The Rise of David
Copyright© 2025 by RichXpower
Chapter 66: Cultivator
Crack!
The oak door splintered to pieces. An old man with an unkempt beard appeared in David’s line of sight. He was hovering over Renee, who only had her undergarments on.
Startled by the noise, Dorieus whipped around to see a young stranger standing by the door. His bushy eyebrows knitted together.
“David, save me, save me...” Renee pleaded when she noticed David. She hastily pulled the blanket over her body to protect her modesty.
“Who are you, kid? Do you know the consequences of barging into the Phantom Monastery?” Dorieus growled menacingly.
“I was the one who murdered your grand-disciple and stole the Starry Compass. Come and take the Starry Compass back if you can!” taunted David as he presented the Starry Compass.
Dorieus’ expression lit up instantly when he laid his eyes upon the Starry Compass. “You’ve got the guts, kid! Since you’ve come to me of your own volition, I’ll end your pathetic life today!”
With his words still hanging in the air, Dorieus’ robes billowed out behind him despite the lack of wind. He threw a punch at David.
David’s eyes glinted coldly as they bore into Dorieus. His intimidating aura swirled around him, singing the promise of death.
“You shameless criminal, on behalf of the heavens, I’ll make sure you receive retribution!”
With that, spiritual energy coursed from David’s core to his clenched fist, engulfing it in golden light.
Dorieus was stunned. Shock flashed across his eyes, but his fist did not falter as it continued to fly toward David. Instead, he injected more internal energy into the punch.
Bam!
With a deafening boom, a force swept through the room and wreaked havoc. Thud! Thud! Thud!
Dorieus staggered back three steps before he regained his footing. His whole arm was numb from the impact.
David, on the other hand, was completely unaffected as he regarded Dorieus with contempt.
Dorieus could not hide his astonishment. He never imagined that a young man like David would possess such great power.
“You’re a cultivator?” Dorieus asked with narrowed eyes. “No wonder you dare to challenge me!”
Dorieus could pinpoint David’s identity from the blow. It seemed like the youngster had trained with cultivators.
David, too, was taken aback by Dorieus’ acuity and ability. Had David not achieved Level Nine of Energy Cultivation, the previous attack might have ended in a draw.
“Now that you know what I’m capable of, why aren’t you pleading for mercy?” David quipped impassively.
“You’re too arrogant, young man!” Dorieus cackled. “You’re just a mere cultivator, and I just so happened to have absorbed your energy for my own use!”
Dorieus’ laughter stopped abruptly. He leaped into the air and spread his fingers. His digits transformed into claws as he slashed at David.
David nimbly dodged the attack and seized Dorieus’ wrist. To David’s surprise, the old man did not try to escape his hold. It was as if Dorieus had intended for it to happen.
Instead, Dorieus mirrored David’s actions and gripped David’s wrist as well. The two men grappled with each other, each trying to overpower the other with their internal energy.
The corners of Dorieus’ lips quirked upward in a smug smile. Soon after, David felt his spiritual energy rush from the center of his body to his arm like a tsunami.
The spiritual energy flowed into his arm and through Dorieus’ fingertips as the older man absorbed David’s energy.
David’s expression shifted to one of concern. He never expected Dorieus to have such an impressive skill. “Who would have thought that a young man like you would have such pulsating spiritual energy! I’ll have to savor this feeling.”
Dorieus guffawed, evidently pleased with himself.
As David felt his spiritual energy get siphoned out of him, he had an epiphany. Since I can absorb the cultivation of all things with the Focus Technique, does that mean I can also steal a person’s spiritual energy?
With this revelation, David applied the Focus Technique, and the outflow of spiritual energy came to a jarring halt.
Next, an intangible vortex formed at David’s core and drew energy toward its center. The tide changed as the spiritual energy, Dorieus’ included, gushed back to David.
Dorieus’ face turned a ghastly white when he felt the energy loss. His eyes grew wide with fear. “H-How did you learn the Astral Attraction?” Dorieus exclaimed in trepidation.
Dorieus could feel the energy draining through his limbs as it naturally gravitated to David. He fought to escape, but David was like a huge magnet, and Dorieus was the metal that stuck to it.
Dorieus’ muscles quickly became emaciated, and he plummeted into a chasm of unadulterated terror.
After ten minutes, Dorieus was nothing but skin and bones. His eyes bulged out of their sockets, his frightened expression eternally frozen. The rest of his body had shriveled up beyond recognition...
David loosened his grip, and Dorieus collapsed to the ground with a light thud. His features were no longer human, and not a single moan escaped Dorieus’ cracked lips in his last moments.
David was in awe by the changes in his body. He could feel his abilities grow stronger, and every fiber of his being hummed with the extra energy. He never thought that the Focus Technique could be used in such a way, and it was a fascinating discovery for David.
“J-David,” Renee called out timidly.
Renee’s voice snapped David out of his thoughts. He hurriedly took off his jacket and draped it over Renee’s frail body.
By the time David escorted Renee out of the hall, Leonidas and Diomedes were still engaged in battle. Both men were drenched in sweat, and monks’ dead bodies were strewn all over the place.
The two men were already at their limits. Each assault they unleashed sapped their energy, but they gritted their teeth and pressed on, well aware that a moment of carelessness could cost them their lives.
“Master Leonidas!” Renee cried when she saw Leonidas. Tears streamed down her dainty face. With her father dead, Leonidas was now Renee’s only family.
Upon hearing his name, Leonidas turned to look at Renee. His heart filled with relief when he saw that Renee was relatively unscathed.
Diomedes had a sense of foreboding when he saw David and Renee standing side-by-side. While Leonidas was distracted, Diomedes jabbed at Leonidas and prepared to flee.
Leonidas swung his cane at Diomedes to parry the attack, but it was already too late.
“Ah!” Renee’s horrified scream filled the place as she watched Diomedes’ spear approach Leonidas’ exposed chest.
David harnessed his energy, and with a flick of his wrist, a bolt of white light struck Diomedes’ arm. Diomedes flesh split open, and he lost his grip on the spear.
In the same instant, Leonidas’ cane crashed into Diomedes’ head.
Blood gushed out of Diomedes’ mouth as he crumpled to the floor, unable to get back up.
“Traitor, I’d love to see you try to escape this time!” Leonidas bellowed at the prostrate Diomedes.
“S-Senior, please have m-mercy on me. I was wrong! Dorieus forced me to do it; it wasn’t my fault! Please don’t kill me, please...” Diomedes groveled at Leonidas’ feet, begging for his life.
“Scum like you deserve to go to hell, so how dare you covet life?” With that, Leonidas aimed a forceful kick at Diomedes’ head.
Diomedes’ head cracked open on impact, its contents splattering on the ground. Void of energy, Leonidas’ legs gave away beneath him, and he slumped on the grou
“Master Leonidas...”
Renee ran toward Leonidas and hugged him tightly.
“Are you okay, Renee?” Leonidas asked with concern in his eyes.
“I’m fine ... B-But my dad...” her voice trailed off as she started sobbing the moment she thought about her father.
Leonidas let out a sigh.
Right then, David walked toward Leonidas. With a single move, he pulled Leonidas up and channeled some spiritual energy into the latter’s body. In an instant, Leonidas felt a wave of strength wash over his body.
“Thank you, Mr. Chance, for all you’ve done for us! We will never forget it!” Leonidas said as he was about to kneel before David, and Renee followed suit.
However, before both of their knees came into contact with the ground, David stopped them. “Abbot Leonidas, please don’t kneel. It is fate that bound us together. Besides, Renee has helped me a lot too!”
If it weren’t for Renee’s help, David would have needed to spend much longer cultivating his abilities. The frosty energy trapped inside her body helped speed up the entire process.
With that, the three of them walked down the mountain and reached Lagrange Monastery. The place had already been cleared and cleaned, and not a single soul was there. Yet, something was different. More than ten tombstones could be seen in the open area behind the main hall.
Renee couldn’t hold it in anymore as she broke down in sobs at the sight of it.