Coming to the Capital City, Nero had a feeling that he would at some point cross paths with an old martial arts expert, and in that case hiding his cultivation would only attract more attention to himself. He disguised his core to take the form of the dantian while simultaneously limiting his Qi flow to that of a Late-stage Foundation Establishment Realm martial artist.
With Amaya's story and his low cultivation, although it was still difficult, it was still possible that he was able to rescue Amaya. Normally, no one would think that he would go as far as annihilating the Black Dragon squad and coupled with the fact that his cultivation was simply insufficient it played a major in deceiving this old man.
"Very well! Tonight we shall feast in honor of your return and little brother shall not only be your esteemed guest but the esteemed guest of the Gandor kingdom!" Aito said heaving with joy. "On behalf of the State Master who is currently in seclusion, I wish to sincerely thank little brother Nero for bringing this little rascal back to us."
Tonight there was going to be a feast and Nero was going to be the major center of attention, known as the man who rescued the Princess. This was in no way anything that Nero wanted but he could only ruefully smile as he accepted.
At this point, Galen spoke up, "I agree with master Aito, we must have a feast tonight to commemorate your return and also to welcome brother Nero as our esteemed guest. I think that sister should start getting ready, the maids are waiting for you. And you don't have to worry about brother Nero, I'll personally see to it that he gets what he needs."
"Well said, little boy! Little rascal you should leave now and prepare, you look unpleasant with these torn clothes… haha!" Aito said as he laughed as usual. Turning to Nero, he continued, " Little brother, I hope to see you tonight."
Saying this, Aito quickly brought Amaya and left the library leaving only Galen and Nero.
"Shall we?" Galen smiled and gestured Nero to follow him. Nero nodded and followed closely behind him.
Galen led Nero to his room. Nero's room was relatively huge and lavishly decorated.
"This is where you'll be staying, I hope you find it comfortable," Galen said calmly as he showed Nero different parts of the room. The room had its usual bedroom and bathroom space, and then an underground training room was added to it. The training room was also large with enough space for one to practice comfortably. Nero was eager to use the training room but it had to wait because tonight, he had a feast to attend.
"I'll inform you when the preparations for the feast are set. In the meantime please feel free to do as you like." Galen said with his usual smile with a glimmer of arrogance and left.
Nero was all alone in the room. The only thing that echoed in his mind was the constant repetition of the name 'Little brother'. Since when did he adopt such a demeaning name?
Nero smirked, 'If only they knew.' He thought to himself.
…
The sky dyed red as the sun gradually sunk into the infinite horizon. The gentle cool evening breeze blew past the Capital City, but no one noticed. Everyone had only one thing on their minds and that was… the Princess had returned! The news of the Princess's return spread like wildfire being blown by the wind spreading far and wide past the territories of the Gandor kingdom. The other top powerhouses heard the news of the Princess's return and the feast held in her honor; without a doubt, these powerhouses were invited.
Everyone was invited!
The State Master's villa bustled with activities. Exquisite decorations and charms hung from one end to the other. The Great Elder Aito personally saw to it that everything was in order.
"The heavens are kind to grace us with such a character. If I'm not mistaken, then our Gandor kingdom will have many fruitful years ahead because of him." The Great Elder Aito thought to himself as he stood in front of a window overseeing the preparations for the feast.
As a martial artist advances in their path of cultivation, the power they possess likewise increases. Through the rigorous and harsh experiences they may encounter, this power is honed to perfection and this defines true strength. True strength to a martial artist doesn't always rely on cultivation realms but through those life and death experiences and the harsh tribulations they had to endure.
For Nero, it was a different case altogether. His decisive method of slaughtering was born out of his many years of rampaging through his own life and death situation, which in turn sharpened his skills. This was partly why even though Saburo was at the Mid-stage Grand cultivation Realm, he still wasn't a match for someone like Nero who not only have lived longer but had more than enough qualifications to contend with him.
These tribulations tend to not only sharpen one's skills but build up their abilities and accumulate in the very aura they emit. This aura was what the Great Elder Aito was able to sense when he first met Nero; an aura that no ordinary martial artist could obtain by sheer luck but by brutally paving the way in their path of cultivation. There was simply no way that Nero in his wounded state would have completely hidden all these details from an old martial arts expert like Aito. Words wouldn't enough to describe the thoughts racing through his mind. If they were able to win over such a character, then their fortune for many years to come would be abundant.
Thinking this, old man Aito chuckled satisfactorily. If lines were to fall in place with the aid of proper resources, then it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the Gandor kingdom might tonight be ushering in a monstrous character as one of their own. As Aito thought of this, his smile grew wider. As the night came, the feast finally started, and he had to personally welcome the esteemed guest of the Gandor kingdom!