Chapter 626: Cultivation Techniques
Jamie transported them to the capital of Denerth Prime in an instant, a swift journey through a Cosmic gate.
In seconds, they were on the mega island that the Denerth Sect called its headquarters. The island was a fusion of magic and advanced technology, with towering buildings stretching toward the sky.
That was the sight they saw out the window of the building Jamie warped them right into, the central hall where the Sect’s Master and High Elders convened.
Jamie pushed the doors open casually and gestured to the four teenagers following him as he spoke.
"These are the guys I was talking about."
All the High-Elders, each of which was a Race King, glanced in their direction immediately. The High Elders gave the group of four sharp and scrutinizing gazes as they observed the teenagers, but Arthur ignored their gazes and locked onto the Denerth Sect Master.
His eyes widened slightly in surprise and he spoke.
"Damn, this guy is good."
"Oh, you saw it too, huh?"
Jamie asked with a laugh and Arthur nodded in affirmation, while the rest of the group exchanged confused glances.
The Denerth Sect Master, however, raised an eyebrow in silence, studying Arthur carefully.
He understood why Jamie could see through him, but Arthur? Arthur wasn’t even a Transcendent yet.
How had he managed to detect the true depth of his power? More importantly, how did Arthur possess three Pseudo-Authorities without being a Transcendent himself?
The Sect Master—Chang Shaoting—had so many questions.
What Arthur and Jamie had recognized was the fact that this Sect Master wasn’t just a High-Tier deity.
He had surpassed the typical limits of a Deity’s power, yet hadn’t fully stepped into the realm of a Monarch.
He was, in essence, a Semi-Monarch. Once again, it made sense why other intergalactic powers avoided meddling with Denerth Prime—this man was on par with Artemisia and Beatrix’s parents in strength.
"Yeah, so... why exactly did we come here again? Are we entering the Secret Realm now?"
Arthur asked this and Jamie shook his head in response.
"Nope, the Secret Realm won’t open for another two weeks. People are still coming in from all over for it."
Jamie elaborated further, gesturing toward the Sect Master.
"It’s different for the others who won’t be leaving this Universe anytime soon. But for you, Arthur, you might need one of these guys’ cultivation techniques. That’s why I brought you here, so Sect Master Chang can craft one specifically for you."
Jamie’s words caught some of the High-Elders who had been in seclusion until recently by surprise. He had implied that Arthur wasn’t from this Universe, a fact that they hadn’t yet confirmed.
Not bothering to explain about that, Jamie continued speaking to Arthur, eyeing the Cosmic Teleporter on his right hand.
"Considering that thing on your hand, you’re probably going to visit a lot of universes, and not all of them will have levelling systems like this one.
So, with this technique, you’ll be able to boost your strength more quickly when you’re outside of the Devour Class System."
"Huh, what about me?"
Evan, curious now, interjected after Jamie spoke, prompting Jamie and Arthur to turn toward him.
"Do you have any intention of leaving this universe anytime soon?"
Jamie asked and Evan shrugged.
"Well, normally, I wouldn’t have any plans to leave my home planet."
Jamie sighed at Evan’s response, shaking his head.
"We’ll have techniques made for you guys too. Whether you use them or not depends on the situation, and wherever you end up. Though for you, Evan, the technique will probably be outdated by the time you get back home."
The others, aware of Evan’s origin from the future, agreed with Jamie’s assessment but Evan wasn’t bothered.
"Even if it’s outdated, I doubt I’ll find anything like these back home, so I’ll still take one. I mean, I might not use it, but it’s good to have, right? Who knows what can happen?
Until then, I’ll just focus on levelling up like usual."
His casual dismissal of the techniques didn’t go unnoticed and the High Elders of the sect shot him dark looks, but Evan paid them no mind.
Months of staying in the past, moving with Arthur and Jamie and meeting Demon Kings had desensitized him to the gazes of Deities, it seemed.
◇ ◇ ◇
During the next two weeks, Arthur, Evan, Artemisia, and Beatrix spent much of their time honing their newly created cultivation techniques under the eyes of the Sect Master Chang and some of the High Elders.
As expected of Deity Realm experts, two weeks was more than enough time to craft entirely new techniques for the four teenagers.
Arthur and Evan, with their destruction powers, received personal guidance from the Sect Master himself, who crafted their techniques to suit their destruction energy-infused energy circuits.
Artemisia and Beatrix, meanwhile, were taught by two High Elders, one specializing in space laws and the other in elemental laws. These elders were chosen due to their expertise in fields that aligned with the goddesses’ innate abilities.
When they weren’t training, the four of them spent their time sightseeing and exploring the capital of Denerth Prime.
Eventually, the time came for the secret realm to open.
A massive space within the Denerth Sect headquarters had been prepared, capable of hosting the hundreds of inner and core disciples from the sect, as well as a multitude of selected participants from other sects and planets.
Among them were also Elders of those other Sects who had accompanied their Sects’ chosen disciples.
Naturally, with so many people from different walks of life, different traditions, planets, and cultures being put together in the same space, fights were bound to break out.
Rivalries quickly flared between the disciples from various sects that assembled.
Members of competing sects exchanged sharp words, and it wasn’t long before skirmishes broke out. Fists flew and sparks of energy crackled in the air as participants clashed.
Yet, the Denerth Sect remained indifferent to these minor conflicts.
They would only intervene if the fighting escalated to environmental destruction or death. As long as the disputes didn’t disrupt the sect or endanger lives, they turned a blind eye, allowing the cultivators to vent their rivalries freely while waiting for the secret realm to open.
The four teenagers joined this assembly, even though they had the option to just stay with Jamie until the Realm opened.
As they moved through the bustling crowd, they inevitably drew curious glances.
Nearly everyone present hailed from renowned sects, their sect uniforms proudly displaying their allegiance. Whether from Denerth or other distant planets, these robes marked their wearers’ status.
But Arthur, Artemisia, Beatrix, and Evan stood out for a different reason. Unlike the sea of formal sect robes, they were dressed in casual attire—clothing that bore the unmistakable style of Denerth but lacked the rigid formality of any sect’s uniform.
The four of them, however, paid no mind to the attention.
Arthur and Evan wandered a little ahead of the girls, casting amused glances at their surroundings.
"Think we’ll run into any more clichés?"
Evan asked, the tone of his voice one of amusement as he scanned the sect members around them and Arthur shook his head in response.
"Nah, we’ve already hit the quota. This is where we meet the ’companions’ we’ll be stuck with for the secret realm."
"True. No point in overdoing it. The Peng clan fight was filler enough."
Evan wasn’t even done speaking when bursts of magical power suddenly flared behind them. Both boys turned to see a fight unfolding.
Five individuals, all clad in the same sect robes, were ganging up on a lone girl.
She had long blonde hair, slightly pointed ears, glowing crimson eyes, and wore a customized hakama.
In her hand, she held a katana which she used to slice her palm, her blood mixing with the steel as crimson energy began to swirl around it.
The sight alone was enough to draw both Arthur and Evan’s attention, their eyes narrowing with interest.
"Looks like we found some entertainment."
Arthur muttered and Evan nodded as the five attackers closed in, their hands weapons infused with elemental energy, but the girl showed no sign of fear.
The girl moved like lightning, vanishing from view in a blur, and reappearing behind one of her attackers. With a quick strike, she brought her katana down, tearing through his clothes and sending him staggering forward with the force of her attack.
Two others attacked simultaneously, and she parried the two attacks at once. The force behind her blow sent one of the attackers staggering back, and she pulled back her blade, thrusting it forward in that same instant.
"She’s fast."
Evan commented and Arthur nodded in agreement.
The fight intensified as the blonde girl swung her katana in a wide arc, deflecting a series of fireballs and earth spikes hurled by her opponents.
When she retaliated, every slash of her blade left a trail of blood in its wake, cutting through her attackers’ defences with ease.
She took down two of them before they even knew what was happening, and then sheathed her katana before drawing it out once more.
Although she only slashed the air in front of her once, five streaks of crimson energy erupted from her sword, splitting off in different directions, each targeting one of her attackers.
In mere moments, all five collapsed, groaning in pain, their robes torn and bloodied.
The girl then sheathed her katana, the sound of the blade clicking into place echoing through the now-silent space. She didn’t seem tired, and her expression was calm as if the fight had never happened.
Arthur and Evan exchanged glances and immediately began listing off her traits.
"Blonde hair."
Arthur began, counting on his fingers and Evan continued.
"Crimson eyes."
"Fangs, definitely a vampire."
Arthur added, raising an eyebrow and Evan followed up while crossing his arms.
"Katana."
They paused, looking at each other knowingly. After a short silence, Evan spoke first.
"Her name isn’t Crim, is it?"
"Yeah... it’s definitely Crim."
Evan furrowed his brows at Arthur’s response, shaking his head.
"No, no, this can’t be that much of a cliché. Not many people know about this. The author wouldn’t use it, right?"
Arthur grinned, his tone confident.
"Nah, he’s definitely going to use it."
Extending his hand, Arthur made a wager.
"Five million credits say it’s Crim."
"Deal. Five million it isn’t."
Evan slapped his hand down without hesitation and without another word, both of them rushed toward the girl, eager to settle their bet.
◇ ◇ ◇
As the girl finished her fight, the sudden sensation of movement behind her triggered her instincts.
She spun around, but before she could even unsheathe her katana, two hands gently grabbed both of hers.
Startled, she found herself face-to-face with two boys who had somehow closed the distance in an instant.
"Hello there."
One of them greeted her with a disarming smile that maximised the effectiveness of his handsome face.
"Now then, your name wouldn’t happen to be Crim, would it?"
