Inside a dark cave, a young man sat cross-legged in the center, his eyes closed in deep meditation. His long black hair cascaded down his back, and his chiseled muscles rippled beneath his loose golden robe. The robe was embroidered with a black ouroboros dragon, symbolizing his connection to the ancient and powerful creature.
The cave was deep in the mountains, far from civilization. The walls were lined with bones and crushed-up Spirit Stones, evidence of the man's ruthless training regimen. The Qi around him was incredibly dense, so thick that it was visible to the naked eye.
As he meditated, the man's body began to glow with a black and red aura, as if he was channeling the power of the dragon. His Qi was so strong that it caused the cave walls to vibrate and the air to crackle with energy.
The man remained motionless; his mind focused on his training. He had been in the cave for months, honing his skills and pushing himself to the limits of his abilities.
Suddenly, a sound echoed through the cave, breaking the man's concentration. He opened his eyes, revealing a set of silver eyes with a purple slit down the middle, and looked around, sensing a disturbance in the Qi around him. He stood up and walked towards the entrance of the cave, his senses on high alert.
The man's hand instinctively went to the hilt of his sword, ready to defend himself if necessary.
As he emerged from the cave, he saw an old man approaching and took his hand off the hilt of his sword, but he remained alert.
The old man walked towards the young cultivator, his steps slow and measured. Despite his age, he moved with a grace and confidence that spoke of centuries of experience.
His hair was long and silver, pulled back into a tight braid. His eyes, though small and wrinkled, held a sharp intelligence that seemed to pierce straight through the young cultivator's soul. He wore simple robes, but they were made of the finest silk, dyed a deep shade of indigo.
As he approached, the air seemed to grow thick with power, as if the old man carried some great force with him.
"What do you want, old man?" The young man asked, his tone cold.
The old man's eyebrows twitched at the blatant disrespect, but he pushed down his grievances and cupped his fists.
"Greetings, Junior Zehir Aporos. I come to you with a mission."
The young man's eyes narrowed like a snake's as he stared at the old man. The old man's gaze didn't falter as he stared back. The atmosphere turned heavy until the young man, Zehir, broke the silence.
"What's the mission, Nathanial?" He asked, his voice still cold, not bothering to respect the man.
Once again, the old man, Nathanial's, eyebrow twitched, but he was a wisened old man. He wouldn't get upset over something like this. He wasn't expecting Zehir to respect him, anyway.
"A little fox is causing trouble again." He said in a low voice, mixed with irritation.
'Ever since that pink-haired bitch showed up, everything's gone to shit!' He grumbled inwardly.
Zehir raised an eyebrow for a second before his face returned to normal.
Expressionlessly, he asked, "So? How is that my problem?"
"I'd like you to deal with this little issue."
"Why? Can't you see I'm busy? Or has your eyesight gone bad in your old age?" The young man asked that with such a lack of emotion that Nathanial could tell he was serious.
He seriously thought the old man's eyes had gone bad!
A vein popped in the old man's head, but he took a deep breath to keep his cool.
"It'd just be more convenient if you took care of it. Us Elders are busy doing something else, so we can't divert any attention to this issue."
Zehir crossed his arms and tilted his head in thought. He stared at the old man and knew he was hiding, which irked him.
His mind pondered on what he could be hiding until he finally came to a conclusion.
"Is that woman… What was her name again? AH! Sue Ming! Is that crazy woman, Sue Ming, watching over you guys that intently?"
The old man froze, as he didn't expect those words to come out of Zehir's mouth. From what he knows, this young man has never left the cave since Sue Ming appeared.
'How did he-?'
"Are you wondering how I know? Well, let's just say you aren't the only one with eyes everywhere." Zehir smiled lightly, finding this whole situation somewhat amusing.
"Ahem!" The old man cleared his throat and nodded, "Yes, she's constantly watching over all of us, making sure we don't leave and kill that girl, Mira. However, I can't sit still and let Mira continue to destroy our branch Sects!"
Zehir just shrugged at his plight, "They're just branch Sects. Why do you care so much? It's not like any of them will hold any real power."
"Of course, they matter!!" Nathanial finally lost his cool for a moment and yelled. Realizing his mistake, he quickly settled down and explained, "Do you know how many resources those "mere" branch Sects bring in every decade? Every century? It's almost 25% of our income! We also obtain some of our most talented disciples from those Sects as well due to the competitive environment! Now, all those resources are going straight into the pockets of someone from the Battle Maiden Sect!"
"Those "mere" branch Sects are an integral part of the wheel that is the Unorthodox Faction! Without them, we will eventually decline and cease to exist!"
Zehir waved his hands dismissively, not caring about his words any longer. "I think you're being a bit too dramatic, old man. As long as you have Victor Steele, you won't ever fall."
"Argh!" Nathanial felt like pulling his hair out at how nonchalant this young man was.
'You don't know a damn thing, you brat! There's a reason all the major Sects have multiple branches! It's not just to spread their name, fame, and power!' He screamed internally.
He really hated this arrogant brat and wanted nothing more than to wring his neck, but he knew that if he did, his head would be gone.
Zehir was one of the most talented people he's ever seen, and his backing wasn't normal, either. Should he do something to him, he'd spend his days longing for death.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed his annoyances aside… again and continued trying to persuade him.
"If you go, I'll give you Late-Stage Spirit-"
"Not interested!" Zehir rejected it before he could finish.
"What about a Rank 8 Blood rose?"
"No."
"A set of Peak-Stage Myst-"
"Lame!"
"A Peak-Stag-"
"Shut up."
"A Low-Stage Divine S-"
"Fuck off!"
"-Sword."
"..." Zehir went silent for a moment but still shook his head in the end.
"It'd probably be trash amongst Divine-Grade equipment."
Multiple veins popped in the old man's head as his temper flared again.
"Dammit! What's wrong with you?! You just have to take care of a single fox! Don't you want free resources?!"
"I'd rather cultivate," Zehir said and got ready to turn around and head inside his cave.
However, before he did, Nathanial reached out and grabbed his arm to stop him.
Zehir's eyes went cold as he glared at the fingers wrapped around his bicep.
Nathanial realized his mistake and quickly withdrew his hands before giving his final offer.
"If you go now, I'll find a beast with at least 10% of a dragon's bloodline."
Now, this… this caught Zehir's attention.
"Now you're talking, old man," Zehir nodded, "And when will I receive this beast? I'm guessing you don't have one ready."
Nathanial calmed down, glad that he finally caught Zehir's attention.
"I'll have it ready after you finish the mission."
Zehir raised an eyebrow at Nathanial's confidence, "Are you sure, old man? Finding a beast with such a high-quality bloodline won't be easy. You're bound to make plenty of enemies if you do."
Nathanial nodded his head calmly but was inwardly experiencing a heartache, "I know, but you let me worry about that. Our Faction is already 'enemies' with most people on this continent. One more won't hurt."
Zehir shrugged again, losing interest in this conversation, "Alright, you got yourself a deal, old man. I'll hunt down this little fox, but you better follow through with your end of the deal. If you don't…"
A sinister pressure came out of Zehir's body as he glared at Nathanial.
"...You won't just gain a single enemy."
Nathanial gulped, not from the pressure Zehire emitted but from what he implied.
"Don't worry. As long as you do YOUR job, you'll get what was promised."
Zehir reeled in his pressure and nodded, "A pleasure doing business with you."
Nathanial just grumbled and cursed Zehir in his mind before he turned around and left.
Meanwhile, Zehir walked back into his cave, but this time, he had a slight smile on his face.
