The twins group was cultivated separately. Or, so it looked on the surface. Every time they were in their own rooms, they would enter the Dimensional Realm and cultivate inside. There were also moments, such as during missions, trips, and other similar activities, when they had some time alone. For them, completing any of those tasks only took a short while, leaving the rest of the time free.

They made sure to live up to their so-called Talents Level Nine and Ten as well. In their new homes’ eyes, they were progressing like lightning, and even better, their foundations were kept solid. They even surpassed the other Level Ten and Nine experts, drawing considerable attention.

It was truly a good thing that Roan arranged for them to go to different powers. That way, they would only be considered impressive, but no connection would be made between them.

Roan and Tanxan were now leading their own missions together, although every time they went to some dangerous place, the Hazin Clan always got an elder to follow them from the shadows. Well, the poor elders were just wasting their time as Roan and Tanxan always completed the missions with ease.

Foliana and Celis were doing just as well. Foliana was taken in by a core elder of the Korko Sect and received special training. The sect had great hopes for her, just like the other high-level talents around her age. Celis just followed her and kept silent until he reached Stage Five.

Zangeshu and Kentucky were the most ridiculous cases. While Zangeshu made waves with his ’newfound’ formations talent, Kentucky did indeed create a big Kentucky Fan Club. Zangeshu could see the hostility in all the male disciples’ eyes and wondered if he had ever seen someone being hated that much for such a ridiculous reason. The boys were genuinely upset that Kentucky had stolen all the girls’ attention.

As for Rean, his ’rivalry’ with Trian only lasted a few months, and they ended up turning into good friends. Rean managed to even meet the City Lord a few times, and after displaying his talent, the City Lord also took him in.

The City Lord was especially satisfied with his Son’s progress after meeting Rean. Even better, Rean continued to treat Trian as his ’Big Brother,’ so the City Lord thought about Rean as a future pillar for Trian’s future, a trustworthy subordinate, which is rare.

Rean did not abandon Donfug, though. This time, Donfug refused to let go of him despite the City Lord making the request personally. Rean didn’t mind and used his Soul Power to help them reach a consensus. Rean would indeed be taken into the City Lord’s wings, but so was Donfug. With that, Donfug’s position in the city was consolidated, and he could work free of worries. Donfug couldn’t be happier, as he still thought the Soul Binding Contract made Rean his subordinate, which he could call at any moment.

After three years following this arrangement, the twins’ group’s cultivation had skyrocketed, and all of them had reached the Nascent Soul Realm Middle Stage. Kentucky and Celis, obviously, got to Stage Five, and didn’t need to pretend they couldn’t talk anymore.

Usually, such a cultivation speed would be considered too fast, which would affect their foundations. Yet, the more attention everyone paid to it, the stronger their foundations appeared. It was almost as if cultivation hurdles didn’t exist for them.

Naturally, that was all a facade. The truth was that the twins’ group’s cultivation hadn’t changed at all in three years. Even for Foliana, Tanxan, and Zangeshu, their three years at the Space-Time Realm were virtually uneventful, resulting in no breakthroughs. Of course, this trio definitely took their cultivation time seriously, providing regular reports to Roan. The last thing they needed was for Roan to think they were taking it easy. It’s just that three years were just too little for them to have any meaningful advances.

The idea was to continue in that separated manner until they reached at least the Transition Realm, but things didn’t play that way. In the end, the powers that backed them were still relatively close by. It was then that the Surute Region Martial Gathering arrived.

"Surute Region Martial Gathering?" Rean asked Trian, his expression showing confusion.

"What? Have you never heard about it?" Trian asked him, surprised.

Rean nodded, and Trian began to explain. "You genuinely care about nothing other than fighting and cultivation, don’t you? Well, that is good since you also make me put in extra effort. Your Big Brother will definitely not fall behind you. Anyway, as you know, the Surute Region is one of the Thirty Seven Regions of the Panpasin Continent."

He continued. "Every ten years, the Surute Region Martial Gathering takes place in one of the fourteen countries found inside. Obviously, our Riktu Country is part of it. It is the biggest event for emergent cultivators trying to make a name for themselves."

"I see..." Rean nodded. "Fortunately, we are just some low-lives from an average city, so we are not taking part in it, right?"

"Who are you calling low-life?" Trian rebuked. "Also, we are absolutely taking part in it. Why wouldn’t we? It is a chance to test out our real strength against the biggest talents of our Region. Who knows? We might even catch the eyes of one of the big powers in our continent."

Rean sighed in response. "If you say so..."

Well, the truth was that Rean already knew about it. Sister Orb announced the upcoming event to everyone, and Roan ensured that all of them would take part in it. Aren’t they here to make a name for themselves? They already had the perfect backgrounds and backstories; now they just needed to take it to the next level, and this was a good opportunity to do so.

"Anyway," Trian continued. "The gathering is happening three months from now, in the Country of Verjansy. Father already added us to the list of participants, so there is no turning back."

During these three years, Rean and Trian often went out on missions and such, but they rarely ever met other cultivators from other powers. That wasn’t by coincidence, but by Rean’s own manipulation. To mask his own super-fast advancement a little bit, Rean helped Trian cultivate at a similarly rapid pace.

Rean also fought Trian many, many times, and with his experience, Rean led Trian on the way of the sword without him noticing. Trian was a great talent himself, a Level Eight one. Trian did not meet any cultivators with background and talent as good as his own since Rean appeared, so he truly had no idea just how strong he was. Thus, Trian absolutely didn’t want to lose this opportunity at the Martial Gathering.

Rean shrugged. "Since that is already a sealed deal, then let’s make sure we don’t make the City Lord lose face." Rean took out his sword, pointing it in Trian’s direction. "1378 fights! 581 wins to me, 630 wins to you, and the rest were draws. I’m catching up, Big Brother. Perhaps I can turn the tables before the gathering starts."

"Ha!" Trian took out his own sword, the Second Stage of Sword Intent brimming. "I’ve just been taking it easy with you! Come! I’ll show a little less restraint this time so I can put you in your place!"

Not far from there, Lando watched Rean and Trian going at each other once again. ’Sure enough, the gathering made the Young Master have something to look forward to. Still...’

He glanced at Rean. ’Sometimes, I can’t help but feel like this kid is actually holding back...’ But then, he shook his head. ’Forget it. Both of them are so much stronger than I was at their age that it might be affecting my view of the world.’

Oh, Lando... if just you knew how right you were...