Dual Cultivation: Beasts and Women!

Over the next two days, the Demon Gate group would travel a long distance, with the five Aspirants making progress on their required readings.

With two more days of socializing with the other sect members, the group had heard more stories about Demon Gate, its origin, which dated back thousands of years.

It was impressive to hear, whether you were a native of Twin Land or an earthling who had mysteriously arrived in this world.

Demon Gate was not only powerful, famous, and dangerous, it also had a long history and many reasons to be so great, even using their sinister methods as kidnapping people.

Liam saw this by combining his current knowledge and understood that his upcoming mission would be difficult. It would require a lot of patience on his part.

But he tried to remain optimistic, learning more about the world of Spirit Masters and Beasts, basic rules, ignoring for the moment his mission, which was almost impossible to accomplish now.

Resolved to take things one step at a time, he was determined to hide his possibilities and not get carried away with future problems.

...

Another night had come…

The group of carriages that had set out from Violent Lake stopped again for the guards to rest and have another meal of the day.

As they left the carriage and looked around, the five Aspirants saw Merlin calling them to the corner of the now mountainous area.

Liam gazed upon the towering mountains that stood in close proximity along the narrow, winding road. The walls of stone enclosing them were so high he had to crane his neck 90 degrees just to catch a glimpse of the sky.

Besides the incredibly massive and towering mountains, which had such steep angles that they seemed nearly impossible to scale, there were only a handful of trees in the vicinity. These trees were exceptionally tall and obstructed a significant portion of the sky, limiting the view from below.

While the men prepared a small camp for the night, using the terrain to the group's advantage, Merlin found a good place to talk to the Aspirants.

On a small patch of land where a flat stone had fallen to form an area of 20 square meters, Merlin told Ajax and Amias to climb onto the stone and fight each other.

He then had Liam and Mary do the same, watching for the first time as they fought and used their skills.

"That's good for now. Sit down and rest," First Officer Merlin got up from the rock he was sitting on and climbed onto the stone 'platform'.

"You have much to learn. When we enter the sect, I advise you to seek the fighting arena and focus most of your early days there. Your cultivation is not your greatest weakness, but the way you use your skills. If you fight like this against experienced Spirit Masters of the same level as you, you will die," Merlin showed a frown, speaking without blinking.

"You don't fight like Spirit Masters. That's the truth," he said, his gaze mostly fixed on Liam. "Remember, your Spirits are your weapons. Only resort to using your bodies if your Spirits are unable to fight."

"No one within the sect will educate you in this matter, thus your best option is to engage in as many battles as possible within one of the fighting arenas. It is there that you will have the opportunity you seek," he clarified.

His motives were not driven by kindness, but by the outcome that the performance of these five individuals would yield for the group, whether positive or negative.

Following the abandonment of 29 prisoners in Violent Lake, the various groups responsible for gathering them engaged in fierce conflicts. Eventually, Commander Amos emerged victorious, earning the right to claim the outcome of the three-month period spent on the Eternal Doom Island.

Therefore, Amos and his group took Liam and the others, instead of the other groups that had assembled on the shores of the Violent Lake prior to the commencement of the three months.

This was how the Demon Gate worked. Everything in the sect was competitive, and new members could bring benefits to the old members who brought those new members into the sect.

These benefits didn't last forever. Once these people became inner members, Amos and the others would stop winning from them and become rivals. But until that happened, it might be advantageous for Amos' group to advise these newcomers.

This was what Merlin had in mind when he accepted the mission Amos had given him. That's why he was advising these five!

"In the sect's arenas, one can challenge anyone. It is advisable to first challenge the ranked warriors, but it is crucial to observe some fights beforehand. While there are only a few rules in the sect, they hold great significance. Those who dare to break them will inevitably face the consequences, even if it means shedding their own blood," he coldly warned the group.

Demon Gate's code of honor might seem malleable, but there was order in the chaos of this organization.

As he talked about being careful when dealing with rivals, and the proper place for disputes was the fighting arenas, Merlin suddenly looked north, sensing something interesting.

As soon as he noticed a sensation that would take Liam and the others a few seconds to feel, he disappeared from around the five and appeared next to the guards, who were finishing setting up their temporary camp.

Amos appeared in front of his carriage and muttered when he saw the gray-haired old man at his side, "Second realm Violet Spiders..."

Merlin nodded and expressed, "Four Violet Spiders, to be exact. Three 1-Stars and one 2-Star, perfect for these five."

Amos smiled as he looked at the five Aspirants, who still hadn't grasped the situation as they searched for where Merlin had gone.

Commander Amos said to the five, "Four Violet Spiders at the second realm are approaching you. Kill them in five minutes or you won't have dinner tonight.

You have one minute to prepare."

The man threw an incense stick that would take exactly five minutes to burn completely, setting it on fire before the four beasts even came within sight of Liam and the others.

Liam stopped looking at the group of Spirit Masters, who he knew wouldn't help them and would even leave them hungry if they didn't meet such terms.

"Seth, Amias and Ajax, you will help Mary while she uses her ability to deceive the enemies. I'll deal with them directly." Liam commanded as he prepared to summon his Spirit for the first official battle alongside the Shadowfiend.

The three men took up fighting positions as they summoned their Spirits, standing around Mary as the woman also summoned her Spirit.

Picking up his silver spear, Liam took a deep breath and circulated his mana through his hands, making a special sign as a dark figure of shadows and mana appeared behind him.

Thal'Korr's appearance was identical to when he was a demon. Even though he was now a Spirit, his aura was just as 'real' as it had been before he became part of Liam's powers.

Liam couldn't tell the Shadowfiend level yet. He hadn't had time to learn how to distinguish his power from that of his Spirits. But he knew Thal'Korr was stronger now than when they had fought weeks before.

Just as Thal'Korr appeared behind him, Liam saw the four creatures appear sixty meters in front of them.

The four creatures, gigantic spiders with purple fluorescent legs, enormous bodies the size of hippos, came running toward them, smelling their food.

Such magical creatures and Spirit Masters were natural enemies. Sensing only the auras of the Spirit Masters at the second realm of cultivation nearby, these hungry spiders ran straight to Liam's group.

Contrary to Merlin's recent words, Liam swiftly positioned himself next to Thal'Korr as soon as they approached.

'Use shadow projection as a means to gain an advantage over them. Mary's exceptional mental prowess will render them susceptible to your actions.' Liam, positioned a short distance behind Thal'Korr, communicated silently through their minds.

Then, as everyone watched, the Shadowfiend demon moved away from his master, using his speed to cross the space that separated him from the enemies.

As he moved, another Spirit appeared beside him, causing a dark mist to rise from his body and quickly cover the area.

Using this to his advantage, Liam moved as well, not limiting himself to commanding his Spirit in battle.

(*we'll have an extra chapter later.)