Chapter 14

He was about sabotage Fares' cultivation when all of a sudden he was thrown back onto his butt by an invisible force.

"What is the meaning of this, Daragma?" Azkar said with flaring nostrils and heaving breathing. He was pissed off, as he already accepted a losing bet, and he even wanted to cheat now? Does he think he can do whatever he wants just because he has above-average talents in cultivation?

With a shocked look on his face, Daragma got up and patted down his butt looking rather annoyed at the treatment he, as an elder of Crystal Cave village, was getting for a new unknown kid.

"You're breaking village rules for some unknown kid, Azkar? Are you out of your mind?" Daragma stated as his face started getting contorted the more he thought about it.

"He's already a member of the village, old man. I, Azkar, as the chief of this village have already accepted him. Now do YOU Elder Daragma wish to rebel on both the village rules and the bet you made?" Azkar replied as he released some energy outside his body.

Overwhelmed by his energy, Daragma chose to shut up and sit back down. 'There is only one hour left, till you lose the bet, let's see what can that kid do about it.'

He was not happy about what this old chief did, but he couldn't even withstand that pressure of the Nature Fusion stage is nothing to joke about.

---------

Ten minutes later, Fares opened his eyes again, he could feel it, the energy kept striking at this one point in his brain, but no matter how much he ate it just wouldn't go past it.

He picked up a bigger piece of meat, perhaps it was half what was left, and kept munching on it till he finished it all.

Even though he ate way more than any normal human, however by being a soul he could convert it all to energy and doesn't have to take any breaks.

Azkar knew that very well, but he didn't know what his limits were, so he accepted the bet anyway. However, he was still surprised by how many Fares ate without even having a backlash from the energy.

The closer the time got to the deadline, the more Azkar felt nervous, if he just didn't overestimate Fares' physique he wouldn't have to lose Zena to people like that.

Those two were just an awful pair, if Zena were to fall into their hands she wouldn't be able to do anything. They would use this bet as an excuse and keep her tied somewhere around their house, not even seeing the light of the outside again.

What was worse though, was her sister Mona, she was the only one providing for her what would happen if she wasn't there for her.

"Come on Fares, please wake up, you just have to eat the last piece you don't even need to digest it," Azkar said softly.

Minute after minute he felt her heart tighten more and more.

"3….2.....1! Ha! I won the bet, nothing out of the expected." Daragma said with an evil smile on his face, while his grandson on the side looked at the sleeping Zena with a lecherous gaze while licking his lips.

She was his now to do whatever he wanted, nobody could stop him.

As he walked slowly towards her thinking about all the things he would do to her, he was pushing from behind and fell face-first onto the ground drawing a little blood from his nose.

"What are you doing Azkar? You're going back on your word?" Daragma asked Azkar, infuriated.

"But I didn't do anything this time."

"Don't bullshit me, who else can manifest his energy outside his body here other than u…." he didn't get to finish his sentence when he felt something wrong.

Everyone looked at where Fares was, and to their surprise, they saw Fares bursting with unstoppable waves of energy.

'How could this be? He has never cultivated before, how could he emit the energy outside his body like that?' Azkar though surprised by the change Fares was experiencing as not even the records left by his ancestors recorded such a feat.

After Fares focused on bumping the excess energy through two passages to the brain where the carotids were, he suddenly felt something break. The excess energy he was sending his brain was supplying every cell of his hypothetical body, with the excess escaping from his body.

From everyone's perspective, Fares was just releasing the energy he was digesting outside his body, and his eyes were open and glowing with creamy white color.

Everyone else sat around him on the ground, taking the opportunity to cultivate this excess energy.

Taking their prize would be easy to do later on but absorbing pure energy came first.

Pure energy wasn't a phenomenon that one can come by easily in life, as unlike the energy they gain from meat or herbs, it was already processed so wouldn't go to waste while cultivating. Even Azkar wasn't an exception.

After a few long minutes, Fares' eyes returned to normal, and was shocked to see everyone, but Zena, sitting around him in a triangular pattern.

As confused as he was right now, Fares looked at the priorities first, he went to Zena's side nudging and calling her trying to wake her up. What he didn't know, was that she wasn't just sleeping, she was also digesting the energy.

He heard them fighting when he was about to make his breakthrough and knew what was going to happen, so all he could do right now is wait for Azkar to ask him to do something about it.

He didn't need to wait for long though, as the three of them woke up a few seconds later with a satisfied look on their face.

"HaHa, the kid I was going to get rid of you after I was done with the bet, but on second thought, you're not half bad. I'll let you train under my guidance, what do you think?" Daragma said happily, sending chills down Fares' spine.

"Shut your trap old man, I decided since I accepted him into the village that he'll be my apprentice," Azkar said with annoyance, and even though he wasn't planning this at first, but after witnessing that breakthrough he decided that he should take the opportunity while nobody could understand him and using it to mentor him.

Fares didn't understand a word but knew that whatever that old man wanted was not going to be good.

He turned to look at Azkar and said "Hey Azkar, can't you do anything about Zena? I can't accept this."

However, Azkar just shook his head in disappointment.

"Then at least until she wakes up?" Fares still tried to do something.

Azkar didn't give his answer directly, giving Fares hope. After a few seconds of thought, he turned to Daragma and said "Listen, old man, why don't you let the girl wake up first to say goodbye to her sister. We all know it's going to be the last time they meet."

"Why would I do that? What if she escapes?"

"Escape where? She would die within a day out there, also you could easily send one of your goons to tail her."

"Fine, Fine. But don't expect me to accept any more of your stupid requests anymore. Let's go Doga, he said turning around to leave.

"Let's go as well, it wasn't a good idea to accept that bet," Azkar said with a cold gaze.

Fares went to Zena's sleeping body and lifted her princess style, however this time he felt like she was light as a feather, he was brimming with strength.

Azkar carried the last bit of meat left and went to walk beside Fares.

"I'll send you to her house, her sister is probably worried about her," Azkar said dejectedly.

"Yeah sure, let's do that." Fares said absent-mindedly, he wanted to do something, but had no idea what to do, he felt so weak and powerless that it was too sad.