"Starforge Clan? What is he talking about?" John asked Adam. He had met Adam back on the Yuan Continent during the Heavenly Lightning Sect entrance exams, and Adam had never once indicated such a background.
However, Adam remained silent, unable to think of how to reply. He was still shocked after running into the other youths, and his mind was a mess at the moment.
"Adam was exiled from our Starforge Clan to a clan branch on some backwater continent, instructed never to return. However, it seems like he's decided to ignore his exile, and has returned regardless."
"I was exiled from the clan, and so I am no longer part of your dogshit Starforge Clan. As far as I'm concerned, you can't tell me what to do anymore," Adam finally replied after finding his confidence.
John nodded his head in approval at Adam's reply, as he had finally found his backbone.
"You may be exiled, but Starforge blood still runs through your veins, as much as we would like it not to. As such, you can never truly leave the clan. You are a pawn of the clan, destined to be forever punished for your heinous crimes," Rydan replied, his attitude arrogant and smug.
"And what crimes would those be?" John asked.
"Oh, he didn't tell you?" Rydan replied as his smug gaze lingered on Adam. "You see, Adam here stole something incredibly important to our clan. He was found out, and his punishment was permanent exile from this continent."
"Liar. I never stole anything," Adam replied angrily.
"Oh? To this day you still dare to lie about stealing the clan heirloom, despite the fact that it was found in your spatial ring for the entire clan to see?" Rydan replied, clearly enjoying talking down to Adam.
"I was framed," Adam raged out again. "Probably by that bastard Kadin, or his fucking father."
The arrogant faces of the four Starforge youths darkened upon hearing Adam's words, while the aura of Rydan began to climb.
"You dare speak about Young Master Kadin and the Clan Leader that way? It seems like your exile was not punishment enough, and further punishment is needed. We'll see how the Clan Leader feels about that when you return with us to the Clan, and decides on your traitorous fate," Rydan replied menacingly as he stepped forward towards Adam, his arm stretching out to grab Adam. At the same time, a restrictive aura washed over the group, making it so that Adam and Chase were unable to move.
Iris', with her half-step Heaven Tribulation cultivation was able to move, although very sluggishly. It was as if a mountain was resting on her, and each and every action required tremendous energy. While Rydan's aura had clearly risen quite a bit, it was not strong enough to repress the group like this. Clearly he had used some sort of formation to achieve this result.
Rydan's arm suddenly stopped, and he glanced over to the side to look at John who had grabbed it with great force. Rydan raised an eyebrow at John, impressed he was able to move at all, but scoffed as he sent a surge of power directly towards John with the intention of suppressing him entirely.
"Ghh"
A soft grunt of pain sounded out as Rydan grit his teeth in pain from John's grip as it tightened. Rydan felt like he was being gripped by a ferocious Heaven Tribulation beast, and was unable to shake it off regardless of what he did. At the same time, it felt like his arm was about to break, shocking him completely.
John was a Late Meridian Forging youth, and so Rydan had almost completely ignored him. However, he could now tell that he had greatly underestimated John, and was not someone he could ignore completely.
"Adam is a disciple of the Heavenly Lightning Sect now, and is no longer your clan's concern. Release your power, or I'll break your arm right now," John said coldly, his gaze like a hunter staring at its prey. Rydan's arrogant gaze softened as he couldn't help but feel a shiver run up his spine as his instincts flared, screaming 'danger'.
"You dare touch Young Master Rydan?" one of the youths from the Starforge Clan yelled out angrily while moving towards John.
"Stop," Rydan suddenly instructed through gritted teeth. His gaze lingered on John for a moment before shifting to Adam, who was pressed to his knees on the ground. After a moment of silence, his restrictive power vanished, allowing Adam, Chase and Iris to move freely once again.
Rydan's gaze shifted back to John, and the two locked gazes for a while before Rydan smiled arrogantly.
"I look forward to running into you when the realm opens. We'll see how long that arrogance of yours lasts then," Rydan said arrogantly before turning around and leaving.
John's narrowed gaze watched the group of Starforge youths leave, before he looked at Adam, who stood there meekly, clearly shaken up by the events. He walked up and stood before Adam for a short moment, before patting him on the shoulder.
"Come on, let's head back inside, we still need to have our meal," John said with a smile on his face.
A surprised look appeared on Adam's face as he gazed up at John. "You don't want to know the truth of what just happened?" Adam asked. He had figured John would demand for a proper explanation.
"You can tell me about all that stuff when you want to, but for now let's forget about it and eat," John replied as he pushed Adam into the restaurant, followed by Iris and Chase.
…
Later that night, John was seated in his room, focusing on cultivation. After the run in with the Starforge youths, the group had eaten a hearty and delicious meal at the restaurant, before each decided to retire to their rooms to focus on cultivation. It was clear that the realm opening was not going to be as harmonious and straight forward as initially expected.
Knock!
Knock!
Knocks at John's door sounded out, breaking him out of his cultivation trance.
"Come in," John instructed, as he knew who it was. The door quickly opened, and Adam stepped inside. He stood there silently for a moment before walking over to John and sitting on the floor next to him.
Adam continued to remain silent for a moment as he figured what to say, while John waited patiently for his friend to start talking. After the short silence, Adam's gaze shifted to John, and a deep sigh escaped his lips.
"I suppose I owe you an explanation for everything that happened today.. I owe you that much at the very least," Adam sighed. "I guess I'll start at the very beginning, with me growing up in the Starforge Clan…"