Dual Cultivation: Beasts and Women!

On his way out of the Arena, Liam passed a crowd of disciples even larger than the one he had earlier when he entered the building.

Now the disciples who had followed his fight against William were leaving the Arena, several of them looking in his direction with respect and also curiosity. What intrigued them now was not the origin of Liam's power, but his future.

Surrounded by three Commanders and a First Officer, Liam made his way towards the peak of the city together with the Guardian of the Peak and another high-ranking inner member of the sect.

The exit at the base of the peak was for disciples only. It did not lead to the inner area of the sect. The internal members needed to go to the top of the peak and use the same road that Amos and his group had used to introduce Liam and Mary to the sect months ago.

So, Liam climbed the central staircase of City Thirteen under the observation of thousands of eyes, from Aspirants to even guard Officers in the vicinity.

Murmurs about how he had killed William were mixed with those talking about what a shame it was for him to reach the top rank of the Arena and then leave the city.

Some celebrated his departure, however. Having a rival/enemy like Liam leave the city was the best thing for almost everyone. But there were those, especially the members of the three factions positively related to him, who were melancholy, as they saw the beginning and end of an era happen on the same day.

Liam's rise had been meteoric and, just when he could finally be considered the strongest in the city and the leader of the area, he was leaving.

It was strange to think about how it all happened, even for Liam himself, listening to the mixed murmurs in the surroundings.

A strange atmosphere was left behind, with many gradually coming to terms with the peculiar situation in City Thirteen. There was no longer a William to lead alone. There was no longer Enos, Myles, Robert, or Eleanor to command respect.

Even the least intelligent realized the power vacuum remaining in this city changed by Liam.

"Blood will soon spill on the streets of this city," Merlin said quietly to Liam, interested in what this boy would think.

"That's good. The blood of this city's leaders is on my hands now, but I suffered a lot to get here. Time for some locals to feel a bit of what I've been through." Liam had a mysterious look on his face, showing himself to be much less subordinate and measured than he had been months ago.

Merlin narrowed his eyes and didn't need to ask any further to know that dealing with Liam would no longer be as easy a task as he had previously thought.

'I'll have to change my plans... Shit!' The black-haired man went on with the group, thinking about his own problems.

Meanwhile, the city grew silent as Liam, and his group advanced towards the top of the peak.

"Let's meet up with the others at Grace's residence," Mary said to her companions, seeing that the situation in City Thirteen would heat in the coming hours.

Electa, in particular, lamented the imminent departure of her group. "Unfortunately, we won't be able to join the fun. We'll probably be in City Four by dawn... Too bad. The assassination attempts will explode quickly."

"Would you like to be here at this terrible time?" Joan asked Electa.

The black-haired woman, the most battle-hardened of Liam's women, smiled as she nodded. "The next few days, especially after our departure and Grace's, will be the most profitable for those who fight and survive the assassination attempts in the area.

But I'd rather go to City Four, of course. Being available to Liam is the most important thing."

They all agreed on that!
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These women soon headed for Grace's residence, aware that Grace would only leave City Thirteen after her promotion exam in the middle of the afternoon. This remaining time was enough for them to prepare for their own promotion.

Only Felicity and Nance would have to worry about staying in City Thirteen for longer and actually experiencing the power vacuum left by so many powerful individuals dying or leaving the city in such a short space of time.

...

Liam soon left the city and followed in a metal chariot with his group.

Amzi and Eliakim stayed behind at the top of Peak Thirteen, both having said a few last words to him before they parted ways.

Now Liam was with Merlin and Amos in the carriage led by the two Commanders sent by Elder Neill.

Merlin looked rather pensive and silent, while Amos was a little more smiling and talkative.

"Aren't you going to tell me how you got to your current position so quickly?" asked the blond man sitting in front of Liam.

Liam had a serious look and was no longer so simple when dealing with those men. But neither was he foolish enough to provoke the man for no reason.

He hated Amos. This man had been responsible for him suffering so much since arriving in Twin Land.

Liam had won a lot, but how many times had he not almost died? How many times had he had to retreat because he had no better options?

He had lost count of how many times all this had happened. But he blamed Amos for a large part of his misfortune.

However, Amos was a fucking 4-Star Spirit Sky cultivator!

"I was lucky," Liam replied casually. "I got a good Spirit, started a mission that gave me a couple of advances, used resources and was put under a lot of pressure by my rivals. Anyway, I survived and got stronger as a result."

Amos smiled as he listened to Liam's story. "That's the secret. The difference between powerful and weak cultivators is the risks. Those who take risks will either die or become great. There is no other destiny."

Merlin glanced at Amos out of the corner of his eye, feeling encouraged to continue with some of his ambitious plans, even with all the changes that had taken place in recent months.

"Those who fear risks, who hide or settle, are the ones who really find bottlenecks in their cultivation."

"Now I understand that..." Liam muttered, before changing the subject. "But anyway. I'm looking forward to seeing what City Two is like."

Merlin finally said something as he looked out one window of their carriage. "The inner wing of the sect differs from what you saw in the outer wing. City Two has only one thing different from Cities Three and Four. Its concentration of mana and magical elements is stronger because of the best matrices in the area.

But the services and study options in the inner city are basically the same, regardless of which city you're in. To cultivate, study or develop your professions, you'll have to travel to City One, where there are places like the ones you've focused your time on over the last few months, such as Runes Hall and the Records Hall."

"Oh?" Liam still didn't know that.

Amos continued Merlin's explanation, "Cities Two, Three and Four are more places to rest and cultivate than areas to develop. But there are some stores in these cities, mainly places to eat. So you might have an advantage in City Two... Or not. Vying with the Elders of the sect isn't easy."

"So that's how it is." He pondered for a moment in silence what his journey would be like from now on.

"But it's good for you. You'll earn more than Commanders and you'll have an Elder as your master. Maybe you'll grow even faster from now on." Amos gave him this other piece of information.

"What about missions outside headquarters?" He looked out of the carriage, seeing that they were finishing crossing the fjord and arriving at the side of the four cities in the inner area of the sect.

"Division Chiefs don't do many external missions. But it's possible that you could do something related to your profession as a Runemaster. The sect highly values people capable of challenging the Fourth Class in this art."

Merlin was the one to comment, having heard that Liam had become a great Runemaster by the standards of the sect's outer wing.

"That's true. Maybe you'll do some outside missions in your first year because of your profession. But your position as a potential pillar of the sect will keep you at headquarters most of the time." Amos agreed with Merlin, putting an extra worry in Liam's mind.

'That's not exactly what I wanted, but as long as I get a chance, that's good enough for now.' He thought as he saw City Two coming into view, seeing a place that was the same size as City Thirteen, but much nicer and more individual buildings.

In City Thirteen, there were multiple dormitory buildings, but in City Two, every resident had their own home. Even newcomers like Liam would own a property of at least 150 square meters, excluding gardens and leisure areas!

Liam opened his mouth as he climbed down from the group's carriage almost half an hour after they had set off from City Thirteen.

The Commander guiding Liam said, "You'll first see Elder Neill at his residence. Then we'll register you in City One and you'll receive your awards. Someone will take over as a guide for you and explain your new functions and possibilities.

As we said before, you will have 48 hours of protection after your status update. From then on, you'll be available for internal disputes."