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On the fourth day at the Ye Family residence, the representatives from the Alliance arrived, led by President Bufon. The former President Cui Ming had stepped down, and the new President was a middle-aged man from the Dawn Empire, sporting a pair of distinctive mustaches. Bufon came from a family of Force Alliance members; his father, a hunter, had died in the line of duty. Growing up within the Alliance Academy system under esteemed mentors, he was now fifty years old. He was known for being amiable, steady, strong, fair, and decisive. Not belonging to any of the Four Great Families, he held considerable prestige and a good reputation within the Alliance, as noted by the renowned host Ding Dewen after the Alliance elections.
Accompanying Bufon were representatives from the Dawn Empire and Ding Family, including Ding Nuo. They were there to address matters concerning the Balance Sect. Rather than merely handling issues with the Balance Sect, their primary concern was what information it possessed regarding the Fire Cult's practitioners, who were both numerous and powerful. If Fire Cult practitioners grew strong enough, war would be inevitable; it was better to take action before they could strike.
Cui Ming did not attend the meeting—he lacked the qualifications—but the Balance Sect knew what was at stake. Mi Xiaonan had already informed Cui Ming that through ancient texts and a year of digging for clues, they discovered that there were at least fifteen Fire Cult practitioners. While this number might not seem overwhelming at first glance, these practitioners had several advantages. First and foremost was their unity; this was indisputable. Secondly, they were fearless in their devotion to their beliefs. Lastly, their individual capabilities were exceptionally high.
Throughout humanity's long struggle against beasts, they had ultimately become the dominant species—not through strength or speed but through intelligence. In practical terms, humans could not outrun most beasts nor defeat them in hand-to-hand combat. Humanity's advantage lay in its intellect and social structure. Now, however, Fire Cult practitioners possessed both beast-like traits and human intelligence and cooperation. Coupled with their growing numbers, this would significantly enhance the Fire Cult's aggressiveness.
How strong were they?
Mi Xiaonan recounted to Cui Ming an encounter she and her senior sister had while pursuing a Fire Cult practitioner—a woman who appeared ordinary at first glance and whose Force was undetectable. However, once she entered her state of readiness, she could rapidly escalate her Force from zero to full capacity and run at speeds exceeding one hundred kilometers per hour. She was also adept at climbing; her speed in scaling buildings matched her running pace. This level of speed was far beyond what an ordinary human practitioner could achieve. While Cui Ming's Escape Route was fast, it had time limitations; Mi Xiaonan's Lightning Ball fell short in comparison and also had restrictions on duration. The practitioner could run tirelessly at such speeds. Furthermore, Mi Xiaonan indicated that this might have been her normal running speed; if she sprinted, she could potentially go even faster.
Cui Ming asked Mi Xiaonan about her offensive capabilities.
"We only had one brief encounter," she explained. "She seemed unaware that we recognized her as a Fire Cult practitioner. We were posing as people from Silent City and couldn't reveal our identities until we had gathered more information. I initially planned to lure her into a trap, but as I got closer, she sensed something amiss and prepared to flee. My senior sister and I revealed ourselves to pursue her; she turned and ran—at first upright but then transitioned to running on all fours like a cheetah. I couldn't keep up; my senior sister used smoke evasion techniques to chase after her. Suddenly, she turned back with a spear that struck my senior sister while leaping off a building towards her. My senior sister said the spear was sharp but not fatal; its main purpose was marking her location for later retaliation—almost unavoidable once they closed in on each other."
The opponent displayed remarkable agility. Akali's repeated counterattacks were evaded effortlessly while Akali herself was knocked down time after time, each encounter tearing through her Force and causing significant bodily harm along with extensive surface bleeding. Fortunately, Mi Xiaonan did not give up on pursuing Akali; otherwise, Akali would have faced dire consequences. In retrospect, Akali's clothing was nearly shredded with over eighty wounds across her body—deep cuts that would have drained her blood completely if not for the continuous healing provided by her Force.
The opponent lacked immobilization abilities but exhibited extraordinary agility in close combat—agility surpassing what humans could achieve—with an incredible ability to twist at sharp angles while maintaining high speed during melee encounters as if unaffected by inertia.
Force Beasts generally exceeded humans in terms of Force quantity and possessed various characteristics; however, in actual combat scenarios, these Force Beasts often lacked strategic and tactical intelligence. This particular Fire Cult practitioner was different; she initially drew Akali into a solo pursuit using speed before executing a counterattack at just the right moment and place. Yet she underestimated Akali's smoke evasion technique which allowed for rapid movement within obscured conditions. Despite being only a few meters apart during close combat where Akali faced frequent attacks, neither Akali's punches nor scythe strikes managed to connect with their target.
Mi Xiaonan stated seriously that it wasn't an excuse for Akali—her punches and scythe strikes were indeed very fast—especially Akali's scythe which attacked with speeds comparable to Mi Xiaonan's Chidori.
In conclusion, Mi Xiaonan remarked: "To be honest, if the opponent is determined enough, my senior sister and I might not escape unscathed. This is our first encounter with a Half-Beast; there is a significant difference compared to human practitioners or Force Beasts. One could say that their beastly traits compensate for their human shortcomings."
Cui Ming asked, "So strong?"
Mi Xiaonan nodded seriously. "Really strong."
"Besides that Leopard Woman, do you know anyone else?"
"Under the guidance of ancient texts, we tracked down three leads in total. The first lead is a Lion Dog..."
"Lion? Dog? Human? Isn't it a breed of dog?"
"Yes." Mi Xiaonan continued, "The Lion Dog hasn't fully evolved yet; its face, especially the nose, resembles that of a lion, but it possesses human traits like bipedalism and intelligence. I tracked it for about twenty minutes in Sharon City before it vanished without a trace. I didn't continue the pursuit and left immediately. The other one is also not fully evolved; it's a mouse about one meter tall, with a curved back and a mouth that looks very much like a mouse's. Anyone who sees its face would think of a mouse rather than a human. My senior brother was tracking the mouse; he lost it in Sharon City after following it for only five minutes."
Mi Xiaonan explained, "We set up watch at six locations based on the clues from the ancient texts and only found three beings. The Lion Dog resides in an artificial forest on the outskirts of Sharon City, which is only three kilometers away from the Fire Sect Pope and The Holy See—practically next door. The Leopard Woman is the most evolved; her appearance shows no signs of beastliness. Additionally, she is a saint residing in an ancient temple in Sharon City. The mouse stays in underground tunnels and is unseen during the day; it only comes out at night to catch some air."
Mi Xiaonan added, "The real reason they haven't been discovered by cultivators isn't because the Fire Cult has hidden locations, but because they have disguised their appearances. The Lion Dog and the mouse can only move in unpopulated areas due to their incomplete evolution. They share a significant trait: they live in a state of concealment, indistinguishable from ordinary people. However, when needed, they can recover their force levels in an extremely short time."
Cui Ming asked, "Six leads? Could that mean there are only six Fire Cult Practitioners?"
"No, it's just that my senior brother can interpret six leads. The clues from the ancient texts during meditation aren't straightforward black-and-white lines; they're more of a feeling. My senior brother is very devout and responsible as the heir of the Balance Sect. He was an orphan taken in by my master as his adopted son. My master was an ordinary person and didn't know he was a potential cultivator. Therefore, my senior brother turned this gratitude into his responsibility towards the Balance Sect. He can only read six leads; others cannot do so."
Cui Ming asked, "What about your senior sister?"
"My senior sister rarely speaks; she never expresses her opinions. She does whatever my master tells her to do. After my master passed away two years ago, she never complained about what my brother asked her to do. She treats me very well; while I was on Sakura Island, she took care of all my chores—washing clothes, cooking, chopping wood, and growing vegetables. Whenever she went to the market, she always brought back plenty of food for me. My senior sister is about your age, Cui Ming; she was brought in by my brother."
Akali is twenty-five this year, while Ashen is thirty-seven. It is said that there was another disciple of my master who betrayed him. After this betrayal, twenty-year-old Ashen stumbled upon eight-year-old Akali begging in the Beggar's Gang on the Eastern Continent's Inland City and discovered she was a potential cultivator. He then took her away from the gang to Sakura Island. Mi Xiaonan had started his training later; after practicing Six Elements with the York Clan, an elder recommended him to study Ninjutsu on Sakura Island. Upon arriving there and asking locals about Ninjutsu Masters on Sakura Island, he learned about three prominent masters and decided to visit them; he found Ashen and Akali were both cultivators at the first place he visited and chose to stay there.
Cui Ming had a clear understanding in his heart. In Mi Xiaonan's eyes, the only truly reliable heir was Ashen. The other two might not take the Balance Sect as their mission, but they would still assist Ashen in carrying on the mission of the Balance Sect. Although Mi Xiaonan's master was an ordinary person, he had become a renowned Ninjutsu Master on Sakura Island through ancient texts, which made him grateful to the Balance Sect. At the same time, he hoped that Ashen would inherit the Balance Sect and, through devotion and gradual effort, gain more benefits from the ancient texts. Mi Xiaonan's master might not be a devout heir, but Ashen was likely to be one, dedicating himself to the work of the Balance Sect out of gratitude for his adoptive father.
Cui Ming asked, "Is your senior brother strong?"
"Very strong, truly. It's not like what you saw today; he was poisoned. He chased a rat into the sewer and ended up ambushed by a Force gas trap. The key is that my senior brother persisted in chasing through the gas for quite a distance before giving up. When we met that day, it was the fourth day since he was poisoned. He was trying to expel the toxin while also paying attention to the information sent back by Annie, so Force was very weak. Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to set up traps to ambush and put Annie in danger."
The two were chatting over tea in the garden when Bufon appeared, greeting them before turning to Cui Ming. "Cui Ming, I heard you have an agreement with Wandering?"
"Yes."
"I heard you're good at negotiations?"
"Yes."
Bufon patted Cui Ming on the shoulder. "I have high hopes for you."
Ha! Strictly speaking, the agreement with Wandering wasn't finalized yet, but tracking down the Fire Cult Practitioner had become a matter for the alliance now. However, Bufon saw an opportunity to negotiate with the Balance Sect. Why not agree to such matters? What did the Balance Sect have to do with him? Especially since Mi Xiaonan had already made his stance on the Balance Sect clear.
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