Carl was an exceptionally observant individual, always attuned to his surroundings. He exhibited unwavering dedication to his training, never once missing a day of the sessions organised by the elders.
Even when training sessions were not scheduled, he took it upon himself to learn the fundamentals of cultivation through self-guided study. He absorbed more than just commonly known history, actively participating in all the classes offered to outer sect disciples.
On days when neither training sessions nor classes were conducted by the elders, Carl's commitment didn't waver. He would diligently train on his own, occasionally pushing himself to the brink of exhaustion and beyond.
There were instances where he would become so absorbed in his training that he'd lose track of time, pushing himself to physical limits that left him incapacitated. During such times, it fell upon us or other fellow outer court disciples to discover him, unable to move due to exhaustion.
The remarkable thing about Carl was his relentless perseverance and almost fanatical mindset, even at the tender age of only 11 years old.
Kell, who was an orphan, and his innate potential were discovered by an elder of the once heavenly titled Aqua Flame sect, and the elder, sensing his innate talent, gave him a chance to take the examination of the sect and join the once prestigious, heavenly ranked Aqua Flame Sect.
Kell met Carl and Allen Calibre in the sect's entrance examination, faced a few dangerous and mind-tearing situations together in the examination, and was able to build a good friendship with them. However, Allen Calibre sensed that Kell didn't only consider them friends, but more than friends.
Allen Caliber was a very perceptive individual who was able to read people and their emotions with ease. He knew more about his friends through conversation and learning about their lives than he let them feel.
However, he didn't do this with any bad intentions; rather, he merely wanted to guide his friend in the right direction and prevent them from straying, and if they needed him, he was prepared to assist them however was required.
Kell was far from being a novice; prior to his entry into the esteemed sect, he had laboured as an inn worker. Within the inn's walls, he absorbed a myriad of stories, each narrating different issues and miracles.
While he may not have comprehended every detail, one fundamental truth took root in his mind about the world he knew: cultivators reigned as the mightiest entities in this world.
As an inn waiter, he didn't have any friends, and the only one who truly cared for him was the innkeeper who had taken him in, given him work, and let him earn his fill.
When he stood at the entrance examination of the sect, this was a completely different experience for him; this was not something he had seen before, even though the inn he worked in had a variety of customers but never cultivators, and when he saw all this, he felt out of place.
Seeing young masters and maidens of big families and many fancy looking people made him feel out of place until he met Allen Calibre and Carl.
Though Carl might be from an aristocratic background, he didn't look down on Kell and treated him like a true friend, and Allen Calibre, being the individual he was, made Kell his good friend easily.
Kell felt all the warmth they gave him as friends, and being his first friends, he didn't just see them as friends but rather the family he had been missing.
Virat, whom Carl, Kell, and Allen encountered following the Aqua Flame sect's final examination day, possessed a charismatic demeanor accentuated by his 12-year-old countenance.
His youthful appearance held a touch of handsomeness, characterized by his short, lustrous, dark hair resembling the depths of the ocean. Despite his slightly slender frame, he exuded an aura of natural charm.
He hailed from a merchant family, and he too, with his humble and big brother type attitude, became good friends with the three of them. He was always calm and collected and had a natural sense for money. He would occasionally tell them how money was an important thing in the world of mortals, but for cultivators, those were nothing but metal scraps.
He told three of them that the cultivator world had different kinds of currency, and every cultivator used that currency.
All in all, these three individuals had their own quirks and weaknesses and distinct personalities.
Kell had full loyalty to Allen Calibre because he thought of him as more than friends; he thought of him like a brother, and he considered Carl and Virat as his brothers too.
Carl had a hard working and a bit intuitive personality, always being quirky for more knowledge and strength. Virat wanted to make his merchant family even more wealthy by making connections with higher level cultivators and being a high-level cultivator himself.
However, the three individuals who had distinct personalities and goals, right now...
Sparkle! Sparkle!
'Ungrateful bastards!' I hissed under my breath. All these three-friend servants of mine had sparkle radiating in their eyes; it was intense as fuck, and if anyone had made contact, they would have gone blind.
But why did they have admiration-filled eyes that sparkled, and why did that sparkle seem to emanate from their body and countenance as well?
Because they had finally met the individual, they were eager to meet.
Yes.
The less evil spirit, Ria.
They finally met her as she came out of the system house with all sorts of saintly theatrics.
They all had their hands cupped in reverence and respect, slightly bowing. However, what I was witnessing from Ria, even if I had millions of lives, I wouldn't want to see that.
Smugness oozed from every fibre of her small being, and her less evil, cute smug smile was not disappearing from her face.
Carl, who would never skip training even if the elder didn't schedule training and classes, didn't go to training today, demonstrating how seriously the incident from yesterday had affected him. However, right now, based on the expression on his face, it appeared as though those worries didn't exist.
'Ecstatic as fuck!'
He looked as if he was over the moon as he met Ria.
His diligent smile which he rarely showed was now not leaving his face.
And the other two were not any less; their worries too had vanished in thin air, as if yesterday's incident that didn't let them sleep was only a dream.
'What the fuck did they see in that trance-like state to behave like this when they saw Ria?'
I didn't know, but soon I was going to, as this was the conversation that would fundamentally change all four of our's futures drastically from being the bottom feeder to the apex.