“You could have used the child’s life to make Yan Nanfei stay, my lady. I refuse to believe that he would allow any danger to come to his own child.”

That was Wei Youya, the man many knew as the “Director” of the Convent of the Pious Rose.

Only he could speak with such frankness to the irritable Canoness Superior and not suffer her wrath.

The Canoness Superior was lazing on a chaise lounge with only a gossamer-veil robe that barely concealed her womanly curves. “It was only with her final order that we managed to keep him pinned here. Even so, he rather served as a male attendant at Rose’s Allure than serve the Convent directly in the true capacity as a retainer. We know how headstrong he could be, and he’s not stupid too. Ordinary tricks would never work on him anymore. If anything, I guess he might be stronger than he once was before.”

“Did he not just lose a duel against Li Zhiyuan?”

“Yan Nanfei is a gifted warrior with extraordinary physical properties. The last time he lost a fight, his powers grew substantially. Right now, for more than ten years he had maintained being a Class IX warrior. It would not be long before he reached Class X now that he’s just lost another duel. The Convent lacks the wherewithal to keep him here anymore.”

“Heh heh, spoken like a woman who still retains feelings and admiration for him, my lady.”

“You’re sailing perilously close to the wind, Wei Youya!”

The Canoness Superior growled sternly all of a sudden.

But Wei Youya clearly was no stranger to enduring the Canoness Superior’s irascible temper. He boldly waited in silence before he added, “But Yan Nanfei is not yet our biggest concern, my lady. We should be more worried about how Moonbliss had gone with Li Zhiyuan. We would be unable to explain ourselves if and when they come for her.”

“Explain ourselves? They should look for Li Zhiyuan instead. There’s no way the Convent could afford to make an enemy out of a twenty-one-year-old Class X champion. No matter what, we’ve lost Reverend Carnage and that’s enough sign that we’ve done our best,” said the Canoness Superior with nonchalant insouciance.

“If only it were that easy, my lady…” Wei Youya sighed.

…

“A Class X champion… That explains it…”

The High Patriarch of the Priory of the Four Seas managed a bitter smirk.

“If only we knew about this, then I could have spared ourselves the losses of all Four Prelates at least… Sending them was only sending lambs into slaughter but it’s too late now…”

“You there! How long till my son returns?”

“If without delay, Your Holiness, he should be back here in five days.”

“Five days?! Li Zhiyuan’s coming in three! What the hell is keeping him?! Is he coming back in five days just to collect my remains?!”

“A-Apologies, Your Holiness… But he said that he is held back by something of the utmost importance. But he had sent his finest servant to ride back here as quickly as he could and is expected to be here the day after tomorrow. Additionally, we’ve sent a pigeon to Arcusstone to ask for their help in delaying Li Zhiyuan.”

“Oh? Arcusstone’s agreed to help? That’s interesting…”

…

In the next few days since he had made his declaration, Li Mu did not keep himself indoors to focus on his training and recondition himself to be ready for the showdown. Instead, he toured around Rydorburg with every bit of the semblance of a wealthy playboy on a lavish vacation.

Was this confidence?

No one knew. But every pair of eyes in the city were on him.

The Priory of the Four Seas had become so strong that Arcusstone was the only militant order in all of the Northern Steppes that could match it in both strength and influence. Overpowering and domineering, the Priory ruled with terror and cruelty, annihilating anyone or anything who would dare oppose them with impunity, and that made everyone hate them.

Hence when Li Zhiyuan declared that he would vanquish the Priory and raze it to the ground, it was a notion that many cheered for.

Not only Li Zhiyuan was powerful and deadly, but he was handsome and also dashing, instantly making him the object of many female warriors’ affection. Great houses and noble families all came to him, piling proposals for a suit at his feet, hoping that he would marry their daughters — even as concubines — and allowing them to clinch his support as a formidable ally.

Faraway at the stronghold of the Creed of Divinity heard about this too.

A sparrow tore across the skies, flapping its wings vigorously until it finally landed outside the great hall of the Creed’s stronghold.

Grand Master of the Creed Lu Chuan raised a hand and the bird landed on his finger. He removed the scroll fastened to its leg and read its contents. The message filled his eyes with a sparkle and his face was alight with joy and delight.

His very self trembled with the tides of overwhelming emotions as he was moved to warm tears welling in his eyes.

“Praised be to the Heavens! Are you seeing this, Teacher?! Are you seeing this, all your forebears of our beloved Creed of Divinity?! Brother Zhiyuan has succeeded! The golden days of the Creed of Divinity have finally come!”

The glad tidings came like a relief and all the burden, suffering, and humiliation that he had endured finally gone in just the blink of an eye.

“Men! Assemble everyone! I have something to address every member of the Creed!”

Lu Chuan cried to an acolyte.

The order’s best sixty acolytes gathered at the main square outside the hall. Sixty pairs of eyes homed in on the Grand Master Lu Chuan, who looked absolutely elated.

“Everyone! Troubled days are at hand. I am announcing a quick evacuation of the stronghold. We are to find a safe haven somewhere temporarily,” Lu Chuan said loudly to the acolytes who had been nothing but loyal to the Creed through thick or thin.

Everyone’s face twisted with disbelief and shock.

“What’s going on, Grand Master?! Is there another invasion coming for us?!” Another young acolyte blurted out loudly.

Lu Chuan decided not to keep the truth from his acolytes. He told them everything about what happened at Rydorburg, sparing no details at all. “Elder Li has been victorious in his northbound crusade. Aside from the Priory, every other of the Creed of Divinity’s enemies had been wantonly vanquished. It’s only a matter of time before the Priory falls too. But we are at a precipice, men! The most important hour that we cannot falter! At the moment, we are Elder Li’s greatest weakness. If anything happens to us, so fails Elder Li’s crusade! To that end, we need to evacuate this stronghold temporarily to prevent that. So long as we survive, Elder Li shall remain invincible. And so long as all of us survive and Elder Li is triumphant, then even if we lose this stronghold, we can easily rebuild! We shall take refuge in the mountains until the day the Priory falls, where we, the Creed of Divinity, shall once again reveal ourselves to the world.”

“Heavens… Does that mean that Elder Li has reached Class X?!”

“Hahahah! What a sight that would be!”

“GLORY TO THE CREED OF DIVINITY!”

Injected with sudden fervor and exhilaration, all members of the Creed began chanting and cheering jubilantly, most notably Fang Mei and Fang Yuan, who were most especially delirious.

The entire order immediately packed their things and withdrew from the stronghold, venturing deep into the wilderness of the mountains where they vanished out of sight.

And Lu Chuan’s predictions did him credit. Came sundown, a horde of hooded men barged into the stronghold of the Creed of Divinity, only to find it empty and deserted.

“Dammit, they’ve bolted.”

“Heh, the Creed of Divinity, eh? The Creed of Cunning, more like. You really have to give it to the Grand Master for knowing how to slip before we arrive… Well, that makes things trickier…”

“Let’s search the mountains nearby. If nothing turns up, then there’s nothing more we can do.”

The leader of the band of assassins made plans to scour the vicinity. But most of them already knew that their undertaking tonight was fated to be in vain.

…

At Cloud Nine Lodge of Rydorburg.

Li Mu was just coming back from another day of pleasure and profligacy when Mr. Wei, one of the Lodge’s overseers, was already in the foyer waiting for him. “Welcome back, sir. You have a guest and he’s been expecting you.”

“I thought I left instructions that I’m not interested in receiving guests,” Li Mu answered coolly.

He has hardly any reason in making friends with those who only hankered for his influence and power.

“It’s different this time, sir,” Mr. Wei smiled apologetically, “This is a messenger from Arcusstone. I’d believe it’s in your interest to meet him at least.”

“Oh? Arcusstone? Well, lead on then,” said Li Mu, feeling intrigued.

Arcusstone. The strongest religious and militant order in all of the Northern Steppes and the de facto leader of all warriors with absolute dominance. With power and influence at their fingertips, Arcusstone has and always been the adjudicator in all conflicts within the domain of warriors.

And the reason for that was simple: Arcusstone has the only Class XI champion in all of the Northern Steppes.

But to Li Mu, Arcusstone has been nothing but an enigma.

That was why he came to Rydorburg. It was not only to exact vengeance upon the Priory for what they did to him before but also to meet the mysterious Class XI champion of Arcusstone. Li Mu needed to find out if there were ways for warriors to achieve immortality once they reached the zenith of their pursuit.

For this was pertinent to whether he would be able to make it back or not.

Moments later.

Li Mu was shown to a room where the messenger of Arcusstone was waiting.

It was she, a young lady fresh in her twenties. Despite her fair and fairy-like beauty, all Li Mu could feel was the stern pride and aloofness that stemmed from being a representative of the strongest and most powerful order in the lands.

As soon as Li Mu stepped into the room, he could almost see the insides of her nostrils as she regarded him with chilly contempt, “You’re Li Zhiyuan? What a ruckus you’ve caused and the peace that you’ve broken. Let it be known that Arcusstone does not look kindly upon such behavior.”

“Huh?”

What Li Mu anticipated to be an amiable discussion turned out so poorly that he lost all interest to talk.

This was definitely not the meeting that Li Mu looked forward to.

“Word has it that you wish to raze the Priory of the Four Seas to the ground?” the young messenger stared at Li Mu and found no reason to stop her prattling, “Perish the thought. Trust that we’ve been lenient by not punishing you for what you’ve done lately. Arcusstone does not tolerate unrest in Rydorburg. Or do you think that you’re so powerful and unstoppable that even we have to fear you?”

Li Mu merely smirked and gave no response. He sat down and reached for his cup. After a sip, he finally answered, “What I’m doing is what all people would do in our world: seeking justice and exacting vengeance, for me and for my order, the Creed of Divinity.”

“You’ve dispensed more justice and vengeance that you needed to, young man. The Four Prelates of the Priory are dead by your hand. Allow me to be the mediator. Trust me, an enemy is one too many. Let me help make peace for both sides,” said the young messenger with such indifference as if the deaths of the Creed meant little to her.

“Then where was Arcusstone when the Priory slaughtered our acolytes and murdered our Grand Master in cold blood? Why didn’t Arcusstone come forward to make peace for both sides too?”

“What is this? Blame?” the young messenger hissed with indignance that filled the room with cold fury while her voice rose a few decibels. “You dare hurl your puny blames at Arcusstone? Watch your tone, young man before you’ll regret uttering those words.”

Li Mu was hardly amused himself. “I am only here in this meeting only because of the admiration I have for Arcusstone and its might. A tiny little Class VII warrior like you would have long been dead otherwise.”

“WHAT?! HOW DARE YOU!” The female messenger slammed a fist into the table. “I’m warning you, Li Zhiyuan!”

“Get out of my sight.”

Such simple words, but the power and strength they carried created such a deadly sonic wave that battered ceaselessly at the female messenger. Not only rendering her dizzy and discombobulated that red began trickling out of her nose and mouth, but the force of a battering ram pummeled into her, knocking her off her feet that she crashed out of the windows and crashed out into the garden terraces below.