Evan and Vivian, still aching and sore, slowly made their way toward the village visible on the horizon… walking in silence along the faintly worn path…
""Hmmm… Status,"" he said in his thoughts.
....
[STATUS]
[NAME: EVAN SOL]
[RACE: HUMAN]
[BLOODLINE: Sun Dragon (Unawakened)]
[AGE: 9 years / 4 months / 28 days]
[LIFE SPAN: 81 years / 11 months / 17 days]
[CULTIVATION: Energy Gathering Realm [9]]
[BODY: Initiate Universal Body]
[GRADE: |Top|Low|]
[…]
[SPIRIT ROOT: ELEMENTAL]
[GRADE: |Grand|Mid|]
[…]
...
""Hmm… ever since I broke through to the 7th sub-stage, my projected lifespan increased by over two years… I wonder how much it'll change once I reach the Foundation Establishment Realm?"" he muttered to himself curiously, still deep in thought as he continued walking, lost in contemplation.
""System,"" he said again.
[Yes?] the voice responded in its robotic tone.
"What do you think—how difficult will it be for me to break into Foundation Establishment? After all, I haven't really encountered any bottlenecks so far…" he asked, still gazing at his status window, his tone thoughtful.
[The host's breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Realm should proceed without any obstacles, considering my presence,] the system replied in its monotonous, machine-like voice.
""…You're right… You did say earlier that thanks to you, I wouldn't encounter any cultivation-related hindrances… Still, I had to ask,"" he added, a little uncertain, continuing to walk forward.
'Thud!'
Suddenly, he hit something and stumbled to the ground.
"Ugh!... What now!?" he shouted, confused, looking up to see Vivian standing right in front of him—it was her he'd bumped into. But before he could say anything else, something beyond her caught his attention.
They had just stepped onto the main road used by both villagers and travelers… and the reason Vivian had stopped was now clear: three carriages, each pulled by two horses, were stationed there. Surrounding the carriages were twelve individuals—likely guards or hired protectors…
Getting up, Evan walked over to Vivian and lightly touched her shoulder.
"Why'd you stop?... It's just some carriages… Sure, they don't show up here often, but it's not like they're a rarity." He looked at her, a bit confused by her reaction—especially since there were so many cultivators nearby. Still, he couldn't openly admit he knew they were cultivators—after all, no one could know about his little secret just yet.
Hearing his words, Vivian wasn't surprised by the question—but she didn't answer right away. Turning her head toward him, her glowing eyes betrayed the excitement she was feeling. After all, she'd never seen so many cultivators visit their village before… and she herself had only recently become one.
"Don't you see!?... They're cultivators!" she said excitedly, pointing toward the three carriages.
"Yeah… yeah…" he muttered while lazily waving his hand.
"…WHAT!?" he suddenly shouted, feigning surprise.
"…But why are so many of them here?" he asked, glancing at her, then back at the carriages, then again at Vivian—who remained transfixed by the sight.
"…I don't know… but I want to go over there!" she declared, eager to meet other cultivators.
"You're not going anywhere!" he muttered under his breath, then quickly reached out and grabbed her wrist. Just as she was about to take a step forward, she felt the grip on her wrist. Turning her head, she saw Evan's slightly worried expression.
"What's wrong?" she asked, confused by his reaction.
"You know… they might not be friendly?" he said, looking into her still-excited eyes. Hearing his words, her excitement dimmed just a little. She looked again toward the carriages.
"…You're probably right… but… surely it wouldn't hurt to go a little closer?" she asked, her voice a mix of eagerness and faint disappointment.
""It would hurt, dammit! How are we supposed to fight them if they attack?... You're exhausted!"" he shouted in his mind, clutching his head before speaking aloud.
"I'm younger than you… yet I have more self-preservation instinct, even though you're the cultivator," he said, shaking his head as he looked at her.
Vivian still didn't quite understand.
"So what are you saying?" she asked again.
"That they could kill us! And we wouldn't be able to fight back!... There are twelve of them, and the only one of us who's a cultivator is you—and you're barely standing! Not to mention we're both kids!" he half-yelled, and finally, she seemed to get it. Her eyes and lips parted slightly in realization.
But before she could respond, a man suddenly appeared behind her. Instantly sensing his presence, both children turned around and jumped back.
With a faint smile, the man said calmly, "Easy now…"
"What do you want?!" Vivian demanded, her voice a mix of warning and nervousness. Bystanders on the road, noticing the commotion, began whispering and watching.
Hearing her question, the man simply smiled and turned his head toward the carriages.
"Well… We don't really have a guide, and this village looks pretty interesting," he said, his voice betraying his interest in the girl—who, though no older than ten, clearly had a decent level of cultivation.
He turned back to them, thumb gesturing toward the caravan behind him.
The man didn't seem much older than thirty… His long blond hair was tied into a high ponytail. His face was rather average, though a slight stubble grew along his chin.
Hearing his words, Evan asked, "Why us?"
The man glanced at him and replied,
"Hmmm… I'm not talking about you... I meant her," he said, pointing directly at Vivian.
Hearing his words, Vivian looked slightly surprised—and even more alarmed.
"Why me?" she asked, her voice directed at the man. He once again smiled faintly.
"You see, little girl… You don't usually find cultivators in villages.
Especially not ones as young as you," he said, clearly intrigued.
"Hm," he added, then turned his head toward the middle carriage.
In the very next instant, he vanished, leaving only a trail of dust behind—and reappeared beside the central carriage. Lowering his head slightly, he asked,
"Yes, young master?"
His tone carried a trace of surprise at being summoned.
"Haaaa… this again…"
The young man sighed internally, clearly exasperated—yet still waiting for a reply.
"I want her," the boy said with a greedy, higher-pitched voice.
Hearing those words, the man was not surprised—only tired.
"Master… I don't think that's a good idea," he said, trying to dissuade him. After all, he knew it was highly unlikely that a girl that young wouldn't have a master.
At his words, the boy slowly turned his head. His eyes narrowed slightly, showing clear displeasure.
"Bring her to me… I don't care who her master is. I want her!"
His voice slithered like a venomous serpent dripping poison—weak, yet desperate to devour everything in sight.
Hearing this, the man lifted his head and turned toward two of the guards.
"Take her," he said with a tired sigh, already aware that this decision could spark chaos… or even a disaster.
"If that brat's mother wasn't a cultivator at Energy Liquidation Realm [6]… he'd never dare pull this kind of stunt,"
he muttered bitterly under his breath, cursing the boy.
Watching the whole scene unfold, Evan immediately sensed that something was wrong. The moment he saw the two guards picking up their pace and walking toward them, he grabbed Vivian by the wrist and turned back toward the path they came from. She still didn't fully grasp what was happening, her eyes fixed on the approaching figures.
"Vivian, we're going!" Evan shouted, gripping her tighter and trying to pull her along.
Instinctively, she began to run with him, but still asked, "What's going on?"
Before Evan could answer, he slammed into something.
'Thud!'
"Damn it!" he cursed, realizing instantly what he'd hit. Looking up quickly, he saw the figure: a guard—or rather, a cultivator—at the Energy Gathering Realm [8].
Vivian, still unsure of the situation, turned toward the man Evan had just run into and asked with a worried voice,
"What's going on?"
But this time, she wasn't asking Evan.
The guard reached out his hand toward her and said bluntly,
"You're coming with us."
Her eyes widened in shock. Reacting quickly, she jumped to the side, grabbing Evan's arm—but in the next moment, another man seized her wrist. His grip was firm as he spoke in a heavy voice:
"It'd be better for both you and your little friend if you don't struggle."
""Damn it! What do they want?! I have to do something… or they'll take her!""
Evan thought to himself, panic rising inside him. His face showed a flicker of helplessness—because he knew all too well: the first man to approach them wasn't in the Energy Gathering Realm. Not even close.
""What should I do!?""
His mind raced, but instinct took over. He reached out and grabbed one of the guards by the arm.
"Get your damn hands off her," he growled, his voice low and threatening.
But he had forgotten—his cultivation was sealed.
Hearing his words, the two guards began to chuckle.
"Hahahaha…"
But after a moment, their laughter stopped.
"A little brat like you dares tell me what to do?!"
"Know your place!"
'SLAP!'
A resounding slap echoed as the man struck Evan with full force, sending him flying backward.
His cheek was bright red, his vision blurred with stars dancing across it.
"Evan!" Vivian shouted, watching in horror.
She tried to pull herself free from the man's grip, but he tightened his hold and said coldly,
"You're not going anywhere."
Evan, lying motionless on the ground, lost consciousness.
And at the base of his neck, a strange rune began to glow—though none of them noticed.
Inside the carriage, behind its barred window, the young boy burst into laughter.
"Haahaha! That little insect thinks he can resist me?"
Tears of amusement rolled down his cheeks. But then—
"Master… you shouldn't behave like this,"
an older man with a short white beard said calmly.
At those words, the boy twisted his face into a scowl and turned toward him.
"Old Lu… don't tell me what to do!"
The elder didn't respond. Instead, he turned his gaze back to the carriage window.
When the boy heard nothing more from him, he shouted again,
"Faster!"
The guards heard the command and exchanged grim looks before picking up their pace.
"We're out of time. The young master is displeased," one of them muttered.
The other turned to look at him, but before he could say a word, he reached out and struck Vivian swiftly, knocking her unconscious. Then he slung her limp form over his shoulder.
"Let's go."
The first guard nodded, and in a flash, they were back at the carriages. They bowed slightly and said,
"Young master."
Hearing them, the boy stood up from his seat inside and opened the door, stepping onto the carriage's platform.
His face displayed a greedy, satisfied smile.
The nearby villagers, now watching the scene unfold, began to murmur among themselves.
"Wasn't that William's son?"
A man asked the woman beside him.
"Yes, that's him!" she replied quickly.
Others began speaking as well.
"Looks like things are about to go down."
Hearing the growing buzz from the bystanders, the elder known as Old Lu suddenly sensed something was wrong.
He quickly called out to the boy,
"Young master—we must go now!"
Then he turned to the guards and shouted,
"Load the—!"
But before he could finish his sentence, something crashed into the ground with a thunderous impact—and the earth trembled beneath their feet.
"Who dares—!?" the boy roared. But before he could say another word, the old man reached over, clamped a hand over the boy's mouth, and yanked him back inside the carriage.
"Quiet, young master," he said firmly.
Then he stepped out and gave a swift hand signal to the guards, who immediately surrounded the carriage protectively.
The boy, muffled behind the elder's hand, struggled and shouted,
"Old Lu! How dare you—! When my mother hears about th—!"
But before he could finish, the man who had first noticed Vivian earlier clamped a hand over his mouth to silence him.
Old Lu merely shook his head at the sight.
Then, turning toward the source of the impact, he lowered his head and raised his hands in a gesture of respect.
"How may this old one be of service to Senior?" he asked calmly.
But before he could lift his head again, a sudden surge of energy struck him like a wave.
He dropped to his knees, coughing up blood.
And from within the settling dust, a man stepped forward.
"I need nothing from you," he said, his voice rough and unwavering—filled with killing intent… though still restrained.
.
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I hope you enjoyed the chapter and don't forget to add the book to your library or maybe gift a humble Power Stone... I also hope you survived that slightly cringey scene – but well, it's part of the story. To be honest, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, and I really hope you liked it too. That's all from me for now – have a great day!