“Ready?” Rui asked.

“Yep, this should be entirely very fun,” Kane sighed.

“Cheer up,” Rui told him. “We’re going to see new sights.”

The two of them had already been in Void Step together for quite a while now. Yet it was only after they entered the dungeon that they stopped the technique. Inside the dungeon, nobody could sense them beyond a certain range anyway, thus it was better to let Kane save his stamina and use it when it was necessary, like when they were harvesting resources.

“We’re going to ignore all of the established paths to the existing floors right?” Kane asked.

“Yep, we’re going to randomly explore tunnels until we hit a new floor, or die trying!” Rui grew a little excited, exclaiming emphatically.

“How about trying another day?” Kane asked blandly. “I’d rather fail than die trying to succeed like, you know, a sane person.”

The two of them bickered as they randomly picked a large tunnel at a random part of the entry into the dungeon before following it down merrily.

“Doesn’t this feel so much better though?” Rui asked Kane at some point while still being extremely vigilant of their surroundings. If he got careless, they could very easily die from some lethal attack from a monster. If they got hit by a taipan, then they were dead for sure. “Don’t you enjoy the pure and sheer freedom that comes with choosing your own path and looking for a new destination?”

“It would be relaxing if it weren’t for the fact that I’m basically blind to my Martial Squire standards standing in probably the most dangerous environment anywhere within ten thousand kilometers,” Kane explained. “It’s a shame I can’t be as nearly at ease as you are. Hell forget ease, you’re basically beaming right now.”

“Yeah,” Rui nodded with a smile. “Because this rough adventure has entirely been of my own creation thus far, no missions, no Martial Union, no clientele. It’s fun to do things for your own self than for others.”

“I suppose I can see that,” Kane shrugged. “I’m pretty far away from the Arrancar Family, so I suppose that is definitely a plus. Furthermore, I have to admit, helping you set off bombs in the Shionel Confederation has been pretty exciting. More exciting than most things that have happened in my life.”

Rui gave Kane a knowing glance.

Kane had spent most of his life trapped by the Arrancar family because of the dramatic talent for Martial Art and combat he had demonstrated even when he was a toddler. It had caused him to develop a deep hatred for his family, and a deep yearning to escape them and go far away from them in the world.

It had been to the point that even getting into the Martial Academy had been one of the best things that had happened to him. Rui was sure that this was the first time he had even gone this out of his way for none other than himself.

“Heh, maybe you can stay here,” Rui shrugged. “Build a new life here far away from your family.”

“Maybe,” Kane replied nonchalantly. “But they’d probably find me here as well. If I want them to not find me. I need to erase myself from their sights entirely. But I’m not strong enough to do that, for now.”

Kane’s family was a powerful Martial Family comprising many Martial Artists of all Realms, barring the sole Martial Sage of the family. The only reason he was able to stay away from them from the moment was the protection that came from his political affiliation.

The second that he left the country forever, that protection was gone. The Lightning Martial Sect would not help a Martial Artist that was not going to aid their cause and even leave the country forever.

“Not strong enough you say,” Rui echoed his words. “Then for how long do you intend to wait?”

Kane considered his thoughts. “I think if I even break through to Martial Senior, I’ll be able to use Void Step to such a level that they won’t be able to track me.”

“Hm,” Rui considered the matter.

The problem was that both of them knew too little of what Martial Artists of higher Realms were capable of. Rui had seen three Martial Seniors fight, but that did not mean he knew that Martial Seniors in general were capable of. Nor did that mean he knew what Martial Masters and above were capable of. These mighty beings were so beyond his reach that he genuinely could not fathom what they could do.

Thus, as much as he would like to have affirmed the soundness of Kane’s plan, he couldn’t do so, not in good faith.

“There are several possibilities,” Kane explained to Rui. “I could either stick with the Lightning Sect forever under their protection. I could grow stronger to be able to resist the Arrancar Family. I could gain the patronage of a powerful political force instead of the Lightning Sect, or I could polish my covert capabilities as well as my stealth, and plan to leave the Shionel Confederation and set out to the other side of the continent. Far away from their sphere of influence. Frankly, I think the last plan has the highest probability of success when you consider the difficulty of execution, time period, and margin of error.”

“You’ve thought really this through deeply, haven’t you?” Rui remarked, impressed at the level of thought that Kane had given it.

“Well, yeah, I kind of have to. It is my future and all,” Kane shrugged. “I’m not as smart as you, but I’m smart enough to know that if I don’t plan this out carefully and take into account all variables, things could end extremely badly for me forever.”

“That’s quite prudent of you,” Rui replied approvingly. “If you need any help with anything, you can definitely be sure to reach out to me and ask me for any help that you may need.”