Another Breakthrough

The platform was huge, about half a kilometer in diameter. Its black surface made it look like the land of death.

Following Hezekiah, Kirk made a step and disappeared from his spot. Holding his black sword in one hand, he reappeared a hundred meters in front of his opponent. They stared at each other, preparing for the duel. Well, Hezekiah looked more like he was about to take a nap. Kirk, in turn, furrowed his brows in concentration.

"Come on, show me what you can do with that sword of yours. Make your move," taunted Hezekiah.

"It's called claymore..." Kirk replied in a calm voice and immediately afterward darted in Hezekiah's direction.

"Cheap tricks!"

Not moving from his position, the latter waved his arm, sending Kirk's sword flying into the distance.

Kirk hastily retreated and looked at his bloodied hands. The pain from the broken fingers forced him to clench his teeth, but it only made his mind clearer. He got into a fighting stance, preparing for the opponent's counter-attack.

"Now show me what you can do without it." Hezekiah smiled coldly and took a step forward, turning into a flash of light and leaving behind a sizable depression on the ground.

His fist and Kirk's forearm collided, creating a massive shockwave that soon reached the audience. Some of the weaker soldiers immediately collapsed on the ground with blood flowing from their eyes, ears, and mouths. This shocking sight didn't last long, for Halifax waved his staff, and the injured men and women were instantly relocated to a safer distance.

"Fools."

He didn't give them a second glance.

Kirk rolled several times in the air but managed to land on his feet; a numbing sensation spread through his left arm. He didn't have much time to think before another fist came crushing at him with tremendous momentum. Following his master's teachings, he closed his eyes and took one step to the side, tilting his body ever so slightly. The fist brushed past his shoulder, tearing off the sleeve.

Without opening his eyes, he battled Hezekiah, gaining momentum with each second. His movements were perfect as he flawlessly switched between fighting stances. Finally, he managed to catch his opponent off guard and launch a sudden blow.

The audience was once again sent into chaos as another shockwave arrived, catching them unprepared. It traveled at such a high speed that not even some of the stronger soldiers had the time to react. It all happened too quickly, and one-third of them was now lying on the ground, unconscious.

Hezekiah effortlessly caught Kirk's fist in his palm and the fight continued.

"Milords, please, let's put an end to this madness. Our young noble has already proven his strength. The soldiers..." One of the green-robed elders suddenly spoke, looking extremely worried.

"They haven't even started yet. What's the rush?" replied the purple-haired woman in a calm voice.

"But..."

"Just watch."

She didn't bother with him any longer and proceeded to observe the fight.

Ten minutes flashed by in an instant. Kirk's body was bruised all over while he relentlessly tried to dodge the attacks. He couldn't use his injured left arm, so he was now even at a huger disadvantage. It would seem that the fight was finally coming to an end with the victor already decided. But suddenly...

Boom!

With a loud explosion, Hezekiah was sent flying high into the air. Landing on the other side of the platform, he brushed the 'dust' off his shoulders and stretched his back, nonchalant as ever. He smiled and said, "Want to play dirty?"

Kirk could only smile bitterly. This guy's body seemed to be forged from the legendary Draconic Steel. How else could he explain Hezekiah's total immunity to his physical attacks? In the end, he was forced to make use of his inner energy reservoir, which was the Profound Core. It was difficult for him to control this energy, most of which seeped into the environment, hence the explosion.

The next second, the elemental energy started to fill his body, attempting to restore his broken bones and torn skin.

Kirk grimaced, for the process was just too painful. He slowly sank to one knee, trying to cope with the unbearable torture. Soon, he noticed that something was wrong. His skin began to tear while his internal injuries became even worse.

The energy was wreaking havoc, trying to destroy the Etheric Body that he had so painstakingly cultivated all these years. He immediately tried to suppress the chaotic energy inside his body.

"Boy, I'd advise you to stop." Hezekiah became serious for the first time.

"I-I'm fine," Kirk replied, wiping blood from the corners of his lips.

"No, you are not."

The next moment, Hezekiah was already crouching beside him with his hand placed on his shoulder. He took out a pill from his spatial ring and said, "Swallow this."

After the pill entered Kirk's stomach, he felt as a warm flow of energy filled his meridians, going through each and every chakra point, a total of 256 of them. Seconds passed in silence, after which he stood up and examined his body, carefully stretching his hands and legs.

"I—"

"No, our fight ends here," Hezekiah said, stretching out his hand and grabbing the shirt that flew all the way from the other side of the platform. After putting it on, he said, "Let's go. We need to discuss some things."

Kirk started silently following behind as thousands of thoughts raced through his mind. Did he fail? Was all of this for nothing?

***

"Master, it was my mistake," he immediately apologized after they got off the platform.

"Yes, it was indeed your mistake. On a real battlefield, the cost would have been your life. Yet, you have successfully played your part in this fight." He smiled mysteriously. "By the way, have you noticed anything?" He pointed with his staff at Kirk's chest.

Kirk closed his eyes and concentrated on observing his inner world. His body had already digested most of the pill during the time they had spent walking back here. He suddenly realized that the area around his Profound Core was getting hotter by the second.

Soon, the feeling spread to his entire body and entered his sea of consciousness, or in other words, his soul. His mind instantly became hundreds of times clearer, allowing him to see the clouds in the sky as if he were looking at his own palms.

"This is..." Kirk was at a loss for words. The changes happened too quickly without requiring his participation whatsoever. It's as if he leaped past a stage in cultivation just by breathing in and out a few times.

"A nice feeling, isn't it? Hohoho."

"Master!" Kirk immediately bowed. "I won't forget the kindness you showed me today."

"This is the privilege that comes with strength. In this world, those who are strong can only get stronger or perish on their path. Remember this well."

"I will."

"Alright, can we finally move on?" Peregrine's grumbling voice sounded from under his hood. "A while ago, I received a message. On the way here, those old farts came across each other and formed their own group. Now they are heading straight toward the southwestern parts of the Forbidden Territory."

"Greedy bastards! They want to claim all the credit for themselves, and they are doing it on my territory!" Hezekiah shouted angrily. "Fuck! Summon the officers, all 140 of them! Tell them that I, Hezekiah Basil, am going to personally count their asses at the main square in ten minutes!" He ordered one of his subordinates, who was already sweating buckets, and then turned back to the experts behind him. "I hope no one has any more doubts about our young friend Kirk. If you do, spit it out now."

"Young noble Brighthawk." Peregrine ignored Hezekiah and spoke straight to Kirk, "My advice is for you to stay here. You won't be able to change much anyway. Why take such huge risks?"

"Senior, my father has gone missing. How can I stand aside and watch? I'm sure that senior would have done the same for his parents."

"Ahhaha! Yes, except that I would have visited the place to make sure their bodies were rotting well with thousands of worms..."

"You've got your answer." Hezekiah was too bored to listen to that fellow's story, so he decided to nip it in the bud. "Everyone," he cleared his throat and continued, "We shall meet outside the walls in less than fifteen minutes. I'll be waiting for you there."

After saying that, he disappeared as if by teleportation.

Peregrine's hood trembled for a moment before he also disappeared without a trace. The rest of the group choose to walk on foot without resorting to weird movement techniques. A quarter of an hour later, all of them were already on their way toward the Forbidden Territories.

***

Half a day later.

A carriage with a beautiful young lady, dressed in all green, found its way out of the dark, gloomy forest. The rain washed out the roads, adding a few hours to their journey from the Fifth Southgate City.

Just as before, a voice from an unknown direction greeted the travelers, "State your name!"

"Kathryn the sixth of the Evergreen family and her two guards! We are in a hurry!" the lady shouted back.

"Did you see an eagle in the sky?"

"What?"

"Did you..."

"I said we are in a hurry! Here, take a look!" she said and threw her identity medallion out of the window.

Boom!

The ground shook as the medallion got destroyed by a powerful blast of energy. Immediately afterward, the whole area became filled with powerful auras that locked onto her.

"Miss, exit the carriage with your hands up!"

"Are you blind?"

Her aura also exploded, clashing one against twelve.

A moment later, standing outside the carriage, she took out four of those medallions and threw them on the ground. During the entire time, her body and soul experienced extreme pressure.

"Here, take a better look," she said, her face cold as stone.

The same grey-robed elder who came to greet Kirk and his squad appeared on a relatively safe distance from the carriage, wielding a silver sword in each hand. His gaze shifted to the ground as he examined the medallions. After a while, he smiled awkwardly and said, "Lady Kathryn, on behalf of the Commander-in-Chief of our sixth garrison, welcome to our small town."

"Count yourself lucky," she replied coldly but felt secretly relieved. "These roughnecks need to be taught a lesson," she thought secretly.

"Show us the way."

"As you wish."

***

The guards at the first checkpoint were nervously watching the scene unfold in the distance. They preyed for the intruder to be weak enough to be dealt by the twelve grey-robed elders.

Soon, they saw as a noble-looking young woman in her early twenties with two muscular guards behind her were led by an old man with a three-pointed star on his robes. Both of them breathed a great sigh of relief.

"Could she be?" Derek suddenly thought, and after seeing her face, he finally established her identity as the one for whom Kirk's letter was meant.

The quartet quickly reached the first gates. Derek immediately greeted them and suddenly said to the lady in green robes, "Miss, I have been tasked with delivering this letter to you. The sender was a young man around my age."

"Hmm?" Kathryn gave him a passing glance before taking the letter and opening it.

Her lips curled into a warm smile.