Death... and me

The guy swallowed a bit of his saliva before responding.

"I only know a little about them. After all, peasants would just die if they get involved with them. Will you really let me live if I tell you?"

Roan pondered for a bit and said.

"Let's do it like this. There must be more than one place like that. Bring me to the most important one that you know. I'll think about your fate once we arrive there."

The guy quickly nodded as Roan took his sword away from his throat. The shadow bind also disappeared after that. Of course, the guy was injured, so he couldn't walk like that. Roan then touched his shoulder, and soon enough, Light Element began to flow into the guy's body as his hair changed color.

'Life Style, Second Form, Instant Recover!'

With their Soul Connection having a limit of 3000 kilometers, Rean and Roan had it quite easy when exchanging elements.

The guy looked with wide eyes as his injuries swiftly closed up. Of course, it would have been even faster if the one doing it was Rean instead. Eventually, his injuries completely disappeared as if there had never been any in the first place.

"Take it."

After healing him, Roan then threw a set of clothes to the guy. After all, the clothes the guy was wearing was ragged with quite a lot of blood marks. The guy didn't even know where Roan took the clothes, but he immediately changed anyway.

"Your time is ticking, so you better be fast. Of course, if you want to try to escape after we reach a place with a lot of movement, you might as well do it now. I won't pursue you. I refuse to believe anyone will be able to cure the poison on your body anyway."

Roan turned around and began to walk out of the alley. He really didn't even bother putting the guy in his eyes.

Dudle was conflicted for a moment. He was at the Core Formation Realm, so he did know how to get some Poison Cleansing Pills. However, the problem here is if it would really work or not. If it didn't, he would basically be buying his own death. Seeing how confident Roan walked away without binding him at all made Dudle even more conflicted.

In the end, he gritted his teeth and quickly followed Roan. As for trying to attack Roan, he wasn't idiotic enough to do so after seeing their difference in strength.

"I'm not sure where the most important black market in the city is. Some rumors say that it's located right inside the Core Region. Of course, I know a pretty good one right here in the Inner Region. That's the best I can do for you."

Roan nodded, not minding too much. Considering the power of Sasamil City cultivators, a simple Core Formation Realm thug wouldn't have knowledge of everything. Still, that was more than enough for Roan. He could start his investigation from there.

"Lead the way."

Dudle then sped up, afraid that he wouldn't arrive in time and die in the middle of the street.

Meanwhile, Rean and Droman had just entered the Core City after passing through the gate. Droman had the permission to see the Formations Guild Main Branch Repository, so they didn't have any problem doing it.

The Core Region was really different from the Inner or Outer City. There were almost no shops around. It was all made of gigantic residences that were even higher than the Core Region Wall. As he walked, he noticed the names on those residences.

"Lavil Clan. This is one of the Nine Protector Clans of the Imperial Family, isn't it?"

Droman nodded.

"Yes. This side of the Core City is where the Lavil Clan residences are located. The Core City has a total of nine gates connecting to it. Naturally, each one of them has a clan right beside it. Still, all of them lead to the center, where the Imperial Palace is located."

Rean couldn't help but ask.

"Then, where are the guilds located?"

"In the middle of the path. There are a few open areas where you can find their buildings. The gate we used to enter the Core City just so happens to be the closest one to the Formations Master Guild."

The Core City was only around 30 kilometers in diameter. With Rean and Roan's cultivation, it didn't take too long for them to trek half of this distance. After some time, Rean saw an enormous tower in the distance with a giant Spiritual Light description on the top.

-Formations Master Guild-

Obviously, that sign was made with the help of Formations. It didn't matter from which side you looked at it. The words always seemed to be turning in your direction.

'That reminds me of Calina's pendant.'

The two quickly arrived at the entrance where a few cultivators were guarding. Rean couldn't help but be a bit surprised, though. Even with his Core Formation Realm cultivation, he couldn't see these guards' cultivation at all.

Droman understood what Rean was thinking and laughed.

'Hahaha! Don't be too surprised. All the guilds here have to show this much power. These guards are all in the Core and Soul Fusion Realm with their leader in the Nascent Soul Realm. It works more like a display of strength.

The guards at the front noticed Rean and Droman approaching.

"Halt! State the reason for your visit."

As Droman mentioned before, not just anyone could enter the Formations Master Guild's Main Branch. Droman quickly took out the permission and showed it to the guard. After a moment, the guard nodded as his stance changed.

"Oh! So it's Senior Droman, the creator of the Communication System. We have been waiting for your arrival. Sorry for the way we treated you. With the annual Guild Test approaching, we are getting even more guests than usual."

Droman smiled and shook his head.

"There's no problem. I'm also here for the same reason anyway. I want my disciple here to take part in the exam, so I'll use my free month in the repository to teach him as well as I can."

The guard smiled, not minding it too much. The permission already stated that Droman could bring someone with him. The white-haired boy was obviously the one in the picture.

"Please go ahead, Senior Droman."

The guards opened the way as Droman and Rean entered the tower.

"The Guild seems to be very polite towards you, no?"

Droman let out a chuckle before sending Rean a Spiritual Sense Message.

'Of course. Did you forget that the Formations Guild tried to give me a free pass to become one of their members after discovering the Communication System? You already know the reason why I refused. However, that doesn't mean they gave up already. Naturally, they will treat me as well as they can. I wonder what they would think if they found out that you were the one who created it. Hahaha!'

Rean smiled but shook his head.

'Let's hope they don't find out. It would be too much of a hassle. If anyone asks, I learned everything about the communication system from you.'

Droman agreed with Rean.

'That's good then. Anyway, let's go to the counter to request an entrance into the repository.'

They quickly arrived where the guild's attendants were located. Inside there, they saw many other Formation Masters. Surprisingly, there were many young cultivators there as well, just like Rean.

'Are those ones...'

Droman nodded.

'They're probably the disciples of some of the Guild's Formations Masters. Can you see the badge on the robes of the old ones? Those are the official member badges. Every year is the same thing. These official members bring their own young ones to try and get one of the new generation slots. As you can imagine, they have a huge advantage over those who can only come during the exam day.'

Rean didn't find it strange. If you had the resources, you should use them. Fairness? That has never been a word often used in the cultivation world. Besides, he was exactly doing the same thing. Using Droman as a connection to get a better chance at studying Formations in the Main Branch.

Just as Droman and Rean were about to reach the counter, one of those Guild Members came forward.

"Oh! So it's Formation Master Droman. Welcome, welcome! So, have you thought about our offer? You can join our Main Branch straight away if you want. With the Communication System Formation you came up with, you have more than the necessary qualifications. There is no need for a test."

The other Formation Masters heard that and immediately looked in Droman and Rean's direction.

Droman could only scratch the back of his head with all that attention. He didn't think he deserved that at all.

"Ahem... I'm still thinking about it. I was just lucky to think about that new type of Formation. I have taken the Main Branch's Test in the past but didn't get even close to passing it."

Another Formations Master shook his head.

"That's not an issue. Your contributions are what really matters here. Many other Formation Masters Joined our Main branch without the test. They were like you, people who made important discoveries. You should really consider our offer. Besides, we got the blueprints of your... errr... version 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and 1.4 Router Formations. They're incredibly amazing!"

Droman still shook his head, though.

"I'll think about it. For now, I only want to use the free month the guild gave me to teach my disciple in the repository. His talent is many times higher than mine, so perhaps he can join the guild through the tests."

The attention of the Formation Masters immediately shifted to Rean after that, which made his mouth twitch.

'This old geezer couldn't hold the pressure and sacrificed me in the end.'