“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

Hearing Nyla’s uncertain voice in his mind, he returned her sound transmission with resolute words. “Even if it isn’t, it’s something I want to see. Besides, nobody can sense you as long as you’ve got that talisman, and May and Delia are both hiding about a kilometre above the city.”

“You’re enjoying this too much.”

“I’m enjoying it just enough, thanks. Besides, how can I let that slime ball get away with touching my woman’s legs?”

“I’m your woman now, am I? And what about May.”

“Ahem. Make sure to clear your mind, you need to be extremely focused during the tribulation to make sure that the thunder doesn’t kill you. I’ll leave you alone now. Good luck!”

He was grateful when no response came.

“This is going to be good,” said Ian, who had left the suite to accompany him on his sightseeing tour of Tallgate’s business district. “I wish Shain were here, then all three of us could have a good laugh together.”

“Don’t worry, man. We’ll be back in the Three-River Valley by the end of the year. Then we can party up with Shain and everyone else, and you can thunder Shery’s peaks all you want.”

“I hope so,” sighed the golden-haired boy. “A man gets awful thirsty out in the desert.”

“Don’t let the girls hear you say that,” he laughed, hanging Ian a glass of golden spirits. Holding up his own, he said, “See who can finish faster?”

“Good on you, friend.”

They chugged down their drinks and gained an immediate drunk, so powerful were the smooth spirits. Both were seated on the edges of one of the taller buildings within the city, which was lit up by the great network of spirit stones that filled the street lamps in all areas. Blue stone and new-looking architecture filled their vision as they focused on the distant roof of the restaurant where he and Nyla had met Connick, its owner.

“I win again,” said Nolan, belching.

“By a bald man’s hair…” Stowing away his cup, Ian added, “Are you sure nobody can see us?”

“What do you take me for? You not have faith in my arrayments?”

“I just don’t want to have a sudden battle for my life while this drink”—he paused to belch as well—“has me out of my mind.”

Nolan shushed him and pointed at the sky where a massive cumulonimbus cloud was beginning to form. It was dark as an abyss and rippling with rivulets of white lightning. “It’s about to go down.”

Contrary to his prior expectations, the massive bolt of lightning that descended from the heavens like the hammer of a giant god was actually a mixture of black and white energy. Nolan watched with drunken glee as it smashed down into the restaurant in question, completely demolishing it. Reverberations shook the city, which was built with expensive, sturdy stone, at the lightning momentarily connected the earth and sky in a long line of rabid, spine-tingling energies.

“Delia. Go get Nyla and bring her back to the inn. Make sure nobody sees you.”

“Okay.”

He told May to head back to the suite, and then nudged Ian with an elbow. “How satisfying was that?” A great dust cloud had gathered over the restaurant, which had been empty save for Connick and the two men that had been guarding him on the day that they had first met. They had made sure to check that it was closed before going through with his plan, which had worked out perfectly, and he was pleased to sense that Connick was the only survivor.

“I’ve got to admit, that was awesome to see. Hmm, that fellow must have used some expensive treasure to save his life. At least now it’s been used up.”

“Heh, now we just need to ask around about any other important businesses that he’s got in this city, and we can… Ah sorry for trailing off, I’m slammed right now. Yeah, basically we can do this again.”

“I—huc—I guess we should get going,” sighed Ian, hiccupping a few more times in the ensuing silence.

Many auras were converging on the wreckage of the restaurant, with screams of panic and alarm still ringing out all throughout the city.

“Yep,” he said, standing up on shaky legs, “guess it’s about time for us to hit the ol’ dusty trail.”

“Man, those golden spirits…they really keep the waves coming.” Ian stepped over the building and made to fly away, but failed hilariously and fell out of sight.

As Nolan was about to let out a laugh, his friend caught hold of his ankle which caused them both to plummet to the ground where they landed with a meaty crash.

“Okay,” coughed Nolan, who pulled himself to his feet in a disoriented manner. “I think it’s time we sober up a bit.”

Laughing until tears came out of his eyes, Ian wiped at his face and shook his head. “Not yet. Look!” He pointed to the large, warmly lit building in front of him, outside of which were many beautiful girls dressed in soft silks and revealing satins. They, along with the other people in the area, were looking around for the cause of the sudden sound, which reminded Nolan that his and Ian’s auras were still undetectable to all those beneath the Genesis stage. They were also completely hidden from sight. “The desert has provided.”

Seeing the mixture of nervous and excited men that were entering the building as inconspicuously as possible, it dawned on Nolan that they were staring at a brothel.

“Come on,” said Ian with a mischievous smile. “Let’s just go in and have a look.”

“I don’t know.” It had only been twenty minutes since he’d called Nyla his woman, after all.

“Only to look, only to look…”

Like two partners in crime, they shared a feckless glance and then hurried into the building, still invisible to everyone around them.

Contrary to his inebriated expectations, there were no chairs or tables within this building, only beds and long, cushiony couches. Paper lanterns hung from the walls, alongside many veils of translucent red fabric. The couches were occupied by all sorts of customers, while at least a hundred women of varying ages and body types wandered around from group to group, engaging would-be clients with honeyed words and seductive eyes. Many people here looked confused and curious as to what had just happened elsewhere in the city, though none desired to know the truth more than they desired to fulfill their purpose in visiting the shady business, which helped to preserve the perverted atmosphere.

Ian nudged Nolan and pointed to an open doorway, behind which were the auras of another twenty women, as well as only two men that were currently seated on their own respective couches. Throwing caution to the winds, the two of them made their way through these doors to discover a wonderful scene. All of the women were naked, the two noblemen—for their demeanours and expensive clothing revealed them as such—had just finished picking their own pairs of girls who then led them off to different rooms.

Nolan had never been to a place like this before, so he was very shocked and elated at the sights that he was seeing. Still, none of the women here were prettier than Nyla or May, a thought which suddenly made him feel a bit guilty, and very foolish. Before the moment of clarity could dissipate, Nolan grabbed his buddy’s sleeve and dragged him back out to the main area, mouthing the word ‘Shery’ several times until Ian gave his head a shake and followed him out of the building. Once outside, they both drank some Divine Spirit Fountain water and sobered up before making their way back to the inn at a walking pace.

“You were right to have us leave,” said Ian, who looked up at the night’s sky with a twinkle in his eye. “But I regret nothing.”

“We’ve got to keep this a secret.”

“To the grave, my friend.”

They arrived at the suite a short while later, but only after having relied on spiritual energy and Divine Spirit Fountain water to completely wash away all possible scents on their clothes, which they then dried with another arrayment.

“What took you guys so long?” asked May, who seemed genuinely curious.

“Ian had to use the bathroom, so we made a stop in some random building.”

When May left it at that and nobody else showed any interest, Ian and Nolan shared a subtle, satisfied nod.

“How’s she doing?” he asked May, nodding toward where Nyla was currently meditating within a crate of heavenly dew.

“It should take her a couple of hours to stabilize her aura, but other than that she’s fine.”

Nyla’s aura was much more powerful than the other people that Nolan had encountered to share the same cultivation level as her. Considering that her core cultivation method was the Profound Soul-Splitting Technique that had supposedly allowed Uncle Grey to dominate the world of eras past, it came as no surprise that the recent advancement had brought with it a tremendous amount of benefits.

“What happened to Connick?” asked Esteban, who climbed out of the crate that he had been cultivating in and then ran over, but only after returning any spilled liquid back to its container. “Did you get him?”

He glanced at May, who said, “I thought you’d prefer to share the news.”

He thanked her and then patted Esteban on the shoulder. “He survived, but barely. His buddies weren’t so lucky, though.”

Esteban mimicked his greedy grin. “Good. I’ll make sure to come along for Lyra’s breakthrough.”

“Oh man, I can’t wait to do that again.”

As Ian was climbing back into his crate, he let out a sly laugh. “I’m sure you’ll love it.”

Suppressing an eye roll, Nolan returned to his own crate and then told everyone else to continue focusing on training. He was very close to breaking through to the fourth level of Integration, and hoped that with enough luck and effort he could reach the fifth level by the end of the month.

Closing his eyes and preparing to resume cultivating, he was interrupted by his most recently made memories, his mind filled with all sorts of butts, breasts, and the smell of incense. Thankfully, his body was submerged in the viscous, golden liquid, affording him the privacy needed to correct his mind state and return his focus to more important matters.

He achieved his much anticipated breakthrough a mere ten minutes before Lyra shot out of her crate and excitedly ran to the door, telling them that her tribulation was mere minutes away from taking place. Hearing this, May and Delia reluctantly put their cultivation on pause and followed Lyra to the door, though this time they were accompanied by everyone else aside from Alicia and Aine. Hearing that the two girls preferred to hang back and continue cultivating, everyone else set off with eager footsteps.

Nolan had May pay Welson a quick visit to inquire about any of Connicks other businesses within the city, the drunken, surprised man telling her of a gambling hall in the southern district that was the man’s main source of income, which had also been closed and cleared out of any patrons in light of the restaurant’s unexplained and abrupt destruction. Unfortunately for Connick, tonight would be the last night that his gambling hall would ever open its doors to the public, for Nolan and his friends were determined not to show the man any mercy now that they were destined to butt heads with him and his faction of the CMA.

Lyra’s tribulation didn’t disappoint.