"What did you just say?"
Sylas wasn't sure if he had heard correctly, was this blind weirdo actually trying to but into their conversation?
"I guess I need to put it in a way you can understand. Fuck off!"
Along with his statement, Raymond completely released his sword force. The oppressive might originating from his soul made Sylas and his henchmen shiver. Although their cultivation realms were similar, the pressure that Raymond was exuding was something that none of them could resist. This was mostly because it was a pressure that originated from his soul, something that these young men hadn't started cultivating yet.
Although Sylas wanted to say something, the pressure on his soul was too intense. He merely cast a hateful glance at young master Garrett before he signalled his henchmen to leave with him. In his haste, he didn't even try to gauge Raymond's cultivation level. Someone who could exert such heavy pressure was obviously an expert. He was not someone Sylas could deal with, and definitely not someone that young master Garrett could mingle with.
"Thank you for helping me out, how should I address you?" Young master Garrett inquired pensively. He had been dumbstruck at first, but after processing what had just happened, he was quick to show his appreciation.
"Don't worry about it, you can just call me Raymond."
At first, Raymond only told them to fuck off because they disturbed his good mood, but after thinking about the situation for a little bit, he noticed a few interesting points. This young man seemed to have "lost" his talent. A fallen genius was one of the most common tropes in cultivation novels, and to Raymond, this young master Garrett seemed like a typical protagonist.
It wouldn't do him any harm to befriend him when his talent was still lost. Raymond didn't really have any friends, either way, he could use someone to spend his time with. If this young master Garrett's talent returned in the future, Raymond would gain a strong ally, and if he didn't, Raymond didn't lose anything. Making a few enemies in exchange for a friend didn't really matter to Raymond. He was sure that he would be able to surpass every single cultivator in this city in the future anyway.
"My name is Spencer Garrett, but you can just call me Spence if you'd like."
"Ok then Spence, do you mind telling me who I just offended?"
Spencer seemed a little taken aback by Raymond's attitude since he thought Raymond would be more aloof and cold.
"As you probably know, there are 3 prominent families in Kredon, namely the Garrett family, the Powell family, as well as the Baxter family. The guy who was harassing me earlier was Sylas Powell, and he is the son of the second elder of the Powell family, as for the other 2, they are nobodies."
Raymond didn't respond for a while, and just let the information sink in for a second. Since he had offended the son of the second elder, he could expect to get trouble coming his way, and depending on how he chose to take care of it, he might end up offending the second elder directly. There was only one thing that bothered Raymond a little.
"This second elder, do you know which realm his cultivation has reached?"
"If I'm not wrong, then he should've reached the 4th or 5th step of the spirit-refining path. I can't be completely sure though."
Although cultivation of the 4th step of the spirit-refining path was enough to kill Raymond in one move, there was no way the second elder would get involved over something like this. The only time the second elder would step in himself was if Raymond killed his son or something similar, which he had no intention of doing. The only real revenge he could expect at this point was the petty revenge of a young man in the middle of the body-refining realm.
He might use his influence to hire a warrior above the 7th revolution of the body-refining realm, but Raymond wasn't particularly scared.
Spencer had expected Raymond to be a bit flustered after he mentioned the cultivation of the second elder, but after seeing his calm and composed look, Spencer couldn't help but admire him. Even if he was relying on his own backing to not be scared, that paired with the imposing momentum Raymond displayed earlier was enough to earn Spencer's admiration.
RUMBLE!
Whilst they were both absorbed in their own thoughts, Spencer's stomach suddenly rumbled intensely.
"Sorry about that, I haven't eaten yet. Do you want to go and grab a bite? Take it as my repayment for your help." Spencer was a little embarrassed, but he also saw this as a great opportunity.
"Sure, I've got nothing better to do either way." Raymond was still a little hungry, so he had no reason to decline.
Spencer was happy that Raymond accepted his invitation and he led the way in high spirits. Along the way, they talked a little and both asked a few questions. Even if it was only a little, they became a little closer through their interactions with each other.
After a little over an hour later, Raymond was back in his room again.
With a full stomach and a relaxed mind, he laid down on his bed for a while and organised his thoughts. After talking and hanging out with Spencer for a while, he noticed that their thoughts were a little similar, and they hit it off quite well. Raymond wasn't great with friendships, since they had all ended in failure, but he was willing to give it another try in this world.
The only real thing he needed to do now was cultivate and train his martial arts. As long as he kept breaking through his realms and surpassing himself, he was sure that there would be a place for him in this world. He felt like he needed to set a goal for himself and train hard to surpass it. There was a little less than 5 months left before the tournament, and since that was the case, Raymond decided that his goal was going to be that he needed to reach the peak of the body-refinement realm before the tournament.
It had taken him a little over a month to reach the peak of the 4th revolution of the body-refinement realm, only a step away from the 5th revolution. To reach the peak of the 9th revolution in another 5 months time didn't seem that absurd to Raymond. If anyone else could hear his thoughts they would surely think there was something wrong with him. To climb a revolution each month on average was simply absurd, but if it was Raymond, then it was definitely possible.
No matter how much harder it got the further you walked along the path of cultivation, Raymond was determined to overcome this goal he had set for himself.. If he couldn't even do that, then what was the point of reaching for the top? Raymond had great ambitions, and he was dead set on realising them, otherwise, he would let down whichever god it was that had sent him to this place.