41 The change

"Sir, with all due respect…" Clearly not expecting such a hostile reaction, the middle-aged man stood still on his spot for a moment, before his face darkened. "Listen here, there are some people that you should not offend…" Uttering the threat in the low voice, the intruder allowed his flow of energy to surface.

'Phew, that's a strong one.' So far, Sheeren was absolutely the strongest person Sebian knew in this strange world. But from the look of things, this man was even stronger, passing the awakening stage and reaching the second dimension of cultivation. Changing focus from bodily cultivation to growing his mind, one would surprisingly reach nearly a tripling of his manual strength. Only at that point, one's mind would catch up to one's physical prowess, finally allowing a cultivator to exercise his true might.

And right now, this damned intruder was showcasing his prowess, easily reaching the pinnacle of the first stage. Between him and the alchemist, the difference of might was insurmountable. The breach was just too damn big.

So Sebian smiled.

"Excuse me, sir, you have one instant to leave this place." Not showing any hints of anxiety on his face, the alchemist leaned over the counter before yawning. "You are… Yaaawn… Bothering other customers."

"What?" Not moving a muscle, the intruder only managed to widen his eyes a bit. Because the man standing up to him, had no aura whatsoever!

'So damn easy…' Even though it was only about one and a half day since he opened up his stall, his antics already made him widely popular. And just the scale of what he was doing and how much wealth he was throwing around, made others expect him to have a certain level of capability to back it up.

But Sebian was completely deprived of his cultivation. With no strength at all, even his knowledge and skills wouldn't be able to save him.

'It's as if… I'm not sure if he can hide his aura so well, or if he is just so damn arrogant in believing the crowd will help him out!' The intruding elder, despite appearing to be in a rage, was coldly calculating in his mind. After what he heard from his disciple, he had no other choice but to rush to this place. As long as he could buy a single box of those pills, even he could advance his cultivation nearly instantaneously! But nothing went the way he expected.

With his standing as the elder of the Gloryhouse sect, he was used to everyone fawning on him, in hopes of currying favours with him. Surrounded by nothing but nearly religiously devout followers, he hardly experienced any drawbacks or refusals. Yet, here he stood now, facing off with the owner of the place he was so desperate to buy from!

And what was even worse, he couldn't see through that man at all. 'Those furs… Is he some kind of bar… No, that can't be!' Observing the other party, the intruder noticed the innate aura of those furs. Although faint, it was on a depth he never experienced. It wasn't something that he or any of the experts in the city could ever see in their lives.

'Not unless we would rapidly breakthrough, and with that amount of pills…' Looking at the alchemist seemingly sleeping on the counter, the elder squinted his eyes before calming his aura down. Then, his eyes moved to the girl that retreated behind the stall owner's back as soon as he appeared. 'Could it be…' A stray thought suddenly appeared in the elder's mind. Recalling the braggart stories of his prided disciple, a certain suspicion appeared in his eyes.

"Whoever will bring me that man's head, I will reward with this." As soon as the elder dropped his hostile attitude, Sebian opened his eyes and smiled. Pulling out his hand from under the store's front, he placed an impossibility on the counter.

"A grade four…" After a few moments, a single voice appeared. Nearly in religious awe, the whisper filled everyone with respect and put them in a thoughtful state.

'What the hell is going on right now!' Holding the arm braces of the chair with her fingers so strong that the whites of her bones appeared underneath the skin, Aina shrugged at the sole idea of letting go of them. Right now, despite being motionless, she was on the greatest ride in her entire life.

'He has no strength at all.' That the girl was certain of. Even she could feel how different the aura of the man was after he saved her from that parasite. 'How can he have the balls to stand against such power without batting an eye?!' Stunned by the show, Aina could only open her eyes even wider when her master suddenly turned the situation up a notch. With this single declaration and appearance of a grade four stone, the entire shopping hall froze in place.

"Master…" In an instant, a single thought appeared in the girl's head. A single realization, that suddenly changed the entire picture for her.

The intruder of the stall was the elder responsible for the man she slept with in the time frame Sebian gave. And ever since that time, ever since that bastard left her with nothing, her entire nature turned subservient to the Gloryhouse sect. And for over two years, she was slaving away with everything she had, only for someone from the sect to profit from it.

And the man responsible for all of that, the man behind her foul enslavement, was right now threatening her master.

The man who brought her from the tight grasp of the sect turned her life upside down and constantly provided her with yearly dosages of adrenaline.

'He is so cool…' Staring at the wide back of her master, something snapped in the girl soul. Standing up from her chair, Aina couldn't control her body anymore. Unable to utter a single voice even within her own thoughts, she could only watch with desperation how her hands wrapped around her master's chest. Then, her lips moved on their own.

"Master, he is the one. He is that bastard's teacher!" Aina's soul trembled in terror. Unable to control her own body, she couldn't stop herself from saying such draconian things. For her own sake, she was going to rely on a man deprived of his entire strength?

'I don't want that.' As panicked as the girl was, the voice appeared in her mind loud and clear. Even though it was only a few days, just imagining some harm coming to the man he was hugging from behind right now made her entire soul tremble in fear.

"Don't worry." Reaching to the girl's head with his hand, Sebian patted her head cheerfully. "But there is actually a lot of good reasons to wait a bit." Suddenly dropping all his hostility and killing intent that exploded once he gave his earlier order, Sebian smiled gently. "I will give this stone to whoever confines this piece of shit to the back row of the building." Pointing his hand at the other side of the main shopping hall, Sebian played with the stone. With its dim light attracting the devotion of all the customers, their stares soon turned towards the Gloryhouse elder.

"If you guys want to know why we are not selling to the sects, then it's better to wait until some bigger fishes arrive. I cannot wait to hear their opinions on the matter." Openly laughing up, Sebian looked towards the entrance of the shopping hall.

"You are already here, aren't you? How about you show your face and listen to a certain story in a public?" Finally moving his elbow from the counter and rising up, Sebian smiled towards a small group of silent people gathered at the back, before moving his eyes to the people nearby. "Guys, the longer he stays unbound, the longer it will take for the sales to start." With his smile widening even further, Sebian added. "Don't you want to test a new product? The most delicious pudding that your commoner's throats will ever taste, all the while calming down your mind and clearing out your doubts."

Jumping at the counter, Sebian spread out his arms in which he held a small cup of the precious delicacy. "It's normal worth in the greater world out there, is believed to be about ten grade two stones each!"