Vonduhr was a small city situated at the beginning of a mountain path.
It was mostly inhabited by non-cultivators, the people there lived off simple professions like hunting or farming.
However, in the last month, many peculiar people were seen crossing its streets to enter the Three-jugs tavern.
What was also peculiar was that the tavern, which was one of the few recreative businesses in the city, had closed its entrance to the normal citizen.
The common people of that world knew that when something unexpected or strange happened, it was likely related to the world of cultivation.
Therefore, they began to avoid the tavern and continue with their own business, if those peculiar people were really cultivators, they would rather stay away from them.
Noah arrived in Vonduhr exactly one month after he had received the "Breath" blessing.
He was wearing tight black clothes as usual but his head was covered with a large hood and half of his face was hidden behind a tight scarf.
Only his cold eyes were uncovered and they carefully examined the streets of the city.
'Should be that way.'
Noah moved toward a small building with a banner featuring three jugs.
He had trained for the whole month, steadily improving his strength and making the best use of his new cultivation resource.
Sadly, he didn't manage to have any breakthrough of the sort, he simply had not enough time for that.
'I wonder what type of cultivators did the Royal family gathered.'
Noah arrived in front of the tavern and knocked three times before opening his mouth to speak through the scarf.
"The golden eagle eats the red mouse."
The door released a metallic sound after those words were spoken and Noah pushed it to enter the building.
He was immediately assaulted by a tense atmosphere as twenty or so cultivators turned to look at him.
They were mostly dressed like him, with their faces covered and wary gazes, yet there were a few exceptions.
"My, my, another valiant warrior. Would you like a cup of wine?"
A female voice sounded as soon as the door closed.
Noah turned to see a figure walking toward him holding a jug that exuded an intoxicating smell.
The figure belonged clearly to a female cultivator and that wasn't only obvious from her voice.
She was almost naked, with only a few strands of clothes wrapped around her bosom and buttocks.
Her face was almost completely covered by yellow bandages, revealing only her shiny green eyes.
Her sensual forms coupled with her gaze would test the self-restraint of any man.
Noah felt that the odor coming from the jug was attempting to affect his mental sphere so he immediately reacted.
A saber appeared in his hand and he swung it toward the wine.
The woman dodged the attack but a few drops of the liquid contained in the jug fell on the ground and began to consume the wood of the floor.
In a few seconds, a small fuming hole was created in the tavern.
"…"
An awkward silence was created in the room as all the cultivators stared at the hole.
"Oh my! I must have switched the liquid, I'm sorry! Take this refreshing beverage as a sign of excuse."
The woman took out another cup and tried to hand it to Noah.
"Jean, stop it. We all know of your title 'Enchanting poison', do you really think that the Royals would recruit someone that stupid to fall for your traps?"
A fat man spoke to her from the back of the room.
"Shut up, fatty! Let me have some fun. Those fucking Elbas have kept me in a cage till now!"
The man snorted at her rebuke.
"Didn't you expect that much after you killed almost everyone in your mansion?"
"Hmph! They were just blind idiots, they didn't recognize my talent so they had to die."
Jean said, sitting in a corner of the room with her legs spread wide, revealing the covered parts of her lower body.
The gazes of the male cultivators turned to stare at her with eager eyes and many gulps could be heard in the room.
'Why must I always be surrounded by idiots?'
Noah internally shook his head and turned to sit near a wall of the tavern.
"Hey, new one, what's your story?"
The fat cultivator asked Noah.
"I don't have a story."
Noah casually answered and closed his eyes, he had understood by then that the people in there were just like him: criminals.
"But you must have one, I'd even bet an interesting one for you to be here. I'm fatty Joe, I did some stuff on the western side of the country and now I'm a dog of the Royal dynasty."
Jean snorted and looked at Noah.
"Don't listen to him, he is a fatty addicted to human flesh. I advise you to never turn your back on him if you don't want to be bitten."
"Come on, don't be that mean, my cultivation technique works like that. I believe that everyone in this room has done its fair share of crimes to cultivate in this world ruled by nobles."
"He is right, Jean. We are the demons that the Royals use when they don't want to get their hands dirty."
Another man spoke, joining the conversation.
Jean snorted and spoke in an angry voice.
"Those fucking nobles think that they can set rules that only benefit them and label as a 'Demon' everyone that manages to break them. I could have been the genius of my generation in the alchemy field, instead I was relegated to be the maidservant of spoiled brats for half my life. No wonder the Elbas family ruled for such a long time, they don't care much about your origins and just accept everyone that has talent."
"Haha, that's true. But it's also true that they only use us as disposable slaves."
"Well, we don't have much choice. If we want to continue to cultivate, we need their support."
Many other people joined the conversation and Noah listened attentively to their words.
In the end, realization dawned upon him.
'They are just like me, talented people that had to break the rules to embark on the cultivation journey. I guess it's true that the Royal family has gathered enough dangerous individuals through their rule, I'm just the last one to join their hidden forces.'