Rivers of the Night

Theron immediately had two questions.

What was that?

And why was this a matter that needed to be hesitated about to the point of near secrecy?

"What’s that, senior sister?"

"It’s not a surprise you don’t know about it. The tower is in the Inner Sect. It’s said that if you can pass its test, you can become a Core Disciple immediately regardless of your cultivation, and gain the resources that come with it.

"The problem is that normally the tower is closed because it takes a large amount of energy to activate. It’s not worth it just for one disciple after another to fail.

"But, this is more of an open secret. For a while now, the acting story has been that the tower has just been rejecting entries because no one has even been worthy to take the first floor test…"

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The voice of the young woman trailed off as she gave Theron a pointed look. If Theron was a talent that had even a remote right to challenge the tower, he would understand by now.

That meant that the first few people to realize this would likely have an advantage.

Who knew how much longer the Sect would keep the tower open? Those in the know would keep this to themselves for as long as possible so that they could take a chance themselves.

The fact that this test had no cultivation restrictions gave many hope. Who knew if they were the ones that might soar up to the Heavens in a single bound?

So, in return, Theron thanked her profusely and then asked her for directions.

After the young woman left, Theron regained his calm, skepticism practically oozing out of him.

The young woman was somewhat talented, but nothing special. She was in her early twenties, and yet still Quasi Silver. That wasn’t terrible, but she had no shot at becoming a Core Disciple in her lifetime. If she was any slower, the Inner Disciple test would be too difficult for her to complete too.

So how did she know about something so important?

Obviously, the Sect unleashing this news wasn’t as secretive as it seemed. There was a clear selective spreading of this information. As for why, Theron didn’t know.

What he did know was that he would be entering this tower today. Clearly, this was what the Patriarch wanted him to do.

Even if he didn’t quite feel comfortable following that man’s lead, there was no real other choice right now.

…

Theron slipped through buildings and past trees. The transitions between living accommodations and nature were growing more seamless as he approached the inner regions of the Sect.

But right now, he had to be even more cautious.

The strongest plan would usually be to act like he belonged and confidently strut in. Who would sneak into a Sect as a Bronze Mancer? No one would expect such a thing.

But with Tenn looming in the back of his mind, he had no choice but to take this path.

’Water.’

Theron smiled.

There was a bridge separating the Outer and Inner Sect, just like the young woman detailed. Beneath it, there was a wide moat.

Just observing it, it was a truly gorgeous scene. But watching washing waters from a distance was nice. Entering them, especially in a Mana-dense region like this one, would almost certainly mean death even for a Water Mancer.

To Theron, it was music to his ears, though.

He sat there patiently, slipping into Veinsong seamlessly and waiting as time passed.

Night fell before he finally moved.

There had been a great number of Silver Mancers passing through this area, but not a single one had felt him.

He had been able to hide from even Gold Mancers for brief instances in the past when they weren’t expecting him, let alone now that he was much stronger. Fusing an Echo into his body made him so much more in tune with Water Mana, especially in Veinsong.

All he had to do was mimic the aura of the thick Water Mana in the air and might as well have not been there at all.

Finally, Theron moved, slipping down the side of the moat and into the waters.

There were surely powerful creatures below, all of whom were at Silver Mancy, but not a single one of them sensed him at all. He was just another current in the ocean as he crossed, climbing up to the other side and slipping into the Inner Sect.

**

"Where the hell is he?!" Tenn slammed down another drink in frustration.

If he had known this would happen, he wouldn’t have taken his eyes off of Theron so easily. He knew the Sect was large, but with the eyes of the law enforcement officers, how could anyone hide?

Plus, wasn’t the plan supposed to be for Theron to expose himself, thinking too much of his status? But that didn’t happen either.

"Tenn!"

A voice came from outside the bar before the door was practically smashed in.

"Slam my door like that again and I’ll hang your butt naked! Try me again!"

"Sorry! Sorry! This is important!"

"What’s going on, Oile?"

"The Luminescent Tower, it’s lit."

Tenn frowned and stood up. The rumors were true?

But they only just started circulating… maybe someone really couldn’t wait anymore and went to test it out.

"Let’s go!"

"Wait!"

"What?! What the hell are you blocking my way for?!"

"It’s not just that it’s lit, it’s who it’s lit by!"

Tenn frowned, a bad feeling welling up inside him.

"Just tell the whole story! I’m not paying you for cliffhangers, bastard!"

"It’s Theron Galethunder. He’s the one who entered."

Tenn felt an explosion going off in his mind. How the hell had a Bronze Mancer snuck into the Inner Sect?!