Kael's expression darkened as he observed Riley, wondering why she wanted to come with him.“I... I promise I won't be a burden...” Riley stammered quickly, seeing Kael remain silent.Kael's brows narrowed even further as he stared at her intensely.“I... I can also carry your things...” She added hurriedly, her grip tightening on the hem of her dress.“I swear I won't be a nuisance...”“I’ll learn to protect myself…”“If you...”“Why do you want to go?” Kael cut her off, his gaze never leaving her for even a second.“I...” Riley froze, lowering her head slightly.Silence filled the room.Kael simply watched quietly.Under that calm gaze, Riley suddenly felt as though all her thoughts had been completely seen through.“I want to become stronger...” she finally muttered softly, fingers tightening around her sleeves even more.“I know my talent is poor...”“And I know I’m just a servant...”“But...”Riley hesitated briefly before lifting her head to look at Kael.“You treated me better

Heavy breathing echoed throughout the forest.Riley's hands trembled violently as she stared at the blood-covered dagger in her grasp.This was the first time she had ever killed something.And the sensation nearly made her vomit.“Young... master...”Her voice shook heavily.Kael slowly opened his eyes before glancing at the massive wolf corpse beside him.Blood covered almost his entire body, while deep claw marks stretched across his chest.His left arm looked even worse, and he could feel the fatigue washing all over him.He wanted to sit up, but he had no strength to do that and could only stay in that state."Young master, let me help you up..." Riley spoke, walking towards Kael, her steps unstable; the fear was still present as she helped Kael up, allowing him to lean on a tree."Here, young master," Riley continued, bringing out a jar of pills and slowly placing one into Kael's mouth."Thanks..." Kael uttered weakly, feeling the burning sensation of Qi kick up within, speeding

Riley gasped, but at the same time still moved backwards, her heart thumping as her gaze darted around.The next second, a faint, sharp Qi slashed across the spot where she had been standing. And since she had moved, the Qi went forward, hitting the tree behind and leaving a deep mark."Riley, stand back," Kael instructed, his expression pale as he swallowed."I can help...." Riley spoke, also gripping her dagger tightly, her eyes flashing with determination."This is not a beast," Kael refused. "This is a trained assassin at the Half-step Qi Gathering Realm; you can't be reckless.""B-but...""Stand back!" Kael cut her off, closing his eyes and letting his soul perception surge.Though currently it was only about a few meters, it was enough. As long as the assassin stepped within the range, he would be able to spot him immediately.Ordinary cultivators couldn't use soul perception before reaching the Core Formation Realm.The core would link to the soul, allowing them to use a tiny p

The forest seemed to freeze.Even the wind seemed to lose its courage to move.The crimson Blade Qi that was moments away from tearing Kael apart hung in midair, like it had struck an invisible wall.The assassin froze, his eyes widened, heart thumping, stepping back slowly while swallowing the lump in his throat.The newcomer—a tall, lanky man with a scar across his brows and long white hair—walked slowly towards Kael.His footsteps echoed throughout the forest while his black robes fluttered, even though the wind had gone still."You are pretty impressive, boy," the newcomer chuckled, throwing Kael a lazy glance before looking back at the assassin."And you..." he muttered, his gaze fixed on the man whose legs were wobbling; sweat soaked his entire being."I....""What excuses do you have?""I..I was..was just trying to make some money..." the assassin stuttered, losing all will to fight, his legs nearly giving way."Please spare me, senior..." he pleaded, barely forcing out the ple

A week passed in the blink of an eye.Within that short period, both Kael and Riley had changed greatly.Her cultivation had taken a great leap, and even though she didn't make any major breakthroughs, the improvements were obvious.Also, her mastery over the Silent Draw Technique had improved rapidly.Even though she still couldn't unleash it perfectly like Kael had demonstrated a few times, she could already execute it more smoothly than in the past.Besides, Kael shared the beast cores they got from killing beasts with her, which helped her even more.Compared to before, the current Riley carried a faint sharpness around her.As for Kael...His improvements were even greater.After experiencing countless battles throughout the week, his control over his sword techniques had become far smoother.The instability from before had gradually disappeared.His Shadow Steps had also improved greatly, making his movements faster and harder to predict during battle.Not only that, his body cu