Mystical Journey

The approaching man wore a plain white suit with a torn open collar and a white rose stuck in front of his chest, while the faint scent of alcohol lingered on his body.

"When you returned, you brought a female Demon Phoenix with you, what level is she?"

"You didn’t try her?" Garen smiled.

"She gave me a really weird feeling," said Ivy while he furrowed his eyebrows. He stood behind the bench, while standing up steadily with both of his hands on the back of the seats.

"I wouldn’t be able to explain it clearly even in an hour and a half, so you’ll just have to touch it slowly to find out." Garen was uninterested in saying too much; this would involve a lot of trouble, and it was also difficult to explain. Plus, while having slightly hidden strengths could also be used as another trump card to stay alive.

"It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it, but the latest news that traveled from Daniela is that the war between Daniela and Obscuro Society started today, and this afternoon, one of Obscuro Society’s valuable Black Sky bases were completely destroyed. Black Sky is nowhere to be found, while the information and research results that Obscuro Society accumulated over the course of many years was wiped out by Phiroth," explained Ivycius , furrowing his eyebrows. "What are your plans?"

"They’ve finally started the war, huh?" Garen did not seem surprised. "They’ll fight their own war, and it’s unlikely that the winners and losers will be decided within an hour and a half. No need to rush. That’s right, how are the operations inside the palace?"

"Shouldn’t you be asking Lala that?" Despite saying that, Ivy reported the latest changes anyway. "The operations are fine. After the outside training was completed, although some of the scholars died from their injuries, they were others who took the opportunity to break through to level four, two of them actually, while three others broke through level three. Skyharp is already working on the preparations to activate the observation programs. Also, I’m marrying Skyharp in a month, interested in coming?"

"Wedding?" Garen was slightly taken aback, as he never expected Skyharp to take measures into her own hands so quickly, tying Ivy down in a such a short while.

"Yes," Ivy’s expression remained flat, without any signs of compulsion. "After so many years, it would have been difficult for her alone…"

Garen’s expression was strange. He was at a loss for words, as this woman Skyharp apparently had such an image in Ivycius’s heart. He related it to the chat that he once had with Skyharp.

Apparently… A cultured female hoodlum would not be as frightening anymore.

"Speaking of which, what about you and your fiance? You’re not young anymore, do you still plan on dragging it further?" Ivy changed the subject to Garen.

"There’s no rush, I still have some unfinished business…" Garen exhaled. The things he pursued, his goals, should not leave deep marks in this world as these were not Hathaway’s responsibilities. However, as he said, there were some things, that needed to be done regardless.

Continuing the Trejons bloodline was still a responsibility that his current body would not be able to reject, and perhaps once everything was done, assuming that he was still alive, he would go and marry Hathaway then.

"During this period of time, I’m planning to leave for a trip. If anything happens and you can’t handle it, just go look for Demon Phoenix."

"Understood," nodded Ivycius. When he returned this time around, he could no longer see through Garen, and vaguely guessed that the other man had broken through already. But if he had broken through, it was strange how Garen’s aura had become weaker, and more hidden. Ivycius himself had not broken through completely, and even if he had broken through, he was unclear regarding the great difference between regular Form 5 and peak Form 5.

He relied on normal Form 5 auras to judge and measure, but judgments like these were ultimately meaningless.

Both of them began shooting the breeze, and after understanding the main situation, they resumed their conversation by talking about the problems of Secret Technique practices. While Ivy asked most of the questions, Garen would answer, and as one of Garen’s Dragon Demons, Ivycius could share a part of Garen’s Swallowed Lives and recovery abilities. His powers were slightly stronger than before, and since he was also progressing to fuse, the questions that he asked were much clearer and were all related to the key aspects of breaking through to Form 5.

This also allowed Garen to understand his rate of progress, and it was certain that Ivy would break through soon, within the next few days.

The sky became darker, and the glow of the streetlights gradually replaced the remaining evening light.

Garen and Ivy were discussing a key problem of Form 5 fusion, suddenly, a dull crashing noise echoed from the further end of the palace. The Nine Snakes Defense inside the palace had been disturbed while it was showering.

Red light flashed from the red crystal necklace in front of Garen’s chest, shooting out a round, translucent, dim red screen, projecting it in front of Garen.

The scene of three Three Snake scholars surrounding one Four Snake scholar floated up on the round screen. Having three snakes meant that their Black Water True Technique was at least level three, as the number of these snake heads represented the level of their Secret Technique.

Three level threes ambushed a single level four. Since they were low level Secret Technique practitioners, although the difference between levels was not huge, level four was the limit of activated Totem Powers. The conclusion was obvious.

As expected, the three Three Snake scholars were knocked down on the ground, while the single Four Snake scholar was an indifferent young girl with short hair, blue eyes, white skin, and an average face, resembling a regular girl without any special traits. However, her attack move that knocked down three others made Garen’s face light up faintly.

That was not a battle skill of the Black Water True Technique, but an attack move of a completely different style.

As if she were a psychic, the girl knew the attacks of the three others like the back of her hand, allowing her to evade them calmly, and regardless of the complexity of the attacks. She dodged all of them easily, before retaliating instantly with her own attack when they missed.

"This is the girl who got rid of the top prodigy, Ansapello, and the second person who entered into level four," explained Ivycius on the sidelines. "She’s called Pefalia, has no surname, and was born to common people. She initially only fluctuated between level two, but after going out for training once, she broke through to level four a short while after returning, activating her Totem Power."

"Not bad, not bad, she seems to be around fifteen years old, right? Very good potential," Garen smiled.

"She returned with a brand new battle skill tactic, saying she found it from a relic that others had already flipped through, and after it went through the Nine Snakes System’s assessment, it was evaluated to be of Five Snakes-level."

The rankings of battle skill tactics, treasures, messages, and other things were based on the degree of their values, from one to nine, separating them into nine different levels. The higher the level, the more valuable its rank. Complete legacy types like the Black Water True Technique could sometimes achieve rankings as high as Form 5 Secret Techniques, which were equivalent to the highest Nine Snakes level.

Meanwhile, Ivycius’s legacy could achieve the highest ranking of peak Form 4, which was evaluated as Eight Snakes. By this understanding, the maximum legacy for middle level Form 4 was Seven Snakes.

The Five Snakes level was already an extremely high assessment level, and since it was an incomplete legacy, it was placed outside, and its value was equivalent to peak Form 3 Totem nurturing legacies. Those with less than ten thousand gold rumbs could not even dream of buying them.

"Besides that, when the scholars returned from their training outside, they brought back different Totem nurturing methods and battle skill attack moves, and two more even confirmed the intelligence information regarding suitable locations to practice the Black Water True Technique." As Garen’s Dragon Demon, it was natural for Ivycius to help him attend to these important matters.

"

Sending them out was truly a wise decision. What about Ansapello? Where is that guy now?" Garen suddenly thought of the arrogant guy who was brimming with talent.

"Hasn’t returned yet, after he broke through, he joined a hunting group and went out."

"What Totem did he choose?"

"Should be a Silver Crown Tiger, his talents are still unknown, that guy hides them very well," Ivycius shook his head. He admired this talented disciple highly, as he had great and wild ambitions, and a power that could still be strengthened. Although he was arrogant towards his teachers, he still possessed a required amount of respect.

For Garen and the others, the establishment of the Black Swamp Palace and the appearance of stronger prodigy disciples meant even better things for them. Regardless of which aspect was being looked at, from the outsider’s perspective, the more talented Ansapello became and the stronger he grew, he would always be a part of the Black Swamp Palace, and by extension, a part of the Black Swamp Palace’s strength as well.

As for his judgements, Garen could not think of a more suitable place to practice the Black Water True Technique than here. Leaving the Black Swamp Palace would make it harder for the disciples to progress even if they were prodigies, and from the moment he started practicing the Black Water True Technique, this path had already been decided.

"Observe him slowly," Garen instructed softly. "Besides that, list the Snowy Mountain in the Northern Region as one of the training ranges, you can discuss this with Blizzard and the others, there should be no problems."

"Alright."

Garen had already rearranged the Black Water True Technique again earlier, separating it into levels according to the Totem levels, meaning that level four would officially become equivalent to the Form 1 Totem level, level five would become Form 2, level six would become Form 3, level seven would become Form 4, level eight would become Form 5, and level nine would become peak Form 5.

The minor levels that were constantly forming because of the fusions would all be placed in level seven.

All seven levels of the Black Water True Technique were placed into the Nine Snakes System, but the Secret Techniques remained as Secret Techniques, and although the stronger Secret Techniques were only placed slightly higher, how many people could truly achieve all of them?

Countless people practiced Secret Techniques in the Secret Technique World, and there were many first rate exercises, but those who could truly become the King of the Century were limited to only two people; Cayduran, and Garen himself.

Even after placing the Black Water True Technique into the system as an achievement-based exchange item, in this manner, how many people would be able to enter Form 5?

Not even Form 5, but Form 4, how many of them were there? According to Garen’s estimates, even if he managed to get one out of a hundred of these disciple scholars, that would be considerably good.

As for Form 5, no one understood it fully. Even for the most prodigious disciples with great potential, how long would it take for them to truly become strong? Changes in their state of mind, the course of nurturing Totems, and the countless risks and dangers that they would encounter, were all unknown.

Garen’s plan for his household, and himself, was to leave a sort of foundation. Perhaps he would leave one day, but if he returned, all of the Totem Users that practiced the Black Water True Technique would become his greatest support. Not because of others, but because of the Black Water True Technique’s natural characteristics; the higher level Secret Technique Users would be able to suppress the lower level Secret Technique Users easily.

At the same time, using liquid type battle Secret Techniques like the Black Water True Technique at high levels would allow one to suppress the lower levels completely, blocking them from using even half of their powers.

Moreover, the most important point was that even if other people managed to practice it to the peak of level nine and broke through to Form 5, the Black Water True Technique was based on the Nine-Headed Hydra’s blood flow. The only person that possessed the Nine-Headed Hydra

Totem, which was Garen, would be able to suppress the peak Secret Technique Users regardless of the fact that they had broken through Form 5.

This was the only advantage, and it was the final advantage of the evolved Salamander that he had strengthened through his talents and abilities, and since there would neither be a second person with his attribute points and talents, nor a second person who would be able to fuse a dragon’s heart, or activate the will of the Nine-Headed Hydra’s bloodline, no one would ever be able to surpass him.

These were the conclusions that Garen had come up with over the past few days, and other than himself, the remaining practitioners of the Black Water True Technique were all modeled on the flow Nine-Headed Hydra’s bloodline, while he was the only person to truly possess this bloodline. Those who possessed this bloodline, were realistically able to greatly suppress the existence of the Black Water True Technique Secret Users that belonged to a level higher than themselves, stripping their opponent of the source of their power.