The Cunning Treasure Hunter

"How has everyone been? Nothing major happened while I was gone, right?" Aiden joked as he entered the tent and sat down.

Everyone looked at him with curiosity, waiting for the results of his meeting.

"Don't worry, Jace. The discussion went well," he said confidently.

"What… what did you do, Master, to make that possible…?" Jace asked hesitantly.

"Vera, I have a favor to ask," Aiden said as he gestured for her to step forward with his large hand.

Without a word, Vera walked over and stood in front of him.

"Three moves, Vera."

"…Pardon?"

"You must not take more than three moves to defeat Dylan. That's my request."

At that moment, everyone understood. A gamble had been made.

Their master had wagered them as stakes.

"Master, was that even allowed?" Noah was the first to raise an objection.

Aiden laughed heartily.

"In a world full of desires, what can't be traded?"

"So you mean to say that you wagered on whether Dylan can withstand Vera's three moves…?" Even Marcus was astonished.

If Aetheris had been the one to propose such a deal, it would have been shocking enough. But for Aiden to approach him and initiate it?

"…Master, what if Aetheris denies the wager ever happened?" Jace asked nervously.

Aiden, sharp as always, responded with a knowing smile.

"That's why I ensured we had a witness."

"…Who in their right mind would witness a gamble like this?" Marcus asked, incredulous.

"My grandmaster himself, Elder Thorne."

At the mention of the name, everyone froze.

Thorne, also known as the Sword Emperor of Mount Suncrest, was one of the most revered elders of the sect. He was counted among the legendary Three Sovereigns of the Martial World, alongside the Sect Leader.

Only Vera tilted her head curiously. To her, Thorne was simply a kind and gentle old man she had met before due to her unique destiny.

"Did… did he agree to such a request?" Even Marcus seemed at a loss for words as he looked at Aiden in disbelief.

Aiden merely smiled.

"You don't yet understand Thorne, do you?"

"Master, we've hardly ever spoken to him, let alone met him…"

"He is far beyond me," Aiden said, patting Vera's head fondly.

"When I first brought Vera, the Sect Leader was opposed."

"Why?" Marcus asked, confused.

After all, with such extraordinary talent, one would expect nothing but praise.

Aiden looked at Vera, who nodded in silent approval, granting permission to reveal the truth.

"Because our Vera was born under the Celestial Blade Star."

A heavy silence descended upon the tent.

No one spoke, unsure of how to react.

The Celestial Blade Star was an omen of bloodshed, chaos, and calamity. Those born under it were destined to turn the world upside down, leaving a trail of blood, screams, and tears.

Finally, it was Marcus who broke the silence with a solemn nod.

"…The Celestial Blade Star."

"Yes, that's right," Aiden confirmed, looking down at the trembling Jace with an icy gaze.

His usual gentle demeanor was gone, replaced by a cold and calculating intensity.

It was the same piercing gaze he had used when pressuring Aetheris into the deal and when proposing to Vera that they target the Sword Sovereign.

It was the gaze of a man daring to defy the heavens.

"Vera," he called.

"Yes, Master."

"How many moves will it take to defeat Dylan?" he asked, his gaze fixed solely on Jace, leaving no room for retreat.

Vera thought carefully before replying, "If I do my best, one move will suffice."

"Then I permit you only one move," Aiden declared.

"As you wish," she replied.

In the distance, the sound of a trumpet echoed through the air.

The break was over.

It was time to step onto the Arena.

"If you win within three moves, both Dylan and Jace will belong to us. You understand what that means," Aiden said.

To him, this was all part of a grander plan.

To overturn the heavens, he intended to dominate Mount Suncrest Sect and use its power as a stepping stone to target the Sword Sovereign.

The spearhead of his revolution would be himself…

But without Mount Suncrest Sect supporting him, he would merely be a spent arrow, destined to falter.

"Master," Vera said.

"Yes?"

"One move will suffice."

With those final words, Vera lifted the Falling Blossom Sword and stepped out of the tent.

At the same time, within Aetheris's tent, Dylan trembled with fear.

"You understand clearly, don't you, Dylan?"

"Y-Yes, Elder…"

"You may kill her if you have to. But you must not lose. If you lose, I'll break both your and your Senior Brother's limbs."

Magnus stood there, his gaze cold and unrelenting.

This was not just anyone. He was one of the Seven Warlords under the One Sovereign, Three Emperors, and Seven Warlords, known as the Cherry Blossom Sword Warlord.

A grandmaster standing at the brink of Supreme Peak Mastery, peering into the mysteries of the Flowering Realm.

If he wished, he had both the power and authority to cripple and bury two young disciples without consequence.

"Good. Now go."

Magnus placed a half-finished Black Iron Sword, once belonging to Jace, in Dylan's trembling hands.

That weapon, though incomplete, was strong enough to withstand Sword Radiance without breaking, as long as the wielder could muster enough resonance.

Such was the power of a precious sword, forged with skill and infused with inner energy.

When she stepped outside the tent, Dylan saw that Vera was already standing on the Arena.

In her left hand was an unfamiliar, slender longsword, longer and thinner than typical blades.

'…What is that?'

But Dylan shook her head, brushing off her distracting thoughts.

Aiden's faction was poor. They barely received enough funding for proper training.

There was no way that sword could be a legendary weapon or a treasured blade.

She tightened her grip on the Black Iron Sword.

Among the third-generation disciples, only she and Vera were female.

There was no reason to be afraid.

She had spent far more time learning the sword at Mount Suncrest Sect.

Even if Vera wielded the Elegant cherry Sword Technique instead of the Nine Heavens Cherry Blossom Sword Style, Dylan knew it better.

A mere disciple of one month, from who-knows-where, could not possibly defeat her.

More importantly, Dylan had even learned the Nine Heavens Cherry Blossom Sword Style, albeit only the first three forms.

While her cleverness and fluidity might fall short compared to Jace, her strength and resolve had been acknowledged even by Magnus himself.

She was a prodigy.

She and Jace were talents handpicked by the Sect Leader with great care.

They had endured the torment of Bone-Cleansing Rituals every month, receiving the highest level of training and education.

Yes, it was unthinkable for her to lose.

Unthinkable.

Only after much self-assurance did the wild determination return to Dylan's eyes.

Confidence that she could win.

There was no way she could lose to the frail-looking girl with hollow, empty black eyes.

"Introducing the two rising stars of Mount Suncrest Sect, who have climbed to the semifinals with unstoppable momentum!"

The crowd erupted in cheers before quickly falling silent, their attention focused entirely on the Arena.

"Dylan and Vera!!!"

As soon as the announcer finished speaking, the two combatants assumed their stances.

Dylan raised her dull, black Iron Sword, while Vera held her radiant, multicolored Falling Blossom Sword aloft.

The two swords pointed at each other, each wielder brimming with confidence.

They could see it in each other's eyes.

The wild determination in Dylan's gaze was unmistakable.

Vera acknowledged it:Dylan was indeed talented.

Jace was the same, but their natures were different.

Though Jace often wore a mischievous mask, his heart was calm, flexible, and gentle.

Dylan, however, burned with a fierce hunger for victory, driving her forward with fiery determination.

'But ultimately, they are both mortals bound to the earth.'

The enemy she must one day face was the heavens themselves.

A figure standing atop the highest mountain, commanding all beneath them.

To defeat such an opponent, she would have to transcend humanity, calling upon something beyond the mortal realm.

She could not falter here.

She could not be stopped by someone who had yet to even touch the edges of Peak Mastery.

Kiing!

Dylan's sword let out a fierce, resonant cry, like the roar of a wild beast.

The sheer intensity of the sound was enough to shatter an ordinary blade that lacked a hardened core.

In contrast, Vera's sword remained silent.

She closed her half-lidded eyes and awakened the black dragon coiled in her core.

Her inner energy surged, imbued with the power to extinguish immortality itself.

In that moment, a glint of light flickered in her otherwise empty, black eyes.

The Celestial Blade Star.

The star destined to bleed the heavens dry.

"Dylan, Senior Sister," Vera said quietly.

As her words fell, the celestial constellations engraved on her Falling Blossom Sword lit up one by one.

The previously dark blade now gleamed with radiant energy, infused with her inner power.

A dazzling light emanated from her sword—far brighter and more brilliant than before.

It was a sign that Vera's level had transcended overnight.

She now stood on the threshold of the Supreme Peak, challenging the concept of distance itself by grasping Sword energy in her hand.

"...This can't be real," Dylan whispered, her voice trembling.

"I hope you understand, Senior Sister, that this is for your own good," Vera said, her tone calm and unwavering.

"What… are you talking about…?"

Her confidence wavered, her eyes filled with doubt.

But even so, Dylan could not afford to lose.

She owed everything to Jace, who had endured countless hardships for her sake.

If her loss meant his suffering, she would be consumed by guilt.

From afar, Sect Leader Gideon watched the duel with a smile.

He reveled in the sight of young lives struggling within the hell he had crafted, much like a child gleefully tearing the wings off a dragonfly.