Chapter 153 - A Strange Cultivation Experience - I
Sometimes, the gears of fate turn in such mysterious ways that we don’t even realize when the first cogs have aligned. The world moves by wills greater than ours, by invisible threads woven with intentions we don’t understand and yet, we press forward, convinced that our choices are truly our own. But all it takes is a single glance back, just one, to see: it all began with some small, seemingly irrelevant detail.
Glenn was thinking about that as he slowly rode along a mountain trail. Life had a curious way of circling back. His first encounter with the authorities of this world, a simple trip with Selene to visit a renowned alchemist, now seemed like the spark that had ignited a series of events as grand as they were exhausting.
That day had ended in a duel with Thadeus. An unexpected victory followed one that led to yet another duel. This one far more brutal. And still, I managed to cling to victory with my fingertips.
And then came an invitation and a royal decree, a public letter from the queen herself, challenging the so-called geniuses of the demon empire.
And so, humiliatingly, I began to face dozens of geniuses in relentless combat. A month of fighting, sweat, pain and growth.
Curiously enough, he now found himself riding a Sleipnir, a magnificent creature: a black stallion with eight legs, muscles as taut as tempered steel beneath dark skin, and two long spiral horns that caught the pale sunlight like obsidian. It was strapped into an ornate harness, and its rhythmic steps echoed hypnotically over the rocky path.
Beside him, riding with the ease of someone who had watched centuries pass like seasons, was Master Silas one of Selene’s six elder council members. Unlike his nearly forgettable presence during that first visit to the alchemist’s home, he was now impossible to ignore.
A demon with pale skin marked by fine cracks like ancient porcelain, he wore a luxurious imperial red robe embroidered with golden threads and arcane symbols that shimmered in the light as if alive. He was completely bald, with black horns, and wore a charcoal-black band over his eyes yet somehow saw more clearly than anyone else.
A single earring hung from his right ear: a blood-red crystal suspended from a golden chain. He smoked a long white cigarette with a silver tip, releasing dense, perfumed smoke scented with sweet spices and a faint metallic note.
Seated comfortably atop the Sleipnir, which walked calmly without reins, Silas hummed an ancient and enchanting melody, as if the world around him were nothing more than pleasant background music to his personal soundtrack. He was an eccentric figure, almost cartoonish, but every detail of his appearance screamed power and wisdom the kind you only cultivate through centuries of choices, mistakes, and alchemy. And now, he was Glenn’s personal companion on this unlikely journey.
A legendary alchemist, a Sleipnir, and a valley said to defy the laws of nature. Glenn sighed. Life’s road was truly paved with strange intersections... and he was starting to accept that nothing would ever follow the expected path again.
You’re probably wondering how the hell I ended up in a situation like this. Well... it started three days ago.