They left the morning after.

Over the trip, Relic learned that Kubo was a wandering doctor who performed unorthodox medical treatment catered towards the masses. His treatments were strange but they interested Relic very much. Before long, he was shooting questions left and right at Kubo which Kubo himself seemed happy to answer them.

The only unhappy person was little Ren who was combing her hair repeatedly as she stared outside the window. Her days were long and her boredom was reaching an all-time high.

Finally, on the third day, they reached the gates of Red Sky City.

“Well Mr. Astor, this is where we depart. I wish you luck in your matters.” Kubo extended his hand out

“Thank You.” Relic was deeply grateful to this father- daughter pair for all they have done and shook Kubo’s hand.

“If I ever get the chance to, I hope I can repay back everything you have both done for me.”

They both waved good bye and departed their separate ways.

Relic walked for about half an hour before reaching the gates of the Thunder Storm Sect.

There were currently two people standing guard at the entrance of the sect.

…..

“Did you see senior Yu Lin yesterday? She just happened to have finished her secluded cultivation section while I was patrolling the cave areas.”

“You lucky dog! I think in my entire time since joining, I’ve only seen here three times!”

“Hehe, prepare to be even more envious.” One of the guards suddenly took out a small grey crystal. Sending in a little of his qi, the crystal lit up and a holographic image appeared.

“Oh my gosh! You managed to get an image of senior Yu Lin! How Much! Quickly tell me how much!”

The guard who had the crystal in his hand quickly closed his hand and the image disappeared.

“You think you have enough to purchase this image crystal from me with your beggar money; maybe in your dreams!” the guard snorted. “Even if I’m offered 5 …no 10 lightning essence stones I would still not sell it!”

The envious guard could only clench his fist. He definitely did not have that amount of money. In fact, maybe only core disciple would be able to afford such wealth. “Then…. May I still have a look?” He asked respectfully.

The other guard laughed. “Hey, don’t think I’m stingy! We are both good brothers, of course I will share.” He quickly produced the image once more and the two were drawn to the image of a girl who could not be described less than a goddess on earth.

The two guards were so immersed on this photo they did not notice a 20 odd year old man standing just a couple of meters away from them.

“Kiba! Wen!”

The two guards were startled and looked to see who called for them. A familiar person appeared before them, but they both stood there in disbelief.

This man before them had become infamous within the sect. He was the person who was ordered to sacrifice himself so that the chosen, Kiro , could take victory in the Legacy tournament between the powerful sects.

“Brother Relic!” they both shouted.

Kiba, who was the closest, gave a brotherly hug to Relic, while Wen had an excited look on his face.

“Brother Relic, I thought you died from your master’s hands!” Kiba exclaimed.

“Yes, yes, that’s right. No one thought your master would ask you to sacrifice yourself, but even less people thought you would refuse! After you were gone, we brothers all feared the worse!” Wen also questioned.

Seeing their worried faces, Relic felt their genuine feelings and couldn’t help but feel warm about it.

Actually, many people within the sect admired Relic.

His standing within the sect was very strange with half of the sect who greatly admires the conduct of this young man while the other half thought of him with ridicule and contempt.

He was the disciple of an elder which garnered him high status within the sect. Normally, direct disciples of elders were arrogant and many thought themselves above regular sect members. However, Relic always treated everyone with respect and friendship. He would guide those who were confused on the Dao and would even be considered a better teacher than some of the official teachers. The people who truly knew Relic could not help but admire and befriend him.

On the other hand, there were also many who were scornful of him as well. The fact that his talent in cultivation was on the lower end was no secret to anyone. In the legacy tournament, only those with the qualifications to enter may participate. If Relic had not worked three times as hard as the others, he probably would not have been able to get in. Many wondered why the beautiful elder, Pascal Isa, would even accept someone like him.

In fact, the master-disciple relationship was extremely weird. Relic was seen to always be next to or close to the vicinity of his master. He would never go out of the sect unless his master was with him nor did he go on any sect missions. It almost seemed like he could not go anywhere without his master. Many proposed this master-disciple pair had an illicit relationship. Though, no one would actually say anything in the open. After all, this elder was the daughter of the current sect master. Thus, there were many who thought that Relic did not deserve his position.

Relic stood silently, unsure how to answer the question.

Both Kiba and Wen understood that something was a bit off. They were unclear of the situation but knew something big must have happened.

Finally, Kiba broke the silence.

“You don’t have to answer if you…..”

“I need to see my master!” Relic cut in before Kiba could finish his sentence.

However Kiba and Wen both looked at each other with a sour expression.

“Brother Relic, you see…”

Wen explained to him that after he had disappeared with his master and Kiro, the two both returned to the sect shortly after. Upon returning, his master, elder Pscal Isa, made an announcement that Relic was no longer a disciple of the sect. She continued to say that he was most likely dead but if he wasn’t and chose to return, then anyone who sees him are instructed to get rid of him by any means necessary!

Relic’s hands were clenched tightly. His face contorted as he thought to himself, “Master….What have I done wrong?!”

His body was physically shaking, however he soon calmed himself. His eyes showed calm neither Wen nor Kiba could explain.

Relic prostrated himself towards both of them.

“Please, I know I’m asking a lot, but please let me see my master.”

Kiba and Wen quickly tried to pick up Relic off the floor, but he remained determined. They felt heartbroken seeing their senior who they admired so much, to be in such a state.

“Brother Relic, please don’t be like this!”

However, nothing they did could deter his spirit. Soon a couple of people noticed a man was prostrating in front of the gate and wanted to check what was happening. Seeing this, Kiba clenched his teeth and took out a mask.

“Brother Relic, please stand, I will take you inside but you must wear this mask.”

Relic’s eyes glimmered as he took the mask from Kiba’s hands, covering his face.

“Kiba, who is this man?” one of the curious sect members asked.

He gave a helpless sigh, “This is my cousin Wang Kano, he is just a normal person. He always admired cultivators and was begging me to show him around.”

“Oh, then why the mask?” The man asked curiously.

“Aside from having no talent in cultivation, he was also terribly disfigured since birth. I thought I would do everyone a favor by covering him up.”

“Oh I see” Turning to Relic he said, “Well I hope you will treasure this experience. This will probably be the greatest highlight of your entire life.” The man wasn’t the least bit suspicious. It wasn’t unheard of for cultivators to take family around to see the sect. There also wasn’t any reason for Kiba to lie so the man had no problem believing him.

“Thank You,” Relic said in a hoarse voice.

The man and the others seemed to not have heard the thanks Relic gave and had already turned away without caring anymore.

After they were gone both Kiba and Wen let out a breath of relief.

“Damn those nosy people! If they knew you were back they would not have hesitated to kill you just so that they could receive favor from elder Pascal.” The two brothers were obviously not happy at their own sect members. However, Relic looked unmoved as ever.

“Let’s go,” Relic hurried them.

Having already given their promise they could only reluctantly agree. Wen would stay at the gate and continue to act as guard while Kiba would lead Relic to Elder Pascal’s courtyard. Actually, he would only lead him to a half way point from her yard; he honestly did not dare to get to close for fear of incurring her wrath.

Elder Pascal was not very liked by the disciples of the Thunder Storm Sect. She was cold, unfriendly and really defensive towards people who talked about her. Sure she was beautiful but she was venomous like a snake.

Newer disciples didn’t know but a long time ago, this elder was actually very kind and everyone respected her greatly. However, over time she changed and many people did not know why. Several years ago there was an incident where a couple of new disciples were comparing the beauty of Elder Pascal Isa with Elder Iris Isa, her sister. Having overheard their conversation, Elder Pascal Isa went berserk and crippled both disciples and kicked them out of the sect. No one knew what they had specifically said but from that day on, no one dared to mess with her.

Not even Relic, the person closest to Pascal, understood why his master turned out this way. After she accepted Kiro as a disciple, her communication with Relic almost completely stopped.

The two walked around many different mountains before arriving at the one belonging to Relic’s master, stopping a mile or two from her court yard. Although the mask caught the glances of a few people, no one attempted to ask him about it.

“Brother Relic, this is as far as I’m willing to go.” Kiba tried to keep his composure but even he was a little nervous around this elder.

“Thank you, brother, I promise to repay you for what you have done.” Relic said with a smile.

“No such thing is needed. You have always treated me and my brothers with respect we never hoped to gain. Honestly, I feel ashamed to have hesitated at your request in the first place.” He quickly gave a bow.

“But brother Relic, are you really going to just walk in?”

“Yes, I need an answer even if I die, I must know why master did what she did.” Relic had a resolute look on his face.

“I hope you get your answer.” Kiba could only give a sigh

He quickly gave Relic a hug before departing. He wasn’t too enthusiastic on Relic’s chances of living after seeing his master.

Relic stayed in the same spot as he stared at Kiba’s ever disappearing figure. Without further hesitation, he walked straight into the court yard that belonged to his master.

Step by step, Relic could hear his heart beating more intensely.

Before he knew it, he stood in the center, alone. The yard was a separate area from his master’s immortal cave. It was beautifully kept with exquisite flowers spearing in pairs. Although it was no match for the flower garden in Kubo’s residence, it was still beautiful in its own right.

As if remembering a past memory, Relic stared at the exquisite flowers with a smile on his face.

Suddenly a loud boom was heard.