Dan's True Prowess

Dan revealed a wry smile, he knew that he could not compete against the old man George but for the sake of training and gauging his own capabilities, he understood that he needed to train himself. Moving before George, Dan took a wooden dagger that the former gave and assumed an offensive stance.

Same rules, Dan would attack while George would defend. If Dan manages to land an attack on George, it would be his win.

Dan didn't bother to look at George's stats, instead, he searched his weak points and formed a battle simulation with the help of the System with the information that he gathered upon looking at his battle with Natalie, earlier. Within a fraction of a second, the System completed its simulation and a holographic image of George appeared on his peripheral vision whose body dotted with numerous red marks and suggestions on how to defeat George.

Bending his knees, power surged on his feet as he flew dashed towards George and begun his fierce offensive. At first, George nonchalantly evaded it, but his expression knitted when he realized that Dan caught a hold of the pattern in his movements.

A satisfied smile lifted on his lips if Dan thinks that his movements had a linear pattern, then he would be greatly mistaken. The confident smile on Dan's lips collapsed, replaced with a solemn one when he realized that George's movements, changed.

The System did another simulation and once again, Dan caught a hold of the pattern in his movements. The wind around them formed a whirlpool, Dan followed the instructions of the System and concentrated a tinge of Qi on the tip of his wooden dagger so that it could easily break through wind resistance, increasing his attack speed in response.

The wind whistled in each time he stabbed, but of course, George still evaded his flurry of attacks. Natalie stared at Dan with shock visible on her visage. She didn't expect that Dan had such a prowess. A wry smile leaked on her lips, yet at the same time, she became happy.

The sensation of being with someone that could protect you gave her an intense sense of security which reassured her heat. The stronger Dan became, the happier she became.

Dan's low stamina stats became his undoing. The current exchange of pointers haven't even lasted for about a minute, yet he already became this exhausted. Grounding his teeth, he mustered his willpower in an effort to land a single hit on George's body.

This was the first time that Dan utilized the System's full potential in a battle. But despite the System's painstaking efforts in calculating George's movements. In each time he caught a hold of his movement patterns, the old man would change it immediately, giving him a massive headache.

Dan darted his gaze at his Stamina, Health, and Qi Bar Graphs. Clicking his tongue, he understood that he didn't have enough time. He had to land an attack within the next ten exchanges or else he would collapse from exhaustion.

Witnessing the gradually lagging movements of Dan, George snickered, "Is that the best that you can do, young master?" His tone, laced with mocking echoed out, but inwardly, a cold sweat ran through his back. If not for the fact that he trained himself to be prepared in all sorts of situation, Dan would've landed a hit on his body in the first twenty exchanges.

Dan clicked his tongue as streams of sweat fell from his forehead down his cheeks. A cunning smile lifted on his lips as a vicious idea formed in his mind. In the face of an expert whose mechanical techniques and cultivation was higher than yours, there could only be one method in defeating him.

Dan crouched on the ground, his knees bulged with power and his free left hand snatched a handful of dust from the ground as his figure dashed above George. His right hand stretched upward in a downward slash as George sneered, "Quite an obvious attack, young ma-"

Before he could even finish his sentence, a mouthful of dust entered his seven orifices as he fiercely coughed. His vision temporarily blinded. But contrary to Dan's expectations, George's decades of experience enabled him to act like normal as he still evaded Dan's slice.

"That's quite shameless of you, Young Master!" George berated, but in the next instant, his eyes widened in shock. Dan mysteriously disappeared before him and reappeared behind him. The sharp tip of his dagger pointed on his back.

"Shameless? George, you do know that there's no such thing as a dirty tactic in war, right?" Dan leaked a small smile, but inwardly, he heaved a sigh of relief, when the dust entered George's orifices and took his vision out, he quickly activated Stealth and sneaked past behind him and stabbed his back.

If not for the distraction that he made and George's irritation about his move. Dan knew that he would definitely be unable to land a hit on his body. Now, he understood that if not for the System's help, he was nothing.

Wryly smiling, Dan inwardly swore that he would definitely train himself so that he wouldn't rely on the System's capabilities as often as he currently does. His gaze swept over at Natalie who greeted him with a sweet smile.

Meanwhile, George who ate a mouthful of sand looked grim and solemn, the air around him thickened and a fiery sense of anger bubbled up from his heart. Just as Dan became apprehensive, the old man calmed himself down and sighed,

"Well, it's my fault for being careless anyways, okay it's your win..."

Dan raised his fist up in the air in a gesture of victory as Natalie retorted, "Stop being so smug, you used such a shameless method..."

"What shameless are you talking about, there's no shameless method when it comes to battle!" Dan proudly declared and Natalie rolled her eyes and ignored him as she turned at George and said, "Then, Senior, what do you think, did we do good or not?"

"Hmm," George crossed his arms together before saying, "Young Mistress did fine, your movements were without waste and you could even slightly predict my next movements judging from the movements of my muscles, just who taught you those techniques?" He asked and Dan lifted his eyebrows, Indeed, just who instructed her that she became very powerful in a matter of weeks.

A small smile lifted on her lips when she realized their curiosity, "It was the Legendary Forger, Takemikazuchi who instructed me..."

Her words didn't astonish George. But Dan who heard her words become somehow indignant as he inwardly cursed the old man, 'To think that I gave him that handgun! Why is he teaching my wife, instead of me?!' Natalie glanced at Dan and witnessed his wry expression as she chuckled, "Senior Takemikazuchi said that it would be better for you to learn on your own,"

"Learn on your own, my ass! He's just dodging it!" Dan retorted and Natalie chuckled once again as George said, "So it was that old geezer that taught you?" He lifted his eyebrows, "What a lucky encounter, that old man's prowess back then was strong enough that he could contain against the Master, but what a pity that he became seriously injured," George shook his head and dispelled his thoughts.

Dan's expression flickered, the words that George said confirmed the story that the old man, Takemikazuchi said about his homeland. It seems like he really didn't come from this continent... He inwardly thought.

"Okay, let's continue the judging..." George brought Dan back from his inner contemplation as he said, "Setting Young Mistress' abilities aside, young master wasn't half bad but he's still lacking, especially in his stamina," His gaze swept over the couple and said in a stern tone, "Also, I already told Mathias about Natalie's admission to the Sect, she will be enrolled as an Inner Disciple because of her cultivation."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, George! This is too hasty! Why are you doing this?" Dan retorted and George threw him a fierce glare, "Why I am doing this? This is for your own sake, young master!"

"What own sake are you talking about?" Dan's expression darkened, his eyebrows knitted, as George coldly chuckled with a cunning smile lifting on his lips.

"I want you to temporarily separate with your wife so that you can focus on cultivating and training your body instead of having your essence, sucked dry, every day..."

His words dumbfounded the two and Natalie's expression became flushed as she furiously blushed, Dan gave a dry cough. Natalie threw him a death glare. Under the pressure of both gazes, Dan didn't have other choices but to compromise, "Okay, okay, fine! I accept that arrangement..."

"Good, that's the spirit,"

Dan rolled his eyes while Natalie chuckled and embraced his arms, "Don't worry too much about it, Dear. You can just find me once you're also enrolled," She even rubbed her chest on his arms, arousing his libido as Dan clicked his tongue.

George merely smiled at their antics, "Mathias has already arranged your residence, you will be with his daughter Charlotte, also, don't worry about Juliet, you can also bring her with you..."

Natalie bowed at George in appreciation. The latter nodded his head and waved his hand in the air as a Spatial Crack manifested and swallowed Natalie's body without warning. Dan stared dumbfounded before turning towards the old man, George.

The ability to manipulate space was the trademark of Divine Ascendance Realm Cultivators, could it be that this decrepit and emaciated old man actually had such a high cultivation? He inwardly asked as George chuckled, "Don't mind it, your wife and daughter is already at the Paradyne Academy, now that they're gone, we can finally focus..."

He willed and another Spatial Crack materialized, engulfing him and George as the scenery around him wildly twisted before stabilizing into an unfamiliar forest. Dan knitted his eyebrows and scanned using the System. The results said that Dan and George were at the South Eastern direction, just outside the Empire of Eternal Faith.

"I have a mission for you, young master, and if you succeed in this, the Master will enlighten you to every question that you have in your mind..." George told him with a mysterious smile on his face.

Dan turned at the former and said, "What mission?" Indeed, he had numerous questions about the origins of his clan. Questions that even the memories of the previous owner of his body didn't know. However, his experience in reading xianxia and wuxia told him that his clan would definitely be out of the ordinary. The only question was, just how strong was his clan?

"I admire your enthusiasm, but don't worry, this will just be a simple task, a task that will thoroughly solidify your position as a demonic cultivator..." A vicious wind sprung and enveloped George as he slowly declared, "I want you to erase, all traces of the Night Ranger's Association Branch in this town in the next three months..."

"Say what..."

The abrupt turn of events dumbfounded him as he subconsciously mumbled.