Death... and me

Seeing that the fight was over, Rean then used his Spiritual Sense to tell the demon beasts to release the Zasfins on the ground. The Zasfins didn't dare to make another move again and waited to see what Ophele had to say.

Ophele then took a deep breath before telling her, "All of you can leave. I want to talk with these two here."

"But Miss Ophele-"

"This is an order! Do you want me to tell mom about your insubordination?" Ophele didn't give them a chance at all.

As soon as they heard Ophele's words, the Zasfins immediately stepped outside the room, leaving Rean, Qia, and Ophele inside. Only then did Ophele talk. "Yes, I do like him. I wanted to hate him for what he made my clan pass through, especially after we helped him so much. But in the end, I couldn't. Deep inside, I still had some hope when I came to Freedom City."

Rean sighed in response, telling her, "I knew about it, but I couldn't answer your feelings. That's why I kept pretending I didn't know anything. You were also afraid of what the Zasfins would think if you came out clear, so we maintained that status quo. As you can see, I already have a wife, and she's someone I met way before I met you. Once again, I can't answer your feelings since I don't feel the same way towards you."

Ophele nodded, feeling quite sad. "It's fine. I guess it was all an illusion anyway. I don't regret having you as my first love, though. Other than the fact that you were a human, you were basically everything a formations maniac like me would want. I sure hope I can find someone like that again in the future." She finally got to say the things she had bottled inside for so long.

Qia nodded, satisfied with the outcome. "It's fine. He isn't the only Formation Master in existence, after all. You will find someone. After all, you never had a chance with him in the first place."

Ophele didn't quite like Qia, prompting her to say, "Hmph! You were just lucky to find him first. Don't act as if you're the superior choice here."

Soon after, Ophele remembered something. "Right! You still owe me for what you did to our Hafel Clan. If it wasn't for the fact we outperformed during the war and our ancestor revealed his existence, our Hafel Clan would be in a very bad position. How do you intend to apologize to me?"

Rean and Qia couldn't help but laugh out loud after that, with Rean saying, "Hahaha! Ignorance is bliss, or so they say."

"What do you mean by that?" Ophele asked as she narrowed her eyes.

Rean then shook his head in response, telling her, "It's nothing. If your mother feels like it, she can tell you in the future. So, how do you want me to apologize?"

Ophele felt like giving those two a beating. It was obvious that they were hiding something from her. "You're despicable." However, she had a very good idea right after, suggesting, "Oh, I know how you can apologize. How about you two teach me about those Circuitry Formations of yours?"

Rean pondered over it for a bit before agreeing. "Sure. However, I won't reveal anything further than what your grandfather got his hands on. The only advantage is that you will learn much faster those initial methodologies since it's me who's explaining them."

Qia couldn't help but ask Rean, "Isn't the Bestial Sacred Ground opening soon? Do you really have time to do that?"

Rean nodded, telling Qia, "It's fine. It shouldn't open for a few weeks more. Although the area should have stabilized, it's good to give it some extra time to prevent being caught off guard by some sudden changes. I already got someone to tell Phex's group about it as well."

"Is that so?" Qia had to admit it made sense. "In that case, I'll stay here and help you as well."

Ophele didn't like the idea, though. "I don't need you. Rean is enough."

Obviously, Qia wouldn't let that happen. "In your dreams. I wouldn't leave my husband alone with you. Besides, I'm very good at Circuitry Formations, so you have nothing to worry about while learning. Or could it be that you still haven't given up? If that's the case, this is one more reason for me to stay."

Ophele gritted her teeth but couldn't come up with a good excuse to get rid of the other girl. "Fine! But you two better teach me well the things you are allowed to. I want to become one of the head experts in Circuitry Formations when we receive the rest of the methodologies."

And just like that, the issue with Ophele had come to an end.

Back at Freedom Sect, Roan was still helping Zuo with his cultivation. One year had gone by, and nine months had passed since he took Zuo as his disciple.

*Clang, clang, clang, clang..."

The sound of metals hitting each other echoed in the arena as Roan fought his disciple head-on. At the moment, Roan held a common sword while Zuo did the same. However, those two weapons weren't the only ones in that battle. Five blades kept floating around, attacking Roan from all sides nonstop. Suddenly...

*Bang!*

Roan's leg hit Zuo's belly, sending him flying against the arena's wall. He had used an opening in Zuo's attack pattern, not giving him a chance to recall his floating blades. "Not bad. It has been just a few months since you started using your magnetism element to fight. Right now, you can control five blades at once even though you're still in the Energy Gathering Realm. I could also feel the pull of your magnetic field, trying to take my sword away every time we clashed. In a certain way, I don't think many disciples in the sect can fight you at the same level of cultivation. Your greatest rivals would probably be those who don't rely on weapons to start with, like Calina. She's a skill-type cultivator, after all."

Zuo got up from the ground as his body ached all over. However, he still felt excited from Roan's praise. "Thank you, master." Nevertheless, he wasn't satisfied. "Is there a way I can become stronger than skill-type cultivators?"

Roan nodded, telling him, "Yes. I guess it should be about time to teach you a secret before I leave for the Bestial Sacred Grounds."