Dual Cultivation: Beasts and Women!

If Amos went mad and freed them now, it would take them a long time to understand where they were and how to find their way back home.

But that was changing. After nearly ten days of traveling together, the five Aspirants were close to finishing their readings.

The last week hadn't been so hectic, with no extreme dangers that would have forced the group to remain alert rather than relaxed amid their readings. There was only one situation where the five Aspirants fought again.

This time, instead of Violet Spiders, they had fought three Tuskhorn, a powerful type of boar capable of deadly attacks using its weight and horns.

The group had been pushed to the limit even more than in the previous battle, but they had won in the end, with Seth, Amias, and Ajax performing better after a few more days of cultivation, training, and learning.

Even though none of them had learned more than theories, knowing how to differentiate between their opponents' strengths, the weaknesses of different types of creatures, and their own strengths—something that came from study—could make a big difference in combat.

On that occasion, Seth got one crystal, while Liam and Mary got the other two Arcane Crystals.

But neither of them could improve the quality of their Spirits.

Today, they continued traveling, with the group more anxious than ever for their arrival at the sect.

...

While Seth, Amias and Ajax were reading the last few books left to complete their mandatory reading, Liam and Mary had already read all the material provided by Amos' group.

The two looked out of the carriage windows, from where they could barely see the surroundings.

After several days of traveling, they realized that their carriage was almost like a cell, with very little visibility to the outside.

Liam had a theory for this—to prevent them from escaping if anything happened during the trip to Reidway Fjord, or even after they entered the sect's headquarters.

But he wasn't worried about that today. While Mary was biting her nails at his side, he was also worried, constantly moving his right leg.

'We have to go to the sect soon. We have done nothing for almost ten days.' Liam thought of Mary and their dual cultivation.

His progress rate with normal meditation wasn't bad. He and Mary were progressing even faster than Seth and the others, even though they were stronger Spirit Masters. However, their current progress speed wasn't comparable to what they had with the dual cultivation on the island.

As he looked over and met his companion's eyes, he knew she was also eager for them to have some privacy. Over the past few days, they had barely found time to share a few kisses...

Although their primary goal was dual cultivation, neither of them could deny the attraction they felt for each other!

From what they had heard over the past few days, once they joined the sect, they would have their own rooms, which was what they needed most right now.

As he thought this, and Mary almost sweat, the others changed the looks on their faces as they alternated where they looked at the sudden slowing of their carriage.

Five seconds later, the door of their carriage, locked from the outside, was unlocked and opened by one of the several black-robed, masked Officers.

"Aspirants, get out of the carriage, but don't get out of formation," the man said briefly as Liam stood up curiously.

When they arrived outside the carriage, they saw the entire convoy standing still, all the guards forming a circle around the main carriage.

Amos sat on top of his own carriage, while Merlin stood alone in front of the first vehicle in the convoy, looking straight ahead and smiling.

But Liam and the four Aspirants couldn't smile at the sight ahead.

A hundred meters in front of the first carriage, a creature with the elongated, sinuous body of a serpent, covered in iridescent scales that glowed with the spectrum of colors when the light hit it, stood still as it stared at their group.

With a length of over seven meters, an average radius of sixty centimeters, and fangs the size of a human hand, the five Demon Gate Aspirants were terrified.

Mary and the three men beside Liam swallowed their saliva as they also felt the creature's power.

'It's stronger than the guards in the group!' Mary worried, unconsciously grabbing one of Liam's hands.

Realizing his juniors were there to watch him, Merlin looked back and smiled.

"Brats, today is your lucky day. Watch a true Spirit Master fight," First Officer Merlin said as two silhouettes formed behind him.

The two semi-transparent forms became more corporeal, one forming a three meter tall creature with a gorilla's body and white fur, and the other a small creature less than a meter tall with a chicken's body, gray feathers, and blood-red eyes.

The five Aspirants felt the terrifying sensation of the two Spirits, while Merlin didn't take the Serpentis Lux in front of them too seriously.

'Each of these Spirits gives us the same feeling the Officers in our group give.' Liam looked at the men around him and saw how excited they were, an unusual reaction.

Liam didn't know what kind of creature the serpent looking at Merlin was, but he could tell it was dangerous to almost every member of Amos' group!

But that said more about the power of Merlin and Amos than the power of the Serpentis Lux!

Merlin stood where he was as his two Spirits moved, not hesitating to start this fight against the creature that had stood in their way.

The Spirit, in the form of a white gorilla, stepped in front of the gray chicken, leaping into the air while forming a fist attack aimed at the head of the colored serpent in front of it.

Meanwhile, the gray chicken stopped and jumped into the air, attempting a short flight. For a moment, it seemed to float in midair, while a beam of red light shone from its bloodshot eyes.

Serpentis Lux tried to move, but today was not a good day for it. Facing this group of Demon Gates, especially a Spirit Master with an all-out attack type Spirit and a mind control type Spirit, it found itself frozen as Merlin's white gorilla brutally attacked it.

"That? Why isn't it moving?" Mary asked as she saw the serpent standing still, waving its tail as if it were about to move, but it did not.

Merlin listened to it and explained. "It won't move because it doesn't see this attack."

Meanwhile, Serpentis Lux watched Merlin standing where he was, unaware of the white gorilla's attack less than four meters from it.

"True Spirit Masters only make Spirit Pacts with creatures that add new abilities to them. Only a fool would add a new spirit without planning it first."

Seth, Amias and Ajax looked at Liam with curious expressions.

Liam didn't mind Merlin's comment as he watched the white gorilla destroy the serpent's jaw with a single blow, hurting it enough to end any chance of victory for the serpent.

"I see... The gray chicken has some kind of mental power. It tricked the serpent while the white gorilla attacked the unprepared snake with decisive power." Liam murmured, attracting Mary's interest.

"So that's it?"

Merlin looked back, hearing Liam's voice as well.

Spirit Masters were beings with great senses!

'You're not stupid after all.' He thought as his two Spirits killed the serpent.

Before the Serpentis Lux had even died, First Officer Merlin returned to the side of the group and stopped in front of the five Aspirants.

"There is an ideal combination for a Spirit Master's powers. Not all opponents are the same. Some opponents will have a form of combat that will be your weakness if you're only good at one thing.

If you don't form your Spirits battalion carefully, you're going to die!" He explained this lesson to the Aspirants.