The Cunning Treasure Hunter-Chapter 149: The Duel at Blooming Peak

Just an hour before Kael and Vera met, Aiden and Kael were leisurely gliding through the air, using their Light-foot techniques toward Blooming Peak Pavilion.

Flying close to Kael, Aiden asked, "So, what’s your plan, Kael?"

"First, I need to talk to her. See if she has a solid core."

"...A solid core?"

Kael nodded.

Aiden let out a deep sigh.

That was his catchphrase—people needed a "solid core," or so he always said.

It wasn’t as if Aiden didn’t understand what he meant.

That was simply Kael’s way of evaluating talent.

And his personal criteria for determining whether someone was "solid" or not was surprisingly accurate.

Not flawlessly precise, but at least every person Kael ever called an "empty shell" turned out to be exactly that.

And conversely, those he acknowledged always proved their worth.

Though it wasn’t an absolute measure, it was reliable enough.

"So, are you planning to draw your sword right away this time as well?"

"Senior Brother, during the three years I spent in that dark and damp cave, I came to a realization."

"Oh?"

Kael grinned and gave a thumbs-up.

Seeing this, Aiden sighed again.

"You haven’t changed at all, have you?"

"As expected, Senior Brother, you know me too well."

"Well..."

Drawing the sword immediately and engaging in a duel wouldn’t be much of a problem.

Vera had already been recognized by Great Master Thorne as someone who had reached the peak of the Supreme Realm.

That meant she was at least half a step ahead of Kael.

However, there was something to consider.

Vera had never truly tested her newfound power.

Not even once.

Moreover, her core had expanded forcibly due to Great Master Thorne’s Innate True energy, which could also pose some instability.

’It might be a bit immature…’

Still, she wouldn’t be lacking as Kael’s opponent.

With his refined skill and overwhelming combat experience, he was someone far more seasoned than Vera.

The outcome would certainly be interesting to watch.

"...You won’t be disappointed."

"Oh? Have you trained her that well?"

"She grew up well on her own. I merely picked her up."

Kael raised an eyebrow.

From what he remembered, Aiden wasn’t the type to be modest.

Especially not when talking about his disciples.

Which meant that he really hadn’t taught Vera much at all.

Yet, despite that, she had reached a level where someone like him—a mid-Supreme Realm expert—could say he "wouldn’t be disappointed."

Kael smirked.

"Is she more impressive than I was at that age?"

"Like I said, she’s fourteen and already surpassed the Supreme Realm."

"Impressive."

By now, Blooming Peak Pavilion was visible in the distance.

As well as the towering ancient tree standing before the sparring grounds.

Aiden narrowed his eyes, looking beneath the tree.

Two familiar figures stood there.

"...So they’re not even sleeping."

"Your disciples don’t seem to listen very well."

"No, there’s actually one who’s far worse."

Compared to him, Marcus and Vera were the obedient ones.

It was usually Ethan and Noah who caused trouble.

But those were matters of the past.

Ever since the Wandering Trial mission, the Eastern Mountain Fiery Blade clan incident, and the recent discoveries regarding the Demonic Cult, he had been so overwhelmed with reports and urgent matters that he hadn’t even had time to figure out what trouble those two had been stirring.

He didn’t even know if they had been making trouble at all or if they had been behaving for once.

"That girl over there?"

"That’s right."

"Alright. Senior Brother, stay here."

Aiden narrowed his eyes at Kael.

His gaze seemed to ask—What kind of trap are you setting up this time?

Kael simply shrugged and waved a hand dismissively. Experience new tales on novelbuddy

"When a teacher watches, there are only two possibilities: the student either gets more nervous or less nervous. I don’t like either. You’re fine with that, right?"

"...Well, I doubt you’ll kill her. Do as you please."

"Much appreciated."

With that, Kael leaped down toward the ancient tree.

And so, the first meeting between Vera and Kael began.

"...Who are you?"

Vera narrowed her eyes and asked, her gaze sharp as a blade.

Marcus hesitated for a moment, instinctively trying to shield Soyak behind him. But he quickly dismissed the thought. There was no point in acting on meaningless bravado now. Instead of making empty gestures, it was wiser to use what was available to him.

"...I am Marcus, the eldest disciple of the third generation of the Mount Suncrest Sect. If you would be so kind, may I ask for your name?"

The man across from him tilted his head as if amused. Then, without the slightest hesitation, he drew his sword.

A sharp, chilling sound rang out as the blade was unsheathed.

Both Marcus and Vera flinched, instinctively gripping their weapons. The man was wearing the sect’s traditional robe, embroidered with plum blossom patterns—a sign of someone belonging to Mount Suncrest Sect. Judging by his apparent age, he should be from the second generation of disciples. And yet…

’I’ve never seen him before.’

Even at the Peak Assembly, where disciples regularly gathered, there had never been a mention of such a figure.

That left only two possibilities.

"...Either you are the senior martial uncle who recently emerged from seclusion after completing his closed-door training..."

Vera slowly unsheathed her sword.

A brilliant, five-colored light shimmered along the length of the midnight-black blade, reflecting the intricate celestial constellations carved into the steel.

Or.

Vera leveled the tip of her Falling Blossom Sword at the stranger’s throat.

"Or you are the host of the Demonic Cult’s young lord—the one who severed his arms and legs."

At that, Kael raised his eyebrows, clearly intrigued. He hadn’t expected her to arrive at such a conclusion.

Of course, he had heard from Aiden about the sealed left arm of the Demonic Cult’s young lord and the underground prison beneath Akrest where his true body was supposedly kept.

But for her to immediately suspect him of being the host? That was beyond his expectations.

"I’ll tell you if you prove yourself worthy with your sword."

"A disgraceful martial uncle who betrayed his sect and an incompetent disciple who failed to stop the demonic young lord’s resurrection. Neither is a choice I would prefer. However..."

Marcus immediately understood the weight of her words.

And so did Aiden, who had been listening from afar, using his internal energy to enhance his hearing.

It was a declaration—Vera intended to fight with all her might.

"Soyak, are you certain?"

"Please step back, Eldest Senior Brother. I would hate to see you injured."

The moment she spoke, a formidable presence erupted from her body.

A deep and boundless energy, rising from her core, surged through her Eight Extraordinary Meridians. The sheer force of it made her sleeves and long black hair billow wildly, as if a dragon’s mane was rippling in the wind, as if a dragon’s tail was sweeping across the heavens.

"...Impressive, for someone your age."

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"I learned long ago that age means little in the martial world."

She took a single step forward, and her aura intensified.

With a sharp exhale, she infused her Falling Blossom Sword with internal energy.

A dazzling sword aura erupted from the blade, illuminating the surroundings in a blinding light.

It was a display befitting someone on the cusp of Peak Grandmaster.

"Something must have happened to you."

"Yes. I have faced many hardships at a young age."

Now, it was Kael’s turn.

He, too, infused his sword with internal energy, producing a chilling blue radiance.

The blade hummed as a pristine sword aura emerged—pure, precise, and without flaw.

"...If you are truly the ’genius martial uncle’ that my master often spoke of..."

"Then you won’t be able to kill me?"

"No."

She exhaled sharply.

"If there’s even the slightest chance that you are the Demonic Young Lord, I will strike you down."

The words had barely left her lips before her feet pushed off the ground.

Her black hair, cascading like silk, surged upward in response to her momentum.

And in the next instant—

Swords clashed at an unfathomable speed.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion erupted as the two powerful forces collided.

The entire Blooming Peak Pavilion trembled. Within moments, lights flickered on in every room, and shadows gathered by the windows to witness the spectacle.

The sheer force of their sword energy had awakened the entire pavilion.

Yet neither Vera nor Kael paid them any heed.

Because, by this point, both had already come to an unspoken understanding.

Vera had realized the truth—this man was indeed her martial uncle.

And Kael had realized that Vera had no intention of killing him.

If she had truly believed he was the Demonic Young Lord, she would have attacked without hesitation, aiming for a single lethal strike.

Instead, she had asked questions. She had probed. She had hesitated.

And most importantly—

The profound, untainted energy flowing through her veins was undoubtedly the pure Mount Suncrest Sect’s Heaven’s Clarity True Art.

For her to have cultivated to this level, it was proof that she had spent her years diligently training under Mount Suncrest Sect.

The swords of the two warriors clashed again.

With a sudden shift, Vera’s Falling Blossom Sword veered in an unpredictable trajectory, her movements sharper and more refined than before.

A true test had begun.