Eternal Thief



Ace stood on the golden road as he looked at the numerous cave entrances up ahead. It was like a honeycomb. 

All of those cave entrances were blocked by light barriers, and occasionally, someone on a flying sword would fly out of those caves and fly upward while flying over a five-meter altitude on a paved road. 

Those who preferred were walking below, while those on the flying sword were flying above them without anyone bothering anybody. It was quite a novel sight for Ace despite having already seen it in Zarker's memoirs. 

Zarker stood over his flying sword without having any intention to overstay. He said impassively, "As you can see, all those caves are at the outermost area of the living sector, the union student region, third-class area, and the higher you go, the deeper you are in the living sector. 

"But remember, you are only allowed to fly or walk over this road, and you are not allowed to wander into any area which forbids your entry, like the second-class area of the union student region, which only allows foundation-building students. 

"If you want to enter the cultivation sector, where lies the library and unique cultivation resources, as long as you walk on this road for twelve hours, you'll be able to find the boundary of the cultivation sector. 

"So, you better learn how to control your flying sword if you don't want to waste time by walking between your cave resident and the cultivation domain. 

"The union scholar and union instructors usually give special cultivation classes for Union Students or even Union Scholars in Public Halls in the center of the living sector. 

"But those classes are not cheap, especially the classes from the Union Instructors who seldom leave the cultivation domain. Anyhow, some union students can be hired for private lessons so you can learn how to control your flying sword from them if you satisfy them." 

Ace knew all this, but he pretended to be in awe as he suddenly asked, "What about you, senior? You are also a Union Scholar, right? How much will it cost to hire you for flying sword lessons?" 

Zarker smiled in disdain as he said, "Newbie, I'm not cheap. It will cost you at least 1 thousand union merits to hire me for flying sword classes for only three days. Now tell me do you want to?" 

In Zarker's mind, Ace was a newbie who came from the mortal domain. There was a unique rule for anyone who descended from the mortal domain that all the union merits they bought from the mortal domain would be voided upon entry into the true union. 

It was done so that some rich guys from the mortal domain would also go through the same hardship as their peers. 

So, how could White have 1000 UM?

But if Zarker knew Ace had received 10,000 UM after breaking the entrance record. He won't be so disdainful towards him and even treat him seriously. 

Right now, the fact about White's talent was only known by the inner sun domain. If he wanted to make a name for himself in the outer sun domain, then he needed to do something which was noteworthy enough to draw the attention of millions in the outer sun domain. 

Anyhow, Ace already had all Zarker's knowledge, which included the information about the flying sword, so he didn't really need to take any lessons from those guys who were even weaker than him. 

"I have no money. It's a shame." White sighed with a reluctant expression. 

Zarker's lips curled up into a mocking smile, "It's a shame, really. Alright, I have done my part. You are on your own now." 

With that, the flying sword under his feet swished, and he flew upward toward the mountain.

After Zarker left, Ace's expression returned to be impassive as he looked at all those mountain caves like honeycombs and sighed ruefully, 'If people from the ten continents knew just this outermost area for the union students are as lavish as the demon domain, it would cause them to go bonkers. 

'But it's a shame I don't have the luxury to enjoy all this since I still don't know if those caves will be under surveillance. Yet, I needed to gain mastery over my haven's stealer dismantler principles as quickly as possible, so I could gain some clue from the condition about how to leave this place. 

'Freya will also be able to break into the soul manifestation realm by the time I would complete the perquisite of the Heaven's Stealer Mission.' Ace grimly thought before he activated his union token.

A white map projection appeared of the third-class area with a black-marked location. This mark indicated to his cave resident. 

After finding the general location, he started to move toward the residential area. No one paid any attention to him as they were all minding their own business. 

Especially since White was only a Qi gates cultivator like them, so they would rather waste their time cultivating and breaking into the foundation-building realm to go into the second-class area. 

The Union Students were all 1st Realm, 2nd Realm, and 3rd Realm cultivators. The higher their cultivation realm, the better cave resident will be appointed in the higher-class area. 

However, to leave the Union Student Region and get a cave resident in the Union Scholar Region, they needed to pass a test to evaluate their rank in Union Scholar First. 

Any union student qualified for this test after they break into the third realm, or they can skip this test by directly becoming fourth realm cultivators. 

However, these prerequisites were quite difficult, especially the latter, because every union student had to buy cultivation manuals of different realms from the library with every major breakthrough. They needed union merits for them. 

This process was even more lengthy, not to mention it was also a matter of talent. Although the union provides its members with the best cultivation techniques, talents still matter. 

If someone without any talent can break into the foundation-building realm within one or two years, then someone with talent could do the same between three and six months or even sooner. 

That's why the competition in the common union grounds was always fiercest since most of these people were not as talented as the descendants of the elder lineages in the inner sun domain and had limited resources. 

That's also why most of these guys are always busy cultivating to reevaluate their status and get a better life for themselves and their descendants. But only if it was that easy. 

Ace walked for half an hour before he found himself walking in a remote area where all the cave residents were closed off with a golden barrier that could completely block off anyone's sight.

However, not only Ace's thief sense was working, but he could also use his fate map to spot fate points inside despite the terrain dyed in black. 

To his surprise, almost every cave resident in this area was empty. It wasn't either occupied, or the owners were gone out. 

After walking for another half an hour, he finally found his cave residence, which was in the middle of nowhere. Still, Ace liked this place as no one was around this place. 

He then placed his token over the black barrier, and like a bubble, it burst open, revealing a 10X10 space with a stone bed, and that's it. There was nothing else! 

"What a scam!" Ace sneered in disdain before he used his token to close the entrance again. 

Although this place was too humble for someone like him who had been visiting high-end places for fifteen years and hadn't seen a poor city ever since he left the lower lands. 

He always preferred to enter those rich cities since they always had more things to steal, and he had developed a mentality that if he was going to steal and reveal himself, then he better make it big because the consequences would always be the same. 

Still, he didn't forget about his roots since he had lived in the slums for over a year after he sold the house his parents left him in the common district of the river flower city.

Suddenly he transmitted his voice, "I don't think anyone would bother to place some surveillance in this shitty little place. Still, I need to be as careful as I can get because this is still a black fate location while his indicator is still pointing toward the top of the mountain. 

"It might be pointing me right where heaven's secret is. But I'm not so sure since even the system couldn't reveal its position to me straight, much less an incomplete grade-4 Eternal Soul Provenance Treasure, right, Moira?" 

"Sir, Ace, you're being rude." Moira's unhappy cute voice rang, "But, you're right, even I don't know what a Heaven's Secret is. Still, fate works in mysterious ways."

Ace chuckled and jokingly said, "I was just joking with you and also checking on you to see if you've been paying attention and have some solution." 

"Thank you, and I'm always paying attention and available at any time for Sir, Ace." Moira solemnly stated, "But I have no solution!"

Ace was speechless after hearing the last part!