Death... and me

After Hulian left the room, he went straight to the Talismans Hall. There, he headed straight to the upmost floor. When he arrived there, he saw two disciples guarding the door to the room behind.

When the disciples saw Hulian, they immediately paid their respects.

"Welcome, Elder Hulian. Are you here to see Master Kassie?"

Hulian nodded.

"Yes. Please let Core Elder Kassie know that it is an important matter."

The two disciples immediately nodded. Following that, one of them entered the room while the other stayed outside. Hulian was only an Inner Elder, while Kassie was a Core Elder. To be a Core Elder, one had to be at least in the Nascent Soul Realm, so her status was definitely higher than Hulian.

Half a minute later, the disciple who had entered the room returned.

"Elder Hulian, you can enter."

Hulian smiled as he opened the door and entered the room. There, he saw an old woman focusing on a piece of paper in front of her that was almost as big as the table. On the sides, there were several cultivation resources, as well as other high-level materials. By making several combinations, she could create various types of ink used to draw those talismans.

Kassie's hands moved quickly yet precisely. Each stroke seemed more like a piece of art than the last. Eventually, she drew the last stroke. As soon as the last stroke was done, the talisman lifted in the air by itself. The piece of paper also began to shrink fast. Suddenly, it became a palm-sized talisman that could be easily carried around.

"Phew... Finally done."

Kassie then looked at Hulian with a smile.

"What is it? Do you need help with some resources again?"

Hulian shook his head.

"No. The reason I came here has nothing to do with resources. Instead, it's about Sisca."

Kassie was surprised to hear that.

"Oh! Have you come to play a match with me? Why didn't you say that earlier? Come, we can play in the room at the side."

Kassie was known in the elders' cycle as an easygoing elder. She rarely complained about anything and spent most of her time managing the Talismans Hall. But other than that, she was also a fantastic Sisca player. In the sect, almost no one could defeat her. If war really came to happen, there was no doubt that she would be in charge of strategies with Mia and a few more intelligent elders.

"No, it's not me who will play."

Kassie stopped walking and looked around. But other than Hulian, she couldn't see anyone else.

"Who is it, then?"

Hulian then took a deep breath and began to explain what happened in his home. As Kassie heard his story, she couldn't help but get excited.

"Oh! That's quite interesting. Those twins are really full of surprises. Not only did they learn Sisca extremely fast, but they could even defeat you on their very first try."

Hulian felt somewhat ashamed.

"Well, Rean hasn't played with me yet, so I haven't lost to him."

Kassie laughed as she shook her head.

"He could tell how you were going to lose three times in a row before you yourself could do it. Obviously, he could play at a much higher level than you. Anyway, where are they? I want to see what they can do against me."

Hulian nodded, already expecting this reaction.

"They are waiting in my room. Please follow me, Core Elder Kassie."

Hulian and Kassie then returned to Hulian's room. But as soon as they stepped into the room, they felt a chill on their backs. There was so much killing intent in the air that even they, who couldn't see it, could at least feel its presence.

"Not good! The twins!"

Hulian and Kassie immediately charged into the room when the twins were supposed to be waiting. However, the bloodbath they were waiting for wasn't happening. All the killing intent was focused on both sides of the board.

'Is there a need for this pressure? Why do I feel like they are about to kill each other?'

Well, Kassie and Hulian were not far from the truth. If the bet wasn't specific for a Sisca game, someone might have lost their head already.

Kassie then stepped forward and looked at the field on the Sisca Board. However, she couldn't tell at which level they were playing since she didn't know how they reached those positions.

Still, Rean and Roan continued to make their moves one after another. As the match proceeded, Kassie's expression changed. The two continued to build and destroy intricated traps one after the other. Sometimes, Roan got the advantage. On others, Rean pulled ahead. Nevertheless, they always had contingency plans for possible mistakes.

"This... just what kind of monsters did you find, Hulian?"

Hulian bitterly smiled while scratching his head.

"Well, I guess my Iron and Blood Faction was quite lucky, I guess?"

As equilibrated as their match might be, their own pieces were being lost one after another. Sooner or later, a winner and a loser would appear.

"Fuck!"

Rean looked as Roan finally broke through his defenses and surrounded his castle. From that point onward, it was a lost fight. Finally, the cattle fell, and Roan achieved victory.

"Let's do it out of three."

Roan snorted in response.

"In your dreams! Mother's desserts are mine. If you don't wanna die, you better stay far away from them."

Rean clicked his tongue.

In the end, Rean lacked a lot of experience. Roan had seen too many battles that he couldn't even count. The fact that Rean could hold his ground this long was already a miracle in itself.

Finally, Rean looked at the side and saw Kassie.

"Oh! It's Elder Kassie."

He still remembered her from the time Mia called all the elders to talk about the Communication System. It's just that Rean and Kassie had never really talked to each other.

Kassie smiled as she asked.

"Can you step aside? I wish to challenge Roan as well."

Rean sighed and nodded.

Kassie and Roan then initiated another Sisca Game. Kassie, Rean, and Roan then alternated between opponents all day long. As for Hulian, he could only watch by the side, trying to understand most of their moves and objectives. In the end, Roan finished all their matches with a perfect score. Neither Rean nor Kassie could beat him even once.

As for matches between Rean and Kassie, they were pretty much even. Out of 16 games, Kassie took 9 while Rean got 7.

Kassie then sighed as she told Hulian.

"Just go ahead and give him a few groups to command. If I could, I would have him take care of at least half of the sect's forces, but the others wouldn't accept it. Still, a few groups at the Foundation Establishment and Core Formation Realm shouldn't be much of a problem."

Hulian nodded, satisfied. Those words really meant a lot for someone who also worked with strategies like Kassie.

"Alright. Roan, I can't have you controlling many people since it would bring up issues with the others. I'll first give you ten teams with ten members each, a total of one hundred cultivators. When the war starts, you will be responsible for their movements and strategies. However, if you prove to be as good at commanding as you are at Sisca, the groups in your hands will eventually increase. Don't forget, my Iron and Blood Faction rewards those who put in the best effort and bring the best results."

Roan didn't mind. A hundred cultivators at once was already better than he expected.

Hulian then looked at Rean.

"Do you want a commanding position as well? Although you aren't as good as Roan, you were still able to put up a fight against Core Elder Kassie."

Rean shook his head in response.

"There is no need. I wasn't in the mood to become a commander to start with. I would rather stay with the ice block since it's safer."

Hulian nodded. Kassie then passed her token to him so that he could start the arrangements. Finally, Kassie decided to bid her farewell to the twins.

"Today was a lot of fun. If you feel bored, come to the Talismans' Hall. We can play as much Sisca as you want."

Rean and Roan didn't mind that and nodded. Finally, Kassie turned around and left.

As she disappeared in the distance, Rean noticed Hulian following her closely.

"Oh! Elder Hulian, could it be that you are interested in Elder Kassie?"

Hulian was taken aback when he heard that.

"Ahem... Don't spout nonsense. Kassie is a Core Elder, while I'm just an Inner Elder. What is there to be interested in?"

Rean shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, you'll never know if you don't try, right?"

It was then that Roan left the house. He already got what he wanted, so there was no need to stay there anymore. As for whatever romantic talk he might have with Hulian, he simply couldn't care less about it.

Rean then looked at Hulian before saying.

"Anyway, I'm cheering for you, Elder Hulian! If you need my help, let me know."

Rean then ran out as he caught up to Roan. As for Hulian, he simply shook his head as he closed the door.

Sometime later, Roan arrived at the Blue Orchid District. He said that he wanted to see Malaka, so no one thought anything about it. When they arrived at her room, Calina, or better, Illia, was there as well.

It was then that he sent Calina a Spiritual Sense message.

'Alright, I got a commanding position. However, you will be the one to give the orders. During the next few days, I will teach you everything I can about it.'

Roan then showed a faint cold smile before continuing.

'You said it before, an Emperor or Empress candidate has to be both strong and intelligent, so you better be prepared.'

Calina trembled a little when she saw that. Still, she gritted her teeth and nodded.

'Alright.'