229. Memories

Alistair introduced the surviving members of his squad to his friends. Red and Fuhao just so happened to be on the same team, while Pristine was with the number 1 ranked outer disciple, Korinth Kaevor. Both of them were two of the first teams to finish their battles.

“We have Kolz Einz Borentall, Janus Morris, and Theline Likonia,” Alistair gestured to his remaining squadmates. “How did your teams fare?”

“You’re going to do a lot more training to usurp Korinth,” Pristine said with a smile. “His spearwork is as impressive as Red’s swordmanship, dare I say.”

Red's expression remained neutral. “An impossibility.”

Pristine glared at him. “I thought you didn’t want to show off.”

“You’re right,” Red said, seeing the confusion on Alistair’s squadmates’ faces. “I’m a nobody. Forget you saw me.”

“Okay,” Bortenall said, looking Alistair quizzically. “I’ve seen him before, haven’t I?”

“He likes to hang around the Training Grounds doing all sorts of weird challenges. Don’t pay him any mind.”

So many of his friends’ teammates survived that they didn’t really bond with any of them. Both of their teams won fast, within the first couple hours of the competition.

Red said that he laid low, but Fuhao showed off. In the end, their inner disciple simply overpowered the Endless Horizons’ inner disciple.

For Pristine, she was the rising star, showing off more of her butterfly path. With her showing off her finishing Skill, an elaborate silk cocoon with markings of rainbow rebirth, she had shot up to the near the top of the outer disciple leaderboards.

This was something separate from the normal rankings. The competition leaderboard would measure earned distinction, and divvy merit points, ranking, and other rewards at the end.

With her performance, Pristine was #9. Alistair got #41 for his work. They clearly weren’t just measuring absolute power, but leadership and craftiness as well as impact on victory.

On the other side, one name stood above all others.

Leofric Berengar. As expected, he was #1. They had discussed with other Clear Water disciples, and it was known that Leofric’s team was the first to win against their opponent while also suffering no casualties.

Alistair saw the rank greed in Red’s eyes as he heard about the so-called “Future of the Disputed Shard.” I have to make sure they don’t meet yet. Imagine the incident if Red beats up one of the most impressive talents in this universe. You’d think he’d win, Dev'rox?

“I’d estimate Red to be at Heaven-Touched of the involved. A Divine Prodigy of the frontier wouldn’t be up to snuff.”

They shared pleasantries for a little while longer. After that, Red had a great idea—sparring. With nothing else to do, Alistair traded fists with his roommate, making sure to find a private location to avoid prying eyes.

Red controlled his strength. He attacked now, the days of only evading past, thank the Jade the Emperor. Alistair had grown enough that it was untenable to be completely on the defensive, but the gap still felt like that of the Heaven and Earth.

With his Upgrade Points, Alistair had unlocked a fresh slot, preparing himself for whatever Badge came next. The majority of his remaining 376 Upgrade Points went into the Technique Collector Tree.

While he was well aware of the distinction between Technique and the Dao at the lower realms. Originality and true understanding was superior to the infused knowledge of the Dao Nodes.

However, that didn’t mean the Pathfinder’s immense knowledge base didn’t come in handy. He put 300 total Upgrade Points into {Multiversal Combat Exchange I} and {Multiversal Combat Exchange II}.

His arsenal of martial techniques was unrivaled for his level, but why not extend that further? Balanced was one path that he took for his Attributes, but he was also the embodiment of duality. Hyperfocusing on one trait was a legitimate and well-trodden path to power.

Alistair added techniques he didn’t even know existed to his profile. If he thought separating his limbs from his body via flimsiest of tendons was weird, things got even stranger. Incorporated into his body were techniques like increasing blood pressure to shoot jets of pressurized blood out of his veins, or stretching his jaw like a snake swallowing an egg.

Two whole days passed, disciples trickling in. Finally, on the third day, the culling phase was over. Elder Aylesfort along with the other presiding elders materialized over the luscious field, commanding all their attention.

“Disciples of both the Clear Water and Endless Horizons Sect,” Elder Aylesfort announced, “the largest culling period of our competition has concluded.”

He raised a hand and a massive display of light appeared above him, numbers scrolling in glowing letters.

Endless Horizons Sect: 60 teams victorious

Remaining disciples: 3,352

Clear Water Sect: 40 teams victorious

Remaining disciples: 2,460

Alistair was honestly expecting worse. Though, if it were worse, how would the competition even be remotely fair? The elders of the Clear Water Sect had to have been expecting them to do better than what the outside expected.

While he didn’t want to read too much into the expressions of Elder Break Lars and Ju of Endless Horizons, but he felt there was a hint of shock. They must have been also thinking things would be more lopsided.

Elder Aylesfort stepped forward alone, his voice carrying clearly across the vast space. “The true test of the first month begins now. All the remaining teams will be scattered across Selvitari with new identities and appearances. Your sect affiliations will be completely hidden through advanced disguise techniques and Dao Commands.

“Your first objective is simple: reunify with your team members. The inner disciple leading each team, or the highest ranked outer disciple in case your team leader was eliminated, shall be given the location of the meeting point along with the locations of all the other outer disciples. It is their job to gather their team at that location.

“Teams will be given points in proportion to how fast they successfully reunify. Once you accomplish this task, the rest of the month will be taken up by the mission board. The mission board will contain tasks of varying difficulty and point values scattered across Selvitari. As previously stated, these missions will include retrieving rare items from dangerous locations, protecting VIP targets who may be under threat from rival teams, capturing and holding strategic positions such as trade hubs or cultivation sites, and eliminating specific high-value targets.”

The display above shifted to show examples—glowing markers across the map indicating potential mission sites.

“Each mission completed successfully will award points based on difficulty and execution quality. However, beware—multiple teams may be assigned and most likely will be assigned to competing objectives. You might find yourself tasked with protecting someone another team has been hired to eliminate, or racing to claim the same artifact.”

The Perfect waved her hand, and a strange prickly feeling washed over Alistair. “This sequence is the game of masks. You have all been given a false identity with an impenetrable disguise. These disguises will be key to your missions, so try to stay undercover for as long as possible.”

A flash of darkness and light took over Alistair’s vision in all spheres.

--------------------

Consciousness returned slowly, like swimming up from the depths of a deep ocean. Alistair blinked, his vision clearing to reveal an unfamiliar ceiling made of polished coral that pulsed with bioluminescent patterns. Unlike his past experiences of teleportation, it felt like he was resuming activity from an extended stupor.

The room around him was small but clean and well-furnished. He sat up carefully, immediately noticing how different his body felt. Looking down at his hands, he saw deathly pale skin, and his fingers were more slender and longer than he remembered.

A mirror on the nearby wall showed an utterly alien face, far too angular with strange red eyes.

The disguise technique, he realized. His memories of what happened before were hazy, like trying to recall a dream, but he recalled enough. He was supposed to dutifully act out his purpose here until his team leader picked him up.

Team leader, Alistair thought. Norman’s his name, right?

“Prince of Hell, what have they done to your mind,” Dev'rox said, shaking a tail. “I’ll have to help you out a bit.”

As if responding to his muddied identity, information flooded his mind. Memories that felt like his own. He was Kael Thorne, a traveling merchant’s son from the floating city of Pelagapos. His father dealt in rare underwater minerals, and Kael had come to a new city to seek the hand of their rival’s daughter, Elektra.

The knowledge felt foreign yet familiar, like wearing clothes that almost fit.

“The technique is more invasive than I expected,” Dev'rox observed. “They didn’t even mention that aspect at all, those bastards. Your actual memories are still there, but they’ve been... layered over.”

“Dev'rox? What are you talking about? I have to go see Elektra.”

“Yep, it’s definitely something deep. They’re certainly messing with your Fate.”

Alistair ignored the strange demonic ghost and explored his modest quarters. Outside, he could see the sprawling city of Nereon’s Deep—structures carved into canyon walls, connected by transparent tubes through which citizens moved while sea life swam overhead.

His belongings included a merchant’s travel pack, samples of mineral specimens that looked extremely valuable, and clothing appropriate for someone of moderate means seeking to make an advantageous marriage. Most importantly, he found a letter of introduction to House Saltwind, Elektra’s family.

“Saltwind,” he murmured, the name triggering something in his implanted memories. They were minor nobility who controlled several deep-sea mining operations. Elektra was their eldest daughter, known for her business acumen and—according to the gossipy notes he’d apparently written—her remarkable beauty.

House Saltwind were the Thorne’s rivals. They wouldn’t have put it like that, as they viewed the Thorne as beneath their notice, but they were encroaching upon their established business with ingenious mining methods.

This marriage was supposed to elevate the Thornes into high society while allowing the Saltwinds to receive a new asset and technology.

Dev'rox sighed. “Until I figure out how to break you out of this fugue, let’s go with it.”

A soft chime announced someone at his door. Alistair opened it to find a young woman with subtle gills along her neck and webbed fingers. The inhabitants of Nereon’s Deep relied on natural genetic adaptations to get around, being the oldest city on the planet.

“Merchant Thorne?” she asked. “Lady Elektra Saltwind is ready to see you now. She’s waiting in the Kelp Garden Pavilion.”

Alistair’s heart rate increased, though he wasn’t sure if it was from nerves or something else. “Of course. Please tell her I’ll be there momentarily.”

After the messenger left, he gathered his things and made his way through the city’s tube-like walkways. He popped a water to oxygen conversion pill as he lacked the gills of the native citizens. The sensation of walking through water was disorienting, but his clothes didn’t seem to get wet. His father had chosen good garments.

The Kelp Garden Pavilion turned out to be an elegant restaurant built into a grove of towering kelp. Diners sat at tables carved from thick shells, their conversations creating a gentle murmur that blended with the harmonic frills of anemone. Schools of multicolored fish drifted between the natural columns like living chandeliers, their soft blue and green glow providing an eerie ambiance that made the entire space feel like dining within an underwater cathedral.

“Kael Thorne?”

He turned toward the voice and felt his breath catch. The woman approaching him was stunning, tall and graceful, with silver-white hair that seemed to flow like water and eyes the color of deep ocean currents. She wore practical but elegant clothing that suggested someone comfortable with both business and combat.

But it wasn’t her beauty that made him freeze. It was the way she moved—a particular mud-like quality that felt familiar.

I know her.

“Lady Saltwind,” he managed, offering a bow. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me.”

She smiled, and even that expression felt familiar somehow. “Please, call me Elektra. My father speaks highly of your family’s reputation for quality minerals. Perhaps we should sit and discuss our potential... arrangement.”

Alistair sat down at her table, ordering a golden wine.

“You seem nervous,” Elektra observed. “No offense intended whatsoever. It’s just my observation. Is this your first time arranging a marriage alliance?”

“Something like that,” Alistair replied. “My father has always handled the family’s business negotiations. And this… significantly further than business. I’m more comfortable with the technical aspects of the job.”

She laughed, and the sound triggered a flash of recognition he couldn’t quite grasp. “How honest. What draws you personally to the deep-sea mineral trade?”

They spent the next twenty minutes discussing their families’ businesses, mining techniques, and the complexities of underwater commerce. Elektra proved remarkably knowledgeable about geological formations and extraction methods, more than most merchant daughters would be. Even his own expertise felt tested against her knowledge.

“Speaking of business opportunities,” she said as their meal arrived, “there’s actually something pressing on my docket. An opportunity of a lifetime.”

“Oh?”

"There's an opportunity that's come up," she said. "A prestigious trial that cultivators from all over the fief flock to. We could use your experience."

Alistair leaned forward with interest. "Experience with what? What exactly would you need me to do?"

"Your knowledge of rare minerals specfically," she said. "We'll be dungeon diving essentially. The location contains treasures that could benefit both our families significantly. Regardless of your performance, we'll compensate you handsomely. And not just with my hand, of course, with real money. Though, I am the biggest prize, don't you doubt that."

Elektra handed him a purple crystal. As soon as his fingers touched the cool rock, knowledge flooded his mind. Not memories, but mission parameters.

New Mission: Temple Expedition. Objective: Assist House Saltwind in claiming valuable treasures from the Temple of Descending Currents. Reward: 2,000 Merit Points, Points toward competition ranking. Time Limit: 3 days.

Kael Thorne was sure that he had never received a Quest of that nature, but Alistair felt right at home.

Dev'rox sighed. “That’s because you are right at home, idiot. Thankfully, I have an idea. You owe me for this one.”

“I accept,” Alistair told Elektra. “When do we start?”

“I was thinking tonight,” she replied. “We have a team going out in an hour. How does that sound?”

“Just right.”