Born in Blood



Liam was taken aback.

The Zenith ranked Elder appeared from within the earth.

As though one end of a tunnel had formed on the tower she was sitting upon and the other right below Liam's feet.

At the moment, she was giving Liam an impatient look, despite most of her facial features covered with the ornate mask. Her lips were tightened.

"Well?"

Liam gave a wry smile, cupping his hands respectfully.

"You see, Elder Jane, I have a Binding Oath that stops me from divulging information about my body. I'm afraid there's nothing I can tell you."

Elder Jane frowned.

"Lies."

Liam's smile slowly lessened.

"I cannot sense any Binding Oath on any of your organs."

Elder Jane flickered her right wrist.

A black blade appeared in her grip, cutting through air despite being held perfectly still. It was barely the size of Liam's hand, yet the edges radiated immense sharpness that prickled the hair on his skin.

A Rank 4 inscribed item!

Liam's instincts screamed at him to run away, but he knew the Elder was way faster than him.

Any tense movement could be regarded as an attempt to run or attack.

Hence, he didn't move a muscle, but inwardly prepared to defend.

The next moment, the woman waved her hand. 

Liam's altered appearance dissipated at once, revealing his real features. 

"I'll ask one last time. What are you?"

Liam remained silent with a hard gaze, sensing the woman's growing frustration.

He could tell she was suppressing the urge to pressure him, either due to his darkness element, or his mysterious body structure.

Either way, that patience was running out.

"I want reassurance that whatever I say won't leave this room. You can say it to the other Elders and your Patriarch, but never beyond that," Liam voiced with a reluctant gaze.

Elder Jane was intrigued, both at Liam's personality and reluctance to answer. Not many Mortal Ranked cultivators had the nerve and audacity to demand something from a Zenith. Not to mention Liam's young appearance.

"You have my word."

Noticing the unsatisfied look on Liam's face, the Elder reassured him.

"It's not something I give lightly, nor often. Anymore than this and I will force the answers out from you."

Liam's eyes grew cold with defiance. 

Keeping his race a secret was ideal, of course, but that information itself didn't matter too much.

After all, the Ashuras had become merely a children's story. The true knowledge regarding them belonged to the higher-ups of the surrounding countries.

Millenia had passed since then.

Not to mention, the Temple of Shadow was known only in Ilali, and even then, their grudge was against the surrounding countries, not Liam's forgotten race.

He expected as much of a risk, but he was willing to take it. A gamble for privacy and special treatment as opposed to suppression and competition.

"I am human. Partly," he said.

Elder Jane's lips twitched.

"And the other part?" she asked.

Liam lingered, dragging out the silence as much as he could, before responding in an even voice:

"Ashura." 

Silence.

Elder Jane frowned. 

Her mental waves invaded Liam's body again, way less gentle compared to before. She repeatedly inspected Liam's solar plexus and embarrassingly, the lack of features on his groin.

The Elder didn't know what to say. 

"My god… you aren't lying. How is that possible?" she voiced incredulously, her lips remaining parted.

Liam didn't feel the need to explain the details. He already answered once.

"I don't know."

A blind man could see the lie in Liam's words, and the Zenith's lips pursed in anger.

"I will speak to the others about this. You'll be given a place to stay until then."

Liam remained silent. 

Elder Jane snapped her fingers, and Krel suddenly appeared at Liam's side, through the same shadow-teleport thing.

"Give him a room and make sure he doesn't leave."

With those stern words, Elder Jane turned into a shadow that became one with the ground, disappearing at once.

Krel scratched the side of his head and gave Liam a strange look. With an reluctant and awkward tone, he questioned:

"...So what's this about a male apparatus?" 

Liam cursed to himself. He was definitely gonna find a way to get it back.

///

Liam was given a small triangular shaped accommodation to stay in, not too far away from the giant Temple.

Inside, there wasn't any furniture or even a bed – just enough space for Liam to cultivate, inscribe, forge and train with. 

'Perfect.' 

Truth be told, he was a bit anxious as to what the Elders would think about his predicament. Judging by her reaction, though, it wasn't something too worrisome. 

Both Liam's strength and element was useful for their needs. 

In the first place, not having to hide his race and using all his strength gave him an exhilarating feeling of freedom. 

Paired with the fact that he was well-hidden from outside eyes, he was satisfied with his current arrangement.

Liam sat cross-legged first thing and began to cultivate as time passed.

His body was rapidly nearing the upper-tier of the third Rank, but his core wasn't nearing the liquid stage.

The estimated time for each breakthrough towards the higher Ranks differed depended on several factors.

Generally, for the Rank 2 core to advance to the liquid stage, it would roughly take a year or so. 

However, Liam consumed dozens of pills he reaped from the various rings he stole.

From his estimation, it expedited his progress by a few months at most… but Liam's progression speed was slower than normal humans.

'Probably another six months until I advance.'

Hours passed, and Liam concluded his core and bodily cultivation, expanding his mental sphere next. Sweat covered his figure top to bottom, and his mental energy was halved by then.

Liam stopped there, then shifted his focus to the blades in his ring. 

He carefully took out the inscribed container and took out the blood-drenched blades from them.

Liam inspected the weapons.

The inscriptions on their surface had completely melted away, but what remained was a dark-red material that absorbed his blood.

'It worked.'