Chapter 7: I've Never Seen Such a Casual Sect!

Byron Cutmore rode Goldie at a dead sprint toward Skysoar Sect when a system notification chimed in his ear. [A sect disciple's cultivation has broken through. Lottery draws +10.] The sudden prompt sent a thrill through him. "Immortal Body really is something else. Nathaniel broke through again." "Draws. Give me another ten-pull!" What Byron didn't know was that four of those ten chances had been contributed by Denise Lyson, who had only just joined. Inside Skysoar Sect, Denise had spent a few short hours leaping from Energy Condensation Second Layer all the way to Energy Condensation Sixth Layer. [Ten-pull in progress!] [This ten-pull guarantees an Emperor Level Reward!] [Congratulations, host, you have obtained an Emperor Level Reward! One Great Emperor Realm NPC elder!] [Congratulations, host, you have obtained: Holy Level Life Healing Pill ×1, Holy-level cultivation manuals ×2, spirit-grade medicinal herbs ×20, sect disciple tokens ×100...] Byron watched the system screen flash and flicker, and disappointment washed over him again. "Ugh. Still nothing I can use." "Sure, that's another Great Emperor, but they can't leave the sect. What's the point of getting more?" He was still sulking when a sudden thud sounded up ahead. "What was that? Goldie, go check it out." Byron rode closer and sucked in a sharp breath. A teenager lay crumpled on the ground, soaked head to toe like a walking bloodbag. Mud and blood caked the boy's still-boyish face. His chest had caved in across a wide area. His right arm was a mangled mess, flesh torn open, veins ruptured in several places, blood pouring out without pause. "Hiss…" Byron lifted his gaze to the sheer cliff that speared into the clouds, and his scalp prickled. "He fell from that and he's still alive?" Then his eyes lit up. "Wait. Didn't a disciple just deliver himself to my doorstep?" "Save him." As he spoke, Byron opened the system inventory, took out the Holy Level Life Healing Pill, and fed it to the boy. The moment the pill went down, the wounds began to knit shut at a speed visible to the naked eye. In just a few breaths, every injury had closed. "Not bad. The system's stuff is the real deal." The boy still didn't wake, so Byron tossed him onto Goldie's back and continued for Skysoar Sect. By the time they arrived, it was deep into the night. After settling the unconscious boy, Byron finally had time to summon his two personal disciples. Nathaniel Urwin spoke first. "Disciple greets master!" Beside him, Denise stared at Byron without blinking. She sized him up. Byron sized her up in return. Her brows arched like spring hills, her eyes held the clear depth of autumn water, and a chill edge hid in her gaze. Her dark hair was tied simply, a few loose strands brushing her ears. The fitted green robe she wore swayed lightly at the hem, and when she moved, she looked like a willow stirred by a warm breeze. Even though it was late, the main peak held no darkness at all. Crystals of every kind cast a steady glow that fell across Denise, sharpening her already noble air. As for Byron, in Denise's eyes, he could be summed up in a single word. Handsome. Handsome, and nothing else. Nathaniel jabbed Denise in the side and hissed through clenched teeth, "What, master's so handsome you forgot how to talk? Say something!" Denise snapped back to herself and hurriedly bowed. "Disciple Denise Lyson greets master!" Byron nodded in satisfaction. "Good. From here on, you two help each other. If you run into anything you don't understand in cultivation, come ask me." Denise curled her lip to herself. *Ask you? I'm a Half Emperor. What would I need your advice for?* *Master, you should go find somewhere comfortable and stay out of the way.* "Oh, right." Byron clapped his hands lightly. "Since you're both here, I'll introduce someone." The words had barely left his mouth when a person appeared at his side in an instant. Denise's pupils shrank. *Space law?* *Is this another Great Saint Realm expert?* She had no idea the man before her, just like Adelynn Cougle, was a genuine Emperor Realm powerhouse. In Denise's understanding, the Great Emperor Realm was the highest realm she could imagine, the peak she had chased across both lifetimes. She never would have connected Adelynn or this man to the words "Great Emperor." "This is someone I ran into while I was out today," Byron said. "He wanted to come to Skysoar Sect for a bite to eat. From today onward, he's Skysoar Sect's Second Elder." "Elder Titus Seagroatt, say hello." The middle-aged man beside Byron wore a constant smile. At Byron's cue, he smiled a little wider and spoke warmly. "Hello, everyone. My name is Titus Seagroatt. I'm grateful to the Sovereign Lord for valuing me. If you need anything in the future, feel free to ask." After the introductions, Byron took out two sets of sect robes and two personal disciple tokens from the system space, handed them to Nathaniel and Denise, and sent them on their way. Then he glanced at the unconscious boy once more and fell into a heavy sleep. Byron's body was still that of an ordinary mortal. After staying up half the night, exhaustion hit him like a wave. The next morning, a shout jolted him awake. "Hey! Stop right there! Your arm's swollen like a pig's trotter. What are you running for?" On the main peak, Nathaniel charged after someone at full speed with a wooden washbasin in his hands. Up ahead, the boy from yesterday swung his right arm, thick as a grown man's thigh, and ran for his life. Nathaniel's yelling dragged Denise out as well. She shot Nathaniel an annoyed glare, then kicked a stone stool in front of her straight at the boy. "Whoosh!" "Thump!" The stool tore through the air and smashed squarely into the boy's face. His attention had been locked on Nathaniel behind him. He never saw it coming. The impact sent him reeling, stars bursting in his vision. "See? Problem solved." Denise muttered. "What a hassle." She turned and went back inside to continue cultivating. No one noticed that Denise's cultivation had already reached the peak of Energy Condensation. From the moment she joined until then, only a day and a night had passed. This reborn Half Emperor had jumped from Energy Condensation Second Layer to the peak of Energy Condensation in that short time. Calling it terrifying didn't even begin to cover it. Byron stumbled over with dark circles under his eyes. "What's all the noise?" Nathaniel hauled the boy up and answered, "Master, I saw his arm was swollen like that, so I wanted to rub it with medicinal liquid. I didn't expect this brat to slap me and bolt the moment he woke up!" "Look at my face. The handprint's still there!" Sure enough, on Nathaniel's already not-so-handsome face, a huge red palm print stood out vividly. "Uh…" Byron winced. "He hits hard." After ordering Nathaniel to seal the boy's cultivation, the three of them brought him to the main hall. Byron sat in the high seat and looked down at the boy. "Kid, you fell off a cliff. I saved your life. Are you willing to join Skysoar Sect?" In Byron's mind, nothing mattered more than taking in disciples. As for the boy's background? Who cared. Even if he had some scheme, Skysoar Sect had two Great Emperors guarding the place. Who was going to steal anything? That single question left Kylian Thubron, who had just betrayed his family, completely dumbfounded. Skysoar Sect? He'd never even heard of it. And besides, what kind of sect took in disciples without asking their name, without checking their talent, without testing their character, and just accepted them on the spot? He had never seen such a casual sect!