Sunlight filtered through the window shades in the early morning, waking John up. He stretched his body for a moment before standing up.
'What a day yesterday. First the monthly life and death duels, and then discovering that mysterious place. I wonder if today will be as eventful.'
John put on a clean blood red robe, and quickly inspected his soul soon after. He inspected it for some time before sighing in relief.
'Good, it seems as though the mask truly only siphons my soul when I change my appearance, not when I use one appearance for a prolonged time.'
He had been worried that the mask would siphon his soul after prolonged use, as such a thing would be far too steep a price to pay for this mission. If the mask had truly had negative effects on prolonged use, he would most likely call the mission off and return home.
'It's too bad though. Changing appearance often would be beneficial for infiltration, but I assume I can only change my appearance once or twice more before the damaging soul affects become too much to heal.'
After cleaning up, John prepared to step outside, but his footsteps paused as he looked at the door. A moment later, the door flew open, revealing a person standing there. The bright morning sunlight cascading from behind the man obscured his features, and the man had no cultivation.
John frowned as he saw this, as he didn't know who this man was.
"Are you John Harren?" the man asked.
"I am, who are you?" John replied, his guard still raised. It was quite rare to see someone without a cultivation, and there were only two explanations. Either the man was wearing a cultivation obscuring artifact, or he was above the Heaven Tribulation Realm.
The man suddenly stepped into John's house, his features now revealed. He was an older man, appearing to be in his sixties. He had a clean shaven face, but quite a mean looking face. He wore a perpetual scowl on his face, and his nose was pointed and sharp. He wore blood red robes with two wide bands on his arms, signifying his status as an Elder of the Sect.
"I am Elder Praxx," the man replied to John's question as he looked around the small room. His gaze found nothing of interest, and his attention quickly focused back on John.
John felt an incredibly powerful divine sense wash over him, inspecting him closely. John was not sure whether this divine sense belonged to a Heaven Tribulation Elder or higher, but it didn't matter to him at the moment.
He wasn't worried about the Elder finding out about his secret identity, as none of the previous Elder's had been able to. The divine sense scanned John's body closely for some time, making him frown as he shifted his weight.
It was quite rude to scan someone like this, especially for so long. However, John could say nothing, as the Elder was much stronger, and also had much higher status within the sect. A moment later, the divine sense scan disappeared, and a slight look of approval appeared on the man's previously scowling face.
"Not bad. I can somewhat understand why you were able to win your duel so quickly," Elder Praxx said to John.
"Thank you for your praise, Elder Praxx," John replied. "Is there something I can help you with?"
John was unsure of the reason for this Elder's visit, and wanted to get to the bottom of it.
'I hope I wasn't spotted by the mysterious tunnel last night. I don't really want to explain my way out of that one.'
Elder Praxx walked deeper into the room past John and looked around. He inspected the bookshelf, which contained only low level battle arts and cultivation techniques, before turning around to face John once more.
"Before today, I have never heard of you. Now I hear you're the talk of the sect, displaying battle prowess far beyond what you were capable of just mere months ago. Explain to me how such a thing is possible?" Elder Praxx asked John in a questioning tone.
John frowned as he heard the Elder's questioning tone, but remained calm.
"I already explained it to the Punishment Hall Elders," John replied.
"I am not part of the Punishment Hall, nor did I hear anything about that. So, I'll ask for the last time. How did you increase your battle prowess this quickly?" Elder Praxx replied with a voice of displeasure.
John was slightly surprised to hear that the Punishment Hall had kept this information a secret, as it really wasn't a big deal. However, he had to stick to the story he had given them, and so told Elder Praxx the same thing.
"As I told the Punishment Hall Elder's, my battle in the borderlands with the Heavenly Lightning Sect pushes me to the edge of life and death. On that precipice, where my life was hanging by a thread, I had some insights, and managed to peer deeper into the martial laws of this world. Those insights greatly increased my combat prowess, and allowed me to get out of that situation alive," John replied.
Elder Praxx remained silent and listened closely while John revealed what had happened, as if he was looking for a hole in John's story.
"What insights did you have?" Elder Praxx asked.
John was slightly caught off guard by this question, as such things were normally cultivation secrets that others did not dare to ask. However, as an Elder of the sect talking to a disciple, such a thing was not unheard of.
However, John had already prepared his answer beforehand if someone asked such a question.
"I managed to gain insights into several heavenly Dao's. More specifically, the Dao's of Annihilation, Destruction, and Power. Not only did my insights increase my battle prowess, but also solidified and strengthened my cultivation," John replied.
He had not yet revealed these Dao's with his true identity to anyone other than the Vice Sect Leader, the Sect Leader, and Miko. As such, no one would be able to put two and two together about John's real identity.
Elder Praxx raised his eyebrows in slight surprise at John's explanation.
"Three Dao's at once? That's quite impressive. Many cultivators struggle their entire lives to peer into a single Dao. Show me!"
"What?" John asked. "You want me to show you my comprehension?"
"Yes," Elder Praxx replied with a stern voice, leaving no room for discussion.
John frowned once again at this, but did as commanded. He raised his hand, and focused his mind. Soon after, three unique forces began to emanate from his hand. They each contained impressive power, and Elder Praxx could clearly feel them.
"The Dao of Destruction, which focuses on the inanimate, which when yielded to its full might can destroy continents and empty oceans.
The Dao of Annihilation, which focuses on life, and the annihilation thereof.
The Dao of Power, which as its name indicates, focuses only on power. It is the perfect Dao to interlink and amplify the Dao of Annihilation and Dao of Destruction, forming a perfect trinity of strength and might."
Elder Praxx stared at John's hand as he mumbled out these words. His words struck John's mind like a hammer, infusing new perspectives and insights regarding the dao's he controlled. John fell into a trance as he ruminated over these words, and Elder Praxx remained silent as he noticed this.
A while later, John finally snapped out of his trance. His eyes focused back on the Elder before him, and he bowed slightly in thanks.
"Thank you Elder, for your words of insight."
Regardless of whether the Elder was an enemy or not, his words had truly helped. John felt his comprehensions for all three Dao's increase, which would increase his combat prowess even further.
Elder Praxx nodded his head slightly in approval at John's display of gratitude.
"I was skeptical when I heard of your sudden rise, but I am now convinced. I will allow you the opportunity to become my Direct Disciple."
John raised his head as he looked at the Elder. "Opportunity?"
"Yes. The bi-annual disciple battles will begin next week. You will participate in it," Elder Praxx explained.
'Bi-annual disciple battles? I read about this yesterday. It's quite similar to the battles that take place every six months within the Heavenly Lightning Sect, where disciples can challenge each other to rise through the ranks.'
"I just have to participate in it?" John asked.
"Of course that's not all. You will challenge one of the Three Emperor's, and claim your status as one of them," Elder Praxx explained. "Only if you defeat one, can you become my Direct Disciple. If you can't even accomplish such a thing, then you are unworthy of such a title."
John remained silent as he thought over the Elder's proposal.
'Three Emperors? Seems like Damon and the Sword Emperor have already been replaced. But...this is actually perfect. This Elder seems like he's quite strong, so I'm sure he knows a bit about what's going on within the sect. Hopefully this will allow me to gather more intel in the future.'
"It will be done," John replied with a confident voice.
Elder Praxx smiled slightly, momentarily erasing the permanent scowl on his face.
"Good. If you manage to succeed, perhaps you can rise above the level of my previous useless disciple, Damon. Do not disappoint me."
Elder Praxx walked past John and out of his house, leaving him alone once more. John's thoughts raced as he heard the Elder's last line.
'He was Damon's master?'