Teacher by day, Farmer by passion

Just then, soft footsteps approached from behind.

Ace turned.

Elder Xi Chun stood there, dressed in her formal robes, her expression sharp and composed but the urgency in her eyes betrayed the calm facade.

"Master," she said, voice crisp and clear, "the army of the Tharz Kingdom has begun marching. They're heading straight for us."

The words hung heavy in the air.

They were coming.

Ace's hand instinctively touched the edge of his new cloak, feeling its weight.

He nodded once, the light in his eyes shifting from playful to resolute.

"…Understood."

He turned towards Xi Chun.

"Lead the way."

Xi Chun bowed her head slightly and turned. Ace followed her without another word, his cloak trailing like a shadow behind him.

The moment Ace arrived at the sect training ground where everyone has been gathered, the entire atmosphere felt different.

The sect grounds, once filled with laughter and training shouts, now buzzed with sharp orders, hurried footsteps, and the distant clang of weapons being readied.

A large, holographic projection flickered above a jade formation disk in the war pavilion, displaying the Tharz Kingdom's advancing forces; a slow, deliberate tide of soldiers, cultivators, and towering spirit beasts moving in formation like a machine of death.

Multiple sect elders and disciples were gathered waiting for Ace to give the order.

As Ace stepped forward, the murmurs died.

He didn't raise his voice, but his presence alone was enough to command silence.

"Status report," he said.

Grand Elder Lily stepped up beside him and activated a control node on the formation.

"Their army consists of over two million troops. And at least Five Legend-rank cultivators has been noticed. Two of them have been confirmed to be in peak Legend."

She paused. "Their formation is tight. Shield units at the front, archers on the hills, and mobile cultivators rotating in quadrants. They're expecting us to fight smart. But I'm sure we can easily vanquish the army."

"Which we will," Ace replied. " but we must remember that it's usually the top who hold command and the army are only pawns so, no mindlessly killing them if they lost the will to fight."

"Also—" Ace turned to Grand Elder Lily. "Evacuate all low-rank disciples. Move them to the nearby city. No risks."

"…Understood."

Ace stood at the edge of the command platform, watching the swirling projections of the incoming enemy forces.

His cloak fluttered in the wind, a shadowy banner whispering of hidden power.

He exhaled through his nose and muttered beneath his breath, "Hopefully Sarah won't be part of the army…"

"…Although…" A crooked grin curled at the edge of his lips, eyes gleaming with anticipation. "It would be nice to test this new cloak in front of a Divine Step…"

Just once. To see her face when she realizes he wasn't the same cornered rat from before.

Meanwhile, far away—deep within the desolate reaches of the Tharz Kingdom…

A dark cave breathed silence and blood.

At its center, a youth lay on the cold, jagged ground, his body smeared in crimson, wounds painting him a creature of battle.

Yet none of the blood was his.

Around him were the broken, unmoving forms of the batkin; twisted, scattered, unmourned.

Giyo's chest rose and fell slowly. He stared at the carnage with a faint smirk, brushing matted hair away from his eyes.

"Such a shame…" he murmured. "The females were really beautiful."

He paused, then casually added, "Hmm. I should ask Yu Zhong to teach me this…"

As if summoned, the shadows at the cave entrance shifted.

Yu Zhong stepped through, cloak billowing behind him, his eyes sharp and cold as blades.

"No," he said flatly. His voice echoed like a verdict.

Giyo met his gaze without flinching.

"Well," he said with mock cheer, "for leaving me in a near-dead condition, I'd say you owe me something."

Yu Zhong approached slowly, stopping just a few feet away. His eyes scanned the glove now fused to Giyo's arm; sleek, black, humming faintly.

"…You successfully passed the trial," he said at last. "You've already adapted to the glove."

He nodded once, firm.

"That's a Destruction-Grade weapon. Something mortals should never have been able to find. That's more than enough repayment.

It's beyond what mortals call 'Level Six.' A Destruction-Grade weapon is banned in most realms."

Giyo flexed his fingers inside the glove, the raw power responding like a loyal beast.

"Tch. Stingy old man," he muttered but his smile didn't fade.

His gaze drifted to the mouth of the cave.

"So… what now?"

Yu Zhong's eyes narrowed.

"Now?" He turned toward the exit, his tone dropping.

"Now, we are going to open the gateway."

Giyo stretched out both arms, admiring the obsidian sheen of the gloves wrapped tight around his hands.

"Ohhh, I can't wait…" he said with a grin. "My fists have been starving."

Yu Zhong gave him a sideways glance. Both flat and unreadable.

"For someone who was so against my plan," he said coolly, "I still can't believe how much you've changed."

Giyo chuckled, flexing his fingers again. The ground beneath him cracked slightly from the casual motion.

"Then teach me the blood art."

"No."

"Why not? I'm following you because I want to learn that," Giyo said, tone half-pleading, half-teasing.

Yu Zhong didn't even slow his stride.

"You're not following me for that," he replied. "You say you are but I know better."

He looked forward, his voice lowering like steel dipped in millennium of experience.

"You can fool mortals, Giyo. But I'm an ex-immortal. I've known the human heart longer than your family line has existed."

Giyo raised an eyebrow, clearly amused.

"Hoh? You didn't spend your time looking down on humans, but instead… studied them?"

His tone was mocking. While a grin stayed sharp and genuine on his face.

Yu Zhong didn't respond. The cave echoed with silence as his cloak flared faintly behind him.

He offered no witty retort and instead walked in silence.

And Giyo followed.

Step by step, the two figures exited the cave.