Dual Cultivation: Beasts and Women!

Liam's first steps in City Two were in front of a majestic estate near the peak of the city.

As was the case in the cities outside the sect, the top of the peak usually represented the best areas for cultivation, meaning that it was more difficult to find places to live there. In particular, at the place where the group's carriage stopped, only Elders' residences could be seen there, each of them impressive with its size, quality, and decorations.

Liam spotted a glass-walled building close to Elder Neill's house, but also a building similar to a medieval castle on the opposite side of the area.

As he entered Neill's property, a place full of plants, paved with white and yellow stones, he turned his attention to those plants and his eyes widened.

Some of them had colors that are hard to find in plants. Unlike the typical green, some of them had blue, purple, and even black leaves. Their roots had strange shapes, as if they were body parts rich in veins, some of which even pulsed.

But despite their peculiar appearance, what most caught an observer's eye when seeing them for the first time was the mischievous feeling that came from them.

Liam felt as if his soul was being watched by those plants, as he realized the value of some of them.

'Some of those plants could make Fifth Class herbs!'

One commander saw Liam's gaze and advised, "Avoid touching them. Some plants here are poisonous, and others can even devour your life's essence."

Liam took the advice to heart, keeping his arms and feet away from these colorful plants.

After the words of the Commander in front of him, Liam heard a laugh and turned his attention to the path to the front entrance of the classic-style building, with large cylindrical pillars decorating the façade.

"Hahaha, don't be so scared of them. These are intelligent plants. If you connect with them and don't wish them harm, they will bear you fruit and protect you," said an elderly voice, attracting the attention of the five newcomers.

A second ago there was no one there, but suddenly a man with long white hair and very well-hydrated skin, glowing in the daylight, caught the group's attention.

Elder Neill was almost 2 meters tall and had a relatively strong build for his size. But his muscles were hidden beneath his white clothes.

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Demon Gate elders dressed entirely in white.

The three Commanders and the First Officer standing there with Liam bowed their heads as they saluted in unison to the Elder, whose voice didn't match his appearance.

Liam couldn't make out the cultivation of this figure, but he, too, greeted him after hearing the voices of his companions there.

"We greet Elder Neill!"

The figure took two steps forward and, in an instant, was standing in front of Liam, looking him over from head to toe, appraising him deeply.

Liam felt naked in front of Neill, but he didn't move, let alone meet the gaze of this golden-eyed man. He simply looked at the ground and wondered how strong this existence was.

He might not have known about Elder Neil's strength, but the Commanders there could feel the surface of Neill's aura. This was clearly a Spirit King cultivator!

What part of the fifth realm Neill was, not even the strongest of the Commanders there could tell.

The Elder smiled as he sensed exactly Liam's situation. "Three Spirits, two of them with Sage grade fluctuations, and one close to reaching Sage grade. The weakest is at 3-Star and the strongest at 7-Star... impressive." He looked into Liam's eyes and laughed. "Looks like you're confident in your cultivation speed."

'Can this old man sense the Incubus?' Liam feared the worst.

"The first one is clearly a support-type Spirit. He'll probably help you cultivate. Hmm, but he has a strange aura about him... Anyway, we'll talk about that in the future. The other two are warriors. Not bad, but you can improve. You need a Spirit focused on mental powers and one on defensive capabilities, like a Thundering Rhino. But we'll talk more about that in the future.

What strikes me most now is the discrepancy between your current talent and that measured during your entry into the sect. It seems they made a mistake in their Promotional Exam. Your potential is clearly superior to that measured months ago."

Liam sighed as he realized that the man hadn't realized what the Incubus was, or if he had, would give him a chance.

Meanwhile, the four men around him looked at him with curiosity, but also envy. Neill wasn't just casually assessing him. This was his way of identifying his newest disciple's weaknesses.

Liam felt Neill's power weaken around his body, with the man's eyes becoming a little duller, leaving the golden glow to show a more yellowish color.

Neill finally took a step back and said to one of the Commanders there, "Blaive, deliver this here to the General Records Hall when you come by later. There are some assignments here for young Liam to fulfill as mandatory activities."

He looked at Liam, ignoring Balive's nod. "These special obligations will strengthen your weak points. Look at them carefully and dedicate yourself. If you want to challenge the sixth realm one day, you'll have to go through far greater challenges than the ones I've given you."

Merlin and Amos looked at Liam with envy visible in their eyes.

"That... I'll try my best, Elder." Liam once again made a gesture for the man.

"There's no need to call me Elder. From now on, you can call me Master Neill." The man laughed as he sat down on the front steps of his house.

Liam was no fool and corrected his position. "Certainly, Master Neill."

The man nodded in appreciation of Liam's quick adaptation and continued, "You've just completed the second phase of the Secret Hunt mission. That's why you're here, Liam. You're now in the third and last phase of this mission, but there are a few differences from the third to the second phase.

Firstly, your immediate aim is no longer to hunt down your fellow sect members. There are demonic cultivators outside the Demon Gate who can help you continue to evolve your demonic Spirits. But you will still compete against others on this mission and, when they die, you will have the chance to absorb their Arcane Crystals, depending on your position in the sect.

Your mission is to get stronger, raise the quality of your Spirits and get your promotion from Division Chief to Elder.

Keep that in mind before you start your journey into the inner area of the sect."

"All right, Master Neill."

"That's all for now. You'll know when I want to meet with you. Until then, get on with your compulsory activities and keep working towards becoming a Fourth Class Runemaster. I can't help you with advice on your profession, but I'll give you the time you need to learn at the Runes Hall."

Liam thanked him once again, vowing that he would make every effort not to let him down. Soon after, the two Commanders who had picked him up in City Thirteen left with him for City One.

Merlin and Amos stayed behind on Neill's instructions.

"So you're the ones who brought Liam Porter into my sect, huh?" Neill's powerful gaze fell on the two, sending shivers down their spines.

"Yes, Elder. My group found Liam Porter. But we didn't act against him back there," Amos explained quickly, aware of how vindictive some members of the sect could be. "We found Liam Porter almost dead in the middle of a wrecked carriage, surrounded by the dead. I believe that before we found him, his group had an accident caused by another group. The responsible for it realized we were nearby and fled before ensuring the deaths of all the travelers in that group."

"We found Liam Porter with several injuries and the Commander saw a different glow in him. Surviving that was impressive enough for us to believe that he would awaken his magical powers." Merlin complemented his group leader's speech.

Amos said, "Perhaps young Liam thinks we were the ones who acted against him. But we really weren't. In fact, in a way, we saved his life."

"Do you know where he comes from? My estimation is that his talent is close to mine. But that's not normal for young people from ordinary families, like most of our disciples."

Listening to Neill, the two men understood that the man was worried about Liam's past becoming a problem.

"We haven't checked that in the past, but we know where to look." Amos became more serious as he considered what they had ignored so far. "That young man's frightening cultivation speed wasn't enough to erase all possible traces in that place where we found him."

Elder Neill stood up and said, "Find Liam's place of origin and gather all the information you can about him from before Demon Gate. I'll give you a generous prize when you finish this job for me."

He threw a small bag in Amos' direction, something in advance to stimulate the man's willingness and speed to resolve the matter.

"For now, this is a token of my satisfaction with what you've done for the sect."

Amos opened the small cloth bag and smiled, immediately showing his gratitude and commitment to resolving these matters quickly for Elder Neill.