Age of Adepts

Countless Adept’s Association members were watching the fight through their crystal screens.

Olivia might not be the most powerful among the Association elders, but she did live up to her name. No one would dispute if she was listed as one of the ten strongest adepts of the Adept’s Association. Yet, somehow, that legendary fire adept had managed to suppress Olivia in frontal combat and injure her to the point where she was coughing blood.

Didn’t this mean that he was superior to most Association elders when it came to combat prowess alone?

Heavy breathing could be heard in the Association hall, and the atmosphere was heavy and repressed.

“Horner, intervene!” Vice-Chairman Domhnall’s resentful voice rang out, “We absolutely cannot sit by and watch an adept from the Central lands beat down an Association adept. Stop their duel.”

Horner, who had already arrived at the Ais Mountains a long time ago, immediately stepped forward. His incomparably wild and domineering aura pressed towards the distant battlefield with the weight of a mountain. The two adepts engaged in battle reacted instantly.

Another Fourth Grade adept had arrived?

Greem had no intention of continuing his fight with Olivia while another Fourth Grade watched from the sidelines. He evaded a few attacks from Olivia with a several Fire Teleportations and flickered to the edge of the lake. He even summoned Shadow Demon back to his side, despite the machine still being engaged in a furious fight against the centaur spirit.

Meanwhile, Olivia was clearly too invested in the fight. The interruption of the fight by her ‘ally’ made her incredibly furious. She roared angrily at the bald adept approaching from the horizon.

“This is my fight...Horner, you won’t get off easy! How dare you interrupt our fight.”

Body-Refining Adept Horner let out a cold snort when he saw the berserk Adept of Torture covered in scorch marks.

“Olivia, this is the will of all the elders of the Association! What? Do you intend to oppose every one of us?”

Olivia let out a furious shout, resembling that of an injured and desperate animal. A trace of a vicious and hateful expression appeared on her soot-covered face.

“This is my fight...I haven’t lost, yet. I did not lose...what is wrong with you bastards? Why did you intervene in my fight? I still had the Scales of Gravity...I had the Attraction Array. I could have shredded that bastard into pieces. You...you people...stole my victory.”

Olivia was furious, but there was no way this battle could continue.

Even if she still had the means to fight, Horner’s arrival had made Greem incredibly wary. Even if Olivia were to guarantee Greem’s safety with her own life and reputation on the line, no one would ever continue fighting while another Fourth Grade adept watched intently.

Thus, this ‘stalemate’ of a battle came to a hasty end.

By the time the two fighters returned to shore, the lake behind them was already marred beyond recognition. It was now a land of death where no living being would dare to set foot. The once emerald-like, crystal clear surface of the lake now burned with flames. Rifts in space also drifted everywhere.

In fact, the boundaries between water and fire were no longer clear.

Many of the flames were still burning on the water, seemingly as if the water itself was their fuel. Meanwhile, the strips of light bleeding out from the spatial rifts drifted in the night wind, waving like pretty silk ribbons.

The battle between the two Fourth Grade adepts had severely affected the planar space near the lake. The laws here had become twisted and changed.

The aftershocks of their battle would affect this place for many years to come. The lake itself and the surrounding areas would be affected by turbulent, shifting laws. This terrifying effect could last for days and even months; no one knew when it would truly end. It all depended on the severity of the distortion of the laws inflicted on this place.

It was said that true Principle Adepts that had passed the threshold of Fourth Grade could cause the planar laws to resonate with every single movement of their body. Even a simple flip of their palm could completely rewrite the laws in a region.

They could raise a volcano in the ocean’s depths, built a castle in the sky thousands of kilometers in the air, and cultivated a garden of eternal spring in an icy land of death.

The principles were their toys and their weapons!

They could use their principle powers to change the planar laws in an area forever, influencing the place for eons to come. Such horrifying might was naturally beyond what a Fourth Grade adept could ever hope to do!

The fundamental reason that all planar worlds strived to expel individuals above Fourth Grade from themselves was that their existence severely affected the functioning of the planar laws. If these individuals were allowed to do as they liked within a plane, it was only a matter of time until the utter collapse of the plane’s system!

However, certain powerful beings among the Fourth Grades, especially those who had a profound grasp of the planar laws, were also subject to such hostility and rejection from the world consciousness. This sense of rejection would reach its peak when they advanced to Fifth Grade. It would even be so strong that they would have no choice but to leave the world that so actively rejected them.

In comparison, the Fourth Grade adepts who led good, comfortable lives in the World of Adepts were often the less talented individuals who had no chance of advancing to Fifth Grade. A real powerhouse would feel the ‘hostility’ of the plane world towards them the moment they advanced to Fourth Grade.

............

Even though there was no conclusion to the battle at the lake, everyone could see how Olivia had been forced on her back foot.

The Adept of Torture threw a tantrum and rampaged around the area for a while before furiously accepting the outcome.

The three adepts returned to the Blueberry Villa and sat down in a hidden room.

Even though Olivia’s eyes were still filled with anger and denial when she glanced at Greem, she behaved in a much calmer fashion.

At the very least, she was no longer as arrogant and pushy as before. Instead, she treated Greem with a hint more respect, as if he was an equal!

She was a combat adept who had gotten to where she was through sheer power. She had always looked down upon those who summoned creatures to fight for them while they hid in the shadows. In contrast, a straightforward fighter with tremendous power like Greem was more to her taste.

However, even though respect had been established through this fight, a grudge had also formed.

For Olivia, the reputation she had lost in this fight was what she held most dear. She was so annoyed at the intervention because Horner had stopped her before she could use any of her killing moves.

However, she had no idea that it was the same for Greem as well!

The focusing crystal, the Orb of the Fire God, the Watersoul Jade...none of these items could easily be revealed in battle and were hidden aces that Greem had prepared for his deadliest of enemies.

Naturally, he couldn’t use any of these against an Adept of Torture who he could only injure but not kill. Suppressing the enemy in battle was the best result that Greem could hope for.

After all, he was here at the Adept’s Association to solve a problem, not to turn the problem into a dead knot!

“This is...” Greem couldn’t help but ask when the bald adept sat down.

“I am Horner, one of the elders of the Association!” Bald-headed Horner appeared gleeful, seemingly excited to have witnessed Olivia make a fool of herself.

Meanwhile, the Adept of Torture sat on the side with an angry face. You could sense her fury when she glared at the two male adepts.

“With regards to my transaction with Lady Olivia...” Greem was still concerned about this matter.

“The battle has not concluded. Naturally, we cannot proceed with this exchange.” Olivia’s face was so dark you could probably squeeze ink from it. “Unless you beat me, I will never hand over the Lightfire stone!”

Greem’s thick eyebrows stood up straight as his expression turned vicious.

“Don’t be in a hurry...don’t get agitated!” Horner quickly interrupted and tried to ease the tension. “Lord Domhnall had already spoken before I came here. We wish to invite Lord Greem to the Association headquarters for a visit. There are many adepts there who can’t wait to meet you. I believe you won’t reject us, will you?”

Even though Horner spoke humbly, the tone of certainty and insistence in his words made Greem frown.

“I certainly won’t reject the invitation, since Lord Domhnall himself is the one that offered it. However, my main purpose here is to—”

“Haha! Lord Greem. We have plenty of talented individuals in the Adept’s Association, as well as a mountain of resources. Lightfire stones aren’t exactly unique resources either. Are you worried that you will return empty-handed on this trip?” Horner enthusiastically persuaded.

Since Horner was already offering to solve this problem of his, Greem had no reason to reject him any longer.

Moreover, since he was already at the eastern lands–the place known as the ‘Adept’s Paradise’–Greem would be happy to take a look around. Being able to tour the headquarters of the Adept’s Association could help him better understand the true extent of influence of this largest organization in the world!

Greem finally nodded in silence.

“I left my mount back at home due to the hurry I was in. You won’t mind if I borrow your skyship for the trip to headquarters, will you?” Horner was speaking to Olivia this time.

Olivia hesitated for a moment but finally nodded in approval.

She drew a circle with her hands, creating a ball of blue light on her palm. She then whispered a few words into the ball before dispelling it.

“Go, the skyship is prepared. It can leave now!”

A short moment later, a silver skyship took to the air from the Ais Mountains. It adjusted its direction slightly and quickly flew towards the southeast.

What could be waiting for him there at the Adept’s Association? Greem couldn’t help but become somewhat nervous and excited!