BXBX NOVEL Chapter 62: Warning
William blinked and rubbed the crust off his eyes. He shifted around in bed until he was comfortable again, deciding he would get up in a few more minutes.
He stuffed his face in the bed, enjoying the soft texture of his bedsheets. He smiled, appreciating the peaceful environment that was his new bedroom.
KNOCK KNOCK
"WHAT DO YOU WANT!" William yelled at the top of his lungs to the unknown individual who was disturbing his rest. He ignored it the first two times, expecting them to leave, but the incessant knocking was driving William insane.
"BOY IF YOU DON\'T GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW I\'M GOING TO BEAT YOU REAL GOOD." the sound of Sect Master Gu Dianlong could be heard from outside. His voice carried across the street and into the ears of many disciples, who cowered in fear wondering who pissed off the Sect Master.
William rushed out of the residence in his full uniform within thirty seconds. He even used his Speed Talent to the fullest, just so he could make it in time. He bowed deeply to the Sect Master, "Sir I didn\'t realize it was you."
"Hmph! Come along, I need to speak with you." the Sect Master wasn\'t willing to talk about William\'s rudeness just now. There were more important things at hand.
"Why can\'t we do it he-" William noticed the death glare Gu Dianlong was giving him and shut up immediately. "Yes Sir."
Gu Dianlong opened a portal and forcefully pushed William inside, then entered next. On the other side, William discovered he was in the same dark room as last time.
Sect Master Gu started, "I\'ve handled most of your problems for you regarding the attention you\'ve drawn. It cost me quite the price and I will be expecting suitable compensation in the future when you can afford it."
William nodded, "Thank you Sect Master. I will do what-"
"I\'m not finished yet."
"Yes yes, sorry."
"As I was saying, I\'ve solved MOST of your problems." he picked up a glass of an unknown liquid and took a long sip. "But there\'s one group you need to be worried about known as the Pillars of Justice."
"The Pillars of Justice?" William was confused. By name alone, the group seemed to be a bunch of good guys, why would he need to worry about them?"
"Well for some reason, this group seems to believe you absorbed the essence of multiple environments, including the Livingwood Forest and the Foam Desert. The Pillars of Justice serve as protectors of the world and its inhabitants, and usually only chase after the most heinous criminals.
They are backed by the Royal Family and many Ancient Families, and are not a group the Five Elements Sect can hope to compete with. As it stands, you are only still alive because I made a deal with them not to target you until you reached the age of twenty-five and could be tried by the Feathers of Justice."
So I\'m being chased down by the hippies...Not again...
William didn\'t understand most of what the Sect Master was saying but didn\'t think asking about it would be a good idea right now. He would ask the System about it later. "Thank you, so I need to be prepared in less than five years?"
"Not quite. Even though we made a deal, I can\'t imagine that the Pillars of Justice would let you off the hook completely. They will probably send trained assassins or low level members of their organization to target you secretly." Gu Dianlong explained with a sigh. He had always despised the Pillars of Justice for their manner of handling things, but even now he was powerless to change anything.
"I will be careful." William promised the Sect Master.
"Good. Now as for the Rhio Family, they won\'t be able to target you while you\'re in the Sect, but if you have to leave for any reason, expect a conflict with them. They won\'t give up on that Space Ring you hold." Gu Dianlong finished his lecture. "If there\'s nothing else, you may leave now."
William nodded and returned to his residence from a newly created portal. That is so convenient, I wonder when I can learn the Technique...
William didn\'t have anything to do until the next day, so he spent some time and Potential Points asking questions about the Pillars of Justice and the so-called Feathers of Justice.
The Pillars of Justice were exactly what Gu Dianlong described, while the Nine Feathers of Justice was a magical artifact that tested one\'s level of guilt during a trial and would turn black one by one as questions were asked. If the Cultivator was deemed guilty by the Feathers, the only resulting penalty was death by public execution. Quite a brutal way to go.
William wasn\'t too concerned about the trial, as he had done nothing wrong. However this was another example of why he should remain low-profile for the time being. William was still too weak to be making powerful enemies.
System, how can I better hide my Elements from enemies?
-Request requires 1 Potential Point. Yes/No?
Yes.
-Part of the Stealth Talent\'s abilities are to conceal one\'s Cultivation and Magical Affinities. The higher the Rank, the weaker your Mana Signature will appear to others.
William had forgotten about his Stealth Talent. To be honest, he had acquired so many skills in the last few weeks that it was hard to keep track of them all. Thankfully he has the System Menu.
His Stealth Talent was currently Rank E, and would need only 15 Potential Points to upgrade as it was a Rare Talent. After the recent expenditures, William now has 346 Potential Points which was more than enough.
System, upgrade my Stealth Talent.
———
TALENT UPGRADED
Stealth: (E --> D)
Next rank up: 75PP
———
William didn\'t feel any different, but when he took steps around the room, he found it was easier to not make noise. Even when he stepped on a normally squeaky wooden floorboard, there was no noise.
I didn\'t realize the Stealth Talent had such convenient uses. Why didn\'t I upgrade this sooner? William felt he could have avoided a lot of trouble if he just took the time to ask the System about his abilities.
System, upgrade my Stealth Talent again.
———
TALENT UPGRADED
Stealth: (D --> C)
Next rank up: 300PP
———
Once again there was little noticable difference, but William could only test its true value out in public.
He only had 256 Points left, so William couldn\'t upgrade any more of his useful Talents yet. He could raise the level of his various resistances, but William couldn\'t grind for Potential Points while in the Sect. It was better to save his points for emergency situations.
With the remainder of William\'s day, he ate at the Wild Clover and watched the disciples practice at the training ground from a distance with his enhanced eyesight. Although his Magic Affinities were high, William wasn\'t all that skilled in a real battle. Watching Kori jump into the Prairie Bear\'s shadow made William realize his understanding of Magic was very shallow.