Path to Transcendence

Chapter 745: Dawnfield

Soren POV

Soren glared at the guy across from him. For some reason, he got more irritated the more he looked at him. Part of this anger came from having his attack disrupted so easily. Soren was an inner disciple of the illustrious Nine Peaks Sect. The current number one in the Ten Great Sects Ranking.

So having this nobody show him up in front of Ayla made him feel embarrassed. Ayla was one of the top beauties from the Frost Moon Palace, and Soren wanted to show off to her. Yet, this guy seemed deadset on humiliating him. Not only that, but simply looking at his calm and self-important face made Soren want to beat him up until he couldn’t crawl away.

He was going to teach the guy a lesson that the Nine Peaks Sect and Clan Dawnfield weren’t someone you could offend without consequence. Plus, it would help him vent out some of his frustrations he'd been dealing with for the past few months. For some reason, his progression had stalled. He'd only gained a single skill level during this time period, and if he failed to get stronger, he might even get shoved down the inner sect rankings. He couldn't afford that. His family would be very upset if that happened.

Soren was a genius of Clan Dawnfield. Despite being from one of the branch families, he had inherited their bloodline and been adopted into the main branch. Then he joined the Nine Peaks Sect, where he was quickly promoted to inner disciple after performing well in the outer disciple competition.

He wasn’t the biggest genius at the Nine Peaks Sect; he was self-aware enough to realize this. There were monsters who made him look absolutely average. But he was definitely above average in terms of strength and talent. So it was even more frustrating to see his skills stalling. It wasn't even like he'd used expensive elixirs or skill improvement potions like some of the other disciples did.

That being said, he wasn’t going to allow some random idiot who was from an inferior sect to make him look stupid. He admitted that the guy must have some level of skill if he managed to disrupt his mana, but that was it. It was only because Soren hadn’t been properly prepared that his mana had been disrupted so easily.

That was the only reason.

As he continued to glare at the black-haired teen, he finally noticed the girl at the guy’s side. Somehow Soren hadn’t detected her presence. Of course he knew that she was there, but for some reason his mind didn’t register her as a person.

It was weird, especially when he realized how attractive the girl was. There was no way he wouldn’t have noticed her. Her dark blonde hair draped gracefully over her shoulders and her lithe form. However, it was her eyes that drew Soren in.

Her eyes were like the most dazzling amethysts he’d ever seen.

Yet, he felt another surge of annoyance when he saw the black-haired teen talking to this beauty so casually. A plain-looking person like him shouldn’t be with someone like that. She was so far out of his league that it made Soren annoyed just seeing them interact.

His glare intensified, and when the guard captain signaled the start of the duel, he let his mana flood through his channels. [Stellar Body Art] activated, and he felt strength surge through his muscles and bones. [Stellar Body Art] was one of the clan legacy skills and would be a foundational power for him at Tier 4. It was a high-tiered epic skill, one that utilized his stellar mana affinity to the limit.

He then activated [Ghost Step] and dashed toward his opponent, who was still standing there looking at him dumbly. His opponent didn’t even seem to realize that Soren had moved; there was no reaction or surge of mana.

This is going to be easier than I thought, he thought with a dismissive scoff. He didn’t want to end it too soon, though, so he held back some of his power. It wouldn’t be fun if he knocked the guy out with one punch; he wanted to have a little fun with this.

He got within a couple of feet and threw a punch directly into his opponent’s stomach. He grinned when he felt his fist make contact. However, that grin quickly turned into one of alarm when it felt like he’d just slammed his hand into a full set of plated armor.

The reverberations and recoil of his punch sent stinging pains up his arm. Even more concerning was the expression on the guy’s face. He stared at Soren with what seemed like thinly veiled disappointment. A brief flash of red light zipped through the black-haired teen's eyes, and Soren immediately retreated as fast as he could.

He stood there, a frown growing on his face as his breathing came in short breaths. He didn’t know why, but for some reason he had felt an unimaginable amount of danger when he stared into those eyes. However, his mind was completely focused on figuring out how this person managed to take a direct hit from Soren without so much as a flinch or a care in the world.

Soren might have been holding back, but not that much. That punch would have folded most Tier 4s. Yet, he didn’t sense any mana or energy emanating from this individual. From what Soren could tell, he had absorbed the blow with nothing but the natural strength of his body.

Realizing that he might have slightly underestimated the guy, Soren activated some of his other skills and pulled on his Authority. He then went back in, gaining momentum and twisting his stellar mana through his flesh, reinforcing his punch even more. However, yet again, the black-haired teen didn’t even bother to send mana into his body. That being said, he at least moved.

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It was like he was moving in slow motion, though. There was no rush to his movement; it was like he had all the time in the world to move. Yet, it was still fast enough. He managed to position himself so that Soren’s fist grazed his shoulder, and while Soren was slightly out of place, he held up his fist.

Soren, realizing the precarious position, blasted mana from his feet and used [Ghost Step] to avoid the counterattack. However, the attack never came. His opponent hadn’t capitalized and let Soren get away without throwing a punch.

What is going on?

A faint feeling of dread started to trickle into his stomach. But he quickly crushed those thoughts. He didn’t need to start doubting himself. Doubt was the greatest enemy a cultivator could have. Rather, he sent himself back in; this time, he took hold of his stellar mana and wrapped it around his arm.

A bright flash of rainbow colored mana twisted around his arms ferociously, spiraling around his skin until it finally settled on his skin. The white and gold light radiated danger. [Stellar Sword Scripture] was normally used on a sword, but with his talent he’d been able to adapt it so he could use it on any weapon, which included his own arms. His Concept of Sharpness wove into the skill as well, further enhancing its power.

It was his go-to combat technique, and while he was without a sword, it was still very formidable.

He finally saw a reaction on his opponent’s face. However, Soren became even more irritated when he saw that the look bordered more on curiosity rather than fear. It was like he wasn’t even registering the danger of the skill.

Soren would show him, though. He activated his Space Concept and let it flood into [Ghost Step]. His Space Concept was relatively new and not quite stable enough to use comfortably at the moment, but it made his movement skill so much more potent when infused with it.

He vanished from place and appeared right behind his opponent, his arm clad in stellar mana slamming down into the back of his head. However, it was like the black-haired guy had eyes on the back of his head. There was no way he could have sensed it, but he still managed to turn around in time and lift his arm up to block the punch.

Soren threw his entire weight and Authority into the blow. His stellar mana exploded and tried to rip apart his opponent’s flesh, but instead of blasting the guy across the ring, it felt like he’d just punched an immovable mountain. Not only that, but it was like his own technique was reflected back at him. A small burst of stellar mana tried to crash into his frame.

He felt the same doubt returning, and with it, his confidence began to waver.

There had to be some kind of trick to what the guy was doing. There was no way someone at Tier 4 could withstand that blow without flinching, not to mention not even moving an inch. He had to have some kind of powerful bloodline or was born with a special constitution. There was no other explanation.

“So that’s why you were acting so smug earlier,” Soren said with a scoff.

The guy paused and tilted his head. “What?”

“Well, you might have a special physique, but that won’t save you.”

Soren began to gather his mana. He might primarily use a sword, but it didn’t mean he didn’t have several skills that helped him fight at range. He compressed his stellar mana into a tight spiral, forming a very condensed bolt of mana. Unlike the one from before, this one was crammed with his Authority. However, before he sent it flying out, he waved his arm and a large blast of stellar mana rushed toward his target.

Only once the blast was about to land did he send the bolt blistering through the air. However, to his shock, he felt his bolt of mana suddenly come across a powerful force. Like before, his opponent was interfering with his mana, and despite throwing his will to reinforce the bolt, there was nothing he could do as the compressed bolt petered out and smacked into his opponent’s chest with a soft little pop.

Soren's buried his embarrassment with anger, and before he realized it, he had pulled out his sword from his storage ring. He rushed in, letting [Stellar Sword Scripture] wrap around the blade. The sword was a soul-bound treasure he earned from a rift, and it was a very powerful sword. It accommodated his stellar mana while being unforgivingly sharp.

He stepped close and slashed his sword at the guy’s chest. However, he felt his blade go wide, and before he could pull back for a thrust, he felt an unimaginable weight crash onto him and his hands. He thrashed around with his willpower, barely able to move, but then a hand came out of nowhere and grabbed his wrist.

He desperately tried to pull away, but it was impossible. There was so much strength and power behind those soft-looking hands that he couldn’t move an inch. There was no explanation as to why a thin frame had this much power.

Soren sent a concentrated blast of aura and stellar mana straight at the guy's face, but that didn’t work either. He ignored it like one would ignore a gnat.

Then, as if it was in slow motion, he watched as a fist appeared out of nowhere, heading straight for his face. He threw up every defensive measure he had, and despite that, they all shattered under the force that struck him. His skull rang loudly, and he saw only stars. He was still stuck, though, and he tried to get away, but every technique and skill he tried to use was ripped from his grasp. He could do nothing but stay there and flail at his captor.

Then he got hit again; this time, he felt his ribcage crack.

How was it so heavy?

He puked out a mouthful of blood and dangled uselessly as his opponent held him up by the wrist. He wasn’t about to give up, though, and he tried to attack again. He pushed through and pulled on his mana once more.

However, Soren’s eyes widened as he was lifted into the air, and before he knew it, he was flying through the air with breakneck speed. He tried to reactivate his defensive skills and barely managed to get them in place. Fortunately, he did too, because he slammed into a nearby stone wall with so much force that the wall shattered alongside Soren’s body. He felt something in his back disintegrate, and his organs weren't much better.

He couldn’t even manage to speak as there was still a heavy weight sitting right on his chest. He tried to rasp out his surrender, but nothing came out. Instead, he let out a hoarse groan as an oppressive aura suddenly slammed into him without mercy.

He didn’t even get to cry out before he felt his mind crumple and he fell unconscious.