Unexpected Meeting (1)

"Wow, you really live up to your feisty reputation!"

the disciple exclaimed in shock, his eyes wide with amazement.

"I am Illyas,"

Illyas said with eyes arching up to a warm smile.

"I wanted to know how a starting disciple like yourself could put up such a fierce challenge against an outer disciple like me."

Deno nonchalantly shrugged,

"It wasn't much of a fight."

Ilyas couldn't help but admire Deno's humble attitude,

"But you had to face two other opponents before that? No starting disciple could perform such a feat, it takes a genius of the highest calibre."

Despite Ilyas's praise, Deno remained silent, as if he were dismissing his words.

"Yeah, you're right,"

Deno admitted, his voice low.

"After two opponents, I was defeated..."

Illyas's eyes widened in surprise, bending down placing his palms on his knees.

"Yes, after two whole opponents on your first day! Do you know how impressive that is? You don't, do you?"

Deno remained silent, his expression unreadable.

'Why isn't he responding?'

Illyas pondered as his brows twitched in frustration, contrasting with his well-maintained smile. It was clear that he wasn't getting anywhere with Deno.

"You still haven't answered my question, Deno,"

Illyas said, his voice now less appealing than it was before. His true voice, without any modifications, was now evident.

"I didn't do much and I didn't even win, buddy, you're taking advice from the loser of the fight."

Deno responded coolly.

Illyas's patience was starting to wear thin,

Both Deno and Adriana noticed the change in Illyas's demeanor simultaneously sensing the tension building between the two.

'Alexander, you better not do something like last time,'

Adriana pleaded, her voice filled with anger and urgency. Hearing her pleas, Deno nodded his head once in agreement, his gaze looking up to Illyas

'Alright fine.'

"Many do not know this, but I am the child of a great warrior, and his blood runs through me,"

Deno said with a grin, his arms crossed as he gazed up to Illyas who towered above him like a towering tree. Illyas's brown curly hair, unsymmetrical and wild, stuck outwards like branches.

"Ah, yes, many are the children of great warriors, but that does not show their prowess in any matter, besides their pure luck,"

Illyas said, parroting Deno's crossed-arm stance.

"Now that's something we agree on!"

Deno said, standing on the ball of his foot and taking a swift 180-degree twirl.

"I'm a child of god-tier luck!"

Deno said with a tone of slight amusement.

Illyas frowned, his fist clenching in anger, this nobody-starting disciple seriously had a death wish, all he did was be kind and yet this kid's arrogance severely pissed him off.

'What kind of bullshit is this!'

He thought. Surely he should be disciplined and who else to discipline Deno besides himself?

With a swift and powerful step, Illyas took hold of Deno's shoulder, his grip strong and unyielding. Deno's muscles rippled beneath Illyas's hand, and Illyas for a moment was shocked by the starting disciple's unparalleled muscles.

Could a 5-year-old even possess such brawn?

He could feel the strength and power within Deno, but it was nothing compared to the raw power that Illyas possessed.

"Where do you think you're going, junior brother?"

Illyas growled, his voice sharp and menacing.

Deno was halted, his entire body frozen by the disciple's titan-like grip. Deno could feel the power disparity between them and realized why the disciples were all separated by cultivation.

Deno was not foolish, he knew how to read the signs of a fight and could tell when an opponent was holding back. But at this moment, he was dwarfed by Illyas's strength and presence. The sun shone behind Deno, casting him in a golden light, causing his shadow to become titan-like but Illyas's shadow still seemed to eat his own up.

Illyas firmly took hold of Deno's arm and pulled him along, causing Deno to obey as he felt the crushing pressure on his shoulder from Illyas' grasp. Inner disciples were those who had achieved the 1-stage of cultivation, and this particular disciple, though older than Deno by many decades, appeared to be only 18 or so.

Deno couldn't help but feel frustrated, as he constantly had to deal with people who had been cultivating for countless more years than himself, despite being a starting disciple.

"Answer me, damn it! Where are you going?"

Illyas growled, his eyes blazing with anger as he loomed over Deno. He hissed, like a venomous snake ready to strike.

"I am... Going to buy mushrooms..."

Deno mumbled. He didn't have a response that could satisfy Illyas besides the truth but as he said it out loud, he realised how idiotic it sounded.

Adriana watched on in shock, she had never seen Deno so submissive, this was the first time he fitted the description of prey that she had ever witnessed. But instead of taking the moment in as if it were a fragrance of a perfume, she felt uneasy. Whether she liked it or not, they had grown close and whilst he seemed to be getting suppressed by this disciple it irked her like a scratch that she could never reach.

Illyas's stone-hard expression softened as a wide grin of pity spread across his face.

"Really mushrooms?"

he exclaimed, placing a palm on his face in disbelief.

"I might've believed you if you said to train, but mushrooms?"

Deno, trying to contain his annoyance, lowered his head and stared at his fire-red boots, which were now scratched and grazed from his previous battles. The boots he had been gifted by Martin.

"I said-"

Deno exclaimed, his voice tinged with frustration and exhaustion just to get cut off.

"We both know you're lying. Most disciples go on missions and many get lucky with an artifact, a herb or something of that kind, even fewer get lucky with a martial manual and even less get the inheritance of a once powerful martial warrior. Seeing as it's been your first day here, you were probably gifted some type of artifact or martial manual." Illyas said, his tone filled with scepticism and accusation.

As Illyas continued to speak, Deno's expression slowly shifted from indifference to a surprised grin. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was Illyas suggesting that he was being robbed?

Deno held himself back as he desperately tried not to go into a roar of laughter which would make his situation drastically worse.

"Wait, wait, wait. Are you robbing me?"

Deno exclaimed in shock. The unyielding fist was being robbed and he couldn't do anything about it?

"And what if I am?"

Illyas said with a frown, his gaze fixed on Deno's face as he waited for a response.

"Then I guess we have a problem here!"

A voice bellowed like a lion's roar, echoing through the bustling marketplace, as it was instantly sounded out by the surrounding disciples still going about their business. The voice belonged to Jeremy, his tone a warning.

Illyas gazed past Deno's jet-black uncombed hair, his piercing gaze like a hawk's, and glared daggers at Jeremy, who glared back, his eyes burning with a fire that could ignite the marketplace.

Jeremy began to march up to Illyas like a storm brewing on the horizon, both disciples maintaining eye contact as if they were locked in a deadly staring contest.

"Oh? Jeremy and, friends?"

Illyas said mockingly, a sly grin splattered across his face.

The tension between the two disciples was palpable, like a thick fog that suffocated the air, as they stood face to face.

The marketplace was alive with the sounds of disciples hawking their wares and other disciples haggling over prices, but all of that faded into the background as the two men locked eyes, their gazes intense and full of unspoken hostility.

As Jeremy approached, Illyas could see the anger simmering just beneath the surface of his opponent's calm facade, like a volcano ready to erupt.

Illyas smiled, it had seemed like Jeremy really thought he could put up a fight. He was a mere 4th stage cultivator, not much better than Deno, If not for his backing Illyas would've severely put him in his place.

"Hey, you alright Deno?"

Mearna said, her small smooth hand gently placed on his back.

Chase said, a smile spreading across his face like a ray of sunshine.

"Dude's a menace!"

Alena and Ally both stood behind Deno, their presence like a protective shield. Ally's gaze was sharper than a knife as her glinting-like diamond eyes glared daggers at Illyas. Her anger was a tempest brewing within her, ready to be unleashed at a moment's notice.

Illyas didn't bother with the other disciples and focused on Jeremy.

Illyas surveyed Jeremy with a calculating gaze, his eyes like lasers scanning the junior disciple's every move.

Jeremy stood tall and silent, his face an impenetrable mask that betrayed nothing of his thoughts or intentions. He knew that Illyas was an extremely talented disciple, though he could take all of them on at once without even moving, the one thing Jeremy had the advantage in was his backing, something that Illyas was known for within the sect for having trouble achieving.

"What do you think you're doing? Harassing a starting disciple,"

Jeremy said in a measured tone.

Illyas scoffed.

"I'm not harassing him, we were merely having a chat,"

he said, his words dripping with disdain.

"Even junior brothers can teach seniors a thing or two. Right, Deno?"

With a sly grin, Illyas tilted his head to look past Jeremy at Deno, who stood there, his face a mask of stoic neutrality. But inside, Deno was cringing with embarrassment. He knew that he was being saved by a group of kids, and the thought of it filled him with a sense of shame. At least Adriana's teasing had relaxed over time. In other words, if this were a few days ago, she would have been grilling him alive.

Despite his discomfort, however, Deno couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth and safety within the flock of younger disciples that had rallied to his defence. The feeling was foreign but it was also comforting and reassuring.

"You might want to watch out, Deno was brought into the sect by elder Nicholas, raised by the broad berserker martin and is the junior brother to us, especially the sun swan, ally."

Jeremy's words were like a sharpened blade, slicing through the air and piercing Illyas's ears.

Illyas's eyes widened at the revelation, like a desert flower blooming in the harsh sun.

He realized that the group was much more formidable than he had imagined.

Shaking his head, Illyas gazed at Deno's dantian and saw the pathetic potential, like a barren land that would never yield any crops.

Why would anybody back somebody so pathetic up? It must have been simply to get him to back off.

"So what?"

Illyas said leaning down towards Jeremy's unwavering posture.

"Where is Elder Nicholas, he hasn't been seen in years. Did you mention the broad berserker, why the hell would he bother with someone with the maximum potential of a 3rd class warrior? Oh yes, then there's you and the filler gang. I'm meeting Elder Xia soon as he's taken interest in me."

Illyas's smile got wider revealing his pearl teeth as he saw the dread on Jeremy's face deepen.

"If I wanted to, I could kill you all right now. Who would dare punish me as I become Elder Xia's only direct disciple?"

Elder Xia was the strongest in the sect, second only to the sect leader. Not much was known about him as he was stuck in seclusion for extensive periods of time but everybody knew one thing, he was searching for a direct disciple to pass his legacy down to.

Suddenly, Illyas seized Jeremy by his orange hair, his anxiety fueling his actions as he bellowed,

"You know what? I ought to really go through with it and teach my dear juniors a lesson."

Jeremy gulped as a bead of sweat trickled down his neck. He was forcing himself not to shake in fear, if Illyas was not lying then crossing Illyas, the future owner of Xia mountain would be devastating for the entire group.

Deno and the others looked on in shock,

'This rando was really that special?'

Deno asked Adriana puzzled.

'Didn't he say he was going to meet this Elder Xia? He never said he was already the disciple.'

Adriana responded plainly, there was no way that Illyas would actually go through with killing them all as there was no guarantee everything would pan out as expected for him.

As Illyas lifted his arm into the air, he sent it crashing into Jeremy's abdomen with the force of a battering ram. With a single punch, Jeremy felt as if he was on the brink of passing out, the wind knocked out of him out.

Deno, witnessing the scene, sighed. This kid, Jeremy, didn't know him that well and still stood up for him. He'd be an ass not to help the kid out after all this.

"If I give you what you want, will you leave? I promise neither I nor my friends here will pursue this further and I hope you won't either?"

Looking at Chase, Alena, Mearna and Ally, they all simultaneously nodded. The situation had gotten out of hand, they thought they had the advantage but it seemed that

Seeing this as a favourable solution, Illyas grinned and nodded his head.

"Alright."

Dropping Jeremy to the floor, Chase and Alena rushed to help him up.

Deno hesitatingly tossed the vile he had obtained from Ryan over to Illyas. It was supposed to be a treasure that even Adriana admired but it didn't matter. He wouldn't get many benefits out of it anyway, he had the Imperial Dragon's Cultivation to boost himself to the finish line.

"Take it,"

Deno said, the words bitter on his tongue like poison.

'It's worthless to me anyway,'

He thought.

Illyas caught the vile with one hand, his eyes glinting with greed as he examined it closely.

He knew that this vile was probably worth quite a bit if it had boosted Deno's abilities so much in such a short time. If he can use this when portraying his abilities to Elder Xia, then he'll be accepted for sure!

Jeremy, still struggling to catch his breath, glared at Illyas with a mixture of anger and disgust, but he couldn't get rid of the feeling of being touched by Deno's actions.