Chapter 53 - Continents
A black mare ambled slowly down the winding path, its pace deliberately unhurried, as if allowing its two riders to savor the moment.
Cale sat behind Rexa, one hand resting against her toned abs while the other pressed against her opposite breast—not fondling, merely feeling the warmth of her through the fabric, grounding himself in her presence.
They talked endlessly as the landscape rolled past, like how she’d joined the Horkens, how her Violet Shadow Physique had awakened through relentless training in techniques that aligned perfectly with her body’s innate nature, the gradual refinement through years of dedication until her physique became as natural as if she’d been born with it.
Rexa had matured in many ways, her discipline sharper, her presence more refined—yet beneath it all, that same obsessive, unhinged core remained.
"Hmm?"
Cale’s head snapped to the right without warning, his gaze piercing through the cluster of trees lining the path.
’I seem to have made a few enemies here and there,’ he thought with grim amusement.
He could feel them now—eight distinct presences moving parallel to their route, some of them carrying artifacts to hide their presence.
Deep within the woods, sheltered by dense foliage, Sael crouched beside his butler, watching the pair on horseback through the gaps in vegetation. The resemblance to Lark was unmistakable—same sharp features, same cruel edge to his expression.
"Is he the one?" Sael asked quietly.
The butler nodded. "Yes, young lord. Though Lord Lark requested discretion, your father has... taken an interest. He wants the matter resolved quietly. Killing a ducal house’s son invites complications without proper justification."
Sael’s grin widened as his gaze drifted toward Rexa’s silhouette on the horse ahead. "Let’s keep following. If they engage in combat, all the better—we can intervene then." He paused, his expression predatory. "And keep that woman alive. She looks... beautiful, hehe."
The butler sighed internally but bowed. "Understood, young master."
They resumed their silent pursuit, unaware or perhaps uncaring that both Cale and Rexa had already sensed their presence long ago.
After several hours on the road, they pulled into a modest tavern nestled between two sprawling trees.
It wasn’t a proper establishment by any means, but the food was decent enough, which was all Cale cared about. He’d asked Rexa to take a separate room, claiming he needed solitude to work through cultivation.
’Why can’t I advance to Peak Advance Stage?’ he thought, pacing the small space like a caged animal. ’Sigh... the essence drops have been sitting unused. Should I just consume them all at once?’
He paused mid-step, then shook his head. ’No. That would definitely cause a backlash. Keep it as is for now.’
A grin tugged at his lips despite the frustration. ’Maybe dual cultivation is what’s needed for the breakthrough, huh? That’s the most plausible reason I can think of.’
The thought was equal parts self-mockery and hope. It was a good method but he didn’t want to be called a sex demon cultivator in the future like from those xianxia and murim stories.
Later, after briefing from Rexa, the mission parameters became clear. To kill a bandit group the mission hall had flagged, gather herbs and rare materials for alchemical purposes which were requests from Silvester and several others and acquire a sword spiritual root which was a gift from our best friend.
Cale was technically here for the Fundamentals technique and Rexa herself, but this new prize changed things.
’Heh, if these people only knew what a sword spiritual root actually does. They think it just improves swordsmanship, what we are doing with swords is just child’s play compared to what’s happening on the other continents.’
He settled onto the worn bed, staring at the ceiling as his mind drifted to the larger picture.
"Our continent is trapped in the center of a circle, surrounded by desolate wastelands and monster-infested regions for thousands of miles. Then there are those four others—North, West, East, South Borders. The northern and western ones are strongest. They’re called borders because beyond them is only endless sea and beasts. I doubt anyone here has ever actually seen another continent. And there are supposedly over a hundred more scattered across the world."
Coming back to the part of Sword spiritual roots. ’In the top sects and clans across the bigger continents, this is one of the most common roots. What these people do here is just swordplay—mere child’s play to reality.’
They could make it fly, either by using their consciousness or by very thin vital qi threads. And this was just one sword, with a high tier sword spiritual root, one could manipulate hundreds of swords.
He closed his eyes, pulling fragments of memory from his previous lives. ’With a high-tier sword spiritual root, cultivators could forge entire armies of blades with nothing but thought. Flying swords, consciousness-guided projectiles, entire formations of steel moving in perfect synchronization. All of it an extension of the user’s will.’
The scope of real cultivation was staggering. Runes, artifacts, spiritual beasts, summons, human puppets, avatars, formations layered upon formations—it was a completely different game.
Again, like those
"We’re infants here. Pathetic, helpless infants flailing around in the dark. Sigh, lets stop wallowing in our own weakness."
He laughed bitterly.
’Which is why running is the better option, the fuck will I do fighting hopeless battles. But... there’s still something that doesn’t fit. Why invade such a weak continent at all? They could create floating islands, reshape continents themselves. So why here? What am I missing?’
He pushed the question aside and returned to his cultivation.
After some hours of resting, Cale and Rexa resumed their journey with renewed energy. He was dying for some proper entertainment. The afternoon dragged into evening, and night descended like a blanket over the landscape.
The sky turned obsidian black, stars scattered across it like diamonds on velvet, while a cold wind swept through the trees, carrying the scent of distant rain and earth.
Rexa looked ethereal in the moonlight—like some moon fairy pulled straight from ancient legends, her pale skin luminescent, those crimson eyes glowing softly in the darkness.
Then the screams pierced the night.
"ARGHHHHHHH!"
She reacted instantly, urging the horse forward without hesitation, turning toward the source of the chaos.
With both their aura sensing active, pinpointing the location was effortless.
They pushed harder, riding until they crested a hilltop overlooking a small city sprawled below—currently under siege by approximately forty bandits tearing through the streets like locusts.
They dismounted quickly, tying the horse to a nearby tree before settling into an observation position.
"It’s them, right?" Cale asked, that familiar grin spreading across his face. "The first task?"
Rexa nodded, her eyes glowing brighter as she assessed the battlefield. "Yes. Though the numbers are larger than expected, these are definitely our targets. The strongest are a Peak Master Stage cultivator and a 4-circle mage. Thank god they didn’t bring their entire force, we won’t have to deal with the fodder."
Cale’s eyebrows rose in surprise. "Hoh, you can see that from here?"
She nodded again.
’It seems those eyes of hers are quite useful too,’ he thought, watching her scan the chaos below. ’Though I doubt I’ll need any more eyes. My current combo seems sufficient enough for now.’