I strolled through the streets of the sect without a care in the world.

Now that I reached the ascender's rank, hardly anyone could easily challenge me.

Sure, I have yet to learn the depth of my new power or adapt to how the fights would look from now on. But when it all boiled down to reality, I could bet this new stage of mine was just more of the same.

I wouldn't miraculously discover new means of manipulating mana. All my skills from before would still make up the majority of my firepower.

In other words, even though I was nowhere as powerful as I could be with just a little effort, I wasn't a pushover either.

'The only way for Sangakarts to really endanger me would be by employing that royal of theirs,' I thought while enjoying the peaceful atmosphere of the outerpost.

When compared to the lower headquarters or even the main compound of the Skyladder sect, this place appeared like a backwater camp rather than a fully-fledged city.

But I would lie if I were to tell I didn't enjoy the atmosphere of this town.

'That makes me think about this topic again,' I reflected when the familiar nostalgia appeared in my mind.

'Now that I'm reaching the absolute top of how strong one can become, why shouldn't I just get Mia and move back to the lands on the other side of the borderlands?'

It was this simple thought, this simple and straightforward idea.

Why would I bother participating in all the royal schemes on this side of the border if I could just live my days in peace on the barrier's other side?

'Still, I didn't even realize how hyped I am to see her again,' I thought, taking a quick glance at my trembling hands.

No matter what, I was about to see my love soon!

My body couldn't help but shake at the very idea of embracing Mia after so long.

I organized my search for the girl according to the content of her letters. As such, the first place I decided to look through was the training ground.

'Woah,' I couldn't stop myself from gawking at the sight when I stepped into the plaza bordering the training ground from the south. Thanks to the open view, I could get a full and proper look into the set of formations nearby even before I reached the area's foothold.

Yet, despite how insanely valuable this place was for every sect disciple, there wasn't a single soul in sight.

'What's going on?' I asked, taking a quick look around. But no matter how long I searched, I couldn't see a single person anywhere near the set of formations.

I then took a step forward and leaned over the training ground, inspecting the runes that made up the entire thing.

'What the hell is that?' I thought, my eyes opening up wide.

Then I recalled seeing Ackhart's face in the auction hall.

'That damned guy...' I thought with passion, clenching my fingers into fists. 'He really didn't hold back,' I thought, commenting his job with a long whistle.

Still, this place was a complete dog**. A profanity that should never sully the history of the craft.

For me, the author of the new system in which this formation was laid out, it was a total mess.

'I could break into it with ease,' I thought, spotting the administrative part of the formation at a glance.

It would only take a few runes for me to rewrite for the whole formation to yield to my control. But there was no reason for me to forcefully take over this place.

No reason at all.

I stood up and looked around once again. This time, I finally managed to see some faces.

They were civilians who just happened to live nearby.

Due to the outerpost low population, the borders of the outer sect weren't all that respected. However, with only so many people in place, there was no point separating normal people from cultivators of the lower levels.

It seems that my snooping around the training ground alerted the locals.

"Excuse me,

" I raised my hand, turning my eyes towards the nearest civilian.

"May I ask where everyone went?

" I shouted, making sure to make as few movements as possible.

Only trouble awaited if I sought to intimidate locals. Getting along with them was preferable.

"They all went to the welcoming ceremony,

" an old man replied while he leaned over the edge of his door.

"Why ask?

" the man asked, seemingly without a care.

I smiled gently.

This unprovoked curiosity was the greatest proof of how Mia managed to gather local sympathy.

"I'm just seeking to reunite with my girl,

" I replied merrily, revealing the true state of my mind.

Rather than coming up with an elaborate lie, I decided just to be honest. And even if someone was listening, they wouldn't be able to tell whether I spoke the truth or flat-out lied.

"Head to the east,

" the old man smiled gently and pointed his hand in the opposite end of the plaza.

"They went off quite a while ago, but you might still just catch up to them,

" he advised before sending me off with a wave.

"Thank you!

" I shouted back, lowering my head in genuine gratitude.

'That's right,' I thought, moving in the direction the man pointed me out. 'There was supposed to be some kind of tournament, wasn't there?'

The next part of my trip passed in relative silence, with no one bothering me as I pressed further into the town.

'I wonder if I could get away with cheering Mia on,' I thought, already picturing several ways in which the situation could develop.

Still, whatever would happen in the future, would happen in the future. And since I didn't talk with Mia yet, there was no point in making any plans.

After all, it was her wishes that would decide what would we do next.

Sensing the impending meeting, I hurried towards the plaza where the event took place... Only to realize that I was too late.

Sure, the place was still bustling with people. Some wore robes in completely different colors, while others didn't wear robes at all, indicating that the festive part of the tournament was just about to begin.

'I wonder where she went,' I thought, looking around the place in search of a familiar face. Yet, even after a few moments, I couldn't spot Mia anywhere! 'Geez, just how busy can she get!'

I wanted to complain with all my heart... But rather than wasting time on doing so, I turned around and continued my stroll through the city.

Sure, this place was big, but sooner or later, I was bound to just chance upon the girl.

Yet, moving through the streets with seemingly no purpose at all was pretty boring. And I wasn't the one to enjoy this kind of slack.

'I might as well check my system out,' I thought, rolling my eyes and calling forth my status windows.

'I wonder what does Ascender stands for,' I thought after taking a quick glance at my stats. I then swooped the place with my glance. 'What quirk is there to this stage?' I asked myself.

And then my entire body froze when my eyes locked on the target.

Mia sat at a nice table, right by the window of a restaurant that I just chanced to pass by. And on the opposite end of the table sat the one person I didn't expect to see there.

'What is he doing here?!'