Theron went through each and every one of the Soul Lamps. He didn't do much in the way of introducing himself, but it was easy enough for them all to come to the same conclusion that Uslim did.

He learned their names, their origins, and he began to piece together a convoluted image of what Patriarch Nightingale wanted.

As far as Theron could tell, not only were many of the missions Patriarch Nightingale sent them on red herrings, but maybe the people he controlled themselves were as well.

There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to their locations. But… Theron wasn't 100% sure of that conclusion either.

This was because for someone as weak as Patriarch Nightingale to control so many powerhouses, he had no choice but to target them as youths and children.

Unless the Patriarch was a God, there was no way he'd be able to predict things that far into the future. In the future, Theron would have to question them more thoroughly about where they originated and their life stories.

He also wanted to document every mission that Patriarch Nightingale had ever given them.

This wasn't just for the sake of hopping onto whatever plans the Patriarch had had, but it was also for the sake of protection. Who knew how the plans the Patriarch had already laid out could affect him? And more importantly than that, who was to say that the Patriarch was truly working alone?

If the Patriarch had allies and confidants with more freedom, they could be coming for Theron from the shadows.

Theron preferred not to deal with such things.

However, Theron only had one main goal right now…

Understanding the cultivation of this world.

This world was far larger, and far more powerful and comprehensive than the one he was used to. These people almost certainly understood things about cultivation that he didn't.

Having Cloud Realm experts with no choice but to diligently describe cultivation to him from the lowest to the highest levels… it could be said that there was no one in this corner of the universe that had the sheer volume and quality of teachers Theron had found for himself now.

The weakest of Patriarch Nightingale's puppets were Ascending Cloud Realm experts, but the strongest seemed to be at the very pinnacle of the Treading Cloud Realm, existences that stood toe to toe with the unnamed cultivator.

Having this level of power and yet not using it in an exaggerated way painted exactly the sort of person Patriarch Nightingale was.

He could have tried to use any one of these powerhouses to get the unnamed cultivator's inheritance, but he hadn't. It was the perfect act of patience and self-control.

Sure, these cultivators on the level of the unnamed cultivator were powerhouses in their own right, but bringing them to the Nightingale Sect would leave loose ends that tied them to the Sect. They were too powerful for their movements not to be tracked and monitored.

And then there was the issue of what would happen if they managed to use this inheritance to find a method to break free of the King Soul Lamp.

However, as Theron was thinking of this, he found the danger he was looking for.

…

Theron ended communication with an Elder Zyrah, his expression becoming extremely serious.

She was an elder of the Hall of Ice and Heart, one of two that Patriarch Nightingale had under his control. However, Elder Zyrah was the most powerful of the two, being the Third Elder of the Hall.

She had confirmed something the second of two Ninth Resonance Cloud Realm cultivators Caulderone had under his control had.

There was a realm a half-step beyond, the so-called Quasi Dome of Heaven Realm.

The Dome of Heaven Realm was considered to be a godlike realm to the people of this corner of the universe, and the only power with one was the Hall of Ice and Heart.

That seemed to mean that Theron was worried because of how powerful the Hall of Ice and Heart was. How would he destroy a Sect so powerful in just three years?

But this wasn't what Theron was considering at all.

Slowly, Theron took out more Soul Lamps. In that room, there had been dozens, but there was only one that had never had a soul placed into it before: the King Soul Lamp.

The others that were empty had all had soul flames in them at some point, but for one reason or another… they had all died.

At first, Theron assumed that this was simply because of Patriarch Nightingale's missions. But after listening to all of their descriptions of things, even without going into detail, he knew one thing for sure…

Patriarch Nightingale was far too cautious.

He never gave anyone a mission he didn't believe they could accomplish with 100% assurance. What were the odds that he would have to kill what seemed to be as many as 30% of the souls he had taken control of?

It didn't seem to be a matter of Patriarch Nightingale outliving them either. These talents all moved quite deeply into the Cloud Realm, a Realm that easily gave them thousands of years of life. Patriarch Nightingale wouldn't have appeared in the public eye for that long without disappearing, because then powerhouses would start wondering how he was living so long.

That was when the gravity of it all hit Theron.

Of them all, Elder Zyrah had been the most indifferent to him. A cold and detached woman whose words were even laced with just the slightest hint of disgust and disdain.

For someone so powerful, she was worthy of such a thing to be sure, so he hadn't thought about it much. She was free to be as disdainful as she wanted. No matter what, she would still be under his control…

Or so he thought.

'They didn't die from missions or old age. Patriarch Nightingale killed them.

'He killed them because once they become Quasi Dome of Heaven experts, the King Soul Lamp can't control them anymore.'

Theron's eyes flashed with warning and apprehension.

Elder Zyrah was close. Too close.

And the first thing she would do once she broke through was to come after him.

Theron calmly assessed his situation after coming to the realization. And soon after he had, he quickly came to another one.

'The odds that most of the plans being laid out here were for the sake of taking Elder Zyrah's life… almost 100%.'

Theron put his Soul Lamps away once again and realized that he was probably running out of time. Given the sheer confidence in Elder Zyrah's voice, she wasn't years from a breakthrough, she was months.

Theron could also feel the hints of pride wafting from her soul every time she spoke of the Dome of Heaven as well.

She was right to be prideful. Even in a powerhouse Sect like the Hall of Ice and Heart, there were only three Quasi Dome of Heaven experts, and only one Dome of Heaven Matriarch.

To become one of them at such a young age… it was right she be so arrogant.

The fact she didn't demand Theron give her the soul strand back was already a great deal of restraint on her part.

Theron took a shaky breath, his heart threatening to beat out of his chest just for standing up.

He knew what to do.

**

Two weeks passed almost too quickly.

At that moment, Theron was walking on familiar trails, his body in a far better situation now than it had been before.

He followed through on his plan to find additional Echoes for himself, still keeping his original Immortal Jellyfish and Blue Pufferfish Echoes.

With the Alpha by his side, even though he had practically felt on the verge of death days ago, it had been almost too easy.

The Alpha was now a high-tier Gold Mancy Arcane Beast. Taking down Arcane Silver Mancy Beasts was as easy as breathing.

Theron only had to be cautious about exactly which he chose and decipher how to make sure they synergized with his current path instead of clashing.

Luckily, he had a panel of Ascending and Treading Cloud Realm experts to guide him through. Though he didn't expose his situation clearly, he was able to divide and conquer, giving each of them bits of his problem to solve, and then cross-referencing it with things the others said and the library under his control.

In the end, he found that he had two slots for Echoes formed, and once he completely absorbed them, he went from a young man who seemed to be on the verge of death to a youth who was vibrant and exuberant once more.

The only difference was that his eyes carried a hint of darkness to them now that hadn't been there before.

Calm and collected, he continued his walk forward until he was stopped at a familiar pair of gates.

The guards frowned, both appearing before him. They were oddly wary for a pair of Gold Mancers facing a Silver Mancer, but Theron only gently smiled in a way that would have softened their hearts in almost any other situation.

"Hello. I've heard that the rules of your Sect claim that anyone able to cross the forest and arrive here on their own would be able to directly become a Core Disciple. I would like to know if that is true."

The two guards looked toward one another. There was, indeed, such a rule. But were they supposed to believe a Silver Mancer was capable of that?

"Go back and tell whichever one of your elders escorted you here that we are not—."

Theron's smile didn't waver, a Dual Radiance of Water and Darkness spilling out from him, the Mana in the air churning.

"Please inform your elders that a Dual Radiance Mancer would like to join your Nightingale Sect."

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