In a dimly lit room, illuminated only by the flickering of candlelight, a young man crouched in a corner. His figure was shrouded in darkness, his body rocking back and forth rhythmically, cloaked in layers of filth. Every motion he made seemed to echo his internal turmoil.
Into this somber scene, an elderly man stepped, his footsteps echoing louder as he approached the young man. He moved with a grace that defied his appearance, exuding an aura of someone who had faced the world and emerged unscathed.
The soft glow of the candles cast elongated shadows on the walls as he approached the distressed youth.
Halting a few paces away, the elder's voice cut through the silence, sharp yet not unkind. "So, did you learn anything from this?" His eyes fixed intently on the young man.
The room lapsed into a tense quiet, the only sound being the continuous, gentle creak of the youth rocking. Finally, lifting his head, his eyes bloodshot and haunted, the young man's voice emerged, rough and strained. "Have you found them?"
The elder narrowed his eyes, a subtle mix of concern and sternness in his gaze. He repeated his question with a firmer tone, "What did you learn from this experience?"
Feeling an icy shiver travel down his spine, he lowered his gaze, unable to meet his piercing eyes. Even though he was boiling with rage within, he had to hold back in front of this person.
He wasn't dumb, if this elder dared to do something to him like this, then he must have a special status in the sect. Otherwise, who gave him the courage to do something like that?
Balling his hands into fists, hidden behind his legs he replied "To be less dependent on my background... but more on my personal strength"
The elder, leaning casually against the wall, his arms crossed, seemed to ponder the youth's words. A small nod of approval indicated his satisfaction. "Seems you learned something after all"
"Remember this young patriarch" said the elder causing the youth to slowly shift his gaze to meet his.
"I didn't do this to humiliate you, you are the next patriarch of an entire domain. You will be responsible for the lives of your comrades"
"Any single mistake can cost you the lives of your subordinates or even loved ones. This is why you can't blindly rush into a situation without considering the consequences" scolded the elder.
"bu.. but I don't understand, we are the strongest force in Sky Domain!! why can't I be like this!!" yelled the youth, his voice cracked with the strain of contained emotion.
A flash of disappointment passed through the elder's eyes "You still don't fully understand," he sighed. "With power comes responsibility you brat."
He watched the young man he had protected for these 2 years, a mix of pity and concern in his heart. This youth had shown moments of brilliance but was sadly blinded by his own ego.
He had seen him rescue women in distress or save starving villages, but throughout all of this, he seemed to always do these things just to impress him and himself.
At first, it wasn't noticeable, but slowly over time, it became apparent he viewed himself as one in a million.
Seeing the young patriarch like this made him doubt whether such a person was even the offspring of the current patriarch who was humble and well respected by all.
"Well enough of that, we're cutting your trip short, we have other things to do back home that you've delayed long enough"
As the young patriarch started to protest, the elder silenced him with a gesture. "Don't worry, I've already taken measures to find those two women"
A hint of relief softened the youth's tense features, the burden of finding these two women took priority over everything in his mind. "Alright, let's go. I've missed my cute little sister."
The elder hearing these words almost laughed a bit but managed to hold it in. Would he be mad if he said that his little sister followed in his footsteps and took a trip of her own?
Before leaving, the young patriarch paused, his voice turning icy. "You made sure my... identity remains unknown correct?"
Padding his chest a bit, he answered "Don't worry young patriarch, that should be the least of your concerns, I've taken action on that matter as well"
In his mind, he was surprised at how reliable this old man could be at times like this so his respect for him grew subconsciously.
Looking at the elder, a small smirk appeared on his face.
Throughout Sky Domain, news about the young patriarch's actions in a remote 5-star city spread like wildfire leaving anyone who heard it dumbfounded.
Why was the young patriarch exposing his body parts in the streets to random people? Is this news credible?
Most who heard it dismissed it as fake news, I mean who could blame them? The dignified Young Patriarch of Sky Palace, the first person in almost 100,000 years born with Immortal-level affinity in Sky Palace parading naked in the streets showing off his little 1-inch sword?
In a holy-level city, in a luxurious house, we find a young man sitting cross-legged cultivating.
The tranquility of the room was suddenly disrupted as the door creaked open. An elegantly dressed old man entered, bowing respectfully before relaying the recent shocking events.
The youth's eyes snapped open, radiating a cold, piercing energy. "Are you certain of this news?" he demanded, his tone icy and authoritative.
"Yes, young patriarch" answered the butler already used to such a tone. He had watched his young master grow up from young so he knew this was nothing.
Handing over two flyers, the butler watched as the young man's expression shifted from disbelief to outrage. The contents of the flyers revealed the unthinkable.
In a burst of fury, the young man snatched his bow from his storage ring, his mind set on a direct confrontation with his rival. The butler, anticipating his young patriarch's impulsive decision, had the teleportation array ready.
"It turned out to be true" roared the youth internally, his eternal rival, the young patriarch of Sky Palace had been caught in such a scandalous act.
"You better be ready for this ass pounding that I am about to give you Tianyu!!" roared the youth in rage.
Hearing his young patriarch's words of passion as he headed off into the distance made him question whether their Tu family bloodline would end with this generation.
Looking down at the flyers that were forgotten by his young patriarch's impulsiveness, his eyes widened in disbelief at seeing they were two wanted posters.
It was his first time taking a look at the flyers since there was a rule in their Tu family. The rule stated the young patriarch should be the first to see the news followed by the servants.
If the rumors were true, are these the culprits responsible for the events that took place in that small 5-star city?
Taking a look at the first flyer, it depicted a drawing of a beautiful girl with exotic emerald-tinted eyes, under the drawing it had text that read "Alive only with a reward of 500,000 top-grade spiritual stones?" murmured the old butler in disbelief.
What is the concept of just 1 top-grade spiritual stone? 1000 low-grade spiritual stones will get you 1 medium-grade spiritual stone, and 1000 medium-grade will get you 1 high-grade spiritual stone.
Going further, 1000 high-grade spiritual stones will get you 1 top-grade spiritual stone. Just 1 high-grade spiritual stone could sustain an ordinary 2-star cultivating family for thousands of years!
Now someone was offered a reward of 500,000 top-grade spiritual stones?? That's exactly 500,000,000 million high-grade spirit stones. The figure alone would boggle the minds of many 7-star or even 8-star cities into poverty.
This just goes to show how powerful and rich Sky Palace truly is to be able to offer this amount.
Shaking his head in pity for the poor lass, he found her drawing couldn't hide her beauty even if through a rough sketch. Looking at the second flyer almost made him fall to his knees in disbelief.
"I... I.. I can't believe it" stumbled the old butler "What exactly did this young lady do to have a reward of 1,000,000 top-grade spiritual stones!"
He already had a hard time comprehending that such a little girl had a reward placed on her head offered at 500,000 top-grade spiritual stones.
But upon seeing the second flyer's rough sketch, he could roughly guess why, even he felt himself blushing at just the rough sketch of this beauty, he couldn't even begin to imagine how she looked in real life.
"But still... 1,000,000 top-grade spiritual stones, this figure alone could put an 8-star dynasty into debt 10 times over, does the young patriarch of Sky Palace want this woman that badly" thought the old butler.
He also took notice of how both of their descriptions stated "Only Alive" which went in total opposition to how these wanted posters usually are.
Picking up the flyers to clean up the mess, he couldn't help but wonder "This girl seems to have beaten the highest reward offered previously by Sky Palace, set at 650,000 top-grade spiritual stones beating the rogue demoness named The Manipulator"
The butler stood by the window, overlooking the vast city. A sense of foreboding washed over him.
As the night deepened, rumors and whispers continued to spread, painting a bizarre picture of the young patriarch's deeds. The truth behind these rumors, embellished or not, stirred a whirlwind of speculation and disbelief across the domain.