Ace the Top Ranker

"What the hell happened?"

It was starting to get dark already when Lorenz came to, his four companions were by his side waiting for him to wake up and after hearing him talk, the others immediately felt delighted. The four men came running to Lorenz and celebrated his 'revival'.

"Hey, get off me, I don't like guys. What happened to me and why the hell am I feeling sore around my neck?" Lorenz protested.

After a while the other four stopped their joyous celebration, they all turned their heads to look at Ace and Altair who were conversing from afar then one of them started explaining what just happened in the earlier fight.

"So you're saying that I actually lost in one hit by someone that I had just beaten like trash a few days ago? Well, that explains this sore neck of mine."

Lorenz was feeling aggrieve at first but he didn't deny the loss and just accepted the fact. The first time he fought with Ace he had long notice something was strange with him because if there wasn't, he wouldn't be able to take those hits from him and that numbing sensation he felt that time was most likely the same lightning used against him.

After arranging his thoughts, Lorenz remembered the bet that he agreed on and went over to Ace so he can fulfill his end of the bet.

…

Ace laughed as he returned the five bottles of Restoration Pills to Altair. After his little spar with Lorenz, Altair immediately came over to his side and wanted to give the three of the five bottles of Restoration Pills that he gave him.

Altair said that he can't accept that much as the job wasn't too hard for him but Ace insisted on giving him the five hundred Restoration Pills after all he had already treated Altair like his friend.

"Senior brother this is too much, five hundred Restoration Pills for one job? This is simply too much for me to take."

"I told you to not worry about it, you help me in finding Lorenz and you helped me find people who were actually willing to fight with me so just accept it already. Besides you can just think of it as my investment for the future God of the Shadows."

Altair wanted to say something back, but when he saw the serious look on Ace's eyes he realized that he wasn't showing any other intent than sincerity. He had never seen someone like Ace who didn't laugh at his goal of becoming the God of the Shadows.

"But if you really want to give it back just lend me your assistance when I need you in the future, brother Altair."

"Haha, you know where to put your money senior brother alright just find me in the future and I will help you with anything also just call me Altair, senior brother,"

Just as they were finishing their conversation Lorenz stood in front of Ace and Altair while being assisted by one of his companions. When he stood in front of Ace and Altair his previous attitude of looking at someone who was weaker than himself disappeared.

He was beaten by Ace without any tricks, it was a straight forward fight and Ace was even lenient enough to let him off with this kind of light injuries after mocking him and beating him up a few days ago.

"Brother, I have acknowledged my loss." Lorenz bowed his head to Ace.

Ace, upon seeing Lorenz act like this immediately made him stop and said;

"That's enough senior brother Lorenz, you don't have to bow to me, after all, I am still a junior to you." Ace sounded sincere when he said those words and he proceeded to help Lorenz lift his head. There was no point in humiliating him by letting him bow to him like this.

No matter what he felt about Lorenz because of the earlier fight, Ace had forgotten all of it after beating him in this fight, they were, after all, brothers of the same sect. Lorenz saw Ace's sincerity and nodded his head.

Lorenz calmed down and remembered what he came here to do so he proceeded.

"Alright, you wanted to know how I cultivated my <<Twin Lightning Fist>> right. There are two methods, first was to wait for lightning arrive naturally, but thunderstorms are rare and too painful so I use my second method of asking one of the Senior Brothers in the sect who has a beast companion that has a lightning ability."

"Then who's the senior who has a beast companion of the lightning attribute?" Ace asked.

"It's senior Molat, I have been trying paying him fifty Restoration Pills so he would let me train with his Lightning Bull but because fifty Restoration Pills is too much for someone like me I am only able to reach the middle stage of Mastery in the <<Twin Lightning Fist>>."

When he was talking Lorenz looked rather depressed when he thought of how he had been cultivating this past year.

Ace nodded his head after hearing Lorenz talk. Beast companions were rare and taming one was hard, a Magical Beast that has matured already was not easy to tame as they already have their own consciousness that's comparable to a human, some even learn how to speak in human tongue.

A Magical Beast willing to become someone's beast companion was hard enough but the lightning element was also rare that made finding a demonic beast with a lightning attribute that will help Ace in his cultivation was truly hard.

"So that's how it is, senior brother Lorenz thank you for letting me know."

Ace listened to Lorenz and thanked him for the information he gave him.

Ace and Altair stood in front of the Lower Demon Plateau's entree way, the two of them exchange some words before going their separate ways. Altair went to the direction of the Martial Pavilion and the Alchemist Association and Ace went to the Forest of Dreams.

It had been four days since Ace came back to his own house and after he went back the first thing he did was to dive on his own bed and took a nap. Having felt the comfortable and warm bed Ace felt his eyes becoming heavy and after a short, while he fell to sleep.

…

Inside the Lower Demon Plateau, the observer that had been watching Ace stood in front of the Lower Demon Plateau's entrance while holding a crimson medallion, his face showed indifference but his eyes seemed deeper than the Lake of the Green Beast. Many disciples who entered and exited saw this observer and found it weird how he was just standing there doing nothing.

The observers were one of the busiest people in the whole sect whether it be day or night they will be working for the sect and would only be stopped after their turn to watch was over and was replaced by another, it's strange to see an observer quietly watching like this and not doing anything.

Then, as more people were taking note of his presence the observer disappeared from that place leaving behind the confused disciples, "why is he here?" and "what is he doing?" were the questions left in their mind.

Appearing in some barren place the observer with the crimson medallion showed a sudden realization as if he had finally found the answer he was looking for, those pair of deep eyes changed and became clear that reflected everything in this world.

"Jako I have decided what to do with the disciple named Ace."

The observer called and another observer named Jako came out of nowhere. This Jako was this observer's direct subordinate and he had been following him since the observer was only ten years of age.

"Young Master Laius, what have you decided? The youth who bears the name Ace is lucky to be judged by young master although the young master should have just left it to me."

Jako was against letting Laius personally come out of the Peak just to observe some outer sect disciple upstart after all Laius was someone who possesses illustrious position in the sect despite being so young only at the age of fifteen.

"Jako I am also an observer of the sect besides grandfather was the one who told me to take a look at this young man named Ace and it seems like grandfather truly did found someone interesting. To actually train the <<Lightning Demon Body>> and the <<Flame Serpent>> to such extent, even I am impressed."

Laius could not help it and gave Ace praise, he had seen many geniuses but no one like Ace who managed to master these two techniques that exceeded perfection.

"So what's your evaluation of him, young master? I think you should just place him in the waitlist and only put him in the Rankings after he actually beat someone in the Demon Rankings."

Jako gave his honest opinion in this matter. He too was an observer but from what he had seen Ace still lack major points before he can enter the Demon Rankings.

But Laius thought otherwise.

"No, I will place him at the top 100 and after midnight this will become official. The man who held the top 100 had stopped at the first level of Minor Saint Stage for two years now and Ace is someone who has the strength to fight against Minor Saints so this will also act as a test for them to see if they deserve the top 100 of the Demon Rankings."

Laius said in a leisure manner leaving Jako to sigh. Jako had been following Laius for a long time and he had yet to see him judge someone so highly as he did with Ace.

"Young master you're slowly becoming like the Elder as time goes on."

Although he said that Jako still complied with what Laius ordered and left for the Demon Ranking records so he can inform the elder in charge.

Looking at the sky Laius remembered what his grandfather said about the three new recruits especially for Ace and like always his grandfather didn't disappoint him in finding someone with such talents.

"Just how far will he go up?"

…

When midnight came everyone's medallion in the outer sect shone with blinding light. This light was familiar to everyone as this was only one of the few means on how they will know who will be in the Demon Rankings and with this blinding light only one thing meant and that was someone ascending to the Demon Rankings.

In the very depths of the Lower Demon Plateau, a fifty meter tall Jade tablet floated in the air. This Jade tablet was the Demon Rankings and in the very bottom of the Jade tablet the top 100th place was starting to change from, "Riku" to "Ace".

This sudden change in the rankings shook the entire outer area of the whole sect, whether it be the elders or the lowest disciples everyone was shaken, that was because no one but a few people knew of the name Ace.

Everyone was surprised by this sudden change but no one questioned its fairness however one question appeared in the mind of many and this question was "Who is this Ace?"

When the sun came out the man who bore the name Ace woke up feeling refresh and energetic than ever. The man in question didn't even pay any attention to the sudden change in the rankings because this is the day when he will try his first pill concoction.