CHAPTER 60: UNEXPECTED MEETING.

[Sanctum Sentinel detected.]

[Bloodline: Ordinary]

[Cultivation: Stage 1 (Peak)]

[Description: Crystalline automatons created by the Labyrinth’s master. They are simple guardians designed to test the basic combat skills of challengers. They have no soul or will. Their only purpose is to attack intruders.]

Rhys stood at the edge of the floating white island, with Sera on his shoulders. He watched the battle on the nearby island with cold eyes.

He almost laughed. Ordinary!

The so-called elites of the great families were being defeated by Ordinary-grade guardians. He felt a deep sense of contempt.

They were truly pathetic.

He watched as one of the Ashton disciples screamed. A light sword had cut deep into his arm. Blood poured from the wound. The other disciples looked very scared.

They were tired, and their energy was low. It was clear they were going to die soon if nothing changed.

Rhys felt nothing. He had no desire to help them. The Ashton family had cast him out. They were strangers to him now, and their weakness was their own problem. He was content to just watch.

He felt a small movement on his shoulders. He heard a soft licking sound, and then a small gulp. He looked up at Sera.

Her pitch-black eyes were fixed on the battle. She had a hungry expression on her face.

"Are you hungry?" Rhys asked softly.

Sera said nothing. Her gaze moved from the glowing crystal guardians to the bleeding, struggling disciples. She looked back at Rhys, her eyes wide and innocent.

"I want to eat them," Sera said in a cheerful voice.

Rhys almost choked on his saliva. Coughing, he pinched her cheeks. He had almost forgotten about her first evolution ability.

She was a Shapeshifting Slime. She could collect the biomass of slain enemies. Eating them was how she would grow stronger.

He looked at the scared Ashton disciples again. Then he looked at Sera’s innocent, hungry face. He shook his head.

Sure, he hated the Ashtons. He felt nothing for them. But that was not a good enough reason to kill them just so Sera could have a meal.

They were just arrogant strangers. He would not attack them unless they attacked him first. But he would not help them either.

His decision was made. He would stay here and watch. Besides, in every cultivation novel he had read, even if the protagonist had done nothing, trouble would eventually find them.

That’s when one of the disciples saw him.

The disciple’s face was pale with fear and exhaustion. When he saw Rhys and Sera standing calmly on the other island, his eyes lit up.

Sera tilted her head as the disciple breathed a sigh of relief.

’True, trouble is coming our way.’

"Help us!" the disciple cried out. His voice was desperate, yet loud enough to draw the attention of the monsters towards Rhys.

"Please, help us! We will reward you!"

Rhys’s eyes narrowed. The disciple’s cry for help did exactly what he knew it would. It drew attention.

The crystal sentinels, which had been focused on the group, all turned their heads at the same time. Their glowing blue eyes fixed on the new targets. They saw Rhys and Sera.

A cold smile graced Rhys’s lips while Sera almost jumped to the ground; if not for him holding her back, she would have rushed to fight the sentinels.

"Not now, Sera..." he said, putting her on the ground, "just watch me."

Since they were trying to use him as a distraction to save themselves, that should be considered them attacking him first, right?

His lips curled into a cruel smile.

One of the Sanctum Sentinels lifted its light sword. It took a step off its island, walking on the bridge connecting the two islands.

It moved towards Rhys at an incredible speed. The disciples who had called for help felt a moment of relief. The monster was going for the stranger. They would have a moment to breathe.

Rhys watched the sentinel approach. He did not move from his spot. He did not even seem concerned. The sentinel raised its sword of light, ready to strike him down. The moment it was within range, Rhys moved.

He was a black shadow, a blur of motion. He did not use a skill. He just used his pure, physical speed. He appeared directly in front of the sentinel.

His hand, glowing with a faint silver and black light, shot forward. It was not a punch. He simply placed his palm on the sentinel’s crystal chest.

He then activated his Voidheart Flame.

The next moment, the sentinel shattered. Its hard, crystal body turned into a million tiny pieces of blue dust.

"Wow... papa is strong!" Sera jumped up and down, clapping her palms.

Rhys blinked at her with a smile, then turned around, popping his neck. The disciples on the other island stared with their mouths open.

They were completely shocked. They could not believe what they had just seen. He had killed one of the powerful guardians with a single touch.

The other sentinels on the island sensed his power. They recognised him as the biggest threat. They all turned away from the weak disciples.

They began to move across the bridge, all of them coming straight for Rhys. A swarm of glowing crystal soldiers was now rushing towards his island.

’Good,’ Rhys said to himself. He felt a thrill of excitement. This was a much better test of his new power.

Activating Shadowed Dive and Low Distance Jump, he dashed onto the bridge and moved between the sentinels like a phantom.

His Voidheart Flame danced between his fingers, burning anything he touched. The ordinary monsters died without any struggle as the bridge started to accumulate the ashes of the monsters he had killed.

The disciples watched, completely mesmerised and terrified. The monsters that had almost killed them were being destroyed like they were made of paper.

The fight was completely one-sided. The terrifying man was not just fighting them. He was slaughtering them.

In less than a minute, it was over. The air was filled with a cloud of fine, blue crystal dust.

The other disciples had only managed to kill one more guardian while Rhys was fighting the rest.

Feeling very weak and useless, all of them looked at Rhys with a new kind of fear.

’Is there anyone who can kill monsters like him?’

This was what all of them thought as the man of wonder walked around the bridge, collecting the glowing ores the sentinels had left behind.

[Celestial Ore detected.]

[Grade: Spirit-Grade (Low)]

[Source: Dropped by Sanctum Sentinels.]

[Description: A rare crystalline material formed from the condensed celestial energy of the Sanctum of Aethel. It is not a naturally occurring mineral. It hums with a pure, stable energy and has an extremely high affinity with Qi.]

[Primary Use: As a primary forging material for weapons and artefacts.]

[Properties: Possesses excellent Qi conductivity, allowing for the creation of sharper and more durable spirit weapons. Weapons forged with Celestial Ore are highly resistant to corruption and decay.]

[Estimated Market Value: 50 low-grade spirit stones per unit.]

’Not bad...’

He gathered them all and walked back to Sera. He held out the handful of glowing crystals to her.

"Here you go," he said with a smile.

One of the Ashton disciples, a tall young man with an arrogant face, finally found his courage. He was the leader of their small group.

He walked forward, trying to look confident.

"Hello, fellow cultivator," he said. His voice was a little shaky. "Thank you for your help. Those are rare Celestial Ores. They are very valuable for forging weapons. I will pay you in gold coins for them."

Before Rhys could even answer, Sera acted.

She quickly hugged the ores that Rhys was holding. She held them tightly to her chest and looked at the Ashton disciple with a defensive expression.

"This is mine," she said, her small voice firm.