Path to Transcendence-Chapter 619: Second -

Julius might have bitten off more than he could chew. He had gone into this thinking he would be able to handle whatever the second chapter offered him. His new body, improved healing, and mind were huge upgrades. Yet, they still didn’t seem to be enough when confronted with Tezuko’s next technique.

“Death is life and life is death. They are two sides of the same coin and need to be understood equally if you ever want to understand either one to a high level. My mistake was that I delved too far down the path of death. However, you have some special conditions that will help you avoid this,” the man said to him as he walked around him, kicking him in a spot where some of his mana was stuck.

Julius was sitting on the barren dirt, cycling what felt like black tar into his mana channels. It was a special technique that used his life mana to separate death mana in the air for him to consume. He didn’t have an affinity nor did he have the connection to death mana, but as the man told him, they were two sides of the same coin. He was shocked at how easily he was able to breathe in pure death mana.

And this barren space had plenty to spare.

“First of all, you have a very powerful Phoenix Concept. There are very few things that represent life and death better than a true phoenix. Secondly, you have a destructive aura ability that you can easily shift and use as a replacement for the death aspect parts of the technique.

“So why do I have to do this then?” He asked with a grunt. It wasn’t as easy as Tezuko made it sound. Just because he was able to channel some death mana didn’t mean it was easy to handle. Far from it.

It felt like he was wrangling a twenty-foot python that wanted to eat him.

“Because I want you to get a feeling of what it feels like in this space. Normally, channeling death mana like this into your body is dangerous. It is what ultimately hurt my foundation. But here, you don’t have to worry about that. You will be able to remember the sensation and replicate it as best as you can with your own counterbalancing force. In your case, it will be your ruinous aura.”

“It’s fine that I’m not using a source of mana instead?” He asked.

“It should be fine. It will take some experimentation, but that is the price you will have to pay.”

He shrugged. He was good with that, especially if the alternative was turning into what the man eventually became.

He was about to ask another question, but let out a pained wince. Some of the death mana ran rampant and spiraled out of his control. He tried to hold on, but it was a lost cause. He cursed when his entire arm exploded, and death mana started to leak everywhere.

He knew it wasn’t technically real, but the pain and sensations felt very real. But he was more annoyed that he was forced to stop everything, heal himself, and start the process all over again.

***

It was only when Tezuko felt he had a good enough grasp of the initial stages of the technique that he sent him back to the manual. Thankfully, he would be able to enter the space whenever he wanted if he needed to refresh his memory later on.

When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see that he wasn’t alone anymore. Sitting beside him, reading a book was Cassandra. Her dazzling red hair shimmered beautifully in the rising sun.

“You shouldn’t space out somewhere so public,” she said to him, not bothering to look up at him. Her gaze was firmly placed on the pages of her book.

“I wasn’t planning to take so much time. How long was I out?”

“I’m not sure. At least five minutes. I only just arrived. What were you doing?”

“I got a manual during the tournament and was taking a look at it,” he explained.

“A personalized manual?” She asked.

He nodded. “Yeah.”

“What kind of manual was it, if you don’t mind me asking?”

He shrugged. He didn’t particularly care whether she knew or not. She probably already had an idea that it was life-based. Plus, he thought it was kind of her to come and check up on him. She was probably only here out of concern and to make sure he wasn’t disturbed.

“It’s a manual from a guy named Tezuko Willow. You might know him, he’s from Corvus,” he said.

He frowned when she actually closed her book and looked up at him with a weird expression on her face.

“Tezuko Willow, as in the Undying Revenant?”

He nodded calmly. “Yeah.”

She clearly wanted to say something, but held herself back. Instead, she bobbed her head slightly and chuckled. “Just be careful. If you did any research into the man, then you know how he ended up.”

“Yeah, he told me some stuff about not repeating his mistakes. I’ll make sure I am careful,” he said with a playful grin.

Out of the blue, she reached over and rubbed the top of his head with a gentle smile on her face. “You are a good boy, Julius. Don’t lose that part of yourself.”

He didn’t know how to respond to that and just nodded.

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“Come on, the others are just getting up. We should get going before it gets busy. I have to stop at a few places on our way back to the sect. It shouldn’t take long, but we should be back by tonight if everything goes smoothly,” she said while standing up.

He got up and brushed off some of the leaves that fell into his lap before following her. While they were walking, he took out some pastries from his storage ring and handed her one.

She glanced over at him and took the offered treat with a smirk. He smiled back, and the two of them enjoyed their pastries in silence.

***

Cassandra POV

It had taken them a little longer than she expected, but they finally arrived back at the sect. If it had just been her, she could have made the entire trip from the Empire’s capital in a mere day or two. But alas, she was glad she had taken the opportunity to take Shin and Maya on that forest expedition. Although it only lasted a couple of weeks, she has already seen massive leaps of growth in both of them.

They were no longer as fragile or soft around the edges. There was a hardness to them that hadn’t been there before. Maya, especially. The young girl was slowly demonstrating the grit and resolve that had caught the sect's attention all those years ago. Her willpower training was doing her wonders as well.

On another note, she would have to remember to set up several lessons for the sect’s disciples so that Julius could help them as well. She doubted he would protest. She saw how much he enjoyed it and how much he learned while he helped Maya.

She looked over at the boy in question. His disguise had slightly changed his appearance, but not drastically. He still looked vaguely similar, but just different enough that nobody would immediately associate him with Julius Snow.

At the moment, he was casually observing Burning Sun Sect. Technically, they weren’t inside the sect quite yet. They were walking through the Burning Sun City.

The city wasn’t originally meant to be this big. It had started as a small town centuries ago, but gradually, as more and more people settled down nearby, it expanded.

It was now a massive city that only fell behind places like the Empire’s capital and the cities owned by the Top Three Sects. But in her opinion, it was one of the most beautiful cities on the continent. But perhaps she was biased.

She smiled. Even to this day, she enjoyed taking in the view whenever she came back from a trip. The large mountain looming over the city, with the sun barely setting over its peak, was mesmerizing. They were actually very fortunate, and the sunset was brilliant today.

The warm red and orange hues shimmered across the sky, as if it were on fire. A cozy blanket that covered all the buildings like a warm hug. She spotted several groups of people stopping on the side of the street to enjoy the view like they were.

She glanced over and was happy to see that Julius was impressed as well. She could feel his senses reaching out and brushing up against everything in the vicinity. It was always quite fascinating to see how his senses worked.

They were some of the most unique and extensive senses she’d come across in someone so young. He didn't fully realize it himself, but not everyone could sense aura and mana as clearly as he could. It was likely influenced by his powerful perception skill, but still, the time and effort it must have taken him was noteworthy.

She enjoyed seeing his eyes widen when his mana senses finally saw the tall mountain up ahead. It was bright red, as if it were on fire. That was how much fire mana was radiating from its base.

“Is that the sect up there?” He asked breathlessly.

She nodded. “Yes. It was built on top of an active volcano, the natural fire mana from it is more than enough to fuel the sect’s enchantments and barriers. Beautiful, don’t you think?”

“Gorgeous,” he said with a smile.

She nodded proudly, and they made their way through the city and up a staircase that led to the sect. A pair of guards wearing the sect’s robes stood in front of them. The dark crimson robes bore a singular crest, symbolizing they were outer disciples.

Despite being outer disciples, they recognized her right away. She hid a smile when she saw them trip over their own feet to greet her.

“Welcome back, vice-leader!” They shouted together, bowing deep at the waist.

She waved them to stand straight. “No need for that. Has anything happened while I was away?”

A look of confusion appeared on their faces. “I’m not sure, ma’am. We are not privy to any important information, but we have heard nothing of note. Elder Malric would know better if you wish for us to get him for you,” the one on the left said quickly.

She hummed to herself softly.

Elder Malric oversaw the sect's outer court. He was an old man, in fact, he was already old when Casandra was a young girl, but he was well respected by everyone. He made sure the outer court ran smoothly and fairly. It was thanks to him that many outer disciples had the chance to join the inner court and sometimes even become core disciples.

She shook her head. “No need. I will go find him later. Thank you, though. I won’t distract you two from your duties any longer.”

They bowed profusely and showered her with praise. She hid a smile; it was nice to see that the sect was still recruiting some decent people. It was hard to do with so many joining every year, but it was thanks to people like Elder Malric that it was possible.

Some of the other Elders forgot or disregarded the importance of the outer court. They liked to tell themselves that the inner court held all of the power, but didn’t realize how much the outer court supported the entire sect.

Whether it was fostering new talent or painstakingly organizing the sect's logistics, it all happened in the outer court. Without it, the Burning Sun Sect would crumble. Thus, she made sure to pay close attention to the workings of the outer court, as much as her duties allowed her to at least.

She made sure that all of the others were still following along. The stairway was quite large, and it was a running joke among the young disciples that the stairs were one of the first trials of joining the sect.

When they finally climbed up the final step, they were greeted by the full beauty of the outer court. Massive structures that were carefully built stretched all over the mountainside. Flashes of gold and red were added as decoration.

There was plenty of greenery as well; trees and small ponds were littered throughout the court. Just because they primarily focused on fire mana didn’t mean they surrounded themselves with flames all day.

Their group drew some eyes, though. Some of the younger disciples probably didn’t recognize her or the others, but several of the older ones did, and they bowed deeply the moment they spotted them.

Not knowing what to do, the younger ones followed suit and were explained to by their peers who she was. Even Shin and Maya were recognized. After all, they were both core disciples despite their young age and were widely known as the sect’s top talents.

However, not all of their attention was on her. Nor was it on Shin, Maya, or Caldrus. Everyone had changed into their sect uniforms before they arrived at the gate. The only person without a uniform was Julius.

He was wearing a simple outfit and stood out in contrast. Many of the outer disciples were whispering to each other, clearly wondering who this young boy who arrived beside her was.

She didn’t bother to clarify either. She would let them spread their own rumors and have their fun.