John's figure stood tall on the martial platform as the entire crowd cheered with absolute enthusiasm. He had been a pariah going into this day, as he was looked down upon by almost all the disciples of the sect.
However, each battle of his today had outclassed the previous, and slowly but surely the crowd began to root for the underdog. The outer disciples cheered when one of them became an inner disciple, and continued to climb battle after battle.
He had become a sort of beacon of hope for the lower ranked disciples, as if someone like him could achieve such a thing, then perhaps they themselves were not hopeless after all. While the core disciples felt less warm towards him, as they felt irked that an outer disciple could outperform themselves, the rest of the discipleship cheered for John with all their hearts.
John stood there with a blank expression on his face as he watched the crowd cheer for him.
'Lt's see if you cheer for me when I burn this sect down.'
John couldn't care less about the cheers, or the fact that he was now the new 'hero' of the lower ranked disciples. His only care in the world right now was to discover what the sect was up to, and he had achieved his first major goal in being able to do so..
A figure suddenly appeared before John, and nodded at him with approval.
"You did not disappoint me, my disciple" Elder Praxx said to John.
John stared at Elder Praxx for a moment before nodding his head in agreement.
'It seems Elder Praxx truly is quite strong to be able to overwhelm the other Elder that easily. It seems as if my choice to accept his offer was the correct one.'
The cheers continued for some time, before the crowd finally began to flood out of the arena. After more than twenty hours of battle, the bi-annual disciple battles had finally come to an end. The battles had been exquisite, and everyone knew this particular day would be discussed for many years to come.
"Follow me," Elder Praxx suddenly instructed as he took to the sky.
Flying through the sky of the Bloodfiend Sect was reserved only for Elders, or when Elders approved of disciples to do so. John took to the sky directly after, and followed Elder Praxx as they sped through the air.
After some time of flying, John landed on top of a mountain which contained only three mansions. The mansions were incredibly grand, and were large enough to house dozens of people.
Elder Praxx pointed to one of the mansions. "As one of the Emperors now, this is your new lodging. The servants have already removed Alix's belongings."
"That was fast," John exclaimed in slight surprise. His battle had just recently ended, but it seems as though Elder Praxx was prepared for this moment.
'I guess he believed in my ability to win a bit more than he lets on.'
Enter and make yourself accustomed to your new home, and take a few days to rest from your battles. Find me at my mansion, located on Ashlite Mountain, in three days time," Elder Praxx instructed.
John nodded his head, and Elder Praxx immediately took off to the sky, disappearing from sight. He watched the Elder leave, before he turned back towards the mansion directly in front of him.
'Well, I guess this is my home for the next short while. Might as well make the most of it.'
John quickly entered the mansion, and was greeted by over twenty people standing in the main lobby.
"Welcome, master," they called out in unison, their heads bowed as they did so.
John closely inspected each one, and discovered that each person was only in the Mist Creation realm.
'Mist Creation servants I suppose. Although there's quite a bit more than my house back in the Heavenly Lightning Sect.''
John greeted the servants, and had one of them show him around his new lodging. The mansion was absolutely grand, and had facilities even more luxurious than his house back in the Heavenly Lightning Sect.
His training facilities were top notch, impressing John greatly. He had many stations dedicated to relaxation and luxury, although John didn't really find interest in those. After getting the full tour of the house, John dismissed the servants as he retired to his room.
The room was incredibly large and luxurious, and John washed himself and changed his robes before he retired to bed, completely exhausted from the long day of battles.
The next few days were spent locked in his room, cultivating and meditating on his comprehension from the battles. After consolidating all his new comprehensions and raising his cultivation slightly, John finally left his room and mansion, and sped off towards Elder Praxx's location.
Ashlite Mountain was located near the center of the sect, and was one of the larger mountains within the sect. John arrived before the mountain, and raised his eyebrows slightly at the sight.
'There's only a single, massive palace located at the very top of the mountain. The rest of it is completely uninhabited. Elder Praxx has an entire mountain to himself? Seems like he wasn't lying, and that his status within the sect is quite high.'
John climbed the trail that led up the mountain, and took his time in doing so. Flowers, blooming trees, streams, and waterfalls lined the singular trail, making it quite beautiful. John eventually arrived at the top of the mountain, where the lone palace stood.
The palace was absolutely massive, and easily dwarfed Johns new housing. The palace was black and gold, and had many ornate details cared into the outside walls and spires, and many detailed statues lining the property.
Two guards stood outside the main gate, stopping any unwanted intruders. John greeted both, and they let him in, already knowledgeable that John was Elder Praxx's new disciple. A servant met John out in the courtyard.
"Elder Praxx is expecting you. Follow me."
John followed behind the servant, which led him deep into the heart of the palace. In a luxurious study, Elder Praxx was sifting through some ancient scrolls when John entered. The servant quickly left, leaving only the two of them there.
"Ah, you're finally here. Follow me," Elder Praxx instructed as he set his scrolls down.
"Where are we going?" John asked as he followed closely behind.
Elder Praxx looked over his shoulder at John before looking forward once again.
"We're going to see Sect Leader Allfiend."