Dual Cultivation: Beasts and Women!

The incubus didn't touch on the subject, but gave him a look that basically told him to hurry and learn useful things related to their current situation.

He could only continue his journey in the dark, as not even his mental probing worked in relation to it.

Back in the real world, he sighed as he put the blue star aside and looked to himself and his improvements.

'I feel much more energetic.'

He thought as he rose from his bed, 'My vitality has improved a lot, as have my senses.'

He looked in the direction of the magical tool he had received upon completing the first phase of the Secret Hunt, the formation that made his room richer in mana than the surroundings.

Suddenly, he saw some of the previously invisible runes on the tool, and he couldn't help but clench his fists as he felt his heart leap in his chest.

Now that he had improved his cultivation realm, it would surely be easier to work with the runes he had been working with before.

With a smile on his face, he washed up, leaving behind the sweaty clothes he had worn earlier when he had faced the last enemy. Soon, he put on clean clothes and returning his focus to his profession.

'Next, I will see if I can finish making five First Class enchanted artifacts in a row. If I can, I'll start inscribing Second Class runes tomorrow!'

He picked up his work items and placed them around him, then began his work.

As he had anticipated, after his cultivation advancement, inscribing First Class runes had become much easier, less tiring, and somewhat obvious.

His movements with the brush had become more fluid and precise. He could now easily avoid the mistakes he used to make, noticing better ways to use his mana, combine characters, and control the formation of the runes.

In 50 minutes, he had spent 20% of his mana and could make 3 of the 5 enchanted artifacts he had planned to make.

With no inconvenience to prevent him from continuing, he began inscribing the runes for the fourth First Class enchanted item of today.

When he finished inscribing the runes for this fourth item, he could still see each of the runes, even though they were invisible to anyone else who looked at them now. He wasn't sure if this was a trait of his or if every Runemaster with the cultivation of the third realm could do this. He would leave his doubts to Ann tomorrow and began with the fifth and final item.

'With this inscription, I'll run out of materials... I'll take advantage of having to buy more materials and get Second Class tools and artifacts this time.' He finished his work without any problems, unlike his other attempts.

With 50% of his mana left, Liam felt he could continue if he had more tools and ink with him. However, there was nothing left, so he finished at around 2 a.m., fully completing his evolution within the First Class of rune inscription.

Tomorrow, he wanted to enter the Second Class!

When he got up from where he was, put everything away, and cleaned his room, he was satisfied, feeling that some of the tension from earlier was no longer bothering him, and a little sleep came with his yawn.

Over three hours had passed since he had finished his fight with Lemuel. By now, the Officers should have found the man's body and the investigation should have begun.

But Liam was calm. When he lay down on his bed, it didn't take him long to fall asleep. The town was not a safe place. The sect encouraged brutal competition between students. And while there were rules against murder, those rules only applied when you couldn't cover your tracks, as had happened with the woman who had attacked Liam and Mary.

Sure that no one had seen him, Liam slept through the last hours of the night, and before he knew it, a new day dawned on the horizon.

...

Stepping outside his dormitory, Liam spotted a blonde woman dressed in combat gear waiting for him on the other side of the street.

Mary went to his side as soon as they saw each other, her look a little concerned. The night before, she and everyone in her dorm had been questioned by the Law Enforcement Hall Officers. A Senior Initiate had been murdered on the steps of their building.

Coincidentally, Liam hadn't visited her the night before...

"Last night, a Spirit Earth cultivator was killed in my dorm," she said quietly as she walked next to him, not bothering to be seen next to him.

By now, their enemies should have known exactly what their relationship was, so there was no point in hiding the truth.

"I assume this has something to do with your absence yesterday?" she asked, a little worried.

"That's what happened." He didn't hide the truth as he walked with her to the central staircase to a cafeteria near the Runes Hall.

With his confirmation, she sighed and said, "I need your help. Now that we can't hide our relationship, I hope you'll recommend me to the Leopards. I really need a faction's support."

"All right. I'll go to the Beasts Hall and talk to Lazarus. You're going there this morning, right?" He looked into the green eyes of his companion.

Mary had lost some of her former responsibilities with her promotion to Initiate, working fewer hours in certain places and not serving at all in others. But she had kept a greater number of duties than Liam has.

Not only did she have to devote 5 hours a week to the Beasts Hall and the Battle Hall, but she also had to devote time to the Illusions Hall and the Essences Hall. But her responsibilities in the Illusions Hall were the same as Liam's in the Runes Hall. As for the Essences Hall, she now had a position similar to Jane's and a relatively light workload, leading a group of Aspirants.

Liam was well aware of what his two companions were doing in the city on a daily basis, so he decided to have a bite to eat with her before accompanying her to the Beasts Hall.

She nodded before returning to the previous topic. "Will what happened last night be a problem for us?"

"Hardly. I still don't know the name of the man who acted against me, but given his cultivation, he's probably the leader of one of the local factions. With his fall, it's unlikely that anyone will come after me. And even if they do, they'll be in for a nasty surprise."

He smiled as he looked suggestively at his companion.

Mary didn't know that Liam had advanced in his cultivation again. He kept the Mana Mask active and showed an 8-Star cultivation, just as she had told the Emerald Owl men about his cultivation.

Mary soon understood what was making Liam so confident when she noticed he looked physically different this morning, with more refined movements and a better appearance. The difference wasn't so great that someone who saw him every day would be shocked overnight. But it was enough for an observant woman to notice it.

Eager to cultivate with him, she said that she would be available at noon, right after she left the Beasts Hall.

He agreed to stop by her dorm and soon they both arrived at the cafeteria he was going to. After eating, Liam planned to go to Beasts Hall with Mary and then buy Second Class resources before going to his daily meeting with Ann's group.