"Oahhh!" Cain opened his mouth widely as he yawned and rubbed his eyes.
He then took a hot shower before stepping out of the room, where he saw the two little girls already playing with Little White and Nix.
"Sylvia, Ayla. Stop playing and have breakfast first," Cain said as he walked out of the building.
As he stretched his body while waiting for the little girls, he spotted Fenix walking toward him with quick steps.
Before Fenix could say anything, Cain waved his hand dismissively. "Let’s have breakfast first before we go there."
"No, it’s not related to the crystal mine," Fenix shook his head.
"What is it then?" Cain raised an eyebrow, having assumed Fenix had come to talk about the crystal mine.
"So, there are a lot of people who want to talk to you after they heard about the things you announced previously," Fenix explained, scratching his head.
"Tch, let them wait. We don’t have the time to entertain others right now," Cain clicked his tongue before ruffling the little girls’ heads and walking toward another building.
Half an hour later…
"Ayla, be a good girl and stay here for now," Cain said, patting the little girl’s head as she clung to him like a koala upon hearing that Cain and Fenix were going somewhere.
"No! Ayla wants to go with Big Brother Cain!" Ayla shook her head firmly, tightening her grip on Cain’s clothes.
"I will only be away with Fenix for a few hours, Ayla," Cain replied, pinching her cheek playfully.
Before Ayla could respond further, Elion stepped forward and pinched her ear quite hard. "Ayla, get down right now!"
"Ouch!" Ayla held her ear and looked at her brother with resentment, puffing out her cheeks.
Elion then picked her up and scolded her as he set her down on the floor. "Ayla, don’t bother Big Brother Cain like that!"
"Hmmph!" Ayla stomped her foot, pouting angrily and puffing out her cheeks cutely before walking over to Sylvia.
"Don’t be too harsh with your sister, Elion," Cain chuckled, patting Elion’s head before turning his gaze to Ayla, who was now in Sylvia’s arms.
"Ayla, don’t be sad. I’ll bring you a lot of delicious foods and candies when I come back," Cain said with a smile as he sat on Nix’s back with Fenix.
"Really?" Ayla’s eyes lit up instantly at the mention of delicious foods and candies.
"Of course. Just be a good girl and don’t cause any trouble while I’m away," Cain chuckled, tapping Nix’s shoulder to signal their departure toward Lunovale City.
Garran and the others had actually wanted to join, but Cain told them to stay behind, thinking it would be a short trip.
Naturally, that wasn’t his only reason. In case some people decided to cause trouble while he was away, he wanted Garran and the others to handle it. He was sure they would step up in his stead.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Anya’s strength, but he also wanted to leverage Yuchen and the others’ backgrounds to ensure no one would dare cause trouble. He was certain some people had been eyeing the liquid medicine’s refining technique.
And his guess was correct. As they traveled, Cain detected a group of people ahead, intending to intercept him.
Cain instructed Nix to stop before shouting loudly, petting Little White in his lap. "Get out! There’s no need to hide anymore."
"Hehehe… Your bodyguard’s senses are indeed sharp," an old man said as he stepped out from behind a large tree, followed by another person riding a massive, three-meter-tall eagle.
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"Boy, hand over the refining technique, and I promise we’ll let you go afterward," the middle-aged man on the eagle said with a wicked smile.
"Fenix, let Little White to watch the fight for a little bit," Cain waved his hand dismissively, not even bothering to engage with them.
The reason he wanted Fenix to handle them was to let Little White observe how strong people fought. Watching a battle between powerful individuals would be a valuable learning experience for the young beast.
Fenix then jumped on the ground, his eyes locking onto the old man and the massive eagle circling above as the eagle had gone back to its original size.
A slow, confident smirk played on his lips as he rotated his wrist, drawing his blade. The heat radiating from his body shimmered against the cold winds that now swirled through the battlefield.
The old man, his long white beard fluttering in the wind, narrowed his eyes. "Cocky little brat," he spat, forming a sharp gust around his hands. "You should’ve just handed over the technique."
The beast master, seated atop the giant eagle, chuckled. "Old man, make sure to give him a slow death! I want to see him beg for mercy."
Fenix exhaled, shaking his head. "You talk too much. Let’s see if you can back it up."
The moment the last words left his mouth, the old man charged forward, wind swirling around him. He struck with his palm coated in a razor-sharp wind.
Fenix instinctively raised his sword, deflecting the blow, but the sheer force pushed him back several meters. The air whistled dangerously around them, cutting into the dirt like blades.
"Hurricane Claw!" the old man roared, forming a crescent-shaped wind slash that spiraled toward Fenix at breakneck speed.
Fenix sidestepped, but the attack wasn’t meant to hit as it was for a distraction. The eagle dived at that exact moment, its claws coated in violent green energy.
Fenix barely twisted his body in time, feeling the razor-sharp claws graze past his side, cutting through his armor and searing his skin with an icy touch. He gritted his teeth, rolling upon landing to soften the impact.
The eagle banked hard and ascended again, letting out a piercing screech that sent powerful shock waves rippling through the battlefield.
Fenix braced himself, planting his feet firmly on the ground, but the force behind the sound sent vibrations through his body.
The old man used that momentary lapse to close the distance once more as he used his [Wind Fang] skill.
A barrage of compressed wind bullets fired from the old man’s palms, each one sharper than a dagger.
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Fenix met them head-on, his sword flaring with crimson energy as he executed Burning Slash. His flames clashed against the wind bullets, dissipating most of them, but the sheer number overwhelmed him. A few sliced through his sleeves, drawing thin lines of blood along his arms.
The old man chuckled. "Not so tough now, are you? You rely too much on brute force. Against the wind, power alone isn’t enough."
Fenix wiped the blood off his arm, his smirk unshaken. "Is that so?"
Before the old man could respond, Fenix launched forward with a fast speed, igniting his sword once more. He swung in a wide arc, flames crackling through the air.
The old man spun his body, effortlessly dodging while conjuring a spiraling wind shield.
"Too slow," the old man sneered as he countered with [Gale Burst] skill, a concentrated blast of wind that slammed into Fenix’s chest. The impact sent him skidding back, his boots digging trenches into the ground.
From above, the eagle swooped down once again, its beak glowing a sickly green as it used its [Storm Fang] skill.
It launched a concentrated wind blast from its mouth, targeting Fenix’s position. He barely managed to evade the direct hit, but the resulting explosion sent debris flying, leaving a deep crater in the ground.
Fenix clicked his tongue. "Alright, I’ll admit, you’re annoying."
The old man laughed. "And you’re predictable. You fight like a brute, no finesse at all."
Fenix took a deep breath, rolling his shoulders as he thought to himself. ’I guess I should start taking this seriously, maybe just a little.’
With a flicker of movement, he activated his [Ashstorm Surge] skill, summoning a whirlwind of embers around him. The ground beneath him burned black as the temperature spiked, and the old man’s confident grin faltered slightly.
"Heh. Thought you said brute force wasn’t enough? Let’s test that theory." Fenix vanished, reappearing right in front of the old man with his blade already in motion.
The old man barely reacted in time, raising a wind barrier that cracked instantly under the force of the slash. He staggered back, but the eagle descended to his aid, unleashing another [Storm Fang] skill.
Fenix dodged but felt a sudden force crush down on him as the old man activated his [Wind Domain] skill. The air around them compressed, turning into an invisible weight pressing onto Fenix’s body, restricting his movements slightly.
"Let’s see how well you fight when the very air works against you!" the old man roared, wind forming sharp tendrils around his limbs. He slashed with blinding speed, wind blades tearing through the air toward Fenix.
Fenix gritted his teeth, barely deflecting with his sword. Each impact forced him back. The eagle took the opportunity to dive in, swiping with its massive talons, raking across Fenix’s chest. The force sent him crashing into the dirt.
The old man landed gracefully a few meters away. "It’s over. You’re strong, but not enough."
Fenix coughed, wiping the dust off his mouth. His eyes gleamed with something that made the old man’s instincts scream at him.
"Over?" Fenix chuckled, slowly rising to his feet. "Nah, I was just warming up."
The heat around him surged. The embers swirling in the air intensified. The very ground beneath his feet began to sizzle, darkening under his sheer presence.
The old man and the beast master felt the shift in the atmosphere.