"You are more stupid than I though." Amon heard a mocking voice coming from behind him. He recognized it as being Erin's.

"Some things are more important to me than this compet.i.tion." Amon retorted without giving himself the trouble to look back and face Erin. "To me, some things are more important than the Inner Sect."

Amon walked away, going back to the waiting hall. He didn't know if the crowd was cheering, booing or in complete silence. He couldn't hear a thing, and he didn't want to hear it. He had a smile on his face as he walked out.

From the green cabin, Jake watched the scene with a sad expression. On one hand, he felt incredibly happy for Daniel. He was on the top eight and had a real shot to become the ultimate champion. On the other hand, he felt bad for Amon. He had shown potential and Jake liked him, but he couldn't hide that seeing Amon concede the match had made Jake relieved.

Jake felt a little guilty as he watched Amon slowly walking away from the platforms.

"What a terrible luck for both of them to end up fighting each other." Jake sighed. He found it somewhat strange that Nemeus had been quiet all day, but he didn't mind it. Jake didn't like when Nemeus spoke directly to his mind, he actually preferred the silence.

"Such a pity, he had so much potential." A weary voice made its way into Jake's room, coming from the other side of one of the walls. Jake closed his eyes and silently focused on hearing. It was somewhat old and tired voice, belonging to one of the Elders close by.

"They seemed to know each other. Still, to willingly give up such a chance… Even if he still make it to the top ten tomorrow, the risks are too high." A younger and more energetic voice answered. "How far can such a person go in the path of cultivation?"

"Not very far. Cultivation is a selfish concept. We fight for treasures, we fight for knowledge and we fight for power." The old voice echoed again, seeming more and more tired at each word. "There is no room for mercy in this path. There is no room for personal feelings. That kid might be a good person, but he will be a terrible cultivator. "

Jake couldn't help but give a wry smile hearing this. The Elders were not wrong. The world they lived in was a cruel one, and cultivation was for no one but one's self. Nevertheless, the mentality they had would only make the situation perpetuate.

He felt very regretful for Amon, but he knew his chances of being accepted as an Elder's disciple were now incredibly low. Giving up a fight because of his emotions and feelings of gratefulness might not have been a truly bad thing, but openly admitting that for him such things were more important than the Inner Sect revealed a lack of ambition.

Even if he was talented, even if he showed incredible adaptability and insight in combat, even if he reached this far having come from the Outer Ring, it wouldn't matter. Lacking ambition, lacking an objective to pursue and lacking a resolve to do whatever it was needed to make such things come true meant one would not walk very far in the path to immortality.

No Elder would waste effort, resources and time with such a person. As they had said, Amon Skoller might be a good person, but he would be a terrible cultivator.

—-

Amon was in a room in the Medical Center of h.e.l.l's Keeper Arena. His right hand was wrapped in bandages to hold the bones in place as the Recovery Pill mended them. He was looking at the ceiling absent-mindedly as he lied on the bed.

He had been like this for the last hour or so. Lya didn't want to interrupt him, as she thought it would be better if he sorted out his feelings by himself. She didn't voice it, but she felt really proud of what he had done. She was certain that Amon would become a dazzling cultivator, a star s.h.i.+ning in the bright sky above the blood-soaked earth where the other cultivators walked.

She hoped he would become a beacon of light, an example that the world did not need to be the way it was. An example that decent people could reach the top. An example that decent people could do more than to simply survive in such a reality.

This was nothing but a single step in a thousand-mile journey, but as long as Amon walked in the right direction, Lya would cherish each and every one of these steps.

It didn't take too long for Amon to fall fast asleep. His breathing was light and regular, and he seemed to be having a good rest. He certainly was incredibly tired and emotionally worn out.

'Knock! Knock!'

Someone lightly knocked on the door a few hours later, waking Amon up. He sat on the bed and rubbed his eyes with his left hand before answering the door. To his surprise, it was Daniel.

"Sorry to wake you up." He said a he scratched his face, feeling somewhat awkward. "Want to walk around?"

"Sure." Amon smiled as he heard Daniel. He washed his face with the cold water in a basin in the room, getting rid of the drowsiness.

"Amon." Lya called him in a low voice.

"Leave the interspatial ring here." She asked him with some hesitation. "Don't ask why, just do it."

Amon was confused at her request, but took out the ring and left it by the basin. He gently tapped it once before he left with Daniel.

Daniel and Amon walked in silence, leaving h.e.l.l's Keeper Arena. It was nighttime, and the blue crystals shone above the city, like a small, more personal sky. Above the mountain, a full moon shone with a bright light, surrounded by countless stars.

Even if Amon could only see a tiny piece of the sky though h.e.l.l's Keeper Mountain's opening, it was enough for him. He liked watching the night sky, especially when it was a night of full moon.

Daniel brough Amon to a somewhat small building near the Ashen Heart Tree. The building was clearly empty and only was two-stories high. Daniel gestured for Amon to follow him as he jumped to the roof.

To Amon's surprise, there were two chairs in the roof, as well as a small table. Daniel took his Bottomless Pouch from his waist and started taking out food, placing it in the table. He then sat on a chair, gazing at the Ashen Heart Tree.

Amon sat in the other chair, enjoying the view. He could never get enough of how the Ashen Heart Tree seemed to s.h.i.+ne under the moonlight of the night sky, and it's gray leaves seemed to glow with a pale silver light.

They both looked at it in silence for a moment. The city was deathly quiet, leaving them to their own thoughts. After a while, Daniel stretched and patted his Bottomless Pouch, taking out a wineskin.

He also took out not one, but two wooden cups from the pouch and poured wine into them until they were half-full.

"Here." He said, offering a cup to Amon. Amon looked at the dark-red liquid churning in the cup and sent Daniel a doubtful glance.

"I thought you and my mother agreed to never let me drink any alcohol." He said as his golden eyes shone with a faint mockery.

"Well, as long as you don't tell Aunt Becca we will both live another day." Daniel said, giving a hearty laugh.

He then turned to Amon, with a serious look in his eyes. "Kids can't have wine, but I don't think you are a kid anymore. You might still be a somewhat whiny brat, but certainly not a kid."

"Cheers." He said with a smile as he raised his cup with his left hand.

Amon also raised his cup, wearing an awkward expression on his face.

'Cluck!'

The cups lightly hit each other, and Amon took a sip of the wine. A bitter taste made it's way into his mouth, making him almost spit it. Daniel started laughing as he watched the scene.

"Horrible, right?" He asked with a playful voice as a cunning smile showed on his face. "Only adults are ent.i.tled to good wine. You are still far from it."

"Shameless!" Amon complained, but still tried to take another sip. He discovered that if he drank it slowly it wasn't so bad, even if it still was incredibly bitter.

"You'll get used to it." Daniel said, still smiling. He then looked at the Ashen Heart Tree again, thinking of something. He extended his hand to the table and chewed on some jerky he had laid there.

"So, tell me what happened to you." Daniel asked, still looking at the glowing leaves of the tree.

"Well…" Amon took another small sip of the wine and his lips twisted a bit thanks to the bitterness. He slowly started retelling his story.

---

Somewhere in h.e.l.l's Keeper Arena, there was a room completely shrouded in darkness. It was hard to day if it was underground or if it was simply isolated from all light. All that could be seen in the room was a towering man that seemed to emit light from his body.

His long and wild scarlet hair reached his waist, and a pair of blazing eyes shone with impatience as he glanced somewhere in the darkness. His bulging muscles seemed to be made of steel as he unhurriedly extended his arms.

The air in front of him seemed to distort and specs of light lit up one by one in the dark room. They slowly joined together, materializing the figure of a beautiful woman. With silky black hair and icy blue eyes.

The man opened his arms even wider and gave a savage smile to the woman, revealing a row of sharp fangs in his mouth.

"h.e.l.lo, Lya." He said in a deep voice that seemed more like the growling of a beast. "It has been what, a bit more than four hundred years?"

Lya didn't bother with Nemeus as she faced him with a expressionless face. Her voice was as cold as her gaze when she asked him, "Why did you do it?"

"You decided to ignore me." Nemeus said as his distorted smile grew wider, making him seem quite frightening.

"Well, I am here now." She said with the same cold voice.

"I have many questions for you, and you will answer them." She said in a commanding tone as her eyes gave Nemeus a threatening glance.

"Why would I?" Nemeus asked as his smile disappeared. The fire in his eyes blazed even wilder as he looked at Lya.

Lya stood quiet for a moment before answering. When she finally spoke, she tried to make her voice sound cold and indifferent, but she couldn't hide the regret and pain in it. Her voiced ended up being feeble and sad.

"Because you owe me."