Return of the Ace (2/3)

Ace turned around comfortably as his gaze settled on a muscular youth who had called out to him in a disrespectful manner.

But instead of flaring up like a sect master should or backing out like a coward, all Ace did was form a sword with his Frost intent which was weaker than his other laws.

This was a minor skill which was negligible and not even worth mentioning, but in such situations where it was inconvenient to gain the upperhand with a better weapon, forming a sword with his own intent was the best method he could do to solve the situation.

Ace didn't utter a single word from the start until now. Raising his sword and pointing its tip towards the youth who had addressed him disrespectfully as though he was prey, this action was more than enough to provoke that youth.

"Calm down already!" One of his friends who was closer to him tried to stop him, but to the youth who was currently fuming with anger, all he wanted to do was to punch this so-called sect master in the face.

If such a young person could become a sect master, then what are geniuses like all of us here considered as?

The youth wasn't the one with this notion, in fact, most of the disciples here were awaiting the start of the battle.

Their sect master may sound impressive based on what their elders and seniors have been saying, but until he proves himself truly capable and worthy of their respect, he would only be a sect master in name.

"Boulder Smash!" The young sect disciple ignored his friend as earth elemental energy gathered around his right arm, broken shards of earth elemental energy connected together flawlessly.

The muscles around his right arm bulged as he jumped into the sky and punched his fist downwards.

If this attack were to make contact, even a crater would be left on the solid and durable training grounds.

"Just because you're a sect disciple doesn't mean that the sect properties are for you to destroy." Ace stated this fact calmly as he kept his sword on second thought, frost energy gathering around the tip of his index finger as he nullified the heavy attack effortlessly.

"How is this possible?"

"No way!"

"Tiger's attack was actually stopped so easily!"

The youth who had initiated the battle against Ace was known by his fellow sect disciples as Tiger and even the seniors and elders call him by this nickname.

The reason was simple, he was someone who was raised up in a family who hunted ferocious predators such as tigers and lions for a living, but because his parents were just mortals in the end, an injury was unavoidable.

In an unexpected crisis in which a tiger who was supposed to be dead made its last attack, his father was unable to get away in time and even though his father was still alive, he was already crippled from his waist down.

As for his mother, he had brought her along with his father into the Nirvana Sect and arranged for them to live in his own dwelling. From what he heard, their sect master was capable of doing anything and as long as he performs well, he would be able to seek an elixir for his father to recover.

That was the only reason he enrolled into the Nirvana Sect in the first place even though his aspiration was to become someone who treated those predators and ferocious as friends.

"Sect master, please forgive me for my impudent actions, but everyone here needs to know just how strong our sect master is to build up such a sect with loyal seniors." Even though Tiger felt dejected in knowing that his father's recovery was most likely going to be delayed because of his actions, he held no regret.

Ace could see the brief pain which flashed in Tiger's eyes, but instead of asking him what the matter was right away, Ace acted as though he didn't see it and said calmly, "There's no one below the Four Domains realm who can threaten my life."

That was the confidence Ace had in the lower cultivation realm.

For those in the Martial Master realm or even Great Martial Master realm, it would already be a miracle if any of them could defeat him.

As for a Martial Spirit cultivator, even if he isn't strong enough to defeat them, there was no way he couldn't escape either.

The current him was probably the strongest for his age excluding a particular few from the Divine realm who suddenly made an appearance, believed to be part of the four saviors besides Ace.

But neither of them knew about the truth yet, but the maturity they behold and the strength they possessed was already recognised as a force to be reckoned with in a few more years.

"Sect master, are you serious about that?"

"I swear the rumors were concealing the strength of our sect master!"

"Our seniors owe us an answer!"

Ace listened to their words, but didn't voice out his concerns as he dispersed everyone after settling them down as the disciples returned to their cultivation state while another group was preparing to enter the Time Warp Dimension.

"Tiger, was it? Stay behind, if you have something to say, just tell me now. This is your only chance." Ace was doubtful for a moment if he was acting too confidently, but on second thought, this was the impression that he needed to leave behind to the new batch of disciples to begin with.

Compared to an amiable sect master who builds relationships with his disciples through conversations and spending time together, he would rather follow in the footsteps of most apex cultivators. He would make use of his strength to gain the respect of others.

TIger stopped in his tracks, hesitation flashing in his eyes before he came to a decision.

"Sect master, I hope to receive a recovery elixir from you that can help my father to regain strength in the lower half of his body below the waist." Tiger requested as he knelt onto the ground, only to be stopped by a gentle layer of frost.

"As a man, you shouldn't kneel to anyone in this world besides your parents or for anyone's sake. Remember, the moment you kneel down once, you would have thrown away your dignity and pride to become a lowly being." Ace said to Tiger as he pushed him back upright, his eyes staring into Tiger's eyes as though he was teaching him a lesson.

But yes, he was teaching Tiger a life lesson which he must never forget.

"I will remember your words, sect master." Tiger calmed down after some time passed as light rekindled in his eyes again.

"You can have this elixir, but on one condition." Ace took out a bottle which contained an elixir within, shaking it around before Tiger's whose eyes were lighting up.

"I agree." Without even listening to the conditions that Ace was going to raise, Tiger accepted the offer immediately.

One may say that Tiger was being reckless, but it was out of filial piety. Also, he had confidence that this sect master held no malicious intentions towards him.

"Pretty trusting of you, since that's the case, I'll cut straight to the chase here. I have managed to gather some background information of you from elder Cidd and it seems that you have a potential for becoming a beast tamer."

"A beast tamer? What's that?" Even though Tiger knew that it was bound to be a fortune for him to earn the trust of the sect master, he also understood that he was going to take up heavy responsibility for whatever task he's entrusted with next.

"A beast tamer is one who can control beasts that have been tamed by them, making them trustful allies to accompany them onto the battlefield and maybe even one day, become the trustable friend and ally of all demon beasts. Such is a beast tamer." Ace explained briefly, but Tiger already understood why Ace had chosen him.

It was his dream to become one with the demon beasts, not to become part of their race, but to become their close friend. If this was the case, then he would strive hard to become a beast tamer even without Ace telling him to if he had heard about this profession earlier on.

"Sect master, where can I learn the arts of beast taming?"

Ace laughed when he saw the pure excitement shining in Tiger's eyes as he took out what seemed like a crystal.

"I don't need to hear your words of gratitude, from the moment you gain access to the knowledge within the crystal, keep the shattered crystal a secret and never tell a second party about it. Remember my words, I expect great achievements from you."

Ace left as though he had never appeared in the first place, leaving Tiger clueless as to where he should proceed right now. Despite the burning desire to shatter the crystal right away and gain access to its contents of becoming a beast tamer, Tiger still decided to help his father recover first as Ace watched his decision making with a contented smile.

With this, another star was bound to rise in his sect. One that would have his name resounded across the cultivation world one day, accompanying him as he stands at the peak. That was the vision Ace saw and the high hopes he held for Tiger.

Yet, there were still more important matters to settle, especially the planning and division of areas for the organizations which included the privileges and territories they would gain access to.