"Is he blind?"
The old man in front of Mais was blind. With a red band around his head, he looked tired and weak. Although his wrinkled skin made you wonder if he was really a cultivator, this man radiated anything but mediocrity. You can imagine how surprised Mais was to hear this. Blind people often died young. Even if they lived to old age, it didn't seem possible that they could become a Sage — a cultivator who could radiate such an aura.
The old man laughed, sipped his coffee and took a deep breath. At that moment, the wind picked up with his breath. It blew towards them. It was so violent that Hang and Mang could barely stand still. Mais could feel the force of the wind on his skin. His hair moved wildly and it looked as though it would lift him off his feet. He narrowed his eyes. This wind was like cold water being poured over him to wake him up.
"You are not a Sage," he finally managed to say." The old man nodded in agreement. Mais couldn't see that either.
"I am an Ascended One, imprisoned here by the False Dragon and his wife. You must pass this test for me. Not against the power of the Ascended Realm, of course."
An Ascended one. Hang and Mang had never seen such a powerful figure before. They had seen the 17th Caesar before, but he was probably just an Origin Heart expert. Even though he was the most powerful person they had ever seen, their perspective had changed again.
His breathing affected the wind around him, demonstrating the depth of his connection to it. He was a monster.
Mais stood silently, but the brothers had already begun to exchange worried glances. Although he was only in the Sage Realm, he was in a higher realm than them and had experienced the Ascended Realm. They had no chance of winning.
Mais's face looked dark in this situation and he was clearly unhappy. The reason was quite clear.
"Why the Sage Realm?" Mais finally asked. The old man shook his head and pointed at the three-tailed cat beside him.
"The highest level among you is the Sage Realm."
The Immortal White bowed his head sweetly, but the twins felt like crying. This little monster was perhaps one of the weakest Sage monsters around. This was because he was not yet fully mature and had not mastered a technique like humans do.
'But still...'
Its shiny fur was an Origin Heart weapon. Watching this, Mang thought they might have a chance.
However, Hang was certain they were doomed. After all, the two of them were only in the Core Realm, and Mais was probably no more than that. Could Little White really defeat such a terrifying presence in the Sage Realm?
"How can we pass the test?"
"You just need to enter the hut.
Mais continued to ask his questions carelessly, and the old man didn't mind. He patiently answered each one. However, the test had already begun and his answers were no longer necessary.
Mais paused where he stood, then began striking the ground with his staff. The old man smiled serenely. He didn't need to understand the meaning of the sound of Mais's staff striking the ground. He needed to plan how to pass this test.
"Mais—"
THUD!
Mais suddenly made one last powerful strike with his stick and stopped. He raised his head, looked directly at the old man and interrupted Mang.
"Okay, the plan is simple. You go through the door and Little White and I will take care of the old man. Afterwards, we'll join you in the inheritance."
As Mais stood up, the twins instantly tensed up. Our three-tailed cat immediately fixed its gaze on the old man. Although a look of surprise flashed across the old man's face, it quickly disappeared. It was replaced by a relaxed expression. In fact, he seemed a little more excited.
"I would like to see you try."
The twins looked at each other. As the waves of origin energy that Mais had been hiding gradually rose, and the power within their cores emerged, they began to understand why he had come there. They quickly started running behind the old man. He instantly pulled a long cane from inside his robe. The question of how the cane had got there was not important. Similarly, whether the blow would split the twins in two was not a question.
Although the twins' faces instantly showed fear, they relaxed a little when they saw a small monster with a cold aura appear in front of them.
At that moment, Mais leapt forward and thrust his bo staff into the ground in the direction of the old man's. He was much faster than the old man's ordinary swing. But Mais was definitely using a technique.
TAAAKK!!
Mais stopped the old man's blow. He found himself perched on the staff like a bird. The clash of the two staffs stopped the old man for a moment. Thanks to Little White, the clash's aura was also prevented from reaching the twins.
The old man shot a curious glance at the young man who had blocked his blow. He couldn't see him clearly, though.
"Why are you stopping me? Their lives mean nothing to you."
But he didn't stop there. His fist approached the old man from above at extraordinary speed. It was definitely not the speed of a Core Realm expert. It wasn't perfectly aimed, but it would still hit the old man. The blow hit the old man.
The old man passed through the fist as if it were mist.
Although he laughed mockingly, Mais didn't see the smile.
"Don't think you know me!"
Bending his body, Mais swung his staff through the mist. As the old man put his staff in front of him, there was another clash.
TAAAKK!!!
At that moment, the old man looked at Mais in surprise. He was curious about him. The technique that the boy had just displayed was impressive. It was a speed technique at the pinnacle of the Sage Realm. Moreover, it had been developed to a high level of success. In other words, Mais had skipped five stages at once. This immense talent and these resources... He could also sense that Mais was young.
Furthermore, he had used a Sage Realm technique to evade his attack, defending himself with a technique of the same level — yet Mais hadn't even flinched.
'This staff... is a very high-level weapon.'
Although Mais couldn't use the staff's power, it was still top-tier.
The old man raised his head. He looked directly at Mais.
"Tell me your name."
He had a rather demanding attitude, and Mais didn't like it, but he knew that his life could end here. The man in front of him was no ordinary man. An Ascended God, for heaven's sake! His greatest dream. So he greeted the old man seriously.
"Mais, just Mais."
Just Mais, there was no better way to say he was an outsider. At that moment, the old man pushed him back and took a few steps back himself. He saw the twins reach the front door of the house. Nevertheless, he was now focused solely on Mais. He turned his cane and, as a smile appeared on his face, a violent wind blew over them. The tip of his cane was now pointing at the young prodigy.
"I am Thenns, Thenns Gama of the Gama Clan."