crimson Heaven Society was also one of them.

  So it was certain that he was probably as strong as the Society Leader—perhaps even stronger. He must have opened his sixth chakra, the Ajna (Third-Eye) chakra, or at least be on the verge of opening it.

  If Sharv were to place himself before people like them, he would be no more than an ant, something that could be crushed at any moment. He was nowhere near their level. If things continued like this, his intention of revenge would remain nothing more than a fantasy.

  In this world, strength is supreme in one way or another. And the one who does not possess it can never fulfill his dreams or intentions, can never turn them into reality. If he wanted to make them real, he would have to become powerful.

  If Sharv wanted to stand equal to the Society Leader and the Black Spear King, he would have to become stronger, no matter how. Only when he became powerful would he be able to bring his revenge into existence.

  ‘I will become strong… no matter what happens… no matter what I have to do… no matter how low I have to fall… I will still, become strong…’

  Sharv swore to himself inwardly and stood up.

  ‘What happened? Why did you get up?’

  Sharv’s master; the spirit of that woman, spoke from within the sacred thread tied around his wrist. In response, Sharv said,

  “I need to practice that claw based martial art you taught me about. By the way, may I know the name of that martial art?”

  ‘Twelve Calamity Hands—That is the name of this martial arts technique. It has twelve forms in total. Of those, only the first four forms are claw-based. The remaining eight forms; four are palm-based, and four are fist-based.’

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  “Twelve Calamity Hands…”

  Sharv said while looking at his hands. He urgently needed to progress in using this technique. Until he opened his next chakra, he would have to slow down his cultivation a bit and focus on martial arts instead.

  “How much longer do I need to keep practicing its basics?”

  Sharv asked, to which his master replied,

  ‘Didn't I already tell you?... Until you completely understand the nadis in your hands and fingers. You must continue practicing the basics until you reach the point where, with mere thought alone, you can make your prana flow through your nadis. Do you understand?’

  “Haa!…”

  Sharv let out a deep breath.

  He understood how long he would have to keep at it. But making prana flow through the nadis, especially through the correct nadi that play a crucial role in performing that specific technique, was extremely difficult.

  Even so, no matter how difficult it was, Sharv would definitely accomplish it.

  “Alright, let’s beg…”

  Sharv had just started, when Vijay spoke,

  ‘Sharv, there’s something I wanted to ask... Why did you give them your real name? Won’t that cause any trouble?’

  Sharv remained silent for a while, then calmly replied,

  “Don’t worry… nothing will happen. And besides, I didn’t tell them my full real name. Haksar is not my real surname. They only know my first name, Sharv and nothing more. There’s no need to worry so much about it. Anyway, I’ve used fake names many times before. So even if they try to look up my name in any record, they won’t find anything about me.”

  ‘Okay… if that’s what you think is best. But in my opinion, you should have used a fake name.’

  Vijay said again, and then Sharv’s master spoke as well,

  ‘Yes, you should have used a fake name. I even told you that at the time.’

  Hearing this, Sharv’s eyes turned serious for a sec, but immediately afterward he gave a slight laugh and said with mild embarrassment,

  “Yes…Yes... you’re right. But to be honest… when I saw the Society Leader’s strength, I was actually, quite frightened. And scared. Because of that, my real name slipped out by mistake at that moment. Forgive me for that, Master. It won’t happen again.”

  Vijay also admitted that he too had been frightened after witnessing the Society Leader’s power.

  He could understand what Sharv must have been going through at that time, amid such tension, he might not have been able to control himself.

  However, entirely different thoughts were running through the mind of Sharv’s master; that woman.

  ‘What a liar! This kid wasn’t even afraid of me when we met, so why would he truly be afraid of that so called Society Leader? Tch! I didn’t thought he would understand my move so quickly…’

  Sharv’s thoughts were somewhat similar. On the outside, he appeared calm, but inside, he was in a very serious state of mind.

  ‘How cunning this woman is!’

  The truth was that the woman; Sharv’s master—had very cleverly laid a plan to control him. She did not do much openly, she merely kept guiding Sharv and offering him her thoughts and suggestions. It might sound strange at first.

  After all, what trouble could possibly come from taking someone’s help? And Sharv was already taking help from his spirit servant, so what was wrong with that?

  Sharv had thought the same thing. That was why, without much thought, he had asked the woman for her help and opinions on many matters. And she had indeed helped him properly. But the real issue lies there only.

  Sharv had no problem taking her help when he genuinely needed it, like when he wanted to understand martial arts, or when he had to escape from the Death Hall Master’s grasp. At those times, the woman had helped him, and Sharv was grateful for it.

  But the problem arises when this becomes excessive.

  For example, when the Society Leader had asked Sharv for his name. Even a child could have understood that, given the situation, that he should provide a fake name. He had no need for any help or suggestion at that moment.

  He did not need assistance for something so simple.

  Yet even then, the woman was telling him what he should do—as if Sharv knew nothing himself. Did he really need someone’s help even for such a small matter?

  Absolutely no! Otherwise it will become a habit. And this is why this was dangerous.

  If Sharv started taking her help for every little thing, then gradually she would bring him under her control. Sharv would become dependent on her and would no longer be able to think independently.

  Imagine a king ruling a Kingdom. He cannot run such a massive kingdom on his own, so he must rely on others for help. That is why he appoints ministers. And among those ministers, there is a Chief minister who directly assists the king in making decisions and giving counsel.

  But if the king begins to seek his Chief minister’s advice on every single matter, then slowly the king’s own authority will begin to fade. If he starts asking his Chief minister about everything, then what role does he even have left in the Kingdom?

  And then slowly, slowly, strategically the Chief Minister would keep growing his power and influence by keeping the king under him control.

  On the surface, it would seem that everything is under the king’s control. But in reality, the true authority would not lie with the king. It would be in the hands of the Chief minister.

  The real control of the kingdom would belong only to the chief minister. Thus, the king would become only a ceremonial head in the kingdom.

  A useless ceremonial head, with no realy authority.

  Similarly, if someone becomes dependent on another, what role will they have left in their own life? What will their existence even mean?

  What is even the meaning of life when someone doesn't even have the ability to think for themselves?

  Those type of people are nothing more than, puppets. An useless, and worthless puppet, who can be thrown away whenever their controller wants to.

  Here, Sharv is the king, Vijay is the minister, and Sharv’s master that woman is the Chief minister.

  He doesn't wants to get controlled by her, like a useless puppet. He wants to maintain his own control.

  And about the reason; why he told the Society Leader his real name?

  It's because because at that moment when he was about to say a fake name just as his master had told him, right at that the moment he realised that something was not right.

  He questioned himself, does he really needed her help in this simple situation? His mind went in deep thought during that time. Thats when he realised how cunning that women really is...

  When he met her first she was proud, little arrogant too. But after she became his spirit servant, she changed completely. And that change was only for Sharv. To Vijay, she was still that proud and little arrogant women.

  While for Sharv, she became excessively helpful and friendly. Way too much friendly in such a short period of time.

  How is that possible?

  While he was thinking all this, time was ticking fastly in the real world. And when Society Leader asked his name loudly by the second time. Then by accident his real first name (Sharv) slipped through his mouth.

  That's all...

  Sharv does not want that woman to stop giving him advice or helping him altogether. No! He simply wants her to offer her help and opinions only when necessary. Only when he wants.

  Nothing more. Just when he truly requires it, then only.

  ‘I will think carefully before asking her for any help or advice next time.’

  Sharv resolved inwardly.

  He knew that his master knew that he had already realized her plan. And his master also knows that, Sharv knows that she already knew that he realised about her plan.

  But, both of them remained silent, because they also understood that they could not directly control one another. But indirectly, they certainly could.

  It was only a matter of opportunity. One mistake, one wrong move. And it's over for the other party. They both would need to be cautious from inside all the time, while trying to be harmless on the outside all the time...