Legacy of Hatred

The first thing that hit Liam was the world itself. Unlike the isolated room, the environment was full of details his new perception could inspect and record, and it did so in quite the overwhelming fashion.

It was a cold, cloudy night that hid the stars, but everything was distinct and clear in Liam’s vision. His training with the Divine Cult had improved his ability to see in darkness, but that was incomparable to what his new eyes captured.

Bright wasn’t the right word, but everything did something akin to shining at different levels of dimness. The darkness posed no hindrance to Liam’s vision. Actually, he felt almost able to see what was mere absence of light, as if it had a proper shape.

The same went for Liam’s other senses. His ears captured the faintest sounds even if they were too distant for that range to be remotely reasonable, adding vague shapes to them, as if it were a sonar.

Liam’s nose and, still-strangely, tongue smelled countless past and present scents that told a story about the whole area and beyond, describing what had happened or passed through the valley with uncanny accuracy.

The air gained a distinct taste and pressure. Humidity and more joined forces to tell Liam when the last rain had been. He even felt confident predicting the next without relying on external factors as he had done in the past.

All that blended with Liam’s sixth sense, his perception, creating a constant awareness of literally everything. He even felt the traces of Qi that the room’s removal had left and were still in the process of dispersing.

On top of that, Liam only needed to focus, and his Qi would heighten whatever he wished, making his vision sharper, his ears more sensitive, and more.

It was instinctive like breathing, requiring no training, like running with the Qi’s help had done. Liam’s body had become a more suitable home for that energy, providing those abilities.

Part of that had to come from the rooting stage, but Liam added his upbringing and bloodline to the equation. Maxwell had indeed been right about Liam not needing perception techniques. He simply couldn’t have fathomed how much.

The second stark change appeared when Liam started running. He had performed enough tests to feel confident wielding his new strength, but unleashing it in the world provided clear terms of comparison.

Liam was effortlessly faster than he had ever been. Clearly, Simon and Anastasia had held back due to his presence during the trip to the Evergreen Canyon, but he had no reason to do so now.

The world turned into a rapidly receding canvas, and the process only accelerated as Liam kept working on his synchrony between Qi and muscles, a training that had almost reached perfection.

And, despite that speed, Liam’s awareness remained sharper than ever, eventually enabling something else he wanted to test.

Liam had just entered a forest and was jumping from branch to branch when movement so faint it should have gone unnoticed captured his attention, changing his direction.

The source of that movement entered Liam’s reach in no time, and he snapped his ample black sleeve at it before it could even realize he was there.

Liam landed among the wilted grass, making little to no sound, staring at his needle stabbed into a mouse a few meters ahead. The little animal was still alive, which was by design since Liam wanted to see what happened.

The mouse didn’t even manage to release a dying squeak before life abandoned its body, but things were far from over.

The animal’s fur fell while its flesh caved in, as if eaten from the inside. Its body broke under its own weight, flattening while its skin melted over its bones.

By the time the process was over, only tiny bones and a small patch of blood and gore were left of the rodent.

’Myotoxins, cytotoxins, or both,’ Liam concluded, ’Specialized in tissue and muscle damage. It’s deadly, alright.’

Liam retrieved the needle, checking its integrity before wiping its tip clean and placing it in his mouth, coating it with the venom he had prompted his salivary glands to release.

Since Liam had gained access to a rank 2 venom, he had replaced the rank 1 deadly poison on his needles and remaining arrows, delivering an upgrade worthy of his new cultivation stage.

Still, tests about the venom’s effectiveness were necessary, especially since Liam needed to understand what it was before attempting to use it in concoctions.

Mere arrows and needles might become unsuitable as weapons soon, if they weren’t already. Yet, they had been useful with Simon, warranting that upgrade. It was also free, which made it priceless in Liam’s current situation.

Liam stored the needle in the harness on his forearm, hidden under his oversized sleeve. He had opted to wear the black cloak customary for poison masters, mostly to hide his face while he was still near his previous home, and that strategy didn’t end there.

The Black Bow was in the space-ring instead of Liam’s shoulder, and the same went for the quiver. The arrangement wasn’t ideal for battle due to the delay required to materialize the items, but he couldn’t risk someone recognizing one of the Pale Moon Sect’s treasures.

There were other preparations Liam had made, albeit only mentally. He planned not to use martial arts that might reveal his identity, basically leaving him with the Poisonous Breath and, if needed, the Metal Hand.

Most of those who had seen Liam use the Lightning Step were dead, while the others had his trust. Still, the Pale Moon Sect knew that he had it, and it was a clue in the search for its nine-spiritual-roots genius.

Of course, the Crimson Warrior Sect knew about the Metal Hand, but Liam half-believed it didn’t want anyone to find him. After all, there had been a whole ploy about getting rid of him.

Besides, the Metal Hand was quite inconspicuous compared to the loud Lightning Step, and Liam still needed a way to attack.

Then, there was the main issue.

’Will I remember to call myself William?’ Liam wondered, not really trusting his brain on the matter. ’Maybe it’s better if I say that I have no name.’