After making sure his friends were alright, John retired to one of the rooms of the ship to focus on cultivation and training his newly acquired battle arts. His blood was still running hot, and he didn't know what else he might do if set off by someone else, so retiring to his room for the moment was the smartest option.
Like this, John stayed in his room for several days to focus on raising his strength as much as possible. He made some progress in the Divine Reaping Scythe, which was proving quite hard to master.
Meanwhile, the hottest topic of discussion amongst the rest of the disciples was about John, and his origins. His incredible display of combat prowess, being able to repress Lyeon without him fighting back was beyond their imagination. In fact, if they had not witnessed such a thing with their own eyes, they would never believe it.
Although John had sneak attacked Lyeon, making his suppression much easier than a fight when both were ready, it was still beyond what a Late Meridian Forging cultivator should be able to do. In fact, most of the Early Heaven Tribulation disciples didn't dare to claim they could do the same thing if in John's position.
Finding out that he was indeed from a branch sect, and the weakest one at that only served to further the mysterious intrigue about him. Other than Adam, Chase, and Iris, no one else really knew much about John at all. They were some of the only first years on the ship, and the other first years only knew of John through the entrance exam.
Many questions were also lobbied at Thunderfist, but he refused to answer a single one and only replied with "ask John yourself."
However, none of the disciples wanted to do so, as they had seen how quick he was to anger. As such, the mystery of John continued to grow, while none of the disciples could get a clear picture of him and his powers.
After regaining full consciousness, Lyeon erupted with fury and anger. His aura exploded out powerfully once more as he recalled what had happened between him and John, and he instantly sought to seek out John for revenge.
His group of followers and friends held him back as best they could, not wanting to further escalate the tense situation.
"That bastard, I'll kill him," Lyeon murmured coldly after calming down with the help of his friends. "He dares to sneakily attack me like that? Just wait until we're in the dragon empire realm. We'll see if you can act so confidently then."
His friends, hearing the words from Lyeon couldn't help but glance at each other with wary gazes, but none of them spoke up, as they didn't want to attract the wrath of Lyeon at the moment.
Most disciples eventually decided to retire to their rooms as well to focus on cultivation, as each day spent lazing about was a day not raising their power.
…
A week later, John's eyes slowly opened as he felt the speed of the ship decrease greatly. A questioning look appeared on his face as he stood up and walked over to the door of his room.
'The Honorable Alliance is almost a month's journey. I wonder why we're slowing down already?'
John opened the door and stepped outside. He made his way towards the front of the ship, which was where Thunderfist stood at the ship's controls. Many other disciples were also curious about what was going on, as many streamed out of their rooms and towards the front of the ship.
The gazes of the disciples changed as many spotted John already standing there. It was the first time anyone had seen him since the fight, and all saw him in a new light now. While before he was an insignificant first year, now he was one of their Three Generals, and someone they did not want to piss off.
"What's going on?" John asked as he stood a short distance away from Thunderfist. "Why have we slowed down?"
"We're reaching the fractured lands," Thunderfist replied, his attention still focused ahead.
"Fractured Lands?" John asked.
"It's a land of spatial fractures, left over from the ancient cataclysm," a voice to the side of John spoke out. John turned his head to look at who it was, and saw one of the two other Generals, Lily, smiling at him. It was his first time hearing her talk, and she had quite a gentle and amiable voice.
"Spatial fractures from the ancient cataclysm? They still remain to this day?" John asked, slightly surprised to hear about such a thing.
"They do. The ancient war that brought the cataclysm was beyond our imagination, as were the powers of those fighting in the war. These spatial fractures were caused by their powers, and the world has been unable to fully heal them yet. If our ship is hit by one, there won't be much of it left afterwards," Lily explained.
John's gaze shifted forward once more, and a series of glinting lights came into view. Space seemed to ripple before them, and out of nowhere, a fracture in space appeared before disappearing instantly.
Thunderfist used his power to detect the spatial fragments and avoid them before they appeared, but such a thing required him to slow down, as well as use his divine sense to detect their appearance as soon as possible.
"You seem to know quite a bit about these lands," John replied after a moment of silence.
"I've lived on the Divine Martial Continent my entire life. It's only natural I know a bit about it," Lily replied with a smile. "The Honorable Alliance is located closer towards the center of the continent. the closer you get to the center, the more traces of the ancient war appear."
After explaining the spatial fragments, Lily leaned forward towards John, an action he found surprising as she suddenly whispered in his ear.
"Unlike Rael and I, Lyeon is far more wild and easy to anger. He will try to take revenge at the first opportunity he gets. While you did beat him before, we both know it won't be that easy if his guard is raised. He's quite powerful, so be careful when you're around him from now on."
Without waiting for a reply, Lily turned and left, leaving John standing there alone. His gaze remained unconcerned as he stared forward at the spatial fragments, although he did appreciate the warning from Lily.
'Seems not all the disciples at the top of this sect are bad.'
John remained for a short while longer before he retired to his room once more. After clearing the spatial fragments, the ship once again sped forward at full speed, its destination the Honorable Alliance.
…
In a hellish castle, filled with raging infernos and screams of agony, a lone shadowed figure sat on a throne. The figure was around five yards tall, and its shadowed body exuded an incredibly sinister and powerful aura. A cage filled with cultivators stood to its right, while a river of blood flowed from behind the figure to other parts of the castle.
The door to the audience chamber suddenly opened, and another lone figure walked into the room. It was a lone youth, who bowed towards the shadowed figure as soon as he entered the chamber.
"You called for me, my Lord?" the male youth spoke up respectfully, his head still lowered in respect.
"An opportunity has arisen, one only you can take part in," the shadowed figure spoke, its guttural voice booming within the chamber.
The youth remained silent with his head bowed, as he awaited further instructions from his Lord.
"The Honorable Alliance has decided to open a unique land they control, one filled with treasures and opportunities. " the shadowed figure explained. "They will send their most gifted geniuses to partake in this event…an event that you will participate in as well. There is a particular object within these lands that I need you to retrieve for me. Attend to Rykas, he will have more details of what you are to do."
A glint appeared in the youths eyes as he heard this, as he knew his Lord's intentions. Claim the opportunities for himself and his Lord, and cut down as many geniuses in the process at the same time.
"I will do as my Lord commands," the youth replied respectfully before turning around. As he reached the door, the shadowed figure spoke out once more, his voice lower and colder.
"Do not fail me, Asuros."
The youth turned and bowed once more before exiting the chamber, leaving the shadowed figure behind.
"With the Dragon-Essence Bone, I will be one step closer to healing my wounds and regaining my full power. Before long, this world will once again come to kneel before me."