Legacy of Hatred-Chapter 100: Infamy

That was undoubtedly a threat, and a deadly one at that. The Disciplinary Elder’s tone left no room for interpretation, which only made things more confusing for Liam.

’Isn’t this good?’ Liam wondered. ’It’s free, right?’

The training with the Divine Cult had made combat lessons superfluous for Liam. Still, he was done being complacent, especially when he knew that his superior battle prowess mainly came from his mindset.

That advantage would wane as Liam encountered better opponents, so he couldn’t stop learning. Yet, Liam had no contribution points to waste. He actually had none right now and wanted to prioritize his breakthrough.

Still, inner disciples enjoyed privileges, and those combat lessons seemed to fall among them. They also had to be free due to their mandatory nature, which brought out Liam’s genuine gratitude.

"Thank you, Disciplinary Elder!" Liam exclaimed. "I promise to come on time."

The Elder almost felt the urge to squint his eyes at the blinding innocence shining in his vision. He hadn’t expected that reaction at all. That genuine gratitude even tugged at his heartstrings, making him feel guilty about his threatening tone.

Nevertheless, the faint, suppressed chuckle coming from Joel’s lowered head snapped the Elder out of his surprise, prompting a stern snort out of him. "You better!"

Afterward, the Disciplinary Elder suddenly disappeared, not wanting to expose himself to the dangerous, blinding weapon that was Liam.

"Junior Brother, you are a force to be reckoned with," Joel praised, patting Liam’s shoulder.

"Did I misspeak again?" Liam questioned, feeling that Joel’s words hinted at something else.

"On the contrary," Joel reassured, shaking his head. "However, don’t overthink it. The Disciplinary Elder is a true master of combat. Learning from him is a great boon."

"Why did the Elder sound angry, then?" Liam asked, insisting. With Joel as his more knowledgeable friend, he wanted to solve his confusion and learn something new.

"That’s," Joel began to say, only to feel that the truth would be too complicated to explain. "The Elder is very serious about his duties. With you killing the Crimson Warrior Sect’s disciples, repercussions against our Sect’s disciples are bound to arrive, and the Elder wants us to be prepared."

That was only a partial truth, but a truth nonetheless, which was why it worked with Liam. He nodded in understanding, knowing that his actions had put a target on the Sect and his back.

That awareness had also affected the purpose of some of Liam’s concoctions, which he wouldn’t hesitate to unleash if and when someone tried something like the three red cultivators had done.

"Junior Brother," Joel called, wanting to get as far away as possible from the topic, "Where were you planning on heading?"

"Botanical and Alchemical Hall," Liam revealed, resuming walking without forgetting to express his second doubt. "Still, Senior Brother, do you know why Senior Sister Melissa ran away?"

"Oh, Junior Brother," Joel chuckled. "If you want my advice, I’d stop questioning women’s behavior entirely. The way I see it, they’ll be forever incomprehensible to us men."

And Liam took the advice to heart. Lucy, Melissa, and even Alicia’s behavior had long since escaped his comprehension. He honestly didn’t even understand himself at that point due to those strangely sticky memories, almost making him decide to stop trying altogether.

So, the two crossed the Inner Hall, descending toward the paths on the other side of the mountain to head for the other Halls.

Some people occupied those areas, attending to personal businesses or missions. Still, they were all outer disciples, and they had no qualms about the pair’s identity, triggering polite bows.

Outer and inner disciples had no differences in attire, but Joel was an unmistakable rooting expert, and Liam had become infamous. The murmurs he heard after he crossed those bowing figures proved as much, even leading to unexpected realizations.

’Right,’ Liam recalled, almost experiencing some surprise at the words his sharp ears could distinguish. ’Killing is bad.’

Liam didn’t talk with anyone, but his ears captured enough. He had indeed made a reputation for himself as planned, but for all the wrong reasons.

The feats against the Crimson Warrior Sect hardly occupied the gossip. Instead, Randall’s name was the main topic.

Randall had been a liked figure in the Sect. Liam still recalled Kyle’s excitement and the happy crowd back then, and that general appreciation had clearly mattered more than the Elders’ claims of self-defense.

Because everything Liam heard was fear, distrust, and straight-up blame. It didn’t matter that Liam had been in the right. The truth had no place among emotions, and they sided with Randall.

"Junior Brother, does this bother you?" Joel eventually asked. He didn’t have ears as sharp as Liam’s, but even he heard something, and the tense vibe could fill the gaps.

"No," Liam responded honestly. There was a time when he would have felt bad. He had even felt conflicted when requesting to become an inner disciple, but that hesitation and doubt didn’t exist inside him anymore.

That resolve came from the foundation the Alchemy Elder had helped Liam build and from sheer awareness of the truth. Liam had seen the true face of the world. He had suffered from it, and he wouldn’t blame himself because someone found him guilty under their naive, clueless perspective.

Liam couldn’t be in the wrong when he decided what that word meant in his life, especially when the world agreed with him.

And even if the world disagreed with Liam, he would still pursue his way of life and impose his values. That was what it meant to be a cultivator.

Besides, Liam had already considered those possible consequences. He had even agreed to pay that price of enmity if it meant that people would be too scared to try anything against him.

If anything, Liam preferred that blatant and outward disdain over the confusing vagueness of politeness and pleasantries.

Also, it wasn’t all bad. Liam had his Master, and Joel’s decision to stand by his side despite his poor reputation gained even more value now. And, surprisingly, things didn’t end there.

Before Liam could reach the Alchemical Hall, the distant open cave with the cauldrons, a strange silence spread over that side of the mountain. The murmurs suddenly stopped, only leaving room for occasional gasps.

Liam didn’t care much about that change. He felt he had heard enough, but the gasps continued until hurried footsteps resounded behind him, eventually winning over his curiosity.

And turning showed Liam an unexpected scene, a surprise that Joel shared after imitating him.

Down the path, Melissa was hurrying after the duo, trying her best not to run and overwork herself, but still walking quite fast.

Of course, Melissa’s presence wasn’t enough to cause such surprise, silence, and gasps, but adding her appearance to the equation was.

Melissa had her golden hair down now, its fluttering revealing its soft silkiness. She had even worn a clean robe that carried no trace of her previous sweat, and her cheeks had rosy traces of the bath she had just come out of.

Melissa was already stunning at her shabbiest, so her current state was properly breathtaking, so enchanting that many outer disciples dropped what they were doing and pretended to switch to other duties to follow her from a distance.

In that confusing moment, Joel and Liam waited for Melissa, who didn’t take long to reach them, stopping a few meters from them to perform a greeting bow.

Still, after Liam and Joel did the same, Melissa straightened herself and wiped the new sweat falling on her forehead, lowering her head in embarrassment while stepping forward.

And, under everyone’s shocked gazes, Melissa reached for Liam’s arm, clinging to his elbow while standing at his side, as if wanting him to escort her around.