Legacy of Hatred-Chapter 109: Goodbye

The cultivation journey’s mystical aspects didn’t only involve strength that mortals couldn’t even begin to conceive.

The Qi was truly magical, enabling proper superpowers and feats that no technological innovation could imitate, on top of slowing aging.

All that deepened in the higher stages, almost creating the misconception that cultivators had unlimited free time on their hands. That could be true for lazy ones, but the hardworking ones experienced the very opposite reality.

Higher, superhuman stamina enabled longer, inhuman training regimens. The Qi-related practices were also incredibly time-consuming, demanding levels of extended concentration that no mortal could withstand.

Liam belonged to the hardworking category, and in quite an extreme fashion. His greater, impossible goal matched his resolve. He pushed himself to his utmost limit, knowing that anything less would ensure his failure or death.

The effort paid off. Liam steadily improved, but that had terrible effects on his free time.

When mortals improved, the time required to complete a task shortened. Instead, Liam’s training involved practices with fixed lengths, and his increasing mastery stretched his limits, allowing him to add more rounds of those to his routine.

That was especially true with alchemy. The more Liam concocted, the better his mind endured the mental pressure, allowing him to stick to the cauldron even after spending over half a day staring at it.

And, just like that, a whole month went by. Mortals could revolutionize their lives during that time. Still, Liam had done nothing but daily combat lessons, concoctions, and alchemy study in it, never visiting anything outside the second plateau and his cave.

Such was the price cultivators had to pay. Such was the life someone who had gained access to magic had to live to master that privilege. Such was the hefty sacrifice those striving for greatness had to make.

And Liam didn’t mind that. He barely noticed the passage of time anyway, and he was growing a taste for that solo battle against alchemy’s endless variables.

It was almost a game that Liam got closer to winning whenever his skills improved, only for that very improvement to reveal new challenges he had been unable to spot until then.

Still, if Liam had to be honest, there was one small regret to that routine, a theoretically tiny issue that felt greater in his mind for some reason.

Liam finished another concoction of many that day, peeking inside the cauldron to absorb the bright liquid’s refreshing smell before sitting back down, glancing at the figure beside him.

After a week of profound embarrassment caused by almost getting caught by the Alchemy Elder, Melissa had stopped running away whenever the combat lessons ended, driving her to Liam’s cave every time.

However, Liam’s unwavering dedication and improvements made him continue concocting until his Master barged in, basically leaving no room for any private moment.

That had gone on for three whole weeks with no change in sight.

Melissa was in Liam’s cave now, too, sitting cross-legged, her eyes closed while she worked on her circulation technique. Being with Liam was no excuse for slacking off, so that scene had become the norm in those three weeks.

It had also become the norm for Liam to linger in the inspection of that beautiful figure for a few seconds after each concoction, both out of sheer instinct and to do some necessary introspection.

There was something magnetic in Melissa. It wasn’t that Liam actively chose to look at her. He couldn’t help himself, and he didn’t understand why.

Krosstoen’s mountain had left Liam stunted when it came to romance, so much so that he couldn’t even connect the experience to the subject, instead investigating it through his limited understanding.

Beauty had never interested Liam. He recognized it, but it had no influence on his attention. He honestly didn’t understand how it could, and Melissa didn’t change that.

But there was something undeniable about Melissa, something that Liam could only explain with beauty, but that somehow only applied to her. He knew that because thinking about Lucy or even Elder June didn’t stir similar reactions.

Liam didn’t know why, but he liked to look at Melissa, his gaze falling more than he was willing to admit on her graceful neck.

Moreover, that was the easy part of the introspection, albeit only because Liam didn’t know what to do with it, which didn’t apply to the other one.

Melissa always clung to Liam’s arm when going to his cave, and the three weeks had done more than teach him to recognize her touch.

One month ago, Liam had been clueless, but his strange thoughts had become more vivid and clear since then. He now knew he craved more than that brief, polite touch. Most importantly, he felt the undeniable desire to touch Melissa himself. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Of course, Liam had never tried anything. The physical side of human relationships was probably his worst subject. Even with Cyrus, the best Liam had been able to muster had been a mere leaning on his shoulder, and that man had been his father figure for ten years.

Still, Liam had memories of his mother hugging him, which made him wonder how it would feel to hold that beautiful figure in his arms.

Some instinctive parts of Liam told him that it was wrong to do such things, that he shouldn’t touch people randomly, and the feeling was even stronger with Melissa.

Yet, that urge was also undeniable, creating an internal conflict Liam couldn’t put a name on.

’What is it that I want to do with her?’ Liam wondered.

Truth be told, Liam was too simple to let that conflict fester. In a different situation, he would have tackled the issue already. He wouldn’t have just touched Melissa directly, but he would have at least asked.

Nevertheless, there had never been time, and that day was no different. Liam had his priorities straight. One concoction was over, so another could begin, so he eventually stood up to retrieve another batch of ingredients.

Still, some surprise unfolded when the cave’s entrance began to move. Liam hadn’t even bothered to keep track of time, but his levels of mental tiredness told him that it was too soon for his Master’s lessons.

The sunlight shining past the entrance confirmed Liam’s guess, but the Alchemy Elder was also there, even looking angrier than ever, which his few, slow steps into the cave didn’t match.

Naturally, the event snapped Melissa out of her training, but that had also become the norm for her. The situation still embarrassed her, but she had accepted it as the unavoidable price to pay to pursue her desires.

However, when Melissa performed her customary bow and began to depart, the Elder wore a complicated expression, followed by a helpless but serious tone.

"Disciple Melissa," The Elder called, halting Melissa’s departure and startling her. He had never once addressed her in those weeks, always silently watching her leave, but his following words justified that change in the routine.

"Disciple Liam has been chosen for the Mutated Battlefield," The Elder revealed. "You should say goodbye if you wish."

"But," Melissa gasped, suppressing her stammer in the Elder’s presence but recalling to abide by the proper etiquette. "Alchemy Elder, Junior Brother Liam is a foundation expert."

"I know," The Elder scoffed, grimness suppressing his anger. "They changed the rules."

Melissa opened her mouth but didn’t speak. Even her usually detached expression faltered, shock and worry invading it. The news seemed huge, but Liam was obviously completely lost.

Still, Melissa eventually nodded. She couldn’t affect the event, but she could take the Elder’s advice, forgetting her embarrassment to unleash boldness that she might regret suppressing.

Liam’s puzzlement deepened when Melissa approached him. He caught his Master looking away before Melissa’s touch claimed his entire attention. She wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly, even lingering in the act for a few seconds.

"B-be careful," Melissa whispered in Liam’s ear, drawing him toward her retreating face, only for a kiss to land on his cheek, missing his lips by a mere centimeter.

Liam barely had the time to place his fingertips on Melissa’s back before she slipped away, leaving the cave in a hurry, making him wish he had hugged her back instead of limiting that touch to that late, brief, instinctive move.

Nevertheless, as the cave closed, Liam’s face grew cold, his black eyes moving to his Master. He might not know what the matter was about, but everything from the vibe to Melisa’s warning told him that it was serious.

Moreover, Liam even smelled the same stench Randall and the two Uncles had stunk of.

"Master, what is happening?" Liam questioned.

"Disciple, sit down," The Alchemy Elder ordered, his usual anger nowhere to be found. "We don’t have much time, so we must use every available second. You won’t survive otherwise."