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nI moved out of the auction hall with a small bag containing ten sprit stones.

nThis precise amount was what the Elder advised me to take out from my account, as carrying too much wealth on me at once would be simply stupid.

nStill, the deal with that Elder ended up far better than I expected.

nRather than forcing me to return all the money for the spirit stones for a premium cost, he allowed me to exchange gold for spirit stones at a fixed rate of four to one.

nEven though I initially worried that the current price of the stones was actually lower, a single question to the portier proved that it wasn't the case at all.

nWith those thoughts in my head, I finally reached the sect area.

nEntering through the one and main gate, I looked around.

nAfter the several days, I spent in this world, it no longer made me stop in place just to admire the looks. Sure, it was beautiful, but just like with everything, the more I saw it, the more used I was to the sight.

n'I wonder how I will look at it once I reach upper echelons of the sect,' I thought, taking a moment to contemplate the idea.

nFrom what the Elder said back in the auction hall, this place wasn't anywhere as peaceful as I hoped it would be. With internal strifes and personal conflicts running rampant, it was only a matter of time before someone would attempt to involve Mia and me in their schemes.

n'Thinking about it, I'm already in the middle of one conflict like that, am I not?' I thought, the face of that damned young master appearing before my eyes.

nEven if I only had myself to blame for going against that man's wishes, that didn't mean I enjoyed the situation at all. Thankfully, he only made a single attempt at crossing me so far, even if the people he used weren't even aware of how they were being used.

nMoving through the sect grounds, I quickly reached the training gardens. Given how this was one of the few places that I actually frequented, I was more than aware of all the possible paths that I could take to get there.

nYet, even after getting inside and reaching the gate of my own private garden, I couldn't just enter it!

nAccording to my deal with Mia, she would continue to train like usual... Only that whenever her short break would start, she would come to the gate to see if I was waiting there.

nThat was the only way that I managed to come up with to get back to the garden while not compromising its barrier at all. And even if there was a method to enter the place just like the Elder did with the barrier still up, I sadly didn't know how it worked or if I was capable of executing it in the first place.

nWith nothing better to do, I sat down by the small gate and lowered my head, waiting for Mia to come.

nBefore long, I heard footsteps. I pried my eyes open and turned my face towards the gate, expecting to see Mia emerging from beyond the hedge... But the grassy path was empty.

nSomeone bumped into my knee, only to fall down right on top of me.

nA surge of energy suddenly entered my body, stirring it up from inside. On its own, it was an extremely pleasant feeling, as if the concentrated efforts of several hours of training suddenly came to me on their own accord.

n

"You absorbed it,

" someone said, finally attracting my attention back to the real world from the changes happening to my insides.

"YOU STOLE MY STONE!

" the man shouted before I could even take stock of what happened.

nLooking up, I saw a man in the same kind of robes that I wore, looking at me as if I was some kind of criminal. His surprisingly handsome face was currently twisted in a fury, clearly indicating that something bad had happened.

n

"The ** do you want?

" I asked, raising one of my eyebrows.

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"You absorbed my spirit stone!

" the man howled, rolling out from me and standing up only to point his hand at my face.

"You damned thief! I will report you to the elders!

" he threatened.

nFor a moment, I looked at the man's face. But instead of going along with his ruse, I simply rolled my eyes before fixing my position and resuming my patient wait for Mia to show up.

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"Since I'm in a good mood, I will give you a choice. Either compensate me right here and now, or I will report you to the elders!

" the man finally revealed what his real intention was.

n

"Report me to the elders?

" I asked, raising my eyes. From how the situation was developing, I could already tell who was behind it and how it would conclude.

nOr rather, how its perpetrators hoped for it to play out.

n

"That's right!

" the man smiled, raising his chin high up and showing me an arrogant smile.

"Once I report you, you will get kicked out of the sect without a single doubt!

" he boasted before lowering his head, leaning over me and uttering,

"that is unless you can compensate me right here and now!

"

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"And how would you like me to compensate you?

" I asked, despite already knowing the answer.

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"You don't look like you have money or anything. I never heard about you coming from a big family,

" the disciple said before raising his hand to his chin and rubbing it.

"In that case, I will let you off with just your slave,

" he said, proving all my guesses right.

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"Do you believe a single stone is enough to buy someone's life?

" I asked, raising my other eyebrow.

"How many stones would you value your life for?

" I asked.

n

"Do you even....

"

n

"Two, that is,

" I cut right into the man's words, using the similarity between the sound of do and two. Then, I pulled out three stones from my sack and stood up.

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"Here, you can take one... WHOOPS!

" I said before intentionally putting one of my legs too far ahead and then tripping on the man's own legs.

nAccording to the Elder's words, one only needed to touch their naked skin with the stone in order for it to take effect. What's more, it was of vital importance for one to properly cultivate after absorbing a stone unless they wanted its energy to run rampant.

nThis was the only reason why I stalled for time for so long.

nAnd with one of my hands pushing aside the cloth of the man's robes, I pressed all three stones right against his chest.

n

"Wha...?!

" the disciple could only utter half of a word before his eyes turned cloudy. Using the momentum of my fall, I pinned the man to the ground.

nJudging from how quickly I managed to spread the energy of the stone around my system, I had roughly a minute before the man would regain his senses.

n

"Arthur?

" Mia suddenly appeared in the clearing, most likely on her routine check for my presence.

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"What great timing you have!

" I shouted in joy before throwing a right, culling punch right into the man's face.

"Would you care to join me?

" I asked as I buried my elbow right in the man's chest.

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"Huh?

" Mia shrugged, not sure how to react.

"Who is he?

"

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"Just another man that tried to force me to sell you off,

" I replied before standing up and pointing my hand at the man..

"He attempted to extort my ownership of you. Now that I paid him back with exactly as much value as he put for his life, feel free to torment him yourself!

"

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