A hidden passageway materialized beneath the gnarled tree root, its entrance yawning open like a secret wound in the earth after Nexus's swift action.

"How?" Midas whispered in wide-eyed surprise, his voice echoing faintly in the dim light filtering through the roots above.

"Remain silent and just lead the way," Nexus commanded firmly, his tone brooking no argument as he ensured Midas upheld his end of their tense bet, his eyes sharp and unyielding in the shadows.

Midas nodded in quick understanding, his face paling slightly under the weight of the moment, before he stepped forward and began descending the spiraling stairs that twisted downward into the unknown depths.

They trudged onward for what felt like an eternity, their footsteps muffled against the cold, uneven stone steps, the air growing cooler and damper with each turn until they finally reached the bottom, where the staircase opened into a vast expanse.

"Welcome to the revolutionary city," Midas announced with a hint of pride, gesturing expansively to the sprawling underground makeshift city that buzzed with quiet activity, its cavernous halls illuminated by flickering torches and makeshift lanterns casting long, dancing shadows on the rough-hewn walls.

"You must be the possible allies who boldly put the knights to shame. Welcome," another young man approached from the midst of the gathered crowd, his warm smile cutting through the subdued murmurs of the people around him, his presence drawing curious glances from the revolutionaries milling about.

He possessed dark, flowing long hair that cascaded over his shoulders, and he was draped in a simple yet elegant robe that whispered softly with his movements, exuding an air of quiet intellect amid the gritty surroundings.

"This is Xing. He is the second in command of the revolutionary army—a real genius I strive to emulate one day," Midas introduced the young man with genuine admiration, his voice carrying a note of aspiration as he glanced between his companions and the newcomer.

"You speak too highly of me, Midas. Calling me a talent in front of these two who rained havoc on the knights is a little too much. Please come with me; our branch master wishes to see—" Xing's words were abruptly cut off as Aaron's hand shot out, gripping his neck tightly and lifting him off the ground with effortless strength, the sudden act sending a ripple of shock through the nearby crowd.

"What do you think you are doing? Let him go!" Midas barked sharply, his face twisting in panic as fear gripped him, convinced that Aaron and Nexus were infiltrators sent by Desirus's forces, his heart pounding wildly in the confined space.

"Who are you, and where did you come from?" Aaron demanded directly, his piercing gaze locked onto Xing's widening eyes, the intensity in his stare like a blade pressing against the man's resolve.

"What... do you mean... I'm Xing. An orphan raised by our boss himself," Xing gasped out in struggle, his voice strained and hoarse as his neck remained clutched in Aaron's unyielding vise-like hold, his feet dangling helplessly above the ground.

"If you lie to me one last time, I will rip your tongue out. Who exactly are you?" Aaron pressed again, his grip tightening incrementally, the pressure building like a storm about to break, veins bulging slightly on his forearm from the controlled exertion.

"Let him go! He just stated the truth. Everyone knows his identity," Midas stepped forward desperately, his hands raised in a pleading gesture, choosing words over violence in a bid to de-escalate the mounting tension that thickened the air like fog.

"Then I guess everyone has been fooled for a long time by this rat," Aaron retorted coldly, his voice laced with disdain as he drove the accusation deeper, unflinching in the face of the growing unrest around them.

"Let him go now. You don't want to risk my wrath and the wrath of every revolutionary soldier here. Unlike the knights you fought this morning, it won't be an easy fight for you," a commanding figure clad in gleaming golden armor strode toward Aaron, his sword drawn and glinting under the torchlight, his cold stare fixed with unyielding determination.

The man was Aegon, the resolute leader of the revolutionary soldiers, his broad frame exuding authority. Behind him trailed a phalanx of elite soldiers, their armors clinking softly as they moved in unison, their expressions hardened and ready for battle.

"I would advise you to step back and not move further if you want to live," Nexus interjected, positioning himself boldly in front, his stance firm and protective, halting Aegon's advance with a subtle shift that radiated quiet power.

"And I would advise you against blocking my path if you truly want to live," Aegon shot back defiantly, his voice booming with equal resolve, the clash of wills charging the atmosphere like electricity before a thunderstorm.

The air grew thick with tension, a palpable spark of impending conflict hanging heavy, ready to erupt into chaos at the slightest provocation, every breath held in suspense amid the underground city's echoing vastness.

"You. You don't use mana. You have a strange energy circulating around your body from your lower abdomen. So I will ask you one last time before I lose my temper and end your life: who are you, and where are you from?" Aaron demanded once more, his face etched with deadly seriousness, his patience fraying like a taut rope on the verge of snapping.

"I warned you already!" Aegon roared in fury, his annoyance peaking at being utterly ignored, his muscles coiling like a predator about to strike.

Nexus, swift to counter, conjured a roaring wall of flames that burst forth in front of Aegon, the heat radiating intensely and crackling with fiery menace, illuminating the faces of those nearby in an orange glow.

"That won't be enough to stop me!" Aegon bellowed, his voice cutting through the roar as he swung his sword with ferocious power at the blazing barrier, the blade whistling through the air.

The elite soldiers behind him unsheathed their swords in a synchronized rasp of metal, their postures alert and poised to surge forward in support at the merest signal, their loyalty evident in their steely resolve.

"I just said I don't have time for any of this," Aaron stated coldly, his eyes igniting with a brilliant burst of golden light that seemed to pierce the dimness, casting an otherworldly sheen over the scene.

"Temporal lock," Aaron invoked, unleashing his primordial talent of time manipulation with a commanding whisper, the words resonating like an unbreakable decree.

Everyone except Nexus and Xing was compelled into absolute stillness by Aaron's unyielding command, their bodies frozen mid-motion as if time itself had crystallized around them, the underground city falling into an eerie, suspended silence.

No one could move, yet they retained full consciousness of the unfolding events, their minds deliberately spared by Aaron's precise control, allowing them to witness the drama in helpless awareness.

"Now, with quietness returning, care to give me your answer?" Aaron pressed onward relentlessly, his voice calm yet insistent in the frozen hush, turning his focus back to the dangling Xing.

Xing glanced around in dawning helplessness, the reality of Aaron's overwhelming prowess sinking in deeper than he had anticipated, his earlier confidence shattering like fragile glass under the weight of the revelation.

"White lotus severing finger," Xing invoked desperately, extending two fingers including his index in a precise gesture toward Aaron, his hand trembling slightly from the strain.

From his fingertips, a condensed beam of energy, distinct and alien from mana, lanced out toward Aaron, the point-blank range making evasion seem impossible for most, the attack slicing through the air with a faint, humming intensity.

"What form of energy did you just use?" Aaron inquired unflinchingly, the assault glancing off him harmlessly, leaving not even a scorch mark on his unblemished form.

"How?" Xing gasped in utter surprise, his eyes bulging in shock as the futility of his strike registered, disbelief etching deep lines on his youthful face.

"One last time: Who are you? Guessing from what you said, I have reason to believe you are a cultivator. And that would mean the essence you use is qi, instead of mana," Aaron demanded, piecing together the enigma with sharp deduction, his tone steady and probing. He made a guess. The guess backed from descriptions he had read from Eastern novels.

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