[Congratulations, Successor Mira XXXX, for exterminating your first challenger and obtaining the right to choose one item from the Firmament of Limitless Death and Infinite Life as long it's available within your Abyssal Torment Steps rank.]
Mira paused when she heard the F.LD.I.L and had to prevent a smile from appearing on her face.
'Finally!'
The reason why Mira wanted to fight and kill Zander so badly was precisely for this reason. She remembered the Guardian telling her that the F.LD.I.L would occasionally pick opponents for her to fight, and she'll be rewarded for defeating them.
'There are so many items to choose from, especially now that I also have 5,000 Abyssal Battle Ladder Points. I wonder what I should purchase?' Mira thought, but she already had an idea of what she should buy.
However, her options have opened up a bit now after receiving this kind of reward.
'I should probably spend more time in the Abyssal Torment Step so I can unlock more items.' She thought and couldn't help but feel a shiver run down her spine. If there was any place she was afraid of in this world, it was definitely that staircase.
"You should know that even if you go in and raise your rank now, the options for what you can use your reward on won't change. Only the items at your current Abyssal Torment Steps rank will be free." The Guardian chimed in.
Mira's eyes twitched slightly, 'And why didn't you tell me this sooner?'
"Hmph! You looked like you were busy, and I believed it'd be better not to bother you! So, instead of getting angry, you should be thankful I didn't burden you with such knowledge until now!"
Mira felt it would be better to ignore him because he was partly right. She really didn't have the time to dedicate an unknown amount of time to the Abyssal Torment Steps. Also, the things she wants to buy are already available to her.
Therefore, rather than wasting her time on a shameless old man, she decided to use her time more wisely.
"What'd I say, Elder Sandra? I told you I could kill him. Though I must say, I had no idea the Unorthodox Faction had such… crude techniques. Are they all like that?" Mira asked nonchalantly.
Elder Sandra was about to respond, but she realized Mira was in horrible condition. Her face was pale as a sheet, chunks of flesh were missing from multiple parts of her body, she had countless gashes that reached her bones, and she could even see her organs in some spots.
Yet, what truly baffled Elder Sandra was how slowly Mira's blood leaked from her body. It was almost like her blood was sentient, and was reluctant to leave! Of course, that was impossible, but it proved just how dense and full of vigor her blood was.
Suddenly, before she could say anything, a beautiful woman with ashy-colored hair, violet eyes, and a mysterious aura appeared in front of Mira!
'WHAT?!' Mira froze, and her mind went blank for a second.
'Was this woman watching the entire time?! How did I not know?! How many more beings on this continent can escape my senses?!' Mira internally screamed, feeling less and less confident in her abilities.
"That was quite the impressive fight. Although that man had lost his rationality and merely behaved like a mindless drone, his power was undeniable. I'd even go so far as to say that toward the end there, he could've almost matched the power of a Rank 8 Beast or Stage 1 Soul Transformation Realm cultivator. It's truly amazing that someone at the 5th Stage of the Core Formation Realm can unleash so much power." Aelina, the Battle Maiden Sect's Sect Master, said, then turned around to look at Elder Sandra.
"Sorry to drop by unannounced like this, Senior Sister Sandra. I just had a hunch that something interesting was about to happen and came to check it out, and I wasn't disappointed." Aelina teased, causing Elder Sandra's face to turn bright red in shame.
"Please don't tease me, Sect Master! All the other Elders have been making fun of me ever since word got out about that little shit-ahem brat Maria calling me her Senior Sister. Anyways, you are welcome to visit this place anytime you wish. That is your right as the Sect Master, after all." Elder Sandra bowed, trying to hide her embarrassment.
'Sect Master?' Mira was bemused but kept staring blankly at the two women, not knowing how to react.
"Fufufu~ That little girl sure is amusing. Alright, enough about that." Aelina waved her hand and turned her attention to Mira, "I'm assuming you're Mira, right? I've heard a little bit about you, but you're much more impressive in person."
Mira raised her guard and nodded slightly. She didn't like having her secrets exposed without her even knowing. Elder Sandra watching her duel against Zander is one thing, as it is inevitable, and her personality is relatively straightforward. But Mira didn't feel comfortable around someone who could spy on her without her ever knowing.
"Oh! Pardon me. Where are my manners? My name is Aelina Verlice, and I'm the Sect Master of the Battle Maiden Sect." Aelina cupped her fist as a greeting.
Mira quickly regained her wits and cupped her hands as well. "It's nice to meet you in person, Sect Master Aelina. Just like you said, my name is Mira. I heard from Elder Sandra that you wanted to talk to me.
Aelina raised an eyebrow sensing the distrust, vigilance, lack of respect, and prideful nature in Mira's attitude, posture, and greeting, but she wasn't offended. On the contrary, she'd find it weird if Mira wasn't any of those things.
From this one interaction alone, coupled with the fight she had just witnessed, Aelina could come to a decent understanding of Mira's personality.
'It seems she's pretty honest despite being distrusting and cynical. Status and power don't invoke reverence, and she thinks quite highly of herself, so highly that she seems to hold no fear standing in front of me. I wonder what makes her so prideful. Is it her talent? Hard-work? Experiences? Ambitions? Or maybe a mixture of both? Well, I guess it doesn't matter. As long as I'm sincere, I'll be able to earn her trust; that much is obvious.' While Aelina was analyzing Mira, the latter was going the same.
'She's quite a mysterious person. Her expressions are hard to read, and her aura is weird, but I don't think she's a bad person. From how Elder Sandra looks at her, she's clearly a great leader, at least in the eyes of the Elders. Also, with how the Sect is run, I feel her true personality isn't much different than mine. She's just a better and more experienced leader than me.'
"You're correct, Mira. I had wanted to talk with you, but you were already gone when I heard about you. I'm glad you have made it back safely and much more powerful than you were around 6 months ago."
"I'm glad I made it back safely, as well." Mira nodded.
"Truthfully, I thought about sending a search party after you upon hearing of your disappearance, but I rejected the thought since you were an unknown kid who had just entered the Sect. However, I was able to scam the Crimson Slayer Sect because of you, so you have my gratitude for that, Mira. Hahaha~" Aelina chuckled, and Mira smiled slightly as well, but Elder Sandra didn't seem amused.
"It seems like they're the golden goose of the Battle Maiden Sect." Mira then pointed at Zander's corpse, "That guy over there was kind enough to bring us an Orb of Deception. Who knows what other unique items they have stored away in a vault somewhere."
"Oh? How generous! Maybe I should go knock out their Sect Master to see what kind of goodies he's hiding in his spatial ring." Aelina clapped with a smile.
"Sect Master!! How can you say something like that so carelessly?! Doing that could start a war between our two Sects! No, it might even warrant a war between Factions!" Elder Sandra cried out.
Aelina nonchalantly waved her hand, "Now, now, Sandra. You know I wouldn't do something like that."
Elder Sandra almost sighed in relief, but Aelina kept talking.
"There'd be no fun in that. It'd only be interesting if somehow I forced him to hand over his spatial ring and everything in it!"
Elder Sandra's mouth went agape, and she wasn't sure what to say.
'The Sect Master isn't usually like this!' She turned to Mira, 'Don't tell me she's trying to catch this girl's interest… That can't be… right?'
Mira was also wondering why Aelina was so easygoing with her words, but she wasn't dissatisfied. One of the things she hates most in a person is when they somehow feel superior to others just because of their status.
Strength? Mira can partially understand that as that's tangible and real. She's not a fan when the strong bully the weak, but she can at least understand it, especially in this cultivation world. To a certain degree, the strong here can be considered superior to the weak.
However, when someone throws around their status to make themselves FEEL superior, that's what Mira can't stand.
Therefore, Mira's opinion of Aelina rose because she wasn't unconsciously distancing herself from Mira because she's stronger and higher in status. She's behaving like a semi-normal person.
"Enough about that. The reason I showed myself today to you, Mira, instead of waiting until you become an Inner Court Disciple, is because of how amazing you performed in your fight against that Crimson Slayer Sect boy. There are many things I want to discuss with you, but it all boils down to one thing."
"Be my disciple, Mira!"
