Cultivation Through Artifacts

While the sun was shining at Moon Academy from the sky above with scorching heat, a petite girl with chestnut brown hair and skin that was akin to the snow's cluster was calmly walking on the streets visibly deep in her own thoughts.

It was none other but Alia, who became this troubled looking ever since with her fight with Khal; from all the way he stood up to protect her from everyone instead of herself until the point of crushing all those arrogant Cultivators with nothing but his mere Second Stage cultivation strength... Just thinking about all these things made a bit of a crimson shade appear on her mild cheeks.

"I wonder what he is doing right now. I didn't even thank him properly yet." pondered Alia as she raised her gaze only to halt her steps abruptly.

"Khal?" before her in the distance, Alia noticed as Khal was standing below a colorful tree, visibly in deep thoughts that just like her a few seconds ago made his complexion troubled.

"What happened? He seems uneasy. Should I go there and talk to him?" Alia was fighting in her mind what she should do when suddenly a girl with silk-smooth black hair stood before Khal and began to talk to him.

"Who is she?" squinted Alia her small eyes as she examined the girl before Khal in great detail. However, when she recognized her face, her whole figure stiffened up and stood still in one place, "Isn't she that freak? What does she need from him? She wants to challenge him?"

Though, to her surprise, the very moment the girl started to talk, Khal's expression instead of becoming annoyed or indifferent suddenly lit up with a beaming smile, shocking Alia even more; the previous troubled expression vanished completely and he was chatting with Liza like there were nothing in his mind a second ago.

"Just what is his relationship with her?" Alia was troubled as she watched the two from the distance walking further and further away while chatting with each other spiritedly.

-

-

-

"You surprised me. I would have never thought you will have the guts to challenge so many at once. And what's more, you even won too!" Liza talked with a light smile as she examined Khal from up to bottom, "You are strong."

"Haha, thank you but I was only lucky. If it weren't for the Beast Core that I obtained or the Secret Art I got I wouldn't have been able to win." Khal scratched the side of his cheek slowly as he grinned wryly.

"Yeah, really, about that. How were you able to get your hands on a Beast Core? Especially one such powerful as that?" 

When Liza learned Khal's Beast Core from a Diamond Beetle King which was on the Fourth Cultivation Stage she was dumbfounded beyond belief; killing such a creature one needed at least the same Cultivation strength if not stronger!

Hence, she became quite curious about how Khal did obtain it. However, what she didn't expect that the moment she asked the question Khal's mouth twitch slightly but still continued to smile; such small reactions, there was no way she would miss.

"What? Don't tell me you stole it," asked Liza teasingly, making Khal shake his head firmly in a flash, "Of course not! Who do you think I am? A thief?"

"Then how did you acquire it?" at this moment Liza's sharp eyes were shining with curiosity, waiting patiently for Khal to continue.

Seeing those eyes that could pierce even into the deepest part of his soul, Khal turned his gaze away and began to speak, "I accepted a Mission where I needed to slay Gold Hawks on Moon Mountain. However, when I was just about to come back, I accidentally bumped into a sight where a Diamond Beetle King was killed by another creature."

"What? What kind of creature can kill a powerful beast such as the Diamon Beetle King?"

"I don't know either because the only thing I saw was a flash, but if I were right, it was a Ruby Beast."

"!?"

The word Ruby Beast stunned Liza because that name wasn't foreign for her. Just like anyone else in Moon City, she too knew what that creature was capable of.

"And you were able to safely return even though crossing paths such a terrific Beast?" Liza's eyes showed great awe and a bit of worry; if Khal wouldn't have been able to return safely, she wouldn't have known what she would have done.

"Well, to tell the truth at that time even myself thought I was done for but luckily the Beast didn't decide to come after me. Maybe it thought it wasn't worth killing me because of my low Cultivation Stage, hehe..."

Khal's wry smile made Liza sigh and shake her head gently, "Your luck is phenomenal. Ruby Beast is a well-known predator at the foot of Moon Mountain and it kills even First Stage Beasts, so the reason it didn't try to kill you was not that you were weak but simply because it simply ate before. Consider yourself lucky."

"..." as Liza explained this to him, Khal smiled but his back was still covered with cold sweat. It seems back then when he wasn't attacked the beast didn't kill him because he hid well, but simply because it wasn't hungry.

How great...

Liza noticed Khal's wry smile and was about to say something else when suddenly Jane's figure appeared before the two out of nowhere.

"Master!" Liza bowed politely, but Jane didn't even glance at her but stared at Khal with an indifferent gaze.

Khal noticed this and bowed two and cupped his hands before his chest, "Respected Elder."

"How did you do it?"

"Eh?" raising his head in confusion, Khal glanced at Jane and asked, "Did what?"

"How did you conceal your presence? If you don't fight it's akin to you have no Talent at all. No, it's not like, you have no Cultivation Talent at all. So how did you do it?"

Khal was shocked by this unexpected question. Now that he thought about this, it was strange that whenever he fought, his bracelet on his wrist would light up with a gentle light, yet no one ever noticed it. Except for the fact that his presence suddenly broke forth because he activated his Power Core, no one discovered that his Talent came from his bracelet. 

As he reached this point of thought a smile appeared on Khal's face and remained silent; naturally he wouldn't tell Jane even if he had a logical reason to think off while also he didn't want to tell her a stupid lie. Lying before an expert, especially before one that you didn't even know, was an extremely foolish act. That is why the best choice was to remain silent.

However, naturally, Jane misunderstood Khal's silence and began to frown deeply. But, unfortunately, if Khal didn't want to tell her she couldn't do anything about it. Every person had secrets and it seems Khal had too.

"Well, never mind then. Let's go," said Jane calmly as she glanced at Liza and began to walk away.

Liza glanced at Khal and after a warm smile, she waved at him and began to follow her teacher away.

Khal waved at Liza too with the same smile and after the two figure's shadows disappeared in the distance he turned around, "Thanks to her I was able to calm myself down. Let's head back."

-

-

-

Back where he talked with Logan, Khal walked back and glanced at the tree full of yellow flowers; exactly below that tree, Logan was leaning against the tree with his eyes tightly shut as he was soundlessly sleeping.

"You came back faster than I have thought," exclaimed Logan as he opened his eyes the moment he sensed Khal's approach.

"Yeah..." nodded Khal and sat back down.

Logan inspected Khal's expression and strangely shock manifested deep inside his eyes; he was surprised because Khal was looking at him like nothing happened at all. It was almost like he forgot everything he was just told several minutes ago.

"Hmm..." humming in a low tone, Logan sat up straight with his back still against the tree's trunk and asked, "So? Now that you got your answer to your previous question, anything else you want to know?"

And this surprise Khal nodded his head and took out a scroll from his pocket. Before coming back made sure to bring his only Secret Art from Blade Mountain because of a sole reason.

"You told me before this Secret Art of mine is full of mistakes and that is why it was categorized only into the Moderate Level. I examined it and just as you have told me it is truly full of errors but even like that I am unable to correct them. And because I am not good with modifying Secret Arts on my own..."

Putting the Secret Art, the Dance of The Celestial Serpent down, Khal looked at his teacher and asked, "Can you please help me with it?"