To designate status in the Sect, members are rewarded varying facilities. As people usually had their own sword which they were emotionally attached to, the Sect did not grant people swords as they had already adopted the ideology which states that swords were like fortuitous encounters and they must be toiled with not for. The facilities rewarded included baths, smiths, housing, and obviously places to train. They might not have lived as luxuriously as they could have if they left the sect but through a.s.sociating with other pa.s.sionate lovers of the Sword and being taught by those superior, one had more potential to reach greater heights in their lifetime.Since Sword Sages were figureheads, they obviously were given lavish accommodations. Sword Sages and Saints lived in separate residences while Blademasters and below resided within the same communal building within tiered floors.
Guren did not have the key to his own residence however, that mattered little to someone like Atlas.
[Skill Unveiled: Lockpicking B]
[Skill Unveiled: Dexterity B+]
With hands that were able to type over 250 words per minute before meeting the System, he could have been considered quite dexterous. However, that would be an understatement as due to having been locked up by his family so often, he had mastered the art of picking locks with flimsy materials and could be an incredible ma.s.seur if he had any interest in the occupation.
Through his masterful manipulation of strings which were flexible yet firm, he effortlessly unlocked the door to what should have been his home. As the residence had a total of three stories, he calmly surveyed the furnishings of the home.
The Mystical Blade Sect sure didn"t cut any corners when providing for their figureheads as the wood which the furniture was carved from was of high quality and durable enough to contend with steel. The carpeting was also embroidered with detailed murals which seemed to have used threads of pure gold. Guren would have spent his time reviewing and studying the ancient furnishings of imperial quality if it was not for the intense stench of musk lingering in the air.
Guren dared not touch the furnishings despite being curious as splotches of a dubious substance stained parts of them. Reaching the staircase leading to the second floor, the stench only grew stronger and he caught sight of scattered garments. Many soiled dudous lay on the floor which made it obvious that those responsible were far more than l.u.s.tful. They copulated like rabbits that did it not for the pleasure but because it was required in order to live. It disturbed him as he was disgusted but he was more confused by what he sensed.
Upon arriving at the third floor, he started hearing sounds of grunts and sensuous moans. A nubile female moaned in a sultry and alluring tone as she continually tempted the male which relentlessly discharged into her.
"More, Faster!", the female demanded as her visage distorted into an o.r.g.a.s.mic expression.
"How much more?", the man complained as he was clearly tired of doing the same thing over and over again.
The man then sighed with slight disgust and suggested, "If you need it that badly, why don"t you just start an orgy?"
The female then shook her head vehemently and slightly glared at him, "They"re too weak for it to have any effect. Besides, isn"t stroking your ego beneficial to you?"
She was about to change positions before continuing but stopped completely. Disregarding her state of complete undress, she stared in fear at Guren who stood just behind the door. The man had just noticed as well but before they could react, Guren kicked down the door.
"How are you two simultaneously both dead and alive?", Guren asked while unleashing an oppressive aura.
The two gawked with jaws agape as they could not believe that the person they had killed had resurrected and had become so powerful.
"Could he also be possessed?", the female Swordwielder suggested.
"Impossible. The real soul has long since departed", the male Blademaster clarified.
Knowing that the newly arrived ent.i.ty was not one of their own but also capable of affecting souls, they immediately tried to retreat.
Pulling out a small key which was faintly purple, the male Blademaster and the female Swordwielder tried to open a portal. Seeing the tear in reality, Atlas was reminded of the h.e.l.l realm which he was currently reconstructing into a more Elysian place as he was not very fond of macabre and grotesque depictions. Seeing the two try to enter, he immediately slashed towards the portal with Worldly Rend.
The Blademaster reacted quite quickly and attempted to mitigate the blow. The former female Swordwielder had already entered which made Guren frown.
The frightening strength of Worldly Rend shattered the Blademaster"s sword and diced the flesh on his arms. Despite having shredded flesh that oozed blood hanging on his forearms and near death, the Blademaster did not back down as he was a prideful creature. Before Guren was able to finish the defeated, the arms of the female Swordwielder appeared out of the portal and dragged the Blademaster in at a speed which rivaled Atlas".
Due to being experienced with portals, Atlas had no fear and tried to enter the portal which began to dwindle.
[Requirements Not Met]
Just like the Key to Purgatory, he was unable to access the realm beyond. Enraged by the lock which he could not meddle with, he abruptly swung his sword. He then calmly walked away without looking back. After walking for a mile, the entirety of Guren"s abode crumbled into pieces smaller than a six sided dice.
___
Tianli immediately left to go find Guren after informing both Sword Sages and the Sword Saint of Guren"s decision.
The Sword Saint attempted to postpone the tournament till after the Sword Saintess" arrival as he thought that the Sword Saintess would stop whatever failing scheme, Guren had concocted but Tianli ceaselessly refuted the request.
Tianli remembered Guren"s comment about the Sword Saintess and he agreed with the decision. He knew Guren was dead but he did not mourn in anyway. After all, he was still unsure of the real Guren"s strength and only knew of Guren as an overly esoteric vagrant. Those who knew Guren would probably despair though and it"d be best to avoid them especially the Sword Saintess who seemed to be in love with Guren.
The Sword Saint Longzhan stroked his long beard in contemplation. He was fond of the Sword Saintess Nanling as she reminded him of a granddaughter which he never had.
He also remembered how she treated Guren when they were together. Despite her harsh behavior, her overall actions revealed her affection even if the immediate actions were a bit harsh as a result of her feeling easily embarra.s.sed. She was currently on a mission to acquire her ideal sword from the fabled Kingdom of Smiths and likely would be gone for at least half a year.
Understanding that Guren had been a bit odd lately and that Nanling was not able to be there to help, he decided to spectate the tournament in order to help Guren in Nanling"s stead.
The ground then shook from the crumbling abode and Longzhan murmured, "Seems spectating won"t be enough"
Hexiu and Zhuye had been sparring when Tianli informed them. The two looked at each other and asked the other if they were going to attend.
"Are you going?", Hexiu asked Zhuye.
Zhuye nodded before saying, "Watching that Guren be thrashed around will be interesting"
Hexiu then added, "Then we should definitely there to maintain the reputation of Sword Sages. He is already marring the qualifications of Sword Sages just by being one"
"I wonder if he can even beat a Blademaster"
While the figureheads were underestimating Guren, those Blademaster and below were excited for the tournament. As they did not know the Sword Sage which had made the announcement, they a.s.sumed it was a new Sword Sage and were slightly confused as to why the Sect had not announced that they had a fifth Sword Sage. If they knew it was Guren though, they would"ve gone along with Hexiu and Zhuye and partic.i.p.ated in order to laugh at the trash with the most connections in the Sect.
___
Guren honed the dulled Steel Slayer with a whetstone as he ruminated on the portal.
That was definitely a succubus, Atlas thought as he remembered the soul signature which he had seen through his Soul Perception. The desire for intercourse, the body odor, and the soul signature matched that of a succubus however there was a slight error when it came to the body. The body was clearly a human"s but the behavior and soul was that of a succubus".
It was the same with the male Blademaster but he had something else possessing him. Atlas had never seen this sort of creature so he had no understanding of it. He understood though that the two were from the realm which Idyl and Revel descended from.
[Soul Supremacy: Can demons possess humans?]
[Duke of Sloth: No but spirits can]
[Soul Supremacy: Could you be considered a spirit?]
[Duke of Sloth: We can be considered former spirits as we were forced out of the realm]