John noticed the man frown as he approached, a questioning look appearing on his face. He looked towards Kirii who lounged nearby, unsurprisingly near Suri, no doubt receiving head pats moments before John arrived.
John shook his head at his companions' bizarre fixation on head pats, shifting his gaze back to the father of the two youths. The father still had a frown on his face, his gaze thoroughly inspecting John. It was a gaze similar to the one Thunderzen had given him when they had first met, an ancient, studious gaze.
"This is the boy you spoke of?" the father asked Luri, who nodded his head eagerly. The man turned his gaze back to John, his frown deepening.
"What's the meaning of this ruse you are trying to pull on my children?" the man asked, his deep voice filled with questioning doubt.
John raised an eyebrow, finally arriving before the group, standing a dozen feet away from the others. He looked at Luri, who had a confused expression on his face, obviously not understanding his fathers words either.
"Ruse?" John asked with a frown, his gaze returning to meet the man's eyes.
"Luri said you broke free of chains made of pure Onyxium, and then fought against several Late Dao Transformation cultivators, and even a Half-Step World Expansion cultivator…and slew them," the man said. "Luri didn't tell me your cultivation, but I assumed it would have been at the Late Dao Transformation realm at the very least. You are only at the Early Dao Transformation realm, and so those feats described by my son are utterly impossible. The only explanation is you and those slavers are pulling some kind of ruse. So out with it, what kind of ruse are you playing here. Keeping your life will depend on the answer you give me."
"Father!" both Luri and Suri exclaimed, hastily rushing to his side. Suri pulled on his right sleeve, a pleading look in her eye.
"He's not pulling a ruse," Suri said, "he really did save us."
Luri nodded his head. "Right, and he really did fight against those slavers, and his strength was not fake. How could I be mistaken about such a simple thing?"
Their father gave them a quick glance, studying their faces. His eyes darted back towards John as he heard John laughing softly, a frown returning to his face.
"If I was playing a ruse with the others as you said," John said calmly, reigning in his laughter. "How would I have gotten them to agree to die for the ruse?"
"They could have been your slaves, commanded to do your bidding, even if it meant their death," the man replied without hesitation.
"True," John said, nodding in agreement, "but doing all this, just to get the trust of your two children seems like quite a bit of work for something so trivial, wouldn't you agree?"
The man raised an eyebrow but didn't refute John's question. The effort to do all this would not be nearly worth getting the trust of his children, as that really didn't amount to much at all.
"I get why you're skeptical," John said, still calm and unconcerned about the situation. He couldn't blame the man. Based on what his children had told him, John's combat prowess would have to be impossible, most likely even for the standards of this world. Without seeing it for himself, the only logical explanation was that some sort of trickery was taking place.
John studied the man, who continued to look at him with doubt. He sighed, and pointed a finger towards the man's head. His actions caused Luri and Suri to jump with fright, while the man narrowed his eyes, a stern look appearing on his face.
"Telling you won't make you believe me," John said, shrugging his shoulders, "so I'll just show you instead."
He had thoughts of just leaving, as this man was quite stubborn, but decided against it. The man had indicated that John's life was predicated on providing a satisfying answer, and so he decided to give one.
His finger lit up brightly with lightning, its power awe-inspiring. The man's gaze narrowed further, his arms pushing his children behind him. His own aura began to climb, ready to destroy John in an instant if need be.
In one swift motion, John swept his hand out to the side and unleashed a beam of lightning. The beam traveled several miles before arcing downwards, crashing into the ground. The ground instantly became engulfed in a massive explosion, one several miles wide. The explosion blasted over their position, enveloping them in the explosion. The man shielded Luri and Suri from its power, which faded away a short while later.
A massive crater had been formed where the lightning had landed, the ground turned molten from the power of the explosion. The two youths stared at the result of the explosion, eyes wide, filled with awe. The man stared at the crater, his frown slightly lessened.
He turned his gaze back to John.
"Impressive," the man said, studying John once more, "while that proves you are no doubt a genius, that power was still not nearly enough to kill a Half-Step World Expansion cultivator."
John sighed, shaking his head.
'This man truly is both stubborn and untrusting. Although I suppose I can't blame him. His children were just kidnapped by slavers after all.'
"Then how about you and I fight?" John said firmly, his words shocking the youths, and surprising the father.
"I'll agree to a life and death battle right now, so long as you agree to restricting your cultivation to the Early World Expansion Realm," John continued, his words finally causing the man's frown to fade away, replaced by shock instead.
"What?" Suri exclaimed, looking at the two back and forth.
The man reigned in his shock and studied John carefully, his eyes shining brightly as if they contained suns within. He studied John for a short while, his narrowed gaze widening after a short while.
"You're serious, aren't you?" he asked John, his voice tinged with surprise. "You really would be willing to make that bet, and are also confident in your victory."
John remained silent, his calm expression all the answer he would give the man. The man studied him for a short while longer, then sighed.
"That calm gaze is filled with so much confidence," the man said, "which means either you're a complete fool, or you really do have that level of strength. Either way, I'm convinced you did not trick my children. You have my thanks for saving them."
Luri and Suri breathed sighs of relief that the tense situation had finally been resolved peacefully.
"What reward do you wish to receive?" the man asked John. "Saving my children from such a miserable fate is worthy of both praise and a handsome reward. Ask, and I shall fulfill your request if it is within my power to do so."
John's opinion of the man grew. While he was stubborn and doubtful, he was also sincere and fair. He had been tense due to the situation of his children being captured by slavers, but after confirming John had not been part of it, he treated him quite well.
John thought over his request for a moment, and then decided to stick to his original plan. While joining the Light Dao sect may or may not be the most optimal request, it was still the fastest and most assured way for him to join a sect that might contain information regarding his master. Mind made up, he spoke his request.
"Let me join the Light Dao Sect."
The man raised an eyebrow at the request, then looked to the side. Suri was pulling on his sleeve, trying to get his attention.
"Let him join, father," Suri said with pleading eyes.
Their father shifted his gaze to Luri, who spoke next.
"Not only did he save us, but I think he's your best shot at obtaining a Holy Transcendence Pill," Luri said.
The man's eyes widened, both from surprise and doubt. He studied his son's sincere face for a moment, then shifted his gaze to John, studying the youth once more, as if seeing him in a new light.
He then nodded his head.
"Welcome to my Light Dao Sect," the man said, his gaze no longer skeptical, but filled with welcoming instead.
"Your Light Dao Sect?" John asked, the man's words revealing his surprising status. The Sect Leader of the Light Dao Sect.
