Dual Cultivation: Beasts and Women!

Disciples training with beasts had an hour's right to enjoy it, so he couldn't wait to watch the fight. As soon as he left the beast at the arena, he went to do his business inside the coliseum.

Soon he was back in the barn where Lazarus usually managed the cages wing.

"Boss, I think I'll have to take care of the work of Gideon and mine alone today." He looked for the sparse-haired man's approval.

The square-faced man nodded in agreement and said, "Be careful taking care of the cages alone. We still don't know what happened to the monkey, so assume there are others in a similar condition. Today Gideon would work with four cages, two of them of third realm beasts, a difficult and dangerous job."

"I can handle it." Liam wasn't afraid of the challenge of working alone in the cage wing.

After over ten hours of work in the coliseum, he knew exactly what to do, how to deal with angry beasts, and how to reduce the risk of accidents. He knew there was no escaping the job, so complaining or asking for help wouldn't help. He just accepted it, the way Lazarus preferred it.

"By the time you're done, Gideon's surgery will be over. I'll let you know how he's doing. Now go, I won't get in your way."

Liam nodded and left without adding more to the conversation.

But inside he couldn't help thinking about Gideon's deadly situation. Liam had the Refulgent Life Elixir that could have helped Gideon earlier. But would he give such a resource to a man he barely knew?

Liam had nothing against Gideon, but he had nothing further to do with this Initiate. Twin Land was a chaotic and selfish world, and as much as he felt sorry for his fellow work comrade, he would never sacrifice an important resource for himself for a third party.

Would Gideon do that for Liam if the situation were reversed?

So the possibility of using his resource with Gideon hadn't even crossed Liam's mind, and he was just touched by the situation because, once again, it could have been him!

'Low-level Spirit Masters rarely carry a lot of resources with them. They invest most of what they have in items or resources that can increase their power and worry less about the lifesavers. I can't make that mistake. I must always have something to protect my life.'

Having learned his lesson from this situation, he realized the importance of having 'insurance' against unexpected developments like today. Despite knowing that it might add some difficulty to his journey, he believed it was truly worth it.

Gideon was doing so well before. Who would have thought that in a matter of minutes, he would be between life and death?

Such was the volatility of life in this extreme world!

...

As the hours ticked by, Liam effortlessly carried out his responsibilities. He meticulously cleaned all the cages assigned to him for the day, ensuring they were spotless. He replaced the water, guaranteeing that the cage dwellers had a fresh supply. Additionally, he provided them with food.

An hour after the incident with the red monkey, he returned to the coliseum's fighting platform and took the red creature back to its cage. But he didn't see Electa, as the woman had left after the fight.

He attended to his other activities until he finished his duties for those five hours of mandatory activity.

Having worked alone in the cage wing for the first time, Liam was exhausted when he went to the workers' locker room to take a shower before leaving.

But he was eager to meet Electa, and it wasn't long before he was done, dressed, and headed for the barn on the building underground level.

There, Liam encountered 12 men, all members of the Leopards faction, all of them gathered around Lazarus and the Healer from earlier.

He approached the group without asking questions and soon understood Gideon's situation.

The Healer told everyone, "I have good and bad news. The good is that Initiate Gideon survived the surgery and should recover in a few weeks."

The men seemed happy to hear these words, as Gideon was a funny guy and great to be around. His death would benefit almost no one there, so they all preferred that he lives.

"And the bad news, Healer?" a 7-Star initiate from the second realm asked.

"The bad news is that he's crippled. The damage caused by that monkey cracked Gideon's Arcane Crystal. If he tries to cultivate again, his cultivation will be lost and he will die.

This also means that his recovery will not be complete, so he will carry the after-effects of this battle for the rest of his life."

As the Healer's words hung in the air, a heavy silence settled over the area. The faces of everyone present seemed to darken, their brows furrowing with a mix of emotions.

The atmosphere became charged with an unspoken weight, as if the air itself held the collective thoughts of pity, regret, and loss.

'Fuck...'

Liam sighed, feeling sorry for Gideon.

The man was alive, but maybe it would have been better if he had died.

With his Arcane Crystal—the special organ of beings capable of absorbing mana—damaged, Gideon couldn't get stronger or even use the mana in his own body. He was now nothing more than a mortal, someone of no use to a sect like Demon Gate.

What would be Gideon's future in such a state? Liam knew this well from reading the sect's rules.

Now he'll be expelled from the sect and left in a mortal city... If he's lucky enough to survive.

Demon Gate doesn't kill its crippled disciples, but neither does it protect them from potential rivals interested in their deaths.

"Anyone wishing to say goodbye to Gideon should come to the Infirmary by the end of the next night. Two Officers have already been assigned to take him out as soon as he's able to leave," the Healer said before leaving.

The Healer wasn't the only one. Soon half of the men left, with Liam staying behind because Lazarus had told him to stay.

"Boss?" the black-haired young man asked, curious why Lazarus had asked him to wait.

"We discovered a narcotic in the monkey's blood." The square-jawed man stared at Liam.

Liam wasn't surprised; he had expected it. "I see... It looks like this was arranged. But was it intentionally against Gideon and me? Or is there more to it?"

Lazarus glared at Liam in silence, his hands behind his back as he tapped two fingers together. 'He seems too calm... He also has no reason to act against Gideon.

He already has too many enemies outside the faction, making enemies within the faction would be foolish... Besides, there are people who would certainly try to frame him. Was I too careless to consider that this could be his doing?'

As he thought, Lazarus said, "Gideon wasn't supposed to deal with that monkey today. He asked me to do it earlier. Another duo was supposed to do the job, so it probably wasn't an action against you.

The substance found in that damned monkey's blood should have been applied days ago, too, so it's not possible that it happened today after you moved into its cage."

"It wasn't an action against us... Who should deal with that cage today, boss?" Liam asked.

"Obadiah and Azariah." The man replied in a solemn tone. They were his next suspects!

Liam's eyes widened as he heard Azariah's name. Previously, he had thought that the fat, sallow-faced young man might be a grumpy but good-natured and even friendly fellow. After some recent developments, however, he no longer saw this disciple in that light.

'Could it be...' Something occurred to him, but he said nothing to Lazarus. Raising suspicion against Azariah without proof could do more harm than good for Liam.

'What would he get out of it? I'd better watch out for him. Maybe he's up to something or part of something bigger than it seems.'

"Either way, I'll look into it thoroughly. Gideon will leave the faction and the sect, but that doesn't mean that this matter will die. Since it concerns you, I'll keep you informed in the future."

With those words, Lazarus left the area, leaving Liam alone for a while until the boy left on his own.

As much as he was interested in solving this case, he was even more interested in accompanying the beautiful Electa.

Electa was a woman of her word. As soon as Liam exited the coliseum building, he immediately laid eyes on the captivating black-haired woman he had been intrigued by.

Seeing her better dressed than before, with more striking clothes and a glow on her face, Liam smiled as he bit his lip, feeling his body heat rise at the sight of her.

'Time to test how far I can go with her before I leave town!'