Legacy of Hatred-Chapter 66: Strongest

As the newcomer drew closer, Liam spotted more of the features illuminated by the braziers’ grey flames.

The man looked young, barely a year or two older than Liam. He had tidy short brown hair, sharp facial features, and intense but emotionless brown eyes that perfectly matched his severe expression.

The man’s steps deepened the solemn, tense vibe his expression created. He walked slowly but steadily, his pace radiating confidence and strength that only the firmness of trained muscles and experience could fuel.

At once, Liam realized that the man had nothing in common with Kyle or Randall. That was a proper warrior privy to the real face of the world, possessing none of the youthful innocence his facial features still slightly betrayed.

Moreover, Liam knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was in danger. He didn’t know why, but his raging survival instincts prevented his brain from wasting time in such useless thoughts.

The man took another step forward before his figure turned into a blur, unleashing a sudden acceleration that even Liam’s senses failed to track properly.

However, Liam did track something. That was an incredible but still simple sprint involving no martial arts and no overwhelmingly superior power, so his body reacted to it.

Liam abruptly spun, his stretched left palm wanting to follow along the sprinting figure to keep it at a distance, only for his forearm to slam on something almost unmovable.

The man was now right in front of Liam, his right hand clung to the stretched limb, his steel grip doing everything in its power to keep that forearm still, only for it to shake in struggle.

The man had initially kept his intense brown eyes on Liam’s cold gaze, but his struggling grip soon claimed his attention, some surprise invading his emotionless face. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Yet, something far more dangerous quickly reclaimed the man’s focus. Liam’s retracted arm had begun to rush forward, thrusting his open palm while promising to unleash a terrifying amount of Qi.

Nothing made sense about the situation, but Liam never had the time to consider it. That had felt like an attack, so he went for the kill.

Nevertheless, the man promptly released Liam’s forearm and stepped back, lifting both hands in surrender. He even wore a satisfied smile, which dispersed whatever dangerous vibe his solemn expression had created.

"Wait! Wait!" The man even exclaimed, earning himself Liam’s frown, but also the abrupt interruption of his terrifying palm strike.

"You are quite jumpy, Junior Brother," The man commented, releasing a friendly chuckle. "Though I can’t blame you when I projected such enmity."

The sudden switch in atmosphere and behavior made Liam hesitant, but he remained wary nonetheless. After all, friendliness or not, that man remained a rooting expert, someone a whole cultivation stage above him.

"I’m Disciple Joel," The man introduced himself, his hands still raised in surrender, "A fellow inner disciple and member of the disciplinary committee."

Liam had guessed as much from the wooden tablet on Joel’s shoulder and pale-grey robe, but that introduction wasn’t enough to make him drop his battle stance or wariness.

"Junior Brother Liam, I apologize," Joel continued. "Please, forgive me. I only wanted to see if Junior Brother Randall had told the truth about you."

"What did Senior Brother Randall say about me?" Liam wondered, finally finding something worthy of his voice.

"That you cheated in your battle," Joel revealed, "And won by a fluke. Now I know that isn’t the case."

The purpose of that blatant lie didn’t escape Liam’s understanding. Randall was trying to salvage his reputation, taking advantage of his higher status. After all, the rumors from outer disciples couldn’t have the same value as an inner disciple’s direct testimony.

However, Randall had probably miscalculated that Liam was an inner disciple, too, now. According to the Disciplinary Elder, the official announcement would happen tomorrow morning. So, despite information spreading quickly, many might still not know about Liam’s new status.

’He was covering his tracks,’ Liam thought, using that comparison to understand that social matter better. ’Sort of.’

"But I have to admit," Joel continued, lowering his left arm to show his right hand. "Junior Brother is truly strong. I knew that nine spiritual roots were miraculous, but your raw might almost matches mine."

Cultivation had positive effects on the body, which deepened at higher levels. Those benefits were incomparable to what Qi of greater quality could grant, but they remained something.

Of course, the more Qi, the higher the benefits, so Joel blamed Liam’s nine spiritual roots for his incredible strength, on top of the innate gifts that had allowed such a talent to form.

Naturally, that high evaluation fell short of the truth. After all, Liam had more than nine spiritual roots, and his body carried the bloodline of a literal Ancestral Beast, granting him unfathomable specs.

"And your senses are also incredibly sharp," Joel continued with the praises. "I planned to sneak up on you, but your training with the Alchemy Elder must have done wonders for your Qi sensitivity."

’What?’ Liam wondered. He could explain his uncommon physical strength now, and that had also always been the norm for him. Still, the Qi sensitivity was a new topic.

If Liam had to think back, he had always been quite sensitive to the Qi, but that had mostly been an instinctive reaction to the intrinsic danger it posed rather than actual perception. It was his sixth animal sense, something he had developed by living in Krosstoen’s mountain.

Yet, Liam had to admit that his sixth sense had evolved. He had initially linked that to his increasing familiarity with the Qi, but there had to be some truth behind Joel’s words.

’I am working extensively with the Qi,’ Liam considered, ’And at levels of precision that the circulation technique and the Seismic Palm don’t require.’

The main argument in favor of that point was Joel himself. Liam knew that his cultivation was weaker than Joel’s, but not terribly so, definitely not in the same way as the Elders, reaching the instinctive conclusion that he had to be a rooting expert.

’Since when was I able to differentiate that?’ Liam wondered, finally dropping his battle stance and relaxing, ending up voicing a doubt. "Senior Brother, why were you so curious about the truth?"

Liam understood curiosity, but there were far better ways to pursue it than to put up such a dangerous performance. Besides, since the private lesson had lasted so long, the hour was truly late, making him think that Joel had been waiting for him.

Joel seemed taken by surprise by that question, and his smile grew less friendly, his face gaining some of the warrior-like intensity from earlier.

"I was told Junior Brother was ...," Joel exclaimed, choosing his next word carefully. "Challenged. I’m glad this rumor was wrong, too."

"Why are you glad?" Liam asked, that new vibe rekindling his wariness.

"Because I need strong Brothers and Sisters for something," Joel revealed, "And Junior Brother might be the strongest of them all."