Nobilis of War

A huge explosion followed.

Waves filled the air as the purple lightning and the sword intent from Darren's sword collided.

The confrontation lasted for a while before the purple lightning sword began to darken. The purple light gradually dulled and its sword intent began to disappear.

Darren breathed hard to puke a mouthful of blood. The purple lightning sword hurt him pretty badly.

"You're good but not as good as me. I defeated you at last." Darren declared with a grin on his face.

"Darren, take this magical sword. This is your reward for winning this fight. It's very powerful." Mathew's shadow told Darren by channeling the message in his mind.

Darren leaped towards the purple lightning sword and held it in his hands.

"Drip your blood on it and you'll be its master forever." Mathew's voice sounded in Darren's ear again.

Without hesitation, Darren dripped several drops of his blood on the weapon. Suddenly, a strange feeling crept at him as something in him was connected with the sword. Their minds were suddenly one. Darren felt it.

"That's amazing. I like it. I have always wanted a good sword. With this purple lightning sword, I'll be able to embrace my sword skills to full scale," he said.

The purple lightning sword came to life and flashed fine purple lightning again after the ceremony. Numerous flashes of tiny, purple lightning appeared on its surface like ripples. Its unusual appearance revealed its equally unusual nature.

Suddenly, a resonant voice echoed from the sky as if God were speaking.

"Congratulations, boy! You've passed the test. Since you did it perfectly, I will give you something as a reward," it said.

After the unknown voice finished speaking, a tiny, wooden box appeared in front of Darren seemingly carried by a ray of white light. Darren reached out his hand, took the box, and leaped onto the bank. He walked towards Elsa and stood by her closely. Excited, he opened the box. He was eager to know what it contained. Whoever owned the place seemed strong and powerful. He expected the reward to be just as spectacular.

A sweet fragrance filled the air as soon as he opened it. In the middle of the box was an elixir that emitted a faint, green light.

"Talent-upgrading Elixir!" Mathew's shadow exclaimed with excitement, a fire of ecstasy glinting in his eyes. "Master is so generous. You have only finished the first test but Master already gave you the Talent- upgrading Elixir as your reward!"

"What is the Talent-upgrading Elixir, Sir?" Elsa asked with a puzzled expression.

"Oh, Darren. It's one of the most valuable elixirs in the whole world! Some precious herbs have magical powers to improve a warrior's talent, but more often than not, they are difficult to obtain. If I remember correctly, the Talent-upgrading Elixir is made up of seventy-eight of those precious herbs. Apart from the fact that its power can resurrect the dead, it can also improve a warrior's talent by ten levels!" Mathew's shadow explained.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Elsa exclaimed with eyes wide with awe. The words of Matthew's shadow surprised her. This was the first time she had ever heard of such substance in her life. "Congratulations, Darren. That's a very precious reward. You have one Talent-upgrading Elixir in your possession now."

"Yes, it is very precious. If brought to the world outside, it might cause bloody fighting among the warriors who want to get a hold of it. It would be something many men would be willing to die for." Darren nodded in agreement with Mathew's shadow.

Since the Talent-upgrading Elixir would be able to upgrade a warrior's talent by ten levels, even the superb warriors from the Holy Lands would surely want it for themselves.

"Swallow it, Darren. Then, your talent will reach the Heaven Degree. Won't that be amazing?" Elsa said, encouraging Darren. She seemed to be more excited for him than he was for himself. "But I want to give it to you, Elsa." Darren replied as he passed it to her without hesitation. He was quite certain of what he wanted to do with it.

"What did you say?" Elsa asked in astonishment, unable to believe what she had heard.

'Why would Darren give me such a valuable elixir?' Elsa wondered.

"Your talent degraded when you got hurt. This elixir can heal you and improve your talent again. You need it," Darren explained.

Darren possessed the ability to use the Assimilation Skill. As long as he was alive, he could one day improve his talent on his own and eventually achieve-or even surpass the Heaven Degree talent with its help. Because of that, the elixir did not hold as much value in his eyes.

"You're very talented, Darren. All martial art geniuses crave for ways to improve their talents. No one would be willing to give up such a valuable thing! It could make a huge impact on your martial talent! But you, Darren, are different from the rest of them. Your friends are more important to you than anything else." Mathew's shadow could not help but praise Darren for his generosity.

"No, Darren. I cannot take it. It's yours," Elsa said. She declined politely, unwilling to accept a gift so precious.

"Take it, Elsa. Your refusal makes me feel embarrassed. I'll feel bad if you insist." Darren replied seriously.

Elsa stared at his face and saw the clear intent in his eyes. This was the first time Darren spoke to her that way.

"Take it, little girl. Your boyfriend is giving you a very precious gift. Your refusal will surely hurt him. Just do as he says and take the damn gift." Mathew's shadow jested.

Reluctantly, Elsa reached out and held the precious elixir in her hands. Her face turned crimson red when she heard Mathew's shadow refer to Darren as her boyfriend. To hide her shyness, she lowered her head to avoid the gaze of the two men in front of her. But she explained nothing. She just peeped at Darren from the corner of her eyes to observe his reaction.

Darren seemed unaffected. It seemed like there was nothing unusual about it. That brought a hidden smile on Elsa's lips. Her heartbeat quickened in glee.

'Was he silent because he accepted it? Or did he just completely ignore Matthew's words? Or... was he just afraid of embarrassing me so he decided to keep quiet?' Thoughts suddenly flooded Elsa. She cared so much about what Darren thought of her.