”Young man, is that you?” he asked. He had only seen this face of Alex for a week back over 10 years ago, so he wasn’t quite sure he was looking at the same person.

Alex let go of Wen Cheng and bowed towards the first elder. “Greetings senior, it’s good to see you,” he said.

”It’s good to see you too. Where have you been all this time?” the first elder asked.

”I was over on the other side of the Southern forest,” Alex said. “In a place known as the Luminance Empire.”

”You were there? You weren’t captured by the beasts?” Wen Cheng asked.

”No, master. After I rescued Pearl, I managed to escape, but in doing so I ended up on the other side,” Alex said. “I only now managed to improve my relations with them and returned.”

”Its good that you returned,” Wen Cheng said. “But weren’t you missing an arm? What happened?”

Alex turned around and looked at his master once more. He couldn’t stand to watch how his master looked at the moment and brought out the healing pill.

”Here, master. Eat this,” he said.

”What’s this?” Wen Cheng asked as he took the pill.

”It will help you,” Alex said.

”Okay,” Wen Cheng said and ate the pill without any more questions.

”You should sit down for this,” Alex said and gently placed Wen Cheng on the seat. Then, in one swift motion, he undid the latches on Wen Cheng’s fake arm and pulled it off.

”What are you doing?” Wen Cheng was surprised, and even a little suspicious.

”It will start to itch really soon. Don’t scratch anything,” Alex said.

At the same time, Wen Cheng felt the itch around the place where his arms and finger were cut off.

As everyone else, including the many sects around them, watched, bones started growing from Wen Cheng’s right arm. Then muscles, ligaments, and skin followed right behind.

People watched in shock as Wen Cheng’s arm slowly came to life. His left arm which had 2 fingers, now had 5.

Wen Cheng was perhaps the most shocked when he saw this. He could feel them, his new arm, his new fingers. Tears started flowing once more as he finally felt whole again.

”How did you…?” the First elder asked.

”I spent the last many years trying to figure out this exact pill. It was only about a year ago that I really managed to find all the ingredients and made it. After my arm grew back, I knew I had to come and help master.”

”Now, a year later, I’m here,” Alex said.

Wen Cheng brought up his new arm and placed it on Alex’s shoulders. “My disciple, you’ve made me proud, and you’ve certainly made Ma Rong proud. She would be more than happy to see how you’ve turned out,” Wen Cheng said.

”Thank you, master,” Alex said.

The commotion had reached to the guards who came to take Alex back, but the First elder sent them away saying Alex was an elder of the sect.

”So, where’s Pearl?” Wen Cheng asked.

”Oh, he’s there with my mother,” Alex said.

”Wait, what? Your mother?” Wen Cheng asked in surprise. Despite learning that Alex was a player and someone from another continent, he was still under the initial assumption that Alex was an orphan.

So, when he heard that Alex was here with his mother, he was surprised.

”You have a mother?” Wen Cheng asked.

”I was surprised too, master. Turned out she had come here too. I found her in the empire while trying to join their military,” Alex said. “Look, she’s over there.”

Alex pointed across the coliseum towards Helen in her purple robe, who waved back at them.

”She’s with her master. I think you’ll have to wait until these matches are over before you meet,” Alex said.

”Yeah, my disciple should be up soon,” the first elder said.

”Are you the sect leader now, senior?” Alex asked.

”Yes,” the First Elder said. “I’ve been one for a few years now.”

”I see, congratulations,” Alex said. He looked around the area and was a little disappointed.

”Is the Hong Wu sect not here?” he asked.

”They didn’t have fighters that made it to the top 64, so they are taking a day off I believe,” Wen Cheng said. “They should be in their hotel rooms.”

”I see,” Alex said. He made a mental note to go visit them later.

”Did brother and sister not come?” Alex asked.

”Your brother is in charge of the security, so he cannot just leave. As for your sister, she…” Wen Cheng sighed.

”What happened? Is she okay?” Alex felt a little panicked.

”No, no, she’s fine. She’s just not in the sect anymore,” Wen Cheng said. “She reached the True realm about half a year after you left and became an elder.”

”But after 5 years, her family needed her more so she left the sect and went back to her family,” Wen Cheng said.

”I see,” Alex said.

”We can message her and let her know you’ve come,” Wen Cheng said.

”No, don’t. I want to surprise her,” Alex said.

”Sure, if that’s what you want,” Wen Cheng said. He then slowly drifted away from the conversation and continued checking his new arm.

Alex let him be and talked with the sect leader while assessing the junior next to him.

”These are some good disciples, aren’t they?” the sect leader asked.

”They’re not bad,” Alex said. Most of the disciples were in the Mind Tempering realm, which was quite surprising to Alex as that was not the case for the year when he had joined the sect.

”You must be surprised. After we became a First-grade sect, our batch of disciples continued to improve over the years. Now, we’re with these,” he said.

”I see,” Alex said. “The sect has improved a lot in my absence then. I’m happy.”

”Yeah, it has,” the sect leader said. Just then, the host announced the next set of fighters and Alex heard the words ‘Tiger Sect’ being called.

”Oh, it’s my disciple’s turn,” the sect leader said.

Alex switched his focus to the fight as well. He saw a short-haired individual in yellow robes walk out to the stage with a sword hanging on his hips.

His opponent was a blue-robed individual with cloud-shaped patches all over his robes. ‘Cloud Valley sect?’ Alex wondered and was immediately proven right as the woman brought out two different Mind Tempering 5th realm beasts.

”He’s a swordsman?” Alex asked.

”Just like his elder brother,” the sect leader said.

The match started and the two beasts attacked him. The young man brought out his sword and suddenly a white outline appeared on it.

”Oh, he has sword intent. Not bad,” Alex said as he watched the fight. The young man’s cultivation base was Mind Tempering 6th realm. Along with Sword Intent, he easily beat the fighter on the stage down below.

”You’ve got yourself a good disciple, senior,” Alex said.

”Yeah, I’m proud of him,” the sect leader said.