Chapter 2654

Dwight was stunned. The way they were fighting did not seem like they were sparring at all. Nash had even created a barrier to ensure that their battle would not harm any bystanders.

Reese was quite bold to confront Nash directly. However, it was strange that Nash was not dealing with him directly.

Inside the barrier, Nash kept complaining internally, 'This rule of not being able to use my original abilities after obtaining a ritualistic weapon is a bit too abstract, no?'

The artifact Nash possessed, the All Souls Token, was the pinnacle of medical arts. Meanwhile, the Heaven-Shaking Tome was the apex of array techniques. Logically speaking, he should be able to handle someone like Reese, who relied purely on physical skills.

However, the situation was more complicated than that.

With a powerful strike, Reese sent Nash flying. Nash used an array to propel himself into the air. From below, Reese laughed and said, "How's that, Master Calcraft? My abilities are no less impressive than yours, no?

"Don't call me arrogant. The truth is that the one ritualistic weapon in me, the Skyshard Armor, is the strongest."

Reese did indeed possess the Skyshard Armor, a fact that both Nash and Otto had noticed. This was also the reason Otto had chosen to keep Reese around. If he was able to inherit the Skyshard Armor, then he might just be one of the chosen ones.

Otto had refrained from informing Nash about the Light Reflector Mirror because he wanted to avoid any conflicts of interest. If Reese were to discover that Otto openly supported Nash in obtaining the Skyshard Armor, he would undoubtedly become furious.

Should a conflict break out on the mountain, it would be the other disciples who would suffer the consequences.

Thus, Otto only provided Nash with a hint before encouraging him to challenge the secret realm in the back area of the mountain.

Nash and the others had gathered substantial information about the origins of this secret realm. At the back of Abundance Mountain was originally a spiritual mountain rich in natural true energy.

When the divine emperor descended to eliminate the Six Great Sects in the past, the acting Heavenly Master of Abundance Mountain at the time and his many disciples utilized the Sky Reflector Mirror in conjunction with the other five ritualistic weapons at the back area of the mountain. They managed to successfully restrain the divine emperor this way.

Afterward, the Sky Reflector Mirror disappeared for some time. When those residing in Abundance Mountain finally took notice of the mirror again, the entire back area of the mountain had already transformed into the mirror's territory.

As it turned out, the mirror had disappeared previously to regain its power, leading it to temporarily enter a deep slumber in the back area of the mountain. Once it absorbed enough natural true energy, it would awaken.

Presently, the Sky Reflector Mirror had successfully influenced the entire back area of the mountain, turning it into its secret realm.

However, as previously mentioned, this secret realm only affected those who harbored the desire for power. For the Abundance Mountain disciples who were free from worldly desires, this secret realm had no significant impact on their lives. This was the reasoning behind Otto's decision not to pass the mirror onto future generations. Or perhaps in Otto's eyes, the mirror was never truly theirs. Naturally, he did not want the youth to follow in the footsteps of their predecessors.

Otto certainly knew about Reese's situation. To his understanding, Fredwyn did not accept just any disciple. Therefore, he still held some hope for Reese.

He never would have expected Reese to injure his apprentice on his very first day, however. Consequently, he stopped having any expectations of him.

Otto even neglected to inform Reese about the precautions surrounding the secret realm. Reese ended up entering the realm recklessly and fell victim to its illusions, which plunged him into a state of fear.

Otto then learned more of the situation from Fredwyn. In fact, strictly speaking, Reese was not entirely his disciple. This was because Reese had been away from the monastery for almost a decade after becoming a disciple at the age of eight.

As a result, Fredwyn had not taught him any internal cultivation methods or martial arts techniques.