The tunnel was lit only by the soft glow

  of energy stones set into the ceiling every few meters. A gentle breeze

  occasionally flowed in through the entrance onto Sebastian’s back as he

  ventured deeper into the caves.

  It was wider than it was tall, enough that several people

  could walk shoulder to shoulder. The floor had been flattened, but not

  through some impressive Skill like he had grown accustomed to as there

  were countless small deviations which textured the surface. Similarly,

  the walls weren’t smoothed out at all. Someone had mined out this tunnel

  through force rather than with Skills.

  There were a few chambers behind rickety wooden doors

  along the way, small storage rooms that were mostly empty. Laughter and a

  chaotic mix of several voices echoed from the larger main chamber up

  ahead.

  Sebastian ambled slowly down the tunnel as a dark sword

  materialized in front of him. Moments later a second sword appeared, and

  then a third. The fourth dissipated before it could fully form.

  So, three is my current limit. My cultivation has improved my mind to the point that controlling three swords independently is doable, although quite painful.

  It’s draining my essence rapidly, but I have enough pumping from my Core that it shouldn’t be a limiting factor. I’ll need to train my mind in the future. My body and spirit are both strong, but my mind is falling behind.

  Sebastian let his thoughts go, there was a limit to his

  mental capacity. He entered a deep focus and activated his [Mind’s Eye]

  once more. It hit his mind like a sledge hammer.

  In a desperate attempt to ease the pain, he limited the

  resolution of the sensory input to the point where he could only just

  make out shapes. It helped with the increased mental strain, but the

  three swords still quivered slightly, threatening to dissipate. It took a

  moment to get them under control again. With a deep breath, he sent

  them forth through the tunnel and into the chamber where the gang was

  gathered.

  None of them were prepared for the attack.

  Each Demonic Essence Sword cut through half a dozen gang

  members before Sebastian sauntered into the chamber like he owned the

  place—because in his mind, he did.

  Few noticed him enter as the chaos distracted most of the

  gang. One man did. A large, shirtless, middle-aged brute in an open

  purple robe. He immediately jumped at Sebastian and swung his

  greatsword.

  “You court death!” The gang leader’s scream was filled with rage and hatred, yet his eyes remained menacingly calm.

  Sebastian faced the attack without fear. He didn’t move a

  muscle to intercept the attack, instead he sent all three Demonic

  Essence Swords at him. Along the way, two of the swords flew straight

  through some weaker gang members, but that didn’t slow them down.

  The gang leader was almost on Sebastian but his calm eyes

  caught the incoming swords in time. He twisted his greatsword in an

  effort to block them. Two of Sebastian’s essence swords were stopped,

  the third pierced the leader’s thigh. The impacts, both from the one

  that hit and from the two which were blocked, sent him flying back into

  the cave wall.

  Before the dust even settled, a yellow crescent flew out

  of the cloud of debris toward Sebastian. He sent his Demonic Essence

  Swords to block. The strike was strong enough to dissipate all three.

  Moments later, the gang leader shot out from the dust

  cloud himself, his greatsword glowing a bright yellow. Sebastian saw him

  coming with his [Mind’s Eye] and drew his own sword.

  Unlike the other bandits and criminals that Sebastian had

  encountered in the Red Sea so far, this gang leader was surprisingly

  good with his sword. On par even with Oren back in Celder, and Oren was a

  highly trained swordsman of a famous sword pavilion.

  Sebastian utilized his [Intergalactic Sword Art], and they exchanged dozens of moves.

  The greatsword was naturally heavy but whichever Skill the gang leader was using made it monstrous.

  Blocking wasn’t an option. It became obvious after the first attempt that

  Sebastian’s sword wouldn’t endure the collision. Instead, he focused on

  deflections and dodges. He made use of his [Mind’s Eye] to guide his

  Sword Art. To take control of his opponent’s weapon, keeping it from

  making proper contact.

  With every swing, the gang leader was pushed or pulled

  off balance, and every time, Sebastian was there to punish him. Cuts

  accumulated, and the greatsword moved slower and slower as the brute’s

  stamina ran out. He gathered his energy and launched a final Essence

  Crescent, twice the size of the first one.

  Sebastian could see how the energy moved up through the

  gang leader’s arms and into his sword. He used a [Quickstep] to dodge

  when the essence attack was released from the greatsword. His

  [Quickstep] brought him right to his opponent’s side, and Sebastian let

  his sword drop down without hesitation. The attack severed the gang

  leader’s arm.

  THUD

  The gang leader looked down at his missing arm on the ground, dumbfounded. His greatsword remained clutched in his lost hand.

  He grit his teeth but didn’t scream. He barely missed a

  beat as he turned to throw a punch with his remaining arm. Based on the

  essence around his first, a Skill was involved.

  Sebastian smirked at the incoming fist. He answered by throwing a punch of his own.

  The two fists met.

  In an explosion of blood and bone, the gang leader flew back. Sebastian’s [Shattering Strike] had won the competition of fists.

  “You…” The gang leader struggled to speak, his voiced

  gargled as blood filled his throat. “It was you wasn’t it, who killed

  Brother Ujin of the Blood Cleaver Gang?” Both his arms were gone, one cleanly

  cut and the other violently torn asunder from within. He leaned back

  against the cave wall and laughed, maniacally. “I came here to avenge my

  fallen brother and ended up dying at the hands of his killer before I

  even got the chance to try.” He glared at Sebastian. “If you think this

  is over, think again. My Martial Father won’t forgive this, he —“

  Squelch

  A Demonic Essence Sword pierced his head.

  They are really

  laying it on thick with this whole shtick. Kill a man and his brother

  shows up, kill the brother and now the father is gonna make an

  appearance. What’s next, the grandfather? And, since people in this

  world can get hundreds of years old, probably the great-grandfather

  after that…

  Ugh… I need to get stronger, strong enough that I can handle the great-great-grandfather when he inevitably shows up.

  Whatever, that’s a question for the future. Right now I need to deal with the rest of these guys.

  He looked around the room at the crowd of bandits, brutes, and bullies.

  All of them were uncertain of what to do. None of them

  were strong enough to take on the man who strolled into their base and

  killed their leader, but they still had a duty to raise their weapons at

  him. Though, perhaps it was less of a duty and more accurately a desperate sense

  of self preservation that motivated them.

  Their swords and axes were pointed at Sebastian. Some of

  them were shaking, unable to take their eyes off of Sebastian, while

  others were eying the exit.

  Sebastian cleared his throat. “Your leader is dead. I

  give you two options—kneel and serve me, the Heavenly Demon, or die with

  your old master.”

  The men were shocked and looked around for someone else

  to make the first move. One man in the front did. He raised his sword

  and took a step toward Sebastian. Before his foot even hit the ground, a

  Demonic Essence Sword struck from above and went right through him and

  into the floor. As his body hit the ground, the rest fell to their

  knees.

  “I greet the Heavenly Demon!” they all shouted in a jumbled mess.

  “Good, I’m glad,” Sebastian said with a wide smile. He

  meant it to sound sincere and disarming, but to the new soldiers of the

  Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, it just reminded them of how close to death

  they came, and the realization that they now served a true demon.

  The use of his new [Demonic Essence Sword] Technique

  meant his essence output had been so powerful that he was still

  unintentionally exerting an immense pressure onto the kneeling group.

  His [Heavenly Demon] Title added onto to that pressure.

  Sebastian didn’t know it but many of them couldn’t even

  bring themselves to look at him. The moment they acknowledged him, the

  [System] took notice, and they were bound for life.

  He sent a message to Marion and then had the new soldiers

  clean up the mess from both Sebastian’s attack and from them living

  there for a while. Since they had been there for a few days without a

  care, they had left quite the mess.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Although he had seen a large part of the cave system with his [Mind’s Eye], he still got a tour.

  Beyond the main chamber were a few tunnels and a handful

  of other chambers. None of them were in a particularly good condition.

  Except for the floor being flattened out, the caves were practically

  just natural caves with energy stones for lights. There was one chamber

  which had been given a bit more care, the kitchen. A tunnel ran from the main chamber into a simple kitchen

  and dining area with some cooking gear and tables. The sleeping

  arrangements were basically non-existent, just bedding on the ground

  where ever there was room.

  The next day, a large caravan of workers arrived at the

  caves. They were escorted by Eduard and a couple dozen warriors he had

  put together from what few he could find in Mujin and recruited from

  nearby gangs.

  There were well over a hundred workers who immediately began work on the tunnels and various chambers.

  While the caves were being worked on, Sebastian met with Eduard outside, by the gatehouse.

  “Well done.” Sebastian looked over to the group of warriors resting after their journey. “You’ve put together a nice squad.”

  “Thank you, sir.” He too turned to looked at the group of

  warriors he had gathered. “These are the best Mujin has to offer. None

  of them had even reached level 15, but they’re hardworking. We also have

  a couple hundred back in town who are still in need of basic training

  before we can even think about making use of them.”

  Sebastian nodded approvingly. “Given the lack of

  resources they have here in the Red Sea, I’m actually impressed.” He

  gestured toward the remnants of the Burning Blood Gang. “I found some

  more, use them however you see fit. They're criminals and generally scummy people, so we can't trust them in the inner cult, but we need men right now and can't afford to be too picky. They might need some work, though. I'll leave it to you.” He gave Eduard an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

  There wasn’t really a good place to rest in the cave

  system so the workers’ first priority was to improve the living

  conditions. They weren’t very high leveled but their various Titles and

  Skills helped make carving new tunnels and rooms doable.

  They spent a few weeks rebuilding the caves.

  Connections opened up to tunnels farther down and small

  rooms were carved out in the walls. Each room was equipped with a

  bedding placed on a shelf of stone to form a bed along with a simple desk.

  Basic plumbing and hygiene-facilities were installed,

  ventilation shafts improved, and storerooms were filled with

  supplies—enough food and water to last months.

  The cave system was divided into three areas—the living

  quarters for the disciple candidates, the training area, and the

  servants’ quarters. Sebastian was also given his own isolated quarters.

  Once the remodel was done, the workers were sent back to Mujin and the candidates were summoned.

  ***

  32 young men and women sat on mats,

  spaced out in neat rows, in the main training room. The youngest was 15,

  the oldest 22. Some of them were as low as level 2 but a majority were

  level 3 and just a few level 4. All of them were in good physical

  condition from years of hard work in a harsh environment.

  They were given simple grey clothes to wear, pants and a

  shirt. Their clothes were wrapped tightly around their wrists and ankles

  with white bands.

  It was a few days after the construction workers had

  finished refurbishing the caves. The time had come to begin training the

  first generation of demonic cultivators.

  Sebastian sat on a dais in front of them in beautiful black robes with blood red embroidering.

  “Welcome to the Cave of Latent Demons.”

  All of the candidates were excited, barely able to

  contain themselves. The younger candidates were all smiles as they had

  been chosen to be elevated from mere mortals to demonic cultivators.

  Those a little older were better at managing their expectations.

  “You have all been carefully selected to be the first

  generation to train in the [Demonic Oasis Art].” Sebastian continued his

  introduction as the candidates did their best to wrap their heads

  around what this method might actually entail. “Cultivation is a long lost

  method of seeking true immortality. Not the false immortality of being

  lucky enough to have a level limit of 100 and then simply being called

  Immortal if you manage to reach that level. No, through cultivation, you

  will have no limits. Your potential is limited only by your own force

  of will and determination.”

  The already excited candidates believed him, completely.

  And that belief made them look upon him like a deity, with pure

  reverence.

  He moved on to a lecture on his newly created [Demonic

  Oasis Art]. Each of the candidates closed their eyes and breathed

  according to the rhythm Sebastian taught them. They all reached inward

  and made attempt after attempt to enter the void of their minds, to

  sense the natural essence around them.

  Sebastian observed them all through his [Mind’s Eye] but

  tried to use the control he had practiced to focus not on the Physical

  Realm but the Spirit Realm. So far he had mainly only used it to sense his

  physical surroundings, and through the perspective of his [Mind’s Eye]

  also sense the density of natural essence or the pressure of people to

  gauge their levels or to follow major flows of essence. He had never actually fully attuned it toward the

  true Spirit Realm.

  The Spirit Realm was internal and personal.

  By pushing your consciousness inward, you reach your own

  spirit body, and while in that state you can also sense essence around

  you. You could never sense another person’s spirit body. It’s why

  Sebastian had to rely on the pressure exerted by others to determine

  their levels; he had never been able to check their actual levels

  through their internal essence behind the barrier of their Spirit

  Bodies. That remained true even now when he attuned his [Mind’s Eye] to

  the Spirit Realm, but in doing so he could sense the essence within its

  range with an unrivaled clarity.

  In the midst of the natural gaseous essence of the cave,

  Sebastian could sense gaps, areas which the natural essence couldn’t

  occupy. The disciple candidates. As he focused closer on each candidate,

  he could—for the first time—push through and sense their internal essence.

  It was faint, almost imperceptible, but it was there.

  Frustration emerged amongst the candidates. After hours

  of trying to meditate and reach their Spirit Bodies, they still couldn’t

  do it.

  A few managed to sense the natural essence, albeit

  barely. Some complained that it was impossible and wanted to give up but

  after some encouraging words from Sebastian, they buckled down and tried

  again. Realizing that what they had learned was such a grave secret

  that failure meant they would never be allowed to leave those caves

  served as excellent motivation.

  By the end of the day, only four out of

  the 32 had managed to reach their Spirit Bodies. They still didn’t

  succeed in absorbing any natural essence, but it was a step in the right

  direction.

  The next day, a few more reached their Spirit Bodies. It

  wasn’t until the third day when the first candidate managed to form her

  intent and absorb some natural essence. Just a few hours later, another

  succeed as well. They were both among the younger candidates, 15 and 16,

  and they were both level 3.

  After a day of cultivation, however, they received alerts

  from the [System] as they experienced a level up. The [System] seemed

  to have adapted after Sebastian, though. They weren’t met with questions

  marks in their levels.

  Like Sebastian, they also got a separate Status window

  for their cultivation. Originally, however, he got his Cultivation

  Status when he reached the [Spirit Sculpting] stage, but they got it

  during the [Essence Gathering] stage.

  Seeing some of the candidates earn levels just by

  meditating sent them all into a cultivation frenzy. Sebastian had to

  stop them from pushing it too far. He still remembered that his own

  level 5 was a tad too late to begin sculpting—even if his fifth level

  was gained through cultivation. Those who succeeded were moved to

  another room where Sebastian guided them through the [Spirit Sculpting]

  stage.

  He helped them with the diagrams and gave them some tips based on his own experience for how to efficiently sculpt.

  They were given complete freedom to experiment with their

  sculpting and in choosing whether to go for the Basic meridian system

  or the Advanced meridian system. Each of them had their own copy of the

  manual and as the weeks and months went on, many of them spent more and

  more time in their own rooms as they cultivated and sculpted.

  That time was far from uneventful, however.

  Four candidates failed completely and simply couldn’t

  manage to sculpt their Spirit Bodies no matter how hard they tried.

  Three failed even worse. They had cultivated too much and absorbed more

  essence than they could wield. Their attempts at sculpting led to them

  shattering their own Spirit Bodies. When the spirit body shattered, the

  physical body did the same. They all bled out internally and died as

  their bones broke and veins collapsed.

  In spite of this, [Essence Consolidation] was still the stage Sebastian was

  most concerned about. Both [Essence Gathering] and [Spirit Sculpting]

  were fairly unaffected by his modifications but [Essence Consolidation]

  was where things truly diverged.

  His concerns would be proved to be warranted.

  One by one, the candidates succeeded with their sculpting

  and officially entered the [Essence Consolidation] stage. It had taken

  Sebastian about a month to ascend to the the third major stage but even

  the fastest disciple took six months with others following behind over

  the months that followed.

  The first to break through was the same girl from the

  first week and the second was the boy a week later. They both took to

  [Essence Consolidation] according to the [Demonic Oasis Art] just fine,

  to Sebastian’s great relief.

  The third to make it was a 19 year old young man. Just

  like the other two, he had sculpted the Advanced meridian system, but

  unlike them, he had made mistakes. His pathways weren’t truly smooth,

  there were small imperfections along the paths.

  Sebastian observed through his [Mind’s Eye] as he formed

  his first drop of impure essence. It was difficult to sense the

  internal essence of others, even with months of practice, but due to their low cultivation level, he

  could vaguely sense as natural earth essence was broken down and

  condensed into a drop of impure liquid essence, or demonic essence as he

  had come to call it.

  When the first drop formed in the young man’s Essence

  Heart, it circulated through his imperfect meridian system.

  Unfortunately, those imperfections made the circulations violent.

  Demonic essence was already harsh and rough on its own,

  but as it moved along the flawed pathways, it became unstable. Sebastian

  sensed how the man’s physical body was

  beaten from the inside by the forces at work, and he knew that his spirit body was under extreme stress. Sebastian tried to interfere, to help him get it under control, but the young man struggled to follow Sebastian's instructions.

  Upon the second revolution, the extraordinary forces of

  liquid demonic essence violently and suddenly tore him apart from the

  inside. His spirit body shattered, and he exploded in a

  horrifying display of gore, much like past victims of Sebastian’s

  [Shattering Strike].

  He wasn’t the only one.

  Over the next year, half of the candidates died due to

  essence deviation. Some died during their sculpting, failing to prevent their spirit bodies from accumulating essence, gaining too many levels, shattering their spirit bodies as a result. Others also made minor mistakes in their sculpting, causing catastrophic turbulence when liquid essence circulated through their system. Then there were some who merely failed to control their essence during [Essence Consolidation], in spite of succeeding with their sculpting, and as they accumulated more drops the

  power and pressure became too much.

  It was a disheartening result, but Sebastian steeled his heart, for not everyone failed.

  In total, thirteen disciple candidates survived, though

  not all of them succeeded in breaking through to [Essence

  Consolidation]. They all continued to cultivate within the Cave of Latent

  Demons for years, cultivating under Sebastian’s careful watch. Although

  some of these thirteen had succeeded, the many deaths left him

  concerned. He wasn’t comfortable releasing them just yet.

  The cave system was expanded regularly, and while the

  first generation continued their cultivation journey, revisions and

  adjustments were made, and new generations of candidates were brought in

  and trained.

  In spite of the deadly setbacks, it was only a matter of

  time until the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult would amass a powerful force

  of demonic cultivators to unleash upon the world.

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