《Far Behind》


 About

    I often find that a summary is not enough for me to start a story, so here''s a bit more information about Far Behind.


    I don''t think this will be a surprise but this is a xianxia/xuanhuan (not too sure about the categorization, probably more likely xuanhuan) story, inspired by chinese webnovels, which you can find on the noveltranslations subreddit. I Shall Seal the Heavens, Xian Ni (Renegade Immortal), Stellar Transformations and Coiling Dragon are the ones with the most influence on my writing.


    I planned taking my favorite parts of each and combining them with my own ideas, but as I''ve said before, this is only my first story and though I try to write it with the best of my ability, it doesn''t mean I''ll succeed according to my intentions.


    The story starts out slowly, mainly due to the main character being only 6 years old and the first arc is about his childhood. There won''t be much action (fighting) until about the 18th chapter, as Quin is only a child. Although I''ve read quite a few novels in which the protagonists easily fights off legendary beasts, dragons, titans, etc, even when they¡¯re only 10 years old, for me it''s usually too much of a jump from reality. For me that part of the life is about learning (boring school life), making mistakes, taking the first steps on their road in life and not about getting insane power-ups right away.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Though I could jump straight to Quin''s adulthood, to the ¡°interesting¡± part, which is full of action and fights, I really liked IET''s way of handling the start of the novels, where we follow the main character''s life from their childhood. We get to see the events which led to their actions or which defined their personalities and not just read a few lines regarding them.


    My main focus while writing is on the protagonist''s character development: I try to write one, who won''t have a non-flexible personality/way of thinking. I see it too often when main characters who just don''t change even in the face of the so-called life changing events. What I''m trying to achieve is a main character whose personality grows after each important event. There will be times when he will look stupid, pathetic or even a douchebag, but that doesn''t mean that will be permanent.


    I aim to write 1,5k words per chapters. Though sometimes it''s a bit shorter, most of the times I end up writing more.


    Lastly, there probably won¡¯t be any PoV changes at all as the story will be from Quin''s (or the narrator''s) point of view during the whole time.


    If you¡¯ve got any questions about the story (this is a no-spoiler thread) feel free to ask.

 Announcements (Oct. 10.)

    Schedules:


    September 19-25: I''ll release 6 chapters, one each day except Wednesday.


    October 03-09: 4 regular chapters (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday) and 1 sponsored chapter.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    October 10-16: 3 regular chapters (Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday) and 1 sponsored chapter. (I''ll try to release a fourth regular chapter as well, but there was and will be a lot rl stuff in this and next week so I don''t know if I''ll be able to do it.)

 Rise and Fall 1

    Author¡¯s note: I¡¯ve been told that the first chapter(s) are a bit slow and information heavy, but I hope it won¡¯t discourage you from reading it! :)


    It was just a few hours after sunrise but the enormous school yard in Crows¡¯ Road has already been crowded with people, mostly children between the age of six and twelve. These thousands of kids -- who were grouped according to their age and class -- were doing different kinds of exercises.


    One of the groups, which included the youngest looking children, were running in circle around the yard. They were running laps for at least half an hour now, and the bigger part of the group looked like they were enjoying it, and did not voice any complaints. This was due to the general mindset of Crows'' Road, where soldiers were among the most prestigious people, as well as the role models of the majority of the children.


    However, the minority was also present in the crowd: kids whose faces looked anything but happy, and who were often complaining. Being afraid of punishment though, they naturally only dared to do it in a low voice, while far away from the instructors and out of earshot. One of these children was called Quin, and was currently intensively cursing the school and its teachers in his thoughts.


    It¡¯s too tiring! We have been running around the yard for hours... it¡¯s madness! Dad and the other adults are always saying how important training is and how it¡¯s essential that more and more soldiers are trained to be able to defend the city, but that¡¯s so foolish! Anywhere I look around in the city there are so many of them, so why I¡¯d I need to be one then? They¡¯ve got enough already!


    I hate this class! It¡¯s so stupid! I wish it¡¯d be like in the other cities¡¯ schools, and only have normal classes!


    What¡¯s more, it¡¯s even my first day of school, and these teachers are intentionally making us suffer and run for hours and hours! We should just take things lightly, especially when it¡¯s only the first day!


    Even though the constant complaining in his head went on, his fear of punishment -- which could mean even more exercises -- was still stronger than his desire to rest, so he obediently continued running.


    After what seemed like an eternity to him, one of the teachers shouted loudly, signaling the stop to running.


    ¡°Alright... The warm-up is finished, now let¡¯s move on to the main part!¡± shouted the teacher with a small smile on his face.


    Wha-What!? There¡¯s still more? Quin thought, who was completely exhausted by this point, and the disbelief was clearly reflected on his face. In contrast to his mood however, a great amount of the other children enthusiastically nodded and started following the instructor right away.


    In the next part of the class they were doing numerous exercises ranging from simple ones like pushups or squats to even ones that were improving their sense of balance like handstands.


    The training session ended before noon and only after around an hour break did the normal classes begin. Two of the four classes were History classes, as it was considered the most important subject in the whole Kingdom, due to the fact that it included modern politics, as well as being the base of Immortal Research. Seekers, as they were called, were the people who majored in History and were constantly searching for powerful relics and artifacts. Their job was not safe in the slightest -- often visiting dungeons with dangerous traps and inhabitants -- so the majority of them were also strong cultivators, -- people focusing on improving their martial prowess and mental strength, always chasing perfection, enlightenment and eventually true immortality -- while Seekers lacking the necessary power to survive these challenges often died.


    At one time Quin¡¯s dream was to be one of them, however he quickly realized that it was a very dangerous job. He abandoned this plan as he did not want to do anything with training, exercises and fighting.


    ¡°Welcome, every one of you, to the class. My name is Nyra,¡± the instructor introduced herself.


    She was quite tall and had long, straight silverish-blue hair and wore an expensive looking blue robe on her slim body. She did not look older than a woman in her thirties, but being one of the most famous teachers in the school, after introducing herself, nearly all of the students recognized her.


    She was called Nyra Sil¡¯Dine, one of the founders of the city as well as one of the highest ranking cultivators in there. She was even rumored to have passed the the second level of Spirit Forming stage decades ago, and a lot of stories circulated around about her deadly skills from when she was still active in the army.


    After the excitement toned down among the children, she continued, ¡°So, we start the first class as we always have: with the basics. And that means getting to know the current state of our world.


    ¡°The continent we are living on is called Ranfel. Unfortunately, we are not sure how much of it we have discovered as of now, but the five countries only take up at most a tenth of it, and the other is what we call the Wilderness, which is extremely dangerous and is filled with innumerable wild beasts. The northern part of our civilization is surrounded by the Wilderness, while on the south, the Endless Ocean closes our way of possible travel.


    ¡°The five countries which I have mentioned before are made of two empires: the Sheoran Empire and the Heavenly Crane Empire; and two Kingdoms: the Kingdom of Ravenkeep and the Oulan Kingdom. Last but not least, one duchy, which is our homeland: the Duchy of Ade Lai.¡±


    She made circular motions with her hands and then pointed on the wall behind her and after some flashes, a map appeared on it, amazing several children.


    ¡°This is the Sheoran Empire which, as you can see, lies to the South-East, and next to it on the South-West side is the Heavenly Crane Empire. Between them you can find Ravenkeep and North to them are the remaining two countries: Oulan Kingdom on the right and our Duchy of Ade Lai on the left side. The two Empires are in constant warfare against each other, however after centuries of bloody fighting, the war is currently limited to the territories inside Ravenkeep, which is currently under a civil war,¡± she explained while pointing on the different parts of the map.


    ¡°Our first day¡¯s main topic would be the history of Crows¡¯ Road, our capital. The next lesson will be Geography, which will be about Crows¡¯ Road as well, so I will leave out most of the geographical details. The city itself was not always our capital, as it was only founded a couple of centuries ago.¡±


    Many of the children were flabbergasted on Nyra¡¯s statement. They knew that people can live past even two-hundred years, but saying ¡®only a couple of centuries ago¡¯ so casually made them wonder how much she has already lived.


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    Not paying attention to the children¡¯s shocked expressions, she continued, ¡°It was during a period when our whole nation was suffering from decades of famine and wars. The Grand Duke of that time, not seeing any other options available, decided to try his luck and find a way out of Ade Lai¡¯s misery. With his personal army he fearlessly roamed the surrounding Wilderness for years, incurring significant losses, until he encountered the Sundering Flames: a strange kind of everlasting fire, that isolates a chunk of the Wilderness.


    ¡°After investigating the phenomenon and the surrounding lands as well, without either any alternative at hand or much time to spare, he decided to take the risk. In a nearby strategic place where the city currently lies, he founded a settlement with the goal of establishing several mines in the Wilderness, and harnessing its resources.


    ¡°Although it was indeed a great risk to take, naturally our Grand Duke was no fool and it is not by chance that he is still acknowledged -- even by other countries -- as one of the greatest rulers of history! While the Sundering Flames played a great role in the success of our city, obviously without the great management and military skills of our incredible Grand Duke, the story of Crows¡¯ Road would not be one of success and flourish.


    She looked around noting the reactions of the kids, and said, ¡°Make sure to learn this at home, as you will be writing a test about it next week.¡±


    During the rest of the class, she continued with other basic knowledge, but still focusing on Crows'' Road.


    Although she spoke about matters that were regarded as common knowledge for most people, Quin was listening happily to Nyra through the whole lecture. Not only did he prefer normal classes, but this subject was among his favorite ones, so the two hours passed in a flash for him.


    After a short break, the next class, Geography began. The teacher was an old lady, her face covered with wrinkles and her hair painted entirely white by age. She wore an elegant brown robe decorated with golden, non-figurative embroidery.


    ¡°Welcome. Geography is an absolutely essential class in our world,¡± she said in a low and monotone voice, almost like a machine. ¡°Without proper knowledge, you can easily get lost in the outside world and die. Or worse. In contrast to its name, this class doesn¡¯t just contain learning ¡®what is where¡¯. It also teaches you the different natural phenomenons and the wildlife you can encounter.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been told to teach you about Crows¡¯ Road¡¯s location and the Sundering Flames themselves. The city is one of the three main trade centers in the continent with a population of more than three-hundred-thousand, lying at the outskirts of our Duchy. The Wilderness is only a mere fifty kilometers away from us, however the settlement is protected by its strategic location and the Sundering Flames.


    ¡°The city is surrounded by mountains on three sides, while on the other side the flow of the Feryan River makes it easy to defend. Besides, fortunately there is virtually no risk of us of being starved out in a long siege: the surrounding mountains hide several secret tunnels stretching out into the middle of the kingdom, -- only known by the city officials -- and our massive city walls encompasses the river. This provides another route to the outside world.


    ¡°Nextly, the Sundering Flames. This everlasting line of fire has been around since we first stepped into the area centuries ago. Its origin or purpose -- if there¡¯s one -- is unknown. It¡¯s shaped like the letter ¡®U¡¯, the larger part of it being located in the Wilderness, while the lesser is inside the border of our nation. Its closed end is within the Wilderness, and its open end is facing towards our lands, preventing most of the wild beast to enter or repopulate it, but giving easy access to us. The Wilderness itself is filled with valuable resources and minerals, and due to this phenomenon we can exploit them without immense danger.¡±


    She talked on in this manner for the rest of the lesson and Quin was glad it finally ended.


    Phew, it¡¯s finally over. It was so strange, just listening to her felt odd and uncomfortable, how can someone speak like that? Talking through the whole class in the exact same tone, and leaving a moment of pause after each word? Is she like some kind of a golem? And for two years, each school day we¡¯ll have a Geography lesson! Even though I am interested in the subject, listening to her is just annoying! I think instead of paying attention I¡¯ll just go the library and read about it! Quin sighed while walking outside. Well, it¡¯s still better than the training class... just remembering it makes me exhausted.


    After the last of the four classes ended, Quin left the school and noticed that several of his classmates were talking in front of the building, so he joined them. They talked for a while and it turned out that four out of them also lived in the Eastern district, so they decided to walk home together.


    Aline was the only girl in that group and she was the twin sister of one of the boys called Alinor. Both of them had red eyes and blonde hair, only her¡¯s was fairly long and curly. The other two boys were called Dreon and Pharren. Dreon¡¯s hair was short and brown, but he had a considerably muscular and tall body, -- which was a bit shocking for a mere six years old -- while Pharren¡¯s appearance, with a somewhat chubby and short figure and shoulder length gray hair contrasted him, especially when walking next to each other. After around twenty minutes of walking, they reached their district, said their goodbyes, and split up.


    Those four seemed really nice, it¡¯s good that I made so many new friends on the first day! Quin exclaimed happily. Only a few minutes passed and finally he was back home where his parents have been waiting for him.


    ¡°The training class was really hard! And just when I thought it was over the teacher said it was only the warm up! It was really horrible!¡± Quin complained but he was quickly interrupted by his father.


    ¡°There is no meaning in the training if it¡¯s not hard! How will you be able to keep up with the others and become a fine soldier if you keep complaining about everything like that, huh?¡± his father asked a bit disappointed and angry, who was an officer in the army and wanted his son to follow in his footsteps.


    His mother did her best to calm his father down, but Quin knew that there was no way to argue back, so he apologized and after eating dinner, went to bed early. He still complained about it in his head though.


    Despite what father says, there¡¯s no meaning to training mad like that. It¡¯s bonkers! Anyway, it¡¯s best to get as much sleep as I can, because tomorrow we will have the same hellish exercise again. Quin sighed one last time and went to sleep.

 Rise and Fall 2

    Three months have passed since school started and it was currently winter on Ranfel. The winters in the capital city were not cold at all since they lied in the tropical region. There was only a slight change in temperature, along with rainfalls becoming a bit more frequent.


    At a house in the Eastern District, a family of three people were currently having their breakfast. At one of the heads of the table was a middle-aged man sitting, wearing a soldier¡¯s uniform. The different colored stripes at his shoulder indicated that he was an officer, and a fairly high-ranking one at that. He clearly had a strong build as well, bald head and light brown eyes.


    The opposite side of table was occupied by a tall, slender woman, who had straight and well-kept black hair, reaching down nearly to the bottom of her back. She wore a red, traditional robe, which - though lacked any fancy ornaments - suited her quite well.


    The last person at the table was a small child, Quin, who was enjoying his food.


    Although the variety of food on the table was somewhat lacking, their quality and quantity would make several families look at them with envy. Being an army officer definitely had its advantages.


    ¡°Thanks for the meal, but I have to go¡­ We have been told to be at Headquarters as soon as we can, since it seems like the governor wants to discuss another important matter,¡± the man said who has just finished eating his meal, and stood up, quickly leaving the house.


    ¡°Your dad sure got his hands full with work these days!¡± the woman exclaimed with a bit of sadness in her voice but continued with almost no pause. ¡°By the way Quin, how are the training classes going? I guess after these months it became a lot easier and more fun, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± the boy at the other side tried to force a smile and nodded, which did not seemed to be enough to convince his mother, however.


    ¡°What¡¯s with that answer?¡± she sighed. ¡°You should listen to your father and not forget how important training is... for your future!¡± his mother told him, looking slightly concerned.


    ¡°I know, I know... ¡° the boy replied, who was still putting on a forced smile.


    He swiftly finished his meal and thanked his mother for the food before leaving the house with his backpack on his back and headed for the school.


    Why is Mom acting like that? In the past she had always been the one who helped me when Dad got angry about  training, but nowadays she¡¯s just like him, and is always nagging me about it! Quin sighed, clearly not liking his mother¡¯s sudden change of behavior. After some other lines of complaint about the matter, he realized that he was late and started running on the streets.


    He could already see his four classmates after passing only a few corners. The girl on the left side, Aline, was waving her hands and smiling, while his twin brother Alinor along with Pharren and Dreon were shaking their heads and sighing loudly, visibly expressing their dissatisfaction.


    ¡°You¡¯re late again!¡± Alinor complained. ¡°We will be in serious trouble if you keep this up! Don¡¯t you remember last time? We got all kinds of penalty tasks and had to stay at school during the whole afternoon!¡±


    ¡°Yeah I know,¡± Quin laughed, ¡± I¡¯m really sorry, I just got lost in thought and totally forgot about the time!¡±


    ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s get going. If we hurry we can still make it in time,¡± Dreon said and they started running  towards the school.


    During the past three months, Quin made good friends with these four children. They were going to school and back home together most of the time, and often played together during weekends as well. It was a new experience for Quin, since he previously did not really have any friends,  and spent most of his time by playing with his mother or reading by himself. He still liked to read all the interesting books his family had at home in their own small library or visit the local one, but also had a great amount of fun with his friends.


    As usual, the first part of the school day was spent by doing various tiring exercises, to which, his constant complaining did not stop either. After the ¡®hellish¡¯ training ended, the teaching continued with normal classes. He enjoyed those classes quite a bit, except the Geography lessons which were still terrible. Once they ended, the training class instructor entered the room.


    ¡°Alright! Everyone, listen! Tomorrow, you will go to school just like any other day, but after training class is finished, all of you will be sent home as the four afternoon classes will be called off.¡±


    Hearing this many students began to whisper among each other, but the instructor only needed to clear his throat and all of them became dead silent -- not one kid did dare anger him.


    ¡°Then, you will head home right away and meet up with your parents,¡± he stopped for a second before continuing and swept his gaze across the class. ¡°Together with them, you will head to the main square. The governor himself will appear there, so make sure you won¡¯t make even the slightest sound while he¡¯s speaking! Am I understood?!¡± he increased the volume of his voice by a significant amount.


    The intimidation was successful without a doubt, as all of the children nodded without exception. Then the instructor exited the room while maintaining the same serious and intimidating expression on his face.


    It was no surprise that the main topic amongst the children became next day¡¯s events, and many of them tried to guess the reason behind them. Once they got home, they tried to pry some more information out of their parents, without much luck though.


    Next day, it was afternoon and the main square was filling up. The square itself looked quite spartan: lacking any statues, fountains or even plants; its only striking feature was a stone podium at one of its ends. The floor was precisely covered in snow-white tiled stones, which were the size of a human¡¯s palm. This place was only used once a year during the celebration of the city¡¯s founding anniversary, and only the governor was allowed to give speeches on the podium. The strange thing however, was that it was not the date of the yearly celebration.


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    After an hour passed, the constant movement of people stopped and the square was filled. Everyone in the city - except soldiers on patrols and some seriously ill patients in the city hospital - was patiently standing on the main square waiting for the governor to appear.


    In the blink of an eye, a man was standing on the previously empty stone podium. Although this act definitely would have been an awe-inspiring experience for an average man, the people living in this city were somewhat used to it by now, from previous yearly celebrations.


    This man, who was the governor of Crows¡¯ Road, was called Gorman and looked like a man in his mid-forties. His height was above average and had a fairly muscular build. Two long, vertically aligned scars crossed his face, one on each side from his chin to his eyebrows. The color of his short hair was green, with a small red tones mixed in it, matching the colours of his robe.


    ¡°Greetings everyone! I did not become governor to make prolonged speeches, and as most of you know it is indeed not my habit. So let¡¯s cut to the case right away,¡± he said.


    Though he was not shouting and was speaking in a calm tone, his voice could easily be heard from any point of the square.


    ¡°Well, sadly, I have some distressing news to tell. It all started nearly two months ago...¡± he paused for a moment and took a deep breath.


    ¡°The thirty-fifth legion had been working on opening a new mine in the Wilderness, since the beginning of this summer, and was supposed to finish around two months ago. However, not only did they not finish in time, we got no response from them afterwards,¡± he clearly had a sad expression while speaking.


    ¡°Next, we sent the first legion there to investigate the matter.¡±


    After hearing this sentence many people realized the seriousness of this matter. The number of legions in the Duchy ranged from one to one hundred, with the lower the number, the stronger the legion, and each of them consisted of five thousand men.


    ¡°When they arrived, they found only the corpses of their former comrades. While investigating what happened, they were suddenly attacked by some strange, ferocious, unknown creatures of the Wilderness. The fight was not in the slightest an easy one, while each of these beasts were strong individually, the more frightening thing was their numbers -- reaching up to ten


    thousand. After hours of battle and significant losses, the legion finally emerged victorious and the creatures retreated.


    ¡°Then, another strange, shocking thing happened: they crossed the Sundering Flames without a second thought. The three Spirit Forming cultivators in the legion, did not waste any time and conjured their most powerful scouting spells to monitor the beasts with them. Even though they passed through the flames, they were unscathed and continued their retreat without stopping.


    ¡°This means that although they are physically weaker than our soldiers in the first legion, they have a method to ignore the effects of those flames and can freely move between those parts of the Wilderness.


    ¡°After observing them longer, it turned out that they were retreating to their nest. This is where this whole matter truly became frightening! Those scouting spells counted at least seven hundred thousand of them.¡±


    Hearing these words most of the people were indeed frightened, some of them were even on the verge of panicking.


    ¡°The reason I called all of you together is because of our future! Our kingdom needs this city and  the resources that the Wilderness grants us! I fear that without them our precious Duchy will go back to its declining past, where famines were regular and everyday our citizens had to fight for their survival. This is not a time when we can simply back down and abandon Capital City! This is the time when we have to prepare and fight!


    ¡°They only sent a small portion of their forces, but eventually more and more of them will attack our mines, settlements, and -- if we let them -- even this city! I immediately started organizing our defenses, first of all asking our Grand Duke to transfer twenty more legions here. Twenty legions has quite a big number of soldiers but I am afraid, that it will not be enough. These monsters seemed intelligent, organized and keen on attacking us, thus I do not see even a slight chance that they will give up after two battles. I think, if we are lucky, we still have several decades, but I deem it possible that they could be at our doors in just mere days!


    ¡°I did and will do all what I can to defend our country, but that will not be enough! In crucial times like this, all of us should contribute... There are at least a hundred thousand children in the town attending schools, so I am  mainly speaking to them because they are the greatest variable. You youngsters can be our greatest help: in a couple years, you can reach to great heights in power with enough motivation and spirit, in the future even higher than your parents and grandparents had. With each new recruit in the army, we are closer to our goal to survive. However, you can also cause our downfall: if you decide to slack off and not concentrate on your training we can miss out on thousands of potential soldiers! In the worst case scenario that could very well lead to the end of this city and the end of our dear Duchy, which I honestly hope will not happen. May the Sundering Flame protect and guide us.¡± With that, the governor disappeared from the podium just as fast as he appeared.


    A few moments later, the temporary silence broke as people began to discuss what they previously heard. They had different kinds of expressions on their faces, but the most common one being nervousness mixed with fear. Even though they were a military nation, where many people would not even bat an eye if their city was under siege, the last decades have been without one and the news about this ferocious, unknown race made many of them experience true fear for the first time in their lives.

 Rise and Fall 3

    School continued the next day and no doubt, the main topic among the students were the governor¡¯s talk, especially those mysterious and fearsome monsters.


    They wiped out an entire legion and even the first legion had significant trouble dealing with them. To top it off, there was virtually no knowledge regarding them, and because this was the first encounter with them, it seemed highly unlikely to get any information from the books and scrolls in the libraries.


    Yesterday¡¯s news made quite a few adults afraid, not to speak about the children. Obviously the younger generation had a harder a time coping with this whole situation. However, it has to be noted that the city revered strength, power and braveness -- qualities essential for becoming a good soldier -- which was beaten into them since the moment they were born. Thus it was not that surprising that the majority of them forged this fear into motivation. Of course, its intensity varied from child to child.


    Naturally, there were numerous children who could not be so easily influenced just by words and -- due to various reasons -- did not change their views of things, continuing their everyday lives just like before.


    Even though Quin was not simple-minded, he definitely was stubborn and his hate for physical exercises or anything which could be considered tiring for the body made him a member for this group.


    Although his mother was constantly trying to convince him to change his attitude -- without success -- his father gave up after a couple of tries saying that ¡®he was not going to waste anymore of his time on a foolish son like him and he had more important things to worry about¡¯.


    Another four months have passed and now it was the second week of April, the time for the general physical exam. The test contained several kinds of exercises from long-distance running to weightlifting. Students who could not pass the requirements had to do penalty exercises during the whole summer break, which generally gave a strong enough motivation for most of the children who previously lacked it.


    The first day was started by long-distance running, which meant that they had two hours of time to run as much distance as they could, without stopping.


    Swarms of kids began their first lap, several of them started running in a moderate or even fast pace, while as always children at the end were merely jogging.


    After dozens of minutes the gap between the runners grew quite significant. There, in the last group, Quin was jogging in a relaxed pace.


    Like usual, I¡¯m in the last group, a small sigh could be heard from him. It¡¯d be good if I could avoid the summer penalty exercises but this is so tiring! I don''t think I could keep up with a faster pace for too long or I¡¯d end up totally exhausted, without any energy to the other tests. Hmm, maybe those will be a bit easier?


    ¡°Hey... how are you... doing? Phew... I wish¡­ I could give it more... but I¡¯m already... at... my limit...¡± Pharren, who was next to him asked laughing, while also heavily panting.


    ¡°You know me, I¡¯m not a big fan of these things,¡± Quin laughed, ¡°though I¡¯m still fine, I think I¡¯ll manage with this pace. You keep up too,¡± Quin answered and gave a small smile.


    Seems like he¡¯s really giving his all into it, I hope he can at least keep up with us... Quin thought.


    He became a bit sad, looking at his friend, as he knew that despite Pharren¡¯s dream to became a soldier and train to be the strongest, he had a chronic illness which had a great influence on his ability to breathe. Thus after doing exercises for a short period of time, his breathing became more and more difficult, making them extremely hard for him. Though Quin had a different mindset and goal in life, he still looked up to his friend¡¯s determination, because he never used this illness as an excuse. In contrast, he always tried to do the same amount of training as the others or even more.


    About thirty minutes later, Quin noticed that their instructor was nowhere to be found, granting him an idea.


    Lucky! While the instructor is away I can finally take a short break and then continue more refreshed! Quin chuckled on his good fortune, then he stopped and sat down on the track while constantly looking around -- just in case the instructor came back.


    He was not the only one to stop though: soon about four of his classmates joined him in the break.


    Only a few moments later a terrible, shrieking voice echoing throughout the yard broke their secret rest. Not a single one of the children failed to notice it and they quickly looked in the direction of its source: the group Quin and the others split off from just before.


    From nowhere, a terrifying-looking monster appeared next to those students and took its first victim in a blink of the eye, leaving behind only small chunks of meat and a pool of blood.


    If one of them had the mental stability to observe the whole beast, they would have probably described it similar to a white, worm-like shaped creature with a length similar to an adult human, its body being thin in one end, and gaining more and more width towards its other end where three blood-red eyes were located; equally distanced from each other. Its mouth could be found between those eyes and when opened, several sets of knife sharp teeth could be seen with a long tongue occasionally shooting out to impale and grab its unlucky target. If this was not enough, it had the ability to hover over the surface ignoring common sense.


    Terrifying, truly terrifying!


    No wonder none of the children had any strength to react -- they were all frozen in place without the ability to even call for help.They did not even have time to take a couple of breaths, before one after another they started to fall, leaving only a bloody gore behind.


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    Quin suddenly remembered that one of his best friends -- Pharren -- should be amongst the group. However, just as he found him in the crowd, he barely saw the monster shooting its tongue towards Pharren. He tried to open his mouth to shout, to scream to his friend to watch out, but no sound came from it and then it was already too late.


    Before he could even think about what happened to Pharren, the monster not wasting any time on the remains, set off towards him. In mere seconds the distance between them was only a single meter.


    Facing it, his whole body was trembling in fear, and tears started pouring from his eyes. Then suddenly, his legs gave out and he fell to the his knees. He had heard it many times from the tales of soldiers, what it was like to be in the clutches of death their life flashing before their eyes and feeling that time itself slowed down. This was not the case for him, however. In this moment, there were only two things going through his head: fear and helplessness. These emotions totally suppressed anything else in his mind, and the only thought he had was: ¡®I¡¯m going to die¡¯.


    The creature shot its tongue and only fractions of a second was left until his inevitable death. Instead, in the next moment it dropped dead with the instructor standing next to it, cracking his fingers.


    Quin just knelt there staring, and not understanding what happened at all.


    ¡°Poor kids, I arrived a few seconds too late... ¡± the instructor said, and sighed with a sad face.


    Realizing that the monster was dead and he was still alive, Quin looked at his teacher. Though he was truly grateful, somehow he could not shake off the unnatural and alien feeling of his instructor¡¯s expression.


    ¡°Alright! The tests are over for today! Everyone gather before the school building, I¡¯ll go and arrange some guards to escort you back home,¡± changing back to his usual demeanor in a flash, his voice rang out in the whole yard, waking up many students from their terror.


    The kids were still shocked but followed the orders without a second thought, and quietly waited for the guards to arrive. Then they were split into different groups, each of them having two soldiers, one at the front and the other at the back. They departed and one house came after another, until it was finally Quin¡¯s turn.


    Just as he was entering, his mother was angrily shouting at his father and arguing about something, but its content eluded his ears -- submerged deeply in his thoughts he was not able to make much sense of his surroundings. Releasing a small sigh, his mother was about to ask him something with a concerned face, however Quin just went past, without even glancing at them, and went straight to his room and laid on top of his bed.


    Numerous thoughts swarmed his mind but it always came back to those few seconds, when he saw Pharren and the others die and that terrifying moment when he thought that it was his end. He could not escape this cycle of thought at all, which repeated itself throughout the night not giving him anytime to rest, only nightmares. An experience of this magnitude could greatly impact even an adult and he was just a six and a half-years old kid.


    After what seemed an eternity for him, the morning finally came and he went down for breakfast. Although Quin felt exhausted and sleepy, his mind just did not care: it was still stuck in yesterday¡¯s events and was shutting out nearly everything other than bodily necessities.


    ¡°...?¡± his mother asked Quin about something with a worried face, but he was completely in his own world.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he nodded without even knowing what the question was and started eating his meal.


    This repeated a couple of times, his mother trying to have a conversation with him, however his only response was the same nodding. He only half-finished his meal and it was already time to go.


    Making sure they were protected in case the attack from yesterday happened again, the students were escorted by guards this time as well. This queue before Quin¡¯s house contained several children, divided into pairs of two. Not surprisingly, the majority shared similar looks on their faces as Quin did, with only a handful of them being in a not-so-sorry state.


    Not much time passed until they arrived at the school, and then training class immediately began. The school decided that the lessons would be continued but the tests were to be put off at least a few weeks to let the children recover.


    They have been running for at least half an hour but many of them did not notice the passage of time nor the distance they made, they were like mindless zombies, only doing the task before them. It was the case for Quin as well, until he looked at a sign on the side of the track which meant that they were at half of the whole track.


    Oh, this means Pharren should be nearby- he reflexively looked around searching, for a moment -- this had been the time when Pharren¡¯s body usually gave up due to his illness and he had to slow down and join the last group -- just before remembering yesterday¡¯s events and realizing that Pharren was no longer with them.


    Another surge of negative emotions hit him, tears began to form and drop from his eyes. One of his best friends had just died and there was nothing he could do about it. Along with the sadness, memories started flashing through his mind, times when the five of them were together, playing or even just going home, but this was no more. After minutes passed like this, he tried to focus only on running in the hopes of shutting out these unbearable emotions.


    The hours went by, soon it was the end of the day and Quin found himself back in his bed. Unfortunately the night was just like yesterday¡¯s and the few times he was able to fall asleep, he was soon woken up by the horrible nightmares haunting him.

 Rise and Fall 4

    A  week has already passed. Seven whole days¡­ For Quin it had been the worst time in his entire life, and no matter how hard he tried to, he could not find the way out of this nightmare.


    The next few days finally brought change: he began to open up a bit and even started talking with his friends again. Although those strong emotions and the nightmares still remained, he was happy that -- even though Dreon and Alinor were obviously burdened by the previous events -- his friends seemed to bear it better than most of the others, while Aline seemed to be the strongest among them: being one of the few who did not even look like she was influenced by the whole thing at all.


    The sun rose marking the start of a new day, the thirteenth, since that day.


    Following their daily routines the students arrived at the school, and waited obediently for their teacher.


    ¡°Good Morning everybody! Here is today¡¯s schedule! You will start with training class as usual, but afterwards you will not have normal classes: instead there will be a few classes regarding the attack that happened nearly two weeks ago,¡± he said.


    He swept his gaze around the yard, checking the kids¡¯ reactions and after nodding slightly, continued.


    ¡°There, all you need to know about that creature will be explained. I have only two things to say to you which you better engrave into your minds. First I want to tell you how our capital got its name, as it wasn¡¯t always called Crows¡¯ Road. We suffered countless sieges during the centuries but we always prevailed, no matter the size or strength of the force attacking us! In the end their corpses and remains decorated the road alongside our city and we left them to the carrion eaters to show our would-be-enemies what their fate will be. Gradually the whole road was filled with crows feasting on the dead bodies, for weeks and that¡¯s why the city is called Crows¡¯ Road.


    ¡°I won¡¯t go into hour-long explanation, I''ll leave you with one last thought and a question regarding it. Although in those attacks we also had significant losses, we never backed down, never gave up and ended up getting stronger. Do you really want to be the generation who will be remembered as the one who couldn¡¯t defend the city and left it to ruins, bringing shame to our Ancestors?


    ¡°Secondly, I know most of you who saw that thing were truly frightened during those few moments, and I can clearly see that hasn¡¯t changed! You still look like you¡¯re pissing your pants! Here is the important thing however: In your heads, you all think that it was some kind of powerful, terrifying monster, but in truth it was pretty weak!¡±


    Hearing this, the children were in complete shock.


    Unbelievable!


    How can the beast, which looked as horrible and terrifying as if it crawled out of hell itself, furthermore, one that ate several of their classmates in mere seconds, be weak?


    ¡°After a couple years of proper training, around the age of eleven, one could kill that worm without breaking a sweat!¡± the instructor continued without paying any mind to the kids¡¯ initial disbelief.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s all I have to say about this. If you are not stupid, then you have already understood what I meant. If you are, well then it¡¯s unfortunate. Anyways, it¡¯s time for running!¡±


    Thus they began their first lap with their thoughts lingering on the matter.


    Weak? That creature was weak? I know that the teacher is probably telling the truth; why would he lie to us? But it¡¯s just unbelievable! I wasn¡¯t even able to move, and I could barely follow its movements with my eyes. Is it really possible to kill that thing after only a few years of training? Can there really be that much of a gap in strength if you train for some years? Quin was entirely submerged in his thoughts during the exercises.


    The training class was over before they knew it and Quin joined his three friends while walking to the school building.


    Alinor suddenly stopped and turned to Aline, Dreon and Quin, who were on his left.


    ¡°You know guys,¡± he said, ¡°During the class, I have been thinking...  About what the instructor said; how that creature was in fact really weak. I have been really afraid these past days, and I constantly had nightmares about that creature. To this point, I had no doubt that it was really powerful, something I¡¯d never be able to defeat.¡±.


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    Then he began laughing for a few moments.


    ¡°A few years! Imagine that! It would only take a few years of training to be able to beat a creature like that, and here I have been terrified for days! What a relief!¡±


    After laughing a bit more, he turned back continuing his walk, but now he was completely cheerful.


    The three of them had different reaction to Alinor: Aline had a calm smile as usual, Dreon was deep in his thoughts, and Quin was slightly confused; but nonetheless they continued their walk back to the school building.


    The special classes began with the teacher being Nyra.


    ¡°As I always say, we should begin with the basics. So the first question is, what was that creature?¡± she asked, and even children who were previously not paying attention to her, turned their heads towards her. The question clearly piqued their interests.


    After the incident, they asked teachers and their parents several times about that monster to no avail. Knowing this, Nyra was not surprised at all at their reaction.


    ¡°I think that you all remember the Governor¡¯s speech a couple of months ago. He mentioned strange creatures, who ambushed one of our legions and killed them. That beast was one of them, albeit an immature one. Although sadly our knowledge about them is still greatly lacking, we managed to discover numerous things.


    ¡°To make it easier to understand let¡¯s start by talking a bit about the martial path itself. As you all should know, the Derelict Stage - in which you currently are - consists of three levels, and the average person reaches the last level around the time they become ten years old. Though at that level they can start to perceive qi, that does not amount to much. However, the next stage is when you can truly start to build the foundation of your martial prowess, the Qi Foundation. This stage has three sub-stages and each of them have three levels, the first sub-stage being called Core Establishment. At this point you will have high enough elemental affinity and mental strength to start to form your Qi Center in your dantian region. After entering the first level your power increases by leaps and bounds.¡±


    Nyra paused for a while, before continuing the lesson, ¡°We call the worm-like creature you encountered as Shriekers, and their growing period is similar to some insect species: they go through a type of metamorphosis, with their second stage being the one that you have unfortunately encountered. At this stage, their strength should be around that of a weak child at the first level of the Core Establishment sub-stage. What does this mean? Four or five more years with proper training, and there would be no difficulty for you when facing them. Of course, if you neglect your exercises it is a whole different question.¡±


    Although most of the kids have already accepted what their instructor said, hearing Nyra¡¯s speech further confirmed these facts.


    ¡°I guess your next question would be about the other stages and their strengths. From our observations, we concluded that they have four stages in total, each one being stronger than previous ones. Their exact level of power would probably be too hard for you to comprehend, thus I will provide you with a suitable example. A completely average human of around twenty or thirty years old could deal with a fully developed Shrieker without much effort.


    ¡°Nextly, how was it able to get into the schoolyard? That is something we do not have a certain answer for, only theories. Our current hypothesis is that after their battle with the first legion, a couple of these creatures decided to follow the soldiers back to the city and somehow sneaked in. Sadly we were not prepared for something like that to happen within the school grounds or even in the city itself.¡±


    During the remaining part of the class, Nyra talked about the less interesting and minor details regarding this matter, and after it was over, the children were escorted home as usual.


    After getting back home, Quin finally had some time to think without being disturbed. On this day a lot of things have happened and he needed some time to digest them. He went to his usual place, his bed, where he lay down and submerged in his thoughts.

 Rise and Fall 5 v2

    A somewhat skinny boy with short black hair was lying on a bed with his eyes closed, seemingly asleep.


    This boy was none other than Quin, and he was not sleeping at all, only lost in thoughts.


    Is it really true? Can someone reach that level of power with only a couple of years of proper training? But, that monster¡­ It was so frightening! What if I commit to do proper training? Even if I would have the strength, would I be brave enough to face something like that? It¡¯s so hard to imagine that. Even just thinking about it, I can¡¯t help it but to shake. What¡¯s more, can I even properly stick to training? Constantly doing those exercises would be so difficult and tiring and I¡¯ve always hated them¡­ My stamina also drains so quickly during classes too¡­


    Questions like these flowed through his mind, with no answers, and Quin soon fell asleep.


    On this thirteenth day he has made a great step forward. Although he woke up a couple of times shivering and sweating due to various nightmares, he was able to get more than a few hours of good sleep in contrast to previous days.


    Waking up, dressing up, having breakfast, joining the other students in the row to school, and then the training class, this was his rather simple morning routine in weekdays.


    His mind went around in vicious circles - as they say - repeating similar thoughts to yesterday¡¯s, and only after the exercises ended did he manage to wake up from his thoughts thanks to a rather simple realization.


    Wait a minute¡­ The class has already ended, but I... he stopped for a second and observed his body with a hint of disbelief. I did all those exercises but I¡¯m hardly panting... And what¡¯s more I was so lost in thoughts, I think... I just forgot how tiring this should be, realizing this, he began to laugh, granting an indeed unusual and weird sight to others, though fortunately he was mostly ignored.


    How many times have I heard about it, and god, how it annoyed me listening to it over and over again? The adults always kept on lecturing me how something, like doing excessive training is just a matter of a right mindset or how you can surpass your limits purely with your mind. Though they also said that it can be really negative as well: if you keep on telling yourself you can¡¯t do something, then you probably won¡¯t be able to do it. All these times I was so sure that it¡¯s something that they made up for us kids as encouragement... Maybe this is what¡¯s happening to me? Could what they said be true? Quin felt like he was finally making a breakthrough, like he could already see the light at the end of the tunnel, and then realization hit him.


    So stupid! I was so caught up in hating training and complaining that I didn¡¯t even give myself a chance, and decided in advance that every exercise is too tiring, hard and meaningless. Ever since I can remember, I always loved reading and thought that having enough knowledge will be enough for a comfortable life! Haha... Quin indeed found it hilarious both in a good and bad way, though more importantly, after spending two weeks so miserably and depressed, he truly enjoyed laughing for a change.


    The break at noon and the classes afterwards passed quickly, and Quin arrived back home a few hours before nightfall.


    Entering the house he found his mother at the kitchen, who was just about to finish making the dinner.


    ¡°I¡¯m home,¡± Quin greeted his mother.


    ¡°Hey, how was school?¡± his mother replied smiling.


    ¡°Well, I guess it was okay¡­ Anyway where¡¯s Dad? Is he working late again?¡± he swept his gaze around searching for him.


    ¡°Yes, it is unfortunate, but it seems nowadays he is burdened with a lot of work, probably due those creatures,¡± his mother sighed, looking a bit sad.


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame...¡± Quin said, sharing his mother¡¯s expression.


    Even though during the past months the distance between Quin and his father became even bigger, -- as most kids of his age -- he genuinely loved his father, whom he regarded as the man with the highest authority.


    Ever since he could remember, he truly wanted to be acknowledged by him, however it was an indeed difficult task to achieve. Although Quin has been considerably smart in comparison to other children, and was often praised for it, his father being a soldier himself only valued strength, something Quin clearly lacked and was not interested in it.


    The more years passed, the more dissatisfied his father became with his son, especially due to realizing that there was no change in Quin¡¯s attitude towards training; even after school and the everyday trainings began. A few months ago it reached the point where his father generally ignored him, even during the small amount of time he spent at home, because as he said ¡®he was not going to waste his time on a foolish son like him¡¯.


    Finishing his meal, Quin went to his room and lay down on his bed as he began thinking, trying to sort out the whole mess that was inside his head, hoping to finally put those things to rest.


    The sun went down and now it would have been completely dark outside, if not for the magical street lamps lighting up the surroundings.


    It took Quin for a while, but at last he managed to organize his thoughts, while suppressing his constant fear and was about to draw his conclusions.


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    After the attack, what I felt was fear and helplessness. Fear of that beast, and helplessness because I wasn¡¯t even able to move an inch at that time. According to the instructor it was pretty weak, and Miss Nyra also confirmed that. We¡¯ve also been told that the gap in our strength can be conquered within mere four to five years, and even in their later stages they do not pose much of a threat individually, of course only if we focus on our training¡­ Until today I honestly doubted I¡¯d ever be able to endure or put up with doing that. I guess after today¡¯s class I can say that I have been really stupid, he started laughing at himself and his past mistakes.


    I have been wrong and for so long! I¡¯ve never listened to my parents and the others telling me how important it was to have your own strength¡­ I always thought that I¡¯d be living my whole life in safety, without worry, and if need be, the legions would protect us. But, I¡¯ve just experienced it firsthand how untrue that is, as there¡¯d always be unknown things in this world that is ready to strike us. At least now I¡¯ve finally realized it, the only thing you can always count on is your own strength and power! Even with legions surrounding you, you can still be attacked, you can still be killed and you can never live your life in true safety. If I don¡¯t want to have this terrifying fear to be present in my life anymore, everyday being afraid that something unexpected will happen like that time¡­Then I have to make my resolve, stopping his laugh, his expression became entirely serious.


    From this day onward, no matter what, I will stop complaining and whining and I¡¯ll save my energy for training! I¡¯ll have to completely focus on it, there¡¯s no other way. Since the start of the school I have always been among the weakest and the slowest, mostly in the last group to finish. To top it off, I also wasted those months: while others trained and became stronger, I focused on avoiding the training, and only doing what was absolutely necessary. But not ever again, Quin declared his newfound resolution.


    There were no nightmares, no insomnia on that night, just sound sleep. After two long weeks of misery, it appeared that Quin has found his peace at last. Although the incident definitely left a serious scar on his psyche, today he was finally able to take the first steps.


    Wow, it feels so good to have finally had a good night¡¯s sleep, Quin thought.


    He smiled happily and, after getting ready, he went down to have his breakfast before leaving for school.


    At the school the training class has just began, however it was different for Quin, than in the last half year, since this time he was determined and did not lack motivation. Numerous students began their laps, and the distance between them -- and thus their level of strength -- showed in no time, only becoming greater by each passing minute.


    In contrast of how it had been before, Quin was not in the last group anymore, but a few groups in front of it. Obviously that did not mean he was anywhere near to the front, as, even the groups in the middle were fairly distant from him. Strength and stamina is not something which are granted in infinite amounts just because someone has a strong resolve. Resolution is indeed an important thing, and no doubt it also influences one¡¯s performance, but without a strong base even the most stable building will fall.


    Although it has already been at least an hour since the start of the class, they were at best half through the exercise. Quin managed to maintain his previous position and now he had gained quite some distance from the last few groups. His whole body was covered in sweat and he felt dead-tired.


    Thoughts of giving up constantly stormed his mind, but gritting his teeth and reminding himself of his goal, he continued at the same pace. He clearly knew that he could only change his life by perseverance and great willpower -- there are no shortcuts.


    While running, he tried to empty his head, focusing only on running itself and not giving any mind to the complaints of his body. Though he was far from being successful in his try, it still had a positive effect.


    After the running ended, Quin was panting heavily as he gasped for air, but inside he was truly happy at his accomplishment. Even if it was not that significant, he had to start somewhere. Without much time to rest, the first of the remaining exercises began, then the second, third and so on until it was time for the noon break at last.


    Exhausted.


    After the end of training class he was absolutely exhausted, and he was lying on the yard for a long time, lacking the strength even to move. By the time he managed to get himself together, it was already time for the other classes.


    Later, in the evening Quin was smiling while watching a sheet of paper in front of him at his room.


    Alright! This should suffice.


    At home, he thought thoroughly about how to make his training the most efficient, thus after he borrowed several books about it from the nearby library, he decided to create his own training plan. Each day -- including weekends -- had various exercises on top of the compulsory ones, furthermore their amount increased each week, not giving him any time to rest.


    Thus a new chapter began for Quin, probably the hardest one in his entire life, one bearing great difficulties and challenges.


    Edited on 2016. 09. 17.

 Rise and Fall 6

    Author''s Note: Although it doesn''t seem to be too hard, as a non-native speaker, it was quite difficult figuring out some of the basic social interactions between the characters. How do they greet each other? How do kids greet an adult, and how do adults greet kids? Do kids even introduce themselves at this age? I googled these questions for at least half an hour, but still, I am not sure at all if I got them right, so I''d be glad if someone could help me out on this.


    Btw, unlike this one, the previous chapters were edited by my friend, so you may find a drop in the quality of the grammar/style.


    About two weeks has passed since Quin began to take his training seriously. It was the start of May, so summer was only a month away, which would mean the end of school year, but this was not the case now.


    According to the teachers, the city officials decided that due to the dire situation Crows¡¯ Road is in, every citizen should take serious actions, including the children. In short this meant, that in contrast to previous customs, the training classes would not be paused during the summer break, only reduced to four times a week.


    Although the kids reacted to it differently, most of them were quite tolerant to it, mainly as a result of the horrible attack that happened during the spring test. Several of them were still frightened, which consequently gave most of them motivation to increase their strength, while others -- especially the stronger and braver ones -- regarded it as some kind of duty. Naturally their resolution was of varying strength, nonetheless they produced clearly better results in their training than in the first half of the school year.


    It was late afternoon, about an hour after the classes has ended and the school yard was mostly empty, occupied by only a handful of people. One of them was Quin, who was currently running on the track around the yard.


    After this two week, Quin decided it was enough of the ¡®warm up¡¯ and he should properly begin his training, not only doing minor strengthening exercises. He thought that he had enough stamina now, to remain a few hours at least on the school grounds after the classes and train. For his focus during this time, he decided it would be running.


    Quin¡¯s reason behind this was quite simply: what he wanted was to get strong as fast as possible, which meant that the higher his stamina was, the less breaks he had to take and thus the more quality time he could spend on training. In the long run it would not be quite efficient if he could lift heavy weight, but had to take breaks after each try due to his lacking stamina.


    In the morning they had to run for around two hours, so Quin decided to try to start his afternoon exercises with the same. First of all he knew that he was certainly capable of running for this amount, however it was still tiring for him and by slightly increasing his tempo, it would be easy to adjust the difficulty.


    While on the track, he usually tried to empty his mind and only focus on running just like before, and he found out that his ability to do it have slightly increased in these days. Basically by switching off everything, he could decrease the intensity of his fatigue.


    Quin knew that it would not be a good idea to neglect his other muscles, so at home, in addition he did some general exercises, like push-ups, sit-ups and squats before his dinner time.


    A few day in his training, his friends got more and more curious why he stayed at school after the classes, thus Alinor decided to inquire of this.


    ¡°Hey Quin, why are you staying again at school, did something happen?¡± Alinor asked a bit concerned.


    ¡°Oh, nothing special, you know I just realized that I¡¯ve got a large gap in my fitness compared to the others, so I stay here for running around the track for a bit, to decrease it,¡± Quin answered plainly. He did not speak about this to his friends before, not because he wanted to keep it a secret, but he simply did not think of it as something that could be that significant for others.


    ¡°Oh...¡± Alinor and the others were obviously shocked, as they very well knew how Quin despised every kinds of training and yet, here he was doing it voluntarily. ¡°Then, good luck with it! If you need help, you can ask me anytime!¡± After recovering from the momentary shock and seeing that his friend had finally realized his shortcomings, Alinor answered smiling and then they left for home, leaving Quin to his own thing.


    During these days he started to recognize a couple of faces, who often trained in the yard just like him. There were only two of them he has seen before: a red haired girl a few class above him, and a boy from the same year as him, whom he could easily remember due to his extremely big, muscular built.


    Compared to the girl, although the difference between them was clearly visible, Quin did not lag behind her significantly. On the other hand, the difference between Quin and the boy was like heaven and earth, making him stunned several times, how someone at his age can be so fast.


    The other people who regularly visited the yard were mainly from the upper classes. There were also students, who stayed there after school irregularly or only a couple of times, and Quin has even seen his instructor a couple of times on the track.


    People did not go there to talk, -- and Quin was the same, focusing on training and not socializing -- so he did not make any new friends.


    It was afternoon, on a chilly day in the middle of May, and Quin was running on the track.


    Man, there¡¯s one thing I wasn¡¯t mistaken about: training is sure exhausting, Quin was slightly laughing, though it somehow feels awesome that I¡¯m still doing it. It¡¯d be so much easier if I didn¡¯t have muscle pains constantly as well, he let out a sigh.


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    ¡°Ahh!¡± Quin was running for a good hour, when he suddenly slipped and fell down.


    What was that? Ouch my ankle, it hurts like hell! Don¡¯t worry, take a big breath, then stand up and continue! He inhaled deeply, and tried to stand up, only to fall back and cry out again.


    ¡°Hey, umm are you okay?¡± the red haired girl, whom he had seen often in the afternoon -- after hearing him first cry out -- stopped to go back to him and asked him in a shy, timid voice.


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry,¡± Quin smiled as he took another deep breath and decided to stand up again, showing the girl that there is nothing to worry about, but he was met with the same fate again. Man, this is embarrassing!


    ¡°Umm, you know, you shouldn¡¯t really do that, it will only make it worse!¡± explained the girl.


    Talking about embarrassment, Quin sighed inwardly.


    ¡°Where does it hurt?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I think around my ankle,¡± he replied, showing that part of his leg.


    ¡°Let me take a look, take off your shoe.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay,¡± Quin was bit shocked but slowly took off his shoe.


    The girl knelt down and carefully tapped his ankle at different places, while Quin tried his best not to embarrass himself even more by crying out.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s just sprained a little, but I¡¯m not sure,¡± she scratched her head while speaking. ¡°I think you should go to the infirmary, let me help you,¡± she said and reached out with her hand.


    ¡°T-Thanks, but it¡¯s already closed at this time. I think I will rest a bit here, and then just simply go home,¡± Quin answered timidly.


    ¡°No way! You can¡¯t even walk properly, I can¡¯t leave you like that... You know, my mother¡¯s worked as a nurse, she¡¯ll surely be able to help you! I live just two streets away, let¡¯s go there!¡± The previously shy girl¡¯s attitude got entirely different in an instant.


    Quin still felt embarrassed and he did not wanted to be a burden to this nice girl, but he really had no idea how he would get home like this, so he nodded to the idea.


    ¡°Okay, take my hand and lean on me,¡± she offered her hand again.


    ¡°Ah, no, I can walk fine by myself, just let me take a couple breaths.¡± Quin thought there would be no way he would let her help him like that, and quickly refused.


    The girl did not back off either and insisted on her idea.


    ¡°Hey, I saw that you fell before and overheard what you were talking about. How about I help you escorting there?¡± After some arguing, suddenly the big, muscular boy appeared before them and offered his help.


    ¡°Uh... Okay, thanks.¡± Considering his options for a moment, Quin decided that having a boy help him, would not be that awkward as having a girl escorting him.


    The boy helped him to get up and the three of them slowly walked through the streets to the girl¡¯s house. Quin has not been to this part of the city yet, so he was a bit surprised, especially seeing the state of the houses in the neighborhood. Most of them were old and run-down wooden houses.


    ¡°Hey, mom, I¡¯m back, I brought a couple of my schoolmates,¡± the girl opened the door and invited the other two, after greeting her mother.


    ¡°Hey honey, hi boys,¡± a woman walked in from the nearby room, greeting them in a gentle voice.


    She was probably in her late thirties and had a considerable pretty face, with brown hair. Seeing her rough, sun-browned skin, she must have been doing manual labor for quite an amount of time, though her demeanor did not reflect any signs of that. She was also wearing a well-worn robe, which had a few patches over it.


    ¡°Mom, can you help him please? He misstepped while training on the track and I think he sprained his ankles, he couldn¡¯t even step on it. We would¡¯ve gone to the infirmary at the school, but that has already been closed and I thought that because our house is quite close, maybe you¡¯d be able to help him,¡± she asked with a concerned face and pointed at Quin¡¯s leg.


    ¡°Hello, my name is Quin.¡± He has been living his whole life in a good part of the city, where each house was built out of brick and regularly maintained. Although he was not ignorant and naturally knew that poor people existed, he was not the type of kid to roam around a lot, thus he has not experienced it firsthand until now. He only managed to awoke and properly greet the girl¡¯s mother after several moments.


    ¡°Hi, I am Lycela, come, let¡¯s go to the living room and sit down there.¡± She beckoned them towards the room, where she made Quin sit down on a sofa.


    ¡°Oh, by the way before you get scared: though sadly I¡¯m not a doctor, I worked a couple of years as an assistant to a Healer, so you¡¯re in good hands,¡± she said, while smiling at the boy and started carefully examining his leg.


    After a while she stood up, went to to kitchen and brought back a small black bottle.


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed just a sprain, take this bottle, and smear a bit on your ankle now, at night and three times tomorrow as well. It¡¯ll will probably hurt for a couple of days but then it should be completely fine. You should wait here for a few hours, to let the salve take effect, oh, and also keep in mind that you should rest your leg at least three days.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Quin nodded and started applying the salve.

 Rise and Fall 7

    ¡°Alright kids, I have some things to do, but if you need anything just call me, I¡¯ll be out in the garden.¡± Lycela got up and walked out of the room, towards the garden.


    ¡°Umm, thank you guys for helping me. I am Quin, from Class 1-D,¡± he said introducing himself and slightly nodded.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m Leyn from 4-F, don¡¯t worry about that,¡± she replied, smiling at him.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m Mang and I am in first grade as well, but from Class A. It¡¯s no problem, that would¡¯ve been my last lap anyway,¡± he answered. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± He quickly left the room as well.


    ¡°You know, you probably shouldn¡¯t strain yourself so hard every day,¡± the girl advised Quin breaking the silence.


    ¡°What?¡± Quin was a little puzzled about what she said.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve seen you regularly on the tracks and that the gap between us isn¡¯t usually that much. Hmm, how should I put it?¡± she scratched her head thinking, before she continued. ¡°I don¡¯t mean it to be hurtful but you look below average physically and you¡¯re still a first grader.¡±


    ¡°I know that very well, that¡¯s why I go to train each day after school. What¡¯s wrong with this? If I¡¯m not giving my all, how could I really change this?¡± Quin became slightly agitated and interrupted her.


    ¡°As I said, I wasn¡¯t trying to say this in a negative way at all. I only wanted to help you,¡± the girl said shyly, a bit taken aback.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Quin quickly realized that she was the girl who has just helped without any second-thoughts and even asked her mother to help him, so she would not just say this to berate him.


    ¡°Alright, so what I was trying to say is that constantly overexerting yourself makes only more harm than good. Pushing yourself to your limits sometimes is useful, but you also have to let your body recover,¡± she explained it to him and let out a small laugh.


    ¡°Really? But.. All the books I¡¯ve read said that only by pushing yourself to the extremes can you truly enhance your body,¡± Quin replied quite confused this time.


    ¡±Well, my mother told me so, and that this happened on several occasions during her work at the hospital. Many of the children were really determined on their training just like you, but their body couldn¡¯t keep and so in the end they injured themselves,¡± she answered and after some thinking, she asked him, ¡°What kind of books have you read?¡±


    ¡°Um, just normal training books, which I got from our local library. They shouldn¡¯t be wrong, should they?¡± Naturally he was still somewhat lost regarding the whole situation. On one hand he truly loved books and considered their contents to be absolute facts but on the other hand he did not think that she would lie to him and her mother -- being a nurse -- definitely sounded credible about this topic.


    ¡°Maybe the answer is quite simple?¡± She smiled. ¡°Were those books for kids or adults?¡±


    ¡°For kids or adults? Hmm, I don¡¯t remember any of them saying if it was for kids or adults. Let me think for a second,¡± Quin was trying to recall it, however in his memory these books did not stated its targeted audience.


    Nope, I can¡¯t remember any but... To whom are books usually written? If it¡¯s not a tale book or something like that they should be for teenagers and adults, and kids my age usually doesn¡¯t read much or at all, concluding this, he started to laugh somewhat bitterly.


    ¡°Then they should be for adults. Man, not only am I weak but it seems like I dumb as well.¡± He sighed at his own mistake and he wished the ground would swallow him up.


    ¡°Hey, you shouldn¡¯t say things like that about yourself! You shouldn¡¯t lose your confidence just because you made a mistake, and saying bad things about yourself will only hinder you and not help you in any way,¡± she said. Somehow she got quite upset about this, changing her previous demeanor in an instant. ¡°Anyways, just in contrast, you should be proud of yourself. Many kids of your age can¡¯t even read properly... Well, honestly at least I had a hard time with it.¡± She gave a small, embarrassed laugh and continued, ¡°Reading a couple books about training and stuff, to me that shows that you don¡¯t have any problem at that. Besides, I think you should be proud that even though you¡¯re not at the top physically, but you still go out training nearly everyday,¡± she said trying to cheer up him a bit.


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    ¡°Ah... T-Thanks!¡± Obviously, he felt quite good about the praise, but awkward as well, which could be seen clearly from his ever-reddening face. This was when Mang walked into room, interrupting them.


    ¡°Hey, I gotta go now but I hope you will recover soon, Quin,¡± he said. ¡°If you need any help sometime, feel free to ask me. See ya.¡± Then waving his hand he left.


    ¡°Okay, thanks, bye!¡± Quin nodded again, trying to express how grateful he was.


    ¡°Bye,¡± Leyn also said goodbye and now two of them were alone again.


    At first Quin felt a bit awkward, but fortunately the feeling quickly disappeared as they started to chat about various topics and realized that she was rather easy to talk with.


    Soon the few hours passed and Quin was finally allowed to step on his feet again. He thanked Leyn and her mother again and after saying his goodbyes left for home. Though it took longer because of his injury, he still arrived before nightfall.


    ¡°Hi mom!¡± he greeted his mom.


    ¡°Hi honey!¡± she replied. ¡°Wait, Are you okay? Did you hurt your leg?¡± Although Quin has not mentioned it, and only took a couple of steps inside the house, it seemed like his mother was quite observant and spotted his injured leg instantly.


    ¡°Um, yeah.¡± He nodded. ¡°But you don¡¯t have to worry about it! You know, actually I was quite lucky, two my school mates helped me right away. They helped me to get to Leyn¡¯s house, where her mother examined my leg and said that it was only a sprain. Oh, and she also gave me some salve to apply it on it,¡± he explained it all, while smiling and then took out the bottle from his backpack to show it to his mother.


    ¡°Leyn?¡± she asked whilst taking the bottle to inspect.


    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s one of my schoolmates who helped me, and she¡¯s a fourth grader. She was really nice, I had to rest for a few hours there and we talked a lot, it was fun!¡± Quin replied in quite a good mood, ¡°And her mother worked in a hospital, so that¡¯s why she knew what to do. She told me to not strain my leg for a few days, but then it should be okay.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good to hear.¡± She smiled, and took out the cork from the bottle, to smell its fragrance. ¡°It indeed has a good aroma, honestly this is not bad at all. I hope you behaved well and thanked them!¡± She did not forget to remind him about the correct behavior.


    ¡°Of course mom!¡± Quin nodded his head.


    ¡°Okay, food will be ready in just a minute, pack your things off, wash your hands and then come to have dinner. Oh, and it seems that only the two of us will be having dinner this as well,¡± she said and went back to check on the food.


    After having dinner, Quin went to his room and started making his homework for the next day. Fortunately at this front, he barely had any problem and could solve them under half an hour, thus being able to focus the majority of his time on else.


    Currently, it was spent by replanning his flawed training schedule. At first he wanted to go to the library to check upon on it, but it was too late for that and so he could only check their own collections of books. Sadly, he did not found what he was searching for, thus the only option was to wait until tomorrow afternoon, when the local library would be open. He also had to take a couple of resting days, so he was not worried about the time spent on this.


    At end of the day, he was exhausted, both physically and mentally, and decided to go to sleep, even if it was a bit early. Of course he did not forget to put the salve on his foot before it.

 Rise and Fall 8

    Author''s note: I''ll probably post an extra chapter today (in a couple of hours) as well.


    The next day Quin felt that his leg has already improved quite a bit. Though it still hurt when he shifted his weight on it, he could mostly walk normally. Thus his friends did not notice it, making him happy that he did not have to tell them about his accident, because he still felt a bit embarrassed about it.


    Soon they arrived to the school and prepared for the training class. Although Quin has been told to rest his foot, he thought that doing the morning exercises leisurely would not hurt that much, so he joined the other students as well.


    When they were about to start, suddenly the Instructor¡¯s loud voice rang out.


    ¡°Hey! What are you doing there?¡± he yelled at the crowd and the children were looking, who was the Instructor speaking to. ¡°You¡¯re off of the morning training for this entire week!¡±


    ¡°M-Me?¡± Seeing that he is probably talking to him, Quin was entirely shocked and a bit scared as well.


    ¡°Who else do you think I¡¯m looking at? Go and sit down there!¡± he answered and told Quin to sit down on a nearby bench.


    While he was walking toward the bench, the kids began to mumble about what happened.


    ¡°What? Why is he getting a week off? I¡¯m always in front him at the end!¡± Several of them felt jealous about Quin¡¯s exemption and started complaining.


    ¡°Heh? So what? Who do you think I am that I need to explain my decisions?!¡± The Instructor seemed fairly angry now and his shout became even louder than before. ¡°So do you think I¡¯m showing favor? Let me reassure you idiots it¡¯s not like that! He¡¯s got his damn leg injured, I saw him yesterday that he was only able to walk with his friends¡¯ help. And what did he do today? Did he ask me to allow him skip the training class, or did he whine about it? No, he got in line and would¡¯ve started it with you. You know kids, though it¡¯s utter stupidity, he at least got the determination in contrast with you!


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that your current results are better, huh? So what? You¡¯re at most seven years old, even if you were lucky to born with strength, what good does it have if you slack off? Do you think just that, or the regular training classes will be enough? Let me give you the short answer: no! After a couple of years, someone with even just average strength, but with great dedication can easily overcome you. Instead of complaining, you should take example of him. Everyday, after school I see him staying here, and doing extra training for couple of hours. Essentially he¡¯s doing twice the amount of training you do and without whining and complaining like you! At least he¡¯s somebody who have realized the magnitude of the threat we are against, and then decided to do what he can!¡± the Instructor basically yelled his whole speak without even stopping or taking a breath. It was indeed a strange and somewhat terrifying sight, a few kids even wet themselves.


    ¡°You kids, can really piss me off sometimes.¡° He sighed and then told them to start the class.


    Quin felt a mixture of emotions at this. Naturally hearing someone praising him, especially it being his strict instructor, made him rather happy and proud. Then again, it was quite a bit awkward, and he was slightly afraid that several of his classmates will blame him for the Instructor¡¯s rage.


    The whole day he felt that all eyes were on him, but nothing noteworthy happened in the end. In truth though the other kids felt jealousy and anger towards him at first, the Instructor¡¯s speech was quite effective on the majority of them. It made them realize that instead of complaining they should rather take example of him.


    Naturally though, his friends being worried about him, asked what had actually happened to him, so he told them the story, while obviously leaving some details out.


    After school ended, he stayed in for a bit to look for Leyn, to thank her again as his leg felt significantly better. He even thought this was some kind of miracle medicine, due to it healing his injury so fast.


    They talked for a bit, but not wanting to waste the girl¡¯s training time and also having his own things to do, Quin left after a while.


    After leaving his school bag and other unimportant things at his house, he left for the local library.


    Being at the library and surrounded by books he felt great, like he was able to access any kind of knowledge in an instant by taking a book out of its shelf and reading it. He skimmed the contents of quite a few books, however unfortunately he did not find what he was looking for. Most of them were for adults and teenagers, who had already established their core.


    Not seeing any other options, he went to the counter where a middle aged man was standing.


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    ¡°Excuse me, could you help me?¡± Quin asked. ¡°I have been searching for some books but I was not able to find any.¡±


    ¡°And what could those books be you¡¯re searching for? I hope you know that our collections of children¡¯s tale books is meager?¡± the man said, his face barely showing any kinds of expressions.


    ¡°Uhm, no, I am not talking about those,¡± Quin answered a bit confused. ¡°What I have been searching for is books about training, but for children at my age.¡±


    ¡°Oh, interesting. Let me see... ¡° he scratched his goatee. ¡±You should be around seven years old, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will be seven, in about a month,¡± Quin replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s a tough question, honestly I don¡¯t really think there¡¯s much of a chance to find a book like that,¡± he explained. ¡°Give me a moment though, I¡¯ll check it,¡± he said. His eyes started to shine with a strange golden light and his head became barely visible, only blurring movements could be seen.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a shame, but we don¡¯t seem to have any training books for your age,¡± he said. ¡°There are only for children at the age of twelve and above. Although I suggest that you speak with one of your teachers, especially with your training class instructor, as they should be pretty knowledgeable about the topic. Furthermore, I do think that they will also have a greater insight on it, than you could get from books,¡± he explained plainly.


    ¡°Yes, thank you for your help!¡± Although he was not successful this time either, at least he got a good suggestion from the librarian, so he was not that disappointed. Actually he himself did not even know, why he has not tried asking somebody like his instructor for advice yet. It was so obvious to do that, but somehow it eluded his mind.


    Finishing in the library, he went home and decided that today would still be a day for resting, leaving out even minor exercises. He also thought about what he should do tomorrow and how he should ask his instructor. Though his instructor was a rather scary man, after hearing him praising him, Quin guessed that there will be not many problems with it.


    The next day when the others begin to run on the track, Quin gathered his courage and walked to his teacher.


    ¡°Excuse me sir,¡± Quin asked a bit timidly.


    ¡°Hmm, what is it?¡± the Instructor answered.


    ¡°T-Two days ago, they told me that I hurt my leg because it seems I overexerted myself, and I was doing my whole extra training bad... So what I wanted to ask is:¡± Quin took a deep breath. ¡°That if you could please help me making a new, proper training plan, as I couldn¡¯t come up with any.¡±


    ¡°Haha, yeah I know,¡± he replied. ¡°I saw you on the track each day and was always sighing to myself, how ineffective you are.¡± He laughed for several seconds before he started speaking again, ¡°You don¡¯t have to get that confused.¡± Seeing Quin¡¯s puzzled expression he said, ¡±I knew that you wouldn¡¯t get any serious injuries, but I found that learning from one¡¯s own experience is more profitable than just doing it because you¡¯ve been told so. You know, I had told people what to do and how to avoid mistakes so many times, just to have it fall on empty ears. In contrast, after they¡¯ve experienced it personally, only the dumbest ones couldn¡¯t recognize it.¡± He gave a small sigh finishing it.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll have to check your strength, stamina and overall performance to determine what kinds of, and what amount of exercises will have the best results for you. Although I can gauge these mostly, but I don¡¯t like to do things half-assedly, so we have to use different machines for getting exact results. Let¡¯s see... Obviously this week is out, so how about Tuesday next week? After school go to the training facility, and wait for me. I should be there not much after that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you sir!¡± Quin was grateful for his help and happy that he would finally have the proper plans for his training.


    In the following couple of days he still rested, but at home he also did some minor exercises like sit ups, which did not burden his leg. Obviously he did not do much of them, as he was not focused on getting great results but on trying to stay in shape at the least.


    He also accompanied his trio of friends when walking home after the school, and also had some time to play with them.


    His remaining time was spent mainly in the library. Last time he went there, although he could not find what he was looking for, he did find numerous books which piqued his interest.


    Having been spending most of his free time on extra training in the last couple of weeks, he could truly enjoy this small break. Nonetheless the thing which even surprised himself, was that his urge to go back to the daily training increased day by day.

 Rise and Fall 9 v2

    Author''s Note: Here''s the extra chapter I promised for today.


    Quin was waiting for his instructor in the training facility at the school just like he had been told in the last week. It only took a couple of minutes for the instructor to arrive and then they went to the first floor of the building, which was crowded with different kinds of machines Quin has never seen before.


    ¡°Alright, I guess your leg is fully healed now, so let¡¯s get started. The first thing we¡¯re going to check is the muscle strength of your legs and arms,¡± he started explaining. ¡°Come, stand below this one and try to support it with your hands, as long as possible.¡±


    From the ceiling a rectangular shaped object was hanging. Quin stood below it, lifted his hands up and then the instructor started to lower it. As it reached Quin¡¯s hands he noticed that it was weighing more and more. In just a few second he was only barely able to hold it, and then soon he dropped to his knees, unable to bear it.


    ¡°Hmm, seven point two muscle strength, well it¡¯s definitely not much but you have to start somewhere,¡± he said. ¡°Next, squat here, and after you hear the sound of the bell, jump up with as much power as you can.¡±


    The current testing machine did not seem too complex, only a meter by meter flat, black square on the floor.


    He had to squat and jump three times to get a more accurate result, which turned out to be not so bright this time either.


    Thirdly his stamina was tested, which proved to be average as well.


    After some other minor tests, the last one checked his reflexes, which surprisingly was quite good, even if not exceptional. This made Quin happy, because he finally had an attribute which was not average or even below that.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re finished now with the testing,¡± he told Quin. ¡°I¡¯ll go and make you the new training plans, and then give it to you on tomorrow.¡±


    Naturally, Quin thanked him again and then went home happy.


    The following day he received a couple of pages, filled with his instructor¡¯s writing. He said that it was panned out for the whole summer and afterwards they should check his strength again to readjust his training regime.


    In contrast with his previous one he made by himself, this consisted of a bigger amount of exercises, not just the few ones he had originally thought up. Though it focused on stamina building as well -- especially running -- it also contained other ones. Furthermore the running part of it also differed greatly, as it was not just plain running for as long as you can, but instead was divided into several various exercises. He had to start with a warm-up running for a quarter of an hour, then the next half hour had to be spent by running in a moderate tempo. The following thirty minutes afterwards was split into twenty segments, which consisted of half a minute of sprinting and a minute of walking. Lastly after resting for fifteen minutes, there was another fifteen minutes long run, but this time in a relaxed pace. Fortunately he had a magical hand-watch, which he could use for measuring time.


    For most of the other kinds of exercises he was allowed to use the training facility of the school, which in the long run would probably result in a considerable difference compared to doing them at home.


    Finishing reading it, Quin started his new training program that very day. Just a few months ago, I would have never believed that I could be so eager about it. Even though a week has not passed yet since my injury, somehow I feel that I can¡¯t even wait another day to restart my daily exercises, he thought.


    This line of thought shocked him so much, that for a moment he even started to wondered if he was alright. However then, he remembered why did he start it and what was his motivation behind it: survival. He did not want to relive that incident again, feeling terrified and utterly helpless, having nightmares every night; trembling in fear of the unknown enemies that can come anytime to take him down. No, the next time he will be ready, or at the very least more prepared. All in all, he still did not find that much fun in training itself, but rather in the fact that he was continuously improving.


    After he was done with training, he went to speak with Leyn again to tell her what happened and that he had already finished his first day with his new schedule. The girl was happy for him, but did not forget to warn him, to be careful and not to overexert himself again.


    As both of them was finished with their exercises, they stayed in for nearly an hour to talk about various things and afterwards they went home.


    Quin was rather tired after finishing his dinner, so he decided to go bed early and get a bit more sleep for tomorrow.


    The next day his entire body felt sore and nearly all of it had muscle strain, even walking felt painful. He was not sad or angry about it though, because he knew that it meant that his new training schedule was quite efficient. It did not focus on only improving a few parts of his body, rather all of his muscles were simultaneously worked on.


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    In the blink of an eye, a little over three months has passed, and it was already the start of the new school year.


    The summer break -- which essentially meant that they only had four days of training classes per weeks and no other ones -- was somewhat uneventful. Quin firmly continued his daily exercises, except for having at least one day of rest each week, and the four month-long training undoubtedly bore its fruits. Although the road ahead of him was still long and all-in-all his physical fitness was still below than average, he was nowhere near to the weak, whining boy he had been. By the constant training his mental strength also increased, making it easier to put up with fatigue.


    He also hung out often with his friends and they played a lot of different things. They were quite nice to him and he considered them his closest friends. Even so, sometimes he still felt like an outsider in this group. The reason behind this was quite simple: Aline, Alinor and Dreon were from great, powerful noble houses thus it was not that difficult to notice the difference between their upbringing and how people saw them. Though they never looked down on him, he did feel inferior to them sometimes, which was something that he hated. Despite not desiring to be of noble birth initially, he felt that it would have made things easier for him. Maybe, if I train hard enough and become powerful I¡¯ll be able to stand next to them as an equal, without having to feel inferior? he wondered and this line of thought boosted his enthusiasm regarding training even more.


    His other friend, Leyn regularly trained on the school track and in the training facility as well, thus they met frequently. Quin found it easy to talk with her and it seemed like this was the case for the girl as well. She was a couple of years older than him, thus having more knowledge in various things, so he felt that he could rely on her when he needed something. He did not have any siblings, but always wanted to have one, so he gradually started to look at her as she was his big sister.


    Although Mang was not a talkative one, they often met on the school fields and had talked a few times.


    Quin had only a single thing he regretted: his relationship with his father. Though he honestly hoped they will be on better terms because he started to take his training seriously, even doing extra exercises, unfortunately it was not the case. However he tried, his father always found something he could criticize and to top it off the small amount of time he spent at home decreased even further as well. He always blamed himself, thinking it was his fault for not being a better son and thus disappointing his father.


    The new school year itself did not bring major changes either, they had the same classes, in the same order as before and the lessons simply continued where they left off.


    After the first school day was over, Quin decided to visit his instructor, to adjust his training schedule as they have discussed it before.


    ¡°Excuse me sir, I¡¯ve come as you have told me so last school year, to change my training plan,¡± Quin said after finally finding him.


    ¡°Alright, come, let¡¯s go to the training facility to check how much you¡¯ve improved,¡± he replied.


    They entered the building and started doing the exact same testing process as last time.


    ¡°Hmm, actually that¡¯s quite good. Honestly I haven¡¯t expected you to reach such results,¡± he said surprised. ¡°Though you shouldn¡¯t forget you¡¯re still far from the top. Speaking about your rate of improvement, I¡¯ve to say that it is actually great. If you keep up with this attitude and do your exercises with such determination, I can say that it¡¯ll only take two to three years to catch up with the top of the class, and that can pass in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°I also have to commend you on your perseverance in these month, never missing a single day of training, never messing around and always focusing on it. I rarely praise my students and I know many of them thinks that I¡¯m cold-hearted, scary and someone who likes to see them suffering. Though the question is why should I praise them? Just because they were lucky to born with great strength or stamina, or because they do the regular exercises? That doesn¡¯t mean much in the long run. Although less, they¡¯ve to work for success as well, unless they only plan on becoming just an average cannon fodder soldier. However that¡¯s not my goal at all, I¡¯m working on to make them excellent, distinguished warriors! Anyways, enough of my ramblings, wait a few minutes and then I¡¯ll give you your new schedule.¡± Seeing Quin¡¯s results made his mood quite good, and that there was finally a student who truly listened to him, while also having such a strong determination, made it even better.


    ¡°Alright, here it is,¡± he said, giving him his new training plan. ¡°I also hope what I said won¡¯t go to your head and that you will train diligently.¡± He looked at him for a moment and then left.


    Hearing the praise and having his new schedule made Quin, without a doubt happy and excited for the future.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Quin replied and then left as well, to begin his training.


    Edited on 2016. 09. 17.

 Rise and Fall 10

    Time flashed by and three entire years have passed.


    Quin was now ten years old and though he was still a child, he also matured quite bit. No longer was he the skinny kid, like when he had began to go to school, but one who had an athletic body. He was not ripped in muscles, not just due to his age, but also because his training was not concentrated on that.


    Hist training schedule was readjusted every half year by his instructor and from the results and Quin¡¯s body type he decided that the boy should not focus on simply building his size and amount of muscles. Instead he gave him exercises which would build up an excellent stamina, speed and smaller, but denser muscles, which were faster and more explosive.


    There was not much change in his everyday life however. He was going to school, training afterwards, hanging out with his friends and reading books in his free time. They often hung out with just the four of them, but sometimes other ones joined them as well, like Leyn, Mang or a couple of Alinor¡¯s or Aline¡¯s friends.


    He still talked a lot with Leyn and they often did some of their training together. Although Quin was more focused on his training compared to her, the gap between them grew more and more due to her entering the Qi Foundation stage, granting her the ability to access and use qi.


    Just two months ago in September, he entered the third level of the so-called Derelict stage, providing him with the ability to slightly sense qi and store it in his body. It was not that much of a boost as he could not use it for now, that would only be available by reaching the next stage.


    One of the new things were a single class, which taught them how to properly meditate, as it was essential for reaching the Qi Foundation stage. Quin did it diligently and even spent more time and effort on it as they were required. Meditation made him relaxed, relieved his mental and physical fatigue and was quite easy for him. Furthermore his instructor told him that it usually takes one to two years to reach the next stage, however this time can be reduced by properly training his mind by meditation and his body by exercises. Thus he had every motivation to do it.


    The normal classes were becoming easier and easier for him, because he read a lot of books since he has started school and gathered a decent amount of knowledge from them. After seeing his performance on tests, many teacher started to consider him a genius.


    School has already ended for Quin, and now it was mid July.


    At night, while meditating just before going to bed, he suddenly felt a change in his body. He recognized it right away that it meant his breaking through to the next stage has finally come!


    ¡®When you step into the third level of the Derelict stage, it means that your first and main Qi Core has awakened. Although at first it will be only the size of a gold coin, it will also grant you the ability to sense energy. You will have to slowly absorb this energy surrounding you and your Core will convert it into qi. At this level the type of your qi is not yet determined and you will not be able to use it at all, only store it inside your body. Well, it indeed has one benefit: it will slowly cleanse your body of impurities, thus strengthening it as well.


    ¡®By regularly meditating and training you can gradually increase the rate of the absorption, and after a while you will feel a sudden change in your body. Your dantian region will act like a vortex, starting to suck up the qi stored inside your body. Meanwhile, your Core will slowly start to get expanded by the absorbed qi, to the size of an apple. Its inside will be hollow, and that is where your qi will be stored. This is called Core Establishment. When your reach this level, you will be able to spread qi through your body and after learning different techniques and spells to use with it, your attack power will increase by leaps and bounds. Lastly this is the time, your type of qi will become fixed and testable. There are numerous types but the most basic and usual ones are the four basic elemental ones: Fire Qi, Water Qi, Earth Qi and Air Qi. They all have different properties and can be used for different spells and techniques.


    ¡®Let¡¯s speak briefly about what is next then. Your first established Core will be your main one, and in the first three levels of Qi Foundation, you have to repeat this procedure three more times to create three Sub-Cores which will surround your main one.¡¯ Quin fully remembered what his teacher, Nyra said about the breakthrough and the different levels.


    Taking a long final breath he re-entered the deep meditative state and concentrated on his body, especially on his dantian region.


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    It was sucking up his qi at an insane rate and he felt like it was siphoning his very soul away.


    What the heck is going on? Argh! Suddenly he felt like his whole body was vibrating. It doesn¡¯t supposed to go like this! They said it can hurt a bit but it shouldn¡¯t be anything major! He did not know how much time has passed, but the pain started to become unbearable... Then when he was just about to pass out, he remembered all that effort he had put into his training in the last four years, the day he had seen his friend and classmates being massacred on the school field, the feelings when he thought he would die, the helplessness he felt and let out an unintelligible scream. This is nothing! I have to bear through it.... Focus! Using his sheer willpower, his breathing started to normalize and he concentrated on what was going on in his dantian. What¡¯s happening? The whole thing is vibrating, and its shell is cracking! There also sparks going off of it. Quin was flabbergasted and had no idea what to do, so even in great pain, he continued observing it. Maybe I could stabilize it? With all of his mental strength, he focused on suppressing the vibration, the cracking and the sparks. Yes! It¡¯s stabilizing. Just as he got happy and lost his focus for a moment, the vibration and the others things returned. He kept doing it for a while but the torture always came back when he stopped paying attention.


    After a while he got an idea and started laughing inside his head. I¡¯ll just use it like I was training! I can bring down its intensity to a level, just bearable and then I¡¯ll gradually let it back to its original strength as I get used to it!


    After an unknown amount of time, Quin suddenly opened his eyes, smiling.


    ¡°Yes, I succeeded! Hmm, why do I smell like this?¡± Just as he became ecstatic, he smelled a sour smell and looked around. ¡°What¡¯s this brown puddle below me? Did I just shat my pants?¡± Forgetting his previous excitement, he was totally embarrassed now and stood up confused, only to see that all of his clothing he was wearing, was covered in the same thing.


    ¡°Mom!¡± Though he was feeling shame like he never had before, he really could not decide what to do, so he called for her mother, whom he could always rely on.


    ¡°Ah, you finally finished honey? I was getting worried about you,¡± she said like she has not even noticed Quin¡¯s state.


    ¡°W-What? Why? I only started meditating yesterday,¡± he asked, becoming even more confused.


    ¡°Yesterday?¡± She sighed. ¡°You have been sitting here cross-legged, while trying to break through for more than three days! We have even called a doctor to check on you, but fortunately he told us that there¡¯s nothing to worry about and we should just let you finish it,¡± she told him.


    ¡°Mom, umm, you know...¡± he felt it difficult to say it.


    ¡°Oh, the brown thing below you? Don¡¯t worry about that, though disgusting it¡¯s completely natural. That¡¯s only the impurities coming out of your body. Quickly, take a bath and I¡¯ll clean it.¡± She looked very happy at this moment which Quin could not comprehend at all.


    He let out a sigh, then found his way to the bathroom and took a long bath. He washed his body for several minutes, to make it sure he got the terrible smell off of him.


    After he cleaned himself, he could finally inspect what has happened to his body. Interestingly his Core was the same: vibrating, its shell continuously cracking, with sparks flying off of it. It was just like he had thought before, this state became its natural state. The only reason he was not feeling the pain from before, is due to his days long acclimatization to it. Other than this, his whole body felt lighter and although he did not test it, he felt that he was way faster than before.


    He went down to his mother, who told him to go to the school immediately, where they can check up on him, to see if everything is alright and to explain all the important things he needed to know.


    Thus even though it was already two in the afternoon, he went to his school and searched for his instructor, who he trusted on these kind of matter the most.

 Rise and Fall 11 v2

    After a few minutes of searching he found his instructor, unsurprisingly in the training facility.


    ¡°Good day, sir!¡± Quin greeted him.


    ¡°Hey, haven¡¯t seen you in the last couple of days, have you been ill?¡± his instructor asked him.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve just broken through to the Qi Foundation, that¡¯s the reason why I came here,¡± he replied proudly.


    ¡°Oh? You did manage to shave off some time for your breakthrough, didn¡¯t you?¡± he said laughing. ¡°Hmm, but it lasted more than a day? That¡¯s definitely not normal, what happened?¡± Usually the breakthrough takes only a couple of hours, so the Instructor was confused regarding what happened.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know, sir. When it all started, I was prepared for the pain they told me about, but what came wasn¡¯t just normal pain; I could barely prevent myself from passing out. After I focused on my dantian region to see what¡¯s going on, I saw that the whole thing was vibrating and its shell was cracking. There were also sparks going off of it.


    ¡°At first I wanted to suppress it and I even managed to do it, but as soon as I stopped, it just went back to the same state, no matter how many times I tried. Then, after a while I figured that I can gradually make myself to get accustomed to it by only suppressing it to a bearable level and then slowly decrease the amount of suppression. This is why my breakthrough lasted for days,¡± Quin explained the whole process he had gone through in a single breath.


    ¡°Cracking and sparks? Alright, let me inspect you!¡± He thought for moment while scratching the back of his neck, and then his face turned entirely serious, putting his hand on Quin¡¯s stomach and closed his eyes. ¡°Haha! Never thought you would have it! If it¡¯s truly like that, you are one lucky bastard!¡± Investigating his dantian region and Core he seemed to found something extremely good, and his expression turned again, from one full with seriousness to one filled complete joy and excitement. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go and check if I¡¯m right.¡±


    Quin did not even have time to ask what was his teacher was talking about, as he started nearly running towards the main building of the school and he had to keep up.


    They entered a large room in the cellar at the school, in the middle of which stood a pedestal, shining in a bluish silver light. A sphere was placed on its top, which was filled with something similar to white clouds.


    ¡°Alright, put your hand on the sphere and start to pour your qi into it...¡± he said. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve just broken through, so you don¡¯t know, but it should be pretty easy to do it: concentrate on your dantian region and the qi inside your Core, then start to push it outside and lead it through your meridians, from your stomach to your hands,¡± he explained, while showing the path his qi should go through.


    The whole thing felt quite alien to Quin and he got surprised at movement of his qi, so at the first try he did not succeeded. He took a long, deep breath, and prepared himself for the strange sensation before he began again. This time, he did it without a flaw.


    The white clouds inside the sphere disappeared in an instant, sparks replacing them, which in some moments developed into cracking lightnings, lighting up the whole room. Quin, who opened his eyes at this point, was completely shocked at what was happening.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± he asked, but his instructor was just laughing for a minute in joy.


    ¡°This thing before you is used to determine the type of your qi and... Your¡¯s is lightning! It¡¯s one of the rarest you can come across and if used well, it can be one of the strongest one!¡± he exclaimed happily.


    ¡°Lightning? Is it really that strong?¡± having an affinity for one of the strongest element? Quin was obviously astonished.


    ¡°Strong? No, it¡¯s more like overpowering! Once you have established all four of your Qi Cores, you can start to merge your body with the attribute of your qi. It means that your body will become similar to that element, granting you similar abilities and properties as well. For example if you have Earth Qi, when merging with it, though you will be slower, your skin will be as hard as a rock. Similarly, merging with Water Qi makes your body flexible, granting you the ability to make moves you couldn¡¯t imagine before.


    ¡°Speaking about lightning, it has excellent properties. First of all it has a cleansing ability, which makes your body itself continuously stronger by expelling impurities at a faster rate than any other elements. Secondly it¡¯s considered the fastest of all: although air is quick, lightning is faster and speeds up in an instant; fire also have an explosive property, which can instantly speed you up, but in contrast with lightning it¡¯s momentarily. Furthermore lighting has the strongest attack power, when focused, as well. The only drawback it¡¯s got is defense: you have to especially look out for your Cores. Lightning itself is an unstable element and hard to contain, but I guess you¡¯ve experienced this during your breakthrough. Even a smaller strike filled with qi at your stomach can cause it to explode. Obviously that rarely happens in an actual fight, because due to your speed you¡¯re very hard to hit, and thanks to that fact that your reflexes usually greatly surpasses others¡¯, you¡¯re also hard to hit by an ambush attack.


    ¡°About how rare it is: people consider elements like ice, magma, fog rare because there are only one child with those elements, in about ten thousands ones. On the other side there are times when a lightning user doesn¡¯t appear even in a hundred years. I guess you can now understand.¡± His instructor was grinning the whole time, while he was explaining about the lightning element to Quin.


    Me? Having the lightning element, that¡¯s the strongest and rarest? I can¡¯t believe, is it a dream? he thought and even pinched himself, which caused a big laugh on his instructor¡¯s side.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry it¡¯s not a dream at all. Anyways, we¡¯re finished for today and you should go home and rest. Tomorrow, come to the training facility after school, because we have a lot to discuss.¡±


    When he arrived home, naturally he told his mom about what happened, and she was probably even more excited and happy than Quin himself.


    Unexpectedly this time his father joined the family dinner as well, which has not happened since years.


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve finished your breakthrough in the afternoon, right?¡± his father asked him during the dinner in a surprisingly warm voice.


    ¡°Umm, yeah¡± he was a little taken aback due to his father¡¯s unusual gentle voice, so he replied only after a couple of moments, shyly.


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    ¡°And I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯ve got Lightning Qi, is it true?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes, my instructor said so,¡± Quin nodded, this time proudly and more firmly.


    ¡°Haha! That¡¯s great! I knew you wouldn¡¯t disappoint me and will make me proud!¡± He laughed and his face was clearly filled with pride and joy.


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely will make you proud, dad!¡± Quin answered cheerfully. He felt that his relationship with his father, which he thought was lost, finally got restored.


    ¡°Good,¡± his father said and nodded acknowledgingly. ¡°With the lightning element you¡¯ve got something really special! You¡¯re no longer an average kid, but somebody who stands at top, above everybody else.


    ¡°Let me tell you something son, I¡¯ve worked hard years after years in the military, gathering honor points for one thing! To be able to ascend our family into the ranks of nobles, so that we¡¯d be never looked down on again, but with you it¡¯s become a whole lot easier. Not only will it cost a lot less honor points but even before that we won¡¯t be looked down upon!¡± His father was filled with excitement but after seeing his son¡¯s confused look he added, ¡°Hm, you¡¯ve never learned about honor points in the school? Whatever, it¡¯s nothing complicated, the thing is that you can¡¯t really become a noble by only having a lot of money, for example. No, you have to earn honor points, which you get if you serve your country well, just like me! It doesn¡¯t have a fixed price to become a noble and families who have a lot of potential have it easier, just like us now! But back to what I¡¯ve been saying: you know what people will think when they look at you or me? They will think that that¡¯s the boy with the lightning element and that it¡¯s his son that¡¯s the genius of the Duchy. Even kids from big noble houses and ones who¡¯s got strong elements will feel inferior to you! That sounds great, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Quin thought about it for a few moments. Although he was more happy just about the fact that he could finally become someone strong, it was something his father said, and to be honest, being the one at the top and the one who others looked up to did not sound so bad.


    ¡°Yes, it does,¡± Quin replied  with a smile that almost turned into a smirk.


    Next day, after finishing school he went to the training facility right away and met up with his instructor.


    ¡°First we¡¯re going to do the usual test, you know the way, go!¡± the Instructor told him and they started the tests.


    ¡°Just as I thought, compared to your last results, you¡¯ve shown great improvement. Your strength is in the top tier and your speed and reflexes are not just in the top, but are the bests,¡± he said after Quin finished the test. ¡°Nextly we¡¯ll check the quality of your Qi Core, come.¡±


    They went  to the second floor, where in one of the room there was a similar pedestal with a sphere on top of it, than the one he had seen and used yesterday.


    ¡°It works just like the one before, but it¡¯ll show us how much Qi you can store currently and the rate you can pump it out.¡±


    Quin placed both of his hands on top of it, and started to circulate his Lightning Qi outwards, inside the sphere. To his surprise it only took about ten seconds to empty his reserves, which he felt a little sad about.


    ¡°So, twelve seconds at the rate of two? Interesting, you don¡¯t usually see something like this!¡± the Instructor said. ¡°An average human at your level has around thirty units of qi, which is a bit more than what you have, twenty four units. What¡¯s extremely rare is though, when the amount of qi they can push out of their Core exceeds one unit per second, especially when they¡¯ve just entered this level. You¡¯re an exception it seems: your Qi Output is two per seconds. All in all it¡¯s way better than having a huge amount of qi storage. Without having proper output speed, even if you have thousand units of qi, it¡¯ll take quite an amount of time to cast a spell, thus in a real fight you¡¯d probably just die before it.


    ¡°The higher your initial output rate is, the easier it¡¯ll be to improve it in the future, while extending your qi storage is much easier,¡± he explained what these results really meant and that he did not have to worry about it; what¡¯s more he could feel quite confident.


    ¡°I¡¯ve to make a couple of changes to your training schedule, but I can¡¯t do it without researching a bit, so that¡¯ll have to wait for tomorrow at least. Today, I¡¯ll teach you the basis of spells using qi, but we¡¯ll do these things in the room next to us,¡± he said and led him to the next room, which was bigger and its walls were coated in something which was black and looked metallic -- probably for increased defense.


    ¡°Alright! Because the Lightning Qi is quite rare there are less spells and techniques for it, but you don¡¯t have to worry about it on your level yet. We¡¯ll start today with two of the easiest lightning spells: Jolt and Flash Jump. They work quite similarly, basically you have to gather your Lightning Qi into one place and then let it explode out.


    Firstly, let¡¯s try Jolt. Start to gather your qi into your hands, but try to not let it out right away. After you¡¯ve waited a second or two, let your gathered qi out but not just from one point, but rather from your whole palm.¡±


    After he explained, Quin started trying it out. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and lifted his right arm up. He focused on his Core and let his qi flow out of it, toward his hand. It started to gather there just fine, but after a moment he lost control of it and it exploded in every direction, but fortunately without causing any harm to him.


    ¡°Hey, I said a second or two, not ten seconds, your qi control isn¡¯t that good yet! Pay attention!¡± his instructor scolded him, though it was obvious he was not angry or anything like that, merely it was his style of teaching.


    Quin nodded and started again while trying to pay attention to the time as well. Although he gathered the qi in his palm and even could let it out, somehow this time was a failure as well.


    ¡°Almost, your timing was right, but you tried to explode your qi after it left your body. You should do it just before it¡¯d reach outside of your palm,¡± he explained.


    He tried a third time and he was finally successful. Yes, I did it!


    Edited on 2016. 09. 25.

 Rise and Fall 12 - Feelings v3

    After Quin learnt the basics of Jolt, his instructor started him teaching the other spell, Flash Jump. It was quite similar to Jolt: first you have to gather qi in your foot but for a bit longer and then shoot it out, however this time a bit more focused.


    Learning it took only a couple of tries for Quin again, though actually using it for its intended purpose was somewhat harder. Usually it would be used while sprinting, to give the user a quick boost in speed, however he has never experienced this kind of acceleration before, so it threw him out of his balance several times.


    After he got the hang of it, his teacher told him to go home and that they would continue tomorrow.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Quin was going home, when he met Leyn, who seemed to have just finished her training.


    ¡°Hey, haven¡¯t seen you these day, what happened?¡± she asked him a bit concerned.


    ¡°Haha! Guess what! I¡¯ve broken through to the Qi Foundation, yesterday,¡± he replied proudly.


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Her mouth turned upwards to a smile and she embraced him for a short hug. ¡°And what¡¯s your element? You have checked it, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s lightning!¡± he said with the same pride as before, while also laughing.


    ¡°Really? You sure aren¡¯t just boasting?¡± It was not that she did not trust him, it was just simply too unbelievable.


    ¡°Nope, the Instructor checked it yesterday, and what¡¯s more, I even learnt two lightning spells! You know, I could show if you¡¯re interested... and not afraid.¡± He grinned at the last part, which he obviously added only to annoy her a bit.


    ¡°Me, afraid of you?¡± She laughed lightly. ¡°You still needs years to catch up, don¡¯t get too conceited! But I do want to see those spells!¡± She playfully ruffled his hair.


    ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s search for an empty place, I learnt the base of the spells, but honestly if anything happens, I don¡¯t want to embarrass myself in front of everybody.¡± He scratched his head laughing and then started to walk towards an area, filled with a couple of hills.


    ¡°Okay,¡± she answered and followed him.


    ¡°Here we are.¡± After they arrived, he looked around for a moment. ¡°It looks like there isn¡¯t anyone here. So first, I¡¯ll use my movement spell, you just stand there.¡±


    Quin began demonstrating his two newly learnt skills to her and also explained what both of them did.


    ¡°So, what do you think?¡± Quin asked smirking.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite talented,¡± Leyn replied with a smile, ¡°And I have to say that what they¡¯ve been saying about the lightning element was true. Although these were just starting spells, their strength was significantly higher than what I¡¯ve seen from the other elements.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you, haven¡¯t I?¡± Quin said, filled with happiness. Just like father told me, it¡¯ll be me who¡¯ll be at the top from now and no longer will I have to feel inferior! What¡¯s more, if somebody has to feel inferior it¡¯ll be them!


    After a while of playing around a bit more they sat down on the top of the hill and started talking about various things.


    ¡°You know, I¡¯ve known you for a couple of years now, but somehow I¡¯ve never gotten around to ask you about why are you so determined on your training. I mean, I know a lot of people who spend much time on their training, -- like me --  but you are definitely on a different level. Since I¡¯ve started to see you going to the tracks after school I¡¯ve never seen you rest or slack off, except the days you spend recovering or letting your body catch on,¡± the girl asked him.


    ¡°I-¡± Quin started talking but got stuck for a moment and looked up to the sky. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a second and continued, ¡°You remember what happened on the annual Spring Test on my first year at the school?¡± He was no longer looking upwards, but turned his head down slightly.


    ¡°Yeah, that was when that attack happened, wasn¡¯t it?¡± she replied


    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯ve never spoken about the whole thing to anyone and tried my best to forget it, but guess it¡¯s time to put it behind me already... Looking back, it¡¯s a bit funny to remember how different I was at that time.¡± He snorted. ¡°I hated training, I hated exercises and I hated everything that was tiring. In  the morning classes I was always among the last groups, and it was the same during the Spring Test as well.¡± He sighed and stopped to gather his thoughts as well as his strength to continue. ¡°It¡¯s even more funny or maybe just sad, that I¡¯m still alive because I was even lazier than the the kids at the last group.


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    ¡°In the middle of running, I noticed that the Instructor was nowhere to be found, so I decided to stop for a few minutes to rest with a couple others. But then I heard that terrible shrieking and then saw the monster.¡± He shuddered and without recognizing it, he gripped his arms so hard that his nails dug into his flesh, letting his blood to drip. ¡°I... The next thing I saw was how it killed and ate my friend, Pharren, in just a moment. I couldn¡¯t do anything, I tried to shout, to scream at him to look out, but I was powerless and I couldn¡¯t even move.¡± His voice became shaky and even a couple of tears dropped from his eyes. ¡°And I didn¡¯t even have any time to react, in an instant nearly everyone was dead in that group and even around me. God, there was so much blood and gore everywhere, and then I was face to face with it. I felt terror and helplessness as I barely saw its tongue shooting towards me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ alright.¡± Noticing Quin¡¯s state, the girl pulled him into a hug and tried to calm him, stroking his head. Quin let these bottled up emotions flood out and started to cry in her embrace. This lasted for minutes before he was calm enough and could continue.


    ¡°So... It was at the last moment, when the Instructor arrived and killed it. The following days and weeks were horrible: I could hardly sleep and when I managed to finally fall asleep, then I always had nightmares. Honestly, I can¡¯t even remember much from that time, only the feelings. Before this whole thing I thought that I was so smart and that the adults were stupid for always preaching about strength and training, because I¡¯ll never need those thing since we¡¯ve got all those soldiers protecting us. Then one day after the attack they told us about that creature, how weak it was and even their evolved form doesn¡¯t match up to an adult human. This and realizing that while I was busy, lost in my emotions during running I haven¡¯t even noticed fatigue or tiredness, got me into thinking... That maybe I was the stupid one and not everyone else.¡± He laughed lightly but there was no joy in it. ¡°The other reason why I was so adamant with my training was that I fell really behind the others, so I had to put more effort into it obviously. Since then... I don¡¯t know, the whole thing probably had a very big impact on me. It may sound strange but somehow I feel myself somehow compelled to train each day. I mean, it¡¯s like... Maybe like a survival instinct for me?¡±


    After finishing his talk Quin had mixed feelings: he was happy to be able to finally tell it to someone, on  the other hand sharing his secret, he felt a bit embarrassed and awkward, even his face had a red tone to it.


    She smiled at him and ruffled his hair. ¡°What¡¯s with that face? I think there¡¯s nothing you should be ashamed about, in contrast you should be proud about your accomplishments! Everyone makes mistakes, a six years old kid even more. You know, my mother has a saying which she tells me often: it is not the mistake what matters, but what you have learnt from it. And I don¡¯t think there are many other kids who¡¯d have done so much to change.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± he answered quietly and they stayed like that, next to each other for some more time.


    Although it was difficult to open up to somebody, even harder to actually tell the whole story and remember all those frightening details, afterwards he felt better and refreshed. He considered Leyn truly one of his best friends and the only one except his mother who he can rely on anytime.


    Author''s Note: I decided to add titles to chapters from now on, but be warned that my naming sense is crap (many names in the story was made up by my friend), so don''t expect much regarding that. I also dislike when the title of a chapter spoils too much of the content of the chapter itself, thus I''ll try to make them somewhat ambiguous, while making them so that they''ll still have some connection to the chapter.


    Also, I''m going to put the Author''s Notes to the end of the chapters.


    Edited on 2016. 09. 25.

 Rise and Fall 13 - Trauma v2

    Quin stood there in one place, terrified and covered in sweat, focusing solely the monster in front of him. Loud, piercing shrieks could be heard all around the room, but they all slipped by him, due to his mind being in a total jumble. Even remembering those old, painful memories a few years ago when he told it to Leyn were difficult, but experiencing them in real life? He could not bear it, only slowly watching as the creature got closer and closer each moment, reducing the gap between them rapidly. He was faster, he was stronger and he knew that, however he was still petrified, unable to move even an inch.


    In the last moment, a huge sound of explosion could be heard, as his instructor appeared in front of him, punching the creature away.


    ¡°What the heck are you doing?!¡± he yelled. ¡°It¡¯s only a Shrieker larvae, you can kill it with a cough, but you¡¯re just standing there and trying yourself at a damn staring contest! This is already the third time! Get yourself together already!¡± Anger was clearly seen on the face of the Instructor and even veins could be seen bulging on his head, while he was yelling at the top of his lungs.


    He knew the boy had a mental trauma -- and he exactly knew the reason for it --, that¡¯s why he told him to come here and practice, but now he was already at his wits ends.


    The kid was exceptional, though he had some advantage merely thanks to his unique lightning element, he trained tirelessly and managed to develop his already great foundation to something unequaled by his peers and even by his upperclassmen. Although his total amount of qi was slightly below than average, his qi output rate was the double of the other¡¯s at both the second and third level of the Core Establishment. Not only did he managed to get a head-start with his output rate in the beginning, even after he created his third and final sub-core he maintained his superiority.


    At thirteen years old he entered the Qi Condensation Sub-Stage, even a year before the children usually did and now, at the age of fourteen he felt that this kid might be entering the second level at any moment.


    To be able to store more qi, the simplest way would be to increase the size of one¡¯s cores, however that was quite a difficult and time consuming task to do. Instead, the people of Ranfel chose to condense their qi, and develop their cores to be able to bear more pressure, this is what they called the Qi Condensation Sub-Stage. Although they were not creating any new cores, they were still improving and modifying their existing ones, that¡¯s why it was only a sub-stage of its main stage and not a separate one.


    On average, after its first level the density of the qi would increase threefold, on the second level it would be five times denser and after finishing the last and third level, it would be eight times as dense as at the start. Though not as conspicuous as before, even in Qi Condensation he was above than his peers: he had a Qi Density of five even without entering the third level.


    During the past years Quin¡¯s strength skyrocketed, but here he was shivering in fear against a Shrieker larvae, whom someone with just a single Qi Core would be able to deal with. All the three tries they had at it, went down the same route and he still looked like he was being in some kind of daze.


    The Instructor planned the whole thing to help Quin get over his trauma, and although during the previous years he started to like the boy quite a bit -- which was rare for him --, and he even considered him as his personal disciple, it was not the only reason. He did it for himself as much as for Quin, he would not delude himself, he knew that he was selfish and egoistic deep inside and his pride was an essential part of him. How much shame would it be, when in a couple of weeks the kids would have to demonstrate their combat ability against these creatures and Quin would be doing the exact same thing what he was currently doing? He would rather drown himself in the Feryan river, or stand still in the Sundering Flames until he is nothing but a pile of ashes.


    Lastly, this kid was a martial genius, and thus important to the country: one day he could be among the heroes worshiped by the people and one who could save them from the upcoming threats. He loved his country so much that he was even willing to swallow his pride when needed, and this time what the country needed was him helping this kid.


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    He knew this would not be easy, and what it meant for Quin, so at the first try he did not even say a thing. After the second try he even tried to encourage him a bit, however after the third time... Well, it was a common knowledge that he was not a patient man, and he has finally lost it and was now thoroughly pissed, yelling at Quin.


    Quin snapped back to reality at last, and realized what has happened and what his teacher was currently doing.


    ¡°Sorry sir,¡± he said disheartened and feeling shameful.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he replied, ¡°we¡¯ll try one more time and I better hope you get your shit together! If you¡¯re so scared of it just shut your damn eyes and feel for its qi, then kill it with a ranged attack!¡±


    Quin was shocked for a moment due to his teacher¡¯s attitude, but then realized that this idea might actually be quite useful. Maybe if he could not see it, he would be able to do it? He closed his eyes and sensed for any places where qi was abundant. There was two of them, one of which he easily deduced to be his instructor¡¯s, as it was dense and quite big, so the other one should be his target then, he decided.


    Time slowed down as he he lifted his hand and started to gather qi in his right arm. After waiting for a moment to gather the necessary amount, he released it.


    ¡°Bolt!¡±


    It was a simple, but effective ranged spell. One had to gather qi in their whole arm to the needed density, being denser towards their shoulder and then release it. Then from their palm, a bolt of lightning would explode out, the rear and the more denser part accelerating it continuously. Though it need about a second to prepare, the bolt was strong, fast and easy to cast as well.


    Just as Quin called out the name, a sound of explosion could be heard. He opened his eyes and only ashes and teeth were left behind of the Shrieker.


    Finally, he did it!


    There was no time to rest or to wonder though, as his instructor called out right away, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do that again!¡±


    Quin did the same, feeling for the qi, and destroyed the creature again, then he did a third time as well.


    ¡°Finally, some progress,¡± the Instructor sighed. ¡°Okay, now open your eyes when I say so, but don¡¯t interrupt your spell. We¡¯ve got only a couple of more of tries, as there¡¯s only this much of Shrieker larvae we can expend.¡±


    ¡°Now!¡± he yelled, just after Quin has finished casting his spell. Though he got frightened looking at the monster, he already cast Bolt, so there was no problem.


    Afterwards they did it another four times, but each time the Instructor ordered Quin to open his eyes a bit earlier. It could not be said that he managed to do it flawless, however at the end he was finally able to do it on his own, without being petrified or unable to act.


    ¡°At last! I was starting to get really worried about you boy!¡± the Instructor exclaimed, but this time he was undoubtedly more calm and composed. ¡°Alright, I think with this you¡¯ll be fine. All in all I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll have any difficulty in your combat test, since you are way above average and these tests are meant for only them. Until then, keep up with your training, and don¡¯t you dare to slack off!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Quin replied. Although it had never happened, for some reason his teacher almost always reminded him about this.


    With his special training done, he went home to rest and meditate to calm his mind and to process today¡¯s experiences. This day was a great stepping stone in his life, as he finally succeeded in what his goal has been throughout these years. He was not just powerful enough, but also had the courage to fight a Shrieker, the monster he had been so scared of. From now on, he did not have to be afraid of it and maybe even those reoccurring nightmares would stop haunting him as well.


    Quin knew that he was truly strong and no one would be able to stop him in the future, thus he went to sleep at night probably being the most content he had ever been in his entire life.


    Edited on 2016. 11. 26.

 Rise and Fall 14 - First Blood v2

    In every year, at the start of December, more accurately on the third day of the month, the annual First Blood event was held. Although the name was not creative at all, the people of Ade Lai usually preferred straightforwardness. This was the time for the children¡¯s first real fight, one which were not against their fellow classmates but some kind of animal or monster.


    Up to this point, during their practises with others, they were instructed to place safety above anything else as they were still considered kids, so injuries, especially serious ones were quite rare. Fighting in a real battle, however, required blood to be shed and that was from where the name came. Furthermore during the fight, the adults only intervened in the last case scenario, when someone¡¯s life was in danger.


    The event was held on the school fields and the first participant had to start at exactly nine in the morning. Even an hour before it, the whole place was loaded with people, forming a large ellipses -- a great part of the city has decided to take part in watching the event. Inside that a smaller circle was formed by the students sitting on benches, and an even smaller circle was created by several teachers and soldiers. Protected by them, inside this last circle, on a temporary stage was the fights to be held.


    After everybody arrived and everything was at their intended place, the principal of the school announced what kind of creatures would the kids fight against. This time there was only a single type, which was the Shrieker larvae just like in the previous years. Obviously there was not much reason or justification needed for this decision, as currently these monsters were the biggest threat for the city and although they have not made any great move yet, the legions often encountered groups of them in the Wilderness.


    As the time passed one student came after another and battled with the monsters. Though they were successful without exception, many of the fights lasted for quite a while and some of them got even seriously injured at the end. Fortunately for them, water element healers, lead by Nyra were ready to treat any kind of injury when needed to.


    Quin did not have to wait much and it was already his class¡¯s turn. The majority of them had only simple, average elements, which he thought was not worth his attention and thus he paid them no mind. His attitude changed when it was time for his friends'' turn though.


    The first among them was Alinor and his fight ended in mere seconds, as he shot a hot ball of magma, which a scarlet hue to it, from his right hand and it completely destroyed the beast. His element turned out to be magma, which despite not being as rare or unique as Quin¡¯s lightning, was ranked in the top five known elements without a doubt. Alinor¡¯s control over it had to be praised as well, as he could even make the element¡¯s notoriously slow speed quite manageable. Maybe it had to do with the fact that his was probably not a simple magma element, but a variant. His spells always had a scarlet hue to them, which further indicated this theory.


    His twin, Aline was the next in the row. She was known for having an element never seen before, being even more unique than Quin himself. It resembled to fire, but it was even hotter, was painted in purple and behaved differently as well. Though it still had an explosive property to it, after a thorough inspection the teachers found out that its main ability was to devour and incite. Sadly without having any experience with this kind of fire, they had no ability to teach her to her possible limits.


    The fight itself was spectacular and uncommon: she shot a fireball at the Shrieker, however it done no damage to it. Then she started waving her arm in a circular motions, the creature first stopped in its track and after a moment it started to vibrate in its place, shrieking in seemingly pain. It was not long after the larvae spat mouthfuls of blood, and then died with its three eyes exploding. Without saying a single word, she smiled slightly and walked down from the stage.


    Dreon had to expend a bit more effort, but with the help of his air element his movement was quick, his attacks sharp and managed to execute the monster under two minutes with his air blades without any injuries.


    Finally it was Quin¡¯s turn and he slowly walked to the middle of the stage, where he was face to face with the Shrieker. He had thought what kind of spell and how he would use it: he wanted something unique and flashy enough to show off.


    What was his best? It was his qi output rate without a doubt, which could even rival those in the -- next and final sub-stage of Qi Foundation -- the Qi Culmination, with an amount of sixteen unit of qi per second. Although he usually made great use of the various techniques and spells, in truth most of the time he simply did not need them and could have just overwhelmed his opponent with the sheer amount of his qi. Maybe in a real battle, where every drop of qi mattered it would be inefficient, but he thought that this would be the best kind of method to show off his superiority.


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    Just before the battle begin, he started to pump out his lightning qi in a cone shape in front of him, as fast as he could. Though he could not control qi outside his body, he still had some kind of connection to it and could somewhat sense it, which proved useful in perceiving the changes in the environment during his trainings. However this time, that was not the reason he did it for.


    An ear-piercing shriek signaled the start of the battle, but the battlefield was already under Quin¡¯s control. At first the Shrieker seemed to fly unhindered, only trained eyes could see that something was amiss, but then the closer it got to him, the slower it became and the creature also began to twitch wildly. Finally it dropped dead just a meter in front of him, though the twitching only stopped after a few moments.


    When he started to fill the area with his qi, he made it so that it would be gradually denser the closer to him. Although the larvae managed to survive the electrical charges for a while, the density of Lightning Qi simply crushed and drowned it, without Quin having to have to move even an inch.


    Haha! Look all of you, how great it was, I killed it seemingly without any spells and so easily, just by staring at it! I guess they are all flabbergasted! He was excited and happy but did not show it, as he looked around with only a slight, modest smile. They had the expression he had hoped for: shock and awe in the kids¡¯, pride in his parents¡¯ and instructor¡¯s eyes, happiness in his friends and some other kids seemed to be even jealous of him. You¡¯re jealous of me? Laughable! You should¡¯ve trained as hard as me, but no, instead you all just wanted to play and have fun and now that I achieved this all by myself, training day and night, improving both my body and mind restlessly you are jealous? You won¡¯t get something just by wishing or desiring it, only by hard work! Anyways, it¡¯s not like you with those average elements could catch up to me, to someone who¡¯s got the strongest element of all: lightning! Then, after he was content with the outcome, he walked away from the stage towards his friends.


    As Quin reached Aline, he looked at her and stopped, still gazing at her. He did not know why, but her bearing, face and aura just mesmerized him. He knew that he had developed some kind of attraction toward her in the previous months; he often caught himself watching her and felt happy when he could talk with her. This moment was not like the other ones however, it was entirely different. It was something new, unknown, he felt like in the past he had been blind or deaf and now a whole new spectrum of senses were revealed, but this time it was all about Aline. For some reason to this day he had not realized it, he had not noticed all those things about her. He could not just put those into words, they were more than mere beauty or a great personality. When looking at her, seeing her smile he also felt warmness and a new emotion rise in his heart. What is that? he wondered. It¡¯s... Is what I¡¯m feeling, love?


    ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± the girl interrupting his thoughts asked with concern showing on her face.


    ¡°Uh... Yeah, I¡¯m okay, sorry, I just... uhm dazed off a bit,¡± Quin said visibly embarrassed.


    ¡°Oh. By the way you were awesome back there, how did you do it?¡± she gave her another smile as she asked.


    ¡°Uh... It was nothing special.¡± He scratched his head and put on an awkward smile. His mind was still in some kind of daze and he felt he need all of his willpower to speak intelligible. ¡°Honestly it was one of the simplest thing to do: I just constantly released my qi in a cone before me and the thing could not handle it. But you were also great, I guess even the teachers didn¡¯t know how you did it!¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Her face reddened a bit. ¡°But pumping out your qi like that? I knew your output rate was exceptional, you told us about it before, but that¡¯s on a completely new level and you only had a few moments to do it,¡± she was quite shocked, but spoke in a praising tone.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s as high as someone in the Qi Culmination, so it wasn¡¯t that hard,¡± he straightened himself and answered, while trying to make it look like it was not anything special, but naturally on the inside he was actually quite proud.


    ¡°Really?¡± The girl was undoubtedly surprised, to which Quin simply nodded.


    After a couple of silent moments, Quin had an idea and asked her, ¡°Hey, Aline, are you free tomorrow?¡±


    Author''s Note: There''s still not much fighting in this chapter, but you don''t have to wait too much for it, as the first proper fight scene will be in the 18th chapter, and after that the story''s pace will gradually take up.


    Edited on 2016. 09. 20.

 Rise and Fall 15 - The Three Mountains

    ¡°You were right, the view here is amazing!¡± the girl said while sitting on a blanket, looking vividly at the landscape in front of her.


    ¡°Said so, I knew you¡¯d like it.¡± Next to her was a boy sitting, admiring the same view as well.


    These two kids were Aline and Quin, who had climbed up to the top of one of the mountains at the back of the city. Having found the place a couple of days before, Quin decided to invite her to share the same astonishing scenery he had met.


    ¡°Wow! You can even see the Mountains from here!¡± Aline exclaimed.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the best part of it,¡± Quin answered smiling, ¡°you know their proper name, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course I know, they¡¯re called The Three Mountains, what do you take me for?¡± she answered half seriously and half jokingly.


    ¡°Alright, alright, sorry. But then, do you know why are they called that?¡± the boy asked another question.


    ¡°Because there are three of them?¡± she said plainly.


    ¡°Not really.¡± He smiled and paused for a moment. ¡°Well, there are three of them and it¡¯s part of its name, but the key is the number, the three. It¡¯s considered to be the perfect number, one which contains and describes everything.


    ¡®One of the mountains is low, another is high and the last one is in between them.


    One of the mountains is cold, another is hot and the last one is in between them.


    One of the mountains is dark, another is bright and the last one is in between them.¡¯


    Just like there¡¯s evil and good, there are also things which are both of them, just like you can mix black and white to get gray. On the path to perfection, to reach immortality you have to experience the warm, the positive, the happy and the good side of life, know the cold, the negative, the sad and the bad side of life and then be able to choose the third side, which is both of them but neither of them, which is the same path but a completely new one as well,¡± Quin explained.


    The girl sat there silently for a time, contemplating on the words, her mind reeling and meanwhile still staring at the mountains in front of her.


    ¡°It¡¯s... Very interesting, how do you know all of this?¡± she asked turning towards him, and looking into his eyes.


    ¡°Um, well, to be honest it was just something I read a few years ago in the library but there are numerous books about it if you¡¯re interested. I only covered the main thought behind this,¡± he answered. He felt happy and proud to be able to impress the girl both with the view and his knowledge, so though with a slightly red face, he smiled.


    ¡°Do you think we can ever reach that, the immortality?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know,¡± he replied. ¡°I don¡¯t even know whether it¡¯s true or just a myth. I¡¯ve read countless stories about them, and when I was little I was intrigued by the topic. For some time I even wanted to be a Seeker, but thinking back I¡¯m not sure about the whole thing. Though there was some books which included thorough researches, but without much solid evidence, all they could do was to work with rumors, legends and different traditions. Even examining the artifacts and relics haven¡¯t provided much to it. Well, most of these ended in speaking about the social effects of the myth, rather than the topic itself, which became quite boring. The other kinds of books contained stories, poems and even strange rituals.¡±


    ¡°Hey, what kind of stories were those? What were they about?¡± Aline, who looked fairly interested in the subject asked him.


    ¡°Hmm, there was one story which for some reason stuck to my mind and about which I had thought often: Tsao, the Betrayed. It¡¯s quite interesting, though definitely not a fairy tale. Do you want to hear it?¡± Seeing her eagerness, Quin decided to tease her a bit.


    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s why I asked,¡± she replied solemnly; it did not seem she was in a funny mood.


    ¡°Alright.¡± He sighed. ¡°So the story takes place in the Spirit Realm, countless years, eons ago, before any human inhabited these lands we live on.


    ¡°It was the time, when the Sovereign of the Spirit Realm died, and his position would be inherited by his oldest and wisest son, Tsao the Crane. He was popular among the people, and even enjoyed the support of his younger siblings. The only thing left for the coronation was that he had to get married, as it was ordered by his late father that only someone wedded was eligible for the throne.


    ¡°Thus he proclaimed that he¡¯s searching for a spouse, to be at his side governing the realm. Undoubtedly countless women and even girls visited the capital to be the new wife of the Sovereign. Years passed and there was still no end to them, however Tsao couldn¡¯t commit to either of them. It wasn¡¯t that they lacked beauty or personality, he simply didn¡¯t feel anything for them. Living for all eternity by the side of someone whom he didn¡¯t love? Having someone¡¯s children whom he had no feelings for? He wasn¡¯t able to imagine that or rather, he just wasn¡¯t willing to live like that.


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    ¡°Soon even more than hundred years passed, and though the number of the crowd of the bride-candidates dwindled, he still wasn¡¯t able to find one. Just as he was considering choosing randomly someone from the crowd in his desperation, his younger brother introduced him to a woman, named Liang. Despite her true form being a mere fiery sparrow, she looked beyond beautiful and her aura was otherworldly. She utterly bewitched him, not being able to take his eyes off her.


    ¡°Although he felt like he could marry her right away, he wasn¡¯t that foolish, and decided to get to know her. They talked for days, months, even years and Tsao concluded that she was shining even on the inside, thus he quickly ordered for the wedding to be held.


    ¡°Everything went swiftly to the very last day before the wedding, when a pre-wedding banquet was held, which was attended by all of the important people of the realm. Just after drinking the first sip of the champagne, Tsao realized that it was poisoned, however it was too late then, as he felt his power leaving him. The only thing he saw was his brother walking towards him grinning, huge canines visible in his mouth and a long forked tongue coming in and out from it, meanwhile his previous bird-like appearance transformed into a snake-like one. It was then, when he realized that he wasn¡¯t his true brother, but a fake one, who didn¡¯t belong to the same Divine Bird family as him but to the most disgusting and terrible race: the Leviathans.


    ¡°It was his trust, family love, ignorance and naivety that caused all of this. He has always cared for his brothers and sisters, and never suspected their actions of any kind. During his so-called wife-hunt he even let his younger brother take care of the worldly matters, which turned out to be a fatal mistake.


    ¡°His younger brother always craved for strength and power, and during those hundreds of years he wasn¡¯t idle. Either with flowery words, or through money or threats he acquired a great chunk of power. Though he was the one to introduce Liang to him, it was only a part of his scheme. First of all, he knew that Tsao would be even more distracted by this beauty, decreasing any chance for his plans to be revealed and secondly, a gathering like this banquet was exactly what he needed. The whole personal was managed by him and due to that they were his underlings, he could poison the drinks without breaking a sweat.


    ¡°Nearly all of the important figures were there who still supported his brother and who could be a hindrance to his future rule. So he got rid of his brother, Tsao, and he also got rid of all of his supporters in one stroke. After this there was no one to oppose him, and especially no one who dared to do so,¡± Quin said finishing his story.


    ¡°And what happened to them? I mean Tsao and his people?¡± she asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s said that nobody knew what happened afterwards, some say that they were all thrown to the prison left to suffer, while others are convinced that they were eaten by the leviathan itself.¡±


    ¡°And Liang?¡±


    ¡°According to the story the Leviathan forced her to be his wife and bear his children. Well, I said it was a sad story,¡± Quin explained.


    ¡°Oh. I guess so.¡± After this she was looking towards the Three Mountains, with an empty expression for a long time.


    ¡°Hey, are you okay? Sorry, about the sad story,¡± Quin was afraid that he made her unhappy, so not having any other idea, he apologized.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± She smiled lightly. ¡°It wasn¡¯t like that, I just never heard something like that so I was lost in my thoughts for a bit.¡± The girl then laughed, making him relieved.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said.


    ¡°Um, I think we should head back, it¡¯s already getting dark,¡± she told him after looking around, a bit worried.


    ¡°Are you perhaps afraid of dark?¡± he bantered but quickly regretted it, because he saw that the girl seemed to be genuinely afraid. ¡°Sorry, it was just a joke! But as long as I¡¯m here you don¡¯t have to be afraid!¡± Quickly recognizing the opportunity took it and while saying it he straightened up and smoothly took her hand in his own, while guiding her down the mountain. He tried to show a serious, manly look on the outside, but seeing that Aline reacted with a sweet smile, in truth he was on cloud nine, jumping for joy that their feelings seemed to be mutual.

 Rise and Fall 16 - Separation

    Quin has just finished his training, but was running now across the hall in a hurry.


    Damn! I¡¯ll be probably late again, what time is it? He looked at his watch to check the time and he was indeed late, by more than fifteen minutes. Just as he was about to look up, the back of someone could be seen, and he had no time to slow down, crashing into him.


    ¡°Hey, what the hell are you doing here? Don¡¯t you see I¡¯m in a hurry?¡± Quin demanded angrily.


    ¡°Ouch! It was you who ran into me! W-wait, you¡¯re Quin, right?¡± The kid switched his previous annoyed expression to a happy one in an instant.


    ¡°Hm? Yes, I am Quin, and?¡± he asked, not quite understanding the matter.


    ¡°I saw you at the First Blood, you were awesome! I want to be just like you, that was so cool!¡± he told him with beaming eyes.


    ¡°Like me?¡± He pondered for a few seconds. ¡°So how old are you? What¡¯s your element? What¡¯s your qi ratio and how much do you train?¡± Quin asked the kid, skeptic.


    ¡°Oh, I train all days! Well, I¡¯m twelve and just entered the Qi Foundation with a 21/1 qi ratio. My element is fire,¡± he answered still in joy, due to seeing his idol in person.


    ¡°Twelve years old already and just entered the Qi Foundation? With your qi ratio being so below average, you can dream on to reach even two class below me! Anyways, I¡¯ve got better things to do,¡± he scoffed and without even looking at him started to run again.


    ¡°Hey, Quin!¡± Leyn greeted him, as he ran through the school in hurry.


    ¡°Hey!¡± he returned the greeting, but did not stop.


    ¡°Oi, what are you running for that quick? Do you have a moment? There¡¯s something I really want to talk about with you.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, maybe another time, even now I¡¯m late. See ya!¡± He looked back only for a moment to answer, and then hurried on.


    ¡°Sorry Aline, but I had to finish my training otherwise the Instructor wouldn¡¯t let me off and then I even got held up by some idiot, who was... actually my fan?¡± Quin explained while holding his hands up.


    ¡°A fan? Are you serious?¡± She looked at him unbelieving.


    ¡°Yep, he said I amazed him at the First Blood and he wanted to be just like me, but of course I told him, that¡¯s not how things work. You can¡¯t replace your lack of talent with just dedication!¡± He laughed at the thought.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Though she tried not to show it, someone perceptive could see that she was somewhat amused by the whole thing.


    These days the two of them met often, and spent their afternoon together then. Although Quin had to shave off time from other things, it was definitely worth it, he thought. Aline was his girlfriend... Wait, was she his girlfriend? They had only held hands at most, but that is a thing you only do with your girlfriend, isn¡¯t it? He even gave up some of his training time in favor for more time with her, but that was not that important anymore. He could easily kill a Shrieker, his strength was way above average and his element was lightning! There was no way anyone could rival him, even if he slacked off a bit. He deserved it, he thought.


    They frequently visited the mountains at the back of the city, where the view was amazing. Sometimes, on the weekends they spent almost their whole day there, watching the landscape and talking. Quin found out that Aline rather liked the stories about immortals, spirits and demons -- even if they were simple myths -- so he often told her them.


    Other times they were just strolling the city, visiting Crows¡¯ Road¡¯s landmarks and he even invited her to their home several times as well. His parents found Aline a good and nice girl and approved his choice.


    A group of children were making their way to the school¡¯s cafeteria at noon. They were Quin and his friends: Aline, Alinor, Dreon, Mang and two of Alinor¡¯s friends, a green haired, slim girl and a lean, bald boy. While they were busy talking and heading towards their usual table, Quin noticed that it was already taken.


    ¡°Hey, this is our spot! Pack your things and get up!¡± Quin demanded fairly annoyed.


    ¡°What? We were here before, there¡¯s no reserved table in the cafeteria, go search another one,¡± a somewhat bulky teenager answered to him nonchalantly.


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    Quin took a quick peek at Aline, who was smiling innocently, and then looked back but this time lightning sparking in his eyes.


    ¡°Hmm looking at you, you must be around fourteen years old, right? Guess you¡¯re still stuck at the first level of Qi Condensation and having a such a big built, your element is only a normal earth element, am I right?¡± He looked at the kid at first appraisingly, then scornful and threatening.


    ¡°Y-Yes...¡± Feeling Quin¡¯s aura that he was emitting, the boy realized that they are in entirely different leagues and after registering the fact that he was using lightnings, the kid remembered who was the only lightning user here... And that he did not want to cross his path with him.


    ¡°Then scram!¡± Quin shouted and then table was empty in an instant, so he lead the way. Just as he was starting to sit down, Mang stopped him, however.


    ¡°Seriously? What was that?¡± he asked puzzled at Quin¡¯s behavior.


    ¡°This? People like them should know there place, it¡¯s that simple.¡± he replied like it was common knowledge.


    ¡°When have you became like this? You were indeed acting a bit strange recently but you still didn¡¯t used to be a douchebag before, why are you now?¡± he asked truly surprised.


    ¡°Me, a douchebag? Guess you¡¯re just jealous and angry because of your average earth element and slow cultivation, huh?¡± Quin scorned at him.


    Mang sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s no way I¡¯d be jealous at your little lightning.¡± He laughed and sighed a second time. ¡°Little Boy, you got a screw loose, seems like you got drunk on your pride.¡± Then he left, with a hint of disappointment in his eyes.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t know you were so talkative and me, a little boy? We are at the same age, but whatever, feel free to go and don¡¯t bother me anymore then,¡± he snorted and then like nothing happened sat down to the table; he would not let a nobody like Mang make his day bad.


    Who he failed to notice was a girl that was standing nearby them, but after hearing the quarrel turned and left with a sad expression.


    The others sat down as well, and were eyeing him, with different expressions. Quin looked around and saw that Dreon had a kind of worried looked on his face, he realized the reason right away.


    ¡°Hey Dreon, don¡¯t worry about that!¡± He laughed. ¡°I know your element is only air, but look at your cultivation and strength: you¡¯re easily within the top ten of the school year. Though what kind of element you¡¯ve got matters, but what¡¯s more important is your talent, which you have a lot in contrast with Mang!¡± He shook his head, he was not even angry anymore, only pitied the guy.


    ¡°He¡¯s right, there are multiple things which are important in life: the family you are born into, the kind of elemental qi you¡¯ve got or the quality of your talent. Having all of them is the best of course, but you can still overcome being born lacking one of these thing, however not having any? Those people should know there places, which is below us,¡± Alinor explained with a blank, mostly emotionless expression and around the table only nods could be seen from the others.


    ¡°Guys, have you heard that a whole group went missing during this year¡¯s Coming of Age Ceremony?¡± Dreon asked.


    ¡°What?¡±, ¡°Really?¡±, ¡°No way!¡± and the likes were the other kids¡¯ reply.


    ¡°They say...¡± Dreon looked around quickly, and lowered his voice. ¡°That they were sacrificed, to the Shriekers!¡±


    ¡°Where do you get these nonsenses?¡± Alinor sighed. ¡°Sacrificed to the Shriekers? Not only are they our biggest enemies but even though they caused us some losses, we have always had the upper hands in the battles. Why would we be offering them sacrifice?¡±


    ¡°It may not be as simple as that!¡± Dreon retorted. ¡°I¡¯ve heard this from a reliable source!¡±


    ¡°And what kind of reliable source was that?¡± it was now Quin, who asked the question.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll tell you, but promise that you won¡¯t tell anyone else!¡± After seeing that no one was objecting he continued, ¡°So, I heard it from an upperclassman, who¡¯s friend¡¯s brother took part in this year¡¯s Coming of Age Ceremony. He experienced these events firsthand, personally! He fell behind from his group, because well, nature was calling him, but unexpectedly just a few meters away, at the other side of the tree there was a group of Shriekers! As he was contemplating on what to do, because he couldn¡¯t possibly take a down a group so big and any sudden move would probably make him noticed, he saw something. Soldiers in the uniform of Ade Lai brought several students to the monsters, bond in magical ropes and then left. Afterwards one of the Shrieker turned towards the students a let out disgusting shriek, which made everyone who have heard, pass out in seconds, bleeding from their ears profoundly and then die in a couple of moments.¡±


    ¡°Wait, if it knocked out everyone and even killed them, then how did the guy survive?¡± Alinor asked after thinking through the whole story.


    ¡°Umm... I guess he stuffed his ear?¡± Dreon made a bad attempt of arguing, but to no avail.


    ¡°Yep, and not only the Shriekers, even our soldiers did not notice him just a few meters away? Seriously Dreon, where do you keep getting this stupid rumors?¡± Quin sighed, shaking his head. He liked Dreon and he was a good friend, but sometimes he could believe and then tell them the stupidest stories.


    ¡°Fine! Then don¡¯t believe me!¡± Dreon got up clearly offended and then left in a hurry.


    ¡°He always does this and then we¡¯re the one at faults...¡± Alinor sighed. ¡°Well, he¡¯ll forget the whole thing probably for tomorrow.¡±


    Author''s Note: So yeah, Quin has become kind of a douchebag, but if you''ve read the ''About'' thread already then it shouldn''t be that much of a surprise. As I''ve said that one of the fiction''s main focus is character development. My beta reader told me that the change in his personality is a bit too sudden, however I disagree with that. I know it from personal experience that even the nicest kids can become jerks overnight and something like this happened to Quin as well. Naturally he won''t stay like this forever, this period will only only a small part of his life.

 Rise and Fall 17 - Shameful

    It was early March and only a single day was left until the annual School Tournament would start. Everyone from the ninth grade and above could attend, thus this would be the first year that Quin and his classmates would join the Tournament.


    Though there was not much time left, Quin usually did not focus on his training, only did what was compulsory, just like today. Finishing his exercises he hurried once again, to meet with Aline but was stopped by Leyn midway.


    ¡°Wait, wait! Seriously, these days you can¡¯t even spare a minute of yours on me?¡± she asked a bit disappointed.


    ¡°Ah, sorry, I had a lot of thing recently,¡± Quin answered.


    ¡°Like meeting your new girlfriend? That¡¯s all you do nowadays.¡± She sighed dejectedly and Quin only returned a slightly embarrassed look. ¡°Without spending time with a friend, you slowly stop being a friend with them... You know, in the past months you acted somewhat strange, not like you used to be... What was that a few weeks ago with Mang?¡±


    ¡°Nothin¡¯ much, he just thinks too highly of himself,¡± Quin replied without the slightest hesitation.


    ¡°Just because his element? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s wrong to look down on someone because of it?¡± she asked, this time a bit concerned, as well as sad.


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to worry just because you¡¯ve got a simple water element, though it¡¯s an average one, they¡¯re at least quite useful for healing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the issue! The problem is that you started to act like you¡¯re superior just because you have lightning for your element,¡± she said.


    ¡°Hmm? But I am superior, and lightning itself is superior. Just like Aline and Alinor, look at them both of them were born to a noble family and not only have they good talent, but great, unique elements. While I am not a noble myself, but my talent and element is way superior than anyone else,¡± Quin proudly explained to her.


    ¡°Your strength may be greater than others, but that¡¯s not the only value a human has... And now you¡¯re just acting... Arrogant! You know, at first I was really happy for you as your friend, because I¡¯ve seen what you¡¯ve achieved through hard work since your childhood, but now... I¡¯m not sure anymore. I started to think that you getting that lightning element only made things worse. Are you honestly that certain that you¡¯re so much superior? Do you remember where you started? A kid who hated all those things, training and exercises and I¡¯m not saying that was a good thing. I¡¯m only trying to tell you that it¡¯s not only strength that matters. You were the same person before, only with a different point of view and though someone whom you¡¯d look down now, yet still, here you are.


    ¡°Besides, you can call them simple and average elements, but people with them are needed just as much as your type. Without the people with earth element, who do you think would build our houses or the wall defending the city? Without the water element users, what would happen to the sick and injured? Each of them has their own place in our society and all of us are the same humans, only with different elements, just like we¡¯ve got different hair color,¡± she said. It made her quite sad seeing Quin like this, and felt that it is her responsibility to try explain and convince him.


    ¡°You were happy as my friend? To me you doesn¡¯t look like one! All of this nonsense you say, only make you look like miserable, like you¡¯re just jealous of my accomplishments! But I¡¯ve got more important things to do than argue with a so-called friend who¡¯s sad that I¡¯ve got such a good element!¡± he snorted and left, looking quite annoyed.


    ¡°Huh? Wait! That¡¯s totally not what I¡¯ve been saying!¡± she answered confused, trying to make Quin listen to her, to fix things up but without any success as he did not pay any mind to her and disappeared after a few moments.


    The next day the annual tournament began, starting with the group matches. Each groups had five students of the same grade and each of them had to fight with others. Afterwards, only the ones at the first and second position in the group could continue.


    There had already been a couple of turns and because there was not only a single stage for the kids but multiple, all of the group matches would be expected to end on the very first day.


    Quin and the bunch sat next to each other talking, while waiting for their names to be called. Alinor and Dreon had already finished and won one fight, while the other were not called in yet.


    Quin had naturally checked with whom he shared a group -- he had not been worried though, only curious. He did find out that Mang was among them, but did not pay much attention to the fact.


    Minutes and hours passed, and most of them had already finished two or three fights, it was only Quin with a single one done. He did not have to wait for too much: in a few minutes he was called onto the stage, this time against Mang. After walking up, and the necessary handshake the match began, but Quin decided to poke a bit of fun at Mang.


    ¡°Hmm, you don¡¯t have to warm up, it¡¯ll be over an instant,¡± Quin mocked him, while showing a proud, maybe an even arrogant expression.


    ¡°Oh, you say an instant? And then why¡¯d it be? Care to tell me?¡± Quin¡¯s mockery did not seem to have any effects on him, in contrast he was still calm, smiling and looking genuinely interested in Quin¡¯s reasons.


    ¡°Hmph, you ask why¡¯d it be?¡± he snorted. ¡°Seriously you should know it very well, just looking at your pitiful Earth Qi, should give you enough of an answer, but I could also mention the fact that our cultivation is not even on the same level,¡± Quin explained, his head high. Sometimes he gave a small sigh, appearing like someone lecturing their student. ¡°Moreover even if we had the same cultivation base, just with my output rate, I¡¯d easily mop the floor with you.¡±


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°Mopping the floor you say?¡± Mang interrupted him.


    Quin has just realized that while he was giving out his speech his opponent was busy and already cast a spell.


    Hmph, just a little quicksand! Trying to ambush me, what a fool! Flash Ju-! He did not notice and especially did not expected Mang to cast multiple spells in this amount of time. Just about he was ready to use Flash Jump to leap away, two big palms made out of earth appeared on both of his sides. ¡®Not bad for someone like him, but our strength is like heaven and earth! he thought.


    He swiftly jumped up, escaping the palms and decided to end the match with ranged attack, Bolt. However another unexpected thing happened, before he could finish the spell: he felt something hitting the top of his head, and after spitting out a mouthful of blood he simply blacked out.


    Ouch, what the hell happened? He opened his eye only to realize he has already lost the match and was currently being carried away in a stretcher. That damn cheating bastard! He ambushed me, insolent fool!


    After the outburst of anger, he looked around noticing the stares at him, and another emotion flooded him: humiliation! Losing to a nobody like Mang, and in a way like this? He would be the laughingstock of the entire school!


    Meanwhile, he was brought to the healing station, where seeing him injured, Leyn -- as she was also on duty -- ran to him right away to heal him.


    ¡°You took a solid hit, but don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll heal you in no time!¡± She smiled at him, reassuringly.


    ¡°Oh, here you are!¡± After a minute or two of healing, Mang walked into the room, looking for him. ¡°You don¡¯t look that bad, but what a waste! I¡¯d have rather seen you in fight, but you were just talking and talking.¡± Looking quite amused he even faked a yawn. ¡°And you know, we couldn¡¯t just stay there for hours, taking precious time away from the others, it¡¯d be quite discourteous to them don¡¯t you think? So I thought I¡¯d start the fight. I guessed with how superior you are, it wouldn¡¯t matter much, but alas!¡± He shook his head with a disappointed and sad expression, and then left the room, as quickly as he entered not giving any time for Quin to answer.


    He had no time to rest because in mere seconds another person came: his instructor whose face was painted completely red, and looked thoroughly pissed.


    ¡°What the fuck was that?!¡± he shouted. ¡°What kind of retarded thing did you do? The fight had already started and yet you thought you were in some kind of tea party, or what? You got it that the tournament is about fighting and not arguing or boasting, heh?¡± Quin thought that he had already experience his instructor¡¯s loud yelling enough times, but now unbelievably, it was magnitudes louder... And though he would not admit, scarier as well. ¡°You realize, that you basically handed your ass over to him? Get your shit together, and fight at the next round, for a change!¡± He stood there for a couple of breaths staring at him and then stormed out.


    ¡°It¡¯s all your fault! Speaking about stupid stuff, and making me lose like that!¡± Full with rage himself, and without anyone else nearby, -- unfortunately for Leyn -- he targeted his anger at her. After shouting at her, he stood up and ran away.


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re still not healed yet!¡± Even after hearing these hurtful accusations, she was still worried about him.


    Quin did not return to his friends, he was way too embarrassed to do that, instead he chose a spot hidden from sight.


    That damn bastard, making me lose face! Just let me fight against him another time and I¡¯ll make him sorry! I¡¯ll make him pay! he thought fuming.


    The next times he was called on to the stage, he did not make the same mistakes. Just when the fights started he merged with lightning right away -- making him extremely agile and explosive -- and attacked, leaping to his target and punching them with a spell called Lightning Pillar. Using it, his arms were filled with his Lightning Qi to the brim, and when striking they exploded out with great strength, and then all of the qi was let out as well, as a second strike. No doubt, it was a spell with a great offensive power, so much that Quin even seriously injured several participants. Fortunately for him, he was not disqualified as he managed to stay within the allowed limits.


    The first day passed, and he did advance to the next rounds but only with the second rank in the group, as the first place was taken by Mang.


    The next days proceeded quickly and without any hindrance to Quin, what¡¯s more many of his opponents forfeit after seeing his aggression. In the end he reached the semi-finals, without breaking a sweat. Fighting his friend, Alinor to get to the final was hard, however both of them respected each other and after testing each other for minutes, they mutually agreed decide the match¡¯s outcome with a single attack. Alinor¡¯s magma was hot and dense, hard to get through but Quin¡¯s lightnings were adamant and partly thanks to his unnaturally high output rate his lightnings finally pierced through the attack and defeated Alinor.


    After the fight ended Alinor simply nodded, however some disappointment could be seen his eyes, and then left the stage.


    It turned out the Quin would have his opportunity at revenge, because the other kid who reached the final was none other than Mang.


    Author''s Note: Quin''s arrogance only brought a shameful defeat for him, but he''ll have the opportunity to settle the score in the next chapter, which will feature the first real fighting scene in the fiction.

 Rise and Fall 18 - Amazed

    This time I won¡¯t let him cheat or ambush me, I¡¯ll attack right away and show him who¡¯s the superior! Quin thought while walking onto the stage. He faked a smile as they had to shake each other¡¯s hands and then walked back a few meters, to his designated spot.


    The gong echoed signaling the start of the fight.


    ¡°BOOM!¡± an enormous sound of explosion rang out.


    Quin did not waste any time, merged with lightning as soon as possible and started the fight just like the previous ones: first a Flash Jump to get close, then attacking with a Lightning Pillar. Though he was more cautious than before, he thought he would have no trouble at winning quickly.


    Just as his arm was halfway to reach Mang, he saw him moving his hands up. He was faster, but even if Mang managed to block him, he did not want to stop such a good attack and in truth he was not worried about the matter either. Mang finished moving his arms up just in time, and blocked the punch with both of his palms on each other.


    Another sound of explosion could be heard as they met. Mang was pushed a couple of meters back -- seemingly without suffering any injuries -- and shards and spikes of earth was flying in all directions.


    That lucky bastard! He just managed to cast a spell before I¡¯d have punched through him. Quin vexed.


    He did not waste much time, and went on the offense once again, shooting two Bolts out, before using another Flash Jump. Mang was vigilant as well, and answered by shooting out several fist-sized balls of earth.


    The lightning bolts destroyed most of the rocks easily, sending their remains flying everywhere, however due to this Quin had to stop, as his field of vision was filled with dust in front of him. He leapt back a few meters and decided to pour out his Lightning Qi in all directions to prepare for ambushes.


    As he shot out a couple of Bolts again he noticed from the corner of his eyes that from his left side tiny but numerous earth shards and spikes were making their ways toward him.


    He snorted and his whole body flickered, nearly instantly appearing several meters away, in the direction where those shards came from. This ability called Flash was possible after merging with the lightning element. The entire body of the user takes on the properties of lightning, and just like a lightning bolt, shoots out at an unbelievable speed towards its target. Although similar to Flash Jump, it was of higher caliber.


    A grin could be seen on his face, as he appeared right next to Mang.


    Lightning Pillar! He attacked again. This time Quin caught him unprepared and hit him without him being able to block the strike at all.


    Mang flew meters back but was eventually stopped by a rock that suddenly emerged. The shocking thing was that the collision made not much sound and the stone behaved more like a sponge than an actual rock, making Mang bouncing back to his feet.


    ¡°Not bad,¡± Despite taking a great hit, he said smiling like he had no care in the world.


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Quin did not pay much mind to it, and was instead focused on finishing the fight as quickly as possible. The longer it takes the more humiliating it will be!


    Lightning Whirlpool! He put up his arms in parallel to the ground, his palms facing his opponent and started moving his arms in circular motions, faster and faster while constantly releasing his qi.


    Meanwhile Mang was back to using his ball of rocks, but this time he conjured up even more.


    He thinks that I¡¯m that stupid? You can try that again, but don¡¯t hate me for not being lenient! He smirked at the thought.


    Just like he thought, as his Lightning Whirlpool destroyed the rock, another cloud of dust appeared, blocking his vision. The reason he was not worried at all was due to that he has been already able to cast his spell for more than six seconds. This meant that it has already reached its strongest power.


    Quin was quite proud of the Lightning Whirlpool spell, as it was something he invented. It was based on what he did on the First Blood, but a more developed version of it -- focusing on his immense output rate. Although the area it could affect was smaller, it was more focused thus stronger and to top it off the circular motions of his Lightning Qi worked like a drill as well, further increasing its strength.


    For covering a bigger area, after the spell reached its maximum power, he started to move his arms left and right. His speed was great, so the opponent would find it hard to dodge and eventually the waves would hit them.


    Then another unexpected thing happened, Mang was nowhere to be found!


    What the heck?! He should¡¯ve been in that area, then why couldn¡¯t I hit him?! Bastard! He was not simply angry, no, now he was furious! At first he thought he would win easily, then he still thought that he would only have to exert himself a bit more, but now he had no idea what was happening.


    Another spray of earth shards and spikes exited the dust cloud, again from his left. He guessed their trajectory and flashed inside the cloud.


    There he is! This time I won¡¯t let him escape! he thought after seeing Mang¡¯s silhouette in the dense cloud, and attacked.


    There was no movement to his opponent and his Lightning Pillar hit straight through his head, making it explode afterwards.


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    What? Shit! What have I done? Cold sweat ran through his face. He wanted to hit him hard, he wanted to punish him for the humiliation he suffered, he wanted for it to hurt, but killing him? There was no way he would do that intentionally.


    ¡°Knock. Knock. Knock.¡± He was so deep in his thoughts and desperation that he did not notice the first two times that something was hitting him. After the third one he turned his head, only to see that hundreds of earth shards were flying in his direction. The previous ones hurt a lot, but he leapt backwards without delay, his instincts kicking in.


    That damn fucker is playing with me! he just realized that what he had hit before probably was just an earth copy of him. He became even more furious at him, but he was also kind of impressed at the same time. I really shouldn¡¯t drag this any further, but how to defeat him that¡¯s the real question? While dodging -- he did not want limit his vision another time, as it was obviously not advantageous for him even twice -- he was trying to come up with a solution.


    He looked around and saw that these shards were going off in every direction, even upwards.


    Seems like he¡¯s tired and losing control. He smirked. I should attack now, before his qi runs out completely. Defeating him only due to his energy depleting before mine would quite lame. I think if I fully exert myself with the use of flash and my ability to react I can get through his barrage unharmed and surprise him. Then I¡¯ll unleash a whole circle of my exploding qi at him. Alright, that sounds good. Honestly he did not have any other idea at defeating him. Before, just when he had thought Mang was in his grip, the boy disappeared like he had some kind of mysterious vanishing art and although he did managed to hit him once, merging with Earth Qi made him undoubtedly resilient. Thus in the end he concluded that he need to attack as fast as he could, and with a hard hit, while not leaving him any opportunity to vanish.


    Quin filled all of his body with his Lightning Qi to the brim, and then flashed. His concentration was at his maximum, avoiding the projectiles but also looking out for ambushes and in an instant he was right in front of Mang. He grabbed him with one of his hands and then palmed him in the face with the other. Through his palms he exploded all of his qi out, right at him.


    Naturally he focused his attack to penetrate his hard earthen armor and it only took a moment or two for him to succeed. Mang¡¯s body convulsed and then he fell to his knees, blood oozing out from the corner of his mouth.


    Just as Quin was preparing to hit him with another attack, just to be sure, he had to flash back because spikes were constantly erupting in front of him. Mang was still on his knees, breathing hard but smiling.


    Suddenly, Quin had a bad premonition and surrounded himself with qi as far as he could. Mang was laughing now loudly, but more importantly he discovered that shards and spikes of earth were falling down from the sky, covering nearly the whole stage they were fighting on.


    Shit! How¡¯s this even possible, conjuring a rain of earth shards?! He shouldn¡¯t be able to, these things are falling down from too far away and aren¡¯t directly connected to the earth; there¡¯s no way his power could reach there. He was desperately trying to dodge or hit them, while grinding his gears. They were just simple spikes made of earth, however dropping at him from that height, it would probably take only a single one to take him out for good. Only if... He wasn¡¯t shooting them helter-skelter because his control decreased, but intentionally. Wait, that still wouldn¡¯t be enough to cover this whole area for this long.¡¯It became gradually harder to evade or destroy all of them, but he simply needed to know how his opponent had accomplished it. He went through their fight briefly, trying to figure it out, and then he realized, It wasn¡¯t just then, but during the whole fight shards and spikes were flying constantly in all directions... He was preparing this during the entire fight? How? How?! He was on the brink of madness, fuming but then he saw Mang, who was barely conscious and was falling down. He did not have more time to observe him, as he had to jump backwards to dodge, only to lose his balance and fall on his butt.


    He looked up, the sky above him was clear, then he looked at Mang, who was laying on the floor, blacked out. Just as he inspected why he had lost his balance, he realized his mistake but was interrupted by the voice of the announcement.


    ¡°Quin is disqualified for leaving the stage. Mang fell unconscious just at the same time, so after this amazing, eventful fight the result of the match is something unprecedented in any finals of the previous tournaments: a draw!¡±


    Author''s Note: This was the long promised fighting scene, which took me quite a long time to finish, as this was my first attempt at writing something like this.


    I often find the fighting scenes somewhat lacking in various novels, as they are not descriptive enough to get an understanding at what is exactly happening and thus I''m left with only people wildly shouting the names of their techniques at each others, however having no idea about the actual details of the fight. I''ve spent a long time trying not to commit the same mistakes (and to make it interesting as well), but so far I''ve only got the opinion of my beta reader, so I''d be glad to hear what you guys think about it.

 Rise and Fall 19 - Brighter Day

    Quin did not wait for the award ceremony, he stormed out right away after the fight. Even if in the end he had won, he would not have been proud or happy. He was better, he should have been better, he should have won easily but fighting to a draw against someone whose element is mere earth and furthermore has a lower cultivation base?


    That was just plain humiliating!


    Previously he had been at the center of attention, at the spotlight of his year, no of his entire school. However not this time... Today¡¯s main attraction would obviously be Mang, who managed to end up with a draw against him.


    He needed to cool off his head, away from the pitying eyes that looked down on him.


    Thus he climbed up the mountains at the back of the city and went to the spot they usually hung out with Aline at. He sat down, contemplating on the recent events, slowly entering into a self-loathing state, due to his failures.


    After a while he decided to divert his attention, so he started playing a game he just invented: ¡®Fuck all the rocks¡¯. He threw rocks and pebbles nearby him as far as he could and then shot them down with his strongest Bolts, sparing no effort.


    He did not know how long he was doing this, when he felt somebody sitting next to him, and then they put their arm around him. Quin turned his head and realized it was Aline.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so angry and disappointed, it was just a tournament. Although it ended up in a draw, you¡¯re still stronger than him and remember you were still standing after he had fallen unconscious already,¡± she said in a gentle tone, showing a beautiful smile to him.


    Mixing the love and happiness he felt about her, especially after hearing her comforting talk, with the pain, anger and all the negative emotions he had, made it quite hard for him to prevent his tears from flowing out.


    I can¡¯t! No, I can¡¯t be weak in front of her, I have to show that I¡¯m strong, someone she can rely on! he declared it in his mind and restrained his emotions, trying to make it like he was completely calm and confident.


    ¡°I know,¡± he answered, nearly choking on his words, it seemed it was more difficult than he imagined. ¡°I know that I¡¯m the superior, in strength, in element and in cultivation as well, but I¡¯ve got no idea how all of this happened. Now I¡¯ll be the laughing stock of the fucking school!¡± he lost his temper at the end and swore. ¡°Sorry, I just... It¡¯s just been a long day and week.¡± He apologized.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± she replied still smiling and caressed his back. ¡°In truth it was just that he had more experience than you.¡±


    ¡°What? How¡¯d he get more experience?¡± he interrupted her, frowning.


    ¡°Let me finish it.¡± She let out a small sigh and Quin nodded embarrassed. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t know this, so do keep it a secret. Even I only learnt about this, from overhearing my father talking with a city official. As it turned out, Mang¡¯s got a powerful backer or maybe he¡¯s even Mang¡¯s master, and the thing is that he had become an important benefactor of the city throughout the years. I¡¯m not sure about the details, but I think he¡¯s probably some kind of alchemist and he is sending his items to the city through Mang. Thus thanks to this mysterious person, Mang got a significant influence in the city. The point is that he managed to let him into the army to get more real combat experience, even if he¡¯s still not an adult,¡± she explained.


    ¡°Haha! So that¡¯s how it¡¯s been!¡± Now the complete situation became clear to him and he laughed. ¡°That bastard concealed the fact to get back at me! But even though he¡¯s got more experience than me, in a few years time that¡¯ll be nothing, however my advantage will still remain!¡± His mood instantly changed after hearing her explanation and his negative emotions disappeared, leaving behind only the positive ones. Then he paused, a thought occurring to him. ¡°I guess after this there¡¯ll be several of idiot who¡¯ll think that they¡¯re the same as Mang, and can take up a fight me! Haha, I¡¯ll just have to show them that the difference between us is Heaven and Earth!¡± Quin smirked. He was now completely back to his old self, full with power and confidence. ¡°Thank you, Aline!¡±


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    He turned his head towards her smiling and Aline did the same. I guess, this as good opportunity as I can get! he thought and after gathering his courage for a few moments and staring into each other¡¯s eyes, he moved his head slowly closer to her. Meanwhile he lifted his hand up, putting it on her shoulder and tenderly pulling her closer as well.


    Their face was right next to each other, barely separated and he could feel her breath on himself, as well as her sweet, entrancing fragrance. He looked at her mesmerizingly beautiful face briefly and then he kissed her at once.


    At first he could feel some hesitation from her, which made him nervous like he had never been before, second guessing if he had done the right thing. Fortunately for him, it was only for a moment and Aline kissed him back.


    He did not know for how long it lasted that they were glued together like that, he was too submerged into this perfect moment. He felt that it was the best moment in his life, he never felt so happy and content before and could not even put it into words. The morbid thing was -- even he did not know how it came to his mind -- that the most accurately he could describe his emotions and current state was as the exact opposite what he felt, during the time when he was attacked by the Shrieker years ago. Thinking of this, he became startled for a second but then decided to ignore and just enjoy the time.


    They stayed there, in each other¡¯s embrace until night, talking and laughing about various things.


    The next day he had to face the consequences, however.


    The first one being just like he had assumed, some of his classmates getting too cocky or even provocative around him. He did fix it in quite a short time, though. Shooting a couple of Bolts or simply just overwhelming them with his Lightning Qi made even the more foolish ones quickly realize that, the draw was only due to Mang probably being a genius. Secondly it helped them remembering the matches before the finals, how Quin basically obliterated anyone in just seconds and reminded them that it would not be a good idea try and pick on him. Thus the status quo at the school was almost entirely restored on the very first day after the tournament.


    After that came talking with the Instructor. At the start Quin was worried about what his teacher would say, but surprisingly he was not angry at all, rather he was sad. He told Quin that he was somewhat disappointed, but all in all in the last match he had a great overall performance and the thing he lacked was combat experience, so there was no reason for him to be angry. Thus Quin requested him to allocate some of his training time to get some combat experience, to which the Instructor happily complied.


    Sorting out the incident with his father was a touch more difficult, but after a couple of weeks, their relationship was back to normal. In the previous years their relationship has became great, Quin was really glad to have a father, with whom he could interact with, ask for advice or just speak to. His father let him to accompany to several places, even to some important meetings, where he proudly introduced his genius son to them. It also made Quin quite happy and proud, to see how highly his father thought about him.


    Sometimes he was still angry about the results of the tournament, but all in all he felt that he had found his place in life and that from now on comes the best part of it.

 Rise and Fall 20 - Destiny Awaits

    Times passed peacefully and just about a month before his fifteenth birthday in the middle of May, Quin successfully entered the second level of Qi Condensation Sub-Stage. His qi density increased to six just after a couple of days, making it to the same value as an average man of the third level.


    In June, he passed his fifteenth year of life, and then in September the school began once again. The winter came and left, giving space to the warm but rainy season of spring.


    In March the annual tournament took place again, however it was not as eventful as the previous one. Mysteriously, Mang did not take part in it, so people¡¯s expectations of watching an amazing fight like a year before were only met with disappointment. The final was decided between Alinor and Quin, but more quickly than a year ago. Quin was a stage above of Alinor, so easily overpowered him in just mere moments.


    In the blink of an eye it was the day after his sixteenth birthday. This day bore a great importance in his life, as being the one on which his Ancestral Spirit would be revealed.


    Though usually the students would be checked in groups, due to his extraordinary talent Quin was an exception. He could not be examined before he was past sixteen, because before that his spirit was unstable and not something that could be interacted with by any kind of methods. Why the requirement was the age of sixteen for humans nobody knew, it remained a mystery, however it was still a fact.


    In the Qi Foundation Stage the most important factor was one¡¯s element, but afterwards the type of their spirit replaces that. The students knew bits and pieces about this from Nyra¡¯s classes, but Quin possessed a substantially bigger knowledge regarding this topic, thanks to his frequent visits to the library.


    The next stage which was called Spirit Forming, would be the first great dividing line in the martial path, where many would get stuck, unable to continue. However those who succeeded, would have their longevity increased by a significant deal, from around two and a half century to four whole one. Their control over their elements would also experience a growth, as their mental energy would multiply even by the hundreds.


    The process of Spirit Forming was about establishing a fake Spirit Core, which opens the possibility to start their merging with their Ancestral Spirit.


    Most of the people had an Ancestral Spirit. It was said that the humans were partially the offsprings of various legendary and mythical beasts, whose essences could be still found dormant in their blood even after an unknown amount of time. With the help of the fake Spirit Core, one could slowly start to awaken this essence hidden inside them. Then they would be able to summon a powerful illusory copy of them which would aid them during fights. It was even rumored that after having a cultivation high enough one can merge with their Ancestral Spirit, turning into one of those mythical beasts himself.


    There were two factors determining an Ancestor¡¯s Spirit strength and power to the user: the race and type of the creature, naturally a Tiger Spirit would be stronger than an ordinary Rabbit Spirit; and secondly the user¡¯s affinity to the Spirit. Clearly, the spirit of an Eyeless Flame Bear, which was of the fire element, would not fit well with a water element user and could cause remarkable instability within its user. In some extreme cases of this lack of compatibility, it brought even disastrous results, such as instant death on the attempt of summoning it or destroying one¡¯s foundation due to opposing forces of the user and the spirit simply canceling out or destroying each other. Fortunately these kind of incidents were uncommon, only appearing a few times per millions of people.


    Walking to the school morning, Quin felt a bit worried that he would not have the same luck in this matter, than with his element, but there was nothing he could do about it.


    He entered a room in the basement of the main building, where Nyra, the Instructor and another man waited for him. The man looked visibly aged, his face filled with deep wrinkles and his head bald, lacking even a single breadth of hair. He wore a simple black robe, without any kind of ornament decorating it, and oddly no kind of footwear could be seen on his foot.


    The old man¡¯s eyes were covered by a piece of black cloth tied around his head, however it did not seem to obstruct his vision at all as Quin saw him walk around the room unhindered. A book was squeezed in his hands, but as soon as Quin glanced at it, he lost track of time and entered in some kind daze.


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    ¡°Hey, Quin!¡± His instructor¡¯s yell woke him up, and he had no idea how much time has passed or what actually happened but made a mental note to keep the book out of his sight.


    ¡°Yes, sir?¡± he answered.


    ¡°Go and sit cross-legged inside that area, surrounded by the pillars,¡± the Instructor ordered him.


    Quin looked around briefly, observing the room itself. Its size was small, only about twenty-five square meters and all six walls, the top and bottom included were filled with different -- for him unknown -- symbols, glimmering in a strange dim purple light, seemingly in a random frequency. A part of the room in the middle was surrounded by translucent pillars in the shape of a square, with a triangle shaped podium emerging from its center. This was where he sat down, waiting.


    He took another peek at the old man, and noticed that even his stature was hunched. Despite all of this, looking at him made him scared and not like when he he lost the fight against Mang and the Instructor was yelling at him. Not even like that time back in the first grade when he was face to face with death itself. Although the magnitude of this emotion was lower, but he felt as it was more penetrating and its intensity was higher as well. It made him feel like he had no option but submit to a superior being.


    ¡°Alright, close your eyes and empty your mind.¡± His thoughts were interrupted by the Instructor.


    After entering a meditative stage he could hear Nyra¡¯s calm and gentle, but also firm voice speaking to him. Although it was in a language he did not know, somehow he was still aware most of its meaning. It was guiding him, deep down into his mind and body and then... He blacked out.


    ¡°Do not worry, you will be fine.¡± Opening his eyes, he realized it was Nyra¡¯s voice. ¡°You did great, the ceremony is rarely this easy.¡±


    I blacked out, and I¡¯m still doing great? Really? He was quite surprised, but after his eyes quickly adjusted to the light level of the room he was even more surprised. Nyra, his teacher who was known among his classmates as the incarnation of coldness itself, due to her lack of emotions to any kind of events, who was always cold and detached, was standing in front of him looking at him and... Smiling lightly at him. There was no coldness or fakeness in her smile, it looked genuine and he had to admit that it looked beautiful.


    Of course he was no fool either and only glanced at her shocked for a moment, and then sorted out his appearance, while standing up. He remembered the rumors about Nyra, and he did not dare to offend her.


    ¡°Thank you, Ma¡¯am.¡± Quin nodded.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not dilly-dally!¡± his instructor said with great excitement. ¡°I¡¯ve got two pieces of good news for you! The first one is that you seemed to impress the Grand Duke!¡± He smirked, waiting for the news to kick in.


    What? He was the Grand Duke? He could not even speak a word he was so taken aback. Looking around, he found out that the Grand Duke has already left. Shit! I¡¯ve presumed it was just an average teacher and what¡¯s more I think I even forgot to greet him because I was so absorbed at observing him and afterwards the room. Damn, I¡¯m such a big fool! He was totally embarrassed now, his face painted red.


    ¡°Haha! Alright, you shouldn¡¯t worry about that!¡± His instructor laughed heartily. ¡°As I said, it looked like you had impressed him, and in a good way. Let me tell you, just like you¡¯ve probably already suspected, that book of his is special. Sadly I can¡¯t go into details about it but I can tell you that it can even make Qi Culmination cultivators pass out, not speaking about somebody like you, who¡¯s only at the Qi Condensation! You realize it now don¡¯t you?¡± Grinning, he looked at Quin, who nodded. ¡°It doesn¡¯t just mean you¡¯re better than them, but that your mind, your mental strength is exceptional!¡±


    Thanks to this news, Quin¡¯s shame decreased to a bearable amount. Even if he behaved quite rude, at least he still managed to make a good impression on him.


    ¡°The next one is,¡± he continued. ¡°you¡¯ve got a spirit comparable to your lightning element! I hope you know it¡¯s no small feat,¡± he said and then looked at Nyra.


    ¡°Your Ancestral Spirit is of the same lightning element as you and is one of the strongest types: a dragon. It is one of a kind, and is called Elemental Lightning Dragon!¡± she started explaining and during the last part, when he announced its name even her eyes lit up slightly.

 Rise and Fall 21 - Setting Forth

    ¡°Elemental Lightning Dragon? One of a kind?¡± Quin asked shocked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± the Instructor answered grinning.


    After a moment of pause Quin asked confused, ¡°Wait, if it¡¯s one of a kind, then how do you know its name?¡±


    ¡°With the help of the room and the device in the middle we can get some basic information about anyone¡¯s Ancestral Spirit,¡± Nyra explained. ¡°It peers into your deepest parts, even into your soul and projects the information through those pillars onto the wall. The details are not that thorough, but enough to get a basic understanding of the matter.¡±


    Quin was astonished, he never knew something like this could have existed. The soul was an intricate matter, not something people usually dared to tamper with even if they were in the Spirit Forming stage.


    ¡°And what did it say about my spirit?¡± Quin could not suppress his curiosity and asked them.


    ¡°First of all, it told us its name and its elemental and racial type,¡± Nyra said. ¡°We also learned how these type of creatures are born. They start their lives as Lightning Drakes, reptile creatures who are drawn to lightning and feast on it. Some of them can even eat and absorb the Tribulation Lightning itself and that is the key component for their evolution! Although it happens rarely, some drakes can eventually absorb enough lightning that their fleshly body starts to be replaced by that of lightning. After countless years they gradually morph into an Elemental Lightning Dragon, which have a body completely made of elemental lightning, in the shape of a dragon. Even those Lightning Drakes are quite powerful, not to speak about how fearsome an Elemental Lightning Dragon can be! I hope you realize you just hit the jackpot!¡± The excitement and enthusiasm could be clearly seen in her eyes even now.


    Quin was speechless for a few moments. Though he did not know much regarding Lightning Drakes, he did encounter some information about them in one of the previous books he had read in the library. One of the things mentioned was their strength which farly surpassed that of a human in the Spirit Forming stage.


    Just how powerful will my Elemental Lightning Dragon be? he wondered. He could already imagine himself in the future, backed by his magnificent Ancestral Spirit. Roaming around the world and rocking its very foundation, outshining even the geniuses! He was brought back from his daydreaming by the voice of his instructor.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s all great and good but don¡¯t forget without sufficient training you won¡¯t even reach Spirit Forming!¡± the Instructor warned him.


    ¡°Yes sir, I know,¡± Quin replied.


    Just two days before the new school year Quin successfully reached the third level of Qi Condensation sub-stage. His qi was now whole seven times denser in his body compared to when he had stepped into the Qi Foundation stage. He only had a single level of Qi Condensation level left, and then he could finally step into the last sub-stage of Qi Foundation, the Qi Culmination. Out of the three sub-stages, this was probably the most complex one, and could not be fully described as ¡°establishing a new core¡± or ¡°condensing the qi¡±. You could say that it was about improving the quality of your qi, but that would not be entirely true. It also dealt with one¡¯s control of their qi as well as the very essence of it, which was nigh impossible to explain in mere words.


    At the end of September every kid of the eleventh grade was busy preparing for their Coming of Age ceremony, which was only a couple of weeks away. It was no surprise that on Nyra¡¯s last class before the ceremony, she would be speaking about that.


    ¡°I know that you had gone through this already, but regarding the importance of the ceremony, I would say that it is better to be safe than sorry.


    ¡°On the sixth of October all students in the eleventh grade have to take part in the Coming of Age ceremony. The point of it is to show you how real life is outside the city, or without the protection it provides and to teach you how to survive on your own. You will be divided into groups of six and all of you have to stay in the Wilderness -- naturally within the line of the Sundering Flames -- from three to six months. This amount will depend on your performance: if you are lazy, inefficient or craven do not think that you will have the opportunity for an early homecoming!


    ¡°You can only fill a single medium-sized backpack to bring with you, and you are not allowed to pack any talismans or precious artifacts. All of your belongings will be examined and inspected  before you leave, and if we find anything like that, you can be sure that you will never see it again!


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    ¡°I will be honest with you, the journey is dangerous and there have been cases of a student dying. However your safety is important for us, that is why each groups will have a Qi Culmination expert as your guardian, and every twenty groups will be assigned a Spirit Forming expert.


    ¡°Normally the Qi Culmination guardian will not interfere in your fights out there, instead they will mainly play a supportive role and only directly intervene if you are in mortal danger. They will also have the ability to call for the Spirit Forming expert, if needed.


    ¡°It is also important to note that the groups are not allowed to band together for an extended period of time. Of course we do not want forbid any kind of interactions, but let me remind you that we intentionally split you into those groups, so these meetings should not exceed a day. Let me warn you, that this will be checked each day by the Spirit Forming expert!


    ¡°During these years, you have learnt how to fight and defend yourselves, how to navigate across the lands, how to do first aid or handle dangerous situation and the attributes, strength and behavior of the wild beasts. You should be equipped with everything necessary to survive, even if you have only half-paid attention to your studies, thus I hope that every one of you will be able to succeed!¡± Finishing her speech, she paused for a bit and then decided to go through a couple of other important information as well.


    The days passed and soon it was time for the Coming of Age ceremony. The students, who have already stood in groups, were lined up in front of the enormous city gate. Quin was at the front, with his group of seven, including him. Five of them were from his usual circle of friends, Aline, Alinor, Dreon and two of Alinor¡¯s friends, Lin -- an average looking, but tall girl with green, short hair and a slim body -- and Sao -- a lean guy, his only noticeable feature being his bald head.


    The last member of the team was their Qi Culmination guardian, a woman in her early twenties with long red hair braided into two threads. Though she somewhat had a pretty face, her looks were ordinary and could not be compared to the other beauties in the crowd. She was no other than Leyn, Quin¡¯s former friend.


    He was not quite happy that it had to be her, who was selected as their guardian but he could not do anything about it.


    In the previous year and a half there was barely any interaction between them, despite that she tried several times to fix things up, but Quin felt betrayed and was too stubborn to reconcile.


    Soon the instructors, teachers and the soldiers arrived and after a short speech and assigning the Spirit Forming experts to the groups, they departed. They would be escorted together to the edge of Wilderness, and then they would be scattered in different directions.


    After arriving, Quin¡¯s team was one of the outermost ones, not too far from the Sundering Flames.


    ¡°Cool! We¡¯re just at the edge, so we can finally go and see the Sundering Flames with our own eyes!¡± Dreon exclaimed happily, his eyes shining.


    ¡°Yeah, I also can¡¯t wait to see it!¡± Lin said, sharing Dreon¡¯s enthusiasm.


    Honestly, all of them were just as excited as Lin and Dreon and made similar remarks. They have heard a lot of the Sundering Flames, and they have even seen quite a few paintings, but obviously that could not compare to seeing it in person.


    They set off, organized into the formation they have previously planned and discussed. Quin was at the back of the group, as he was the fastest among them -- not just in speed but in his ability to react as well. In this way he could see the whole group and could quickly respond to any threats. The front was taken by Alinor, who -- due to his magma element -- was the toughest and could take quite a few heavy hits if anything happened. He also acted as the leader of their group, deciding their direction to take, or the other¡¯s role in the team. Quin could have taken his position without a doubt, as he was the strongest among them, however Alinor was one of his best friends and he perfectly knew that his ability in this area was lacking compared to Alinor¡¯s.


    Nightfall came in no time, and they stopped to set up a camping site for the night.

 Rise and Fall 22 - Conspiracy

    The first night in the Wilderness passed uneventfully, all six of them took turns standing guard for a little over an hour while the others were sleeping. At morning after having their breakfast -- a deer they hunted before -- they packed their things and set off, in the direction of the Sundering Flames.


    A few days elapsed in the same manner, without any noteworthy incident. The landscape was beautiful, the whole place was filled with various trees, several of which were hundreds of meters high. Some of them were blooming in different colors and the air was full of the flowers'' sweet fragrant scent.


    There were a couple of times when wild beasts decided to attack them, however compared to Quin and his team, they could be considered as small fries and they had no problem taking care of them.


    On the eve of the fifth day they finally reached their goal: the Sundering Flames.


    ¡°Oh my god! It¡¯s so cool!¡± Dreon was the first to exclaim. He stood in front of the flame wall, with his mouth agape, looking at the flames with shining eyes.


    ¡°Indeed, I haven¡¯t seen anything like this in my whole life,¡± Alinor said calmly, but his excitement could be clearly seen.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s beautiful... But don¡¯t you feel a bit strange?¡± Quin asked.


    ¡°Hmm? I haven¡¯t noticed anything like that,¡± Alinor replied.


    Aline simply shook her head.


    I do feel like there¡¯s a menacing, suppressing aura every time I look at it and I even feel like I¡¯m shivering with cold! Why is it only me who feels it?


    ¡°Strange? Yes, it¡¯s indeed strange!¡± Dreon answered. ¡°How do you think something like this can even exist? It¡¯s been around for centuries! Can you imagine that? There¡¯s definitely something strange... Something shady! Do you think it¡¯s also a part of the Shrieker¡¯s scheme?¡± He paused only for a moment, and then continued, with a shocked expression on his face. ¡°Oh my god! They¡¯ve been scheming, conspiring behind our backs for centuries!¡±


    It was at this point when Quin interrupted him. ¡°What kind of nonsense are you talking about? The Sundering Flame being the Shrieker¡¯s scheme? Sometimes, I really wonder if you¡¯ve got a screw loose!¡± He was almost yelling at this point. ¡°I was trying to speak about something serious and yet for some damn reason you felt the need to bring up your stupid theories! But alright, humor me, why would this be their scheme? The only connection that you could possibly bring up is that they could pass through the flames. So what? We can swim through water, even several types of corrosive waters, yet we¡¯ve got no relation to them. Have you heard about Lightning Drakes? Not only can they move through even the Tribulation Lightning itself, they ate it for a snack!


    ¡°And why¡¯d our people do something like that? There is no infighting inside our nation, and there hasn¡¯t been for ages, we always stood united against our foes. The most powerful people of Ade Lai -- like our Grand Duke, Gorman or Nyra -- were always friendly toward each other and if you had read up on our history, you would¡¯ve known that they fought alongside each other for countless years!


    ¡°Besides this place is crowded with our legions, do you think that even if there were a couple of rebels among them the others wouldn¡¯t have noticed it? Do you  think the Spirit Forming experts in the legions are just for show? Their clairvoyant spells aren¡¯t just ordinary ones, but more complex, sophisticated versions, which can cover a significant area once activated.


    ¡°You know, I didn¡¯t even try to argue with you, I just listed a few random reasons from the top of my head! However even these are more than enough against your stupid theories,¡± Quin said and the irritated look on his face completely mirrored his feeling. ¡°Anyways, it¡¯s high time to set up camp. I¡¯ll go catch some food in the meantime,¡± he said and disappeared in an instant by using Flash.


    It¡¯s strange that no one felt the same thing that I had... he thought. Wait, I haven¡¯t even even listened to Lin and Sao! Sometimes he totally forgot about the duo. They have never been too talkative, in fact he barely even heard them speak. For some reason at most of the times, Alinor was joined by them wherever he went. They stuck to him like glue, but they were not actively part of their group. At first Quin assumed that they were some sort of bodyguards but then ruled out this possibility, as Alinor was stronger them. Actually, even if the two of them had joined hands against Alinor they would have been defeated.


    In an hour or two he returned with a lot of food. In truth, the ¡®catching some food¡¯ was just a pretense for channeling his fury, so most of his time was spent by searching for something he can use as a punching bag.


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    It turned out to be quite useful and when he returned, he felt fine, without any anger burning inside him. When he arrived, he looked around, not seeing any signs of Dreon.


    ¡°He left just after you, saying that if he¡¯s so unwelcome he will be camping in another place,¡± Alinor said, seemingly able to read his mind.


    Hmph, how childish and hysterical, leaving the camp just like that! Well, he will return shortly anyways, he thought not paying any more attention to the matter.


    The night passed and just as they were eating their breakfast in the morning, they saw that Leyn suddenly arrived, her face filled with concern.


    ¡°Guys,¡± she said, ¡°We¡¯ve got a problem, Dreon just ran away.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Alinor asked, looking calm on the outside, but in truth he became a bit worried.


    ¡°I camped between your and Dreon¡¯s place, to be able to keep all of you under watch and in the morning I decided to see how he was doing.¡± She paused, thinking hard how to formulate what she wanted to say. ¡°Well, when I asked him, he said a couple of things and then told me that he will continue the ceremony alone. I tried to convince him, but he used a wind spell and disappeared right away.¡±


    Hearing this Quin felt a bit bad, but then thought there was nothing to worry about as Dreon¡¯s strength was quite good and he would just come back to them in a day or so.


    ¡°And then?¡± Aline asked. ¡°You went after him, didn¡¯t you? So what¡¯s the issue?¡±


    ¡°I, uh,¡± Leyn replied, flushing with a hint of embarrassment and shame could be seen in her eyes, ¡°I tried, yeah, but I couldn¡¯t catch up to him.¡±


    ¡°But aren¡¯t you already in the Qi Culmination sub-stage?¡± Aline asked, looking completely surprised.


    ¡°Yes, I am, but I am of water element and Dreon¡¯s element was air. There¡¯s no way for a water element user to catch up to someone with an air element, even if there¡¯s a gap of a whole sub-stage between them,¡± Leyn answered, her head lowered.


    ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t our guardians with us in case of emergency? Then, what¡¯ll happen to us in a dire situation?¡± Aline questioned shocked, with a pale face.


    Currently, their whole group shared her worry and concern.


    ¡°Yes, guardians are there for emergencies,¡± she replied. Although she tried to hide her feelings of embarrassment, shame and inability to do anything useful in this situation, but they were clearly reflected on her face. ¡°There are different types of guardians as well, I am, as a water element user, a healer. Though my speed isn¡¯t that good, if any of you gets injured I can heal you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, but why is it such a big problem that Dreon left?¡± calming down from his previous worry that they were left with a somewhat useless guardian, Quin asked.


    ¡°Uh, he went in the wrong direction. I mean, look,¡± she said, while taking out a map from her pocket, ¡°These marked areas are the ones with dangers. If we see any of the groups entering it, we have to warn them first to stay together all the time. Most of them aren¡¯t exceptionally dangerous if you work together, however facing them alone can be... Lethal.¡±


    Once again, they became anxious, this time due to their friend¡¯s safety.


    ¡°Quin, you¡¯re supposed to be the fastest among us by a great margin, can you try to catch up to him? With your speed I think you can easily manage it,¡± Leyn asked.


    ¡°Hey! Are you trying to kill him?!¡± Aline asked and stepping next to Quin, cupped his arm protectively while glaring angrily at Leyn. ¡°Sending him alone towards that dangerous area? Haven¡¯t you said just before that it can be lethal if you¡¯re alone? What if he¡¯s attacked by a powerful wild beast there?¡±


    ¡°N-No, there¡¯s no way I¡¯d try to do that!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°I only thought that he¡¯d catch up to Dreon way before that¡±.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll absolutely won¡¯t let him on this suicide mission!¡± Aline said with teary eyes, looking frightened, even at the thought of losing him.


    On one hand, Quin felt quite happy that he was so important to Aline, on the other -- even if he planned to do the same thing what Leyn said, and there was no way he would be afraid of a couple of stronger wild beasts -- seeing how easily Leyn would have sent him there made his resentment toward her grow.


    ¡°Hey, I said I wasn¡¯t talking about anything like that! Anyways, we gotta do something before it¡¯s late,¡± Leyn said.


    ¡°Alright, we pack our stuff as fast as we can and then leave right away to catch up to him,¡± Quin said, taking up the role of the leader this time.

 Rise and Fall 23 - Strike

    They were running at their top speed for an hour now, but there has not been any track of Dreon and they were getting closer and closer to the danger zone. Leyn tried to contact their Spirit Forming guardian, however to no avail, it seemed like something was preventing long-distance spells. They had no choice but to keep on searching, alone.


    Damn, I really hope he¡¯s okay, Quin thought. He knew that he went overboard with Dreon before. He should have been accustomed to his dumb theories -- he was his friend --, but what he felt from the wall of flames had been completely unnerving him back then. He had felt like he could have exploded any time, and after Dreon¡¯s remarks he just snapped. There was no way he would apologize, but he was still worried about him.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Leyn said. ¡°We¡¯ve just entered the danger zone, slow down a bit and keep your eyes open.¡± The others nodded, and they continued even more vigilant.


    It did not take long until they encountered the first wild beast in the area, a Three-headed Scarlet Frog. It had a body three times the size of an adult human and his mucous, scarlet colored skin was quite resilient against attacks. Just as its name suggested, it had three heads, but oddly they were not next to each other like you would think, but lined up along its spine: the second head was on the middle of its back while the last one nearly at the end of its spine. The first head was used to bite at its target, or to shoot its poisonous tongue out, while the other two increased its field of vision as well as shot out its toxic spit, in an arc.


    This kind of composition may sound impractical but in reality even though the creature had no ability to use qi or spells, even a peak Qi Culmination expert would not have an easy time against it.


    Its main head could move swiftly and was highly flexible, to enhance its dangerous tongue thrusts, consequently if the two heads were next to the main one, then it would have reduced the creature¡¯s head¡¯s maneuverability significantly.


    When in fights, the frog usually did not move much, as thanks to its armored skin it was well-protected, and mainly attacked with its tongue. Although the poisonous balls spat from its two heads at its back flew in an arc and were not that fast, they constantly covered the battlefield which made it a difficult task to evade them, especially while you had to look out for its tongue.


    What the heck is that? he wondered but after seeing all three of its head he realized. Oh, it should be a Three-headed Scarlet Frog, I have to warn the others!


    ¡°Guys, it¡¯s a Three-headed Scarlet Frog, watch out for its tongue, and its poisonous spit from its two heads at the back!¡± he said and instantly merged with his element, his whole body covered in sparks and lightning, ready to fight.


    The others only stopped for a moment, but it was enough time for the frog to attack. It shot out it tongue toward the group but it was met with Quin¡¯s Lightning Pillar. He had been the first to react and as soon as he saw the frog¡¯s attack, he used Flash to close the distance.


    Despite that his Lightning Pillars were strong and he successfully diverted its tongue, he was sent a couple of meter backwards. Shit, it¡¯s very strong and fast as well!


    ¡°Alinor, take the front! The side of its belly supposed to be its weak spot, so I¡¯ll try to hit it from the right side!¡± Quin said. Usually he was not the one ordering the others around but he was the fastest to react and although the others were already in position for battle, they still looked somewhat shocked and confused.


    Just as he charged his body for another Flash, he became petrified for a moment: he saw that the two frog heads at its back has already spat its toxic, toward the back of their group where Aline was. Fortunately Sao noticed it before him and casted a spell to counter it. Those globs of spit suddenly froze just halfway through their way, and then losing all of their motion fell to the ground with a loud thud.


    Seeing that everything is alright, Quin calmed down and continued his plan. Before the monster could attack another time he was right at its left side, only about half a meter away from it and punched it with a Lightning Pillar. Huh? Weak spot my ass! It didn¡¯t even faze it! As his hit connected he could hear a thump, and see as his lightning dispersed across the wild beast¡¯s surface but other than this there was not even the slightest indication of the attack on its skin.


    He quickly flashed back-and-forth a few times, and tried to hit the frog again and again, but the results were the same as before. Is his armor really that tough? he wondered.


    Meanwhile the monster constantly spat its disgusting projectiles and strain was visible on Sao¡¯s face; he had a hard time freezing all of the toxic balls. Alinor -- covered in his magma, which had a scarlet hue to it -- was right in front of it, trying to attract its attention. He shot a couple of magma balls, which stuck on the frog¡¯s skin for a few moments, but did not do any significant damage. He also tried to wrestle with its tongue, grabbing it instead of simply just punching it back. It may have seemed like he was acting heedless, but in truth he knew his own limits, and either the poison had to be extremely potent, or he had to be under its effect for quite a long time for it to penetrate his magma armor.


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    Aline looked angry and frustrated, for some reason her attacks were not working like she had envisioned before, in fact they were not working at all.


    At the other side, Leyn was shooting streams of high pressured water onto the beast, which also appeared to have not much effect against the beast¡¯s armor.


    During the whole time Lin was standing at one side, her eyes closed and her face showing an expression of focus. She was casting her spell, but whatever it was, it clearly took her a longer period of time to finish it.


    What can I use? Lightning Whirlpool? he pondered. No, that¡¯s not gonna help much, it¡¯s good for suppressing a bigger area, but if the Lightning Pillar isn¡¯t enough then neither will that be. Bolts are out of question as well. I should then come up with something new... Maybe I can get through with a focused attack? Yeah, that¡¯ll have to do! He charged up, gathering his Lightning Qi in his arms, and then started to condense it as hard as he could, mustering all his concentration. It was incredible difficult to keep his Lightning Qi under control and he was on the verge of failing, but he did not give up. Lightning Spear! After a moment he managed to finish his preparation and he shot out two, thin but long lightning projectiles from his palms, the second one following the tail of the first one.


    Several sparks scattered along the frog¡¯s skin this time as well, however the other part of the attack successfully went through, opening a wound on the side of its belly. The creature let out an earsplitting scream and was just about to go berserk, when Lin snapped her eyes open and shouted, ¡°Everyone, get back at least two meters from it!¡±


    Naturally they listened to her, and leapt backward right away. The earth under and around the frog roared and trembled, the vegetation covering it quickly withered and the plants turned black with only a hint of green remaining in them. Then the soil began to ripple and creepy, disfigured hands emerged, seizing the wild beast¡¯s foremost head and its two left legs. With a firm grip, they pulled it to its left side and swallowed a third of the beast.


    The whole thing happened in the span of a second or two, and the others -- including Quin -- was flabbergasted, their mouth agape, looking at Lin.


    ¡°What are you looking at? Attack it quickly, I can¡¯t keep it up for more than ten seconds!¡± she yelled.


    They woke up from their daze, and started their attack once again. The creature was still spitting its toxic projectiles, but it undeniably had troubles at targeting them. It also helped that Alinor was casting his sticky magma balls at the frog¡¯s eyes. Though it did not cause much harm, it hindered its vision. Aline was still having troubles with her spells and Lin was using all of her concentration to sustain her¡¯s.


    Quin shot several Lightning Spears almost exactly at the same location and now the creature had a significant wound on its side. It was only due to his inhuman cultivation base that he could keep up, even after expending so much qi. Something¡¯s not right, its skin is open, so my lightnings should¡¯ve made more damage! he thought. I¡¯ll ran out of energy before I can seriously injure it! What have I not noticed?


    He focused on his Lightning Qi as it entered the creature and after a moment he realized. My lightnings should¡¯ve passed so through its cells, but they¡¯re just bouncing back and forth and then they exit through the hole they entered, scattering around its skin! Why is that? Hmm, wasn¡¯t this beast the one which behaves like a cactus? When it¡¯s raining, it absorbs all water it can to its body and then during droughts it uses that reserve. He looked around noting that the vegetation looked quite dry, even some of the trees. Maybe it has used up most of its water reserve already and its cells are completely dehydrated? Usually my lightnings lose some of their potence against dry targets, maybe with some additional water it¡¯ll be better?


    ¡°Leyn, cover it with as much water as you can and try to make the frog absorb it!¡± he said.


    The girl gathered her Water Qi and then while running to the beast, she summoned a ball of water in front of her. The ball got bigger and bigger and when its size was sufficient, she moved it to submerge the creature.

 Rise and Fall 24 - Traveling

    The frog was submerged in Leyn¡¯s ball of water, but this was not the end of it. The Water Qi was still connected to her, so she retained some control over it. With all of her might, she willed the water to go inside the creature, enter through its pores into its organs and cells.


    ¡°Watch out! I can only keep the spell up for two more seconds!¡± Lin shouted, strain visible on her face.


    ¡°Alright, everyone get back!¡± Quin yelled, preparing for his attack.


    Lin fell to the her knees exhausted as the spell expired. The ground stabilized and the frog started to emerge. It was no longer submerged in the water, as due to Quin¡¯s order Leyn -- just like the others -- stepped back.


    The wild beast emerged completely, and Quin has finished his preparation as well, jumping straight at the frog. He did not use any special techniques or spells, he fell back to his simplest, yet most powerful attack he had: Overcharge. Though it had been less powerful, he had used it before against Mang; he gathered all of his Lightning Qi inside his body and tried to compress it as much as he could and then simply let it explode out at his target.


    His current target was obviously the already opened wound at the beast¡¯s side. When his arm was almost entirely inside, he exploded his qi out, through his arm. It was a bit of a gamble, but trusting his knowledge and instincts, he assumed that the frog¡¯s ability to absorb water was quite efficient, and even the few moments it was exposed the Leyn¡¯s water ball would be enough.


    Fortunately he had been right, his lightning surged forward, this time not bouncing back and forth but penetrating its flesh and organs and destroying them. The wound, which was growing bigger and bigger was filled with the frog¡¯s poison as well, but Quin did not worry about that. Not only did his lightning evaporate a good chunk of it, but the part of his body that became infected were quickly cleansed by his Lightning Qi.


    It took only about two seconds for Quin to empty all of his qi reserves. Though in normal circumstance it would take longer, with Overcharge he could quicken his output rate. It was important to note however, that it put a great strain on his body and after using it he would probably unable to circulate his qi for at least several hours.


    With the last bit of his power, he put some distance between him and the monster and then collapsed to the ground.


    Aline and Leyn both ran to him, to check if he was alright. To their relief, they saw that he was just exhausted and would be fine after some rest.


    After Quin¡¯s attack the beast let out a couple of shouts and convulsed wildly for a few moments, before stopping. Alinor and Sao did not want to leave it to chance and attacked the frog through its -- now big -- wound until they were able to entirely bisect it. Afterward they also went to check on Quin.


    ¡°How¡¯s he doing? Will he be alright?¡± Alinor asked.


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s just expended too much of his qi and too fast,¡± Leyn answered. ¡°It seems he significantly increased his output rate for a while and that in turn put a great strain on his body. Fortunately, his body looks like it is somewhat accustomed to it and I also healed him as much as I could. Still, he¡¯ll most likely be out for hours.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Alinor said. ¡°I think we should rest for an hour or so before heading out again.¡±


    Nobody had any issue with that so they sat down to rest, and to recover their reserves, of course at least one of them was constantly on the lookout.


    Afterwards, they felt refreshed and continued to search for Dreon. Quin was still unconscious, thus they made a makeshift stretcher for him and carried the boy on it.


    They could not move as fast as before because of that, however they also had to be more cautious about where they went: they did not want to face a wild beast similar to the Three-headed Scarlet Frog while their strongest fighter is out.


    ¡°We should stop here, it¡¯s already getting dark,¡± Alinor said. ¡°This area seem to be void of wildlife, so we can probably spend the night here peacefully. There¡¯s not much we can do in the dark of the night, as well.¡±


    They began to set their camp, but this time -- to be on the safe side -- they reinforced their perimeter with simple traps, which could alert them in case a wild beast appeared.


    The night fell and just when they were about to eat dinner, Quin has finally awoken. He looked around, noting that everyone of the team was alright and that he was lying next to the campfire.


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    ¡°How long was I out?¡± he asked.


    ¡°At least seven hours,¡± Aline, who sat next to him, replied.


    ¡°Have you found any signs of Dreon?¡± he questioned.


    There was a moment of silence and then Alinor shook his head, looking a bit dejected.


    ¡°I¡¯ve just woken up, so I¡¯m full with energy. I¡¯ll look around for a bit then,¡± Quin said standing up.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a good idea, look around, it¡¯s pitch black outside,¡± Alinor said.


    Quin took a glimpse and realized, what Alinor said was right. ¡°Oh,¡± he said embarrassed, and sat down again. After filling his stomach he went to his sleeping bag and fell asleep right away. Although he said that he was full with energy, in truth his body was not completely restored and he felt dead tired. He even forgot that all of them were supposed to be on night watch, but the others did not mind it.


    In the next morning he felt refreshed, like yesterday did not even happen.


    They were continuing their journey through the danger zone and the rate they encountered wild beasts were getting higher and higher. Fortunately they had been only smaller and weaker ones and none of them could compare to the frog from yesterday.


    It was past noon when Quin took notice of something at his left side: under the lush vegetation on the ground he caught a glimpse of something like a spark. ¡°Guys, wait, I may have found something,¡± he said, trying to inspect the ground.


    The others gathered around him as he began clear the plants off the ground. Eventually the others joined him, and the more place they cleared up the more confused they got.


    ¡°What the heck is this thing?¡± Though Sao rarely talked, this time it was him who asked the question.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got no idea either,¡± Alinor said, shaking his head.


    What Quin believed to be a spark previously, had been in truth the light being reflected on the surface of a... Mirror? They have freed a few meters of the ground from the various plants and under them it was completely covered by something similar to the surface of a mirror.


    After another few minutes of work, Quin said, scratching his head, ¡°To me it looks like some kind of path? It¡¯s about three meters wide, but even after twenty or so meters we haven¡¯t seen it¡¯s end or start. Furthermore it¡¯s, uhm, probably built? In a straight line. I guess Dreon would¡¯ve loved it.¡± He paused for a moment, with a hint of sadness appearing in his eyes, but then he realized something and his expression changed to one of anticipation. ¡°You know what that means? I don¡¯t think that even if we continue in this direction, we¡¯ll have much higher chance to find him; he could¡¯ve changed directions any time. However it seems that this mirror path or whatever stretches for quite a distance, so what if we aren¡¯t the only one to find it? I noticed it only by chance, but there could be places, where the vegetation is more sparse. What do you think Dreon would have done after discovering it? I say our best chance at finding him is following it in one direction or the other.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a good idea to me,¡± Leyn said, smiling.


    ¡°Well, what you said is right, we haven¡¯t found a single track of him, so there¡¯s nothing to say that he¡¯s just kept going in a straight line.¡± Alinor agreed, taking a brief glance at the road made of mirrors and his lips curved up to a half-smile. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s definitely something he¡¯d interested in it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be much help with these things... So obviously I¡¯ve got no objection to it,¡± Aline said shyly with a slightly red face, hinting her embarrassment.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it! We don¡¯t have much idea how to proceed either, just guessing and hoping it¡¯ll be right,¡± Quin said encouragingly and stroked her head. He wondered why Aline had so low self-esteem, even though he considered her quite clever.


    They continued clearing the plants off the mirror road for at least a few hours until they have reached a clearing and when they looked up, they became awestruck at what lay in front of them.


    ¡°How could this be here?¡± Quin asked.


    Author''s note: Here''s an extra chapter for today, I hope you''ll like it!

 Rise and Fall 25 - Trapped

    What lay upon their eyes was a huge stone structure, overgrown by the vegetation. It looked like a pyramid built from two stone platforms, which were made out of blocks each the size of around ten cubic meters. The sides of these platforms were only slightly bent and the upper one seemed to be about a quarter part smaller than the one below. The whole pyramid occupied an enormous area and its overall height was well over six hundred meters.


    The second platform contained several smaller structures -- most likely houses. The mirror path lead to the middle of one of the pyramid¡¯s sides, where a long flight of stairs led to the top.


    An ancient aura filled the air and even at their first glance, they could tell that it was unimaginably old.


    ¡°Something like this...¡± Alinor exclaimed, but could not finish his line of thoughts.


    ¡°The Wilderness supposed to be and has been unpopulated, so there shouldn¡¯t have been any civilization living here,¡± Quin said, still staring at the structure in front of his eyes.


    ¡°A civilization?¡± Sao asked puzzled.


    ¡°Yeah, what else could have built something like this?¡± Quin answered. ¡°Just look at the size of this thing, even if Ranfel¡¯s nations were to unite we¡¯d find it hard to build something like this. Besides, just take a look at those stones, all of them are exactly the same size. Two, three or even a couple of stones like that, I could imagine, but thousands or millions of them?¡±


    Sao simply nodded, not giving voice to more questions.


    ¡°It¡¯s just, magnificent. I could only compare it to the Sundering Flames,¡± Leyn said.


    ¡°Why is it here and why haven¡¯t anyone found this before?¡± Aline questioned. ¡°With a height like this it should be even visible from far away.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, furthermore shouldn¡¯t have been these parts of the Wilderness already mapped?¡± Quin asked, turning to Leyn for answer.


    It took her for a few moments to realize, why Quin was asking her. She took the map from her pocket and showed it to them. ¡°Yes, it should¡¯ve been. You can clearly see that inside the danger zone we currently are, there are nothing implying of what we¡¯re seeing now.¡±


    They looked at map for a time, and then back to the pyramid. They all had various thoughts regarding the matter, but none of them found any answer to their previous questions.


    ¡°Alright, I say that we should check this out. I don¡¯t think that standing here and just staring at it would lead to anywhere,¡± Quin said laughing.


    The others agreed and they started to approach it, albeit careful for any threats. They finally scaled the stairs to top -- they decided to check the second floor first -- after a long time. Looking around they saw that their guess had been right, as the top was crowded with different buildings.


    They were all built in the same style, and looked quite similar. Each of them had a base in the form of a square and their walls were made out of smooth stone bricks, which were painted in some kind of color, but that had been long faded away. Other than this there was no decoration to be found and their flat roofs, which were created out of some kind of partly transparent crystalline material, extend beyond the base of the houses by a meter on each sides.


    ¡°This might have been even a town,¡± Alinor said.


    ¡°Yeah, it clearly looks like one, let¡¯s try to check the insides of the buildings, maybe we can find more clues,¡± Quin suggested.


    They entered several houses, however they have not found anything useful, only the remaining stone furniture. After a few hours passed they decided to not waste their time on checking every buildings they came across but only ones which seemed to be more unique.


    Even with this method they have spent a long time searching for clues -- and for Dreon. It was not until they reached the part of the town which was about in its center, that they have finally found something.


    It was a high but somewhat slim tower, which in contrast to the other buildings had preserved its color, which was dark black.


    ¡°What¡¯s this on the wall?¡± Leyn asked, looking at the wall inside the tower, which had some kind of carving on it. ¡°It encompasses the entire surface of the wall.¡±


    ¡°Now that¡¯s a good question,¡± Alinor answered, having no idea either.


    Quin inspected the carving carefully for a couple of moments, until he had at least some kind of guess.


    ¡°To me it looks like some kind of logographic writing, but give me some time, maybe I¡¯ll be able to discover something,¡± he said.


    ¡°Logographic writing? What¡¯s that?¡± Lin asked.


    ¡°Well, what you can see on the walls is a text, made out logographic characters. Our books are written with various characters as well but in contrast to our alphabet these characters represent a word not just a sound like ¡®A¡¯ or ¡®B¡¯,¡± Quin answered and then got back to inspect the carved walls.


    Hmm, there are a few characters, which look quite familiar, but where have I seen them? he wondered and continued on. That character! I¡¯ve definitely seen that! But where? Damn it! He did not seem to remember it, no matter how hard he tried, so he decided to try to meditate for a bit and clear his mind, maybe that way the memories would come back.


    Another hour passed while he was meditating, but then he suddenly jumped up and ran to one side of the wall.


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    ¡°Yeah, I was right, I¡¯ve seen that already in the library!¡± he exclaimed with excitement.


    ¡°Hey Quin, what are you talking about?¡± Alinor asked.


    ¡°Oh, yeah, sorry,¡± he answered while laughing. ¡°Do you see this character? This one, which resembles a bit of a skull with a horn?¡± He pointed on the wall at the character.


    ¡°Of course we see that,¡± Aline replied.


    ¡°Alright, so I saw this character already in a book. It was about an artifact found several hundreds years ago in the Wilderness by the Heavenly Crane Empire. It was an enormous shield and its surface was filled with carvings just like this. Although the writing on it was unknown to anyone, fortunately it was a Spirit Artifact, which meant that the user could connect their spirit to it and use it like it was their own limb. It turned out that in truth for some reason the carvings on the shield contained the names of its abilities, thus they could decipher the whole thing,¡± he explained.


    ¡°You¡¯ve told me you loved to go to the library and read, but sometimes you look like a walking encyclopedia,¡± Aline said with a warm smile on her face and the others nodded with agreement.


    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s nothing special,¡± Quin said a bit embarrassed. ¡°Anyways give me a few minutes and maybe now I can really find something useful.¡± He read through the carvings again for some time and then after he summarized his thoughts he said, ¡°Alright, there was not much I understood but there are a few keywords or phrases which recur frequently.


    ¡°So the character I showed you before means ¡®end¡¯, and it¡¯s nearly always next to two other one¡¯s: ¡®world¡¯ and ¡®eater¡¯. I guess it¡¯s some kind of myth that¡¯s written onto the wall and is about some kind of world-eater demon, which ends -- probably -- the world itself, or about the end of that world-eater demon.


    ¡°It also mentions a ¡®Black Sun¡¯, about which I¡¯m not so sure, maybe it¡¯s some kind of solar eclipse? After that there¡¯s a character I don¡¯t know of, and then it¡¯s followed by the character of ¡®path¡¯ and ¡®open¡¯. Sorry guys, I hoped I¡¯ll come up with something useful, but that¡¯s all I could read.¡± He sighed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s still more than what we could¡¯ve done!¡± Alinor encouraged him.


    ¡°Could that mean something like that with the Black Sun or solar eclipse a path opens?¡± Aline asked.


    ¡°That sounds right, but what kind of path is it talking about? Ah, if only I knew more characters.¡± He sighed dejectedly. ¡°Anyways, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much meaning to stay here and guess its meaning, not only did we get no useful information, I also don¡¯t see any sign of Dreon.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we check the lower floor first then?¡± Leyn asked.


    ¡°Lower floor? Where?¡± All of them look a bit shocked as they did not see anything leading downstairs.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just carefully camouflaged... I nearly fell into it before, anyways, look here,¡± she answered a bit embarrassed and showed them a corner of the room which was filled with various types of junks. After clearing that away, what received them was a narrow staircase leading down.


    They descended to the lower floor, which looked very similar to the upper one, being filled with carved texts. The biggest difference was that certain characters on the wall glowed brightly for a few seconds and then faded away.


    ¡°Man, this place just gets weirder and weirder... Maybe we should just turn around and leave this whole town behind?¡± Sao suggested.


    ¡°What are you talking about? We¡¯re looking for Dreon! If you¡¯re that afraid, go and ran away, alone!¡± Alinor said with anger clear in his tone.


    ¡°Alright, just forget I said anything...¡± Sao shook his head and tried to calm himself, without much success.


    ¡°What¡¯s that in the middle?¡± Aline asked pointing at a cauldron-looking thing at the very center of the room and started walking toward it. The cauldron was only the size of a human¡¯s head but was very sinister looking: it was painted pitch black; nothing they have seen so far could even compare to its darkness. Besides, the only decoration it had was a crimson colored, terrifying snake-like creature, which seemed to be made out of blood itself.


    Just as Aline touched it, the entire room started to flash in black and red lights and a cracking noise could be heard from the cauldron.


    ¡°What¡¯s tha-,¡± Aline tried to ask but in the middle of his question she suddenly disappeared without a hint. The others did not have any time to be surprised as one after the other vanished in the span of no more than a single breath.


    At the end Quin was the only one still standing in the room. Shit! What¡¯s going on?! My head, why does it hurt like hell? His whole head felt like it was on the verge of exploding. Is it some kind of spell? There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll just let it succeed like that! He started to circulate his Lightning Qi right away, as fast as he could manage, and then merged with his element. Lightning covered all of his body and instead of blood it was lightning what flew in his veins, however it was still not enough. He could not move even an inch and neither could he cast any kinds of spells, as his concentration was completely reserved by resisting the hostile spell.


    After around half a minute he finally could not keep up and blacked out. When he came he had a terrible headache, but more importantly all he could see was the pitch-black darkness surrounding him.

 Rise and Fall 26 - Labyrinth

    Quin looked left, right, above and in every direction but he couldn¡¯t see a thing, only pitch black darkness. He even tried to feel the ground but he could only sense a smooth surface everywhere.


    Should I shout something, so that maybe the others can hear me? He wondered. No, there¡¯s no guarantee that they¡¯re anywhere close, but it may attract the attention of someone hostile. Then what about the spell? Was it cast by someone or just a simple trap? I¡¯ve seen spells which can be embedded on different items and then make them so that they¡¯ll only trigger on a set condition, so that¡¯s definitely plausible. The whole pyramid and the town on top of it looked quite ancient and something long abandoned, so that also hints toward that it was only a trap.


    Alright, so I probably won¡¯t have to be afraid of enemies coming after me, but it¡¯s always best to be careful. He remembered briefly the time he fought against Mang and how his failure was due to his negligence. And I still have to look out for traps, but how? Hmm, maybe my lightnings can lit up the way.


    He shot out a couple of Bolts in different directions, however the only thing he could see was the lightning itself. So that¡¯s out the question. Though I doubt it, maybe by merging with lightning I¡¯ll be able to see something. He did so and his whole body was glowing brightly, but everything else, except his body remained the same pitch black, as before. Something¡¯s strange... What I feel from the Lightning Qi leaving my body is not normal, it¡¯s like in some places it freezes in space, while in others it goes way farther than usually. What could be the reason for it? He touched the areas where his qi could not get through and then the others as well, but there was nothing different, what he perceived was the same everywhere.


    So nothing useful again... But I think this phenomenon should be important, as it¡¯s the only thing so far which could be observed, even without much effort. Wait, could it be that this place maybe just a simple death trap? He walked around for an hour or so, observing anything he could. So no matter where I go it¡¯s the same dark and empty place. The are no traps or anything like that, which means that if it¡¯s not meant to make us die of either starvation or thirst, it probably isn¡¯t a death trap. Well, let¡¯s hope it¡¯s the right assumption and there¡¯s an exit out.


    Alright, so what is my current goal? To get out of this place and for that I have to find a path first.  What do I know currently? The place I¡¯m in is filled with darkness, and no matter the method I use, I can¡¯t see a thing... If my sight is not useful then I have to use one of my other senses. Hearing is also out of question, not just because I can barely hear anything, but I wouldn¡¯t be able to use that for finding my way. Well, maybe if there was a constant sound or voice and I knew that I¡¯d have to go toward there, but that¡¯s not the case. Then my touch? That¡¯s at least useable but then I¡¯d have to crawl all on all fours and that wouldn¡¯t just be humiliating, but really time-consuming as well. Smell? Nope, that¡¯s not gonna help.


    The last option is to use my Qi Sense. Although that didn¡¯t tell me much about this place¡¯s layout and I can only get a quite fuzzy image of my surroundings when I use it, it¡¯s at least something. My only clue is that strange phenomenon I noticed before and that¡¯s also connected to my Qi Sense. There must be something don¡¯t realize here! He sat down to meditate and to reorganize his thoughts. Then, after an unknown period of time something clicked inside his mind. Wait a second... If I¡¯ll use my Qi Sense instead of my eyesight, than maybe it will all makes sense! If something¡¯s blocking your sight then that¡¯s usually something you can¡¯t go through, like a wall or a tree. So that means I should regard the areas which my qi can¡¯t penetrate as walls and use the ones, which doesn¡¯t stop it, as my path.


    Haha, it still sounds kinda stupid, but not that much as walking on all fours for hours. He started to pour his Lightning Qi into the surroundings and followed the path where his qi could flow freely. After some time he decided to take breaks regularly, when his qi storage was half-empty to let his reserves fill up. He did not dare to completely empty his qi reserves, just in case an emergency happened.


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    Another dead end? Damn, it¡¯s already the fifth one in past hour or so! Is this some kind of labyrinth or maze? It probably is, but then how do I get out? Oh, right! The right-hand method should work in normal mazes, let¡¯s just hope this is like that.


    The right-hand method said that when in a maze you should always stick to the right side of the wall and follow it until you have found the exit.


    Minutes, and even hours passed and he was still following the right side of the wall and combined with the fact that he was completely alone there, no one to talk to, the whole situation started to get on his nerves.


    What could¡¯ve happened to them? To Alinor, to Aline or to the others? Wait, something¡¯s not right, why is it that I first thought of Alinor, and not Aline? He¡¯s my best friend, but she¡¯s my girlfriend who should be a lot more important! This damned labyrinth isn¡¯t only messing with my sight but with my mind as well! It probably dampens your emotions and confuses you in order to hinder you in finding the right path! I¡¯ve to get out soon or I¡¯ll really go crazy... He sighed.


    Finally! It took him another couple of hours, but he has finally found the exit, or at least something that looked like that. What he saw in front of him was just a normal doorway, however the importance was on that he saw it, with his very own eyes. He carefully observed it, but did not find anything suspicious, thus he entered it.


    What received him was a momentarily blinding flash and then he felt a similar sensation that he had when he was transported here from the basement of the tower previously. This time he did not resist it though, as he thought that wherever he went would be certainly better than this place.


    Just like the last time he blacked out due to the spell and when he came to, he was in a huge hall. Strangely enough, it had only three walls -- the top and the bottom one excluded -- and in the middle of each one stood a door.


    The first one was snow white, while the second one was pitch black. Both of them was highly decorated with various kinds of high quality ornaments, although of different kinds. The main theme used for the white door was delicate feathery wings -- shining in a golden light -- and crimson red spikes for the black door.


    Needless to say that it was the white one which Quin preferred. That third door is the strangest though, he thought. It was a simple old, wooden door, lacking any kind of decorations. Under normal circumstances there¡¯d be nothing weird to it, but standing next to those two doors, it¡¯s just way too suspicious. He also inspected the three walls carefully. The walls of the white and black doors was similar: filled with carved texts -- written with the same characters he had seen before. The third one was entirely simple in design, made out of gray stone bricks. If one were to look at only that wall, they would not doubt that it was just a common house somewhere in the capital.


    He tried to decipher the meaning of the characters on both walls, but he did not get too far. ¡®White¡¯ and ¡®path¡¯ above the white door and ¡®black¡¯ and ¡®path¡¯ above the other one, yeah that¡¯s definitely helpful. Not like I could¡¯ve guessed that. He shook his head. I¡¯m starting to wonder if there¡¯s any meaning of me trying to understand these texts... Knowing a couple of them doesn¡¯t amount to much at all. Anyways, what should I do now? I guess I should enter one of the doors, but it looks like a test of some sorts, so I should search for a clue or something first.


    ¡°Arg! What the heck? How the hell am I supposed to do it?¡± Quin vexed. Although he spent the last few hours by trying to find the right choice, he was unsuccessful. ¡°Seriously, if you hold us here against our will for some kind of stupid test, then at least you should give us some clues to work with!¡± he shouted to no one particular, yet just after these words left his mouth a bright light blinded him.


    ¡°So, young boy, what is that you have wished for before?¡± a deep, ancient voice asked him.

 Rise and Fall 27 - The Message

    After Quin¡¯s vision returned to normal what he saw in front of him, was an old man with a long white and braided hair. He wore a fine purple robe that had a sizeable circle on its chest, half of it painted light gray and the other half pale ocher. Surprisingly he seemed to be only a ghost, as you could easily see through him.


    ¡°Oh, do I really have to repeat myself?¡± asked the old ghost dejectedly.


    ¡°Uhm, no, sorry!¡± Quin has just woken up, but did not want to take his chances at angering a ghost. ¡°I-I, only wished that there were some clues regarding how to proceed on from this room.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that is easy! Just read the carved texts there and you will have no trouble at deciding!¡± he said with a gentle tone and a smiling face.


    Yeah, if it was that easy! he thought. ¡°Senior, it¡¯d definitely be that easy for somebody who knows these characters, but unfortunately the problem is that I can¡¯t read them,¡± Quin answered.


    ¡°Haha, you have not learned how to read yet, even at this age?¡± the ghost asked after a hearty laugh. ¡°These kids nowadays!¡± he exclaimed.


    This stupid geezer! Calm down Quin, calm down! After taking a few deep breaths, he answered, ¡°It¡¯s not like that senior, naturally I can write and read, but in my own language and alphabet and these characters are completely alien to me.¡±


    The old man¡¯s expression changed to one filled with confusion. Crap! I hope that it wasn¡¯t stupid to tell him that I didn¡¯t come from this town.


    ¡°Oh, so that is the case!¡± just when Quin was thinking that maybe he would have to rush at one of the doors to escape the ghost answered. ¡°For a moment there I wondered how could have an idiot passed the first test, but now it all makes sense. So you cannot read that? It is easy to change that!¡±


    The two walls with the carved writings flashed, and Quin felt a strange sensation in his head, but then in an instant all the characters were replaced by ones he was familiar with, thus creating a text he could read.


    Huh? It¡¯s that easy? Quin looked at the old man flabbergasted, but he was standing there like nothing happened. Alright, now that¡¯s one obstacle down! He read through both texts and inspected their contents thoroughly multiple times. Probably more than a half a day has passed already, and although Quin has formed some kind of understanding regarding them, he was confused, feeling that a piece was missing out of the puzzle.


    The meaning of each sentence is clear, but it¡¯s like most them are there just to fill the gaps.


    ¡°Are these text filled with only flowery words?¡± he asked. In truth he did not expected any kind of answers, he just thought it was worth a try.


    ¡°Haha, they indeed are!¡± the old man answered.


    So I was right! Now the questions is what are the important parts of it? Maybe I can ask that as well? Seeing that the old ghost was friendly and quite helpful, Quin started to get bolder.


    ¡°May I ask senior to help me in finding the important parts of the text?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Of course, here you are,¡± the old man replied and the wall flashed another time, but this time only a couple of words were left behind.


    ¡°Wait, I had to just ask?¡± Quin was shocked that the old man did comply to his request, and now he was starting to suspect that something fishy was going on.


    ¡°That is right, if you ask something I will answer and help you,¡± he said.


    ¡°Why?¡± Quin asked.


    ¡°Because I have been instructed so,¡± he answered.


    ¡°By whom?¡±


    ¡°Sorry young boy, but that is something I may not answer to.¡±


    ¡°Then why am I here?¡±


    ¡°You are here to be tested.¡±


    ¡°What kind of testing is this?¡±


    ¡°Sorry again, but I am only allowed to answer questions regarding this test.¡±


    What a bummer, and I hoped that maybe I¡¯ll get some answers, but at least passing this test seems to be easy. He looked at the wall with the white door and above it stood three words: ¡°The right path¡±. The second wall had also three words above its door: ¡°The wrong path¡±. The last wall remained the same even now, however.


    So if I enter the white door then, I¡¯ll choose the right path, while entering the black door means selecting the wrong path. Is it really that simple? But then what¡¯s the third door for?


    ¡°If these two are the right and wrong paths then what about the third one?¡± Quin asked.


    ¡°That leads to a path where the outcome is undecided, and will be determined not by fate but by your decisions,¡± the old man replied.


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    Now that sounds good, but doesn¡¯t choosing the right path mean the best possible outcome? Then why¡¯d you ever want to let it depend on your decisions, not to mention about choosing the wrong path? Something is still not right with this!


    ¡°Why¡¯s that path the right one?¡± Quin questioned.


    ¡°It contains the choices in life, which are the right ones,¡± the old man answered simply.


    The right choices... It sounds so simple, but this supposed to be a test, so how could it be that easy? Or the purpose of this test may have been whether you can summon that ghost and/or then ask the right questions. Then why is the third door so unique? It can signify its importance or it can just be a mere distraction. Argh, all of these tests just want to make me go crazy!


    I wonder how the others are doing? Did they pass the tests? Did they have the same ones? He let out a sigh. Wait a moment, are the choices behind the doors universally right or only right for me? Are they right from my perspective or from an outside one?


    ¡°If I choose the white door, does that mean that only good thing will happen to me in the future?¡± he asked. He assumed that it is more of a philosophical choice than a real one, and no matter which one he selected it will not influence his life.


    ¡°No, it does not,¡± the ghost replied.


    ¡°And then, if I choose the black door, does that mean that mean that I¡¯ll be plagued by misfortune and live a poor life?¡±


    ¡°No, it does not,¡± the old man told him the exact same answer as before.


    Yeah, the right choice doesn¡¯t always mean happiness for me in the end. Maybe sacrificing yourself for a total stranger would be the right thing to do. Perhaps I would even get away with only losing a limb or two, but would my life be truly enjoyable then?


    And then what about killing one of my enemies? You could easily say that it¡¯s the wrong choice, however they might come back in the future for revenge, if they¡¯re not dealt with.


    No matter how I look at that, the best option would be the third door! Yeah, that¡¯ll be my answer, I should have no hesitation, and take my own path. Besides saying right and wrong choice one more time and I¡¯ll go mad!


    ¡°Have you made your decision young boy?¡± noticing the resolution in Quin¡¯s eye the old man asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re really a ghost or just some kind of illusion left behind, but still, thanks for the help,¡± he said and walked toward the simple wooden door.


    The old ghost smiled briefly and with a bright light disappeared.


    Quin placed his hand on the door¡¯s handle and pulled, but it did not even budge a bit. What the hell? He tried another time, but this time powered by his Lightning Qi. Though it did move at least, it was less than the width of his pinky finger.


    After a long time and with great efforts he managed to open up the doors enough that he could fit in, but he was denied to enter. He knew that it was because he had to open it wholly. This fucking place, I¡¯ll burn it down to the ground! I hereby promise, that if I get out alive, then when I¡¯ll be strong enough I¡¯ll come back and not leave a single rock behind!


    It was then, when a voice resounded in his head. ¡°Following a path already walked by many might be easy, however creating your own and sticking to it comes with great effort and endurance. People lacking these qualities will stray from their own paths, forced to walk ones which have been already decided by others, and thus they will be pulled down to mediocrity,¡± the unknown voice said.


    It¡¯s interesting and really does have a meaning to ponder on and all, but I just want this fucking door to open at once! He turned all of his concentration back to opening door. After spending at least a day in this hellhole he was not in the mood for philosophy lessons or for discussing the big questions of life, he simply wanted to leave this place.


    When he managed to open the door, he was totally exhausted, barely having enough strength to keep his consciousness. Just as he entered the door he passed out.


    He woke up in a different room this time as well. Where am I? Oh, right that damn door! Well, at least I didn¡¯t have to experience that annoying spell again, he thought and stood up to look around. He instantly regretted he was not more careful, as the first thing that came into his view was two terrifying blood-red eyes and a smiling mouth filled with razor sharp teeth.

 Rise and Fall 28 - Nightmare

    Crap! Quin jumped back right away, however he only crashed into the wall behind him.


    ¡°Did I startle you, child?¡± The creature asked and moved a bit back.


    Now that he was a bit more composed, he was able to take a look at it. The first thing to note was that it had no body, it was only a face that hovered in front of him. What¡¯s more, it was no ordinary face, but a black cloud of dense smoke -- filled with purple dots --, in the shape of a human¡¯s head and with a single horn on top of it. Its two big, scarlet eyes and its inhumanely wide mouth, with those razor sharp teeth, were placed where a human¡¯s would be. Lastly, although it was a mere face, its size was at least five times bigger than an adult¡¯s head.


    ¡°You know, it¡¯s quite rude to stare, even if you had great results in the fourth and fifth room,¡± the creature said.


    ¡°Forgive me, senior,¡± he apologized. So it¡¯s just like that old ghost, but more creepy. I¡¯ll just have to put up with these weirdos, I guess. At least that old ghost seemed to be quite helpfu-.


    ¡°What? A fourth and fifth room?¡± Quin asked shocked, he remembered no such thing! ¡°I¡¯ve only been to two rooms!¡±


    ¡°Do you think my words are untrue? Do you really think that I would dirty my honor to speak such lies to a lowly creature as you?¡± it questioned mockingly.


    ¡°No, senior, I wouldn¡¯t think such a thing,¡± Quin answered.


    ¡°Well, then you¡¯re foolish and wrong,¡± it said while snickering, ¡°Honestly, I would do that without a second thought, but you can rest assured, as I am obliged to tell you the truth.¡±


    What¡¯s with this weird, eccentric personality? First I thought that I offended it and then it just laughs it off... He was quite puzzled by the creature''s behavior.


    ¡°Then may I know what happened at those rooms or why I have no memory of them, senior?¡± Quin asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re fortunate, I like that you speak to me with the proper respect, unlike some other lowly one before, who thought I was just a lowly servant, meant to be fulfilling its wishes! But it got what it deserved! I punished him so that it will remember it forever! HAHA!¡± As the creature was reminiscing about the punishment, it started to laugh more and more loudly. After about the third minute it was so loud that it literally hurt Quin.


    I just have endure for a bit longer! He encouraged himself, but in truth he wanted nothing more than to release a couple of bolts at the creature. However he did not think that would be a good idea, as both this creature and the old man seemed to be significantly stronger than him. Although he did not feel any kind of cultivation or energy emanating out of them, this in fact could indicate that they are on a different level. Furthermore, looking at them all of his instincts screamed to him to be careful, and he did listen to his instincts.


    The mad laugh fortunately ended before another minute has passed and Quin could breath a sigh of relief. Then the creature looked at him confused for a moment.


    ¡°Oh, right, you asked me something,¡± it said. ¡°So what happened at those room? Sorry, but I¡¯m not allowed to tell you, it¡¯s not by chance that you do not remember it. Haha! All I can say is that your overall physical and mental strength was tested and compared to the other lowly ones you did in fact great. This is why you were granted entry to the second stage, sadly though you¡¯re strong compared to your generation -- just as I said before -- , you are still pretty weak. But don¡¯t worry! In a hundred years or so you can come back to take on the second stage!¡±


    Come back to here? Who in their right mind would do something like that! Quin thought.


    ¡°Does that mean that I¡¯m free now?¡± he asked, filled with hope.


    ¡°So you want to leave right now? Aren¡¯t you even interested in the rewards?¡± The creature asked with an expression of shock.


    ¡°What? There are rewards for the tests?¡± Quin asked surprised. Though they were tiresome, if he got something valuable for his efforts, he could at least say that all of this was not in vain.


    ¡°Of course there are! Ancient artifacts with immense power, secret cultivation methods, mighty, forbidden spell and anything you can imagine!¡±


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    ¡°Then what might my reward be, senior?¡± Quin asked with anticipation.


    ¡°This seed, catch it!¡± The creature threw a small, green seed at him.


    ¡°What?¡± catching it, Quin asked. There¡¯s no way it¡¯d be a simple seed right? ¡°Senior, what is this seed?¡±


    ¡°That is a simple bamboo seed,¡± it told Quin expressionlessly.


    ¡°A normal seed? Just that for all my efforts?¡± Quin asked flabbergasted. He felt that he was scammed! Maybe he was not worth for something really extraordinary, however even the creature praised his abilities previously! At least he should have gotten a decent weapon or something like that, but a mere bamboo seed? He could have gotten something like that from picking it up from the ground.


    ¡°What is it? Are you saying that you are dissatisfied with that, that you¡¯re feeling that you deserve more?¡± it asked disapprovingly. ¡°The reward scales with your performance and the difficulty of the tests. You, who have merely finished the first stage dare to behave like that!¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t like that, senior, I was just surprised!¡± Quin said. At the outside he looked regretful and obedient however on the inside he was furious. You just wait damn smoke ball! You¡¯ll regret that you¡¯ve spoken to me like that, and you will beg for mercy one day! I really hope I could finally leave this hellhole, being so submissive all the time feels disgusting!


    ¡°Oh, really? Than there is no problem,¡± it said. ¡°More importantly you weren¡¯t just brought here to talk about these things, but I have been instructed to test your soul and destiny! Stay still for a bit, it won¡¯t take long.¡±


    Without giving Quin the opportunity to decline, the creature started to cast some kind of spell. Honestly, he would not have been able to move, even if he had wanted to, as he was completely paralyzed in one place.


    ¡°Hmm, great foundation, spirit and soul. A legendary spirit? That¡¯s excellent, as well,¡± The creature murmured, his eyes shut and concentrating. ¡°Your fate... Interesting, you should¡¯ve died few years ago, but something changed it, something happened when you were still a child. Ah, that was the cause! However tricking fate is not that easy, death will come back searching for you, to take you with itself. Haha, who would have thought!¡± the creature let out an eerie laugh and Quin felt a shiver down his spine. ¡°Tomorrow will be your greatest day but as well as your last!¡±


    Quin felt spooked at what the creature said. I will die tomorrow? There¡¯s no way that¡¯ll happen! He did not believe those word, but he just could not get it out of his head.


    ¡°Why? How? The Devourer again! In front of it, fate is no more; it is free from the shackles that bound others to their path,¡± The creature said, its voice filled with hesitation and even dread. ¡°Well, child, your fate has been already altered once and it might be a second time as well. Although you may live through tomorrow, the price you will have to pay will be costly. You will live your whole life in desperation, hopelessness and agony, wishing that you would have died that day!¡±


    Quin took a deep breath, and calmed himself, thinking that these were just lies, false prophecies from a crazy ball of smoke.


    ¡°Enough of this bullshit! Can¡¯t I just finally leave?¡± Quin asked. There was not a single positive thought in his mind regarding this creature.


    It snorted, and then said, ¡°Hmph, I was kind and told you all of this, but instead of being grateful you¡¯re just rude! Do as you wish, and leave!¡±


    The creature disappeared and Quin soon felt the sensation of the transportation spell before the world blacked out.


    It was different this time, as while he was unconscious he had a dream... Or more accurately a nightmare. He was wandering in the forest but then, as he turned his head back he saw the fabric of space splitting, revealing an ever growing tear of darkness, of void. It got rapidly closer and closer and he could not flee. He tried to run but his whole body was immovable, and he felt an immense, irresistible gravitational force, drawing him into the void.


    Just before he was swallowed he awoke, drenched in sweat and cowering.

 Rise and Fall 29 - Traveling

    His vision was blurry but he saw someone running toward him.


    ¡°Hey, oh my god! Are you alright?¡± Leyn asked and as she saw his state, she got to checking his body right away. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Nothing!¡± he said and stormed out the tower¡¯s basement and then out of the building itself, Leyn following him.


    When he got outside, he quickly looked around and realized that all of the others have already been there -- they were probably waiting only for him.


    ¡°Hey Quin, you¡¯re finally here as well!¡± Alinor said.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m here, let¡¯s go. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll find Dreon here,¡± Quin replied.


    ¡°Wait, let me check you body first!¡± Leyn asked, worried.


    ¡°There¡¯s no problem with my body, but we shouldn¡¯t waste any more time here!¡± he said.


    ¡°Okay. Guys, pack your things, we¡¯re going,¡± Alinor said. Though he wanted to stay a bit behind, but it was not difficult for him to see that there was something wrong with Quin. He did not know what it was, but he assumed that he had probably experienced something bad during these tests, and having been through similar experiences, he could easily imagine its magnitude. Thus he decided that he would not object it, and do as he want.


    They set off in only a few minutes, and after a long time they successfully descended the pyramid. Only when they were at least a couple kilometers away did Quin¡¯s demeanor return to more normal.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop for a bit,¡± Alinor said. Seeing that Quin seemed to be alright now, he decided that it would be a good idea to stop and discuss the events of the previous days and how to proceed from now on. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Alinor asked Quin.


    ¡°Yeah, really,¡± Quin answered, showing Alinor an expression which told him that there was no need to worry.


    ¡°Good,¡± Alinor said. ¡°You were the latest to come out, and Sao was the first. With a couple special spells he was able to check the exact date, so at least we know that. He returned at the same day, and since then five days have passed. Each of us had to pass the same tests, first that pitch black room, then came the one with the three doors and finally one filled with monsters. Only Aline and me reached the third test, but neither of us could pass it. Was it the same for you?¡±


    ¡°None of you have passed the third room?¡± Quin asked confused. I clearly remember that the ball of smoke complained about another lowly one which ought to have been a human. It also told me that it gave a punishment that they won¡¯t forget easily. I guess it was a physical one? He looked around to see if anyone was injured, but did not find anything noteworthy.


    ¡°Yeah, just like he said,¡± Aline answered. ¡°Wait does that mean you did?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Quin replied and paused for a moment. ¡°But after a strange creature gave me a bamboo seed I was teleported out.¡± He decided that his whole encounter was not something the others should know about.


    ¡°A bamboo seed?¡± Sao asked.


    ¡°Really?¡± Aline found it strange as well.


    ¡°Yeah, I know, and don¡¯t ask me why I got it. It didn¡¯t tell me much about it... Only that it was just an average bamboo seed,¡± he answered and reached into his pocket to take out it. ¡°Do you want it? I sure as hell won¡¯t need it.¡±


    Unsurprisingly, just like him, the others find no use for it and declined his offer.


    ¡°So with that out of question, any suggestion as how we should proceed?¡± Alinor asked.


    Lin and Sao simply shook their heads.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been here for five days already but my spells are still not working here. Maybe it¡¯d be wiser to get out of this Danger Zone and leave the area as well to try whether my spells will work there. With a Spirit Forming expert this would be over in an instant,¡± Leyn said.


    ¡°And then possibly leave Dreon here for even more days?¡± Quin asked.


    ¡°Well, I hate to say something like this, but if after five days nothing happened to him, then a few other ones probably won¡¯t count for much, so so far I think Leyn¡¯s idea is the best option we have,¡± Alinor said.


    ¡°Alright, then how about you do that and I remain here searching for him?¡± Quin asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that, it¡¯s dangerous!¡± Aline said.


    ¡°She¡¯s right.¡± Alinor had the same thoughts regarding his idea.


    Leyn¡¯s mouth opened, but then she closed it, not daring to say anything.


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    ¡°It maybe a bit dangerous, but I can watch out for myself and you know that. Besides even if something stronger than the frog comes, do you think it¡¯d be able to keep up with me?¡± Quin smirked. ¡°Let¡¯s be honest, I¡¯m way stronger and more importantly faster than any of you, and even with all of you combining your strengths, I doubt that you would be able to defeat me.¡± Looking at a couple of surprised looks he said, ¡°Yeah, I know I do like to boast about my power and strength, but that¡¯s not my aim, I¡¯m entirely serious now. Do you think I¡¯d say something like this just to go and kill myself?¡± He stopped for a moment, remembering something. So I¡¯ll die tomorrow, huh? Or I will face an even worse outcome? Is this maybe the wrong choice? he pondered. No, that¡¯s not gonna happen. My life and my happiness won''t be forfeit just because there was a stupid prophecy! I made the right choice in the door room: I¡¯ll be walking my own path, making my own decisions and not depending on what a crazy fortuneteller ball of smoke says!


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll be fine?¡± Alinor asked. Seeing the determination in Quin¡¯s eyes he knew that there would be no way to convince him and that he had already thought through it. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better if at least one of us remained with you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be perfectly fine. I may get some injuries on the way, but I know my limits and if I encounter anything dangerous I¡¯ll just flee,¡± he answered. ¡°If there was someone with me, I¡¯d just be in a bigger danger. I can leave a battlefield in an instant, but not with one of you at my side, furthermore while I can pretty much evade any attacks from even a Qi Culmination expert, you wouldn¡¯t able to. On the other hand you¡¯re safer with more people.¡±


    Alinor released a deep sigh and said, ¡°Alright, but don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡± Though he was not happy with the idea, he knew there was not much he could do.


    ¡°You worry too much,¡± Quin answered with a light laugh.


    The other set off, except Leyn and Aline. Leyn stood there for a moment, biting her lip, but then turned around to follow the others without saying anything, while Aline walked to Quin and hugged him tightly.


    ¡°Be careful, okay?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be, don¡¯t worry, just a couple of days and everything will return to normal,¡± he said smiling. Then he kissed her briefly before leaving.


    During the whole morning he was continuing his search for Dreon in the Danger Zone. He was going in a ziczac pattern and also created a mental map of the area in his mind. Unfortunately he found nothing helpful on his way.


    In the midst of afternoon Quin heard something similar to the sound of a whip and when he turned to the direction it came from he saw a black snake flying at him. Being about as wide as the arm of a human adult and more than three meters long, it was considered a middle sized snake. On the top of its head a small horn could be seen and its body was completely black. It was not covered in scales however, but by something which looked like a thin layer of dense fog. So a Horned Smoke Snake tried to sneak attack me? You can dream on! Looking at more closely, it does resemble that ball of smoke from the test. His lips curved to a grin. I guess I can at least channel my anger at you!


    He evaded the attack by jumping back and fired a Bolt at its head, but the snake was able to react in just time as well. Quin merged with his element, and his entire body became surrounded by flickering lightnings.


    The snake continued its attack right away, spitting two balls of black smoke at him. As they flew above the ground, any kind of vegetation they touched withered away. Do you think two balls of poisonous smoke will be enough for me? He snorted.


    As he was merged together with his element, his speed and reaction time greatly improved, thus the snake¡¯s attacks seemed to be quite slow. He fired a couple of Bolts again, and then Flashed above the wild beast and sent out three pairs of Bolts in an instant.


    Although the Horned Smoke Snake wanted to dodge his attacks, there were just too much lightning bolts targeting it and not even his skin of smoke could help. Only the bloody remains of its flesh was left behind afterwards, which exploded in every direction.

 Rise and Fall 30 - Dark Activity

    Finishing the fight he continued on. Alright, I should stop soon and take a break for about an hour or so.


    After finding a good spot to rest on a high cliff, he set up his campsite and started preparing his meal. He was no professional cook, but each of them had to learn the basics of it at school and having lightning for his element made a few things easier.


    In the middle of his lunch he noticed movements below him, between the trees. What¡¯s that? He stood up looking at it attentively. Those are people, and in the uniform of our city! I have to go and ask them for help!


    He merged with lightning and started to use Flash as much as he could; he did not want to lose the group out of his sight. He descended the the mountain he was on in less than a minute and started looking for the soldiers. Though he could not see them, he found their track, which he then followed right away. Damn, this is exhausting! I only hope that I¡¯ll catch up to them before I ran out. He stopped previously to take a break because he had only a fourth of his energy reserves left, but now while chasing after them, he has used up nearly all of it.


    Yes! I did it! He has finally reached the soldiers.


    ¡°Hey!¡± he shouted and the group stopped, turning back to him. ¡°You¡¯re soldiers from Ade Lai, aren¡¯t you? Could help me, please?¡± he asked panting.


    The soldiers looked at each other and then one of them asked a man at the front of the group, ¡°Hey boss, we¡¯ve got another one, what should we do?¡±


    ¡°You know drill,¡± he answered.


    ¡°Hey, kid, don¡¯t worry and come here,¡± the soldier who asked the boss before said to Quin.


    Quin nodded and started to walk toward the group.


    ¡°Dreon?¡± Quin asked as he noticed someone on the shoulder of one of the soldiers, wearing the same clothes he last saw on Dreon. However in the next instant his instincts warned him just in time to realize that the man behind him was about to hit him on the head with the hilt of his sword.


    Being surrounded by them, his only option was to jump upwards with a Flash. Shit! What¡¯s happening?! What? Why are the others here as well? After taking a brief glance from above, he caught sight of his group, in the same state as Dreon: each of them lying unconsciously on the shoulders of one of the soldiers. However in the next moment another thing shocked him just as much. Shriekers? Why are here a lot of adult Shriekers? Though he has not seen one yet, from the descriptions he was able to identify them. Fuck! I have to do something, but what can I do? I don¡¯t have any energy left, maybe I can cast a Flash or two, but then what? I can¡¯t fight them either, even at full strength I wouldn¡¯t dare to! Why? Why¡¯s this happening?! He knew he was wasting precious time, but he was entirely out of ideas. His heart was beating so fast that he felt that it could explode in any moment and his whole body started to tremble in fear, afraid at what would happen.


    Just as he was about to completely freak out, he realized what he was doing and managed to calm himself down. Fuck it! I won¡¯t go down like that, at least I¡¯ll take out their boss! Although he wasted some time with his thinking and the others were already powering up their spells, he thought that he could still cast a spell.


    The man was only about five meters away from him, showing his back to Quin. That¡¯s what you get for not being careful in battle and for underestimating me, you fucker! He mustered all energy of his body -- even damaging his organs in the process -- and released it with a concentrated Overcharge aimed at the man¡¯s head. He happily noted that his attack hit, furthermore the boss has been quite unfortunate, as he reacted at the last moment but that only resulted in him turning his head, straight into the attack. Afterwards, due to emptying his reserves entirely, Quin fainted.


    He felt a warm sensation filling his body. Maybe it¡¯s the sun? No, it¡¯s more like when I drink something warm, he wondered what it could be. He enjoyed this feeling for a few moments before remembering what had happened. He jerked awake, but before he was able to do anything at all, he felt as he was instantly encased in something, making him unable to move.


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    ¡°Hey, stop it!¡± an unknown voice said.


    As his eyes adjusted, he realized that he knew to whom the voice belonged. Mang!


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Quin asked. ¡°You... You¡¯re with them, aren¡¯t you?!¡± He merged with his element and tried to get free.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already told you to stop!¡± he replied angrily. ¡°Do you think I¡¯d bring you and gave you three pieces of my medicinal pills that heals the body and restores your energy if I had hostile intentions? What¡¯s more just look around, we¡¯re alone.¡±


    He wanted to spit out all kinds of accusations, like Mang just planned to poison him or other nonsense like that, but he knew the seriousness of the situation and could not let his emotions to get the better of him. He did not like Mang, no it was more than that: every time he remembered the tournament, all he felt towards him was hate, for humiliating him so much back then, but even though appearances could be deceiving he did not think of him as someone evil, or who would betray his country.


    I don¡¯t want to trust him, but what could I do alone? I¡¯m strong and fast, that is true, however what can my strength do against a whole group of cultivators in the Qi Culmination? And my speed? Should I just pack all of the others onto my back and run? Impossible!


    ¡°Alright, tell me what¡¯s happening?¡± Quin asked.


    ¡°Hmm, you bore it better than I would have thought,¡± he said with a laugh. ¡°Knowing how stubborn you are, I thought I would have to convince you for hours, but I guess that¡¯s not the case fortunately.¡±


    ¡°No need for useless chatter, get to the point!¡± Quin demanded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, a couple of minutes won¡¯t cause any harm.¡± He sighed. ¡°We¡¯re kidnapping kids to the Shriekers,¡± he said calmly.


    ¡°What? Why would somebody do that?!¡± He asked completely shocked.


    ¡°Well, long story short, for sacrifice. The Shriekers needs souls to feed on and guess who have them?¡± Mang asked.


    ¡°Humans...¡± Quin was utterly disgusted.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, and it¡¯s the easiest to catch younger ones,¡± Mang explained. ¡°Furthermore just think about it, they are in the Wilderness on their Coming of Age ceremony, do you think they would suspect something if some of them disappeared?¡±


    ¡°But why would any human contribute to this? We¡¯re living in a relatively peaceful era, even with our neighbors, and there are no power struggles in our country,¡± Quin said.


    ¡°Haha, the world is not so simple as you might think!¡± Mang told him laughing. ¡°A relatively peaceful world isn¡¯t a perfectly peaceful one and just because you don¡¯t see something or aren¡¯t aware of it, that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s proof for its nonexistence!


    ¡°But back to the topic, have you heard about cults? It¡¯s the gathering place of crazy people who¡¯ll do anything for their so called greater good. They¡¯ll gladly die or even offer their own children for sacrifice to further their cause. They¡¯ve been hiding underground -- though not literally -- for ages, believing that one day their Great God will send them a messiah, who¡¯ll bring about a New Age.


    They¡¯ve found their messiah in the Shrieker¡¯s Sovereign, who according to them will purge the human world from its filth and sin, but they obviously need souls for that. Of course they tend to leave out the fact that all they do -- except for preaching -- is kidnapping fellow humans to sacrifice them, and to top it off, whenever the country is facing a great calamity or something like that, what do they do? Help the others to solve the problem? No, for that they¡¯d have to do actually something. Instead they don¡¯t do jack shit and only pray to their Great God.¡±


    Quin was lost in thoughts for a bit. Even if he believed only half of this information, it was still a lot to take in. A secret society in their own lands? People who followed some kind of Great God by killing other humans, even youngsters?


    ¡°Is this true? Are you serious?¡± Quin asked.


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you with them? From what you¡¯ve said I don¡¯t think you¡¯re an avid believer,¡± Quin said.


    ¡°No, I am not one of them. Have you heard about infiltration?¡± Mang asked.

 Rise and Fall 31 - All Along

    I just can¡¯t believe it, Quin thought. I¡¯ve always thought that Dreon had a screw missing, because he¡¯s always told us so much bullshit, but now... To think that what he had said back at the cafeteria turned out to be true. Damn, I really have to apologize to him. He shook his head, what he needed now was not the stray thoughts, but to concentrate.


    ¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡± Quin asked. ¡°I¡¯ve guess you¡¯ve got one?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not flawless, but I¡¯ve thought of something,¡± he replied. ¡°I¡¯ve brought you here to give you proper punishment-¡±


    ¡°Oh, right what happened to that guy? Did I manage to kill him at least?¡± Quin questioned.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Mang answered with a grin, ¡°I could barely keep myself from laughing!¡± He did burst out in a laugh this time however. ¡°Although that guy was our boss, he was really stupid. Just because you were a kid, he didn¡¯t pay much attention to you, and decided to try to woo a female member of the group. Then he reacted slowly and managed to turn his face right into the attack. Guess what happened?¡± Quin saw that Mang was on the verge of laughing again. ¡°His head exploded into thousand bits!¡±


    Quin found Mang¡¯s behavior a bit weird. Is he crazy? I¡¯m glad I managed to kill that guy, but even I don¡¯t laugh like that! Have I only known his fake personality? Or maybe he just hates them that much?


    ¡°Alright, I got it, let¡¯s move onto the plan,¡± Quin said.


    ¡°Boy, you sweat it too much, even if you¡¯re in a dire situation you should just take it easy!¡± He chuckled. ¡°But alright, I¡¯ll continue. So as I¡¯ve said, I¡¯m currently punishing you for... I don¡¯t know, we should be back in an hour or so? Probably. Then we still have to travel for a few hours, until we reach our destination. Hmm, you¡¯ve got a good Qi Sense right?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Well, that depends on what you mean by that? I can differentiate between people somewhat, but I only sense them as just various shapes, no fine details. If I know which is my target, I don¡¯t really have difficulty attacking them by relying only on my Qi Sense,¡± he answered.


    ¡°That¡¯s perfectly enough for what I¡¯ve got in my mind. We¡¯ll arrive at the Shrieker¡¯s nest at night, and those monsters aren¡¯t fond of any kind of lighting, so humans are at quite a disadvantage there. Well, if they can¡¯t use their Qi Sense properly, and more often than not, that¡¯s the case. That will be our first advantage against them.


    ¡°Before you ask: we won¡¯t have to fight against all of them. After arriving at their nest our group will split into two, and only five soldiers and four adult Shriekers will remain there. It¡¯ll take at least ten minutes before they will do anything to you, and that¡¯s enough for our preparations to be done and for those who left to get out of earshot.


    ¡°Here, take this pill,¡± Mang said, putting a pill in his hand, ¡°Put it in your mouth before I take you back to them, but don¡¯t swallow it yet. Don¡¯t worry, it will only melt if you chew on it. So, when we get to their nest, start to gradually emit your qi into the surroundings, until only ten percent is left. You should finish it by the ninth minute, however pay attention, because if you do it too quickly it¡¯ll be suspicious. I¡¯ll also try to give you some kind of signal to be sure. It will be the time when you should bite into the pill, and recover you reserves in the following two minutes.


    ¡°That¡¯s when the real deal begins; in contrast with the soldiers, you¡¯ll have a better vision thanks to your Lightning Qi filling the whole area. Oh, by the way, you should only cover an area of about twenty or thirty meters around you, so that you don¡¯t overexpand your qi.


    ¡°Your first target will be me. You remember our tournament match right?¡± Quin nodded disapprovingly. ¡°We¡¯ll be doing something like that. After your qi is restored, attack me right away with your Bolts; naturally I¡¯ll be constantly watching you, and so I¡¯ll be able to react in time. I¡¯ll fire some rocks at your attacks, and you¡¯ll have to keep up shooting your Bolts until the whole area is covered by dust.¡±


    ¡°And how will you be able to see? Do you have enough energy for that? Aren¡¯t you still at the first level of the Qi Condensation sub-stage? I got that you¡¯ve got some experience -- more than me -- but I¡¯m about to put my and the other¡¯s life into you hands,¡± Quin asked.


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    ¡°Haha!¡± Mang chuckled. ¡°First level, second level, this sub-stage that sub-stage... Quin, I¡¯ve already told you the world is not so simple as you think!¡± he exclaimed. ¡°You say I¡¯ve got some experience? Let me tell you I¡¯ve got more than you¡¯ll get in a lifetime!¡±


    Quin snorted. If you want to boast, than you should at least say something believable.


    ¡°But in short: I¡¯ll be able to see even better than you, so you don¡¯t have to worry about me. You fire your bolts, I shoot out some rocks and then comes the cloud of dust. After that I¡¯ll occupy the soldiers and you go to the others and free them. Take this ball and when you are nearby them, fill it with your qi and that should wake them up in a few moments.¡± Mang gave a small yellow colored ball to him. ¡°Then the first thing you¡¯ll have to do is to tell Leyn to contact your Spirit Forming guardian, as I¡¯ll also disrupt the spell, which makes communication currently impossible. Though probably not everyone in your group will be able to fight right away, the Spirit Forming guardian should be able to arrive in just half a minute. If nothing unexpected occurs, then it shouldn¡¯t be a difficult task to do. Got it?¡±


    Quin thought through the whole plan and engraved the details into his memory.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never thought I¡¯d ever something like this, but I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here now,¡± Quin said. ¡°And I really hope your plan succeeds.¡±


    ¡°That depends only on you,¡± Mang replied smirking. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    They went back to the group of soldiers and then they set off soon. Quin was pretending to be unconscious the whole time, but kept his ears alert. He got to know a couple of things, like surprisingly, the others were quite happy that he killed their boss and this was not due to some belief in the afterlife. The reason was much more simple: they simply hated their boss. It seems that even the congregation of crazy cultists isn¡¯t filled with harmony and happiness. He laughed silently.


    Hearing the other topics they have talked about, he became a bit startled. Most of those thing were typical everyday stuff, and he heard no mention of their Great God, nor their messiah. He even started to wonder whether Mang really told him the truth regarding them. One thing was sure though, they have kidnapped him and his friends and were bringing them somewhere against their will. All-in-all it was quite hard to imagine that they were doing all these kinds of things with good intentions.


    In a few hours they reached the Shrieker¡¯s nest and although his eyes were shut, he could still hear the disgusting shrieks of them. A rotten, sour odor emanated from the surroundings, which reminded him the smell of death.


    Just as they have arrived, the majority of the group left and he started to let out his Lightning Qi around himself, adjusting his output rate to a not noticeable level.


    One.. Two... Three... He counted each second. Gradually, he got a clearer image of the Shrieker nest. The whole ground was covered by some strange material which looked to be partly gooey and within his reach there was only a single structure: a deep pit with spikes covering its wall.


    Time passed painfully slow, and it felt like an eternity for him until he counted up to five hundred. It was then, when he felt a small knock on his shoulder, which was the signal from Mang telling him to consume the pill and prepare for the battle.


    Alright! This is the time! The last two minutes passed as well and he was as ready as he could. He did not waste more time, he circulated his Lightning Qi at its best and merged with his element.


    Wild, roaring lightnings surrounded him and in the next moment he Flashed away from the soldiers. Then he sent Bolts after Bolts at Mang, who -- just like they have discussed before -- shoot out several of his rocks toward Quin¡¯s attack.


    ¡°BOOM!¡± sounds of loud explosions rang out and the battlefield became filled with the thick dust left behind by the rocks.

 Rise and Fall 32 - The End of the Line

    Quin felt the earth rumble and quake. It seems Mang is doing his part, I¡¯d better not screw up mine!


    He Flashed straight to the place where his friends were kept, however the area was swarmed by Shriekers. He soon got to know the role of the hole in the ground which he has noticed previously: it was the living place of the Shriekers!


    He kept on shooting out Bolts after Bolts, but there were just no end of them. Crap! I have to do something, I can¡¯t just waste my time killing these small fries! Think Quin! He was racking his brain on what to do when the idea struck him. Maybe I could use something like Overcharge but instead of focusing it in one point, I¡¯ll just explode my qi out in a circle around me! Most of these are just larvae, so even if it loses a good chunk of its attack power, it¡¯ll still be enough.


    He was not currently surrounded by the Shriekers, so to get the most use out of this, he Flashed right into the crowd and in a single second charged up the spell.


    In the next moment, in a wide circle around him hundreds of Shriekers fell to the ground, trembling and spasming.


    ¡°BOOM!¡± the sound of the explosion resounded.


    Lightning was the fastest element, and by overcharging, its speed became even more unbelievable. So much, that there was even a -- although small, but noticeable -- gap between the actual attack and its sound!


    He continued on to his group, and he reached them with only two Flashes. Fortunately the soldiers were distracted by Mang, and the adult Shriekers were on the other side of the battlefield, so he had at least a couple moments of rest.


    Quin quickly undid their bonds and filled the ball which Mang gave him previously with his Lightning Qi. It turned into fine powder which flew out of his hand and filled the area, waking up the members of his group.


    Lin and Alinor was the first to regain their consciousness and they were looking around dumbfounded, wondering at what was currently happening.


    ¡°Hey, Leyn!¡± Quin shouted to her. ¡°Wake up! Damn! It¡¯s no time to sleep!¡± Although her eyes were open, they were empty and even shaking her several times did no good. Fuck! What about the others? He looked around to check them. Alinor and Lin are awake, and it seems Aline is just about to come to. Sao is in the same state as Leyn, and Dreon... Where¡¯s he? He has just realized that Dreon was not together with their group!


    He used his Qi Sense to try to find him, but it was a difficult task to do. After several moments he managed to finally find him just at the border of his Qi Sense, on the other side. Shit! Shit! I have to get him as well! He felt tension on him increasing, and his his head was about to explode, but in a situation like this, how could he have allowed himself to relax? There were lives at stake, not just his life but his friends¡¯ as well.


    He turned to Alinor and said, ¡°I have to go to get Dreon, but you must wake up Leyn otherwise we¡¯re all dead! When she wakes up tell her to call our Spirit Forming guardian right away! I¡¯ve got no time to explain the situation, but the place is teeming with Shriekers, and if you see a soldier in our uniform attack them straightaway! The only person who isn¡¯t our enemy is Mang, he¡¯s on our side!¡± He basically jabbered his talk, but every moment counted.


    He Flashed in the direction of Dreon, but was obstructed by two adult Shriekers. Crap, this isn¡¯t the right time for it! He tried to move aside but they just did not let him do it. He was faster, but there were two of them and each of them had a strength of a weak Qi Culmination expert.


    He studied them briefly. These are the ugliest creatures I¡¯ve ever seen! he thought. The outline of their body was quite similar to a human one, however that is where the resemblance ended. Their whole body -- except the tip of their fingers -- was snow white and they had an entirely smooth skin. Their face contained no eyes, ears or a nose: it was only occupied by a big circular mouth, much alike the ones he saw on the Shrieker larvae before.


    Another striking feature on them was the two vertical openings on the two sides of their chests. He assumed they were for breathing but he did not have much time to ponder on the details. The last thing he observed was their arms which ended in a single pointy finger. They just look like spikes, he thought.


    Quin did not know what their weak point was, but he guessed their heads would be as good of a target as it could be. He released two Lightning Spears at their heads but only one hit, as the other Shrieker managed to evade it.


    It reacted by giving out a terrible shriek, which shocked even Quin for a moment, and then it shot out its long tongue at him. It was a good combination attack, but even delayed by that sound, he was able to react in time and Flashed next to the creature punching its head with a Lightning Pillar.


    After defeating them he took a glance back at his group before carrying on. Finally, Leyn¡¯s awake! Now we have to persevere for only half a minute!


    Just before he would have used Flash again, another adult Shrieker appeared in front of him and shot out its tongue at him. Quin evaded and was about to kill it with a Bolt, however another two Shriekers showed up on his two sides and he had to dodge their attacks instead.


    He Flashed backwards and started to prepare two Lightning Spears, but he stopped suddenly, as he became petrified at what he sensed through his Qi Sense.


    ¡°NOO!¡± he yelled but it was too late.


    Shriekers were continuously flying out of the hole in the ground, and almost the entire battlefield was covered by them. The area where Dreon lay was no exception but he thought, no, he rather hoped that they were too busy due to the chaos and would not attack him. That did not turn out to be true, and as he was fighting the three Shriekers, the ones surrounding Dreon decided to eat him alive.


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    What they did, could not even be described as eating: it would be more proper to call it devouring. Quin used all of the power of his cultivation and killed his three enemies in a single moment with Lightning Spears, however that time was enough for the monsters to leave only bloody gore behind in the place of what was once a boy.


    ¡°Why?!¡± he cried out, tears flowing from his eyes. ¡°Why are you doing this?!¡± I trained hard, I cultivated and became stronger, faster and more powerful. I can even take on experts at the Qi Culmination sub-stage, and win, but in the end it changed nothing! He continued to kill his way in his fury  to where Dreon had been. It happened again, just like last time and I couldn¡¯t do jack shit about it! Why? Why is this happening to me? Why do I have to watch as my friends die again and again?! Damn it! Dreon wasn¡¯t my only friend here, I have to focus! He was filled with boiling fury, and an ice-cold sensation -- death -- but he quickly realized that his other friends were there as well, and with his sheer willpower, he took control of his raging mind and emotions. As wrong as it may have sounded, the safety of his still living friends were more important than one who has already died.


    Of course he has not forgotten about the revenge: he vowed that he would kill every and each one of them, and would not even let a single one live, but that had to wait.


    With a deep pain in his heart he Flashed toward the others, who were having trouble fighting a pair of adult Shriekers.


    He appeared in just a few moments and attacked with several Bolts, targeting both of them. One of them evaded the attack, but the other was a clear hit. Quin could not be satisfied, however. How could this be? Although the Bolts were targeted at its face, this Shrieker received only a scratch on it, nothing more.


    Then, both Shriekers attacked with lightning fast speed. Quin noticed that one of them targeted Leyn, who would have no chance blocking something this quick, so Quin flashed next to her instantly.


    What he felt toward her was no longer friendship, or family love like before, but betrayal. However that did not mean that he would just calmly see her die like that. He was not like those cultists, to whom the life of a human did not mean anything. It was true that he looked down on a lot of people -- especially the weak ones -- and behaved arrogantly, but he would do what he could to save someone.


    He managed to push her away before the attack, but he did not have any time left to dodge and thus the tongue penetrated through his right shoulder.


    ¡°Argh!¡± he reflexively cried out, but his focus remained entirely on the battle. He grabbed the tongue with his left hand immediately and sent a smaller Overcharge through it. As the organ exploded he quickly called out the others, ¡°I¡¯ll be taking on this one, you just focus on the other!¡±


    These Shriekers are definitely stronger than someone who has just entered the Qi Culmination sub-stage! How come? They clearly told us that all adult Shriekers are only that strong!


    He started his offense with a single Lightning Spear -- he could not move his injured shoulder --, and then Flashed a couple of meters sideways, shooting out another one.


    He kept on repeating this pattern for five or six times before finally the Shrieker dropped dead. It was quite fast for killing something so strong, but it was due to Quin focusing on attacking and thus was not without a cost: his whole body was covered in gashes and wounds.


    He felt that there was no option, as the Spirit Forming guardian still had not arrived and the others were in dire straits as they not only had to fight the other overpowered adult Shrieker but simultaneously, more and more Shrieker swarmed them.


    He started to prepare an Overcharge to end the adult Shrieker, but when his meridians were finally filled to the brim, he suddenly lost sight of it. Sensing the surroundings with his Qi Sense he noticed that the creature reappeared near to Aline and leapt at her.


    Shit! I¡¯ve to save her! There was only a couple of meters of distance between them, but not much time, so he was not sure he would be able to make it. He abandoned any kind of self-preservation and Flashed in front of Aline. He had not experienced something like this before, but his Overcharge powered up his Flash. It hurt like hell, and he felt that his body was about to be destroyed but he has not considered giving up, even for a moment.


    Happiness filled his mind as he saw that he arrived in time, but then he felt as his stomach was impaled by the Shrieker¡¯s spiky hand.


    With his remaining strength he grabbed the creature and weakly said to the others, ¡°Get away from me, quickly!¡± He felt that he was not able to contain his overcharged qi and the chaos in his main Core, what after being pierced through wanted to explode out.


    The last thing he felt was both the Shrieker¡¯s arm inside him and his stomach exploding. His Lightning Qi surged out wildly in every direction and then everything became black.


    Author''s note: This chapter and the following arc is what I''ve been wanting to write for quite a long time, and these events served as the base on which I started planning my entire fiction. Although there were a few chapters which were somewhat difficult to write, I really enjoyed finally being able to write them, so I''m very interested in what you''ll think about them.


    I''ve passed the 50k word mark, so I decided to place a donation bar below my chapters. Currently I''m not doing sponsored chapters and I''ve not decided whether I will in the future. Anyways, I also decided to extend the period during which I post chapters daily by about another week (to the 10th of September, as that''ll be the end of the first month since I started posting my story).

 Rise and Fall 33 - Catastrophe

    ¡°Quin!¡± someone shouted. At least Quin assumed it was a shout, but currently every single sound felt so strange, like he was underwater. His mind was in pieces, it was quite hard for him to focus. What¡¯s happening? Saved Aline. My Cores, got impaled, by the Shrieker. Pyramid and the Blackness. Mom... One thought came after another and then passed into the next one.


    ¡°Quickly, do something...¡± He heard another yell but he was not even able to pay attention to the entire sentence.


    ¡°... Dead ...¡±


    Dead? Me? Will I die here? The ball of smoke... What was with it? Argh, why can¡¯t think?! He felt extremely hard to even formulate simple line of thoughts. I remember! It said I¡¯ll die. NO! I can¡¯t... Oh, then it said I won¡¯t die! I won¡¯t die, I won¡¯t!


    His consciousness was barely hanging by a thread, and now he could not even hear what was happening around him. The only senses he was left with was touch and smell.


    His smell did not help him at all, the surroundings reeked of the disgusting stench of death, but he did feel something, something that was warm. It covered his chest and had a calming sensation to it. Feels... Good. Sleep. I want to sleep. With these last thoughts he blacked out.


    He dreamed, but it was a strange dream. Was it a nightmare? He did not know, however during the whole time he felt like his head was exploding. Even though he was just dreaming, he felt like his very soul was ripped out of its place, and as if it was corroding away.


    For a long time he heard loud and angry roars, which were met by earsplitting shrieks. As time passed, both of these noises grew more and more quiet, and then they stopped altogether. The pain disappeared as well, but he felt somehow empty; he knew that something that was there since he was born, was now missing.


    He still could not move or sense his body, but sometimes his consciousness became half-awake and he could hear various things for a short period of time, only to then fall back to sleep again.


    ¡°The healers said that although your body is still weak, you will be alright! Don¡¯t give up! Just rest as long as you want, Mom will be here with you,¡± the voice said, who was most likely his mother. Then he heard as she began to struggle, but failing at keeping herself from crying.


    Even in his half-awake he could feel the love, sadness and pain present in her. There were not many things which had felt worse in his life as seeing his own mother in a state like this. Not even the agony from before could be compared to it.


    He wanted nothing more to get up and tell his mother that everything was fine and that she did not have to worry, but no matter how hard he tried to move, to wake up it was to no avail. Then he fell back to sleep.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Quin! I should have done a better job, it¡¯s all... it¡¯s all because of me, because I screwed up,¡± another female voice said, crying. Who is she? Is it Aline, where is she?, he  thought.


    In his state he could not even guess how long ago was the last time he was half-awake. It may have been just a few minutes, as well as a couple of weeks.


    Currently, he could hear the voice of a man and woman nearby him.


    ¡°So can you test his Spirit?¡± the man asked.


    ¡°Yes, I can, but it will take up some time,¡± she answered.


    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t worry. His Qi Cores are destroyed, but I just really hope that at least his Spirit is still intact, so that maybe that way he¡¯d have a chance at cultivation,¡± he said, and sadness was clear in his voice.


    ¡°I know, that dragon was extraordinary, so I doubt there would be any damage to it.¡± She let out a deep sigh. ¡°Except my own Spirit, I have never seen anything like that... I felt as it called out to me. In my several hundreds of years of life I have never experienced something like that,¡± she said and paused for a long moment. ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s not waste time and check it.¡±


    There was not much sound for a long time and then he heard some kind of chanting. He felt a similar sensation to when his Ancestral Spirit was checked, but it was abruptly stopped midway and a painful cry could be heard from the woman.


    ¡°A-Abomination! It¡¯s an abomination! Why?!¡± she screamed and then began to sob loudly.


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    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Nyra?¡± the man asked. So she¡¯s Nyra, but why is she crying so hard? It was my Spirit that got checked, don¡¯t tell me... It was only at this point he realized what was happening around him and the contents of their previous talk. My Qi Cores are destroyed and there¡¯s even something with my Spirit? What had happened to my Elemental Lightning Dragon? There¡¯s no way that it would turn into an abomination, right?


    The loud sobbing stopped for a moment. ¡°Nothing... It¡¯s nothing, but do not ever bring that thing in my vicinity!¡± she screamed and then Quin heard the sound of steps, as she left the place.


    ¡°Damn, what¡¯s up with that?¡± the man asked.


    Quin did not know what to do with this kind of situation. He was horrified of the possibility that he lost his ability to cultivate and it was also a quite strange experience, hearing the usually calm and emotionless Nyra sob like a child.


    The next time he came to, he heard the voice of two men talking.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that he¡¯s just a damn cripple?¡± one of them asked angrily. ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can do?¡±


    ¡°Forgive us captain, but we did everything we could,¡± answered the other man. ¡°His three sub Cores are completely destroyed, and his main one has a huge hole in it. His meridians are filled with holes and tears as well, so even if somehow his main Core were to be miraculously healed, he would not be able to circulate his qi at all. There is nothing we or anybody could do for him and I really don¡¯t want to say something like this, but there¡¯s no way he will be able to cultivate in the future.¡±


    ¡°Damn, I should¡¯ve known he¡¯s-¡±


    ¡°I know that you probably can¡¯t hear it and that I¡¯ve said this a thousand times already, but I¡¯m really grateful to you. Without you, we would have all been eaten by the Shriekers, what¡¯s more you even sacrificed your life for my sister, without hesitation.


    ¡°You know, at first I had some objections against you being together with Aline.¡± Aline? Why can¡¯t I see her? Why is it that I¡¯m never awake when she¡¯s here? Quin thought. ¡°Aline and I are at the same age, but she¡¯s still my little sister and although you¡¯re my best friend, I was afraid that you would hurt her in the end,¡± Alinor said and snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t even know why I thought that, I couldn¡¯t have been more mistaken. I doubt there would be anyone more devoted to her than you.


    ¡°To tell the truth, I¡¯ve never seen her cry in my whole life, but she was crying for days without a break.¡± He took a deep breath and paused for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t even understand her, now she¡¯s completely calm and normal. One day she¡¯s sobbing and then in the next, she did a 180 degree turn. I really hope everything is alright with her as well.


    ¡°I just wish I could do something to help you... If only it was me lying on that bed instead of you...¡± he said with a shaky voice and then left.


    He was on the verge of going crazy. Hearing what¡¯s happening around you but not being able to react to it was quite a difficult thing to bear. Furthermore sometimes he was not even awake for the entire conversation, but only for bits and pieces.


    He was confused and did not know what was happening due to only having the few tidbits of information he got from the previous talks. He was alone in his own mind, nobody to talk to and nobody he could ask what he wanted to.


    Lying in his bed -- at least he assumed that was where he was currently at --, surrounded by darkness, this was the state he lived his life for god knows how long, until one day something changed.


    He opened his eyes to look around, but everything was blurry to him. I¡¯m, I¡¯m awake, finally!


    Author''s note: I regularly mix "she" and "he", so if you''ve encountered this in the the previous chapters, sorry about that. I try my best to check these kind of things, but sometimes even after reading through my chapters multiple times I overlook them. (My mother tongue doesn''t make distinctions between genders like that, so that''s probably the main cause.)

 Rise and Fall 34 - Blow

    ¡°Water,¡± Quin asked with a dry and barely audible voice. ¡°Please...¡± He tried to get up, but each time he tried to move only a sharp pain was what welcomed him, so he decided to call out for someone instead.


    After his third try a nurse has finally appeared and brought him water. She asked a couple of questions regarding how he felt, but when Quin wanted to inquire about his own state, she told him that any question he had, would be answered in about an hour, when the main healer was present.


    Damn, I¡¯ve been in coma for this long and I still have to wait!


    He was lying in his bed and staring at the wall of the room, as he had nothing better to do. It was still early and no visitors were currently allowed to enter the hospital. Fortunately that one hour passed more quickly than he thought it would and the Chief Healer has just entered the room. He was a middle-aged man, without many distinguishing features.


    ¡°Hi, my name is Niohe,¡± the man greeted Quin.


    ¡°Hello, I am Quin,¡± he answered back. ¡°So is it true that my cultivation got destroyed?¡±


    The man became shocked for a moment. ¡°Cutting to the chase, huh?¡± He smiled -- probably with the intention to calm Quin --, however in the lights of the current events it was an impossible task to accomplish. ¡°It seems that you weren¡¯t in a complete coma, or at least not for the whole time?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there were times I could hear parts of the conversations around me,¡± Quin replied nodding.


    ¡°Hmm, strange, but to answer your question, well as difficult as it is to say, your cultivation is completely crippled. Sadly we do not know any kind of methods of restoring it.¡±


    Quin became horrified at once. He thought he was prepared for the reply, even if it was what he had feared, but he was not. Having the Chief Healer telling you that there was no possibility that you could ever get back your cultivation and that you had to live your life like that, was simply too much.


    Even though he started to inhale faster and faster, he felt like there was no air around him, and also like something very heavy was placed on his body.


    ¡°Calm down, take a slow and deep breath,¡± Niohe instructed him and soon began to cast a spell.


    Quin¡¯s breathing normalized slowly, and a warm sensation filled his body, making him feel much better.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said. Quin had never felt this much panic before.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s my job,¡± he replied. ¡°I know it must be something impossible to cope with, however don¡¯t forget what happened: by sacrificing your cultivation you managed to save your friends. You should be proud of yourself, it¡¯s a noble deed what you did, and not something that many people would be able to do.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know. Thank you,¡± he answered weakly. He knew it perfectly as well, and as crazy as it may sound, even now he would do the same thing again if he had to, but this was meager help in his current situation. Quin still had to put up with the fact that he had become a cripple, someone comparable to a kid in the Derelict stage in power. No, that was not exactly true as due to his Lightning Qi, his body has become quite strong. Maybe he could even fight someone in the first level of Qi Foundation, but what of it?


    He had been proud to be able to boast that he could even defeat people in the Qi Culmination sub-stage, and not that he could win against an eleven years-old kid.


    ¡°What about my longevity?¡± Quin asked with a hint of fear.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t too sure about that,¡± the healer answered scratching his goatee. ¡°Except your right arm and dantian region, your body is quite healthy-¡± Quin¡¯s face was overcome with dread again, as he remembered that his arm was injured during his previous fight. He was slightly able to move his head, so he turned toward his arm. At least it¡¯s not missing...


    ¡°Oh, right, the painkillers and other medications are still in effect. Don¡¯t worry, after a few hours you will feel your body completely. You will be able to move your right arm as well, however it had gotten poisoned by the Shriekers, and we had to remove the dead flesh. Unfortunately those were the muscles mostly, thus it will be hard to lift anything heavy with it in the future.¡±


    Great, now it¡¯s not only my cultivation that got destroyed, even my dominant arm is crap.


    ¡°But back to your question: without your Qi Cores, sadly your longevity is decreased significantly, but on the bright side the rest of your body is still in its previous state which means that you should be able to live at least to forty or fifty years old. Any other questions?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Quin replied. Great, it¡¯s really great, I have about thirty years of suffering ahead of me.


    ¡°You will be hospitalized for at least one more week, so that we can make sure that there are no complications. Alright, I have to go now, but if you¡¯ve got any question in the future, just ask one of the nurses here and they will call me.¡± He nodded to Quin and then left.


    He was left there alone, boiling in anger and rage. Why? Why did it have to be me? Why do I have to lose my entire cultivation? What did I do wrong? Why? Thoughts similar to this filled his mind, until a nurse entered the room.


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    ¡°Hey, you¡¯ve got a visitor, may I let her in?¡± she asked and Quin looked at him questioningly ¡°Oh, I think she¡¯s your friend. I¡¯ve never asked her name but she visited you everyday.¡±


    Oh, it should be Aline! His mood got instantly better and signaled to the nurse with a nod.


    ¡°Hey Quin, I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯ve already woke up,¡± the female voice said, but Quin thought that there was something strange in it. In the next moment he realized what it was: the girl who entered the room was not Aline, but Leyn! ¡°Are you alright? How do you feel?¡± she asked.


    ¡°How do I feel? Great!¡± he answered with a mocking tone, angrily. ¡°It feels so great when they tell you the you¡¯ve become a useless cripple, without any chance to regain your cultivation. Oh, guess what? I¡¯ve heard another great news today besides that my right arm is also quite useless now: I¡¯ll only have to leave such a sorry life for only about thirty years and then I can die in peace when all of you¡¯re just about to start your own life!¡± he yelled at her full with rage and both Quin¡¯s and Leyn¡¯s eyes became filled with tears.


    ¡°And I have to thank you for that, you should¡¯ve been our guardian, but in the end it was me who protected you! It¡¯s not fair... Why do I have to be the one who''s life got completely wrecked?¡± He could not withhold his crying anymore, and started sobbing. He felt humiliated to show such a side of him in front of her, but after to what he had learned today, it was nothing.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said in a low voice, then turned around and ran away.


    It did not take much time for another guest to appear, only for a couple of seconds.


    ¡°Hey,¡± his instructor greeted him.


    This is just what today was missing, he thought.


    ¡°Good day, sir!¡±


    He entered the room but did not sit down, just stood in front of Quin¡¯s bed for a few moment. ¡°You know that I¡¯ve never lectured or scolded you, only if it was about your training, not even when you did stupid things. Honestly, that¡¯s what your parents are for, and I¡¯ve never wanted to do their job or replace them, but I¡¯ll make an exception this time. Consider this as my farewell gift, as we will probably not have any more lessons together,¡± he said, scratching his beard, and taking a deep breath, his facing turning entirely serious. ¡°Seriously, get your shit together boy, especially now that you¡¯re no longer the genius everyone looks up to.


    ¡°I know that it¡¯s easier to find someone you can blame for your own misfortune but I¡¯ve talked to your friends about what happened, and let me tell you that girl isn¡¯t the one you should hold responsible for these events. If you really want to blame her then first you should blame yourself, as you were the reason Dreon separated from your group, and also why you had to enter the danger zone where the Shriekers attacked you.


    ¡°But don¡¯t misunderstand me, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re responsible at all, honestly it was only due to misfortune. However, that girl did everything she could¡¯ve done and thanks to her, nearly all of your friends got away.


    ¡°When the Shriekers attacked and it was clear that her group was getting overpowered, she used some kind of secret technique and managed to occupy the enemy, while the others were retreating. Unfortunately another group ambushed them from behind, and thus they were still defeated in the end. However the fact still remains that for using that technique she had sacrificed half of her longevity, without any hesitation. Do you understand what that means right? Half of her entire life. Besides, her¡¯s wasn¡¯t the only life she had to sacrifice.


    ¡°She¡¯s a healer, no fighter and yet she did something, many of us would be proud to be able to do, just like what you had done.


    ¡°Honestly, I just don¡¯t understand why you are so angry at her, and as I said: I know it¡¯s easier to blame someone, but from what I¡¯ve seen, this girl tries so hard to get back your friendship, even when you¡¯re acting like this to her. You know boy, during my life I found that what I¡¯ve considered the most important, changed constantly. There was only a few things which didn¡¯t, and one of the was true friendship. I know, it sounds quite cheesy, but it¡¯s still the truth and by missing out on this one for no real reason you¡¯ll just make your own life harder, especially now that you¡¯re in this kind of situation.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll finish this as I¡¯m not very fond of these kinds of talks. Good luck with your life boy and think about what I¡¯ve said,¡± he said and left the room.


    Is it true? Did Leyn really sacrifice half of her life for the others? Am I really the one who¡¯s at fault? He wondered. Whatever, this is my first day awake and I just don¡¯t want to deal with these stupid stuffs. Maybe I¡¯m wrong, maybe the Instructor is, but today I just want some peace, and not thinking about complex matters or about how crappy my life has became. He sighed and closing his eyes fell back to sleep in no time.

 Rise and Fall 35 - Reaching Out

    In the afternoon his mother visited him and stayed with him until the night. During the whole time she was completely cheerful and acted like everything was fine. They chatted about average and boring topics, like what kind of housework did she do recently, or how the weather was colder than usual. Usually Quin would not be a fan of these kinds of conversations, however this time, it was exactly what he needed: something to divert his attention from the more serious matters.


    Obviously Quin knew the true feelings of his mother and how worried she was, but there was nothing he could do about that, other than showing her that he was perfectly fine.


    At night her mother left, but promised him that she would come tomorrow as well.


    Even in the face of current events, the time with her mother managed to make him so relaxed that he was able to have a good night¡¯s rest, and the following day he woke up refreshed.


    Although he was in a much better shape, rage and anger still filled him and so he tried hard to put all the blame on Leyn -- she was the easiest target for that --, to be able to channel these emotions at her. However what the Instructor said to him before appeared again and again in his mind, making him seriously reconsider his point of view.


    After hours of arguing with himself, he decided to give her a chance, but only after speaking with her personally. Maybe it¡¯s a bit too fast to change my opinion... Well, whatever, I can¡¯t act like before, because as the Instructor said, I¡¯m no longer the genius once I was. I¡¯m only a weakling, one who belongs to the lowest part of the society. He sighed with a great sadness. It was hard to accept these things, but he has been preparing for this since he had first heard that his cultivation got destroyed during his coma. Though he was shocked and even started to panic when this was confirmed by the main healer yesterday, he thought that there was not much meaning living in self-denial. I¡¯m weak. I¡¯m worthless, but still I¡¯m alive. Am I truly on the path that the ball of smoke told me about? Maybe I will truly live my life in suffering, but this time there¡¯s nothing I can do about that. I can¡¯t get back my cultivation, my strength or my old life...


    In the next two days his mother came to visit him, each time just after noon, and then stayed until the evening. He was truly grateful to her, for making him able to forget the state of his life during those periods. She told him about what happened to their neighborhood, like the wife of the family living behind them getting pregnant, how their gardener accidentally fell into her favorite rosebush -- fortunately the man did not get injured, however the plant was destroyed --, or the new recipe she got from one of their neighbors.


    There was still something that made him worried: she has always avoided talking about his father. Coupled with the fact that Quin knew his father¡¯s view on the importance of strength, he feared that their relationship would once again deteriorate.


    He wanted to talk with Leyn, however she had not visited him the past two days. It¡¯s funny that just when I was ready to forgive her, it seems that she had enough, he thought.


    On the next day however, he was surprised, as in the morning she did come eventually.


    ¡°Hey, may I come in?¡± she asked weakly and in a low voice.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he answered and sat up in his bed. The girl moved a chair next to him and sat down as well.


    ¡°Are you feeling better?¡± she questioned timidly, but smiling.


    Looking at her, her face is really pale and she looks like someone who hasn¡¯t been sleeping for days. Is it because what the Instructor said?


    ¡°Is what the Instructor told me true? Did you really do that?¡± he asked.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You know what I¡¯m talking about,¡± he said. ¡°The secret technique you used against the Shriekers.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, that¡¯s true, but it¡¯s nothing important,¡± she replied still smiling.


    ¡°How can you say that?¡± he asked. ¡°It had cost you half of your longevity!¡± Not to speak about what the Instructor implied...


    ¡°I know, but I can still live a normal, and relatively long life. You did the same didn¡¯t you? In the end you sacrificed even more,¡± she answered and then paused, realizing what she had just said. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°I- No problem,¡± Quin replied. So the entire thing was true, but what now? I- He sighed. It was really not fair that I¡¯ve said those things to her. She certainly did anything she could¡¯ve done, and the Instructor was right: she¡¯s a healer, not a fighter. Despite that she fulfilled her duty as our guardian to the last bit and thinking through it objectively, I doubt that there are many Qi Culmination experts among the guardians, who could¡¯ve changed the outcome of the battle.


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    He clenched his teeth for a time, but then managed to gather his courage and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry about last time, it was quite mean to say those things to you, especially after everything you did for my friends.¡± It may have sounded as a textbook apology, but it was still a big step for him.


    Her previously pale and lifeless face instantly lit up, and her smile turned into a beaming one. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I can¡¯t imagine anyone would react better after that their- Sorry I¡¯m talking about that again,¡± she apologized.


    Quin laughed dryly. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t always just apologize, anyways, I just don¡¯t understand how you can be so calm about what happened to you, about everything and act like it was nothing... Even now I¡¯m filled with anger and rage.¡±


    ¡°Why should I be angry? What will I achieve by that? Will it give me back my lost years? Will it change anything if I am angry at someone? No, it won¡¯t. All it does is waste my time, and maybe I could¡¯ve used that time to do something about the problem itself,¡± Leyn said.


    ¡°Yeah, but... I just don¡¯t know,¡± he said. I accepted what happened and all, but I just can¡¯t act like it was nothing and I especially can¡¯t just stop being so angry at the world.


    ¡°Maybe you should see it from another angle: when you¡¯ve been through the worst, there¡¯s not much chance for an even worse thing to happen. Even the things you had considered previously bad may now become not so bad in your eyes,¡± she told him.


    ¡°What? Fat chance that¡¯ll happen,¡± he said, not really buying into this kind of eternal optimism. ¡°Anyways, do you know how the others are? My mom doesn¡¯t know much about them, and in the past days only the two of you had visited me.¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, all of them had gotten away with only minor injuries and I¡¯ve met Alinor here a couple of times. They¡¯re already back at school, other than that I can¡¯t say much,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Oh, and what about Mang?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Hmm? What about him? I haven¡¯t seen him lately in the school,¡± she answered.


    ¡°He was there with us, at the Shrieker¡¯s nest! Is he alright?¡±


    ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t see him, even after the fight and I don¡¯t remember the others mentioning him either,¡± she said, a bit shocked.


    ¡°How would this be possible? He was the one who helped me. While I was fighting the Shrieker and trying to wake you up, he occupied the soldiers.¡±


    ¡°Soldiers? Are you talking about Shrieker soldiers?¡± she asked puzzled.


    ¡°What? No! Soldiers, in our city¡¯s uniform! They were the one who kidnapped you and me!¡± Quin said, his volume increasing significantly. Why is it that they didn¡¯t see him? He was simply perplexed.


    ¡°Our soldiers? Are you alright?¡± she questioned worriedly.


    ¡°Of course I am! I wouldn¡¯t hallucinate hours of memories just because I was injured! I can perfectly remember what happened!¡±


    ¡°Okay, sorry, I was just worried that maybe your head was also injured, because that can cause various hallucinations,¡± she explained.


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you already that it¡¯s not like that! It really happened!¡± he said angrily.


    ¡°I believe you, don¡¯t worry,¡± she replied in a gentle voice.


    ¡°Alright, what happened after the Shrieker impaled me and I killed it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°The Shrieker exploded, and you fell to the ground. You began to tremble wildly and I ran up to you to do something about it,¡± she told him, and a tear dropped from her eyes. ¡°I started to heal you, but... It was just too much, your whole body was a mess and your organs were about fail. Fortunately after a while, although I don¡¯t really know how I did it, but I was able to stabilize you, yet we¡¯ve become surrounded by Shriekers by that time. The others were getting overwhelmed, but luckily for us -- even with you being unconscious -- the spell you prepared earlier did its work and with a great explosion killed most of them. It brought enough time for the Spirit Forming guardian to arrive, and then she brought us out immediately.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what spell are you talking about? I didn¡¯t cast anything like that before I passed out,¡± Quin asked confused.

 Rise and Fall 36 - Coming Home

    Quin was completely puzzled and felt that something was not right. Leyn told him that the she and the others did not know about the soldiers, nor about Mang being there. Is he alright? What had happened to him? If he¡¯s fine then why didn¡¯t he stay? He did say he wanted to infiltrate that damn cult, but would he really stay behind because of that? But that still doesn¡¯t explain why the others haven¡¯t seen him. Was the dust cover really enough to hide him?


    Then what about the spell I had supposedly cast? Was it his work as well? He snorted. Yeah, as if he¡¯d be able to use someone else¡¯s qi and especially one of a different element. Maybe I was able to cast something like that subconsciously? It sounds more plausible, but it¡¯s still something hard to believe.


    Furthermore they didn¡¯t even realize the true strength of those adult Shriekers, but that¡¯s at least something easier to explain. They have never fought something in the Qi Culmination sub-stage, so I don¡¯t think they have a benchmark and Leyn was probably just too worn out from her special technique to notice it.


    Alright, so there are a lot of things I just don¡¯t understand, but these are important information, so I should tell them to someone who I can trust and is in a high position, but the question is who would this be?


    Although there were a couple of people Quin thought of, none of them were suitable for what he had in mind. The Instructor was not high enough in hierarchy, neither was his father and after hearing what Nyra had said he did not dare to try and speak to her. There was no other teacher he had a good relationship with, and though the Instructor had previously said that the Grand Duke had a favorable impression on him, that did not mean that he could just visit him and ask for an audience, did it?


    Anyways, he had to stay in the hospital for a few more days and thus he still had time left to figure things out.


    It was not only Leyn who visited him in the next day, but Alinor as well. Quin was quite happy about it as he thought he could finally find out how Aline was doing.


    ¡°Hey Quin, how are you doing?¡± Alinor asked.


    ¡°Hey, thanks, I am a lot better compared to when I first woke up, although it¡¯s still hard to move my right arm,¡± Quin answered.


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear, what did they say about your injury? Will you be able to completely recover from it?¡± Alinor asked. ¡°I tried to ask the healers, but they said they were not allowed to share their patient¡¯s condition without their consent.¡±


    ¡°Well, unfortunately for a long time I won¡¯t be able to use my cultivation, as it was my Cores that got seriously injured during the fight, and so I have to let them recover,¡± Quin replied, faking a smile to make it more believable that he would be alright. He did not like lying to his friends, especially not to his best friend, however he did not want to receive anymore pity; he had already got enough of that. Though Leyn already knew it, but he asked her to keep it a secret from the others.


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame... I¡¯m really sorry to hear that. If you need anything just tell me,¡± he said. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a relief that at least it¡¯s not something permanent.¡± Although Alinor was naturally sad about these matters, he felt relieved to hear that even if it took a long time, his friend would be able to completely recover eventually.


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    ¡°And how¡¯s Aline? Will she come by one of these days?¡± Quin asked.


    ¡°Oh, well, she¡¯s uhm,¡± Alinor said, with a slight hesitation audible in his voice, ¡°She¡¯s been really busy these days with, uhm, family matters. You know how it is, being a man, I could more easily get away from my duties, but she doesn¡¯t have that much of a choice. She did ask me though to give you her well-wishes in her stead and to tell you that she¡¯s sorry that she won¡¯t be able to visit you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite unfortunate, but tell her that she shouldn¡¯t worry about that.¡±


    ¡°Right, guess what? We will all get medals for our performance against the Shriekers, and what¡¯s more, you will even get the Crystal Medal of Ade Lai!¡± Alinor said excitedly. ¡°That¡¯s something they give out only to the ones who had done great heroic deeds for our nation!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Quin asked quite surprised. He knew that what he did was worthy of respect, but he had never imagined that he would get the Crystal Medal of Ade Lai.


    ¡°Yeah, my father told me about it. You know that he works at the government, so he¡¯s quite knowledgeable about matters like this. Besides, he also told me that the Governor himself will visit each of us personally to congratulate on our braveness! Can you imagine that?¡±


    ¡°Haha, finally some good news, at last!¡± Quin said and his mood got improved by quite a bit. It was not just because the medal he would get, but also because it meant that his problem was finally solved. He would be able to meet Gorman in person, and that meant he would be able tell him about that cult, the stronger adult Shriekers and about this whole situation.


    Alinor stayed for an hour or so, but then he had to leave as he had some other important things to do.


    Although he got better -- both mentally and physically -- during the week-long stay in the hospital, it was still quite hard for him to cope with his condition. Most of the times he could ignore his hidden feelings and thoughts, but not at night when he was left alone in the quiet and dark, only with his own mind. His thoughts were trapped in a vicious cycle, and the anger, rage, sadness and desperation just got stronger and stronger. Often, he found himself at the verge of crying, and trembling in fear of what the future would bring.


    It did not matter how hard he tried to accept the facts, that he said to himself several times that he had accepted them, each day, or that Leyn tried so hard to show him the positive side of the things, in the end these were simply not enough.


    The worst of all were the dreams. They were not nightmares, -- no matter how much Quin had wished they were just those -- but the best ones he ever had in his entire life. In these dreams his cultivation was intact, he soared the continent with his mighty Elemental Lightning Dragon or just prevailed over mighty foes. Each time with the awakening, however, came the bitter realization of what he no longer had. It¡¯s not enough that I¡¯ve to live like this, I must be constantly reminded of what I had lost and what I could¡¯ve became... Why? Why is fate playing with me like this? he thought.


    At the end of the one week, the healers had examined him thoroughly another time, but they did not find anything unusual or worrisome, thus he was finally allowed to leave the hospital.

 Rise and Fall 37 - Nothing Left

    Two days has passed since Quin came home, but he did not see any signs of his father. He finally gathered his courage and asked his mother about it, and she told him that his father had to travel to another city due to his work.


    Although Quin found it a bit strange, as his father never had to leave the city previously, it was what his mother told him, so he naturally did not doubt it.


    It was on the fourth day after he left the hospital that Gorman came to visit them. Something like this was an extremely rare case, and and only happened to people who did a great merit to the Duchy.


    He arrived alone, without any kind of escort, as he did not need one. Throughout the continent there were only a handful people stronger than him, and if they wanted to kill him, no amount of bodyguards would be able to help him.


    ¡°Greetings,¡± he said with a nod.


    Quin¡¯s mother -- who was the one to open the door -- stood there shocked for a moment, before coming back to her senses.


    ¡°Good day sir, may I ask you sir, how can I be of your help?¡±


    ¡°I have come to talk with your son, Quin, regarding his Coming of Age Ceremony,¡± he answered.


    ¡°Please, come inside and take a seat, I will call him right away,¡± she said, leading him to their living room, where he sat down on one of the armchairs. ¡°May I get you something to drink?¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your kindness, but I have to refuse,¡± Gorman said lightly shaking his head.


    She quickly walked up to the upper floor and told Quin about their visitor. It was then, when he remembered that he had not told her mother about the Crystal Medal of Ade Lai. He did not have time to waste though, so after changing into his ceremonial dress -- he would not receive the city governor in his simple clothes --, he made his way downstairs right away.


    ¡°Good Day, sir,!¡± he greeted Gorman with a slight bow.


    Crap! Did I greet him right? We¡¯ve been taught of this in school, but why does nothing comes to my mind? He was so nervous about this encounter, that his mind was in a complete jumble.


    ¡°...¡±


    And now I wasn¡¯t paying attention and I don¡¯t even know what he said! Think! Think! Oh right, he just probably greeted me as well. Alright Quin, calm down! Sit down and take a deep breath!


    He sat down on another armchair and tried to look as composed as he could. Meanwhile his mother made her way out of the living room, as from Quin¡¯s earlier reaction -- when she told him about who their visitor was -- she suspected he had already knew of it and there was nothing to worry about.


    ¡°First of all, I want to thank you in the name of our Duchy for all those things you did for your friends, and for our country,¡± Gorman said. ¡°I have heard about the unfortunate consequences you had to suffer for your sacrifice, and although it fills me with great sadness, moments like that are when someone¡¯s true character shows. With such a brave heart, you fought fiercely against those damnable Shriekers and even facing death you did not back down. Although that day made clear that it was not only your strength that was admirable, but your personality as well, it was still one of the most tragic ones in our history, as we lost a peerless talent.


    ¡°With your ability you could have fled the battlefield quite easily, but you did not. You could have also left your friends to die there when things went south, and no one would have known about that, but you did not do that either. You stayed there to fight to the very end and truthfully, even with these kind of consequences I have to say that you did the right thing. I am aware of the fact that your potential completely overshadowed your friends¡¯, and in time you might have become our most valuable asset. However what you should not forget is that it is not only strength we need, but the setting of a good example. One, to which each and every person can look up to and say, that it is worth fighting for.


    ¡°These are the times, when we especially have to look out for our values and morals. By giving up on them, maybe we would have an easier time against our enemies, but in the end we would lose ourselves -- who we are -- and just degenerate into wild animals.


    ¡°I perfectly know that these thing are just simple words, and may not provide any kind of consolation, however I do mean what I said. That is why I decided to award you with the Crystal Medal of Ade Lai.¡±


    ¡°Thank you sir for your kindness,¡± Quin said with a nod. He finally remembered some of the things they learnt and formulated the most polite answer he could. ¡°I-,¡± he tried to say something he wanted to, but did not know how he should begin.


    ¡°Do not worry, and feel free to speak of your mind. You do not have to be so afraid about it,¡± seeing that the kid was a bit reserved around him, Gorman said encouragingly.


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    ¡°Well, If I may say so, nothing that won¡¯t restore my cultivation can give me much consolation, however I greatly appreciate your words,¡± Quin told him.


    What Quin said was indeed true: hearing Gorman¡¯s word, who was one of the most powerful man in their country made him feel a bit less miserable and could truly feel that what he did was the right thing to do.


    ¡°However I wanted to talk about something else,¡± Quin said and Gorman simply nodded. ¡°It¡¯s about what had happened. I¡¯ve heard how the others had told the events, but they are missing out on important details.¡± He paused for a moment, but after seeing that Gorman¡¯s full attention was on him, continued. ¡°It wasn¡¯t the Shriekers who kidnapped us, but humans dressed in our city¡¯s uniform. They were part of some kind of secret cult, which worship the Shriekers as their messiah and they are bringing people to them for harvesting their souls.¡±


    ¡°What kind of nonsense are you talking about?¡± Gorman interjected, and the expression on his face changed as well: no longer was it the serious but friendly, which had been before.


    ¡°Sir, I have experienced it with my very own eyes and it was only thanks to, uhm, a friend of mine who infiltrated this sect that we got out alive,¡± Quin explained. He did not tell Gorman Mang¡¯s name, just to be on the safe side. ¡°I was captured as well, not long after our group split up in the Danger Zone. Fortunately this group included that friend of mine and he told me about a plan to escape, as well as about the cult itself. When we arrived to the Shrieker¡¯s Nest, after the majority of the enemy group left, we created some distraction and I fought my way to the others where I woke them up. Thanks to my friend we only had to fight the Shriekers, but there was also something strange regarding them.


    ¡°The adult Shriekers were only supposed to compare in strength to someone who has just entered the Qi Culmination sub-stage, however two of them were clearly stronger. Although the others did not notice it, that was because they¡¯ve never fought something so strong and didn''t have any idea about the strength difference between the early and the late stages of the first level of Qi Culmination. That--¡±


    ¡°Enough of this!¡± Gorman interrupted him. ¡°There is no secret cult in my city, neither are adult Shriekers who surpass the early stage of the first level of Qi Culmination!¡±


    ¡°But Sir, it¡¯s true. I¡¯ve personally experienced all of this and I wouldn¡¯t just make something like this up!¡±


    ¡°Stop it I said!¡± Although Gorman did not raise up his voice even a bit, his entirety exuded an overbearing, domineering aura, which terrified Quin to the very bones and his facial expression turned to an even uglier one. ¡°You are playing with Crystal Medal here! Are you really craving for attention that much?¡±


    Crystal Medal? Really? It¡¯d give me a lot of respect and face in front of the others, but does it give me anything that really matters? Sadly, it doesn¡¯t.


    ¡°It¡¯s not for attention, sir! Please, listen to me, why would I want to make a fool out of myself? I¡¯m not saying this for a selfish reason but for the safety of our nation! If we aren¡¯t prepared--¡°


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it. I am sorry to say it but I cannot give the Crystal Medal to someone like you. That medal gives its owner recognition and influence, which I cannot give to someone spreading frightening rumors. In peaceful times it would not be that much of a concern, however now when we are facing such a dangerous threat, I simply cannot allow anyone to do something which can cause a mass panic!


    ¡°This does not change what I have said before, and to show my respect for your actions, take this emblem,¡± he said, and as he stood up, he took out a bronze emblem -- the size of one¡¯s palm --, which he gave to Quin. ¡°This is your reward. With this you will not have to face many hardships in the rest of your life, as you can use this as an unlimited amount of currency and thus buy anything you will need, be it a house or just a small thing, like bread. It does not however, represent me, the city or our Duchy!¡± Finishing his talk, Gorman left the house, without even saying his goodbyes and leaving Quin confused and angry.


    Only a handful of people had this bronze badge, but it was something that the majority of people had knowledge of. Although it presented infinite wealth in theory, in truth it was not that simple. First of all, although it was something rare, a social taboo has been present since it was handed out the first time in history against using it exceedingly in the Duchy of Ade Lai. Their owners could use it to live a luxurious life, however anything more was looked at with great contempt. Besides the government of the Duchy would not just watch and do nothing when they saw that someone with this badge was using it to destroy their country¡¯s economy.

 Rise and Fall 38 - No Hero

    What the hell was that? This was the man whom I respected for so long and even just a minute ago he seemed to be a great man. Why wouldn¡¯t he listen to me? If the Shriekers attack, with a strength like that we¡¯ll be in a great danger, especially if we aren¡¯t prepared! Besides the later that crazy cult is dealt with, the more difficult it¡¯ll be. It¡¯s been quite dangerous even before, but now they even have the support of the Shriekers!


    What was it that he said? That he can¡¯t allow someone to cause mass panic. Is he really that short-sighted? Maybe it¡¯d indeed cause something like that at first, but it¡¯s still better compared to the alternative, in which they''d only realize that the enemy is way stronger than what they would''ve imagined when they get to face them. Now that¡¯s what will definitely cause mass panic, and right in the middle of the battle!


    And what about the activity of that sect? They¡¯ll just go around and kidnap talented youth during their Coming of Age ceremony and consequently, in just mere decades our strength will dwindle!


    No matter how much I think about it, I just can¡¯t understand him. How can be someone so incapable and ignorant our governor?


    I should go and tell the people myself what happened, but... Would they even believe me? Maybe if I was the same Quin as before, the martial genius of our nation, but that¡¯s not the case. Even if the majority of them don¡¯t know that my condition is permanent, they¡¯ll probably just see a broken, pitiable kid, who wants some attention. Even Leyn had found it hard to believe me, then how can I expect the others, strangers, to do so?


    Damn! Why does it always have to be so complicated!


    During his whole first week at home, he stayed in their house. It was not what he wanted to do, however his body was still weak, and at first even a few minutes of walk in their garden was exhausting. Though his body was still in the Qi Condensation sub-stage, he had been lying in bed for several weeks and it needed some time -- especially without his Lightning Qi there to help -- to recover.


    Leyn visited him nearly everyday, and even Alinor came over twice. Honestly, Quin was quite grateful for those visits, and despite how he felt previously toward Leyn, their friendship seemed to be quickly back to almost how it had been years ago. There were still some lingering awkwardness, but mostly on his side, it seemed Leyn was not one to held grudges.


    On the third day of the second week he decided that he would finally go outside for a bit. It was only the local library he visited, which was within ten minutes of walk. Quin did not go there for fun, but to search through the various books.


    He knew obviously, that there was virtually no chance that he would find something on how to restore his cultivation, however he still had to try. Besides he needed to do something, as sitting at home and lazing around could be quite enjoyable, but not for weeks. He would also be exempt from school for about a month, so he needed to find some kind of task or goal that would occupy him.


    Afterward, he visited the library every second day and stayed the whole afternoon there, unfortunately -- but not surprisingly -- he did not find anything useful.


    One day when he was going home, something unexpected happened. A middle-aged man and woman -- both of them were wearing black formal clothes --, were walking toward him. After briefly looking at their faces, Quin realized that they were Dreon¡¯s parents.


    When they looked back to Quin, they noticed him as well, and the woman¡¯s expression turned instantly into one filled with disgust and anger.


    ¡°Good D-¡± Just as he was about to greet them, the woman stepped closer and grabbing him by his collar, started yelling at him.


    ¡°You! It¡¯s all your fault!¡± she shouted and she was filled with so much anger that even the veins on her head bulged out. ¡°We¡¯ve heard everything about what happened and how you¡¯ve chased our Dreon away, straight into the Danger Zone, just because he said something like you didn¡¯t like! How did you dare to do something like this?! You¡¯re a scum, a worthless trash! But I¡¯m still happy that you got what you had deserved at least! Though having your cultivation destroyed couldn¡¯t compare to our son¡¯s life, it¡¯s still a start!¡±


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    At this point a smaller crowd gathered around them, eagerly watching what was happening.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, dear. Let¡¯s go,¡± the man said, and putting his arm around her, escorted her away.


    ¡°I just hope you will live your whole life in suffering!¡± turning back, the woman shouted one last time before leaving.


    Quin was completely dumbstruck and just stood there for moments. Why? Why would I be the one  responsible for what happened? I didn¡¯t chase Dreon away, it was his decision! I¡¯m not the one at fault! I¡¯m not!


    Despite his thoughts, he felt overflown with guilt, because deep down he knew that even if it had not been intentional and there was no way he would have known what would happen, it was still his actions what eventually led to this outcome.


    Realizing that everyone¡¯s eyes were on him, he ran quickly away. When he got home he was totally exhausted and felt that his body was craving for energy, for something to fuel it. However he did not have qi anymore, and only felt as his main Core was pulsating, bringing an unimaginable pain. Shit! Why does it hurt so much!


    Quin shut himself in his room, and was barely able to lie down on his bed. He wallowed and groveled in pain, which just did not leave him in peace. Although he felt it only in his stomach, it was one of the worst ones he ever felt and nothing he did proved to be useful. He tried moving into one position after another, he tried massaging that area and even tried bashing his head against the bed¡¯s headboard to lessen his suffering, but all was to no avail.


    He had been proud of his exceptional pain tolerance ever since he began his training in the first grade, but now even tears began to drop from his eyes. After a while, he even started to beg for someone, be it a Spirit or God, to take pity on him and stop this suffering. Unfortunately there was no one who listened to his plea and he spent the entire night like that.


    When her mother called him for dinner, he told her with the last usable part of his consciousness, that he was quite tired and would instead go to bed early. Maybe he would feel better with her at his side, but he perfectly remembered the times his mother visited him during his coma, and there would be no way he would make his mother cry again.


    ¡°Quin, it¡¯s already noon! Come down to eat!¡±


    He woke up to his mother¡¯s shout and reflexively grabbed his stomach. It ended? Oh god, finally. Man, for some time I even thought I¡¯d die, but thanks to the heavens I¡¯m still alive and the pain is no more! It was definitely the worst night I ever had... I should¡¯ve went to the hospital straight away, but it didn¡¯t even occur to me yesterday. He sighed. Should I go now? Nah, I don¡¯t feel it anymore, and there won¡¯t be a next time as I just probably overexerted myself. What a crappy day! He remembered what happened before and his mood got instantly sour. As if it could not get any worse, thanks to yesterday¡¯s events    he would not be able to avoid it anymore.


    Naturally he was aware of that his friend died, and it was not like he did not care about it at all. The truth was that he simply tried to forget it, to hide it deep inside his mind. He had enough reason these days to be sad and depressed, so he did not want to have another one.


    Just thinking about Dreon made it difficult for him to not start crying like a child. It feels so similar to that time, when Pharren died... So empty and sad. They aren¡¯t anymore, I can¡¯t go to talk to them, play with them or just do something fun together. If only we didn¡¯t decide to go in that direction but to somewhere else, or I could¡¯ve just contained my fucking anger a bit better! I¡¯m so stupid...


    ¡°Hey, Quin, why aren¡¯t you coming, are you alright?¡± His mother stood in front of his door, knocking.


    Oh, right, I totally forgot about that.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine, sorry. It just felt so great to lie in the bed for a few more minutes, but I¡¯m coming now.¡±

 Rise and Fall 39 - In Trouble

    The one month Quin had to spend at home passed, and it was time for him to go to school. He was quite nervous, and not just due to his condition, but because he would finally be able to meet Aline. Although he accepted that she was busy with various duties, he thought that she should have at least visited him once. He had already gone over thousands of times on what he would say to her and how, and decided that he would not be lenient with her this time. He would not back down -- no matter how hard he found it to argue with her -- and make her understand how bad he felt during this time.


    After he arrived at the school he went to his class right away. Unfortunately, he barely knew anybody there, as, after each Coming of Age Ceremony, the classes were reorganized according to the students¡¯ performance. This meant that Quin -- as someone without any cultivation -- was put into the weakest class of the year. No doubt that he was not too happy about the idea, but there was nothing he could do.


    As he walked to his school desk, he noticed that many of the students were whispering -- or at least trying to whisper -- to each other. It was not difficult for him to guess the contents of their whispers. Quin was someone widely known at the school, and he knew that rumors spread like wildfires. What kind of gossip would be more interesting than the star of the school losing his cultivation, even if they thought that it was just a temporary thing?


    Quin tried to just ignore these things, and put up a strong front, showing the others that he was the same as before. He was no idiot and was perfectly aware what would happen to a powerless tyrant among his former subordinates. That was not something he wanted to ever experience.


    The lessons passed quietly and afterward, he went to find Aline right away. He found her on the school grounds, speaking with a girl.


    ¡°Hey,¡± he greeted her.


    ¡°Hey, how are you?¡± she said and smiled at him slightly. She looks somehow different... Like she¡¯s colder toward me. Why is it?


    ¡°Can we talk for a bit?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yeah, go ahead,¡± Aline answered calmly.


    Quin looked at the girl next to Aline and then back at her.


    ¡°I mean, just the two us,¡± he said.


    ¡°Alright,¡± she said with a sigh, ¡°Lian, please, can you let the two of us talk for a bit?¡±


    The girl nodded and left.


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you visited me during the whole time? Do you know how it felt?¡± he asked her.


    ¡°I was busy. Do you know how much things I had to do in the previous months? I barely had enough sleep!¡± she said and irritation could clearly be seen on her face. ¡°No, you don¡¯t know anything about that, because it¡¯s just always you and you! The first thing you asked is whether I knew how you felt, but you didn¡¯t care at all about how I felt! You can¡¯t imagine how hard this period was on me!


    ¡°First I was kidnapped by the Shriekers, after that Dreon died, then you got injured and what happened when I had finally gotten home after all of this? My father forced so many things on me that I still don¡¯t have any free time! No, I don¡¯t have any idea how you felt, but I do know how I felt!¡±


    ¡°I-¡± But these things happened to me as well, I was also kidnapped and then saw Dreon die, and it was mine cultivation that got destroyed! Why is she so angry? He felt that what she said was not fair, however as he looked at her, and into her beautiful, sky blue eyes, what he felt was no longer anger or injustice. He sensed a warm, fire-like sensation in his chest, as he remembered all of the fond memories shared between the two them: when they first met, when they first climbed up to the mountain at the back of the city, or their first kiss. Then, only his love remained inside his mind, and he felt bad about the whole situation. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Aline,¡± he apologized, ¡°Do you have some free time this week?¡±


    Though she still seemed to be a bit annoyed, but after hearing his apology, her mood improved. ¡°As I said before, I still have tons of thing to do, so I¡¯ll probably have no free time for at least a couple of weeks,¡± she answered.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said with a sigh. Just as Quin was about to say something else, someone appeared from behind him and interrupted him.


    ¡°Hey Aline, my dear!¡± a male voice said, and Quin got enraged as the youths put his hand on Aline¡¯s shoulder and pulled her slightly toward him.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Quin said, nearly shouting.


    ¡°Hmm? Is there a problem with anything, Aline, my dear?¡± he asked looking briefly at her and then back at Quin. ¡°I don¡¯t see what¡¯s the issue,¡± he said, with a surprised expression on his face.


    ¡°Take your damn hands off of her, or else...¡± Quin demanded.


    ¡°Or else what?¡± he asked with a clear mocking tone. ¡°You will stare me into death?¡± He snorted.


    Quin took a step closer and looked him deep into the eyes, while his own¡¯s were filled tremendous killing intent. So much, that it would probably even shock himself, if he were not completely distracted by his anger. Aline and I belong together! There¡¯s no place for anyone else!


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    Even though he lacked any kind of cultivation, he was ready to attack at any moment. The fierceness in Quin¡¯s eyes was so frightening that even the other youth took a step back unintentionally.


    ¡°Cut it out, guys!¡± Aline said simply, but it sounded more like a command. It was successful, though, as both of them stopped, and calmed down.


    ¡°As you wish,¡± the youth said with a cheerful smile. ¡°See ya later at our usual spot!¡± He took a final glance at Quin and left.


    ¡°What was that? Why do you let him do something like this?¡± Quin asked. ¡°And what did he mean about seeing you later? You don¡¯t have time for me, but still can meet that jerk?¡±


    ¡°Stop it! I had enough! Why am I always the one who have to explain herself?¡±


    He wanted to retort, however just like usually, no matter how hard he tried, he just could not be angry at her. Seeing those sad eyes, nearly filled with tears, all he could feel was the guilt for saying such things and hurting her, as well as a strong burning sensation in his heart.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he apologized once again.


    ¡°Alright, I forgive you this time as well, but you should trust me more!¡± she said, and then left without a word.


    Crap, I made her angry again. He let out a long sigh and then decided to walk back to the main building to grab his stuff.


    Just around the entrance of the school quite a crowd had gathered, and when arrived, three boys split from it and started to walk into his direction.


    ¡°Hey, Lightning Boy!¡± said one of them and Quin stopped to look at them.


    He suspected what was happening and why they were there. After a few moments of observing them, he got a general idea of their strength and elements. Although it did not prove to be always true, in most of the cases you could guess someone¡¯s element just by looking at their body shape. Someone who¡¯s element was earth had a big, muscular and bulky body, while a slender and tall human probably used the air element.


    Among the three there was a youth with a small frame, and who emanated a calm aura. Quin turned to him and asked, ¡°You¡¯ve got something to tell me?¡± He did not give them any time to answer, though, and asked another question right away, ¡°So you want to test me, huh? You know guys, just because I can¡¯t use my cultivation currently that doesn¡¯t mean that it¡¯ll last forever, does it?¡±


    It was not that difficult to come up with a strategy against them. When they confronted him, not only had he not backed down, but he also took the initiate, like he had nothing to fear. When he asked them something, he did not even let them answer to show them it was him who controlled the situation.


    The one he chose as his opponent was of the water element, which was the easiest one to face in his condition. Furthermore, by this action he decreased the chance that all three of them would simultaneously attack him, as he was only talking to one of them.


    These were just simple tactics, and although in a real situation -- in a fight between adults -- they may not be that useful, he was against only fifteen or sixteen years old students. Even though they had been through their Coming of Age Ceremony, most of the groups did not encounter too much danger. In contrast to them, Quin not only had a life and death battle in the Wilderness but after his defeat against Mang, getting more actual combat experience had been his main focus.


    ¡°So are you finally going to attack or do something, or will we just stare at each other for all eternity?¡± he asked mockingly.


    Author''s note: my beta reader told me that Aline''s behavior was a bit strange, as only a couple of chapters ago she was on the verge of crying when Leyn proposed her idea that Quin should follow Dreon alone (chap 22). However do you remember Aline''s reaction in chap 29, when Quin says that they should split off? There were no tears, she didn''t even ask him not to go, only saying something like "be careful". Furthermore it was after they found the pyramid and things they had no idea about, which should make the area even more dangerous. Aside from this, the only difference between the two situations was who was the one proposing the idea.


    I also planted a few important clues in the chapter, and I was sure that they''d be very obvious, but my beta reader told me that even though he knew what was behind them, they weren''t conspicuous at all xD. So I''m quite interested what you guys will find.


    Edit: I''ve decided to write a proper explanation about the first part of my author''s note, which you can find two comments below.

 Rise and Fall 40 - Hurt

    Quin¡¯s plan was successful and the trio¡¯s previous confidence disappeared. Hesitation, mixed with anger appeared in their eyes instead, as they were not so sure anymore that they did the right thing. However they would lose a lot of face if they were to chicken out, so they had no way out.


    The youth with the water element finally gathered his courage and let out a ¡®hmph¡¯ sound, after which he attacked immediately by throwing out a couple of water balls.


    Seems like I guessed it right, his control over his element isn¡¯t so good and he is also quite slow with it. He smirked as he evaded those attacks, seemingly easily.


    Although due to the lack of Lightning Qi, he could not merge with his element anymore and thus acquire his previous inhuman reflexes and reaction time, his body was still in a good shape. Thanks to the properties of the lightning element, over the years his body had developed by a great degree and so even without his qi, he still had some strength left. Besides, during the previous month -- excluding his right arm -- he managed to almost fully recover.


    The entire situation would be very different if he fought against someone who used the fast attacks of the air element, however facing against these slow water balls? Quin did not have much trouble at dodging them.


    ¡°So is this really all you¡¯ve got?¡± Quin asked him.


    Seeing that ranged attacks did not work, he decided to switch to close combat and that had been exactly Quin¡¯s aim. He could evade the attacks for some time, but his stamina could not compare to his enemy¡¯s, which meant that a prolonged fight would be disadvantageous for him.


    His opponent leaped toward him and tried to attack with a kick at Quin¡¯s face, however Quin had already expected this. Just when his enemy started his attack, Quin sidestepped and threw out a punch, with all the strength he could muster at his head, while at the same time planting one of his legs behind the youth¡¯s leg.


    Quin felt as the force behind his punch was partly dissipated -- one of the properties of someone who merged with the water element --, but not entirely. His opponent was putting all of his weight on only one of his legs, which was obstructed by Quin¡¯s and so, in the end, he fell on the ground.


    This was the opportunity Quin had been waiting for and started wildly jumping on his chest a couple of times. It may look a bit too fierce, but his enemy was merged with the water element, thus the force of Quin¡¯s attacks was significantly reduced.


    Seeing that he was out for good, Quin stepped back and looked at the other two with a grin and asked, ¡°So who¡¯s the next?¡±


    Unfortunately for him, things did not turn out as he wanted to, as after some hesitation the remaining two youths merged with their elements and decided to attack him.


    Crap! And here I thought that this would be enough to scare them off! What can I do now? He looked down to the water element user he has just defeated. Well, maybe that¡¯ll work...


    Quin lifted his defeated opponent up and threw him at one of them with full force. His target reacted too slow and got knocked to the ground. That¡¯s one out for good, and another one disabled temporarily, which only leaves me with just a single one. He sighed. And that guy has to be an earth element user. That¡¯s just my luck!


    Quin did not have any choice, though, so be it an earth element user or not, he decided to attack, hoping that he could use the element of surprise.


    Quin started with a kick on his opponent¡¯s left knee, and even though he was not able to react in time, nothing happened. Earth element was the best for taking hits and retaining stability, so an unpowered attack would barely faze its user.


    His opponent answered with his own attacks as well. They were even slower than the water balls from before, but due to the wider area of the attacks, they were harder to evade as well.


    Quin repeatedly kicked his left knee whenever he could, but that was not an easy feat and soon his own legs started to feel numb.


    After some time his opponent started to finally have some trouble standing on his left leg, however the other one -- at whom Quin had thrown the water element user -- got up as well, intent on joining the fight.


    Guess that¡¯s it, and I¡¯ll have to go beaten down to home.


    However, it turned out that Quin still had some luck at his side, as they were shot in the face by two streams of water. Thanks the heaven, you arrived just at the right time Leyn! he thought.


    ¡°Hey, what are you doing, interfering in our fight?¡± the earth element user asked annoyed. ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re years older than us, it¡¯s not fair!¡±


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    ¡°And attacking someone three-on-one is? Furthermore, he can¡¯t even use his cultivation! Are you really that low?¡± Leyn yelled at them, filled with anger. Looking at Quin he noticed a few things, though. She had worked as a healer for years now, so even just by looking at somebody -- especially who she has known for a long time -- she could guess the condition of their bodies. Thus she was aware that Quin¡¯s body was not in a good shape at all after the fight, however he was still putting up a strong front, acting like he would have been perfectly fine even without her help. This prompted an idea to her. ¡°Well, comparing how you three are and how he¡¯s doing,¡± she said while scratching her ears, ¡°Probably it¡¯s you three, who should be grateful to me for ending this fight prematurely and not letting you to humiliate yourself even more. You can imagine what your schoolmates would think of you after hearing that someone without a cultivation beat all three of you to a pulp,¡± she said a bit louder -- just to make sure that the crowd gathered around the school¡¯s entrance would hear it clear.


    Deception and lying was usually quite out of her character, however she did not lack any smarts and could easily see what this kind of situation could result in. She could not always be there to save him and there were several people in the school who did not have a good opinion of him at all. She thought that it would just be easier to frighten them right at the start.


    Leyn stayed there for another couple of moments and after seeing that there would be no problems, she left.


    Quin looked at the trio, and snorted in contempt, then went to grab his stuff that he left in their classroom. When he walked out, he was still the center of attention, but this time, nobody tried to attack him, so he could leave in peace.


    Shit! My stomach started to act up again. Calm down, take a deep breath and everything will be alright. It¡¯ll pass... It¡¯ll just pass... Quin decided to visit Leyn at first, as -- although thanks to his long sleeved shirt it could not be seen -- his whole body was filled with injuries and bruises. However when he was just halfway, his main Core started to pulsate with pain once again and even though it was a significantly weaker one, he still clearly remembered the previous one with dread. Having been through that kind of unearthly pain, he never ever wanted to experience it again. There were only a few things he was honestly afraid of, and that was one of them.


    Quin quickened his steps, to be able to reach her house faster, as she may have had a solution for it.


    As soon as Leyn let him inside, he dropped down on their sofa, in pain.


    ¡°Hey, are you alright? What is it? Is it because of the fight?¡± she asked with a worried face.


    ¡°No, I only received bruises from that,¡± he answered and he felt as if he was starting to drown. ¡°It¡¯s my stomach... My main Core.¡± He was now wildly gasping for air.


    She quickly sat down next to him and placed her hand on his chest. Quin felt as a warm sensation filled his body and calmed him down. It was only then, when he realized that although his stomach did hurt, it was not anything extraordinary. He lay there for some time though, as that warm, healing Water Qi felt very relaxing and comfortable.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Leyn asked him, with her hands still on him.


    ¡°I... It happened first at two weeks ago, sometime in the afternoon, when I completely exhausted my body and afterward my main Core started pulsating with an unimaginable pain. It lasted for the whole night and was simply terrible... I¡¯ve never ever felt something like that, but it did pass eventually and I thought it was just something random. However, some time after the fight today, it started again and I, I think I just panicked,¡± he admitted embarrassedly. ¡°It didn¡¯t hurt that much, but as pathetic as it sounds I was so terrified that I¡¯ll have to experience it another time.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you shouldn¡¯t feel that way. If it was so much pain even for you, then anyone else would have borne it even worse,¡± she consoled him. ¡°There¡¯s no such thing that absolute pain tolerance.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± he said.


    ¡°By the way, I think you should visit the hospital because this might mean that there¡¯s a problem with you main Core,¡± she suggested.


    ¡°Yeah, maybe I¡¯ll pay them a visit.¡± He sighed. Or I may not, he thought. He had enough of that place for a lifetime. ¡°Oh, and thanks for saying those things at the school. Honestly, you arrived just at the right time,¡± he said laughing.


    ¡°It was nothing.¡± She smiled at him. ¡°But you should avoid these situations, alright?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got no intention of fighting, however, there was no way out of this one.¡±

 Rise and Fall 41 - Not Afraid

    Quin stayed at Leyn¡¯s house for another hour or so and then headed home. Thanks to her most of his injuries were tended to do, but he was still mentally exhausted nonetheless. Thus after eating dinner he decided to go to bed early.


    Dream did not come easily to his eyes that night though, sleepless, he turned left and right. He did not have any particular kind of pain, but he did feel rather uncomfortable. It was quite a strange sensation: first of all his body felt like it had been a battlefield between fire and ice, and he could not decide whether he was hot or cold. Next, under his skin, it felt like ants were constantly marching and they wanted to find a way out. Lastly, he was simply unable to get the idea out of his head, that something was not just right.


    It¡¯s not my main Core, and it¡¯s not the fight today... What could it be? Why can¡¯t I figure it out? It¡¯s on the tip of my tongue, but I still can¡¯t say it! What happened today that was strange? I went to school, it may have been a bit unusual but nothing strange. There were a few lessons there and I was transferred into a new class, but that¡¯s still not what I¡¯m searching for. Then I went to talk with Aline and she got angry. He stopped at that thought for a moment. Oh, then that jerk appeared, it should be because of him, right? No, that¡¯s still not it! Other than these, I fought those guys and went to Leyn afterward with stomach pains, but I¡¯ve already excluded those. Damn, why won¡¯t it let me rest?


    Quin only managed to fall asleep after hours of struggling and on the next day he woke up quite tired. At the school nothing noteworthy happened and it seemed that yesterday¡¯s fight did its intended effect.


    The following days passed in the same manner, however, he felt a bit depressed, and as someone who was not fitting in. There were only three people who he had a good relationship with, but they were all in different classes. Furthermore, Aline was still quite busy and though Alinor was his best friend, and they met often during breaks or after the school, the whole time they spent together felt a bit strange to Quin. The interaction between them, their talks just seemed a little forced to him. Alinor was not the person anymore, who he could hang out with without having to think what they would talk about or do.


    At least he had made up with Leyn, so she was there for him when needed. There was not any kind of extraordinary thing they did together, most of the times they were just strolling in the schoolyard and talking. Often they just chatted about their everyday life and similarly common topics. It was not that Quin did not have more interesting topics, but he did not want to simply mention them and honestly he did not even find their conversations boring.


    Fortunately, though sometimes he still felt his main Core pulsating, it did not bring him any pain, just some uncomfortable feelings. Not so surprisingly, even those times were enough to induce a smaller panic attack on him, but after realizing that it did not even hurt, he managed to calm down himself. Furthermore, he noticed that as the days passed, the less frequent these pulsations became, thus combining this with the fact that his previous seizure appeared after he exhausted himself, he inferred that it was probably connected to physical exertion. Consequently, despite that he wanted to start regularly exercising again, he decided against it.


    Life was not that easy for Quin though, and after about three weeks had passed since he started going school again, he was confronted once again, on his way to home. A dozen of youths surrounded him and there were no mysteries regarding their intentions. After observing them he noticed that the trio he had fought before was among them as well.


    It seems that our attempt to intimidate them only lasted for so long. He sighed. I doubt this will turn out good.


    He stopped, and looked straight at the water element user he had defeated before and said, ¡°So, what now? Are you really this afraid me that you only dare to face me with a crowd like this?¡± He snorted.


    ¡°Shut your mouth! We¡¯re not here to talk!¡± the youth yelled back, his face filled with embarrassment. He leaped and attacked right in the next moment.


    Quin sidestepped, however when he was just about to kick the water element user, his head was hit by something hard. Shit! It¡¯s so difficult to fight a crowd without my Qi Sense.


    Although it hurt and he felt that even blood started to drop from his head, it was not something to stop him. Quin had no chance at all in this situation however, and before he could do anything, he was met by a volley of attacks from all sides. Damn! They¡¯ve got no shame!


    They were not enough to incapacitate him or cause serious damage, but still enough to make him fall on the ground and cause a great amount of pain to him. The next several moments were quite fuzzy to him, as the youths started to kick him anywhere they could, while he lay helplessly on the ground.


    When it finally ceased, Quin got up, standing on all four of his limbs and spat out mouthfuls of blood. Fuck! Are they trying to kill me here?


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°You remember me, don¡¯t you?¡± the one in front of him asked. He had not much distinguishing feature, only maybe his big bulky shape, but then again, the city had a lot of earth element users who shared his body type.


    Quin looked at him for a few moments and had no idea at all who he was, but what he could clearly see was the anger on his face.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even remember me?!¡± he yelled and powerfully kicked Quin in the stomach, making him spat blood again. ¡°That day at the cafeteria! You don¡¯t know how much you humiliated me there, and what¡¯s more, this was in front of my girlfriend! It¡¯s all your fault that he left me!¡± He kicked him another time. ¡°That day I vowed that I¡¯d pay it back to you a hundred times!¡±


    Quin did not pay much attention to his attacker¡¯s rambling though, as his thoughts were rather occupied by something he feared much more: his pulsating main Core. He did not know why, but he had a really bad premonition about it, which filled him with dread.


    Several moments and kicks later, he finally managed to gather his thoughts. That damn Core of mine! Why does it hurt so much? I had no trouble with it this week, so I thought that I¡¯d be able to finally got rid of this. Will I really die here? Even though he has been through of these kinds situation with his Core before and came out totally fine, for some reason he could not get the feeling of impending death out of his head. With all of his willpower, he managed to calm himself down before panic would have completely overcome him. During my life, I¡¯ve faced death multiple times and even that ball of smoke told me that I¡¯ve been longer overdue for death. If I die, I die, why should I be afraid of it? Yeah, it might be scary to disappear from existence, but if it¡¯s inevitable then what good does it do me to live the remaining moments of my life in dread and fear? Besides that¡¯d also give these guys what they want and I¡¯m not going to do that!


    Quin pushed himself up from the ground and started to laugh. Looking at him would give someone a quite strange image: his clothes were dirty, and stained in blood, however there he was laughing without a care in the world.


    ¡°Hey, has he become crazy, or what?¡± one member of the group asked.


    ¡°What are you laughing at!¡± asked the youth, who previously blamed him for losing his girlfriend. He gave him another kick, but Quin got back up, still laughing. ¡°What are you laughing at?!¡± the youth asked again. ¡°You think that you¡¯ll be able to get back at us, huh? You can dream on! Even if you tell about this to your friends, you still don¡¯t know all of us and the next time we might even accidentally kill you!¡± He yelled at him fiercely, but it was obvious that he was quite fearful that Quin would actually do what he just said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not someone as pathetic like you, who needs others for settling his own affairs,¡± Quin replied and snorted. Although it took a lot of his strength to say this and he even had to stop for a few moments to continue, he thought it was definitely worth it. He was not able to defend himself physically anymore, but at least he could retort verbally and thus humiliate them.


    His attacker¡¯s face become completely red, and not just due to the anger but to his embarrassment as well. In revenge, he gave Quin another round of beatings, however when he stopped, Quin turned onto his back and after laughing he said, ¡°You know guys what¡¯s that I¡¯ve been laughing about? It¡¯s you. You¡¯ve searched for me to get your revenge on me, right?¡±


    ¡°So what¡¯s then?¡± one of the asked in contempt.


    ¡°And why did you want to do it? I guess you¡¯re all like that loser who lost his girlfriend and want to take your revenge on me because I had humiliated you before?¡± Quin asked.


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s because you¡¯ve humiliated us, you had been always so lofty and arrogant, stepping down on everybody in your path!¡± someone from the group replied.


    ¡°And that¡¯s why it¡¯s so pathetic and ridiculous! You came here with a dozen people, only to beat up a single guy who doesn¡¯t even have a cultivation! Don¡¯t you see that what you¡¯ve done in order to make you feel less humiliated in the end just made you even more pathetic and humiliated!¡±


    Thinking through what Quin said, most of them realized that what he said was indeed true and from an outsider¡¯s perspective they have only seemed to make a bigger fool out of themselves. However, the anger inside them did not wade, only increased and they needed someone to channel it.


    Author''s note: Previously I had promised to release chapters daily to the 10th and today it''s the 11th. I''d be happy to continue with the daily releases in the next week as well, but unfortunately, I won''t have the time to do so. My schedule will probably change quite a few times in the upcoming months, however, I''ll always try to let you know how it''ll be in the next week in the author''s notes on each Sunday.


    On the next week, I''ll release 5 chapters in total, one on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

 Rise and Fall 42 - Lost

    When the group of youths finished their next round of beating on Quin, he was filled with injuries, and several of his bones had been left broken. He was unable to move at all and his consciousness was only hanging by a thread.


    It eerily resembled the time he was impaled by that Shrieker: his whole body was hurting from his injuries, he could not see his surrounding, only hear what was going on. Breathing felt more and more difficult and the pain in his main Core started to become unbearable. However this time was different, he was not afraid, he entirely suppressed his previous fears and despair.


    Although all of his focus was on keeping himself from screaming out, he still heard parts of what the others were speaking.


    ¡°Shit! What did you do? Is he dead?¡± one of them asked.


    ¡°Me? It was you!¡±


    ¡°Fuck it! We¡¯ll be in deep shit if we killed him! Someone check if he¡¯s still breathing!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s still alive!¡± someone shouted in relief.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s leave this place, I don¡¯t want anyone to see us!¡±


    He heard the sound of loud steps as they ran away and then the silence. Soon he entered a half-conscious state where he still had some awareness of the surroundings, but it was mixed with wild, random thoughts and dreams.


    ¡°Quin! Hey, what happened? Wake up!¡± He heard someone shouting, but what he saw in his dreams was quite surprising. A beautiful red rose bush grew around him, but it did not hurt him, in fact what he felt was a warm comfortable sensation. Though the pain tormenting him was still maddening, the rose from his dream made quite a significant difference.


    After some time the scenery in his mind switched to one surrounded by complete blackness. However he knew that there was something hidden deep inside that darkness. He moved closer, to be able to see it, and after an unknown amount time he was finally able to take a look at it.


    Disgusting!


    That was the first thing that he had thought of. It was something in the shape of an egg but it was covered by small ball-like things and its surface rippled like water. Even though Quin was surrounded what he had considered absolute blackness, this thing was even darker.


    Observing it, he realized that it was not its look that felt disgusting, but the strange aura it was emitting. It resembled to something he had already encountered but he just could not recall it. In the next moment he felt as the egg¡¯s rippling became faster and faster, and simultaneously he was caught by some strange type of attracting force. No matter how hard he tried, he could not free himself from its grasp, but somehow he instinctively knew that if he were to get too close to the egg, it would mean his end.


    When Quin was only few meters away, a thunderous roar resounded and his surrounding were lighted in a bluish color for a moment. The rippling of the egg stopped, as well as the force attracting him and it was also when woke up.


    He looked briefly around and saw that he was on top of one side of a bed and next to him sat Leyn cross-legged, her eyes closed and her hands on his stomach. Though he felt a lot better, enough to stay conscious and be able to observe his surroundings, his main Core was still pulsating with a great amount of pain.


    ¡°Hey, Leyn,¡± he said with a great effort. Speaking these two words felt like he had ran for several hours.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake!¡± her eyes snapped open, and said with a smile on her face. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Bad, but better,¡± he replied. Damn, I never knew speaking a few words can be so difficult.


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky that I¡¯ve found you, I seriously doubt that you¡¯d be fine without help, what happened? Who did this?¡± she asked, with an anger in her eyes which Quin had never seen before. Sad, happy or excited, he had seen her like that but never angry. He was honestly thinking that if he told her about the perpetrators, she would go and kill them.


    Quin simply shook his head as the answer.


    ¡°Hey, are you serious? Those guys nearly killed you Quin! And only nearly because I healed you in time!¡± she said worriedly.


    ¡°I know, but my problem,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Your problem? Then who do you think healed you now, or the last time? I¡¯m not saying this because it¡¯s such a big thing to heal you, but seeing you all beat up... I just, I¡¯ve seen you too often like that these days,¡± she said with almost teary eyes.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°I-¡± Quin said but stopped midway. Damn, I¡¯ve never thought about that, but what should I do now? Seeing that how she had cared about me, I really don¡¯t want to make her feel bad or worried, but I just can¡¯t tell him those thing. Even if I can¡¯t solve it myself, it¡¯s still my problem, which I should solve myself and not someone else. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Please Quin, just tell me who they were and you won¡¯t have to deal with them any longer,¡± she pleaded.


    Shaking his head Quin said, ¡°Can¡¯t¡±


    ¡°Quin, you...¡± She sighed. ¡°Alright, but you can come to me if there¡¯s anything, OK?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± he replied with a nod.


    ¡°You seem to in a better shape at least, so I¡¯m gonna stop my healing, as I¡¯m quite low on Water Qi.¡±


    ¡°Arg!¡± Quin let out a grunt as the pain and agony returned with its previous full force. What he felt was a bit different this time, it was like as if someone had set his entire chest area on fire from the inside and it could explode anytime.


    ¡°Quin! What¡¯s happening?¡± she asked and started to use her Water Qi on him again.


    ¡°Shit,¡± he said and took a few big breaths, ¡°The pain from before. I¡¯ve been feeling it when I woke up, but it was still at the border of being bearable... But when you stopped, it skyrocketed.¡±


    ¡°Damn, what to do? What to do?¡± Leyn became more worried with each moments and could not decide on how to proceed. ¡°Oh, right, we should call the Chief Healer!¡± In truth, this was not something difficult to realize, however after an allnight of healing, she was exhausted and its effect could be seen on her thinking as well. ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯ve to leave you alone for a bit. I¡¯ll go and ask my mom to call for him.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± he replied and took a final deep breath, preparing for what was to come.


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m back,¡± Leyn returned and said, then continued healing Quin right away.


    He did not know how long it lasted while he was alone, but he guessed it should not have been too long, however to him it was an eternity of agony. Even though he hoped and begged that he would slowly get used to this pain, it did not happen. Honestly, he was not even sure that he would live through this day and the feeling of impending death had not passed either.


    At some point he passed out, however there was no peace in his dreams either, as the pain seemed to permeate into there as well.


    After another unknown amount of time he woke up again and looked outside. The sun was already going down, but he remembered that when he first awoke, he could see it high up in the sky. Damn, at least half a day has already passed.


    He sensed something on his chest and found out that it was Leyn¡¯s hand, which was still giving out the warm and comfortable Water Qi. Looking to his left he found out that she was lying right next to him. Most men would probably quite happy to wake up next to a young woman, and maybe Quin would be as well in another situation, however not now. What he felt was more of sadness and guilt.


    Though Leyn was more pretty than not, she was not beautiful by any means. Her looks could be said to be average, however she still had some alluring features and yet in her current state she would probably only trigger pity if anyone saw her.


    Her hair, which looked like a total mess was drenched in sweat, just like her clothes. Her face was painted red and exhaustion was clearly reflected on it. She was loudly panting, but -- even subconsciously -- she still continued her healing.


    Damn, even before she was almost out of Water Qi, and now... I just can¡¯t do this to her. All of this was my problem, something entirely caused by my actions in the past. Even if I don¡¯t regret doing them, I still can¡¯t be such a douchebag to let the few ones who truly care about me suffer the consequences of them. But what should I do? Or maybe the question is what can I do at all? Maybe I should just leave this city and go somewhere where no one knows me? Well, I do have that bronze emblem, and with that I am pretty free to move around. Maybe that¡¯s really the right choice... But first things first.


    Quin grabbed Leyn¡¯s arm and moved it away from him. He knew that this meant that his pain would increase again, but his previous decision of not letting the others suffer his actions was not just for show.

 Rise and Fall 43 - Split Mind

    ¡°So, what¡¯s happened? Where does it hurt?¡± the Chief Healer who had finally arrived asked Quin right away.


    ¡°My Main-Core, it pulsating with pain. Happened a few times, after physically exerted myself,¡± Quin answered, and had to catch his breath for a few moments. ¡°It¡¯s different now: more pain and feels like I¡¯m about to explode.¡± He still tried to be as short as possible to conserve energy.


    Niohe looked at Leyn, who was still lying next to him and then back Quin, confused for a moment. ¡°Oh, I guess she healed you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, for a long time. During that, it felt better.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, let me examine you,¡± Niohe said, putting one of his arms on his stomach and the other on his head. Quin felt the similar warm sensation but it was not comfortable like Leyn¡¯s Water Qi, but more of an invasive type. Even though Quin was definitely not on the top of his condition, he still noticed that something was weird with Niohe: Quin felt that sometimes his hands were twitching and his whole appearance seemed haggard compared to the last time the met.


    Niohe was concentrating on his technique for a long time and then looked at Quin with a solemn face. Well, that¡¯s already enough of an answer, damn.


    ¡°Alright, I don¡¯t really know how to say this... Well, as you know your Sub-Cores are completely destroyed, however, your main one is not. It¡¯s got two holes on it, where the Shrieker pierced you through and it did stop working. Basically, Qi Cores take the surrounding energies and after converting them to you own qi, stores it. As long as you don¡¯t need any qi to use, it remains inside of your Cores, but you can make it flow through you meridians, just like moving your own arms.


    ¡°However in the case of your Main-Core, it is different. When it was not working, there was no problem with it, but the issue is that it seems to have started to operate once again. Even though it absorbs the surrounding energy just like it should do, but because it is damaged, it is not able to convert this energy to qi. The characteristics of this energy can be simply described with one word: wild, and in greater doses, it can be lethal. Of course us, humans usually don¡¯t have any problem regarding this, as it is only our Cores which absorbs it in a greater amount. However not only does your Core not convert it to Lightning Qi, unfortunately, you are not capable of keeping this energy there or to make it go in any direction. Thus, when your Core is filled with it, it simply overflows, right into your body.


    ¡°Another piece of bad news is that your damaged meridians are not helping at all. Through their tears and holes, this raw energy can easily fill your entire body, once enough time passes. At first, you feel pain because your Cores are not meant to store this wild energy, but then as time passes, the energy spreads to all over your body, filling each and every cell. Some types of wild energy -- and in smaller quantities -- can be useful for your body, like a hot spring with healing abilities, or what you can get from various kinds of herbs. Those are the exceptions, though, and in normal cases your organs and cells simply are not able to process this energy and... Die from overloading,¡± Niohe explained and it was clear what would happen to him eventually. ¡°I am really sorry to say this and you should not be the one whom these kinds of things happen to.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Quin said.


    Niohe snorted in self-contempt and shook his head. ¡°What are you thanking for? I am not even able to do my work,¡± he said. ¡°You know, when I started this work, I thought that I would be saving dozens of people, and giving them a chance at a better life. I worked and learned hard for hundred and hundreds of years, and eventually reached the position of the Chief Healer. I am supposed to be one of the best in our world, and the best in our nation, yet what I have been met with each day is delivering bad news, suffering, and death. Here you are, the hero of our Duchy, and I cannot do anything but tell you a few encouraging words.¡± Niohe let out a long sigh and stayed silent for a few moments.


    ¡°Sorry, I know that hearing your healer cry about his mid-life crisis is probably the last thing you wanted to do. It is just... It was a long day and month and I think this was the last drop. You know, it¡¯s a top secret thing, but I don¡¯t think you will tell it anyone, right?¡± Seeing Quin shaking his head, he continued. ¡°Well, the last month itself was a hell for us at the hospital. We¡¯ve got hundreds of patients with the same symptoms. They¡¯ve got infected by something and after the symptoms appeared they all died in only six days, but we don¡¯t have the slightest idea about what it is, how it spreads and of course how to stop it... Anyways, enough of my ramblings, is there something you want to know?¡± Niohe asked.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    It was quite a strange experience for Quin to see their Chief Healer like this. Quin did feel sympathy and pity for him and knew that his life probably was not something enviable. However, he could not bring himself to care too much about it. Maybe I¡¯m just a jerk, but I¡¯m lying on my deathbed here and I just don¡¯t have the capacity of dealing with his problems as well.


    ¡°How long is left?¡± Quin asked.


    ¡°I cannot tell you a clear answer to that, sorry. It is not a short process, but your body probably will not last for several years. This condition is not something you get to see too often, so there are a lot of variables I am not sure of. The only thing I can do is to give you some strong painkillers, however, your body usually gets accustomed to them after consuming them several times, so use them with care.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Quin said.


    Great, that¡¯s just great. He sighed. So I¡¯ve got only a year remaining or so? And all of it is filled with agony... It seems what that damn smoke ball said turns out to be true.


    ¡°By the way, I also healed your other injuries as well as I could, but it will take a couple of days for it to completely heal,¡± Niohe said.


    After giving him the painkillers, and telling Quin to look for him if he needs anything, he left.


    Quin realized that he started to get accustomed to the pain, no, that was not true. He still felt the same amount of pain, without its intensity decreasing by the slightest, however now it did not take all of his focus away and he was able to think more clearly. In truth, it was something hard to explain, but the point was that it seemed that he would be able live his life, even if not normally, at least without being chained to a bed.


    He started to get up, and although he had never felt a simple motion being this difficult, he managed to do it. After he caught his breath, he started to meditate. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve done this, he thought. Needless to say, this was not so easy either, and even though he was able to think almost clearly in the midst of agony, emptying his mind due to the constant extreme pain was something that looked impossible at the start.


    In the end, he was finally able to enter a meditative state, even if a not too deep one at that. When Leyn woke up, he got awaken as well, but he was now in a more calm and relaxed state.


    ¡°Hey, how are you? You look a lot better,¡± Leyn said.


    ¡°A lot better,¡± he lied. ¡°The Chief Healer has already left and gave me some medicines. He said that my main Core got some kind of infection, but it¡¯ll be alright after a few weeks.¡±


    She let out a sigh and putting her hand on his stomach said, ¡°You aren¡¯t very good at lying, you know? I appreciate that you want to look out for me and don¡¯t want to be a burden on me, but please be honest with me. I don¡¯t lie to you because I trust you, but that doesn''t work if it''s one-sided. You look like you¡¯re better but in truth, nothing changed, right?¡±


    Quin looked her into her eyes for a moment and then answered, ¡°Sorry about that, but I really didn¡¯t want to put my burden on others and honestly, I don¡¯t want any pity either.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I understand you, but still, please be honest with me. It¡¯s really important for me,¡± she said and Quin nodded.

 Rise and Fall 44 - I Will Not Forget

    After Quin explained everything that Niohe said to her, Leyn¡¯s mood became quite bad. She tried to list a few alternatives she could think of, but both of them knew that they were not going to help.


    ¡°Thanks for your help,¡± Quin said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, it was nothing,¡± she replied with a smile.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you just lectured me about not being honest?¡± he asked with a small laugh. ¡°You healed me even after you got exhausted and that wasn¡¯t nothing. I can¡¯t imagine how I¡¯d have fared without your help.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Leyn said blushing.


    ¡°I¡¯ve to go home now, my mother¡¯s bound to be quite worried about me,¡± he said.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve asked my mother before to tell her that you had some issues with your main Core and had to go to check it out. I didn¡¯t say anything about the details, so that¡¯s for you to decide,¡± she told him.


    ¡°Alright, thanks,¡± he said and started to walk home. Even the time when he had injured his leg years ago and had to go home like that was less tiresome. It was not just the pain of his Core he had to cope with, but his injuries as well. Although thanks to Leyn¡¯s and Niohe¡¯s healing even the broken bones melded, he could barely put his weight on his left leg.


    When he arrived home, he told her mother that though there were some complications with his main Core, he would only have to take medications for a few weeks and that they also had some unfortunate side-effects, which caused quite a few bruises to appear on his skin. Then he went upstairs to his room and sat down cross-legged.


    He felt that his mind was on the verge of falling apart again, and the time he spent in meditation before seemed helpful in this regard. It took quite a long time for him this time as well to empty his mind, however, it was definitely worth it. Meditation was the only method he had discovered preventing him from falling back to that state where he could barely formulate more complex thoughts, and only lie helplessly on the ground, wallowing in pain. Thinking about it, it¡¯s quite a remarkable step forward.


    During the whole night, he did not even get an ounce of sleep, but he did not mind that. By giving in to the pain he would eventually faint from it and would be able to fall asleep, but that would be filled with pain as well. Besides he knew it from experience that afterward, he would not wake up refreshed or well-rested, so what would be the point in it?


    Instead, he was meditating as long as he could, and when he was not able to continue it anymore, he tried to distract his mind by something else. There were a few times he even managed forget about the pain for a moment -- while he was reading something interesting for example --, nonetheless, there was no escape from agony, and it always returned soon.


    For a long time Quin could not make a decision on whether to go to school or not, but in the end, he decided that he would go. Even if I decide that I¡¯ll really leave this city, I can only do so after seeing how school is... Maybe tomorrow I¡¯ll have a change of heart. Truthfully, he was aware of how naive and stupid idea it was, especially after that the last time he went to school he got beaten up badly, however he was still reluctant to leave his home city and so tried to give it another chance. He knew that it was entirely possible to stay in this city, and just not go to school, but he did not want to live the remainder of his life sitting at home in fear that if he went outside, that group of youth would target him. Furthermore, he absolutely did not want to make his mother watch as his state worsen and eventually die. Thus in the end, he went to school as usual.


    The first lessons passed mostly peacefully, but there were a lot of whispering behind him, as well as several negative remarks. Quin was no fragile flower, however, and if that was most he had to put up with, there would be no problem.


    During one of the break he went to search for Aline. He knew that she said she was busy, but Quin really needed to talk with her, even if it was just five minutes or so. There was a lot going on in his life and Quin did not want to make any life changing decision without her, so during one of the breaks he went to search for her. I really want to talk to her, even if we¡¯re on a break- Wait a second. He stopped mid-walking and stared in front of him blankly. Why would we be on a break? Did she tell me that? No, we didn¡¯t talk about anything like that. Then why was I thinking of that? Damn, what¡¯s going on with me? Is it also because of that damn Core?


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    It was at this point that he found her, so waking up from his thought he quickly went to see her.


    ¡°Hey, Aline!¡± he said.


    ¡°Hey, sorry Quin but I don¡¯t really have any time now,¡± she said and walked onward.


    ¡°Aline, wait a bit, it¡¯s really important! Can¡¯t we talk then in another break or after school?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Were you really not paying any kind of attention to what I¡¯ve said to you last time?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I- Sorry, I just wanted to-¡±


    ¡°I believe that you wanted no harm, but I really have to go,¡± she said and quickly walked away, leaving Quin there alone and quite downcast.


    During the lunch break, Quin noticed Alinor and went to join his table.


    ¡°Hey, Quin! Damn, what happened to you? Who did this?¡± Alinor asked. Quin¡¯s left leg was limp and several of his injuries from the fight were still visible. It would not take much thought to realize that somebody beat him up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, I¡¯ve dealt with them,¡± he said. Yeah, Leyn was right, I¡¯m really not the greatest liar, he thought as even he noticed how unnatural he sounded.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Alinor questioned to which Quin nodded. ¡°Alright, so what¡¯s up?¡±


    They talked about various things until Quin saw someone familiar sitting down just the table next to them. It was no other than the youth, who blamed Quin for losing his girlfriend.


    ¡°Hey, you see that guy?¡± Quin pointed at him. ¡°If in the future he comes to talk to you, just tell him something like ¡®I¡¯ve got my eyes on you¡¯ to him and nothing else. You know, something that¡¯ll creep him out a bit.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Alinor asked.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you said that if I need anything I can just ask you?¡± Quin asked teasingly.


    ¡°I did, sorry,¡± Alinor replied, a bit ashamed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I was just joking, and by the way, it¡¯s nothing special. I just want to play a joke on him, alright?¡±


    ¡°Okay, I don¡¯t really understand you, but I¡¯ll do it,¡± Alinor answered.


    ¡°Thanks, I gotta go and talk to him a bit, see you,¡± Quin said and went to the table where the youth sat at.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Quin greeted him.


    ¡°You, do you want another round of beatings?¡± He said filled anger.


    ¡°You really think that I¡¯d be afraid of you?¡± Quin snorted disdainfully. ¡°Of someone who would be too scared to face even a kid alone? Nah, don¡¯t make me laugh,¡± he said and during the whole time, he was grinning. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Chen,¡± he answered. Chen did not want to be so compliant, but somehow the look in Quin¡¯s eyes coupled with that grin gave him the jitters.


    ¡°So, Chen, I¡¯ll tell you something. I¡¯ll probably leave the city soon for some treatment, but you don¡¯t have to worry about that, I¡¯ll eventually come back and when I do... Well, let me tell you that I give back my debts tenfold and you¡¯ll curse that day forever when you thought you could fuck with me. Oh, yeah, before you would try to do anything funny with your friends, you see my friend Alinor there, right?¡± he said turning his head to Alinor, who looked back at them with a serious expression. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell him what you did, only who¡¯s the person to look for if something were to happen to me, and that¡¯s none other than you! I hope you do realize that thanks to my condition, he¡¯s got now the most potential among the youth and he¡¯s also got a powerful family behind him. Well, I think it¡¯s enough to say the not only can he make you disappear off of the face of the earth, but your entire family as well without breaking a sweat.¡± With that, Quin stood up and slowly and leisurely walked away.


    Damn, moron, I guess he¡¯s crapping his pants now, but he totally deserves that! Quin knew that it was quite a jerk move what he did, but he may not have a year left in his life, and at least wanted to have some kind of payback. When he saw Chen in the cafeteria he got an idea and did not want to miss out on that. He knew that it was immature and maybe he even decided it too hastily, but it was a strange thing how easily and fast his perspective changed in the past days and weeks, due to the fact that he had not much time left.


    Obviously, Quin made up a lot of things in his intimidation but he was sure that Chen will be frightened for years.

 Rise and Fall 45 - Lonely

    Even though he had quite a good mood after his talk with Chen, by the time he arrived home it was totally gone.


    When he was going home, far ahead of him -- just close enough to be within his sight -- he could see Aline walking together with that youth, who he met when he first talked with Aline a few weeks ago. Unsurprisingly he went mad with rage, but there was nothing he could have done there. Quin did not even have much chance at catching up to them, as he his left leg was still limp.


    During school, there were a few times when his control slipped over the pain, and his mind had become a total jumble, but he managed to eventually recover. However this situation was a lot more difficult, and it was a miracle in itself that he was able to get home, without completely losing his mind.


    At home, he sat down to meditate right away, in an attempt to calm down his mind. However, he utterly failed at it and only came back to consciousness in the middle of the night. Quin felt dead tired, what¡¯s more, betrayed and humiliated and just wanted to have a moment of peace. Thus he thought that if this was not the time to take a painkiller, when would it be? Its effect lasted for half a day, so at least he would be able to have a good night¡¯s rest. Quin quickly swallowed one and soon felt it kicking in. Although it did not lessen his pain entirely, the remaining part was so negligible compared to how it had been before that he had no complaint.


    He had put a note on his door to tell his mother that he was not going to go to school and asking her to not wake him up. In the end, Quin got up around noon, refreshed. Although his constant agony had started only a few days ago, to him it felt like an eternity had passed since he was able to have a good sleep and a truly clear mind.


    Alright, this should be the best time to organize my thoughts. I think I¡¯ve still got about a few hours left without pain and that should be plenty enough. So Aline told me yesterday that she did not have any time for me -- not even a minute -- but I had seen her with that jerk. Still, it doesn¡¯t have to mean that she¡¯s with him or likes him at all. Yeah, maybe she really had a lot of things to do, and unfortunately for her somehow that guy was involved as well, giving her no choice. It¡¯s not that she wants to be with her, but she has to. Deep down Quin knew that there was a lot of wishful thinking involved, but this was no different to the time when he had tried to be as optimistic as he could regarding the school. He could not get Aline and his love toward her out of his mind, so despite that this case had less chance to be true, Quin simply buried his head in the sand.


    After speaking with Alinor yesterday, I really think that I should leave the city. It¡¯s... I know that it was me who didn¡¯t say anything to him, but he was so calm about it. I don¡¯t know, but it feels like he doesn¡¯t really care about me at all. Maybe I should¡¯ve told him more? But still, if it were me, even if he tried to keep me uninvolved, I¡¯d make sure that no one ever would get any idea about attacking my friend. I considered him my best friend, yet it feels like that we¡¯re in truth just normal, average friends, or maybe just good acquaintances. Even though he said that he¡¯d help me if I need anything, when I asked him the first thing he did was to ask me the reason. If I had asked him to do something more serious, like beating up someone then it¡¯d be different, but it was just to tell something to someone. Besides, it would¡¯ve been also different if he had asked me the same thing, but at least I could¡¯ve seen in his eyes that he was ready to do it even if it was something really stupid or bad. Yet there was only hesitation in his eyes.


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    I don¡¯t doubt that he would be willing to help me, but even after years of friendship, after all of the things I¡¯d done, and after that I had never abandoned him or his sister, not even in the face of death, he isn¡¯t willing to trust me. It¡¯s just so disappointing.


    I¡¯ve got my mom and Leyn here, but I... I can¡¯t bear to stay here, especially because they¡¯re so good to me. Yeah, if Alinor had the same reaction as Leyn and not just saying ¡®alright¡¯...


    Whatever, do I really have time to be sad and disappointed about someone, who doesn¡¯t truly care about me? I¡¯ve got limited amount of time left, so I should use it the best I can.


    Alright, leaving the city, it is, but to where? I¡¯ve never been to any other city and I don¡¯t really want to move to one. Maybe a smaller town would be okay? But somewhere that¡¯s quite far away from here. Hmm, Niohe said something about the healing properties of some of the spas, didn¡¯t he? Perhaps I should look for something like that... Well, I don¡¯t know any kind of spas, so I¡¯ll go to the library to check it; a smaller town, away from Crows¡¯ Road and with a good spa. Fortunately, I don¡¯t have to worry about money, so I can even choose something luxurious.


    So that¡¯s done as well. Alright, after having breakfast I¡¯ll visit the library to decide my destination and then afterward I¡¯ll start to prepare the necessary stuff for the travel. I¡¯ll go and talk to Leyn today or tomorrow, as well and then with mom... I can tell her that the Chief Healer told me about some great spa and that I¡¯ll go there to recuperate. That won¡¯t be even a lie either. Oh, right, I should buy a lot of expensive things to her, so that even when I¡¯m gone she and father will face no hardships. Maybe just gold would be enough? No, it¡¯s always safer to stand on more legs, so I think I¡¯ll buy some jewelry and art as well.


    Alright, there¡¯s nothing else that comes to my mind, so I¡¯ll start right away!


    At their local library Quin found several helpful books and after a few hours managed to decide on his destination. The place he chose was called Hounxi, a smaller town, which was next to a smaller lake. This lake¡¯s water was famous for its healing ability but also for its dangerousness, as it seemed that the energy inside it was extremely dense.


    Healers only advised the usage of this water to cultivators in the Spirit Forming stage, and even then the daily treatment should not exceed three drops of water. One could realize how strong the healing energy it had was, from this fact alone.


    Unsurprisingly the lake had no creatures living in it, and just entering it for a minute or two can cause serious harm to even Spirit Forming experts.


    Although Quin was not in the Spirit Forming stage, the lake had a healing aura surrounding it, which was a lot less intense and could be enjoyed by average people as well.


    There were a couple of other good locations that he had found, however, this was the farthest away and the only one which was only next to a smaller town, and not a bustling city.


    The Duchy of Ade Lai spread over a relatively wide, but thin area in the northern part of the civilized world, with Crows¡¯ Road located somewhere between the country¡¯s easternmost part and its middle, and Hounxi in its westernmost part. It was a part which was settled only a hundred years ago and was filled with rural areas, used for cultivating crops.


    Alright, it¡¯s the perfect choice for me!

 Rise and Fall 46 - Leave It Behind

    Some time in the afternoon his constant agony returned, but both his body and mind was quite well-rested thus he endured it a lot better throughout the day.


    Quin spent the remaining time of the day by preparing for his journey, especially figuring out what kind of items he would need. He did not want to bring a lot of stuff, only the ones he needed the most. Unfortunately he was not able to buy most of those things, as when he finished his planning it had already become dark.


    The next day, after having his breakfast he decided to tell his mother about his plans. Although she was naturally sad that she would not be seeing his son for a long time, she was still happy to know that the Chief Healer had finally found a viable treatment for Quin.


    Afterward Quin went to the market and visited various shops to purchase the items he needed. He bought some utensils for cooking, a couple of firestarters -- small, common magical tools used for making fire by only having to rub it against something flammable --, a few types of seasonings, a portable tent and of course some kind weapon: a dark gold spear. Lastly, he went to buy a horse for carrying his stuff and to make the journey more comfortable.


    When he finished packing, all of his things could easily be fit into two suitcases, which he then loaded onto the horse.


    During the day his control over the pain sometimes nearly slipped, but he managed to keep it each times in the end.


    Alright, it¡¯s already afternoon, so Leyn should be already home, he thought and then started to walk toward her house.


    ¡°Hey, Quin! How are you doing?¡± Leyn asked.


    ¡°Hey, actually a bit better. I took a painkiller yesterday after midnight, so I was able to get a good rest and then it even lasted to the early afternoon. It¡¯s still there, but with a clear and rested mind it¡¯s easier,¡± he said.


    They went to the living room and sat down on the sofa. Leyn put her hand on his stomach and her Water Qi started flowing right away, filling Quin.


    ¡°Does it feel better?¡± she asked with a warm smile.


    ¡°Thanks, it does a lot,¡± Quin said and smiled back. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be here for so long, but please don¡¯t exhaust yourself like last time.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, don¡¯t worry,¡± she replied.


    ¡°So, I actually came here to talk about something,¡± Quin said. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been thinking a lot in the past days, and I decided that I¡¯ll leave the city and--¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡± she asked worriedly.


    ¡°I... To be honest, each day, I just can¡¯t prevent myself thinking about that I no longer fit into this place. You know how¡¯s school, and the people there and I really don¡¯t want to spend my remaining time sitting behind the school desk or just by sitting at home. I¡¯ve never left the city, well except the Coming of Age Ceremony, and it¡¯d be a good opportunity to see the world, or at least a part of it.¡±


    ¡°What about your friends? Or Aline? Your mom?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Friends? You¡¯re about the only one I have,¡± he said with a dejected look. ¡°I¡¯ve never been the one who had a lot of friends, instead I preferred to only have a couple of good ones. Dreon, he died... Alinor? I considered him my best friend, but honestly? It seems that I¡¯ve been mistaken. I¡¯m not saying that he¡¯s not my friend or anything like that, but it doesn¡¯t feel at all that our friendship is such a good one. You know, it¡¯s quite a bad feeling to realize that after years of being friends and after that I risked my life for them, he simply doesn¡¯t trust me at all.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s just a misunderstanding,¡± she said with the same smile and tousled his hair with her free hand.


    ¡°Thanks for saying that, but sadly I¡¯ve seen it my own eyes.¡± He sighed shaking his head. ¡°Lin and Sao... Well they¡¯ve never been really my friend, and I rarely spoke to them. Besides them I¡¯ve got a few schoolmates who I sometimes talked with, but they seem to keep their distance and Aline? Let¡¯s not even talk about her.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± she asked. ¡°Are you really sure you don¡¯t want to tell it to someone? It can help.¡±


    ¡°Nah, even this has been more than enough time of self-pity,¡± he said with a dry laugh.


    ¡°Okay, and do you have a destination in your mind, or you¡¯ll just go wherever the road takes you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve already decided on it: Hounxi. You know about it, right?¡± Quin asked.


    ¡°Of course I know it,¡± he answered with a small laugh. ¡°I¡¯ve been long interested in the lake over there, hey, how about I go with you and then you won¡¯t have to be alone either?¡±


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    Quin shook his head and then said, ¡°Thanks, but aren¡¯t you just saying this because you feel sorry for me?¡±


    ¡°I do feel sorry for you, however I truly want to visit that place and that way I can help you with healing or anything,¡± she replied.


    ¡°And then what about your life here? It does feel good to see that you¡¯d willing to leave it all behind just because of me, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯d right,¡± Quin said. ¡°Obviously, I cannot stop you from doing that, but just think about it. You¡¯ve got a job, a future here as a healer and from what you¡¯ve told me, it looks like you really love it. You¡¯re still in that period of your life when every day of training is important, not to speak about one or more years. You can still visit Hounxi later and I don''t want to drag you down with me. Besides it¡¯s not by chance that I¡¯ll go alone.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± she said a bit disheartened. ¡°Then how about that I¡¯ll visit you there before the New Year¡¯s celebration?¡±


    ¡°I--¡± Looking at her expression I doubt I could convince her otherwise, but would it be really that bad? Well, if I won¡¯t be in a worse condition there shouldn¡¯t be any problem. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s a good idea,¡± he said.


    Quin stayed there until night and then went home. He decided not to waste any more time and set out tomorrow afternoon. It was his last day at home, so he spent the evening by talking with her mother. Quin told her that with the bronze badge he got from Gorman he bought a couple of things to her so that even if he was at the other side of the country, she would face no hardship regarding money.


    Although her mother became quite sentimental Quin said, ¡°Mom, you¡¯ve been there for me for my entire life, cared for me and gave me anything I needed, while all I¡¯m giving you is something I can get for free and in any amount.¡±


    Her mother¡¯s eyes became teary and she pulled Quin into a hug. It¡¯s been so long I gave her a hug and I had even considered them childish. He sighed. I¡¯ll really miss her. At this point Quin¡¯s eyes became filled with tears as well.


    On the next day there was only a single thing left he wanted to do: to search for a gift for Leyn. She had always supported him since that incident and when she healed him that time, she did not even stop after being totally exhausted. He knew that he could entrust his very life to her; she was someone whom he completely trusted. Though it was him who ended their friendship previously because he felt betrayed, that was the past and the present was different.


    Thanks to Leyn¡¯s work as a healer -- something she turned out to be very talented at --, their family was not so poor anymore, like they had been years ago. Her mother did not need to continue the hard physical labor which had quite a bad effect on her health, and they could move into a better house as well.


    They were not rich at all however, so despite that they could afford to have a comfortable life, Leyn could not allow herself to buy the things she wanted to. Women at her age often bought themselves expensive clothing and accessories, but she did not have the money for it.


    Thus Quin decided to buy her a few thing she could not. In truth, he wanted to give her a lot more, however he knew her attitude well and that it would only cause more bad than good. She would appreciate a present but not charity.


    Though he had some idea of what kind of dress he wanted to buy, it was safer to ask the opinion of the shopkeeper as well, and in the end he bought her a beautiful jade-green dress.


    He visited several jewelry stores until he found something noteworthy. There was no end to eye-catching jewelries, however he wanted something unique and something which would suit her. In the end he selected a pair of earrings, which looked like a rose hanging down from its stem.


    The rose was made out of some kind of red crystal, its stem out of gold and Quin thought that it would look great on her.


    Part of the reason he decided on this piece of jewelry was because of what he had dreamed about when the group of youths beat him up. He could not forget that beautiful rose which surrounded him in his dreams when Leyn started healing him, and these earrings resembled to that rose a lot.


    He went home a last time, and after asking her mother to give these items to Leyn, Quin said his goodbyes and left.


    Author''s note: I''ll release 6 chapters next week, one each day except Wednesday.

 A New Beginning 47 - A New Beginning

    After Quin crossed the bridge to the other side of the Feryan River, he stopped and looked back at the city he lived his whole life.


    It was a strange and sad, yet exciting sensation he felt. He was looking forward to getting new experiences and to explore the world outside Crows¡¯ Road, however, everything that he had, that mattered was located there. This was the place where he was born, went to school, made his first friends and love.


    Quin thought back to the various things that happened there and to the matters that remained unresolved. How is Father doing? I didn¡¯t even get to see him once since I¡¯ve woken up at the hospital. Is he really in another city because of work? If only I knew which one is it then I could visit him, but mom told me that he¡¯s on some kind of secret mission, so even she doesn¡¯t know about the details...


    Then he had thought of Aline and about their relationship. When he bought gifts for Leyn, he contemplated on buying a present for her as well but eventually decided against it. Lately, she had been cold and distant with him, and it was only then when he realized that if he really loved her then maybe it should remain like that. Quin loved her without a doubt, the same he had for years, however, he was a cripple and someone who only had at maximum a few years left.


    Do I truly want to make her feel the pain of losing your special one when I¡¯ll die? He thought. Though she was cold to me and it seemed like she wanted to avoid me, I know that Aline loves me as well. In the end, our relationship would get back to how it¡¯s been, but happiness would only remain for a brief amount time and that¡¯s not want I want to give her.


    Quin was not happy about that he could not do anything about the Shriekers and the crazy cult, but that would not be his problem. Naturally, he told Leyn to be careful and keep her eyes open and also asked her to watch out for his mother if anything happened.


    Alright, it¡¯s time to go!


    Quin rode his horse on the road along the Feryan River in a normal tempo. Hounxi was about two thousand kilometers away, so it would take around a month of time for him to get there. Although he planned to live off the land for the duration of his journey, he brought a couple of days worth of food for the first days.


    The landscape within a hundred or two kilometers of the city was used by the local farmers for agriculture and animal husbandry, and Quin did not want to bother them. Though he liked the scenery of vast the vast green fields of crops, it did feel a bit unnatural to him and also became more boring with each day passed.


    It was only the fourth day that he had left behind the areas which were worked by men and reached where -- except the road and the occasional outposts -- the true face of nature was present.


    His path led him along the side of a forest, where although the trees grew almost to the same heights as they did in the Wilderness, overall safety was not an issue even for Quin himself.


    These days went by relatively peacefully, but he still stopped regularly to rest and more importantly to meditate. Whilst he felt his control over the pain improve day by day, there were occasions when he failed at keeping it. Fortunately, he had developed the ability to foresee when his mind was about to turn into a complete mess by at least a few minutes, thus he always managed to take a break in time from riding and lie down somewhere nearby until it passed.


    At noon on the fourth day, he decided to stop to hunt for food. Well, I¡¯ve brought my fishing rod with me, but I¡¯ve not been doing anything but riding on the horse or just resting, so maybe some exercises will feel good. Obviously, he remembered that his pain had first started due to physical exertion, but it has been already there, therefore he doubted that anything would happen.


    The outer part of the forest was not too dense and outside birds and smaller rodents, the animal population was scarce. Thus Quin wandered further in for about half an hour. Man, compared to the city it¡¯s so much more calm and relaxing. Though it¡¯s not silent, it¡¯s still quieter compared to our neighborhood. He selected a tall and not too thick tree and climbed to its top, which gave him a beautiful scenery. The Forest of Fengyu looks awesome from above, and I can¡¯t even see its borders. Quin found a comfortable branch there, sat down and just kept on watching the forest.


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    Only after hearing his stomach rumble did he wake up and climbed down to finish for what he came here in the first place. He had read upon the flora and fauna of Fengyu and knew that wild boars were quite common around here, so that was what he was aiming for.


    Lady luck was not on his side, however, as when he had finally found one and was about to throw his spear at it, an inhabitant of the forest decided that Quin was the perfect prey for itself. Out of the corner of his eyes, his could see a yellow animal moving towards him, and from this alone, he knew who was his opponent: a yellow bear. They grew up to two or three meters of height and in contrast with the majority of bears had long legs, which they used for quick jumps at their target.


    Although Quin noticed the creature, he only reacted when it was only a second away. He swiftly sidestepped and when the bear was at where he had been previously, he thrust the spear through its head with all of his might, pinning it straight into the tree next to them. There were no flashy moves or awe-inspiring techniques and spells, only deadly efficiency.


    After killing the bear he felt great, excited and like he was living once again. It did not require a lot of smarts for him to realize the reason behind this. After going through so many negative experiences and being faced with the fact every day that he was a cripple, a weak nobody, triumphing over a foe -- even if he could have killed it with his bare hands in an honest fight -- made him feel like he was back at the top.


    Quin walked to the corpse and pulled his spear out of it. After pondering a bit over what to do with the dead bear, he decided that he would not waste the prey of his first hunt. Alright, so I can try and make some kind of clothing out of its fur, maybe a coat? Well, even if this winter is the coldest I had ever experienced, I think a fur coat would be kinda overkill. Or maybe I could use it on the colder nights? Hmm, that makes me think that perhaps I should try hunting at night someday... But anyways a coat it is. I can prepare its meat and eat a part of it now, and then pack some of it for tomorrow. Oh, I could use its teeth and bones to make some kind of souvenir as well, maybe a necklace? Hmm, man these things sound so stupid! He snorted. Whatever, who cares as long as it¡¯s fun?


    Skinning the bear and preparing its meat proved to be more difficult than he had previously imagined, but he still enjoyed the process. Although they had learned about these kinds of things in school and he even had some experience, the truth was that those times he had his Lightning Qi to help out.


    He made a smaller campfire and started by cooking the meat. It would take an hour or two for it to finish, so meanwhile he began cutting the fur into smaller parts and sewing them together. It was already late in the afternoon when he finished with these tasks. It¡¯s not the best, that¡¯s for sure, but I think it¡¯s something that I can be proud of as my first try. He looked down at his finished fur coat, which was definitely something usable, but would not ever be called fashionable. The last thing he did before he set out to eat his long anticipated meal, was breaking off some of the bear''s teeth and stringing them up into a thread, which he proceeded to put around his neck.


    After eating, there was one thing he was sure of: bear roast would not become his new favorite.


    Author''s note: I know that a lot of readers had problems with Quin''s change in personality after chapter 16 and while I still disagree with the opinion that it was out of nowhere, I do know that it was quite a sudden change. It was definitely something that I could''ve done better.


    I have already explained my reasons a couple of times and also my view on this issue. Eventually, after a long discussion with my beta reader, I decided to modify some of the chapters before the 16th to include more clues and details regarding Quin''s personality. I''ve already edited four of the chapters (those ones that have "v2" at the end of them), but I''m still not done. I really hope that when I finish the editing it''ll make my fiction better and something that my readers will like more as well.

 A New Beginning 48 - Drifting Away

    During the following week Quin did not cover too much distance on the road as he only traveled from morning to noon, then he spent the rest of the day in the woods, hunting or exploring.


    It was not just the meat of the prey he used, -- just like that time with the bear -- he tried to leverage the animals¡¯ entire body as well. Currently, he had quite a few fur clothes and each piece¡¯s quality was better than the previous one, which made him quite happy. Quin could not wear that many pieces of clothing, however he did not have the heart to part with them. He did change his own clothes to these ones and although they were a bit warm and looked kind of funny he still liked them. It did not matter to him either that he looked like some savage barbarian in them.


    It was a simple way of life, but it was still filled with excitement, fun and the feeling of being alive. The only issue he had that the animals around here did not seem to give him any kind of challenge lately. Killing creature without any effort, or struggle only to be able to say that he killed them, was not what he looked for. Quin looked for a fight, where he had to be truly careful and put all of his focus on the battle itself to be able to win. During these weeks, his pain seemed to lessen a bit for some reason, and though it was still hellish, it was enough for him to be able to maintain his control without a break for more than a week now.


    He pondered a lot about why it was like that and his guess was that it was due to the increased physical activity. It may have been the very reason for his current condition, but after thinking through what Niohe said to him and what he had read about in the library, it did sound logical.


    The pain he felt was the consequence of the wild, raw energy entering his body and filling his organs and cells completely. This kind of energy was something that all humans used: it was in their food or even in the water they drank and it was what fueled their body when they were not using their qi. However, the difference between Quin and the average humans was the amount of this energy they were exposed to. In Quin¡¯s case, his cells were overflowed with it and that was one of the sources of his problem.


    Exercises used up energy and by constantly doing them in greater amount, his cells naturally required more fuel than usual, which meant that his body was left with less of this wild energy. Of course, his pain did not disappear, as his body was not completely devoid of this energy. Besides it was not by chance that humans used their own qi as their source of energy instead of this wild energy, as it was harmful by its nature when overused.


    The whole situation could be described by one metaphor: people needed the warmth of the fire on the cold winter days, however being too close to it could burn them.


    He was not exactly sure whether it was better for his health or not, but he would not limit himself just to be careful and he honestly doubted that much worse could happen to him.


    For the past few days, he had been searching for a creature called the Smiling Devil. Its appearance could be best described as combining a lion¡¯s and a lizard¡¯s body, but making its length the double of a lion¡¯s and then putting a head of a snake on its neck. It had a leather collar around its head, which was covered by tiny spikes, that could be shot out at its target. The Smiling Devil was not covered by scales or fur, but by a black and red, slimy skin and its body ended in a long tail. It got the first part of its name because its mouth curved upwards at each side by default and thus looked to the humans as it was constantly smiling. While the second part of its name was due to its malicious nature: it was no stronger than an average adult and avoided them most of the time, however, what it hunted was often the small and defenseless children. More revolting was how it often did not hunt human children for food, but presumably for fun as it regularly left the corpses untouched. Its overall strength was about the first or the second level of the Qi Foundation and combined with its strange abilities it meant that Quin would probably find a decent challenge in fighting it.


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    Quin finally spotted one in the late afternoon when the sun was about to set. He had only seen it on drawn pictures, but in person it looked actually more repulsive.


    The creature noticed him as well and for a long moment, they were just staring at each other, standing entirely still. Then the collar of the beast made a quick movement, and Quin knew that he needed to evade it, so he leaped diagonally left to get closer to the creature as well. He needed at least another step toward the Smiling Devil to get in range with his spear, however, he was barraged by those tiny spikes again.


    He did not anticipate the creature to be able to shoot this frequently, and thus he was caught a bit unprepared. There was no time left to completely dodge the attack, so he only managed to turn his body around to some extent. He was able to defend his more vital parts, but his right arm and a few places on his back got hit.


    Having been living his past weeks under an unearthly pain, these small tiny spikes barely registered in his mind, and besides, his right arm was the weak, injured one which he did not even use for powerful attacks. However, it did not mean that he was fighting with only one arm, just that his weapon-wielding hand was his left one.


    His opponent¡¯s attack did stop him, but only for a second, however the Smiling Devil thought that it was the perfect opportunity for jumping at him. Its plan ended in failure, though, as Quin was aware the situation and leaped away just in time. However, he simultaneously threw his right arm out and its contents at the beast. Although his right arm was weak and not fit for attacking, it was absolutely good for other things, like throwing sand into the enemy¡¯s eyes.


    The creature let out a terrible scream and shot out another barrage of spikes. Without his sight, he was not able to hit him and this time Quin took the initiative by thrusting forward his spear. The beast seemed to have a powerful hearing though and was able to react in time, as it heard the sound of Quin¡¯s attack.


    It lashed out with its long tail in revenge and hit him in his chest, making him flew a couple of meters away. That was its last attack, however, as just before he was about to be hit, Quin threw his spear at the creature¡¯s head with all of his strength. It was too busy with its own attack and thus noticed the spear too late.


    Damn, that was close! If I didn¡¯t throw my spear in time, during the moments when I would have tried to collect myself from its tail lash, it would have certainly jumped on me. I don¡¯t even dare to imagine what would¡¯ve happened then...


    It did take some time for him to be able to stand back up, but after examining his own injuries he concluded that fortunately he only had some bruises. He would gather some herbs and put them on his injured areas, but that had to wait, as at first he had to start working on the beast.


    Its skin was not something that he found useful, so he simply burned it, however, the the meat underneath it proved to be quite high quality. It did take a while to prepare but the outcome was shockingly good. Perhaps he was just getting better and better at cooking, or he was just too hungry, but it felt that it was the best meal he had for ages.


    Obviously, just like usual, he did take some parts as souvenirs and put them onto his necklace.


    In the following weeks he continued his hunting, but always searched for prey which could give him a challenge. As the time went by, he spent more and more part of his day in the woods and less on the road. He started to lose his sense of time as he completely immersed himself in the role of the hunter. There was not much thinking when he was the predator, only the instincts that guided him to catch his prey.

 A New Beginning 49 - Under The Influence

    How much time has passed since he began his journey or since he fought the Smiling Devil? A week? A month? Quin did not know the answer and did not care either.


    Hunting was all of his life now and he completely immersed himself in it. At the beginning, he felt a bit awkward and stupid for doing these things, but before he had any kind of doubt about his sudden change of behavior, he had simply lost all of his concern regarding it.


    Not caring and not having to think things over and over again, maybe this was the reason why this had been so easy for him. There was no more worry about his life, cultivation, future, family or friends, just life itself. It would be an exaggeration to say that he had become a man of mere instincts, however, he clearly was not fully aware and in control of what he was doing.


    He fought and killed several different types of creatures, from the White-maned Tiger, to the Finned Monkey. Skinning them and working with their fur became a chore so he just stopped doing that. At one point he even started to feel that cooking the meat was just something that wasted his time and thus, in the end, he decided to eat it just raw. He still took some part of the animals as a souvenir, though.


    Another change was that the period of his hunting shifted more and more toward the night of the day. Even though he had no qi to use and was just a simple human, somehow he had no problems at seeing in the dark.


    This time, he would be facing a smaller pack of Fire Wolves. These creatures looked very similar to a normal wolf, however, their fur was red and they had the ability to spit fireballs, in the size of a human''s fist out of their mouth.


    Though their overall strength could be compared to a weak human who was in the first level of the Qi Foundation stage, they hunted in packs and had a great team work. Depending on the size of their group even Qi Condensation experts would rather avoid them.


    Fortunately, this pack had only three of them and so fighting them was still within his ability, especially as he planned to attack from the shadows.


    They were too far away for his spear, however he had a couple of knives on him and he began his attack by throwing two of them at the closest wolf. The first hit one of its legs and the second one got embedded into its neck -- without actually killing it.


    The other two quickly turned around and started spitting fireballs at him right away.  Evading the attacks, Quin leaped toward the injured one and impaled its head with his spear. Then he did a similar thing he had done before: he grabbed the body of the now dead wolf and threw it at the other  two.


    The outcome was not as good as it had been last time, though, and a fireball managed to hit him in the chest, pushing him a few meters back. Luckily, it was his clothes that got the brunt of the damage, but before he could do anything, another pair of fireballs were flying toward him.


    One of them was a near miss, but the other was not and he could only put his right hand into its path to minimize the damage. The fireball exploded after making contact with his arm and then lit it up. His left hand still had the spear in it and Quin threw it at one of them before leaping behind one of the nearby trees. He quickly extinguished the fire on his right arm and ran from one tree to another for some time. The single remaining wolf -- Quin''s previous spear throw killed the other one -- hesitated for a moment on what to do but eventually chose not to follow Quin.


    This time, he had underestimated the wolves, and more importantly their ranged combat ability. In the end, despite the fact that he killed two of them, he took some serious damage and even had to flee. His right arm became even less usable than before, but he could have cared less.


    There was only a single thought on his mind, and that was to finish what he had started. He had no options but to ran away, but there was no way he would let his prey get away. His injury and his arm could wait until the most important thing would have been finished.


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    He returned to the place of the battle and pulled out his spear, but as he looked at the corpses of the wolves he became filled with hunger. Quin put down his spear, and without even skinning it, he took several big bites out of it. There was nothing comparable to the taste of this meat in his memories and he savored every piece of it. Devouring the prey he hunted was one of the best things he had experienced in his life and granted him a satisfaction he had never felt before. During this time, even his ever constant pain, which tormented him for a long time disappeared.


    However, his joy was soon interrupted by the ever growing desire to finish his hunt. Quin had already devoured half of the creature, and it should have been enough to satiate his hunger, but he still felt as his stomach was empty. After some moments of indecisiveness, the wish of pursuing the remaining Fire Wolf won out and although with some frustration in his eyes, he grabbed his spear and stood up.


    He inhaled deeply, finding out that the smell of the beast still lingered in the air and with the tracks it left behind, he it quite easy for him to find the wolf.


    He lurked stealthily behind the trees and other obstacles, staying outside of his prey''s sight and each step he made was careful and completely silent.


    Along the way Quin did not have a good opportunity to attack it, so he followed the lone Fire Wolf to its destination: a lush clearing at the side of a mountain. After a few other moments, he noticed that there was a decent sized opening on the mountain wall and that''s exactly where the wolf was going. It did not take a long time for him to realize that it was the cave where the animal probably lived and that inside there must be another group of them -- Fire Wolves never lived alone.


    He was contemplating for some time on how to proceed as there would be no way that he would let his prey escape, however he was also perfectly aware that he would not even have a slim chance against another pack of them.


    Then he heard some kind of noise from the direction the cave was located at. He listened in, focusing on his hearing and he was able to differentiate a couple of different sounds in no time: there were a lot growling and howling, but there was also the sound of something similar to what a big blunt weapon would make.


    He did not have to wait for long to see the truth behind the noises as just in a few breaths of time a huge creature ran out of the cave. It was well above three meters and had a humanoid shape. Its whole body was covered by a thick brown fur, however, it had quite a few patches missing. Quin did not recognize the creature, but it looked similar to some of the giant apes he had heard of.


    After the giant ape came a pack of wolves with at least twenty members. Although the signs of battle were left behind on them as well, it was quite clear that they had the upper hand.


    The Fire Wolves constantly spat out fireballs at the giant ape and no matter how it tried to block them, eventually, it fell to its knees, dead. In the blink of an eye, the entire wolf pack -- including the one which had just returned -- was next to the corpse feasting upon it.


    No! Don''t eat him! It was also the time when something awakened in Quin. Although it was only wolves that were eating a giant ape, it made him remember the scene when his friend, Dreon, was devoured alive by a group Shriekers. He was standing there for several moments shocked until his conscious mind became the one at the top again and the strong instincts which guided him for weeks started to decrease by each passing second.


    Slowly, he remembered all of the things he had done during these days and the entire thing felt surreal to him like he had been dreaming the whole time. After recalling some of his action he felt so disgusted that he could not prevent himself from throwing up.


    Fuck! What the hell is going on?

 A New Beginning 50 - Sins

    Thousands of thoughts swarmed Quin¡¯s mind, however, now that he was fully conscious again he was aware the situation he was in. Pondering over what had happened just several steps away from a Fire Wolf pack with numerous members certainly was not the best idea, though.


    He did not stop for at least an hour and after he found a place that looked safe to him he sat down letting his thoughts to flood him.


    What the fuck was that?! What was I doing during those days and why? How come I didn¡¯t even realize it? He felt an incredible, stabbing pain in his head and then he became surrounded by pitch black darkness. Deep in it, he sensed the same thing he had before: that bizarre and disgusting egg-like thing.


    Just like the last time, it brought about some kind of strange force of attraction, but it was a lot more fierce than before. He could not even react and the egg had been already within his sight. Its rippling was faster and more intense than he remembered from before, however, strangely he no longer found its aura that much disgusting or repulsive. He knew that it was something bad and harmful for him, but for some reason, a part of him felt attracted to the aura it was releasing. That part of him urged him to stop resisting and just let egg consume him; that way everything would be fine. There would be no worry, no sadness, and no pain, only life he could enjoy.


    No matter how he felt, he knew that it was not something he should ever do. His previous instincts started to rise up and it was clear what their aim was. The feeling of impending death he had experienced before returned as well but it was different. No, it was exactly the same it had been and the only thing that changed was that he was able to sense it more clearly. It was not his impending death that he felt, but simply the aura the egg exuded.


    He would most certainly find something like this very exciting if he had read it in a book, however, it was his own mind and life that was in peril. It took most of his willpower to resist its power, and he was growing weaker and weaker.


    Although the feeling of impending death was not for him, he knew that if he were consumed by the egg that would be equal to his death. Did he want to die? Even though the idea that death would be easier had crossed his mind more than once due to his constant agony and especially after becoming aware that his cultivation had been destroyed and due to its consequences, the answer was an obvious no. Despite all of these things and what he had to face since the Coming of Age Ceremony he was not ready to give up. No matter how bad it had been, it was still his life and even if it was virtually non-existent, he still had some hope. As long as he was alive there was a chance for his life to turn around and even if it did not, maybe he could find a meaning to it.


    He had not gone through the constant torment of pain for weeks, just to give up now. He completely resolved himself now and fought back against his fierce enemy with all of his power. It lasted for an eternity for him and was the most difficult thing in his life, but the egg started to finally draw back. In the end, he was the one who came out victorious but it was not a true victory. Quin did not make the egg disappear, he only suppressed it.


    It was weaker but he could feel its desire to break out and he knew that it would try to do so if he ever let his focus down a bit.


    Damn! Seriously, why are these thing happening to me? I¡¯ve already had a hard time maintaining control over the pain and now I have to constantly look out for that egg... In my mind? Why are the Heavens punishing me? Have I done something that bad in my previous life, or maybe in my current one? He thought back the various things he had done. Alright, I know that I wasn¡¯t always the nicest kid and did a couple of bad things to other kids, but that was different. I was strong, a genius and they were only weak nobodies, so I had the right to do that!


    But what am I currently? A weak, pathetic nobody... No, that¡¯s not right! Haven¡¯t I just thought that as long as I¡¯m alive there¡¯s hope and a chance for things to turn around? When I left the capital hadn¡¯t I decided to see things optimistic and just leave the others behind? Am I really a pathetic nobody? In the past months, I¡¯ve been through more than the vast majority of people and I don¡¯t think anyone at my age could do better, heck, I doubt they could¡¯ve done half as good as me. Besides I didn¡¯t just lose an average or good cultivation and future, I lost the best. Nobody could¡¯ve fallen as big as I did.


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    Yet, I persevered, even when my friends turned their backs on me, even when Aline did, even when that damn pain started and even now against that egg. Maybe I¡¯m weak right now, but I am not a nobody and especially not pathetic! I had never given up, not when I started my training years ago and every bit of it was exhausting, not when I lost to Mang due to my inexperience, not when I had to face hundreds of Shriekers alone and I won¡¯t start it now! I¡¯ll persevere and I¡¯ll find my path again!


    After his resolve, he felt a lot better and his mood improved as well, but his thoughts quickly returned to one of the questions he had asked himself, that whether he had done something that bad in his life. I no longer feel that I¡¯m worthless even if I am weak, however then what about the others? Did I truly have the right to act like that to them? To look down on them and to humiliate them when they were in my path? What would I feel now if somebody did the same things to me? Even the two persons who helped me the most have just normal elements. Leyn who had always supported me has the water element, while Mang, who I was so pissed off of but did risk his life for me, for us back then has the earth element.


    Yet the funny thing is that who I had to be disappointed in are Alinor and Aline who have unique elements... He let out a long sigh. Aline? Why do I feel like something¡¯s amiss? I clearly remember the intensity of my feelings toward her when I had just left the city, then why is it so different now? It just feels empty now... And thinking back, why did I let her speak to me like that? When I try to remember the time I met her the first time after I had left the hospital, and the reason why I acted like that, I just can¡¯t understand. Why was I the one who felt guilty? It just doesn''t make any sense. Damn, is it because of that egg? Is that the reason behind why my feelings changed and why I can¡¯t seem to find logic in my thinking back then? Argh, my mind feels like it¡¯s in pieces!


    As he could not solve his issues and because thinking about these kinds of things just started to make him feel more annoyed and stressed, Quin decided that he would stop for now. He had been in a lot of fights in the recent days and today¡¯s fight had been especially tough, so he decided to check his body''s condition.


    Shit! How did I not even notice these things? Quin observed his body and realized that his right pinky finger went missing, as well as two phalanges of his left ring finger. His right arm was also severely burned -- most likely due to his battle with the fire wolves -- and it was awfully painful to move it. To top it off his whole body was covered with numerous scars, injuries, and bruises and it seemed that the only part that remained intact was his left arm. A hunter? Me? It¡¯s laughable! Jumping on your enemy without a second thought, without caring for your own safety? That¡¯s just plain stupidity and not the sign of you being a hunter or a predator! He pointed his mental gaze at the egg inside his mind, well, at least he tried to do so -- he was not even sure that this was a thing -- and looked at it with contempt. You damn egg! If I ever get to know who placed you inside my mind or what you are, you can be sure that I¡¯ll pay back the debts tenfolds! You hijacked my mind, reduced me to a man of almost pure instincts and then left my body in pieces! Quin was even angrier at the egg now, but unfortunately, he could do nothing about it.


    No doubt, he was not too happy about the situation, however, except his one and a half missing fingers and the burn on his arm, his injuries would be able to recover in just a few weeks with proper care.


    Although he was dead tired, he could not let himself rest as he had to go and find some herbs to be able to start treating his body as soon as possible.

 A New Beginning 51 - Take A Look Around

    After gathering the herbs and tending to his injuries, Quin sat down to meditate. Although he did not want to sleep -- being afraid what the egg would do --, at some time his sleepiness won out. Fortunately for him, the morning did not bring any kind of unwanted surprise.


    Alright, it¡¯s morning and it¡¯s time to finally continue my journey. I don¡¯t even know how many days have passed since I left Crows¡¯ Road...


    Though he had a general idea about his location it still took him three days to find the road again. During this period he spent most of his time by traveling, but at night he meditated at least as much as he slept. It made him more relaxed and also made suppressing the egg inside his mind easier. Even though it had just been three days, thanks to the herbal treatment, his body condition had already improved and getting accustomed to his missing fingers was not that difficult either. He had been mostly using his left hand even before, and for the majority of things that needed two hands, he could make do with his three remaining fingers.


    Fortunately, after about ten kilometers he came across of a road sign which told him where he was currently at. It turned out that he was already past halfway to his destination, with only two weeks of traveling left ahead of him. Now the only question is how much time has passed since then?


    Quin had been back on the road for more than a day now, yet that did not mean that he had encountered any humans. This region was a rural one, and although at the left side of the road he could see vast fields used for agriculture, these were ones which may not be visited by the farmers for even a month at this time of the year. Quin came prepared, however, so he had a decent knowledge regarding the various landmarks and towns along the road and knew that the next smaller settlement should be within another day¡¯s travel.


    Quin had no idea where his horse could be as when he gave into his instincts he just left it somewhere on the road. Despite this fact, he was not worried at all because he simply did not need one. After realizing that his pain would lessen while he was doing physical exercises he did as much as he could and thus most of the times he was not walking, but running or at least jogging. Although this way he felt a lot less pain, he was constantly tired instead, but that was something he could cope with. He was reminded the exhaustion of the past when he had often trained for the whole day. However, this line of thought made him realize something.


    Damn, why is it that it is only now  that I realize how much I¡¯d changed? I loved training for so many years and was totally focused on it, yet in the previous few years, I neglected it. I did train daily, but nowhere near that I had used to. Maybe... Maybe if I didn¡¯t neglect it then things would have turned out differently. Maybe I¡¯d have been stronger and faster, I could¡¯ve killed those Shriekers more easily and wouldn¡¯t have had to lose my cultivation... Damn, I shouldn¡¯t always dwell on the past, those things have already happened, what good does it do me to whine about wasted possibilities when I can¡¯t change them? I¡¯ve already lost those things but what I still have is my future.


    Quin put these thoughts away and continued his journey. It was late in the afternoon next day when he reached the settlement he had previously thought about. It was a small town, or maybe even just a village with only about a thousand residents living there. Most of them were simple farmers working on the surrounding plots, cultivating various crops.


    Although Quin did not remember the name of the village completely -- as it had quite a strange and long one -- he was able to find it out right at the entrance of the town thanks to a somewhat worn sign stating it. So it¡¯s called the Second Fal of U at the Ashen Hai? Damn, what¡¯s wrong with these people? I just can¡¯t imagine as someone goes to found a town and thinks that the best idea would be to call it the Second Fal of U at the Ashen Hai! Were they crazy or what? Does it even have a meaning at all? He shook his head, unable to believe that someone would actually do something like this. Anyways, I still hope that they¡¯ve got at least an inn or something like that, I haven¡¯t been able to sleep for um, for how long? Right, I have to also ask someone what date is it.


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    The settlement indeed had an inn, somewhere in the town center and although it naturally could not compare to the ones in the capital -- not even to the worse ones --, Quin did not expect otherwise. Besides, the place looked quite friendly just like the townspeople.


    Quin entered the building and walked to the counter where the innkeeper stood with a rag in one hand and a plate in his other.


    ¡°Good day, sir,¡± Quin greeted him.


    ¡°Day, huh? Well, I¡¯d rather say it¡¯s already in the evening, but good evening to you as well,¡± said the innkeeper. For a moment Quin thought that the man was just mocking him, but after a bit longer inspection Quin found his expression and tone to be actually quite friendly. ¡°What can I help you with?¡±


    ¡°Do you have a free room for the night?¡± Quin asked and the man simply nodded. ¡°And do you serve food here?¡± The innkeeper nodded again and pointed with his finger on a wooden sign hanging just above Quin, which listed the meals available. ¡°Then I would like to order what¡¯s on the menu for today¡¯s dinner and tomorrow¡¯s breakfast please,¡± he said.


    ¡°That¡¯ll be tw--¡± the innkeeper started to say how much Quin had to pay but stopped when he saw Quin taking out his bronze badge. ¡°Oh, a bronze badge, huh? Then it doesn¡¯t seem like we¡¯ll have to bother with money,¡± he said laughing. Paying with the bronze badge did not mean that he would not get paid, only that he would have to later go to the town¡¯s hall with a certificate -- stating the amount and bearing the badge¡¯s seal -- to get reimbursed. Thus the innkeeper had no resentment toward Quin, furthermore, he knew that only important people would be in the possession of a bronze badge. ¡°Take a seat, your meal should be ready within half an hour.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Quin said and sat down at one of the tables.


    The inn itself could not be called small, but surprisingly to Quin, it was not that easy to find an empty table. It seems like many locals frequent this place, he thought.


    ¡°Hey, lad!¡± some shouted, but Quin did not pay much attention to it. ¡°You, with that badge!¡± This time, Quin realized they were talking to him and turned around. Behind him stood a bigger table, surrounded by at least a dozen of big bulky men.


    ¡°Yes?¡± He asked back.


    ¡°Come here for a bit!¡± one of the men said in a loud voice. Quin stood up and observed them. Do they want some trouble just because of that badge? ¡°How about joining our table? It looks so sad to see someone eating alone, and besides you ain¡¯t from here, am I right? Maybe you can tell us a few interesting stories, huh?¡±


    Damn, the first thing I thought of was that they wanted to attack me. I was only focused that they were speaking so loud and it didn¡¯t even register to my mind that they were talking while smiling! And here I was trying to measure their strengths and the fastest way I could take them down. He felt a tug at his mind, and he was instantly reminded of the parasitic resident of his mind. That damn thing! I have to be a lot more careful in the future.


    ¡°Hey, boy, you deaf or something?¡± asked one the men interrupting his thoughts.


    ¡°Hm? No, I was just thinking where to sit as the table looks completely full,¡± he said after quickly finding an excuse.


    ¡°Don¡¯t sweat the small stuff! Here, look we¡¯ve already got one place for you!¡± one of the men said, and moved his and his neighbor¡¯s seat so that another chair would be able to fit in.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Quin said smiling and put his own chair between those two¡¯s. ¡°My name is Quin, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you,¡± he introduced himself.


    At least half of the crowd burst out into laughter. ¡°Boy, no need for such formalities here, we¡¯re simple men, it¡¯s enough to tell us your name. My name is Zhang and well, the others will tell theirs, though, I doubt you¡¯ll remember half of it,¡± Zhang told him with a hearty laugh.

 A New Beginning 52 - Another Night

    ¡°Hm, you said Quin? Why does that name sound so familiar?¡± Zhang asked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even remember something like this, Zhang?¡± asked one of the men with a mocking tone. ¡°That kid from Crows¡¯ Road, you know the genius one.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right! Hm, maybe I¡¯m drinking too much these days...¡± he said. ¡°So boy, are you him?¡±


    So even in a place like this, they¡¯ve heard about me, huh?


    ¡°No,¡± he denied, ¡°Just look at me, do I really look like him?¡± he asked with a light laugh.


    The group eyed him thoroughly and determined that he indeed did not resemble how they had imagined Quin. It was not something surprising as in front of them sat a boy, dressed in fur clothes, filled with injuries that had not even recovered, with a right arm that was missing one and a half fingers and looked significantly less muscular than his left.


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame! Then what about you, where you from?¡± Zhang asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m from Crows¡¯ Road as well,¡± Quin replied.


    ¡°So tell us, how are things going over there?¡± another man asked. ¡°We get some news, but only occasionally. Maybe if we wouldn¡¯t be such an insignificant town we could afford monthly news service which many other settlements have, but sadly the last one came I think more than half a year ago now.¡± He let out a disappointed sigh.


    For more than two hours Quin was bombarded with questions after questions and he barely even had time to eat. He did not mind it, though, as the group was quite friendly and besides he did not have anyone to talk for a long time.


    ¡°And why have you come to our town?¡± Zhang asked.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not my final destination and I only stopped for the night. It¡¯s been a long time since I get to sleep on a bed. Oh, right, I¡¯ve been traveling for some time now but at some point lost the count of days, what¡¯s the date today?¡± Quin asked


    ¡°It¡¯s the 29th of March, when did you set off?¡± one of them answered.


    ¡°Man, it¡¯s more than a month now,¡± he said surprised. Then I¡¯ve been in that state for more than two weeks? Damn!


    ¡°More than a month?¡± Zhang asked a bit taken aback. ¡°Have you stopped at every tree for some sightseeing? It shouldn¡¯t take that long for a boy at your age even if he spends half of day by sleeping.¡±


    Quin laughed and shook his head. ¡°If I were in my top form I reckon it wouldn¡¯t have even taken a week to get here, but well, I no longer have the ability to do so,¡± Quin said with a sigh; it was not his favorite topics to talk about.


    The group got awfully silent for a long moment after hearing what Quin told them.


    ¡°Sorry about that boy, wasn¡¯t mean to pry,¡± Zhang said apologetically.


    ¡°I know, don¡¯t worry about that, just bad memories,¡± he replied and forced out a laugh.


    ¡°So, you said you¡¯ve just stopped here for the night, then where¡¯s the place you¡¯re really going to?¡± one of them asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s Hounxi, I¡¯ll go there to recuperate. I heard it¡¯s supposed to be a great place,¡± Quin answered.


    ¡°It¡¯s a great place? It¡¯s more than that I can assure you of that!¡± another man said whose hair was already gray. ¡°I¡¯d the luck to go there when I used to work as a loader back in the days. Those were the good times! The work was hard and never-ending but I got to see so many places.¡± He let out a long sigh, reminiscing about the old days. ¡°Anyways, one of the best, if not the best place I¡¯d visited was Hounxi. It¡¯s not that much bigger than our town in size but the houses they¡¯ve got there... Let met tell you, they ain¡¯t like the shabby shacks we¡¯ve got here. You know, I¡¯m not that big fan of the art and don¡¯t even know much about it, but every time I saw those houses I became awestruck. Each of them was like the most magnificent pieces of art.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Quin asked a bit skeptical. Speaking of just houses in that manner feels a bit weird, he thought.


    ¡°Haha, Li says that every time,¡± Zhang said. ¡°You can¡¯t even mention the word house without him going crazy and then we¡¯ve to listen for hours long as he tells us how great those houses were. I¡¯m sure if your wife heard you she¡¯d be mad with jealousy!¡± The whole group burst out at that point, including Quin as well.


    ¡°Say what you want, but none of you have been there, so how could you understand?¡± Li said. ¡°And at least I won¡¯t be beaten to a pulp if I were to go home late like you Zhang!¡± Even though the laughing started to quiet down, after hearing Li''s retort, it burst up once more.


    ¡°Oi, that was only a single time! And do you think I¡¯d ever raise my hands again my wife?¡± Zhang asked trying to get back a bit of his dignity but without any success as the others were still loudly laughing. ¡°Whatever, I¡¯d be happy to see you how any of you¡¯d fare against her! Damn, how come she¡¯s at the third level of Qi Culmination? She¡¯s only thirty-eight! They say that an average human should reach it around the age of fifty... If she''d reached it a few years before that, then I''d have no issue with it, but for god''s sake, she did it fifteen years earlier! Can you imagine that? Damn, I need more drinks.¡± He turned to the innkeeper and said, ¡°Oi, Min, give me another round!¡±


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Entering the third level of Qi Culmination at the age of thirty-five and in a small town like this? Even though I¡¯d have probably entered it even before just like my friends, but we were the best of the country! That woman¡¯s definitely a genius! Quin was quite shocked regarding Zhang¡¯s wife, especially after realizing in what kind of environment did she reach to this level. Although there was not too much difference how people looked at the two gender and they were considered mostly equal in Ade Lai, women still had more difficulty regarding cultivation.


    The main reason behind this was simple: pregnancy. While they were pregnant they could not continue their training and their passive cultivation slowed down as well as their body was focused on the task of creating a new life. Families usually had three to four kids in their whole life in the capital and other big cities, however, it was different in the countryside. The number of children they had was often double of that, which consequently meant that they had even more difficulties regarding their cultivation than the women in the cities. Despite all of this, here was this woman, who not only could keep up with the men of this small town but even remarkably outshined them and that was no small feat.


    ¡°But it isn¡¯t you who¡¯re always boasting about your wife Zhang, heh?¡± one of the men asked.


    ¡°Yeah, you can''t ever stop talking how much you love her!¡± Li said.


    ¡°But that¡¯s only natural! She¡¯s wonderful, beautiful, smart and a great mother, how could I not love her then? It¡¯s just that it should be me the one who protects her if there¡¯s something, not the other way around!¡± Zhang said shaking his head and took another big gulp of his drink.


    Quin felt a bit strange about these things. It¡¯s interesting to see how much more open and honest these people are compared to the one in Crows¡¯ Road. Although it¡¯s a bit weird to hear them talk about their personal life in such detail and so easily, I think it¡¯s quite enjoyable. Even though I know them only for about two hours, it feels like we¡¯ve been friends for years and honestly, I doubt something like this could happen in Crows¡¯ Road. It¡¯s not that there aren¡¯t people that are easy to make friends with, but they are a lot fewer in number there.


    After some time Quin decided to ask them about their life.


    ¡°To be honest, this is my first time being in a small town, how¡¯s life here?¡± Quin asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s got its ups and down, but all in all I think it¡¯s not bad at all,¡± Zhang answered. ¡°We¡¯ve got a simple life here, we get up at morning, go to the fields and then after we often come here to drink for a bit. When we got to home our family¡¯s already waiting for us and spend the rest of the night together. We don¡¯t have many interesting things happening here, only maybe some wild gossips. So there¡¯s not much to talk about our life, but I think most of us here are content with it.¡±


    ¡°And how¡¯s the work?¡± Quin questioned. ¡°Naturally, I know several things about agriculture, however, it¡¯s different to hear it from people who work there.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it could be described the best as tiring and boring,¡± Li replied with a laugh. ¡°Though it has its charm. I think all of us here can agree that seeing how the plants you¡¯ve planted and tended to for months eventually mature is something that fills you with some kind of satisfaction. You know that it¡¯s the fruit of your own hard work, and there¡¯ll be food on the table in the future because you spent every day on the field tending to them.


    ¡°But as I said, it can be tiring as hell. We¡¯ve just begun digging up the field a few days ago to loosen the soil before planting the seeds. You know, we¡¯ve got several earth element users here, but the fields are just too big and even though they can do the work of four or six people, it still takes us weeks to finish it.¡±


    Author''s note: Next week''s schedule: I''ll release five chapters, one every day except on Tuesday and Thursday.


    I still won''t be doing sponsored chapters next week but I''ll probably do in the week after that.

 A New Beginning 53 - Trust

    I¡¯ve never thought about it like that, but I guess it¡¯s similar to what I¡¯ve felt when I made my first fur clothes. The feeling of accomplishment, that you created something, which you can use. Hm, maybe I should try this as well?


    ¡°Hey, do you need an extra hand for a few weeks?¡± Quin asked.


    ¡°You?¡± Zhang asked and Quin nodded. ¡°Why would you want to work in the fields?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never done it before so I thought I might give it a try. It¡¯s always good to get some new experiences,¡± he replied.


    The men looked at each other surprised before Zhang replied, ¡°Well, the more people the merrier, especially if that means less work!¡± He laughed heartily. ¡°You already have a room for the night, right? You know, you can come to stay at our house instead if you want. The inn is just in the opposite direction to the fields we¡¯ll work on tomorrow, while our house¡¯s quite close, plus we¡¯ve got a free room for you. How about it?¡±


    ¡°Thanks, but I don¡¯t want to burden you,¡± Quin answered. These people are really different than the ones back at home. We¡¯ve known each other for maybe three hours and yet Zhang has already offered me a place to stay. It sounds good, but to be honest I think it¡¯d a bit rude to accept it.


    ¡°Haha, haven¡¯t I told you before? There¡¯s no need for pleasantries here: if you want something then say it, if you don¡¯t then say that. There¡¯s no meaning in sayin¡¯ a hundred extra words when you want to just say yes!¡± Zhang told him.


    Coming from Crows¡¯ Road and from a circle of friends to whom etiquette was essential, something like this was a bit alien to him. However, as he thought through what Zhang had said he realized that it did have some logic to it. Why use a hundred of extra words if the meaning itself doesn¡¯t change? Just because I¡¯m talking to someone who¡¯s above me in the hierarchy or someone I don¡¯t know? Does being polite depend on just filling words? Honestly, I doubt that. There¡¯s no need for those extra words if you want to polite or nice and just because you use the right etiquette that doesn¡¯t mean you won¡¯t be a douchebag. Well, then why not accept his offer?


    ¡°Alright, if you really don¡¯t mind it then I¡¯d take up on your offer,¡± Quin said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it! And at least I can tell my wife that it was because of you that I ended up coming late!¡± Hearing this the others burst out laughing again.


    ¡°So I¡¯ve become an excuse now?¡± Quin asked in a joking manner and let out a chuckle.


    ¡°Haha, you¡¯ve got no shame Zhang, huh?¡± one of the men asked.


    ¡°Honeey, I¡¯m home,¡± Zhang said in between a few hiccups.


    ¡°Where have you been Zhang? Were you drinking with your buddies again, huh?¡± she asked in a loud voice.


    ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t have to yell at me honey, we¡¯ve got a guest here who¡¯ll help out us in the fields!¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡± she asked and quickly made her way to the hall where Quin and Zhang were standing currently. As someone in her late thirties, she was still considered a young woman, but she looked like someone who have had their fair share of experiences in life. Her light brown hair reached to her shoulder, and although the clothes she was wearing were not of good quality she still looked quite pretty. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Mei,¡± she introduced herself. ¡°I hope my husband didn¡¯t force you into this.¡± She looked at her husband with a reprimanding look.


    ¡°No, it was me who asked them whether you¡¯re in need of an extra hand,¡± Quin said. ¡°I¡¯m Quin,¡± he introduced himself as well.


    ¡°Oh, okay then,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°Did you have anything to eat for dinner?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve eaten at the inn before, thanks,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll show you to your room, then,¡± she said.


    Quin¡¯s room was in one corner of the house, just next to the kitchen. It could not be called a spacious room, but it was more than enough for one person.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Just like usual, before going to bed he spent a few hours by meditating. After a month of sleeping only on his sleeping bag, Quin felt great to have a comfortable bed below him.


    Despite that he looked calm on the outside, a part of him was filled with suspicion and worry. He knew that most likely the residents of this town were truly nice and friendly, but a part of his mind was screaming at him. It tried to convince him that trusting others so easily can be fatal, and these people may have been just putting up a nice front. They were just waiting for him to lower his guard and then they would rob or kill him.


    After going through the previous events in the forest, it was not that difficult for him to realize which part of him was that tried to influence him: the egg inside his mind. He was not so naive to have no fear that they may have had bad intentions but he knew that he would have never been this much paranoic.


    When he woke up in the next morning and saw that nothing bad had actually happened he was even more assured of his choice. It was still early in the morning, but Quin heard quite a noise coming from outside of his room, so although he could have slept on for another few hours he decided to get up. It was his first day here and he did not intend to be late.


    ¡°Hey, good morning,¡± Mei greeted him. ¡°Breakfast will be ready in about ten minutes, you can use the bathroom before eating if you want.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Quin replied. Ten minutes for a quick bath is not too ideal, but I guess I¡¯ll have to make do with that.


    The family had two children: a five years old girl, Liu, and a three years old boy named after his father. They were the first shy people he had met in the town yet, but they were only children who did not even start school so it did not make him surprised.


    After the breakfast, they headed out to the fields, which were about ten minutes of walk from the house.


    ¡°By the way, what kind of crops will be planted here?¡± Quin asked.


    ¡°Corns,¡± Zhang answered. ¡°Though I think they ain¡¯t so popular in most of the places in our Duchy but we¡¯ve been growing them for several tens of years and we have never been disappointed in the harvest. It doesn¡¯t need much work and gives us a lot of food. Besides, there are a lot of things you can make out of it, flour, bread, even desserts, oh, and thousand kinds of side dishes, but if you¡¯re interested you¡¯ll have to ask Mei about that. Haha, she¡¯ll talk about it for hours.¡±


    ¡°Hm, I never knew about that and yeah, you are right, it¡¯s not something popular in Crows¡¯ Road. I think I¡¯ve eaten it only twice in my entire life,¡± Quin said. ¡°Well, to be honest, I can cook and I do it while I¡¯m on the road, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be too interested in those recipes,¡± he answered while chuckling.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I can definitely understand you,¡± Zhang said and let out a long sigh.


    ¡°Alright boy, we¡¯re here. It seems like we¡¯re the first ones, but they should be here soon. Well, I¡¯ll tell you a few things until then. I¡¯ve told you that we need to loosen up the soil first, right? It shouldn¡¯t be a problem every year but there¡¯s some kind of energy vein underneath the land. At least that¡¯s the theory and it¡¯s constantly making the soil harder. Don¡¯t ask me the reason for it, though, I only know that it¡¯s there and so we have to spend every March by loosening up the soil again and again.


    ¡°So all you will have to do is to take your shovel and dig until the earth loosens up in a depth of about half a meter. Do you think you¡¯ll manage it?¡± Zhang asked him jokingly.


    ¡°Yeah, no problems,¡± he replied with a laugh. ¡°I¡¯m no farmer but I don¡¯t think digging will be too difficult.¡±


    After a few minutes, the others arrived as well, and then they began their work on the field.

 A New Beginning 54 - Ready To Go

    Working on the fields was indeed tiring but fortunately, even if he no longer had his Lightning Qi to help out, he could use the wild energy inside his body as a substitute. It had the advantage that it never seemed to become depleted, however, Quin was aware the fact that his situation was not so simple. When he had first discovered that he can use this wild energy to fuel his cells he was unsure of whether it had any consequences, but now he had no doubt regarding it.


    Although it lessened his pain, over the course of a few weeks he started to feel another type of pain throughout his body. It was not severe and he could only slightly sense it, but it did get stronger by each passing day. Quin was not too happy about this, but he did not stop using the wild energy. The pain is only minimal and although it gradually increases, if the daily increase remains the same it¡¯ll take a long time for it to grow even to a level where it¡¯s at least annoying. Besides, it¡¯s not like I¡¯ve got that much time left either way.


    So Quin worked there day after day, digging up the soil. To be honest, it became something that he could find to enjoy. He only had to focus on a single thing and because of the physical exertion, he was not tormented by his constant pain so much. It was a bit similar to meditation and to the time he submerged himself in hunting -- of course before his instincts took over. Though he doubted that something like that time would happen again, he was way more cautious than previously and thus paid a lot more attention to his mental state.


    The soil itself was a lot harder than he had imagined: compared to the toughness of a rock, it was softer but not by too much. What kind of wild energy can cause something like this? Why is that we only call it just wild energy but we didn¡¯t have any names for its various types? Although we don¡¯t know much about it, it definitely has multiple types. Niohe told me about  the wild energy that¡¯s got a healing property to it and also mentioned that there are other ones which are a lot more destructive. Zhang also said that there¡¯s some kind of energy vein beneath the fields, so that¡¯s another type again. This one makes the soil harder or maybe more dense? Hm, maybe the different wild energies can be compared to the types of qi? So, there''re only two elements that can do something similar to this: rock and ice. However I don¡¯t feel any kind of coldness when touching the ground, so it¡¯s more like the rock element. Then the one with healing properties should be a water type? Maybe this is just a stupid classification but you always have to start somewhere, right?


    He stopped and started to concentrate on the energy inside his body. Come to think of it, though it¡¯s difficult to tell, this rock type wild energy does feel a bit different to the energy I felt in the forest. Yeah, there really must exist various types of this energy as well, but the question is what can I do with this information? Hm, maybe if the energy what my main Core absorbs is of the healing type then it won¡¯t damage my cells when they use it? Well, it¡¯s certainly too good to be true, but it¡¯s definitely worth a try and besides, I¡¯ll only stay here for a few days longer. Alright, even if it¡¯s a slim chance I still have to see it, so this time I won¡¯t stop at any villages or towns but go straight to Hounxi.


    Quin had done a lot of work on the fields in the past few weeks, but he also spent a great amount of time with the residents of the town. They often visited the inn together and stayed there to drink and talk until night. Although Quin was not that much of a drinker -- especially because he did not even pass his seventeenth year of life -- and thus only drank occasionally, in small amounts, he still enjoyed these times.


    People here were friendly, helpful and easy to get along with. They did talk a lot and liked to tease him and each other, but they did not try pry into his personal matters. The townspeople were not keen on causing each other any kind of hardships or speaking behind each other backs either. Of course, they were no saints and had their own faults as well, but Quin found out that he would rather live his life in a smaller community like this than in a big, bustling city like Crows¡¯ Road. There, most of the people cared about only themselves and perhaps about their families and furthermore, he felt that they could be trusted a lot less. Maybe it¡¯s just because of my bad experience with my friends? he wondered.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Quin did ask Zhang about these things as he was quite interested how someone who lived his whole life here thought about that.


    ¡°Well, I did say that we¡¯ve got a simple life here. I know that plenty of people thinks of simple as something bad, but that¡¯s not always the case. I don¡¯t think that this is how the majority of villages and smaller towns are like as I¡¯ve been to quite a few where people were withdrawn, unsociable and looked at outsiders unfriendly. I think we belong to the minority, at least according to my experience. Maybe it¡¯s because of our founder, well, I think just knowing the name of our town is enough to notice that he had a screw missing-¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment,¡± Quin said. ¡°Naturally, I¡¯ve thought about it and wondered how could a place be called, what was it? Second Fal of U of the Ash Hai? Damn, this is something that I¡¯ll never remember right.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Second Fal of U at the Ashen Hai, but you nearly got it,¡± Zhang replied laughing.


    ¡°Yeah, that, so I¡¯ve thought that there was at least some kind of hidden meaning behind it,¡± Quin said.


    ¡°Haha, no there¡¯s none. Maybe our founder knew one, but as I said he was not right in the head. He was supposed to be the heir of a powerful noble house, but after his father died, he was judged to be unfit for inheritance due to being crazy. With no supporters within the family, all he received was this plot of land. Still, he somehow managed to develop it into a small settlement.


    ¡°But why did our town turn out like this? Honestly, I don¡¯t really know, but I still think that life here is better than in those other towns.¡±


    ¡°Hm, I¡¯ve never knew that,¡± Quin said. ¡°But I have to agree with you, Zhang, I doubt that I¡¯d be too happy to live in a place like that and honestly, I really enjoyed my stay here.¡±


    ¡°Then why won¡¯t you stay here for a bit longer?¡± Zhang asked. ¡°You can have the room at our house as long as you want, and even if it¡¯s only one extra person helping us at the fields, it still means that we¡¯ll have less work. Besides, I think the others like you as well, not speaking about my kids. They¡¯ll miss their new playmate that¡¯s for sure, haha.¡±


    Right, Liu and little Zhang... ¡°I¡¯ll miss them too,¡± Quin said. During these days it was not just the adults he made friends with, but Zhang¡¯s children as well. They were quite nice kids, who were full of energy. It only took a few days for their shyness to disappear and then they often came to play various things with him. Although Quin was no longer a kid and after being through many hardships he matured a lot, he still enjoyed spending time with them. ¡°It¡¯d be good to stay for some more time, but I really have to go. Remember, I said that I¡¯m going to Hounxi to recuperate and I can¡¯t allow another month of delay. Maybe after I¡¯m done there, I¡¯ll come back and stay here for a bit longer, but that¡¯ll take at least a few years.¡±


    ¡°Right, I totally forgot about that,¡± Zhang admitted. ¡°Well, you¡¯re welcomed here anytime and I know that it¡¯s only the day after tomorrow that you¡¯ll leave, but still, I wish that you¡¯ll be alright.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Quin said.


    It was late in April when he finally left the town and although it was only a few weeks that he had spent there, parting was never easy. Especially when he developed such a good relationship with the locals, and when it meant leaving a place where he enjoyed every second of his days.


    Alright, it¡¯s time to go! There¡¯s only a bit more than two weeks ahead of me, and maybe even a bit less if I make haste.

 A New Beginning 55 - The Noisemaker

    After leaving the town he spent a month at, Quin continued his journey toward Hounxi. He did not waste much time on sightseeing or other things, just the ones that were essential. He did not go hunting for food in the forest during the first few days but instead decided to catch fish in the river -- which still flowed alongside the road. Although he had lost the fishing rod he had brought with himself from Crows¡¯ Road, he bought a new one from the village.


    Despite that he knew how to fish, he had only done it a few times before and so it turned out to be a bit more difficult than he had imagined, especially due to the rapid flow of the river. It did not discourage him though, and after a few hours, he eventually managed to catch a quite sizeable fish. Quin liked the taste of it, however, it took a lot more time and energy to catch and prepare it compared to hunting some kind of wild animal in the forest. Fish in the Feryan River were usually quite big and were filled with tiny fishbones that took a lot of time to remove, not to speak about their hard armored scales. Thus, even though he was a bit reluctant to go back hunting because of what happened last time, in the end, he still did so.


    Quin did not experience any kind of strange behavior from the egg during those days, however, he started to feel something weird at the end of the first week. The best it could be described was the feeling of being called somewhere. As to where or why he had absolutely no idea, only that he felt slightly compelled.


    Obviously, it did not escape his mind that it may have been the work of the egg, but he did not deem it likely. True, it was a feeling of compulsion but in contrast with the ones caused by the egg, this one was not trying to overpower him and he could not feel any malicious intent from it either.


    He did feel a bit concerned as this feeling seemed to increase gradually but its intensity was still quite weak. Furthermore, it could not even be considered distracting and so he was not too worried about it.


    When he had been traveling for ten whole days, strangely, this feeling seemed to have reached its maximum intensity as it did not increase even after two days have passed.


    On the twelfth night, he had finally reached the last road sign, which signaled that there was only about a day¡¯s worth of walk ahead of him. Although he was jogging instead of walking he knew that he had to stop to eat at least twice, so he would probably only arrive late in the afternoon tomorrow.


    He has just finished his meditation at night and was about to go to sleep when he heard something from afar. The sound was too quiet for him to identify, but he was somehow sure that it was not coming from a wild animal. Quin listened in for another minute or two but did not hear it again and thus went to bed.


    However, he was awakened by the same noise during his sleep several times and just after daybreak, Quin had finally enough. He got up -- still tired -- and decided to check the source of the sound which did not let him rest.


    As he got closer, it started to get more and more familiar until he realized that it sounded like a baby¡¯s babbling.


    Damn, what¡¯s a kid doing here? Quin was quite shocked at the view in front of him. There was a big area filled with mud, but the reason he was so surprised was because in the middle of the mud puddle stood a kid -- who looked to be around five or six years old -- half submerged and covered in mud.


    ¡°Hey, what are you doing there? Are you alright?¡± Quin asked but the only answer he got was some babbling that was impossible to understand.


    The kid was acting... Like a kid, however, Quin found it quite strange that even though the child appeared to be stuck in the mud, they did not seem to worry about their situation at all.


    Quin started to enter the mud to get the child out, however, he had to discover that this mud puddle was not something so simple. Although in the center it only reached to the kid¡¯s stomach, but after Quin made a couple of steps he had been already submerged to his naval.


    Damn, I should help them to get out but how can I do it? I can¡¯t reach them from here and I don¡¯t really want to get stuck there as well. Oh, right, I should just use a rope and tie one of its end to me and the others to something stable, like a big rock or a tree. He looked around quickly. Alright, that tree looks good, so I-- Damn, I didn¡¯t bring a rope with me! What can I do now? It took him a few moments to realize that he did have some kind of rope. Right, the fishing rod! But will it be able to support my weight? It¡¯s out of steel silk and they say that¡¯s quite a strong material... Alright, let¡¯s not waste any time!


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Doing something like this had its fair amount of danger, but he was afraid that the kid would suddenly decide to walk toward the deeper areas of the mud puddle.


    Quin quickly tied one end of the fishing line to the tree, the other around his waist and then entered the mud puddle once again. The line itself was not actually too long, but neither was the distance between him and the child.


    It was not an easy task to rescue the kid as in the deepest part, the mud reached to his shoulders and moving through something so dense made him exhausted even before he got to the kid.


    ¡°Hey kid, what are you doing here?¡± Quin tried asking another time. ¡°Are you deaf?¡± He waved his hand a couple of times in front of the kid¡¯s eyes, which did catch their reaction. However, all that happened was that the kid looked at him surprised for a few moments, caught his hand and then started chewing on it. ¡°Damn, what¡¯s wrong with you!¡± Quin quickly shook off the child. ¡°You should be at least five, and that means you should be able to talk!¡± He said angrily but he quickly realized that he would not want to give an opportunity to the egg inside his mind and calmed himself down. With a more relaxed mind, it was also easier to think. This kid probably has some kind of mental problem otherwise, why wouldn''t they be able to talk at all and why would they be so happy while being stuck in a mud puddle without having any possibility to go out? How did this kid even got here? I circled the whole thing but it had similar depth everywhere. Damn, I¡¯ve just remembered that I started hearing these sound before I went to sleep and that means that the kid¡¯s been here for hours! Did someone left them here? But why would anyone do something like that? Alright, I¡¯ll think about these things later and now I¡¯ll just try to get this kid out.


    Quin decided that he would give the child a neck ride, at least if he managed to do it. He grabbed the kid by the shoulder and lifted them up, and although previously he could not figure out whether the child was a he or a she, now he was fully aware. The kid had no clothes on her so it became quite obvious that she was a girl when Quin lifted her up.


    ¡°Alright kid,¡± Quin said, ¡°I¡¯ll put you up in my neck and bring you out, but you¡¯ll have to hold on to me, okay?¡± The girl did not give any kind of reaction except trying to bite down on his fingers again. ¡°God, just wait until I¡¯ve found your parents, I¡¯ll have a few things to tell them!¡±


    Quin put the girl in his neck and moved her hands around the top of his head, hoping that she would realize his intention. Unfortunately, Quin had no such luck and she moved her hand away in the very next moment. Could¡¯ve guessed so, damn. So that means that I have to hold her the whole way...


    It took a lot more time to get out of the mud puddle than to get inside, especially, because he also had to carry the girl.


    ¡°Fuh, we¡¯re finally out,¡± Quin said and took the girl down. As he observed her a bit more he found out that she had a scar in the shape of a circle at the middle of her forehead. He also noticed that although the girl¡¯s size was that of a five or six-year-old, she looked younger in truth, like an oversized toddler.


    She¡¯s really an oversized toddler! Just as he put her down, the girl started to crawl around on all four, intent on discovering the world.

 A New Beginning 56 - The Kid

    Damn, what should I do with her? Maybe we can find her parents at Hounxi? But what kind of parents would leave their daughter in the middle of a mud puddle like that?


    ¡°Hey, come here, you can¡¯t crawl without clothes all day long,¡± Quin said and quickly lifted her up.


    He brought her to his camp place and from the pieces of fur clothes he still had in his bag tried to make something to wear for her.


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s not the best but you¡¯ll have make do with it,¡± he said.


    Before they left, Quin explored the surrounding in the hope of finding some clue on the girl¡¯s parents but without success. The girl was calm during the whole time, however, after an hour or so she began biting him again and no matter how many times he had stopped her, she just started it again.


    ¡°Right, how did it not occur to me that you probably didn¡¯t have anything to eat for a while and must be quite hungry,¡± Quin said. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be crying or something? I¡¯ve never heard about a kid who just starts to chew on others when she¡¯s hungry.¡± The girl babbled a bit, then bit him again, fortunately, her jaw strength was not very strong and so Quin did not have to deal with another set of injuries.


    They stopped at the side of the road and Quin took out the food he had from yesterday. ¡°Alright, here you are,¡± he said and gave her a slice of meat. ¡°You¡¯ve got teeth, so you should be able to eat it, right?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t have anymore, that was the last of it!¡±


    It seemed that the girl had an enormous appetite, especially for her size: no matter how much meat he gave her, she ate all of it -- even if a bit slowly. Well, I¡¯ll probably get some more if she¡¯ll still keep on chewing on me.


    The biting finally stopped and soon the girl fell asleep in his hands. Damn, I should have made something that would¡¯ve made carrying her easier, he thought. Quin was holding her in his hands which became tiring after a few hours. He had the constant supply of the wild energy, but that did not mean that he would never became tired.


    It was night when they had finally reached Hounxi and the girl was still deep in sleep.


    Man, Li was right! These houses look beautiful!


    Just like he had expected the town was not too big, but the majority of its houses were quite tall and he rarely saw one with less than three stories. They were built from some kind of white stone and a couple of pillars -- painted dark grey -- decorated their front walls. The edge of these walls had various relief ornaments, which resembled to a climbing plant. Every building in the settlement shared the same style which some might find boring, however, Quin preferred the orderly aesthetics they gave off over the diverse buildings that were present at Crow''s Road.


    It was not just the details that impressed him, but the overall look he got from the town. Although there was no way that he would fall in love with them like Li did, he could understand why someone would be captured by the beauty of the place.


    There were still a few people on the streets, despite the fact that it was already past the time people usually went to sleep. Fortunately, this way Quin could ask one of them about a couple of things he wanted to know.


    Alright the man said that there¡¯s an inn which is quite close to the spa and it¡¯s only about fifteen minutes of walk away. Though he didn¡¯t recognize the girl... Well, it¡¯ll probably take some time to find someone who knows her, or at least I really hope so that I will find someone.


    ¡°Good evening!¡± A middle-aged woman stood behind the inn¡¯s counter and greeted him.


    ¡°Good evening! Do you have a free room, which I could take out for a longer time?¡± Quin asked.


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    The woman looked at him for a bit and replied, ¡°Excuse me, but do you have sufficient money for it?¡±


    Quin quickly took out his bronze badge and showed it to her.


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± she said and bowed slightly, ¡°But our good faith had been taken advantage of too many times in the past, so we are always required to make sure that our customer will be able to pay the entirety of our fee.¡±


    Hm, I have never thought about that. ¡°No harm done,¡± he said with a smile.


    Seeing that Quin had no problem, the receptionist started to look through the big book which was on the desk, in front of her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see, there are three rooms I can offer you, but this is the one I would recommend to you,¡± she said and showed Quin a brochure. ¡°It¡¯s one of our best rooms and has an amazing view of the spa and the forest behind it. Well, it is very expensive but I assume you will not have any issue on the money front.¡±


    Quin ran through the contents of the brochure and found the room quite good. ¡°Yes, fortunately I won¡¯t have any. Alright, I want to take it out for at least until the end of this year,¡± Quin said. ¡°I guess that I¡¯ll be able to extend my period of stay if I want?¡±


    ¡°Of course you can,¡± she answered. ¡°Okay, please give me the badge to seal the paper and then I will give you your key. Oh right, the spa is open during the entire day but only a part of it belongs to our inn, but you will see that from the signs. We are also providing three meals a day: breakfast from seven to nine in the morning, lunch from noon to two and dinner from six to nine. You can find the cafeteria if you follow this corridor to its end and you room is the fifth on the left side.¡±


    ¡°Alright, thanks. By the way, do you recognize this girl or maybe know someone who lost their kid?¡± Quin asked and lifted the -- still sleeping -- girl up to let the receptionist see her.


    ¡°Hm, sorry but I do not think that I have seen her and I have not heard about any missing kids either, where did you find her?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve found her a day¡¯s walk away, stuck in a deep mud puddle,¡± Quin replied.


    ¡°What?¡± she asked with a shocked and angry expression. ¡°How could someone do something like this?!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± Quin shook his head. ¡°But it¡¯s fortunate that I¡¯ve found her before anything would have happened, but now I don¡¯t really know what to do.¡±


    ¡°Hm, sadly I will be busy tomorrow but I will definitely ask around after that, maybe somebody will know something.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Quin said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, it is not you who should be thanking me but his parents!¡± She shook her head angrily for a few moments before she calmed down. ¡°Oh, my name is Fei,¡± she introduced herself with a light smile.


    ¡°Quin,¡± he said.


    The room he had was quite big and was properly equipped with all necessities, so he was beyond satisfied with it. Maybe the more fitting word for it would be apartment as it had two bedrooms, a spacious living room, a kitchen and of course a restroom. It also had all the necessary furniture, which quality left nothing to be desired.


    He put down his bag and then laid the girl on one of the beds. She had slept through the whole thing... Damn, I really hope that Fei will find out something, else I¡¯ve got no idea what to do with her. Do they have an orphanage here at all? Nah, I doubt it, only the bigger cities got one and even the closest is weeks away. Well, no use to worry about it now, I¡¯ll cross that bridge when I come to it. He let out a sigh and started to organize his stuff.


    Quin did not have a lot of things at him thus he finished it in a fairly brief time. The week long journey, especially this day left him very tired both physically and mentally, so decided to go to the bed right away.

 A New Beginning 57 - Hope

    Being able to wake up at even small sounds can be quite useful out in the wilds, and it was not that hard for Quin to learn it during his travel. However, it can also be something not too desirable, especially when you are sharing your room with someone who sleeps talks. Even if those were just unintelligible babbling.


    This was exactly Quin¡¯s case currently, as at one point during her sleep the girl started to talk without stopping. Quin could not shut it out and was simply unable to fall asleep again, so in the end, he decided to just meditate. Despite the constant babbling, Quin did not have any difficulty to enter a meditative state, as he even managed to do it when his pain first began and that was incomparably more intense. The girl woke up sometime in the morning and Quin went to pick her up.


    ¡°Hm, am I imagining things or have you really grown taller during the night?¡± Quin asked. He was not sure, but it did look to him that the girl was a touch shorter yesterday. ¡°I know that kids grow fast, but isn¡¯t it a bit too much, huh?¡±


    The only response he got -- besides the usual baby talk --  was a bite.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re going to eat breakfast right away.¡± Quin sighed.


    They were still well within the period during which the inn served breakfast, so they went there to eat.


    Quin remembered her enormous appetite from yesterday, so he thought he was prepared when he brought two big plates filled with various kinds of food to their table. Even after Quin had long finished his own meal, the girl was still at it with no signs of stopping and he already had to bring two extra plates. Damn, something¡¯s really strange with her. Is she a human at all? he wondered. He had never seen a human -- not even an adult man -- to eat this much and although at first he had thought that she was a five or six years old girl, he was not so sure anymore. It was because of her size that he had previously assumed this, however, after taking care of her for a day, her behavior did not look like she had some kind of mental issue but exactly how a baby would act. Furthermore, her body shape and facial features were more resembling that of a one or two years old child.


    But there¡¯s no way for that, right? We¡¯ve never met any intelligent species other than us-- Except the Shriekers and that smoke ball, but that may have been just an illusion or something. I¡¯m sure Dreon would love to talk about these things. He let out a small laugh but it was filled with sadness and guilt. Quin thought of Dreon, how he was killed, and how it was partly due to his lack of control over his anger that led to his death. He only allowed a few moments for these thoughts and emotions, and then quickly buried them deep inside his mind.


    Quin carried the girl to the spa after she was finally finished with her food. Despite that he knew that there was only a slim chance that this healing type energy could truly make a change in his condition, he was still really excited.


    They were stopped by Fei -- the receptionist from yesterday -- midway, who wanted to give them a couple of toys. She said that they were her children¡¯s, but as they were already adults she doubted that they would need them.


    Quin was thankful for her help and also hoped that those toys would occupy the girl, while he was doing his own things.


    When they arrived, what they could see was a decent sized lake, which interestingly had a tint of green to its color. Its water was crystal clear and most of its shore was covered by dense, well-kept lawn. Only about a third part of its shore -- on its furthest side -- was different, as that was next to the forest.


    He could feel the energy it emitted even meters away from the spa and it was the strongest energy he had ever experienced in his life. Quin put down the girl with her new toys and then sat down cross-legged nearby her. After spending a few minutes by watching her reaction he was relieved to see that all of her attention was captured by the new toys.


    Thus he began meditating, but he did not enter a too deep meditative state, just in case something were to happen. Quin did not feel anything special at first, only after a few hours had passed. The previously wild and raging energy that filled his entire body started to disappear bit by bit. By the time the sun was at its highest it had been completely replaced by the soft healing energy. Wow, I¡¯d have never believed that it¡¯d make such a significant change! In contrast to the usual energy he absorbed from the environment, it did not have the same corrosive property to it and actually felt comfortable, so his ever constant pain almost entirely vanished.


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    It still did not mean that he could just spend the rest of his days without worry if he was next to the lake. He was perfectly aware of the fact that even though that this type of wild energy was a lot less harmful, in the end, it was still some kind of energy. Thus he needed to use it up as being constantly bathed by any type of wild energy of this amount would eventually overload and kill his cells and organs. But maybe, if I reduce its density in my body and keep it that way constantly then it won¡¯t harm my cells? Or maybe they can even get used to it? Quin was currently filled with boundless hope.


    He had previously dismissed the other type of pain he had begun to feel due to his cells constantly using a great amount of wild energy as it was only minuscule. However, it actually started to increase exponentially in the last couple of days during his journey which made him quite fearful of what was about to come. One of the reasons he felt so happy and hopeful currently was connected to this issue: after the energy filling his body was entirely replaced by the one which was emitted out of the spa, the intensity of that pain began to decrease. It was not by much, but Quin had only experienced it increasing day by day so far, so turning this around was a huge milestone for him.


    Furthermore, he theorized that it was thanks to the healing property of the energy and that after he would start training in the vicinity of the lake it would completely disappear once and for all. Of course, it was just a theory and something that he hoped for to happen, but still, he saw a remarkable chance for success.


    He opened his eyes and saw the girl was no longer playing with toys but lay peacefully on the ground. Sleeping again, huh? He took off his shirt, laid it on the ground and then carefully put her on it. It¡¯s not as good as a bed but still better than just lying just on the ground and I won¡¯t need it for the training. Hm, though since I left Crows¡¯ Road there wasn¡¯t a single day when I didn¡¯t move a lot, but it was a long time ago since I actually trained. He chuckled and started to warm up. Though I planned to start it again around the time I decided to go back to school but then I didn¡¯t get the opportunity to do so. The last time I trained was before the Coming of Age Ceremony, damn, that was more than half a year ago! Alright, let¡¯s start this!


    Author''s note: I was supposed to post this chapter yesterday, but there were a lot of small things that came up like I had no internet connection and had to reinstall windows. It was late at night when I finally got the time for it but then I just had no energy left to do it.


    This week I''ll release 4 regular chapters (Monday, Wednesday, Friday,  Sunday) and 1 sponsored chapter (of course this chapter does not count for it, as it''s yesterday''s).


    So a few info on sponsored chapters: The first couple of them will cost 20$ each, but later it may change. I know that for many other fictions the amount is smaller but it''s not that easy to write that plus one chapter. During summer and early September I was able to write one chapter per day but that was because I had a lot of free time. Now, it''s different and to be honest I''d feel comfortable with writing only 3 chapters this week but I really want the story to get to its more interesting, exciting parts quickly, as its current arc is more like an interlude.


    It takes me at least 4 hours just to write a chapter, but that''s with planning, world building, etc. not included and though I could easily earn more with a part-time job I really enjoy writing this story, so I thought I''d give the whole sponsored chapters a try.

 A New Beginning 58 - Ready For This

    Quin started his training with some basic strengthening exercises, the ones he had done a million times already. A couple of them were more difficult than previously, for example the push-ups, as the difference in strength between his arms was quite significant. He also wanted to go for a run, however, he would not just leave the girl alone. Especially not when the lake was only about ten meters away and falling into that can easily mean one¡¯s death. Maybe I should hire a babysitter? Do they have one here? It is a tourist town and there are obviously times when families don¡¯t want to bring their child somewhere, so they should have one, I think. Alright, I¡¯ll check it later.


    He only stopped his training late in the afternoon. Damn, these exercises aren¡¯t enough. I can feel that my whole body is still filled with this energy! Though I do feel tired, these simple exercises just can¡¯t use up enough energy. Hm, I should definitely get some equipment, I just hope that this town will have them. But I think it¡¯ll be enough for the first day and although thanks to this healing energy I need less food, I¡¯m starting to get hungry. Besides, I should use the remaining of the day to check some of the shops. Well, if they¡¯re still open.


    He picked up the still sleeping girl and after taking a quick bath, he went outside to look around.


    The town was bustling with life even though it was already past seven and the majority of the shops were still open. Quin visited quite a few of them searching for items he needed, but he also did not forget to ask around whether someone knew anything about the girl. At first, he doubted that he would find many of the things he wanted to buy, but it turned out that these shops actually had a great variety of merchandise.


    Quin purchased several sets of items needed for his strengthening exercises, from simple weights to barbells. However, his favorite one was an all-body clothing which was made from a material that was quite heavy, yet still flexible. There were several types of it, with varying amount of total weight. These clothes were perfect for his training plans, as just simply wearing them used up a lot of energy and not to speak about actually doing various kinds of exercises.


    They were quite expensive, but naturally, Quin had no problems regarding an item¡¯s cost. Unfortunately, he still did not find out anything about the girl, who at some point woke up and as usual, started to chew on him.


    ¡°You¡¯re hungry again, huh? Don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll get you some food right away,¡± Quin said smiling and he was sure that when he said the word food the girl¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°Food,¡± he said again and just like he thought, her reaction was the same as before. ¡°It seems that it took you only a few days to learn the first word you can understand and who¡¯d have thought it¡¯d be actually food.¡± He could not stop laughing for a few moments.


    All-in-all she was quite a nice and good kid -- of course excluding her bad habit of seeing him as her food.


    Dreon, help me! Aline... Alinor... No, don¡¯t leave me! Quin suddenly woke up in the middle of the night from his nightmare, drenched in sweat. He dreamed that he was attacked by a swarm of Shriekers, but even though his friends were there, none of them helped him and he was eaten alive. Damn! He calmed down a bit after a few moments and then noticed the girl babbling. Well, it seems like sometimes it¡¯s not bad at all that she woke me up with her talk. He let out a small laugh.


    Quin could not go back to sleep that night either. Despite that he had already experienced terrible things in his life and this was only a nightmare, it felt entirely real and frightening. He could even clearly remember the feelings and emotions he had when the Shriekers surrounded him and when they started to devour him. It reminded him of Dreon, and his death¡¯s again.


    Only after a few hours did he manage to calm down completely, when it was already in the morning.


    Eventually, the girl also woke up and then they went to the cafeteria to eat. Of course, Quin did not forget to visit Fei either.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± she greeted him.


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    ¡°Good morning, have you found out anything?¡± Quin asked.


    ¡°Sorry, but there are no missing kids in the town and nobody heard anything about her. Maybe she is from somewhere else?¡±


    ¡°Thanks for your help anyways. Well, maybe that¡¯s true, but if I¡¯m not mistaken even the closest settlement is more than three days away from here.¡±


    ¡°You are right, but there are also travelers on the road and perhaps she is the daughter of one of them. I think if they are looking for her your best bet is staying here in Hounxi,¡± she said. ¡°It is the closest town to the place you have found her, so if they cannot find her I think they are bound to visit the local settlements in the hope that somebody had found her. By the way, I have talked with a few of my friends in other inns and they told me that they will inform me if someone was looking for their missing child.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, and anyways, I did plan to stay here for a longer period of time,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°Oh right, do you know whether this town has some kind of babysitter service? I can do a lot of my training while she¡¯s nearby but there are few, like running, which aren¡¯t so feasible with her and I wouldn¡¯t leave her alone next to the lake.¡±


    Fei looked a bit taken aback for a few moments and then said smiling, ¡°You know, I think that girl is lucky to be found by you, someone who truly cares for her, despite that it is not his duty.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Quin said, a bit embarrassed. It was true that he was used to getting a lot of praise, but he was not sure anymore how much of that was because of him and how much was because of his element. It felt great to have such a strong and unique element but during his journey, he realized that it was all due to his luck. Quin knew that he was hard-working for a long period of time but he started to wonder whether that would have been enough without his special element. Could he have become the same genius he had been with the simple earth element? Could he have really achieved the same strength as Mang? These were things that often came to his mind but he did his best to not dwell on the past and instead concentrate on the present.


    ¡°But back to your question, we do have some babysitters and I can give you a list of them if you want?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes, thank you.¡±


    After a quick search, Fei found the paper which listed all of the available babysitting services Hounxi had.


    ¡°I have circled the better ones, however, the one I would recommend the most is this one,¡± she said and pointed at one of them.


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll check that one out first,¡± he said. ¡°Thank you for your help, again.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that,¡± she replied with a gentle smile.


    Fortunately, Quin did not have to waste a lot of time on selecting the best one from the list, as the one recommended by Fei was perfect for him. The one who would be looking after the girl was a nice and friendly middle-aged woman, called Xia. Quin did not have to leave the girl there as she also agreed to come to the inn Quin was staying at. It was not that he did not trust them or Fei¡¯s recommendation but he wanted to make sure everything would be okay on the first days. Furthermore, the girl was not just like an average child so he was a bit afraid that something would happen. However, if they were at the spa not too far away from him, then everything would become easier.


    Another great news for him was that Xia could start right away thus he did not have to miss out on an important part of his training again. Alright, at least I do have luck, sometimes.


    By the time they arrived to the spa, the girl was already sleeping.


    ¡°She¡¯s like that, she eats an inhuman amount of food -- more than me -- and then after about an hour or two falls asleep for half of day,¡± Quin said laughing.


    ¡°Really?¡± Xia asked and it was quite obvious that she did not believe him completely.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I wouldn¡¯t believe it either, but you¡¯ll see it soon,¡± he said. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ll be around the lake somewhere, just let me know if there¡¯s anything you need.¡± Xia nodded and after putting up the clothing he had bought yesterday Quin began his first lap around the lake with great excitement.

 A New Beggining 59 - Concealment

    Damn, now that¡¯s what I call a good exercise! It was sometime in the afternoon when Quin stopped his training. He was totally exhausted and just collapsed onto the ground to rest for a few minutes. The pain he felt previously due to his cells overusing the wild energy was now almost completely gone, so even though he was dead tired and there was no part of his body that did not ache, he was beyond happy. He was filled boundless hope and though he was aware that it may have been a bit too early it was exactly what he needed. After having to experience his life, his future ending, the constant agonizing pain and also facing the fact that he may only have a single year left, he felt relieved now. In his opinion, the lack of pain was a great indicator that this type of wild energy was not damaging his body. If it remains like this then I may have really solved my biggest problem! Hm, maybe this healing type wild energy is even good for my longevity? Man, that¡¯d be good, I wish that¡¯ll be the case!


    Quin finally allowed himself to think of the future and what it might bring. He doubted that he would find a way to get back his cultivation, however, he could have a normal life and live here. Maybe he would find a job he liked and would spend his life working, like an average man. Although he had the bronze badge so he would not need to work for money, but doing nothing every day, without a goal in his mind would be just boring. Then, perhaps someday he would have a family, a daughter or a son and maybe even with Aline.


    Aline? Why do I feel so strange? I should love her, I clearly remember my feelings I had back then, but the only thing I feel now is the emptiness-- No that¡¯s not true, as I try to recall how I¡¯ve felt toward her the only thing I feel is... Repulsion? Why? Quin sensed that egg was currently very active and doing something. Is it because of it? Will I never be able to love someone? Though it¡¯s a different type of love, I still feel that I love my mother and my father-- He stopped there for a moment. There were several times during his journey that he had thought of his father and he could not help but have a growing supposition that something was wrong. It was too suspicious that he would have to leave just after he got to know Quin¡¯s condition and that he had never heard from his father since then. Not a single letter, or anything. Damn, why do I always think of these things? Why do I always have to spoil my good mood?


    Quin took a few deep breath and calmed himself down, then stood up and went back to where Xia and the girl was. It seemed that she had been awake for a while as she was trying to take a bit out of Xia, again and again. Quin was glad to see that Xia was handling it quite well and looked at it like it was just a game they played.


    ¡°Sorry about that, I don¡¯t know why but she never cries or yells when she¡¯s hungry and just starts to chew on you,¡± he said with a chuckle. ¡°Well, at least she¡¯s been doing it since I¡¯ve found her.¡±


    ¡°Found her? Isn¡¯t she your¡¯s?¡± Xia asked frowning.


    Oh, right, I¡¯ve never told her. ¡°No, she isn¡¯t my daughter, look, I¡¯m not even seventeen,¡± he replied laughing. ¡°I¡¯ve found her next to the road about one day¡¯s walk away from Hounxi and I¡¯ve been searching for the parents since then, unfortunately to no avail. Well, if you hear anything about a missing child I¡¯d be glad if you could tell me.¡±


    Xia froze for a few moments, like she had heard something shocking and then answered, ¡°Oh, right, I¡¯ll let you know if I hear something.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go and eat something. Do you know a good restaurant here?¡± It was too late for the lunch and too early for the dinner the inn served, but he did not want to let the girl remain hungry.


    They went to a restaurant which was named The Nine Hundred Ninety-nine Flowers. It was a bit strange of a name and Quin had no idea why it was called like that, but to be honest, as long as it had good food he was fine with it.


    He did not have to be disappointed, as the meal they had was one of the best he had ever had. Its interior was nicely but not overly decorated and the whole place exuded an aura of calmness. The servers were quite friendly and helpful, but just like Xia, they also looked flabbergasted after seeing the little girl¡¯s appetite.


    His following days were spent similarly, training from morning to afternoon and then relaxing. On most of the days, they visited The Nine Hundred Ninety-nine Flowers restaurant for a late lunch or dinner and then they just strolled the city, visiting various shops and landmarks. Although people here were less friendly than Zhang and his group, overall they were still quite nice and Quin liked the town without a doubt.


    Regarding his new training schedule, he did have some plans but of course, he was not like his instructor, who had spent years learning and teaching, and knew how to make efficient schedules. Thus he had to rely more on try and error, experimenting what was the ideal solution for his plans.


    He spent at least three hours with just running -- while wearing the clothing with extra-weight. After about a half an hour warm-up run he had thirty minutes where he increased his speed significantly. Next, he was switching between sprinting for thirty seconds and walking for a minute. In the last hour, he started with jogging and then continuously increased his tempo until at the end he was sprinting.


    Quin felt exhausted after these three hours passed and to keep it that way, naturally, he continuously increased his speed and the time he had spent with sprinting in the second hour.


    Quin did not care much for his tiredness, as he knew that the wild energy that the lake emitted would provide his body with sufficient energy. What¡¯s more, it was exactly because of the overflowing energy that he had to follow such a strict training schedule.


    After a few minutes of rest, he continued with his second type of exercise: weightlifting. This lasted for another hour and was mostly focused on increasing the strength of his arms and legs. His current best, with the combined power of both of his arms, was two hundred and fifty kilograms. It could have been easily more if not for his right arm which was significantly weaker. The maximum amount he could push with his left arm was one hundred and seventy-five kilograms, while his right arm was only capable of lifting seventy-five kilograms. Naturally, these figures were not exactly accurate as the weight difference between each of the weights were twenty-five kilograms.


    He also spent about an hour with simple types of exercises ranging from squats to pushups. They may not have been the most efficient normally, however his clothing with the extra-weight made them quite useful.


    When he was finished with these ones he stopped to rest by meditating for about half an hour. Afterward he repeated these exercise but this time he only did half of the previous amount. It was usually already a bit late when he was done with them, but he still had another, last hour of training.


    Up to this point, his training consisted of exercises which only built up his body, however he did not want to get out of fighting shape. He had learned a lot about fighting back in school and as much as he did not want to admit, he also learned several important things during the time he was overcome by his instincts. Of course, at least half of that was due to the stupid mistakes his instincts made him do but the other part of it granted him valuable information.


    Thus in the last hour of his training he practised various movement and fighting techniques and also did a lot of shadow fighting. At first he chose the spear as his weapons because it was easy-to-use and had a long range but during his journey and these days he came to like it quite a bit. Although previously he did not had to rely on a weapon as he had his Lightning Qi, his current situation was different. He may have a strong body but so did the various kinds of wild beast and someone who had the earth element as well. Furthermore, he may be fast but how could he actually even compare to someone with a simple element like air? Of course, he was not planning on fighting anything or anyone but the desire to become stronger was still strong within his mind.

 A New Beggining 60 - Spring

    Quin trained day after day, and it had been about two weeks already since he had come to Hounxi. He still had a problem, however. His training schedule only covered about half of the day and during the other half, his body became filled with wild energy, which he did not use up. Despite that he had woken up with some pain each morning and it was something that should have been obvious, it still eluded his mind somehow for some time. Damn, I am such a fool! If I completely exhaust myself then I¡¯ll have some time free from the wild energy, but how in the hell did I think that it¡¯ll last for half a day?


    He was contemplating for some time what to do and he came to the conclusion that there was no other option but to train throughout the day: in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening and at dawn as well. Fortunately, for most of the time Xia will be looking after the girl but what about the evening and dawn? Hm, there was no night when she wasn¡¯t sleeping without a care in the world or where she had woken up during her sleep. I think it¡¯ll be okay, to leave her here during that time. He found his relationship with the girl a bit strange. She was a nice kid and it was fun to play with her from time to time but the whole situation where he found himself having to take care of her came out of nowhere. To be honest, what he felt toward her was responsibility and sympathy. He had never dealt with small kids before and he was just sixteen years old, so while the idea of having a child in the future did cross his mind, he had no plans for it to be right now. Still, it was him who had found her and despite that he did have the choice to leave the kid in the forest, no sane person would be able to do that.


    It was not just due to his running sessions that he hired a babysitter but because he just could not imagine how he would be able to take care of a child alone, even if it was only for a few weeks. Though, he probably would not have such a hard time as she was quite a good kid. Just like other kids, she had to be fed but only two or three times a day, then after about an hour or two of playtime she would just fall asleep for hours. Essentially, Quin only had about four or five hours during which he had to actively look after her, but he simply just did not feel he was ready for something like this.


    Fortunately, the town had a babysitting service and he found a good babysitter. Although Xia seemed a bit cold toward him, she was entirely different with the little girl. Well, I haven¡¯t seen how a babysitter does their job but honestly, it looks more like she¡¯s her mother than just someone who¡¯s looking after her. They¡¯re together for a great part of the day but during that, Xia¡¯s always smiling and looking like someone who¡¯s really enjoying it.


    The little girl also seemed to like her fortunately, yet there was a single thing in which she chose him over Xia any time he was around. For some strange reason, she always wanted to chew on him when she was hungry and Quin was there, even if she was already in Xia¡¯s arms.


    Quin was also a bit concerned about the girl, as she really did not seem like how a normal human child would be. She grew about a centimeter or two after each sleep and she was now at least thirty centimeters taller compared to the time he had found her. Naturally, Quin was not able to measure her height just by looking at her and he only knew this because he had bought a measuring tape previously. It was even more interesting or maybe just shocking how her hair grew from the typical short baby hair to a length which hung to the middle of her back merely in a single day. He was quite surprised, but what he would not be able to ever forget was the dumbfounded look Xia had on her face when she saw the little girl the next day. Quin was even afraid that she would just quit, but despite her first reaction nothing had changed in the end.


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    It was during the third week when he began to train during the night and at dawn as well. After they were done with dinner and their evening stroll, the girl would usually fall asleep in no time. When that happened Quin went outside and did a shorter version of his usual training, which lasted about two or three hours. Next, he meditated for an hour and then slept for a maximum of two hours. After he woke up he did another round of exercises for an hour or two and when he was finished with them, he entered into a brief meditation once more before he went to bed. There was not too much time to sleep in the morning either, as he only had a few hours until the girl would wake up.


    Although he liked training and enjoyed it even during dawn, it was without a doubt tiring, and not just physically. Spending most of your daytime by constantly doing various exercises and even forgoing hours of your daily sleep could be quite mentally taxing. Quin was fairly proud of the strength of his willpower, especially after that he had to suffer through constant agonizing pain for months through which he managed to persevere to the very end without going insane or taking his own life. However, without spending time with meditation after each of his training sessions he would probably find it rather difficult to continue.


    After only a month of working out, he could already see significant changes in his body. The most striking one was how much his muscle mass increased during this time. Quin was no longer the somewhat skinny youth he had been as he was packed with decently sized muscles. They were not too bulky fortunately, and it did not hinder his movement at all.


    Although his muscle growth was the most noticeable change, the most shocking thing to him and the one that he was the happiest about was something else. It did not even occur to him for some time, but one day he finally noticed that his missing fingers were starting to grow back. Previously, his entire pinky finger was non-existent but now, one out of the three phalanges had completely grown back. The regeneration on his ring finger was a bit slower as only about half out of his two missing phalanges had grown back. Even though he he had been able to use his right hand without too much difficulty it still felt unnatural and who would not be happy about something like this?


    He had thought about this and how this wild energy worked for a long time. Back at Crows¡¯ Road¡¯s library, he had read a lot about Hounxi and the effects of its healing lake, but he did not remember anything about regrowing lost limbs. This energy could heal various diseases, surface injuries and was quite useful for recuperations. However, it should not have been enough for something like this, not even for the Spirit Forming experts who could even take a brief dip into the lake¡¯s water.


    Then why does this happen to me? It¡¯s not that I¡¯m not grateful but I just don¡¯t understand it. So what¡¯s difference? He wondered and after a few moments, he realized something. Maybe it¡¯s not that difficult to figure it out, huh? This healing energy constantly fills my body and is also quite dense, however, I think this shouldn¡¯t be the case for the others. Though I do feel as it enters my body through my skin and pores, its intensity is significantly lesser and it¡¯s the same with breathing as well. It¡¯s probably different if you go into the water, but that¡¯s only for a really short period of time during which it doesn¡¯t have enough time to do something like that. I, on the other hand, am continuously exposed to a great amount of it and I think that should be why my fingers started growing back. Hm, who would¡¯ve thought that something like this could exist?


    During this whole month, my body was improving and getting stronger each day, and I reckon that if previously my body¡¯s strength was comparable to someone in the first level of Qi Foundation stage, then now it should be comparable to its second level! I wonder exactly how strong am I currently?


    He pondered for minutes for a way to check it, as there sadly were no tools in Hounxi for measuring the toughness of a body or the strength of a punch. Eventually, as he had no other ideas, he decided to just go out and test it on a tree and maybe on a rock as well.

 A New Beggining 61 - It Will Be A Long Time

    ¡°Boom!¡± The loud sound of an explosion could be heard. Damn, I¡¯m strong! Quin started laughing. I¡¯ve guessed that I¡¯d punch through wood without much difficulty but through stone as well? The ground in front of him was filled with only rubble. It¡¯s a bit hard with my right hand but for my left, it¡¯s actually not that difficult. When I still had my Lightning Qi I was able to pierce through blocks of iron without breaking a sweat but this is with only my body¡¯s strength! He was excited, surprised and happy at the same time. If I¡¯m capable of breaking stone then that means that my strength is around someone who¡¯s in the third level of Qi Foundation stage. I can¡¯t believe this... I finally managed to take a step forward instead of backward!


    Quin had been already quite happy about his miraculous regeneration but now, coupled with this he felt like he had never been so happy in his entire life. Although it could not be said that he previously lacked enthusiasm regarding his training, but now, he was even more motivated.


    Days have passed and he completely submerged himself in his training. It was about ten days later when something unexpected happened: a man showed up claiming to be the little girl¡¯s father.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Zhai,¡± introduced himself the man.


    ¡°Quin.¡± He nodded. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that you¡¯re his father, right? Then care to explain why I had to find her stuck in a mud puddle in the middle of nowhere?¡± Quin asked and stared at the man with an icy look.


    ¡°I-- We were coming home from another town but we stopped at night to sleep and somehow she escaped,¡± he replied. ¡°We had searched for days but could not find any track of her, so then we started to look for her in the surrounding settlements and had already visited a few of them...¡±


    ¡°When did this happen?¡± Quin questioned.


    ¡°About a month, I think.¡±


    ¡°Which day?¡± Quin asked as he wanted to know how many days did she have had to spend in the forest alone.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I asked what day was it when you lost her,¡± he repeated his question.


    ¡°I-- It was, um... Uhm, it was Tuesday, yes!¡± The man almost stammered his answer.


    Tuesday? I¡¯ve found her on a Monday, so that¡¯s nearly a whole week, but that¡¯s not possible. How could she have survived alone without food and water and especially with her enormous appetite?


    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Quin asked.


    ¡°Yeah, definitely,¡± said the man, who was a bit more confident now.


    ¡°Hm, alright, and which towns had you visited?¡± He did not know why he felt that way but he thought something was amiss.


    ¡°Huh? Which towns? Uhm, well, it was,¡± Zhai replied and he stopped for a few moments before he continued. ¡°Woshan, yeah it was Woshan.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already said it, it was Woshan?¡± the man answered with a confused look.


    ¡°You know that you¡¯ve said that you¡¯ve already visited a few of the surrounding towns?¡± There¡¯s something really fishy here, he thought. It was not just because of what the man said but the way he acted and the manner in which he talked.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s because...¡± he stopped again for a bit. ¡°Because I¡¯ve visited Woshan and now Hounxi,¡± he said and his previous nervousness disappeared.


    ¡°And what¡¯s her name?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s called Lian,¡± Zhai said and it was the first thing he said entirely confident.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°So, how do you know for sure that she¡¯s your daughter?¡± Quin asked.


    ¡°Well, I, uh, of course, I knew that she¡¯s her when I saw her,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Hm, you¡¯ve visited this place before? Or have we met before?¡±


    ¡°What? No, why?¡±


    ¡°Damn,¡± Quin said and could not help but facepalm himself. ¡°If you want to steal someone¡¯s kid at least don¡¯t be such a fool,¡± he shook his head and did not know whether to laugh or cry.


    ¡°What are you talking about? She¡¯s my daughter, what did I say wrong?¡± Zhai asked confused and a bit scared.


    ¡°You do realize that if you haven¡¯t been to this inn and we haven¡¯t ever met then you couldn¡¯t have seen how she looks like? We¡¯re just in the hall but she¡¯s outside with her babysitter, there¡¯s no way you could¡¯ve seen her. You get it, huh?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I-- Uh, I just--¡±


    ¡°Now get out!¡± Quin shouted at him with a look so fierce that it actually scared the man. What¡¯s with that look? As as an adult man, he should be stronger than me and yet there¡¯s fear in his eyes. He snorted.


    Zhai turned around and left but with a hint of sadness in his eyes.


    Quin went back to to the lake where Xia and the girl was.


    ¡°So, how did it go?¡± Xia asked with a smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even ask,¡± he said with a sigh.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Xia asked quite surprised.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know who he was but he definitely wasn¡¯t his father and only wanted to steal her,¡± he replied with an angry look.


    Xia stood there with her mouth wide-open for a couple of moments.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Quin asked.


    ¡°Um, yeah, sorry, I was just shocked about this,¡± she answered.


    Quin frowned at that but decided to not deal with it and just went back to his training.


    However, another unexpected thing happened at tomorrow morning. Zhai came back but this time, he was followed by Xia and so Quin looked at them quite confused.


    ¡°We are sorry about this,¡± Xia said and both of them bowed.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Quin had a few ideas but was not entirely sure what was happening.


    ¡°I--,¡± Zhai started but was interrupted by Xia.


    ¡°Let me speak,¡± she said and turned back to Quin. ¡°We have talked a lot about this and we have thought that after what happened yesterday the best thing is to tell you the truth.¡± Both Xia and Zhai was clearly embarrassed and they also looked like they were a bit afraid. ¡°Zhai is my husband and we did not want to steal her. Well,¡± she took a deep breath, ¡°Maybe it does look like that, but it¡¯s been already a month and no one came to look for her. Do you really think that parents who leave their children in a mud puddles would be looking for them?


    ¡°The truth is that we-- I can¡¯t have children.¡± She stopped and Quin noticed that she was fighting with her tears. ¡°I did give birth to a girl more than a decade ago, but... Sadly, there were some complications which resulted in me becoming infertile. We loved her, our daughter but,¡± teardrops started to fall down from her eyes, ¡°She died when she was only one year old and we couldn¡¯t do anything about it. We had no children and no way to have one in the future, that is the reason why I started to look after children; to be able to at least partially feel the happiness of motherhood. When I had first looked at her I was instantly reminded of our daughter and the time I spent with her was the happiest I¡¯ve had since a long time. You have said that you did not want to have a child of your own for now as you are still young, so I thought this would be a win-win situation for both of us.¡±


    Quin remained silent for some time, as he thought through what Xia had said.


    ¡°Do you want her just because she reminds you of your daughter?¡± Quin asked frowning. ¡°I don¡¯t think that having to live your life as someone¡¯s substitute would be desirable.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯ve-- What I said was probably unclear. I did not mean that I would be looking at her just as a replacement, only that she reminded me of my daughter at first. Just think back please to this one month, I really don¡¯t think that I¡¯ve treated her like that.¡±


    According to what Quin had seen Xia said the truth. ¡°Alright,¡± he said, ¡°And why didn¡¯t you say it honestly the very first time? I have to tell you that I¡¯m not a big fan of dishonesty and conning other people. By the way, did you really think that I¡¯d be so dumb and just give her to the first person claiming to be her father?¡±


    ¡°We thought that you were just a kid and so there wouldn¡¯t be any problems,¡± Xia said and Quin had never seen so much embarrassment reflected on one¡¯s face than on these two. ¡°We thought that this would be the easiest way but we never meant to hurt you or her.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I get it, I¡¯m still a kid, and honestly, while I do think that I¡¯m smarter than average I seriously doubt that just a normal kid at my age would¡¯ve believed you. Anyways, I know that you didn¡¯t have any malicious intent toward me and I¡¯m not stupid, so even though I¡¯m still pissed off I do remember the way you¡¯ve treated her. However, this doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯d be giving her custody to you. If she¡¯s really got her parents looking for her then I don¡¯t think one month of wait is enough. We can talk about this matter after half a year has passed. While I¡¯m not too sure about her parents and how they could¡¯ve left her in the middle of nowhere, I can¡¯t rule out that there¡¯s an explanation for their action.


    ¡°During this time you¡¯ll have to convince me that both of you¡¯ll be good parents for her.¡± Quin looked at Zhai. ¡°So that includes you as well. Saying that how much you¡¯d like a daughter but then not caring about her, so that she¡¯d have to grow up without essentially having a father is not something I¡¯d like her to experience.¡±

 A New Beggining 62 - A New Day

    Quin knew that what he said may be seen as a bit too excessive and demanding but he saw how Xia and Zhai wanted to be the girl¡¯s step-parents. Furthermore, he also knew how bad it was to grow without a loving father. Although he always tried to avoid thinking about him it did not change how he felt and what he knew deep inside his mind. He still clearly remembered those painful sentences when his father had told him that he was worthless and how he basically ignored him for years. Now that he was a bit more mature and experienced, it was also hard not see how suddenly he had changed his opinion about Quin after he got his lightning element and then disappeared right after he had lost his cultivation. The conclusion was quite simple: his father did not truly love him, only his talent and that he was somebody Quin could not rely on if things turned bad, as when he would have needed him the most, his father just left them. Despite all of this there was still a part of Quin that loved him and wanted nothing more to be acknowledged by him, however, this part of him was growing smaller by each passing day.


    It was due to these experiences that he wanted to give the girl a truly loving family. Although he did say that he would be waiting for her real parents for half a year, he did not have much hope in that regard. Quin also thought that placing her under a caring family would be the best choice and excluding Zhai¡¯s first impression they did look like that.


    ¡°I promise I won¡¯t be like that!¡± Zhai said with resolution in his eyes.


    ¡°So, Zhai, how about it: you¡¯ll come to look after her instead of Xia a few days of the week?¡± Quin asked.


    ¡°Hm? Me?¡± Zhai pondered, but only for a moment and said with a smile, ¡°Alright!¡±


    It seems like I¡¯ve guessed it right, Quin thought. Looking at Zhai¡¯s previous expressions and looks he assumed that what they said was not just for show, but he could not be sure. If they had just tried to trick him then he could have probably seen some hesitation or dissatisfaction in Zhai¡¯s eyes, but it was not the case. True, there was some confusion in his eyes at first but I think that was rather because he didn¡¯t understand my reasons and then, he only looked excited.


    ¡°Then discuss it with Xia later which days it should be and then tell me, but for today I just want to continue my training,¡± Quin said and started to walk toward the lake.


    Was how I handled it good? Wasn¡¯t I too strict or maybe just too lenient? Still, I do think having a caring family would be the best for her and I think I did everything I could¡¯ve done to assure that... He let out a long sigh.


    He had been so sure and confident about everything and how he should have dealt with any kind of problems. It was different now, however, and he was often filled with doubts regarding his decisions. After getting slapped in the face by life several times and experiencing that not everything was as simple as he had imagined it, his overall view of life had changed gradually during these months. He was no longer the arrogant, domineering genius who was eager to judge anyone or make enemy even out of his friends in the blink of an eye. Seeing and experiencing the other side of life, how friendly and kind people he previously considered as lowly ones acted toward him -- like the residents of the village he spent a month in -- he no longer looked down on them. Though he needed some time for it, eventually he realized that being powerful, talented or born as a noble was not something that decided someone¡¯s worth. What Leyn had told him years ago was right and everyone had a role in the society. Maybe those people viewed farmers, talentless people, and the likes as inferiors but he could not agree with them anymore. He had worked in the fields, and it was not an easy job at all, besides without the farmers providing them with food what would they do? Though they could go hunting, there were not nearly enough beasts to feed them across the civilized lands and the Wilderness was quite dangerous even for Spirit Forming experts.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    In light of those things, he felt a bit foolish of his past deeds. He remembered when he made up with Leyn in the hospital, he thought that it was him that was forgiving her. Yet now, it was clear to him that all of the things he had done to her were something that he should have apologized for. Why did I do that? I fell out with Mang as well, but he had never been a close friend in contrast to Leyn. Even if she would¡¯ve done something really bad I should¡¯ve at least listened to what she wanted to say and not just left her like that without a word. I just can¡¯t understand the me back then. Quin thought back to various things that happened in his past, trying to find some explanation for his actions. Probably making friends with a bunch of nobles didn¡¯t help but that alone wouldn¡¯t be enough. Hm, no matter how hard I try to avoid thinking about father, I think that he¡¯s also played a great part in it. I¡¯ve always heard how great and superior I am compared to the others because of my element and I can clearly remember when I¡¯ve just entered the Qi Foundation stage, how great it felt to hear him praise me. Over time I started to believe it entirely and looked at the others as inferior. It wasn¡¯t just him though, as I constantly heard from others as well how special I am and I guess it did go to my head. Quin snorted.


    Well, probably the Shrieker attack when I was a kid didn¡¯t help me either. It wasn¡¯t about until I started to go out with Aline that the nightmares that ailed me had finally disappeared. Hm, Aline? Maybe I started to act like that partly to show off to her? I do remember that time in the cafeteria and how I wanted to impress her. He could not help but let out a laugh. Impressing somebody by scaring some nobody into giving you your usual table? That¡¯s just pathetic and sad. He sighed frowning. And I did impress her, at least she was smiling. Still, why is it that I feel that there¡¯s something amiss? Like there¡¯s something missing? It¡¯s similar to that night, the first day I returned to school and when I felt like something wasn¡¯t right, but what could this feeling be?


    Although no matter how hard he tried, he could not figure it out, but then he noticed something: the egg inside his mind was acting strange once more. It was not trying to take over his body again, nor did Quin feel anything malicious from it, only how it was... Worried, uneasy and... what was the last emotion? Hate. It was not the first time the egg was like this but it was only now that he could feel its emotions so clear. He felt a hate so intense that he could not even have imagined it existed before. It shocked his entire body and he even noticed that his heart skipped a few beats. Damn, what the hell is with it? There were only two reasons he was not completely freaking out: he knew that its hatred was not directed toward him but to something or someone else and because it clearly was not trying to do anything funny. For a moment he even felt compassion, as an emotion of this intensity to exist, something really serious and bad had to have happened. However, then he remembered all of the things it had done to him and his compassion quickly disappeared.


    It lasted for quite a while but eventually it died down. Man, I think that¡¯ll be enough thinking for at least week!

 A New Beggining 63 -

    A month had passed in the blink of an eye and it was the first day of July. Quin had continued his training day after day and also constantly increased its amount and intensity. Although he was quite excited after he previously saw that he could smash a rock with his bare hands, he did not expect the results to be this shocking. The weight he could lift with both arms increased from two hundred fifty kilograms to four hundred fifty kilograms. The strength of his left hand only increased by one hundred kilograms but the biggest surprise was his right hand. Its strength more than doubled and now he was able to lift one hundred seventy-five kilograms with it. Though there still was a clearly visible gap between his two arms, it did seem to have started to balance out. Besides, the fact he was even happier about was that he had no missing fingers on his right hand, as both his pinky and ring finger had completely grown back. It was a strange feeling and something that he had to spend some time on to get accustomed to, nevertheless, he felt he was euphoric.


    Quin¡¯s stamina also improved by leaps and bounds and although he did not spend more time running than before, he did increase his overall tempo. The time which he previously spent on jogging was now utilized for running at a decent tempo and the speed of his sprint was also a lot faster due to his stronger leg muscles.


    He also spent a significant amount of time by meditating which greatly helped him keep his mind stable and focused. Quin had started to observe the wild energy that the lake emitted as well. At first it was only for ten or maybe fifteen minutes each day, but it gradually increased until the minutes became hours. Obviously this was not without reason, as he started to discover new things regarding this energy of which he -- and probably other people -- was not aware of previously. The more thought he put into his observation as well as the more deeply he was focused on it, the more clearly he could see things and the more he could understand them.


    This wild energy was strange, weird and mysterious. As his whole body was constantly filled with it if he concentrated hard enough, he was able to sense its movements. The first thing he noticed was that it was not just a constant flow he had previously imagined: it was a pulsation. Sometimes the amount of energy that entered his body was more, while at other times it became less. Quin had tried to search for a pattern in it, but even after months of observation it was to no avail. However, he found out that another property of this wild energy was that it was spinning.


    Quin was rather happy and excited about his discoveries but he did not know any way to make use of them. It did not make him discouraged though, and he continued to observe the energy, hoping to eventually find out something useful.


    He was quite content with how things had turned out with the girl, Xia, and Zhai. His initial assumption seemed to be right and Xia and Zhai meant what they had said. Although he saw that on the first few days Zhai had some trouble, the only thing Quin had seen in his eyes was love. It¡¯s a strange thing, he thought. Even when he had known her for only a day it was the same. I would¡¯ve never thought that a single day could be enough for this. Of course at first he found it a bit strange how someone would be able to honestly love a child in basically no amount of time, but no matter how hard he tried to find it, he could not discover any fakeness coming from Zhai. Maybe I¡¯m just not a good judge of character and someone who¡¯s easy to trick? Well, I¡¯d rather think that it¡¯s simply because of their desire to have a kid was really strong. He let out a sigh. Quin had regularly mused on whether his decision to give the girl¡¯s custody to them was the right thing to do and whether it would be the best thing for her as well.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Time passed quickly and another four months had passed. Last year¡¯s winter was quite cold, however, that did not seem to be the case this year, as even though it was November already, the weather was the same as it had been in summer.


    This was the first year since Quin had started school that he was not actually attending it. He would have been in the twelfth grade now, but he did not even finish the eleventh one. This would also be the year that the children would get their surnames, but not Quin. People in the Duchy of Ade Lai only got their surnames after the first anniversary of their Coming of Age Ceremony, and only if that was successful. They would be named after their element and/or their characteristics and achievements. It had been something he had looked forward to even just a year ago, and though it still filled him with a bit of sadness, he did not care that much about it anymore.


    Quin no longer thought that his days were numbered and he assumed that due to this wild healing energy he would have no issues regarding his longevity, as long as he was nearby the lake. He also knew that one day he would be going back to Crows¡¯ Road, however, anytime he thought of the city he felt that he did not belong to that place, and that it was not his home anymore. Naturally before this could come to be, he would first have to find a way to be able to leave Hounxi. Quin was fully aware that he was dependent on this lake, and although he had not tried to leave Hounxi yet, he knew that if he did so his body would be filled with another type of wild energy fairly soon. Despite the fact that his body improved by quite a bit and was now stronger than ever, he was not foolish enough to think that the wild energy would not slowly kill him. Its corrosiveness was beyond what a human could bear, and even though it probably would take decades, it would still eventually kill him. He had no idea on how to solve this issue yet, but he was hopeful. Just as he had found a solution to his previous problems, somehow or another he would be able to overcome this one as well.


    It was not too long ago that he finally decided to let Xia and Zhai take care of the girl -- whom they gave the name Faiyi. She still ate a lot and was about as tall as a twelve years old kid. It was not even a week ago that she spoke her first word -- unsurprisingly it was food -- but now you were already able to communicate with her, even if just barely. She seemed to be quite friendly and fortunately, now she did not need to bite someone to show that she was hungry but only to say food.


    Quin felt a bit sad as he was not going spend that much time together with Faiyi but he was convinced that having a proper family was the best for the girl. Of course, Xia and Zhai promised him that they would take good care of her and that he could visit them anytime.


    Quin knew that Zhai had some kind of business but he was not sure how well they would do on the money front, especially taking Faiyi¡¯s appetite into the calculation. She ate for at least five adults and with three meals per day it was not something that any average family could afford. Thus, he asked Zhai if they needed financial support as he had basically unlimited money and he would gladly help them. However, he was rejected and after thanking him, Zhai told him not to worry as their business was going quite well.


    Though Quin was afraid that Zhai only said it because of his pride but after asking around -- he did not even know why it was only now that he did this -- he only heard good things about them and the same thing Zhai told him: they had a rather well going business. In the end, he became calmer regarding the whole situation and felt that he had indeed made a good choice.

 A New Beggining 64 -

    It was in the middle of December and only two weeks were left until the end of the year. Quin remembered what Leyn had said to him before he left Crows¡¯ Road, that she would visit him on the New Year¡¯s celebration in Hounxi. One part of him was quite happy and excited that he would be able to finally meet his friend, yet another part of him was filled fear. He had thought it through several times and had long realized that the things in the past were his fault, and that he should apologize to her. Quin also knew that Leyn did not mind it up until now, so there was little chance that she would start now. However, it was one thing to know what was right and that there was nothing to be afraid of, and another to actually do it. Quin had never been the type who apologized, and it wasn¡¯t easy even back at the hospital -- when he could at least blame his behavior on his condition -- so it would be even more so now.


    After a day of worrying, he had finally had enough. Alright, I can¡¯t be this much of a chicken. I faced death multiple times, I¡¯ve been nearly killed and I¡¯ve lived a long time in hellish pain. Is this really the time when I get scared? He snorted and shook his head, then went to meditate to calm himself down.


    Even though the speed of his improvement started to slow down, he had already made huge progress in his martial path. Last time he checked, the strength he could exert with both of his arms was one thousand kilograms, which was probably something unprecedented in the history of mankind. Naturally, there had been some exceptionally strong humans, but rarely did the people of Ranfel focus on improving their body. What they considered important was their Qi Cores and later in the Spirit Forming stage their spirit, and thus neglected to cultivate their bodies. It wasn¡¯t because they had preconception against it, or were lazy, but due to the simple fact that cultivating the usual way -- focusing on their cores and spirit -- was incomparably more rewarding.


    You could spend decades trying to strengthen your body and yet you would still be inferior to someone in the Qi Condensation sub-stage, as that was about the limit of what one could reach by body cultivation. Of course, that was under normal circumstances and Quin¡¯s was fairly different. Not only was he able to absorb more than just a bit of the healing type of wild energy, his entire body was constantly filled with it. This, along with the fact that he had no option to relax and had to train day and night, made his body exceptionally strong.


    It was on the next day that he decided to test out exactly how strong he was. Smashing a rock was easy even with his weaker right hand, so he needed something stronger. He recalled how easily his lightning had pierced through blocks of iron, thus he decided that he would try his strength on those.


    There was a single, one cubic meter big block of iron in front of him. Quin took a deep breath, focused his mind and struck down on it.


    An ear-splitting sound could be heard as his left arm pierced easily through the entire cube and smashed to the ground below it. Damn... He was so surprised that he did not even know what to say or think. Although he had expected to be able to dent the iron block, he did not think that it would be so easy to punch a hole through it.


    Next, he tried with his right arm, and although he could feel that it was significantly harder, the end results were the same.


    If I had reached this strength through not even a year of training, then what will my limits be in the future? he wondered.


    Knowing how powerful he was, he really wanted to test himself in an actual battle. There was no opportunity for that in Hounxi though, so he had to look elsewhere. It would be a bit inconvenient, as he would have to leave the lake and its healing energy, but just a few days or a single week would not matter much.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    The lake was right next to the forest, but the wild beasts and the stronger animals obviously lived way deeper into the woods, so that was where Quin decided to head off to.


    Quin spent most of his first and second day traveling, however, he moved a lot faster than previously thanks to his improved stamina and strength. While using Lightning Qi he could have been a lot faster, he would not have been able to sustain that speed for a long period of time, as his reserves of energy would have depleted. That said, he did not face this problem currently, as his source of energy was unlimited.


    Naturally the pain returned as well, but he was able to put up with it even before his mental strength had greatly improved during the time he spent in Hounxi. Despite the fact that he could not travel all day and had to stop for some rest and meditation occasionally, these stops only took up about six hours of his time each day. The surprising thing was that, during the rest of the day, he was able to maintain a speed similar to someone in the Qi Condensation sub-stage when they were using their qi. Running at such a fast pace for eighteen hours? It was a feat even some Spirit Forming experts would be envious of, as the path of Qi cultivation was more focused on achieving brief but powerful strength rather than stamina that could last for hours.


    On the third day, Quin was far enough into the forest that he often met various wild beasts. He was rather shocked to discover that most of them simply avoided or even fled at the sight of him.


    Why¡¯s this happening? Am I really that scary? He looked at himself and then snorted. I guess they¡¯ve got great instincts then. Well, I¡¯m not here to just mindlessly massacre wild beasts, but to find one strong enough to be willing to fight me.


    Quin wandered around in the forest for another day, and other than the boar he hunted for his meal, he did not find any opportunities to test his strength. On the fourth day though, he found a wild beast quite familiar to him: Fire Wolves, a whole pack of them consisting of around twenty members.


    As Quin did not want to ambush them, they easily noticed him and started to move into what he assumed was their attack formation.


    ¡°So, you wanna fight?¡± He asked with a half-smirk.


    Four of the biggest-looking ones came to face him head-on, while the others were trying to completely encircle him. In just a moment, those four Fire Wolves started to bombard him with their fireballs. Hmph, it¡¯s like they¡¯re in slow motion! I clearly remember how I was just barely able to evade these ones back then, but now?


    The first two targeted his head, but just by simply swaying his body left and right, he easily managed to evade them. Next, he sidestepped a couple of times and dodged the remaining ones as well, then waited for the next volley, which came in no time.


    This time he wanted to try something new, so he grabbed his spear by its shaft and made a few lightning fast horizontal slashes at the fireballs. His opponents just stood there shocked and confused, not understanding where the fireballs they spat disappeared to. On the other hand, the smirk on Quin¡¯s face grew even bigger. Damn, now that¡¯s something! I was able to create a strong enough wind which extinguished those fireballs with nothing but the sheer force of my strikes. He was filled excitement.


    As of now, Quin was surrounded by all sides, but he was fully aware of it and he wasn¡¯t afraid in the slightest. He threw his spear into the ground in front of the four bigger Fire Wolves with enough force to explode the earth around it and blind them for a few moments with a spray of dirt. Then Quin quickly leaped backward and turned around, targeting the ones that had been behind him.


    There were three of them in his vicinity and Quin disabled them with just a slap at the back of their heads in no time. Next, he jumped toward another group of them and did the same before they were able to even react.


    Their entire group -- except the four bigger ones -- was lying on the ground unconsciously in just a few moments. Quin looked at one of the four Fire Wolves standing in front of him, whom he had identified as the alpha of the pack for some time now. It tried to stare back at him, but could not hide his fear for long and started to tremble. Quin walked toward them to pick up his spear and while Quin was less than a meter away, all four of them rolled onto their back in submission.


    He looked at them and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, I¡¯m not planning on killing you, I just wanted to test my strength.¡±


    Although his instincts, or more accurately the egg inside his mind, tried to convince him that it was not the right thing to do and he should just kill his prey, it was not his ways of doing things. He enjoyed testing his strength and the thrill of fighting, but he did not find any meaning in pointless slaughter, so there was no way that he would be giving into what it wanted.

 A New Beggining 65 -

    It was already Quin¡¯s fifth day in the forest but apart from the Fire Wolf pack he did not find any wild beasts that were willing to fight him, which made him rather disappointed. Alright, today¡¯s my last day here, as I¡¯ve already spent more time here than I had planned. However, there was no change during the rest of the day, so on the sixth day he decided to go home. Well, at least the landscape is quite nice. Quin tried to look at the bright side of the things.


    It was late at night when he started to feel something strange but familiar. He could not figure it out for a long time, but what he knew was that it was gradually increasing. Later, he realized why he felt that it was familiar: it was eerily similar to the calling he experienced during his journey to Hounxi. For a while, he did not even notice that he was instinctively going toward a certain direction, and there was no doubt it was from where he felt the calling.


    After about two or three hours it seemed that he had finally arrived. What lay in front of his eyes was a tall, black stone monolith. It somewhat resembled an obelisk, however, it was clearly in ruins, so it was hard to make accurate comparisons. What could this be? he wondered.


    As Quin started to inspect it he noticed that its sides used to be covered by some sort of carved symbols but time had eroded most of them. It took him quite a while to identify at least one of them and that made him quite surprised. They are... They are the same symbols we¡¯ve seen in that pyramid! How can this be? I¡¯m not even in the Wilderness, it should be hundreds of kilometers away! Then, in the next moment, the world turned into complete darkness. Damn, what¡¯s happening? He looked around, searching for clues, but there was nothing but pitch black darkness.


    Quin did not know how much time had actually passed, but to him it felt like an eternity until he was finally able to see at least something. At first it just looked like a black cloud without a form, and he was reminded of something. The strange thing was that he could not recall the exact memory, when, where and how it happened, but he knew that there was another time when he thought he was in absolute darkness but saw something that was even darker, and it was the same now with this smoke cloud.


    As time passed it gradually started to take on a shape of some kind. Is it a worm? Or is it maybe a snake? What the heck is this thing and why am I here? Is it the work of the egg or is it just some kind of vision? As there was nothing he could do, he remained more or less calm, but it still bothered him that he had no idea what was happening around himself. Wait, wasn¡¯t it with the egg? Damn, why can¡¯t I remember?


    His thoughts were quickly interrupted by the smoke cloud in front of him, which seemed to have finalized its form. It was not something he had previously seen, but it was basically a snake with horns and it emanated a malicious, baleful aura which completely terrified him. The snake stared at him for a few moments and then lunged at him. Although it was quite far away from him, it was upon him in less than a second, however, for some reason it stopped there. Quin was not entirely sure, but the smoke snake appeared to be smiling... No, it¡¯s not a smile, it¡¯s more like a smirk? Then, it vanished in an instant and his surroundings changed as well.


    Although he was still in darkness he could see far away lands in the distance and the only thing that did not look extremely small were three distant shapes that emerged above the landscape. As Quin observed them he realized that they were rather similar to the Three Mountains. Could they be the Three Mountains? But then where the heck am I? Wait, there¡¯s something weird about one of them.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    The more he looked at it, the stranger the rightmost one was. Is it a hole? How? After some time he discovered that it was not even a mountain but an endless hole in the ground. Then why did I see it as a mountain? Just as he thought of it, the mountain reappeared in the place of the hole. What? Does it change its shape according to what I think? Next, he tried to imagine it as a couple of different things but nothing happened. It only changed again when he focused his mind on seeing what it truly was, just like he did it before. Does this mean that one of the Three Mountains is just a hole in the ground? Can I believe this?


    He turned around to look at the other side. There¡¯s nothing there just smoke... No, that¡¯s not true. It¡¯s just more like a piece of paper with a map which had a part of it erased? And what¡¯s that? Far away, but still within his sight, there was a place where the smoke was higher than in its surroundings. He concentrated on it so that maybe he would find out something, but the only thing he discovered was that some part of it was made out of stone. The first thing Quin recalled was the pyramid but it was way bigger even than that as, despite the fact that he was looking at it from far afar, its height was about the half of the highest of the Three Mountains.


    Next, he turned a bit around again, to see another part of the world beneath him but just when he caught a glimpse of something that was darker than his surroundings everything disappeared and he was standing in front of the obelisk. If what I saw was real... Maybe Ranfel has a lot more mystery to it than we¡¯ve previously thought? Hm, I think I should definitely check this out!


    From where he was, he could not see the Three Mountains as he was surrounded by high trees on all sides thus he decided to climb up the highest looking one.


    There it is, now let¡¯s see what¡¯ll happen. Quin watched each mountain for minutes, yet they remained the same. So, was it just a trick or prank? But what would be the meaning behind it? I just can¡¯t understand it at all. It¡¯s clear that there should have existed some kind of civilization that was quite developed in the past, but why would they build something like this? Well, at least that¡¯s the only thing I can imagine, but that still doesn¡¯t explain anything at all, and if they were capable of such things -- which I haven¡¯t even heard about -- then what happened to them? Why would they just disappear off of the face of the earth like this?


    Quin stayed at the top of the tree thinking until it became night, but he did not get anywhere and only had even more questions. Having no answers to them, however, he decided to not waste his time anymore on them and just continue his travel back to Hounxi.


    It was during the dawn of the tenth day that he finally arrived at Hounxi, and to be honest he was rather tired. However, he did not go straight to his bed -- no matter how much he wanted to do so -- but to the lake, and did the longer version of his usual morning practice. Quin did this to expel any wild energy out of his body that was not of the healing type. Using the other, more corrosive types was something clearly unhealthy, and though there probably would not be any long-term side effects, the earlier his body was rid of something harmful, the better it would be.


    After Quin was done with his exercises -- just like usual -- he sat down and meditated. He stayed in the meditative state for longer than usual as he had quite a few things to process. His new strength, the obelisk, the terrifying snake and what he saw in that vision still did not let his mind be at ease.


    It was well in the afternoon when he finally went to bed, and by that point he was beyond exhausted. He just collapsed down onto his bed and fell asleep right away.

 A New Beggining 66 -

    There were only two days left until the New Year Celebration, and it was the day on which Leyn arrived, as well. Quin was still in the middle of his training, but naturally he had told Leyn where to go and he had also asked Fei to call him if a woman was looking for him.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Quin greeted her. Although almost a whole year had passed, there was nothing that changed about her, or at least not in Quin¡¯s eyes. He did notice that she was wearing the earrings he had given her, and he was content with his choice as they looked really good on her.


    Leyn stood there staring at him for a few moments and then said with a surprised look, ¡°Hey! God, you look... A lot better!¡± She could not help but look at how much his body had improved since the last time they met.


    ¡°Yeah, thanks,¡± he said smiling and there was a hint of embarrassment on his face. ¡°Hey, come I¡¯ll show you the lake.¡±


    ¡°Wow, it looks beautiful,¡± she said as she looked around.


    ¡°Yeah, the scenery is quite nice. This is where I usually train and to be honest it¡¯s a lot more enjoyable compared to our school¡¯s track or facility.¡± Quin laughed.


    ¡°I can imagine that,¡± Leyn said and smiled at him.


    ¡°How about we take a walk around it? A lap around the lake is about half the school¡¯s track length and it¡¯s the route which I run each day,¡± Quin explained.


    ¡°Alright, that sounds good,¡± she answered.


    They talked about a lot of things during their walk and Quin was really happy to finally be with one of his friends. There were numerous people he had a good relationship here in Hounxi, but those could not compare to his friendship with Leyn.


    ¡°So how are you?¡± Leyn asked with a concerned look.


    ¡°Well, to tell you the truth I couldn¡¯t feel better!¡± Quin replied with great enthusiasm.


    ¡°Really?¡± she questioned him being a bit suspicious. ¡°You promised me that you would tell me the truth, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he said with a laugh, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t lie to you, and especially not by that much. Do you think that somebody who¡¯s on his deathbed would be so ripped with muscles like me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit of exaggeration, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Damn, I can¡¯t even make a joke,¡± he replied with a long sigh and shook his head. Of course, Quin knew that she was just teasing him so he played along.


    ¡°Hey, you should watch your mouth!¡± she said and give him a light slap on the back of his head.


    ¡°Ouch, are you trying to kill me?¡± he asked with a fake worried expression.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who told me how strong you are? I thought then this would be nothing,¡± Leyn said and tried to make a surprised expression.


    ¡°You know, you¡¯re not too good at lying either.¡± Quin burst out in a laugh and soon Leyn followed as well.


    ¡°But seriously, was what you had said true?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You know what? Come, I¡¯ll show something,¡± he said and they started to walk toward the forest which was at the farther side of the lake.


    ¡°Alright, stay there.¡± Quin took a couple of steps away. ¡°Shoot a few water balls at me. We¡¯re about six or seven meters away from each other, so you don¡¯t have to hold back.¡±


    ¡°What? No, there¡¯s no way I¡¯d try to harm you,¡± she protested. ¡°I get that you got some extra strength but you¡¯ve got no qi and I¡¯m in the first level of Qi Culmination!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, I¡¯m not crazy,¡± he said with a laugh. ¡°I¡¯m obviously telling you to do this because there¡¯s no chance that it¡¯ll harm me.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°But... I-- Sorry, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you, but I¡¯ve seen you being hurt too many times already,¡± Leyn told her with a weak voice.


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll show you something different first. Come it¡¯s only a minute of walk away.¡± Quin saw that things were not progressing toward the direction he thought they would have, and realized that if he was to continue, it would just make her feel bad.


    He brought her to the place he left a couple of the things he used for measuring his strength, like the block of iron. Quin grabbed one of them and put it on the ground.


    ¡°You know what are these, right?¡± he asked her.


    ¡°Cubes made out of iron? What are they for?¡±


    Quin half-smirked and then punched straight through it the next moment, leaving a complete hole in the block.


    ¡°So, what do you think now?¡± Quin asked and grabbing it he gave it to her.


    ¡°Oh, this is really heavy,¡± Leyn said and she even had to use his Water Qi to be able to lift it. She observed it and had no doubt that it was truly made out of iron. ¡°Wow, how did you do it? This is... You have to be at least in the last level of the Qi Condensation sub-stage to be able to pierce through iron, but you--¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later, but do you still have a problem with my earlier question?¡± Quin asked.


    ¡°I--¡± Leyn took a deep breath and after shaking her head said a bit reluctantly, ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll do it but you have to promise me that you won¡¯t be hurt by it!¡±


    ¡°I promise. Don¡¯t worry, I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±


    ¡°I really hope so, here it goes,¡± she said and started her spell.


    The two water balls she shot out were easily evaded by Quin and left Leyn flabbergasted.


    ¡°How... Just how were you able to do it? I really didn¡¯t hold back!¡± she asked, still shocked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that my body¡¯s strength is almost comparable to the power of Qi Culmination sub-stage,¡± Quin told her with a smirk. Although he was not as confident as he had been previously and sometimes even felt embarrassed when being praised, his proud side did not entirely disappear. ¡°Shoot another one at me and this time I won¡¯t evade it. It will hurt a bit but don¡¯t worry I know that it¡¯s well within my limits.¡±


    Even though she was still a bit reluctant to do it, after seeing his capabilities she believed him and did what he asked. The water ball crashed straight into his chest but he did not even move an inch, just stood there silently.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Leyn asked worriedly.


    ¡°Yeah, it did hurt a bit but compared to the pain that my damned main core caused, it¡¯s not even a flea¡¯s bite,¡± he replied and then took off his shirt and in the middle of his chest a circular shaped bruised could be seen.


    ¡°Let me heal that quickly,¡± Leyn said and was just about to start to heal him when Quin interrupted her.


    ¡°No need, thanks, it¡¯s for another thing I wanted to show you... Or just show off,¡± he said with a laugh and walked to the lake¡¯s shore, with Leyn following him confused. Quin sat down cross-legged to meditate and stayed like that for about two or three minutes. Then, he stood up and turned to Leyn but this time there was nothing on his chest, the bruise disappeared without a trace.


    ¡°Wow, I¡¯ve never imagined that this lake would have such healing properties to it!¡± she exclaimed surprised.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the lake, Leyn. Well, to be fair it really is the healing energy it¡¯s emitting but it wouldn¡¯t work for everyone,¡± he explained and then showed his right arm to her. ¡°You see the difference? You heard what had happened to my right arm and how they thought that it was something irreversible.¡± Leyn looked at his arm and at him surprised. ¡°I know, they didn¡¯t exactly say this, but it was quite obvious. Anyways, as you can see, it¡¯s in an even better condition than it had been. You know, there¡¯re a few things I haven¡¯t told you yet, and one of them is that when I arrived here my whole pinky finger and two phalanges of my ring finger were gone.¡±


    Leyn looked at him confused and worried, but before she could say anything Quin continued. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it later if you¡¯re interested, but the thing is that they¡¯ve grown back in just two months.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible? I¡¯ve never heard about anything like that, not even the greatest healers could regrow a lost limb!¡± It seemed that this day only brought surprises on top of other surprises for her.


    ¡°Yeah, I knew that, and I was shocked as well. Later, I decided to try it again, and while I know this sounds really stupid, I just had to try it. You know what happened? It grew back in even less time!¡± Quin said proudly. ¡°I¡¯ll show you, but don¡¯t freak out please.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean don¡¯t freak out?! You can¡¯t do something like this, are you crazy?¡± Leyn asked, filled with worry.


    ¡°Hey, you freaked out the previous times as well but nothing happened, right? I know it sounds crazy and I¡¯m quite selfish here, but I¡¯ve been training for more than half a year now, and though I felt so happy and excited about my achievements I couldn¡¯t show nor share it with anyone. Look, I¡¯m not crazy, and as I¡¯ve said it, I¡¯ve tried it a couple of times and now a single phalanx can grow back in just a day.¡± Quin took out his a knife he usually kept on his belt and with a fast movement cut off a phalanx of his right pinky finger.


    Leyn let out a small scream and said, ¡°God, you really did it, let me heal it at least!¡±


    ¡°Did you miss what I¡¯ve said?¡± he said with a calm smile and did not let her to heal him. ¡°Look, not even half a minute has passed and it¡¯s no longer bleeding.¡±


    Leyn looked at him angrily, stood up and then went away.


    Guess, it was a bit too much? He let out a sigh. Quin was aware that he had been too forceful this time, and although he could control himself when he asked her to shoot a water ball at him, this time his desire to show off prevailed.

 A New Beggining 67 -

    During the remaining part of the day Leyn had closed herself off in her room, and no matter what Quin tried, she did not even answer. Thus he decided to just go back to the lake and train like usual.


    On the next day in the morning, he went to her room and knocked again. This time, there was an answer and Leyn let him in. She was obviously not the happiest, and her face had a serious expression on it.


    Quin took a deep breath and said, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about yesterday, but I did tell you the truth, look.¡± He lifted his right arm and showed her his pinky finger which was like it had been yesterday before he cut it off. Leyn¡¯s serious expression turned to a surprised one. ¡°I did tell you I wasn¡¯t crazy, well, at least not in that regard.¡± He let out a small chuckle to which Leyn¡¯s face turned to cold again with a hint of anger. ¡°I know, I know. What I did was a bit excessive and even though you protested to the idea I still did it...¡± Quin stopped for a few moments to gather his thoughts. ¡°You know the feeling when you find something interesting as a child and you really want to show it to your parents? Or when you get something cool and want to show it off to your friends?¡±


    ¡°I know that but still...¡± she said and shook her head.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s stupid and childish, but listen, a lot of things happened since I left Crows¡¯ Road and I didn¡¯t have anybody to talk with. A lot of those things were quite bad but on the other hand I finally managed to get back on my feet. I started training again and it had huge results, as you could see yesterday and now. I no longer have to worry every day whether that day will be my last or if I¡¯ll have to live my entire life basically as a cripple, and that fills me with happiness and excitement. I no longer fear what tomorrow will bring, but look forward to it. I think that it¡¯s only after seeing both sides of life when you can truly appreciate these things. So as I¡¯ve said, during these months I was more than just happy, I was ecstatic, but then I realized that there was something missing.


    ¡°When I roamed around in the forest, when I trained and when I was happy and excited about my achievements I was alone. There was nobody I could tell these things to, nobody who would listen to them and nobody I could share my happiness with. Maybe it¡¯s just that there¡¯s something wrong with me, but sometimes these things just didn¡¯t even feel real and I-- Alright, I think I said more than enough already and I know these aren¡¯t excuses. What I did was stupid and I was a bit of a jerk, but I just wanted to tell you that I had at least some reasons behind it--¡±


    Leyn tousled his hair and then pulled him into a hug.


    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t worry about it, I get what you¡¯re trying to say and I also missed seeing you. To be honest, I don¡¯t have many friends back at home, so I understand what you¡¯re saying,¡± she said.


    It was a weird feeling to Quin at first, but it was then when he realized just how much he had missed the touch of another human and not in a romantical way. He hadn¡¯t known the caress or the embrace of his family and friends, which made him aware that they were there for him, in a long time. A wide variety of emotions flooded him, as well as the previously pent up stress that was still lingering inside him. Quin embraced Leyn as well, and they stayed like that for a few minutes.


    Although he was usually mostly calm, there was still a part of him that was often stressed out, no matter what he did. However, after their hug, he felt completely relieved, more so than he had in a long time. Quin did feel a bit awkward after they separated, especially after they shared a long moment of looking into each other¡¯s eyes, so he quickly tried to change the subject.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°Oh, yeah, I haven¡¯t told you about Faiyi yet, come I¡¯ll introduce you to them,¡± Quin said but Leyn just stared at him confused. ¡°I¡¯ll fill you in during our walk, alright?¡± Leyn nodded and they started to walk toward where Faiyi, Xia, and Zhai lived.


    They lived about fifteen minutes of walk away from the inn Quin stayed at, and he thought it would be more than enough time to tell her the story.


    ¡°I just can¡¯t believe it... How could some people leave their kid in a place like that?¡± Leyn asked and shook her head.


    ¡°Yeah I know, I don¡¯t understand it either,¡± Quin replied.


    ¡°Is what you said true? Growing that much in just months?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely something unbelievable, but I¡¯ve seen it with my very own eyes,¡± he said laughing, ¡°But it¡¯s just like her appetite. Honestly, for some time I even started to wonder whether she¡¯s human, but except her abnormal growth, she looks just like an average human... Well, and except her ability to learn to speak.¡±


    ¡°Hm, what do you mean by that?¡± Leyn asked.


    ¡°Well, when I¡¯ve found her she didn¡¯t speak at all, but then after sometime she said her first word and then it only took her weeks until she was able to talk like a five or six years old kid would,¡± Quin explained. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look, I¡¯m not making things up.¡± He laughed. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her in more than a week so maybe she¡¯s speaking even better than us!¡± he joked.


    ¡°Here we are,¡± Quin said and knocked on the door.


    Xia opened the door, but before she could greet them, loud footsteps could be heard, and in the next moment Quin saw that a girl was running toward him, lightning fast. She jumped at him and Quin caught and lifted her up. Then, without paying attention to anything else, she bit down on his arm, but of course Quin¡¯s skin was tougher than her teeth. Man, those are some sharp teeth and her jaw strength is not something to joke about either. I think even if my body was the same as before I lost my cultivation, I¡¯d have had trouble with her bites!


    She only tried biting about once or twice, after which her expression suddenly changed as if she had realized something. Faiyi turned her head slowly to meet Quin¡¯s gaze with a guilty expression on her face, but then took a quick peek at his exposed arm. Her eyes were darting back and forth, looking at his arm for a second and then at him for another, just like her expression which changed between one of guilt and one which obviously expressed a strong desire.


    Quin was not too surprised, as he was used to her attacks, but Leyn was standing with her mouth almost agape.


    ¡°Are you starving her?¡± Quin asked Xia jokingly.


    She sighed and replied smiling, ¡°We aren¡¯t, but a meal needs some time to be prepared and she can barely endure just ten minutes to wait for it when she becomes hungry. Honestly, it just looks like her appetite got even bigger. I have to tell you though that she got something like a sixth sense. For the past ten minutes or so she¡¯s been jumping up and down and running back and forth saying that you¡¯ll be here soon.¡±


    Quin was a bit surprised, but did not think about it much, and looked back to Faiyi asking, ¡°Why are you always trying to take a bite out of me, huh?¡±


    ¡°Food,¡± she answered without hesitation.


    ¡°And why do you think so? Do I really look like food?¡± he asked with a suppressed chuckle.


    ¡°It¡¯s..¡± she said and paused for a moment, thinking. ¡°Delicious!¡± She looked back to his arm and Quin was afraid that she would start biting once again.


    ¡°Well, I hate to disappoint you but I¡¯m no food. I don¡¯t even know why you¡¯d think of me as delicious, but even if I really am, or if you find someone else who is, you can¡¯t just eat another human.¡±


    There was confusion in her eyes but then she seemed to accept what he had told her, even if it was with great reluctance.


    ¡°I guess I left out this part,¡± he said after turning back to Leyn who still did not understand what was going on. ¡°Well, she¡¯d never cried when she was hungry, just tried to chew on me.¡± He took a brief glance at Faiyi who had a guilty look on her face again. ¡°Fortunately, she couldn¡¯t do any damage so it wasn¡¯t a big deal, and as time went on I thought that she had grown out of this, but I was mistaken apparently.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Oh right, I nearly forgot to introduce you. Xia, she¡¯s Leyn, my friend from Crows¡¯ Road, and Leyn, she¡¯s Xia, the one of whom I¡¯ve told you about.¡±


    After the introductions were done, they entered the house and talked about various things. The early-lunch was soon ready, and Xia invited them to eat with them.

 A New Beggining 68 -

    ¡°By the way, do you have any plans for the New Year¡¯s Celebration?¡± Xia asked.


    ¡°Well, we didn¡¯t really plan anything,¡± Quin replied.


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you come with us? We¡¯ve invited a couple of our friends and their families here for a party in the afternoon, and then at night we¡¯re going to go to the town¡¯s center together to view the fireworks. They are usually really nice and that way we can at least use you as emergency food for Faiyi,¡± she said with a serious face.


    Quin looked at her in confusion until she started to laugh and then realized that she was actually trying to make a joke. Man, she¡¯s really changed a lot. At first she was quite cold, but then she started to get a bit more friendly, and now she¡¯s making jokes like this. He looked at Leyn and asked, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯d be glad to come if we¡¯re really not bothering you,¡± she answered.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t say such a thing,¡± Xia said with a smile, ¡°Quin and his friends are always welcomed at our house.¡±


    ¡°Alright, thanks for asking us,¡± Quin said. ¡°What time should we come?¡±


    ¡°The others would be arriving around one or two in the afternoon, so I think you should come around that time as well,¡± Xia replied.


    They stayed there some more, talking about various things and playing with Faiyi. Although she was not able to talk perfectly like an adult and was a bit timid, it was quite easy to communicate with her. She was still growing at an unbelievable rate but Xia told them that it seemed to have slowed down a bit. Currently she looked like an eight or nine years old girl.


    On the next day, they went back to them for the party. Quin was a bit surprised at seeing how many people were there, as he had only expected a few families at maximum, but he counted at least a hundred people.


    Though there were a few strange ones among them, most of them were actually quite nice people. He even talked to Zhai for a bit, and despite how he was definitely not a genius, -- he had realized that even at their first meeting -- he was quite easy to get along with. Quin saw how much attention he paid to Faiyi and that he spent most of his time with her. All in all, Quin was quite happy with his decision to let Xia and Zhai look after her.


    Time went on and it was already nine in the evening, so all of them began to walk toward the main plaza of the town. Unsurprisingly, it was filled with people, but not just with the locals, as at this time of the year a lot of tourists visited Hounxi.


    The decorations they put up were rather nice and perfectly fit the style of the town. Quin especially liked the azure lanterns that were hanging from above, as he thought that they gave the town a bit of an otherworldly feeling.


    The fireworks at night were beautiful as well, and both Leyn and Quin enjoyed the festival. When it ended about an hour after midnight they decided to go on a late night stroll. The air was a bit chilly at this time, but it was not a major concern for them, only a minor inconvenience. Eventually, they walked back to the lake and decided to lie down on the top of a hill, watching the stars and talking. The sky was completely clear and thus they could see the myriads of glimmering stars.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t talked about how you were able to improve so much... Also, what I¡¯ve been thinking about is whether this healing energy could help you get back your cultivation? Can it regenerate you damaged cores as well?¡± she asked a bit excited.


    ¡°The simplest way to explain it is that it¡¯s because of my damaged Main Core. It absorbs any kind of wild energy from the surroundings, but the thing is that a lot depends on what kind of wild energy it is. Fortunately, this healing type energy is not harmful, in fact, it¡¯s rather helpful if you figure things out. Well, I did and that¡¯s the results,¡± he explained smiling. ¡°To be honest, if I¡¯d been just sitting on my ass doing nothing, it wouldn¡¯t have changed that much, as my body would have had a lot more energy than what it¡¯d be using up. In the end it¡¯d have slowly killed me. However, as I¡¯ve told you, I¡¯m constantly training so that won¡¯t be an issue for me. This also means that I¡¯m a lot faster at improving my body than anyone else, as I have an inexhaustible source of energy that heals and regenerates me in just a brief period of time. So that¡¯s how I get to the same strength as somebody in the third level of the Qi Condensation sub-stage.


    ¡°On the other hand, for some reason it doesn¡¯t restore my cores. At first, when I saw that my fingers grew back, I had high hopes, but no matter how much I concentrated on it, this energy just went straight to my cores but didn¡¯t really interacts with them. Well, that¡¯s not entirely true, as when the energy stays there for some time it starts to hurt, but that¡¯s the full extent of it. I don¡¯t understand why it behaves like that, but it just seems like it doesn¡¯t identify my cores as parts of my body.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Leyn said with sympathy in her voice.


    ¡°Haha, don¡¯t be,¡± he replied cheerfully, ¡°It¡¯s not that big of a deal, honestly. Although I¡¯m still a bit weaker than I¡¯ve been before my injury, I¡¯ve achieved my current strength in less than a year. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s something I¡¯d have to feel sad about. Besides, I haven¡¯t reached my limits yet, and god knows where that will be. You know, maybe in the end, I¡¯ll be even stronger this way than I¡¯d have been with my original cultivation.¡±


    Leyn turned to him and asked doubtfully, ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Hey! Aren¡¯t you always the one who is filled with optimism?¡± he asked laughing. ¡°I know that it¡¯s a bit of an exaggeration, but you have to stay optimistic, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, you¡¯re right,¡± she said a bit weakly.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t I already told you to stop apologizing all the time, huh?¡± Quin asked and poked her on the head, which made both of them burst out in a laugh.


    ¡°So does that mean that you¡¯ll be coming back shortly?¡± she asked with anticipation in her voice.


    ¡°Not really,¡± Quin said, ¡°Though I¡¯m in quite a good shape, that¡¯s because I¡¯m here where there¡¯s a source for this healing type of wild energy. If I leave this place then I¡¯m back to where I¡¯ve been before.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve already tested it and not even after a day the pain returns with full force, so that¡¯s a no-go. I¡¯ve been thinking a few times on how to solve this problem, but I¡¯ve got no idea yet.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame,¡± Leyn said with disappointment, ¡°Crows¡¯ Road is quite lonely without you.¡± She let out a low sigh.


    It was then when Quin remembered what she had said before: that she did not have that many friends back there. Hm, I don¡¯t even remember seeing her hanging out with anyone else other than me and my friends. Putting two and two together, he came to a shocking realization.


    ¡°Do you not have any friends beside me?¡± he asked a bit bluntly.


    ¡°Well, I--¡±


    ¡°Hey, it was you who lectured me about how telling the truth is important in a friendship, so don¡¯t start making things up,¡± he said. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask it to judge you, I¡¯ve got no bad intentions.¡±


    She took a deep breath and let out a sigh. Her face turned to a shade of red and after a few moments she said, ¡°No.¡±


    Hearing it from her mouth Quin was rather surprised and confused.


    ¡°Why is that?¡± he asked. ¡°I really can¡¯t understand it... And why haven¡¯t you told me about it before?¡±


    ¡°There are a lot of reasons behind this, but it mainly comes down to my family background.¡±

 A New Beggining 69 - Stargazer

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Quin asked confused.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve told you that my family isn¡¯t from Crows¡¯ Road,¡± she said a bit weakly, ¡°But what I haven¡¯t told you is that we aren¡¯t from Ade Lai either but from the Heavenly Crane Empire. We¡¯ve left it-- No, to be honest, we had to flee the country when I was only four years old.¡± Leyn paused for a bit and Quin tried to guess why they had to flee the Heavenly Crane Empire. ¡°The reason was due to the internal struggles for the inheritance of the throne. My father was the Emperor but he was assassinated, and there were a lot of claimants to the throne. Furthermore, although as his only child I had one of the strongest claims, I was just a child. I didn¡¯t have many supporters and my mother didn¡¯t have much political power either. She had hoped that there wouldn¡¯t be any problems, but just in the first week there was another assassination attempt on us. It was unsuccessful, but my mother didn¡¯t want to risk her and especially my life, so we secretly escaped the very next day.


    ¡°You know that the Heavenly Crane Empire and the Duchy of Ade Lai have quite an antagonistic relationship, so my mother thought that Ade Lai would be the best place to start a new life. Though Crows¡¯ Road was indeed safe for us, life here wasn¡¯t as easy as my mother had believed. She barely had enough money to buy a small house and had to work hard physical labour to earn money. At the first year, school was actually quite good, I had made some friends and they were nice to me overall. However, in my second-year things have changed and for some time I didn¡¯t understand the reason behind this but then I found out that some of my classmates discovered that we were from the Heavenly Crane Empire.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how they came to know of this fact, but it changed everything. All my friends left me and my previous classmates became mean to me; then they even started to bully me quite soon. Long story short, none of my classmates wanted to be friends with me and I had not the courage to try and befriend someone else after all of this. Honestly, if that day you didn¡¯t injure your leg, I probably would have no friends to this day.¡± She let out a sorrowful sigh.


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you told me this before?¡± Quin asked.


    Leyn sat up and said, ¡°I... I was afraid that it¡¯d change everything... For years I was really scared that one of my classmates would tell you this, but for some reason they didn¡¯t.¡± She could barely finish her last sentence as she was fighting her tears.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Quin said. He sat up as well and then hugged her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but everything is alright now. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t stop being your friend just because you¡¯re from another country.¡± He started to caress her back and at that point, Leyn was not able to hold back her tears anymore and began to cry loudly. They stayed like that for a long time until Leyn managed to calm down. Damn, she also had such a difficult life yet this is the first time I¡¯ve seen her crying. Quin felt even more guilty about what he did in the past, now that he had heard Leyn¡¯s story. It does make a lot more sense now, he thought. She was so persistent about us making up because I was her only friend. Still, I think I¡¯d have long given up on me if I were in her place.


    ¡°I...¡± Quin looked at her and began to speak. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to tell you this since you¡¯ve arrived in Hounxi, but I just couldn¡¯t get to it. I didn¡¯t know what to say and to be honest, it¡¯s something that is really difficult for me to say even though it was me who was in the wrong... Well, I guess I really shouldn¡¯t draw this out any longer.¡± Quin paused to gather his courage and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry about the things I¡¯ve done and said to you back in Crow¡¯s Road. I had a lot of time to think during my journey to Hounxi and since I¡¯ve been here. I¡¯ve told you that a lot of things happened, and those also made me realize my past mistakes.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°You know, I didn¡¯t have the best childhood either. I¡¯ve told you already about my father a few times, so you know how he is and well, you can see that he left us right after my injury. My mother told me that he only went to another city for some kind of top secret work, but it¡¯s not that hard to realize what the truth is behind it all.


    ¡°The Shrieker¡¯s attack back in first grade wasn¡¯t something that I could easily get over, but you were there for me the whole time and meant a lot to me. Still, after gaining my lightning element, the strength just got to my head and it doesn¡¯t matter that almost everyone was constantly saying how unique and special I am, I know that it was still my fault. I¡¯m not trying to say these just as excuses, because it was still me who did all of those things and those are my fault; I just want to tell you the whole story behind it.


    ¡°Even thinking back to those times, I simply don¡¯t understand why I became the way I did. The funny thing is that I still remember what I did at the cafeteria -- about which you¡¯ve tried to talk me -- just to impress Aline, and where did all of that led to? She did what my father, and simply abandoned me even though I lost my cultivation to protect her.¡± Quin snorted. ¡°Yet I still have a mixture of emotions regarding her and I really don¡¯t understand why. I was so sure that I¡¯ve gotten over her, but there are times I still feel a lingering love for her.¡± He stopped to think for a bit. ¡°Man, sorry, I can¡¯t believe myself,¡± he said in a self-mocking tone. ¡°I was trying to apologize to you for all of these things, and thank you for not giving up on me despite everything, but in the end it just turned out to be about my self-pity and whining.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Leyn said and tousled his hair smiling. She really has a nice smile, he thought. ¡°Aren¡¯t that what friends are for? It¡¯s true that I was quite shocked back then, and didn¡¯t understand why you were acting like that. Those things you¡¯ve said and did really hurt, but I just knew that you weren¡¯t truly like that... And that you¡¯ll definitely realize those things, so I guess I was right.¡± She laughed lightly, relieved. ¡°I¡¯m really happy that you apologized to me.


    ¡°Quin, you shouldn¡¯t worry about talking to me about things you feel bad about. I¡¯ll be always here to listen to you and help you if you need anything.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Quin said, smiling as well, ¡°But it applies to you as well.¡±


    They were sitting there silently for some time and then lay back to continue watching the sky.


    ¡°Have you been thinking about the stars?¡± Leyn asked after some time.


    ¡°Not really, why?¡±


    ¡°When I was a kid, we didn¡¯t really have that many toys and I was usually up till late at night. I¡¯ve been the night owl type all my life, and without anything to play with I was often out stargazing. It was something simple but fun. At first I¡¯ve imagined all kinds of characters, creatures and items into them by connecting the stars with lines, then later I began to think a lot about them as well. I¡¯ve always wondered what they are, that maybe there were humans living on them as well. Maybe they had an entirely different culture, or maybe they weren¡¯t humans at all. Maybe they had three legs and eight eyes or maybe they were like the snakes, without legs. You know, these kinds of things.¡± She let out a small chuckle. ¡°I guess this was just some kind of escape mechanism of mine, but still to this very day I really enjoy it.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯ve never been interested in them but I have still read a few things about them, mostly various theories of which there were a lot. Most of them were quite stupid though,¡± he said with a laugh. ¡°A lot of people say that in truth they are Heavenly Spirits, but because they are too far away and because our eyes wouldn¡¯t able to see their true forms, we see them as stars. Well, it just sounds stupid. I mean, we can see them in almost the same place every night, and it¡¯s been like that for centuries. I really doubt that those Heavenly Spirits if they exist at all, would just stand still during their entire lives.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve heard that before, but I haven¡¯t thought of it like that,¡± Leyn said with a hint of embarrassment. ¡°And what about the others?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I can only remember a few, but there was one according to which the fabric of the sky has holes in it, and those are the stars. A different one says that they are magical lamps, just like what we have but a lot bigger, and another one says that they are like our sun, just a lot smaller. Hm, that¡¯s all I remember, sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Leyn said smiling and they kept gazing at the sky like that for a long time.

 A New Beggining 70 -

    Leyn stayed in Hounxi for another two weeks but then had to go back to Crows¡¯ Road. Both of them enjoyed this period of time, and although it was hard to part, her life waited for her back at the capital city. He asked her to give his mother a couple of presents he had bought here, as well as a letter that he had written and to tell her that he was doing fine. They had also discussed that Leyn would visit him during the next New Year¡¯s Celebration as well.


    Quin wrote about numerous things in his letter, but the most important one was that he asked his mother to visit him. Quin had organized everything, and because his mother was a housewife, he knew that she probably would not have a problem with any date, especially since it would only happen in five months. He set it up so that there would be a carriage ready for her at Crows¡¯ Road for the entirety of the first week of May, so even if for some reason she already had fixed programs on certain days, it would not be a problem.


    To be honest, he had really wanted to see his mother for a long time, but it was only now that he had the courage to invite her. Quin was scared to meet his mother while his health was bad, as he would not want to make her suffer. However, now he was entirely sure that there wouldn¡¯t be any issues with that.


    She would arrive during the last week of May, or maybe the first week of June, and thus she would be here for his birthday.


    Although he was quite happy that his mother would visit him, he could not help but feel downcast during these days. During these few weeks, he quickly grew accustomed to the company of Leyn, and now that she was gone he became a bit lonely. He trained a lot and often visited Faiyi, but these activities were different, and could not avert his attention entirely.


    It was a strange feeling, something he had not experienced before. Quin had often thought of her, remembering the things they had done together and how calm and relaxed he felt during those times. He missed her a lot, and sometimes he felt like his heart was aching when he thought of her. All of these things were completely new to him, and at first he wondered whether what he felt was love, but excluded it right away. He knew what love was, and these emotions and feelings were totally different to what he felt for Aline in the past: a hot, burning sensation every time he looked at or just thought about her, and was completely mesmerized by her.


    Even after weeks he kept feeling downcast, nonetheless, he continued his training just like usual. He had also increased the time he spent on meditation, and especially on observing the healing type energy from the lake.


    The improvement rate of his body remained as astonishing as it had been up until May, however, something changed soon after. It seemed like somehow his body had just stopped improving, which made him quite concerned. It was not that being able to lift up fifteen hundred kilograms was something to be unhappy about, but he only had his body and no normal cultivation. He probably would be able to fight somebody who was at the first level of Qi Culmination, but that was not his goal.


    Even though he tried to increase the weight he was training with by a great amount, it did not change anything, and neither did anything else he had thought of.


    A few weeks passed when the idea came to him that maybe he should try taking a bath in the lake itself. It was something rather dangerous, but it was his last idea and he thought that maybe the healing energy would be stronger there, thus allowing him to break through his bottleneck. Besides, even if he was not at the Spirit Forming stage, his body¡¯s strength was something that probably nobody else had, and he had a lot of trust in it.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    It was at night, in the middle of May, when he decided to try out his luck. Quin stepped into the lake and he felt a rather strong energy entering him right away, but it was not something unbearable. He gradually went deeper and deeper, and it became a lot harder to bear quite fast. It was so difficult by the time the water was up to his shoulders, that he did not even dare to go further in, as it had already taken his entire willpower not to lose his consciousness.


    He was as cautious as he could be, because he was fully aware that if he would black-out now, it would mean his death. Sometime after about ten minutes had passed, he realized that he was dangerously close to his limit, and quickly walked out. Quin was so exhausted that he basically had to crawl during his last steps, after which he just passed out on the lakeshore.


    When Quin came to -- probably a few hours later -- he was in a much better shape, but felt that his whole body was filled with as much energy as never before. He wanted to sit down to meditate and observe what was happening inside his body, but was afraid that his body would just simply explode during that time, so he quickly grabbed his clothing with the extra weight and began doing various exercises.


    Quin was sprinting as fast as he could for at least five minutes now, but he was still feeling the same way and he became seriously worried that he had overestimated himself. I wonder what Leyn¡¯s doing now-- He did not know how, but even in this situation his thoughts found their way back to her, and though it only took a moment, it was long enough that his concentration slipped.


    There was a sound similar to when a balloon pops and then came a short yell from Quin.


    ¡°Shit! Shit! My eye!¡± He touched his right eye but there was only a hole in its place now. Fuck, my eye has just exploded! Damn, I can¡¯t stop now!


    Although he wanted to check a bit more thoroughly what had happened and tend to his right eye, he did not dare to risk another injury like this, so he continued sprinting. He did not know exactly how much time had passed since then, only that the sun was almost at its highest when he managed to use up all of the excess energy.


    Phew, that wasn¡¯t something I¡¯d try to do again. Here I thought that I¡¯d never experience a pain more unbearable than the one I had due to the wild energy previously, and yet being just a few minutes in the lake was even worse! Damn, I¡¯m lucky that it was only just one of my eyes... It could¡¯ve been one of my organs, maybe even my heart. This thought made him feel terrified. It¡¯d have been quite a pathetic way to die. Quin shook his head. Well, this energy was a lot denser and a lot more efficient, which means that at least my right eye would grow back just in a few hours. He let out a tired laugh. Alright, I don¡¯t care, I¡¯ll just lie down here and sleep for a bit. Just a second after, he was fast asleep.


    When he woke up, he felt like his body had changed somewhat, but was not sure whether he was right or not. Although during meditation if he focused on observing his body he could notice a lot of things, it was not everything.


    Well, I guess I¡¯ll just have to repeat this to see the results... But I definitely will have to be a lot more careful. Maybe for a few weeks I should go inside the lake only up to my knees and then gradually deeper? And I probably should be a lot more careful with how much time I spend there. Alright, I¡¯ll go grab something to eat and then go back to training!


    Thus Quin spent his following days by trying to get accustomed to the strong healing energy of the lake, which was clearly uncomparable to the energy that was permeating outside of it. He was spending almost his entire time on this task, and it did bore its fruit quickly. In just a week or two, he discovered that his body had truly changed and improved once again. Its intensity was not something that big, but he felt that it was a lot more than a simple change; his whole body was different, and he felt like it was just the start of something new.

 A New Beginning 71 -

    It was on the twenty-ninth of May when his mother arrived to Hounxi, but Quin had eagerly been waiting for her during the whole month. He had asked Fei, the receptionist, to tell him when his mother was there, just like he did with Leyn.


    Surprisingly, only after he finished his training and decided to go out and eat was when he met with his mother. She was energetically talking with Fei, and it looked like that they were long lost friends, at least from Quin¡¯s point of view.


    He walked to them and said in a sad tone, sighing, ¡°I invite my mother to visit me and she replaces me with the receptionist...¡± He shook his head, dejected.


    His mother turned around and it was only then that she noticed him.


    ¡°Hm? Oh, Quin! I¡¯m really sorry, it was just a couple of minutes... She helped me with my packages and I just asked a few things and I...¡± she started to apologize right away.


    Fei looked at Quin but only smiled.


    ¡°Mom, I was just joking,¡± he explained. ¡°At least I was trying to, well, maybe I¡¯m not too good at it,¡± he said chuckling.


    ¡°Oh.¡± His mother looked a bit confused for a moment, but then walked to him and hugged him. ¡°You can¡¯t believe how much I¡¯ve missed you, honey,¡± she said in a choked voice.


    ¡°I missed you too, mom,¡± Quin replied and hugged her back.


    Quin was truly happy to see his mother again, just like his mother was finally be able to meet her son after more than a year.


    ¡°I guess I don¡¯t have to introduce you to Fei then,¡± Quin said after they separated, and his mother and Fei both shook their heads smiling. ¡°Come mom, we¡¯ll pack your things down and then I¡¯ll show you around!¡± Quin said and quickly grabbed all of her packages and started to walk toward the room his mother would be staying in.


    ¡°Hey, careful! You don¡¯t have to carry all of those by yourself,¡± his mother told him with a worried expression.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that,¡± he said chuckling.


    ¡°But... Your right arm, you shouldn¡¯t strain it too much!¡± she said while running after him, concern clearly visible in her eyes.


    ¡°Mom, I told you that you don¡¯t have to worry, my arm is more than fine. I can easily lift up more than a ton,¡± he explained, ¡°look, it¡¯s completely fine, isn¡¯t it?¡± Quin stopped and put down a couple of suitcases to show her his right arm. He really did not want to freak out his mother like he had done with Leyn, and since his mother looked like someone on the brink of a heart attack right now, so he decided that he would just show it to her.


    She looked at him with her mouth agape for a few seconds before gathering herself together.


    ¡°It¡¯s... Your arm is completely fine!¡± she exclaimed with great happiness. ¡°And what about your...¡± She stopped her sentence halfway.


    ¡°My core? It¡¯s the same, but that¡¯s no big deal,¡± he said.


    ¡°No, I was thinking of... um, your body? Is it better?¡± she asked a bit hesitant but with hope as well.


    Quin looked at her and her expression. Does she know what really happen? I didn¡¯t tell her but the way she is asking makes me think that she knew there was something wrong. Maybe I¡¯m just a really bad liar?Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just my arm, my entire body is beyond healthy!¡± he answered confidently. ¡°To tell you the truth, I doubt that there are people who have healthier or stronger bodies than mine, but come mom, we¡¯ll put away your stuff and then I¡¯ll tell you everything you want to know.¡±


    His mother looked at him for a few moments and then her previous concerned and worried expression changed into one that was brimming with happiness. There even were a few tears trailing down from her eyes, but they obviously were tears of joy and relief.


    After Quin brought her packages to her room, they took a brief walk around the town, and then went to have a late lunch at The Nine Hundred Ninety-nine Flowers restaurant. His mother found the food they served rather delicious, but more importantly, it was during that time Quin started to talk about the various things that happened.


    Naturally, he told his mother a toned-down version of his journey, and omitted a few details as well, since there was no need to make his mother worry again in his opinion. They talked for hours, and his mother had a shocked expression throughout it all. Hearing what kind of body cultivation Quin had achieved was quite unbelievable, but she was his mother and had complete trust in him.


    Quin had also demonstrated his strength in a couple of ways, like smashing a block of iron, but this time he made sure to avoid the more crazy things. Thus, he did not cut off his pinky, and only told his mother that his healing power was strong enough so that he could even regenerate his fingers in just a matter of hours.


    It was not difficult for him to see how happy, proud and relieved his mother was after she saw his strength, and knowing that if something bad were to happen he would not be helpless anymore.


    The days and weeks passed peacefully, and as his mother was there, Quin felt a lot more like he was at home. He spent most of his free time with her to make up for the time they spent apart. Although he was almost eighteen years old and a grown-up man, his mother was probably the most important person in his life, and he truly liked to be with her.


    He also introduced her to Faiyi and her family, and it did not surprise Quin that she really liked the little girl. She got along rather well with Xia and Zhai as well, whom they often visited, since it was obvious how much she enjoyed playing with Faiyi.


    Quin was a bit surprised at seeing how good of a friendship his mother had developed during these days with Fei. He saw that they got along rather well right away, but now it seemed as if that they had been the best friends forever. It was a bit strange for him, but it was also something that made him quite happy.


    Ever since he could remember, his mother did not really have any good friends. She generally had a good relationship with their neighbours and other acquaintances, but Quin did not think that they were her friends.


    Though she told him numerous stories about when she was younger and had travelled a lot, she had become a housewife and spent most of her time at home after he was born.


    Now, his mother seemed to be filled with energy and life, and she often told Quin the various things they had done. They tried a few different handcrafts, but more interestingly often went on trips to the surrounding areas. She talked about how they visited one of the nearby lakes -- one that would not kill you after just a few seconds long of a dip -- and even went mountaineering in the mountains South from Hounxi. There were so many things his mother told him about that he started to wonder if he really knew the date right, and if his mother really only had been in Hounxi for just a few weeks now.


    It was an understatement that Quin was shocked at these things, but he was more than happy seeing how much joy his mother had, and supported her entirely. It also made him resent his father more and more. Maybe I¡¯m just overcomplicating things, but I can¡¯t just not compare these weeks to the time she spent with father. She was almost always smiling but only now that I see her like this had I noticed how her smile back then was something entirely different. It had never lacked the love for me, but it was constantly filled with something else as well.... Maybe sadness? Regret? Disappointment? Well, something like that, but now it¡¯s just pure joy.


    He was always the master of the house and suppressed us both. It always had to be what and how he wanted, and I guess it wasn¡¯t by chance that my mother had spent all of her life at home since I was born. He let out a deep sigh. It was not hate what he felt for his father, but rather anger and disappointment. Well, things are different now, and I doubt that we¡¯ll see each other in the future, so what¡¯s the meaning in being stuck thinking about him?


    He let out another long sigh and went back to the lake and his training. The training was another thing that made him happy, as it was going very well. It seemed a bit slower than his previous one, but he was not worried. He suspected that once he was completely accustomed to the water and had no issue with the denser wild energy, the strength of his body would make a huge jump in power.

 A New Beginning 72 -

    Quin became eighteen years old in June, and as this meant that he had stepped into adulthood, his mother organized a big birthday party for him, inviting all of their friends and acquaintances. Although he was very happy, there still was a bit of sadness in him as well, because he could not celebrate it with Leyn.


    The celebration lasted for a whole day and at the end of it Quin was so full that he could not even do his usual training the next day, and had to rest. He had never eaten this much, and made a promise to himself that he never would again.


    As he spent his days training, time passed quickly. Summer and autumn went by and there were only a few weeks left until the New Year Celebration, which he eagerly waited.


    Leyn came just like the previous year, and stayed there for a month. He had waited for it for an entire year, and felt truly happy while she was in Hounxi with him. Parting was hard as always, but her life was back at Crows¡¯ Road and there was nothing he could do about it.


    For a few weeks he felt rather downcast, but fortunately his mother was there for him, and that made it quite a bit easier. She did not really have anything back in Crows¡¯ Road, and as her only child was here in Hounxi, she decided that she would live here as well.


    His mother was the same as she had been in the summer, filled with joy and energy. The time she did not spend with Quin she spent with Fei; talking, visiting various places or just going on trips in nature.


    It was during the next summer, a couple of days after his nineteenth birthday, that he was finally able to completely submerge himself into the lake without any major backlashes. Although the improvement of his body had not been as significant in the past one year and half, he did manage to increase the strength of his arms to the point where he could lift a hundred kilograms more.


    Strangely though, no significant change happened during the first week, despite him spending a great period of time in the lake bathing in the dense wild energy that would have been lethal for nearly anyone else. He had waited each day with great anticipation, but when he observed his body, it felt as if his cells and organs just were not able to absorb a sizeable portion of the energy.


    During the time he was completely submerged within the lake, he felt a sudden change occurring in his body just as he began to worry.


    Quin¡¯s frequent meditation during his stay in Hounxi improved his mental capacity significantly, which in turn enabled him to be able to truly inspect his body, including his organs and cells, and feel what they were doing.


    What¡¯s happening? Why does it feel like my body is about to explode?


    When he focused on his cells he discovered that each of them were vibrating wildly and it seemed like they wanted to explode out of him.


    He started to become a bit scared while experiencing this whole situation, but he did not leave the lake. Despite his initial fear, he stayed submerged, just as his instincts -- unlike the one connected to the egg -- were telling him.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Of course, he wasn¡¯t a fool and was usually quite careful, especially after having to experience how the egg inside his head had wanted to take over the control of his mind. Thus, he stayed at the border of the lake some time, inspecting what was happening.


    It was a wild, rumbling, yet at the same time gentle, calming, and reassuring feeling, and it told him that everything was going to be fine. Quin somehow knew that he was safe and he also started to feel like he had to wade deeper to find what he was searching for, the key for his breakthrough.


    He listed a lot of reasons for and against listening to this calling, but in the end what made him comply was this sensation which became associated to these feelings and instincts.


    It had the exact same pattern and aura as what he had previously observed in the lake¡¯s healing energy. It was a truly shocking thing for him, as it looked like the lake itself was speaking to him.


    Despite knowing that it may very well be some kind of malicious machination, he felt that he could trust the lake, so he started to swim deeper and deeper to its center.


    It was not an incredibly big or deep lake, but the energy got denser and denser toward its center, and Quin felt like that increased the density of the water as well, effectively slowing him down.


    He stopped after a while when it felt like he was at the right place. The wild, healing energy here was unimaginably strong and dense, and even Quin started to wonder how he was still able to stay there without the energy overloading his body.


    Quin sat down on the bottom of the lake cross-legged and started to meditate, while also paying close attention to what was happening to his body.


    His cells were vibrating in an even wilder manner, but he noticed that they were absorbing a lot more energy than before. It looked like he was sitting inside a vortex, a vortex that was pumping all of the dense healing energy through his damaged core and body.


    Gradually, the vibrations slowed down, after which he became utterly shocked as his cells suddenly started to grow. It continued for a few moments until he felt a pop throughout his body. The shells of his cells cracked and exploded, giving way to something new. They were cells similar to his previous ones, but they had a slight tone of azure to them, and Quin felt that they were a lot stronger than before.


    However, it did not stop there. These new cells started to grow once again, and after reaching a point in their size, their shells cracked and exploded the same way as before. Interestingly, the new cells always shrunk back to a smaller size before they started to grow again.


    This cycle repeated for what felt like a rather long time, and each new generation of cells had more of an azurish tint in them, and were stronger than the previous one.


    At first, he was a bit afraid and gritted his teeth to prepare for the pain, but it did not come. Instead, the only thing he felt was a soft sensation filling his body.


    The more time he spent like that, and the deeper he sank into his meditative state, the more he was in harmony with the lake and its wild healing energy. It was the first time that he could feel it so clearly, and became completely submerged in this sensation. He could feel that the energy flowed beautifully, but in a strange yet mesmerizing pattern.


    The center of the lake was just above him, and with each of its pulsation, a new wave of energy flooded him. Gradually, he started to see more and more of its pattern and then at some time he was completely aware of it.


    It was a truly strange thing, he knew that he would never be able to put it into words, nor would he be able to draw it on a canvas, yet he was more familiar with it than the back of his hand.


    As he became more and more attuned to it, he started feel something that he could only compare to an emotion or maybe to a desire. He pondered and searched his mind for a long time on what this could be, until there was a single feeling left inside of him, and he knew that he had found it. Though he was in a state of perfect tranquility, the feeling he got from the lake was completely different.


    Emptiness.

 A New Beginning 73 -

    Emptiness.


    It was the most accurate word with which he could describe what he felt coming from the lake. Why am I feeling this way? Isn¡¯t it supposed to just be a lake? Quin was completely shocked.


    Quin had long lost his sense of time and only concentrated on the wild energy waves that the lake was emitting. His body did not stop changing and during the whole time his cells kept on growing, cracking their shells and then going back to a smaller size, but becoming stronger and stronger after each generation.


    This kind of meditation or trance filled him with a wonderful feeling and he felt like he was in perfect tranquility.


    The energy waves stopped for a single moment but it was enough for Quin to awaken. He opened his eyes and not only were they filled with excitement, but with confusion and astonishment as well.


    What happened? he wondered.


    Quin closed his eyes again, eager to discover the changes in his body. Just after he turned his focus inward he became even more shocked.


    Damn, my cells look nothing like what they had been! Almost like they are completely different! I¡¯m not sure, but they feel a bit bigger compared to how they had previously been and... why are they so azure? Then, he remembered the cycle his cells had gone through. They changed... But is it some kind of improvement, or... Well, let¡¯s try it out.


    He opened his eyes once again a threw out a punch with all of his strength.


    A boom resounded, and despite him being a few meters deep, the water parted into two around his fist. Then, the entire lake started to shake and the water in it was rapidly flowing chaotically in numerous directions.


    Damn!


    He could barely believe what had happened, and just to make sure, he threw out a second punch. Then a third, fourth and fifth one as well, but the results were as shocking as they previously had been.


    Damn! How did I become this strong? This power... Though I¡¯m not one hundred percent sure, it should be well with the Qi Culmination sub-stage, shouldn¡¯t it?


    He stayed underwater a bit longer, trying to digest what had happened and then he decided that it was probably already in the morning so he should better get out.


    As he emerged from the lake and started walking outside, he did not even notice at first his surroundings, only when he heard someone calling out his name.


    ¡°Quin!¡±


    He looked toward the voice and he saw as his mother was running toward him. He looked at her and she seemed like someone who had not slept for days.


    ¡°Hey, what happened?¡± he asked his mother who was right in front of him at this moment.


    She quickly hugged him and said in choked voice, ¡°Thanks the Heavens that you¡¯re alright!¡±


    It was at this point that he started to hear other nearby voices.


    ¡°A Spirit Forming cultivator!¡± a man¡¯s voice could be heard which was filled with astonishment and awe.


    ¡°But wait, not even Spirit Forming cultivators can stay in the lake for more than a minute or two. We¡¯ve seen him coming out from the lake but even though I¡¯ve been here for the past half hour I haven¡¯t see him go in!¡± another voice said.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°So what? Maybe he¡¯s just entered from the other shore.¡± a third voice argued.


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak such bullshit, Chen!¡± yet another voice interjected. ¡°All three of us have been actively looking around for more than half an hour, do you really think we¡¯d miss someone jumping into the lake?¡±


    ¡°Guys, I think you missed the point. Look, I think that¡¯s the boy we¡¯ve been searching for for the past few days. I heard the woman calling out to him, calling him Quin just before.¡±


    ¡°What? We were searching for a boy who is already in the Spirit Forming stage?¡±


    Quin decided to tune out this conversation and looked back at his mother.


    ¡°Mom, what had happened?¡± he asked confused.


    ¡°I should be the one asking that, you disappeared without a trace for days!¡± she said. Though she still looked worried, after seeing that her son was alright she became relieved. ¡°We¡¯ve been searching for you for days to no avail. We¡¯ve even went around with Faiyi so that maybe she¡¯d find you, but nothing... I was so worried that something had happened to you.¡±


    She began to cry, which made him feel rather guilty.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, mom, I¡¯m completely fine,¡± he said smiling at her. ¡°I didn¡¯t do it intentionally, sorry... I thought it was just a few hours... How many days has it been?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been gone for six days Quin, where have you been?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Six days?¡± He was completely shocked. I had spent six days inside the lake? ¡°I¡¯ve been inside the lake during the whole time.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± both her mother and another woman asked, stunned.


    Quin look behind his mother, only to realize that the other voice came from Fei.


    ¡°But you¡¯re so young, how could you already be in the Spirit Forming stage?¡± Fei asked.


    ¡°What?¡± Quin asked back confused and then realized why she had asked it. He had grown quite accustomed to bathing in the lake and he completely forgot that nobody under the Spirit Forming stage should be able to survive it. He thought for a moment on how to answer and then said, ¡°No I¡¯m walking on the path of body cultivation, which is a lot a better than that.¡± He laughed with a hint of pride visible in his eyes. ¡°Hey, how about we continue our talk somewhere else? I¡¯m not really that big fan of being admired by a crowd like this.¡±


    They looked around and saw that there were several people nearby and they all stared at Quin in wonder.


    His mother turned to them and after a slight bow said, ¡°Thank you all for your help, but it seems like the situation got resolved and my worry was unnecessary. Still, I¡¯m truly grateful for what you have done.¡± With that they turned around and left.


    They went to The Nine Hundred Ninety-nine Flowers right away as Quin was beyond hungry. After eating so much that the restaurant had barely any food left and had to close for the day, he felt a lot better. Then, he told them a shorter version of what had happened, but he did not speak about how he felt a calling from the lake or that he felt something like an emotion from it. It was not that he did not trust them -- especially his mother -- but he felt like what had taken place in the lake was a thing between the lake and him.


    Quin kept his mother company during the whole day to make sure that everything was alright. She told him how terrible the previous days had been and how afraid she had been during the whole time, but thankfully Fei was a true friend and she was there to support her.


    Although the guilt he felt became even bigger afterward, he was still glad to see that his mother finally had someone that she could rely on. This line of thought made him think of Leyn and how much he missed her.


    He could barely wait to truly test out his new strength so on the next day, after buying a couple of different items he went to his usual testing area at the lake. During the night he could not even sleep, and his mind had been filled with excitement and ideas on how to test his strength.


    Obviously he knew that he would need something a lot harder than simple iron, but what could that be? The first thing that came to his mind was steel but he quickly dismissed the idea as he did not think that there would be that much of a difference between the two.


    In the end he decided on a couple of different materials. The first was dark gold, the material his spear had been made of. It was by no means the strongest material humans used, but it was the strongest metal among the naturally occurring ones.


    The next one was called emerald clay. Just like its name suggested, it was a type of clay that had a transparent emerald shine to it. It was not a very rare material, and although it was even stronger than dark gold, it could not be molded into weapons or armor, plus it was extremely heavy. The only use it had was to be used as bricks in buildings... And now, as a test for Quin.


    Lastly, he decided to buy a small cube of violet diamond, which was the strongest material he had knowledge of.


    He was not sure about his exact strength, thus he thought that it would be better to try three different materials than having to go back and forth between the shops.


    There, at the edge of the forest he put down the block that was made out of dark gold. It shined beautifully as the sun¡¯s rays reflected from it, but Quin did not stop to admire it. Instead, he threw a punch straight at it and the result was shocking!


    As a loud sound of explosion filled the air, the block of dark gold exploded into pieces that rapidly flew out in every direction, leaving behind only small splinters.

 A New Beginning 74 -

    Damn, that was cool! Quin looked at the rubble that remained from the block of dark gold with excitement. It was so easy to smash it, I wonder what will happen to the others? With that, he grabbed another block that was made out of emerald clay and put it before him.


    He took a deep breath, then smashed down on the block and a creaking sound echoed out as his fist came into contact with the emerald clay. The reaction it had was strangely different to the dark gold, as it did not explode, but transformed into a fine green colored powder.


    Hm, I guess that means I¡¯m strong enough to pulverize emerald clay as well! Seeing his strength made him feel rather happy. Alright, then let¡¯s see the violet diamond!


    Quin stood before the small block of violet diamond and did the same as what he did with the other blocks. However, this time the result was only a dent on its side. Hm, finally something stronger. Still, I wasn¡¯t hitting it with my full strength, so let¡¯s see what happens if I give it my all!


    Quin breathed in and out slowly a few times to focus his mind and then struck down again, this time with all of his might. He felt as if all of his cells started to burn more and more energy of what was currently inside of him, so that they would be able to give the maximum amount of power they could. Quin thought that it was a wonderful feeling, and it made it seem like he was filled with power that wanted to do nothing but explode outward.


    BOOM!


    An ear piercing sound resounded as Quin¡¯s fist broke the violet diamond into two. I knew that I could do it! He went wild with joy.


    Then, another shocking thing happened just a few seconds after his punch. From one moment to next, the two pieces of violet diamonds ignited, but it was not just a small flicker of flame. The entirety of the both of them was completely engulfed in flames, and then burnt to ash in just a matter of seconds.


    What the heck was that? He was astonished as he looked down on the remnants of the violet diamond, with his mouth agape. Damn, that¡¯s... A lot of money thrown out of the window. Well, I¡¯ve got more than enough money so I shouldn¡¯t worry about things like this. The more important thing here is that even the violet diamond can¡¯t match my strength! He was so happy that he could not stop laughing with joy for a few minutes.


    I¡¯m so strong! Finally, I broke through! It took more than a year and a lot of hellish experiences, but I¡¯m finally back to where I had been. No, not only am I back, I¡¯m even stronger than before! His eyes were shining with excitement.


    Even being able to pierce normal diamond requires one to be usually at the first level of the Qi Culmination sub-stage, not to speak of the violet diamond which is a lot more resilient material. From what I had previously read, it takes someone in the second or sometimes the third level of the Qi Culmination sub-stage to do it. Yet, I didn¡¯t only pierce through it, I completely destroyed it! To be honest, I reckon that I¡¯m at least comparable to someone who¡¯s at the the third level of Qi Culmination! People usually only reach that around when they are fifty years old! Haha, I wonder what kind of face my schoolmates -- especially those ones -- would have after realizing that not only did I get my strength back, but I¡¯m stronger than I¡¯d have probably been even after decades with my old cultivation!


    Damn, I really have to test out my exact power. But how? Hm, maybe I can ask the local soldiers for sparring, again? Last time they told me that I was just a kid and should go away. He sighed. Well, it¡¯s worth a try.


    He did not go to the local barracks right away though, and decided to try how much weight he could lift. Quin was shocked to find out that the five tons of weight he had was not enough for even one of his hands.


    After a short trip to the shop, he bought the more weights and tried again. In the end, it turned out that his limit increased from one thousand and eight hundred kilograms to a shocking fourteen tons.


    It¡¯s nearly a ten times of an increase! This day gets better and better! Though it¡¯s a bit strange how everyone looks at me on the streets... I guess it¡¯s because the word spread that I was able to enter the lake? Well, maybe if it reached the soldiers of the city, then maybe this time they won¡¯t refuse? Alright, it¡¯s time to check it out!


    He put away his things and then started walking toward the barracks.


    The soldiers indeed acted differently, and Quin thought that they even looked a bit excited to test out their strengths against him. Though he knew that he definitely was no Spirit Forming cultivator and that there was no way for him to be one, -- he still clearly remembered what Nyra said during his coma -- he decided to not tell them. First of all, he thought it was better if they considered him someone stronger, but more importantly, it would have been quite hard to explain that he was not one even though he could take a bath in the lake.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    There were only six people currently in the barracks, three of which were at the first level of Qi Culmination, two in the second level and only one in the third level. Although they were older than him and some of them had more experience, it did not take Quin a lot of time or difficulty to defeat the five weaker ones.


    His last opponent was a middle-aged man in his seventies, the local commander, who was at the peak of the third level of Qi Culmination. This was just a practise bout, and thus neither of them used their weapons, only their true strengths.


    As the fight began, the man merged with his element right away and went on the offensive, not wasting any time.


    Hm, what kind of element is this? It looks similar to water, but it¡¯s definitely not that simple. Quin wondered.


    The man¡¯s punch did not look extraordinary, it actually looked just like a simple hook. Quin bent his body the other way and then threw out a straight punch at the soldier¡¯s face. The man almost completely evaded his strike, and thus it only managed to graze his face.


    It¡¯s definitely not a simple water element! It¡¯s a lot more elastic than that, my fist felt like it had just bumped back.


    His thoughts were interrupted as he felt a sudden grab at the back of his neck and then he was shoved forward. Damn, they have their qi and the ability to merge. I didn¡¯t really anticipate anything special as I¡¯ve been mostly just fighting various beasts, not to mention that the other soldiers were too weak to even do anything against me.


    Although he had quickly realized his mistake, he was already falling toward the floor with great speed. Quin just barely managed to avoid face-planting the ground and then pushed himself to the opposite side of the man, jumping back to his feet.


    ¡°Even if I¡¯m in the Qi Culmination, I suggest that you don¡¯t take me lightly and merge with your element,¡± said the man calmly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that,¡± he replied and waited for his next attack.


    They exchanged a couple of blows in just a few moments and now, Quin had a better idea of the man¡¯s capabilities.


    So, he¡¯s extremely elastic and can easily stretch his limbs when merged with his element. My punches are a lot less effective against these kinds of opponents, but what if it¡¯s a piercing attack, more like a jab than a blunt punch?


    The only problem was that actually hitting his sparring partner was not that easy. The man was quite strong and it was obvious that he had a lot more experience than Quin, thus he saw through a lot of his attacks. Furthermore, Quin had no special ability, in contrast with the Qi Cultivators, and could only rely on the strength of his body.


    On the bright side, he found it virtually impossible to lose, as his body was shockingly resilient and his whole body was filled with the healing energy which granted him unseen stamina.


    They continued their spar and gradually Quin started to notice a pattern in the man¡¯s attacks. First, he tried to punch or kick from the side, and although Quin could dodge it most of the time, the man was able to grab him from behind by stretching his arm or leg. Next, he always tried to pull him closer, sometimes trying to shove him face first to the ground, and at other times to swiftly reposition himself at Quin¡¯s back. It also occurred to him that when the man grabbed him, his body returned to its original state.


    When he¡¯s merged with his element he can stretch himself and become quite elastic, but I assume that it¡¯s not that strong. So, to actually exert some strength he has to change back!


    Quin was prepared the next time when the soldier tried to follow the same pattern with his attacks. He was right in front of Quin and threw out a right hook, which Quin dodged, but by the time the soldier tried to grab him from the left side with his right arm after it missed its target, Quin was already moving in to attack. He planted his right foot a step forward to stabilize himself. Then, turning his upper body, he borrowed the strength of his whole body and made a quick jab at the man¡¯s stomach.


    The soldier managed to remerge with his element just at the last moment, but had no time evade Quin¡¯s attack. A part of the jab¡¯s power was reduced by the man¡¯s elastic body, but each of Quin¡¯s strikes possessed an incredible strength. Furthermore, it was a clear hit and thus the man was knocked back a few meters, spitting out blood.


    ¡°Damn, I gotta say that you¡¯re not pulling your punches!¡± he said, heaving for air.


    Quin became a bit worried and went to the man asking, ¡°Sorry, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Haha, what are you talking about?¡± he said with a laugh. ¡°We¡¯re sparring, aren¡¯t we? I know that you had no intention of seriously injuring me but as I said, we¡¯re sparring. That means that there¡¯s a high chance that one of us will be injured, but so what?¡± He snickered. Seeing his reaction Quin calmed down. ¡°Anyways, we should stop now. I had great fun but I¡¯m almost out of qi and without that I¡¯d be no match for you! Still, I gotta ask you boy, how come you¡¯re so strong? I didn¡¯t see you merging with your element, nor did I see any kind of stuff those other Spirit Forming expert do...¡±


    ¡°Well, long story short, I¡¯m a body cultivator,¡± he replied simply.


    The middle-aged man measured him up for a few moments, suspiciously and asked, ¡°Are you telling the truth? I¡¯ve met a few people who focused on body cultivation, but compared to your¡¯s, their bodies¡¯ were as weak as ants!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth,¡± he answered. ¡°To put it simply, I had a few unfortunate circumstances that I turned into opportunities.¡± He smiled.


    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t question you, I was just a bit surprised,¡± he said with a hearty laugh. ¡°Name¡¯s Pei.¡± He stretched out his hand, which Quin then shook.


    ¡°Quin,¡± he replied.


    ¡°You know, you¡¯ve got great intuition, but clearly lack experience, so how about this: you can come here to spar with me and the boys each day for some time. There¡¯s not much opportunity for us to fight here, especially not with somebody who¡¯s stronger than us. On the other hand, I think you would also learn a lot, so I think it¡¯d be a win-win situation.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s a good idea,¡± he said with a smile.

 A New Beginning 75 - Shadows of the Day

    Quin spent the remaining summer training, as well as sparring with the local soldiers. What Pai, the commander of Houxi, said about Quin¡¯s great intuition turned out to be true, and even during this small period of time his combat skills increased by leaps and bounds.


    Aside from the physical part of his training, he focused mostly on that strange sensation he felt during his breakthrough in the lake during the time he spent on meditation. It took him about a month to be finally able to reach the same degree of harmony with it as he had the first time. Still, he was aware of the fact that it was a special moment and thus he was not disappointed. Although his progress was slow, he knew that it was real and kept on trying.


    He noticed a weird phenomenon during the last days of the summer: sometimes, after meditation, he would find himself in strange positions. Sometimes he would be standing with his arms raised while at other times his body would be twisted to its limits. There even were a couple of times when he found himself standing on one of his legs while his upper body and the other leg were creating a horizontal line. It was not only weird finding himself in these positions, but there were a few times when he even fell face first to the ground due to it.


    As time passed, this kind of thing happened more and more frequently, until it became a daily occurrence.


    Alright, this can¡¯t go on! I have to do something about this, but what can I do? He pondered for some time on how to deal with this issue. Hm, I should really try to have a better consciousness while I¡¯m meditating like that. That¡¯s the only option I see...


    It was not that this was the first time he thought of this, but while he tried to harmonize himself with that feeling he would enter some kind of trance, and the more he preserved his consciousness, the less effective it became. Thus, he only decided on this idea because he lacked a better one.


    Initially, he had a lot of difficulty regarding his attempts to stay more conscious while also trying to reach a higher level of harmony with that sensation. He even felt as if he was fighting a strange, yet ferocious battle as he was pouring all of his mental energy into this day by day.


    Then, at the start of October he realized something. Damn, how could I have been so stupid!? He quickly became filled with anger at his own idiocy. I¡¯ve been swimming in the lake daily and I even submerge each time, but I¡¯m only meditating at the lakeshore... How can I be so stupid that it didn¡¯t occur to me sooner! The first time I felt this kind of sensation was at the heart of the lake, so maybe it¡¯d be easier there?


    Quin took a few deep breaths to calm his mind, and then swam to the heart of the lake. There, he sat down cross-legged and entered a meditative state. He could feel the difference right away.


    Naturally, he made no significant breakthroughs at that time, but he was still glad, as he felt that he had finally made at least some progress. It may take some time, but I¡¯m in no hurry, he thought.


    Time flashed by and it was already the first day of December. During the last few days he had finally realized what was happening during his meditation session. Honestly, he found the explanation rather self-evident: as he sank deeper and deeper into that trance, his body was involuntarily doing the same thing.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    It was as if he was imitating the sensation and the flow of the wild energy the lake produced with these kinds of movements. Quin recalled how at first he had no idea how to put that feeling into words or into any other medium to express it. Although he had thought of a lot of different things, he would never have believed that he could so easily convey the thing he felt back then with simple movements.


    Maybe it was not easy in truth, as he clearly knew he was only doing a bad imitation of it, and these kinds of movements may have not been as simple for other people. Yet, he was still filled with joy at his realization, and was very eager on discovering what this would mean for him in the future.


    He spent day after day practising this movement along with learning new ones through meditation. It did not take too much difficulty for him to notice that they had a fixed sequence, as he always started with one specific movement and the order of the others remained the same every time. Quin also speculated that it was not without an end, and eventually the movements would loop back into what he started with. Despite his assumption, the sheer number of poses made it look unending.


    Another couple of days had passed, and it was a week before New Year, which meant that Leyn would arrive in four days. Quin was currently doing his usual training nearby the lake, and thought that he would only have to wait another couple of days when he heard a loud scream. It was followed by a series of ear-piercing shrieks which he could under no circumstances fail to recognize.


    His heart skipped a beat or maybe even two as he completely froze. His old and painful memories quickly returned and he began to heave.


    The first memory was of Pharren, the gory remains of his classmates and that unforgettable feeling of impending death and helplessness. Then, he had remembered Dreon and how almost nothing was left of him after he died, how his main Core was pierced through and his Lightning Qi exploded, turning him into a cripple as well as cutting his destiny to be the number one genius of the world short.


    These memories were something he had not thought of in a long time intentionally. He absolutely did not want to remember them.


    He had already spent a lot of time on them, and was also sure that he had learnt his lessons from them. Thinking about them any further only made him feel sad, depressed and sometimes even self-loathing, thus he buried them deep under his conscience.


    His mind was in chaos, and even though just a couple of moments had passed since the initial shriek, the egg inside of him was not idle either. Seeing his state of mind weakened, its desire to take over resurfaced and bore down on Quin with huge pressure.


    Quin was trembling both from fear and the attacks on his mind, and for a short period of time he felt as if he went completely mad. Then however, the realization came to him of what was at stake currently. His first thoughts were of his mother and the happy moments they shared together, as well as all the things she had done for him and the care she had for him.


    Next, he remembered Faiyi, the little girl he had saved, and to whom he felt a great sense of responsibility. After his self-sacrifice in the Wilderness for Aline, the people he would be willing to give up his life for lessened considerably, but his mother and the little girl were without a doubt among them. Although he did not want to stay her guardian, he loved her as family, and would do anything for her.


    Lastly, Quin had also recalled the numerous people he had made acquaintance with in Hounxi during his stay. He would not call each of them his friends, but they were mostly good people who accepted him and his mother, despite being strangers.


    He gritted his teeth together and clenched his fist so hard that drips of blood started to flow from both his mouth and palms. Though this amount of pain was rather low compared to his abnormal threshold of pain, coupled with his strong willpower it was enough to jerk him back to reality. Quin took a few deep breaths to calm himself, and then turned his focus inward, to the egg.


    With his state of mind being normalized, it was not difficult for him to crush the egg into submission once again.


    After he had dealt with his inner threat, Quin quickly looked around measuring up the current situation. Found you sons of bitches! He saw his first targets -- four adult Shriekers -- just at the other side of the lake as they were quickly running in the direction of the city. Just wait for me! I¡¯ll kill every one of you!


    With that, he utilized every inch of muscle in his body and started running toward them with a lightning fast speed.

 Invasion 76 - Invasion

    There were only two emotions that filled Quin¡¯s mind. The first one was the desire to protect his loved ones; the second, a boundless hatred for the Shriekers. There were no creatures on the face of the earth that he loathed more, and when he saw one, he wanted nothing more than to kill it. They had killed two of his precious friends and turned his world upside down. Even though he was grateful that he had lost his cultivation back then, as it made him realize his past mistakes and it started him on a new path of cultivation that seemed to be even stronger than his previous one, that did not change anything. Those vile creatures obviously did not do it just to make his life better, but simply because they wanted to eradicate his kind.


    The Shriekers were at the other side of the lake, so he decided he would directly cross the lake. He had never tried to walk or run on the surface of water, but he was sure that his speed would be enough for that.


    At the border of the water and the shore, he made a jump with all of his power.


    BOOM!


    A sound of explosion could be heard as the ground cracked and sank down where his feet had been. He was flying lightning fast and felt the pressure of the cold air, even if to him it was negligible.


    With a single jump he had crossed half of the lake in just a few moments, and due to the previous booming sound he had made, the Shriekers on the other side were watching him intently.


    He kicked against the water and indeed, just like he had assumed he was able to jump off of the surface of the lake.


    The Shriekers did not have to wait for a long time, and as Quin reached the other shore he swiftly jumped right at one of them. When he was close enough, he grabbed onto its shoulder and punched with his enormous strength at its head. Before any of them would have had the chance to act, its head exploded into smithereens.


    It was not enough for Quin, however, and he put his other hand on the creature¡¯s other shoulder. Then, a strange plopping sound resounded as Quin basically tore the Shrieker into two parts. As he turned around to face its companions a truly savage look could be seen on his face.


    It was a similar feeling of what he had experienced during his hunt in the Fengyu forest, and he even noticed how at first the egg started to become active again. However, it was a lot different from that, as although he let hate fill him, he was fully conscious.


    There was something he had found funny even in this situation: just after he tore the Shrieker into two he felt how the egg inside his mind shuddered in fear.


    Quin had no idea why it acted like that, as he had never experienced it doing something similar before, but he had no time to ponder on it. He knew that this time he was in complete control, and still had enemies to fight.


    There were only three of them remaining now, and he leapt at the closest one without hesitation. Just like with the previous one, it had no time to react either and Quin barraged it with a row of punches until its upper body was nothing more.


    The other two had already started to shoot out their long tongues at him, as they thought that they would have a higher chance of success with a ranged attack. Obviously, they could not compare to him in strength, so he was in no danger.


    He watched as the tongues he had previously considered lightning fast shoot toward him in nearly slow-motion. When they reached him, he swiftly grabbed them with his hands and jumped back while pulling on them.


    The results were quite frightening. Quin had in each of his hand a very long tongue that had been ripped out from the two Shriekers, and in turn, both of them were severely bleeding purple colored blood from their mouths.


    Alright, I don¡¯t have time to play. There could be a lot more of them and I have to get to Faiyi¡¯s as soon as I can! His mother and Fei would both currently be paying a visit to Faiyi.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Quin leapt at the other two and exploded the head of both of them with two simple backhanded slaps.


    Next, he headed toward where Faiyi lived with Xia and Zhang with all the speed he could muster. He had encountered numerous Shriekers during his way, and unsurprisingly killed each of them in mere moments.


    One part of him was worried sick, but his other part was greatly enjoying himself. He was aware that taking such a pleasure in killing and shredding his enemies into pieces may signify that he was not entirely right in the head. Yet, after some initial hesitation he decided to not care about it.


    Well, I probably already have a few problems, so what does an extra one matter? Quin joked about it in his head. Besides they are just Shriekers! They kill and destroy. Their only goal is to make us suffer and eradicate us, then what should I worry about?! I know that I couldn¡¯t do something like this with humans and that¡¯s what matters, not these vile and evil monsters!


    With that, he continued on.


    He could have been there in only a minute or two with his fastest speed, but there were a lot of enemies he had to face, which consequently slowed him down by a significant amount.


    Just ahead of him he saw another group of Shriekers and then noticed that they were circling around someone who was already on their knees. Damn, I have to get their attention!


    ¡°Come, here! You damn sons of bitches!¡± He yelled from the top of his lungs. His shout turned out to be so loud that even he was shocked for a moment.


    He quickly gathered himself and then took out a stone, which he had previously grabbed thinking that it might come in handy, out of his pocked. Aiming so that the stone would fly through more than one of them, he threw it without hesitation. It went straight into the head of one of them who fell down to the ground the next moment. Unfortunately, the stone only had a single victim as it shattered into pieces inside of the Shrieker¡¯s head.


    Damn I was stupid! He sighed mentally, as he had only now realized that it was just a simple piece of rock and not a weapon that was made out of a strong material.


    Naturally, it did not stop him, and he was already running at the crowd of Shriekers whose attention he had luckily drawn away. After throwing out a couple of punches and slaps, they were no more, and only the purple colored bloody gore remained behind.


    Quin looked at the person he had just saved. She was a girl about fourteen years old with jet black hair and a slim body. He thought that she was probably quite popular among the boys, but not in her current state. Her hair was a mess and her clothes were tattered, barely covering her more intim parts. Besides, her whole body was covered in dirt and blood and she had a couple of bruises as well.


    Damn, poor girl.


    He squatted down and asked, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    She did not answer and was trembling in fear. Quin put his hand on her back, trying to console her.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re safe, I¡¯ve killed all of them.¡±


    The girl looked at him and her previously empty eyes turned back to somewhat normal, but her face was still covered with fear.


    ¡°Dad... Mom... They are...¡± she said weakly and started to cry. It did not need a genius to figure out her source of worry.


    ¡°Come,¡± he said standing up and then stretching his hand out to her. ¡°We¡¯ll get them. Where are they?¡±


    Though he was quite worried about his mother and Faiyi, he could not leave this girl or her parents to die. Besides, he knew that the area they were living at was a highly populated one, which had several stronger people and an outpost as well, so he assumed a small delay would not hurt significantly. Moreover, although he did not know his mother¡¯s exact strength -- somehow he could never gauge it or her element -- from her stories he knew that she had travelled around a lot, even when alone. Maybe Ade Lai could be considered quite safe for even a weaker human, but his mother told him that she had often ventured into the Wilderness, which was always dangerous. Thus Quin knew that even if his mother would not be able to face a horde of Shriekers, she definitely would be able to stand her ground for some time.


    Still, making a decision against his instinct that told him to go to his mother as soon as possible was rather difficult, but he knew his mother well and also knew that she would be urging him to do the same thing.


    The girl looked at him surprised at first, but then realization hit her and pointed to the other side of the lake.


    ¡°They are at the other shore?¡± he asked and the girl nodded.


    Hm, but how did she get here then? He looked around for a moment and noticed a boat not too far away from them. So, the Shriekers had attacked them and her parents thought that sending her to the other shore would be safer? But then, why didn¡¯t they come as well? he wondered.


    ¡°Do you have some strength left?¡± he asked.


    The girl hesitated and then nodded resolutely, but after trying to stand up she just collapsed back down.


    ¡°Alright, then no piggy backing,¡± he said and lifted her in a princess style carry. Then, he started running to the other shore, making sure not to accelerate so fast that normal people would faint from the force without their qi.

 Invasion 77 - Get it Right

    Quin quickly crossed the lake with the girl in his hands and looked around. They were currently at a part of the town where houses were more sparse, as this neighbourhood dealt with agriculture and needed more than just a simple garden for cultivating plants.


    He spotted a house not too far away from them and asked while pointing at it, ¡°Is that yours?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the girl replied.


    They heard a couple of high pitched screams just after they started to head toward the girl¡¯s house and soon they were met with a couple of adult Shriekers.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯ll quickly deal with them, just stay here meanwhile, alright?¡± Quin asked. However, when he was about to put her down, she grasped his hands and looked at him in terror.


    Quin let out a small sigh.


    ¡°I know that you might be scared, but you don¡¯t have to worry,¡± he said. ¡°There are only four of them here and it¡¯ll only took me a few moments. You won¡¯t be in danger.¡± He tried his best to calm her, but seeing that it did not work he continued. ¡°Alright, I can¡¯t really say in any other way, but you¡¯ll be in my way. The Shriekers are absolutely no danger for me, but I simply can¡¯t fight while holding you, plus I have to be careful about my speed as well to not hurt you with it. Look, there really won¡¯t be any problems and I¡¯ll be right back, but they¡¯re closing in.¡±


    The girl had a hint of embarrassment on her face after hearing this, but let go of him as the Shriekers were only about ten meters away from them. He stood up and leapt at them.


    After a few slaps and punches pulvarized them, he returned to the girl. She looked at him flabbergasted. Although he had previously killed all the Shriekers that surrounded her, she was in a state of shock during that time and was barely conscious of what was happening around her.


    ¡°See, I¡¯ve told you that you don¡¯t have to worry about anything from now on,¡± Quin said with a smile.


    ¡°Y-yes,¡± she replied weakly and her face was red with embarrassment.


    ¡°Come,¡± he said and lifted her up. ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel bad about it, I know things like these aren¡¯t easy.¡±


    Their house was not too far away, but they still had come across a few groups of Shriekers. Fortunately, she did not have any issues after their first fight.


    When they got to the house, they saw that it was in ruins just like its surroundings. Damn, I hope we weren¡¯t too late. He jumped up to a part of the house that looked intact and scanned the area. Ah, there they are! Quin saw a group of people fighting behind the house, a couple hundred meters away from them.


    He started running to them without hesitation. That¡¯s six people fighting and two on the ground. Damn, I hope they¡¯re still alive. He had a really bad feeling. From my previous encounters, I thought that the Shriekers were only attacking in single groups, which have anywhere from four to seven members, but this is completely different! There are... Four dead Shriekers and thirty-one of them are still fighting! These people look to be at the first and second level of Qi Culmination and they probably would have no problems with fighting against more Shriekers than their own number, but this many is... Simply overwhelming!


    When he was close enough he put down the girl and said, ¡°Stay here, they probably won¡¯t attack you. I¡¯ll also try to make sure they won¡¯t, but if any of them come closer just yell and I¡¯ll be back in a few moments, alright?¡±


    The girl nodded, and though she had seen what he was capable of, she was still somewhat scared at seeing how many Shriekers were there.


    With just a single jump, Quin was right in the midst of battle and only the bodies of Shriekers remained after him. One, two... Eight... Their numbers were quickly dwindling and seeing the new threat they decided to focus on him.


    He could see as twelve lightning fast tongues were shooting toward him, but this was not the end of it as another four of them were coming at him from each direction. Damn, they¡¯ve got incredible coordination! Their tongues are coming so that I won¡¯t be able to evade any of them and furthermore they aren¡¯t interfering with the other four that want to melee me. Well, it¡¯s time to show them their tongues are worth jackshit to me! There was no fear on his face, only a smirk.


    Quin caught four of their tongues and pulled on them with all of his might when they got close enough. In the next moment, the four no longer had tongues and purple blood was flowing from their mouths.


    Not wanting to waste time, he leapt straight ahead at one of the creatures who was planning to attack him in melee. He easily crushed its head with a single strike, but it was then when the other tongues reached him.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    To the Shriekers¡¯ and the people¡¯s surprise, these attacks simply bounced off of Quin, whose smirk in turn grew wider. Naturally, they fairly hurt him, but they could not even penetrate his skin and they were nothing compared to the various kinds of pain he had been through during the past two years or so.


    Quin continued on, and in just about a minute took care each of them.


    The six people looked at him with their mouths agape, wondering what had truly happened.


    ¡°Alright, I don¡¯t think we should waste much time here,¡± Quin said firmly. ¡°Is there anyone with water element?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Only me,¡± a bald and slightly overweight man said. ¡°My name is Tang, thank you for your help.¡±


    ¡°Quin,¡± he said. ¡°Check those two who are unconscious, and then the girl behind me.¡±


    Though Tang was at least twenty years older than him, he had no issue with Quin¡¯s instruction and got to it right away.


    ¡°You¡¯re Quin?¡± one of the men who was around thirty years old and had semi-long black hair asked. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the Spirit Forming cultivator? Why haven¡¯t you come earlier?! My wife... She¡¯s dead because you just lazed around and didn¡¯t even summon your Spirit! You could¡¯ve saved all of us but now because of you she¡¯s dead!¡± The man¡¯s eyes were filled with anger and grief.


    Quin snorted as he looked at the man.


    ¡°You know, after saving your lives I shouldn¡¯t be the one who has to explain himself, but here you are: I didn¡¯t laze around and I¡¯ve got no Spirits. By the way, I also have no obligation to save any of you and though I¡¯m worried about my own family I still spent some extra time to come here. You know, the next time someone saves your life, you should be a bit more thankful.¡± He knew that the man¡¯s behavior was probably due to his loss and he understood how bad it can be, so although he still said a few things, he took the edge out of his voice.


    ¡°Dad!¡± the girl he had saved before said before the man could even react.


    ¡°Mei!¡± he replied as the girl started to slowly walk toward him. However, just before the girl reached him, his face turned into one filled with anger. ¡°It¡¯s because of you! After your mother escorted you to the lake she came back with her body covered in injuries and she died right after! If she hadn¡¯t done it just for you, she¡¯d still be alive!¡± The man¡¯s face was quite ugly as it changed between anger and grief constantly.


    Mei¡¯s tears started to flow down her face as she heard what had happened.


    Damn that fucker! I get that he¡¯s filled with grief, but she¡¯s his own daughter for god¡¯s sake! Quin became filled with anger as well. He could not help but imagine his father in the place of the man and that only made his rage increase.


    Quin picked up a stone from the ground and threw at the man. Of course, he did not want to kill him thus the stone only grazed the man¡¯s face but it was enough to make a gash.


    He looked left and right until noticing that Quin was glaring at him.


    ¡°You should watch your damn mouth!¡± He said with contempt in his eyes. ¡°The world¡¯s not revolving around you. I know that it isn¡¯t easy, but you shouldn¡¯t try putting the blame on others, especially not on your own daughter.¡±


    He did not really want to preach, but the man had really made him recall his father and his own arrogant behavior as well.


    The man snorted and said, ¡°Mind your own business! It¡¯s my daughter and I do what I want!¡± His entire body was painted red, like a tomato, from anger, and then he slapped Mei so hard that she flew backward a meter or two.


    Although Quin did not have a good image of the man, this kind of action was something he did not expect at all and so could not react in time. However, in the next moment he was right before the man and he was clearly beyond furious.


    He grabbed the man by the throat and lifted him up, his eyes filled with killing intent. It had been a long time since he was this angry at someone and felt his blood boiling. Naturally, he had no actual intention of killing the man, but wanted to teach him a lesson.


    Utter terror was reflected in the man¡¯s eyes as he stared at Quin, and even his life started to flash before him. Quin threw him away after a couple of moments and then saw as Mei, not caring about her own condition, rushed to her father.


    He sighed in his heart as he looked at her and was reminded of himself.


    ¡°I really want to get going so I won¡¯t waste too much time, but for fuck¡¯s sake get your shit together! Do you think it¡¯s only you who have lost someone to these damn creatures? Do you think that losing your mother is easier? Do something like this again and I won¡¯t let you off so easily.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°Just use your damn mind for a moment, who do you think is responsible for all of this? Who do you think you should be truly angry at? Was it me who attacked the city? No, and neither was it your daughter, besides do you really want to respect your wife whose biggest wish was to save your daughter like this? Do you really think that¡¯s what she wanted? You should direct your anger at these vile and disgusting creatures who want nothing more than to destroy us, our families and our civilization. If you behave like that, you aren¡¯t better than them and are actually helping them.¡± He glared at the man a few more moments and then as he turned back to the crowd he relaxed his expression.


    ¡°Alright, now you¡¯ve got two options. First you stay here alone and do your own things or second, you come with me. Though, I can¡¯t completely guarantee your safety, I think you¡¯d be a lot safer with me. But, I don¡¯t really have time to slowly walk with you as I¡¯m concerned about my own family. Fortunately, I¡¯ve seen an intact wagon nearby so if you want to come with me you¡¯ll be traveling on that, while I... Well, I¡¯ll be pulling it.¡± He let out a chuckle as he imagined that he would be just like a horse.


    ¡°Alright, if you want to come start heading toward that direction,¡± he said as he pointed with his finger. ¡°I¡¯ll get the wagon and will be back in less than half minute.¡±


    With that, he immediately left for the wagon with his fastest speed and the others could only hear a booming sound as the ground exploded under his feet.

 Invasion 78 - On the Go

    Just like Quin had told them, it did not take a long time for him to get the wagon. Although they felt a bit strange, the nine people -- including the unconscious ones -- quickly entered it.


    ¡°Alright, everyone¡¯s ready?¡± Quin asked. Seeing them nodding, he set off.


    Fortunately, the vehicle was of good quality and Quin did not have to worry much about pulling it at fast speeds. It also helped that they were near the road that led to the part of the town he was going.


    He was quite surprised at the ferocity of the attack on Hounxi, as on their way they had come across numerous groups of Shriekers, which made it seem like there was no end to them. Naturally, he took care of them and the number of survivors under his care soon increased to seventeen. Now the wagon was almost fully packed with people and Quin thanked the heavens that he had found it in top-notch shape.


    It took him a couple of minutes to finally get to his destination due to the constant fights that plagued him. He looked around and did not see any trace of Shriekers in the vicinity, so he let out a sigh.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see any here,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll go check the situation inside and will be back shortly. Meanwhile the ones who can still fight stand guard, and if anything happens just holler.¡± He looked at the crowd and saw that the majority of them had already started moving.


    Quin quickly entered the building, but did not dare to take it easy and remained as cautious as he could. They¡¯re not in the living room... They¡¯re not in the kitchen either... Damn, I really hope nothing bad happened to them! He felt anxious as worry inside his heart rapidly grew. Maybe they¡¯re in the inner garden?


    He started to hear various voices as he reached closer to the inner garden, but he could not make them out . Fearing that something bad was going on, he increased his speed to the top and basically barged through the door.


    There, in the inner garden, he saw all of them looking at him, confused. Thank the heavens they are fine! He let out a long sigh.


    ¡°Quin, what¡¯s the problem?¡± his mother asked him.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t even noticed?¡± he looked at them dumbstruck.


    ¡°What?¡± Xia asked back a bit worried.


    ¡°The whole town is under attack, it¡¯s... It¡¯s basically swarmed by Shriekers. I have come here from the inn and had to kill my way through. I was worried that you were attacked as well, but I came across a few people and just couldn¡¯t leave them there... I, I was coming as fast as I could, but there was so many of them that it took so much time... I was so worried that...¡±


    Quin finally dared to relax a bit and lower his guard, as now he saw that they were fine and he was among people who were close to him. A couple of different emotions hit him and he realized how afraid he had been that something would happen to them. Although he had put up a tough front during the entire time, it was only because he had suppressed his true feelings and was aware of the danger they were in.


    The only time he had fought enemies whose numbers were comparable to this was during his Coming of Age Ceremony. Even though there was no doubt that he was a lot stronger than them and he had also been through deadly battles more than once, it still did not mean he was completely without fear or stress.


    His mother walked to him and hugged him, while gently stroking his head.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s alright,¡± she said. ¡°Nothing happened to us, and you did good by saving people.¡±


    Quin hugged her back and stayed like that for a few moments. His mother knew him very well and could calm him down with just a few words. He was already a young man and not a kid, but being next to his mother made him completely relaxed. Despite how he was sure that he was stronger than her, he felt in complete safety near her.


    He let out a long sigh and gathered himself after a few moments.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°There are seventeen people outside currently, waiting for me, what should we do?¡± he asked. ¡°The Shriekers I¡¯ve come across weren¡¯t my match, but you can never know, so maybe we should stay here as they didn¡¯t seem to be interested in this area.¡±


    His mother looked at him and understood that Quin did not want to risk their safety.


    ¡°There are a lot of people living in the city and among them a lot of our acquaintances; I don¡¯t think we should just hide here while they are fighting and dying to the Shriekers, Quin,¡± his mother told him.


    Quin thought for a moment and then answered, ¡°If you think that¡¯s the right choice, then alright. Gather your stuff and come outside, I¡¯ll be waiting for you there.¡±


    She¡¯s been sleeping through the whole time! He looked at Faiyi with a smile, who was peacefully sleeping on a blanket.


    Though Quin did not want to risk things and would have preferred to stay in this area, he knew what his mother said was right. Besides, he was quite confident in his ability to deal with those monsters.


    ¡°Alright guys,¡± he said to the crowd outside, ¡°The people to whom I¡¯ve been looking for are fortunately all fine and will be coming out in just a few minutes. Then, we¡¯ll be going back to the town to help the others with fighting and to kill each of these fucking monsters. This area wasn¡¯t attacked by them, though I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s something permanent or just temporary. You can choose to stay here or come with us.¡±


    They looked at him a bit hesitantly and started to talk among each other for some time. In the end, each of them decided to follow him. It was not something he was surprised about, as they had seen him fight more than ten adult Shriekers without breaking a sweat and naturally, they felt reassured when next to him.


    Now they numbered twenty-five with his mother, Faiyi, Fei, Xia, Zhai and three of their servants in tow. The wagon was filled to the brim with the crowd of people, but it still had no problems.


    They did not meet with any Shriekers for a few minutes, but their numbers increased continuously as they got closer to the town center. It looks like the town center is having a rough time currently, but it shouldn¡¯t take too long for us to get there.


    He stopped suddenly as he spotted a group of more than forty Shriekers about a hundred meters in front of them and wanted to keep the others some distance away.


    ¡°Just like usual, the stronger ones take guard, I¡¯ll be back shortly,¡± he said, but as he looked at his mother he noticed her worried expression.


    She knew that her son was rather strong and although she saw him fighting, up to this time he was only fighting groups with nine or ten Shriekers. In contrast, this group had more than four times as many members, which filled her with worry.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry mom,¡± Quin said with a smile. ¡°I may get a couple of bruises, but that¡¯s all.¡± He laughed and then turned around.


    When he got closer he became shocked at what he saw. There were two people in the middle of the Shriekers and though they were not looking so good, they were still able to hold their ground. Both of them were actually quite tall -- taller than two meters -- and had silverish white hair that reached to the middle of their backs. They were also wearing clothes Quin had never seen before which had the same color as their hair. To be honest, to him it looked like they were made out of their own hair. They shared a very similar facial structure as well and it took him a moment to realize that their genders were actually different.


    Although he stopped for a moment in surprise, he quickly collected himself and jumped straight into the fray as he saw the bad shape they were in.


    With his lightning fast speed, he attacked without catching the Shriekers attention for a breath¡¯s of time, and that was enough for him to reach the couple.


    He could catch a moment¡¯s confusion in the two strangers¡¯ eyes after he arrived, but they quickly realized his intention. Both of them were wielding a shield and a medium sized saber, and were doing their best to cooperate with him during the fight.


    All three of them were constantly bombarded by the Shriekers¡¯ sharp tongues, even from above. Strange, I knew that their larvae could fly and assumed that the adults could as well, but this is the first time I¡¯ve seen them doing so.


    Quin had caught a few of their tongues, and ripped them out just like usual, while planning to let the others crash into his body.


    It was then when the silver haired man jumped in front of him, and the woman to his back. They started to shine with a silver light and their shields extended into a half dome, creating a full one together.


    None of the Shriekers¡¯ attacks were able to penetrate the shields and bounced off of them. However, it did not come without a cost as both of them spat out a mouthful of blood. Though, they did not say a word, the man looked at him with a hint of anger and irritation.


    Hm, so they saw my strength, but thought that I was just fighting recklessly. I guess they could only see just an inexperienced young man in me.


    ¡°I¡¯m grateful to you, but you should focus on defending yourself,¡± Quin said and saw that he was not too convinced. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I really won¡¯t have any problems. Anyways, we don¡¯t have time to waste!¡±


    With that he leapt forward without giving his opponents time to react, and crushed the skull of five of them in an instant.

 Invasion 79 -

    Left, right, ahead, behind and above, Quin was surrounded by Shriekers in all possible directions, yet there was no fear or worry in his eyes. He was moving lightning fast, delivering punches and kicks to his enemies.


    Quin could be compared to a killing machine, as wherever he went, only the lifeless bodies of the Shriekers were left behind. Even though they had a great numerical advantage on him, the strongest one of them had only the strength of the second level of the Qi Culmination sub-stage, and so he could easily overpower them. He only needed to punch a single time to completely destroy his opponent.


    Naturally, it did not mean that he could evade every attack the enemy made, and wasn¡¯t left unscathed. Truthfully, the majority of the injuries he received was due to the simple fact that he did not care about them. It was not out of arrogance or ignorance, but from his experience and observation.


    He was aware of the strength of these attacks and had also personally experienced them during his previous fights, thus knew that they meant no real danger to him.


    Although the Shriekers¡¯ tongues were rather strong and sharp, they could only leave behind surface injuries on him. Furthermore, they healed and vanished in just a matter of moments. True, his energy reserves were also decreasing bit by bit, but it was not something significant. In addition, the most dominant wild energy in the city was the same healing type that the lake emitted. In spite of being exponentially less intensive compared to what you could feel just right next to the lake, it was still there, and Quin¡¯s intake of it had become a lot more efficient during the previous months.


    All in all, it meant that he was under no kind of danger, and even if he had to face a group of Shriekers with a lot more members, in the end he would emerge victorious.


    Phew, now just a few more is left! He had long lost count of his exact body count, and only knew that there were just a couple of Shriekers remaining, while he was standing there soaked in their blood.


    At first, the silver-haired pair were rather occupied with defending themselves, but soon the Shriekers were only concentrating on the bigger threat, namely Quin. This left them without any need to fight and seeing Quin¡¯s unbelievable strength they were standing in one place, clearly shocked and confused.


    ¡°Alright, that was the last one of these abominations!,¡± Quin exclaimed happily. ¡°Are you guys alright? We¡¯ve got a healer back in the wagon.¡±


    They ran to him suddenly, without answering and lifted their hands. Their palms were open and shining with a silver light and they started to move them parallel to his body right away.


    Quin thought that they were about to attack him for a moment, but quickly realized that it was not their intention and lowered his guard. As their palms ran across his body, just a couple of centimeters away from actually touching him, he felt a fairly comfortable warm feeling from them.


    ¡°Y-You aren¡¯t injured?¡± the silver-haired man asked with a somewhat confused look, while the woman was standing there with an expressionless face.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°I told you that you don¡¯t have to worry about it,¡± he said warmly. He found them rather strange, but just at the start of the fight they shielded him despite it injuring them in the process, and then at the end the first thing they did was trying to heal him, so they left quite a good impression of him. ¡°We really don¡¯t have time, so long story short, I¡¯m a body cultivator and so unsurprisingly the capabilities of my body is, well, really good,¡± he explained with a proud smile and then continued without giving them any chance to speak. ¡°So, you see the wagon behind right? We¡¯re heading to the town center to help the others in repelling the Shriekers, so if you want you can tag along.¡±


    The pair looked at each other for a moment and then turning back to Quin both of them nodded.


    ¡°Eizrlkr''n,¡± the man said nodding and then pointed to the woman. ¡°Sian''rl.¡± She nodded as well.


    ¡°Quin,¡± he also introduced himself. ¡°I really don¡¯t mean to be rude, but there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll be able to pronounce your names, so sorry about that in advance. Anyways, so are joining us?¡±


    They simply nodded in answer.


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll be back shortly with the wagon,¡± he said and quickly headed to the others.


    They were not too far so it also did not take long for him to pull the wagon to the newcomers.


    ¡°These two had been fighting the Shriekers when I got here and were doing quite a good job. Fortunately, they decided to join us and they are called Eizr--¡± he said, but got stuck at the middle of the name. ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s better if they say it.¡±


    They introduced themselves again and Quin was wondering how someone could say words like that so easily.


    ¡°How¡¯s your speed?¡± Quin asked the couple. ¡°You looked quite strong, probably somewhere in the end of the second level of Qi Culmination, if I had to guess, but I couldn¡¯t see your speed. Most people in the wagon are below that and none of them have any elements with a good speed, so the wagon¡¯s already fairly full. So, I think that if you¡¯re fast enough and still have qi reserves you could follow along on foot.¡±


    Quin was trying to say it as politely as he could, as it was indeed the truth. Since the last time another batch of people joined their group, he was seriously worried that the wagon would fall apart, but he did not want to leave anyone behind.


    ¡°More fast than air and lots of reserve, no worry,¡± the man answered, agreeing to Quin¡¯s idea.


    He¡¯s speaking a bit strangely, guess they really are not from Ade Lai, he thought. Well, if their speed is better than someone with the air element they¡¯ll be able to keep up, probably. Still, I wonder what kind of element they¡¯ve got... Something that can heal and is also very fast? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard of anything like that, and especially not something that shines like that!


    ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s go!¡± Quin said and with that they set off.


    They were advancing fairly quickly for some time thanks to the silver-haired pair joining them. Although Quin could easily overpower any group of Shriekers, these two¡¯s strength was nothing to joke about. While Quin took on the main body of the group, they were killing off the stray ones.


    Despite their diligence, their speed was greatly decreased as they neared the town center, only being about two hundred meters away from it. The reason was none other than how by that point there was virtually no space between the various groups of Shriekers, and they created one, big enormous group that reached the town center. It meant that now the entire group, or at least the ones that were still capable, were fighting. Quin was at the vanguard with the two newcomers, while the others fought forming a circle around the carriage.


    Quin quickly jumped up to check out the situation ahead of him, but it only made his worry increase. Damn, the entire area is swarmed by them and we even have to watch out to not get ambushed from behind! Then as he turned his gaze around, he was filled complete shock. What the heck are those things?!

 Invasion 80 - Flow

    Although the town center was crowded with Shriekers -- and humans as well -- and was filled with chaos, Quin could still catch the sight of something very strange. There, in the middle of this crowd, a couple of creatures were standing that he had never seen before. He could not perfectly observe them, but what he did see was almost completely white creatures with a long and wide purple line running vertically through their middle. Their two, three-jointed legs were in a shape of an S turned onto its side and ended in a sharp point. They also had a muscular tail that was about one and a half to two meters long.


    They were fighting alongside the Shriekers and had a very similar face to them, so he realized after his initial surprise that they would probably be the next stage for them.


    Damn, people are surrounded from each direction and now even stronger Shriekers have arrived! He started to get a little worried. I need to increase my tempo! Being this strong and having regenerative powers are cool, but right now I¡¯d die for an area of effect skill!


    He was thinking how to solve this problem while simultaneously fighting them without break. The solution came only a bit later when he glanced at an emerald green pillar supporting the roof of a building.


    That should be emerald clay, shouldn¡¯t it? It¡¯s definitely extremely heavy, but I should be strong enough for it. If I rip it out, I could significantly increase my range and kill a lot of them with a single swing!


    He jumped to it quickly and -- hugging it tightly with his arms -- started to lift it up. Of course his enemies took it as a great opportunity to attack him and continuously bombarded him.


    Those damned creatures! They started shooting at a single point to increase their chance! He snorted. Well, you just wait a second or two and we¡¯ll see who will be the one that laughs at the end!


    Using all of his strength, he swiftly managed to rip out the pillar. Damn it¡¯s freaking heavy! He had never held something this heavy before, and knew that it was not too far from his limit.


    Turning around, and after briefly checking that there were only Shriekers in front of him, he swung the pillar out. Numerous Shriekers turned into a pile of purple blood and mangled flesh in the path of the emerald pillar. Crap! Crap! Crap! He could not enjoy this moment as he was using all of his might to stop his makeshift weapon from crashing into a building. Veins bulged out throughout his body and his face was completely red, but in the end he managed to succeed. Phew, alright, here comes the second round!


    To be honest, stopping the pillar was not difficult just due to its massive weight being close to his limit, but for the simple fact that he had never really tried using all of his strength.


    Although he did try to punch a few times with every strength he could muster, it was not the same, as he had no resistance against him. The time he used most of his strength was probably when he managed to burn that piece of violet diamond, yet that was only a single time.


    Quin had boundless strength hidden in him, but he needed practice to use it efficiently.


    He started clearing the way of Shriekers rather quickly once again, and each swing of the pillar left only blood and various bloody parts behind.


    It took some time, but they eventually managed to reunite with the people at the town center. They were rather shocked at Quin¡¯s unorthodox, yet very effective method, but they could not waste their time with making various exclamations when they were in a deadly battle like this. It would just take a moment when they did not pay attention and they could be dead before they knew it.


    Quin quickly looked around, observing the area to know where he was needed the most. He saw Pei, the leader of the local army fiercely fighting off one of the new type of Shriekers. The man looked to be somewhat stronger than the creature, but they were vastly outnumbered and so it was not a one on one fight. Pei had to look out for numerous adult Shriekers as well.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    There were another three of them that were fighting groups of stronger humans, however, they could not compare to Pei, and were visibly at a disadvantage. None of them had reached the third level of Qi Culmination and they also did not have strong or unique elements like Pei had. If this was not enough, these monsters had a very high resistance to the fire element which was rather common among people.


    The town center was a spacious square with four roads going out from the middle of each side, but now every one of these streets were swarmed by Shriekers. Quin looked to the middle of the square and saw that the kids, elderly and other who lacked any fighting abilities were standing there in fear.


    ¡°Escort the ones who can¡¯t fight to the middle, and then those of you who can, join the others who are fighting, but don¡¯t forget to leave a few guards to look over the people in the middle,¡± he instructed. ¡°Also, do watch out for attacks from above and don¡¯t forget that they are really tricky creatures!¡±


    With that, he leapt at the other side of the square where three soldiers were barely able to withhold the attacks of one of the new type of Shrieker. This pillar¡¯s in a fairly bad state, and it may only able to last for a few other swings. Besides, I need to fight these.... Hm, Tailed Shriekers and not the crowd anymore. Well, I guess I¡¯ll still leave them a small gift!


    He swung out with the emerald-clay pillar one last time, but let go of it in the middle of his swing. It flew for some time and consequently killed a few groups of them.


    Then, he punched at a Tailed Shrieker, creating an enormous booming sound. It could not react in time, but it was clearly a lot more powerful compared to the adult Shriekers and only had a dent on its body.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it on, join the others who are in the most need!¡± Quin said to three soldier.


    They looked at him, and then in the next moment vanished to help their other comrades.


    ¡°Now let¡¯s see how you fucker fare against someone your own size!¡± he said with a smirk and leapt at the creature again.


    His target this time was its head, hoping that he would only need a few punches to kill it. However, as his fist got closer to its head, its entirety opened up like a flower -- similar to the adult Shriekers -- and three tongues lashed out at him.


    They were of a purple color and looked even sharper than the ones the adult Shriekers had. What made Quin even more shocked was that they did not simply shoot out, but were spinning around each other during their way. When his fist met them, all three of them were merged into a single tongue.


    So they¡¯ve got some new tricks, let¡¯s see how good they are!


    Blood sprayed everywhere and the Tailed Shrieker was forced a couple of meters back, its tongues limply hanging for a few moments and bleeding heavily from its mouth. Although it was Quin who ended up on top in the exchange, his entire right fist was also bleeding. He shook it and as the crimson blood flew down, there was barely any trace of an injury.


    Fortunately, despite the Tailed Shrieker¡¯s tongues being able to penetrate his fist, it only caused a minor flesh wound which did not reach his bones. Thus, it quickly regenerated in a few moments.


    At the other side, the Tailed Shrieker gathered itself back together as well.


    Quin leapt at it just like last time and the Tailed Shrieker answered similarly. He realized that its tongues was quite dangerous so he decided that they would be his top priority. As they were about to reach his fist, he opened it up and after moving it a bit sideways, grabbed onto them. It required all of his concentration and speed, and doing it was a lot more difficult compared to how easily he could do it against adult Shriekers. Gotcha!


    Next, as he was still in mid-air he made a fast pull on its tongues. Argh! Damn you! Just as he started to pull on them, they became extremely slippery and also grew some kind of spikes. Although they were quite small, somehow they managed to penetrate his skin.


    So you¡¯re trying with some kind of poison, huh? Tough luck fucker!


    As the spikes scraped his hand, he could feel how it became a bit sluggish, but that only lasted for a moment as his regeneration kicked in and destroyed the toxin.


    It looks like I don¡¯t really have a choice and have to take my time to kill it, so I guess I should focus on hitting a vital spot... But I really don¡¯t have any idea how their bodies are built up! Hm, I should make sure to capture at least one from each type alive, then show them to someone who¡¯s knowledgeable about stuff like these! Anyway, since I don¡¯t have time to do that right now, I guess I should just go with its chest, it¡¯s easy to hit and there should be at least some important organs there!


    Quin leapt at the creature a third time, but now he was more prepared.

 Invasion 81 -

    The Tailed Shrieker shot out its tongues once before. I can¡¯t face it head on and neither can I catch, but there¡¯re still a few things that I can try!


    Quin sidestepped from its intertwined tongues in the last moment and then slapped it hard, making it swing away from him. Next, he punched at the middle of its chest, which made a similar sound when two iron weapons collide.


    Even though it was a strong clear hit, the Shrieker managed to maintain its position as it had dug its sharp tail into the ground behind him and thus stabilized itself. It did not matter that Quin¡¯s strike caused a small crack to appear on its chest, his enemy did not even budge, and instead answered with a counterattack.


    The Shrieker bent the last two joints of its three-jointed leg and made its knee look extremely sharp.


    Quin saw from the corner of his eyes that the Shriekers were not too keen on fighting one on one with him anymore, and a couple of adult Shriekers¡¯ tongues were already moving toward him.


    What to do now? In front of me is the Tailed Shrieker who¡¯s just about to attack and I¡¯m surrounded by adult Shriekers. Well, it¡¯s not like there are tens of them attacking me currently, so it¡¯s still manageable, but it just makes things longer and time isn¡¯t something we have much of currently...


    In the end, he decided to try and dodge the tongues and sidestep the Tailed Shrieker¡¯s knee as well. He had hoped that a few of those attacks would end up hitting the Tailed Shrieker, but these creatures had an uncanny teamwork.


    He continued exchanging blows with it, but it got increasingly difficult as more and more adult Shriekers decided that he was the number one priority. Fortunately, he got some help from the soldiers after some time, so he could go back to concentrating on his main enemy.


    Though his fight did not start too long ago, because both of them were actually moving quite fast, they had exchanged numerous blows in just the span of half a minute. The cracks on its chest constantly increased and that at least made him a bit more reassured.


    Damn!


    Quin saw that an adult Shrieker was about to pierce one of the soldiers, and as he was too far from him as well as in the middle of his strike, he did not have enough time to do anything about saving him.


    Whoosh!


    He heard a strange sound that he could not link or compare to anything he had previously experienced. The soldier he had been worried about disappeared, and Quin could only see a lingering tint of dark red in the area the soldier had occupied.


    What the heck was that? He scanned the area right away, but had no idea what had happened. I don¡¯t think that something killed him as there¡¯s no trace of him, so maybe he was taken away? It¡¯s nothing like the Shriekers, and it was just before he would have been killed, but does that mean we¡¯ve got a stronger ally? Damn, how strong could they be? I wasn¡¯t even able to catch a single glimpse of them! It¡¯s definitely on the level of the Spirit Forming stage! I really hope that they are on our side or else... We¡¯re screwed.


    His fight went on and although he tried to be careful, he clearly knew that if they turned out to be an enemy, none of his efforts would be of any use.


    However, as time went on he grew even more sure that it was not the case, because a few other soldiers disappeared just like before and just before the moment of their death. When he finally spotted a few soldiers -- a couple of those being the ones whom he had seen vanish -- lying on the ground at the town center, he became a lot calmer. He could see that, though they were unconscious, they were still breathing.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Damn, if they are this strong then why aren¡¯t they fighting the Shriekers as well? Quin was rather confused. It¡¯s good that they are rescuing those soldiers, but with a strength like that it wouldn¡¯t take too much effort to help us out!


    He was confused and shocked during the whole time, and he could not help, but let the stranger occupy a great part of his mind. This meant that he was more or less fighting on instinct against his enemy, and despite trading blows, he was clearly still in the winning position. He had no fancy attacks or techniques only his pure strength and incredible regeneration.


    Relying only on his punches and kicks made fighting against an enemy like the Tailed Shrieker somewhat difficult, and Quin was not too happy about the fact that he had completely forgotten about his spear when he left for Faiyi¡¯s house. Even though it was made out of a material he could easily crush with his bare hands, it had various advantages.


    The first one being the extra reach it granted, which would have given him a lot more opportunities during his fight. Dark gold was weaker than the Tailed Shrieker¡¯s armored skin, but not all of its body surface was as hard, and just like there weren¡¯t any creatures that had no weak spots on them, this Shrieker was no different. Its skin appeared to be not so tough on a few jointed areas, not to speak about its huge mouth, and thus he would have only needed a couple of precise attacks against those points. Naturally, he could not be sure about these things, but this was what he had assumed from his observations.


    Yet, he had no weapon around him, and he could not just shoot out lightning bolts from his hand anymore. This left him with a slow and long fight against the enemy.


    Boom!


    The creature¡¯s chest could not bear his punches anymore and it finally burst open, spraying its disgusting purple blood like a fountain. It would have been fairly easy to land a few more punches, but Quin had a feeling that its blood was something that he would better avoid, at the very least in a quantity like that. Thus he simply jumped sideways and tried to position himself for another attack after it would be safe enough again.


    The Tailed Shrieker let out an ear-piercing shriek that even made Quin feel light-headed for a moment and he noticed that the egg inside his mind trembled violently a couple of times as well. It made him think of a few various things, but it was not the time to ponder on them.


    The creature became silent after a few seconds and its blood did not spray that much anymore, so Quin moved in for another attack. His target was its opened up chest, as that would probably be the easiest target. Now that most of the blood had gushed out, he was sure that his body would be able to handle the smaller amount trickling out now.


    He noticed something strange before his punch connected: there was something white that moved about beneath the creature¡¯s skin. They are like... Arms! His fist smashed into them and they seemed rather tough despite being weaker than its armored skin.


    I¡¯ve wondered why they didn¡¯t have any arms, but they are just hidden beneath their skin.... But why would it be like that? He really had no idea about how their anatomy worked.


    The Shrieker was in quite a bad state, and could not really resist his attacks anymore. Quin¡¯s fists were drenched in purple blood, which made him glad about his previous decision to avoid the blood flow, as it had a very strong acidic property to it that even his regeneration found difficult to keep up with. Damn, I can feel how much wild energy is flowing to my hands... It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t keep up, but this makes me expend so much energy!


    Fortunately, the creature was finished after a few more hits, and fell lifelessly to the ground. I guess that I found a weak point... he thought with half a smirk.


    Quin only stopped for a moment, and then quickly cleaned his hands from the disgusting acidic liquid.


    Damn!


    Just as he turned his head around to see how the battle was going, the Tailed Shrieker¡¯s body trembled and its tail shot out lightning fast, like a spear after separating from its body. There was no way he was expecting something like this to happen and was totally flabbergasted. It would not matter that much if he only had felt surprised, and in spite of being slow to react he would probably be able to do something to counter it, but its tail was as fast as lightning, so much so that he could only see it as a blur.


    It was halfway to the center of the town where the ones who were not able to fight stayed before he could even start to move.

 Invasion 82 - Power

    The Shrieker¡¯s tail was flying toward the group in the center and there was nothing he could do. However, in the next moment the world turned dark red and it seemed like time itself froze. Quin could hear a strange noise, but it disappeared before he could have started to wonder how it sounded. What happened during that brief moment was something he could barely see, the tail instantly turned into purple blood and then into dark red which fell to the ground.


    Everything changed back to normal, except everyone -- including the Shriekers -- stopped in their place, completely dumbfounded.


    Quin carefully looked around hoping to get a glimpse of what or who caused this to happen. As his gaze came upon the people at the center he also inspected them to see if they were alright. They are the ones I helped to get here, fortunately they all seem to be alright other than being shocked and scared. Faiyi¡¯s still sleeping? Well, she¡¯s lucky to not having to see all of this and... Mom?! His face lost all of his color as fear quickly overcame him.


    Blood was flowing out from the sides of her mouth and although it did not look serious, he would have been scared even if it had been just a scratch.


    She noticed how Quin looked at her and then reassuringly smiled back at him after cleaning the blood from her face. It did make him a bit more relaxed, but he still felt rather worried about her and what had happened to her. They were safe from the attacks and not even that tail could reach them, so he was completely lost about the cause of her bleeding.


    Quin started to hear various noises that signaled the battle continued, and turned back after his mother pointed behind him. She probably wants me not to worry and go back to help the others... However, the sight in front of him was completely shocking. What the heck? Did that do this?


    The area was still crowded with Shriekers, but one of the four streets was completely devoid of them. The entire street was painted in the exactly same color as the attack he had previously seen, and that made its origin fairly evident.


    Quin was aware that the Spirit Forming stage was a completely different realm and that there was a big gap between them and the ones who were at the peak of the third level of Qi Culmination, but this was something he had found hard to believe. It only took a single moment and hundreds, if not thousands of Shriekers were gone, including two of the Tailed Shriekers.


    Alright Quin, there¡¯s no time to dilly-dally! I can think about these things later, now the most important thing is to get rid of them all. Fortunately only a single Tailed Shrieker remains, and although there still are a lot of adult Shriekers, their numbers have been greatly decreased.


    He quickly made his way to the remaining Tailed Shrieker, that was currently fighting with Pei. The leader of the local soldiers was not in a very good shape, as his body was covered by wounds and gashes. He isn¡¯t even merged with his element and barely attacks. Rather, he¡¯s all about evading and dodging. Quin suspected that the man did not have much energy left, as he used his qi quite sparingly.


    He jumped into the fray and punched the creature from its side, pushing it back a few meters.


    ¡°I got this,¡± he said and seeing the hesitation in Pei¡¯s eyes, he quickly added, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I killed one before and I think you know very well that you¡¯d be more help to the others.¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    He delivered a few other punches to the Tailed Shrieker before he could continue, as the creature was obviously not keen on stopping to let them talk.


    ¡°You know me, I¡¯m no team fighter, and didn¡¯t really have much experience at it,¡± he explained further.


    Pei let out a tsk voice and joined the nearby soldiers who had their hands full with adult Shriekers.


    I should deal with its tail first, to make sure that doesn¡¯t happen again... Quin felt a bit shameful about how proud he had felt about defeating the creature, and as he was standing there complacently, he nearly let another tragedy happen. Damn, I thought that I was over it, but this kind of behavior seems to be deeply ingrained inside me. I should never let my guard down in a fight or get distracted by feelings of conceit or superiority, just as my fight with Mang should have already taught me!


    He continued to exchange blows with the Tailed Shrieker while he was thinking about these things, and it made him notice that despite having his mind occupied by various things, he could still concentrate on the fight fairly well.


    Naturally he could not fight to the best of his abilities, but it seemed like his fighting instincts were truly well developed, so much so that he was able to suppress a strong enemy like the Tailed Shrieker. I can¡¯t help but think that it¡¯s because of that egg... Well, in that case it at least gave me something positive as well. Letting these instincts help him fight was not the same as that time when his consciousness was completely lost. Although the egg had various strange reactions during the Shriekers¡¯ attack, it was held in total submission.


    Quin was focusing on getting rid of its tail, but it turned out to be a quite difficult task to accomplish. His speed was better, but it still did not mean that the Shrieker was slow. On the contrary, it was the fastest enemy he had yet faced. In addition, its tongues were dangerous weapons that the creature could use to react to his moves very well.


    It looked like the Tailed Shrieker had some kind of sense which covered all directions, as it countered his attacks precisely with its tail even during the times he managed to get behind its back. Nonetheless, his fists were stronger, and furthermore, he had his regeneration -- something his enemy clearly lacked.


    Quin managed to gradually batter its tail into a pulp after numerous blows, and thus, he felt that he could finally finish the vile creature. One punch came after another, and he was completely dominating the creature. Losing its tail was a rather significant loss to the Shrieker, as it could not use it to defend its back or to stabilize itself when needed anymore.


    It shot out its three tongues numerous times, but each time it did, Quin simply slapped them back and tried to attack its back which was now much more vulnerable.


    He looked around on occasions to check out how the battle was progressing overall, and in spite of seeing numerous soldiers lying unconsciously at the town¡¯s center, it was clear that they would secure victory eventually.


    His enemy¡¯s movements started to slow down and its attacks got sluggish as he caused more and more damage to it. However, as he was about to strike the Shrieker once more, he suddenly stopped in the middle of it and quickly jumped backward.


    What¡¯s going on?


    Something strange was happening and he had no idea of what it was. All of the Shriekers started a piercing cry simultaneously shocking everyone to their very cores, and then the things started heading in the direction of the Tailed Shrieker he was fighting.


    Its body was glowing in a purple light which gave Quin a great sense of danger and made him retreat a couple of steps back. The other Shriekers started to fly around it in circles, and soon it looked like as if his enemy was standing in the eye of a vortex -- a vortex that was made out of Shriekers.


    A shriek resounded that was incomparably louder to the previous ones, and a few people even coughed up mouthfuls of blood, while the weakest ones straight up fainted. Then, the spin of the vortex stopped for a single moment and then resumed, turning lightning fast. They were not only circling around the Tailed Shrieker, but also started to wildly charge right at it.


    The strange thing was that there was no collision, and they only disappeared into the Tailed Shrieker¡¯s body. One Shrieker after another dived at it fearlessly, and Quin was at a complete loss about what was happening.

 Invasion 83 - Survive

    Moments passed, but the Shriekers continued their strange behavior and none of the humans -- not even Quin -- dared to approach them.


    Although Pei was completely surprised as well, he only let his focus to be gone for just a few seconds and started to issue various commands right after that. He was the leader of the forces that were stationed in Hounxi and knew how much of a responsibility he had. With just a couple of orders he managed to reorganize their group quite effectively.


    The wounded and the ones that were not able to continue the fight anymore were brought to the center of the square, which was then surrounded by the others in multiple layers, with the strongest fighters positioned in the outermost circle.


    Even though the most optimal choice would have been evacuating them, they had no such option. Most of the Shriekers were still flying crazily in a circle above the Tailed Shrieker, but there was no certainty that there would be no other groups of them hidden in other parts of the town.


    Quin¡¯s place was currently the closest to the strange phenomenon, he was standing there alone as the vanguard of their group. He was constantly thinking about what was happening and how he should react to it.


    He instinctively knew that going closer to the Tailed Shrieker would be extremely dangerous now and had a truly bad premonition. Its body¡¯s still glowing so intensely, but it looks like it¡¯s changing continuously. Is it using some strange technique to make itself stronger? I can¡¯t think of anything else other than that!


    These damn sons of bitches! It¡¯s been already difficult to fight them and when I thought that we were finally in the position to win, they pull something out of their asses!


    But... What¡¯s if it¡¯ll be stronger than me? A hint of dread appeared in his eyes. We¡¯ve got a true Spirit Forming expert, but would they interfere? The only time they did so was when the town¡¯s center was directly attacked... Damn, there¡¯s just too many variables.


    He looked back to the place his mother and the others were a bit worriedly, but his mother¡¯s only response was the same smile as before.


    Does she trust me that much? Or is she just trying to encourage me? He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, calming himself down. Damn, I¡¯m such a worrywart! I don¡¯t even know how strong it¡¯ll be, neither how strong I truly am. Though fighting the Tailed Shrieker was hard, it didn¡¯t take me to my limit and besides I¡¯ve got the homeground here. My energy reserves are about half, but it¡¯s continuously recharging and worst case scenario I¡¯ll just run to take a quick dip in the lake!


    Time passed awfully slow and all of the people that were at the town¡¯s center was filled with worry and fear.


    A sound of thunderous creak could be heard suddenly and then was followed by an ear-piercing shriek soon. The Tailed Shrieker¡¯s outer part that had been glowing in a purple color previously exploded, spraying a disgusting sticky liquid in every direction. The trees, the rocks, the structures, basically everything that it touched was reduced to nothing more than a black powder in an instant.


    Then, a strange and terrifying creature emerged from where once the Tailed Shrieker stood. It was still mostly white with a few lines of purple running through its body. It was at least three times as high as Quin, as it was standing on its three, long three-jointed legs that ended in extremely sharp points. It no longer had a tail and Quin assumed that it was turned into its rear leg during the transformation.


    It also had a pair of long arms, but its hands were nothing like a human¡¯s. They ended in a sharp point just like its legs, but they were also symmetrically surrounded by six longer spikes. Some kind of purple gas was constantly emitted from its giant mouth that looked very similar to the Tailed Shrieker¡¯s.


    ¡°Man, it¡¯s one disgusting monster!¡± Quin exclaimed in a joking manner, but in truth he was fairly worried. The creature looked terrifying even in his eyes and he did have some reservations about engaging a beast like this in battle. However, there was no other path in front of him, so he swallowed his fear and worry and started to slowly walk toward it, his heart beating as fast as it had never before.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The remaining swarm of Shriekers that had been still circling around the creature started to suddenly shoot toward the group of people one after another and soon battle broke out once again.


    The creature lowered its body so that it reached the ground and then shot upward, disappearing from their eyes in a mere moment. Damn, that¡¯s too fast! Its three legs gave the beast an incredible amount of strength and Quin could barely follow its movements. Where did it go? He was constantly scanning the air to find a trace of his opponent.


    Fuck!


    Quin jumped to the side with all of his might as he could barely register the danger that was coming from above.


    BOOM!


    The Shrieker crashed into the ground where he was just a moment ago, with his three legs¡¯ ends pointing toward each other. The air blew fiercely from the collision and even he could not keep himself from getting blown away a few meters. His face was pale white from the shock.


    He had faced death multiple times and had been in numerous dangerous battles, but this was something else. The entire thing was so sudden that had he reacted even a tenth of a second later, he would be nothing more than a pulp of blood and gore or maybe even less than that. Furthermore there had been no time when he felt so inferior compared to his enemy as now -- except the first time he had encountered a Shrieker, but that was no battle.


    Quin did not stay idle though, and thanks to his strong willpower got himself together in no time. Back on his feet, he started to run toward the creature right away. It may have looked like a foolish decision at first, but he realized that it was not the creature¡¯s normal movements that were so freakishly fast. The reason behind its speed was that it used the strength of all three of its legs to catapult itself high in the air and then probably even used some kind of technique in addition to gravity to fall back. It would not have an opportunity to use all of the strength of its legs to jump straight at him or to get him by that much of a surprise under normal circumstances.


    The Shrieker was still stuck in the crater it made and it seemed a great opportunity for attacking it. Its legs appeared to be covered in a strong armor, so Quin planned to jump up on the creature and threw a couple of punches at its neck. Despite it being difficult to get to, it was the creature¡¯s only part that he could clearly see being weaker.


    Its head was now only a meter above the ground due to it being sunk it the crater and that made it look like a perfect opportunity for him.


    When he was close enough he jumped with all the power his legs could muster and left behind two smaller craters where his legs once stood. Although his speed could not be compared to his enemy¡¯s previous attack, it was by no means slow.


    Things did not go at all how Quin wanted to and as he was closing on his target, it opened its mouth that hid several dangerously looking tongues. They shot at him right away from all direction, most of them came from the front, but there were ones that did an arc and targeted his sides or back.


    Quin felt more than just a hint of danger as he was surrounded from every direction and was rather angry at his mistake to leap at the Shrieker from so far away. He wanted to strike as fast as he could, but this impatience cause a dangerous situation for him as being in the air he lacked any means to effectively dodge or block the attacks. Those tongues looked sharp as a razor and were lightning fast thus he was at a complete loss to how to get out of this situation.


    Damn!


    He decided to try to strike the most dangerous one or two and bend his body in a more protective state.


    BOOM!


    Another sound of explosion could be heard after their exchange and blood flew in every direction. None of it was purple, however, and Quin was in a quite sorry state as he fell down to the ground. His body was painted in red and there were chunks of his body missing in various places, but despite all of this he jumped back to his feet right away.


    Fuck! Its tongue actually pierced through my fist! Even though his fist had been injured when he directly struck at the Tailed Shrieker¡¯s combined tongues, that was not anything serious. This time was completely different as he could barely move his right hand anymore. Naturally, the wild healing energy was already hard at work, but it was not something easy to restore due to the creature also injecting him with some kind of poison.


    Quin thought that his current situation was rather bad.

 Invasion 84 - Do or Die

    Quin¡¯s entire body was filled with horrible pain, but that was nothing to him as he knew that it would not take too long for his body to be restored. What made him worry though, was the fight ahead of him.


    He discarded any plans of attacking it and decided to focus purely on his defense. It would do no good to get in a punch just to die right away from the creature¡¯s attacks afterward. His movements were quick as he leaped backward, but this Shrieker was a fearsome enemy.


    Before long, it had already got itself out of the crater and this time it did not catapult itself up in the air, but instead charged wildly at Quin. Countless tongues emerged from its mouth with a speed so fast that Quin could only see them in a blur. They¡¯re definitely faster than me, but let¡¯s hope that my maneuverability is better?


    He tried to evade them by quickly changing directions and it did slow them down, but more importantly he was not left with the need to block all of them at once. There were still a couple of them coming at him simultaneously, but he had a lot more confidence in this way.


    This time it was three of them and the first one targeted the center of his head. He managed to barely turn his head in the last moment and the tongue flew past just next to his ears. Hearing the sound it generated so close would have normally filled him with dread, but this fight was totally different than the previous ones where he could let his mind to be distracted. Currently, Quin needed all of his concentration just to successfully evade these attacks.


    Two other tongues came in almost the same moment and while he turned his head slightly he had also lifted up his right leg, away from the second attack.


    The last one was aimed at the side of his chest and he countered it by slapping on the tongue hard to divert its direction. Despite using so much of his strength he was not able to succeed at it entirely and in the end, he lost another smaller chunk from his left side.


    Quin did not have any time to rest and quickly leaped backward again from the attacks. This went on for a couple of exchanges and although his body was covered in gashes and wounds, his ability to evade them and to simultaneously move various parts of his body started to improve.


    Another five tongues came and two out of the first three was targeting his head again while the third one his neck. Quin bent his entire body back almost to the point it was horizontal and then put his hands on the ground behind him. With his momentum and his hands as a base, he flipped back to his legs again.


    By that time the other two tongues were already at him attacking him from both sides. Quin managed to dodge one by turning to one side and tried to divert the other one with a slap. However, his body was not able to cleanse the poison he got infected with after every hit out of his body and thus some of his movements became a bit sluggish over time. His slap was just a bit too late and the tongue pierced through the left side of his chest.


    Fuck it!


    Quin let out a growl as he decided that he had enough of being only at the receiving end of things and even if it was risky, he would do something to hurt his enemy. He grabbed with his other hand on the tongue that was still inside of him and jumped away with all of his strength after turning around.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    He got wildly pulled back after a few meters and his right hand was severely bleeding. It was just like with the Tailed Shrieker, and trying to rip out its tongue was not something that would be so easy. The only thing that still left him with a good feeling was seeing that the tongue¡¯s movement became visible slower afterward.


    Maybe that¡¯s my plan? With that, he decided that no matter how much pain this kind of counterattack caused him, he would continue doing it.


    There were only a few things going on his mind, but the strongest was not even his desire to survive anymore, but the hate he felt toward this vile and disgusting race. He wanted nothing more than to completely eradicate them and he knew that even if it cost his life he would be satisfied with being able to do that. Thus his main priority had changed from defending to causing as much harm as he could.


    Although his way of thinking sounded foolish, his mind was not quite clear anymore and his judgment was a bit clouded by his utter hatred toward the Shriekers. Besides, his plan was not entirely stupid and there were two reasons for it. It was true that he was bombarded by constant attacks and the number of his injuries only grew, but he did have his regeneration. Quin hoped that he would gradually be able to whittle away the Shrieker¡¯s body -- especially its tongues -- and then he would also have less trouble with its attacks. The other reason was that right from the beginning of the fight he had been luring the creature in the direction of the lake and though they were still some distance away they were steadily closing in. That meant that the wild energy got denser and denser, increasing his ability to regenerate as well as making him feel less worried about running out of reserves.


    Even if his plan did not turn out the most optimal way, he was certain that he would last long enough to get to the lake and there he would have the high ground.


    When the following series of attacks came he did not evade or block the last ones on purpose and let it pierce through him. Then he did the same as before, grabbed on it strongly and jumped away, repeating this cycle a couple of times. Quin¡¯s entire body was in a horrible state and even the bones were visible on his hands, but on the bright side he did manage to significantly slow down at least half of the creature¡¯s tongues. This made things easier for him, but unsurprisingly the Shrieker was not without other tricks.


    When its next attacks came it was not just the usual ones, and as Quin was about to grab its tongue the Shrieker¡¯s arms started to move lightning fast. It looked like the creature tried to squeeze him between its two spiky hands.


    Quin noticed and managed to leap backward just in time, or at least that was what he thought, but his opponent had other plans for him. The spikes in the center opened up and started to emit a purple colored gas while the other spikes around them opened up as well revealing something similar to its tongues.


    He would have definitely wondered what was the matter with Shriekers and their unending amount of tongues, but he was too busy trying to get away from his position that looked completely hopeless.


    From the front, the creature attacked him with its tongues just like before and to top it off his path was also closed from his back by the tongue-like things that shot out of its spikes on its hand. If this was not enough, the area between these places was quickly filled with the purple gas that was obviously rather toxic and he did not even dare to breathe it in.


    Hit came after hit and he felt like he was enclosed in a prison of tongues without having anywhere to go. Though barely, he did manage to hold out for a bit more time and now he could feel that they were really close to the lake. Still, he was not sure he would last that long as he would not even dare to imagine what kind of condition he was currently in.


    After a couple of exchanges later -- or maybe it would be more appropriate to call it simply beatings -- he was truly wondering whether this would be his last day as he could barely evade the incoming attacks and more and more managed to hit him.


    Then, however, during what he thought would be his last moment an opportunity appeared before him as if he had been in some sort of a miracle.

 Invasion 85 - Harmony

    Quin did not know what had happened and only saw that the Shrieker froze for a second, then turned its head backward like it was looking for something. Although it was a quite short period of time, he jumped backward with his remaining strength right away and then started to run. He could see the lake was just a hundred or so meters away and that made his hope return. Quin knew from experience that how much his regeneration speeds up when he''s directly in the water itself and so would not need a long period of time to heal himself.


    The Shrieker¡¯s distraction was only for a moment though, and it quickly turned his attention back to him. The fierce attacks started to continue and Quin only had a second or two of advantage on his enemy, which was not very big.


    He was able to evade almost all of the first series of its attacks, but the next ones gave him another set of injuries and he could barely prevent himself from falling down from the strong force the tongues had behind them. However, with each evasion he was closer to his goal and he was completely focused on that single thought.


    Damn, just another couple of steps and I¡¯m there! I have to hold on!


    Numerous tongues were coming from behind him and also from his sides, trying to close off his routes of escape. Quin leaped forward to his hands just barely above a tongue that was suddenly coming from the front and then pushed himself back to his feet with his arm.


    In the next moment, he had to jump to the left as that was the only route he would be merely injured and not caught or even worse, dead. He was barely able to get back on his feet with a movement similar to a somersault and could not even take more than three steps when he was forced to leap away again.


    His heart was beating so fast that he felt it would explode any moment and he was drenched in his own blood and sweat, while his body was missing numerous chunks of flesh and bones. Despite all of this, he did manage to reach the lakeshore in the end and then jumped into it with all of his strength.


    Quin could see as various tongues were following him during his jump and he suddenly had an idea to grab onto one to bring it down with him. There was only one problem with this, that he had to discover that his right hand with which he wanted to grab on the tongue was missing entirely.


    Fortunately, the lake was very steep right from its edge at the part he was at and he quickly headed deeper. Surprisingly the Shrieker did not seem to be afraid of the water at all and its tongues continued to chase after him. That truly made him worried for a moment, but he could already feel his cells, bones, and organs rapidly regenerating and knew that he was through the toughest part.


    There was no reaction from the Shrieker at first, but then after just a breath of time its tongues -- that chased him into the water -- erupted in flames. Quin did not really have that much of an idea about the details or how could something burn inside the water, but he suspected that this wild energy inside the lake was opposing to the monster¡¯s body and thus had a reaction like that. He could see from under the surface of the water how a set of its tongues almost completely turned to ash in just a matter of seconds.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you deserve!¡± he could not help, but cry out in laughter after seeing what happened to the creature. Though due to being submerged in water it was not audible at all outside.


    It was still not the time to counterattack, however, as his body would need a bit more time and if he went out now he would just risk his life. Calming himself down, he focused his mind to recover as fast as he could.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Quin did not know whether the creature was dead set on him or not and if he were to take a long time it would not just turn back to kill the other people at the town¡¯s center. That would be an absolute catastrophe, but on the other hand it would also do no good to just simply sacrifice himself without any meaning, so he needed a short amount of time and could only hope that nothing would happen during it.


    As he was trying to harmonize himself to the lake and its energy he discovered something very strange. It¡¯s... It¡¯s actually different! He did not have the same feeling as usually and so quickly noticed the difference. The wild energy¡¯s rhythm that had been somewhat slow and leisurely became actually fairly fast and it no longer was calm and tranquil.


    The feeling he got from it was... Anger and loathing. Although this was what Quin felt from it, it was not something so simple. These were not emotions in the forms like humans had them, as they were a lot cruder than that, but these two feelings were the first things that came to his mind.


    He also noticed that strangely, the rhythm of the wild energy became surprisingly similar to the rhythm of his own heartbeat. Even though he was at a loss regarding the lake¡¯s reaction, he felt like he had never before. It was like he was on the exact same wavelength as the lake and its wild energy.


    Furthermore, the pattern he had been so eagerly observing and trying to see through during the past half year became crystal clear to him now. Yet, he knew that it was also different from how it had been previously and he felt that it was a lot closer to his thoughts, personality... To himself.


    Feeling like... Like he was in complete harmony with the lake.


    It was then when he opened his eyes and realized that he was standing just at the edge of the lake facing his disgusting enemy. His feet were planted in a shoulder-width distance and it was his left side that was facing the Shrieker; while his arms were held horizontally in arcs -- each creating a half-circle -- and with the left one being below the right one. It was a strange position that looked a touch uncomfortable, but actually the opposite was the truth.


    Although it could be barely seen, he was not motionless and his arms and legs were slowly, but continuously moving. They looked like they were very close to their goal, but it still was not the right time for that and thus slowed down to a speed that was barely visible.


    The Shrieker¡¯s patience seemed to come to an end and seeing that he was no longer protected by the lake¡¯s water it attacked once again. When its myriad of tongues was only a few meters away, suddenly the movement of his left arm started to accelerate. It gradually straightened up and even went past that, ending up in a position where it was diagonal to the line of his body and arched slightly backward.


    When it reached that position something happened that had never been before in the history of the humans of Ranfel. Wild energy had appeared along the path his left hand made previously, out of thin air. Although it was similar, it was not the lake¡¯s, but something that Quin had actually created himself.


    Then, it lashed out in the direction of the Shrieker like a violent, spinning vortex. It did not suck in the creature¡¯s attack, rather it acted more like a circular blade that was spinning and started to grind the tongues. The outcome was not so obvious as it had been when the Shrieker¡¯s tongues lit on fire inside the lake¡¯s water, but in the end it was clear that Quin¡¯s wild energy was the one that emerged victorious.


    It caused numerous injuries on the Shrieker¡¯s weapons, yet none to Quin, who did not even stop moving for a single second. He stepped back with left leg, while simultaneously moving his left arm. He moved it horizontally as back as he could and then down next to his left leg to the point it was completely vertical. Next, it started to move upward while he put down even the heel of his left leg and in the end his upper arm was parallel to the ground while his forearm and hand arched into a half-circle perpendicular to the ground. By turning his body forward again and moving his forearm to be parallel to the ground, Quin completed a cycle and was in a position just like when he started, with the only difference it being mirrored to his other side.


    Just with another set of this movement a new wave of the wild energy appeared heading toward his enemy and its attacks right away.

 Invasion 86 - Unstoppable

    After completing the previous cycle, Quin continued doing strange sets of movements -- similar to the ones before, but still different. Some released wild energy after a single cycle, some needed two or more. Although it did not have a particularly fast release rate, the waves he created were long lasting and contained a lot of energy thus constantly pressuring the Shrieker. After the fourth wave, he instinctively knew that this was his current limit, and would have to restart the whole sequence of motions to able to create more of this wild energy. Fortunately, these four waves had significantly battered down his opponent to the point it had only a few tongues remaining and its tough armored skin was covered in dents and injuries.


    The tables had turned and now it was Quin who was completely unharmed and the Shrieker who was in a sorry state. He did not waste any time and charged at the creature right away, his eyes being filled with utter hatred.


    He had thought numerous times that he would not be able to hate the Shriekers more than what he already had, but the hatred inside him only grew more and more after each of their encounters.


    His speed was even faster than before and his punch connected with the center of creature¡¯s chest at the part where its skin had been already damaged. The attack was accompanied by a loud booming sound like that of two metals colliding and the Shrieker was pushed back a couple of meters.


    The wound on its chest became even bigger and small, barely visible tongues of flame could be seen on the edge of the injury. Although Quin did not remember his punches being this effective previously, he did not stop to wonder about it lest giving his enemy time to gather itself. When his feet touched the ground, he leaped at the almost defenseless creature once again aiming at the same spot once again.


    It caused the Shrieker¡¯s skin to completely open up leaving its insides unprotected and making its purple blood flow in rivers. The Shrieker could barely stabilize itself from the force Quin had behind his punch and without its myriad of tongues its defense seemed to be practically non-existent. However, Quin knew better than that, especially after underestimating these creatures multiple times and thus was constantly on the lookout for any new tricks it might try to employ.


    The insides of the Shrieker looked more than disgusting and Quin felt that if he were to get in contact with it, it would definitely hurt him. Yet, he was fairly accustomed to being hurt, injuries or pain, besides he would have to deal with the creature as soon as possible and he had seen how bad it reacted to his punches.


    BOOM!


    A deafening sound of explosion rang out after his next strike and it made him pause for a moment. When his fist hit its insides it caused a lot of damage, but for whatever reason he had no idea about, it was followed by an explosion right away.


    He was rather certain that it severely injured his opponent, but it also ripped out a few chunks of his right arm. Thankfully his regeneration was at its full power and backed by the constant supply from the lake that was only about twenty meters away, a few breaths of time was enough for his arm to recover.


    The Shrieker took advantage of his brief pause though, and shoot out a purplish dense cloud of smoke that was shaped like a spear as it flew right at Quin. This attack caused him to feel an imminent sense of danger welling up inside him and thus quickly jumped to the side.


    Shockingly, the spear-like smoke cloud changed its direction while in mid-air and Quin barely had the time to punch out in an effort to stop it.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    BOOM!


    Another booming sound could be heard and Quin felt his entire body trembling from the force of the explosion and its resulting shockwaves. His right arm was no more and he even had some parts of the shoulder missing, but he still felt fortunate that it was only a single limb. Damn, it could¡¯ve been a lot worse! That purple stuff... I¡¯ve seen in numerous times and I think its body is filled with that. The wild energy and that seems to react that intense to each other. It would also explain how the first explosion happened. Hm, in that case I can¡¯t let it attack me from range as then it¡¯d only be me that gets injured!


    Quin ignored his rapidly regenerating arm -- or more precisely his shoulder from that it started to regrow -- and went on the offensive once again. Facing him, the Shrieker started to wildly tremble as more and more purple cloud begin to gather in its mouth, clearly signaling it was about to attack.


    It was different this time, as he was more prepared and knew what kind of attack it would be. He was close to the creature when it shot out another purple smoke spear, but managed to nimbly evade it by jumping to the side in the last moment. It tried to follow him, but he timed his movement perfectly and then leaped at his enemy after dodging.


    Next, he struck out with his left fist as that was his only arm left and what followed soon was another booming sound. The smoke spear was still following him, but it was within his plans and he used the force of the explosion to quickly back away. However, it swiftly changed direction once again and continued its way toward Quin. There was no concern or worry in his eyes as he could clearly see that the strange attack had lost a significant portion of its energy and thus when it was close enough he punched out with his slightly injured left hand.


    A smaller sound could be heard and a few additional bruises appeared on his left arm. It was nothing major though and he quickly prepared for his next attack. Cracks spread throughout the surface of the ground as he leaped at the Shrieker yet another time.


    This kind of fighting went on for a while, but despite receiving several not-so-light injuries during the process, Quin was undoubtedly the one at the top. Another couple of exchanges later, the creature¡¯s body could not hold out more and got ripped into two parts at the part he was constantly targeting.


    It did not mean the Shrieker¡¯s end though, it seemed to be quite persistent and tried to maneuver its upper body using its hands like legs. Quin was able to easily target its head now because its height got decreased by about half, which naturally meant that it became easier to reach. There was not any good opportunity to hit it with his fist and thus he just slapped the creature each time with all of his strength. Gradually, the Shrieker¡¯s head became nothing but a pulp of meat and exploded out with a great force in the end.


    Quin did not leave anything to chance and did not stop until there was really nothing more of its body than a disgusting gory mess. The process did give him even more injuries and prevented his body from fully regenerating, but he wanted to make sure that the Shrieker was truly no more.


    He let out a long sigh as he looked at the remnants of their battle. It¡¯s finally over... Quin was both physically and mentally exhausted and there were countless questions in his head that were left to be answered, but it was only his fight that was over, not the battle.


    I¡¯ll go take a bath in the lake to recover and to regrow my arm and then, I¡¯ll join the others, he thought.


    Although Quin did not know what kind of situation the others were currently in, he was completely aware of his own. His body was a mess, filled with injuries of varying kind and seriousness and he was still missing half of his right arm. There were a few fairly serious wounds on his legs as well which would also limit his mobility if left unattended, so taking a break was something essential.


    It did not take too long, as he obviously did not stay there until he was fully healed, but only up to the point he was in sufficient fighting shape. He doubted that there would be any opponents like this creature, so he knew that even if somehow the Shriekers¡¯ numbers miraculously increased he would not have any issues.


    What... The heck? As he exited the lake a shocking image welcomed him.

 Invasion 87 - Bitterness

    Quin could not find any words looking at the scenery in front of him. He had gone through a lot of things and had seen things that only very few people would have at his age. Yet, no matter his past encounters and experience, there might not be anything at all that could have prepared him for this situation.


    ¡°Faiyi,¡± he finally said almost choking on his own words.


    The girl in question was sitting in front of him -- in the middle of the left behind gore of the Shrieker -- and munching on the leftovers like it was her afternoon snack. While Quin was still trying to find his words, she looked at him and seeing his rather shocked face she may have realized that there must be something wrong.


    Faiyi looked at the remains in her hands after a moment¡¯s of confusion and then stood up while also extending her hands in the direction of Quin. Though her expression was somewhat complex Quin was quite familiar with her and knew what it showed.


    After taking another second to gather himself, he finally told the girl, ¡°No, I¡¯m not mad that you didn¡¯t offer me some, Faiyi, it¡¯s...¡± He walked to the girl while talking and threw away the mess in her hands. ¡°This is no food! What¡¯s more its body probably still has some poison it, how could you eat it something like this?¡±


    The girl looked at him dumbstruck and then back to the ground at the remains with a face clearly filled with confusion. ¡°It¡¯s yummy!¡± she stated resolved.


    She looks alright, but I really have to examine her... Shit, I hope she won¡¯t have any issues, that damn Shrieker was full with that poison.


    Quin looked over the girl for some time, but he could not find anything wrong with her. The only difference he found was that her forehead -- at the place where her circular shaped scar was -- seemed to grow a tiny lump.


    ¡°Does it hurt?¡± he asked after placing his finger on it and touching it lightly.


    Faiyi shook her head with the same confused expression as before and Quin could not help, but share the same feeling.


    I¡¯ve thought that she might not be a human, or at least not an ordinary one before, but I still can¡¯t believe how that could be an explanation. She might be somewhat different, but looking at her she looks like just an oversized human, I can¡¯t imagine how could be there that much of a difference? This monster¡¯s poison was fairly potent even for me, how come she doesn¡¯t seem to have any problem then?


    ¡°Just because something tastes good, it doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s good for you, Faiyi,¡± he started explaining. ¡°The poison inside this creature nearly killed me before and you know how strong I am; you were really lucky to not have any problems after eating it. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    Although the girl did not speak much or especially not very verbosely, she could fully understand what others said to her. Faiyi was certainly an enigma: she has been growing at an abnormal pace, eating more than three people¡¯s worth of food and could be generally described as strange. You could talk to and communicate with her, yet it always came with a weird feeling. The best Quin could describe this was that the girl simply had a somewhat alien mindset compared to the average humans.


    An intense struggle could be seen in the girl¡¯s eyes, but in the end even if a bit dejectedly she still nodded.


    ¡°If anything hurts or even if you just feel strange say it right away,¡± he told her to make sure.


    With that done, Quin grabbed the girl carefully and started heading back in the direction he came from. Though he was worried sick, there was not anything else he could do for her safety and any -- still living -- doctor would be probably in the city¡¯s center as well as the battle his loved one¡¯s life might be depending on.


    The city felt like a ghost town that has been long since abandoned: many of its buildings stood in crumbles and they did not encounter a living soul during their way back. They did find some Shriekers, but those seemed to be under some kind of spell and their previous fierce nature was nowhere to be found along with their perfect coordination. Thus they quickly arrived back at the town¡¯s center where they were met with a different scenery.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Even though the Shriekers here were also obviously weakened, the battle was still going on and the monsters¡¯ still had that fierceness in them. The humans, under the leadership of the guards, were gradually driving the swarm back, but it was clearly not an easy task. There was not a single one of them that did not have a fair amount of injuries on their bodies and looking at the place behind them it was filled with others so wounded that they could do no more battle.


    Quin quickly evaluated the situation and joined the fight right after putting down Faiyi by her mother as well as telling her to have a doctor check on her as fast as possible.


    The power balances tilted rather seriously with him joining the fray and not just for the simple fact that he was very strong. Seeing him returning completely fine, the soldier¡¯s previously not so good moral practically skyrocketed and they continued the fight with renewed spirits.


    Although Quin considered using his new found power to generate waves of wild energy against the Shrieker swarm, he decided against it in the end. I¡¯ve got a good feeling about this, but as a pioneer I have to be careful! Especially when so many things are depending on it... I haven¡¯t experimented with it yet and something might very well go wrong and then I might hurt the others, not these damned monsters! He knew he could not let himself be careless, not even a bit, besides their current situation was not at all the same dangerous one as it had been previously.


    It took some time and effort, but by the time the sun was setting, they have managed to clear the city from Shriekers. Looking around Quni saw a rather unsettling sight: buildings after buildings in ruins with the entire town painted in a mixture of dark red and purple. These two colors naturally represented the blood of the two sides that clashed against each other on this day. Then, if it was not enough, several humans as well as numerous Shrieker corpses littered the ground everywhere the eye could see. The lingering smell of death was all too much abundant in the air turning many of the survivor¡¯s stomach.


    The day ended in a victory, but there was no triumphant feeling.


    ¡°Hey, are you alright?¡± After seeing that there were no Shriekers in the area, Quin quickly made his way toward his mother.


    ¡°A bit tired, but I¡¯m alright, just like them,¡± she replied with a pale face and beaconed at the other members of their group. ¡°Fortunately the worst thing we had was getting scared. Oh, right, the doctor did check on Faiyi, but she said that there was, fortunately, no problem.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± he said and let out a long sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll go around the town then quickly and see if there¡¯s any straggler Shriekers or survivors left.¡±


    ¡°Alright, but please be careful,¡± she told her with a weak smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Quin replied and with that vanished from the crowd.


    Just like how it has been during his way back to the town center, the surroundings were rather deserted with only the occasional Shrieker aimlessly wandering. Unfortunately, this also meant that even after a good amount of time searching for any survivors he was not successful. In the end he decided to go back and search for Pei to maybe get an idea of what their next step should be.


    ¡°You look like you¡¯ve aged a hundred year, Pei,¡± Quin said with a slight smirk after finding him.


    Recognizing the voice coming from behind him he said, ¡°Yeah, and you-,¡± After turning back and seeing Quin in his current state Pei was completely shocked, even losing his voice for a moment. ¡°The spirits be damned! You look like someone who¡¯s just finished a good afternoon stroll, there¡¯s not even a scratch on your body!¡±


    ¡°You know that I cultivate my body?¡± he stated rather than asked, humbly.


    ¡°I¡¯m no fool boy, but there¡¯s a limit to that,¡± he exclaimed not quite convinced. ¡°It¡¯s not that you¡¯ve fought a couple of times more than me or any other soldiers have, but I¡¯ve seen that thing... That huge monster and what it was capable of! Even body cultivation won¡¯t protect you from that and here you¡¯re good as new. Seriously, what are you hiding from me?¡±


    There was not a shred of malice in his words, only confusion and curiosity.


    ¡°Pei, you¡¯ve known me for some time, do I really look like those secretive kinds?¡± he argued, with a smile on his face. ¡°You should know that my body cultivation completely surpasses the traditional ones and I¡¯ve made no secret of that. It simply turned out that I¡¯m just stronger than I¡¯ve ever imagined!¡± he exclaimed in a bit of theatrical voice and flexed his muscular arm laughing.


    Even though he was fairly tired, Pei was someone he had a good relationship with and who he even looked up to due to his dutiful demeanor. Thus seeing how bad of a shape the guard captain was in he thought that a bit of teasing might liven him up.


    ¡°You!¡± the soldier said with an angry expression that was most definitely fake, and then sighed before letting out a hearty laugh. ¡°Good for you, but we¡¯ve still got a lot of things ahead of us, so we shouldn¡¯t waste any time. I¡¯ll gather the others and in about ten minutes we¡¯ll hold a meeting to discuss our plan of action.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good, I¡¯ll stay here for the meanwhile then,¡± Quin replied.

 Invasion 88 - Running Scared

    The minutes quickly passed by and soon a smaller crowd formed nearby Quin. When Pei finished gathering everyone he thought was needed he approached Quin and said, ¡°Everyone¡¯s here, come.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± he replied and walked back with Pei.


    ¡°So, let¡¯s begin our meeting,¡± the captain of the guards started. ¡°I doubt that our situation needs much explanation and our next main objective is also quite clear, as it is explained in the orders of the army.¡±


    While Pei was speaking, Quin looked around the crowd sizing its members up. Hm, it seems like every person of power is here, the mayor, the trade guild¡¯s representative, the leaders of the more influential families and- His eye suddenly stopped at the two people he had not seen since his battle with that Shrieker: the pair of silver-haired strangers. Them being here should mean that they do have some status even in our duchy? Or... Yeah, it also possible that Pei simply saw how strong they were and then it would be quite a sensibly move to invite them as well.


    ¡°So, as you probably all know, in the event of a major attack, especially one that could be considered an invasion -- and I think calling what happened here as that is completely justified -- we are to regroup first to our closest main city. There, depending on the severity of the situation we¡¯re required to head back to the capital, but in the case of Hounxi the closest main city would be Crows¡¯ Road.¡± Most of the gathered people were aware of this fact and the crowd nodded in almost unison. ¡°Under normal circumstances the travel would take a few months, but with a forced march we can decrease it to about a single month.


    I¡¯ve also notified our headquarters about the situation, but it¡¯ll take a day or two to receive a reply from them during which our required duty will be what I¡¯ve just told you. Now this means that our biggest question is not what to do, but how?¡± the captain asked and looked toward Quin.


    The meaning of this gesture was not lost on Quin: on the one hand this gave him quite a bit face, as the captain of the guards, -- the highest position in the city while at war or in a situation like this one -- Pei, asked him first about how they should proceed. On the other, it obviously acknowledged his strength and to be fair it was rather sensible. If Quin did not agree with something, he could simply ignore the orders and use his own power to force others to do as he wanted. Fortunately for the captain, Quin and him had a friendly relationship, moreover Quin was not the kind of person that would not realize how much experience and knowledge mattered.


    He stood up and after looking around the crowd once more, he said with a boosted voice, ¡°I trust your judgement Pei and I plan to cooperate with what you¡¯ve got in mind. Well, after I manage to take care of one matter: my friend should arrive here in a few days so I¡¯ve to find her first.¡±


    The captain looked at him for a moment, probably reconsidering the plans he had made before.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he answered after a sigh, ¡°that¡¯s a pity, but understandable. How long do you reckon it¡¯ll take?¡±


    It was no surprise that Pei was not fond of this, but he was a soldier, an experienced one at that and knew that the most important thing in a similar situation was focusing on solutions.


    ¡°She¡¯s supposed to come on foot, so a couple of days worth of travel at most?¡± Quin thought for a moment, calculating the distance and estimating his speed.


    Most of the cultivators had some kind of movement techniques. They could not use it constantly nonetheless their speed greatly increased compared to simply walking which meant that the distance he was talking about was calculated with that kind of speed in mind.


    ¡°I¡¯d say under twelve hours if nothing happens,¡± he said finally.


    ¡°Only a few days?¡± It was not Pei who cried out, but someone from the gathered people.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°That¡¯s crazy!¡± A couple of similar exclamations could be heard, but quickly only whispers were left wondering if this meant that he was a Spirit Forming cultivator.


    Their shock was due to various reasons, first of all, even though they had seen or at least heard about Quin¡¯s strength they still were used to Qi cultivators, whose reserves were a lot more limited. Thus if he had said a few days, the others would not have been that surprised because that amount of time obviously included the rest needed to regenerate one¡¯s Qi.


    Twelve hours on the other hand? Among the people of Qi Culmination sub-stage and below that was simply impossible. They would not have enough Qi for a few hours of constant use, not to talk about half a day! What¡¯s more, even if a cultivator miraculously had unending reserves, the round trip would take far longer than that.


    This was, however, no issue for Quin as his body was far stronger and faster than probably any other human¡¯s and stamina was definitely among his specialties. Although other places did not share the same healing type wild energy of the lake, Quin could still utilize basically any kind of wild energy as a resource. He has also just discovered how to actually create his very own wild energy and one set of those strange moves generated plenty to use.


    ¡°That¡¯s rather quick,¡± Pei noted and did not pursue the topic, ¡°And honestly, good to hear. I¡¯ve already sent a couple of scouts ahead and they should be back by dawn. The time I¡¯m planning to set off is not long after that and with their intel we shouldn¡¯t have many problems during that period. Of course, if you met something bad on the road I¡¯d very much appreciate you notifying us.¡±


    Pei motioned to one of the guards standing nearby, who then ran quickly away and in just under a minute returned with a small greyish package in his hand. Next, he delivered it to Quin and then walked back to his original place.


    ¡°You know the basic military code, right?¡± the captain asked Quin, who answered with a nod. ¡°Our current cyphers are inside that package.¡± With that Pei was done, at least with the matter regarding Quin.


    Inside this package was several smaller orbs that when crushed would emit a highly visible one, or multiple colored pillar. This was a basic, but highly efficient communication system that the army often used and due to each color having different meaning each time secrecy was no issue.


    Quin stashed the item into his clothes after reading through the note about its instructions and then left the crowd. Before leaving Hounxi he told his mother what he was going to and tried his best to reassure her. It was by no means an easy task, but she was aware how important Leyn was to her son and this kind of personality was something she was truly proud of.


    I¡¯m still full to the brim with wild energy, so I guess I can leave right away, he considered for a bit just to make sure he was not missing anything important and then set off.


    BOOM!


    A loud sound of explosion signalled Quin¡¯s departure and even a smaller crater was left behind on the ground as he launched himself forward.


    Let¡¯s see how fast I can get! he wondered with a confident smirk. I didn¡¯t really have an opportunity to test how my speed is on a long distance. I just hope... Thoughts of Leyn appeared more and more on his mind while his worry was simultaneously growing as well. It was not that he has not thought about her since the start of the attack, only that he was actively suppressing it. At that time he had more immediate concerns: saving his mother, his friends or simply surviving and focusing on them meant his mind did not have much space left to be occupied by other matters.


    In contrast with before, Quin¡¯s main focus was Leyn now and the more time passed without finding her, the more worried and nervous he got. Shit! Shit! I have to hurry! It did not take long and his previous calm -- or at least seemingly calm -- demeanor vanished and was entirely replaced by fearfulness. His mind became clearly one-tracked and outside of her the single thing he concentrated on was increasing his speed. Faster, I have to go faster! Submerged in this state he did not even pay attention to how fast he was actually going or just how much ambient wild energy he was absorbing.


    Time passed, first minutes and then hours, yet Quin has not even realized it. Who knows how much time has gone by until he was broken out from this sort of trance.


    Leyn!


    A person¡¯s silhouette appeared ahead of him and though due to his speed he saw it only for a second, it was still enough for him to recognize Leyn. This sudden shock combined with his previous mindset resulted in a not so graceful stop. Quin simply lost control over his body as he tried to come to a halt, crashing into the road after an uncontrolled slide. A loud noise followed his meteoric fall that spewed dust and bits of the road in every direction managing to scare the life out of the unexpecting girl.