Reith instantly activated his hana sight, but he couldn't pinpoint where Tia's target was concentrated on.

The blood lust from this strange woman wasn't like the ones he had experienced. This was more refined and tailored like she had been practicing it for years

"You can't kill me. I'm one of the adventurers and Max wouldn't be pleased." Reith quickly said, causing Tia to slightly falter.

Her hesitation could only be seen by the sharpest of eyes.

"You won't be able to block." Tia uttered like Reith hadn't spoken. "I have counted the number of times you fired your technique. Your Hana should have depleted by now."

"Tia–" Milly tried to step forward but her effort was instantly truncated.

With a step, Tia closed the distance between her and Reith and her sword was drawn.

Instantly, a pulling force erupted from Reith and Tia widened her eyes.

She wanted to draw back but it was too late.

Since she had started, she would finish things till the end.

How could a mere core master of the core realm chase a seasoned assassin like her to tremble?

"I'd make your death painless. Don't worry. No one would know what happened." A light sneer appeared on Tia's face.

The air trembled and lightning sparkled in the surroundings, and the Hana grew dense. In a moment, Reith could release the pent up energy he had been holding back and throw forth the lightning while strike.

"I'm at the Spirit Refinement Realm. Do you think such play would deter me." Tia scoffed and she pushed further.

But in the dire moment, Milly dragged her from behind, and pulled her back.

A large burst of lightning erupted from Reith's body and it rose to the sky, spreading everywhere and incinerating every thing around him.

At the camp site, the loud boom caused every one to instantly rise to their feet.

Even Max jumped out of his tent.

The bright blue light reflected on their eyes and they couldn't stop staring at it.

"What did Tia do?" A man wearing a gauntlet hissed as he rose from his seat.

He was about to move forward but another old woman held him back.

"Let's wait for a while. You don't need to rush hot-headedly like a wild beast." The woman said harshly.

Understanding the meaning behind the woman's words, the man grumbled but he quickly sat down.

He knew he shouldn't have let that ticking bomb Tia go to the princess. She was never capable.

The blue light was enough to alert even the beast in the area and strangely it looked intimidating enough for them to pull back.

A Shard-tooth tiger looked up from its den, then it went back inside to pick its cubs. In the next breath, it ran away from the den.

Other wild beasts were leaving the area also. The Hana signature released from Reith's body seemed to spead out, creating a shockwave of raw power.

This was because he had forcefully torn Hana from his core and his meridians. Tia was a strong opponent and Reith realised that when he couldn't spot the Hana lines around her.

Milly had successfully pulled back Tia from the large range attack and the energy slowly left Reith's body, and then he stared at Tia with an unwavering gaze. His Hana core had been completely drained.

Despite the weakness that seemed to claw at his body, his gaze didn't go down.

"Thank you Princess Millicent." Tia understood when she saw the extent of the energy that was left in Reith.

Looking at this boy, she didn't know if he still had more energy or he was totally empty.

But she kept her sword back in its scabbard, she wouldn't take the chance.

If Milly hadn't pulled her back, she would be scarred by that amount of energy.

"He's strong." Tia whispered to Milly, causing the Princess to roll her eyes.

"He's not stronger than you but you underestimated him." Milly frowned.

"I'm sorry your highness." Tia instantly bowed. "But I couldn't careless about your safety either." She uttered.

Meanwhile, Reith wiped the trickle of blood that came from his nose.

"What's going on Milly?" His frown deepened.

"It's Princess Millicent to you." Tia shot back at him.

"Tia!" Milly called, slapping her forehead. There was no other way to explain this.

So the best option was to come out straight and apologize.

"I'm sorry Reith. Tia is my guardian. She was just doing this for my good." Milly quickly explained.

She wasn't the type to apologise first but Tia's actions had left her no choice.

For that, she would find a way to teach this nosy Tia a lesson.

Reith relaxed a little bit but his eyes didn't leave Tia. "So why is royalty like you out here?" He narrowed his gaze.

"We–"

"Princess Millicent snuck out of the capital so we were arranged to bring her back." Tia blurted out and she stood in front of Milly.

She couldn't stand the conversation anymore, especially when it was delaying her mission.

Reith raised a brow.

To think that the stuff Milly would be sneaking out? He had not expected her to be someone like that.

"Tia!" Milly stamped her foot on the ground. Her cheeks were reddened and she pulled Tia away. "I'd be leaving now." She grumbled, turning away from Reith.

Reith watched them move and decided he had to go.

He needed to at least get a shut eye before the team started to move again.

But he couldn't get over the fact that Milly was a royal.

Why would she be choosing this method of returning back to her region?

Currently, he was feeling like talking to Ruach.

When he appeared in the camp, he realised majority of the adventurers were gathered around Tia.

He heard Tia say that she had released one of her technique and it led to the blue light.

With a nod, Reith began setting up his tent.

He knew that Milly would have convinced Tia so as to avoid much attention being drawn to Reith.

If someone decided to kill him to get the source of his power, then he wouldn't be fully able to fight them at such a state.

Reith entered into his tent, and Ruach appeared.

"How was the day? Have you studied more about Light?" Ruach asked, causing Reith to explain everything in details.

He brought out his cultivation path.

He had just reached Core Master and his Hana core had expanded a little.

It was that little expansion that displayed the power difference between an core initiate and a core master.

"This grade talent is so hard to deal with?" Reith sighed after relating everything to Ruach.

"You have me. We can work it out." Ruach smiled.

"Yeah." Reith said and he was about to go to sleep when there was a ruffling at the entrance of his bed.

The ruffling at the entrance of his tent grew louder, and Reith sat up slowly. Every part of his body ached from the energy loss, but his sharp senses had not dulled.

"Tia?" he muttered, narrowing his eyes.

The flap of the tent shifted, letting in a sliver of moonlight that spilled across the ground. The distant crackle of firewood from the camp could no longer be heard which meant everyone has retired to their various tents.

Why did she choose such an auspicious time? If anyone saw them, what would they think?

Reith put his guard up. He had not recovered the Hana he lost but he made sure to pull his staff closer to his side.

Tia stepped inside. She had removed her cloak, revealing a dark tunic that clung to her form, and her expression was unreadable.

For a brief moment, her gaze rested on the faint blood stains along Reith's lips, then shifted back to his eyes.

"I came to speak with you," she said. Her tone lacked the cold sharpness from earlier.

Reith leaned back on his mat, his hand brushing the hilt of his weapon just in case. "What now? Come to finish what you started?"

"I came to speak with you," she said evenly. "I owe you an apology. I underestimated you, and that mistake could have endangered the Princess."

Reith raised a brow, studying her carefully. "Okay! It's fine–"

But before he could finish his next word, Tia moved.

Her hand blurred, and in less than a heartbeat, cold steel touched the side of his neck.

The blade of the dagger was steady, sharp enough that the faintest shift could open Reith's skin.

Her eyes hardened. "Don't misunderstand this moment," she whispered, "If you ever reveal her identity, even by accident, I will kill you myself. Quickly, cleanly, without hesitation."

The silence deepened and only the pounding of Reith's pulse against the edge of the blade was heard.

Despite the tension pulling at him, Reith met her gaze without blinking.

"If I meant to expose her, I already would have. But what do you think she'd do when she hears you did this?" His gaze narrowed and he tightened his grip on his staff.

Tia studied him in silence, then slid the blade back with the same swiftness she had drawn it. "Strength earns respect," she said quietly. "But respect is not trust. I'd state this clearly. I do not trust you, Peasant."

After that, she took her leave, just as quickly as she came.

Reith exhaled slowly, sinking back onto his mat. His back was wet with sweat.

But he wasn't afraid. If Tia truly wanted to kill, then Ruach would have done something.

His body craved rest so he closed his eyes.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.