CHAPTER 108: INNER REGIONS

Adrian realised that he was in the inner regions of the Misty Mountains. The sheer thought alone caused sweat to start dripping down his back. He was very surprised that the exit of the mystic realm led him to the inner regions.

’What was that damn old man thinking?’ He thought to himself in frustration. He finally realised what the Hundred Faced thief meant when he said ’if you can survive.’ How the hell was he supposed to survive inside the inner regions?

The outer regions were already dangerous enough to kill him if he wasn’t careful, now he had to somehow survive and escape inside the inner regions.

He wanted to start running, but he wasn’t sure which direction would lead him back to the outer regions. Just as he was thinking, he heard the howl of the beast from before. This time it was closer, closer than before.

"Shit!" Adrian muttered before he started running in the opposite direction from the howl. If the howl was getting closer, that meant the beast was also not far away. Its reason for getting closer, Adrian didn’t want to find out.

However, he hadn’t gotten far when something unexpected happened. A sharp sword light shot towards him from behind a boulder. Adrian, not expecting the sudden attack, was caught off guard and was in immediate danger.

The attack was too fast and too unexpected, causing him to lose his footing.

However, this accidental movement saved his life. His body collapsed onto the ground, narrowly avoiding the sword strike. The gleaming sword strike bypassed his body, slicing off the tip of his hair.

He quickly rolled through and hid behind a big tree, while simultaneously putting on his hood. It had become second nature to him at this point. Making sure his real identity was always hidden.

"Hmm, I didn’t expect my strike to miss. Looks like I need to pay more attention, so I don’t keep making mistakes." The calm and collected voice of a young man resounded in the surroundings.

Adrian peeked out from behind the tree, only to see a man standing some distance away from him, with his sword in his hand. His robes were slightly disheveled, but the armor-like patterns woven on them were all too familiar to Adrian.

It was Julian.

"Shit," Adrian muttered to himself, before revealing himself fully from behind the tree. There was no point in hiding behind it. Julian already knew where he was, and no tree would be able to protect him from his sword strike.

He had seen the power behind that sword strike. He didn’t know if it was a martial skill or not, but he knew that he would probably not survive a direct strike from the sword.

His best bet now was to probably reason with him. Probably offer him some money in order for him to leave him alone. Perhaps he could even convince him to take him out of here. Since Julian was stronger, he might know the way back to the outer regions.

"Fellow cultivator, is there perhaps a misunderstanding? I don’t think we have ever met before. I’m sure I would have remembered meeting someone as valiant as yourself." Adrian said in an exceedingly polite tone, trying to flatter Julian.

Even though he was the one who was attacked, he had to be the one who was polite and respectful. These were the rules of the world. The world where the strong were right.

"Hmm, a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator?" Julian furrowed his eyebrows. From the speed at which Adrian was running, he had thought he was a Golden Core realm cultivator. He was simply too fast for a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator. However, his surprise didn’t end there.

He was also surprised that a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator could make it into the inner regions. Before the beast’s rampage, the weakest beasts in the inner region were Rank 4 beasts, comparable to Nascent Soul realm cultivators.

It was impossible for a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator to enter the inner regions. Especially alone. They would have to be in a group with people with very high realms in order for them to be safe. Conversely, those with very high realms would not bother bringing in someone they considered a liability.

Now, after the beast’s rampage, even Golden Core realm cultivators could not venture close to it, and could only linger in the outer region. Julian knew this fact very well. Even someone of his strength shouldn’t have been able to enter the inner regions.

Of course, only he knew that he didn’t actually enter the inner regions. At least voluntarily. He woke up inside a cave a day before and found out that he was in the inner regions.

The last thing he remembered was the piercing pain that assaulted him when he tried climbing the stairs to the second floor of the castle inside the mystic realm. He remembered his vision blurring before he was surrounded by a strange golden light.

The next thing he knew, he was already back in the Misty Mountains. When he first woke up, he was irate. He hadn’t been able to get to the top floor of the castle. Even though he didn’t know what would be there, he was sure he had missed out on an incredible treasure.

The treasures he had gotten from the previous two floors were enough to let him know that the top floor would at the very least have treasures of the soul rank. Possibly even higher.

However, a sharp pain that assaulted his mind stopped him from causing a ruckus. And honestly, that probably saved his life. If he had caused a commotion, he would have more than likely attracted the attention of a powerful beast that would have ended his life.

When he realized he was in the inner regions, he immediately fled from the original cave. However, he couldn’t run very far because of his soul injury. He decided to hide somewhere nearby to recover before making the trip back to the outer regions.

It was in this hidden state that he found Adrian, who was running away at full speed. He didn’t even have any reason to attack him. He just did it on a whim. The anger at not being able to get to the top floor still lingered within him.

He wanted to let off some steam by killing something. Of course, that would be impossible for him with the strength of the beasts in the inner region. So Adrian was a very fitting target.

He didn’t expect his strike to miss. But he just chalked it up to Adrian losing his footing. Now seeing his target’s strength, he even began to wonder how he got here in the first place.

However, Adrian’s words broke his train of thought. He glanced at him, noticing that his face was covered with a hood. That didn’t bother him much, though.

"How did someone at your level enter the inner region?" He asked, genuinely curious. Adrian had already expected he would ask this question.

After all, it was indeed suspicious that a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator could make it to the inner region. Except he was an expert hiding their level, no explanation could be made for it.

Even though Adrian had expected it, he hadn’t been able to come up with an appropriate answer for it.

He just decided to spout some excuse, hoping that Julian wouldn’t push the issue further.

"Haha, fellow cultivator, I am just a rogue cultivator who likes to go on adventures. I was merely exploring the Misty Mountains when I was chased by a beast. I was lucky enough to escape, but I soon realised I was already in the inner regions. I was just trying to get back."

Adrian spouted his excuse with a straight face, hoping that Julian would believe him and let him go. However, he was destined to be disappointed.

Julian didn’t respond immediately. He stared at Adrian, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. He wasn’t convinced, not entirely. Rogue cultivator? Adventurer? That excuse was far too thin to justify why a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator would be alive in this place, much less standing and speaking calmly.

But there was something else, something in the way Adrian spoke. That kind of composure under pressure didn’t belong to the reckless or the foolish. Julian knew the type well. After all, he was one of them.

He sounded similar to a member of a noble family. His clear and eloquent speech wasn’t something that a rogue cultivator who usually lived life on the edge would have.

Julian lowered his sword slightly but didn’t sheathe it. "Lucky, huh?" he said, his voice laced with mocking amusement. "You must have heaven’s fortune on your side, rogue cultivator."

Adrian gave a dry chuckle. "Perhaps. Or perhaps the heavens just don’t want me dead yet."

Julian smirked but didn’t answer. Instead, he took a step forward. That was when he noticed it.