Dual Cultivation: Beasts and Women!

Chapter 162: A Formidable Opponent

As the first rays of daylight filtered into the room, casting a warm glow on the red carpet, Liam felt his body awaken more fully. Gradually, he became aware of the beautiful blue-haired woman sleeping beside him; her face graced with a serene smile, dangerously relaxed.

Sleeping so deeply in Demon Gate shouldn't be a good thing. Yet, Nance slept peacefully, where they had come the night before after she had shared her plan with him.

The two had left his room in disguise, placing one of the Leopards' men in Liam's place, before he, dressed in Nance's female attire, followed her into this room.

As he looked at her face, and momentarily ignoring the allure of the sleeping beauty's features, Liam smiled as he recalled her plan.

'Is this really going to work?' he wondered, glancing around—not at Nance's meticulously organized room, but scanning for any magical fluctuations from those who might be tracking him.

However, unlike the past few days, no one seemed to monitor his current location now.

That wasn't so difficult. After all, he always managed to shake off his enemies when visiting Electa's room. Still, it was reassuring to be alone and have one of his fellow Leopards taking his place.

Nance's plan involved disguising Liam as a woman to enter the Runes Hall with her. Despite her third realm cultivation, Nance was a Second Class Runemaster. She could accompany him into the hall and help him bypass his enemies unnoticed. At least, that's what she had explained the night before to persuade him to come here.

Nance, however, had taken full advantage of her plan and enjoyed Liam's company immensely.

No wonder she was so relaxed!

The incubus demon couldn't help but regret Liam's decision not to cultivate with this woman. But after much discussion and explanation, the incubus agreed to follow Liam's strategy to avoid being killed easily .

Soon, Nance awoke from her deep sleep to find Liam finishing dressing beside her bed.

"Good morning," he greeted her with a smile.

"Morning," she replied, stretching before getting up, still feeling a slight burning in her thighs from the previous night.

Nibbling her lip, she reflected on the night and how 'wrecked' she felt. Liam was incredible, capable of maintaining impressive intensity even at a 'lower' level than hers.

'Does he feel the same way I do?' she wondered, glancing at him as she dressed. 'Will it affect your test today?'

Liam winked at Nance, making her blush unexpectedly. He didn't question her further, and once he was dressed as a woman, with his cultivation completely concealed, he asked, "Are you ready?"

"Hmm, and you?"

"I am if you are. I just hope this works. It's not the most comfortable thing I've ever done." He laughed bitterly, honestly preferring a battle to this disguise.

But Liam had his priorities. He could confront opponents on his terms, but the higher-ups at the Runes Hall wouldn't bend their rules for him. Being even a second late would mean missing his certification exam.

It was worth any discomfort to avoid such a disastrous outcome!

She grinned at him and said, "You look pretty! If you were a girl, I think I'd change my orientation to be with you, haha."

He shook his head in denial as he headed for the door. Together, they left the Senior Initiates' dormitory of City Thirteen.

They had no other choice but to proceed. Liam felt uncomfortable on the way to Runes Hall, noticing the curious glances from people on the streets, but no one stopped him.

Nance enjoyed the journey, and they soon arrived on the street in front of the hall, unimpeded.

Liam spotted members of the three opposing factions outside the building, seemingly ready to cause trouble. Fortunately, Nance led him through the side entrance reserved for hall members, allowing them to pass the guards without issue.

With 25 minutes remaining until the certification exam, they made their way to the exam room. Liam maintained his disguise until they reached the second floor, where six people were already waiting outside it.

Upon seeing Nance and the black-haired 'woman,' Fred felt an inexplicable shiver run down his spine. He didn't immediately recognize Liam, but his instincts sensed something was amiss.

Meanwhile, Ann couldn't help but give Liam a peculiar look as she approached. "What kind of outfit is that?" she asked quietly, stopping next to him. "I didn't know you had such a hobby."

Liam laughed bitterly. "Well, it was either this or you wouldn't get your thousand merit points. I've done my best to help you."

"What a good friend you are," Ann chuckled. "So, are you going to stay like this for the whole test, or are you going to change?"

"If you'll protect me while I change, I'm willing to do that. Otherwise, I'll wait until someone figures out who I am."

Ann shook her head and sighed. "You'd better take the test as you are. The evaluators might have a negative impression, but it won't affect your test results."

"Good. It doesn't matter. I don't care what they think," he agreed, noticing Ann looking at Nance.

"So you're my friend's supervisor here," Nance greeted Ann with a nod, recognizing her colleague and competitor.

Ann and Nance possessed very different powers, but Ann's talent for the profession was greater, compensating for the difference in their cultivation. Both were in the same degree regarding their profession, pursuing the Third Class, placing them on opposite sides of the hall.

Ann nodded and frowned. "And how do you know him?"

Nance smiled, choosing not to share her personal experiences. What she'd done with Liam was more than she'd ever done before, and she wasn't about to disclose details of her relationship with him to a competitor. "I met him at the Arcane Symposium. We became friends after that."

"Is that true?" Ann asked, glancing at Liam.

He nodded without saying a word.

'Tsk! This woman has plans for him,' Ann thought, narrowing her eyes in displeasure.

Despite not having any personal affection for Liam, Ann wanted him as an ally. Nance having similar plans could complicate things for her.

'I'll deal with that later. Once Liam defeats his opponents, we'll have a date. I'll use it to learn more about them and see what I can do.' She decided, leaving Liam as Nance said her goodbyes.

"Now that I've brought you this far, I have to go. Good luck with your exam." She kissed his cheek and departed the way she came.

Liam remained in Nance's clothes, avoiding eye contact with Virginia, Fred, and Giles. Strangely, Giles and Virginia seemed more interested in each other than in him, while only Fred seemed to have thoughts about him.

'Sigh! I was lucky. Nance made it easy for me to get here.'

…

While Liam waited for the certification exam to begin, Enos was outside the Runes Hall, hiding as he awaited Liam's arrival.

"Where is he?" the big, fat man grumbled, his expression extremely displeased.

He was now fully recovered from his fight with Myles and in a position to act against Liam. But strangely enough, Liam still hadn't appeared in the hall five minutes before the time limit for the certification test.

"Maybe someone from the Abyss Matriarchs or Crimson Rebels acted against him? Some of our men identified fighting in three streets this morning, boss," a 1-Star Spirit Earth Cultivator reported.

'Did any of them make it?' Enos clenched his fists as he watched a blue-haired woman pass by the main entrance of the hall. Ignoring the beauty, he waited out the remaining time until Liam could no longer make it to the exam.

His primary goal was to take Liam down, but the boy had played his cards well, avoiding places where conflicts were likely, and always staying close to Leopards' guards. Enos realized he might only execute his plans against Liam during the hunt for the Silver-Winged Leopard.

As the last minutes ticked away, Enos left his position and followed, no longer bothering to conceal his presence. "Wido, we leave tomorrow," he decided. "We'll set up an ambush for Liam Porter and the Leopards in the nearby forest."

Wido paled, understanding the risks of leaving now and staying out of the city for days. "Are you sure about this, boss? It will be dangerous, and we don't know exactly where they'll go."

But the big fat man smiled confidently. "That's what you think. I know exactly where they'll go. We'll set a trap for them, just like that damn woman did for us!"

…

While Enos moved forward with his new plans, Myles and Eleanor were at her estate, strategizing for the imminent hunt of their enemies. In a few days, the Silver-Winged Leopard would emerge from hibernation, marking the time for them to put their plans into action!

Even though they had placed their men in Liam's path that morning, Myles and Eleanor were more focused on their plans for the next weeks than on their enemy's certification exam.

It was time for them to act, and their plans needed perfect coordination!

Amid their serious discussion, a man with news approached and waited for an opportunity to speak.

"What do you want, Hamlin?" Myles asked, glancing at the dark red-haired man standing beside the table where he and Eleanor were plotting over a large map.

"Boss, Miss McCalla, we've received news about Liam Porter. The people we intercepted this morning were merely Leopards' men impersonating him. We have information that Liam Porter began the certification exam for Second Class Runemasters at the Runes Hall ten minutes ago."

Hamlin's report caused Myles and Eleanor to narrow their eyes in surprise.

"How did he do that?" Eleanor asked, frowning.

Although they had employed nothing too drastic against Liam today, their efforts should have at least delayed him enough to miss his exam.

"We're not sure yet, miss. But it looks like he disguised himself as a woman and let the Leopards' men assume his identity. By the time our groups realized it wasn't him they were dealing with, it was too late. Now he's in the middle of his certification exam..."

Myles clenched his fists, but he wasn't that frustrated. "The bastard is really slippery. He has no honor."

"Honor is for fools or well-born people who don't have to risk their lives." Eleanor disagreed. "He is a formidable opponent. I can't deny that. But his journey will be over in ten days. I'll slit his throat myself!"