《Way of the World》 Cultivation Body Strengthening Realm: 4 small stages. (Muscles , tendons , bones , meridians). Qi condensation Realm: 4 small stages. (Early, Middle, Late and Peak). Foundation Establishment Realm: 4 small stages. (Early, Middle, Late and Peak). Hard for more than 80% of martial arts to condense , only 20% of MA do it.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Half-step to Core formation Core formation (Martial artist at this realm are known as ''Masters'') : 4 small stages. (Early, Middle, Late and Peak). Half-step to Nascent Soul Nascent Soul (Martial artist at this realm are known as ''Grand Masters''): 6 stages Very hard for a martial artist to breakthrough, only geniuses are able to pass to this stage. They can fly , and are consider immortals in Huibin (continent.). Pre-Celestial (Martial artist at this realm are known as ''Sages''): 6 stages After that, well that would be spoilers :) Chapter 1: Prologue Green Forest, Outskirts of Avion, Soaring Eagle The strong northerly winds, could not pass through the dense forest, nonetheless , the winds blew and blew against the dark woods much the same as a battering ram would ram a castle''s gate. From an aerial view of the green forest, some trails could be seen, twisting and turning, on one such trail, a man walked leisurely, but every step he took covered a few miles. ''It has been a year since I last came.'' The man had a pointy gray beard, a face with a few wrinkles, and his twinkling blue eyes hid a deep sadness that seemed to fade as you looked closer. ''Twenty years, and I still can''t forget. In this life, you are the only one I will ever love Zhelan-ji. Back then, I would not have stopped until everyone suffered as I did, but now.'' He glanced at his wrinkled hands. ''I am not that brazen and young anymore, If only I cou¡­'' Suddenly, the old man glanced up. Not too far from him, a child was sitting down, meditating. What surprised the man was the perfect control of his inner energy, Qi. A slight white-mist surrounded the boy''s body. In one step he was a but a few feet behind the child. Looking at the boys back, he began to wonder. "What do you want Old Man?" Feeling the use of Soaring View , the old man thought ''He must be of the Soaring Eagle Clan, that''s really good for such a young age. He can''t be more than 8 or 9 years old and already at Qi Condensation Realm! '' "Who is your master boy? Daegan? How is the old fool?" Turning around with an incredulous face, the boy replied "Who? Are you talking about Old Perv? Or what are you talking about Old Man? " The expression set him back a little. "Certainly, you are from Soaring Eagle Clan my boy?" The kid stared back blankly. "First of all, I am no one''s boy, I am an orphan. Secondly, why would I join something so cynical?" "Haha, Now I know who told you to say that. You sound just like Lady Cui! Is that what you believe? " The old man chuckled. The boy looked uncomfortable, as if he didn''t know his opinion, or no one had asked it before. He had long silky-black hair and hazel eyes, his flawless pale skin, now had a hint of pink, the white mist dispersed as if a wind blew it away, no trace left behind, as the boy scratched the back of his head. "I, I don''t know... How do you know Lady Cui Old Man? I have never seen you before." "Answer me this and I''ll answer yours, How did you know I was behind you? And that I was an old man, cough cough, in my middle years?" "That''s easy old man, I was practicing ''Soaring View'' while meditating and I felt you before I saw you moving closer, you shine brightly like a star." Cael''s expression changed from amicable to serious in the blink of an eye. "Who are you Old Man? I have never seen anyone shine so brightly." "Well, first tell me your name so I can stop calling you boy." "My name is Cael old man, how do you know Grandma Cui? I mean Lady Cui, you won''t tell her I said that right?" The child asked worriedly. "No, I won''t, if you tell me how did you learned what you were just doing." "I don''t know, Old Perv told me it was a clan secret, and not to tell anyone." "Think about it Cael, do you want Lady Cui to be angry? And Old, ah , Old Perv is not going to find out that you told me." The Old Man said with amusement. "That''s true, okay, I''ll tell you, but you promise not to tell Grandma Cui? Okay, it''s a promise! Well, you see I love walking in the forest, it is just to boring staying in that orphanage. One day I was coming back from walking at night time, I was a bit scared Grandma Cui would get angry at me, it was dark outside, and she gets angry when we play until late." Taking a deep breath before continuing. "Anyways Old Man, as I sneaked myself through the back baths, I saw an Old Perv peeping at the baths, Lady Cui was taking a bath, she had told us boys and girls are not supposed to be in the same bath. I was going to tell Grandma Cui, but the Old Perv saw me. We eventually made a deal, he would say that I was with him , and he also taught me, um what was it called?" Cael scratched his head, trying hard to recall a memory. "I don''t remember the name, it basically allows you to see very cool lights around you and inside people. But it doesn''t do anything else, the Old Perv is a little slow, it took him a while to teach me something else, I told him I would tell Lady Cui. After that, whenever he would come, he would teach me something , haha." Cael grinned from ear to ear. "Last year, he taught me ''Soaring View'' and how to meditate better. The way Priest Michael told us to meditate is too boring and time goes by very slow!" The old man was surprised, not only was the boy a bit mischievous, no , what was impressive was the fact that he learned a technique that was taught only to inner disciples, and only the most apt of disciples could learn it.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. "Cael, why are you meditating here?"The Old Man asked in puzzlement. "Why? Because there is no one to bother me here, well, besides you Old Man." He did not know if he should laugh or keep a straight face at that. "Well ahem, I meant, why do you meditate? What is your goal or purpose?" "As in dream Old Man? Why do you have to say weird words, just say your dream." Cael huffed before continuing as he looked up at the sky. "I want to be strong, strong enough to make all those faces full of pity look at me in awe instead. Strong enough to protect my home." Cael blocked the sun with his hand as he slowly made a fist. Cael looked back at the old man. "That, that is my dream Old Man!" "Hahaha, I am sorry I am not laughing at you , I promise, you just remind me of someone, haha." The old man was bent over in laughter, he hadn''t laugh so much in years, so much that a tear rolled down his left cheek, before sliding off his beard and smacking the grass below. "I am going to visit Lady Cui, do you want to come with me Cael?" "Well, I might as well, it is very boring sitting around." Cael stood up as he started heading down the trail, dusting off his green pants. The old man chuckled once more before heading in the same direction, looking at the boys back, he remembered a time he was young and naive. ''I won''t let you be like me boy.'' Cael turned back. "Hey Old Man, you never told me your name." _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ "You have not come visit in over a year, a year! And the first thing you ask, is about one of my children? Mmh? Well speak! Or do you want me to make you speak?" A tiny middle-aged lady holding a wooden spoon with one hand on her hipped demanded. "Ah Lady Cui, I, I , came over here to see you, I took time off to come." "Oh, so you are very important you had to MAKE time to see me? Huh? You shouldn''t have come then! Why bother? Just leave, shoo, get out." Lady Cui motioned with the wooden spoon before walking back into the kitchen. The old man sighed as he followed her into the kitchen, extending his hand into the empty air in a grasping motion, a basket appeared as if magic was used. A black ring in his forefinger seemed to reflect light for a second , before becoming a regular black ring again, devoid of light. Lady Cui had his back to him as she stirred a big pot on top of a fire. "Just put the basket on that table, and wash your hands! Food is almost ready." The old man placed the basket where he was told, and obediently marched to the bucket of water outside the kitchen. Once he came back from cleaning his hands, he wondered how he should start the conversation. "Cael was found full of soot and starving, the poor boy didn''t even remember a thing. He was dazed and just kept repeating his name, holding it like a plank to keep him from drowning. We don''t know where he is from, just his name and his ability to learn like a sponge. I have never seen the like." She stopped stirring the pot as turned her black eyes at him. "Not even you were like that. If you are going to take him, it will be on him, hopefully he might have a happier life with you." Her eyes watered as she turned to continue stirring. "Just like Adael once had." She said softly. She paused her stirring once more to grab a small box hidden underneath the stove. She opened it with care, and pulled out a necklace. "He did have this with him." She said as she handed him the necklace. It had a small detailed pendant of a black dragon, coiling to the right. The old man inspected it from every angle. "Now get out of my kitchen, I have to finish preparing and you are in the way!" ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Cael was enjoying some of the food he stole from the kitchen, while seating on a top branch in a tree. He mumbled angrily as he chewed on the food. "Train this, Do that! Fifty pushups! Why doesn''t he do it!" Cael had been in the nation of White Tiger for the past two years, it was cold most of the year, but bearable except on winter when it snowed nonstop. He had expected a life of luxury at first, but all he kept doing was training and training, he hated it. He had only advanced to late stage from early stage, he was still in the Qi condensation realm. His master had promised he would become powerful. "That lying old man. Him, and Uncle Tian, good thing Uncle Tian is easy to trick." He laughed a little as he took another bite out of a chicken''s leg. "Instead of practicing like you said you would, you are here eating Young Master." Hearing the voice below him, Cael chocked on the chicken. "Cough, Cough. Uncle Tian! You almost killed me!" "Good, maybe I won''t have to follow you all day to make sure you are doing what you are supposed to and not slacking off, Young Master." Uncle Tian, as Cael called him, was a skinny man in his late 40s, he was assigned to him by his master when he first came to White Tiger. "Now come here Young Master, you have to finish your training." "No, I don''t want to! Why don''t you do it yours-" before he finished his sentence, Uncle Tian appeared next to him before dragging him down to the ground. "AH, ah , stop don''t pull my ears Uncle Tian, stop! You''ll make them bigger! Stop, I don''t want to look like a donkey, I''ll go , I''ll go!" ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Cael slowly inch himself forward, suppressing his Qi, hiding his presence. Taking measured breaths, he continued inch by inch as he reached the cliff''s edge. Releasing a breath slowly he didn''t know he was holding. Peering over the edge he glanced at the river below, before slowly following with his gaze upstream. He could hear giggling and water splashing from his position, as a perverted smirk marred his handsome young face. Cael spied the first one, but alas, only her head could be seen, as the rest of her lay beneath the water. ''Just a bit more.'' He moved one inch forward slowly. "So this is where you were." A voice whispered next to his ear. Cael jumped from the scare, quickly covering his mouth before any sound came out. Hearing one of the girls say "Did you hear something?" He ducked farther back, as he glanced next to him. "Second brother, I- I was making sure they were safe from harm." Cael whispered in embarrassment. His second brother scared him, he was always training, just looking at his 6'' 4" body full of muscle, and his face that never showed any expression, it would scared the most bravest martial artists! "I know what you were really doing you were trying to get a look at the girls bathing, and I told you not to call me that. I might be the second disciple of master, but as brothers, you and I , just call me by my name Qian." Holding up a hand to silence Cael. Qian said. "Don''t lie to me Cael. I think it is time I give you this two books. Once you are finished with this two, come and look for me for more." Qian handed him two books from his ring, before disappearing as if he was never there to begin with. Cael had his mouth open, he had been expecting a reprimand from his second brother, but all he got was books. Opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water, he glanced at the title of the books. ''The Art of Peace'' Was the title for the top book. "Art of peace? What do I want with that?" Hoping for a better book, he glanced at the other one. ''Annals of Light Sects and Dark Sects'' "What? I hate reading , and history books? That''s even worse!" Chapter 2: Conquering A Thousand Beauties Green Forest, Near Black Snake border, Soaring Eagle A young man sat on top of a rock, with his legs crossed. The wind blew softly, moving his long silky-black hair to and fro with the wind. He appeared in peace, one with nature, one hand holding a book, titled ''Annals of Light Sects and Dark Sects; Volume 2'', while the other came up to change the page from time to time. The young man was so engrossed on the book, he didn''t notice the animals drawn to him, until they scatter away. Cael was just reading a passage on the book when he was interrupted. "She really wants me, she just doesn''t know it yet, see, women act like they are not interested , they might even say no, and act angry, or scared, I seen this many times. But, they do ,they want to be hug, have their breast caressed and-" Suddenly Cael glanced up, seeing a few deer and rabbits run back into the woods didn''t seem strange to him, what was strange was they ran as if running from something. Cael used his spatial ring to store the book and stood up from the rock. He was dressed in dark green silky clothes he had stolen from Old Perv to camouflage in Soaring Eagle''s territory. Cael used ''Soaring View'' to see from his position what was going on in front of him, his regular vision was impaired by giant trees in front. Using ''Soaring View'' allows him to see an aerial view of his surroundings. He focus on movements a few miles ahead of his position. He saw a group dressed in dark green clothes, fighting a slightly bigger and more coordinated group dressed in black clothes with a red stripe across their back. ''Soaring Eagle fighting against Black Snake? In Soaring Eagle''s territory?'' Cael could see that the group in green was losing, but it was not his problem. He was about to go back to reading his book, but he noticed something he had not paid attention to. There, in the middle of the fight, was one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen. She had golden-blonde hair tied in a ponytail, strings of her hair flew in the wind as she twirl and spun , fighting back. She was dressed in tight fitting fighting apparel, which only accentuated her figure more, and what a figure she had, her face showed no fear as she fought back with her sword. Her blue eyes concentrated on her opponents, while sweat drip from her brow. As Cael watched, he could see some amazing moves, it was almost like a dancer, performing for a king. She would spin her sword clockwise, gathering leafs around her sword, spinning with its movements. Than , she would point her sword at the assailants in front, attacking them with sharp knife-like leafs. All of them cutting into something. She seemed like a goddess performing move after move, without stop. The downside to only concetrating on opponents in front of her, was a skinny person appearing behind her, he use the pommel of his sword to pummel her in the head. Knocking her out. Cael watched helplessly as he had just don a mask to hide his face. Having used ''Air Steps'' , he had walked on air and made it half way there. Now he just stood dumbfounded in the sky. ''I just put a mask for nothing? I was supposed to save the damsel in distress and she would have thrown herself at me.'' He sighed. Cael pondered on what to do, and recalled a passage on ''Annals of Light Sects and Dark Sects; Volume 1''. "In a fight, the one who wins, always gets the women , make sure to win, it''s all about the women, that''s the reason why wars are fought." ''I can beat those guys up, and have her companions tell her of my deeds once she wakes up!'' He continued even faster, running in the air as if on invisible stairs only he could see and use. Some of them saw him approaching fast, and others stopped fighting and pointed at him. The Soaring Eagle clan members cheered, while the group in black, Black Snake clan members, turned to see the commotion. Cael dropped right behind a Black Snake member who had his back to him. ''Now what?'' He thought. "Wait!" Cael said, seeing the person in front of him, about to pick up the girl from the floor. The guy turned around startled by his appearance that he jumped back, and fell on his butt. ''What an ass, haha'' He smiled as he thought that, hearing some whispers from behind him. He did not bother turning around, instead saying amicably. "Why don''t we just shake hands and call this to a stop?" Cael asked looking at the people in front of him. The ass got up and rushed him while drawing his sword from his scabbard. Cael evaded the moves easily, while trying to convince him to stop. "Let''s calm down okay? I know emotions are heated at the moment, could you stop waving that?" The rest of the Ass companions snapped out of their reverie and rushed him as well. ''I hate fighting'' Cael sighed. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. He remembered the old man telling him once, "Fighting to hurt someone who has done you no wrong is violence. Fighting the same person to protect or defend someone, is not. Boy, you will have to fight one day, whether you want to or not." ''Of all the things to remember...'' He backs up after evading another swing from Ass, and performs ''Eagle Wind'' kick on him, the wind generated from the move knocked down not only Ass, but the people about to attack him as well along with a few trees that got uprooted. ''Oh no, the girl!'' he used ''Light Steps'' to appear next to the girl before she went flying away. ''I must have done it wrongly, when she did it the wind was very subtle, only affecting one person.'' He thought as he looked around, seeing the mess he created. There was dirt all over, one tree broken in half, while two others were uprooted, two of the men in black had crashed so hard into one another, they looked like paste splatter on the ground. Seeing ass , who had stabbed his sword into the ground to stay rooted not too far from him. Cael decided to try it once more, concentrating on just one target. He kicked the air and saw a half moon of compressed air head towards Ass. Ass was still looking around at his surrounding companions, most were dead, while some had broken or missing limbs. "Get up, what are you all scared about? He can''t be at Master level, Soaring Eagle only has a few, and he sounds too young. So stop cowering and get up! We have a-" Ass was about to continue, but he stopped, hearing a strange whistling, he turned towards his front. Ass didn''t even had the time to feel regret , for accepting this job as the half moon cut him in half , the two parts of him disintegrating with the wind. ''Damn, I must have packed too much Qi, making it stronger in a smaller area. Well, you learn something new everyday.'' No one could see his expression, for he had a white mask with a red swirl starting where his right eye is, the only hole in the mask. Cael did not even need a hole in the mask to see, having learn to fight using his senses long ago, he just thought it look cool. Some of the members in black who could still move, started retreating slowly, as if bigger movements could startle a monster. Some grabbed a few of their comrades, the others just left by themselves , slowly retreating, before they all made a break in different directions. ''Why are they looking back like idiots? They even left two of their friends.'' Cael shook his head sadly. He turned around, seeing the members of Soaring Eagle cloud with their mouths agape. One was vomiting next to a tree. ''Did he eat something spoiled?'' He glanced around them, wondering what to say. ''The hot girl!'' Lifting his foot off the girl, Cael glanced at the girl. She was bleeding from the back of her head, laying on her back. He squatted down to check her pulse , Qi flow, and any internal damage, placing his left palm on her neck. Cael could sense some of the soldiers approach him, while some whispered to each other. One had a sword in his arm. ''Oh great.'' He thought. "S-Stop, what are you doing? W-Who are you?" The soldier with the sword pointing at the ground asked, if a little uncomfortable. ''Damn, they won''t let me stay near her, and admire her from up close! What should I say?'' Cael opened his mouth to talk. "What are you doing Jamarcus? Can''t you see he is one of us? He used Soaring Eagle moves. Why would he come to help us if he wasn''t? Look at his clothes as well." One of the soldiers next to Swordie said. "I have never seen him before." Countered Swordie in a softer, yet challenging tone. ''How can you even know? I am wearing a mask.'' Cael thought in retort. ''Great, now what should I say? I was just wearing this clothes to avoid trouble.'' Cael again opened his mouth to say an excuse, but again the same soldier interrupted him again. "He must be a disciple of one of the Elders who left when that scum from Da Xun came." ''Oh, maybe I won''t have to say anything at all. Is this just like it said in the book?'' Cael recalled a passage on ''Annals of Light Sects and Dark Sects; Volume 1'' , "If you are destined to have a beauty, even if you don''t try, the Gods will provide, and if you are not destined to have a beauty, than you must fight the Gods themselves if you have to! For any beauty you set your eyes to, whether she is married, single , or not interested in you, you will make her yours." ''So the Gods are providing?'' ''Well, time to grasp my destiny and sound cool.'' "You can kill me now, or let me saver her. Make you choice soldier." ''I hope that sounded confident'' Cael thought as he stared Swordie down. Swordie flinched a little, but in his defense, the sword never wavered, even if it was pointing at the ground in front of him. Finally, Swordie put his sword in his scabard. ''He fell for it! How can I keep pretending to be from SE?'' He thought. Cael went back to checking on the girl. Closing his eyes, he focus on her with his senses. ''She is bleeding, and the cut is pretty big, it might require a doctor, unless I closed it. Overall she is okay, she has a stable pulse, and just some swelling inside her head.'' He lifter her body a little, and placed his right palm on the back of her head, focusing his Qi in his palm. Using mostly her own Qi to speed up the healing process, too lazy to use his own. Opening his eyes, Cael saw the wound had mostly closed, he had gather most of the blood that hadn''t dried up to help as well, after cleaning it with her Qi. There was some blood on her clothes left. He continued to hear the soldiers around him whispering. Until the guy who kept interrupting him spoke rather loudly. "Captain Tex is dead, that makes me next in command. Alex, Tim, and Thomas. Digg a few graves to bury our dead. Jason you and Michael set up a fire and burn , burn whats left of their dead, after that, set up the tents." He looked around them. "On that hill, that''s the best position." He pointed to the south of their position. "Jamarcus, see if those two are still alive, if they are, see what you can do to keep it so." Swordie approached the guy speaking and hissed. "Why are we setting camp here? They might come back!" "The p-, she can''t move, and it might make her injuries worse if we move. I am now in Command Jamarcus, and it wasn''t a question." Jamarcus seemed to ponder over something for a few seconds before saying. "Yes Sergeant Vick." Vick sighed as he turned to Little John, the only wounded of the eight, who was currently bandaging his own right arm, it didn''t look that bad. "When you are done, pick up whatever supplies and equipment the dead had on them." Vick said. "Yes Sir!" Little John responded. He was a very tall person to be called Little, he was even a foot taller than Cael''s 5'' 11" height. Vick turned to face him and said "I can''t thank you enough for what you did. You will be compensated once we finish our mission." Cael just grunted, he was wondering how can he have the soldiers put in a good word for him if he left. ''Maybe I can pretend she still needs me for healing? Or that I know the way to Avion(1)?'' Vick scratched the back of his head. "I know you helped us, alot, but as a fellow clan''s member can you make a promise?" Cael pondered whether to agree or not. "Say it." Vick sighed. "What I have to say is very important, the person you are currently healing is Annabelle." Seeing no reaction from the masked man in front of him he continued. "Annabelle, our princess, the only child and heir of our clan. Please help me take her to White Tiger''s territory, it is of the highest importance." He pleaded. Chapter 3: The Art of Peace Green Forest, Near Black Snake border, Soaring Eagle Territory Vick sighed. "What I have to say is very important, the person you are currently healing is Annabelle." Seeing no reaction from the masked man in front of him he continued. "Annabelle, our princess, the only child and heir of our clan. Please help me take her to White Tiger''s territory, it is of the highest importance." He pleaded. ''Soaring Eagle''s princess? Wasn''t she not allowed to leave because of the Old Perv? White Tiger? Why there of all places? The gods do provide!'' "Princess Annabelle, of course." Cael said while scratching his chin underneath the mask, pretending to be deep in thought. Recalling a passage on ''Annals of Light Sects and Dark Sects; Volume 2'' it said. "To begin your conquest of 1000 beauties, you must go out in to the world. Explore! 1000 books will never be better than 100 steps. Beauties prefer a traveled man, all those fancy flowery gentlemen types, are just a eyesore in their eyes. To conquer, you must take that first step out, into the world." "Of course I will do my duty and help. In fact, I know the way there." Cael nodded. Vick visibly relaxed after hearing his words. "Thank the Gods! What is your name Sir?" "Cael" He whispered as he walked towards the princess. Checking her condition once more, and seeing that she was not awake, he dispensed all decorum and just dumped her in his shoulder like a sack of potatoes one would carry. "Ah, er, Cael, Sir, ah, that is to say, where are you going?" Vick fidgeted. Cael turned around and tried to recall his name. "I am going to set up a tent for the princess on the hill you mentioned, Nicky." He said as he utilized ''Light Steps'' to reach the hill in seconds. "It''s Vick." Vick whispered to himself, seeing the figure half-way to the hill. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Having given his own personal tent to the princess, Cael pretended to be a gentleman and said he would keep watch for the night. Coincidentally, this is the spot he was reading his book earlier in the day. Cael walked to the small boulder, and sat down. Using the ring his Master gave him to pull out a few books. ''Now, which one was it? I can''t recall.'' He wondered as he picked up ''The Art of Peace'' Opening it to the first page the title said ''On Cultivation'' by Cao Ling, flipping to the next page there was a synopsis. "Oh? So you were humiliated in front of a beauty? The spoiled brat you hate is taking all the ladies? Had your fiance stolen from you? Or worse, she came to your clan to annul your engagement? Someone cuckold you? Your family, clan, or sect was destroyed by a greater one?? Well You have the right book! Only the few destined ones have the opportunity to learn the ''Starfield Cultivation'', no other cultivation in this universe compares! Stand above the heavens!!! Before continuing forward, have you had the chance to buy any other of my works? Do you want to obtain that cold ice female next door? Impress any woman with amazing Alchemy skills? Create the perfect blue pill for any night? Know which plants are safe to consume and what medical properties they have? All the swords in the store are too expensive, why not make your own? Get both mother and daughter pair? Rescue any damsel? Make your female master fall in love with you? If you answer yes to any of these questions, then buy any of my following books! Better yet buy them all and be the envy of anyone! Alchemist God: The most prestigious way into a female''s heart and more! Conquering a 1000 beauties: A guide. Young and Experienced: Tips and tricks for those under 20, protect yourselves, but amongst all, conquer beauties in bed. One Saber to Rule Them All: Learn the saber with the best technique on this side of the galaxy! Night Techniques for Dummies: Want to show that cougar why you are the better man for her? A Friend''s Mother: You have a friend whose mother is someone you must have? Say no more this book is for you! The Elusive Hero: How to properly save a damsel in distress."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ''That''s the one! Let''s see, Hmph. Oh of course!'' Cael reached for another book titled ''So You Think You Can Dance Vol. 1'' ''Haha, I want to see the princess escaping me now.'' Cael chuckled softly as he opened the first page. ''The Elusive Hero'' was written in cursive. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Morning came with out trouble. The sunrise reminded Cael of the peeping Old Perv, sneakingly observing the world. Nicky and the others were putting away tents while Not So Little John seem to the one cooking breakfast. Nicky kept issuing orders, while he caught sight of Swordie glancing at him with malice every now and then. ''Hmph, he wants to steal my price, let''s see who gets the girl first.'' Cael didn''t mind a rival, according to ''On Cultivation'' having a rival is the best method one can use to propel yourself to new heights. Not sparing Swordie another second, he stood up from the boulder and stretched. He had both being reading and cultivating the Starfield Cultivation, which worked the best at night under the stars. He was still stuck at Half-Step to Core Formation. Having trouble compressing the Qi in his dantian to form the core. Cael decided to check on the princess, before taking the tent back into his ring. Placing his hand on the tent''s door, a level 3 defensive array appeared. No one under Nascent Soul realm would be able to break through it. After dispelling the array, he opened the tent''s door flaps. The black tent on the outside would have been small to fit him, but the inside was another story. The tent was a gift from his Second Brother Qian, calling it a spatial tent. Inside was as big as a small house. It had a kitchen, a small area to entertain visitors, a shower head in the open, an outhouse in the open, and lastly the master bedroom. He walked straight into the room, the princess was sleeping peacefully. ''Wow, she is more beautiful than Song Wu.'' Cael thought as he walked closer to her. Those lips seemed to pull Cael, like a siren''s voice pulls sailors to their deaths. Without noticing, he was inches from her face. He glanced once more at her beautiful face. Ice-blue eyes stared back at him with rage. Cael leaned back as a white-jade palm passed through were his head had been. "Calm down Princess. I am just checking to see your condition." Cael rapidly added. "You were hit in the back of the head." The princess sat up in the bed, the blanket revealing a perfect set of breasts. He couldn''t help but stare, at those white breast the size of apples, with a small pink in the center. She glanced down at herself after seeing his stare. She screamed and covered herself. Staring daggers at him. Her face rapidly changed to a light red hue. "Why am I naked?" She managed to say through clenched teeth after a while. "Ah, that is just an array on the bed. Who ever lays on it, will have their clothes removed and folded next to the bed." Cael said as he turned around to point next to her. She eyed him suspiciously before looking, her clothes were folded neatly next to the bed. The black lace underwear right on top of her tight fitting dark green clothes. Annabelle turned back to glance at him before saying. "Why are you wearing a mask?" "That, well, that''s a long story for some other time." He scratched his head, not having read far enough to know what to answer. Cael reached up to his mask and took it off. He heard her gasp, and looked up to see her stare at him with her mouth open, a small blush covered a bit of her cheeks. "My name is Cael princess, I do apologize for the misunderstanding. Some of your people had sadly passed away, I tried all I could to help them." He lamented with a sad face as he could muster. He took a few seconds for her to process the information before continuing. "Nicky took command and is packing everything before moving, while Little John cooked some food. I''ll leave you to get change so you can talk to them." Cael said as he turned around and started walking away. "Cael" He turned to face her. "Thank you, but don''t call me Princess, I prefer to be called Annabelle." He nodded, as he left the tent, putting his mask back on. Looking up at the sky he thought. ''Yes, soon you will be mine.'' The good thing is that no one could see his stupid grin under the mask. Annabelle stared at his back as she wondered. ''Who is Nicky?'' ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Cael was finished talking as he saw the Princess approach next to Nicky. ''What a girly name for someone that age.'' He thought. Getting up from the log, he bowed a little and stared at them. "Cael, the sergeant here was telling me you know the way to White Tiger''s territory , is that correct?" Seeing his nod, she continued. "Thank the Gods, we would have gotten lost without Captain Herbert, he is the one that knew the way." She looked down at the floor before looking back up at him. "He also said that you not only agreed to show us the way, but what you did back there to defend us. I can''t thank you enough, once we get back, I will personally see that you get compensated." Cael was going to add that it is not necessary , ''Is not like I need anything besides your body.'' but the princess seemed to have expected a rejection. "I won''t take no for an answer. I might even be able to get you into the Eagle Guards if you so desire. You seem young and have a lot of talent in you. Our Soaring Eagle Clan definitely got lucky having you born to us. One more thing, how come, with your strength, your family never sent you to the castle to try and court me? I never seen you there before." ''Me? Waste my time courting you in your castle? You must be the one trying to court me!'' Cael thought. "That''s easy Prin- Annabelle. I am an orphan in one of the many founded by Ol- your father. He is such a great king, and leader of the clan. I really look up to him." Cael responded. ''Yeah, look up to him to teach me something new, if he doesn''t want Grandma Cui finding out his secret.'' "Wow, I am grateful my father funds the orphanages, I would never have guessed we had someone like you grow up on them. Don''t worry, even if you reject, I can''t have our savior, such a fine gentleman like you, go back without proper compensation." She insisted with a resolute face. ''Ah, what else can I do? She called me a gentleman, things are not going the way I want them too. I have to read more.'' He sighed internally as he responded with. "Thank you Annabelle, only your beauty matches your kindness." Followed by a small bow of his head. Seeing that he got her to blush again, he wondered if it was working, just in a different way than he expected. Chapter 4: White Knight A group transverse quickly down a dirt path, sometimes weaving through the trees to avoid anyone on the road. A man wearing a mask led the group , while at the back where two man and a woman. ''I cant believe we had such talent growing in our orphanage ! I should tell father to hire outer disciples there. There might be more good talent hidden in plain sight.'' Annabelle thought. As she glanced up farther ahead at him , she wondered ''Why he would cover his face? Not only was he such a gentleman, helping her in her time of need , but he was one of the most handsome man she had ever seen.'' ''Stop thinking about that , get your head together.'' She shook her head as if that would help dispel her thoughts. ''Yes , remember why we are going to White Tiger.'' ''Father , why can''t you see you are being misled?'' ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Annabelle walked into her father''s study room. The soldiers surrounding her father were all new , none of the old loyal ones were left anywhere near him. "Father! Why do you keep listening to Lu Fu? He is not even from Our nation! He has even replaced all of your guards ! When will you lift your veil? He is always sneaking around at night. And don''t tell me it is not a coincidence that your old advisor , Henry , died and not two days later, you were attacked and Lu Fu somehow out of nowhere appeared , and you appoint him royal advisor." She said exasperated. "Enough! I owe him my life! That is why I made him my advisor. Now, I won''t hear any naysay from anyone not even from you Annabelle." "Now , don''t worry , I trust Lu Fu with my life , he replaced many people to increase our guard numbers , and rotates their post to get them more experience." Her father responded kindly. She relented as she figured she wouldn''t change his mind. "I understand father, thank you." She gave him a hug, as she headed to the only person she knew could help her. "Is Captain Tex in this barracks ?" The two guards on fireguard bowed to her. "Princess , let me go get him." "That''s fine, I''ll go by myself." The one on the left tried to stop her as he said, "Ah, princess, I don''t know if that is ,ah , allowed." "Why wouldn''t it be? It''s fine, who will tell me a thing?" She continued on inside. "She is so beautiful, imagine if I could get her." "Shut up Jamarcus, she might hear you." She ignored them having heard the same talk all her life. The smell hit her as soon as soon as she walked in. Not that it bothered her anyways, having train with her father''s guards since young. A few people in there stared at her as she walked by. Walking past bunk beds on both sides, she arrived at the area divided by a curtain. It was meant for NCO''s and officers. Opening it, she walked past the single beds , until she got to the beds with people sleeping in them. Seeing a familiar figured, she kicked it twice. "Huh?" A groggy voice said. A twenty something man looked around until spotting the princess next to his bed. "Princess? What, what are you doing here?" He said as he sat up and covered his upper body with his blanket. "Oh please, I seen naked men before after a sparring section. Are you getting up or do you need another kick?" He grunted softly. "What?" She kicked him again. "I said I am up!" He got up and reached for a shirt before putting it on. She kicked him one more time. "What was that for?" He asked as he rubbed his butt. "I have something very important to tell you." She said in a serious voice. He eyed her before leading her outside through the officers entrance. "What is it princess?" "Before I go on, you trained in White Tiger before , right?" "Well, I wouldn''t say train, I was not even an outer disciple there." "Good, I have a mission of the outmost importance , my father , your king , entrusted mr with it , and I need your help. I know you worked the graveyard shift, but we need to make haste." The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. He stared incredulously at her before he said. "Your father gave you permission to go outside?" "What are you being so long winded for? Hurry and gather a team, we have to go now!" "But, but , I am not allowed to leave the city Princess." "Do you want me to die? If we don''t do this mission I will die." ''Oh , captain, there will be time for griefing later , but now , we have to get to our destination quickly.'' Facing to her left to Little John, she said. "Do you know what route we are taking?" "I believe we are going through both Black Snake and Manthis , even thought we are not allies , it might be dangerous ,but it is better than going through Da Xun." "I dont like him princess , why does he wear a mask ? He is hiding something. He just conveniently happens to show up as we were getting attacked ? Underneath his mask is probably a recognizable face from Black Snake. Why else would he lead us through Black Snake after getting attacked by them?" "No , Sir Cael has been a perfect gentleman Jamarcus , I don''t believe he would help us just to kill us later." "And you said it yourself , he is strong enough to take any of us." ''He must be jealous , he doesnt have the talent. The good looks , the mannerism , anything.'' She gave him a look. And turned to stare at Sir Cael. ''Why cant she have suitors like him back home ? They are all liars saying polite things ,but they really mean something else , they just want to sleep with her.'' "Not like Sir Cael" she whispered. "You said something princess ?" Little John asked. "No." she blushes. "Listen princess , I forgot to bring it to attention before we set off , but since we left in a hurry in the middle of the night, we didnt pack enough food for the trip. We need to stop somewhere and resupply." "Okay, I''ll ask Sir Cael." Increasing her speed to reach the front, she stood next to Cael as she asked. "Sie Cael, can we stop somewhere to resupply? We are low on food and water." "Dont worry Annabelle , we will stop at a border town. We can change clothes as well , it would be better if we adopted peasant clothes." He turned to look at her. "Maybe not you, since you would definitely stand out." She blushed despite herself. "We can pretend to be taking you to your fiance''s home and we are your bodyguards. That seems more believable." Sir Cael said after some deep thought. "I think that is a very good idea Sir Cael." After finishing their talk , she did not want to go back. She couldn''t help to ask. "Why do you wear a mask sir Cael? I know you said it is a long story." Seeing Sir Cael noy say anything, she added. "You don''t have to say it if you don''t want to." "Is not that , I have many enemies Bella , I dont want them knowing my location." "Oh." Not expecting that answer. "Why not when we get back home , I''ll inform my father , I am sure he can help." Sir Cael looked into distance. "I fear not, with the people looking for me princess, your father doesn''t have the power to stop them." "Oh." ''They must be very strong , what did he do to be their enemy ?'' Trying to come up with something to keep her next to him, she said. "What is it about ?" "Sorry bella?" ''I like it when he calls me that , everyone calls me princess or Annabelle.'' "The book, what is the book you are always reading about ?" "Oh , that. It''s nothing much." She saw a flash from his finger , it was a black ring in the shape of a dragon coiling to the right with a small red ruby on its eye. ''How did he get a spatial ring ?? Only my father has one. There must be more to him then an orphanage. He cant be that simple.'' Sir Cael pulled out a book , turned it around in his hands and handed it to her. She glanced at the cover. "So You Think You Can Dance Volume 1" She opened it , while keeping an eye on the path they moved in. "You think your dancing skills are good ? Think again. In this book you will learn proper dance moves. Let''s begin chapter 1 with the most common Star Walk. If you follow the diagrams depicted , plus the instructions I will give you. You will really learn to dance properly." "Its a bit embarrassing bella , but I cant dance." " I can teach you" she blurted despite herself. "You dont have to be embarrassed, I was groomed since a child on proper etiquette and that includes dancing for a princess." "How can someone like me ask you such a huge favor princess." "It''s settled than, we can practice in the mornings." She said with finality. They traveled the same speed for 4 more days. Finally reaching the border town of Talon, bordering Black Snake and Soaring Eagle. "Princess, we have to be careful here. This is a town made up of mercenaries and cutthroats." Sir Cael cautioned as they entered the town. "There could be people looking for you guys." They made their way in town, buying up supplies for the trip, while Cael bought the clothes for them. They all gather at the designated point, The Crow''s Nest Inn. "Should we get some rooms for us princess?" Sergeant Vick asked. She glanced at Sir Cael to see what he thought. He shook his head. "We can''t, this is the worst place for us to stay, let''s just change clothes outside. Here, I have a ser of clothes for each one." Cael handed each one a package. "Bella, this one is for you." He handed hers her package. "We accepted the easiest mission ever , Zheng!" A crackling voice said in front of them. "Yes we have Ten." Another voice behind them responded. Both of them were wearing lose black vest. The one named Zheng had a scar going from his forehead to his jaw. On his belt hung a chain with a hook at the end. The other one had two long knifes on his belt. "The Huang Brothers!" Sergeant Vick exclaimed next to her. "Who?" Cael turned to ask. "They are two infamous mercenaries. They take any job, so long as they get paid." "Don''t worry Bella, take your guards and go. I''ll hold them." "What? did I hear that kid say he will hold us back Ten?" "I believe he did say that." "Well, why not first... take that mask off." Zheng sent his hook towards her. Before she could react , Cael was there. The chain curved like a snake heading towards Cael. He evaded at the last second. The hook took a few strands of hair along with his mask. His hair band cut in half fell off. Cael''s silky hair fell around his shoulders as he turned to stare at Zheng. ''We can''t leave him behind.'' "We should leave now!" Jamarcus said. "No!" She argued "No princess, I agree with Jamarcus, we will not be able to help but just get in the way." She relented , she spared a glance back. Seeing Cael fight both of them. END ______________________________________________ Sneak Peak "Now that they are gone, I will stop pretending and take this seriously." Cael told them. They stared at him in a new light. Cael palms turned black as he did a full circle with them. "That''s!! That''s Black Snake Royal Clan''s ''Snake Eats Tail''!!" Screamed Ten. Ten turned to his brother as he warned. "Be careful!" "You both asked for this!" Cael said, anger in his voice. The sky around them darkened, a rumble accumulated in sound, getting louder and louder. Cael rose in the air , his hair slowly raising around him. "Snake Eats Tail!" A loud boom rocked this small part of the town and a black darker then black covered the surroundings. The Huang brothers covered their eyes as they retreated. Both expecting an attack as they each covered the other. As the light slowly crept back into existence, they slowly blinked trying to get used to the sunlight once more. Searching their surroundings , everything was normal, people were staring at them as if they were crazy. "Shit, he ran away!"