Dual Cultivation: Beasts and Women!

He had taken her advice and bought a new set of clothes, spending 50 gold coins on the clothes he was wearing.

But the investment was well worth it. Not only was it an outfit for special occasions like tonight, but it also had features that went beyond the look.

Both his trousers and shirt could keep 99% of the cultivator's body heat, even in icy places, while cooling the wearer's body on hot days. His shoes were waterproof, and even if he stepped in mud, they wouldn't get dirty. Also, these clothes fit his body perfectly, as they were quite malleable and had no fixed size.

Feeling comfortable in his clothes, Liam left his room and made his way to the rendezvous point with Felicity, playing with a wooden staff he had bought from a weapons shop.

It was time he had an enchanted weapon!

After his recent battles and his growing status, he had invested 280 gold coins in the staff, an item that had two special abilities.

It created a spherical barrier that could last for 5 seconds and withstand the attacks of even mid-level Spirit Earth cultivators. The other ability was offensive, capable of generating lightning or even attracting lightning from storms and manipulating it against specific targets.

However, the brown staff in his hands was not only a weapon but also an accessory that went well with his clothes tonight. With its functions hidden, it looked just like an ordinary staff to help people walk.

"You look nice." Felicity saw him from a distance and commented with a smile on her face.

Liam had climbed hundreds of steps to meet her on the street of Grace's estate. However, he appeared no more fatigued than he would have if he had walked from one sidewalk to the other of the same street.

He looked at Felicity's white dress and complimented her as well. "You look even better, I assure you."

"Thank you." She smiled as she gave him one of her arms to walk with her.

"You know, I don't need Grace... We could put this event aside and go to my room. It would be better that way," he whispered with a smile on his lips.

Already used to Liam's advances, Felicity smiled back at him. "We could, couldn't we?" she teased him. "But I'm attached to my cultivation stability and vitality. Maybe we could play the way you want, if you could get it straightened out."

"Oh? That's good to hear." He accepted the challenge of finding a method to make that possible.

She continued to laugh in good humor, aware it was impossible to reconcile something so powerful without consequences for at least one side. "You can dream, but don't be fooled. Until you find that divine method, let's focus on Grace, okay?"

He nodded as they entered a lot next to Grace's house. "I'm looking forward to meeting her. I've been trying to find her the last few days, but I have had no luck getting close enough to see what she looks like."

"Your problems will be solved today. You will come in with me, but don't stay too close to me. If you get the chance, talk to other people at this meeting and get close to Grace. She's one of the hosts, so she won't ignore you." She advised as they walked through a small garden and saw a line of six people.

In front of a large wooden door, three guards identified the guests and restricted access to the private estate.

"What exactly is this meeting today?" he asked, agreeing with her suggestion.

"Today's meeting is an Arcane Symposium. Members of three factions from City Thirteen, factions that are friends with each other, meet regularly to talk about magic, unusual knowledge, and spiritual experiences. Think of this gathering as an event where cultivators can share their experiences without having to fight.

Those who have access to it are cultivators of the third realm, or geniuses, who will soon reach it. Everyone has something to contribute, so this is a good place to improve your knowledge and social standing in the city. It's quite possible that with one or two encounters like today, someone like you will gain allies and friends in the city."

"I didn't expect something like this in the violent Demon Gate." Liam grinned at her, genuinely surprised by the existence of the Arcane Symposium.

"Not everything is as easy as it seems. Demon Gate isn't as chaotic as its rules and possibilities suggest, but this meeting isn't necessarily safe and without points to watch out for either." She pointed before the line moved on and it was their turn to go through the checks of the guards in the area.

"Miss Felicity, is your friend an escort or a guest?" A man with reddish skin asked, holding a clipboard in his hands.

"Symon, this is my escort, Liam Porter." She replied as the man quickly entered Liam's name on the guest escort list, with his name just before Felicity's.

The guards there looked at Liam with interest, but none of them had any foolish thoughts. This was a gathering of the city's finest talent, so this young man must have caught Felicity's eye to be there with her. Since she was a member of the top 20, none of these men would have doubted her ability to choose.

Upon entering the building, Liam found what looked like a museum of Earth's imperial families. The beautiful antique decorations took the place of a large entrance hall, with some paintings depicting people, presumably important ones, and others representing animals and plants.

There were several vases around the room, with beautiful sofas and armchairs where at least 15 people sat or stood, chatting in small groups or just waiting for more guests and their escorts to arrive.

Seeing Felicity arrive, a blue-haired woman with a slim waist and large breasts approached the orange-haired woman next to Liam.

"Sister Felicity, welcome to this month's symposium... Is that your companion beside you?" the woman asked.

Felicity nodded affirmatively as she introduced them. "Nance, this is Liam Porter. He's an Initiate who recently joined the sect and has already made a name for himself wherever he goes, haha."

"Oh? Liam Porter? I think I've heard that name before." She smiled as she offered a hand to the tall, handsome boy next to Felicity. "I'm Nance Treeeye. Nice to meet you, Liam."

He contacted Nance's hand, took it, and then kissed it with a smile on his face. "My pleasure," he said to the beautiful 2-Star Spirit Earth cultivator with the long blue hair.

Nance nibbled her lips, liking Liam and his manners. Smiling in a mesmerized way, Nance tried to take a deep breath and said, "Well, Liam, I'm sure you'll fit in well, being so charming. I'd like to have a few words with Sister Felicity first. But you can make yourself at home and wander around the building. Only its top floor is off limits. Everything else is for the use of our guests."

Liam nodded at her before he looked at Felicity and winked, letting her leave with Nance.

Left alone, Liam soon grabbed an available drink from a table before approaching some of the guests, who had opened up to him by smiling at him and including him in the conversations taking place.

...

"Sister Felicity, is this Liam from the rumors I've been hearing lately?" Nance asked as she entered a room far enough away from the entrance of the building that neither of them could hear the conversations already going on around the property.

Felicity nodded affirmatively as she saw the interested look on Nance's face, not hiding something that could be easily verified. "Yes, that's him. He's the one who recently killed a member of Emerald Owls in the Arena, and before that, he killed someone from the Abyss Matriarchs."

"What a shame," Nance said bitterly. "He's so handsome. If he wasn't with you and didn't have this problem, I'd take him for myself." She laughed in a questioning tone.

"He's not with me, rest assured of that." Felicity chuckled at Nance's attitude, wondering what this girl would do if she got to know Liam deeply.

Would she keep his secret?

Felicity wasn't sure what Nance would do. Unlike Grace, Nance had only been in City Thirteen for eight years. Even with minor talent, her cultivation speed wasn't bad and she could soon go to an inner city.

But more importantly, Felicity didn't know if she could trust Nance with Liam to fulfill her wishes. Unlike Electa and Grace, with whom she had a great relationship, Nance was a more complicated friend with whom she disagreed on many things. Individualistic as she was, Nance could easily oppose Felicity's intentions with Liam.

"Really? That's good, I'd hate to lust after a friend's man." Nance was sincere. "But with the problems he has now, I don't know if it would be good for me to get close to him. What do you think?"

"He really has some intractable problems. Maybe you should wait for him to work them out on his own. Sooner or later, he'll be in a more peaceful situation." Felicity recommended with a neutral expression. But inside, she thought that waiting to act would be the same as losing the chance to get close to him.

'Liam won't be in town for another two months. I can sense that. By the time foxes like you want to attack him, he'll be in the inner ward and won't have time for you.' Felicity sipped the drink Nance had offered her and watched as the girl agreed with her suggestion.

"Speaking of men, I thought you were interested in Paule," Felicity said as she tried to pull Liam away from the conversation.

"Paule is an idiot, Sister Felicity. I heard he wanted to go out with me while he was seeing three other girls. Do you believe that?" She shifted her gaze, looking hurt.

"Is that so?" Felicity laughed as she realized she had missed that detail. 'That's right. Nance comes from a monogamous family. There's no way she's going to work out with Liam.'

"Too bad for him, he lost a good woman." Felicity tried to change the subject again. "But anyway, what did you want to talk to me about in private?"

Nance nodded in acknowledgement of Felicity's first comment and answered her friend's question. "It's about the Beasts' Night. The next Beasts' Night is coming up, as you may already know. But we have information that one of the strongest beasts on this side of the fjord will move and leaving its nest during the event. It was seen pregnant months ago, so its cubs will probably be vulnerable.

The leader of my faction wants to form an alliance with your group to hunt down the cubs of this powerful beast. If we succeed, we could get 2 to 4 young Spirits with no power, but classified as Ancestor-grade, High-level!"

...

While Felicity was listening to Nance's proposal, the leader of Felicity's faction arrived at the estate where today's meeting was being held.

The moment she appeared in the room where Liam was, everyone stopped to look toward the beautiful silver-haired woman, leader of the Scarlet Sharks.

At the sight of this woman, Liam felt his body temperature rise and thoughts that he normally controlled welled up uncontrollably in his mind. Instinctively, he used his incubus powers to become more noticeable to the surrounding women, from his looks to his smells, becoming more expressive.

Grace greeted the people she already knew, while she couldn't help but notice the only newcomer in the area. She approached Liam, curious to know who he had come with.