Two days after Gravis talked with the twins, something surprising happened. The twins had left the Greys. Elder Byron had informed Gravis that they had changed their mind and didn't want to be part of the Greys anymore. Gravis was a little confused but also felt like he understood the reason.
After they had talked, they had probably decided on their future path. Maybe they would return to the Water Sect? Maybe they decided to stop increasing their power? Gravis was not sure, though he thought the possibility that they were no longer interested in cultivation was more likely. There was basically no better group to temper their wills than the Greys. Leaving the Greys probably meant that they finalized their decision to no longer temper themselves.
Gravis was a little sad to see them go, but it was their decision. It was supremely rare that people could walk their paths to power together. Talent, luck, hard work, risk, death, and many other things could stop a cultivator from following their path. Gravis was never destined to stay in this lower world, and how many people actually ascended from this lower world? Probably not that many.
With this, only three people remained in the group of the Greys, from an initial amount of six. Drake had died, while the twins had left. Right now, it was only Elder Byron, Creed, and Gravis. On top of that, Creed was very rarely present. That was because he was busy scouting. He had never cultivated any element, so it was very easy for him to move around without suspicion. That made him the perfect scout.
Right now, Gravis and Elder Byron sat together, eating and drinking. The campsite felt lonely with only those two present. "I think I'm partially at fault that Lory and Lena left," Gravis said with a sigh.
Elder Byron smiled warmly and drank from a mug. "Don't worry about it," he said with dismissal. "You're new, so you're not used to this constant coming and going. It's actually normal that so many people leave. Speaking of, I think I should go search for some new blood. We can't just be three people, can we?" Elder Byron laughed.
Gravis smiled bitterly. He didn't regret talking to the siblings, but he still felt a little guilty about making Elder Byron lose two members. Though, he preferred this situation over the twins dying. Someone who didn't have an iron will to gamble with their life wasn't fit for the cultivation world. Such a doubt could make someone hesitate or flee from a winnable fight.
"Would you mind telling me about your homeworld?" Gravis asked Elder Byron.
Elder Byron continued smiling. "There is not that much to talk about," he said. "Cultivators in my homeworld don't use elements. We are basically all cultivating different battle-techniques, similar to the Rakshasa Saber I gave you. The combination of will and Spirit creates a force that can keep up with the destructive properties of the elements. Of course, you need a powerful will first."
Elder Byron then looked up at the sky, scratching his chin. "Though, I do envy the healing properties of water and light. In a large scale conflict, just a couple of those healers would multiply the fighting power of one side." Elder Byron then scoffed and took another mouthful of his wine. "It's actually sad that this world is fragmented based on elements. Imagine the power of a group of people with mixed elements."
Gravis nodded. "I've also thought about this. Such a group could use someone with the earth element to block powerful attacks or keep one or more enemies occupied. Someone with the water or light element could tend to anyone that got injured, and the remaining elements could attack under the protection of the earth cultivator."
Gravis also drank another mouthful. "I think one earth cultivator, one water cultivator, and one fire cultivator could take on a Spirit Beast of equal ranking," Gravis said.
One shouldn't forget that beasts were incredibly powerful. Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for a group of three people at the initial stage of Spirit Forming to kill a low-rank Spirit Beast. That beast would just kill one person after the other. Yet, if the group could make the enemy focus on the person with the most powerful defense, they could get multiple attacks in.
Elder Byron nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and the more people you have with different elements, the more powerful the whole group becomes. I think a group of five people with different elements and good teamwork would even have a chance against a Spirit Beast one level higher than themselves."
Gravis rubbed his chin in thought. "That's difficult to say," he said slowly. "The frontal attacker would need to be able to resist such attacks. That is not easy. On top of that, the group needs to combine their powers. I'm not sure if simply unloading all their Energy on the beast would topple it. They would probably also need to exchange injury for injury, which is difficult since one wrong step would doom them."
Elder Byron nodded multiple times. "Yes, but it is possible, right?"
Gravis lifted an eyebrow in an unsure expression. "I think? Theoretically, it should be possible, but it's hard to find such a group."
Elder Byron smirked. "You know, if I ever reach my goal, I'll probably make such an organization in this world. I hate to see all this wasted combat potential."
Gravis looked with skepticism at Elder Byron. "Isn't your goal to destroy the Elemental Sects?"
Elder Byron harumphed. "When did I ever say that?"
Gravis looked unamused at him. "You tried to convince me that 'the Elemental Sects' demise' would only be just and fair."
Elder Byron rolled his eyes. "Yeah, okay. I did say that. I had to act dramatic, alright?" Elder Byron said with exasperation. "I need to keep my persona up when I am in disguise. Saying that we only want to prove ourselves wouldn't have fit, right?"
Gravis thought back to Elder Byron's aura when he first talked to Gravis and had to agree. Elder Byron had seemed very sinister at that point and saying that they only wanted to prove themselves would have seemed lackluster.
"So, you're not hellbent on destroying all Elemental Sects?" Gravis asked.
Elder Byron nodded. "Yeah. Killing them is unnecessary. Even though I believe the path of my homeworld is more powerful, it doesn't mean that we can't allow for other ways."
Gravis looked at him critically. Elder Byron didn't seem genuine. He was not looking into Gravis' eyes, and he had spoken hastier than before. Gravis was sure he was lying.
Elder Byron looked with nervousness at Gravis, and sweat ran down his forehead. After some seconds, he groaned in exasperation. "Okay, okay! I lied!" he said.
Gravis actually laughed a little when he saw that. Elder Byron was really a lousy liar. Maybe that was the reason why he was always so honest?
Elder Byron sighed. "The truth is that I initially had planned to destroy the Elemental Sects, but my mind changed."
Gravis was more interested now. "Oh, why?" he asked.
Elder Byron looked uncomfortably at Gravis. "Because of you."
Now, Gravis' expression was back to skepticism. "Explain," he said.
Elder Byron rubbed the back of his neck. "I followed you when you went out to test the Rakshasa Saber."
Gravis wasn't really mad about that. It would have actually been weird if he hadn't followed Gravis back then. Giving someone he just met a technique and then not watching them? Such a mindset would practically invite scamming. Yet, judging by Elder Byron's uncomfortable expression, he was probably looking at it as a breach of trust. Gravis could only laugh slightly.
"It's alright," Gravis said, making Elder Byron release a sigh of relief. "You are probably surprised about the combination of the Rakshasa Saber and my lightning, right?"
Elder Byron nodded. "Exactly. Initially, I had believed that combining the power of our different cultivation techniques would be impossible, but you have shown me otherwise. If I can bring techniques from my homeworld to this world and prove their superiority, I can establish an organization that allows talented people from both sides to meet and work together. I'm sure that it would only take a matter of time until more such techniques would be created."
Gravis could only agree. Even though the only reason why he could infuse the battle-technique with his lightning was due to his unique Spirit, it didn't mean that there weren't any other methods. There would surely appear many more ways to combine the two different cultivation paths with enough time and people.
"I'll still stay only until the Greens are dealt with. This won't change my decision," Gravis said and then emptied his mug.
Elder Byron smiled again. "That's no problem. I don't force-"Elder Byron stopped talking, and his eyes traveled to his ring.
Gravis also narrowed his eyes.
After some seconds, Elder Byron spoke to his ring. "I'll ask Gravis. Stay at standby and keep watch. Try not to be noticed."
Gravis' eyes glimmered.
Finally, he had some work to do!