Rivers of the Night

Theron looked back as he dashed through the forest. He hadn’t sensed anything, but according to his feel for the situation, the odds that someone would know what happened there were high.

Unfortunately, his assumption was that it would certainly be the Patriarch.

The reason he had been sure to clean up as much as he could was so that he didn’t leave anything obvious behind. He didn’t believe that a man like the Patriarch would be capable of controlling the hearts of these disciples with just raw kindness; there was definitely some manipulation going on.

If he left behind obvious evidence, then at an opportune time, it could be turned back on him while the Patriarch got to keep his pristine image.

What Theron didn’t know was that the person who probably wanted to protect him the most in the world right now was the Patriarch of the Luminescent Moon Sect. He wouldn’t be scheming against Theron in this way.

Of course, whether that was because of the kind and pure intentions in his heart was another matter entirely.

Either way, at least this time, Theron’s caution had saved him from being schemed against again. But it had placed yet another target on his back.

Stepping on a branch, Theron accelerated ahead once more.

He was playing around with people whose strengths were far beyond his imagination. There was no way he would be able to account for everything. But…

**

"After all this time you still don’t have anything new to teach me, old man?" Theron grumbled.

"Go learn the Luminescent Moon Sect’s techniques since you like to philander about so much."

Theron grinned. "Do you want me to teach you? I can do that."

The old man scoffed. "If you could understand even an inkling of those texts, I would bow down and call you teacher."

"I might not be able to read the others, but the one I received after clearing the tower? That’s a different matter entirely."

The old man froze for a moment, then looked up at Theron. Seeing the sneaky look in the runt’s eyes, he almost blew his fuse.

Theron was too smart to not understand just how important the information he had let slip was. Not only did it reveal where the ancient methods of the Sect came from, but it also revealed that those who claimed those rewards had advantages compared to others in using those Forbidden Spells.

"Don’t look at me like that. The price will be quite high. All you’ve done is teach me a couple methods I learned in three days. Clearly, they weren’t that impressive."

Theron was lying through his teeth. It was because of [Songful Blade] and [Blood Escape] that he was able to sense his ability to resonate his Water Mana with other paths.

But that was also why he wanted to learn other methods.

After this last week of going through the Luminescent Moon Sect’s Forbidden Spells, he realized that what he was lacking most was foundation. There were too many things that he didn’t understand, and it made it hard to deduce and fill in the gaps he was missing on his own.

That was when he thought of a solution. Wasn’t it time this old man be useful again?

After a while, the old man shook his head.

"I’m old. The methods of the Luminescent Moon Sect have no meaning to me. Show me your [Songful Blade]."

Experience tales with

The old man waved a hand and a heavy stone appeared.

Theron raised an eyebrow. "This is…"

"Ebonstone. Cut it in half. If you can do that, I’ll teach you something new."

Theron frowned.

Ebonstone was probably one of the most important strategic resources of the Nightingale Empire. It was a rare stone steeped in both Dark and Metal Mana. The Metal Mana alone made it sturdy, but the Dark Mana made it especially good at dispersing impact and withstanding even sharp blows.

The entire Imperial Army was outfitted with Ebonstone Armor of various grades depending on their skill and usefulness to the Imperial Clan. They were certainly a nightmare for enemies to deal with.

This piece was of the Low-Tier Silver Resonance, and it was a head taller than Theron himself, not to mention twice as wide.

The width wouldn’t normally matter since the old man only asked him to cut it in half, but this was Ebonstone. The larger the piece, the more Dark Mana there was in it, and the more surface area it had to disperse the impact.

A piece of this size could only be split in two with the raw power of a High-Tier Silver Mancer. And that was without the refinement of a Soul Mancer blacksmith.

Theron unsheathed his common short sword, looking down at its half dulled blade and shaking his head. This task felt impossible.

"Tell me. If I cut this in two, what will you give me?"

The old man sneered. "You need motivation?"

"No. I’m just deciding whether it’s worth harming myself or not. If you’re going to give me the same trash as the first time, I might as well not."

There was a flash in the old man’s eyes. Does Theron really think that he can cut it? Even though this Ebonstone wasn’t refined, it wasn’t something even normal Silver Mancers could cut.

"… If you can cut it, I will teach you [Songful Resonance]. It’s a less acute version of [Songful Blade] and amplifies your entire body instead of gearing it up for a single strike."

"Not enough."

"Don’t cut me off, brat. I’ll also teach you [Soul Escape]."

A radiant light flashed in Theron’s eyes, his aura changing. A dense swirl of Water Mana seemed to manifest around him, so thick they began to form streams of mist.

Veinsong.

Theron’s skin suddenly began to redden, the echo of his heartbeat becoming so violent that it threatened to shatter his eardrums.

The pupils of the old man trembled, but Theron had already moved.