Dual Cultivation: Beasts and Women!

She had invited him to join a beast hunt to acquire his third Spirit and th ter the inner wing of the sect together. All of this was planned to happ in about three months, during the Night of the Beasts.

Both the goal and the timeline were perfect for Liam!

'It's about time I got my third Spirit, and in three months, I'll be ready for the inner wing of the sect. Mary and Electa will be stronger and closer to securing good positions to leave the outer wing as well.'

Liam had readily agreed to Grace's plans. He aimed to reach the 5-Star level in three months and have the weakest of his wom, Mary, in the third realm. By th, he hoped to have resolved his issues with the Abyss Matriarchs, the Emerald Owls, and the Crimson Rebels. He also expected to have gained sufficit knowledge from the Library and the Runes Hall.

'It is said that upon tering the inner wing; they assign members to groups led by Commanders and undergo a few weeks of military training. Th, within six months of their promotion, all new Officers must take part in at least one mission outside the headquarters.'

The inner wing of the sect functioned much like a group of military battalions. Each Commander led a group of Officers and one or two First Officers on their command, with these groups spding most of their time on external activities.

However, not all of these battalions had the same purpose. Their missions largely depded on the leader of the group. If the leader was a warrior—like the man who had brought Liam and Mary to Demon Gate—th their team's external missions would focus on combat, "recruitmt," and similar activities.

But if the Commander of a battalion was a Runemaster, for example, the group might embark on more specialized missions.

Just like in the outer wing of the sect, it was possible to be part of more than one group. Some newly promoted Officers might serve under two differt Commanders and would need to be prepared to carry out missions with various groups.

Liam was eager to reach the inner wing and seize his chance to escape, something he still needed to discuss with his wom. If they didn't want to join him, he wouldn't force them to put themselves in danger for his sake. But he hoped each of them would choose to go into exile with him.

He needed to prepare thoroughly for his plan to succeed, and the estimated nine months until he got his chance seemed sufficit for his preparations.

He arrived at his dormitory with these thoughts in mind, imagining that in a year, he could be far away from this place where he wasn't free to do as he pleased.

Nance would stop by his room later to congratulate him and have a little fun. He would offer her a pill as thanks for her help, something she would initially refuse, but he would insist she accept.

At the d of the night, Liam slept alone for the remaining hours until the start of a new day. He would have his meeting with the Fourth Class Runemaster the next morning!

...

Early in the morning, Liam started his day with Mary at a cafeteria on Street Thirty-Six before walking with her to the Essces Hall, where they met Jane.

After greeting the gre-haired girl, he headed to the Runes Hall alone, where he found Ann waiting for him at the trance of the building.

"You surprised me yesterday, you know?" she asked with a smile, her long red hair appearing lighter this morning, while her pink lips caught Liam's eye.

'She looks differt,' he thought with a smile, imagining the merit points she had earned. "I'm glad I didn't disappoint you. I admit I was worried at one point. But now everything is fine. You have your merit points, and I have my date."

She bit her lower lip and nodded. "Of course. I'm a woman of my word. Would you like to meet later today? How about dinner at a restaurant at sundown?"

There wer't many tertainmt options in City Thirte. You could either go to a dining establishmt or stroll through the city gards, at the d of some streets.

"I'll be ready by sundown. I'll pick you up in front of your dormitory."

She gave him her address, th added with a playful look, "But Liam, don't get your hopes up about getting much from me. As far as I'm concerned, you're just a frid who's earned me a lot of merit points. I have no interest in relationships within the sect."

"We can have relationships outside the sect," he said to her. "I'm not looking for romance, if that's what you mean."

"It wasn't, but it's good to know." She thought for a momt and asked, "So what's your relationship with Nance? It's not a romance?"

"No, certainly not," he responded, emphasizing his point.

"I see… But I don't know if she feels that way. Be careful not to hurt wom's feelings," Ann advised him. "If your life has be difficult so far, just imagine what can happ with an angry woman in the third realm. A woman with hate is worse than a poisonous snake!"

"I'll keep that in mind." He smiled bitterly, aware of how terrible angry, vgeful wom could be. "Anyway, I'm curious about my prize. The examiners mtioned you would give me instructions on oritation with Sior Eliakim Badders."

She gestured for him to follow. "I'll take you to him now. Your two top-three colleagues should already be arriving or waiting outside Sior Badders' office.

From now on, once a week, you'll have the opportunity to have the Lord of the Hall to guide you. He'll be with you and the other two for two hours a week, so make the most of it." She looked at him differtly, wishing that this opportunity was hers.

"Besides, I'm no longer your instructor. You're already as good a Runemaster as I am, if not better. You can learn on your own in your spare time. In the meantime, if you have questions, feel free to ask me. If I can answer them, I'll help you.

Beyond that, commit to getting to know the hall better. There are ways for you to interact with sior members or ev pay for tutoring.

But considering your talt, I'd suggest focusing on studying the theory in the hall's library and bringing your questions to Sior Badders."

"I'll do that."

"Last, now that you are a certified Runemaster, you have several options. You can join an chanter's workshop, one shop in town, or ev sell your chanted products indepdtly. It depds on your ambition and financial capacity.

Going it alone will give you more profit and unlimited prospects. However, I recommd joining a Runemasters group. Your journey will be easier, and your opportunities will be greater, although the profits will be lower. But the choice is yours. I'm just offering my opinion."

Liam hadn't giv it much thought. He certainly wanted to use his profession to gain resources and secure a good position, especially wh he escaped from the sect. But he hadn't considered making a significant commitmt within the sect.

'I think I'll join a group, as you suggest. I don't need to pursue the path with the greatest pottial for growth right now. The most important thing is to have quick access to resources and opportunities to learn. That will come naturally if I join a group. Wh I leave the sect, I'll find a way to grow on my own.'

"We can discuss that later. I have some workshops and shops I can recommd, so you can make an informed decision. If you want to be close to me, you can choose to work in the studio I'm part of." She winked at him as they reached the top floor of the building, where a large corridor led to the only office currtly op.

The two arrived where Isaac and Linus were already waiting with their respective instructors.

Liam waved at them as the instructors greeted him and Ann.

Barely a minute after Liam and Ann's arrival, a -haired woman dressed in black, looking every bit the part of a secretary, called the trio over to meet Eliakim Badders. The three instructors left soon after.

Liam, Isaac, and Linus found themselves face to face with a tall man, standing meters tall, with black hair and reddish, tanned skin.

Eliakim appeared to be in his late 30s, sporting a black beard and mustache, with a few wrinkles that hinted he wasn't young. He was also dressed in black, with a striking gray cloak draped over his shoulders.

He was clearly a Commander!

Eliakim was reading some papers wh he noticed the arrival of the trio he would mtor from now on.

"You're the three rookies who'll be giving me a hard time starting today?" He placed the papers on his desk and looked at them with a serious expression, focusing especially on Liam, whom he had already heard about from the peak's Guardian.

'Is this the brat Guardian Amzi Watt is monitoring?' Eliakim's eyes narrowed. 'Interesting. He's already reached the third realm… But why does he hide his cultivation? Doesn't he want to advance to the inner wing of the sect?'

Eliakim immediately saw Liam's true cultivation as he easily surpassed Mana Mask, something of a low difficulty for a 4-Star Spirit Sky cultivator. But the leader of the Runes Hall was surprised. Liam had almost fooled him, close to being able to hide his cultivation, ev from a sect Commander.

'Tsk! He really is talted. He's about to reach the third phase of Mana Mask.' Eliakim could see the Mana Mask on Liam's face and easily recognized the technique and the grade of mastery the boy had reached.

Curious, he called out each of their names and ask a few questions.

"Liam Porter, what exactly are you doing here? Are you trying to get into the inner wing of the sect?" He asked a slightly differt question than the ones he had asked Isaac and Linus.

Liam nodded with a serious expression. "Of course, Commander Badders," he said, unaware that his secret had be discovered. "Wh I'm ready and have the best chance, I'll do my best to get there. But for now, I'm more interested in learning from the Commander. I'm sure I'm in the best place for that."

Liam was trying to please the man while expressing his guine desire, but Eliakim interpreted the boy's response in his own way.

'It makes sse. You really wouldn't have the freedom you joy in City Thirte if you wt to the inner area. Learning here while you're so strong should be a walk in the park for you.' With his eyes closed, Eliakim agreed with his new studt's strategy.

"Very well, I'll help you. But your talt is great and shouldn't be wasted. I'll give you six months to advance to the inner wing of the sect."

Isaac and Linus looked at Liam strangely, ssing that the Commander would be extremely strict with him. They were secretly relieved they hadn't finished first in the rank the day before.

But Liam understood things differtly than his competitors did. 'Has he noticed my cultivation? Or is he just demanding?'

Liam felt a shiver run down his spine at the thought of something that could ruin all his plans.

It was difficult for most Demon Gate disciples to reach the inner wing of the sect. Either the Commander had noticed something Liam preferred to keep secret, or the man was indeed demanding!

Trying to control his emotions, Liam said, "I will do my best to meet your expectations, Commander."

"For today, I want to see your skills in action. I hope you've come prepared to perform incantations." The man stood and walked to the training wing of his magnifict office.

The three boys followed, soon arriving at the best place in the city for Runemasters like them, a place that made them look at their surings with glee.

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