Pantulia City, Korko Sect.

Foliana was the first of the twins’ group to be ’found’ back in Enrel City, and after her talent was discovered, she was brought to the main sect in Pantulia straight away.

She could hide her cultivation, but not her bloodline. Besides, trying to hide it would make it more annoying to explain later. That said, she didn’t. When she was tested, the Korko Sect easily found out that she was part of the humanoid races but also had the bloodline of the Red Lightning Hawk.

The Korko Sect was actually quite puzzled about that. Her bloodline was from a Divine Demon Beast. There wasn’t anything wrong with that, and she definitely wasn’t the only one with such characteristics. They had a few disciples with different bloodlines, too. The weird thing was that there were no Red Lightning Hawks in this part of the Divine Realm.

With access to the Werdlem Network, it was easy to check that the closest Red Lightning Hawks were pretty much from the other side of the Divine Realm. The Divine Realm of A1 was many times bigger than any other Universe the twins had been in. So, you could see why the Korko Sect was puzzled to find out Foliana had such a bloodline.

Let’s not forget that due to the size of the Divine Realm in A1, the only way they could go look for the Red Lightning Hawks would be if they took the Great Void Shifter Formations. Normal Super Long-Distance Teleport Formations could be used for the same thing, but they would cost much, much more.

Sure, if the Korko Sect put together a lot of its resources, they would be able to pay for a round trip to the region where the Red Lightning Hawks exist. The problem was that the price would still be ridiculously high for the sect as a whole, and that would be simply to go there and ask why Foliana had that bloodline. There wouldn’t be any guaranteed answer, and most likely, no answer at all.

But then again, it wasn’t as if there was anything wrong with it. In fact, it was a very good thing that a Level Nine Talent like Foliana had such a bloodline. That would make her future even more exciting to look forward to. In the end, the quick investigation the sect started to check this situation led to no results. After all, ’Foliana’s tribe’ had been wiped out, and she was just captured as a slave. They had no way of checking with Foliana’s parents anymore.

Most likely, she was the result of some misadventures of a High Level Red Lightning Hawk that passed by this region at some point. The fact that they found no information in the Werdlem Network related to her was a confirmation of it. If she were someone important, there would definitely be something in the Werdlem Network of this region of the Divine Realm.

With the details of her past resolved... or abandoned, to be more specific... the sect put even more focus on her. In total, the Korko Sect had seven disciples around Foliana’s age with Level Nine and Ten Talent. They even had one Level Eleven, although this one was much older.

As a Sect with branches all over the country of Riktu, it made sense that they were able to find more talented disciples over time. It was one of the most prominent sects of Riktu, after all.

She wasn’t put together with those disciples, though. The reason was simple: she was too old for her cultivation level. The sect almost felt pity when they also heard she was ten years old and was only in the Foundation Establishment Realm. In their eyes, it was clear that the tribe she was born into failed to recognize the significance she embodied and overlooked her growth.

They wouldn’t simply give up, of course. Level Nine Talent, and a hybrid of a Divine Demon Beast on top of that, still had a great prospect for the future.

Foliana was first tested, and when asked if she had used any weapons before, she nodded. "Yes. I couldn’t cultivate, but I was taught how to fight," she started a fake story. "I was given the Dual Blades to use, seniors."

"Dual blades, uh?" Tomera, a female elder of the Korko Sect, thought about it for a moment. "Dual Blades aren’t very easy to master, you know? Since you haven’t received proper training, it would be better if you changed into something else. A regular Sword would be a good call."

Foliana quickly refused. "But I’m good with dual blades..." Foliana sulked a bit, obviously having to act a little like a kid still.

"Sigh..." Tomera shrugged. Then, she had an idea. "Okay, I will let you use the Dual Blades, but you will have to prove to me you can use them. So, I will put you against a disciple who uses a sword. If you can last a minute against her, I will let you keep using the Dual Blades."

Foliana quickly nodded. "Great! Thank you, Elder Tomera!"

Still, Tomera couldn’t help but pay attention to Foliana’s arm. She always had that Demon Plant clinging to her, and Tomera even wondered if the plant was actually absorbing Foliana’s energy. That wouldn’t be good. She wanted to take it out, but Foliana insisted that it was the only memento she had from her destroyed tribe. "Are you really okay with that Demon Plant? It still doesn’t have sentience, so it might be harming you."

"Celis would never harm me!" She countered. It looked as if she had given the Demon Plant that name, but that was a good excuse later when Celis ’reached’ a stage where he could communicate. "If anything, I feel reinvigorated when he is with me, so please, don’t take him away! I will work extra hard if you let both of us cultivate together."

Tomera indeed couldn’t see the Demon Plant causing harm with her Divine Sense, although she still had her doubts. Nonetheless, she relented. "Fine. But if I see it is causing you problems, you will have to leave it back in your room."

"Understood!" Foliana accepted with a happy smile.

’Nice call there,’ Celis’s Divine Sense Message reached Foliana. ’I found something interesting in the Werdlem Network. From the looks of it, in this Universe, Demon Beasts gain sentience at Stage Five instead of the Transition Realm.’

’Eh?!’ Foliana was surprised to hear that. ’How come? Transition Realm was always the rule back in the other Universes’ Divine Realms.’

[I know the answer to that,] Sister Orb spoke, using Celis to connect them. She also checked that in the Werdlem Network. [The thing is that this Universe has eliminated the different planes that separated the Divine Realm, Underworld, Mortal Realm, and Heavens. They all exist in the same plane now. This entire Universe is a giant single plane.]

[It is a rule that in the Divine Realm, Demon Beasts, Plants, Insects, and all the others gain sentience at the Transition Realm. However, in the Mortal Realm, it is always at Stage Five. Now that the Divine Realm and the others are all in the same plane as the Mortal Realm, the Divine Realm also got some of its rules overwritten. When it comes to sentience, it follows the Mortal Realm’s rule, Stage Five.]

Foliana was happy to hear that. ’Really?! That’s great! Celis and Kentucky won’t need to pretend for much longer.’

’Exactly,’ Celis was just as satisfied.

"Are you paying attention to me?" Tomera suddenly called Foliana out.

"Ah! Sorry," and Foliana apologized.

Only then did Foliana notice that another disciple was there as well. "Oh, hello..."

Tomera then spread her Divine Energy in the surroundings, creating a dome that spanned a few tens of meters. "This is Wiraia, and she will fight you with her sword. Wiraia, just as I said, don’t hold back. If you defeat Foliana in less than a minute, you will receive a reward."

Wiraia’s eyes lit up. "Yes, Elder Tomera!"

Both Foliana and Wiraia were around the age of ten. However, Wiraia was properly raised by the sect and started cultivating at the age of five, which is the earliest you can do that. Thanks to that, she was already in the Core Formation Realm Middle Stage, while Foliana was still in the Foundation Establishment. In her eyes, there was no way Foliana could hold her for that long.

Don’t misunderstand it, though. Wiraia was a good disciple, but she wasn’t anywhere near as strong as Trian, for example. Trian, of course, the City Lord’s son that Rean fought back in Enrel City.

Nonetheless, in Tomera’s eyes, that was already overkill, but she truly didn’t want Foliana to take the Dual Blades.

"Alright, I covered your weapons with my Divine Energy, so there is no risk of dying or getting seriously injured. Just do your best, you two," Tomera explained. "You can start now."

*bzzzz!*

The moment Tomera said that, Foliana’s body burst with arcs of Red Lightning!

’Lightning Flash!’

*Zush!*

In the blink of an eye, Foliana already appeared in front of Wiraia, her Dual Blades crisscrossing!

Foliana had an enormous advantage that the twins didn’t have. She truly did have the Red Lightning Hawk Bloodline, so her own Red Lightning didn’t harm her body at all! She could use her Red Lightning Movement Technique for as long as she liked!

’Crimson Thunder Rend!’

Both blades crackled with red lightning as she swung them outward in a crossing arc. The air was split with a booming shockwave, sending a jagged X of crimson energy that detonated on impact.

*Bang!*

Poor Wiraia didn’t even have time to react. Before she could do anything, her body was already flying!

*Grab!*

Fortunately, Tomera was present, and she immediately used her Divine Energy to catch Wiraia before she could hit the Divine Energy wall.

Still, Tomera looked at Foliana, her eyes almost popping out of their sockets. "Holy s- Ahem... Girl, you..."

Tony, the sentience inside Foliana’s Divine Werdlem Stone, spoke to her through their connection. ’Don’t you know how to hold back? That was a real kid!’

As for Foliana, she felt helpless. ’I did hold back! I honestly used nothing but a Foundation Establishment Level of energy! It’s just that my Red Lightning made it a little, just a tiny bit too strong...’

Yep, Foliana definitely started to make a name for herself, even if it was in a much more dazzling way than she intended at first...