Three days later, the late-autumn morning was bitterly cold.
The old tree in the courtyard had shed more than half its leaves. Withered yellow leaves covered the stone table and stools, dampened by morning dew beneath a thin layer of white frost.
The sky had yet to fully brighten, and only a streak of pale white had appeared on the eastern horizon, but the courtyard's training ground was already packed with people.
Loa looked at the people before him, his gaze slowly passing over every face.
Hillman stood at the very edge. Although the former instructor of Wushan Town had yet to break through to the Saint level, he remained powerfully built.
Bob leaned against the trunk of the jujube tree with his arms folded. Mia and Wharton stood beside him, and Mia's eyes were already reddening.
The three young people, Xini, Taylor, and Sasha, stood shoulder to shoulder behind their parents, their faces filled with reluctance to part.
Linley stood with Delia, who held a little child who had only just learned to walk. It was Xini's child.
Barker and his four brothers stood in a neat row. Even the burly Gates had slightly reddened eyes.
Then there was Wuzhui. He stepped forward and affectionately nudged Loa's shoulder with his head, his dark-golden eyes filled with reluctance to part.
Loa reached out and patted Wuzhui's head, letting his palm rest on the sleek coat for a moment. "All right, all right. I'm only going to pursue a higher realm. It's not as though I'm never coming back. Make sure you properly refine the Lowgod Death Divine Spark I gave you. The Xunzhen Republic Empire still needs your protection."
Loa had obtained that Lowgod Death Divine Spark from Beirut in exchange for an Intermediate Death Law Divine Spark. Together with