Damned Healer-Chapter 617: Mediocre Mindset

That person’s face was covered in rune-like markings, similar to tattoos, which made it hard to tell his age. He gave off a humanoid Bloodline, possibly elven, mixed with a beast race.

While staring closely at Niara, he ended up locking eyes with Darian. The man’s pupils shrank, and a greedy expression spread across his face. It was an unmistakably lewd and malicious look.

Whenever Darian’s fury reached a certain level, he always appeared calm. Without looking directly into his icy eyes, no one would be able to notice the change in his emotions.

"Who is he? Why is he so arrogant?" Niara asked calmly.

Maeyu looked at that person and replied, "He’s Caoming, the direct grandson of the Scarlet Cloud Clan’s master. Calling him a genius would actually be underselling him. He’s reached the eighth level of that clan’s secret art, the Divine Blood Transformation Technique. That technique has ten levels, but only a handful have ever reached the seventh, let alone the eighth, which is reserved for elite experts whose names are remembered throughout history."

"Caoming was also extremely lucky. In his generation, the clan discovered, in the ancient battlefield, the inheritance of their most powerful ancestor, who fought in that terrible war. It was a demonic beast called the Scarlet Wolf. So Caoming fused with the blood essence of that ancient beast. His power is truly terrifying."

"The Divine Blood Transformation Technique? Isn’t that a lost technique that lets someone fuse with the ancestral Bloodline of a powerful being?" Ramel asked in shock.

Maeyu nodded. "Yes, that’s the one. There are many versions of it, most with the same name, but the majority are incomplete and damaged. Only the Scarlet Cloud Clan managed to create a complete version. That bastard has frightening talent, and on top of that, the gods seem to favor him."

Niara snorted, indifferent. Divine Technique? She had been able to do exactly that since the moment she was born, and she didn’t need stronger Bloodlines than her own to become far more powerful.

At that moment, multiple points around the arena lit up, and the empty seats were instantly filled with people.

With countless individuals being transported to their seats at the same time, the previously quiet atmosphere was swallowed by chatter. Heated discussions about what might happen filled the air. With thousands of people suddenly pouring in, the noise became deafening.

After briefly observing their surroundings, everyone’s attention shifted to the twenty seats closest to the martial stage, reserved for the chosen of the two fighters.

Shouts of surprise rang out from the crowd, calling out names like Padir, Maeyu, and others. It seemed these young clan geniuses were quite famous in the city.

However, the name that echoed the most was Caoming’s. Along with shock, a palpable sense of fear colored the voices of those who mentioned him... especially the women.

Caoming’s presence drew strange looks. One didn’t need to be a genius to understand that he had an extremely bad reputation, yet no one dared to speak openly about it.

Despite the sheer number of people present, no one behaved improperly. Everyone sat obediently in their assigned seats.

Many gazes also landed on Darian, Niara, and their group, but that was all. Clearly, they were nothing more than people without status, power, or anything worth noting.

Padir and the others puffed out their chests with pride as they heard so many people talking about them.

"Must be nice to be young," Niara sighed as she watched them.

Darian nodded. "Yeah, being young really is nice."

"What are you two even talking about? Why do you act like old people?" Herta asked.

All of them possessed vitality that clearly placed them in roughly the same age range. Even Niara, who had lived for over a century, was still considered the same age as Darian and the others by the standards of cultivators who lived thousands of years.

Ramel looked very young, but he had only lived a few years less than Darian. Ailik was the only one who was truly very young and innocent. Still, Darian’s behavior and tone suggested a wisdom far beyond his age.

"We’ve already passed the stage of youth where we got so excited we’d end up getting wet. These days, that only happens when... well, never mind," Niara muttered with a mischievous smile.

"What does that mean?" Ailik asked, her eyes full of curiosity.

Maeyu was also confused, unable to grasp the meaning of Niara’s words. The other woman from the clan, however, looked a bit awkward.

Niara’s eyes shifted when she realized she’d gone too far, but she didn’t dare explain. "Uh... it’s hard to explain... Dan, you’re better at this than I am."

Darian’s eyes widened. Niara had tossed the red-hot iron she herself had heated straight into his hands.

The men of the clan and that woman stared at him with meaningful looks. He couldn’t say anything dirty in front of Maeyu. Everyone was enjoying the awkward situation he’d fallen into.

However, Darian snorted and said solemnly, "She was talking about her eyes, which used to get watery all the time from too much emotion. When she was young, everything made her cry like a baby."

He then turned to the clan members. "Oh? What were you thinking? Tch, don’t be so perverted!"

"Wow, what dirty minds you people have! I’d only ever say that kind of thing privately with Dan!" Niara quickly added, her voice full of indignation.

Before those people could retort in anger, the martial stage at the center of the arena suddenly trembled.

Everyone’s attention immediately snapped there. Two figures appeared at the center, and shouts echoed throughout the arena.

Right after that, a majestic pressure descended, carrying an overwhelming aura that nearly suffocated thousands of people with its intensity.

Maeyu stared intently at her older sister, her heart tight with worry. "It’s starting!"

Maeyu’s expression looked calm on the surface, but everyone could feel the nervousness in her heart.

On the other hand, Padir and the others didn’t seem to care at all. "Lady Maeyu, you should relax. Giltei is definitely no match for the greatest talent of our clan."

"That’s right. We’ve seen Giltei fight before, and his power is clearly inferior. Lady Saelil will definitely win," declared the nearby clan woman.

Darian and Niara watched the martial stage. At that moment, the auras of Giltei and Saelil began to surge.

They had no choice but to enter their maximum combat states, since the power of the central arena had been activated. The pressure from the Nether Beast bones, which formed a massive inscription, forced them to release everything they had just to withstand it.

The fight wouldn’t start right away, since both of them still needed to stabilize their auras while enduring the pressure. Normally, that would take a few minutes, and everyone watched anxiously.

Even though there was a barrier protecting the people in the stands, the pressure from the bones still passed through it. That was a kind of curse that high-level Nether Beasts carried within their bodies.

Everyone in the arena had to be strong enough to withstand that pressure. No one below the Heaven Saint Realm, or without great power, would be able to watch that fight without dying.

Niara and Darian could ignore it completely; to them, it felt like nothing more than a gentle breeze. Ramel also wasn’t very affected, simply circulating a colorless aura of power around himself.

Ailik took a deep breath, and the third eye on her forehead opened. Her power managed to protect her. After all, she had been trained extremely rigorously, and her main acquired trait was endurance.

But... Herta and Hart were a little pale.

"Are you guys okay?" Niara asked, turning to them.

"I’m fine... don’t worry about me." Even though Herta said that, everyone could see that she and her brother weren’t having an easy time.

Seeing them in that state, the people from the clan showed a bit of disdain. However, this time, everyone remained silent.

"This is the first time the two of them have come to the City, so they’re especially sensitive to the pressure of powerful Nether Beasts.", Ramel explained.

"Of course, that’s also related to their personal strength", one of the clan members mocked casually.

"Shut up!" Maeyu snapped.

That man snorted and looked off toward the horizon, clearly unwilling to accept it.

At that moment, Darian made a small gesture with his hand. Two pills appeared and floated toward the two of them. The instant they appeared, a strong medicinal aroma flooded everyone’s noses.

Darian muttered emotionlessly: "Swallow them. That should take care of it."

"Sir, I can’t accept this! This pill is way too precious. Don’t waste it on me..." Hart refused hurriedly.

The two of them had decent knowledge about pills, and judging by the fragrance and the fluctuations, that pill was definitely extremely precious, made with materials they could barely believe even existed.

"Hmm? I have plenty of these and can use them however I want. So don’t cling to politeness, or I’ll feel disrespected. Once the battle starts, the pressure will multiply several times over, and you won’t be able to endure it", Darian said in a pragmatic tone.

The two looked at Darian seriously. But when they saw Niara’s warm smile beside him, they sighed. Only then did they swallow the pills, their faces slightly red. The moment they did, a white light appeared over their skin, accompanied by majestic fluctuations.

"That’s... a Treasure Pill...", Maeyu and the others murmured, dumbfounded.

As soon as the aura leaked out after being consumed, they realized it, startled. At that moment, they could see several subtle layers of energy covering the two of them.

They tried to count... but their minds soon froze.

"H-How many... how many circles did that pill have?", Maeyu asked, his voice trembling.

Due to the great influence of the world’s laws on the creation of things across all universes, when alchemists studied pills deeply, they ended up using the same nomenclature, with only minor variations.

Pills were divided into three major levels. The most basic were the *Spiritual Pills*, which practically all universes with alchemists could produce.

Then came the *Treasure Pills*. These required extremely skilled alchemists, a long legacy of study across generations, and high-level materials. Normally, they only existed in high-level universes.

The final level was the legendary *Unmatched Pills*. Everyone only knew that they existed, but those who possessed them never showed them to anyone.

All of these levels had divisions from 1 to 12 circles, which represented the degree of purity, the layers of energy, and the pill’s medicinal capacity.

In the Universe of Heaven’s Will, only a very few alchemists could create Treasure Pills with up to 3 circles. However, at present, Veyle had already transcended that.

Part of that was due to the increasingly terrifying materials that Darian provided her. But another part came from her own effort and talent. She would skip eating, sleeping, or even spending time with Lucius, just to study and practice.

"I felt nine layers of energy...", Hart murmured.

Everyone in that clan became completely catatonic.

Herta looked confused. "I... I felt eleven... did I mess up?"

"No. You have a more fragile physique, so I gave you a better one", Darian replied casually.

All the clans in the city took pride in claiming that their alchemists were better than those of the Primordial Empire. They could produce Treasure Pills, and the greatest alchemist who had ever existed had once managed to create a legendary pill with six circles.

Even if the City Lord wanted to and used all his resources, nowadays, he wouldn’t be able to obtain even one with four circles.

On the other hand, Darian had casually handed out a pill of that level? Even though they hadn’t seen the circles with their own eyes, from the light, the absurd purity, and the layers of energy they had sensed earlier — and knowing that the senses of the Wood Spirits were reliable — they could say with certainty that there was no lie.

Their minds spun with countless thoughts at the same time. The only explanation was that the Primordial Empire was hiding these things and possessed alchemists of that level. If that was the case, that group coming to the city was nothing abnormal or forbidden.

In fact, if their clans were that high-level as well, they would also send their youths to the Empire and encourage them to show it off deliberately.

The looks in the eyes of everyone from the clan changed drastically.

Now, there was no more disdain, but a subtle anger instead. Those people had come from outside and had no shame in throwing their treasures in their faces. Seeing that the neighbor’s grass was greener was more than they could bear.

Noticing those looks, Darian snorted. Then he turned to them and said:

"We only met Miss Saelil once, and she was kind enough to invite us. Since we just arrived in this city, it was a good opportunity to see how things are. As a form of thanks, I have no choice but to say a few words to you."

"What words?" Maeyu and the others asked, surprised.

"You are lucky. You were born under the protection of a great tree that shielded you from wind and rain. From your words and your posture, it’s easy to see your exceptional immaturity and ignorance."

The expressions of the four darkened, but Darian kept his composure as he continued: "You’ve survived until now purely by luck, without realizing that your only skill is reincarnating in a favorable place."

"You...!" Padir stood up, furious.

Darian made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "Sit down. At your current level, you wouldn’t survive two moves against me. I’m not saying this to show off or lecture you, but as a warning about a fatal mistake many cultivators make: the habit of underestimating others."

He paused briefly, and his gaze grew deeper.

"The truly powerful don’t fear the strong, nor do they need to intimidate the weak. You, however, do exactly the opposite. Understand this: those who are truly strong raise their weapons against superior opponents in order to surpass themselves, while cowards only raise them against those weaker than they are. That mediocre mindset is what defines — and limits — your future growth."

Even though the four were furious with Darian, his final words silenced them completely. Maeyu stared at him in shock, having grasped the true meaning behind those words.

*Rumble!*

At that instant, all the runes on the martial stage lit up, and an uncontrollable pressure was released.

"Let the battle begin!"

An ancient voice echoed throughout the entire place. As soon as that voice rang out, the auras of Giltei and Saelil erupted like volcanoes.