Chapter 284: SOMEONE IN THE SKY

Gazel and Sirus finally faced each other in a fierce duel — neither holding back. The temptation of merging with the body of an S-Class hunter was simply too great to ignore.

Their battle raged on for a long time, shaking the surroundings with every clash, until at last, Gazel emerged victorious.

“So… now I can merge, right?” Gazel asked in a mocking tone, his grin wide and arrogant.

“Yeah, yeah… go ahead,” Sirus replied helplessly.

Gazel closed his eyes, and his body went limp and fell to the ground, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Black smoke began to curl from his body, slithering toward the dead hunter nearby and entering through his skin.

Within moments, all visible wounds on the hunter’s body began to close and heal. His chest rose sharply — and then his eyes snapped open.

The body stood up, flexing its fingers slowly, testing its new strength.

Then…

“Hahahahaha!” A crazed laugh burst out of his mouth.

“I did it!” Gazel shouted, overcome with ecstasy. “I can feel it! This body isn’t rejecting me anymore!”

He turned toward Sirus, who stood nearby with a conflicted look.

“Now we can go back and tell the boss that stronger monsters need stronger human hosts,” Gazel said, his eyes gleaming. “The stronger the body, the better the merge! Let’s go inform him.”

He started walking away, but Sirus didn’t move.

“Oh, so you’re done and now you want to leave, huh? What about me?” Sirus retorted sharply. “I need an S-Class hunter’s body too. Only then will we go back.”

“Alright, alright…” Gazel said, facepalming. “We’ll find one for you too.”

The two monsters turned and walked away, their figures slowly fading into the distance.

Back at the Smith Villa…

It was noon, and the sun blazed directly overhead, casting a golden glare across the training yard.

Logan and his companions were seated cross-legged in silence, cultivating. The spiritual orb before them pulsed faintly, releasing gentle waves of energy that swirled around before entering their bodies.

Only Lilith wasn’t absorbing the energy — her dantian was still in the process of forming, and that would take time.

Suddenly, Daliah’s body began to shimmer brightly. A strange, sticky black substance oozed out from her skin, spreading over the ground.

Logan, Rowan, and Lilith instantly opened their eyes and pinched their noses.

“Eww! What the hell is this?!” Lilith muttered in disgust.

Logan, however, smiled as he watched her continue to cultivate without pause. “She’s breaking through,” he said calmly. “She’s becoming a Martial Artist.”

“What?! Already?!” Rowan exclaimed in disbelief. “She beat me again!” He sighed heavily. “I wanted to break through before her this time…”

Logan chuckled softly. “Don’t be discouraged. She’s younger, and that works in her favor. The younger the body, the easier it is to advance. You, on the other hand, already have a developed skeletal frame and a set of internal organs. And the longer someone lives as a non-cultivator, the more impurities build up inside the body — so it’s natural that it’s taking longer for you.”

He explained patiently, hoping Rowan wouldn’t feel disheartened. Rowan smiled faintly in response. Deep down, he was genuinely happy for his sister, though he couldn’t help but feel left behind.

Meanwhile, Lilith stared at Daliah with renewed determination. “She’s breaking through again?! How strong is she going to be this time? I need to catch up — fast!”

Logan noticed the glint in Lilith’s eyes but said nothing. Instead, he gestured for everyone to remain silent so as not to disturb Daliah’s breakthrough.

The group then closed their eyes once more, resuming their meditation — doing their best to ignore the foul stench that still lingered in the air.

Time passed, and none of them moved an inch. Each was completely absorbed in their own cultivation and self-improvement.

Logan, who was still far from reaching his bottleneck, continued absorbing spiritual energy at an astonishing rate. The breathing technique he practiced was perfectly suited to his body and cultivation path, and his internal energy kept soaring higher and higher with every passing moment.

Rowan, on the other hand, was fully focused on reaching his next breakthrough. He didn’t want to fall too far behind Daliah.

Lilith also refused to lag behind someone her own age. She had long accepted that Logan was a freak of nature, someone she’d probably never catch up to, but Daliah was different. Daliah was her age, someone she could compete with, someone she should be able to reach.

Unbeknownst to Daliah, she had already become a rival in the eyes of both Rowan and Lilith. Yet she remained completely focused on her cultivation, unaware of their thoughts. Inside her body, her internal organs were strengthening, her meridians expanding, and the last traces of impurities continued to seep out.

But far above them, hidden high in the sky, a lone figure hovered silently. His sharp eyes were locked on Logan.

“Pathetic,” he spat coldly. “So this is the one? He’s weak. How could he possibly be the one?” he muttered under his breath, his tone laced with disdain.

He continued to observe, watching Logan’s progress with a calculating gaze. Even from such an incredible height, he could sense Logan’s cultivation realm. Though he was mildly impressed by the sheer speed at which Logan was absorbing spiritual energy, his expression remained one of irritation.

Meanwhile, far away on the outskirts of Arcadia, two figures landed softly on the ground. No one was around — if anyone had been there to witness it, they might have died from shock. After all, flying in the sky was something no one had ever witnessed, even after a thousand years since magic was first introduced to the world.

One of the two was a young woman, around eighteen years old. The other was a man in his mid-twenties. Both possessed a certain elegance and poise as if they belonged to royalty.

The girl had long, jet-black hair tied into a high ponytail, with a few loose strands framing her face. Her grayish-green eyes shimmered faintly under the sunlight, giving her a striking, regal beauty.

The man beside her was tall and well-built, with black hair and deep green eyes that radiated quiet authority.

“What a complete waste of time,” the girl muttered irritably. “Why did Father have to send us out here just to waste our time and find some guy who’s still a cultivator even after living in the outsiders world? Is that even possible?!”

The man sighed, glancing at her. “I don’t like it either. But from Father’s tone, it sounded serious. Otherwise, why would we be ordered to leave the Spirit Mountain at all? No one’s gone outside in thousands of years.”

The girl crossed her arms, frowning. “Still… I can’t believe someone living outside could be worth Father’s attention.”

“Maybe you’ll believe it soon enough,” the man replied quietly, his gaze drifting toward the distant horizon.

After that, they began walking. If Logan had encountered them then, he would have been shaken to the core — the man was at the Martial Saint Realm, while the woman was a Martial King. Both were far stronger than him.

They slowly made their way toward the populated areas, continuing to walk without pause. Thanks to their higher cultivation realms, neither of them felt even the slightest bit of fatigue.

As they walked, they passed through several villages, crossed a mountain range, and eventually arrived at a bustling city.

The moment they saw the vibrant streets and the lively crowd, the girl’s eyes lit up. Having spent most of her life confined within the Spirit Mountain, she had been deprived of such sights.

Excited, she began to look around eagerly, taking in every detail with childlike joy. Her earlier irritation had completely vanished, replaced by pure fascination.

The man didn’t look nearly as excited as his companion, but even he couldn’t help enjoying the sights to some extent.

As they continued walking, they passed by a tavern. The rich aroma of roasted meat and freshly baked bread wafted through the air, teasing their senses. Both of them paused mid-step, feeling as though an invisible force was pulling them inside.

They exchanged a glance, then grinned widely before stepping through the door.

Once inside, they quickly found a vacant table and sat down. Before long, a waitress approached with a polite smile. “What would you like to eat?” she asked.

“Bring us whatever your tavern serves best,” the girl said confidently. “I won’t settle for anything less than the best.”

The waitress blinked, a little taken aback by her tone, then turned toward the man. He simply nodded and said, “The same for me.”

With no choice, the waitress hurried off toward the kitchen.

The duo waited eagerly, eyes bright with anticipation.

“I can’t wait to taste the food,” the girl said, her voice full of excitement.

“Same here,” the man replied with a faint chuckle. “Normally, we don’t even need to eat much because of our cultivation realm, but still… after spending so long inside Spirit Mountain, eating the same limited dishes over and over again, I think my taste buds have gone dull.”

As they chatted and laughed, the tavern door creaked open once more and two familiar figures stepped inside.

They were none other than Charles and Robert.

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