Freedom

(Tell your junior he is not qualified or I will skin him alive.)

The president of Grizzly School played the recording again while on the phone.

“Are you sure that’s all that there is?”

“100 percent positive. It is a minus delta frequency. It’s crude there is nothing to unravel.”

“Run one more test for me. Use the AI Dolls to run battle cryptography.”

“Sounds like trouble but give me an hour.”

*Zzp

The school president hung up her phone. She clenched her teeth in annoyance. She is itching kidnap Sven and torture him death.

She had always been curious as to how powerful Clay really is and was hoping for a little display but to her surprise, Clay refused and asked a high ranking Ascendant to stop the fight. She had been very careful not to offend Clay or put him into an embarrassing position but it looks like she miscalculated.

She wanted to find Clay and apologize but analyzing what he said earlier that they can go home without him, it must mean that he is meeting with someone and it is the reason she wanted the uncover the telepathic signal Clay sent out earlier to ensure there is no more trouble when she approach him tonight.

Meanwhile, Clay is eating a burger at the center of a bridge connecting two avenues. He does not know where he is but when he got out of the stadium earlier, he rode a cab and asked the driver to bring him near a lake but the river is the closest recommendation to him.

Pondering on what happened earlier, he made the right call to ask the Ascendant’s help. At that moment when he was being challenge, their eyes met and he immediately asked for help.

However it’s bothering him why did that man agreed without any hesitation. He is quite sure he has never met him before so it only means one thing.

After a few minutes, a middle-aged man appeared to his side.

“You should not be throwing away your Token.”

Clay extended his aura and received the Token he threw towards the brave challenger earlier.

“This token is nothing but trouble. Was it you who instructed the young Elven to declare his challenge?”

“Nobody did but his uncle is one of the guards you knocked unconscious the first time you showed up. Figuring out your identity was easy as flipping a book.”

Clay took a bite from his burger. He has other questions but since this Elven came to seek him, there must be something he needed.

“If this was 5000 years ago, anyone without an identity is killed on sight. No questions ask.”

Clay continued to chew and looks like treating the issue with levity but inside, he is already assessing the Ascendant’s strength. Judging from the man’s aura, his strength at a Core Formation is insignificant. On top of that, who knows how powerful his weapon will be. He just hopes that his trump card will work its magic again once he releases his Dao Power.

“And I’m alive because?”

“Are you familiar with any Dao Transference techniques? Nothing fancy. Any methods to allow succeeding generations to perceive or force them to comprehend Dao?”

There was brief silence then Clay responded.

“I am familiar with Blood Arts of Barnachea. It’s a tribe from ancient history if you have heard of them.” One of the things Clay proud himself is being able to figure out the technique this tribe. He had quite an adventure deciphering the technique only to find the answer by watching the Mammoth Firefly show Fara asked him to enjoy.

*Sigh

Clay was just about to tell him about Naraheim Enlightenment Tree when he noticed the Ascendant sigh.

“At least tell me why you’re disappointed?” Clay politely asked.

“I’m sure you’ve realized its limitations. If you’re familiar with Barnachea, then you should already know that it was a technique revealed to this planet’s earlier natives. It’s part of Navarum’s experiments in their attempt to see whether someone can improve it as our planet’s civilization grows but here we are.”

The Ascendant took out a white bowl and handed it to Clay.

“Fill it with your blood and imbue it with your Dao. After this, I will clear your name and you can do whatever you want. As for your blood, some scientist requires other samples.”

Clay was confused as he does not know what limitations the Barnachea technique has. Clearly he had been able to concoct higher level of pills because of it. This time he really wanted this Ascendant to elaborate more on the subject however hearing that his name will be cleared, he stopped himself and received the white bowl. Clearing his name comes first then he will research about the technique later on. As for why they needed his blood, he will have ample time to figure it all out once he is free.

Prior to going to Grizzly School, a master showed him the acceptable level of Dao one must have. From his understanding, that should be a third of Rimar’s powers back then. They call that level Half-Step so in order to satisfy this man, all he needed to do is manifest what he believed to be 1ST Step by filling the bowl with his blood infused with Dao three times the strength of what he had seen.

The Ascendant watched as blood dripped from Clay’s wrist like gushing water. Most people would have been surprised by Clay’s Dao but not him as Clay was not the first them he had collected samples from.

“My clansmen call me Hunro.”

“Is there a need to introduce myself?”

“Such power you could easily become an important disciple. Tell me who you’re hiding from?”

Clay did not answer and allowed his blood to flow out.

After two minutes before the bowl is filled up, the Ascendant used his aura to cover and seal the bowl then stored it in his spatial ring.

“I don’t understand why you don’t want to display your skills around people but I have cleared the stadium leaving that brat alone. The challenge was issued fair and square and there really is not an option to decline.”

Clay watched as the Ascendant levitated.

“Just make sure he doesn’t die. His grandfather is not to be messed with.” The Ascendant reminded before vanishing into the night sky.

Clay thought he could finally breathe but it turns out he will have to fight after all. He swallowed the last chunk of his burger and threw the paper wrap into the river before activating his wings.

Moments after Clay disappeared, another figured followed his tracks.

As Clay flew above the city, he decided to find Binur later and ask him to de-register him. Had he known that the purple card inside the spatial ring given to him would attract trouble, he would have had rejected it that time.

As for this so-called dark horse with attention deficiency syndrome, there really is zero gain if he wins. However if he lose on purpose, he wonders if he can manage to pull it off.

As he descended on the open stadium, he was surprised to find out that it had been emptied except for one person waiting for him on ring. Just earlier the area was crowded yet it had been deserted he could not feel or see another soul.

Clay landed at least ten meters away from Sven.

“To say that I am unqualified, you’ve got some guts. Have a taste of this!”

SIXTH FORM GHOST BLADE

An almost invisible wave of thin vertical Qi rapidly appeared in front of Clay three seconds after he landed.

*Boom

Clay side-stepped to evade the surprise attack causing it to miss and hit the protective barrier within the fighting platform. Worthy of being the competition’s champion, the young Elven before him can actually manifest a small amount of Sword Dao.

Clay was hoping to either convince this challenger or deliberately lose to him however the attack just now was decisive and with an intent to kill. There is not even a single hint of hesitation.

“You seem surprised?” Sven threw away the scabbard of his sword and slowly walked towards Clay.

“So am I qualified now? Kneel and I may consider sparing your life.”

Clay thought that living in an advance society would mean that cultivators of this era would have better moral compass and judgment but the man before him now has revealed a cold a murderous aura similar to those he killed in the past. Sven exuded the air of an experienced killer.

*Exhale

Weng!

As soon as Clay exhaled, a portion of his Dao was released and moved to surround Sven.

Arrgggghhhh!

Seven felt like he had been stomped upon by a gigantic foot. Like a mouse swallowed by a snake, Sven’s Qi barrier broke like a fragile glass his body immediately collapsed on the ground and started wiggling like a worm thrown on a scorching frying pan.

Arrgggghhhh!

*Clank

Sven’s sword dropped to the ground as well.

Clay coldly watched the young Elven convulsing from excruciating pain and revealing the white matter of his eyes. Sven cannot even speak and can only make deep disgruntled noise and he even urinated. His tolerance to pain seems worse than Liom.

He wanted to further punish Sven but seeing how pathetic he turned out after a Dao infused aura exposure, Clay retracted his aura and release Sven from his misery.

Clay has yet to understand how powerful his Dao really has become. He can release his Dao as part of his normal Qi circulation but the moment his aura is set to offense, his Dao power becomes an unknown damage multiplier it disrupt his opponents flow of Qi and set the opponents body into extreme pain.

*Arggh

*Huarrrghh

Sven had lost consciousness but his body is still twitching and making a deep and soft cries.

(I beg this senior to show mercy.)

Clay was just thinking how to deal with his challenger when he heard a voice. Earlier when he looked around, he did not see a single soul. This person must have had hidden well and timed his movements when Sven attacked him.

He wanted to confront this guest but he felt the aura was familiar.

“I was planning on losing deliberately but he’s quite insistent on having a death match. Can you tell them I lost to this guy?”

The person who descended was none other than the president of Grizzly School. She wanted to approach Clay and apologize but seconds after she arrived, she felt a horrifying aura a hundred times more terrifying than the aura that had almost crippled her in the past. Her instinct is telling her to retreat yet she felt frozen from fear.

Thanks to Clay retracting his aura that she came to her senses. Seeing that Sven was spared, she felt obligated to save him.

As soon as she landed, her body moved on its own and kneeled on one knee and did dare look up.

“If it’s possible, I will immediately have it arranged however Tokens are life bound. Central will see to it that the owner is either dead or crippled.”

Clay looked at the Elven on her knees. The very reason he hated displaying his power is the very scene before him. He could have had established a friendly relation with the school but now that their president kneeled, their treatment will change as well.

“I was given my freedom earlier and I decided to leave your school. I have nothing on me yet but I will find time to repay your kindness in the future.” Clay said his goodbye.