The Cunning Treasure Hunter

The tent belonging to the Akrest Clan stood second only to the towering tent of the Sect Leader.

This meant that with a little focus, one could catch a glimpse of what was happening between the tents of Aetheris and Aiden

Ebon sat inside the tent, sharing drinks with Gideon, the Sect Leader, and Magnus, the head disciple.

But Thorn was different.

he sat upright, his gaze firmly fixed on Aiden's tent.

And then, purely by coincidence, he saw something intriguing.

Jace quietly entered Aiden's tent.

Shortly after, Aiden emerged just as discreetly.

"Well now, things are getting interesting," he muttered with a smirk.

* * *

"Senior Brother, are you here?"

"That voice… it's you, Aiden. What brings you here?"

The response was curt and icy.

Aetheris had clearly not forgotten the incident in which he had been humiliated after Aiden refused to hand over his disciple.

Aiden chuckled lightly, his tone teasing.

"Are you still upset about that little incident?"

"…No."

But he was.

Aiden lowered his voice into a conspiratorial whisper.

"How could I simply hand over my disciple like that? Imagine what people would say about me if I did."

"It almost sounds like you're saying you would give them up if the conditions were right."

"Why don't we discuss this inside?"

There was a moment of silence before the sound of a chair scraping the ground was heard.

Moments later, Aetheris opened the back flap of his tent.

"What do you want to say, Aiden?"

"I understand your perspective, Senior Brother. Everyone wants a talented disciple, after all."

"Hah, isn't that natural? Which martial artist in the Martial World doesn't desire success?"

"I'm no different, am I?"

Aiden's eyes gleamed, his expression masking his true intentions behind a veneer of calm and friendliness.

"Seeing Jace earlier, I must say, he is overflowing with talent."

"You think so too?"

"Yes, in my eyes, he's truly extraordinary."

A faint smile tugged at Aetheris's lips.

Although he disliked Aiden, he couldn't deny the younger man's sharp judgment.

Aiden returned the smile.

He had already resolved to crush the Sword Sovereign.

If he couldn't do it himself, he would use his disciples.

And if such schemes and manipulations were what it took, so be it.

If he couldn't mask his intentions or play the role, how could he ever achieve such a lofty ambition?

"So, Senior Brother, how about a deal?"

"A deal? What kind of deal?"

"You know Vera's skill far surpasses that of Dylan, don't you?"

Aetheris bit his lip, his pride stung.

But he couldn't deny the truth.

"…I do."

"In that case, if Dylan withstands three strikes from Vera's sword… I'll give her to you."

"That's absurd. She'll shatter his sword with her sword Radiance before he even survives the first strike."

"Then I'll make sure she doesn't use sword Radiance."

The hand Aetheris had been waving in dismissal paused mid-motion.

Under those conditions, there was a chance.

Still, he couldn't agree to the deal too hastily.

He needed to understand what Aiden wanted in return.

"And if he fails to withstand them?"

"Then you'll give me both of them,"Aiden said with a sly smile.

Aetheris's eyes widened in shock.

But Aiden's smile remained confident and predatory.

It was an enticing offer.

"Both of them?"

"Yes. Both."

If one considered only the value of the deal, it seemed fair.

Vera, after all…

At only fourteen years old, she had already reached the peak realm. Perhaps even younger.

This was evident from the moment she arrived at Mount Suncrest Sect, displaying skills that hinted at mastery even before her admission.

How far was she from reaching the level of Supreme Mastery?

No one could say for sure.

But she wielded sword Radiance effortlessly and even conjured the Black Cherry Blossom with a precision and scale befitting a master.

To Aetheris, she was more monster than human.

Even with his limited foresight, he could sense her potential to shatter not just the wall of peak mastery, but the barriers to the Supreme Flower Realm itself.

"…Fine. Let's do it," he said at last.

Three strikes.

That much could be endured.

Unbeknownst to him, Aetheris was blind to the fact that Vera had learned the Nine Heavens Cherry Blossom Sword Style, let alone the far superior Cherry Blossom Descent Manual.

Nor could he fathom the existence of the Sool Harmony Realm, a level of cultivation that allowed for the blooming of the Black Cherry Blossom.

And so, blinded by greed, he made his fatal miscalculation.

"You won't go back on this?"

"Of course not. And neither will you."

"In that case, should we have a witness?"

"A witness?"

At that moment, from the narrow alley of tents, a senior figure emerged.

It was Thorne, one of the Elders of Mount Suncrest Sect.

"You're having quite the interesting discussion here."

Both Aiden and Aetheris bowed deeply in respect.

Even though Thorne wasn't directly their master, his status as an elder equal to the Sect Leader demanded utmost deference.

"Shall I serve as your witness?"

Neither of them could refuse.

Aetheris, who had insisted on no changes to the terms, could hardly object now.

"That… that would certainly put me at ease. But how could I trouble you with such a request?"

Instinctively, Aetheris's political intuition warned him.

This wasn't a coincidence.

Thorne hadn't simply happened upon their conversation by chance.

Betting with disciples as stakes was unthinkable.

But to have such a gamble recognized and witnessed by an Elder of the Mount Suncrest Sect?

It sent a chill down Aetheris's spine.

Yet, the wager had already been made. There was no turning back now.

"Ah, such wagers must have proper witnesses. Don't you think so?" said Thorne, smiling faintly.

"Th-that may be true, but…"

Aetheris cast a sideways glance at Aiden, silently pleading for him to put an end to this.

But Aiden had no intention of intervening. After all, he was the one who had invited Thorne in the first place.

"It is indeed an honor to ask Elder Thorne to witness such a significant wager," said Aiden smoothly.

"Yes, of course…" muttered Aetheris, hesitating.

Thorne, however, simply chuckled and placed a hand on both their shoulders.

"The relationship between master and disciple is akin to that of father and child. A sacred bond. Since this wager involves such a bond, it must be upheld without fail."

"Yes, of course," Aiden agreed immediately.

"…I understand," Aetheris replied reluctantly, his face pale.

When he saw Aiden's smirk, his complexion darkened further, becoming almost ashen.

'…You're telling me she won't last three strikes?'

If he weren't confident, he wouldn't have started this in the first place.

Now everything rested on Dylan.

* * *

In the aftermath of Aiden's departure, the atmosphere within the tent was tense.

Marcus got up and patted Jace on the shoulder.

"You must have endured a lot," he said quietly.

"The pain of the Bone-Cleansing Rituals is akin to grinding one's bones and breaking them repeatedly. I can endure it, but Dylan…" Jace trailed off, lowering his head.

"Yes, it must be unbearable for her," said Marcus sympathetically.

"Not long ago, I had an argument with Dylan," admitted Jace.

Vera nodded silently; she had witnessed the argument herself.

"In the end, she couldn't take it anymore and told me to abandon the sect and run away with her."

"She must have been at her limit," said Marcus.

"Yes… but I stopped her."

Ethan frowned, unable to comprehend.

"Why, Senior Brother? Wouldn't that have been better?"

"You don't understand our master's feelings toward Aiden. It's not simple rivalry—it's a deep, bitter inferiority complex."

"…And so?"

"Even if she wanted to leave, do you think he'd let her go? He'd probably say, 'If you don't want to lose your limbs, obey my commands.'"

It was true.

Magnus himself had been petitioned to allow the monthly Bone-Cleansing Rituals, orchestrated by none other than Aetheris.

"Would he really go that far?" muttered Noah, rubbing his temples in frustration.

"He already has, Noah. He made a request to Magnus, and it was granted."

"But why is he so desperate to surpass Aiden?"

Before anyone could respond, Vera, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke up.

"If that's the case, leaving the Mount Suncrest Sect might make things even more dangerous."

"Why do you say that?" asked Jace, startled.

"Because outside, even Master Aiden wouldn't be able to protect her," she replied simply.

Her small head tilted slightly as she pondered potential solutions.

Seeing her, Jace felt a pang of guilt.

He had teased, provoked, and mocked this girl when they first met—how petty that seemed now.

"…Do you hate me?" he asked hesitantly.

"I don't," replied Vera.

"Why not?"

Her answer was astonishingly simple.

"Isn't that just how people are in their teens?"

For a moment, everyone—Jace, Marcus, Ethan, and Noah—was dumbfounded.

Did she realize she was the youngest among them?

"…Vera," said Marcus, finally recovering.

"Yes, Senior Brother?"

"You really do seem like an old soul," he remarked with a chuckle.

Vera blinked a few times before scratching her head sheepishly.

"Maybe it's because I worked as a maid for so long," she said.

"A maid?"

"Yes, Senior Brother."

Her unexpected revelation drew everyone's attention.

Vera, before joining the Mount Suncrest Sect…

"After my family fell, I was sold to the Storm Clan as a maid," she explained.

"You're still young now, Vera," said Marcus, his tone gentle.

"I was even younger then," she replied, her voice steady.

"…I see," said Marcus, nodding slowly.

She shared her story without emotion, offering only a brief glimpse into her past.

But she hid her true pain—the details of her family's fall, the reasons and events that led to it.

No one asked.

Among them, no one was tactless or heartless enough to pry.

"While I was working there, my master visited as a guest," she continued.

"And then what happened?"

"Nothing much…" Vera trailed off.

She couldn't share the story of how she had been drawn into the plot against the Sword Sovereign, not here.

"I was invited to join the Mount Suncrest Sect as a disciple. So, I came."

"I see," said Marcus.

As her story ended, the flap of the tent opened, and Aiden stepped inside.