Chapter 18

  The next day, Drakkel had risen early. So early, in fact, that it was still dark out.

  He closed his eyes and decided to check on his cultivation. After he overcame his deviation and suppressed his demonic energy, he found himself at the Pinnacle of Sword Epiphany.

  But…

  He furrowed his eyebrows.

  He actually had no idea how to proceed from here. It was like trying to penetrate a metal shield with a drop of water. There was a strong barrier keeping him from advancing.

  The barrier seemed to exist with Sword Master as well, but it was more like progress slowed exponentially once one got to the level and cultivating within the level could easily cause a Sword Energy Deviation if one wasn’t careful. With Sword Epiphany however, not only was progress slowed and cultivation prone to Sword Energy Deviation, but when one hit the peak, there was absolutely no way to progress.

  He opened his eyes and sighed.

  The Sword Fighters of previous generations managed to overcome these setbacks and advance to the next level in order to defeat Demon King Fael. It was only regretful that there were no writings left that shared their methods.

  He looked to the side at Rillian Adore’s sleeping figure.

  Only now did he notice that his eyelashes were quite delicate and long and the corners of his lips curved slightly down as he slept.

  He tended not to snore and yet one could see his chest gently rise and fall with every breath. The candlelight reflected off his body, highlighting his sharp jawline, shiny blonde hair, and muscular physique.

  But, it was odd. The more Drakkel stared, the more he realized that some of his features were familiar. Despite knowing this though, he couldn't quite place where he had seen them before.

  “Do you usually stare at people for so long?” Rillian Adore suddenly asked.

  Realizing he had been caught, Drakkel quickly shifted his eyes away. “I wasn't staring. I was just making sure you were ok.”

  “Really…” Rillian Adore opened his eyes, got up from his bed, walked over to Drakkel’s bed, and sat down next to him.

  Drakkel's body involuntarily stiffened in response.

  Not seeming to notice, Rillian Adore turned his head to Drakkel. “Actually, now that we're talking, I've been a bit worried about you after your deviation. How about we perform a circulating cleanse?”

  Drakkel's face grew hot. Right now, where they were, how could Rillian Adore ask such a question?

  A circulating cleanse was when two sword fighters circulated each other's sword energy to make sure it ran smoothly. But this kind of thing was also a part of dual cultivation. Right before the dual cultivation was performed, the two who did it would perform this circulating cleanse to make sure the one they were with didn't have any impurities in their sword energy which could spread to them later.

  Unlike one person circulating the sword energy of another, this ritual not only circulated the sword energy, but gave a clear picture of the state of one’s core, meridians, and foundations which would normally only be possible by a trained medical practitioner who was also a sword fighter.

  Although the practice was useful, it wasn't used casually due to its implications.

  Drakkel's mouth twitched. “If you're really worried, we can ask my Senior Brother to check later.”

  Rillian Adore tilted his head slightly downwards, appearing saddened by Drakkel's response. “It takes a lot of energy and time to do a deep check of one’s meridians, core and sword energy. If we leave today, do you really want your senior brother to have a hard time? Besides… I thought you might want to check on me as well. With this, we could get it done more quickly and easily without expending much energy.”

  Rillian Adore was right. A circulating cleanse took much less energy than one individual finding out the state of a sword fighter’s sword energy and supporting systems. Also, because of what happened, his Senior Brother had been checking his state on regular intervals to make sure the demonic poison and his deviation didn't leave any permanent damages. Now that Lif wasn't here, his Senior Brother might insist on checking him and even Rillian Adore by himself. But that would spread him too thin, leaving him exhausted during their journey.

  A cleansing ritual, didn't take much energy and actually energized those who performed it as they intimately shared their sword energy.

  But… Drakkel really was too embarrassed!

  He had heard of the process, but had never performed it himself. Even besides that, if his clanmates heard that he did it, what would they think?

  Seeing his hesitation, Rillian Adore sincerely said, “I won't tell anyone.”

  At that, Drakkel finally decided. He didn't want to burden his senior brother so this was the better option. What would it matter that he did this if no one found out? Besides, it wasn't as if Rillian Adore had asked to dual cultivate. This was only a minor thing.

  “Fine,” he answered. “Let's perform it quickly.”

  Rillian Adore nodded.

  He and Drakkel sat across from each other in a lotus position on Drakkel's bed and connected the palms of their hands together. With Drakkel using his right and Rillian Adore, his left.

  The two then closed their eyes, took a breath and reached out for each other's sword energy.

  Upon connection, Drakkel felt a pleasurable feeling overtake him, like a stimulating excitement combined with an intense calm. Every beat of his heart sent waves of delight to his mind.

  Moving past this, he sensed Rillian Adore's state. His meridians, core, and foundation were strong and healthy and seemed to be undergoing a transformation. He had clearly reached the Pinnacle of Sword Master and it was probably only a matter of time before he reached Sword Epiphany.

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  After observing this, he said to Rillian Adore, “Are you done looking through?”

  Rillian Adore answered, “I am.”

  To disconnect their current state, they had to time it perfectly.

  At the same time, they slowly retracted their sword energy until it returned to their bodies.

  Once they were done, they were out of breath. The initial connection drained a lot of energy, but one would feel energized after the fact and upon recovering, Drakkel indeed felt it.

  If twenty sword master level cultivators came at him now, he was sure he could defeat them without difficulty.

  Sitting up straight and looking at Rillian Adore, he said, “You’re currently in great health. I think you’ll be advancing soon too.”

  Rillian Adore nodded. “You're also good. It's just that you’ve put too much of a strain on your meridians. You should try not to use too much of your sword energy at once.”

  Look who's talking! Drakkel thought, recalling what Rillian Adore did to heal his deviation. But then again, he was also right and his Senior Brother had let him know of this. He had to be more careful when using his sword energy. But it wouldn't be hard.

  He glanced at Lingering Regret.

  After everything that happened, Sword Wind’s Breeze still wouldn't let him use it. What was worse was that Lingering Regret really hated ordinary Sword Energy and so didn't like to use it. It's not like it couldn't utilize it but more like it was like a poison to it. The sword would actually weaken if utilizing ordinary sword energy and the results of such use would only be a little better than swinging it like an ordinary blade.

  “Thanks for informing me,” Drakkel replied.

  When he looked out the window, he saw the brightness of the sun’s rays leaking out from behind the horizon.

  Rillian Adore got off Drakkel's bed which creaked loudly as he did, and just afterwards, a servant knocked on the door.

  “Our esteemed guests, Breakfast is ready.” He said.

  “Thank you.” Drakkel replied. “We will be out shortly.”

  After he answered, he heard the shuffling of footsteps as the person left the room.

  Rillian Adore and Drakkel got ready and quickly left the room. As they exited, they noticed servants speaking in hushed voices, glancing over at them discreetly.

  “I knew it!” One said.

  “I’ve been following the stories from day one!” Chatted another.

  When they finally made it to the dining area, everyone was already gathered and waiting for them.

  The food was ready in front of them, yet no one was eating. Instead, they gazed awkwardly at the two who just entered.

  Looking at the table, what was even odder were that two seats on the table were conveniently placed right next to each other. Rillian Adore casually walked over and sat down as if nothing happened but Drakkel couldn't ignore it.

  Their reactions bothered him.

  He took his seat next to Rillian Adore and wearily picked up an eating utensil.

  When he was just about to grab some food, the gazes of the others fell on Aurien Wavel.

  Aurien Wavel coughed. “Did you two get up to anything this morning?”

  Drakkel's mouth twitched. What did he mean?

  “Hm?” He asked.

  His eyes shifted around the room, looking at each person individually, but no one was willing to answer.

  “Ri'en?” He asked, his gaze finally landing on him.

  Ri’en stated. “the cleansing ritu…”

  Lady Secily, who was sitting next to him, elbowed him in the stomach.

  A bead of sweat dropped from Drakkel's forehead.

  Lady Secily smiled and picked up her utensil. “What's with the atmosphere? Everyone should eat!”

  Lady Secily grabbed her bowl and began to load food into it.

  Seeing as no one was following her, she said a little forcefully, “Come on. Everyone needs to eat.”

  Looking at Rillian Adore and Drakkel she stated, “Especially you two. I’m sure you're exhausted right now.”

  Drakkel was confused. “Exhausted from what?”

  Lady Secily laughed. “Nothing, nothing.”

  “Everyone get up!” she addressed the table for the final time and they all began to gather their food.

  Drakkel's eyes widened as he finally realized what they were implying. A servant must have overheard him and Rillian Adore and spread around a misunderstanding! He wanted to correct it, but he feared that he would only look guiltier if he tried to explain himself.

  He glanced at Rillian Adore who was sitting comfortably, watching the whole thing.

  Catching his gaze, Rillian Adore casually asked him, “Are you hungry?”

  Drakkel really wanted to shake his head, but frozen for a response he could only sit there, stuck on what to do.

  Then Rillian Adore did something that made the heat rise to his face.

  “I’ll get you something,” he said.

  He rose up, grabbed Drakkel’s bowl before he could stop him, and started to load food into it.

  The worst thing? Not only did he add what Drakkel liked and excluded what he disliked, but he actually loaded a lot of food into his bowl! To make matters worse, he did the same for himself!

  He was sure now, he really couldn't explain his way out of this. When Rillian Adore placed the hefty bowl in front of him, he could only eat it in silence, enduring the awkward and heavy atmosphere.

  After a few minutes of them eating, Aurien Wavel turned to Ri’en. “We plan to leave today and travel to the inner towns. We thank you for your hospitality.”

  Just as Ri'en was about to say something in return, a knock sounded from the door of the dining hall.

  “Come in,” Ri'en said.

  The servant ran up to him and whispered in his ear. Then, Ri’en's eyes widened.

  Ri’en waved the servant away and announced to the table, “It seems that the official sent to check in on us by the Emperor has arrived.”

  Aurien Wavel nodded. “That’s fine. If we hurry, we can leave before they get here.”

  Ri’en’s face darkened as he shook his head. “I wouldn't advise that.”

  Aurien Wavel tilted his head while Drakkel's eye eyebrow went up. Even the rest seemed visibly confused.

  Ri’en continued, “Because, disciples of the Forging Rivers Clan follow him. And among them are Clan Leader Tianle and his Head Disciple, Litoren Bovis.”

  Drakkel couldn't believe it. Bad luck really seemed to follow them at the worst of times! Litoren Bovis would have been one thing, but Clan leader Tianle? If they slipped up on their way out, then the Forging Rivers Swords clan could make it difficult for them to leave.

  Drakkel clenched his fists.

  “They had ordinary palace guards with them last time they showed up.” Ri-en said. “But it looks like the dangers occurring in the sword fighting world as of late have worried them, so they hired some sword fighters for protection. But don't worry. Maintain your identities as the dancing troupe and just wait for them to leave. I’ll cover for you.”

  Everyone nodded.

  Ri'en was correct, there was really nothing else they could do.

  “Hurry and eat, then return to your rooms.” Lady Secily said. “If you go out, you all should keep your veiled hats on at all times.”

  After she said so, everyone rushed to finish their meals. Then they swiftly returned to their rooms as instructed.

  Later on, because the guest rooms were all located close to each other, Drakkel and Rillian Adore could hear a conversation going on from outside their room.

  A man with a deep voice said, “So these rooms are all taken up by other guests?”

  “Yes,” Ri’en answered. “Also, I apologize that the rest of your entourage had to stay at a nearby inn. We really didn't have enough rooms. But at least Sir Tianle and Sir Litoren can accompany you

  The deep-voiced man laughed. “Yes. With them here, I feel safer. By the way, who are the guests staying here? If I am to feel secure, I would really like to know.”

  “They are the Dancing Swords Dancing Troupe.” Ri en answered.

  “The Dancing Swords Dancing Troupe?”

  “Oh!” The man exclaimed. “That dancing troupe!”

  He cleared his throat. “Actually I've heard of them too! Most of the officials have seen their performance! Only me and a few others have been left out since we're always traveling around…”

  “Hey, since they're here already, why don't you let them perform? I’ll pay handsomely!”

  Ri'en paused before continuing. “Yes, I can ask to see how they feel about it.”

  “Ask them?” The man shot back. “Aren't they already staying here to perform? Just give them more money, they shouldn't say no! Besides, how can they betray your kindness by refusing?”

  “You're right.” Ri’en said, bowing his head. “Then I'll have them perform as a send off for you in a week.

  There was a pause for a moment before they continued speaking, their voices disappearing into the distance.

  After the conversation, Drakkel was a bit concerned. They wouldn't have an option other than to perform for the Emperor's official and the Forging Rivers Swords Clan. So they would be trapped here for a week and have to practice their performance while under the watchful eyes of the Forging Rivers Swords Clan’s Clan Leader and head disciple.

  He glanced at Rillian Adore who appeared to not be worried at all. Then, he realized why. As long as they were careful they wouldn't get caught. They could eat in their rooms and keep their veils on when practicing and Ri'en could surely find them a space to practice away from the eyes of others.

  He breathed a sigh.

  The next week would be long and dangerous, but as long as they could get through it, they would be one step closer to achieving their goals.