Arran woke up early the next morning, well before the first light of dawn. The previous night he had not felt too worried, but now, the confrontation was coming awfully close. After some thought, he put on the armored coat he had bought the previous day. He did not think Lord Jiang would let it come to violence, but then, it was better to be needlessly prepared than to need it and not be prepared. He ate breakfast with Jiang Fei and Magistrate Huang, and much like the previous day, they were the only ones in the large dining hall. By now, Arran was beginning to think that the people in Magistrate Huang's household were trying to avoid them. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Even Magistrate Huang himself was visibly uncomfortable being around Arran and Jiang Fei, clearly still afraid of their powers. That the rest of the household would be even more timid did not seem far-fetched at all. <

"It's going to hurt." Lord Jiang gave Arran a serious look. "When I remove the seals, Essence will flood your body. It will not be as bad as taking a Realm Opening Pill, but it will be painful."   It was early morning, and Lord Jiang had taken Arran to a distant area of the estate, several miles away from any buildings. Here, the estate's lands more resembled a wilderness than a garden.   Today, Lord Jiang would finally remove the seals he had placed on Arran's Realms half a year earlier. Although the prospect made Arran nervous, part of him was impatient to see how strong he would be once the seals were removed.   "Are there any dangers?" he asked.   "Some," Lord Jiang replied. "By now, your body should be able to handle it, but it will not be easy. There will be pain, and it will last for a while."   "Just how long will it last?" Arran asked, feeling some suspicion at what Lord

As the days passed, Arran became increasingly proficient at handling the vast amount of Essence he now had at his disposal. Each day, he would spend hours training in the abandoned part of the estate, drawing Essence from his Realms and sending great balls of fire and gusts of wind into the distance, scorching and uprooting trees. The training paid off, with Arran's control over the Essence strengthening and his attacks growing smaller but denser. The fireballs he produced were only half their previous size, but they burned far more intensely, radiating a searing heat as they soared through the air. Although Arran could not be certain, he thought that by now, he could probably harm even adepts using nothing but magic. Adding in the physical strength he had gained through Lord Jiang's Body Refinement techniques, and he thought he should have a decent chance at surviving a fight against an adept. His r

The first days after he left Lord Jiang's estate, Arran traveled at night, hiding out during the days and taking care not to be seen when he was out in the open. When he was a week's travel from Silvermere, he began to travel by day. By then, he thought there was little risk of being recognized, and even if someone did recognize him, by the time word reached Silvermere he would be long gone. The lands to the west of Silvermere were rough, filled with rocky hills and dense forests, but the roads were well-maintained, and he made good distance with every day of travel. Still wary of being seen, he spent the first weeks avoiding any towns and villages along the way. Instead, he camped out in the wilderness each night. He did not mind the lack of comfort. Lord Jiang's void bag contained enough food to last him well over a year, and although the nights were cold, he found that he could easily warm his body by circulating Fire

Arran stood amid the carnage, panting in exhaustion. All told, the battle had taken less than two minutes, yet he had expended every bit of energy in his body. Now that the fight was over he became aware that he was injured, and after inspecting his body he was startled to find that there were more than a dozen injuries all over his body — burns, cuts, and bruises, none of which he remembered sustaining. Although Arran was hurt, his armored coat had taken most of the damage, and with a quick glance he could see that it was ruined beyond repair. Still, better the coat than him, he thought. It took him some time to catch his breath and slow his racing heartbeat. As the excitement of battle wore off, a deep sense of weariness set in, but he did not allow it to take hold of him just yet. He felt fear, too. During the fight, there had been no time to be scared, but now, he understood just how close