"Its gruesome to say that least." Christopher began. "I am guessing he heard about your fight and well decided to make his stance known." He gestured to the teleporter. "You will understand when you see it."

  I looked at Aaliyah who didn't add anything so I nodded. "Lead the way." A moment later we were on the second continent. In one of the small refugee towns. It didn't technically belong to any of Earth's factions and thus wasn't protected by anyone. The town was no bigger than three blocks and was made out of a strip mall. It reminded me of some zombie survival movie. We hadn't been for five minutes before I realized something was wrong.

  There were no people outside. The few faces I saw where hidden behind doors and in windows. I was going to ask about it but the looks on Christopher and Aaliyah's faces made me stay silent. I mentally prepared myself for a battle. The soldiers flanked us while we walked. Their presence wasn't necessary but it did make me feel like some important VIP. The small joy I had was dashed when we turned down a side street.

  The stench of blood was enough to make my stomach curl. It was disgusting as if we had entered a slaughter house. I resisted the urge to cover my face as we kept forward. I was led into an old office building where I froze. The world froze as my eyes passed over everything. There was a trio of people two men and a woman. One of the men and the woman were older probably in their forties or fifties. The second man was younger maybe in his early twenties though the state of their corpses made it hard to know for sure.

  They had been posed in some insane triangle with each body forming one point. They were connected by a trail of blood and in the middle of the triangle were the words "Purge the Weakness. Embrace The System's Will". I stared at the scene in mute incomprehension for who knows how long before my anger exploded. Voices broke the silence around me but they were small and so far away. The looks of terror on their faces spoke to unimaginable suffering.

  I was about to remove them from the wall when I felt a hand clap onto my shoulders. Energy surged along with my rage and I had formed two psychic blades before I realized what happened. Aaliyah leaped back nearly five feet. Now that I was in control of myself again I realized what I had done. My aura had warped the metal of the walls to the point that it looked like the building would fall.

  Aaliyah looked like she was torn between running for the hills and staying stark still. Christopher and all the soldiers were barely conscious. I withdrew my aura and apologized though the words felt bitter in my mouth. Intellectually I knew that there was no way I could have been here. That there was little I could have done to stop this but emotionally it was different story. I reached up with psychokinesis and gently removed the nails from their bodies.

  I placed all three of them on the ground. "Do they have family? Can we get blankets or something to wrap them up in?"

  "I can check but so far no one has come forward. We've managed to keep most people from here." Aaliyah replied as the others got back to their feet.

  "Who is in charge here? Can we absorb this place? If we had a few soldiers here we probably would have known about it in advance." I turned away from the bodies and back toward the others. I was having a hard time believing the words coming from my mouth. There wouldn't be anyone that could have fought the Herald besides me and then maybe other members of the top five.

  "The mayor is a former pastor named Mark Thompson. He isn't a cultivator but his reputation led people to trusting him. No one is above level five here and if it weren't for the constant hunting they would have been killed by beasts."

  I nodded. "Organize a meeting and bring them into the fold. Don't force them if they are against it. I will come over and take care of it." I turned to the soldiers. "Stay here and help out wherever you can. I am not sure if the Herald has left anything behind for us so be on your toes."

  With that taken care of I activated Apportation and stepped through the portal. The mental refresh of the temporary space helped my mood a bit but it wasn't enough. When the portal opened I stepped out onto the roof of a hardware store. The small town was uninteresting and unimportant in the grand scheme of things yet I couldn't help but feel like I shouldn't leave. I expanded my soul sense to its maximum and took a seat. I watched people go about their lives. I watched Aaliyah and the others get to work. I sat there for four or five hours before I decided that the Herald wasn't coming back.

  I made my way back to the teleporter. When I was back in Amara I made my way to the academy and sent word to Desbera. I wasn't left waiting for long when I was led into a private meeting room. "I wanted to ask what you knew about the 'Road of Kings' quest line? Specifically if you knew whether or not Xerxes could join me?"

  She paused for a moment and took a sip from her tea as if searching for the answer within. "I don't know. From what I heard its a test meant for the prospective king. That being said if you were a beast master class it wouldn't be reasonable for you to go alone. That would mean taking the test using a small part of your collective power. Of course the System is hardly known for making thing easy."

  "So should I wait for Xerxes to wake up or go on my own?"

  "Well it is hard to say. I am not an expert in beasts but your companion could be incredibly useful to you either way. You mentioned you had some time before you had to go. My suggestion would be to wait. You have no idea what challenges you may face. It might be better to focus on a secondary task such as your city or even arrays. Arrays could be considered common traps in the multiverse."

  Fair enough. "Do you know if the academy has anything that would he reach level 50 faster?"

  "Unfortunately not. There are cultivation chambers of course but they wouldn't make a large difference. From what I've heard your personal chamber is equal to if not better than what we have."

  "When I was dealing with the leader of the Commonwealth he had a ring that created a shield. Would the academy have something like that? Or would I need to buy it?"

  "It sounds a type of treasure. Your assumption is correct. Our facilities are only for education. Your emporium should be able to do it though. I have noticed that you haven't managed your wealth very well."

  I awkwardly rubbed my neck as I searched for the correct words. "Uh, I've never had many like before the world changed. Its a bit hard to wrap my head around the number in front of me. It feels like its play money. Especially since I've never seen it anywhere. Its just a number on magical floating screen."

  Desbera's facial expression tightened before she let out a soft laugh. "I assure you the money is very real. I would recommend you take advantage of it now. Once you evolve you will stop getting money from the kills. Or more specifically the System stops financing you."

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  I raised an eyebrow at. "The training wheels come off? So should I delay my evolution? Would it be better to be the first person to break through or to achieve a perfect breakthrough?"

  She let out a long sigh and took a drink of her tea. "I am afraid the 'perfect breakthrough' has been the bane of many cultivators. In short there is no 'perfect breakthrough' there will always be something more you could do. Whether you cultivate your body, buy better weapons, chase one more title or even fight one more monster. You don't want to exhaust your momentum chasing a title that might increase your strength by ten percent or so."

  "I see so over time the benefits of waiting are surpassed by the detriments. I need to find the point where balance shifts."

  "Well said Young Master."

  "Ok another question. I want to try making my own spell. Could I do it now?"

  "Ahh now that is difficult. You certainly could do it now. I would hazard it though. Your knowledge of sigils shouldn't be very high. Since the System was just introduced your foundations in the subject would be too shallow. It would likely cause whatever you make to be lack in quality."

  "I have the academy for that though? Would you be able to provide the foundations?"

  "We could there are plenty of stones that could help you. If you are sure you want to attempt it I can arrange them all brought to a room for you to review."

  "Do that please. Do you have an array or whatever I would need to make the actual sigil? I am not sure if I can just do it in my body."

  "We have empty stones yes but nothing that would make the process easier for you." She replied. "You might be able to purchase something or go off world and find find something."

  I nodded. "That brings me to something else. Do you know where I could get teleportation tokens? I imagine you can't just buy one?"

  "The most common option would be quest rewards. The System provides them often enough. Other than that it would be through knowing someone else. Or if a nearby world leaves their teleporter open. Of course you would need to upgrade your teleporter so it can take you off the planet."

  We went over a few more things before we decided to part. She needed to check on a few other students and I needed to make a few purchases. I made plans to return later when she could have the stones prepared. I made my way over to the Dawn Emporium. The shop could hardly be called that anymore. It was now more of a mall with a variety of things for sale. One of the coolest things about the System was the lack of shop keeps. It wasn't that real people didn't work at the store but you just didn't need them most of time.

  I took a seat in front of an open crystal and started going through everything. I refreshed my healing pill supply but that was about it. The stuff for sale was basic. Weapons, armor, robes and even energy dense food was available. The problem was that I didn't want to wear armor. It was incredibly uncomfortable. It also wasn't much better than my own body. The stuff here came from monsters I killed so it didn't matter much. I went through the list twice before Azariah walked over to me. I closed the menu and gestured for her to sit.

  "I have heard that your recent trip was beneficial. Congratulations to both you and Amara."

  I grinned. "Thank you. I was hoping you could help me with something. I want to improve my defenses and grab some additional treasures. Would you be able to help me?"

  "Ah well after the purchase of ship you wanted it would be difficult to find something of quality. My information channels are decent but I am afraid it will be difficult to find something that could strengthen you in the short term. I could probably manage one or two items at most."

  I considered it for a moment and then shook my head. "No focus on outfitting the people here. I am doing fine for the most part. Between my robes, spells and Tao. I would like for you to get your hands on array that would help me build skill sigils."

  "Oh? Are you planning on creating something for yourself? Do you want it mobile? Or stationary? Stationary arrays would be a bit more powerful but obviously wouldn't be able to be carried with you."

  I briefly considered why a person would want a mobile before I shook my head. It wasn't a completely bad idea and I might grab one later. For now though stationary was obviously the best option. "Stationary if possible I want it placed in the academy."

  She tapped a claw on the table as her eyes got that far away look in them. When she returned to the moment a screen appeared in front of me. When I saw it I couldn't help but flinch. The array wasn't cheap. I sighed and confirmed the purchase. A moment later a series of boxes appeared on the table. All of which ranged in size from the size of my hand to slightly bigger than my torso. Azariah waved her hand over each one and they disappeared.

  I stared at her for a moment or rather at the strands of energy that disappeared into her body. It wasn't the same as the Tao of Compression but they were similar. Very similar. "Are you? where did?" I took a moment to gather my thoughts and calm down. "Was that a spatial skill or do you have a storage item I can't see."

  Azariah laughed and ran one of her claws along her arm playfully. "Skill. My class makes it possible to store things without a storage item. Its rather common for mercantile classes and they don't have a lot of space. Its great for preventing theft or carrying the most valuable items."

  "Can I get something like that?" I practically salivated at the idea. If I could have my own private storage area than would I need a ring? Or anything else? I could give the ring to someone else and then— I was pulled out of my thoughts when Azariah replied.

  "In theory yes. It isn't impossible but combat classes typically don't have them. It's usually considered a waste of a slot. You can use rings and most items can be sealed. Further you could even seal your rings to stop others from stealing them or if they did steal them they wouldn't be able to use the items."

  I nodded and I could see the wisdom in that but I definitely couldn't just let it go. The idea was too interesting. What if I needed to steal something and my items were checked? Hell what if I gained a weapon and needed to get it somewhere where they were banned? "I see would someone with the Tao of Space be able to do it?"

  She nodded. "They are the most likely to be able to do it. They are able to make all manner of spatial objects and arrays." Her gaze drifted to my forehead and to the eye that was no closed.

  "Was it that thing that gave away my little secret?"

  I nodded. "I could see the attuned energies. It was similar to the Strand of Compression but the lack of storage ring gave the game away."

  "Just so you are aware Young Master. Rings and bags are the most common storage items. They aren't the only ones." She stood up and glanced around the room. "I will take this over to the academy but it will likely take a few days before its up and ready to be used. Do you want access added to the contribution system?"

  "Yeah, do I need to head over their to set that up."

  "No, but you should visit them anyway. The goblins get a bet antsy when it comes to respect and the ruler not visiting them..."

  I gave a rueful grin and stood up. "I will bring them a gift or two to help smooth any ruffled feathers."

  "They do enjoy natural treasures." She laughed as she walked away.

  I chuckled and left the academy. I was on my way back to the Tower when something happened. There was a massive drain on both my psychic and spiritual energies. I immediately expanded my Tao field to a foot around me just in case it was some kind of attack but it did nothing. The drain only increased as it drew my Tao in as well. I passed my minds eye through my body until I found the culprit. When I saw what it was I couldn't help but grin. I activated Apportation only the spell took nearly twice as long to activate with additional drain. When the portal was fully formed I stepped through. My heart pound with excitement.

  The portal opened and I stepped out in front of the building. A growing crowd stood out front while a massive amount of energy was being drawn into the building. "Everything is fine." I called out as the crowd parted for me. "You can all go back to what you were doing. I will handle things and the energy drain will fade." I activated Psychic Aegis in its wall form behind me as I entered the gym. As soon as I entered a resounding roar filled the air. My grin turned into a full blown laugh. Xerxes was finally awake. A crack spread across the emerald cocoon followed by a blinding light.

  I shot my eyes and expanded my soul sense just in time for the cocoons shards to shoot out in every direction. I blocked several with my Tao field but even more embedded themselves into the walls and went through the windows. A second later his emotions surged through our bond like a Tsunami. They were a complex jumble of excitement, pride, hunger and blood lust. I couldn't be any happier.