The elder man handed the token over casually as he did with his congratulations.Fred paid it no heed. After all, he and Seelie chose to arrive on the sixth day to avoid attracting too much attention. Judging from Elder Hestion's attitude, it seemed that their goal had been achieved.With a smile, Fred thanked Elder Hestion and took the token. He led Seelie toward the main gate of Brume Peak.Upon entering the mountain gate and seeing the crowd, Seelie immediately exclaimed, "There’s really a lot of people!" Although Seelie was the daughter of one of the Holy Emperors, her special status meant that she had never witnessed how lower-ranked Ancient Warlords handled the recruitment of disciples for their sect. Thus, she could not help her amazement when she saw the crowd in front of her. However, Fred just smiled and shook his head."A lot of people?" The seemingly vast crowd in front of them amounted to just over 200 people. In the mundane world, this number might not be consid
"The first is the largest group, the handyman disciples! In this sect, they can only be considered half a disciple. In addition to the basic practice of the ancient martial arts, they're responsible for various chores in the sect. They have the lowest status!"The second group consists of the ordinary disciples. They're official disciples of our Triple Flair Sect. They mainly delegate the chores of the miscellaneous disciples. Of course, due to their different status, they also practice a higher form of ancient martial arts!"The third are the elite disciples and those who perform exceptionally well in the disciple recruitment assessment. They can not only choose one of us elders to be their mentor, but the Triple Flair Sect will also ensure their complete cultivation! They can even learn advanced ancient martial arts!"The old man suddenly stopped to look at the crowd’s puzzled expressions. One person asked curiously, "What about the fourth?""The fourth group?" The old man chuckl
"Elder Eisler, why have you come?"The old man led Fred and Seelie into the Martial Display Hall of the Triple Flair Sect since he wanted to see how they would perform after saying it was like ‘taking candy from a baby’. There was a man inside the hall. When he saw the old man approach, he immediately stepped forward while showing the utmost respect.Elder Eisler held a remarkable position within the Triple Flair Sect. Even the sect leader showed great respect to him. He also always had a keen eye and was the one who identified the new core disciple earlier.As the man bowed to Elder Eisler respectfully, he also caught sight of Fred and Seelie. He wondered if the two of them were also talents the elder had identified."Nothing in particular. Just bringing these two little ones here to have a look!"Elder Eisler waved his hand casually in response to the man’s salute before turning his attention to Fred and Seelie. "What are your names?""I'm Fred," Fred replied calmly.Seelie
As the chief elder of the Triple Flair Sect, why would he personally bring Fred and Seelie just because of their whispered conversation? Elder Eisler's decision was not solely based on their conversation but rather on their distinctive behavior before.More importantly, the calmness deep within their eyes was terrifying. It was precisely this composure that piqued Elder Eisler's curiosity and led him to bring them here. However, Fred's and Seelie's performance was so disappointing at this moment that Elder Eisler was having trouble understanding what was going on."Could I have really misjudged them?"It was not until the 13th minute that Fred and Seelie finally touched the two elders in charge of the assessment. Elder Eisler's frown deepened. On the contrary, Fred's and Seelie’s reactions to Elder Eisler were quite different. While Fred was still a picture of indifference, Seelie just playfully winked at Fred and quietly said, "You played it off well, Great One!"Both Fred and
People from the main Buckner family?When Elder Eisler heard what the man said, his brows immediately furrowed as his expression darkened. "What are they here for?""Well..."The disciple suddenly found himself at a loss for words.The Ancient Warlords of the South Island all knew that despite the Buckner family having developed into a prominent family under the leadership of Bernard Buckner, who was the legitimate son of Holy Emperor Agate, he was also once a disciple of the Triple Flair Sect.By logic, the Triple Flair Sect and the Buckner family should be close. Yet, Elder Eisler was the most unwelcoming toward them.The reason was simple. From the very beginning, Bernard had considered his association with the Triple Flair Sect as a stain on his life. In fact, to distance himself from the Triple Flair Sect, he deliberately suppressed the sect. This led to their decline from a third-rate sect to a fifth-rate one.However, this matter was knowledge passed down by the sect lead
He was a bit hesitant, but he got his point across in the end.Right after Bovies finished, Elder Eisler—who was not the biggest fan of the Buckner family—slammed his hand on the table and scoffed, "You really think the Triple Flair Sect should step in for some martial artist squabble? Who do you think we are?""Elder Eisler, take it easy!"Malior quickly gestured for peace, then turned to Bovies and said, "Elder Eisler has a short fuse, but he's got a point! We are an ancient martial arts sect, and we don't just dive into any martial artist's beef. Does Elder Bartolomew not understand that?""Well... that's... exactly it!"Bovies blurted out in a rush, "Sect Leader, honored elders, it's not that my Buckner family can't see the big picture, it's just... this guy isn't your run-of-the-mill martial artist.""He's not a regular martial artist? What's that supposed to mean?" Malior pressed.Bovies dropped the bombshell. "He could very well be... an Ancient Warlord!"Huh?That reve
Fred?As Bovies dropped the name, it barely caused a ripple among the others. It was a common name, after all, nothing out of the ordinary.However, Elder Eisler's eyebrows shot up.Fred?Was that the same guy he thought he had seen earlier—the one who had come to pay his respects at the mountain?Could it be just a coincidence?Or was there some deeper connection?Eisler kept his cool, though. Partly because he was not sure about it yet, and partly because he was not exactly the Buckner family's number-one fan.Sect Leader Malior, well aware of Eisler's feelings about the Buckners, did not push the issue. After a few more questions to Bovies, he dismissed him and turned to the other Elders for a serious conversation.It was clear as day that the Elders of the Triple Flair Sect were split down the middle.One side argued that since Fred had shown up in Waterway Town—Triple Flair turf—they had to look into it, Buckner family or not.The other side, siding with Eisler, could n
"Just string them along. As the Sect Leader, you can just cook up some excuse. Tell 'em the Buckner kid's got chops and one of our elders is thinking of taking him under their wing. He'll be over the moon and we'll just leave him on cloud nine for a bit! Once our guys have scoped out the whole scene, we'll know how to play our hand." Eisler laid out the plan.Malior cracked a smile and said, "Eisler, you're a sharp one. That'll work like a charm. I'll get the ball rolling.""Alright, I'll head out first. We're still in the middle of recruiting new blood, and they need me around!"After saying this, Elder Eisler nodded respectfully to Malior before he strolled off......"So, you're one of the newbies that just joined us, huh?"Fred had split up from the group after they went to get their assignments from the elder with their ID tokens.Seelie, being a woman, got grouped with the other girls, while Fred was led to the mines behind Brume Peak.After all, the Triple Flair Sect got
Marciella walking away did not bode well with the giant snake. Marciella was its food! How could it accept that its food had escaped?Marciella had not moved far yet. She reluctantly looked back at Fred.She did not know how Fred would handle the River God. She could only hope Fred would be okay!When Fred saw that she had left, he geared up, rubbing his palms in glee. He had an eager look on his face, which confused the giant snake.It was the snake’s first time meeting a man like Fred!How strange indeed!At this time!Suddenly, Fred said with hostility etched on his face, "Hey, Big Snake, what are you going to do now?"The snake's attention was entirely focused on him, which seemed off to Fred."What I’m going to do?"The giant snake fixated its eyes on Fred. It felt that it could handle a human like Fred easily.“I’m going to kill you with one bite! How dare you look down on me like this!"The giant snake rushed toward Fred fiercely at a speed so fast that no one could
Fred was annoyed by the giant snake's arrogant tone. Fred squinted his eyes at the snake and asked in confusion, "Why are you making that face?"“Huh?"The giant snake was shocked. He thought that Fred would submit to him, but to his surprise, Fred was not shaken at all.The snake was about to lose his temper.“Dirty snake, haven't I made myself clear enough? I think you are probably sleep-talking if you want me to hand over my people to you..." Fred said impatiently.At this moment…Feeling that it was being ridiculed, the snake said suddenly, "You punk, this is the first time anyone spoke to me this way. What is your name?"“Me?"Fred was stunned subconsciously, not knowing what the snake wanted. Suddenly, he understood.“Did you want to know my name so you can remember me, bow down before me, and become my follower? Sure, I’ll give you that chance!"He was adding fuel to the fire. The giant snake almost spat out blood in anger!"What? You want me to follow an immature bei
Huh!?Putting aside Marciella, even Fred could not hide his shock as a giant snake appeared from under the water!A giant snake!How could it be!?Fred's eyes widened at the sheer size of the snake. "A Giant Snake… Is this the so-called River God?"Moreover, the size was humongous. The snake must be at least ten stories high!What a huge snake!Fred finally understood why he felt a powerful force under the water!There was a sharp glint in the giant snake’s eyes! That was the blinking light from time to time!"Who comes here? Are you from the village? Who do you plan to sacrifice to me this time?" As soon as the giant snake spoke, Fred realized that this was not the first time it had done this.The snake seemed familiar with the ritual process. Obviously, the villagers had witnessed this giant snake before. This was the meeting between the two sides! Fred felt uncomfortable at this. As for the giant snake, it felt bemused when it saw Fred. The snake had never seen Fred befo
Fred was going to risk it all to open this girl's eyes!The force from the punch was extraordinary! As soon as the tree was hit by the seismic fist, it fell immediately and the whole tree split neatly in two!Marciella was dumbfounded!Although she knew how powerful Fred was, to witness his power was a different thing entirely!"Master Fred, your power is insane!"Marciella could not help but applaud.Fred seemed indifferent, as though he had no feeling at all about this."Is it? Why do you think so?"He looked so indifferent.For Ancient Martial Arts, things did not get any simpler than this!"You’re so strong. Anyway, I don’t doubt you anymore..." Marciella sighed, suddenly feeling very sad. "This is the reward of being educated. If we were more knowledgeable, we wouldn’t be so clueless.”"Haha, if you can't solve your issues, your descendants can work harder," Fred said with a wink.Marciella said, "Mr. Fred, I needed to ask you something! What if our luck was changed ju
What Fred said aroused her curiosity."What does it look like when you offer a sacrifice?"Fred knew he could not speak of this matter. Sure enough, Marciella felt a little downcast after Fred said the words. She did not know why Fred would say such a thing. Suddenly, Fred felt bad about it.He coughed and said, "Don't think too much about it... I just want to find a clue. Maybe we could find a solution. Why does it never rain in your village?""Huh?"Marciella's eyes, which were still a little dejected, suddenly realized what was important and asked hurriedly, "Mr. Fred, are you saying that the reason why it never rains in our village is because someone is behind it?"Although Fred was unwilling to admit it, he could not help but nod. "Yes, this is exactly what you thought!""For real?!"Marciella felt hopeful again when she heard this. She said hastily, "The thing you asked about is pretty simple. You can just check out that place!""That place?"Fred turned around to see w
Marciella found herself nodding in agreement with Fred's harsh assessment. "You're spot on," she said. "That woman is nothing but vile!"Seeing Marciella's reaction, a rare smile crossed Fred's face as he nodded back. "Glad you see it my way," he said.What caught Fred off guard was the villagers' reaction. One by one, their faces turned ashen with despair.It seemed to them that nothing could be worse than the predicament they were facing. The absence of the witch spelled doom for the village—it was like their last shred of hope had vanished. They had all put their faith in her to charm the River God into blessing them with rain, which would have brought some peace to their troubled lives. However, now their chances seemed to have dried up just like their fields. Fred stood there, his face a mask of serenity amidst the chaos.In the moments that followed, the village chief was a picture of despair, his only option was to send everyone home while he racked his brain for a backup pl
"What?"Fred did not even have time to blink before the witch suddenly made a move.It was like a bomb went off.Kaboom!Then, she was dead!Fred dusted off his hands, even surprising himself with his lack of tolerance for the witch.Now, though, he had a real headache. He had planned to clear the air with the witch and lay out the past so everyone would know the full picture.He thought that might just turn things around.The situation changed when she vanished, and Fred's plans were completely derailed. Then again, changing the villagers' minds was not going to be a walk in the park anyway. They were pretty set in their ways, thanks to all the stuff they had been fed.As such, just talking it out might not cut it. Heck, it could even mess with history!With the witch out of the equation, Fred figured he might as well try a different tactic. Maybe if he took out the guy in the cloak and worked his own magic to bring some rain, it could save a lot of hassle. The more he thoug
"No way!"The witch bristled with defiance. She could not accept that she was no match for Fred.As she noticed Fred's focus was locked on her, a sly idea popped up in her mind.Before she could act on it, though, she found herself pinned against the wall by Fred in a flash...Her face contorted in disbelief. She was pinned so tightly that she could not even move!The witch was completely overpowered, her heart racing with panic.How could he be so much stronger than her?Fred, on the other hand, seemed unfazed."What's going through your head? You don't seriously think you can take me on, do you?" Fred asked, his voice laced with skepticism.The witch felt utterly trapped, as if at any second, Fred might just finish her off."Look, I messed up, okay? Can we not do this? I'm old, just a pile of brittle bones—I can't take this kind of rough treatment!" the witch pleaded with Fred, trying a new tactic to get through to him.Fred was not falling for it. He looked at her with a
"Heh, I caught on to you a while back, you know. You've been tailing me, and I'm pretty sure you're here for me. Plus, you don't have the look of someone from our village. That means you are an outsider, and I'm your target, right? Listen, man, we don't have any beef with each other, so why are you sticking your nose where it doesn't belong?"The witch had sensed the raw power rolling off Fred, and it was enough to send shivers down her spine!At that moment, she knew that challenging Fred was not going to be a walk in the park! If she had spotted him earlier in the forest, it would not have been good news for her. For starters, she had no clue how many tricks Fred had up his sleeve, and if he took her down, she and her buddy would be toast.However, the witch was not about to let Fred take her out without a fight! She racked her brain and finally settled on one strategy!She would try to sweet-talk him, hoping Fred would fall for her words just like everyone else, and fall into he