Ace was emotionlessly looking at Mathies skeptical face on dirt. After a moment he takes a deep breath and finally averts his gaze.
Ace could tell that Mathies spoke the truth about 'White Crown' but the rest was utter nonsense. Mathies still tries to portrait himself as a righteous person but Ace knows the moment he starts to spout nonsense and try to deceive him again.
That old fox seems to didn't even care about his dead family at all. So, he simply didn't hear any more nonsense and sent him on his way.
"I've changed." Mutter Ace under his breath as looks at the dark sky.
Maybe because of the gates or darkness or after seeing the cruelty of men he finally comes to terms with his heart that he has to be ruthless while dealing with his enemies.
Mathies try to backstab him and ever after he gave him a chance he still harbors malicious intent towards him. Ace finally understands the meaning of those words he once heard from his grandma 'World Respects the Strong and disdain the weak!'
That time he was young and didn't understand them clearly but now he finally knows just what exactly that means. If he was strong enough did Dulce still dare to mascara his hometown or craving his secrets? Did Mathies dare to scheme against him and try to kill him for his own selfishness? Definitely not!
Ace sighs as he thinks about this and shook his head lightly. He was just about to tend his wound when he heard the system's voice,
"[You have killed an Early Stage Qi Foundation Building Realm Clone. You have earned 1000 EXP.]"
[EXP: 5020/50.000]
Ace was stunned after reading this and ask quickly, "System what do mean clone didn't I kill a living begin?"
"[10 Thief Points required for the answer.]"
"Just take them." Ace said grumpily.
'It starts again!' He thought as his faces turn dark. He previously thinks that after he opened the gates of darkness, the system was answering his question without asking for payment but he was utterly wrong.
"[Cloning or Self Clones can be made by special cultivation techniques, secret skills, rune crafting or some races has the innate ability to made clones from birth.]
[The host has just killed a clone of a Qi Soul Manifestation Realm cultivator that was made by a special cultivation technique. But this technique was clearly a basic-level soul-splitting clone technique and a flawed one at that.]
[Because after analysis system concluded that the main body can't see, feel or experience anything that the clone felt until the clone die. And clone wasn't even aware of its own existence as a mere cultivation clone. It has Emotion defects as well.]
[Now that the clone has been destroyed all the experience he's been through for his entire life would directly transfer into the main body.]"
Ace was flabbergasted by the consequential information and given the scare of his life. He cursed his bad luck a thousand times.
He couldn't help but shiver a little as he turns around to see the headless corpse on the ground and now he felt dread by looking at it. He has unknowingly killed a clone of a 'Qi Soul Manifestation' realm cultivator!
No matter how ignorant Ace was, he clearly knows the cultivator realms of this world and he never even heard or read about this realm before.
The only information known to the public about the cultivation realms were Qi Gates, Qi Foundation Building, Qi River, Qi River Core, and Qi Soul.
Even empires didn't know what comes after Qi Soul because just reaching the Qi Soul realm was enough to put an empire into the top 2 positions in the entire high-level lands!
But Ace clearly knows what comes after Qi Soul and that was exactly the Qi Soul Manifestation Realm!
Therefore, what does it mean by a Soul Manifestation realm expert? It simply means someone from Ancient Sects!
Ace was beginning to sweat profoundly, "I you know why didn't you tell me??!" He asked gloomily to the system. He felt like he has been swindle pretty badly by the system.
"[Host never asked.]"
"YOU!" He became speechless and nearly had a stroke.
If he knows this was a clone of someone this powerful and by killing it, he would alarm the main body, he would think hundred times before doing it. He could've just escaped and leave Mathies here.
"System can the main body of that person get the information about me as soon as it died and can he come here like through his clone?" He asked nervously as his imagination runs wild. If that was true he didn't know if he could escape someone this powerful.
"[Not possible with this kind of technique. He can only get the information after a week minimum and he will suffer the backlash from the technique because the clone was killed and it didn't die naturally. So, the host didn't have to worry about his safety for now, at least.]" This time it was a playful voice.
"What do mean for now? He will come for me sooner or later but he will come!" Ace sighed again and again in frustration. He has shot himself in foot this time around.
His secret was just too big for anyone to know and somehow he has even alarmed a cultivator of some ancient sect.
Ace shook his head in dismay and decided to lay low and tend carefully from now on.
Even if that Qi Soul Manifestation realm expert was from an ancient sect that doesn't mean he can find him in this big continent easily.
If not for the system notification he didn't even know about this matter but now that he knows he would never let his guard down easily.
'Let's see what happened in the future but if I become strong enough even that expert came I'll let him know why the flowers are so red." Ace grunted as he smiled.
After today's experience, he has become sharper and a little bit experienced.
He began to search for some cave to change his clothes before releasing Eva. Because she would be worried about him if she saw his condition. A smile form on Ace's face when remembered Eva and felt warm inside.
In this world, she was the only person that he trust the most besides his little sister.
Ace wanted to go to River Flower city first to see the current city condition but he decided against it because Dulce can lay a trap there as well and after he finds out about the clone thing he was not in the mood of wasting time anymore he has to become strong quickly.
Ace finds a calve in the outer region of the moon forest. He changed his tatter clothes into a new set and star fire.
With a gesture of his sleeve on the empty sheet of silk emerge a fairy-like sleeping beauty out of nowhere.
The girl was dressed in black robes, and her hands were placed gracefully on her abdomen. Just by look at her slender, delicate figure, one could tell that she was a piece of art especially her well-rounded big chest. There was a hint of glossy redness on her lips, making her appear seductive. She had an impeccably beautiful oval face.
Perhaps it was due to the contrast with her black dress, her skin gave off a luster reminiscent of snow. Her nose was curved in a shapely angle, and her lips glistened alluringly. Her delicate lower jaws and her slender neck further accentuated her moving face, making it hard for anyone to resist her charms.
She was Eva, without disguise of course.
Ace has seen her face many times but no matter how many times he saw this goddess-like face he would never be able to take his eyes away from it easily.
Especially her chest that give him, some particular kind of strange hot feeling whenever he saw it.
Eva's closed eyelids vibrate as she slowly opens them. Her fox-like eyes were open, they were a hint of confusion in those beautiful shining eyes. She looked around at the unfamiliar environment confusingly.
She clearly remembers being inside a dark room of the Inn but this was not a room at all and there was warmth coming from somewhere. She turns her head and saw the fire was lit and Ace was looking at her with a grin.
"Where are we?" She asked Ace in a stupor.
"Inside the Moon Forest." Ace said with a beaming smile. His fatigue lesser quite a bit after seeing Eva and taking with her.
She snapped out of her daze by hearing Ace's words. "But how did we escape and what did you do to me did you take advantage of me?" She asked him with a suspicious gaze.
Ace become speechless after hearing this and shook his head quickly and explain, "I put you inside a storage space that can store living beings. And NO, I didn't take advantage of you!" He didn't hide the living storage space from her because she never lies or hide anything from him. So, telling her about his little secret was not a big deal.
"You were unconscious the whole time?" He asked in puzzlement. Since he didn't know about how it feels like to be in storage space.
Eva becomes astonished after hearing about the living storage space. She didn't hear about this kind of thing before not even from her mother who in her mind was like an all-knowing being.
"Yes, it was like I was in a strange dream but there was only dark in that dream nothing else." Answered Eva as she remembered how it was in the storage space.
Ace was taken aback by this discovery. He didn't have time before to check the living storage space before and he has many fantasies about it like a child.
Previously he thinks that the storage space should be like the outside world and he could build a comfortable house inside to live but now his little dream was shattered by Eva in instant.
He tries to go inside the storage space to check but now it occurred to him that he can't get inside the storage space himself since it was not a tangible treasure, he can only store others.
He sighs with disappointment as he thought.. 'It seems I have to find a tangible living storage space treasure to build a house.'