GACHA SOVEREIGN

"They are Sword Arena and Sword Pavilion. The first one is about an arena. The Peerless Sword God once said that one could improve tremendously in the face of enemies. That's why that arena was made to honor his words. And the three big influences usually used that place to discover talented people since the three gave the reward in that place."

"Ah, I see." Alex nodded in understanding. "All of them are giving the rewards, so they can invite the talented people there. Well, the three can combine or each year they can hold a contest of their own… Nonetheless, it is only a place where one searches for fame."

"Indeed. The second place is the Sword Pavilion. This one is a bit special. The Peerless Sword God said that many people still couldn't have access to cultivation, so he founded the Sword Pavilion to handle that.

"This Sword Pavilion is a bit weird. There is no one who handles it, and the three influences have agreed to not handle it and repel those who want to make it their own. However, there seems to be someone who controls the entire pavilion because it gives people Cultivation Techniques and Martial Arts if one manages to beat the trial."

"Trial?" Alex furrowed his eyebrows.

"Yes. The Pavilion always opens every ten years, and it judges someone by talent instead of cultivation. That's why whether you are weak or strong, you will have a different set of trials that suits your current strength. This allows many people that are known as trash to emerge and become a powerhouse."

"I see. That is a good place." Alex nodded.

"The three influences are sending their disciples to compete too, and I think we can join in another two years." She thought for a moment, calculating the time since the last opening.

"Since there is no limitation, have you entered that place?" He asked.

"Yes. I have once. Because the age limit is a hundred years old, I have entered it twice. The first time I got guidance on how to fight people without looking. And yes, that is a technique that enhances my senses. It's a special technique that suits blind people the most because they have been relying on their other senses since the start.

"As for the second time, I got another guidance about my high-speed movements. Unfortunately, it wasn't perfect during this whole time before you guided me to perfect it and turned it into a full complete dance." She smiled.

"I see."

"That's also where I was recognized by the people to the point they sent me this recommendation letter."

"It's your talent." Alex nodded. "Your talent reminds me of someone in my world. She is a Sword Genius."

"Ho?! To think there is someone you hold in high regard. And I am honored to be seen as the same as her." She smiled, feeling a bit better. "Though, you are still a freak."

"I have heard that a lot."

"But I don't think that is much of a problem. After all, if you have recognized people, it means they are really talented. That's why even if you didn't intend to praise them, people would still feel very happy, including me." She grinned. "I will work hard."

"Good luck." Alex nodded.

"By the way, there is something bothering me."

"Hmm?"

"Why do you sound like you are talking to me as if I am a child." She pouted. "Although normally people think of someone with lower cultivation as their junior, I am still older than you, you know."

"You have said the answer," Alex smirked.

"Is that really the reason?"

"Not really. I just have grown accustomed to this kind of style while teaching someone. You can say it has become a habit."

"I don't know whether that is a bad habit or a good habit." She sighed. "Nyx, you said that I need to see many worlds first before thinking about joining you, right?"

"Not exactly, but something similar to it."

"How about we make a bet? This is a bet between us."

"Hoh?" Alex smirked.

"Before you leave this world, I will make you change your opinion about me and think of me as someone equal. It might not be in terms of cultivation, but something else. I don't know what it is, but it's something like that. If I win, please tell me your real name. If I lose, I will join your influence in the future."

Alex widened his eyes, never expecting her to make such a bet. "The terms are against me, you know."

"Well, it's not like I will use your name for anything." She shrugged. "Ah, right. I will make sure you don't treat me as a little girl again. That's the terms."

"I guess that is fine." Alex shrugged.

"Hehe…" She smirked. "Are you ready to lose?"

Alex shrugged. "Lose and win won't matter."

Aria couldn't understand that but still got fired up. She added this challenge was not to challenge Alex to be honest. This challenge was for herself.

With a wall this big, she needed to improve tremendously during this period of time, so it was a good goal. That might also be the reason why Alex said Lose and Win won't matter.

After agreeing to the bet, Alex looked outside the window and realized that the monster seemed to have been trained that it could bring them without someone monitoring them.

Still, Alex wasn't really blown away by this because he had a few spaceships that could travel in outer space at a very high speed. That alone was enough for him to not get surprised by any transportations.

"By the way, I want to ask you something."

"Sure." She nodded. "What do you want to ask?"

"Are there any people in the Grayfig Family that have connections with the three sects? Or at least, God Rank Experts?"

"I don't think so. But concerning how manipulative their second young master is, I feel like they will soon have one. From my information, he is the one attending the enrollment today, so I need to eliminate him as soon as possible." She nodded.

"Want me to eliminate him? He is a potential threat to my identity as well."

"But I don't think I can find a place to kill him." She shook her head. "And he is not foolish enough to get into a trap like that."

"Certainly. There must be some sort of rules in the sect, and he will surely take advantage of those rules."

"Yes. There is a non-killing rule inside the sect. As for outside the sect, it's free for all. Of course, most disciples don't have grudges to kill others easily, but I think there are many cases about this. That's why the sect is a place for elites who can survive. That might also be the reason why the sect employs the favorite disciples instead of personal disciples."

"Hoh?!" Alex narrowed his eyes.

"Favorite disciples are a kind of the face of an elder. They are given a few more authorities, but the elders don't have permission to make them their personal disciples. That's why if they are killed by someone, no elders can't complain. And everything will be placed under the trials of all elders inside the sect, and the sect master will conclude it."

"I see." Alex understood a portion of it. In other words, it was a kind of personal disciple but with many restrictions upon them.

"At the very least, we will be fine as long as we stay inside the sect." Alex nodded.

"Yeah. The problem is that we have to be extra careful as to not get ambushed."

Alex looked down, falling into deep thought. He wondered whether he should summon all the N squads except Nelson here, but because they can't level up anymore without cultivating, he is hesitant to do it.

He might be summoning the other Rare Rank N Squad like Njomo, but only them, he thought. Not only was there a chance for them to be discovered, but they also couldn't keep up with their cultivation.

'I will deal with everything with Njomo for now. Maybe I will summon one or two before making a shift for them, so Ngina, Nicole or even Nelson can focus on cultivating. As much as I don't want to do favoritism, this is needed.' Alex thought while sighing inwardly.

They kept going for a few hours before they arrived in a forest. To go through this forest, they needed to fly above it by pouring more Spirit Crystal, but the entrance of this forest wasn't really surrounded by trees, so it would be fine to ride a bit more.

And this became a perfect place for the exchange.

They were stopped by a few people, including Aria's body double. The girl looked exactly like Aria, but the guards with her were far stronger than the one originally came with them. This would surely allow them to fool the enemies.

"Lady Aria. We have been waiting for you." The girl politely bowed.

"I am sorry for giving you all a dangerous job." She came out of the carriage while apologizing.

"Please don't apologize. Without the Cypress Family and Family Head, we would have died long ago." She smiled. "We want to pay them back by doing this, and there is no hard feeling among us because Master asked us instead of ordering us. In other words, this is all voluntary. And we don't have any plan in dying."

"I understand. I will leave it to you." Aria smiled.

"Yes."

"By the way, where is the ambush that Adrian has set up?"

"They are in a city three hours away from here, and they will keep up with us while moving. We have stationed a few people to send a signal to them as soon as the ambushers appear."

"I see. Don't die, you hear me?" Aria nodded with a serious expression.

"Yes, Young Lady. We will return safely." She smiled.

"The original guards are to stand by inside this forest, so they won't be suspicious of us. If they are not coming back within the time limit, all of you need to go back to inform my father."

"Yes, Young Lady."

"Then, it's time for me to go." She nodded, taking out a Teleportation Array Plate. She activated it and teleported with Alex.

They then proceeded according to the original route.

It took them around five days to reach their destination, and Alex kept using his Spirit Eyes during that time to ensure no one found them sneaking around. Aria also covered herself with a long coat that covered her body and hid her face with a mask.

If Alex utilized his God Rank's speed, they might arrive in one day by flying, but it would be hard to utilize it. Not only would it blow his cover away, but Aria might also not be able to keep up with that pace even with his help. Or the pressure coming from that kind of speed might be a bit too much for her unless he covered her with Divine Energy, which he didn't want to use.

Even so, the journey wasn't as boring as Alex expected because Aria kept talking about any information in this world, cramming every common sense they had in this world to make sure Alex could blend in.

Alex kept listening to her and talked about the sword to pay her back for this lecture. Aria might not be able to practice them for the time being, but she would know what she needed to do as soon as they entered the sect.

Five days had passed, and Alex saw a huge bustling city on the foot of a mountain range. In those mountain peaks, he could see many God Rank Experts staying there, enjoying the rich Spiritual Energy. However, there was one thing that caught his eyes.

It was a giant red gate.

According to Aria, that was the entrance of the Unsurpassed Blade Sect, and it seemed the gate could check someone's age. That was the first thing they needed to do since the elders in the enrollment process needed to confirm their age to see their talent.

Alex and Aria then went inside the city.