The Innkeeper

With his focus otherwise occupied, Lex did not give too much consideration to Cassandra's answer, and just took it as she explained. In the few weeks that followed, Lex was often in such a state of mind, which was not an easy feat.

Multitasking had become considerably easier for him with his elevated mental capacity, so for his training to occupy his entire capacity for focus was a testament to how difficult it really was.

But while it lasted, for all the pain it caused him, Lex felt extremely gratified. He always felt like he was at a disadvantage, despite his many cheats, for never having experienced a formal education and training in the cultivation world. But now, that itch and, to some extent, insecurity, was finally addressed.

But since Lex did not have anyone to compare with, he did not know how the quality of his education and training as compared to the norm. But since he had gained from it substantially, he was satisfied.

About four days before his month was supposed to be officially over, Cassandra suddenly woke him in the dead of night. Sleeping cozily in his pod, now with a relatively normal pillow and blanket instead of water or sand, he was filled with reluctance to wake up. But, ultimately, he did not linger.

Yet when he got out, he was surprised to see the solemn expression on the usually neutral face of his teacher. Considering only a few days were left for his training, he assumed that they were about to embark for an unusually difficult lesson, but that seemed not to be the case.

"There's a situation. You need to go and kill the deity as quickly as possible, we can no longer wait."

"What happened?"

"The deity has somehow tapped into the energy network of the temple. If we give him too much time, not only will he become too powerful for you to face, but he could compromise the operation of the temple itself. There are many in the temple who are currently in dormancy. Should they awaken due to an issue in the temple, well... The deity will no longer be a problem, as he will surely be killed immediately. But the subsequent problems will be extremely grave.

"This goes for you as well. Whether you like it or not, you are now associated with the temple's karma. That means the enemies of the temple are your enemies, and that if they sense the temple and search for it, you too will be locked on. If that happens, with your level, unless someone of sufficient status is willing to hide you, there is nowhere in the universe you can escape."

Lex was not treating this matter lightly to begin with, but being targeted by someone even this supposedly extremely amazing temple was hiding from was not something he could afford. Most of the time he could bluff and get away with stating that the Innkeeper was at a Dao Lord level, but if someone challenged that someday, he would be done for. That was why he could not afford to have any on such a level!

"Let's go. I was beginning to miss Ra anyway. I suppose it's time for a reunion."

"After your next test, you will be able to enter the region with the curse. Due to your elevated nature as a result of your bond with Lotus, you won't suffer the passive curse the living curse is exuding. Originally, I was going to teach you how to seal the curse, but now I suggest you just avoid it and move on. We can deal with it once the deity is handled."

As they walked, their actual speed much faster than it appeared, Fenrir appeared next to them. Lex had summoned the loyal pup long ago, and Mateo had taken it away immediately to help it train. Lex hadn't seen him since, but the pup looked completely relaxed, and not at all like he had undergone strenuous training the way Lex had.

They were supposed to train together as well, but never got around to it. Perhaps Cassandra had saved it for the end.

When they finally reached the gate for the next test, Lex found it wide open and waiting for him. As he was about to proceed, he discovered that Fenrir had sat down beside Cassandra.

"Aren't you coming?" he asked, looking at the pup.

"As your bonded beast, Fenrir does not need to take the test. When you gain sufficient authority to move forward, it will automatically accompany you. It also can't help you during the test, as you have to rely on yourself to proceed."

Lex's lip twitched, but he said nothing about the blatant favoritism going on. Without wasting any time, he walked into the test. Cassandra had told him that she used her own authority to change his tests to one on one combat. They were comparatively more difficult than what he normally would have faced, but it was straightforward. Besides, with Lex's strength, neither of them were worried about him having a tough time in a fight.

He entered, and was transported to a familiar arena, and an all too familiar suit of armor. As much as Lex would enjoy getting his revenge for all the times he bled to a suit of armor, this wasn't the time.

The test generated by the temple would be according to Lex's cultivation level, which meant that even with the greater difficulty level, it was much weaker than the ones he had been training with the past few weeks.

As soon as the temple asked him if he was ready, and he answered yes, the armor attacked. Its speed was exceptional, its strength phenomenal, and its technique amazing. A few weeks ago Lex would have had to go through a few exchanges to win.

Now, he just Blinked behind it as soon as it swung, and with a speed far surpassing the suit of armor, cleaved it in half with his eight feet long massive sword. For him, the test was easy, but he was still annoyed that Fenrir didn't have to go through it.

Grumbling to himself, he moved on.