In a region somewhere at the northern outskirts of the Empire of Eternal Faith, all sorts of cries from powerful beasts could be heard and the earth itself would tremble upon their movements. However, inside a certain valley deep within the mountains, no such cries could be heard. Only an eerie silence along with a mist which reduced visibility and the coldness of the air could be felt.

An existence of a thriving lifeform should be impossible under such circumstances. However, at this time, a middle-aged man clad in a jet-black robe could be seen standing atop the valley. His face covered by his hood was indiscernible except for the fact that his eyes shone in a terrifying crimson light.

He stretched his arms out and a sensation of death manifested in the air. Everything around him turned murky and the mist that enveloped the valley turned thicker. Suddenly, the earth intensely trembled as numerous skeleton parts emerged from the soil.

The soil broke and the earth continued trembling. Soon, the numerous skeleton fragments on the ground stuck against each other; forming a magnificent figure of a Phoenix.

"Finally..."

"I have finally completed it..."

He evilly chuckled, the crimson eyes inside the robe shone in a light of avarice. "There's only one thing left..."

"And that is the entire blood essence and soul of that young woman..." He turned around, leaving the twenty-meter tall carcass of the Phoenix behind as he walked towards a certain direction.

Back at the Paradyne Academy, Dan's lips lifted into a small smile as he stared at the astonished Mathias, the old man, Takemikazuchi's expression looked indescribable but he soon laughed out loud, "Yeah, that's it, that's it! What are you gonna do now, Lil' Mathias?"

He powerfully patted the shoulders of the still astonished Mathias as the latter bitterly smiled, "Sigh...." Lifting his head, he stared into Dan's eyes as he declared, "You're right that I can't possibly expect you to risk your life without any benefits..."

He glanced at Takemikazuchi before saying, "I also don't think that any kind of armor nor weapons can satisfy you since you have Legendary Blacksmith, right at your side, however." He clasped his hands together and the air around him changed as Dan stared at the former with a light of expectations within his eyes.

"I have some pills that can help you improve your constitution and innate talent along with your cultivation. I am confident that if you take these pills, you can instantly reach the next realm. However, this can only be taken once and will cause you an intense pain that will surely kill you if you can't endure..." Mathias revealed a sly smile on his face, Takemikazuchi glanced at his master and Natalie stared at her husband.

Dan knew about his pain tolerance. However, right now, he desperately needs strength so that he could protect those people close to him and prevent harm from coming in their way. Clenching his fists, he declared, "That's fine, I'll take that so-called pills of yours and I will also cooperate with you..."

Mathias sighed in relief as he took a jade bottle from his Spatial Storage Device as he said, "This will be the first round of reward, more rewards will come after we killed the Necromancer."

"Hoooh, this is some good stuff..." Takemikazuchi commented and Dan analyzed the pills with the System.

[Name: Tyrannical Strength Increasing Pills]

[Effect: Forcibly raises the cultivation of the eater; only works under the Spirit Tempering Realm]

[Hidden Effect: If two such pills are eaten at the same time, there's a great chance that it would cleanse the eater's blood from impurities.]

Dan's eyes shone in a strange light, taking the jade bottle, Mathias said, "We will start planning everything out after you break through. For the meantime, prepare yourself and don't disappoint your master..." He glanced at Takemikazuchi and respectfully bowed before disappearing into thin air.

"So what are you going to do now? Young master? Are you planning on eating that pill?" Takemikazuchi chimed in along with Natalie who said, "Hubby, I don't think killing the Necromancer is a job that is so urgent, If possible, I hope that you don't eat that pill..."

Juliet raised her small hand and affectionately held his shoulders, indicating her feelings towards the matter. In response, Dan gave a small smile, "Natalie, the thing that we need right now is power so that we won't be bullied no matter where we go. Second, we need money to comfortably live our right and third, we need status so that we can exert our influence over our enemies, especially that certain clan."

When Dan mentioned that certain clan. A hint of anger surfaced on Natalie's expression which she quickly dissipated. Glancing at her husband's expression, he looked tranquil yet his eyes shone in a light of utmost determination.

Taking the jade bottle with him, Dan said, "Old man, is there any way to lessen the pain caused by this, or if not, what kind of pain does this do?"

Takemikazuchi gave a small smile, "Well, there's not much of a way to reduce the pain that it causes since it's from the inside of your body, however, the kind of pain that it gives is akin to a fiery volcano."

"So, it's a pain filled with Yang, then?"

The old man nodded his head and Dan revealed a small smile, because of this affair, the group didn't have the appetite to eat except Juliet that Dan happily spoonfed. The night soon came and Dan sneaked out from the mansion at daybreak.

He walked slowly and extinguished his presence. However, when he reached the gates of the Academy and readied himself to scale it. He saw the figure of a purple-haired young woman whose body looked golden under the light of the sunrise.

Her expression looked somewhat pale, yet her eyes shone in anticipation as he leaped towards the other side. Dan who saw her actions hurriedly followed suit, but to his astonishment, all that he could see was her trail and when he lifted his head to stare at the distance, where he saw her figure that looked like a dot.

"How fast!" He inwardly cursed and activated the System's abilities, tracking her movements, he slowly leaped from the walls of the Academy and ran towards her direction while closely following her trails.