Four days later, Kanoru, freshly bathed, collapsed onto his bed, finally able to rest after a week of relentless battle. The war was over, and they had emerged victorious.
The battle, however, was not won by him or the soldiers like him. It was the City Lord of Bilu City who had decided the outcome. During the final clash, the City Lord advanced to the Spirit Lord realm, and the invaders had no one strong enough to match him.
When the City Lord and the other spirit realm experts from their army launched a coordinated assault, the enemy's spirit realm warriors initially fought back. However, after the City Lord burned two spirit realm invaders alive in a short time, the remaining invaders fled, abandoning their army.
With the spirit realm experts gone, the invaders were slaughtered within an hour. The spirit realms from Kanoru's side didn't bother chasing their fleeing counterparts—they focused on wiping out the enemy forces left behind.
Now, lying on his bed, Kanoru stared at the ceiling, feeling a bitter emptiness. The week-long battle felt meaningless in hindsight. All the blood, sweat, and near-death struggles of warriors like him meant nothing when a single cultivation expert could decide the fate of thousands.
He wondered when he would be able to reach the spirit realm, but first, he had to advance to higher-ranked samurai. He could now endure the energy of the sixth gate for at least six hours, a significant improvement, but it still wasn't enough.
Tomorrow, he could exchange his hard-earned merit for resources. He would strengthen his body and spirit, shortening the path to his next breakthrough.
But for now, he only wanted sleep. During the war, he had barely rested, always alert, never able to let his guard down. But today, with the battle over, he could finally sleep without fear, his body and mind heavy with exhaustion.
The next morning, Kanoru's group and their families gathered in a solemn atmosphere. The week-long war had claimed the lives of 21 members of their group.
Kanoru remained silent, not wanting to break the heavy stillness. The others in the group, except for him and his family, were either guards of the Yun Family or subordinates of Yun Feng, so he let Yun Feng speak.
Finally, Yun Feng addressed them.
"Brothers and sisters," he began, his voice steady but filled with sorrow, "the battle may be over, but the war against the invaders continues. I cannot promise we won't lose more brothers and sisters in the future."
He took a deep breath, then added firmly,
"But I swear, as long as I live, none of you will have to worry about your families."
Afterward, he and the higher-ranked warlocks went to comfort the grieving families of their fallen comrades.
Once they were done, Yun Feng, Kanoru, and the three higher-ranked warlocks huddled together to discuss their next move.
Yun Feng started,
"Last night, I attended the celebration banquet. I heard that some groups will join Bilu City's forces and help secure the neighboring areas."
Kanoru shook his head slightly and said,
"We can't join them. We have to go to Ren County."
Yun Feng nodded in agreement, as he still needed to heal his mother, then added,
"Yeah, but we also need to inquire about what's happening in Qinhui City."
When Bilu City was under siege, no support came from Qinhui City, despite being close enough to assist. They needed to understand why.
One of the higher-ranked warlocks, a man, suggested,
"When we head to the City Lord's mansion to exchange our merit for resources, we can inquire about Qinhui City's situation and then make a plan."
The female higher-ranked warlock, whom Kanoru called Aunty, added,
"We need to grow our group as well."
Kanoru nodded in agreement. He knew that numbers couldn't decide extraordinary battles, but having more people would increase their chances of survival. Their enemies weren't spirit realm experts, but those below that realm, and against them, more fighters meant greater endurance.
Another male higher-ranked warlock said,
"Many groups lost their leaders in the battle. We could recruit them to join us."
Yun Feng added,
"Most of the fighters who defended Bilu City weren't part of the army—they were temporary recruits for the city's defense. Now that the battle is over, we can attract some of them to join us."
Kanoru, however, cautioned,
"The other groups will also be recruiting, and even Bilu City's army will take in some. The competition will be steep, so we need an attractive reason for them to join us."
Yun Feng nodded thoughtfully and asked,
"You're right. But what attractive point do we have?"
Kanoru replied,
"The practice methods of the Three Continents and the Avatar spells from the Desert Kingdom. That might draw some people to us."
Yun Feng nodded in agreement, and they continued discussing strategies on how to attract and strengthen their group, ensuring they would be better prepared for the battles ahead.
After a few hours, everyone who participated in the battle left the housing complex and walked toward the City Lord's mansion.
Out on the streets, people were cleaning up, removing debris from destroyed buildings, and repairing the city—restoring the damage inflicted by the battle.
As Kanoru walked, he recognized several familiar buildings, now damaged or ruined. This wasn't his first time in Bilu City—it was his second. The first time, he had stayed for only one night but had roamed the city for a few hours, as Bilu City remained lively late into the night.
Ships didn't just arrive from Qinhui City but also from other cities. Since it took only a week to reach Shentong from Bilu City, every riverside or nearby city transported their goods here, making Bilu City a key trade hub.
Kanoru snapped out of his wandering thoughts as they approached the City Lord's mansion. Outside, a long line of men and women stretched along the road, waiting to enter.
Seeing the crowd, Yun Feng sighed and said,
"We should've come earlier."
Many from their group nodded in agreement, but with no other choice, they lined up.
After about an hour—which Kanoru roughly estimated by the sun's movement since he had no watch—he finally stood before a table with a man seated behind it.
The man asked for the tag given to them before the battle, used to identify participants. Kanoru handed over his tag, and the man stared at him with admiration before exchanging it for another token.
The token was made of an unidentifiable metal with three leaves engraved on it.
The man said,
"Once inside, ask the guard for Room No. A."
Kanoru nodded, entered the building, and approached a guard, asking for Room No. A. The guard pointed to a door where five people stood in line outside.
After a short wait, Kanoru stepped inside the room.
Inside the room, a table stood in the center with two elderly men seated behind it. Both had white beards and hair, yet their smooth, glowing skin resembled that of a newborn. The sharp light in their eyes revealed they still had many years to live.
Seeing them, Kanoru immediately recognized them as Spirit Realm experts. He lowered his head, walked toward them, and bowed deeply, saying,
"Sir."
He remained bowing, only raising his head when he heard,
"Rise."
Even as he straightened, Kanoru kept his eyes on the table, avoiding direct eye contact.
The old man on his right said,
"Give me your token."
Kanoru handed over his token. The moment it touched the old man's hand, it began to shine brightly.
The old man then said,
"Drop your blood and refine it with your chakra."
Following the instruction, Kanoru pricked his finger and let several drops of blood fall onto the token. He watched as his blood seeped into the token and vanished.
The old man returned the token, and Kanoru refined it with his chakra.
Upon refining, the token revealed his merit count in his mind:
- Red – 7
- Yellow – 174
- Green – 89
Seeing the colors, Kanoru deduced: Red must represent higher-ranked monsters he killed, Yellow for middle-ranked monsters, Green for lower-ranked monsters.
The old man then pushed a stack of parchments toward him, saying,
"Take this and see what you want to exchange."
Kanoru flipped through the parchments, seeing herbs, fruits, ores, crystals, and various other resources, but he couldn't decide which would benefit him the most.
He glanced at the two old men, considering their Spirit Realm expertise, and thought they might know what would help him.
Bowing again, he asked,
"Sir, can you give me some advice?"
The old man who had spoken to him replied,
"Alright. Give me your wrist."
Kanoru set the parchments down on the table and extended his wrist.
The old man grasped it gently, and Kanoru felt an unfamiliar energy enter his body.
To his surprise, his chakra didn't react to the foreign energy. The energy spread smoothly, thoroughly examining every part of his body before finally withdrawing.
The old man said,
"You need resources to strengthen your body so it can withstand the energy inside the sixth gate."
Kanoru nodded, and the old man continued,
"Then you should exchange for Blood Fire Fruits, Cold Spring Liquid, Golden Sword Herb, and Nine-Eye Spider Poison."
The old man beside him added,
"Also exchange for Ice Heart Lotus."
The first old man glanced at him and asked,
"Why?"
But then, as if realizing something, his blue eyes took on a silver hue as he stared at Kanoru.
Kanoru suddenly felt pressure in his mind, as if something was probing his soul.
Moments later, the silver hue faded from the old man's eyes, and the pressure vanished.
The old man then said,
"You're also a lower-rank priest. In that case, yes, you can exchange for the Ice Heart Lotus as well."
Kanoru nodded and sifted through the stack of parchments, finding the names of the resources the two Spirit Realm experts mentioned.
He checked how much merit each required. His merit was enough to exchange for many of each, but he was unsure how much to take since some resources were effective only once while others could be used multiple times.
Seeking their guidance again, he asked for their advice. Following their suggestions, he exchanged his merit for the resources, leaving him with:
- 1 Red merit
- 54 Yellow merit
- 10 Green merit
He learned that the token could be used to exchange resources in any city ruled by their people.
As he turned to leave, the second old man called him back and handed him a parchment made from animal fur.
Kanoru, curious, asked,
"What is this?"
The old man replied,
"A war song technique practiced by priests."
He explained that the reward was given specifically to him because he had the potential to advance to the Spirit Realm. The technique was tailored for him, and mastering it would help him comprehend the nature-sound of the wind element.
Kanoru thanked them and left the room, learning that the resources would be delivered to him later at his lodging.
Outside the city lord's mansion, Kanoru waited for a couple of hours until all the members of his group came out.
Together, they went to a restaurant to eat and packed food for those left behind at the house where they were staying.
In the evening, everyone's resources were delivered.
At night, while eating dinner, the group discussed their next steps. They agreed not to leave the city until they had consumed all their resources. The city was the safest place for now, as invaders could attack them anytime outside. To remain safe, they needed to increase their strength.
Afterward, everyone went to their rooms to sleep.
While lying in bed, Kanoru's thoughts drifted to the war song technique.
After reading it, he finally understood why the nature-sound had remained elusive to him.
Although he could mimic any sound in nature with his sword, he still hadn't comprehended the true nature-sound.
The reason was clear—the sounds from his sword could only mobilize wind elemental energy. To truly comprehend the nature-sound, he needed to control the wind element with a simple vibration of his sword.
The next day, everyone began practicing, even the ordinary people in their group.
The world had grown too dangerous for those without power, and ordinary people could no longer survive without the ability to defend themselves.
After two months, they had consumed all their resources.
By then, they had gathered accurate information about Qinhui City from multiple sources.
They learned that Qinhui City had been unable to send reinforcements because it was also under siege.
However, Bali City's lord had aided them, helping to defeat the invaders and lift the siege.
With this knowledge, they set out for Qinhui City.