Dual Cultivation: Beasts and Women!

Liam followed Gideon for the five hours of service at the Beasts Hall.

They cleaned five of the cages on the third level of the coliseum, where creatures of similar strength to their own lived. The job wasn't difficult. The coliseum had useful equipment to limit the strength of the creatures, protect the disciples, and perform their functions quickly.

Within merely five hours, they successfully completed cleaning five cages, replacing the water in the creatures' drinking troughs, replenishing their food supply, and enhancing the organization of the animals' living quarters.

In some ways, the coliseum resembled a vertical zoo. The cages were not just cages, but small artificial habitats for each type of creature. Some of them housed more than one animal, while others had only one inhabitant. As a result, some cages were huge and required a lot of work.

At the end of the afternoon, Liam finished his activities for the day and said goodbye to Gideon, whom he would meet in a week to continue his duties.

As he rested for a while in the disciples' locker room, Liam had a tired look on his face.

'Shit! I worked like a peasant today! I didn't expect Spirit Masters to do this kind of manual labor!' He thought as he felt every fiber of his body burning, which was why he was still standing on the wooden bench he was sitting on.

He rested for a while and gathered his courage to get dressed and leave!

'When I get back to my room, I'm going to sleep for a few hours. There's no way I can cultivate with Mary today.'

He closed his eyes and sighed, seeing how difficult the routine could be for someone of low rank in an organization like Demon Gate.

But Liam understood he had nowhere to run. The only way for him to escape this mundane, almost servile responsibility was to reach the third realm in the next few months. Once he reached it, he could become an inner disciple without having to take any tests.

'The only way for me to get stronger quickly using no resources is to find new partners to cultivate with me. But that might not be as easy as it sounds.' He stood up, putting his towel aside as he planned.

When he put on his trousers, he couldn't ignore the danger of letting other people know he could use dual cultivation. If the wrong person found out, he'd be dead!

But what would guarantee the woman he would try to get close to wouldn't betray him, leading to his own death? Liam could use his seduction skills, but he already imagined that the weaker the partner, the less benefit he would get. The stronger the partner, the better the benefits for both of them, but the more likely she would betray him by sharing the information with others.

This was the paradigm that troubled him!

'I don't have time to conquer women in the traditional way. I need women in search of power, or with problems that can be solved with more power!' He narrowed his eyes as he put on his shirt.

In the cultivation world, everyone had problems. Becoming stronger would almost always help. However, there were situations that forced certain people into extreme danger, to accept bad deals, or even to keep certain secrets.

Liam's main objective was not to find a woman to love; at least, that wasn't his primary focus. Approaching the matter with a calculated mindset, he carefully identified the type of person who had the highest chance of keeping his secret.

'I think I can get my targets in the Missions Hall... If I can get some 'friends' in the hall who are willing to sell me disciple information, I can get a list of potential targets.'

His eyes narrowed as he made a plan. 'I believe that disciples who agree to take on overly dangerous missions with disproportionate rewards are more likely to be desperate for power.'

"That's it. I'll invest in the Missions Hall," he muttered before footsteps drew his attention.

"Missions Hall? What's a newbie like you thinking?" A fat, 6-Star man asked as he entered the locker room.

Liam glanced at the newcomer and couldn't help but put a hand to his face when he smelled a strong odor of feces coming from the fat boy.

"That..." He hesitated briefly, then continued, "Doesn't the senior brother recommend it?" Despite being repulsed by the stranger's odor, Liam didn't underestimate him and took a step back, allowing the person to express his opinion.

Liam's question surprised the fat man.

"The Missions Hall is a good place to earn merit points. Our tasks generate almost no merit, so extra missions can help you accumulate points.

But newcomers like you should improve your skills first. Most of the missions take place outside the city, so it's quite dangerous. Don't be arrogant. Learn your place and leave the missions for later."

"Oh? That makes sense. Thank you for the advice, senior brother. Now I'll take my leave." Liam left, wondering why this guy had helped him.

Meanwhile, the young man with the enormous body stayed behind, looking strangely in Liam's direction.

"Look for the arena. It's the best place for someone like you to hone your skills." He advised as Liam passed the exit.

Liam remembered what Merlin had said about the Arena and challenging the ranked members of the sect. He paused as he thought about it and turned his attention to the fat man.

"I will fight in the Arena in three days. If you want to see me, come to me at the start of the evening in front of the coliseum. I'll give you some hints about interesting opponents."

Liam thanked him and said, "then I'll bother the senior brother. By the way, what's your name?"

"Azariah Crockett."

"I'm Liam Porter."

Azariah waved at Liam before watching the young man leave. He smiled as he narrowed his eyes oddly, no longer seeing the black-haired young man nearby.

'I'm looking forward to see how you do when I put you in the path of one of those bloody brutes! Let's see if you're still favored after losing a few limbs!'

As he clenched his fists and felt his heart pounding, Azariah sensed someone coming into the locker room. He changed his expression as he stripped off his clothes.

'I just can't let one of Boss Ross' lackeys find out about my plans. He seems to be interested in this new guy.' Azariah looked around to see who was coming into the locker room.

Seeing that it was someone troublesome, he hurried into one shower in the area.

...

After leaving the coliseum with Azariah's advice in mind, Liam received two more offers from factions interested in him.

The first was from one of Lazarus Ross' men, Liam's temporary superior in the Beasts Hall. The second offer, which he received as soon as he arrived at his dormitory, was from another group he didn't know, but which was said to have several members from the Battle Hall.

Because of the three offers he had received, he sat on his bed with a severe headache, not knowing which decision would be the least bad for him.

Stay out of the power struggle with the outside members of City Thirteen? Join one faction and accept the problems that would follow? If he joined the faction of the Beasts Hall members or the Battle Hall members, he would undoubtedly have advantages in one place and problems in the other.

'Shit! In this situation, I can only lose. No matter what decision I make, I'll be harmed to some extent.' He thought until he heard the handle of the bedroom door turn.

His attentive gaze shifted to the door until he sighed in relief as Mary entered the room.

"Are you all right?" She noticed not only the fatigue, but the stress on Liam's face.

"No. "I'm feeling quite exhausted and dealing with a few issues... How has your day been? Did anyone try to approach you today?" He noticed her locking the door before taking a seat beside him.

"It was quiet... No one approached me," she said with a bitter smile. "I suppose, for many of us, we're the ones who have to put in the extra effort to be accepted into a faction, haha."

"That's better. Believe me, you wouldn't want to be in my position." He closed his eyes as he lay down. "Anyway, let's get some sleep. I'm exhausted."

"That's a surprise coming from you. You're always so energetic." She lay down next to him and watched him fall asleep before her.

But soon Mary would be asleep too, haunted by the long day she'd had at the sect, having already begun her obligatory services, just as Liam had.

With an even greater number of chores to do than him, she, being weaker, soon succumbed to fatigue. As a result, she fell into a deep sleep next to her lover.

As they slept in one of the dormitory rooms on Street Thirty-Seven, an unknown individual kept a watchful eye on them. Positioned on the rooftop of a building across the street, they observed the room through its window.