As soon as the old men heard Kai's words, they were instantly dumbfounded! If that was the case, then it was understandable how he got the Shadow Mark Dance... But who was able to recruit this monster? And considering the level of Shadow Marks, Kai has been using them for a long time!
- Kai... Tell us, who is your master? - Elder Ovian asked with an ambiguous expression on his face.
- To be honest, I don't know much... I haven't seen him for a long time, and he hasn't told me anything about the Shadow Sect. He once saved me and started training me... Coming to the Shadow Sect was one of the promises I made to my Master. His name is Mo, and from what I understand, he hasn't been to the Shadow City territory for a long time... - Kai explained.
Hearing these words, all the old men's eyes instantly widened. It was obvious that they were confused and slightly shocked.
- What did he look like! - Caius shouted out dumbfoundedly.
- Ahh... It's... Grey hair, a stern expression, a small beard... Always sarcastic, joking and talking about his love affairs... - With a strange expression on his face, Caius replied.
- It's Old Man Mo! That's right! - Caius shouted.
- Yes, I agree... It's definitely him... - Brud replied with a strange expression on his face.
- Kai! It's fate! Your master was the leader of the Array Alliance in his time! You just have to come to us! Hahaha! - Laughing loudly, Elder Caius shouted out.
- Was my old man that incredible?' asked Kai, remembering the array around the lake. It seems that his Master was really skilled in arrays and that lake was only a trivial matter for him.
- Yes. Old Man Mo had a special status... Because of his free temper, yet incredible strength, he wasn't restricted by many of the other Elders' responsibilities. He left on a journey about ten years ago... I'm very glad that he's still alive... - Ovian replied with a slight melancholy.
Hearing this, Kai felt strangely proud of his master. He had an incredible respect for his old man, and it turned out that he wasn't the only one who had such respect! It was a pleasant feeling.
- Kai, Old Man Mo was very skilled in arrays! You should come join us! - Laughing, Caius repeated again.
- Thank you for your concern Elder... But still... My master had his own path, and I will have my own... Still, I want to decide my own fate. - Kai politely dodged the offer and bowed.
As soon as he said that, Elder Brood's eyes shone and he instantly laughed!
- Hahaha! What good words! This is how martial artists should be! Kid, even if you don't choose Alchemy, you've already earned my respect! - Laughing, the old man said.
- I am very grateful for your praise, but you overestimate me. - Kai replied modestly.
- By the way, boy... So you can already be considered a Personal Apprentice... Except... - Ovian said thoughtfully.
He seemed to be thinking about something, and didn't know how to come up with a solution to this situation. It was clear from the old man's face that it wasn't a big problem. But it still puzzled him slightly.....
- Is there a problem? - Kai asked.
- Well... You should have your own nickname that will declare your status as a Personal Apprentice. Except... We don't know anything about you! Hehehe. - Awkwardly laughing, Elder Ovian explained.
Normally, Shadow Sect disciples took a long time to reach this status. Along the way, they did many different things, earning their fame. And even before becoming a Personal Disciple, many already had their own nickname. For example, Iris had the nickname Azure Blade.
She was a skilled Array Master of the younger generation. In doing so, invented her own array improving her sword. Thus, many people called her that based on her distinctive trait.
- Well, it doesn't matter yet! We're having a big celebration tonight! - Ovian said solemnly, -You don't know, I'll tell you about it! The appearance of a new Personal Apprentice was a rare event. On days like this, it is customary for the Shadow Sect to celebrate. But today, not only did Iris reach level 5 and become a Personal Apprentice... I don't know where you came from! Not only that, you're Old Man Mo's disciple! This is unbelievable! - Ovian smilingly explained.
The old man seemed to be very happy right now. Especially when he heard the news about Old Man Mo.....
Watching this, Cai even thought that perhaps this old man was probably on quite good terms with his master. Then no wonder he was so happy to hear that Master Mo was alive and had even taken on a disciple.
In fact, this was roughly the case. But aside from that, Elder Ovian was incredibly happy about Kai specifically. Looking at him, he thought:
'Old Mo... Where did you dig up this monster? I feel like this guy will bring about a lot of interesting changes...'
- Wow, even so... This is very good! But you owe it to me to treat me to some good elder wine! Hehehe. - Laughing, Kai gave out while looking at the elders.
- Hahaha! How cheeky you are! I can tell you're Old Man Mo's disciple! The same free-spirited temperament! - Also laughing, Brood replied.
Although the Array and Alchemy Alliances couldn't stand each other. It seemed that Brud still had a deep respect for Master Mo. Even despite the fact that Mo was from the opposite camp....
- I will, Kai. Believe me, what you drank before... Will seem like rubbish to you! - Elder Caius replied good-naturedly.
From the moment Kai said that he was Master Mo's disciple, the atmosphere around him changed even more. It seemed like everyone had started to treat him as a member of the family. It was as if their brother's grandson, whom they hadn't met in a very long time, had come over.
Although they couldn't see their old acquaintance, it was like Kai was in his place. This feeling was very difficult to describe... But from the very attitude towards Kai, it was obvious how much respect Old Man Mo had in the Shadow Sect.
- Alright, come with us. We'll pick up the Iris girl on the way. - Said Ovian and started walking up the road upwards.
'Damn, I'm as bad as always... But it seems to have worked out for the best. Hehe.' - Kai thought contentedly.
He hadn't even thought of swinging to the heights of a Personal Apprentice. He felt like it was still a long way off. But now... Now he would be able to realise his plans even faster! With the status of a Personal Disciple, many doors that were closed to others would open to him.
'Hmm... I need to think hard about what to do about the Alliances and which one I should join... I still need to earn points. And I'll do it as quickly and efficiently as possible only in the Array Alliance or the Alchemy Alliance. But for some reason they can't stand each other... That's a problem...' - Kai reasoned.
He was moving around quietly now, healing himself at the same time. It seemed that the Elders were protecting him, not letting even a particle of destructive energy near him.
- Iris, you're doing great! - Elder Caius shouted as a girl with a sword appeared on the horizon. He immediately swung his arm.
It could be seen that the girl was severely exhausted and breathing heavily. But as soon as Elder Caius made his move, all the pressure from Iris instantly lifted.
- 'Ha... ha...' The girl breathed heavily, 'Elder Caius, it's you, oh? And this is... - The girl shouted out, but then she saw Kai.
- Hello again! Hehehe. - Laughing, Kai replied.
- Iris, this is Kai. Today, he became a Personal Apprentice too! So your meeting is kind of fated! Becoming two Personal Disciples at the same moment... That's just wonderful! Ha-ha. - Laughing, the old man said.
As soon as the girl heard the words about destiny and so on, she was slightly embarrassed. She remembered that she had pointed her blade at Kai and even shouted at him. It seemed that this girl was quite the heartbreaker. She began to berate herself, for her act.
- Nice to meet you Kai! I'm Iris... I'm sorry for pointing the blade at you... - the girl said pitifully.
- Nice to meet you Iris! Don't worry about it, it's nothing! Hehehe! - Kai replied light-heartedly.
Hearing Kai's words, the girl quickly cheered up and ran up to him.
- Listen, how did you copy my array so quickly! What other arrays do you know? Can you show me something interesting? - Iris instantly started bombarding Kai with questions.
At this moment, Kai realised why she was called an array genius and why she didn't want to take this test earlier. She was constantly studying Array Mastery.
- Alright, talk later, now let's head to the palace. There will be a celebration today in honour of you becoming Personal Disciples! - With a smile, Ovian interrupted them and walked forward. With that, he signalled for everyone to follow him.