"Hm? What do you want?" Apollo curiously looked at Sapphyr. While holding out her hand, she didn't disclose what she intended to do. Thus, earning Apollo's immediate skepticism.
"Obviously, I want you to hand me your Supreme Cultivation badge. I'll tweak it for you," Sapphyr scoffed, wondering if this boy possessed a faulty head. If she was holding her hand out and was an administrator, what else could her intentions be?
"Hoh? Isn't it dangerous to show favoritism?" Apollo chuckled but still handed his room key to Sapphyr. Although he said this, there was no chance of him forfeiting this opportunity. If what he thought she was doing was correct, then he would once again receive a small boon.
Sapphyr claimed his room key, pointing her finger at it. A special wisp of energy flowed from her finger, altering certain mechanisms on the crystal card. This small action garnered his shock, based on her actions, he thought some other large occurrence would take place but it didn't.
"There you go, I have increased the duration of your usage from 12 hours to 1 day. Think of it as my compensation, use it well. Oh, and in the future, should I need your assistance, you'll be open to listening to my problems, right?" Sapphyr smiled, however, inside that smile were deep worries. One's Apollo couldn't understand at the moment.
Be that as it may, if he could use this opportunity to achieve new heights then, by all means, he didn't mind offering his services. After all, he was already treated as a hired weapon for his family, therefore, what's adding another occupant to his list of "employment".
"That's a given. You can take this as my hiring fee," Apollo chuckled, bidding his adieu with a wave. In a moment, he rushed up the stairs behind him leading up to the levels housing the lauded Perfected and Supreme Cultivation rooms.
Meanwhile, Xezym observed Apollo as he rushed into the distance, "My Lady, why have you helped that boy? Do you really believe he'll be useful in the struggle?"
"I'm not sure, but I sense the aura of that bloke on him. It seems he has come in contact with him already. With that, I can view him as half an ally. Furthermore, take a look at that room, do you see the destruction he has caused to its structure? It'll take at least 100 times what he paid to repair it," Sapphyr uttered, turning her gaze into the distance.
"I understand. I, as well, believe that youth possesses some power transcending this world. I didn't tell you as I don't know if you'll understand this but… most of his power seems to be sealed," Xezym spoke with a solemn voice.
For a moment, the atmosphere between them became quiet until Sapphyr spoke, "Sealed, you say? If so, in comparison to you, how strong do you think he is currently?"
"If we're speaking about his unsealed strength. I suppose he should be approaching approximately 30% of my strength and this isn't a conservative guess. Right now, based on the aura he showed, he should rest at about 6% of my strength," Xezym disclosed, rubbing his chin in thought.
"6 percent?! In other words, he hides nearly 80% of his strength? Not to mention, he's 6 times stronger than the typical Rank 1 Zul Warrior?" Sapphyr's eyes widened with disbelief.
"I suppose this is correct, there isn't much else for me to tell you. Oh, wait, your words are incorrect. He isn't hiding his power, instead, it seems that seal is the action of someone else. Perhaps, his true power is something even he is incapable of utilizing," Xezym replied with a hint of awe in his tone.
Among the type of spirit race he originated from, they all respected power. It was a type of principle circulating throughout all their ranks. Needless to say, catching wind of power rivaling their races inside a seemingly human boy of this world left Xezym astounded.
"One last question, do you think he rivals the Scions?" Sapphyr asked succinctly, gazing into Xezym's profound eyes.
"Mm...as he is now, no. You know how bizarre those people's strengths are. It's like they were beings born between worlds. They look human but possess strength from birth rivaling the barbaric spirit races. It's mystifying to think about but he may be on par with the Nine Glories." Xylem answered truthfully.
With that, their conversation came to an end, Sapphyr's expression turning solemn. Thinking about something, her fist clenched. 'When will I get my revenge... I will have it!'
----
Rushing up the stairs, Apollo paused in his steps, 'Such a pure feeling of Wrath. Whose sinful thoughts are these? If I'm being honest...it rivals the Wrath coursing through me. I wonder, will I be able to do that?' Apollo mused, tapping his chin.
Soon enough, he came to a floor filled with 18 doors. 13 of them seemed inferior to 5 of the others. Firstly, the appearance of the 5 doors seemed to be forged from Spirit Shards themselves, veins forming a grand inscription forming on each of them. More importantly, the doors themselves seemed to exude essence.
Then Apollo saw this, he was stupefied. Just the Natural Essence in this hall alone seemed to be twice that of the lower floor.
'Is this why I needed to show my key card to the guard below? Even if you cultivate here in the corridor, the results would be astonishing. I wonder what it's like inside a room with complete inscriptions.'
Placing his hand against his unoccupied door, Apollo opened it. To start off his experience on the floor, he entered a Perfected Room. In his mind, it was best to save the most useful for last. There was a chance he could breakthrough at a critical moment with the assistance of its augmented environment.
As the door closed behind him, Apollo peered at the dials on the wall. Once again, he set it to the maximum. This time, however, he was rendered completely immobile, slamming against the floor.
Unlike the floors below, even the minimum standard of these rooms were set to the baseline of the Great Families' middle-rank talents. In other words, the room was acclimated to those who possessed at least Middle Tier Heaven-Grade bodies and trained in a Heaven-Grade or above Cultivation Method.
Additionally, a minimum of a Rank 6 Zul Warrior cultivation base required. Ergo, Apollo's current state. Fortunately, Xezym was no longer watching him and there was no surveillance equipment located in the rooms.
As a result, Apollo let loose. He released his unbridled aura, forming into a thin crimson bronze layer on his skin. Furthermore, reaching into his spatial pouch, he retrieved the only remaining weapon inside—Krone's crimson scimitar.
Apollo exhaled, "Azridan told me not to use the weapons of this world after becoming a full-fledged demon but I never understood why. I should rectify this issue right now. Let's experiment before becoming engrossed in cultivation."
After examining the weapon for a moment, understanding its general condition, Apollo took a stance. The atmosphere roiled around him at an extremely slow pace. This environment placed even more stringent conditions on him than the last. Naturally, this didn't discourage Apollo.
On the contract, it incited his combative spirit, 'This room is made for them but I'll overcome them.'
A hazy jetstream fired from his lungs with a low rumble as he exhaled. At the same time, the crimson scimitar in his hand vibrated, emitting a low cry. If one were ignorant to the existence of Sword Intent, they would think this was it, however, that was wrong.
In fact, the truth of the matter was much worse. "Demonic Massacre Wave!" Apollo bellowed, a sizable arc spanning 3 meters fired from the weapon. The strain was apparent as that one strike caused Apollo's shoulder to throb.
Yet, that wasn't the most shocking matter. If one looked closely, a piece of the scimitar's blade fell off. Prior to his use, the state, while not pristine, was more than capable of handling continued usage before needing in-depth repairs.
Once again, Apollo fired the Demonic Massacre Wave, this time, amplifying the amount of Demonic Anima used to wield it. Conversely, a large part of the blade decayed but Apollo's paid this no mind.
Once more, he had entered a state oblivious to his surroundings. A state usually unattainable by others was something he entered like breathing! Clearly, there were other forces at play in this matter.
With another slash, the scimitar crumbled at its core, becoming dust! Meanwhile, Apollo looked at his hand incredulously. With the disappearing weight of the weapon, he understood why Azridan didn't recommend using this world's weapons!
"They can't contain my power!" Apollo muttered with a deranged look in his eyes. Numerous thoughts circulated in his mind, as his heavy breaths continued in the room.