12 Chapter 12: Time for himself

The moon glowed brightly as the crickets chirped their little song. Unlike the moon in Molian, the moon in Xuelian was a cold bluish-grey and had a faint silvery glow. The rays of the moon kissed the lands as two men donned in white walked leisurely past the trees.

One man had short black hair, tied in a braid. He wore a white three-piece while whistling a tune that made one feel pained. The other man had long silvery locks, eyes grey as if blank. He had his hair tied in a high ponytail, decorated with a white lotus flower that the other found on the way.

Dayan liked walking the long path with his lover, and the coolness of the wind made it feel refreshing. He turned to the other, narrowing his eyes. "Dear, do you think Arroth needs more push?"

The other looked at Dayan, nodding his head. "Let him realize how much he needed you. Then, the plan may continue."

The two walked side-by-side, humming as they watched the lonely moon.

"Do you still have to die?" Dayan asked in a melancholic tone. He raised the other's head, staring at his grey eyes.

The man nodded without hesitation. "I know you know that my death is a must."

Dayan sighed, brushing his lover's hair away from his cheeks. "Then I'll do what I must."

**************

Arroth woke up, feeling refreshed. He touched his chest and noticed that his core had become larger, so much that he might finally ascend. He has been stuck in the foundation building stage and had not moved for 100 years. He's almost 200 years old, yet his cultivation was much less than a 20-year-old.

He couldn't wait to cultivate, and finally, start cultivating a core. He stood up, looking at his sleeping brother. He tapped Zaganon on the head and said. "Brother look, I passed the bottleneck!"

Zaganon raised his head and chirped. He turned his body around showing his belly up to the sky. Those actions don’t seem to mean anything, but seeing Zaganon reacting to his sentences made Arroth happy.

"Brother, I'm gonna cultivate for a moment, guard the house, okay?" Arroth kissed his brother's head and sat crossed leg on the floor, and began to circulate his qi.

Outside the home of Arroth, Zulta was sitting down on the porch, waiting for the right moment to enter. He heard Arroth state something about cultivating, then noticed how the qi around the house began to spin in a certain direction. This signals that Arroth had begun to accumulate qi and circulate them. Zulta hummed and checked his qi and noticed that he couldn't take the energy spiraling around him.

Arroth closed his eyes and used his senses at the highest. His ears could hear the sound of a water droplet happening a mile away, and he could smell the sweet cakes being eaten by those in the third peak. He felt his surrounding air thinned, and the energy had begun to condense. His dantians heat up, and his meridians are circulating his Qi at a fast pace.

When Arroth was done, he had stepped into the golden core stage.

The sound of three knocks on the door arouses Arroth out of his training. He stood to open the door and found Zulta looking pale, almost dead. He turned to look outside and the angels of the first peak were staring at him with a burning hatred. Their faces looked similar to Zulta pale and dead. Arroth turned his head back towards Zulta and raised his brows.

“You kinda..” He huffed and puffed, grabbing Arroth’s lapels to keep his feet from falling. “You kinda used a little too much Qi in the peak and the others…. Well. They aren’t fans of that.”

Arroth turned to look at the others and nodded before closing the doors on Zulta’s face.

Zulta grabbed open the door before Arroth completely closed it, then slammed the door open. “DON’T CLOSE THE DOOR. I noticed that you’re cultivating!”

Arroth stared at Zulta’s hand that was grabbing the door. “Yes.” He frowned, staring daggers at Zulta’s hand.

“Great, here’s a token to the cultivation room.” Zulta handed a green wooden token to Arroth. “The others wouldn’t let you continue doing that here.” He waved his hand and ran away. “YOU CAN FIND THE PLACE IN THE NORTHERN SIDE OF THE PEAK!!”

Arroth looked at his brother and sighed. “I really hate this place.”

**************

The Northside of the peak had many buildings as well as multiple chambers all meant for cultivation. The angels coming in and out of those buildings are often Cherubs and Thrones. Seraphim have their own cultivation home which was located in the south part of the peak. Since Cherubs and Thrones are angels who were made to fight and protect, they are required to cultivate their bodies as well as their power. Seraphims are those who receive messages from their lord and sing praises and prayers to keep the balance intact.

Arroth couldn't tell which chamber he should go to, and a lot of angels have been giving him a stink eye. He sighed, trying to guess what the words said on the plaque. "Why do we have more than one language anyway? Even then, I still can't read." Arroth walked to wherever his feet led him in.

He left Zaganon with the tamer. For an angel, the tamer was rather nice to Zaganon… It could be because Zaganob was a dragon. He noticed how the tamer still narrows his eyes at Arroth, looking as if he was disgusted with his existence, but he never voiced it. Arroth was still a little reluctant to trust the tamer, but seeing Zaganon accept the Tamer’s touch, he felt at ease.

"Um.. hello?" Arroth pushed open a door that had two characters that he couldn't recognize. "I have a token from Zulta…" He stared at the rows of men and women, intertwined with each other in the very front of the chamber. His eyes widened in shock and he immediately closed the door.

Arroth felt his face heat up, feeling his throat dry. "What in the world was that?" He began to wonder whether Zulta made him come here to make fun of him, or help. Nevertheless, he would never enter that chamber.

He walked to the next building, hoping to never see naked bodies sticking together. He sighed, hoping he had just stayed at home.

The sound of bells clinking shattered the silence of the room. A young man with blonde hair and green eyes looked at the door to welcome Arroth. "Welcome to Mengxian, how may I help you?"

Arroth stared at the young boy, who seemed to only be 16 years old, holding a fan and donning a mischievous smile on his lips. "I'm here to practice my cultivation."

The boy's eyes lit up and he walked towards Arroth. "Good choice, young lord!" He gave Arroth a packet of coffee and added. "Let this young one lead you to your room!"

Arroth nodded and followed the boy to a sauna.

"This is the dream sauna. It creates a realistic scene where the young lord can fight beasts and demons." The boy gave Arroth a cup of hot water and continued. "The results are always similar to the real thing!"

Arroth hummed and sat inside the sauna. He felt the heat surround him, as he watched the boy close the door. He couldn't understand why he needed the coffee and the hot water, and the wooden token from Zulta became useless. He must have picked the wrong place, but he still wanted to try this place out.

The sauna was made from wood, and the smoke from the fire pit was enough to lighten his loads. He could feel his breathing become smoother, and his face felt bouncy. Saunas are truly good for the body, even for a half and half like him.

Arroth closed his eyes and began to cultivate. The room turned into a battlefield, full of demon beasts he can cut apart. His arms felt light, that all his swings were in perfect sync. "This is new." He turned his attention to the incoming army, dodging from side to side, lest he got injured.

Arroth felt his chest beat faster, and he noticed that the beasts were even fiercer than he thought they were.

The pendant around his neck began to glow, as his sword swung left and right. His Qi envelopes the blade, slashing hundreds of beasts in his way. His eyes were filled with bloodlust, smirking as the sword pierced through the skin and bones of those animals.

Arroth didn't plan to use his gauntlet and stuck into fighting with his longsword.

Sparks flew when his blade was met with a hard tusk of a giant boar. The sword dug into the boar's tusk which the pig used to swing Arroth around, making him fly in a beautiful arc, landing in the ground, creating a human-shaped crater. The pig huffed, charging towards Arroth at full speed.

Arroth stood up, and let his body form a good defensive stance.

But…

yes. But.

The boar has the same strength as a nascent soul stage cultivator, and since Arroth had just broken through the Golden core stage, he had no chance of winning against the beast. He was met with the boar's tusk, and fell to the ground unconscious…

The pendant continued to glow, curing his injuries, and building up his core. And in just minutes, Arroth had broken through another star in his Golden Core stage. Arroth might not see it now, but once he wakes up, he'd be surprised to see how fast he grows… Some might say that it's too fast.